A/N: Hey everyone, 2 updates in one day! I hope you like this chapter and don't mind that I stopped when I did. Thanks so much for all of the reviews on chapter 9 I was overwhelmed by how nice everyone was! So I was thinking of doing a chapter from Damon's POV, would you all review and let me know what you think of that idea?! Thanks! (Disclaimer: I own nothing) xoxo
Through my sobs I began to panic, what the fuck happened? Who did this to his face? Why did he cut himself? I had to control my need to blurt out these questions. Now was not the time for my incessant need to speak whatever I'm thinking. Damon had stopped running my fingertips through the blood on his chest and instead just held my hand over his heart which I could feel beating erratically through his chest. I really wished I could just have a joint to try and calm down.
Damon's spare hand suddenly reached up and clasped the back of my neck and a bunch of hair, he gently pulled my head down to press against his chest. I could feel some blood trickle onto my cheek as he did so. The vinyl was now hissing in the background, reminding us that it needed to be turned and it was the only accompaniment to the sound of his beating heart.
'I stopped.' his hoarse whisper draws my attention away from the hissing record and his heart.
'I wanted to cut it out but I stopped.' Holy shit. I turned my face and placed a kiss on the flesh of his chest, not caring that I was getting blood over my lips. Damon's blood.
'I'm glad you did.' I whispered back against the skin. He was still crying, I could feel the droplets of tears on my head and I wished that I knew how to take the pain away for him.
'Can you stand up?' I asked, this time looking at his face. He nodded briefly through his tears and together, bloodied and crying we both stood from his bed. I was so grateful for Damon's en suite bathroom as I slowly began to move us towards the door. We finally made it through, the flow of blood on his bare chest slowed and was starting to dry, forming patterns that looked like tributaries in a river. I ushered him down onto the toilet seat where he sat, staring at me, seeing and unseeing all at the same time. I leant down and gently kissed his forehead with my eyes closed, praying that I could deal with this.
'I'm gonna run us a bath okay?' I said pulling away and looking into his eyes.
'Us?' Was all he could force out as a reply.
'Yes, Us. I'm going to clean us both up.' I smiled weakly at him and gently placed a kiss on his slightly swollen lip.
'You'll stay?' The desperate tone in his voice was something I never thought I would hear from him, my confident and cocky Damon was gone and all that sat in his place was a scared and helpless shell.
'As long as you want me.' I replied, resting my forehead against his. I stood up straight and peeled my kimono off leaving me in only his bloody vest and cowboy boots and made my way towards the bath. I started running the water and began smelling all of the soaps to find out which one smelt of him, when I finally found the matching masculine, musky scent I poured a generous amount into the slowly filling bath. Once I was sure that the temperature was right I perched on the edge of the bath and pulled off my boots and socks before making my way back over to him.
'I need you to stand so that I can take off your jeans.' I told him gently and slowly he stood from the toilet and let me remove his tear and blood stained jeans. He lifted his feet, allowing me to pull them off completely and I folded them and placed them next to my boots. I then pulled down his underwear and followed the same process. I stood and gazed at the beautifully broken, naked man before me, blood drying over his pale skin and I felt an overwhelming amount of emotion pass through me. I willed myself not to cry again and slowly reached for his hand and, clasping it in mine walked him towards the bath.
'It is gonna sting when you get in.' I informed him quietly and winced as he hissed through he teeth when the water touched his cuts. Oh shit should I have cleaned them first? Realising that it was too late now I turned off the taps and stripped out of my own clothes, watching as he sat quietly, staring down at his hands. I grabbed a cloth from by the sink and daintily climbed into the tub astride his legs. I looked up at him and he nodded his head, approving that I continue. I ran a hand through his hair and placed another light kiss on his lips.
'I'm so sorry but this is going to hurt.' I whispered before gently soaking the cloth in the water and pulling it out I raised it to his chest. Slowly I squeezed the cloth just above one of his cuts and allowed the water to run down over it. I gently dabbed the cloth over the cut, cringing when Damon inhaled harshly as I did so. I dunked the cloth into the water and tried to ignore the blood that leaked out into the water. I repeated the same process for all of the cuts on his chest as well as the ones on each of his arms, the water was now a murky, reddish-brown, but his chest was now clean and only the cuts remained.
'I'm gonna do your face now,okay?' I said as I slowly inched closer to his messy, beautiful face. He nodded and placed a hand on the bloodied skin of my chest.
'What about you?' Damon's whisper took me by surprise.
'No, its fine, I'll take care of myself in a minute.' I smiled at him before lifting his hand and kissing his fingertips and palm.
'Oh, Okay then.' Damon mumbled and I began to gently clean his face, dabbing at his swollen eye and lip. I slowly and carefully washed away any and all traces of blood I could find until he was clean. I then proceed to pour water over his messy and bloody hair before desperately hunting around for his shampoo. I lathered a sizeable amount in my hands and began to massage it into his scalp, trying to soothe away his tension and pain. I felt a wave of relief wash through me when I heard Damon make a small sound of satisfaction beneath me. I decided to leave his hair soapy while I quickly washed his blood away from my chest and face with the cloth. I could sense his eyes on me the entire time and suddenly felt very self conscious despite the fact that I had been sitting naked in the bath with him the whole time. When I had finally finished scrubbing my face I felt Damon's hand brush down the side of my face. I smiled gently at him before moving forward again to wash the shampoo out of his hair.
I finally stood up, pleased that I had cleaned us both and grabbed a towel from the rack next to the bath tub. Wrapping it around myself I hopped out of the bath and turned to him.
'Wait there just a second, I'm going to get us some clothes.' I muttered as I ran my hand through his hair and kissed his forehead. He nodded again and I ran into his bedroom and ransacked his chest of drawers until I found two pairs of underwear and two clean black t shirts. I then hopped over to the turn tables and changed the record to Pink floyd's 'Dark side of the moon' something calming and not too distracting. Finally I pulled the duvet back on his bed before running back into the bathroom with the pile of clothes. Damon was right where I left him holding his knees to his chest and looking down into the blood stained water.
'Hey, you okay to get out now?' I murmured holding both hands out for him, one was holding a towel while the other was there to help him climb out of the bath. He stood up and all of the dirty water swirled around the bath. I gently dried him with the towel while he stayed standing in the bath, taking extra care around his cuts which decided I would place plasters over when he was out of the bath. I motioned for him to step out of the bath and slowly and quietly followed my instruction. I tenderly reached up with the towel and began to dry his hair; timidly he bent his head forward and allowed me better access to the back of his head. When I was finished I smiled at his bruised face and wrapped the towel around his hips.
'There, all done.' I whispered.
'Thank you Lena.' he replied, looking down at me.
'Would you like me to disinfect and plaster up the cuts?' I ask quietly. He looked like a scared child and shook his head.
'I'd like to go to bed now please.'
'Okay, whatever you want. Oh here are your clothes.' I hold out the pile for him.
'Can I sleep like this?' and I swear I see a small blush spread across his cheeks.
'Of course Damon, I'm going to put a T-shirt on so I don't get cold though.' I smile and pull his top over my head.
When we walk back into his room the record is still playing quietly and when he has climbed into bed I turn the light off so it is just us and the music. I climb into the bed facing him and wonder what the fuck I am supposed to do next.