#365 days of romitri

[gins-potter]

Vampire Academy Masterlist

365 Days of Romitri | dimitri belikov/rose hathaway | 13k | explicit | complete | ao3 | ff.net | tumblr one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen

a romitri drabble a day keeps the doctor away

Be A Sponge | dimitri belikov/rose hathaway | 1k | gen | complete | ao3 | ff.net | tumblr

guardian robinson finds the relationship between guardians hathaway and belikov interesting and can't help but analyse their interaction

Coming Home | dimitri belikov/rose hathaway | <1k | gen | complete | ao3 | ff.net | tumblr

after a long month apart, dimitri and rose are finally reunited

haunted by the ghost of you | dimitri belikov/rose hathaway | 1k | gen | complete | ao3 | ff.net | tumblr

dimitri might be gone but that doesn't mean rose can escape the memory of him

hold onto me (’cause i’m a little unsteady) | dimitri belikov/rose hathaway | 2k | mature | complete | ao3 | ff.net | tumblr

when a college party goes horribly wrong for rose, will someone be there to save her? all human + college AU

if i can’t run, i’ll crawl to you | dimitri belikove/rose hathaway | 1k | teen | complete | ao3 | ff.net | tumblr

rose finds herself captured by a group of strigoi but can she fight past the haze of endorphins to escape?

let me hold you (let me chase away the shadows) | dimitri belikov/rose hathaway | 1k | gen | complete | ao3 | ff.net | tumblr

nightmares haunt dimitri but rose is there to chase away those shadows

Romitri + Bakery | 1k | gen | complete | ao3 | ff.net | tumblr

short drabble to fill the prompt romitri + bakery

Rose + Pets | 1k | gen | complete | ao3 | ff.net | tumblr

short drabble to fill the prompt rose + pets

these walls pressing in on me | dimitri belikov/rose hathaway | 1k | gen | complete | ao3 | ff.net | tumblr

rose is forced to confront her fear of small spaces when she and dimitri return to the caves

this grief tearing me apart | mikhail tanner & rose hathaway | 1k | teen | complete | ao3 | ff.net | tumblr

rose seeks out solitude during a time of grief but has an unexpected visitor

.

Dimitri Belikov/Rose Hathaway + crack | tumblr

Dimitri Belikov/Rose Hathaway + speaking russian | tumblr

[elephantwalks]

Helllllo VA fandom!

Here’s some short story/drabbles VA recs from yours truly. Feel free to recommend some to me as well! I’ve been so busy with school and college apps that diving into a long story is impossible, so I’ve been living off of these one shots and short fics. #5 on this list is incomplete BUTTT those 4 chapters were some of the best VA i’ve ever read.

1. No More of You https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11955493/1/No-More-of-You

2. Chase Refrain https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11161743/1/Chase-Refrain

3. The Present Is A Matter of Perspective https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13378517/1/The-Present-is-a-Matter-of-Perspective

4. 365 Days of Romitri https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12803316/1/365-Days-of-Romitri

5. For a Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12309433/1/For-a-Pessimist-I-m-Pretty-Optimistic

6. The Engagement https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11616653/1/The-Engagement

7. To Quiet Nights https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11662143/1/To-Quiet-Nights

8. The road back to us https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10148374/1/The-road-back-to-us

9. Liquid Courage https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12870133/1/Liquid-Courage

*not in any particular order. just off the top of my head*

[gins-potter]

rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it and/or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

i was tagged by both @sydneysageivashkov and @belikov-barnes, thank you friends 🙏🏼 I have way too many WIPs so I'll just do the ones from my VA folder.

Amnesia Fic and Amnesia Fic 2.0

Booty Call

College

Rebel Rose

i'll go get a ring

MILF

musical talent

Rose's shooting

Rose and Christian leave

Something Special

The Art of Seduction

Valentine's Day Fic

Yeva's Predictions

365 Days of Romitri

You, Me, and Baby Makes 3

Tagging whoever wants to do it 😊

[gins-potter]

365 Days of Romitri

Day 19: Believe

Thank you @queenlissa for the inspo on this one because i had nothing 😅

(slight context: guardian trials in a dimitri was never turned au)

“Are you meditating?”

Rose, leant against the wall of the barracks, forced her fingers to stop drumming against the fresh wood and cracked open an eye to find Dimitri standing, arms folded and imposing, before her.  She opened the other eye and grinned at him, allowing her gaze to drift over him for one, long, delicious second to distract herself from the other students and instructors milling around.

“Struggling not to fall asleep,” she lied just to make him frown.

She was rewarded with a crease forming between his eyebrows and he shook his head, even as some of tension in his shoulders eased at her joking tone.  “Rose,” he said, moving closer, and it wasn’t quite a chastisement but there was something warning in his tone.  “You need to take this seriously.”

Rose rolled her eyes half-heartedly but her smile widened.  “Please,” she scoffed.  “You and I both know I could do this blindfolded.  Hell, maybe I will.”  She threw him a suggestive look despite their audience and practically purred, “And maybe I’ll let you take it off for me later.”

His eyes darkened at the implication of her words, at the thought of the celebration they could have later, just the two of them, for the trials that were closer to a graduation for her than any ceremony would be.  Then he shook his head, muttering something in Russian that sounded like a plea for patience.

Dimitri’s arrival had been a welcome distraction but even he couldn’t stop her wince when a loud cheer, followed by a low groan, rose up from the crowd looking down on the arena just on the other side of the barracks.  She gritted her teeth and forced herself not to twist around and look, not join those crowding the doorway to see what their classmate had done to trigger that reaction.  Rose focused her gaze straight ahead and tried to summon a sense of calm back to her.

Dimitri, careful eyes not missing a detail, eyed her with renewed concern.  “Rose,” he said, too purposefully for her to ignore.  “You’re going to be fine.”

“Of course, I am,” she said, but the bravado from moments ago was gone from her voice.

Dimitri glanced around at the others sharing the space, before sliding an arm around her shoulders and nudging her in the opposite direction of the arena until they were alone outside.

“Talk to me, Rose,” he said quietly, as she leant against the wall and ducked her head.  He put one hand on the wall beside her head, wishing she would meet his eye but she remained steadfastly staring at the ground.

“What if I screw up?”

