When Persephone had initially seen Petrov in the hall as she and Spiridon were going to her office she was sure this was going to be awful. She had been confident that she and Petrov would be able to pull off being nice to each other. They had spent over a year working together and going out in public pretending to like each other and they had done a damn good job of keeping up appearances. It had felt shaky initially though very quickly she was finding that the issue wasn’t going to be being pleasant to each other but maybe being a little… too pleasant with the conversation. It felt like in a few short moments she went from focusing on not arguing with the bloke to focusing on not letting their humor reveal just what had happened between them in regards to their intimacy. She wasn’t even aware Petrov had a decent amount of humor unless they were trying to aggravate each other. Sometimes then she would see little glimpses but that was it.

She laughed lightly shaking her head. ”It’s not like you needed alcohol after that.” She joked. She wondered had they both been a bit more sober if they still would have slept together. Then again it really depended on what had happened in the bar before heading back to his place. She really wished she could remember what had happened. There were bits and pieces she did remember but they were when they were already at his place and otherwise engaged. ”Я хотел бы думать, что я сделал для него.” She replied with an amused expression on her face. Granted she was pretty sure there were times she purposefully aggravated him just so they could resolve the disagreement. It felt like she really should have excused herself and gone to her office when Spiridon left. She and Petrov should not be getting along. Things were already being said that couldn’t be reversed. They had both already acknowledged out loud that they had slept together and now were going as far as to agree that they both wanted to start sleeping together again.

She glanced over her shoulder to see Petrov go into her office before approaching Spiridon and the receptionist. The receptionist was a sweet woman though she spoke very little English. Before Persephone could even really address Spiridon he turned to face her with an amused expression on his face. ”He’s in your office already?” He whispered turning away from the receptionist and pointedly looking where Petrov had been. ”We’ll go out for drinks some other time.” He said simply arching an eyebrow at her trying to get a read on her expression. She paused momentarily before shaking her head with a laugh. ”No, I’ll still meet you there.” She said with a roll of her eyes. ”No you won’t.” Spiridon said with a wave of his hand as if to dismiss her not explaining that the reception had caught sight of the pair and asked how long they had been together, clearly stating it looked like they were dating.

Part of her wanted him to explain what that comment meant but decided against it as she could clearly tell what he was insinuating. Granted she was hoping that would be the case though part of her wasn’t sure she just wanted to shag him. She had a nagging feeling that not having him around was a big reason she felt so off the past few months. She was willing to go so far as to say she missed him. Merlin she felt ridiculous. She said her good-byes to the pair before finally getting back to her office. She closed the door behind her leaning against it as she looked over at Petrov. Now that they were really alone it was difficult not to just walk over and kiss him though she was determined not to. That felt like something a couple would do… just to kiss without it leading to sex. She decided not to lead the conversation by bringing up that apparently others were already under the impression they were together. Then again she wasn’t even sure if Petrov wanted anything more than just to shag. This was all so confusing. ”Итак, где же мы начнем?” She said with a light laugh as she forced herself to move from the door and approach him.

---

Я хотел бы думать, что я сделал для него.
I’d like to think I made up for it.

Итак, где же мы начнем?
So, where do we start?

It was odd enough that they had been having what he considered to be a damn normal conversation with no troubles. Before this, and before their arrangement, that had rarely ever happened. Any time they had to be out in public, he was actually surprised that no one thought that their interactions seemed stiff and fake because he felt like it was pretty damn obvious. He supposed they were better at playing the part than he’d thought. During them sleeping together, they had managed interactions pretty similar to this one, it being a bit more relaxed since they could sort out their disagreements in a better way, but that was just it—they had been sleeping together in order to pull that off. It had made them get along better, but they didn’t have that going for them now. Now it was past their arrangement and it was over, and they were talking this casually when they really shouldn’t be. It was just odd, he could recognize, and he couldn’t figure out just why that could be. Playing the part for Spiridon could only go so far, and he wasn’t sure that was what it had been in the slightest.

