A/N: Well then.. this one took longer than I had hoped... Hope you guys haven't given up on me! This one was actually supposed to be longer, but in the interest of getting another update out (as well as an idea for another previously unplanned addition to the plot), I decided to cut it off where I did and put the rest in the next one.
Anywho... that's about it for now except the usual; a review would be so much appreciated, it's great fuel to help get them out faster! lol. Hope you guys like it and I will do my best to get the next one out asap! :) Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own my characters and that's about it.
"Hey, Demetra! We're due for a rematch!"
Demetra halted in her tracks, just as she was about to leave the training room that afternoon, and an unexpected shiver ran down her spine.
"Hm. Now I know how he probably felt when I used his given name..." She thought with a frown.
She tried to convince herself that the sound of her name on the redhead's lips was sickening and disturbing, but truth be told; the only disturbing thing was just how much she found she liked it.
Forcing herself to brush aside her unwelcome thoughts, and also to set her expression into her usual intimidating one, Demetra turned on her heel to face the redheaded Russian. Immediately her face split with a smirk as she made note of the hat still on Tala's head.
"That's not a bad look for you, red." She replied smugly, a mocking reference to his taunt outside her room not so long ago.
Tala scowled at her and Demetra had to resist a sigh as she was reminded of their short-lived truce, and their partnership nearly three weeks ago. Not for the last time, she found herself wishing things had stayed as pleasant between them, instead of almost instantly reverting back to the tense rivalry they'd started with.
"Hilarious." He said sarcastically. The next second, he was armed with a loaded launcher. "Battle me!"
Demetra released an indignant snort and turned back to face the exit again.
"I've already more than proven myself to you, and wasted more time on you than you deserve."
She made another step towards the exit but Tala's voice once again gave her pause.
"Stop!" He bellowed, sounding angry now. "Don't walk away from me! And don't turn your back on me if you know what's good for you!"
This time Demetra's entire body tensed, and when she looked over her shoulder at the redhead, the look in her eye was hard and intense.
"Don't threaten me, Tala." She growled warningly. "I'm not one of those scared little rodents you're so used to boosting your ego. You don't frighten me."
Seeing as he'd succeeded in getting a rise out of the brunette, if only a small one, Tala smirked now.
"I don't make threats, princess." He said with a wicked grin. "I make promises. And I never break my promises."
Demetra turned entirely around now, fully ready to give the irritating Russian what he was looking for, when suddenly an affectionately familiar voice echoed in her head.
"You need to learn to resist Tala's baiting... Right now, he's your greatest weakness, Demetra, and you have to overcome it if you want to get any stronger."
Closing her eyes, Demetra took a long, deep breath as she rolled her brother's words from the night of hers and Tala's colossal battle around in her head a few times.
"You're right, Breal." She thought, forcing herself to calm. "As always, I know you're right..."
So, opening her eyes now, she fixed Tala with a serious, and this time confident, look. She knew he thought he had her right where he wanted her, so she was more than a little pleased when a look of mild surprise crossed the redhead's face, while she smirked in amusement and turned away from him again.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Tala demanded, his temper rising now. "Come back here and battle me!"
"I don't know what it is about you Russians." Demetra said casually as she continued to walk away from him. "But you really have to learn that no means no."
His temper sky rocketing now, Tala growled fiercely and narrowed his eyes at her.
"Battle me!" He almost yelled.
"I'm not going to battle you."
It was at that moment, just when Demetra had nearly reached the exit, that the huge metal door swung open and Tala's four teammates entered the room. Seeing that Demetra seemed to be on her way out, Spencer stepped aside and held the door open for her. The brunette gave him a tiny nod of gratitude and stepped past him.
Seeing that his chance was disappearing, Tala's face screwed up in a fit of rage. More out of reflex then a coherent thought, he released his blade with a sharp yank on the cord, causing it to soar through the air with a loud whizzing sound.
Admittedly, Tala was more than a little impressed when Demetra suddenly whirled around with an intense look on her face, and released her own blade just feet before his struck her face. The two blades clashed mid-air with a mighty crash and brilliant spark. When they hit the ground and immediately began grinding against each other for dominance, Tala looked up into his opponents face and made note of the almost vicious expression on it.
"Coward." She seethed through clenched teeth.
Feeling a pang of shame - normally he would agree, only a coward would attack someone from behind - Tala forced a confident and cocky expression on his own face. But before he could reply, Demetra spoke again.
"Didn't I humiliate you enough the last time?" She taunted lowly. "You really must be a slow learner."
Already extremely riled up by the brunette, Tala felt his blood begin to boil.
"Funny, I was just thinking something completely different. He replied angrily. "I seem to recall Wolborg and I rearranging your training room with you and your pathetic mutt."
Demetra's expression darkened and the look she gave the redhead would normally have sent a shiver down his spine, but he was too worked up himself for it to register just then.
"Not how I remember it." Demetra seethed this time. She then lifted her hands from her sides and the top of her blade glowed as if in response to her fury. "Trea! Come and earn your respect!"
A smirk split Tala's face again, realising now that he'd finally gotten what he wanted.
"Wolborg! Show her why she doesn't deserve it!"
The two huge bit beasts rose from the blades and pulled back from each other, made a sweeping loop, and shot towards each other again for another mighty clash, this one much louder and harsher than the last.
Immediately a heated battle ensued, and nearby the Blitzkrieg Boys watched, sweatdropping, as the two proceeded to once again thrash and pulverise each other. The battle raged on for a long time, neither opponent seeming to let up or gain an inch, and it was astonishing just how evenly matched the two were - likely due to their combined fury towards each other.
Knowing better than to come between the two this time, the Blitzkrieg Boys watched helplessly as the two rivals continued to wear each other down. It was when both opponents looked like they were nearing their limits - each was battle weary and looked more than worse for wear - and the battle was reaching its climax, that things finally got interesting.
"Wolborg! Novae Rog!"
Demetra clenched her teeth as the temperature in the room almost instantly dropped, and she was suddenly able to see her breath. Not willing to give up the victory she was convinced would be hers, Demetra's fists tightened at her sides and her eyes narrowed on the redhead.
"Trea!" She yelled over the blinding snow and whipping wind. "Pillar-!"
"Demetra. Enough."
Demetra's head snapped to the side and instantly her eyes locked on the image of her brother, his arms crossed and a serious expression on his face as he frowned at her from the doorway. His words seemed to have been barely above a whisper, and it was a wonder she'd heard them at all, but nonetheless they'd carried on the wind and shook her entire being. As she looked into her brothers eyes and noted the deep disappointment, and mixture of something else, his words came back to her once again, and Demetra felt shamed.
Closing her eyes to block out his image, Demetra turned away from her brother and took a long, deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Breal..." She thought with a deep frown of her own.
The shame she felt only intensified when she realised that it was the first time she'd ever seen disappointment in her brother's eyes, and if that wasn't bad enough; it had been directed at her.
Heaving a deep and heavy sigh, Demetra lifted her hand without opening her eyes. As soon as she heard the soft whizzing of her blade and felt it in her hand, she whirled wordlessly around. Simultaneously, she opened her eyes and replaced her blade and launcher at her belt before proceeding to walk away.
Tala watched the brunette's actions and his fury skyrocketed.
"Hey!" He yelled fiercely. "This battle isn't over! Unless you're the coward, Nakamura!"
"Grow up, Tala." Demetra replied bluntly.
Infuriated, Tala watched the brunette finally reach the door and pull it open. More out of a violent reflex than intent, Tala's teeth clenched tightly as his hand lifted from his side and shot out to point at Demetra's retreating form, and instantly his blade shot towards her.
No one was sure if it was intentional, or if the blade simply struck something on the floor - not even Tala himself - but whatever the case, all eyes watched with a combination of emotions as Wolborg leapt into the air mere feet from the brunette and shot towards her head. Not sensing the approaching projectile this time, Demetra didn't so much as flinch; and seeing as no one was close enough to be able to do anything about it, all eyes watched the outcome helplessly.
Tala observed, frozen, as his blade struck Demetra. Thankfully, it wasn't a head shot, but she didn't come out unscathed either. The sickening clatter of the blade barely registered to the redhead, even in the dead silence, and Tala didn't so much as blink as he watched Demetra slowly lift a hand to her cheek. When she pulled it away, she lowered her hand to look at it and stared emotionlessly at the red smear on her fingers.
The tension in the room was stifling, and more than one person held their breaths as they waited for what they thought was the inevitable blow up. But despite everything everyone expected, Demetra simply frowned deeply and stared at the blood on her hand for another moment, then eventually stepped through the door and let it swing silently shut behind her.
The silence in the room persisted for a long time, and Tala's thoughts and emotions were a whirling storm inside him as he stared at the door the Finnish blader had just gone through. Had he been more aware of his surroundings, he would have noticed that Breal had disappeared, and his teammates were all staring at him with an assortment of expressions; neither of them impressed with his cowardice. However, Tala wasn't aware of his surroundings; the only thing he could focus on was replaying his unintentional display of violent anger, and his shame at his loss of self control.
Finally, the sound of someone's voice cut through the heavy hush, and it sounded like thunder in Tala's ears - probably partially due to said voice sounding audibly upset.
"That was seriously uncool, Tala!" Spencer almost growled at him.
"Yea, dude..." Bryan seconded, considerably quieter than his blonde friend. "Attacking someone from behind?... That's seriously low..."
"She's right." Kai said with a dark expression and crossed arms. "You are a coward."
Before Tala could express his offence, Ian piped up to toss his two cents into the mix.
"Maybe you should go after her, man..." He said a little cautiously. "Ya know... see if she's alright or something..."