The words were barely more than a whisper, but they clanged through Dimitri so that he couldn’t help but bring up his other hand to trace it down the side of her face, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

“Why would you think you’re going to screw up?  You’re so talented-”

A frustrated sigh escaped Rose and she leaned away from him, folding her arms with a scowl.  But he instinctively knew that it wasn’t him she was angry with.

“Yeah, I’m talented, that’s what everyone always says, but what good is talent if I can’t use it at the right time?”

“You’re talented,” Dimitri said again, as if she hadn’t interrupted.  “But more than that you’ve put in the hard work, Rose.  You’ve studied, and you’ve trained, and I know you’re going to do well.”

Her mouth twisted but there was a shrewd kind of hope shining in her eyes as she finally looked up to meet his gaze.  “You believe in me?”

“Of course I do.”

Rose pressed her lips together and glanced away but this time Dimitri thought it was a different emotion she was suppressing this time.  “No one’s ever said that to me before,” she admitted, wrinkling her nose at her own vulnerability.

Before Dimitri could respond she looked back at him and reached up to slide a hand behind his neck as she rose up on her toes.  It was instinct to wrap an arm around her waist as she leaned in to press a sweet, unusually chaste, kiss to his lips.

“Okay,” she breathed once they separated only far enough for her to lean her forehead gently against his.  “Let’s do it.”

“You can do this,” he said firmly and she nodded.

She wasn’t at her usual level of Rose bravado but there was something more sure and settled in her as her eyes fluttered open and she nodded again, lowering back down but not looking away from him.

“I can do this.”

[gins-potter]

365 Days of Romitri

Day 17: Darkness

part of a longer fic that you can find on my ao3 and ff.net.  this isn’t perfect but i’m sick of looking at it.  warning: my knowledge of therapy and ptsd is limited to my googling.

It’s taken Dimitri a while but he’s come to accept that there are always going to be days where it’s harder to outrun the darkness.

Dr Matthews, who he stills calls Dr Matthews no matter how many years he’s been his therapist or how many times he says Xavier is fine, shifts in the armchair opposite, chin cupped in his hand and notebook balance precariously on his knee.

“Do you want to tell me about last night?”

Not really, Dimitri wants to say but doesn’t because he’s older now, and those days of sessions spent in stoic silence are a thing of the distant past.  And besides, he’s the one who scheduled this emergency appointment.

“Not much to say,” Dimitri says, voice almost monotone as he looks out the window at the grey sky.  “My heavily pregnant wife, who’s not supposed to be exerting herself, had to call her best friend to help her with our sick toddler screaming for half the night because I was having…”

“A PTSD episode,” Dr Matthews supplies when he can’t finish.

“Yeah,” Dimitri sighs.

He shuts his eyes, cringing as the memory of the night before plays over and over in his mind; lying, frozen, in bed and listening to his daughter’s insistent cries but not going to her because he was terrified of what might happen when he picked her up.  Feeling Rose jolt awake beside him, seeing understanding chase away her lingering sleepiness and having to look away because he couldn’t handle the torn look on her face as she debated staying with him or going to their daughter.  Hearing her hiss of pain as she levered herself upright from the bed and the baby undoubtedly shifted against the pinched nerve in her back that had been plaguing her for weeks and hating himself even more.

“Do you think that’s how Rose would characterise last night?”

The question throws Dimitri enough for a loop that he stirs, looking away from the window and back to his doctor.  “What do you mean?”

“I mean do you think Rose would see it as her having to rely on someone else to help her with your daughter or would she see it as the community the two of you have built coming together to help support her partner through a PTSD episode.”

He has to fight against the impulse to protest, to automatically argue that he should have been stronger than that, should have been able to handle it.  Dr Matthews knows him well enough to know what’s currently running through his head because he smiles a little.

“Can I ask you something?”

Dimitri raises an eyebrow.  “That’s kind of why we’re here, Doctor Matthews.”

“How would you feel if one of your friends called you needing your help?  No more details than that, they just need your help right away, what would your response be?”

Dimitri huffs, somewhere between a laugh and a sigh.  “Point taken, Doc.”

“Point taken?” Doctor Matthews prompts.

“That I hold myself to a higher standard than everyone else, and am more willing to offer help than to accept,” Dimitri says, repeating something he’s heard in this office countless times before.

Doctor Matthews’ smile widens slightly, “It’s a work in progress but keep at it.”  His eyes flick up to the clock.  “And that’s time, Dimitri.  We’ll go back to weekly sessions for the next little while?  Make sure this is an isolated incident.”

Dimitri breathes a sigh but nods.  “That’s probably for the best.”  The time between episodes has grown longer and longer, the last having been before Anastasia’s birth, so it’s hard to feel like this isn’t a setback.

“Alright, I’ll see you next week.  And just remember, when your community is trying to be there for you, try leaning in instead of pushing back.”

“Yeah,” Dimitri says, standing from the lounge.  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He’s still running Doctor Matthews words over in his mind when he pulls up in the driveway of the house and hears the babble of voices coming from inside.  Hands still resting on the wheel, he almost backs right back out again, until he steels himself and opens the car door.

“Try leaning in instead,” he repeats.

So he puts one foot in front of the other as he mounts the front steps and pushes open the front door.  The first thing that hits him is the noise of a full house, the second being the two toddlers he almost trips over on his way through the door.

“Unca Mitri,” Hayden babbles, stopping short of chasing Mason around.

“What are you two monsters doing?” He takes a deep breath and forces himself to trust that his hands are gentle enough as he ruffles the soft hair on the crown of their heads.

“Monsters, monsters monsters,” they cheer, chasing one another in circles around his legs.

Dimitri chuckles and steps carefully between them to continue down the hall.  He encounters Sydney, who flashes him a friendly smile as she follows the sound of the toddlers.  When he steps into the living area, it’s a chaos of sound and movement.  Adrian, Eddie, and Mia are arguing over a hand of cards, Lissa is nursing newborn Rosalie, and chatting to Rose who’s propped up on a mountain of cushions on the lounge.

“Hey Belikov,” Christian says over the breakfast bar that separates the kitchen from the rest of the living room.  “I’m making bacon sandwiches, you want one?”

Dimitri smiles softly, appreciative of the clear attempt at normalcy.  His eyes find Rose, whose head has perked up at the sound of his name.  She’s rubbing her stomach with one hand while the other cradles Anastasia’s little head where she has her ear pressed to Rose’s stomach.  There’s a hint of worry in his wife’s face, and he knows she’s wondering if this is what he needs right now.

