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fubureaders · 1 year

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requested stefan salvatore AU

request is here

stefan salvatore x black!heretic!reader

wc: 1.6k

masterlist

warnings: i wrote way more than i thought i would, got carried away. anyway, there's a decent amount of angst because i wasn't really sure what to do with it, but i know julie plec likes to make her black characters suffer so i guess i was going with the natural rhythm of the show? might write a part two because i had way more in mind for this request, but i wanted to get it posted asap so... anyway, hope you enjoy and thanks for sending in a request!

summary: you've known stefan and damon since the 1860s, and befriended katherine when she reached the salvatore residence; back then, she just seemed to be a free-thinking woman to you. you were already supernatural, but you still couldn't have anticipated what was coming. out of guilt for allowing this to happen to your friends, you fled and traveled the world to forget. until stefan reaches out to you about there being someone in mystic falls who looks eerily identical to his old flame.

note: ayana (the witch who mentored esther) is your mother, because... again, going with julie plec's natural rhythms while giving reader (and bonnie) much better wigs/wardrobes

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

2009, mystic falls high school

driving to school for the first day of junior year was supposed to be fun. until your friend elena nearly died, and her parents did. until elena broke up with matt, and bonnie started showing signs of becoming a bennett witch. until there were strange news reports detailing "mysterious animal attacks." now you yourself knew that you were remaining in control of yourself, volunteering at the hospital and gaining access to the blood bags often enough where you were strong but not enough to raise suspicions (so you hope). you've been using your magic, inherited from your mother ayana to age yourself with the scooby gang of mystic falls, as you affectionately referred to them. how you've been able to pull off what you believe to be the greatest magic trick of all, returning to mystic falls, virginia after hundreds of years, without the knowledge of a mikaelson or a salvatore... your mother would be proud. those dear salvatore boys, i hope they're well. and i pray they never find out about elena, after how they both reacted to katherine, it can only end in disaster round two.

as you enter the dreaded high school building, you plan a list of tasks for the day:

get through the day, and be there for elena & jeremy

organize your planner, and make sure you have all the syllabi needed

research bonnie's bloodline to help her through her transition into the supernatural world, as it's obvious the bennett magic is coming to mystic falls

figure out how to tell your friends about the supernatural world, as you've got a feeling it's closer than they could ever imagine

as that last thought passes your mind and you reach your locker, a familiar feeling washes over you, a deja vu moment. you've learned to never ignore these when they happen.

1864, mystic falls, virginia

you remember running around the gardens surrounding the salvatore estate, teaching the boys what each herb meant in your practice. you remember meeting katherine and currently wince at the memory of this coming up, with elena now sharing the "orphan" trait in common with... the vampire who caused your friends to die. your greatest shame was not being able to protect them from her, not even knowing she was a threat until the damage had already been done. but most of all, you remember young stefan, and his eagerness to learn about the nature surrounding his home, being entranced by the concept of basic magic. before katherine, those were your salvatore boys. and you didn't need compulsion to create those friendships, those feelings.

you look around, coming out of your foggy state, to see a face you know could not belong to anyone else. realizing your deja vu was trying to warn you, you quickly cast a spell to ensure stefan does not see you. as the salvatore, alive and well as it seems, continues to walk to the office, you notice the stares of girls (and guys) in the halls, chuckling at how young stefan has gone from being so shy to being the center of attention. regardless, you know that you must remain hidden, and hope that your friends will remain safe. in the back of your mind, you begin to wonder whether stefan could be the reason for those "mysterious animal attacks," but brush it off and go to your first lesson of the day.

final bell rings

as you race away from the timberwolves sign, you wave to your friends and make your way over to your afterschool shift at the grille, hoping to complete the "girl next door" facade with a classic: a minimum wage job, waiting on tables full of your classmates and older creepy town losers. speaking of the scooby gang, you spot bonnie (and realize you forgot to complete number 3 on your daily tasks), elena and caroline making their way over to their usual table in your section of the establishment.

"ladies, what's all the commotion? tell me i didn't miss one of coach tanner's epic meltdowns by opting for ms. olsen this year," you comment as you add yourself into the conversation, deciding to take your 15-minute break for a catch-up session (and to at least complete number 1 one from your list, to make sure elena and jeremy are coping). the girls giggle as caroline begins to gush about a new hot guy, with whom she would have shared a june wedding if he wasn't totally swooning over elena in front of the boys' bathroom.

