AU Set after the church, Tatiana wasn't murdered.

*This is super unedited, if it's crap, I'm sorry LOL.

I twirled the pieces of hair I pulled out to frame my face and smirked to myself. I had to admit, the costume turned out better than I thought it would. It was all made from thrift store finds, and I was loving it. I knew I'd make a few jaws drop tonight, but there was one I was hoping to see drop in particular.

Just because we weren't together anymore didn't mean I didn't know him. I knew what this costume would do to him, as it would to many other people. I was going to flaunt what I had and do it with a smirk on my face.

Or what I liked to call, a man-eating smile.

I turned the knob and stepped out, meeting Christian's Guardian Jeffrey first.

"Holy shit," he said bluntly. I smirked and strutted past him, climbing down the stairs. I walked into the kitchen and smiled at Lissa as I walked past, pulling a water bottle out of the fridge.

"Are you intending on having every man eating out of the palm of your hand?" Lissa asked behind a smirk, eyeing my costume.

"You said that I was going as a guest, not as a Guardian. So I am dressing as any other university student would," I said with a shrug, cracking the seal on the bottle and taking a sip. The lipstick didn't even stain the rim.

"I feel underdressed…well, overdressed, but you get what I mean," Lissa said with a smirk, twirling her platinum ponytail. I grinned and her and nodded approvingly at her costume. She went with Britney's 'One More Time' costume while I went with a Harley Quinn costume.

"I like the corset," Lissa mused. I nodded and smoothed my hands over the boning, tugging gently at the end to keep it in place. Black and red corset that I ordered online, a short black tennis skirt that just covered and a pair of black knee-high boots. A bottle of red hairspray, some crazy make-up and some props, and I was ready to go.

Well, not all of the props were fake. Couldn't go completely unarmed.

"I think I need to bleach my eyeballs," Christian grumbled as he walked back into the kitchen, a classic pirate costume on.

"Why, haven't seen boobs before?" I asked seriously and I smirked at him when he gagged.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I want to see yours," he said grimly. I rolled my eyes and leaned on the counter as I drank my water when Jeffrey walked in.

"If I didn't work with you, we'd have a problem with that costume," he chuckled as he clapped Christian on the shoulder.

I smirked and shrugged. "And?"

Jeffrey just shook his head, not indulging me in response. Jeffrey was dressed as a hippie, complete with a ridiculous wig.

"I like it," I said waving a finger in his direction.

"I look like an idiot. Not as much of an idiot as Belikov, but still an idiot."

I smirked to myself and looked at my bottle. We didn't speak a whole lot. We came to an unspoken decision to put it aside and work together, and we even trained together, but we hadn't really hung out or anything since that day in the church.

I wanted to dwell on it, to wallow in my pity, but I needed to be able to protect Lissa. So it meant pushing aside what I felt for him. I needed to heal in way I didn't know I needed, and he needed to heal too. If I could only have him as a friend, I'd take that over nothing.

"Please tell me he isn't dressed like a cowboy again," I drawled.

Jeffrey snickered. "No. I picked it out before knowing what you were dressing as."

I cocked my head a little bit when I heard Dimitri coming down the stairs and into the kitchen. I choked on my water and tried not to laugh. We really should have told everyone what we were beforehand.

"You convinced him to be the Joker," I snickered.

Dimitri sighed quietly and looked pointedly at Jeffrey.

"I look ridiculous," he said.

I shrugged. "I think you look kind of hot," I blurted out. All eyes turned to me and I blushed but shrugged it off.

"I mean, c'mon, he did a good job channelling Jared Leto's Joker. Ever the green slicked-back hair is perfect. You did a good job, comrade," I rambled on, digging myself into a bigger hole.

Slick, Lissa's voice whispered through my head. Put your tongue back in your mouth.

I groaned quietly and rubbed my hand over my forehead with a grimace.

"Thank you, Rose," Dimitri said after a moment, moving around me and sitting beside Lissa at the counter. My eyes widened and I stared down at the counter, slightly mortified with what came out of my mouth. Dimitri discussed with Jeffrey the layout for guarding, pointing out that three other Guardians would be accompanying us to the party.

I twirled the ends of my hair over my finger and sighed quietly, wondering how many drinks Lissa was going to drink before I'd be out of commission. Secondhand drunk was not as fun as it sounded. All the crap and none of the fun.

"Rose?"

I looked up. "Hmm?"

"I asked if you had your stake hidden in your costume?" Dimitri asked, "Not that you're on duty, but I'd feel better if you were carrying it."

