Story: Control
Chapter: Five- Because If He Didn't Notice It, Someone Else Would
Pairing: Caroline/Damon, with some Caroline/Other, Damon/other
Summary: "If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough" -Mario Andretti. A study in control; one who considers her life in control and one who does everything he can to control those around him.
Impulsive and irritable as he may be one thing that cannot be said about Damon Salvatore is that he is unobservant. He notices things. The way she closes off and shuts down when anyone, no matter how unintentionally, mentions her mom. The boy in the corner staring, the way he clenches his hands whenever she walks past. The waitress who takes a calming breath before approaching the next customer with a pasted on smile that looks real enough to fool anyone but the mirror. The swallow of a pill, the shake of the hand, the twitch of an eye, the bite of a lip, and the swift apology where the two gazes never quite meet. He notices it all.
He notices these things and always, he tucks them away for future reference – one never knows it at time, but her favorite colour, his favorite drink, that secret hiding place, that family heirloom- those little details make all the difference when push comes to shove, and he always pushes for the top.
In fact he would go as far as saying, without any pretense of false modesty –please…he recognizes feigned humility with practiced ease- that he notices everything. And that is why he prevails when other people fail.
Before he was prone to bloodlust and severe allergies to the sun, before the sharp fangs and the shaper senses, he was still able to see what others could not. A small child, he caught the details others brushed over like clumsy hands over an etched surface, he saw to it that his deft fingers caught every bump, every time. He saw the hesitation behind every decision and those hidden ulterior motives propelling every action. Simply put, he saw what everyone else never saw, or never wanted to see.
He notices these things and always, he tucks them away for future reference.
Stefan was always too clouded by his emotions, too caught up in his own world of right and wrong and love and destiny and propriety, and honor to notice the little hints, those little signals that were more subtle and more meaningful than any grand act of fate. Take Katherine for instance, that girl had wanted to be chased; she had wanted to be pursued aggressively from the get-go. He doesn't doubt she loved Stefan more- they were star crossed, meant to be blah, blah, blah- too bad his romantic brother was half blind. His simple, kind hearted sap of a brother never noticed her eyes after a chaste kiss, or her tight smile as he courted her in his socially acceptable, romantic by the freaking book way.
The girl had wanted passion and aggression – quite simply she had wanted sex. He had noticed that, he had understood that- it wasn't even that he was trying to steal her at the time; he was simply filling the holes that Stefan hadn't been aware of. He noticed these things.
So maybe he is heartless, and callous, so maybe he is this monstrous being that Elena paints him out to be, so maybe he is this careless animal that Stefan pitifully tries to cage at every moment. He's not an idiot, of course he hears the things whispered behind his back, the ideas that Stefan plants in her head, the warnings that the pair of them fruitlessly try to give Caroline. Ha!
What they don't notice is that he does.
He notices these things and always, he tucks them away for future reference.
What they don't notice is that he sees the way Stefan is both ashamed and intrigued by his worship of this Katherine 2.0, what Stefan refuses to acknowledge lingers in the furrow of his brow and the twitch of his cold finger. What they don't notice is the way he can tell Elena is at once repulsed and intrigued by both of the brothers, he notices her large eyes and the worry reflected in them, but mostly he notices the spark of interest, but mostly he notices the wheels beginning to turn behind her face, but mostly he notices that sometimes she looks past Stefan to him, without even realizing it herself.
It's predictable, it's pathetic and he sees it all without even trying. Can he be blamed for wanting some fun, for wanting some chaos and unpredictability in this world where he can anticipate every move?
His actions are well deserved - and he knows exactly how each person will try and clean up his messes, and honestly, he could clean it up in a second if he were to be bothered. But he isn't and he doesn't. He's seen enough to know that one generation of beautiful, well behaved loving people won't change the world, he's seen enough to be wary of every smile and kind gesture, he's seen enough to know that everyone is selfish and the only ones who can be trusted are the ones who don't try to hide their nature behind some romanticized façade. Katherine was manipulative and selfish but she never tried to hide it, and he relished that while Stefan tried to look past it. This new Katherine, his brother, this modernized town tries too hard to be good, and apparently every person is under the impression that their actions are justified because they were trying to do the right thing, he calls bullshit, he calls liar and he condemns this town to drown in its own martyrsim*.
It's not all bad, he has his fun, these people are anything but boring and they always seem to offer themselves up as playthings. Besides, occasionally he finds those who aren't as deluded, who aren't caught up in right and wrong but rather in pursuit and catch. Vikki has the right idea but she's never been anything but a slave to addiction, Caroline seems tied to a life of fitting the ideal but occasionally he sees a glimmer of something behind her eyes, and although he doesn't think of it much, he's put off killing her to find out what it is, and Elena, dear, dear Elena, he is still waiting for this doppelganger to show some true colours, he is still waiting for Stefan to choke on his new obsession.
He notices these things and always, he tucks them away for future reference.
She is looking pale tonight, pale and thin. Her cheeks are a little too tight, a little too cold to the touch. But she is smiling and beneath her smile he can see she honestly is at war with herself, and he can see she is honestly fighting for him. He thinks it's pathetic really, but he indulges her vampire fantasy until she promises to burn her Twilight novels, because sparkling virgin Edward can't make her scream again, and again, and again.
She pleasures him, and she kisses him with those butterfly soft kisses he usually brushes off but she is looking frail tonight so he lets it slide and doesn't bite in until she has caught her breath.
She is looking pale tonight. A little less vibrant, a little less alive.
He notices these things and always, he tucks them away for future reference.
* Made up word but it should exist
Hey, sorry about the delay, have been crazy busy. Am on the fence about this chapter, Damon is much trickier to write - because as much as I want him to be a good guy somewhere deep inside, he has way to much crap going on to be that guy just yet.
I really hope they get some more Caroline/Damon scenes on the show, the chemistry is what got me hooked in the first place.
reviews would be amazing, and perhaps any advice on Damon's character. But any review would be appreciated.
-Merci