[Alhaitham will not deny Kaveh's flaws for two main reasons.
The first is that to do so would be a lie, and Kaveh would know he was lying. Alhaitham has never shied away from pointing out such things before so why would he do it now? It would only throw what he was saying into doubt.
The second is that Kaveh needs to hear that those things about him are acknowledged and accepted by the person telling him that they love him. To try and list all perceived positive qualities would be akin to nothing but platitudes.
Alhaitham knows Kaveh well. He always has. More than once he has put himself into positions he would rather not be in, in order to keep an eye on him because he knew that the architect would not watch out for himself.]
... I cut you off because you were going to wear yourself out trying to drag everyone else along with you. [Gently, he rubs Kaveh's back as the other man leans into him.] You knew that I wouldn't slow down for them, and you were always brilliant enough to keep up with me on your own. You would never have admitted it; you'd destroy yourself before you left them behind, so it was up to me to make the decision.
[He rubs his fingertips against the back of Kaveh's neck.]
But you would never have just agreed to drop the project. You've always been stubborn.
[He had to make him do it. Had to make it into a fight. It had been easy, really, when he knew which buttons to press.]
Having you despising me was preferable to watching you burn.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2024-04-21 02:16 am (UTC)The first is that to do so would be a lie, and Kaveh would know he was lying. Alhaitham has never shied away from pointing out such things before so why would he do it now? It would only throw what he was saying into doubt.
The second is that Kaveh needs to hear that those things about him are acknowledged and accepted by the person telling him that they love him. To try and list all perceived positive qualities would be akin to nothing but platitudes.
Alhaitham knows Kaveh well. He always has. More than once he has put himself into positions he would rather not be in, in order to keep an eye on him because he knew that the architect would not watch out for himself.]
... I cut you off because you were going to wear yourself out trying to drag everyone else along with you. [Gently, he rubs Kaveh's back as the other man leans into him.] You knew that I wouldn't slow down for them, and you were always brilliant enough to keep up with me on your own. You would never have admitted it; you'd destroy yourself before you left them behind, so it was up to me to make the decision.
[He rubs his fingertips against the back of Kaveh's neck.]
But you would never have just agreed to drop the project. You've always been stubborn.
[He had to make him do it. Had to make it into a fight. It had been easy, really, when he knew which buttons to press.]
Having you despising me was preferable to watching you burn.