A/N: Once again I have to apologize for how long this took. I got stuck on one section in particular (I won't say which one), but here it is. As always, thanks for reading and all feedback is much appreciated!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of the characters from the show, more's the pity. I do own Aedan and the plot of this story.
Chapter 15
Damon drank the blood bags that his body needed to finally finish healing. He got Stefan situated in his messy, cluttered bedroom, with Caroline assigned to watch him and offer him blood when he woke up. Vampire Barbie had strict instructions to report back to Damon on whether Stefan went for animal blood or human and how much he drank; his brother was unpredictable when pushed, especially lately when his emotions – and diet – had been even more schizophrenic than usual, and Damon didn't need Stefan going off the rails again right now. And he had left Elena in the kitchen with a glass of juice, Ric and Bonnie for company, and pizza on the way. Damon knew that she wanted to follow him around and "help" him and ask him questions about Stefan, but she needed to replenish her strength after being held captive without food or water and he was too tired and sore to deal with her anyway. Katherine was . . . well, Damon didn't know where Katherine was, and he didn't much care, although he supposed he might owe her a thank you for helping him out. Good thing she wouldn't actually be expecting him to say the words. He was, however, looking for Aedan, who had disappeared at some point in the process of getting everyone settled. Damon couldn't blame him – he had had about all he could take of the whole Mystic Falls crowd, too. He was very much missing the peace and quiet of Aedan's house right about now, and he suspected that Aedan was probably feeling the same way.
Damon found the older vampire sitting on one of the couches downstairs, staring into the fire. It was mid-afternoon, but Damon liked to keep fires burning in the house as much as possible. If anyone asked, he claimed it was because the old house got drafty, but really he just had a thing for fire. As long as it wasn't a witch or the sun setting him on fire, that is. He liked the way fire was never more than semi-controlled, beautiful but always with the potential for destruction. But just then, Damon wasn't looking at the fire. He watched Aedan instead, noticing that there was more tension in his lover's shoulders than there should be. They had won and everyone was alive, or as alive as they had been the day before, so shouldn't they be celebrating?
After a moment's pause, Damon crossed the room and poured two drinks. Then he headed for the couch, sinking down next to Aedan. Part of him wanted to just curl up in Aedan's arms, or settle his head in the older vampire's lap and sink into sleep, but he was determined to play it cooler than that. He kept a few inches of space between them and held out a drink to his lover with a wry smile. "Long day," Damon said. "Long couple of days." He was exhausted, physically and mentally, and he just needed to relax for a few minutes. Or hours. He needed that feeling of belonging, of acceptance, that he found only with Aedan.
Aedan silently took the drink, and Damon felt the familiar spark between them as their fingers touched lightly. Damon thought he saw some of the tension leave Aedan's body as gray eyes met blue. "How are you feeling?" Aedan asked quietly. "Are you okay?"
Damon chose to interpret that question as literally as possible. "All healed," he said. "But sore." After a moment he added, "I hate wood. Except in furniture." Aedan chuckled at that and Damon saw a spark of his usual humor in his eyes, but the older vampire didn't say anything more. After a moment, Damon asked, "What about you? You were hurt, too." He reached up to touch Aedan's shoulder where he had seen blood. It was gone now – Aedan had apparently showered and changed while Damon had been dealing with Stefan and Elena.
"It was just a scratch," Aedan replied. "But you're going to need to replenish your blood supply. Too many vampires in the house."
"Yeah, we can go tomorrow or the next day." Feeling bolder, Damon ran his hand down Aedan's chest and smiled as he suddenly recognized the black t-shirt that the other vampire had put on after his shower. "Where'd you get this shirt?" he asked teasingly.
