Chapter Text
It all started when the architect saw a foreigner walking around in Port Ormos.
His ginger hair and odd clothes stood out amongst the bustling crowd of Sumerians dressed in their typical working attire. Really, it was hard to miss how the man walked around near each stall curiously, as if looking for something he might be interested in.
"That's a lattu. Children usually play with that," Kaveh finds himself explaining as he approached the guy who was busy inspecting a spinning top in his hand.
The glint of a hydro vision becomes apparent to him as the man turns to address him with a smile.
"Ah, so it's a toy. I figured it looked like that, but I couldn't quite understand how exactly it worked," the ginger says, holding the lattu up for emphasis.
Kaveh smiles back brightly, picking up a different lattu from the stand.
"You use the rope to spin the wooden bit. I used to play with this as a kid, but my interest waned fairly quickly. Are you looking around for souvenirs?"
"Yes, actually. I have siblings back at Snezhnaya that are always looking forward to the things I bring home, and I can't help but want to impress them each time," the man explained rather fondly. Kaveh found himself more interested in him with every word he said.
"Ah, I see. How long will you be here for?"
"Not sure. I have a lot of time to kill, so I was thinking of sightseeing while I'm here. I assume I'll have more fun with a local tourist, though, since that's what I usually do when I visit other regions."
"Oh! Well, allow me to accompany you. I happen to have time as well for myself, after unforeseen circumstances..."
Another client cancelled on him again, something about them finding a cheaper option elsewhere. That's why he was walking around idly in Port Ormos in the first place.
"No need to sound so formal. You can call me Childe, and I'd like to be friends with you. For as long as you'd indulge me, of course," Childe says, extending a steady hand with a smile.
"I'm Kaveh, an architect here in Sumeru. Nice to meet you, um, new friend," Kaveh replies, smiling back as he shakes his hand. He's mildly surprised when the other man uses his other hand to clasp his shoulder tightly, patting it before letting go.
Conversation came easy between both men after that, exchanging curious questions about each others' regions and line of work. Kaveh hadn't felt so relaxed in ages, finding himself slowly being able to let go of his formal persona and loosen up around the Snezhnayan.
Day after day, they would meet up in Port Ormos and Kaveh would take him to a new spot in Sumeru. The architect seemed enthusiastic with every word and step, gleefully explaining the architecture and the history of things they pass through. They come across a food stall or two occasionally, and Childe would always insist on paying.
"Oh, that's not necessary-"
Childe gives the money anyway, and Kaveh can only stare in shame.
"It's the least I can do after you've dedicated so much time taking me around, Mr. Tour Guide," The ginger-haired man says with his easy smile, holding the pani puri in his hand.
Kaveh only slightly gets used to being treated by the man after that, with Childe somehow finessing his way to paying for anything they buy before Kaveh can even take out his admittedly empty wallet. There was, of course, money in it, but his evil landlord would probably start looking for his rent money again if he didn't pay on time...
They'd walk around, chat about questions that Childe comes up with, have a back and forth about who's going to pay for the next purchase (it was always Childe), and learn a little bit more about each other in the process.
"So you're a merchant? I have to say, starting to work at such a young age to support your family is quite commendable. You're a very good brother, you deserve to rest once in a while."
"Everything I do is for my family... I'd do anything for them. But you deserve much more praise than I do, you know? Why didn't you tell me sooner that you designed some of the most iconic landmarks in Sumeru?" Childe replies with a charming smile.
Seriously, he needs to stop looking at Kaveh like that if he doesn't want the architect catching feelings!
"Now you know, right?" Kaveh says proudly with a spring in his voice. "Frankly, I'm also interested in what kinds of toys you sell. Snezhnayan architecture is highly impressive, so your craftsmen would naturally be very skilled as well."
Childe gives him a different smile, and it's that moment when Kaveh notices a distinct lack of shine in his eyes.
"Oh, I'm afraid I can't share. The manufacturer I work with is very confidential with their work, I wouldn't be able to say anything without getting in trouble."
The conversation dwindled from there as they ran out of things to talk about, and they continued going to other spots on the map that seemed worth visiting. Kaveh increasingly found Childe to be fun to talk to, perhaps because he was a foreigner who had a different perspective on things... and also because he was younger.
