Vampire Diaries Imagines

Voices in the Silence - Jeremy Gilbert

Jeremy leaned against the doorframe of the boarding house's library, his arms crossed as he watched Y/N from a distance. She sat curled up in an armchair near the fireplace, a blanket draped over her lap, and a book held loosely in her hands. The flames cast soft shadows across her face, but her expression was far from peaceful. Her eyes flicked over the page without absorbing the words, her lips pressed into a thin line.

She'd been like this for weeks-quiet, withdrawn, and distant. Even though they lived under the same roof now, she seemed a world away. Jeremy's stomach twisted every time he saw her like this. He'd been waiting for the right moment to ask, but the longer he waited, the more he worried he'd miss his chance.

With a soft sigh, the Gilbert boy pushed himself off the doorframe and walked into the room. Y/N didn't look up, but he knew she'd noticed him. She always did.

"Hey," he said gently, lowering himself onto the couch across from her.

"Hey," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes stayed fixed on the book, but Jeremy knew she wasn't really reading it.

"You've been quiet lately," he started, his tone cautious but firm. "Quieter than usual, I mean."

"I'm fine, Jer," Y/N said quickly, brushing a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "Just... tired, I guess."

Jeremy leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Y/N/N, I know you better than that. Something's going on. And I'm not here to push you, but I am here."

Her fingers tightened around the book, her knuckles turning white. For a moment, Jeremy thought she might tell him to drop it, but then she exhaled shakily, her shoulders slumping.

"It's just been... a lot," she admitted, her voice trembling. She set the book down on the table and looked at him, her blue eyes glassy with unshed tears. "I've been trying to ignore it, to push through, but it's getting harder."

Jeremy's brow furrowed. "Ignore what?"

"The voices," she whispered, her gaze dropping to her lap. "In my head. They're always there, telling me I'm not good enough, that I'll never be good enough. That I'm failing everyone, even when I try so hard not to." Her voice cracked, and a tear slipped down her cheek. "I thought if I stayed busy, if I kept going, they'd stop, but they don't."

Jeremy's heart broke at the vulnerability in her words. He stood and crossed the room, kneeling beside her chair so he could look up at her.

"Y/N/N," he said softly, reaching for her hand. She hesitated before letting him take it, his warmth grounding her in the moment. "They're lying to you, okay? You are more than enough. For everyone. Definitely for me."

Her lip quivered as she looked at him, and the dam finally broke. She started to sob, and Jeremy wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto the floor with him and into his chest.

"I'm here," he murmured into her hair as she clung to him. "Whatever you need, whenever you need it. You're not alone, Y/N/N."

Jeremy adjusted his position on the floor, his back leaning against the armchair as he cradled Y/N's silent form. Her breathing had evened out, indicating that she had fallen asleep, but the tearstains on her cheeks broke his heart every time he looked down at her. He hadn't realized how much she'd been holding in, and now that she'd finally let herself break, exhaustion had taken over.

The library door creaked open, and Jeremy glanced up to see The older Salvatore brother step inside, his usual swagger replaced by something softer, more deliberate. Damon paused in the doorway, his sharp eyes narrowing as he took in the scene. His gaze flickered from Y/N's tear-streaked face to Jeremy's protective hold, and concern etched lines into his otherwise stoic features.

"What happened?" Damon asked, his voice quieter than Jeremy had expected. The usual edge in his tone was gone, replaced by a kind of guarded gentleness.

Jeremy hesitated, unsure how much to share. He looked back down at Y/N, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face before answering. "She's been struggling. A lot more than she let on. She finally opened up, and it... it just came pouring out. She basically cried herself to sleep."

Damon took a slow step forward, his expression softening even more. "Struggling how?"

Jeremy hesitated again, but Damon's gaze was unwavering. "Voices," Jeremy admitted. "In her head. Telling her she's not good enough, that she's failing. It's been eating away at her."

Damon closed his eyes briefly, exhaling through his nose as he processed the words. When he opened them again, his usual mask of indifference was nowhere to be found. Instead, he looked genuinely pained.

"Why didn't she tell us?" he murmured, more to himself than to Jeremy. He crouched down beside them, his movements careful, as if he were afraid to disturb her. "We could've- I could've-" He broke off, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"She probably thought she had to handle it on her own," Jeremy said softly. "You know how she is. Always feeling the need to be okay, to keep it together for everyone else."

Damon huffed a quiet, bitter laugh. "Yeah, that sounds like her." He reached out and gently placed a hand on Y/N's shoulder, his thumb brushing against the edge of the blanket that Jeremy had adjusted over her a few minutes before. "Doesn't make seeing her like this any easier though."

Jeremy nodded. "I get it. She's important to all of us."

For a moment, the two of them sat in silence, the only sound the crackling of the fire. Damon's hand lingered on Y/N's shoulder, a silent gesture of comfort and protection.

When he finally spoke again, his voice was soft but resolute. "We'll help her through this. Whatever it takes. As long as she has us, we'll prove the invisible dicks wrong."

Jeremy gave a small smile. "She's lucky to have you looking out for her. Even if you don't always show it in the most obvious way."

Damon smirked faintly, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "What can I say? I have my moments." He shifted, standing and motioning for Jeremy to follow. "Let's get her upstairs. She'll sleep better in her own bed."

Jeremy nodded, carefully lifting Y/N into his arms as Damon hovered close, ready to help if needed. As they carried her out of the library, Damon's expression hardened-not in anger, but in determination.

No one messed with that girl. Not even the voices in her head. And neither Jeremy nor Damon were about to let her forget how much she was worth to the people who loved her.