Archive of Our Own

Being back at the Akademiya always made Kaveh feel a bit nostalgic. He couldn't help but see himself and a certain gray-haired scribe in the students that were walking around. Some of them in heated discussions not unlike the ones he used to get into with Alhaitham, and some were just hanging around, forming friendships that would hopefully last. Kaveh loved it.

He loved being there, loved the bittersweet memories that resurfaced. Something about it made him feel like he was right at home, and perhaps it was because it used to be his home when his mother left him during his Akademiya days. Kaveh remembers spending most of his time there, working on assignments in order to distract himself from the loneliness and guilt that consumed him before. He was lucky to have friends that pulled him out of it, and he was even luckier to have the life he had now.

Kaveh was grateful for everything, yet he still does feel like something is missing in his life.

It was something he didn't like to dwell on, not when his life was going better than he had hoped, but it's something that kept being in the back of his mind, lingering. He was an expert at pushing it even further back, not even daring to even think about it. Things were better this way, he thought. What use would it do to make himself fantasize about things that were out of reach?

Instead, he focused on a group of young students approaching him. A group filled with admiring gazes as they reluctantly called for his attention, holding a collection of books and parchments in their hands. They were clearly Kshahrewar students — the titles of the books they were holding and the blueprints were a dead giveaway — and of course, everyone in Kshahrewar recognized Kaveh. After all, he was the holder of the Light of Kshahrewar moniker.

"Sir Kaveh!" One of the students, a black-haired boy, stuttered a bit bashfully, but giddy as well. The other two had similar expressions. "We just want to say how brilliant your designs are. We had one of them as an example lat class and-"

"The bridge in Port Oromos." The other student, a girl with red hair, interjected. It led to the other two to nod, staring at him in awe.

As flattering as the attention was, Kaveh couldn't help but feel awkward under their attention. The fond way they were looking at him felt undeserved because he failed to see what they admired about him. He did design the arch bridge at the port, but the moment they mentioned it was the moment that all the flaws and possibilities of improvements rushed into his head. There were so many things he could have done differently or better, and he felt like an imposter standing in front of them.

Still, he didn't want to fall into this pointless spiral of self-doubt in front of young admirers, so he forced a smile.

"Oh, that one! I remember that I enjoyed working on that one. Though, to be honest, I focused more on practicality than aesthetics."

Playing the part of the charming senior had always come naturally to him. A part of him loved the attention, loved to inspire those who looked up to him and reminded him of a younger version of himself. The red-headed girl especially sounded eager to discuss his designs in more detail, clutching her notes to herself as if she was silently begging him to give them a glimpse of his brilliance – brilliance, it always made him cringe internally when people genuinely thought that he was anywhere near brilliant.

Fortunately, their discussion was cut short by a researcher at the Akademiya who requested Kaveh by name in order to get some consultation on a few matters. She was the reason Kaveh was there to begin with, and he couldn't help but give the trio an apologetic smile as he excused himself.

"Don't ever hesitate to come talk to me if you ever see me around," he told them, his gaze softening at the disappointed looks they had on their faces. Although he thought he didn't deserve such admiration, he still found it endearing. "I'd love to continue the discussion some other time. Your ideas inspired me!"

It was a white lie, their ideas were amateurish and a bit too optimistic or impractical, and the way they designed a few things – from what little they've shown Kaveh – could use a lot of improvements. Still, in each detail, there was potential that he wished to cultivate.

But duty called, and he walked away leaving the three of them staring at him in awe.

"He is so cool." The black-haired student sighed, looking back at his friends breathlessly. "I would have never thought to add pillars in my work – and he came up with it on the spot!"

The red-headed girl nodded her head in agreement. "That's what you would expect from the Light of Kshahrewar."

"What about you, Layan?" The black-haired student turned to the quiet girl, she didn't say much when Kaveh was there, so he was curious to hear what she had to say about their encounter. "What did you think?"

Layan covered her face, her form shirking as she hid herself behind her blueprints and groaned. "I think I made a fool out of myself in front of him. I couldn't think of anything to say!"

"You were fine." Her red-headed friend giggled, exchanging amused looks with her other friend. "Now let's go. We have work to do."

Smilingto each other, her two friends gave her a pat on the shoulder and dragged her away so they could continue on their way to the House of Daena to continue on their assignment.

Layan felt so embarrassed.

It was one calm morning that Kaveh sat with a pencil in his hand, staring down at nothing. He didn't draw anything, didn't even begin to sketch. There were no lines or vague shapes on his paper, only blankness. It wasn't that he was uninspired or out of ideas, it was he was chasing a fleeting one.

An amazing idea popped into his head before he had a discussion with Alhaitham this morning, something he really wanted to work on, but now the idea escaped his head and was nothing but a formless haze in his mind.

It was frustrating to try and chase after the idea again, especially when it had come to him without any effort at first, but now he was sitting there, while fully prepared, only to have nothing to work with. Kaveh looked outside of the open window of his room, the calming breeze that came in did the opposite and annoyed him, and he placed down his pen to get up and close the windows.

The fresh air he couldn't help but inhale was nice, but he needed to focus, and the room became a tiny bit darker and quieter once he shut his windows.

Finally, he thought, peace.

But before he was able to sit down and pick up his pen again, the sound of someone knocking on the door made him freeze in place. He was more confused than anything as he left his room, a frown deepening on his face as he wondered who might be knocking on the door at this hour. Only a select few knew about him living here, and those who sought Alhaitham would know that he would be at work right now.

