InsaneJournal

Who: Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert
When: Mid to Late May
Where: In Orange County
What: Random Encounter, catching up after a long time
Rating/Warnings: Low
Status: Complete


It’d only been a week or so since Stefan arrived home from overseas. He’d spent some time doing laundry, putting together his resume, and then ran out of things to do. He hung out with Lexi, caught up with his brother, and couldn’t figure out how to fill his days. Not having a job was driving him a little nuts.

So he was out and about, spending time putting in the footwork to find work, rather than hiding around on his computer and researching job openings. He really just needed something to take up time during the day, to start building up his work history, to … keep himself busy. Anything, really, to stave off the boredom.

Library, maybe. Or bookstore. Or he’d let Lexi get him a job at Disneyland. It’d be nice to work with her.

Rather than rush to go see Damon, Elena let her apprehension drive her just a little bit. Now that she was back in the country and feeling more like herself again, she wanted to do a round robin that left her fiance (she was still wearing the ring) at the bottom of the list. After all, they had the most catching up to do. Running away from one’s problems only worked for so long.

So, that particular day, she’d decided to go see Stefan while Damon was conveniently out of the house. Having heard he was back from the Navy, it was imperative she go see him. Finding herself at his doorstep--her old doorstep, no less, Elena toyed with the strap of her purse anxiously before knocking. She hadn’t given any warning, so as soon as he inevitably opened the door, he would be met with a nervously smiling Elena saying, “Surprise?”

It felt so strange knocking on her own door.

Stefan broke into a smile at the sight of Elena on the doorstep. He could tell instantly that this was Elena and not Katherine--a skill not everyone had, mind--and it was a pleasant smile to see the sister of his high school flame. (Not to mention the ...whateveryoucallit… of his brother.)

“Elena,” he said, nodding once. “Very. Wasn’t expecting a visit from you. Please, come on in.” He said, pulling the door wide open for her.

With the reassurance of a warm enough reception, she slipped through the door and turned around to observe him. It had been a long time since she’d last seen Stefan in particular, what with her studies abroad and his time in service. So, to see him now kept her smiling. They had a lot to catch up on, she knew, and much of it would likely circle around the awkward place she was in with Damon. Eventually.

It was Stefan though, Elena always felt at ease talking to him about anything.

“Hope I’m not sabotaging any plans you had,” she said. “But, I heard you were back and wanted to say hi. Think you can spare some time for me?”

“I had no plans.” Stefan responded. He closed the door behind her, then motioned further inside. “Save grabbing some water from the kitchen. Can I get you anything?” He asked, and turned to lead the way down the small hall to the kitchen. “I’ve always got time for you, Elena.”

“No plans at all? Stefan Salvatore, are you hiding out?” She teased, waiting a moment to follow after him. No doubt he was just trying to adjust to being back home again. Having no idea of what he’d been through while away, she could only make guesses. His reassurance made her smile though--that was good old Stefan. Sometimes she wondered why she couldn’t have fallen for him instead.

Things might have been less complicated that way.

“Water works,” she said gratefully, eventually coming to a stop and leaned against an open counter space. “How’s it feel to be back?”

Stefan didn’t want to think about what he’d seen and done while he was away. Okay, maybe there was a little hiding there. A little avoidance. But mostly, Stefan was just back. He was trying to be present, trying to get used to not being around bombs going off and people dying.

“It’s… quiet.” He said, and moved to the fridge. Beside the bags of blood were bottles of water. He grabbed two, then closed the door. “A lot less pressure around here.” He offered her the drink. “How about you?”

“A little on the opposite end,” she confessed, taking the water with a grateful smile. “But, it’s not entirely a bad thing.” Elena felt like she deserved much more pressure from her friends than what she’d been given. That wasn’t a bad thing, but she worried about staying motivated to be a better person. All the pressure she experienced was self-inflicted.

“Glad to be back though,” she said honestly. “And to see you! Must be a relief to be here, huh?” She could only imagine the struggle to readjust to civilian life.

“Hey, better busy than bored.” Stefan responded with a gentle shrug of his shoulders. “I’m glad you’re back, too.” He offered her one of the water bottles. When she accepted it, he opened his own. “Definitely a relief. It’s weird to be back.”
“Weird, but… good?” She prodded, hoping he wasn’t having a hard time adjusting. It was nice, in a way, to have someone who understood the feeling of coming back to something of a war zone. There was a whole lot going on that Elena hadn’t even really begun to process any of it. Although Stefan had no doubt been through hell on more than one occasion, and she wouldn’t dare compare their time away, it was comforting all the same to be in a similar boat.

“Or hard to define?” She added, because that was certainly how it felt for her. “A whole mix of things, basically.”

“Weird but good,” Stefan agreed with a nod. Weird and good. “Definitely hard to define for me, too. It’s home, but it’s changed. And I’ve changed.” He said, leaning back against the counter again. “But that’s… let’s talk about something else.”

Sensing the shift in his mood, Elena gave an understanding nod. “Right,” she accepted the need to avoid a raw topic. She had been wandering around on eggshells since she returned herself. She’d be lying if she said there was nothing on her mind that remained difficult to discuss. Even so, Elena doubted it could hold a candle to Stefan’s issues.

“Sorry. So… what are you gonna get up to now that you’re back?”