Vampires Don't Do Nice

"Damon Salvatore, what are you doing?" Elena asked with a grim look as she joined her lover on the sofa in front of the TV. The TV was off and Damon hadn't even bothered to turn the light on.

Damon shrugged nonchalantly. "Where's Jeremy?"

"He's gone to The Grill, wants to catch up with Matt before the funeral tomorrow. He's amazing isn't he? I mean I thought he'd be a mess. Like I've been."

"Don't be too hard on yourself Elena, he wasn't here for it, he doesn't really know what happened…. Doesn't have to live with the memories."

"Hey, I'm here if you need to talk," Elena offered taking his hand. "All we've talked about is me me me, you're missing him too aren't you?"

"Me, nah, vampire, humans are lunch not friends, who needs friends?"

"When will you accept that you don't have to pretend with me?" Elena levelled, raising a knowing eyebrow at Damon.

"Probably never, I'm a guy, it's what we do."

"Well stop it, be real for a minute, how are you?"

"Just peachy," Damon smiled. Elena gave him a look of disappointment. "Okay, I have had better days," he admitted. "There may have formed some residual pesky human-like emotional attachment to your guardian, but only because he was a vampire killing drunk and I'm that masochistic."

Elena smiled, "See there - that was almost honest."

"Almost is close enough," Damon returned smiling weakly. He let himself drown in her eyes, it was a relief.

"I'm sorry we didn't talk earlier, after,…. I woke up and you were gone and then Jeremy was here... I didn't get a chance to tell you- "

"It's okay, it doesn't have to happen again, not for a while, we can wait," Damon answered hollowly, closing his eyes and bracing for the rejection.

Elena smirked and squeezed his hand. Even though it had been the single most natural, impulsive, primal hour of her life she had had her doubts, wondered if maybe she had done something wrong or if she was imagining how perfect they were together. She knew she must seem fairly fragile and limited compared to a vampiric partner. But it seemed Damon was the one who'd missed the office memo on this one, "I was going to say, thank you and I'm sorry we got interrupted."

"Thank you?" now Damon was smirking. "Elena you say thank you when someone gives you a lift to school or helps you move the sofa. You do not thank me for - that. Ever."

Elena shrugged, abashed. "Anyway I'm serious about you moving in here. I know I'm too young and yesterday I could have given you a big speech about how we aren't ready and we're just working things out and I need to learn to live by myself without Alaric or you looking out for me but when I woke up and you weren't there I realised I didn't miss you because I was lonely, I missed you because I like you being here, I like you being around. I like that you had dinner with me and my brother tonight even though you didn't really want to and you suck at dinner party conversation."

"I do no," Damon objected.

"You don't care what subjects Jeremy is doing at school or how he went on his chem test."

"True," Damon agreed.

"And that's okay, because you still tried. You still talked to him and me and you didn't threaten to kill him or compel him or anything. You were just nice."

"That's the most horrible thing you've ever said to me," Damon joked, mortified. "I am not nice. Vampires do not do nice."

"You sure about that?" Elena teased and leaned her forehead against his, eying him. The rest was inevitable. Undeniable. It was her turn to comfort him, and she enjoyed every moment of it. For the next hour Alaric was the last thing on her mind. The grief was still there, waiting to ambush her in a dark moment, but it no longer permeated every breath she took. Had she stopped and thought about how few days had passed the wave of loss would have confused her again, and in the morning when she put on her funeral blacks it would, but the human mind is a strange device, it knows when it needs to protect itself.