QUIET REBELLION.

━━ there was no hesitation when it came to moving closer to dimitri. the outstretched hand worked to get him in front of her and her other one slide up to his shoulder and draped down. she felt determined now; to find a solution to their ongoing fight, to find a way where they could actually stand a chance. her eyes flickered from dimitri’s to the big and bold treeville police station sign behind them. “ …. not here.” it was probably smartest to get in the car before they started talking - who knew who was listening in.

dimitri didn’t understand. what could she possibly offer him? he knew that she was hesitant about having him get involved in family affairs again and if it wasn’t that then what? he had no clue, honestly. he didn’t know what to expect. he nodded his head slowly, not wanting to push it. he made his way over to the passenger’s side of the car to pull the door open for her, waiting until she was in to make his way to the driver’s side. 

━━ any mention of the ring had vivian’s gaze turning towards it. like clockwork. it was beautiful, sure. but that wasn’t why she found herself constantly looking back at it. she still couldn’t believe they’d gotten here. that after everything. they were here now. working on them, on happy. “It’s perfect.’ she shook her head at the suggestion and extended her arm out for him to take. “it could be worse doesn’t really imply the alternative is good.” words. words were always so important. “what if I found something else you could do? something that was still good.”

dimitri shrugged a little at her words but decided to keep his mouth shut. viv deserved more. viv deserved the whole world. he hated that he couldn’t give that to her. dimitri took her hand as she extended her arm out to him, pulling her in closer to him. he frowned a little at his words, fearing that this would end up the way their conversation had the last time. he didn’t want a fight. not again. not with her. dimitri’s confusion was evident on his features when he heard her offer and he shook his head slightly. “like what?”

━━ They closed the small distance needed to get to the car, an excuse vivian used to lean up against it. She wasn’t avoiding the conversation that was to come, no, she was leading up to it. much slower than her norm. “Are you saying the stares were for me then? hmm, someone should tell them I’m wearing a ring.” another joke. if dimitri wasn’t going to start them off vivian would. help him slide back into it. “has it gotten better? at work?”

dimitri had every intention of climbing into the car to get her out of there quickly, but when she stopped he did too, naturally. he offered her a small smile at her response. “maybe i should have gotten you a bigger one, ‘cause that’s not stopping anyone.” he offered with a shake of his head. his features softened slightly at her question and he shrugged a little. “i — it could be worse, you know? i’m okay.”

Vivian was never one to admit defeat and here at the station was no different. She kept her hold on Dimitri’s hand but made sure to walk at his side rather than behind, to keep her head held up and the smirk on her lips the whole time. Her father was a mess but at least he’d been good at inlisting these tricks in her. Vivian’s free hand moved to rest on Dimitri’s arm the second they made it out. “Feels like maybe you should be the one walking around with a bodyguard.” HUmor would get them out of the silence. 

dimitri didn’t pay too much attention to the stares as they’d made their way out of the station. the staring was something dimitri had quickly grown accustomed to. they were everywhere he went, work was no exception. there was nothing he could do about them, either, so he figured he’d might as well get used to them. “me?” dimitri questioned gently as he turned his head to look over at her. “it may seem like they pay me attention but i promise you, they don’t.”

“I want to.” Vivian shrugged. As far as she was concerned this wasn’t anything Dimitri didn’t deserve. She thought higher of him than she did of most. “perfect,” There was no hesitation in her step when his hand was taken and they walked past his desk and some of the nearby officers. 

dimitri shot her a small look at that, making it evident that he still didn’t think she owed him a single thing. of course she didn’t. she never would. he let her lead the way to the exit, keeping a tight hold on her hand. dimitri still had no clue what had prompted the visit, but he was grateful for it all the same.

“I’ll make it up to you,” Vivian responded without missing a beat. And she was sure that she would. She had to. Dimitri had been through too much for Vivian to be adding on to what he had going on. She just hoped her news, her request, would be enough to make up for something. She couldn’t give him back the years she’d lost but she could give him the now. “as soon as we get out of here.”

dimitri shook his head a little at that. “you don’t have to do that.” he assured her with a slight shake of his head. as far as he was concerned she didn’t owe him anything. truly. not a single thing. “yeah, let’s go.” he let out in agreement, offering his hand to her and grabbing his papers with the other. 

