Drink up with me now And forget all about
The pressure of days Do what I say
And I'll make you okay And drive them away
The images stuck in your head
Between the Bars – Elliott Smith


They slid into opposite sides of their regular booth in the back.

Damon drummed his fingers on the menu, pretending to look it over, occasionally glancing up at Stefan with a small smile. The heaviness that weighed on him seemed to have evaporated with the daylight.

"What?" Stefan finally sighed when he had enough.

After a moment, Damon pushed the menu to the side and looked up, unable to hide his amusement. "When are we going to talk about the real elephant here?"

Usually after any sort of emotional heart to heart, they tended to avoid each other for a while. The fact that his brother wanted to talk at all was a miracle. The public place however, seemed ill-advised. "Talk about what part, exactly?"

Damon winked, cheeky and teasing. "My ability to turn straight men queer, obviously."

With a glance around the restaurant, Stefan leaned in, voice lowered. "I'm pretty sure it's just called 'gay' now." Sometimes he wasn't sure what terms were used for anything anymore. He didn't spend a lot of time thinking about this one. He remembered when it was just sexual deviancy, or when it wasn't talked about at all. It still didn't exactly fit though. He'd only ever had a benign interest in men in the past. Mostly a distraction borne out of loneliness and buried feelings about his brother. If he were honest with himself, no one ever really measured up to Damon. So why bother?

"I've turned you gay then?"

Stefan leaned back again, eyes bright. "I'm not interested in men, dumbass. I'm interested in you." He knocked his knee against Damon's leg under the table catching his foot around Damon's ankle.

"But you've been with men." Damon narrowed one eye, hazarding a guess.

"A bit of practice." Feeling bold, Stefan smiled back. He dragged the toe of his other foot along Damon's calf.

"Practice in case we…" Damon trailed off, eyes widening.

Stefan's gaze didn't waver. There was no sense in being shy about it now, but the desperation of those moments, the need that overwhelmed him in the time they spent apart was still painful. "Yes." He reached forward, sliding his fingers along Damon's arm. "I thought about you, about your inability to discern between age or gender or availability when you wanted something. There were times…" Damon needed to know how much Stefan thought about being with him. But he hesitated, not knowing how to explain those moments until the words were already spilling out. "I wanted to know what it might be like for you. Maybe try to convince myself it wasn't because I wanted to be with you." His finger drew tiny circles along Damon's wrist, pebbling the skin. He smiled. "Interested in knowing what I've experienced?"

"Maybe when we get home." Damon looked down suddenly, turning his palm up to brush along Stefan's.

If Stefan didn't know better, he'd swear his big brother was nervous. Like he hadn't been subjected to hundreds of Damon's wild stories throughout his whole fucking life.

Their waitress came by with two cups of coffee, smile growing as her eyes fell to where their hands held onto each other. "What can I get you boys to eat?"

Damon glanced up, blinking quickly. "Two tall stacks, extra crispy bacon please." He pushed the menus into her hands and stood up. "Take your time. We'll be back in a few." He looked at Stefan and beckoned him with a wave. "Come with me."

Nodding, she walked towards the kitchen, scribbling in her notepad.

Stefan rose slowly as he watched Damon, not sure what to expect.

"Just one little bite, before we eat." Damon started talking fast, taking Stefan's hand as he led them towards the door. "I'll pick someone up out there. To show you."

"No." Stefan panicked, freezing even as Damon tugged on his arm. "What?"

Stalling long enough to look back at him, Damon pleaded. "I need you to come outside."

He shook his head. This was what Damon wanted to teach him? "I don't know if I can, Damon."

"Of course you can." Damon stepped closer, lowering his voice "Please. Let me show you how it will be."

The idea beat inside Stefan's chest. Trust. He trusted his brother. He wanted to. He did. "Okay." He tightened the grip of their hands, and they walked out the door.


Three young men stood in the alley. They weren't close enough to the main street for it to be obvious, but they weren't completely hidden either. Stefan languished against the opposite wall, arms curled around his chest, watching Damon and the stranger intently.

Damon widened his eyes, hand brushing down the man's arm. "Don't be scared."

"'M not." He responded in a compelled daze.

"One little bite and we're done."

The man nodded, eyes vacant and body calm.

"You don't mind, right?" Damon tilted his head, speaking softer.

"I don't mind." He repeated.

