Tw/mentions of vomiting, a lot of it.

keykim prompted: "perhaps expand on how Stefan was suddenly banned from drinking alcohol, like he sneaks a drink or two at Bonnie's Halloween party and feels like the big bad ripper until Damon catches him."

Damon leans in the doorway of Stefan's bathroom, watching him apply an ungodly amount of product into his hair. The smells are offensive to Damon's nostrils. He doesn't understand the need for all of this. Stefan managed just fine before this stuff was invented.

He moves on from the hair to what his brother is wearing. A white lab coat over jeans and t-shirt. Damon gets a better look at the label on the breast of the coat.

"Dr. McSteamy?"

Stefan runs a comb through his hair. "Have you not seen Grey's Anatomy?"

"Is that the one about the doctors that hook up in the operating room?"

"None of them have hooked up in the operating room…I think." He shakes his head. "Anyway, I'm going as the main dude. Patrick something or whatever. Elena and Bonnie are nurses. Matt is the dead patient."

Damon snorts. "And Tyler?"

"Too cool for group costumes."

"That tracks."

Damon watches as Stefan slides a fake stethoscope around his neck.

"To clarify, this is at Bonnie's?"

"Uh huh."

"And Sheila's going to be home?"

"Of course she is."

Damon arches a brow. "You sure?"

Stefan rolls his eyes. "I know the rules, Damon."

"That's not a yes."

Stefan turns to face him. "Yes, alright? She's going to be there. It's just a small party."

"I don't think any party in this town can be classified as small."

"It's Bonnie, Day." Stefan grabs the fake blood off the sink and squirts it on the white lab coat.

"You know curfew is…"

"10:00. You don't want me walking, which is fine. Tyler is picking me up and dropping me off." Damon opens his mouth and Stefan holds up a hand. "No drinking or drugs."

Damon narrows his eyes. "What if you…" His brother interrupts.

"If I drop, Bonnie will call you to pick me up. She has activities I can do in the event of that. Oh, and I'm bringing my phone. It's charged. I'll wear my seatbelt in Tyler's car. If he gets drunk, I won't ride home with him." Stefan smirks as he continues. "When I get home, it's blood, brushing teeth, bath and bedtime."

Damon glares at his brother. Stefan's eyes sparkle.

"Did I leave anything out?"

"Yeah, you're a smart ass." Damon pops his behind. "Seriously, Stef. You need to be careful."

"I'll be fine. It's not even Halloween. Just a costume party. Nothing bad is going to happen to me."

Damon wishes he could believe that. A horn blares several times outside.

"That'd be Ty."

Damon pats his brother's cheek. "Be good."

"Always. Bye, Day!"

His brother bounces down the stairs. Damon stands at the window and watches as he jumps into Tyler's car. The teenagers are grinning and chatting loudly. Damon can't help but smile at seeing Stefan so happy.

Damon is halfway through Casablanca when his phone rings. He doesn't recognize the number and instantly presses ignore. It lights up again a moment later. Damon groans and holds it to his ear.

"What?"

"Damon, it's uh, Matt. Matt Donovan."

"I only know one Matt." Damon's eyes remain on the movie. "What's up?"

"I don't know if I should've called but I'm uh, worried."

Damon grabs the remote and mutes the TV. "What are you talking about? Is Stefan okay?"

"I don't know."

He grits his teeth. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"Well, he and Tyler got a little wasted. Then they disappeared into the woods with some girls. I tried to find them, but I can't. And Mr. Mikaelson just broke up the party…"

Damon's still trying to comprehend the drunk part. Stefan swore he cut off alcohol. He had to. Outside his age, it's illegal for Littles to drink.

He cuts off the fumbling Donovan. "He slipped into the woods behind the Bennett house?"

"Uh huh. I'm really sorry, Da…"

Damon is halfway out the door before he can finish the sentence, hanging up.

When Damon arrives at the Bennet house, Bonnie is in the front yard. She picks up empty red SOLO cups with the help of Matt. Sheila stands on the porch, watching the two with a glare only a grandmother can conjure up. It's enough to make Damon straighten up a bit. She sees him and shakes her head.

