And like the dawn you woke the world inside of me
You were the brightest shade of sun when I saw you
And you will surely be the death of me
But how could I have known?
Like the Dawn – The Oh Hellos


Morning aside, Damon had the best night's sleep he could remember. There were no memorable dreams after Stefan got in bed with him, which was the best Damon could hope for. He wondered what part of having Stefan close all night did that. Brothers? Comforts of childhood? This new thing? Well. The sun came up and he supposed it didn't matter now.

They spent a quiet day around the house. Damon putting his room back together, and Stefan putting lists together for Mystic Falls events for the Caroline. Not really interacting, but keeping to their own projects within earshot of each other. Damon found himself in a pretty good mood.

For the first part of the day anyway. It wasn't until later in the afternoon that Damon came downstairs to a parlor full of teenagers.

"Why is she here?" Damon demanded.

"I'm always here, Damon." Elena smiled, gleefully defiant as she sat on the couch against Stefan's side. "It happens when people date. They spend daylight hours together as well as evening."

Ignoring the dig, Damon waved his arm around. "Of course. You're always welcome here. I don't mean you anyway." He clarified, pointing straight at Bonnie. "I mean her."

Glaring with the kind of distaste reserved for those who found Damon truly vile, Bonnie pursed her lips. "I didn't know you'd be here either."

"It's my house!" Damon snapped. Suddenly he felt suspicious that there was a lot of this going on when he wasn't home. "Does this happen a lot?" He disregarded both girls and frowned at Stefan's downcast face. Oh. Well then.

"I see."

"Well yeah." Elena said simply. "Stefan has people over. You know, they're called friends? Normal people who like to hang with, well, not you, but I'm sure you can imagine it."

Stefan's head snapped up in shock. "Elena…"

She only offered a teasing smile and Damon was too impressed with the burn to be offended. "Oh right, that's what we call people until we're ready to eat them." He winked as her smile fell and he looked back to Stefan. "And how many people should I be expecting to be invading my place tonight?"

"My house too." Stefan wryly corrected.

As Elena opened her mouth, there was a knock on the door. "Only a few more, I'm betting."

"Anybody home? I brought Scrabble!" Caroline's bouncy voice called from the foyer.

Elena grinned like she had won a prize and called out, "We're in here!"

Caroline and Tyler let themselves in and walked through the doorway, holding a rattling box and a bottle of whiskey. Caroline's smile faltered for a second when she saw Damon, but then turned up even brighter. "Oh, hi! Nice of you to join us!"

"It's my house!" Damon repeated, saving his glaring for Stefan.

"Of course it is, Damon." Elena smiled sweetly again. It made him feel like she was talking to a senile grandfather or inept child. It was maddening how she constantly undermined that fact that she was in a house of vampires. "We're having a few couples over so we can pick up our normal game night."

Normal. There was that word again. His humor evaporated at the reminder that their world wasn't built for him. What was the fucking appeal of behavior that really only signified a lack of imagination? Damon looked around and grumbled, "It's uneven."

Caroline nodded, looking sympathetically at Bonnie. "He's right. Matt had to pick up a shift tonight. He's not coming." She grabbed the bottle out of Tyler's hand and walked up to Damon holding the label facing out for him. "You'll stay and play a round or two though right?"

Reading the vintage of his bribe, Damon looked up in appreciation. At least Tyler always had good shit, something he must have nipped from his family stash. He took the bottle out of her hand and tucked it under his arm. "Fine. I'll be on Stefan's team."

"No way, boy-girl only. He's already on a team." Elena put a possessive arm over Stefan's chest like that would make Damon take her seriously.

After a brief internal pep talk to keep from smacking himself in the face, or snapping everyone's neck, he narrowed his eyes at Bonnie, "Guess that leaves..."

"Uh, like hell am I going to be on a team with him!" Bonnie shrieked.

Damon cocked his head to the side. "You can always leave." His smile faltered at her glare and he suddenly remembered the piercing pain she was capable of inflicting on him with a thought.

"No one's leaving." Elena interjected. She stood up beside Caroline and looked over at Stefan, who was still stoically staring at the floor. "Okay, we'll mix it up. Bonnie can team with Stefan and I'll team with Tyler, and Caroline can have Damon."

Bonnie looked dubiously at Stefan. "Can Tyler and I team instead? No offense, but you're never really in it to win it."

He met her eyes and laughed. "You're just mad I know longer words than you."

Damon looked between them all and got the grandfather feeling back again. He could tell they did this regularly, and their bickering felt comfortable. He also suspected Bonnie's problem with Stefan had more to do with what Stefan was than his game strategy. There was really only one way he was willing to play this stupid game, and the vindictive part of him wanted to make it as awkward as possible. He caught Caroline's attention before he dragged his eyes up her body and winked. Startled, she stepped back against Tyler.

