Capital Letters

twelve

 Damon stepped into Nathan's room, immediately noting the stark contrast between it and Stefan's. The space exuded a certain simplicity and order that appealed to him. There was a bed, neatly made, a desk with carefully arranged items, a single bookshelf displaying a modest collection, and a piano in the corner, its ebony and ivory keys glistening in the morning light. It was a room that felt uncluttered, like a sanctuary.

His brother, Nathan, lay asleep on the bed, his face calm and untroubled in slumber. Damon couldn't resist the urge to disrupt his peaceful repose. He sauntered over to the window, yanking the blinds open, allowing the bright morning sunlight to stream in. Nathan stirred, groaning in protest as the light invaded his dreams.

"Wakey wakey, little brother," Damon announced cheerfully, seizing a spare pillow and tossing it playfully at Nathan's face. "We have things we need to do. Come on."

Nathan, still half-buried beneath his blankets, managed to protest, his voice muffled, "Damon, I know, but I didn't think you'd wake me up bright and early to search for a journal. Let me sleep in."

Damon was having none of it. He gripped the end of the blankets and, with a swift motion, yanked them off the bed. "No can do," he retorted, determination in his tone. "The sooner we open the tomb, the sooner we leave this god-awful town. Come on, get up."

With a roll of his eyes and a begrudging sigh, Nathan sat up on the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before reaching for his robe hanging on the back of the door. "I hate you," he muttered, his words laden with both annoyance and affection.

The two brothers exited Nathan's room and made their way down the hall toward Stefan's. Upon entering, they were met with the sight of Stefan and Elena, entwined in each other's arms, nestled in peaceful slumber. Damon strolled further into the room and took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Rise and shine, sleepy heads," Damon announced, disrupting the tranquility of the moment.

Startled, Stefan jolted upright and hastily covered Elena with the blanket. He looked at his brothers with a mixture of surprise and irritation. "What are you doing?"

Nathan, seemingly unfazed, walked over to Stefan's desk and casually took a seat. "Oh, stop being smutty," he quipped.

Stefan, incredulous, demanded, "Are you guys serious? Get out of here."

If we see something we haven't seen before, we'll throw a dollar at it," he joked, then glanced at Nathan for confirmation. "Right, Nate?"

Nathan propped his feet up on the desk and leaned back in the chair, resting his eyes, "Right Damon. Because, Elena, you are Katherine's doppelganger and that bitch compelled me to sleep with her, but anyways. We have plans today."

Damon nodded in agreement. "There's very important business to discuss."

Elena, her annoyance evident, asked, "And it has to be right now?"

"Yes, sunshine, if I'm awake, you have to be awake," Nathan replied, his eyes still closed. He added nonchalantly, "Can you pass me a pillow, please?"

Damon dismissed the request with a wave of his hand. "Ignore him," he advised Elena before getting back to the matter at hand. "So, now that we're all friends and working toward a common goal. So, in order to open the tomb, we need to find the journal to get the grimoire to undo the spells. First things first. Since you are Elena Gilbert, you're on journal duty."

Elena, clearly not thrilled with her new assignment, protested, "Since when am I helping?"

"Well, Stefan's helping," Damon pointed out. "And you've taken up residency in Stefan's bed. Ergo—"