04 | action & video

[stefanged]

Who: Stefan Salvatore-Alesci and you!!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: SS Paisley
When: Backdated to May 6th

[action; closed to crew & close CR]
[Around mid-afternoon, Stefan stirs from his slumber, entangling himself in blankets before he slowly pulls himself up and glances around. This isn't home. No big wooden panels or creaking wooden floors, and more importantly, no stench of bourbon in the hallway. His face falls as he listens to the steady heartbeats of his crew. His amazing, awesome, but still Damon-free crew.

Resigning himself to the inevitable, he murmurs,] So I'm still here.

[Pulling those covers closer, he allows himself those few seconds of grief before rubbing his temples and managing the thinnest of smiles. No sense in worrying everyone else right off the bat.

Stefan'll also be in the kitchen later with his usual mug of tea and- and wait. Did his stash of chocolate chips shrink while he was gone?? Stefan might be peering at his baking supplies like he's trying to puzzle out a mystery. Or maybe he's on the verge of falling asleep again. Hard to tell.]

[video;]
[Sometime after the initial confusion wears off, Stefan puts the video feed on and manages a weak wave at the camera. The Paisley's lab can clearly be seen in the background, along with a stack of (dusty, untouched) files behind him. Despite sleeping for at least five weeks, he looks (and feels) as exhausted as ever.]

Hey. Sorry if I've worried anyone for being out this long, but uh, I should be back to my usual stuff soon. So if you've missed my interfaith talks for some strange reason, they'll pick back up next week. [...] Jumu'ah too, if we've gained any other Muslims since I was last around.

Speaking of "last around," I know more than a few of us have experienced hypersleep. If you're willing to talk about it, I have a few questions for you. Nothing big, I promise, and the informed consent forms are right here. [He hasn't uploaded them to the network yet, so he'll hold one up to the camera.]

If this seems like your kind of thing, drop by the Paisley. I should be around for a while. [A small, nervous smile, one that actually reaches his eyes.] Oh, and uh - I'm Stefan Salvatore. It's good to be back.

Comments

[action]

[stefanged]

[Shit. He hadn't meant to say that out loud, much less in plain sight of his favorite person in this entire Fleet.

Stefan lets out a breath - from the sight of Alex all dressed up (it's a dream, it has to be a dream), or from the worry that's settling in - before he motions for her to come closer.]

Not even remotely your fault. [What does he say now? "Sorry I wanted to be back home?"] I should be the one apologizing, for making you worry so long.

[delincuente]

It's fine. That's where you belong.

[Shrugging awkwardly, she sets the coffee down on a shelf and moves over to the bed. She sits on the edge of the mattress, studying his face like a beloved landscape she's been missing for years.]

We still missed you, though. I missed you.

[stefanged]

[He should've argued that point. That he belongs here too, because this is slowly starting to feel like home no matter how much he fights it. But he doesn't, instead furrowing his brow as he peers back at her.]

I know. I'm sorry.

[He reaches out for her hand, ostensibly to intertwine his fingers in hers.]

How long was I out?

[delincuente]

[Alex weaves her fingers with his, softening a little.]

Five weeks.

[A pause. She rubs her thumb against his.]

I don't know anyone who's been out that long.

[stefanged]

Five weeks?

[He uses his free hand to rummage around for his communicator and double-check the date. Crap. She wasn't exaggerating.]

I didn't even know that was possible....

[delincuente]

It shouldn't be. There's literally no point.

[Except that he got to think he was home, just for a short while, and that's more important than anything going on here.]

At least you didn't miss much. Just gas masks and dancing. And this dress.

[That last part might be said a bit flirtatiously. She'd put it back on to make a couple of alterations, but there are no complaints here about getting to wear it on front of Stefan.]

[stefanged]

Is that so?

[He pulls himself together long enough to give her another once-over, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. She looks amazing, and well - as much as he hates dancing, he can't not compliment her.]

I don't know, it seems like I missed an awful lot.

[delincuente]

[Her face reddens at his reaction, and she feels a nervous tug in her stomach. For the moment though, she tries to push it to the back of her mind.]

I made it out of some curtains I nabbed. Didn't even use magic... much.