“True enough,” he agreed, nodding, with an amused smile on his lips. They had certainly never needed alcohol to have sex after that, obviously. All they had apparently needed was to grate on each others’ nerves enough for it to seem like it was the only way to sort out the problem… and it was always their number one way of problem-solving. “Which is good. Я люблю вспоминать секс, в конце концов.” Not being able to remember their drunken one-night stand was relatively frustrating, because that just seemed like something that he would want to remember for obvious reasons. It would also just be amusing to know who approached whom and how the shit had actually gotten started. He was still unsure why he had gotten so drunk that night anyhow. “ты сделал,” he added, smirking widely. Nikolai knew that by the end of their detail, he certainly pissed her off on purpose just to initiate an argument, and he didn’t doubt that she had done the same when they both knew what the results of it would be.

Being in her office gave him a damn minute to try to figure out his thoughts. This entire conversation hadn’t gone the way that he ever would have expected it to. In fact, he’d argue that it went the exact opposite way that he’d been expecting. Seeing her again had also brought up the fact that he almost might have missed her, as ridiculous as that was to admit. It had been months since they had even seen each other and he hadn’t really thought all that much of her… though that was just because he had been so busy, but something had still felt off. Now that he was around her again, he felt like that was what the problem was, and that was just an odd thing to admit. He was unsure that he would actually admit that out loud, feeling like an idiot just saying it. Perhaps he would just see what she had to say—after all, she was the one that had told him that the offer was still on the table. But that did just mean sex, not necessarily anything else. He scowled slightly at the thought that had insinuated that he wanted anything other than sex. Nikolai didn’t date; being married and losing his entire family had proven that a bad idea, and he had his chance for being with someone and being happy—he was quite sure that only happened once in a lifetime, maybe. He raised an eyebrow at her as she entered the office, leaning against the door as she closed it. Now that they were in a closed room, it was apparently going to be a test of his restraint to not kiss her and see where that led to. “Ну, почему бы вам не рассказать мне об этом предложении, которое до сих пор на столе?” He stated, figuring that was a decent place to start.

---

Я люблю вспоминать секс, в конце концов: After all, I like to remember sex.
ты сделал: You did
Ну, почему бы вам не рассказать мне об этом предложении, которое до сих пор на столе?: Well why don't you tell me about this offer that's still on the table?

Persephone was starting to get confused by not only her own actions, but his reactions as well. Then again she would be willing to bet he was just as confused by this whole interaction too. Of course it had been easy for them to be around each other when they were shagging on a regular basis. It was easy to get along with someone you knew you’d get to sleep with later. They could aggravate each other then just work it off later. But it had been months since they had shagged, this whole situation was just odd. Them getting along without sex in the equation made absolutely no sense.

She arched an eyebrow at him as he said he liked to remember sex. It was frustrating that she couldn’t remember what had happened during their first encounter. For some reason she was fairly certain it had been just as aggressive as it was when they began their agreement though she didn’t know for sure. She did remember waking up with her muscles extremely stiff as if she had a particularly grueling physical training session. ”From what I remember… I was excellent.” She joked with a light laugh before a wide smile came over her features as he said she had made up for being aggravating. She wondered what it would feel like just to shag him because she wanted to and not just because he had pissed her off to the point of no return. Of course that one quiet thought was what manifested into her suggesting they continue with the physical aspect of the agreement they had once had.

Him being in her office was starting to feel like a bad idea as now they were completely alone. They didn’t have to worry about anyone watching them, or being so cordial, not that after Spiridon had left them they had stayed that way. She rolled her shoulders lightly before tilting her head from one side to the other to stretch it. It was something she did often when approaching something that was sensitive in nature. She stopped a few feet in front of him feeling oddly nervous about this discussion. She looked over him for a moment before responding, her eyes moving to his lips for a split second before clearing her throat almost awkwardly. ” То же самое дело , как и прежде с некоторыми незначительными изменениями.” She began trying to hold eye contact and convince herself this was a business agreement more than anything else. ”Obviously we won’t have the opportunity to aggravate each other…” She continued trying to keep her bearings. She was never this bloody nervous… ever. ” Я хочу , чтобы посмотреть, что это как спать друг с другом без боя заранее .” The moment the words left her mouth she felt ridiculous. Was that even bloody possible? She was starting to really kick herself for allowing the conversation in the hallway to escalate to this.

