Keykim wanted to see Stefan getting his tattoo and Damon's reaction.

I said this one would be lighter but a bit of angst popped out haha.

June 5th, 2013

"It's never going to work," Stefan says as he sits in Tyler's truck.

"Of course it will," Tyler insists. "As long as you don't act suspicious everything will be fine."

"You don't have to get it," Matt pipes up from the back.

"I want to, really. I'm just afraid of what'll happen if we get caught."

"At most, they confiscate the fake and it's all for nothing. But that won't happen. I've done this before. Everything will be fine."

Tyler's said that before. And most of the time, it lands him either grounded or in some other form of trouble. Usually, it's not worth it.

Today is. Stefan's wanted a tattoo for the longest time. Damon always said he couldn't get one until he was 18 and even then, he wasn't crazy about it. He always talks about Stefan's "perfect baby angel" skin and how it'd be a shame to "mark it all up". Stefan finds that hypocritical considering Enzo has practically two canvases for arms and Damon makes no complaints there. All his brother says is that's different. As it usually is.

"Let's just go," Stefan says.

Tyler grins and smacks him on the shoulder. "What about you, Matty Boy?" He looks into the backseat. "Any interest?"

"I'm good. Just here for moral support."

"Boring."

The three head into the shop. Outside three artists, it's empty. One of them wearing a muscle t, with two full sleeves and a neck covered in awesome designs approaches them.

"How can I help you three?"

"I'm Tyler," the bravest of the group speaks up. "I made an appointment for me and my friend here." He smacks Stefan on the shoulder.

"Of course. I'm Simon. You submitted the designs too. You wanted the crescent moon." The man's dark eyes flicker to Stefan. "And you wanted the rose?"

"Yes, sir," Stefan confirms. "On my bicep. That's doable, right?"

"Of course. Monty will take care of you while I handle Tyler here. I just need some ID."

The boys fish out their fakes and hand them over. Simon examines each one. Stefan's heartbeat picks up and he worries that'll give him away. Then he remembers that only works with Damon. This guy won't be able to make it out.

After another glance, he looks at Stefan. "Where ya from?"

"Norfolk, sir," Stefan lies.

"Birthday?"

"December 7th, 1992."

Memorizing the ID had been easy. It's the lying that's the hard part.

That seems to appease Simon. He quizzes Tyler, who also passes. Simon glances at Matt.

"You getting one too?"

"Oh, no, thank you," Matt says. "Just moral support."

"Let's get started then."

Stefan's bicep aches as he exits the parlor, but a sense of adrenaline fills his body. This rose is a part of him for life. In full bloom, it's proudly displayed on his arm. The saran wrap paired with the swelling covers its true beauty. Soon, it'll stand out.

"Maybe a bit late," Matt pipes up as they pile back in Tyler's truck. "But have you given any thought to how Damon is going to take that?"

"I mean, what can he do? Even if he grounds me, it's not like this is going anywhere."

"True. I just can't believe that's worth the fight to you."

Stefan shrugs, taking in his new piece of art. "He hated when I pierced my ear too. He'll find a way to get over it."

He had debated hiding it but it needs room to breathe. Besides, the longer he hides the secret, the worse it'll be.

After getting burgers at The Grill, Tyler drops Stefan back off at his place. As he heads for the door, Stefan's heart rate slightly elevates as he thinks about what lay behind that door. In the moment, Damon's anger seemed abstract. Now, it's closer than ever.

There's no going back now.

Stefan steps through the threshold. "Damon?" He calls out.

A familiar voice not belonging to his brother rings from the kitchen. "He's not here, but I am."

Stefan grins as he races to the sound. Enzo meets him halfway and pulls him into a bone crushing hug. Stefan tries with all his might to match it. His brother's boyfriend showers the top of his head with kisses before holding him out a bit.

"Look at you, Bambino ," he proclaims. "You're getting more grown up each and every time I see you."

Stefan chuckles. "Well, unlike you, I age."

"You must stop growing. Soon, you may be taller than me and your brother."

"I see nothing wrong with that."

"Of course you don't." Enzo affectionately pinches his cheeks. Stefan squirms and makes a face. "Oh, stop. You'll live."

"How long are you in town this time?"

"2 weeks." Stefan's eyes light up. "That's right. I'll be here to spend lots of time with my two favorite boys."

He kisses Stefan's forehead and squeezes his shoulder. As he begins his inspection, his eyes stop at Stefan's exposed bicep. His brows knit together as he tenderly touches the saran wrap. Stefan chews on his lip.

