Capital Letters

three

Nathan stepped out of the refreshing shower, his toned physique glistening with droplets of water. He deftly wrapped a towel around his waist and sauntered into his room, his gaze falling upon Damon, who was casually seated at his desk, engrossed in the journals strewn before him. An audible sigh escaped Nathan's lips as he approached his closet, his voice tinged with a touch of irritation.

"What do you want, Damon?" Nathan queried, a hint of exasperation colouring his tone.

Damon, his sly smirk undeterred, glanced up from the journal he was perusing and responded with smug nonchalance, "What? I can't hang out with my little brother."

Nathan, his patience wearing thin, exited the closet and proceeded to retrieve a shirt from his dresser. His expression remained resolute as he regarded Damon with a level gaze. "Okay, fine. I was snooping."

"What exactly were you looking for?" Nathan asks as he walks over and grabs his journal and looks at the dates, "In my journal from 1864?"

Damon got up from the desk and walked over to his bookshelf and picked up a picture of Nathan and Aria at the Founders Ball, "Wow, look at that smile," Damon waved the picture around, "I haven't seen you smile like that in years."

Nathan sped over to Damon and shoved him against the wall. Wrapping his hands around his brother's throat, "What do you want?"

Damon pushes his brother away. Nathan stumbled but regained his balance, "I want to know why you don't hate Stefan as much as I do. He ruined our lives, he took Kathrine away from us."

With a roll of his eyes, Nathan scoffed at Damon's assertion, his voice tinged with a touch of disdain. "Don't kid yourself. Katherine was never mine. I never wanted her."

Damon, growing increasingly frustrated, pushed Nathan slightly, his anger evident. "Before everything, she was your friend. You called her your best friend. Stefan took her from both of us. Then forced us to become vampires. How could you just forgive him? How can you forget?"

Nathan regarded Damon with an earnest expression, hoping to convey his perspective. "Yeah, then she compelled me to break things off with Aria. And now she's dead, Damon. You have to move on. You have to stop blaming Stefan. Come on, you love being a vampire. You should honestly thank him."

Damon shrugged dismissively and sauntered over to the fireplace, where he held up a picture of Nathan and Aria, taken at the Founders Ball. Nathan, now deeply concerned about Damon's intentions, furrowed his brow. "What are you doing?"

Damon, a smug smile adorning his face, continued to hold the picture aloft as if contemplating its fate. "Well, you're telling me to move on. You know you say you haven't been back here since 1994, but you're lying."

"Damon, give it back," Nathan demanded, extending his hand toward the picture, his tone firm.

"You come back to town once a year, and you sit at Aria's grave. And you talk to her. Every year," Damon retorted, his voice laced with a mixture of taunt and concern. "Stop lying to yourself, to everyone. You can't move on, no matter how hard you try. Let me help you."

Nathan clenched his jaw as he watched the flames creep closer to the picture in Damon's hand. A sense of panic washed over him as he implored, "I'm not going to ask you again. Give it back."

"Damon," Stefan says as he enters Nathan's room. The older brothers glance towards him, "Don't be a dick. Give it back."

Damon placed the picture in Nathan's hand and smirked at his brothers, "I'm just playing around. No need to put your hero hair on. Oh, Nathan, you are going to love this. I have a date. Wish me luck."