Thanks to TheQueenOfDrama for the lovely review. So glad you like my story.
Today`s chapter is a longer one. Guess the next one will be short. We`ll see...
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Wednesday started way too early for Ric`s liking. He shut off his alarm clock with a groan and jerked in shock when suddenly a strong arm snaked around his waist, pulling him against a cool body. He´d completely forgotten about the vampire in his bed, who took advantage of his surprise by kissing the teacher`s neck and pressing himself to his back, letting Ric feel his arousal. Ric`s cock twitched in response and he bit his lip to keep from making a sound.
"Damon, I`ll be late for work." Alaric protested weakly. Damon didn`t seem to care. "Just call in sick." His lips wandered over Ric´s shoulder, while one of his hands gently caressed the teacher´s side, before sliding lower, teasing his hipbones, inching closer... "Let´s spend the day in bed, getting … reacquainted." he suggested. It was so tempting. But Ric was determined not to give in. He jerked out of the vampire´s grasp before those clever fingers reached their destination. "I have to go to work."
He rolled out of bed, resisting the urge to cover himself. Nothing Damon hadn`t seen before. No need to be shy. The vampire smiled up at him. "Come on, work is boring. Stay here with me. I`ll make it worth your while." he promised, his voice dropping to that seductive whisper again. He would make good on that promise, of that Ric was sure. And he really wanted to crawl back into bed and forget that the world still existed. But he didn´t feel like giving in to Damon so easily. Didn`t want the vampire to take him for granted.
"I`m going to take a shower now. Alone. And then I`ll go to work. And you should go home or visit the sheriff or whatever it is you do all day." he ordered. Damon actually pouted. "You want me to leave?" He sounded almost hurt and Ric`s courage wavered. "I thought I was forgiven." Alaric hesitated at that. But who was he kidding? "You are forgiven." he admitted with a sigh, leaning down to kiss the vampire. After a few seconds he pulled away again reluctantly, whispering: "But you shouldn`t push it. I could still change my mind."
Damon buried his head in the cushion with a groan. "You`re mean." Chuckling, Ric left to take a shower, a little surprised that the vampire actually behaved himself and didn`t follow him. Somehow the teacher had expected to end up pressed to the tiles, seconds after entering the bathroom. So Damon did listen sometimes. Good to know.
Returning to his bedroom he didn`t see Damon, but he could hear him moving about in the main room, muttering something. Deciding to ignore the vampire for now, Ric quickly got dressed. When he stepped into the main room he was met by the sight of Damon pacing back and forth, talking on his cell phone. "Oh come on, Stefan. Stop being a dick and just bring me some clothes." he muttered. He didn`t seem to care in the slightest that he was completely naked and Ric couldn`t help but stare at him for a moment, enjoying the view.
"I already told you. That fucking Gilbert shot me! I can hardly walk around with bullet holes in my clothes!" Damon grumbled into the phone. Alaric had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing, remembering that there was also the problem of the dried cum in the vampire`s pants. Somehow he found Damon´s little predicament highly amusing. After another minute of negotiating with his brother, Damon finally hung up and turned to face the teacher. "Stop staring at me. You had your chance. Now I`m not in the mood anymore."
Ric chuckled. He was sure that was a lie, but decided not to push it. "I gotta go anyway. See you around." He picked up his bag and was about to leave, but the vampire suddenly blocked his way. "What, no goodbye kiss?" he asked with a pout. Smiling Ric complied and kissed him. Far longer than he intended to. When he finally pulled back he was more than a little breathless. And more than a little late.
Still he couldn`t help asking: "Grill tonight?" Damon grinned. "Sounds like a plan." Ric nodded. "Okay. Lock up when you leave. There`s a spare key on top of the doorframe." he ordered. The vampire just shook his head. "Really? Second most obvious hiding place, Ric." The teacher just shrugged. "Yeah, I don`t have a doormat." he said with a grin, finally opening the door and leaving. Damon´s laughter followed him.
###
Work turned out to be pretty boring. As they were approaching Founder´s day, Ric had to set the regular curriculum aside for a few lessons in local history. The people of Mystic Falls were awfully fond of their history. He couldn`t really understand why he had to change his lesson plans, but what did he know? He was only a teacher after all.
Surprisingly enough the class was at full occupancy that day. It happened seldom enough. Bonnie had returned and even Stefan made it to class on time. Ric wondered absently if the younger Salvatore had brought his brother some clothes before coming to school and what Damon had told him about last night. He wasn`t really sure where he and Damon stood at the moment. Even if they continued where they had left off two years ago, he didn`t know what that would mean. What had they been back then? What were they now?