There were only two people that came to mind – Tighnari or the traveler, and Kaveh was expecting to be met with the latter once he opened the door.

However, when he did, he was met with a bouquet of flowers ranging from Sumeru Roses, to Padisarahs and Viparyas. They were all arranged beautifully, and it wasn't a large bouquet, but it still surprised him all the same. Without thinking, Kaveh awkwardly took the flowers from the delivery guy who extended a clipboard his way.

"Sign here, please."

"Er, right." Kaveh held the flowers to his side, grabbing the pen he was offered to sign his name, and he was getting even more confused by the second as he did so. "There you go. Thank you."

The delivery guy gave him a nod and left him standing at the door with a bewildered look on his face. This was the last thing Kaveh had expected when he opened the door.

Just where did that come from?

There was a moment where he considered that the delivery guy got the wrong address, but that wasn't very likely since their residence was located in a unique place. It used to be an Akademiya research center, so not many homes were around. There flowers were most likely sent here, but that suggested something too impossible for him to even consider seriously.

Those flowers were for Alhaitham.

"Who would even send flowers to him?" Kaveh scoffed, suddenly irritated as he glared at the flowers in his hand. "Preposterous. He doesn't deserve something so pretty, he'll never appreciate it. Ugh."

It was probably some grateful sucker who didn't know that Alhaitham only did things to serve himself and satiate his curiosity. If he did end up helping someone to the point where they were grateful enough to send him flowers, then that was only an unintended consequence of whatever whim Alhaitham had – not to say that Alhaitham was heartless, he just didn't go out of his way to help anyone since it was too bothersome.

This left another possibility, one that made Kaveh snort for even considering it.

"Hah!" Kaveh couldn't help but laugh out loud, heading to the kitchen to fill up a vase with water. There was an entertained smile on his face, he found his thoughts to be incredibly funny. "As if anyone would fall for him."

The smile remained as he watched the vase getting filled, and it remained as he unwrapped the flowers to place them inside. He was very careful and gentle when he did so, and that's when something fell and caught his attention. Tilting his head, Kaveh crouched down to pick up the small note, and he felt stupid to have missed the fact that, usually, delivered flowers were accompanied by notes.

Even though he thought the flowers were meant for Alhaitham, he couldn't help but read it.

'Despite all the words I know, nothing in any language could encapsulate your beauty and brilliance.

– Your biggest admirer.'

Kaveh stared, and stared, and he stared even more in order to come up with another explanation for what he was reading, but he couldn't come up with any because there already is one staring him in the face. A secret admirer, and the flowers were sent here, where they live. Where Alhaitham lives. Most didn't know about Kaveh living here, so it was reasonable to assume that the sender meant to send it to Alhaitham.

For some reason, it bothered him. It made him frown in dismay as he set the note down and glared at it.

Surely it was because he thought Alhaitham didn't deserve it. There was nothing else to it. There was nothing loveable about his roommate, nothing anyone could desire. Sure, Kaveh could admit that Alhaitham was handsome and brilliant, those were indisputable facts, but his personality was abhorrent. Whoever this secret admirer was, Kaveh was certain they did not spend enough time with Alhaitham to know the real him.

They were caught up in how smart he was, that was probably it. Many do admire him from afar, and there's a reason for that – Alhaitham made sure to dissuade anyone from getting close to him.

It was the moment that he placed the flowers in the middle of the living room that Alhaitham decided to show up. He came by the front door, and Kaveh could hear him place his keys somewhere before he turned to glance at his roommate. Alhaitham wasn't even looking his way as he took off his cape and left it on the hanger.

Kaveh waited for him to notice the addition of the vase and the beautiful flowers that decorated the living room, but he merely made his way on the divan, threw himself on it with a tired groan, and immediately began to read.

Placing a hand on his hip as he stared at Alhaitham in disbelief, Kaveh couldn't stay silent anymore. "Really? That's it?"

Lowering the book he had in front of him, Alhaitham raised an eyebrow at him. "What is it now?"

"You're not going to ask about the flowers?"

Alhaitham blinked, and his eyes slowly moved to the center of the table to see the flowers sitting there. There was no change in his expression as his gaze went back to Kaveh. "They're a nice addition, I suppose."

"That's not- they arrived here not long ago," Kaveh sighed, elaborating some more. Alhaitham didn't seem interested, he merely gave Kaveh a nod that begged him to leave him alone so he could continue reading his book before Kaveh continued. "They're for you!"

This time, mild bewilderment did show on Alhaitham's face. "You brought me flowers?"

"No! Why would I-" Kaveh stopped himself, his cheeks burning at the absurd suggestion. He hated how embarrassed he felt as he strode to the kitchen. In a few moments, he came back with the note. "Whoever sent it wrote this."

Alhaitham took the note from Kaveh's hand to read it with a blank face. It took him a few moments to conclude that Kaveh was clearly mistaken, handing the note back to him. "I doubt this was meant for me. They clearly mean you."

This only made Kaveh frown in confusion. "You sure?"

"I am certain of it."

"Oh."

Kaveh looked down at the note in disbelief, wondering who was the person behind it. Having a secret admirer was not something he ever experienced, and while it was a bit stressful since he didn't know their identity and all, he couldn't help the soft smile forming on his face. To think that someone admired him enough to send him flowers – that was such a nice feeling.

They were beautiful, too.

