#kosynkas

                      aria is .  .  . keen. an air of sentimentality he’s not accustomed to. in truth he hadn’t counted on it —— never even gave it a passing thought. but now he’s faced with the question, he weighs his options, and is faced with a second; why would they? for what reason? glaz shoots a glance, that ever-deadpan stare of his, like there’s nothing beneath the stiffness of his gaze when in actuality there’s a universe of his own tucked away in a guarded, cerebral pocket.

          ‘ —— i don’t know. ’    spoken with conviction because he doesn’t know. a job is nothing more than a job. they’re from different places, different worlds,he can’t think of a single thing to lay the foundation for common ground. or maybe he’s not trying hard enough. he does it with everyone who’s ever crossed paths with him; and he knows it.but he can’t stop himself. not for anyone.      ‘ i wouldn’t count on it. ’

     Aria wishes they could understand what thoughts went through Timur’s head. What did the man who could see the tiniest of details think? What would he ignore? What would he focus too much on? Under his gaze, Aria would think what he would see       could he only see the surface of themselves or look deeper and see they’re just as SCARED as the rest of them? Aria has so many questions to ask him, but they FEAR it will only push him away after all the work they’ve done to inch closer to him. 

      he could respond. he could turn around and face his catcaller with the look of deserved exasperation, but he decides against it. that would warrant too much satisfaction, and likely encourage another unsavoury remark. instead glaz shovels a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth, staring daggers in front of him. ignore ignore ignore.

     Aria waits for a reaction - an amused snort from Tachanka and some confused stares - but nothing from the sniper. Most people would be discouraged, but not Aria. Almost everyone in Rainbow knows that when they have their sights on something, or someone, they never give up - especially if it involves making a new friend. Even with someone as quiet and seemingly grumpy like Glaz.  

     Instead, the grin on Aria’s face just widens and they quickly grab their tray to move to Glaz’s table, leaving their bemused friends. As they sit down, they place down their own chocolate pudding cup onto Glaz’s tray as an offering, tilting their head to see his face and beam at him. 

angst memes - ACCEPTING !>> @kosynkas

     Aria pauses before they place down a mug of coffee for him, nudging it closer to him when he doesn’t tear his gaze away from them. Those eyes of his, never missing a single detail. Aria supposes it is in his nature as a sniper to watch, to evaluate, and they wonder if he sees how tired they are. How weary. It was much too late for Aria to be up, they both knew, and no matter how gentle Aria smiles and assures him that they just woke up from a good nap —    he can see the DETAILS. He can see their tense shoulders, the bags under their eyes, the way how Aria’s fingers keep drifting to their arm where skin meets metal. He must know that they haven’t slept, kept awake by their phantom pain. 

     I wonder what picture I paint for an artist such as himself, they wonder, giving him another gentle smile when he finally holds the mug.  “ I did what I could with the shitty coffee we have so it does not taste too shitty. ”  Aria picks up their own mug as they sit on the edge of the table instead of the chair next to the Russian, letting the warmth comfort them as they stared at the floor to process Glaz’s words. Did he hate the idea of being their friend that much? Or was he only trying to push them away because he thought he wasn’t worth it? It doesn’t matter. Aria isn’t going to accept either reasons. 

     “ You’re not a bad person, ”  Aria finally says, tilting their head at him with a reassuring smile,  “ I do not think in this job we can consider ourselves good people no matter how much we try to convince ourselves we do good work. We save lives. But we definitely end a few. Or more. ”  They chuckle softly before sipping their coffee.