A month outside the gates (a VA fanfic)ON HOLD

Chapter 22

RPOV
God. That hadn't been an awkward and awful way end lunch at all. I sighed as I walked into afternoon training with my boyfriend. Said boyfriend was sprawled on the store room floor with a Western.
"Afternoon, Roza," my man looked up from his book to greet me with a warm smile and the heart-stopping, affectionate, Russian nickname.
"Clueless, Comrade. Completely."
"Straight back at you. So, what did Ashford want at lunch?"
"We both know that." I commented as I began stretching.
"He actually asked you on a date?"
"Sorta," I recounted it, the awkwardness and awfulness.
"Oh Roza. I hate this situation we're in, the resulting problems."
"Worth it. So worth it. Much more desirable than the other option."
"True. Come on, let's hit that track," he picked me up from my stretching position on the floor.

"Do you have to be so damn good, woman!" Dimitri teased once we were doing cool down stretches.
"You taught me! So, yes." I smirked as I returned the banter. I'd hardly been pinned all training.
"You have a point there," he sighed.
"I do. I do, and you know it."
"Ah. That reminds me-"
"Now, let me get this right. You forgot something? You actually forgot something?" I just had to interrupt because the the thought of my Dimitri ever forgetting something was hilarious and seemed impossible.
"Yes. You make me forget how to breathe, woman. Without even trying you make me forget how to breathe." Now he'd made forget how to think, he'd made me forget how to breathe.
"Damn it, Dimitri." I just barely managed to eventually breathe out.
"You're clueless, Rose. And, if you've recovered, I'll tell you what I need to."
"And it's 'need to', not 'want to'. It's an order from higher up." I sighed. "Continue."
"Your third marking is in forty-five minutes."
"As is your, what?, eighth."
"Yes. It is, and it is my eighth."
"You've never taken down more than one in a battle?"
"I've never been in a battle with more than one attacking. Well... Except yesterday, when I had you and Art as back up." My man simply stared at me for a few moments, a range of thoughts crossing his mind and a range of emotions flashing across his eyes and face. He ended up asking, "did you bring a second towel?"
"Dimitri?" I asked with a voice shaking in excitement and anticipation. And a tiny bit of fear of the consequences if caught. Then again, we'd done it in the cabin (the old watch post on the edge of campus) when I was meant to be in class. And, clearly, hadn't been caught.
"Yes."
"I did." I was immediately pulled up and we made our way to the teacher's showers, bags in hand. After the door was locked, I got sandwiched. We gave in all over again. God, I loved him. Always had and always would. I was made for him and we fit together just as perfectly as we understood each other.

When dinner rolled around about three hours later, I had the extra four kills permanently etched onto my neck. That damn tattooing made it impossible to even sideline for hours on end for a couple of days straight. Why? The irritated skin kept itching. So, dinner that night was rather weird. I spent the whole time trying not to touch the back of my neck. And promptly failed five minutes in.
"Rose?" Mase cautiously asked.
"Huh, Mase?" I responded- still scratching.
"What's making the back of your neck so itchy?" Eddie responded as I pulled my hand away.
"Nothing."
"Rose?" Lissa questioned aloud and internally warned. She was so loved up with Christian it made me want to hurl. My month away hadn't only interfered in my love life, but Lissa's also. She was as sexed up with Christian as I was with Dimitri. And it was just as emotionally powerful. I'd been pulled in multiple times and only just barely escaped.
"Fine." I sighed. "It's my marks. I just got my latest four." And cue the twenty questions from Eddie and Mase, the hero worship from Mase, and the snarky commentary from Snarky Sparky. "Enough!" I eventually snapped. "Each one is a life and death situation, and you aren't ready for them. No one is." That changed dinner's atmosphere again and I was only too glad and happy to escape to my room and homework.