"Morning, Damon."
He looked up from his reading, a mocking smirk present as always on his face.
"I like your hair this way. Shows off your bitchy nature."
Katherine only smirked as she used her super speed to get to a table with bourbon. She helped herself and sat on the couch gracefully, not taking her dark eyes off of Damon.
"Oh, burn. Is that the best you came up with? Off your game today, dear. Did you sleep well?"
Taunting lips formed a mocking grin, and Damon didn't know which way of getting rid of that smirk he liked more- tearing it off or wiping it with a brutal kiss. He settled for the third option.
"Why yes I did, Miss Katherine. What about you? Sleep tight? Was your bed soft enough, or maybe it wasn't hard enough for your liking?" He did his eyes thing, emphasizing words "tight" and "hard" to make his point.
He did good, because for a second Kat's eyes flashed with rage and lust. But she was Katherine Pierce, so she regained her composure fairly quickly. In fact, hadn't he known her enough, he would have never noticed a slight shift.
The thought of him knowing her so much scared and excited him at the same time.
"It was hard alright, my dear Damon. Of course, I would have preferred your bed, but Stefan's wasn't that bad either."
He knows it's a bait, and he knows it's a big fat lie, but he's still mad for a moment. Memories of her choosing Stefan over him appeared in images in his brain, waiting to be clicked so he could watch it all over again.
He doesn't give in. Instead, he smirks and leans forward so they are almost face to face. The word "almost" is taken out because Katherine leans in too, purring softly as she goes. He licks his lips and her pupils dilate as she watches that darn talented tongue of his making an appearance.
"Stefan's bed is too hard even for him. Maybe that's the reason he's been spending the night at Elena's for almost a week now." Come on, Kat. That had to strike the nerve. "Because her bed is probably sooooo soft he feels like he's gone to Heaven every time he lies in it." Now Kat is looking in his eyes, her own growing darker with veins becoming clear around them. "If you catch my drift."
Katherine growled and pounced at him, knocking them over couch as she went. They rolled on the floor at a blistering speed, and Damon is hit with a memory of them with her looking at him with hollow eyes.
"I already know the question. And the answer for it."
He tossed her away from him and stood up, brushing himself off. It was getting too much to handle. He couldn't show her what he was thinking and feeling now. It would give her an upper hand. It just couldn't be afforded.
"Truth is, I never loved you. It was always Stefan."
With emotions in check, he turned to greet her with self satisfied smirk only to find an empty room. He merely sighed and held out his hand, which of course was taken by a much smaller one. The owner of said hand emerged from behind him, smiling slightly.
"You lost," he told her right away.
"Maybe. Maybe not. I wasn't the one having a mini meltdown in the middle of a fight. "
He noticed that they still were holding hands. Funny thing though, he doesn't do anything about it.
"I was merely giving you an out. You are getting rusty in your old age, Kat."
She simply vamped out at him, but still kept her smile.
"Too bad it doesn't apply to us vampires, Damon."
He loved how his name rolled off her tongue, smooth and velvet-like.
Damon vamped out, too, as they started to slightly circle each other.
"I heard you finally had your dance, with the wrong girl, but still."
She loves when he half smirks tightly, sarcastic and cynic and perfectly damaged.
He raises his right hand, and she puts hers up too, not touching his.
"That I did. Said girl had it with the wrong guy, too. I'd say we're even."
She began to slowly circle him, and he followed without missing a bit.
"Maybe I had it with the wrong one, too."
Merely testing waters. Damon kept silent, watching her with amusement as he raised other hand.
"It's probably vice versa. You were more wrong for him than he was for you."
A smile his way, never fully reaching her eyes. He can't remember when she really honestly smiled, and then he realizes there simply was nothing to remember.
"The time and person were wrong. Now," she looked him square in the eyes, vampiric form still intact, "now, not so much."
He was about to say something, probably another sarcastic remark. But she'll never know, because at that exact moment Stefan and Elena chose to appear in the hallway, pausing in the mid-conversation as they looked at the scene before them.
And what a scene they walked in on.
"What's going on?"
And here is another thing that made it ok for her to kill that annoying girl. It was her 'always confused' look, which she constantly had on. Girl should never try to make an acting career, since every situation from dramatic to terrifying had her wearing the same confused expression.
Even when she cried, that face just appeared through her tears.
It was enough reason for her to strangle Elena.
As she looked back at Damon, she saw her failure at this first attempt. He lowered his hand as soon as he heard Gilbert's voice, and had a guilty face on. Katherine rolled her eyes. So pathetic. He's nothing to Elena, and still he manages to look like he cheated on her somehow.
