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DEVIL'S DAUGHTER , voidfaye
004. hot older brothers
SITTING in the booth in Mystic Grill, Asteria sat next to Destiny who was leaning on her shoulder, and Caroline, who was leaning forward in excitement, while Bonnie and Elena were sitting across from them.
"Well, I was talking to Grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom. The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. So much blood and carnage, it created a bed of paranormal activity," Bonnie explained to her friends.
Scoffing, Caroline replied, "Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens." Looking back at Elena, Caroline asked, "So then what happened?"
"So then nothing," Elena responded with an eye roll.
"Stefan was in your room all night and you guys did nothing?" Destiny questioned in disbelief.
Jumping in before Elena could say anything, Caroline added, "There was no sloppy first kiss? Or any touchy feely of any kind?"
Shaking her head with a sigh, Elena denied, "Nope, we didn't go there."
"Not even a handshake?" Caroline questioned in disbelief. "I mean, Elena, we are your friends, ok? You are supposed to share the smut."
Asteria laughed in amusement. "How is a handshake smut, Care?"
Waving her off, Caroline joked, "It's the thought that counts. Besides, a handshake equals physical touch. That all counts."
"We just talked for hours," Elena huffed, frowning slightly at Asteria, which only caused the girl to grin brighter.
"So what's the hold up?" Caroline exclaimed, "Girl likes boy, boy likes girl! We all know what happens next!"
Nodding firmly with a glint in her eyes, Elena agreed, "You're right." Standing up, she prepares herself to leave before pausing. Turning around, Elena acknowledged Asteria begrudgingly. "Right, Ria, you drove us here. Do you mind driving me to Stefan's place?"
Smiling brightly, Asteria replied, "Of course, Lena! I'd be more than happy to if it means your relationship with Stefan starts accelerating." Especially since it's when all the fun truly starts.
Asteria watched with glee as Elena's face twisted into a slight grimace at her bright tone. She got out of the booth and waved goodbye to her friends before walking out, with Elena walking after her.
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Before knocking on the front door, Elena smoothed out her clothes and brushed her fingers through her hair quickly to look more presentable as Asteria stood by her side and watched her in amusement.
"Would you like some lip gloss to finish the look?" Asteria quipped as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"Shut up," Elena scowled before placing a soft smile on her face and knocking on the door.
Asteria watched as shock flickered across Elena's face when the door opened. Elena hesitantly walked in and called out, "Stefan? Stefan? Are you home?"
"Don't you know it's rude to walk into a house uninvited, Lena," Asteria mused as she watched Elena walk further into the house, ignoring what Asteria said. Instantly, her eyes latch onto the crow that flew into the house as a smile tugs on her lips. She watched as Elena whirled around in surprise, only to see someone standing behind her.
"I- I'm sorry for barging in. The door was..." Elena glanced over and was surprised to see Asteria inside the house with the door closed. "...open."
Damon only smirked at her reply. "You must be Elena," he nodded before glancing over at the blonde-haired girl at the door. "And you must be her sister, Asteria."
Asteria only replied with a small nod, which caused Damon to look back at Elena as he introduced himself. "I'm Damon, Stefan's oldest brother and he is Gabriel, Stefan's other older brother," Damon finished while pointing to the guy leaning against the archway.
"A pleasure," Gabriel smirked, watching Elena with cold green eyes, causing a shiver of fear to rush down her spine. He looked at her for a second longer before walking over to Asteria.
Asteria grinned as he approached. "I'm Asteria," Asteria introduced with an innocent smile on her face, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine, Asteria," Gabriel purred out, a dark smirk on his face as he eyed the blonde in front of him, ignoring the wretched doppelgänger and his brother for a moment. "Like my brother said, I'm Gabriel. Gabriel Salvatore. Older brother to Stefan."
Asteria chuckled softly, "I remember him mentioning he had siblings, but he made it seem like you guys didn't get along." She watched as his green eyes – a shade so different from anything she'd ever seen, almost as if they were actual emeralds, like how her eyes looked in the past – darkened.
