Checkmate by Ash Kennedy Part 1: Damon ran a hand through his silky black hair as he paced his bedroom floor, exasperated by the substandard proceedings of supposedly advanced technology. "How long did you say it would take?" he asked Adam. Adam leaned forward in his chair, mouth moving silently as he read the error message emblazoned across the laptop screen. "Well, as I said before, your hard drive's had a minor crash and I want to try and get around reformatting it so you won't lose your saved stuff. Gimme about...." Adam looked upwards for a moment, thinking. "A day or two." Damon stopped pacing and crossed his arms over his chest, nodding to himself. "Good enough. Now get the damned machine out of my sight." "No problem." Adam switched off the main power and snapped the terminal shut. Standing up he tucked it under one arm and headed towards the closed bedroom door. "Drive me home?" he asked as he grasped the handle and pulled it open. Damon sighed. "I'm a bit worn out from wrestling with that electronic fiend all evening. Can't you bother Stefan?" "He and Jess went out for the night. Alone." Damon arched an eyebrow. "Alone?" A grin spread across his face and he turned away towards the key rack that was mounted on the wall. "Oh, alright. I'll give you a ride." "Don't overexert yourself, now." Damon selected the key he was looking for and pocketed it. "I don't find that very amusing." "You weren't supposed to." And with that, Adam stifled a laugh and left the room before he could prompt the vampire's explosive temper. Damon stood for a moment, staring at the spot the computer genius had just been occupying as if debating something, then went over to his walk-in closet and plucked his leather jacket from a hanger. Pulling it on, he rolled his eyes and followed the boy, deliberately taking his time. XXX "You know, you're going to owe me for this," Adam told Damon as he pulled up in front of the Tate house. "For what, pray tell?" Damon replied, his eyes, which danced with eerie lights even in the dark interior of the car, sliding towards the passenger seat. Adam grinned and rapped on the case of the laptop with his fingers. "I'll fix it but it sure isn't going to be free." "You little bas...." Damon stopped himself midway, deciding insulting Adam wasn't very beneficial to him at the moment. Regaining his composure, he sat back against his leather seat and threw his hands up, defeated. "Fine. Name your price." Adam opened the passenger side door, causing the interior light to pop on, and slid himself halfway out. "Can't think of anything at the moment, but I'm sure something will come to me by the time I'm finished working on this baby." Damon shot him a look, his features drawn under the harsh artificial lighting. "I'm not doing your laundry ever again, if that's what you have in mind." Adam just stood up and smiled furtively, like the cat who had gotten the cream. "Thanks for the ride," was his only reply, and then he slammed the car door in Damon's face. As he walked up the path to his front door he heard the Ferrari peel away behind him in a screech of tires. His smile widened as he ducked inside the house. Part 2: Adam lay sprawled on his large bed, covers draped over him and Damon's laptop glowing just inches from his face. He had already gotten to the heart of the problem: a pale shadow of a virus that had been detected early enough to keep hardrive damage at a minimum. Only a few device drivers had been lost and those Adam had quickly restored. Damon's saved documents were safe but Adam was certain that the virus had been carried on the back of one, most likely a download. His fingers tapped restlessly on the keyboard as he casually flipped through a Windows folder labeled 'downloads,' glancing at 'last modified' dates to see if he could find the culprit. Idiot doesn't even have an Anti-Virus program, he thought to himself, growing bored with clicking on outdated sample texts and saved legal documents from lawyers and the like. Guess I'll install one for him. He grinned. At extra charge of course. It was then that something interesting caught his eye. A game file, marked with the date prior to the past evening's crash. This could be just the bastard I'm looking for. He glanced at the alarm clock that sat on a long bench, the bench itself littered with various electronic and computer equipment. 1:00 am. Enough time to investigate, if he didn't mind five of hours sleep before school. Debating this only briefly, taking it into consideration that the next morning was the start of a new semester, he got up from the bed and took a small black binder from the bench, then resumed his previous position. Rifling through it he stopped midway and plucked an Anti-Virus CD-Rom from one of the plastic encasements, loading it gingerly into the laptop's tray. Quickly he went through the necessary installations and system reboots, then loaded the game file into the virus scanner. He knew he could do this in an easier way by just running the program on the entire system, but he wanted to snoop around and draw out the game a bit. He waited. One minute went by, a minute and a half, two minutes. This machine is way too slow. I should ask Damon if he wants an upgrade to the processor as well. At three minutes the scanner stopped and the message box popped up. 'No errors, no viruses found.' Damn. 'Would you like to open this file now?' Adam, exasperated, clicked 'yes' just for the hell of it. The screen went blank, replaced by a two-dimensional emerald and white chessboard with various pieces scattered about the squares. A message above it read : 'Your move, love. Good luck. --- Paige' Adam, intrigued, scanned the board. He didn't know much about chess but he was intelligent enough to know the basics. And whoever this Paige woman was, she had left her defense wide-open. Adam passed his fingers over the roller ball of the built-in mouse, pushing the electronic pointer towards a black bishop. Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't mess with this. It /is/ Damon's game after all and if he finds out I was playing it he'll kill me. Still.... Adam sighed, eyeing the screen with an almost manic gleam to his eyes. Clicking the mouse, he dragged the bishop over to position A 4 and trapped the queen between his pieces. Checkmate. The words 'you win' popped up on the board and then disappeared, replaced by another, longer message. 'Damon, If you're reading this, then I've been defeated yet again (as usual). You're really starting to make me look bad, you know. Maybe we should switch to playing team Minesweeper or Poker or something a little more easier on the lobes. Anyway, how're you doing? Is Redditch working out? You never call to catch up on these things. Why? I know we don't have an intimate relationship anymore (did we ever?) but I still miss talking to you. Hell, I miss you in general (sigh). Please call soon. If you don't want to, then at least give me a number to reach you at. Or e-mail me something other then one liners and your return chess moves. Anything! Hope to hear something from you. Love always, Paige' Adam's face creased into a genuine Cheshire Cat grin. "Now this is interesting," he muttered to himself. He glanced at the clock again and cursed softly when he saw it was past two in the morning. But I guess it will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon. Yawning, he shut down the computer and snapped the top shut. Tucking it under the bed next to his schoolbag, he rearranged himself into a comfortable position on the mattress and pulled the covers up to his chin. Before long he was fast asleep, traces of grin still branded on his face. XXX The following morning, Adam sat slumped in his desk rubbing sleep out of his eyes, yawning as his new first period Metaphysics class gradually filled up. Not his first choice of courses, with all the witches and vampires in his life, but his other pick had already been filled. Why couldn't they have just given us Mondays off when they invented school, he thought bitterly. And Fridays as well. It would be far more tolerable if we only had to be here three days a week. "An extremely valid argument," a voice said and he turned to see Damon lounging in the desk next to him, looking lethargic himself. Adam was too tired to be surprised. "What are you doing here?" he deadpanned. Damon ignored the question and gestured to a plastic container filled with assorted fruits that was nestled on the rack beneath Adam's desk. "Do you have some kind of Carman Miranda fetish?" "Huh? Oh, the fruit." Adam slid the container out from under him and opened it, carefully placing it on his lap and selecting a plum. "It's for my art class." He rolled his eyes and took a bite. "Mrs. Barclay's kicking off the semester with a shitty still life project." "Ah." Damon reached over and plucked an orange from the pile. He rolled it over more then a few times, intensely studying the surface for imperfections before digging a thumb into the thick skin and peeling it away. Adam watched him. He was fascinated by this peculiarity of Damon's personality but he didn't really understand why. "Stefan's been lecturing me about how poor my class attendance is," Damon said suddenly. He put the orange down on top of one of his textbooks, tore off a large, fleshy piece and shoved it into his mouth. "I figured I'd silence him in at least an enjoyable way. With the selection of courses at this school, though, that wasn't quite as easy a task as I figured it would be." Adam smiled knowingly and, realizing he had been staring at the vampire for quite some time, cast his gaze elsewhere. He took another bite from his plum and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "So, tell me," Damon continued, changing subjects. "What exactly is going on with my computer?" Adam remained silent for a few moments, chewing thoughtfully. "Computer virus, nothing major," he answered finally, swallowing. "I've fixed most of the problem. I just have to find the little bastard that caused the corruption in the first place, easily done by running a virus scan on the entire system." "You'll have it back to me soon, then?" "As soon as tomorrow, Wednesday being the latest. Oh, and I noticed your system's a bit slow. Want me to upgrade the processor?" Damon smiled slowly, picking another piece of orange. "You're just milking me for all I'm worth in my state of technological idiocy, aren't you?" "Yup." Adam shrugged. "I've already tacked an anti-virus installation on to your cost, whatever /that's/ going to be, so what does it matter anyway?" Damon made a gesture of defeat, obviously out of his league in this situation. "Fine. Do whatever needs to be done but be quick about it." "Of course." Adam grinned triumphantly and finished off his plum. Damon resisted the urge to lob his orange at the head of the only boy he knew who could fix his computer, choosing to jab irritably at a rind instead. "Do you have your laptop with you?" he asked pointedly. "Uh, yeah," Adam replied, patting the book bag next to his seat. "Never leave home without it." "Let me see it." Adam shot him a quizzical look but reached in his bag and took out the laptop anyway. Reluctantly he began to hand it over. Only to have Damon swipe it greedily from his hands halfway between them. "Hey, what the hell!" he grumbled. Damon looked in his direction. "You don't mind if I play some Minesweeper, do you?" he asked, smirking. Then he flipped the computer open and switched the power on. Adam heard the soft chimes of Windows starting up. He watched as Damon's fingers played over the keyboard and the roller ball mouse, elegant even while performing such a mundane task. Whoa, what's gotten into me? Adam speculated silently. I should be thinking about flooring him and here I am calling him /elegant/. I must be more tired then I thought. "Is something wrong?" Adam uncurled himself from his thoughts and looked up from Damon's hands to meet his eyes. He shook his head. "No. I just thought maybe...you'd like to play a different game. Maybe something less boring like...chess?" Oh great, that was a /real/ smart thing to suggest to him, Tate. Now he's going to know I've been deliberately snooping through his stuff. Damn it.I really need to get more sleep tonight because I'm acting like I've got liquid for brains. Damon said nothing, merely raised an eyebrow. "It's the only other game I've got on there besides the shit Microsoft provided, and it's certainly not as repetitive and pointless as Minesweeper." Good save. Hopefully he's not /too/ suspicious to buy it. "It's on the start menu?" Adam choked back a breath of relief. "Yeah, under CHESS." Damon turned towards the screen, flipping through menus with a few clicks of the mouse. There was a series of beeps and whirrs that signaled the CHESS program startup and then Damon opened his mouth, about to say something when a girl with electric blue hair sauntered up and interrupted him. "Hey guys," Cookie greeted, taking a seat behind Adam. "Didn't know you two signed up for this class." "Last minute decision," Damon muttered, now completely absorbed in a chess match against the computer. "Computer class I signed up late for turned out to be full," Adam explained. "They switched me into this just this morning." "Well, Mr. Meretzky is teaching it so it shouldn't be so bad," Cookie informed him. "He never gives any homework or much notes." As if on cue, Mr. Meretzky himself walked through the classroom door and threw an attaché case down on his desk. "Sorry I'm late," he told the students, who merely groaned and muttered in reply. As he began to take roll call and ask how many of the class believed in UFO's and other unexplained phenomena, Adam looked over to Damon. Just what had he been about to say before Cookie interrupted us? he questioned, then sighed and retired his gaze to the front of the room. Part 3: Adam stepped out of the metallic gray car and on to the sidewalk in front of his house. "You sure you don't want to come to Debbie's?" Mike asked him, hanging halfway out of the driver's side window. Adam shook his head. "Nah, I have to finish up with Damon's laptop. He's getting restless about it." "Why not work on it at the diner?" "Can't. I've got to gut the thing and install some hardware." He waved and turned away from the redhead. "Maybe If I finish up early I'll catch up with you guys." "You know where to find us." Mike twisted around as Cookie shouted something from the backseat. "And Cookie says not to drink all the red raspberry soda." Adam shot a sour look over his shoulder. "As if I'd touch that crap," he shouted back. Mike just shook his head. "Have fun," he said, then rolled up his window and drove away. Adam watched the car roll down the street for a few moments, then slid his key into the house-lock and opened the door. As soon as he was over the threshold he threw his book bag down and slipped out of his sneakers, padding up the two flights of stairs to his attic room. Damon's laptop was still where he had left it under the bed. He pulled it out, grabbed some various pieces of