interception
IT'S EASY TO KISS CAROLINE AGAIN.
She knows that what she's doing right now is something she probably shouldn't, but she can't stop the way her mind suddenly flooded with memories of stolen kisses in the shadows and shared smiles that only they got to see.
As cliche as it sounded, their love was epic. Athena's first love was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. The true shining star of Mystic Falls in her opinion, even to this day. Once upon a time, Athena worshiped the ground that Caroline walked on. She showered her with gifts and worshiped her when she felt down about herself. They shared secrets no one else knew, they held one another's hearts in their hands without even realizing it at the time.
And, with a sinking realization, Athena knew it could never be like that again. Even as she deepened the kiss and dug her hands into Caroline's hair, guilt flooded her along with the bitter reminder of betrayal just a few months ago.
Athena was still in the hospital, weeks after the accident. She'd had surgery two weeks ago, the final operation to repair her face to the best ability. She was healing nicely, but the reminder of her doctor's solemn tone, as he told her that the scar on her cheek was inevitable, had kept her up most nights.
She was startled when Caroline came into her private room unannounced, but she immediately smiled at the sight of her girlfriend. She reached out for Caroline's hands, and the blonde girl gave them hesitantly which finally made Athena look at her close enough to see the tear streaks down her flushed cheeks.
"Care? What's wrong?"
Caroline sniffled as she forced her gaze to meet Athena's. "I need to talk to you."
Athena immediately stiffened, and she dropped Caroline's hands like she'd been burned by the contact. "What is it? Is something wrong with Elena?" She'd been concerned for Elena since the night of the accident, but when she'd woken up and heard that both of her parents had died, her worry had only increased. Elena hadn't come to see her once since she'd been in the hospital, but Athena figured she was spending it at home with Jeremy, mourning the loss of their parents.
"Not– not exactly," Caroline sat down in the uncomfortable chair she'd spent seventy percent of her time in the past few weeks. She couldn't count on one hand how many nights she'd spent bent over Athena's bed, clutching her hand as her girlfriend slept through her pain.
"Then what is it?" Athena chuckles, but it's an uneasy sound. Her nerves are grated, and it pains her healing wounds to be wound so tight. "Caroline?"
"We can't be together anymore."
"W-what?"
Caroline had steady tears falling down her cheeks and she swallowed harshly around the concrete lump in her throat. "Athena, we just can't be together anymore. I just can't do it anymore, it's too much."
Her heart monitor spiked with each word, beeping unevenly with every syllable spit from Caroline's mouth. "What– was it me? Did I do something wrong? Caroline, I'm sorry for whatever I did,"
"Elena told me the truth," Caroline cuts her off, looking pained, though Athena can't imagine that she feels half of what she does right now. "How you were the one who wanted to sneak out to the party that night in the first place. She told me and Tyler about every little thing you've done over the years, and– and I just didn't think you were that kind of person, Athena. To be so jealous of somebody else that you ruin their life like this."
"I'm not whatever person you think I am!" Athena's tone turns desperate and she clutches the sheets at her side, stifling a grimace at the pain in her cheek as she stretches her fresh wound. "Caroline, I'm not– I'm not jealous of Elena in any way. She's– she's lying to you about all of this, it wasn't even my idea to sneak out, it was hers!"
"Well what do you want me to do, Athena?" Caroline exclaims, defensiveness in her tone.
"I want you to believe me!" Athena's voice breaks and she feels tears sting into her fresh incisions. It's a bitter feeling that radiates through her face, and she swallows down the rising bile in her throat. She feels as if she could swallow her tongue whole and choke on it. "I want you to believe me because you know that I would never do that to you. I love you, Caroline, I've always loved you, and I would never have done anything like this to Elena, she's my friend!"
"Athena, I can't just sit here and–"
"Then get out," Athena shakes out, feeling her lip quiver uncontrollably. "Get out."
"Athena,"
"Get out," Athena points to the door, her arm trembling weakly as she lifts it. Caroline catches the clear tremble and pity floods in her shining blue eyes. Athena suddenly hates the color with a passion. Never would she have thought she'd feel such unbridled rage when she looked at Caroline. Never would she have thought she'd feel this much pain when she looked at her girlfriend.
"Don't come back, Caroline. I don't want to see you or Tyler again."
Caroline's face falls and she quickly turns, scurrying out of the room into the bustling hospital hallways.
