TVD/TO Oneshots

The Perfect, Fail-Proof Plan (Caroline Forbes)

Written for the Year of Themed Creation on Tumblr!

Summary: Caroline and her girlfriend celebrate the last bonfire of their high school career, sending the tradition off right.

Prompt: Hephaestus + Fire

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I smiled as I made my way through the crowd of my drunken peers, two beers in hand. Everyone had gathered for the last bonfire of our last year of high school, and every single one of us was having the time of our lives. It was only right to go all out for a tradition that had carried us through from our freshman years.

A moment later I found my girlfriend, Caroline Forbes, leaning against a tree and chatting with Elena and Matt. I grinned as I reached them, holding out one of the two beers I'd retrieved to Caroline.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I'd need two more," I said, shooting a smile in Matt and Elena's direction as I sidled up next to Caroline.

"That's okay," Elena said, waving me off. "We were just about to go make a trip ourselves."

She shot me and Caroline a meaningful look, then dragged Matt after her and back into the rest of the party. Caroline turned to me with a grin.

"So, how are you enjoying our last ever bonfire?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Last ever bonfire feels a little dramatic. Last high school bonfire, sure, but I plan to go out and drink in the woods around a fire far into my twenties."

Caroline shook her head and smacked my arm, but she was still smiling.

"You know what I meant! This is a big moment for us. The end of an era."

"As far as I'm concerned, it's just the start," I said, leaning in a little. "The start of an amazing future with you."

Caroline giggled, a smile as bright and warm as the sun shining in my direction, her eyes crinkling at the corners. My heart leapt a little in my chest.

"A future of drunk fire parties?" she asked, her voice teasing. I just grinned and leaned in further.

"Yes. Drunk fire parties and idiotic activities and just being unreasonably, ridiculously happy, together."

Caroline bit her lip and glance down before looking back at me, a slight blush on her cheeks. Or maybe it was from the cold.

"Do you want to go down and look at the falls with me?"

I beamed. "Absolutely I do."

She took my hand, and I followed after her through the woods, the noise and light of the party fading behind us as we went. I sped up to walk next to Caroline, dropping her hand and linking our arms instead. I leaned into her, and she shot me a little smile.

"You know, I used to want to get a guy down to the falls with me so badly," she said. "I had this perfect plan that just never quite worked out. I've gotta say... I'm glad I'm coming down here with you instead."

I beamed. "It almost killed me to watch you try your moves on Stefan and Matt and every other guy you had a thing for. I never thought... I don't know. If you'd told junior-year me that I would've had a chance with you, I don't think I would've believed it."

"Well, I can tell you right now that I'm much happier to be here with you than if I'd ever had success with any of those guys."

I stopped as we finally reached the falls, an immovable smile plastered on my face. My heart hammered in my chest. I'd been in love with Caroline since the seventh grade, and the fact that we'd been happily dating for the past few months still didn't totally feel real to me.

"What?" she asked, giggling a little as she noticed my stare. I let out a long, happy breath.

"Nothing. Just... happy. Happy to be here with you."

"Me too," she said, moving a little bit closer to me. I mirrored her movements until we were close enough for me to put my arms around her waist, pulling her into me. She smiled, lazily draping her arms around my neck, then leaned in and kissed me.

No matter how many times I got to kiss my girlfriend, I don't think the magical, sparkly feeling in my chest I always got would ever fade. The water of the falls crashed onto the rocks next to us, creating a natural ambiance as I deepened the kiss. I reached up to cup Caroline's cheek as she tangled a hand in my hair, and when we finally pulled apart, I couldn't keep a smile off my face.

"I love you, Care," I said. She blushed, but smiled right back.

"I love you too."

I leaned back in and gave her another soft kiss, then finally pulled away with a sigh.

"We should probably get back," I said. "It is our last bonfire, after all."

"Last bonfire might be a little dramatic," Caroline parroted in a bad imitation of my own voice. She made a face and put her hands on her hips, and I tried and failed to hold back a laugh. "Last bonfire of high school, I guess, but-"

"Alright, alright, your impression of me is truly unmatched," I said, holding out a hand to Caroline. She took it, lacing our fingers together, and I swung our hands back and forth as we headed through the woods together. "So tell me, my favorite person on planet earth: what would make our last high school bonfire the best one for you? What would give it a worthy sendoff and celebration for the end of this four year era?"

Caroline pulled me to a stop in the trees just beyond the firelight, the sounds of the party beckoning to us from a little ways away. She turned me to face her, smiling at me as she took my other hand.

"This has already been the perfect night, because I got to spend it with you."

"Aw," I said, leaning in to give Caroline one more quick peck before we headed the rest of the way into the bonfire clearing. "Is it also because your 'do you want to go to the falls with me' master plan finally worked?"

"Maybe. Although, since I was clearly meant to go down there with you at the perfect moment on our last bonfire night... I think it's fair to say my fail-proof plan never actually failed at all. I just wasn't meant to go down there with any of the boys."

I laughed, enjoying the lightness in my heart with the warmth of the fire in front of me and the warmth of Caroline's smile beside me. Maybe she had a point.

"Yeah, Caroline. I think I'd agree that your plan ended up working perfectly."