Work Text:
It’s all Alhaitham’s fault, really. He shouldn’t have suggested going on an expedition, especially not today. He should have waited a few days, made sure that he wasn’t so… distracted. He had been filled with anxious energy at home however, an itch underneath his skin to get moving, to do something, to not waste away at home.
Naturally, Kaveh had decided to tag along.
They’re trekking through the desert, sand filling Alhaitham’s shoes and the sun beating down on their backs. Sweat drips down Alhaitham’s neck as he pants, squinting against the blinding sunlight to look forward. The ruins they’re headed to are probably another half an hour of walking away. They’re only a two hours walk from Aaru Village, but in heat like this, it feels like seven.
Kaveh is surprisingly quiet behind Alhaitham. Usually, he complains endlessly whenever he’s in the desert, but today, he is reserved and silent. Even Mehrak is quiet, floating next to Kaveh with no chiming little beeps.
It makes the itch in Alhaitham grow as he sinks ankle deep into the soft sand, huffing as he yanks his foot out to keep walking. He just has to get to the ruins.
There won’t be anything special there; Alhaitham knows that. The ruins have been picked clean, so close to civilization as they are, but he just needed an excuse to leave. An excuse to get out. Nothing except a sunburn will be gained today, but it will have provided the distraction Alhaitham so sorely needs.
Alhaitham is too lost in his own thoughts, single-minded in his pursuit, that he doesn’t notice anything amiss at first.
That is, of course, until Kaveh shouts, breaking the silence from them, and there’s the sound of blades being drawn. Alhaitham whirls around, sand flying everywhere, his swords already materializing in his hands, just in time to see the bandit come swinging at him.
Their blades clash with a clang, glancing off of each other, and the bandit lets out a wide smile. There’s another engaged with Kaveh and Mehrak, being held back as the claymore swings through the air.
“There’s no need for anyone to get harmed, we just want whatever valuables you’re carrying,” the bandit says as he slashes forward with his scimitar again, Alhaitham deflecting it easily. His heart is racing, and as awful as it sounds, this is what he needed. A fight. Something bloody, something awful, to get out all of his excess energy.
“I’ll have to decline,” Alhaitham replies, using his vision and mirrors to zap behind the bandit, the hilt of his sword bashing into the back of their head, leaving them to crumple into the ground. He doesn’t stop, rushing over to where Kaveh is, even though he seems to be handling himself fine.
They dispatch the second bandit together easily. Too easily. The fight had barely lasted a few minutes and it was over, and Alhaitham is still burning up inside. Kaveh’s chest is heaving from the exertion of it all, and his eyebrows are pinched in concern.
“How did you not notice them when I did?” Kaveh says, shooting a glare in Alhaitham’s direction. Alhaitham blinks in surprise, opening his mouth to respond, only to catch a silver glint in his peripheral vision.
Before he can really think about it, he’s shoving Kaveh to the side as the ‘unconscious’ bandit stands up, slinging a dagger in their direction, the metal shining in the sunlight.
Pain explodes in Alhaitham’s side and he lets out a wounded gasp, hand flying to cover the wound, and Kaveh lets out a strangled yelp of surprise. He moves quickly though, this time making sure the bandit is knocked out (or perhaps brain damaged, if the blood on the back of Mehrak is anything to go off of) before he rushes to Alhaitham’s side, eyes wide in fear.
“You idiot! What did you do that for?” Kaveh snaps, covering Alhaitham’s hands with his own as blood starts to seep through his fingers. “Fuck, fuck. What is wrong with you? I could have dodged that!”
“I panicked,” Alhaitham replies through gritted teeth, focusing on taking a deep breath. Nothing vital seems to have been hit, and it doesn’t seem that bad of an injury, but it hurts. Kaveh glares at him, but his fingers are shaking where they rest against Alhaitham’s. His face is tight and pinched with concern, and he whips his head frantically around to see if there is anything else.
“We need to get back to the village right now. Can you walk?”
