Title: Combat (1/?)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Rating: T

Summary: Too preoccupied with him was why I wasn't focused. Too preoccupied with our kiss was the issue. Too preoccupied with his damn eyes was why I couldn't land a decent blow today.

A/N: Set somewhere right before Frostbite. Just random stolen moments with Dimitri and Rose during training. I don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

Chapter I: Hand-to-Hand

Hand-to-hand, adj.

(Of fighting) at close quarters:

'training in hand-to-hand combat'

Son of a -.

Shit, shit, shit. He'd caught me - again. For the third time that morning. And we'd only just begun. Shit.

Hissing, I pivoted barely managing to block what could have been a very nasty blow to my spleen and let out a scowl at Dimitri's smirk. I shook my wrist, trying to drive out the flare of pain that shot down my arm. "Focus Rose." He told me, striking out again and stepped forward with punch. Prepared this time, I backed out of his reach, my forearms taking the brunt of it now. Yeah, bruises were going to start to form there as well.

I pushed his punch away from me forcefully and grabbed his arm with my left hand pulling him forward, surging into him I shifted my weight striking his elbow with my right forearm.

But Dimitri was above such basic moves, and I was soon watching the world twist and turn upside down as he flipped me over onto my back.

He knelt down beside me hair falling gracefully, head cocked to the side a smile forming slowly. Our eyes locked, and the throbbing in my limbs eased for a moment.

And therein laid my problem.

Too preoccupied with him was why I wasn't focused. Too preoccupied with our kiss was the issue. Too preoccupied with his damn eyes was why I couldn't land a decent blow today.

Slowly I reached up to brush the rogue hair out of his face needing to see him clearly. He caught my wrist before I barely managed to even lift my hand off the mat, and I winced at the contact.

Dimitri's eyes softened imperceptibly and his grip lessened, but forcing the pain away I continued up, pushing the lock out of the way and settling my hand against his cheek.

"Roza." He warned, but his grip had tightened once more. I smiled slightly, he hadn't moved my hand away – a victory in something today at least.

"Dimitri." I parroted in his warning tone and took a chance, running my thumb over his bottom lip. God how I wanted to kiss him.

"Perhaps we should - " he paused as his eyes flicked wistfully down to my lips before continuing, " - take a break." An order rather than a suggestion coming from him, but I refused to move, too content with my position.

"Perhaps we should." I shot back, eyebrows raised and grinned to ease the tension I could see building within him.

"Roza," he repeated his eyes flashing, "Now is not the time." He still hadn't moved away though, and I seized the opportunity to let my thumb brush over his lip once more. Rarely did I have the chance to touch him outside of training, and I was going to take all that I could get.

Eyes cast down, he leaned into my touch before finally inhaling deeply, filling his lungs to the max, and letting them fall closed. And I recognized this for what it was – what he was allowing not only himself, but what he was allowing us – a moment. A moment where it was only him and me. No duty. No age. Nothing. Us.

"When is the time?" The tension between us had been building after Victor's little trick with the necklace, and I, for one, was just about done with it.

That must have gotten to him because his jaw clenched, and he shifted away, standing up and retreating back to his gym bag for a water bottle. I let my hand fall back on the mat and let out a huff – one loud enough so that he would hear. The loss of contact hurt worse than anything he'd landed on me so far.

I shot a glare at his back and jumped to my feet before trailing after him.