A/N: Dedicated to all my girls at FanForum. I got this idea from my babes, Natalie and Lala - MissNeC and MissDK, check out their profiles and you'll find amazing DE masterpieces - and I stole it, deciding to use it for my advantage, so a big thanks to them. Set during season 2 - includes some spoilers, so if you're not okay with that, click the back button right now, and no hard feelings. In this one-shot's world, Jeremy is a vampire. By the way, at the end, what happens to Stefan is up to you. Title comes from the song "God Damn You're Beautiful" by Chester See.

"Would you just relax?"

She stops short and gapes at him, her wide eyes spitting fire in his direction as she takes in his comfortable position on her couch. He raises an eyebrow and places a pillow between the back of his head and her couch, raising his feet to rest on the coffee table, blissfully aware of her disbelieving expression.

"Much better."

She scowls and crosses her arms over her chest, hating how Damon's eyes continue growing more amused as he keeps pushing her buttons, hating even more that he knows how. Her eyes flicker to the window, hoping to see her boyfriend's silhouette walking up the steps of her porch, but all she detects is darkness.

"Remind me again why Stefan couldn't stay with me?"

"Stefan talks to Katherine, and I keep you safe. You wouldn't want me to go off to confront her on my own, now, would you?"

He smirks, and Elena is sent spiraling over the edge. She's frantic with worry about Stefan, her heart is thrumming unevenly against the confines of her chest and she's pretty sure it's because she's in Damon's presence and she doesn't really want to think of why that would have that sort of effect on her, and to top it all off, he has the nerve to smirk?

"Better you than him! She actually loves him."

She regrets the words as soon as she says them. Elena sees how Damon's jaw clenches just slightly and an almost imperceptible crease wrinkles his forehead, and she takes a deep breath, ignoring the way her heart plummets to the pit of her stomach for upsetting him. She shouldn't care. Shouldn't care that her declaration cut at his raw wounds and reminded him that, despite his beliefs, he was second best to Katherine as well.

But she does.

She moves to sit down next to him, and her lips turn downwards when she feels him go rigid beside her. Remorse tugs at her heart and she looks at the side of his face. "I'm sorry," she whispers, and her eyes narrow slightly when he keeps his gaze straight ahead. Elena places her hand over his and tugs at it gently, pleased when he turns his head. His eyes rove intently over their hands before traveling to her face, and she ignores the way heat starts rising to her skin by giving him a small smile. "If it makes you feel any better, the answer is no."

His eyebrows furrow in confusion, and she bites the inside of her lip to keep from smiling.

"No, I wouldn't want you going anywhere near Katherine."

And just like that, a flip is switched and he throws a smirk in her direction, eyes glistening with mirth as he grasps her hand tighter in his. "Meaning?"

She rolls her eyes, breathing a chuckle at his mood swings. She inclines her head to the side and raises a dubious eyebrow. "You know what it means. Don't pretend," she scolds him knowingly. His smirk deepens and the corners of his eyes crinkle. Elena's breath catches slightly in her throat because wow, she can't believe she let herself forget for one second that he's absolutely beautiful.

"Do I?"

She sighs. "Yes, Damon."

He scoffs. "Well you're no fun."

He's well-aware that she doesn't want him going near her ancestor because it'll only do more damage to his already-unstable heart. Never let it be said that Elena isn't compassionate, and she'd probably do the same thing for anyone. Although, he likes to believe she keeps an eye on him because it's him, not just because she's a good person.

He knows he's right.

So he wants to hear it come from her lips. Sue him.

She gently tugs her hand out of his hold, and he misses the skin contact immediately, but doesn't give any sign of it. "Well, forgive me if I'm not in the mood for jokes when my boyfriend is out there with a maniacal vampire and his life is at risk."

"Unlife," he corrects.

"Technicalities."

His lips quirk at the dismissive wave of her hand and he adjusts the cushion to his comfort.

"Damon?" His eyes widen imperceptibly at her meek tone and he turns to her quickly, finding Elena fiddling nervously with her fingers. "Do you think Stefan will be okay?"

He frowns just slightly when he notes how worried she is over his brother, and wonders if she ever gets this riled up over his safety. His dead heart swells when he finds that it's likely she does. Elena looks to him with wide brown doe eyes that have him inching closer to her in a nanosecond, a mixture of disbelief and jealousy flaring up inside him when he realizes that he's assuring her over his brother. He's comforting the person he loves over the competition, he's doing the sensible thing.

