kimkey prompted " I would love to see that week of Damon not letting Stefan out of his sight (I feel like Little Stef would love the extra attention meanwhile teenage Stefan gets over his brother staring at him during meals and following him to school real quickly (because Damon would totally follow Stefan to school))."
I'm (briefly) mentioning the Augustines in this chapter (and it's not something I plan to delve into outside of this). As the treaty was struck in the 30s, I have adjusted the timeline to Damon was kidnapped in the 20s. As Stefan was in his ripper days and partying with Klaus (which I will delve into at some point, I promise), he wasn't aware that Damon was missing.
"Stef, if you keep splashing, I'm going to end up needing a bath," Damon only half-teases.
Stefan giggles, splashing yet again. Damon shakes his head, unable to hide his smile.
"Someone is being very silly tonight," he says, washing out the last bit of conditioner. Stefan manages to keep his eyes shut this time, unlike with the shampoo. "It can't have anything at all to do with the three scoops of ice cream you conned me into, right?"
Stefan shakes his head, still giggling. "Nuh uh. Ice cream is good for you."
"I wonder why you have that idea."
Stefan pushes around the now lukewarm bubbles. "You never let me have lots of ice cream."
Damon stills, grabbing the hooded bunny towel. "Well…it was a special night."
Stefan looks up at him, curiosity written in his wide eyes. "Why?"
Damon swallows. Only his brother would question why he's getting away with everything. Most would enjoy the extra treats and screentime. It's yet another reminder that he doesn't have a normal brother. Which is fine 99.9% of the time.
Right now…
"Let's get you into some jammies, okay?" Damon asks, instead. Stefan nods, seemingly forgetting his question. "Up we go."
Damon has him stand and rinses off the bubbles before wrapping him up in the towel. Stefan easily settles into his arms as he plugs the tub. Damon keeps a close hold on him as they head back into the bedroom. A pair of Stefan's favorite Spiderman footie pajamas lay on the bed. The younger brother is content and quiet as Damon slides his limbs in, zipping it up the back. Once he's done, Damon gazes down at him for a few moments, frowning.
Stefan's skin is clear. Baby soft, as always. No sign of a blemish or dirt…
Or bruises and burns.
Stefan leans up, poking the ends of his big brother's lips. Damon tries to put on a smile.
"DayDay sad," Stefan whispers, frowning a little himself.
Damon shakes his head. "I'm not sad, Bunny Boy. I promise." Stefan doesn't look convinced. "I have your baba ready."
Stefan is once again distracted. Damon lifts him into his arms and leans against the properly arranged pillows. He grabs the bottle and Stefan latches on right away, his hands wrapping around it. Damon cuddles him as close as possible, nothing different from what he's done in the days since Alana disappeared from their lives. Luckily for him, Stefan dropped that very night.
Damon gently rocks him as he slowly sips. Stefan blinks a few times, making tiny noises beneath the nipple.
"Tired, Bunny?" Damon asks. Stefan nods. "Finish up and we'll go night night."
Stefan pushes the bottle out of his mouth. "I sleep in my room."
Damon frowns. "You don't wanna sleep in the big bed?"
"Nuh uh, DayDay. I'm a big boy."
Damon frowns, tightening his grip on him. This is rare for Stefan's Little space. He can be somewhat independent and likes playing with his friends, but nighttime is spent with Damon (or Lexi if she's there).
"I think you should stay in here," Damon says, trying to keep his voice light. "You could need me in the middle of the night. Plus, Bunny's here." He holds up the plush rabbit with his free hand.
Stefan frowns. Damon puts the bottle back in his mouth and tries to distract him with a feeding. He's not one to force Stefan to do something he doesn't want to, unless it's for his own good.
His brother's words haunt his mind.
"This rule didn't put me first! It put your own stupid fears and anxiety first!"
The hunting dilemma wasn't the first time he'd done it. Clearly, wasn't the last.
