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Kaveh sighed and stopped in front of the door to Alhaitham’s room.
He was standing here for a purpose: apologizing to Alhaitham.
He couldn’t even remember why they had such a big fight last night (probably it was over something very trivial, as always) but now he felt bad about it. Even though that man annoyed him to hell and back sometimes, he was still Kaveh’s lover, and Kaveh really didn’t want their fight to last longer than a rotation of the earth. Thus, he stood here so early in the morning, with an intention of reconciling with his boyfriend before starting the day.
Kaveh sighed once again before knocking at the door.
“Alhaitham, wake up.”
There was no answer. Furrowing his eyebrows, Kaveh knocked again.
“Haitham? Are you there?”
Instead of a groan or sleepy mumble, what answered him was a soft sniffle.
Kaveh tensed.
He rapped at the door once more. “Haitham, open the door. What’s wrong?”
However, the door didn’t open. Instead, the sniffle grew into an uncharacteristically high-pitched sobs.
Panicked, Kaveh put his hands on the door handle and said, “Haitham, if you don’t answer me, I’m coming in.”
The sobs and sniffles continued, but there was still no answer. Kaveh took a deep breath, three times, before opening the door while muttering, “Excuse me…”
Thankfully, Alhaitham never locked his door and that day was no exception. Kaveh took a careful step inside, his ruby eyes scanning the room. The curtain still covered the windows, the bed was still messy, his slippers were even still there, but how come the man was nowhere to be found?!
Had he left?
Shoot. And to think that Kaveh had especially made some breakfast for him as a token of apology. How did he leave without Kaveh knowing, though? Kaveh didn’t notice anyone coming in or out of their house. He was even sure that none of their shoes were missing. Also, didn’t he hear some–
Kaveh flinched when he heard another soft sob from the corner of the room.
Only then he noticed a small lump on the bed was shaking.
At first he thought it was a pile of pillows covered in a blanket, but then it trembled .
Pillows don’t move, do they?
What was that?
Could it be…a fungus?
Did it manage to sneak into their house?
Did it sneak in when Alhaitham was asleep?
Oh no…was it the culprit behind Alhaitham’s disappearance?
Kaveh’s heart raced.
If this thing could make Alhaitham disappear, it might be really dangerous.
Could he handle it alone with Mehrak’s help?
Or should he call the matras?
He held his breath and approached the thing quietly. His right hand was behind his back, palm open, ready to summon Mehrak. His other hand carefully took the end of the blanket, and then, with one swift motion, he snatched it with all his might, making the blanket fly a few meters from the bed, and the ‘creature’ gasped.
Wait, no it wasn’t a fung–
By the archons.
A small child - no older than five - jolted on the bed, utterly shocked from Kaveh’s action.
His gray hair was a mess, partly due to Kaveh’s fault from roughly yanking the blanket that was covering his head, even the little sprout on top of his head was still bouncing from the impact. His wide, emerald eyes were full of tears. His round cheeks and nose were red from crying.
Kaveh blinked.
This little boy was easily the cutest kid he’d ever seen. Moreover, his appearance reminded him a lot of…
“Haitham?”
For the fourth time that morning, Kaveh’s question was left unanswered.
Instead, the child wailed.
***
Kaveh propped his head on a hand, exhausted.
It took him fifteen minutes to make the boy stop crying, but then, the boy stuck to him as if his hands were glued to Kaveh’s shirt, to the point that Kaveh couldn’t even move around the house freely to find a better fitting clothes for the boy. The boy looked so pitiful with Alhaitham’s clothes pooling around him, his tiny feet kept on tripping on those clothes. Having no other choice, Kaveh took the boy in his arms and carried him around until he found a pair of children’s clothes that was meant to be a gift for one of his colleague’s children. What a coincidence, it suited the boy perfectly.
Now the boy sat on Alhaitham’s seat on the dining table (Kaveh had to stack three pillows so that the boy could reach the table). His eyes were still red-rimmed from crying earlier, but those teal orbs gleamed when he began to dig into Alhaitham’s breakfast. He ate sloppily, his hands were too tiny to grip the spoon properly, but he didn’t complain nor ask for help, too busy enjoying his food.