"We don't," Gabriel stated firmly, without an ounce of hesitation.
She could almost feel the hatred flowing off his body. "It's probably really personal but I can't help but wonder why. After all, he did make it seem like the problem came from your end," Asteria mused. Glancing up at Gabriel, she had to control the urge to giggle. If she were any other person, she would've crumbled onto the ground and cried in fear from the look in his eyes.
Leaning forward to the point where their noses almost touched, Gabriel whispered, "Trust me, Maude," relishing in the look of surprise when he said that name, "If I were the problem, he wouldn't-" Instantly, he took a step back as a smirk appeared on his face again. "Welcome home, Stefan."
Asteria blinked in surprise. She didn't even notice Stefan arriving. That was a first and it was unsettling. A scowl formed on her face as she looked at Gabriel. He distracted her with the use of her first name.
"Elena, Asteria, I didn't know you guys were coming over," Stefan gritted out, throwing daggers at his brothers with his eyes.
Glancing over at Elena who looked unsettled and then at Stefan who was practically ignoring both girls to glare at his brothers, Asteria replied, "Apologies Stefan, Lena over here really wanted to talk to you about something."
Shooting a quick glare at Asteria, she laughed awkwardly, "I know, I should've called. I just-"
"Oh don't be silly," Damon cut in with an amused smirk, "You're welcome anytime. Both you and your sister. Aren't they, Stefan?"
Noticing his continual silence, Damon added, "You know, I should break out the family photo albums or some home movies. But," he paused dramatically, "I have to warn you. He wasn't always such a looker. Don't you agree, Gabriel?"
"Indeed," Gabriel mocked, watching Stefan with dark eyes, "Especially when he was going through his rebellious teen phase."
Instantly, Stefan's head turned to Gabriel. "Shut up," he growled out.
Gabriel raised his hands in mock surrender and grinned. "Apologies brother. I forgot how much you hate being reminded of those days."
"That sounds like an interesting story," Asteria cut in. Batting her eyes at Gabriel, she muttered, "Will you tell me the story sometime?"
"Asteria!" Elena shouted, anger and disbelief mixing in her tone. Smiling apologetically, she reassured Stefan, "She's just joking." Elena shot a glare towards Asteria. "She likes to make jokes when the timing is clearly not right."
Stefan sent Elena a strained smile which caused Asteria to snort. "I'm actually not joking," she whispered to Gabriel, who was staring at her in amusement and with an unknown look in his eyes.
"Thank you for stopping by, Elena," Stefan gritted out, still watching Damon and Gabriel with distrusting eyes. "Nice to see you."
Elena's lips tightened in displeasure. "Yeah, I should probably go. It was nice to meet you, Damon." Her eyes flicked over to where Gabriel was standing and she added, "You as well, Gabriel."
Gabriel didn't respond, choosing to stare at her with the same cold look as when he first arrived.
Clearing her throat, she moved to leave only to realize Stefan was blocking her way. "Stefan? You're blocking the way."
Without saying a word, Stefan stepped out of the way, causing Elena to huff in disbelief before storming out of the house.
Smiling at Gabriel, Asteria stated, "I'll see you around town. I'm holding you to telling me the story." Before any of the Salvatore brothers could say anything, Asteria walked out of the house.
Gabriel watched her leave, ignoring his brothers as his eyes tracked the blonde to her car. A smirk tugged on his lips. Perhaps coming back to Mystic Falls would be fun.
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The town was buzzing with anticipation to see the once-in-a-lifetime comet appear. The entire town square was crowded with people holding candles. Some candles were already lit, but most of them were not. It was supposed to be a chain reaction. Once your candle was lit, you'd have to light up someone else's.
"Here you go, my lady," Destiny voiced in a posh accent, handing a candle to Asteria.
Giggling softly, Asteria accepted it with a wide smile, "Why thank you, my dear."
