im OBSESSED with this show. like its not even funny. i binged it all in one day. it even got me interested in the books. im kind of scared about reading them though bc the show seems fairly different from the books and i already have an idea of how the characters should be bc of the show...im still gonna try to read the series tho! just might need reassurance that i should
The dim light hid the faint tremors in her hands, but Dimitri could still see them shake no matter how tightly she pressed them together. She had run away from the tattoo before, but now she realized there was no avoiding it. The molnija was sacred: a show of the tenacity, courage, and strength it takes to be a Dhampir. She should feel honored.
But, the cost to get this tattoo…
Mikhail.
How could she get a tattoo that inherently represented his death? His murder? Her crime against him? She lost a comrade. A friend. One of the best she ever had. And she was just supposed to ignore the means of his death for a fucking tattoo?
Is that what she was doing? She had tried to avoid it before, but now that she was going through the ceremony, was getting this tattoo shitting on the final moments of Mikhail's life and legacy?
He wasn't Mikhail. It was a Strigoi.
Lissa's words echoed through her mind. She didn't understand. To stare into what used to be your friend's mischievous, playful eyes while shoving a stake into his chest removed any rationality of the situation.
It didn't matter if he was a Strigoi. In the end, he would always be her Mikhail. Her right-hand man. The one who never gave up on her, who always gave her a shoulder to cry on, and who always tapped his foot back against hers.
Rose jumped slightly when she felt a sudden chill at the base of her neck. All her thoughts were halted as she once again became aware of what was happening around her.
She was in Dimitri's room. She had asked him to help her finish the molnija ceremony even though everything in her told her not to go through with it. He had gone to gather all the materials while she undid the top buttons of her cardigan and slid it down her shoulders. Her back was perfectly bare to him and her bra was a lot more visible than she intended it to be, but she didn't move to cover herself further.
She could have done this in a more formal setting and asked Alberta for a repeat of the ceremony, but all the eyes on her didn't feel right. They were honoring a Strigoi kill while she was mourning the loss of a loved one. The intimacy of being there with Dimitri made the guilt and the sadness much more bearable when it didn't feel like people were celebrating the death of her friend.
Honestly, Dimitri's presence alone helped. He was comforting, believe it or not. His brooding nature softened just the slightest bit when he was with Rose and she clung to that.
She felt safe with him.
"Sorry," he said in a whisper. "I'm trying to numb the area. The needle might hurt a bit."
Resisting the urge to shiver, she gave a light shrug. "I've probably had worse anyway."
He hummed back and didn't say anything after that. Slowly, he swirled the ice cube against the middle of the back of her neck until she couldn't feel anything but the cold. She was about to crack a joke on the time it takes to numb someone, but her words cut off when he dragged the ice cube down her spine. It was slow and tantalizing and the ice was melting against the heat of her skin. Goosebumps arose with each pass of the cold and she shivered from the slight brush of his fingers against her exposed back.
Rose let out a harsh breath. Was she trembling? She couldn't tell, not with the way he was still moving that damn ice along her skin. He must know. He has to know what this is doing to her. What he's doing to her.
Who knew ice could have such an effect on people? Or maybe it was just her and maybe it was just him.
She looked back at him and–yeah. He knew exactly what he was doing. Because the way he looked at her almost caused her to stop breathing entirely. The look in his eyes had to be illegal or something. They were filled with pure need.
Rose lifted slowly on her knees to get closer to his height. Cold water trailed down her spine and she could hear the faint thud of what was left of the ice hitting the carpet beneath them, but his eyes stayed on hers so she didn't pay it any mind. Their breaths intermingled as she leaned closer and closer into his personal space. She almost thought he would stop her. That he would push her away and kick her out. But he did no such thing.
Dimitri's eyes flickered down to her lips and before she knew it, he was on her.
His lips were soft against hers, a perfect contrast to the power with which he kissed her. Her lips dominated in size, but that didn't stop him from devouring her and her entire being.
Fuck.
He kissed her like she was the air he required in his lungs. Like he had been thirsting for years and she was the water essential to his standing upright. He kissed her as if he needed her. Like he could never get enough of the taste of her lips. And she was more than happy to give him as much of her as he wanted.