So cute, Kaveh couldn’t help but chuckle.
Hearing that sound, the boy’s eyes flicked at him. Kaveh felt a pang of guilt when he saw a trace of fear remained in those emerald eyes, so he put on his best smile for him.
“Do you like the food?”
The boy gave a little nod.
“Good. That’s also my favorite.”
The boy’s eyes widened. He looked at his food, at Kaveh, and back at his food again. Then, very reluctantly, he pushed his plate to Kaveh and said softly, “Nii-chan…eat.”
Kaveh froze.
Too cute!
He was too cute Kaveh might have teared up a little.
“No, no, don’t worry about me. It’s all yours.”
The boy looked up to him, confirming Kaveh’s words through his big eyes, so Kaveh gave him a nod. Then, without hesitation, he pulled the plate back and began digging in again. Kaveh laughed.
“Little boy, we haven’t properly introduced ourselves, have we?” he said. “My name is Kaveh. And you?”
Well, judging from how similar they looked and how they shared the same favorite food, this kid might be…
“Hayi…” said the boy softly after swallowing his food.
Kaveh furrowed his eyebrows. “Hayi?”
“Mm. That’s what Granny calls me.” His teal eyes began to water again. “W-where is Granny…?”
Kaveh’s heart sank a little.
Of course.
At his current age, Alhaitham was still living with his grandmother, wasn’t he? She was the only family he had. Maybe he hadn’t even made any friends yet at this age. Naturally, his grandmother was his world.
But now, his grandmother was already…
A tug on his sleeve interrupted Kaveh’s train of thoughts. Alhaitham’s fingers were gripping onto it.
“K-kaveh-niichan… Can you please help me find my grandma?” He sniffled. “I wanna go home.”
But this is your home…
That was what Kaveh wanted to say, yet being stared with those gleaming, pitiful eyes, Kaveh had no other choice but to say, “Of course, Hayi.”
He smiled and patted the boy’s hair. “Finish your breakfast first, then I’ll take you to find your grandma, okay?”
***
The first destination he had in mind was, of course, Tighnari.
Not that he could ask that man to pretend to be Alhaitham’s grandmother - archons, even suggesting that idea might earn him a smack from the forest ranger - but Tighnari might have a solution to turn Alhaitham back into his adult form.
However, the walk to Avidya forest felt way longer when his company was only as tall as his knees. He didn’t make any effort to walk faster either. He looked at everything around him with wide-eyed curiosity, and not long after, he tugged at Kaveh’s hand that was holding his tiny one.
“Kaveh-niichan, what is that?”
His chubby finger pointed at a majestic building in the distance.
“That’s…the Palace of Alcazarzaray,” he said. “It’s my magnum opus.”
Little Alhaitham tilted his head. “Magnum…Opus?”
“Mm. It’s like…a masterpiece. My most valuable work of art.”
Alhaitham’s eyes widened. “Kaveh-niichan made it?”
“Yup. What does Hayi think of it?”
“That’s…amazing!”
Kaveh’s heart immediately soared from the child’s sincere compliment. He would definitely remind Alhaitham about this once he regained his adulthood back. Maybe once or twice a day.
“Kaveh-nii chan…”
“What is it, my dear Hayi?”
Alhaitham stared at him with sparkling eyes and a smile. “Can I get one too?”
…
Now how could he say no to that chubby, pleading, very-very-cute face ?!
Well, of course he could just say ‘yes’, and probably little Alhaitham would smile and forget about it this afternoon. But still, Kaveh would feel bad if he gave this little kid some empty promises just to please him.
He cleared his throat.
“Listen, Hayi, the thing is–”
“Oho, is it the birthday boy?”
An old woman tapped Kaveh’s shoulder and smiled at him. “Happy birthday, dear.”
Bless you, dear old woman! She just saved Kaveh from having to retell the whole story of his downfall to the miniature of his lover.
Alhaitham’s head snapped so quickly to the voice, but his expression fell when he realized that she wasn’t her grandmother. Kaveh knew her, though. She often exchanged greetings with Kaveh, and Kaveh sometimes helped her carry her stuff. Yet to be frank, Kaveh didn’t even know her name! How come she knew that today was Kaveh’s birthday?
