It was about ten minutes until midnight when Damon passed out on the old, torn leather sofa. My logic and instincts told me to sneak out while I could and leave him to sleep in peace.

But when I stood, it wasn't the front door I went to.

I wandered down the hall instead, peeking my head into the two vacant rooms at the end of the dimly lit entry way. One room was empty; no furniture or wallpaper. Just a large, dark room lit by the moonlight bleeding through the open window. The other door was open a crack, revealing little at first glance. As I nudged it open, I stumbled in and glanced around in awe.

I didn't think I really have any expectations when it came to what I pictured Damon's room looking like. Seeing it before me, I realized I may have lied to myself.

I had expected the room to be a complete mess. Trash all over the floor, bottles of beer on the nightstand, possibly even a pack of cigarettes on top of the comforter. What I was greeted with was a room like my own, small and organized. The bed was made, but slightly disheveled as if someone had sat on it for a while and stood up without fixing it. A pile of folded laundry sat at the foot of the bed on the black comforter, a tiny trash bin under it.

Before I could stop myself, I crossed the room and brushed my fingertips along the nightstand, face twisting a fraction when I saw an open pack of cigarettes on the left side of the lamp.

I guess I had been right about one thing.

I sat slowly, gasping quietly when I felt something dig into my leg. I pushed the blanket back and pulled a small wooden picture frame from where it'd been hiding under me. Falling back, my eyebrows drew as I stared down at the photograph.

It was a family, the young boy in it clearly Damon. He was wearing a genuine smile, blue eyes glistening. A blonde woman and dark haired man stood on either side of him, both looking at each other with forced smiles instead of the camera. Damon's brother Daniel wasn't upfront in the picture, but could be seen sitting on the edge of the fountain in the background, staring off into the distance with a bored expression.

"You enjoying snooping through my stuff?" a groggy voice asked in the door way.

As if it'd make a difference, I tossed the frame across the bed and stood. "I'm sorry. I was looking for the bathroom."

"You shouldn't lie, McKenzie." Damon stretched his arms behind his head. "Not a good look on you."

I shifted uncomfortably as he pushed his bedroom door shut and shrugged out of his jacket. I averted my eyes immediately when he reached down and pulled his dark shirt over his head.

"You act as if you've never seen a man shirtless before." Damon whispered, closer now. I swallowed, lifting my head for a fraction of a second. I regretted it immensely.

It shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise that Damon had a nice body; he prided himself on it. I just hadn't been in the presence of too many shirtless drunk guys that just wanted to stand around and talk like it was nothing.

"I got a new motorcycle." he went on, brushing by me and dropping a set of keys on top of his cigarettes. "Thanks to my outstanding decision to save you instead of my old one."

My head whipped up in anger. "I'm sorry you regret saving me. What a thing to live with for the rest of your life."

"Mmm, sweetheart, no need to get so defensive." he took the picture frame between his hands. "I didn't say I regretted saving you."

I started toward the door. "I think I should get home."

"And leave a poor guy alone on his eighteenth birthday?" he frowned.

"Damon, you don't even care about your birthday."

His eyebrows shot up. "Who says?"

"You."

"Maybe I don't give a shit, but I don't exactly want to spend it alone either." his words were so brutally honest I cringed a little.

"Call Ryder." I suggested.

"What are you so afraid of, McKenzie? Do you think I'm going to hurt you?" Damon asked.

I bowed my head. "I'm not afraid."

He dropped the frame and crossed the room in a couple long strides, slowly backing me into the closet door, lips curved into a sadistic smile.

"Keep telling yourself that." he leaned forward, lips brushing against my ear lobe, "But we both know it isn't the truth."

I grasped his jaw between my index finger and thumb, "I am not afraid of you, Damon Fox."

"You will be." he warned.

I felt his hand cup mine before he pried my fingers from his face, shaking his head to himself. His dark hair was a mess, and it seemed to be causing him more problems than anything as he tried to blow a strand off his forehead.

"I loved her." he pressed my palm flat against his chest, right over his heart. "Everything I did was for her."

"Who?"

He smiled bitterly. "She screamed my name until she didn't."

"Damon-" I started.

"You wrote in your diary that you thought I was a sadistic, egotistical, piece of shit." he continued. "The best part of that statement is it's the truth. But you see, I'm trying to change and not one person will give me a God damn chance."

He touched his cold hand to my cheek. "I play all these sick little games with myself. I do pretend. I'd like to ask you a question though, Micky. Do you believe I'm a good person?"

I only stared for what seemed like hours, contemplating what to say to the emotionally vulnerable drunk boy in front of me.

"I don't know." I eventually answered.

"I'm not." he rested his forehead against my own. "And right now you shouldn't be in my life. It's too dangerous for you to be subjected to my ways of living it."

"Then let me go." I breathed. "Just let me go home, Damon.

The scariest part of all of this was I'd lost my desire to leave within the last few minutes.

"That's the problem, Micky, I can't." he said. "It's selfish, but I know you're as screwed up as I am and you're the only one willing to give me a second chance."

I felt his thumb brush my lip. "And in some weird way, all that other shit doesn't matter. No matter if I know that we'll both end up dead because of it. From you or them, I don't know.

The tension in the room dissipated the second he finally closed the gap between us and kissed me.

The few times I'd been kissed had been entirely meaningless, mostly on dares from my peers or at parties. The second Damon's lips fell against mine, my body reacted on its own. My fingers tangled in his hair, my lips moved in unison.

I felt as if I'd done this a hundred times over again.

The small knot that had begun to furl in my stomach finally opened, releasing a feeling I couldn't quite place through me. The moment was cut short by Damon, head cocked to the side with a sneer.

"Shit." he muttered breathlessly.

I watched, my heart still racing as Damon crouched and pulled a shoe box from under his bed. He turned it upside down and dumped the contents on his bed. I gasped, slamming back into the closet door as he picked up the gun. He loaded it quietly before turning to me.

"Every time." he hissed through his teeth, cocking the gun. "Every fucking time."

"Damon, what the hell is going on?" I shook my head. "Why the hell do you keep a gun under your bed?"

A weak smile appeared. "I'm not a good person, remember?"

"Damon." I tried to sound assertive, but my voice wavered.

"I may be involved with some people I shouldn't be." he finally said.

"What? Why? Are they here right now?" the questions left in one breath.

"Bad people. I'm not anymore, but some people aren't exactly as forgiving as you are, McKenzie." he paused, nodding toward the door. "Yes, they're here."

I looked toward the door. "Are you sure it's not Ryder?"

Damon shot me a dark look.

"I know it's not. He knows better than to show up unannounced, alright?"

I opened my mouth to respond, starting across the room again. Damon lurched forward and grasped my elbow. Before he could snap or lecture me a light knock sounded on the door.

"Come on, Demon boy." a gruff voice broke through the door and into the silent room. "Open the door and no one gets hurt." 

***AN****

*Unedited*

Hope you guys enjoyed! Sorry for such a short chapter!

What do you guys think happened to Damon? What do you think is going on with him now? Sorry for the cliffhanger. . .

Let me know what you think/thought! 

~ChasingMadness24