(Vampire Diaries) DELENA

[Miss.A.Tishoo]

Ahhhh, okay, so this is completely self-indulgent. I don't normally post much here, but I figured there might be other TVD/Delena fans out there who might enjoy this.

It's set directly after the last episode (5x16), when Elena and Damon say they're over... and then... well, they're not so over .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elena awakens with a shudder, her skin overcome with goose-bumps. Still half-asleep she scrambles to pull a piece of Damon’s Egyptian cotton sheet over her bare torso, configuring somewhere in the more awake portion of her brain that this action shouldn't be necessary; vampires don’t feel cold, after all. Despite her efforts, the sheet barely gives way, trapped under Damon’s slumbering frame, and Elena instinctively inches closer to him for warmth. Any thoughts of them being over are, for now at least, quite easily forgotten; and far more preferable memories of last night flood her senses instead.

He’d felt so good. They’d felt so good. How would she ever convince herself that it was wrong? How could she ever walk away?

With sleep rapidly dispersing, a second, stranger symptom makes itself known; she can’t seem to breathe through her nose. Curious, Elena rises from her pillow into a half-sitting position, only to be met with that vividly familiar human-feeling of having a head completely full of cold. Groaning, she flops back down, her mind racing with questions: had the antidote not worked? Was she still infected with the ripper virus?

“Damon,” she whispers, giving him a gentle and reluctant prod. “Damon, wake up.”

Barely rousing, Damon throws a heavy arm around her by way of response.

“Need a minute,” he finally murmurs; still exhausted from their somewhat unconventional break-up last night. Elena smiles knowingly, despite her worry.

“I know, sorry,” she persists with another nudge to his chest, “but I’m not feeling so good.”

His blue eyes open in an instant, gleaming flashes of silver and sapphire amongst the shadows.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I just feel,” she pauses, pulling a face. “Icky. Like I’m getting the flu.” Damon’s hand immediately finds her forehead, checking for fever. “I’m really cold,” Elena explains unnecessarily; teeth-chattering.

“You’re burning up,” Damon confirms, his voice reassuringly calm. “You should get under the covers though, just until the shivering stops.” Without missing a beat, he draws the tornado of blankets from the foot of the bed, straightens them out and tucks her in. The relief is almost instantaneous, and Elena basks momentarily in the new-found warmth.

“Damon,” she worries, mere seconds later, “do you think I’m still dying?”

He shakes his head.

“You’re going to be just fine, Elena. I promise.”

“But, the antidote, maybe it didn’t-“

“It’s just a side-effect from the werewolf venom,” he recites lightly, “like a hangover. Always happens to me too.”

“It does?” She frowns, her mind wandering back to the last time he was infected at the start of the summer. She’d slept beside him that night, and she hadn’t even noticed. “You never said…”

“Mm,” he diverges, slipping his arm under her head and pulling her into his chest. “Get some sleep, you’ll feel better in the morning.”

Elena dutifully closes her eyes, her small hand snaking across his abdomen as she buries her face into the crook of his neck. She forgets herself for a moment, attempting to breathe in his scent, but her nose revolts with a series of congested snuffles; and that somehow leads to a round of uncontrollable coughs.

“Sorry,” she apologises quickly, peeking up at him through her long lashes to gauge his reaction. Eyes closed, Damon simply kisses her warm forehead; completely un-phased.

“Sleep.”

“Okay,” Elena sniffs, welcoming the instruction but struggling to follow it. She snuggles deeper into his arms, flinging a leg over his and adopting her no-fail sleep position. But now her nose itches. She alternates pressing it against his cool skin and scrubbing it against her knuckles, but still the itch remains and if anything it’s getting worse. The desire to sneeze engulfs her, and before she can untangle herself from Damon’s embrace the process begins with a sharp intake of air. “HIH-“ she hesitates for a moment, muscles helplessly frozen as her brain fails to seek out an alternative to the inevitable, “isssshchiew!”

Damon jumps, raising a surprised hand to his lightly misted chest.

“Hey, how about a little warning next time?” He teases, as Elena rapidly succumbs to a second and third following a minimal turning of her head.

“Hehh-chisssh! Ngxttsssh!”

“Bless you, sneezy.”

“I’m sooo sorry,” Elena flushes, her cheeks rotating a few shades of pink. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Forgiven,” Damon laughs softly, as Elena moulds back against him with a pitiful groan.