Damon does his best to push that out. Stefan doesn't understand. He'll never understand. Damon's okay with that. He prefers it that way. Stefan should get to be the baby and not have to worry about a younger brother's safety.
That's a job for big brothers.
Eventually, the bottle is empty. Damon doesn't put Stefan down. Rather, he tucks the bunny under his arm and drapes a throw over him. Stefan rests his head on his big brother's shoulder, nibbling on his thumb.
"Stay with DayDay?"
Damon nods. "Yeah, you're going to stay with DayDay," he whispers.
"Go to Mommy Group tomorrow?"
"We'll uh, we'll see about that," Damon lies, adjusting the blanket over him. "You shut those eyes. DayDay isn't going anywhere."
The little brother slowly transitions from biting the skin to sucking instead. Damon rocks him long after his green eyes shut. He holds him closer, strengthening his grip. Damon doesn't give into sleep for himself for a good 3 hours.
Stefan can barely move when he comes to. He looks up and sees Damon is still out of it.
That's unusual for a week day.
Stefan gently tugs at his brother's arms. It takes a few good tries until he's finally out of the death lock. He checks the clock. There's still another hour before they have to leave, but Stefan's spent enough of the past few days sleeping. When he's in space, he loves his naps.
He climbs out of bed and heads down the hall to his own room, his mind reopening little by little. Damon gave him a bath last night. He shouldn't need a shower right now. Instead, he grabs a pair of jeans along with briefs and a fitted gray t-shirt before heading into the bathroom.
Stefan's halfway through brushing his teeth when he hears his brother's frantic voice.
"Stef?! Stefan?"
His mouth still full of toothpaste, Stefan takes out the brush. "'n 'y bath'oom."
Stefan barely has any time to spit before his brother bursts in. Still in pajamas, panic is written in his blue eyes. Stefan wipes at his mouth and quickly rinses.
"You okay?"
Damon keeps his eyes on him. Stefan hears his heart racing.
"I…I woke up and you were gone," Damon says, almost as if it should be obvious.
"Sorry?" Stefan isn't sure he is. "I wanted to get ready."
"Yeah…I can see that."
Damon looks him up and down, his lips tugged downwards. Even in an older space, Stefan has the urge to push the corners of his mouth up. It's a trick he learned from Damon himself. The elder brother did it every time the younger was upset about something.
"Day, seriously, what's wrong?"
Damon shakes his head. His heartrate decreases, though not by much. "Nothing."
"Damon…"
"I'm fine, Stef, I was just worried. You were very clingy these past few days so when I woke up and you were gone, I was just…surprised."
Stefan tries to think back. He and Damon did spend a lot of time together while he dropped. Yet, Stefan can't recall how much of that was him…
"Are you sure you feel up for going to school today?" Damon asks.
He grabs the stuff to do his baby brother's hair. Stefan starts to argue, but the gel being popped open stops him.
"I'm fine," Stefan says.
"You haven't dropped? Not even a little?"
Stefan shakes his head, nearly getting poked in the eye with a comb in the process. "Feeling as 17 as a century and a half year old vampire can."
"Oh."
Damon's voice is low, almost…disappointed?
It's no secret that Damon loves when Stefan drops. He gets to baby him without much argument. They spend a ton of time together. In a way, Stefan knows he's much easier when dropped. But Damon has also always made it clear that he loves his brother no matter what. He doesn't need him to act like a 4-year-old all the time. Their dynamic doesn't change, no matter how hold Stefan feels.
"How much school did I miss anyway?"
"Just um," Damon parts his hair. "Just a couple of days. I'm sure you can easily catch up. It's nearly the end of the term anyway."
"Great. I didn't miss the end of the year trip, did I?"
"Nope. The lake is still secure."
Once again, Damon doesn't sound thrilled by that. It took a lot of convincing for Stefan to even get permission. Surely, his brother isn't changing his mind.
"I can still go, right?" Stefan asks, meeting Damon's eye in the mirror. His brother focuses on the comb. "Damon."