Vivian could sense the shake of his head was coming as soon as she’d uttered her words. That was just it about them, they’d been together so long - they knew each other more than two people should. The hand on his check reached out to caress the rest of his face, a thumb sliding over his chin. Contact. There was always contact. So much so that Vivian had managed to momentarily forget they were in a police station of all places. “it was fair game. I shouldn’t have bombarded you like that. I’m sorry too.” 

dimitri would never hold anything against her. in all reality, she’d been through just as much as he had. she couldn’t imagine what it felt like to quite literally see someone rise from the dead. it just didn’t happen. dimitri shook his head once more at her response, looking at her with soft eyes. “it’s okay,” he assured her with a sincerity that was saved exclusively for viv. well, and maybe chris, too. but her especially. “i get it.”

Vivian couldn’t help but smile at that. If only because it was coming from Dimitri. She cared little about how the rest of the world saw her. “You’re sweet.” She quipped, reaching out to cup his face so that she could place a quick kiss on his cheek. “I was afraid that after last night you wouldn’t want to see me.” The truth spilled too easily when she was around Dimtri. 

dimitri shrugged a little as she called him sweet. he didn’t consider himself to be that much, especially for merely speaking the truth. anyone could look at vivian trons and tell her that much. easily. he closed his eyes for a moment as she kissed her cheek, a hand moving to her hip as she did so. her next words brought on a frown as his eyes fluttered open and he found himself shaking his head a little. “i’m sorry,” he let out slowly. “i shouldn’t have walked out like that.. that’s not what we do. i was.. overwhelmed.” he offered lamely.

Whenever hints of Dimitri poped up, Vivian couldn’t help but smile. Despite how messed up things had felt after their last conversation, despite the nerves she was feeling over what she was about to offer up – Dimitri still had that same effect on her he’d always had, that calming sort of the rest of the world doesn’t matter feel. “You keep rejecting me like this and I’m going to have to start thinking it’s me.” Her words carrying as much humor as his just had. 

dimitri shook his head at that. “no one would, or could, reject you of all people, v.” he was quick to reassure her, sounding sure as ever of himself when he said it, too. it was true. that was the difference between the two of them. that was their dynamic. the drop dead gorgeous girl with, well, him. “i just wanna get you out of here.”

“so that’s a no?” the question was more of a dag at herself than anything else, really. had she been so preoccupied with her own feelings and deprecations that jenna hadn’t taken the time to see dimitri truly was struggling? that not everything was as good as it seemed to be? “then i guess-” with the next words came a deep breath from jenna’s mouth before she continued, “maybe she’s right.”

dimitri shrugged again. maybe he didn’t know. was he simply not a fan because he knew vivian wasn’t now? it was hard to tell. he valued her opinion perhaps the most alongside jenna’s, so it really wasn’t a shock. “if i quit here,” dimitri began, his eyebrows furrowing slightly, “then what? what the hell am i gonna do, jenna?” he didn’t sound upset or angry, just genuinely concerned above all else.

After their last conversation, after Dimitri walked out – well, it was easy to imagine why Vivian hadn’t anticipated the smile she was greeted with. Thank God. “Hi,” Vivian’s life was constant change, constant adaption to something new and even after the kidnapping, Dimitri was the exception of that. The fact that that remained true shocked her more than any curveball thrown her way. “Well, I have ulterior motives too,” the admission came with ease. They simply didn’t lie to each other - did they?

busy hands worked to shut off the computer, all too eager to get vivian out of there. he was well aware that the station wasn’t her favorite nor was he a fan of the way his co workers often looked at her. yeah, no way. he raised his eyebrows at her words, shrugging on his jacket as he shook her head. “i’m not really down for a quickie in the bathroom here. it’s pretty gross in there.” there were small glimmers that reflected dimitri as he used to be, that had certainly been one of them. 

“I don’t think you should be too hard on yourself with that.” A nod that could only mean understanding was how Chris responded at first. Letting a second of silence fill the space between them so that he could choose his next words carefully. The last thing he wanted to do was disrespect Dimitri’s circumstance. “Not that I’m comparing the two but -” his voice dropped to a whisper when he went on, “- I had to put the bottle down a few times before it stuck.” Sometimes he wasn’t even sure this was the end of it. “Adjusting - finding a new normal - it’s going to take a lot of trial and error. It sucks but -”

“easier said than done,” dimitri breathed out, having a feeling that chris knew exactly what he was talking about. all dimitri ever was was hard on himself, mostly because he was well aware that everyone around him deserved a hell of a lot better than what he currently had to offer. he knew that. truly. dimitri’s features softened at chris’ admission, surprised that he was so quick to offer that up in an effort to make him feel better. he appreciated it. immensely so. “you’re doing better now?” dimitri let out gently, hopeful. if chris could get through what he’d been through, dimitri could do this. right?

