Tangled Up In You - (TVD) - Damon/Elena - Standalone
Title: Tangled up in you
Author: coloured_dream
Part: 1/1 (standalone, 2,152 words)
Rating: PG-13
Summery: Elena remembers what Damon said that night and in the weeks that have past has reached her own decision and decided what’s best for herself.
DisclaimerI do not own the Vampire Diaries, the characters belong to L.J Smith and the CW. I’m just borrowing them.
A/N: This has been written a while now and just left so I figured I’d post it before the restart.
Damon hates Wednesdays. Wednesdays are boring, nothing good ever happens on a Wednesday. Stefan's moping and vampire Barbie has taken it up on herself to make him feel better, her own personal mission. It’s started to drive him up the wall.
There's only so many times he can hear Caroline reassuring him that, ‘Elena just needs time, she'll come round eventually’ hear Stefan simpering that, ‘it’s my entire fault. It's been weeks, how much more time does she need?’ without wanting to stake himself just to make it stop, biting back sarcastic comments and rolling his eyes.
He listens to the rain on the roof and sighs, the likelihood of finding someone to help him forget, to stop the loop of thoughts pertaining his brothers girlfriend - ex girlfriend - Elena, rapidly decreasing the heavier the rain falls, even he doesn't want to go out in it. Wednesday is not looking like it’s going to be a good day for him.
::
Six weeks three days, but she's not counting, not really. That's how long it's been since herself and Stefan decided to stop playing their game and stay apart, for safety, forever she's not sure. She thinks it's been harder for him, than herself, if his calls and messages are anything to go by.
She sits on the porch the rain creating a rhythmic drum, a soothing din to her overwrought mind, and looks down at her school work. She's so far behind and has a paper due midday tomorrow and has nothing written yet, feels like she's climbing a mountain, never reaching the top, slipping and tumbling ever couple of steps.
She scribbles some words and closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose, distracted by her phone on the table by her side, silent but taunting at the same time. Since waking she'd already a missed call from Stefan, a handful of texts from Caroline and nothing from him, the one person she wishes there was something from.
Four weeks five days, that’s how long it’s been since he called last and she doesn't know if he's avoiding her or just letting her breath. She doesn't want the inevitable talk right now, doesn't know what she wants, a friend, someone more. When the times right she figures she’ll know, or at least hopes she will.
Standing she stretches and gathers her stuff with a sigh. This Wednesday doesn’t feel like it’s going to be a particularly good day for her.
::
It continues raining until Friday; Elena thinks the storm clouds reflect her mood just perfectly. She feels like the cosmos is laughing at her.
Avoiding Stefan starts to feel like a chore, she gives in eventually and lets him pull her to one side in the hallway at lunch time. She listens to what he says, words soft and gentle, her head shaking, her own words tight and bitter on her tongue.
“Stefan please not now. It's finished with, leave it be!” She feels such a bitch when she snatches her arm back and hoists her bag up on her shoulder, walking away from him her insides twisting and burning with guilt.
She never dares to look back to see the look on his face, or the way Caroline slips a arm around his shoulders in comfort, picking up the pieces of his still-heart that she'd broken, little shards with sharp edges.
::
And so it continues, she hears nothing from him, and thinks nothing of it. Five weeks without word, without sight, he might be out of town for all she knows. Her facade stays in place, armour intact, rebuffing words and worried looks. Jenna assumes she's withdrawn because of her break up with Stefan, tells her it takes time. She nods, smiles and assures her she’s fine. She’s stubborn though, isn’t at all fine just won’t allow herself to fall apart, let anyone know it’s so much more than just Stefan that’s on her mind.
Every night she sleeps fitfully, tosses and turn. He's always there in the back of her head, always silent, always waiting. It feels like he’s guarding her, watching. She’ll wakes in a haze and the memory is diluted, bitty pictures that fade and distort as the morning goes on.
::
Friday nights are perfect for forgetting, for 'snacks' and meaningless no-strings fun, or so Damon reasons. Sitting at the bar of the Grill he feels the buzz in the air, the wealth of possibilities the start of the weekend brings. Parties, pretty ladies all looking for 'eligible' bachelors and Damon firmly asserts himself in that category, doesn't really even have to try.
He flings back his first drink without really thinking too much about it, but the alcohol does very little to numb the perfect image of her from his mind. He won't go there, not with her, not now!
