By Pith, for Aife Bisclaveret.
"They left us behind because we're the boring ones. You know that, right?" Meredith popped a grape in her mouth and chewed slowly, feeling it explode over her tongue. Grapes and wheat crackers were the only two human foods left in Stefan and Elena's remote cabin, so they had to ration until Damon, Elena, and Bonnie returned from the nearest town... nearest being relative in these parts... with supplies.
"You know you just called yourself boring, right?" Matt took his chances with the crackers. They formed a dry paste in his mouth, but he didn't complain; watching Meredith methodically eat the grapes was oddly entrancing. "Besides, Damon went because he was getting cabin fever, and Elena went because Damon doesn't know the area. We practically got lost coming up here, and there was barely any snow then."
Meredith paused, rubbing a grape along her bottom lip. "And Bonnie is what? Their psychic guide? Please. She just went because she's still got the hots for Damon and if she's going to get snowed in anywhere, she'd rather be stuck with someone she can at least shag."
Stefan grimaced, but stayed out of the debate. Hosting the Yule reunion had been his idea. After Elena's resurrection, he'd thought it best for the two of them to move somewhere remote, which worked out well most of the time. But now that their cabin in the Canadian Rockies was nearly snowed in, their isolation was working against them: the two vampires would need their human friends as donors, but they wouldn't be able to donate if they were undernourished. The nearest town was an hour away and the longer Damon, Elena, and Bonnie were gone, the more he worried. He hadn't been paying attention to the amount of food in the cupboards since he didn't eat it, and Elena, whose appetite had dwindled to nothing, had forgot to replenish before their friends arrived. "Bonnie went because she's on a vegan diet now and she has specific foods she can't eat," Stefan countered, pacing around the living room.
"You actually believe that? Then why did she double-check that she had condoms in her purse before they left?" Meredith smirked. "Last time I checked, Canada used dollars for currency, not sex."
Matt snuck another glance at Meredith. She'd never been the most amiable girl, but it seemed like her internal filter was out of commission; ever since the others had left, she'd been snapping at nearly everything Matt or Stefan did. "The snow's not too bad yet," he reported from the front window, "so they should be okay."
"If the back seat's big enough for a threesome," Meredith retorted, lurching off the couch and wandering to the kitchen on the off chance they'd missed some food in the cupboards.
"Bonnie wouldn't do that," Matt insisted, flopping back down by the fire.
"She's not an angel, Matt. Don't forget: I've shared locker rooms with her. Bedrooms. Girls share secrets. And people say things around me like I'm invisible." There wasn't much bitterness in Meredith's voice as she scoured the kitchen for edibles; she had learned to play to her strengths long ago. Stefan and Elena had far more plates and cups than any human could need, let alone a vampire, but the glint of glass in one of the lower cupboards caught her eye. "Icewine?" She hauled out four green bottles, all still sealed. "You were holding out on us, Stefan."
Stefan took one of the bottles from Meredith and examined it. "I forgot about those. They were a housewarming gift from someone in town. Neither Elena nor I cared for it, so we poured out the one bottle we'd opened and stashed the rest of them out of the way. But having wine on an empty stomach isn't the wisest idea... "
Meredith waved his objections down, turning her back to him and Matt as she pulled down some beer mugs. "The more wine we drink," she reasoned, "the less hungry we'll feel." She dusted the mugs off with the cuff of her sleeve, rinsed them out and filled each to the brim. Like a switch being pulled, her mood changed from surly to silly. "Let's play Truth or Dare while we're waiting for them to get back," she said, sitting beside Stefan on the couch.
The vampire made a pained face. "I think we have Monopoly in the closet... "
"Boring." Meredith forced a mug into his hands and slid one across the coffee table to Matt. "C'mon. We're here to bond, right? You can even ask me first. Truth."
