Archive of Our Own ^beta

Kaveh, otherwise known as the Light of Kshahrewar, was a beautiful man.

Many sought him out for his architectural services, while others had the ulterior motive of soughting out the man himself. His beauty attracted those of all genders and few clung onto the faint hope that he’d give them the time of day.

He wasn’t particularly modest about his appearance either, quite happy that it was as a result of his hard work, or more specifically, his skincare routine and his constant need to have a clean environment.

Alhaitham came to know as much when they began to share accommodation. As nonchalant as he may have seemed, even he knew to appreciate beauty once it was witnessed — that was, not that he’d ever admit it to the man himself.

He had fair, delicate skin, with even the calluses on his hands and the grooves on his fingers from work being barely visible. Not to mention the way his blond hair framed his face beautifully, with stray strands being pinned back, and the bold, sharp, pale crimson irises that never failed to reciprocate the gaze of another.

His features were beautiful, Alhaitham reluctantly admitted, but the man himself was detestable and highly disagreeable.

Even so, there remains to be another hidden perspective on how Alhaitham perceives Kaveh. It is his truth, one embedded deep within him, and a tale of mystery, never to be exposed to the light.

Kaveh, the Light of Kshahrewar, and Alhaitham, the scribe of the Akademiya, who would later be known as the former Acting Grand Sage, were two exceptional individuals with unimaginable intellect.

As such, a joint research product they’d worked on together during their time at the Akademiya was highly received. One would assume that such like-minded individuals would have a close relationship, but those who had made such an assumption erred in their judgement. They were not like-minded and their personalities contrasted like Hydro and Pyro.

Moreover, their perceptions of the other were not ideal. Unbeknownst to many, they’d had a falling out at the end of the project due to a disagreement and hadn’t interacted with the other since.

That was the lacking, anticlimactic conclusion to their short-lived, professional relationship.

Alhaitham thought Kaveh to be a sensitive person and emotionally fragile, or… not exactly, per se. To be more precise, a rather rambunctious man that wasn’t afraid to express his thoughts even as disagreeable as they may be, and unwilling to compromise on his aesthetic ideals.

When Alhaitham had suddenly run into the man on his way to the tavern, he was positive that such a mindset was what had brought him to his current predicament in the first place. He’d spotted Kaveh standing by the message board idly, his eyes flickering back and forth as he cupped his chin. With a sigh, Kaveh had turned on his heel to meet Alhaitham’s gaze, then instantaneously turned the other way. 

Suddenly, Alhaitham spoke. “I heard you’ve gone bankrupt.”

That certainly stopped him.

“And? What’s it to you?” Kaveh replied, a slight hint of irritation clearly audible in his voice. “How did you even find out?”

“Don’t doubt my information sources.”

“So you abused your authority.”

“That’s beside the point,” Alhaitham dismissed as he made a gesture to waive the matter of irrelevance. “Were you looking for accommodation?”

“…”

Kaveh remained silent and pursed his lips, swiftly averting his gaze. It was certainly a surprise to see him at a loss for words for once, rather than constantly barking back arguments and retorts like a rabid, untamed dog.

“My home has a spare room.”

That raised a reaction from Kaveh, albeit an unpleasant one. His brows furrowed and his expression cringed, not even bothering to mask his distaste at the offer. In his grasp, his trustworthy briefcase, Mehrak, mimicked his feelings and squeezed its eyes shut on the digital front display.

“I-I can stay with Cyno,” he stammered out, his words faltering yet his expression remaining the same.

“You’ll have a lot of enemies, rooming with the General Mahamatra.”

“Like I wouldn’t anyway with your temperament,” Kaveh muttered under his breath.

In truth, Kaveh didn’t mind having a roommate, as long as it wasn’t Alhaitham. Granted, it was odd he even extended the offer, considering their history and there was surely some sort of condition to this.

“Let’s go somewhere more private,” he said flatly.

“Let’s go to my home, away from prying eyes since you detest interacting with me in public that much.”

“You…—!”

With that, Alhaitham turned and began to walk to his residence, only for Kaveh to lag behind and intentionally by the looks of it.

“Must you walk five metres away from me?”

“I don’t want to be associated with the likes of you.”

“I’m sure you won’t be, as we’re conversing like this.”

Kaveh jogged over to Alhaitham and shoved his back, egging him to go faster; fully aware that he did propose a valid point. “I know you’re lazy, but let’s get a move on.”

“As you wish, senior Kaveh.”

Kaveh snorted distastefully.

Kaveh’s gaze swept across the home as he entered before the landlord himself. There were books scattered everywhere as far as the eye could reach, despite the shelving in place. Upon closer inspection, none of them were categorised together either.

“By the Seven, this place is awful ,” Kaveh said, bemused.

“If you’re to stay with me, your room will be down that hall.”

Kaveh glanced doubtfully at Alhaitham and headed over. It was highly probable it was being used as a storage room for more of this nincompoop’s books, or surely— it simply wasn’t that at all.

It was completely underwhelming and seemed like a modest guest room. There were shelves, with very few books sitting atop and a small lamp. Beside the bed were some small storage units: a simple bedside table and a cabinet off to the corner. Admittedly, the furniture designs and bedding choice was atrocious though. No thanks to Alhaitham’s poor taste in design.

He set down Mehrak and used his hands to form a gesture, resembling an ‘L’ then gazed through the small tunnel he’d created with his hands, as if this were a landscape and he was its photographer.

It could use some refurnishing, but it’ll work… Kaveh mused internally. Half of it needs to be replaced and the books can go out or stay in, I suppose… but I wouldn’t want him to come in my room all willy-nilly just for some books.

He dropped his hands and they hung beside him as he curiously faced Alhaitham. “What’s the condition?”

Alhaitham extended his hand outwards, with Kaveh staring blankly at it. “Rent… and for you to perform menial, household tasks.”

“Mora and labour, huh…” he sighed.

“You exposed your own weakness the moment you didn’t deny your state of bankruptcy. I can wait awhile, but I won’t be so generous next time.”

“Why are you making this my fault?!” Kaveh groaned, his brows furrowing in frustration. “Ugh, this is why you don’t get along with anyone.”

Despite that, he set down Mehrak onto the bed and took in the room. Until he recovered from his debt, he’d be living here for now and he’d make sure no one knew about it.

“…Alhaitham.”

The man stared inquiringly at Kaveh, only for the latter to shake his head.

“I forgot what I was going to say.”

“Already getting senile, I see.”

“Ugh, get out!”

The only response to his words was a scoff and the sound of Alhaitham’s footsteps as he left the room, closing the door behind him. Kaveh rolled his eyes, almost glad that the words of gratitude failed to escape him.

Kaveh sat on the bed and sighed. As far as he was aware, this was the property he’d forfeited the rights to after their collective research product. He’d never done an inspection and he didn’t regret his decision, but back then was when they’d fallen apart.

In his head, he reiterated the truth. They were two contrasting individuals, like oil and water. There was simply no need to make amends. Perhaps that was the only truth they could ever collectively agree upon.

“Mehrak, I’ll be back.”

He headed out of his new room and into the kitchen to observe Alhaitham boiling a kettle of water.

“A pot of tea would be nice…” he thought aloud.

“I’m making coffee,” Alhaitham clarified.

“I’m not joining you.”

“I didn’t invite you and there’s only one cup to begin with. You’ll have to get your own things as I’m already providing the facilities.”

Stay calm, Kaveh , he told himself, almost as if he were preaching it. He was going to have to deal with many more situations like this in the future. The sooner he could move out, the better. He continued his calm mantra. You’re the senior here. No matter how much disrespect he shows, you have to smile and move on .

As if he would grant Alhaitham the pleasure of seeing a smile on his face.

Kaveh headed to his room, swiftly grabbed Mehrak and was ready to storm off, but before he departed, Alhaitham’s ever so slightly raised voice pierced his thoughts.

“There’s a spare key by the door entrance. Take it.”

Kaveh snatched it wordlessly and left. It was a plain gold key. If it were going to be his, he ought to at least decorate it a little. If Alhaitham had any complaints, that was for him to deal with.

Alhaitham headed to the living room, coincidentally also upon Kaveh’s return. He didn’t return empty-handed either. Over his shoulder were some planks of wood and in the other hand, there was a stuffed paper bag pressed against his chest, with what he assumed to be perishable groceries.

“You’re back,” Alhaitham greeted.

“I’m back,” he responded idly, heading to his room shortly after.

Little did Alhaitham know at the time that he’d come to regret not intercepting Kaveh as his room would practically turn into a workshop, where the man would be hammering and working away late into the night. To say the least, his sleep schedule was interrupted until he acquired the function of noise cancellation in his earpieces.

Alhaitham was ready to retire to his room until he heard the loud banging of what sounded like a battering ram slamming against the walls of his house. He immediately rushed to Kaveh’s room, hoping he wouldn’t regret his decision in taking him in.

As he burst into the room, he observed Kaveh wordlessly slamming a hammer into the planks of wood he’d bought.

“What in Teyvat are you doing?!”

Alhaitham was never one to raise his voice as it exerted far too much of his effort, but it seemed as though Kaveh had snapped that foundation in a moment.

“I’m making a small workstation in my room,” Kaveh stated, refusing to meet the gaze of the landlord himself. “I had to sell my old table, so this will make do for now.”

Unsurprisingly, his hands made quick work. Kaveh had finished off a small square table, its size just large enough for him to spread out a parchment containing his designs.

Kaveh sanded down the wood’s surface as he spoke. “If you expect me to pay rent, I’ll have to earn income.”

… Unbelievable, Alhaitham thought. He wanted to see his past self and give him a good whack across the head. After coming home from the agony of his scribe work, he’d be met with Kaveh’s incessant hammering noises. Was it too much to ask for peace?

“There’s a desk beside mine in the workstation you can take,” he sighed. “I hope I don’t hear you building anything else anytime soon.”

“Clearly, you aren’t aware of what my architectural services entail.”

“While it’s still early, I don’t suppose it’s too late to evict you now.”

“…I’ll try to keep it down,” he grunted.

Kaveh reached down to the paper bag that was off to the corner of his room and picked out a sunsettia, tossing it scornfully towards him. Alhaitham caught it with ease, noticing that the fruit was still unripened.