He's glad to be out of the house, out of the way of Stefan and vampire Barbie, his new project still helping him get over Elena, still listening to him as he broods, showing her the way to live a happy normal life on animal blood. He’s not sure Caroline will last, not sure how she puts up with Stefan’s brooding, Damon certainly can’t, thinks she obviously sees something he doesn’t.
The blonde that sits beside him and alerts his attention, has all the qualities to help him forget. She smiles politely and nods her head when he inquires if he can buy her a drink. She introduces herself but he takes no notice of her name, it's unimportant, no use to him.
They chat; he feels nothing, not at all like him. Her blood doesn't sing to him, and his body doesn't respond in the ways he knows it would normally. And by the end of the night there's no compelling her to come home with him, no pretence. He presses his lips to her cheek, chaste and without feeling and tells her goodnight, knowing as he walks away this has got to stop!
::
Bonnie tells her she needs to get out, get over him. She doesn't correct her, doesn't tell her it’s not Stefan on her mind. Her witch friend wouldn't understand.
She meticulously chooses her outfit, something sassy and sexy, but sweet and classy at the same time, very Elena. She pins her hair back, leaves a few tendrils framing her face and tries not to let that encroaching wave of unease wash across her. She feels different somehow.
They play pool, they talk. It feels normal until she spots him by the bar, cradling a glass between his hands, not totally sure he's seen her. He’s sat with his back to her but knows he can hear everything around him, hear her. She doesn’t miss the giddy beat of her heart, knows he won’t either.
“Are you even listening to me, Elena?” Bonnie's word slap her from her musings and she pulls her gaze away from the back of Damon’s head, and back to her friend, cocks her head and stares at her.
“Sorry. Thinking.”
“About Stefan? You need to get over him if you’re not getting back together.” Bonnie's words seem so harsh and blunt, it doesn’t really surprise Elena that much, doesn’t take her back, understands that Bonnie’s watched her like this long enough.
“We're not,” she says it quickly, takes a sip of her coke and looks back towards Damon now. “It's just wasn’t Stefan I was thinking about.”
As soon as the words leave her mouth she knows they shouldn’t have. Bonnie's eyes follow her line of vision, head shaking like she can't believe it. Stares at Elena like her friends mad.
“Damon? You broke up with Stefan because of Damon?” It's like the pieces click in place and her eyes darken.
"I can't explain it. You wouldn't understand.”
"Damn right I wouldn't!” Elena feels Bonnie's hand on her arm, head lifted to stare at her friend. "He's not a nice guy, Elena, I'm just looking out for you," she says, stating the obvious, Elena knows.
“He won't change for you.”
Elena knows that too, swallows down all the things she could say, shakes her head. “I know and I don't want him to.”
“How did this happen?” Bonnie stares at her like she should know, like she's switched allegiances.
“The night I came back, after I was abducted by Rose and Trevor, Damon told me something,” she swallows and looks up, feels Bonnie's expectant gaze on her. “He just, he wanted to say the words, wanted me to hear them. I didn't have my necklace and he compelled me to forget afterwards, or at least he thought he did. I'd been drinking Jenna's vervain tea, Alaric left it, I just thought I should be safe. I remember, I remember everything he said.”
“Elena?” Bonnie's grip on her wrist feels tighter, she looks up and sighs, shakes her head.
“He told me he loved me Bonnie. I can't just ignore that.”
And when she looks towards the place Damon had been sat she finds his place empty, heart sinking, wonders how much he'd heard before he'd left.
::
Jenna's still awake when she gets home, Elena knows she's just making sure she's okay, sees the relief on her face that she's not drunk or high. She doesn't want to stick around and wait for Jenna's questions, just makes her excuses to go to bed.
It’s when she emerges from the bathroom that she spots him. He's sat on the bottom of the bed, smiles lopsidedly and it's like déjàvu. It's the first time she's felt speechless in weeks, thinks he probably heard everything she said earlier, can see it in his eyes.
He stands up from the bed and is right in front of her in a blur or inhuman speed, words stuck in the back of her throat, eyes dark, intense and meeting her own.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
She pauses and swallows and shrugs. “I wanted time to think, work it out, work out things with myself and Stefan. I wasn't sure what I felt. And you haven’t been around.”
