Sweet but Psycho

Chapter 15: A Few Good Men

Ryan isn't sure when Caroline left, but it was probably in thr middle of the night. But she went to Matt's at some point and Ryan isn't at all upset. She gets up and gets dressed before heading to the boarding house.

Damon is draped over the couch, drunk as hell. Ryan sighs as she removes her leather jacket and walks over. She flicks Damon and he hurriedly grabs her and pins her to the wall, a hand around her throat. His eyes widen when he sees that it's Ryan but he grows confused when she smirks.

"I knew you liked it rough Damon," Ryan muses, "but choking? Baby, that's some kinky crap."

Damon narrows his eyes into hers. "I just attacked you and...?"

"I scared you awake," Ryan says. "That was my fault."

Damon leans his forehead against Ryan's for a moment, not speaking - just enjoying being close to someone. Ryan closes her eyes, the demons inside her head telling her to run and to run far. Ur she keeps her feet planted as Damon breaths calmly, the grip around her throat loosens.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Damom asks.

"Turned me on a little but no, not hurt," Ryan says. "What are we doing today?"

Damon leather out a breathy chuckle. "Don't know yet." He releases Ryan's throat. "You're awful."

Ryan shrugs. "I can be."
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Ryan and Damon go to the Grill after a while of debating with each other, Damon won. Ryan wanted to go back to sleep. Ryan goes to a table to go eat and Damon sits with Alaric at the bar.

"Bourbon," Damon orders and he spots Ric. "Behold the teacher. Don't you have some papers to grade?"

"It's, Uh, more fun with a buzz," Alaric replies.

Now I see why Ryan's an alcoholic, Damon muses mentally. "Well, most things are. Sober's depressing."

"You don't strike that as somebody who gets depressed," Alaric claims.

"You say that like know me," Damon states as he sips his booze.

"Nope, just a hunch," Ric says as he has a look exchange with him; he finishes off his drink and places the glass onto the bar. "You have a nice afternoon." Alaric scoots into Ryan's booth table, across the table. "He's the one who fed on your mother."

"Maybe I should thank him," Ryan snaps. "Isobel is no mother of mine, Alaric. Jenna is more a more than Isobel ever was."

Damon looks down ar his drink as he listens to Ryan and Alaric when Liz Forbes approaches him.

"Don't talk about her like that," Alaric defends.

"She neglected me, Alaric!" Ryan exclaims. "How else am I supposed to speak about a woman who does that to a toddler, a child, and a teenager? If it weren't for me learning how to grow up or you, I'd have starved to death. I have no nice words about Isobel. She can be dead and I'll thank Damon for it. He's been more of a friend than Elena's been a sister lately. He and Caroline are the only people I have got."

"You have me, too," Alaric says. "You know that."

"Do I?" Ryan scoffs. "You're still looking for Isobel even after how she did me."