#have experienced it but... i think this could turn into something even better.' damon's never felt this kind of love before and he doesn't

[jessmalia]

Dear Bonnie, I’m a coward. I should be saying this to your face, not writing this letter, but I know if I do you’ll talk me out of running away from all my problems. You’re gonna make me face a future without Elena and you’re gonna help make me the best man I could possibly be, the same way she did. And I’m absolutely terrified of failing you both. So, I’m leaving. Because I’d rather let you down once, than let you down for the rest of your life. And I hope it’s the happiest life. Because you, Bonnie Bennett, are an amazing woman, a mediocre crossword puzzle player and my best friend. 

With great love and respect, Damon.

[starshipsofstarlord]

“I’ve changed. Give me another chance.”

Summary-> Kai returns from Hell, realising that he has a lot of making up to do with the woman that he loves, although she doesn’t want to give him her forgiveness, he isn’t deserving of it after the destruction that he released (1.6k)

Warnings-> angst, mentions of death, loss of magic

kai parker works other tvd works main masterlist

He could feel the judgement through her eyes, it made him feel sick - guilty. There was nothing he could do take back his past actions, but he could be better for his future ones. She was always the one that claimed that he wasn’t an abomination, but now she was looking at him as though she had never thought that, as though she was like everybody else.

“Damon, how could you?” Her voice was hoarse as she squinted towards the vampire, exasperated by the situation before her very eyes. It showed that she was far past caring and had finally fallen down the hole of thinking Kai Parker was a monster. She’d been there at the wedding, she saw the destruction that he had caused, the carnage that had came from his endless chaos. There was bitterness on her tongue as she looked at him.

“Y/n, this isn’t about you and him,” it never had been, Kai thought, “we’re all trying to stop Cade. Mister lactose intolerant here included,” Damon cringed as he remembered Kai’s stomach problem in the diner, “so we might as well work together. It’s nothing personal and he’s the only one that can bring Elena back.” Of course, he had to be getting something out of it other than defeating the most dangerous enemy that they had faced.

Y/n was friends with Elena, but that had obviously never mattered to Kai, he only wanted to cause an outrage of pain, and she was the one still suffering from it. Her y/e/c eyes rolled as she crossed her arms, the only emotion boiling in her body being outrage. “And what, he’s going to be the one to turn me human again after I died along with his sister and countless others? You saved me Damon, and for that I am grateful, but this… this I’m sure as hell not.”

Kai’s eyes widened from her words, staring at her. Not only had he massacred the last of his coven and snapped the necks of vampires, but he had killed the only person he held any emotion for. It felt like he were being staked in the heart, he knew how it felt to be a witch without power, but now y/n wasn’t even that. She wasn’t a witch any longer because she had no time to heal, and she had succumbed to death with poison in her system. She’d turned, and he hadn’t even been there to hold her for her final moments.

“Y-y/n…” there was a lump within his throat, making it rather unbearable to even breathe. He had told her that she shouldn’t have gone to the wedding of Alaric and Jo, but she had never been one to listen. And then she had tried to stop him… It was all his fault, their powers collided as she grew weak, blood pouring out from the wound in her stomach from the splintered roof, and then she watched Damon kill him.

There wasn’t a single thing that he could do to make things right, he realised that. She should never have trusted him, otherwise dying from his fault wouldn’t have pained her so much. They’d been the Romeo and Juliet of the present, sneaking into the forbidden depths of romance despite the resent that her friends held towards him. And now that was over, and Kai knew that it would be a tough road to even get close to where they had once been.

“Save it heretic, there’s not a single thing that you could ever say to fix the damage that you caused. But we can all work together for the greater good.” A scoff escaped from y/n’s mouth at Damon’s words, followed by a roll of her y/e/c eyes. Damon was always so selfish, thinking of his closer circle of his brother and his lover rather than those that he called his friends. He should have understood y/n’s angry despair, he had experienced the same new bloodlust that chipped at his humanity.

But he had never experienced his entire beliefs ripped away from him; y/n’s magic was gone, and there was not a single route that she could go do to resurrect it. It had been the biggest part of who she was, and it was gone, much like how she wanted Kai to be. He’d betrayed her, broke her heart, and worst of all, caused the downfall of her existence. She had to hate him, otherwise she couldn’t stand herself for feeling anything else for him. “The greater good would be detaching his head from the rest of his body again.” She said ferociously, nostrils flaring as her breaths were laboured from her fuelled aggression.

“Ouch.” Kai muttered, feeling a pang in his heart from her words. He’d never wanted to harm her in the slightest, but for the majority of his life he had never gotten what he wanted. He wanted to beg her for forgiveness, and whilst he knew that he didn’t deserve it, he couldn’t help but allow the plea to fall from his lips. “I’ve changed. Give me another chance.” For a moment he wished he had said not a single thing as y/n sped towards him, boiling tears restrained within her eyes. She were vulnerable in his presence, Damon knew that as he stood in the background as a watcher. He wanted to intervene, to protect his friend who had become heartbroken because of this monster, but he understood that she had to do this - had to put him in his place.

“Damon, could you give us a moment?” What?! Y/n had to be delusional if she thought he would willingly leave her alone with Kai Parker, the man that had caused him to turn one of his best friends into a blood sucking creature. She’d supposed to have fulfilled the closest to a human life out of all of their friends, but all because of him she hadn’t gotten the luxury that they had all wished for. He was worried to leave her alone with Kai, she’d either fall down into the depths of her unreasonable emotions for him again, or kill him, and as much as Damon hated to admit it, they needed him at the moment.

“Are you sure?” He tried to read her eyes but she wouldn’t meet his eyes, instead her glare was directed at the heretic that had broken her heart all over again. Y/n was always and had always been one stubborn girl, she’d defended her relationship with Kai when it had first become knowledge to all of her friends, but she had always been loyal to those that cared most about her. Damon wouldn’t allow her growth after her death to be jeopardised all because of a sociopath that had feelings for her. Finally her eyes reached his, they were drenched with the pain and sorrow that her old lover had caused, and Damon finally understood that whatever she wanted to say to him or do to him was necessary. “Okay.”

Damon sent her a comforting smile, before finally and adamantly leaving the room. Kai felt a swell of hope rise in his chest when she looked at him, perhaps he could redeem himself in her eyes one final time. Kai took another dangerous step towards her, craving her personal space to be wrapped around him. “Can you ever forgive me?” His voice cracked, she had been the only person not to see him as a monster and he had messed that up to. It was the reason why a person dared not give a cat a mouse, it was life threatening, and she had died all because of him. She frowned, staring up at him with her stunning y/e/c eyes, shooting daggers into his form as though he were the enemy instead of Cade.

“Not in a million years.” She answered hun truthfully, gnawing on her lip as she held back the tears that had formed in her eyes. “It will take forever for me to ever want you back in my life, after what you did, I lost myself. You’re so damn selfish,” her hands pounded on his chest, in her attempts not to break down from the sheer anguish that his presence made her feel. “If you had just let bygones be bygones, there may have been a chance for us, but you couldn’t just let it go for once in your life, or for me. I know that I couldn’t have stopped you from killing Jo, when you set your mind to something it’s a fixation, and it doesn’t matter who gets in your way.”

“I’ll wait then.” Kai spoke seriously, daringly holding her elbows in his hands, staring honestly into her face. His eyes traced every crease that her confused frown burdened her face formed, taking in every detail even though she would never age again. “Forever will be here before I know it, and until then, I’ll do whatever you want, just to ease the pain that I have caused. I never had the intention to take anything from you, much less your reason to live, but I will try my best every day, just for you.” He should have known at the wedding that she would have entangled herself in the crossfire, and that she would have tried to stop him.

Y/n deserved so much better than the pain that he had given him, but as she had stated, he was selfish, and he needed her. He missed every fibre of her being that had tried to send him on the right track, but here they both were, monsters in their own flesh, mixed emotions moulded between them like a wall. If he’d had any sense, he would have understood that y/n’s stubbornness and loyalty had enhanced, and neither laid towards him, not after his murderous schemes. But he was adamant to change that, and fix himself into a better man for her along the way. He’d make her death have reason, so that after forever, they would have their fresh chance together.

[away-ward]

Okay, here is a mean one. How do you think the Horseman would react if anything happened to their kids, and how would that affect their relationship with each other and their significant other?

So…when I get these messages on my phone, I can really only see the first line. “Here’s a mean one…” I about had a heart attack thinking of the drama I was about to open. It was a huge sigh of relief to see this.

I think Kai it best when talking to Tavi. “Your parents wouldn’t be happy if you cracked your little skull open…Your dad wouldn’t be able to take it.” And then there was the whole kidnapping thing and murdering thing…anyway...

This is true for all of them. Each of these parents are devoted to their children. It’s not unusual for parents to find it difficult to stay together after losing a child, but I don’t think that’s the case here. All of the couples would stay together. As before, the only thing that could separate them at this point is death.

Michael, I think would become even more strict and obsessed with safety. Similar to how he was in HA with Rika – constantly wanting to know where she was, who she was with, who Kai was letting around her. Catch him implanting GPS trackers on all his remaining family and hiring security detail just to go to and from school and work.

Rika, a bit more reasonable but still sick with pain. However, they are an unusual case. Total headcanon, but considering Rika’s issues with conceiving, it’s more than likely that before they got Aaron, they had at least one miscarriage. I’m not sure if they would have told the group, but it’s possible Rika and Michael have already lost a child that they very much wanted.

Together, Michael would pull away from Rika at first. He needs to process the loss on his own and figure out which steps he needs to take to move his family forward. This is a problem, because Rika will let him pull away. At the same time, she'll try to deal with things on her own. They could risk pulling in different directions. Of all the couples, they're the ones most likely to let the death of either Aaron or Athos divide them.

Kai thinks he’s owed certain things because he came from a good home and “listened” to guidance. Losing a child would be another injustice in his eye, and he'd respond with an anger his friends hadn't ever seen before. In his view, he's worked hard for a good life, and suffered enough. That should count for something. He would lash out at his friends, probably for a while. I see a darkness settling on Kai that would never go away if he lost either of his children. He'd developing an even harder shell to get around. Think of what Michael experienced in Corrupt with him, times, like, 100.

Banks would be hard too. I see her as being very protective of her children. She’s worked so hard to get to the point she’s at where she’s happy, to have that taken way might kill something inside her. She doesn't open up with people; she doesn't want to hear pathetic attempts at sympathy, especially if the person didn't know either of her children. However, I also think she’ll find a way to stand tall. This might the area she does better than Kai, because she can at least deal with not getting everything she wants, having dealt with it all her life. Her fury is quiet, but it's there. She just swallows it better.

Together, they're stronger. While Kai is shut down with is friends and family, he is able to open up with Banks. In return, Banks doesn't see him as weak, but instead her strengthen. They talk about how they're feeling. They share memories. They hold each other. They're emotions are for them to know and not for others. Separating never even comes up in their minds.

If Kai’s anger makes him cold, Damon’s anger makes him an inferno. He’d be full of rage towards the world. In turn, he'd cling even more to what remains in his control. Damon doesn't claim to have a favorite, and while the loss of any of his children would be devastating, Ivar and Tavi are especially close to him. He might go a little insane if something happened to them. If it was one of his middle son's, still insane, but able to handle it a smidgen better.

Winter would be able to accept comfort and help from others, but her main concern would be keeping Damon from going off the rails and monitoring how her remaining children are dealing with the loss of their sibling. They are, after all, all Damon's offspring and as she has learned, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree where the Torrance's are concerned.

Together, Damon would never let Winter go. Even on their worst days, when he's angry and lashing out and she's shutting down, refusing to let him in, they work through it. Sometimes working through it is using blunt force, where they scream at each other about their loss and then end up having rough sex as a form of comfort. However, they never blame the other for what happened.

Emmy might be a little lost for a while. She'd find it difficult to focus at work, her projects would fall behind. Little things would throw her off, and she push back any comfort offered to her, shutting people out. She'll bounce back eventually, because she knows her life didn't end, and she's still has others depending on her to be a great mom. Still, a part of her might wonder of why she specifically had to deal with so much death. If she didn't have a complex already, this might give her one.

Will would have to level-up to provide both physical and moral support in ways he didn't before. He'd feel it was his duty to keep her from going overboard in her grief, while also dealing with is own. He would lean heavily on others for help, support, and comfort, and he'd do this without seeing it as a weakness.

Together, Will would struggle at first with just how hard Emmy was shutting him out, and how hard to push against her walls. In his logic, she's done this before; she knows her process, so he should let her go through her process of grief. It may even appear to others that they're at a breaking point. At times, Will might fear that he's lost her, and Emmy might momentarily give up the fight. But Will refuses to let her go and Emmy will accept him, knowing she can't push him out and survive this.

love to know your thoughts and headcanons

-Ko

[blackcatxmagic]

Copper thought he felt a sense of calmness wash over the other man, and he wondered if he was used to unpleasant customers. That was something he'd experienced himself at The Twilight Cauldron, though overall he felt like he was pretty lucky that most of his customers were polite. Smiling at the man, Copper replied, "You're very kind, but I know I'm not giving you much to go on. I know a lot about a lot of things, but this is one area where I'm lacking." He supposed this was a product of growing up with wealth. While his dads had worked hard to ensure that Copper and his siblings had grown up in a grounded sort of way, even insisting they work part time during their school years despite not having to, this was one area where they'd been lacking, perhaps because neither of them could be called handy either.

Copper noticed the man - Kai his name tag said - adjust the pencil, and he smiled at this little quirk, thinking it was kind of cute. He felt like he was lucky that the man seemed patient in addition to being kind, not to mention that Kai seemed like he genuinely wanted to help. "I've never needed a toolbox before," Copper admitted. "When I lived at home, my dads just hired people to fix things, and then my husband was always the handy one." Copper paused; he hadn't meant to mention Damon, but sometimes that happened. It made sense though: he'd been such a huge part of Copper's life for so long, and his presence lingered. Truthfully it probably always would, or at least Copper hoped so; having the ghost of his husband in his life still was better than nothing. Not wanting to sink into his despair, Copper pushed forward, explaining, "Once it was just me again, I didn't really feel like fixing anything, but I'm trying to be a better version of myself now."

Kai picked out a red toolbox, and Copper picked it up. Maybe it was silly, but he wanted to see how heavy it was. If it was too heavy, it might be overloaded with things Copper didn't really need, but too light might suggest that it didn't have enough. As it turned out, Kai's selection seemed like Goldilocks of toolboxes because it felt just right. "I'm going to be super real with you and admit I have no idea what a socket set is," Copper said with a laugh, "but it sounds important and like something I might need. And to answer your question, just like basic home repair. I'm not building something or anything major like that. I've got some loose cabinet doors, and also one of my doorknobs is coming loose. Maybe I open doors too aggressively, I don't know." The house he rented in Upper Cardinal was nice, but it was definitely lived-in.

Looking at the other man, he noticed how handsome Kai was, and that plus his kindness made Copper want to know him better. "My name is Copper," he told Kai. "I've never come in here before, so unless you've come into my shop or I've seen you around town, I don't think we've met before."

Relief washed over Kai at the customer's friendly demeanor - some folks could be prickly about needing help. His shoulders relaxed slightly as he stepped closer to examine the toolbox selection, appreciating how the other man had articulated his dilemma.

"Not making it harder at all," Kai assured him quietly, dark eyes scanning the shelves with practiced familiarity. "It's an investment. Want to get it right." He reached up to adjust the pencil behind his ear, a habitual gesture when he was thinking.

Moving with purposeful steps, Kai picked up one of the mid-range boxes, its red metal casing sturdy but not overly bulky. "This one's good for starting out," he explained, setting it on a nearby stocking bench and unlatching the clasps. "Has your basics - hammer, screwdrivers, pliers, measuring tape." His hands moved efficiently as he displayed the contents. "But also includes some extras you'll want later - level, utility knife, socket set."

He glanced up at the customer, trying to gauge his reaction. "What kind of projects are you planning? Might help narrow it down."

[hawkinsuniversity]

𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐰 𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧

pairing : katherine pierce x reader (female)

warnings : 18+ CONTENT AND VERY DIRTY

a - aftercare (what they are like after sex)

katherine would pull you into her arms and the two of you would defiantly spoon. (katherine being the big spoon & you being the little spoon.) she would also give you some of her blood (if you were human) so that you would feel better after being fed on. 

b - body part (their favourite body part of their s/o)

katherines favourite body part of yours would be your breasts. she would love to touch them in every way possible and would spend extra time focusing on them during foreplay.

c - cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

katherine would love to cum on your face, breasts or stomach. they would defiantly be her favourite places, however, she would settle to cum anywhere if she really needed to.

d - dirty secret (pretty self explanatory)

katherine would have a huge mommy kink. she would love being called mommy, however, she would also love calling her significant other mommy too.

e - experience (how experienced are they?)

she has lots of experience. her bodycount is practically as high as damons. katherine would have tried dozens of different kinks therefore she knows what she likes and what she doesn’t like. (which makes your job a whole lot easier.)

f - favourite position (what is their favourite position?)

katherine would love sixty nining. that way both of you could be satisfied at once and you would not have to take turns going down on one another or fingering each other.

g - goofy (are they goofy or more serious during sex?)

katherine would not be very goofy during sex. (however, she would be a huge tease.) katherine takes sex more seriously and she would not goof off during it.

h - hair (how well groomed are they?)

she is completely shaven down there. she keeps herself hair free at all times and she appreciates when her partner takes care of themselves down there too. (so that they are both putting in the same amount of effort for each other)

i - intimacy (how are they during the moment?)

sex with her would be very intimate. she would make sure that both of you are enjoying each other at the same time and would not want you to feel unappreciated.

j - jack off (masturbation headcanon)

katherine would practically never. she enjoys being with another person and she would basically never do it when she is alone.

k - kink (one or more of their kinks)

bondage kink. katherine would love tying you to the bed and having you at her mercy. she would defiantly also have a begging kink. she would love hearing you beg for her and listening to your whines.

l - location (where are they comfortable having sex)

anywhere. she would feel comfortable having sex with you anywhere, however, if someone were to walk in on you two she would practically rip their head off.

m - motivation (how horny are they?)

katherine would be someone who is always a little bit horny, however, she is very good at restraining herself. even though the two of you do not have sex every second of every day, you would defiantly do it at least once in the morning or before bed daily. 

n - no (something that they won’t do)

basically nothing. i think that katherine would be down for anything. threesomes, bdsm, public sex. anything.

o - oral (opinion on oral)

she would love oral, both ways. whether you are eating her out or vice versa she would be so happy.

p - pace (what pace do they go at?)

rough and fast. there would be no going slow with katherine. she would always want to be going quickly and things would be very rough and dominate.

q - quickie (are they willing to do quickies?)

she would be 100% down for a quickie anytime. it would not matter when, it would not matter where. as long as both of you are in the mood for it.

r - risk (are they willing to experiment?)

she would be down to experiment all the way. although she has pretty much tried everything, she would be willing to give things another chance for you.

s - stamina (how many rounds can they go for?)

high stamina. being a vampire katherine can go round after round and not get tired. if you were a vampire the two of you would practically stay up all night having sex. but if you were human she would be willing to stop after a few rounds.

t - toy (do they own toys and do they like using them?)

all the way. she would love using different toys on you. (especially if you were bound to the bedpost.) katherine owns tons of different ones and you two have used them all together.

u - unfair (how much do they tease?)

katherine is a huge tease. she would tease you during foreplay, during sex and even during aftercare once your both done. it can be infuriating but she loves watching you squirm.

v - volume (how loud or quiet are they?)

depends. i think that katherine would be quiet when she has to be, loud when she wants to be and kinda average normally. it would depend on where you were and what you were doing.

w - wild card (random headcanon)

she loves when you touch, kiss and lick her breasts. it would make her so happy and she would go absolutely crazy for it.

x - x-ray (whats going on under their clothes)

katherines entire body is perfect. what else would you expect.

y - yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

she would always be a little bit horny but not to the point of where she couldn’t control herself. there are certain things that would really turn her on though.

z - zzz (do they fall asleep after sex?)

katherine would lay with you until you fell asleep and then she would go to bed. she would want to ensure that you were comfortable before relaxing.

[dizzydancingdreamer]

Bubblegum Princess, Cherry Angel | Kai Parker

Hello my lovelies! 2020 is almost over, can you believe it? I sure as hell can’t! I have no idea what inspired this, I truly don’t, but it seemed only fitting to end this year off with a raunchy round of sex! Because why the fuck not! I hope you all have a safe and wonderful new years, and I can’t wait to see you all in 2021! Please enjoy loves!

Description: He smells her bubblegum lip gloss and then wonders how on earth he managed to convince an angel to let him fuck her into next week, let alone get in his truck. 

Pairing: Kai Parker x Female!Reader

Warnings: THIS IS AN 18+ FIC ONLY!! Smut (terribly written smut is more accurate), nothing more than the usual but, like, it is like 7000 words of pure sex so read at your own risk

Word count: 9.2k

Tags: SMUT, FLUFF

The four hours in which it took two people to find magic within each other, all thanks to one tube of drugstore, bubblegum lip gloss. 

Hour One

Her bubblegum lip gloss attacks him from all the way across the café, cutting cleanly through the aroma of coffee and donuts and sending his heart racing at the obscenely sweet scent. He should hate it. No, scratch that, he shouldn’t think anything of it at all. It’s not in his nature to enjoy things- or to feel things at all, to be frank- but he can’t help it. The drugstore brand, wildly over-scented balm makes his head fuzzy like nothing else. 

Kai watches as she pours over the book in front of her, tilting his head when she scrunches her nose. She murmurs something inaudible, tapping a pen to her lip a couple times. One tap, two taps, three taps. Each time that pen touches her lip he grows more envious, his heart now very much in his throat. Does the pen know her lips taste like candy? Does it at least have the courtesy to enjoy it? He releases a breath when she finally writes something down, leaving her mouth alone. 

He forces his eyes away from her and back to his own coffee. Well, the term coffee should only be loosely used here; it’s more sugar and cream than actual coffee. The sweet syrup warms his chest as he takes a sip, lighting his taste buds on fire. Maybe this is what her lips taste like. He shakes his head to clear her face from his mind- a task much more impossible than one might think- before setting the mug down and turning to the device between his fingers. A cell phone. 

Kai presses the ‘on’ button, his eyes lighting up with the screen. Damon had handed it- the cell phone- to him a few days ago, muttering something about leaving the 80’s in the past where it belongs, and told him to get used to it. A little apple symbol appears and he scrunches his eyebrows. Is that supposed to be there? It disappears, replaced now by a picture of the forest he took a couple days ago. That’s better. He swipes past the lockscreen, coming to a page of little square pictures. Damon said those are called apps.

He clicks on one with a little bird- Twitter, he thinks it’s called- and opens it, scrolling a little sloppily through the page. He comes across a picture, one with a man holding a guitar, and stops to look at it for a minute. It looks like someone he used to know and he clicks on the picture to check. That looks like the same birthmark and he kind of remembers the guitar- 

All of a sudden the picture starts moving and music starts blaring from the phone, filling the quiet café with an obnoxious twang. It startles Kai, his heart jumping and his cheeks much too hot, and he drops the phone on the table, a sharp bang now joining the music. He grabs at his phone frantically, feeling all the stares that are now on him as he blindly searches for the ‘off’ button and sighing in relief when the screen goes black once more. Cell phones are awful, he decides in the moment. 

Kai hears soft giggles as his shoulders sag, the same bubblegum fragrance tickling his senses. The musical laughter and the sugary gloss are a lethal combination, one that taunts his senses and consumes him whole. The giggles echo in his ears, invading his head and bouncing around every nerve. He turns towards the sound- he doesn’t have a choice- and his eyes meet the girl, zeroing in on her glossy lips now wrapped around the end of her pen. He takes in her face, every curve and edge, before landing on her eyes and promptly losing his breath. Does she know she’s the prettiest woman he’s ever seen?

He smiles at her and rolls his eyes in what he can only hope is a playful way, holding up the phone and shrugging his shoulders. Her eyes draw over his face and down his arm, trailing fire over him with her very gaze before landing on the estranged device. She giggles again and Kai wishes he could grab the sound out of the air and pocket it. Is that normal? He bites his cheek as she looks back to her book, the pen still between her sweet lips. He doesn’t bother trying to answer the question; he doesn’t care. 

He clicks the phone once more, this time simply to check the time. A quarter to five. He glances back at the woman, his eyes widening as she slips her book into the leather bag hanging off her chair. Shit, she’s leaving. He stands quickly, shoving his phone in his pocket and slapping a five dollar bill on the table. When he looks up again she’s at the door, her bubble gum aroma fading as she clears the threshold. He shrugs his jacket on, racing out the door to catch up with her.

The cold air bites his skin as soon as steps onto main street, his eyes scanning for the pretty girl with the worn satchel and voice like a siren. He spots her halfway down the square and doesn’t think for a moment before jogging to meet her, his chest a mess of warmth and butterflies. Her head is down, lost in the sound of her heels against the pavement and quite oblivious to the love struck puppy chasing after her. It seems that only a bark will catch her attention now.

“Hey, wait up,” Kai calls, his heart screaming in his chest, “you forgot something.”