hardware and electronics from his bench, and curled up on the seat of his south- facing window with everything on his lap. Selecting a screwdriver specifically built for working with laptops, he glanced at the alarm clock as he opened the metal encasement. It was early enough that he would have time to meet the others even after finishing up the job and doing a little prying into Damon's personal stuff. He worked quickly, swapping the old internal processor for a more potent one in no time flat, and closed the casing back up. He switched the power on and, as soon as the system had booted up, went straight for the Anti-Virus program file. The main screen appeared as it loaded up then took him to a menu of options. He clicked on 'scan for viruses' and then 'scan all hard disks for viruses.' The machine groaned as it cycled through files faster then he could follow. Knowing the entire scan would take some time before it was complete he minimized the window and brought up the 'find files or folders' option on the Windows start menu. Now, where to begin? On a whim he typed in a search for 'Paige' and was surprised when the computer paused for a moment and then brought up a list of different file types. Well, that was easy enough. Adam had the pointer hovering over an imaged marked 'JPEG,' finger poised on the mouse button in preparation of opening it, when the doorbell rang. He grumbled in irritation and pushed the laptop aside. This always happens when things are about to get interesting, he fumed as he descended the stairwells. When the chimes of the bell rang again, insolently persistent, he shot the front door a dirty look. "I'm coming," he shouted at it, then went over and yanked it open. Damon was standing on the front porch propped against the house's vinyl siding. He looked like he had been there for all eternity. "Good afternoon," he greeted. "Mind if I come in?" Oh /no/. "Sure," Adam said outwardly, gritting his mental teeth. "I ran into the others at Debbie's," Damon informed him as he stepped inside the house and headed straight towards the kitchen, as if he actually lived there. Adam followed him. "They told me you stayed behind to work on my laptop so I thought I'd come supervise." Adam leaned against a countertop, staring. "Uh, what?" was all he could manage to get out. "I want to watch you in action." Damon flashed one of his rare, electric grins and then opened the refrigerator. He didn't just--nah, no way. That's not the way he meant it. You're cracking up, Tate, really. To even /think/ that is ridiculous. Still...what was with that grin? Adam reflected on his inner thoughts as, much to his disgust, Damon took out the red raspberry soda and poured himself a glass. "Well, normally I'd let you observe my grand-master skills but I'm kinda finished," he told him after a long stretch of silence. 'So, no show today." "Ah, what a shame." Damon replied, taking a swig of the soda. Adam looked on, enraptured, as the liquid slid down the glass and between his parted lips. He found himself suddenly wondering how those lips would taste; if they'd be sticky-sweet with cola syrup or soft and cool like the rest of the vampire's skin. Adam shook his head and gripped the countertop hard. /Stop/ it, goddam it! he growled at himself. Just cut.it.out. Damon went rigid, glass poised just under his mouth and features taught. He looked at Adam, black eyes glinting eerily as they caught the light that was coming from the kitchen window. "Stop /what/ exactly?" he asked. When Adam shot him a confused look, he added, "You were projecting your thoughts rather loudly." He set his empty glass down in the sink, deliberately taking his time. "And if you grip that counter with anymore force you're going to shatter your bones. Mind sharing what has you so, shall we say, disturbed?" Adam looked at where his hands grasped the counter and sure enough they had gone entirely white from the pressure. Slowly he uncurled them and dropped them back at his sides. "I'm not in the mood to talk about it," he muttered bitterly. "At least not in the mood to talk to /me/ about it, am I correct?" Adam looked rather startled. "No offense, but you /are/ the last person I'd share my problems with." "That's probably a wise decision. Advice is not my forte." He smirked and then turned and left the room, obviously putting a close to the line of discussion. "Are you coming back to Debbie's with me?" he called over his shoulder. Adam sighed and thrust his clammy palms into his pockets. "I'll be out in a minute." The only reply he received was the sound of the front door slamming. I just don't get it...what the hell is going on with me? he questioned himself, looking around the kitchen as if the answers were there amongst the electronics and Formica. Thinking about Damon that way, it's just...well, none of it fits either of us at all and it's...it's not right. He stood in silence, unmoving, and brushed bangs out of his eyes. He counted the seconds off on the wall clock, contemplating. 1...2...3.... On the fourth one he sighed again and followed in the direction Damon had gone, making sure to grab his book bag on the way out. Part 4: Adam sat in the booth of the diner half-squished against the window and face hidden behind the screen of his laptop. He wasn't really in the mood to talk to the others and, judging by the untouched plate of French fries and a quarter-pounder with cheese in front of him, wasn't hungry either. He found himself wondering vaguely why he had decided to come along in the first place, since what had transpired in the kitchen earlier had left him ill at ease. There was also the fact that he had left Damon's computer running with the 'Paige' search still up, never mind that he hadn't finished with the virus scan. And he knew without even asking that Damon was going to come back to the house after they all were done here so he could take the machine home. He'd have to devise a way to-- Suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up, startled. "What are you doing?" Damon asked from beside him, leaning in close. Adam nearly shrank back but managed to keep himself calm. "Nothing, really," he told the vampire. "Just some boring homework. Why?" Damon gestured towards Cookie, Zia, and Mike, who were arguing over what dessert was better or something just as ridiculous. Stefan and Jess were absorbed in their own world. "I'm not very enthusiastic about the current conversations, and you don't look so thrilled yourself. I thought you might want to play a round of chess with me." Adam reached for his full plate and grabbed a single French fry. "Well...I don't know how to play that good but I'll have a go at it," he answered, swallowing the fry nearly whole. Damon smiled as the younger boy started the program up. They chose colors and soon the game was well underway, Damon nearly stamping his opponent out in the first fifteen minutes. Adam was pondering how he could change his strategy and breakdown Damon's defense when his thoughts started to wander to the night before. The game file hadn't left him many moves to study since the game itself had been nearly over, but there was a definite method to the way Damon's pieces had been strategically placed on the board. If he could just remember the pattern and play it against him.... Wait...I think I /do/ remember...Bishop to D4, that was it. To trap the queen between that and the rook at H8.Pawns surrounding all sides.Knock the queen out quickly to eliminate the major threat. Adam moved the bishop into place and grinned smugly when Damon shot him a look that was somewhere between astonishment and irritation. He's in trouble now with that ambush strategy he was using, especially when he doesn't have a queen to pounce with. Suddenly Damon gave his own smug grin. Adam watched, baffled, as he swung a previously unnoticed knight into place. "Check," Damon said, and crossed his arms over his chest. Adam's eyebrows were in his hair. Slowly he scanned the pixilated board and looked for a safe space to put his king. He found one and promptly moved to it. Damon's grin became even wider. He moved his bishop down the board to the A4 square, ultimately cornering the king. "Checkmate," he said, and sat back to bask in the brilliance of his victory. "You played a good match for an amateur, young grasshopper." Adam merely stared at the laptop, transfixed by the last move. A4...that was the finishing move I used last night as well, he thought. How weird. He let his thoughts drift, wondering about Damon, and about the mystery woman Paige, and about their chess game and their relationship. It really wasn't his business to pry but it was too late for that and he had a.../feeling/ that there was something more to all this. Damon would have at least mentioned Paige in passing even if they weren't close so why hadn't he? Was she an old girlfriend, a new girlfriend, a fling? And why would he agree to play chess with her if they didn't talk? It's none of my business. I shouldn't even be thinking about it let alone snooping through his files. I should know better that this might come back on me someday. And these feelings I've been having about him ever since I started prying can't be too good of an omen. "Damon?" he asked, pulling out of his own thoughts. "Mmmm?" Damon asked him, eyes focused on an interesting looking ice- cream sundae Cookie was enjoying. I should just leave this all where it lies. I shouldn't ask him anything. I can't, anyway. He'll kill me if he finds out what I've been up to. Adam felt nauseous and before he knew it the question was tumbling out against his own free will. "Who's this Paige woman that you play chess with?" Damon went rigid. Oh gods, you've gotten yourself into some deep shit, Tate. He's going to have your goddam /balls/ for this. "How do you know about Paige?" That one sentence from Damon, delivered without a trace of emotion, was all it took to have all eyes on him. "I found a chess game you two were playing when I was looking for what caused the problems on your hardrive. I finished it up for you and by accident I activated the message she had left for when you won." "Did I give you permission to go rifling through my personal files?" "Well...." Adam looked down. "I thought not. Were you really such a fool that you thought I wouldn't have realized what you had done?" Damon turned towards him and grabbed him by the front of the shirt, dragging him so close in the already small booth that their faces almost touched. "You partially gave yourself away suggesting the chess game in class this morning, and you were just playing with /my/ moves. Did you think I didn't notice these things?" Adam growled and shoved at Damon. "I didn't mean anything by prying. I was just curious. Now let me go." Damon ignored him and went on. "I should kill you for what you did. My personal business is no concern of yours and there is absolutely no reason--" "Damon," Stefan spoke up. He moved up behind him and put his hands on his shoulders to try and calm him down. Damon reacted out of instinct rather then malice. In a heartbeat he let go of Adam and rounded on his brother, catching him in the face with a flailing fist. Stefan cried out as his nose began to gush a dark crimson and stumbled back against Jess, who quickly grabbed some napkins off the table and thrust them against the bleeding. As soon as Damon realized what he had done he dropped his guard. The fury that had been rolling off him only a few heated moments before slowly dissipated and he took a deep breath. "Goddam it," he growled darkly and rose from his seat. He shot Adam a look that made him want to scurry under the table, then muttered a barely audible apology to Stefan and stormed out of the diner. "I haven't seen him that bad in a long time. What the hell did you do to get him so pissed?" Cookie asked Adam after Damon had been out of earshot for a while. It was Stefan who answered, though. "He mentioned something in relationship to Paige," he informed the group as the owner, Debbie, suddenly came rushing to his side with a rag full of ice cubes. The blood flow had ebbed already but she pressed it to his nose and applied pressure anyway. Taking it from her, he nodded his thanks and assured her he'd be all right as she walked away. Mike's brow furrowed. "Who's Paige?" "His love interest before we moved here. They were rather close but...I'm not sure what happened between them that drove them apart." He shrugged, eyes sliding briefly over to Adam before settling on the window. Mike followed his gaze. "Hey, we should get going too, guys. It's getting dark." The others all agreed that it was a good idea and one by one filed out of the booth. Adam lingered a bit, watching them get up and pay the bill, then gave a deep sigh. He shut down his laptop and shoved it into his book bag, then followed them outside. XXX Adam sat cross-legged on the bed, the soft flickering glow of Damon's laptop LCD screen beckoning him from the window seat where he'd left it earlier. He watched it raptly as doubt sloshed back and forth in his mind. Who was Paige that, judging by Damon's reaction in the diner and Stefan's explanation, she could obviously bring out the emotions in Damon that his friends rarely saw? Adam's curiosity was piqued and the simple solution that she was a 'love interest' didn't satisfy him enough. He wanted to know, /needed/ to know who she was beyond that. The drive was so strong that he felt absolutely no intimidation in regard to the consequences of his actions. After all, he had already admitted that he had been snooping in Damon's personal stuff. It didn't matter at this point if he pursued his interest just a bit more. It's settled, then. He unfolded himself from the bed, walked over, and slid on to the window seat. The Anti-Virus pop-up menu was still up and he noticed it had found the corrupted file that had damaged the system. He disposed of it quickly, then shut it down and focused his attention on the 'Paige' search that had also been untouched. This time around he didn't hesitate. He double clicked the JPEG file that was first in a line of many. The picture that came up was not at all what he had expected. In fact, it took a moment or two to realize what he was looking at. It was a tall young man, his features pale and slight against the backdrop of the cinderblock building he was leaning against. Unsmiling with honey-gold bangs falling into apparently wary pale gray eyes that were focused on a spot off in the distance, he seemed unaware of the camera lens that had been on him. This can't be right, Adam mused, brow wrinkled in confusement. Maybe the search picked up some stray stuff or some files were misnamed or something just as logical because there is no way that Paige can be...ah, I'll just try another one. The second picture he opened was a bit different then the first and spoke volumes. His mind nearly refused to believe what he was seeing. Holy. Fucking. Shit. In the photo Damon was laying asleep on a couch, his arms around the young man from the first picture, who was sprawled half across his chest like