[ he responds flatly despite the couch shifting next to him, signaling that kaveh had decided to sit; despite the soft touch of the blonde's hand against his knee which he desperately tries to ignore. alhaitham still doesn't look towards him, like he knows that his own eyes give away far more than they usually do and that's uncomfortable, far too vulnerable for someone who'd built their entire existence around being unaffected.
kaveh's question, however, is ridiculous. the scribe pauses before finishing his glass, staring at the empty vessel for a moment before setting it down on the coffee table. ]
Why would that be the conclusion you drew from that? [ a rough voice murmurs, his tone edged with husk from the hard liquor and fatigue. the dark circles underneath his eyes already gave that away. ] Did I give any indication to that end?
[ with a tired sigh, alhaitham leans forward and rests his elbows on his thighs, muscular form hunched. was there even any point in trying to talk through this now, when the damage had already been done? he'd already resigned himself to grieving, a process he was distantly familiar with, and he'd come to terms with kaveh's departure - at least, in a functional sense. ]
But, if you really need confirmation? No, it wasn't. [ if only the alcohol could do a better job of numbing - but some hurt was too deep to run from. ] I paid it off because I knew it bothered you. Knew living here bothered you.
It was to test whether or not you simply felt obligated to stay here because you had no other options.
no subject
[ he responds flatly despite the couch shifting next to him, signaling that kaveh had decided to sit; despite the soft touch of the blonde's hand against his knee which he desperately tries to ignore. alhaitham still doesn't look towards him, like he knows that his own eyes give away far more than they usually do and that's uncomfortable, far too vulnerable for someone who'd built their entire existence around being unaffected.
kaveh's question, however, is ridiculous. the scribe pauses before finishing his glass, staring at the empty vessel for a moment before setting it down on the coffee table. ]
Why would that be the conclusion you drew from that? [ a rough voice murmurs, his tone edged with husk from the hard liquor and fatigue. the dark circles underneath his eyes already gave that away. ] Did I give any indication to that end?
[ with a tired sigh, alhaitham leans forward and rests his elbows on his thighs, muscular form hunched. was there even any point in trying to talk through this now, when the damage had already been done? he'd already resigned himself to grieving, a process he was distantly familiar with, and he'd come to terms with kaveh's departure - at least, in a functional sense. ]
But, if you really need confirmation? No, it wasn't. [ if only the alcohol could do a better job of numbing - but some hurt was too deep to run from. ] I paid it off because I knew it bothered you. Knew living here bothered you.
It was to test whether or not you simply felt obligated to stay here because you had no other options.