Tala made a face at that and snorted indignantly.
"Why should I?" He asked stubbornly. "She's a big girl, she can take care of herself."
The following response from his blonde teammate was astonishing, and Tala actually started a little in surprise at the outburst.
"Because it was a dirty move!" Spencer exclaimed explosively. His hands were clenched tightly at his sides and his expression was furious. "That's the kind of crap Boris would have had us pull on someone, Tala! We're better than that now, you're better than that now! So go follow her!"
Blinking at the blonde in a stunned stupor, Tala stared at him for a moment, completely at a loss for words. He'd rarely ever seen the tall young man lose his temper, and he couldn't remember it ever having been directed at him.
Partially out of that shock, and partially from shame of his actions, Tala eventually sobered up and forced an irritated expression he didn't quite feel just then. Releasing another indignant snort for effect, he didn't offer up a response to his teammates, but he did move forward to collect his blade and push past the bystanders to exit the training room.
Tala was busy grumbling to himself as he made his way down the hall, and as such he was scarcely aware of his surroundings as he went. However, as he approached the stairs that would lead to the sleeping quarters, the feeling of someone's eyes on him sent a shiver down his spine, and his brilliant blues lifted their gaze to hunt down the source. Almost instantly Tala spotted Demetra's brother standing beside the stairs with crossed arms and a dark expression, and as a reflex he came to an abrupt halt as he stared wearily at the man.
Now, normally, Tala wasn't easily intimidated, and there were very few people who were able to do so - normally the handsome blunette wasn't one of them, even if Tala, grudgingly, gave the Finnish coach a wide berth of respect. But as he watched the taller man watching him with a glowering look, Tala couldn't help but swallow hard as a cold sweat suddenly rose over his entire body.
"It's not bad enough that you already ruthlessly ravished and scarred her body with your brute violence, or that you nearly completely destroyed my ancestral home in the process. Now you've proven that not only are you a savage, you're a coward as well."
Even though the low rumble of the blunette's tone, and his expression, sent a shiver down Tala's spine, he internally balked at the Finnish blunette. Did the man forget that Tala himself had been brutally wounded in their fight too? And destroyed his home? Come on, it was one measly room! In a house that size, who would even notice?!
Suddenly, Tala's temper flared again as the entirety of Breal's words sank in.
And if one more person called him a coward...!
Tala's face contorted angrily again, and he opened his mouth to defend himself, but the sight of Breal Nakamura approaching him with an unnerving countenance and eyes that practically glowed threateningly, the words were instantly choked off as Tala swallowed against a suddenly dry throat.
Entranced, Tala watched the blunette practically stalk towards him, and for a moment he imagined he knew how a rabbit must feel when it was cornered by a ravenous wolf. Indeed, the urge to back up was intense but his pride kept him rooted in place.
Finally Breal reached him, and Tala released a breath he hadn't known he was holding when the blunette moved past him. But it caught in his throat again when the man stopped directly beside him, close enough to smell the subtle hint of his expensive cologne, and reached up to clap a hand on his shoulder.
Sucking in a sharp breath through clenched teeth, Tala forced himself to stare forward and appear calm and unbothered as Breal's fingers dug painfully into his shoulder. Leaning down slightly, the Finnish coach spoke softly and calmly into Tala's ear, but his low tone was warning and dangerous, and chased yet another violent shiver of fear Tala would never admit to down the redheads spine.
"You put one more mark on her, and the entire Russian army won't be able to find the scattered remains of your body."
Tala felt the blood drain from his face, and a hard swallow was all he could manage as he stared forward, frozen in place. Even after he heard Breal's footsteps retreating down the hall, it was a long time before he was able to finally will his stiff body to move.
Eventually managing to pull himself together, Tala made a face, shook his hands to try and dispel the slight tremble in them, and finally forced himself forward towards the stairs.
By the time Tala reached the quarters of the girl he was quickly beginning to think would be the death of him, he had worked himself into a more foul and vicious mood than he could remember being in a long time. That mood was considerably dispelled by the sight of the brunette inside; visible through the surprisingly open doors of her room and connected bathroom.
Leaning against the frame of her door, Tala watched with an amused smirk as Demetra did the poorest job he'd ever seen at cleaning up her wound. Admittedly, a little pang of guilt stabbed at him, as he noted she was having trouble stemming the flow of blood from the gash that was apparently deeper than he'd thought.
When eventually Demetra released a long string of curses, tossed the blood-soaked gauze forcefully into the garbage, and reached for another with a heavily irritated sigh, Tala finally pushed off his leaning post and uncrossed his arms before making his way towards her.
"It never ceases to amaze me just how thoroughly useless you are at such everyday, mundane tasks."
Demetra whirled on him and Tala felt another stab of guilt when he took in the look of her. The sight of the thick crimson droplets trailing down her face was bad enough, but the wild look in her eyes that swirled with a range of emotions he could only guess at, was enough to convince him he really did have a heart; because the sight of her made it throb painfully inside him.
"If you've come to gloat over your handiwork, I'm not in the mood!" Demetra growled venomously. "Congratulations, you psychopath, you've left your mark yet again. Now get out!"
Ouch. She could have just punched him in the gut, it would have hurt less.
Then again, he supposed he deserved it.
Resisting a sigh, Tala took a deep, silent breath as the brunette turned away from him again and snatched up the gauze she'd been reaching for earlier.
"Did you even disinfect it?" Tala asked as he finally reached the bathroom and crossed the threshold to stand behind the brunette.
"Of course I disinfected it!" Demetra barked in response, not looking at Tala as she pressed the white fabric to her cheek. "I'm not as stupid as you think I am! Or as useless!"
Ignoring her jab, Tala watched Demetra's reflection in the mirror for a minute, and almost smirked when she lifted her gaze to level him with a venomous glare while she held her hand to her cheek. He held her gaze for a minute before allowing the smirk to split his face.
Wordlessly, Tala reached past her to extract a piece of gauze from the kit beside her, then picked up the open bottle of disinfectant on the counter. Demetra's gaze narrowed as she watched him douse the gauze before replacing the bottle in its previous position. Admittedly, he surprised her a little when he placed his free hand on her hip and turned her around to face him, but she quickly snapped out of it when he reached towards her injured cheek with the soaked cloth.
Tala released an aggravated sigh when Demetra batted his hand away from her with a defiant expression.
"Will you grow up?!" He growled irritably. Demetra's expression darkened.
"Excuse me?!" She countered. "It's your fault I'm bleeding again in the first place! I'm beginning to think your sole reason for getting up in the morning is strictly to see how many more scars you can give me!"
Although he felt another sharp stab of guilt from her comment, this time Tala rolled his eyes. But instead of commenting, he simply reached towards her cheek with the gauze again.
"I don't need your help!" Demetra snapped heatedly with a scowl marring her beautiful features. "You've done enough, just leave me alone!"
When she once again batted him away, Tala's temper flared and he could feel a vein throbbing in his forehead.
"You obviously do, because you're doing a damn poor job of taking care of it yourself!" He exclaimed angrily. "So sit down and shut up!"
His sudden outburst momentarily shocked the brunette, and Tala took the opportunity to force her backwards to sit on the edge of the tub with a hand on her shoulder. To his own surprise, she let him, and Tala had to resist a smirk as she plopped down on the tub and stared up at him with an unblinking gaze.
"Hmph. I could get used to this." Tala thought smugly as he looked down at the stunning brunette below him. "Too bad she isn't this submissive all the time."
The little voice in his head called him out for this thought; it tried to tell him that it was exactly her fiery nature and fierce personality that partly made her so damn irresistible most days.
He ignored that voice with some effort.
Seeing as Demetra was seemingly currently subdued, Tala reached up to gently swipe the gauze up her bloodied cheek to wipe away the crimson trails, then carefully but firmly pressed the material to her wound and added a little pressure. To her credit, Demetra didn't so much as flinch and he felt a swell of respect for her because of it.
It was more than a little awkward, and the tension in the room was considerable as Tala simply stood before Demetra; his hand pressed to her cheek waiting for the flow of blood to cease. The way she was staring up at him, as if expecting him to attack her again at any moment, was both unnerving and heart-wrenching. Finally, Tala couldn't take it any more and heaved a heavy, annoyed sigh before casting his gaze to the side.
"Stop looking at me like that..." He muttered under his breath. "Just close your eyes, will you?"
"Why should I?" Demetra replied defiantly. "You shouldn't be surprised to find that I don't trust you. What was it you said once? Ah yes; I don't trust you as far as I can throw you."
A small smirk creased Tala's face at that.
"You must really value my opinion to always remember so much of what I say." He replied tauntingly. He had to bite back a laugh when a blush quickly flooded Demetra's face.
"Get over yourself..." She muttered in response. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."
Although she didn't close her eyes, she did advert her gaze to instead glare at the ground, and that was good enough for Tala.
"Whatever you say, princess." He replied with a smirk.
Now not having Demetra's unnerving silver orbs pinned on him, Tala finally pulled the gauze away and resumed the task he'd appointed himself. He took a moment to observe the long cut on her cheek, and was unable to resist a slight cringe at the sight.
"I swore to myself I'd never be like him..." He thought with a sickening feeling in his gut. "I swore that no woman would ever bleed or bruise because of me... But this is the second time I've let it happen, and it was the same woman both times..."
Like so many times before, Tala saw the memory of his mother in his minds eye; beaten and broken after yet another of his father's violent outbursts. Long ago, he'd silently promised himself, and all the women he would ever encounter, that he would never be like him; he would never be his father.