a human blanket. There was something almost protective and desperate about the way they held each other, but Adam didn't even need that subtle hint. There was already enough evidence to convince Adam that Paige was indeed a man. And Damon had been deeply in love with him at some point. In love with /him/, not her. /Him/. Slowly he closed the search down and shut off the computer, not bothering or even wanting to look at the other files. He already knew what they probably contained. I don't understand. How...Damon's not...he's never even...there's no way he can be like that. No way. He's too much of a womanizer. But...goddam, is that what I've been feeling when I'm around him? He looked down at the laptop casing and stared at it as if it would reveal the answers to all his burning questions. Am I like that too? No...I can't be like that. I've never even had these kind of thoughts until I started working on his computer. Adam sighed. I don't want to think about this now, though. I should just go to bed and settle it tomorrow. Warily, Adam stood up and undressed himself then set the laptop down on his workbench. He climbed into bed and pulled the covers over him, and was soon enveloped in an uneasy sleep. Part 5: Damon wasn't in Metaphysics class the next morning and Adam was slightly relieved by it. He didn't want to have to deal with his emotions and thoughts during school, and Damon would have just added to the already heavy burdens he carried. He slumped down in his desk, not really paying attention to the teacher's droning or Cookie telling him that nobody had seen Damon since the incident at the diner the night before. He was informed that Stefan was worried and that was about the gist of it until he drowned the rest of the conversation out. Lunch wasn't any different. He sat in the cafeteria at the groups' regular table picking idly at a plate of macaroni, absorbed in his own blank thoughts. Once or twice somebody asked him if he was feeling all right, since his laptop was unnaturally nowhere to be seen, and he nodded to reassure him or her. He caught Stefan shooting him strange looks a few times. He was glad when the school day was finally over, relieving him of the pressure of having to deal with his friends, and nearly cried out with relief when he was finally inside his house. His troubles weren't over yet, though. On his way to the kitchen to retrieve a snack Cookie grabbed him by the arm, stopping him in his tracks. He turned towards her. "What?" he asked, slightly annoyed. She gave him a strange look. "What's up with you today? You've been unusually distant." Adam wrenched his arm out of her grasp and continued into the kitchen. "None of your business," he told her. She followed him. "Look, if this is about what happened with Damon yesterday--" "What about what happened with me yesterday?" Both Cookie and Adam spun around to see Damon lounging with his arm propped against the kitchen doorway, teeth bared in an unnerving smile and eyes focused intently on Adam. They hadn't even heard him come in let alone sneak up behind them. "Do you do this often?" Cookie asked him in irritation. "Do what?" he shot back, not even bothering to look at her. "Walk into peoples' houses without even ringing the doorbell?" "No. Usually I have to be invited first." Cookie rolled her eyes. "I should have seen that one coming." "You should have. Tsk tsk." "So, where have you been all day? You've had us all worried after you stormed out of the diner and didn't show up in any of the usual places. Stefan's been a slight wreck." "That's my business." "Well it's become /our/ business as well, since you didn't even tell us you'd be gone for awhile." Damon did look at her this time and she could see as well as sense the disquiet that thrummed just beneath his surface. That alone, and the fact that Damon was still very much angered by the events of the day before, stopped her from arguing with him any further. Normally it wouldn't have but it was one of those times when Damon was best left unprovoked. Damon turned back to Adam when he saw his point had gotten across. "You," he said to the boy, voice calm but still dripping with venom. "Up to your room with me so we can discuss a few things. /Now/." Adam resisted the urge to tell Damon to shove his demand up his ass and sighed instead. Shooting one last glance at Cookie, who looked like she wanted to give Damon a pounding herself, he left the kitchen with the vampire following close behind. XXX "So," Damon said as he propped himself up against the back of the bedroom door. Adam kept his distance and took a seat on the bed. "Care to tell me what exactly you saw on my hardrive?" Adam took a deep breath and turned his head towards his workbench. "The chess game file that Paige e-mailed you." "And?" "And that's it." Damon raised his eyebrows and stood up straight, crossing the distance over to a window. He stared out it for a few moments, his muscles taught with a barely noticeable tension, and then looked at Adam. "You're lying. I think you know something else. Like, for instance, the fact that Paige isn't really a 'she' at all?" Adam's head spun around in Damon's direction, the guilt-ridden look on his face confirming the vampire's assumption. "Oh, so you /do/ know about that. Funny, since it was obvious that you had no idea before today." Damon grinned and it was purely malicious. "Speak a word of it and die, of course, but let's not dwell on these things too much. All I want you to know is that you've broken my trust and I don't know if you can ever regain it. Further more, at this point, it would give me great pleasure to tear out all of your internal organs and rearrange them in alphabetical order so I suggest you keep your distance for awhile. I'll tolerate you in school but nothing beyond that. Oh, and one more thing. I am not giving you any pay in any form for your services. I think you've taken quite enough from me already." Damon carefully picked his laptop up off where it rested on Adam's bench and tucked it under his arm. "Have a good day." He turned and headed for the door. "Damon, wait," Adam said, firmly so that his words wouldn't fall on deaf ears. Damon stopped and looked at him, his eyes flashing fire. "Yes?" "Are you...?" "Am I what?" "Really like /that/?" "Like what?" He sneered viciously. "Queer, a faggot, merely a vile word to smother modern day fear and hatred?" "Shutup. I didn't mean it that way, so stop being a defensive gobshite. It's just that...well, /I've/ never seen you with anyone but women." "Do you really think I'd flaunt the fact I've got a taste for men?" "Do you really think any of the group would really care if you did?" Damon shook his head, but not in response. "You're very ignorant. Ignorant and naive." "I'm /not./" Adam stood, crossing his arms over his chest. "We /don't/ care who you sleep with. That's your business. And so what if other people don't like it. You're a fucking /vampire/, dammit. You handle everything else well enough so why can't you handle your own sexuality?" Damon visibly bristled, his free hand clenching into a fist at his side. "You haven't a clue what it's like, do you?" Adam unfolded his hands and looked away. He didn't answer and the silence stretched on for what seemed like eternity. Damon studied him, eyes watching every twitch of muscle, every breath, every single movement he made. There was a blanket of confusion wrapped around the boy's mind so tight and thick he didn't even need to use a mental probe to sense it. It was mingled with another emotion, stronger and fiercer; fear.The two of them together created a pungent and heady cocktail of sorts. Damon smiled, understanding now. He set his laptop down and walked towards him. To Adam the movement was unnaturally slow, languid as ink bleeding through paper. A stalking predator's gait. The creeping realization that he was the quarry passed over him and he willed himself not to be intimidated. "Ah, I see. You really /do/ understand what it feels like." Damon's voice was softer then previously, heated with something that wasn't anger or compassion but something in between. Adam clamped down on a shiver. "I don't /know/ what I'm feeling, only that I've never felt it before I got myself into this whole mess with you." He kept his voice steady as not to betray any emotion but he wasn't so sure that Damon was convinced by his act of bravado. Damon stopped a few inches in front of him. "I think you're just afraid to admit to yourself what you really want." "What do I really want then, huh?" Adam snapped back, Damon's arrogance infuriating him. He's always so damn sure of himself, the smug bastard.... Damon cocked his head to one side like an inquisitive cat. "Me," he said simply. Adam blinked, startled. He took a deep breath, biting back on the urge to protest. As much as he wanted to disagree Damon had hit the nail on the head, so to speak, and arguing against the truth with Damon, as stubborn as he was, was futile. He threw up his hands in defeat and turned his back on the vampire. "Ok, so you're right," he admitted, slightly embarrassed that he had been discovered. "I've been having thoughts about for you for the last two days. Yesterday when we were in the kitchen I was...thinking what it would be like to kiss you. But I don't understand why--" He was cut off midway by a hand on his shoulder. Spinning back around, he found himself looking directly into Damon's fathomless black eyes, which were dappled with the soft light that was coming from the window. "Kiss me," he told Adam. "What?" Adam looked perplexed and wondered if had misheard. "You wanted to know what it was like so I'm giving you the opportunity," Damon explained, reassuring him that he had heard correctly. "But...I'm not sure if I'm like that." "Then you will be. I shouldn't even be offering you this after you went prying into my laptop so don't waste your chance." Adam sighed. "I can't do it, Damon. I probably shouldn't have told you about the whole incident so just leave it, alright." He made a move to walk away but Damon caught him and held him in place. He tried to struggle out of Damon's grasp but the vampire only tightened his grip. "Did you ever think," Damon said between clenched teeth, "that maybe the fact I haven't tired of you completely yet for all you've done is because it's not just /you/ that's having feelings for /me/ lately?" Adam froze and stared, struck dumb by the revelation. He didn't need to say anything anyway for then, without warning, Damon pulled him bruisingly close and pressed his lips hard against his. The kiss was brief, but thrumming with a nearly frantic yearning that emanated from within both of them. When they broke apart they merely stared at each other, Adam's eyes comically wide beneath the bangs that fell past his forehead. Damon laughed softly. "Well, that was...interesting." "Interesting is not the word I'd use for it," Adam disagreed. "Intense? Arousing?" "Mmmm, yeah, those sound about right." Adam wrapped his arms around the vampire but didn't attempt further contact. The tension between them had been slightly relieved but not enough for him to be completely comfortable with the situation. "So you enjoyed it, then?" "Mmmhmm." "And you want to take this further?" He felt something hard and cool pleasantly slide up his shirt and along his spine, then; Damon's hand, a silken promise. Adam picked his head back up to look him in the face. "I'm not sure." He grinned deviously. "I may need to be a little more convinced that I like it." Damon grinned back at him. Without a word his mouth enveloped the boy's again, tasting the sweet essence of lips and tongue as they twined with his own. Adam pressed himself hard against Damon, moaning when he felt the vampire's arousal brush against his own. What am I doing? He thought wildly. This is /Damon/. Not only is he a guy, he's a vampire Their mouths ground together, fiercely, desperately. Damon caught one of Adam's lips between his teeth and bit down hard enough to draw blood, causing the boy to cry out in a strange hybrid of pleasure and pain. I can't let this happen. I'm not like this, and Damon's my friend. But...it just feels so good. It's even better then a good hacking session. Shit. Oh, man. Fuck, I have to stop this somehow. As if reading his thoughts Damon pulled away at that moment, panting, mouth outlined in crimson. Instinctually Adam raised his hand to his lips to prod the area he'd been bitten. It was a small puncture, barely a wound, but his fingers came away painted red. "Damon, we just can't do this," Adam protested, backing up against the wall. Damon was close enough to grab his hand and pull it up to chest level. "Oh yes we can. Besides, you practically initiated it. " Before Adam could say another word he bent his head and sucked the bloodied fingers into his mouth. Adam gasped and shuddered as the warm, velvet cavern engulfed his flesh. A tongue followed, sliding along his skin like molten lava, then the razor-sharp scrape of a lengthened canine tooth. "Stop it," Adam nearly growled, trying to pull away. His struggles were in vain against the strength of the vampire. Damon merely looked up at him with eyes like black glass, still suckling at the fingers. "We're /friends/, Damon. Or at least we were." Adam winced as Damon bit down gently. "And I...I haven't...I've never done...." Damon /did/ stop then. Slowly he pulled his mouth away, eyes never leaving Adam's, and licked his lips. It would have been an obscene gesture if it weren't for the look of contemplation on his face. "You've never done this at all?" Adam nodded in something akin to defeat. "Yeah." "You're still a virgin." It wasn't a question. Adam turned his head away as his face suddenly flushed with shame. Why am I so embarrassed? he boggled. It's no big deal. Or at least it wouldn't be if it were one of the others I was confessing to. Damon being the first to know just makes it worse. But why? Should I even ask myself that? Do I really even /have/ to? Damon had turned around and was picking his laptop up off the spot he had set it down. "I have to go," he muttered. "I'll talk to you in school tomorrow." Without even waiting for Adam to answer him he slipped out the bedroom door and was gone. Adam stared at the place he had been for a few minutes, then sighed and made his way over to his workbench. What the hell just happened in here? he asked himself. Damon and I, we were just...fuck. I was enjoying it. I /wanted/ him. And I stopped it from going any further. Dammit, I don't understand any of this. It's like everything I've ever known about myself, about /him/ has been flipped belly-up. And now that he knows I'm a virgin he probably won't want to have anything to do with me, judging by that walking out stint he pulled. Not that that's a bad thing. Or is it? Fuck, I dunno. Growling, he switched on his main computer and logged on to his Internet service provider. Quickly he rifled through his e-mail, mostly junk, then decided to surf the web. His mind began to drift again as he clicked through technology profiles and pioneers