A Sense of Deja-Vu

Dimitri had practically been running to the top of Temple Hill, which in hindsight wasn't the greatest idea; you were supposed to be respectful considering it was home to many shrines to many gods. Dimitri generally stayed strictly neutral to the gods, and for that reason, didn't consider this to be an important place to practice submissive behavior. He'd spotted her where they first met, not far from Jupiter's temple. The hill was, as always, pretty barren, as people usually only visited it if they were making an offering to a god, usually their parent, Dimitri figured. There was no shrine standing for Cymopoleia anywhere in the world, as far as he knew, but he wouldn't visit it even if it had existed.

He approached her without wasting anytime; they'd basically broken down all of the standard social practices with each other anyway, there was no need to make greeting a process, especially when their little time together was so precious. Dimitri approached her and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "I missed you, darlin'." Dimitri very rarely didn't use a person's full first name, it was a sign of respect, but he'd found himself referring to Dominika sometimes as 'darlin' in particular. Dimitri never really thought that it might be overstepping a line, considering they'd only been official for a short time.

He had missed her, after all. The demigod had a massive soft spot for the daughter of Jupiter, suffice to say, he adored her. Dimitri gently pecked her on the lips; since they'd officially gone steady it had been a habit that they'd accepted. "I'm glad things could be this way again. Even if you ain't in your cute dress." Dimitri smirked. He knew she wasn't a fan, but she just looked so precious at the ball. "How've you been? Tell me everythin'."

"'Sagood reason. Still, you kinda have to deal with the pressure of lookin' nice all the time anyway, y'know, with a face like that." Dimitri knocked the tease in as early as he could. It wasn't usually in his skill set, but there were all sorts of things Dominika brought out in him that weren't part of his usual self. She had began to talk about going home to Russia, which had Dimitri curious immediately. He wondered why she hadn't told him, but then, maybe he wasn't even around at the time. For all anyone knew, he could have been dead for some time. He didn't hold it to her in the slightest.

Dimitri's arm gripped Dominika's shoulder, not tightly, but enough so that he was sure she knew this was important to him. "I know what you're sayin', it ain't no expression." Dimitri began. "I know that when you say you'll kill this... abomination, you mean it. I can see it, I know what that feels like." Dimitri wasn't sure this was something he should be sharing with her, it didn't seem like the thing that was meant to be discussed between anyone, even boyfriend to girlfriend. "Killin' a person changes everythin'. Sometimes I start thinkin' it's just the solution to a lotta things, 'cause it's easy to do." Dimitri confessed. It was dark and twisted of him. He'd never once acted on the instinct, but it had appeared ever since Truman when he'd had to deal with bad people.

He felt the gravity of the words he'd just said. He couldn't really believe they'd came from his mouth, but they had, and he'd meant them too. There was silence, at least from him, because for once, he wasn't feeling remorse. He didn't want Dominika to find a peace with killing too. He had, however, pulled her back in to hug her. "'Sokay, you can let it out." Dimitri told her. He'd seen the tears in her eyes when she talked about her mother believing her. He couldn't imagine his mom or dad doing anything so horrible to him, thinking he'd lie like that. "Maybe it ain't too late for her. Maybe she'll see things, see'em the way they are." The thought of anything happening to that little girl in Russia broke his heart. It wasn't just any little girl either, it was Dominika's baby sister.

"Guess I don't really consider flirtin'." Dimitri had a simple shrug at his response. "It ain't nothin' I'd say to a friend or a stranger. I don't really know nothin' 'bout flirtin'. But I know people just do it when they're interested. With you, I ain't just interested in you. We agreed that we had fellin's for one another. Y'know? I guess I consider it teasin'. You know I ain't very experienced with relationships and intimacy." Dimitri explained . It was a common social convention that people would flirt with someone who was appealing to them, which absolutely baffled him. What if someone was uncomfortable being approached like that? Yet, it was still so acceptable. Dimitri didn't judge, but the whole concept still baffled him.

The two were still embraced. "I'm sure your mother loves ya, Dominika." Dimitri said, though he was thinking Dominika might finally have the same sentiments. "Give her time. She'll make the right choice, and when that happens, he'll be alone again. Hopefully forever." Dimitri gave her one last grip on her shoulder before the contact broke.

"I've been livin'." Dimitri was hesitant to answer. He didn't have a strong ability in the field of lying, not at all. His entire life had felt different. "Things don't feel the same." Dimitri admitted to his girlfriend. Whether it was natural or a product of those around him, whether it was better or for worse, it was the reality he lived in. "It doesn't hurt like it did when it happened. Things are just dull now, and I mean everythin' is dull. Kinda feels like nothin' is real, like I'm just stuck in someone else's head, watchin' their life." It was the best way he could explain his emotions. It was almost like he didn't have them anymore.