"Oh, Bambino ," Enzo mutters. "What have you done?"

"You don't like it?"

"I personally think it's cool. A beautiful piece." Stefan grins. "However, your brother is not going to be happy."

"Can you help me show him? Please?" Stefan pouts, widening his eyes.

Enzo shakes his head. "I should say that you felt adult enough to get a tattoo, so you're adult enough to face him yourself."

"But?"

"But, I'm rather fond of you and this cherub face." Stefan grumbles his way through another round of cheek pinching. "So, I'll help you out."

"Thanks, Enzo." Stefan kisses his cheek. "You're the best!"

"You're welcome. Now, come, I'm making chicken parm. You can help. Consider it payment for my persuasion."

"It's one I'll happily dish out."

Enzo keeps a tight grip around him as he leads him into the kitchen. The two get to work on the meal, catching up in the meantime. Unlike Damon, Enzo is happy to tell him about his work as a vampire. Stefan finds it fascinating that he helps newborns acclimate to the world and make sure they don't expose not only themselves but the species.

In many ways, Enzo views Stefan as a little kid, mainly because Damon does. However, given they officially met when Stefan was 15, he does tend to treat him more like a young man. Damon's gotten better about his babying but he still waters down stories about being a vampire. He doesn't want to scare Stefan nor make it sound fun.

At the sound of the front door opening, Enzo squeezes Stefan's shoulder and vamps out of the room. Stefan slides the chicken into the oven and goes about washing his hands. His tattoo is due for moisturizing soon.

Damon vamps into the room not 2 minutes later with Enzo hot on his tail. He marches right over to his brother and grabs him by the elbow, turning him so he can take a good look at the artwork. His eyes narrow as a frown takes over.

"Stefan Antonio Salvatore, what have you done to your beautiful skin?"

Stefan tries to wriggle his arm away, but Damon keeps a firm grip. "Day, it's really not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? Your skin is marked up. You're only 16!" He looks his brother in the eye. "What parlor tattoos a 16 year old?"

"He thought I was 21," Stefan mumbles.

Damon arches a brow. "And just why would he think that?"

"Um…I told him."

Enzo takes a step forward. "As someone with more than his fair share, any reputable place would ID. So, either you went to a hack shop. Or, judging by the beautiful quality of that rose, you used a fake."

Stefan grumbles under his breath. Enzo is supposed to be on his side!

"Stefan, do you have a fake ID?" Damon asks, his voice rising a little.

Stefan chews on his lip. "Maybe…"

"Maybe? Or yes?"

Stefan sighs. "Okay, alright, I do! But I've never bought alcohol with it, I swear. I only got it because I wanted the tattoo!"

Damon shakes his head. "You not only have an unauthorized tattoo, you also have an illegal form of identification."

"You never would've let me get it otherwise," Srefan complains. "And it's my body! I should get to choose what I put on it."

"Until you are 18, anything you put on that skin needs to go through me." He gently flicks the stud on Stefan's right here. "You already pierced your ears but at least those holes can close up. This is permanent."

"I know. I've had this tattoo in mind for 2 years! I know it's what I want."

Damon takes one last long look at it before releasing his arm.

"Go to your room, Stefan."

Stefan frowns. "But…"

"Listen to your brother," Enzo cuts in. "Don't make this worse on yourself."

Stefan grumbles yet again but heads upstairs.

Damon breaks the plastic card beneath his grip, watching as it crumbles to dust. He tosses the remains into the trash.

"That boy is going to be the death of me," Damon mutters, running his fingers through his hair.

"Wasn't that hunters?" Enzo quips.

Damon shoots his boyfriend a weary glare. Enzo chuckles and walks over, looping his arms around his hips and pecking his lips. He rubs his hand against Damon's lower back. Little by little, the younger vampire calms a bit.

"I'm not against tattoos entirely," Damon admits. "I mean, I'm a huge fan of yours." Enzo smirks. "But…he's just too young. I am terrified about what he's doing to his body, Enzo. That party in the woods had him so wasted he needed his stomach pumped. Then he pierced his own ear…"

"That didn't turn out bad."

"Still! He's making all these reckless choices. Just a year ago, you were dragging him out of the lake because he…"

Damon trails off, shaking his head. Enzo moves his hands to his boyfriend's arms, slowly massaging them. Damon rests his forehead against his. The older Stefan gets, the more Damon is thankful for the shift in his and Enzo's relationship. His boyfriend still isn't there all the time, but it's enough to keep him sane.