Destiny lights up Asteria's candle with a bright smile on her face. "Your turn," Destiny teased.
Rolling her eyes, Asteria looked around. Turning slightly, her eyes widened in surprise as Gabriel approached her. From the corner of her eyes, she could see the way Destiny was tensing up. Before she could say anything, Gabriel held up his unlit candle.
"Maude," he smirked. "Will you do me the honors of lighting up my candle?"
Asteria scowled, "First off, my name is Asteria. Second off, why don't you go find someone else to light up your candle? I'm sure there are tons of people who'd love to help you."
"Oh? And here I thought you wanted to hear the story about Stefan's rebellious phase," Gabriel teased with a playful smile on his face.
Before either of them could say another word, Destiny cut in with a scowl on her face. "And who might you be?"
Asteria turned her head to look at Destiny, who was glaring daggers at Gabriel and gave her a sheepish smile. "Dezzy, this is Gabriel Salvatore, Stefan's older brother." Looking back at Gabriel, who she noticed was looking at Destiny oddly, she introduced, "Gabriel, this is my best friend, Destiny Lockwood."
Nodding, he replied, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Destiny replied, "The pleasure is not mine. Let's go, Aster. I don't want to be out here any longer."
Sighing helplessly, Asteria nodded at Gabriel before turning to walk away with Destiny. Before she could take more than five steps, a hand on her wrist stopped her. Asteria could practically feel Destiny bristling in anger. Looking at Gabriel, she frowned, wanting to get Destiny away from here. "Can I help you? I really need to go."
Holding up his candle, he smiled, "Please light my candle, Asteria. I'd prefer not to socialize with anyone else."
Rolling her eyes, she lifted her candle towards his and helped light his candle. "There, are you happy now?"
"Immensely," he muttered as he watched the duo walk away. "Maude."
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"I think I agree with Bonnie's Grams this time," Destiny muttered, glancing around cautiously. "This comet is a harbinger of evil. I can feel it."
Asteria rolled her eyes as she placed a muffling spell around them. "You're only saying that because your natural enemies are here."
"And?" Destiny pouted with her arms crossed. "You were the one who told me there's going to be more of them. Sleeping in a cave this whole time! They're dangerous!"
"Not any more dangerous than either of us," Asteria pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"Can't argue with that," Destiny replied with a pleased smile on her face, causing Asteria to roll her eyes in mock annoyance. "Hey! Don't roll your eyes at me. It is a valid fear."
Smiling softly, Asteria reassured, "I know it is, but sometimes things have to play out the way it's meant to be." Pausing for a brief moment, she frowned, remembering a scene from her vision. "Others, not so much."
As if knowing exactly what she was thinking about, Destiny linked her arms with Asteria and tugged her forward. "Fate doesn't control our actions." Lowering her voice, she whispered, "I poured some vervain into Caroline's drink earlier. If he tries anything, he'll get a mouthful of vervain."
Asteria smiled darkly, "Good. Let's head inside and give Caroline her necklace. Then we can head back to my place."
"Yes! Finally!" Destiny exclaimed in pure joy as they entered Mystic Grill. "I'm so sick of being here."
Looking around, they spotted their group of friends scattered around, all seeming to leave for different areas. "What's going on?"
"I have no idea. I don't know everything, Dezzy," Asteria frowned before removing her spell. "Caroline!" Asteria called out once she noticed the bubbly blonde.
Instantly, Caroline changed her course and walked over to Asteria and Destiny, with Bonnie following along. "Asteria!" She quickly pulled the other blonde in for a hug.
"What's going on?" Destiny questioned.
"Vicki's gone missing and Matt's worried about her," Bonnie explained.
Asteria raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Wasn't she here just a few minutes ago?"
"We looked around in the grill but she's not here. Matt's worried because she just got out of the hospital a while ago," Bonnie informed them. "We were going to head out into the town square to look around."
"Don't worry about it, Dezzy and I can look around there," Asteria offered.