Kaveh let out a dry laugh. “T-thank you, Ma’am. I really feel honored that you remember my birthday.”
“Who in Sumeru doesn’t know the Light of Kshahrewar’s birthday, hm?”
Kaveh yelped a little when the old woman suddenly pulled his hand, put a little pouch on his palm, and closed his fingers around it. It was still warm.
“I made some cookies for you, dear. It isn’t much, but I hope it can make your special day brighter a little bit.”
Kaveh felt a sting on the back of his eyes.
“Oh, ma’am, you’re too kind. Thank you so much.”
“No, thank you for always helping me when I’m in need,” said the old woman, laughing softly. “Now, I shouldn’t take too much of your time. I believe you want to spend this day with…”
Her eyes glanced at the small child who was clinging to Kaveh’s pants. She blinked.
“Is that the Grand Scribe’s son–”
“
No,”
Kaveh quickly denied with an awkward laugh as he took little Hayi in his arms, “Thanks again for the cookies, Ma’am. We really have to go now.”
The woman laughed. “Sure thing, dear. Have a nice birthday.”
Kaveh hastily fled from the scene.
***
Along the way, many more citizens of Sumeru greeted Kaveh and wished him a happy birthday. Kaveh knew some of them, but he believed the others were total strangers whose face he couldn’t even recall. In the meantime, little Alhaitham only quietly watched their interactions. His tiny hands gripped Kaveh’s shirt tightly whenever someone wanted to pat his head but he didn’t refuse. It took a while for Kaveh to understand that the child didn’t like to be touched, thus, he began to politely refuse those who wanted to do that.
Once they walked past the border of Sumeru city, the people were getting scarce, and soon, the two of them were alone.
Little Hayi didn’t talk much. He sat quietly in Kaveh’s arms, playing with the ornaments on his scarf and collar. Kaveh watched the kid with equal parts amusement and fondness. It felt surreal that he could hold the younger version of his lover in his arms like this. Now he knew that Alhaitham was quiet even when he was this small, but even without doing anything, this child was naturally cute.
His chubby cheek tinted with a faint blush, perhaps from the heat of the desert. The little sprout on the top of his head bouncing as they walked. His emerald eyes were already so pretty, Kaveh wouldn’t get bored looking at them.
Out of curiosity, Kaveh asked, “Hayi, what are you thinking?”
Alhaitham didn’t answer right away, yet his fingers didn’t stop fiddling with Kaveh’s accessories. Then, he asked softly, “Today…is Nii-chan’s birthday?”
“Mm,” answered Kaveh. “Why is it?”
Alhaitham looked up at him. “Why isn’t Nii-chan celebrating then?”
Because it’s not important.
“Because I promised to help Hayi find Granny, remember?” smiled Kaveh.
Alhaitham’s eyes widened, before he ducked his face again and mumbled, “Sorry…”
“No, no, no.” Kaveh tightened his hold on the child. “Don’t be sorry, Hayi did nothing wrong. I’m the one who wants to help Hayi, right? And I’m having fun doing it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Nii-chan loves spending his time with Hayi, so Hayi shouldn’t be sorry, okay?”
Alhaitham finally looked back at Kaveh and gave him a shy smile. “Okay.”
The two of them fell into a comfortable silence once again, and this time, it was Alhaitham who broke it.
“Nii-chan…wants a gift?”
“Oh?” Kaveh grinned. “Does Hayi want to give Nii-chan a gift?”
The boy buried his face on Kaveh’s neck and nodded there.
Aaaah!
Cute!
Too cute!
Too sweet that Kaveh might get diabetes!
Just how come this sweet little boy grew up into that kind of guy.
But…adult Haitham sometimes did get shy too. Even though his expression stayed neutral, his ears would turn a pretty shade of red. The blush then spread to his cheekbones, his teal eyes would avoid him, his hands automatically lifted to cover his face.
That was also…pretty…cute…
Kaveh shook his head, hard.
Why was he the one getting embarrassed now?
“Hmm,” he said to little Alhaitham in his arms. “What does Hayi want to give this Nii-chan?”
