Today's ordeal is complete, ten new chapters will be up tomorrow...


Sorry to disappoint those who thought something terrible was bound to happen, but it's mostly bantering this time.


Each a monster, part 8: You're incorrigible

Damon woke up early, but spent at least three minutes staring at the blue sheets under his nose. He hadn't been aware he had blue sheets for his bed. And why the hell was he sleeping with his face buried in the sheets? Even if he didn't need to breath, he had this habit about sleeping, that couldn't do well with having his nose buried into the sheets. And...

And there was definitely someone sleeping next to him. He knew the feeling of naked skin against naked skin, thank you very much.

What he didn't know, was the shape of the person's back. Either he had shagged a giant bodybuilding woman last night, or it actually wasn't a woman.

Damon gruntled. He had had to be terribly drunk to sleep with anyone when he was searching for Alaric. He moved a little, but stopped when the person next to him shrugged.

Just a minute, let him think about it...

He wasn't the kind of vampire who would screw around with a female bodybuilder, nor with a man whose name wasn't Alaric. Yet, there was a masculine and naked person in the bed with him. And Damon was naked too. And he certainly wasn't in his bedroom. And now that he thought about it, he had this disturbing impression that from the moment he had moved there was something cold and wet spilling on his legs and coming from his...

The vampire sat up straigth in a jolt.

There was cum coming out of his ass. There was a man in his bed. The bed wasn't his bed.

Alaric's mumbling voice greeted him from under a pillow.

"What the hell are you doing, Damon?! If you want to go another round, you'll have to wait. Humans need to sleep."

Damon stayed mouth wide open for a while, then began to laugh himself silly. The day before, or rather the night before, had been one of the greatest in his life and he had almost forgotten.

"Don't you worry, sleeping beauty. We'll go at it again, but later, I promise."

The vampire avoided a pillow as he went to the bathroom.

The first thing he saw was his reflection in the mirror, and a moronic grin on his perfect face that made him look like a fool. No matter what he tried, it wouldn't disappear, so he resigned himself to look stupid for the next hours.

Rolling his eyes, Damon went to take a shower. The cold water rolled down his body, and he remembered how Alaric's hands had been scouting about every one of his body's curves and edges during the night. The memories of their two bodies rocking together had him shudder.

It had been...

Splendid.

The bathroom door opened on a grumpy Ric.

"I hope you're pleased with yourself. Now I can't sleep anymore."

Damon looked down at his half-hard cock and realized he had been a bit too enthusiastic with the night's memories. Maybe it'd be wiser not to admit how "pleased with himself" he was. He didn't want the hunter to conclude that he only thought about sex – though he did think about it a lot.

"Sorry, sweetheart. I didn't wake you up on purpose. I was only a bit... lost, and wasn't sure why it seemed to be that I had sex with a stranger, moreover a man, during the night."

The vampire waited for an answer, but nothing came from the other side of the shower curtain.

Suddenly, the said curtain was drawn open and Alaric was staring at him.

"You slept around while I was gone?"

The vampire blinked, water running down his face, not sure of what to say. Why had Ric concluded this of all things? The hunter's tone was slightly menacing, and Damon finally figured it out.

"You're jealous."

"Why wouldn't I be? So, did you?"

Damon chuckled, turned the water off, before looking down. Alaric followed his gaze and watched the twitching cock with a bemused look on his face. Neither of them was sure of what they were doing, but it was a promising morning.

"I didn't. See? That's the result of my sexual frustration. I can assure you you were my first in a long time, and I hope you'll be the only one for a long time too."

Alaric didn't respond for a while, then sighed.

"You're incorrigible."

"That's what you like about me."

"Well, whatever. Since you're already in such a state, since you look brazenly fuckable, since you're a vampire and therefore you certainly don't have a sore bottom, I guess we should take care of... that. Now, get out of this shower cabin, get yourself dry and let's try what we didn't do yesterday before I change my mind."

Huh. Surprising. So Alaric was this kind of boyfriend. He'd never have thought.

But why was he wasting time? Sex was great. What was he complaining about, exactly?

So they had an... interesting time once again, and Damon wondered why he had been so adamant about not saying anything sooner. Well, aside from the obvious. That is, man and man relationship. Jenna. Not knowing if Ric felt that way too. Mystic Falls' bullshit. Klaus.

Alaric and him were lying lazily on the bed when he felt the need to talk.

"Had I known we were going to do this, I wouldn't have showered."

That wasn't exactly what he had had in mind when he had decided to talk with the hunter. But he couldn't seem to find anything clever to say. The vampire felt as if...

He was afraid.

Afraid of what would result in them talking. The day before had been all about seeing each other again, being relieved that they were still able to be together, and, obviously, fucking. They hadn't exactly talked, except about their love for each other. Which was already something. But they needed to figure out what would happen from now on. Possibly, before going back home.

