[He's stopped inching around his space- languid and lazy, like a predator that already knows it's won and doesn't mind taking it's time. That wants to coax out the easiest route. He's never quite capable of hiding it, when he's in motion too long.
But now there's something distinctly human about it all- shoulders curled in to make himself small in the space, curl in a little further to press into that touch. He keeps his gaze rooted to the floor, crosses his arms around his waist in short, awkward motions- like he hasn't quite decided to do it.
He was never an extrovert, not even when he was alive, but he's got a handle on talking. On delivering important information and dry humour and leaving the excess to someone else. Seth is calm, but Stefan can't settle into it, can't make himself form words.
If he says it, if he contextualizes it- it's more real than it was moments ago. Than it was an hour ago when Elena first told him. If he tells someone who doesn't know anything about this at all- it makes it so much bigger than him. It means he failed. And he can't fix it.
But he didn't call Seth here to hide behind the denial, just behind him. It takes a long, long moment- and they're wet and thick when he forces them out between his teeth, clenched like they're being torn out instead]
Damon- my brother- Damon's dead.
[And not the way in which Stefan is dead, a way in which Stefan doesn't know if he can follow]
no subject
But now there's something distinctly human about it all- shoulders curled in to make himself small in the space, curl in a little further to press into that touch. He keeps his gaze rooted to the floor, crosses his arms around his waist in short, awkward motions- like he hasn't quite decided to do it.
He was never an extrovert, not even when he was alive, but he's got a handle on talking. On delivering important information and dry humour and leaving the excess to someone else. Seth is calm, but Stefan can't settle into it, can't make himself form words.
If he says it, if he contextualizes it- it's more real than it was moments ago. Than it was an hour ago when Elena first told him. If he tells someone who doesn't know anything about this at all- it makes it so much bigger than him. It means he failed. And he can't fix it.
But he didn't call Seth here to hide behind the denial, just behind him. It takes a long, long moment- and they're wet and thick when he forces them out between his teeth, clenched like they're being torn out instead]
Damon- my brother- Damon's dead.
[And not the way in which Stefan is dead, a way in which Stefan doesn't know if he can follow]