[stefanged]

So just a little bit then. [His eyes are twinkling as he squeezes imaginary space between his index finger and his thumb.] Think you could treat me to an encore?

[delincuente]

[She leans in to rest her forehead against his temple.]

Thought you didn't like dancing.

[stefanged]

You heard right.

[He whispers, like it's a big secret,] But drunk me? Drunk me is all about the dance floor.

[delincuente]

[She feels another pang in her stomach, but swallows it down. He's just woken up from a very long nap. Maybe he's a little loopy.]

You're such a dork.

[stefanged]

But I'm your dork.

[He must be loopy, because he even hums a bar from some old, classic song - Frank Sinatra? It's not very good. A dying mongoose is probably better.]

Think you have room for one more dance?

[delincuente]

[No one in their right mind could keep from smiling at that, even if they thought something might be wrong with their formerly-comatose boyfriend. She reaches out for his hand.]

Neither of us dance. We'd spend the whole thing stepping on each other's feet.

[stefanged]

Nah. As long as you've got me, you'll be just fine.

[He accepts her hand, but this time, he goes in for a gentle kiss on the lips. That's a good enough apology, right? Stefan even exaggerates it more than usual - though it's hard to tell what "usual" is, considering he doesn't kiss to begin with.]

aklsjdh i managed to delete my reply TWICE

[delincuente]

[She makes a small noise of surprise against his lips, and one hand goes to his shoulder, steadying against the shock. Immediately, she knows her suspicions are confirmed. This is a kiss of intent - not of carried-away passion, but of deliberation. Her brain so badly wants to enjoy it, but her stomach churns against instinct. This isn't Alesci. This isn't her boyfriend, her best friend, her partner.

Her grip on him tightens, but she can't bring herself to pull away and face her grief. Thinking of everything she's about to have lost, she lets herself kiss back for just a moment.]

hfgl; no worries!

[stefanged]

[This doesn't feel right.

He's not sure why it doesn't, because he should. He loves Alex. He loves everything about her, from her jokes to her smile to her zeal for life and yet - something inside him's telling him to stop. He ignores that, pulling in closer because he's desperate to recapture something precious.

So when he pulls back, it's with reluctance and furrowed brows.] Alex, I....

[He wishes he knew the right words. Deep breath,] I'm so sorry.

[delincuente]

[Her fingers stay wrapped around his shoulder, tight in the fabric of his shirt. She doesn't look him in the face.]

... Is it him? [No, no, that isn't right.] Are you...

[stefanged]

[When she says it like that, Stefan wants to laugh. It's impossible to separate his lives. It always has been.]

I'm always gonna be both. I've said it before - it was only a matter of time. [How much longer Alesci will have full control, he doesn't know.]

[delincuente]

[It sounds so simple when he says it that way, like the two parts are just going to live in harmony. But she's so afraid that it's going to go terribly wrong at any moment, and that kiss? It felt a lot like what she was afraid of.]

I'm just scared that- [No, no. Not scared. She can't be scared right now, he has enough of that.] ... I'm worried that what you want's gonna change, and I won't know what to do.

[stefanged]

[He wants to say that it won't change, but he's kissed her twice in the past few months alone.

Quietly, as he gathers up his strength,] You're not wrong to worry. I know I haven't controlled my instincts as well as I should've.

[What would Alesci want? Scratch that, what would he have wanted all those months ago?

He forces himself to pull back, just so he can try to catch her in the eye.]

You're already going above and beyond for me. I can't ask for anything more.

[delincuente]

[She shakes her head. Her hair, longer than he last saw it, falls out of its bun.]

You've been trying. It counts, Stef. And what about my instincts? I'm the one who just kissed you back, without even thinking. So don't put this all on yourself like that. I want your trust more than I want your body, but it doesn't mean I'm perfect.

[stefanged]

You did nothing wrong. Nothing.

[He wants to ruffle her hair and say that everything's gonna be alright, because it has to be alright. Every couple should get a happy ending. That's how the story goes.]

Of course you'd want me. I know what I look like. [... That probably came out wrong, but details.] But if we're gonna get through this, I need to be wholly and fully honest with you.