Childe always looked so sure of himself. It was like everything he did, while not exactly calculated, was something he would never second-guess on. Kaveh kind of envied that. In fact, the architect has noticed some... bold gestures from the other man recently. Some subtle hand touches here and there, a wink, a smirk, the Snezhnayan had even wrapped an arm firmly around his waist once to steer clear of a set of sumpter beasts coming their way (It was a little embarrassing whenever the man knew exactly how to take care of him... it was supposed to be the other way around). He often found himself overthinking about their hangouts by the end of the day, to the point that his roommate had even started noticing. Gosh, so embarrassing...
But it was oddly nice to think about. Kaveh felt like he was back to his younger Akademiya days, feeling butterflies in his stomach at the mere thought that a guy might be into him. It helped take his mind off the true object of his affection, at least. Just the thought of that guy makes him either depressed or annoyed, depending on the day.
"Is there something on your mind?"
The curious voice of Childe's snaps Kaveh out of his thoughts. They were on their fourth day meeting at this point, and the architect had decided to take him to a scenic route somewhere private.
"Oh, I'm just... it's fine, you don't need to worry about me," Kaveh says with an airy chuckle.
"It's alright. Tell me."
"No, I can't possibly do that to you, especially when you're uh," he starts, biting his lip.
"I'm what?" Childe tilts his head to the side curiously, like a sunny dog staring with its wide eyes.
"You know, younger. I don't want to burden you with my problems."
"Kaveh," Childe starts. The simple mention of his name makes Kaveh want to fly. "I'm not that young, you know? If you saw me that way, I'd be troubled."
"Hm?" It was Kaveh's turn to tilt his head. What could he possibly mean by that?
The man stepped forward, and Kaveh found himself inching back, his face flushing at the proximity.
"I want to kiss you," Childe whispers as he tucks a hair behind Kaveh's ear, hovering over him enough that he could practically see every detail of his eyes. They weren't particularly mesmerizing, kind of dull compared to his glowing personality, actually, but-
"Can I?"
Kaveh gulps, his distracted thoughts being interrupted by Childe yet again whispering in that low tone. He hopes he isn't as red as he feels while nodding slowly, which finally prompts the younger man to close the gap.
It was sweet... like a fairytale. There was more care to it than Kaveh's cringy first time at the Tavern with a person he doesn't even remember the name of. Granted... he didn't have enough experience to compare.
A fairytale was the perfect description for whatever this was, actually. After all, once the Snezhnayan leaves, it'll be as if they had never met in the first place.
It wouldn't be so bad to indulge a little, right?
Their relationship barely took a turn after that. There were certainly romantic undertones somewhere, and they had done... a few extra activities that Kaveh would rather gloss over, but at the end of the day they still remained good friends.
"I might be leaving in two days for Fontaine," Childe says one day as they feast on some samosa that Lambad had prepared.
"Ah... then, that only means I must give you a proper send-off, shouldn’t I? Luckily for you, I already have a few things in mind," Kaveh replies with less energy in his tone, even though he tries his best to regain it.
That's right, good things end eventually.
–
In one of the desert villages Kaveh frequents and volunteers at, a couple had actually approached him for a wedding invitation. One of them was a merchant from Port Ormos, and they had decided to make it official according to both desert and Akademiya customs. He wasn't initially planning to come, but maybe it could be an opportunity to show Childe a unique aspect of Sumeru that most tourists wouldn't be privy to.
The children of the village huddled in one corner, silently staring at the ginger mop of hair attached to the foreigner the architect was with. They shrink back shyly once Childe notices, giving them a small wave as he lounges on a chair meant for the guests.
"Kaveh, my dear! I see you brought a plus one," a nosy-looking aunt says as she serves them some food, eyeing Childe up and down. "Not the oddball scholar this time?"
Kaveh blushes in embarrassment, smiling politely as he grips a fork to calm himself. He's dealt with these types of elders well before, but the mention of Alhaitham is always bound to make him sputter so he has to choose his words carefully. Especially today, when he'd left their home disgruntled after another argument.
"Nice to meet you, madam, I'm Childe. Just a tourist who got invited by my good friend here," Childe smoothly chimes in, taking a hand out to shake her hand.
"I see, I see! How old are you, dear? I have a daughter who could suit you just fine-"
"-Reminding everyone of the afterparty for the adults here. We'll be celebrating with the bride and groom all night, drink your hearts out!" A booming voice cuts through the bustle of the guests before everyone around them cheer happily, and the aunt that had given them their food moves on to the other tables.
"This afterparty is where you really wanted to take me, huh?" Childe asks cheekily to Kaveh, who chuckles in return.