He’s a few feet away from her now and her bubblegum scent has morphed into the sweetest mixture of maraschino cherries and candy and every, little, perfect thing he’s ever experienced. It makes his mouth water and his cheeks flush, two things which are only intensified when she turns around and her eyes light up, a soft smile taking over her supple lips. 

She tilts her head at him, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, “I did?”

He almost can’t answer, the cheesy line he had already lined up on his tongue melting away at the sound of her angelic voice. Two words. Two little words and she has him completely wrapped around her perfect finger. He doesn’t understand the feeling in his chest, the way her voice makes him feel like he’s breathing for the first time in his entire life, but he doesn’t care. That’s a recurring theme with this girl.

A grin spreads across his face, his stomach twisting as he finds his words once more, “you did,” he nods, taking half a step towards her. “You forgot to let me buy you dinner.”

Her face lights up even further as she throws a hand over her lips, her giggles once more flooding his body with tingles. She looks like an angel, the way her eyes close slightly when she laughs. She must know what she’s doing to him, how when she throws her head and her neck curves against the setting sun his entire body goes stiff. His fingers squeeze at his sides, wanting nothing more than to trace over her soft skin. What is going on?

“How silly of me,” she murmurs, her pretty eyes- yes that’s all he can think, that they are the most pretty eyes he’s ever seen- dancing over his face, “how could I possibly forget to let a man- whose name I don’t know- ask me to dinner?”

His cheeks flare with heat but he can’t wipe the adoring smile off his lips, “where are my manners? I’m Kai,” her takes her hand, pulling it to his lips and stealing a few more of those delicious giggles from her throat, “and I would really like to buy you dinner.”

She hums appreciatively, a wide smile on her lips. His heart flutters rapidly when she twists her fingers into his, running her thumb over his. Every part of her is soft- gentle- and he would give anything in that moment to be able to pull her into his arms. That isn’t normal, though, he knows that much. 

“Kai,” she tests his name on her tongue and his heart stops, his whole being screaming at him to beg her to say it again and again, “I like that. I’m y/n,” she supplies and the name clicks into his chest like a missing puzzle piece as she continues on her little ramble, “Kai.” She tilts her head, her eyes clouded over in thought, “something is missing, though. Is that your full name?”

His eyes widen, his chest flooding with dread at her soft inquiry, “no, actually. It’s Malachai,” he winces slightly as it rolls off his tongue- he always has hated that name- watching her closely for the moment she recoils in disgust, “I know, what were my parents thinking right? I sound like a villain-”

“I like it better,” she interrupts, her eyes catching his and her hand squeezing a tad harder, “it suits you. Malachai.” This time when she says his name he has to swallow the lump in his throat, his stomach tensing, “tell me, Malachai, do you like pizza?”

Hour Two

Her heart pounds hard in her chest as she sits in the booth across from him, his chocolate and honey scent still clinging desperately to her hand. She brushes an invisible strand of hair from her face, using the excuse to breathe him in again. He’s intoxicating, she muses to herself. Does he know he’s the most handsome man she’s ever seen? He smiles at her, his grin tugging at his red lips and sending her heart even further into overdrive. He must know.

“I hope this place has good pizza,” Kai laughs, the sound like heaven to her ears, “I haven’t actually tried it yet. If it’s awful I give you full permission to hate me.

She laughs as well- she can’t help it, she never giggles this much but he around him it’s impossible to not- pressing her hand to her mouth, “you’re lucky then; you chose my favourite restaurant. I always make sure to stop by the grill when I’m home. The pizza here is wonderful.”

That’s what she says. The pizza is wonderful. What she wants to say is that she doesn’t think she could ever hate him. That five minutes under his gaze, listening to his smooth voice and honeyed laugh, is enough to have her completely spellbound. That she’s almost certain by the time an hour passes she’ll forget every other boy she’s ever laid eyes on. What she wants to say is that she thinks he’s wonderful. But that’s not normal- not proper- so she just smiles at him.

He tilts his head, his eyes skimming over her face in a way that makes her cheeks warm, “when you’re home?”

She nods, trying to ignore the way he leans towards her slightly and how it makes her blood pump harder, “I go to school out of town. Not too far away but far enough that I have to live on campus. I actually have to head back tonight,” her heart stings for a moment, thinking about how she only just met him and now she has to leave, “I was only here for a day.”

“So I only have a few hours,” he hums, his smile like a bullet straight to her heart, “I think that’s enough time.”

His fingers slide slowly across the table, his pinky skimming her hand. It’s the simplest of touches- just a brush of his skin against hers- but it’s like she can feel all of him through it. She can feel his hands skimming her body, every inch of it, in intricate detail, as if she’s been in this very moment before and her muscles can recall each of his. It only increases when he grins, no doubt catching the way she sucks in a breath. The sinful twist of his lips strikes something in her. She has felt those lips on her, perhaps not in this life but definitely in another. She can feel it.

She’s breathless, the phantom feeling of his mouth on hers consuming her completely even as she speaks, “enough time for what?”

He slips his fingers between hers and she sighs, the feeling of their hands fitting so perfectly together overwhelming, “enough time to make you fall in love with me, obviously.”

Her mouth falls open and he laughs again, pulling her arm across the table and kissing her knuckles once more. Too late, she wants to scream, you don’t need an hour. She pulls her bottom lip between her lip, artificial bubblegum bursting across her tongue. His lips on her skin is too much; too much and not enough all at the same time. How is that even possible? 

She doesn’t need to ask herself the question again. No, this isn’t normal. Nothing about how she feels right now is normal. Not the way she wants to wrap her arms around Kai, not the way she feels like she knows him already, and especially not how she’s dreading leaving this town when normally she wants to run as far away from it as possible. The most not-normal thing about it all, though, is the way she wants to tell him each and every one of those things. She wants to grab his face, run her fingers through his gorgeous hair, and tell him everything she’s feeling right now.

But she can’t so instead she whispers, “what if I make you fall in love first, Malachai?”

Kai squeezes her hand tighter, his legs tangling with hers under the booth. His lips part, his tongue darting out and wetting his lips. Her heart hammers in her chest as she watches, ridiculously jealous at the notion of not getting to taste him in the same way. Her body floods with heat when his eyes twinkle, a response dancing on the very same, traitorous tongue, but before he can answer their waiter arrives, setting down a large pizza and turning to face her. He has blonde hair and an easy smile, one that would send most girls reeling. Matt Donovan. She remembers him from high school; he was a good kid but they never really ran in the same social circles. She doesn’t regret not knowing him, his group is part of the reason she left this town.

“Alright, one pizza. Is there anything else I can get for you,” he smiles at her and her heart doesn’t hammer anymore, it slows.

She tightens her fingers around Kai’s, her voice less melodic than moments ago, “no, this is great thank you.”

Matt nods, stalling a moment and smiling at her. She can feel Kai tense, his legs stilling against her own. Her eyes dart between the two and she catches the way his eyes narrow at the blonde, his head tilting as if calculating what he should do. His chocolate scent increases, if that’s even possible, wrapping around her like a blanket as he sits up straighter. Matt doesn’t even look at him, his eyes focussed on her and her alone.

“You sure I can’t get you anything else?”

She nods but before she can speak Kai answers, his voice clipped but a smile on his lips regardless, “actually,” his eyes lower to the nametag on Matt’s chest, “Matt, we’d love a box.”

Matt’s eyebrows scrunch and she giggles, a tad confused but deeply invested in the cruel twang to Kai’s voice. She meets his eyes, pulling her lip once more between her teeth and swallowing her heart that has crawled it’s way into her throat. Something about the way he’s holding himself- the way he taunts the boy she went to school with only a few years ago- makes her feel alive. Who would have thought that the bubblegum princess would get such a thrill from watching the devil go head to head with the boy next door? 

“A box?” she has to stifle another giggle, not wanting to appear rude despite how much joy she’s feeling.

Kai nods, “please, and the check. We really should get going now.”

Her heart thrums, wondering what on earth he’s up to. She doesn’t care. It’s starting to become a recurring theme with this boy; how little she cares about anything but being in his presence. Each second that passes she falls deeper into something she can’t explain. Her heart jumps when Kai’s eyes meet hers, his smile softening from the malicious grin that he had been aiming at Matt. She shakes her head lightly, nudging his foot under the table and rubbing her calf against his. 

“Alrighty,” Matt grumbles, “I’ll get that for you right now.”

She watches as he walks away, turning back to the man across from her with a grin on her glossy lips, “how am I supposed to fall in love with you when you don’t even feed me?” 

He laughs, tugging her hand to his mouth. She’s starting to think that her hand belongs there, pressed against his lips for eternity. Every time his lips swipe across her knuckles she swoons, sparks tingling up her arm. If his lips feel this good against her hand then they must feel even better- no, nevermind that. 

“You can eat in the car,” he suggests, his eyes searching hers as he draws another knuckle to his mouth and nipping lightly with his teeth. 

The feeling of his teeth scraping against her skin sends her reeling, a shiver racing up her spine as she registers his words. In the car. She presses her lips together. What does that mean?

“Malachai?”

“Let me drive you back to school.”

Hour Three

Kai watches her steal the last piece of pizza and laughs, tossing the box into the back of his truck and pulling her closer on the bench seat. She tangles her fingers through his free hand and his heart explodes in his chest. His eyes lock on the road again but his thoughts are stuck on the beautiful girl beside him whose hands are wrapped around his arm. She clings to him, her bubblegum and cherry and just plain irresistible scent invading his senses. She leans her head against his shoulder, rubbing her cheek against his jacket, and he forgets that she hasn’t been in his life more than three hours. 

They’ve been driving for an hour, laughing and talking as the sun set. She’s told him about her major, about the books she reads and her parents. She’s spouted all the lines of her favourite movies and listed her favourite cities in order even though she’s only been to a couple. He, in turn, has told her about his favourite song. He told her about the time he broke his leg and how he isn’t usually like this. How he’s never like this. She agreed with that, taking the opportunity to tell him how focussed she usually is. He didn’t mind when she spoke over him. Had it been anyone else he would have but he could listen to her talk for ages. She makes hours feel like minutes- like seconds- and every sign they pass he gets more and more desperate. He doesn’t want to leave her. He wants more of the minute-like hours.

“What’s your favourite color,” she mumbles, running her nose over his arm.

He’s never understood why people care about favourite colors. It’s just so trivial, the answer always changing, that it’s never made sense to him. Is it possible to have a favourite color? He doesn’t think so. For some reason though, when she asks him and her voice goes high at the end of the question- as if she’s truly dying to know his favourite color- his heart stammers, not wanting to mess up the answer. He glances at her, his eyes finding her bubblegum cherry lips. Maybe he has a favourite color after all.

“Red,” Kai responds, running his thumb over her wrist and smiling when she shivers against him, “my favourite color is red.”

She hums appreciatively, her voice bouncing around the cab of his truck, “I like red too. It’s not my favourite though.”

Her fingers untangle from his, her hand landing on his thigh, using him for balance as she tucks her legs underneath her. Kai sucks in a breath at her touch, a tingle shooting up his spine. Her innocent eyes peer into his, no doubt still thinking about colors without a care in the world. His mind, on the other hand, couldn’t be further away from the color wheel. 

“Why’s that,” he forces out, his voice gravelly, “what’s your favourite color?”

“Black,” she answers and for a moment he doesn’t think about her hand still curled around his thigh, “I think I like the color black.”

He scrunches his eyebrows. Black. He wouldn’t have pegged her for a dark colors kind of girl. Every part of her screams light. Goodness. She seems like the type of girl who likes laying in the sun and eating ice cream on hot days and filling the bath with more bubbles than water. No, she doesn’t seem like she is; he knows she is. He doesn’t have to ask her to know that she is the complete opposite of him. 

Kai can’t stop himself from asking, “why the color black?”

She moves her hand back to his arm, wrapping both of her arms around his, and he lets out a sigh of relief. Well, relief mixed with frustration. He didn’t want her hand gone, he wanted it higher. He’ll take her wrapped around him though, it’s just as good. It’s better. He can think of a hundred different ways he would like this woman wrapped around him. 

She presses her lips to his shoulder and he wishes the stupid jacket would just burn, “because it suits you. I didn’t think I liked it before today but now I think there’s something beautiful about it.”

Kai’s hand finds her thigh, his heart pounding fiercely, “the color?”

She gasps lightly when he squeezes, a sound that hits him straight in the gut. He does it again, this time harder, and she presses her forehead against his shoulder, her soft moan tumbling against him. His hand tightens on the steering wheel at the sound. He has no idea how he managed to get an angel into his truck. How he convinced her that he was good enough to sit this close to her; good enough to hold her in his hands and hear her pleasure. 

“The darkness,” she whispers, her voice hitching when his hand slides higher, “I didn’t think I would like the darkness this much.”

He digs his fingers into her jean-clad skin, reveling in her warmth and the way she squeezes her thighs around his hand. He bites his cheek, barely containing his own moans. She’s not even touching him and yet the sound of her voice alone has him so close. His eyes read the next sign, sucking in a harsh breath. Ten more minutes and she’ll be out of his truck. 

Kai looks over at her- perhaps for what will be one of the last times- forcing a sharp smile to his lips, “this darkness is nothing, princess.” His voice is hoarse, his words soft but pained, “it’s just a glimpse. I don’t think you would like the real thing as much.”

He watches as her eyes widen, her mouth falling open a touch. Exactly, he thinks to himself, now you’re starting to get it. He clenches his jaw, going to move his hand from her heavenly thigh when she stops him, her hands closing around his wrist. His shoulders- among other things- tense as she drags his fingers to settle directly between her legs, using her hand to guide his motions and arching into his touch. Holy fucking shit. 

“Princess what-” Kai tries to process his thoughts clearly but he can’t; the heat seeping from her and her fingers pushing his to rub against her are much too demanding for him to form a coherent sentence.

The sign for her university comes into focus as he rubs his fingers harder against her. A soundtrack of her moans fills the cab of his truck, her hands wrapping like a vice against his arm as she presses her face once more against his shoulder. He curses, breathing in her sugary aroma, his chest flooding with heat. All he can think about is how he has to park this damn car before he crashes and doesn’t get to experience more of the exquisite creature next to him. She rolls her head back onto the seat, spreading her legs further for him, her hands never leaving his arm.

“Just try me, Malachai.”

Hour Four

She moans as Kai’s hands find the button of her jeans, the tires of his truck screeching as he finally pulls into her dorm’s parking lot. As soon as he shifts the gears into park she’s on him, grabbing the collar of his jacket and pulling his lips to her own. God, she was right, he tastes chocolate and mint gum. He groans into her mouth, one of his hands finding her hip and pulling her onto his lap while the other goes to her neck, pushing her lips against his. She presses against him, rocking against the hard bulge in his jeans and gasping against his mouth.

“Malachai,” she murmurs, her hands sliding through his silky hair, “I need you.”

He wraps his arms around her back, pressing his chest against hers and backing her into the steering wheel. Her heart thunders when his lips meet her jaw, nipping at her skin before sliding back to her lips and pulling her bottom lip between his teeth. 

“Fuck,” her body lights up at the throaty tone of his voice, “are you sure, princess?”

She nods, the words lodging in her throat as Kai’s lips trace to her neck, his tongue flattening against her pulse point. She’s sure alright. She’s never been more sure of anything. She wraps her hands around his back, clawing at his shoulders and mewling at his skilled lips. She tugs at his jacket, trying her best to convey her need for the material to disappear. The girl is rarely speechless but right now, when she needs her voice the most, it’s as if it’s nowhere to be seen.

“Off, please get it off,” she finally murmurs against his lips, her hands splayed hard against his jaw as he shrugs the jacket off, “I need to feel you.”

Kai’s fingers curl around the hem of her shirt, sliding underneath and around her back, his fingers digging into her spine deliciously. She rocks higher on his lap, her lips finding his throat and sucking his warm skin into her mouth. She runs her tongue against the hollow of his throat, smiling when he bucks his hips against her. Tingles shoot through her as he brushes against her and she lets loose another moan into his skin.

“More,” she fumbles, seeing stars behind her eyelids, “I need more. I need all of you, right now. Please.”

She doesn’t even know what she’s saying; she just knows if he doesn’t make love to her soon she’s going to literally combust. She slides her hands down Kai’s chest, her fingers slipping beneath his shirt and glimpsing at his hard muscles. Her fingers explore slightly and she reels when he tenses under her, a breathy moan of his own joining hers.

He crushes her against him, his head falling against the seat, “angel, I will do whatever the fuck you want me to but not in my truck.” His hand slides to her ass, squeezing so hard her core clenches, his name slipping from her lips, “I am not about to let just anyone watch me fuck you into next week. That’s mine and mine alone.”

She can hear exactly what he means; you’re mine and mine alone. It sends another wave of heat coursing over her, her core clenching again, harder, and she nods furiously against his neck, “my room. Now!”

He laughs, pulling his keys from the ignition and opening the door. She giggles with him, sliding out of the truck and all but dragging him with her. He kicks the door shut, his arms wrapped around her stomach and his face buried in the side of her neck. She squeals gleefully when he lifts her, her back pressed against his chest as he kisses the side of her neck and spins her around. The cold air nips at her stomach, exposed from where her shirt rides up. 

“Malachai,” she whines, her hand sliding behind her and into his hair, tugging a tad harshly, “please hurry, baby.”

“You’re no fun, angel,” he murmurs against her skin but sets her down nonetheless. 

She wraps her hands around his arm, tugging him to jog after her, her giggles spilling into the night, no doubt waking up some of the other students as she leads him through the campus. She doesn’t care, she hasn’t felt this free in ages. He laughs with her and the sound of his joy exhilarates her, lighting her whole being up with a dangerous kind of fire. It weighs down her limbs, pooling in her stomach and soaking her jeans. His hand links with hers, his fingers squeezing hers as her body tingles. She’s so close to her dorm she can taste it- taste him and everything he’s going to do to her- and she hurries quicker.

She tugs him around a corner and he stops abruptly. Her heart jumps in her throat, wondering for a moment if he’s changed his mind. When she turns to look at him, though, his dark eyes pour over her, his lip pulled between his teeth. He looks like he wants to take her right here on the stoop of a dorm that isn’t her own. She squeezes her thighs, trying to ignore the part of her that reels at the thought.

“Kai-”

He pushes her against the brick of her dorm building, his mouth slamming against hers, his tongue slipping between her lips, “Malachai, princess. That’s my name. Say it.”

She moans at his soft and stern tone, grinding her hips against his the best she can, “Malachai, I need you.”

He nods against her lips, his hands wrapping around her hips and pulling her up his body. She wraps her legs around him, sighing when he pushes her harder into the wall with his hips, pressing his hard length against her covered core and moaning into her mouth. His scent consumes her, lingering in her chest when he pulls back, his eyes consumed by darkness. Her heart thunders when his nostrils flare, her thighs clenching around him at the sight of his flushed cheeks.

“What room number,” he pants, grinding his hips and sending another relentless wave of heat racing through her.

She presses her mouth against his, her tongue lapping at his minty lips, “I’m in 102.” She tugs his bottom lip, pulling a heated groan from his chest, “it’s just a few doors down. Please, Malachai.”

She kisses down the side of his throat as Kai searches for her room, running her nose along his warm skin and sinking as far into his arms as possible. She tugs the key out of her bag when he slows, leaning away from him to unlock the door before turning the knob and all but falling into her room. She giggles as they stumble, pushing the door shut quickly and throwing her keys to the floor. No need for those anymore.

He tosses her on her bed and she can’t help but giggle at the feeling of her plush blanket, knowing soon it will be brushing her bare back as he slides into her. He makes quick work of her heels, pulling them off and tossing them to the side. She winces when she hears them clunk somewhere in her room- that loud sound better not have been one of them breaking, Kai- but is soon distracted when he kicks his own boots off, kneeling on the bed and crawling towards her. The bed sinks at his knees and her body thrums in anticipation.

As soon as he’s within arms reach she grabs him, her fingers twisting in his t-shirt as she hauls his body over hers. Well, she tells herself that she’s the one who brings him closer. In reality it’s he who complies, letting her command him in whichever way she so pleases. He leans down, finding her mouth and kissing her hard, lowering some of his weight onto her. She moans, pressing back against him and wishing that his clothes would just vanish already, their mutual affinity for jeans starting to become a problem.

“Angel, fuck,” he murmurs as her hands slide once more under his shirt and he grabs her fingers, pulling her wrists above her head, “I need permission right now before we keep going. Yes; I fuck you. No; we cuddle. I am more than fine with both options.” One of his hands slides down her belly and wraps around her hips, fire flaring everywhere he touches, “what’ll it be, princess?”

He hovers over her, his gray eyes soft on hers. For the first time tonight she can see them clearly and her breath hitches, an unexpected wave of emotion flooding her chest at the way he’s looking at her. All that talk about darkness and he’s anything but. She yanks her arms from his hand, instead loosely hanging them around his neck. She arches her chest as close to him as she can, feeling each layer of clothes between them in agonizing detail.

“As wonderful as cuddles sound,” she tangles her legs around his hips, pulling his hardness back to her heat, “I really need you to fuck me.”

A wicked grin settles over Kai’s face, his lips drawing to her ear and pulling the lobe between his teeth, tugging hard, his words sending shivers through her body, “then I think it’s high time these clothes go, don’t you?”

She nods, her voice choosing once more to vanish at the most inopportune moment. He pulls her onto her knees, his lips brushing her jaw softly as his hands find the hem of her shirt for the last time, dragging it slowly up her stomach and over her chest before finally discarding it next to the bed. His fingertips draw over her skin lightly, his pinkies grazing the valley of her breasts and his thumbs smoothing over her collarbones. Even the slightest touch makes her clench, knowing he’ll soon be putting those fingers to good work.

She thanks the heavens for a moment that she thought to put on a nice bra, her body flushing with heat when Kai sucks in a breath at the blue lace barely concealing her peaked nipples. His hands circle her waist, his thumbs trailing fire over her soft skin. He darts his tongue out again against his bottom lip, watching her breasts rise and fall with her breaths like a starved man. If a look could ever make someone come on the spot it would be this one. She takes a sharp breath, her chest swelling, the cups of her bra stretching, and his eyes darken.

“Fucking hell, you really are an angel, aren’t you?” he slides his hands up her ribcage, over the flimsy material covering her and flicking her hard nipples, his mouth falling open in a half smile at her breathy sounds, “my angel.”

She gasps, her eyes as wide as saucers, and Kai smiles, fully, his eyes flitting to hers as he does it again, watching her face as his fingers lazily sweep back and forth over her buds. Each brush of his fingers sends a jolt of electricity straight to her core, her body tensing at each pinch. Her hands jut out, grabbing onto his shoulders as to not fall over from the sensation. She squeezes her thighs, rubbing her jean clad legs together in her best attempt to quell the raging fire but it’s useless. Only he can put it out and he knows it, chuckling- a sound like ice cream melting on a hot day; slow and sweet- at her sweet agony before finally slipping behind her back, his fingers finding the clasp of her bra.

“Perhaps I should leave this on, hmm?” Kai teases and she whines, arching her back into his hand. “Watch the way you bounce,” he leans down, his mouth capturing one of her nipples through the lace, his tongue hot and wet against her, “the way the lace pulls.” His teeth find the edge of the cup gently, careful not to ruin it as he drags it over her chest. She jolts when his lips graze her nipple directly, a small taste of his electricity, “what do you think angel?”

As soon as her breast is free from the lace she digs her fingers through his hair, desperately pushing his face back to her chest, “please take it off.”

He laughs, his hot breath fanning her bud as his fingers pull at the hooks behind her back, finally releasing her from the suddenly constricting material. She hears it hit the floor but she doesn’t watch where it lands, her eyes locked on Kai’s as he lowers his mouth back to her nipple, his other palm sliding up her ribs to tease her other breast. His hair tickles her skin as he flicks his tongue over her, his fingers imitating the same sensation, twisting and flicking her peaked bud in time to the laps of his mouth. Her stomach twists, her core dripping from the stimulation. 

“Malachai,” she pleads, her fingers tugging at his hair, trying to find his eyes desperately, “please more. I need more.”

Kai tugs her nipple between his teeth, biting harshly and pulling a small hum of pleasure from her lips as waves of heat attack her body, “patience, angel.” He runs his tongue over her burning bud, soothing her skin once more, “I want you to feel everything. I want you to remember it- me.” He kisses across her chest, pressing his lips gently against her sternum, “every kiss-” he bites at her breast, sucking her skin roughly into his mouth, sending another jolt through her core, “every bite.” His hands drag down her stomach, lazily drawing circles as he teases the waistband of her jeans, “I want you to think about me in every class, I want my name to be the only thing you can say when you go to answer a question. That will take patience-” he kisses her stomach, his tongue dipping against her bellybutton and his fingers grazing the lace under her jeans, “but I think maybe these can go.”

She moans her agreement, the sound tearing from her throat as she nods, most likely once a coherent thought but now just a mess of want- of need. Kai quickly pops the button of her jeans, his fingers digging into the waistband and yanking, tugging her pants down in a way that very much goes against his wish for slow. She lifts her hips from the bed, helping him as much as she can to get the damn pants off. He chuckles as she writhes, each gentle laugh zeroing in on her now barely covered core and sparking little fires across her clit. The sound of the material finally pooling on her floor is like music to her ears but her eyebrows furrow when she looks at him, still completely clothed.