"I don't think I'd count this tattoo as reckless," Enzo whispers. Damon frowns. "Yes, he was wrong to get a fake ID, but look at it this way. He likely went to a reputable parlor."

"It looked infected."

"It was swollen, but looks pretty normal. If you want, take him to the doctor to get it checked out but I don't think it'll be anything." Damon nods. "Back to my point, love. Bambino didn't do anything that hurt him. He made a choice about his own body. Maybe he's only 16, but he's getting older."

Damon lets out a soft whine. Enzo snorts.

"What?" Damon asks.

"You just sound so much like Stefan when you do that," Enzo whispers, pushing back a stray piece of wild dark hair from his boyfriend's face. "Down to that adorable pout." He runs his thumb over his lips.

Damon's cheeks heat up but they quickly go back to normal. "This isn't fair."

"I'm not saying what he did was okay. And you're well within your rights to punish him, especially for the fake ID. It's just, of all the dumb shit he's done; this isn't the worst thing ever."

"I suppose it's not in the top 10," Damon mutters. "Still top 20."

Enzo laughs. "Maybe." He kisses his nose. "Go talk to him. I'll make sure the kitchen doesn't burn down."

"You're so good to us."

Damon kisses Enzo's lips then his chin and travels down to his neck. His boyfriend moans a bit before swatting him away.

"Go. Talk. Now."

"Alright, alright. But you owe me."

Enzo holding up a wooden serving spoon is enough to get him out of the kitchen.

Stefan leans back on his bed, staring at the different sketches on the wall. As a kid, he sucked at art. Then he took an entry level class his freshman year and it changed everything. He's still not great, but he loves sketching the scenery and designs. His own artwork has replaced that of the superhero posters that once hung on his wall.

There's a soft knock at the door. After being granted entry, Damon comes in. Stefan sits up a bit. His brother crosses over and sits at the foot of his bed.

"You could get arrested for the fake ID," he says.

Stefan sighs. " I know."

"Laws are in place for a reason, Stefan. You can't legally get a tattoo until you're 18."

"It's so dumb, though," Stefan mumbles. "I can get my ears pierced…" Damon shoots him a look. "Legally anyway."

"With parent or guardian permission. Which you also didn't get for either."

"Because I knew you'd say no!" Stefan sighs. "Damon, it's my body. I can do what I want with it."

"It's your body but I'm also the adult. I know that you may not want this tattoo in 20 years."

"I might," Stefan argues. "And if I don't, I'll get it removed."

"Which will cost a ton and hurt even more."

"That's my punishment, I guess."

Damon shakes his head.

"You're right, it is. You're getting older, Stef. Which means you are making your own choices. Those choices come with consequences. Ones I won't be able to help you with. That's what scares me the most."

Stefan's face falls. "Day, I'm 16. I can handle that stuff."

"Maybe you can, or maybe you can't. We won't know."

"You also can't keep me under your thumb for the rest of my life."

"I'm starting to see that," Damon says, his voice filled with heartbreak.

Stefan doesn't know what else to say. A bit of guilt twinges his soul. Not for the tattoo, but the realization of how his choices have affected his brother.

"I'm still your guardian and I'm going to be there for you to try to stop you from making mistakes. I don't know if this tattoo was one, but the way you went about it does. But I also know I won't always be there to bail you out." Stefan nods. "You're grounded for 2 weeks for the fake."

"I figured."

"And I'll be making sure this tattoo is clean. No infections on my watch. I'll be the one washing it."

"But…"

"It's like I said. Can't protect you from everything but I'm still going to try when I can. You have stuff?"

Stefan pouts. "In my bathroom."

"Let's get on it then."

Stefan climbs out of bed and follows his brother to the bathroom.

"Do you totally hate it? The tattoo?"

"No." Damon watches as he gets the stuff out. "Why a rose?"

Stefan shrugs. "I sketched it one day and liked the way it looked."

"Oh."

Stefan peels off the wrap. Damon takes the cream and begins to rub it in. He's slow and careful. Out of habit, Stefan leans against him. Damon presses a tiny kiss to his temple.

"Crazy baby brother," he mutters. "What am I gonna do with you?

"Love me even when I do something you don't like?"

"Well, that's a given."

I promise soon we'll see more of Enzo! But I hope this was a nice teaser of what's to come.

Next time, Stefan leaves on a class trip. Damon is protective and worried.

As always, let me know what you think and feel free to leave prompts!