Who are you? What are you fighting for?
Holy truth? Brother, I choose this mortal life
Lived in perfect symmetry
What I do, that will be done to me
As the needle slips into the run out groove
Love, maybe you'll feel it too

.

.

.

In the stillness of the early evening, there wasn't a single sound in the Salvatore boarding house. With no evidence to what had occurred the night before, it could have been like any other evening, but it wasn't. This night was special because it was the start of a new period. The post-Klaus period. It was official, the whole 'save the girl-save the world' hysteria was finally over and good riddance. The good guys won.

A seemingly impossible feat that it had been against the 'oldest vampire in the history of time', which called for celebrating life itself, however the party was postponed for the importance of sleep. It was true, humans, vampires and werewolf alike were exhausted. Sleepless nights fueled by worry, research and reconnaissance had left everyone worse for wears.

The vampire anti-hero roused first.

He awoke slightly confused in the parlor room, laying on the floor in front of the almost extinguished fireplace. It was only when he felt a stabbing side pain that the context of the situation came rushing back. God, did he ever need a drink. Slowly and wincing from sores and aches, Damon stood to his feet, walking to the drink cart. As he poured bourbon into the glass tumbler, his eyes landed on the tiny girl curled kitten-like on the large leather chair.

Damon gulped down the burning alcohol and poured another, trying to remember at what point did Elena -fucking- Gilbert come home with him the night before. Clearly and logically so, both of them had been too tired to function to even fall asleep comfortably. Regardless, there she was before his eyes, the girl. The girl that had started this all. His girl. Damon shivered... his girl, she was his right? Could it be true that he won the battle and the heart of the girl? That couldn't possibly be right, he wasn't what dreams were made of, more like nightmares. Yet the picture in front of him looked like his own happy ending, warm fuzzy feelings galore!

By Damon's fourth tumbler, the girl in question awoke from her awkward sleeping position. Elena was equally sore if not more given her human fragility and groaned as she stretched her limbs. Damon remained frozen watching her, not quite sure how to act in the situation. Somehow, 'Hey, we almost died, but we didn't and I saved you like I'll always promise to do because I'm madly in love with you. So, did you declare your love for me in an epic moment or did you really mean it?' sounded a bit heavy, but he also didn't know what else to say.

So when Elena smiled what could only be deemed a 'secret smile' and walked over to him, it felt like he could breathe again - as if he needed to. Damon watched as she poured a shot of tequila.

"Yay!" Elena cheered in a sleepy voice and threw back the shot like a champion.

Drinking was something Damon could do. He could do it well, too. Following her lead, he poured himself a shot of tequila, raised it high in a mock toast and gulped it down. And that's how it went for a few minutes, shot per shot. They had the whole place to themselves. Elena wasn't going to ask about Stefan, she wasn't going to think about him either. He made his decision a long time ago where he belonged and it wasn't with his older brother or her.

In between the romantic getaway and the past three months, Elena had drifted far, far away from Stefan; giving Katherine a much needed opening. Elena had realized that Stefan didn't have her best interest in mind after learning about the lies and secret meetings. He had never treated her like an equal. This time around, no formal breakup was needed. It was apparent when Stefan started spending more time with Katherine than anyone else. It made sense, whether he actually loved her or not, at least he was finally embracing his true vampire self. Not like Elena would ever admit it, but she owed a lot to Katherine. If it weren't for the psychotic bitch, Stefan would have never been a strong enough fighter.

Basically when Stefan started drinking human blood in earnest, he also transformed into a first class dick, which Elena refused to deal with. It's strange considering how Elena could always handle being around Damon. Then again, Elena had always been able to handle Damon or they wouldn't have survived in the first place.

Elena shook her head thinking about their crazy journey.

Damon looked at her with a curious expression.

"To Katherine!" Elena toasted a tequila shot.

Damon chuckled. "To Stefan!" He countered.

"To Caroline!"

"To Judgy!" Damon added with a smirk.

"To Jeremy!" Elena threw back a shot wondering how he was handling taking care of Bonnie. She vaguely remembered Jeremy promising that he had the situation under control. After a powerful spell Bonnie casted with Luka, she had passed out and Jeremy carried her to safety.

