Author's Note:

These are the earlier events of Dimitri's "fascination" with the MC, most of the events here happened during their first year in college. It gets worse and worse with every rose you scroll through. 

Dimitri could still remember the very first time he did something to get to know (Y/n). It happened two years ago some time after he began to take notice of her existence. He came home after a stressful mission in Baghdad where he lost many of his colleagues just to suppress a growing terrorist group. The pay was astronomical but at what cost?

Dimitri was disturbed. His mind was not in a good place after witnessing unspeakable horrors and committing them himself. But truth be told the guilt he was feeling was not out of his own crimes... The guilt he felt was for his own lack of conscience.

How can he feel empty and remorseless after destroying so many lives? Where were the morals his grandfather instilled? Well, gone and to some extent fulfilled. He functions on his own moral code now, still it does not make him feel any better. So he went to see the girl that's been plaguing his mind to drown out the demons. 

He sneaked into her room in the dead of the night after making sure that she was fast asleep. Dimitri beheld her with no lust, his intentions were purely out of curiosity. This woman with the bright (e/c) eyes kept visiting his thoughts like the tides coming and going from the shore. He decided to return the favor.

Fresh out of the debriefing, he didn't even bother to change from his assassin's attire. He went straight to her home, deciding to indulge the capricious devil whispering over his shoulder. He moved with stealth, not making a single sound even as he opened her window and invaded her domain. 

Her room was dark with only a faint night light of a yellow cartoon dog. Cute, perhaps she's afraid of the dark. He found her on her bed, her body turned to the side while she embraced a long pillow. 

He stood beside her bed where she slept soundly, traipsing through the realm of dreams. He envies the peace on her face, and how ignorant she is to the horrors happening around the world. To him at that moment, she was a docile fawn in the forest oblivious to the predators lurking within the shadows. She's too fragile for this cruel world, too kind too. She will not survive without help... She will not survive without him.

Dimitri watched her for hours, and walked around her room, beholding every trinket she kept dear to her heart. His eyes roamed the quaint decorations she placed in her room. Many were self-made, some were store-bought but all of it accumulated to create a comfortable space she calls her own. It was lovely.

His hands enclosed around a shimmering scrunchie. He saw her wearing it frequently in the university, making him wonder if this one was her favorite or if it was the only one she owned. He took it close to his face and took a little whiff. There was a faint scent of shampoo that clung to it along with another sweet scent. Her scent.

In an instant, his nerves seem to finally calm down. For the briefest of moments he found comfort, the chaos in his mind grew silent as if hushed by a strange new magic. It was peculiar how something so simple could affect him so profoundly.

His eyes drifted back to (Y/n) who remained in the Sandman's kingdom. She made very little noise and if it wasn't for the rising and falling of her chest he would assume she was dead.

He wanted to touch her, to validate the softness of her flesh and the warmth radiating off her skin but he refrained from it. He can't risk waking her up.

If he wanted to though, he could take her without much trouble. He had sleeping chemicals in his pockets to put her in deeper sleep and then he could carry her body outside the window and land perfectly on his feet using the tree near her room. The walls of her home weren't that high and the rails weren't even sharp. He could simply put her over his shoulder and steal her through the night.

He could keep her, he thinks, he can buy an apartment, no, and an entire building just to house her. No one would be any wiser. He can have her all for himself anytime he wants with no competition for her attention.

He wondered how she would look once she found out that she was being held captive. Would she cry and beg him to let her go? Or would she get angry and try to fight him?

He decided to repress his thoughts as they got darker. Once he starts to plan something and finalize the details he might do it. (Y/n) doesn't deserve that kind of life. She's a blooming flower and he will not be a fool and ruin her precious petals.

That night he left her alone but he took with him the scrunchie that carried her scent. It should not be too inconvenient if she lost this making it a perfect memento for his little excursion.

With a final glance at her sleeping form, Dimitri left. Besides the little trinket, he felt like he had acquired something new. 

🌹

Dimitri returned to his regular classes. The professors didn't bother asking for his reasons for not attending classes. He always turns up for an exam and gets perfect grades, he submits his requirements ahead of time, he doesn't have any issues and he maintains cordial relationships with his peers. He was a model student. 

