Chapter Text
“Why would you tell him to leave?” Stefan asked as soon as Damon shut the door to the study. He couldn’t deny the pang of hurt that lay underneath his annoyance.
“I thought it was for the best,” Lexi said simply. “I was wrong, but I made the best choice with the information I had. I didn’t trust Damon to let you live the way you needed to live. I still don’t trust him, really, but I trust you enough now to know that you’ll be fine regardless.”
“But why wouldn’t you tell me? I thought he left me.”
To her credit, Lexi looked abashed. “I wanted you to think that. And I know now that that was the wrong decision, and I am sorry for doing that to you. You two are dangerous to each other, though. You have to know that.”
“I- what?” Stefan felt somehow more confused at that explanation. “What do you mean ‘dangerous to each other?’”
“I mean you’re fantastically different people, but you both think the other needs to live the way you do. Well, not you so much anymore,” Lexi conceded. “You handled that situation just now way better than I expected. No offense,” she added hastily.
Stefan nodded hesitantly. “O-kay,” he said, drawing out the word. “How did you come to that conclusion?”
“I could give a three-hour lecture on my process, Stefan, but it boils down to the simple fact that you both really do want what’s best for each other. You just have no idea what that actually means outside of your own experience.”
“Our experiences haven’t been that different, though, at least as far as the human ones go. We were raised the same way, knew the same people, went to the same places. Why would that change anything so drastically?”
“You’d be surprised what siblings can hide from each other.”
Lexi did not elaborate further, and Stefan left the statement as it was, feeling for the first time in a while the impact of Lexi’s several centuries’ worth of wisdom. He had been about to bring up a lighter subject, perhaps on the color scheme of the room and whether it ought to be modernized, when Damon called from the other room.
“Hey Stefan?”
“Yeah?” Stefan called back, frowning.
“We’re having company tomorrow.”
“What?” Stefan asked, unable to keep his exasperation at bay. “Why? When?”
“Don’t get all worked up, it’s just Will. He’s coming tomorrow night,” Damon said, emerging from the study. “He doesn’t even have to stay here if you don’t want him to, just let me know now and I’ll get him a motel room.”
Stefan shot a dark look at Lexi, who shrugged and raised her eyebrows. He sighed. “Alright, fine. He can stay here, but you have to explain how you know him. And give me three reasons I can trust him.”
Damon looked taken aback. “Sure. And you’re lowballing with three by the way,” Damon said as he walked past Stefan into the living room, “I would have done five no argument.”
“Well, let’s get it out of the way now, then,” Stefan began, bolstered by Damon’s calmer demeanor. “How do you know him?”
“He’s the one whose club I’ve been hanging around. He gets good music on the weekends,” Damon called from the couch.
Stefan shot yet another look towards Lexi, this time of disbelief. How Damon was switching so readily from complete rejection of any line of questioning to absolute, easy honesty was beyond him. Well, roll with the punches, he supposed.
“Okay, how about reason number one?” Stefan asked as he walked back into the living room to sit on the chair opposite Damon.
Damon crossed his arms and looked up in thought. “Lexi trusts him.”
Stefan tilted his head forward. “That’s an interesting first reason to go with.”
“Thought it’d be the most effective. Start out with a punch.”
“Sure. Two?”
“He knows how to fly under the radar. He won’t mess anything up for you here.”
“Okay, I’ll take it. Three?”
Damon paused for a moment. “He’s helped people with their humanity switches before. He’ll be able to get this sorted.”
Stefan didn’t miss the forced distance that statement posed between Damon and the problem, but he allowed it, not wanting to break the half-truce they had just arrived at.
“He’s helped people through this same thing?” Stefan asked instead.
“Yeah, he told me about it just before I left. Told me to call him if I needed anything.” Damon seemed oddly reluctant to share much more information than necessary.
“Did he say anything about what Lexi and I should do?” Stefan pressed.
“Not specifically, no.” Damon was visibly slipping back into his prior closed-off state.
“Well, did he say anything over the phone at all?”
“Just that I shouldn’t hang out alone in my room all day like a teenager.”
Stefan crossed his arms but said nothing. After a beat of silence, Stefan stood. “Well, you gave me three reasons. I can’t fault you there.” Stefan tried to glance at Lexi to gauge her reaction, but she had retreated to the kitchen.
Damon nodded, though he avoided prolonged eye contact.
“Let me know what room Will ends up staying in. I’ll bring fresh sheets in.”
“Mhm. Hey, Stefan?” Damon asked, still not looking at anything.
“Hm?” Stefan raised his eyebrows.
“I think I’m gonna stay for a while.”
Stefan nodded without asking what Damon meant exactly. He sensed the deeper meaning behind the words, but he was feeling too overwhelmed to appreciate or react to the idea.
“Okay, I’m gonna go change for a walk around town,” Damon said, standing and moving toward the stairs.
“What?” Stefan asked, “Right now?”
“When else would I go?” Damon looked rather bemused.
Stefan shrugged. “You just haven’t been around in a while. People will ask you where you’re from, what you’re up to here. What will you tell them?”
Damon huffed. “You need to relax. You act like I haven’t done this a hundred times before. Just go hang out with Lexi or something. I’m sure she’s bored, too.”
With that, Damon slipped upstairs. Stefan blinked, trying to clear his head, then trudged into the kitchen where Lexi waited with a humored expression.
“What’s funny?” Stefan intoned dryly.
“Mostly everything. Well, funny or horribly depressing. I’ve chosen the former.“
“You are truly wise.”
“Indeed, though this wisdom does come at a cost.” Lexi adopted a grave expression. “You will have to pay for dinner tonight at the nice restaurant you will be taking us to.”
Stefan chuckled, feeling slightly hysterical. “Sure, okay. As long as you beat me in a game of poker.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“Aren’t we all?”