He shrugs. "I didn't say you couldn't."
"That's not a yes or a no."
"Bunny, I told you that you can go, of course you can still go."
Stefan wearily stares at his brother. Damon refuses to look at him. Instead, his eyes are intent on hair.
"I thought the end of Tanner meant the end of referrals," Stefan mumbles to himself as he walks down the hall.
Apparently, Mr. Smith in Biology is equally not a fan of being corrected. Up until this point, Stefan hasn't had to. Still, he flubbed on a couple of years and the student's gentle redirections were not well received.
Stefan reaches the last step on the stairs, intent on heading for the referral room. He doesn't think much when he sees Crow lingering outside the large window. His bird doesn't follow him to school every day, but will hang out at least the first couple after a longish drop period. Stefan finds comfort in him being there…
Is that a leather jacket?
Stefan approaches the window. Whatever he thought he saw is gone. He heads for the main doors.
"Salvatore!"
Stefan groans at the sound of the security officer's voice. He turns around. The 6"5, 300 pound former Marine stands before him. His rough hazel eyes are narrow, lips pressed in a thin line.
"Just where do you think you're going?"
"I, um, well…" Stefan's brain is too distracted to come up with a lie.
The guard takes note of his hand. "Is that a referral slip?"
Stefan remembers why he came downstairs in the first place. "Yes, sir."
"So, where should you be headed?"
Stefan sighs, standing up straight, as years of training have taught him. "The referral room, sir."
"You do that. I'd hate to have to call your brother."
Stefan doesn't bother to say that he suspects a phone call isn't necessary. Something tells him all the guard would have to do is stick his head outside.
Instead, Stefan heads for the room. He takes a final glance over his shoulder before walking inside. Crow is the only creature lingering now. There's no sign of a leather jacket or Camaro.
The younger Salvatore shakes his head. He just spent a few days glued to his big brother's side. It's natural he'd think he saw him.
Stefan wipes at his mouth after finishing his chicken sandwich. The Grill isn't as packed tonight. There's no game on. As the weather grows nicer, the more people opt to get takeout and eat in the park. As they don't sell alcohol to go, the Salvatore brothers sit in one of the many open booths, not that Stefan minds.
Spotting Matt cleaning up a table across the restaurant, Stefan turns to his brother. "Tomorrow afternoon, Elena and Bonnie are shopping for bathing suits to wear to the lake."
Damon polishes off his beer. "Sounds like oh so much fun," he says dryly.
Stefan rolls his eyes. "I know it's mostly girl stuff, but the guys want to get some stuff too. Ty's volleyball popped last time. Is it okay if I go with them? We're just going to the mall."
"What do you need?"
"Huh?"
"From the mall. What stuff could you need?" Stefan frowns. "You have swim trunks."
Stefan makes a face. "I know. I'm just going to hang out. Is that a crime?"
"The mall's pretty far away, Stef. By the time you all are done with school and then come back, you won't have time for homework before bed."
"I'll do it at lunch."
"What about your other 2 classes?"
"Then I'll do it in the car." Stefan frowns. "Why are you being like this?"
"Like what?"
"You know. Like I'm…"
"A kid," Damon interrupts. "You are a kid, so don't even pretend like you're not. You're my responsibility."
"I've gone to the mall with them before."
"Yes, and I know how long it'll take. Considering you don't need anything, I don't see why you need to go."
Stefan scoffs, sliding down in the booth. He discreetly tries to kick the table, but Damon's foot catches his. The younger brother's annoyed gaze, meets the elder's strict one.
"Don't throw a tantrum," he warns.
"It's not a tantrum," Stefan mumbles. "I'm not 3 years old."
"Sulking and pouting because you were told "no" isn't helping your case."
Stefan rolls his eyes again, not caring if it irritates his brother. He folds his arms over his chest. Damon shakes his head.
