New story! This one is for a MATURE AUDIENCE! If you can't handle it, then please turn around now. Its AU (alternate universe), and they are AH (all human). The characters are OOC because this is AU, so please don't say, "That's not something Dimitri or Rose would do!" If you have no bitching, then please enjoy. :) And review! I need to know if people are interested in this before I continue it.

Disclaimer: I don't own VA. :/

You're My Better Half
Chapter One
Sex and Jealousy.

Moan.

Thump.

Groan.

"Ohhh…Dimitri!"

Alright, this was getting to be just a bit too much for me to handle. Seriously, it's punishment enough to make me listen to ridiculously loud sex noises during daytime hours, but in the middle of the night when I'm trying to sleep? I'd had about enough, especially considering I had work the next morning. I rolled over to let my heavy eyes focus on the blaring red numbers of my alarm clock.

3:45 a.m.

Alright, this morning. I had to get up in less than two hours, and if my oh-so-intelligent roommate seemed to forget, he did as well. Not that it mattered to him because honestly, he was less of a morning person if he hadn't gotten off the night before. Some of us, however, aren't sex addicts and we live in this same apartment. Some of us need sleep in order to accomplish anything remotely important the following day.

Grabbing my pillow, I removed it from underneath me and tried, for the hundredth time that night, to drown out the noise by covering my head with it. I tightened my eyes as if that would help, but after a few moments of concentration, realized that I could still hear the moans ever-so-slightly, and the rocking of the bed against the wall had not lost any noise at all.

"SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP IN HERE!" I yelled, resorting to the action in hopes that maybe voicing my frustrations would cause him to feel enough guilt that he would immediately stop.

I listened for a second.

"HARDER, DIMITRI, HARDER!"

No such luck.

Then again, who was I kidding? I'd tried yelling before and it had done no good, why was now any different? Honestly, he was probably the vainest man I had ever had the displeasure of meeting in my short life; it was so below him to listen to anyone else's desires or wants. Such as my want to get a nice sleep so I could do my job tomorrow.

I banged on the wall with my fist, hoping that would at least get them to realize the racket they were causing with the unstable bed. The noise was only reciprocated though, after a moment of pause. I heard some giggling and the excited whisper of whatever girl he was banging now, followed by the sexy purr of what was her Russian sex-God for the night.

Somewhere, jealousy rumbled inside of me, but I was good at fighting it back. Forget the fact that, unlike the multitude of girls Dimitri brought home, I had known him since he was twelve years old. No, that key item didn't seem to affect Dimitri in the slightest other than the fact that, realistically, he only saw me as a friend. I was treated like one of the guys, especially because of my uncanny ability to throw a fist when I needed to, and the only kind of physical activity he participated in with me was the occasional sparring match. Not once in the entire sixteen years I'd known Dimitri—and in the two we'd been living together—had he ever so much as made a move towards me or shown he was slightly interested.

What a blow to my ego.

To be fair, I'd never made any moves towards him, either, but really, that was his fault. He seemed so infatuated with the idea of staying friends that the prospect of telling him how badly I wanted to be the one in his bed-and being instantly rejected afterward-did not seem like a good idea to me. Besides, there was always the ever-looming-threat of our age difference to worry about, which was something I think that he at least subconsciously took into consideration. He was twenty-eight and I recently turned twenty-one, separating us by seven years.

Really though, I questioned how far apart we were when it came to maturity. Dimitri had the ability to be serious, but did he use it frequently? No. Only at work, and as unfortunate as it was, I hardly ever saw Dimitri in work-mode. The closest contact we made was at home in our apartment, and that was usually when he had a girl around. Dimitri and I worked for the same company, but not in the same building, nor in the same position. He was a corporate manager and I was simply an administrative assistant.

Yep. Another blow to my ego.

Few people understood how we were roommates. I didn't exactly understand either, but I suppose when you've been friends for as long as we have, you stop questioning what is sane and what isn't. All I really remember from the discussion we had about moving in together was that Dimitri had just left his Mother's and wanted to be on his own. I had been given an apartment for my graduation as a combined present from my mother and father, and so, viola, I'd invited him to stay. This was, of course, before he had managed to climb up the corporate ladder of success. Dimitri had enough money to buy himself two houses if he wanted now, so I wasn't entirely sure why he stayed, but I was too scared to ask. The prospect of being without him was threatening.