She sits up on her elbows, biting her lip, “come here,” she coos, her voice breathy and her chest heaving, “please, Malachai. C’mere,” she sighs when he complies, her fingers twisting his shirt when he settles between her thighs, “this should have come off ages ago.”

She clenches her bare thighs around his own jean covered legs, mewling as the rough material scratches deliciously at her skin.

“Of course, angel,” his nose skims over her neck as she pulls the material from his body, his voice low and teasing, her fingers gliding over the hard dips of his abdomen, “where are my manners.”

She hums happily- a kitten purring from some much needed attention- as he pushes her back, his sculpted stomach now fully on display for her viewing pleasure as the soft blanket tickles her bare skin. His attention is now focused on the matching, blue lace that is not even trying to conceal her core. Kai slides off her bed, kneeling beside her, and her mind races, her heart thumping hard in her chest. What are you-

Her thoughts are interrupted when his hands dig into her hips, tugging her so that her legs dangle off the bed. He spreads her thighs, his eyes latched on hers as he leans down, kissing the inside of her thigh much too lightly. Her fingers dig into the comforter as he pulls her legs over his now bare shoulders, his hot skin soothing her aching muscles. He plants another gentle kiss on her other thigh and she almost screams- do something Kai, do anything, please- her breath ragged as she watches his lips crawl closer to the soaked lace. She digs her heels against his back, hoping to spur him closer to her.

He runs his nose along the lace, straight down her clit and she gasps, the sensation like lava flowing through her veins, “Kai!”

He flicks his head up, squeezing her hips harder, “what did I already say about that, angel,” he kisses under her belly button, purposefully avoiding her throbbing nub, “what’s my name?”

His gray eyes are wild, filled with a hunger that makes her clench around her emptiness.

She digs her heels harder against him as his teeth tug at the lace, his name a delicious moan on her tongue, “Malachai.”

“Very good,” he praises, “you’re so good for me, baby.”

She moans again as he strikes gold, no response to the name other than pure lust filling her body. His hands tug at her panties, finally pulling the last article of clothing- if a piece of sheer lace even counts as clothing- from her body, exposing her pulsing clit to the cool air of her room. He sucks in a breath, leaning down to blow warm air against her, spreading her legs even further. She throbs, watching as he finally lowers his mouth, his tongue licking a stripe directly to her core and planting stars behind her eyes.

“Fuck, baby,” he moans, more to himself than her, his muscled arms wrapping around her thighs and crushing her to him, “I was right you taste like fucking candy. So damn sweet.”

He dives back against her, his hot tongue flicking her bud back and forth. Waves of white fire pour through her, compressing together in the pit of her stomach. Her fingers dig into the sheets, tugging at the plush comforter because she knows if she runs her fingers through Kai’s hair she might just rip it out. Her back arches, her breasts greeting the air as Kai’s tongue swipes straight to her core again, dipping into her heat before going back to her clit sucking hard. 

He moves one of his hands between her legs, his fingertips lazily circling her entrance as he continues to devour her, “so wet for me, baby. From the moment I first touched you,” he muses, his eyes finding hers over the arch of her sternum and swell of her breasts, “it’s like you knew I was coming.”

“Maybe I did,” she pants, squeezing her thighs around the man buried between her legs, letting out a strangled gasp when he sinks one of his fingers into her, “maybe ever since I locked eyes on you-” another gasp, this time from him pushing a second finger in and curling them both- “I’ve wondered how I’m going to forget you.”

He curls his fingers faster at her words, sucking that much harder on her nub. His eyes stay latched on hers, dark and determined. The ball of fire grows dangerously as his fingers brush over a spot- the spot- and she groans, her hand finding his hair. She doesn’t care anymore, tugging harshly on his silky hair and pushing his face as close to her as she can, grinding against his lips as her whole body starts to tingle. It’s like someone replaced her veins with fluorescents and Kai’s tongue is the outlet. 

“Well maybe,” Kai curls his fingers and her body jolts, teetering on the sweet edge of nothingness, “baby,” his voice is just this side of taunting, his tongue finding a tortuous rhythm, “I don’t want you to forget me.” 

He curls his fingers one more time and she falls- quite possibly in more than one way- over the edge, an earth shattering orgasm tearing through her entire body, “fuck, Malachai!”

Her body trembles in his arms, his fingers still twisting inside her, his mouth still latched to her, sucking and licking until she comes down from her high. She sinks back into her comforter, entirely spent and limbs heavy, his name still a moan on her lips. Her heat throbs, clenching and unclenching as she watches him stand. Maybe she isn’t so tired after all. She pushes her heels into her bed, crawling back towards her pillows as his hands find his belt, making quick work of the leather. He doesn’t bother pulling it from the loops, he just hooks his fingers in his jeans, his taut muscles heaving as he shoves his clothes off in one steady push.

She moans as her eyes land on everything he’s been keeping from her, her mouth watering at the sight of his thick, hard shaft bouncing slightly against his abs. She sinks back against her pillows, her toes curling at the thought of him- what was it Kai said? Oh, right- fucking her into next week. She stretches her arm out, her eyes lidded in anticipation and her nipples peaking once more, and curls her fingers at him. Come here, she almost screams, come burn yourself into my very being. She’s doing her best to remain composed but her skin is flushed, the feeling of his lips still fresh on her body, and her core aches to be filled with something more than his fingers. 

He kneels on the bed once more, his lips tilted and his eyes dark, and he crawls back to her body. He grabs her thighs when he reaches her, pushing her knees to her chest and baring her core him, stretching her muscles deliciously. She grabs his shoulders, digging her fingers into his warm skin and tugging him to hover over her, her legs pressed between them. His shaft presses against her still sensitive clit and she hisses, giggling slightly from the stimulation.

“Angel,” Kai murmurs, his lips pressing against hers as he rocks his hips against her, his tip teasing her entrance, “fuck, just tell me you don’t want to forget me.” He pushes in a few inches and she gasps, cooing at the way he’s already stretching her walls, “tell me you’re mine-” he pushes further, his eyes locking on hers and making her core tighten, her fingers digging harder into his skin. “Tell me you’re mine even if you’re lying.”

He pushes all the way into her, his thighs pressed against hers and his hand shoved into the pillows beside her head, keeping him from falling against her. She feels the most full she’s ever felt, her heat pulsing as he gives her a moment to adjust. She can feel each breath he takes, each slight bump of his hips as he holds himself back, each twitch inside her like he’s a lit match and her body is a temple about to be burned to the ground. She shifts against him and a line of fire zings straight from her bellybutton, a tremor of pleasure shocking her heart. Burn me, please, she chants in her head.

“How could I forget about you?” She breathes, her mouth falling open when he slowly pulls back, only to snap his hips back into hers, driving himself deeper than the first time, “why would I- ah,” Kai presses his chest against her knees, pushing her further into the mattress and leaning on his forearms, circling his hips and stealing the air from her lungs, “I’m yours, Malachai.” She resigns, her train of thought long gone, “all yours.”

“Absolutely right, baby,” he growls, pulling out of her again and slamming back into her as soon as the words are out of her mouth, “mine.”

His hand grabs her knee, pulling her legs apart to wrap around him as he settles into a faster pace. She wraps her arms around his neck, her fingers anchoring in his hair and tugging his lips to hers. She squeezes her thighs around his hips, her toes curling from his bruising pace, whining when he almost pulls all the way out of her once again before thrusting back. She arches her spine, her chest bouncing against his as he circles her arm around her back, pulling her flush against him.

She drags a hand down Kai’s back, her nails digging against his skin and drawing a sinful moan from him. His lips latch on to her jaw as he thrusts harder into her, his arm sliding behind her neck and holding her closer, “fuck, you’re so tight-”

He lifts to his knees, bringing her with him and shifting the angle of his thrusts, his shaft brushing the same spot from before. She lets go of his shoulders, falling back into her pillows to grip her fuzzy sheets for dear life. She can feel the fire from before start building again, only this time hotter, and she rocks back against him, doing her best to match his pace but it’s impossible. He has her legs around his waist still, her bottom half clean off the mattress as he pounds her top half into the pillows; there is nothing for her to do but let the pleasure wash over her. 

Kai pulls her leg further up his chest, hanging it from his shoulder as he smirks, tugging his lip between his teeth, “if only you could see how pretty you look princess, all stretched out for me.” She clenches at his words, the ball of fire pulsing dangerously, and he tightens his hand on her thigh, his eyes going dark, “do you like it when I praise you baby?” His voice is throaty and she can feel him twitch, just as close to coming undone as she is, and her walls clamp around him harder this time, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“More,” she begs, screwing her eyes shut and letting the sound of his voice push her closer to the cliff, “tell me more. Please!”

He sucks in a sharp breath, his hips slamming impossibly harder against hers, brushing that magical spot relentlessly. His fingers slide down her leg, dragging through her folds to find her throbbing nub, circling his fingers lightly and drawing a strangled scream from her lips.

“And what should I tell you, hmm?” He presses harder against her clit, his fingers picking up the pace to keep time with his increasingly sloppier thrusts, “should I tell you that you look exquisite wrapped around my cock?” She moans, his words making white flash behind her eyes, her core squeezing and sending the first taste of her second orgasm spiraling through her, “that I can’t wait to flip you over in a minute and make you cum again,” her legs jerk, the second wave so much more intense than the first, so much more earth shattering, “and again,” he pushes into her one last time, throwing them both over the edge, “and again, angel.”

Her whole body splinters when he empties himself into her, meeting her release with his with a shuddered breath. She can’t even scream his name- god, she certainly tries though- the white, hot pleasure coursing through her veins, stirring a new life into her bones, only allows her to whisper it. Mouth it over and over again as he collapses against her sticky chest. Fuck, Malachai. He pulls out of her and she hisses, swallowing the last wave of electricity as she stretches her bones, delighting in the careful pop of her joints. 

“Fuck,” Kai rolls onto his back, his eyes shut and his mouth wide open, “that was-” he props himself up on his elbow, his eyes now open and swimming over her face, “that was just wow, baby. Fucking wow.”

She giggles breathlessly, her legs jelly as she turns to him, reaching her arms out. Her body still craves him, her skin aching to press against his in a way she’s never experienced. He wastes no time scooping her up, wrapping an arm behind her knees and pooling her on his chest. His other hand glides up her spine, his fingers pressing hungrily into her flesh. Her thighs slip around his hips as she sinks against his chest, her face finding the crook of his neck. His hands work at the kinks in her shoulders and she shivers, her body starting to light up again.

“Fucking wow,” she agrees as she presses her lips against his throat, squeezing her thighs as his fingers draw lower again, swiping over the dip at the base of her spine as she murmurs a soft, “you don’t have to leave yet, do you?” 

Kai’s body tenses under hers and her heart stutters, her chest stinging- oh, maybe he does. 

“If you do though that’s okay,” she rushes out quickly, pushing her hands against his chest to put some distance between the two of them, “I don’t want to keep you if you, uh, have places to be, I guess-”

He tightens his arms around hers, sitting up quickly, keeping her in his arms as he does so, “I have nowhere to be but here.” He presses his lips against hers and she sighs, reveling in his slightly salty taste, “nowhere I want to be but here, princess”

She nods, brushing her nose against his, “okay.”

Her fingers tangle through his matted hair and he sighs, leaning down to brush her back. Okay. It’s not what she wants to say- something more along the lines of please never leave- but she can settle for it for now. She shifts to straddle his thighs better, pressing her chest against him and sighing at the growing electricity. Round three it is. When she kisses him back she can swear she tastes a hint of her bubblegum gloss on his lips.

“Okay,” he agrees.

[high-supernatural]

The Merge

Kai Parker x Female Reader/Character

Word Count: 1687

Warnings: typical tvd themes, the merge (not fluff, not smut, there’s a sentence of angst but its not much, mostly just toxic friendship)

Summary: “V” took Kai out of his prison world with a condition that they’d stick together. She helps him find his family and prepare for the merge. ((read part I – IV of the series to understand the backstories))

***since y’all like the one shots better than the series, I’m gonna write one shots for female readers under the name V for what I would’ve/will write in the series***

-

V and Kai have been out of the prison world for a few weeks. She got him out under the conditions that they would stick together no matter what, and that’s what she was doing, sticking by him.

Kai explained his plans to V when they got there and put together a plan. She knew his true motives, and she wanted to help.

While they prepared, trained, and got everything ready they stayed at motels but were mostly busy with the plan and didn’t see each other very often. The motel they were staying at only had one bed. They checked in in the middle of the night when they got back, “queen room fine?” asked the clerk, “absolutely,” Kai responded in his dramatically sarcastic tone.

“Hope sleeping in the same bed as me doesn’t scare you off… I’m a violent sleeper,” he joked with big eyes.

“Better than sleeping in vamp infested woods with a violent sleeper… I think I’ll be fine,” V responded with the same dramatics.

There were a few nights Kai had woken up in the middle of the night or before V and had intrusive thoughts come into his mind of killing her, not that he really wanted to. When he woke up one morning with his hand resting on her throat, he decided to sleep on the couch instead. He might have been a proclaimed sociopath, but he had morals for killing, and killing people who help him weren’t on that list. It scared him, but he ignored it.

V had the gift of seeing behind people and what they say their motives are, which is part of the reason Kai didn’t scare her. She knew why he started sleeping on the couch but didn’t bother to tell him she knew, just like she knew where he went during the day to antagonize his family, but still didn’t bother to confront him about it. She already knew why and what he was doing.

She liked pushing boundaries with him. To see how far he’d really go or what he’d do if she didn’t act scared or flinch even an inch at the things, he’d say to get a rise out of her. She liked seeing how he’d react to her affections, knowing he hadn’t experienced much of it.

When he started sleeping on the couch, she would sometimes join him, walking over to him with a blanket around her shoulders and laying on top of or next to him under the blanket. She liked how he’d tense up until he fell back asleep, nervous to put his arms around her. Sometimes she’d tell him she had a bad dream and say, “this is the part you put your arms around me,” when he wouldn’t.

They were best friends who loved pushing each other’s buttons.

V found his twin for him and told him where she worked, she found this out through gullible Elena. She didn’t question him about his whereabouts when he found out either, she knew this too.

They made another deal with each other when they started playing out their plan – if either of them was going to be out, they have to tell the other how many hours they’d be gone before the other should start worrying, and the general location they’d be, just in case anything went wrong. They didn’t have to explain what they were doing, they actually preferred if the other didn’t know, it worked perfectly.

When Kai disappeared for longer than he said he’d be gone, V knew to worry. She went to the cemetery he said he’d be around and saw Damon, the person who sent her to the prison world before her and Kai got out.

She hid behind a tree just enough so Kai could see her, but Damon couldn’t. Through the Earth, V sent Kai some of her magic to siphon, just enough so he could siphon the magic out of Mystic Falls that the travelers put there and free himself.

“How do you feel?” V asked Kai when they got back to the motel.

“I feel…. Really good,” he responded, “I soaked up a lot of magic,” he chuckled.

“Do you know how to use it?” She asked, “I can’t even imagine how much magic was in that spell.”

Kai jittered and sat down, “I uh… I should probably practice, you know? Make sure I can control it.”

“Let’s practice then,” V said.

He looked up at her when she said, “push me with your magic.”

“I don’t know if I can control it—” she cut him off, “I can handle it, I can’t die, remember?”

“Remember we can’t hurt each other though, that’s the pact,” he said. Kai was a lot of things, but deal breaking wasn’t usually one of them.

She stood in front of him and pushed his head playfully before getting on his lap with both legs on either side of his, “we said no fighting, this isn’t fighting, it’s practicing.” She pushed his shoulders back and pinched his face to annoy him, “come on, do something to get me off of you,” she played.

He grabbed her arms, “I can’t practice on you,” he spoke to her with an almost serious tone for the first time.

She grabbed his biceps and shocked him with her magic before sending burning waves up his arms, making his face turn in pain.

“Fight back,” she said, “or I’ll go hotter.”

Kai squeezed her biceps as she squeezed his and tried sending the magic she was using on him back to her, but it didn’t work.

“Try harder,” she said.

“I can’t—”

“Yes, you can, you have to focus,” she sent warmer magic through his arms and down his chest making him groan. “Make me stop at least once, you’re not gonna hurt me, you got this, focus on sending me the pain.”

With that encouragement Kai was successful not only in sending the magic she was using back to her, but sending it back more intensely, causing a sensation of being on fire for a couple of seconds.

When he heard her wince and felt her arms go limp, he knew it worked and quickly pushed her off of him to stand up, not knowing if he could stop if they were still touching.

She let out a “whoof” breath and chuckled, “you did it,” she looked at him, “why the long face?”

He stared at her like he just killed a puppy, “I need someone else to practice on.”

“Kai, it worked, what’s the problem?” she asked.

“I just need someone else to practice on, I’ll be back tonight,”

“Wait, I think I know who you can use,” she said, stopping him from rushing out and finding a random person.

“Elena Gilbert. She’s always pissed me off. When I found out vampires were in town she acted like I was crazy, now she is one. She never treated me how she treats everyone else, she’s still hung up on the fact that her brother confided in me instead of her,” V said, “everyone’s always saving her and letting others die for her own life. I think she could be put in her place a little better.”

Kai was always confused about why V was so helpful to him, another thing that scared him a little. It was unusual to him.

He practiced his magic on Elena at the high school after he left while V did her own thing, which usually included writing, drawing, or causing some chaos, until she got a call from Elena.

‘great,’ she rolled her eyes before she answered the phone.

“What?” she answered harshly.

“Kai just tortured me for hours,” Elena whined.

“Ok? How is that my problem?” V answered, knowing that all of them still didn’t know she had been with Kai this whole time.

“He’s on his way to the woods to complete the merge!” Elene blurted out.

��What,” she said with concern this time, “I’m on my way,” V left and went to try and stop Kai from doing the merge so soon.

She called him multiple times on her way, but he didn’t answer. When she had got there, Kai and Luke’s eyes were already white, and they were about to complete the merge.

Just when she was about to run up and stop them, they both fell back, and everybody stood like statues until Jo ran to help Luke.

V watched them both with wide eyes, looking for psychic signs that one of them has died or merged, but saw nothing.

After a few seconds of watching, she walked up to Kai. Everybody was watching Luke at this point, so V knelt down and put her hand on his chest, feeling for magic but felt none.

She teared up and tried blinking them away, shaking him by his shirt and saying his name before pressing her hand on his chest to transfer magic to him, waking him up.

His eyes darted open and he grabbed her wrist, sitting up silently. Nobody had noticed him yet. V sat behind him with her hand still on his chest when he turned around, “thanks, kid,” he whispered before he stood up.

Kai said some words to Jo before turning around and offering his hand to V before they walked off. They heard them ask, “did they just leave together,” but ignored it.

V drove them back to the motel and glanced at Kai every so often with worried expressions as he sat silently and wondered at his hands, “how do you feel now?” she asked.

“I feel good.. I feel.. different, I don’t know how to describe it,” he said in breaths.

“That’s good, I think,” V said still confused and paused for a few seconds to think, “we should get out of town, like, tonight, they’re going to look for us,”

“Don’t worry, I got it covered,” is all Kai said.

She looked over at him with a worried face again, “no really, we need to get out of town,” she was serious.

“I dunno, I kinda like it here,” he smiled ominously.

 ((read the next story for continuation of this one))

[leossmoonn]

Always Choose You [Damon Salvatore]

masterlist

pairing - damon salvatore x fem!reader

type - fluff, smut 

note - hey, guys! this was a request! hope you enjoy :)

summary - both salvatore brothers are in love with you, so who will you choose?

warning - smut, language 

favf/n = favorite food name

e/c = eye color

————

*gif isn't mine*

I walked into the Salvatore Boarding House, letting myself in. The two brothers who lived there were my best friends, so naturally, I had a key. I was coming over to hang out with them as my school finals were over and I needed to have fun.

“Hey, Y/n,” Stefan said as I entered the living room.

“Hey, Stef! How‘re you?” I smiled.

“Great! You?” He asked.

“I’m good. Finals are finally done! Now I can drink and party to my heart’s content!” I sighed happily. I spun around collasped on the couch dramatically.

“Don’t drink too much or you’ll die,” Stefan warned.

I smiled at his concerned comment. “Don’t worry, I’ll pace myself.”

“Y/n, I didn’t know you were coming over!” I heard Damon exclaim from the top of the stairs.

I looked over and saw the eldest Salvatore speed down the stairs. His body arrived in front of me quickly.

“I didn’t realize I had to call,” I snorted.

“No, no. I’m just... surprised,” Damon said. His eyes darted back to Stefan and me. His eyes had jealousy swimming in them. I cocked my head to the side, asking him silently what was wrong. While staring at Stefan, Stefan pulled me into a side hug.

I giggled and put my head on his chest. Damon scoffed and rolled his eyes. Something that I found recently gave me butterflies. 

Damon and Stefan have been my best friends for the last two years. I had fell victim to a witch and Damon and Stefan saved me. I was so thankful and wanted to pay them back, so I took them to the Grill. It was the least I could do, and with me being a human, it was about the only thing I could do, too. 

In the last two years, everything was pretty platonic. But recently, the boys have been more territorial over me to each other. They would always fight when I’m around and like now, one would pull me into them while the other was watching. My other friends, Caroline and Bonnie, suspected that they liked me. I first had denied it. To me, it made sense they were territorial because I was there only really close girl-friend and they were brothers. Everything was always competitive with males. But then, they both started to give me hints. 

First it was Damon. He would call me ‘sugarplum’ or even ‘babe’. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but then one day he got close to me while I was making some lunch for us. He grabbed my waist and spun me around. His eyes flickered to my lips and I swore we were going to kiss, but Bonnie and Elena came into the house. It was super weird, but it gave me butterflies and left me longing for his touch. That I couldn't deny.

Then, Stefan was next. I assumed he had noticed Damon getting a little too close for comfort to me, so he then did the same type of things. Instead of flirting with nicknames and touching, Stefan would buy me flowers and do things for me. Always saying how he could make me dinner and then letting me cuddle up to him. It was nice and I got butterflies in the beginning, but they stopped and I knew I had only seen him as a friend. 

I had been friends with them long enough and seen them with girls to know what was their own love language. I was flattered, but I knew I couldn't date them. For Stefan, I only saw him as a friend. But for Damon, well, sure. I probably did have feelings deep down. Damon was handsome, as so was Stefan, but Damon was dangerous, sexy, flirtatious. I couldn't help but be drawn to him in a slightly romantic way. But I couldn't date him. I knew he had been pining over Elena. I didn’t want to be just a second choice. Plus, I didn’t know if he was even ready for a committed relationship. So, I didn’t ask them about any of their actions, which kept us in the friend zone. 

“Are you staying over for dinner?” Stefan asked. 

“I don’t know. Can I?” I asked him. 

“Yes, of course!” Stefan smiled. “What do you want? I can make you-”

“Actually, brother,” Damon interrupted him, “I was planning on making dinner tonight.”

“The only thing you can make it pancakes,” Stefan snorted. 

“Funny and that used to be true, but not anymore! I am making Y/n’s favorite, favf/n,” Damon smiled at me.

“You know how to make that?” I asked. “I didn't realize you were Gordon Ramsey.”

“Oh I am so much better than Ramsey. With cooking and more,” he winked at me. 

I gulped harshly and I my eyes made contact with Damon’s. His teasing, blue ones met with my flustered, e/c ones. 

“Looking forward to it, Damon,” I said and looked away from him gaze. 

Damon smirked and walked to the kitchen. “Get ready to have your mind blown, babe!”

There was that nickname again. 

“I’m gonna go make sure he doesn't set the house on fire and kill us all,” Stefan said. He got up and I nodded. I then took the remote for the tv and poured myself some whiskey. I cuddled up on the couch and watched Friends until dinner was ready. 

After about 4 episodes, dinner was finally ready. I went into the kitchen, the smell filling my senses. My mouth salivated as I looked at the table. 

“Wow, you two did this?” I asked. 

“Well, Damon did most. He actually is a good cook,” Stefan frowned. 

“Good job, Damon,” I smiled at him. I then turned to Stefan. “You’re still the best cook I know, Stef. Don’t worry.”

His eyes lit up and he smiled at me. 

“Let’s chow down. I’m starving,” Damon said and walked over to the table. He pulled a chair out and gestured for me to sit down.

I smiled and made my way over to the table. I sat down, picking up the silverware they had placed. Damon then sat down across from me and Stefan next to me. I took the first bite of food and my eyes widened. 

“This is so good. Oh, my God.” I moaned and took another bite. 

“I’m glad,” Damon said. I looked up at him. He was smirking at Stefan while Stefan was glaring at his brother. I rolled my eyes.

“What is up with you two?” I asked.

“What?” Stefan broke contact with Damon and looked at me. The innocence in his eyes almost seemed real. 

“You two have been fighting over me. I can see it between the glances you give each other. I know you two like me, but that doesn't mean you have to be so territorial. I am not some bag of blood. I am a human. So, use your words not looks if something is bothering you,” I explained. I took a drink of wine, waiting for them to say something. 

