Claudine sighs, using her sleeve to wipe the sweat off her brow and hoping none of the paint she'd been working with dropped onto her shoes as a result.
Usually, this wouldn't take more than a couple of hours. Years of training and strict regimen primed her for this sort of thing. Even if she's blocked she finds a way to push through it because hard work pays off and she'll bust her ass until she gets it right.
But today… something's wrong.
Well many things actually. For starters Kaoruko didn't bring by breakfast like she'd promised to. Which would have been fine any other day - expected even, Kaoruko's always been fickle about these things - but Claudine doesn't exactly have the time to make anything. She thought maybe an extra dark coffee and some of Nana's almond croissants would give Junna some sort of comfort.
It's her favourite after all.
Another sigh escaped her lips as she looks over at their dining table. She looks away as quickly as she can, before she gets caught staring.
Things have been hard, for both of them but mostly Junna. Her parents, school. Claudine hoped that moving in together would at least alleviate some of that stress. They love each other, and at the very least being together meant they could look out for each other if it ever got too much.
So why was there this weird air of tension between them now?
They aren't talking, not really anyway. Maybe there'd be a good morning here and a "hungry?" there, but never anything substantial and definitely nothing that they really want to say.
It's odd since they've always got along. There was an awkward period in high school when they were both pining for each, but they still talked even then. Despite how oblivious they were to each other's feeling, or how strained their conversations became from holding so much of themselves back.
She can't help but look Junna's way again, probably because peaking at her from her work space is as easy as it is.
This time Junna is looking right back at her.
She feels like she should say something, anything when their eyes meet. She wants to ask what she can do to fix this. She wants to apologise for all the unfair bullshit making her feel this way. She just really wants to help.
All she has the energy to muster is a sad smile.
There's a second where nothing happens and Claudine curses herself for even thinking that would do anything.
Then Junna smiles back with a little exhale. It's just as sad, but that's okay. For now they're there for each other, even if they can't find the words to express it amidst all.
And that's enough.