Chapter Text
Mechanical vehicles began to pick up a storm in Teyvat due to their versatility and speed. Not only were they easily accessible for non-vision holders, but they were also relatively inexpensive for mass production thanks to ancient Khaenrian tech.
Due to the vast open plains of the desert, off-road racing took off spectacularly in Sumeru. Rich merchants and high-ranked scholars bought plenty of cars and often raced in the desert, especially on the road from Caravan Rivat to Aaru Village. Alhaitham happened to be one of their numbers, thanks to Dehya.
"Think about it," she urged, "You can go to and fro the desert and Akademiya a whole lot easier now! No need to think about buying caravans or sumpter beasts. All you need is a car and you're good to go! Aren't you a man of efficiency?"
It was hard for Alhaitham to argue against that. It took a bit more coaxing from Dehya, but he ended up buying the most expensive and overall best-built car that was available in the market. After that, she challenged him to several races, even to the Mound of the Meteor Rock. It took him a little while, but eventually, even Alhaitham had to admit. The feeling of wind rushing over his face and whipping in his hair, the rush of seeing his tires barely skidding off the trails, and the absolute freedom the vehicle permitted him. They were all a thrill.
Months after his initial induction into the off-road racing world, he found himself amidst a small group of like-minded racers and had won against a fair amount of competitors before he even realized it. Because of this, he'd normally feel indifferent about gossip revolving around rising champions, but lately, he had heard several people grumbling about losing to some newcomer with a crappy car. Some others started calling him "the Light of Kshahrewar.”
"That guy is so tough!" Dehya groaned as she drank out of her flask. "He ain't called the Light of Kshahrewar for nothing. Guy's got some moves out there in the desert, even with that weird car."
"He somehow wiped the floor with your ass?" The scribe raised a brow at this. Dehya was especially familiar with the road between Caravan Rivat and Aaru Village, so hearing that she was beaten was a first.
"It’s not ‘somehow,’" she raked a hand through her hair gruffly, annoyance apparent on her face, "It was a crushing defeat. Could hardly keep up."
Huh, now that’s new.
Seeing the interest etched on his face, Dehya nodded her head to a vehicle in the distance, an arm peeking out of the driver's window. When Alhaitham's sights landed on the vehicle, he nearly scoffed at the sight. It was hard to take the car seriously, especially when it didn't look like a car in the first place.
It was... essentially just an exoskeleton. No panels, no doors , just steel bars that were painted orange and a windshield. He wasn't even sure how the driver could get in without crawling through the gap that was meant to be the window. Just what kind of a monster could the husk of a car be if it already looked like it was halfway to the scrapyard?
"That's him if you're curious about it. Don't be too upset if you lose though, looks can be deceiving."
"...Mhm." Needless to say, Alhaitham got into his car and drove up to it. The driver, who had a racing helmet on, noticed the scribe and gave him a wave. It was odd that he'd use a helmet when most of the racers hardly ever used them. Then again, he was also driving in a car that had no panels. It was probably a necessary precaution.
But at the end of the day, that was irrelevant to him. He was more curious about the capabilities of that strange car and the even more mysterious driver behind the wheel.
So he revved his engine. His exhaust pipe roared, taunting the other driver for a round to Aaru Village. It was a staple to challenge other racers in the community this way. Luckily, the helmeted driver seemed to understand and revved his engine in return.
It was loud, and it popped . Like gunshots. Alhaitham didn't even know engines could make that sound. But then again, with how new cars were in Sumeru, it wouldn’t be surprising that engines could sound like that either. If it was some sort of intimidation tactic, it nearly worked on him. He shivered, his skin covered in goosebumps, and the corners of his lips twitched with a thrill that bubbled up his throat.
Upon seeing the two cars rearing to go, Deyha walked to the front and raised her arm. "Get ready...!" She yelled, her eyes shifting between the two drivers.
Alhaitham gripped the steering wheel tightly. Why am getting so I nervous? He thought. I challenged him. Or did I underestimate him? Seeds of doubt began to take root in his mind. There was something about the Light of Kshahrewar that was off. As if there was a variable he didn’t take into consideration, or a puzzle missing its final piece. In the end, he quickly waved thoughts away. It’s too late to think about all that, and it’s too late to back out either. All he could do now was drive.
