CHAPTER 4 ACTUAL

Stefan woke up the next morning to find an empty space where Damon should have been. He sat up immediately on edge.

"Damon?" He called but got no response. He hurriedly left the room and went in search of him when he walked right into him in the hallway.

"Relax Stef. I haven't been stolen again." Damon smirked and handed him a blood bag as a peace offering when he saw Stefan face drop in shock at his comment. Stefan shook his head at him and took the bag from him. Damon's smile dropped as soon as Stefan looked away.

"Are you ok?" Stefan looked up at him again, rewarded with a large smile, which Stefan knew was completely false.

"Right as rain." He chimed and Stefan snorted at him for a change.

"What's made you so chipper all of a sudden?" Stefan looked him over. It was so obvious that he was checking to see if Damon's morning affliction was a problem today. Damon chuckled at his lack of tact. What Stefan didn't know was that Damon had lain awake with his downstairs problem so long this morning that he had already been out and compelled a fight with one of the Lockwood gardeners. It seemed that taking a few hits made his problem go away a little easier. Pain was much easier to come by than sex.

"Some dream football with my baby bro?" Damon grinned and Stefan seemed to ease up a little. "Are you ready for me to actually kick your ass now or do you prefer me only when I'm asleep?" He taunted, flashing his pearly teeth at him. Stefan looked pleased at his playfulness and tilted his head considering it.

"In general you are much less of an ass when you're asleep, but I can still take you brother."

"Game on, Stef!" Damon laughed and they headed out to the front of the boarding house with an old football they had kept since the night they had played together after the Comet. Stefan couldn't believe how relaxed and normal Damon seemed. Perhaps entering into his dream had been as good an idea as Elena had suggested because he seemed much happier now. Perhaps Damon was finally accepting their love and support.

"Ok, no holding back. We are big bad vampires Stef. I wanna see some rough and tumble. Let's see what that Bambi blood can do for you!" Damon called to him light-heartedly and Stefan laughed launching himself in Damon's direction. Vamp speed football was going to be fun.

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Elena sat at the Grill, trying not to call Stefan. She hadn't slept much in spite of the respite her own bed offered her. She had wanted to stay with Damon, but she knew that he would have been nasty and horrible to her. He had been too drunk to rationalise. Matt came over with their food and sat down. It had been days since she had caught up with him and she knew that everyone was gossiping about Damon's sudden re-appearance in Mystic Falls. They all wanted to know what the deal was.

"Sorry, the kitchen is a bit of a mess today, it took me ages to get round all the carnage."

"Carnage?" She laughed.

"Yeah you can tell Damon thanks for that one. It took me ages to clean up in here this morning." Matt grumbled, taking a bite from his burger.

"Why, what did he do?" She enquired, ceasing in her own eating to focus on him. He gulped, feeling as though he had let something bad slip.

"Um, Damon started a fight in here with some guy last night. They smashed some stools and glasses up pretty good. It was weird though, Kenny said Damon barely touched the guy, he just let himself get beaten."

"What?" She gasped shocked and Matt blushed, gulping again.

"I thought he might have told you about it. What's up with him anyway? I've never seen him hold himself back from a fight before." Matt was studying her now and she felt the need to cover up some of her shock. They couldn't find out what Damon had been going through.

"I think he's just trying to be better. I keep giving him a hard time about his unfair advantage." She lied through her teeth and she felt terrible. She had never lied to Matt before. Matt huffed and took another huge bite from his burger.

"It was just as well Rebekah was here anyways, for a change." He said and Elena choked on her burger, coughing violently as he stood up and hit her back for her, offering her a sip from her glass of water. She coughed a little more before she recovered herself and sat back embarrassed.

"What did she do?" Elena asked in a small voice.

"She pulled Damon out of here apparently." He said and shrugged as though it was all so normal, but then had it been normal? She almost couldn't remember what things had been like between Rebekah and them all before she had taken Damon. She tried to keep her face straight and calm as she lifted her burger again. Damon had let himself get beaten up and then Rebekah had intervened and grabbed him? No wonder he had gotten so drunk last night. He must have been terrified she was going to hurt him again. Why would he let himself get beaten up by a human though? It didn't make any sense.