Damon snorted, whispering more instructions as he turned the man to face the wall. Damon went towards Stefan, whose eyes were dark and riveted to Damon.

"I meant you." His expression was soft and concerned. He held out his hand. "Come closer, brother. You don't even have to touch him."

With a deep breath, Stefan put his hand in his brother's and closed the distance between them.

"There are places people notice marks on the skin." Damon pulled Stefan close, his free hand gesturing to the third man, who obediently stood still, staring at the wall. "When they look at themselves in the mirror, when their partners undress them. If your not careful, blank spots where memories are supposed to be start eating away at people, and annoying questions come up."

Damon leaned in, kissing Stefan's neck under his jaw. "This spot is for claiming someone." He smiled. "But you've always had a penchant for that cliché." He slid his hands over Stefan's shoulders, and down to his waist. "The chest, or shoulder is a good place to keep your own secret, but it's also a good place for when you want someone to get in a little trouble when they get home."

Stefan leaned into the touch. It was difficult not to. "You once covered Caroline in bites. Why do you bother hiding them at all?"

With a small nod, Damon brushed his thumb under Stefan's chin. "You were supposed to notice. Even after Elena told you, it took forever for you to do anything about it."

Stefan realized he was shaking. Each plane Damon brushed his hand over woke every nerve under his skin. How did his brother always have so much control? His mouth watered and gums felt swollen. "Just do it already."

Ignoring him, Damon kept his hands moving, sliding down Stefan's arms to his wrists. "The arms and legs are useable, but still bring up a lot of questions."

"Damon. Come on, please." He tried to steady his breathing. The man with them wasn't afraid, so Stefan tried to remind himself he had no reason to be either.

His brother relaxed his hold on Stefan's wrists, and took his hand instead. He regarded the man's back carefully. "Have you noticed my pattern, yet? Do you understand who I choose when I bring them out here?"

Stefan shook his head. "Women mostly. Youngish men, like this one. Not well put together, sort of... " He tried to focus more on what the people Damon walked away with could have possibly had in common. It was difficult to remember when he spent so much time trying not to think about them. About what Damon had been doing with them instead of him. He knew about bite marks. He'd seen the destruction his teeth had caused on countless bodies.

Learning how to hide the bites, understanding how people moved on after being fed from, memories erased, was never something he worried about because he never wanted to get that far in his feeding. That's how it always went wrong. His attention was stolen as the anticipation of blood overshadowed his mind.

"Shaggy haired hipsters." Damon supplied.

"What?" Stefan looked up in a daze.

"So much fucking hair, no one can see it. People don't look at the backs of their own heads, and partners don't usually pay much attention to the area."

Stefan stared as Damon stood beside the man and pulled the hair to the side, exposing the nape of his neck. "Live and fresh and a toasty 98 degrees means we don't actually need much." He wet his lips, and pressed his mouth against the man's neck.

There was a pop of Damon's teeth breaking skin and the immediate metallic aroma filtering through the air. Stefan heard the flex of his brother's throat on the first swallow, and the soft whimper of the man. It didn't matter that he was compelled to not be scared, or even know that he was being hurt. Stefan's vision was suddenly clouded by images of the girl on Damon's bed, spread out before him as Damon covered himself in her blood.

His whole face went dark. The hunger overwhelmed him and he lurched forward, arm stretched out. "Enough!" He pulled Damon back with both hands, using his brother as a shield between himself and the bleeding man. "Fuck. I can't."

Instead of being upset, or any of the annoyed feelings Stefan expected, Damon pushed them both away from their captive. He took a step toward Stefan; surprising him so much he took a step back, and another until he was squeezed between Damon and the opposite wall.

"You don't want me touching him?" Damon smirked, stroking his hands over Stefan's sides.

This was the test then. If Stefan could hold back while Damon fed, making biting someone look easy and fucking normal. Snatch. Eat. Erase. As if their past of feeding together, binging and tearing people apart on a whim wasn't something that haunted Stefan's own nightmares. He could hear the steady pulse of the bleeding man only a few yards away from them. Calling him in like a tribal drum.

They weren't those monsters. Damon had control, and Stefan tried paying attention.

Damon didn't move, gripping Stefan tight by the waist and keeping them in place. A strong protective wall Stefan could lean against.