“Daddy daddy daddy,” Anastasia squeals in delight and Dimitri crosses the room to sweep her into his arms.

“Hello, my miracle,” he murmurs, before leaning down to press a kiss to Rose’s waiting lips.  She smiles as he draws back and touches his face reverently.  Everyone’s still chattering and moving around him, Christian yelling for them to come and get his food, and someone patting him on the shoulder on their way to the kitchen.  Anastasia is giggling in his ear, and Rose is beaming at him with that smile he fell in love with so many years ago.  And yeah, maybe there are days where the darkness almost catches him, but he knows he has a family waiting at home to chase away the shadows.

[gins-potter]

365 Days of Romitri

Day 15: Fire

holy crap, two updates in three days? who is this productive bitch? couldn't be me. truthfully this update would have been out last night but uh i was drinking and did not trust myself to finish editing and post it.

Every single muscle in Dimitri’s body locks up tight when the alarm starts to blare, loud and insistent, through St Vad’s. It takes him a long moment, but he realises that it isn’t a breachment alarm but a garden variety fire alarm. Not that that’s any less worry-inducing, but he is at least able to breathe again.

Yuri, with whom Dimitri is in the middle of sharing a coffee, turns to him, eyebrow raised in something between genuine concern and exasperation. They know it’s not a drill - they would have been alerted beforehand if it was - and it’s likely due to a minor incident in one of the Moroi’s magic classes. Regardless, they both set their coffee aside and are on their feet in an instant, heading towards the door.

“I swear if it ends up being one of those punk fire-users pulling a prank…” Yuri mutters under his breath before trailing off.

Dimitri forces himself to huff a breath of laughter. He knows logically that it probably is, just a joke or a classroom exercise that got a little out of hand, and yet he still can’t find it in himself to unclench.

They emerge from the building and Alberta falls into step beside them, her quick pace meaning that she easily keeps up with Dimitri and Yuri both despite being nearly a foot shorter than them.

“Know what it is yet?” Dimitri asks, glancing sidelong at her.

“One of the magic classrooms?” Yuri interjects, but Alberta shakes her head grimly.

“Home ec.”

Dimitri’s blood instantly runs cold and he stumbles, mind running over Rose and Christian’s schedule because of course even with her limited duty she’s on today, and of course Christian has home ec class right now. He lengthens his stride, forcing Alberta and Yuri to practically jog to keep up and even that doesn’t feel fast enough, not when every instinct he possesses is screaming at him to run.

When they finally make it up the stairs to the classroom they find the fire out and the room in a state of organised chaos, having been beaten there by half a dozen guardians as well as Dr. Olendzki. One guardian is standing at the front of the room with the teacher who is shaking her head, hand over her mouth, as though she can’t quite comprehend what has just happened. The other guardians are checking the damage which seems contained to a large scorch mark on a wall near one of the stations. Most of the students are gathered in the back corner amusing themselves, but two are sitting apart with one being tended to by Dr. Olendzki.

When Dimitri sees who it is, he crosses the room in a handful of long strides, Alberta and Yuri on his heels.

“Roza,” he says, the loving moniker coming out without even thinking as he touches her shoulder. “What happened?”

Rose glances up at him, seemingly unperturbed by both his worried expression and the fact that her arm is currently being examined by the doctor. She rolls her eyes half-heartedly, flicking a stray strand of hair out of her face. “Nothing, just the idiot behind us stopped paying attention to what he was doing and his damn station nearly exploded.”

“Rose reacted so fast,” Christian puts in, uncharacteristically impressed. “The flames were coming right at us and she shoved me out of the way.”

Rose grins up at them, hiding a wince as Dr. Olendzki prods at her arm. “If only one of you guys had been around, you would have given me full marks for my response time.”

“Is she alright?” Dimitri asks Dr. Olendzki, ignoring Rose’s wisecracking.

“I’m fine-”

“Is she alright?” he asks again, a little more forcefully.

“Just a first degree burn, and a rather mild one at that,” the doctor says, looking faintly amused.

She indicates a slightly red area on Rose’s forearm, and, unable to help himself, Dimitri takes Rose’s arm in his own hands, forcing himself to be gentle despite his haste, and looks for himself.

“I’ll prescribe some burn cream to put on it, but that’s more for her own comfort than anything else.” Dr. Olendzki turns back to Rose. “I’ll send some to your dorm later, okay? But come see me if the pain continues after three days.”

Dr. Olendzki touches Rose’s shoulder reassuringly and snaps her bag closed, nodding to Alberta before making her leave.

“You’re done for today,” Dimitri says instantly to Rose, who, predictably, opens her mouth to argue.

“No, come on, I’m fine.”

“I said you’re done.”

“I’m on limited duty already, I need to be on today”

Alberta raises an eyebrow, glancing between them with a hint of surprise at their vehemence. Yuri coughs uncomfortably and excuses himself, while Christian, looking perplexed, also glances between them.

“You heard Guardian Belikov,” Alberta says finally, putting an end to the argument. “He’s responsible for you and he said you’re done, so you’re done. Go back to your room, Rose,” she continues, voice softening a fraction. “Take the rest of the afternoon off and put some cream on that burn.”

Rose still looks ready to argue but Alberta simply walks away, protests falling on deaf ears.

Christian clucks his tongue in vague sympathy. “Sucks, Rosie.”

Rose directs a vulgar gesture towards him and Dimitri doesn’t even have it in him to sigh at their bickering or reprimand her. “Come on,” he says, touching the back of her shoulder to usher her out of the classroom.

“I really am fine, Comrade. You didn’t need to do that,” she sas as they walk down the hallway, frowning when she doesn’t respond. “Hey, what’s up?”

Dimitri merely shakes his head, unable to describe the level of panic that had swept over him when he’d realised she might be in trouble. The panic that seems only inches away lately with everything that’s been going on and the constant reminders of how easily she could be taken away from him.

“Seriously,” she says, stopping and grabbing his arm to force him to do the same. “You’re worrying me now.”

Dimitri takes her by the elbow, gentle and mindful of her burn and pulls her into a forgotten alcove, where he brackets her against the wall, hands on either side of her head. “Tell me the truth,” he says, staring intently into her eyes. “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” she says, her voice sure, all lingering traces of amusement vanishing. “I’m okay.”

