#but he and Alhaitham have a lot in common let me tell you
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aha-chuu · 2 years ago
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We need to talk: the Kaveh voicelines are out
This is leaks but they're voice acted by the en VA so they're definitely correct - I'm gonna share some of the interesting and funny tidbits I saw!
Tighnari introduced Kaveh to Cyno - Kaveh is super complimentary of Tighnari
Kaveh is pretty nice about Cyno too, even saying he has a very big heart! EXCEPT he absolutely decimates his sense of humour, saying "you better hope there's beer around if Cyno's telling jokes"
Speaking of which: Kaveh freely admits to having a drinking problem :'(( my poor sweet boy
Oh but he's not a poor sweet boy. Somehow the general fanon is once again proven false, since Alhaitham is absolutely the babygirl here and Kaveh is working man who has to like. Do shit.
(they can both be babygirls it's a vibe)
Kaveh's snow voiceline MADE ME CACKLE he complains that the cold air is creeping up his back (where there's a hole) and down his front (low cut shirt)
Kaveh proves me right about Alhaitham: absolutely is a man with full understanding of social norms and who has a breadth of emotion and personality, he just isn't interested in indulging others in it 👍
Kaveh's second Alhaitham voiceline... I'm gonna make a whole other post when there's a transcript (tomorrow probably) because it might be the most canon thing they've ever said (and it made me sad)
Etc etc interesting lore esque stuff for another post
No Mehrak mentions?? Poor girl
Kaveh obviously loves soup , funny because it's the only food Alhaitham dislikes. EDIT: someone on Reddit pointed out that when you give Alhaitham soup in the spices event, he says he'll take it home. Is Alhaitham feeding Kaveh all the soup? Discuss.
YOU TYPECAST MY BOY yeah so Kaveh can't handle spicy food, y'all bullied Alhaitham and Kaveh is the Problem here
I'm talking a lot about Alhaitham, but Kaveh doesn't! He has the two voicelines and then alludes to him a couple times, but not by name or as "my roommate". Kaveh may be living in Alhaitham's voicelines rent free but Kaveh seems really uh... Too emotional to talk about it (for the separate post)
I gotta go through the Beidou voicelines cos he brings up alcohol A LOT
Oh yeah Candace yet again doesn't have a voiceline about her. didn't expect it but damn she's going for a record
Overall I think Kaveh needs a hug.
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fallingdownhell · 11 months ago
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Hi! I read your rules and i thinks this is okay, but if not then i'm sorry and just ignore this uwu
Would you write some angst to comfort with xiao and alhaitham (and any other genshin men you like) where reader have selective mutism and the boys have learnt to understand them, but one day reader gets in trouble and all distressed just call for them? Thank 💖
I‘m gonna be completely honest here, I‘ve never heard of this condition before until now. I did some research on it before writing this, so I think I have a general understanding about it now. But if I completely fucked up and missrepresented it, please let me know!
Characters Included: Xiao; Alhaitham
Content: gender neutral reader; established relationship; reader has selective mutism; hurt/comfort; some angst; fluff; slight spoiler for this years Lantern Rite in Xiao's part; reader getting comforted; not proofread yet
Word count: 2,2k words
Hope you enjoy!<3
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Xiao
Dating an Adeptus isn't always easy. Both you and Xiao had to learn that lesson the hard way.
Especially at the beginning of this relationship, miscommunication was a very common thing. Mostly from Xiao's side, since he wasn't used to that kind of openness and vulnerabilty.
Giving him time and reassurance is the key to make things work with him. But once he gets used to being in a relationship with you, you can talk to him about anything.
Tell him all your deepest, darkest secrets, your troubles and doubts, your insecurities. Whatever it is, he listens to it attentively, saving it all in his memory so he can always come back to it should he need to.
When you first told him about your condition, he was a bit confused and asked you to elaborate on it more, so he could better understand you and maybe help you deal with it.
He carefully listens to every single word you say, until he thinks he got the gist of it. But as it seems to only apply to certain types of situations, he's sure it won't pose as much of a problem for the relationship overall.
He's more concerned about the situation with your family. He knows that you managed to work things out with your parents, at least. That you're able to talk with them on most occaisions, but there still came up stressfull situations from time to time where you would go silent again. But thankfully, your parents were very understanding of your situation and tried to help and support you the best they could.
However, the same thing could not be said about other relatives of yours.
From the few things you've told Xiao, he's gathered that you absolutely hated going to large family events, where lots of extended relatives would be present. Mainly because they always put immense pressure onto you, asking you about your job, achievements, you love life and stuff. You never could handle all the pressure put onto you, so you never learned to deal with them like you did with your parents, which showed in you staying mute when with those people. But your silence only seemed to fuel them on even more.
Now, Lantern Rite was upon the nation of Liyue again, and your parents have invited you for a get together with the family. You've been thinking long and hard, wether you wanted to attend or not.
Xiao, despite not being a social person at all, has offered to accompany you, but after thinking it over for a bit, you had refused his offer. Your reasoning being that you haven't told any of your family members about your relationship with him yet, and you didn't want to announce it at the even either, fearing the attention that would be placed on you as a result.
