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Feb. 17th, 2011 08:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellerkayTitle: Frienemies
Part: 5/5
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ellerkay
Pairing: Damon/Alaric
Rating: PG-13ish (a teeny bit of language)
Wordcount: 1,300
Disclaimer: All for fun, none for profit.
Spoilers: Through 2.3, "Bad Moon Rising." (Remember how closely the first four chapters followed the show? Yeah, for this one it veered off into total randomo never-happened territory.)
Warnings: Slash, what appears to be plot but is in fact a total deus ex macchina
Summary: "What are we doing here?" Alaric asked.
Series masterlist
Crossposted to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
tvd_fic, tvd_slash, and damon_alaric. Apologies to anyone who gets spammed.
***
“What are we doing here?” Alaric asked, finally voicing the question that had been quietly stalking him, unbidden and unwelcome, for the last two weeks.
“Hmm?” Damon asked distractedly, his eyes glued to the TV screen. They were in Alaric’s bedroom, half under the covers. Neither had bothered to get dressed after the first portion of the evening’s entertainment. Now they were watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Again. Damon had revealed an unhealthy and rather disturbing obsession with the show; upon discovering that Alaric had never seen it, he had insisted they start from the beginning.
Alaric rather liked it, which surprised him. He’d never been one for teen dramas, even when he was a teen himself. But though the show was well-written and he liked the characters, he was finding it impossible to concentrate that night. He grabbed the remote and paused the show.
“Hey, hey!” Damon protested.
“What are we doing here?” Alaric repeated.
“We were watching TV,” Damon said, grabbing half-heartedly at the remote. Alaric held it away, aware that Damon could have snatched it out of his hand in a split second. Which meant Damon was letting him talk.
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Seems a little soon for the ‘relationship talk,’ doesn’t it?” Damon asked, using air quotes because he’d discovered a few days ago that Alaric found them deeply irritating. “Could you be more of a girl?”
“I know we don’t have a relationship,” Alaric said, exasperated. “I just mean – ”
“Yes?” Damon stared at him from under his dark brows, half-wary, half-accusing; ready to defend himself in whatever direction the situation required. Alaric froze, cursing himself for starting a conversation he couldn’t finish.
What did he mean? It was all so…unnerving. For the last few weeks – ever since Stefan found out about them – Alaric had slept at Damon’s place (or vice versa) a good dozen times. Alaric knew what it was like to wake up next to Damon (alarmingly, it was sort of nice). And he finally had to admit that he enjoyed the vampire’s company. Damon was obnoxious, but he was fun, and when he let his guard down a little he was kind of a good guy.
Stefan had waited nearly a week before he nagged Alaric about wanting to tell Elena. Alaric asked for another day and called Jenna, feeling guilty and incredibly awkward. He’d never even gotten around to telling her that he had occasionally fucked men. He went over for coffee, which Jenna – given the news – barely touched. It went about as badly as he expected. He was relieved that Jenna didn’t want to talk it out for long.
“So you’re dating him?” she’d asked. Alaric shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“Not really,” he admitted. “I mean – it looks like that, I know. But I’m not sure.”
Mercifully, she didn’t press further, but as she was showing him out (after they’d agreed to be friends, with false optimism), she spoke again.
“Alaric,” she said, and then hesitated, seeming to struggle with herself for a moment. Alaric waited patiently.
“Be careful,” she said finally. “I’ve dated guys like Damon. It’s easy to get hurt.”
You have no idea, Alaric thought, but he just nodded and thanked her.
“All right, Rick, what are you looking for? You want me to buy a class ring so you can wear it on a chain around your neck? I’m sorry, I can’t give you this one.” Damon waggled the fingers of his left hand, where he wore the sun ring. “Or, what about a pin?” He smirked. “I think I’ve already proven that I’m very good at pinning you.”
“Never mind,” Alaric muttered, shaking his head. He raised the remote, intending to resume the episode, but Damon’s hand closed on his wrist. Alaric looked at him, and Damon was wearing one of his rare serious expressions.
“I think that we have something decent here,” Damon said. Something flickered across his face. “I don’t have that many good things. Mostly because if I look at them too closely, they tend to explode in my face.”
Alaric nodded slowly. Damon released his arm and Alaric hit play.
***
“You like this one, don’t you?”
“Couldn’t care less,” Damon said. “Stop wasting your time with him, Katherine.”
Alaric was pinned up against a wall, his arm twisted painfully behind him, Katherine’s small hand just a little too tight around his throat. She pushed harder on his wrist and Alaric couldn’t suppress a grunt of pain. Damon took an involuntary half-step towards them, and Katherine laughed triumphantly.
