HARPER
He rubs a thumb over her arm, not knowing what to say but offering comfort regardless. In his mind she owes him nothing, and he will maintain that. But if she wants to attribute her life to his single, karmic intervention, he won't invalidate how she feels. Though he does give a brief amused snort at the idea of being a shut in. "First time anyone has threatened me with making me talk, normally they're begging me to stop." Vague amusement curling like smoke around the words, trying to regain some footing and normalcy.
Spinning in the chair again to face her is a mistake, because she speaks it's difficult to conceal his reaction on his face when he's already so emotionally drained. "You know I condemn that level of age gap, why would you bring that up? To make me angry?" His hand grips the back of the chair and squeezes until his tanned skin bleeds white. "You're never going to understand or believe me when I say you aren't ready, that you're too young. Your science and medicine is leagues behind what mine was, and I can't change what you've been indoctrinated into. Why argue it all over again?" Anger flashes in cobalt eyes, but he doesn't dare stand. Doesn't want to look or intimidate in any way, to be accused of being a violent man when he never has been. Each word is crisp and far more grammatically intense than his normal speech pattern, the strongest show of cards that reveals his upset. "I expected you to be stronger than buckling beneath harassment for sex. I thought you valued love and attachment over predatory claims from effective strangers. Or were you just lying to me this whole time? Trying to win your way into my bed or some other such nonsense?" If she wanted anger, she has gotten it. Even in the past he has never been this angry, this frustrated. He never targeted her so directly even when she'd hurt him during their spar. But she has slipped the knife between vulnerable ribs, when his emotions are already so far out of his control.
She hasn't seen Harper truly mad. Even now it only bubbles and grows, not cresting yet. But the betrayal is obvious, that her idea of distracting him is to hurt him.
Spinning in the chair again to face her is a mistake, because she speaks it's difficult to conceal his reaction on his face when he's already so emotionally drained. "You know I condemn that level of age gap, why would you bring that up? To make me angry?" His hand grips the back of the chair and squeezes until his tanned skin bleeds white. "You're never going to understand or believe me when I say you aren't ready, that you're too young. Your science and medicine is leagues behind what mine was, and I can't change what you've been indoctrinated into. Why argue it all over again?" Anger flashes in cobalt eyes, but he doesn't dare stand. Doesn't want to look or intimidate in any way, to be accused of being a violent man when he never has been. Each word is crisp and far more grammatically intense than his normal speech pattern, the strongest show of cards that reveals his upset. "I expected you to be stronger than buckling beneath harassment for sex. I thought you valued love and attachment over predatory claims from effective strangers. Or were you just lying to me this whole time? Trying to win your way into my bed or some other such nonsense?" If she wanted anger, she has gotten it. Even in the past he has never been this angry, this frustrated. He never targeted her so directly even when she'd hurt him during their spar. But she has slipped the knife between vulnerable ribs, when his emotions are already so far out of his control.
She hasn't seen Harper truly mad. Even now it only bubbles and grows, not cresting yet. But the betrayal is obvious, that her idea of distracting him is to hurt him.
let your faith be bigger than your fear
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
