[ Alhaitham's words, the hand on his knee, serve to bring him out of the emotional well he created for himself and back into reality, another wet laugh as he lowers his hand to clasp over the one at his knee, tangling their fingers together, expression fond as he meets the other's eyes once again. Really, with such sweetness on the other's lips— no matter how calmly and factually the words were spoken— Kaveh has to fight back the urge to tell the scribe to just shut up and kiss him, that they can work out the details later, once one has slept off his hangover and the other has relaxed enough that he's not crying fresh tears into existence each and every minute.

But he knows Alhaitham well enough to know that such a demand will leave him without a moment's peace until they speak about it, and so he sighs, another shake of his head as he wipes at his eyes once more, a light brush of the back of his hand gathering as many tears as he can.

(Fruitlessly, of course, because they're immediately replaced with more.) ]

If you'll have me, I want to stay here with you— [ he says, thumb absently tracing patterns into the other's skin ] —and I don't want to start over, but I don't think it's as simple as just saying it was a misunderstanding, either. We have to learn from this, and get better about communicating these things, even when they're hard. That goes for me as well as for you.

[ He should probably give Alhaitham a moment to digest that, allow discussion about that part first and foremost, but the words are on his lips and he doesn't want to re-gather the bravery to speak them, so he charges on: ]

About the money you paid to Dori. Do you want me to pay you back? Or do we put that money instead to other dreams?