"You ok Elena?" Matt asked and she returned her attention to him.

"Yeah, sorry just thinking about Damon's reckless behaviour as usual." She rolled her eyes trying to look convincing and Matt gave her a small smile.

The rest of their lunch dragged unbelievably slowly before Matt had to get back to work. She gave him a hug and made plans to call him later and she left. That had been torture. She had tried so hard to concentrate on what Matt was saying, being interested in his conversation but all she had been able to think about was Damon. She just wanted to get back to him and see how he was. She drove like the wind towards the Boarding House, hoping Stefan wouldn't be annoyed at her unexpected arrival, when she saw them both playing football together and laughing. She stopped the car and watched them in surprise. They looked so happy. Damon was ok. She smiled widely and jumped out of the car excitedly as they waved to her. She ran over and sat on her coat to watch them tackle each other playfully. They obviously had had a lot of practise at this game as they were both really good. Their reflexes and speed evidently being a huge advantage as they blurred around the grass so quickly that she couldn't tell one of them from the other. She clapped happily and urged them on. She missed being a cheerleader sometimes. She started singing an old cheer from the squad when Damon flew into a tree at the verge and hit his head. She jumped up in shock and Stefan raced to him as he stood back up laughing.

"I'm fine!" He called, wiping blood from his forehead as Stefan tried to have a look. "I'm a vampire Stefan, it'll heal. Come on!" He shoved Stefan playfully and Stefan laughed again as they continued their game. If only football players did have healing abilities games would be so much more entertaining, she pondered.

"How can you play when there are only two of you?" She called out laughing and Stefan stopped to answer.

"It's about who is better at this. He thinks he can whip my ass!" Stefan shouted as Damon crashed into him and sent them falling onto their backs.

"You are sooo slow Bambi!" Damon jested and Stefan flipped them over, playful slamming Damon into the ground. Damon beamed up at him and used his legs to throw Stefan backwards. Stefan laughed exhilarated and Damon stood up, prowling and smirking.

"Come on, you're not even trying. Go for it. See if you can take me brother." Damon encouraged, gesturing for Stefan to attack him. Stefan stood up a little unsure and Damon urged him on again.

"Hey no holding back, you promised." Damon reminded waggling his finger at him and grinning.

"If you say so." Stefan warned and ran at him so fast that Elena gasped trying to follow the movement as she heard them both struggle for dominance. The ball wasn't even in the picture anymore as it rolled towards her and she picked it up confused.

"Guys?" She called, holding the ball and wondering why they hadn't noticed. They seemed too interested in pushing against each other though as she watched them using all of their strength. She gave a confused giggle, hoping they'd realise that the game was over but they were engrossed in their struggle.

Stefan smiled widely as he felt Damon's muscles shake against his. Bambi blood or not, he was going to give it his all. Damon was smiling too. It felt good to wrestle like they had done as humans. They had enjoyed the occasion rough and tumble back then. Damon moved in towards him, shifting the centre of gravity and Stefan felt himself starting to lose control of Damon's body force. So he placed his hands higher up onto Damon's collarbone as Damon laughed in glee with a twinkle in his eye. Stefan pushed more force against him as he felt his feet sliding beneath him and Damon moved forward again, pushing Stefan's hands into his throat. Stefan tried to pull back, not wanting to hurt him but Damon laughed almost mockingly.

"Giving up so easily brother? At least if you hold me here, you stand a chance at winning. Otherwise I'm too strong for you." He demonstrated his strength by pushing Stefan across the grass as he tried to dig his feet into the earth. Stefan hissed and squeezed Damon neck tightly. He was going to wipe the floor with him and win this game! Damon smiled as Stefan squeezed again, turning Damon's face red and filling Stefan with mirth.