---

То же самое дело , как и прежде с некоторыми незначительными изменениями.
Same deal as before with some minor changes.

Я хочу , чтобы посмотреть, что это как спать друг с другом без боя заранее .
I want to see what it's like to sleep with each other without a fight beforehand.

He was unsure what to expect from this conversation; that was really the only thought running through his mind as he wanted for her in her office. He could also amuse himself by wondering why she got an office anyhow, as he’d certainly never gotten an office when he had worked for the department. Nikolai supposed her being a … recruit, or what not, from another country might have something to do about it, but he really didn’t know. Apparently, he also didn’t know why he was thinking about something that ridiculous when he really should be thinking through what he was about to say and what was about to happen. The idea of the pair of them in any room together alone didn’t seem like a great move, simply because that made the situation even less professional than it already was. Though, he supposed they slept together in the house of the detail they were working on and it really couldn’t get worse than that as far as professionalism was involved. Besides, he had no reason to think that it would end like that anyhow. They were capable of having a conversation about this without it leading to sex; they were damn well adults, after all. While he waited for her, Nikolai contemplated if he had actually missed her these past few months and if that had been what was off in his life… that was just something odd to consider, as it had been years since he’d had anyone to not be around and then miss anyhow. Perhaps that had been why he hadn’t caught onto that being what was going on with him, since it was a foreign feeling. He knew what missing people that weren’t around felt like, obviously, with his family, but just not being around someone and missing their daily presence was a new one.

But he was starting to believe that was exactly what this had been. He had actually missed DiTraverso. He never would have guessed that one after the time they had been together. Well, he had thought he’d miss the sex, but not her in general. The moment that she entered the room, he certainly felt like this was a mistake. It was taking all of his damn control to not kiss her and that was just strange. Nikolai had no idea how to take this situation anymore, as it was not something that he’d experienced before. He might actually want more than just a physical relationship with this woman and that was not anything he would have thought was possible. “What kind of changes?” He asked, taking a few steps closer to her so that they were in closer vicinity to each other than he should risk at the current time. But he really couldn’t help it anymore, feeling like he just had to be near her or something to try to figure this shit out.

She actually seemed nervous, as he knew her well enough to know when that happened—particularly since it was so damn rare. If she was nervous, then Nikolai felt that it might be possible to think that she was having the same damn confusing ideas on what they actually wanted out of this, since it was going to be different than their last time around. He chuckled at her words, “Без борьбы—и без питьевой,” he countered, raising an eyebrow. This was a dangerous conversation to be having in their current setting, noting that he had to physically stop himself from touching her in any manner. Even kissing her wouldn’t end well in the office, let alone anything else that came to mind.

---

Без борьбы—и без питьевой: Without fighting—and without drinking

She wasn’t entirely sure why Vadik had been so kind as to offer her own office in the Ministry. Then again she did occasionally give a hand to the British foreign delegate when it came to British Magical law enforcement and a few other things. Russian was ridiculously hard to learn and speak if you didn’t spend a majority of your time trying to speak it. She would often help him translate certain things though she still had problems on occasion. If it hadn’t been for the Belikovskys and Petrov she wouldn’t be able to speak it as well as she did. It had been quite the challenge with her accent as well as the language in general. So for all intents and purposes she did owe Petrov that for pushing her to learn by using English sparingly when talking to her during that detail.

Either way now she had an office and she was starting to wonder if that wasn’t a bad idea now that she was alone in it with Petrov. She had always looked at it as an asset before that moment as she was rarely bothered when in there. She was able to do her work with very little interruption, but now here she stood in it alone with Petrov fighting the urge to just bring her lips to his and let that action show what she actually wanted. She could feel her heart jumping into her throat as he closed the already small distance between them. No, she wasn’t going to lie to herself anymore. She had very obviously missed him, and she would even venture to say she wanted more than just a physical relationship. It almost felt like he was thinking about the same thing though it was hard to tell.

