[ she knows he's going to pry and ask why. why is it different? how can it be different? she's sure he means it—stefan doesn't say anything he doesn't mean—but she knows she doesn't deserve it.
rolling her eyes, she looks displeased. ] But fine. Accept my compliment first.
[ that makes her feel very, very good. now she can call him handsome and he'll just have to say "thank you, miss katherine" and not fight her on it. it'll make her passion project of making him blush far more fun now.
katherine feigns a yawn. ] What was it again? [ it may not be a good idea to ask him to say it all over, but she's having a little fun. she rubs her hand against her eye and rests her cheek on his chest, shifting against him. ] I'm tired and very old.
[ she opens her mouth, ready to protest, and doesn't. she wonders if she should ask him to repeat his compliment, but she thinks if he isn't going to right now, then she doesn't have to start accepting his compliments just yet. she does want to hear him call her beautiful, but she knows that she isn't ready to accept it.
right now, she'll settle for him making her feel it. ]
Maybe I don't want to. [ despite saying that, she doesn't lift her head to peer up at him. she does shift her heel against him as she gets comfortable using his body as her pillow. ] Maybe I want to stay up all night enjoying your smile lighting up the room.
she lets out a breath, disliking that he's thanking her for doing the bare minimum. she may claim she has no idea what friendship truly entails, but she does. she would've done the same for pearl and perhaps for lucy. joanie in pennsylvania only reminded her that friendship's the one thing she can be selfish with and it won't hurt the other person. ]
You're welcome. [ she thinks he needs to hear it, even if she doesn't think she should be saying it. she tilts her head upward so she can see his chin and adam's apple. ] But you don't have to thank me. It's what anyone would do for a friend.
[ she knows, and she hates that she knows that that's his reality, that she's given him far more of her time and attention than his friends have.
she keeps her cheek pressed against his chest. although she should lift her head to look pointedly down at him, she thinks that that's unnecessary for now. ] Only if you promise that if something doesn't feel right, you wake me up. You don't know what healing is like here. Things could change.
[ it's horrible and it can be so painfully frustrating. she had all of rapture to experience it. he may have been there to witness it, but he hadn't had to feel his body slowly heal and then seemingly stop. she doesn't want that for him. she wants his feeling to be easy and straightforward, just like it was at home.
she doesn't want to wake up later and find out that he had been in pain and too stupid to let her know. ]
( and he's trying to keep his promises to her. he hopes that that doesn't come to pass, that he falls asleep and everything is fine but if it's not, he'll wake her up. everything's felt fine so far so he thinks it'll continue as such. )
I feel fine right now but if that changes, I'll wake you up.
( and they could figure out what was going on from there. )
[ if he doesn't, she'll take every shirt he owns and render him in desperate need of a shop. considering she has him pegged as being anti-shopping, she suspects he'd learn his lesson then. she doesn't say as much, not wanting him to slip out from beneath her to go protect all of his shirts from her sticky fingers.
accepting that, katherine bows her head to his chest and plants a lingering kiss on his skin. then she lifts her head up to peer down at him. ]
Do you want me to get off of you so you can sleep?
[ katherine smiles before she rests her cheek against his chest and wraps her arm around him to hold him to her. she allows herself to enjoy the fact he doesn't want her to go anywhere—it means nothing that she's feeling a little giddy over it.
she stretches her leg out along his and closes her eyes, sighing contentedly. taking the time to listen to his steady heartbeat, she knows that her choice in lingering at stefan's had been the right one. she likes how that thump, thump, thump makes her feel safe.
still smiling, she murmurs, ] Good, because I am very comfortable.
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[ she knows he's going to pry and ask why. why is it different? how can it be different? she's sure he means it—stefan doesn't say anything he doesn't mean—but she knows she doesn't deserve it.
rolling her eyes, she looks displeased. ] But fine. Accept my compliment first.
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Fine, I accept your compliment about my smile. Thank you.
( and now. )
Accept my compliment now.
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katherine feigns a yawn. ] What was it again? [ it may not be a good idea to ask him to say it all over, but she's having a little fun. she rubs her hand against her eye and rests her cheek on his chest, shifting against him. ] I'm tired and very old.
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( tsk. )
You can go to sleep, though.
( just because he wasn't going to tell her now doesn't mean it's not going to be the very first thing he tells her in the morning. )
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right now, she'll settle for him making her feel it. ]
Maybe I don't want to. [ despite saying that, she doesn't lift her head to peer up at him. she does shift her heel against him as she gets comfortable using his body as her pillow. ] Maybe I want to stay up all night enjoying your smile lighting up the room.
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( but just be prepared for him to call you beautiful several times tomorrow.
he sighs, reaching to rest a hand on her back. )
Thank you for tonight, though.
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she lets out a breath, disliking that he's thanking her for doing the bare minimum. she may claim she has no idea what friendship truly entails, but she does. she would've done the same for pearl and perhaps for lucy. joanie in pennsylvania only reminded her that friendship's the one thing she can be selfish with and it won't hurt the other person. ]
You're welcome. [ she thinks he needs to hear it, even if she doesn't think she should be saying it. she tilts her head upward so she can see his chin and adam's apple. ] But you don't have to thank me. It's what anyone would do for a friend.
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( he hasn't been shot like that before but he's been injured and very few people have cared that much about him and gone that far for him. )
So, thank you. And rest. We've both had long nights.
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she keeps her cheek pressed against his chest. although she should lift her head to look pointedly down at him, she thinks that that's unnecessary for now. ] Only if you promise that if something doesn't feel right, you wake me up. You don't know what healing is like here. Things could change.
[ it's horrible and it can be so painfully frustrating. she had all of rapture to experience it. he may have been there to witness it, but he hadn't had to feel his body slowly heal and then seemingly stop. she doesn't want that for him. she wants his feeling to be easy and straightforward, just like it was at home.
she doesn't want to wake up later and find out that he had been in pain and too stupid to let her know. ]
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( and he's trying to keep his promises to her. he hopes that that doesn't come to pass, that he falls asleep and everything is fine but if it's not, he'll wake her up. everything's felt fine so far so he thinks it'll continue as such. )
I feel fine right now but if that changes, I'll wake you up.
( and they could figure out what was going on from there. )
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accepting that, katherine bows her head to his chest and plants a lingering kiss on his skin. then she lifts her head up to peer down at him. ]
Do you want me to get off of you so you can sleep?
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( stefan puts a hand on her back and presses down, trying to keep her there. )
Don't go anywhere.
( they'd probably separate or move around when they fell asleep but she was fine for now. )
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she stretches her leg out along his and closes her eyes, sighing contentedly. taking the time to listen to his steady heartbeat, she knows that her choice in lingering at stefan's had been the right one. she likes how that thump, thump, thump makes her feel safe.
still smiling, she murmurs, ] Good, because I am very comfortable.
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( he sets up a slow, rhythmic stroking against her back, trying to lull her into both sleep and comfort. )
I'll be here in the morning.