“Hayi…doesn’t know…” said the boy. “Sorry…”
Kaveh chuckled. “No worries. In fact, Hayi doesn’t have to give me anything.”
“No!” Alhaitham pulled away to glare at Kaveh. “Hayi wants to give Nii-chan a gift!”
“Alright, alright. What about a hug then?”
The boy blinked. “But… Hayi is hugging Nii-chan now?”
“Oh, right!” Kaveh pretended to be surprised. He nuzzled the boy’s face. “Thank you so much for the gift, Hayi.”
Little Alhaitham whined a little from the nuzzling and protested. “No, this doesn’t count!”
“Oh? Well, if Hayi is feeling generous today, maybe he can give this Nii-chan a kiss on the cheek?”
Kaveh then leaned his cheek closer to the boy, only to have little hands pushing it away.
“No! Hayi wants to give Nii-chan the best gift!”
Kaveh burst to laugh.
Apparently, this guy had been competitive ever since he was this young.
“Alright, then,” said Kaveh. “I’ll look forward to it.”
***
“Tighnari? Are you home?” asked Kaveh while knocking on Tighnari’s door.
The forest ranger’s voice answered from inside. “Yeah, come in.”
He shifted Alhaitham a little so that he could support him with one hand, while his other hand reached for the door handle and opened it.
“Tighnari, are you–”
“SURPRISE!”
Kaveh jolted.
However, what scared him the most wasn’t the explosion of the confetti or the loud cheers by those people, but the little squeal from the child in his arms who was now clinging to Kaveh’s neck, trembling.
Kaveh hurriedly took a step back from the boisterous crowd and patted the little boy’s back gently.
“Shh… Hayi, it’s okay. They’re just my friends. They didn’t mean any harm. Don’t be afraid, okay?”
But, little Alhaitham buried his face on Kaveh’s neck, sniffling a little. “Too loud… Nii-chan, it hurts…”
Uh-oh.
Kaveh nearly forgot how Alhaitham’s ears were more sensitive than other people’s. Hence, he always carried his noise-canceling headphones everywhere. Oh, shoot, Kaveh forgot to bring those things now. No, even if he did, those headphones would be too big for this little Hayi.
“Shh, it’s okay…”
Kaveh rocked his body back and forth and took more steps away from the crowd, making them - Cyno, Tighnari, Collei, Dehya, and Candace - stare at him in confusion. He threw an apologetic smile at them. Internally, he racked his brain to find a way to calm the little boy.
He pressed the boy’s head gently to his own chest. “Listen, Hayi, can you hear my heartbeat?”
Slowly, the boy nodded.
“Good. Now, try to ignore all the other noises, just listen to my heartbeat. Can you do that for me?”
Kaveh felt the small body in his arms relaxed as the boy nodded again.
Kaveh grinned and nuzzled his own face to the boy’s hair.
“Good boy,” he said softly. “Now, let’s meet my friends, okay? The loud noises won’t happen again, I promise. If they made Hayi’s ears hurt again, Hayi can tell me, and I will scold them. How about that?”
Little Hayi pulled away a little to peek an eye at Kaveh.
“Won’t Kaveh-nii chan punch them?”
“No!” Kaveh laughed. “No violence! It’s bad.”
A smile finally bloomed on Hayi’s lips. “Okay then.”
***
The moment Alhaitham was calm enough to be separated from Kaveh, the girls - Candace, Dehya, and Collei - immediately swarmed around and cooed at him. He sent a panicked glare at Kaveh at first, but the girls took him to the cake, successfully distracting him from his initial fear.
Meanwhile, Tighnari and Cyno dragged Kaveh to the side and bombarded him with questions.
“What the hell was that?”
“No, who the hell is he ?”
“He looks awfully similar to Alhaitham. Don’t tell me…” Cyno stared at him in disbelief. “He’s your lovechild with Alhaitham?”
Kaveh rubbed his face. “We’re both men, in case you forget about it.”
“Eh, nothing’s impossible,” Cyno shrugged. “If you don’t know, the Spantamad darshan is developing this potion that can–”
“I don’t need to know about that!” Kaveh smacked Cyno’s shoulder.