A tortured expression contorted his face as Tala watched a few more droplets weep from Demetra's wound and trail down her cheek. The sight of them tore at something inside of him, and he had to swallow the sudden rise of bile in his throat. Then and there he made a decision, and it was one he fully intended to uphold this time.
"Never again..." He vowed to himself as much as the brunette he was aiding. "This will never happen again!"
No matter how much he disdained Demetra, or any other woman, he could never let his temper explode or get out of hand like that ever again. It ached his heart to know that it already had; that he might share his father's weakness and major character flaw, and that someone else had suffered because of it.
Suddenly unable to look a the brunette, Tala replaced the gauze over her wound and closed his eyes. He could still feel his face screwed up painfully, but he was unable to stop the words that escaped his lips a moment later.
"I'm sorry..." He whispered hoarsely, his voice cracking with the effort.
He could feel Demetra's burning gaze on him and forced his eyes to remain closed to avoid them. But the draw was too tempting and he eventually lifted his lids to see her indeed staring at him; though he was a little surprised to see her staring at him through the corner of her eyes. It was also surprising to see, not a glare or look of defiance as he'd expected, but a complicated look of combined confusion, suspicion and something else he couldn't identify.
Tala waited for her to say something, anything, but after a maddeningly painful pause, he was only slightly relieved when she didn't respond, but instead looked away from him again - though he thought for just a moment he saw her expression soften ever so slightly.
Taking a long, deep breath in attempt to get a hold of himself, Tala eventually steeled himself up and decided to try and push his thoughts aside for the time being.
Finally Demetra's cheek had mostly stopped bleeding, and after applying an antiseptic cream to the wound, Tala thew away the soaked gauze and moved to wash his hands. Strangely, almost without realising it, he did something he'd rarely done before - he waited for the water to get hot.
Normally Tala would just use the cold water to wash his hands; partially because he didn't have the patience to wait for it to warm up, and partially because often times in the past his hands had been so sore and pained that the cold felt good. But for the first time in as long as he could remember, Tala let the water run hot and made sure his usually chilly hands were sufficiently warm.
After grabbing two objects from the medical supplies, Tala turned back to Demetra again and placed a hand on her left cheek; intending to apply another healing agent to the wound, but paused in surprise when he heard her suck in a sharp breath. He was willing to bet that she didn't know he'd heard her, but he had, and he couldn't help but wonder at it.
Watching Demetra's reaction curiously, Tala wondered why she suddenly closed her eyes, and why - even though her brows seemed to be knit in annoyance - she looked a little flustered. If it had only been the heat in her face, he would have brushed it off as caused by the heat of his hands warming her up; but when Tala watched an attractive pinkish blush spread across Demetra's face, he couldn't help but be stunned.
Now, normally he wouldn't be able to pass up the opportunity to taunt the brunette over such a reaction, but right then he was deeply conflicted.
"Damn it, she's harder to read than a book written in a forgotten language!" Tala thought, both annoyed and disheartened. "How can anyone interpret reactions like that from someone who can barely stand to look at you most days?!"
It was more than a little irritating and confusing when the brunette seemed to despise him most days as much as he'd convinced himself he despised her, but then gave him reactions like that; which seemed suspiciously an awful lot like a reaction of attraction.
With those thoughts, Tala was reminded of the night of their sledding trip, and not just her multiple reactions of the unintentional moments they'd shared, but his own as well.
Releasing an irritated sigh now, Tala forced his annoying thoughts to the back of his mind, reached his free hand up, and squeezed a generous amount of the healing agent on his thumb, then moved his thumb to delicately graze over the wound to evenly spread the thick substance over it.
Once again, Tala felt a mix of emotions and frowned deeply when he felt a small shiver pass through Demetra, then watched as her expression flickered for a moment - though it was too quick to decipher.
Telling himself not to drive himself mad dwelling on his cause of stress, Tala once again forced his thoughts to the back of his head and focused on his task with a considerable amount of effort. He took a moment to eye the smudge of thick substance he'd just spread over Demetra's wound; which happened to be something to help prevent scarring. It was something he'd never once used on himself, but it was one of the first things he'd selected for her. Honestly, in all his life, he'd never once thought or wanted to diminish any of the scars he'd received himself; because to him, each and every one was a reminder of everything he'd been through, and everything he'd overcome. But the thought of seeing a permanent reminder of the one thing he swore he'd never let happen, marring the stunningly beautiful work of art that was Demetra's face, was gut-wrenching to say the least.
Once he was sure the wound was sufficiently coated, Tala reached for the sheet of thin sticker-like strips he'd set aside earlier. At this point, he was anxious to hurry up and finish the job, and he intended to do so. But his hands seemed to have a mind of their own, and no matter how hard he tried to hurry them along, they seemed determined to take their sweet time.
Though she still didn't look at him, Demetra's brows furrowed questioningly when Tala's still warm hands returned to her face, and with the delicate gentleness a father might use to tend his daughter's scraped knee, he placed his fingers along the sides of her wound and carefully pulled it back together.
"What are you doing?" Demetra muttered.
"Butterfly stitches..." Tala mumbled softly in response, not looking her in the eyes either.
Demetra lifted a brow this time.
"That's hardly necessary." She said a little wearily.
Tala ignored her, and to his great surprise, the brunette made no further comment and simply let him continue what he was doing. He might not have bothered with the stitches had the mark been anywhere else, but seeing as it was on her face, he intended to do every damn thing he knew in order to prevent a scar.
As Tala's fingers worked at an almost painfully slow pace, so tenderly pulling the parted skin back together and ever so gently smoothing the tiny strips over it, he couldn't help but take note of the rose-petal soft feel of Demetra's skin beneath his rough fingertips.
"I can't really picture Demetra Nakamura spending hours in front of a mirror doing all that girly stuff to her face." He thought absently. "But it seems unnatural that her skin is so smooth all on its own..."
At risk of being caught, Tala delicately brushed his thumb along Demetra's cheek and was hard pressed to hold back a small sigh fighting to escape his lips. Her skin really was as soft and smooth as it looked, and it was well worth the risk to feel the silky feel of it against his rough and calloused fingers.
Deciding he'd better press on lest the brunette get suspicious, Tala put the excess strips back in the medical kit, and reached for a large white bandage before peeling it from its package. He tried to tell himself that cupping her right cheek in his hand was necessary to keep her face steady while he smoothed the patch in place, but he knew it was just an excuse. Even as he carefully placed the patch on her left cheek, and even as he gently smoothed it over the wound with admittedly much more tender care then was probably necessary, he knew that the gesture was solely because he wanted to and not because he needed to.
Once he'd finished with the patch there was nothing left to do, but Tala wasn't quite ready to let Demetra know that just yet. So, instead of letting her go, the hand cupping her cheek moved to place the side of his index finger under her chin, and gently he encouraged her to tilt her face - hopefully under the guise that he was observing his handiwork.
Fortunately, Demetra seemed to buy it, and Tala had to hold back a small breath of relief as she willingly tipped her head to the side to oblige him. He did take a glance at the bandage, but he knew he'd done an excellent job with that - he'd done it often enough. However, almost immediately after that, his eyes were drawn to her full, begging-for-a-kiss lips; which were pursed slightly to match the mild look of annoyance/flustered mix on her face. The look made something stir inside him and Tala's lips tugged upwards into a smirk.
"She might not be my biggest fan, and maybe it's just because she's obviously not used to being this close to a guy, but she obviously feels something when I'm around..." Tala lifted his own chin a little proudly as another - probably ridiculous - thought occurred to him. "Bet it wouldn't take her long to get over Mr. Perfect if I actually gave those lips what they were begging for..."
It was so easy to blame his ludicrous thoughts on his long-time rivalry with Kai, but deep down that stupid annoying voice that mocked Tala and was always there to call him out, wouldn't let him completely deny that wanting to kiss the Finnish beauty was once again more for his benefit then for hers.
"This is getting risky..." Tala thought wearily once he'd realised where his thoughts were going. "Probably a good idea to get out of here before I do something I'll regret."
So, forcing himself to finally let her know he was done, Tala gave Demetra's face a small brazen shove away from him.
"Still not much to look at, but you probably won't die."
To her credit again, Demetra didn't seem phased by his comment, and instead rolled her eyes.
"Luckily, impressing you is not on my priority list." She replied sarcastically. Tala smirked again but he made no comment.
Seeing that his task was done, Tala swept the gruesome debris into the trash and moved to wash his hands again.
Now that she was finally free, Demetra straightened her head. Tala subtly watched her reflection in the mirror from under his lashes as she lifted her hand to feel his patch job. After a few moments, she made a face and removed her hand again.
"I could have done that." She said irritably. "I told you I didn't need your help."
Tala rolled his eyes again as he shook the water from his hands and moved to dry them.
"Whatever." He growled in annoyance. He then turned and stalked towards the door. "Guess that's what I get for offering a peace offering to a spoiled child. Your welcome."
Tala felt her silver eyes on him the entire way out of the room, but he did his best to ignore it - and his thundering heart - as he passed the threshold and stopped to lean against the side of the door to gather his thoughts and collect his bearings.
Demetra stared at her open door for a few moments after the redhead had disappeared, her thoughts running wild and heart thundering painfully in her chest. After what felt like a lifetime, she eventually bit the side of her cheek and forced herself up to go look in the mirror. Gazing at her reflection for a long time, she was unable to resist the whisper of a smile that spread across her lips as she recalled the redhead's surprisingly gentle administrations and his parting words. Closing her eyes, she sighed lightly as she grudgingly whispered a reply she knew she should have offered him before he left.
"Thank you, Tala..."