“I think so. It’s not that bad.” Of course, the second Alhaitham tries to, his knees buckle. Pain shoots up his side and he groans, and immediately Kaveh is catching him, pulling one of Alhaitham’s arms around his shoulders.
“Don’t be an idiot. Conserve your strength. Lets go.”
–
Kaveh’s arms are shaking as he carries Alhaitham to the shade of nearby ruins. His legs tremble, and he’s mumbling angrily under his breath. Yet, there are tears building in his eyes, and Alhaitham wants to say something to make him feel better, but what could he possibly say in this scenario?
Kaveh stumbles, and the sudden movement brings a groan from Alhaitham’s mouth, pain racing up through his chest as blood seeps through his fingertips where they’re firmly held against his side. Kaveh flinches at the sound of it, his teeth digging into his lip hard enough that Alhaitham can see it turn white.
“It’s not your fault,” Alhaitham murmurs, his voice coming out far quieter than he wanted. Kaveh doesn’t reply, just continues dragging Alhaitham forward. The coolness of the shade finally envelops them both, and Kaveh gently lowers Alhaitham to the ground, letting his back rest against a crumbling pillar.
Kaveh doesn’t meet Alhaitham’s eye, immediately beginning to shuffle through his back for supplies. He’s mumbling to himself again, and Alhaitham sighs heavily through his nose.
“Kaveh. It’s not your fault. I should’ve been more careful.”
“Damn right, you should have been! What were you thinking, jumping in front of me like that?” Kaveh finally snaps, throwing down his bag in a fuss. His face betrays his anger, though, eyebrows pinched and lips twisted in concern. “This is exactly why I came out with you, I knew you would get distracted by something and end up like this.”
“I don’t get easily distracted. I didn’t want you to get hurt,” Alhaitham argues back. He feels a little faint from the blood loss, but it isn’t a serious wound. It’ll need stitches and leave a nasty scar, but it’s nothing that will kill Alhaitham. It’s the middle of the day, and they’re not far from Aaru Village; after a short rest, they should be able to make it there easily. Alhaitham just has to catch his breath.
Kaveh falls quiet, turning his attention back to his bag. He pulls out some bandages, shuffling over to Alhaitham. “Lift your shirt.” His voice is terrifyingly neutral, and that’s how Alhaitham knows he’s truly upset with him. When Kaveh is annoyed or reasonably angry at him, he’s loud and yells until Alhaitham’s ears hurt.
When he’s really upset, he goes quiet.
“Kaveh,” Alhaitham starts. “I would have been fine on my own,” he whispers, as he pulls his shirt up to expose the wound. Just as he thought. Not that bad. It still makes Kaveh grimace.
“Today is different. Did you think I forgot?” Kaveh snaps, and Alhaitham is stunned into silence. “You thought I wouldn’t notice you deciding to run off into the desert today. If I wasn’t here, you wouldn’t have noticed the bandits, and you wouldn’t have been able to fight them all off by yourself. So just– just shut up and let me wrap this wound.”
Alhaitham blinks, words lost from him for a moment. He honestly did think Kaveh forgot. It has been so long since it happened, and Alhaitham never mentions it.
Kaveh watches Alhaitham’s expression, his jaw tightening, before he huffs irritably and looks back down at the wound. He first pours some water over it, rinsing the cut free of sand and dirt. It stings a little bit, Alhaitham inhaling sharply. For a moment, despite Kaveh’s anger, he pauses, hands hovering above the weeping wound. Guilt flashes over his face, but he shakes it off quickly, fetching the bandages again.
He packs the cut with gauze, pressing it in harshly. A little too harshly, betraying his emotion and making Alhaitham flinch, a quiet groan leaving him. This time, Kaveh doesn’t pause, wrapping the bandages around Alhaitham’s waist tightly. He secures them with one of his hair clips, before sitting back and turning to fuss around with his bag.
He doesn’t say anything else to Alhaitham. It weighs heavily between them, Alhaitham’s stomach twisting and turning. The pain in his side isn’t enough to distract him from it, and he shifts uncomfortably against the pillar.