“Kaveh, you haven’t answered my question,” Tighnari clicked his tongue, impatient. “Who is he?”
“Can’t you guess by now? He’s Alhaitham. For some reason, he became like that this morning.”
Tighnari propped his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “Hmm… Is it just his body or…?”
“Both,” said Kaveh. “He wailed so hard when he saw me the first thing in the morning, and he kept asking me to bring him to his grandma.”
“Oh no,” said Cyno.
“Are there any other symptoms? Did he eat anything weird last night?
“I don’t think so? We had dinner together last night so if it was from what we ate, I suppose it would have affected me as well. As for symptoms…”
He glanced at the little boy who was sitting with the girls, working on something with full concentration to the point his eyebrows were furrowed and his pink tongue peeked out from his lips.
“He’s become extremely cute,” said Kaveh, his words coming out half-cooing. “Do you think it’s one of the symptoms?”
Cyno and Tighnari exchanged an unamused glance.
“Yeah,” said Cyno, “it’s a symptom that you’re so lovesick it renders you stupid.”
“Hey!”
“Kaveh,” Tighnari’s tone yanked Kaveh’s attention to him, “I’m sorry but we have no clue what the cause was, so I don’t know how to fix this.”
“Then what should I do?!”
Tighnari thought for a moment. “For now, I think it’s best to wait it out and see if the effects wear off by itself. If by the morning he was still in this state, or if he showed any concerning symptoms such as pain or discomfort, inform me immediately.”
“Alright, thank you so much, Nari. I know I can rely on you,” said Kaveh with great relief.
“Don’t mention it,” said Tighnari. “But we still have another problem to think about, remember? What are you going to tell him about his grandmother?”
“Oh, right,” Kaveh looked at his two friends with horror. “What should I tell him?”
“It depends,” said Cyno seriously. “Will he appreciate dark jokes?”
Kaveh looked at him in disbelief.
Tighnari was the one who scolded, “Cyno, I swear to the archons if you
dare
to say your jokes to that kid, I’m going to–”
“Easy, Nari. I can’t even think of any jokes about it. Because corpses aren’t funny, they’re
dead
serious.”
Both Kaveh and Tighnari gave him a deadpan expression.
“Yeah, let’s keep this guy away from little Alhaitham,” said Tighnari
“Wait what–”
“As Hayi’s official guardian for today, I’m filing a restraining order against you.”
“You can’t do that to the Mahamatra!”
***
The party in Tighnari’s place continued in Lambad’s bar when the sky turned dark.
However, the birthday guy himself was already taking a walk back home with a child dozing off on his back even before the sun touched the horizon. Said child finally stirred awake when the bustling sound of Sumeru city reached his ears.
“Nii-chan…?” he asked sleepily.
“Hey, sleepy boy,” greeted Kaveh, chuckling. “It’s okay, you can sleep again. We’re almost home.”
“The gift…”
“Oh, has Hayi finally found something for me?”
“Mm,” nodded the boy.
“You can give me when you wake up later, then,” said Kaveh. “Just sleep now, Hayi.”
“‘Kay…” mumbled Alhaitham as he nuzzled back to Kaveh’s shoulder. “G’night Kaveh-niichan.”
Even though little Hayi couldn’t see it, Kaveh smiled.
“Goodnight, Alhaitham.”
***
Kaveh plopped down on the couch, groaning.
He had tucked Alhaitham back in his bed, and now, the exhaustion finally hit him. No wonder, he had been going back and forth from Sumeru city to Avidya forest while carrying a toddler in his arms. Sure, he was used to doing heavy chores on the construction sites, but carrying a kid around all day was no easy task either. Dang, he could feel the aches in his joints. He really was getting old after all.
Speaking of getting old…
Kaveh glanced outside the window, watching how the sky gradually turned dark before his eyes.
He sighed.
So, there went his birthday.
Who would have thought that he would spend his birthday running around, helping a child looking for his already deceased grandmother?
Not that he regretted having done that.
For him, his birthday was no different than any other day. Even though his friends always insisted on celebrating it, he never felt it was necessary. After all, the point of celebrating one’s birthday was to express their gratitude for the person’s existence, wasn’t it?
Kaveh…wasn’t really grateful for his own existence.
