There was an instant where Stefan couldn't let himself believe it was her. The day had stretched on so painfully so far that he'd already resigned himself to a long wait, but the look on her face was so exactly Elena's face on the hundreds of other times she'd stepped into a room and seen him. Stefan heard himself say her name, as he always did when she looked at him like that. He stood, but had barely taken a step before she'd collided into him, her arms wrapping around his neck. He pulled Elena tighter against him and breathed in the scent of her hair, and if even for a moment, it occurred to him how hungry he was and how good she smelled, well-
It didn't matter. Elena was here, and it didn't matter.
The wound on her shoulder wasn't bleeding anymore, he did notice that, although he could feel the outline of a bandage when he ran his hand over it. Everything else besides that was something he could withstand, if he was allowed to just hold her and hear her breath against his ear and feel the steady beat of her heart. She was alright. It wasn't that simple, of course not - he understood what had happened last night, even if he didn't know any of the specifics, and they were all still here, trapped in this place - but in this moment, he allowed himself to be grateful for this much.
"I'm sorry," Stefan whispered, his arms still around her. If he could've done more last night, then maybe... "I'm so sorry."
Elena clung to Stefan as soon as she could reach out for him, there was no other way to put it. She held on tight and buried her face in his neck, letting the relief of finally having him there with her again sink in all at once. Her throat burned for a second, threatening to start tears in her eyes, or maybe even just make her start spilling everything that she felt and what happened, all at once-- But she wouldn't let that happen, not yet. It would ruin the moment.
And it really was a moment, because she wasn't used to being away form Stefan much at all, and last night felt like an eternity, for a number of reasons. Her hands held on tight, one in his shirt and the other pushing through his hair near his neck, and okay maybe it was dramatic but she didn't want to let go for a long time.
"It's okay." Her voice was muffled a little against his neck, but she didn't move yet. "I'm okay. It was... insane, this whole place is insane, but I'm alright." She pulled back just enough so she could brush her nose against his, just nuzzling for now. She couldn't imagine how much the nurses would freak out if she actually kissed him.
Although she may as well have been kissing him, she kept herself pressed right up against him as she spoke. "I have a lot to tell you. Like, a lot a lot. But are you okay? Tell me. You feel a little colder."
Stefan pulled away automatically at her words. Not far - nothing short of certain obliteration could drag him away from Elena right now - but enough so the only part of him which touched her was his right hand, still tangled in her hair. She'd felt his skin before when it had dropped below normal temperatures, but he usually made the effort to drink caffeine and animal blood regularly enough that the effect was mitigated. Right now, with no coffee in sight and four days with proper feeding... this was probably as cold as his skin had felt since he'd sat in the basement of boarding house, resolving to die.
"Fine. I'm fine," he murmured, and smiled apologetically to her. The fear he'd felt, imagining that he would never see those dark eyes again... "I haven't eaten since before we came here, and the cafeteria doesn't like serving coffee. That's all." Stefan wondered how he looked. The nurse had allowed him to clean up before lunch, and the tear gas no longer irritated his eyes, but he still felt a little worse for the wear. Elena, as far as he could see, didn't seem to have been affected by the riot at all, which was one piece of good news for this morning.
At least he wasn't slurring much anymore. "I'm just glad you're okay," Stefan sighed. He stared at her for another second, just drinking in the sight of her, before dropping his hand from Elena's hair to take her hand instead. "Come on." He pulled her down to sit on the couch with him. "Did Damon talk to you about tonight?"
She was actually making an effort not to let her worry show, but it was in her eyes, making it obvious she didn't like the thought of Stefan not feeling 100% from a lack of eating properly. ..For a vampire. It was complicated though, as always, because it wasn't like either of them could walk up to a nurse and request a full serving of blood at the beginning of dinner or something. And she hadn't actually run into any of the monsters that apparently roamed the institute at night, but that was a whole separate set of worries that came to mind whenever she thought of Stefan needing to feed.
It wasn't something she could help with though (Well, maybe she could. Not really. Let's not think about that.), and that might have been the hardest part.
Elena plopped down with him, her body shifting over so she could rest her cheek on his shoulder. "Yeah, he told me. Well, he mentioned it. You're not going alone, are you?" Her eyes shut, honestly trying to block out the rest of the Sun Room to just focus on the comfort of sitting with Stefan again. A vampire doctor did an experiment on her brain, but that didn't scare her as much as it did before. ... Not just because she was sitting with Stefan, that would be a little crazy, but her headache was starting to subside and this was making her feel less trapped. Like they were home again. Just for a brief second anyway.