"Stefan isn't here."

"I know, but he and Lockwood were."

"I saw Tyler running out of the woods not long after I returned home. I guarantee Carol and Mayor Lockwood got word."

"Was he with anyone?" Sheila shakes her head again. "Mind if I check the woods?"

"Go right ahead."

Matt attempts to say something but a look from Sheila shuts him up. Bonnie keeps her eyes on the grass. Damon can smell her tears. He wishes he could feel sorry for her, but she should know better. Throwing a party where Littles are invited and including alcohol is a bad combination.

Damon checks the house first, just to be safe. Once that and the messy backyard are cleared, he storms into the woods. It doesn't take long for him to get his brother's scent, along with that of heavy vodka and rum.

He hears Stefan before he sees him.

"Yeah, I threw her over my shoulder and ran out of there."

"With all those wooden bullets?" An equally intoxicated but feminine voice slurs. "Weren't you afraid of getting hurt?"

"Nah. Nothing scares me."

Damon rolls his eyes. He's about to have something to fear, alright. He walks through the clearing. Stefan leans against a tree. Two teenage girls hang off his arms: a blonde in a tight cheerleading uniform and a red head dressed as Jessica Rabbit. Guess his brother really does like bunnies.

What Damon cares about is the nearly depleted bottle of vodka in hand. He coughs and all three look up. Stefan's eyes are bloodshot, his face pale. Damon knows he must be drunk because he doesn't flinch and simply smiles.

"Day-man!" He raises the bottle. "Join me and these pretty ladies for a drink."

Damon purses his lips. "Let's go, Stefan."

"What? It's not close to my curfew. I've still got…"

He trails off, looking at his bare wrist. That causes him and the intoxicated girls to burst into a fit of giggles. Damon walks closer and knocks the bottle to the ground. That gets some anger on his baby brother's face. Damon doesn't care. Rage is building up in his own body.

"Hey!" Stefan exclaims. "Don't be such a buzzkill!"

Damon growls. The girls quickly pull away and dart towards the exit. Stefan calls after them but they don't turn around. He kicks the tree.

"What the hell?" Stefan rambles on before Damon could talk. "There were two. One for each of us. Well, Cheryl was supposed to be for Ty but he took off." Heshrugs and bends down to grab a bottle of rum that rests against the trunk. "Oh well, more for me."

Damon grabs Stefan's ear and drags him through the woods. His brother squirms.

"Damon! Stop!"

Damon ignores him, tightening his grip. He's too angry to speak. At this point, Stefan is fumbling to keep up.

"Seriously! Let me go!"

The older brother quickens his pace. Stefan's voice moves from pissed to frantic.

"Day, please, this is too fast, I'm gonna…"

Warm backsplash drips onto Damon's shoes. He lets go of his retching brother. Stefan holds his knees, leaning over. The vomit is everywhere. His lab coat, jeans, sneakers. The dirt is stained with Svedka. Damon wrinkles his nose. God, was his brother really this stupid to mix his drinks?

Eventually, the reaching ends. Stefan breathes heavily, moaning and rocking back and forth. Damon grabs his waist, trying to avoid the vomit. He guides him back to the house. When he rounds to the front yard, he grabs one of the trash bags. Damon peels off the lab coat and drops it into the bag.

"Arms up."

Stefan sways, frowning. "What?"

"You're not getting in my car like this. Arms up." Stefan glances back at his friends who are now staring at them. "I don't care! Should've thought of that before you did this."

Sheila claps her hands. "Bonnie! Matthew! Worry about yourselves."

The teens busy themselves once more. When Stefan still refuses to take off the shirt, Damon rips it off of him. The inebriated Salvatore whines as his big brother undressed him on the lawn of his best friend. Damon tosses the soiled clothes and shoes-including his own- into the trash bag. Stefan is left in nothing but his briefs. Damon quickly grabs his ear and drags him to the car, slower this time. Stefan shivers but Damon knows he won't be affected by the drop in weather.

Once they reach the Camaro, Damon fishes around and finds an old takeout bag from The Grill. He buckles Stefan into the back and thrusts it into his hands.

