Chapter Text
Alhaitham slaves over his desk for what seems like years before he hears a knock at his door. The sound made him flinch, but he was still grateful.
“Come in” he said a bit too quietly, but the visitor pushed themselves in whether they heard it or not. The small grin Alhaitham was wearing quickly vanishing as it was not who he had expected. In fact, it was probably the worst person who could’ve walked through his door right now.
“Hey man! Hows it going?”
“Now’s not the time, Cyno.”
“Awww, dont worry. I have a reason to be here.”
Cyno strolls over to Alhaitham’s desk, slapping down a small pile of papers onto it. The scribe flinches again, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by Cyno, but he just gives him a concerned look before crossing his arms and waiting.
“If that’s all, Cyno, I’d appreciate it if you’d see your way out” Alhaitham nearly whispers, staring at the paper he had been writing on.
“Well then, I’ll Cy-ya later! …..get it? Its like my name. Cyno….. Cy-ya…. heh”
Alhaitham just barely manages to hold back from punching the general right then and there, opting to glare until he gives in. Cyno offers a short farewell before closing the door a bit too hard, the noise making Alhaitham’s ears ring.
If you havent already noticed, it seems that someone has forgotten their headphones at home.
Alhaitham didn’t mean to. They had broken recently, so he had to ask Kaveh to fix them. Being the kind roommate he is (not that Alhaitham would ever say that), Kaveh had agreed to fix the headphones along with updating various features. That wasn’t the main problem, though. Kaveh had left earlier that morning for a day trip in the desert. Something about runes and stuff. He had left Alhaitham’s headphones on the coffee table with a note reminding him that he would be gone for the rest of the day.
And the cherry on top, Alhaitham had woken up late.
Due to the rushed morning and seemingly silent world, Alhaitham hadn’t noticed he didn’t have his headphones with him. Only after he was already a few minutes away from the house and a crowd had suddenly formed did he realize just how loud everything was.
Alhaitham sighs before standing up from his desk, having to hold onto the edge for a few seconds from sudden dizziness. Although it might be a bit torturous, he really needed coffee right now. Putting on the grouchiest frown manageable, he prepares himself before stepping out into the corridor, ready to avoid every social interaction possible.
A mere 30 seconds in the dining hall is all he can take before having to walk back to the corridor by his office, his hands over his ears. It was way louder than he expected. Taking deep breaths, he creates a plan to go through the least suffering possible.
Walking around the side of the dining hall with his ears covered, Alhaitham eventually makes it to the coffee shop. He was grateful it was in a corner, the noise not as bad as it was before. He quickly gets in line behind a shorter man, probably a student. He seems to be grumbling about having to switch coffee shops due to some ‘bitchy barista’ that wasn’t making him hot chocolate. Alhaitham would’ve laughed if a large group of people hadn’t suddenly walked in, causing the noise level to skyrocket above bearability.
Quickly covering his ears, Alhaitham shrinks a bit. Great he thinks, just what I needed.
He isn’t the only one bothered by be noise, a young woman trying to get the teens to quiet down. All they do is say they would and then laugh at her as if they were the coolest people ever.
Alhaitham was barely focused enough to order his coffee, missing the strange grin the barista wore when after he ordered.
Standing in the corner, the scribe waits impatiently for his coffee, hoping it would be finished soon so he could go back to his comfortable and silent office. His prayers seem to be answered, for the barista calls his name and the door is no longer blocked by the big group of students.
Grabbing his coffee, Alhaitham rushes out of the building towards his office. He takes a sip of his drink, the taste differing from what he normally got, but he probably just ordered wrong.
Stepping into his office and closing the door softly, Alhaitham sighs in relief, walking back over to his desk. His vision goes dark for a second before returning to normal, causing the scribe to stop in his tracks.
A knock on his door breaks him out of his daze, and he weakly answers.
“Come in…”
The student from the coffee shop enters, looking a bit concerned. “Hi um….. sorry. You looked a bit ill and i just wanted to check if you were okay…..” He said timidly, adjusting the glasses on his face.
Alhaitham’s expression softens, trying to assure the young man. “Ah, yes. I’m alright.” He says quietly, taking another sip of his coffee.
All at once, a pain from within burst out, causing the scribe to cough aggressively. The student takes a few steps towards him before freezing in shock.
Alhaitham’s vision goes blurry as he grips the edge of his desk, desperately trying not to fall over. He spots red on his hand, but his priority right now is to not worry the young man in front of him. Taking a deep breath in, Alhaitham tries to tell the student to get help, but his voice is awfully dry and shaky.
He drops to his knees, his left arm holding him up while his right covers his mouth. He feels a throbbing pain in his chest, his throat near destroyed from the coughing fit. He just barely notices the student rush out of the room, presumably to get help.
Alhaitham’s eyes land on a picture that had fallen off his desk a few minutes prior. It’s a picture of him and Kaveh as students. Oh, does he wish Kaveh was here with him.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looks up to find a very blurry Nahida standing over him. She lies him down on his side, saying something to the student from before that Alhaitham cant quite make out.
His body stiffens, a sharp pain being felt in his chest. He hears yelling before everything goes dark. He nearly yells before seemingly passing out, the pain too great for him to bear.
He falls down
down
down
down into the abyss