Title: We Love in Silence
Rating: T
Type: One-shot; drabble
Pairing: Damon/Elena
Setting: Some time post-finale
Short one-shot/drabble that popped into my head. Take it for what it is or for what it isn't. Make sure you've seen "The Last Day" to appreciate the context. Your thoughts are very much appreciated.
We Love in Silence
You lie awake at night
With blue eyes that never cry
All you remember now
Is what you feel
-The Goo Goo Dolls, "Feel the Silence"
Damon Salvatore lay enclosed in the security of Elena Gilbert's arms – a place where he had wanted to be for so long, and now it was only under the absolute worst of circumstances that he found himself there. He could feel her soft, warm fingers brushing over his forehead and through his damp hair with serene ease. Once in a while, he felt her press her lips just under the lobe of his ear and his body would take a moment to dismiss the pain in favour of the more pleasurable sensation.
He wasn't wearing much – simply a pair of black boxers and a white sheet which covered him from the waist down. Even he was surprised that he had managed to retain a sense of modesty. Elena didn't seem to mind his near-nakedness, though, evident in the way she gently rubbed his bare back, letting her fingertips linger longer than necessary.
"I'm staying with him," Elena had said firmly, "I'm staying with him and you are going to go find a cure. He's your family, Stefan. We didn't come this far to let anyone else die. I will not let anyone else whom I love die." And then she had marched straight up to his room. Stefan hadn't been terribly surprised, but Damon had.
"I ruined your life," he whispered weakly into her chest, still confused by her presence. "You were this close to leading an eternal life of misery and it's all my fault."
"Mmm," she mused softly into his dark hair, "I was angry at the time, Damon. But you did the right thing."
"I regretted it immediately after I did it, Elena. I completely undermined a decision you had made. That's all you ever wanted from everyone – to respect your choices – and I couldn't even do that." He listened to the steady beating of her heart and realized how much the sound relaxed him.
"You cared enough to save my life in a time when I didn't value it. I can't thank you enough for that, Damon, even if you went about it the wrong way." Elena looked down at him, observing his pale, handsome face and felt her heart clench. Now she had to return the favour – she had to save his life. She swallowed hard, feeling the tears slowly come down her cheeks. She refused to leave his side until he was better.
Damon suddenly intertwined his fingers with hers and held their hands against his chest. He hoped he wasn't being too forward. He relaxed when he felt her squeezing his hand back with a gentle pressure. "Don't cry," he murmured, feeling a warm splash on his own cheek. "I'm not worth the tears."
She pulled him closer to her, holding him tighter before leaning down to whisper into his ear, "You're worth my life, Damon."
Because Elena Gilbert loved Damon Salvatore and there wasn't anything she wouldn't do to keep him alive.
Fin