Later, there is a knocking on his door. He gets up, and opens the door slightly to see Sadiq. "Ah... I wanted... To apologize..."
"..." Gupta nods slightly, and starts to close the door, but Sadiq catches it. "Aren't you gonna accept it?" he asks, and Gupta rolls his eyes. He motions with his hand, saying in an offhanded way that he did, but Sadiq takes his wrist. "Lemme make it up to ya" He says, and pulls Gupta out of the room. Too shocked to react, the Egyptian man is pulled down the hall and outdoors to a large, beautiful garden complete with a fountain. Gupta looks around in amazement, and Sadiq let's go of him, grinning. "Good, huh?" Gupta shakes his head slightly, and points to his lips. "A-ma-zing" He sounds out slowly for Sadiq, telling him the word he had probably meant. "Eh? A-ma-zing?" Sadiq repeats, and Gupta nods, falling silent once again. "Hey... You talked! You can talk!" Sadiq exclaims, seeming excited. Gupta blinks slowly, then nods, wondering why Sadiq was like this over a simple word. Sadiq grins crookedly. "Your voice is beautiful." Gupta blinks again, then strides to a flower bush and ignores Sadiq, even though he can hear the Turk laugh behind him. He couldn't believe that he had talked, either; in no way was there a reason for him to trust Sadiq enough to do so. He had only actually talked to his mother, a beautiful, strong woman who protected her son fiercely. "Can come here as much as want" Sadiq says, and Gupta nods in response, overlooking the bad grammar. "..." Sadiq nods once, and goes back inside.
حب
Over the next few days, Sadiq and Gupta forge a kind of friendship, Gupta writing proper grammar and words on paper and getting Sadiq to say it before answering. Likewise, Sadiq begins teaching Gupta Turkish, laughing when Gupta struggles to choose a right word. When he does this, Gupta narrows his eyes, then steals the almost always present plate of Turkish Delight and doesn't let Sadiq have it back until he apologizes, and so they get along, until Sadiq adds another territory to his empire.
He brought home the struggling, yelling child, seeming ticked off. Gupta approaches them, surprised when he realizes that it is Heracles, the representative of Greece. "Damn brat, stop struggling!" Sadiq yells, and Heracles retorts in Greek. Gupta moves forward and takes the child from Sadiq, stroking his hair lightly and giving Sadiq a look, saying 'You've terrified him. Calm down'. "But... Gupta, he started it!" Sadiq whines, and Heracles sticks his tongue out at him before hugging Gupta, automatically trusting him because of their childhood together (Obviously, Gupta had grown much, much faster). He gives Sadiq another look, then carries Heracles out of the room.
Sadiq became more distant after that. He was swamped with work for his empire, and Heracles had stuck to Gupta like a cat to milk. And whenever the two were in the same room, the hatred between them was almost visible, and Gupta refused to deal with it. So, a schism between them appeared and soon widened as Heracles grew older. After Heracles won his fight for freedom, the relationship between Sadiq and Gupta was almost too damaged to repair. Gupta had helped Sadiq in the war, yes, but it was obvious to both of them that it was only because he had been ordered to. But, Sadiq fell into a sickness that confined him to bed. As soon as Gupta heard, he went to the empires' bedroom and went in without knocking, striding to the bed. Sadiq opens his eyes slightly, then turns his still-masked face away. "G'away..."
"No." Gupta crosses his arms, and Sadiq looks at him in surprise. Since the garden, Gupta had only written or conveyed with looks and shrugs what he wanted. "You're sick, Sadiq. I'm taking care of you."
"..." Gupta takes Sadiq's silence as a yes, and feels the Turk's forehead, pushing his bangs back. It was outrageously hot to the touch. Gupta straightens up, and leaves the room, coming back with a bowl of water and a rag. He sits on the edge of the bed, and dips the rag into the water, then wrings it out and folds it, placing it on Sadiq's forehead. He touches the edge of the mask lightly, asking to take it off. "Why?" Sadiq asks gruffly, touching the mask to keep it there. "It is trapping the heat from your skin and making you hotter. It's just making you feel worse." he says quietly. "... Alright..." Sadiq mumbles, and drops his hand back to his side. Gupta lifts the mask off of his face gently, trying not to stare when the whole of Sadiq's face is revealed to him for the first time. Dark, arched eyebrows, strong cheekbones and nose, and the most startling feature; his eyes. A bright hazel with flecks of green and gold. Gupta blinks, then begins washing the sweat from Sadiq's face with another damp rag to distract himself. "... Don't like people seein' my face... Guess I'm just shy. And it's only around people I trust." Sadiq says, looking away and trying to explain. Gupta nods to show his understanding, and motions to his mouth. "... You're the same way about talking?" Gupta nods again. "... Does that mean you trust me?" Sadiq asks, his voice almost pitifully hopeful, wanting a friend. "... Yes, Sadiq. I trust you." Gupta looks back at him, and smiles very slightly. "Thank you for trusting me enough to let me take care of you" He says, straightening up. "No problem" Sadiq smiles, and closes his eyes. "Goin' to sleep now..." Gupta nods, standing up to leave, but Sadiq catches his wrist and looks up at him. "Don't leave...?"
"..." Gupta nods again, and sits back down. Sadiq relaxes, but doesn't let go, drifting into sleep. Gupta idly strokes his hair for a while, then yawns and glances at Sadiq before cautiously lying next to him. Using Sadiq's shoulder as a pillow, he closes his eyes, and falls asleep.
حب