[ alhaitham agrees, and they somewhat reluctantly part to suffer through the rest of the evening.
the remainder of the party is much less eventful, and to the scribe's delight, everyone seems to be too intimidated or wary to bring up the earlier altercation with him in conversation. instead, he whiles the rest of the time away on the fringes of the event again, being pulled in and out of conversations of varying value about the akademiya, about haravatat, about his current studies and interests. no topic was engaging enough to distract him completely from keeping an eye on the blonde on the other side of the room though, and alhaitham wasn't about to take any chances after what kaveh had already had to suffer through that night.
luckily, no further worms squirmed out of the woodwork and after what seems like eons the soiree wraps up, scholars leaving in throngs and in varying stages of inebriation. socialising is so, so very exhausting for alhaitham that he's unbelievably relieved to cross the threshold of his - their - home, the hallway just barely illuminated by the dim lights out on the street. in here it's quiet, it's secure, it's safe to be unapologetically himself without the frustration that the judgement of others brings with it. and so, he lets out a rather heavy sigh of fatigue as they close the door behind them, so very pleased to be back, and -
then, he's pleasantly interrupted by kaveh's lithe form against his, slim arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulling him towards the architect in a gentle embrace. it's perhaps the nicest 'welcome home' he can think of after spending a grueling evening in the company of those he'd rather not be remotely close to, and without thinking, alhaitham reciprocates. encircling the other's waist with his own arms, he holds kaveh almost possessively close, lips brushing against the shell of his ear before placing a soft kiss just above it on his golden hair. ]
Let's not go to one of those again. Ever.
[ he mutters, voice thready with fatigue but obviously pleased to be back in the one place he valued most, with the person he valued most. of course, there'd be many other social engagements - scholars couldn't get enough of the damn things - but alhaitham could dream, especially when his arms were wrapped around a font of them.
pulling back an inch, turquoise irises take in kaveh's face in that analytical way he always assesses a situation. ]
How are you feeling?
[ because even though that's not a natural question for him, something tells him he should probably ask. he's learning, even if it's a slow process. ]
no subject
[ alhaitham agrees, and they somewhat reluctantly part to suffer through the rest of the evening.
the remainder of the party is much less eventful, and to the scribe's delight, everyone seems to be too intimidated or wary to bring up the earlier altercation with him in conversation. instead, he whiles the rest of the time away on the fringes of the event again, being pulled in and out of conversations of varying value about the akademiya, about haravatat, about his current studies and interests. no topic was engaging enough to distract him completely from keeping an eye on the blonde on the other side of the room though, and alhaitham wasn't about to take any chances after what kaveh had already had to suffer through that night.
luckily, no further worms squirmed out of the woodwork and after what seems like eons the soiree wraps up, scholars leaving in throngs and in varying stages of inebriation. socialising is so, so very exhausting for alhaitham that he's unbelievably relieved to cross the threshold of his - their - home, the hallway just barely illuminated by the dim lights out on the street. in here it's quiet, it's secure, it's safe to be unapologetically himself without the frustration that the judgement of others brings with it. and so, he lets out a rather heavy sigh of fatigue as they close the door behind them, so very pleased to be back, and -
then, he's pleasantly interrupted by kaveh's lithe form against his, slim arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulling him towards the architect in a gentle embrace. it's perhaps the nicest 'welcome home' he can think of after spending a grueling evening in the company of those he'd rather not be remotely close to, and without thinking, alhaitham reciprocates. encircling the other's waist with his own arms, he holds kaveh almost possessively close, lips brushing against the shell of his ear before placing a soft kiss just above it on his golden hair. ]
Let's not go to one of those again. Ever.
[ he mutters, voice thready with fatigue but obviously pleased to be back in the one place he valued most, with the person he valued most. of course, there'd be many other social engagements - scholars couldn't get enough of the damn things - but alhaitham could dream, especially when his arms were wrapped around a font of them.
pulling back an inch, turquoise irises take in kaveh's face in that analytical way he always assesses a situation. ]
How are you feeling?
[ because even though that's not a natural question for him, something tells him he should probably ask. he's learning, even if it's a slow process. ]