"You puke in this. I don't want a drop in my baby."

Stefan pouts, holding the bag closer. Damon gets up front and slams the door shut. He peels out of the driveway, doing his best to keep his eyes on the road. His brother was completely reckless tonight. A part of him can't wait to get home and light his little behind up. The other part knows he should wait. If he does it now, his brother won't remember the punishment.

"Tomorrow then," he mumbles to himself.

Stefan dry heaves in the back but doesn't throw up until they get out of the car. This time, it's all over his bare chest. Damon locks his arm under his brother's legs and moves him up into a cradle position. Stefan moans.

"I feel so sick, Day," he says, gripping onto the older one's shirt.

"I'm sure you do." Damon heads up the stairs. "You also look and smell like ass."

He kicks open the door to the master bedroom, settling him into the tub. Once Damon pulls off his underwear, Stefan shuts his eyes and whines again.

"Please don't hate me, DayDay."

Damon sighs, shaking his head. "Don't hate you, Stef." He grabs the retractable nozzle and turns it on, testing the temperature. Not too hot, not too cold.

"You sound mad."

"That'd be because I'm mad."

"Disappointed," Stefan mumbles.

"Yup. Disappointed, mad, wanting to shove my foot up your ass. All of the above."

He faces the hose towards Stefan and hoses him off. His baby brother yelps and sputters. Damon continues and leans over to make sure every inch of him is puke free. He'll still stink but can take a shower in the morning to remedy it. The puke swirls down the drain.

Damon stands Stefan up and grabs a towel, drying him off. He picks him up again and creates a makeshift bed of sorts on the floor out of towels. He lays Stefan on the floor, propping his head up with a head rest from the tub. Damon drags the waste bin over and tucks it under his brother's arm.

"Bunny," Stefan mumbles, his eyes shut.

"I don't think your bunny wants to smell like throw up."

He bends down and kisses the top of his head.

"Night, Stef. Sweet dreams." He pats his bare bottom. "Enjoy your pain free ass."

Damon starts to head back for the bedroom when he hears Stefan's weak, young voice.

"Don't leave me."

Damon sighs, walking back over. He sinks beside his brother. Stefan rolls over, his head falling in Damon's lap. He clutches the waste basket.

"You still love me?"

"Yeah," Damon mutters. "I still love you."

"I drank a lot, Day."

"I know you did." He kisses his temple. "Now, sleep."

Stefan moans for another 30 minutes before drifting off. Damon doesn't move, carding his fingers throw his hair.

Vampires are supposed to heal quickly but when Stefan awakes the next morning, his entire body aches. His head throbs, throat burns and his legs feel like jelly. His hands still cling to the waste basket, which is handy as he upchucks into it within seconds of waking up.

"What a pleasant way to start the day," Damon quips.

Stefan groans as memories from last night come flooding back. Damon finding him in the woods with those girls. Being dragged out by his ear and vomiting all over himself…

Oh God, Damon stripped him down in front of Bonnie and Matt!

He places the basket on the floor and slowly sits up, nearly falling in the process. Damon steadies him and leans his back against the tub. He stands and grabs a sippy cup from the counter, tossing it in his brother's direction. Stefan doesn't bother screwing off the top, he quickly sucks it down. Deer has never tasted this good.

Some of the pain and nausea subsides, but not as much as it would if he were drinking human blood. It's the first time in years that he's been tempted to ask and immediately pushes the idea from his mind.

"So, how ya feeling?" Damon asks.

He's calm. Stefan's learned by now, it's better for his brother to be yelling after a bad situation.

"Like I got my butt kicked," Stefan replies, rubbing his hand over his face.

"Oh, you haven't. Not yet."

He sighs. "Damon."

"I dont't even know where to begin. How many rules did you break last night?"

Stefan looks at the silver tiles. "A lot."

Damon ticks off his fingers as he speaks. "You went to a party that was unsupervised. Drank, a lot as you pointed out last night. Went into the woods alone. Oh, and most importantly, you lied!"

Stefan holds his head, but doesn't dare ask his brother to lower his voice. Damon ignores his silent symbol of pain.