“It’s unripe,” he said flatly.

“I know that. Wait for it to ripen then.”

Kaveh picked out a few other fruits and flowers from his mysterious bag of goodies, then headed to the kitchen. Alhaitham had followed after him, leaving the sunsettia in his fruit bowl as he passed by and sunk into the couch.

Kaveh stared blankly at the cabinets before he turned his head slightly to face Alhaitham. He parted his lips in an attempt to speak, but pursed his lips, supposedly deciding against it.

At that, he began opening every single cabinet in sight, with Alhaitham picking a book from the selection on his table. As he heard the sound of a blade being drawn, he glanced over to find Kaveh picking up a knife, with a chopping board in the grasp of his other hand.

With that, he set to work in what Alhaitham assumed to be chopping up those unripe fruits. He returned his gaze to his book, the soft rhythmic taps of the knife hitting the board being the only sound to permeate through the room, and then the harsh sound of stems snapping as the flowers were twisted apart.

Afterwards came the sound of Kaveh mixing the ingredients together, and then… that was it. The light sound of his footsteps against the timber floor echoed, with him heading into the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

Water ran behind the closed door, presumably Kaveh preparing the bathtub. Slowly yet surely, the knot in Alhaitham’s stomach was being undone. Behind closed doors, his senior was being unravelled and his mind was wandering in the midst of that spell.

The drop of Kaveh’s clothes and tinkle of accessories as he tossed them onto the tiled bathroom floor. The way the water began to run, the body of water to embrace him in a way no one else could hope to replicate. His audible yelp of ‘ It’s hot!’ as he tested the waters, then the soft ripple as he sunk into it. His blond hair would be wet and heavy, cascading down the nape of his neck and sticking to his flushed skin. Beads of sweat would run past his skin and he’d be breathing hot, heavy sighs, with the water sloshing about as he ran his fingers past his own skin to wash himself after a day of hard work.

Alhaitham’s mind was clouded, almost overtaken, and it was a feeling he didn’t enjoy nor savour. He squeezed his eyes shut and set his book aside, wondering if it was time to call it a day and head to his room. Finally, he heard the water sink into the drain and the wet footsteps of Kaveh walking across the bathroom to the towel rack. Only after the rustle of clothes did he hear the door swing open and be greeted with Kaveh’s confident smile.

“Alhaitham,” he said as he circled over to the couch, taking a seat on the distant edge. “Feast your eyes!”

Alhaitham groaned reluctantly and turned to meet the pale crimson irises that were eagerly staring at him. “You don’t look any different from usual.”

Kaveh lifted a brow inquiringly, clearly displeased. “Then perhaps you should get your eyes checked.”

“Hardly,” Alhaitham retorted. “I think your ego is the one that needs to be re-evaluated.”

Kaveh audibly clicked his tongue and stomped over to the workspace. Even as he swiftly passed by, the scent of sunsettias and Sumeru roses enveloping Kaveh wafted in his direction.

Alhaitham lifted himself from the couch, deciding it would be best to take a bath himself and finally call it the end of the day.

Once Alhaitham had left the bathroom, he could hear the distant mutters and murmurs of Kaveh from the workspace. If it were him cursing at the landlord, he’d evict him immediately — of course, he was only joking. As he headed over to see what the fuss was, his lips formed a tense, thin line.

Despite the short respite, Kaveh had immediately thrown himself back into his work. The desk that Alhaitham had cleaned swiftly for his use, lest he heard the sound of another one being built, was already cluttered with parchments of paper containing intricate designs.

Kaveh sat on the floor, with a hand resting against his forehead, pushing at his blond locks, and the other holding a pencil. As Alhaitham stole a glance to observe his work, the quality of the designs were impeccable. It was detailed from the exterior layout of the building, to then a smaller sketch of the interior design — from the pattern on the walls to suggested furniture, which would compliment the overall room structures. Upon each design were connotations and small notes.

No one would dare to fault it, aside from the very architect himself.

Kaveh ran a hand through his hair in frustration and pushed aside the parchment, breathing a tired sigh. Despite the exhaustion weighing on him, he wordlessly hurried to his room and brought back smaller pieces of wood and Mehrak.

He’d opened up the briefcase to extract a pair of carving tools and picked up the wood, then began his work. A soft light emitted from Mehrak to illuminate his surroundings, and Kaveh’s head hung as he sculpted the wood within his grasp. His lips were pursed and his long eyelashes seemed to be far more prominent than before. There was sweat beading at the nape of Kaveh’s neck as he assembled the carved pieces together to form a rough wooden mock-up of what the home were to look like, had it been built.

The wooden project reflected in Kaveh’s pupils as he inspected his work, a tinge of dissatisfaction still present. Despite Alhaitham’s continued gaze, Kaveh didn’t waver. No matter how much irritation Alhaitham brought him, his attention was solely reserved for his work at this present moment.

He loosely grabbed the parchment and jotted down minute changes in its structure, with swift crosses on the measurements as he wrote over the digits with different numbers.

From Alhaitham’s perspective, he was trying too hard as he laboured away into the night. No matter how much effort he put in, there would always be some sort of criticism he'd be able to spot only visible to himself.

“For what reason do you put in so much effort?”

Alhaitham was curious.

That sudden remark seemed to snap Kaveh out of his thoughts, yet he didn’t tear his attention away from his work. “Unlike you, I’m in the creative industry. Everything matters… your skill, your portfolio, your prices, your connections, your choice of language, and even the way you present yourself.”

“You’re the highly sought-after architect, with the Palace of Alcazarzaray as your magnum opus. For your skill level and services provided, your current prices are modest to say the least. If you simply increased your rates and compromised, then—”

“Thank you for the unwarranted and unnecessary feedback. However, I will not be taking your words into consideration… — ” Kaveh set his tools down and lifted his gaze to meet Alhaitham’s, then continued to speak. “When people personally enlist an architect for their services, what do you envision? …Probably nothing. You’ve never been one to dwell on the past, nor the future.

“Alhaitham, they envision a future. A home to live in, perhaps for many generations to come. Architectural designs don’t come cheap, these may be something people can afford once in their life. If I— no, if my efforts can be a part of it and help them build that future, I’m more than willing to make a few sacrifices. Ah, but for corporate customers, it’s a different story of course.”

“You’re overthinking this. Your efforts may not even be acknowledged by the clientele you think so highly of.”

“Alhaitham, I don’t expect you to understand my ideals, but the least you could do is keep out of it.”

Alhaitham did not want to see Kaveh struggle. Everyone had their shortcomings, but his were to a fault: both his ideals and his kindness.

“Alright.”

Alhaitham wouldn’t say he understood because he didn’t. This futile, internal struggle that Kaveh fought against was one he would never be able to comprehend. 

“It’s late. You should go to sleep,” Kaveh said flatly.

Alhaitham was being told to leave and in his own workspace. The audacity and impertinence of this man was incredulous. Although, he was aware it had grown late and was more than ready to lay into his comforting bedsheets.

He started towards the door and left with a small parting remark. “Late nights are the natural enemy of skin.”

Only then did he finally leave Kaveh to his own devices, who simply muttered ‘I know that already… idiot’ under his breath.

He gazed at Mehrak as the words he wished to say to a mere briefcase was trapped in his throat, then silently returned to his work. Mehrak wasn’t just a briefcase to Kaveh, it was his friend, his prized work colleague and his assistant. Its expressions on the visual panel often mimicked his own, but he wondered if Mehrak truly had any emotions of its own.

Mehrak, I wonder if you also dislike seeing me like this , he thought internally.

Alhaitham awoke to the sound of unexpected silence. He was under the impression that mornings with Kaveh would be hearing the man romping around the house in a rush as he constantly forgot his belongings, but the world was quiet.

He reluctantly tore away the bedsheets and exited his room, the faint scent of coffee wafting through the house. He glanced towards the door to see the golden key was missing, while Kaveh was nowhere to be found. Finally, peace.

He headed over to the kettle on the stove and set the flame on, taking a paper coffee filter and grabbing his mug as he began his own morning routine. The bitter the coffee, the better. It usually kicked him awake rather quickly.

He paced over to the workspace, observing the wooden mock-up and open parchment still at Kaveh’s desk. Alhaitham took a book from his own desk and sat comfortably on the couch back in the living room, setting his mug of coffee onto a coaster.

Time passed steadily until it was time to head to work. He did his duties as a Scribe diligently, if only because of the access it gave him to all these books. He was at the House of Daena, his index finger gliding against the books’ spines as they sat comfortably on the shelf. To him, the Akasha Terminal was redundant when it came to books. There was nothing more satisfying than holding the physical copy within his hands, much more so than the terminal depicting an interactive hologram for him to view. Not only that but it could simply never replicate the anticipation Alhaitham would feel as he read physical texts; the information within could have been outdated, full of errors, biased, or lacking in information.

His surroundings were usually quiet, save for the soft, idle chatter of others, and footsteps echoing in the library. However, there was now a voice much more prominent than the others, but still away from earshot.

“This… for funding… enclosed…”

Another application for funding it appeared. He tuned out the conversation with his headphones as he continued to tend to his work until the end of the day. On his way home, the Grand Bazaar he’d passed by began to bustle with commotion as the occasional night market began. It may have been an event Kaveh paid attention to, but it was one he certainly wasn’t piqued by.

As he returned home, a bright green light suddenly blinded him and he squinted his eyes to make out Mehrak. He heard the snap of fingers, the light dying down immediately after, now being faced with Kaveh’s grimace. Although, it was only for a moment until he affectionately cradled Mehrak – a briefcase.

“Mehrak, you don’t need to scan a guy like him,” he cooed, then shot a glare towards Alhaitham. “I’m going to immediately wipe your data off Mehrak.”

“...Data?” Alhaitham parroted, waiting for him to elaborate.

“Mehrak helps me with measurements and design adjustments,” Kaveh explained. As if to demonstrate, he clicked his fingers once more and a faint holographic image of a house was emitted. It was oddly similar to the mock-up he’d built yesterday, only being clarified as Kaveh spoke. “This is the wooden mock-up from yesterday. Mehrak scans it and it turns into a digitalised template I can change. For example… change the pillar’s base to 500 by 800, and the inner slant of the pillars to 350 by 600.”