"To Vampire Barbie!" Damon exclaimed with a proud expression on his face. Blondie really came through for him and kicked some werewolf ass. After Damon had been tortured, Caroline took it upon herself to expel every werewolf out of Mystic Falls. She even figured out a way to get her Mother involved in the hunting.

"To Alaric!"

Damon scoffed. "Yeah, some hero, on vacation."

Elena shrugged, she had asked Alaric to skip town with Jenna because she didn't want anything else to happen to her aunt. Given her aunt's track record with the knife to the stomach and constantly inviting vampires into the house.

"To…" Damon raised his shot and blanked on a name.

In that split second Elena noticed his awkward posture. She deduced he was in pain and that's why he was leaning his weight to his left side. Elena dropped her shot glass on the cart and moved his shirt out of the way to inspect his chest.

Damon looked down at her hands with a bewildered expression. "What are you-"

"Why are you still hurt?" Elena said looking up at his eyes. The concern was evident on her face.

"Wooden bullets." He replied, grimacing.

Elena's jaw dropped in confusion. "You mean, you mean you didn't take them out?"

"Too deep."

"What the hell." She stated incredulously. "I want to take them out for you."

"Now." She added firmly.

Damon rolled his eyes, not excited about ending their binge drinking fest. "Fine." He acquiesced.

He huffed, grabbing the bottle of bourbon and started walking toward the staircase.

"Where are you going?" Elena called out, still standing by the drink cart.

"Upstairs." Damon said raising a brow. "Come on, let's get this over with."

Elena swallowed thickly and followed after him.

Elena felt a warm sensation pass through her body as she entered his bedroom. The last and only time she had been in the space was during Rose's final hours. However, Elena still thought it was just a 'room with a bed'.

Damon was searching his bathroom for supplies while she stood awkwardly in the center of the room. When he came around, she followed his lead to the bed. He moved to take a seat on the edge of the bed, up against the headboard.

"A vampire owns rubbing alcohol. Huh." Elena commented as he dropped the items on the bed.

"Well, I'm not usually the one using it." He replied with a smirk, leaning his head back casually.

Elena blushed and decided not to ask about his former guests, that would be too much information for her. From her standing position at his side, she leaned over to unbutton his shirt; not like it mattered, the shirt was a goner, he could have easily ripped it off. She frowned seeing the multiple wounds on his chest and there weren't just bullets, she also found scratches that never healed.

Elena trailed her hands down the side of his left ribs feeling the scratches. Damon let out an animal-like hiss in pain.

"Oh God, we haven't even started." She rolled her eyes.

"Be gentle with me, will you?" He pouted and took a sip of bourbon.

"Why didn't this heal?" She asked poking him.

"I don't know." He whined.

Elena's eyes narrowed and she leaned into his body to further inspect him.

"There's splinters in the wounds." She announced regretfully.

Damon gave a look of disgust.

"I'll be right back." She said walking away from the bed.

"Where are you going?" He called out confused. He was too tired to demand an answer. He sighed and continued drinking.

As Damon laid on his large bed alone, he couldn't stop thinking about what would become of their relationship. Where the hell did she go, anyway? He groaned in annoyance. During the past two weeks, there had been small signs of affection that gave him hope. Of course, at the time, he had to push her 'advances' away to focus on keeping her safe. But now with time to actually think, he started cataloging the timeline of events.

There was one night when he dropped her home. He had walked her to the porch like always, but then she surprised him by kissing his cheek. She didn't say anything, she just planted one on him and walked inside without giving a chance to reciprocate. Another night at The Grill, he had been sitting next to her in a booth. They had been engaged in a heated discussion between Elijah and Isobel. Elena had caught him off guard by placing her hand in his under the table. Damon had looked down at their interlocked fingers, but it hadn't been the time to question her about it. Then out of exhaustion or convenience, she had also allowed herself to fall asleep in his arms a few nights ago on the parlor's couch. She had also hugged him quite a few times over the course of the month and the hugs had felt more than friendly. Finally, she actually said, 'Damon, I love you', the night before, but he still didn't know what to think. She didn't exactly say it under ideal circumstances.

