As easy as it was to act like she was fine… Well, even with Abel choosing to shield her, it wasn’t like Asuka had come out of things unscathed. Even if punching had worked, technically, the marks of her reckless act were left behind. Even if not all of it was on her…
It’s hard to say if she wants to see Abel. Something still curls in her chest at the thought of having to actually face Abel and talk to him, but Asuka would never admit that. It’d be far too similar to admitting defeat - something Asuka just didn’t do.
“…”
Abel’s words don’t even register at first. Asuka’s so far in her own head that she finds herself managing to miss him initially. It’s only when she raises her head to look around again that she realizes he’s actually there. She just stares for a few moments, blinking, before finding her words.
“…You could be doing worse, I guess. You’re welcome.” It’s instinctive to talk that way, despite the fact it was Asuka’s fault it escalated partially. It was her fault that Abel had to shield her, wasn’t it? In the end, Asuka hadn’t even managed to help at all, had she?
“I’m clearly doing better than you, anyways. So.” So what?
Asuka was tougher?
Asuka was better?
Asuka was only doing better because Abel had stopped her from getting the brunt of the damage.
“….How. How bad is it, anyways?” Finally, a genuine question!