Then, Damon got up. 

“Y/n, I wanted to wait, but obviously I can’t.” Damon walked over to my side of the table and dug in his pocket. He pulled out a black box and got on one knee. My eyes widened and I got up from the table. 

“Y/n L/n. Will you marry me?” Damon asked. He opened the box and there was a big, diamond ring in it. 

“Damon, I-” I stopped mid sentence. I didn’t know what to say. Just then, Stefan stood up and went next to Damon. He got down on one knee and pulled out a red box. 

“Oh, hell no,” I scoffed, laughing incredulously. 

“I know this is all sudden and I didn't want to do it this so fast. I had a whole thing planned out, but it's either now or never. Y/n, I love you so much. I know we are only friends, but I am hoping you love me back. I think you are the one and I want to be your husband,” Stefan said. 

My heart swelled at his kind words, but I knew my answer.  “No.”

“T-to who?” Stefan asked. 

“To both of you,” I answered. 

They both looked at me dumbfounded. 

“What! C’mon, you have to pick at least one of us!” Damon exclaimed and stood up. 

“No, Damon. I don't have to pick anyone.” “Yes! And I know you want to pick me. I see it all the time in your eyes and your body language. You have feelings for me, Y/n. Just admit it,” Damon . 

I shook my head and turned to Stefan. I reached out for his hands and pulled him up. 

“Thank you, Stefan. That was so sweet. I love you, too, but not in the way you want me to. I’m so sorry, Stef,” I spoke softly. Tears filled his eyes and I pulled him into a hug, which he obliged to. I pulled back and kissed his cheek, wiping the tears away from his face. 

“And as for you,” I turned to Damon, “Maybe I do like you, but you aren't ready for a relationship. Unlike you, I like commitment and more than just sex. Oh, and I’m not obsessed with a girl named Elena Gilbert. So, it's a no to you, too.”

I then put my chair back in place and took another sip of my wine. “I had a great night. Thank you for cooking for me, but it’s a no for now,” I said to Damon. 

“And Stefan, I understand if I broke our friendship. I wish I could've given you the answer you were looking for, but I can't lie. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us. I understand if you want to distance yourself from me, okay?” I said. 

Stefan nodded and smiled sadly at me. “Thanks.”

“Of course. Whenever you are ready to talk and be friends again, text me. Now, I’m going to leave. Thank you for being honest with me, guys,” I smiled at both of them.  I walked out of the kitchen and left the house. I went to my car and drove to Caroline’s house. I bet she couldn’t wait to hear what I had just experienced. 

————

It had been three weeks since the Salvatore brothers debacle. Since then, Stefan had been avoiding me. It hurt, but I understood and gave him his space. I knew I hurt him and he needed alone time.  

Now, Damon was the complete opposite. He took every chance he could to talk to me. It was annoying at first. He always hated not getting what he wanted. But after a few days, he stopped flirting and did different things. It was almost as if he was changing. Well, that’s what Bonnie said.

The first sign was two weeks ago, four days after he had proposed to me. I had gone over to Elena’s to study, but was surprised to find Damon over. I had opened the door and eavesdropped. They had been fighting and I had happened to hear the ending of it.  

-flashback- 

“No, Elena!” Damon said.

“What Damon. I thought you loved me! I love you, too. I’m ready to date you now. Forget about her!” Elena yelled. 

“Her name is Y/n. And I don’t love you anymore. Not as much as I thought I did. I want her. I need her. I want to make it work with Y/n and to do that, I had to let you know this. I’m sorry, but I love her more,” Damon spoke. 

-end of flashback-

I was stunned at his words. I didn’t realize how much he wanted me, but before he could see me as he left, I fled her house. I ran back to my car and sped away. I had to admit, it was heartwarming and I felt myself falling for him a little more. But I didn’t want him to know I heard his little speech, and I didn't want Stefan and Elena to hate me and hurt even more. 

The second sign was that I was sent flowers. They were roses, something I knew only Damon would send. Stefan always sent me lilies, but Damon was more traditional in a way and he got me roses. Every day at 3 PM roses were sent to me with a different note. The notes were quotes about love written in Damon’s handwriting. With each gift, I couldn’t help but develop a huge crush on him. 

The third sign was when Damon stopped with the heavy flirting towards other girls. Whenever we were out with friends, he would usually just look over the other women, directing all of his attention towards me most times. It made me feel special and I even tried to mention other girls to him, trying to encourage him not to get so hooked up on me, but it never worked. 

I soon began to think about him more. He was already stuck in my mind, but I started to see him in my dreams. I even found myself wondering what being married to him was like. How he would greet me everyday coming home from work. Making dinner with him. Late night sex, maybe. Kids someday, even. It was then I realized I was beginning to fall in love with him and that maybe he was ready to be in a committed relationship. 

So, three weeks later was when I decided to talk to him. Confess my feelings for him and see if he still felt as strongly as he did before.

I made my way over to his house. I made sure Elena would take Stefan somewhere fun so he wouldn't have to see me. Caroline then made sure to stall so Damon would stay in the house instead of do vampire business. I quickly drove to his house and opened the door. I found Damon sitting with Caroline, arguing about why he couldn’t leave. When he saw he, though, he perked up and his eyes softened. 

“Hey, Y/n,” he smiled at me. 

“Hey, Damon. You can go now. Thanks, Care,” I smiled at Caroline. She smiled and nodded walked to the door.  

“Good luck!” She whispered to me while passing me by. I thanked her and she shut the door behind her. I walked over to Damon, standing almost toe-to-toe with him. 

“What’s up, sweet cheeks?” Damon smiled. “Nothing much, blue eyes,” I smiled back with a nickname I created for him. 

“So, you just came by for no reason?” Damon asked. “No, I wanted to tell you something,” I said. 

“Shoot,” he said and sat down on the couch. I followed his lead, sitting closer than normal. 

“I've been noticing your gifts and behavior. I even heard you tell Elena you didn’t love her as much,” I started off. 

“Am I going too far? Bonnie told me that roses were your favorite so I went along with it. I’m sorry. I’ll stop if you want me t-”

I smiled, “No, Damon. I wanted to tell you yes.”

Damon’s brows furrowed. “Yes to what?” 

“Yes to marrying you,” I explained. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. 

“W-what?”

“I’m saying yes to-”

“No, no I heard what you said,” Damon chuckled. “Really?”

I smiled and nodded and took his hands into mine. “Yes! But, I want to date first. Obviously.”

“Yes, that's perfectly fine. I’m so happy you said yes,” Damon said and moved his lips close to mine.

“Good. And I’m happy, too,” I whispered as I moved my head closer to his. 

Our eyes met and flickered back to each other’s lips several times before I closed my eyes and kissed him. His right hand rested on the small of my back as his left hand cupped my cheek. My hands went to his back and pulled him closer, letting me deepen the kiss. 

Damon and I opened our mouths simultaneously and let our tongues clash. I moaned softly, feeling my way through every inch of his mouth. His hand left my cheek and went to join his other hand on my waist. He then sat back, letting me climb on top of him and straddle his waist. My hands went to around his neck and I gripped his hair.

We pulled away, panting. Damon smiled at me, reaching up to run his fingers through my hair. I gasped for a breath before Damon’s lips met my neck. I let out a breathy moan as he bit down and sucked lightly. His hands went to the bottom of my shirt and tugged at it. I got the hint and took it off, Damon going back to my neck immediately after. I felt his fangs poke my skin and his head went up from my neck. 

“Sorry, I got a little out of control,” he muttered, looking away at me so I wouldn't see his vampire face. I smiled softly and turned his face to me, kissing his lips tenderly. 

“It’s okay. I think your vampire face is hot,” I smirked. “Oh, really?” Damon smirked back. 

“Mhm,” I hummed. I then decided to take a chance and go and kiss his neck. I roamed around his soft skin, finding his sweet spot right behind his ear. 

His hands tightened around my curves as I sucked the sensitive spot. I smiled into his skin as he groaned rather loudly. I felt a bludge against my lower half, and started to lightly grind against him. He let out an animalistic growl and pulled me away from him. 

“We are going upstairs,” Damon said. I nodded and he got up, holding me up with him. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he used his vampire speed to get to his bedroom.  He threw me on the bed, taking off his shirt, and then climbing on top of me. His hands traced over my bra, looking back up to my eyes. 

“May I?” He asked. I smiled and nodded. 

He took it off fast, making the heat between my legs grow. His hands traced around my breasts, teasing me and making me squirm. His mouth went to one of them while his hand massaged the other. My back arched as his tongue swirled around my nipple, his teeth pulling it out slightly. I let out a girly sigh as he switched breasts. His fingers rolled my sore nipple as his mouth worked on my other breast. After a few more minutes, he trailed his lips down the valley between my breasts. 

My hands ran over his broad shoulders, feeling over his strong arms and back. My hands found his hair as his lips and tongue found the top of my jeans. I felt him stop and I knew he was going to ask, but I saved him the trouble and took my jeans off. I saw him smile as my panties and legs came into his view. I threw my pants on the floor and that's when his lips attached themselves to my inner thighs. I spread my legs more, trying to get him to get closer to my core. 

“Hm, I can smell you. So wet and needy for me, huh?” He mumbled. I nodded as his lips got closer to my pussy. His lips ran over the garment covering it. 

“Take it off,” I whined. He chuckled, “Your wish is my command, babe.”

He ripped off my panties, the cold air hitting my skin in an instant. I heard Damon groan as he looked over my naked body. He looked back into my eyes, reaching up to kiss my lips. 

“You look so gorgeous, Y/n,” he said while pulling away from my lips.

“Thank you,” I smiled. He returned the smile and then went back down to between my thighs. His fingers traced around the outside and teased me by slipped half of his middle finger in then pulling out.  “Wow, what a mess,” Damon chuckled. “Just do something about it,” I demanded and took his hand. 

“Ah, ah, ah. Be patient, babe,” he said. I groaned out of frustration, but we both knew I found it hot. 

His middle finger teased my entrance for a few more seconds before pushing his finger into me. I let out a gasp and gripped the sheets as he pumped in and out faster. He then added another finger, making my back arch and me letting out another moan. 

“Damon!” I exclaimed as he went faster. His fingers curled, hitting my g-spot. Then, his lips and tongue found my clit.  “Fuck, D-Damon,” I cried out. I felt the tension in my stomach build and my legs started to shake. 

As his fingers went harder and faster, his tongue flicked over my clit. His teeth gently bit down, making my release come faster.

“Damon, Damon!” I yelled out. 

“Let go, baby.” I heard Damon say below me. 

My back arched one last time and I cried out as I came down from my high. My back fell into the mattress and I sighed, raking my fingers through my hair. I looked over at Damon and saw him sucking his fingers. 

“So sweet,” he moaned. The action itself made wetness pool up between my legs again.

Damon then stood up and began to unbuckle his belt and my eyes widened. I sat up immediately.

“Wha-what are you doing?” I asked. 

“Sex, what else?” Damon chuckled. 

“Wait, Damon,” I got up and stopped his hands from pulling down his underwear. 

“What’s the matter?” He asked. “I... I’m a virgin,” I confessed. 

Damon’s brows furrowed and then his eyes soften. “Oh, Y/n. Well, we don’t have to do anything, don’t worry. I can wait.”

I smiled at his words. “No, I want this. I just wanted to tell you.”

Damon smiled back. “I’m glad you told me. Are you sure? I’ll be gentle, I promise.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” I nodded and laid back down onto the bed. 

He nodded and pulled his underwear down. My eyes widened as his cock came into full view. He was sure impressive. 

“Never seen a dick before?” Damon smirked. “No, I-I have,” I laughed, embarrassed.

He smiled at me and got into bed.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Damon said. 

I put my hands on his face and looked into his eyes. “I am sure.”

Damon gave me a short, sweet kiss before positioning himself at my entrance.

“I’m gonna give you time to adjust and whenever you want me to move or stop, say the words,” Damon said. 

I nodded and and held his hand. Our fingers intertwined and that's when he pushed into me. He went slowly and I felt tears spring into my eyes. He stopped, letting me adjust to his size. I took in a deep breath before telling him to move. 

He nodded and started to rock back and forth. The pain was subsided and it turned into pleasure. 

“You’re so tight, Y/n. So pretty,” Damon moaned. 

“God, Damon,” I moaned. I found myself scraping my fingernails down his back. He still went gentle, which I was thankful for. 

We both moaned loudly as he fucked me slowly, but passionately. My legs wrapped around his waist and his hands went to rest besides my shoulders, holding himself up. I felt my stomach tighten. 

“I-I’m close,” I whimpered. 

He nodded and attached his lips to mine. He kissed me and I felt his thumb traced down my stomach to my clit. He rubbed my clit, making me come faster. 

“Oh, fuck. Damon!” I cried out in ecstasy. Damon kept going for a view moments and I felt him twitch inside of me. He finished with one last push. He fell onto me gently before pulling out and laying next to me. 

I rolled over into him. He put his arms around me and pulled me close, kissing my head. 

“You are a dream, Y/n,” Damon whispered. 

I giggled and looked up, “No, you are.”

Damon smiled and then looked down. “Oh, no. You’re dripping. Let me get a washcloth.”

I nodded and waited until he came back with a wash cloth. I laid on my back and watched as he cleaned my thighs. I smiled as he placed a kiss on either one. I never knew he could be so sweet.

He set the rag down on the nightstand and climbed back into bed with me. I cuddled into him and started to feel myself get tired.

“Thank you so much for saying yes, Y/n.”

I smiled before I drifted off. “Don’t thank me. I realized over anybody, I’d choose you.”

“Me, too. I’ll always choose you, babe.”

————

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@be-patient-be-good

[starshipsofstarlord]

Stuck in 1903

Part Two

Masterlist

Summary: Damon and Bonnie had come to your rescue, or so you thought, but it is Kai’s every intention to get close to you again

Pairing: Kai Parker x reader

Warnings: angst, smidge of fluff, mentions of smut, mentions of death, mentions of murder, bad friendships, mentions of poison, swearing

Word Count: 2052

Find Part One Here

divider by @firefly-graphics

If the Other Side continued to exist, then you would be there rather than this subordinate prison world which had been designed for one bad witch. Kai's own kind feared him, you had experienced him mentally draining your energy, he was a chore to put up with, but he could do much more than that, you had learnt from Bonnie. He fed off magic, physically stealing it from bodies and items that harboured any of it, which had poisoned his mind to hunt for power. Your friends had informed you that he had murdered his siblings, well some of them anyway, and had attempted to do so to more of them. And now you knew, with supporting evidence, never to trust Malakai Parker.

Without Damon and Bonnie you had to resort to fending for yourself, which was not at all difficult since this version of Mystic Falls that you were trapped in was quite literally a ghost town. The forever enveloping silence was torture, though the method of ignorance had not been designed for you; it was all for Kai, and that unsettled you. There was one more thing that you had been dreading - the possibility that you could not escape from the remote isolation without the aid of the guest starring siphon himself. This hell was built to contain him for eternity, but now there was magic that he could use to his own advantage nearby.

Your cheek rested upon the side of your hand, mushing the flesh whilst your elbow was poised upon the countertop of the kitchen island in the Salvatore house. All of your concentration validated your deep thoughts, of which you were broken from as a plate was placed directly in front of you, a pancake decorated with chocolate chips and syrup to form a smiley face. Damon was the culprit as he threw a tea towel over his shoulder, expectedly looking at you.

"I'm not hungry." You informed the vampire, who simply frowned at your lack of an appetite. "I ate yesterday, which was technically today." Beneath the table, you crossed your ankles, as you earnt a sigh from your well aged friend; he clearly was not impressed by your behaviour. But you didn't know what he had expected from you, you had been trapped here for longer than you could remember, and alone until you had discovered the man that had been outcast by his own family. At the time you had not known of his murderous tendencies, and had wanted nothing more than to get away from him, and you wouldn't like to admit it but you even missed him a little.

He was annoying and cocky, and withheld crucial information from you, though there was something that contradicted that all. Whenever any one of your friends had suffered the fate of death, they were always attempted to be brought back to life against the natural order of things. It made you wonder and doubt a little if they had even tried to resurrect you. In this separated reality, there was no jurisdiction so that you could know, though each time that either Damon or Bonnie looked at you, you could swear that there was guilt written in their gazes.

"Look I knew being stuck here with Kai must have fucked you up-" he should have bit his lip, his assumptions were anything but correct. And that was proven as you defensively darted out of your seat and jabbed your finger in his face, making him pivot his jaw back. There were many things that were 'fucked up', and supposing that you were one of them because you had died after sacrificing yourself to ensure that they all continued to live just didn't settle right with you. The context of the morbid situation did not help with condoning any reassurance at all, in fact, it gave a spine to your lack of faith in him and the others in the first place. Out of everyone, it was inherently worse to be here with Damon, all he had cared about was his precious Elena as well as himself, and after existing for well over a century, that was insurance that he was never going to change.

"It wasn't him who did that to me, it was roaming this damned place by myself, I had no one. And as crazy as it sounds, I think spending time with the notorious Malakai Parker helped me keep what was to spare of my sanity. If I'm not wrong, I may even say that I've found more being here than dealing with the bullshit y'all cause back home." Perhaps your words were a tad harsh, if Bonnie were in the room you were sure that she'd have a somewhat understanding of what you were saying. Though she was not, and thus you had to deal with the harshness of her best friend all by your lonesome. And it seemed that you had rattled him, apparently he couldn't handle the truth.

"Then why don't you run back to the sociopath? When we discovered that you were here, we found the pair of you attached to the hip anyways. And with him inside of you, I'd never seen you so darn happy, better here with him than tempting me to drink bleach from the way that you constantly complained when you were alive; I swear you were worse than Donovan." It was on your mind's own command for you to take a step back, and away from the toxin that Damon had so cruelly spat at you. Ans the way that he compared you to Matt made you angry; it was though he were ignoring that there were valid reasons for the blond to be the way that he was - after all, the monster before you had practically killed his sister. A laugh renegaded out from your mouth as you realised that you had been right all along, none of them cared. You were just a burden that stopped them from having a perfect life together. If this were a book, then this would be the beginning to your villain arc, and ironically enough Damon saw himself as one of the good guys. Now that was utterly ridiculous after every reckless thing that he had ever done!

"Have it your way then bloodsucker." All along, you should have trusted your guy, and from now on you knew that you would listen to it. And strangely enough, it was calling you to Kai, maybe it was because he was your last resort to escaping this imprisonment that had been meant for him alone. Turning on your heel, you heard Damon flop the towel down on the side and sigh, though you continued to walk, appeasing your better judgement elsewhere. "Wait." He tried to convince you to stay, belatedly understanding the mistake that he had made, but it was no use, you were already on your journey of getting as far away as possible from him.

The Mystic Grill, it remained to be familiar in your eyes as you entered. It was empty and void of drunken assholes and narcissists that you had wasted too much time on. The only person that you missed in the modern alternative was Matt Donovan, he was the only person that didn't treat you as though you were invisible or a nuisance. You wondered how he was coping with your absence, knowing him, he was probably relieved that Damon was gone. But you weren't, because he was here with you instead. Trailing your fingertips over the counter of the bar, out of the corner of your eye you saw a lonely glass of bourbon that was sat there as though it were lamenting you with mockery. You tried to hold your sentimental sob inside, but it was practically impossible. It tore through your body, bellowing out from your mouth as you stifled and fought through your tears.

A hand caressed the landscape of your back causing you to jump and flinch from the unexpected contact. One thing that you had learnt from evading and eventually experiencing the qualms of death, was that you could never be too careful. For no more than a second you had predicted that the intruder to your pity party was Damon, that he had followed you as you tried to distance yourself from him, but alas it was not, instead of being greeted by a fretless vampire, you were condemned by the sight of a powerless witch, of whom had purposely interjected your moment of cracked emotion and wore a brave smile for you. Wiping your eyes with the back of your sleeves, you couldn't help but snap at him. "If you're here to finish what we started then tough luck Parker, you've been here long enough and you have two hands, figure something else out."

His tongue darted out to swipe at his own bottom lip, as he raised his hand, showcasing his offering to you. "I was only going to see if you wanted a pork rind, you look like you could use one." Sighing, you dug your hand into the pungent packet that was littered with dust and crumbs, retrieving a few treats for yourself as you placed them in your mouth. "And now should be when the poison kicks in..." With your hand, you gave him a little shove as you tolled your eyes at his homicidal comedy. "Come on, that was funny! I'm funny!"

"If you say so, there's not very many people around to give you an honest opinion." It was true, the only other human like lifeforms impartially close by were Damon and Bonnie, and well, you weren't going to scurry back to them anytime soon. "And if you had poisoned me, then you would know that I would be fine and dandy in not so long, It wouldn't make a difference if that wasn't the case either, I mean I'm already dead, what could be worse than that?" Kai looked at you with shock; he didn't know that about you, that you had actually suffered a final breath. Now he thought about it, the grand scheme of things he didn't know much about you in general, though he was prepared to learn. He had often found death to be fulfilling, satisfying even, but he'd never thought about its victims being so beautiful. Yet here you were before him, by chance the one force that could motivate and help him find a way out of this jarring hole of reaping misery.

"You're here, that's all that matters." As soon as those words fled from his lips he realised exactly what he had said, and a blush framed his features. "I um - that wasn't what I - you know, yeah..." He scratched the back of his neck as you shook your head at this new side that you were seeing of Malakai. His parents called him Malakai, of course he was going to become a killer, but right now you saw nothing more than an embarrassed boy whose skin had flushed as an affect of his own words. From your experience, everyone was either the killer or the killed - you two were one of each. Like ying and yang, you fit perfectly, it was a balanced divide that was settled on whichever rhythm played out in the air. And to correspond with that thought you walked over to the jukebox, a song beginning to play which made Kai want to cover his ears. "I hate this song." He told you; he really did, if he could murder it, he would without a doubt.

"Then don't listen, just dance with me." You extended your hands out to him, to which he begrudgingly reached for. And as he snapped his eyes open, he realised that was all a memory, and that goddamn song was still playing. All he could think about was you, he had seen how upset you had been to die, and yet you were gone again, and it was all down to your so called friends. One was standing before him as he sat in chains, imprisoned against a chair. "Are you here to punish me?" He asked Bonnie, wanting nothing more than shut his eyes and see your face again.

[werezmastarbucks]

Whitmore Guy comes clean

Whitmore Guy masterlist

word count: 4158

music: why are you here by mgk, halfway dead by steve aoki, global dan and travis barker

“I’m here”, he said after a pause. By this time she was already sat in her bed, in a defensive position, with her knees firmly in the mattress.

“Mal!”

He didn’t let her finish.

“Would you have preferred me to stay invisible, would that make you feel more comfortable?” he asked reasonably, reading her mind. “You know I’ve been here. Because I told you”.

“Bonnie did”, she yelled, “Bonnie did! What are you, Mal?”

Mal stepped out of the darkness without making noise, and it hit her finally. Finally. He’s not human. There’s no way in hell he’s mortal! The way he moves, the way he never looks tired, although he claims to barely ever sleep, the way he just manifests himself at places; she thought of the first time they met, back in the gatherings hall, and how he smelt sweet like chewing candy. And how she thought he might be a trickster. That would suit him well. The eyes were pitch black in the twilight of the room. Y/N didn’t move.

“That’s a bit harsh”, he said coldly. “What am I, really? You think I’m some kind of monster?”

He chuckled and gave his light attitude away.

“How did you get inside my house? You never broke the lock”, she said quietly.

“I picked it. It’s easy. Do you want me to show you?”

She got out of bed puffing. She wasn’t afraid of him, but he creeped her out. If that makes sense? She felt like she could take him out, no matter what, and not because she could arguably throw a punch. But because she had certain power over him. Mal has always been nice to her, not in a friendly way, but in a ‘you’re special’ way. As opposed to everybody else. With other people, he was superficial, secretly arrogant and dismissive, but he treated her differently which, unfortunately for him, gave her the advantage. That’s what she thought.

Mal smiled slowly as she approached him, circling the bed. He bit his lower lip, pretending to check her out.

“You never answer any of my questions. You never tell me the truth”.

“I never lie to you, either. You just gotta ask the right questions”.

Mal lifted his hand and looked at the invisible watch on his wrist.

“We have to go. Can you get dressed really quickly?”

She narrowed her eyes. Obviously, something’s up if he showed up in her house. And didn’t ‘stay invisible’. Clearly, she needs to call Damon ASAP and check on them. Her paranoia told her to. Yet, she was standing there, in comfortable darkness, allowing him to listen to her heartbeat, two steps away from him, and her head was filled with the memories of them making out on the couch after the dinner party. Between the dinner party and finding the bodies in the house next door. She wanted to kiss him again, wanted so very badly, but thankfully, she was a thinking creature. Hot take: the desires of the body are not stronger than the council of the brain. Mal wanted that, too. His face was lean, wolf-like in the shadows, and he watched her carefully, badly hidden threat behind his smile. His smile was always only lips-deep, like a sticker he put over his face, like a mask. Every time Y/N touched him, it fell, and she took in his deep, dark color, and she couldn’t get enough of it.

