Just a short, fun little piece I quickly wrote this morning before heading off to work, so I apologise if there are any typos or glaring errors and beg you to inform me off them. Let me know if you like it please xxx

Disclaimer-I don't own Vampire Diaries and am just temporarily borrowing the lovable-and bangable-characters.

The front door bangs open and the sound of arguing immediately starts to roll through the house and roll my eyes. I get up off of the couch with the book I was reading because I have no interest in hearing, at length, what stupid thing my brother has done to piss of Alaric this time, when the two of them round the corner into the living room.

"Honestly Damon you need to just let this go" Alaric exclaims as he dumps several stakes onto a couch before taking off his usual jacket to reveal a blood soaked shirt. "Your making a big deal out of nothing, it was just a scratch." I looked at his blood sodden shirt with scepticism, knowing that the only way Alaric could be standing after losing that much blood if his ring had brought him back, or if Damon had healed him with his blood. I quickly glance at Damon's apoplectic face and am taken aback at the anger on his face. My brother is known for withdrawing into himself, throwing the occasional glass, and becoming progressively snarky when scared for those he cares about, but he rarely showcases the anger for all to see.

"Nothing? Are you kidding me Ric, that vamp gutted you" Damon shouts, "not only were you careless enough to let that vamp get the better of you, but you also lost your damn ring in the struggle".

"What the hell" I worriedly ask, a quick visual inspection of Ric's hand relaxes me somewhat when I see that the Gilbert ring is where it's supposed to be.

Damon continues to shout, and Alaric continues to get more and more annoyed with Damon's accusations, denying that he 'let' the vamp do anything and that he had everything completely under control. As they continue to completely ignore me, I wonder if they have even realised that I'm in the room. I internally debate leaving the room but dismiss the thought, growing curious to see how the argument would end.

"Oh really, you had everything under control? So there was no need for me to feed you my blood? Tell me Ric, and how were you planning on 'handling' the fact that your insides were outside your body", as Damon spoke he got progressively closer to Alaric before the were standing directly in front of each other before he continued, "because if you're capable of handling things like that, next time I guess I wont have to bother wi-"

"Oh, would you just give it a rest already", Alaric interrupts, "almost all of us have had an injury that bad, or worse since all this crap started in this town". I internally acknowledge that he has a very valid point. "And not once not even when it was Stefan or Elena have you acted like this. I get that I almost died and am grateful to you that I'm not. Is that what you wanted, did you need me to expressly tell you how beyond grateful I am, can you drop it now," Rick sighs frustrated.

"Don't be ridiculous, I don't need people to thank me for helping them, how self involved do you think I am," Damon asks, his voice sounding more wounded than he likely intended.

"Then what, the hell, do you want," irritation basically drips from Ric's voice now, and Damon goes statue still. I can see how much he wants to tell Ric the truth, but I know that since he had only let himself admit his true feelings for Ric to himself recently (during a drunken spiel that I happened to witness), his fear of rejection would be almost paralyzing at the moment. And I as I watched the internal conflict on his face play out, I doubt that he would be able to admit the truth for a while still, no matter how much he clearly wants to.

Sure enough, Damon continued to simply stand there and say nothing. I watch as Ric shakes his head and bends to pick up his jacket from where he had put it on the couch. As if shocked by Ric's movements, Damon shakes himself out of his trance like state to perplexedly ask,

"Where are you going"?

"Home. If your going to continue to be obstinate and refuse to even tell me why, then I'm leaving, Alaric responds before turning towards the doorway. I sadly look towards my brother and watch the despair he promptly falls into, before it turns into determination that confuses me.

Ric had only taken made it halfway across the room, when a rush of vamp speed suddenly had him pressed up against one of the bookshelves lining the room and Damon's face inches from his. Astonished, Ric just stares at Damon who looks intensely back at him. My eyes are wide, but I wouldn't be able to turn away from this shocking turn of events if I had to. Feeling both proud and worried for my brother I watch the scene playing out before me anxiously.

The two men continue to just stare at each other for several moments before Damon's shoulder's droop and his face shows momentary devastation until he turns on his usual, cocky, 'I don't give a damn mask' and goes to step back. Suddenly, Alaric's hand grabs him by the neck and pulls Damon closer to connect their lips. A kiss that starts off hesitantly and then rapidly turns very passionate.

Unbelievably happy for my brother, I clear my throat and proclaim that it took them long enough, to which they remain wrapped up in one another and oblivious to my existence. I roll my eyes at them.

"Honestly," I exclaim and finally leave the room. As I head out the front door to give them some privacy and to inform Elena of the new development, I smirk to myself, imagining all the fun I'm going to have mercilessly teasing Damon.