Ronnie_R prompted " I was thinking about what happened with Tanner. Not sure if you would have any interest delving into this but maybe Tanner having to go to court for what he did to Stefan? Damon could not want Stefan to have to take the stand (which he thinks is protecting him) but Stefan wanting to anyways?"

Damon enters Stefan's room, a basket of laundry in hand. He sighs as he looks around and takes in the cyclone before him. Stefan's spent a bit of time in older space, meaning more time in his room. Clothes strewn about the floor, bed unmade, his desk a mess of papers. Legos and dolls are next to the toy box, rather than in it, meaning he hasn't cleaned since he last dropped.

"Stefan Antonio Salvatore!"

Stefan's voice travels from the den, the muffled Mario theme alongside it. "Yeah?" His voice is nonchalant, as if he wasn't just middle named.

"Get your butt up here right now and clean!"

"One more level."

Damon grows firmer. "I said now."

"Just let me save."

Damon rolls his eyes but doesn't argue once he hears the clicking confirm that his brother is doing what he said. He drops the basket on the bed and turns to the desk. Half finished homework assignments, his diary, a list of snacks to get for his next get together…

A letter from the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Damon snatches it off the desk.

Mr. Stefan Salvatore,

We are reaching out to notify you that the case of State of Virginia vs. William Tanner will begin on May 8th at the Supreme Court of Virginia. The defendant is up for one count of physical assault, one count of torture, one count of illegal use of vervain, one count of child abuse and one count of abusing a person classified as a Little.

Given you were the victim of the defendant, we offer you the opportunity to testify against him. This is not a supunea, though one could be placed on a later date.

Please notify the district attorney by April 18th if you wish to be put on the witness list. Information is enclosed.

"Alright, I'm here."

Damon doesn't look up from the letter. He reads it once more, his nostrils flaring.

"I'm sorry, alright?" Stefan says, oblivious. "I didn't realize how bad it was getting."

Damon turns around, gripping the piece of paper. Stefan looks at it for a moment and swallows.

"When were you going to tell me?" Damon whispers.

Stefan straightens himself. "Tonight."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"I'm being honest, Damon. I wanted to decide if I wanted to go or not."

Damon crumples up the paper and tosses it into the wastebasket. "I'll make it easy. You're not."

Stefan walks over and grabs the wad. Damon tilts his head.

"Stefan."

His brother sighs. "Damon…"

"Stefan," Damon repeats, his voice growing tight. "No."

"There's a chance he won't get locked up if I don't do this."

"There's plenty of evidence! The police took pictures of the burns. Tanner admitted to it."

"Then he retracted it."

"He doesn't have a case. There's no need for you to go all the way there and face him."

"I have to."

"No, you don't!"

Stefan uncrumples the paper and smooths it out. He pins it to his bulletin board.

"It's too late," Stefan says, his voice still calm. "I called the DA at lunch. I'm testifying on the second day of the trial."

Damon's mouth drops open. His brother has done a lot behind his back, but this has to be the boldest.

"You're not doing this," Damon says.

Stefan's face remains unchanged. "You can't stop me."

"Like hell I can't! How do you expect to get there?"

"I was hoping you'd drive."

"Not a chance."

Stefan shrugs. "Then I'll take the train or bus."

"I don't let you cross the street by yourself!" Damon cries. "You expect me to let you take public transportation over 2 and a half hours away?!"

"What are you going to do about it?"

Stefan's voice isn't disrespectful, rather, matter of fact. His eyes are planted firmly on Damon's and filled with curiosity.

"I'll follow and drag your ass back."

Stefan finally breaks. He throws his hands in the air. "This isn't fair!"

"I don't care what you find fair! I am not letting you within a hundred miles of that man."

"He'll be in handcuffs! He can't hurt me!"

"Physically." Damon sighs, trying to calm down. "Buddy, you still have nightmares of what happened. This is going to hurt you."

"It can't hurt any more than it already does!"

"I am not going to let you do this to yourself! You're vulnerable, baby."

"I'm not a baby!" Stefan fires back. "I am 17 years old. And I don't need you bossing me around!"

Damon narrows his eyes. "I don't know who the hell you think you're talking to, but it stops right now."

"No! You're not going to control this, Damon. It's my choice! I'm not a child! It happened to me! Don't you get that? Me! Not you!"

Anger radiates Damon's body. He takes a step towards his brother, his eyes dark. Stefan's bravado drops a little.

