Chapter Text
Alhaitham finally cleaned his bookshelf after Kaveh's endless nagging about it. He also cleaned the kitchen and his room. He even felt like he cleaned the whole house. He got the motivation to do so out of nowhere today. It's probably because he got off work a bit earlier than Kaveh did. So now he’s all alone with nothing to do. No one to nag him, no one to tell about their day and no one for him to listen to. He thought, when was the last time he felt this way? Why did he feel this way? The last time he was with Kaveh was just a few hours ago, and now being alone makes him feel he hasn't seen Kaveh in decades. Well, maybe because whenever Alhaitham is home, Kaveh would be too. Without fail, Alhaitham would try his best to be home whenever Kaveh was. Sure, he always complains to Traveller about Kaveh's nagging and inconveniently hammering his projects in the middle of the night, but deep inside, he likes Kaveh’s company. It felt like home to him.
Home…
He sat down on the couch and opened a book to read. He mindlessly read the book, not processing a single word or phrase. He read the same thing over and over again. His eyes were starting to feel strained. He just couldn’t get himself to read another paragraph. With a sigh, he closed the book and opened a window. Kaveh would always tell him to close them because the cold wind would enter. Alhaitham never really felt the breeze of wind, but now, he felt it.
A wave of relief and maybe, a little bit of happiness, washed over him when he saw a familiar blond silhouette from afar. A smile spread across his face as he made his way to the front door. He pulled the door open and watched Kaveh approach. He noticed Alhaitham and fastened his pace.
"Hey," Kaveh raised an eyebrow when Alhaitham greeted him in a rather cheerful tone that was not very Alhaitham-like. His facial expression remained the same, though.
"Uh… I’m home?" Kaveh answered awkwardly.
"Welcome home."
"Are you waiting for something? Or someone? You don’t always open the door for me." Kaveh raised a brow. Right. Alhaitham rarely opens the door for him. Maybe today is just different.
"What, is it forbidden to open the door for someone now?" Alhaitham moved out of the way and waited for Kaveh to enter. He watched Kaveh put down his stuff on the floor and plopped himself on the sofa with a long, exhausted sigh. Alhaitham closed the door and tried to find space to sit next to Kaveh. Kaveh was sprawled on the couch, trying to sleep, with one leg on the floor and the other leg on the sofa. His arm was stretched out on the sofa’s armrest, and his other forearm covered his eyes.
"Tough day?" Alhaitham asked, and Kaveh replied with a hum. "Have you eaten?" Again, Kaveh replied with a hum. "Do you want to eat?" This time, Kaveh nodded his head. "Do you want to go out?" That made Kaveh shoot his eyes open and give Alhaitham a questioning look.
"Huh?" Alhaitham broke eye contact. "What's the occasion?" Alhaitham wanted to make up something, but nothing came up; he just wanted to eat with him.
"Nothing. Archons, is it that hard for you to accept my kindness? I just thought it would be nice since you seem tired. I'm sure a nice meal would cheer you up."
"That’s not very like you," Kaveh replied.
"Fine. Suit yourself." Alhaitham clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. He was pretty disappointed with Kaveh’s answer.
"Oh! Are you serious? I thought you were joking! I’m sorry, wait-" Kaveh got up and grabbed onto Alhaitham’s wrist. "Yeah, sure, let’s go… are you sulking?"
"No, I'm not going to sulk over something small. And you should fix your hair." Alhaitham scrunched up his eyebrows and snatched his arm away from Kaveh’s grip, trying to cover up that he was actually sulking.
"What? Did I look like this from the start? Oh dear," Kaveh ran his hand through his hair and made his way to a mirror. Kaveh’s hair was fine, like always. Seeing him panic was fun, though.
"Well, you look good now." He mumbled. Kaveh gave one last pat on his hair before looking back at Alhaitham.
"Okay… let’s go out! That is if-"
"Yes, I’ll be paying." Alhaitham cut him off.
"That’s shocking. But… yay!" Kaveh skipped his way closer to Alhaitham. "Lambad’s Tavern?"
"Sure then. Let’s go."