I smirked and pulled my stake out of the corset where it was nestled between my boobs with a special cap on the end. Dimitri looked mildly impressed as I tucked it back into place before resting my hand on my hip.

"The gun is also real," I said with a smirk, patting the gun. Lissa smirked and rolled her eyes at me as Christian helped her into her coat. I pulled my leather jacket on, one that I found while thrifting, and zipped it up a bit.

"You guys ready?" I asked.

Dimitri nodded and picked up his keys but I raised my brows at him.

"It's a five minute walk, besides, by the time we get a parking spot, it'll be a longer walk than that," I said. Dimitri nodded and pocketed his key. I smiled at Lissa as we walked to the door, linking my arm through hers.

It was the first real party we were able to go to since starting university, and I was excited. I knew that strings were seriously pulled to let me go, and I think Dimitri might have had a hand in that. I knew that he wanted me to have the same experience as Lissa on some degree, and I was silently grateful for it. I knew he wasn't looking for a thank you, but I knew I would slide one in sometime soon.

Lissa was giddy with excitement, skipping down the street. I was surprised that she was able to do it in the heels she was wearing, but I wasn't having a hard time keeping up. I had spent a lot of time breaking these boots in before tonight. When I caught up to Lissa she linked her arm through mine again, a smirk on her face.

"I don't know who's been staring at your ass more; Dimitri or Jeffrey," Lissa giggled in my ear.

I shook my head. "They aren't," I snickered.

"They are," Lissa sang quietly. I shook my head again and ignored the topic, turning it to another one instead, what we wanted to do tonight.

The party started out fantastic, but my fear of secondhand drunk was very real.

I would never disparage Lissa from living and trying things out, but adding marijuana with the copious amounts of alcohol wasn't doing so hot inside of me.

I had felt the high of a bite before, but this was worse. I didn't get the exact blissed-out feeling. I got all the other feelings instead. I stumbled on my feet as I made my way through the people, everyone had a drink in their hands. I could barely keep my eyes open as I moved, swallowing thickly.

"Hey doll, you alright?" A guy dressed as Hulk asked when I bumped into him. I blinked up at him and slurred, gripping onto his shirt as I stumbled.

"Wow, wow, how much did you drink?" he asked as he tried to stable me, but I ended up going down anyways. I knocked a few people out of the way when I went down, landing on my back with a thud. A few people leaned over me, a few making annoying comments about drinking too much.

"Hey, how about we get you up, huh?" Hulk guy said as he tried to pull me to my feet, but another figure towered over us.

"Rose?"

I blinked up and found a hippie leaning over me, gently moving Hulk out of the way.

"I don't feel so good," I slurred. Hippie nodded and pulled me carefully to my feet, taking the brunt of my weight. He thanked Hulk before moving us off to the side, making me sit down on a chair.

"Hey, what did you take," he said tapping my cheek gently. I shook my head and groaned, leaning forward and putting my head between my knees.

"Rose? What's wrong?" Dimitri's voice chimed in. I couldn't look up without the world spinning. A hand brushed my knee as someone knelt in front of me, their face next to my ear.

"What did you take?" Dimitri asked.

I shook my head. "I didn't. Lissa did," I moaned, pulling my head up in time to grab the bowl closest to me and puked. Dimitri rubbed my back and produced a bottle of water out of thin air, handing it to me.

"What did she take?"

I shrugged and chugged the water. "She's been drinking, but she ate an edible I think. I don't know why it's hitting me so hard," I complained, "I can't even see straight!"

Dimitri nodded and pulled out his phone, typing on it before nodding to himself. He put his phone back in his pocket and helped me to my feet. I swayed and he quickly wrapped his arm around me, leading me to the door.

"I'm taking you home," Dimitri said once we got to the front of the house, finding my coat in the mass of coats and slipping my arms into it.

"What about Lissa?" I asked, turning back towards the main party.

"She's taken care of. You need to get home. She's barely processed the drugs yet, you're going to get worse," Dimitri said as he zipped my coat up. I moaned quietly and leaned forward, my face pressing into his chest.

"Make the world stop spinning," I moaned. Dimitri rubbed my back sympathetically and started leading me to the door again.

"Hey, where are you going?" Someone said, stopping Dimitri and me from leaving.

"She took something she shouldn't have, I'm taking her home," Dimitri said as he tried to move around the guy.

"Yeah, likely story," the girl said before gripping my arm.

"No, he's my roommate. He's taking me home," I whined, gripping Dimitri's duster. The girl looked between us and when she let go I went right to him, curling into his side.

