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“Lover boy finally showed up, huh?”
Alhaitham pulled up a chair, taking a seat. Across the table sat Dehya, sipping some bubbly, fruity cocktail.
“Couldn’t keep the great Flame-Mane waiting too long,” said Alhaitham, a smirk creeping onto his lips.
“Your flattery won’t get you anywhere,” said Dehya, similarly amused. “I have no interest in working for the Akademiya.”
“You’ve made that plenty clear,” Alhaitham said. He took a sip from the glass of water he carried over from the bar. His tongue appreciated the coolness amidst the sweltering heat.
“No alcohol?” Dehya commented, eyes flickering to his glass. “Are you abstaining?”
“I don’t wish to be hauled back to Sumeru City, even if you are the most reliable mercenary in the nation.”
A laugh left her lips, layered with a warm-tone nude lip gloss. “That’d cost a tidy sum, considering the cargo. Though,” she said, tapping a finger to her chin, “it sounds like you’re speaking from personal experience.”
Alhaitham hummed, swishing his drink. “Kaveh is fond of wine.”
Her smile stayed, perhaps even grew. “Oh? The fabled key owner? You sure do speak of him often.” Slyness snuck into her tone.
“I live with him.”
“We both know that’s not the only reason,” she said. Living in the desert made her perceptive in a way forest folk failed to be. But one didn’t need to be perceptive to see the clear-as-day tension between Alhaitham and his so-called roommate.
Alhaitham took another sip, futilely hiding his face behind the transparent glass. “Maybe so. Your life must be a bore if you’re so eager to meddle in mine.”
“It’s never a bore in the desert. Something’s always happening, for better or for worse,” said Dehya with a sigh. “The sands are unforgiving, and it’s every other day someone tests their luck.”
“Sounds demanding.”
“It is,” she admitted, “but a cushy office life isn’t for me.” She sipped her drink again, looking at Alhaitham over the rim of her glass.
“Understandable,” responded Alhaitham, drinking in turn.
“Now that’s out of the way, we can discuss more entertaining things,” said Dehya, leaning forward with both elbows on the table. At Alhaitham’s quizzical look, she added, “Your roommate.”
“What is there to discuss?” said Alhaitham, looking off to the side where a bustle of people walked by. Being a crucial point of commerce, Caravan Ribat was always crowded. “He’s a private person. I doubt he’d appreciate me divulging parts of his life to you.”
Dehya flicked her wrist in a waving motion. “No, no. None of that. I’m just curious about what type of person could have the Grand Sage of Sumeru wrapped around his finger.”
“Acting Grand Sage,” corrected Alhaitham. “And he does not have me wrapped around his finger.”
“Oh, please. You’re not fooling anybody, least of all, me,” said Dehya, teasing and cocksure. “Just last month, you confessed to using his shampoo while he’s away on work trips because—your words, not mine—it makes your pillow smell like him.”
Alhaitham swallowed with an appropriate amount of shame. “I am not responsible for what I say while inebriated.”
“Sure,” said Dehya, finding humor in his answer. “I just want to know why you’re so infatuated with him. And don’t say that you aren’t,” she said when Alhaitham opened his mouth to deny. “What do you like about him?” she asked, eyes full of curiosity for curiosity’s sake.
“Broad question,” said Alhaitham, “but like wouldn’t be the right word.”
“I forgot you Akademiya folk are always hung up on words,” said Dehya, a sigh passing through her teeth in faux exasperation. “Would love be the right word then?”
Alhaitham’s cheeks darkened, but he didn’t respond to her directly. The blush was a response enough.
“You know, I used to think you were one of those stuck up scholars,” said Dehya thoughtfully. “Now I know you’re just a loser in love.”
Alhaitham shot her a glare. “Insults do not encourage me to answer you.”
“Not an insult, just an observation,” said Dehya, lips turning up. It sounded like something Alhaitham would say.
“Go observe someone else then.”
“Oh, come on. I know you’ve been dying to tell someone about your raging crush,” said Dehya, propping his head up with a hand. “I’m giving you the perfect opportunity to let it out. What do you say?”
Defeated, Alhaitham sighed. “Fine.” Thoughts of Kaveh flooded into his mind, causing his mouth to twitch. Dehya was right—he did want to let his feelings loose, since he had kept them clogged in his throat for so long. So he let the words come out, unbridled.
