James Watson x Catherine Halsey

[notofthisera]

[Honestly the fact that Catherine Halsey can hold her own against him is about the only reason James will ever admit to working with her, out loud at least. She's fascinating, brilliant, and yet unlike Helen, not afraid as of yet to share what she's thinking. She's challenging, hard to understand in some ways but easy enough to figure out after a short time that he's not worried about her stabbing him in the back before he's aware of it. The fact that she's familiar with how he works is just an added bonus and overall he finds himself looking for her company rather often.

Which would be why he's sitting across from her at a lab table, looking through a microscope at something as they work on a case. It's easy enough for him to occasionally glance up at her, to take in how she looks and is feeling and acting. He's a bit smitten possibly with her, well more then a bit he's just again, not going to admit out loud that he is. Not unless she shows some interest. Oh he's done some things here and there for her but it never seems to get the reaction he's looking for out of her so he just waits and sighs.

Today he's just watching her, barely, over the microscope, smiling a silly stupid smile at her and just yes, watching and waiting.]

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[coffeebeforescience]

[It's another day, another case, another round of hard work for Catherine. She's content with her work this time around, glad to have so much to work on and a goal in sight. It thrills her to know she's on the verge of doing something incredible, makes her happier than anything else every single time.

And she's content to work with James, someone who won't let her get away wtih some of her little fits of quiet and surliness, who always seems to spare a smile or two for her even if she thinks that perhaps it's partially undeserved. Evidenc ehas led her to believe that those smiles aren't just satisfaction with her work, nor simply being happy to work with her.

She's starting to wonder if he's interested. He's done some things in the past that in hindsight might be considered, well... overtures. Things she appreciates now more than she did at the time that they happened. Choosing to ignore those is easier than accepting them, easier than worrying that it will take away from her time to work, to research, and to learn. THere may or may not, however, be little sketches of him strewn all over her messy bedroom, tucked away in notebooks and in the margins of her personal research. Little things, reflections, capturing things she doesn't want to forget.

Looking up, she sees one of those smiles again, and can't help but look confused.]

Is something wrong?

[notofthisera]

[She's just lucky he doesn't make even more outward overtures, he tends to keep them rather low key just in case. He cares about her enough to make her life easier and that also means not embarrassing her in public, which is only a benefit for them both. And she's also lucky he values privacy because otherwise he'd have dug around in her room to find those sketches.

She's a puzzle but she's one he prefers to get the clues from her and not her books or sketches.

So he just smiles back a little, shaking his head only to pause and reach over the table to gently brush a strand of hair out of her face.]

Just enjoying your company is all, not often people wish to involve themselves in my casework.

[coffeebeforescience]

It's become mine, too. I've put in enough effort.

[She's helping, even if it's not official or anything like that. And it's a darn good thing he didn't go through her things, because her room is nigh unlivable and she's just a little eccentric about her space. But then again, she's just kind of eccentric overall, isn't she? Not like some of James' other comrades, but still. Odd. Unusual. Intolerable, for some, but apparently not for him. Something she likes; something she needs.

Thre's a faint twitch of her lips at the touch of his hand, and part of her says she should reach for it, not to shoo him away, but to hold it. Her hair is still dark, only showing a few stray strands of gray here and there.

She opts to keep her hands to herself, instead just shaking her head and shuffling some papers.]