Still, he thought nothing more of it, and he discarded the note as he made his way to his room in order to continue with his work. He completely missed the way Alhaitham looked at him then at the flowers.

The most important thing was that he was happy.

The flowers didn't get the chance to wilt until it happened again.

Then again, to be in the home of two dendro vision owners might have played into that, but it wasn't until a few days that Kaveh got yet another delivery. This time, it was a different delivery person, a woman who held a rectangular wrapped gift towards him. Just like the delivery guy who came before her, she asked for Kaveh's signature before she went away.

And once again, Kaveh was left with a gift he didn't know the source of.

"Do you have any idea what this could be?" He asked Mehrak.

Kaveh was presented with a few suggestions, but none of them seemed plausible, so he carefully unwrapped the gift only to find a very familiar book in his hand, one he read so many years ago. There was a note that came with it, too, but he decided to read it after he satisfied his curiosity about something.

If this was the one he read before, then he was sure he'd find his annotated notes.

"Archons," he breathed out, a small smile appearing on his face as he was hit with a wave of nostalgia. His notes were all there. "This was the book I chose for my research during my third year at the Akademiya. Someone actually sent it to me."

Mehrak let out a sound in acknowledgment, and then Kaveh tilted his head while looking puzzled, something else was there. Infuriating responses from a certain someone who challenged him.

"I never knew Alhaitham ever read it to respond. That's his handwriting without a doubt."

He couldn't help but huff, getting slightly annoyed at the fact that Alhaitham – a much younger Alhaitham – actually had some very valid points that Kaveh had missed at the time. Had he stumbled upon this earlier, his research at the time would have addressed those points. Alas, it was too late now, and Kaveh got a remarkable grade anyway.

It was just a shame that he didn't know about it. They used to be very close.

"To think that he's so intelligent, even at that age." He muttered, a begrudging admiration in his tone as he looked up at Mehrak who stared back at him more warmly than any of Alhaitham's stares, and Mehrak was nothing but a soulless metallic suitcase. A toolbox he made to aid him in his work. "If only we didn't fight – but he was so frustrating, and he refused to admit that he was wrong. How could I continue researching with someone like that? Stubborn little-"

Mehrak made a noise that alerted Kaveh to the forgotten note in his hand, and he slapped his forehead as he smiled sheepishly.

"Thank you for the reminder, I totally forgot. Let's see what the note says..."

'Seeing traces of you in this book has brought me joy. I cannot bear to think that your heart might belong to another.

– Your unrelenting admirer.'

The note was sweet, if a little bit creepy, but the sweetness distracted from the thought of someone searching for books that Kaveh had annotated. If that was the case, and if this admirer didn't already know about it or stumbled on it by accident, then Kaveh was unsure whether to feel flattered or worried at their dedication.

To his annoyance, though, it was Alhaitham that crossed his mind.

Not because he suspected him of all people to be the admirer, but because the book he was holding was not something he ever thought Alhaitham would be interested in reading. It talked about the history of architecture and how it evolved, and it also looked into how different styles merged together to create another one entirely. Everything about it concerned history and aesthetics, there was nothing that would stimulate someone's mind.

Not unless they liked to read about such topics, but since when was Alhaitham interested in them?

That confused him, and it wasn't like the notes Alhaitham left were recent. It was clear to him that those were written a very long time ago, back when they were still students at the Akademiya, back when they were still friends. It was bittersweet to think of that time, of how Alhaitham cared enough to share some of Kaveh's interests.

But that time was no more.

Kaveh's thoughts were interrupted by someone knocking on the door. He already accepted a delivery, so he was confused who came by as he prepared an excuse to why he was in Alhaitham's house. Since not many knew he lived there, he avoided opening the door for anyone unless he absolutely had to – like accepting deliveries when Alhaitham wasn't present.

This time, however, it was Alhaitham himself who was knocking.

"It would be funny if you had actually forgotten your keys." Kaveh told him after opening the door.

Alhaitham was carrying a stack of books that prevented him from going through the process of unlocking his own front door, and he actually looked a bit offended by Kaveh's words.

"I'm not you. I do not forget my keys." He told him, placed the stack of books in the living room Kaveh tidied up this morning before he threw Kaveh's keys, that were attached to a lion keychain, at him. Kaveh reflexively caught them, staring up at Alhaitham in irritation. "I also took yours by mistake. Sorry."

"You don't sound sorry."

"It was a simple mistake after all." Alhaitham shrugged and that made Kaveh scowl.

"A mistake you keep on making. Are you sure you're not doing it on purpose?"

The only response he got from Alhaitham was an amused upturn of his lip, a small smile that told him everything he needed to know. He wasn't even trying to hide it, and he didn't even seem guilty about it.

"You're a child! I swear." Kaveh stomped his feet with a red face, wanting nothing more than to strangle his roommate, but he couldn't do it with Mehrak watching him with innocent eyes. "It's no wonder that I am the one with the secret admirer and not you. Who would ever fall for anyone so childish."

That piqued Alhaitham's interest, and he forgot all about his stack of books as he turned towards Kaveh. "They sent you something else?"

"Yes, they did." Kaveh calmed down, extending the book towards him. There was a fond look on his face as he looked at it, one that Alhaitham didn't miss. "Remember this?"

At first, Alhaitham didn't seem to recognize it. The book wasn't to his taste after all, but then he surprised Kaveh by nodding his head, and he flipped through the pages as if he knew what he was looking for. Something about that made a mysterious feeling stir in Kaveh, who merely watched. Mehrak was floating silently next to him, clueless to what was happening.

