bruises and papercuts [dmitri - PAST]

[CALLEN MICHAEL O'CONNOR]

HERE'S THE DAY YOU HOPED WOULD NEVER COME DON'T FEED ME VIOLINS JUST RUN
WITH ME THROUGH ROWS OF SPEEDING CARS THE PAPERCUTS

It was moving day, and Callen couldn't feel any better. He was buzzing with an energy that no amount of caffeine or sugar could produce. He already had everything up and out of the house, and into his new home. He sort-of felt like he needed to pinched every other minute, because this seemed a bit too wild to be actually happening, but then again the CIA was no joke. Being one of them was like, a huge deal that he couldn't tell anyone about. That Dmitri couldn't tell anyone about. That they had decided to hide from Bay because they didn't want her to be in danger. Knowledge had now become power to them, and it was a really scary feeling when he thought about it. But he didn't think about it. Instead, he thought of all of the crap he was taking up and down in the elevator that belonged to either Dmitri, Bay, or both. He didn't think about the couches that had been taken into the apartment earlier by moving men. He was so glad that Dmitri had accepted their help, because he sure as hell wasn't going to help his best friend lift anything that large and heavy. The rest of his furniture was in the apartment, they just needed to rearrange things to suit to Dmitri and Bay's liking. He wondered when they were taking a break.

He wouldn't be thinking about the reality of everything right this second. He preferred to see Dmitri come into the apartment, where the last of everything had been stuffed in, and grin. "Honey, you're home!" Callen's mood couldn't crash and burn, if only because he was forcing it to stay afloat. He didn't remember when he'd ever felt this free, even if he was now working for a higher power that probably didn't mean good news twenty four seven. He knew that the feeling wouldn't last for long, either, and that's why he was taking it with both hands. But things would be different from here on out. They'd finish their educations within the agency, they'd become super cool bad ass spies - it sounded like the life. They got to live on their own, Dmitri got the building and he got to take care of Bay, which Cal knew was his ultimate goal ... things were looking real good right now, and he couldn't help but let that soak into his skin, filling him up and making him want to bounce around like a six year old after eating too many peeps on Easter.

"Moving all of this will not be easy ... I say we take a break, make something to eat, and then start again. By then, Bay will probably be back from school, too, so she could help." He said. He knew that this wasn't a two person job, especially when Bay would be the one living there and not him. He had his own apartment which he'd fix up in his own time. The only thing he'd worried about was making sure that all of the furniture he needed and all of his personal belongings were there, and since they were, he didn't need to stress. He knew he'd be sleeping really nicely tonight, however, because of all of the insanity and heavy lifting that went on today. "You've been working harder than I have been, too, Dee. Taking a breather would be a good idea." Dmitri was one of those people that would sacrifice himself to get other things done. Maybe being with the CIA would break that habit. He held back a shrug at his own thoughts and waited for Dmitri to give his input.

T A G G E D ? ! dmitri~
W O R D C O U N T ? ! six thirty nine
M U S E ? ! i ... just ... look at the time
N O T E S ? ! lolthiswas ... yeah
C R E D I T ? ! graphic credit goes to ELLERONI of caution two point oh. lyric credit goes to imogen heap with the song speeding cars.

[AZRAEL DMITRI GREY]

remember the time when we stole the whole day?

[/COLOR]
AND NOBODY KNOWS IT; WE TOOK IT AWAY

For the first time in a while, a big part of Dmitri felt at ease. Thanks to the CIA and his recruitment, he would no longer have to deal with going to that dammed building known as the high school. There would be no more paranoia about who would be by his locker in between classes, or just right around the corner of a hallway. He wouldn't have to deal with the jerks that thought they were capable of picking on him because he was 'different.' Dmitri knew that he would have to adjust to how things worked in the CIA, but Dmitri excelled at adjusting to different situations. It's how he managed to do so well after their parents passed, and keep taking care of Baylee without fail. He also knew that he would have to put up with new people, but thanks to his now built form, and the fact that he was keeping his 'difference' a secret, that should be no problem this time around. He wasn't ashamed of who he was, he just didn't want to be judged by it. If he befriended someone, and felt that he could trust them with his life, then he would share the fact with them. Until then, he was just trying to blend in.

That became a bit difficult, since he was seen as the CIA's special pet. Dmitri really didn't blame them. After all, he was gifted an apartment building that he could manage, as well as the shop at the bottom. He was told this was so he could provide for his family on his own, and wouldn't have to always depend on the CIA. Dmitri just went along with it, because he would be an idiot to say no. Now he and Baylee had a beautiful apartment, with Callen just across the hall. Callen had been the unexpected investment Dmitri made in someone. They had been best friends for years, after all, and Dmitri hardly thought that was going to change any time soon. Especially when he walked into his apartment, and he was there. Grinning like the idiot he was, and making comments that had Dmitri smiling and letting go of his worries. This whole moving thing had him somewhat stressed out; between making sure they had everything, and that their stuff got in okay. Callen was certainly helping to make sure he didn't stress himself out. He tossed the pillow he carried up at Callen with a smirk; a few pillows had been the last thing left. Baylee had said something about not putting them in boxes so they wouldn't lose their 'fluffiness'. Dmitri went along with it to avoid a problem.