"Did you know going in that Sheila wouldn't be there?" Stefan reluctantly nods. Damon pinches the bridge of his nose. "Why?"

"Why?"

"What the hell possessed you to act like this? You've done a lot of stupid shit, Stefan, but I thought you were turning a corner. I gave you a little bit of freedom and you proved to me that you couldn't handle it."

Stefan sniffles, willing himself not to cry. Damon trusted him and now that's gone.

"I…I just wanted to have fun with my friends."

"You could have fun without drinking. Go to The Grill, watch a movie, read a fricking book!"

Stefan rubs his temples again. "Agh!"

"Hurts doesn't it?" Damon tsks. "I hope it was all worth it."

He sighs. "Should I get the brush?"

"In a minute, but that's the least of your worries. You're grounded."

"How long?"

"Until I decide you're not."

Stefan pouts. "That's not fair."

Damon laughs bitterly. "Not fair? It's better than some of the other things I thought up. Now, if you don't want to make it worse, keep your mouth shut right now."

Stefan shrinks back. The past few months, he's been so annoyed with Damon babying him and talking to him like he's a 5 year old. What he wouldn't give for his brother to coo over him and tuck him into bed, promising to get something to make it all go away.

His big brother isn't just mad. He's disappointed. That cuts worse.

"You go to school, you come home. That's it. If you do go out for any other reason, I'll be with you," Damon continues. "I don't even want to hear you ask "Damon, can I go…" because the answer is going to be no."

Stefan nods. "Yes, sir."

"Whenever I decide you can go out again, I will pick you up and drop you off. No more having Tyler or Matt pick you up. I will also call their houses to make sure an adult is there while you are. You'll be required to send me photos of whatever you're doing."

Stefan's cheeks burn at the thought of his big brother calling Vicki Donoavn to make sure she's actually home. Damon doesn't give him time to argue.

"I'm only restricting electronics for a week, frankly because it'd be a punishment to me otherwise. You'll have an early bedtime of 8 o'clock for 2 weeks. And you'll sleep in my bed, so I'll know if you try to sneak out."

Stefan nods once more. He doesn't like this version of Damon. It brings him back to after they turned. The anger and disappointment in his big brother's eyes tore at his soul, even when Damon was long gone. Stefan knows his brother isn't going anywhere this time and he's not sure if that makes it better.

"I'm sorry," Stefan whispers.

"You're going to be."

Stefan starts to get up to find the brush but Damon gently pushes him back down. He crouches so they're on eye level.

"Seriously," his voice is calm, but this time Stefan isn't afraid of it. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Stefan chews on his lip. "I…I knew Sheila wasn't going to be there and that'd there would probably be alcohol but I told myself that I could handle it. Vowed that I wouldn't touch it. I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't let me go."

"Damn straight."

"I needed to go, Damon."

He rolls his eyes. "No one needs a party."

"But I did." Damon starts to argue but Stefan feels bold enough to argue. "These past few months, I've had everything taken from me. And most of it isn't that bad, but I missed my old life. Having the freedom to do what I wanted, when I wanted. For one night, to just be Stefan. Not a little baby who needs their big brother."

Damon's demeanor softens. Stefan rubs his temples, trying to will the pain to go away.

"Then I got there and everyone was drinking, even Elena. I thought I could have just one beer. That turned into two. Pretty soon, Tyler was pouring me shots and these girls were all over me…it was nice."

"It was dangerous."

"I didn't think about it at the time. No one was looking at me like a little kid. I was the only vampire there. Everyone wanted to hear my stories. It impressed Cheryl and Lisa." The tips of his ears turn pink. "I wanted to ride the high. So when the two of them and Tyler wanted to go into the woods, I agreed."

Damon rubs the back of his neck, shaking his head.

"I can sympathize this has been hard on you, Stefan. But you could've gotten yourself killed. Because of your diet, your body is already weak. Add in being a Little and it only takes a few drinks to make you really sick. You could've ended up in the hospital."

Stefan frowns. "I know."

"You know. So what? It' didn't matter?"

"In the moment…no."