It didn't take long before Alhaitham returned the book, and this time it was open on a specific page.

"I remember you making a ridiculous remark here. There were many flaws in your logic, so I started responding to what you wrote." Alhaitham told him simply, and Kaveh had the urge to close the book and smack him with it.

"Oh, what a lovely junior I had." He muttered wryly, not believing that he actually thought Alhaitham was going to share a nice memory of their past.

It was his fault for expecting anything from him.

Alhaitham returned to his stack of books while Kaveh sat on the opposite divan, reading the notes once more. The note his secret admirer had written was now sitting on the table in front of him, completely forgotten.

There was only him reminiscing the past they shared and Alhaitham, unchanged.

Time had always been something Kaveh was blind to whenever he worked on something or when he accidentally fell asleep somewhere around the house.

Kaveh rarely fell asleep on his bed, not because he didn't like his bed, but because whenever he slept, it would be accidental. He never stuck to a sleeping schedule, and that might've left him more tired than he should be despite sleeping for so many hours, but it was hard to change this bad habit of his.

So, when he felt someone shake his shoulder to wake him up, he wasn't surprised to find himself in their shared living room with Alhaitham peering over him.

He let out a sleepy groan, wishing his roommate left him to continue his sleep. "What is it?"

"I brought us dinner."

Those words make Kaveh jolt awake and stare up at his roommate in horror. "I forgot about that! You didn't have to buy us anything, I was supposed to-"

A breath akin to a laugh came out of Alhaitham, and the unexpectedness of it made Kaveh stop and stare at him with guilt. He always made dinner, and when he wasn't sure if he was going to be awake for it or not, he made something for Alhaitham to eat. That was something he always did, always made sure to do, and when he falls asleep like this and misses it, he couldn't help but feel like he had failed somehow.

Even if Alhaitham didn't think so.

"You rarely get enough sleep, so I was hesitant to wake you up and decided to bring us something to eat. I did expect this to happen eventually ever since you told me about your new client." Alhaitham told him, pulling Kaveh up from where he slept. Instead of leaving him and going straight to the kitchen, Alhaitham paused, seemingly reluctant to speak for a moment. "You do know that you don't have to do this – making dinner, I mean – in order to pay me back, right?"

"I'm not doing it because of that." Kaveh scoffed, lying through his teeth.

Unsurprisingly, Alhaitham didn't seem so convinced, but he was already planning on letting go of the matter. "Just reminding you that you're already paying rent. I don't need anything more."

Rent that Kaveh was months behind and still feels guilty for. He does make a lot of money, and sometimes more than what Alhaitham makes depending on the client. This time, he did get a rich client with so many demands, but holding on to his money had always been a challenge for him. Sometimes it feels like it just evaporates away once he earns it. Maybe he is gullible and easy to fool, but Kaveh could never say no to anyone in need if he could help.

And that's how he ends up without mora most of the time. By helping people, donating for charitable projects, and spending everything he earned to make the world a better place – and never his life because that would be selfish.

Right now, however, he was working extra hard to make up for the last few months. Even though Alhaitham never seriously pestered him for rent or even reminded him of it, Kaveh had been thinking about it all this time. A part of him felt like he was taking advantage of someone's kindness, but then he remembers that this someone is Alhaitham and he feels slightly less guilty.

Still, he does want to repay him for everything.

"Someone's at the door. If you feel sorry about not making dinner, you could set the table while I answer." Alhaitham told him, already making his way to the door.

Knowing that it was a ploy to make Kaveh feel slightly better, he didn't argue and made his way to the kitchen to see that everything was prepared already. There wasn't much that Kaveh could do but open the packaging and serve the food, so he went straight to action and did so only to let out an elated gasp.

They were having soup. His favorite meal!

Whatever negative feelings Kaveh was feeling were quickly forgotten, and he decided to prepare some garnish and spices for it, placing them excitedly on the table. The smell of it alone made him hungry, and now that he realized that he didn't eat for a while, Kaveh felt like he was starving.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for Alhaitham to reappear, and he was holding a flat box that he handed to Kaveh.

"I believe this is from your admirer."

"What!?" Kaveh blinked, he forgot all about them.

Just like the last two times, there was a note that came with the gift.

It was a box of chocolates, imported from Fontaine, and they were adorned with flowers and each had a beautiful design. There was a mix of every type of chocolate, from milk to dark, and some even had fruits in them. Sadly, however, chocolates didn't go well with soup, so he had to store them away for the time being.

The whole time, Alhaitham was watching him quietly. Not saying a single word as Kaveh read the note.

'I couldn't find anything that could come close to how sweet you are, but I thought chocolates were close enough.

– Your most dedicated admirer.'

A blush appeared on Kaveh's face as he tried his best to cover it, and he coughed out of awkwardness as he placed the note face down on the table. The fact that he was now sitting across from Alhaitham only made things more awkward for him, and he shifted in his chair as he felt himself getting nervous under his roommate's curious, yet amused, gaze.

"Didn't think you're the type to get bashful over these things."

"Shut up!" Kaveh choked, his face still pink. The words were a bit too much considering this was a stranger, and their admiration clearly went deeper than Kaveh had expected. Then again, they did say that they feared that his heart would belong to another. He was unsure how to feel about it all. "Are we sure this was sent to me? Maybe it is for you."