"He also told me he'll be meeting me tonight whether I agree to it or not. So it looks like I'll have a babysitter." Maybe a little, tiny bit bitter. She also knows she should probably be jumping right into the explanation of what happened to her last night, but again. It was nice just sitting, instead of sitting and stressing and thinking and rehashing right away.
One arm went around her waist as she settled beside him, his hand finding hers to grasp. Stefan shut his eyes while she talked, and let himself find relief in her solid warmth and the sound of her voice. If there was one benefit to his brief and intense encounter with Bella Swan, it was that Elena's scent seemed downright innocuous in comparison. He knew she was worried about him, and likely she even guessed that being near her aggravated his hunger, but if Elena would let him stay, then Stefan would let himself be selfish. Their time before dinner was limited, after all.
Still, he held himself very still - even the hand which held hers (the thudding pulse under his thumb when it accidentally brushed her wrist) didn't fidget or squeeze. "He's worried about you," Stefan murmured, and tried to ignore the small pang in his chest. He didn't know why he said it. Probably it was true that Damon cared about Elena, as much as he was capable of caring about anyone besides himself. Stefan could've mentioned the fact that he'd asked his brother to watch out for her tonight, but some perverse part of him simply... didn't want to. He didn't even know why he'd asked Damon to protect her, and it wasn't because he doubted Damon's competence or his reliability, or even the amount of danger Elena was in. She was in danger, and he couldn't be with her tonight, so...
Nothing. It was nothing. "I'm worried too," he quickly added, turning his face into her hair, but tried to keep his voice light. Elena said she had a lot to tell him, and he wanted to listen, but he also knew how important it was for them to have those minutes - seconds - where they could feel... normal. "And no, I'll have company. The vampire I met yesterday, actually. He, uh, helped me out this morning." Stefan had mentioned Edward to her before, but only briefly, which meant he needed to go into detail now. Well, maybe not the specifics of what happened during breakfast, but... "His name is... Edward Cullen. Yes, I know. But he is who he says he is."
He allowed Elena a second to process this.
"I'll be okay with him," Stefan assured her. "He's hunted around here before, and it'll be safer with two people. Elena... if I promise not to wander off from Edward for any reason, will you promise to-" Stay? Considering what could happen with his brother...? No. "-listen to Damon?"
She did quirk her brow at the mention of his hunting partner's name, even if it did take a second for it to click in her memory. Edward Cullen was there at the institution with them. Edward Cullen who was very much a fictional character, in their world. What did that mean?
But wow, what she would give to see the look on Caroline's face if she ever got to tell her about this piece of news. There was a good chance she never would though, so she stopped herself from thinking about it.
Elena sighed before answering his question, not exactly wanting to make a promise unless she thought she could really keep it. All things considered, though... "Alright." She nodded, looking up at him as her fingers twisted a little bit in his tee shirt. "Fine, I'll listen to Damon if you stay with Edward. Unless he tries something crazy like... picking a fight with a jealous werewolf, then I expect you to run. Far, far away."
Oh yes, she knew she was witty and clever for remembering one plot detail from the Twilight books.
There was an instant where Stefan couldn't let himself believe it was her. The day had stretched on so painfully so far that he'd already resigned himself to a long wait, but the look on her face was so exactly Elena's face on the hundreds of other times she'd stepped into a room and seen him. Stefan heard himself say her name, as he always did when she looked at him like that. He stood, but had barely taken a step before she'd collided into him, her arms wrapping around his neck. He pulled Elena tighter against him and breathed in the scent of her hair, and if even for a moment, it occurred to him how hungry he was and how good she smelled, well-
It didn't matter. Elena was here, and it didn't matter.
The wound on her shoulder wasn't bleeding anymore, he did notice that, although he could feel the outline of a bandage when he ran his hand over it. Everything else besides that was something he could withstand, if he was allowed to just hold her and hear her breath against his ear and feel the steady beat of her heart. She was alright. It wasn't that simple, of course not - he understood what had happened last night, even if he didn't know any of the specifics, and they were all still here, trapped in this place - but in this moment, he allowed himself to be grateful for this much.
"I'm sorry," Stefan whispered, his arms still around her. If he could've done more last night, then maybe... "I'm so sorry."