of the hardware world. Damon /did/ get me aroused. Hell, so much I still got a hard-on. And that mouth, mmmm...it was just like I imagined. Adam blinked, the screen before him forgotten. Oh...fuck. I really liked it, didn't I? Why did I hold back then? Maybe he was right. Maybe I am afraid to admit to myself what I really want. But all this thinking is giving me a migraine. I need some Tylenol. Sitting up slowly Adam padded out of the room and went in search for the medication, hoping that it would at least give him a few hours of relief from the painfully snarled web of tension that was throbbing in his temples. Part 6: 1:00am. Adam still thought he was awake when the dream came and so had a moment of endearing pure cold fear before he realized he wasn't really in the cemetery, wasn't really walking in just his boxer shorts amongst the towering marble headstones. It was so vivid though, eerily so. On a whim, he reached out and spread his hand against one of the ivory monoliths. It was smooth and cold to the touch, much like an actual one. "What are you doing here?" came a voice, carried on the wind that whipped and churned around him. He looked up at the sound, expecting to see a ghost or perhaps nothing at all. Instead he saw Damon, crouched on the largest tombstone and peering down at him with glittering black eyes more suited for an animal then a human. Or a vampire, rather. He was completely naked, the alabaster expanse of his muscles gleaming under the light of the moon that shone above them. Like a gargoyle perched on the topmost point of Notre Dame, he leered down at the boy with lips skinned back from his teeth. Adam blinked. Well, this certainly wasn't what he had expected. Damon rose to his full height and stretched, giving Adam an eyeful, then hopped over to the next tombstone. He landed like a cat, all four limbs absorbing the impact. "You shouldn't have come here," he said, voice cold. Adam looked perplexed. "Excuse me?" Damon rolled his eyes and leapt to the ground, reaching out for him so quickly the motion was merely a blur. Adam resisted the urge to yelp when he felt the cold hand wrap around his throat and jerk him forward. "This is /my/ place," Damon growled, displaying a mouth full of sharp, predatory teeth that Adam hadn't noticed before; teeth that were unnatural even in a vampire's mouth. "Leave now or I'll be forced to harm you." Adam swallowed hard within the confines of Damon's grasp and looked up into the vampire's blank obsidian eyes. "This isn't a dream, is it?" he asked, voice strained. Damon let go of him. He stumbled back against a headstone, hair falling into his eyes as the impact jarred him. When he had regained his composure Damon gave him a curt nod. "You're right, it's not a dream," he confirmed. "But--" "Does that mean you're actually here--wherever /here/ is--talking to me?" "In a sense, yes." Adam stared in contemplation, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Damon?" "That's enough questions. It's time you've left." "I just--" Suddenly the night erupted into a volcanic rush of deafening noise. Adam's hands instinctually flew up to cover his ears and he looked heavenwards. The entire sky was a withering, amorphous mass so thick black that at first Adam couldn't quite decipher what was going on. Then he noticed the noise was familiar. The cawing of birds, the sound of wings beating the air. Crows. The entire entourage was swooping low, moving as one being as it came rushing down to devour both him and Damon in its living, breathing maw. Or at least devour him. Damon had climbed back up on to the tombstone he had originally been perched on and was watching the incoming birds with an air of tranquility. "Damon!" Adam shouted over the clamor, realizing he had very little time to say what he had been about to before the crows had cut him off. Damon looked down at him, his face bereft of any emotion. Adam took this as an invitation to continue. "You were right. I /am/ just afraid." It wasn't much of an explanation, but Damon understood. He smiled, his monstrous teeth bared in an evil victory grin, and then took a running leap off the edge of his perch. Adam didn't understand what Damon was hoping to accomplish until, much to his surprise and amusement, two enormous black-feathered wings sprouted from the vampire's back. Crow's wings for the crows' master. Damon flew around the flock a few times, guiding them downwards like an impish dictator as they spiraled at an ever- increasing speed before disappearing amongst their numbers. Adam braced himself for the onslaught of beaks and talons but it never came. Instead, as they swooped down to claim him, screeching their anger and irritation at his intrusion on their master's territory, an inky darkness surrounded him and he was pulled down into the depths of it. He woke up, mouth opened in a silent scream, and sat upright. Sweat covered him, wet and slick and clinging to him like a second skin. He wiped at his brow and was glad that he was in his bed, safe from the dream or whatever other subconscious conjuration it had been. And then he saw the marks. Scratches and hairline wounds ran up his arms in crisscrossing patterns. When he touched his face his hand came away bloody. That was real? he asked himself. Then that means.... Adam fixed his mouth into a tight, thin line. Damon and he were definitely going to have many things to talk about over the course of the next day. XXX Adam sat in his first period Metaphysics class staring at a page in his notebook he'd been doodling furiously on for the past fifteen minutes. He'd arrived to school early and there was still another good twenty minutes before class officially started. Damon wasn't there yet, and Cookie was probably with the others so he took the opportunity to study what he'd been working on. It was a rather crude drawing, Adam not being much of an artist, but there was no mistaking what it was supposed to be. A naked man with two giant black wings that spread across the page like a blotch of cancer. Below that he'd drawn himself in. Or at least he'd /tried/ to draw himself in. The blocky limbs and wobbly head weren't exactly recognizable as a self-portrait. "Interesting." Adam nearly jumped out of his seat at the sound of Damon's voice behind him. He looked behind him and sure enough the vampire was there, leaning in so close that he should have been able to be detected. Damon grinned and took the seat in back of him. Adam remained staring at him. As much as he didn't want to admit it he was glad to see this version of Damon rather then the sharp- toothed, imp-like winged being he had encountered in his dream. "What?" Damon asked. "You're not still upset about yesterday afternoon, are you?" Adam realized he had been staring and dropped his eyes to his shirtsleeve. It was warm out, with the days getting increasingly warmer as the spring season bloomed, but he had to opt for long sleeves that morning. With all the marks on him somebody was bound to start asking the wrong questions. He thanked his deity that his face was almost completely unmarked. He must have thrown up his arms to defend himself as soon as the crows had attacked him. "No, I'm not mad," he answered flatly. "I just want you to explain /this/." He rolled up his sleeve and held his arm out across Damon's desk for him to look at. "I have the same marks on the other arm, too." Damon's face didn't change the slightest as he examined the wounds. His natural hooded, lazy look remained as he ran his thumb along what seemed like a scratch from a very large talon. And suddenly he bent down and slowly, tantalizing, licked along where the flesh had scabbed over. "Are you nuts?" Adam exclaimed, wrenching his arm away and looking frantically around the classroom. "What if someone came in and saw you doing that? They'd think we're faggots." Damon stared at him. "I'd hear them before they were even three feet from the door. And just so understand the whole concept of this, we /are/ faggots, although I'd use a far less vile word for it." It took a moment for Adam to realize that Damon was angry, almost to the point of enragement. "Look, I don't have anything against being gay and I didn't mean anything by the faggot comment. It's just...well, you've been around long enough to know how people can be." Adam sighed. "And I'm not /sure/ if I'm like you." "I see. So showing up in my sanctuary and telling me that I was right, it was just fear was, what? A pointless, meaningless confession?" Adam blinked, dumbfounded. "You /asked/ me if I was talking to you directly there and I said yes, didn't I?" "Yeah, but...." "You wanted an explanation for your wounds. Well, it was mostly your own fault. You came searching for me and you found me only you invaded my privacy. It was /me/ who hurt you because you overstepped your boundaries." Adam frowned, brow furrowing. "You've lost me here, Damon." Damon rolled his eyes and waved him to silence. "Never mind, I'll explain it some other time," he muttered. "Or ask Cookie. She might be able to enlighten you more then I can." "Maybe I should I tell her that you appear to me as a naked, black- wing monster with shark-like features and an army of crows, too, huh?" Damon folded his hands and rested his chin on them, shooting a look that let Adam know he hadn't appreciated the joke. Adam sighed and closed his notebook so that the picture he had drawn was no longer visible. "Can we talk about something else?" Damon grinned. Adam was almost expecting to see razor-sharp, carnivorous teeth suddenly erupting from the vampire's gums but aside from the fact his canines were a bit sharper and could lengthen when needed, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "We need to talk about what happened in your bedroom," he told the computer genius. "Here?" I should feel /lucky/ it's here. At least he probably won't try anything in the classroom, although he did pull that stunt a few minutes ago.... "We have time. We've already established that you aren't mad, but you fear...." "Why did you leave when you found out I was a virgin?" Damon's grin slipped into a frown. He seemed startled by the question but he hid it expertly. "Yes, I do believe you deserve an explanation. And I can sense that you think it has something to do with your revelation." "Does it?" "Yes and no." "What kind of answer is that?" "A wise one." Damon gave a brief grin, flashing his teeth again in the process. "No because although I knew you were confused, I thought you were just playing with me. After all, you did partially change your mind twice. When I realized that it wasn't just some seduction game I felt rather.../guilty/ that I had baited you." He feels /guilty/ about it? Didn't think I'd be around for the day Damon actually /confessed/ to feeling bad for something like this. "And yes," Damon continued, "because that was just not the proper way for you to loose your virginity. You weren't--excuse me, aren't...ready for it and I don't need that burden on my shoulders." Adam went white with anger and clenched his hands into fists. He was so infuriated that he could have decked the vampire, despite what the consequences of that action would have been "Who the fuck gave you the right to tell me when I'm ready--" "Shut up," Damon snapped, cutting him off. "As I was saying before, you still fear your own emotions. You won't accept what you want and until you do you will never feel comfortable with another person." "Since when are you so full of advice?" Adam's voice had risen close to shouting. Damon narrowed his eyes at him, his tone dangerously calm. "It's not so much advice as the voice of experience." Adam had been about to say something without even bothering to listen to Damon's side of the argument when that one sentence clicked in his mind and stopped him dead. He sat for a moment staring at the vampire, whose concentration had been redirected to an open window. "Oh," was all Adam could manage, feeling defeated. /Oh/ is right. Dammit he was...fuck, he was trying to help me out wasn't he? "Yes but you're too obstinate to understand that," Damon answered, reading his thoughts. "Alright, I get your point." Adam wet his lips thoughtfully. "You know, last night after you left I was trying to make sense of what had happened." Damon's focus on the window didn't waver. "Mmhmm?" "I was thinking about how much...how much I liked it." "Is that so?" "Yeah. That and...ah, fuck it." Damon looked at him this time, his face lit with an anticipatory light. "Tell me," was all he said. Adam nodded. "We've been friends for awhile and I've never thought of you as anything more, but now...." "Now, what?" Adam took a deep breath. I /have/ to do this. I have to accept what I want. And suddenly he was bridging the gap between them, leaning over the back of his desk and reaching his arms out to grab Damon around the head and pull him forward. His mouth met the vampire's in a sloppy embrace, tongue slipping easily past the yielding lips that pressed hard against his own. The connection, so warm and wet and intimate, sent shivers down his spine. And I yelled at /him/ for doing things like this in the classroom. Just call me a hypocrite. The kiss was different then the ones they had shared the day before. It was less frantic, less hungry. More dramatic and personal. Adam felt much more comfortable with it at this pace and let it go on until he felt the pinprick of a lengthened fang scrape against his tongue and draw blood. He broke away, startled. They stared at each other, Damon licking fastidiously at where the blood had stained his tooth while Adam looked on thoughtfully. "Vampire's equivalent of an erection," Damon muttered in explanation. Adam smirked at this and was going to comment when a loud shrieking filled the room. He looked around momentarily, wondering what the hell it could be until he realized it was the fire alarm. A drill couldn't come at a better time, he mused. Come to think of it, it's a bit early for that. Maybe it's a real fire. This should be interesting. At loud, he said, "We better get our asses outside if we don't want to get in trouble for lingering." Damon nodded his agreement and the two of them packed up their belongings and left the classroom. Part 7: The gymnastic playing field outside the school was already swarming with students and teachers alike when Adam and Damon arrived. Most of them were pressed against the chain link fence that bordered the grassy facility, peering at the school building and wondering what was going on. The pair, who waded through the thickest part of the crowd until they reached the tail end of it, mostly ignored them. There were only a few straggling students back here who were alone or hiding what they were doing under the cover of the sport bleachers. They were also ignored as Adam made sure higher authorities weren't looking and then motioned for Damon to follow him between the tall bushes that separated the field from a small river that ran alongside it. There was a bank here, slim and pitted with clumps of dead, brown grass. They walked along it until it