Damon sighs. "I thought we were past this. The self-destruction, the danger."

"No, you wanted it to be. I can't just turn off that part of me. For over a 100 years, Damon, I've been on my own. You and Lexi weren't consistently in my corner. I stayed on my diet, but I was able to go out and do what I wanted, when I wanted. It's hard to just sit there and comply."

"It may be hard, but it's going to keep you alive."

Stefan ducks his head. Damon grips his chin and looks him in the eye.

"Like I said, I do sympathize and understand. If you just had these thoughts, I wouldn't be upset. But you lied to me, Stefan. Again."

"Because you wouldn't have let me go."

"You're right!" A single tear falls down Stefan's cheek. "But you can't keep shit from me, just because you don't think I'll give you the answer you want. That's going to happen. You're the kid."

Stefan lets out a shaky breath. "I know."

"I told you before, I want to trust you. I want to look at you and believe what you say. But then you do something like this and we're back at square one. You want freedom so badly but I can't give it to you if this is what you do with the little I give."

Damon sighs, releasing his grip on Stefan's chin.

"We're gonna disagree on stuff, Stef. It's just a part of life. Still, I tell you things I know you won't like. I need you to do the same for me. As long as you're respectful, I'm not going to get upset. It doesn't mean you'll get to do it, but at least we can talk about it. Do you understand?"

Stefan nods, meaning it. He wants Damon to trust him. More than anything, he wants to swear that he'll never give into his impulses again but he can't. Not if he's on his own.

Which proves Damon's point. He's not ready to make these choices for himself.

"Are you ever going to trust me again?"

Damon gives him a small smile. "I believe I will. That you can show me that you can do some things for yourself, at least when you're not in a younger state. It's just going to take time."

"'Kay." He rubs his bare arms. "Will you ever let me go out with my friends again?"

"One day. Maybe on one of those child leashes."

His brother cracks a bigger grin, but Stefan knows it's not an idle threat.

"Anyway," Damon continues. "Before we move onto phase two of our morning, I want to make it clear that I love you and that's why I've done all of this."

"I know."

"Good. Now, you're going to shower and meet me in my room."

Stefan opens his mouth to point out it's going to hurt more if his bottom is wet, but realizes that's probably the point. Damon helps him to his feet and gets the shower going. Stefan limps inside the large glass space and stands beneath the warmth. Once his brother leaves, he grabs Damon's expensive body wash that he has imported from Italy. If he's going to have a sore bum, he might as well smell good.

The shower takes longer given how sluggish his body feels. Hopefully Damon allows him to have another cup of blood to help him rebuild his strength. The stench from last night slowly disappears, though the embarrassing memories remain.

Matt Donovan saw him in his Finding Nemo briefs. At least it wasn't Tyler. Stefan is glad Damon didn't show up until after the jerk left. He'd never live it down. Tyler still teases Elena over her dad scooping her up and carrying her home after she slid on some ice and fell.

Once every inch has been scrubbed, Stefan steps out and does his best to dry off completely. Still, his body is damp as he walks back into the master bedroom. Damon sits on the edge of the bed. The heavy hairbrush from Stefan's childhood sits atop the covers.

"Towel down," Damon says.

Stefan complies and walks over, laying over his knee without having to be asked.

"Trying to earn some brownie points?" Damon teases.

"Did it work?"

"You're still getting the full spanking, but I always appreciate a good boy."

Stefan bites back a smile at the praise. His brother raises his knee, making the bottom higher in the air.

"You can kick, but you're staying on my lap the entire time. Pound the bed but no rubbing until we're finished. Clear?"

Before Stefan can answer, his brother smacks his wet bottom. He grits his teeth.

"Crystal."

"Good."

Five smacks on each cheek are rained down before Stefan can even blink. He squirms. The pain isn't too bad, though it would be on a human. Elena once told him the most spanks she got was 30. He bit his tongue to point out that's all her body could handle. Damon knows that even with most of his body filled with alcohol and animal blood, Stefan can handle it.

The spanking is unusually quiet. Damon, ever the dramatic, usually likes to accent his whips with a lecture, but this time, the only sound heard is his palm slapping Stefan's sit spot.

