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[TVD - ANL] Redecorating
Title: Redecorating
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Universe: A Normal Life (barely - could also be a canon AU where Jenna married Alaric)
Relationships: Jenna Sommers/Alaric Saltzman, platonic Alaric+Jeremy+Elena
Summary: Alaric decides to redecorate the house after he and Jenna get married. Elena reflects on how these physical changes affect her too.
Notes: This is actually post A Normal Life, considering that Jenna and Alaric aren't even engaged by the fic's end! That said, it doesn't deviate much from canon beyond Jenna's status as a married woman - so it can be read without further context, I believe. (Also, this was a conscious attempt at writing a fic without involving food. I actually succeeded!)
Jenna and Alaric had taken over Mom and Dad's old master bedroom, redecorating it "to banish the ghosts." Or so they claimed. You figured, you weren't the only one terrified by their lingering presence. Neither Jenna nor Alaric could afford major changes, but they had re-arranged the furniture and given the space a fresh coat of light yellow paint.
Yellow allowed the natural light in, Aunt Jenna claimed as she had stepped back to admire her handiwork. You silently agreed. Yellow was a brand-new canvas, beckoning for them to make their own memories. It also reminded you less of Mom and Dad's old green room, painted to better blend in with Dad's favorite forests. (You half-wondered if Dad had never moved because he loved nature too much. If either you or Jeremy wanted to camp, you didn't have to travel far.)
Little by little, your house started to change too.
Jeremy had pulled out the posters from his middle-school days, instead hanging up ones more relevant to his interests. You'd even changed the photographs on your corkboard, tucking the important ones into your mirror. Alaric's knickknacks were scattered across the home, as were reminders of his life pre-Mystic Falls: pictures of his parents, his relatives, and even his childhood dog made it into your living room table.
Time was the only real constant, you supposed. You couldn't rely on your house to remain a time capsule of 2009 if you were growing and changing too.
Alaric caught you lingering in the den one afternoon, as he and Jeremy were hanging up new pieces of art from a gallery in Boston. Once the last piece was hung, he slung an arm over your shoulder.
"What do you think?"
"They look nice."
He raised an eyebrow at you. "Nice? That's all you have to say?"
They were nice. You weren't lying: Alaric had good taste in art, opting to purchase simple landscapes from one of his high school friends. But they weren't what Mom and Dad would've purchased. Mom and Dad would've purchased more abstract art, the kind that made their couches and lamps pop with color. They wouldn't have thought about lush landscapes of the ocean or of downtown Boston. (Dad wasn't even remotely interested in Boston, let alone enough to purchase art of Alaric's beloved city.)
Taking your silence as an answer, Alaric let out a sigh. "And here I thought you liked my taste in art. I can't exactly ship this back to Boston without him getting all pissed at me."
"Why would you ship it back?" You wrinkled your nose at him. "It looks nice."
"Again with the nice! You've gotta be more specific, Elena."
So you scrutinized the paintings. Sure, they didn't exactly make the lamps or the couches pop with color like Mom's older abstract art pieces. They instead ushered in a calmer environment, providing a conversation starter during house parties and the inevitable weekend guests.
"They're soothing," you conceded, pulling Alaric's arm down so that you could hold onto his hand. "Did you really pick them out yourself?"
Jeremy was snickering from his position near the kitchen doorway. "See? I told you they weren't like you."
Alaric scowled. "With family like you, I really don't need critics."
Family?
They were technically family. Jenna had married Alaric a few months ago, and bit by bit, Alaric had opened himself up to them. Sure, their house was more than large enough for a family of four - but up until this moment, you had never really considered him your uncle.
"Hey, we're keeping you grounded," you managed to say, struggling to hold back your laughter. "What happens if you decide to buy more Boston paintings?"
"Yeah, Ric. You can't exactly move back to Foxboro," Jeremy teased back.
Reflexively, Alaric insisted, "I'm from Boston."
You and Jeremy couldn't fight your laughter anymore.
Even though you were certain that Alaric was scowling harder than he had in the three or so years he had known you, you couldn't help it. This was your life now, and you wouldn't trade any of it (really!) for the world.