She knew he could easily tell she was nervous. The bloody man knew her far too well to have missed that. She knew she had to pull herself together before things got more awkward than they already were. How the bloody hell had they gone from being polite in the hall, to alone in her office discussing sex was beyond her. Though now she was really questioning whether they were still just talking about sex. She smiled before laughing lightly and shaking her head. ”I think we’ve already learned how to make it work without getting drunk.” She joked her smile widening as she looked up at him. ” Мы все еще говорим о просто секс? She asked curiously figuring they never once tip toed around any topic when it came to them and it would be ridiculous to do so now. She wasn’t ready to actually verbalize that she missed him without knowing what was going on in his head before she made an arse out of herself by over thinking this.

---

Мы все еще говорим о просто секс ?
Are we still talking about just sex?

He had missed her—there, he had thought it and now could admit to it as opposed to just confusing himself wondering what was going on in his mind. Something had felt off these past months and suffice it to say seeing DiTraverso again had cleared up just what had been wrong. Nikolai didn’t know how it was actually possible to miss someone that he had hated or at least extremely disliked for many months. Yes, their interactions had gotten better over the remainder or the detail; sleeping with each other had helped with that as well as, in his mind, the occasion time where they seemed to be purposefully attempting to piss the other one off to gain the desired result. But that didn’t mean that the idea of missing her had ever crossed his mind. Nikolai couldn’t even recall what his thoughts had been when the detail had ended and they had gone their separate ways. It simply hadn’t been something that he had thought anything of and now seeing her months later he realized that he’d apparently actually missed her.

Of course, he had no idea if that was what she was thinking as well. She had said that she wanted the same arrangement with a few changes and he still didn’t know what she meant by that. Nikolai supposed she could have just been referring to the fact that they wouldn’t have to piss each other off in order to sleep together but his mind had gone to a different place unfortunately. He didn’t know what to think of the idea that he might actually want to … date her, or… spend time with her that didn’t actively involve having sex. It wasn’t like the concept of dating was so foreign to him, but it wasn’t something that he had found important for many years as he’d been busy with his work and not thinking that he would ever be in a serious relationship again. But they weren’t even talking about a serious relationship—hell, Nikolai was unsure if they were even talking about a relationship at all. He really needed to vocalize his damn thoughts and see what she thought but wished that there were a way of doing that in which he didn’t have to actually say any of this shit out loud. Years of not dating had apparently made him less able to figure out what to do in a situation like this one. Obviously he knew how to talk to women, but this was just a particular situation that he hadn’t encountered before. “True enough,” he conceded, chuckling under his breath. They simply hadn’t figured out how to make it work not being drunk or angry.

This was not how he had been expecting this conversation to go in the slightest. When he had ran into Spiridon and DiTraverso he had been expecting a slightly awkward conversation and only an average ability to have a conversation that would seem even remotely believable to his former partner. He did not think that it would have ended with them alone in DiTraverso’s office where he was far too tempted to act on some thoughts that he was having. “Я не думаю, что я,” he replied, narrowing his eyes slightly at the thought. He certainly wasn’t, but he wasn’t going to outright admit that without hearing what she had to say as well.

---

Я не думаю, что я: I don't think I am

It felt like one of them really should just talk freely, but Persephone didn’t want to chance assessing the situation incorrectly and make future run-ins unbearably awkward. What exactly was she supposed to say anyway?! Oh, by the way, I know we spent the past year damn near hating each other, but I think I want more than just to have sex with you. That was an amusing thought really, but not going to happen. It would complicate things more than just having sex. Granted now she was thinking that the sex itself might cause more complications than not. She could very clearly remember their last night together and it had seemed slightly different. She wasn’t sure if they had ever been so… passionate? Desperate? No, neither one of those had sounded right. The family had been staying with friends while she and Nikolai stayed behind to make sure everything was in order before they departed the next morning. It had been a long night and she couldn’t even remember how many times they had gone at it but she knew neither one got much sleep. She did remember waking up next to him, which was something that hadn’t happened since their one night stand, but instead of fleeing the room she had actually just laid feigning sleep curled up against him until he woke. It was weird and she hadn’t really thought of what exactly that meant back then, but it was maybe starting to make sense. Almost as if she had wanted to spend those last moments with him before they had to part.