"caroline, you make it sound so much worse. i was checking on jeremy, who is smoking by the way," elena says while smiling at you. trying not to show too much shock as it's a difficult time, you make a mental note of returning back to it at a later time. elena continues, "he was walking in and i was walking out, and we... we may have flirted a little. it was nice, but i'm sure it's just new kid adjustment." you pray it's not the same new kid you're hiding from, but brush off the feeling. mother ayana would laugh at you now

caroline rolls her eyes and gleefully turns to the table, "well look who just walked in. if it isn't elena's new man, searching for his high school sweetheart." you sense caroline means well, you just hope she's not feeling too hurt, knowing she is still dealing with insecurities. hoping to join in on the ribbing, you turn your head at the same time as elena. while elena turns back to the table, you break eye contact with stefan, trying not to show your fear of being discovered and massively failing. bonnie gently touches your arm, trying to bring you back, "(y/n), you okay? you look like you've seen a ghost." the ghost is getting closer to the table, to your friends, to you, the one who left.

"stefan, hi. how was your first day at mystic falls high?," elena innocently bats her long lashes, not realizing you'd make a quick escape while muttering something about the end of your 15 minutes and praying that stefan chalks it up to there already being one doppelgänger from his past. the boy does not believe that for a second, which you will soon find out.

you finish your shift, trying desperately to push your past to the back of your mind, but constantly being reminded of it all. flashes of stefan's smile, his kind heart... his heart no longer beating like a mortal's would. and so, you wipe down tables, take orders, carry trays around, clean up the pool table to prevent stains from "sweaty cups" (as your sweaty manager calls them). you clock out before the late shift, ready to go home, back to your grimmoire and figure out a plan, and try to still get some homework in; when you suddenly get the feeling you're being watched on your walk home, but turning to see no one there. then suddenly, you're pulled into an alleyway. you bare your fangs at your attacker, hoping this will end peacefully, only to find yourself staring at the face you've been trying to forget and avoid. mission failed

"the great (y/n) returns. never thought you'd grace mystic falls with your presence as long as i lived," stefan smiles sadly, hurt by his old friend's actions. you stand there frozen, having gotten rid of the fangs but refusing to open your mouth, scared of what you can say to him. i'm sorry i abandoned you just before your transition, leaving you and your brother with emily instead of looking out for you two as i had promised? i'm sorry for not protecting you from katherine til it was too late, but i'm glad she burned in the church? i'm sorry i never tried to find you once i realized katherine might have returned, only to realize it was someone who looks freakishly like her? i'm sorry i wasn't there for everything, because i truly did miss that smile? i'm glad i can still see that smile today, and i wish i were the cause of it? nothing would do, and so silence would have to suffice.

"(y/n)? it is you, right? elena told me you had to get back to your tables. the small town charm thing really suits you." god, the more stefan tries to be friendly and keeps smiling at you like it's still the 1860s, the more the guilt eats you up. you know it's not right, but for now, it's what you believe is best. you tilt your head back up, facing him once more, taking a deep breathand slightly shaking your head like a mental etch-a-sketch. no matter what, this is stefan, and you will not compel him unless absolutely necessary (please let this be the right choice, you pray to your ancestors).

"hi," you say lightly and chuckle at your lame response, trying to add a smile at the end so maybe he won't hate you. "i was wondering if that was you that i was seeing. makes sense it'd be in the same place... so what brings you back?"

"not much, just trying to be better. two familiar faces in one day is a lot to take in though," stefan replies, still unsure of how to feel. while elena may not be katherine, for which he is extremely grateful, you are still you. he never could forget you. the same you who smiles at him and says, "i'm sorry, really. i didn't know you'd be here, and if you ever saw elena i wasn't sure how you'd react. she's really nice though, and it might be weird with the... same face thing," you laugh at how wild your sentence is beginning to sound, "but she really does seem to like you. she's been going through a lot but she's a real sweetheart."

"so we're just going to talk about your cute friend and not why i haven't seen you in--" you cut him off. "it's been 145 years since we last saw each other, yes." you take another deep breath, hoping this time the guilt will stop leaving such a strange feeling in your heart. it does not. "perhaps we could talk more while you walk me home? my family, my adoptive parents, they're expecting me back from work." he agrees, happy to spend more time with you and catch up, though a part of him feels conflicted. all that time spent together when you were younger and he was mortal, led to him developing feelings for you. but after potentially starting something with elena, someone you seem to be pushing him towards, stefan walks alongside you back to your house... while wondering if chasing a phantom face is better than chasing the real thing.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

writer's notes: i wrote too damn much, but i might make a part 2 for this because i had so much more stuff in mind to write for this. anyway hope you like it, happy holidays, i really appreciate comments!! sending love at the end of the year, hope you and your loved ones are doing well

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