“He’s impossibly kind. Compassionate. Never knows the right words to say, but tries his best anyway,” he said, fondness dripping into his voice as he swirled his water and watched it slosh around the glass. “He’s brilliant, and he challenges me in ways I hadn’t thought possible before.” His lips curved into a smile as he drifted through distant memories. “And he’s humble—more than he should be. Stubborn, but selfless. I can’t imagine what it’s like to not lov—”—he coughed—“feel this way anymore.” He blinked out of his affection-induced reverie, his gaze returning to meet Dehya’s.
“Not to mention, he’s beautiful, isn’t he?” she added, playful.
“Yes,” responded Alhaitham in earnest. His blush hadn’t died down. “He is.”
Dehya whistled. “You got it bad.”
He scoffed. “There’s nothing bad about loving Kaveh.”
Crash.
Alhaitham looked toward the sound of shattering. Glass shards lay scattered on the floor. A pair of feet stood at the epicenter of the accident, and Alhaitham’s gaze traveled up to meet familiar carmine eyes.
Alhaitham couldn’t think of a worse worst case scenario.
“What?” said Kaveh, voice ragged. His eyebrows pinched in, and his lips pressed together. His mood was indiscernible.
Alhaitham’s mouth went dry, and he couldn’t blame the desert air. Every hair on his body stood up as if lightning had zapped him. His chest tightened, and his vocal cords wouldn’t work.
Hand pressed to her mouth, Dehya watched on the side. Her eyes darted from him to Kaveh, then Kaveh to him again. A few passersby took notice of the broken glass, but most of them moved along without sparing a second glance.
Meanwhile, Alhaitham could only focus on Kaveh, and Kaveh alone. Those piercing red eyes punctured into his soul, asking for answers Alhaitham didn’t want to give. But he’d already said too much, and there was no eating his words back now.
So Alhaitham did the only thing he could think of doing: he teleported.
Then ran.
----------
Kaveh wiped the sweat off his forehead as he trudged to Caravan Ribat. Finally, he was done with supervising construction for the day. Working in the desert was not for the weak. He admired the construction workers who were able to do the physical labor—at a timely pace too—while unrelenting sun rays beat down on him. But the price was worth it. Soon, the children of Aaru village would have a place to study and learn, and that thought was enough to fuel Kaveh when he was low on energy.
Now that the work day was over, he needed a drink. Nothing too strong—he still needed to head back to Aaru village where he was temporarily staying while the project was ongoing. He couldn’t wait until he could wrap himself in his own blankets back in Sumeru City. He missed his bed, his usual coffee, and maybe the endearing sight of his roommate’s bedhead when he emerged from his bedroom each morning.
Maybe.
He spotted a head of grey hair outside Caravan Ribat’s tavern, but he brushed it off. Not every man with grey hair is Alhaitham, he thought, scolding himself. He had to kill his habit of looking for Alhaitham every place he went. It was bad for his heart.
But as he got closer to the tavern entrance, he realized that the grey-haired man was Alhaitham. Same sprout, same headphones, same skintight black top that left nothing to the imagination. Even that peridot gem with unknown origins shined proudly from his chest.
Across from him sat a woman with dark brown hair dressed in eremite attire. Kaveh vaguely recognized her as one of Alhaitham’s new friends. When he had left on his desert expedition, he didn’t expect that he’d return to a new Sumeru altogether, let alone Alhaitham making friends. In such a short span of time, he missed so much of Alhaitham’s life, and that fact made him irrationally sad.
He wondered if he should approach them. Would he be intruding? He wasn’t part of their circle, newly formed from saving their nation’s archon. Perhaps it would be rude. He didn’t want to be the overbearing senior Alhaitham complained that he was back in their younger years.
Alhaitham was looking off to the side, and he hadn’t noticed him yet. That gave Kaveh two options: one—approach the two of them, engage in small talk, then politely leave—or two—head inside the tavern and pretend to not have noticed them at all. He weighed the two options, wary of his time limit.
Then, the voice of the brown-haired lady—Dehya was her name, he believed—reached his ears.
“...what type of person could have the Grand Sage of Sumeru wrapped around his finger.”
Hm?
He tucked himself behind a pillar while remaining in earshot—otherwise known as option three.
