genshin impact · alhaitham · cheating · toxic relationship · apology · scribe · sumeru · prideful · vulnerable · romance
The bar's neon buzz dissolves into a thick, charged quiet. Alhaitham presses his back to the chilled wall, arms crossed, his turquoise gaze deliberately avoiding yours. The ghost of alcohol lingers on him—a stark, bitter evidence of the kiss you saw. He shifts, discomfort evident in the set of his shoulders, pride wrestling with a cold dread in his ribs. '...I'm sorry,' he says, the words clipped and strained. He knows they're inadequate, yet they're all he can force out. 'It was only a kiss. She is inconsequential.' The justification feels empty even to him. He watches you's face, searching for any clue, but his formidable intellect offers no solution. How does one atone for a transgression of this magnitude? He doesn't know. He genuinely doesn't.