The air leaves Dimitri in a rush and his eyes slide shut as he leans forward to rest his forehead against hers.

“Hey,” she whispers, hand coming up to rest lightly against his cheek, fingers tapping out a nervous, staccato rhythm, the only sign that he’s still worrying her. “What’s wrong? I’m okay.”

I know, he wants to say. He wants to say but can’t because he doesn’t know if she really is these days. He doesn’t know if she’s okay because she seems to have all these hurts that he can’t do anything to fix. These hurts that he would do anything to fix but doesn’t know how.

And so, because it’s the only thing he can do, instead of answering his hand comes up to cover hers still against his face and he turns his head to press a kiss against her burn, lips so achingly gentle that it makes Rose sigh. Because he might not be able to fix all her hurts, but he can kiss this one and make it a little better.

[gins-potter]

365 Days of Romitri

Day 14: Love

i literally haven’t updated this fic series in three years but the show news gave me some inspo so here, have a drabble. you can find the other 13 chapters so far under #365 days of romitri or on my ao3 and fanfic.net

Dimitri isn’t sure when he first realises he’s in love with Rose; it’s one of those things that kind of sneaks up on him when he isn't looking.

It certainly isn’t love at first sight.  Well, if you can call looking at a photograph in a file ‘first sight’ anyway.  At this point, Rose Hathaway is little more than a name in the Dragomir file, an obstacle in the way of completing his mission, and he certainly doesn’t look at her picture and think, this is her, this is the girl I’m going to love for the rest of my life.  No, the sight of her barely evokes much beyond surprise and a grudging respect that not only has she managed to escape the academy, but she’s also managed to remain undetected for so long.  And maybe Dimitri feels a slight pang of sympathy for her, as he pages through the information and wonders how a mother could walk away from her four year old daughter, but that’s it.  And none of those emotions are even remotely close to love.

And it isn’t love when he finally actually lays eyes on the living, breathing tornado of grit and determination that is Rose Hathaway.  By now his surprise and respect has turned to irritation and fatigue, and all he’s interested in is getting her and the Dragomir princess on a plane back to Montana.  The most positive feeling he allows himself to feel is the briefest flash of admiration for the fervour with which she attacks even as her energy wanes and she stumbles over her own feet.  There is admiration, he’ll admit, but there isn’t love.  Not yet.

There is still no love over those first few weeks when they’re just getting to know each other.  There are smiles, the odd laugh, and nearly always a teasing glint in her eyes when she looks at him.  And in him there is an unwilling fondness that blooms as he has to yield and admit that there is more to Rose Hathaway than meets the eye, but there is no love.

He doesn’t love her That Night.  There is lust certainly; it is a lust charm after all that draws them together, and he tells himself it’s the charm that makes touching her feel as natural as breathing.  By now he respects Rose, feels affection for her, but it isn’t love that has him running her hands over her body and kissing her deeply.

He tells himself it can’t be love when he runs towards the academy’s cells, the sound of a brutal fight in the distance.  It can’t be love that has his heart in his throat, or makes his stomach twist when he sees Rose crumpled on the ground, blood trickling from her mouth.  It can’t be love, he tells himself as he gathers her body in his arms and takes her out of that place.  It can’t be love because he can’t bear to love someone who could be taken away from him so easily.

He tells himself that it isn’t love that makes him want to pull her into his arms and comfort her when they stumble across that house with all the bodies and the blood.  He tells himself that it’s professional devotion to his student that makes his heart ache at the sight of her pale face and trembling lips as she wraps her arms around herself.  He tells himself it isn’t love and pretends like he believes it.

He tells himself that love isn’t the cause of that twinge of ugly jealousy that builds in the pit of his stomach whenever he sees Rose with Adrian or Mason.  He tells himself that he’s just protective of her, that because of whatever lingering feelings he has for her, he doesn’t want to see her get hurt.

He doesn’t want to admit what he feels when he realises that Rose is missing, doesn’t want to acknowledge the blind panic that he keeps locked up tight as it claws at his insides.  There’s a feeling that his heart is beating outside of his chest, that it’s wherever Rose is, but Dimitri forces himself to focus on finding her.  Whatever he’s feeling can come later.

But it’s impossible to ignore how he feels as they bust down the door to that house and behold the horror scene that’s waiting for them.  Because he loves her and he feels like his heart is cracking in two when he sees her draped over Mason’s body, lying entirely too still.  Because he loves her and it feels like he’s coming back to life when her head lifts, and wild, dark eyes find his.  Because he loves her and when he sees the way she trembles, her bloodied face crumpling with devastation he wants nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and make sure nothing ever hurts her again.  Because he loves her and he has for a long time and he can’t deny it any longer.

[gins-potter]

365 Days of Romitri

Day 16: Light

part of a longer fic that you can find on my ao3 and ff.net

The quiet rustle of clothing and movement wakes Rose, slowly and then all at once.  It’s instinct that has her reaching one hand under her pillow and curling it around the handle of her stake, but it’s also instinct, this one of an entirely different nature, that has her other hand snaking across the sheets, seeking out her boyfriend’s warm body.  She blinks and groans when she comes up empty, and the rustling stops.

“‘mitri?” she grumbles and she’s answered with a low, husky laugh.

“Shh, go back to sleep,” he says, and a phantom hand pulls the blankets higher over her body and smoothes back her hair.  She catches his hand in the darkness, bringing it to her lips so she can kiss it gently.

“Where are you going?” she murmurs against his warm skin.

His fingers dance across her face, tracing it reverently before withdrawing.  Knowing that there’s no danger, her body sinks back into the mattress but rather than drifting off again, she finds herself blinking through the grogginess, searching him out in the darkness.

“I’ve got a shift.”

Rose grumbles her disapproval and that chuckles comes again, washing over her like she’s sitting near a warm fire.  Dimitri shifts, and a lone beam of sunlight that’s made it past their blackout curtains catches the side of his face in it’s glow, illuminating the strands of his hair and it’s thousand colours: umber, chestnut, ochre, chocolate, russet.  She’s run her hands through that hair a million times before, did so when they fell into bed together just a few hours ago, and the memory of it’s silky texture brings a sleepy smile to her lips.  

