eternity of misery

When the moment comes, Damon steps back and lets Stefan do it himself. Stefan hesitates, eyes already tearing up, but he pulls the trigger anyway. The whole walk home, Stefan is crying, saying he didn’t want to do it, that he didn’t want to kill anything. Damon reassures him, telling him this is just how things are sometimes and that he has to toughen up.

When they finally get home, Damon softens. He presses a kiss to Stefan’s forehead, tells him he did a good job, that he’s proud of him, even though Stefan is still shaking and upset. I just really love the idea of Damon acting as a father figure to Stefan in moments like this, especially since their dad is such a piece of shit, Damon stepping up, protecting him in his own flawed way, trying to prepare him for a cruel world.