“You think I’m going anywhere with you, you’re severely mistaken”, she said.

“I thought you wanted to know the truth”, Mal said innocently, and tilted his head.

“Truth about what? There’s too many things messed up to know clearly what you mean”.

“What if I tell you they’re all connected? Your gape in the head, and Damon going on a killing spree, and…” he paused, puzzled, “uh… that…” he closed his eyes, ruining the mysterious allure. He was trying to recall a name again. “That dude… Ma… Mutt?”

“Mal, fucking hell”, she threw her hands up, “Matt, his name was Matt, and he was one of my best friends”.

Mal nodded, seeing that she wasn’t joking anymore. Y/N stepped away and went to the window to open the curtains and let some more light into the room.

“Why don’t you jump out of your pj’s and put something on, so that we can go? It won’t be too nice in the town for the next ten hours or so”.

She turned abruptly.

“What do you mean?”

Mal shrugged again.

“I will honestly strike you on the head if you don’t stop talking in riddles”.

Mal licked his lips, and she finally saw, as the street light fell on him, that his jaws were pressed together. His eyes were dark because he was pissed, even though he smiled, even though his voice was close to normal, the usual. There was a time bomb inside his head, and she could all but hear the ticking behind his eyes.

“Listen, I don’t have time to chat you up, okay?” he said, and it sounded like he was a stranger. Y/N’s instincts kicked in, and she grouped standing at the window, like a small animal. As Mal moved towards her, her brain made a crazy attempt to convince her crawling out of the window will be a good idea.

When he grabbed Y/N by the shoulder, she could feel the zip again, that happened occasionally. He always wore synthetic shirts, and she got quite used to it. She never even brought it up, and now suddenly, it was clear as day that she should have. There were no accidents with Mal. This weird itchy feeling when he touched her, meant something and he knew about it, too. She was startled for a second, then she tried to kick out, but his fingers wrapped around her forearm decisively.

“I gave you a chance to change, now you gotta ride all the way to Georgia in your sleeping shirt”.

She didn’t know how he managed to drag her down the stairs, but when she blinked, they were already standing at the driveway. Mal walked towards her car taking her keys out of his pocket.

“Get in, we’re going”.

“What have I gotten into”, she mumbled, approaching the car and opening the door slowly. “You’re too strong for a normal dude, you know that?”

Mal smiled shortly as if she complimented him.

“I’m not a normal dude though, am I?”

He started the car quickly and drove out into the street. Mal usually refused to get behind the wheel if Y/N was willing to drive. He even whined a little about having to drive when she got too drunk to do it. Now, he looked as if he’s been the most experienced driver. The wheel was calm and obedient under his hand, and it felt like betrayal, too. Like she didn’t know him at all. Y/N looked at him, the side of his face, the upturned nose and focused eyes, and thought that it wouldn’t surprise her if his whole personality was a lie, too.

“What’s happening with the town? Are the guys alright?”

“How am I supposed to know?” he frowned childishly, his eyebrows gathering together. “I just don’t want you to be there when it comes down, obviously. The FBI guys have returned, apparently, and they’re determined that Damon has killed everybody… which I fully support”.

“You know damn well he hasn’t killed anybody”, Y/N bumped her fist into his shoulder and he didn’t budge.

“How do you know? You’re so brainwashed by him”, Mal threw.

“That’s far from truth”, she muttered, checking the pockets of her pants. As he was dragging her out of the room, she was still holding her phone in her hand. Millennials, am I right?

“Where’s the damn phone”, she said to herself, frustrated. Mal drove out into the main street and sped up, clearly wanting to get out of the town soon. She put both her hands into her pockets and checked the seat.

“Where’s my phone, Mal?”

“I have it”, he tapped himself on the chest pocket of his jean jacket. Y/N blinked with one eye; it was more like a twitch.

“Give it back”.

She realized he had slipped his hand into her pants while they were walking down the stairs.

“To do what?”

“Give it back, you tricky bastard”, she leaned over and grabbed him by the hand free of the wheel.

“Whoa! Calm down, psycho”, Mal grinned and pushed her back gently. “What do you need it for? It’s the middle of the night, everybody’s asleep”.

“I need to call Elena to make sure she’s alright! Do they even know the FBI… whatever they are, are in town?”

“Of course. I learnt it from them”, Mal said shortly. They were now straight on the highway leading out of Mystic Falls. The town is that small. A couple of streets, weaving inside like spider guts, a park, a square, and that’s it. A little place to live, really. It closes your mind, clogs your imagination. One can easily go crazy here.

“I was at the Craze, then the blonde slow vamp, Carrie, runs in, and her eyes are like, this big, and she says the tol and the smol are back. And I’m like, so what? And she’s like, they’re onto Dean! And I’m like, good for them, you know? Carrie is all flustered. But he’s our friend, and he didn’t kill anybody… while he totally did”, Mal shrugged. Y/N closed her eyes, irritated at his intentional name mess. He has established his dominance enough times already. There’s no need to purposefully diminish them every time, to remind her he doesn’t feel too psyched about the gang.

“And I was all, hm, there might be confrontation, so how about I take you away, yeah? It’s their own problems, let them deal with the feds themselves”, his face lit up a little, “they’re big vampires now after all”.

“I’m involved in that as well”, Y/N hissed, “you know? One of the vampires, before they all died at Craze, refused to bite me, which is a nonsense for a young vampire”.

“Oh”, he frowned a little, “then it’s all the better to take a break, right?”

She hit the back of the seat hard, looking at the dark ribbon of the road lying ahead. Her bare feet were rubbing against each other. Mal started fidgeting with the audio system and actually had the audacity to take out her phone from his pocket to connect it to the player.

“Unblock it”, he said, and it sounded more like an order. She rolled her eyes and, as he handed the phone to her, tried to grab it away from the guy. His fingers were worse than ironlike clutch of death.

“Hey, don’t be funny. Listen, I don’t mean anything to happen to you, okay? I’m just taking precautions”.

There was the familiar rectangular dark shape which was the sign with the name of the town. As the music hit the car, Mal stretched his neck a little, tilting his head from side to side, and she felt a strong desire to make him open up. She just wanted him to trust her enough to tell all. To not play anymore. It’s not that she’ll run, because there’s something wrong with him. She just needs to know to own him completely. Maybe it was crazy, too early for commitment like that, but her flaring nostrils told her she’s cooked enough.

There were cars on both sides of the road, but she couldn’t make them out properly as her own car sped past them. She turned her head back and caught the glimpse of people starting to gather on the road behind them, as if they had been expecting her car to pass, to close the way. One car moved forward and stopped right in the middle, blocking the way out of Mystic Falls.

She looked at Mal, wishing to hell he glances back, and she got severely disappointed, because when he did, there wasn’t a shred of sympathy for her distress. Her gut feeling got much worse though. It looked like a trick now, less like him acting on impulse. Mal understood it, seemingly. He shrugged off his playfulness and was completely serious now.

“I lied to you once”, he said.

I’m not myself

I’m not myself when you’re around, no

Can’t be helped,

the song chanted. He spoke calmly, his head swaying a little as if his neck was a light balloon string.

“I did steal your chain. I wanted to have a part of you with me at all times. Take it”, he lifted his elbow and opened his chest pocket. “Don’t fucking touch your phone”.

Y/N felt her whole body tense, the freeze so deep her skull got stung for a second, like she all turned into a stone.

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll break your arm”, he said.

She kept looking at his absent stare he was radiating onto the road. It’s like he wasn’t watching where he was driving at all, like he was inside somewhere. That’s a powerful stunt, demanding something from a person without even looking at them. She put out her hand out of curiosity and slid her fingers into his pocket. It was warm on the inside, the heat was coming from his body. Very normal human heat. Something stopped her, either the fear of pain, or the fear that this pain will be inflicted by Mal. Her fingers brushed over the lukewarm smooth screen of her phone, and she felt the pricky chain of her necklace. She pulled it out, and looked at it, mesmerized. Mal finally glanced at her.

“Was Martha Hopps ever your girlfriend?” she asked.

“No”, she shook his head, “I wouldn’t do you like that”.

 Y/N looked back again and clutched her necklace in her fist. Her other hand crawled to the handle of the door. Mal was speeding no less than fifty miles on the highway. She pulled the handle and pushed the door with her shoulder, grouping and closing her eyes. The song was filling the interior of her car. It was called ‘halfway dead to me’ and now she thought, right before throwing herself on the road and potentially killing herself, that even the music they listened to together should have communicated some message she’s missed.

It happened very quickly, as the door flew open, and the wind brushed over her violently; the sound of the highway being eaten by the wheels of the car. The dark sky, a starless back dome above; she was almost out, in the air, when his hand grabbed her by her neck and pulled back into the car so hard she collided with Mal and hit her thigh. The door of the car closed by itself with a bash and the music blasted her head like a baseball bat. Y/N closed her eyes, pressing her jaws together to withstand the pain. When it let go, she moved herself in the seat and shook her head.

“You could’ve killed yourself!” he yelled, sincerely frustrated. The car swayed as he returned both hands to the wheel. She has never seen him scared before, and it baffled her. Mal gave her a wide-eyed stare. “What is happening inside your goofy head?!”

“You’re not human!” she cried in return.

“Duh!”

She punched his shoulder once again to see that he doesn’t mind the mild pain. He barely noticed.

“You’re a vampire”.

Mal sniffed with displeasure.

“You only pulled this to test me? What if I hadn’t caught you?!”

“But that’s… that doesn’t make any sense. You walk in the sun and you eat all the time, and… others didn’t smell you”, she was still panting from the jump. Her neck ached from the stiff clutch he performed on her. In fact, Mal grabbed her so hard it felt like he was about to tear her head off completely. She rubbed her throat and the back of her neck with both hands.

“And you entered my house, without an invitation”, she finished. Mal sighed, turning the music down a little. She was still very aware of the songs that were playing. They always listened to this one playlist, which she had no memories of compiling. The title, the combination of the songs, the cover was inexplicable to her. These six months were so frustrating even this screaming oddness felt more like it was meant to be. Now she realized it was the only playlist she ever heard Mal play. And the fact that it was titled ‘douche’…

“That’s because I’ve already been there before”, he said, nonchalantly. He didn’t need to say it, she already knew.

“Malivore is in Georgia, huh”, she said. Diving deep into the seat, she looked on the path they were traveling again. Finally realizing is so liberating it’s hard to describe. For a moment, it felt like the car was completely silent.

The whole attraction thing, Mal knowing ways to get to her, the music, the movies, the manners… the mutual trust which is virtually impossible among people like him… the nights and days she felt lost, when she felt like there was a piece of her brain missing and the gaping hole whistling in the wind. The pink sky reminding her of something it couldn’t utter in human language, and the sucking, sad, tragic tunnel pulsating in her guts – all this meant she was broken over losing somebody at the shore of the sea of oblivion.

 “You know how you had that strange feeling you missed somebody? And thought it was Matt?” he said with disgust. Y/N had no energy to say anything, crashed down by the powerful feeling of loss once again, all coming down at once, like she was pulled away right from her skeleton. She was looking at this stranger sitting next to her, trying to fit him into the frame of the new found truth, and he didn’t match. And that was the part of it.

She finally knew who she’s been crying about those weeks, when she would collapse on the floor of her room suddenly, startled by the outburst, confused by even why the tears are coming. The long nights she spent agonizing, - and she’d never told anyone, not even Elena – over something, crouched under the cover, seized by terror, like something was impaling her – now she knew why. Her chest got hard and narrow, and she put the hand to her throat.

“You’re the guy he threw into the Malivore”, she finally said. Mal nodded. The world was tearing apart; she could see the tear line up above, so clearly. It was fucking crumbling down in pieces. Only Damon – only that bastard could ever think of that. Of throwing someone into oblivion to erase them completely.

She might have whimpered, because Mal slowed the car down, concern on his face, and they stopped in the middle of the road. The night highway was empty and hollow, and when she left the car, almost crawling out, she noticed there were stars after all. Just very far away. Unreachable.

She felt the light movement of air on her cheek that was burning up, like the rest of her body. The road was long, leading away into the dark patch of space where the street lightning failed and gave in. The fields were quiet around them, night fog falling slowly to wrap them in its deadly embrace. The wind cried, get inside! Be safe! But the blue twilight of the forest in the distance felt like a mount of doom approaching. You couldn’t hide from it in the car. She couldn’t figure out now why she was crying. She felt so robbed; she felt like somebody had the audacity to come and tear her heart out, and now, the worst thing, she couldn’t feel anything because it was the heart she lacked. She couldn’t imagine what it must have felt like to Mal. A cautious look thrown at him found him on the other side of the hood, watching her carefully. It was as if he was afraid to approach. Maybe he thought she was too delicate, or was actually afraid.

“How…” she tried her voice, and it let her down. Only whisper came out. “How did you get out?”

Mal circled the car slowly, without hurry. There were no more sounds, just the music from the car, and his steps. Mal touched her shoulders and made her focus on him, shooting right into her eyes. He was being very dramatic.

“I crawled back to you. Wouldn’t even be the first time. Remember how I got out of hell?”

In a second only she realized that there’s a smirk crooking his dirty mouth. He enjoyed his little joke.

“Oh, of course you don’t. Sorry”.

Her hands grabbed on Mal’s elbows and she pressed herself into his chest. It’s fucked up how memories are nothing. How not having the essential information makes you lose your head as you try to understand why you trust a person you don’t know so much; why you intuitively know he’ll do no harm to you; how you’re attracted to him. His smell was familiar now, almost vital. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and felt a heavy sigh that left his body. Mal hugged her back, putting his chin on the top of her head.

“Don’t worry. I’ll show you. I’ll show you everything, I know how. I have so much to tell you… honey”.

All those days, and she cried in vain. And now she knew what she cried for. And that is so unfair her throat is about to burst with rage. Only Damon…

“I’m going to kill him”, she said gravely, all of a sudden. She could hear his heart now, too. Beating like there’s no special vampire force in it. Mal sighed again.

“It was their collective decision”.

She stepped back to look him in the face.

“What?”

“They were all on it”, he repeated. It was hard to hide the joy in his voice, like he was bringing good news. She knew now how to filter it. She knew he can’t control it.

“Even Elena?”

He rolled his eyes a little.

“Even Elena”.

Mal pulled her on the elbow gently as she started crying again.

“I’ll fix everything, I promise. Hey, they’re paying for it right now”.

With a shaking hand, she clutched his, and squeezed it.

“Mal, please… please, don’t…”

His face went hard.

“I don’t get it. Do you want to punish them or not?”

She moaned. She was holding on to his hand because the knees almost gave in. She could literally feel sanity leaving her, from the little hole in her temple. She was going mad.

“Mal…”

“It’s Kai by the way”, he added, harshly. “Kai Parker. Look at me. You know, this is what I never really understood. You’re so clearly upset, and it makes me very happy… I mean, like, not in a way that I like to see you hurt, but… well, you get it. But you still want to protect them? You were never able to make the choice, you know?”

Seeing that she is not able to object, he went on.

“Quite honestly, that’s hurtful. You know, after everything I’ve been through… you know, you have been the only person ever that didn’t hate me outright. You know? I always thought that maybe you will be the first person who chooses me over everybody else. Is that a lot to ask? I don’t know. Is it? Do you know that I spent more time searching and fighting for you since we met than actually being with you?”

“Mal, you’re hurting me”.

“It’s Kai. I am Kai. You call me Kai, because it’s my name”, he snapped, “it’s the only fucking thing I still have left. And you know who’s to blame for it? Your friends. The bunch of…” he sucked the air through his teeth. His hands were doing the opposite of what he was saying, holding her, rubbing her shoulders so that she doesn’t get cold. Maybe he held her too tightly. She yelped a little with pain, and he almost let go. Pressing his forehead close to hers, he whispered,

“This time I have made that choice for you, okay? Clearly, you need my help. I will never leave you, baby, never. You will be with me forever now, okay? Don’t worry. We’re not drifting away anymore, I won’t let it happen ever again”.

She shivered. As they kissed, she wasn’t sure who’s kissing whom. She knew she wanted it, and at the same time, in her mind, the sirens were going off, wailing like the apocalypse was banging on the walls of her consciousness. She was almost sure she knew what was happening in Mystic Falls.

[ladylynse]

Perception: [FF| AO3] Valerie always took seeing colour for granted—until the day it went away. Soulmate AU (colours), Gray Ghost

Happy birthday, @ave-aria! You wanted a soulmate colours AU with Gray Ghost, and I swear once you get past the angst, happy endings exist. I promise. 

-|-

Valerie couldn’t remember a world without colour.

She hadn’t realized that she was different from anyone else at first. She hadn’t realized, for instance, that she saw colour where Star and Paulina and the rest of her friends did not. She had thought that perhaps colour was something different, something more.

She didn’t realize she’d had something to lose, not something to gain, until one afternoon the summer before grade nine. Between one blink and the next, the wondrous thing she now realized was colour vanished. Everything was less. Dull, bland, bleak, faded.

Washed out.

Forever.

The realization—the implication—caught her breath in her throat and spilled out as tears from her eyes.

Despite the vastness of the world, despite the fact that she had barely travelled outside of Amity Park, she had already met her soulmate—and they had died before she’d ever had a chance to know who they were.

She might be able to have a happy life with a similar unfortunate soul, but it would never be on the level it could have been, had she found her soulmate before this. Had she been able to be with them before all this, maybe even prevented their death.

But now they were gone, and there was nothing she could do except scan the obituaries in the coming days to see if she could find someone who was unclaimed. If she couldn’t find someone, or if there was more than one— She’d never know.

She’d never know who her soulmate was supposed to be.

Never know what life she should have had.

The light they had brought her had gone out of the world, taking the wondrous array of colours with it.

Valerie wiped at her eyes, but tears still turned the world into a swirl of grey. She didn’t know how long she cried, aching from a loss she’d never fully known. At some point she’d moved to her bed, burying herself in blankets as if imagining all the colour and light in her world were still there, would be there again once she let herself out of her self-imposed darkness, but she couldn’t bring herself to look.

When her father got home and found her, she couldn’t force the words past her throat and explain.

But it was the anniversary of the day her mother had died, the day her father had lost his soulmate, and he thought there was nothing more to explain.

They sat in silence, and Valerie eventually fell asleep.

XXXXXX

When Valerie woke, she opened her eyes to colour.

She didn’t understand it. She knew she hadn’t just dreamt its absence yesterday, yet….

Yet it was back, inexplicably but undeniably. She’d never heard of colour returning. It exploded into being the moment you met your soulmate, and it disappeared with death, extinguished with the other’s final breath.

She picked up the paper each day after her father had read it, just in case, but she recognized none of the names in the obits, and every person whose date of death matched her experience already had a soulmate.

By the end of the week, she very carefully, very strategically, wondered aloud if anyone had ever found colour again after the loss of their soulmate. Her heart leapt when Damon told her he’d heard stories of such things, though he hadn’t experienced it himself or personally knew of someone to which it had happened. But as he kept talking, explaining that colour grew into the worlds of those living with and loving someone other than their soulmate, that the richness of the hues deepened as their bonds grew stronger, even if they would never reach the vibrancy of a true soulmate, the sinking feeling in her chest returned.

She hadn’t needed to go back out into the world and meet someone before the colour had come back to her.

Whatever had happened was different.

XXXXX

It didn’t take Valerie long to realize that the colour was unstable. Between one breath and the next, it could vanish entirely. Sometimes, the world became filtered, bleached but not entirely devoid of colour. As far as she could tell, there was no rhyme or reason to it. No schedule, no pattern, nothing set off by her action or inaction or even her thoughts.

She was getting used to it. She wasn’t jerking like she first had, and she’d only screamed the first time the colour had disappeared again. It wasn’t giving her a headache any longer, either; sometimes, if the colour wasn’t there or wasn’t right, she simply imagined it as she knew it should be. It helped. Somewhat.

Not enough to keep her father from worrying, nor her friends and teachers.

She began to lie.

She didn’t know the truth, but she knew it had something to do with her soulmate.

She just didn’t know what.

Even if they were dying, lying in a hospital somewhere, balanced between life and death…. It should have settled by now, one way or another. It had been a month.

When the ghost attacks began, Valerie wasn’t as scared as she knew she should be. When her world turned grey again, it was nothing she hadn’t experienced before. The ghost attacks were new, of course, but she was already dealing with one impossible, inexplicable problem. Ghosts turning up in town when she knew Fenton’s parents were ghost hunters was hardly unexpected.

She hadn’t expected the supposed town hero to ruin her life, though.

And she definitely hadn’t expected to see his eyes blazing green when she first encountered him, nor to begin seeing shades of the same colour afterwards even when the rest of the world was grey.

It was enough to stay her initial swell of hatred long enough to listen to him. She didn’t regret it. As it turned out, she really hadn’t known the entire story. Of course, she suspected Phantom wasn’t telling her everything, but she thought she might be able to earn his trust and hear the rest eventually.

And it made her want to help him, if only in her own way.

Ghost hunting seemed like a sound enough release of her frustration at the hand she’d been dealt. It would keep her sharp, keep her fit, and—even if she planned to remain masked—give her the satisfaction of playing the hero.

Doing something to protect her town, like her dad had.

It had taken her a while to convince Phantom to train her. He kept trying to tell her to go talk to Maddie Fenton—something about Jack’s aim being terrible—and tried to tell her that he wouldn’t always be there to protect her. But that was the point. He wouldn’t be. Which was why she wanted to be able to defend herself.

He gave her his thermos and let her practice on him, but she wanted more and made sure he knew it.

When he first handed her a Fenton Lipstick, she raised an eyebrow at him. He knew her question without her having to voice it. “You need an ecto-weapon if you’re going on the offensive,” he said, “and that’s small and easy to use. It’s a good starting point.”

It was a good starting point—point and shoot, lightweight, no recoil—but between persistence and practice, it didn’t take her long to master it. (Her words, not his. He thought she could be more precise—not just hit the target but hit the target exactly where she wanted to.) She wanted field training. He didn’t want her out on her own, yet he refused to go with her, claiming he wouldn’t be able to protect her.

He didn’t seem to understand that that was the point.

Months later, when he presented her with more stolen FentonWorks tech, she took the ecto-gun without question. She knew what the gift meant. He finally thought she was ready for an actual fight, and she didn’t plan on proving him wrong.

XXXXXXX

She didn’t have the nerve to bring up the subject of soulmates until much later, on a surprisingly calm summer night that found them both on their backs in the grass in the darkest part of the park, looking up at the sky.

Her world was a strange mix of filtered colour now, greens and purples jumping out with easy brilliance while other colours were trapped in prisons of grey. Sometimes they all returned, but they no longer all disappeared. She didn’t know what that meant—or if it even meant anything.

Phantom was a ghost—a coherent ghost, unlike some she’d met with him by her side—and while he was probably too young to have found his soulmate before the end, he might know some stories. He might know the solution to her problem.

Or the reason she had it in the first place.

“Phantom,” she said hesitantly, “have you ever seen colour?”

He was quiet for a moment, knowing what that question meant, and she thought he might not answer her at all—or laugh it off if he did and make some joke. Instead, he whispered, “Yes.” She turned her head to look at him, his soft glow making his features easy to pick out, but he kept his gaze firmly fixed on the stars above. “I always thought dying severed that connection between people, and it does, sort of. My world isn’t as colourful as it used to be. It’s…dulled, I guess.”

She pushed herself into a more upright position to get a better look at his face and repeated, “Dulled?” It didn’t sound like her world—so many colours were just gone altogether—but….

“They’re still there,” he explained, finally flicking his eyes to her and then pushing himself into a sitting position. She mirrored him, fully sitting up even as he turned his gaze down to his hands, fiddling with his fingers and tugging at his gloves. “All the colours. They’re just…washed out or faded or something. Mostly. I think…. I think spending so much time here might have helped me get some of it back. There aren’t a lot of ghosts who see in colour. Most…most are separated from their soulmates, if they ever found them.”

“And you’re not?”

He laughed. It sounded…bitter. Harsh. She wasn’t used to it. It was so unlike his usual light laugh. “I’m a ghost, and I think my soulmate is still alive. How much more separation can you get?”

“You think they’re still alive.” The words tightened something her chest and settled unpleasantly in her gut, though she couldn’t explain why. “Your soulmate is still out there, and you don’t know who they are.” It wasn’t the same with her. She knew her soulmate was gone; she’d have a happy approximation of it at best, and that’s all she allowed herself to want, except in her darker moments when she wondered what could have been. But Phantom…. “We can try to find them, you know.” It was harder to say those words, to make that offer, than she’d expected. “You’re a ghost, but…. You could at least be friends with them, right? Even if they’ll want to find someone else?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Finding them, I mean.”

Relief flooded her at those words, but the look on his face tempered it. He was afraid. Afraid, no doubt, of how his soulmate would react to the news. Of ruining their life with news of his afterlife. He still wanted the best for them, even though he didn’t know who they were. He was willing to spend his afterlife alone so he wouldn’t taint the happiness he assumed they’d find without him.

Valerie wasn’t much of a hugger, but she leaned over and wrapped her arms around Phantom anyway. He was stiff for a few terrified seconds before relaxing into her grip. He was more solid than she remembered, and…warmer, somehow, than he’d ever felt when he’d grabbed her to pull her out of harm’s way.

