#haikaveh
Alhaitham holds his son in his arms. "Are you scared?"
Mishaal's bravery falters subtly. "...A little."
"Don't be," says Alhaitham. "I won't let you fall."
Alhaitham flickers with his son for the first time.
He also takes his family to visit his parents' graves.
Alhaitham stands at the crest of a hill, his son nestled against his chest as they take in the rolling hills and the endless sky of the horizon. The boy looks tiny in his arms, bright and warm like a little sun, and the father's gaze softens.
"Are you scared?" Alhaitham asks.
Mishaal looks at him with all the bravery a five-year-old can muster, the severe determination on his face a ghost of Alhaitham's own visage. "Not at all. I'm excited!"
But Alhaitham sees the subtle quiver of the boy's hands and lower lip, and he raises a brow. "Truly?"
#haikaveh Fatui!Alhaitham π
"The only reason you're in my bed instead of a dissecting table is because of my protection," Alhaitham snarls.
He yanks on Kaveh's hair. "Don't make me regret it."
Kaveh is captured by Alhaitham, a member of the Fatui.
Note: Major Character Death
@Roui_roui HEHEHE I saw the way you were conflicted in your qrts π₯Ίπ Yeah same, I couldn't wrap my brain around it either HAHAHA Ngl I just treat Fatuus Haitham as a dif guy from the scribe to make it easier to understand π₯Ή
AWW THANK YOU, ROUI, I AM SO HAPPY YOU LIKED FATUUS HAITHAM π₯Ί
@Roui_roui ngl I was worried he was going to sound like a total jerk, so I'm glad he still sounds charming π
HEHEHE you have keen senses π€ YEEES THE LOOP HAHAHAHA It shows that Kaveh fell in love with Alhaitham (a dif Alhaitham, but Alhaitham nonetheless) so his lover never truly left π₯Ή
Alhaitham left his mate, Kaveh, to partake in a desert expedition as ordered by their god.
Five years later, he returns home.
Kaveh has to get used to having his alpha in his life again.
The caravan leaves today.
The sky is the color of an old bruise: dark blue and purple, hinting at sunrise. Scholars, all of them alphas dressed in dark traveling garb, clamor beneath the dawn, hugging and kissing their omegas goodbye.
No one wants to leave.
But no one wants to go against the word of the Dendro Archon either.
Kaveh trails behind his alpha, shivering from the chill of a still-sleeping city. Sumeru City is quieter at daybreak, but for once, Kaveh isn't comforted by her silence.
#haikaveh
The older Alhaitham sighs. "Go home. You don't belong here."
The younger Alhaitham squawks. "But--"
"Darling!" A voice calls from outside the house. "I'm home!"
The younger Alhaitham gasps. "You got married?!"
Or, fifteen-year-old Alhaitham ends up in the future.
Exposure to ley lines can have devastating side effects.
Dizziness, hallucinations, and imbalance in the vessels are the usual outcomes reported by individuals exposed to the glowing spheres of energy. Hence, most people tend to avoid them.
Alhaitham isn't like most people.
The fifteen-year-old Haravatat student stands before a glowing blue ley line, a book in hand.
He read a study last night about using ley lines to manipulate time and space for a limited duration. Concluding the methodology seems feasible enough, Alhaitham decided to attempt it.
A client rejected his design. He got into a fight with treasure hoarders. He lost and ended up limping home.
Kaveh maintains his composure until he reaches his room. He tries to draw.
He can't. He broke his wrist.
Kaveh finally starts crying.
He tries again, attempting to sketch a simple line. His wrist won't cooperate, stinging with every movement, and Kaveh crushes his quill in frustration.
He buries his face in his hands, giving in to his grief. His warm tears run down his cheeks and drip onto the paper.
That's how Alhaitham finds his roommate, cradling his wrist as he sobs at his desk.
The scribe does not comfort nor sympathize. Instead, he silently gathers the broken man in his arms and carries him to bed.
Kaveh whimpers as his injuries are jostled. "Haitham--"
#haikaveh Five-year-old Kaveh ends up in the future.
The young boy meets two peculiar people: "Haitham," who is kind to him for seemingly no reason at all, and "Kamran," who is strangely distant and seems determined to avoid Kaveh as much as possible.
Kaveh isn't sure what happened. He was sprawling on the dirt, drawing happily with a stick, when his head began to hurt.
The boy trembles, clutching his temples. The pain is too much, persistent and unfamiliar, and Kaveh curls into himself with a whimper.
It hurts.
It feels like the beatings Kaveh would receive from the other boys, but this pain feels inevitable. There are no fists or sticks to shield his face against; this pain comes from within, throbbing from inside his skull.