What has this woman-child done to him?

"Stefan's going to be fine. Katherine wouldn't hurt him," he ensures, jaw clenching when he notices the way her shoulders loosen up slightly at his words of comfort. "Like you said, she loves him."

She looks to him with an apologetic expression and he smiles to show that he's not bearing a grudge against her. She yawns and leans back against the couch, letting her head rest back on the surface. "Thanks." He rolls his head so he's facing her, and she looks at him thoughtfully. "For protecting me, tonight."

"Well, we all know Katherine wants you dead, so I figured that, should she manage to escape Stefan and show up, trying to fight her off would give you enough time to run away or call Mr. Broods-A-Lot. Maybe even Jeremy, now that he's adjusting to all his vampy traits."

She gulps. Had he just...had he just admitted to sacrifice himself for her safety?

"Yeah," she whispers, eyes drifting shut as she forces her mind not to mull over the hidden meaning in his sentence. Because she knows Damon, and there is always a double-meaning to everything he says, and trying to decipher his statements always makes an unwelcome throb encircle her head and she just doesn't have the energy to deal with it right now.

He watches her out of the corner of his eye, and he feels his expression soften when her chest rises and falls evenly in time with her steady breathing. She has good reason to be tired. Her ancestor has been trying to steal her boyfriend from her grasp, her brother (cousin) is a newborn vampire, one of her best friends is still ignoring her, and the other best friend is in critical condition at the hospital. He's sure that if it were anyone else, they would've crumbled a long time ago, and Elena's strength is something he's always admired about her.

He slowly gets up, careful not to move too much so he won't wake her, and moves towards the hall closet, eyeing each blanket critically, trying to distinguish the softest and warmest one. When he's happy with his choice, he goes back to the living room and drapes the scarlet material over Elena's sleeping frame, making sure that every inch of exposed skin is covered - minus her face, of course, because he still needs that for his own personal enjoyment.

...

He's watching some mediocre teenage film about a guy who makes a bet with his jock friends that he could turn an outcast into prom queen on her television when she stirs beside him. He turns instantly, watching her unconscious movements with acute concentration.

She whimpers and kicks her legs out from underneath her, starting to inch towards him. He freezes, watching with curious - albeit amused - eyes as she easily drapes her arms around his waist and leans her head against his chest. Damon blinks continuously for a moment, satisfied shock making its way through him before he internally shrugs and slings his arm around her shoulder.

She probably thinks he's Stefan, but hey, after constant rejections, he'll take what he can get.

He turns off the television and makes himself more comfortable, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

He tries to ignore her unconscious sigh of contentment.

He also tries to ignore the small voice inside him, the one that's telling him that this is how it should be.

It sounds strangely like Elena.

...

Her eyes flutter open and she grimaces when sunlight hits her face at full-force through the blinds. She turns back into his body, finding comfort in the darkness his black shirt provides, and she snuggles a little closer to him when...

Her eyes widen so much she wouldn't be surprised if they fell out of her sockets. Her arms are around Damon. And his arms are around her as well. She woke up like this. She woke up happy like this.

Oh dear God, they were cuddling.

Her heart thrums violently against her ribcage because this has to be the closest she's ever gotten to Damon...physically, and she finds that she didn't hate it, and frankly, that thought scares her shitless. She swallows before slowly peering up at him from underneath her eyelashes, and what she sees has her heart beating even faster for an entirely different reason.

If she thought Damon was gifted in the looks area before, well, it pales in comparison to how gorgeous she thinks he is now. Her eyes dart around every inch of his face, noting the relaxation in each feature.

He looks...indescribable.

She smiles. She knows it's wrong, but that nagging feeling of guilt is placed in the recesses of her mind and she lets herself enjoy the moment while it lasts, because if she's being honest with herself, she loves being around Damon. She's still staring at him, so she sees when he opens one eye, and lapis lazuli meets chocolate.

"Are you done marveling at my good looks yet? Because, if you aren't aware, pretending to be asleep is quite the bore."

Her mouth opens and she wriggles out of his hold instantaneously. Her cheeks flame when she realizes that she got caught idolizing her boyfriend's brother, whom she's supposed to only barely tolerate. How embarrassing. Elena shoots a scowl in his direction, heading towards the stairs. "You're unbelievable," she spits out venomously as she makes her way up the staircase.

"Don't act like you don't love it," he barks back smugly.

She fails at smothering her smile. She doesn't love it.

But she thinks she might be able to come around.

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