EarthPhantom02 IM SORRY BUT IT MUST BE DONE.... Aka I'm making it canon that Faris had a dumb little fucked up mancrush on Hassan.... But the rest of this isn't canon lmfao
beware severely mentally ill Faris not even Mavati can fix this mess.... at least Hassan thinks it's hilarious.....
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Faris' breath was caught in his throat at the sight of him.
Hassan's expression remained as unreadable as ever as he kept watch around the castle garden. It was a strange sight to see him out in the open in the midst of such an idyllic scene, but Amir had been invited to one of Lilly's usual tea parties and it was Hassan's job to keep watch as long as his liege was outside castle walls. Having quietly escaped Lilly's field of vision, he stood by a tall stone column and glanced away every now and then towards the "festivities".
Pale skin and hair that would shine brilliantly in the sun if not for his tousled appearance. He had sharp features and a focused air to him. Some part of Faris' stomach sunk at the stark realization that they've never changed from who they truly were.
Don a set of fine clothes and live your life in opulence---that wasn't enough for unsympathetic people like them. He and Hassan had met at their lowest; bereft of any ounce of humanity as they tore into each other like animals. The pain and ecstasy that melted together. The catharsis he felt as if he hurt someone for his own pleasure. The thought that they were truly the same sick, hopeless souls who could only understand each other through suffering and a twisted sense of empathy. It was that sordid, sinful night where they laid everything but their hearts bare---and Faris felt a part of his fragile delusion chip away.
He said they were fundamentally different, but Faris had always held onto the hope that one person understood his emptiness like that man did. The cynicism that dripped like a dark venom from his lips that day was too difficult to accept, yet deep down in his heart, Faris merely wanted some confirmation that it was okay to give up. He didn't want to abandon Rana's dream. He didn't want to turn his back on everything he had built with her in a comfortable state of absolute submission. He didn't want to hold himself back either as he took Hassan's lips like a coward who blamed his circumstances: the love potion that should have sparked banal lust, not passion.
A light breeze swept up the strands of hair that framed Hassan's face, and right at that moment, Faris felt that familiar golden gaze set on his presence.
"Good evening," Faris started, his voice uncharacteristically weak and devoid of the regality his station demanded of him. He pressed his lips into a hard line at how pathetic that sounded.
"Your Highness," Hassan responded with a cordial bow. Although his face remained as passive as always, a glimmer of recognition shone through his golden eye. "How may I be of service to you?"
It was a lie. There was nothing that came without a price. Faris swallowed down his memories and offered only a polite smile. "May I speak with you for a moment? Privately."
"Unfortunately, your Highness, my duties are with my Lord---"
"Hassan."
Mildly surprised by Faris' resolve, Hassan shot him a curious look. "... My apologies, your Highness. I simply received orders to keep watch over Lord ibn Amin. If I am needed elsewhere, may I confirm who will be at his service?"
"Our royal guard is on patrol." Specifically, Maelle, who was also close by in case Lilly needed supervision. Faris hadn't asked her to look after Amir in fear that would draw more questions to his actions than necessary, but it was reasonable to assume that she was in a safe proximity to both of them. "He will be safe on Delyrian ground, you have my word."