The thought struck me as odd: Two people, living together, a man and a woman. We'd made what would be considered a gigantic leap in a normal relationship, but seeing as how we had no romantic feelings between us, it was just two friends living together. And one of those two friends just had to bring home a certain lady friend with them every night. Yep, definitely not in a relationship.

The next morning proved to be exactly how every other morning had proved to be: ridiculous. I'd managed to throw myself out of bed after hitting the snooze button seven or eight times, successfully making it impossible for me to take a shower before heading off to work. I'd also have to grab some breakfast on the way there, because there was no time for Rose to make her infamous pancakes.

I was, however, going to make coffee, but, unfortunately, there was a stupid sex-fiend blocking the coffee machine.

"Move," I growled, using all my willpower to focus on his head with the hope that it would pop. Dimitri turned and offered me a much-too-chipper grin, already holding his cup filled to the brim with coffee. God how I wanted to hit it and ruin that nice suit he was wearing. That thing probably cost more than he gives for rent.

"Good morning to you, too, Rose," He commented, patting my head as he all but refused to get out of my way. Damn it, where were those superhuman powers I wished for when I was five years old? "You seem ready for work this morning."

"No thanks to you," I mumbled, using the regular method of just shoving him out of the way. Unlike I had hoped, the coffee didn't spill on him. I began pouring myself a cup, simultaneously grabbing the container of sugar and the creamer.

"Morning, Rose," A different voice cooed, and it was all too close for comfort. I cringed at the sound, pausing in my actions to let the shiver roll down my spine. "How did you sleep?" Of course she would choose to be sarcastic; it was her job to hate the woman that lived with her boyfriend, right?

"Horrible, but I'm sure you know that," I conceded, taking a sip of my newly made coffee before turning to leave the kitchen. "Please try not to touch anything, Tasha. The last thing I need on my to-do list is to scrub the kitchen clean of any rampant STDs."

I heard a taken-aback gasp and then the outrageous, familiar, "How dare she?" followed by Dimitri's soothing words as he tried to convince her not to come and rip my hair from its roots. I snorted the moment I was back in my room. As if she could even get close enough to touch me.

I brushed my teeth and hair, applying minimal makeup before changing into my work clothes. I frowned distastefully at the slacks and blouse I was forced to wear. Almost two years of wearing the professional clothing and I still didn't like it.

After slipping the clothing on and sliding my feet into those damn heels that I also had to wear, I managed to scoot my way out the door. The only good thing wearing these damn shoes did for me in the two years I've worn them is allowed me to walk around in them as if I own the place. Practice makes perfect, after all.

"Where's Tasha?" I snarled as I grabbed my purse, not bothering to give Dimitri a second glance. He was seated on the couch with his coffee and a bowl of cereal, eyes fixated on the TV which was playing some stupid good morning show.

"Taking a shower," He responded, mouth full of cereal. I frowned.

"In our shower?" I asked in disgust.

He turned to give me a pointed look, "No, Rose, in the neighbor's shower. Yes of course in our shower. You say it like we're married."

I had to fight the blush that threatened my cheeks as soon as the image of Dimitri and I married popped into my head. Shaking it furiously, I slipped my purse over my shoulder and snagged my keys off the counter. "No, but I also take showers in there, and as okay as you are with getting her diseases, I'm obviously not."

"If she has any diseases, they're from me, and if you were to get them from the shower, you would have already gotten them a long time ago. Pull that stick out of your ass for once, Rose. Not everyone is as dedicated to being lonely for the rest of their life like you are."

That comment certainly hit home. I bit my lip, for once not having a spiteful comment to throw back at him. I stood there for a few moments, reveling in what he said. Dimitri seemed to have realized how awkward it made the air and that it probably had been a mistake. He furrowed his brows and frowned, making the move to stand from the couch.

"Rose, look I didn't mean—"

"I'll see you after work," I meekly replied, and before he could reply or finish his half-assed apology, I was out the door and down the stairs.

