***Dimitri’s POV***

I hummed to myself as I entered the house, dropping the car keys on the counter. I went into the living room, and Galen looked up at me, a pout on his face.

“Why the pout?” I asked curiously.

“Daddy took Hugo away from me,” he said, his pout getting deeper.

I looked over, finally noticing my traumatized cat sitting on my father’s lap. Dad stood up, setting Hugo on the ground. Hugo sprinted out of the room after a fearful glance at Galen.

“Dimmy, come watch this anime with me! This one’s Fruits Basket,” he said, grabbing my hand and trying to tug me down next to him.

“Dimitri, wait. Come here for a minute,” dad said, gesturing at me to follow him.

“I’ll be right back dear,” I said, stepping away from Galen and following my dad out of the room.

He led me upstairs and into his bedroom, gesturing at me to sit on his bed. I sat down and he sighed, crossing his arms.

“Dimitri, I told you to keep your bedroom door open,” he said.

“Because clearly little Theodore was violating me,” I said. “I mean, did you see the way he had his head on my chest? Honestly father dearest, he could’ve bruised my ribs!”

“It’s not funny Dimitri,” he said, his voice sharp. “You got hurt.”

“Two years ago,” I reminded him, wishing they would let it go. Honestly, I despised clinging to the past.

“Dimitri, I heard your brother screaming for me and I walked in to find you barely conscious, covered in your own blood with that bastard standing over you. So yes, I’m going to be protective,” he said, his gaze daring me to challenge him.

Loving challenges, I said, “But you can’t do this forever, father. Hate to break it to you honey, but I’m going to have to handle my own relationships at some point.”

“Dimmy,” he said, looking at me with a tired expression. “Just be careful. If you get attacked like that again…hell, what do you think it’ll do to me? To your mother? God, what do you think it’ll do to Galen?”

“Or my precious Hugo. If little Theodore broke my arms, I wouldn’t be able to cuddle my precious Hugo!”

“Dimitri! It’s not funny!” he said, glaring at me. “Take this seriously.”

“Father dearest, you know I don’t take anything seriously,” I said with a charming smile. It was like I had told Theo. I got through life by never taking things seriously.

“That’s what worries me about you,” he grumbled. He sighed and came over, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Be careful, Dimmy.”

“Caution is my middle name,” I said, standing up. “Well, actually, it’s Mikhail. But you get my point.” I winked at him before leaving the room and heading down to the living room.

“There you are!” Galen said, patting the spot on the couch next to him. I sat down and he crawled into my lap.

“Dimmy, you won’t pick Theo over me, will you?” he asked, looking anxious.

“How could I ever pick anyone over my fabulous little brother?” I asked in fake shock.

Galen giggled and kissed my cheek. “I’m just being sure! Hey, you should get us some juice!”

I placed him next to me and stood up. I moved into the kitchen, nearly running into Alek as she entered the room.

“Watch where you’re going freak,” she said, glaring at me.

“Terribly sorry Aleksandra,” I said, stepping aside to let her by and smirking at her. The way she hated me was oh so amusing.

“Stay away from Theo,” she said flatly.

“Now how can I stay away from my little Theodore?” I asked, my smirk getting wider. If only you knew, big sister. If only you knew.

“He doesn’t like you Dimitri,” she said.

I chuckled. “I beg to differ.”

I could see it in his eyes. Hell, I could feel it in his kisses. Little Theodore was falling for me, and quite hard.

It was strange. I was falling for him just as hard. I just wanted to be open with him, show him off to the world. But he wanted us a secret, and I would respect that. It barely bothered me. And like I had told him; I had always wanted a secret relationship. The thrill of it made me grin.

“Just stay away from him,” she said, clenching her fists.

“Oh my…Aleksandra, are you crushing on little Theodore?” I asked, my eyes lighting up at the very thought of that. Ah, the webs we weave.

Alek blushed, confirming my thoughts. “Shut up Dimitri. He wants you to leave him alone. And I saw you eyeing his sister the other day. You going to hit it and quit it with her too, huh? Hurt another nice girl?”

“Honestly, Zoey wasn’t even your friend Aleksandra,” I said with a sigh. I didn’t “hit it and quit it”. It’s not like I went out and had sex with people just to hurt them. If they consented to it, it happened. That was all. I made my feelings very clear, and left the choice to them.

“She was my best friend’s cousin!” she snapped.

“Details.” I waved my hand dismissively. “I don’t plan to have intercourse with Thalia.”

“Dimmy?” Galen stepped into the room and came over to me, shooting Alek a suspicious look. “Are you being mean to him?”

“No, I’m not being mean to him Galen,” Alek said impatiently. She turned her glare back to me. “Are you happy Dimitri? You’re brainwashing a seven year old kid.”

“Brainwashing?” I shook my head, resisting the urge to laugh. “Aleksandra, I’m just spending time with my wonderful little brother! You ought to try it sometime, really. I’m fabulous company, honey.”

“You’re a glittery, promiscuous freak. I don’t want to spend time with you. And neither does Theo. So just leave him the hell alone. I mean it, Dimitri,” she said, trying to sound threatening.

