Finally, we're back in canon territory. Get ready to see some changes, heh. There's quite a bit happening in this chapter.
September 22nd, 2009
"I could take Aimee?" Stiles suggests as they walk into the Grill.
"She's going with David," Caroline points out, leading them to an empty table.
"What about Lin?" He tries, dropping down into the chair to his cousin's right.
"She's in the middle of moving, I heard her talking about getting a transfer," Bonnie tells them, pulling out the chair on Caroline's left.
"This early in the school year?" Caroline sounds surprised, probably because she didn't know the gossip first.
"Her dad died," Bonnie explains, "he was the hunter from the news, he shot the mountain lion that killed all those people but apparently they left out that it hurt him enough for him to die at the hospital later. She's moving to live with her mom."
"You've made her your gossip minion," Stiles mutters with feigned fear, earning an elbow to the side from Caroline but missing the glare from Bonnie due to a notification ping from his phone.
Sexiest Salvatore(4:13p.m.): Be my date to the Founder's Party?
Sexiest Salvatore(4:13p.m.): I'd ask Caroline but something tells me I wouldn't make it to the event.
Stiles(4:14p.m.): cant you ask literally anyone?
Sexiest Salvatore(4:14p.m.): They're boring.
Sexiest Salvatore(4:14p.m.): And you don't mind shenanigans.
Stiles(4:14p.m.): what r u up to and is it too illegal?
"Who are you texting?" Caroline asks, snapping him out of his texting by leaning over to try looking at his screen.
He leans away, "No one."
Another ping pulls his attention back to his phone and he ignores the looks Caroline and Bonnie trade in order to check the newest message.
Sexiest Salvatore(4:15p.m.): Be my date and find out.
Stiles(4:15p.m.): aunt liz will be there, yknow the sheriff? the one that carries a gun and would def shoot my much older male date.
Sexiest Salvatore(4:17p.m.): Tell her it's a friend date, I'm new in town and you're showing me around.
I really shouldn't, Stiles tells himself. I won't hear the end of it from the girls, he adds mentally, trying to talk himself out of it, but his curiosity has always been stronger than his sense of self-preservation - evidenced by the reason he had to move in the first place - and he finds himself typing back a reply before he can think too hard about it.
Stiles(4:18p.m.): fine.
Sexiest Salvatore(4:18p.m.): I'll pick you up, wear something nice.
Stiles(4:19p.m.): you better thank care for making me buy a suit or youd have a date in jeans and flannel.
Sexiest Salvatore(4:19p.m.): I'll make sure to send her a fruit basket.
"So," Stiles reluctantly looks up from his phone, facing the two girls that look ready to burst with curiosity, "I guess I have a date to the party."
"Oh my god, who is it?" Caroline exclaims before a slight frown appears on her face, "Is it Jeremy?"
"Why didn't I think of that," Stiles huffs in annoyance, "no, it's Damon."
"Damon?" Bonnie's brows rise nearly up to her hairline in surprise, "Damon Salvatore?"
"My mystery guy?" Caroline pouts.
"Yep," he pops the 'p' and throws a disapproving look at Caroline, "your ticket to getting him shot, more like it."
A mischievous grin suddenly takes over his cousin's face, "I wonder what Mom will think about your date."
"It's a friend date," he emphasizes with a glare at the twin looks of disbelief they throw at him, "he said so!"
"Let me see that," Caroline snatches the phone out of his hand.
He immediately lunges forward to take it back, "Give it back!"
She laughs in his face and holds the phone away from him, pushing him away with her other hand while scrolling through his messages, "ooh, what does he mean with shenanigans?"
"Hey, have you talked to my dad lately?" Stiles asks Scott during their Skype call that night.
"Nah, he's been super busy with the murders and all that," Scott replies absentmindedly before freezing and looking like a kid that just got caught with their hand on the cookie jar, "I mean-"
"Murders? As in more than one?" He exclaims, straightening up on the computer chair.
"It's just two!" Scott hurries to explain, "You already know about the girl in the woods, and then today a bunch of people were late for school 'cause the bus never showed. They found the driver dead in his backyard, looking like some kind of animal ripped him to shreds."
"Holy shit," Stiles gapes at the screen in disbelief, "that's so weird."
Scott frowns at him, "Why? They never did catch whatever animal attacked the girl, it's probably the same one, right?"
"Right," Stiles nods, "I just meant… they literally caught a mountain lion here today who had been killing people, what are the odds?"
"... That is a weird coincidence."
September 24th, 2009
"Get in," Damon snaps at him as soon as Stiles walks out of the house, making him frown at the man's tone.
Caroline had already gone ahead to meet up with Bonnie and Aunt Liz was working security at the party, so it had left him on his own waiting to be picked up by his date, who was apparently in a bad mood.
"Who pissed in your Cheerios, dude?" He asks, sliding into the passenger seat of the convertible.
It takes a minute before Damon decides to answer, "On my Bourbon, actually. My little brother is an idiot."
"I'll take your word for it," is Stiles' noncommittal reply, not having much evidence of either that fact or the opposite. "Any chance today's shenanigans include pissing him off?"