"Oh, right. Maybe Damon and I shouldn't be a team either."

Nodding understandingly, Damon tried to look sincere, "Given our history, maybe that would be more appropriate. Blondie can be on Stefan's team then." Triumphant, Damon slid to Elena. "Guess that leaves me and you, sweetheart."

"What?" Elena squeaked. She glanced at Stefan but he kept a well-crafted blank expression. With a loud sigh Elena relented. "Fine, I'll set it up in the dining room." Elena took the box from Caroline and turned abruptly.

They all followed her, Damon smirking behind them.


"Triple word- that's 36 points!" Elena cheered.

"'Qis' is not a real word."

Damon smiled up at Bonnie. "Is that an official challenge?"

She drummed her fingers against the table, looking at everyone's expectant face. She sighed and slumped back. "No."

"Those are our last tiles. We win again!" Elena held up her hand and Damon obligingly slapped it.

Stefan looked between them warily. The whole night had gone pretty much like that. Game night with his friends and his brother was not his idea. He wasn't sure what Damon was really playing at, but he knew there was something behind his brother's jovial act. It had to do something with the night before, like a weakness Damon was trying to make up for. That somehow turned into Elena and Damon becoming best friends. Incessant pressure built up behind his eyes the whole time they had been playing. It was distracting.

Caroline put her hand on his shoulder, getting his attention. "It's alright. We didn't do too bad."

"Wait!" Elena smacked her hands onto the table. "Detract points for your remaining tiles." She grinned. "We don't have final scores yet."

"Do we really have to make our failure official?" Stefan dragged the last few tiles on his stand around and dumped them into Caroline's hand.

Elena pulled everyone's scores together and looked them over. "Ha! We mega-win!"

"Well, this was enough fun for one night." Bonnie said dryly. "I think it's time to go home."

Tyler agreed and started tossing the pieces back in the box.

"Come on, one more game, you still have a chance!" Elena beamed, undeterred by the two games they had already won.

Caroline and Tyler shared a look and made their way to the door. Caroline smiled over her shoulder. "Tonight was fun, guys. Thanks for playing, Damon. Definitely made it interesting. We'll see you all later."

"We do make a good team. You're just as ruthless as I am." Damon looked over at Elena and smiled wider as she flinched. Stefan noticed Elena's reaction first, and then Damon's. He couldn't tell if it was meant to be an insult or compliment.

"I am not." Elena sat up straighter unable to hide the amusement sparkling in her glare.

Damon narrowed his eyes, teasing softly. "Are too."

"Enough." Stefan interrupted quietly. He wished his head would explode to relieve the pressure. Instead he stood up. "I'm going hunting. Bonnie, will you give Elena a ride home?"

Surprised, Elena looked up at him. "But I won, I want to celebrate."

Stefan looked at Damon for a few seconds then back at Elena. "Well, I lost. I want to eat something." He hated admitting it out loud and the disturbed look in Elena's eyes was precisely why. She looked back at him with a mix of concern and disapproval. As if he could try a little harder not to be a slave to the blood, she'd be able to have a normal boyfriend. The sudden shame burned in his throat.

Damon looked between Stefan and Elena, and his smirked twisted. "I'll take you home."

"I got it." Bonnie said, protectively grabbing Elena's arm. "We have class notes to go over anyway."

Shrugging, Damon stood as his cruel smile dropped. "I'll go with Stefan then."

Damon avoided Stefan's stare and again Stefan wondered what Damon really wanted. It was getting late, and Damon didn't seem to be going out to the bar any time soon. If Stefan was an unwise man, he may even believe Damon genuinely wanted to hang out with Stefan for a while. Even if that meant catching rabbits.

Whatever. He could deal with whatever Damon was really getting at later. "Let's go then."

"But Stefan," Elena protested.

"What?" he snapped.

Bonnie and Damon stood beside the couple silently watching the exchange.

"You've spent every night the past few weeks home. I thought we would, you know..." She blushed furiously and looked pointedly at Stefan.

That was true enough, as Damon was the first to notice when they woke up, but Stefan was too exhausted and hungry and upset. Being reminded of his awkward morning wasn't helping. "We can get together tomorrow if you really want. Not tonight. I need to feed, Elena."

Bonnie tugged on Elena's arm again. "I'm taking you home. Leave them to their business."

"But…"

"Goodnight, Elena." Stefan and Damon said in unison, and then glanced at each other in surprise before Damon turned away unable to hide a smirk.

Elena looked between them with a mixture of confusion and annoyance as she let Bonnie lead her out.

They waited in silence as Bonnie's car left the driveway. Stefan stared at his brother while Damon averted his eyes to the ceiling.

"What the hell was up with you tonight?" Stefan spat out.

"Me? Nothing." Damon started walking away with his hands buried in his pockets but Stefan stayed right on his heels, determined to get real answers.

