Chapter Text
Kaveh loosened his shirt further and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. Today he was going to see his new landlord, hoping to finally secure the room. The house before him was small, just a bit outside Sumeru City's center while still close enough to be convenient. The pricing for the room had been relatively low. Still, Kaveh found it suspicious that this offer had lingered for over a month when others disappeared within hours. The landlord was supposed to be a sweet middle aged woman who worked at the local library, but neither her picture nor any other detail was provided.
I really hope I'm not stepping into a serial killer's house, Kaveh thought as he wiped his clammy hands on his trousers. Oh well. Here goes nothing.
He knocked on the door using the circular handle protruding from it. He frowned, looking left and right, finding no doorbell in sight, then shrugged. Old people had their own eccentric preferences.
He didn't wait long before the door opened. He found himself face to face with a strangely familiar young man rather than a nice old lady. The man's eyes were sharp as they took Kaveh in. Kaveh quickly recovered from the shock and felt heat creep up the back of his neck. "Oh, I'm sorry. I seem to have knocked on the wrong door. Would you know where Khadija's house is?"
The man crossed his arms over his chest and let out a quiet sigh that made Kaveh sweat even more, longing to fan himself. "Come in. This is the correct house." There was something about the man's face that kept tugging at the back of Kaveh's mind, but he was too flustered to place it.
"Oh? I didn't know there was more than one tenant."
"There isn't. I posted under a fake name for security purposes."
Kaveh wasn't sure that catfishing and potential identity theft could really be labeled as internet security. But he was in terrible need of housing. His last temporary arrangement had fallen through a week ago, and he'd been crashing on a friend's couch that was a bit too short for his legs. So there was no sane reason to antagonize his potential landlord. So he held his tongue and followed inside.
The young man, who later introduced himself as Alhaitham, showed him around the small house. It was relatively nice. A large enough living room sat in the middle, keeping the space from feeling too cramped, with a joined kitchen off to one side. The house had two bedrooms, one belonging to Alhaitham and the other vacant. A study room was well occupied with shelves and shelves of books. Two separate washrooms each had their own toilet. One had a shower and belonged to Alhaitham. The other was more spacious, with a tub, and would belong to Kaveh if all went smoothly. The house itself looked cozy enough, if not a bit too green for Kaveh's preferences. Most of the decor was green, from the curtains to the couches, to the rug. It seemed like his landlord had a favourite color.
If he were honest, the offer seemed too good to be true. But Kaveh wouldn't question it if he wanted to keep it and have a roof over his head before the end of the month. Alhaitham didn't seem to be a bad person at first glance. He was blunt and didn't mince his words, but neither did his words seem malicious.
By the end of the tour, the only things missing were signing the contract and giving Alhaitham the deposit for a month's worth of rent in advance. The contract was clear and well detailed, with general rules about keeping the house in good condition and not subletting to anyone without the landlord's knowledge. It also had particular rules, such as not making loud noises when the landlord was home, and a handwritten clause at the bottom that simply said, "Do not rearrange the books in the study." Kaveh didn't have much trouble with these conditions, seeing as he was quite neat, especially when it came to others' properties. Maybe he would struggle a bit with the noise rule, but he would try his best to be respectful.
Alhaitham requested a copy of his Identity Card to finalize the contract along with his signature. Kaveh thanked all the gods that may exist that everything seemed to be going smoothly.
He shouldn't have celebrated too hastily, though, because Alhaitham's face shifted as soon as he saw the ID.
"You're a Caregiver." Alhaitham's voice carried something that made Kaveh want to erupt into nervous laughter. His nose had scrunched and his upper lip was slightly pulled up, as if he were looking at a subhuman instead of another man. His eyebrows drew together, highlighting the already present wrinkle that came from making that expression too often. He didn't step back, but his weight shifted onto his heels like he wanted to. "I usually don't accept Caregivers into this property."
The sentence tore through Kaveh's hope, but it also ignited a fire in his chest. He had heard of people stigmatizing Littles, but never that same treatment directed at Caregivers. He was certainly surprised to find himself on the receiving end of such a disgusted look. Still, he wasn't going to let this random man go about his way if there was a chance he treated other minority groups in their city the same.
"Well, excuse you! First of all, I'm a respectful and well rated Caregiver. Second of all, you have no right to speak to people you don't know this way because of what role they hold in society. I thought we all learned this as children."
Alhaitham turned his head with a "hmph" and crossed his arms over his chest once more. "You didn't let me finish," he said. "I was going to say that I'm making an exception for you, seeing as we were familiar with each other at the Akademiya before."
That made Kaveh pause his incoming monologue berating Alhaitham for his insensitivity. A faint memory surfaced of quiet evenings spent with a linguistics student in the library and under shaded trees. He hadn't gotten too close to the boy at the time, but Kaveh had held some respect for his intellect. He had even wondered about him for months after graduating.