He ducks his head to fiddle with his belt and the light glances off his shoulders, shoulders that she loves to run her hands over and press kisses to the taught skin of.  She wants to go to him, stand in front of him and slide the belt back out of the loops.  She wants to draw him back into bed with her, to twine their bodies together, and fall back asleep within his embrace.

“But I’m cold,” she says, as though that fact alone is enough to stop him from going to work.

His face turns towards her and she loses it in the darkness, but she can imagine the slightly raised eyebrow and skeptical expression.  “I can get you another blanket,” he says finally, voice flat and it makes her smile again.

“Not the same,” she says into her pillow.

Because it’s really not.  Somehow piling another blanket over her can never compare to the sensation of being curled around her boyfriend, who Rose swears up and down perpetually runs a few degrees warmer than everyone else.  Being near Dimitri is like being caught in a ray of sunlight; his smile that makes her feel as though she’s just drunk a mug of hot chocolate, hands that are big and warm that glide over her skin, a love that envelopes her so completely that it makes her want to never leave it’s embrace.  Dimitri is the sun that Rose instinctively leans towards.

[gins-potter]

365 Days of Romitri

Day 13: Friendship

Rose had never had a panic attack before but between the trembling of her hands, the shortness of her breath, and her racing heart, she would hazard a guess that she was about to have one.  The room around her was a blur of activity and Rose felt like she was lost in the middle of it; someone was behind her, pulling and tugging at her hair to make sure every curl was sitting just right, Mia was trying to wrangle Jeanine into a chair to get some makeup on her, and Viktoria was helping Sonja shimmer into her dress, while Karo fiddled with the flowers.  The noise of it all was overwhelming, everyone just talking, to each other, over the top of each other, not seeming to notice that Rose was sitting in the middle of it all, feeling like she was in the middle of the hurricane.

Lissa’s face swam into view, smile fading as concern clouded her features.  She knew instantly that something was wrong, and she grabbed Rose’s hands, squeezing hard.

“Rose.  Rose.  Just breathe, breathe okay?  You’re worrying me.”

Rose, for once, followed an order without argument and gulped down a breath.

“Besides,” Lissa added after a moment.  “You’re going to ruin your makeup.”

It surprised Rose enough that she laughed, and Lissa smiled, relieved at seeing her friend returning somewhat to normal.  But only momentarily until Rose caught sight of the dress out of the corner of her eye; the perfect dress, the perfect makeup, and the perfect hair, all for what was supposed to be the perfect wedding day.  So why did it feel like she was going to cry?

“Oh god,” Rose murmured, blinking up at the roof in an effort to stop the tears from spilling over, because Lissa was right, she was going to completely mess up her makeup if she didn’t get a grip soon.  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Really?” Lissa said gently, and although Rose was still looking determinedly at the ceiling, she just knew her friend was smiling.  “You’re about to get married, and you don’t know why your emotions might be a little out of control?  You’re not… having second thoughts or anything, are you?”

“No!”  The intensity, not to mention the volume of Rose’s voice seemed to surprise them both, not to mention drawing the attention of the rest of the room.  Rose hastily leaned towards Lissa, not wanting to alarm the rest of the room, the occupants of which included her soon to be in-laws.  “Never,” she said fiercely.  “I- god I love him so much.  And I can’t picture spending my life with anyone else.  But…”

Lissa smiled knowingly.  “But everything’s changing.  And even as in love as you are, a part of you, even if it’s tiny, will always be a little worried about change.”

“So what do I do?”

“Trust that you know him, trust that you know yourself, trust in the relationship you guys have built.  You guys are so great together, that even if it isn’t all smooth sailing all the time, you guys can get through it.”

Rose smiled, the last of her tears dissipating.  “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” Rose said, huffing out a breath and squaring her shoulders.  “Okay, let’s do this.”

[gins-potter]

365 Days of Romitri

Day 12: Outside (series)

Lazing in the vee of Dimitri’s legs, head pillowed against his stomach, Rose thought she had to be in one of the most comfortable positions in the world.  She was deliciously warm under the afternoon sun’s rays, and the feeling of Dimitri’s hand methodically stroking over her hair was lulling her closer and closer to sleep.

They were on the back porch of the house in Baia, and although they were nearing the end of their vacation, neither of them were talking about that.  They weren’t talking at all.  In fact Rose was sure, Dimitri thought she’d actually drifted off, and was she close, lying their enjoying the warm afternoon peace.

Which was broken suddenly by the sound of the back door opening, and then softly banging shut a moment later.  Dimitri’s hand stilled on her forehead, clearly waiting to see if the noise had disturbed her.  But Rose’s mind felt like it was moving like syrup, and it was too much of an effort to even scrunch up her nose in displeasure.  The other deck chair squeaked as the person settled, and Rose was happy to let Dimitri converse with the interloper.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile so much before.”

Dimitri hummed quietly in thought and wound a lock of Rose’s hair around his finger.  “Maybe it’s because I’m happy, Karo.”

“You’re good for each other.  So don’t screw it up, yeah?  We like seeing you two together.”

“And they sent you to tell me that?”

Rose could hear the smile in Karolina’s voice.  “Pretty much.  Mama wants her as a daughter-in-law.  She’ll be very unhappy if she doesn’t.”

Dimitri chuckled, and the pair lapsed into a long beat of silence, during which Rose continued to drift, the birds chirping and the distant noises of the town washing over her.

“I hadn’t realised how protective you would be of her.  I had always hoped you’d love her but… ”  Dimitri was aiming for casual, but anyone who knew him could hear that he’d missed it by a mile.  “You guys got pretty close, huh?”

“Yeah,” Karo murmured.  “Yeah, really close.  It was hard not to, she was so in love with you, so devastated by losing you.  She just clicked with us, and I really thought she was going to stay.  We all did.  But I guess the universe had other plans.”

Dimitri’s hand disappeared from Rose’s hair, and she just knew that he had reached out to grip his sister’s.

“I’m here, Karo.  I’m alright.”

There was a sniff, then, “Yeah, I know.  I love you, little brother.”

“I love you too.”

Rose heard Karolina get up after another minute and head back inside, and Dimitri’s hand returned to her hair.

[gins-potter]

365 Days of Romitri

Day 10: Inside

“Dad,” a voice whined, dragging the word out until it grated on Dimitri’s ears.  “We’re bored. We want to do something!”