Damon perked up seeing her reenter the bedroom. He was so happy to see her again.

"I went to get tweezers." Elena stated waving the grooming instrument. She climbed up on the bed and got close to him to begin removing the bullets and splinters.

Using the towel and rubbing alcohol, Elena swiped his skin clean of the dry blood. Damon whimpered at the action, feeling the burning sensation run through the open wounds.

Taking a breath to steady her nerves, Elena very carefully leaned closely to remove a wooden bullet. She gripped it firmly and tugged it out with one pull. Damon's skin immediately healed before her eyes. She was always mesmerized by seeing that supernatural perk. He sighed feeling the difference. Once again, Elena repeated her actions to remove another bullet.

"This isn't usually the way I play doctor." Damon quipped, his voice sounding tipsy as the liquor was finally hitting him.

Elena stifled her chuckle. "Don't make me laugh. I don't want to hurt you."

"Hmphff!" He exclaimed in reply. He could take the physical pain, it was the emotional heartache that he could no longer take.

At last, Elena removed all five bullets and went to work on the splinters. Damon was biting his lip feeling every last shard of stray wood leave his skin. As with the bullets, his skin started to heal rapidly before her eyes.

Elena trailed her thumb across his newly smooth skin. "I think I got 'em all. Yeah?"

Damon shook his head and clumsily pointed at his thigh.

"Oh." Elena said in understanding.

He looked at her expectantly, waiting to see her reaction. He didn't expect her hands to fall upon his belt buckle. His eyes went wide simply staring at her fingers work the clasp.

She undid his belt and unzipped his jeans, while he remained frozen in place. Her hands entered inside the waistline of his jeans for a mere second, but she was too nervous, so she moved away.

"Uh…" She stammered, tucking a loose hair behind her ear. "Can you?" She trailed off with a head tilt.

Damon drunkenly nodded in agreement and lifted his hips to slide out of his jeans. Elena took it from there.

"There's another two bullets." She stated examining his lower right thigh.

"From saving you." He chided with a finger wave.

"I…, I know." Elena gulped awkwardly. "Thank you."

Damon pouted in annoyance.

"What?" She froze bewildered. "This is like a scratch compared to the others."

He rolled his eyes in response. "I don't need your thanks."

"You have it anyway." She retorted while taking out the last bullet.

"All done." She said cheerily, sitting up on her knees.

Damon laid in front of her, in all his glory clad in navy boxers.

There was a disgruntled look on his face.

"What's wrong?" She asked dumbly.

"C'mere." He answered.

"I said c'mere." When she didn't move, he grabbed her and pulled her close. She gasped slightly, flushed up against his bare skin and practically sitting in his lap.

"Elena." He groaned, cupping her face. She could smell the liquor on his breath, no doubt he could smell hers too.

"Yes?" She replied with a raised brow.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then changed his mind scanning her over. "You're a tad bit overdressed." He declared after a minute.

Elena's eyes narrowed at him as his hands went to the hem of her shirt. "I, uh." She said shocked.

"I showed you mine. You show me yours." Damon said nonchalantly. "It's only fair."

"I… okay." She conceded and lifted her arms.

Damon's hands abruptly cupped her red satin encased breasts. Elena's heart skipped at the intimate contact.

"Very nice." He stated in appreciation. "Now tell me something…" He said running his fingers down the black lace that covered the valley of her breasts.

"Is this your every day bra or your I'm-Going-To-Die bra?" He asked cheekily.

Elena blushed hard. "Every day." She answered quietly.

"So you didn't think you were going to die?" Damon asked seriously with furrowed brows, removing his hands from her chest.

"No."

Damon frowned trailing his fingers down the cuts on her left arm. "You're hurt." He stated.

"That's from the pavement. You know, when I slid to throw you the Vervain grenade." She explained. "It doesn't hurt too much."

He gave her a sympathetic look wishing she hadn't been hurt at all. He tried really hard to protect her from any harm. She stupidly ran after him, after he told her to stay put. Her damn stubbornness.

