𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄 | GRISHAVERSE OC FIC

𝟏𝟗

Dominik was furious.

Not at Dionne, of course. He was furious he had to be bothered at such an early hour. Just minutes after the hell he'd been subjected to. He was furious that they dared to mess with her.

He flicked his wrist, and a knife slipped into his hand. Dionne did the wraps around her knuckles.

The carriage was comically full of people, like a clown car. As they piled out, Dionne nodded to the left. He bobbed his head in agreement.

After a moment, the fight erupted all at once. Dionne started swinging first. She knocked several guys out with almost stunning ease. It was almost mesmerizing, watching her.

Of course, Dominik was no slouch, either. It was, admittedly, the first time he had used his knives in a real fight. But no one else had to know that.

Dionne didn't put her fists up to guard her face. She had them in motion, constantly. When she was hit, she didn't seem to care. In fact, her gaze seemed to dart to him more often than it did to herself.

She even had the nerve to step in the way of one of the blows meant for him.

She had absolutely no sense of self-preservation. And it was heartbreaking.

To be fair, neither did he. Part of him wanted to be hit. He didn't have to live much longer. Wasn't that for the best, anyway?

But Dionne. She had something to go on for. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair.

This sentiment fueled his every blow. If not for himself, he'd fight for her. He'd fend them off so she could go on.

When the fight was over, she was covered in blood. They both were.

They sat in silence at the steps of the palace where she had spent the night, just catching their breaths. It wasn't the sort of comfortable silence the two had grown accustomed to. Longing had settled into the air. Longing for the other, yes, but something else, too. Longing to be someone, anyone else.

Someone he could be seen with.

Someone she could cherish without fear.

Then, they made eye contact. They held onto it for dear life. But when Dominik stood and opened his mouth to say something, Dionne spun on her heel and left, the weight of a thousand words scorching her throat.