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faketextstuff · 6 years

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The Arrangement pt6

Summary:: You’ve never imagined yourself being a sugar baby but because of some playful friends and a stroke of luck, you find yourself with a man who is apparently willing to give you the moon and stars. The only problem is, no strings attached. Don’t catch feelings, don’t fall for a man who thinks money can solve all your issues and doesn’t want commitment.

Warnings:: SEXUAL TENSION!!!!!

Pairing:: Yoongi x Reader

A/N:: I’m sorry for the lack of updates and please forgive typos. I did this on my phone. I gave yall a little treat at the end for being so sweet and waiting on me! <3 Love ya’ll and please let me know what you think about this chapter!

Today had been a whirlwind! One moment you're at work quitting your job and now you're standing in front of a huge full length mirror dressed in a very beautiful cocktail dress from none other than the Gucci store.

"Hmm.." the voice from behind you hummed out in though as a tall figure stalked around you, eying the way the dress hung to the right curves of your body and flattered all of your assets perfectly. "This is nice but it doesn't pop as much as it could." That voice belonged to none other than world known fashion designer Kim Taehyung.

Today had been like a dream. Shopping with a famous fashion designer after the two of you took in an afternoon at a high class spa getting massages and pampered. You were completely surprised at how easy Taehyung was to talk to. He was very childlike and had an aura of innocence that warmed your heart. However right now he was in complete work mode, his face was stern and his expression unreadable as he made try on dress after dress. The red dress was too loose. The navy blue one was ugly, the purple one didnt compliment your skin tone, the white one made you look too young. Dress after dress he nixed until now.

You felt beautiful in the black cocktail dress and somehow felt confident. "I like this one though." You muttered out, almost scared of what Taehyung's response would be.

He fell silent for a moment before stepping around in front of you. "I see you're not one for flashy dresses?" He smiled warmly before reaching out to smooth out the dress. "I suppose this one will pass once we doll you up with some simple jewelry and some nice heels."

You felt a wave of relief wash over you that he didnt criticize your opinion. "Do I really need jewelry?"

For a moment, Taehyung looked offended. "Of course! You're going out with the boss, you need to look as good as possible on his arm. You want people to look at you with jealously and awe."

"I dont care what others think of me, I just dont want to embarrass Yoongi." You answered honestly while doing a twirl in front of the mirror.

Taehyung smiled watching you and with a playful sigh nodded his head. "Fine, but I'm still going to do your hair and makeup. I was told to make sure you get the five star pamper treatment."

"Fine, who am I to deny Kim Taehyung a makeover opportunity." You chuckled softly.

"I have a new doll!" Taehyung squealed excitedly and glanced over towards the sales rep that had been assisting you both the whole day. "We'll take this dress, we need heels to match and we will wear them out." His tone switched from playful to business in 0.2 seconds when talking to the rep. You could tell how serious he was about this and it was kind of exciting for you to witness.

You felt a bit uneasy about using Yoongi's card to pay for such an expensive dress but you didnt have the funds to pay for such a dress and shoes. In your mind you began putting together ideas on how you could pay him back for all the kindness he had been showing you today. He had said it was part of the sugar baby contract but you still felt uneasy about receiving all this treatment. You swiped the card with an uneasy expression which caused Taehyung to giggle softly from beside you.

"Not used to spending so much?" He asked watching your brow crease as you signed the receipt.

"That obvious?" You chuckled as the clerk handed you a bag full of the clothes and shoes you had worn in.

"A bit. Dont show that in front of Boss or he'll just spoil you even more. To be honest you're the first on I've ever seen hesitate so much using his credit card. Most of the others swiped it so much I was surprised the card didnt burst into flames."

You chuckled as Taehyung grabbed the bag from you and began escorting you out of the store. "I'm not one of those girls. I never had a lot growing up so I dont think I'll ever get used to spending this kind of money."

"You're definitely different from the others but that's a good thing. I think you're what Boss needs right now. Hes under a lot of stress so I think you will be a breath of fresh air for him." Taehyung nodded opening the door for you.

The moment you stepped out you were blinded by a storm of bright flashing lights. "There she is! Are you Y/F/N?" You almost stumbled back as a group of reporters and photographers surrounded you.

"What is your relationship with Min Yoongi?"

"Is it true you are dating?"

"How did you meet?"

"If you are dating him, why are you out with Kim Taehyung?"

Question after question was more or less screamed into your face. You only stood there like a deer in headlights as you ducked your head to avoid the assault of flashing lights. You were about to run back into the store but Taehyung wrapped a protective arm around you and placed his hand in front of your face.