Damon repositioned her carefully to lay her flat on the bed. Just like hers minutes before, his hands went to her jeans to remove them. She didn't put up a fight and raised her hips to help him.

Seeing her in matching underwear and her dark chocolate hair spread out over the white pillow, she was a vision to him. Damon's eyes were appreciatively looking her body over. Her right knee was badly bruised and cut, there were also cuts down her shin.

He tsked at the sight. "This is going to have to be disinfected."

Elena squeezed her eyes shut knowing he was right.

At the feel of his fingertips on her skin, Elena jumped slightly surprising him.

"I barely touched you!" He remarked incredulously.

"It hurts." Elena justified, but truthfully she hadn't jumped because it hurt. She jumped because of her nerves. It was a lot for her to handle, being in his bed, both of them in barely anything.

"Seriously?" He scoffed, watching her reach for his bottle of bourbon on the nightstand.

She took a sip and almost spit it out.

"Gah. How can you drink this stuff?" She immediately placed the bottle back on the stand.

Damon rolled his eyes and finished disinfecting any open skin on her leg.

"How do I smell?" Elena asked in a bemused voice.

"What?"

"Nevermind." She sighed.

"You smell dirty."

"Gee, thanks."

"What exactly where you expecting me to say?" Damon said moving to lay next to her. He turned on his side. "We've been through hell in back. So yeah, you're dirty."

Elena laughed at his serious expression.

"I was actually asking about… my blood." She explained in a whisper. "I thought, you know."

Understanding washed across Damon's face. "And why would you ask me such a thing?" He asked seductively, taking the liberty of trailing his index finger down the middle of her body, stopping at the hem of her underwear.

"I, just." She shrugged in defeat.

"You just what, hmm?" Damon said scooting closer to her. "What kind of answer were you looking for?"

Elena's mouth went dry, unable to form words.

"Did you want me to say you smell delicious?" Damon whispered, leaning to kiss her cheek. "Intoxicating? Sexy? Perfect?" He continued in a whisper and kissed her forehead. "Hmm, Elena?" He waited expectantly.

"I don't know." She replied meekly.

"You don't know?" He spat and moved away from her. "You don't know? Seriously, Elena?"

Her entire body went rigid in anticipation.

"You don't know? You don't know how much I want you?" He said frustrated. "How the idea of drinking from you is enough to-"

"Enough to what?" Elena countered.

Damon growled and straddled her. He kissed her passionately, but it only lasted a few seconds. He pulled back like a man starved. "You're gonna slap me, right?"

"I can do better than that, Damon." She replied and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Damon happily returned the kiss, but when her legs wrapped around his waist, reality set in and he pulled back.

Elena arched her body up feeling the loss of his lips. She looked at him through heavy lidded eyes.

"Elena. What is this?"

She looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean." He huffed, disbelieving of himself. "I mean, no more games."

"This isn't a game." Elena returned offended, attempting to push him away with her arms.

"Do you want to be with me?" He asked bluntly.

"I thought that much was obvious." She motioned to their interlocked bodies.

"No. Not just sex." Damon clarified. He knew if they had sex, it would be the point of no return. There was absolutely no way he was going to have sex with the love of his life only to give her up the next day.

"Damon." She replied exasperated. "I'm here, aren't I? With you. I came home with you. I want to be with you." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Really?" He asked cautiously, still unsure about getting a happy ending for once in his life.

She nodded, smiling. She reached around to caress his hair. "I thought you knew."

"How could I?" He retorted coolly. "Look at what happened the last time I thought there was something going on between the two of us."

"I thought you knew. I, uh, Stefan and I are done and." She explained hastily. "I don't know what else you want me to say. Especially after last night-"

"Yes, let's talk about last night." Damon interrupted. "Did you mean it?"

Elena nodded.

"Elena, do you love me?"

She nodded.

"Say it. Please. Just once." He practically begged.

"Damon, I… I love you." She said softly. She could see his eyes water with emotion.