"Fine, pout, be my guest." He nods at the waitress dropping off their check, glancing it over before tossing his card on top of it. "Speaking of homework, did you finish yours?"
"I guess." Damon fixes him with a Look. Stefan sighs. "Yes, Damon."
"Good. We can watch whatever you want when we get home."
Stefan eyes him wearily. By Damon's own admission, the baby brother is pouting and being a bit of a brat right now. That behavior is never rewarded. If anything, it'd get a stern talking to and threat over no screentime.
"I don't want to watch anything," Stefan grumbles.
"I think I saw there's going to be a new documentary on Animal Planet."
"So?"
"So, we could watch it together."
"Don't we spend enough time together? I mean, seriously, Damon, it's like you've been glued to my hip lately. I'm supposed to be the annoying, clingy brother."
Hurt flashes across Damon's eyes. Stefan frowns. He opens his mouth to form an apology until he remembers the sight of the leather jacket earlier that day. Paired with when he briefly woke up the night before. He could've sworn his bleary eyes made out Damon in the armchair in the corner of his room…
No, that was just a dream.
Right?
Damon speaks before Stefan can question further. "Forget it. Do whatever you want."
Stefan raises an irritated brow. "Now you're mad at me?"
Damon shakes his head. "No, I'm not mad." He swaps out the card for a wad of cash. "For a place so dead, they sure take forever. Let's go."
Stefan chuckles as he watches Tyler toss Matt over his shoulder and run into the lake. Their human friend screams, smacking him repeatedly until he's put down into the freezing cold water. Elena and Bonnie are in a fit of giggles themselves, taking turns on the rope swing.
The end of the year trips are a time-honored tradition at Mystic Falls High. Stefan has attended over his numerous stints there. The seniors always get to go somewhere fun, like Disney or Colorado. Underclassmen get a day trip to the lake. Stefan much prefers the latter. It's less time spent with a group of hundreds of teenagers.
"Are you coming in, Stef?" Bonnie calls from the water.
Stefan nods, his fingers gripping his white t-shirt. It's half-off when a caw echoes across the lake.
"Seriously," he mutters, trying not to roll his eyes.
Crow was specifically instructed to not follow him, unless he got the sense that something was off. Stefan isn't close to dropping.
His shirt drops completely when a familiar scent enters the scene. It's covered by a mixture of horny teens in various body sprays, sunscreen and cheap alcohol snuck in by those brave enough. Still, the O- is just as prevalent as always.
Stefan's eyes dart around the lake. A large group punts the third backup volleyball. Others sit on logs, drinking from cups. The greatly outnumbered chaperones are doing their best to keep their eye on everyone.
Right at the edge of the woods where no one should be, Stefan spots those familiar icy blue eyes.
He vamps across the lake as fast as his animal blood diet will allow. Damon nearly gets away, but Stefan grabs him by his shirt. His older brother looks down at him. For the briefest of moments, shock is written on his face. Just as quickly, it's gone.
"What the hell?!" Stefan hisses. "You said I could go alone!"
Damon sighs. "Stef…"
"No!" He lets go of the shirt, folding his arms over his chest. "This is ridiculous! You're ridiculous! You haven't let me out of your sight in days."
"You're being hyperbolic…"
"No! You don't get to do that!" Stefan shakes his head. "You've been following me everywhere! I know you were outside my school."
"I…"
"Don't lie to me!" Stefan cries out. "I feel crazy enough!"
Damon frowns. He attempts to wrap his brother in a hug, but Stefan is quick to push him away.
"I…I didn't mean for that to happen," Damon whispers. "I didn't think you could tell."
"Of course I can tell! You may be good, but even you slip." Stefan throws his arms in the air. "Watching me sleep…that's crazy. Even for you."
"That's not a new thing," Damon defends himself. "I've done that often, especially when you were younger and sick."
"Well, I'm older, a vampire and healthy, so what's your excuse now? You're usually annoyingly overprotective but it's never this bad."
Damon runs his fingers through his hair.