It's the first time in weeks that they've spoken, she feels the electric thrill from him being so close, something she hadn't realised she'd missed, feels his hand on her wrist, skin prickling. It's the first time she'd let her guard down, armour melting away.
“You broke up with him because of what I said?” His head tilts and his eyes meet her own, something within his aquatic gaze that has her mind reeling, lost for words.
“No. I broke up with him because I realised I reciprocated your feelings.”
He stares at her then, head tilted, and it takes him all but a millisecond before he's sweeping her off her feet, lips soft and gentle and so eager against her own. He smirks against her lips at the acceleration of her hearts beat, the thrum of her body, warm and buzzing, knows this is how its suppose to be.
::
Four blissful days. It's Wednesday again and it's raining... again. She's laid in bed, room dark, listening to the rain on the roof, against the windows, rattling the glass. It's peaceful, she feels calm.
Her eyes grow heavy; she fights and tries not to fall asleep. She feels the breeze on her skin and through the darkness sees the curtains billow, the outline of a figure by the bed. She doesn't feel scared, knows who it is.
When the bed dips and she feels lips against her neck she can’t help but murmur, twists in his arms to face him. “Can’t you use a door like a normal person, Damon?”
He chuckles and she can almost see the smirk on his lips. “But I'm not a normal person; I thought we'd established that.”
She grins against his lips then, nods her head. "We have, you’re a self obsessive psychopath, with some serious brother issues that I love you non-the-less.”
“Oh, I do love it when you call me names.” He deadpans as she rolls back and sighs, eyes heavy and closing despite her best efforts. He doesn't move. She knows he's still beside her, silent, watching, guarding. She feels safe.
“I'm sorry it took so long.” She murmurs, sleepy and into the pillow.
He shakes his head in the darkness, leans towards her, cool and calm and pressing his lips to her forehead. “It doesn't matter Elena. I’d have waited forever for you!”
He's not sure he's ever felt anything like this before, an emotion as strong, as powerful and all consuming than when her hand clasps his, cold, fragile and so very human.
He can't help but smile, can’t help the way his sharp edges and armour melts away when in her presence. He can’t help but think Wednesday's aren't so bad, after all!
FIN.
Author: coloured_dream
Part: 1/1 (standalone, 2,152 words)
Rating: PG-13
Summery: Elena remembers what Damon said that night and in the weeks that have past has reached her own decision and decided what’s best for herself.
DisclaimerI do not own the Vampire Diaries, the characters belong to L.J Smith and the CW. I’m just borrowing them.
A/N: This has been written a while now and just left so I figured I’d post it before the restart.
Damon hates Wednesdays. Wednesdays are boring, nothing good ever happens on a Wednesday. Stefan's moping and vampire Barbie has taken it up on herself to make him feel better, her own personal mission. It’s started to drive him up the wall.
There's only so many times he can hear Caroline reassuring him that, ‘Elena just needs time, she'll come round eventually’ hear Stefan simpering that, ‘it’s my entire fault. It's been weeks, how much more time does she need?’ without wanting to stake himself just to make it stop, biting back sarcastic comments and rolling his eyes.
He listens to the rain on the roof and sighs, the likelihood of finding someone to help him forget, to stop the loop of thoughts pertaining his brothers girlfriend - ex girlfriend - Elena, rapidly decreasing the heavier the rain falls, even he doesn't want to go out in it. Wednesday is not looking like it’s going to be a good day for him.
::
Six weeks three days, but she's not counting, not really. That's how long it's been since herself and Stefan decided to stop playing their game and stay apart, for safety, forever she's not sure. She thinks it's been harder for him, than herself, if his calls and messages are anything to go by.
She sits on the porch the rain creating a rhythmic drum, a soothing din to her overwrought mind, and looks down at her school work. She's so far behind and has a paper due midday tomorrow and has nothing written yet, feels like she's climbing a mountain, never reaching the top, slipping and tumbling ever couple of steps.
She scribbles some words and closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose, distracted by her phone on the table by her side, silent but taunting at the same time. Since waking she'd already a missed call from Stefan, a handful of texts from Caroline and nothing from him, the one person she wishes there was something from.