"Go!" The moment Dehya's arm dropped, the two cars immediately hit the road. The sounds of engines and tires kicking against the dirt and sand filled the air.
Alhaitham took the lead. His heart thumped in excitement, adrenaline kicking in as he felt the wind on his face and lashing at his hair. He didn't dare look at his rearview mirror, focused on keeping the lead as long as he could.
As the first corner of the road came into view, Alhaitham prepared himself to drift. He shifted his gears, stepped on his brakes, and turned his wheel. With careful proficiency, he swerved the car’s rear along the curve, careful to not understeer the wheel and use the momentum as a speed boost. It was a textbook second-gear drift that would have made any racer nod with approval.
For a moment, he thought he distanced the gap, but the unmistakable sound of a fast-approaching engine told him otherwise. Alhaitham peered at his side mirror and saw an orange exoskeletal car right at his rear. Alhaitham's heart jumped in his throat. I could have sworn he was at least a whole truck-length away. How did he close the gap so quickly? We aren’t even halfway there yet.
Before he knew it, the car crept up beside him, like a bug crawling on his work desk all of a sudden when he wasn’t paying attention. They always strike when he least expected it. He watched as the Light of Kshahrewar took the lead, dumbfounded.
Oh, no you don’t.
The scribe quickly changed gears and accelerated, watching the speedometer rise to 130 mph. His heart thumped and his neck tensed at the sudden change in speed, inertia hitting his chest like a drum. He glanced to the side again and saw that he came up short. What in the world is going on? What is it that’s making that scrap metal move faster than my car? The engine? The wheels? The weight? It doesn’t make sense.
Alhaitham shook his head. Now was no time to think about it, there were two sharp turns up ahead. He changed gears again and swerved, his forearms tensing against the pressure. He hated to admit it, but he wasn't the greatest when it came to changing directions mid-drift without slowing down. He had constantly been practicing it during his test drives, though being self-taught had its own weaknesses. He had not entirely learned how to ignore his instinct to fight against the wheel and trust the car. Because of that, he always had to shift to a higher gear for control.
When the dust cleared, he realized the gap between him and his competitor had only widened. Alhaitham knew that he was a lot further behind now and had to change gears again to keep up. It was like a neverending cycle. He fell further behind on the next turn, gained some ground on the straightaways, then lost it on the next corner. Again and again.
It all ended when he heard a loud thud from the hood of his car. Smoke clouded his vision, forcing him to slow down and veer to the side. Strings of curses in various languages slipped from his lips as he popped off the seatbelt and got out of his car. It was the first time this had ever happened to him, and of course, it had to happen when he was going against the Light of Kshahrewar. He must be long gone by now. The sound of his engine was distant, the cloud of dust dissipating in his wake.
That was hardly the problem now, however. Alhaitham had to figure out why his car was smoking. The moment he lifted the hood of his car, a gust of acrid smoke fanned into his face, making him reel back and immediately slam the hood shut. "Archons, what the fuck," he hissed as he waved the smell away. It reminded him of the Amurta students in the Akademiya who clearly had just returned from a biochemical experiment, the scent of harsh chemicals and plant fertilizer evident and pungent on their uniforms and in their hair. He always had to leave early from the House of Daena whenever they arrived.
Alhaitham had three options. The first was to wait for help to arrive and hope they could tow his car to a repair shop. The second option was to push the car back to Caravan Ribat himself. The third was to go back to Caravan Ribat on foot and ask for help, but that would mean leaving his car unattended and hoping no Eremites would steal his vehicle. None of his options sounded great.
Just as he decided to suck it up and push the car, he heard the familiar sound of a particular engine making its way back to him. He couldn't help but let out another sigh. Asking for help from someone he challenged to a race sounded rather pathetic, but he was not one to stick to his pride if he knew there was an easier and straightforward way to deal with his problem.
The bug car stopped just a little further away from the scribe and Alhaitham watched the driver pull himself out of the car through the window. Just as I thought.
