Oh Gosh. Today was going to be such a long day. It’d only happened a couple of times now but every single time Bella smiled flowers started to shoot out around her. It happened when she’d smiled when she woke up, it happened when she smiled at one of her housemates. At least they were used to magic but still, she felt a little bad for the mess.
She made sure not to smile as she made her way to school, that was until she saw a cute little dog run right past her and nearly trip a man she knew was Damon Salvatore Giggling with a big smile flowers starting to shoot out all around her hitting the dog and Damon.
“I am so sorry!!!!” She said covering her mouth doing her best not to smile, her eyes wide.
Once again, Damon was cursing his human reflexes, as an annoying yapping dog decided to trip him up. It was a daily occurence by now. The cursing, not the dog. He knew he would probably get used to it eventually. And, in some ways he was. Didn’t mean he didn’t miss it, though. He’d lived far longer as a vampire, than he ever had as a human. And, he missed being able to move faster than the human eye could see. Being strong and agile, and just plain awesome.
Although, even his human hearing could hear the giggling nearby. And, he turned to glare at the culprit, only to be hit by a shower of flowers.
“What the hell?” Damon was seething, even if not to the extent that he once would have. And yet, once he was faced with the tiny wide-eyed blonde, he deflated slightly. “What the hell was that?” he asked, a lot calmer than he was a minute ago.
It was natural, she couldn’t help it as a small smile started and more flowers were sent up into the air again, wincing she frowned and did everything in her power to keep it.
“I am so sorry, I just… I can’t smile without.” She pointed to the flowers all around. “It started this morning and I keep thinking and hoping it’ll pass, and I wasn’t giggling at you, I was at the dog, who you know…” She was going to say was just so adorable but she didn’t out of fear that would make her smile.
Damon just stared at her for a minute. Of course Atlantis decided that was a perfectly reasonable thing to do to people. Eventually, he just sighed and bent down to pick up the dog. He found it harder to stay angry these days, and it reminded him a bit of Ares, the dog Rosie and he had had before Elena had arrived in Lawrence.
“This thing?” He said, holding the dog out towards her. “He’s cute right? Like your smile. Don’t stop smiling just because Atlantis is fucking with you.” He scratched the dogs ears briefly considering. “Guess you don’t know who he belongs to, then?”
Bella reached out scratching the dogs head smiling again watching flowers fly around again. "I don't think most people like it when they get bombarded with flower power. At least it's green, and it's not plastic bags or something, that'd be horrible." Bella shook just thinking about it.
"I haven't seen him before, but he sure seems to like you." She added looking from the dog to Damon.
“Yeah, those would suffocate you if they blew in your face.” Damon agreed, not quite getting her point. But, he knew people thought plastic bags were bad these days. He remembered when they were new, and so much better than the paper bags that would rip so easily.
“I guess that means he’s chosen his new home then. Sorry bud, we live with the Wicked Witch of the West. But her bark is worse than her bite, these days.” He picked the dog up to look in his eyes, only to get his face licked instead. He chuckled briefly, before cuddling him to his chest instead. “Easy, fella.”
“How are you at names?” Damon frowned at Bella. Trying to decide if he wanted to threaten to kill her if she told anyone about this. But, his heart just wasn’t in the whole threatening thing, anymore. He supposed Stefan was right, he was the man he’d been before they’d met Katherine. Still didn’t mean he didn’t contemplate it now and then.
Biting her lower lip Bella managed not to smile stopping any more flowers from flying. “Katherine Pierce right?” She asked if that was who Damon was talking about. She’d heard about her from a few other people but didn’t know her.
“I usually go for sea-themed names and I’m not sure he looks like a sea-themed kind of dog.” Bella offered. “But maybe something from home, your home I mean?” She offered as an idea.
“Yeah, why the hell they thought saddling me with her was a good idea, is beyond me.” Damon replied, with a grimace. God, he hated that woman, almost as much as he had once loved her.
“I’m not sure Stefan, Rik or Enzo quite work. But, I’ll think of something. I should probably go to the pet shop to pick up something for this little guy.” And, probably check that no one was missing him before claiming him.
“Don’t forget to smile, Ariel.” He quipped, as he turned to head in the direction of the pet shop.
“Maybe go with something like a place, instead of someone’s name,” she offered as she nodded. “Yeah, probably needs some food and things.”
Laughing flowers flew all around again. “I’ll do my best.” She said waving as he headed away.