I couldn’t help myself. I started laughing. “I won’t stay away from little Theodore, Aleksandra. Just because you have a crush on him and you know that he’ll fall for me over you-”

She shoved me against the counter roughly, and I started laughing all over again. She raised her fist to hit me.

“Daddy!” Galen cried in alarm. “Daddy, Alek is hurting Dimmy!”

My dad rushed into the room. His eyes widened and he pulled Alek off of me, restraining her when she tried to struggle against him.

“You’re a bastard!” she spat at me.

“Aleksandra! Calm down!” dad said sternly.

“Dad, you don’t get it! God, Dimitri is so infuriating!” she said.

I crossed my arms over my chest, smirking at her. “It’s one of my many charms.”

“Alek, I don’t care how infuriating he’s being. You don’t hit him,” dad said, releasing her. He turned to me. “And stop taunting your sister.”

“He’s just going to keep doing it because he’s the favorite and he gets away with everything,” she grumbled.

“Stop that. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t play favorites,” dad said. “You shouldn’t taunt each other, and you definitely are going to regret it if you ever hit each other.”

“Why do you have to be so mean?” Galen asked, stepping in front of me protectively and shooting Alek a look. “Theo likes Dimmy better because Dimmy’s not a mean jerk like you!”

“Enough,” dad said, rubbing his temples. “Alek, go upstairs. Boys, go back to the living room.”

Alek slammed by me, sending me staggering back a little. She stormed upstairs and I snickered.

“Dimitri,” dad said, crossing his arms. “Stop that. She’s going to be mad when she finds out about you and Theo.”

“Indeed she is,” I agreed with a nod. “But she’ll get over it. Anyways, I have something to do. Galen, I’ll watch TV with you after dinner. I promise.”

“But Dimmy!” he whined.

“I’ll watch TV with you Galen,” dad said, going over and taking Galen’s hand. “Come on.”

I left them, heading up to my bedroom and locking the door. I sat down at my desk, grabbing a pencil and a blank sheet of paper.

I let my hand glide over the paper, watching the lines appear, the image of Theo topless potent in my mind. That scar on his chest, the one he was so embarrassed about.

After a little while, I let the pencil fall out of my hand, studying my work. I had drawn a rough sketch of his chest, but a detailed image of the scar. I grinned, pleased with my accuracy.

I grabbed another blank sheet and began to draw again. This time, I found myself getting lost. I heard my mother’s voice calling something, but it was distant. My only focus was the drawing appearing in front of me, the careful detail of it.

After who knew how long, I set my pencil down and ran a hand through my hair in frustration, messing up my fohawk. I grabbed my pencil and attacked my drawing again.

Several sheets of paper and severely messy hair later, I nodded to myself. The picture in front of my was fairly decent.

I had drawn little Theodore’s face, trying to capture his features accurately. The look in his eyes was off though, and it was bothering me. I couldn’t quite capture it. That sarcasm and annoyance, hiding a gentle nature and deep rooted feelings.

My stomach growled and I stood up, heading downstairs. My mom looked over at me and gestured towards the counter.

“We ate an hour ago. I called to you, but you must have been drawing,” she said.

“I was,” I confirmed, grabbing the leftovers and sticking them in the microwave to heat up. When I started drawing, I became lost to the world. I blocked out everything but my work. My family knew that by now, and left me alone.

“Your father told me about you and Theo,” she said, leaning against the counter and watching me.

“Is that a statement, mother dearest, or are you going to give me a speech on the topic?” I asked, pulling my food out of the microwave and beginning to eat.

She shook her head. “Just a statement. And a warning that it’s going to upset your sister when she finds out. Also, I brought home some new clothes for you.”

My mother owned a clothing company, and often brought me home anything she thought I’d be interested in. It’s where I got most of my clothes.

“Magnificent,” I said.

“Dimmy, just be careful, okay? With Theo, and with Alek,” she said before leaving the room.

“Lovely conversation mother dearest. So glad we could chat,” I said, rolling my eyes.

I ate and went upstairs, going into the bathroom and stripping out of my clothes. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, gently tracing my fingers over the scar on my shoulder from when I had fallen out of a tree.

I had been six years old, wanting to climb the tree in our backyard. My foot had slipped, and I had plummeted down. That was back before Alek hated me. She had been seven, and started screaming for our dad when I hit the ground. I had been dazed, not even realizing how badly I was bleeding until my dad came outside and gasped.

Little Theodore…That scar on his chest made him even more beautiful. Scars told a story of the past. They were unique. They were part of a person’s history. I never understood why people got so self conscious of their scars.

Shrugging it off, I eyed my appearance in the mirror, making a face at my messy hair. I really had to stop running my hands through it. How unfabulous.

I stepped into the shower and washed myself off. I got out and wrapped a towel around my waist, going out into the hallway.

Alek, who was coming down the hallway, made a face at me. I simply smiled and wiggled my fingers at her in a wave.

“After you shower is the only time you ever look normal,” she said.

