Work Text:
It has been many years since Alaric become a ghost wandering around Mystic Falls. Along all these years he witnessed many things changing and a lot more staying the same. A lot of supernatural and mundane problems being faced and solved. Watched a lot of friends, former students and family members grew old and die! And yet he stayed refusing to move on, to step into the light and find eternal peace and rest. And it was because of one man, one vampire to be more precise.
Damon.
Damon who was now lying on the floor dying. Damon who wasn’t fast enough to avoid the fatal strike. Damon who didn’t heed Alaric’s warning and rushed into danger.
Damon…
“Ric”
No …No … NO. It couldn’t be happening, not after everything he did throughout the last decades to keep Damon safe. It couldn’t.
“Ric, look at me.”
If he looked it would make it real.
Two hands cupped his face and turned his head around.
“I’m glad I can see you, I missed you a lot.”
Alaric wondered if ghosts could cry. He did feel his eyes getting wet.
“You shouldn’t be happy that you see me. It means you’re dead.”
“I’ve lived long enough. I have nothing to regret.”
“If you only listened to me …”
“What the point of ‘what if’ now? What’s done is done.”
Alaric sighed and gently removed Damon’s hands of his face to hold them tightly between his own.
“What now?”
“Now we discover what the white light holds, you and me together. What do you say?
Alaric stared at Damon beautiful face, at his smirking lips, at their joined hands. He might have always dreaded the day he would fail to protect Damon but he also secretly always hoped they would pass into the light together. He just never imagined Damon would want that too.
He nodded smiling and was rewarded by a blinding genuine smile from Damon in return.
Together they walked into the light.