he’d been tasked with protecting the queen months ago, before the wedding had even taken place, and stefan took his role very seriously-- or so he tried. as a man who prided himself in being professional, it was difficult for stefan to admit out loud that he simply couldn’t around the queen-- around his elena. she was kind, stunning, brilliant, soft, strong, honest; stefan could have spent days going on about what he thought of elena, but he had a job. a job he considered leaving behind often. how could he protect someone he was so invested in? someone he craved so desperately? but he couldn’t walk away. no, walking away seemed like a far worse fate.
stefan cleared his throat before knocking on her door once, twice, gently before finally walking in to see her standing in front of her full length mirror in nothing but her corset and skirt. he cleared his throat, hoping the blush on his cheeks weren’t extremely noticeable. “ i-i apologize. you have a busy day and i just...i just wanted to know that you were awake. ” he stared, like a fool for a while, before finally glancing down at the ground. @compassionborn / au starter for the loml
