「 closed starter. 」 marcella and james. @fikazephyr
MARCELLA DIDN’T BOTHER WITH SUBTLETY when she came through the door. keys clattered onto the entryway table, her bag sliding down from one shoulder with the graceless thump of a day too long and too bloody. the scrubs she wore bore faint shadows where gloves hadn’t hidden bruises blooming along her arms; a day like today always left marks, in one way or another.
still, she lingered in the doorway for a beat, drawing in the softer hum of home — the faint rustle of pages, the scent of something warm on the stove, the muffled sound of their son babbling to himself. her chest eased just slightly, tension slipping off her shoulders like armor set down after battle.
“ james? ” her voice carried through the house, hoarse but steady, searching. the edge of exhaustion was there, though beneath it simmered the sharpness she always carried — the kind that only gentled when it was for him. she let her bag drop fully and kicked off her shoes, following the pull of familiarity until she found him. her gaze softened the instant it landed on him, the hard edges of her day grinding down to something that looked like relief.
“ hey. ” she said, quieter now, a crooked half-smile tugging at her mouth. “ tell me you missed me at least half as much as i missed you. ”