Title: A Point Between Extremes
Pairing: Liv & Tyler
Rating: PG
The magic barrier around Mystic Falls was gone. Kai had sucked up all of its magic, which made him a bigger threat than before. He had magic to last him for days, maybe even weeks; and he now had more than enough to beat Jo in their merge. Not to mention, no more magic-free bubble meant no more safe haven. Vampires were free to come and go as they pleased and witches could use their powers within the town's boundaries again. Liv had been stupid to think she could just keep hiding away in Mystic Falls. That was no way to live.
Still, she couldn't help but feel a little relieved.
While it meant danger for herself and her brother, it meant that the rest of them could go home. She didn't have a huge sense of what home actually meant but she knew it meant a lot to them. Now if they got Bonnie back she wouldn't be forced to just wander around the boundaries, she could go see her boyfriend. She could go to her house, have her things. But that was all a pretty huge if. Kai being back threw a twist into things.
This thought, coupled with a loud thud near the stairs nearly made her jump out of her skin.
She whirled around, hands poised to cast a spell if she needed to defend herself. Instead of being met with Kai or some other random danger (because this town seemed to be crawling with it), she was met with the sight of Tyler hoisting a Christmas tree up. She assumed he'd carried it all the way down the stairs and then dropped it once he got to the bottom. The sight in itself was enough to make her laugh but she refrained and instead she rolled her eyes as she slowly began to make her way toward him.
"This thing is a lot heavier without my powers," he stated, an almost sheepish grin on his face.
She couldn't help but smile this time, and she shook her head.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
He looked a little knocked back at first, but he'd gotten pretty used to her defenses shooting straight up as soon as she began to feel anything. He shrugged in response.
"I just figured with all the crap going on right now, we could use a little good. So... You're going to help me decorate this huge ass tree. We're going to have a night without worrying about creepy twin merges or people trying to kill us, and if anyone interrupts I will personally beat the living shit out of them."
A small laugh escaped her and she rolled her eyes.
"How romantic," she sarcastically chided in. But she found herself surprisingly drawn to the idea, no matter how much of a childish fantasy it was. She stayed quiet for a few moments before she relented, the surrender becoming evident on her face. "Fine. Where are the stupid ornaments?"
❄︎❅❄︎❅❄︎❅❄︎
Hours had flown by under their noses as they'd gone about moving the tree into the main room, gotten out the decorations, and set out to decorate it. The only thing they lacked now was the tree's topper, which Liv was currently giving her full focus to. Very slowly, she used her magic to levitate the shiny golden star up toward the tip of the tree. It was an even more difficult task to successfully land it in the right spot, but she finally managed it.
Tyler had slipped away from her while she was putting the star on the top and as soon as it was on, he turned the light off and plugged the tree in. He watched as it illuminated the room with a dim glow. It was beautiful, he had to admit. His mom would have been particularly proud of this tree and, he thought, of this girl. His dark brown eyes lingered on her as she stood there looking up at the tree they'd decorated. The edges of her wild blonde curls were also illuminated by the light the tree was giving off and once his eyes had settled on her, there was no taking them off.
Liv could practically feel holes being burned into her back and she turned around to find him staring.
It was usually at this time she would make some offhanded joke or insult him, but she couldn't seem to muster anything up at the moment. Instead she caught his gaze and held out her hand, palm facing up and fingers stretching toward him. Her baby blue eyes stayed glued to him as he slowly crossed the room to her and his fingers threaded through hers. She used this motion to pull his arm around her waist and she let go of his hand so she could wrap her arms around him as well. Her head settled against his chest so that she could hear and feel the steady thump of his heart. Her eyes slid closed.
"Thank you," she mumbled against his shirt.
Kai was heavy on her mind once more, but for a few hours he hadn't been. The two of them had put together something beautiful and he'd taken her mind away from everything for a little while. She wasn't going to forget this, no matter what happened.
When she pulled away to look up at him he was surprised to see tears brimming in her eyes.
"You're an incredible person, Ty."
There was so much more to be said but she'd never been that great with sentimental words. Instead she pushed herself up onto her toes and captured his lips in a kiss. He immediately responded, his hands sliding around to her sides so he could pull her closer in against him.
If things didn't work out well for her, they both knew this night would bring them nothing but heartache; but at the moment it was bringing them temporary reprieve. That was all the other could ask for.
