A/N: I'm back, sort of. Dont kill me for taking so long...in fact, I was going to make you wait longer and you would've gotten a chapter twice as long as this is, but I realize this part had a decent point to cut off at so that ou dont have to wait another month or something. So this is kind of Chapter 5 part1 XD. Anyway, here it is, sorry for any errors and I sincerely hope that any of you who are still lingering about are satisfied with this chapter

Damon shuffled to the bathroom across the hall from his bedroom and was accosted by the lingering wisps of steam and a smell like vanilla. A glance around showed condensation clouding the top edge of the mirror, and water still clinging to the shower walls. He stared at it all, trying to figure out why the hell his bathroom looked used when he hadn’t been awake yet. After a moment the scent on the air triggered his memory, this was the way Lev smelled.

He walked down the hall to the living room and found the blanket and pillow he’d brought out the previous night sitting in a folded stack on the couch cushion. In the kitchen he found the dishes from dinner plus one extra mug drying on a towel on the counter. At the front door he found a little scrap of paper wedged under the edge of the door knob with the word “Thanks” penciled onto it. The door was locked and everything.

Damon felt a heavy ball of guilt settle in his gut. He hadn’t meant to chase Lev away like this. He had assumed he’d still be here when he woke up, and he could straighten things out. But the boy had beaten him, by quite a while according to all the evidence. He was surprised…but then again, not really. He knew he had sent some very mixed signals last night, not very fair ones at all.

Damon hadn’t meant to kiss Lev - wanted to, maybe, but not intended to. He had promised himself and the boy that he wasn’t going to start anything, not now. But Lev had never been so close to him before, and he had looked so different with that particular smile. Maybe if Lev hadn’t leaned into it at the last second, maybe if he hadn’t run his finger’s through his hair like that. No, he couldn’t blame it on the kid, not when he’d started it himself; though, it hadn’t helped anything when Lev had slipped onto his lap so seamlessly.

Thinking back, it made him feel even guiltier. He knew that Lev had used his body for a place to stay before; and on top of that Lev had looked so lost when he asked to stay over. He couldn’t help but feel like he’d taken advantage of him. On top of all that he’d shoved him away and left him without much explanation. Though, he preferred the thought of shoving him away after a kiss, than the thought of turning him away this morning if he’d gotten any farther. That would’ve been worse on both of them. Damon sighed heavily and leaned against the wall, he really needed to work on his social skills.

He got himself together and went about having a shower of his own and getting dressed. He tried to keep from thinking on Lev too much; he’d see him again and talk this over. He had a class to get to and dwelling on last night wouldn’t fix anything and it would just make his day difficult. Though he really wished he knew how to get in touch with him, it wasn’t ‘til now that he realized Lev always found him.

Lev was stretched out on top of the monkey bars in the playground and staring up at the sky, narrowing his eyes at the sun that peeked out past the grey clouds. He had been there all morning and his back was beginning to feel sore where it rested on the evenly spaced bars. He didn’t move when he heard the sound of a car pulling up and shutting off at the curb not so far away. His arm jerked slightly when a cool hand slipped into his where it hung limply towards the ground.

“Hey hon.” A soft voice spoke to him, and the hand gave his a light squeeze.

“Hey.” His own voice came out a little hoarse, his throat dry.

“So why’d you make me meet you now, you’ve obviously been waiting out here for more than a few minutes.” Lev could just see the top of a head of black hair and a pair of concerned green eyes out of the corner of his eye.

“I know you like to sleep in.” Lev laughed softly as he pulled his hand free and dropped to the ground beside Sam.

“Yeah, but I thought you were staying with that guy.” She gave him an admonishing look.

“Nah, I left right after I called you.” He shrugged slightly. “No reason to stay, I wanted to get out before he woke up”

“I thought you said things were different with him?” Sam asked with a small frown. She knew the reasons Lev always used to leave that fast. She also knew that recently he’d been spending all his nights at her place or at home.

“They are…That’s why I left.” Lev gave her a crooked smile. “Nothing happened, I just stayed the night.”

“Oh…” She watched him for moment, trying to read his face. “You’re lying to me.” She murmured softly and slipped her arms around his waist in a tight hug. “Maybe nothing happened, but something did.” She spoke with certainty against his shoulder.

“Maybe…” Lev answered her quietly, returning her embrace; as much for her benefit as his own. “It’s alright if I stay with you?” He added softly.

“Of course, it always is, Lev.” She held him tighter, pretending she couldn’t feel how hard he was hanging on to her.

Damon tried not to watch the clock in between serving people. But his shift was nearly over and still no sign of Lev. It had been a few days since he’d seen him last and he was beginning to wonder if he’d see him again at all. He told himself it was nothing; Lev was just busy with school just like he’d been the other times he was gone for a few days. That didn’t stop him from glancing up towards the door or surveying the stretch of counter in hopes of catching sight of him.