Four weeks five days, that’s how long it’s been since he called last and she doesn't know if he's avoiding her or just letting her breath. She doesn't want the inevitable talk right now, doesn't know what she wants, a friend, someone more. When the times right she figures she’ll know, or at least hopes she will.
Standing she stretches and gathers her stuff with a sigh. This Wednesday doesn’t feel like it’s going to be a particularly good day for her.
::
It continues raining until Friday; Elena thinks the storm clouds reflect her mood just perfectly. She feels like the cosmos is laughing at her.
Avoiding Stefan starts to feel like a chore, she gives in eventually and lets him pull her to one side in the hallway at lunch time. She listens to what he says, words soft and gentle, her head shaking, her own words tight and bitter on her tongue.
“Stefan please not now. It's finished with, leave it be!” She feels such a bitch when she snatches her arm back and hoists her bag up on her shoulder, walking away from him her insides twisting and burning with guilt.
She never dares to look back to see the look on his face, or the way Caroline slips a arm around his shoulders in comfort, picking up the pieces of his still-heart that she'd broken, little shards with sharp edges.
::
And so it continues, she hears nothing from him, and thinks nothing of it. Five weeks without word, without sight, he might be out of town for all she knows. Her facade stays in place, armour intact, rebuffing words and worried looks. Jenna assumes she's withdrawn because of her break up with Stefan, tells her it takes time. She nods, smiles and assures her she’s fine. She’s stubborn though, isn’t at all fine just won’t allow herself to fall apart, let anyone know it’s so much more than just Stefan that’s on her mind.
Every night she sleeps fitfully, tosses and turn. He's always there in the back of her head, always silent, always waiting. It feels like he’s guarding her, watching. She’ll wakes in a haze and the memory is diluted, bitty pictures that fade and distort as the morning goes on.
::
Friday nights are perfect for forgetting, for 'snacks' and meaningless no-strings fun, or so Damon reasons. Sitting at the bar of the Grill he feels the buzz in the air, the wealth of possibilities the start of the weekend brings. Parties, pretty ladies all looking for 'eligible' bachelors and Damon firmly asserts himself in that category, doesn't really even have to try.
He flings back his first drink without really thinking too much about it, but the alcohol does very little to numb the perfect image of her from his mind. He won't go there, not with her, not now!
He's glad to be out of the house, out of the way of Stefan and vampire Barbie, his new project still helping him get over Elena, still listening to him as he broods, showing her the way to live a happy normal life on animal blood. He’s not sure Caroline will last, not sure how she puts up with Stefan’s brooding, Damon certainly can’t, thinks she obviously sees something he doesn’t.
The blonde that sits beside him and alerts his attention, has all the qualities to help him forget. She smiles politely and nods her head when he inquires if he can buy her a drink. She introduces herself but he takes no notice of her name, it's unimportant, no use to him.
They chat; he feels nothing, not at all like him. Her blood doesn't sing to him, and his body doesn't respond in the ways he knows it would normally. And by the end of the night there's no compelling her to come home with him, no pretence. He presses his lips to her cheek, chaste and without feeling and tells her goodnight, knowing as he walks away this has got to stop!
::
Bonnie tells her she needs to get out, get over him. She doesn't correct her, doesn't tell her it’s not Stefan on her mind. Her witch friend wouldn't understand.
She meticulously chooses her outfit, something sassy and sexy, but sweet and classy at the same time, very Elena. She pins her hair back, leaves a few tendrils framing her face and tries not to let that encroaching wave of unease wash across her. She feels different somehow.
They play pool, they talk. It feels normal until she spots him by the bar, cradling a glass between his hands, not totally sure he's seen her. He’s sat with his back to her but knows he can hear everything around him, hear her. She doesn’t miss the giddy beat of her heart, knows he won’t either.
“Are you even listening to me, Elena?” Bonnie's word slap her from her musings and she pulls her gaze away from the back of Damon’s head, and back to her friend, cocks her head and stares at her.
“Sorry. Thinking.”
“About Stefan? You need to get over him if you’re not getting back together.” Bonnie's words seem so harsh and blunt, it doesn’t really surprise Elena that much, doesn’t take her back, understands that Bonnie’s watched her like this long enough.
“We're not,” she says it quickly, takes a sip of her coke and looks back towards Damon now. “It's just wasn’t Stefan I was thinking about.”