The hologram flickered as Alhaitham observed the slight changes in the dimensions of the building’s supporting pillars. Kaveh pressed a finger to the hologram and swiped left, the scene changing to the interior layout of Alhaitham’s home, with digits floating about.

“I have plans to refurnish my room.”

“After you pay rent, I presume.”

“Yes. After I pay rent,” Kaveh sighed disappointedly. “When is it due?”

“After the end of each week.”

Kaveh cupped his chin, as if he were in thought. He murmured a few things under his breath, then nodded to himself. “... It should be manageable–” he turned his gaze to scan the general living room afterward. “–But you and I will have to start on clearing this area too. It’s not just you that lives here anymore, so you should be more considerate of shared living spaces.”

“I will tend to them in my own time,” Alhaitham replied flatly. “Physical books have been hard to come by since the Akasha’s implementation.”

Kaveh grumbled, not quite enjoying the hidden connotation that Alhaitham made it seem like he would’ve treated them roughly. While it was true he didn’t have much of an interest in books, there were still a few he could be fascinated with.

He experimentally picked up a worn-out book, its signs of age clear from the yellowed pages, but in that, he also saw affection – a clear sign that it had been flipped through numerous times, the slightly crinkled pages from natural oil on the hands and the soft, faded dents in the corner from having been folded down. As he flipped through, he felt Alhaitham’s gaze lingering on him, but he wasn’t interrupted. From the few words he’d caught onto, its contents weren’t something he’d be particularly interested in. He set it back down and paced over to the kitchen, with rolled-up sleeves.

Alhaitham observed a different set of flowers and unripe fruits again. Kaveh was surely up to yet another strange concoction again and he wanted no part of it. As if on cue, Kaveh had beckoned him over. Reluctantly, he’d brought himself over and peered past Kaveh’s shoulder to see a thin, liquified mixture in a bowl. He stared at the man with a raised brow, only for Kaveh to scoop a small portion and lather it onto Alhaitham’s face.

“You’ll have to accept that as the advance rent payment,” Kaveh stated.

Alhaitham frustratedly smeared the mixture off his face with the back of his hand. As he did so, his hand smelt faintly of padisarahs and zaytun peaches. “What is this?”

“D-I-Y face mask,” Kaveh hummed as he pressed it against his own face. “Tighnari taught me a while back, and then I added my own adjustments to make this completely original product. I’m sure your face is as dry as your personality, which is why I thought it appropriate to share it with you.”

Alhaitham was speechless. Quite frankly, he couldn’t care less. As for others’ perceptions on his personality, that wasn’t of relevant concern to him either. However, Kaveh saying it somewhat irked him, so he smeared a portion of the face mask off Kaveh’s face.

Kaveh stared at him in disbelief, elbowing him in the side. Alhaitham mimicked the notion, roughly nudging him. Kaveh shoved Alhaitham, only for Alhaitham to push back at him. They continued the same motions, before fighting and bantering as they usually did.

Such was the idyllic life between the Akademiya’s scribe and the Light of Kshahrewar.

Days had passed since Alhaitham and Kaveh first shared accommodation together. Kaveh had usually noisily worked on something in the dead of the night, almost as if he were intent on interrupting Alhaitham’s sleep schedule. Alhaitham wasn’t one to wear his soundproofing earpieces to bed, but with Kaveh’s incessant hammering, it was a necessity. On the days when Kaveh was out, his world was peaceful.

Today was not one of those days. He’d awoken to the sudden hustle and bustle of his roommate, his footsteps – or stomps , almost as loud as could be. He left his room begrudgingly, ready to tell him to keep it down, but then the noise quietened. Kaveh was standing idly in the living room with a duster and a dirty, wet rag. At his feet was a small bucket of soapy water that had now darkened, presumably due to the dirt and grime he’d picked up across the house. It was still the early morning, but Kaveh had toiled away already.

“What are you doing?” Alhaitham groaned as he scratched the back of his head tiredly. “More specifically, why are you cleaning this early?”

“I’ll be heading out soon,” Kaveh clarified. “I’d prefer to make this place as clean as possible, lest I find it even dirtier upon my return. You should also try to put in some more effort to put these books away so the place is a little more presentable.”

“Presentable to whom?” Alhaitham retorted. “There is no one I invite over and you are insistent on not letting anyone else know you reside here.”

“You’re just trying to make excuses to get out of cleaning your room!”

Kaveh sighed as he picked up the bucket to empty out the water, then returned to his room to grab Mehrak. “Work has been going well, so I’ll be back in a little while.”

Alhaitham nodded simply in acknowledgement and returned to his room for further rest. At the time, he hadn’t interpreted his words to be anything more. Kaveh would return home later in the day as per usual and work on his designs, or hammer away into the night. On the rare occasion, he’d climb immediately into bed and wake up for an early start.

Alhaitham thought his behaviour to be predictable to an extent, but that changed when Kaveh didn’t return home. At first, he’d thought it to be an overnight trip and he’d come back, possibly drunk. However, a day turned into two, then two turned into three. Days turned into a couple of weeks, then it hit the two-month mark.

Initially, there were no particular changes in Alhaitham’s lifestyle after Kaveh’s mysterious disappearance. It had been just as it was before. His world was quiet, serene and peaceful. He went to work, came home, cooked dinner, ate, read in-between, bathed, slept, and then this continuous routine was repeated. There was no ruckus in the mornings nor the evenings.

It wasn’t until after the first week that the atmosphere had changed. The small home almost felt a little too large for one: the two fruit bowls that sat on the table, the two cups in the kitchen cabinet, and the glamorously furnished room, where none of the furniture within matched his aesthetic. Without even realising it, Kaveh had imprinted his presence to be a component of Alhaitham’s life.

However, such feelings were short-lived. Less than a few days later, he had gotten involved in an unexpected conflict. He understood there were tensions brewing within the Akademiya regarding their perceptions of Lesser Lord Kusanagi, but he never imagined that they’d attempt to create a false god and overthrow her.

It almost seemed as if everything began when that otherworldly traveller stepped into the city of Sumeru. They had unknown origins and a blank slate on the Akasha, yet many knew of their heroic deeds across Mondstadt, Liyue and Inazuma. By the end of the conflict, Sumeru had been added to that list of heroic deeds, and Kaveh had returned to the messy aftermath. He’d coincidentally been sent on an expedition to the desert for work, only to be met with utter confusion in the change of circumstances upon his return.

Kaveh had come home late, appearing to have finally found someone that would give him correct answers, instead of assumptions, and the entire story he’d been searching for.

“The Akademiya might as well close tomorrow!” Kaveh parroted as he buried his head into his hands, then muttered under his breath. “Not to mention, the approval of Kshahrewar’s funding is now compromised...”

“Speaking of mora, don’t forget to pay the rent you owe me,” Alhaitham reminded.

“You heard that?!” Kaveh spluttered, before dismissing the topic. His livelihood was at risk with Alhaitham’s last statement. “Surely you don’t expect me to pay rent during my absence.”

“Your items were still within the property and I don’t perceive my home as your private storage unit,” he pointed out. “However, that is true so I suppose it can be at a discounted rate.”

“Not only are you shameless, you’re also completely inhumane.”

“Inhumane?” Alhaitham parroted.

The rent was always due at the end of the week, but it wasn’t a condition Alhaitham particularly enforced. He would simply offer a reminder, out of the kindness of his heart, but never evict Kaveh. Such behaviour could not be described as inhumane.

“I don’t think any other landlord is as tyrannical as you are,” Kaveh spat as he tossed a small bag of mora to Alhaitham, who caught it with ease. “Take that for now. Not to mention, the place looks messier than I remember.”

“You must be seeing things.”

“Yes, I’m seeing more books scattered around the place!” Kaveh shouted as he wildly gestured around the home. “What were you doing?! Scratch that, I know what you were doing but even still—”

Kaveh cut himself off mid-sentence, only to heave an exasperated sigh. “Forget it. I’m going back to work since someone’s just cut into my commission.”

With that, Kaveh wordlessly stomped to his room and slammed the door shut. On the tip of Alhaitham’s tongue, the unspoken words of ‘welcome home’ remained trapped in his throat. It didn’t matter, he supposed. Kaveh had finally returned and that was what he decided to focus on. 

Despite that, the emotions that dwelled within him were swirling. An uneasy ache tugged at him, making his head feel messy, cloudy and foggy – it made him feel like his mind were a prison, and he, its prisoner. He decided that perhaps it would be best to also retire for the day.

For the first time in what felt like a while, Kaveh had awoken comfortably. He was in his bed, instead of the thin tents they had to share with another in the warm desert. It had honestly surprised him that he hadn’t returned with any sort of tan. There were few days with proper accommodation, but he could probably still count them on both his hands. The pay was good, but most of it went to his debt… and Alhaitham.

He felt the disappointment grow within him at the recollection, with a side of fury, but pushed it back down. He would take a morning stroll, then return home to work on his designs or make his way to the Akademiya to work alongside his Kshahrewar colleagues on the request for funding.

He tore off the sheets and headed out to the city. The air felt fresh, clean, and it didn’t feel like his lungs were being filled with grainy particles of sand either. He’d missed this feeling.

Now that he’d been apart from it for so long, it felt like a luxury. Not to mention the atmosphere in the Grand Bazaar. It had been purely professional back then, with several making full use of his consultancy services – a service that he’d suddenly picked up. It was simply him offering his advice and being paid for it.

Rotating duties, such as cooking and tent-pitching, weren’t bad either. It felt nice to have some help around for once, unlike the ever-useful Alhaitham. He rolled his eyes as he gradually began to make his way home, then paused as he eyed a familiar vegetable he’d eaten during that expedition. He bit his bottom lip. It was on sale and just a little overripe, but still perfect for use. This was something he just couldn’t pass up.

He’d made his way over and pointed out what he’d kept his eye on. “Three radishes please!”

“Comin’ up! I’ll throw in an extra since ya look so eager ya might just eat one now!” the merchant grinned as they pushed four onto Kaveh and received the mora gratefully. “Pleasure doing business!”

“Likewise.”

