prodigalsavior | The first day of the rest of your life (For Elena and Ric)

Damon was torn on whether any of them should be going to the stupid Founder's Party. There were far too many of them and, honestly, nothing good came of them. But Elena did need to get out, to get on with life or whatever. Damon wasn't sure what that would look like, but he felt like he needed to help her figure that out.

Maybe part of it was the thrill of deciding something--anything--with Ric, even if they hadn't told anyone, hadn't discussed when to tell anyone, or how or...whatever. It didn't matter right now. Elena was hurting and, if he was honest, so was he. Whatever else...Stefan was his brother and he loved him and watching all he'd accomplished fall apart again hurt. No Lexi to pull him back this time, either. She was the only one who ever had, but thanks to him, she wouldn't be fixing things this time.

It seemed like Stefan didn't want to be fixed.

Damon would be damned--more damned?--if he let his brother take Elena down with him.

Which was why he was letting himself into her house and putting coffee on, and starting to bang pots around to figure out what they should make to go to the party.

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"It isn't. If it gets too bad here, we can always think about moving somewhere, being out from the start and I can do my antiquing in peace." That was a joke. A snarky, tired, kind of worried one, but a joke. Also a reminder of that road trip and time they'd spent in Charleston.

Ric finished up with the food and went to the sink to wash his hands. "Come here."

That had been a fantastic couple of days, in Damon's opinion, and he smiled at the memory, the joke serving its purpose.

He shifted away from the counter and moved to him. "I like this plan..."

Ric wrapped both of his arms around Damon, leaned his forehead down again, but this time kept his eyes open. "We'll figure it out... And I promise not to kill anyone for being stupid and insulting. No promises on not punching them, though."

Damon slid his arms around Ric in turn, turning his head to bury his face in Ric's neck for a moment.

"Well....if you insist on punching them, I guess I can't stop you...."

It was kind of delightful, if odd, that he wanted to.

Ric smirked at him, a little. "You could... But if you know what's good for you, you won't."

"You're good for me." As sentimental a statement as Damon was likely to give at any one time, but deadly sincere.

It surprised Ric, a little. Enough for him to tilt his head a bit, brush a thumb over Damon's cheek and be quiet for a moment. "I hope so...." He wanted to say Damon had been good for him, too, but he had to stop and think and he was maybe not completely sure about for, but. "You've been amazingly good to me...."

Damon shrugged a little, damn sure he hadn't been good for Ric, probably wouldn't ever be, but that was just what he was. Good to? He could do that. "It's not like it's hard," he murmured, leaning into the touch.

Ric was still just a little sure that, overall, not much had been good for him in a while, but that was because he was just stopping his life from skidding out of control and trying to... draw some lines around his life, separate Damon out of the general chaos and turn them into then. The shrug bothered him, though. He leaned in and kissed Damon, a little tentative. "Maybe not for you... but you're really good at caring about people."

Damon returned the kiss, but there was still a faintly wry, maybe a little bitter, tug around his eyes. "You're the first one to say so."

Most people just called him obsessed or figured he was working an angle.

"I think," he said, slowly. "That most of this town is biased as fuck about you, and if you got out more, now, that you'd find a whole lot of people who are very ready to be crazy about you."

Damon gave him a doubting look. "I doubt that, but thank you for saying it."

"...Have I ever told you a polite lie? Ever?"

"No. But your believing it doesn't make it true, either."

Ric stared at Damon for a long moment. "We have to get you out of here...."

Damon stared back, confusion flickering, before he shrugged. "It won't change anything."

He'd put up with it since he was human. Believing anything different would take some time.

"Plan a vacation with me, anyway." Somewhere no one knew Stefan, ideally. Or Damon hadn't been, while waiting for Katherine. Just... away.

Damon gave him a sideways look. "A vacation? Now?"

"Probably not a great time to disappear, but... maybe start making plans."

"I guess it doesn't hurt to plan things," he allowed.

"Good," he said, quiet and concerned. "Can we use your money?" There was a tease in there, but also a real question. He was racking his brain and... well, they'd get further if they weren't doing it on his salary. He'd never suggest it for himself, or just a vacation, but to get Damon out of here for a week or two? Yeah. He'd eat his pride.

"Of course," Damon said with a bit of a smile. "When's your next break?"

Ric brushed his thumb over the line of Damon's jaw. "I'll have to look at a calendar to get dates, but I'm never more than a couple of days off. You have anywhere particular you want to go, but haven't been?"

He considered for a moment. "I haven't been to DC or Baltimore in a while. And not to New York since the 70s..."

"Can you think of anywhere you've never been?"

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The first day of the rest of your life (For Elena and Ric)

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