A/N: So, here's another chapter! It's more of a filler but trust me, there are exciting things to come, I can promise that! I hope you enjoy.

7: Delicate

Elena awoke somewhere between 5 and 6am, squashed into an uncomfortable position on the on the couch. Enzo was fully comatose, spread out, leaving herself with very little space to sleep. The brunette sleepily crawled off the couch and went to the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water before climbing next to Caroline in bed, in hope of some half decent sleep. She was still very drunk, so even attempting to make her way home to her own bed at this point was not going to happen.

Caroline woke first, confused when she felt an arm wrapped around her waist. She thought it was maybe Enzo but quickly realised it couldn't be from the serious lack of arm hair. She turned over to find Elena snuggled up behind her, fast asleep. Cheeky little minx, she mused, letting a smile pass her lips. She pried herself away from Elena and stood up, slipping on her dressing gown. She found Enzo passed out in the living room taking up the whole of the couch and now understood why Elena has made her way into her bed. She went into the kitchen started the coffee machine up, desperately needing a caffeine fix, starting to tidy the disarray of bottles and glasses while waiting for the water to boil. It wasn't much longer until Elena found her way into the kitchen.

"Coffee…" She grumbled, pulling herself up onto the kitchen counter, her long bare legs dangling freely.

Caroline giggled at the sight of her friend, hungover with her hair piled up into a nest on top of her head and dark circles under her eyes. "The coffee is brewing, Hun."

"You were warm and you left." The brunette pouted, clearly still half asleep.

Another giggle passed Caroline's lips. "Was Enzy taking up the whole couch?" Elena nodded, still pouting. "Here, drink up. You'll feel better." Caroline passed Elena a mug of steaming coffee then continued to tidy the kitchen.

Elena took a careful sip of the coffee, cradling the mug in her hands. "Can I take a shower?" A shower would definitely help with the state she was in right now, plus she was sure she stank of smoke and alcohol.

"Of course." The blonde replied. "Let me grab you a clean towel." Elena was perplexed how someone could be so cheery after a night of heavy drinking, but that was Caroline for you.

Elena jumped down from the counter and followed her friend to the bathroom where she laid out a clean towel and showed her how to work the shower. Once she had showered, Elena felt considerably better. She changed into a pair of leggings and sweater that Caroline had placed on the bed for her and returned to the kitchen for the rest of her coffee. In the short time, Caroline had managed to clean the kitchen and was now working on the living room. That girl worked fast.

By the evening, Elena was back in her apartment. Caroline had dropped her home and she was alone again. She turned the TV on to break the silence and started working through her script. An hour passed and she was bored of going through the same part over again, too tired to make any work she did productive. After a while of pacing, she plonked herself down on the couch and sighed, reaching for her phone.

She absent mindedly opened Damon's contact on her phone, thinking she should probably text him back. After all, she had been ignoring him for the past few days in attempt to clear her head, but to no avail. She may as well admit defeat and text him back. And that was when she saw the message.

'Because whenever I'm around you, I want to rip your clothes off and kiss you and fuck you. And whatever I do, I can't make those feeling go away. That's what you did.'

What? Fucking what?! She cursed out loud, reading the message over and over as things started to click into place. She had sent it last night before she passed out. She didn't remember she had even written it until now. What the fuck had she done?!

Damon had done nothing all day except nurse himself through most of a bottle of whiskey. He was going stir crazy in his hotel room and it may also be partially to do with the text he had received from Elena the previous night. He didn't know what to do or how to reply. So he didn't. He just kept drinking until he figured out what to do. Or not do. The reality was, he liked Elena, but it couldn't have come with the worst timing. He had become pretty hopeless with relationships, always getting swept up and only realising it was going south until it was too late. It always ended the same, he wanted one thing, his partner wanted another so he was staying clear of women. Except for the odd hook-up he would be shameful to admit. That was until Elena came along. She was beautiful, funny and her passion for life was something more attractive than any of the above.

