deercountry | ( the dog days are over )

And once it's confirmed it's out of your system, you can enjoy a bath with me.

[ she smiles at that. in case he thinks that he can say "i'm fine, i can go home now", she figures it's best to remind him that he can look forward to that happening shortly... once a blood minister gives her the news that she wants. ]

Until then, try not to fantasise about it too much. You're meant to be recovering.

I am recovering. I'm in this uncomfortable bed and I haven't tried to get up and leave.

( he doesn't really know if he could with the way he's feeling but he hasn't made the attempt and he thinks that's good. )

I don't know how else I can recover that isn't being unconscious.

You forgot the most important thing.

[ a little hurtful, really, considering he's lying on her very comfortable boob. ]

You're with me.

And being with you is an important part of recovery?

( he chuckles a bit and then nods. )

Good thing I haven't tried to send you home to rest or anything.

I'm resting just fine where I am.

[ she shifts beneath him and grows still to show that she is comfortable on this shitty bed. he's here; that's all she needs. she'd left him at the hospital last time due to being so overwhelmed by the circumstances and her feelings for him. while katherine is still overwhelmed, it's only by the circumstances. ]

And I won't be going home without my most important asset.

Your shoes?

( ha ha, he's funny. he knows that's not what she means but he doesn't want to get too heavy. he rubs his cheek against her. )

You can go and get some sleep, if you want.

[ he stole her joke. for that, she pinches his ear. ]

I am fine, Stefan. [ she says it firmly, brushing her fingers hard against his hair—not so hard he'll grow uncomfortable, but rough enough for him to know she's not leaving. besides, he's got her a little trapped. ]

I'm where I want to be, even if my second most important asset is trying to send me away.

I'm not trying to. I'm just making the suggestion if you want to sleep in a better bed.

( he's trying to be nice, katherine. )

I don't want you to go or anything like that. You're comfortable.

We'll sleep in a better bed soon, Stefan.

[ considering this won't be a permanent thing (she hopes not), she's comfortable enough for the moment. he's all right and he's not dying, even if they have a little human problem on their hands.

one thing at a time. he's got to heal up first, then that second problem can become their number one. ]

You do have a heavy head. Thinking of me?

No.

( he should be but he can't get his mind off the human problem. he's always been one to overthink but this one worries him. it worries him a lot. )

What if I don't change back? What if this...human thing sticks?

( in deerington, it usually wore off after some time but this wasn't deerington. )

Then I'll turn you.

[ simple as that, assuming he wants to be turned again. she imagines so. from everything stefan has said, he wants to be a vampire again. even after it's tortured him for so long. ]

Or I'll ask my Patron thingy to help. [ she brushes her fingers lightly through his hair. ] It'll be okay.

[ katherine, of course, has begun to formulate some plans for that potential problem. ]

Do you think that would work? You turning me again? Has anyone ever been turned twice?

( or would he be the first first vampire turned human turned vampire? )

What if that doesn't work again?

Then...

[ she's at a small loss, but she knows that he'll be a vampire again. what katherine wants, katherine gets, even when it feels incredibly impossible. but if the impossible is truly that—impossible, well... she has a plan for that, too.

she shrugs a shoulder and downplays it. ]

I'll take the cure.

No, you won't.

( he's not going to let her do that. she doesn't want to be a human and he's not going to let her do that. )

Uh uh. No, if I'm a human, you're not taking the cure. No.

[ she chuckles, taken aback and yet not completely surprised. if he didn't have such a reaction, she'd truly think the venom isn't completely out of his system.

it makes her flush. she's grateful for her vantage point. ]

Why not?

Because you don't want to be a human.

( and he knows it. he doesn't want to be a human either but he is one and she has a choice. she doesn't need to do that. )

It would upend your entire life, Katherine.

And?

[ while he may have a point—an undeniably good point—katherine refuses to see it. or she does see it, but she doesn't particularly want to agree with him. no, she doesn't want to be human at all... but she does want to be with him. ]

You promised me that you wouldn't leave me. I'm just making sure you keep your word.

This isn't my fault.

( and he doesn't want her taking the cure and becoming human when he knows that's not what she wants and that it might change her life and make her resent him. )

I wouldn't want you to do this for me.

I never said it was.

[ it's deerington's fault. it's whoever created the ability for a vampire to be stripped of his or her vampirism. magic comes with its loopholes and katherine, a loophole finder extraordinaire herself, is tired of them. ]

Is it so hard to believe I'd do it for myself?

If it's for you, why have you never done it before?

( because it's not for her, not entirely. if she wanted to be a human, wouldn't she have taken the cure already? )

You don't want to be a human.

Because I wasn't living, Stefan. I was running. I spent five centuries running from a monster.

[ and being a vampire had equipped her with the means of staying several steps ahead of klaus. but katherine knows that she would've been able to stay ahead of him even as a human. she may not have had the longevity of her life as she does now, but vampirism has only amplified traits she had as a girl. it's taken her a long time to acknowledge that vampirism didn't unlock anything inside of her, it only made it stronger. ]

Now... [ she sighs quietly. ] Maybe I know what it's like to live an actual life.

( it's probably stupid to be arguing about this because they don't know if he's going to go back to being a vampire or not. it might be premature but still. )

I just...

( he trails off and sighs. )

I want you to think about that before doing it. Because it would be such a huge thing.

I have.

[ since luca, really. while he exists somewhere, he doesn't exist here. and maybe katherine can make that happen, finally bringing him to the both of them. it's something that she lets herself think about when stefan isn't around. being a vampire has given her so much, but she's since learned thanks to deerington what it's also robbed from her. ]

Wouldn't you come to resent me if I was a vampire and you weren't?

No.

( he would be envious and he'd hate the fact that he wouldn't be able to be with her forever but he wouldn't resent her. )

This is who you are. This is who I know you as. I wouldn't want you to change that.

[ then she thinks he's a better person than she is. being a vampire is all she's known. she's been one longer than he's been human. but she thinks that, as one of the very few vampires who has never turned off her humanity… she could do human. ]

But I could still be that person as a human.

[ she thinks, at least. she'd have to be a lot more careful. everything she's taken for granted, she couldn't any longer.

but if he's a human, well... it just makes sense. ]

Being a vampire isn't all there is to me. I know you know that.

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