The credits roll, the room goes dark, and the only sound is your heartbeat still sprinting from the last jump scare.

From the couch beside you, Damon sighs loud, theatrical. “Really? Two hours of predictable screaming, and now you’re acting like the boogeyman’s gonna crawl out of your popcorn bowl.”

You glare at him. “You weren’t even watching half the time.”

“Because it was terrible,” he drawls, grabbing the remote. “I’ve been hunted by scarier things. And none of them needed bad lighting or ominous violins.”

You throw a pillow at him. He catches it easily vampire reflexes and grins. “Oh, look. Violence. That’s more like it.”

You cross your arms, still tense. He notices. Of course he notices.

“Hey,” he says after a beat, tone softening. “C’mon, it’s over. No monsters. Just me.”

“Exactly my point.”

He laughs low, warm, indulgent. “Sweetheart, if I wanted to scare you, I wouldn’t need a budget and a fog machine.”

You try to roll your eyes, but he’s already tugging you toward him, sliding an arm around your shoulders. “Alright, come here, drama queen. Since you clearly can’t sleep now without your personal vampire night-light.”

You settle against him despite yourself. He smells like bourbon and cedar, the kind of scent that shouldn’t be comforting but is. His thumb strokes slow circles along your arm.

“See?” he murmurs. “No ghosts. No demons. Just a really handsome guy stuck watching bad cinema because he likes you too much to say no.”

“You’re still mocking me.”

“Obviously.” A pause, quieter now. “But you’re safe. With me, you’re always safe.”

You peek up at him, half-smiling. “Even from the other guy?”

He chuckles. “Especially from him.”

For a while, neither of you move. The TV glows faintly in the dark, and Damon eventually mutters, “Fine. We can watch something else. Maybe a rom-com. At least when people die in those, it’s just of embarrassment.”

You laugh, and he presses a quick kiss to your temple. “See? Better already.”

Outside, Mystic Falls sleeps. Inside, the only monster left is the one holding you and he’s never been softer.