“Well, generally a shower washes away my hair gel, my make-up, and any glitter, dear,” I said patiently.

“Whatever. You better not have used all the hot water,” she said.

“Oh girl, don’t get your panties in a bunch. I left hot water for my pleasant sister,” I said, flashing her a charming smile.

“Fuck you Dimitri,” she said, roughly shoving by me and slamming the bathroom door.

I chuckled. “Such vulgarities,” I said, shaking my head in amusement and heading into my bedroom.

I pulled on my boxers and flopped down onto my bed, Hugo wandering over and curling up on my chest. I stroked is fur, a thoughtful expression on my face.

“I wonder how Aleksandra will react when she finds out I’m dating little Theodore,” I said.

“Meow,” replied Hugo.

“Interesting. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on that subject, Hugo.”

“Meow.”

“Your wise words never cease to amaze me.”

I reached over, flicking my lights off. Galen would probably want me to put him to bed, and I would if he came and got me. But for right now, I was too tired to move.

I let my thoughts wander to Theo. Just how long could we really keep this relationship a secret, especially from his sister and that strange background character friend of his?

“Ah well. What happens, happens,” I said, closing my eyes.

***

“Little Theodore, you really need to spruce up your wardrobe,” I said eyeing him.

“Shut up Dimitri. Go away,” he growled.

“Theo, be nice to him!” Thalia said, glaring at her brother.

“Yes little Theodore. Be nice to me. You’re hurting my heart,” I said, dramatically slapping a hand over my chest.

But judging by his expression, he knew I was just joking with him. Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure how I’d act if Theo were to treat me kindly. It just wasn’t his nature.

“I’m with Theo. Go away,” Alek said, glaring at me.

“Hush. I’m talking to my little Theodore. No more comments from the peanut gallery,” I said, giving her a wide, impatient snap.

“My name is Theo,” he said impatiently.

“No, your name is Theodore,” I said.

We were sitting in study hall. I was perched on the end of their table, my long legs swinging carelessly. Thalia and Alek were sitting next to each other, across from Theo and that background character.

“But I only go by Theo!” he said, getting frustrated. He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up.

I reached out, brushing his hair back into place. He blushed and pushed my hand away, shooting me a dirty look. It made me smirk.

“Ah little Theodore. You work so hard to hate me,” I said.

“Oh trust me, it’s an easy thing,” he grumbled.

“Hm, yes, well, come with me,” I said, grabbing his arm and forcing him to stand up.

“What do you want?” he demanded, pulling out of my grip.

“Just come with me, little Theodore. I have a surprise for you,” I said, smirking at him.

He shot a desperate look at Thalia. Thalia rolled her eyes and gestured at him to follow me. Looking reluctant, he let me grab his wrist and drag him out of the cafeteria and into the boys’ bathroom. I locked the door and turned to him.

“Could you make it any more obvious?” he asked in annoyance.

“Well, I could’ve just started kissing you right in front of them,” I suggested. “Anyways, you were starting to hate me again. I needed to fix it. I can’t have my little Theodore hating me.”

I stepped forward and he backed up. I kept walking towards him, until his back was pressed against the wall. I reached out, gently stroking his cheek with my fingers. His skin was smooth under my touch. The eager look in his eyes almost made me laugh. He tried to hate me, but his eyes screamed out how badly he wanted me.

“Come over again tonight. Alek won’t be there,” I said, angling my head so that my breath blew on his neck. He shivered.

“Yea. I guess,” he said, clearing his throat nervously.

“And stop trying to hate me. It’ll never work, little Theodore,” I promised before kissing him.

He gripped my hips, drawing me closer to himself. I placed my hand on the back of his neck, drawing his face closer to mine. One of his hands drew up, tangling in the brown part of my hair.

I parted his lips with ease, letting my tongue carefully explore his mouth. His tongue rubbed against mine eagerly.

I pulled away from him and pressed my forehead against his. “When you come over, we can continue,” I said, smirking at his expression. Hey, I had to convince him to come over somehow.

“Fine,” he grumbled, pushing me away from himself. “But you can’t keep dragging me out of study hall. Thalia’s going to catch on.”

He moved over to the sink and washed the glitter off of his hands. I handed him a paper towel and wrapped my arms around his waist, kissing his neck as he dried his hands.

“She wouldn’t tell anyone,” I said.

“But she wouldn’t let it go, either. I would never hear about anything else,” he said miserably.

“What’s so bad about hearing about us all the time?” I asked, laughing when he smacked me in the arm.

“Shut up Dimitri. I’m going back to the table,” he said, pulling out of my embrace.

“Locker room after school,” I called after him as he unlocked the door and disappeared.

I leaned against the wall as the door shut, trying not to laugh. Oh, my little Theodore was so amusing.

I went back to study hall and sat down at my usual table. When the bell rang, I got up and went off to class, taking my seat next to Kim.

“Dimitri, are you ditching us for Theo again?” she asked curiously.

“Indeed I am, Kimberly darling. Try not to miss me too much,” I said.

She rolled her eyes. “Oh brother. Are you ever going to tutor with us again?”