“I thought becoming a vampire meant leaving all this embarrassing human stuff behind.”

“Oh come on, it’s snot that embarrassing,” he grins. “Get it?”

“Damon! That’s not helping.”

“Sorry,” he composes himself, “but it’s really nothing to sneeze at!”

Elena narrows her eyes, fighting a smile.

“You’re not funny.”

“I am a little.”

Elena sighs and sniffles, rolling onto her back with an overextended stretch.

“I’m hungry,” she announces, her belly chiming in with an agreeable growl. “Midnight snack?”

“It’s way past midnight,” Damon points out with a yawn, “and some of us are tired.”

“And some of us are sick,” Elena counteracts with a well-timed cough.

“Touché. Okay, what do you want? A nice warm bag of O-negative?” Her stomach growls again, and she rapidly nods her congested head; Damon smirks. “Alright, you stay put. I won’t be a minute.”

Elena exhales triumphantly as Damon stumbles out of bed, grabs some pants out of his dresser and blurs out of the bedroom. There’s a strange stillness once he’s gone, and Elena props herself up on his oversized pillows, making feverish shapes out of the shadows.

“Huh-chieww!” She sneezes softly into her lap, gravity making her nose run and tickle all over again. She recalls a somewhat ornamental box of Kleenex in Damon’s en suite, and sticks her leg out from under the blankets, trying to decide whether the need to blow her nose outweighs her need to stay warm. “Heehh-kkssshh!”

Kleenex it is then.

Elena throws the covers back decisively, and is immediately greeted by a wave of bitterly cold air. Shivering, she slides out of bed and takes a few

woozy steps across the room, before pausing for another inevitable sneeze.

“Tsh’iewww!” She steadies herself on the bedpost, a feverish sweat breaking out across her forehead. Maybe this isn’t such a great idea. “Huh…huh…” Elena waves an impatient hand in front of her face, “HUH-Chhhssh! TttSHhhhiew!”

Using the force of her sneezes to propel her forward, Elena finally reaches her destination. Grabbing the box of Kleenex from the side, she sinks to the floor and relinquishes a suspiciously small “Tsh!” before offloading a long, gurgling blow into one of the soft white sheets.

“Elena?” Damon frowns, his familiar physique suddenly materialising in the doorway. “Are you okay?”

“Uh-huh,” she responds breathily, distracted by an equally familiar fuzziness in her nose. “I ju-huh! Just needed,” she blinks, willing the sensation away, determined to win this time. “I needed Klee-neh-HEH-tsh! Tsh! Tssh! TSSssh! HUH-ISSHCHIEW!”

“Bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you and BLESS YOU!” Damon sings back sympathetically. “You’ve really got a doozy of a cold there, huh?”

Elena shakes her head, using the counter to pull herself to her feet.

“Not especially,” she sniffs, “I’ve always sneezed a lot when I’m sick, ever since I was little. My Mom always had to bulk buy those pocket packs of Kleenex for me to take to school because I’d just keep, keep-Hih…hi’kkkshh!”

“Come on, you,” Damon smiles softly, “back to bed. I’ve got a hot mug of O-neg’ with your name on it.”

With Damon’s support, Elena navigates her way back into the bedroom with ease, and hits the mattress with a relieved and weary flop. Before she can even think to do it herself, Damon busies himself around her, tucking her back under the covers and rearranging her pillows.

“You’ll have to sit up a bit,” he reminds, waving the steaming mug under her nose. “Unless you don’t want-“

“No! I do!” Elena sits upright in a flash, grabbing the mug eagerly. “Mmm, it smells so good,” she notices, taking a deeper, clogged up sniff.

“Must be the chocolate sprinkles,” Damon grins. “It’s what I like to call the vampire version of hot chocolate.”

Elena giggles and rolls her eyes, not quite sure whether he’s being serious or not.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” she whispers, taking a small sip of the deep red liquid. “I mean, you didn’t have to, after-“

“Ssh,” Damon silences gently, “we’ll talk about all of that when you’re feeling better.”

“Thanks,” she repeats, sinking a little deeper into her pillows. A large yawn builds in the back of her throat, and Elena tries unsuccessfully to muffle it against the back of her hand.

“Tired?” He observes, his fingers toying with the ends of her hair.