“Yeah!”

“Yeah!”

“Yeah!”

Dimitri glared at his wife when she chimed in with her own agreement, but she merely shrugged with an innocent smile on her face.

“I’m sorry, I thought I had 5 children, not 6.”

Rose poked her tongue out at him, not exactly disproving his point.

“You do realise that it’s absolutely pouring outside, right?”

“Yes, Dad” Aleks sighed in her best ‘we’re not that stupid’ voice.

“But it’s been raining all week,” Kat chimed in.

“And we’re going absolutely crazy,” Darius finished for them.

Rose beamed proudly at the triplets, and Dimitri had no doubts that she’d rounded them up, rehearsed them, and sent them out to ambush him as he finished his morning coffee, in the hopes he’d find something entertaining for them to do that day.  Not that they would need much encouraging to pull out the theatrics; Dimitri had always thought that the universe had heard when Rose had complained that her first two children were too serious like himself, and had responded by sending them three of the most dramatic children all at once.

Speaking of… “Ivan and Anastasia don’t seem too bothered by the rain,” Dimitri pointed out smugly.

But of course, the triplets being fluent in Rose-logic, already had an argument to that.

“That’s because Ivan’s reading in our room like the massive nerd he is.”

“Darius,” Rose said warningly.  Dimitri was sure that her original script for this hadn’t included insults.

“And Anastasia is still listening to that stupid album.”

The whole family winced at the reminder.  Anastasia’s favourite singer had recently released a new album, so they’d all been assaulted with the same 12 songs on repeat for the last two days.  Begging finished, the four of them turned their pleading eyes on Dimitri to seal the deal, not that it mattered, because he’d already made up his mind.

“Go tell your siblings to get ready,” he said, and the triplets, along with Rose cheered in excitement, the former’s racing up the stairs making an absolute racket, while Rose bounced over to kiss him.

“Have I ever told you what a good husband and dad you are?”

“Yes, but feel free to tell me again,” Dimitri rumbled slipping his arms around her waist.

“You’re the best, babe.”

Dimitri grinned and ducked his head, lips a mere inch from Rose’s when an indignant screech of protest sounded from above.  Rose groaned, tipping her head back in frustration, and Dimitri pecked a kiss to her throat instead.

“Why did we have kids again?”

Dimitri chuckled, and lead her upstairs to find Ivan and Anastasia standing in their doorways, arguing with their siblings.

“What’s the problem?”

“They said we’re going out.”  Anastasia pointed an accusing finger at the triplets.

“And we are,” Rose said, her and Dimitri breezing down the hall.

“But I was going to listen to my album again.”

“I was going to start the next book of my series.”

“Oh I think 30 million times is more than enough,” Rose chirped to Anastasia.

“Perfect time to take a break,” Dimitri said sympathetically to Ivan.

The pair reached out in unison to push their kids towards their room, firmly enough that it brooked no arguments, and disappeared into their room at the end of the hallway.

An hour, two arguments, and three “I will turn this car around I swear to god”’s later, the Belikov family were winding through the closest city to Court, and pulling up outside a big warehouse-esque building.  Large glowing letters proclaimed it to be the best 24 hour gym.

“A gym?” Ivan, their least athletically inclined child, sighed.  There was a general murmur of agreement around the car, and even Rose, who was usually always down for a workout, looked inclined to agree.

Dimitri sighed, wondering when his family had lost complete faith in him.  “A gym,” he began. “That is also home to the best rock-climbing wall in the state.”

That got the reaction he was looking for and a second later his kids were jumping from the car, mindless of the rain and sprinting towards the entrance.

“So, did I do good?” Dimitri asked smugly, turning to look at his wife.

But she was already gone from the car, running after their kids in excitement.  Dimitri sighed longsufferingly, and followed, resigned to the fact that he did indeed have 6 children instead of 5.

[gins-potter]

365 Days of Romitri

Day 11: Jump (series)

“That dog has way too much energy.”

Rose eyed the energetic ball of fur that was somehow still bouncing around by their feet and shook her head in wordless agreement.  “How,” was all she managed to get out.

They’d been taking turns for the last two hours to run around with their six-month-old puppy, Zeus, throwing balls, and frisbees, and sticks, literally anything since he would run after literally everything.

“It’s your turn.”  Dimitri nudged his wife, but she didn’t budge an inch further than turning pleading eyes on him.  “No,” he said, shaking his head vehemently.  “It’s your turn.”

“But my arm hurts.”

“Tell that to him.”  Dimitri nodded at Zeus who was practically vibrating by that point, tail wagging hopefully, as he nosed the ball at their feet.

Rose groaned, more dramatically then Dimitri had ever heard her, and picked up the ball and lobbed it across the yard in one smooth movement.  She’d put a little bit extra into the throw and the ball had disappeared into the tangled foliage at the back of the yard.  It had been there when they’d bought the house and they hadn’t had the time or the effort yet to do anything about cleaning it up.

“Is this what having kids is like?”

Dimitri shrugged as they watched the dog go bounding into the foliage, and disappearing from sight.  He thought back to his childhood, to the way he and his siblings used to run his mother ragged, still bouncing with energy even when she was clearly dead on her feet.

“A little, yeah,” he admitted.

She shuddered delicately, and leant back on a hand, eyes unfocused as she thought.  Dimitri glanced at her; this was the closest they’d come to talking about the whole kid thing since they’d found out it was possible at all, and Rose had wordlessly gone on the pill.  But he waited and Rose didn’t offer anything else.  Secretly, he was happy not to discuss it, they were both young and had barely been married two years, he didn’t think either of them were ready for kids.

Dimitri was saved having to find a response, or come up with a topic change, by Rose bolting upright, eyes wide with fear.  “Shit, where’d he go?”

Swearing under his breath, Dimitri scanned the backyard, realising that the puppy hadn’t come running back after retrieving his ball.  They both bolted up off the back porch at the same time and mindless of the spiders and other insects no doubt inhabiting it, went crashing into the foliage.

“Zeus!  Zeus, where are you, baby?” Rose called and heard Dimitri do the same somewhere to her right.  She shoved the fronds out of her face, not caring as they scratched her hands, and desperately searched the garden for the little dog.  Then finally his little face came into view, and God help her it looked like he was smiling at her, no doubt enjoying the attention.