“I wouldn’t have thought he was your type, Damon,” she mused. “He is cute, though. So scruffy and impassioned.” She released Alaric’s neck long enough to slide her fingers through his hair. “I can see why Isobel liked him.” Her hand closed on his throat again. “And I can see why she got bored with him.”
“So can I,” Damon snorted. “Sure, we might have a little bit of a thing going – for now. But believe me, Katherine, it’s temporary. I couldn’t care less about the teacher.”
“Oh, Damon,” Katherine sighed. “Sometimes, you are a very bad liar.” She twisted her hand and snapped Alaric’s neck. He felt nothing as he fell to the ground, and darkness clouded his vision, and then there wasn’t anything.
***
Coming back from the dead was like waking up from a nightmare that left his mind as soon as his eyes opened. Alaric gasped and sat up, staring around wildly. His neck made an awful crack as his spine settled into position again.
He smelled smoke. Damon was next to him with a lit cigarette dangling from the corner of his lips. Alaric had only seen him smoke a few times.
“Where’s Katherine?” he croaked, willing his heart – racing, as if trying to make up for lost time – to slow down.
“Gone,” Damon replied.
“Why didn’t you go after her?”
“I wanted to make sure you were going to be all right.” Damon took a long drag of the cigarette, then exhaled it sharply. He leaned forward and kissed Alaric fiercely, gripping the back of his neck.
“Of course I was all right,” Alaric said when Damon released him. “You should have gone after her.”
“She wasn’t going to do anything else.”
“How do you know that?” Damon didn’t answer, and Alaric sighed. “I guess she didn’t see the ring.”
Damon rolled his eyes. “She saw the ring. She was just playing with me. She wanted to be sure I knew that she knew that you mean something to me.”
Alaric frowned. “That I – what?”
“Did you come back deaf?” Damon snapped.
Alaric blinked. “Are you going to offer me a drag of that, or what?” he said finally. “I just rose from the dead. I need a smoke.”
Damon wordlessly handed him the cigarette, and let Alaric finish it. When he’d stubbed it out, Damon jumped to his feet and pulled Alaric up.
“Let’s get going,” Damon said. He was avoiding Alaric’s eyes, and it took Alaric a moment to realize why. By the time he had, Damon was already a couple paces in front of him. Alaric caught up and touched his shoulder.
“Damon – ” Damon whirled around, face guarded. Alaric paused, trying desperately to figure out how to say this.
“Do you think she noticed?” he asked finally. Damon frowned.
“Noticed what?”
“I mean,” Alaric said, “if Katherine saw that I – care about you, too – that’s one more weapon in her arsenal.”
Damon’s face relaxed slowly and he gave a little laugh.
“This is some impressive emotional maturity we’ve got between the two of us, don’t you think, Rick?” he said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go back to my place. You’ve got to see the season two finale.”
Not that Alaric would ever have admitted it to Damon, but he was looking forward to it.
***
A/N: It doesn't quite feel done, does it? I can't promise a proper sequel, but I'm laying out the traps for the plot bunnies, so we'll see if I manage to catch any. I definitely have at least a drabble or two set in this universe in me, so I'll post those as soon as they're written. I hope you all have had half as much fun writing this series as I did writing it!
A/N #2: The TVD Television Without Pity recapper gets thecredit blame for my infatuation with the idea of Damon's infatuation with BtVS.
SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION: I'm reviewing The Vampire Diaries over at Affairs Magazine. Find my review for the most recent episode here. I'd be delighted if anyone wanted to check it out.
Part: 5/5
Author:
ellerkayPairing: Damon/Alaric
Rating: PG-13ish (a teeny bit of language)
Wordcount: 1,300
Disclaimer: All for fun, none for profit.
Spoilers: Through 2.3, "Bad Moon Rising." (Remember how closely the first four chapters followed the show? Yeah, for this one it veered off into total randomo never-happened territory.)
Warnings: Slash, what appears to be plot but is in fact a total deus ex macchina
Summary: "What are we doing here?" Alaric asked.
Series masterlist
Crossposted to
tvd_fic, tvd_slash, and damon_alaric. Apologies to anyone who gets spammed.***
“What are we doing here?” Alaric asked, finally voicing the question that had been quietly stalking him, unbidden and unwelcome, for the last two weeks.
“Hmm?” Damon asked distractedly, his eyes glued to the TV screen. They were in Alaric’s bedroom, half under the covers. Neither had bothered to get dressed after the first portion of the evening’s entertainment. Now they were watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Again. Damon had revealed an unhealthy and rather disturbing obsession with the show; upon discovering that Alaric had never seen it, he had insisted they start from the beginning.
