I'll talk to him. ( at the beginning it had been a safety barrier of sorts, peace of mind more than anything, but now the invitation rule is just inconvenient. now that she's actually being honest with herself, honest with damon, it hardly seems worth it.
she holds two fingers up in a 'i'll be quick' type gesture as she jogs up the stairs -- she could be faster, admittedly, but she's still not really making a habit of using her less human powers without real cause. even so she doesn't take too long, closer to seven than two minutes, but it's not her worst record. by the time she comes down it's in a pretty casual dress, covering the bikini underneath. she's a little faster as she comes back down the stairs. )
Are you taking me to the beach?
( she squints, grinning slightly as she points at damon. got it in one! )
( — oh. damon hadn't expected that — he'd expected elena to keep him out of her space for a while longer, maintain some distance between them. something to help her feel like she was still in control of her feelings and the situation, rather than spiraling helplessly into a relationship she'd always been afraid of. he'd brought up an invitation thinking he'd have to wear her down (or, considering this is eudio, wait as patiently as he could for her to decide to get him one on her own time) but now here she is, with an offhand comment that she doesn't seem to think means anything.
it means everything. it means that she's just as deep as he is, that she's not second-guessing, or scared, or hiding anymore. it means she's throwing caution to the wind, ready to give him unimpeded access to her home — he could show up in her room whenever, be waiting for her when she came home, hang out with her roommates when she's not around and plan spontaneous dinner parties, and she's ready to give him carte blanche to do it.
it means she loves him and she wants to share her space with him, and for a second damon's too shocked to say anything. he's composed himself by the time she's back down the stairs, and when she points at him, her finger just crosses the barrier. he grabs it and pulls, tugging her through the doorway and into his space, and kisses her deeply, as sweetly as he knows how. "sweet" is never really something he's put much effort into being, but for elena he's willing to make an exception.
after a long moment, he pulls away, nudging their foreheads together for a moment before he smiles and opens his eyes. )
Clever girl. I've got supplies in my car, but if there's anything you want to bring, now's the time to grab it.
( admittedly she probably could have predicted this sort of a reaction if she'd taken a moment to think about it, but the truth of it was she really hadn't had to think about it at all - and that in and of itself is a rarity for elena. it had been so easy to just say she'd sort it out, so easy to just let him in like that.
elena hasn't been a trusting person in some years now, but this is one hell of a step forward.
it's still remarkable to be able to just kiss damon, completely guilt free, and she makes no protest as he pulls her close, smiling against his lips and resting her hands on his cheeks. )
I think I've got everything I need.
( which would be a fairly uninteresting statement on its own, had it not been paired with the grossest loved up smile known to man. for all she's wallowed in self-misery the last year in eudio, there's no hiding it now: elena gilbert is happy. )
( what seems so small to elena is monumental to damon. the way she's looking at him, like he's everything she needs — it's everything he's wanted his entire life and never got. certainly not from katherine, and not from any of the women or men he used in the 145 years it took for the comet to pass back over mystic falls. not even from dick, and he certainly didn't expect to get it from elena, of all people. he'd known he could make her happy — not that that'd have been hard, after her half-life here and the bullshit stefan put her through in mystic falls — and he'd gotten a glimpse of that at home, but... he hadn't thought it'd be like this.
for a moment, the trip is forgotten. damon's got a cup of pink lemonade sitting in the car, ice melting, snacks wilting in the oppressive heat of a standing car, a whole beach waiting for him... and all he cares about is the woman in front of him. he draws elena in even closer, hands cupping her cheeks as he pulls her up for another kiss. if it were up to him, they'd never do anything else.
they are just standing outside her apartment though, in public, and they have a beach adventure waiting for them. damon pulls away from her slowly, leaving little lingering kisses and a gentle nip to her lower lip as he goes, but eventually he has to stand up straight and take a step back. right. beach. their first real date. focus. )
"Everything you need" doesn't involve a towel, huh?
( there's no bite in the comment, even though damon's raising his eyebrow and looking entirely unimpressed with elena's lack of foresight (no matter how romantic he truly found it). )
I figured you wouldn't have thought to do something wacky and out there like have fun before I got here, so I brought you one. But this means you don't get to complain about it when you see what it is.
( guess who has a minions towel waiting for them in the back of the car? hint: not damon. )
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no subject
she holds two fingers up in a 'i'll be quick' type gesture as she jogs up the stairs -- she could be faster, admittedly, but she's still not really making a habit of using her less human powers without real cause. even so she doesn't take too long, closer to seven than two minutes, but it's not her worst record. by the time she comes down it's in a pretty casual dress, covering the bikini underneath. she's a little faster as she comes back down the stairs. )
Are you taking me to the beach?
( she squints, grinning slightly as she points at damon. got it in one! )
no subject
it means everything. it means that she's just as deep as he is, that she's not second-guessing, or scared, or hiding anymore. it means she's throwing caution to the wind, ready to give him unimpeded access to her home — he could show up in her room whenever, be waiting for her when she came home, hang out with her roommates when she's not around and plan spontaneous dinner parties, and she's ready to give him carte blanche to do it.
it means she loves him and she wants to share her space with him, and for a second damon's too shocked to say anything. he's composed himself by the time she's back down the stairs, and when she points at him, her finger just crosses the barrier. he grabs it and pulls, tugging her through the doorway and into his space, and kisses her deeply, as sweetly as he knows how. "sweet" is never really something he's put much effort into being, but for elena he's willing to make an exception.
after a long moment, he pulls away, nudging their foreheads together for a moment before he smiles and opens his eyes. )
Clever girl. I've got supplies in my car, but if there's anything you want to bring, now's the time to grab it.
no subject
elena hasn't been a trusting person in some years now, but this is one hell of a step forward.
it's still remarkable to be able to just kiss damon, completely guilt free, and she makes no protest as he pulls her close, smiling against his lips and resting her hands on his cheeks. )
I think I've got everything I need.
( which would be a fairly uninteresting statement on its own, had it not been paired with the grossest loved up smile known to man. for all she's wallowed in self-misery the last year in eudio, there's no hiding it now: elena gilbert is happy. )
no subject
for a moment, the trip is forgotten. damon's got a cup of pink lemonade sitting in the car, ice melting, snacks wilting in the oppressive heat of a standing car, a whole beach waiting for him... and all he cares about is the woman in front of him. he draws elena in even closer, hands cupping her cheeks as he pulls her up for another kiss. if it were up to him, they'd never do anything else.
they are just standing outside her apartment though, in public, and they have a beach adventure waiting for them. damon pulls away from her slowly, leaving little lingering kisses and a gentle nip to her lower lip as he goes, but eventually he has to stand up straight and take a step back. right. beach. their first real date. focus. )
"Everything you need" doesn't involve a towel, huh?
( there's no bite in the comment, even though damon's raising his eyebrow and looking entirely unimpressed with elena's lack of foresight (no matter how romantic he truly found it). )
I figured you wouldn't have thought to do something wacky and out there like have fun before I got here, so I brought you one. But this means you don't get to complain about it when you see what it is.
( guess who has a minions towel waiting for them in the back of the car? hint: not damon. )