Elena couldn't remember when she realized that she loved Stefan Salvatore. Maybe it was in kindergarten, when he taught her how to draw a heart during coloring time - or maybe it was in second grade, when she helped him address a letter to his grandma all the way in the Middle East. Or maybe, they were in fourth grade, sitting on the edge of the swings and watching other kids rush by them.
It had been an ordinary day. Recess after lunch had been their favorite part of the afternoon: she would rush to the swings and stake their space, before someone like Sue Carson or Ella Kierkegaard could snatch it from their clutches. Yet Stefan never left her before she was ready.
They would idly trace patterns in the gravel with their muddy sneakers. Stefan's hand was tightly held in hers, and she swore, she could feel them breathe as if they were one.
"You don't have to sit here with me," Elena remembered herself saying as she also gripped onto the metal handles. "I know you want to run around with Tyler and Matt."
"Tyler's also in the nurse's office right now," Stefan had said, his gaze falling towards the door that would lead back to Mystic Falls Elementary. "Caroline kinda punched his face in ten minutes ago, and Matt went in with them."
No doubt Matt wanted to ensure that Caroline's fists stayed far from Tyler's face. Playground fights were still the norm, even in 4th grade, and Elena was almost certain that Tyler riled Caroline up on purpose. He had to know, if he endured so many bruises on his arms and legs. (Except every time Matt questioned Caroline, Tyler would shake his head and change the subject again and again - so who really knew?)
"I would've gone, but then you'd be here..." Stefan had continued, kicking his feet against the gravel. "Building houses for ladybugs, because you felt sorry for them."
She hadn't wanted to fight the smile tugging on her face. "Of course I do! They need a place to live too."
"Yeah, but..." Stefan tilted his head thoughtfully. "In the gravel?"
"You try building something better." She laughed, rising to her feet and rushing over to his swing set. "Come on, Stef - if you've got the solution, I wanna see it."
She tripped over loose gravel, and he - he caught her in his lap, holding onto her so tight that she almost forgot how to breathe for a second.
"Can it wait until tomorrow?" He leaned in close, resting his head on her shoulders like it was second nature.
Even back then, the swings could support them as if it were nothing, and for the time being - for the time being, Elena didn't care about her ladybug house.
Or maybe she had grown cognizant of her feelings in middle school. During sixth grade, Stefan made an annual effort to play one sport and join the one team that mattered most: the boys' soccer team. Damon had been the star of Mystic Falls' High team - and anything Damon excelled at, Stefan had to too.
So after school, Elena would sit on the front lawn, watching Damon pass the ball to Stefan with practiced ease. Damon was eighteen then, an old, wisened senior in high school with the whole world ahead of him - and with a shiny blue jersey with 'Salvatore' emblazoned on the back.
Stefan's eyes would twinkle every time Damon dribbled the ball on his knees, as if the effort was like breathing. "Can I try?"
"Sure," Damon would say with a laugh, kicking the ball in Stefan's direction. "Focus on the ball, okay, Stefanizo?"
Stefan nodded, peering down at the white-and-black ball as if it held the key to the entire universe. He must have been drawing maps in his head, determining angles and velocities and all sorts of terms Elena barely remembered from math class. (Stefan had always been a genius, sitting with Damon's books and maps when everyone else was content to play video games.)
"Okay," Stefan said after a moment, kicking the ball back towards Damon.
The wind rushed past them. Damon dribbled the ball between his feet, deftly weaving through the grass with a practiced ease. Stefan struggled to match his brother's pace. He was panting, almost breathless, as his legs started to wobble.
Damon stopped in his tracks, "Stefanizo?"
"I'm okay," Stefan insisted through gritted teeth, brushing past his brother and kicking the ball into the netted goal.
Elena cheered as loudly as her lungs would let her, and Damon - stupid Damon could only laugh, running a hand through his hair.
"Damn, kid," Damon said with a small laugh. "You're going to be the death of me one day."
"Or a winner," Stefan countered as he ran to fetch the ball.
As another round of soccer began, Elena curled up with her knees underneath her. When her favorite people in the whole world were playing, the hours seemed to melt - and she never minded watching them until the very end.
They were in eighth grade when Stefan finally worked up the courage to ask her out. The big homecoming dance was coming up, and everyone was whispering about who would accompany them on the dance floor. Matt was asking Caroline (of course), Tyler supposed he could ask Bonnie, and Stefan...
Well, Stefan had taken his sweet time. He had waited until almost two days before the big dance. After a traditional Salvatore-Gilbert dinner, he had pulled her aside and taken her to the backyard.
Elena still remembered her outfit - a neat yellow sundress, a black sash, a white headband to pull her hair back - and just how red Stefan's face had been as he thrust a dozen red roses in her face.
"Will you -" He drew a breath, his cheeks turning redder than his flowers, "Will you go to the dance with me, Elena?"
"Of course," she had said, laughing as she accepted the roses and clung to them, "Like you had to ask."
His entire face melted with relief, and the smile on his face was even brighter than the stars and moon overhead. He was... he was really pretty, and she swore he even smelled like some fancy cologne.
Their parents' laughter and clinking glasses from inside drifted towards them, all this way outside. The warm air, the calm winds, even the bright lights above gave her enough courage to act. Elena set the roses down on the nearest table and bridged the mere inches separating her and Stefan. She stood on her tip-toes and without hesitation, planted a chaste kiss on his lips.
He froze, staring at her with bewildered eyes. When they were this close and personal, with nothing (not even the air) separating them, the green flecks stood out - and they were struggling to understand her every action. Elena let go, cupping his cheeks.
"Sorry," she murmured, not actually feeling apologetic. "I've always wanted to do that."