"Y/N, this way." Taehyung yelled over the crowd and began pulling you through the crowd and quickly down the street. This action sent the reporters into a frenzy and they didnt hesitate to begin chasing you down the street. Taehyung grabbed your hand and you two more or less took off into a sprint. You stumbled a bit in the new heels but you kept up with him as best you could.

As you both rounded the corner, a black SUV pulled up next to you, the window rolled down and you glanced over at the driver and saw a young handsome guy driving. "Get in!" He called as he pulled to an abrupt stop. You hesitated but Taehyung flung the back door open and quickly ushered you inside.

You slid across the plush seats as Taehyung jumped in beside you and slammed the door shut. "Go Jungkook!" He called as the reporters still tried to snap pictures of the both of you. You recognized the name Jungkook as one of the names Jimin had put into your phone. He was one of Yoongi's bodyguards.

You were panting harshly as Jungkook sped off down the street, leaving the reporters behind. "Fuckin' vultures." Jungkook growled glancing in the rear-view mirror. "Are ya'll alright? I came as soon as I heard reporters were scouting the store."

"How did they know where we were so fast?!" Taehyung panted, leaning back in his seat.

"How do you think? That cockroach has Y/N being tailed."

You felt your blood run cold as you remembered the encounter earlier at your former job. The snobby woman's face popping into your head. "Caroline?" You asked glancing over yo Taehyung.

Both men fell silent and exchanged quick glances. "Yoongi told me about her today. Let's just say I've already met her." You forced a small chuckle and glanced down at your newly painted nails. "She seemed 'lovely'." You muttered, voice laced with sarcasm.

Jungkook chuckled and turned his gaze back to the road. "Yeah. So lovely." He snorted before shaking his head. "You'll need to be extra careful. She definitely has it out for you. She has it out for anyone who gets close to Yoongi. Once he hears about this he's going to lose his shit."

Taehyung sighed and rubbed his face roughly. "The sooner we find her the sooner we can keep her away from him and you. I wonder why she chose now to come crawling back from whatever hole she had been hiding in?"

"Because there's a chance for Yoongi to be happy. Happy without her. She cant stand that." Jungkook answered his friend while glancing back at you.

"I feel like I'm going to cause Yoongi a lot of stress." You spoke shyly, for a moment you began to question your whole contract relationship with the powerful CEO.

"He can handle stress. He's more worried about her getting to you rather than anything else. Please give it a chance." Taehyung reached over and placed his hand over yours.

You chuckled and shook your head. "I really like Yoongi, so if she comes for me, I wont go down without a fight." You spoke with confidence but you weren't sure if you were talking to yourself or the two men in the car with you.

Jungkook chuckled and turned the SUV into the safety of the company parking lot. "Keep that fighting spirit. But," he paused after he parked the car, his body turning in the seat so he could face you, "until we get this sorted, I'm going to be sticking around you. Acting as a bodyguard. I usually stay with Yoongi but I think it's better I watch over you."

Taehyung chuckled and cocked his head to the side. "You're gonna make Hobi jealous by spending so much time with my dress up doll." He teased with the same playful tone he had with Jimin earlier. You automatically knew Hobi was Hoseok's street name. Hardly anyone called him by his birth name.

You smirked as a red tint began to bloom over Jungkook's handsome features. "So you and Hobi....?" You asked before your mouth could stop you.

This question made Jungkook turn an even brighter shade of red. "So what if we are?" He asked defensively. Same sex couples were still a taboo thing around this city, most were met with disgust and looked down upon.

You giggled and shrugged. "Who cares if you are? I think you two are cute. I didnt get to talk to Hobi much but he seemed like a nice guy. Plus he stood up for me. I already like him, and you just saved our asses back there with those reporters, you two seem like quite the hero types."

You saw the tension leave Jungkook's body. "T-Thanks." He blushed a bit deeper. "We should go in and tell Yoongi about today."

"Isnt he in a meeting? I dont want to disturb his work." You shook your head. "I can just go up to his penthouse until he's finished. I dont want to stress him out anymore than he already is."

"As you wish." Jungkook smiled, in his mind he was already growing a strong liking for you in the fact you didnt feel like stressing his boss out, and how considerate you were being for his work. "I'll take you up, Tae, you have somewhere to be?" He asked with an arched brow as all three of you climbed out of the car. Jungkook knew better than to keep this from Yoongi. He knew his boss, he knew that he'd have to get on the media and start trying to protect your privacy and make sure the tabloids didnt post the pictures from today and start rumors.