When his shift ended he gathered his things and moved as slowly as he could without being conspicuous. Even when he reached the parking lot out back he stood by his bike for a few moments longer than he needed before finally climbing on and heading home. Damn it all; how was he supposed to apologize if Lev didn’t talk to him?

He had considered stopping at his house a few times. But the times he gave Lev a ride home he’d always asked to be dropped at the end of the street so his father wouldn’t see him. If his parents would be angry with him getting a ride home he doubted they’d be pleased with a stranger showing up to apologize for taking advantage of their son.

When he got home he dumped his jacket and bag at the door, kicking his shoes off as he walked down the hall to his room. He fell onto his bed with a low “umph” and burrowed under the covers. Damn kid was more of bother when he was gone than he was in person.

Lev silently listened to Sam’s voice, making an occasional noise of acknowledgement to her statements, though if asked later he wouldn’t be able to repeat anything she was saying. They were headed to Dissonance and he had mixed feelings on the situation. On one hand, he hadn’t been there in over a week and missed the feeling. On the other, he knew who would be there and he wasn’t sure how that might work out.

He wasn’t sure anymore whether he had asked Sam to go because he hadn’t really done anything fun with her in a while…Or if he wanted some kind of buffer. He didn’t like to think that he would go with Sam just because he needed someone to hide behind, but in the back of his mind he acknowledged that it played a part in it.

“Oh my god, Lev, what the hell is that!?” Sam’s voice bounced off the inside of her car, startling him into awareness.

“What!?” He glanced around quickly, searching for what she was talking about.

“Oh. It was just your attention; it fell out of your head and flew out the window. Look’s like it just came back though.” Sam rolled her eyes at him. “Really, I didn’t think I was that boring.”

“Sorry” He smiled sheepishly at her. “I was just thinking about something and zoned out.” He glanced out the car window, watching the buildings outside go by but not really registering their existence.

Lev could feel Sam’s eyes on him, knew she was deciding which direction to take that. She would either let it go and keep joking about his lack of attention today…Or she would try to pursue that last comment and figure out what his problem was. She’d been trying her damnedest to figure out what had happened with Damon ever since she’d picked him up in the park that day.

He never said anymore than she already knew, and she was frustrated. She knew something wasn’t quite right, and he knew it bothered her that he didn’t explain it. He didn’t feel like trying to explain it. He still didn’t completely know what to think of how he had changed himself, let alone telling someone else.

“Whatever blondie.” Sam glanced at him and gave a slightly forced smile before turning her eyes to the road. “You don’t want to tell me; it’s alright.” She added; though Lev knew it was a lie.

He was trying to think of something to say to shift her attention to something else, for both their sakes. However, his train of though abruptly stopped when he realized they had reached Dissonance. It made a lump rise in his throat, but he forced it down. Lev had always loved Dissonance, there was nothing different about tonight’s trip there than any other. He would enjoy himself, have fun with Sam. If he saw Damon, he’d deal with whatever reaction he got.

A little voice in the back of his mind wondered who he was kidding. He had been lying to himself about his reasons for avoiding the club. Lev knew it had nothing to do with homework or being too tired - though he was more worn out these days. He was just afraid of seeing Damon…Afraid of seeing the anger and disinterest he knew would be in those brown eyes. But once again he tamped down those thoughts, focusing on having fun, on proving to Sam he was fine. He was stronger than this, if he could face his home on a near daily basis, he could handle Dissonance.

Damon went about his job, serving drinks and the occasional tray of food; smiling automatically at faces he never really registered in his mind. The music and voices of patrons mingling into a low hum at the back of his mind, slowly building up to what he knew would soon be another headache.

He waited for a lull in the people coming to the counter before catching Alvin’s attention, signaling he’d be back in a few minutes, and heading to the bathroom to splash some water on his face and down a few Excedrin to get him through the rest of the night. As he shouldered the door open he was half listening for a certain voice to echo out of a stall. Ridiculous, since he hadn’t caught the kid after that first night. Not like Lev had been back in the last week and a half either…Or that he really wanted that to be the way he found Lev again…

Damon stood before the sink absently tossing back his painkillers and splashing some cool water over his face, the motions something of a habit. He shut the water off and leaned against the sink for a moment, watching his reflection in the slightly scuffed mirror above it. He studied the few darker strands of his bangs that were clinging together damply; trying to distract his mind enough to push down thoughts of the absent blond.

When he thought he had his mind back on a reasonable track, considering options for a class project, he grabbed a handful of the cheap paper towels and scrubbed his face dry before turning to leave the bathroom. He pulled the door open and sighed a little as the noise filtered back to his ears and steeled himself for the rest of the night. Damon glanced up as he made his way back to the counter and a flash of blond caught his eye in the direction of the entrance.

He felt his breath catch briefly when it sank in that it was his blond making his way through the crowd. He felt a little rush of relief to see Lev again, followed by a twinge of guilt that was still hanging on to for driving him off in the first place. But all of that dimmed slightly when he saw the raven-haired girl beside him, talking with him, making him smile.