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Universe: A Normal Life (barely - could also be a canon AU where Jenna married Alaric)
Relationships: Jenna Sommers/Alaric Saltzman, platonic Alaric+Jeremy+Elena
Summary: Alaric decides to redecorate the house after he and Jenna get married. Elena reflects on how these physical changes affect her too.
Notes: This is actually post A Normal Life, considering that Jenna and Alaric aren't even engaged by the fic's end! That said, it doesn't deviate much from canon beyond Jenna's status as a married woman - so it can be read without further context, I believe. (Also, this was a conscious attempt at writing a fic without involving food. I actually succeeded!)
Jenna and Alaric had taken over Mom and Dad's old master bedroom, redecorating it "to banish the ghosts." Or so they claimed. You figured, you weren't the only one terrified by their lingering presence. Neither Jenna nor Alaric could afford major changes, but they had re-arranged the furniture and given the space a fresh coat of light yellow paint.
Yellow allowed the natural light in, Aunt Jenna claimed as she had stepped back to admire her handiwork. You silently agreed. Yellow was a brand-new canvas, beckoning for them to make their own memories. It also reminded you less of Mom and Dad's old green room, painted to better blend in with Dad's favorite forests. (You half-wondered if Dad had never moved because he loved nature too much. If either you or Jeremy wanted to camp, you didn't have to travel far.)
Little by little, your house started to change too.
Jeremy had pulled out the posters from his middle-school days, instead hanging up ones more relevant to his interests. You'd even changed the photographs on your corkboard, tucking the important ones into your mirror. Alaric's knickknacks were scattered across the home, as were reminders of his life pre-Mystic Falls: pictures of his parents, his relatives, and even his childhood dog made it into your living room table.
Time was the only real constant, you supposed. You couldn't rely on your house to remain a time capsule of 2009 if you were growing and changing too.
Alaric caught you lingering in the den one afternoon, as he and Jeremy were hanging up new pieces of art from a gallery in Boston. Once the last piece was hung, he slung an arm over your shoulder.
"What do you think?"
"They look nice."
He raised an eyebrow at you. "Nice? That's all you have to say?"
They were nice. You weren't lying: Alaric had good taste in art, opting to purchase simple landscapes from one of his high school friends. But they weren't what Mom and Dad would've purchased. Mom and Dad would've purchased more abstract art, the kind that made their couches and lamps pop with color. They wouldn't have thought about lush landscapes of the ocean or of downtown Boston. (Dad wasn't even remotely interested in Boston, let alone enough to purchase art of Alaric's beloved city.)
Taking your silence as an answer, Alaric let out a sigh. "And here I thought you liked my taste in art. I can't exactly ship this back to Boston without him getting all pissed at me."
"Why would you ship it back?" You wrinkled your nose at him. "It looks nice."
"Again with the nice! You've gotta be more specific, Elena."
So you scrutinized the paintings. Sure, they didn't exactly make the lamps or the couches pop with color like Mom's older abstract art pieces. They instead ushered in a calmer environment, providing a conversation starter during house parties and the inevitable weekend guests.
"They're soothing," you conceded, pulling Alaric's arm down so that you could hold onto his hand. "Did you really pick them out yourself?"
Jeremy was snickering from his position near the kitchen doorway. "See? I told you they weren't like you."
Alaric scowled. "With family like you, I really don't need critics."
Family?
They were technically family. Jenna had married Alaric a few months ago, and bit by bit, Alaric had opened himself up to them. Sure, their house was more than large enough for a family of four - but up until this moment, you had never really considered him your uncle.
"Hey, we're keeping you grounded," you managed to say, struggling to hold back your laughter. "What happens if you decide to buy more Boston paintings?"
"Yeah, Ric. You can't exactly move back to Foxboro," Jeremy teased back.
Reflexively, Alaric insisted, "I'm from Boston."
You and Jeremy couldn't fight your laughter anymore.
Even though you were certain that Alaric was scowling harder than he had in the three or so years he had known you, you couldn't help it. This was your life now, and you wouldn't trade any of it (really!) for the world.