A/N: It's snuggle city up in this bitch. But that doesn't always mean what you think...
And I'm not sure what the trouble was that started all of this
The reasons all have run away but the feeling never did
It's not something I would recommend, but it is one way to live
Cause what is simple in the moonlight, by the morning never is
Lua – Bright Eyes
A pattern soon formed. The mornings Stefan woke up on the opposite side of the bed, he watched Damon struggle with his dreams before moving close and waking him. The mornings he woke up with their bodies already pressed together, Damon rested in peace until after dawn broke. Without fail, Damon looked surprised when he opened his eyes.
Stefan didn't move until Damon hands were off the completely safe zones of Stefan's body.
As soon as Stefan was sure Damon was okay, he went to his own room to take a shower.
It wasn't long before he started to jerk off there, wondering if Damon ever had the same need after waking up tangled around each other. Tried harder not to think about it. He went to school, went out with Elena, hunted, and lived his daily life. Damon did whatever the hell Damon always did. They spent the evening together at home.
There were fights. A pack of werewolves invaded that ended with Caroline injured, and Tyler on the run. Multiple opportunities Elena took to risk herself to save her friends.
There were victories. The remaining tomb vampires were eradicated, Katherine skipped through town, Tyler came back, and Bonnie got more powerful. Stefan and Damon worked together on multiple opportunities to save Elena.
Every night Stefan slipped into Damon's bed before Damon could ask.
Every night Damon wrapped himself around Stefan as he fell asleep.
They didn't talk about that.
The rise and fall of his brother's chest against his back was a soothing rhythm that lulled him to sleep easier than any drink or drug had any hope of achieving. The breath on the back of his neck made him warm. The arm balanced over his side, tucked under his own made him feel safer than any dangerous vampire in his bed had any right to. The knee that inevitably slid over his leg, wedging itself between his thighs almost every night should have been more awkward, but somehow, the presence only made him feel more comfortable.
They were perfect like this. When it could be the two of them, in the quiet, in the dark. The ache only came in the daylight once they pulled away from each other. Well, maybe there was something they could do about that.
The pattern formed was easily dented.
Stefan woke first and spent a few minutes looking at his brother. They were comfortable. Damon was sleeping on his stomach, pillowed on Stefan's bicep, his arm draped across Stefan's chest. Stefan had slept in boxer briefs and a tank top while Damon went shirtless in soft cotton pants. It was as close to appropriate as Damon got.
Lost somewhere in thought of how easily they seemed to accommodate each other, Stefan missed Damon waking up until he noticed glassy blue eyes peering back at him. As he tried to look past them, to get any hint of what his big brother was thinking, Damon's eyes closed again.
"Good morning, brother." Their faces were so close together Stefan kept his voice low.
Damon merely grunted, pulling at the blanket that had twisted around their waists until he could pull it up over both their heads. He kept his eyes closed, and didn't move from Stefan's arm except to nuzzle a little closer.
"Is that your way of saying 't'was the nightingale and not the lark?'"
A hint of a smile quirked Damon's lips, but he didn't open his eyes. His arm slid up to Stefan's face, pinching his lips shut.
"I huffa gff tf sscll."
Damon shook his head as if he actually understood, creating a weird sensation in Stefan's arm. Stefan huffed a laugh that mostly came out through his nose, surprised at how playful his brother was being.
"Be late." Damon's raw voice rasped in his ear. "Sleep more."
Stefan got out of Damon's hold and quickly nipped at his brother's fingertips. Damon yanked his hand away with a soft laugh and bent his arm across Stefan's chest again, fingers resting between Stefan's ribs.
After a second of deliberation, Stefan moved the arm Damon was laying on to nudge him closer. Soft and compliant, as he only ever was in the first few minutes after waking, Damon slid over till his head lay on the center of Stefan's chest. Stefan pulled the sheet off his head so he could breathe fresher air that wasn't nearly as intoxicating as the air they were sharing, but necessary for the same reason. He tucked the edge of it under his arms where they were wrapped around Damon's back.
His shoulders relaxed better that way, letting him sink into the bed with the warm weight of his brother over him. The stillness of the morning lulled him back towards sleep.
Class could wait a little while. He figured he would text Elena once they actually let the day have them as his eyes closed again.
Deep in his doze, he didn't know how much time had passed when he felt Damon shift. He flinched when Damon's hand moving over his hip brushed along his dick, seemingly accidentally. This time Damon didn't recoil or apologize. Instead his fingertips edged around Stefan's growing hardness again before the palm of his hand cupped over Stefan's balls. Then the hand was gone.
The air left his lungs. He couldn't see his brother's face, and it was impossible to tell if Damon was awake or aware of what he was doing. It didn't seem like something that would happen on accident, but he couldn't figure out why touching his dick wouldn't bother his brother. If it had been a joke, Stefan wasn't laughing.
"Damon," Stefan gasped a meager warning.
Shifting over, Damon rolled off Stefan's chest, slowly opening his eyes. "Hey." His voice was soft, and he didn't seem to be alert.
"Good morning, again." Stefan replied hesitantly, only then sure his brother was actually awake. The clock on the nightstand indicated noon was closer than dawn. "Well, sort of morning."
Barely brushing his arm against Stefan's once they moved; he looked over with a small twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Skip class today."
Staring at him in confusion, Stefan tried to figure out what Damon's intentions were. But he had already missed half the day anyway. "Why is that?"
Damon started to slowly sit up, patting Stefan's knee. "Pancakes."
"Really?" Stefan laughed. Food seemed like a good reason to get out of bed. He could be back to pick Elena up later. Maybe he and Damon could catch another movie. Spend time together somewhere things weren't so unsettling.
"Mmm," Damon responded like they had already agreed. "Get dressed. I'll go make some coffee before we go."
Stefan waited for him to walk out of the room and looked back at his straining erection. Damon seemed oblivious to the insanely confusing things he was doing to Stefan's body. But all Stefan ever wanted was to have his brother back, so he could deal with a few mistaken sleep-stricken touches.
He blew out a deep breath and got out of bed.
