i really do want to believe (Matt/Caroline/Tyler, TVD)
Title: i really do want to believe
Author: duchessofavalon
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Characters: Matt Donovan, Caroline Forbes, Tyler Lockwood
Rating: PG-13? Ish?
Summary: The aftermath of the night in the Lockwood cellar.
Authors Notes: This came to me after watching last night’s episode. Is it realistic? Absolutely, definitely not. Would I like for it to be? Yes. So we’re ignoring reality for a bit, here. Written quickly because I just needed to get it out of my head. Don't expect brilliance.
The gate held.
That’s literally all that Caroline can think when she jolts awake, head snapping up from where it had been laying on Matt’s shoulder. The gate held and they’re both alive. Her gaze immediately flicks to just outside the gate, where Tyler had given up trying to get in last night and settled down, she assumed to try and wait them out.
He’s not there.
Leaping to her feet, Caroline moves to the gate lightning-fast, her mind racing. What if he’d run off into the forest, and Klaus had found Tyler after all? What if the ritual had succeeded? How the hell had she slept through the whole thing? Finally she manages to get the lock undone on the chain and she unwraps it, opening the gate and bolting through the doors and up the stairs.
“Paranoid much?”
She can’t decide whether to hit him or just roll her eyes.
“Clearly my worries about you doing something stupid and or suicidal were completely unfounded,” she sighs, turning to face him. Oh. Okay, that was a mistake. Where was his shirt? And why did he think it was okay to go around not wearing one?
“I figure trying to kill you and Matt all night was stupid enough,” Tyler drawls. “Sorry about that.”
He’s trying to cover however the hell he really feels about this with false bravado and the fact that that facet of his personality, at least, hasn’t changed makes Caroline feel a bit better about this whole situation. “Where is your shirt, Tyler?” she deflects, folding her arms over her chest.
“Ripped to shreds over there somewhere.” He waves his hand around in a nonspecific direction. “Didn’t really have enough warning to get it off before I went all wolfy. The jeans survived somehow, and hey-- now I don’t have to pay for the distressed look.”
She’s trying to think up some sort of response to that but really all she wants to do is hug him and make sure that he’s actually okay and not just pretending to be okay. Or maybe sock him in the gut. Instead, Caroline lifts a hand to push his hair out of the way so that she can examine a small cut on the side of his head.
“This doesn’t seem too deep. You look better than you did after last time, at least,” she offers, trying a smile. Tyler’s hand moves to cover hers, and his eyes get all serious and suddenly Caroline can’t breathe (which is stupid, she’s a vampire, why the hell does it matter if she can’t breathe? It’s not like she needs to).
“Care. That was stupid, last night. You can’t keep putting yourself this close to me.”
“I’ve told you already, Tyler. More than once. If you’re here, on the full, I’m not leaving you. You won’t hurt me,” she says quietly, and although it’s less convinced sounding than the last time she’d said it to him (that night in the forest with Jules and the other wolves had damaged her trust in him-- damaged, but thankfully not broken, mostly) she still means it.
He’s leaning in, and Caroline turns her head at the last minute so that his lips barely catch her cheek. Tyler’s long, low sigh tells her he knows exactly why. The reason himself makes his appearance a moment later.
“Caroline?” he calls, still down in the cellar. She takes several steps away from Tyler, telling herself that it is because she’s trying to get closer to the tomb so that Matt can hear her.
“We’re up here, Matt. Everything’s fine.” She doesn’t know what time it is; it’s early, obviously, given the dim light, but it’s also late enough that Tyler has already transformed back. Briefly she wonders if her cell phone is working and her hand slides into her pocket; then she remembers it’s probably in her car where she left it before dashing into the Grill to see Matt the day before.
He comes up the stairs into the early morning sunlight, expression unsure. It quickly changes to slightly amused confusion.
“Dude, where’s your shirt?”
Tyler shrugs. “Dead.”
Matt nods slowly. “Hey, better the shirt than me and Care.”
“Basically.”
Matt slides his arm around her waist, a bit more proprietary than usual, and Caroline feels that shortness of breath again. Immediately hates herself for feeling it for both of them. Confusion is one of Caroline Forbes’ most despised feelings, especially emotional confusion.
“So, we should probably head into town. See if we can get in touch with Elena or Stefan or someone,” Caroline suggests quickly. Something else she hates is not knowing. If the ritual had gone off somehow and Elena was...no. She wouldn’t let herself think it. Damon had seemed rather determined not to let it happen, and if Damon was anything he was doggedly persistent to the point of making other people want to kill him.
