@wxundcd !! FROM HERE.
“ stop it, ” stark says, giving a quick shake of his head. he knew well what it could’ve meant for her if he hadn’t been around, and he understood her gratitude entirely. but she was 𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍, on the edge of breaking, and despite his relief that she was safe and mostly unharmed, he had to be the stability that would get the two of them home safely.
he reaches up and swipes her tear away from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, catching her jaw for just a moment so that he could get a good look at her face. 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝.
“ you owe me nothing, ” he replies. “ your safety is my repayment. ” certainly, if all the people he’d helped and rescued were as generous as athena was being with her gratitude - 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨. but he didn’t fight to 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚕𝚢, he fought to keep peace and to ensure safety. she was safe, it was all that mattered.
“ can you walk ? ” he asks, taking hold of her arm gently. “ i’ll take you home. ”
