𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧.

[ꨄ @lostaffections]

if you want all the power, you must carry all the blame.

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

@SURVlVXR i. . um.

no ?

. . maybe ?

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

great.

[𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑳 𝑽𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑺𝑳𝑼𝑻 @SURVlVXR]

she’s here.

please, hold your applause.

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

@SURVlVXR a part of him did. however small that may be.

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

@SURVlVXR || I want you to love meeeeeee

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

“i’ve always seen you, katherine,” he said softly. “and i’m still here.”

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

stefan saw it — the instinct to run, the flicker of vulnerability she despised in herself.

katherine never liked being known too well. being seen meant being exposed. and she survived by never allowing that.

but this time, he didn’t give her the space to disappear.
+

[𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑳 𝑽𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑺𝑳𝑼𝑻 @SURVlVXR]

she did not enjoy being perceived so closely, being so 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏, it triggered her urge to retreat.

but there was a warmth in his eyes that she’d hardly seen since she’d first met him, since she first fell in love with him. it drew her in, as if magnetic.

+

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

intensity, years of history folded into the space between them. his hand tightened slightly at her jaw, keeping her there — not trapping, just asking her to stay.

when he pulled back, barely an inch between them, his breath ghosted against her mouth.
+

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

“and for what it���s worth…” a quiet exhale. “i never doubted how you felt. i just didn’t always know what to do with it.”

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

stefan’s gaze softened at that — not the teasing about her beauty, he’d heard that a thousand times — but the quiet honesty underneath it. it disarmed him more than any manipulation ever could.

he didn’t pull away, but he didn’t close the
+

[𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑳 𝑽𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑺𝑳𝑼𝑻 @SURVlVXR]

a sharp exhale fell from her lips as he leaned in close, wanting desperately to melt into him. the way his breath feathered across her skin made a delicious shiver run through her.

Katherine liked to think of herself as the master manipulator, but Stefan knew how to +

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

“you’re complicated. reckless. selfish sometimes.” his eyes lifted back to hers. “but you also survived things most people wouldn’t. you kept fighting when you had every excuse not to.”

his thumb brushed lightly along her arm.
+

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

leaning just close enough for his breath to ghost across her cheek, “i’d make sure you meant it.”

a faint smirk tugged at him now.

“but don’t confuse curiosity with hope,” he murmured. “i’ve learned better than to expect honesty wrapped up in one of your pretty speeches.”

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

stefan’s jaw flexed, but the corner of his mouth betrayed him anyway.

he stepped a little closer, slow and deliberate, green eyes darkening as they traced the curve of her pout. he’d seen that look before. . weaponized charm wrapped in silk and sugar.
+

[𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑳 𝑽𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑺𝑳𝑼𝑻 @SURVlVXR]

teeth caught her lower lip to muffle a small chuckle, emerald hues alight with mischief. her full lower lip jutted out in a small, playful pout, her tongue clicking.

“awe, what’s the matter, Stefan?”

she grinned now, one of those rare smiles that lacked malice.

+

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

“katherine,” he said evenly, voice low, controlled. “you’ve never needed an invitation to make a grand declaration. you usually just… take the stage.”

his gaze flicked to her lips when her tongue clicked, then back to her eyes.

“if i wanted you to beg,” he added softly,
+

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

“and seventy-five percent me?” a quiet huff of a laugh. “don’t worry. my ego survived you centuries ago… it’ll survive that too.”

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

stefan’s gaze dipped briefly to where her fingers wandered, a slow breath leaving him before his eyes lifted back to hers . . equal parts restraint and amusement written there.

he gave a faint shake of his head, the corner of his mouth tugging upward.

+

[𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑳 𝑽𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑺𝑳𝑼𝑻 @SURVlVXR]

her gaze lifts as if she pondering the question, a little hum escaping her.

“twenty-five percent boredom,” she answered. eyes returned to meet his, a coy look on her countenance. a hand met his chest, fingertips boldly wandering down an inch or two.

+

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

“twenty-five percent boredom?” he echoed softly, voice warm but edged with that familiar stefan steadiness. “katherine, if you were bored… you wouldn’t be standing this close.”

his hand came up, not quite touching her yet — hovering near her wrist, deliberate.
+

[𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧. @MORALITYL0ST]

stefan’s gaze lingers on her a second longer than he’d ever admit, jaw tight but eyes softening despite himself.

“you always did have a talent for showing up exactly when i finally start finding peace, katherine… so what is it this time — nostalgia, boredom, or just me?”

[𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑳 𝑽𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑺𝑳𝑼𝑻 @SURVlVXR]

she stands, not giving him any room to breathe. her eyes dip to his mouth, teeth catching her own lower lip. a hand lifts to swipe a finger over his chin, teasing him.

“are you sure? you’re salivating like I’m your last meal. . .”