"Reviving some pleasant memories. Not that it's any of your business, of course."
"I believe you two don't share that one memory." Stefan said calmly behind Elena.
"Well, brother…"
"Well, Stefan…"
Said so alike Stefan winced slightly and Elena frowned. They were not supposed to speak at the same time. They weren't supposed to dance and share secret looks. They weren't supposed to be so alike.
They simply weren't supposed to be. Damon and Katherine, two different individuals – yes. But 'they' – no.
Katherine finally was fed up with all this staring and silent judgment they got from the saint pair. She fled up the stairs to get away from drama that was coming. At that exact moment she realized two things. First: Stefan is just as boring as Elena, and second: she didn't feel anything even close to love for the younger Salvatore. About damn time, as Damon would say if he heard her thoughts.
And also third: Damon was so much hotter.
"Damon, what was that?"
He sighed. He may love the girl, but her constant praying into his personal business was getting kinda annoying.
"We danced. It's our thing, Elena, don't worry your little mind. Stefan will explain."
Damon really hated drama, and now there was too much of it in his life. Too bad the switch doesn't really exist. It would have been much easier that way.
"What do you mean Stefan will… Damn it, Damon!"
He heard her curse at him as he fled from boarding house. Oh come on, those two really need to loosen up a little. He sure planned to. Yeah, epic battle is coming, big bad Klaus-that-can-be-defeated is out for their blood, yadda yadda yadda. He's seen his fair share of epic battles and wars, and still here he is, ready for whatever life decides to throw his way.
Except for teenage drama which he was currently experiencing. He is far too old for that shit. As he neared Grill, he realized something. Elena and he can't be anything more than friends. Sure, with him she was carefree and sometimes even fun, and he liked that. But she never really understood him. She wanted him to be better when he couldn't. She hugs him every time she thinks he's hurting inside, but she doesn't realize that her friendly gestures make everything worse. Holding her in his arms and not really having her – that was the most hurtful thing he ever felt.
Liar. He literally died a little when Katherine wasn't in the tomb as he expected. Nothing will ever come close to that. Damon cursed not so silently, causing that blonde guy Matt to look at him with disapproval. Everything came to Katherine. Again.
So, back to Elena. Anyway, she liked to overdramatize and overanalyze everything. With his brother brooding over every little thing they presented a perfect match. She wasn't meant for him.
Damon wondered what his perfect match would be like.
"Drinking and brooding again, I see."
Katherine.
"Not brooding. Thinking. Lover boy should try it sometime, far more productive than sitting with a frown and a sad puppy face."
"You probably confused me and Elena. Stefan's thinking/brooding processes are none of my concern."
"Really?" He wore an impressed face. "Wicked witch isn't working her dark magic to break love birds apart?"
"What's it to you, Damon?"
"Listen, you little bitch," he lost his playful demeanor and looked her in the eyes. "Stefan is my brother, and Elena is my friend. And nobody is messing with what's mine. Try something, and I swear, I'll hunt you down and torture till you beg me to kill you." He sat closer to her, and she could smell the whiskey on his breath. "You'll beg me to hand you over to Klaus, because it will be that painful. So don't fucking mess with them. Clear?" Last part said in whisper, and it made everything even scarier. Wow, Katherine Pierce intimidated by Damon Salvatore. Who woulda thought.
"One request." Katherine never shows her fear. Playful and taunting as always.
"I don't think you're in any position to make requests, dear," Damon bit out.
"Play pool with me."
"Pool?" He really thought his ears were playing a trick. "You must have gone crazy in that tomb, sweetheart. I'm not gonna play pool with you."
"Come on, Damon. I'm not asking you to snap Elena's neck. Although," Katherine noticed solemn look on Damon's face and decided against yanking his chain. "Nevermind. Just show me how to play this stupid game."
Damon smiled despite himself. Memories of her in long skirt, holding a rugby ball and smiling at him flooded him.
"If this game is so stupid, why would you want to learn how to play?"
"Well," Katherine stood up and slowly started to walk backwards, smiling slyly, "I just want to. Everyone in this damn town seems to know the rules, and I reeeeaaally hate it when I'm the one not knowing how to play a game."
She walked up to a table with Damon silently following her. He eyed her warily, then he just sighed and took a cue.
"Okay, don't make me regret it."
As Damon turned away, explaining her rules, she smirked. Everything went according to her plan.