He was so close it was really hard to process anything properly. She had been in close proximity to him more times than she could count really both in public and private. It was actually slightly annoying that he had any effect on her at all. She laughed lightly with him at his comment. For some reason she felt like they really wouldn’t have an issue being with each other without fighting constantly. She had no delusions that things would be all sparkles and rainbows all the time as their personalities would clash from time to time naturally. Her brow furrowed at her wayward thoughts on them wondering why she was analyzing all of this now. She looked at him curiously though she was sure she looked slightly taken off guard which was another thing that very rarely happened when he answered her question. ” Я не думаю, что я тоже ...” She replied not knowing what else to say. It wasn’t difficult for her to be affectionate or emotional when it came to family, but this was something entirely different. As much as she just wanted to kiss him she held back waiting to see how he would react to her agreeing she was no longer just thinking about them in a sexual manner.

---

Я не думаю, что я тоже ...
I don’t think I am either…

Nikolai was unsure why this conversation was something that already confusing him and it hadn’t even gotten all that far yet. He supposed it was because he had just come to his own conclusion that he had actually missed the witch in front of him and that he might want something that was more than just sleeping with her. There was no way that either of them had been expecting that when they had started up this arrangement; hell, they could hardly tolerate each other’s presence at the time this had begun, and he had been surprised that starting a physical relationship had even helped since very technically it was what had put them into this situation to begin with. If they hadn’t had their one-night stand, he very much doubted that them working together would have been as difficult as it had been. But somehow, starting to sleep together again had solved the situation, making their interactions far easier and making their disagreements easier to sort out as well. It had worked in their favor even if that had been unexpected, but when it had ended he was sure that they had both thought that it was over then. He did recall the very last night that they’d spent on the detail and they had spent very little time sleeping, obviously. But afterwards when DiTraverso had fallen asleep, he had for some reason chosen to stay; he had pulled her against him and fallen asleep and that had been a damn good night of sleep if he remembered correctly, as he hadn’t been a very deep sleeper in many years. Perhaps that should have been telling, he mused, though he had somehow rationalized that decision somehow—though he had no idea what he had told himself to justify not leaving the room.

But he was getting ahead of himself in those thoughts, because him potentially wanting more than just sex didn’t mean that DiTraverso was on the same page. Of course, he wouldn’t turn down resuming their physical relationship with no obligations as it had been before, minus having to piss each other off beforehand… but for whatever odd reason he actually wanted more than that to occur and Nikolai still wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. All he knew was that it was getting progressively harder for him to keep in control of himself when he really just wanted to kiss her and that was just a ridiculous idea. They had never just kissed each other unless it was leading to sex and this obviously couldn’t lead to that in their current location. The corners of his lips quirked into a small smile at her words though he was still deep in thought about what to do now and had no idea how to vocalize absolutely any of that. He had to admit that he was relieved that she also seemed to want to try out something more than just their physical relationship. Perhaps this conversation would have been better suited for someone else. “О, ебать его,” he muttered, giving up on holding himself back as he brought his lips to hers, kissing her deeply as his arm moved around her waist. He could just kiss her—no one was going to come in here and they were adults and had restraint, damn it.

Following his better judgment, unfortunately, he pulled away slowly. They were in the damn ministry and although he supposed they didn’t exactly care where… less than appropriate moments went down, which was clear from all of their encounters being at the house of the family they had been protecting anyhow, Nikolai knew that the Ministry might not be the best idea… yet. Even if it was tempting. They should actually speak and figure this out but he had just needed to get that out of his system, obviously. “И что теперь?” Nikolai asked, since he had absolutely no idea what would come next. His experience in actually dating was limited to his late wife only and since that was an arranged marriage, he supposed that didn’t count—meaning that he clearly wasn’t the expert in dating or relationships, if that was what they were talking about.

---

О, ехать его: Oh, fuck it
И что теперь?: So, what now?

