ff|tvd: 01 | wip
elejah ♚ i'm learning all your tricks / i can hurt you from inside
asummary: Alt S2. After setting Katherine and Stefan loose, Elijah and Elena’s deal involved Elijah compelling his way into the Gilbert home. Because he doesn’t trust anybody in this town. Always looking for information for later, Elena grows increasingly curious about Elijah’s lack of sleeping habits.
ship: elena/elijah; canon elena/stefan
Is he sleeping with your aunt?” Caroline hissed.
Elena spat out her water. She’d been watching Stefan while the football team ran shirtless drills, so she hadn’t lambasted Caroline, though she deserved it for sneaking up on her with that vampire creep without so much as a hello.
“What the hell, Care?”
“There are three bedrooms in your house, Elena!” Caroline went on with her somehow shrill whispers. “And he doesn’t seem the type to sleep on the couch!”
Elena wiped her mouth and scowled at her blouse how dribbled with water. She gave it two minutes before the football team started their whistling. “I realize that.”
She knew she was pissing Caroline off by evading an answer, but she was pissed about her blouse as she crossed her arms over her cleavage. Also Stefan was putting his shirt back on. Surely Caroline would have appreciated that, too?
Looking at her friend’s scowl, she sighed. Admittedly, her friend’s questions led to a topic she’d gone over in her own head several times, to be sure: “I don’t think Elijah sleeps.”
Caroline’s eyes widened. “That is so creepy,” she said. “It’s like just when the judges give him all tens for creepiness they have to cross it out and give him an eleven.”
Elena agreed. But she tilted her head at Caroline, a curious frown pulling at her lips. “How often do you need to sleep, Care?”
“Oh my god, Elena, I’ve been going on four hours of sleep a night since I first got straight A’s and made cheer captain and won class president and organized the winning girl scout cookie sale for the county in the 6th grade. I’m not someone to ask.”
Stefan smelled good even after practice. Not that he sweat much playing with humans, even teenage boys, but Elena found it one more comforting thing about him all the same. She cuddled into his unfortunately covered body, arms wrapped tight, and felt his lips curl against her forehead in hello.
“Take you home?” he asked.
Elena pulled away and nodded, gesturing to her books she was all set. “Jeremy joined art club. He might be joining every club to avoid going home unless it’s timed to be when Jenna’s getting there.”
“Probably smart.” Stefan said carefully. His arm slid down her shoulder as they started walking towards the parking lot. Elena reached up to squeeze his hand once, but otherwise pretended she didn’t know what he was really saying. Stefan followed her lead.
“I do need to go home,” she said, when he unlocked her car door, and she threw her books and purse in his back seat to let them fall wherever. “I have math problems to get wrong.”
Stefan unlocked his side. “Yeah,” he sighed. “That’s one thing that hasn’t changed for me either.”
Elena paused between the door and her seat, raising an eyebrow across the car at him. “If my vampire boyfriend didn’t use the last hundred years to know all the answers to my math homework, what good is he?”
Stefan tilted his head. He folded his impressive arms (Elena could imagine wrapped around her (naked) mid section) over the hood and smiled modestly. “I can think of a few things.”
Hers was less so. “I can probably think of a few more…”
Her plans to fool around with Stefan were dashed by their realization Jenna was not home, but Elijah was.
Elena looked across her seat to study Stefan’s reaction, when his carefree air they’d created fell with the silence. She’d been preparing for this moment, the first time she’d have to convince Stefan he wouldn’t be failing her by listening to her on this point. He remembered the dilapidated mansion just as clearly as she had - particularly how long he felt her tremors of relief, her eyes still drying of tears, and frightened heartbeat, when he first took her out of Elijah’s grasp. When she told him he compelled her, and he witnessed Elijah reaching for him before Damon rammed him with the coat rack with the same body language she later saw when he tore out a vampire’s heart.