Alaric rather liked it, which surprised him. He’d never been one for teen dramas, even when he was a teen himself. But though the show was well-written and he liked the characters, he was finding it impossible to concentrate that night. He grabbed the remote and paused the show.
“Hey, hey!” Damon protested.
“What are we doing here?” Alaric repeated.
“We were watching TV,” Damon said, grabbing half-heartedly at the remote. Alaric held it away, aware that Damon could have snatched it out of his hand in a split second. Which meant Damon was letting him talk.
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Seems a little soon for the ‘relationship talk,’ doesn’t it?” Damon asked, using air quotes because he’d discovered a few days ago that Alaric found them deeply irritating. “Could you be more of a girl?”
“I know we don’t have a relationship,” Alaric said, exasperated. “I just mean – ”
“Yes?” Damon stared at him from under his dark brows, half-wary, half-accusing; ready to defend himself in whatever direction the situation required. Alaric froze, cursing himself for starting a conversation he couldn’t finish.
What did he mean? It was all so…unnerving. For the last few weeks – ever since Stefan found out about them – Alaric had slept at Damon’s place (or vice versa) a good dozen times. Alaric knew what it was like to wake up next to Damon (alarmingly, it was sort of nice). And he finally had to admit that he enjoyed the vampire’s company. Damon was obnoxious, but he was fun, and when he let his guard down a little he was kind of a good guy.
Stefan had waited nearly a week before he nagged Alaric about wanting to tell Elena. Alaric asked for another day and called Jenna, feeling guilty and incredibly awkward. He’d never even gotten around to telling her that he had occasionally fucked men. He went over for coffee, which Jenna – given the news – barely touched. It went about as badly as he expected. He was relieved that Jenna didn’t want to talk it out for long.
“So you’re dating him?” she’d asked. Alaric shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“Not really,” he admitted. “I mean – it looks like that, I know. But I’m not sure.”
Mercifully, she didn’t press further, but as she was showing him out (after they’d agreed to be friends, with false optimism), she spoke again.
“Alaric,” she said, and then hesitated, seeming to struggle with herself for a moment. Alaric waited patiently.
“Be careful,” she said finally. “I’ve dated guys like Damon. It’s easy to get hurt.”
You have no idea, Alaric thought, but he just nodded and thanked her.
“All right, Rick, what are you looking for? You want me to buy a class ring so you can wear it on a chain around your neck? I’m sorry, I can’t give you this one.” Damon waggled the fingers of his left hand, where he wore the sun ring. “Or, what about a pin?” He smirked. “I think I’ve already proven that I’m very good at pinning you.”
“Never mind,” Alaric muttered, shaking his head. He raised the remote, intending to resume the episode, but Damon’s hand closed on his wrist. Alaric looked at him, and Damon was wearing one of his rare serious expressions.
“I think that we have something decent here,” Damon said. Something flickered across his face. “I don’t have that many good things. Mostly because if I look at them too closely, they tend to explode in my face.”
Alaric nodded slowly. Damon released his arm and Alaric hit play.
***
“You like this one, don’t you?”
“Couldn’t care less,” Damon said. “Stop wasting your time with him, Katherine.”
Alaric was pinned up against a wall, his arm twisted painfully behind him, Katherine’s small hand just a little too tight around his throat. She pushed harder on his wrist and Alaric couldn’t suppress a grunt of pain. Damon took an involuntary half-step towards them, and Katherine laughed triumphantly.
“I wouldn’t have thought he was your type, Damon,” she mused. “He is cute, though. So scruffy and impassioned.” She released Alaric’s neck long enough to slide her fingers through his hair. “I can see why Isobel liked him.” Her hand closed on his throat again. “And I can see why she got bored with him.”
“So can I,” Damon snorted. “Sure, we might have a little bit of a thing going – for now. But believe me, Katherine, it’s temporary. I couldn’t care less about the teacher.”
“Oh, Damon,” Katherine sighed. “Sometimes, you are a very bad liar.” She twisted her hand and snapped Alaric’s neck. He felt nothing as he fell to the ground, and darkness clouded his vision, and then there wasn’t anything.
***
Coming back from the dead was like waking up from a nightmare that left his mind as soon as his eyes opened. Alaric gasped and sat up, staring around wildly. His neck made an awful crack as his spine settled into position again.
He smelled smoke. Damon was next to him with a lit cigarette dangling from the corner of his lips. Alaric had only seen him smoke a few times.
“Where’s Katherine?” he croaked, willing his heart – racing, as if trying to make up for lost time – to slow down.
“Gone,” Damon replied.
“Why didn’t you go after her?”
