Combining with kimkey's request wanting to see the boys on a road trip.

Damon climbs into the driver's side of his Camaro. Stefan sits in the passenger seat, texting. Damon grabs his phone and shoves it into his pocket. Stefan narrows his eyes.

"Hey!"

"You are not spending the next 2 hours on your phone. Also, buckle up."

Stefan resists an eye roll. "If we got in an accident, I'd be fine."

"I'm not taking the chance. Now, put on your seatbelt or you can sit in the back."

Stefan sighs as he clicks the belt into place.

Damon nods. "That's my good boy."

He pulls out of the long winding driveway. He takes a second glance at the boarding house. All locked up, as well as a protection spell put on by Sheila. They're going to be gone overnight and even through the likelihood of anything happening is low, he's not taking a chance.

"Press play on the cassette compartment."

Stefan chuckles. "You're the only one I know who still listens to tapes."

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Now, play."

Stefan does as asked and beams when Bon Jovi's "Have A Nice Day" comes over the speaker.

"I thought you hated Bon Jovi."

Damon shrugs. "Maybe, but he's your favorite."

"You made this tape?"

"Yeah, it wasn't that hard. I already know the ones you love."

"You mean you didn't have to ask Lexi?"

He rolls his eyes. "Believe it or not, I know you, Stef. Better than anyone else, including Lexi."

Stefan hums in agreement. Damon drives in silence for a few moments.

"Speaking of the She Devil, does she know about all this?"

"Yeah, I told her." Damon arches an eyebrow in surprise. "Only because I didn't need a 3 hour lecture on keeping things from her."

Damon snorts. "You do need as many talks on secrets as it takes until it sinks in, buddy."

Stefan scoffs, folding his arms over his chest. "You keep secrets."

"Those are for your own protection." Stefan pouts. Damon chuckles. "Don't pout, you look too cute. I can't pinch your cheeks while driving."

"You're so annoying."

"Okay, okay. Enough sass. This is our first road trip in a really long time. Don't you remember how much fun we used to have?"

Stefan nods, a hint of a smile poking out of his pout. Damon grins.

"It's not as long as our other ones," Stefan points out. "Remember when we went from New York to California?"

Damon's smile widens at the memory. It was after Lexi's ripper rehab program. Damon wanted to celebrate. It was originally meant to hit up Spring Break in Florida, but then they kept driving…and driving…and driving. All the way until they hit the west coast. Damon didn't want to let go of Stefan, scared he'd revert. Eventually, his baby brother separated from him. There was nothing Damon could do to stop him, despite how much he wanted to.

"Now that was fun," Damon says. "Just us and the road. Nowhere to go, no responsibilities. Though I could've done without you asking me "where are we going?" every 5 minutes."

"You wouldn't tell me!" Stefan argues. "It was annoying."

"I'm the big brother. I get to be annoying."

"How long are you going to use that excuse?"

Damon turns on his blinker, pulling onto the highway. "As long as I'm the oldest."

"But you're always going to be the oldest."

"Precisely, Bunny Boy."

An hour into the drive, Stefan starts complaining he's hungry. Damon knows the snacks in the backpack aren't going to quench that. They need gas too. Instead, he pulls off the highway and into a rest stop. McDonalds is advertised next to a market and Krispy Kreme donut. Stefan's eyes light up.

"Really?"

Damon chuckles. "Really. It won't kill you to eat something unhealthy for one day."

Stefan beams. "Thank you!"

He kisses his brother's cheek and practically jumps out of the car. Damon holds his hand. Stefan rolls his eyes, dragging on it. His whining tells him that his brother has dropped a bit. Hope flutters in my stomach. He can't testify if he's in a very young space.

"DayDay, come onnn. I'm not a baby."

"You know the rules. Hold onto my hand or I can carry you."

Stefan lets out a dramatic sigh. "Fine."

"Are you going to be my good boy in there?"

"Yes, DayDay. I promise."

Damon nods and leads him inside. There's a bit of a line and instantly, Stefan begins whining and hoping from one foot to another. Damon reaches into the backpack and pulls out the bunny. Stefan clings to it, calming down.