While he understood, it didn't exactly help to put his mind at ease. So, he made you swear, that if you got to uncomfortable, you'd find a quiet place and call for him, so that he could get you out of there as fast as possible, to which you thankfully agreed.
When the day of the event came, Xiao was anxious the entire day. He did go out to try and take his mind off of things, running into Zhongli and the Traveller in the process. Conversing with them distracted him for a bit, yet he always had one ear open in case you were calling for him.
Which did not happen at first.
Later, when Lantern Rite was in full motion, and Xiao had invited the Traveller to send off a Xiao Lantern with him, was when the course of the night would change.
They had released the lantern a little while ago, the Traveller had already left, but Xiao was still standing in his spot, watching it fly further and further up into the sky. When suddenly, he heard your voice, low and weak, calling out to him.
Within seconds, he was by your side, but when he saw the state you were in, his chest tightened.
Your cheeks were red, as were your eyes, swollen from your crying. Tearstains on your cheeks, but fresh ones still ran down over and over. You were cowering on the floor, alone in some room in the house.
Seeing you like this, Xiao felt anger rise within him, but most of all, he was worried about you.
"Can I pick you up?", he asked, his voice gentle as he crouched down in front of you.
You nodded as an answer, so Xiao moved very slowly, afraid that moving too quickly would startle you even more. He carefully picked you up from the floor, one hand supporting you on your back an the under your knees, he felt you immediately hide yourself against his chest, your arms coming around his neck to better support yourself.
Once you were secured in his arms, he teleported himself back to his room in the Wangshu Inn and gently layed you down on the soft bed. However, you were unwilling to let you of him, your arm tightening their hold around his neck, like you desperately needed him right now.
So, he climbed onto the bed with you, positioning the both of you so you were laying comfortably.
"Is there anything I can do to help you, (Name)? Do you need anything? Something to drink? Anything?"
He was a tad bit overwhelmed with the situation, but tried his best to be a support for you. However, you responded with a shake of your head.
The fact that you refused to speak to him, made him wonder just how bad the event went if you refused to speak to even him right now. Still, he wasn't about to leave you alone like this.
So, he carefully and gently wrapped his own arms around your body, gently tracing one hand up and down your spine in hopes that this motion would comfort you.
"Take your time. You don't have to talk to me right away. Just.. let me know somehow if I can do anything for you. I mean it. No matter what it is, don't hesitate to let me know."
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Alhaitham
Since you've been a kid, you've always had troubles at school. Not because you weren't smart or didn't understand the things being thaugt to you there.
But for the fact that you refused to speak, as your teachers would word it. Whenever a teacher would call you up in class, asking for you to answer a question, you refused to speak up, not a single word leaving your lips, ever.
Even conversing with your classmates during breaks between lessons wasn't something you did. You just remained silent the entire day during school.
Your parents have often been to your school as per request of the principal, demanding something to change since he wouldn't tolerate such behaviour from you, as he claimed. Your parents couldn't comprehend your behaviour either, since you talked just fine with them outside of school.
And in the end, there was nothing the principal could do about it, since your grades were actually very good, at the top of your class, even.
In truth, it was more that you simple couldn't speak in the school setting. The anxiety that came with being called upon in class, the expectations of the teachers, it has always been too much for you to handle, which resulted in your body physically preventing you from speaking in such situations.
This was something that had dragged itself along through your entire life, even still when you entered the Academiya to continue your studies.
Which would be the place when life would finally start to turn around for you, and where you would also meet your boyfriend, Alhaitham.
You had some courses with him, but it took almost an entire year until the two of you actually first met.
It had been the start of a new semester and as it always was at first days, seatings got switched around. Alhaitham ended up sitting next to you.
When he introduced himself, he did not mind that he didn't get an answer from you aside from a simple head nod. Over time, he came to enjoy sitting next to you. You kept quiet and to yourself, never bothering him, which he quite appreciated. He came to enjoy your presence, so he decided to engage in conversation with you.
At first, he found it odd that you wouldn't reply verbally to him, only induldging him with head nod or shakes, but ultimately, he decided that it didn't matter, so long as he could still hold a conversation with you, which he could.
The first time you would meet up outside of lectures was when the two of you were partnered up for a project. You were given three weeks to complete it. The teamwork went well.
So well in fact, that after the first few meet up, you slowly but surely began talking to him. He was surprised when he first heard your voice, but pleasantly so.
Over time, he pretty much figured things out on his own. The fact that you did not speak a word to him during lectures, but would talk just fine to him outside of the Academiya setting spoke volumes to him. Yet, he never adressed the issue, which you were grateful about. You knew that he knew, but neither of you cared enough about it, since it never bothered any of you.
Then came the day were things changed, but only for the better.
It was a free study day for the students of your Darshan today, so Alhaitham and you had decided to meet up at the House of Daena to study together.
Alhaitham was running a bit later that day so he hurried over as quickly as possible. Upon entering into the House, he could already hear shouting coming from one of the far end book shelves. He was annoyed by it, but didn't want to concern himself with it too much, instead letting his eyes wander over the space as he was on the lookout for you.