“Dimitri, I found him.”  

She heard Dimitri mutter something in relief, quickly scooped Zeus up before he could disappear again, and went stumbling back out of the foliage.  Dimitri was by her side in an instant, running a careful hand over the puppy’s head, as if checking to make sure he was really okay.

“We are so not ready for kids,” Rose muttered, and ducked down to kiss Zeus’ nose.

Dimitri didn’t answer her but in his head he had to agree as he wrapped an arm around her and brought them both close, the dog already wriggling and squirming, ready to be let down and resume the search for his ball.

[gins-potter]

365 Days of Romitri

Day 9: Kindness (series)

The second they walked into the room, big, watery eyes pinned Rose and Dimitri to the spot, demanding answers.

“I’m so sorry,” Rose began, biting her lip as they both settled before their companion.  “But there was nothing we could do.”

There was a sniff but no tears, surprising both Rose and Dimitri.  “Did he suffer?”

Rose grimaced, thinking of the carnage she’d seen, the sight of skin ripped away and innards strewn about still haunting her.

“No,” Dimitri jumped in quickly, surprising Rose.  “It was very quick, he didn’t feel it at all.”

Their companion nodded tightly, and slipped off the chair.  He dodged around Rose’s arms when she reached for him and made for the door, sniffing quietly.  Rose and Dimitri watched him go equally sorrowful looks on their faces.

“You lied to him,” Rose pointed out once he was out of earshot.

Dimitri nodded sagely.  “Sometimes the comfort of a lie is better than the truth.  Besides no child needs to think their favourite toy suffered while it was being torn apart.”

In unison their eyes fell on the perpetrator, who was sulking on the floor by their feet.  Brown eyes peered up at them mournfully and after a moment the shepherd lumbered to his feet, resting his head on Rose’s knee in a blatant show of regret.

“Oh no, mister.  It’s not us you need to be apologising to.”  Rose jerked her thumb in the direction the 5 year old had toddled.  “You know what you need to do.”

The dog huffed in indignation but trotted off obediently, nails clicking on the wooden floors as he did.  Rose and Dimitri sat and listened for the thump as the shepherd no doubt jumped up onto Ivan’s bed, and for the expected outburst that was sure to follow.

They weren’t disappointed.  There was a hiccup then a shout, “No!  Bad Zeus!  I love you, but you killed Mr. Rabbit and I haven’t forgiven you yet!”  The words were followed by a heart wrenching sob and Rose and Dimitri let out twin sighs.  They glanced at each other, silently asking who was taking what.

“You take Ivan?” Rose asked.

“You got the yard?”

“Yep,” Rose sighed, trying not to think of the mess of fabric and stuffing that was waiting for her in the backyard.

While Dimitri headed for Ivan’s room, Rose headed for the back door, where she found Anastasia looking out at the yard, looking mildly impressed at the mess.

“It kind of looks like Christmas.”

“Yeah, kind of,” Rose agreed, even as she thought that only in a horror movie would snow be made out of the insides of a beloved childhood toy.  “You want to help me with this?”

Anastasia’s face wavered, obviously not as impressed with the state of the backyard when she was the one who had to clean it up.  But in the end she was her father’s daughter and she nodded reluctantly, following her mother outside.

[gins-potter]

365 Days of Romitri

Day 8: Thankful (series)

The queen’s private jet was positively stuffed with teenagers, all being flown from St. Vladimir’s back to their families at Court for the thanksgiving break.  As the jet circled the familiar sprawl of buildings, waiting for the go ahead to land, conversation turned to the parents currently waiting for them down on the tarmac.

“I can’t see Uncle Adrian ever blowing up at you guys,” Andre said, leaning around Anastasia so he could get a look at the brother and sister duo, Hayden and Sophia.

But Hayden shook his head fervently, hair, tousled and curly like his father, but blonde like his mother, swinging wildly.  “You should have seen his face when he caught Sophia’s boyfriend trying to sneak in during the summer.

Sophia mimed an explosion with a wince.  “Mum can be pretty cool, though,” she added.  “Nothing throws her.”  Vibrant Ivashkov eyes turned to the Dragomir-Ozera siblings.  “What about you guys?  Both your parents are pretty laid back; which one’s the good cop, and which one’s the bad cop?”

Andre, Rosalie, and Eric glanced at each other consideringly.

“If mum’s stressed she’ll yell,” Rosalie said thoughtfully.  “But otherwise we just get cold disappointment.”

“Dad’s the best to go to if you’ve done something bad,” Eric added.

The other two nodded in agreement to that.

“And we know all know who the bad cop is in the Belikov household,” Eric snickered, the others joining in.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Anastasia asked, edging between amused and offended.

“Babe,” Andre said placatingly, slipping an arm around her shoulders.  “We’ve all heard Aunty Rose yell.”

The five Belikov siblings exchanged knowing glances, smiles faintly amused.

“Mum will yell, but it’ll only last like five minutes tops, then she’s over it like that,” Ivan explained, snapping his fingers.

“But dad,” Yekaterina said, shaking her head solemnly.

“He’s got the eternal disappointment thing going on,” Aleksandra continued.

“And that can literally go on for like…” Darius added.

“...forever,” the triplets finished together in their usual perfect unison, that creeped the others out as usual.

The intercom suddenly crackled to life, the captain telling them that their descent would begin soon and asking them to please buckle their seatbelts, effectively halting all conversation about parents.

It didn’t matter however who the supposed good cop/bad cop was of each family because when that plane touched down and the teenagers stepped out every single parent was standing there waiting, despite the snow drifting down around them.  Anastasia smiled, kissed Andre with trembling lips before breaking off to head towards her parents with her siblings.

Her mother was dancing around on the spot to stay warm, bundled up in a parka, hat, and scarf, while her father stood unmoveable as usual, probably not even feeling the cold.  She felt a slightly unexpected surge of affection at the sight of them, which was why it smarted a little when her father took her suitcase from her with a simple kiss hello.

Anastasia sighed in replied, the breath visible in the cold hair and met her mother’s amused eyes.  “Still mad about the dent in the car, is he?”

“Well,” her mum said, slipping an arm around her shoulders and steering her towards the car.  “Maybe if you hadn’t gone back to school without telling him…”

She winced at the memory of the furious phone call she’d received her first night back at school.  “Yeah, not my finest moment.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll get over it.”

