Chapter Text
Sometimes, Kaveh did think about death.
He had once believed that he would have gone out in a blaze of glory, from dramatically rescuing people from some natural disaster, or maybe peacefully in his sleep as an old man, after a long life well lived.
But life given him a gift.
Forty-nine days, during which he had the time to contemplate what truly mattered. Who truly mattered.
And that was how one story began, and how this story ends.
---
The hospital room was quiet, after their friends left them alone.
Despite their dramatic reunion, Kaveh was now finding it a little difficult to meet Alhaitham’s eyes- Alhaitham, who was now standing at the other end of the room, waiting, and watching.
“Am I-” Alhaitham cleared his throat. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”
Kaveh shook his head profusely. “No, not at all!” he said quickly, perhaps a little too quickly. “Why would you think so?”
Alhaitham snorted. “After everything we’ve gone through, do you truly think anything can get pass me?”
Kaveh could not help but laugh. “Of course not,” he said, his eyes wandering up to meet Alhaitham’s. That beautiful shade of green. His heart fluttered a little.
“Finally, he smiles,” Alhaitham remarked, shuffling the papers and putting them down.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Kaveh refuted automatically, “I’ve been smiling this whole time.”
Alhaitham let out a low chuckle, but his lips were pursed, like he was a little sad. “Not since they’ve left.”
“I just-” Kaveh stammered, “Now that I’m thinking, I just... What are we now? Where do we go from here?”
Alhaitham’s brows furrowed in confusion. “I thought I made it clear just now. That I would unceremoniously dump Kamran for you.”
“I mean, now that I’m me again, maybe you don’t want-”
“Kaveh,” Alhaitham said pointedly, silencing Kaveh with a single word. He drew closer, and sat himself down at the end of Kaveh’s bed. Gently, he pulled Kaveh's hands to his. “What is going on in that head of yours?” Alhaitham wondered aloud, “How could someone so smart be so incredibly stupid?”
Kaveh spluttered, retracting his hands. “What the hell, Alhaitham?”
Alhaitham’s lips were now slightly upturned, in a half-smirk, that made Kaveh feel the steady thumping of his heart accelerate. With a light brush of Kaveh’s fringe to the side, Alhaitham murmured, “I like you better like that.” He twirled a strand of Kaveh’s blond locks. “My little prince.”
Kaveh’s cheeks started to burn. “Really? Truly?” he breathed.
“Truly,” Alhaitham affirmed.
Kaveh heaved an internal sigh of relief. “I just thought that maybe- I know. It was stupid. It’s just my insecurities. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologise,” Alhaitham said, pulling Kaveh’s hands back into his again. This time, Kaveh let him. “I can tell you again and again, no matter how many times you need to hear it.”
“Alhaitham, that’s illegal. You can’t go around saying sweet things like that, it’s unbecoming,” Kaveh hissed, mildly mortified and somehow at the same time inwardly pleased.
“Oh? As the Grand Sage, and former Scribe, I don’t seem to recall there being such a law,” Alhaitham teased.
“Alhaitham!”
“Oh, don’t act all offended, I know you love that about me,” Alhaitham said.
Kaveh squeezed Alhaitham’s hand. “Of course.”
Alhaitham brushed his thumb at the side of Kaveh’s hand. “Listen, the one I love is you. Even if you look as scruffy as Kamran, or when you look like you. And even when you’re old and ugly, the only one I’ll love is still you,” Alhaitham said, his eyes bright.
Oh, Alhaitham, Kaveh thought, melting into the words. Thank you.
But there was something in that statement he couldn’t let slide. “Do you mean to say that I’m going to be ugly?” Kaveh asked aloud. “I can’t believe you.”
“Unfortunately, my dear Kaveh, ageing is a thing, and no matter how handsome you are you can’t escape it,” Alhaitham said.
Kaveh tried not to preen at ‘my dear Kaveh’. “Well, but I am glad for it,” Kaveh said honestly. “When I thought I was going to die, I had only wished for the chance for a life with you. To grow old with you.”
Alhaitham blinked.
Take that, now you’re the startled one, Kaveh thought in self-satisfaction.
“That’s nice,” Alhaitham murmured, a soft look forming on his face as he leaned closer, “And now we have a whole lifetime to live that.”
“Yes we do,” Kaveh agreed, closing his eyes as their lips pressed together into a gentle kiss.
---
THE STEAMBIRD
BREAKING NEWS: SUMERU’S ACTING GRAND SAGE DATING NO. 1 BACHELOR LIGHT OF KSHAHREWAR?
Reported by Charlotte
The Dance of the Fairy Princess, put up by the Zubayr Theatre Troupe, had been a beautiful show, starring Sumeru’s favourite dancer Nilou, but all eyes were instead drawn to Sumeru’s latest power couple.
Seated on Row 5, next to the Traveler and Paimon, the Acting Grand Sage of Sumeru Alhaitham was spotted enjoying the show with the recently recovered Light of Kshahrewar Architect Kaveh, holding hands throughout the entire show. (For more on the Light of Kshahrewar’s miraculous recovery, view Page 6.)
When approached by The Steambird for an interview, the Acting Grand Sage declined to comment. Architect Kaveh was not available for an interview, as the Acting Grand Sage had been fiercely protective of who appears to be his latest boyfriend.
That’s right- latest, because according to witnesses around Sumeru, this was not the Acting Grand Sage’s only relationship this month! Terry, a waiter at Lambad’s Tavern, disclosed that there had been a “huge fight” at the Tavern, where the General Mahamatra had expressed his vehement disapproval for the Acting Grand Sage’s ex-boyfriend, a man known as Kamran. When approached for an interview, the General Mahamatra had refused to comment. However, his assistant had disclosed that the General Mahamatra had since resumed his friendship with the Acting Grand Sage after their falling out at the tavern.
