[ where does a lie begin? does it begin with the lips, forming sound and phoneme? does it begin with the mind, with the first spark of thought? does it begin with intention, the singular flashpoint of momentum? how can the words that are coming out of a person's mouth make untrue reality? and from where does this falsehood arise: the person speaking, the person hearing, or somewhere in between? alhaitham has an answer. it is not, in fact, the answer that kaveh would arrive at. because alhaitham, who has never lied to kaveh, thinks - of course it's fine, because kaveh has lived in fear all his life. because kaveh has believed the world to be meaningless all his life. because alhaitham cannot give kaveh permission for what he has always done; and it so follows that alhaitham cannot give him permission to stop.
his hand curls in kaveh's. their fingers intertwine into their most natural configuration - palm to palm, valley to valley. he brings kaveh's hand back to him, to press first his knuckles to his lips, and then his palm. kaveh trembles, and it's as if the world trembles with him. perhaps it does. the eagle in the sky no longer soars. the padisarahs no longer sway. the world fragments along its edges like silverine stars in a dying galaxy, and alhaitham thinks, this dream will end soon. for kaveh, it has always been a nightmare. for alhaitham: ]
I am here, Kaveh. [ is what he says, quiet and resolute. alhaitham's lips pressed against the warm dip of kaveh's palm, his words hope-made-form, ] I am here.
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Date: 2023-05-04 07:59 am (UTC)his hand curls in kaveh's. their fingers intertwine into their most natural configuration - palm to palm, valley to valley. he brings kaveh's hand back to him, to press first his knuckles to his lips, and then his palm. kaveh trembles, and it's as if the world trembles with him. perhaps it does. the eagle in the sky no longer soars. the padisarahs no longer sway. the world fragments along its edges like silverine stars in a dying galaxy, and alhaitham thinks, this dream will end soon. for kaveh, it has always been a nightmare. for alhaitham: ]
I am here, Kaveh. [ is what he says, quiet and resolute. alhaitham's lips pressed against the warm dip of kaveh's palm, his words hope-made-form, ] I am here.
[ for alhaitham, it has always been a promise. ]