To the untrained eye, Damon and Kat could be making naughty erotica. He lies flat on his back while she writhes all over him, both of their bodies slick with sweat. In reality, she is looking to submit him in a jiu-jitsu move.
Damon rests his arms behind his head, casual as fuck, enjoying the view. He cannot really go all-out, because he is serving a mandatory seven-day medical suspension, despite taking almost no damage from Kol. Damon now notices how similar Kat and Elena are in appearance. They could almost be doppelgangers. Except their eyes. Kat's are feral, like a caged wild animal. Elena's are ... He muzzles his mouthy self. One secret, selfish day, not two.
Elena wishes the green tinging her skin were from a luxurious avocado face mask. After all, she herself OKed Damon to train Kat for the afternoon. But do they have to be so into it? Elijah hooks his index finger under Elena's chin and turns her face towards his.
"Pissed is not a good look on the lovely Elena. Remember, you told him to," Elijah soothes, placing a small kiss on her lips. Elena is not pissed at the training itself. Watching a potential opponent train and then receiving detailed intel from said opponent's training partner? Best arsenal ever and absolutely the right decision. Watching Kat drool all over Damon and his marshmellows? Not so much. Elena debates her next move. Kat's unexpected appearance and subsequent demands were too valuable a career gift to not tear into eagerly but have thrown Elena's day for a ribbony loop. Elena still intends to let Elijah go soon, maybe even tonight, right after training. But she prefers to have enough time for a proper breakup and closure, not some fly-by-night HiElijahLet'sBreakUpOKByeBye.
No need for rooms, as the rest of the Slayers bust through the door and ruin the romantic ambiance. They literally pissed themselves on the phone when they found out "the" Kat was going to be training at their gym. Tyler and Matt forcefully remove Damon away from Kat's body as they jostle to decide who jostles with her next.
Damon shrugs with indifference and heads to the kitchen to prepare himself a snack: a watercress and beet salad with a light scattering of feta cheese. He has barely taken a bite out of his colorful salad when a whining wreck starts to drivel all over his food. Stefan holds out something resembling scrap bits in his hands, apparently his failed attempt at making himself lunch. These SATs have really got Stefan in a rip current. Damon hands Stefan his own salad, and Stefan breathes a sigh of relief. All is right in the world again. Damon shakes his head in disappointment. What kind of mom would Damon be if he let Stefan out into the world like this? After SATs, Damon is going to whip Stefan into a nice boy he can marry off.
When the Salvatores return to the gym, the air has taken an icy and unmistakable turn. Elena and Kat are staring each other down in a heated battle of the wills. Elijah steps in before the two women decide to settle their differences physically.
"It's just dinner. She's our guest, after all," Elijah consoles.
Kat sticks out her tongue in victory. She skips over to Damon and links her arm through his. "I've chosen my date for dinner," Kat declares.
Elena thinks she is simmering quietly to herself. In reality, Kat can see the steam marks shooting out of Elena's head. Kat did not become the Baddest Woman On The Planet by being imperceptive. Elena's romantic jealousy may be lost in a gym full of men ... But to another woman? OBVIOUS AS FUCK. Kat plots to use this new knowledge to her own nefarious ends. After all, who says the fight game is only physical? Kat has a history of psyching her opponents out with trash talk. This time, she will psych Elena out with some good ol' fashioned romance shenanigans.
Kat now considers Elena to be the only legitimate contender for the UFC belt. Elena has done a relatively good job sliding under the radar by not immediately signing with the UFC. Kat herself had not really paid attention to Elena until Damon's fame thrust Elena into the spotlight as well. Any female who has seriously trained with males from a young age has extra fight tools for sure, but what kind? Kat used her fight against another opponent as a pretense to find out just what Elena's tools are and more importantly, how to neutralize them. Kat has size - a good 10 pounds on Elena - and strength, but Elena probably has a naturally fluid overall technique. Kat had difficulty sparring even a super-lazy-from-suspension Damon, who mixed different martial arts techniques in an effortlessly unpredictable way. Kat realized that Damon would be gathering intel for Elena, so she pretended she was going easy to avoid injury before her real fight. So, how will Kat neutralize better overall technique? With sounder mind.
Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback, follows, and favourites. Special thanks to YAZMIN V, writing STELLA, and kitti vasar.