To his dismay however, he did spot you, but only a second later realised that you were involved into that argument taking place. Not only that, but you were actually the person that was being shouted at, and by one of your professors nonetheless.
Immediately, he began to make his way over to the two of you, passing many nosy students on his way who all watched this go down, yet none of them thought to interviene, at all. The closer Alhaitham got, the clearer the words of his professor got.
"...-you think you are? Why are you still not saying anything?! God damnit, are you doing this to mock me or something? How hard can it be to speak?"
The professor was talking himself into a rage, angrily shouting at you, his voice continued to get louder and more agitated with each word. Now almost there, Alhaitham finally got a good look at you, and it almost made his heart shatter.
You were trembling so much, body shaking, as you were clutching a book tightly between your fingers, pressing it close to your chest, like it would somehow shield you from his words. He wasn't sure, but he Alhaitham swore that he saw tears welling up in your eyes as your mouth opened and closed over and over again, yet no words came out.
Before the professor could spoute more hateful words your way, Alhaitham finally reached you, putting himself between you and the teacher, acting as your shield in this situation.
He gave the professor a vage excuse as he put a hand to your back and gently guided you out of the House of Daena first, then out of the Academiya alltogehter.
Once outside, you felt like you could finally breathe again, taking a deep breath in and slowly releasing it again. You were about to face Alhaitham and try to thank him when he surprised you by taking your hand and silently leading you even further away from the building.
You didn't question him and let it happen, letting him lead you to a small and quiet little café in the city. He ordered you both something to drink and you sat down at a quiet corner.
With your drinks in front of you, it was silent for a good while, until you felt safe enough to speak again.
"..Thank you.", you quietly thank him, your voice still a little shaky.
Alhaitham looked at you for a few seconds, and you thought you saw relief flashing over his face for a second when hearing your voice. Then the next second, it was gone again, and he nodded.
"Of course, no need to thank me. I simply could not sit back and let him talk to you like that."
You nodded as well, accepting his response.
The two of you spent some more time in the café, conversing a bit more as you were enjoying your drinks. Afterwards, Alhaitham insisted on paying for yours, as well, which you reluctantly agreed to.
Then, he insisted on walking you back to your home, wanting to make sure that you'd arrive safely, as he put it.
You thought it to be weird at first, since he's never done that before, but you still agreed to it.
And as you were walking back to your home, that was when he decided to pop the question: "So.. what do you say to calling this our first date?"
...Yeah, you could never get tired of telling this story.
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darkdevasofdestruction · 2 years ago
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Honey, I’m Home! ~ Alhaitham x Liyue!Reader
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“Girlfriend?! You?!” Kaveh’s face showed nothing but utmost shock. “I don’t believe a word you say! Nobody would! I mean -- You?! There’s no way any sane woman would stay around you!” “I am not one to respond to baseless provokation, however, I have to point out that you directly insulted my partner intellect and mental well-being, to which I cannot remain silent - Though, I suppose you are intoxicated and there’s little I should care about. No word coming out of your mouth is ever worth taking into account to begin with.” Alhaitham, much to his mate’s irritation, didn’t even raise his gaze from the book he was reading. “Hey, you--! You’re SO insufferable!” the poor architect growled in anger. “Since when? You never told me about her, and we’ve known each other for enough years! You’d have let it slip somehow - Or, at least, your arrogance would’ve!”  “Your impression on my personality has nothing to do with any kind of potential slip you think I might have had. As a matter of fact, the existence of a significant other had never been a secret to begin with. You just never asked, therefore, I had no reason to go out of my way and brag about my perfectly accomplished life, considering not only your living conditions, but your infinitely tragic luck. I did not want to bother with you crying again, out of nowhere.” Kaveh threw a random book at his mate’s head, which annoyingly enough, he masterfully caught without as much as blinking. “GAHH, I HATE YOU SO MUCH!” the man whined, slamming his face into the table. “FINE! TELL ME! ENLIGHTEN ME! WHO IS THIS MYSTERY WOMAN THAT MANAGED TO IGNORE THE INFINITE AMOUNT OF NEGATIVE TRAITS AND THAT STUPIDLY ARROGANT AND UNAPPROACHABLE FACE OF YOURS?! IS SHE BLIND?!” “There is nothing wrong with her eye function. In fact, she often compliments my appearance.” the scribe pointed out. “We have been together since a year before we presented our graduation thesis.” poor Kaveh spit out the beer he was drinking. “HOW LONG?!” he was absolutely convinced he was lying. “There’s NO way that is, in any way, true!” “If you don’t believe me, there are plenty ways to search for proof on your own. The only thing I would have to warn you about is not to use your usual barbaric ways of speaking to her, if you manage to find her. You will scare her away.” Kaveh couldn’t help but glare at Alhaitham, though, considering the amount of unceremonious yelling he just did, he couldn’t refute much. “Fine, whatever - Tell me about her. How you met. Something. Anything relevant. I’ll see after if I believe you.” Alhaitham had to fight the smirk off his face as he hummed in amusement - It was so easy to get a rise out of this fool. “Y/N is originally from Liyue, although you can say, after finishing her Amurta course and graduated, she would spend about half a year back home to take care of her family and help with the medicine aspect of the country.” Kaveh’s eyes suddenly shot open and he gasped. “Hold up! Is this the Liyue friend that Tighnari mentioned? They were in the same Darshan and -- They worked on their thesis together a lot and -- And Cyno too, on enough occasions -- Is that her?!” Alhaitham shrugged his shoulders, though he knew it was the truth. There were a lot of references that one must use in the bibliography, and the practical percentage of her thesis she did on the comparison of Fauna and Flora from Sumeru and Liyue was done for the most part with Tighnari. Y/N often mentioned the fennec boy being her only friend for the many years she in Akademiya. 