He knew it was wrong to listen in on a potentially private conversation, but Kaveh’s curiosity took over his decisions. Alhaitham never told him anything anymore, he rationalized. He just wanted to make sure he was forming good relationships with his friends. That was all.
His decision to eavesdrop had nothing to do with this mysterious person who allegedly had Alhaitham of all people wrapped around his finger. Nope. Not one bit.
That said, he waited for Alhaitham to deny that any sort of person like that existed.
“Acting Grand Sage. And he does not have me wrapped around his finger,” said Alhaitham.
He. So there was someone. Although Alhaitham denied it, Kaveh heard it in his voice. A touch of embarrassment, a hint of hesitance. Wrapped around his finger was a strong phrase, but he liked this person at the very least.
Since when did Alhaitham have romantic feelings for anyone? Why didn’t he tell Kaveh? Sure, they grew apart, and they had just begun to repair their strained relationship, but in spite of all their differences, Kaveh saw himself as a trustworthy figure in Alhaitham’s life. Clearly, Alhaitham didn’t share the same views if he would rather tell his brand new friends about his romantic pursuits over Kaveh.
No longer being Alhaitham’s number one confidant stung. Just what else had Alhaitham been hiding from him?
Kaveh tried to listen in more, but a group of people passed by, and the bustling commotion drowned out Dehya’s voice. Now that he had heard a tidbit of gossip, he couldn’t leave. He needed to know more, selfish as it was.
A few people walking through the area gave him strange glances. At that moment, Kaveh realized how out of place he looked. Here he was, standing behind a column, doing… nothing. He needed to pretend to do something. At a nearby table, he spotted a lone glass resting there without an owner in sight. Quickly, Kaveh snatched the glass and leaned against the column in the most casual manner he could muster. He brought it to his lips, pretending to take a sip, then he realized there were remnants of alcohol in it. Gross. Who knew who could’ve drank from the glass. He settled for swirling the little amount of liquor inside.
The commotion died down, and Dehya’s voice became clear again. Kaveh’s ears perked up.
“I just want to know why you’re so infatuated with him,” she said. “And don’t say that you aren’t. What do you like about him?”
Infatuated rang in Kaveh’s mind. Surely, she was exaggerating. Alhaitham having a crush? Feasible. Alhaitham being infatuated? Out of the question. Kaveh would’ve noticed if his feelings ran this deep.
“Broad question,” Alhaitham responded, “but like wouldn’t be the right word.”
It wouldn’t?
“I forgot you Akademiya folk are always hung up on words.” A sigh. “Would love be the right word then?”
Crickets. Anxious from the silence, Kaveh peeked his head around the corner of the column. Then he breathed in deeply through his nose, akin to a gasp.
Because Alhaitham was blushing.
He hadn’t seen such an intense flush invade Alhaitham’s face since their school days. The beginnings of dread coiled in Kaveh’s stomach. Did Alhaitham truly love this person? Who in Teyvat could be worthy of Alhaitham’s love and affection?
No, Kaveh, he scolded himself. He couldn’t insult someone he didn’t know. It wasn’t their fault they managed to attract Alhaitham’s attention and ardor.
Thinking about Alhaitham’s mysterious beloved only made his stomach twist and tighten more, but he couldn’t stop his spiraling thoughts.
“You know, I used to think you were one of those stuck up scholars,” said Dehya. “Now I know you’re just a loser in love.”
In love. Kaveh wanted to cry.
Their conversation flowed in and out of Kaveh’s ears, but he didn’t care. I was too late, thought Kaveh, biting on his lip to keep the tears at bay. The day he tore their thesis, he promised himself that would be the last time he’d cry over Alhaitham. He kept that promise with little difficulty… until now. Now his emotions threatened to humiliatingly trickle down his face, in public no less.
Kaveh likely had a head start by numerous years, and he was still too late. Why didn’t he say anything before? Now Alhaitham had gone and had fallen in love with someone else, and Kaveh couldn’t do anything about it.
But… was he too late? Alhaitham had never looked at him, never given him the indication that there could be something more between them. No, he wasn’t late, Kaveh decided. He was never an option.
Kaveh didn’t know which one was worse.
“...you’ve been dying to tell someone about your raging crush,” said Dehya as Kaveh’s ears focused on the conversation again. “I’m giving you the perfect opportunity to let it out. What do you say?”