She shouldn't have been so surprised that he kissed her back. (Twice!) Even back then, a future without Stefan wasn't one she was willing to entertain. Whether she had realized it then or not, she had always loved him.
childhood friends - stelena
It had been an ordinary day. Recess after lunch had been their favorite part of the afternoon: she would rush to the swings and stake their space, before someone like Sue Carson or Ella Kierkegaard could snatch it from their clutches. Yet Stefan never left her before she was ready.
They would idly trace patterns in the gravel with their muddy sneakers. Stefan's hand was tightly held in hers, and she swore, she could feel them breathe as if they were one.
"You don't have to sit here with me," Elena remembered herself saying as she also gripped onto the metal handles. "I know you want to run around with Tyler and Matt."
"Tyler's also in the nurse's office right now," Stefan had said, his gaze falling towards the door that would lead back to Mystic Falls Elementary. "Caroline kinda punched his face in ten minutes ago, and Matt went in with them."
No doubt Matt wanted to ensure that Caroline's fists stayed far from Tyler's face. Playground fights were still the norm, even in 4th grade, and Elena was almost certain that Tyler riled Caroline up on purpose. He had to know, if he endured so many bruises on his arms and legs. (Except every time Matt questioned Caroline, Tyler would shake his head and change the subject again and again - so who really knew?)
"I would've gone, but then you'd be here..." Stefan had continued, kicking his feet against the gravel. "Building houses for ladybugs, because you felt sorry for them."
She hadn't wanted to fight the smile tugging on her face. "Of course I do! They need a place to live too."
"Yeah, but..." Stefan tilted his head thoughtfully. "In the gravel?"
"You try building something better." She laughed, rising to her feet and rushing over to his swing set. "Come on, Stef - if you've got the solution, I wanna see it."
She tripped over loose gravel, and he - he caught her in his lap, holding onto her so tight that she almost forgot how to breathe for a second.
"Can it wait until tomorrow?" He leaned in close, resting his head on her shoulders like it was second nature.
Even back then, the swings could support them as if it were nothing, and for the time being - for the time being, Elena didn't care about her ladybug house.
Or maybe she had grown cognizant of her feelings in middle school. During sixth grade, Stefan made an annual effort to play one sport and join the one team that mattered most: the boys' soccer team. Damon had been the star of Mystic Falls' High team - and anything Damon excelled at, Stefan had to too.
So after school, Elena would sit on the front lawn, watching Damon pass the ball to Stefan with practiced ease. Damon was eighteen then, an old, wisened senior in high school with the whole world ahead of him - and with a shiny blue jersey with 'Salvatore' emblazoned on the back.
Stefan's eyes would twinkle every time Damon dribbled the ball on his knees, as if the effort was like breathing. "Can I try?"
"Sure," Damon would say with a laugh, kicking the ball in Stefan's direction. "Focus on the ball, okay, Stefanizo?"
Stefan nodded, peering down at the white-and-black ball as if it held the key to the entire universe. He must have been drawing maps in his head, determining angles and velocities and all sorts of terms Elena barely remembered from math class. (Stefan had always been a genius, sitting with Damon's books and maps when everyone else was content to play video games.)
"Okay," Stefan said after a moment, kicking the ball back towards Damon.
The wind rushed past them. Damon dribbled the ball between his feet, deftly weaving through the grass with a practiced ease. Stefan struggled to match his brother's pace. He was panting, almost breathless, as his legs started to wobble.
Damon stopped in his tracks, "Stefanizo?"
"I'm okay," Stefan insisted through gritted teeth, brushing past his brother and kicking the ball into the netted goal.
Elena cheered as loudly as her lungs would let her, and Damon - stupid Damon could only laugh, running a hand through his hair.
"Damn, kid," Damon said with a small laugh. "You're going to be the death of me one day."
"Or a winner," Stefan countered as he ran to fetch the ball.
As another round of soccer began, Elena curled up with her knees underneath her. When her favorite people in the whole world were playing, the hours seemed to melt - and she never minded watching them until the very end.
They were in eighth grade when Stefan finally worked up the courage to ask her out. The big homecoming dance was coming up, and everyone was whispering about who would accompany them on the dance floor. Matt was asking Caroline (of course), Tyler supposed he could ask Bonnie, and Stefan...
Well, Stefan had taken his sweet time. He had waited until almost two days before the big dance. After a traditional Salvatore-Gilbert dinner, he had pulled her aside and taken her to the backyard.
Elena still remembered her outfit - a neat yellow sundress, a black sash, a white headband to pull her hair back - and just how red Stefan's face had been as he thrust a dozen red roses in her face.
"Will you -" He drew a breath, his cheeks turning redder than his flowers, "Will you go to the dance with me, Elena?"
"Of course," she had said, laughing as she accepted the roses and clung to them, "Like you had to ask."
His entire face melted with relief, and the smile on his face was even brighter than the stars and moon overhead. He was... he was really pretty, and she swore he even smelled like some fancy cologne.
Their parents' laughter and clinking glasses from inside drifted towards them, all this way outside. The warm air, the calm winds, even the bright lights above gave her enough courage to act. Elena set the roses down on the nearest table and bridged the mere inches separating her and Stefan. She stood on her tip-toes and without hesitation, planted a chaste kiss on his lips.
He froze, staring at her with bewildered eyes. When they were this close and personal, with nothing (not even the air) separating them, the green flecks stood out - and they were struggling to understand her every action. Elena let go, cupping his cheeks.
"Sorry," she murmured, not actually feeling apologetic. "I've always wanted to do that."
She shouldn't have been so surprised that he kissed her back. (Twice!) Even back then, a future without Stefan wasn't one she was willing to entertain. Whether she had realized it then or not, she had always loved him.