Alhaitham seemed to take Kaveh's silence as a cue to continue talking. "I will also be signing the contract and taking it to city hall to be legalized. You may start bringing your stuff over whenever you wish. For transparency purposes, here's my ID as well."
Kaveh held the card, a dubious look still on his face. That look quickly changed when he saw the Little designation on Alhaitham's card. Huh. Quite ironic to hold such strong opinions about Caregivers when he was a Little himself.
They didn't talk much after that, except to assign cleaning duties around the house. Alhaitham would clean his own room and his own washroom, and the same applied to Kaveh. They weren't allowed in each other's rooms and bathrooms without explicit consent, and they would take weekly turns to clean the common areas and take the trash out. Kaveh was given a copy of the key and left on his own as Alhaitham went back to his room and closed the door.
Kaveh decided to move all of his stuff over before the end of the day. He didn't have much, just two suitcases that held his belongings: clothes, along with his work and hobby items. He had worried the room would be completely vacant and that he'd have to buy a bedframe and a mattress. Luckily for him, the room was fully furnished. Maybe he really did strike gold, and all would be fine.
Kaveh didn't see much of his new roommate that day, and he found himself burning with curiosity. For such a familiar face that Kaveh remembered to be cute and blunt to end up so... prickly. He had many, many questions.
He did a little online digging about him that night after settling into his new bed. The sheets were the basic kind one would find in the market, they were a bit stiffer than he liked but they smelled clean. There wasn't any information or profile of him on any social media. Kaveh should have expected that, since even the housing announcement had been under a different name.
He then looked for him on the government site for Littles and Caregivers and found him listed there. There was no additional information besides his designation and the fact that he currently didn't have a Caregiver. There was no information about any previous Caregivers either. It was honestly impressive for someone to stay this low in the city, in Sumeru of all places, where rumors spread faster than the speed of light itself.
Kaveh sighed and put his phone on the nightstand next to his bed. He didn't have any lamps besides the overhead one, so he would have to buy one soon. Otherwise he'd end up in bed staring at his phone screen as the only light source. He sighed and burrowed further under his blanket, letting his worries drift away into sleep.
Living with Alhaitham was both surprisingly easy and difficult. The man didn't talk much about himself and spent most of his time at work before coming home to either read on the divan in the living room or shut himself in his room. He liked his quiet and often wore headphones that Kaveh later learned were noise-cancelling.
Kaveh had lived with many roommates before, from fellow students to fellow architects. But he had never lived with a Little. Not that Alhaitham had asked him to be his Caregiver. Kaveh wouldn't have expected that, given the other man's clear disdain for them.
And that was how Kaveh found himself observing his new roommate. He badly wanted to ask and know more about Alhaitham. He especially wanted to know why Alhaitham had accepted him as a housemate when he clearly disliked Caregivers for some reason. Why did he not like them in the first place? One question would lead to another. Kaveh found himself wanting to connect with Alhaitham, but most of his attempts were quickly shot down.
Once he had asked what Alhaitham did for fun outside of reading. The answer had been a flat "Nothing worth discussing."
The only way to get Alhaitham talking was asking him about his books. Even then, if Kaveh didn't already know the book and wouldn't inquire further in his own way, Alhaitham would quickly lose interest in their discussion. So it was difficult to get to know Alhaitham only through his opinions about literature, but it was possible. And Kaveh was quite known for his stubbornness. So he persisted.
Surprisingly, Alhaitham was turning more amicable towards Kaveh the longer they spent time together. Kaveh was quite proud of himself.
A month into their arrangement, Alhaitham asked Kaveh to talk about something important. Heart pounding and curiosity flaring, Kaveh sat on a chair at their dining table. Alhaitham sat across from him with his hands clasped together. The afternoon light caught the dust motes floating between them, and Kaveh found himself focusing on them to lessen some of the anxiety that was surging in his heart.
"I bought something new," Alhaitham started. "It's a card that you put on a door handle, similar to those in hotels that indicate if a room is vacant or not. When you see the color red, it means I'm regressing and wouldn't wish to be disturbed in my room."
"Not even to-" Kaveh stopped himself mid sentence. He didn't want to overstep when this was Alhaitham's first attempt at a vulnerable conversation. "What if you need help?"
Alhaitham's jaw tightened at the question. He took in a sharp breath. "I won't."
Kaveh wanted to argue that all Littles needed help at some point. His instincts screamed that no regressor should be left alone in a room. But Kaveh also knew when to mind his business and how to read social cues. Arguing now would only lead to Alhaitham closing off even more, when he had only started to push the door to his heart open.