Alhaitham knew, no matter how nice of a person you were, if you had a unique brilliance, the common flock of mindless sheep were bound to be rude to you. He was no stranger to the endless amount of insults he received from many, although, in almost the same ponder, he also had many more compliments of all kind, be that on his intelligence, on his work, or... His looks especially. Tighnari and Cyno were no strangers to this kind of treatment, but at least they had each other - For the most part.
Back then, having a new student, from another country no less - A country with a rich history, though not as much focus on studies as Sumeru - A new student that, through thorough examination, was able to start her Amurta studies not from the first year, but skipped about a half of the years required to graduate.
From the get-go, Y/N was a bit of an odd one, and the students of Akademiya were no less lenient with her, nor did they bother teaching her about cultural differences and what not. Alhaitham, too, noticed something strange, but it was different from everyone else. Was it that he never heard her speak, even once? Or that, were it not for the amount of gossips and bullying he witnessed, she’d have been walking the halls of the House of Daena like an invisible ghost, unseen, unwanted, unneeded by all around her?
Or, perhaps, it was that there was a large amount of books that she was reading - Manuals, text-books, works, thesis of all kind, from different Darshan courses even - And for the most time, she’d read them all outside, in the forest, far away from the Akademiya; As far away as possible, if need be.
And despite the awful treatment she received, and the amount of diligent hard-work she was putting into her courses, she never seemed to frown or let things affect her. She wasn’t smiling either, and her tiredness was showing - Still, it almost looked endearing; A brilliant woman, so effortlessly beautiful and graceful in everything she did, wearing a passive, demure smile on her face, even if none wanted to appreciate it.
Were all women from Liyue like this, he wondered? Most Sumeru women he had the displeasure of conversing with were so obnoxious and emotion-driven; Oft times, he even wondered if the inspector examining them did his job well enough, because he himself could see no ounce of anything clever in their bleak, dark minds of theirs. No that the men were any different, but they had the courtesy of avoiding him like the plague, to which, Alhaitham was grateful. He never cared for idle chatting for no reason.
Hence why, he needed to concoct a proper conversation reason, otherwise, there would be no sense to start speaking with the new student.
Luck had always favoured him for some reason, and instead of wasting his time with needless research, it was Y/N herself who came over to him. She nodded her head at him as a courtesy greeting, and introduced herself as Y/N from the Amurta class. She explained that, although her thesis was based on biology, she had plenty of interests in many other areas, and having heard him as the most remarkable student from Haravatat, it was a no brainer that she’d come to him requesting aid for some book and course recommandations.
Though his reply was a simple yet positive one, informing her that, once he gathers some time, he will see what he could do, she offered him a grateful, princess-like smile, and this time, a brief courtesy, before leaving. For a split second, Alhaitham had to wonder if this Y/N had any amount of noble blood in her lineage - No woman could act so perfectly elegant all the time without some proper training from before you even begin breathing into this world.
Regardless, Alhaitham found himself completely abandoning his work for a whole day in search of accommodating Y/N, and when he searched for her with the piles of books he had for her, all of them old, dusty and tattered, she was outside, under a tree, reading a story to a little fox. Such odd behaviour - Though the fox seemed to enjoy it, as it was purring in her lap as it was being stroked. It was quite the sight for sore eyes, he had to admit.
“Ah, so fast, you needn’t! You are far too kind - There is no way to repay you for your kindness. Allow me to treat you to some tea and a meal tomorrow, please.” Alhaitham shook his head, sitting down next to her. “There are few people actually interested in proper research and academics. If someone came to me, willing to learn, there is no reason why I should decline.” he answered simply. “I do not require any reward. Simply put, I did it because I wanted to. However, if you want to repay me, then tell me - Why do you read so many books, when a lot of pointed information can be found out by simply asking through the Akasha terminal.” Y/N smiled at him enigmatically. “That is a question to which I cannot provide an answer. Not because I am unwilling to disclose the information - In fact, it’s quite silly, rather. The reason behind my silence is that... Due to this device you are wearing, if there is anything that I tell you, whether you wish to share this information with anyone or not, the whole network of people using the Akasha device are going to know, by simply asking. The people wearing this device cannot control the information they disclose - It is actually quite frightening, I might say.” Alhaitham’s jade-like green eyes peered deep into her own; They were so gentle and warm, almost resembling those of a fawn, yet even he could discern the tint of sorrow and loneliness pooling behind them. “You almost sound like a criminal speaking like that.” at the faintest hint of a crystalline chuckle, Alhaitham’s heart skipped a beat - Just one, of course, he simply wasn’t expecting such a sound as a response to his words. Was there something amusing in what he said. “Well, I suppose, considering nobody taught me the laws of Sumeru, there is little I can say to refute such a statement. Who knows, perhaps, in my ignorance, I might have managed to stray away from the right path. Regardless, what I can say is - I am forced by conjuctures to personally gather the information I am seeking. Whatever you wish to do with that information, it is up for your own interpretation, and I am unable to either approve or disprove it.” the man couldn’t help but scoff a little, though he came up with an answer easily.
