Chapter Text
"Today marks the 1 month of the disappearance of famed architect, Light of Kshahrewar, Kaveh. The Mahamatra are continuing to work tirelessly on this case, determined to bring him home. If anyone has any tips on the possible location of Kaveh, we urge you to report it to your local Mahamantra station. Thank you, and this was Sumeru news. "
*CLICK*
Alhaitham winced before shutting his Akasha off. His chair creaked as he leaned back in it, arm covering his face. Tired eyes peer over his sleeve, staring at the ceiling. He sighed.
On the outside, Alhaitham seems to remain unperturbed. Both scholars and citizens alike seem to murmur among themselves whenever he passes.
"How is he so normal right now? Isn't he worried?"
"I heard that he was responsible for Kaveh's sudden disappearance. "
"So cold. If my partner was missing, I'd do anything to find them."
"Wait, I thought they were roommates? How could they possibly be dating? They fight all the time!"
Alhaitham ignored them. It wasn't his fault they misunderstood his and Kaveh's relationship. Anyways, they got it completely wrong. The moment the door of their shared home closed, Alhaitham was a man possessed. Hours of the night are spent sifting through papers and documents, desperately combing for just a single clue.
Fingers carded through grey hair as exhausted eyes focused on the maps scattered across the room. It seemed after Kaveh was reported missing, the ever put-together Alhaitham spiralled, evidenced by the mess littering the floors of every room, dishes stacked high in a filthy sink and the physical exhaustion that took over every facet of his life.
But it's fine. He'll clean up when Kaveh is safely back home. He will relax then. But for now, Kaveh remains missing and every second wasted is detrimental to the possibility of his survival.
Alhaitham thoughtfully traced the edge of the worn map of Kaveh's last known location. He scanned the mountains and valleys etched into the paper with lines and numbers. He frowned at the writing clearly hastily scribbled at the bottom from the Mahamatra he took the map from. "Clear sweep. Nothing of note."
Nothing of note. The phrase repeated itself over and over in Alhaitham's mind as he rolled up the map before placing it in his bag. He couldn't personally help search that day because of official Grand Sage business, but now that he was forcibly put on leave, he could scour the area as much as he wanted.
Alhaitham's keys jingled as he turned it in his front door lock. Oh. He paused at the sight of the little lion swinging on the end of the key.
"What is that?"
"It's a lion charm for my keys."
"Why."
"Well sorry for wanting to add some personality to my belongings, Haitham!"
"Is that your reasoning for all the decorations that sit in the house, collecting dust? Because if it is, there's a massive flaw in your logic as the house does not count as one of your, so called, belongings."
"Oh Archons! You're insufferable, Haitham!"
Alhaitham's mouth upticked slightly when he recalled the past conversation. He and Kaveh can have plenty more bickering sessions once he finds him and brings him back where he belongs.
Alhaitham began the long walk towards the desert, quietly striding through the empty streets of Sumeru. Usually, the city would be bustling with life, but as it was very early in the morning that Alhaitham chose to leave, the only life in the streets were the stray cats darting between buildings. Huh, maybe he and Kaveh could get a cat as a celebration, a mini lion for the house.
Alhaitham snickered at the idea, he already had a disagreeable lion on his hands and he was a handful enough.
The sun had barely risen when Alhaitham arrived at the edge of the desert. He squinted at the empty expanse of sand that surrounded him, stretching as far as he could see. He pulled out the map and unfurled it, scrutinising it before placing it back in his bag. He'll search the northern half first and work his way down.
"I'll bring you home, Kaveh."
He breathed in deeply before setting off to work.
It was several hours by the time he found it. The sun was high in the sky and mercilessly beating down on Alhaitham. A bead of sweat trickled down the back of his neck and his hair was uncomfortably sticking to his face. But there it was, an inconspicuous structure hidden behind a line of trees and local flora.
Alhaitham did a quick assessment of the stone structure. It was barely poking out of the sand and appeared to be sealed extremely tightly. Alhaitham breathed a sigh of relief. If it was difficult to open, it was unlikely that Kaveh could've gotten trapped somehow. But he still had to check.
He circled the structure, examining for any weak points he could exploit. Hm, it appeared to be several hundred years old, but impressively nothing to show for its supposed age. He initially thought to wedge the hatch open, but he would struggle to fit a card between the gaps of the door, let alone his sword.
Okay, maybe brute force? If he hit it hard enough, maybe it'd crack, but if it managed to stay in such perfect condition all this time, Alhaitham doubted striking it a couple of times would have any effect. He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, mussing the grey locks when an idea suddenly went off on his mind. If physical capabilities weren't enough, maybe those of a more magical category would work.