Who is this Kamran? Sources say that he is of average build, short brown hair and blue eyes, but none have spotted him since Architect Kaveh’s return.
“They had seemed so lovey-dovey when they were at the Jade Chamber,” an unnamed source stated, “I was very surprised to hear that Kamran was just a fling for the Acting Grand Sage.
“Alhaitham has always been very close to Kaveh,” Sumeru’s sweetheart Nilou had said, “I don’t believe that Alhaitham would have gone out with anyone else in Kaveh’s absence.”
The mysterious Kamran seems to have vanished off the face of Teyvat. The Steambird will continue to investigate this suspicious disappearance.
We at the Steambird wish the Acting Grand Sage the best in his new relationship with the Light of Kshahrerwar.
Tighnari lowered the newspaper. “I don’t know whether I should be happy or offended that I had not been approached for an interview,” he said wryly.
“I will need to have a talk with my assistant about dealing with reporters,” Cyno muttered darkly.
“You two need to calm down. We aren’t saying anything, why are you two complaining?” Alhaitham asked, scooping some gravy onto Kaveh’s plate.
“Exactly,” Kaveh said, shooting Alhaitham a beaming smile as he noticed that Alhaitham had avoided the chilli peppers in the gravy.
“You two are insufferable,” Tighnari groaned, “I now regret nudging the two of you together.”
“Many regrets,” Cyno agreed.
“Oh come on, did you forget about our ‘huge fight’?” Kaveh asked, gesturing wildly at the newspaper, “You were never approving of us in the first place!”
“I was not approving of Kamran and Alhaitham, not you and Alhaitham, in case you didn’t know,” Cyno pointed out.
“I should know, I was there,” Kaveh replied with a grin. “I’m just saying.”
“So, what are your plans for the future, now that you’re back?” Tighnari asked.
The future.
It had seemed like an impossible dream, for such a long time, but now it was just there, Kaveh’s to have.
“Kaveh’s mother is coming to visit next week,” Alhaitham said with a shrug. “Then maybe Inazuma?”
“Inazuma would be lovely at this time of the year,” Kaveh said, almost gushing, “I’ve always wanted to visit the Grand Narukami Shrine, it sounds really amazing.”
“I suppose we won’t be seeing you around much in the near future, then,” Cyno said, “I trust you’ve made arrangements in your absence? Or have they finally found a replacement?”
“As much as I’ve been trying to get Nahida to get my replacement, she’s still refusing to, so it’s another bout of extended leave,” Alhaitham said, “So if you have anything to let me know, please do so before I go.”
Kaveh coughed. “No work at the dining table,” he reminded.
“Alright, mister host,” Tighnari said with a laugh.
“I am also hosting this, and legally this is still my house,” Alhaitham reminded.
“Well Kaveh cooked almost all of this, so he is the host,” Cyno said.
With a chuckle, Kaveh commented, “Well Alhaitham did help to peel the onions.”
“Of course he did,” Tighnari said, rolling his eyes, “He couldn’t have let his precious Kaveh cry, could he?”
“Tighnari!” Kaveh exclaimed in mortification. “You are embarrassing me!”
Tighnari grinned. “That was indeed my intention.”
“He isn’t wrong,” Alhaitham remarked calmly, refilling Kaveh’s wine glass, then his own.
Kaveh turned to look at Alhaitham, finding a content smile resting on his lips. And, as he moved his gaze upwards to meet Alhaitham’s eyes, he saw his own smile, wide and happy, reflected in those vivid green irises.
It seemed like an eternity ago that the visage he wore was not his own, and even further into the infinite past that their relationship had been characterised solely by antagonism. But that antagonism had just been the prickly way in which they tried, clumsily, to show that they cared, the message lost amidst the muddle of mundane life.
Then the forty-nine days happened, and everything had been blown into startling clarity. The loneliness, the anxiety, his looming mortality- all of that pressure just forcing the truth out, like a diamond pressed out of carbon, bright, perfect, and beautiful.
Later, as they washed the dishes together, their shoulders brushing lightly and playfully, Kaveh said aloud, very suddenly, “You’re my best friend.”
Alhaitham paused. He turned off the tap. “I am aware of that,” he said, raising an eyebrow curiously.
“You are also my worst enemy.”
Now Alhaitham’s brows were furrowed. “I am not sure where you are going with this, Kaveh.”
Kaveh laughed, leaning into Alhaitham’s space to set down a plate on the drying rack. As he drew back, he looked up into Alhaitham’s bright eyes. “The most frustrating person I’ve ever known. And also the kindest.”
“Have you decided whether you’re going to compliment or insult me yet?” Alhaitham asked, his lips smirking, and it took all of Kaveh’s self-control not to kiss him there and then.
“Shh. Let me finish,” Kaveh said, putting the drying cloth down. “You’re my favourite person, Haitham, even though some days you just drive me up the walls. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Alhaitham murmured, in a low voice, “Not that I’m not appreciating this, but what’s suddenly brought this on? You don’t have to say it all out now. We still have time for countless tomorrows.”
Countless tomorrows. It was a promise, both thrilling and new. To be able to wake up many more times to a life doing all the things he loved with all the people he loved. Kaveh would never take that for granted, never again.
But in the present, there was one more thing that needed to be done.
Kaveh gave Alhaitham’s wrist a gentle squeeze. “Alhaitham?” he said quietly.
“Yes?”
I love you, Kaveh thought.
Alhaitham smiled.
I know.