Damon felt a small surge of jealousy at the sight. He knew he hadn’t any claims on the boy, but it still felt like stab at him. He made himself remember that his actions probably killed Lev’s interest in him; reminded himself that he hadn’t had any intention of being more than a friend with Lev. He looked away from the pair and got back to the bar; trying to drown out the voice in his head that told him he was full of it, with the pattern of serving drinks.

He looked up after a few minutes, choosing not to acknowledge why he was scanning the crowd right up until his gaze met a pair of startling blue eyes outlined in black. Lev held his gaze a moment before turning his attention back to the girl across from him at one of the tables between the bar and dance area. Damon watched them talking, the girl gesturing towards the bar, Lev shaking his head with what looked like unease in his dark eyes. The girl gave Lev and exasperated look then glanced up at the bar. Damon looked away when the girl caught his gaze, embarrassed at having been seen watching them, and focused intently on his job.

Lev sighed to himself as Sam dragged him from one of the small tables towards the bar. She had figured out who Damon was and now she seemed hell bent on forcing him to see Damon again. He couldn’t tell her to drop it without having to admit that it bothered him. So, after a few attempts at dissuasion, he found himself swiftly approaching the bar with her.

He bit at the inside of his lip as he watched Damon, afraid to see his reaction to them. Damon had met his eyes just after they came in, but he’d forced himself to look away without really gauging Damon’s reaction. He didn’t want to know.

Lev slipped into a bright smile just before he came up beside Sam at the counter and she nudged him to sit there with her. He would smile just like always; for her sake, for Damon. They wouldn’t see that he was bothered by anything at all, Sam might suspect but she wouldn’t know. Damon seemed like he saw past the fake smiles, but Lev knew that he didn’t always see.

He ran his fingers back through his hair as he and Sam waited for Damon. He wished she’d talk to him, give him something to think on; but she was too busy staring at Damon, studying him. Lev knew she was trying to find something, anything, to clue her in on what had happened. He wasn’t sure whether he was glad or disappointed when Damon came to them and gave no sign that anything was wrong. He was glad that Damon didn’t look angry with him; but he didn’t look happy to see them either. He met them with the same working smile and courtesy he gave to everyone.

“Hey, Lev, long time no see.” Damon smiled at him. Well at least he was acknowledging that they knew each other.

“Yeah, I’ve been busy.” He flashed a smile before straightening up a little when Sam nudged him. “Oh, this is my friend Sam. Sam this is Damon.” He waved his hand to each of them in turn.

Lev watched absently as they greeted each other, not really registering their words. He was too busy trying to understand how Damon really felt about him being there. Through the light haze of his thoughts he was aware enough to see Sam leaving and pick up that she was hitting the restroom; trepidation quickly followed as it sank in that he would now be alone with Damon. Well, as alone as one could be in a crowded club.

“Where’ve you been, kid?” Damon raised an eyebrow at him.

“Nowhere special, just the usual places…” Lev shrugged, telling himself that there was no concerned note in Damon’s voice.

“I haven’t seen you dressed up like this in a while.” Damon gave him a little smile.

“Yeah,” Lev laughed softly. He didn’t really go as far as the eyeliner and fishnet very often, tonight had just felt like a night for dressing up, it helped impress the ‘night out’ feeling so he wouldn’t think so much of the outing as just ‘going to see Damon’ like he had grown to.

“Well, it’s nice to see you around again.”

“Yeah,” Lev nodded, “You too…” he glanced around, he felt out of place talking to Damon. He was getting that feeling he got whenever Damon seemed to be looking through his façade. “Hey, I’m getting fidgety, when Sam comes back let her know I went back out on the floor, yeah?”

“Sure, kid,” Damon nodded slightly. “I’ll let her know. See you later.”

Lev flashed a grateful smile then slipped away from the counter to disappear back into the throngs of people on the dance floor. He eased through the crowd, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and the brunet at the counter. Suddenly he wasn’t so sure he was glad that Damon wasn’t upset with him. It would have been awful if he was, but he felt he could’ve gotten over that. If Damon was still his friend, then it would be harder to accept not having more with him.

He shook his head sharply and focused his attention on the music pouring into the club, letting his body fall into the rhythm of those around him. He danced, just danced and listened to the music. He paid attention to the people bumping against him; he paid attention to the floor beneath his feet. As long as he kept his eyes closed tight and focused on these little things, he could keep the bartender out of his head.

A/N: As I said, this was to be almost twice as long, and it was going to have some more serious events in it. But I figured that this section had a decent cut to it and I could give you something now. So part 2 will have the major events and will continue almost directly form the end of this one as opposed to how theres usually anywhere from a night to a week in between chapters scenes. Hope you liked it, and once finals are over I might have more time to write and have the next bit up sooner.

Thanks to everyone who's fave/alerted, and reviewed so far! It really does mean a lot!