How could he, if it was the cause of his father’s death?
How could he, if it was the reason for his mother’s misery?
So, maybe it was better this way.
If his unworthy life could be useful for other people, then maybe…maybe someone would be grateful for him–
“Kaveh?”
Kaveh snapped his head at the voice and met a pair of emerald falcon eyes. Yet, those beautiful orbs were immediately filled with concern as the owner approached him and knelt before him.
“Hayi?” asked Kaveh, a little dazed by the man’s beauty. “I-I mean…Haitham. You’re back?”
Alhaitham didn’t answer him. Instead, he gently cupped Kaveh’s face and stroked a thumb on his cheek.
His voice was so soft when he asked, “Why are you crying?”
Oh.
Kaveh didn’t even realize he was crying.
“I’m sorry,” said Alhaitham. His tone was neutral but Kaveh could hear a hint of sadness underlining it.
“Huh? Why?” asked Kaveh, his own voice sounded ridiculously wet.
“It’s your birthday, but instead of spending it with you, I’ve wasted your time instead.”
“No, don’t think like that!” Kaveh gripped Alhaitham’s hand on his face. “The time spent with you was never a waste.”
The sadness in Alhaitham’s eyes dissipated a little, but he insisted, “Why are you crying then?”
Kaveh shook his head. “Nothing. Just…wondering why you guys always insist on celebrating my birthday, when my existence is nothing to be grateful about.” He laughed. “It’s stupid, I know.”
Alhaitham stared at him for a good five seconds.
“Well, yes, I have to agree. It is very stupid.”
“Hey–ow!”
Alhaitham’s palms met both of Kaveh’s cheeks in a loud slap. It wasn’t hard enough to bruise but still, it stung. More tears filled Kaveh’s eyes.
“What is it for?!”
“Kaveh- senpai, the whole of Sumeru wished you many good things today. They gave you many snacks and trinkets and toys and everything. How could you think nobody is grateful for your existence?” Alhaitham huffed. “Even I - who was in the body and mind of a literal five year-old - could understand what that meant. How come the Light of Kshahrewar did not see that?”
Kaveh blinked.
Was that so?
His mind was so occupied with little Hayi this morning that he didn’t really notice it but…they really did, didn’t they? Instead of the usual ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’, and ‘good evening’, they wished him ‘happy birthday’ today. And true, his pocket was still stuffed with all the little gifts from them.
Alhaitham showed his rare smile.
“Well?”
“You’re right…”
“Always am,” said Alhaitham, chuckling. He stood up and said, “I think the others are still in Lambad, you can catch up to them if you want. Also, tell them I’m sorry for ruining their party today and–oh.” His eyes glinted in a teasing manner. “Don’t you forget something?”
Kaveh raised his eyebrows. “What is it?”
Alhaitham dug into his own pocket and took out a little bracelet. It was made from braided red cords with colorful stones as its ornaments. At first sight, it was so ugly. The braids were uneven and loose at some places, and the stone color didn’t match the red cords at all.
“Little Hayi promised to give you the best gift, didn’t he?” said Alhaitham. “He spent the whole noon making this with the girls, but unfortunately he didn’t get the chance to give it to you himself.”
Kaveh was speechless.
His tears sprang again, even though his eyes hadn’t even dried in the first place. He received the bracelet and put it on his wrist.
It was too big.
Alhaitham laughed at that.
“Oh, well, maybe you should just throw it away. Even I can see how awful that thing is.”
“No way!” said Kaveh, retracting his hand with the bracelet on it as if Alhaitham was going to bite it off. “Hayi made this for me, of course I have to cherish it.”
A pretty blush spread on Alhaitham’s cheekbones. “Oh, shush. No need to exaggerate it.”
“I’m not! This is truly the best gift I’ve ever had!”
The blush on Alhaitham’s face turned a shade darker. “Enough teasing. Go get ready now if you want to catch them up in Lambad.”
Kaveh shook his head and pulled Alhaitham to sit beside him. “Nah, I think I’d rather spend the rest of my birthday with you.”
Alhaitham’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? They might be waiting.”