Despite his outward smile, he couldn’t conceal his inner mortification. Kaveh surely didn’t look that hungry. He was only looking forward to what he’d be making with them. He’d been taught the recipe of radish veggie soup and wished to recreate that flavourful, aromatic dish. He’d bought some mints and extra tomatoes on the way and returned home with a skip in his step. He’d prepare it for dinner and work in the meantime.

On his way, he’d found a small shop run by a youth. It was odd to see someone so young setting up shop on the street. He’d headed over to gander at what they had for sale. There were little trinkets, amulets, keychains and the like. They weren’t particularly fascinating and none of them drew his attention, until–

“How kind of you, sir, to stop by!” the young merchant beamed. “We’re running a special deal with one of our big partners today! For every one of our handmade keychains that are bought, a child in poverty will be given a meal–”

“Say no more,” Kaveh interrupted. “I’ll get ten.”

“How generous! Thank you for your patronage, sir!”

Well, that was the rest of his funds going. At least it went to a worthy cause. That very fact comforted him as he walked back home with empty pockets. He examined what he’d bought to find a keychain that stood out from the rest. It almost resembled a lion, affixed with a gear to act as its mane and a small expression painted in the centre. He added it to his key, hoping it’d be a much more noticeable reminder for him to never forget his keys in the future.

He reached for the door with his key, only for the door to open inward and reveal Alhaitham ready to head out for the day. Kaveh was agape and immediately scanned the nearby environment to make sure no one saw him entering Alhaitham’s premises. There were people around, but thankfully, it didn’t look like they had drawn any particular attention to themselves. He shoved Alhaitham back in with a considerable amount of force and swiftly closed the door behind them.

“Never do that again,” Kaveh whispered sharply.

“Are you telling me to never go out again?” Alhaitham reiterated. “If there was a reality where I could comfortably live with that type of lifestyle, I would be.”

“That’s not–” Kaveh began, only to facepalm.

What was he entertaining Alhaitham for? He didn’t have time for this. He had things to do and that list didn’t include bickering with Alhaitham. He felt a gaze trailing after him as he paced over to the kitchen, only to hear that voice once more.

“That’s an awful lot of trinkets,” Alhaitham pointed out as he also observed the one Kaveh had kept on his key.

Kaveh spun on his heel to elaborate, despite the lack of a prompt. “I did a good deed today! They’re all handmade keychains and for every one that I bought, a child in poverty would be given a meal.”

Alhaitham stared at him in disbelief, shook his head, then made his way out the door. Kaveh supposed that Alhaitham simply couldn’t believe how charitable his senior was… or so it went in his head.

That look was definitely a condescending one , Kaveh grumbled internally as he set the bag of radishes and other condiments onto the kitchen counter.

He supposed that he could help clean up the house a little since he just returned, instead of immediately diving into work. It was the last task he’d done before his departure after all. He rolled up his sleeves and threw himself into cleaning duty. As he scrubbed at a few dark spots on the wall, he’d noticed that a space by the entryway seemed a little lonely.

Come to think of it, don’t I have a painting that would fit there perfectly? he thought to himself.

It was one of the few things he hadn’t sold off. He headed to his room and greeted Mehrak, bending down to show off the new trinkets happily. If there was anyone or anything that would appreciate his kind gesture, it would be his beloved Mehrak. Its eyes on the digital display wore a smile and he reciprocated the expression.

He picked himself up and rummaged through the few belongings he’d brought with him. He reached over to Mehrak and popped the briefcase open, with a soft ‘excuse me, Mehrak’ as he did so. It wasn’t there. He’d focus on finding it later in the day.

Until then, he resumed and went back to cleaning the living room in particular. As he cleaned the home, he stared at the closed door of Alhaitham’s. As tempting as it was, he supposed that boundaries were there for a reason and merely turned back.

On the other hand, work was extremely unpleasant for Alhaitham. Who would’ve thought that by coming to work he’d be involved with the traveller and stuck in a hivemind case with a former classmate from the Akademiya?

On top of that, they were trying to usurp his position of the Acting Grand Sage to be the literal Grand Sage. Not that he’d particularly mind as he’d get to retire earlier… that was, if the candidate was a suitable one, otherwise Lesser Lord Kusanali wouldn’t be too pleased. He had no desire to complicate things even more than they already were if he were to be met with her displeasure.

The traveller had questions for him, so he returned home, with them in tow. As he entered, he saw Kaveh by the entryway, staring at a new painting that wasn’t previously there. It was a little shaky and not exactly straight either. Ironic, especially as this was the work of a man who claimed he was an architect, where measurements and straight lines were integral to his designs.

“You're finally back. Come over here and help me see if this painting is all straightened…” Kaveh beckoned.

Demanding as ever, Alhaitham thought. He stole a glance behind him to observe the traveller and Paimon in a bewildered state. Their gaze had very subtly flickered back toward the doorway, almost tempted to head out and perhaps return another day, if at all.

Alhaitham redirected his gaze back to Kaveh, who had turned on his heel and let his jaw drop as he noticed the two newcomers. It was as if he had yelled, but his ‘mute’ function had been enabled. His gaze rapidly switched between Alhaitham, then towards the strangers, then back to Alhaitham. His secret of him living within Alhathaim’s residence was about to be in absolute shambles if he hadn’t said or done anything.

He immediately grabbed Alhaitham, pulling him closer to whisper-yell, making a small gesture towards the strangers. “Who are they?!”

Perhaps he should bring the traveller and Paimon to his home more often. It wasn’t everyday that he was greeted with an incredibly flustered Kaveh. He pulled himself away from Kaveh’s grip and cleared his throat. “Stop making a fuss. They’re obviously guests.”

He observed as the traveller, Paimon and Kaveh bantered, the latter’s growing mortification becoming more and more evident with each passing moment. He deduced it was the perfect moment to excuse himself to grab a few books on the collective as he’d promised the traveller and made his way towards his room.

He returned shortly after with a stack of books and set them onto the table, much to Kaveh’s chagrin. He’d shot a glare at Alhaitham, his expression ‘More books to clean up and put away that you’ll never do?’ . He picked himself up from the couch and stormed off.

“Entertain your own friends, why don’t you?” he huffed. “They act just like you.”

Despite returning to the comfort of his own room, their conversation was still one he could hear quite audibly. He wasn’t listening in intentionally, but he supposed it could still have been considered eavesdropping. While he could’ve blamed them for not lowering their voices instead, he simply took the blame upon himself this time. He stared at Mehrak, who only returned it with a blank expression. It seemed Mehrak was also clueless on how to evaluate this situation.

He faintly heard them speaking of devolution, more specifically Alhaitham, and popped back out to say his piece. “If humans aren't humans without their humanity, then I wager you'll be devolving into another species by the next decade.”

Alhaitham snorted derisively. “And I suspect you’d be the one devolving into a fungus.”

“At least I'd be a fungus with empathy,” he retorted, then faced the guests. “Sorry for eavesdropping, but what happened to you guys? Are you in trouble?”

The floating pixie-like child, Paimon if he recalled correctly, answered him. “We’re fine now , but we had a weird researcher before going after us.”

Nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to illegal research, but these aren’t people from the Akademiya , Kaveh thought. A concerned frown painted his features. “Thankfully, it looks like you’re fine now.”

“Yeah!” Paimon responded. “He was going after Alhaitham more than us.”

And they didn’t do me the favour of succeeding? He glanced at Alhaitham’s idle sitting posture, who was clearly unbothered by all of this. Out of sight, out of mind, huh?

As he were now, Alhaitham seemed to have no thoughts in that head of his at the present moment. He hummed curiously.

“Well, such is life. If Alhaitham had known, I’m sure he’d stop at nothing to stay indoors today and maybe for once, he would’ve helped around the house–” he paused, gesturing toward the stack of books that sat atop the table, excluding the ones he’d just brought for their guests. “See those books? They’re uncategorised and he’s clearly waiting for someone to sort through it for him, presumably me! Alhaitham, if you won’t be reading them, set them aside somewhere else that’s not here before I start putting you away!”

Paimon stifled a snicker, while the traveller rose a hand to cover Paimon’s awful attempt at concealing her laughter. Silence followed shortly after.

Alhaitham folded his hands over his chest, the exasperation evident in his expression. “Your lack of conversational skills has made things awkward. I’m surprised you’ve made it this far with an attitude like that.”

“The pot's calling the kettle black,” Kaveh hissed, then rose a question. “Having said that, are you all ok? Don’t mind Alhaitham’s lack of hospitality though…”

“We’re all fine,” Alhaitham said, also on behalf of the guests. “We’re definitely faring much better than that shaky painting you’ve been trying to hang on the wall for the past hour.”

“It hasn’t been an hour yet and you need to stop criticising my taste in decoration when you don’t even understand a single thing about interior design!”

With that, he returned to his room for good this time until he heard them bidding their farewells. He forcefully diffused the anger that still brewed within him and beckoned Alhaitham over as he passed the corner. “Have they left?”

“We said our goodbyes and Paimon wanted dinner, so I assume so.”

“...Regardless, that researcher whom you all spoke of. Was he in your class?”

“He was in our class, but he isn’t impressionable. It’s not unexpected that you don’t remember him,” Alhaitham replied.

“Ahh, that class,” Kaveh sighed as he averted his gaze. “I’ve always disliked the Akademiya’s way of pressuring people by labelling them as geniuses. Knowing you, you’d be able to enact reformation if you tried, but I don’t trust you with the internal affairs of the Akademiya. I feel like I might as well come in tomorrow and there’ll be a closure notice on the front.”

“I’ve been performing my role satisfactorily.”

“The bare minimum, I suspect. If the Akademiya hasn’t lost their sanity yet, I’m sure they’d find that I’m much more suited to be a sage in comparison.”

“And I suppose your career as a sage will be about as stable as your financial situation.”

Kaveh furrowed his eyebrows in frustration and crossed his arms. “Say that while you can. In a few days, you’ll be back to a scribe and at the bottom of the food chain, ready to be eaten alive by the new sages.”

Alhaitham snorted derisively. If anyone dared to bother him, he’d like to see them try. “At least my salary will be staying the same.”

Kaveh fell agape for the third time today. “...You’re lying.”