Somehow, this pretty little princess was just about as much of a fairy as he was, and she, for some reason, managed to trick her way into not wearing a Terminal - Or she made it malfunction. Either way, it would make perfect sense.
“Fascinating as it is to guess, I am no philosopher, I am a researcher who bases his work on the factual, not on stories. I will not lose time coming to an uncertain conclusion.” for some reason, his words made the woman next to him chuckle again, for the second time in less than half an hour. Interesting. “Then, may I be so bold as to ask for your aid again, should I require again some kind of help oh some kind?” the woman asked, seeing as he got up, picking up the large pile of books, yet he seemed to have no intention of handing them other. “If the time allows me to take a detour from my work, then I suppose I see no reason not to help.” he answered briefly. As Y/N stepped in front of him, placing her hands over his own, in an attempt to burden the heavy weight of knowledge, he simply stepped past her. “Just show me where to get them. You may be ignorant of Sumeru’s own law code, but I doubt you would be foolish enough to ignore the laws of physics and even delude yourself that you could carry them yourself and reach home without as much as one of them at least being damaged.” he spoke, walking ahead. 
Y/N couldn’t help but blink in surprise at the rather adorable and gentlemanly reaction of the otherwise stoic in inabordable man, however, she couldn’t help but smile in amusement, catching up to his pace and leading the way. “Judging by your your looks, there is no way you weight more than these books, therefore, given their mass, Newton’s law says that an object can only move another if its mass is greater. A single kilogram equals to exactly 9,81 Newtons. With this knowledge, we have to exchange the parameters with actual numbers, in the Law of Force, which says that Force equals the multiplying of the mass and acceleration of said object; And since acceleration is measured in meters per square second --” he continued ranting on and on about the laws of physics and the approximates he took, only to feel a hand powerfully slap the bottom of the book stack, making them all fly aimlessly in the sky - And be caught with the aid of Y/N’s Dendro vision powers. Y/N was smiling like an innocent child, though, with the way she was fighting back a smirk, it only made her look like a playful, mischievous vixen. “Alhaitham --” she said, a hand covering her smirking mouth. “Has anyone ever told you how adorable you are when you’re rambling with no sense?” the man couldn’t help but be rooted to the spot, completely unresponsive.
What did she mean? Him, ranting idly, for no apparent reason whatsoever? That was completely unlike him - Surely, she must be mistaken - He was trying to educate her; There is reason in everything he says. “Come along, I recently brought over some fantastic bamboo dew tea -- Oh, and I suppose, if you’re interested, I have some sweet Osmanthus wine also, the finest batch. Mr. Zhongli himself vouched for the quality, and there’s no other like him, a true connoisseur in everything fine.” with a delicate hand wrapped gently around his wrist, Y/N guided the speechless man toward her home - A pretty, tall house made out of wood, vines and leaves of all kinds, all of it, carved inside a grand tree. With a wave of her other hand, she created a staircase out of liana, allowing them to get up to the top-most part of her house, where her library was. “It isn’t much, but I hope you feel comfortable enough during your stay.” still, Alhaitham couldn’t utter another word as he went to sit down on the couch. Though he couldn’t help himself and analysed every inch of the chamber, he could still faintly feel the slight rise in his cheeks’ temperature, biological and physiological truth which irked him greatly, as it gave away the speed with which his heart beat, and, consequently, the fact that, despite his ration-based life, he was somehow able to be weak before the effortless charms of a woman like Y/N, who made him act like a fool.
But unlike him, Y/N seemed to be his own personal anti-thesis; Y/N seemed so calm and friendly, so warm and with just the right amount of conversation lines that didn’t border on the obnoxious type of talkative. In fact, Alhaitham might even have to admit, he didn’t mind the sound of her voice, in fact, he might as well admit that he found it rather pleasant to his ears. In only she’d know the stimulant effect her presence alone has on his heart’s rhythm, as though someone had secretly injected him with adrenaline... There must be something to be done about this.
As he asked her about her thesis, he swore, he could see sparkles in her eyes - Her infinite amount of love and dedication for the flora and fauna of both countries was insurmountable - Y/N was writing her thesis out of passion of the living beings, not necessarily out of sheer interest in research, though everything that she’s assimilated clearly set her on the right path. In must have been some kind of miracle that his plan on working on a thesis with that good for nothing Kaveh from  Kshahrewar; Simply, he erased his name from it, and moved on to a singular part of the research, though he had to admit, the environmental conditions weren’t the brightest - The subject, at least, was highly fascinating.