curved off to the right then widened. The grass on this side was richer, greener and the group usually used the area when it was warm enough to have lunch outside.They cleared the vicinity of rocks and sat down next to each other, making themselves comfortable. "Cookie usually beats us here," Adam thought aloud, watching the river churn slowly beneath him. Damon took a slim-design Discman from the pocket of his jacket and slipped the attached backphones behind his head and over his ears. Switching the thing on, he laid back and folded his hands behind him, his eyes drifting closed as the music started. Adam found it to be an oddly human gesture and smiled to himself. "I don't sense her or any of the others nearby," Damon informed him after a long bout of silence. Adam shrugged, not in the least worried. "Whatcha listening to?" he asked. Damon opened his eyes and turned his head to look at him. "Depeche Mode's new album." "Hmmm, so you've got good taste after all." Damon stared at him for a few moments, silence stretching out between them again. The corners of his mouth were turned up in a Cheshire grin. Adam didn't overlook the lustful, predatory gleam in his eyes as they locked with his. Knowing full well what he was getting himself into, he flashed a grin of his own at the vampire. Damon moved in close and propped himself up on his elbow, but didn't try to touch him. "Why did you kiss me before?" he asked, voice like the caress of silk. Adam resisted the urge to shudder in pleasure as the words rolled over him. "Because you're right, I can't hide from my emotions any longer," he answered truthfully. "I can't fear what I want, and what I want is, well, you already know." Damon's grin widened knowingly. "So you're nearly ready to accept the way things are?" Adam merely nodded in reply. "Allow me to tip the scales a bit, then." Before Adam even had a chance to be puzzled Damon reached out, pulling him on to his back and pinning him down with one hand. Adam, knowing full well he was no match for the vampire's strength, didn't even bother to struggle. At least not until Damon's free hand trailed down the length of his shirtfront and found his belt buckle, that is. "What're you doing?" Adam asked. He squirmed in his captor's grip but was too aroused for his heart to be in it. Damon gave him a quick kiss on the lips in reply, his fingers expertly unclasping the buckle. The button of Adam's jeans was next, and then the zipper until finally all that was keeping him unexposed was a pair of cotton briefs. What the hell's he doing? Don't he realize we're going to get caught here? He watched as Damon's hand dipped beneath the elastic of his underwear, continuing its exploration, and felt heat creeping up his face. Shit, this is goddam embarrassing...and it's really not a good... All of Adam's thoughts melted away like oily butter left in the sun too long as he felt Damon's soft fingers brush against the sensitive head of his erection. They darted lower, teasing the silken firmness of the underside, before a hand wrapping all the way around him replaced them.He moaned at the sensation, the sound becoming a desperate, guttural cry as Damon began to stroke his length. Adam could feel his pent-up lust and his fear and his uncertainty balling together to form one powerful surge of emotion, a surge of pure desire for Damon. It nearly frightened him, so intense was the force. As if sensing this Damon leaned his face in close to Adam's and ran his tongue from the corner of the boy's mouth up to his earlobe. Adam shivered and was driven even further into ecstasy by the quickening of Damon's pace with each stroke of his hand. " Fuck," Adam muttered, his breath coming in gasps. He pulled the vampire down for a hard, passionate kiss. Damon broke the contact quickly and smiled, fangs glistening. "No, not yet," he shot back at him, trailing kisses down his neck to the hollow of his throat. He could feel the familiar tension of the muscles thrumming underneath the thin sheath of skin there and knew the boy, in all his passion, wouldn't be lasting much longer. "And certainly not here." Adam wasn't paying much attention. His eyes were closed, head thrown back and hips thrusting opposite of Damon's pumping fist. A fine tremor ran through his body, his jaw clenching in a strange grimace of pleasure. Damon lets his teeth graze over the flesh beneath him, anticipating the moment he would bite. Adam was just teetering on the edge of climax now and Damon could already taste the phantom sensation of hot, coppery blood flooding his mouth. And suddenly all of Damon's senses went off like a bomb. Like a startled cat, he broke away from Adam and hovered over him in a defensive stance. Adam let out a low, pitiful groan that was drenched in agony and balled himself up into a fetal position. Damon could hear the rustle of branches being disturbed, rocks and grass crunching underfoot. Somebody was coming through the bushes just up the riverbank and they weren't being cautious about it so it had to be one of the others. Still, he sent out a mental probe on a tendril of power just to be careful and was met with the backlash of anger from a familiar mind, although it wasn't directed at him. Cookie came round the bend muttering darkly and looking about ready to wring the neck of whoever was unfortunate to get in her way. "Can you believe this?" she asked, addressing Damon. "The school--" She stopped dead when she saw Adam lying beneath him, curled up like a wounded animal with his pants hanging open. "What's wrong with him?" she demanded, fighting to keep her panic down. "Is he alright? Should I get the nurse?" Damon rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation, straightening up. He Grabbed Adam by the collar and dragged him to a sitting position. "I'm fine," Adam answered for himself as he braced his arms behind him, his voice strained from the tension that had spread from his groin to throughout his entire being. Frustration engulfed him in a hot and fierce cloak and he clenched his fists around the clumps of grass that pushed up between his fingers. He yearned for release, /needed/ it. ((You'll get it, don't worry.)) Damon reassured him, the mental caress of his mind as soothing as the cold sensation of ice on a sweltering day. ((I know somewhere we can go after we're done here that's /definitely/ secluded)) Cookie's brow furrowed as Damon forgot to psychically shield himself and she caught the one-sided conversation. She used all her mental strength to fight back the urge to comment, figuring it really was just none of her business, but the fact that Adam was involved in whatever was going on was just too intriguing. "Excuse me, but get what exactly?" she asked the pair of them, face inquisitive. "And what's this about a secluded place?" Damon and Adam looked at each other, some unspoken communication passing between them, and then turned to her in unison as if they were two separate parts of the same being. "We were just thinking of--" Adam began, but was cut off by Damon. "This situation is between Adam and I alone so I would appreciate it if you kept yourself out of our private conversations," the vampire told Cookie, raising his voice just a notch. Cookie blinked. Damon never raised his voice, not unless he was in a rage. It was not a good sign that he was doing it and that it was directed towards her. Still, he'd already gotten away with pushing her around the day before and she wasn't going to let him do it again that easily. "It was /your/ fault," she shot back, raising her own voice. "I only caught it because you didn't put up a shield and were broadcasting it loud and clear." Damon growled softly. "It still had nothing to do with you. You should keep your questions to yourself." "Not when my younger brother's involved, I shouldn't." "He can take care of himself." "Maybe, but I'm willing to bet that with you around--" "Cookie!" Adam suddenly shouted, buttoning up his jeans and pulling himself to his feet, the fierce craving inside him dormant for the moment. "Huh?" Cookie answered, giving him a strange look. He shot her an annoyed glare."Knock it off, ok?" Beside him he heard Damon stifle a laugh and he turned towards him. "You too, smartass. Sheesh. Don't you guys ever do anything except antagonize each other?" Damon's face went slack for a moment and then he grinned. "I do /many/ other things," he answered. ((Yes, we know that already)) Cookie told him, jeering mentally. Damon's grin just grew wider in response. Adam shook his head and pushed bangs out of his eyes, his gaze momentarily fixed on his sister. Should I tell her about me and Damon? he asked himself. Or, well...part of this is also up to Damon to decide, I guess. But Cookie won't mind, I'm sure. She may be surprised about the news, maybe even eager to question us about the whole thing, but I can't see her denouncing it. ((We can't tell her)) Damon told him, reading his thoughts. He carefully blocked Cookie from hearing this time. ((Not until the others are present, at least.)) Adam didn't question why, only silently agreed, sure that Damon could sense it. "We're leaving for the day," the vampire told Cookie aloud and started walking towards her. After a moment, Adam, a bit startled by Damon's sudden decision, followed behind. "Oh, well, you think you can give me a ride then?" Cookie asked. "Why?" "Principal had a bomb threat and is canceling classes for the rest of the day. I can't find Stefan, Mike, or Jess around and I don't really feel like walking." She smiled sweetly at him, putting on her most irresistible face. "Please?" Damon shrugged. "Fine. But let's not have any disasters like last time, alright?" he called over his shoulder as he walked past her. Cookie grinned, snickering in memory of the time she had asked Damon to teach her how to use the Ferrari's manual transmission. She had almost killed them both. Well, maybe just herself. She was sure the vampire could survive being slammed against the dashboard a few times. "Are you coming?" Adam yelled from between a pair of bushes, startling her out of her thoughts. Realizing she was lagging pretty far behind them she cleared her head and hurried to catch up, feet propelling her as fast as she could go. XXX "Thanks for the ride," Cookie told Damon as he pulled up in front of the Tate house in a screech of tires. Adam unlocked his door and got out of the car so she could squeeze out of the backseat, then slid back in and arranged himself in a comfortable position. Cookie stood on the sidewalk staring at him. "Aren't you coming?" she asked. Adam shook his head at her. "Damon and I have, er, a few things to take care of." Cookie blinked and felt a surge of dread course through her as a grin crept over Damon's face. Normally, having to deal with Damon on a regular basis, she would have brushed the whole thing off but there was something different in the air this time. Something predatory, something...lecherous. "Be careful," she told her brother without thinking, who raised his eyebrows and shot her a look of annoyance. "Don't worry," Damon reassured her. His grin had dissipated, replaced with an expression that was as unreadable as ancient Greek. "He'll be with me." "That's what I'm afraid of." Without another word, she turned her back on them and walked up the path to the front door. Adam watched her every move, staring so hard his gaze should have been able to bore holes in her back. What was that all about? He looked over to Damon, who had fixed his concentration on the front windshield. "Is this such a good idea, going off by ourselves?" he asked. Damon sighed and pushed down on the clutch with his foot, putting the car into first gear. "Honestly, do you really think it matters if it isn't?" Adam shook his head as Damon stomped on the gas. The car lurched out of its parking spot like a thoroughbred racehorse at the sound of the starting bell and tore down the street just as fast. Before long they were leaving the suburbs and getting on to the Expressway, heading out towards the lush expanse of forest that bordered Redditch. Part 8: Adam was surprised to see the dilapidated barn complete with two- family house and silo as the Ferrari pulled up to it in the middle of a forest clearing. Trees spread their branches like grasping fingers around the outskirts of what was once a neighboring field, surrounding all but the small car path like a fort. There wasn't any other indication of civilization nearby, no houses, no stores, and no nature trails for miles, so its presence there was inexplicable. "A hermit used to live here, and unfortunately he died here as well," Damon explained to Adam as he cut the car's engine. "He's a bit of an belligerent spirit but he's harmless, really." "Huh?" Adam asked, perplexed. "In other words, we can rest assured that nobody's going to venture here and disturb us." Damon shook his head. "Humans are always fearing the least dangerous of supernatural creatures." Adam just stared out the front windshield listening, imbibing. He turned his head slightly, waiting for Damon to continue, but Damon's attention had been snared by something off in the distance. Without saying anything, the vampire opened his car door and slipped out of the vehicle as silently as a stalking cat. Adam watched him as he went in the direction of the barn and waited until he was at its chipped and peeling double doors before getting out of the car himself. The sound of the passenger side door slamming was like a gunshot in the general silence that enveloped the clearing. Damon, hand on the handle of the barn entrance, glanced over his shoulder at the noise and grinned when he saw him. He pulled the barn door open, as if in invitation. Can I actually go through with this? Adam asked himself as took a deep breath and walked towards the barn. I liked it well enough before. I mean, I liked kissing him, and being touched by him but can I really.and we're out here all alone, nobody for miles. If something goes wrong.Cookie was worried, dammit. What if she-- Adam was startled out of his own musings by a hand clamping down on his shoulder and dragging him the rest of the way into the barn. The lighting was so poor it was almost nonexistent inside the building and the smell of rotting hay and animals permeated the air like cloying cologne. He nearly yelped in surprise when arms wound around him, rendering him immobile, but was cut off by the sensation of a mouth tenderly pressing against his own. Damon's mouth, soft, yielding, delectable. He felt himself responding to it, tongue darting between the vampire's lips almost reflexively. ((You're afraid.)) Damon's voice said in his mind. It was followed by the mental equivalent of a sigh. ((But you don't have to be. I give you my word that I won't hurt you.)) Adam, not having any other way to respond, broke the kiss and frowned. They stood in silence for what seemed like hours but was actually seconds, Damon's eyes glinting in the semi-darkness like an animal's. Adam knew that the vampire could see him clearly, knew he was watching his every move. He