They broke apart for a split second, both panting in the other's mouths and resting their foreheads together. They didn't stay like that for long though, as he moved his hand to gently grip her face and pull her closer to him. Her breasts pressed against his hard chest and she whimpered at the contact. He swallowed the sound in another breathtaking kiss. Damn, he could kiss.
Their lips moved quickly and insistently against one another. It was a clash of tongues and teeth and fingers that gripped anywhere, everywhere. His hands roamed along the planes of her back, his fingers delicately brushing against her bra straps. She had half a mind to tell him to rip it off.
She brought her hands up to his hair, scratching his scalp gently as she gripped the soft strands at the roots. He let out a quiet sound that she thought might be a groan. She couldn't tell though, and she didn't care to as his lips trailed the line of her jaw and then dropped to a spot on the side of her neck and–oh.
She gasped and panted and slightly whimpered against him. She'd totally deny how much she was aching for him. For his lips, his tongue, his hands. For more. Right now she was completely and utterly at his will.
She moaned when he sucked at her pulsed point and pulled his hair until his lips were back to hers. At least she wasn't delirious enough to let him leave hickeys. Though, he probably would've stopped before he could leave a mark on her because he's Dimitri.
It all ended way too quickly for her liking. He pulled back barely an inch after causing a delicious puff to her lips. He was breathing as hard as she was, if not more, and it seemed like he didn't want to stop but he did anyway.
"Tattoo," he panted in her mouth.
Still floating from the high of whatever just happened, Rose mumbled in return. "What?"
Fuck, he was so close. All she had to do is lean in and they'd be right back in a blissful, hot makeout state of mind.
"I have to do the molnija tattoo. On you."
Oh.
Right.
Because that's what she came into his room to do in the first place.
"Oh. Yeah, I–we should. Do that, I mean," she mumbled aimlessly against his lips and he simply nodded in return.
"Turn around," he ordered softly, and for the first time, she did what he said without any protest.
The numbness at the spot at the back of her neck had long since faded. She could hear the clink of the needle against the glass bowl of ink.
"Take a deep breath for me," Dimitri rasped out. His voice was all breathy and gravelly.
Rose breathed in through her nose and before she let it out, she felt the faint sting of the needle digging into her neck. She didn't flinch, though. She didn't show any sign of hurt. Like she said before, she's had worse.
After about an hour of tedious dragging of the needle, Dimitri finally laid the needle back on the plate that previously held it. Rose's neck throbbed slightly but all in all, it wasn't a terrible pain.
"Done," Dimitri said.
Rose stood up and walked over to the mirror nearby. The tattoo looked good. Beautiful, even.
She turned back to look at him and realized her bra was fully showing, her cardigan now laying loosely at her hips. Still, she didn't move to cover herself.
"Thank you," she breathed out.
Instead of saying anything, he nodded.
Silently, she stood there. She watched as he walked towards her and stopped just inches in front of her. His eyes never left hers.
And for the second time that night, he kissed her. He kissed her with vigor, with everything in him, before he pulled back once more. He stared at her, this time with something else swirling in his eyes. Though, she couldn't quite place what it was. His hands rubbed down the length of her arms, down to her hips until he found the sleeves of her cardigan. He gently slid the fabric back over her shoulders, righting it over her frame and slowly buttoning it up.
He leaned in again but instead of aiming for her mouth, he dipped to the side. There was a light brush of lips against her lobe as he whispered in her ear, "See you at training tomorrow."
Abruptly, he stepped out of her space and walked over to the door, opening it and leaning against it to keep it from closing.
Rose stood there in shock for a moment as she looked down, releasing a laugh of disbelief. Fucking Dimitri. She glanced back up and could see the smirk playing on his lips.
Fine. She'd play his game.
She walked to the door with her head high and a smirk on her lips as well. Stopping right in front of him under the doorframe, she leaned against him and made sure every inch of the top half of her body was pressed against his.
"Can't wait," she whispered and raised herself onto her toes to reach his ear, making sure to brush her lips against his lobe as he had done to her, "comrade."
With that, she pushed off of him, ignoring the way his breathing grew heavier, and strutted down the hallway to the Dhampir wards without so much as a glance back at his door.
this time i proofread but it wasnt too extensive so feedback and comments are very much encouraged and appreciated. let me kno if i make this a multichapter(;