“If he wanted to take me,” she began calmly when he met her gaze. “He would have days ago. If he wanted to torture me, or anyone I cared about, he wouldn’t wait. If he wanted to kill me, or you, we’d be dead.”
He reached for her hands and held them, speaking low enough that there were plenty of sounds in the neighborhood to keep their conversation private. “We still don’t know what his plan for you, or Bonnie, is.”
She pulled one free and stroked his cheek. “Antagonizing a vampire stronger than you and Damon combined, and partnered with two witches, is not the smart way to find that out.”
Stefan’s eyes flicked up to her house with dislike. “If we’re supposed to act normal, then why don’t I just come in with you?”
He knew. He knew for all her assurances Elijah didn’t plan on harming her friends on sight, instinct wanted them on opposite sides of the planet. But Elena shook her head. “I’ll call you tonight, okay? And if I am in trouble, or if I think I might be taken away, I’ll tell you I need to copy your notes from math.”
“To make it even more believable, say you’re dumping me for Damon while you’re at it.” He said flatly. But when she smiled pointedly before opening up the car door, he gave in and smiled too.
She paused with one foot on the street, turning back to him with a frown.
“How often do you need to sleep?”
He raised his shoulders and looked up for a moment, before settling back on her. “Depends. Blood gives vampires a life force different from energy from food. After feeding - whether from blood bags, animals, or… other - it’s usually followed by a lot of…” His fingers drummed on the wheel. “…feeling. How fast that wears off depends on what a vampire is feeding on. With the diet I’m on, sleep is still more apart of things my body needs to do.”
Elena nodded, getting out and then opened the back door for her things. “Like when the vampires were locked in the tomb, when desiccation set in, they kind of hibernated.”
“Kind of,” Stefan allowed. “Why?”
She leaned forward towards the front of the car enough to kiss him, and when she pulled away pasted on her cheerleading smile. “I’ve been trying to figure out if you snore or not. Caroline read in Cosmo it’s a deal breaker.”
“You’re a crack up today. Don’t tell any to him.”
asummary: Alt S2. After setting Katherine and Stefan loose, Elijah and Elena’s deal involved Elijah compelling his way into the Gilbert home. Because he doesn’t trust anybody in this town. Always looking for information for later, Elena grows increasingly curious about Elijah’s lack of sleeping habits.
ship: elena/elijah; canon elena/stefan
Is he sleeping with your aunt?” Caroline hissed.
Elena spat out her water. She’d been watching Stefan while the football team ran shirtless drills, so she hadn’t lambasted Caroline, though she deserved it for sneaking up on her with that vampire creep without so much as a hello.
“What the hell, Care?”
“There are three bedrooms in your house, Elena!” Caroline went on with her somehow shrill whispers. “And he doesn’t seem the type to sleep on the couch!”
Elena wiped her mouth and scowled at her blouse how dribbled with water. She gave it two minutes before the football team started their whistling. “I realize that.”
She knew she was pissing Caroline off by evading an answer, but she was pissed about her blouse as she crossed her arms over her cleavage. Also Stefan was putting his shirt back on. Surely Caroline would have appreciated that, too?
Looking at her friend’s scowl, she sighed. Admittedly, her friend’s questions led to a topic she’d gone over in her own head several times, to be sure: “I don’t think Elijah sleeps.”
Caroline’s eyes widened. “That is so creepy,” she said. “It’s like just when the judges give him all tens for creepiness they have to cross it out and give him an eleven.”
Elena agreed. But she tilted her head at Caroline, a curious frown pulling at her lips. “How often do you need to sleep, Care?”
“Oh my god, Elena, I’ve been going on four hours of sleep a night since I first got straight A’s and made cheer captain and won class president and organized the winning girl scout cookie sale for the county in the 6th grade. I’m not someone to ask.”
