Title: come together, like glue
Author: theseviolent-ends
Fandom(s): The Vampire Diaries
Pairing(s): Damon/Caroline, mentions of Damon/Elena, Stefan/Elena, and Stefan/Caroline
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: AU/AH, in which Caroline gets Stefan first. This was going to be a drabble, but then it exploded, but I'm still calling it a drabble.
Warnings: mild Elena-Bashing (nothing too hardcore).
Synopsis: Because Elena always had a penchant for taking what was hers, and Stefan was no different. Day #1 of 30 days of Drabbles.
Song Used: Do You - Carina Round
It was too good to be true, and Caroline should have known it from the start. From the moment she caught those dramatically green eyes, she should have gone running in the opposite direction. But of course, like any other teenage girl with half a brain, Caroline didn't. Caroline looked Stefan Salvatore in the eyes and she fell headfirst.
And what girl wouldn't? Stefan was polite and charming and oh so perfect.
There had been so many red flags; so many warning signs that she'd simply ignored. If Caroline were quite honest with herself, she should've dumped his sorry ass the moment she found that picture of Elena's vampire doppelganger stuck between the pages of his favorite novel.
Or maybe she should've done it when Elena's psychotic doppelganger killed her to "send a message" to the Stefan and Damon.
(A message that pretty much consisted of 'love lives' simply will not be tolerated.)
They continued to fumble somewhat awkwardly through their relationship, even with Katherine's threat looming overhead. Stefan continued stealing glances at her doe-eyed best friend every time he thought she wouldn't notice. But she noticed, every time. And she somehow convinced herself that it was all nothing.
(It was anything but nothing, Caroline, anyone with eyes could see that.)
Because Elena always had a penchant for taking what was hers, and Stefan was no different. She simply swooped in with her wide-eyed charm and poor Stefan was a goner. Even if he'd wanted to stay faithful to Caroline, Elena wouldn't let him. She would continue to nip at him until she got what she wanted.
It didn't matter that Elena had Damon, and that he treated her like a princess because Caroline had Stefan, and so she wanted him.
(And then comes the sad eyes, and the "we need to talk", and the "I think we should see other people" and Caroline just doesn't know how much more of this shit she can take.)
So Caroline finds herself lying on Damon's bed of all places, bottle of vodka in hand. She's staring at the ceiling, cheeks distinctly tracked with dry tear-stains. She doesn't flinch when he enters the room, only turns her head to face him. Their eyes meet, and in less than a second, Caroline understands.
He doesn't yell at her, doesn't shove her out of his room as he's done many times before. He just stares at her, wondering why he's not doing all any of those things.
(Dear, naïve, little Damon, you just don't want to be alone.)
She sits up, tilting her head to the side a bit. She smirks wryly at him, swinging her legs over the side of his bed and sitting up straight. "So you got dumped too, eh?"
It's a simple, teasing, and rhetorical question. They both know well enough that Stefan and Elena are probably bumping uglies at that very moment. That was the sad, pathetic truth of their lives.
So Damon didn't yell at her. He didn't shove her off the bed or threaten her. He simply wandered over to where Caroline sat and snatched the vodka from her hand, taking a long swig before handing it back to her.
They stay like that for a long while, sitting side by side on Damon's bed, shoulders just barely touching. They are silent, each lost in their own self-pity. But of course, it is Caroline who breaks the silence.
"You deserve better, you know." Caroline says, her voice hoarse. Damon almost believes her, but he knows better than that. He knows that this is exactly what he deserves. Damon was never meant for fairy-tales. "I know you aren't going to believe me, but you're a good guy, Damon."
"This coming from the girl I've threatened to stake at least twice a week." Damon chuckles humorlessly, looking over at her. Caroline rolls her eyes, pushing him playfully.
"Like you really would. I know you secretly love me Salvatore." She jokes, raising an eyebrow at him. Damon pretends to be offended, but he knows it's true. Somewhere down the line, the annoying little twerp somehow weaseled her way into his heart. "Besides, you've also saved my life plenty of times, albeit for Elena's benefit. You could have just let me die."
("I'd never let you die," he doesn't say. But he wants to. God does he want to.)
They are silent again, and Caroline thinks she might have struck a nerve. She quickly averts his gaze, keeping her eyes trained on the now empty bottle of vodka in her hand. Anywhere but those annoyingly gorgeous blue eyes.
"You deserve better than Saint Stefan anyway. And you should know that already." Damon says, unable to look her in the eyes. So he opts for staring at his feet planted firmly on the ground. "You're kind, and you're genuine, and you're so full of light... And sort of perfect, blondie."
Caroline isn't sure how to respond, (is Damon actually paying her a compliment?) and looks to him for any sign that he's joking. Their eyes meet and there's something there, something other than annoyance or pity. He looks like he genuinely cares.
"Definitely not, I am nothing special." She replies, looking down at her hands. If she weren't dead, she'd be blushing right now. "I was put together wrong. I'm selfish and I talk too much and I'm a terrible, awful person. Why else wouldn't Stefan want me?"
Her voice cracks, and Damon sees the tears start a path down her cheeks. He frowns and gently grabs her arms, turning her body so that she is facing him.
"Listen to me, Caroline." Damon says seriously, and she can't help but listen. It's the first time he's called her by her name (she pretends not to like the way it rolls off his tongue), and she's not quite sure how to feel about that. "You are a good person, alright? Sure, you talk more than I can afford to listen and you get a little obnoxious at times but that's perfectly fine. You're funny and you're sweet and you care about everyone. I love that about you. You're a ray of sunshine in the goddamn dark, Caroline, and don't you let anyone make you feel otherwise." He pulls back and gives her a lopsided grin. "Not even me."
Caroline is at a loss for words, a first for her. She's always had every witty comeback in the book prepared for Damon, but not today.
She opens her mouth to say something, but Damon is already leaning forward and ever so slightly placing his lips against hers. A part of her is screaming that his is wrong, all wrong. That she's in love with Stefan. That they will eventually sort things out.
A greater part of her tells her to shut up and enjoy the fact that Damon's got his hands on her cheeks, and is kissing her like the world might end.
So she does. She kisses him back with just as much fire, and that's when she knows. (It took you long enough, Caroline). The spark that ignites between them is inevitable.
"My brother is an idiot," Damon concludes breathlessly, as they pull away. Caroline just giggles and lets her head fall onto his chest. He wraps his arms around her and sh can't help but think that this is the way things are meant to be.