“Would you be interested in writing a project together?” he found himself asking all of a sudden. “A senior had previously proposed a thesis subject that interested me, alas, due to differences of opinions and views, the project fell through. The topic of my half of the thesis was the decoding of the ancient runes from the Ruins of King Deshret's Civilization.” “That does sound like quite the intriguing thesis, and I have to admit, I would also be interested in researching the history of the old civilization... But I’m not used to the harsh environment of the desert, I... Am not sure I would be a proper asset to the team.” Alhaitham hummed in understanding - Even Sumeru people had a hard time dealing with the desert, and knowing the landscapes and the weather from Liyue, he could see the reason behind her reticence. Still, he was passionate not only about this project, but about spending quality time with the woman before him, doing what they know best to do - Study. “As long as you’re willing to join the project, I can deal with accommodating you during the practical field research, as I’m more familiar with the country.” despite her skepticism, Y/N couldn’t help but accept, completely uncaring about any risk whatsoever. As long as she was able to spend time with the man in front of her, everything was going to be fine. “Alright, Alhaitham. Let’s make the most outstanding project the Akademiya has ever seen.” her positive outlook was a rather welcome change of pace, unlike Kaveh and his constant wish to either bicker with him, or complain.
For the rest of the years it took for both Alhaitham and Y/N to graduate, they went on a vast number of adventures - Considering the amount of time it took for them to reach the graduation, it was only fair that they extend their thesis for three major regions - Deshret’s desert area, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata’s Sumeru forests and Rex Lapis’ Liyue - Each of them, with their own distinct and fascinating manuscripts, writing styles, flora, fauna and civilizations that have been rapidly evolving throughout the years. Their project ended up truly being one worthy of envy, but not without merit.
The amount of times they got lost in the desert or had to fight mercenaries and treasure hoarders, got trapped inside pyramids, ruins and underground catacombs, had to solve puzzles and decipher codes, decode runes and languages lost to time, found relics and fossils, cave paintings and old manuscripts describing never-seen and never-heard before wildlife from all over the two countries.
“Are we ever going to find a way out of this mess of a tomb? I feel like a grave-robber that’s about to lose her sanity from the lack of food and water.” Y/N dramatically joked as she used her vines to propel herself up to some suspended platforms and activate some intricate mechanism that was going to open up the door - Hopefully, at least. “We haven’t done all this for all our work to be thrown down the drain.” as the door opened, he readied his sword to attack the activating perpetual robotic monsters, and together, they would fight - Yet Alhaitham especially felt a sense of protectiveness over Y/N - Whether it was over the fact that he’s practically responsible for her life, as he got her into the project... Or perhaps it was the fact that he feared anything happened to her. She was a talented healer, and she often used her vision power to shield him from imminent danger or mend some of the wounds he got from direct confrontation against multiple enemies that came in waves at once.
Though they had lots of practical field trips that involved a ton of travelling, the simpler parts of theoretical research was often done in far calmer environments, be it either of their homes, or a neutral place, namely the popular tea house, so they could also catch a bite. Unfortunately, Puspa cafe often hosted a ton of Akademiya students, and that more often than not meant some of their own classmates, that due to exceeding envy, ended up ruining their pleasant leisure time. Just like that one time when a junior from his own Darshan of Haravatat came over to their table - Masterfully and tactically chosen to be the farther-most, retreated from the majority of the people and in a corner away from the prying eyes - And put her hands on her hips, frowning down at them.
