Germaphobe (Vampire Diaries | Delena)

[All Time No]

So, those of you that know me know that Vampire Diaries is my new obsession. And Ian Somerhalder's character, Damon Salvatore, has completely taken over my mind. In the midst of my crazy (and taking a second from the heart-wrenching plot-line going on where I currently am in the show), I was watching some edits of Damon and Elena. In one of said edits, I came across a line I had forgotten existed. Don't know how because the idea of it just sends my mind into insane circles of plot-lines for sneezefics, but I digress. In the act of trying to avoid outing himself as a vampire by shaking hands with a man who is wearing a glove soaked in vampire poison, he says he's a germaphobe. Now because, as I stated before, I am crazy, that line sparked the idea of the fic you're about to read (if this ridiculous pre-fic rant hasn't scared you away by now, that is), so without further ado, enjoy. I'm crawling back under my rock now.

Spoiler

This is set in a world in my mind where they're together when she's still human.

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Panic.

That was all Damon could feel at that moment. Pure, all-consuming, heart-stopping panic.

He couldn't breathe.

He couldn't move.

He couldn't do anything but stand there, frozen, as he walked in the door and saw his girlfriend, Elena, curled up asleep on the sofa with tissues scattered haphazardly around her.

He knew he should go over and see if she was okay.

He knew that was definitely not the state he left her in that morning.

He knew that she probably needed him, but still, he couldn't move.  

He jumped when he heard her groan softly as she woke up, taking a quiet step back.

"Dabod?" 

The congestion in her hoarse voice sent shivers of horror down his spine. Rationally, he knew he was a vampire and that meant he couldn't catch illnesses like a common cold, but he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that filled the pit of his stomach as he thought about all of the germs in the air from her breathing alone.

He shook himself and quietly cleared his throat, taking a hesitant step forward as he spoke. "Yeah... it's me. Are... Are you okay? You don't look so hot." He pasted on his trademark smirk, fighting the urge to turn tail and run the other direction. Elena sat up, sniffling and nodding slightly. "I'll be fide. S'just a cold. I'b freezi'g though. Cad you cobe warb be up please?"

Though the thought of getting that close to the germs being expelled from her body made him feel like crying, she really did look miserable and the puppy dog eyes she was throwing his way were too much for him to resist. He nodded slowly, and hesitantly made his way over to her. He sat down, trying to slow his pounding heart as she snuggled into him with a sigh and he felt her warm breath ghost his neck, making him shiver in disgust. 

It wasn't that he wasn't attracted to her anymore or that she disgusted him. It was just that he had always been terrified of germs ever since he was a child. Now that he was a vampire, that fear was magnified by one hundred. Even after one hundred and sixty-something years, he still hadn't learned how to get over it. Until now, he hadn't had a reason to stay around a sick person. He had been able to put as many miles as he wanted between him and the threat of germs without guilt. But this was Elena. He couldn't do that to her. No matter how badly he was itching to. 

"Mmb... buch better."

After a few minutes of just holding her, the instinct to comfort and be there for her finally started to push away the heavy weight of anxiety in his chest. He began to relax. Not completely, he was still on edge and completely uncomfortable, but he loved her and that was enough to keep him where he was. It was enough to have him handing her tissues and trying not to let on how every cough, sneeze, and nose blow made him feel like he needed to shower in hydrochloric acid and then light himself on fire. 

That was until she sneezed unexpectedly and hadn't managed to get the tissue to her face in time. She'd managed to turn away, but the warm, damp spray still caught his bare arm. He felt as though it had been dunked in vervain. He hadn't meant to, but in a flash, he was out the door and across town, breath coming in short, quick gasps that he couldn't seem to slow down.

His entire body was shaking so hard it was like he was vibrating, his chest felt like someone was filling it with water and piling rocks on it and he couldn't breathe. He stumbled into the nearest washroom, scrubbing at his arm until it was raw and and going numb from the heat of the water. Once he felt like he was sufficiently germ-free, he caught his breath. A wave of guilt washed over him, threatening to drown him. He let a soft sob escape, fist smashing through the mirror above the sink when he saw his reflection. 