“I’m sure you wish I was,” Alhaitham scoffed. “At least I don't have to be an architectural designer who works himself to death just to get a smile from his client.”

“Talk about ungrateful! I spent time cleaning your sloppy living room and this is how I’m repaid. You better knock on wood while you still can!” Kaveh hissed. “I’m going back to finish my designs.”

“Don’t forget the remainder of mora you still owe me,” Alhaitham reminded kindly, but to Kaveh, it was a condescending tone that grated against his ears. “I’ll be buying more furniture with it.”

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?! The decorations you buy are decreasing in quality and aesthetic!” he yelled, then jabbed a finger at the most recent addition to their home. “Nameably that hideous wood carving!”

“That’s due to my financial freedom, although I don’t suppose you would understand.”

Kaveh clicked his tongue. After this, maybe he should pay a visit to the doctor to see how his blood pressure was faring. “Fine. Go hide behind your financial success, but other than that, do you have anything of true value to boast about?”

“If you wanted me to point them all out for you, we can stand here all day. There is nothing particularly redeemable about yourself.”

“Objection. It’s my artistry for certain!” Kaveh huffed smugly. “You don't know anything about interior design. Don't even think about buying any more furniture unless I’m with you!”

“And then you’ll expect me, the junior, to buy his humble senior the most expensive of alcoholic beverages?”

“Naturally!”

“But why would I do that? It would just be another form of a loan, and you'd have to pay me back eventually.”

“Can't you just be nice for once and not ask for the mora back?” Kaveh groaned.

“Ignoring the fact that you’re in debt is as ridiculous as pretending you’re not living in someone else’s home. You can’t keep up this facade for long.”

“Well, I’ll keep it up for as long as I can then. You’d better make sure your friends keep this a secret too.”

“Sure, but it’s likely that they’re not the only ones that know anyway. You’re such a lightweight that a drink or two has already made you spill all your beans.”

Kaveh fell silent, as pale as the brand new, crisp, white parchment that he loved to draw on so much. He parted his lips, in an attempt to speak; the shock clearly sinking in. Alhaitham observed him flailing around like a fish out of water, watching the beads of sweat form at Kaveh’s temples. Suddenly, he gasped and made a mad dash towards the kitchen.

He wordlessly grabbed the knife, almost a little too maliciously, and Alhaitham braced for Kaveh to return in his direction, but instead, he’d picked up a radish and chopped at it violently with murderous intent. Whatever the case was, at least it didn’t look like Kaveh had finally had enough.

In fact, Kaveh did have enough but as if he’d tell Alhaitham that. He might as well be begging for eviction. Instead, he’d do what he had to do for now, which was appease Alhaitham. “I’ll share with you a recipe I learned on my travels, Kaveh-style.”

Allhaitham hummed thoughtfully. There seemed to be a Kaveh-rendition of everything, ranging from face-masks to dishes. He observed quietly as Kaveh brought the sliced radishes, plucked mint leaves, sliced tomatoes and a touch of spice to boil in a pot. As he stirred, there was a spicy aroma, reminiscent of harra fruits, that wafted through their home, alongside the scent of tangy citrus and hints of tomato. He kept the flame on as he scooped a generous serving into Alhaitham’s bowl.

“Kaveh’s sweet radish veggie soup, enjoy!” he beamed as he set it in front of Alhaitham.

Alhaitham didn’t spare a glance at the bowl of soup and instead heaved a disappointed sigh. He didn’t know what he was expecting. “I don’t like soup as I’m reading. It makes it difficult.”

Kaveh lifted a brow. Hook, line and drown; he wasn’t even sinking at this rate. All this work, only for this ungrateful man to be the same as ever. “I don’t see why you can’t put down that book for a moment to eat.”

Alhaitham didn’t respond, his focus completely on the book within his grasp. Not too far away, the pot was boiling and the soup within was bubbling. Slowly, slowly until—

“You should extinguish that flame, Kaveh.”

Kaveh shrugged as he did as he was told. “You’re only worried that your books will get caught. I’m going to my room.”

Alhaitham watched his retreating figure as he retired into his room, the door slamming shut. At the kitchen counter was another bowl, yet it remained empty. The soup he’d made was still steaming and piping hot. Alhaitham hadn’t touched his meal yet, so if he desired it, he simply could’ve tipped his portion back in. He set his book down and picked up his bowl, making his way towards the pot — only to pick up a small serving spoon from the utensil cabinet and scoop it into his bowl.

It was warm. Its sweetness wasn’t exactly to his liking, but the taste of mint and the boiled radishes danced and melted on his tongue. All in all, it wasn’t bad at all.

He took the ladle and poured a second portion into the empty bowl that had been set aside, then started towards Kaveh’s door. He opened it without any prior warning, simply deciding that he’d claim his hands were full and stared at Kaveh’s curled figure on his bed — his back facing Alhaitham.

“You forgot your own portion,” he noted simply as he set the bowl down onto the bedside table.

Kaveh remained silent. He was definitely awake by the subtle way he’d buried himself a little closer into his pillow. Alhaitham sighed. What was he trying so hard for? It didn’t matter to him whether Kaveh had dinner or not.

“It’s not bad, so you should try it.”

Kaveh turned his head slightly to face Alhaitham. “The chef has already tried his dish and thought it was spectacular. If his patron is so displeased and thinks it’s ‘not bad’ , he should be the one to make something next time.”

He’s sulking at his grown age , Alhaitham thought internally. And he’s wondering why I always treat him the way I do.

Even still, he nodded in resignation and left, only hearing the soft clink of a spoon being picked up and hitting the surface of the bowl.

Without fail, at the end of the day, Alhaitham never ceased to slouch into the back of his chair. He spared no time in leaving the documents at his desk and headed out to the Grand Bazaar. He’d make something for dinner, considering Kaveh’s early start to the day. When he’d awoken in the morning, his roommate was nowhere to be found. He would likely be home by now, lazing around on the couch or immersed in his work as usual.

He picked up two cuts of raw meat, two onions, two snapdragons and a few eggs. They were a little pricey as they were specialties of Mondstadt and Liyue, rather than Sumeru, but it was well-worth the exchange. There were spices at home, unless Kaveh had used it up when he made that radish soup.

He pushed the key, just below the door handle and opened up to see his roommate hustling and bustling around, scrambling as he rushed to the door and almost ran into Alhaitham at the entrance.

“I’ve got dinner with a client. I’ll see you later,” he said, then ran out.

His key still hung by the doorway, clearly forgotten and Alhaitham set the bag of groceries down onto the kitchen counter. He set to work, pulling at the snapdragon petals, dicing at the onion and slicing at the slabs of meat. He took a small jar of spice and added a generous portion to the meat, leaving it to marinate with a spoon of melted butter.

He added eggs to a bowl of flour, stirring and mixing, until it gradually formed a doughy paste. Alhaitham spread a handful of flour onto the counter and kneaded at it, before rolling it out to a pastry-like base. He added the meat, onions, a serving of grated cheese, then brought it to the pan.

The edges of the pastry-base turned crisp by the time it had been done, with a thin layer of browned cheese at the surface. Its top was greened with the diced stems of the snapdragon, now garnished with the petals he’d previously taken. With a small knife, he’d carved the word ‘ Contemplation ’ onto the dish. At last, it was done — the dish he’d dubbed as his ‘ Ideal Circumstance ’.

Its normal rendition was Sabz meat stew, but he’d added his own kick to it since again, he never was quite fond of soup-like dishes. He turned to the clock, noting that three hours had passed since Kaveh’s departure.

He ate the portion he’d cut for himself in silence and left the dish at the counter. Since he’d already gone out to have dinner, it was unlikely that the food would be touched by anyone other than himself tonight. After his bath, he was ready to retire to his room for the day, until a repetitive bang resounded on his door.

He begrudgingly opened the door to greet a tired architect, who staggered through the door without a word and slumped onto the ground.

“You smell like alcohol,” Alhaitham noted as he crinkled his nose.

“I had to drink a little, y’know, to maintain business relations,” Kaveh grumbled, a slight slur in his words. “…Not that you’d get it though. Help me up.”

“I’m sure you can help yourself up.”

Even despite that, he’d extended his hand outward and Kaveh had taken it. Alhaitham pulled the staggering man upwards and dragged him over to his respective room, then threw him onto the bed.

“Take care of yourself after that.”

“I know,” Kaveh whined as he pulled the sheets over himself. “But I haven’t even bathed or done my skincare—”

“You can do it tomorrow morning.”

“It’s not the same,” he pouted.

“I’m sure it will be. Head to bed now,” Alhaitham said as he tucked Kaveh into bed, or more specifically, threw the sheets over his entire body.

Kaveh had kicked and punched at the sheets from what it looked like and Alhaitham maintained his grasp, until there was no more resistance. Only then did he remove the bedding and properly tuck it into Kaveh. He was quiet at last. An odd feeling stirred in him as Kaveh rolled onto his side, his sleeping face pressed comfortably into his pillow.

Alhaitham reached outward to graze his fingers past Kaveh’s cheek, gently passing the stray strands of hair that fell over him. How ironic that this man almost resembled a baby.

Alhaitham withdrew, then left, not even bothering to steal a glance at the lukewarm dish still sitting idly on the counter.

Things progressed as per usual. Alhaitham went to work and Kaveh toiled away at his designs, hammering away into the night. As of late, Kaveh had seemed to be increasingly exhausted but he paid it no heed. He still often went out, claiming he was looking for ‘inspiration’ , but Alhaitham was doubtful.

There was an occasion where he’d passed by the tavern and found Kaveh absolutely wasted, slouched over a table, and brought him back home, away from prying eyes. As much as he should’ve been concerned, Alhaitham simply wasn’t. He had to focus on his own matter as the day where he’d finally get to retire as the Acting Grand Sage came closer. If Kaveh intended on sabotaging himself, he would prefer to not play a role in it.

One day, on a weekend, he’d watched Kaveh drawing. His movements were usually animated, full of life as he etched graphite onto parchment, but on this occasion, he was inanimate — almost lifeless. Mehrak, who had been laid beside him, donned a crestfallen expression too. He could only wonder what had been plaguing at Kaveh.

