He hums softly, warm and content, basking in the affectionate little gestures Claude offers him. For a moment it's almost too much, the way they can fall into each other so easily without the social restraints and petty squabbles to force a defensive sort of barrier between them. Being able to speak openly about something that still feels so foreign to him in some ways.

"That's different." Firm and fond and he lifts his head to smile at Claude once more, shaking his head as though the idea that the two could be comparable is the childish part. "Your dreams are beautiful and what you've achieved is so impressive... awe-inspiring, even. There's nothing childish about what you have managed, Khalid."

His smile becomes a touch mischievous, the only warning Claude gets this time before Lorenz kisses him again, smiling against his lips. "A great deal more worthwhile than pulling pigtails, as it were."