What he did not know was that the helmet belonged to the prettiest man he had ever seen. When he took it off and shook out his hair, Alhaitham found out that it had completely hidden his sun-kissed locks and ombre tips, his delicate features, and plump lips. He was wearing simple cargo pants and a loose tank top, its hem torn and revealing a little skin. It took Alhaitham a surprising amount of effort to focus on his face, though his features were equally easy on the eyes.
His words, however, were not easy on the ears.
"I genuinely can't believe that you somehow managed to mess up this car model so easily!" he chided. "Of all the other car models out there, this is one of the easiest to maintain! Oh... this poor thing. She's such a good model too." The blond patted the car gently as if it was his precious baby and not Alhaitham's .
Whatever first impression Alhaitham had gotten of him was immediately thrown out the window. "It's not a major issue," he replied coolly, "It's fixable."
"It is a major issue if you're in the middle of nowhere and can’t drive it to the nearest civilization, dumbass. Besides, I can literally see the smoke fuming out of her hood."
The stranger promptly popped open the hood, unfazed by the smoke that spilled out of the car. He leaned over the raised hood, his back arched slightly as he inspected the car.
His shirt hung lax down his back, revealing a toned midriff. Not too defined, but rather soft. When the blond bent down even further, fiddling with the components under the hood, Alhaitham could see the band of his underwear peeking out of his cargo pants, the smooth line along his hips. Despite the twill material of his pants, he could easily tell he had a nicely defined and rounded-
"Hey, were you listening to me? Like, at all?" the man asked, realizing how quiet Alhaitham had been.
His gaze quickly snapped from the blond's backside and locked into those aggravated red eyes.
"Geez, I'm doing all this work and you were zoning out? What were you even thinking about to forget about this babygirl right in front of you?"
"...Mm," Alhaitham nearly chuckled at the question, "None of your concern. Anyway, you were saying?"
"You...! Ugh, it doesn't matter. Your engine overheated, so I had to turn it off and let it cool a little bit. I inspected your radiator reservoir and it was basically empty, so we're gonna have to let it sit for a while. I'd funnel in some radiator fluid if I could, but I didn't bring any with me. Our best option is to have your car towed and brought to a repair shop."
"A repair shop..." he pondered over this, recalling the workshops in Sumeru that could repair vehicles. Since it was still a relatively new form of technology, there weren't that many repair shops. Not reliable ones, at least. "Do you have any recommendations?"
He could almost see the blond's eyes sparkle at the question. "I do, actually! Mine, in fact. I run a repair shop on the side. Ah- my name's Kaveh by the way. I am an architect, but I have a new-found hobby in racing at the moment," he grinned, reaching out his gloved hand for a shake.
"...Alhaitham. Akademiya scribe," he shook the other's hand firmly.
"Ah, so you're the guy that's been overtaking the entire racing community."
"On the contrary. You've been sweeping up the racing competition like a storm," Alhaitham replied, "People have been complaining about the Light of Kshahrewar outclassing them with a poor excuse of a metal cage on wheels."
"E-Excuse me?!" he gasped, "I've never heard of a more foolish thing! My car is essentially the exoskeleton of every other car model out there. It's just without the paneling, and made of actual good metal! This thing can fall off a mountain and still retain its shape!" He huffed, closing the hood of Alhaitham's car a little too forcefully, "My baby here," he walked back to his car and leaned against the metal frame, "could beat every single car out there because it's tailored to me. Everything I want and need for off-road racing is compiled in this ‘metal cage in wheels,’" Kaveh's tone was mocking as he said the last part, using air quotes to further emphasize it.
"Oh really. Then why was it not on the market? Who in the world would build that and think it's a great idea?"
"Simple," The blond crossed his arms smugly, "It's because I built it myself. Someone sold me the exoskeleton and wheels for much cheaper than a fully built car, so I bought it and modded it to everything I've ever wanted. The engine, wheels, suspension system, paint, everything. It's cheaper and better than whatever’s on the market!"