"That's bullshit." Stefan continued. "You were good with Elena being here, you participated in the game-you even looked like you were enjoying it."

Damon turned around and crossed his arms together. "Was there a question somewhere in there? Or was that another diary entry titled 'Things Damon Did Today that Bother Me'?"

"I know something is going on."

Damon's bottom lip curled under his teeth and his eyes narrowed. "And you think I'm going to tell you?"

"No. It's obvious anyway. You two made a good team." Stefan took a step back toward the dining room. He felt wrong immediately, knowing he was off, but not why. But there were too many ways things could go badly for Stefan to process exactly what he thinking. "It's just... after the last couple weeks, I thought we were starting to get along. That you'd stop trying to sabotage my relationship and steal my girlfriend."

Damon's mouth dropped open and eyebrows shot sky-high. He shook his head a few times. "I beg your unbelievable pardon?"

Stefan sighed as he pulled the chair out and sat again. It was the least aggressive move he could make. He looked up at Damon, knowing he couldn't hide his frustration. He was tired of fighting.

"I'm not an idiot. I know there's something going on between you two."

"Yes, you are an idiot." Damon relented and sank into the chair beside Stefan. "But I probably am too."

It felt like a confession, but Stefan didn't have any clue what his brother could be admitting. He opened his mouth, but no words would come out so he closed it again. Instead, he watched Damon tracing the grain of the table with the tip of his finger. Damon continued without looking up.

"You're the one that wants to be normal. So I tried it for the night to see what the big deal was."

"And?" Stefan glanced at the profile of Damon's face. He knew better than to be hopeful, but something like it wriggled around inside him where he tried to strangle the feeling.

"Didn't care for it." His brother said simply.

Not really any surprise. Even when the entire table was filled with supernaturals: vampires, witches, werewolves and doppelgängers, Stefan didn't exactly fit in either. He was still ages older than his friends—her friends—and the only one whose past was stained with the rust of so much dried blood. There were parts about his life no one would understand. The parts he was happy to push aside. The parts Damon shared, but refused to push anywhere but back in Stefan's face.

"You don't have to do that. Try, I mean." Stefan said slowly as he thought about it. "Maybe you're not meant for it."

Damon looked sharply at him out of the corner of his eye. "Of course I'm not. I'm not going to let her make me feel ashamed of what I am. And neither should you. Why pretend to be average when you're infinitely superior?"

A million reasons came to mind, but things like 'fitting in' and 'distraction from the bloodlust' and 'belonging somewhere' weren't really convincing arguments for his brother. Superiority was almost exclusively Damon's complex anyway. So what was the point? Stefan rubbed his hands through his hair and stood up again.

"I really do want to feed. I should go now while the sun is going down."

Scowling in thought while he chewed on his lip, Damon turned where he was sitting and pointed one long finger at Stefan. "Wait. Have you really not had sex with Elena in weeks?"

"Oh my god, I'm not talking to you about this." Stefan shook his head and went to get his hoodie.

"That's not a no!" Damon shouted behind him.

"It's none of your business." Stefan muttered back, despite the sudden anxiety flaring up when he thought about the reason.

"I don't understand. She was kind of desperate for it. Why didn't you go home with her?"

Stefan zipped the hoodie up as he leaned against the entrance of the dining room where Damon still sat. "Look, I wasn't lying when I told you last night I was worried about you. And I know what happens when she comes over. So I was going to spend another night around here." He fully expected Damon to scoff or get upset and braced himself for potentially being thrown into a wall.

"Oh." Surprise transformed into troubled thought as Damon stared at his hands on the table. "Okay."

Stefan felt his mind stutter over all the arguments he had prepared to say to defend his decision and was almost disappointed he couldn't use them.

"Really?"

Damon looked back up to him. "The two of us have been hanging out together for a while. I don't know. It's been okay, right?"

Blinking rapidly Stefan wondered where his brother was and who possessed his body. He expected Damon to resist the idea of being coddled. At the very least to push Stefan away in favor of a warmer body. The hesitant way Damon looked up at him then quickly away, didn't make Stefan worry the way it should. Again, he felt the idea of being hopeful. That was terrifying.

"What's happening here?" He blurted out.

Closing his eyes, Damon smirked. It was a uniquely Damon smirk, but not the one that made Stefan's head explode. "You know me too well."

"Tell me." Stefan insisted.

Damon stood up and leaned over the table. "No." There was a casual defiance in his eyes that sent a chill through Stefan.

"You will eventually." Stefan persisted, ignoring the uneasy feeling. "You always do."

Some internal debate clouded Damon's expression and he shrugged. "Maybe."

"Fine." Stefan sighed. It wasn't like he expected much anyway. "Are you coming?"

Damon took the mostly empty bottle to his lips and finished it off before appearing by Stefan's side. Stefan took a step back but Damon didn't make any more sudden moves.

"Sure. Why the hell not."