While Demetra made work of putting away the things they'd been using, outside her room, a certain redhead was still leaning against the wall beside her door as he fought to get a hold of his once again raging emotions.
Tala's head jerked up and he glanced beside him at the open door of Demetra's room. For a moment, he wondered whether she knew he was there, but after pondering for a few moments, he realised there was no way she could. A whisper of a smile coming to his face while his insides squirmed sickeningly, Tala closed his eyes for a moment and felt the tension drain out of his body.
"You're welcome... Demetra."
Eventually Tala opened his eyes, pushed off the wall, and left the brunette and her room behind.
Demetra paused in her task and looked over her shoulder when she heard a sound knock at her door. Looking back to her mirror, she resumed what she was doing as she called to the person on the other side.
"It's open." She called simply.
The knob turned and the door swung open, and Demetra watched Ian's reflection in the glass as he stepped into her room. He looked around thoughtfully for a moment before eventually speaking.
"Wow. Not much effort gone into decorating, huh?" He teased, looking a little surprised. "Looks like you're just here for the weekend or something. Aren't you gonna add some personality to it? You're gonna be here a while ya know."
Demetra lifted a single shoulder for a careless shrug as she pulled her damp locks high up into their usual ponytail.
"I have everything I need." She replied tonelessly. "Despite what certain people no doubt think of me, I don't need much to be content."
Ian watched silently for a moment while the brunette proceeded to twist her hair into a messy bun.
"I hope you don't think I'm one of those people." He replied somewhat playfully. "I think you're pretty cool, Demetra."
Her expression softened slightly, and Demetra felt a tug of affection for the smallest Blitzkrieg Boy. Turning around in her seat and away from the mirror, she faced the small Russian in her doorway.
"Thank you, Ian." She said softly. "Did you need something?"
Noting the way Ian was looking at her with an odd expression and his head cocked ever so slightly to one side, Demetra's brows furrowed.
"What?" She questioned a little cautiously. Ian grinned.
"Nothing. It's just... you look..."
Demetra tensed slightly.
"I look...?" She prodded a little wearily. Ian's grin widened so much it reached his eyes.
"Like a normal girl." He replied with a teasing tone but soft expression.
His comment surprised Demetra and caught her off guard. As such, she was temporarily left speechless and Ian took the opportunity to continue.
"Anyway, we're all gonna watch a movie, come hang with us!"
Finally coming out of her temporary stupor, Demetra made note of Ian's words and considered them for a moment.
"Thank you... But I-"
"Won't take no for an answer!" Ian sang playfully as he turned to leave. He continued to call after her over his shoulder as he left, not giving her a chance to reply as he left her room behind. "We're still gathering snacks so you've got a few minutes. But you better show up, or I'll be back with reinforcements!"
"Ian, no!... Wait!" Demetra called after him, but he was already gone and was clearly pointedly ignoring her anyway.
Heaving a heavy sigh, Demetra crossed her arms and closed her eyes. She sat and considered thoughtfully for a few minutes until eventually a small smile spread across her lips. Opening her eyes again, she stared at her open door for a moment before eventually shaking her head and getting to her feet.
"I'll say it again; these Russian's certainly are a pushy bunch." She muttered to herself, slightly amused. "Someone needs to teach them the meaning of the word no!"
Just what was going on lately anyway? Was she going soft or something? Why weren't these boys terrified of her like most everyone else was?
But despite her thoughts, Demetra nonetheless left her room behind and headed in direction of the rec room.
When Demetra finally made it to her destination and pushed the doors open, the sound of laughter and playful bantering greeted her ears. She took a moment to take in the sight of the Blitzkrieg Boys interacting with each other, and as she watched their (although much more boyish) antics, she was once again reminded of her two younger teammates and felt another pang of heartache.
Still, her expression softened and she was just about to move into the room to join them, when she made a very displeasing realisation that nearly made her turn and leave the room again. There were three seating arrangements in the area; one large sofa, one arm chair and one love seat. Ian, Bryan and Spencer were occupying the long sofa, Kai had claimed the arm chair, and that of course only left the love seat, where Tala was sitting.
She'd just taken a careful step backwards, hoping to attempt an escape without being noticed, but the movement caught the sight of the guys on the large couch and all three turned to look at her.
"Demetra! You came!" Ian said cheerfully. He aimed the remote control at the big screen then and started the previews for the movie. "I knew you would! Don't just stand there, come sit down! We waited for you before starting the movie."
Eyeing the only empty seat beside a certain redhead for a moment, she eventually released a heavy sigh.
Tala's chin was resting on the hand he had propped on the arm of the love-seat, and he was boredly staring at the screen as he waited for the movie to begin. However, hearing the brunette's sigh, he lifted his head and looked around. Noting what the brunette had realised and no doubt sighed about, he looked over his shoulder to pin her with a weary expression.
"Get over yourself." He grumbled at her, half mocking the Finnish blader with her own words from earlier. "We've waited for you long enough, hurry up and sit down."
When she didn't budge, Tala released a deep and heavy sigh of annoyance as well.
"What? Too good to sit by me?" He challenged spitefully. "Don't worry, princess, I won't bite; you're not even close to my type."
Turning forwards again, Tala once again propped his chin in his hand.
"Don't wanna risk ingesting any of your poisonous character flaws..." He muttered under his breath.
Hearing his annoyed muttering, Demetra made a face at the redhead. Before she could respond though, another voice spoke up.
"You could always sit with me. But I can't promise I won't bite."
Demetra turned to see Kai smirking at her from the arm chair, and although her pulse fluttered at the heart-stopping look of him - to say nothing of the implications of his words - she ignored the intense heat rising up her neck and face and instead lifted an eyebrow at him.
"Tempting." She replied sarcastically. "But I think I'll pass."
No one noticed a certain redhead watching the exchange out the corner of his eye, or the whisper of a triumphant smirk on his face when Demetra finally made her way towards the love-seat. And they didn't get the chance to; because before he could be caught, Tala wiped his expression blank just as Demetra took up place at the other end of the couch and leaned against the arm much the same as he was doing - as far away from him as possible.
Glancing back towards the blunette, Tala had to fight the triumphant smirk from returning, and widening, when he noted the ever-so-slight look of displeasure on Kai's face - and something in his eyes the redhead couldn't be bothered to try and identify.
"Hmph. Another point for me, Kai. Guess you're not as desirable as you think you are."
OK, so maybe Demetra hadn't exactly chosen him over Kai; after all he was sure no one had actually expected her to walk over and plop down in the blunette's lap - not even Kai himself. But it still felt like a victory over Mr-not-so-perfect all the same. Besides, it wasn't like Tala actually wanted Demetra's affection, or really cared what she thought of him, he just liked the idea of one-upping the blunette every chance he could get.
Yeah, that was it.
Tala released a silent, smug snort and turned his attention back to the brunette at the other end of the couch. She was leaning her elbow on the arm of the chair, and resting her chin on the back of her fingers as she watched the previews on the screen in front of them.
Looking out the corner of his eyes again, Tala's bright blues trailed over the girl opposite him. Something stirred inside him as he made note of her appearance. For the first time, instead of being attracted to the pure and raw sexual allure of her physical beauty, Tala found himself thinking that right then Demetra actually looked normal for once; cute, and (he thought grudgingly) maybe even a little adorable.
Just a little...
She was wearing a pair of white and black lounge pants, a grey pair of those ridiculous boot-slipper hybrids girls seemed to love, and a baggy grey off-the-shoulder shirt. She'd removed her makeup for the night, and aside from the big white bandage on her cheek, her face was fresh and flawless.
"I don't understand why girls like her even bother with makeup." Tala thought in wonder. "Not like she needs it. Seems like such a waste."
Realising what he'd been thinking, Tala mentally shook away those thoughts and focused back on the brunette herself again. Demetra's hair was pulled completely up off her shoulders and out of her face, even her bangs were swept up into the messy style, and Tala realised it was the first time he'd seen her with her hair pulled back from her face. Admittedly, he liked the look.
Without realising it, Tala's expression softened as he continued to look the brunette over. But he did notice the sudden throbbing of his heart and the tightening of his chest.
"Damn she's beautiful..." He thought absently.
Dressed and looking like that, it was much easier to imagine Demetra as just another normal, beautiful girl, and not a fierce and fiery force to be reckoned with.
Suddenly Tala realised where his thoughts were going, and feeling a heat creep up his neck, he forced himself to tear his gaze away from the Finnish beauty and focus instead on the screen before him, though it was much harder than he expected to get into the movie.
Eventually however, Tala did manage to lose himself in the movie, and nothing terribly eventful happened until it was nearly over. However, just as the last few scenes were playing out, someone's voice snapped the redhead out of his movie-magic stupor.
"Someone's gettin' sleepy!"
Tala glanced at Ian, who'd spoken teasingly, and noticed that his grinning friend was looking to the other side of the love-seat. Curiously, Tala turned his head too in time to see Demetra finishing up a particularly wide yawn and rubbing her eye.
"Mmmm..." She hummed, stretching wide then. When she stopped, with her heavily lidded eyes, she indeed looked very tired. "Yeah, maybe a bit. I think I'll call it a night."
"Awe! You gotta stay for the sequel!" Ian protested. "Aren't ya curious to see what happens next?"
Demetra gave him a look that clearly said she couldn't care less how the story ended, and most of the guys chuckled.
"Come on, just one more movie!" Ian pestered. "Not like we've got classes tomorrow or anything."
Demetra sighed heavily, and to everyone's surprise, she leaned back in her seat again.
"Alright fine." She mumbled tiredly. "But I make no promises I won't bail before it's over."
