You mean that much to me
And it's hard to show
Gets hectic inside of me
When you go
Night Time – XX

Instead of cleaning himself up and attempting to apologize, Stefan went home and sulked. He wasn't going to apologize. It was a stupid fight. Stefan wasn't even disagreeing that his unwashed state was unsuitable. There were too many important things on his mind to worry about a few stray streaks of blood on his arms.

Stefan pulled into the garage and parked next to Damon's car. He felt hope beat in his chest, but the car had been there when he left to get Elena, so he tried to ignore it.

He walked around Damon's room. It wasn't emptied, but Damon usually travelled light, car or no car, so full drawers didn't mean much. He kicked his clothes around, piled them up to take them to wash, and picked up the guitar he had brought in a week before. He waited until almost midnight, worrying a new bottle of bourbon between his knees while he nervously picked at the guitar strings. By the time the bottle was half empty, he set everything down on the floor and stripped down to a t-shirt and boxers before he climbed back into Damon's bed.

Instead of sleeping, Stefan restlessly pawed at his side. Because they had things like preferred sides of Damon's bed, and Stefan wasn't going to cross into Damon's side, but he wasn't going to be able to ignore it all night. So he turned over to look at it.

And there Damon stood beside the bed. Quiet, intense, arms crossed. Thank fuck.

A tidal wave of relief flooded over Stefan as he sprang forward, pulling Damon down to sit beside him. "I didn't hear you come in."

Smirking in the dark, Damon shrugged. "That's how you sneak up on somebody properly. You know you can't sleep without me. I have to look out for you, little bro." He tentatively lay down, looking surprised as Stefan immediately wrapped around him.

Too relieved to argue with him, Stefan scooted closer till they were pressed tightly together. "Of course, you're right. What was I thinking?" The sarcasm fell flat, but Stefan didn't care. He was probably still drunk. The warm scent of bourbon and wild air hit him in waves and he wanted to bury himself in it. He breathed in deep, nose against the column of Damon's neck. "Don't do that to me. We can figure everything out. Just don't leave me again."

Damon laid there, hands rubbing over Stefan's arm around his chest. Stefan sighed and tried to let sleep pull at him. The days' anxiety and his worry that something would happen to Damon without him being there drifted away with the firm reassurance of his brother in his arms. Before he got too comfortable, he heard Damon's quiet voice.

"I didn't expect you to be here."

"Here?" Stefan asked, exhaustion starting to overtake him. "I live here."

"But you're in my bed again. You know you don't have to do this." Damon said coolly, shifting in Stefan's hold.

"Missed you. Was worried about you. We've spent enough time apart. I hate when you're gone." Stefan rambled quietly, letting Damon move around so they were facing each other. The fact that he felt more comfortable in Damon's bed, even when Damon was gone would be something he'd think about later.

"Can I?" Damon pointed down his body, moving his hips slightly.

"Can you what?" Stefan looked at him in alarm.

"My jeans." Damon smirked, rolling his eyes and undoing his belt under the blanket. "Can't sleep in these."

"Oh." Stefan's face flushed and he gave Damon some room. "Yeah, of course." He tried not to watch too carefully as Damon kicked off the clothing. The flex and ripple of muscle now felt too intimate. But as soon as he was undressed, Stefan pulled him close again.

Smiling softly, Damon nuzzled back against him. "You smell delicious."

Instantly Stefan tensed and backed off. He was tired of being mocked. He was too tired to argue in his own defense again. "I thought you had problems with animal blood?"

"No, I don't mind it like this." Damon pulled Stefan's arm up to his mouth and trailed the tip of his tongue over Stefan's forearm. He tilted his head, puzzled, and took another swipe with the flat of his tongue, slowly dragging it up Stefan's arm before he pulled away and hummed. "It's the smell of you that makes it good."

Stefan didn't know what to say. He was stunned, having gone from grinding self-loathing at the snub of Elena to a damn-near-giddy shudder at Damon's acceptance. Damon's tongue and warm breath on his skin made his body tingle. He was lightheaded again. The little circle Damon's fingertip was rubbing into the skin of Stefan's hip was also leading him to some dangerous ideas.

"Are you drunk?" He nudged Damon's chin up with his thumb.

Licking his lip Damon slowly blinked up at him. "Of course. Aren't you?" There was a dark defiance in Damon's eyes that set Stefan on edge. Made him think he shouldn't be admitting any vulnerability.

"Not enough." Stefan whispered, snapping his hand away.

The darkness lifted to something more amused in Damon's expression. "For what exactly?" His hand stilled on Stefan's hip, making Stefan stunningly aware of where every part of their bodies touched.

Stefan didn't know how to reply. He could feel his mouth opening and closing in attempt to say words. There should be words. But nothing came out as Stefan's face heated.

"Go to sleep, brother." Damon whispered as he slid his hand up Stefan's side. "You have a date this weekend with your girlfriend and you should be well rested."

It was a token. Damon was letting Stefan know he wasn't backing away from what he admitted, but wasn't pushing for Stefan to do anything about it right away. Stefan was grateful. Sliding back to his side of the bed, Stefan muttered, "You did hear all that? Knew you couldn't have gone far." His head snapped up, remembering the quiet plea he made in the trees. "You came back because I asked you to."

Damon's fingertips danced down Stefan's back. "I always do."