"I don't want him here." Stefan panted, trying not to breathe in the scent. But his focus snapped, the scent was stronger where the blood clung to Damon's lips. The blood he was allowed. He licked at his brother's lips. White noise rung in Stefan's ears as he pulled Damon closer to lick deeper into his mouth and sweep up the taste. "I want this." He panted, eyes burning with shame and hunger. The little bit of strength at the meager sample flickered through his body, lighting up his nerves, and tingling where Damon pressed against him.

"Yeah." Damon tightened his grip, sliding them another step away. "Maybe we need break this down a little bit more first." He wet his lips. "We can work our way up to you licking my body clean of their blood." The challenge in his eyes wasn't entirely teasing.

"Shut up." Stefan exhaled, dropping his head to Damon's shoulder. "That isn't funny." His hands on Damon's shoulders squeezed tighter as he subconsciously tried to move closer to the man again. His brother was still stronger, and for once Stefan was grateful.

"No, baby. I know." Damon said with clear understanding, with more traces of regret than judgment.

Stefan flinched. Something about the soft endearment made him feel better, warmer. Damon was really looking out for him. Raising his head, the fight drained out of Stefan. His grip loosened as his control found it's footing. He panted a heavy breath, imagining his brother lain out in front of him. Dragging his tongue over all the dips and curves of his body. Wanting to more than he wanted to breathe.

"Am I really that person?" Stefan sighed, swallowing hard. "How do I change?"

"No. You're a vampire." Damon's assured voice cut through the ringing in Stefan's head. "The only thing that changes is you let yourself have everything you've always wanted. What you actually need. And I get to be there to rein you in. It'd be my privilege to watch you grow stronger."

Stefan breathed in deep. His hands were balled up into fists on Damon's shoulders, his brother's hands still hanging onto his hips. Damon had always been the root of Stefan's strength. The defiant pillar that refused to be broken throughout the storm. Stefan laughed, breathless. His face was tight, he knew still dark with the monster. The brick dug into his back and the noise and people out on the street suddenly didn't sound far enough away. His focus leveled on Damon's eyes. Trust. Trust. Trust.

He exhaled, trying not to glance at the stranger's neck. "Can we go? I'm not eager to see your mouth on someone else."

Damon hummed and tightened his fingers over the wings of Stefan's hips. "And where are you eager to see my mouth?"

"I have a few ideas." Stefan smiled, eyes starting to clear. "He has to go though."

Damon pressed his lips against Stefan's temple. "You need to learn."

He understood there was a warning in his brother's tone. He wished for the ten-billionth time control were easier. "I know." Stefan tugged at the collar of Damon's shirt. "But I've already had more non-animal blood in the last twenty four hours than I've had in the last six months. Give me a break. It'll take me thirty years."

"Hardly." Damon shook his head. "You aren't going from one extreme to the other. If you really trust me and let me help you, it'll be better." He slid his hand over Stefan's shoulder. "You aren't off the rails now. You don't have to go from one extreme to the other. You'll let me help you find your balance, right?"

The decision was important. There was a different future on the other side of either answer.

Stefan leaned in with a wry smile staring at Damon's lips. "Yes."

With a leering grin, Damon pulled back before Stefan's kiss landed. "Do you really prefer their blood when it's dripping from my body?"

Exhaling slowly, Stefan moved his hand from Damon's collar to the back of his neck. Like that image wouldn't be seared into his brain for the rest of eternity. If they were really being honest? "Maybe." He glanced up to gauge his brother's reaction.

He expected Damon's arrogant sneer about being right. But naturally, Damon diverted his expectations with a stunned stupid laugh.

"Okay, deal." Damon looked over his shoulder, not letting go of Stefan. "Hey! Turn around, dude."

Still in a compelled daze, the man turned to face them. His eyes were glazed over but he found Damon's immediately.

"Go away, the sound you heard in the alley turned out to be nothing interesting. You've forgotten why you even came back here. You need to go back to where ever you were going."

"The blood on his neck?" Stefan asked, glancing back to the man.

Rolling his eyes, Damon shook his head. "I've no one to piss off anymore. The bite was barely a few pinpricks that have already closed up. I could do more, give him my blood to cover bigger marks like I did for that girl, but he'll heal on his own. Practically erased."

Blinking a few times, the man walked away from them. By the time he made it to the main street his eyes were clear and he left without looking back.

Damon turned back to Stefan. "You have me all to yourself now."

"You still piss me off." Stefan let out an annoyed laugh and a matching spark in his eyes. He tightened his hold on Damon's neck, pulling him close.