"You don't look so good brother." Stefan purred and Damon laughed again, pressing himself closer until they were almost chest to chest. Stefan frowned and squeezed even tighter, trying to push Damon away from him, so he could sweep his feet and claim victory when he heard Elena shouting.

"Stefan stop!" She shouted hurrying over, holding the ball. When had the ball dropped from his hands? He frowned at it confused but Damon laughed in his ear.

"You're going to lose baby bro." He turned back to see Damon grin again and he grinned too, choking him that bit tighter until Damon started to release some of his hold. He had him now! Damon took a step back and fell over, pulling Stefan down with him. Stefan sat up, still holding his throat and laughed when Damon smiled up at him, teasingly.

"Gotcha!" He yelled excitedly.

"Let him go!" Elena shouted throwing the ball at his shoulder and startling him. He released his hands from Damon's neck and looked round at her.

"What? We are only playing Elena, chill out." He laughed at how mad she looked.

"Look at him Stefan." She pointed commanding and he turned back around to smirk at how breakable Elena still thought they both were when he saw what she was screaming about. Damon's hands were up by his head, in that oh too familiar surrender and he was staring up at Stefan panting as though he was simultaneously aroused and terrified. Stefan jumped up in shock.

"Damon. I'm sorry! Are you ok?" He queried but Damon just looked at him frowning.

"Is that all you've got?" Damon rasped. Stefan hadn't realised how much damage he had inflicted upon Damon's throat.

"What?" He reeled from Damon's strange response and Damon growled angrily.

"What the hell are you thinking Damon?" Elena yelled, making Stefan jump as he watched his happy, playful brother grow angry and restless again. What had happened? Damon sat up scowling at her intrusion and touching his neck. She noticed more blood on his arm as he moved and she grabbed it to inspect it. He pulled his arm back from hers just as she noticed he had broken it in the scuffle.

"What the hell is going on?" Stefan was angry now and confused. How had some quality bonding time with his brother escalated into this? "Are you hurt?" Stefan asked eyeing the blood and strange positioning of his arm now that Elena had drawn his eye to it. He knelt down to touch it.

"Not enough." Damon grumbled and Elena gasped.

"Is that was you're doing now? Letting yourself get hurt so you can feel something?" She asked incredulously. Stefan gasped.

"What?" He shot a look of horror at Damon and realised how Damon had played him into this skirmish.

"Last night he started a fight at the Grill and let the guy beat him up without retaliating." She explained as she shot daggers at Damon who was now smirking and picking grass from the ground beneath him. He couldn't even be bothered denying it. Stefan watched him pick grass between his fingers as his heart fell.

"Is that what all of this bonding has been about? You just wanted me to beat you?" Stefan asked, emotion filling his voice and Damon looked up at him sincerely.

"I don't know." He answered honestly and Stefan blinked at him, realising what he was saying was true. Damon honestly didn't know what his motivations were right now and that was a worry.

"How could you do this to us? To Stefan?" Elena asked and Damon shot her a dirty look.

"There is no us! You said you didn't want me Elena!" He reminded her, thinking on her rejection of his need the previous morning.

"That's not what I meant. I want to be with you but not like this. Damon this isn't healthy." She tried to stay calm under his gaze. His eyes were so piercing when he was lashing out.

"Well, if you would just let me be with you, I wouldn't need to go around looking for an easy lay or a fight would I?" Damon grunted, standing up and popping the bones in his arm back into place as Stefan watched him devastated at this turn of events. The pop was loud and satisfying and he took a deep breath and enjoyed the flash of pain it created. He looked at Elena and realised what he had just slipped inadvertently. He had slept with someone else last night in an attempt to find solace. Elena's face said it all.

"Who are you?" She whispered, tears filling her eyes as Stefan stood up, equally hurt and teary-eyed. Damon rolled his eyes at them. They really were well suited. Cry baby central!

"I need this, ok? Let's not make a big deal out of it." He whined and they both continued to stare at him. He huffed, leaning down to pick up the ball and walked away from them back into the house.