Who: Stefan and Damon When: Late May Where: Purgatory What: Brothers Catching Up Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete
Stefan headed to Purgatory. Weird phrase, wasn’t it? It wasn’t the literal purgatory, obviously, but his brother’s club. Stefan was hoping to find Damon so they could catch up--he’d been through some stuff lately, and was hoping that his brother would have his back. Of course he would. Wouldn’t he? That’s what they did, the Salvatore Brothers. They had ups and downs like everyone did, but when it all boiled down to it, they were there for one another.
Stefan sidled up to the bar and ordered a scotch, then glanced around at the other, happy customers, and wondered if his brother was even here for the night. Maybe he should have texted before he came.
Stefan would be in luck. Damon practically lived at Purgatory. It kept him busy, and kept his mind off of other things. In the last few years, he’d had twists and turns. Those included some major blowups, and those seemed to have ripple effects that lasted far longer than they should. He carried on, per business as usual, but he had never been quite the same.
He saw his brother down at the bar and took a seat next to him. He hadn’t meant to let them drift apart, but he felt it. He missed the younger Salvatore, who was always the anchor, of the pair. Stefan would probably argue that. Maybe they both balanced each other out. However it worked, they needed each other now.
“Hello, brother,” he grinned, signaling to the bartender to bring him a whiskey. It wasn’t too late yet, so the night crowd hadn’t arrived yet. It was a good time to talk. “What’s going on?”
Stefan could feel more than see his brother sidle up to the bar beside him. Maybe it was a vampire thing, or maybe it was a Salvatore thing, but he would have sworn there was an extra sense involved. Something more than just sight or hearing. He turned to glance at his brother, holding the glass of scotch in his hand. He nodded. “Brother.”
Then the question. Man. What a doozy. What was going on? Besides seeing a man die, fighting off his vampire impulses, fighting off Storm Troopers? There was also the personal stuff. Stefan was about to ask Bubbles to move in with him. That was pretty exciting, too. He took a deep breath. “A lot.” They could get into it after a couple of drinks. “How’s business?” Maybe a little small talk would break the ice.
His own drink was slid down the bar. He caught it and nodded to the bartender. “I’m good. I wasn’t always that way, but this is a good place. I love history, but teaching kids wasn’t really the best idea.” Damon was more suited to a bar anyway, and Purgatory was his own brand. While his business thrived, his personal relationships were hit and miss. Kol and Enzo remained his wingmen.
“How are the dreams?” Stefan wasn’t as far along, or at least not at the last check. It was hard to talk about them sometimes, but with the lull in Damon’s dreaming, he was getting back into the reruns. They still consumed their lives, took them over, and molded the boys into what they dreamed about.
“No.” Stefan shook his head. He honestly couldn’t imagine either of them being surrounded by kids. Especially not now. He’s supported Damon’s desire to teach, and was quite proud of his brother for making it through the credential program and everything. But now? Now was a different story. Now they were creatures of the night and really should be acting accordingly.
Stefan hadn’t had a new Dream in... he couldn’t remember how long. “They’re fine. I haven’t had one in a long time. Last I remember was the “Bitter Ball” at Whitmore.”
The dream life had stalled a little for Damon as well, but there was no love lost for the Whitmore years. That was a hard sequence. “Elena forgot me,” he said, or really she had her memories adjusted so that her feelings for him never existed. While his dream self wanted her back, his waking self had cooled on the idea of them.
Vampirism had also changed him. He had been more focused as a human. As a vampire, he was unpredictable, but confident. He could easily snap. Those were not desirable qualities in a teacher and he knew it. Financially, it hadn’t hurt him. Purgatory was wickedly successful. “How about job wise? Our nocturnal activities change things. Have the dreams given you your ring yet?”
Stefan stared at Damon for a moment. Stared hard. The whole thing with Elena was so… strange. In his Dreams it all felt normal. But in his waking life? He couldn’t wrap his head around any of it. And so much shit had happened. Between all of them, to all of them. It was hard to keep track sometimes.
“Yes.” Stefan lifted his hand. He had his ring. Ironically, he’d been given it before he’d turned into a vampire, and he’d been wearing it just in case. “So far the job’s fine. Joe and I are taking over the garage.” It was a good step. Kept his hands busy. And business was good, so Stefan pretty much always had something to do.
Damon had went through those feelings with the dreams. It was surreal at first. He wasn’t sure where he stopped and his dream self started or the other way around. As the new bits continues and the reruns came and went, he began to adjust to the new information as himself. Physically, he was the dream man, but in this world, he was still Damon - not dream Damon. There were differences, and the point in which he realized that was the point that it stopped taking control.
A lot had happened between them, but that didn’t have to keep them separated here. “Are you doing okay with the cravings?” That was a big step, especially for a new vampire. “I know they are a bitch, but you can tell me. I’ve been there. Where are you getting blood?” It had to be done. They needed a source to draw from.
“I’m not going to lie to you, it was hard at first.” Stefan scowled into his glass, then lifted it to sip. A big sip. He didn’t like admitting how hard it was, or what he’d done early on. “I attacked Anna. It was the day we were moving into her house, and I… well, thankfully Lexi and Caroline were there to make sure I didn’t kill her.” Since then he’d mostly remained in control. Mostly.
“I hunt.” Stefan was still on an animal blood only kind of diet. He didn’t trust himself to switch to human blood.
Damon would assume that Stefan meant animals. That was just like his brother, who was inherently good. Damon, on the other hand, was expected to be the rebel. It was strange in the dreams how he was turning into a hero, and yet there were still the non-believers, including his own brother. The last round of dreams had made very little sense, and seemed like a complete reversion from all the progress.
“Do you think you would go ripper if you took human blood?” Just like in the dreams, would it make him crazy. It was a pretty big concern. “It’s good that the girls are okay. You just don’t want to accidentally snap without knowing how to control it.”
“I do. I’m sure of it.” Stefan cleared his throat, and turned to look around the bar instead of at his brother. It was a weakness, he knew, and he didn’t like admitting it. Even if it was really nothing to be ashamed of. “So long as Lexi and Bubbles are around… I think we’ll be okay. And Anna’s on vervain, too.” Lexi could talk him down from anything, and Bubbles could basically use her super speed and strength to rip him in half. He felt more secure in his home in Orange County than he did in his Dreams.
“Anyway, I just wanted to come in and see how business was going, see how you were doing.” Stefan turned his attention back to his brother and raised a glass. “Here’s to your club.”