Damon smirked.
Stefan frowned.
Damon had dark black hair and lapis blue eyes.
Stefan had light caramel brown and dark jade eyes .
Damon drank.
Stefan grounded his teeth together.
Damon chuckled.
Stefan laughed.
Damon was prone to dark sarcasm.
Stefan was prone to dry jokes.
Damon slaughtered and hunted.
Stefan drained and killed.
Damon grew black winged raven feathers and flew, spying on those he didn't trust and those he did.
Stefan grew brown hawk feathers and flew, attacking those whom would hurt the ones he sought to protect.
The brothers were opposites in everyway. Except one. They both wore the rings which bore they're family's crest.
Just a simple symbol. Bird wings which symbolized endurance and health, and a silver strip down the middle behind the wings which symbolized unity and family.
The stone under the silvery crest was a lapis lazuli stone. Stefan had always noticed it was the same color as Damon's eyes, it's how he knew if a stone was fake or not.
The silver could be engraved. Simple cursive S or D, depicting the first letter of their name. To anyone else it might seem the same ring if not for the small detail.
But it wasn't the first piece of jewelry they had shared.
Stefan glanced down at his elder brother, whom sat idly sleeping under a wilow tree that Stefan climbed on his pale face covered by the protection of a rounded wheat colored hat which had a black silk ribbon fastened around it to give it a falsely proper look. Damon's neck slowly but surely tanning under the harsh light of the summer sun.
a silver chain hung around the doomed skin of Damon's neck, a vervain locket which had belonged to they're Mother Stefan was used to seeing around Damon's neck.
He frowned when he realized the girls also playing nearby with tea-cups and picnic baskets had spotted his fourteen year-old brother.
They giggled and blushed and whispered. Stefan shook his head slowly as he realized; he was jealous.
Though he knew it was completely stupid, that Damon didn't even notice the effect he had on girls nor did he ever flaunt it. His jealously remained there.
Stefan huffed and continued climbing the tree.
He didn't blame the blushing girls, everyone saw his brothers handsome chiseled features. The lapis blue iries, pale skin, and dark silky sable hair which resembled their Mother and all of her dark beauty. Stefan knew what she looked like from the painting they're Father hid in the attic, He and Damon had snuck up there when they were much smaller.
Suddenly, a girl about the same age as himself approached Damon.
she nudged Damon until he woke up and pointed to Stefan with a small asking smile who blushed in embarrassment from being caught and looked away. When the little girl left, Stefan jumped from the tree and landed beside his smirking older brother.
"What did she want?" Stefan asked innocently.
Damon yawned and stretched slowly. "To say Happy Birthday."
"But it's not..." Stefan smiled slowly realizing almost stupidly the girl meant to say Happy Birthday to himself not Damon.
"I'm eight years old today." Stefan remembered and smiled brightly.
"Happy Birthday." Damon said again unfastening the silver chain.
When he was done he pulled the locket off and fastened it again, but this time on Stefan who with confused eyes tilted his head, "But, wasn't this was Mama's necklace?" Stefan said with an unsure look as he opened the sprig and found vervain nestled inside.
Stefan poked at the plant with annoyance. His crazy Father was always prattling on about vampires, he had even started randomly putting vervain in their pockets and it seemed that he had found his way into Damon's things and stuck the vile thing inside.
"Now it's yours." Damon shrugged indifferently and re-adjusted the hat he wore, smirking in amusement when Stefan flicked the purple vervain flower away.
Stefan glanced at his ring which symbolized the end of his human life, than at Elena's vervain locket.
The vervain locket symbolized protection for Elena. For Stefan? It symbolized family and the beginning of his sad life.
Elena smiled and squeezed the locket gently in her palm.
Damon only smirked. He didn't even need to say what he was thinking, Stefan already knew.
Stefan glared back. He knew exactly what Damon was thinking, and he didn't like it.