Mystic Falls was going to be a challenge, now that they were in a relationship, Damon realized.

"I don't sleep with dirty people."

The vampire laughed at that. Ric was exactly what he needed. Serious, and not serious at the same time. Loving, but able to control his feelings, not to let just anyone see what was really behind his front mask. Well, that came from being a Falkenbach, but it wasn't exactly the point.

Alaric was perfect for him.

And he hoped he could be perfect for the man.

"I hope you don't sleep with people at all. Open relationships are bullshit."

The hunter looked at him over his book. He was hot, mused Damon. Maybe he could get Ric to read him a story before going to sleep, somehow. While being naked, of course.

"Well then, maybe I should consider buying a chastity belt. Of course, that means you don't get anything as well."

"Don't."

The vampire had growled at the sole idea. Though imagining it was... kinky.

Alaric stared at him. Right. Joking. Why the hell was he getting serious about a joke?

"Ric..."

The man put down his book and looked at him with a serious face.

"What is it? You've been fidgeting for almost half an hour."

"What will we... do about it?"

"Do about what?"

"Us. Being together. Mystic Falls. The kids. The school. You coming back. Us coming out. Your apartment. My brother. Your family. Nothing. All of it."

Damon suddenly noticed Alaric's hand running through his black hair and the fond look on the hunter's face. Apparently he had succeeded in exposing all of his incertainties with few and worried words. The vampire really had no composure left to deal with his lover. He had to change that. He didn't want anyone else to know how he was feeling when Alaric was around. Not for now, at least.

And well, for now he couldn't keep this stupid grin off his face, and he would certainly not go around looking like a fool if he could help it. If he found his own reflection utterly cheasy, what would others think?

"You don't have to worry about that. Sure, Mystic Falls isn't what I'd call a haven for same gender relationships, and we will most likely shock a great deal of persons when they'll hear about it. But us going out is definitely none of their business, and I believe we are more than able to handle one or two homophobic bullies. The children will come around at some point, and your brother will surely be happy not to have to worry about you stealing Elena away, I guess. As for the school, I heard the history teacher spot is considered cursed. I shouldn't have much difficulty getting it back, if they even already opened my resignation letter. Which is not a sure thing at all."

The vampire gulped.

"So we are a thing, then?"

"If we're not I'll feel that you abused me."

Damon rolled on his back and looked at his boyfriend with big puppy eyes. He had spent decades sharpening this skill, and was sure no one could resist his innocence. Or what looked like it, to be frank. The vampire wasn't exactly what one would call an innocent guy.

"I'm not sure you can say that. After all, it's my ass that met with your dick, not the other way around. I'm definitely not the one who took advantage of the other, in my humble opinion."

The hunter gave him a pointed look. Somehow it felt like it wasn't the first time they had this argument. After all, they were always bantering. The only thing now, was that their verbal jousts were being somewhat more smutty.

"You looked pretty happy for someone who was being abused, I think."

"Ah but that's because you're such a good sexy abuser."

"Not an excuse."

The vampire pouted and tucked his head under the blue sheets, letting his white and alluring butt in plain sight on purpose. Ric rolled his eyes, stood up and went for clothes while Damon was behaving like a spoiled brat. His boyfriend was such a kid, sometimes...

Alaric looked thoughtfully at his reflection in the mirror of the bathroom. He needed a shower, and even that was an understatement. Not only had they... gotten some exercise twice already, but he still had faint blood stains on his skin from last night.

When he got out of the shower, he was feeling refreshed. Looking in the mirror once again, he put his fingers on the bite mark from the night before. It wasn't very deep, and Ric could say the vampire had behaved while taking a sip. The hunter smirked.

Their everyday life was bound to be... interesting.

When he came back in the bedroom, he found Damon still pouting under the sheets, and his grin widened. He wasn't even sure the vampire hadn't simply dozed off.

He let himself fall down next to Damon and got his answer when his boyfriend grunted loudly.

"Damon?"

"Yes?"

"How did you find me?"

The vampire stayed silent, but Ric saw him stiffening. After a while, Damon whispered something from under the sheets that the hunter couldn't understand. Alaric rolled his eyes, thought he was doing that too often since they had been reunited, and lifted the blue fabric from the vampire's face.

"Say that again?"

Ice-blue eyes were staring at him indignantly, but there was something else in them, behind the front Damon was trying to keep up. Something that looked a lot like embarassment.

"Damon."

The vampire shrugged, sat up but refused to look at him.

"Fine. I went to see your parents. They know about... us."

"And that's all?"

"They were... nice. Not at all what I had expected with your family background."

"All of us aren't monsters. It's only that...No one in my family ever had feelings when it came to killing. But we know what an emotion is about for everything else, and dealing with our inhumanity is so difficult because it is only partial."

Alaric stayed silent for a while, worrying Damon a bit. Eventually, he sighed and said it.

"I guess I'll have to stop by the main house before going back to Mystic Falls."