Unbeknownst to Alhaitham, Kaveh was experiencing a common syndrome in the creative industry and it was one he’d much rather not disclose, lest Alhaitham finds a way to argue with him on it.

For the first time in a while, Kaveh didn’t know what to draw. He’d taken strolls around the city to clear his mind and occasional sips of alcohol in hopes to stir his imagination, but to no avail. He’d looked at his past designs, which clients had been satisfied with, but they all seemed lacking in some way. Even as the graphite hit the parchment, none of what he illustrated came out to the presentable standard he wished for it to be.

One discarded design turned into two, then three, then four, and it began to accumulate. Architecture was his livelihood and his main source of income. If he was stunted and his ability began to stagnate, it was over for him.

He buried his head into his hands as he set the pencil downwards. Alas, he had simply hoped this had been nothing more than a case of burnout syndrome.

As long as he paid rent on time and that which he owed, Alhaitham wouldn’t bother him. He flipped idly through the books scattered across the home, yet that spark hadn’t quite occurred to him just yet. He went to the House of Daena to find books on architecture and creative design, but most of it had been knowledge he was already aware of.

After years of being in the industry, perhaps he was finally crashing and burning. He made his way back home, unaware of the mess he’d created as he returned to sit back down at his desk. He couldn’t remember when he last ate, or properly spoke — or argued for that matter with Alhaitham.

Whatever… he thought as he dismissed it. Work was the priority, lest he find himself evicted if he couldn’t pay his dues.

More and more. Further and further into descent, until the light began to sully.

At long last, it had been the day where Alhaitham would retire as the Acting Grand Sage. He was capable, extremely competent, so even he could note the reluctance on their faces as they appointed a new Grand Sage that would pale in comparison. They’d made a request for his mentorship, but he simply declined as it would be too much effort, on top of his existing scribe duties.

As tempted as he was to stop by the tavern, he made his way home and contemplated on opening the bottle of rich dandelion wine he had shelved away for an occasion. Thankfully, it wasn’t one Kaveh put his slimy little hands on either, especially after all that effort he’d put in to keep it well hidden.

He returned home, ready to sink into the comforting embrace of his bedsheets for a short nap and rounded the corner to his room. Although, such plans were interrupted when he observed the absolute disaster that their shared workspace was. Kaveh’s impudence was honestly insulting at times. He made his way over, ready to chide his roommate for making a mess again. The moment he entered the general area, his feet hit against scrunches of paper and parchment scattered across the floor.

Kaveh was immersed in his work again, scribbling numbers next to illustrations and the graphite pencil in his grasp flying across the parchment paper. His lips were pressed into a thin, tense, firm line and his brows were knitted together in what seemed like frustration. Behind him, Mehrak laid against the bookshelf idly. What he found to be quite odd was its display wearing a saddened expression, unlike Kaveh’s for once. Until now, it had usually mimicked all of Kaveh’s expressions. From his current observations, what Kaveh seemed to be experiencing now was something much more intense than sadness.

At Kaveh’s table, there was an open sketchbook, yet it showed signs of the pages being torn off – small remnants still trapped in the binder.

“What are you doing, Kaveh?” he said.

Silence.

“Kaveh.”

Still no reaction.

“Kaveh,” he repeated, his voice slightly increasing in volume as he snapped his fingers.

With that, the architect finally seemed to break out of his immersion and blink at his work. He hadn’t spared a glance at Alhaitham and instead directed his gaze towards the clock in the corner of the room. His lips were parted and his eyes widened slightly, then he’d cupped his chin. Only after that did he face Alhaitham.

“What is it, Alhaitham?”

Exhaustion bled through his words, clearly not interested in any further conversation as he maintained his grip on the pencil. Alhaitham nodded towards the mess that began to form on the floor.

“Clean this up.”

“I’ll–” Kaveh hesitated, then sighed. “Let me get to it after this.”

“A moment ago, it seemed as if you were clearly surprised by how much time had passed. If you don’t do it now, you surely won’t do it.”

“I’m not like you that’ll leave his messes everywhere for someone else to clean,” he hissed. “I’m busy at the moment.”

“I can see that.”

“Then why can’t you leave me alone?”

“Something is clearly bothering you and your futile attempt to take it out on me isn’t a very good one.”

Kaveh opened his mouth, only to shut it again. “Sorry…” he muttered, “That wasn’t my intention. Work hasn’t been great – I mean, it has, but– it’s just…”

It wasn’t very often that the man was at a loss for words. If he was like this everyday, Alhaitham thought he could’ve gotten used to this bumbling silence if it wasn’t as discomforting as it currently was. As if on cue, Kaveh buried his face in between his hands with a loud sigh, then resumed his sketch as he spoke. “Work is going well, so you don’t need to worry about rent. It’s just been frustrating as of late.”

“You’re stressed,” he stated plainly.

“What was your first clue?”

“For what reason?”

Kaveh’s motion of drawing momentarily paused, until he spoke. “It’s not every day I get to hear you ask me what’s wrong. Are you concerned?”

It was Alhaitham’s turn to remain silent.

“The client I had last time, where I was invited to a business dinner, introduced me to someone from the Akademiya’s Kshahrewar Darshan. As I was, they were majoring in architectural design so the client was hoping we’d be able to collaborate on a component of my choosing. I have no qualms about that, of course…–” he paused, the edges of his lips slightly curling upwards. “The student was beaming and said they would gratefully take this as a learning opportunity. I think you could stand to learn a little from their behaviour towards their seniors.

“Besides the point… my client had simply disregarded their gratitude and said they needn’t take this as a learning opportunity. They were already quite the prodigy, after all. …I’ve told before you, but I’ll say it again: I’ve always disliked the Akademiya using the word ‘geniuses’ or ‘prodigies’ to pressure students,” Kaveh mused as he continued to draw, the graphite scratching at the parchment. His grip tightened on the pencil, the lines gradually becoming darker. “With just a single word, it’s like all your hard work is never acknowledged. It’s like all my success has amounted to nothing and is attributed to natural talent.”

And then, the graphite snapped. Kaveh smiled condescendingly, his expression not directed to anyone in particular as he scoffed. “Hah! Talent? What talent?”

Alhaitham kept his gaze on Kaveh. As a child, he constantly pored over books to develop his skills of critical analyses, yet on both occasions he’d entered the Akademiya, they’d said he was gifted. Alhaitham was never one to crave acknowledgement or recognition, so he merely disregarded the idle talks and rumoured discussions of his abilities. Even when there were utterances that his abilities may have been falsified, all fell silent when he proved them wrong through sheer skill. This quality of his differed greatly from Kaveh’s.

As he’d once said before, perhaps things were just that much crueller in the creative industry. To Alhaitham, the parchment that laid before Alhaitham was one of impeccable quality, as it had always been, and yet, Kaveh remained frustrated. Kaveh stared at the parchment and gripped it as an agonising feeling consumed him – the fragile thing crinkling and wrinkling at the amount of force exerted.

“Alhaitham, I… I kill myself over these designs–” Kaveh had scrapped the design, merely adding to the pile and tossed the broken pencil aside. Before him now was a blank slate, almost symbolic of his lack of progress. “–I admit it. You were right. I work myself to death just to get a single smile from my clients. I overthink and overestimate my clientele, but I–”

Tears were beginning to prickle at the corners of Kaveh’s eyes. The radiance in those pale crimson irises was now nowhere to be found and instead resembled that of glass beads: empty, transparent and hollow. He looked tired — so, so tired. If they weren’t talking right now, the probability of Kaveh merely being crumpled on the floor, drowning in his misery was a very real possibility. The Light of Kshahrewar was flickering, wavering, and so close to extinguishing.

Kaveh tore away from Alhaitham’s gaze, while keeping his own downcast. “Please. Just… leave me be .”

His breaths were shuddering and his voice was strained. He was pleading, almost begging .

Alhaitham was trapped in his sandstorm of thoughts — hazy and unclear. What was the right thing to do in this situation? Leave him, to wallow in his own madness and depression? Or stay beside him and break the boundary he was trying to create? Somewhere, within him, his heart was being wrung dry.

Alhaitham inhaled sharply and chose his words carefully, nervous for the first time in a long time. “I see your efforts. Otherwise, there is no way I would be able to deduce that you work yourself to death for your clients. If you are so inclined to not believe me, you, of all people, should be aware that I prefer speaking factually, rather than rhetorically.

“I believe that every person should have something they believe in and hold onto it firmly, from beginning to end, lest they find themselves led astray and succumbing to the vicissitudes of life. For you, Kaveh, that is your artistry. It will be the one redeeming feature of true value you have, if nothing else.”

It was a good thing Kaveh was ignorant to the way his heart drummed against his chest and his bated breath. There was no particular reaction, but he said his piece. Perhaps now, the answer was to go. He took a step back, ready to leave, until he was spoken to. A faint murmur, yet his voice nonetheless.

“...You’re not very good at cheering other people up.”

“I don’t intend to make one of those my skills.”

“I know. You’ve never been one for socialisation.”

And finally, the crevice had broken and the light began to seep through the dark once more, slowly, like how water waded over sand at low tide.

Alhaitham couldn’t help but mirror Kaveh’s expression as a smile decorated his features. He left the room and headed to the kitchen, extracting two chalices and the same bottle of dandelion wine he originally intended to enjoy by himself.

“I already share facilities with you, so what’s a bottle of wine?” he said.

Kaveh followed after him slowly with reddened eyes, before his pace accelerated as he took the chalice from the counter and raised it high with an exhausted grin.

“Alright! Pour it in!”

Alhaitham awoke to the sound of things clattering across the house. It was the ruckus he’d initially expected when Kaveh first moved into his house. He groggily pulled himself up, with the intention of telling Kaveh to keep it down and then returning back to bed. He trudged his way to the living room to see Kaveh at the kitchen, the smell of fisherman’s toast wafting throughout the home.

“You’re finally up,” Kaveh remarked as he set down their respective portions onto plates. “Here. For you.”

“I was going to go back to sleep,” Alhaitham replied lazily.

“And I was hoping to take you out,” he sighed.

At that statement, Alhaitham stared crudely at him, with Kaveh quickly adding on. “Not in a fight, just… as thanks for yesterday.”