Athena's face crumples as soon as Caroline turns and she clutches the scratchy sheets her legs are covered with tight enough that her knuckles turn white. A cry leaves her mouth, cracking midway from her sore throat. She balls her fist and bites down on it, stifling her cries as they threaten to echo down the hallway of the hospital.
Athena never thought she'd feel such pain, and such emptiness at once. She never thought she'd want anything more than to leave it all behind at that moment.
Athena pulls back from the kiss with a pained gasp, and she opens her eyes, surprised to find that they're misty with tears as she looks at Caroline. The blonde slowly opens her eyes, a shaky breath leaving her lips as she stares at Athena.
Athena rests her forehead against Caroline's and lets out a shaky sigh. "Caroline,"
Her ex twitches a shaky, half-drunken smile. "That was–"
"A mistake," Athena watches her face fall with her words, but she doesn't feel that pain like she did in the hospital all those months ago. Instead, she just feels better. "It was a mistake, Caroline."
A weight seems to lift off of her shoulders as she says the words, and she lets out a deep sigh of relief as she subconsciously straightens her spine. She'd spent so long punishing herself for what had happened, becoming her own version of Atlas, pretending she was capable of carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders as punishment for something that wasn't her fault.
"What? Athena,"
"We can't do this again," Athena steps away from her ex and smiles sadly at the girl who's got tears beading in her eyes. "You broke up with me because you didn't trust me when I needed you to," Her voice trembles a little, but she straightens her back and stiffens her spine. She is not breaking, not like she once was.
"I can accept your apologies all day long but at the end of the day, we can never be together again. I missed you, Caroline, and at one point I still loved you. But we need to move on."
Caroline steps forward and reaches for her hand, but Athena pulls back gently with a shake of her head. "Athena, please, I can– I can make it better. I swear. I'll make it better for us."
"We're done, Care. I need to move on and so do you. You can find someone who can love you better than I could. I promise, Caroline, I'll never hate you, but I can't love you anymore."
"How am I supposed to move on from you, Athena? I loved you, I still love you! There won't ever be anyone like you."
"I'm sorry," Athena whispers, clenching her fist at her side. "But I don't trust you. And I can't love you if I don't trust you."
The words hurt Caroline, and she flinches like Athena's just thrown a punch at her.
Athena walks towards the door and unlocks it, gripping it tight in her hand. She looks over her shoulder at Caroline, whose face is crumpling as the seconds pass by. "It'll be alright, Caroline. I promise." She nods, once, and then leaves the bathroom with a shaky sigh as the door shuts behind her.
Athena heads back towards the crowd and her eyes immediately land on where Stefan is playing pool with Lexi, and laughing. A smile twitches at her lips and pulls her painted face taught, but the action doesn't feel as forced as it usually does.
She picks up her pace and crosses the building in a blur of pink silk and dark, flowing hair. As soon as she's close to Stefan, she throws herself at him, taking him by surprise.
Quickly, he registers it's Athena who's got her arms wrapped around his neck and is clinging to him like a lifeline. He hugs her back but looks to Lexi over Athena's shoulder in confusion.
Lexi smiles encouragingly, yet knowing, and Stefan smiles exasperatedly as he squeezes Athena a little tighter.
The raven-haired girl leans back, and Stefan frowns when he sees the faint reflection of tears in her brown eyes that contradict the wide grin on her face. "Dance with me?"
Stefan hesitates, glancing to the busy dance floor, but he concedes with a twitch of his lips. "If you'd like,"
Stefan is once again taken by surprise when Athena presses up on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek firmly and soundly. There's no hesitation in the action and it makes his pulse race wildly in a way it hasn't in so long.
"What was that for?" He looks down at her, his eyebrows furrowing as his grin grows.
She shrugs up at him. "Consider it a thanks."
Stefan was curious as to what she meant, but he knew his questions could wait. He owed her a dance first.
──────
"No, no, no," Athena groans despite the smile on her face giving her away. "You are such a cheater!"
Stefan scoffs incredulously. "I'm not a cheater, I just have more experience,"
"Just because you're a precious artifact doesn't mean I can't beat you at pool." She pokes his chest as she leans against the pool table, holding onto the cue stick as she looks at Stefan.