clamped down on a shudder. "You know what you want now," Damon went on, aloud. His voice barely rose above a whisper. "Don't fight it." Adam sighed. "I just don't know if I'm ready for this, Damon." He felt the arms around him slip and pull away, the friction so pleasurably sensual he nearly gave up his argument on the spot. Fear and concern kept him grounded, though. "A few passionate kisses and a hand job, that's, well.it's all very different then actually.." "Fucking?" "Well, yeah." There was the rustle of clothing as Damon turned and made his way over to a clump of hay bales. There was a small object glinting beside them and he snatched it up as he sat down, gesturing for Adam to come and sit next to him. Adam only hesitated for a moment before stumbling through the gray-blackness to give in to the vampire's request. He adjusted himself on the uncomfortable hay and tried to ignore the itching and jabbing sensations it gave him every time he moved. There was the sound of a match striking a surface, the brief illumination of a flame, and suddenly the space where they sat was bathed in flickering light. Damon set the oil lamp he was holding atop a stack of hardback books that were at their feet and shoved it a safe distance from the hay. He turned towards the boy. Shadows slithered over him like serpents as he moved. "I never implied that we had to go that far," he said, trying to gauge Adam's reaction by his facial expression. The computer genius just stared at him blankly, though. "Like I said before, you aren't really ready for that. And we can take this at any pace that you like." Realization dawned on Adam's face and he furrowed his brow in thought. "What is it?" Damon asked. Adam shook his head. "Nothing" Damon shifted, one hand gripping the boy's shoulder and pulling him sideways. Adam stared at him, body tense and alert, and almost flinched when he raised his other hand. "Tell me," Damon pressed, fingers tracing the sensuous curve of the boy's lips before trailing lower. Adam sighed. "You're not the person I've always taken you to be." Damon smiled, hand roaming idly against the thin fabric of Adam's tee shirt. "Is that all?" "No. I just.I just don't understand all of this." "You shouldn't try to. It only serves to complicate things." Damon's hand found the bottom of Adam's shirt and slid up under it, soft fingers brushing over hard flesh. Adam squirmed. "I want to know why you're attracted to me, though." "It doesn't matter." Damon gripped the shirt from the inside and tugged it up so that Adam's chest was exposed. Adam watched him lean in, saw his lengthened canines catch the light from the oil lamp. And promptly held up a hand and stopped him midway. "It /does/ matter," he insisted. Damon sighed and looked upwards. His eyes were glassy, unreadable. When he spoke there was an edge to his voice. "Why do you insist on questioning this? Why can't you just ride it out?" Adam scowled and spoke just as harshly. "I like you, Damon, beyond friendship. I don't want to get involved with you, physically or otherwise, if you don't feel the same. It would be too empty that way." Damon said nothing, only listened. "You probably don't give a shit about how I feel, anyway," Adam continued, his voice dropping to just above a whisper. He gave a brisk, humorless laugh. "I know you're not really as terrible as you act, but I was probably an idiot to even think you wanted more from me then just--" "Shutup." Adam looked at Damon, who leaned back into a sitting position and screwed his face into a tight-lipped mask. He was trying to keep his emotions in check and Adam silently commended him for restraining such unabashed fury. "Do you honestly think I'd have anything to gain from seducing you for no good reason?" he demanded. "You'd gain a lover." Damon scoffed. "Oh, please. I could have many of those if I choose to, but I decided to pursue you instead." He paused, thinking. "And the only thing I've /really/ gained from this whole situation is frustration and discomfort. Proves just how much I'm in this for the sex, doesn't it?" Adam blinked, realization dawning on him. "You really /did/ mean it when you said you had feelings for me." Damon nodded. "It's about time you grasped that concept. I thought you would have figured out by now that I wouldn't have forgiven nor done all I have for you today if I didn't care for you. For a genius, you sure don't catch on quickly." "I'm stupid when it comes to relationships with people," Adam muttered to himself, but Damon heard him and grinned. "So, what now?" "Like you even have to ask?" Before the boy could answer Damon shoved him on to his back. The hay scratched deeply into where Adam's skin was exposed but he ignored it, attention focused on Damon's form looming above him. "I'm having the strangest feeling of Déjà vu," Adam quipped, panic seeping quickly into his mind. Damon replied by leaning in closer to him and pulling his rolled up shirt the rest of the way off. He tossed it hastily aside and then took off his own top. Adam felt a fiercer wave of trepidation roll over him and had to force himself not to jump up and bolt for the barn exit. He wet his lips, swallowed to smother the dryness in his throat. His eyes clenched shut as if his body were braced for a blow. Hands encircled his waist, cool and dry against him, and slithered upward. He felt them brush along the flat expanse of his stomach, over the slats of his ribs, against his nipples. Fingers played along his collarbone until they trailed back down to his waistline. He slowly opened his eyes when he felt as well as heard his jeans being opened and pulled off of him. He could taste the bitter flavor of objection on his tongue, but he choked it back and let Damon disrobe him. When the vampire had completely wrestled the clothing off he reached back up for Adam's briefs, then suddenly drew back as if slapped. "No, that won't do at all," he said, and the light from the oil lamp made the grin he flashed seem devilish. Adam was perplexed. "What wont do?" he asked. "You've got to do this yourself." Damon's grin dropped and his face went slack, utterly serious. "Since this matters so much to you, it has to be your choice." "Do what, exactly?" Adam propped himself up on his elbows. His eyes were wide, curious. "Let down all your barriers and allow me to have you both mind and body." "And what will that prove?" Adam took a deep breath and held it in anticipation. Damon's gaze was nearly emotionless. "Nothing you don't already know." Adam let his breath out in a rush. "What the hell's the point of that then?" Damon rolled his eyes. "Are you going to do it or not?" I should. Adam thought. I really want this. Hell, I really want him even if I /am/ a bit afraid. But this is all happening so fast and what will happen if I let him get that close? It could be disastrous. I could up in more of a mess then what I started in. ((Or you could enjoy it immensely and end up wanting more.)) Stop reading my thoughts. "Then hurry this up and choose already," Damon said aloud, his voice clipped. "I'm starting to loose my patience with you. It's a /very/ simple concept. Either you drop your barriers or you don't." "Alright, don't get ornery. I'll drop them." "Then first you need to be fully naked." Adam lifted his head to meet Damon's eyes, distress creasing his features, and opened his mouth to protest. Damon cut him off before he could. "This is the choice you made. Are you going to go back on it already?" Adam sighed, defeated before he could even begin the argument. He stood up slowly, brushing away scraps of hay that clung to him and bit into his flesh."No, of course not." Ignoring the fear and embarrassment that ran like a cold river through his blood, he reached down and slid his briefs off in one fluid motion before he could loose his nerve. His cock stood out erect, overcast by shadows and the soft orange light from the lamp. He was almost relieved when he looked over to Damon and found the vampire rising from his seat. The movement was languid, the pale sinew of his muscles in his bare arms and chest doing a slow, seductive dance as lamplight crawled over them. Adam found himself captivated as he was approached, so much that he forgot entirely about his state of undress. Nothing was said between them; nothing really needed to be, so it seemed. Damon's arms wound around Adam and he drew the boy close. Adam pressed himself hard against the vampire, burying his face in his shoulder as if he was something that had been discovered after many years of searching. The boy breathed in the pleasant scent that bombarded his senses. A hint of cologne, burning leaves, the smell of tree sap and animals. It struck something deep inside him, something primal and hungry and fierce. His lust ignited like an alcohol soaked cloth near a flame and he found himself unintentionally reacting to it, his fingers boldly toying with the buttons of Damon's pants. Damon licked the arch of Adam's neck, tongue snaking along the pulse line. He shuddered, aroused by the blood pumping just beneath the surface. His instinct was to bite down, to tear into the flesh and seek out the iron-flavored substance that sustained him, but he held back on it and concentrated on Adam's wandering hands instead. "What are you waiting for?" he asked after Adam had been idling for some time. Adam pulled away from the vampire's shoulder and met his eyes. His lips parted as if to speak but nothing came out. "Well?" Damon prompted. Adam dropped his gaze and collected himself. Taking a deep breath, he pulled open Damon's pants then slid them down just a bit, coaxing even though he knew the vampire really didn't need to be coaxed. He was surprised when his fingers met bare flesh. "No underwear?" he asked. Damon just kicked off his shoes and pulled the pants the rest of the way down in reply. It was the only answer that Adam needed, as well as the only invitation. He ground himself against Damon and groaned softly at the sensation of bare friction, eliciting a resounding grunt from the vampire. Lust was a fiery maelstrom raging inside him, a snarling, snapping beast salivating at the implication of a meal. Whether this all was being driven by pleasure or raw yearning he couldn't quite figure out, but he didn't allow himself to dwell on it too long for fear it would interrupt the sudden surge of emotion. One of Damon's hands caressed his back while the other entangled in his hair and pushed him downward. He found himself being forced to his knees, the vampire moving with him in slow descent. They stared at each other as they sunk towards the wooden floor and not once did their gazes waver. "Would you like to continue?" Damon asked after they had been kneeling idly for quite some time, his voice a rumbling purr. The muscles in Adam's throat pulled taught and released in a ripple as he swallowed hard. He knew what would happen if he said yes; knew what would happen if he said no and wished he didn't have to make a choice. For in truth what he wanted was for Damon to fling him on to his back and just do with him as he wished, but there was a tendril of rationality coiled around his mind and that coil was screaming in protest. It was keeping his feet planted firmly on the ground. In the end, though, his innermost desires ignited and took control of the reigns, crushing any rational thought he may have had in its wake. "Yes," he told Damon. "I want-" Damon pounced on him, moving as quick and graceful as a jungle cat. Adam was startled as the vampire's well-muscled body collided with his own and sent him sprawling on his back. "I already know what you want," Damon drawled, his voice like the slow drip of syrup. "Your thoughts give you away so easily." Damon was straddling the lower portion of Adam's legs, hands resting against the boy's chest for balance as he leaned forward. He bent his head low and his lips brushed the hollow of the boy's throat in a soft, anticipatory kiss. Adam shivered. His arms encircled Damon's neck and tried to pull him downwards. He wanted to feel the vampire's supple, silky-smooth body against him; /needed/ the enticing caress of bare skin on his own. Damon sensed Adam's longing and it was as if he was the puppet and it was the strings that manipulated his actions. He slid his hands down the Adam's chest, along his sides and finally planted them on the ground and dragged himself forward until he was lying between the boy's thighs. His head was bent low, his body hovering just a hair's breath away from full contact. His tongue slithered out from between his lips, blackened pink and glistening in the artificial light, and he slipped it into Adam's mouth. Live bait to hook the prize fish, Adam thought wildly, his own tongue wriggling to life to clash with the vampire's in a passionate embrace. Only I'm not a fish and I don't think I need anymore luring. ((That's the strangest analogy I've ever heard)) Damon commented mentally and then closed the distance between them. Their hips were the first to meet, Adam's fingers grasping at Damon's warm flesh as their erections glided against each other. He tore away from the kiss to let out a contented groan but Damon wouldn't have it. The vampire lunged, lips muffling the cry of passion as they enveloped the boy's mouth once again. Adam drew up his knees and entangled a hand in Damon's thick and silky hair, pressing the head he cradled harder against him. He was taking the vampire's advice and riding his lust out, letting it wash over and carry him along like a roiling tsunami. And he was enjoying every second of it. Suddenly Damon broke the kiss and drew his head back. He stared down at Adam, lips parted slightly as his breath came in quiet huffs. The black pools of his eyes were soft and pliant in the light, as if they were made of velvet, and for once they hid absolutely nothing. It occurred to Adam that he'd never seen Damon this vulnerable before and it made the desire flare even fiercer in his veins. He didn't try to understand it, didn't try to fight it. In fact he welcomed it as it settled over him; A duvet of raw emotion. Damon felt the backwash of lust and muttered something in Italian, his voice husky with arousal. "What?" Adam asked. He was barely able to speak in his heightened emotional state. Instead of answering him Damon lowered his head and clamped his teeth around a nipple, fangs scraping against it hard enough to hurt but not draw blood. Adam gasped and arched his back, and nearly cried out when Damon grabbed him by the sides and bore down on his groin with his hips.The vampire ground into him with a bruising force that was on the verge of desperation. Adam ground back against him, moving rhythmically, equally desperate. His arms coiled around the body above him and squeezed as he threw back his head and closed his eyes in ecstasy, bearing his throat. Damon's eyes followed the trail of the pulse line and the pale, curved expanse of the neck. It was all it took to shatter his control. Just like that he couldn't hold back his instinct anymore. He attacked before Adam even had a chance to realize