LIMERENCE, stefan salvatore

vi. a blinding fondness

He followed Stefan to the porch, where two other men stood waiting. 

"Father, this is Mr Zachary Kingsley." Stefan introduced them. "Mr Kingsley, meet my father Giuseppe Salvatore and my brother Damon Salvatore."

"It's an absolute pleasure to meet you all." Zachary said with a slight bow of his head. 

"And you, Mr Kingsley." Giuseppe greeted, clearly appreciating the show of respect. Good to know.

"Father, I know we are already hosting Miss Pierce," Stefan began, his gentle voice catching Zachary's attention. "But Mr Kingsley is having some family troubles and is in need of a place to stay." 

At that, Giuseppe looked to Zachary for some sort of elaboration.

"Since our mother died, my siblings have never been the same."  Zachary explained, again pulling at fragments of the truth. "They fight constantly, and being the youngest, I am often targeted in their squabbles. I just had to get away from it all."

"Well, we do have another guest at the moment but we do have plenty of rooms if you would like to stay with us for the time being."

"That would most generous of you, Mr Salvatore." Zachary grinned at the man, thankful that he didn't have to compel him into letting him stay. 

"You are most welcome, Mr Kingsley." The old man grinned back, patting Zachary on the back like one of his own sons. "Stefan, would you show Mr Kingsley around the house and to one of the spare rooms upstairs?"

"It would be my pleasure, father." Stefan turned to him, drawing Zachary's eyes back to him, not that that was a very difficult task to accomplish. "Please, come in."

Zachary followed Stefan inside as he was given a quick tour of the house that the original had completely zoned out of, having been too distracted by the man's sweet voice to pay attention to much else, and then trailed him upstairs where he stopped by a closed door.

"Here." Stefan fished out a silver key from his pocket and held it out to him. "A key to your room, Mr Kingsley." 

"Please, call me Zachary." He said, reaching his hand out. Their fingers touched fleetingly as he took the key from Stefan's hand. Zachary could have sworn he felt his heart leap at the contact along with the flutter of the heart of the man before him, but he was sure he imagined that part as he lost himself in the delusion that Stefan could feel the connection that Zachary felt; that pulled their hearts together in gentle tugs of red. Zachary shook the thoughts from his head. He was most definitely delusional. He blamed it on the myths he had read recently about soulmates, about red threads that bound two people together for eternity. He knew soulmates didn't exist, for if they did, he was sure he would have found his already and not 800 years into his immortal life. He felt foolish for even considering the possibility.

"Thank you, Stefan." Zachary replied, allowing a genuine smile to tug at the corners of his lips. "Thank you, really. I am ever so grateful."

"You are welcome, Zachary." Stefan smiled back at him and all Zachary wanted in that moment was to capture it so he could look at the way the boy's eyes creased and his cheeks dimpled forever. 

Stefan was so beautifully human and yet, Zachary found that for once in his life he didn't envy that. For if he was human, he never would met the man before him. If his long tormented existence meant that eventually he got the chance to get to know the kind soul that was Stefan Salvatore, then Zachary would say it was worth it. 

·༓。*ﾟ✧ ★ ✧·ﾟ*ﾟ。༓·

ZACHARY WAS DAYDREAMING of a certain human, as he strolled through the gardens at the Salvatore Estate. He just kept thinking of those soft jade eyes with the gentle gaze, and how all Zachary wanted to do was explore them. He knew getting attached to a human was a silly idea that would likely only end in tragedy, but he couldn't help it. Stefan Salvatore just had a way of drawing him in and Zachary was more than happy to let him.