“No,” she insists a little defensively, “just relaxed.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Elena continues to gulp down her beverage, her hunger quickly giving way to a warm and sated sense of fullness. She yawns again, this time making no effort to conceal it, and fixes Damon with a suspicious glare.

“What exactly did you put in here?”

“I already told you,” he muses mischievously, “chocolate sprinkles.”

Elena foregoes a response, her nose wrinkling against her latest sneeze opponent. Recognising the now tell-tale expression, Damon eases the half-empty mug from her hands just in time.

“Kssshhhtx!”

“Bless you, sneezy. Are you going for double or nothing?”

Elena purses her lips, annoyed at her nose for still tickling, and annoyed at Damon for being right about there being more. She holds her breath, rubbing her nose on the heel of her palm until the need to sneeze completely overcomes her. Her chest shudders as she finally inhales, her body pitching forward in a volley of helpless sneezes.

“Chssx! Chssx! Chssx! Hiii-gnnssshx!”

“Or five,” Damon shrugs, his blue eyes watching intently as she falters again. “Six? Really?”

“Huh…heh-kschuuu!” Elena sniffles and straightens up. “Okay, that’s definitely it.”

“You sure?” Damon waits for a nod of confirmation, before tentatively offering her the mug back. “Still hungry?”

“Uh-uh,” she shakes her head, her eyes drifting instead to his bare chest. Given their conversation last night, the last thing they should be doing right now is cuddling. “I really want…” She raises her dark eyes to his.

“Elena!” He exclaims in dramatic surprise. “We can’t, you’re sick!” She watches his eyebrows wiggle seductively. “Not that I wouldn’t...”

She smacks him playfully.

“Not what I was thinking, Damon.”

“Ah, too bad.”

“No, I just want,” she mouths another trespassing yawn, “oh, you know.”

“You want a piece of this hot body?” He smirks, opening his arms in a welcoming gesture. “Can’t say I blame you.”

“You’re such an ass.”

“Welcome back, pouty. It’s been awhile, I’ve missed you.”

“Damon!” Elena fires irritably, a tired frown marring her usually soft features. “I’m sick, remember? Be nice.”

“Sorry,” he apologises sincerely, “come here. Lay down.” Elena doesn’t need telling twice; she collapses against him, her aching limbs star-fishing

across his body. “Better?”

“Much,” she agrees, as he plants an instinctive kiss into her hair. “You’re so, so, so comfy.”

Damon chuckles.

“Get some rest, sleepyhead.”

“You always call me such silly names,” she accuses, eyes drooping. “Maybe I should think of some for you.”

“You’ve got plenty for me,” Damon reassures, stroking the length of her long hair.

“Like?”

“Like ass and idiot.”

“That’s true,” Elena giggles faintly. “Hmm, Damon,” she sighs, “I’m sleepy.”

“I know.”

“Do you think I’ll feel better in the morning?” She continues, with a stubborn rub at her falling eyelids.

“I think so,” Damon whispers back. “Close your eyes now, Elena.”

Elena blinks wilfully a few more times; her thick lashes fluttering against Damon’s jawline, until they finally drift closed. The beginnings of sleep come easy, with the gentle rise and fall of Damon’s chest lulling her deeper still. So much so, she’s barely conscious of her nose objecting, tickling furiously.

“Hu’isshchiew,” she sneezes openly across his bare torso.

“Bless you.” Damon murmurs wearily, kissing the tip of her nose. “I love you, sneezy.”

“I love you too, idiot.” Elena yawns back contentedly, threading her fingers through his. “Night, Damon.”

“Goodnight, Elena.”

“Heh-kkusssh!”

“Bless you, again.”

“Thanks.” Elena sniffles. “Night.”

“G’night.”

“Tssshieww!”

Damon reluctantly reopens both his eyes.

“We’re not getting any sleep tonight are we...”

“No, no, we are.” Elena insists firmly. “I’m done, definitely.”

“Hmm.”

“I promise.”

“Okay.” Damon relents, closing his eyes once more with a tired sigh of relief. “Night, Elena.”

“Hi’chssssx!”

[daystar428]

Superrrrr cute!!!!! I love these two together thank you so much for sharing!! Damon is so sweet but his sassy self

[Blessing Queen]

Loved it!Thanks for sharing!