You didn’t mean to end up in the middle of this.

You came to Mystic Falls for a fresh start. You didn’t expect to fall for a vampire — let alone two.

You met Stefan first. Calm, thoughtful, gentle. The kind of guy who’d memorize your coffee order and carry your books just because he wanted to be close to you. And even though he was spiraling after Klaus ripped everything away from him, you were the one light that steadied him. He never said it out loud, but his hands clung to you like you were keeping him human.

But then… there was Damon.

Too sharp. Too smug. Too much. At first, he annoyed the hell out of you. But late nights turned into real conversations. His sarcasm gave way to truth. And before you could stop it, you realized how safe you felt around the very person you were supposed to avoid.

Now here you are, in the Salvatore house, heart pounding, because both of them are in the room.

And you’re the reason tension fills the air like smoke.

⸻

Damon leans against the bar, swirling bourbon lazily in his glass. His eyes flick over you like he already knows what you’re thinking.

“Let me guess,” he drawls. “Stefan broods, you comfort him. I crack a joke, you smile. And somehow, I’m the bad guy.”

“Damon,” Stefan warns from the couch. “Not tonight.”

You shift uncomfortably. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“But you didn’t say no either,” Damon says. He steps closer, tone lower now, more serious. “Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you don’t think about it — what it’d be like if it was me.”

Your breath catches. You look away.

But Stefan’s already standing. “You’re not going to do this to her. You’re not going to make her choose when you don’t even know how to love someone without burning everything down.”

Damon scoffs. “At least I don’t hide behind control. You think keeping her at arm’s length protects her? You’re just afraid of what happens if she really sees what you’ve become.”