Damon sighed and finished the rest of the whiskey in the glass, deciding to call Alaric. Surely he would be up for doing something. It was a Saturday night after all and drinking alone was just sad. About an hour later he ended up meeting Alaric in a bar somewhere in Studio City. He was already pretty drunk so ordered a beer, telling himself to take it slow. Because if he didn't he was likely to do something he would regret. Damn that gorgeous doe eyed girl.

"You're smashed aren't you, Damon?" Alaric questioned with a raised eyebrow. He knew Damon well enough to know he wasn't sober. "Something bothering you?"

Damon took a sip of his beer and leaned back in the seat of the booth they were sitting in. The place was pretty busy, being a Saturday night and all, filled with all sorts of leggy blondes and other Hollywood types. "Just going stir crazy in that hotel room." He sighed, taking another sip of beer.

"You should have said something, man. I'll get you a list of contacts for short term lets. We can't have you living in a hotel." He took a drink then pulled out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. "Smoke?"

Damon nodded, sliding out the booth and following Alaric to the smoking area, just missing the door frame and making it out in one piece. He took a cigarette from the packet and lit it, taking a long drag. "Thanks."

"So, how is working with Elena? You knew each other before, am I right?" He lit his own cigarette and slid the packet back in his pocket.

What was it like to work with Elena? Fucking torture, yet amazing at the same time. That brunette had managed to crawl herself right into his head and she wouldn't get out, no matter how many brain cells he killed with drink. "I did. It's great, she's an amazing actress. I think I'm going to learn a lot from her." He took a swig of beer, followed by a drag of his cigarette, blowing smoke into the cool night air.

"I thought so. I agree, she's fantastic. I'm excited about this movie. It's different from anything I've written before if you hadn't noticed." He let out a chuckle.

"Well, you have a great leading man." He gave Alaric a wink, flashing that devilish grin of his.

"Shut up Damon, you're drunk." He laughed and stubbed out his cigarette, turning his attention to the beer in his hand.

They stayed out for a couple more beers before Damon realised he should probably try and find his bed. He was going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning, that was for sure. He left the bar and made his way down the street in search of a taxi. After walking for about twenty minutes without a taxi in sight, he recognised where he was and realised Elena's apartment was only round the corner. He peered at his phone, trying to focus the screen into one, instead of the two he was currently seeing. It was just past midnight, she would probably still be up and surely it would be rude not to pop in and say hello. That's how his drunk brain worked anyway.

Elena frowned as her buzzer sounded, not once but three times. She pressed the button on the intercom to talk, wondering who the hell was calling in at midnight on a Saturday.

"Lena!" A muffled voice slurred.

Her frown turned into a quizzical look. "Damon? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to say hello to my beautiful friend!"

She pressed the button, releasing the door and waited for him to come up the stairs. Why on earth was Damon turning up at her apartment at midnight, drunk? A few minutes later, she saw him turn up the last section of stairs, clinging onto the handrail like he was climbing mount Everest.

"So many steps." He mumbled, his frown turning into a grin when he reached the top. "Hey!"

She opened the door to let him in and he passed by her, sending a waft of whiskey, beer and cigarettes her way. "Someone's been having a good night." She raised her eyebrows, taking in his appearance.

"I was having a drink with Ric and we were talking about you. So I thought, hey, why not go and see my good friend Elena. And here I am!" He honestly looked so proud of himself, it was almost adorable.

"I can see that. But can you see that it's past midnight?" She pursed her lips. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Damon, it was the fact that he had shown up on her doorstep, unannounced and drunk at midnight.

He scratched the back of his head, giving her a sheepish smile.

"Sit down on the couch, I'll make you some coffee and call you a cab. How does that sound?" She reasoned, pointing to the couch in the living room where she had been sitting peacefully just a few short minutes earlier.

"Probably a good idea." He sat himself down on the couch and let out a long breath. He was very drunk and his bed was probably the best place for him right now.

