[ It hurts when her friends are upset. Nobody wants to see someone they care about trying to force a smile despite carrying a heavy heart. And it hurts even more because Athena is literally able to empathise with people if the emotions are too strong.
In this case, though, she can tell that Ai is hurting on the inside. Athena's well aware of how it is to smile even though they don't mean it. She's done that a lot of times before, and nobody was there to help her and cheer her up. Even though other people might consider that a sign of strength, she knew very well how painful it is to not have anybody be with them. That's why she won't leave Ai until she feels better.
But before that, there's just one thing she has to say: ]
You can cry if you want to.
[ Crying will definitely lessen the pain Ai might be feeling in her chest. There's no shame in being vulnerable every now and then. If Ryuko comes in on them, then that's fine. It looks like Ai really needs company right now. ]
no subject
In this case, though, she can tell that Ai is hurting on the inside. Athena's well aware of how it is to smile even though they don't mean it. She's done that a lot of times before, and nobody was there to help her and cheer her up. Even though other people might consider that a sign of strength, she knew very well how painful it is to not have anybody be with them. That's why she won't leave Ai until she feels better.
But before that, there's just one thing she has to say: ]
You can cry if you want to.
[ Crying will definitely lessen the pain Ai might be feeling in her chest. There's no shame in being vulnerable every now and then. If Ryuko comes in on them, then that's fine. It looks like Ai really needs company right now. ]