"Crow," Stefan mumbles into his stuffed animal's ear.

"You know he can't come inside, Stef," Damon whispers. "He's right outside, following us to the courthouse."

With Damon's luck, Stefan won't age back up. Sure, the drive will have been for nothing, but they still got a nice road trip out of it.

Once Stefan's got his burger happy meal (made for bigger Littles) and Damon has his fries, they settle at a table. His little brother is happier now, munching on the food and looking at the cheap, plastic dinosaur that'll likely break before they go back to Mystic Falls. They've got a whole bucket of them back home that Stefan refuses to part with. Damon never should've let him watch Toy Story. It has him convinced toys are sentient.

Though in a world of vampires, witches and vampires, is that really so hard to believe?

"Thank you, Day," Stefan says, again, as he takes a bite of his burger, getting ketchup on his face. Damon chuckles, grabbing a napkin and wiping his face. Stefan squirms. "Stoppp."

"You can't walk around with a messy face. How would that make me look?"

"Like a not annoying brother."

Damon rolls his eyes. "We still have an hour left in the drive. I think you should take a nap."

"I'm too big for a nap."

"Humor me. At least try to rest your eyes."

Stefan reluctantly nods. Damon holds back a sigh of relief. The last thing he needs is a cranky Stefan, especially on a day like today.

After they've finished their food, Damon leads him back to the car. He straps Stefan into the backseat, securing his bunny under his arm. There's a soft, green blanket in the backpack that's draped over him. Damon also hands him a sippy cup of blood. Stefan begins sucking on the teat. Damon kisses his forehead and heads to pump the gas.

When he returns to the car, the cup has fallen onto the seat and Stefan's eyes are shut. Damon lets out a silent cheer and slides into the front seat, pulling out of the rest stop. The sounds of the car are enough to keep Stefan asleep.

Damon grips the wheel, staring out at the traffic before him. Stefan's asleep. He could easily turn around. Stefan would hate him for it, but he'll get over it in time. Damon's job isn't to be liked, but to keep his baby safe.

"That's not fair," he mumbles.

None of it is fair. Tanner never should've been hired. Stefan wouldn't have ended up in his class if Alaric Saltzman wasn't a psycho. His poor body wouldn't have to go through all that trauma.

Damon glances in the rear view mirror. Stefan's baby soft skin is clear now. Damon can still remember the time it wasn't.

"You're doing this for him."

Damon is selfish. He'll never deny that. If he could make everything go his way, he absolutely would. He wouldn't share Stefan with anyone. His baby brother would be his and his alone.

But he can't be selfish with Stefan. He loves him too much for that.

Damon drives in the direction of Richmond.

Stefan flops onto the California king in the middle of the hotel room. He doesn't bother kicking off his shoes, something he anticipates Damon lecturing him about. Stefan can't find it in himself to care.

Tanner's dark eyes were trained on him throughout the entire testimony. The man smirked as Stefan absentmindedly rubbed his arm where the burn mark once was. That damn smirk didn't leave his face the entire time. He didn't say a word and yet taunted, tortured the young boy all over again.

Stefan's former teacher had a black eye and bruises lining his cheek. Inmates don't take well to people who hurt children and Littles. It wasn't enough to humble the man, clearly.

He doesn't know if he should feel happy he snapped out of his younger state when they got to Richmond. He wouldn't have had to testify with the mind of an 8 year old. And yet, without it, there's a chance he wouldn't be headed for prison.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

The forewoman sounded like a broken record. That was the only time the smirk disappeared from Tanner's lips.

"There has to be a mistake."

Damon growled at Tanner as he was lead from the courtroom. His fingernails dug into Stefan's hand, the one thing preventing him from ripping Tanner apart limb from limb.

Stefan didn't feel relief. There was no joy or sadness.

His body was numb as they drove to the hotel in silence. Tanner's face ingrained in his head.

Stefan's feet move and a bit of weight is lifted. Damon's taking off his shoes. There's no lecture.

