[ even though they'd only been 'together' for a fortnight, it takes very little to see through kaveh's bold-faced lie after the many, many years they'd spent in each other's orbit. alhaitham doesn't immediately question it though in respect for the blonde's obvious fragility, allowing him to gently wipe the rest of the mess off of his face even though the culprit wasn't worth the destruction of two good shirts, let alone one.
the soft pull on the fabric of his shirt is a signal that neither of them really wants to be here anymore - not that alhaitham had remotely wanted to be here in the first place - but the night was still relatively young, and he knows that kaveh still has things to do, people to meet, charm to lay on. at the very least, he'd be able to continue on with his night with relatively little interruption considering he'd been kept out of the eye of the storm; as for alhaitham, he's expecting some sort of early call into his office tomorrow morning by the general for further explanations and probably a disciplinary 'don't punch others on campus'.
fair enough for the matra to state, but the scribe would do it again in a heartbeat. ]
Why wouldn't I be? [ he replies plainly, as if it was silly he'd have an answer anything but 'fine'. ] I wasn't the target. You, however...
[ and the horrible insults, spat with vitriol just a short time before cross his mind again, the taller man frowning as his sentence trails off. there's a brief pause as alhaitham simply looks back at kaveh searchingly because he knows that those kinds of words would've hurt him straight to his core - especially someone as sensitive and emotionally vulnerable as he is. if he'd seen one thing over the years they'd spent around one another, it was kaveh's uncanny ability to paper over the fractures and wounds of his psyche to save everyone else the trouble of worrying.
wordlessly, the scribe pulls the other into a firm, secure embrace, his face resting on the blonde hair on the crown of kaveh's head as his arms encircle his partner entirely. he's still not very good with saying the 'right' things in emotionally charged situations, but it's plain that kaveh's hurting - and he hates that. perhaps this would help, in some small way; perhaps this would remind him that he's not alone, even if it's all alhaitham can confidently do to comfort him. ]
You deserved none of that.
[ a quiet murmur sounds against kaveh's hair, the scribe's tone somewhat bitter. ]
no subject
the soft pull on the fabric of his shirt is a signal that neither of them really wants to be here anymore - not that alhaitham had remotely wanted to be here in the first place - but the night was still relatively young, and he knows that kaveh still has things to do, people to meet, charm to lay on. at the very least, he'd be able to continue on with his night with relatively little interruption considering he'd been kept out of the eye of the storm; as for alhaitham, he's expecting some sort of early call into his office tomorrow morning by the general for further explanations and probably a disciplinary 'don't punch others on campus'.
fair enough for the matra to state, but the scribe would do it again in a heartbeat. ]
Why wouldn't I be? [ he replies plainly, as if it was silly he'd have an answer anything but 'fine'. ] I wasn't the target. You, however...
[ and the horrible insults, spat with vitriol just a short time before cross his mind again, the taller man frowning as his sentence trails off. there's a brief pause as alhaitham simply looks back at kaveh searchingly because he knows that those kinds of words would've hurt him straight to his core - especially someone as sensitive and emotionally vulnerable as he is. if he'd seen one thing over the years they'd spent around one another, it was kaveh's uncanny ability to paper over the fractures and wounds of his psyche to save everyone else the trouble of worrying.
unfortunately, nothing escapes alhaitham's unwavering gaze.
wordlessly, the scribe pulls the other into a firm, secure embrace, his face resting on the blonde hair on the crown of kaveh's head as his arms encircle his partner entirely. he's still not very good with saying the 'right' things in emotionally charged situations, but it's plain that kaveh's hurting - and he hates that. perhaps this would help, in some small way; perhaps this would remind him that he's not alone, even if it's all alhaitham can confidently do to comfort him. ]
You deserved none of that.
[ a quiet murmur sounds against kaveh's hair, the scribe's tone somewhat bitter. ]