Dimitri can only achieve this thanks to Tristan who hacks into his professors' laptops and accounts to steal the test answers. He downloads all the answers and all the versions of the test on his cellphone and uses them during the exam. This doesn't mean that he's not smart or that he doesn't study at all, in fact, he actually likes studying. It keeps his mind at peace and sometimes it helps him during missions. 

Physics, engineering mechanics, thermodynamics, material science, all of these had helped him be a more effective assassin. His knowledge and creative applications allowed him to take on problems and save his life multiple times. He learned the formula, the theories, and the applications but he doesn't want to waste his time, energy, and brain power on stupid exams that only test memorization skills. For him, it was a total waste of time so he cheats on his exams but he puts in effort during group projects. 

He maintains an elite circle of friends so that he can be invited to all the events and be privy to certain pieces of information. In his trade, every piece of knowledge is a tool that can be used to his leverage. Many times it has actually paid off so no matter how much he dislikes socializing he endures it for the sake of his plans. 

Dimitri has found that the worse he treats his friends, the more they cling to him and seek his approval and this makes them susceptible to his schemes. Some of his "friends" are vapid, selfish morons but he puts them into their place when they get out of line. He doesn't tolerate them when they harass others and actively steps in when they get cruel. This led to him being quite popular, besides his good looks, intelligence, and background. 

He's not gonna lie, he had found some women interesting both in their character and appearance but none of them stood out like (Y/n). None of them left a lasting mark as she did. It wasn't just the simple kindness she showed that one time but it was the energy she radiated that pulled people to her. She's smart, she's fun, she's helpful, has leadership skills, and most of all she's one gorgeous mean bitch. 

She doesn't let anyone treat her like crap. If they try to disrespect her or her friends, she fights back. But she can be silly and extremely perverted too. 

She would squeeze her friends' breasts and slap their butts. They would do the same to her and laugh about it. He watched her one time, from the second floor of their building, she playfully slapped her friend's butt and ran away giggling like a child. But she seems to have forgotten about precautions after a rainy day. She slid on the moss-covered floor... In the open-air basketball court and fell in front of all the players who paused for a second before bursting into laughter. 

She blushed bright red in embarrassment but like a true sport she laughed with them. The friend, Jessica, whom she had touched caught up to her and smacked her in the head which only made her laugh harder. 

She was so silly. He doesn't understand why he likes her. 

🌹

Whenever they had prolonged periods of free time, (Y/n) and her friends would look for an empty classroom on the third floor and they would stay there until their next period. They would gossip about things, talk about makeup, scandals, who's dating who, and the like. 

Oftentimes (Y/n) would go around the classroom and look for things. Things that did not belong to her. Things that others have left behind, forgotten under chairs and tables. She would scourge the room for little stuff like it's a game to pass the time. 

She had a variety of loot ranging from pens, markers, pencils, rulers, hair ties, umbrellas, and even a scientific calculator. She would show it to her friends and happily distribute her loot if they liked some of them. He overheard her calling it "University freebies". 

When it comes to significant amounts of money she would turn them over to the office and tell them where she found it. (Y/n) had a complex moral code. 

With this knowledge, Dimitri would sometimes leave things for her like expensive fountain pens, hair decorations, brand-new journals, and even some money. He would happily drink in her enthusiasm as she marveled at her new acquisitions. She was like a magpie to shiny things. 

Dimitri was extremely pleased when she would go about the university with the things he had given to her, clueless of his machinations. She would answer tests with the pens he gave and receive excellent marks calling them lucky. He would smile every time he found her writing poetry in her journals. Sometimes he would steal glances over her shoulder and read the passages she wrote. 

(Y/n) possessed the magic of literature. She could weave words like a tapestry, braiding sentences into meaningful experiences. He was mesmerized by her work and the passions she expressed. One day, he hoped to have a poem written about him and be immortalized in her art. 

