Title: Elena, Shut Up
Author: kah50 (on LJ); Vivacious Whimsicality (on fanfiction)
Pairing: Damon/Elena
Rating: T
Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort
Prompt: I want that Elena realizes that she wants to be with Damon (and tells him so!), because something tragic happens. Like, one of them nearly dies, and it's a really close bet. I don't care if it's Elena or Damon.
Summary: Damon comes to visit Elena in the hospital and gives her a lady friend for her teddy bear. She gives him something even better.
Disclaimer: I own nothing! :( Though I wish I could own Damon . . .
Words: 1,225
Verse: Show. Set in the vague future, post Klaus showdown.
Notes: Written for the 2010 Damon/Elena Secret Santa Exchange at the Damon & Elena LJ Community. I hope the person who requested this enjoys this!
Elena stirred on her bed. Was it a hospital bed? A cool hand stroked her feverish face and made her questioning thoughts fall away like sand through a sieve. The hand felt good. She struggled to open her eyes and saw a blur of blue when she did. As everything came into focus, she realized that she was looking at Damon's face and that it was his hand that was comforting her. She saw relief flash across his face but he said nothing and just continued to run his thumb along her cheek.
The struggle to keep her eyes open was too much for Elena and her eyelids started to droop. "That's right, go back to sleep, Elena. We'll all be here and waiting when you wake up," Damon murmured softly, not taking his eyes off of Elena's face. She could feel the warmth and affection emanating from him and she drifted off contently.
The next time Elena stirred, she frowned. Someone's hand was on her face, but it wasn't the hand that she wanted. The hand was too warm for her taste, the nails too long and scratchy.
Irritated, Elena opened her eyes. "Aunt Jenna?" she rasped.
"Ohmygosh, Elena! I'm so glad that you're finally conscious, we've been so worried about you," Aunt Jenna sobbed, reaching over to gently hug Elena. As Jenna babbled on, Elena tried to make sense of her situation.
According to Jenna, she got into yet another car accident two weeks ago. Since then, she had been in a coma but slipped out of it and into regular unconsciousness about 24 hours ago.
"Elena, you almost died! The doctors said that if Damon hadn't found you and brought you to the hospital as quickly as he did, the head trauma and blood loss would've been the end of you!" Jenna said, clutching Elena's hands. Elena smiled back at her oblivious aunt.
"Don't worry Aunt Jenna, I'm still alive and kicking. I'm sorry about scaring you and I promise to be more careful in the future," said Elena as she held Jenna's hands.
"You better or I might have to take away your car," Jenna teased. "Now I have to call everybody and tell them that you're conscious. I'd brace myself if I were you . . . "
What an exhausting day. Elena wasn't sure if she wouldn't rather have remained unconscious. Thanks to pretty much the entire population of Mystic Falls, her room was bursting to the seams with flowers, cards, and balloons. The day held a never ending stream of visitors, but never the one that she wanted to see. Questions about what went down two weeks ago plagued her mind until she almost couldn't stand it.
Bonnie, Tyler, Caroline, Stefan, Jeremy, and Alaric all came by, but they couldn't tell her what actually happen two weeks ago because of the constant presence of Aunt Jenna and the ignorant citizens of Mystic Falls.
After she hugged Matt and Stefan good-bye late in the evening, she smiled at the boys' newfound camaraderie. Stefan took their last (and final) break up pretty hard and she was happy that Stefan had found a good friend.
Elena frowned as she tried to remember how she ended up in the hospital in a lull between visitors. The last thing she remembered was Klaus staring at her hungrily with a maniacal glint in his eyes and excruciating pain.
After Jenna said her last good-byes, Elena sat upright in her bed impatiently. He had to come. She wanted answers, and to be honest, she really wanted to see him.
She wasn't disappointed. After several minutes of dead silence, he suddenly appeared on the chair beside her bed with his feet propped up on her nightstand.
"Damon," Elena breathed, happy to see him.
"I brought you something," Damon said, a smirk gracing his lips and his blue eyes twinkling. He held out a snow white teddy bear with a pink bow around its neck to her. "Figured that Mr. Teddy could use a lady friend."
Elena tried and failed to suppress and giggle as she accepted the bear. Shifting her gaze from the stuffed animal to Damon, she finally asked what was on her mind.
"Damon, what happened two weeks ago? Really?" Elena asked seriously, cradling the teddy bear in her arms as she waited for his response.
He didn't hesitate to tell her about what happened during the showdown with Klaus and Elijah. How Elijah had kidnapped Elena in the middle of the night and left her as bait for Klaus. How Klaus found and tortured Elena mercilessly until she lay bloody and unconscious on the forest floor. How Damon and Stefan and the others had arrived on the scene to watch Elijah kill Klaus and then used that information to kill Elijah in return, along with his little pet witches.
"But not before they fought back pretty hard, of course. Nearly took Ric and me out. Never thought we'd bounce back as quickly as we did. But on the bright side, we're Original free for now and trouble free until you get yourself in another mess," Damon said flippantly as he took in Elena's reaction.
Elena's eyes widened at hearing all of this new information. Although she was concerned about her other friends, the fact that Damon had almost died was terrifying. It scared her more than anything, even more than the memory of Klaus.
She lifted a hand and placed it on his face, teddy bear forgotten. "But everyone is okay, right? You're okay?" she asked frantically, eyes roaming his face and looking for signs of injury even though she knew there wouldn't be any.
"Elena, breathe." Damon put his hands on either side of her face and stared into her eyes intensely. "Everyone is okay, it's all good," he said sincerely, willing her to believe it. "You just have to focus on getting better."
She didn't hear that last sentence. All she could focus on was his hands on her face and his close proximity to her. As her eyes flickered from his beautiful blue ones to his sculpted lips, she unconsciously learned forward until she and Damon were only millimeters apart. Giving into impulse, she kissed him.
Their world exploded. She gasped as her lips moved against his. Her heart hammered frantically in her chest and she slid her hands into his silky hair at the nape of his neck. It felt like she was about to burn up. She couldn't get enough. He moved from his chair onto her bed to get closer as one of his hands clutched at her hair while the other wound itself around her waist. She finally broke away to breathe but kept her forehead against his.
"Damon . . . I want to be with you," she said breathily, soaking in his presence. Damon's face showed surprise mixed in with a hint of disbelief.
"Damon, I mean it." Elena clutched him closer to emphasize her point. "We've been dancing around each other for so long and we both almost died and if I didn't tell you how I feel-"
"Elena," Damon interrupted. "Shut up."
He pulled her in for another passionate kiss. Before Elena closed her eyes, she caught the look of complete happiness and bliss on Damon's face and smiled into their kiss.