Chapter Text
Alhaitham walked you back to his place.
To think he chose you, out of all people at the Akademiya, to study under his wing. You couldn’t figure out his reasoning.
Was it because he took a special interest in you? Or maybe it was his strange way of saying that he wants to observe you. Perhaps he doesn’t trust you, and used an invitation to study as an excuse to monitor you. Regardless of what it may be, you weren’t going to turn down an opportunity to study with the scribe himself.
“We’re almost there,” he said, snapping you out of a daze. “I will allow you to stay at my place for the time being, so as long as you agree to remain vigilant with your lessons.”
“Stay at your place?” you asked, surprised.
“I have someone else living with me at the current moment. As long as you aren’t as…insufferable as he is, I am willing to welcome you with open arms.”
“But, why would you allow me to stay if you already have to deal with someone that aggravating?”
“Unlike him, I have a feeling you will actually contribute something useful,” he said, eye twitching.
From Alhaitham’s side comments alone, you could deduct that his roommate seemed to truly get on his nerves. He sounded like a freeloading leech, even. It wasn't worth inquiring Alhaitham further about this supposed nuisance, as you were soon about to find out about him for yourself. It seemed like he was getting highly annoyed with every passing second he remained the topic of the conversation anyways.
You did, however, give him a subtle glance of curiosity. He noticed out of the corner of his eye, looked at you, and shook his head. That was the one and only hint you needed to understand that he was not in the mood for going into details.
After a short and somewhat nerve-racking walk, Alhaitham stopped you in front of the doors of his place. From the outside alone, its appearance was grand, with a plenitude of space and elegance conveyed through the exterior details alone. It was fitting for a man as high ranked and respected as he was. Alhaitham took a deep breath, likely prepping himself for the infamous nuisance that awaits him. Then, he pushed one of the large, emerald doors open and stepped out of the way.
"After you," he said, motioning for you to go inside.
You walked into his house, and he followed shortly behind you, closing the door gently once both of you were inside. His house was finely but lightly decorated with Sumeru ornaments. Golden accents adorned the wooden furniture, and bookshelves lined the light stone walls. On a sofa rested a blonde man, with a build slightly smaller than that of Alhaitham, stretched out with his legs hanging over one of the arm rests. With his arms behind his head, he seemed to be in a light state of sleep, though he was unphased by the closure of the massive doors and the clacking of footsteps against the stone floor.
"Kaveh," Alhaitham snapped. "Get up."
Alhaitham's lazed roommate half-opened one of his eyes and turned his head slightly to face him. He seemed unfazed by his attitude, most likely due to similar scenarios being a regular occurrence.
"I said, get up."
Kaveh slowly sat himself up and stretched his arms well above his head. He seemed less concerned about the clear irritation in Alhaitham's eyes than he was with your presence.
"Don't forget who owns this place," Alhaitham said, giving him a not so friendly reminder.
"Damn, I'm your roommate, not your slave," Kaveh replied, still somewhat fixated on you. He was adjusting his hairclips to properly secure his hair behind his head, as it seemed to have loosened and fallen to the side in his rest. "Besides, I see you've picked up a new fella here despite how oh so pissed you are with me. I think if anything, your bias is the problem here."
"Unlike you, my new pupil actually shows potential. You, however, can’t even find yourself a stable source of income."
"What do you mean? Architecture is a fine source of income!" Kaveh shot up from his seat and stared down Alhaitham.
"It is, as long as you aren't pick and choosy about your jobs."
"I don't take any projects that I don't feel a connection with. The result would simply be underwhelming and unfulfilling. You scribes truly have no respect for the arts!"
"And you have no respect for my new student."
It felt awkward to be treated as a priority by the scribe, but alas, he was willing to silence his own roommate out of respect for you. Alhaitham must be taking his plans for instructing you quite seriously, perhaps hoping for you to show the same courtesy to him in return.
Either that, or Alhaitham genuinely dislikes Kaveh with every ounce of blood in his body.
He would probably be fine if you gave Kaveh a foul attitude in return. In fact, there's a chance he would even subtly encourage it.
Still, you figured that it was a typical quarrel between roommates, and with the way Alhaitham spoke of him on the walk there, you expected nothing less. Even with this in mind, it wouldn't hurt to give Kaveh a chance, even if he does appear to take his craft less seriously than Alhaitham.
Alhaitham introduced you to him by name, going as far as to state your full title in the Akademiya. It was probably an attempt to baffle Kaveh with your accomplishments, but he seemed to see through what he was trying to do.
Kaveh took a more casual approach to a greeting by putting his hand on your shoulder. It felt less tense than Alhaitham’s body as a whole looked, but you could still feel the leftover frustration in his grip from his recent quarrel(s) with the house's actual owner.
"I'm Kaveh, one of Sumeru's most prestigious architects. Don't mind Alhaitham, he really needs to get off of his high horse sometimes."
Alhaitham shooed his hand away from your shoulder. His look alone was enough to convey the message that he was getting a bit too familiar and perhaps making you uncomfortable. It strangely didn't bother you, as the little bit of touch was a nice change of pace from your lone days studying solo. However, you didn't want to imply this to Alhaitham, as who knows what kind of argument could erupt from that.
You gave Kaveh a small but cheerful smile in response, much to his surprise. Alhaitham merely crossed his arms and glared at you, getting your attention.
"You will be staying here through the course of your studies. I will allow for this evening off for you to settle in, but afterwards, I expect you to be on schedule and fully prepared every day."
You nodded your head in agreement, but one question came into your mind.
"I am honored to be your guest, but I have…one small concern," you said.
Kaveh and Alhaitham looked at you, curiously.
"Where will I be spending my nights here?" you asked.
"For now, you may rest on this sofa until I am able to provide you with appropriate accommodations," Alhaitham said. "The decision to allow you to study here was…rather sudden, thus I have been unable to plan out a proper area of rest."
He seemed so sure of having some sort of plan, but he said it in such a way that it seemed like he completely forgot about finding you a place to sleep.
"Or," Kaveh interjected, "you can sleep in my bed for the time being. It's big enough for two people to hog their own separate side."
"Such boldness is uncalled for," Alhaitham said, sternly.
Kaveh flinched slightly, but he still held his ground.
"Calm down, it was merely a secondary option for our student here. Sumeru nights can get brutally cold, and I would hate for them to be shivering against a couch with barely enough room to move."
Alhaitham once again shook his head out of frustration.
"I'll leave it up to you," Alhaitham said. "You can take the couch for now or deal with this thing in your way."
The couch seemed to be the least socially awkward option, but it ultimately sounded cold and uncomfortable. If Kaveh's bed is as large as he claims it to be, it would be far more comfortable in the long run. As long as he holds true to his word to stay on his side, then it shouldn't be too bad.
It could be worse. You could be sharing a bed with your mentor instead.
"Hmm...I'll…take Kaveh up on his offer for now," you said.
Alhaitham looked at you, eyes wide open with surprise. Kaveh, on the other hand, was taken aback by the acceptance of his offer.
"Wait...actually?" he said, almost as if he was counting on you to decline.
"As long as you behave yourself."
Alhaitham's eyes narrowed at the two of you.
"Well, I did say that I would allow you to choose, so I have no reason to object," Alhaitham said, still weary of your decision.
You hoped that you wouldn't rethink your decision later on. If worst comes to worst, you could always move to the couch if Kaveh was truly as insufferable as Alhaitham claimed.
For now, Kaveh really didn’t bother you as much as it felt like he should.