"Yup! Got a meeting." Taehyung nodded as he handed you back your bag of clothes. He knew he had to go right up to Yoongi and report what happened unless he faced his bosses wrath. "I'll leave you with Kookie. I had fun today. I cant wait until we can go shopping again. I have so many beautiful clothes I'd love to dress you up in, little doll." He teased with a large boxy grin before bowing and waving you and the younger man off as Jungkook lead you back up to the penthouse.

- ----------

The rest of the day ticked by slowly, you and Jungkook both ordered some Thai food for lunch and had spent the afternoon exchanging stories from your past and laughing at odd jokes. You were glad Jungkook stuck around with you for the day, you knew you'd be bored out of your mind if you had to stay alone in such a large and new place. Jungkook's boyish personality and easy going nature made him extremely easy to get along with. In fact, it was hard not to adore his bunny like grin and laugh at his playful sense of humor. He definitely wasn't what you'd picture as a professional body guard.

"So how did you meet Yoongi?" You asked, your legs laid out across the couch and your back resting comfortably against the armrest.

"I met him when I was a teenager. I came here to originally be a photographer. I used to do a lot of freelance work for local musicians and bars around town." Jungkook began, a small grin tugging to his lips. "One day I was at this underground club where local rappers would go and have battles. He was the reigning champion of the underground back then. I got some good photos but I just remember being in awe at how easily he could put words and rhymes together. Almost like his brain was some kind of computer. Well, long story short one day these guys started to cause a bit of a scene after being kicked out of the battle and they went right for him. I ended up taking a few blows for him and the rest is history. I stuck my neck out for him and thanks to my photos of the event they were able to arrest the guys and Yoongi wasn't seriously hurt. He yelled at me for being reckless and fighting for him when I didnt even know him. After that we kept in touch and I started working for him and he helped fund my photography dream."

Jaw slightly slacked, you found yourself drawn in by Jungkooks short story. "Wow. That's really something, sticking your neck out for a guy you didnt know. You must be really brave."

“Or really stupid.” Jungkook chuckled. “Each one of us that Yoongi keeps close all have our own reasons for following him and will not hesitate to do what he asks. We all met him in a sort of time of need but he got us through. He may seem cold and distant on the outside but he has a big heart and really does enjoy helping people.”

You felt your heart warm and an unknown feeling begin to blossom inside of you as the man in front of you spoke. Every impression you had of Yoongi after you first met was nothing more than pure interest. You were wary about his motives with the contract but the man did go out of his way to make you feel at easy and be comfortable with contract you signed. Hell, he even said he’d not touch you sexually unless you wanted it. How many other men who were shelling out thousands for a girl would allow a no sex clause in their contract? Most men you had gone out with before expected something after they bought you a nice dinner, but not Yoongi. He had been nothing but a gentleman and even came to your rescue when you quit your job, also going out of his way to make sure Caroline didnt hurt you.

As you fell into thought you didnt even hear the door open from behind where you were sitting. It wasn’t until Jungkook stood up and smiled did you break away from your mind. “Welcome back boss, how did the meeting go?”

“Horrible.” At the sound of Yoongi’s voice, you jumped up, hand smoothing out your new dress before turning to face him with a soft smile. To your dismay, he acted like he didn’t even notice you as he took off his suit coat and tossed it lazily across the nearest chair. “The assholes kept trying to back out of the deal and I’m going to be up all night working on new proposal for them.” Tension was evident in his voice.

For a moment you almost felt sad he hadn’t noticed you or his dolled up you were right now, but after listening to his words you felt awful and guilty. The man had a rough day and here you were thinking about a dress! You were never one to put your own selfish needs first, and you never would be. “Is there anything I can do to help you?” You asked, concern lacing your voice and expression.

It was the moment he heard your voice that his head shot up towards you, his eyes widened slightly as he finally got a look at all of Taehyung’s hard work. He let his eyes shamelessly wander down the length of the dress, his eyes lingering in delight at the exposed legs that were on display for him in that moment. He knew you were beautiful but damn! This was something else. You were breathtakingly beautiful in this moment. The only thing that bothered him was the worried expression etched onto your beautiful face.

“No babygirl, it wont be hard, it’s just a pain in the ass.” He smiled softly, walking around the couch towards you, his hands seizing yours in a gentle grasp. “I see you’re all ready for our date. I need to call Taehyung and thank him. You look fuckin’ beautiful.”

From the corner of your eye, you saw Jungkook flash you a grin before slowly slipping of the room. “We dont have to go out tonight if you’re busy, Yoongi.” You smiled softly, giving his hands a little squeeze.

He shook his head a few times, dismissing your request quickly. “I promised you a date and we will go on a date.” He argued with a grin. “Besides, looking as good as you are, I know you’ll want to go out and flaunt your stuff.” He teased with a small smirk.