Alhaitham thought about it for a moment. "That could be possible since they never mentioned a name yet, but I do believe those are for you."

All Kaveh could do was bury his face in his hands because Alhaitham definitely read the notes. How else would he know that no name was mentioned?

"This is so embarrassing."

"I suppose it is." This was the closest thing to an agreement that he was going to get from Alhaitham, who started filling Kaveh's bowl with soup. "Are you going to do anything about this admirer?"

Shaking his head, Kaveh picked up his spoon, too distracted with the admirer to remember his manners and thank Alhaitham. "I don't even know who they are. Besides, I don't think it is wise for me to get into a relationship right now."

That made Alhaitham look at him curiously if his arched eyebrow was anything to go by. "Why not?"

"I don't know." Kaveh sighed, stirring his food as he looked wistfully down at it. "My whole life is a mess, not many would want to deal with that. Also, let's not forget that most don't know that I am living with you right now. How am I supposed to bring them here? I doubt they'd be okay with that. It just wouldn't work."

"They keep sending things to my address. I'm sure they know."

"Even if they did, I am sure they see me as The Light of Kshahrewar. They think I am this brilliant architect, and it puts a lot of pressure on me because I cannot pretend that I am this fantasy they conjured up. They'll be disappointed."

Alhaitham sat there while blinking blankly at Kaveh, his stupid roommate who is now staring solemnly at his food. There were so many things to be said, it was hard to decide what insecurity to tackle. Then again, Kaveh would only dismiss his words, thinking he was saying them out of mockery or pity.

Stating facts was not as efficient as he would like, but it did work.

"You rarely go out these days, so I suggest you take a walk around Sumeru. There's a possibility that you'll come across some of the things that you helped design and build." Alhaitham couldn't help but sound a bit sarcastic, it was hard not to "That might imply that your reputation as The Light of Kshahreward was earned. If they don't like the person holding that title, then it is their problem."

This earned him a dismissive huff from Kaveh, but his mood did seem to lighten. "Alright, I get it. I might not be a fraud, but I hate disappointing others."

"It's disappointing how you care too much." Alhaitham shrugged.

Kaveh let out a laugh, a genuine smile appearing on his face. "That's too bad. I don't care about disappointing you."

They both sat in comfortable silence with Kaveh enjoying his meal. They both had a few things on their mind, and while Alhaitham thought about the most efficient way to work with minimal effort on his part, Kaveh thought about his secret admirer. There were many people he suspected, all of them possible, but none of them were convincing.

So, he was left to wonder, missing the fact that Alhaitham brought him soup.

Alhaitham hates soup.

A week passed without any gifts, and Kaveh wondered if his secret admirer had lost interest.

It would be for the best, Kaveh wasn't the best person for someone to be interested in, not in his current situation at least. He did miss the thrill that came with having someone admire him from afar, sending him gifts when he least expects it, but at least now things were going back to normal.

He was at Lambad's tavern when he met up with Cyno and Tighnari, and the two of them were already in a conversation when Kaveh sat down.

It was Cyno who spoke to him first, looking at the empty seat beside him. "Where's Alhaitham?"

Waving his hand in a dismissive manner, Kaveh sighed before he answered. "He said he was going to be a bit late. Knowing him, he might not show up at all."

"No, I am sure he will." Cyno disagreed, sounding confident with his words as he crossed his arms. When Tighnari gave him a questioning look, he decided to explain why. "He was interested in a case I've been assigned to a few months ago. There has been an interesting development, and I am sure he wants to hear all about it."

"He'd be tempted to come if that's the case." Kaveh confessed.

Tighnari didn't look so convinced. "I'm sure that's not the only reason he'd be here."

"Nah, I'm sure it is. Hearing the details from me directly is too good to pass up. We rarely get to meet up like this, and we hardly come across each other when we're working." Cyno told him, making Tighnari shake his head.

Kaveh wasn't paying much attention to them, he didn't wonder what Tighnari meant as he ordered a drink for himself. Things were going well, his client wasn't a pain to deal with, and he planned on enjoying the night with his friends because he really needed to unwind. It was only when his eyes landed on a couple leaning close to each other did he perk up and remember the exciting things happening in his life.

"I forgot to tell you guys," he said, excitedly hitting the table and gaining his friends' attention. Two heads immediately turned to him, and he couldn't wait to tell them everything. "I got a secret admirer. They've been sending me gifts for a few weeks now."

Tighnari let out a small giggle, clearly entertained. "I am somehow not surprised. Do you have any idea who it might be?"

"No." Kaveh shook his head, he thought about it a lot and he still couldn't think of anyone.

Cyno was taking the matter a bit too seriously, adopting a thoughtful look while his eyes narrowed. He scanned the room suspiciously as if Kaveh's secret admirer would be there, and all Tighnari did was watch him in amusement. Kaveh, however, was scanning the room alongside him, intrigued to know what he thought.

"It could be anyone. Tell me everything."

At this, Tighnari couldn't help but laugh, but Cyno's face remained serious. Kaveh felt intimidated by the Mahamatra's attention, but he still tried to answer as best as he could.

"The first thing they sent me was a bouquet of flowers, I still remember them clearly – Sumeru Roses, Padisarahs and Viparyas." Kave smiled, remembering getting it for the first time. He thought it was for Alhaitham. Cyno was listening to him intently, Tighnari, however, had his head tilted in confusion. "The second thing was a book I annotated, and the third and last thing they sent me was a box of chocolate."