***
Kaveh didn’t hesitate to dig into the food as Alhaitham watched from the side. "This is good. Want some?" Kaveh offered some of his food. Alhaitham shook his head. "So tell me. What made you have the miracle of a thought to take me out?"
"I’m just being nice." Though in truth, he just wanted to be with Kaveh, for some reason. If he didn’t ask Kaveh out for dinner, Kaveh would drift off to sleep on the couch and wake up the next morning with a sore neck. So that’s good reasoning, right?
"Really? Sounds like a lie. Do you want something from me?" Kaveh asked before he took a big bite. Alhaitham clicked his tongue. He should have known that Kaveh would ask him questions because Alhaitham rarely does nice things for Kaveh. Well, from Kaveh’s perspective at least.
"No." Alhaitham thought about his actions and his feelings. Why was he being nice to Kaveh? Of course, Alhaitham liked Kaveh very dearly and would do anything to see him smile, but at the same time, the things he had done to Kaveh would frequently bring unpleasant feelings to Kaveh.
A man approached the two out of the blue. An adventurer from the guild. He had a suspicious aura around him, and Alhaitham had his guard up. Kaveh, on the other hand, just smiled at the man. The man sat close to Kaveh, and Kaveh just warmed up to him. "Hey, are you good?" Kaveh greeted him with a smile. The man smiled back and showed Kaveh a piece of paper. Alhaitham panicked as his eyes furiously scanned the man. He scrunched his eyebrows and tried to smile at the man. The man didn’t notice; he had his eyes locked onto Kaveh, and that put Alhaitham a little off.
"Hello… I was wondering if you know where this is. Sorry to disturb your meal…" The suspicious man asked in a hushed tone. Alhaitham’s suspicion of him just grew with the way he talked. Especially with the man’s messy hair and dirty uniform. The adventurer is probably just lost in Sumeru.
"Hm…? Palace of Alcarzarzaray? Oh! You’re looking for this place?" Kaveh asked him excitedly. The adventurer nodded.
"Yes…! Are you familiar with it? How do I get there…? You see, I’m a lost adventurer from Inazuma. I somehow boarded the wrong boat because I was embarrassingly drunk… and now I am somehow in Sumeru." The adventurer started. Kaveh was listening intently. Alhaitham clicked his tongue in annoyance as he thought this dinner could somehow bring them close. Alhaitham just kept his mouth shut most of the time because he didn’t know what to say.
"I sure am familiar with it!" Kaveh cheerfully answered. A shimmer in his eyes as he scanned the picture from the adventurer once more. "This is a nicely drawn picture of the palace…"
"Yes! I would love to take pictures of the palace and show them to my fellow friends back in Inazuma… you know, since I’m already here… might as well make the most of it."
"That’s very nice. I can show you the place right now. The palace looks very nice at night."
"Are you sure? I'd love that."
"Of course!" Kaveh insisted. The adventurer had a huge smile when Kaveh stood up and guided the adventurer outside. He gave Alhaitham a ‘I’ll be right back’ look before they left the tavern. Alhaitham was disappointed because Kaveh looked happy… with someone else. And because they were supposed to have dinner together. He internally ripped his guts out and let out a long sigh. As the door of the tavern closed, the lonely and empty feeling consumed Alhaitham once more. A feeling he was fine living with, but lately, it has been disturbing him for some reason.
***
Felt like forever until Kaveh came back to the tavern. The adventurer wasn't with him this time. Just Kaveh with a wide and bright smile, sitting nicely on his face. "He was really happy when I showed him the palace! I feel so appreciated…!" Kaveh twirled around before taking a seat. "I suddenly feel a burst of motivation-"
"No, don’t work on your projects at night. Go to sleep. Seriously, what's with you and staying up?" Alhaitham said sternly, and Kaveh just rolled his eyes in reply. "Don’t give me that."
"Yeah, yeah, my bad." Kaveh glanced at Alhaitham's plate. "You're already done eating?" He picked up his spoon. "Wait, give me a minute-" He took a bite from his meal. "Damn, it's cold! I wasn't out long, was I?"
"You were, kind of."
"I'm so sorry. Please wait for me!" Kaveh pats his palms together before finishing his cold meal. Alhaitham never planned on leaving him behind in the first place. He can't deny the fact that he did that a couple of times before.