Alhaitham sighed. “Fine.”
He paused, and Kaveh waited, holding his breath.
“He’s impossibly kind,” Alhaitham started. “Compassionate. Never knows the right words to say, but tries his best anyway.” The unmistakable fondness in his voice made Kaveh queasy. “He’s brilliant, and he challenges me in ways I hadn’t thought possible before.” Brilliant? Alhaitham didn’t take that word lightly. Who could be deserving of Alhaitham’s adoring praise? “And he’s humble—more than he should be. Stubborn, but selfless. I can’t imagine what it’s like to not lov—”—he stopped himself from saying that l-o-v-e word—“feel this way anymore.”
Even from a distance, Kaveh could tell Alhaitham loved this person, more than he could put into words. His expression was soft, softer than Kaveh had ever seen on his ever-stoic face. His half-lidded eyes full of want and his slightly upturned lips were doing terrible things to Kaveh’s heart. And yet, that expression wasn’t meant for him. It was reserved for somebody else.
Alhaitham’s… whatever-he-was sounded perfect. Kaveh couldn't compete with someone like that.
“Not to mention, he’s beautiful, isn’t he?” Dehya teased a still furiously blushing Alhaitham.
“Yes,” responded Alhaitham, almost so quietly that Kaveh couldn’t catch it. “He is.”
If possible, Kaveh’s heart sank further. He really was the whole package, huh? Of course, Alhaitham fell for him.
He needed to walk away before he did something stupid.
Dehya whistled. “You got it bad.”
Kaveh glanced at his glass, swirling the liquid. He shouldn’t have eavesdropped on their conversation. Ignorance was a bliss he no longer possessed. Distracting himself, he watched the residual alcohol swish around the glass. Then—
A scoff. “There’s nothing bad about loving Kaveh.”
The glass slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor with a deafening crash. Alhaitham, Dehya, and a few stray onlookers turned toward the sound. Kaveh stood to the side of the column in the middle of the glass shard mess.
He locked eyes with a horrified Alhaitham.
“What?” he said dumbly, throat dry. His mind stalled, processing Alhaitham’s previous statement.
“There’s nothing bad about loving Kaveh.”
Kaveh. That was him. He was Kaveh. And loving. Love. Alhaitham loved him.
Breathing came easier. His vision cleared, and his heart sang. Then arrived the shock. Alhaitham loved him? Since when? All those things he said about him—was that how he viewed Kaveh? Kind, compassionate, brilliant, humble, selfless—were those words that truly described him?
Regardless, elation filled him, relieving him of the ugly green feelings that plagued him just moments ago. Unfathomable as it was, Alhaitham liked him—no, loved him back. He was afraid to pinch himself in case he was dreaming, which a shocking amount of Sumerians began to experience in light of recent events.
He couldn’t look away from Alhaitham. His gaze begged him to repeat those words, to say it to his face, so he knew he didn’t misunderstand.
But Alhaitham was frozen. His startled expression hadn’t changed. He just… continued to stare at Kaveh.
Then Kaveh blinked, and Alhaitham was gone. Or rather, he teleported a few meters away.
And he ran.
Oh, no, you don’t, Kaveh thought, chasing him. Alhaitham was sorely mistaken if he thought he could outrun Kaveh just because he had a few stamina issues. Enough adrenaline ran through his veins to give him the agility and strength to match Alhaitham’s speed, or better yet, surpass it.
Alhaitham’s boots dug into the dirt-paved path en route to Sumeru City as he raced out of Caravan Ribat. He was fast, Kaveh would give him that, but Kaveh was unrelenting. He was prepared to chase him all the way to the Akademiya if need be.
Fortunately, that need would never arise, since Kaveh was closing in on Alhaitham, thanks to the adrenaline coursing through him. Once he got close enough, he tackled Alhaitham to the ground. They both landed rather harshly on the rugged road.
Kaveh coughed as dirt particles sprayed into the air. Ugh. Laundry was going to be a pain for both of them with all the grime that clung to their clothes.
Alhaitham coughed too, and he winced, having taken the brunt of the fall. Kaveh scanned his body for injuries, but there weren’t any visible to him.
“Are you okay?” asked Kaveh, double-checking that Alhaitham wasn’t hurt. He grabbed his chin and tilted his head left then right to look for potential head injuries.