"What? I thought we were going home?" Destiny protested but was silenced once Asteria elbowed her.
"We'll go look there," Asteria repeated herself once again after seeing Bonnie and Caroline's look of amusement. "But before we go, I wanted to give you something Caroline."
That got Caroline's attention.
Taking out the box from her pocket, Asteria handed it over to Caroline. "I saw this necklace when I was out shopping the other day and I immediately thought of you. I just had to get it," Asteria smiled sweetly. "I hope you like it and wear it!"
Opening the box, Caroline gasped in delight. Inside was a golden, heart-shaped locket, with the letter C engraved on it. "It's beautiful, Ria! I love it!" Her eyes shined with unshed tears before she pulled Asteria into another hug. "I'm never taking it off! I promise to treasure it forever."
Giggling softly, Asteria squeezed Caroline tighter, "I'm glad you like it. Shall I put it on for you?"
"Yes please!" Caroline exclaimed, taking out the necklace and handing it over to Asteria. Caroline turned around to let Asteria clasp the necklace on. As she was clasping it on, she silently placed a spell on the necklace, only allowing Caroline to remove it on her own free will. If she were coerced or even compelled to remove the necklace, she wouldn't be able to.
"There," Asteria muttered in satisfaction, "Done."
Turning around, Caroline clapped with joy. "Thank you again for this necklace, Ria."
Nodding, Asteria smiled as Caroline walked away with a pep in her step.
Bonnie smiled brightly at both girls before following after Caroline.
Musing to herself, Asteria muttered, "I should find something for Bonnie as well."
"You can worry about that later, Aster," Destiny cut in, turning to look at Asteria. "What are we going to do about Vicki?" She questioned seriously.
Asteria's lips tightened in annoyance before she relaxed and applied another muffling spell. "For all we dislike the bunny muncher, he won't allow anything to happen to Vicki. Not yet at least." Walking outside, Asteria explained to Destiny, "We'll take a walk around the town square and look around. By the time we make it back to Mystic Grill, Vicki will be back. It's too early to give ourselves away."
Sighing dramatically, Destiny recalled, "It might be a little late for that."
Asteria looked at Destiny curiously.
Grinning, Destiny teased, "From the looks of it, the hot devil from earlier who was practically giving you his version of the heart eyes noticed something off with my scent. But clearly, he wasn't too focused on it since you were there." Clapping her hands together, she batted her eyes at Asteria and mocked, "Oh Maude, my love, please give me your attention and light up my candle for me."
Laughing out in surprise, Asteria pushed Destiny playfully. "He did not say that, nor did he look at me with heart eyes. You're being dramatic."
"Please Maude, I need your attention on me. I can't bear another second without you looking at me," Destiny continued, grabbing onto Asteria's arm. "I want to tell you all the stories about my brother if it means keeping your attention on me."
"Stop!" Asteria managed to get out after a series of laughter. "That was not what happened and you know it!"
Before she could continue, Destiny suddenly paused and focused on trying to hear what was going on in the grill. "Vicki's back," Destiny informed.
"Ok," Asteria muttered. "Ok. Let's head back now. I doubt Elena's going to be home tonight."
"Perfect," Destiny grinned as she pulled Asteria along. "That means you get to tell me all about your meeting with the older brothers of the bunny muncher, unfiltered."
Laughing, the two girls walked away, not noticing a figure from afar watching them walk away.
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𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: (IMPORTANT) – in the future, i won't keep mentioning whether asteria places a silencing spell/muffling spell around her or destiny. if it's not stated, but you think there should've been one, or else everyone else would've heard and looked at them weirdly, then just think that there was one placed.
also, words cannot describe how sorry i am for taking forever to update. i had some family issues going on and a really bad case of writers block. i'm back though and will be continuing this story!! as of right now, i'm working on the next chapter and it should be released in the next few days. hopefully you guys enjoy this update! don't forget to vote & comment! xoxo~