"It might be a good experience for you, and I can't say no to some good quality alcohol."
"Homebrew," the man who made the announcement grins as he whispers to them, having eavesdropped on their conversation on the way out. "Extremely strong stuff. You won't see nothing like this from any merchant."
The foreigner and the architect look at each other and grin back.
"Very well then, it's decided. I'll be drinking my heart out tonight!"
–
"There's... this... stupid guy I'm in love with," Kaveh drawls, sounding a little bit more sober before chuckling drunkenly. They'd had so many bottles of alcohol since the start of the afterparty, he could already feel a terrible hangover coming from a mile away after all this.
"Who am I kidding? He's far from stupid. In fact, he's infuriatingly smart. So smart that it's impossible to win an argument with him. He thinks he's so witty hurling childish insults at me, until we never end up coming to a proper conclusion."
"So he's a scholar like you?"
"Ugh, yes. From a different darshan, no less. He likes to hold the fact that I'm from Ksharehwar above me, 'cause my darshan gets the least funds. Well, that doesn't make him better than me!"
Kaveh notices Childe staring as he raises his fists dramatically, so he clams up again and coughs into his hand. "M-my apologies, I shouldn't be talking about him when you're here..."
"No, it's nice," Childe butts in with a smile. "You know, you brighten up when you talk about something you like."
Kaveh blushes redder than before, hiding his expression by taking a swig of his drink.
"Is he aware?"
"That I'm in love with him? Pff- no, never. I don't think he sees me that way, and I'm certainly not even going to try confessing to save what's left of my pride."
"I find it difficult to believe anyone with some sense wouldn't fall in love with you."
A roar of laughter takes both of their attention, a man that Kaveh recognizes to be the ordained minister from the Akademiya looking absolutely drunk as he stands on the table.
"Folks! I've got a spare certificate here, anyone wanna take the chance?"
The crowd all laugh together again as the minister waves the piece of paper around with a grin.
"I'm in a good mood, no need to pay me! Just show me your rings and I'll get it done," the minister continues before cackling wildly, taking another swig of his alcohol.
"Do you want to get married someday, Kaveh?" Childe asks in a soft voice.
"Hm? Oh, uh... yeah. Duh. Of course," Kaveh replies with a chuckle, his face flushed. Man, that announcer really wasn't kidding when he said this stuff was strong. "I don't think I'll ever have the chance though, if I'm being honest."
"Why not?" Childe asks, sounding even more sincere than ever because of the alcohol. "Because of that scholar you like?"
"Yeah... it's just, if he really liked me I would know... wouldn't I? I've known him for so long," Kaveh asks in a soft tone, his eyes feeling glossy as he looks down at his drink.
Childe scans his face solemnly, his cheek resting on his fist.
"I've decided. I think we should make him realize how much he's missing out instead," Childe begins.
"Huh?"
"You're convinced that you'll never get married even if you wanted to, right?"
"Yeah? What are you planning-"
Childe suddenly places his empty glass on the table, leaving a resounding bang .
"With my line of work, I'll never find anyone to settle down with, either. It would be a waste if we don't take the chance now," Childe holds out his hand to him, making them both stand from their seats.
Kaveh feels a question mark physically materializing in his head in his drunken state. He opens his mouth to reply, until the Snezhnayan kneels down on one knee. What.
"Marry me," Childe says as he looks up at the architect, whose eyes widen in a daze.
This was a dream, right? Surely this was a dream. No one would be insane enough to propose on the spot after only merely seeing each other for a week, and even then it's not like they had been dating either. This kind of setting hadn't been how Kaveh had imagined his engagement to look like as well, but then again he had imagined a wedding with a different person all his life. That person that hurt to think about.
Still... the night looked beautiful. A blanket of stars covered the sky, and some onlookers at the party had gasped collectively as soon as the foreigner made his move. Childe was charming, incredibly so, but his lifestyle didn't seem to suit married life and... ah, his head hurt the more his thoughts spiraled down. It was easier to be stupid, and the copious amounts of alcohol in their system made it impossible to think a coherent thought. So why was he still thinking? Why not just say-
" I will ! I will. W-we need some rings," Kaveh stutters as he fumbles along his clothing, looking for a non-existent pair of bands.
"You can borrow mine!" A random person chimes in, taking out their ring and handing it to him. Another person does the same. Well, that was way too simple.