SMACK

SMACK

SMACK

SMACK

Around the twentieth, Stefan begins to feel it. He does his best to hide his cries. Damon pauses, patting his back.

"Let it out." Stefan shakes his head. "Stefan, you can cry."

"Father said we're not to cry."

"That is because father is incapable of human emotion. You are ten, you cry if you feel like it."

Damon resumes the spanking. The sting of the water and the smacks radiate through Stefan's bottom. The hangover isn't helping matters either. His brother is careful to make sure each cheek gets its due. His sit spot is thrashed, ensuring a painful weekend ahead. Stefan can't view his bottom but it stings as though he rested upon a beehive. Without his consent, he begins to cry. By the 30th smack, he's sobbing.

"You were a naughty little boy," Damon finally lectures. "Lying, drinking big boy beverages, hanging out with those girls."

Stefan almost doesn't hear his quip about his companions from the night before. In the past, Damon didn't care about him dating for the most part. Now, it's a big no.

"I'm sorry!" Stefan cries out. "I…I won't do it again!"

"Oh, I would hope so. What happens to naughty little boys?"

A harsh smack hits his upper thigh. "They…they get spankings."

SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "Who gives them spankings?"

"Their…their big brudders," Stefan lisps, quickly pulling himself out of it. "Brothers."

"Big brudders is right."

Damon eases up. Stefan sniffles. Instinctively, he tries to rub his bottom. Damon pushes it away.

"We're not done yet."

Stefan whines. "How much more?"

"10 with the brush."

Stefan's bottom has dried by the time the thick brush comes onto the scene. That doesn't make it hurt any less. Stefan screams out the moment it barely taps his lower right cheek. This time, Damon narrates.

"You" SMACK! "Will not" SMACK! "Risk your life!" SMACK! "Do I make myself clear?" SMACK!

Stefan howls as the heavy pearls pierce his skin. "Y…yes."

"I am not going to lose you because you want to play big boy!" SMACK! "You mean too much to me."

Stefan wails, kicking his legs and pounding his fist. His bottom is on fire but the words pierce deeper. Damon has faced so much loss. Stefan can't add to it.

"You" SMACK! "Are all I've got!" SMACK!

The pain between the spanking and his headache is too much for him to answer. Instead, he digs his nails into the covers.

"No more of this big boy bullshit or it'll be worse."

SMACK!

SMACK!

Stefan sobs, burying his head between his clenched hands. The brush falls onto the bed with a thud. Damon rubs his hand up and down his back.

"You're going to lay on your tummy and I'll put on some lotion. Then you can have a baba of blood."

Stefan sniffles. "Nap?"

"Yes, you can take a nap after that."

"Feed me," Stefan whispers. "Please?"

"I will, don't worry."

Damon gently lays Stefan onto his stomach, his head rest atop a soft pillow. After some rustling and squirting sounds, a soothing texture falls against Stefan's bottom. He inhales the strawberries. Damon takes away a good bit of pain, leaving some as a reminder. Stefan doesn't plan to drink another drop.

"You ever gonna let me date?" He asks after a few moments of silence.

"Maybe. When you're 45."

He raises a brow. "I'll always be 17."

"Ah, sucks for you then."

Stefan rolls his eyes which earns him a smack to the thigh.

"I can still see your face."

Stefan sighs, going quiet for a moment. Eventually, his brother stops rubbing and raises to his feet. Two whooshes later and Damon's got him in his arms, a baby bottle in hand. Stefan latches on without a fuss, greedily drinking the blood. It brings strength back to his legs. He drinks about half of it within a minute. Damon pulls it back. Stefan whines, making grabby hands.

"You need to be careful before you block up your tummy. We'll take a break. Let's get you in jammies."

Stefan becomes aware once again that he's naked. "You really stripped me down in front of my friends?"

"You're lucky I didn't whoop your little butt in front of them. Not that I don't doubt Sheila lit up Bonnie's ass."

Stefan nods. "Hey, Damon?" His brother hums. "Why do you get to curse and if I do, you wash out my mouth?"

"Older brother privilege."