It was…nice.

She only felt a few tears soak into her shirt before the weight of him vanished from her grip and he was hovering above her. “I should go,” he said, his voice thick. He wiped at his eyes. “I…. I’ll do another quick patrol. You can go home.”

He vanished before she could find the words to protest.

Valerie had no way of stopping him, no way of tracking him back down, and instead flopped back down into the grass and stared back up at the starry sky.

She hadn’t noticed the transition, but she could pick out blues again—most evident by the clouds that threatened to obscure the moon—and she knew that meant something.

Her soulmate…. Something had changed. Getting better, perhaps? Maybe it had been a terrible accident, and they’d died on the operating table or something and been brought back to life, and now they were just…in a coma. Or something.

Except that didn’t explain why sometimes her vision was perfectly normal, as it always used to be.

And it didn’t explain why she hadn’t found any answers in the newspapers or online—be it in obits or the local news—when an accident that severe would’ve been reported on in a town as small as this.

She was still missing something.

And Phantom….

She didn’t know what to think about Phantom.

She should help him reconnect with his soulmate. It was the right thing to do, whether or not he could see it. They’d both be happier for it. If nothing else, it would give his soulmate some closure.

But she felt awful when she realized how happy she’d felt when he’d refused the idea. She treasured this time alone with him. If he found his soulmate again, that would change. It would have to change. And she didn’t want it to. She liked how things were, just the two of them.

She…cared for him.

More than she wanted to admit.

Even to herself.

XXXXXXX

The first time she saw red was the following fall. It wasn’t the autumn leaves that burst into brilliance around her; she’d have been too focused on the ghost fight to notice that. Trouble was, she hadn’t been focused enough. She’d made a mistake. She’d slipped on the ghost ice underfoot and went down.

She’d rolled, but she hadn’t been quite fast enough, and neither had he.

The ice shard only clipped her arm—she’d nearly dodged it, whatever he said—but it easily tore through her shirt and the fragile skin beneath. It had stung, sure, but she’d found her feet again and kept fighting. She hadn’t thought it was bad. She hadn’t even realized it was bleeding.

He’d managed to end the fight soon after that, finding strength and beating up the ice ghost she’d never seen before with an anger he usually managed to keep buried beneath bad puns. And when he came to her side, the first thing to fall from his lips was an apology. It wasn’t until he actually had both hands pressed to her arm that she finally felt the full force of the pain.

That’s when she’d noticed the red stain on her sleeve, visible even beneath his gloves, and realized she could feel every throbbing heartbeat.

“I think you need stitches,” he said. She could hear the underlying panic in his voice; he thought this was bad and didn’t want to say it more bluntly than he had to. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Her dad would kill her if he found out what she was doing—well, not really, but he’d ground her until graduation. And their insurance wouldn’t cover this. Assuming they still had insurance after everything that had happened. “Just take me home. It’ll be fine.”

Phantom frowned at her.

“No hospitals,” she repeated.

“Then I’m taking you to FentonWorks,” he said.

She was too surprised to protest when he scooped her up. “What? Why there?”

“Mo—Maddie’s good at stitches. Better than Jazz. And even Sam. And…and I’m not sure I could keep a steady hand right now.”

Valerie knew Phantom was teaching the basics of ghost hunting to Sam and Tucker, too, (Danny presumably got enough of that from his parents) but he never wanted her to go along with them. He claimed it was because it would be too draining for all of them to be out all the time, that it was more effective for them to take turns going out because they had grades to maintain and homework to do and she had her job at the Nasty Burger, but she’d always gotten the feeling that he didn’t want her out with them. That it wasn’t a matter of safety or consideration for how much sleep they got or free time they had. That it wasn’t simply that he thought her worse, and needing the one-on-one time, or better, and able to handle more on her own. It was…something else.

Something he wasn’t saying.

Or something she wasn’t saying. Or doing. Or seeing. Something she didn’t know.

It wouldn’t bother her if she didn’t have the feeling that she was missing something. She liked having Phantom to herself, relishing the times it was just the two of them and they were relaxing together on a slow night. But the way he avoided her gaze whenever she brought it up….

Maybe it was just that Phantom didn’t want any of them overworked. And maybe Danny wanted Phantom to teach his friends instead of them being taught by his parents so he didn’t get roped into more ghost hunting when he didn’t like it, but for Phantom to just go directly to FentonWorks and not intend to sneak in for something….

“It’s too dangerous!” she finally forced out, but he ignored her and starting flying. It was fine at first, and then he started going fast, too fast, and—

He turned them intangible before she could say something, and she instead had the disquieting sensation of knowing that the tearing wind went right through her.

She shut her eyes and leaned into him, not trying to talk. She didn’t really want to fight him on this; he had a better eye for injuries than she did. He’d been doing this for longer. And even if he healed faster, he got hit worse, far too frequently, and remembered too much of human life to misjudge this for that reason.

He still might be overreacting, but that would be…sweet, sort of. And his concern might lead to more one-on-one sessions, which would be nice. Not that she didn’t want to hunt alongside Sam and Tucker one day, she did, but…. She liked having Phantom to herself. Just the two of them, patrolling the town, fighting ghosts. Or stargazing. Or just talking. Making jokes and telling stories and enjoying each other’s company.

She opened her eyes when he shifted her and she felt cloth beneath her. He’d laid her down on a couch. The Fentons’ living room? He’d just…barged in here? The home of ghost hunters? For her?

“I’ll find Maddie,” he said, and he dove through the floor. Like he fully expected her to be in the lab even this late at night, like it didn’t even occur to him that she’d probably be in bed like most people.

Valerie stared at the spot where he’d disappeared, realizing exactly how much he was risking right now. How much he was sacrificing. For her.

She kept her good hand pressed over the wound, finally accepting why she could see the red staining her fingers for what it was.

Phantom might not be her soulmate, but he might as well be.

He brought more than just colour into her life.

As for her actual soulmate, well, she was still convinced they must have died that day, if only briefly, and something had severed their connection. She couldn’t think of any other way to explain the fickleness of the colour in her world. And just like she didn’t want to search for Phantom’s living soulmate, she didn’t want to continue the search for hers, either, half-hearted though it had been for far more than a few months.

She heard glass shatter in the basement, and her ears filled with the blaring sound of alarms, but they stopped a moment later. And then she heard footsteps on the stairs, a door opening and closing, and the soft pad of footsteps on linoleum. Phantom came into the living room with Maddie on his heels. He pointed at her and started to explain, lies and truths coming out of his mouth in equal measure, but Valerie didn’t try to keep track of it. All she saw were the phase-proof Fenton Cuffs snapped around his wrists.

He'd traded his freedom to make sure she’d be okay.

And it…it broke her heart.

“Please, you have to let him go,” she said, but her voice only came out as a whisper.

Maddie ignored her, instead calling for her husband to bring one of their first aid kits, and gently nudged away Valerie’s hand to get a better look at the wound.

Phantom hovered anxiously in her peripheral vision, never trying to escape. Not when Jazz stumbled down the stairs in her housecoat to see what was going on, not when Jack emerged from the basement with more than just the first aid kit and started scanning her for traces of ecto-contamination because her wound had been sustained in a ghost fight, not when Maddie was focused on stitching her up. (Valerie wasn’t going to ever tell Phantom he had been right about her needing stitches, but if he tried to gloat, she’d just say they were a precaution, nothing more.) He was still there when Maddie told her she was going to call Damon, and he was still there when Jazz brought her a different pillow and a couple of blankets.

He was gone when she woke in the morning, though the fact that Jack was absent from the breakfast table made Valerie wonder if he’d gotten free and was trying to lose Mr. Fenton or if he’d simply been taken downstairs for proper containment. She hoped it was the former.

The world felt bleak without him here, knowing he could be in danger because of what he’d given up for her, and her filtered vision seemed to match her mood. No cheery yellows or oranges this morning, though it seemed she could see the other colours well enough.

Valerie was halfway through a bowl of dry cereal (Jazz had warned her not to trust the milk) when she suddenly realized someone else was conspicuously absent. “Where’s Danny?” Really, she was surprised he hadn’t stumbled downstairs last night with his sister.

“Sleepover at Tucker’s,” Jazz said, overriding Maddie’s comment that Danny was still asleep. “Something about a science project.”

Valerie frowned. “We don’t have a project in science.”

“Maybe it was English, then.”

“But we don’t— Ow!” Valerie shot a glare at Jazz. “What was that for?”

“What was what for?” Jazz asked innocently, as if she hadn’t very deliberately kicked her house guest.

Whatever. Valerie got the hint. “You’ve gotta be thinking of the American Revolution one we have in history.” She didn’t know what Danny was really up to, but if Jazz was on board, it wasn’t going to be anything too bad. Probably doing some additional training with Sam and Tucker on the whole ghost hunting thing. She knew neither Fenton kid believed all ghosts were evil like their parents, and Danny was probably afraid that showing too much interest would get him dragged out on hunts to take out ghosts like Phantom—ghosts that didn’t deserve to be hunted down, whatever his parents believed.

She could understand how avoiding a family argument seemed like the more preferable option, especially on that front.

Jazz nodded. “Yes, that was it.” She had her spoon halfway to her mouth, but with a glance at her mom’s back, she set it back down in her bowl. “Why don’t I drive you home, Valerie? Save you the walk.”

Right, it was Saturday. She’d lost track. She checked her watch; her shift at the Nasty Burger didn’t start till two. More than enough time for her to track down Phantom if he wanted to be found, assuming he’d gotten free. She’d find some excuse to come back and save him if he hadn’t. She owed him that much. The idea of him being trapped because of her…. It didn’t bear thinking about. But she couldn’t hear him screaming, and that had to be a good sign.

“That’d be great, thanks,” she said, smiling at Jazz. Then, with a glance at Mrs. Fenton, “Assuming I’m free to go?” Maddie’s examination when she’d woken this morning had been cursory at best.

“I think you’ll be fine, sweetie,” Maddie said, looking over at them from the sink, “but I would appreciate you dropping by so I can check on it again. And I really don’t believe the tale Phantom told us yesterday, so I would also appreciate the truth of how you got that in the first place.”

“Right,” Valerie mumbled, quickly getting to her feet and picking up the bowl. “I’ll, um, yeah, when we have more time. I should really be going now.” She dropped the bowl on the counter next to the sink. “Thanks for everything, really.”

She fled, and Jazz followed her.

XXXXX

Valerie didn’t want to ask Jazz if she knew what had happened to Phantom right away; she needed to have something to tell Maddie before she showed her face at FentonWorks again, and if Phantom needed a rescue, Valerie would need to be armed with something, even if it was only a clever distraction. She concentrated on the easier subject instead. Granted, the last thing she expected when she worked up the courage to ask was a real explanation.

“What’s up with the project excuse? Where’s Danny?”

Jazz pressed her lips together and signalled to turn left, even though Valerie had already told her to go right.

“Danny’s working through some stuff,” she said slowly. “He doesn’t want to tell Mom and Dad everything yet.”

“Ghost stuff?”

Jazz bit her lip. Valerie waited for the lie, even though she didn’t know why Jazz would lie about something that was obvious to anyone who knew the Fentons.

“He thinks he found his soulmate,” she said.

Valerie blinked.

If Jazz was going for a lie, why pick that one? Most parents were happy when their kids found their soulmates. There wasn’t any reason not to tell them…unless you thought they wouldn’t approve. Not that they would have much say in the matter. Soulmates trumped parents. And Valerie couldn’t imagine someone the Fentons wouldn’t approve of.

“And he’s panicking?” she finally guessed. “Instead of being happy he can finally see in colour?”

“Not exactly. He’s just…. I think he’s known for a while, or at least suspected it. He hasn’t told it to me straight, either. I know more than Mom and Dad, but I’ve been guessing for a while. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that I’d finally guessed it right.”

“And?”

“And Danny’s Danny. He can struggle to talk to the people he cares about most. He shows his love through actions more often than words.”

Valerie frowned. She had a feeling Jazz was trying to hint at something, but she had no idea what it could be. “So where is he really, if he didn’t sleep over at Tucker’s?”

Jazz pulled over to the side of the road and parked the car before turning to Val. “He’s back in our lab, Valerie.”

“What?”

“Danny’s still in the lab. I can’t sneak him out when Mom and Dad are home. I need you to create a distraction.”

“Wait, what? Why’s Danny in your lab? Why do you have to sneak him out?”

Instead of answering, Jazz reached into her back seat and handed Valerie a package of firecrackers and a lighter.

Valerie stared at them and then looked out the window and realized that they were just down the block from FentonWorks. She turned back to Jazz. “You’re…you’re kidding, right? This is some kind of elaborate joke? Your parents wouldn’t just lock your brother up in the basement.”

“They wouldn’t knowingly lock him up,” Jazz agreed slowly, “but they don’t realize what they’ve done. He never told them, and they haven’t figured it out.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She had to be talking about something, hinting at it, but Valerie had no idea what it was supposed to be. She’d always gotten the impression that Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, while not necessarily the most attentive parents, meant well and loved their children. In a way that didn’t involve locking them up. Sure, from the brief snippets of stories she overheard in the hallway, it didn’t sound like Danny and Jazz exactly lived in the safest environment, but—

“Danny hasn’t been the same since his accident just before the start of school last year.”

Valerie frowned. She couldn’t remember anything about an accident in the school rumour mill, and she’d been at the top of it back then. But the timing—

That was around the time her soulmate had—

She’d never found any report of an accident like the one she’d been looking for.

She’d never found an obituary that fit the few details she knew.

“What…what accident?” she breathed.

She’d been seeing colour for as long as she could remember.

She’d known Danny for as long as she could remember, knowing his face before she’d ever learned his name.

Something inside Valerie twisted, and when she blinked again, she could see the orange in Jazz’s hair, and her skin—and everything else—no longer looked like it had been put through a blue filter.

“Please just set off the firecrackers, Valerie.”

How could Jazz be so calm about all of this?

How could she sit there as if this were normal?

Valerie fumbled for her seat belt and then for the door handle. She had…. She couldn’t just sit here, and she wasn’t going to set off some stupid firecrackers. She had to know for sure. She didn’t…. She had to figure this out. She didn’t understand.

But if she saw him again, face to face, she’d know.

Even before she asked.

Even before he answered.

She’d know.

He’d be able to see the question in her eyes, and his expression would answer it for her.

Or maybe just the feeling she’d get when she saw him.

Not that she needed any of that for confirmation.

Not really.

Not now that the colour had fully returned to her, and she suddenly knew why it had been taken away and come back in pieces ever since.

She didn’t know how this could be normal. How it could be true. Except it was the Fentons, so maybe this was normal, for them.

Jazz caught up to her as she reached the front walkway of FentonWorks and pulled her to a stop. “Back entrance,” Jazz said, and this time Valerie listened. She followed Jazz around the house and inside to the kitchen as Jazz explained, “He’s in the large containment unit. You just need to hit the button on the side to release the lock. If that doesn’t work, just…. Tell him you know. He can walk you through it.”

“What…what about the distraction?” Jazz hadn’t brought the firecrackers, and Valerie suddenly felt like a fool for leaving them behind.

“I’ll be the distraction,” Jazz said, gently pushing her to the side of the basement door. And then she screamed, high-pitched wordless terror that made Valerie’s skin crawl. The moment they heard footsteps, she started running, her scream fading and then cutting off. She was out the front door ahead of Jack and Maddie, and all Valerie could make out was some vague wailing about a ghost.

None of them looked back.

Below, the lab seemed too quiet. She couldn’t hear anything beyond the dim buzz of machines. Her heart raced in her chest, and she kept a firm grip on the railing as she descended the stairs.

Phantom floated near the top of the containment cell—some kind of reinforced glass, if Valerie had to guess—but when he heard footsteps, he turned to look at her.

He didn’t bother to mask the surprise on his face. “Valerie?”

He looked fine. He sounded fine. He was trapped, but otherwise, he was fine.

She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and approached the control panel. “Hey, Phantom. How do I get you out of this thing?” Jazz had said to hit the button, but there was more than one button. And she couldn’t read any labels with her world a sudden swirl of colour, blurred by unshed tears.

“Uh, I mean, I don’t know the specifics, but I think you just hit that one.” A blob of silver pointed to the button nearest to her. “The right one, not the big one on your left. The left is the flush, and I don’t really want to be sucked into the Ghost Zone right now.”

“Right. That would be awkward.” She didn’t sound like herself, but this didn’t feel real. She blinked and wiped the wetness from her cheeks.

“Are you okay, Val? Your wound—”

“I’m fine. It’s…it’s not that.”

“Then what is it? What can I do?”

It was everything. And he…he could hold her once she got him out of there. Reassure her that this was real. That it was happening.

“You can just be yourself,” she whispered, and she meant it. She squinted at the labels and hit a button. There was a hiss and then a faint pop. She looked up to see Phantom slipping out of a door in the top of the unit; the one at ground level was still sealed, as far as she could tell. A security measure, maybe, though she didn’t think it would matter where ghosts were concerned. She hadn’t met a ghost that couldn’t fly.

She blinked, and he was by her side, wide green eyes anxiously searching her face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She felt like a fool for not recognizing his features before now, but she’d never seen Danny Fenton in anything less than full colour. And when her world had been thrust into black and white, she hadn’t thought to connect him to Phantom just because she was able to see Phantom’s green eyes. She hadn’t thought she had any reason to.

The truth was, she’d never looked.

All that time she’d spent with him, and she’d never realized it. How could she have not realized it? He was…. There was no denying who he was to her.

“How long have you known?” she whispered.

He frowned. “Known what?”

“You know what, Danny.”

He froze, maybe wondering exactly how much she knew, if he was mistaken about her knowing anything when he went by Danny Phantom when he was like this. She swallowed and didn’t break his gaze, and after a long second, he relaxed. “I’ve suspected it for a while,” he finally admitted. “And then, when you got hurt…. Val, I can’t lose you. The idea terrifies me. This—” he waved a hand at himself “—is bad enough, and…and not everyone becomes a ghost.”

“And you….” It sounded stupid, but she didn’t know how to ask it. “You really are a ghost. But then how are you…? How can you…?”

He took a step back from her. “It’s more like half ghost,” he said. He was giving her a nervous smile, and then there was a brilliant light, and when it was gone, Danny Fenton stood before her. The world seemed more vibrant than it had before. She hadn’t even realized the colours could be richer. “See? Human.” He stuck out his hand, but she wrapped him in a hug instead.

He was solid, like he’d promised, and warmer than Phantom had been, and—

“I know this is a lot,” he was saying into her ear, and she realized she was sobbing into his shoulder. She just…. She couldn’t stop. Wasn’t sure she wanted to stop, when it meant he was holding her so tightly in return. “And I know I should have said something earlier, once I knew for sure, but I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t…. I didn’t know if we were still connected. After I…died, or part of me died, or whatever. I…I know I lost something that day, but I don’t know what, and—”

“The colours were gone.” That was the simplest way to say it, mumbling it into his shoulder in between sniffs. “That first day, they vanished. I…. They were back the next morning. I didn’t understand it. Sometimes I could see them, sometimes I couldn’t, and sometimes they were… Dulled, like you said. There, but…less.” She quieted, wondering if he wanted to say something. When he didn’t, she admitted, “I didn’t know it was you. I…. I wondered, once it was gone, once I knew I’d had it to lose, but I never knew who….” Her voice cracked. “I’m sorry. I should have known. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, you don’t need to cry,” he said, hugging her tighter and starting to rub her back. “I mean, you still found me. Even when you weren’t looking, you found me. Even when I…. Even when I didn’t want you to look because I thought the truth might hurt you. You still found me. You…. Valerie, that’s amazing, you know that, right?”

Her emotions flipped, and she started to giggle. Giggle. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d giggled, and now she couldn’t stop. “You can’t get rid of me that easily, I guess.” She pulled back and looked at him, unable to keep the goofy grin from spreading across her face. “After all, even death couldn’t keep us apart.”

This was new and terrifying and confusing and wonderful. She didn’t understand everything, but she didn’t need to. (Oh, she’d ask. She’d definitely ask. But she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, having her soulmate—her soulmate—come back like this. Come back to her, specifically. For them to be given a second chance.)

She’d always liked Danny’s company, even before her fall from grace, even if she hadn’t been able to do anything about Dash’s bullying. And she’d always been happy hanging out with Phantom and had treasured each moment that it was just the two of them. And now….

And now she knew, like he knew, that it could become so much more if they let it. If they worked together, gave it room to grow—gave themselves room to grow—and took care of each other, well…. They’d have everything they would ever need. Everything that mattered, anyway. They’d be able to lean on each other in the rough times. Tease each other and laugh together. Pick each other up and build each other up or knock each other down a peg or two if they really needed it. They’d discover new things and rediscover old, and….

They’d be able to live. To survive. To face life, together. And to love it. Maybe not every second—there always would be trials—but the hard times and finding ways through them would remind them to cherish the moments they had. To cherish each other.

They could be happy if they chose to be. If they chose to work together and to try.

She already knew she wanted to. And, from the way he was smiling back at her, or maybe the way his hands had found hers, she knew he wanted to try, too.

She had thought everything had ended the day colour had been stolen from her world, but it had only been a way of opening her eyes to what she’d missed before.

It had shown her a path, guided her back to her soulmate with each new colour she had begun seeing.

If she’d ignored it, it might have been an end. If she’d continued to think of it that way, her actions—or inaction—would have turned that to truth. She might have lost the colours entirely, breaking off her connection with Danny more effectively than the accident had.

Instead, the colours—and their initial lack—had given them another chance. It had been a new beginning. Their new beginning.

And her world would forever be more vibrant, more vivid, for the opportunity they’d been given together.

(see more fics)

[backandimbamon]

part II

Damon thinks and thinks and obsesses over what happened only an hour ago, with Bonnie now resting peacefully beside him, hair curving to frame her face like a cradle. There’s a little content smile on her lips as if she hadn’t sobbed herself to sleep. Her dorm bed is hardly enough room for their two horizontal bodies so her arms are wrapped around his waist, ear pressing against his chest; she’s warm against him like a furnace.

It is almost as if she never took a bulldozer and plowed through the wall of defense she built for herself throughout the years. Like her breakdown was an illusion. Not a groan of inadequacy or dissatisfaction fell from her lips because she is sleeping now and she’s therefore okay. Mystic Falls is far away and can’t touch her in her dreams.

He never really thought about it so restlessly or even evaluated the effects that his very messy decisions can have on the circle surrounding him.

He never properly pondered the effects that it does have on the person he wears like a shield, Bonnie Shelia Bennett.

The tiny little witch with the huge heart, it is so easy for people like him-narcissists- to manipulate and bait and make expendable without a thought.

And he’s supposed to be her best friend.

Why does she have to be so selfless and caring and, and perfect? The world takes advantage of people like her and feasts on all the loving, generous, kindhearted people it can because there’s not plenty to go around. Damon knows this. Bonnie pours into them like it’s her obligation, like she has to but she doesn’t.

She doesn’t.

How could they have allowed this for so long? Without even asking if she’s okay or... sane? Thoughts of Bonnie and her well-being haunt him and it could be hours or minutes but the swarm of memories and his newfound concern whisk away the time.

He knows it’s later than he thinks when the door opens with a slow creak, announcing Caroline’s return. There’s the sound of tip toeing before she turns on her lamp switch and no, she doesn’t expect to see Damon looking like she has disturbed him or something.

He gives her an accusatory glance, noting her heels in hand the stench of dumb jock on her like an eau de parfum.

“Fun night, Blondie?”

She’s surprised to see him still there, and not pleasantly.

Damon doesn’t understand how she whispers shrilly but she manages to go into an ear-injuring tirade, scolding him about The Real World and how it isn’t the prison world because, for once, everything isn’t about him. The words seem to flow so freely and practiced that he starts to think this is no improvisation and Care Bear has had this thought on her mind for some time. She says he’s holding her best friend back and that Bonnie long left the “Damon Cubicle” when she returned home so he should stop acting like she’s the only person to exist in this world so she can do the same.

Her chest heaves after her rant and she sighs like she just released a burden. It’s not how she pictured this intervention would go, unloading like a floodgate too early or too late in the wee hours of the morning, but not even she can stick to the plan sometimes. She loves her friend too much to allow Damon stagnating her progress, her wellbeing, her life- for any longer.

“What if Bonnie just adores me and my company,” he says, mostly to annoy her.

Dogmatically Caroline replies, “Stockholm Syndrome.”

He feels a sting in there somewhere that mentally makes him go “ouch.”

“You’re just jealous Bon likes me more.” He only replies to have the last word so none of her remarks can sink in too deep. He’s had his fair share of overthinking for the night.

Damon leaves before she can come up with a rebuttal.

——

Bonnie awakens with a hangover and her hair nearly strangling her and it’s the first time that she’s noticed how fast her hair has grown. It gives her a feeling of relief because she can say good riddance to the bob she thought she’d love forever until it almost came to that. Forever.

She fingers a long, dark strand between her long, light nails and feels a quiet satisfaction amidst her pounding head.

Quickly, her memory is back and the feeling of mortification upends her self-admiration.