When Callen mentioned getting something to eat, Dmitri's stomach quickly agreed with him. He started to head towards the kitchen, stepping over the random boxes. Though he stopped and raised an eyebrow at Callen when he voices his concern. “So... You suggest us getting food – which means I cook – and then you tell me to take it easy? We've talked about you not making much sense, Cal.” He chuckled and continued on into the kitchen. In between moving boxes up, he had half unpacked the kitchen ones. Maybe Callen had a point, that he was working too hard. Nah, this was his building now. He had to make sure everything went smoothly. “What did you feel like, anyway? I think I can make grilled cheese...” Though it would be a matter of locating the bread. Cheese was already in the fridge; there was no way Dmitri would let food spoil. Speaking of the fridge, Dmitri opened it and lifted two water bottles out of it. He tossed the one towards Callen, before waiting for the response. Knowing Callen he'd already have an idea of what he wanted to eat, and it wouldn't matter to Dmitri. He could probably cook it, after all.

[/SIZE][/JUSTIFY]

and it will be forever mine

TAG ! leprechaun~
WORDS ! six-six-three (663)
NOTES ! this took... waayyy too long, my bad.
CREDIT ! lyrics from Forever Yours by Alex Day

AND IT WILL BE FOREVER YOURS[/COLOR][/CENTER]

[CALLEN MICHAEL O'CONNOR]

HERE'S THE DAY YOU HOPED WOULD NEVER COME DON'T FEED ME VIOLINS JUST RUN
WITH ME THROUGH ROWS OF SPEEDING CARS THE PAPERCUTS

Callen, unlike Dmitri, didn't do well in new situations. Change, of any sort, of any size, freaked him out. It was pretty much a phobia. It gave him the worst anxiety. Even though he had the ability to think on his feet, if he needed to, it wasn't like his heart wasn't pounding in his ears, and things of the same nature. He had smothered it all, however, and forced it not to interfere because, right now? This change? Was amazingly good. Even if he was only, for the moment, thinking about their new living arrangements. Him being out of the system also ranked highly, and so he thought about the positives. He always thought about the positives. He was the optimist, Dmitri was the realist. He didn't know how they made it work sometimes, but they did. And that was good enough for him. Moving day was the day that Callen kept them both upbeat through all of the grunt work. Everything had to be unpacked and moved around and he knew that all of it wouldn't be getting done today. They were going to make a dent, though. He'd get to his place whenever he felt like it. He wasn't in any rush.

Callen hadn't expected to be bashed in the head with a well aimed pillow or two, and he made a noise akin to a yelp, as he managed to dodge the second one. "You know, for all the work I put in today Mother Moose, I expect VIP treatment." He said. He stuck out his tongue at Dmitri's back, since he wasn't facing him, and picked the pillows up. Throwing them onto the couch, he couldn't help but plop down. Even though it wasn't in the right spot, he couldn't be bothered. The placement didn't matter to him, as long as he was off his feet. He wished the coffee table was closer, however, as it would make the perfect foot rest. "I already have a layout of the place in my head, made for maximum comfort-ability - starting with the coffee table being right in front of the couch." He said, as he flailed his legs at the coffee table. It was just a few feet out of reach, as if that was only a little bit of distance, and he was sure that if he willed it over here hard enough, it would magically slide up and in the perfect position. Then again, this wasn't Hogwarts. He sighed.

"Shh, you talked about me not making much sense, I ate popcorn and watched the rest of Die Hard. Speaking of which - I will never understand how you can just talk through Die Hard. Just like you fell asleep that one time - Dmitri have you even seen the entire movie?" He said, sounding genuinely offended. He hopped up at the food talk, making his way to the kitchen. He caught the water bottle that came his way, muttering a quick "thanks, man" and popping the top, taking four large gulps. He sat down at the island-type-counter, and nodded. "Grilled cheese is fine by me. One of my favorites - which you knew. Aww, Dmitri, are you buttering me up?" He asked, and then blinked girlishly up at him. "I knew you loved me." He was distracted by the fact that the stool he was sitting on could spin, and he spun a few times before stopping, feeling dizzy. "Seriously, Bay's gunna get a kick out of these." He said. Bay was as much as a kid as he was, according to Dmitri it was the other way around, but that meant that most of the time they spent time together and did things that Dmitri would only do when he was way too hyper to function and do anything else. Like race each other on spinning stools. He took another gulp of water, and then glanced back to the living room full of stuff. "I'm so glad I don't have this much stuff. I wouldn't know what to do with it all."

T A G G E D ? ! moose~
W O R D C O U N T ? ! six ninety seven
M U S E ? ! it was scary how here he was
N O T E S ? ! how you know this was a post written by laina - halfway through, i found a song that i forgot completely existed on my ipod, that has absolutely jack to do with decal, and proceeded to listen to it on repeat for like fifteen minutes, before i realized that i was in the middle of a post, and then came back to it. so if there's like a break in flow, it's totally not my fault. blame kelly rowland.
C R E D I T ? ! graphic credit goes to ELLERONI of caution two point oh. lyric credit goes to imogen heap with the song speeding cars.