Chapter Text
There was a little bouquet of flowers sitting innocuously by his front door when Alhaitham returned from the Akademiya. It wasn't there when he left in the morning, but here it was now- a small batch of colour, right in the middle of the step.
He eyed it distrustfully. All right. So it wasn't much of a bouquet. Upon closer inspection, it was more a collection of random plants, really. The blooms were disparate in size and colour, and to Alhaitham's untrained eye, not particularly harmoniously arranged. They were definitely not the usual bouquets that he'd seen sold by the florist down in the Grand Bazaar. Still, the flowers were all each beautiful specimens, well preserved and neatly wrapped, and therein lay a certain level of care and intention. The gifter probably picked these blossoms themself. Alhaitham wasn't much into botany but he was observant, and if he wasn't wrong, almost all the species present in the bouquet could not be bought within Sumeru City, not even from the specialty farmers by the Bimarstan.
There was a scroll tagged to the bouquet; "Kaveh" was written on it in neat and flowing script. Ah, that explained it. It was probably from another admirer of Kaveh's, they seemed to spawn spontaneously in his wake- like dust bunnies, Alhaitham thought uncharitably. Star-struck juniors trying to get tips from a famous alumnus, or contractors angling to curry Kaveh's favour. Prospective customers vying to invite the renowned architect to create their next conservatory or dungeon or whatever Kaveh was into designing these days.
As gifts went though, this was a particularly pathetic attempt. The last time, it had been a brand-new set of expensive, top-of-the-line drafting utensils, sent by a hero-worshipping underclassman alongside a foot-long letter extolling the virtues of Kaveh's final year project. Kaveh had flaunted them incessantly at Alhaitham for a good month or so.
"Look at these beauties," Kaveh gloated as he waved a handsome stylus under Alhaitham's nose. "They're so exquisite, true craftsman's tools! Tsk tsk, at least one junior of mine has such discerning taste. This is what it means to be a genius, Alhaitham! To be adored and sent offerings-"
"And yet here you are living in my house, Mr. Bankrupt," Alhaitham had replied, neatly stepping back to avoid being stabbed in face.
"Why you... you... You uncultured boor! Art can't be measured by mora! If only you..."
Alhaitham snorted, reminiscing. Kaveh was emotional, predictable and a fool, which meant he fell for the bait every single time. Despite the many drawbacks of living with a roommate, at least this one was entertaining to rile. Alhaitham started preparing his jibe for when Kaveh finally turned up and saw the bouquet.
What a tiny, motley collection of flowers this is, oh Light of Kshahrewar, talent of our time. What a genius you are, to have devotees that send you such pathetic bouquets that will clash with the decor of your room-
He could already picture Kaveh's affronted face in his mind's eye. Chuckling, he stepped around the bouquet to push open the door, only to stop as he heard the sound of familiar footsteps. Hmm, so soon? Alhaitham turned in anticipation, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"And why are you standing there with that smug look on your face? What are you- oh my...!"
Kaveh rushed forward, picking up the little bunch of flowers. He plucked the scroll off them and skimmed the contents, a small smile growing on his face like a tiny unfurling shoot. Kaveh raised the bouquet up to eye-level to examine it further, turning it this way and that in the rays of the setting sun. Alhaitham waited for his face to fall with disappointment or disgust at this paltry present so he could begin his ribbing, but if anything, Kaveh' expression had evolved from that of mild surprise to one of wonder. The deep orange sunlight filtering through the many coloured petals played off his features, dappling alternating spots of colour and shadow across the bridge of his nose and the apples of his cheeks.
He looked ethereal.
Alhaitham's breath caught as his heart skipped a beat. He coughed, then rallied himself. "O Light of Kshahrewar," he began. "What a tiny-"
"I can't believe it," muttered Kaveh to himself. "How lovely, this is just wonderful!"
He tucked the bouquet firmly under his arm and entered the house, leaving Alhaitham out on the stoop, ignored.
What? What was that?
Alhaitham followed his roommate into the house, annoyed that his plans for tonight's entertainment were seemingly thwarted, but his curiosity was piqued against his will.
Why did such a little gift have such a big effect? Meanwhile, Kaveh beelined straight to his room and closed the door, hiding both him and the bouquet away from Alhaitham's line of sight. Alhaitham felt his jaw drop. This was completely different from the way Kaveh normally behaved with stuff like this. He was usually such a peacock that any gifts would be shown off to Alhaitham as obnoxiously as possible, before being displayed somewhere prominent in the shared living areas, presumably to rub it in. As if Alhaitham cared about things like that. There was an exquisite vase from Lord Sangemah Bay by the door, for example, and a beautiful rug from Kaveh's favourite Kshahrewar professor draped across the divan. When he wasn't using them, the drafting utensils were left in a display box on the side table near the bookcase. "You're free to use them," Kaveh had offered. "Your stationery are nowhere near this level of quality. It's time you learnt what truly superior styluses feel like when they glide across parchment." Alhaitham had never so much as opened the box, but there it stood beside him every time he sat by the bookshelf to read, a constant reminder of his perpetual roommate. This was a first. Never had Kaveh taken gifts into his room to squirrel them away, no matter how big or small they were. It wasn't his style at all.
Alhaitham stared at Kaveh's door in mild frustration. If Kaveh wasn't behaving in the usual manner, it meant there was something more to this that he wasn't seeing. Ugh, yet another puzzle to figure out. Whatever, Kaveh couldn't possibly stay in for the rest of the night. He would have to come out for dinner at least, and Alhaitham would doubtlessly find out more then.
But Kaveh didn't come out for dinner. The light outside dimmed steadily into the dark of night. Alhaitham waited till his stomach was growling, his impatience giving way to something flavoured like concern, before he gritted his teeth and knocked on Kaveh's door.
"Oi, senior. Have you eaten? It's-"
The door burst open, and Kaveh emerged. But instead of answering Alhaitham, he bustled silently out of his room to grab the box of drafting utensils and then immediately went back in. Preoccupation suffused his features.
Alhaitham gave up. This could wait till he had eaten. He would think better on a full stomach.