sic semper tyrannis

non est princeps super leges, sed leges supra principem

Kaveh did convince him, of course. That was just how things went with him. Alhaitham could resist, but Kaveh's small smiles, the way his eyes lit up in excitement, and oh, that look had him wrapped around his finger. He could never really refuse the prince in his entirety.

It was only another matter of weeks, another series of failed test scores, and much, much more demanding before Alhaitham truly cracked. The night he finally agreed, a sigh on his lips as he reluctantly said yes, the widest smile made its way onto Kaveh's face and he laughed, hugging Alhaitham close. During a time in which Kaveh showed little emotion, taking simply what he was given and rolling his eyes at his tutors' badgering, it was a reassurance like no other.

It was a promise that Kaveh, although ignoring and avoiding what he disliked, would always light up at what he did.

Alhaitham hadn't been able to help hugging back, holding Kaveh close if only for a second. He rarely received touch like that from anyone else and, even if Alhaitham disliked it, he thought Kaveh deserved the sentiment. He ended up pulling back with that smile still on his face and he walked off to his desk to draw long into the night.

The morning after, Kaveh did not wake Alhaitham up. It almost came as a disappointment. He'd expected it, told himself to prepare for it as he'd gone to bed, and it hadn't come.

With a sigh, Alhaitham climbed out of his bed and got dressed, wasting no time. Maybe he'd simply woken up earlier than Kaveh. There was certainly a lack of light coming in through the glass on the door, though that could easily be written off due to the time of year. Regardless, if Kaveh really wanted to go, they'd have to set out before long and it was annoying to have to wake him up.

Alhaitham reached for the door, turning the handle, and—it flung open without him having to push. On the other end, Kaveh smiled up at him, those red eyes shining up at him with so much blatant optimism. He was already dressed in that same outfit from a few months ago, though he obviously lacked the blindfold.

"Ready to go?" Kaveh asked. The blond was practically jumping up and down, holding both of his hands excitedly to his chest. His voice was so full of passion and desire, a readiness to learn.

It took Alhaitham off guard. He was sure he was going to have to wake him up, but here Kaveh was. He should have known better than to doubt him.

Alhaitham slowly returned the smile, albeit smaller, and placed a hand on Kaveh's shoulder. "If you are."

Kaveh nodded. "Of course, I'm ready! I could barely sleep, I was thinking about it all night! I can't believe I fell asleep at all and I rushed to get ready when I woke up, I'm so excited for this you can't even begin—"

Alhaitham tightened his grip on Kaveh's shoulder, trying to prevent himself from laughing. "Kaveh." He cut him off and the prince blinked, focusing back on him and less on his dreams. "Calm down. We'll go soon, but you need to be good like last time."

Kaveh pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm always good."

"You've failed more tests in the last month than I could count on both of my hands," Alhaitham retorted.

It made Kaveh flush a light red and he huffed, turning away from him and closing his eyes. "Whatever! I'm always good when it comes to things I care about!" He crossed the room, walked over to the door, and placed his hands on the handle with clear plans to exit.

"You're forgetting the blindfold."

That had Kaveh stop in his tracks, turning back to send a wide ruby gaze at Alhaitham. He huffed again then retraced his steps, coming back to point a finger into Alhaitham's chest. "You were just distracting me. I wouldn't have forgotten it if you hadn't distracted me."