"It's…it's different this time," he whispers.
Stefan frowns. "What is?"
"I have a hard time letting you out of my sight usually, but I manage. I know you're safe and if you're not, you're always around people I know can protect you. But lately…" Damon gnaws on his lip. "It's as if every time we're apart, I'm physically in pain. I can't stop worrying if you're safe. If someone is hurting you."
"That's not going to…"
"But it has!" Damon interrupts, desperation in his eyes. "First with Tanner, then that sicko from The Initiative. Now, Alana."
Stefan sighs. "Day, things are going to happen…"
"But they don't have to." Damon's voice attempts to grow firm, but Stefan detects fear. "I can stop them."
"So, you're just going to follow me everywhere for the rest of eternity? Never have a life of your own?"
"If that's what it takes."
Stefan runs his fingers through his hair. He simply stares at his brother, not knowing what to say. Nothing is going to talk his brother down. The thought is terrifying. Damon gets manic, but if it's this bad…
"I sound crazy," the older brother whispers. "Don't I?"
"You…" Stefan sighs again. "I…you were right. I'm never going to get what it's like to be the big brother. What it's like to protect someone from birth, have it be my job. But I know I feel just as protective of you. Scared to every fiber of my being that something will happen to you and I'll be alone. Again." He gnaws on his lip. "Especially after the Augustines…"
Damon holds up a hand. "That was a long time ago."
"Not as long as we pretend," Stefan says, his voice firm. "I'll never forgive myself for not noticing something was off. We went long stretches without talking but you're my brother."
Damon shakes his head. "No, no. Don't you even go there. It's not your fault. And since vampires were discovered, it's not going to happen again."
"Anything still could. I leave you every day knowing I may not see you again. And it hurts. It's why I get so anxious sometimes." Stefan rubs his bare arms. "But…I know I can't be with you every second of every day. It's not healthy. For either of us."
Damon fiddles with the zipper on his jacket.
"We don't have to be apart for long anymore," Stefan continues. "But we also need to do some stuff on our own. I mean…do you seriously want me hanging off your leg while you pick up women? Because that doesn't sound very fun."
"I'm never dating again. I told you that."
"And I don't believe you. Maybe you're taking a break, but this dry spell will end. As it should." Stefan makes a face. Is he really encouraging his brother's ways? He shakes off the thought. "You'll probably stick to them never being around me for at least the next hundred years. But at some point, you'll want to do things alone again."
"Not if this pit in my stomach doesn't go away."
"It will. It'll just take time."
Damon slowly nods. Stefan sighs. He hates that he can't be angry at his brother right now. Damon's acted like the world's worst helicopter brother as of late, complete with a crash landing on what should be a fun class trip. And yet, he knows it's not because Damon wants to be controlling or mean. He's not out to completely destroy his life for all of eternity.
Damon loves him. He needs his baby brother, just as much as Stefan needs his big brother.
"You have Crow," Stefan adds. "He'll tell you if anything happens to me."
"Crow could miss something."
"He hasn't before."
The commotion of the teens goes on behind them. Stefan's ears pick up Bonnie suggesting some games they can play in the lake. He frowns, tugging at his shirt a bit. Damon looks him up and down, sighing for what has to be the umpteenth time.
"Go," he whispers.
Stefan tilts his head. "Really?"
"I'm the big brother. It's on me to handle this stuff."
"I can be there for you."
"Yes, but it's not your job to make me feel better." Damon gives him a small smile. "This isn't going away any time soon. It's up to me to improve."
Stefan hesitates. He glances over his shoulder at the fun before looking back at his brother. Damon nods.
"Go. I'll be okay."
"No, you won't."
"I'll try to be. Besides, there's only another couple of hours left in the trip. After this, you'll come home and I won't let you go for the rest of the night." Stefan chuckles, rolling his eyes. "Baby steps, Stef. It's going to take time."
"I know. But the fact that you're trying…means more than you know."