“What are you doing here?!” the stranger asked in a rather irritated voice, yet neither of the two even bothered raising their gaze and acknowledge her presence. “Hey - Don’t ignore me, you -- Gosh, you’re so rude.” still, no answer. “Alhaitham~! Why do you waste your time around such a boring woman? She’s no good, y’know? You don’t need to help her with her studies - She’s a plant lover from Amurta - Nowhere near our above-brilliant Haravatat intellect!” the girl whined, hoping to get the man’s attention, yet once again, she was met with no response. Infuriated, the girl threw herself on the couch next to him, clinging onto his arm and cuddling on his side. “Alhaitham~! You are my senior! You promised to help me with research. In fact - Let’s do our thesis together!” Much to her indignance, the stranger was shrugged off the sofa, and received an irked glare. “I have no idea who you are, nor am I interested in your identity, but I would like for you to stop bothering our study session, otherwise I will be forced to ask the patron to kick you out of the cafe for disturbing other customers.” the flabbergast expression on her face would have been amusing, were it not for her disgusting hostility. “Wait, no -- You can’t do that, I -- Alhaitham, don’t you remember me? I’m your Junior, Emiya! You gave me a book about deciphering ancient texts a month ago, remember?” she tried to plead, but was met with a firm, negative reply. “And you -- You have to stop parasiting him already! Do your own work, for once! Can’t you see you’re inconveniencing him?!” Y/N said nothing. “Say something!” “The Phoenix does not lose sleep over the idle chattering of mice.” Emiya’s eyes widened in complete confusion, though Alhaitham couldn’t help but let out a breath of amusement. She fancied herself an Empress, how lovely. “Wh-What?! You make no sense -- Hey, you’re in Sumeru, not in Liyue anymore, y’know? Get it right already.” for the first time, Y/N rose her gaze to meet Emiya’s; the junior shuddered slightly, realising the cold passiveness of her intimidating demeanour. “I don’t know what kind of delusions you like to feed yourself, but I would ask you to leave our table, unless you wish to get permanently banned from Puspa. I would like to return to the research I was doing for our thesis, until you so rudely interrupted our tireless work. Unlike you, we are not so carefree and leisurely.” Y/N curt voice had a frozen edge, intimidating the girl. “Well, whatever! Go back to your stupid grass work. Alhaitham and I have more intelligent research to conduct - And some practical research, perhaps?” Y/N had to turn her head slightly to the side, demurely hiding her mocking chuckle. “I believe it unethical, stealing one’s project partner. Alas, willow blossoms go in dreams, only to find sorrows hidden on the moon.” Emiya’s eyes were wide, and her jaw to the floor - Her mind had gone numb from stupidity. “You pride yourself with being a Haravatat student, yet you fail to comprehend even the most forward of poems. I have no intention of associating myself with mediocre people.” Alhaitham dismissed the tearing up girl with a bored wave of his hand; Y/N and him had to look away from each other to avoid chuckling, “So... I actually found this interesting Zaytun Peach wine recipe -- And I have some Glaze Lily flowers and Sweet Flower to make tea - I’ve got this snow kept for special occasions - I find tea made out of melted snow to have the richest aroma.” Y/N said, disclosing the contents of the book she was reading; The farthest away from being a research-based book. “The history of the Guili plains and the Guizhong ballista are also rather intriguing. I would be interested in finding out the blueprints and the thought concept behind it and its making.” he hummed in acknowledgement, enjoying reading about the past of Liyue and what similarities and differences exist between it and Sumeru. “Do we have any more of that special delivery Dandelion Wine from Angel’s Share?” “Of course! Master Diluc just recently had a few bottles delivered to me through his brother Kaeya, who was on an errand here in Sumeru. He didn’t stay long for catching up, but he brought the goods, so it’s fine either way.” with a shared look, the two got up and moved their leisure reading back to Y/N’s home, delighting themselves with the most quality wine that Teyvat had to offer. “That’s a fine deal.”
At some point, just a year before their graduation, Alhaitham was going to purchase some alcohol to celebrate a massive breakthrough he had in his research - And consequently, escaping yet another death-nearing experience - His ex-project partner, the senior architect student from Kshahrewar, spotted him. This blond man with a volcanic personality ended up shredding his joined thesis in a fit of frustrating rage, only to end up gluing back together out of regret, once he ended up all alone, bankrupt, and realising his once friend’s harsh words were actually viable advices that he should have heeded long ago.
There was no reproach in his words - Alhaitham had nothing to gain out of making Kaveh feel even more humiliated by his own failures, brought upon him mostly by his overly empathetic nature. He had to admit, bit of this precious and rather naive selflessness he could very often see in Y/N, which only made him feel more afraid that there might be some brainless deadbeats upsetting her or taking advantage of her benevolence.
Still, interestingly enough, after getting drunk enough to spill out all of his grievances, Kaveh found himself speaking of some rather interesting rumours. “Ever heard of the flower fairy rumour?” he asked. “They say once a month, at midnight, there’s this mystical being, beautiful as no other woman, and she dances on the sheen of the lake.” “You don’t seriously believe such ridiculous children stories, do you?” Alhaitham scoffed, raising the beer bottle and drinking a bit, yet his eyes never once left the blond. “I believe it more than the Wisdom Seelie, the children of the forest or the Aranara.” the architect grumbled. “How ridiculous.” still, he couldn’t admit, Alhaitham had his own suspicions on who this might be, and his professional curiosity had him want to come to a concludent answer. “Honestly, if that flower fairy is real, she might be the only living being capable of liking someone as arrogant and insufferable as you. No human woman could ever stand you.” Kaveh hiccuped as he sneered at his refound friend. Such a proposition sounded so much like a challenge, that Alhaitham found himself internally accepting.
Thus, every night for a whole month, Alhaitham hid behind a tree and investigated the lake area for any signs of this supposed fairy - And finally, his hard work came to fruition. From the direction of Y/N’s home, followed by an array of forest animals, the glowing silhouette of a gorgeous woman playing a sorrowful tune on the flute piqued his attention. Indeed, it was Y/N, just as he suspected, yet now he could see why she would be mistaken for a fairy. Wherever her barefeet would step, flowers would grow. Her long, light pink dress, flowy and embroidered with the finest gold thread, made her look like a lotus bloom. Her long hair of the most beautiful shade was embellished with royal-looking jewellery, and even her make up, so soft and delicate, yet so feminine, made her face look prettier than the moon itself.