Yesterday… he thought. He was a little more surprised that Kaveh didn’t wake up with a raging headache nor hangover after he downed one after the other. He was a lightweight after all.

“I decline. You usually have the expectation that I will be the one paying for our outing,” Alhaitham pointed out.

“Ah, no. I’ll be the one paying this time.”

Awfully suspicious. “The destination?”

“The furniture store!” Kaveh huffed, almost proud of himself. “Didn’t you say that my artistry was second to none?”

Alhaitham lifted a brow. “I said no such thing.”

“Well, regardless of whether you did or not, we’re still going, even if I have to take you by force.”

Through just a few words, Alhaitham’s leisurely day had been ruined. Sarcasm bled into his speech as he spoke the next word. “ Wonderful .”

Kaveh led Alhaitham to a merchant in the Grand Bazaar and greeted them warmly, but their surprise when they saw Alhaitham in tow was clearly prominent. Even as reluctant as he looked, he was still with Kaveh.

“Oh my, what a surprise to see you two together,” the merchant gasped. “What can I do for the both of you today?”

“All of Alhaitham’s furniture is considerably droll, so it needs some refurnishing,” Kaveh replied.

The merchant simply blinked in surprise as their gaze flickered between Kaveh and Alhaitham, a clear question written on their face. It was a shock that Kaveh had even observed the furniture within Alhaitham’s home. One would think that they’d never allow the other to enter their home. If such a matter was to go around, many would suspect that perhaps the relationship they shared on the surface wasn’t quite the same as to what transpired in their private relationship.

You and your loose mouth… Alhaitham groaned internally.

“I let him rest at my place while he was in a drunken state,” he lied. “That’s all there is to it.”

“Ah, that certainly clears things up!” they laughed. “Please feel free to browse and ask for assistance if there is anything that piques your interest.”

Kaveh gestured a thumbs-up to Alhaitham, his gaze clearly descriptive of ‘Nice save!’ . Alhaitham decided to ignore him as his gaze swept across what was on offer. Kaveh had offered to pay, but he could only assume that he would be paying if they met with his sense of aesthetics. In other words, his usual financial freedom was restricted.

“I’ve never seen your room before, but I suspect its furnishings are similar to what the rest of the house,”  Kaveh hummed.

“It’s just a room,” Alhaitham commented. “There is no need for it to be overly decorated.”

“It’s not just a room, Alhaitham,” Kaveh mused as his hands glided against the smooth timber surface of a bookshelf on display. “It’s a part of your personality too. Your decorations are dull and the dreary set-up is clearly indicative of what your day-to-day life looks like. Why don’t you add some colour for once?”

A splash of colour. Alhaitham already had such a thing in his life. It was the one constant pigment that continued to bleed into his monotonous world. It was dazzling, sparkling, almost too bright for his comfort as he squinted to gaze back at the person who’d brought such a hindering thing to his life. And without even being aware of it, the stars were falling and descending into that set of pale crimson irises, glittering anew as they were exposed to the light.

“Well, how about it?”

“I don’t suppose a small change would be bad.”

“Yes!” Kaveh cheered, as if he’d finally broken into a deal of great worth. “To start with, let’s see…—”

He eagerly paced away from the brightly coloured furniture, to another section with his eyes scanning at what was before him. “You seem to enjoy muted, neutral colours, but the viridian garbs that you wear aren’t half-bad either, so how about something small like this to start off?”

A floral vase, painted a deep viridian green, lined with streaks of honey gold. Alhaitham’s gaze flickered towards Kaveh, before the item that had been presented before him. It had to be unintentional that Kaveh had chosen something that aligned with both of their colour schemes. Truthfully, he’d expected something with more flair – something flamboyant , but Kaveh’s attempt at catering towards his tastes wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

“Alright.”

“I told you to bring me along when there was furniture to buy. My aesthetic sense is second to none. After all, aren’t I also the ‘ highly sought out architect ’?”

Alhaitham scoffed with mock irritation as he turned his head away at the ridiculous show of confidence.

Alhaitham and Kaveh had bought small items from the furniture store, then rearranged them into their respective spaces, or more respectively, Alhaitham’s. Kaveh hadn’t spent a single mora himself.

“Doesn’t it look a little more homely now?” he grinned satisfactorily.

“It stands out like a sore thumb,” Alhaitham remarked as he cupped his chin, observing the new surroundings that were placed throughout the home. “You didn’t get anything for yourself.”

“Why would I?” he replied, as if it were a matter-of-fact. “It’s not like I’m going to be your roommate forever… and it’s just easier to add a few of my belongings, like that painting over there, so I can take them back quickly and get out of your way when the time comes.”

Alhaitham’s lips parted slightly. The colour in his world was being muddled with black.

“I have lots of work to catch up after what transpired, but the day where I finally get to move out might finally be coming up soon. I’ve never said it before, but thanks for everything, Alhaitham, even though you didn’t have to.”

The light was slipping from his hands, its dazzling spark bleeding through the cracks of his fingers. No, it was never his to begin with. He’d made such a foolish mistake in thinking that might’ve been the case, even though they shared nothing more than a space.

“Alhaitham, do you remember what I said about being an architect? People envision a future as they gaze upon my designs. One day, I’d like to build a mansion for myself. And when I do, I’ll invite you over, just so you can see my superior taste in interior design.”

The Light of Kshahrewar was charming, alluring, enthralling, and he never failed to capture the attention of those around him. Even as a witness, Alhaitham could acknowledge that beauty, as incorrigible as his personality may be.

“Alhaitham, are you listening?”

“I am,” he sighed exasperatedly. “I don’t think I’ll come, no matter how many invitations you send my way.”

“Don’t be like that,” Kaveh chuckled, before stealing a glance at the clock and grabbing Mehrak and a few stencils from his desk. “I’ll be having dinner with that same client again tonight. I think it’ll be appropriate for me to set down that boundary.”

And the light was lost, yet even still, he continued to glimmer.

“…Kaveh.”

“Hm?”

“…Don’t pig out too much.”

“Ugh, I know that already!”

With that, Kaveh stomped out and slammed the door behind him. No matter how much time passed, Alhaitham remained as tactless as ever. At least that was one of the constants in his life he could rely on, if only barely. Likewise, with Alhaitham, Kaveh was one of the few amusing constants in his life – or at least, he was supposed to be. His very existence was fleeting and impermanent.

To Alhaitham, this small property was an ideal circumstance and perfect for the comfortable life he wanted to live. There was sufficient soundproofing, not many knew where he lived, and it was only a short distance away to most of Sumeru’s main locations, such as the Grand Bazaar and Akademiya.

However, Kaveh’s dreams were much more grandiose and that was a factor he’d understood since long ago. To some extent, Alhaitham wanted everyone to lead the lives they wanted to live. Such a belief applied to Kaveh too, of course.

He understood that, so why was it that his chest ached at the thought of Kaveh leaving?

Home is where the heart is.

Alhaitham’s was here, and Kaveh’s was elsewhere.

There was… simply nothing wrong with that.

In hindsight, Alhaitham had already known. Kaveh, the Light of Kshahrewar, was akin to a flower on a high peak. It should only be adored, admired, and never plucked as it were unattainable. Once the brave dared to snatch it from its roots, the cliff edge, their figure and the flower they desired so badly would tumble and they’d fall to their despair. That was his essence at its core.

Alhaitham was intelligent enough to never reach out for he wished to enjoy life in his own way and in his own time. Even the ever-present noble and beautiful padisarah and the lush Sumeru roses that dotted the city’s walkways still seemed out of his reach.

Kaveh was expanding his horizons, having spent more time with the traveller before their departure to Fontaine and being granted with access to the Serenitea Realm. He’d cheered and bragged about it the moment he returned home, saying that he didn’t need to depend so highly on Alhaitham any longer.

On the nights where the house was quiet, it was to be expected that he’d been out with a client if he was within the realm. Kaveh’s fluid movements as he designed became more animated and prominent, as if he had just broken into his creative flair for the first time again. Undoubtedly, he was becoming increasingly successful. Perhaps it had been time for him to increase the rent, but it was something he refrained from doing.

He closed his eyes and heaved a sigh as he returned to his home, ready to kick back and relax into the weekend. He sunk into the couch and meanwhile, Kaveh had strolled by with a rolled-up parchment in hand, then faced Alhaitham.

“You’re back,” he greeted. “I’ve made some butter chicken. There’s still leftovers in the pan.”

“I see.”

“I feel like the pan wasn’t cleaned that well last time. Have you used it recently?”

Silence.

“Whatever, it’s not important. I wanted to speak to you, Alhaitham,” he began. He wore a stern expression, then seemed to hesitate as if he were searching for something more lighthearted. He spoke once more, the change in tone clearly evident. “I’ve been visiting the traveller’s Serenitea Realm lately. Just the other day, I met this guy just the other day too with horns on his head. In Inazuma, he’s known as a youkai ,” Kaveh rambled on. “Apparently, he’s been to the prison more than just a few times, so he drew me this illegible floor plan because he thought it might help me out in the future when I’m designing confined spaces—”

“Kaveh,” Alhaitham sighed, with no intention to mask his increasing annoyance as his peace was being disrupted. “I’m honestly not interested. What is it that you originally intended to say?”

“…What’s got you in such a sour mood?” Kaveh grumbled. He scratched the back of his head as he continued. “Work has been going well and I’ve repaid half my debt. Maybe a few weeks or months from now, I’ll be out of sight and out of mind.”

There was an ache in Alhaitham’s chest. Unbidden and uncalled for, yet it was agonising. 

“I see,” he uttered. They were almost choked out, but Kaveh didn’t seem to notice as he continued.

“Whenever I go, I’ll entrust that painting for you,” Kaveh said as he gestured towards the painting they’d hung up together, just after the traveller had left a long while back. “You can think of it as my farewell gift.”

“I don’t want it,” Alhaitham replied sharply. “Take it with you.”

He didn’t need any lingering reminders of Kaveh once being in his home. Quite frankly, it was unpleasant — they soured his mood and left a bitter taste on his tongue.

“Don’t be like that,” Kaveh chuckled. “This kind, humble senior is giving his tactless, stone-hearted junior a gift.”

“So you’re putting yourself in the limelight.”