what was happening, his fangs penetrating the flesh where the shoulder met the collarbone. The boy was startled at first but once he realized what was occurring he relaxed and abandoned himself to the sensation of Damon's suckling mouth. Lips and muscles worked at him, sending shivers down his spine as they drew the blood from his veins. Hands roamed the length of his body. The caresses were frantic, as feverish as they were graceful. They dipped lower and lower still until Damon had to raise his hips up and adjust his position to get between Adam and he's entwined bodies. As soon as he could reach he went for Adam's groin, fingers brushing against his erect cock before stroking the silky smoothness of his balls. Adam felt himself grow harder, if it were possible. Damon slid his fangs out, gossamer strands of blood and saliva clinging to his mouth. He licked them away, took a deep breath, grinned. Adam had a blinding moment of panic and nearly tried to scurry away but Damon was already moving downwards. His lips grazed the boy's chest, trailed down to his abdomen and stopped just at the dusting of pubic hair below his navel. Adam waited as the seconds ticked by, his previous fear melting away as if had never surfaced. His breath came easy, his body relaxed despite the anticipatory tension in the air. Part 9: Damon looked up at him. Lamplight cast reflections in his eyes, rendering them as streamlined and opaque as oil slicks. "Just tell me you don't want this and I'll stop right here," he offered, voice low, mouth and hands frozen in place. There was smugness in his tone that was so thick it was tangible. He knew all to well that Adam wasn't going to refuse and he flaunted that knowledge, victory creasing his features. Adam met his eyes, swallowed, but said nothing. Thinking the boy needed just a bit more coaxing Damon leaned in and, in a slow swipe of his tongue, licked away an oozing droplet of pre- come that had collected at the silken head of his cock. Adam shuddered and then moaned as Damon's mouth enveloped him and slid down his shaft, taking him in to the hilt. He waited for the aftershock of fangs scraping against his firm yet velvety flesh, but he didn't even feel as much as a pinprick. The vampire was obviously experienced enough to be cautious. Damon's lips drew back then, his tongue brushing against the underside of Adam's erection as they ascended. His mouth slid off the boy with a delectable wet sound. Ropey saliva clung from the head to his lips, the threads bowing and finally breaking as he pulled away. Adam's neck was arched, his head thrown back, eyes closed in pleasure. "Please don't stop", he said, finding his voice. It came out guttural, breathless. Damon didn't answer him, merely plunged his mouth back down on the awaiting cock. The act was savage this time, yet precise and controlled. As if he was fighting not to tear into Adam and devour him. The boy squirmed beneath him, trying to dig his fingers into the wooden floor. When he couldn't get a firm hold he tangled them in Damon's hair and gave his head a gentle push. It was all the prompting Damon needed. He could sense Adam's yearning for release. It was a roaring fire in his mind that blocked out any coherent thought he might have had, and he responded to it by doubling his efforts. Ferociously he sucked and licked until Adam was panting and bucking his hips against his mouth. And suddenly Adam's muscles stretched taught, hands that trembled with tension clenching around Damon's head as he shoved the vampire's face against his groin one last time. With a cry of pleasure he came harder then he had ever recalled coming before, flooding Damon's mouth with his slippery essence. Damon drank it down as if it was the nectar of the gods then withdrew himself from Adam's now flaccid cock. Taking several gulps of air he slid back up the boy's muscular frame and draped his own body over him possessively. Adam was fighting to catch his breath, a sheen of sweat glistening on him in the half-light of the lamp. His eyes rolled in their sockets as Damon's weight settled on him and he found himself locking gazes with the vampire. "Did you enjoy yourself?" Damon asked, the corners of his mouth turned up in a strangely feral grin. Adam nodded slowly, finding his voice as he came down from his state of ecstasy. "Yes, but it was too fa..." He was silenced with a quick kiss, soft, pliable lips briefly grinding against his. He tasted his own bitter saltiness from the vampire's mouth, decided he quite liked the flavor. "Don't worry about that." Damon's voice was so soft that it was almost gentle. "Nearly happens to everyone the first time." "What about you, though?" Adam's eyes roamed to Damon's lower half, which was pressed up against him.He could feel the warm, firm sensation of the vampire's erection brushing against his thigh and it made him shudder in ecstasy. "Don't you want to..." "We'll deal with me later." Damon shifted above him, one arm poised inches from his mouth. Adam wondered just what his intentions were until, gracefully, delicately, he bit into his own upturned wrist. It was a quick bite and his fangs made a soft, moist sound as they withdrew from the skin. Without a word he proffered the wound to Adam. The boy watched as blood trickled down the vampire's forearm in winding rivulets. In the poor lighting it was as black as oil and seemingly as slick. He moved towards it, felt a strange emotion he couldn't identify surge through his body. Damon sighed, exasperated, and thrust his arm closer. "Drink it before I heal or I'm going to force you," he deadpanned. Adam looked at him for a moment, disgust and confusion briefly crossing his features. And then he was lunging for the outstretched arm, his lips wrapping around the bloodied flesh. As the first splash of blood coated his tongue some primal instinct ensnared him and he found himself sucking hungrily, mouth drawing the fluid from the vein as if his life depended it; as if he that warm, irony substance sustained his life. Not my thoughts, he realized suddenly, finally noticing the tension of another presence inside his mind. Damon's For the first time since he'd known the vampire he understood the bloodlust; finally understood the raw desire and the burning hunger that could never be expressed by mere words. The need ran so deep, was so incredibly strong it was almost unbearable. How can he stand this? Damon didn't sense the thought, and if he did he didn't reply. Instead he pulled his wrist away, startling Adam. The boy, mouth dripping scarlet, snarled in protest and tried to reattach himself but Damon knocked him back down and held up his arm to show that the wound had already healed. Adam took several deep breaths, trying to regain his composure as the last traces of Damon's emotions faded from his mind. He laid still for a bit and stared at the ceiling as the world settled back into place around him, the oil lamp casting strange shadows the seemed to dance and flux wildly above him. Beside him, Damon slowly drew himself up and sat on his haunches. Adam looked up at him and was relaxed enough to finally notice the vampire wasn't circumcised. He was overcome with the sudden urge to run his fingers along the soft protective sheath but when he boldly attempted to reach out Damon caught his hand and pushed it down. "You're in no shape for that right now," he told the boy. "We can play some more later." Adam's raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did you do to me?" he asked. "You better not have..." "Of course I didn't. Don't be ridiculous." Damon's smile was wolfish, almost wicked. "All I've done is made you mine. I've claimed you, mind and body." Adam yawned and stretched himself out against the floor. "Why doesn't that sound like something I should relish?" Damon looked at him curiously and ignored the question. "Are you falling asleep?" he asked. "Yeah, well," he yawned again and his eyes drooped, "I am.a bit.." Before he could finish his eyes fell closed and he sunk into the abyss of slumber without a struggle. Damon stared down at him and grumbled softly to himself, shaking his head. Then he sighed and leaned over him, ran a pale hand through his hair. "Sleep well, cocco mio favorito." he whispered, and stroked him like a well-trained dog. Part 10: When Adam awoke he was shrouded by darkness. For one frightening instant panic welled up inside him, but then vanished as quickly as it had come when he realized where he was. The barn made gentle groaning noises as it settled around him and he could hear something battering the roof; rain. Damon wasn't in the barn. Adam couldn't explain how he knew this. He just /did/. Getting to his feet he blindly stumbled in what he figured to be the general direction of the door, the short trek littered with obstacles like bales of hay and broken objects scattered about the floor. Eventually he made it and pushed the wooden barn door open to reveal a dark sky streaked with slashes of raindrops. Sometime while he was sleeping the day had turned to night and he wondered just how late it was and how long he'd been out. It's around nine o'clock Damon's voice supplied in his mind. You've only been sleeping for a few hours but now that you're up why don't you come join me around back? There was a break in the connection, as if Damon had drawn away to collect his thoughts. And don't worry about putting on any clothing. There's nobody out here to see you, and it would be pointless. Adam stood, puzzling for just a second. Then he shrugged his shoulders and treaded in the driving needles of rain towards the rear of the farmhouse. He didn't exactly know what to expect so when the enormous pond came into view his eyebrows shot up into his hair. It looked unnatural, nesting in a spot that was lined with tall, secluding oak trees and high grass. He mused briefly over if it had been manmade or not, decided it didn't matter and went closer. Damon was half submerged beneath the murky depths of the water, his back propped up against a bank littered with wild cattails. He was reading a hardback book from the stack that had served as a makeshift stand for the oil lamp, Jack Kerouac's 'Desolation Angels'. His hair was damp and dripping, slicked back against his head by the water. Rain crashed through the leaves above him one after the other, out of sync and surrounding him with miniature splashes as they collided with the surface of the pond. Damon didn't even bother to look up when he spoke. "Clean yourself up and we'll go. That is of course if you /want/ to go." Adam warily dipped a toe into the water and found that it wasn't as cold as he expected it to be. "Cookie will probably start worrying if I don't get home soon," he said, lowering himself off the bank. The water enveloped him like a lukewarm blanket as he slid in up to his shoulders. Damon turned a page in his book, dampening the paper as he did so. "Do you really give a damn if she does?" he asked. Adam dunked his head under the water, swiped hair out of his eyes as he threw his neck back. "Of course I do. I don't want her to freak out or anything." The book Damon was reading snapped shut with an ominous /thwap/ and he reached over the bank to lay it down on the grass. "Ah, so you'd rather deal with that then my sexual frustration?" His narrowed his eyes, fixed them impassively on the boy. Adam blinked, confused at first. And then realization dawned on him. He looked away from Damon, focusing on anything and everything except that fathomless blank stare. He could feel heat creeping up his skin in rolling waves. "I, uh.I'm sorry, about falling asleep back there," he managed to get out, embarrassed by the ordeal. "I guess.well.do you want to finish?" There was no reply, just the sound of water splashing. When Adam let his gaze wander towards the noise he found Damon had climbed out of the pond and retrieved his book, and was stalking slowly through the high grass towards him. Rain beat at him, melding with the pond water and trickling down his skin. He really is beautiful Adam thought wildly. He'd seen Damon nude in the farmhouse just a few hours ago, but the poor lighting hadn't even begun to do the vampire justice. Here though, beneath the moonlight, Adam could appreciate what he had been bereft of. Like the way Damon's skin was so pale it glowed like white marble and the sinewy muscles in his arms and legs. He watched transfixed as water slid off the flat, hairless expanse of Damon's chest and wanted nothing more then to catch the droplets on his tongue. And suddenly there were strong hands underneath his arms. "I already took care of myself," Damon said, and then lifted him effortlessly out of the pond. Adam waited for him to try something but the vampire just released him and started walking away. "Where are you going?" Adam asked after several seconds. "To put on some clothing so we can leave," Damon answered without even a backward glance. For a moment Adam stood naked, cold, and dripping, brow furrowed in thought. And then he took off at a run, hurrying to catch up with the vampire. XXX Adam sat back against the Ferrari's leather seat, arms crossed over his chest and eyes focused on the blur of trees that passed outside the passenger-side window. Music blared from the expensive car's equally expensive sound system, turned up too many decibels over the norm. Haunting lyrics and a steady beat filled his ears and he pulled a face. /Over the years I've slain by gallons every day And soon the time had come that Every victim tasted just the same I used to think that every killing was a treat But I was wrong for I was young I'd let them suffer, let them bleed Blood stain - hemoglobin Swallowing your energy Blood stain - hemoglobin Suck you dry and lick you clean/ "It suits you" Adam said, turning away from the window and scoffing at Damon's choice of music. "Can we put on the radio or something?" Damon said nothing, only looked over at him with an air of detachment and turned the volume dial up a notch. /I keep counting centuries like moments passing by With my own eyes, I have seen ages come and leave the mortal stage You know I've drained about a million men or more But there was nothing like the first two hundred times I died before/ Adam shook his head and went back to watching the window, noting that they were already getting off the expressway and heading into the suburbs. "You haven't said one word this whole ride," Adam pointed out, fiddling idly with the passenger-seat's motorized comfort controls. "Are you upset about what happened between us or just about me or.or what?" Part 11: Damon waited until they pulled up in front of the Webber's house to speak. "I'm going to collect sometime, you know," he said simply. Adam's eyebrows shot up into his hair. "Huh?" he asked. Damon turned to him and the boy felt fear crawl down his spine. There was something in the vampire's expression that was all too serious and all too inhuman. "I held back on my desire to do you a favor. I expect for you to do the same for me someday." Adam stared, wetting his lips. He opened his mouth to