Whether it was to change subjects or because he was curious, Dimitri asked a question. "Does your mom know 'bout me?"

"

Dimitri was glad that Dominika had high hopes for his future. He, in his own rite, didn't have any expectations for the future. All he could hope for was that Dominika would continue to care for him like she had been. He had faith in her, that she truly loved him. He physically adored her, to the point where being apart from her for too long made his heart feel like it had been swallowed. He appreciated her so much, and he'd wished he'd had a way to show her that. His lips couldn't help but curl into a smirk when she gave him a peck. They kissed more and more often as time passed, despite how short they had been kissing in general.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, a sign that he was glad she was holding his hand. He entangled his fingers with her, and gave her an extra peck on the lips, and then yet another before he pulled back. "With you, I know I'll find a way to make things work." He told her. He wasn't sure when, or how, or even what things working exactly meant, but as long as Dominika was with him, he knew things couldn't get worse. "Sometimes I wonder how in the name've God you agreed to go steady with me. You're perfect." Dimitri said with a smile.

"I don't fault you." Dimitri said, he didn't want Dominika to feel guilty at all. "We were so foggy for so long. I'm just glad I know now, I'm yours." Dimitri was happy to have the title of not just her idiot, but also her boyfriend now. "What gifts did your mother get for you?" Dimitri asked. He couldn't help but be curious. Her and her mother didn't have much of a bond. He wondered how well she knew Dominika at this point.

Dimitri didn't attempt to argue with her over the meaning of perfection. They were likely on two very different pages, which was something that was happening alarmingly quickly. At least on this definition, it was something that made sense to disagree on, and Dimitri was grateful for that. It had bothered him that she was so secretive of their relationship, but he didn't fault her for it still. Dimitri rubbed his eyes, he wasn't a fan of everything that had happened. Even during the happier moments, there was too much to think about.

"Self help books?" Dimitri asked in a questioning tone. He'd never heard of such a thing. "I gotta imagine it's a book that promotes self-help. How does a book help you with that?" Dimitri asked. The concept didn't quite make sense to him; he was raised in a way that didn't support many psychological weaknesses. For Dimitri, the only path forward was to keep going, no matter how painful it was.

Dimitri took the book, and studied the cover as though it was some sort of ancient fossil. An eyebrow raised, while he tried to grasp the concept of the point of self-help books. He looked up briefly, and saw that Dominika's lips had slightly curved into a small smile. Dimitri let out a little chuckle. It was a good feeling to see his girlfriend, but it was a great feeling to see her smile, even if it was only a little. "You uh. You got somethin' on your lips..." Dimitri said. While he wasn't in the best place, he still had feelings for Dominika, ones that hadn't even been wounded, much less died.

Dimitri leaned in and pecked her lips with his own. "There'ya go." Dimitri said with a grin.

He returned to looking at the book, opening it up and skimming through the pages, picking up on some paragraphs. "Your happiness is determined by many factors, but a good portion of it is actually choice. Many philosophers and psychologists agree that as much as forty percent of your happiness is a choice. You should consider if you really spend your full forty percent on happiness or not." Dimitri quoted the book. His eyebrow raised again. "Guess it ain't a bad idea." He said, handing her the book back. "I gotta say, if my mom told me to read this, I'd do it in an instant. Gotta respect your mom." Dimitri had noticed she didn't refer to her birth mother as her mom, but rather as her mother. He wished she would wake up and take care of her daughter, and be a real parent. Then she would get the title that mother's deserved.

Dimitri's grin remained plastered on his face for a time after he'd kissed her; it was hard not to have it. Still, an eyebrow raised again as she explained the inconsistency of a self-help book. "Well, that's kinda odd." He commented. He would have elaborated more, after all, why write a book and disguise little truth among an abundance of non-sense? He almost felt curious; was there a reason that they were written that way? However, he lost his focus on the subject when Dominika started talking about her mother.

"Hey." Dimitri said in a gentle whisper. His hand slowly lifted from his side, and it gently rested on Dominik'a cheek, after brushing just a little bit of her hair back. His other arm crept behind her back, as though they were hugging with just a little bit of distance between them. "It ain't too late." Dimitri whispered. "I know what happened. And I know you can't ever get rid of that, and above that, you can never get that time back. But your mother, she loves you, more than she could ever love him. You gotta believe that." Dimitri continued.

"How you got treated was just wrong. And no mother should ever be actin' that way to her child. But I know you're strong 'nough to get her passed this. And I will get you passed this."