“My car’s on the edge of the woods by the tomb. Here,” Matt’s saying, tugging one of his shirts off and tossing it to Tyler. “I’m not all super-buff like you so it might be a little tight, but then I doubt you’ll have much of a problem with that.”
Tyler rolls his eyes, and Caroline just watches. Not Tyler. Matt. Thank God for layering, she thinks, keeping her eyes averted. Now she won’t have to tell herself not to ogle.
“So...you do that every month?” Matt asks a bit awkwardly, shoving his hands in his pockets as they begin to walk in the direction of the tomb.
“Looks that way.”
“By yourself?”
“Preferably. Caroline won’t keep her nose out of it, though. She insists on being around when it happens, even though it’s dangerous.”
“Oh, fuck you, Lockwood. I care, okay? Sue me.” She stomps off ahead of them and to the side a little ways, out of range so she isn’t tempted to kick his ass.
The boys exchange glances, then Matt gets back to his interrogation.
“Do you just run around like that? I mean, shit, man, that’s dangerous.”
Tyler scrubs a hand over his face, sighing again. “Yeah, no. That was a fluke. The cellar you guys were in last night? I was chained up in it last month. Kept me in there, so I wouldn’t get out and hurt anyone.”
Matt’s brow furrows a little, and as Caroline turns her head to watch them from the corner of her eye she can’t really read his expression. She drops back the tiniest bit so that she’s in line with them again, insinuating herself in the middle.
“So...Caroline chained you up?”
“Yep.”
It’s completely silent for a long moment. Then Caroline chances a look at Matt.
He’s laughing.
“Didn’t realize you were into such kinky stuff, Care.”
“Oh, fuck you too. It was necessary, okay?”
“I mean, if that’s what you like...not into it myself, but you guys clearly have this kinda sexual tension thing going on, so...”
“Hey, I get it if you’re not cool with that. She’s your girlfriend. But I would like to point out-- threesomes solve anything,” Tyler offers. He’s laughing at her too. Bastard.
“Sorry, man, you’re not my type.”
“Ah, damn.”
“I hate you both. I hate you both so much right now.”
This tentative peace won’t last long, Caroline knows. There’s too much between all of them, too much in the way. It will inevitably be destroyed once they’re with everyone else again, once they know all that has happened.
But damn it, she’s going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Author: duchessofavalon
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Characters: Matt Donovan, Caroline Forbes, Tyler Lockwood
Rating: PG-13? Ish?
Summary: The aftermath of the night in the Lockwood cellar.
Authors Notes: This came to me after watching last night’s episode. Is it realistic? Absolutely, definitely not. Would I like for it to be? Yes. So we’re ignoring reality for a bit, here. Written quickly because I just needed to get it out of my head. Don't expect brilliance.
The gate held.
That’s literally all that Caroline can think when she jolts awake, head snapping up from where it had been laying on Matt’s shoulder. The gate held and they’re both alive. Her gaze immediately flicks to just outside the gate, where Tyler had given up trying to get in last night and settled down, she assumed to try and wait them out.
He’s not there.
Leaping to her feet, Caroline moves to the gate lightning-fast, her mind racing. What if he’d run off into the forest, and Klaus had found Tyler after all? What if the ritual had succeeded? How the hell had she slept through the whole thing? Finally she manages to get the lock undone on the chain and she unwraps it, opening the gate and bolting through the doors and up the stairs.
“Paranoid much?”
She can’t decide whether to hit him or just roll her eyes.
“Clearly my worries about you doing something stupid and or suicidal were completely unfounded,” she sighs, turning to face him. Oh. Okay, that was a mistake. Where was his shirt? And why did he think it was okay to go around not wearing one?
“I figure trying to kill you and Matt all night was stupid enough,” Tyler drawls. “Sorry about that.”
He’s trying to cover however the hell he really feels about this with false bravado and the fact that that facet of his personality, at least, hasn’t changed makes Caroline feel a bit better about this whole situation. “Where is your shirt, Tyler?” she deflects, folding her arms over her chest.
“Ripped to shreds over there somewhere.” He waves his hand around in a nonspecific direction. “Didn’t really have enough warning to get it off before I went all wolfy. The jeans survived somehow, and hey-- now I don’t have to pay for the distressed look.”
She’s trying to think up some sort of response to that but really all she wants to do is hug him and make sure that he’s actually okay and not just pretending to be okay. Or maybe sock him in the gut. Instead, Caroline lifts a hand to push his hair out of the way so that she can examine a small cut on the side of his head.
