Does this make sense?

Irena is in a paragraph where she realizes her attitude is making the other Guardians nervous, and she’s describing their reactions. Drifter’s is:

Drifter had aimed for casual by hooking his thumbs into his suspenders, but he wouldn’t have aimed for anything if he didn’t think he might have to fire.

Is it clear that she’s saying he wouldn’t need to pretend to act all casual if the situation wasn’t tense? I’m trying to use language that reinforces his personality and isn’t boring … but I’m also trying to be less confusing.

Is a description like this confusing and/or does it call too much attention to its construction? If you encountered it in a paragraph of descriptions where it’s clear that people are uneasy, do you think you’d have to re-read it to make sure of the meaning?