Stefan smelled good even after practice. Not that he sweat much playing with humans, even teenage boys, but Elena found it one more comforting thing about him all the same. She cuddled into his unfortunately covered body, arms wrapped tight, and felt his lips curl against her forehead in hello.
“Take you home?” he asked.
Elena pulled away and nodded, gesturing to her books she was all set. “Jeremy joined art club. He might be joining every club to avoid going home unless it’s timed to be when Jenna’s getting there.”
“Probably smart.” Stefan said carefully. His arm slid down her shoulder as they started walking towards the parking lot. Elena reached up to squeeze his hand once, but otherwise pretended she didn’t know what he was really saying. Stefan followed her lead.
“I do need to go home,” she said, when he unlocked her car door, and she threw her books and purse in his back seat to let them fall wherever. “I have math problems to get wrong.”
Stefan unlocked his side. “Yeah,” he sighed. “That’s one thing that hasn’t changed for me either.”
Elena paused between the door and her seat, raising an eyebrow across the car at him. “If my vampire boyfriend didn’t use the last hundred years to know all the answers to my math homework, what good is he?”
Stefan tilted his head. He folded his impressive arms (Elena could imagine wrapped around her (naked) mid section) over the hood and smiled modestly. “I can think of a few things.”
Hers was less so. “I can probably think of a few more…”
Her plans to fool around with Stefan were dashed by their realization Jenna was not home, but Elijah was.
Elena looked across her seat to study Stefan’s reaction, when his carefree air they’d created fell with the silence. She’d been preparing for this moment, the first time she’d have to convince Stefan he wouldn’t be failing her by listening to her on this point. He remembered the dilapidated mansion just as clearly as she had - particularly how long he felt her tremors of relief, her eyes still drying of tears, and frightened heartbeat, when he first took her out of Elijah’s grasp. When she told him he compelled her, and he witnessed Elijah reaching for him before Damon rammed him with the coat rack with the same body language she later saw when he tore out a vampire’s heart.
“If he wanted to take me,” she began calmly when he met her gaze. “He would have days ago. If he wanted to torture me, or anyone I cared about, he wouldn’t wait. If he wanted to kill me, or you, we’d be dead.”
He reached for her hands and held them, speaking low enough that there were plenty of sounds in the neighborhood to keep their conversation private. “We still don’t know what his plan for you, or Bonnie, is.”
She pulled one free and stroked his cheek. “Antagonizing a vampire stronger than you and Damon combined, and partnered with two witches, is not the smart way to find that out.”
Stefan’s eyes flicked up to her house with dislike. “If we’re supposed to act normal, then why don’t I just come in with you?”
He knew. He knew for all her assurances Elijah didn’t plan on harming her friends on sight, instinct wanted them on opposite sides of the planet. But Elena shook her head. “I’ll call you tonight, okay? And if I am in trouble, or if I think I might be taken away, I’ll tell you I need to copy your notes from math.”
“To make it even more believable, say you’re dumping me for Damon while you’re at it.” He said flatly. But when she smiled pointedly before opening up the car door, he gave in and smiled too.
She paused with one foot on the street, turning back to him with a frown.
“How often do you need to sleep?”
He raised his shoulders and looked up for a moment, before settling back on her. “Depends. Blood gives vampires a life force different from energy from food. After feeding - whether from blood bags, animals, or… other - it’s usually followed by a lot of…” His fingers drummed on the wheel. “…feeling. How fast that wears off depends on what a vampire is feeding on. With the diet I’m on, sleep is still more apart of things my body needs to do.”
Elena nodded, getting out and then opened the back door for her things. “Like when the vampires were locked in the tomb, when desiccation set in, they kind of hibernated.”
“Kind of,” Stefan allowed. “Why?”
She leaned forward towards the front of the car enough to kiss him, and when she pulled away pasted on her cheerleading smile. “I’ve been trying to figure out if you snore or not. Caroline read in Cosmo it’s a deal breaker.”
“You’re a crack up today. Don’t tell any to him.”