“This doesn’t seem too deep. You look better than you did after last time, at least,” she offers, trying a smile. Tyler’s hand moves to cover hers, and his eyes get all serious and suddenly Caroline can’t breathe (which is stupid, she’s a vampire, why the hell does it matter if she can’t breathe? It’s not like she needs to).
“Care. That was stupid, last night. You can’t keep putting yourself this close to me.”
“I’ve told you already, Tyler. More than once. If you’re here, on the full, I’m not leaving you. You won’t hurt me,” she says quietly, and although it’s less convinced sounding than the last time she’d said it to him (that night in the forest with Jules and the other wolves had damaged her trust in him-- damaged, but thankfully not broken, mostly) she still means it.
He’s leaning in, and Caroline turns her head at the last minute so that his lips barely catch her cheek. Tyler’s long, low sigh tells her he knows exactly why. The reason himself makes his appearance a moment later.
“Caroline?” he calls, still down in the cellar. She takes several steps away from Tyler, telling herself that it is because she’s trying to get closer to the tomb so that Matt can hear her.
“We’re up here, Matt. Everything’s fine.” She doesn’t know what time it is; it’s early, obviously, given the dim light, but it’s also late enough that Tyler has already transformed back. Briefly she wonders if her cell phone is working and her hand slides into her pocket; then she remembers it’s probably in her car where she left it before dashing into the Grill to see Matt the day before.
He comes up the stairs into the early morning sunlight, expression unsure. It quickly changes to slightly amused confusion.
“Dude, where’s your shirt?”
Tyler shrugs. “Dead.”
Matt nods slowly. “Hey, better the shirt than me and Care.”
“Basically.”
Matt slides his arm around her waist, a bit more proprietary than usual, and Caroline feels that shortness of breath again. Immediately hates herself for feeling it for both of them. Confusion is one of Caroline Forbes’ most despised feelings, especially emotional confusion.
“So, we should probably head into town. See if we can get in touch with Elena or Stefan or someone,” Caroline suggests quickly. Something else she hates is not knowing. If the ritual had gone off somehow and Elena was...no. She wouldn’t let herself think it. Damon had seemed rather determined not to let it happen, and if Damon was anything he was doggedly persistent to the point of making other people want to kill him.
“My car’s on the edge of the woods by the tomb. Here,” Matt’s saying, tugging one of his shirts off and tossing it to Tyler. “I’m not all super-buff like you so it might be a little tight, but then I doubt you’ll have much of a problem with that.”
Tyler rolls his eyes, and Caroline just watches. Not Tyler. Matt. Thank God for layering, she thinks, keeping her eyes averted. Now she won’t have to tell herself not to ogle.
“So...you do that every month?” Matt asks a bit awkwardly, shoving his hands in his pockets as they begin to walk in the direction of the tomb.
“Looks that way.”
“By yourself?”
“Preferably. Caroline won’t keep her nose out of it, though. She insists on being around when it happens, even though it’s dangerous.”
“Oh, fuck you, Lockwood. I care, okay? Sue me.” She stomps off ahead of them and to the side a little ways, out of range so she isn’t tempted to kick his ass.
The boys exchange glances, then Matt gets back to his interrogation.
“Do you just run around like that? I mean, shit, man, that’s dangerous.”
Tyler scrubs a hand over his face, sighing again. “Yeah, no. That was a fluke. The cellar you guys were in last night? I was chained up in it last month. Kept me in there, so I wouldn’t get out and hurt anyone.”
Matt’s brow furrows a little, and as Caroline turns her head to watch them from the corner of her eye she can’t really read his expression. She drops back the tiniest bit so that she’s in line with them again, insinuating herself in the middle.
“So...Caroline chained you up?”
“Yep.”
It’s completely silent for a long moment. Then Caroline chances a look at Matt.
He’s laughing.
“Didn’t realize you were into such kinky stuff, Care.”
“Oh, fuck you too. It was necessary, okay?”
“I mean, if that’s what you like...not into it myself, but you guys clearly have this kinda sexual tension thing going on, so...”
“Hey, I get it if you’re not cool with that. She’s your girlfriend. But I would like to point out-- threesomes solve anything,” Tyler offers. He’s laughing at her too. Bastard.
“Sorry, man, you’re not my type.”
“Ah, damn.”
“I hate you both. I hate you both so much right now.”
This tentative peace won’t last long, Caroline knows. There’s too much between all of them, too much in the way. It will inevitably be destroyed once they’re with everyone else again, once they know all that has happened.
But damn it, she’s going to enjoy it while it lasts.