[When Kavinsky said that he appreciated it, seeming to mean it without being sly or cruel about it, Dimitri sighed, a little bit emotional himself. Because people didn't often take him at face value, didn't typically believe that he could offer something like this without getting something out of it, didn't see how much he ached for kinship and acceptance and something as simple as friendship. Once, he'd had Elijah, but now...

Of course he still loved Elijah.

He'd dreamt him as a child, and he'd always seemed perfect. He still was. What he really meant was that he didn't have any intention of trying to cut into what Kavinsky and Elijah had together. He could love him and be his friend, could love him and be there for the both of them. Before anything else, Elijah had been his best-friend when he was all alone. For Dimitri that felt bigger than wanting to date him.

He wanted to say something encouraging, something insightful, but all he really had to offer was understanding.]

I mean, I think that's what matters. Being willing to try. Cause- fuck- I know it can be hard. Deciding that you still want to live even after everything falls apart.

[His voice is quiet, a little bit choked up, and he looks up at the ceiling, shrugging his shoulders like it's not a big deal. Like he's not saying I know what it's like to feel like dying: but he is. And he's here; both of them chose to stay alive, one way or another. In Dimitri's case it still feels like a thing he makes his way through one day at a time.

He doesn't say that part outloud, but it's still there.]