The bed sinks in. All Stefan can see is his brother's lap, with his hands folded in them. Stefan's eyes travel up his left arm. Damon's skin is clear, smooth.

There was a time he had a burn not unlike his baby brother's. His didn't come from the sun.

A cigar.

"This is to make certain you remember it."

Damon's screams of agony haunt Stefan to this day. Through the pain, he didn't get up from the table until they were dismissed. It was only then Damon took off like a shot to the ice box.

The scar lasted far longer than Stefan's. It would be another 12 years until they were turned and all their imperfections faded.

Stefan's thumb rubs against the spot it once was.

"Sorry," he mumbles, his face half smushed into the pillow.

Damon runs his fingers through his baby brother's curls. "For what?"

"Shouldn't have made you sit through that. Bad memories."

Damon expels a soft huh , then a sigh as Stefan doesn't move his thumb.

"Buddy…that was a long time ago."

"Didn't have to do it. Shouldn't have."

"He would've hurt you if I didn't."

Stefan shrugs. Maybe he deserved it. He didn't steal the money and he thoroughly believes Damon didn't. Could've been a maid or another household worker. There's a chance Giuseppe did all of that just to act out a sadistic fantasy and the money was never truly stolen. But why did his older brother have to be the one to lie?

Maybe what Tanner did is his penance.

"You were right," Stefan whispers. "I shouldn't have done this."

"You did the right thing."

Stefan finally looks up at Damon. He's frowning, eyes filled with sincerity.

"I was wrong," Damon says, his voice soft. "You needed to get that man put away."

"There was evidence."

"This sealed the deal for the jury." Damon gently punches his chin. "You did good, kid." Stefan shakes his head. Damon's frown increases. "What is this? I thought you wanted this bastard put away."

"I don't want him to hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it."

"He already did that."

"No, he didn't."

Stefan goes back to staring at his brother's arm. He snaps out of it when a sharp blow is delivered to the back of his head. Stefan bolts up, rubbing his curls.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"Don't," Damon growls. His eyes aren't in "Scary DayDay" territory, but they are in "Serious, Strict DayDay" mode. "Don't you dare say that ever again."

"I should've been the one to confess."

"You were 5 years old!"

"Still."

"No, no still." Damon shakes his head. "You have blamed yourself for a lot of dumb shit, Stefan, but this is the worst. What happened was not your fault!"

Stefan trembles a bit from the yelling. He tries to keep the tears away.

"You were tortured," Damon continues, his voice only going down a few octaves. "You never did a thing to Tanner. He's a sadistic bastard who wanted to hurt you for challening him in fucking Christopher Columbus trivia!"

"Maybe it was fate's way of punishing me."

"You have nothing to be punished for, Stefan Antonio. You were a child."

"You weren't much older than me."

"I'm the older brother. I did what I needed to, in order to protect you. That was my choice and I will not let you do this to yourself!"

Stefan wants to say Damon can't stop him. His self loathing runs deep. Just another part of him that doesn't feel deserving of his big brother's love and protection. It's an argument they've had time and time again.

"Please stop yelling," he whispers. His voice trembles. "Please."

The sternness slowly melts from Damon's face. He takes a deep breath and pulls Stefan onto his lap, curving him against his chest. The little brother looks up at him, his eyes wet. Damon gently strokes his cheek.

"You didn't deserve this, Stef. I need you to see that."

"Why?"

"Because I love you more than anything on this planet. I'd never let anyone treat you the way you do yourself."

"I…I can't just change how I feel. As much as you'd like it, there's no off switch."

Damon exhales through his nose. He presses a kiss to Stefan's curls.

"Then I guess it's my job to love you until you do."

"Just until then?"

Damon shakes his head. Stefan clings to his shirt.

"Forever," Damon mutters.

Stefan nods into his shoulder. Damon rubs his back.

"There's a tub in the bathroom. Let's get you clean then you can have your blood."

Stefan nods, rubbing his eyes. "You'll feed me?"

"Always, Bunny Boy," Damon whispers.