Building the Tension | ✔ | 18+

Chapter 41 - Coming to Fruition

Author's Notes:

Adult content in the second section.

-=o0/&\0o=-

I was walking across campus on my way to Dimitri's apartment when I heard my name being called. I turned to see Yuri running up to me.

"Oh, hey Yuri!" I said as he approached.

"I have that list for you of places dhampirs can go to be alone together at Court," he said, handing me a folder, "and I also grabbed a copy of the form to apply for joint housing at Court. I don't know how much you'll need that list once all of the paperwork from the joint housing application goes through, though. The form requires both your signature and Belikov's, as well as both of your charges and captain of the guard at Court - I think that's Hans Croft right now, but since you haven't actually moved in at Court yet, getting the actual housing logistics for the two of you settled shouldn't take long."

I opened up the folder and looked at the form. Yuri told me, "I took the liberty of filling out the top section, got the princess to sign it last night after the dinner party, and got Christian - excuse me, I guess he's Lord Ozera now - to sign it before the graduation ceremony this morning, so all you have to do is sign it yourself and get it signed by Dimitri and Guardian Croft. Getting Croft to sign it is mostly a formality, though, as long as you're not under some sort of disciplinary process."
"Wow, Yuri," I said, "Thanks, this is really incredible."

"Consider it a combined graduation and going-away present. You and the big guy deserve nothing but happiness. And I owe you both for all of the extra hours of gate duty and patrol shifts he took to get more time alone with you and to have me help mentor you when everything with you two being apart went down. Speaking of which, are you ever going to tell me what happened?"

"It's a really long story," I told him, not sure how much detail I wanted to go into, even if Yuri had become a friend, "The short explanation is that Adrian Ivashkov had me under compulsion, though."

"Well, I'm really glad you crazy kids worked it all out," he said, "After seeing everything you went through together and how much you care for each other, I really feel like you and Dimitri are destined to be together."

I smiled. "Thanks, Yuri."

"Any time," he told me, "Just do me a favor: Dimitri is a lot more fragile than most people give him credit for. Don't break his heart again, kiddo. If you do, I might have to hunt you both down."

"Hunt us both down?" I asked.

"You for the beat-down and Dimitri for consoling," Yuri replied.

"Dimitri's never really been one to be big on the sharing of his feelings," I told him.

Yuri shrugged, saying, "I know. Neither of you have. But if he needs someone to talk to about you, I'd be there. When you two were apart, I'd stop by his apartment after shifts sometimes and just sit and share a drink with him. He never said much, but he told me it was nice to have a friend."

I smiled again, "I'm actually glad of that, Yuri. You know, when I first met him, he didn't really have any friends on campus. I'm glad you've become that. We're both really going to miss you."

Yuri pulled me in for a hug. "I'll miss you both, too."

-=o0/&\0o=-

A couple minutes later, I was knocking on Dimitri's door. We had talked last night about the possibility of being able to have children together, but I hadn't yet had a chance to update him on the implant I got this morning. Though we were both happy we'd get the opportunity to be able to have them eventually, neither of us wanted them right now.