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The heavy oak doors of the Akademiya library shut with a soft click, cutting off the late-night murmurs of the remaining scholars. Kaveh stumbled into the corridor, his boots dragging against the polished stone floor. His vision blurred around the edges. The Grand Bazaar’s latest renovation project had drained every ounce of his creative and physical energy. For three days straight, he had survived on black coffee, frantic blueprint sketching, and sheer stubborn willpower.
Now that the final permits were signed, the adrenaline crashed hard. His knees buckled slightly, and he had to lean his shoulder against the cool wall just to stay upright.
"If you ruin your posture permanently, I am not paying for your chiropractor," a flat, familiar voice droned from the shadows.
Alhaitham stepped into the light of the flickering Mora-lamps. His arms were crossed, his noise-canceling headphones resting around his neck. He had clearly been waiting.
"Shut up, Haitham," Kaveh mumbled, too tired to even throw his usual dramatic hand gestures. "My head is spinning. Just let me walk in peace."
Kaveh took one step forward, staggered, and closed his eyes, bracing for the hard floor.
The impact never came.
Instead, a pair of strong, solid arms slid effortlessly beneath his knees and behind his back. In one fluid, practiced motion, Alhaitham scooped the architect completely off his feet, lifting him securely against his chest.
Kaveh’s eyes snapped open. His face flushed a brilliant crimson, clashing violently with his blonde hair. He instinctively clutched at Alhaitham’s shoulders to stabilize himself, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"What—what are you doing?!" Kaveh gasped, his voice cracking from exhaustion. "Am I not heavy to you, Haitham?!"
Alhaitham didn't even blink. He adjusted his grip, walking down the grand corridor with the steady, unbothered stride of a man carrying nothing more than a light jacket. His gray eyes looked down at Kaveh’s tired, flushed face.
"No," Alhaitham replied evenly, his voice entirely devoid of strain. "You weigh like a couple of grapes."
Kaveh’s jaw dropped. He pouted fiercely, his bottom lip trembling with a mix of embarrassment and indignant architect pride. He began to weakly swat at Alhaitham’s chest, though his punches had all the force of a wet paper towel.
"A couple of grapes?! I am a grown man! An elite Architect!" Kaveh protested, his cheeks puffing out. "Put me down! Put me down right now!"
"If I put you down, you will collapse, crack your skull on the marble, and force me to fill out incident reports for the Scribe's office," Alhaitham said, completely ignoring the struggles. "Save your energy for complaining when we get home."
Kaveh stopped squirming, realizing he was thoroughly trapped by the Scribe's infuriatingly muscular arms. He let out a defeated, whining sigh, his forehead dropping against Alhaitham’s shoulder.
"I hate you," Kaveh muttered into the fabric of Alhaitham's cape, though he didn't ask to be put down again.
"Naturally," Alhaitham murmured, shifting Kaveh just a little closer against his chest as they stepped out into the cool Sumeru night.