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the dichotomy of a life
"ARE YOU–"
"If you ask me if I'm okay one more time, I'm going to snap my own neck," Athena glares at Damon, who rolls his eyes. "Seriously, how am I supposed to tell if I have the urge to kill anyone if you don't stop bothering me."
"Sorry that I'm a little worried you're going to spend five decades hallucinating," Damon clenches his jaw. "That might put a bit of a damper on wedding planning, you know."
Athena reaches forward, punching him in the arm. "Shut up, asshole,"
Damon holds his hands up in surrender, but he's glaring unhappily as Athena paces. "How do we know this Nick kid isn't a threat? How do we know he hasn't known about us the whole time and has been waiting for us to slip up?"
"He's not a threat," Athena shakes her head. "He's just some kid. He can't even make eye contact with me when I speak to him, Damon."
"Jesus,"
"He has no idea what's happening to him right now, and we do, so it's up to us to help him through it. Which means my potential curse isn't the priority right now, and I need you to shut up about it!"
Damon grits his teeth, looking at her with wild eyes. "How do you expect me to shut up about anything? I'm me!"
"I think that's the most honest thing I've ever heard you say," Stefan's voice suddenly echoes from down the hall, the man walking towards them with Nick and Caroline in tow. "What are you not shutting up about, anyway?"
Damon clenches his jaw and glances at Athena, who subtly shakes her head, her dark eyes pleading silently. Sighing, he looks back at his brother and shrugs, feigning nonchalance before he looks to the terrified-looking teenager standing amongst them. "Oh, nothing, Athena was just telling me that I shouldn't scare the fresh meat. Definitely shouldn't say anything about vampires or werewolves or witches, it could fracture his fragile mind,"
Nick's eyes widened and Stefan shot his brother a scolding glare.
"Damon,"
"Told you," Damon held his hands out, bowing slightly as he stepped around them, heading for the door. "I can't shut up!"
The front door shuts firmly behind him and Athena sighs, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling before she drops them onto Nick, making the boy flinch slightly. "You're smart, right?"
He shrugged, glancing between her, Stefan, and Caroline. "I– I guess?"
"Okay, then your crash course starts now," Athena grabs him by the shoulders and drags him over to the couch, pushing him down until he's seated. "I hope your hunter's brain doesn't explode."