“I wanted to make sure you were going to be all right.” Damon took a long drag of the cigarette, then exhaled it sharply. He leaned forward and kissed Alaric fiercely, gripping the back of his neck.
“Of course I was all right,” Alaric said when Damon released him. “You should have gone after her.”
“She wasn’t going to do anything else.”
“How do you know that?” Damon didn’t answer, and Alaric sighed. “I guess she didn’t see the ring.”
Damon rolled his eyes. “She saw the ring. She was just playing with me. She wanted to be sure I knew that she knew that you mean something to me.”
Alaric frowned. “That I – what?”
“Did you come back deaf?” Damon snapped.
Alaric blinked. “Are you going to offer me a drag of that, or what?” he said finally. “I just rose from the dead. I need a smoke.”
Damon wordlessly handed him the cigarette, and let Alaric finish it. When he’d stubbed it out, Damon jumped to his feet and pulled Alaric up.
“Let’s get going,” Damon said. He was avoiding Alaric’s eyes, and it took Alaric a moment to realize why. By the time he had, Damon was already a couple paces in front of him. Alaric caught up and touched his shoulder.
“Damon – ” Damon whirled around, face guarded. Alaric paused, trying desperately to figure out how to say this.
“Do you think she noticed?” he asked finally. Damon frowned.
“Noticed what?”
“I mean,” Alaric said, “if Katherine saw that I – care about you, too – that’s one more weapon in her arsenal.”
Damon’s face relaxed slowly and he gave a little laugh.
“This is some impressive emotional maturity we’ve got between the two of us, don’t you think, Rick?” he said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go back to my place. You’ve got to see the season two finale.”
Not that Alaric would ever have admitted it to Damon, but he was looking forward to it.
***
A/N: It doesn't quite feel done, does it? I can't promise a proper sequel, but I'm laying out the traps for the plot bunnies, so we'll see if I manage to catch any. I definitely have at least a drabble or two set in this universe in me, so I'll post those as soon as they're written. I hope you all have had half as much fun writing this series as I did writing it!
A/N #2: The TVD Television Without Pity recapper gets the
SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION: I'm reviewing The Vampire Diaries over at Affairs Magazine. Find my review for the most recent episode here. I'd be delighted if anyone wanted to check it out.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-02-18 03:42 pm (UTC)And of course, this just SCREAMS for a continuation :D. Pretty please :p.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-06 04:22 pm (UTC)I'm still not sure about a continuation, but I wrote a drabble last week that I'm planning to post today, probably very soon!
no subject
Date: 2011-02-19 10:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-06 04:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-19 10:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-06 04:24 pm (UTC)Thank you so much for commenting, I'm so pleased you enjoyed it!
no subject
Date: 2011-02-19 10:46 am (UTC)Definitely would love to read a sequel.
I love the way they talk about their feelings while still being men, without too much touchy-feely stuff. Totally in character. It's how real homosexual relationships between two alpha men would work, I think :-).
Sorry I deleted the comment, but there's more I wanted to say:
I love that Alaric is telling Jenna the truth. It's very important and we see Alaric in the canon being unhappy with lying to her. And I like that she gives him advice and doesn't want him to hurt. Great!
no subject
Date: 2011-03-06 04:27 pm (UTC)I'm glad you thought their interactions were in-character. I like to have the manly(ish) men sort of say things without saying them. There's something awfully cute about it.
Part of me wanted to skip over the Alaric & Jenna awkwardness, but I'm glad I didn't. I do think he would have wanted to do her the courtesy of telling her what's up, and I could only imagine she would want to warn him about Damon. *g*
Thank you so much for commenting and I'm sorry it took me so very long to respond!
no subject
Date: 2011-02-19 06:28 pm (UTC)I'm all mushy inside. You're right--it doesn't feel finished, but I loved the whole thing. You have renewed my faith in Damon/Alaric fic. <3 Good job!
no subject
Date: 2011-03-06 04:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-19 08:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-06 04:31 pm (UTC)P.S. Apologies for taking so long to reply to your kind feedback!
no subject
Date: 2011-03-06 04:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-28 06:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-06 04:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-06 08:10 pm (UTC)AND YAY BUFFY!!!!
Thanks so much for sharing these.
And yea I'd love a 6th part!
Love,
Nomi et al
no subject
Date: 2011-03-06 09:32 pm (UTC)I'm glad you enjoyed it!
<3 Elle
no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 01:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-18 05:35 pm (UTC)I don't know if you saw the standalone sequelish thing I posted a couple weeks ago: http://ellerkay.livejournal.com/7515.html
Thank you so much for commenting!
no subject
Date: 2011-03-26 10:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-15 10:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-04 05:11 pm (UTC)