As soon as the words leave her mouth she knows they shouldn’t have. Bonnie's eyes follow her line of vision, head shaking like she can't believe it. Stares at Elena like her friends mad.
“Damon? You broke up with Stefan because of Damon?” It's like the pieces click in place and her eyes darken.
"I can't explain it. You wouldn't understand.”
"Damn right I wouldn't!” Elena feels Bonnie's hand on her arm, head lifted to stare at her friend. "He's not a nice guy, Elena, I'm just looking out for you," she says, stating the obvious, Elena knows.
“He won't change for you.”
Elena knows that too, swallows down all the things she could say, shakes her head. “I know and I don't want him to.”
“How did this happen?” Bonnie stares at her like she should know, like she's switched allegiances.
“The night I came back, after I was abducted by Rose and Trevor, Damon told me something,” she swallows and looks up, feels Bonnie's expectant gaze on her. “He just, he wanted to say the words, wanted me to hear them. I didn't have my necklace and he compelled me to forget afterwards, or at least he thought he did. I'd been drinking Jenna's vervain tea, Alaric left it, I just thought I should be safe. I remember, I remember everything he said.”
“Elena?” Bonnie's grip on her wrist feels tighter, she looks up and sighs, shakes her head.
“He told me he loved me Bonnie. I can't just ignore that.”
And when she looks towards the place Damon had been sat she finds his place empty, heart sinking, wonders how much he'd heard before he'd left.
::
Jenna's still awake when she gets home, Elena knows she's just making sure she's okay, sees the relief on her face that she's not drunk or high. She doesn't want to stick around and wait for Jenna's questions, just makes her excuses to go to bed.
It’s when she emerges from the bathroom that she spots him. He's sat on the bottom of the bed, smiles lopsidedly and it's like déjàvu. It's the first time she's felt speechless in weeks, thinks he probably heard everything she said earlier, can see it in his eyes.
He stands up from the bed and is right in front of her in a blur or inhuman speed, words stuck in the back of her throat, eyes dark, intense and meeting her own.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
She pauses and swallows and shrugs. “I wanted time to think, work it out, work out things with myself and Stefan. I wasn't sure what I felt. And you haven’t been around.”
It's the first time in weeks that they've spoken, she feels the electric thrill from him being so close, something she hadn't realised she'd missed, feels his hand on her wrist, skin prickling. It's the first time she'd let her guard down, armour melting away.
“You broke up with him because of what I said?” His head tilts and his eyes meet her own, something within his aquatic gaze that has her mind reeling, lost for words.
“No. I broke up with him because I realised I reciprocated your feelings.”
He stares at her then, head tilted, and it takes him all but a millisecond before he's sweeping her off her feet, lips soft and gentle and so eager against her own. He smirks against her lips at the acceleration of her hearts beat, the thrum of her body, warm and buzzing, knows this is how its suppose to be.
::
Four blissful days. It's Wednesday again and it's raining... again. She's laid in bed, room dark, listening to the rain on the roof, against the windows, rattling the glass. It's peaceful, she feels calm.
Her eyes grow heavy; she fights and tries not to fall asleep. She feels the breeze on her skin and through the darkness sees the curtains billow, the outline of a figure by the bed. She doesn't feel scared, knows who it is.
When the bed dips and she feels lips against her neck she can’t help but murmur, twists in his arms to face him. “Can’t you use a door like a normal person, Damon?”
He chuckles and she can almost see the smirk on his lips. “But I'm not a normal person; I thought we'd established that.”
She grins against his lips then, nods her head. "We have, you’re a self obsessive psychopath, with some serious brother issues that I love you non-the-less.”
“Oh, I do love it when you call me names.” He deadpans as she rolls back and sighs, eyes heavy and closing despite her best efforts. He doesn't move. She knows he's still beside her, silent, watching, guarding. She feels safe.
“I'm sorry it took so long.” She murmurs, sleepy and into the pillow.
He shakes his head in the darkness, leans towards her, cool and calm and pressing his lips to her forehead. “It doesn't matter Elena. I’d have waited forever for you!”
He's not sure he's ever felt anything like this before, an emotion as strong, as powerful and all consuming than when her hand clasps his, cold, fragile and so very human.
He can't help but smile, can’t help the way his sharp edges and armour melts away when in her presence. He can’t help but think Wednesday's aren't so bad, after all!
FIN.