Damon turns his head for a moment to stare at him, long enough that it makes Stiles nervous and close to snapping at him to keep his eyes forward before he sees the man's expression clear up slightly, a small smirk pulling at the corner of his lips as he looks back to the road, "It does now. Any chance you could talk your cousin into asking him for a dance and not taking no for an answer?"
Stiles can only smile in amusement, "Sure, why not."
The conversation ends up moving to books eventually, with Damon asking about his current hunts - of both witches and werewolf facts - and mentioning having found an interesting text in his private collection, which Stiles immediately asks about and receives an innuendo right back about Damon finally having a way to get him into his bedroom. He barely notices they've arrived until Damon is opening the car door for him like the living and very unnecessary proof that chivalry isn't dead.
Stiles holds back his disbelief at the man's commitment to the bit and climbs out of the car, smoothing out his suit while Damon closes the door. He's about to start walking toward the house when a hand holds him in place by the arm.
"Give me a twirl first?" Damon requests with a flirty grin, "I didn't pay enough attention earlier."
"Are you serious?" Stiles rolls his eyes, but at Damon's expectant look he gives a very lackluster turn to show off the suit, "So, does it pass muster?"
What he doesn't expect is for Damon to lean into his personal space with a heated look and reply in a low tone, "You look absolutely delicious."
Stiles really can't be blamed for the flush that overcomes his cheeks, but he also refuses to acknowledge it, only glaring at Damon for causing it and grabbing his arm, "Come on, we don't want to be late," he warns him as he starts pulling Damon toward the line at the entrance of the Lockwood mansion.
They earn a few nasty looks from a couple of people on their way there even after he releases Damon's arm, which Stiles pointedly ignores, but luckily it doesn't take them too long to get to the front of the line and be greeted by an enthusiastic Carol Lockwood at the door.
"Stiles, so good to see you!" She greets him with a hug, "Tyler told me you were back in town. How's your father? And my niece?"
"Hey Mrs Lockwood," he smiles into the hug, "Dad's busy and Lydia is still the smartest person in Beacon County."
"Good, good. And who's your… date?" Mrs Lockwood gives Damon, who's still standing behind the threshold, a slightly confused but appreciative look.
"This is my friend, Damon. Salvatore," he adds, knowing how she is about founding families.
"Oh, well, come on in," she invites and Damon immediately steps over to Stiles' side, "any relation to the founding family?"
"Distant," Damon replies with a polite smile, "Lovely to meet you, I've been looking forward to this party for quite a while."
"Well, enjoy," she tells him before turning back to Stiles, "and you better come by for dinner sometime, we've got some catching up to do."
"Yes ma'am," Stiles mock salutes, earning a chuckle from the mayor's wife before she moves on to greet other guests.
"Friends in high places?" Damon asks once they're a couple of steps out of hearing range.
"She's the sister of the mom of one of my old classmates," Stiles explains, trying his best not to make it too convoluted, "They've cut contact, so she gets to hear all about her niece from me. I don't really mind, but it does mean putting up with Tyler Lockwood, douche extraordinaire. He hates that his mom likes me," he adds with a hint of satisfaction.
"Huh," is all Damon has to say in response to that, "speaking of moms," he nudges Stiles into looking to the left and he immediately spots his aunt making a face at them, "that definitely looks like a protective one."
"That's her 'we'll be talking about this' face," Stiles informs him with an annoyed groan, "I hate it."
"Sounds fun," Damon chuckles at his expense, "Let's go say hi."
Stiles gets pulled away from Damon and Aunt Liz by a bored Caroline that wants a dance, though he only caves once she agrees to ask Stefan for one as well. Stiles has a bit of fun twirling his cousin around for a bit before they slow down to a pace that allows for conversation.
"Are you seeing that?" She asks after a look to their right. He follows her gaze to the spot he'd left his aunt and Damon at, both still talking. She was even smiling! "If I'd brought him as a date, I'd never hear the end of it."
"Again, it probably helps that I'm not trying to get into his pants," Stiles points out.
Caroline throws him a skeptical look, "Well, he's sure trying to charm his way into yours. He barely even looked at me. Is it the dress? Should I have picked the blue one?"
"I thought you were over that," Stiles comments with a sigh, "and you look great, just ignore him, he's in a bit of a mood about something Stefan did."
Caroline, always eager for gossip, looks delighted at that. "What did he do?"
"No idea," Stiles is quick to burst her bubble.
They dance until the song changes to a slower one, taking that as their cue to leave the dance floor, just in time for Damon to intercept them, "So?" he looks at Stiles questioningly.
"She'll ask him," He tells Damon, trying to ignore the appreciative look sent his way at the answer.
"Alright, just take me to your brother. I need another dance to forget how single I am," Caroline blurts out. Damon offers her his arm with an amused smile and she latches on to it, "Since I'm doing this, you also have to dance," she informs her current escort. Stiles narrows his eyes at Damon, but he needn't have worried since his cousin is quick to add, "With Stiles, since you're his date."