“The only person I got this dressed up for was you.” You fired back, taking a small step towards him. A look of confusion appeared on the CEO’s face. “I dont care if the world sees me in this dress, you saw me in it and that’s good enough. I can still wear it while cooking us a nice homemade dinner and I know for a fact I can still wear it while sitting with you on this couch while you work.”

Your words seemed to stun the man in front of you. Though his face was nearly unreadable, his eyes were full of conflict and confusion. “You’d cook for me?” He asked in a small voice.

Your brow shot up for a moment, had no one ever cooked for him? What did he eat? Did he eat or was he all work and play. “Of course. How long has it been since you had a home cooked meal?”

Yoongi fell silent for a moment before pulling back to rub the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. “Not since I lived at home with my parents.”

Unable to stop the shocked expression from forming on your face, you quickly shook your head. “That settles it. We can go out another day, I’m cooking for you tonight so you can stay home and relax while you work. I just need to run to the store and get the things for dinner. I saw market at the end of the block. I can run down there and be back before you know it.” You rambled while reaching for your phone and wallet.

Before you could even grab the items, Yoongi’s hand reached out to grab yours and stop you. “Are you crazy?!” He nearly shouted, pulling your body back towards his. You stumbled a bit and fell into his chest, a shocked expression forming on your face. This was the first time you had heard him speak in a raised voice. “After what happened today at your work and the store, you really think I’d let you go out there unprotected?” He lowered his tone, upon seeing your reaction to his outburst. He released your hands and quickly wrapped his arms around your waist, hugging you tightly against his body.

At that moment, you swore he could feel your heartbeat through your chest, your nostrils filling with his scent. The cologne he was wearing nearly making you weak kneed from how good he smelt. “T-Taehyung told you about that, didnt he?”

Yoongi nodded, his arms tightening a bit around you, hugging you deeper into his chest. “Yes. Please, babygirl, dont ever keep things like this from me. I know you didnt want yo stress me out, but hiding these kinds of things from me really make me angry. What if I’m not around, or anyone of my guys, and she shows up? She’s not just a jealous former fling. She’s dangerous! What if something happens to you and I’m not there to help you? I pulled you into this life, at least let me protect you while you’re mine.”

Much to your surprise, he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against yours, his eyes locking intensely on yours. You could see the stress and worry swimming in his dark eyes and you instantly felt bad about hiding today from him, or wanting too. “I promise, I wont hide anything from you.” Unable to stop yourself, you brought your hands up and placed them on either side of his face. “I just dont want to bother you. I know you’re so busy.”

“I’m a busy man, Y/N, but I’m never too busy for you.” His words sent your heart into a beating rampage! You could almost feel the nervous sweat begin to form on the back of your neck. That strong desire to kill him ranging through you until your body almost ached with desire. What was he doing to you?! How did a man you hardly knew hold such power over you?

“D-Did you want to go with me to the store?” You asked timidly, unable to blink or pull away as he stared back into your eyes, almost feeling as if he was staring deep into your soul.

“Yes…” he muttered softly, the heat from your body setting his on fire. He didnt think it would be this hard to resist you for seven days, but dammit if he wasn’t struggling with the urge to throw you down on the couch and have his wicked way with you. The fact you were willing to cook for him and go out of your way and put yourself in danger for him was playing tricks on his tightly guarded heart! He was sure if he could just destroy this sexual tension between you two that he wouldn’t be this frustrated and you wouldn’t have this effect on him. “I should go change so we can go and get back…”

“Yeah…” you nodded, your voice nothing but a soft breath. Silence fell between you two for a few minutes and neither one of you made an effort to move. Your eyes were intensely locked onto his and your fingers stroked the soft skin of his face.

After a few more moments of longing gazes and heaving breathing, Yoongi reluctantly pulled back from your grasp, leaving you feeling oddly cold and lonely. “I’ll be quick.” He muttered before turning his back and making his way slowly towards his room.

As you watched him walk away, you felt almost pained. You wanted to be back in his arms again, to finally feel his lips against yours. As he reached the long hallway you couldn’t stop yourself from calling out to him. “Hey,” your voice louder than you had expected, causing him to stop and quickly turn to face you. “The contract didnt mention anything about just kissing, right? Just things below the waist..because I’m okay with kissing if you–…”

The words barely were able to leave your mouth before you were swept back up in Yoongi’s arms, he must have rushed back to you before you could register his movements and your words were cut short but his soft lips pressing eagerly to yours. Your arms instantly wrapped around his neck and his arms were back around your waist, hugging you tightly against his body. Clearly kissing was a common ground and not specified in the contract and you both could agree a few intense kisses would be okay……right?