He was pale and sweaty and wide-eyed, but more importantly he hated himself.

He hated himself for not being able to be there for the woman he loved.

He hated himself for abandoning her in her time of need without a word.

He hated himself for being so scared of something that couldn't even hurt him. Something that she couldn't control.

He walked for a long time, not sure where he was going or what he was doing until he ended up at the Lockwood cellar. He closed himself up inside one of the cells, sinking down against the door and waiting for his hands to stop shaking. Mere moments after he finally got the violent trembling of his hands under control, his phone lit up, Elena's name on the screen. He stared at the beautiful photo of her, unsure of whether or not he could face her before finally accepting the call. It was silent for a moment, Damon unable to make his vocal chords work, Elena's soft congested breathing on the other end of the line.

"Are you okay?" He almost cried. His beautiful, sweet, amazing Elena was sick at home, abandoned by her boyfriend with no explanation and she was asking if he was okay. 

"Elena... I'm sorry... I am so, so sorry..."

She chuckled quietly, and Damon cringed as the sound turned into a series of barking coughs. "Sorry... Dabod, listed to be. It's okay."

Anger at himself quickly had his blood boiling and he stood up, jaw set as he paced the cell. "No, Elena! It's not okay! I should be there for you right now! I should... I should be making you tea and soup and holding you and making you feel better, but I'm not!" He tugged at his hair, hands starting to shake again. The sound of her gently shushing him soothed him slightly and had him taking a shaky breath to calm down.

"I deed you to listed to be Dabod, okay? I u'dersta'd. Do you thidk I haved't doticed that you avoid usi'g public restroobs? Or how you dever dridk after adyode without wipi'g the glass first? Or how you put distadce between yourself a'd adyode who coughs or sdeezes? You cad't help it Dabod, a'd I u'dersta'd. I still love you, a'd dothi'g is goi'g to chadge that. I beadt to go stay with Carolide whed I doticed that I was getti'g sick, but it hit be quicker thad I thought it would, a'd I fell asleep. Whed I woke up, the fever bade by braid fuzzy a'd I forgot about your fear. I did't bead to put you id this positiod, a'd I'b sorry."

Damon cut her off, his voice thick. "Don't. Don't apologize. This isn't your fault, Elena. I want to be able to be there for you. I should be there-"

"It's okay. I called Stefad. He's taki'g care of me, alright? I'b okay. Whed I'b better, we'll work on this. Together. But for dow, just stay with Carolide a'd I'll call you whed I'b gerb free. I love you."

There was a soft click as the line went dead, and Damon felt a tear escape. He was so lucky to love someone so selfless and amazing. To be loved by someone like that. He vowed to work on it. For her.

A year later, when Elena caught a cold again, Damon was there. It still made him nervous, and he still washed his hands like crazy and took to cleaning every surface multiple times a day, but he was there. He held her and made her tea and soup, and blessed her when she sneezed. He kissed her warm forehead and kept a handle on the anxiety. 

And when he told her she made him a better person, he meant it.

End.

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That was probably garbage, but it was nagging me and begging to be written. I hope at least one of you enjoyed it! Haha

[Rook]

excuse me how dare you completely and utterly make my feels explode this is why I missed your writing you have blessed This Server and I'm just over here like I get this every day with our gay boyfriends I know everyone else gets it I don't know what I'm doing I don't know what to say I'm just like oh my God this is amazing I will literally screaming on the inside because it's 10:26 and I don't want to wake anyone up and just oh my God

[ashes__]

Uhhhm I know I'm like SOOO late to the party, but I LOVE this!!! I love TVD and sooo wish there were more stories on here! This is wonderfull!!!

[ID2006]

I would love to see this continued. Maybe with how Stefan took care of her. Or more in depth the next time she got sick. 

[Mems]

Oh man this just totally reignited my Nina dobrev crush 😍😍😍