Chapter Text
“This class will go indeepth of …” Rose groaned, covering her face with her blankets trying to block out Lissa’s class. She turned to the other side however nothing stopped that man from talking.
“Your assigned TA will be teaching you during class and you will be notified when their office hours have been posted. The list has just been posted to canvas and your TA’s will go over the syllabus and what is expected of you.” The professor's voice finished. Rose smiled. She wanted to doze off again and dream of the beach with some guy with an Australian accent rubbing suntan oil on her
Rose slowly but surely fell back asleep and dreamt of a beach however instead of the Australian accent it was replaced with something deeper, harsher and Rose wondered where that voice was coming from. Slowly the dream world around her shattered yet the voice remained. Only it wasn’t whispering sexy things to her; instead it described the grading policy. Rose groaned in protest, having been woken up once again as she pulled the blanket over her head and glared at the clock next to her with bright red numbers that read 8:15 am.
Rose by no means was a morning person. There was a reason she scheduled all her classes to start no earlier than 11. Sadly she started off the day with calculus. Rose just hoped that her professor wasn’t as bad as their online ratings would suggest however it seemed unlikely. Her train of thought trailed off when suddenly the voice that piqued her curiosity to get up in the first place kept talking.
She turned over and faced her roommate/ long time best friend Lissa who gave her a shy smile before turning back to her notes and frantically writing down whatever her TA said.
Rose was able to place the TA’s accent as Russian and damn she never thought it could be so sexy, but she was proven wrong. Rose finally got out of bed and stretched but not before taking a peek at Lissa’s screen which had her stop dead in her tracks.
“He’s hot!” Rose exclaimed as her eyes met brown hair and even darker brown eyes. Lissa whipped her head around in shock at Rose’s sudden statement and gave her a confused look.
“Really? Dimitri?” Lissa asked. Rose leaned in closer, grateful that Lissa hadn’t turned her camera on. Rose thought that the name fit him perfectly. She stared at him through the computer screen trying to see if she had misjudged, but looking at him now, she realized that her first glance was nothing compared to his face up close.
“You don’t think he’s intimidating at all?” Lissa questioned as she sized up his stoic expression. Rose thought that she clearly would not find it as thrilling to be in Dimitri’s arms as she would. Finally Rose replied.
“Of course you get the hot TA on your most difficult class and I’m going to be stuck with the pissy one.” Rose bemoaned thinking back to the reviews on Stan Alto.
“Oh Rose.” Lissa said, shaking her head before turning back to her class as Dimitri started talking about their first assignment. Rose smiled slightly. Lissa was full out grinning at her flirtatious comments.
They had been best friends since kindergarten; their friendship formed when their teacher asked five year olds to spell Vasilisa Dragomir and Rosemarie Hathaway . It was beyond cruel and Rose protested as much and felt to this day that she responded appropriately. She chucked her book at the teacher and called her a fascist bitch.
Rose laughed at the old memory. It was only the start - little did they know how much they needed each other down the line. Rose looked over at her friend and frowned. She wore long sleeves but it was the end of August. She knew that she would have to talk to her friend again when she wasn’t in class.
Flashes went through her mind and suddenly Rose felt as if she was suffocating, The smell of smoke overtook her as the images of fire and blood forced their way into her thoughts. She felt herself shiver at the way their bodies were angled and how she knew they couldn’t have survived.
Suddenly feeling as if the room was too small. She moved away and started to get changed to take a cold shower to take her mind off the accident.
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The days slowly went by and Rose’s fears were right, Stan Alto was everything the reviews pegged him out to be and worse. Her math assignments were hell on earth and Lissa could only help so much since she was also struggling in her Russian Lit class.
“I have no idea what this assignment means!” Lissa moaned into her pillow one night. Rose glanced nervously at her friend as she took out her frustrations on her pillow. Lissa finally wore short sleeves but fresh scars painted her arms.
Rose looked at her friend in concern. This was not a new habit by any means. Rose was quick to find out about it. She shuddered at the memory of when she first found out three years ago. It was right after the accident. Rose remembered knowing something was wrong. She had woken up in the middle of the night, thinking that finally there had been one night where Lissa’s dreams hadn’t been haunted by her family’s death. But then she remembered checking her friend’s room and seeing her bed empty. Rose saw the bathroom light was on and checked in only to be frozen at the sight that greeted her.