🌹

(Y/n) lived an hour away from the university so whenever there's only one class that needs attendance she doesn't bother showing up but Dimitri still finds her name in the attendance. Her signature and name would be written by her best friends and no one dares to rat her out. The class mayor (basically a class president) doesn't even mention it to the professors, that's how well like (Y/n) was. 

Dimitri had the privilege of being her classmate during the first semester of their first year but sadly, they don't get to interact much. He prefers to watch her from a distance. 

During that time he hadn't developed any real feelings for her yet, it was only mild fascination. Still, his actions to sate his fascination weren't always moral or legal... 

He was a bit insecure that her friends could copy her penmanship so he did the only thing he knew to cure this frustration. He manipulated one of his "friends" to get him someone's notes for a quiz about to come up. He implied to the fool that (Y/n) always takes notes and thankfully the idiot caught on and successfully borrowed her notebook. 

Once he got her notes, he took pictures of every page and created a digital font of her writing style. He called it Autumn's grace because her penmanship was elegant and her personality reminded him of the vibrant colors of fall with a touch of enigmatic wonders. 

He learned her signature the same way by taking pictures of several class attendances she herself had signed. He practiced tracing and copying her signature until he could make it perfectly, stroke per stroke. He once joked to himself that if he wanted to, he could sign their marriage contract for her. 

🌹

He shouldn't really like her. He's not allowed to love in his line of work. Loving means he'll have a weakness. Subconsciously he still remembered this rule that's why he did not actively make efforts to get closer to (Y/n). Despite this, he wanted to get to know her and discover things about her through meaningful conversation. He wanted to talk to her, hear her voice calling out his name as affectionately as she did with her friends. 

She's so pretty and fragile, he doesn't know how to treat people with kindness or gentleness. What if he accidentally hurts her? What if she found out about his crimes? Would she learn to like him then or would she run away as fast as possible?

During the first year of his developing fondness for her, it took him several months to tell himself that he was not supposed to love. It was a fact that he repressed because watching (Y/n) had made him so happy. 

He tried to stay away, he tried to divert his attention elsewhere with revelry and sex. The women didn't interest him as much and the parties were crap (she's not there to make it better after all.) Clearly, he wouldn't forget about her with simple debauchery so he turned to focusing on his missions and objectives. 

It didn't work.

Night after night he longed for the girl with the pretty smile and mischief dancing in her bright (e/c) eyes. It got so bad that he would sneak into her room, put her in a deeper sleep, and lay beside her in bed. He wouldn't do anything to violate her body while she was unconscious. He would simply lie there staring at her face, watching her chest rising and falling with each breath. 

Dimitri was spellbound. 

There was no other explanation. This woman bewitched him with some strange magic. He doesn't believe in any faith or superstition but his fascination for this woman had reached an ungodly level of intensity. Why else would he do things he normally wouldn't do? 

He would only watch her, not daring to touch her face no matter how much he wanted to. He feared that his filthy, blood-soaked hands would taint her purity. It would destroy him if it did. He can't have her getting dirty because of him. 

So he just laid there and stared at her, listening to her mumbling, fantasizing for a time when he could finally hold her and she wouldn't recoil from his touch. 

Dimitri grew to hate the dawn. It means that he needs to leave because (Y/n) would wake up early to prepare for her classes. She had classes for 7:30 am and he loathed it. He needed to be close to her for far longer. He couldn't do that if she woke up too early. That's why he decided to manipulate her schedule for the next semester. He made sure that her classes would only happen during the afternoon so that she could sleep more and he could enjoy her company longer. 

Dimitri knew that his actions were creepy and psychotic but he just couldn't help it. He's too enchanted by this woman to ever care about morality. 

He would always leave at dawn, taking with him little trinkets to keep as souvenirs. He would erase any evidence of his existence and pretend that nothing ever happened as they met again at school. Still, he wouldn't come close. He wouldn't dare disrupt her peaceful life just to satisfy his craving. For now, he would be satisfied with watching her. 

A/N:

Okay! Now that's the first year of Dimitri's delulu. I felt that I didn't show you enough of what he did before he confessed so here it is. Might make a part two for his delulu during his second year.

Should I make more of this or should I continue with the plot? Please tell me your thoughts in the comments. Love you guys!