“When?”

Her mother merely chuckled and shepherded her into the car.  But even with the less than warm welcome, when Anastasia met her father’s eyes in the rearview mirror all she could read in them was love and forgiveness, and she was inexplicably happy that out of all the parents she could have possibly gotten, she’d ended up with hers.

[gins-potter]

365 Days of Romitri

Day 6: Secret (series)

Rose hums, a long and thoughtful sound, half-closed eyes dancing with barely suppressed mischief.  She paints quite the image, stretched out on the bed, no covers to hide all the bare, golden skin she has on display.  It’s summer and burning hot, keeping them awake when they really should be sleeping, but neither of them have anywhere to be tomorrow, so Dimitri isn’t worrying about it.

“Tell me a secret,” Rose decides, lazily purring the words.

“What kind of secret?” Dimitri murmurs back, momentarily distracted as Rose shifts restlessly from the heat.

Rose grins, a wicked thing that promises delicious pain.  “Tell me about your first time.”

“Is that a secret?”  Dimitri’s hands itch with the urge to touch his girlfriend, knowing from experience how soft her skin feels under his palms.

“You’ve never told me about it.”  

A foot reaches out and kicks at his knee gently to punctuate the accusation, but Dimitri is too concerned with catching the foot to respond.  Using the grip on her ankle he tugs her towards him, rolling her so she’s splayed on top of him.  Rose makes a quiet noise of protest as their heated skin is plastered together but doesn’t attempt to pull away.

“Why do you want to know?”  The conversation is the last thing on Dimitri’s mind, especially when he can feel all of Rose’s curves pressed against him, and the hand he trails along her thigh is making her shiver.

Above him, Rose shrugs and drops a wayward kiss to his pec.  “Curiosity.  You know all about my first time after all.  Besides,” she adds, smirk in her voice as she rolls her hips where he has been steadily hardening against her backside.  “I’ll make it worth your while.”  She reaches up and catches Dimitri’s ear lobe between her lips, laving with it her tongue in a dirty promise of things to come.

It’s Dimitri’s turn to shudder and his hands clamp down on her hips, pulling her more firmly against him.  When he speaks, his accent has grown thicker, and the words leave him in a gasp.  “It was in my junior year with one of my dhampir classmates.”  He breaks off for a moment, too overcome but the way Rose is now running her tongue along his abdominals.  “It wasn’t terrible, but neither of us really knew what we were doing.”

Rose nips at his hip bone, before glancing up, cocking her head.  “Did you love her?”

Dimitri considers the question.  “No,” he decides eventually.  “I think at the time I thought I was falling for her, but I had no idea what love was, not really.”

“Interesting.”

Dimitri wants to ask what’s so interesting about any of that, or maybe ask whether the interrogation is over and if they can move on to more enjoyable activities now, but Rose is quicker and with a quick lick of her lips she dips her head and he’s too busy groaning sharply, and clutching at the sheets, all thoughts of any one else driven from his head.

[gins-potter]

365 Days of Romitri

Day 7: Give (series)

Rose and Dimitri were sitting on the floor of their new house - and Rose was surprised by how much she wanted to grin at the words “their house” - when they heard the knock.  They exchanged weary glances, tired and sweaty after a long day of unpacking, and by unpacking they meant they had all the boxes inside the house but hadn’t opened a single one.  Weary because anyone they’d be happy to see in that moment had already been over at some point that day, and it was doubtful that any of them were dropping back over.  Which left the likely chance that it was one of their new neighbours.

It wasn’t that Rose and Dimitri didn’t like their neighbours, but rather that 95% of them weren’t happy that a dhampir couple had dared to buy the vacant house on a street full of low level royals.  Still there was a young woman and her guardian friend across the road who had been friendly enough when dropping by with a home-made cake to welcome them to the street, and there was a couple a few doors down who they already had plans to have dinner with, but otherwise their reception had been a tad frosty, not that either of them had expected much more.

So it was with growing trepidation that the pair hauled themselves up and went to answer the door, opening it to reveal their elderly woman who lived next door.  They’d only met the woman earlier that day, and the encounter hadn’t been long, just enough for Rose to be reminded strongly of Yeva, which made her wary to see that the woman had turned up on their doorstep.

“Uh, hi,” Rose said, exchanging a glance with Dimitri.  “Would you like to come in?”

“No, I have to get back to my dogs.  You know I have dogs?”

They had actually, one of their neighbours had been kind enough to mention it while they’d been looking at the house, adding the fact that the dogs often barked at night, no doubt trying to dissuade them from buying.  But they were guardians, a few dogs weren’t going to scare them off.

“Yes, we did.  How can we help you, ma’am?”

Rose wanted to snicker at Dimitri’s use of ‘ma’am’ but their neighbour seemed to appreciate it, if the slight smile she shot him was any indication.

“I just wanted to bring you a housewarming gift.”

“Oh, thank you,” Rose said, surprised.  “You didn’t have to do that.”

Their neighbour ignored her, bent to the box at her feet and withdrew a tiny, squirming puppy, dumping him unceremoniously in Rose’s arms.  Rose glanced at the dog with something akin to terror.

“Umm.”

“One of my dogs just had a litter and this is the only one that I haven’t found an owner for.”

Rose could only blink between the woman and the dog in her arms so Dimitri took over.  “This is very kind of you, but animals don’t really like Dhampirs.”

“Not dogs,” the woman said firmly.  True to her word the puppy wasn’t trying to get away from Rose but was staring up at her with wide, inquisitive eyes.  “You know how to take care of a dog?”

“Umm…” Rose glanced helplessly at Dimitri, who shrugged back at her.

The woman gathered up the rest of the boxes contents, a blanket, and a small stuffed bunny that the dog had evidently been sleeping with and shoved them at Dimitri.

“You’ll figure it out,” the woman said confidently when they didn’t answer and shuffled off the porch without another word.

“Thank you,” Dimitri called after her, receiving a wave in response.

“Umm, Dimitri,” Rose said, the first thing she had since being handed the puppy.  “It’s seems we’ve obtained a puppy.”

“Yeah,” Dimitri replied, for lack of a better response.

They both glanced down at the puppy who chose that exact moment to yawn with a small, content noise and they both instantly fell in love.