Elena went to the kitchen and turned on the coffee machine, ready to brew a coffee for Damon. What was he thinking? Elena was trying to figure out what was going on in her head and this little stunt of his was not helping. But still, he was her friend. And friends look after each other when they are being drunk and stupid. It's a written rule. When she returned to the living room, she found Damon fast asleep on the couch, snoring away. She couldn't help but let a smile pass her lips as she placed the coffee down on the table for him. She grabbed a blanket from her room and placed it over him and also placed a pint glass of water down next to the coffee. He sure as hell was going to need it when he woke up, that was for sure. She turned all the lights off and went to bed, closing the door behind her.

A thud followed by a groan came from the living room. Elena set her mop against the wall in the kitchen and walked through to investigate. She had woken up around 8am and had spent the last hour cleaning her kitchen, doing her laundry and cleaning the dishes that she had neglected to do during the week. She found Damon face down on the floor next to the couch, hair sticking up in all directions. She let out a small chuckle, folding her arms in amusement.

"You okay there, sunshine?" She raised her eyebrows as he emitted another groan.

"No…" He slowly hauled his ass off the floor and back onto the couch, looking up at Elena with a sorry look on his face.

"Feeling a bit fragile, are we?" She picked up the cups from the coffee table and took them to the kitchen, placing them into the sink.

Damon grumbled, and stood up, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders and followed Elena into the kitchen, perching himself on stool. He didn't quite know what to say, he'd made a pretty dick move, turning up on Elena's doorstep last night and now she appeared to be on a furious cleaning mission. He really wanted to get out of her way but his hangover had other ideas.

"Hey, Lena?" He spoke, trying to get Elena's attention. "I'm sorry." He grovelled, giving her his best apologetic look. "You should have just thrown me out or put me in a cab."

Elena let out a chuckle, drying her hands on a piece of kitchen towel. "I tried to call you a cab but you were out cold, snoring away before I could!"

"Yeah, sorry about that...can I get something to drink?" He didn't want to ask but his tongue felt like sandpaper against the roof of his mouth and he wanted to get rid of the taste of alcohol and stale smoke.

Elena grabbed a carton of orange juice from the fridge and poured him a glass, handing it to him. "Here. Hey, do you want to get breakfast? I'm kinda hungry and I have nothing in."

Damon took a drink from the glass of juice, then another, draining the entire glass. "Mmm, just give me a minute…" He rubbed his temples feeling the cool liquid run down his throat.

"Look, take a shower, clean towels are in the cabinet and I'll find you a clean t-shirt to wear. I'm sure you'll feel better then."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm not sure how I feel about wearing your clothes, Lena."

Elena laughed. "It's a man's shirt. I wear them sometimes, they're comfy. But go shower, you stink."

"Gee, thanks Gilbert." Damon chuckled and slid off the stool, slinking off to the bathroom.

He closed the door behind him and opened the cabinet, pulling out a towel and stood up far too quickly, his stomach churning. After a moment, he just about managed to turn on the shower and strip down naked, waiting for the water to heat up. He stepped in, enjoying the feeling of the warm water run down him, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. He slowly opened his eyes, pushing his soaked hair back from his face, looking at the array of bottles and potions on the rack. He just wanted some simple body wash but every bottle was so pretty and, well, girly, he couldn't tell what was what. He picked up a lime green bottle and squinted at the label. Douche du corps the bottle read. That was some sort of body wash, right? He squeezed some into his hand and lathered up his body, running the rest through his hair. In this state, he was not fit to find another product to wash his hair with. A thought crossed his mind that he was standing naked in Elena Gilbert's shower. An inappropriate thought about how nice it would be if she was in here with him. Rinsing off the suds, he pushed that thought from his mind, turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping himself in the huge fluffy towel. Damn, this was better than the towels the hotel provided.

Hearing the water start, Elena returned to her room and stripped off her pyjamas, opening the drawer for a clean bra and panties. She took her damp hair down from the topknot, not bothering to dry it after her earlier shower and brushed through her tresses, blasting it with the hair dryer, too lazy to style it in any particular way. With the dryer on, she didn't hear Damon knocking on the door or him walking in. She switched the dryer off and turned around, only to be met with Damon, dripping wet and only covered by the towel around his waist. Damon was tantalized with the sight of so much bare skin on show and her hair flowing freely in their natural waves, his jaw practically dropping to the floor.

