** @widcwbites . . . a nod followed her brief comment, there wasn’t much else to say. unless she asked more questions, he didn’t mind answering. to busy himself he picked up the rag and tossed it to somewhere in the room, he’d get it tomorrow. “ it ain’t top of the line stuff from stark, but it does the job well. ” he tried to add a little humor into his tone, exhaling a brief chuckle.
james decided that he couldn’t just stare at his lap forever, even though that’s what he wished he could do. so finally, he turned to face natalya, blue eyes finally meeting her familiar face. it was always a mystery to him, why her face stood out from all the rest. like somehow she was one of the many faces he had seen over the years but it was buried and drowned deep within his mind. although, james didn’t like to think about it that much.
the question held weight to it, even with the light and soft voice that carried them. james’ face smoothed out, hesitantly nodding once more. “ yeah, just tired, ” ( when was he not, though? the weariness hung from his bones and flesh, seeping into the cracks of his mind. what did this ‘tiredness’ even mean anymore? ) he mirrored her soft tone, like if they spoke any louder everyone would hear their conversation, “ a tough day, to put it lightly. ”
his eyes scanned her face, the way her hair framed her face, and the way she was looking at him. she never looked at him like how some other people do, with that sort of sadness and pity just because they know what he’s been through. or with distain and distrust because they know what he’s / done. / natalya never looked at him like that, ever. mostly because he hardly knows how to read that look in her eye when he finds her looking at him, compared to her he might as well be an open book.
“ i’ll be alright, and you? it’s later than the usual time you seem to come around. ”