There seemed to never be a boring moment around the office. Things were starting to pick up and Persephone often found herself taking work home with her most nights. Maybe it was that her apartment just felt too lonely and quiet without her having anything to do. It had felt like something exceptionally important had been missing. It all was finally starting to make sense the longer she was alone with Petrov. She had spent the past year seeing him every day and towards the end of that detail it felt like things were shifting slightly in how they handled each other. As far as she remembered she honestly couldn’t think of a single time the last month or so of that detail that he had actually aggravated her. Even when he was trying to piss her off it didn’t feel like it was genuine. Hell, she irritated him quite a few times just to shag him. She had a feeling that he knew she only aggravated him in order to have sex. But she sometimes caught her mind wandering over if they still would have had sex if they hadn’t been purposefully trying to piss each other off.

It had been a relief to hear him say he might be thinking of them as more than just sexual partners. What happened next though was something she just didn’t see coming at all as she heard him mutter then felt his lips on hers. Her arms moved around his neck as she returned his kiss. Her eyes fluttered open to search his face as he slowly pulled away from her. There was obviously something between them that needed to be looked into. “Я думаю, мы просто посмотреть, что происходит , или вы можете просто поцеловать меня снова ...” She said with a light laugh. Truth be told she had no clue what they should do now. She had dated, but not for extended periods of time as most blokes didn’t know how to handle having an auror as a girlfriend… at least not one that worked as much as she did.

---

Я думаю, мы просто посмотреть, что происходит , или вы можете просто поцеловать меня снова ...
I guess we’ll just see what happens, or you can kiss me again…

Now that he had admitted to himself that he had missed her, the past couple of months made more sense. Not seeing her had been why he had felt slightly off, probably mixed with being back in his apartment by himself after being around her—and the Belikovskys obviously, nearly all of the time. He supposed that went back to him missing her, and that was just odd. But he should have realized it earlier, since he’d been in situations like this before after coming back from a long detail and he had never felt strange in the slightest. It had never been difficult to get back into the swing of things or get used to being alone in his apartment again and she was the only difference this time around. But now that he’d determined this situation, Nikolai was slightly curious what would have happened if they hadn’t run into each other today. Would he have continued to not realize this shit? They probably eventually would have seen each other again, and would the situation have ended with them talking this out? He really didn’t damn well know, and didn’t know why he was thinking about it either. This conversation was just bringing him to having the most unexpected thoughts, and he supposed that made sense since it was a conversation that he’d absolutely never had before.

After all, they were talking about dating. Or a relationship of some kind, at least. He’d dated at Durmstrang—but ridiculous teenaged dating, and then he had married Vasilisa. There had been no dating required in that. After she’d died, he hated dated much in his brief stint of doing nothing but drinking, and then he had gotten his shit together and soon after he’d gone undercover. Obviously, there had been no dating then, even if he had wanted to. Since then, his life had pretty much consisted of work. He’d gone on casual dates over the years, and had a few no-strings-attached relationships with like-minded women but those had always ended—normally because they wanted more than that eventually, which he supposed was the problem with relationships like that working for so longer. His and DiTraverso’s physical relationship had gone well as far as that was concerned—so it was actually incredibly amusing to him that once it stopped they decided that they wanted more than that. It was a far cry from what he was used to. The moment that he pulled away from kissing her, he wanted to kiss her again. Well, this was just absurd, he thought, though it wasn’t, really. It was normal for people in a… relationship if that was what this now was, to kiss with it just being a kiss. He didn’t know why he was thinking such ridiculous thoughts to begin with. Chuckling at her words, he paused for only a moment before kissing her again though this time it was a fair bit harder to try to convince himself that it was inappropriate to act on his thoughts in this damn office. After all, this part always made sense, he mused, since it was what started this all to begin with. Deepening the kiss, he brought his other hand up to tangle in her hair.

No, this really wasn’t the place, he reminded himself and his ever wandering thoughts. He pulled away again, a smirk forming on his lips. “Вы тестируете свою сдержанность,” he muttered. It didn’t help that it had been months since they had last seen each other, and that he really didn’t know what they should do next. Probably actually discuss this since they were in the same profession and had to think about their jobs played into this and keeping this professional which did not include many of his current thoughts.

---

Вы тестируете свою сдержанность: You're testing my restraint