“Would be better if you didn’t hunt me down and throw yourself on top of me,” Alhaitham grumbled, grabbing Kaveh’s hand and moving it away from his chin. He coughed again. Running then choking on dirt particles was not a good combo.
“Would be better if you didn’t run away in the first place,” Kaveh responded in turn with equal snark. “Running away is more of my thing, you know.”
“Oh, so he admits it,” said Alhaitham, rolling his eyes like the ill-mannered junior he was.
“I was hoping we could be a little honest with each other here.”
“We can be honest once you get off me,” said Alhaitham, pointedly looking at his legs trapped under Kaveh’s body.
Kaveh glanced down, then back up to Alhaitham’s face. “You’re going to run the second I get up,” he said accusingly.
“Well, we can’t stay in this position forever, can we?”
“That wasn’t a no, Haitham.”
“No, Kaveh,” said Alhaitham, exasperation in his voice. “I won’t run. Happy?”
“Very.” Kaveh climbed off his legs and stood up. He held a hand out to Alhaitham, which he took as he grunted to get up alongside Kaveh. “So?”
“So what?” Kaveh gave him a scathing glare. Alhaitham sighed. “How much did you hear?” he asked, looking off to the grass on the side of the path.
“Enough.”
Silence. Only the sound of leaves rustling from the gentle breeze remained.
“What do you want me to say?” muttered Alhaitham, still looking away. “You heard everything.”
Kaveh eyed Alhaitham’s pressed lips and fidgeting hands. He was nervous, Kaveh realized. He was bracing himself for rejection. As genius as he was, he still didn’t understand Kaveh reciprocated his feelings. Why else would he chase him down if not to set things straight?
Kaveh was not going to be too late. Not now, not ever.
“I want you to say it to my face,” Kaveh said, hands on his hips, “instead of gossiping about me with your friend.”
Looking down, Alhaitham pursed his lips. He inhaled deeply. “I like you, Kaveh.”
“That’s not what you said to her.”
Cheeks darkening, Alhaitham grimaced. “I love you, Kaveh.”
“Again.” Kaveh took hold of Alhaitham’s chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing him to look him square in the eyes instead of the ground.
“I love—”
Kaveh shut him up with his lips. He pressed them firmly against Alhaitham’s mouth and practically inhaled the words that died on his tongue. His hands came up to cup both sides of Alhaitham’s jaw, so he could kiss him deeper. He swallowed Alhaitham’s surprise in the form of gasps as his lips moved with fervor.
Alhaitham’s lips didn’t move at all. His hands twitched uselessly at his sides, afraid to hold and caress Kaveh. It was okay, Kaveh decided. They’d work on it.
Kaveh pulled back to see Alhaitham’s dumbstruck face, and what a sight that was. Kaveh wanted to burn it into his memory forever, so he could always remember what Alhaitham looked like after their first kiss.
“I love you too,” said Kaveh as Alhaitham regained lucidity. “That wasn’t so hard to say, was it?”
“Shut it,” said Alhaitham. He covered his mouth with his hand, reeling from the sudden kiss. “You’re going to hold this over my head forever, aren’t you?”
“Naturally,” Kaveh responded with a shrug. Unable to resist his urge to coddle him, Kaveh patted Alhaitham’s hair, which earned him a lukewarm glare. “You’re shyer than I thought you’d be.”
“Cut me some slack,” Alhaitham huffed. “I’ve never done this.”
“I can tell,” said Kaveh, which got him a frown from Alhaitham. “Don’t give me that look,” he added, poking Alhaitham’s cheek. “You have the best teacher in front of you, don’t you?”
“He’s not doing a very good job of teaching then.”
“Don’t tempt me,” warned Kaveh, leveling him a look.
“If you’re tempted, that’s all you,” Alhaitham said with that insufferable smirk on his lips—too confident for a guy who fumbled a kiss a minute ago. Kaveh ought to teach him a lesson.
“You intolerable bastard,” said Kaveh, bringing their foreheads together. “Move your lips this time,” he murmured.
Then he sealed the distance again.
----------
“So,” said Dehya, a month later. She smirked as Alhaitham pulled up a chair. “Got anything to say to me?”
Alhaitham suppressed a grin. “More than you know.”