She spends most the morning trying to hide her moodiness about last night. It lingers in her head all day because she doesn’t do that- it’s not her. Tequila is to blame for her break in character, the sensitivity, the temperament, the peck, the bite. The bite. she violently pushes the flirty advances at Damon into the far recesses of her mind until it’s flimsier than a memory.

Damn that alcohol.

She did want to thank him for everything but he’s gone in the morning and she understands- she does. It’s not like she feels a glimmer of something tug at her heartstrings, it’s not like there’s a smudge of disappointment in the pit of her gut.

She easily loses herself in Caroline’s telling of her sex escapade from the night before, only a tiny bit envious that she doesn’t have one to share with her. But, she tells herself, she would rather have no story than one with Damon.

She laughs on queue at Caroline’s punchline.

When she’s done reliving her adventures, Caroline looks at her with an almost matriarchal love in her eyes because she is so happy to have her best friend back. Her skin is all glow-y and she looks gorgeous, really, with her long lashes and flushed cheeks. She looks alive.

She reminds her of high school Bonnie, right before she discovered her lineage. Her hair was almost as long as it is now, and she has the same fiery look in her green eyes but more complex. Caroline hasn’t seen Bonnie look so light in years- and why did she ever cut her hair to begin with?

“You look amazing, Bon,” she gushes, but there’s something about her that she can’t quite place her finger on.

She knows that look. Bonnie is the only one in their trio that has never worn that look.

It’s the face she herself wore with Klaus, the face Elena wore with Damon. The layered gaze of someone who knows something they won’t share.

She wants to know but she’ll give it some time because, she thinks, the answer may not be as hard as it seems.

——

Bonnie always thought a blind date consisted of meeting someone new; a blank slate of sort so she can decide whether or not this person is a solid addition to her life. If not, she will have her fun, receive another free meal or two, get that itch scratched if she’s brave enough, (she never is.) Beneath it all, a blind date is someone she has never seen.

Caroline’s interpretation greatly differs from hers and Bon thinks next time she asks her friend for help, they’ll communicate effectively. They’ll establish definitions so they’re both on the same page.

Stefan looks almost as shocked as she does to see her, his date, but he gives her a hug anyway and they both laugh and shake their heads in sync.

“Asking Caroline for dating advice?”

“I could say the same for you,” Stefan lifts a heavy brow.

“At first, I was thinking ‘what the hell’ but now...I’m really thinking it.”

“I almost feel insulted.”

They laugh again.

“Geez, Bonnie, am I not up to par?” she knows that he’s joking but she can’t help to think.

Is he not up to par?

Physically, Stefan is handsome in an almost classic way. Almost because something about him is surreal, maybe even sinister, and gives him a bit of an edge to an otherwise generically attractive face.

Could be his height.

Or maybe it’s the quality about him that seems like he’s drawn in smoke. So illusive Bonnie can’t describe him even when looking directly at him. His eyes are green or hazel, his hair blond or brown or somewhere in between.

The sunlight filters in bright and vivid in the Grill yet his features cling to every shadow like a small sign of caution: PRETTY BUT DEADLY. The only thing cemented is the perfect bone structure and the penetrating gaze, the full dark brows, the lips.

Stefan’s the good guy, (compared to Damon anyway.) He does have a crazy side but he’s far better at controlling it than most crazy people she knows. He’s charming. Charismatic but not in a way that’s obvious.

Perhaps she understands Caroline’s logic on this one; they’re both similar in demeanor, more or less the calm ones in most situations, they share a levelheaded nature and a mystery in which it’s hard to guess what they’re thinking.

But a romantic connection? A date? It’s a bit of a reach so she has her doubts. Plus, there’s something that makes her uneasy about the situation because she knows Damon would hate this.

Not that it matters.

The moment is prolonged between them so she tries to recover the banter. “Stefan, be real, how could you not be up to par?”

She needs polishing, she does, because she can’t recall the last time she’s been on a date. Yes, her remark is flirty but maybe it’s too forward. Or maybe she’s just overthinking.

He gives a toothless smile, all stretched lips before raising his glass and making a toast. “To pars,”

“To pars.”

Their glasses clink and the two lock eyes in the moment.

Grey. His eyes are grey.

——

They develop a deeper friendship and Stefan thinks there is something positively different about Bonnie that he can’t quite pinpoint. She even smells sweeter.

It’s remarkable how different she looks and acts because she seems so free and unbothered, and it’s not so much in her speech as it is in her behavior. He’s not even sure if she’s aware of it.

He feels this crush blossoming, the commencement of a stomach-fluttering infatuation. One that will have him journaling like an obsessive school girl. He could deny it, that gut-fluttering feeling, but he’s too self-aware. Stefan is a hopeless romantic, which can be his downfall, so he tries not to project anything on to Bonnie just yet because she could very well be uninterested. That would be devastating for him but he’s experienced worse.

How did Bonnie Bennett sneak up on him like this?

It’s only a week after that first date but this is his third time back on campus. He’s helping her study like a good friend would.

Caroline thinks the couple is a perfect demonstration of her observational skills and how thorough she is in match-making.

Damon is still very much unaware which is good because Stefan knows Damon. He won’t like this when he finds out.

He’s had his head so far away lately, Stefan notices, completely lost in his thoughts which is unlike him. Damon is starting to challenge his title for the brooding brother. Whatever is occupying his thoughts, that he’s already remotely refused to share, must be something serious.

Just as long as it keeps his focus elsewhere to prolong him from finding out about them- this. Their... friendship. Bonnie and Stefan. It has a nice ring to it.

Her nose is buried in a novel by Toni Morrison as Stefan discreetly observes her. His gaze traces the pensive expression on her face, clinging to the curve of her cheek, the tilt of her brows. Lower he drops his eyes to graze those shapely brown legs in the cutoff shorts before he returns to her face. He admires his latest discovery: the cute tension in her mouth that appears when she’s concentrating.

Bonnie is studying literature and the only subject he’s studying is her and he lets himself have this moment while she’s completely unaware so he can drink her in.

The ironic thing is that he has overlooked her so many times, never letting his mind linger on Bonnie for too long because, yes, she’s gorgeous but she’s also Elena’s friend. And Elena used to be his world. But now she isn’t and she hasn’t been for years. His eyes are opened, fully seeing the little witch for who she is, not what she can do or how many ways she can bend.

His cell phone buzzing breaks his concentration, he answers without looking at the caller identification because he knows it’s Damon.

“Yes?”

“Why are you hanging out with Bonnie, brother?” He has an edge in his voice with a tone that is all but condemning.

How could he expect Damon to do anything other than sabotage a perfect moment in its prime?

“Is there a reason I can’t?” Stefan can feel his forehead maze. For the life of him he will never understand why Damon is like this. He knew he would react this way, being jealous and possessive. For centuries his brother makes his biggest insecurity prevalent, poking and prodding to see if the people he loves the most like Stefan more than him. It’s one hell of an inferiority complex.

Bonnie’s eyes are on him now. They remind him of lily pads, offset by her golden brown skin and dark brown hair. Put a Venetian red background behind her and she’s a walking Renaissance portrait. Her eyes shift to a distance behind him and he hears steps approaching.

“Well when you’re making googly eyes at my best friend, it makes me a little sick in the stomach.”

The sound is magnified, once through the receiver, and again in real life as Damon adds himself to the study session, putting a chair between him and Bonnie like a proper third wheel.

Stefan internally groans.

He’s wearing a gray t-shirt and dark jeans that he dusts off before actually seating himself. “What’s on the agenda today, folks?” He gives a tight smile, sending a quick death glare to Stefan. “I knew when I couldn’t get in touch with Bon Bon that she must be preoccupied.”

“Funny how you didn’t take the hint,” Bonnie jokes.

“You know I’ve never been one to listen, bestie. What’s he doing here?” He gestures to Stefan like he’s just a minor inconvenience and not a living, breathing, being.

“...Really?” Stefan lets out a grave sigh.

He goes unaddressed as Damon keeps his eyes on Bonnie.

“I’m studying, and Stefan is assisting.”

“Sure about that?”

“We’re not in the mood for games, Damon. If you want to be involved, stop the interrogation and, i don’t know, be normal for once? I know it’s a bit of stretch.”

“Oh it’s a lot more than a ‘bit of a stretch’, Bon. I’m so far from normal it’s not even funny.” He props his arms behind his head and leans back in his seat.

“Damon. Why are you here?” he wants to extract him like a bad tooth.

“No, Stefan, the real question is why are you here? Last time I checked, I’m the one who gets to visit Bon Bon unannounced. That’s what friends are for. But you, you’re easily an acquaintance. Has something... changed?” There’s a peppering of accusation as he threads an eye line between Bonnie and Stefan.

She doesn’t even hear Stefan’s retort from the wave of thoughts that washes over her.

Everything about this moment is surreal. Having the first-hand experience of this ordeal feels like astral projection in which some godly thing snatched her mid-voyage and squeezed her into a shell of Elena. Only after a few minutes of bickering, Bonnie now sort of knows what it’s like to be put on a pedestal by the Salvatore brothers and she gets it. She finally understands why her sleeping friend would die for a power like this- to be loved like this.

And even angry, even at odds, the boys really are beautiful.

Elena must have felt like the world was in her palm, with two scarily attractive wrecking balls willing to destroy everything if it meant a smile on her face. She must have felt a little less human surrounded by unearthly handsome brothers who would fight for her and over her, changing everyone surrounding them for her namesake.

However, Bonnie doesn’t truly think she wants to be the host that this parasitical Salvatore thing attaches to next- simply being a bystander while it was directed to Elena left her life in ruins. She’s only just put the pieces back together, and god there were a lot.

The boys though.

They’re beautiful.

Stefan in all his chivalry, she can sense his embarrassment to be related to such a hard ass, a slight fluster in his cheek is the one indication that he’s annoyed and frustrated. His Adam’s Apple bobs when he speaks, his jaw clenches a little too forcefully when he’s quiet, defense in those stony eyes; she’s never seen tension look so good. He’s the one you conjure when you think of the perfect knight for your fairytale ending because he fits. He’s what you were dreaming for since you were six and you realized, like your dolly, you need a prince. He’s the reward the heroes get in every story, the American Dream on legs. The fight, the struggle, the blood, sweat, and tears, you trudge through it all for a taste of goodness because it’s worth it. Stefan makes it worth it.

And then there’s Damon, the pain, the asshole who really grew on her because she never thought he could have a heart until he placed her in it. He knows just how to annoy Stefan, taunting him to break character so he isn’t in this word war alone. He always gets what he wants. The one who makes everyone uncomfortable with how effortlessly he flaunts his sex appeal, how carelessly he can trap you in fantasies of him. He awakens an insatiable ache between the legs that leaves you dripping, thinking of all the things you’re forbidden to do because someone like Damon is never yours. He’s the husband of, boyfriend of, best friend of, and it’s never you. A wink from those baby blue eyes is so promising but trying to catch him is like grasping air- he’s everywhere and nowhere at all but you fucking need him.

And she’s Bonnie. Not Elena, just Bonnie.

She would be a fool to think them fighting over her is the same as them fighting over Elena because it just isn’t. With Elena, it was different. They were caught in an intricate web of love, lust, and infatuation which was undoubtedly the recipe for disaster.

With Bonnie, they aren’t in love, they’re only bickering over her friendship.

And the thing about friendship, friendship is manageable, friendship is controllable, friendship she can handle.

Elena must have felt like the god of her own world with two hellish men devoting their lives to her safety and her harm, both the protector and danger rolled into one. How it must have felt to have friends and lovers die over her to come back and die again. To have people care for her like that without doing anything harder than existing.

Her sleeping Lena had heaven on earth while she had hell on wheels and Bonnie knows a friend she made in the underworld would tell her to live it up before she died again and no one bothered to bring her back.

In a truly twisted, ironic way, she misses that friend.

What if it’s time for the scales to rebalance and the things that fell apart must unite again?

Maybe the universe has handed her the baton and it’s time to start running.

[daylight-imagines]

Miss Me?

Pairing: Kol Mikaelson x Reader Warning: Bits of violence. Nothing different than what’s in the show. Word Count: 4419 Request: del-rcys

Part 2     Part 3

You had a habit of getting yourself into bad situations. Sometimes it wasn’t your fault. Usually, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. For months you’d been traveling. You’d been all over the states and you saved your sister’s recommendation for last: New Orleans.

Caroline, of course, had never been there. But she said a friend had told her about it. You knew that friend was Klaus even if she’d never admit it. You didn’t even want to think about what the Originals were up to, and had every intention of avoiding them during your time there. Things were crazy enough back in Mystic Falls. You didn’t want to be dragged into the Mikaelsons’ drama as well. After all the last time you were around them you had died. Now you were one of the few hybrids left living. 

You hadn’t wanted to leave Mystic Falls. But it was important to learn as much about siphoners as possible. The Twins’ powers were growing and you needed to be able to help them. That’s why you were traveling. You’d been all over the country talking to different covens and witches. Finding ways to help the twins. 

Caroline and the twins were the only family you had left. It hadn’t been that long since your mom died. You were eighteen when she told you about the supernatural- a year before the Salvatore brothers came back to Mystic Falls. By then you had already known though. She’d died a human death even if it was too soon. That’s what she wanted, but that didn’t lessen the hurt. When you were young, the two of you weren’t close, but things had gotten better between the two of you. Now she was gone. That wound was taking a while to heal.

You and Caroline didn’t have the same father. Your parents had met in high school and had a short relationship that ended up with your mom pregnant at eighteen. Liz had granted your dad full custody because she thought it would be safer and happier for you. Even then she planned to be sheriff.

Your childhood had been amazing. Your dad had inherited his father’s business, and it didn’t require too much of his attention. He usually only had to go into work for a few hours each day. Once you were old enough those hours usually happened when you were in school. 

Before you started school, most of your time was spent with your dad. He took you everywhere. It didn’t matter whether it was work, a business meeting, or town function you were with him. The only times you were really apart where during the weekends with your mom. Every other weekend he’d load you and your bags into the car. When you were younger,  you’d be kicking and screaming. He always promised that if you really wanted to come home he’d come to get you. It didn’t happen often but every time you called he was there.

You were twelve when you had your first big fight with your mom. It had been a pointless argument. You wanted to spend the last few days of the weekend at your friend’s house, but she said no. You’d begged for hours. She wouldn’t budge. So you grabbed your bag and went outside to call your dad. He was there within twenty minutes. When you got in the car he didn’t drive away as you expected. 

“Running away doesn’t solve the problem. You can only do that if you face them,” he said. “But it’s your choice. You can go back in and spend time with your mom and sister, or I’ll take you home.” 

Of course, you were twelve so you went home. But it wasn’t the only time you heard those words. It was what your dad always told you, and eventually, it sunk in. You never ran away. It didn’t matter what it was: fights at school, bad grades, fights with your mom. You didn’t run away and you didn’t give up. 

Sixteen was a hard year. You were in a car accident and the other driver didn’t survive. You hadn’t been the one that was drinking yet the universe decided that death was on your hands. The next full moon you shifted for the first time.

For three days you missed school because you were sick. Every muscle in your body ached, you had a fever, and you felt nauseous. The only times you had gotten out of bed were to use the bathroom. You couldn’t eat and you only slept for a few minutes at a time. On the fourth day, your dad came into your room a few hours before dark. He walked over to you and pulled you up.

“Dad, what’s happening?” 

“It’s ok baby. We’ve gotta go downstairs.”

“I don’t feel good dad.” You stood up but started to fall. He caught you and picked you up.

“Everything’s gonna be alright.”

He carried you downstairs into the basement and laid you down on the floor between two columns while he went to lock the doors. You watched as he locked it and put a board across it. He did the same for all the doors. He came back over and bent down beside you. He grabbed your arm and locked a chain around it.

“What-“ 

“I need you to listen to me,” he said. “Something’s happening to you. There’s not enough time to explain it right now. I promise I’ll explain it tomorrow.” 

He locked your other arm up then your legs and stood up. The pain in your body increased and you let out a scream. 

“Dad what’s happening,” you cried. The pain kept getting worse. It felt like your bones were going to break through your skin. 

Your eyes widened when your dad yelled. You watched as his bones started to break.

“It’s alright. Look away.”

You let out one last scream before everything went black. 

He explained the werewolf gene to you the next day. He explained how the curse had affected your family for generations. It was a major shock. Especially since you had to hide it from everyone even your mom and Caroline. It hurt to think your mom would want nothing to do with you if she knew, but you understood that she was raised to believe that the supernatural was wrong. Sharing that secret brought you and your dad even closer.

Things changed when the Salvatore brothers came back to Mystic Falls. By then both of your parents had told you about the supernatural, and you immediately knew what they were when you met them. You just wished you’d figured it out before Damon had got a hold of Caroline. When she told you what he’d done to her you’d been ready to kill him. If she hadn’t asked you not to, you would have tried. 

You knew when Caroline turned into a vampire. After her friends, you were the first to find out. She was terrified you’d reject her, so you told her your secret. She never told anyone which you were thankful for. But when your mom found out about Caroline you decided it was time to tell her the truth. 

After that, you were dragged into all the drama your sister’s friends faced. You didn’t mind it since you got to make sure Caroline was safe, but sometimes it was irritating. Especially when their solutions were poorly designed. 

Even though you had to deal with all the threats Mystic Falls faced, you hadn’t been directly harmed or threatened- minus a few wounds here and there. That changed when Klaus came into the picture. By that time you’d experienced nearly fifty full moons. Breaking the Sun and Moon curse sounded like a dream come true, but you’d never want someone else’s life to be the price. You weren’t surprised when Elijah told you all the curse was fake though. It also sounded too good to be true. Too staged. 

Surprisingly you liked Elijah, but you also kept in mind that he was a threat. You also knew your friends wanted him gone, so you didn’t get attached. You had been at the dinner party Damon threw, and you hadn’t been thrilled when they’d daggered him. But you knew there was nothing you could do to change it.

The first time Klaus came to Mystic Falls you and your dad had luckily been able to stay off his radar. The second time you hadn’t been that lucky.

The two of you came home late after having dinner with your mom and Caroline. Everything seemed normal until you stepped into the living room. He was there sitting calmly on your couch.

“Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Klaus.”

Your dad stepped in front of you. “Why are you here?”

“Werewolves are hard to find, and there are two of you here. You see, I have a proposition for you,” Klaus said. “I want to make hybrids. And the two of you would make fantastic candidates.”

“No,” you said. He turned his gaze to you and smiled. That smile sent fear through your entire body.

“I wasn’t really asking love.”

He stood up and went to move towards you, but your dad stepped forward. 

“Please. I’ll do what you want, but please leave my daughter alone.”

“Why would I do that?” 

“If you do I’ll be loyal to you until the day I die.” 

“Dad no-“

“Quiet.”

Klaus thought it over for a moment. A sire bond was helpful, but real loyalty was different. 

“I can promise to spare her today. But if in a month or a year I need more hybrids our deal may change.”

Your dad wasn’t happy with that arrangement but it was better than the alternative. He agreed. 

“If your loyalty to me falters. I’ll make you kill her.”

Within a second Klaus had fed your dad his blood and snapped his neck. You couldn’t help the scream that left your mouth. You dropped next to him and looked up at Klaus.

“Why are you doing this?” 

He didn’t answer instead handing you a vile of blood.

“When he wakes have him drink that.”

He also handed you a slip of paper with a phone number on it and told you to give it to your father. Before leaving he turned back to look at you. 

“If you ever decide you want to become one of us, you know where to find me.” 

“Don’t count on it,” you said. 

After he left you had called Caroline and she brought Stefan and Tyler over. In the end, it had been alright. Your dad hadn’t been too badly affected by his change of species. 

Things calmed down for a while after that. Then an invitation to a ball held by the Mikaelsons arrived at your doorstep. You were afraid that if you didn’t go and Klaus found out he’d be angry and take it out on your father. The ball wasn’t awful. You got to spend time with your sister and friends. But you were surprised when Elijah came up to you later in the night.

“Y/n correct?” Elijah asked.

“I’m surprised you remember. We only met briefly and it wasn’t the best circumstances.”

“I did end up with a dagger in my heart.”

You rolled your eyes. “I had no idea about that plan.”

“You didn’t approve?”

“My friends’ plans don’t always have much thought in them.”

He laughed. “I have to agree.” 

“My, my brother who is this lovely woman?” You turned to see a man younger than Elijah walking over. They shared very similar looks, but this one had a glint in his eyes that both scared and excited you. 

“Y/n this is my brother Kol. Kol this is Y/n Y/L/N.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“And you as well.” He placed a kiss to your hand. 

“If you would excuse me,” Elijah said. He left when you nodded. 

“I don’t know why someone as beautiful as you would be talking to my brother.”

“I talk to a lot of people,” you said. “It doesn’t make them special.”

He smiled and was about to reply when Klaus walked up behind him. Kol watched as you seemed to shrink into yourself and lower your gaze to the floor. He turned and saw his brother was the reason. He didn’t like it. 

“Brother, I see you’ve met Y/n.” He turned to you. “I’m glad you came, love.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Nik how about you go find that blonde you’ve been ogling all night instead of ruining everyone else’s fun.”

Once Klaus was gone Kol turned back to you. 

“What’s my brother done to you darling?”

“My dad is one of his hybrids and that blonde is my sister.”

He nodded. “So you're afraid to anger him.”

“He’d take it out on my family.”

“Yes, he would.” He smirked. “How about we make him unhappy for a moment?”

“How?”

He held out a hand. “Would you dance with me Y/n.”

You smiled and took it. “I’d love to.”

The look on Klaus’s face had lifted your spirits.

You knew about the white oak your friends had found, but you didn’t get involved in what they were planning. You stayed out of any plans they had involving going against Klaus. 

Your life continued normally until the hunter came to town. Klaus forced you to help find and capture him. Then you had to watch him. When Klaus let for Italy the hunter got out, and he was killed by Elena. After that things went back to what’s normal when living in Mystic Falls. You spent your time learning about the five, helping deal with Jeremy Gilbert, and trying to keep your family safe. Once again your normal was going to change.

You were sitting on the couch watching TV when there was a loud banging on your door. You opened it to find Klaus standing there. He wasn’t happy. 

“You’re coming with me love.”

He grabbed your arm and pulled you along behind him. He took you into the woods. You stumbled along behind him, but he never slowed. You had already noticed the sword in his hand. You were afraid to think about what was going to happen.

“Klaus, what’s going on?”

“The fact that you don’t know means you don’t have to die.”

“What?”

“Quiet now.”

You could see people standing a few feet away. When you got closer you realized it was the hybrids. Your dad was one of them. Klaus let go of you and you leaned against the tree closest to you. 

“Stay here and don’t move,” he said. “And stay quiet.”

You watched as he moved behind one of the hybrids and ripped his heart out. He moved from hybrid to hybrids not sparing one. Then your father stepped forward and you felt your heart stop.

“You would risk your daughter’s life for this?”

“I would risk mine,” your dad answered.

“You’re going to lose yours while she watches.”

He turned and saw you. You’re sure it was an awful sight. You had scratches all over from stumbling through the wood and tears ran down your face.

Your dad let out a sigh. He knew there wasn’t a way out of this. He mouthed I love you before Klaus ripped out his heart.  

Your scream cut through the silence that had fallen over the woods. It was an awful type of scream that seemed to stem from your very soul. Sobs took over your entire body. You couldn’t breathe and you couldn’t think. Klaus followed the last hybrid and you stumbled over to your dad. Another scream tore itself from your throat when you saw him. You fell to the ground beside him. You were twenty-one years old, but you felt like a child. You sat by the body unable to move. 

You watched Klaus come out of the crypt. He looked at you and threw the sword on the ground. 

“Come here, love.”

“You killed them. You can leave now.”

Suddenly he was right in front of you and you stumbled backward. He grabbed your arm and pulled you up.

“I told your father if he ever betrayed me I’d kill you, but I have a better idea.”

You watched as he opened the vein on his wrist. 

“No.” You tried to break free from his grip but he held on tighter. He forced his blood down your throat. You coughed and stepped back. “Elena’s human. If you kill me I’ll just die.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” he said. “You’ll want to go see your sister when you wake.”

He snapped your neck and left you in the woods. Tyler found you and took you to Caroline. It turned out Caroline had taken some of Elena’s blood and hidden it. She wanted it just in case something ever happened to you. You were glad she did. You’d be dead if she hadn’t.

So you became a hybrid. One of three in the entire world. You spent the next few days breaking your sire bond. After that, you locked yourself in your house. You didn’t leave and wouldn’t let anyone in. Three days passed before Caroline forced herself inside. 

She found you in the living room. The room looked like a storm had blown through it. Furniture had been broken, glass was shattered, and you sat in the middle of it all.

“Oh Y/n.”

“Go away, Caroline.”

She stepped over larger pieces of debris and sat next to you. She grabbed your hand and frowned. It had taken a grey tint and there was dried blood from the times you’d gotten hurt during your fit. 

“You’re starving.”

You didn’t answer. You knew that’s what was happening, but you didn’t care. Klaus chose to turn you into a hybrid, you could choose if you lived like one. 

“You know I didn’t want to be a vampire,” Caroline said. “But now I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”

“For the rest of my life, I’ll be known as one of Klaus’s hybrids.”