"It didn't happen to me?! Do you have any idea what it was like coming home that day? Finding my baby brother, the only person I give a damn about, the little boy I love more than life itself, covered with burns and doused in vervain! It was terrifying! I thought you were going to die!"

Stefan's eyes widen. He opens his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"My entire body filled with dread. I spent days nursing you back to health. Listening to you cry as I tended to your burns. Cuddling you after nightmares. Promising you that school was safe again."

Damon shakes his head.

Inhale. Exhale.

"It happened to me too," Damon whispers when he calms down. "I may not have faced the physical pain, but it didn't just happen to you, Stefan. I nearly lost my baby brother. And I won't again."

He wipes at his eyes with the back of his hand. Stefan still stares at him, mouth agape like a fish. Damon gestures to the room.

"Clean."

Damon exits the room. He ignore the soft, barely audible Damon that escapes his brother's mouth.

Stefan sinks onto his freshly made bed. He stares at his bare arms. Pale, flawless. There's no evidence of the burns anywhere. It took a few weeks for them to fully heal, given the vervain and animal diet combo.

He runs his fingers over the spot that contained the worst of them. A searing, stubborn deep scar that everyone worried would never heal. Stefan wore long sleeves until it healed, refusing to look at it when he showered and bathed.

The ones on his face and neck were worse. There was no way to hide them from the world.

Reminders of the day in a classroom he still doesn't feel comfortable in. He'll never sit near a window in any part of the school again.

He can still feel the vervain piercing his skin. Smell the smoke that rose from his cheeks. He hears the sinister laugh of his sadistic teacher as he withered in pain on the floor.

There's so much of his life that Stefan will never let go of. His brain won't let him. Tanner's torture is up there right beside his days as a ripper.

The families of the people he murdered will never receive justice. Stefan anonymously sent them all a sizable fortune to the ones he could track down but no amount of money will bring back their loved ones. Stefan lives in the prison of his mind. He'll never harm another soul, unless it's in the name of protecting those he loves.

Tanner doesn't feel guilt. He's proven as much. That means he could easily harm another Little. One who won't as easily recover.

Stefan spent too long letting people hurt to let someone else do the same.

Even if it comes at the expense of further hurting his brother.

The crow lands on his shoulder, pecking the side of his head.

"If that's your way of telling me I shouldn't have spoken to Damon that way, I know."

Crow is silent. Stefan gently rubs the feathers. The emotional support animal leans his head against his human. The ache in Stefan's stomach settles, though not completely.

"You'd come with me, right?"

Crow flutters his wings, not moving from his perch. Stefan smiles a little.

"Thanks," he whispers.

An hour later, Stefan follows Damon's scent down to his study. His brother sits behind his desk, sipping some bourbon. The new bottle is half empty. Stefan lingers in the doorway. Crow flies directly behind him.

Damon doesn't look up from his glass. "Did you clean your room?"

Stefan nods, then realizes he can't see him. "Yes."

"Good."

Stefan sways a little.

"Don't be angry with me," he whispers.

"Not angry, Stef."

"Then what?"

Damon shrugs. "Then you're right. If you want to do this. I can't stop you."

Stefan stills. "Just like that?"

Damon shrugs again. Stefan takes him in. The haunted pain in his blue eyes. The fidgety pinky tapping against his glass.

"It didn't just happen to you."

Damon barely let him out of his sight for weeks. He held tightly to him, even when he was in a bigger space. Even long after the scars faded, Damon stared at his arms and face as if they were still there.

Stefan hesitantly takes one step forward, then another. Soon, he's standing next to Damon's tall, dark brown leather chair on wheels. He waits for his brother to set his glass down before dropping onto his lap. Damon sighs, his arms wrapping around him. Stefan lays his head on his big brother's shoulder.

"I know you don't understand," Stefan whispers.

Damon cuddles him closer. "I understand fine."

"You don't agree."

"I don't."

A few beats of silence. Crow flies in and sits atop the globe, watching them closely. Stefan plays with Damon's necklace.

"I need you," Stefan's voice cracks. "I can't do it alone."

Damon strokes his hair. The pain in the big brother's eyes is still there, but they're kind. "I'll be there the whole time."

Stefan nods. He plays with the necklace while Damon runs his fingers through his curls. They don't say a word for over an hour. It's the only way to keep from fighting in a time they need each other most.