The Vampire Diaries - Stefan Salvatore (ReaderxCharacter)

Chapter 7 - Secrets And Desires

It was cold. You huddled in front of the fireplace to keep yourself warm. Stefan seemed to be fine, after all, he technically wasn't a warm-blooded creature...he seemed to notice your discomfort. "Do you want my coat?" He offered you his jacket but you shook your head.

"I'll be fine." You grumbled shuffling closer to the flickering flames. He let out a small chuckle before sitting next to you. "It's not funny!" You pouted.

"It's not funny." Stefan agreed. "But the way you act like you're the toughest woman ever to walk the earth kind of is. You're still mortal, your life is easy to end. That isn't something to throw around like it means nothing, you need to be careful now. People are figuring out there is a cure and soon they will figure out that it is you, (Y/N)." Stefan seemed genuinely concerned, he seemed to have some valid points but the truth wasn't always something that was easy to hear.

"I know that..." You whispered. Stefan gazed at you, you glanced up to see his kind eyes looking at you. "It's my self-defence mechanism." You shrugged. Stefan nodded, understanding what you meant.

"I get it." He said. "Mortality is something so many of us who were turned against our will want back. A lot of us would do almost anything to be human once more." Stefan gazed at the flames that flickered in the fire, his eyes had a sadness within them.

"Do you want to be human?" You asked.

"I..." Stefan began. The words he wanted to say seemed to have escaped him. "Yes," he admitted. you nodded, understanding why he wanted his mortality back. "But I can't be human for a while yet."

"Why not? You could literally bite my wrist, take a few drops and become human again..." You smiled at Stefan, holding out your wrist. "I don't mind." You assured him but he turned away. dejected, you put your arms back under the blanket they once were under.

"I appreciate it (Y/N) I do, I desperately want to, really I do." Stefan turned to face you once more. "But if I become human right now, I won't be able to protect you." He gave you a kind smile. "Klaus isn't a laughing matter, he's one of the strongest vampires to ever live, you - we - need every ounce of vampire, werewolf and witch power we can get." you nodded at his words.

"When all this is over, I'll ask you again." You gave him a bright smile, which caused him to chuckle.

"And when you do, I'll accept. You may have to show me how to be truly human again, it has been a while." Stefan shrugged. You giggled and nodded at his words.

"Of course I will." You agreed. Stefan smiled at you, his eyes gazing into yours.

"I'm glad I was the one who found you in that alley." He whispered almost inaudibly, you felt the heat rise within your face, your cheeks... were they red? "I'm just sorry your experience with vampires has been...less than pleasant."

"It hasn't all been bad." You mumbled, trying to hide your embarrassment. you hated feeling this way, especially about a vampire. You knew the signs, you had liked people before, the swirling pit of nervousness within your stomach, the erratic beating of your heart, the clouded judgement... you liked Stefan. Him being a vampire made things a little more difficult for you, mentally. He was a creature you despised, hated, a murderous, blood-hungry creature who could kill you within a moments notice. Stefan had been kind to you since you first met, which was unusual for the majority of vampires, he had defended you, opened up to you and been a perfect gentleman... he had not given you a reason to hate him. You tried to think rationally about it all, at the end of all this maybe Stefan would be human. Would that make it easier for you to like him? Did that even matter any more? Your brain was in overdrive, as if sensing your racing thoughts Stefan broke the silence.

"Why don't you get some sleep, I'll keep watch?" Stefan gestured to the sofa that faced the fireplace, he rose to his feet and began rooting around in a cupboard beneath the stairs. He produced two large pillows and a thick quilt blanket for you. "Get comfortable and rest, tomorrow could very well be a busy day." He put the pillows on the large sofa, he plumped them and fluffed them into a position that looked rather comfortable and gestured for you to snuggle into the makeshift bed. You clambered to your feet, shuffling your way towards the sofa. You didn't feel tired until Stefan had mentioned it. You lay down on the sofa, Stefan pulled the quilted blanket over you and smiled.

"Sleep well, (Y/N)" he sat back down on the floor and faced the fireplace, watching the flames rhythmically dance. You lay on your side, watching Stefan as he pulled out a book and began to read it. You smiled to yourself as you felt the tiredness wash over you, your eyes slowly closed with the image of Stefan reading, his face illuminated by the warm colours of the fire... it was an image burned into your mind that aided your peaceful sleep.