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

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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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Seeing Ric's hurt, Damon wanted to snap something at her, protective instincts transferring at the sight of the rigidity of Ric's back. But he bit it back, because all of this had started because he was trying to cheer her up, help her not dwell on the guy she'd always chosen over him.

A few months ago, he probably would have chased after her, but he refused to feel guilty--not about whatever this was with Ric, not about keeping it to themselves while they tried to sort it out. Instead, he moved to Ric, a touch on his back, tentative, at first, before he slid his arms around him and just held him.

He seriously did not care if the whole of Mystic Falls--or just Jeremy--walked in right now. "I'm sorry."

Yeah, mark that one down as a red-letter moment. The words even felt weird on his lips.

Ric sagged a bit when Damon wrapped his arms around him, turned between Damon and the counter and rested his forehead against Damon's temple. He kept his eyes closed, though. "Not your fault." His voice came out more strained than he liked, and he cleared his throat. "I started it."

By being jealous and insecure, or maybe just possessive and uncertain. Either way - he had started the whole thing. "But thank you."

The thanks was for the actual apology. He knew that wasn't easy for Damon.

Elena wouldn't expect Damon to chase her and she certainly wasn't looking for him to. She just needed air, a moment to think, but she stopped at the entrance to the kitchen before glancing back as she watched Damon move to Ric to slide his arms around him.

It was an odd sight to her because she hadn't expected it. Hadn't known that either one of them had swung that way which was probably why she brought up Jenna more than anything.

Closing her eyes, she opened her mouth and then shut it. Finally, she sighed. "I won't tell anyone." She couldn't quite look at them. "And all I want is you to be happy..."

"But I'm going to go stay with Caroline tonight." She left them alone then, disappearing upstairs.

Damon glanced after her and sighed a bit, as well. This wasn't something he knew how to navigate or what he was supposed to do. All he knew was both of them were upset and somehow he felt at the middle of it, like he was ripping apart whatever family they'd been trying to build. He leaned back into Ric and tightened his arms a bit.

"It'll be okay."

Ric hadn't known he's swung that way, himself, and still wasn't really sure where his sexuality was. He would... tell her as much, as soon as he could find his voice again. As it was, he... was reduced to being incredibly un-Ric-like, holding onto Damon hard and actually burying his face in Damon's hair to avoid having to look at... anyone, or anything, once Elena was gone. "I know."

He did. He really, truly believed that. It just didn't feel particularly okay, in the moment. He wanted to go talk to her now on some level, but just... couldn't quite make himself. They all needed some time. He knew that. He was going with it. Didn't mean the now didn't hurt them all.

"You weren't ready for anyone to know," Damon said quietly, closing his eyes even as he kept hold. "I shouldn't have pushed the issue. I just....didn't know what to do..."

With Ric upset and the tension and everything else.

"She needed to know. I'm not upset that she does. I just wish she..." He sighed. "I wish the timing had been better, for her. And it would have been, if I hadn't turned into Mr. Possessive..."

Damon slid a hand up to cradle Ric's jaw, thumb tracing over his cheek. "I'm not that great at...talking without...whatever. Flirting, I guess. And I'm not going to try and say I never wanted anything more with her, 'cause we both know I'd be lying. But I've also..." His fingers tightened a little against Ric's skin, strong and steady. "I've never cheated on anyone, either. I mean, I know the philandering reputation I've got, or whatever, but..." He shrugged. "Never when it's mattered. And it matters now. With you. I mean, I like the possessive, but. You don't have anything to worry about."

It still took Ric a second or two, to look up. "I know. I just wasn't..." He was having issues, here. "We hadn't talked about Elena, specifically, and. I don't know. I wasn't prepared to walk in and see that." Which was ridiculous and he was going to kick himself for, for a while. Not that Elena wasn't a big damn deal to Damon. With Stefan being effectively gone... Yeah, it had hit hard. "I'm sorry."

Damon kept lightly dragging fingers over Ric's skin, around to the back of his neck, stroking lightly. "I know," he said quietly. "And you don't have anything to apologize for, really. This is...new and not what anyone's expected, including us and it'll take some time for us to figure it out. But we will." He gave Ric a crooked smile. "We've gotten through a lot worse."