Matt shrugged and took a long swallow of wine. In his nearly empty stomach, it sparkled like frosty stars. "You said you'd shared bedrooms with Bonnie before," he asked slowly, trying to find the perfect words. Meredith was a clever one, and she'd use any loophole she could find to wiggle out of answering the question fully. "When you girls had your sleepovers... you and Bon and Elena and Caroline... did you ever... ?"
Meredith smiled as she licked a drop of wine from the rim of the mug. "We were teenagers, Matt. We did a lot of things. You'll have to be more specific."
Dammit. Matt had figured Meredith was going to evade the question, and here she was trying to embarrass him by making him spell it out. It wasn't even something he'd really thought of before, but in a cabin with only fire for light and wine to drink, it made sense. "Did any of you... you know, have sex? With each other?" he added quickly.
"Yes." Meredith leaned back, sipping at her wine. "My turn. Matt, truth or dare?"
There was a dangerous glint in Meredith's eyes, one that said she was paying attention to every word, every movement. "Truth. I guess. You said it yourself, Meredith. I'm the boring one. There's not much about me you probably don't already know."
"How far did you and Elena get?" Meredith felt Stefan go still beside her. "I know I said we shared secrets, but Elena was also full of herself, so it was always hard to tell how much was real and how much was bluster. So how much did you two do? Petting? Oral? More?"
"I can get the Monopoly," Stefan muttered. "Really. It's no trouble." He and Matt had come to terms over Elena long ago, but just because he was fine with it didn't mean he wanted details. He swallowed half his wine in one gulp just to distract himself, and was surprised at its sweetness. Perhaps having it stored away had brought out its true flavour.
"You can switch to a dare if you want, Matt." Meredith put a hand on Stefan's arm to stay him. "We don't need the Monopoly."
"We both did some oral, but that's it. Her sister nearly walked in on us one day and it kinda spooked us." Matt spoke quick and low, even though he knew Stefan would probably be able to hear him on the other side of the forest. "When you said... "
"Wait your turn. Stefan, it's your go." Meredith stretched out and stood. "I'll just bring the wine in here."
Stefan watched Meredith go to the kitchen, using the time to think. Truth or Dare had always seemed so juvenile to him, its intent more to embarrass or hurt than anything else. Still, there were things he wanted to know. "Meredith. Truth. To the best of your knowledge, did Elena ever..." The question froze in his throat, so he finished his wine as a cover. "Did she ever have sex with my brother?"
Meredith returned with two bottles, topping up everyone's mug to the brim once more; the other two bottles sat on the open counter, glinting in the dim light. "If she did, she never told me."
Matt shot her an incredulous look. "I get a one word answer, and he gets a full sentence?"
"Nature of the game, my friend. His question needed elaboration. My turn." Meredith bobbed her head from side to side, finally swinging around to face Stefan. "Truth or Dare?"
"There's not a whole lot here to complete a dare with," Stefan said dryly, "so truth."
Meredith's dark eyes glinted, and it had nothing to do with the fire; it was the look hunters had when they already owned the ideal gun, but had only just been given the perfect round. "Have you ever had any sexual relations with Damon?"
"What?" Stefan shook his head. Meredith was clearly half drunk already, but there was that cutting clarity in her eyes that made him wary. "Meredith, he's my brother... "
She simply shrugged. "That's not a big deal in some societies." She looked over at Matt and saw him staring pointedly at the vampire over his mug of wine. "Answer."
Stefan blew out a long breath of frustration between his teeth, and both humans could see the hint of fang poking through. "Yes," he hissed succinctly, taking another long swallow of icewine as if to wash out his mouth.
"My turn. Meredith, who did what with who?" Matt demanded, nearly sloshing wine on himself. He wasn't a big drinker, but the icewine was good and it wasn't as if he had a lot of beverage options outside of melting some snow.
