deercountry | ( CLOSED ) WE NEVER LEARN, WE BEEN HERE BEFORE.

Oh right, if he trips and grazes his knee, you would try and kill the ground.

( don't lie, katherine. )

And then you would get mad at me for not joining in.

[ while katherine scoffs, nadia steps into view with her arms crossed and her hip jutted out in annoyance. despite her happiness at seeing them through the glowing circumference of the portal... they're so annoying. ]

Are you done? Or would you like to yip yap a little more?

[ she lifts her brows at that, tempting them to continue their little married spat. ]

We're not yip yapping. We're having a discussion.

( a ridiculous discussion but still a discussion. )

Hello, Nadia.

[ unlooping her arms from across her chest, she lifts her hand in greeting. ]

It's a stupid discussion.

[ and she says that with very little venom towards him. she smiles when she looks at her mother. ]

Did you want to continue having it? Or did you want to meet Luca? [ she lifts her brows pointedly at them once again. ] These portals do not last for long.

( that's an easy answer to give. he straightens up and nods at her. he does want to see luca, he really does.

he finds himself a little nervous too and he steps closer to katherine and curls his fingers around hers. )

We'd like to see him.

Tell him to stop kicking a ball inside of my house.

[ she's going to assume it's her house. considering how nadia rolls her eyes goodnaturedly, she's going to take that as her confirmation that it is.

nadia steps out of the portal frame for a few minutes. katherine can hear her mutter in bulgarian and snap her voice a few times. when she appears, she's carrying a red ball that looks like a balloon in one hand and is holding the hand of a little boy who comes up to her hip.

he has a square head just like his father. ]

Will you listen now that Mama has said so?

( he feels his throat close up as soon as he sees luca. he's so much bigger than stefan remembers him and it's hard to really breathe. he doesn't want to cry but he can feel tears spring to his eyes. )

You're not doing anything wrong, Luca.

( toss that ball in the house all you want. )

[ katherine elbows stefan in the gut. ]

Why aren't you throwing a ball with Nadia, hm? She is a great catcher.

[ nadia rolls her eyes. katherine thinks to tell her that they'll roll out of her head soon, but that feels overly motherly and she already feels as though she's in the wrong skin. these types of things don't happen to her. katherine doesn't get her happily ever after.

despite having elbowed stefan, she rests her head on his shoulder. quietly, ] He has your square head.

He looks okay, right? He looks happy?

( he says it to katherine first before his attention turns to nadia. he swallows a bit and asks: )

Is he...okay? He's doing well?

( he has to know. he and katherine only get these moments rarely so he has to know that luca's all right. )

[ nadia smiles and tightens her hand on luca's shoulder. peering down at him, he gazes up at her. he has katherine's nose and stefan's chin—and definitely the square shape of his head. nadia scrunches up her nose and luca buries his face into her side. ]

He is happy. Doesn't listen, but that is a Petrova and Salvatore trait, I hear.

[ she rubs his back, still smiling. ]

This is his first time. [ being in deerington or the trench. nadia peers down at him and rubs his back. ] It'll get easier seeing them sporadically.

That's good.

( he doesn't really have more to say than that. he does but his throat doesn't want to work. he swallows and rubs at his face. )

He looks healthy.

[ katherine squeezes his hand. while the sudden appearance of luca has struck her off-kilter, she's experienced this before: meeting a child for the first time. she thinks she's a little seasoned now after meeting nadia at three different times in her life. ]

And he looks like you. Square head. Thick brows. [ she narrows her eyes playfully. ] Probably will get your height.

He'll have to if he finds someone who wears heels like yours so he can still be taller.

( he glances down at her feet and gives her ankle a light kick. )

He looks good. He looks...he looks good.

[ while katherine may ignore his kick, it seems to spur her into action. she scrunches up her face and looks at luca tucked underneath nadia's arm. ]

He's cute. [ she says it loud enough for him to hear. if he's part her, then he has to be someone who loves attention and compliments. the word barely describes him, but as there's no word in the dictionary from her recollection that can truly describe luca, she has to make do with alternatives. ]

My perfect boy.

[ katherine does her best to ignore how she feels self-conscious at showing such a vulnerable hand. ]

He is.

( he's perfect. he's the most perfect boy that stefan's ever seen. he wants more than anything to step forward and touch but he doesn't know if that would work.

so, he just smiles at luca who seems shy and a little uncertain. )

A good boy.

[ as if reading his mind, nadia smiles forlornly and shakes her head ever so subtly. as much as she wishes to step through the portal, nadia knows not to. she's been brought here enough to know when deerington has extended her an invitation. ]

I'm sure the Trench will give us an opportunity to meet more in person.

[ she briefly gazes down at luca and smiles. ]

And he can throw a ball in your house. [ she smiles at stefan, very much like her usual, sharp self. ] See how you truly like it.

I would love it.

( because luca would be right there, close enough for him to touch. he closes his eyes and tries not to cry. he doesn't want to do that right now. )

He could break every breakable things we had in there and I'd still be fine with it.

[ katherine pinches him. ]

He can break all of your breakable things.

[ which will magically include her things, of course. but katherine doesn't particularly want him encouraging luca with disruptive behaviour... and she doesn't want him to see his father cry. if this is the only chance they get, she wants him to be remembered as happy. ]

He can be daddy's little boy.

[ luca glances up at nadia and whispers papa likes me best. he wants me to break things. ]

( stefan grimaces slightly when he gets pinched but that's immediately replaced by a smile when katherine both makes her suggestion and he hears what luca whispers.

he nods. )

I do like you best. ( he likes nadia best too and he likes katherine best and he loves that he has a family even if it's somewhat scattered. )

He can break everything I own.

What about your journals?

[ katherine peers up at stefan and smiles. there are tears in her eyes, but she doesn't gaze up at him with sadness. this is merely a prime opportunity to tease him—and one she hopes luca gets to see every day.

if luca wants stefan's journals, he doesn't so much as twitch. he peers up at nadia before looking at stefan and hiding his face in his sister's pant leg. ]

If he wants to tear my journals up, he can do that.

( he smiles over at luca and then glances at katherine. )

But before I let him do that, we'd make a pact that he couldn't show anything to you. Guys only.

[ she rolls her eyes.

underneath her breath, she mutters, ] He'll show me.

[ she's nothing if not a persuasive woman. stefan may be the favoured father, but she's the mother. he's going down and his journals will be hers.

katherine smiles sweetly (not that requires much effort, given she's speaking to her son). ]

You'll show me Papa's journals, won't you, Luca?

[ he smiles against nadia's pantleg and nods. ]

Luca!

( stefan pretends to be offended and then laughs because of course. of course katherine would get her way.)

Come on, you can't do that. Me and you, that would be our secret.

[ when luca glances at katherine, she smiles softly at him and shakes her head. his gaze lingers on her before he turns to stefan and copies her, shaking his head even if it's with some uncertainty. nadia snorts; katherine snickers.

katherine's smile widens as she gentle nudges stefan with her elbow. ]

I see you lost that one.

[ nadia smiles fondly. looking at her mother, ] That would be because you read to him. [ she looks at stefan. ] She makes the better voices.

Fine, then no one gets to see my journals.

( he'll take his toys and go home. )

All of my secret writings will remain secret.

( so there. )

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