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we're more than you think
ATHENA DIDN'T KNOW WHY SHE FELT NERVOUS. She had gone straight to Damon's house right after cheerleading practice, which was rather uneventful in its entirety because that's when Stefan told her to come over and get her vervain.
Yet as she waited for him in the living room, Damon off meandering elsewhere in the house, she felt hesitant. Were she and Stefan even close enough friends for her to get a gift from him, compulsion-preventing or not? She wasn't actually sure what she and Stefan classified as.
Friends that had nothing else to bond over other than their history knowledge, and their mutual vampire knowledge?
She'd admit she was somewhat forceful about her friendship with Stefan, but she wasn't going to let him make decisions for her about her well-being when she was perfectly capable of doing so, barring her minimal self-preservation skills.
"Hey, Athena," Stefan smiled as he entered the living room, fresh out of the shower with a pair of sweatpants on.
Athena swallowed harshly at the sight of his bare, toned stomach but forced her eyes back up to his face. She wasn't going to give Elena the satisfaction of fulfilling every terrible rumor she'd ever spread about Athena. No matter how nice Stefan looked at the moment, they didn't see each other like that. Athena could appreciate an attractive person.
"Hey, Stefan. Was practice good?"
Stefan nodded, running a hand through his dried hair. "I think Tyler has it out for me, but other than that it was okay."
Athena smiled slightly. "He's kind of an asshole."
Stefan gestured to her workout clothing she was still in from practice. "What about you? I didn't know you were on the cheerleading team until I saw you on the field."
He'd never admit it out loud, but his eyes had drifted to Athena more than once throughout their separate practices. He knew Elena was over there as well, but there was something about how Athena was moving around with her teammates that had caught his attention. It was the most carefree he'd seen her since he met her.
"I, uh, I'm not really on the team anymore? I quit after the accident in May."
Stefan nodded slowly, choosing to drop the subject she seemed so obviously hesitant to talk about.
"So, do you have vervain for me?" Athena shifted under his unwavering stare, wondering what he was thinking about at the moment that had him looking at her like that.
Stefan's eyes widened slightly at the abrupt topic change and he nodded, digging into the pocket of his sweatpants, and pulling out a dainty-looking necklace.
Her eyes widened at the sight of it, not expecting something so practical yet so helpful.
It was a small thing, but gold and shiny all the same. It caught her attention, certainly. There was a lone charm on it, an oval-like shape engraved with a golden rose. She lifted the charm from where Stefan had been holding it in his palm, eyeing it closely. It was beautiful, really.