"Deal." Spencer said then. "If you fall asleep, we'll wake you when it's over."
Demetra's expression softened and she gave the blonde a grateful look.
"Thank you..." She said softly. "I'd appreciate that."
So, that decided, Ian got up to change the movie and everyone got settled in again.
Tala had just gotten into the second movie when once again someone's voice broke him from his trance.
"Awe! She looks so cute and vulnerable!"
Glancing curiously to the side again at Ian's comment, Tala noted Demetra passed out and flopped over on her own arm and the arm of the couch. Noting her peaceful expression, he tried to deny just how much he had to agree with his petite friend, but the sudden flutter of his pulse and tug at his heartstrings wouldn't let him.
"We should wake her up." Spencer said thoughtfully. "Or at least move her, she's gonna hurt her neck like that..."
Tala snorted and turned back to the movie.
"Leave her." He said bluntly, attempting to scorn his rebellious and unwanted feelings. "She's a big girl."
"Ever the gentleman." Kai said sarcastically.
"Spencer's right, we should move her." Bryan said with a mischievous glint in his eye.
Tala paid no mind to his friends, not even when Bryan got up from his spot and approached the girl. However, he did start slightly and snap his head to the side when he suddenly felt something against his shoulder. Seeing Demetra now leaning against him in an awkward and seemingly uncomfortable way, he blinked at her in stunned astonishment. After a moment, he looked up to see Bryan with a faux-innocent expression on his face as he whistled innocently and casually made his way back to his seat.
"And this is better how?" Tala grumbled, giving his friend a glare before looking back down at the brunette again.
Debating, he was just about to push her off of him when Spencer's voice stopped him.
"That's the quietest we've ever seen her." He said with a glint in his own eye.
Jumping on the bandwagon, Ian grinned wide before tossing in his two cents worth.
"Yeah, and as much as she just loves you Tal, I bet she'd have a mouthful if she woke up like that."
"Would it really be so bad to just let her sleep for a while?" Bryan finished with a smirk. "I mean, you could always wake her up later and say she just fell like that."
Tala gave them all unamused expressions but had to admit they were right - even if they were taking way too much amusement from the situation. The only one who didn't comment was Kai, and looking over to see the intense expression on the blunette's face made the moment that much sweeter.
"Fine." Tala heaved with as convincing a sigh as he could manage. "She can stay there..."
"If you really can't bare her being so close to you, I can take her off your hands Tala."
The comment was obviously meant to sound taunting, but when Tala looked up into Kai's face he noted the dark look, and the suspiciously green glare in the blunette's gaze. That look alone was enough to solidify his resolve.
"Poor perfect, Kai." Tala thought smugly. "Looks like I win again."
"I think I can suffer it out just this once." He said bluntly, and once again he inwardly patted himself on the back to see the green monster rear it's ugly head behind Kai's eyes.
He tried to convince himself it was just to rub extra salt in Kai's wounds, but it was just an excuse. Deep down, Tala knew that when he carefully re-positioned Demetra into a position more comfortable for them both, when he gently laid her head to rest on the front of his shoulder instead of the blade of it, and when he - after a slight hesitation - let his arm drape on the back of the couch behind her, it was more for himself than for anyone else. Truth was; he liked the look and feel of the stunning brunette under his arm.
But there was no damn way he was ever going to admit it.
The temptation to pull the girl under his arm closer was almost overwhelming. As was the urge to wrap his arms around her, to absently brush her arm affectionately with his thumb, to lean down and close his eyes as he buried his face in her silky locks and breathed in her intoxicating scent - he thought she smelled like fresh rain, a sort of tropical smell, and what he thought for sure was just a hint of lavender. If Tala were honest with himself; he'd admit that if his friends weren't present, if they'd been alone, he really didn't think he'd be able to resist. As such, it was bittersweet; both a relief and a disappointment that they were there.
Taking a long deep breath, Tala tipped his head away from the brunette in an attempt to distance himself a little from her heart-throbbing scent, though it did him little good. Resting his chin in his free hand again, Tala did his best to focus back on the movie instead of the lovely vision so tantalisingly close to him.
About halfway through the movie, a series of yawns began to erupt around the room as nearly all of Tala's teammates seemed to be fighting the sandman.
"Well, that's it for me." Bryan said with another wide yawn and stretch. "Time I hit the hay."
"Me too." Ian seconded, a yawn stretching his face as well. "Think I'm gonna head to bed."
"Same here." Spencer agreed, stretching as well before getting to his feet. "See you guys tomorrow."
"Night." Tala said simply, not taking his eyes from the screen.
"Want me to take her to her room?"
This time Tala looked up into Kai's face to see the blunette standing over them with crossed arms, and he had to resist a smirk. Setting an emotionless expression on his face, he looked back to the movie again.
"Nah, I'm still wide awake." He said casually. "I'll bring her back when the movie's over. I'd rather not wake her up and listen to her stupid rant when she gets the wrong idea."
Kai frowned deeply and another strange glint lit his eyes. But instead of commenting, he merely turned away from the two still on the couch and made for the door.
"Night, then." He said bluntly.
Tala listened with a cocked ear as the multiple footsteps receded and eventually disappeared with the swish of the door. He waited for a long time, not daring to risk a glance until he was sure everyone was gone, but eventually his gaze abandoned the TV and he looked instead down at the brunette leaning against him.
Now that they were alone, almost as if challenging his previous thoughts, the little voice inside him taunted him mockingly. Unconsciously, Tala's expression softened, and without his permission, his free hand lifted to Demetra's face. For a moment he paused, but eventually he delicately brushed the backs of his fingers along her uninjured cheek. He froze when Demetra stirred slightly, but instead of waking up, she simply sighed in the most uncharacteristically adorable way and snuggled closer to him. Then Tala's heart leapt up in his throat, and his pulse quickened inside him, when Demetra's arms slipped around his waist as she nuzzled her face into his neck. The feel of her breath against his sensitive flesh, and her warm body pressed against him, was enough to kick his senses into overdrive.
Swallowing hard, the hand he'd brushed her cheek with cupped her face then, and Tala gently lifted it to get a good look at her. Once again the peaceful look on her face tugged at his heartstrings, and the slight part of her lips made his mouth water with the overwhelming desire to capture them with his own. Absently brushing his thumb along her cheek as he watched her, Tala couldn't help but release a deep, longing sigh.
Not for the last time, he wondered just why the hell he hated her so much anyway. It wasn't her fault she was a spoiled rotten, pampered princess. It wasn't her fault she'd been reared with a silver spoon in her mouth.
Suddenly he was reminded of her confessions that night on their sledding trip, and a pang of guilt stabbed at him. He now knew that this wasn't quite right; that Demetra's life hadn't exactly been all sunshine and rainbows as he'd originally assumed, even if she obviously didn't have nearly as rough a time as he and his friends had. For a few moments, Tala allowed himself to entertain the thoughts that maybe she didn't deserve quite all the resentment he held for her, maybe they could be friends after all...
Maybe they could be something more.
But soon enough, he drove those thoughts from his mind with a vengeance. He wasn't quite ready to admit he was wrong just yet, wasn't quite ready to let this infuriating woman in. Instead, he convinced himself that he really needed to start keeping her at arms length, he needed to stop letting his guard down around her and remember that, in those rare moments when he thought her human and worthy of something other that his resentment, that she was just a stranger who wouldn't be around long enough to mean anything to him at all.
Still, despite those thoughts, Tala was unable to keep himself from taking what little pleasure he could from the rare tender moment. Gently replacing Demetra's head back to its original position on his shoulder, he allowed his arm to slide silently down the sofa to drape around her, then tipped his head down to rest his cheek atop her head. A small sigh crept up on him and Tala barely caught it before it escaped. He was pleased to find he'd been right about the texture of her hair, but he was more pleased to feel the silkiness of it against his cheek.
Without entirely meaning to, Tala took a deep breath when he once again caught her hauntingly attractive scent, and almost instantly his pulse began to race. He'd quickly realised that he'd probably been smelling her shampoo earlier, and most likely whatever sort of girly products girls put on during/after showering, but he couldn't figure out where the lavender smell came from. In fact, from his position atop her head, now that the scent of her hair was almost overwhelming him and causing his pulse to race wildly, he found he couldn't smell the faint smell any more and was even willing to admit he might have imagined it.
Tala had no idea how long he'd been laying there holding the woman who'd, since their meeting, been the absolute bane of his existence, and he even thought he might have drifted off once or twice. But the sound of the main menu background music eventually snapped him out of it, and he lifted his head to look down at the brunette with dread. Thankfully however, she was still fast asleep and Tala counted his blessings as he relaxed. It would certainly be unpleasant if she'd woken up in their current position - he had no idea how he'd ever explain away that one.
Once again, Tala reached up to gently lift the brunette's face, and his expression softened as he watched her still peaceful expression. Figuring he'd better quit while he was ahead, he released a heavy, longing sigh as he tenderly brushed her cheek one more time. Unable to help himself, he moved his thumb and delicately brushed it across her captivating and inviting lips.
He decided to blame his momentary mushyness on his own fatigue.
Reluctantly, Tala pulled back from Demetra, took a moment to drink in the serene moment just one more time, then forced himself to scoop the girl into his arms and get to his feet. For a second time that night, he froze when the brunette in his arms stirred, but to his great relief, she didn't awaken. She did however give him a start when she nuzzled her face into his neck. A hot wave crashed over Tala, and a violent shiver chased itself down his entire body, when those tantalising lips brushed his sensitive sweet spot. Goosebumps quickly followed when Demetra released a deep contented sigh and her warm breath danced across Tala's skin. As Tala's already racing heartbeat sped up to an almost breathless pace, and his chest tightened painfully with the storm inside him, a thought occurred to him.
