Fics like The Blue Room

When Al-Haitham stands, the legs of his chair scrape against the floorboards, the sound so jarring that it stops Kaveh in his agitated pacing for a moment. “After all this time,” he says slowly, walking towards Kaveh in even paces, “you still think I am closer related to a machine than to other living, breathing humans.” With his shoulder blades rubbing uncomfortably against the bookshelf, Kaveh says, “You are severely lacking in empathy, that much I can assure you of. It’s not hard to take it one step further and assume that most human feelings remain a mystery to you.” This time, when Al-Haitham speaks, his voice has a gravelly quality to it. It’s strained, stretched thin like the string of a bow pulled taut, close to snapping in half. “Can I, in return, assume then, that you think me incapable of feeling?” “Not incapable, no. It’s rather that you choose not to care how people react to you.” “If you think I do not care what you think of me, then I must have been doing something wrong all this time,” Al-Haitham says, sharp at the edges. Kaveh and Al-Haitham break up. Al-Haitham offers to help Kaveh find a new roommate.

Fics like The Blue Room

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