“Don’t let him be the reason you don’t live.”

You stood up and ran your hands through your hair. “Why should I live Caroline?”

You walked slowly towards the kitchen, and she followed.

“There’s no reason why you shouldn’t!”

“My dad is dead Caroline,” you shouted. 

“You still have a family Y/n.” She was crying now. “I know how close you and your dad were. But we’re still here.”

You held onto the doorway to keep yourself from falling. You couldn’t cry anymore but that didn’t stop you from shaking with sobs.

“It hurts so much Care.” 

“I know,” She said. “But it’ll get better.”

You took a deep breath and looked at her.

“If I look as bad as you we’re both in trouble.”

She laughed. “No matter how bad I look it’s always better than you.”

She walked over and put your arm around her shoulders.

“Come on. The funeral is tomorrow and you can barely stand.” 

You made it through the funeral, and you even made it through the days after. Being a hybrid wasn’t awful either. You didn’t like having to drink blood to survive, but you never had to shift again unless you wanted to. You didn’t have to live in fear of the full moon. You didn’t have to be afraid to hurt someone. 

Klaus hadn’t contacted you since the night he killed your dad. You were shocked. You assumed he’d try and make you his servent like his old hybrids. Not that he could, since your sire bond was broken. It was a shock that he didn’t try.

In the weeks after your dad’s funeral, you moved out of your house. It hurt to leave. You grew up in that house, but you couldn’t live there without your dad. You moved into an apartment in town and went back to taking classes at Whitmore. You tried to live normally, but you didn’t know if that was possible anymore. 

For a while, you were able to pretend like everything was fine. But when Christmas time came you couldn’t pretend.

It was a few days before Christmas- the first one without your dad. It was his favorite holiday. That reminder made the pain of his death come back in full force. That was another downside to being a hybrid- the heightened emotions. So you ended up at the bar. You knew it was a bad coping mechanism, but you didn’t care. Other people deserve to be happy, and you weren’t in the mood to pretend like you were.

You were in the bar for hours before anything interesting happened. By then you were sure if you had still been a normal werewolf you’d be at the hospital due to the amount you drank. 

The doors opened and someone walked in. You could feel his eyes on you before you turned around. Kol sat next to you, but you didn’t lookup. 

“I hear you’ve been through the wringer since the last time we saw one another.” 

You sighed. “Your brother sucks.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“Why are you talking to me?” 

“I enjoyed our past conversations. Especially the one at my mother’s ball.”

You smiled. “That pissed Klaus off.”

You regretted looking at him the moment you did it. It was like all the air had left your lungs and your heart sped up. That hadn’t happened before, but he also hadn’t been looking at you like that before. Your eyes met and it was almost like you couldn’t look away. He shouldn't have looked at you like that. You weren’t sure why he was looking at you like that. Flirting was one thing but that- shouldn’t happen. But if it did...no you couldn’t even think about it. Unfortunately for you, the sad emotions weren’t the only ones heightened as a hybrid.

“Are you alright darling?”

That damn smirk. Part of you wanted to slap it off his face. The other part wanted something very different. You let out a breath and realized your mouth was dry. You finished your drink and turned back to Kol determined to keep your composure. 

“I haven’t seen you around lately.”

“Did you miss me, darling?” He asked as the bartender filled both your glasses. “I’ve been running errands for my brother.”

“You listen to Klaus?”

“To avoid being out in a box for an unknown amount of time that’s the price I have to pay.”

That made you stop and think. You couldn’t imagine having that kind of relationship with Caroline. You were always close and always looked out for each other. What Klaus did to his siblings, you’d never understand.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s been a thousand years. I’m over it,” he said. “How are you enjoying your vampire qualities?”

“Enjoying?”

“I forgot you’ve got prudes teaching you,” he said. “Imagine what it would be like if you embraced it.”

“Then how would you teach me?”

He moved to where his chest as pressed against your back. He leaned in closer to you and motioned towards the other end of the bar. There was a man there who’d been in the bar longer than you. 

“See him?” 

You nodded struggling to concentrate on what he was saying. But one of his hands was running up and down your arm leaving a trail of warmth everywhere it touched.

“Now listen, focus on his heartbeat.”

It wasn’t hard. Besides the bartender, he was the only other person in the bar. Staying in your seat was the hard part. The heartbeat was the first thing you heard but then you the blood flowing through his veins. You hadn't fed on a human, but you'd be lying if you said you didn’t crave it. Blood bags weren’t enough. There was a constant burning in the back of your throat.

“Are you listening darling?”

“Mmhmm.” You were fighting every part of your body to stay in your seat. 

“You get him alone, compel him to stay quiet, take your fill of his blood, then compel him to forget it ever happened. Or till he’s dead if that what you prefer.”

You took a sharp breath and turned away. You leaned against his chest taking deep breaths. The veins under your eyes had appeared and you felt your fangs extend. 

“Well well darling, have you never fed straight from the vein before?”

She shook your head. Kol’s arm was wrapped around your back and he was practically holding you up. 

“Here’s your chance.” 

You looked up into his eyes. He was different from your friends, he was even different than his siblings. There was none of the self-loathing or unhappiness you saw in the other vampires. He loved what he was. He took pride in it and made the most of it. 

You realized how close the two of you were and couldn't help moving your gaze to his lips. You both moved forward slowly. Your lips were centimeters apart when the door to the bar opened.

“Y/n.” Your sister’s voice snapped you out of your daze. Kol was gone. After making sure you had control of your face you turned to your sister. 

“Hey, Care.”

“Are you ok?”

You breathed a sigh of relief knowing she hadn’t seen you with Kol. Or she just wasn’t mentioning it. That wasn’t a conversation you were ready for.

“Yeah. Can you give me a ride home?

Caroline went to wait in the car while you paid for your drinks. When you stood up something crinkled in your pocket. You pulled out a piece of paper with a phone number on it. A phone number you were determined to use but shoved back into your pocket anyway.

Three years had gone by since your transition. That was the same amount of time that had gone by since you’d seen the originals. Kol died and you heard the rest ended up in New Orleans. You’d been in New Orleans for a week and had yet to see any of them. Of course, good things didn’t last. 

A shop in the French Quarter was owned by a witch who could give you information. After your meeting, you left ready to get back to your hotel. Of course, when you stepped out of the shop you came face to face with someone you thought you’d never see again- the same smirk on his face he had three years ago.

“Hello darling,” he said. “Miss me?”

___

Part 2  Part 3

I want to thank @del-rcys for requesting this series and coming up with some great plot ideas. This is going to be a long series, so if you want to be tagged in future parts comment here, send me a message, or send me an ask. Thank you for reading!!!

[whitewolfofwinterfell]

You know you're getting more asks from me since I'm obsessed with the eloquence and insight of your answers ;) A Stelena one: what do you see as their commonalities and their main (and hopefully complementary) differences? What are your five or so favorite Stelena scenes of the series? And other than wishing they had stayed together and were endgame, what's one thing you'd have wanted to see more of or less of from their relationship?!

Well, I’m always up for answering asks, so thank you for sending them in! 

To answer your first question about Stefan and Elena’s similarities, they share a lot which bring them together. They’re both incredibly emotional people; they’re sensitive and feel things deeply. This is why they both struggled to adjust as vampires, because the heightened emotions they felt overwhelmed them. In fact, as vampires they were very similar in regards to their loss of control when feeding, the depression, the ruthlessness when they had no humanity and keeping trophies from their victims. They’re particularly attuned to the emotions of others and this is the foundation for their compassion. Whilst Damon’s instinct was to kill Caroline when she first turned because she was an “inconvinience”, Stefan and Elena never once considered that and devoted themselves to helping her. Similarly, despite Damon’s actions (particularly in the early seasons), neither of them ever gave up on him and were able to sympathise with him even when he did something unforgivable. 

Their sensitivity also leads them to have another commonality: writing in journals. This is all part of the way they express themselves and process their thoughts and emotions in a healthy way. But the journals are about more than this; they’re a manifestation of the loneliness they feel. In season 1, Elena feels incredibly isolated following the deaths of her parents. Likewise, Stefan feels lonely as a vampire who is unable to connect with humans but doesn’t fit in the supernatural world either due to him not feeding on humans. So in addition to them both being emotional people, the emotions they experienced were very similar. This is what brought them together in season 1, because they had a spiritual connection and understanding that stemmed from them both feeling alone and like they don’t belong. 

Stefan and Elena also have the same moral compass and operate on the same wave length. Their priority is always to care for those around them and to act on compassion and forgiveness. They repeatedly show forgiveness and mercy to those that wrong them and their calling to help people was why Stefan wanted to be a doctor and why Elena actually became a doctor. They also share the same philosphy in regards to how they live their lives. Despite there being constant drama in Mystic Falls and danger lurking right around the corner they both believe in the importance of living in the moment and appreciating what they have in the present. 

Intellectually, they were also on the same level which we saw hints of from their exchange of books, the way they expressed themselves in their journals and interest in medicine. They also wanted the same from their life - to be human, to have a family, to be doctors. Their visions for their ideal future perfectly aligned and so in this way they also understood each other. 

As for their differences, their main one is that Elena is much more extroverted than Stefan. She’s more sociable and likes to go out and party, dance and have fun. In comparison, Stefan is much more introverted and although he’s able to socialise without any problems, he’s far from being a social butterfly. Of course, in this respect they compliment each other because Elena is able to bring Stefan out of his shell and enable him to be himself in a safe environment.

I would also say that Stefan is a darker character than Elena. Elena is certainly not a saint and she struggles to adjust to being a vampire but Stefan struggles with his darker impulses a lot more than Elena does. Whilst Elena is able to get control over her urges and impulses by the end of season 4, for Stefan it’s an ongoing struggle. I really put that down to the fact that Stefan is so much older than Elena and has endured hurt and had experiences that are so deeply embedded in him and that impact everything he thinks and feels as well as how he behaves. Even in this way though, they compliment each other because Elena is Stefan’s anchor, the tether to his humanity and what keeps him grounded. Whenever he loses control or is struggling to keep a handle on things, she’s there to act as his voice of reason and to remind him of who he truly is. 

Choosing just 5 favourite scenes is impossibly difficult because I love so many but some of my favourites are: 

3x14

I just love the angst in this scene. How Elena is going to let him leave but then catches the door just before it closes because she can’t watch him leave without saying what needs to be said. I love what she says to him and how she challenges the way in which he’s shut her and everybody out. This is Elena knowing Stefan better than anyone; seeing through the facade and knowing that no matter how indifferent he acts or how hard he pushes her away underneath it all he still cares and he still feels just as deeply as she does. I love how at first Stefan tells her to stop because he can’t handle facing up to these emotions but how he breaks down and admits how much he hates himself for the way in which he hurt her. I love the way physical touch is used; how she uses her hands to encourage him to meet her eyes but he resists because he’s too ashamed to look at her. And I love the final line “If I let myself care all I feel is pain”, because it needs to be said and now Elena can finally understand why he has been behaving the way he has. 

3x20

I love everything about this scene. Not only do they both look gorgeous, but it’s so sweet, tender, romantic, sentimental, reminiscent and pure. It’s two people that have a complex history, that have been through hell and ripped apart, coming back together and falling in love all over again. You can sense how nervous and giddy they are and how taken they are by each other. There’s a clear spark and for tonight they can forget about all of the crap they’ve been through and enjoy being together. They compliment each other, Stefan gives her a token of his love and they have a little bit of banter with the whole “Some guy I dated said it once or twice” and don’t even get me started at the way they look at each other in this scene. Definition of heart eyes.

4x01

This scene encompasses everything I love about Stefan and Elena. Elena is about to die, but she’s so selfless and loves Stefan so much that she wants to give him hope that they could find a way to save her without her having to complete the transition. They can’t even see each other, but the power of their words is what makes this scene. Elena loves Stefan so much that she died making her way back to him and right here she’s telling him that she doesn’t regret that because she loves him so much and it will always be the best choice she’s ever made. You really can’t get more true love than that.

2x11

There are three words of dialogue in this scene “Elena, hey” and “Hi”, yet this scene is so bloody powerful. The sheer relief in Elena’s face and the way she throws herself into Stefan’s arms, how he holds her close and breathes her in, the way they cup each others faces and gaze at each other so adoringly. You can see in that one look that they are each others light, they actually glow. Their kiss is passionate and filled with emotion, the way they collapse onto the bed and the perspective shifts so that we’re looking in through the window at this private moment as Elena constantly pulls Stefan closer and they kiss more fiercely. I honestly love this entire scene and will never get tired of it.

2x05

Once again, this scene is one of those that encompasses everything I love about Stefan and Elena. They’re a team and they’re united. Elena knows better than anyone the struggles Stefan has with his bloodlust and she also knows that he needs his strength now more than ever. And she trusts him and is devoted to him so much that she willingly offers him her blood. Blood sharing, as we all know, is intimate and personal and it binds them together in an extremely profound way. Her simple statement, “It’s you and me, Stefan. Always” is the perfect dialogue for this specific moment because it’s the two of them becoming one. After Stefan has feed from her, the way Elena looks at his vampire face and how she leans in to kiss him, completely accepting and showing him how much she loves him. It gives me all the feels. 

2x18

This is one of the most underrated Stelena scenes and I love it so much. After everything they go through in season 3 this is a completely honest and unfiltered conversation where they finally say all of the things they’ve been wanting and needing to say. I just love that dialogue “I never stopped loving you”, “I know that. I know you didn’t, even though I did everything possible to push you away”. It’s so honest and it’s so simple but effective. And I think it’s so powerful that Stefan is so attuned to Elena and so sure of their love that he doesn’t even doubt that she loves him. He knows that she loves him and he never stopped, but he admits that he also knows he has done so much wrong and that he probably isn’t deserving of that love. I also love that he isn’t afraid to confront her about Damon and acknowledge her feelings for him. He could easily ignore it, but he doesn’t, he faces up to it but he reassures Elena that regardless of how he feels he loves her and he will always love her. It’s such a powerful and understated scene. It reaffirms how much they love each other despite everything they’ve been through and it’s not over the top or in your face, it’s real. 

I could choose so many more, but since that’s 6, I’ll leave it there. 

[playingwithfire0-blog]

The crack of dawn had risen, along with the awakening immortal leaning up from bed to rub his eyes before viewing over where his diary was placed. Once reaching out towards the bedside to grab his Journal alongside the clicker, a personal record of your own daily actions, experiences, and observations, with reflections and random thoughts thrown in for good measure. Finding himself writing along the lines, his vision scanned the words as he wrote “I lost control today, Everything I've kept buried inside came rushing to the surface, They follow you. You can't escape them - as much as you want to.” His thoughts were placed as he lined up the pen towards his lip to think of ways he could express himself, until then he continued to write. “I had a plan. I wanted to change who I was, create a life as someone new, someone without the past, someone alive.” Clicking the pen back Into it’s original position as well as the journal away from Damon’s interfering view, the nosy individual as he was. Removing himself from the mattress and into the bathroom to freshen up for another eventful day, with the incredible sense of hearing he found himself heading back into the room with Bonnie awaiting for his accompany.

Seeing her stood there, the expression was evident. This witch was very pissed; aggravated and ready to do something crafty. Who knew what spell she had ready for him; that glimmer of evil held in those dark eyes and that posture; disappointment was clear to see. There was a reason why she was furious, Enzo was the problem yet she continuously had his back like he was the angel. “Bon..” eventually speaking until she interrupted, observing as her hands started to raise. “This is only until you learn your lesson.” without giving him a chance to speak or even try to explain himself, she went ahead and did the magic touch by putting him to sleep. She understood he wouldn’t be out for long but in the meantime she wanted to enjoy the time she had with Enzo, in peace without both males causing chaos on trying to kill each other like children.

Images hovered inside the immortal’s mind, even if he wanted to awaken he just couldn’t. Putting him to sleep wasn’t the only thing Bonnie took part of, what he saw was what she wanted him to see - making it look more real from his own mind. Finding himself opening his eyes with confusion, every single thing was different. First he was in the bedroom and now here?

The world was dead, bodies scattered everywhere while walkers covered the whole nation, taking over the town of Mystic Falls. Humanity’s worst nightmare had just just began, experiencing something so distressing yet so terrifying, the whole of humanity running different directions screaming for the help they deserve. Friends gone their separate ways to protect their own families, will they ever see them on their travels? there’s always hope.

Experiencing the hungry outsiders ripping that poor individuals insides, blood and guts splattered until there was nothing left to take, there was no hope he was all ready gone. Until then walkers chased on their next victim, Stefan began running from the terror that was happening, observing every safe spot he could find was hard enough with walkers around him, every direction he turned there was always one, two or even more. Becoming traumatised - was this the walking dead? No, it couldn’t be real? This wasn’t real.. there was no such thing. Surviving was the only way possible for this cruel world until he felt himself getting grabbed, his eyes widened with fear as he watched the blood pour from the walkers diseased mouth.

There was no such thing as himself, as a vampire he understood he would never survive this, this is where he knows he’s going to die but now? He had to fight them off, especially this one who seemed to fight harder just to receive some blood but Stefan managed to escape the grip with the help of a stranger who shot him in the head making him fall to the ground. Bonnie made his mind to think he’d been surviving for weeks, assuring him this was not a dream - this was a terrifying nightmare. There was no time to thank the individual who saved his life, every position he walked there was always groups of walkers heading directly towards him - blood stains splattered around their ripped grimy clothes, the spitty hiss they make as their decayed teeth, yellowed and full of pulpy bits of bloody flesh, snap as they try to bite you.

Wandering through the hushed forest, the mess was unbelievable, walkers scattered in places where individuals took action. The rush of wind rushing through the branches, feeling the coldness hit against his skin, his eyes looked up to notice the darkness closing in. This was not a safe environment to be in, the question was.. was he still a vampire? What will happen if he gets bitten? Was this the last time he sees his big brother? Every question was terrifying to know. Was there a way he could get through to Bonnie, a magic spell even? Anything.. maybe her dreams, but how? Travelling off the forest and into a field to find a abandoned hospital - with relief to feel safe for the night or two. The one thing stopping him from running towards those gates were a group of walkers trying to pull down the fences with their grimy blood stained hands until one turned to notice, hungry for more.

Discovering a dead human with their flesh pulled from their own skin, blood stained the grass from that poor soul’s body. A weapon was placed beside the figure, a bat was better than having nothing - he took what he could get, until then he took a chance to fight them off by swinging the weapon against their mucky heads making them fall into another direction, one by one with their repulsive bodies falling to the ground. Entering the hospital premises, windows cracked and four worded letters written on the ground, the enormous word HELP was enough for the living to rescue them. Unaware to find the living dead making its way from behind, the target of Stefan as they snuck close - Luckily a individual from inside the building took a shot right in the head, right behind Stefan which made him to think they were aiming for him.

Turning around to notice the dead, shattered bones and the stench was something horrific. His eyes found to search for the interaction who saved his life, finding nothing but the unsanitary building but it never stopped him from going inside for safety. The hallway lights flickered, damaged doors were knocked off its edges and the floor with pools of blood, fresh and stained against the dusty walls with pictures hanging off- bodies were spread over the areas as he walked by. Wondering until hearing voices ahead, the room where they were placed - a sigh with relief to find human interaction was something every survivor wanted to see, no more walking alone. The attention turned to him, they had a plan which you will know soon enough but for now, they welcomed him.

Few hours later, whispers filled the whole room - some looked over of the direction of Stefan, the incredible hearing he once had was no more. Feeling unwanted within the group as they continue to plan against him, they weren’t the people as he thought they were. “We are planning an escape.” One explained, feeding him with lies but to them he was bait. “All of you, grab a weapon.. we need to leave.” the other announced which Stefan followed, about to take a weapon until he was given one. Odd? Inside there was nothing, no amour which was planned but Stefan thought nothing of it. Following the group down the hallway and stopped beside a door. “There’s something we need but the only thing stopping us is this” the ringleader spoke as he opened the door for Stefan to view.

The sound of hungry terrors craved for another feeding, once he tilted his head for more of a perspective sight he felt himself being pushed, falling to the ground of bait for the dead to feed on like he was nothing. The door slammed shut with the sound of locks bolting shut, running to the door with his fist banging. “Open the door!” the sound of his panic voice screaming for help. “HELP!” he pleaded, his hands pulled the door handle trying to push and shove for it to open. The walking dead were close, pulling out his unloaded gun to fire until noticing he had no armour, no bullets to shoot as the gun clicked and clicked with each trigger finger. His head leaned against the doorframe his eyes squeezed shut, this was the last of humanity - What a way to die.

Hands grip against flesh; the surge of pain was excruciating as they began to pull at his lips; this was it. Stefan Salvatore, was doomed for. Falling to the floor, losing his balance completely he watched as they came over him - like a mouse trap, he was trapped, unable to move, unable to shift. Caught and they had him. Pulling, twisting. As much as he desired to let out a scream, he was unable to bring his body to - the last vision he had before his eyes wandered into a dark place, his body stopped fighting to the point his body, was lifeless.

The wicked things a spell could do; and within an instance his felt oxygen filling into his lungs, breath pushing through as his body bolted upright, panting. With sweat beading down his face, he looked around, was this real? had it all been a dream? Switching his full attention from the room and onto the witch sitting there with the worlds biggest smirk, who knew Bonnie had it in her to do such a terrifying thing? Historical to her but a nightmare for him. He had assurance of learning his lesson, he would never come across a pissed off Bonnie ever again.

[seesgood]

ON WHY CAROLINE ALWAYS SEEMS TO EMPATHIZE WITH THE “VILLAINS.”          okay so, the first thing that feels important to mention is that, throughout tvd, you have this running theme that separates the “villains” and the “heroes.” villains tend to embrace their vampirism, their powers, the privilege that it gives them and they’re not afraid of using those things for their own advantage. heroes are riddled with guilt over who they are, what they’ve done, what they were turned into. and then as the seasons go on you get this interesting dynamic and these shifts as the villains and heroes kinda straddle / cross that line into more grey area. --- when stefan is in full ripper mode, he embraces his vampirism and feeding and the darkness that’s within him, which is a stark contrast from hero stefan, who as we all know is riddled with guilt over everything he’s done and who is seemingly constantly haunted by the ripper. in the beginning, damon was the true villain, but you saw a shift when they revealed that the reason damon hates stefan and is determined to wreck havoc on his life is because he hates stefan for turning him. it was a similar deal with katherine ( running from klaus made her what she is ), and klaus ( his father ). for this specific headcanon i’m going to focus more on the lines of the villains that were at one point allied with the mystic falls gang ( katherine, klaus, rebekah, etc. ).

i think i’ve mentioned in the past before that caroline finds it nearly impossible to truly hate anyone, especially once she understands the reasoning and motives behind their actions. it’s why she’s able to somewhat-forgive damon for his manipulation and abuse, it’s why she ends up sympathizing with klaus and rebekah, it’s why she mourns katherine’s death and the circumstances surrounding it. none of this means she forgives, or condones the things that they’ve done and there are obviously certain things that she could never forget. but she does understand. and that, more than anything, is the thing that kind’ve separates her from the core group of mystic falls morality.

the thing about caroline that’s been apparent since she was turned in season two is that she doesn’t really adopt the same vampirism philosophy that the others do. quite honestly, she loves what she is. the power. the control. the opportunities it gives her. she knows she’s better as a vampire than she was as a human, and whiles he does feel guilt over the things she’s done ( killing the guy at the carnival, the amount of manipulation she’s done, the deaths she’s played a part in ) it’s not the kind of all consuming guilt that stefan has. and while most of that is attributed to the fact that she hasn’t lived nearly as long as him and therefore hasn’t done or seen nearly as much as he has, she’s able to forgive herself for a lot of it. ( on her god days, at least. on her bad days, she does still feel guild-trodden by all of it and she has a hell of a lot of remorse over things ). but unlike stefan, elena, and ( arguably ) damon, she doesn’t let it control her. 

the reason she’s able to empathize so easily with the “villains” on the show is because she understands them. and more than that, she’s able to see how they got to that point. the thing that terrifies her most about being a vampire is the possibility of an eternity spent without those that she loves the most, and the fact that they act as grounding agents. without them, and without someone to remind her of who she is, was, and what she stands for --- she can see how easy it is to lose yourself. ( and she experienced a little bit of this in season 6 when her mom died, when she thought she lost stefan, when she’d already lost bonnie ). so while she can easily see the awful things that katherine/klaus/rebekah/damon have done to her friends and their town, she can also see the circumstances that led there, and she can see how things could have been very different if maybe one person in their history had been there to understand, or support, or just...be different. ---- and yes, this is a grossly optimistic viewpoint to have, but that’s caroline for you. 

because of that, she can’t just write people off until she knows that there’s nothing salvageable about them. and as long as she does find something human inside of even the worst monsters, she’ll try and fight to give them a second chance because it’s what she would have wanted if it were her, and it’s what she believes people deserve, and its what she believes in. and until the world keeps proving her otherwise, or until it ends up continually biting her in the ass ---- she’s going to keep believing in the good in people. to the point where it can almost be a fault. either way, she’s not going to contribute to someone’s villany, and if possible she’s going to do everything she can to trigger their redemption arc.