She felt her mouth open to scream, however only a strangled cry escaped as her best friend’s eyes shot up to her. She remembers the fear that filled them as she practically begged Rose not to tell anyone, and Rose to this day kept that promise, no matter how much it pained her. She would stay a loyal friend. She always told herself that if it ever escalated she would get help no matter the consequences, although she hoped that it would never get to that point.
Rose shook her head trying to free herself of that night. She tried to focus on the task at hand and felt her frustration grow.
Alto didn’t even have office hours available this week. He told them that this was a measure to see how they could do on their own - meaning he wanted to fail them on the first assignment to make it an uphill battle in the class from here on out.
“Hey Liss, why don’t you just go to your TA’s office hours?” She asked. Lissa scrunched up her nose slightly at the idea before changing the subject.
“Are you still stuck on that math problem?” She asked, moving to Rose's bed. Rose nodded. Another youtube video had failed to help explain to her this impossible problem.
It was a Sunday night and Rose eyed her list of tasks she had to do this week and knew she had to get this done so that it wouldn’t be hanging over her all week.
“I can take a look at it now since I only have a Russian Lit packet left to do and well, I have no idea where to start on that one so I can at least help you with this.” Lissa said and Rose gladly handed her the packet with the problems on it. Lissa of course was a genius when it came to all things STEM related. They were completely lost on Rose.
“He’s a bastard for giving this type of problem to you guys in the first week.” Lissa said. Rose’s eyebrows shot up at hearing Lissa curse at her math professor.
“Careful there Liss, can’t have people thinking that I’m finally rubbing off on you.” Rose smirked. Lissa grinned up at her before focusing on the problem.
“I don’t know Rose, friends for almost two decades? Some things are bound to rub off. Especially that sailor’s tongue of yours.” Lissa joked. Rose hoped that college would give Lissa the chance that she needed to get away from all the haunting memories.
“Don’t let Madam Kirov hear that. She’s been looking for a reason to kick me out of the house for years.” Rose groaned. That nasty woman became Lissa’s guardian after the car accident. Rose didn’t technically live with her outside of college but she practically had her own bedroom there.
Rose lived with her guardian Alberta, a sassy woman who was one of the only people that could truly put the fear of god in her. Rose had never met her father. She knew that she looked a lot like him with her dark hair, olive skin, and brown eyes. Her mother, on the other hand, had bright flaming red hair and was ghostly pale. She could only remember a handful of memories of her mother.
Alberta became her legal guardian after Rose started school. Her mother had vanished from Rose’s life. Alberta explained that her mother and she had met in college and that her mother's work had become too dangerous to keep a young child around. She always resented her mother for choosing the job over her, but she could never complain about Alberta. By all means that woman became more to Rose than any of her parents could have ever been.
“I got it!” Lissa declared, throwing her hands up in the air. She showed Rose the work a page’s length of work. Rose nodded along as Lissa proceeded to explain to Rose the steps that she had taken to get the answer.
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“No Rose I’ll look like a fool.” Lissa protested, pacing around the room. Rose read over Lissa’s assignment, trying to logically explain in her own mind what it was asking. Lissa had a laundry list of questions covering the page as Rose scanned through them, only truly able to help clarify the one.
“Liss calm down.” Rose said as she watched her friend nervously tap at her arm. Lissa was wearing long sleeves again and Rose looked back at the paper with a new determination.
“He’s going to think I’m an idiot.” Lissa groaned, falling back on to her bed. Rose eyed the time. It was coming closer and closer to 1:25 pm.
“He’s not going to think that. He’s your TA, Lissa. You're allowed to ask him questions.” She explained. She stared at his office hours Zoom link. Rose knew that her friend needed help, and only a week into the class. Lissa hadn’t been able to meet people and ask questions.
“Look, it won’t be bad I promise.” Rose clicked the link and Lissa darted up.
“No Rose I’ll be fine!” She explained, trying to wrestle the laptop back. It was too late. Suddenly, dark brown eyes were all that Rose saw, although this time he could see hers as well.