"Yeah, I will."
They ate in silence. Drowned in the sounds of plates clattering, water swishing from the kitchen and the chatters around them. Alhaitham stole glances at Kaveh, checking if he was actually eating or just playing around with the food. He was eating slowly, as if there were words to be said at the edge of his tongue. Alhaitham wanted to say something, start a conversation, ask more about that adventurer.
"Are you done?" That was all he managed to say.
"Yeah, basically." Kaveh set his utensils aside. "Let's leave?"
Alhaitham nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
Again, they walked back home in silence. Their hands occasionally brush against each other. The stars decorated the night, dark blue sky and Kaveh pointed at each star that glimmered. "Look, that star is brighter than that star." Alhaitham couldn't see the difference, but he nodded along.
They arrived home, and Kaveh didn't hesitate to rush to his room. He looked back at Alhaitham standing awkwardly in the living room. "Goodnight! I have something to write about."
"Goodnight. Don't stay up too long." Alhaitham sounded like a parent. Kaveh playfully rolled his eyes at him. He was a little disheartened by Alhaitham’s statement, but he was not completely wrong. If he didn’t get enough sleep, he would faint in the middle of work again. That happened to him once… maybe twice, and it was embarrassing. Thankfully, the client he was working with was a very calm man, so he gave Kaveh time to rest. Kaveh thought he should give that man a visit sometime. "I’ll see you tomorrow morning." Kaveh widened his eyes as he heard Alhaitham say that. See him tomorrow morning? That’s new coming from Alhaitham. Kaveh thought that was kind of sweet.
Alhaitham entered his room and closed the door. He puffed up his pillow and shoved his face into it. He stayed like that for some time before facing the ceiling. He glanced at a picture frame beside his bed. It was a picture of him and Kaveh during their Akademiya days. Those were the days… although it didn’t turn out well at some point, they had their share of fun, nevertheless
***
The next day came with a bright shining sun that shone through Alhaitham’s eyelids. He groaned at the piercing feeling of the sunlight. He was sure that he closed his curtains last night. Did someone slide the curtains open? It could be Kaveh, but he respected Alhaitham’s privacy; the chances of him barging into Alhaitham’s room just to open the curtains are unlikely. He slowly opened his eyes, and the curtain was indeed slid open.
"Huh? Did I not close the curtains last night…" he groggily said to himself as he got up and forced himself to fully slide the curtains open. With that, he was fully awake. The sun was glowing in his face, birds were chirping and the sound of… silence? That's weird. It’s quiet. Kaveh should be up and about by now. It is also the weekend. Kaveh should be working on his projects. Or Kaveh could be painting… but the house can’t be this quiet. Alhaitham slowly opens the door with a creak to a surprisingly empty living room. Since the sun was out and bright, Alhaitham could even see the dust particles flying around under the shining sunlight. The living room was cleaned and organised. Alhaitham could tell by the spotless bookshelf and the nicely organised bowl of fruits on the table. Kaveh cleaned the living room… on a Saturday? That’s weird. Sunday is Kaveh’s cleaning day. Alhaitham assumed that Kaveh had something urgent today. That means Alhaitham would have the house all to himself. He was surprisingly not very happy with that.
He left the house, which surprised not only himself but others, too. He met up with Cyno and Tighnari, who were chilling in Lambad’s Tavern. Cyno had to blink a few times to process that it was actually Alhaitham he was looking at.
"Wow, what made you leave your house for the weekend?" Cyno teased. Tighnari offered him a seat next to him.
"Good for you, Alhaitham." Tighnari said that Alhaitham didn’t know whether he was being sincere or was joking. "Wanna play TCG with us? Cyno has been dying to have a match with me."
"I won’t lose this time…"
"You said that for the last few months." Cyno scowled at Tighnari. Alhaitham just awkwardly stood there. He didn’t want to watch them fight or flirt or whatever. He wanted to ask them about Kaveh.
"Have any of you seen Kaveh?" At the mention of Kaveh’s name, Cyno and Tighnari turned to look at Alhaitham with wide eyes. Alhaitham swore he heard a bone or a neck crack. "What?"