"Here we go," the ordained minister says as he seemingly materializes in front of them. Everything was happening so fast that Kaveh could only nod, blushing as he smiled widely in excitement. It was like he was doing something rebellious like eloping, or whatever other secretive thing you could do at a youthful age. Could he have thought about this a little more? Perhaps. But he felt like doing something dumb for once. Or once again. He can't really think straight anymore.
They had exchanged rings, and even bothered sharing vows like a well-established couple would. They had danced just with each other and then with a whole group, fed each other cake, whatever else they could think of. The important thing is that Kaveh had felt alive and he was going to make the most of it until the wonderful illusion that Childe provided was eventually gone.
Everything had been a blur. He's not even sure if all the details he could remember were accurate as it all came flooding back to him. Childe left Sumeru before Kaveh woke up the next day at Lambad's, with no recollection of what happened and no clues to guess with.
"I guess he just made sure I'd be able to get back somewhere safe, so he got me a mercenary to take me to the only place he knew I trusted... where you eventually came to fetch me," Kaveh finally ends whatever of the story he's been able to recount, his voice wavering and low in volume.
Tighnari looks like he's having the most stressful day of his life as he finishes listening, massaging his forehead like a disgruntled old man. He had never looked so disappointed, not even towards his forest ranger trainees. Cyno was incredibly silent beside him, though Kaveh could guess pretty easily that he already has some awful joke in mind to "suit" the occasion, but he's smart enough to keep it to himself lest he meet the fox's wrath.
And Alhaitham... Kaveh was incredibly scared to look in his fiance's direction. How could he even face him now? It was a miracle that the architect hadn't exploded on the spot from the pressure he was feeling.
Could he even still call him his fiance?
Was it all over?
"Okay, let me get this straight," Tighnari starts as he gains his bearings, exhaling. "You couldn't remember for a while because you were completely inebriated, but you definitely recognize the name as a man you met back then and had a fling with for a week."
"Yes."
"And you married him. While drunk."
"... Yes..."
Tighnari sighs, his expression turning back to the previous one again. He doesn't seem to have the energy to speak.
"If you got married while drunk, then there must be grounds for the marriage being invalid. If we go to the ministry now, we could probably have it reversed," Cyno offers, being the only one to say anything remotely helpful.
"You know what? You're right. Let's go there now," Tighnari exasperatedly says before he and Cyno get up from the couch.
Kaveh begins to get up as well before Tighnari stops him.
" Not you. Stay here and talk it out, the two of you," the fox man says pointedly, glaring. "Figure out where you both are going after this, because this whole thing is clearly a mess as it is now."
As soon as the door closed, Kaveh felt even smaller in their own shared home. He kept his eyes firmly on the ground, only looking at the tip of Alhaitham's shoes as he twiddled his thumbs.
A long time passes before either of them speak up. The scribe had been in one stance for a while, as if still digesting the information and sorting things in his neat little mental boxes. Kaveh goes rigid when he sees Alhaitham's feet move.
"Alright. Go ahead and pack your things," Alhaitham suddenly says, to Kaveh's utter shock.
"You're kicking me out!?"
Kaveh understands at a fundamental level that his outburst upon the statement was absolutely out of proportion. Of course Alhaitham wouldn't want him around anymore, he did something so utterly irresponsible that even he himself finds it bizarre! And yet..!
And yet. It... still hurt to hear it directly from the man he was absolutely sure he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He wanted to scream into a pillow right then and there and kick himself for being such a fool. He wanted to drown himself in alcohol at Lambad's, which was another foolish thought considering alcohol was what got him into this mess in the first place.
Being hurt from this was irrational, he knew that. He will respect Alhaitham's decision to call off the wedding and move out as soon as possible, of course. But that wouldn't stop him from being a bitch about it.
He follows Alhaitham out of the living room and into their shared office, the scribe's back turned to him the whole time as he rummaged through some drawers. Kaveh is afraid of what kind of face he might be making now.
"The solution Cyno suggested is reasonable and the most possible route to achieve, but the process will take too long and we'd have to start planning the wedding all over again. I doubt we can wait that long," Alhaitham starts, writing something on a piece of paper he had acquired. He... didn't really sound upset at all. In fact, Kaveh could sense a bit of urgency from him - the same one he gets whenever he plans an exhibition for a research project.
Kaveh pauses at this realization, and Alhaitham looks back at him, expression as calm as ever.
"We're going to find this man and make him sign the annulment papers ourselves."