#* dimitri

Dimitri had already been starting the process of waking up. He slept decently last night, which is a rare occurrence. He's slowly noticing that Blyeth isn't in the bed beside him, and he's about to sit up and go find her when a small body pounces onto him. He'd startle, if this was the first time this had happened, but he knows his daughter well. "Good morning, Ava." He murmurs, sitting up and pulling her into a hug, adjusting his eye patch as he does so, to make sure it covers his scars. He looks up at the doorway where his other children are watching, with their mother as well. He smiles. "Thank you, little ones." He says, patting the bed to invite them to join Ava. He meets Byleth's eyes, smiling fondly at her.

"Mmm?" Dimitri blinks groggily at the light from the hallway, Byleth's shape coming into focus. "Oh, no." He insists, shaking his head and returning his attention to the baby he cradles in his arms. He doesn't want her to worry. Too late, he realizes that the real answer will worry her, too. "I don't think so, at least..." He hedges. Sleep is still so often difficult to obtain, even when he isn't suffering from nightmares. He'd been tossing and turning again, restless in the middle of the night, although he's not sure if he had a nightmare of if his body simply woke up. But he hadn't wanted to disturb her, especially now that they have an infant to care for, so he'd gotten up and heard Sacha crying. He bounces the boy a little, enjoying the way he's curled against his chest. "He's fine, beloved. You should be sleeping."

He accepts the plate with a smile, setting it on the desk in front of him so he can pull Sacha into his lap. "Thank you, my heart." He murmurs, kissing Sacha's ruffled blonde hair. "I'm glad you asked for help. They've often helped me cook, too. I'm still not very good at it." Truth be told, Dimitri would eat a plate full of dirt if his son brought it to him as a gift, although that may be at least partially due to the fact that he can't taste much of anything.

Dimitri blinks at Felix, too stunned to try to stop him from taking the work out of his hands. “Felix, you don’t have to do that. I already put enough on your plate.” He insists, even as something in his chest warms at his friend’s words. It isn’t as if he’s surprised Felix remembered his birthday. But that he acknowledges it...that he speaks to Dimitri at all, that he sees him as a man instead of a monster, it means more than he can say. “Besides, I don’t want you to be too busy today. I...was hoping to spend time with all of my family today.” He gives Felix a pointed, if sheepish, look.

Dimitri stares after the children, a small, fond smile tugging up the corners of his lips. They're such good friends. It makes him happy, to see his childhood friendship with Felix continue, through the next generation. He blinks at Felix, surprised at his words. "I...cannot deny the resemblance." Many people have told him that Sacha is his mirror image, just as people have always told Dimitri they see his father in him. Truthfully he'd hoped their son would favor Byleth. Having children too much like himself is one of the things he fears most. "Let us hope, for his sake, that he grows up to be very different." He sighs. "I scarcely remember ever being that...carefree." He studies Felix. Another smile twitches the corners of his lips up. "Yes, I, uh..." He hesitates. "I wanted to tell you, Byleth is...expecting again. I...was hoping you and Sylvain would be open to being godparents again."