"She really is going to be the death of me..." He thought wearily.
Making a face and attempting to get a hold of himself, Tala's arms around the brunette tightened as he finally turned and left the room.
-;-
When Tala reached Demetra's room, he managed to balance her in his arms as he turned the knob and gently nudged it open with his boot. Making a beeline for the bed, he paused when he reached it and looked down it in contemplation. For a few moments he debated on simply depositing her onto it and leaving, but eventually he decided against it.
"I'll never hear the end of it if I just dump her on the bed and leave." He grumbled to himself.
But even as he leaned down to roll back her blankets, gently deposited her onto the bed with the care of a father tucking in his toddler, carefully slipped off those ridiculous looking slipper-boots she was wearing, and gently pulled the blankets back up around her again; even as he did those things, deep down he knew that the possibility of her ranting wasn't the reason for his kindness.
It amazed Tala that during the whole ordeal, Demetra had yet to awaken; especially when she claimed to be such a light sleeper. Of course, he knew it was true from a few past moments, such as their sledding trip, so he also knew she must have been extremely exhausted. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he considered that she must have been comfortable with him and his friends to allow herself to fall asleep in their presence too, and the thought warmed him.
Sitting beside her on the bed, staring down into the rare sight of her serene and beautiful face as she slept - indeed, he'd never seen such a look on the girl's face before - Tala was once again overcome with the overwhelming desire to kiss her; not a heated, lusty kiss, a real kiss, a tender and affectionate kiss. The kind of kiss he'd never given anyone before, and the kind of kiss he hadn't ever thought he'd want to give anyone.
"Snap out of it you idiot!" He scolded himself with a scowl.
Hesitating a moment, he reached down and brushed a strand that had escaped the confines of her bun from her face. For a few moments, he toyed with the idea of kicking off his boots and laying beside her, of pulling her into his arms, of burying his face into those silky strands, closing his eyes, and pretending for just a little while that they weren't two complete opposites who couldn't stand each other most days.
But he soon pushed those thoughts aside as well, and a deep frown creased his face as Tala forced himself back to reality.
"We're too different." He tried to convince himself. "She comes from a totally different world... She's a huge pain in the ass!"
Demetra stirred again, this time rolling on her side towards him and cuddling into her pillow. A small smile crept up her face as she seemed to be having a pleasant dream, making Tala's face unconsciously soften again, and he had to force himself not to reach out to touch her. Something pricked at his heart as he watched her and without realising it, his face screwed up painfully as he felt his chest tighten suddenly.
"And she's going to end up with some rich snot like her..." He thought bitterly and painfully. "Someone like the ever popular, Kai Hiwatari!... Not a broken and messed up someone like me."
That sharp pang inside him intensified at that, and suddenly it was hard to breath or swallow as Tala's throat constricted with emotion. He growled softly when his eyes suddenly blurred a little, and with an angry snort, he finally tore his gaze away from the brunette beauty.
"And so what?!" He seethed in his head. "What the hell do I care who she ends up with?! I'd probably shoot myself if I had to be tied down to a wretched and infuriating woman like her anyway!"
Clinging tightly to that thought like a lifeline, Tala forced himself to stand, forced his leaden feet to carry him to the door, and forced himself to cross the threshold that would lead him to escape. But he was unable to force himself not to look over his shoulder for one last look at the sleeping beauty, and another pained expression took hold of his face before he turned forward again, closed the door behind him, and finally left the room - and beautiful brunette - behind.
Bright silver eyes blinked into the darkness, and it took Demetra a few moments to get her bearings and realise where she was. When she'd pushed back the grogginess of sleep, she rolled over to stare up at the ceiling and tried to sift through her thoughts.
"How did I get back to my room?" She thought with furrowed brows.
Raking her brain, Demetra tried to recall the last thing she remembered, wondering if she'd simply been too exhausted to remember putting herself to bed. But the more she considered, the surer she was that she hadn't gotten back on her own. She knew her last conscious action was watching a movie with the guys. That only left one other option; that one of them had carried her back.
Partially annoyed, and partially embarrassed, Demetra did her best to push back her fluster and try to guess who that someone had been. It was then that she smelled a tantalising and familiar scent, and plucked at her shirt to lift it to her nose for a sniff. She was rewarded for this with an increased potency of the scent that made her head swim. Releasing her shirt, she tried to remember where the scent came from but couldn't for the life of her pinpoint it.
Knowing she was wide awake now and knowing she wasn't getting back to sleep any time soon, Demetra heaved a heavy sigh, reached up to run her hands down over her face, and sat up before swinging her legs over the side of her bed.
Reaching out to turn on her bedside lamp, she stretched once before getting to her feet and approaching her closet. Extracting a warm sweater, she slipped it on, then turned away from the closet to look around the room for her slippers. Spotting them neatly paired together on the floor at the foot of her bed, she lifted an eyebrow curiously before approaching them and slipping into them again. Taking a moment to narrow her eyes at the slippers in wonder, she eventually pushed her questions aside and approached the sliding glass door in her room that lead to a small balcony.
Sliding the door open, Demetra stepped out onto the balcony and closed the door behind her. Instantly she was hit with a blast of chilly air, but the feel of it was surprisingly comforting, and she closed her eyes for a moment to breathe in the Russian air appreciatively.
As Demetra approached the railing of the balcony and leaned over to rest her arms against it, she found she was comforted by the chilly air because it reminded her of home; so much of Russia reminded her of Finland, and the thought disturbed her a little. Demetra sighed heavily and bowed her head as she closed her eyes. As soon as she did, a flashback came to her of her brother's arrival just the day before.
"About time you showed up."
There was a barely-there, rare smirk on Breal's face as he came through the front doors of the Russian training facility.
"I apologise madam." He replied sarcastically. "You obviously survived just fine without me."
"Of course I did." Demetra replied bluntly. "But it would have been nice to have you around a little sooner all the same."
Breal's expression softened slightly as he approached his brunette sibling. Demetra automatically pushed off the wall she was leaning on and fell into step beside him as he headed for the stairs.
"I know." He said simply. After a few moments he tacked on a little something extra. "I do apologise."
Demetra didn't say anything as the two ascended the stairs and the siblings turned towards Breal's room, but when they'd nearly reached their destination, she broke the silence.
"I'm beginning to wonder if coming here was a mistake..." She said softly, almost a whisper.
"Why is that?" Breal asked calmly without looking at her.
"Because..." She hesitated to answer, almost ashamed of continuing. Eventually she steeled herself and ploughed on. "Because I've gotten too close to the Russians already. Because I'm getting soft... Because... how can I get stronger if I keep letting them in, and letting them make me weak?"
The two stopped in front of Breal's door, and the blunette reached into his pocket to withdraw his key as he replied to his sister's concerns.
"Friends aren't a weakness, imouto."
Demetra made a face but didn't comment as she watched her brother unlock his door. She hated the honorfic because it always made her feel like a child. And she suspected that was why Breal sometimes called her by it; because she was probably acting like one.
"And it wouldn't kill you to have a few more." Breal added bluntly as he swung the door to his room open. He then turned back to his sister with a serious expression. "I know you think he's an idiot, but I want you to think about something; how do you think Tyson Granger managed to become three-time world champion, and become so strong, with so many beyblading friends as rivals?"
Demetra stared at her brother with a blank expression and curious gaze, not sure what to say.
Breal gave her a knowing look and made to enter his room.
"Think about it." He said simply.
Demetra frowned at the door as Breal put it between them. For a long time she just stared at it in deep thought, but eventually she turned to make her way back to her own room; deep frown still on her face.
Coming out of the flashback, Demetra frowned deeply. She still hadn't come up with an answer for the question Breal had posed her, but she was sure of one thing; despite what he thought this time.
"I'm getting far too comfortable here." She thought with a deep frown. "It's only been a few weeks and already it feels like I've spent half my life here..."
Indeed, in the short time she'd been in Russia, Demetra found that the cold land was actually extremely familiar. The only thing missing was her girls.
"Hm. I can hear them all now." She thought with a sad smile. "I'm sure they'd each have plenty to say about my recent actions and attitude."
Demetra's smile widened as she heard her sister's voices in her head and imagined their comments on her recent behaviour. Kage would be full of advice and wisdom beyond her years, and would no doubt help Demetra sort through her chaotic thoughts, help her decipher her tangle of emotions and put her at ease again. Keisha would be the little ray of sunshine she always was and put a rare smile on Demetra's face. And even Victoria would help in her own weird way; no doubt with teasing and pestering that would nearly drive her Captain insane, yet at the same time would distract the elder brunette and help get her mind off her recent stresses, help her feel more like a normal teen and not the angry and uptight robot she felt like lately.
Speaking of angry and uptight...
The tension that had receded from thinking about her girls quickly returned as the image of a certain redhead appeared in Demetra's minds eye.
"It's his fault I've been in such a bad mood lately!" She thought grudgingly. "How can anyone not be in a bad mood with him around!"
As her thoughts began to wander; first to earlier that day, then to sift through their many moments together since her arrival in Russia, Demetra felt the frustration and anger mounting until soon enough she felt like a hornet trapped in a soda can.
"He's so full of himself!" She thought, simultaneously clenching her teeth and fists. "I'm sure he thinks he's God's greatest gift to women kind!"
Surely this had to be true, she was convinced of it. Especially when she considered how often the redhead taunted and toyed with her. Sure, she might retaliate sometimes, but it was Tala who seemed to take so much pleasure in toying with her emotions and trying to get a rise out of her. It was obvious he knew she wasn't exactly the most sought after girl in the world, and also that she wasn't the most experienced, and he seemed to take every chance he could to rub it in her face.