Alhaitham continued speaking when it was clear Kaveh wouldn't say anything else. "I would also appreciate it if you don't make any loud noises during that time frame. If it's green, that means I'm not regressing and you can knock if you need something."
As much as Kaveh wanted to intervene, it simply wasn't his place. He accepted with a quiet okay.
"Thank you," Alhaitham said. "If I'm not out by the next morning, you can knock once to check."
Kaveh nodded and filed that information away. "Got it." Kaveh's voice was steady, but he was immediately dreading the first morning he would have to make the conscious choice of ignoring a Little who was one room away.
That was the end of their conversation and the beginning of a whole new dilemma for Kaveh. He had assumptions. He couldn't help it after that conversation. He started to notice that the door to Alhaitham's room was closed and the card was red more often than he had thought. It was part of being a Caregiver, in a way, to anticipate the needs of others and to build a mental image of who they might be when small.
When big, Alhaitham was sharp witted. He spoke matter of factly and was a great observer and analyst. He could win any argument he wanted by twisting the truth in his favor and through patience. He could outwait anyone and make them reveal their cards too soon. Kaveh suspected Alhaitham's personality might be similar if he regressed. He would most likely be a teenager. That would explain why he loved to hole up in his room during regression. Kaveh amusedly thought about a grumpy Alhaitham reading, solving puzzles, and doing crosswords in his room for hours before sleeping. He would probably be a bratty Little who snapped if someone hovered too much. The thought made his lips curve upwards for a moment, but the smile faded quickly.
But even so, the most independent Littles needed someone to be there for them, whether to bring food if they forgot to eat or to simply be a moral and emotional pillar. Now that Kaveh was aware of when Alhaitham was regressing, he had to stop himself from preparing snacks or checking in to ask if everything was okay. He had almost cut up some fruit the other day without thinking with the intention to take it to Alhaitham's room.
But as much as the thought of Alhaitham closed in his room made Kaveh's chest ache, it simply wasn't his place to say or do anything about it.
Then, on a random Tuesday, two weeks after their conversation, Kaveh returned home from a grocery trip following a long work day. The rain had caught him on his way back, and he was soaked by the time he reached the house. He wanted nothing more than to change into something comfortable and warm and eat the shawarma wrap he had brought home.
He was walking down the hallway to his room when he heard a noise coming from Alhaitham's room. Kaveh looked at the red displayed on the card attached to the door knob and waited a bit longer. The noise happened again. Kaveh quickly recognized it as a quiet sniffle, almost as if the person inside didn't want to be heard. Kaveh stood there for a few more seconds with his hair dripping onto the wood floor and his feet growing cold from his soaked shoes. The cold was starting to seep into his bones and he forced the shivers he was feeling to quiet down. When the sniffles continued to grow in frequency, sounding more and more helpless, Kaveh made his decision.
He knocked on the door only once. He had remembered Alahaitham's rule about knocking. And he knew the circumstances were different, but technically, the same logic could apply.
The sniffles stopped instantly. Kaveh waited. The only noise he could hear was the blood rushing in his ears. He pressed his ear close to the door. He could make out faint, shallow breathing, but otherwise it was dead silent.
"Alhaitham, I'm not coming in, okay? I just want to know if you're fine. Can you knock once for yes and two for no?"
...
Dead silence once again. If they were in a movie, wind and crickets would be playing right now. Kaveh waited a few more minutes. When it was clear he was getting no response, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick message.
[22:55] You: I heard you crying. I'm not coming in, but please let me know if you're okay.
Kaveh waited a few minutes, watching the glowing screen. No indication of his message being read appeared. So with a heavy sigh, he left the spot and went to change quickly. His shawarma wrap was cold and tasteless by the time he ate it.
He was struggling to sleep that night when his phone buzzed with a notification.
[22:55] You: I heard you crying. I'm not coming in, but please let me know if you're okay.
[02:16] Alhaitham: I'm okay.
Kaveh stared at the message for a long time. He badly wanted to ask more and provide comfort, but eventually he responded.
[02:21] You: Okay. Goodnight, Alhaitham.
[02:23] Alhaitham: Goodnight.
Kaveh put his phone down and stared at the ceiling for a long while before his exhaustion eventually won and he succumbed to sleep.
After that night, Kaveh started to watch and observe even more while trying not to come off as creepy or overbearing. He noticed that Alhaitham's door was closed off at least twice per week, and that like clockwork, Alhaitham's mood would be foul the next day.
Littles were supposed to feel relaxed after their regression. But Alhaitham was always grumpier and moodier. He would snap at anything and would be rigid while reading.
Kaveh had worked with Littles for years. He knew what post‑regression was supposed to look like. Even if the Littles were emotionally tired afterward, there was supposed to be softness underneath it. Alhaitham held none of that softness or tranquility. He only held a prickly exterior and a rigidity.
Something was wrong.