Ronnie_R prompted: " But maybe focusing on Damon needing to care for Stefan? And Stefan realizing that as much as he biologically needs be a Little, Damon needs to be a caregiver?"

Defan is the definition of codependency…but sometimes isn't that a good thing?

It's easy for Damon to help Stefan slip into Little space when he's already halfway there.

And then there are the times when his brother genuinely doesn't need to drop. The stretches normally aren't long, but this time, it's been 3 weeks.

Damon goes to pick out his clothes, only to find Stefan dressed. He spends more time in his room or out with friends.

Perhaps the hardest is the day Damon watches his baby brother unscrew the sippy cup and dump it into his regular glass.

This time, Stefan's tone is genuine when he says he doesn't need help. He's not being stubborn or trying to spare Damon from having to step in. Stefan can easily tie his shoes or put himself to sleep.

Damon walks into the kitchen one morning and sees the glass of blood on the table. Stefan leans back in the chair, flipping through a worn novel. Damon frowns a little, anxiety building up inside of him. He tries to drown it out. Stefan doesn't owe him Little time. He can't control when he drops.

"Hey, bud," he says. Sterns glances up. "Reading anything good?"

"Just something for school." He sets it down and takes a big sip of his blood. "I'm going out with Elena and Bonnie this afternoon. We're going to the library to work on a project."

"Oh." Damon shoves his hands in his pockets. "Do you need a ride?"

Stefan shakes his head. "It's within walking distance."

"Alright. I'll just make your lunch."

"You don't have to. I already did." Damon arches an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I didn't use the stove or anything, I know the rules. Just packed a sandwich, chips, celery and blueberries. Plus a thermos with blood."

He covered the food groups. Damon sees his backpack all ready to go. Stefan finishes the glass and washes it out in the sink. Unsure of what to do, Damon trails behind him to the entry way. He takes in Stefan's ensemble. Gray t-shirt and shorts. Perfect for the warmer weather. His baby brother grabs a pair of Nikes and slides them on. Damon crouches down to tie them, but Stefan beats him to it.

"Ready to go?" Stefan asks.

Damon nods. "Sure."

That afternoon, Damon returns to an empty house. It's nothing he's not used to. Even when he's regularly dropping, Stefan spends a lot of time with his friends. It's a good thing. Usually Damon keeps busy with the council but since Carol is out of town, there's no meetings nor paperwork.

Should he get a job?

No, then he wouldn't be able to leave if Stefan needed him. It's why Klaus stays home too. Caroline sometimes gets lucky, but it's better if Elena has one parent that can swoop in without a moment's notice.

What did he do before? That seems so foreign. Sure, he could head to The Grill and have a few drinks but that's lost it's appeal. It's just as depressing sitting at the bar alone as it is to drink in his living room or study.

He attempts to read a book, but finds himself checking his phone every so often. It never rings. The only text he gets is letting him know that Klaus will give him a ride.

When the door opens 2 hours later, Damon vamps to the door. Stefan raises an eyebrow but quirky smiles.

"Hi to you too, Day."

"How was the library?"

"Good. Um, I actually want to talk to you about something."

Damon frowns. "What is it? Are you hurt?"

He looks his brother up and down. Stefan sighs, shaking his head.

"No. It's just, uh, the school takes a field trip every year to DC. We'd be gone for 3 days."

"You want to go?"

"I know we've seen it a million times. But…it's one f those normal teen things. Plus all my friends are going."

"All? Even Elena?"

"Well, Caroline and Klaus are chaperoning." Damon opens his mouth but Stefan is quick. "I asked and they don't need anymore."

"Oh." Damon runs his fingers through his hair. "3 days is a long time, Stef."

"I know."

"We haven't been apart that long since I got back."

"I'm aware."

"What if you drop? I know Klaus and Caroline will be there but you often want me."

"You can get there quickly."

Not fast enough. Even at vampire speed, it'd take at least an hour. He hates the thought of Stefan having to wait for him.

"I know it's a lot to ask," Stefan continues. "But I never ask for anything like this." Damon concedes with a nod. "Please, Damon? I promise I'll be on my best behavior and I'll call you twice a day."

"Three times."

"Deal. And you can track me with that app you think I don't know about."

Damon doesn't even play dumb. "One sign of danger and I'm coming down there."

"I'd expect nothing less." Stefan hesitates. "So…I can go?"

Damon sighs, slowly nodding. Stefan beams and tackles him with a hug. Damon is quick to wrap an arm around him, using the hand to cradle the back of his head. They've embraced since his last drop but not like this. Damon cuddles him close.

"Thanks, Day."

"Of course, Bunny Boy."

He kisses the top of his head. Stefan pulls away and that ache returns to Damon's chest. His little brother doesn't seem to notice as he runs up the stairs. Moments later, Damon hears Stefan on the phone with Elena, excited over their trip.

Damon retreats to the living room. He fishes in his pocket and takes out the key to the liquor cabinet, unlocking it. Damon removes his best bourbon and pours himself a shot. Then another.

What he wouldn't give to have a buzz right now.

The house is quiet. Too quiet.

Stefan's only been gone 24 hours and already went back on one deal. He called once, texted the other two times. It takes everything in Damon to not drive up there. Of all people, Carol is the one to talk him down. Back from her vacation, she's tried to busy him with work.

"You need to loosen the reins a bit."