He only knew that he didn`t want people to know about him and Damon, yet. Wanted to keep this thing between them a secret for now, whatever that thing was. At least until he was sure where this was going. What Damon really wanted. And what he himself wanted for that matter. Now he only had to hope that Damon would understand.
The day passed rather uneventfully. On his way home Ric ran into Jenna, who just came back from a meeting with Jeremy´s math teacher. They stopped to talk for a moment and he asked Jenna how she was holding up, now that she knew the truth. "I think I`m getting used to the idea, as weird as it sounds. I mean, Stefan is a nice guy and Elena loves him. And even Damon seems okay enough. I haven`t talked to Jeremy yet. I just don`t know how to bring up the subject." she admitted.
"Why don`t you just ask him about his paper? You could say I told you about it." Alaric suggested. She looked thoughtful for a moment and then shrugged. "Might be worth a try." The teacher nodded and was about to leave, when another thought came to mind. "Hey, have you seen John today?" Jenna gave him a surprised look. "Yeah, this morning. Unfortunately. I didn`t know you`ve met him." Ric rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, I have met him."
"Well, he left this morning. Said he`d be gone for a few days to take care of some things. But he promised to be back in time for the Miss Mystic Falls contest. Although in my eyes that was more of a threat." Jenna joked and Ric was somehow glad that she seemed to dislike John as well. He couldn`t imagine anyone actually liking that guy. "Oh and I think he got into a fight yesterday. He claims that someone snuck up to him from behind and knocked him out with a baseball bat." she let the teacher know, who snorted in response. "A baseball bat? It was an empty beer bottle." he said without thinking, only realizing that he`d spoken out loud when Jenna looked at him suspiciously. "How do you know that?"
Ric shrugged sheepishly. "I was the one who knocked him out." he admitted, frowning when Jenna started laughing. "You?" she asked, still giggling. "He tried to kill Damon!" That quickly stopped her laughter. "He did what?!" Ric looked around to make sure that no-one was listening to them. Luckily they were alone in the deserted parking lot. "John knows a lot. About vampires and the history of this town. He knows about Damon being a vampire and he also knows frighteningly much about me. Probably thanks to Isobel. It seems they were friends or something. He showed up at the founders party and started threatening Damon. Last night he tried to kill him. He must`ve been waiting for him outside the Grill." he told her the short version of the story.
"Oh my god. Is Damon okay?" Jenna asked, truly concerned. "He`s fine. Don`t worry." Ric assured. Automatically his thoughts drifted back to last night. Jenna smiled knowingly. "More than just fine, judging by that smile." she suspected and the teacher felt himself blushing. "Maybe." he replied, chuckling when Jenna grinned and asked for details. "No way. You don`t need to know everything. And I`ve gotta go anyway. I`m meeting Damon for drinks later."
"Fine, be a prude then. I`ve gotta go, too. And you wouldn`t want to keep Damon waiting, right?" she conceded. "Right. Ahh, Jenna, maybe you could do me a favour? Let me know when John returns? I fear he might be up to something." He didn`t like the fact that John Gilbert always seemed to be at least one step ahead of them. He had come way too close to killing Damon yesterday. Ric wouldn`t take that chance again. "I`ll call you as soon as he`s back. And I`ll see if I can find out what he`s up to." Jenna promised. Alaric thanked her, once again glad to have her on his side.
###
When he arrived at the Grill Damon was already waiting for him. Ric ordered himself a drink and took a seat next to the vampire. "You`re late." Damon remarked. "Yeah, got held up. I ran into Jenna. She told me that John left town for a few days." Ric let him know. Damon raised an eyebrow at him. "What else did Jenna have to say?" Alaric wondered if he was imagining things or if Damon really sounded a bit jealous. "She promised to call me when John comes back. If he plans another attack on you, I`d like to be better prepared."
"Suddenly so interested? I thought John Gilbert was my problem." The teacher rolled his eyes. "Were you always this annoying?" Damon smirked at him. "It`s all part of my charm." Chuckling slightly, Ric shook his head. "Okay, so maybe I changed my mind. He`s our problem. After what he pulled yesterday… You`re right. We need to get rid of him." Just thinking of yesterday's events made him shudder. He remembered the fear he had felt at seeing Damon on the ground all too well. For one horrible moment he had thought he would be too late and the vampire would be dead. This fear had shown him just how much Damon still meant to him.
"So, what`s your plan?" the vampire`s voice cut through his musings, shook him out of his dark thoughts. "I think first we need to figure out just how much he really knows. And more importantly, what he´s planning." Damon nodded. "You think Jenna would allow us to have a look at his room? Or do we need to break in?" Ric snorted at the idea. Damon surely had no problem breaking in. "She`d help us. She doesn`t like him. But I don`t think we`ll find out much this way. As much as I hate to admit it, he`s too clever. He wouldn`t hide useful information where we can easily find it."