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And it really was a moment, because she wasn't used to being away form Stefan much at all, and last night felt like an eternity, for a number of reasons. Her hands held on tight, one in his shirt and the other pushing through his hair near his neck, and okay maybe it was dramatic but she didn't want to let go for a long time.
"It's okay." Her voice was muffled a little against his neck, but she didn't move yet. "I'm okay. It was... insane, this whole place is insane, but I'm alright." She pulled back just enough so she could brush her nose against his, just nuzzling for now. She couldn't imagine how much the nurses would freak out if she actually kissed him.
Although she may as well have been kissing him, she kept herself pressed right up against him as she spoke. "I have a lot to tell you. Like, a lot a lot. But are you okay? Tell me. You feel a little colder."
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"Fine. I'm fine," he murmured, and smiled apologetically to her. The fear he'd felt, imagining that he would never see those dark eyes again... "I haven't eaten since before we came here, and the cafeteria doesn't like serving coffee. That's all." Stefan wondered how he looked. The nurse had allowed him to clean up before lunch, and the tear gas no longer irritated his eyes, but he still felt a little worse for the wear. Elena, as far as he could see, didn't seem to have been affected by the riot at all, which was one piece of good news for this morning.
At least he wasn't slurring much anymore. "I'm just glad you're okay," Stefan sighed. He stared at her for another second, just drinking in the sight of her, before dropping his hand from Elena's hair to take her hand instead. "Come on." He pulled her down to sit on the couch with him. "Did Damon talk to you about tonight?"
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It wasn't something she could help with though (Well, maybe she could. Not really. Let's not think about that.), and that might have been the hardest part.
Elena plopped down with him, her body shifting over so she could rest her cheek on his shoulder. "Yeah, he told me. Well, he mentioned it. You're not going alone, are you?" Her eyes shut, honestly trying to block out the rest of the Sun Room to just focus on the comfort of sitting with Stefan again. A vampire doctor did an experiment on her brain, but that didn't scare her as much as it did before. ... Not just because she was sitting with Stefan, that would be a little crazy, but her headache was starting to subside and this was making her feel less trapped. Like they were home again. Just for a brief second anyway.
"He also told me he'll be meeting me tonight whether I agree to it or not. So it looks like I'll have a babysitter." Maybe a little, tiny bit bitter. She also knows she should probably be jumping right into the explanation of what happened to her last night, but again. It was nice just sitting, instead of sitting and stressing and thinking and rehashing right away.
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Still, he held himself very still - even the hand which held hers (the thudding pulse under his thumb when it accidentally brushed her wrist) didn't fidget or squeeze. "He's worried about you," Stefan murmured, and tried to ignore the small pang in his chest. He didn't know why he said it. Probably it was true that Damon cared about Elena, as much as he was capable of caring about anyone besides himself. Stefan could've mentioned the fact that he'd asked his brother to watch out for her tonight, but some perverse part of him simply... didn't want to. He didn't even know why he'd asked Damon to protect her, and it wasn't because he doubted Damon's competence or his reliability, or even the amount of danger Elena was in. She was in danger, and he couldn't be with her tonight, so...
Nothing. It was nothing. "I'm worried too," he quickly added, turning his face into her hair, but tried to keep his voice light. Elena said she had a lot to tell him, and he wanted to listen, but he also knew how important it was for them to have those minutes - seconds - where they could feel... normal. "And no, I'll have company. The vampire I met yesterday, actually. He, uh, helped me out this morning." Stefan had mentioned Edward to her before, but only briefly, which meant he needed to go into detail now. Well, maybe not the specifics of what happened during breakfast, but... "His name is... Edward Cullen. Yes, I know. But he is who he says he is."
He allowed Elena a second to process this.
"I'll be okay with him," Stefan assured her. "He's hunted around here before, and it'll be safer with two people. Elena... if I promise not to wander off from Edward for any reason, will you promise to-" Stay? Considering what could happen with his brother...? No. "-listen to Damon?"
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But wow, what she would give to see the look on Caroline's face if she ever got to tell her about this piece of news. There was a good chance she never would though, so she stopped herself from thinking about it.
Elena sighed before answering his question, not exactly wanting to make a promise unless she thought she could really keep it. All things considered, though... "Alright." She nodded, looking up at him as her fingers twisted a little bit in his tee shirt. "Fine, I'll listen to Damon if you stay with Edward. Unless he tries something crazy like... picking a fight with a jealous werewolf, then I expect you to run. Far, far away."
Oh yes, she knew she was witty and clever for remembering one plot detail from the Twilight books.
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