He holds back a scoff. She'll never understand. While both she and Mayor Dick are classified as caretakers, they fall under the group that would never take one on. Which is a good thing for all Littles everywhere. Sure, they're parents but Tyler is on his own most of the time. Unless he's embarrassing the family name, they don't care what he's up to.

Damon finishes his paperwork by Day 2. Lexi calls to inform that Stefan texted her and is doing fine.

He'll check in with her and not me.

To be fair, Lexi is far more intense than he and Stefan knows she actually would show up if he stopped returning her calls.

Damon doesn't have it in him. Sure, he's strict and overprotective but he's not going to ruin this for Stefan. He deserves fun.

The end of Day 2, Damon goes to The Grill and has several drinks. He manages to pick up a random girl and brings her back to his place. Since taking on Stefan, he normally has sex in his car, the bathroom of the bar or at the girl's house.

It's over quickly and she passes out before he does. Damon sneaks out of the bedroom and into Stefan's. Bunny sits on the bed.

Damon's seen Toy Story enough times to wonder if toys really are sentient. Does this bunny feel neglected?

He walks over and lays on the bed, cuddling the ugly, lopsided plush rabbit in his arms. At least he can take care of something, if only for a few hours.

Stefan steps off the bus, swinging his duffle over his shoulder. He looks out into the crowd of parents and guardians. Sheila embraces Bonnie. Klaus and Caroline step off with Elena, the former taking her home since the latter has to handle the crowd of kids. To his surprise, Vicki's shown up to take Matt home. Tyler heads off with them.

It takes a minute for Stefan to find his brother. He leans against a tree, brooding. Stefan heads over, smiling.

"Hey, Day."

A fraction of a smile comes across Damon's face. "Hey, Stef."

He looks his baby brother up and down. Disappointment takes over his face but it's quickly washed away. Damon wraps him in a big hug. Stefan returns it. He feels Damon's hand cradle the back of his head, clinging to him as if his life depends on him. Stefan slowly pats his back, trying to indicate he wants it to be over, but Damon stays clinging to him for another minute. When they pull away, his face is a little lighter.

"Did you have a fun trip?"

"Yeah. It actually wasn't boring, even if I knew all the history. And Mrs. Tig didn't even get mad when I corrected the tour guide."

Damon chuckles. "That's my smart boy. Here, let me take your bag."

"I've got it."

Stefan isn't sure why a pang of sadness crosses his big brother's face. Damon is silent until they reach the car. Even then, he prompts Stefan to talk, asking for a rundown of the trip. Stefan obliges, trying to come up with things to say as they head to the house. Every time he's silent, Damon is too, outside a soft "that sounds cool" or "I'm glad you had fun".

Stefan hates the awkward. This isn't his big brother. Where's the guy that asks him a million questions? He didn't even try to examine him for injuries when he got off the bus.

They get back to the house and Damon makes some excuse to go to his study. Stefan heads up to do laundry and unpack. Once inside, he notices something is missing. It takes a moment of putting things in his hamper to realize it.

"Bunny," he mumbles.

He checks the dryer when he goes to throw in a load. Nothing. Stefan roams the halls, randomly popping into different rooms. Finally, he lands in Damon's. Sure enough, his comfort item is tangled up in the unmade bed. Stefan plucks it up and inhales. He's a mix of Damon's cologne, O-blood diet and the rich ink of his fancy pens.

Why was Damon sleeping with his bunny? Even when they were kids, he was never a stuffed animal person. He preferred model trains, toy soldiers and art. Stefan was the one dragging his collection everywhere he went.

He knew his brother would miss him, but was it really that much?

It hits him slowly, then all at once. Stefan crosses the room and consults Damon's Godfather calendar. He tries to place the last date he dropped, but the fact that he can't remember signals it's been too long.

Damon's never pressured him to drop unless he needs it. Stefan knows rationally, his brother loves him in each state.

"You're all I've got."

Stefan spent so long telling himself that he was burdening Damon with his Little state. All those years he convinced himself that it'd be unfair to bring him down. Damon's argued with him over it more than once.

Could it be true? Does Damon need his baby brother?

Damon's at his lightest when Stefan's around. The brothers joke that they're yin and yang. They balance each other for balance.

His brother needs to be a caretaker just as much as Stefan needs to be Little. It wasn't just Stefan who deprived himself of the love and care he needed. Damon pushed out his physical need to care for and protect someone. He can't let many in. Stefan was there before and after the trauma. A constant.

Stefan lets out a guilty breath. Clinging to his bunny, he walks downstairs and into Damon's study. His brother sits behind his desk, half-heartedly filling out a form.

"DayDay?" Stefan asks, purposefully trying to keep his voice young.

Damon looks up, taking him in. He sighs, shaking his head.

"You don't have to do that, Stef."

Stefan pouts. "DayDay, I haven't had blood yet. I need my baba."

A shadow of doubt flickers across Damon's face. Stefan knows he's not stupid. He always knows when his baby brother is lying.

"Pleaseee, DayDay?" Stefan whines, dragging his foot against the floor. "And I wanna watch doggies."

He holds his arms out to him. Damon raises to his feet and walks over, lifting him into his arms. He cuddles him close and showers his face with kisses. Stefan laughs, his brother's unusual stubble ticking his face.

"Thank you," Damon whispers.

Stefan feigns ignorance. Instead, he nuzzles his face into Damon's shoulder. His body feels lighter. Perhaps he needed this too.