He opens his mouth to say something, apologize perhaps, but Kaveh cuts him off without even glancing up at him.
“We’ll rest here for a bit before we go back to Aaru Village,” he says, voice terrifyingly blank. For a man so expressive, it’s truly disconcerting for him to be so emotionless.
“I’m sorry, Kaveh,” Alhaitham whispers, and Kaveh freezes. “I shouldn’t have gone out today, you’re right.” He must still be feeling woozy from the blood loss because the words flow easily out of his mouth. “Thank you for coming with me. And… for remembering.”
Kaveh visibly deflates, his eyes softening, jaw loosening. Guilt flashes over his face, and it’s his turn to shift uncomfortably. His gaze flicks to Alhaitham briefly before away again. A heavy sigh leaves him, and Kaveh comes over to sit next to Alhaitham, their shoulders brushing. It sends a pleasant and warm feeling down Alhaitham’s body, and he has to fight the urge to instinctively lean in.
Definitely woozy from the blood loss.
“I’m sorry too. I know today is… a hard day for you. I shouldn’t have gotten so angry. It just… you scared me. What if it had been a worse injury?” Kaveh’s voice is soft and quiet as he stares down at his hands, fiddling with the edge of his half-gloves. “You don’t… you don’t usually go out. You stay home most of the time. It worried me.”
Alhaitham hums, tipping his head back to look up at the sky. There’s not a single cloud in sight, as to be expected of the desert. It’s past midday now, though, the overbearing sun slowly making its way down the sky. Kaveh’s right. On this day, Alhaitham likes to stay home. He locks himself in his room, eyes tracing over the same eight words in the weathered emerald green journal. Today was different, however. Alhaitham couldn’t bear to stay home. Now, as he sits still, Alhaitham can feel the tightness in his chest. The ache of his heart, threatening to consume him.
“It’s ten years today,” he says, and Kaveh turns to look at him. Alhaitham can just see his expression out of the corner of his eye; sympathy and understanding. There is no pitying there. They have both experienced loss.
Alhaitham lets his eyes slip closed. He’s not going to cry; he hasn’t done that since he was a doughy-faced teenager, when the wound was still fresh and weeping inside his chest.
Suddenly, there is a warm and calloused hand wrapping over his own, and his eyes flutter open, startled at the touch. He looks down at Kaveh, who is smiling at him softly.
“She would be proud of who you have become.”
A lump jumps to Alhaitham’s throat, and he won’t cry, but he might come close. He forces a weak smile back, shaky as it is, and squeezes Kaveh’s fingers back.
“She would have liked you. She was a Kshahrewar scholar too.” She would have loved you, like I do. Alhaitham’s chest hurts. His side hurts. His shoulders are heavy with the weight of grief; they have been for so long. He can bear the weight most days, but on this day, the anniversary of his grandmother’s passing, it feels overwhelming.
He’s glad Kaveh is here.
“I’d hope so. I would’ve loved to hear about you as a kid,” Kaveh says, a light teasing lilt to his voice. Alhaitham relaxes, smiling still, and lets himself lean against Kaveh’s side even more. Kaveh squeezes his hand again, and tips his head to lean it against Alhaitham’s. Quiet comfort.
Alhaitham is still a little unsteady from the blood loss, and exhaustion pulls at him. He sorely wishes he were at home, licking his wounds and hiding away in his room, but instead he’s here, in the middle of the desert with Kaveh, sand rubbing between his toes.
The sun droops lower, the shadow of the pillar they sit against growing longer and longer across the sand.
“Do you think you can make it back to Aaru Village?” Kaveh asks after a long while. They’ve rested for probably an hour or more, and Alhaitham feels as though some of his strength has returned to him.
“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” Alhaitham replies, and Kaveh nods. He pushes himself into standing, and reaches out to give Alhaitham a hand up. The sun is shining behind Kaveh, his hair glowing with it, and for a moment, Alhaitham feels breathless.
Grandmother, I would have really liked you to meet him, he thinks as he reaches forward, clasping Kaveh’s hand in his own.