"Why did you wait so long to tell me?" He whispered, placing his forehead on hers. "I thought you only said it because you thought one of us was gonna die or-"

"No. No." She protested, against his lips. "I do, I love you. I've loved you for awhile… just it was never the right time."

He choked and pecked her lips. "We have all the time in the world now."

"Eternity. Even." Elena quipped.

"God!" He exclaimed, breathing heavily. "Just. God. Stop."

"What?"

"Don't say things like that to me." He said shaking his head. "You don't know what it does to me."

Elena giggled.

"I'm serious." Damon cried out. "I want you for eternity and I mean it."

"I'm not going anywhere." She replied softly.

Damon was so overcome with happiness, he could have passed out if he had been human. He pulled himself together and kissed her in response.

Elena moaned into the kiss, further driving him crazy. Slowly, they explored each other's mouths. She smirked biting down on his lower lip. Naturally, his hardness thrust against her, she eagerly rubbed back.

"I love you. I love you. I love you." He panted in a rush, trailing kisses down her throat.

Elena felt her heart expand in love as the aura of his happiness was filling her full. She moaned feeling him suck against her pulse point. Her fingers weaved through his raven locks.

"Still beautiful… but its gotta go." Damon remarked reaching for the clasp of her bra, taking it off in one fluid motion.

Damon groaned seeing her hardened nipples for the first time. He grinned confidently and took one in his mouth. Elena gasped feeling the acute sensation of his tongue touching her sensitive skin.

"So perfect." Damon said in awe, palming her breasts. His tongue went to the valley of her breasts and he tasted her skin. He trailed butterfly kisses down her sternum, worshiping her body inch per inch. Elena's skin grew hot from his expert technique. She could feel herself growing wetter in need. Unconsciously, her hips arched up off the bed, searching out for any friction.

"Patience." He chided smugly.

"No." She protested.

"I want-" Elena's words turned to moans as Damon sucked on her clit over her underwear. "Yes!" She shouted in agreement.

Elena could see the amusement in his eyes as he continued to tongue her over the lace. He was enjoying the sight of her withering on the bed. Her arms were erupting in trembles, she felt ablaze with desire. It was only when he paused to remove her underwear that she was able to catch her breath. When his tongue returned to her core, she eagerly encouraged him by bringing her knees up and spreading for him. Her hands gripped the sheets as his tongue languidly licked her nether lips from top to bottom. Over and over, he licked her until her breathing grew ragged. He was tearing her asunder.

Elena was seeing spots behind her eyes from the ecstasy she was experiencing. She felt terribly naughty catching the sight of her aching form in the reflection of the large mirror at the side of the bed.

"You taste delicious." Damon cooed, stopping for a second before returning to his task. He continued in the same tempo of licks until Elena was grinding herself in earnest against his tongue. She was at her breaking point, desperate for sweet release. The torture had gone on for long enough.

"I need, I need." Elena begged in tears.

"What do you need?" Damon replied.

"Need to. Ugh." She cried. "Use your fingers!" She demanded.

Much to Damon's satisfaction, she screamed when he inserted a finger into her core. He was fascinated by how tight she was gripping him. He bit his lip knowing it would be better to stretch her out proper instead of just taking her like he wanted. He groaned in anticipation of her warm, tight heat surrounding him. He knew it would make everything worth it.

Elena's eyes rolled back as he slid in an additional finger inside her core. His thumb began to lightly rub her clit in a circle motion as he fingered her at a steady pace. Elena's hips pumped upward to grind into his hand nearing her release. Damon was so hard it hurt from hearing her panting and moaning. He knew she was close from the tense expression on her face, he pushed his fingers further inside, curling them to hit her g-spot. Elena screamed in pleasure, arching her body high and gasping loudly feeling the waves of pleasure overtake her. Her body convulsed uncontrollably as each exquisite wave rolled off her body. It was beautiful watching her meet oblivion before his eyes. Damon smirked smugly removing his fingers and sucking them dry. She truly tasted incredible.

Elena gave him a shaky smile as he crawled up to her level. After seeing her disintegrate only seconds before, he was not expecting her to tackle him in a straddling position. She moaned in sated satisfaction running her hands down his chest in a primal way. Her eyes were filled with lust unlike he had ever seen. Suddenly, Damon knew the degree of the passion she felt for him and he felt incredibly and utterly whole.