Work was as boring as ever. There was a large corporate meeting that I had to attend and they hadn't talked about anything important that pertained to me. The majority of the time I spent secretly playing Pac Man on my cell-phone, and when that got too boring, my mind tried to find things to think about. Of course, 'things' usually went back to Dimitri and right now the only thought I could think about him was the snide, hurtful comment he said earlier in the morning. That and how absolutely sexy he looked in that damn suit.

Calm down, Rose, I chided myself, trying to refocus on the meeting. They were going on and on about the new budget and how that would cut some members from the team. I frowned. Of course I would tune in on the most depressing portion of the meeting. I severely hoped my job wasn't in jeopardy.

"The majority of jobs that this new plan consists of are positions we can afford to lose, those that aren't necessarily necessary, if you get what I'm saying. Such as admin assistants to positions that aren't higher than supervisor, and janitors."

So I was being lumped in with janitors? Glad to know what a degree in business did for you in this world. I managed to refrain from sighing, glad when the man dismissed everyone from the meeting. Everyone except myself and the few other admin assistants I had made friends with seemed fine. The rest of us, and a lonely janitor who had happened to be cleaning when they were making the announcement, looked dejected as Hell.

"Well, this sucks," One of my better friends, Lissa, said. I turned toward her with a frown. She had been working here for longer than I had, and I severely doubted they would fire her.

"They aren't going to fire you, Liss," I waved my hand dismissively at her, "You've been working here for too long and you know that Christian adores you. He would be lost without you."

"You think?" She asked apprehensively, and I noticed her take a small glance over at her boss who was conversing with someone else higher up. I nodded.

"Of course." Christian Ozera was Lissa's boss and had been for the past four years she'd worked here. I could easily tell she had a sort of crush on him, but it was extremely frowned upon to be in a relationship with another employee at this company. If there was something going on between them behind the scenes, they were doing a really good job at covering it up.

After the meeting the day continued as normal until I could finally go home. I wasted no time, hoping to get home before Dimitri did so I could have some 'me' time. He went to work later than I did and thus came home later than I did, usually around seven or so where as I got home at about six.

As I stepped into the apartment tentatively, I peered around and was quickly met with silence. I instantly knew Dimitri wasn't home; had he been, I would have heard the familiar giggling and/or sex noises of Tasha. Ugh, I despised that woman, and not just because I didn't think that someone of her stature didn't deserve Dimitri. Not that I thought I deserved Dimitri, either, but…well, there was a level of jealousy. She got to have a perfectly sculpted Russian God while I got…a vibrator. Seriously?

Maybe I really was doomed to be alone forever.

I threw off my jacket and set my purse and keys on the table before beginning to unbutton my blouse. I threw it on my bed the moment I stepped through the threshold and then kicked off my shoes. With a relieved sigh, I pulled off my pants and grabbed a t-shirt from my dresser. I slipped it over my head, leaving me in just the shirt and my boy shorts. I trotted out of the room, simultaneously taking my hair out of its bun and running my hands through it to loosen it up.

"What to have for dinner…" I mused to myself, peering into the fridge. I decided on lasagna (the frozen kind) and pulled it out, popping it into the microwave. I set it for six minutes, leaning back on the counter to wait.

Dimitri in a suit popped into my mind again and I bit my lip. Jesus he was sexy. Damn sexy at that. I tightened my eyes, picturing him coming home and turning to find me standing in the kitchen. His eyes would do that darkening sort of thing whenever he got serious, and he would quickly make his way over to me, running his hands down every supple piece of flesh he could find. His lips would caress my neck, down my prominent vein until he slowly started inching my shirt up, leaving me in only my bra. He would attach his lips to the skin of one breast that showed, his hands eventually working back around to the clasp to undo it and leave me bare. His other hand would sneakily slide down my toned stomach and find its way into my panties, his skilled fingers rubbing the very sensitive nerve located in my core…

"Nngh, Dimitri…" I moaned out loud, having taken the fantasy to reality. One hand was attached to my breast, kneading it while my other hand fondling the same clit I had dreamed of him touching. I was so close to climaxing…He was so good…

"Rose." His voice was so amazing, so Heavenly, so sexy. "Rose."

My eyes snapped open. He had sounded almost too real to be…

And that was when I knew my life was over. Dimitri was standing in the doorway of our apartment, watching me intensely…

He had seen me masturbating to the thought of him.

Shit.