Damon looked like he wanted to protest, but in the end he only sighed in defeat. "Okay. Got a better idea?" Ric shrugged. "Not sure if it`ll help, but I called an old friend from Duke and asked him to do some digging. He studied criminology and he's become a very proficient digger." The vampire nodded his approval. "Nice idea. You could also ask the Gilberts just how much they know about uncle John. Every information could be useful. And we`ll need to find that device before he does."
Sounded like a plan. "Alright. I`ll talk to Jenna, Elena and Jeremy. You take care of the device." the teacher decided. Damon looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You`re bossy." Ric shrugged. "Do you want my help or not?" Huffing in annoyance the vampire nodded, although Ric was pretty sure he was exaggerating. "Fine, we`ll do it your way. For now." he complied. The teacher was about to comment on that when he spied Elena and Stefan entering the Grill.
Elena had noticed the two men sitting at the bar as well and was making her way over. "What are you two doing here?" the brunette asked, looking from Ric to Damon. The vampire shrugged. "Oh just the usual. Drinking, talking, discussing the best way to get rid of uncle John." he replied casually.
Elena looked uncomfortable at the mention of John`s name, which caused Damon to ask: "He´s up to something. Any idea what that could be?" She shook her head. "He told me he knows I`m dating a vampire, said my parents would roll in their grave if they knew. I`ve been avoiding him ever since." she admitted.
"But he left this morning. Jenna said he`d gotten into a fight or something." she remembered. Damon rolled his eyes. "Or something. Your stupid uncle shot me with vervain laced wooden bullets!" Elena blinked, looked at Alaric for confirmation. The teacher nodded grimly. "He would`ve killed Damon if I hadn`t arrived on time."
"Yes, he was very brave. Snuck up on John and knocked him out from behind. Who would`ve thought? Alaric Saltzman, history teacher, vampire hunter and now also my knight in shining armour." Damon joked, pretending to swoon. Ric chuckled and gave him a playful shove. "Oh shut up. Don`t make me regret saving you." The vampire snickered. Tearing his eyes away from Damon, Ric found Elena watching them with wide eyes. "Does that mean you two are friends again?" she asked, the disbelieve in her voice clear.
"I don`t have any friends, Elena." Damon chided, before turning to look at the teacher. "Or do I?" Ric looked at the hopeful blue eyes, the slight pout and wondered how an evil, psychotic vampire could manage to look so damn innocent. It made him want to kiss Damon senseless. Allowing his lips to curve into a smile, the teacher shrugged. "We`ll see about that."
Stefan snorted, but surprisingly enough didn`t comment. Damon didn`t even glance at him. Instead he drained his glass and turned to Ric again. "Why don`t we continue this plotting somewhere else, away from prying eyes and ears?" The question sounded innocent enough, but the teacher had a pretty good idea what he was really asking. Hoping Stefan wouldn`t notice his quickened heartbeat or at least chalk it up to nervousness at the prospect of being alone with a vampire, he nodded. "Yeah, let`s get out of here." He downed his drink as well, got up and bid Elena and Stefan good night. "I`ll see you tomorrow at school." he called over his shoulder, while he followed Damon to the exit.
Damon started snickering once they stepped outside and Ric turned to look at him questioningly. "Elena`s scared I might hurt you. She just asked Stefan if he thinks they should follow us." the vampire told him. Alaric sighed. It was nice to know she cared, but that girl just worried too much about others. He was about to comment, when he suddenly found himself pushed against the wall, Damon`s body pressing him into the rough stone. "You don`t think I`ll hurt you, do you Ric?" the vampire whispered. His lips hovered mere inches above Alaric`s and the teacher really wanted to kiss him. But he was also afraid someone might see them.
"Damon, not here." he protested weakly, surprised himself how breathy his voice sounded. The vampire didn`t let go, didn`t move an inch. "Tell me, Ric." he demanded. "You won`t hurt me." Alaric whispered, looking into those shocking blue eyes. Damon leaned in to kiss him, but the teacher turned his head away. "Not here, Damon. I mean it." he stated again. Damon went very still for a moment. Then he let go of the teacher abruptly and moved away. He looked strangely hurt. "Let´s go to my apartment, okay?" Ric suggested.
After a moment`s hesitation the vampire nodded and they went to fetch Ric´s car. The short ride was filled with uncomfortable silence. "What`s up with your brother?" Ric asked after a while, trying to lessen the sudden tension between them. Damon didn`t look at him. "Why do you ask?" The teacher shrugged. "It´s just… he seems a little on edge lately. Today I found him standing near the basketball court, looking completely spaced out. He almost attacked me when I talked to him. Then he mumbled an apology and ran." he remembered. Something about the look in Stefan`s eyes had just felt.. off. He couldn`t put his finger on it. But it had frightened him. And there he`d thought he would never be scared of Stefan.
