Stefan glanced down at the slightly tipsy Caroline on his arm, not missing the way her eyes jumped around the surroundings on their journey back home from a night out. She clutched his arm with both of hers wound around it and a hand gripping his; head resting on his shoulder as she hummed happily to herself.
Drunk Caroline was one of his favourite sides to her. She was carefree and jolly, and always a bit more affectionate. There was no sign of worry about what Mystic Falls held late at night and no constant contemplating about the town's supernatural matters.
"Are we walking home?" Caroline blurted suddenly in confusion.
"Considering we walked here, I'd say so," Stefan replied, amused.
"Do you know what I love about Mystic Falls?" she asked with a wistful sigh, peering up at him and resting her chin on his shoulder. He kept their slow, steady pace; trying not to rush her and simply indulge in their time alone.
"The company you keep here?" he supplied teasingly, offering her a wide smile.
"I love the night! Its pretty, and the stars are always out at night, and its always warm," she told him, hugging his arm tighter and adding a skip to her step that only made him walk faster to keep up. It'd be a cold day in hell before Stefan Salvatore was caught skipping down the sidewalk, even if it was with Caroline.
Shaking his head, he curled up his hand to tug at the long, leather sleeve that covered half of her hands. "And yet, you have my jacket," he pointed out.
"I love your jacket. I love you," Caroline cooed, hunching her shoulders together and burying her nose into the collar. He could hear her inhale deeply before relaxing back into his side with a passionate moan. "Why do you always smell so good?"
"Obviously, to keep you," he answered, willing himself to ignore the heat that had sparked through his veins at her throaty groan. He couldn't get her home quick enough, but he wouldn't rush her. If there was one thing he had learnt about loving Caroline, it was that it was always worth the wait.
"Keep me, what?" she questioned, blinking up at him blankly and having missed his point completely. Chuckling under his breath, Stefan dropped a kiss to the top of her head and shook his head.
"Never mind," he murmured into her hair. Furrowing her brow, she seemed to shake it off quickly when something across the street caught her attention from him.
"Has that park always been there?" she asked, eyes widening and brightening up in excitement. "Lets go!"
Stefan fought against her attempt to steer him away from the sidewalk and push him towards the children's park that was deserted in the dead of the night. "Caroline, how about we go home and visit tomorrow?" he suggested placatingly, only to earn himself a pout.
"Please, Stefan? Pretty please?" Caroline requested, peering up at him from under her lashes in what he had learnt was called the 'puppy dog look'. She kept pulling him in the direction of the playground; the pout dissolving into a cute smile as he began to relent and stopped dragging his feet. With a roll of his eyes, he waved a hand for her to lead the way, causing her to gasp in excitement. "Yay! Lets go on the swings!"
"Don't hurt yourself," he commented as she dragged him by the hand towards the swingset. If it hadn't been for the way she struggled with the slide lock on the gate to enter the playground, he would have thought she had sobered up already.
Reaching around her, Stefan opened the gate for her and held it for to allow her to enter. She smiled haughtily; walking past with a confident stride, head held up high and back straight as she went over to the swings. Of course, their adjoined hands meant that he was forced to follow right behind (though he would have done so regardless).
"I haven't been on a swing in years," Caroline sighed happily as she settled onto the middle on. After making sure she was steady, he took the swing to her left, sitting in the opposite direction so he could keep watching as contentment filled her features. "This is fun! Isn't this fun?"
"I suppose it is," he replied casually, using his legs to give himself a bit of momentum to move the swing. Despite her excitement about going on the swings, Caroline remained at pace that matched his own. Her feet barely left the ground, and when he looked up at her face, her eyes were lowered to her shoes with her head resting against the right chain she gripped on each side of her. "You alright there?"
"Hmm?" she hummed distractedly.
Smiling, Stefan pushed himself back slightly so he could lean in and catch her eyes. "Shall we go home? You look like you're falling asleep," he suggested, softly caressing her cheek with his knuckles.
"No, just a little bit longer," she insisted, shaking herself awake and pushing the swing with her feet. It took a few tries before she was swinging back and forth without the constant need of effort, and her giggles flew by him with the wind as she twisted the chains to spin herself around. "Ow!"
Caroline came to an wobbly stop, and he immediately reached out to keep her upright as the swing jerked when she abruptly placed her feet onto the ground with only one hand on the chains keeping her balanced in her seat. She was shaking her other hand, hissing as she gingerly curled her fingers into a fist.
"Let me see," Stefan murmured, reaching out to take her hand in his. Her first two fingers were flaming red, and he was sure if she had been human, getting them caught between the chains as they unravelled would have left them badly bruised if not fractured. Sighing, he pressed his lips to the warm, healing skin gently. "You have to be careful. We can't grow back fingers, and I happen to be a fan of yours."
He smiled at the blush his innuendo brought out on her, knowing she would have sobered up due to the injury. "I think I hurt my hand, too," she whispered, hinting with a small pout to her lips. Grinning, Stefan held her hand flat in his and pushed up the sleeve of his jacket before kissing her palm tenderly. "And my cheek."
He brushed his lips just above her fingernail when she tapped her face to show exactly she meant. A shuddering breath left her body at the sensation, and he couldn't help but feel the same way, if simply by her own reaction. Pulling back, he stayed within her personal space so they were sharing the same air and could feel the warm puffs of breath as she exhaled on his jaw. It was sweet yet intimate, and he could tell he was starting to get to her by the way she bit the inside of her cheek cutely.
"Anywhere else?" Stefan prompted, watching as her eyes darted down to his lips and lingering there before meeting his once again.
Caroline pressed a finger to the cupid's bow of her mouth; her silver painted nail gently brushing against his lips as she reach up. "Here?"
Leaning back, he pulled her hand down before taking her chin between his finger and thumb to peer at the area she had pointed to. "It looks alright to me," he said in exaggerated skepticism, furrowing his brow in concentration.
"Vampire healing. Make sure?" she asked suggestively. Smirking, he nodded and took her upper lip between his, swiping his tongue over the offended area as if to soothe away the phantom pain. Caroline responded fervently; deepening the kiss by dipping her tongue in to run across his and moaning in pleasure when he repeated the action.
He pulled away with a series of small kisses, pressing them against her upturned lips when she tried to follow him. "Better?" Stefan questioned huskily, clearing his throat. Scrunching up her nose adorably, she shrugged half-heartedly and pouted. "Perhaps we should go home so I can give you the once over?"
"Might be a good idea," Caroline agreed, taking his proffered hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet. He adjusted his jacket on her, pulling at the collar on both sides to fix it back into place. "But Stefan? Don't make it quick."
Raising an eyebrow, he gave her an incredulous look. "When have I ever?"