Meredith flashed him her best bland smile. "I'm guessing you're still fixated on your earlier question?" She stretched out her legs and crossed them at the ankles, almost wishing she was wearing a skirt just to drive Matt mad. "We all experimented with each other. It helped us practice kissing and stuff. Happy now? I even spoke in full sentences for you." Her laugh was low and warm, nearly lost in the crackling of the fire.
"Meredith," Stefan called out, hardly missing a beat. It couldn't have been the wine, so it must have been his temper that was loosening his reserve. "Did you have sex with Alaric when he was still a teacher?"
Now Meredith's laugh rang from the rafters. "That's the best you can do, Stefan?" She shook her head and poured another round of wine for the men. "Yes, I did. My turn now, yes? Then I choose... Matt."
Matt clenched his jaw and tried not to snarl. "Dare," he said, hoping to catch Meredith by surprise. Dares weren't normally his thing, but there was only so much Meredith could dare him to do within the confines of the cabin, and he was hoping she'd be so startled by his choice that he'd get off easy.
"That's the spirit!" Meredith rolled her mug between her hands. "Let's see..." Her smile was more like a smirk, slow and insidious. "Kiss Stefan," she ordered. "On the mouth. And I'll remind you that all questions and dares are binding."
She'd left him an out. Matt had paid attention to her wording and knew he'd be able to get away with just a peck if he wanted to, but that wasn't what was going through his mind as he sat beside Stefan. The vampire's eyes were dark and hazy and it was entirely too easy to take a handful of his black waves and kiss him hard. Maybe if I give Meredith what she wants, Matt thought vaguely, we can stop playing this stupid game.
Except his mouth wasn't stopping and, to his surprise, neither was Stefan's. The vampire had wrapped one arm around his back, pulling him close, but Matt's balance was off and they tumbled in a heap to the floor. Stefan pushed the coffee table away, making the nearly empty wine bottles wobble.
Meredith peered over the couch, watching the boys tug each other's clothes off clumsily. Her plan was working even better than she'd thought; she'd been hoping to trick them into a kiss, but if they were going to fuck right in front of her, she wasn't about to complain. She'd expected Stefan to have deft hands, but was surprised at how sure Matt's movements were. I guess football is good for something after all, she mused as she eased over the back of the couch and tiptoed to the kitchen.
The video camera was safely nestled between the remaining wine bottles and she stooped to make sure it was getting a good view. Through the eyepiece, she saw Stefan taking Matt's cock inside his mouth and from the way Matt was moaning, she guessed the vampire's fangs were out. Satisfied, she hopped up on the counter, opened another bottle of wine, and enjoyed the show.
By the time Stefan and Matt had finished fucking and had gone to clean up, the others had returned none the wiser: Meredith had stashed the empty wine bottles back in the cupboard, cleaned up the living room, and stowed her video camera back in her bag. Bonnie and Elena quickly invaded the kitchen, talking about all the snacks they were going to make, so Meredith slipped away and found Damon by the fire. Privacy was hard to come by in Stefan and Elena's little cabin, so she sat close and pressed her lips to his ear. "Got it," she whispered. "It's in my bag."
"Now I have blackmail material for this century," Damon murmured, his gaze fixed on the fire. "Although I still say it would've been better if you'd joined in on the fun. Did you have any problems?"
"None. Whatever you gave me before blocked it like a charm." Meredith moved back slightly, propping herself up on her hands. "What was the stuff you gave me to put in their wine? I couldn't see any residue after I'd rinsed their mugs out. Was it activated by the water?" She had soaked her sweater cuffs in the strange liquid before Damon and the girls had left and had been convinced Stefan would've suspected something.
Damon simply grinned. "Just a little something I picked up from a witch friend. It helps loosen people's inhibitions, give in to their true desires."
"So I noticed." Glancing back at the kitchen, Meredith saw Bonnie and Elena busy trying to decipher a mix for cinnamon buns, so she continued. "Ever used it on me?"
Damon drew her close for a kiss, not bothering to see if anyone was looking. "Never saw the need."
Fin.
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