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

[prodigalsavior]

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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[thisismybar]

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.

[prodigalsavior]

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."

[thisismybar]

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."

[prodigalsavior]

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."

[thisismybar]

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

[prodigalsavior]

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."

[thisismybar]

"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.

[prodigalsavior]

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."

[thisismybar]

"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.

[prodigalsavior]

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."

[thisismybar]

"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.

[prodigalsavior]

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.

[thisismybar]

"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.

[prodigalsavior]

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?

[thisismybar]

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...."

[prodigalsavior]

"I suppose for once, it's not the end of the world," Damon agreed, ruefully.

[thisismybar]

"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."

[prodigalsavior]

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..."

[thisismybar]

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."

[prodigalsavior]

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.

[thisismybar]

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

[prodigalsavior]

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

[thisismybar]

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...."

[prodigalsavior]

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.

[thisismybar]

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."