#bts scenarios #bts angst #bts suga x reader #bts sugar daddy au #bts fanfic #bts fanfction #bts smut #sugadaddy fic

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nellie-elizabeth · 7 years

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The Vampire Diaries: I Was Feeling Epic (8x16)

I cried so much, you guys. So much. I don't even care that that was the cheesiest effing thing I've ever seen in my life. I cried a lot. I can't. I fucking cannot. I feel emotionally manipulated but I'm just letting it sink all over me. This is just a teen soap. This is one of the first shows I ever got emotionally invested in. I can't believe they did what they did. I can't believe I cried SO. MUCH.

Cons:

I don't know, man, I would have liked to see Jeremy and Elena interact a bit at the end? They got the actor playing Jeremy to appear for like 0.2 seconds. Couldn't they have had them reunite? The whole thing was a sob-and-cheese-fest, and that was one moment that I missed out on seeing.

The only thing that got a LITTLE too cheesy was Enzo and Bonnie. I felt like we got a good scene of Enzo being Bonnie's cheesy little spirit guide in the last episode, and then when he kept popping up it felt a little bit like overkill? But that might be because this episode was so teeth-rotting in its cheesiness that the Enzo stuff was what pushed it over the edge? I don't know. Small complaint.

The other thing is this: virtually every itty bitty little thing about the last ten minutes of this episode made me cry. A lot. Like, a lot, a lot. With one exception: Matt and his family still didn't feel like they got a proper place in the story. Matt said a bit in his voice-over part about Vicky finding peace, or whatever, and we even see that Tyler found peace too, but all the stuff about Vicky and her estranged father reuniting, and Vicky continuing to ring the bell to save herself from Hell... it was all soooo much less important to me as a viewer than I think it was meant to be. It's not like I hated it, but I just didn't care all that much in the face of all the other stuff. I wish we could have seen Matt and Elena share a moment, or Matt and Caroline, or Matt and Bonnie. Really, if we had just seen Matt have one moment of connection with the rest of the gang, that would have been nice.

Oh, and since I'm wishing, the most important relationships got a lot of really juicy and sappy screen time. Stefan and Damon took the cake, which, just, thank you. And Caroline and Stefan got a lot of good stuff, and we got to see Damon and Elena's epic reunion. Then there's all the ending moments which had me sobbing inconsolably. But you know who didn't get any time? Bonnie and Damon. Also, Alaric and Damon. Two friendships that were such a big part of this show, and they weren't even really referenced. I feel like we didn't get to see Ric and Damon get closure after all the stuff that went down. Probably a small, pedantic point in the grand scheme of things, and since we flashed forward over the human characters' long lives, I'm sure Damon and Bonnie became closer than ever, and I'm sure Damon and Ric bonded over the Salvatore boarding school. But some small visual reference to this sure would have been a treat.

Pros:

The plot is... complicated. But I don't even really want to go into it all that much. I just want to talk about the characters and say goodbye to them. Suffice it to say, the gang finds a way to defeat Katherine's evil plan to destroy Mystic Falls. It involves Bonnie doing some hella impressive magic, and then it involves Stefan sacrificing his life to make sure that Katherine, and Hell with her, are destroyed for good. Bonnie wakes Elena up using her newfound intense witchy magics, and Elena and Damon grow old together - did I mention, Stefan managed to pass Damon the cure just before he died? We get lots of cheesy montages showing how Bonnie traveled the world to keep her promise to Enzo, Caroline and Alaric helped open the school for gifted children, and Caroline got a large donation from a certain Original we all love to hate to love, and Elena went to medical school and then came back to Mystic Falls. She and Damon lived a long life, and then we get to see that when they died they reunited with their families. Elena sees her mom and dad, her Aunt Jenna, and even her biological father. And Damon, against all he believed about his own afterlife destiny, got to reunite with his little brother. We close on a shot of Damon and Stefan embracing.

I'm. Emotionally. Compromised.

I mean, where to even start? I guess let's start with Alaric, Caroline, and the girls. I love that Ric puts the girls first and doesn't even hesitate to get out of Mystic Falls when the danger starts. Alaric got one of the least significant roles in this finale, but I think it was fitting in that he's spinning off to The Originals, so this didn't have to feel like a goodbye to his character. I love that he gets Caroline away from the situation, and I love that he's the one to tell her the devastating news about Stefan. Ric is honestly such a good guy.