Kaveh shrugged. “It’s my birthday, isn’t it? Can’t I do what I want on my birthday? Unless…” He looked at Alhaitham with a pitiful expression. “Does Hayi not want to be with Kaveh-niichan?”
Alhaitham visibly shivered and pushed Kaveh’s face away, making the architect laugh out loud. “Drop the act. It’s disgusting!”
“Aw, come on now. You were so cute! Can’t you please call me Kaveh-niichan one more time?”
“No.”
“Even if I use my birthday privilege?”
“Ugh…” Alhaitham glared at him, but his cheeks were still blushing. So cute.
“Fine,” he finally said. “Since I’m feeling generous today…”
Kaveh really didn’t anticipate it when Alhaitham grabbed his shirt, pulled him forward, and pressed his lips on Kaveh’s cheek.
When he spoke, his voice was so close to Kaveh’s ear, and his breath tickled the strands of hairs on his temple.
“Happy birthday, Kaveh-niichan.”
“Now, come on, Kaveh-senpai, won’t you help me?”
Outwardly, Kaveh smiled.
Inwardly, Kaveh screamed in frustration.
This student was crazy ! How could they do a human experiment for their potion?! What if it was poisonous? Or what if it had crippling side effects? Was it even legal to do this?
As if they could hear Kaveh’s thoughts, they said, “I assure you, it’s safe! Even the Grand Scribe himself volunteered in this experiment.”
“...what?”
“You heard it right! Our Grand Scribe, Alhaitham, has agreed to help me in this experiment.” Then, they muttered to themself as if he thought Kaveh couldn’t hear them, “Although…I still haven’t received his report yet. Did he have a problem with that? It should’ve been safe though. It only temporarily alter your body and–”
A memory suddenly floated on Kaveh’s mind.
“You’re so unbearable, Alhaitham!”
“Likewise, senior Kaveh.”
“Stop calling me ‘senior’ with that mocking tone!”
Kaveh was so furious that his face was so red it was almost purple. “Ugh, I wish you didn’t have to grow up! I miss my sweet little junior Hayi, not this bitter and…and aggravating Alhaitham!”
Kaveh’s knees suddenly felt weak.
Those were the things he said to Alhaitham when they had a fight the night before his birthday.
Was that the reason why Alhaitham…
“Senpai?” asked the Spantamad student. “Are you okay? You look so pale.”
Kaveh forced a smile. “I’m fine, but I have to go now.”
“Wait what about the exp–”
But Kaveh had left them alone.
***
Alhaitham looked up from his pile of work when the door to his office slammed open.
He knew even without looking up that it must be Kaveh.
However, he didn’t expect the architect to show up full of tears and snots, sobbing uncontrollably. Alhaitham hurriedly closed the door and pulled the poor man into an embrace, making Kaveh wail even louder.
Alhaitham grimaced. He really hoped his office was soundproof enough.
“Kaveh, what’s wrong?” asked Alhaitham, voice laced with worry.
“Uuu…why did…why did you…do that…”
“Do what?”
Kaveh was too busy crying that his sentence came out broken. “P-potion… T-the experi-experiment… Spantam-mad…”
Ah.
“Did you meet the Spantamad student?”
“Mm,” nodded Kaveh.
“Well…that was a quite nice gift, wasn’t it?”
Kaveh looked at him in disbelief. “That was very dangerous! What if the potion had side effects? What if it was p-poisonous? What if…what if…huu…”
“Shh, Kaveh, you know I’m not that reckless. I only agreed to do that experiment because it was proven safe. Many had volunteered in that experiment before me. Although…I do think there are some areas that need improving.”
“Haitham…I didn’t mean it…”
Alhaitham raised an eyebrow. “Mean what?”
“Those things I said…in our fight… I didn’t mean it.” He stared straight at Alhaitham. “I love you, every part of you. The shy, little Hayi. The quiet and serious student Haitham. And the brilliant and wonderful Grand Scribe, Alhaitham.”
Alhaitham’s emerald eyes softened. “I know.”
His voice then changed into a teasing tone, “So, do you still think that ugly bracelet is the best gift?”
“You silly fool,” Kaveh laughed wetly and pulled Alhaitham into his arms. “It is the best because it was from you.”