Work Text:
Alhaitham walks quietly through his house, paying mind to each step he takes. He reaches his bedroom but doesn’t hear any sound from inside. The door is slightly ajar, so he pushes it open completely. His bed is empty.
With a frown and a sigh, Alhaitham walks hastily to his study where he finds Kaveh slumped over his desk. Papers are scattered about, several books tower over him, and his pencil is still in his hand. Alhaitham removes the pencil from his grip, gently rubbing his back.
“Kaveh. Kaveh, come on. Let’s get you to bed.”
The exhausted architect weakly shakes his head. Barely even awake at this point, he lifts his head to protest.
“I’m working on a project… a very important one,” he says, rubbing his eyes. “It’s almost done, I just need to add a bit more.”
Alhaitham glances over his work. His papers contain design after design of the same building. The other common traits his works share are the scribbles and x’s. The designs have all been scrapped by the architect.
“No, come to bed.”
“I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“We both know that’s not true. A few minutes becomes a few hours and, the next thing you know, the sun’s rising again.”
Kaveh frowns, annoyed because he knows Alhaitham is right. “Okay, but I’m a full-grown adult, why should I listen to you?”
“You don’t have to listen to me. If you really wanted to, you could stay up all night tonight and tomorrow night and the night after that. But I’ve seen the toll it has taken on you. You’re overworking yourself and, if you keep going on this path, you’ll burn out. I don’t want to watch your passion become your enemy.”
Kaveh’s eyes glass over the work on his desk. He's completely torn between his two options. The deciding factor ends up being how much he doesn’t want to admit that Alhaitham is right.
Picking up his pencil once more, he begins to shift through his papers. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
Alhaitham nods and gives Kaveh a light kiss on the top of his head. “Okay. Take care. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Alhaitham walks back to his bedroom having seen this happen countless times. Arguing was sure to break out if he tried to reason with Kaveh. Watching his love and friend destroy himself like this for every project still left a bitter stinging feeling in his heart.
Of course, he still wishes to care for Kaveh as best as possible, even if Kaeh is too stubborn to accept his help. So, once the sun rises, he goes back to his study.
A mess of even more papers covers the desk. All but one is a maze of scribbles. He has selected a design but overworked himself in the process. In the center of the mess is Kaveh, passed out.
Alhaitham carefully picks up Kaveh, carrying him bridal style. The morning light dances over his features, illuminating his face. Kaveh wakes up slowly, opening his eyes as Alhaitham enters the bedroom with him in his arms.
“I’m almost done with the commission…” Kaveh mumbles, closing his eyes. He fights against exhaustion to open them once more.
“It’s alright. You can finish it later,” Alhaitham says, gently putting him in bed. “Right now, you won’t be able to do anything if you don’t get some sleep.”
Too tired to argue, Kaveh closes his eyes once more. Alhaitham sighs with relief as he finally gets his long-overdue rest. He leaves the bedroom, gently closing the door behind him.
An artist’s life is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, Kaveh reveled in the ability to bring his creative visions to life, crafting beautiful works that touched the hearts of many. On the other hand, he felt the weight of each project gradually eroding a piece of his being.
Alhaitham loved him more than anything. Having to watch his self destruction through his art was tortuous. He stands helplessly on the sidelines, ready to pick Kaveh up from the rubble left in the wake of each project. An artist’s job is never finished.