"He`s drinking human blood again." Damon mumbled, just as they reached the apartment. Ric opened the door and went to sit on the couch. "And what does that mean?" The vampire joined him, flopping down on the couch with a sigh. "I`m not sure. He`s been on bunny blood for years now. He could never really handle it… Feeding from humans. He loses control easily." Ric took a moment to process this new piece of information. "Can`t you do something to help him?"
"Even if he would let me… that`s his battle to fight. His choice to make. Maybe he`ll manage this time. And if he doesn`t… if he snaps and flips the switch… Short of locking him up there`s really nothing I can do." the vampire said. "The switch?" Ric asked.
"Vampires can turn off their emotions. The pain, the guilt.. once you flip the switch it`s all gone. Makes it easier. At least for some time. But once you switch it back on, it all comes back." He turned to look at Ric, a frown on his face. "So, did you bring me here to talk about my brother all night?" He sounded angry and Ric figured it wasn`t only because of the current topic. "No. Are you pissed at me because I wouldn`t let you seduce me in an alley next to the Grill?"
Damon stared at him, his mouth agape. Obviously hadn´t expected the teacher to ask so bluntly. But Ric had always been blunt with Damon and he saw no need to change that now. He didn`t give the vampire time to come up with a sarcastic retort. "I`m a teacher in this town, Damon. I can`t be seen making out with some guy in a dark alley. That could cost me my job." he tried to explain. Of course the vampire took it as a personal affront. "Maybe you shouldn`t be seen inviting some guy into your apartment either. Someone could draw the wrong conclusion. Or rather, the right one. Guess I`ll better go. I wouldn`t want to ruin your perfect reputation." he snarked, storming towards the door.
Ric followed quickly and stopped him by pushing him against the closed door, kissing him roughly. "Don`t go." the teacher whispered, once their lips had parted, almost panicked at the thought of Damon storming out on him. "Give me some time. Let`s figure out what this is, what it means, before thinking about public displays of affection. Okay?" He was practically pleading, but he didn`t care. He didn`t want to lose the vampire. Not again. But he also wasn`t ready to admit his feelings aloud.
Damon´s face was infuriatingly blank. Ric had no idea what he was thinking and that was driving him mad. The vampire was very still for a long time. Barely breathing. But finally he nodded. "Okay." Ric breathed a sigh of relief. "So you`ll stay?" he asked hopefully.
Damon´s lips claiming his was answer enough. He returned the passionate kiss and maneuvered the vampire towards his bedroom, glad to have cleared things between them. For now at least.
###
Thursday started with another argument. Once again Damon tried to convince Alaric to call in sick and spend the day in bed. The teacher`s insistence on going to work had the vampire pouting and leaving the apartment in a huff. Ric found it pretty childish. When he tried to call Damon during lunch break, the vampire didn`t answer his phone and he also didn`t call back.
Therefore Alaric was all the more surprised when he entered his apartment that evening and was hit by a sense of deja-vu. It was warm inside and the delicious smell of Italian food made his mouth water. The teacher shed his jacket and made his way to the kitchen, where Damon was busy cutting vegetables. "You´re a little early." the vampire muttered without looking up from his work. "Sorry. If I had known you would break into my apartment again to cook for me I would have called to ask when you were expecting me." Ric shot back.
"I didn`t break in. You told me where you hide the key. And you invited me in." Damon reminded. Ric chuckled. "Yeah, my fault. So.. can I help you?" he offered, remembering the times they had cooked together. Damon had tried to teach him some things back then, had showed uncharacteristic patience with his first futile attempts. "Sure, cut these." the vampire ordered and Ric did as he was told. They worked together in perfect harmony, falling back into the old patterns easily. "You know, this feels weirdly domestic." the teacher commented after a while. "We did weirdly domestic on a regular basis, remember?" Damon reminded him. The memory brought a smile to Ric`s lips. "Yeah, I remember."
While Damon portioned the food, Alaric opened the wine, voicing his appreciation at the vampire`s choice. Damon shrugged. "Felt like spoiling you a bit." It was strange how much of their words and actions suddenly hinted at their shared past. Almost as if Damon was trying to remind him of the good times. Of the fun they`d had. A part of Ric still felt angry at the vampire for taking those memories away, while another part was slowly starting to accept that this was just what Damon did. What Damon was.
After dinner they washed the dishes together and drained the last of the wine. Damon had just put the last glass back into place, when Ric pushed him back against the counter and claimed his lips in a kiss. The teacher remembered that he`d always found Damon`s kisses addictive. And he`d been abstinent way too long.