"Kind of a first you’re looking for him. What, is he in debt to you for something?" Tighnari asked. Alhaitham shook his head. "Then? Are you worried? Can’t be." That made Cyno giggle, and Alhaitham was a little pissed off at that.
"No, I’m just looking for him… would you guys stop-" Alhaitham got a little frustrated with Cyno’s and Tighnari’s shenanigans. Sure, it was not always Alhaitham who left the house or came looking for Kaveh, looking all worried, but people can change. Right?
"Sorry, sorry… no, we both haven’t seen him. Did he leave the house unnoticed or something?" Cyno looked around the tavern, making it seemed he's putting in the effort to look for Kaveh.
"Yes, he left the house unnoticed and…" Alhaitham wanted to be with Kaveh for some reason. Maybe he got used to his annoying presence or something.
"Try finding him at the House of Daena, I suppose? He could be there… or the palace-"
"The palace." Alhaitham cut off Tighnari. "Right, he could be there. Thank you for actually helping me, Tighnari." He pressed his tongue when pronouncing Tighnari’s name to emphasise the fact that Cyno just made fun of him. Cyno rolled his eyes as Alhaitham left the tavern.
***
There he was at the Palace of Alcazarzaray. Alhaitham scanned around the building before seeing a familiar figure, the adventurer from yesterday. The adventurer looks neater now, not as scrawny as yesterday. The man was holding a Kamera and was surrounded by other Sumeru’s adventurers. Looks like he made some new friends. Alhaitham dismissed him and his friends under the gazebo and walked up the pathway to the building. He gave the fountain and gazebo one last look to make sure Kaveh wasn't there. He decided to enter the palace before someone called out to his name.
"Ah, Sir Alhaitham!" Sir? Alhatham turned around to see the adventurer frantically waving at him. He scrunched up his eyebrows when he saw the man running to him with bright, shiny eyes. "Hello! Um… you’re Kaveh’s friend, right?" He thought about it for a while before nodding. He is Kaveh’s friend, right? Well, at least that’s what he thinks. He hopes Kaveh feels the same way too.
"Yes…" The adventurer let out a giggle as he took out a clipboard. "Could you please introduce yourself?" The adventurer gasped and bowed his head.
"Ah, how could I forget! My name’s Saeid!"
"Saeid?" The name made Alhaitham raise a brow. He remembered the adventurer mentioning he was a lost adventurer from Inazuma. Alhaitham thought his name sounded like he was from around here. Of course, Alhaitham doesn’t want to judge, but he can’t help but feel a little suspicious.
"Oh, right. Sorry for the confusion. I was born here in Sumeru… but my parents moved to Inazuma when I was really young. I was still a crying baby and um… I guess you could say they left me in Inazuma. So naturally, I joined Inazuma’s adventure guild!" Saeid happily told Alhaitham about himself. Although the story was sad, Saeid had a huge smile on his face.
"Ah, I see…" Lots of questions were still in Alhaitham’s mind. He vividly remembered that Saeid was a lost adventurer who was drunk and boarded the wrong boat. Alhaitham had some doubts about that. "Say, is this your first time in Sumeru?" That received a little shock from Saeid.
"Well… I wasn’t supposed to be here! Yet! Because I don’t have enough funds to explore around. It’s all an accident… guess it’s a happy accident for me!" Saeid’s positive aura was shining all around him. "Um, let me just get to the point… since you’re Kaveh’s close friend… please tell me about Kaveh!" Alhaitham raised an eyebrow at the question. Kaveh’s close friend…
"Get back here, Saeid!" A familiar voice was heard. He felt a wash of relief when he saw that blond. He was panting as he reached both of them. "Don’t ask him. His answer will consist of insults and bad stories about me." Kaveh caught the two of them.
"Oh, I won't." Alhaitham rolled his eyes at the blond.
"You… um, what are you doing here?" Kaveh asked him. He thought about his answer for a while. How would Kaveh react if he said he was looking for him?
"Yeah, I was looking for you. Thought you would be here."
"Why? Never mind that. Saeid, let’s go." Kaveh pulled on Saeid’s wrist, but he refused.