For a moment, the scribe thought his heart fluttered. There was nothing more impressive in his eyes than a man passionate in his craft. It explained how Kaveh managed to mod the exhaust and mimic gunfire, or how confident and experienced he sounded when assessing the overheated engine. Was Alhaitham charmed by it? Perhaps. Would he show any sign of that? Most certainly not. If anything, it made him want to test his new subject of interest even further.
"All that, but you have through the window so you could get in and out of your car,” Alhaitham pointed out, “Not to mention the only thing that prevents the wind from hitting you in the face is a plastic windshield."
Kaveh's face reddened at the remark. "First of all, it’s laminated glass! Second of all, so what! She's built for racing. I'd say the compromise is worth it," he huffed indignantly.
"Then show me why."
Kaveh blinked at this. "What?"
"You've been raving about how amazing your car is," he shrugged, "Then show me why. Might as well, right?"
"But what about your own car?! You can't just leave it here!"
"...I'm more interested in your car at the moment. If my car gets stolen, then so be it. I have the financial freedom to buy another one."
It's not like Alhaitham was lying. Though it'd be nice if his car wouldn't get stolen, he wasn't particularly worried if it ended up that way either. He could easily buy another one if needed. The bug car, on the other hand, was a one-of-a-kind. He wouldn’t miss an opportunity to see what it was capable of.
Kaveh, unfortunately, did not agree with the sentiment. "What-?! No! You're leaving her here alone? You're crazy...! You know what, I have a better idea. Mehrak!"
Moments later, a copper-gold alloy briefcase flew from the car's compartment and hovered near Kaveh, bright green eyes blinking and emoting animatedly. Kaveh lightly booped the flying suitcase with an endearing smile.
"This is Mehrak, my trusty suitcase. I bring her with me wherever I go since she doubles as my tool kit... though I guess she'll be on watch duty this time. Mehrak, look over Alhaitham's car, okay? Send me a signal if you notice anyone suspicious coming your way."
Mehrak somehow nodded enthusiastically before perching inside Alhaitham’s car.
"Did you build her as well?" Alhaitham asked, fascinated. He had never seen a sentient and flying creature behaving so... vibrantly.
"I did!" the blond replied with a proud grin, "She's made out of Deshretan technology. I spent a fortune to get the core alone! It's all worth it, of course. But enough about Mehrak, we're here to go on a test drive, right?"
"Right."
"Good! Now get in. You're sitting in the passenger seat, of course. I don't trust you to drive my baby."
Alhaitham didn't complain much about it. He had just wrecked his car, after all.
After a bit of shimmying through the window gap, Alhaitham plopped onto the seat and strapped on his seatbelt as Kaveh gunned the engine back to life, his hand holding out the helmet. "Take this. You'll need it."
Alhaitham noticed that it was the same one Kaveh used before.
"I don't need it," he replied.
"Trust me, you do. You'll see why in a few minutes."
"Then what about you?"
"Unfortunately, I only have one," Kaveh smiled sheepishly, "I didn't think I'd have someone with me today. But I'm a pretty good driver, so I should be okay. You, however, are my responsibility, since you're in my car. So take the helmet before I put it on for you."
"I hope you have no lice," Alhaitham mumbled as he fastened the helmet on his head.
"Of course not!" He pouted, "I take care of my hair. I even used heat protection today! I'm not going to let the sun damage my hair, let alone some lice!"
An amused huff left Alhaitham's lips at the sight of the pouting racer. His puffed cheeks reminded him of an angry anemo slime. "Alright, I believe you then."
"Good!"
Kaveh revved once again, letting the sound of the purring engine and the exhaust's occasional pops of combustion fill the air. There was something in the engine that sounded so, so nice to Alhaitham. Clean and crisp, not at all like some sort of dying trumpet or vacuum cleaner. It was a sign of a driver who took care of their car thoroughly.
He glanced at Kaveh behind the wheel, watching how his hands gripped the hard polymer and how his forearms looked so relaxed. With a step of the pedal, Alhaitham could feel the inertia hitting him again in full power, his neck snapping back at the sheer force as the speedometer jumped from 0 to 60 within mere seconds. Suddenly, he understood why Kaveh advised him to wear the helmet.
Riding his car felt less like off-roading and more like low-level flight.