"Our other roommates are in the party still. A pirate, a hippie and Brittney. Tell one of them Dimitri took Rose home and they can verify," Dimitri said placatingly. The one girl narrowed her eyes at him and made a gesture for us to wait. Dimitri sighed while the other girl, an angel, waited with her arms crossed.

A few minutes later, Christian came out with the first girl, his brows furrowed.

"Liss is with Jeffrey. Fuck, Rose. You don't look so good," Christian said.

"Thanks, fire shit," I grumbled, "Can we go now," I moaned.

Dimitri nodded and the girl nodded as well. "Sorry, just wanted to make sure you weren't trying to take off with her."

"I respect that, thank you," Dimitri said before leading me out of the house. I gripped onto Dimitri's duster as we walked so I could stay upright. He had his arm wrapped around my shoulders as well, but I needed to hold onto him anyways.

"How long is this going to last?" I asked.

Dimitri sighed. "Honestly? I don't know. It depends on how much Lissa took," Dimitri explained as we walked. I nodded and blinked a few times before swaying. I grunted when I lost my footing, and in one fluid motion, Dimitri scooped me up in his arms, holding me gently against his chest.

"You're going to break your ankles in those boots," Dimitri said as he walked. I didn't have the energy to fight him, instead resting my head against his shoulder.

"I'd rather not. I don't remember the last time," I grumbled. Dimitri chuckled as adjusted his grip on me.

"As long as I don't need to break any more benches apart."

I snorted and giggled, pressing my face into his shoulder while I laughed.

"Oh, don't make me laugh," I groaned when my vision started to swim. It probably had no correlation, but I was starting to feel even worse. Dimitri whispered his apologies and turned onto our street. I fished his keys out of his coat pocket and handed them to him.

Dimitri unlocked the door and stepped inside, not stopping until he was up the stairs and in the room, setting me gently on the bed. I flopped back with a sigh and a groan, rubbing my hands over my face.

Dimitri unzipped my boots and pulled each one off and then my socks, tossing them in the hamper. I could hear him rustling around with something by my dresser and when he came back he moved my hands out of the way.

I blinked up at him and he started wiping at my face with the makeup wipe, cleaning off the white makeup and the rest. I was touched by the gesture and smiled a little.

"How many times did you have to do this for your sisters?" I mumbled, "Clean them up, I mean?"

"A few times," Dimitri said quietly.

I hummed to myself and sat up, reaching for my nightshirt that I left on the bed. I reached around to try and loosen the corset, but I kept fumbling. Dimitri took over and loosened the ties for me. Dimitri kept his back to me while I got dressed, only turning a fraction when I stumbled stepping out of the skirt.

"I'm fine, I just tripped," I said as I pulled my shorts on. Dimitri made a noise of disbelief and I told him that he could turn around. He gave me a sympathetic look and told me to sit down again. I did and rubbed at my face while he used the makeup wipe and rubbed at a spot in my hair.

"I got puke in my hair, didn't I?"

"Just a bit," Dimitri said calmly. I nodded and he tossed the used wipes into my garbage can.

"I'm going to make you something to eat, it might help," he said before walking out of my room. I nodded and flopped back onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling. There were so many patterns in the popcorning on the ceiling that I got lost in it for a moment.

Once I broke out of that haze I stood up and padded out of my room, rubbing my nose as I walked. I stepped out of my room and turned directly into the room next to mine, spying the big bed in the middle of the room.

I knew that Dimitri kept his room clean, but seeing his room was like being transported back to the Academy. I thought the quilt on his bed there was part of the rooming, but it looked like it may have been his from home. I walked in and climbed onto his bed, hunkering down on the quilt and pillows.

I breathed in deeply and sighed. It smelled just as good as he did. After a few minutes of laying there, I got up and pursued his bookshelf. There were so many books, and each one was in perfect order. There was one that I recognized and plucked it off the shelf.

I had seen him reading it so many times during practice, always tucking a photo between the pages. The photo was new after Christmas. I was always curious about what the photo was, but I always figured it was a picture of his family.

I thumbed through the pages until I found the picture, holding it up to see it.

It was me. I didn't know when the picture had been taken, but it was at the lodge.

I stared at it for a few minutes before jumping when I heard Dimitri's voice.

"Been busy?"

I looked at him bashfully and tucked the photo back into the book. "Sorry."

Dimitri shrugged and handed me the plate with a large sandwich on it. I smiled at it and I sat down on the floor, still looking at the bookshelf while I took a bite. Dimitri made a snort of a laugh and sat down beside me, leaning back on his hands.

