Elena cannot believe her eyes. Damon Salvatore is the biggest slut in the history of sluts. He takes the motherfucking cake; the other sluts never had a chance.
Elijah aims to keep his eyes from the rearview mirror, but his maleness wins out. What to do when people are literally having sex in front of your damn eyes?
Damon, of course, is oblivious to all the attention from the front of the SUV. He and Kat are in the back by themselves, and they are taking full advantage. Her hand has disappeared beneath his pants to ransack his jewels. Not delicately stroke. Ransack. They are not even really trying to be discreet. He thrusts his head back in pure ecstasy. So obvious. He might as well stop trying to bite back moans.
Elena suddenly slams the brakes. The SUV lurches violently, hurling all its riders forward. Damon opens his eyes and catches Elena's fake smile in the rearview mirror. No sex in Elena's SUV. Point taken.
Elena continues to unravel during dinner at Casa Salvatore, the local Italian eatery that Damon's uncle Zach owns. Zach, after recognizing the stunning brunette on Damon's arm, insists that Damon himself cook a dish for the table. Elena has seen the Salvatore wingman routine too many times to count: Zach obliges an initially shy Damon to cook a dish and any and all females at the table swoon in Damon's domestic dreaminess. Elena stabs at the risotto dish in disgust. Not disgust towards the food itself. That is ravishing, as usual. Creamy butter and white wine envelop each bead of Arborio rice in richness and flavour. No, disgust at Damon, who is eating up all of Kat's praises like the stupid fool he is.
Elena has seen this song and dance before, but this rendition is hitting particularly sour notes. Of course, being a UFC fighter and now champion, Damon has crossed paths with many female fighters before. He has just never spent an extended amount of time with one, like he is doing with Kat. Elena nervously chews on her thumb. What if she loses him to Kat?
Elena's previously contained resentment decides to parade its ugly face again and play Devil's advocate. Who fucking cares about "losing" Damon Salvatore? The asshole who can fight for anything but her. The douche who graduates valedictorian and summa cum laude. The jerk who wins the UFC lightweight belt from the previously unbeatable Klaus "King of England" Mikaelson. The idiot who can mother a difficult brother and weather a demanding father. The man who can do all of this, while being deaf. Cannot. Fucking. Fight. For. Her? Is this guy for real?
Three pairs of eyes stare at Elena, whose beer bottle is now a gleaming mosaic on the floor. Kat has just revealed that she traveled all the way to Mystic Falls without booking a hotel room. And that she would rather stay at someone's house and enjoy a home-cooked breakfast. Damon enthusiastically volunteers everything: his house, his room, his cooking, his secret sauce ... Okay, so he did not say the last one out loud. Everyone knows he is thinking it though.
Kat mock yawns, trying to hurry along the end of dinner. Slaying the Slayers has proven to be an unchallenge. Kat wonders if Elijah knows how Elena feels about Damon. Elijah cannot be that fucking dense. But why stay with her then? Kat inwardly snickers at the small-town dramatics. What else is there to do but get drunk and fuck and fight? All three will probably go down tonight.
Elijah helps Zach pan up the glass shards on the floor and then excuses himself and his lady love from the restaurant. The drive back to Elijah's house is excruciatingly mute. Elijah finds himself checking the passenger seat every few minutes, to make sure Elena is still breathing as a living human should. They have been at the Mickaelson house for less than five minutes when Elena announces that they should break up now but discuss later because she has to leave to run some unspecified "errands." Elijah hums and haws but does not dare ask whether these "errands" are at the Salvatore boarding house.
What is honour to Elijah Mickaelson? Some call him a hypocrite. The Mickaelson brothers, all four of them, were brought up in England and lived there until a few years ago. In a household of that many brothers and later professional fighters, one only survives if he can throw down and fight too. Elijah does not teach because he cannot do. He teaches as a way of participating in the fight game, the one he loves, while still keeping his hands clean. Like his deal with Damon. Elijah always finds a way to get what he wants without dirtying himself. He promised Damon that their deal regarding Elena would remain a secret. Well, honour be damned. If Elijah is to lose Elena to Damon, she may as well know the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback, follows, and favourites. Special thanks to YAZMIN V, sea-seva, thompson1996, Queenbrown20, and proudpan13.