He glanced back at the fauna that laid behind him and nodded. His vision that sat on his hip began to glow and the nearby greenery began to slink over. Vines wrapped the structure in thick stems, squeezing it so tightly a constrictor boa would be jealous. Only until he heard a loud crack did Alhaitham pull back the vines, inspecting the damage caused. He smirked when he saw a sizable crack had formed. All it took was a little arm strength and Alhaitham finally forced the hatch to open.
"Child's play."
He peered down into the vertical hallway, pure darkness meeting his eyes. He wrinkled his nose at the unpleasant stench that also wafted from below. Unsure of the depth, Alhaitham summoned a ball of pure dendro energy before dropping it into the hole, watching as it fell for a few seconds before making contact with the sand below and promptly disappearing.
He nodded confidently. Now he could finally check what was in this mysterious structure, perhaps knowledge or something even more valuable. He quickly summoned a vine and wrapped it securely around his hand before rappelling his way down the shaft. He almost made it all the way down when he suddenly slipped on the featureless stone walls, feet sliding on the gripless material. He hissed as the vine he held onto strained against the edge of the hatch.
Not long after, Alhaitham touched the bottom of the hole and tried to look around, only to be met with more darkness surrounding him. He then summoned another ball of light and sent it around the room, analysing what appeared to be scratched out runes on the wall. He hummed thoughtfully as the dendro ball finally made it around to the last corner of the room. He watched as it illuminated the lifeless figure of the last person he’d hoped to find here.
A gasp tore through Alhaitham's chest. He heard his heart beginning to pound loudly in his head and his eyes widened as a feeling of deep dread settled in his stomach. Nonononono- This can't be! It couldn't be!
Alhaitham stood there, shocked, as the realisation washed over him. Kaveh was here in front of him. Not moving. Not breathing. Not living.
"Oh Archons-!" Alhaitham covered his mouth as he stared in horror at the once energetic man, now reduced to nothing but a corpse. A choked sob got caught in Alhaitham's throat as he suddenly dropped to his knees, all strength leaving his body. Tears began to spill down his cheeks, clouding his vision as he reached for the blond man.
His trembling hand touched a cold one and he shuddered. Kaveh, so full of life and warmth, now laid motionless in his arms. His face was expressionless, eyes shut and lips slightly ajar, as if he was just sleeping, but the uncharacteristic coldness and the stiffness of his limbs told a different story.
"Oh Kaveh, I'm so sorry I couldn't get here sooner..." A shaky voice spoke aloud. Alhaitham pulled the light ball towards Kaveh's face and upon noticing the long-dried tear tracks down his cheeks, pulled him even closer, sobs echoing around the room.
In his grief, Alhaitham didn't notice the low groaning overhead as the hatch doors strained. It wasn't until they suddenly snapped closed, slicing his safety vine did he notice.
"Shit!" Still cradling the body, Alhaitham glanced back up the shaft, remembering the slick walls and how he struggled just to get down. He dropped his head and sighed. Upon doing so, however, he spotted Mehrak lying on the sand face down and a spark of hope flared. Carefully and without disturbing Kaveh, Alhaitham pulled the briefcase towards him, flipping it upright to get a good look at it.
"Mehrak." Nothing.
"Mehrak." He repeated firmly. Still no response.
"Maybe you're out of battery. "
With a quick twist of his hand, Alhaitham infused the machine with a bit of dendro energy and watched as it whirred back into life. It took a few seconds, but once Mehrak caught sight of Alhaitham, it beeped happily with a smile.
“Mehrek, I need you to-”
“NEW RECORDING SAVED.”
Mehrek’s sudden interruption stopped Alhaitham in his tracks. Recording? Alhaitham furrowed his brows at the implication. Was this Kaveh’s final message to the world before he…he passed? Alhaitham chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully before addressing Mehrak again.
“Mehrak, playback the most recent recording.”
Mehrak chirped happily before beginning to play the last known recording of the Light of Kshahrewar, Kaveh.
“Hey Haitham. I don’t know when you’ll get this message, but I forgot to say something during our last call, hahaha…
A pang of grief resonated in his chest at the memory of the call.
“I would have liked to be able to say this in person, but due to extenuating circumstances, I hope you’ll understand.”
Pause.
“My parents used to say that if you didn’t end a conversation with a loved one by telling them that they’re loved, something bad will happen, and you’ll regret not saying it for the rest of your life. Maybe that’s why I always ‘wear my heart on my sleeve’, as you liked to put it…
Alhaitham chuckled. He did always like that about Kaveh.