"Damon, shit.." She mumbled, diving for her bathrobe, quickly covering herself.

He sniggered. "Sorry, I knocked. I didn't realise…" He was amused by her flustered state and smirked. "It's not like I haven't seen it all before."

Elena shot him a glare, folding her arms, shock turning into annoyance. "There's a clean shirt on the bed. Get yourself dressed." She left her bedroom, closed the door behind her and groaned. She didn't mean to react like that. It was just, he was stood there, pretty much naked, water running down his bare, toned chest and it just did something to her. Something she was desperately trying to lay to rest. They got drunk, fooled around and that was it. It was done. So why the hell was she reacting like this?

She managed to find an outfit in the dryer, saving herself from returning to her bedroom while Damon was in there. She pulled on a pair of jeans, wiggling them over her hips and a turtle neck jumper which she tucked into the front of the jeans. She grabbed her sunglasses from the kitchen counter and was more or less ready. Taking a seat on the couch, she scrolled through Instagram on her phone, waiting for Damon. A picture of Alaric and Damon popped up, presumably from last night. They were both holding a glass of bourbon to the camera, the glazed look in Damon's eyes and the all to big smile plastered across his face gave some indication into just how drunk he was. And then there was a photograph of her dog, posted by her sister, Isobel. A pang hit her stomach and she realised just how much she missed home. She would give anything to be curled up on the couch with her family and her fur baby right now.

Damon emerged from her bedroom, looking much better than he did first thing this morning. For one, his hair had been tamed and he was actually wearing a shirt that didn't stink of cigarettes and booze. She smiled, pushing all her thoughts to the back of her mind and stood up, slipping her phone into her back pocket.

"Shall we, Salvatore?" Maybe breakfast would actually give them an opportunity to talk.

They ended up having breakfast in a diner, because frankly, Elena was desperate for some good old carbs. She ordered herself a stack of pancakes while Damon just nursed a coffee, still too hungover to consider food right now. When the pancakes arrived, she felt her mouth salivate, excited to tuck in.

"Are you on set tomorrow?" She asked with a mouthful of pancakes.

He shook his head. "I do have one last fitting though. I think. What day is it tomorrow?"

Elena let out a laugh, shaking her head. "Monday, Damon. Today is Sunday and yesterday was Saturday, which you drank."

"Yeah…" He took a long swig of his coffee and picked up a menu, squinting at it. "What's the most greasy thing on the menu?"

"I don't know. How about an all-day breakfast? Or a sausage and bacon sandwich?" She replied, glancing over at the menu.

Damon pulled a face, running his hand over his stubble. "I think I just want fries."

"Get fries then sweetie." She chuckled, stuffing another forkful of pancakes in her mouth, hoping that he wouldn't notice the pet name that had accidently slipped out.

Damon simply put his head in his hands and groaned. He was someone who liked to drink but this hangover was something else. And he was pretty sure it had something to do with the dark haired girl sitting at the table opposite him. But he had sworn he would not get involved with someone he worked with. Because it was inevitable that it would get messy quickly.

"Look Lena, I need to go. I need try and sleep this hangover off." He pulled out his wallet and placed a twenty on the table. "That's for breakfast. And again, I'm sorry about last night." He slid out of the booth and pulled his jacket on.

"Okay, hopefully I'll see you tomorrow?" But he was gone before he probably heard her. She let out a deep sigh, finishing off her breakfast before heading home to prepare for tomorrow. So much for talking things through. She still needed to go over her lines and her notes for tomorrow's scenes anyway. And phone her sister. They desperately needed a catch up.

Can someone tell these two to stop drowning their sorrows in alcohol and actually talk? ;)

I hope you enjoyed and if you did, pretty please leave me a lovely review? It will be very much appreciated!

-P x