"It's a friend date," Stiles protests, but it falls on deaf ears.
"I'd be delighted," Damon replies with a grin.
Stiles watches them walk off to find Stefan feeling like he just got played.
"Hey, where's your date?" Bonnie quips from behind him as he's walking past the table she was sitting in.
Stiles turns in surprise but quickly smiles at the sight of her, grabbing a seat by her side, "With your date, somewhere. Don't worry, he'll behave. Or else."
Bonnie laughs, "I'm clearly not the one worried, but good to know."
"Shush," he playfully glares at her before leaning against the back of the chair with a sigh, "am I being too much? She didn't sign up for the 'overprotective sibling' package."
"I think it's sweet," she assures him with an honest smile, "she needs someone in her corner."
Stiles nods to himself, feeling better about his choices, and they fall into a comfortable silence. A breeze blows through the tables and snuffs out their candle, which seems like a bad choice on the part of the organization when they could have put little glass domes around them or something, but he's distracted from those thoughts at the sight of Bonnie staring intently at the candle, only for it to suddenly light up again.
She inhales sharply before quickly blowing it out and standing from her seat, leveling him with an apologetic and slightly panicked look, "I need to go to the toilet," she says before rushing off without giving him the chance to say anything.
Well, that happened.
"Psst," Stiles hears from behind him and turns around, seeing Damon motioning for him to follow.
He doesn't hesitate - much - before climbing the stairs after the other man, following him into the empty room containing the Founder's Items exposition.
"What are we doing here?" Stiles asks just as Damon twists him around to stand facing the door. Oh dear, he's on lookout duty. "Please tell me you're not stealing priceless Founder artifacts, I might have to care about that."
"It's not stealing if no one else knew it was there," Damon informs him and Stiles tries to focus his hearing behind him and tune out the party sounds coming from the floor below them.
All he hears is wood knocking on wood, and then something like metal on… glass? It does sound like when Mrs Lockwood taps a spoon on a crystal glass before making a speech. There's the wood sound again and it's somewhat like a box closing, and he feels more than hears the air moving behind him as Damon moves back over, probably putting whatever he moved back into place.
Stiles doesn't say anything until they leave and are a couple of steps away from the room, only when his curiosity just can't take the silence anymore.
"What did you mean by no one else knowing?" he blurts out, earning himself an amused look, "what did you ste- get?"
"I'll tell you on the ride back," Damon offers, leading them back to the main floor, and Stiles figures it's the best he's gonna get. "Now, I believe I owe you a dance."
"We don't have to," he points out, only for Damon to tilt his chin to the right, where Caroline was standing looking expectantly at them, along with an amused-looking Elena and the ever-brooding Stefan.
"I think we do," Is all the warning he gets before being swept over to the dance floor by a smirking Damon.
He can't help but inform in a slightly panicky whisper, "I only know how to lead."
"I don't mind following every now and then," Damon whispers back with a wink, grabbing his hand. There's a brief pause in his movement and Stiles throws him a questioning look, but it goes ignored as Damon places Stiles' hand on his waist and drags his other arm up to Stiles' shoulder, "Come on, let's give them a little show."
A show. Right, I can definitely do that and not trip over my own feet. Easy peasy.
It does end up being pretty easy once Stiles stops overthinking every step, mostly due to Damon distracting him with research talk, and he ends up effortlessly ignoring Caroline's self-satisfied expression, Elena's surprised one, and Stefan's puzzled looks.
Stiles is pretty sure that Damon is enjoying trying to figure out how long it will take for him to explode from sheer curiosity. They're only a couple of streets away from his house and still no comments had been made about what was taken from the exposition room. He just couldn't take it anymore.
"So, what was it?" He asks, and Damon huffs out a laugh that just confirms his theory.
"See for yourself," The man pulls something from the pocket of his jacket and holds it out to him without even glancing away from the road.
What reaches his hands is an amber-colored crystal, about two inches in size, and embedded into a circular silver base with a small bail on it, turning it into a pendant. "This wasn't in the exposition," he points out.
"I told you so," is the only answer he gets to that before Damon parks the car in front of the house. He can tell by the empty driveway that neither Caroline nor Aunt Liz has made it back yet.
Damon once again makes his way over to open the door for Stiles before he can do it himself but at the sight of the man's extended palm, Stiles just places the Crystal on it and climbs out of the car on his own, eyeing Damon's slight frown with amusement that quickly turns into exasperation when Damon starts walking him to the door after pocketing the crystal.
"I hope you're not expecting an invite for coffee," Stiles comments while unlocking the door.
"I can think of better things to drink," Damon quips in a tone Stiles can't quite read, but doesn't think much of as he steps inside the house. "Thank you for the lovely date, Stiles." he offers with a smirk from the outside.
"Do all of your 'dates' include felonies?" Stiles teases.
Damon outright smiles, "Only the best ones."
Stiles is still chuckling in disbelief as he closes the door behind himself.
So... Damon is not locked in the boarding house's basement slowly dissicating... I wonder what happens now :)