Cyno nodded his head, deep in thought. "Did they send any notes?"

"Yes, actually. They were very sweet, and they always signed them as my admirer."

"Were the notes handwritten?" Tighnari asked, and Kaveh nodded his head in response.

"Gifts and handwritten notes. That's very romantic." Cyno remarked, making Kaveh blush.

Tighnari gave Cyno's shoulder a smack. "They are his secret admirer. Of course it'll be romantic."

That interaction made Kaveh smile, and he tried to hide it behind the cup he was drinking from. Somewhere among the questions they've been asking him, his drink had arrived, delivered by Lambad himself. Kaveh watched as Cyno bumped into Tighnari playfully as he teased him, asking him if he'd like to be sent chocolates, too.

Tighnari didn't blush, though he did smile, but his attention was soon back to Kaveh.

"Did you like the chocolate they sent?"

It wasn't a question Kaveh had been expecting, and it didn't seem so significant. In truth, he thought that the chocolate was very well-made and beautiful, but nothing else about it stuck him as odd. He wondered what Tighnari was searching for, and he wished that he knew in order to give him the answer he wanted, but all he could do was be honest.

"It was from Fontaine, and it tasted good. I gave the ones I didn't like to Alhaitham."

Cyno let out a hum. "So it was a box of chocolate."

"How the hell does that matter?" Tighnari asked, raising an eyebrow at him, but he sounded entertained by the whole thing.

"It does matter." He told Tighnari with a lot of conviction, and he leaned back in his chair looking like a detective who finally got the last missing piece of a puzzling case. That's when he made his startling declaration. "It's Alhaitham."

The only sound that came out of Kaveh was coughing because he immediately choked on his drink, and Tighnari was looking at Cyno with eyes so wide one might think he got the most shocking news of his life. There was chaos happening at their table, and the calmest thing was Cyno who sat there looking all smug and knowing. He knew he was right. To him, there was no other explanation.

When Kaveh finally managed to stop coughing, he wiped away the tears that formed in his eyes as a result of his earlier choking, and looked at Cyno with a face that could only be described as baffled. "What made you think of that?"

Tighnari shook his head, pleading with Cyno to not continue talking, but Cyno ignored him.

"Think about it for a second, other than us, only the Traveler, Paimon, and Collei know where you live. Alhaitham knows you, and he knew that you like beautiful things, which is why he sent you the flowers. He also sent you a book he knew you read and annotated, and he brought you chocolate from Fontaine because your mother lived there, and he knows you miss her."

Kaveh's mouth was hanging open. "There is no way."

"Kaveh, I think-" Tighnari stopped, something catching his attention before he continued. "I think we should have this discussion later. He's here."

Within moments, the chair beside Kaveh was pulled back, and Alhaitham sat there completely unaware of the recent discussion they just had. Cyno looked proud of himself, and he was right about Alhaitham being interested in a case he was assigned to. That was what captured Alhaitham's attention for most of the night, which is something Kaveh was grateful for. The last thing he needed was Alhaitham's attention on him.

Tighnari tried his best to keep him distracted, but the only thing that helped Kaveh from being tense the whole time was the drink in his hand.

He couldn't believe it. This whole time. He did consider it, but he immediately dismissed it. How could he miss it?

His secret admirer is Alhaitham.

Despite being certain that his secret admirer was Alhaitham, nothing between them changed.

In fact, Kaveh made sure to act as normal as possible, not giving Alhaitham the slightest hint that he knew. It was impressive how good of an actor Alhaitham was, waking up from his afternoon nap on his day off while pretending he wasn't sending Kaveh anything. He looked handsome despite his messy hair and baggy clothes, and his tired expression did not detract from how attractive he was.

And Kaveh always thought Alhaitham was good-looking, that was always a fact he learned the moment he laid eyes on him, but now he was actively thinking about it. Considering it.

There were so many flaws he could list about his roommate, so many that annoyed and infuriated him. However, there were also many things that he liked and admired about him, even if he wasn't in the habit of mentioning it. One of the things Kaveh admired was how thoughtful Alhaitham is, always thinking of the best solution for everyone, and taking everything into consideration before he acts. Maybe that's why he decided to approach Kaveh this way, he didn't want to pressure him into reciprocating.

Not when he suspected that Kaveh already felt guilty about their living situation.

Alhaitham was in the kitchen, munching on a zaytun peach as he distractedly stared at nothing. He actually looked his age and there was something endearing about this display. He didn't seem to notice Kaveh entering the kitchen as he took another bite of his fruit, and he continued on staring at nothing while looking upset that he was awake. Alhaitham was never a morning person, and it wasn't like someone woke him up, but he always got a bit grumpy whenever he did.

When he didn't acknowledge Kaveh at all, the latter had to speak. "Alhaitham, you're so indirect when it matters."

That made Alhaitham pause mid bite, and he turned to look at Kaveh with a blank hazy expression, still fighting off the sleep. "Huh?"

"All you had to do was tell me about your feelings instead of going through all this trouble." Kaveh sighed, crossing his arms as he watched Alhaitham process his words. He looked so lost as he put down the fruit in his hand.

"Hold on a minute," Alhaitham groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose as if he was having a headache, "What gave it away?"

Kaveh couldn't believe that he was asking. "Oh, I don't know. The gifts, the notes, and the fact that nobody knows I live here other than you and our friends."

"Ah." Alhaitham blinked, suddenly looking so amused that his dimple appeared, "You made a valid point with the last one."