I'll have more to say about Caroline in a minute, but let's turn to Bonnie. As this episode starts, we see her "die" for a moment, and actually reunite with Elena in some sort of afterlife. Elena is devastated, because Bonnie isn't supposed to be dead yet. With Enzo's help, Bonnie decides to live, and she wakes up to a very relieved Caroline and Stefan, who had been trying to revive her. From here, Bonnie is the one to come up with the plan to destroy Hell and defeat Katherine. Stefan makes his sacrifice, but Bonnie is the one who has to be a bad-ass. She uses her newly found powers to redirect the hellfire that Vicky released, syphoning it through the tunnels to the Armory. She then uses her power to hold the wall of flames back. Just as it seems she's not strong enough, Enzo shows up to encourage her. She finds that her Gran is with her, and then the rest of the Bennett witches.

There was something so powerful and heartwarming about watching this incredible, strong black woman and all of her black female ancestors stand together to defeat the evil. The magic on this show might be hokey, but the fact that Bonnie gets to save the world at the end is just such a fitting way for her character to finish her run on this show. I'd also just like to thank the creators of this show for not killing Bonnie. There were about three moments in this episode where I thought she was going to die so that Elena could finally wake up, but no. She lives. She gets to live the long and happy life that she has always deserved. Sure, she lost Enzo. But she gets to keep him with her always, in a way. She gets to be happy, and content, and powerful as all hell. I think back over the treatment of Bonnie on this show, and I'm just so grateful that it ended the way it did.

And then let's take a break from all the warm feelings to talk about my queen Katherine Pierce, who came back to sass it up one final time. We actually get a fake-out here, where the Elena/Damon reunion we saw in the promos is actually Katherine up to her old tricks again. I love the moment when Damon is hugging "Elena," then suddenly realization strikes, and he just unceremoniously drops her. She says "rude," in that perfect Katherine tone of voice. Her snark is the thing of legends. It was so fun to get Nina Dobrev back as both Katherine and Elena. She really is such a talented actress. It's hard to believe she stepped out of these roles two years ago, because her return felt so seamless. The show did a really smart thing in not spending too much time with either Elena or Katherine. They made their presence felt in a really big way, but they didn't overshadow the other characters.

Let's talk Stefan and Damon. They get into yet another argument about who's going to sacrifice themselves to destroy Hell, and it's just everything one could hope for. We get lines like this:

Stefan: "you have quite literally an eternity with Elena ahead of you." Damon: "which means a lot less without you!"

Damon: "I love you, little brother." Stefan: "I love you too."

Damon: "I am the big brother. I'm sorry I wasn't better at it until now."

And we get Stefan saying that although he doesn't want to leave Caroline, he has to do this for Damon. In the two centuries since Stefan forced Damon to become a vampire, he's wanted him to become a person who deserved happiness. And now he has, and Damon is going to get to live that life. He's going to get that happiness.

Stefan: "Let me do this for you." Damon: "No." Stefan: "Then let me do this for me."

It was at this devastating point that I knew Stefan was going to be the one to die, but they do trick us one last time. Damon compels Stefan to leave the cavern, leaving Damon to finish things with Katherine and the hellfire. Of course, Stefan had been taking vervaine since becoming human. He shows up, sticks Damon with his blood, thus giving him the cure, and kills Katherine, sending her to Hell so that she, and it, are destroyed with hellfire. Stefan Salvatore is dead.

I'm... I can't explain what this scene was like. Damon and Stefan both crying, their voices cracking... it was the most emotional performance from Ian and Paul of the entire show, and it worked wonders. And the sappy sadness does not stop there.

Elena's first appearance with Bonnie in the afterworld place sets up Stefan's death really nicely. Elena appears to "wake up" at the high school, where Katherine had trapped her, and she comes out into the hallway, bumping in to Stefan the very same way she does in the first episode of the show. And then Stefan explains what happened. He tells her that Damon wanted to sacrifice his life, but that Stefan wouldn't let him. We realize that Stefan is dead. He hugs Elena, and asks her to deliver a message when she finally wakes up. Stefan says it was really good to see Elena. This scene makes me really emotional. It manages to capture the nostalgia for the early days of the show, without sucking us back into the Elena/Stefan romance. These two are really important to each other, and it was touching to see them share this final moment.

Of course, then Stefan goes outside, and... Lexi is waiting for him. They hug, and Stefan lifts her off the ground and spins her around. I'm. I can't believe it. Lexi. I love this character so much. Stefan had to leave behind Caroline. He had to leave behind his brother, even if he hopes he'll be able to see him again someday. But he gets Lexi. He gets to see his best friend again. I can't believe how emotional this made me.