argue that Damon was actually the one who owed /him/ a favor for fixing his laptop, but the memory of their argument in his bedroom the day before flashed in his mind and the protestation died on his tongue. He sighed and slumped back against his seat. "Fine," he muttered without giving it any thought. Damon said nothing in reply, just glanced at him before wrenching the Ferrari's driver's side door open and sliding out. Adam watched for a few moments and then realized that they were at the wrong house. This was the /Webber/ family home, not the Tate's. Fumbling with the controls of his own door, he popped the automatic lock open and hurried after the vampire. He reached him just as he was sliding his house key into the door lock. And suddenly the door swung inward by itself. Stefan stood at the threshold, one hand resting on the doorknob and the other motionless at his side. His face was expressionless at first, his green eyes hollowed by his neutrality. But then, as he regarded first Damon standing mere inches from him and then Adam slightly further behind, the corners of his mouth turned down and something that Adam /thought/ was disapproval crossed his features. But then it was gone and Damon was speaking. "Going out to terrorize the woodland critters?" he asked, and Adam caught the glint of his smile in the glare from the porch light. Slowly Stefan shook his head. "Actually, No," he said and stepped back as Damon brushed past him, entering the house with Adam following close behind. "Cookie came here. She said Adam ran off with you a few hours ago without any explanation and she was starting to get concerned. We've all been waiting for the two of you to turn up." "Have you now?" Damon stopped walking and turned around. Crossing his arms over his chest he braced himself against the nearest wall. Adam continued past him into the living room, the elder vampire watching him as he went by. "I know what's going on, Damon," Stefan said harshly when Adam was out of earshot. "I haven't told the others yet. That's your responsibility. But I do think you should reconsider the situation before you take things too far." There was a stretch of silence before Damon replied. Sneering, he didn't even bother to look in his brother's direction as he spoke. "How do you know I already haven't?" "My powers are strong enough that I can smell the two of you on each other as it is. I would be able to sense it if you had...gone any further. And if not from you, then from Adam." Damon did look at Stefan then, dark eyes flashing with a dangerous light. Stefan met his gaze steadily, unflinching even when Damon pushed away from the wall and stopped mere inches from him. "I think," Damon said, deadly calm, "that you should keep yourself out of my personal affairs." "Do you really want this to become a repeat of what happened with Paige, Damon? Because it--" Damon snarled then and before Stefan could register what was happening he was being picked up by his shirtfront and slammed against the wall. Photos rattled and threatened to fall from their foundations as his head connected with wood. "You know nothing about what happened between Paige and I!" Damon hissed. "I know enough to see you're making the same mistakes," Stefan shot back through clenched teeth. Damon was too furious for words. Jerking Stefan forward as if he weighed no more then a rag doll he readied to slam him against the wall a second time. Stefan didn't bother to struggle, just waited for the jarring sensation of the impact. But when it didn't come he opened eyes that he hadn't realized were shut and saw that Damon's attention was turned towards the doorway that lead into the living room. When he peered over his brother's shoulder he could see Cookie and Adam standing there, the pair of them looking quite irritated with the situation. "What the hell are you two doing?" Cookie demanded. Damon smiled and released Stefan, then stepped back and reclaimed his earlier position against the wall. "Just a brotherly debate," he answered. "Nothing more." Cookie looked at him, then at Stefan who just shrugged and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothing. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well if you two are done, Jess wants to see you in the living room, Stefan, and I'd like a word with you upstairs, Damon." Stefan nodded and left the foyer without a word but Damon remained lounging against the wall, eyes never leaving Cookie. "Does this regard my relationship with your brother by any chance?" he asked her. Cookie flicked a strand of blue hair out of her eyes, her face unreadable, and turned towards the stairwell. Adam followed behind her like an automaton. "Just come upstairs and we'll discuss it." "Why upstairs? Why not here?" "Because, you stubborn pain in the ass, I'm trying to understand this all and I'd like to do so where inquiring minds can't hear what we're saying." Damon nodded. "Fair enough." In one fluid motion he moved away from the wall and was behind her on the stairway. "Shall we use my room then?" "Sounds good." They ascended the stairs and moved down the darkened hallway silently as to not wake anybody who happened to be sleeping, stopping at the foot of the locked door that lead into Damon's room. Damon opened it and the three of them filed in, Adam taking a seat on a desk chair, Damon making himself comfortable on his bed, and Cookie choosing to remain standing. Part 12: "Alright," Cookie began, crossing her arms over her chest, "I've caught the gist that something's going on between you two from Adam's mind, but that's /all/. Do either of you care to elaborate?" She looked at first one of them, then the other. Adam fidgeted in his chair under her gaze and Damon just rested his head back against the wall, under a blue plaque depicting a gold lion holding a twig of sage in its left paw. Carved into the wood that framed it, in sweeping gold lettering, was the name 'Salvatore.' 'Well?" "I don't see how this is any of your business," Damon said unemotionally. "What goes on between-" "He's my /brother/." Damon just gave a shrug. "It still shouldn't con-" "Just be quiet for a moment, Damon," Adam interrupted. Damon whipped his head around to face the boy, who was rising from his seat. He scowled but said nothing as he watched him approach his sister. Adam stopped a few inches from her, wet his lips and raised his hands to the collar of his shirt. Fingers clenching around the fabric, he pulled it away from his neck to reveal the tiny puncture wounds Damon had left. Cookie's eyebrows shot up and she stole a glance at the vampire, who only narrowed his eyes at her in challenge. "I let him do it to me," Adam explained when he caught the hostility that was radiating off the both of them. He dropped his hands back to his sides and stuck them in his pockets. "Cookie, we're." Adam hesitated, feeling Damon's eyes on the back of him. He knew he shouldn't be exposing them, but he felt as if he didn't have a choice in the matter. Besides, he told himself. Cookie's my sister. I'm sure she'll understand. And if she doesn't, well, I'll just have to deal. "We're seeing each other," he concluded. Silence. Adam counted the heartbeats until Cookie finally spoke. "Seeing each other?" she asked him. "As in romantically?" Adam nodded in confirmation. Cookie just stared wide-eyed at him. "If you don't approve-" "Oh, don't get me wrong; I don't have a problem with it at all. It's just that it's a bit of a shock and.I know who you choose to sleep with is your business but./him/?" Cookie made a gesture in Damon's direction, eyes never leaving her brother. Adam sighed and turned away from her. "You wouldn't understand." "I'm /trying/ to understand." "Then don't question my choices," Adam snapped at her. He rarely lost his temper at his sister, but with the tension of her astonished disparagement and Damon's eyes boring into him from behind, he was growing exasperated. Trying to calm himself before he did something rash, he quietly added, "I think you should just go." Cookie sighed and for a moment and Adam, much to his bewilderment, saw genuine hurt flicker in her eyes. Then it was gone and she shook her head. "Alright, I'll go," she told him, her voice neutral. "But if he hurts you he'll have to answer to me." "He won't hurt me," Adam assured her. "Yeah, he probably knows better." Cookie gave Damon a devious grin over her shoulder. "Call me if something happens. I mean it." Adam nodded as Cookie slipped out the door and closed it behind her. He stared at the place she had stood for a minute or so, contemplating, and then turned to Damon. Damon had risen from his place on the bed and was staring out one of his windows, arms crossed over his chest. Adam didn't need to see his face to know that the vampire was furious. It was evident in the rigidity of his muscles, the line of his posture. He turned his head ever so slightly to acknowledge the boy's presence. "How can you be so sure that I won't harm you?" he demanded, his voice as sharp as the crack of a whip. "And when did we establish that we were seeing each other?" Adam was at a loss for words. When he didn't answer Damon made a noise of disgust and turned towards his computer desk. His laptop was sitting there, switched on and quietly humming as it lingered in sleep mode. He gazed it for several seconds, as someone might gaze at a painting, then sneered at Adam and went over to take the seat in front of it. Adam blinked, perplexed. Is this some kind of mental torture of his? he asked himself, taking a seat on Damon's bed. The mattress was soft, comfortably sagging from wear, and without a second thought he fell back on to it and immersed himself in the yielding fabric and the lingering scent of Damon. Within moments he forgot everything and, realizing how exhausted he actually was, started to feel the first waves of lethargy. He stretched himself out along the cool linen sheets and pulled a silk-sheathed pillow against his body, shivering as the material glided over his skin. And then hands were grabbing at him and pulling him up and off the bed. They deposited him on the carpeted floor, nearly flinging him half-across the room, and when his senses finally came back to him he saw Damon pulling a sleeping bag out of his closet. "The bed is mine," he told Adam, dropping the sleeping bag in his lap. "/You/ get the floor." Adam looked down at the floor, then to the bed, and finally at Damon as he returned to his place in front of the laptop. Sighing, he smoothed the sleeping bag out, unzipped it and was about to undress when he noticed that despite the fact Damon was playing a round of chess (with Paige, no doubt), he wasn't looking at the screen. Or rather, he wasn't looking /directly/ at the screen. Adam could tell he was watching the reflection in the window beside him through his peripheral vision, and with a sense of conceit he realized /he/ was what Damon was staring at so intently. He took his time stripping down to his underwear, even making a show of removing his socks and shoes. When he was finished Damon twisted around in his seat and cocked his head, tongue slithering out to lick his lips as if waiting for an invitation. But Adam only grinned at him and climbed into the sleeping bag, wrapping it around himself as he settled in for a long rest. XXX Adam awoke to darkness-swathed surroundings and, not recognizing where he was, bolted upright and panicked. He looked around the room like a frightened animal, taking several shaking breaths, and it was not until he saw the plaque on the wall that read 'Salvatore' that he remembered where he was. "Damon?" he called out, his voice a raspy whisper. There was no reply. Adam sat in the darkness letting his eyes adjust. An illuminated clock on Damon's dresser read 6:22 a.m. and when his gaze shifted to the bed next to it he could tell it hadn't been slept in. The comforter and pillows were in the same position they had been in when he had fallen asleep. Hmm, wonder if he /ever/rests. Adam mused absently as he pushed out of Damon's sleeping bag and rose to his feet. He remembered the light switch being near the door and he went over and flicked it on. He squinted as the room was bathed in harsh, bright light. Damon's laptop was missing from its usual spot on the desk but in its place was a small, white envelope. Adam picked it up and examined it, turning it over in his hands a few times before tearing it open. There was a letter folded into a neat square inside, and he pulled it apart. There was only a few lines scrawled across the plain piece of stationary, but the handwriting was unmistakably Damon's. In his flowing script, it read: More important matters then the happenings in Redditch came up and I had to make a hasty departure. I'm not sure when I'll be returning, if at all. I will try to contact you within the next few days but I can't promise anything. Stefan already knows I've left and I'm sure he'll inform the others, so you need not worry about that. You should probably try not to dwell on my absence too much and get on with your life. After all, we were just having a good time and all good things eventually come to an end, am I not correct? Adam sat down heavily on the bed and leaned his head against the wall, his eyes never leaving the letter. He kept reading it over and over, memorizing each and every last word. The fucking bastard.. Adam fumed silently and, crumpling the letter into a ball, tossed it in the direction of Damon's wastebasket. It hit the lip instead of going in and bounced across the room until it came to a stop underneath an 'Uncle Sam wants YOU to Join the U.S. Army' poster that was pinned to Damon's closet door. Adam had never noticed the poster before but now that he did it pushed aside his anger and gave him a laugh. If that poster is meant to be funny, he thought, then Damon has a really strange sense of humor. And suddenly he was laughing uncontrollably. Even though he had just been pushed aside like an unwanted article, even though he felt as if he should be sobbing over the pain of rejection, even though he was ready strangle Damon, he was laughing so hard that his sides ached. It went on for quite awhile and at some point he thought he was cracking up. It seemed that way to him. But then abruptly it stopped, and in the sudden stretch of silence he realized with a jolt that his fit of insanity had brought about a decision regarding the matter at hand. He was going to corner Stefan and demand where Damon had gone; he was going to follow Damon and confront him, even if he had to travel some great distance. There was no way in hell he was going to let things lay where they were. Damon didn't deserve to get away with that convenience, especially since there was still much to be resolved. Rising slowly to his feet, Adam stretched his muscles and took one last look around the room. The letter was still lying crumpled underneath the poster and on a second thought he went over and picked it up. Fuel to keep his fire burning. Shoving it in his pocket, he turned and left the room in search of Stefan. The End