"Idiot." Demetra thought moodily. A deep frown came to her face as she stared absently at the glow of the village in the distance. "Who cares anyway? Breal is right, I need to stop letting him get to me. It's not like I'm actually attracted to him or anything."
It was easy to say, but not nearly as easy to convince herself of. Indeed, even as she thought the words, that annoying little voice inside scoffed at her for it.
Yeah right, it taunted. If Tala Ivanov threw himself at you, you wouldn't push him away would you?
Growling at the audacious voice, Demetra imagined slamming a door on it, which admittedly made her feel better, if only a little.
Now in a terribly foul mood, Demetra looked up at the stars and noted with dismay that they weren't calming and relaxing her as they usually did. Instead, she had the stupid idea that a certain cluster of them looked maddeningly like the annoying Russian plaguing her thoughts. Unable to stop them, thoughts of Tala bandaging her up earlier flooded her mind, and with them came thoughts of not so long ago; the last time she'd had to be bandaged up no thanks to him.
...::: Flashback (New Years Eve) :::...
The door to Demetra's bedroom shuddered, as if in terror, as the brunette slammed it with enough force to make it echo all the way down the long hall. Her furious muttered curses filled the room as she stalked towards her ensuite bathroom, threw open that door as well, and nearly tore the mirror of her medicine cabinet from its hinges as she ripped it open in search of some relief. While her recent battle with the person she currently hated most in the world - not to mention her anger at having the victory of said battle stolen from her - had driven her into a wild frenzy, she was also wild with the unfamiliar and indescribable pain racking her body.
"All that for nothing!" Demetra hissed through clenched teeth as she swept a multitude of things from her medicine cabinet. "I was so close damn it!"
She uncapped a bottle of strong smelling liquid and doused a piece of gauze before reaching up to press it to her oozing chest. The instant shock of pain that tore through her from the contact made her head and vision swim, and body quiver and sway with the threat of passing out. Looking up into the eyes of her reflection, she snarled to see the torment in her own silver gaze, reminiscent of a tortured animal, and the sight made her that much more furious.
For a long time, Demetra tried to patch herself up, but being in such a mood, combined with the effort to remain conscious, was extremely taxing. Seeing her almost futile efforts to staunch the flow of blood didn't help her mood much either.
Demetra was just debating on going to bed and risking bleeding to death, when a curt knock at the door made her lift her gaze. A combination of relief and anger flooded through her when the door to her bathroom opened and Kage entered, followed closely by Breal. It was the first time said emotion had ever been directed towards her best friend, but right then, the silent blader was the second-to-last person the brunette wanted to see.
"I'm fine, I don't need your help." She snapped angrily towards her two siblings.
"I can see that." Breal said sarcastically with a weary tone.
Crossing his arms, her handsome brother watched as Kage approached his sister and made to reach for the objects on the counter. He sighed and rolled his eyes when the brunette batted the silent teen's hands away.
"I said I don't need help!" Demetra snapped. To her credit; Kage merely ignored her without a flinch and reached for the supplies again.
"Don't be so stubborn, Demetra." Breal's deep voice rumbled. "You look like you're about to pass out."
Her face set in such a sour expression it looked like it might never relax again, Demetra resorted to angry grumbling and muttering. But as always, she heeded her brother and simply braced her hands on the counter and leaned against it. It more than annoyed her to see her arms trembling, and to feel the violent shudders that continually rocked her body.
Kage gestured for the brunette to sit up on the counter. It took some silent arguing, but eventually Kage reached out and clapped her hands over her Captain's to silence her back talk and gave her a stern expression. Growling angrily again, Demetra eventually gave in and obliged her best friend - and did her damnedest to ignore the instant relief that flooded her.
"What the hell happened?" Breal demanded, frowning deeply as Kage began to tend his sister's horrific wounds.
"My victory was stolen from me, that's what the hell happened!" Demetra exploded viciously now. Kage frowned deeply as well, but she said nothing as she continued her task at hand.
"From what I've seen, it was fortunate it ended when it did." Breal replied without missing a beat. "Otherwise the training room might not have been the only casualty."
As his eyes took in the state his sister was in, the handsome blunette's frown deepened and his expression darkened. There was an unfamiliar look in his eyes but Demetra was unable to identify it. For a long time there was silence in the bathroom, and the tension was so thick it was almost stifling. Eventually however Breal broke it.
"I don't understand why Tala Ivanov bothers you so much." He rumbled in a low tone. "He just seems like any other teen with an inflated sense of self-worth, and a bad attitude to me."
Demetra's jaw tightened painfully.
"It's everything." She hissed through her clenched teeth. "Everything about him bothers me! Especially his opinion of us!"
She lifted her eyes to pin her brother with a heated glare, but there was a wounded expression in her eyes the blunette knew had nothing to do with her physical injuries.
"He thinks we're trash, Breal!" She exclaimed angrily. "He thinks all we ever did was sit up on our high horses while the whole world bowed to our every whim! He doesn't respect us, or take us seriously, or even consider us real bladers at all! His type is exactly the reason I wanted to challenge the pro bladers in the first place!"
Breal straightened and watched his sister for a few moments and Demetra knew he was considering her. She knew he'd never seen her so worked up before, because the fact was, she'd never been that worked up before. But then, she'd never been in so much pain before either; physically or mentally.
Eventually Breal uncrossed his arms and looked to his silent charge.
"Kage." He said simply, causing the ravenette to stop what she was doing and turn to look at him.
Without a word, the blunette tipped his head to the side and, understanding, Kage nodded in comprehension. Putting down the things she'd been using, she turned to head for the door. As Kage passed the tall young man, Breal reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her stop and look up at him questioningly. He then leaned down and spoke softly in her ear and when he was finished, a small smile of amusement graced the silent blader's face before giving Breal another nod of understanding.
Kage continued towards the door and opened it, but before going through, she paused and turned back to her Captain. Demetra's heart sank to see the serious gaze and guilty expression on her friend's face as she lifted her hands to speak.
"I'm sorry..."
Demetra knew what the girl was apologising for, and although it took some effort, she finally forced herself to admit that she really didn't have a right to be upset with the girl; Kage had only been looking out for her and had done what she felt was best - it was what real friends did. And honestly, hadn't Demetra herself made some painful choices for them over the years, all for the sake of protecting her girls? She supposed that meant she was probably due for a taste of her own medicine.
Finally, the brunette sighed heavily and locked gazes with the amethyst orbs pinning her.
"I know..." She said eventually. And it was enough.
Kage visibly relaxed and gave her friend a small smile before finally turning and leaving the bathroom.
Once the silent blader was gone, Demetra turned her attention back on her brother, who was selecting items from the medicine cabinet and drawer under the sink to pick up where Kage left off. Demetra grimaced when the blunette extracted a curved needle and some thread from the drawer, as well as a small wooden cylinder. She recognised the objects because Breal had once had to use them to fix her up a long time ago.
Looking down at her hand, she made note of the pale scar still visible on her palm, something that was usually covered by her gloves; a souvenir left from a bad fall when she was a child, one where she'd nearly driven a piece of metal completely through her hand. She hadn't been a clumsy child, and it was one of the very few instances where she'd been left with a mark, but it had been a good one - good enough to warrant twenty-one stitches.
"Here." Breal said with an edge to his voice, handing her the wooden piece.
Her pride told her to toss the thing aside, not to be a baby and to take it like a hero. But for once it was easy to kick that voice into submission this time; she knew what was coming would hurt like hell and she wasn't too proud to take any relief she was offered just then.
With a deep frown, Demetra accepted the object from her brother and lifted it to her mouth. Grimacing at it grudgingly for a moment, she eventually parted her lips and put the object between her teeth.
After disinfecting the needle and other relevant tools, Breal lifted his head to glance at his sister.
"Ready?" He asked tonelessly now.
Demetra felt her gut knot with dread and her chest began to rise and fall more rapidly as her pulse quickened with anticipation. Still, steeling herself, she took a deep and ragged breath and gave her brother a single curt nod.
Without a word, Breal looked back down at her ravished stomach, the deepest part of the horrible gashes. His expression darkened and a deep frown creased his face, but nonetheless he didn't hesitate to put the needle to her skin and begin his work.
Unsurprisingly, Demetra didn't cry out. But the sharp breath she sucked in, and her fists clenching tightly on the counter, made something flicker in Breal's eyes and his expression darken further. Yet still he didn't slow in his work.
Demetra's breaths were heavy and ragged, and there were several times she thought she would pass out from the pain. However, those distressed sounds were the only ones in the room, and Breal worked swiftly and skilfully to mend and seal up his only sibling's wounds - even though it felt like hour long torture to the brunette in question. By the time the blunette had finished, beads of sweat coated Demetra's body and she was swimming in and out of consciousness. It was when Breal was bandaging her up that her brother's voice broke thorough Demetra's pain-drunken haze.
"You need to learn to resist Tala's baiting." He said, another slight edge to his voice as he smoothed a large bandage over her stomach. "You know he only does it to get a rise out of you, and yet you give in to it nearly every time. I still don't understand what it is about Tala Ivanov that gets to you so much, but whatever it is; you have to learn to control your emotions around him...Right now, he's your greatest weakness, Demetra, and you have to overcome it if you want to get any stronger."
Demetra's glossy eyes opened, and she glared at the wall above her brother's head with a vengeance. Still, she made no comment; partially because she still had the wood in her mouth, and partially because she knew she didn't have an intelligent response - she knew he was right.