"Have you really read all of these?" I asked over my mouthful of food.

"Yes, multiple times," Dimitri said.

"How do you have time?"

"Insomnia can be a bitch," Dimitri said plainly.

I took another bite and shrugged. "I know. It sucks. I hate it," I said.

"I know. I can hear you walking around at night," Dimitri said quietly.

"And I can hear you crying in your sleep. Or awake. I'm not sure which. But you know, I'm just on the other side of the wall. Ain't nobody going to understand like me," I said as I took another bite. "God, this is the best sandwich I've ever had."

"I'm glad you like it," Dimitri said quietly. I wiped the back of my hand over my mouth and looked at him.

"I mean it though. If you ever need to talk," I said.

"You're high, Rose. I would be surprised if you remember this conversation in the morning," Dimitri chuckled.

I shrugged. "But I'm as blunt as I'll ever be. I'm here even if you don't want me. Because we both danced with the same monster and lived to tell the tale," I said tiredly, rubbing my hands over my face.

"Danced with the same monster?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah. You had to watch the monster act through your body. We both danced with the same monster."

"I never thought of it that way," Dimitri said after a moment. I nodded and laid back on the floor, folding my arms above my head. Dimitri laid back with me and looked at me with a tired smile.

"How are you feeling?"

I hummed. "Like hot butter," I mused with a grin. Dimitri laughed and brushed some hair away from my face.

"You're so high," he chuckled.

"I think I prefer the high from a bite, this one sucks. Everything spins," I moaned. Dimitri shook his head and matched my position on the ground.

"Have you ever been high?"

"A few times. There wasn't much else to do at the Academy when I was a Novice. Ivan was particularly entertaining. I just slept," Dimitri explained.

I hummed and closed my eyes, licking my lip. "I'm thirsty."

"I figured you would be," Dimitri said setting a water bottle in front of my face.

"Where did this come from?"

"I brought it up with me," he laughed. I rolled onto my side so I could drink the water, gulping back the bottle quickly. I gasped for breath afterwards and set the empty bottle on the floor, closing my eyes again.

"Wake me in ten minutes?" I mumbled.

"Sure thing," Dimitri said with amusement in his voice.

I moaned as I rolled over, burying my face in the pillow. My mouth was dry and filmy and my head pounded.

I pushed myself up as I yawned, rubbing my face.

"How are you feeling?"

I jumped and flinched back, looking up at Dimitri who was reclined back beside me. I blinked a few times and looked at the bed, realizing I wasn't in my bed.

"How long have I been out?" I mumbled.

"It's almost nine," Dimitri said rubbing his jaw. I yawned again and groaned.

"I don't feel so hot," I groaned.

"I'm not surprised."'

"What happened to ten minutes!?" I exclaimed.

Dimitri laughed and shook his head with a small smile. "Rose, you were dead to the world. You were dead weight when I picked you up."

"Why didn't you put me in my bed?"

"Because I wanted to make sure you didn't puke or choke on your tongue," Dimitri said handing me another water bottle. I drank half of it and sat up, yawning gain as I looked outside.

"Sorry for taking up your bed," I apologized, tucking my hair behind my ears.

"It's fine, Roza. In fact, you were pretty still," he said, "But I forgot that you're a hot sleeper."

I knitted my brows at him and cocked my head. "What do you mean?"

Dimitri had the ghost of a smirk on his face. "You wouldn't let go of me," Dimitri said simply and I groaned, covering my face with my hands.

"I'm sorry," I groaned.

"It's fine," Dimitri said softly. I pulled my hands away and rubbed my face.

"I have to say, you're adorable high."

I smacked him with the pillow and groaned as I got out of bed, stretching my arms above my head.

"Oh sure," I grumbled. Dimitri chuckled and got out of bed too, smirking at me as he smoothed down my hair on one side of my head.

"Can I let you in on a secret?"

"Oh no," I moaned.

"You talk in your sleep," Dimitri said. My eyes bugged out of my head and the idea of what I could have said. Dimitri smirked again and kissed my cheek. I was stunned by the action and didn't move, only enough to look up at him.

"I don't hate you. And I miss you too," he said quietly, "That's why I didn't put you back in your room."

I gapped at him as he walked out of his room, blinking at him as he walked down the hall.

"You can't spring that on me and walk away!" I exclaimed.

Dimitri's laugh carried down the hall. "Get something to eat and then we'll discuss it. Happy Halloween!"

Happy Halloween!:)