"Wait, I think Alhaitham’s the perfect person to interview. I want to know what he thinks and feels about you, Kaveh. I mean, he is your roommate, right? You guys must be close." Saeid probably purposely rolled his tongue when he said roommate. Kaveh gasped and denied living together.
"N-no! I don’t live with him!" Kaveh was flustered as he grabbed onto Saeid’s shoulder.
"Well, whatever it is, Alhaitham must know you the best. Do you have any friends other than Alhaitham, I suppose? Another close friend, maybe? They would-"
"Let’s put this article about me and the palace on hold, shall we?" Kaveh cut off Saeid, who was a bit confused. Kaveh seemed flustered, and Saeid didn’t know what he did. Alhaitham was holding in his laugh. Saeid was not wrong when he said Alhaitham knows Kaveh best since they are close. Well, they were close. And it’s true how Kaveh lacks close friends, that’s what Alhaitham thinks. Maybe Kaveh thinks he has a ton, other than Alhaitham.
"Oh! Wait, but…"
"Just… we will do something about it soon." Kaveh comforted the sad Saeid. "I have to talk to this... man for a while." Saied nodded and left, leaving them two. Kaveh stared at Alhaitham for a while, letting the sound of water splashing from the fountain fill the silence. Alhaitham just blinked and fidgeted with his fingers. "What do you want?"
"Nothing. You just left the house without notice. I got-"
"Since when do you care?" Kaveh said with a mix of anger and disbelief. His tone was harsh.
"Can I not know? You-" Alhaitham got cut off again. He wanted to know why Kaveh was so pissed.
"Look, no idea what your deal is, but I’m really not feeling good right now. Wh… why did I even bother to talk to you? I’ll see you soon or something." Kaveh waved him off with a scowl. Alhaitham didn't stop the blond from leaving. He just watched as his figure became smaller and smaller.
"Why are you…" Alhaitham whispered.
"Just leave him alone. Give him some time and space. He has a lot on his mind." A gentle voice spoke behind him, and it spooked him. He immediately turned around and almost drew out his swords, but didn’t as he saw someone petite with striking green eyes blinking at him.
"Oh, Nahida." Alhaitham let out a sigh of relief when she saw her. Nahida gave him a soft smile before making her way to stand next to him. "How can I-"
"Is there something bothering you?" She just got to the point. "I have been observing you two."
"Nothing’s bothering me." He said quickly.
"Really? Sounds like a big lie, from your face and… your mind." Nahida giggled as Alhaitham looked away.
"Please don’t read my mind. I feel violated."
"It’s not like I’ll expose your thoughts… would I?" She teased him.
"Please, don’t." Alhaitham couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. She could, but as the Archon of Sumeru, she wouldn't do something so outrageous. "Anyway, if there’s nothing I can help you with… I’ll be leaving now."
"Bye~" Alhaitham left with a feeling of emptiness in his stomach. Maybe he was hungry. Maybe he felt guilty. Maybe he just needed to talk to someone specific. On his way back home, the sky turned grey and clouds grumbled. He cursed under his breath when he felt a drop of water on his forehead, which slowly trickled down his cheek. It’s going to rain and he didn’t have an umbrella. If he’s with Kaveh right now, Kaveh would have pulled out an umbrella out of nowhere and covered them both. Like the old days. Like the old days…
He quickened his walking pace and stopped by a stall selling alcohol. He scanned the brand that was displayed and pondered over whether he should buy it or not. He was feeling down. But maybe he should not, because if he drinks, then Kaveh would too. When Kaveh is drunk, he cries and vents to Alhaitham. ‘That’s a great idea.’
‘Wait what.’
Alhaitham ignored the thought he just had by slapping himself internally. His thought sounded like he was going to drug Kaveh. Which is not his intention, of course. He just wanted Kaveh to talk to him because Alhaitham knew more than anyone that Kaveh had something on his mind. He ignored the stall owner’s offer of alcohol and left. The rain wasn’t heavy, just light rain followed by strong winds. Because of that, his whole body felt frozen. He needed to get back home quickly. But instead of taking a shortcut, his legs brought him somewhere else. He felt deep inside his stomach that he should not go home until he found Kaveh. What a stupid thought, he thought as he frantically tried to look for Kaveh.