Ric's pulse gradually stopped, and a lot of the tension in his shoulders eased out. His stomach stayed unsettled, felt vaguely like the bottom had dropped out, but he was clawing it back together. "We have... and we will. Elena said she was going to tell anyone else, right now. That's a good thing."

He would deal if she did, but he couldn't handle... the criticism right now. Couldn't handle it directed at Damon, couldn't handle it directed at himself, either. This time, apparently, he was kind of a coward.

Damon nodded a little, though he was ready to shout it from the rooftops, honestly. But he'd always worn his heart on his sleeve, never been good at hiding how he felt, from anyone. But it was big for Ric, he knew, and he could be patient. So long as he didn't think Ric was...ashamed to be with him. And, yeah, part of him thought maybe that was part of it, but he also knew it was fast and he didn't want Ric to feel pressured.

"I won't tell anyone else. Not 'til you're ready."

Ric finally moved back and continued to work on pulling his shit together. "The good news is, one of the two people whose opinions I give a shit about the opinion and reaction of knows now. The rest is just bracing to face public reaction."

He looked over his shoulder at the counter. "We should finish throwing food together. Even if she's not taking it, we can't leave this stuff out."

Damon let him go, but still watched him with a bit of worry. "Whenever you feel braced. If you do." He looked around, then nodded. "Let's fry up the onions, peppers and celery and put them in with the chicken. I'll get the sausage."

Ric didn't move, just turned and looked at Damon. "If I do?"

Damon shrugged and gave him a look over his shoulder as he gathered things off the cutting board. "Yeah? It's...big. I do realize that, even if I forget, sometimes."

"Yeah," he agreed. "It is. I'm not looking forward to the shit we're going to get. I'm also not going to spend eternity lying to everyone, and... hiding you."

He wasn't saying it, but he'd honestly end things, first. He wasn't good at lying, wasn't comfortable doing it when he cared about people. That didn't mean he wasn't petrified of the shit that was going to start flying, but. Now that they'd declared this more than sex....

Had to happen, and he knew it.

Damon frowned a little, glancing down at the sizzling vegetables.

"I don't like the idea of it being thrown your way. Or people making you feel uncomfortable. But I'm used to it."

"Yeah, well, I expect I'm going to have a harder time with half the town accusing you of compelling me than I am their shock that you're a guy." It was true. He wasn't looking forward to either, but he could almost see his homicidal rage coming. The rest just made him uneasy and nervous, guilty when it came to Jenna. The fact that he really expected at least some people to level that accusation, or to try to save him, just pissed him off. It was insulting to both of them.

Damon shrugged a little and gave him a wry smile. "Just...ignore them, if thy do. You won't change their minds."

He was willing to bet that if Stefan came back? Everyone would be convinced they could get him back to himself and tell him it was okay--he "hadn't been himself."

"Ignore them," Ric echoed, dryly. He pinned Damon with a look and lifed his eyebrows. "Yeah... that's going to work." If voices could drip with anything, his would be dripping sarcasm. There was no way this wasn't going to end in him exploding all over someone.

At least Elena hadn't gone there.

Damon shrugged a little. "Welcome to my world, Ric. You let it get to you and you'll be doing nothing but fighting losing battles." He paused, considered for a moment. "Carol still likes me."

Called him 'friend' even, sometimes, when she didn't think too hard about it.

"That's good.... When I snap and go on a killing spree, I can skip her." He was not joking, however much he wished his way or dryly amused his tone was.

Damon gave him a look that was somewhere between grateful and worried. He was too used to how he was seen--knew it had been reasonable a lot of the time--to let it bother him over much. Only when people he cared about thought that way did he get upset. Which, well, with Stefan, meant he got upset a lot. But the rest of the town?

What the fuck did he care what they thought?

Ric shrugged, but wasn't overly apologetic. He couldn't make promises and it did bother him. Would bother him. Damon deserved more than he got from most people. Shrug given though, he quirked a wry smile and started working with Damon on getting the food together.

"It'll be all right...."

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