"I love you, Elena." He said looking up at her.

"I love you too." She snickered in a dominating way and leaned over to kiss him. Her long locks creating a waterfall over his face.

Elena kissed him with bruising force and pulled back with his bottom lip in her mouth. Her bare core raked against his raging hard-on as she shifted her hips upon him. Without warning, her hands moved to the waistband of his boxers and she gripped his dick. Damon's eyes widened feeling her tiny soft fingers caress him.

"I, um." He stuttered, knowing it was better than any of the fantasies he had ever jerked off to her in the past.

With a playful expression on her face, Elena stroked his dick up and down, returning some of the teasing he had made her endure.

"Elena, I…"

She answered by placing her hands down on his firm chest and lowering herself onto his dick, her body taking him in inch by inch.

Damon's lips were parted, memorizing every detail of the moment. Her eyes were closed as she let out a happy moan of satisfaction feeling him to the hilt. Her body was adjusting to his girth and he tensed as her inner muscles squeezed him tight. He unconsciously let out a small squeal.

With a cheeky smirk, Elena opened her eyes to tease him. "You like that, huh?"

"Understatement of the year." Damon groaned as she continued to squeeze him using full force. Her tiny body was working its magic on him.

Elena chuckled, her nails digging lightly into his chest as she rocked her hips in experimentation, eliciting yet another groan from Damon. Once he could think straight, Damon settled his hands over her hip bones. In response, she leaned forward to place more weight on her hands as she lifted her hips away from him. They looked at each other with goofy expressions on their faces as they were experiencing the beautiful fit of their union.

Ever so slowly, Elena began to move her hips up and down in a steady rhythm, positively drowning in the pleasure filled waves. Damon's head was titled back into the pillow, drunk on her love and body.

As Elena quickened her pace, he tightened his hold on her and arched his back. His eyes were focused on watching her breasts sway above him in a provocative manner. He couldn't resist to reach out and suckle one. Elena screamed in pleasure as his mouth worked on her. Fueled by the need to hear her scream more, Damon thrust upward encouraging her to ride him harder.

"Damon!" She shouted as he sucked on her skin. He encouraged her with sweet nothings in her ear to drive her over the edge. He felt her inner walls begin to spasm and knew she was getting close. He started to thrust up into her more vigorously than before.

All at once, Damon could feel the crashing force of their joining, they were both panting for air. His eyes squeezed shut in pleasure. "Mine!" He cried out, digging his nails into her hips as his dick shuddered inside of her.

"Yes! Yes!" Elena replied sharply in equal pleasure, as the waves coursed through her with an indescribable force. The force seemed to drain every molecule out of her. Her body immediately curled right against his, her hips moved slightly still tingling as he remained inside of her. Damon murmured sated while stroking the path of her spine. Their skin was covered in a sheen of sweat as they basked in the afterglow of their long awaited lovemaking.

"You didn't bite me." Elena mused in a quiet voice after a few minutes.

"Maybe later." Damon answered casually. Truth be told, he had thought about it, but decided against it. He wanted a pure memory of their union, plus she was still a bit bruised and blue from the night before. Elena was the only woman capable of making him feel human and he loved her for it.

Elena snickered softly at his response. He sure was a strange vampire, but he was her vampire.

"I love you." She declared in a dreamy voice.

"I love you too." Damon replied feeling a deep sense of peace wash over him; all those warm, fuzzy feelings that he used to joke about.

.

Wrap yourself around me
As the needle slips into the run out groove
Maybe you'll feel it too, maybe you'll feel it too

The End

Song: Perfect Symmetry by Keane (InnerPartySystem Remix)

This story was donated to Breast Cancer.
Donation by starbucksluvver aka toffeenutlatte
Prompt Guidelines anything smutty ! But I like the idea of drunken shredding of clothes and comparison of bodily scars (a la the scene in Lethal Weapon !).
For details about Fan Fiction For Breast Cancer, check out my profile.
Donations start at $1.