Stefan stands in front of her, his cue stick in hand as he smiles down at her. "That is exactly what it means," He says cockily, making Athena raise a daring eyebrow. Lexi had wandered off to get drinks, but she'd been gone for a few minutes and Athena knew it was another ploy to have them spend time together alone.
Athena lifts her chin, feigning hurt. "I think you're a cheater."
"Oh, really?"
"Mhmm." She hums her assent and misses the way Stefan's eyes flash with daring amusement.
Athena yelps in surprise when two hands wrap around her waist and she laughs when she realizes Stefan has picked her up. Her legs instinctually wrap around his waist, but he's holding her weight easily with his vampiric strength. "I don't think this is the solution to win this argument, Stefan."
"I don't know, I feel like I'm winning right now," Stefan grins at her playfully, and Athena feels her face get hot at the sight of it.
She rolls her eyes but rests comfortably in his hold as he moves them away from the pool table towards the bar. They pass Lexi, who's talking to Elena, and Athena pleasantly ignores the brunette in favor of reaching out for her new friend. "Lexi, help! He's kidnapping me! I'm doomed!"
Stefan laughs and she feels it in her legs from where they're wrapped around his waist. Athena pouts childishly when Lexi waves them off with a smile before turning back to a downtrodden Elena.
Giving up on her weak fight, Athena rests her chin on his shoulder and lets him take her outside into the cooling air.
They leave the party behind, and Stefan finally sits her down on one of the benches outside the Grill that have been abandoned in exchange for the pointless celebration.
They sit in silence for only a moment before Stefan turns to her and breaks her peaceful bubble. "So what happened between you and Caroline?"
Immediately, Athena's breath catches in her throat. She lets it go with a heaving sigh though as she braces herself for the conversation to come. "I, uh, closure? I guess. At least for me, I think."
Stefan looks at her confusedly. "Is that a good thing?"
She nods, but it's exaggerated. "I think so."
The vampire smiles at her amusedly. "Do you know what actually happened?"
"No," She deflates, her false confidence immediately disappearing. "Damon said some really harsh stuff to her, so I'm pissed at him right now. But I took her to the bathroom 'cause I thought she was gonna cry, and– and she kissed me."
Stefan tenses immediately and Athena feels it against her side from their proximity. She hesitates for a moment, contemplating a quick departure to escape explaining, but she knows Stefan would just follow her.
"I kissed her back, for a minute. I was enjoying myself. It was nice, but then I remembered," She stutters, and clears her throat nervously, looking at the ground instead of Stefan. "I remembered when she broke up with me. I was still in the hospital after the accident. I was there for a month straight after the accident, recovering from my surgery and doing things to make sure my body wasn't giving up."
Stefan frowns and grabs her hand in his. She squeezes back silently and continues.
"She told me that Elena told her the truth and that she couldn't handle being with someone like me. I was so confused, I was barely conscious those days, let alone coherent enough to understand what was happening. Of course, a little after that I understood that Elena lied to her and Tyler about everything. About how it was my idea to sneak out that night, even though it was hers. She was able to blame pretty much everything on me, because of that. If I hadn't convinced her to go to the party, her parents wouldn't be dead, you know? And, uh, she convinced Caroline that I was this horrible, jealous person, and it didn't go over well."
Athena finally meets his piercing gaze, and she relaxes at the familiar comfort of it. "I realized when I kissed Caroline tonight that I never wanted to feel like I did in that hospital again. Whether it was her fault or not, I've never felt so terrible about myself and I just never want to feel like that again."
Athena's hand squeezed his tighter and she shook her head, turning away from him. "I told her she needed to move on. That it was okay to get over me."
"Did you mean it?"
She nods, smiling wryly. "I have to."
"Why's that?"
"Because," She sighs despondently but there's a slight, genuine smile on her face as she meets his stare. "I've already moved on."
He looks down at her, his green eyes flicking down from her eyes to her lips, where she wets them with a slip of her tongue. Stefan follows the movement closely, and his heated look meets her accepting one again.
Slowly, Stefan starts to lean in. Athena does the same, her brown eyes searching his face for any sort of possible rejection.
They're close enough that her eyes have fallen shut, and the tip of her nose brushes against his cheek. His short breaths puff onto her lips and she shivers at the sensation. For only a brief moment, their lips touch.
And then Stefan pulls away.
──────
author's note; sorry <3
originally published; 11.9.20.
edited: 11.27.23.
- liz