[ What he’s describing is how she had approached any potential relationship that threatened to crest into genuine feelings. Flirting is fine, well and good. But trying harder than that with the possibility of expectations terrified her. Caring to the point where she could feel it so viscerally in her body was something she never thought possible.

Hilda wants to reassure him that he can’t hurt her. That he won’t hurt her. But if this experience with Claude has taught her anything, it’s that feelings are hurt all the time whether intentional or not. That’s not something anyone can guarantee. Perhaps it’s how they handled it after is what mattered the most.

She feels bare, bearer than how they’re practically naked pressed up against one another now and that feeling in itself is terrifying. Her fingers thread through his against his chest, curling lightly over his heart. ]

I don’t either. Caring for people is so scary - scarier than war sometimes. But I don’t think you’ll fuck it up as badly as you think you will.

[ The fingers tangled in his hair stroke the back of his neck softly. ]

But have you considered that if we hurt each other than we’ll patch it up together too? You aren’t at fault for everything. This involves the both of us.