clearly she wasn’t missing out on much, or perhaps she was and had absolutely no idea. the small town of treeville might have to be the perfect cover up for a mob after all; it was a thought that often did cross jenna’s mind every so often since dimitri’s incident no matter how much she tried to push those away. maybe it was her way of dismissing the whole thing or thinking she was okay with it. whatever it was, it still had jenna’s lips pressing into a line in an attempt to hide all. “how triggering can speeding tickets really be?” she asked with an airy laugh. jenna would take every chance, even the smallest, dumbest of them, to lighten his mood. “i mean, unless you were in like- a million car chases. give or take.” her shoulder lifted and fell lazily before she pulled her bottom lip in and shook her head. “i thought you’ve gotten better working here.”

dimitri ran a hand over his short dark hair, huffing gently. he didn’t know what the hell to do anymore. at this point, he was beyond desperate for someone to come along and tell him exactly what he needed to do -- whatever that was. he couldn’t do this one by himself. not in the current mental state that he was currently in. no fucking way. he took a deep breath, mirroring her shrug after her words. “i feel like it’s always one step forward, ten steps back.” he breathed out honestly, sounding defeated. he was exhausted. 

CLOSED STARTER. | @ffsdimitri

fake it until you make it. it’d gotten Vivian through most things in life; faking confidence until those around her believed it and in turn, she did as well. Now, it was getting her through the police station, down the walkway Chris had pointed out and straight towards Dimitir’s desk. The last time she’d been inside had been to pick D up from the ambush interrogations and now she was back again, for him. Dimitri has quite possibly the only person she’d step through those doors for. 

“Hey,” confidence. confidence. the word ran around her head, halting the memory of their last conversation. the one that lead her to the police station again. “thought you might need a ride home?”

“i’ll do it first thing tomorrow morning,” dimitri assured his superior before heading back to his desk. another day done. it was surreal, living the regular 9 to 5 so many did. how? he figured it was easier if this was all someone knew they whole life. right? who knew, he sure as hell didn’t. dimitri looked up at the sound of a familiar voice, needing to take a moment to convince himself that he wasn’t dreaming at the sight of her. “hey,” dimitri breathed out, dropping the folders in her hands and walking over to press a kiss to her temple. “beautiful,” he murmured gently, flashing her a small smile. beautiful was an understatement, but it would do for now. “that’s why you came?” he knew she hated it here, so he was flattered. 

Chris worked to add sugar to his coffee, the mindless actions preparing the drink for him before the mug was brought up to his lips. “Maybe I should have suggested a walk instead,” It wasn’t rare for Chris to worry about those close to him, but he doubted anyone with a heart wouldn’t be able to worry about Dimitri after finding out his story. It was for that reason, and because he’d found such a good friend in him, that Chris kept an eye out - helped anyway he felt he can. “But things are getting better, right?” At least that was how he had read things. 

dimitri shook his head a little. “no, coffee is good.” he was quick to assure the blonde. it was true, though. he hadn’t been getting much sleep, the caffeine was the better choice, anyway. dimitri hesitated at chris’ question, ultimately then shrugging his shoulders a little. “i thought it was. now i just kinda feel like i’m back at square one.”

Did anyone grow up watching positive relationships unfold nowadays? A supportive mother and father? Was it just treeville that was this fucked up? The thought only occurred to Vivian because she tried to imagine how her mother would react to something like this— to Blake walking out. Would she rush after him? Pour herself another glass? Or would she have simply known what the right thing to say to get him to listen was? No. Vivian’s mother would’ve stayed quiet, she would’ve known better than to bring a subject like this up, when it would only make things more complicated. A sigh escaped red painted lips. Should Vivian have known better? The back of her head leaned against the thereshold, silently twirling the ring on her left hand. “Fuck,”

     ❝ sounds perfect, ❞ he said and grinned, looking at the other male with raised eyebrows and a grin on his mouth. tilting his head a little to the side, he sank his teeth into his bottom lip and he shrugged his shoulders casually. ❝ anyway, um… thank you… i’m sorry, you didn’t give me your name, ❞ he said as he held out his hand, waiting for the other to grab it as he wanted to tell her thanks for what he had said he’d try to get done. todd knew it was going to be difficult to catch whoever had done the shit that had been done to the ranch, but at least the officer said he would try, and honestly, it was more than what a lot of people had said they would do. 

“dimitri,” was muttered out along with him taking todd’s hand. he gave it a quick shake before dropping it, already raking his mind as to how he could track down whoever the hell had done this. good people didn’t deserve things like this. todd was no exception. if he could make a difference in someone’s life, well, then he was doing something right. “i’ll get this all sorted out, okay? promise.”