“But what I’m saying is that… I love you, Alhaitham. And I’m sorry for lying to you. I’m sorry to burden you with this sudden confession. I hope you’ll be able to forgive me someday.”
And for a moment, it’s like the world had stopped. Flashes of futures that would never come to be surged in Alhaitham’s mind. A fleeting touch of hands. A shy giggle after a quick kiss. Legs tangled up in silk bed sheets. Hands intermingled in messy hair. Sitting at the dinner table looking at him. The light of his life.
And like a gust of wind, all those possibilities faded to nothing. The only remnants being soft whispers that fell on deaf ears.
Small droplets wordlessly slipped down Alhaitham’s cheeks, onto the face of the man he once hoped to share a life with. But he already did. Memories of Kaveh’s legs comfortably thrown over his own flashed in his head, followed by the numerous occasions that he had to retrieve Kaveh from the bar after their many heated discussions. A fond smile spread across Alhaitham’s face as he traced the edge of Kaveh’s expressionless one.
Alhaitham forgot Mehrak was still playing the recording until Kaveh’s voice rang out again. This time his voice much smaller, fainter, weaker.
“Haitham…? It’s so dark in here already, but somehow it’s getting darker. I’m… kinda scared…”
Grief choked Alhaitham. “Oh Kaveh…” He murmured, “You were always scared of the dark, weren’t you?” A quivering hand stroked the golden locks that framed the man’s face. A wet sniffle matched the one that played back. Alhaitham tore his attention from the body to look back up at Mehrak, eyes still wet with tears. Laboured breaths cut through his thoughts as he imagined Kaveh cowering in the corner, struggling to breathe.
“Would you… stay with me until I fall asleep?”
Kaveh’s voice seemed so far away as he whispered his final request. Alhaitham stifled a sob as he nodded, “Of course.”
Alhaitham then rested his head on Kaveh’s, hands wrapping themselves securely around him. “Mehrak, can you record something for me?”
Mehrak beeped happily before flashing a red dot. Alhaitham sighed before beginning to speak. What would he even say?
“Kaveh. I just received your message and…” His voice trailed off.
“I’m happy that you managed to go with few regrets. Despite my reportedly cold demeanour, I’m glad that you found solace in my company.”
He paused.
“I do not resent you at all for your confession. I actually…” Alhaitham paused before continuing.
“I feel the same way. I love you, Kaveh. And I’m so sorry you never got to hear it while you were alive.”
Alhaitham peered down at the motionless man he held in his arms, a sad smile on his face. “I’d be happy to stay with you until you fall asleep. I promise I’ll still be here when you wake up too. I love you. May we meet again soon.”
With the final message recorded, Alhaitham felt a feeling of peace wash over him. That was it.
A tight feeling began to spread across his chest and Alhaitham’s mind began to swim. Ah, this must’ve been what claimed Kaveh. And now it’ll claim him too. He stared off at the wall behind Mehrak, his blinking eventually slowing. He smiled as he thought about finally being able to be with his beloved.
He then shut his eyes and laid his mind to rest.
(If you want feel better, here's a little bit of aftercare)
“Oh, did you hear about this ancient couple found in the desert recently?”
“Yeah! Wasn’t one of them dead for a month before the other too? Ew.”
“I heard they also found recordings of them before they died. That’s gotta be freaky as hell.”
“What’s their names? Al-something and Kaveh, I think. Pretty sure one of them was Grand Sage for a while and everything.”
A blond man affectionately shook his head as he passed his students gossiping in the hallways. He was well aware of the ‘Sumeru Lovers’ case as he became strangely obsessed with it when he first learnt of it. Alhaitham and Kaveh. The names of the owners of the skeletons found in an ancient structure at the heart of the desert. A construction team found it when surveying the area for possible land space.
The teacher hummed thoughtfully as he arrived at the teacher’s break room, only to be met with a solid wall, sending him flying back. “Ack-!” He angrily looked up at what hit him (he hit it), only to find a man with an unamused expression looking down at him. The man stayed silent as he extended a hand, offering to help him up.
The blond man refused and muttered furiously as he got up from the floor, brushing his clothes off as he did. “How dare you! You shouldn’t even be here-” His angry mutterings were cut off when he made eye contact with the solid wall of a man. Even when on his feet, the blond couldn’t even reach his ears, which were covered in what appeared to be headphones.
Teal eyes pierced his own red ones. “I’m a new hire.” was the only thing spoken. His face remained expressionless as he stepped back and extended his hand, this time in a handshake.
“I hope we can get along, senior .”