I said I'd be pissed if Stefan was the one to die in the finale, but when it happened it felt right. It felt like he'd already started to die the minute he was turned human, and this way we get to see him redeem himself for all his crap, and he actually gets peace. We also don't have to contemplate Caroline, the Only Vampire Left spending 60-some-odd years with an aging husband. Instead, we get to say a real goodbye to Stefan, and we get to see him giving a real goodbye to Elena, a real goodbye to Caroline, and a real reunion with his big brother, the most important person in the world to him.

Let's turn back to Caroline for a moment. She promises Ric that she'll survive this whole hellfire thing so she won't leave her daughters without a mother. When Elena is trapped in Mystic Falls, Stefan has to stay behind to try and convince Damon to leave without her, even knowing it's probably a lost cause. Caroline and Stefan have to say goodbye, and it's pretty heartbreaking. They just got married, and yet the situation demands they part. Caroline has to be there for her daughters, and Stefan has to be there for Damon. As Caroline, Ric, and the girls flee, Alaric breaks the news to Caroline that Stefan and Bonnie have a plan that involves Stefan sacrificing his life.

This is where my heart is just completely ripped out of its chest. Caroline gets out of the car and she calls Stefan, leaving him a message. She tells him that she understands. She tells him that she'll love him forever, but that she understands. I don't think I can underscore what a big, huge deal that is. Caroline and Stefan have always had this very selfless love. Stefan has always been the selfless one. He was willing to let Elena die when she and Matt went over the bridge in the car, and now we see that Caroline is willing to let Stefan die to help save Mystic Falls, and Damon and Elena's future. There's something so depressing about realizing that Caroline is the last vampire left, but it also feels so right. She's the only one of these people who was good at being a vampire. She was supposed to be a vampire. And she's brave enough to say goodbye to the people she loves. She's brave and strong enough to let Stefan go, and carry him in her heart forever. I'm just so emotional about this.

So then we get Bonnie, in her awesomeness, waking Elena up by breaking the spell. I don't know why I never thought of that as a possibility, and despite the deus ex machina-ish aspect of it all, I really don't give a shit. Bonnie is just the best, okay? She could do anything and I'd buy it. There's something so powerful and wonderful about Bonnie being the one to save Elena. These two besties were there at the beginning of all of this mess, and now they actually get to grow old and be in each other's lives. Once again, I'm super emotional. They hug in joy at seeing one another again, and then pull back, each with grief in their eyes. Elena doesn't even have to say anything to let Bonnie know she's aware Stefan is dead. She just says: "where is he?" and Bonnie says: "with Caroline. Saying goodbye."

And we get another amazing scene with Caroline and Damon. The two of them stand at Stefan's memorial in the Salvatore crypt, and Caroline says she knows they will see Stefan again someday. Damon says he's sure Caroline will, but he's destined for the other place. Caroline encourages him, and the two stand there together, remembering Stefan, holding each other. These two just... I mean, Caroline is a saint. As I think I mentioned above. I love that they can stand there and be united in their love for Stefan, even as Damon knows he'll be living out a human life, while Caroline still has a long eternity stretched in front of her.

Of course, we get some slow-motion reunion stuff with Elena and Damon, as they share their first kiss as two humans who are going to spend their lives together. I love it. It's cheesy, it's overwrought, but who cares. We see Elena passing Stefan's message on to Caroline. He got her message about understanding, and says he'll love her forever, too. We see the gang at Stefan's funeral. And then we transition into our final montage.

The ending montage turns back to one of The Vampire Diaries' least consistent story elements: the diary thing. In voiceovers, we hear how everybody's lives shake out, and we see everybody being watched over by their departed loved ones. It's the cheesiest thing in the world, but... I don't give a damn.

Matt gets a bench made in his honor, and continues as the sheriff of Mystic Falls. He sees Vicky and Tyler watching over him, both at peace.

Bonnie is going to travel the world, the voice of her love Enzo there to help her through the rough moments. She's determined to live her life to the fullest.

Alaric has my favorite of the little voiceover lines, since it made me laugh and cry at the same time: "Caroline and I got what Damon decided was Stefan's last wish," that is, funds to open the Salvatore Boarding School for gifted children. We see Jo watching over Ric and the girls as they play and goof off, and we see that setting up the school requires help from some old friends, and that Dorian and Jeremy are both enlisted to help.

Okay, and back to Caroline. This episode so brilliantly set us up for a world in which every character we love and care for is either dead, or is human, which in this finale means you get to grow old and die. We can assume that Bonnie, Alaric, Jeremy, Matt, and of course Damon and Elena all live long and happy lives and die peaceful at an old age. So where does that leave Caroline? I was so curious in the buildup to this last episode as to how they were going to reconcile all the different characters and their various states of mortality. So, what do they do? They set Caroline up for future happiness in the best way imaginable.

