Stefan stared Damon in the eyes, his face grave with seriousness. Damon stared back, an amused smirk playing on his lips, clearly realising what was coming.
"Look after Elena," said Stefan clearly. "I'm going to be five minutes. Don't let anything happen to her."
"Honestly, Stefan. You think I'd let her get hurt?" Lights danced in Damon's eyes as Stefan took his dull ones away from his brother's and ran out of the back door to hunt. "I will keep a very close eye on her," vowed Damon under his breath, turning his head away from the door and into the Gilbert residence. Silently, he walked deeper inside.
Elena's damp dark hair swished heavily over her back, tickling her hips as she reached up to the shelf for the shampoo. Pouring a generous amount of the floral scented cream into the palm of her hand, she swiftly rubbed it into her other hand and began to massage her scalp with the soap. She loved washing her hair: it was a chance to wash away any worries bothering her. She could imagine she was massaging her problematic thoughts out of her head and wash them away with the dirty water.
"Mm, what shampoo is that?"
Elena opened her eyes in horror but quickly squeezed them shut, swearing darkly as the foamy water seeped into her open eyes. She spun around so she was facing the wall. For the brief moment that she could see, she recognized the short dark hair and the black leather jacket of the person sitting casually on the toilet lid.
"Damon!" she cried, rubbing her stinging eyes. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Keeping an eye on you," he answered. His voice was much too close for comfort, given her current state of dress, or rather, undress. "Making sure you come to no harm. You know the drill."
Elena felt his chilled fingers on her chin as her head was led gently to look over her right shoulder. The hand held her still as Damon's thumbs swept lightly over each of Elena's eyelids. More water splashed onto her face and his thumbs brushed her eyes again.
"There you go," Damon announced as he released his hold on her and wiped the excess soapy water off her forehead and into her hair so it couldn't seep into her eyes again.
"Damon, what are you doing?" demanded Elena, as she wrapped her arms strategically over herself. "You're getting wet!"
Damon looked down at himself. Elena's arms tightened as they both reviewed his soaked wardrobe. "You're right," he agreed, smiling politely. He met Elena's gaze and she noticed the sparkle of misbehaviour growing. Before Elena could object, Damon shrugged off his jacket and through it over the top of the shower cubicle. His water flecked cotton t-shirt was quick to follow, as were his shoes and socks.
"Damon, what are you doing?" Elena repeated for the third time as she understood what was happening. Her eyes trailed over the pile of black clothes, then to Damon's torso as though expecting him to still be fully dressed.
Damon's thick eyebrows rose innocently. "Stefan said to keep an eye on you, so that's what I'm doing. You pointed out my clothes were getting wet so I took them off. Could you help me with my belt? It's a bit tight."
Elena looked down automatically then forced her head back up. She gaped as her mind went blank although not from compulsion. "Damon!" she spluttered, remembering she was wearing her birthday suit and reattempted to conceal herself from him.
"Yes, Elena?" Damon smiled softly, seductively inviting her to continue. She tried not to focus on how amazing Damon looked when his wet ebony hair hung dreamily over his sharp blue eyes.
"I'm having a shower!"
Damon sniggered. "I realised actually."
"So get out!"
Damon pretended to be hurt. "But Stefan told me to keep an eye on you in case you got hurt-"
"I am in the shower," hinted Elena venomously. "I don't think I'm going to sustain any serious injuries whilst I'm washing my hair!"
"On the contrary," Damon argued, reaching up his hand to move a section of Elena's soapy hair off of her face before she slapped his hand away angrily. She flushed as she replaced her arm over her breasts. Damon grinned, content, as Elena's embarrassment and anger increased dramatically. "Did the soap in your eyes not sting just a little?" Damon accepted her silence with satisfaction. "So I am basically fulfilling my vow to my dear brother."
A wet snap made Elena jump. She flushed harder as she realised it came from Damon's leather belt which was no longer around his waist...
"Damon!" cried Elena, her voice full of warning.
"Yes, Elena?" Damon smirked, closing the miniscule gap between their wet bodies. His eyes brightened with malicious expectation as he took in Elena's indecision. "Oh dear: looks like you can't push me away without exposing a little of yourself." Damon waited for a few moments, testing to see what Elena would choose. Before he could reach out for her himself, the bathroom door banged open.
"Did nobody teach you to knock?" asked Damon turning slowly to face the intruder. "We're trying to have a shower here."
"Elena?" Stefan's eye's bugged as he took in Elena's unhappily flushed expression and the pile of dark clothing at his feet. "Damon!" he yelled. "Get out of there!"
"You told me to keep an eye on her," Damon objected, like he was a slave who had been ordered to look after his Master's lady and then criticized for following orders. Nobody fell for it, least of all the Stefan and Elena.
"What's going on?"
Elena looked away from the Salvatore brothers, a look of sheer terror on her face. "No! Jeremy!"
"Elena?" Jeremy's face appeared around the door, her words not having enough time to sink in. His young eyes widened in a similar horror to his sisters before scrunching up tightly in an attempt to rid the image of his naked sibling from memory. Jeremy left the room cussing loudly as he staggered blindly to a far away corner of the house.
Stefan turned away from the devastated boy and glared angrily at Damon. "Get out, Damon," he growled fiercely. "Now."
"There's no need to be snippy." Damon stepped away from Elena and the running water and opened the shower door. "Say please."
"Damon!" Stefan's hands were clenched into fists at his sides. Damon's blue eye's regarded the threat with indifference.
"Whatever." Damon climbed out, grabbing the hand towel next to the sink and began to dab his torso dry. "You told me to look after her and I did. Didn't I, Elena?"
Both brothers looked to her as she swapped her gaze from one to the other. Damon discretely stepped back inside the cubicle and reached over her to switch off the water.
"Better wrap yourself up before your Uncle John comes for a peek," winked Damon as he passed her towel to her from the radiator.
"Damon!"
"What? I'm just stating a fact!" Damon's mock innocence melted as he smirked at his brother and returned his gaze to (the now covered) Elena. "Did I not help you wash soap out of your eyes?"
Stefan snorted but Damon ignored him. Elena glanced at Stefan and then looked at her feet. "Yeah..."
"And did it sting before I came to your rescue?" Stefan frowned, but Elena answered honestly.
"Yes." Damon smiled victorious over his brother. "But I would've managed myself and you didn't have to start stripping because your clothes were wet!"
Damon shrugged as he tossed the hand towel onto the floor and scooped up his clothes. "You know you enjoyed it." As Damon left the room, he turned back with a mock indignant look at Stefan. "Aren't you going to give the girl some privacy? She doesn't need an audience you know: they're just boobs." Damon flashed his brother a grin and walked off to get dressed.