"It was Cyno who brought my attention to it." Kaveh told him, sounding smug.

"Cyno." Alhaitham repeated, the thought of it alone brought him enjoyment. "He's very good at making deductions when it concerns his job, but not so much when it concerns anything else."

That made Kaveh look at him curiously. "What are you saying?"

"Nothing. Just that I might need to thank him for making you realize that I do have feelings for you." Alhaitham answered calmly, and the bold admission shocked Kaveh, who started to color, but pretended he wasn't so affected. It was funny to see him react this way when he was so sure that Alhaitham was his secret admirer. "Is that direct enough for you, senior?"

Alhaitham knew when to pull the 'senior' card, and he always chose the worst times – for Kaveh – to use it. Now that he blatantly admitted that he does have feelings for Kaveh, things were different. Before, he was merely the most likely suspect that fit the identity of his secret admirer, but now Kaveh had certainty, and honestly, he didn't think this far ahead.

Kaveh was not teasing Alhaitham about his feelings anymore, he was confronting it.

"Er, yes, I got it." His face was probably redder than the fruit Alhaitham was eating earlier, and he looked away in order to hide it even when he knew that his efforts were futile. Worst of all, Alhaitham was giving him his full undivided attention, so he definitely noticed.

And most infuriating of all, he didn't seem to be affected at all. "So, senior, are you going to respond to my heartfelt confession?"

"There was nothing heartfelt about it!" Kaveh disagreed, yelling mostly out of embarrassment than anything else. It was true, though, Alhaitham simply admitted his feelings as if he was telling him a fact, and while Kaveh knew he wasn't the type to lie about things like that, it just didn't come off as earnest. "I guess you did go through the trouble of writing me notes and getting me all these gifts."

Alhaitham let out a thoughtful sound. "So, you like me because I was your secret admirer and sent you gifts?"

"What? No!" Kaveh scoffed as if that was the most ridiculous thing anyone could ever say, and it is in his opinion. "It'll take much more than that to make me like you."

"You don't like me then." Alhaitham concluded because it was the logical thing to conclude.

"I didn't say that!" Kaveh realized he replied a bit too quickly, and with the way Alhaitham was looking at him, he knew he couldn't get out of this unless he gave an honest answer. He didn't want to think about how red his face was as he tried to speak without stammering. "I-I do like you, but, um, it's more than just notes and flowers and... What I am trying to say is – the whole secret admirer thing made me think about you, and I think I have liked you for a while now."

The room became silent for a second before Alhaitham finally responded. "Even before the secret admirer thing?"

Kaveh swallowed his nervousness and nodded his head. "Yes, before."

"Hm, that's good." Alhaitham resumed eating his fruit again while Kaveh stared at him in dumbfounded annoyance.

Still red in the face and a bit flustered, he didn't know if it was because of his recent confession or how calmly Alhaitham was acting towards all this. "That's all you have to say?"

Taking another bite, mainly to hide his smile, Alhaitham shrugged his shoulders.

"You're the most-"

Before Kaveh could go on, a knock on the door interrupted him. Alhaitham, who was leaning on the counter eating, let out a sigh before he pushed himself off of the counter and made his way to the door while Kaveh stayed in the kitchen, out of sight. It was the usual delivery person, and Kaveh could hear the exchange happening between them and Alhaitham before his roommate reappeared with a bottle in hand and a letter.

"I believe those are for you." Alhaitham told him, handing him everything.

Smiling, Kaveh took the bottle and inspected it only to let out a delightful gasp. It was a very expensive wine, something people usually only drink for special occasions, and he couldn't help but look at Alhaitham gratefully. "Can't believe you brought me this! Your actions are definitely sweeter than your words."

"I'll bring you a better wine if it makes you happy." Alhaitham muttered, returning back to his spot.

"No, this is enough." Kaveh told him softly, looking at the gift a bit fondly before he looked up at Alhaitham with even more fondness. His heart was racing, and he was feeling a bit light-headed and warm as he walked up to his roommate. "Maybe it's just the wine, but I guess I really do like you."

"You already told me tha-"

Before any more infuriating words came out of Alhaitham, and before Kaveh lost his nerves, Kaveh pulled Alhaitham down by his shoulder and placed a kiss on his lips. He felt satisfied to have caused a surprised reaction when he pulled away, it wasn't an easy feat to surprise Alhaitham, but he tried his best to play it coolly to give his junior a taste of his own medicine.

"A thank you for the gift." He told him, intending to walk away due to his reddening cheeks.

Alhaitham, however, did not allow him to. Stopping him by grabbing his arm, holding him in place. "What about the ones I gave before?"

"I-" Kaveh's eyes moved downwards, and his throat moved when he swallowed. "I suppose I could thank you for those, too."

And just like that, they went back to kissing. According to Kaveh's words, they were supposed to be three more kisses, an act of gratitude towards all the gifts, but they both knew that this was nothing but a lie and an excuse for them to be so close like that. They were both happy to pretend, and they both lost track of how many affectionate kisses were shared between them. It was as if they've waited a long time to get to this point – Kaveh admits that they waited too long, and perhaps he was partially to blame.

If only he realized a little bit sooner how he felt towards Alhaitham, and how Alhaitham felt all this time.

All what they could do was make up for lost time, and as the wine sat on the counter forgotten, and as the fruit Alhaitham was eating fell on the floor while Kaveh's senses were filled with zaytun peaches, a letter floated away from the two, landing softly on the kitchen floor.