We see her working hard to make the school great, to make her mother proud. We see Liz watching over Caroline. And then we see that Caroline has gotten a note from... Klaus. He donates an obscene amount of money to the school, and basically implies that he wants to be a part of her life once more, "however long it takes." This is great. We take Caroline, the only immortal left, and spin her off into future potential happiness. She'll always love Stefan, but that doesn't mean that she and Klaus can't be a thing. I'm a happy camper.

Elena gets the last voiceover portion. We see her writing in her diary at her parents' grave, within sight of the Salvatore crypt. She writes about her crazy, wonderful life. She went to med school, then back to Mystic Falls. She's truly happy with Damon. She says that she owes it all to Stefan, since when she met him, she was dead inside, and he brought her back to life. I mean, I'm tearing up just writing about it. Elena says that she knows Damon is still worried he'll never see his brother again, but Elena knows he's wrong. They live a long life, and we see that Elena finally dies, and gets to have peace - she gets to find her family again. Her mother. Her father. Aunt Jenna. John. I really want to praise Nina Dobrev's acting in this moment, because all of the cheesy hugs and the music swelling and all that would have been a hard pill to swallow if the performance hadn't been genuine. Elena is so happy and blissful to be with her family again, and it's honestly just the perfect resolution for her character.

I thought they were going to close on Elena hugging her whole family, (sans Jeremy, who I guess outlives Elena. That's a good sign!) and I would have been happy with that. I mean, it was Elena's show, right? But no.

They give us the thing. They give us the ending that I didn't hope to dream of. After living a long human life with Elena, when Damon dies he gets to go to the afterlife. And in the afterlife he goes to the Salvatore mansion and he gets to see his little brother again, something he worried he'd never get to do. And they hug. And that's the closing shot of The Vampire Diaries. Not Damon and Elena. Not Stefan and Elena. Not even Elena and her family. It's Stefan and Damon. They echo their words from the pilot. Stefan opens the door and says "Damon." and Damon says "hello, brother." And they just hold each other tight and it was all they were both waiting for. I can't handle this. Just... thank you.

Before I go, I guess I should say I totally understand why a lot of people hated this finale. It's sort of a cop-out way to end a show, to just show everybody in the afterlife. And a lot of people hate that Stefan died, because for some reason Damon gets absolved of his crap while Stefan has to keep feeling guilty about it right until the end. But I honestly think this whole story can be framed as being about Stefan and Damon's relationship. Stefan always loved Damon more than anything else, it just took him a while to get there. And in the moment when Damon was willing to give up his life, his future with Elena, for the sake of a little brother who was mortal anyway, Stefan knew he'd finally succeeded in getting the brother he always knew was in there. And also, this is honestly the only way I feel like Caroline gets the ending she deserves. It was always going to be difficult, ending with a couple where one was immortal and one was not. So now we get a human Damon and Elena, and an immortal Caroline ready to move on to other things, in time, while still loving Stefan forever. And Stefan gets peace. It's hard to believe, but I'm actually pretty happy with how it all shook out.

I guess this review is probably long enough, huh? I fully acknowledge that this show is a silly, campy, soap opera full of pretty people running around being gorgeous and dramatic. And I fully acknowledge that this finale was doing everything in its power to make me feel nostalgic. And I fully admit that it worked on me. I don't know, man. The stars aligned. All that sappy stuff about a promise of peace, and the reunion at the end... it was just what the doctor ordered. In short, it was a shit show. But it was a shit show that got through to me. My emotions about The Vampire Diaries are so tied up in high school, and the very beginnings of being a fan. I think this was the first drama I ever really binged, other than Gilmore Girls. But that show was ending as I was just entering high school, while with The Vampire Diaries, I started it when I was sixteen years old, and I went through college and now young adulthood still watching it. This finale managed to put a big focus on the one aspect of this show I loved the most, that of the Salvatore brothers' relationship, while also making me feel weepy and nostalgic for the beginning of my fandom days. I'm really happy with it.

This complete mess of crazy stupid awesome ridiculousness gets high marks from me.

9.5/10

The show as a whole? I feel like I should wait a few days so I can be more objective, but I'll force my way through and think about this entire mess. I still maintain that Elena Gilbert is one of TV's finest female characters. I still maintain that Nina Dobrev is a gifted actress. But those two things aren't enough to actually make this an objectively good show. At most, it's a fun show. A silly show. A teen soap. And without it, I never would have discovered the other CW content that I watch, so I have to give it props there as well. This really does feel like the end of an era. And while it wasn't always a good era, or an era with particularly high quality material, it was, in a word... epic.

7/10

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