“Vasilisa is everything ok?” Dimitri asked. Rose’s eyes shot up in confusion. Vasilisa? She realized that she was on her friend’s computer and the name that showed up on the Zoom wouldn’t be her own. Lissa was frozen next to Rose outside the camera’s vision and with one glance at her panicked eyes Rose knew what she had to do.
“Yes! I’m fine, sorry, I almost - err - dropped all my papers on the ground.” Rose said.
He nodded his head understandingly. She was the only person in his office hours and while it was only the start she was surprised.
“Is there something I can help you with?” He asked and Rose looked back down at her paper and the list of questions.
“Yeah actually there is.” Rose said finally. She read the first question.
One by one he answered all of her questions and even helped her with her pronunciation on some of the authors that were mentioned. Rose found that if she wasn’t doing this for Lissa she didn’t know how she would be able to concentrate as she kept finding herself just wanting to stare at him. His voice was soft, even with the Russian accent, and he always took his time explaining so that way she would have a better grasp of it.
“Ohh I see now, that guy was just being a dick.” Rose spoke at last and Dimitri paused. She could see a small smile try to take form, however he held back.
“I’m not sure I would write that as the answer however I’m inclined to agree with your perception of the main character.” He replied. Rose laughed.
“Not eloquent enough of an answer?” She asked innocently. He shook his head.
“No, I’m afraid it would not be up to the college writing standard.” He betrayed a small smile. Rose liked the way it framed his features.
“Any other questions Vasilisa?” He asked politely. Rose looked at the clock and saw that his office hours were almost up.
“Yeah one more, are all the assignments going to be this shitty?” She asked him, pretending not to notice Lissa groaning into her pillow.
Dimitri looked at her oddly before looking over the assignment and frowning. Rose waited, hoping that she hadn’t just accidentally gotten Lissa on her TA’s bad side. But then he only shook his head.
“You know, I think you might be right. I didn’t create the assignments, but I understand why the phrasing might be throwing a few students off. I’ll try and look over the assignments and see if there is anything I can clarify in class to make it easier.” He elaborated. Rose felt herself grin at this man. He was unlike anyone she had ever met before.
“I can stay a little longer if you have any other questions?” He asked.
“No but thank you Dimitri. Knowing me I’ll probably be around again next week.” Rose smirked in victory as she was able to get another tiny smile out of him.
“I look forward to it.” He said as she signed off. Rose felt lighter than she had in a while. She knew almost an hour had gone by but it felt as if it had only been minutes.
Finally, she turned to see her friend looking at her. Rose knew that she had made the right choice.
“I appreciate you doing that for me Rose.” Lissa spoke quietly however her smile was pure and Rose was happy that she was able to help her friend out in school in some way.
“Of course what are friends for?” Rose said and Lissa flung herself on Rose and the chair fell backwards on them. Groaning in pain and laughing out of happiness at the same time the two friends talked about a plan on how to best handle the situation from here.
“Liss I don’t mind doing that again. I mean he’s going to find it a little weird if you don’t have your camera on next time, also we're not exactly very similar looking.” Rose pointed out picking up a strand of Lissa’s pale blond hair and green eyes.
“I just feel awful because I know you have school work to do as well and Mondays are one of your biggest free days to do work.”
“Hey I really don’t mind, plus it gives me a chance to flirt with Dimitri.” Lissa placed her hands over her face mortified at her friend's behavior.
“Rose he’s probably 23-24 you haven’t even been 18 for six months yet!” Lissa explained clearly seeing an issue where Rose saw none.
“I’m legal and also not technically his student.” She answered and Lissa gave her friend an incredulous look.
“Rose logic always astounds me.” She responded and Rose frowned.
“Hey I see only a win here you help me with my math homework and I get to spend an hour with the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen with the sexiest accent.” Rose shrugged her shoulders. There were still on the ground from when the chair fell over. It was peaceful being like this. Lissa needed a tiny break from school and to learn that it was ok to not always have the answer.
“It’s a deal.” Lissa agreed and paused, “Did you really call that one author a dick to my TA though?” Lissa asked, still disbelieving what she had heard and Rose burst out laughing and Lissa along with her.