“That’s beside the point. Don’t you think it’ll give a friendlier air to this dreary home?” he said as he circled over to the table and drummed his fingers against it. “I think that vase has also been doing an especially good job at livening this place up a little.”

“That vase…” Alhaitham muttered.

It was something Kaveh had chosen for him during an outing together, in hopes that Alhaitham would open his eyes to the sparkling colours and joys of life. Through Kaveh’s lenses, Alhaitham couldn’t help but wonder how he perceived the world. Was it truly so beautiful?

He ultimately decided not to let his mind wander and exhaled. “I don’t need it either. You may have that.”

“Why? I thought you were quite happy when I picked it out for you.”

Alhaitham blinked curiously at that statement. …Was I?

“Yes, you were.”

I must’ve thought that out loud , Alhaitham grunted internally. He hadn’t particularly remembered feeling any joy at that time – not to the extent that it’d show on his face. However, it was simply all the more reason for it to not be in his life.

He picked up the vase and inspected it curiously. Its viridian green glistened in the small rays of light that peeked into the home, with the honey gold strokes continuing to sparkle, regardless of what angle it was at. Enchanting, glimmering, and all the more enthralling – even Alhaitham felt captivated by its beauty. Despite that, he pushed it towards Kaveh.

“You may have it. I have no need for a vase. I will not be bringing any flowers back myself.”

“That’s true,” Kaveh murmured as he shoved it back onto Alhaitham. “I can’t imagine you with flowers, but it’s not like I need it either. It doesn’t particularly match my aesthetic palette either…”

“You should’ve chosen something more practical,” Alhaitham said as he mimicked the motion, almost forcing it onto Kaveh.

Kaveh replicated the same force. “I did! Didn’t we also choose that bookstand for your desk together?”

“Something like this… I have no desire for it.”

With that, he shoved it back onto Kaveh, unintentionally exerting more force than necessary. The amount of force was clearly one Kaveh didn’t expect either. He’d staggered back and attempted to regain his balance, but slammed into the horizontal slant of the table and fell back – the vase launching from his grasp, with Alhaitham reaching out to catch Kaveh. His efforts were futile as he also fell downward and tumbled with Kaveh. Simultaneously, the sound of porcelain smashing against the floor was heard.

Kaveh had braced himself for the impact of slamming his head into the table, yet the pain never quite came. The cold surface of the wood didn’t fail to bleed through his fabric and onto his back though. He opened his eyes, with Alhaitham clearly doing the same, only for both of them to blink back at each other. If anyone had walked into their home without any context, it’d almost seem like Alhaitham had pinned down Kaveh onto the table, his head cradled into his hand.

Kaveh sharply inhaled as they met each other’s gaze. Within those dilated pupils of teal, he saw himself reflected within. It was often said that eyes were the window to the soul, often reflecting one’s innermost desires or wishes, but he supposed that such fictitious ideas couldn’t be any further from the truth.

As soon as Kaveh’s senses returned to him, he shoved at Alhaitham’s chest and turned his head sideways, averting his gaze.“...Get off me. You’re too close for comfort.”

Alhaitham picked himself up from Kaveh and dusted himself off… not that there was anything to dust off to begin with. Kaveh wordlessly headed to where he’d heard the breakage and bent down, picking up a viridian green fragment. At its edge, the gold paint almost seemed to be bleeding off.

“It’s broken.”

“Indeed it is.”

Kaveh gradually picked up the fragments one by one, with Alhaitham extending his hand outwards to receive the broken pieces. “I’ll throw them.”

“No… I think I’ll hold onto it actually.”

“For what reason?”

“It may be broken, but–” Kaveh lifted one of the fragments to the light, a thin smile decorating his features as it continued to glimmer, then spoke once more. “–That doesn’t mean it’s beyond reparation.”

Kaveh casually strolled past him and emptied the larger pieces he’d collected into the fruit bowl he’d previously bought for himself. Thankfully, it was empty at the present time. As he did so, one of them scratched his palm and drew blood. Even so, Kaveh persevered, wiping at the shard gently to remove the foreign, ugly crimson.

“There’s an art, originating from Inazuma, called ‘ kintsugi ’,” Kaveh elaborated as he paced over to his workstation to pick up a sketchbook. “It’s all about putting back broken pieces together with gold. By embracing its imperfections, a stronger, more beautiful piece of art is created. When you think about it like that, Alhaitham, isn’t this world just so beautiful, Alhaitham?”

As he spoke, Kaveh’s hand glided across paper, not even paying any further heed to the slight wound on his palm nor the way graphite stained the side of his hand. Alhaitham would never tell the man himself, but when he’d first extended that offer to Kaveh, inviting him into his home, it was precisely because of their likeness towards each other. Alhaitham had always believed that his knowledge and vision could only be perfected through the presence of another genius. Through the perspective of someone else that was so similar, yet so different to him, perhaps even the most incomprehensible of things could finally be understood.

Kaveh finally lifted his gaze to face Alhaitham, unlike how dusk had begun to fall outside. There was a certain attractiveness and ephemerality to Kaveh under the evening rays of light. It was the way his blond locks glistened under it and were dyed a faint orange, and the way his long eyelashes always seemed more prominent through his half-lidded irises. While Kaveh always chided Alhaitham for not being appreciative of the finer arts, perhaps it was because he’d already been exposed to it and nothing else could compare.

And from the high peak, he fell. Alhaitham was falling and he honestly wasn’t sure if he had already passed the point of escape. Even if it weren’t too late to retrace his steps, he contemplated on whether he wanted to lose this very moment of serenity.

For the first time in a long time, Kaveh was smiling earnestly in his direction. If there was anyone who saw the world before rose-coloured lenses, it was the Light of Kshahrewar. 

Slowly yet surely, time had passed.

Kaveh was busier than ever. He was often at his desk now, rather than anywhere else. This was the reality that Alhaitham had noted. In his free time, Alhaitham wasn’t oblivious to the way he worked on a relatively large design, which resembled that of an extravagant mansion.

It wasn’t until one day that Kaveh had grabbed Alhaitham after he’d returned home from work that they’d spoken properly for the first time in a while, instead of bickering lightly.

“Open your hand, Alhaitham,” Kaveh ordered as he huffed proudly and placed his hands on his hips. One was clenched tightly, while the other had rolled bundles of parchment within and Mehrak in his grasp. “I have something for you.”

He warily held his hand out, for Kaveh to place something within — his fingers grazing against Alhaitham’s palm as he did so. When he gazed at what he’d apparently been given, it seemed like nothing more than a sharp, pointed rock that slightly indented his skin. It was coloured a familiar, deep viridian green, with what appeared to be gold as lining for the cracks that may have once previously been there.

“It’s a three-dimensional six-pointed star,” Kaveh explained as he gently tapped on one of its points. “When you direct it towards the sun, it glimmers, sparkles, and dazzles, like one of the illuminating stars hanging high above the night sky. I made this with the smaller pieces from that vase before; you can think of it as my small gift to you.”

“And what did you do with the larger pieces?” Alhaitham prompted.

“I’m still working on it. I’ve been busy after all,” he grinned, then tugged on Alhaitham’s arm. “I know you have access, so come with me to the Serenitea Realm. There’s something I’d like to show you.”

Alhaitham did as he was told, the both of them landing onto the main plain where Tubby, the adeptus, levitated and peered at them through the lid of the teapot. Kaveh released Alhaitham and hurried over with a skip in his step.

“Tubby!” he exclaimed as he pulled the adeptus into a tight embrace. “You’re as cute and as fluffy as ever.”

He let go shortly after and unveiled the parchment, positively beaming as he did so. “Do you remember my little arrangement with the traveller?”

“Yes, I do,” she replied.

Tubby set herself back into the teapot and a gold light radiated from the parchment he held outward. Only a minute later did she pop out with a smile and nod her head, to which Kaveh did the same.

Kaveh grabbed Alhaitham’s arm and tugged him along. Their arms were not linked and neither were they holding hands, it was merely Kaveh dragging his junior by his upper arm. After a while, they’d finally reached a plain isle with nothing but a mansion and a waypoint off to the side. At that observation, Alhaitham thought it to be a waste of time that they hadn’t just teleported here instead.

“This is a mansion,” Kaveh said, excitement bleeding into each word that he spoke.

“I can see that,” Alhaitham replied blankly.

“It’s my mansion! I asked the traveller if I could use Tubby’s powers to create it so I could visualise it. It won’t be for long, it’s just a prototype.”

With that, he picked up Mehrak and a bright green light emitted from the briefcase as it scanned the building and saved to its database. Mehrak wore a happy expression, akin to its master as Kaveh ran forward, the bright laughter that bubbled from him resounding clear.

“Look, Alhaitham!” he exclaimed. “You’re the first one to see it, so relish in it and feast your eyes!”

Alhaitham stared at Kaveh blankly. “Why am I the first?”

“The only person I’ve promised to invite is you… for now. I was most indebted to you since you took me in on day one, even when you didn’t have to, considering our history—” Kaveh hesitated, then continued onward as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “We’re adults now. We disagree a lot, but we’ve learnt to compromise… to an extent. You were always really annoying, but you helped me in times, regardless of whether I was better or worse off, and for richer or for poorer.”

Kaveh’s voice trailed off, then he extended his hand outwards. “I’ll have to keep troubling you until I have the mora to build this mansion, but that’s something you don’t mind, right?”

“I’m not quite sure how much longer I can tolerate your presence in my life,” he replied as he strolled past the hanging hand of Kaveh’s.

“Ugh! You never change!” Kaveh shouted.

He followed after Alhaitham, the both of them heading to the doorstep of the mansion to inspect the grand interior that Kaveh had been more than ready to brag about.

Before he did, Alhaitham turned on his heel and lifted the six-pointed star to the evening light within the realm. It truly did sparkle and glimmer, almost beautifully so. The viridian green seemed to be reminiscent of jade or emerald, and the streaks of gold continued to dazzle no matter which angle he’d turned it.

Unbeknownst to both him and Kaveh, the edges of his lips had curled upwards.

May my child Alhaitham lead a peaceful life .

Alhaitham didn’t know about peaceful, but in this very moment, he could proudly say he was enjoying life.