Seeing as his charge had no intention of replying, Breal continued.
"I know you both think you showed each other a brilliant display of power, the ultimate show of strength, that you really put each other in their place." Breal looked up now and pinned Demetra with a hard stare. "But you're wrong."
Demetra looked at her brother and furrowed her brows deeply as she met his gaze. When he spoke again, his voice was harder than she'd ever hear it before, especially directed at her.
"Anyone can let loose their self control and let their rage fight their battles for them." He said darkly, forcefully. Shockingly, his voice even rose considerably for his character. "But true strength and power isn't throwing your whole self, all your energy and force, into one big violent explosion!"
Demetra winced as Breal pressed another bandage to her wounds, a little more forcefully that probably necessary.
"True power is having the strength and ability to handle your own emotions!" He said, his voice more laden with emotion that Demetra had ever heard in it. All she could do was stare at her brother in a stunned stupor as he continued without missing a beat. "Being able to put a leash on your own self-control, to know when to fight and when to run, to know how to pick your battles, and when to except a defeat. To not let your pride overpower your will and common sense. And not to let anyone else's imperfections and thoughts influence your actions and emotions. That's the definition of true strength and power!"
Demetra flinched when the blunette slapped another bandage on her, this time decidedly rougher then necessary - she could now be sure he was doing it on purpose.
There was another drawn out and excruciating silence after that, and it nearly made Demetra squirm. Finally however, just when she was sure she couldn't take it anymore - or take any more of Breal's painful administrations, which were usually so gentle - her brother finally finished. Bracing his hands on the counter either side of his sister, he took a long and deep laboured breath to regain the rare loss of his own self-control, and eventually lifted his gaze to pin his sister with another intense look.
"How could you be so reckless?" He almost whispered. The accusation pricked Demetra's heart and she felt a swell of shame rise inside her. But unable to reply, she simply stared at him, and Breal once again continued. "Why were you so reckless?"
The blunette closed his eyes and released another heavy sigh.
"While I'm sure no one would consider you a modern Mother Teresa..." He said a little wearily. "You've never really been the violent type either, and you've always had excellent self control, and a good handle on your emotions..."
He opened his eyes and looked up at his sister again then with another deep frown.
"I didn't bring you home, and spend all these years pouring everything I had; every minute and all my strength and energy, into helping you become the person I never was; the person no one ever thought you could be - just so you could throw it all away on some boy who pushed one too many of your buttons."
Now Demetra's own face creased deeply, and she finally reached up to remove the wooden piece from her mouth, but before she could reply to her brother, Breal lifted a hand to silence her.
"I don't want to hear excuses and arguments." He said firmly. "I just want to know this won't happen again."
Breal gave his sister another intense look, and while his face was void of emotion, his eyes swam with a storm Demetra could only guess the source of.
"Promise me, Demetra..." He said softly. "Promise me it will never happen again."
Demetra looked away from her brother and stared at the floor as she chewed her cheek for a minute. After a few, she frowned as well and made to slide off the counter, but Breal's hand on the wall beside her put his arm in her way and halted her escape. When she looked into his vibrant eyes now, she was able to identify the torment in them, mixed with the rest of the chaos, and it tore at her heartstrings.
"Promise me!" The blunette said forcefully, an almost desperate look in his eyes.
Demetra held his gaze for as long as she could, until finally she couldn't any longer, and had to look away. Closing her eyes, she took a long, deep breath and was silent for a few moments before eventually chewing her cheek again and giving him a single nod.
"I promise..." She whispered.
..:: Present ::..
She wasn't sure if it was simply the end of the flashback, or if it was the sudden phantom searing from her still healing scar, but either way Demetra came out of it with a small gasp and a wince.
"What I wouldn't do to be able to lock the memory of that night away forever..."
The muttered words sounded angry, as Demetra lifted her hand to her stomach and forced a convincing scowl on her face for her own benefit, but deep down she knew better. If only inside, she had to admit that even if she was able to, she wouldn't give up that memory for anything - for multiple reasons. Besides, she wouldn't be able to forget it anyway; she had the life-long proof of it forever etched into her flesh.
Feeling the phantom pain return again, Demetra clutched at the front of her shirt directly above the worst of it and clenched her teeth. Right then, she thought she'd give anything for a distraction, anything to stave off that bittersweet memory, of a night that both seemed like the one before, and yet like light years away at the same time.
And it was just when that thought had left her mind, that a strange sensation took over her and quickly replaced her attention. This sensation was vaguely familiar, and both pleasant and unpleasant. It took a few moments to identify, but eventually she recognised that the feeling she was getting was the feeling of having ones solitude disturbed by another presence. Almost as a reflex, Demetra turned her head to the left, and sure enough, there was a very familiar body merely several feet away on the adjacent balcony.
Not entirely surprised, Demetra gave Tala an unamused stare. But surprisingly, the redhead didn't seem to notice her there - that or he was ignoring her. Honestly, he looked like he was a million miles away as he stared at the sky in wonder and deep thought. She was grudging to admit, but he was looking at the stars the way she often did; as if he was hoping to see the answers he was looking for written in them.
Demetra's expression softened a little as she observed the redhead. Admittedly, without his usual scowl and hard expressions, it was easy to see him as not just a normal human, but also annoyingly relatable. She was seriously annoyed to feel her heartbeat quicken as she continued to watch the young man so close and yet so far from her.
"Hm... I suppose that's something about what I look like sometimes." She thought, once again feeling annoyed with that relatable feeling.
The way he was leaning on the railing with his hands casually dangling over the side, the way he looked both completely relaxed and yet ready to spring into action at any moment, and the way the moon was casting just the right amount of light and shadows on his face at the same time for a dramatic, heart throbbing look; it all reminded Demetra of her first childhood crush. She cracked a smile of amusement at herself as she remembered her silly young self, waiting by the window for this imaginary cool-tough guy to come and steal her away to a better place.
Looking at the redhead now; though he looked nothing like the book character's description, or her imagination of him; she was still reminded of the fictional man all the same. Though it was another item on the ever-growing list of things she intended to take to the grave; Demetra found herself thinking right then, that the normally hardened and hardheaded Russian looked not just strikingly even more handsome than usual, but also so very cool.
All of a sudden she was overcome with another phantom sensation when a small breeze brushed by her, but it was a very different sensation then before. Demetra's eyes widened as a very familiar scent drifted from the west - from Tala's direction. Just then, a flash of memory struck of her waking up shortly ago, of her lifting her shirt for a sniff.
With the combined knot and fluttery feeling in her stomach, Demetra lifted her shirt again now, and instantly a hot wave washed over her entire body. An also increasingly familiar heat flooded her face when she was once again overcome with an instantly recognisable scent - the same scent that had just drifted to her on the breeze.
"It was him..." She thought, feeling the sickly feeling inside her intensify. The speed of her heartbeat quickened as well until it was almost a throbbing pain in her chest. "Tala must have carried me back to my room... But why? Why would he do that..?"
Almost as an afterthought, Demetra looked down at herself to see if anything was amiss. Seeing that nothing was, she checked the colour of her hands, then reached up to feel her face. Seeing that nothing there either seemed to be out of order, her face creased with the combination of her whirling thoughts.
"If he left me in one piece, then why would he carry me back...What was in it for him...?"
It was just when Demetra was beginning to lose herself in her thoughts that Tala finally seemed to notice as well that he wasn't alone, and out of reflex himself, he too turned to look directly at her. It took him a few moments, but eventually he released an unamused snort and turned away again.
"Do you practice that constant sour expression, or is it completely natural?"
Hearing his voice, Demetra came out of her thoughts, and it took her a few moments as well but eventually she gave him a small scowl.
"Excuse me?" She glowered.
"You're excused." Tala replied bluntly, making Demetra's eyes narrow further. "But seriously, don't you ever smile?"
"When I have a reason to." She replied without missing a beat. "Sharing my precious time with someone who seems to take pleasure in drawing my blood doesn't really warrant one."
Lifting her hand to her cheek, Demetra paused a moment before continuing.
"Even if they try to make up for it with peace offerings." She'd meant it to sound sarcastic and bitter, but it was a lot softer then she'd intended. And her following words were softer still; barely above a whisper. "No matter how good the offer is..."
Tala watched her for a long moment until, against everything Demetra expected, he jumped up onto the railing and leapt the considerable distance between their balconies, landing with ease in a practised crouch in front of her.
Demetra had to swallow her gasp of surprise, but despite her best effort, it was still clearly evident when Tala rose to his feet and pinned her with a heated stare that she was impressed. Much the same as he had that night which both seemed like so long ago, and yet only the night before, Demetra found herself reflexively backing up until once again the redhead had cornered her; this time against the railing.
"I refuse to let him get into my head this time!" She thought stubbornly.
But even as she thought it, and even as her heart began to throb wildly and painfully in her chest again, her stomach knotted as she was forced to admit that it was steadily becoming more and more difficult to reject the brazen Russian's advances.
So, swallowing hard against her suddenly dry throat, the only reaction Demetra could manage, was to stare at the redhead with a doe-in-headlights expression as he lifted his hands either side of her to pin her in. No matter how badly she wanted to reach up and push him away, Demetra knew that - whether it was because she still wasn't used to these kinds of situations, or because she actually harboured some sort of unwanted attraction for the redhead, it was a moot point - she was helpless against Tala's advances. She also knew that anything short of physical harm, he'd likely get away with whatever he intended.
All Demetra could do was watch and wait with bated breath until Tala tired of his latest game, and hope to God that when he was finished, he wouldn't throw her world into a more chaotic state then he already had.