It sat there forgotten, and it continued to sit there until much later, when Kaveh came seeking it.

Things between him and Alhaitham changed, but it wasn't a drastic change. Most things remained the same, Alhaitham remained the insufferable handsome idiot that he always was, and Kaveh was still getting used to how new everything was. This development in their relationship was probably not that surprising, but it wasn't something Kaveh expected – though he was happy for it.

It seemed like he was still in that phase where everything was new and exciting, and that might explain all the energy he got, because when Tighnari invited him out, he so readily accepted without making his usual excuses about how he hadn't slept enough, or how tired he felt after dealing with a stubborn client.

Kaveh was so energetic, but even then, he felt like he shouldn't say anything about his relationship with Alhaitham. It was still new, and he wasn't ready yet.

So he went to meet up with Tighnari near the edge of the city, and they were walking along the forest path when he noticed that something had been bothering his friend. Tighnari seemed a bit reluctant to speak at first, but then he blurted it out after they walked for a few tense minutes of silence.

"It's not Alhaitham."

Frowning, Kaveh didn't know what Tighnari was talking about, nor why he was suddenly bringing Alhaitham into this. "Wh- What is not Alhaitham? I don't follow..."

The confusion was understandable, Tighnari knew he didn't quite make things clear. He just blurted out what he wanted to say without any introduction, so he decided to clarify things a little bit more hoping to save his friend from doing anything stupid.

"Cyno didn't know what he was talking about. Your secret admirer was not Alhaitham."

Considering everything that happened, especially the things Tighnari was oblivious to, Kaveh remained unconvinced. It showed on his expression, and Tighnari was ready for that, and Kaveh stopped in the middle of the forest path to face his friend with a frown on his face. "Why do you think that?"

"Because of everything." Tighnari told him unhelpfully, turning around as well to face Kaveh. "If it was Alhaitham, he would've sent you mourning flowers, and he would choose a book that would be significant in some way since you two have annotated so many, and the chocolates, he would know which ones you liked and bring you a box full of them instead of a box that contained a collection of everything."

Kaveh stared at him with wide eyes and completely at a loss on what to say. "That's..."

"Weren't the notes hand-written as well?" Tighnari asked with a sigh.

Not seeing how it all tied up to this, Kaveh nodded his head. "They were, but why?"

"Because you would've immediately figured out that it was his handwriting."

Tighnari spoke as if this was the most obvious thing in the world, and now that he actually pointed out everything to Kaveh, it actually was. It was Cyno who misled Kaveh into thinking that his secret admirer was Alhaitham, and it was Kaveh who jumped on the idea without even thinking about it first. He should have thought about it more, should've questioned Tighnari – the rational one of the group – about it.

If he did, then he wouldn't be sinking to the floor in embarrassment, but at least Tighnari was there to comfort him.

"I tried to tell you, but Alhaitham appeared before I could." He told Kaveh apologetically, giving his back a few comforting pats, but he was smiling still. "We might not know who your secret admirer is, but something tells me that you and Alhaitham already figured things out between the two of you."

Tighnari was right, of course, and Kaveh didn't even bother to wonder how he figured it out.

It was definitely the way he reacted to the news.

Like any other peaceful day that Alhaitham has, it was often interrupted by Kaveh who decided to enter their shared house by slamming the door and stomping his way to the kitchen.

Once he was gone, the peace returned and he could continue reading his book without any more disturbances. He was about to finish reading the chapter he was on, and things were getting interesting in terms of theories that he planned on dissecting in great detail, but then the chaos returned along with the stomping, and Alhaitham found his vision obscured by a piece of paper he couldn't focus on at first.

"You lied to me!"

Kaveh's accusation went on deaf ears, but Alhaitham did grab the letter that was placed in front of him to read. He couldn't see the expression Kaveh had on his face since he was standing behind Alhaitham's seat, but Alhaitham could guess that he was incredibly furious with him – it wasn't anything new, and he wasn't too worried about it.

"Dear Kaveh," he started in a monotone voice, reading the letter out loud, "This will be the last thing I send you. I apologize if I ever disturbed you, and I didn't mean to follow you to your residence, but I was curious about you. I still have a long way to go at Akademiya, but you'll always be a source of inspiration to me. Consider the wine an apology. Yours, L."

"My secret admirer is a student." Kaveh seethed, glaring daggers at the back of Alahitham's head. "Tighnari was right. It wasn't you."

Having no choice but to deal with it right now, Alhaitham placed the letter on the table and looked at Kaveh without a single hint of guilt on his expression. "That's true. It wasn't me."

One of the things that Kaveh wanted to do at that moment was strangle him, but he did his best to keep his cool and he crossed his arms at Alhaitham while gritting his teeth. "Then why did you lie?"

"I didn't lie – not at first." Alhaitham mumbled, leaning back on his seat and rudely avoiding Kaveh by giving him his back. He was even opening his book to go back to reading, ignoring this whole thing. "I only did after you kissed me. Your fault for being so gullible."

"You-!"

Alhaitham felt something hit him in the back of the head, but by the time he managed to turn around, Kaveh was already gone. He realized that he annoyed Kaveh enough for him to smack him with one of the pillows, and that thought amused him so much that he couldn't help himself from smiling.

His senior was adorable sometimes.

Layan sat by the window, sighing wistfully as she looked out of it.

"I'll never find anyone like you, Sir Kaveh."

She will always be Kaveh's admirer.