Placing the flute inside her sleeve, Y/N stepped on the mirror sheen of the lake that seemed to sparkle with zircons from the silver light of the celestial body up on the dark night sky, and accompanied by what no doubt was an old Liyue melody, Y/N performed a dance, so enticing, so fluid, like a willow tree in the gentle breeze of spring. Every move she made, every little twitch and tweak of her joint, her body, all of them were perfectly calculated, even the amount of green dendro magic that made her performance even more alluring and worthy of being mistaken with a fictional mythical being.
By the time she was done, Alhaitham was leaning back on a tree, applauding. From the shock of being discovered, Y/N’s cheeks flared red with warmth and embarrassment. “Of course it had to be you who would find me out.” “It was actually a senior of mine who mentioned the rumours of this supposed flower fairy. I had my suspicions, and I felt compelled to have them approved or denied.” the corner of his mouth slightly twitched upwards in a smug smirk. “It seems my intuition hasn’t failed me yet.” “Tian na!” Y/N found herself softly shaking her head, a gorgeous smile gracing her features as she stepped on the soft grass next to him. “Fate sure has the weirdest ways of bringing people together.” Alhaitham found himself scoffing in distaste at the sheer notion of destiny. “Don’t use such foolish words. We are humans, and we create our of path in life. It is our actions and choices that define us, not the biblical or religious concept of a life already chosen and woven for you since before you are conceived and brought into this wor--” before he could continue rambling on about his own views on fate, Y/N reached up to pick his chin, bringing him down to her level, and with one hand on his shoulder to lean up, she captured his soft lips into a kiss that left him speechless from surprise.  “For years we have been friends, yet I cannot tire of how adorable you are when you’re so flustered that you end up ranting over the weirdest things.” Alhaitham wanted to scold her for doing something so uncharacteristic and unexpected, wanted to refute her claim of him ranting over ‘weird’ things - Or simply, the idea of him ‘ranting’ was ridiculous - Somehow, instead of all that, his body moved on his own and his brain took a short break, and the otherwise stoic man found himself cradling dearly Y/N’s form in his strong arms and sharing a much more loving and intimate kiss that seemed to allow the river of emotions to flow and come undone and expose itself in all its glory and vulnerability.
“You are bulshitting me because I’m drunk.” Kaveh growled at his friend. “You just randomly remembered those stupid rumours about the fairy thing and use that against me.” “I already told you, it’s not my job proving to you that I’m speaking the truth.” Alhaitham simply took another gulp of his beer. “But you said the fairy was just a stupid joke! And you never mentioned working on a thesis with someone else! Or having a friend, let alone a girlfriend! Hell, I thought nobody liked you! I still do!” the architect pointed an accusatory finger in his face. “I refuse to bother replying to your ridiculous disbeliefs anymore.” the scribe huffed, ready to take out his headphones and tune out the noise pollution that Kaveh was providing. “HEY, DON’T IGNORE ME! GIVE ME ANSWERS! I DON’T BELIEVE THAT STUPID STORY--” just as Kaveh shot up to his feet, slamming his hands onto the table, the front door was opened, and a beautiful woman entered the living room. “Honey, I’m home~!” her crystalline voice chimed, making Alhaitham smirk smugly and putting back his headphones in his belt pouch. “I brought some Osmanthus wine and moon cakes!” Kaveh’s eyes bulged out of their orbit and his jaw was to the floor, watching the beautiful woman plop down on the couch next to his friend and sharing such a tender kiss with him. “Oh - You must be Kaveh! I heard so much about you! I’m Y/N. Alhaitham’s fiance. I came to Sumeru from Liyue and enrolled in the Amurta Darshan course and graduated with a joined thesis written with him.” “F-F-Fi... Fi... Ance...?!” the blond fell back on his seat. “I-I thought you said... Girlfriend...” “I actually used the word ‘partner’, to be precise. You simply assumed, and I didn’t bother correcting you. If I were to correct every wrong supposition you’ve had since we’ve met... Well, I have better things to do with my time.” Alhaitham declared, his arm around Y/N’s waist, pulling her subtly to lean on his side, planting a kiss on her temple, purposely annoying his friend. “S-So... You mean... She -- And the Fairy -- And Tighnari’s friend -- And your Thesis partner -- They’re all the same person?!” the crestfallen expression on his face only made the beautiful lady hum in amusement. “Yes, I suppose that is me - I should thank you for the nickname - I think being called a Flower Fairy is highly flattering. Here is my gratitude.” with a graceful swish of her hand, Y/N created a flower crown on the architect’s hair. “...You may be lovely, but I swear, you almost have the same kind of mocking cruelty as he does, hidden behind a pretty smile.” Kaveh groaned, getting up and stumbling towards the other chamber, where his bedroom was. “HEY, HOLD UP! IF YOU’VE BEEN TOGETHER FOR SO MANY YEARS, WHY HAVE I NEVER SEEN YOU OVER?!” “No thirds wheels allowed on our dates.” seeing that annoyingly taunting smirk, and the implication behind those words, Kaveh let out another frustrated groan and shot into his room, not wanting to see either of the two anymore. “Perfect timing as always.” Alhaitham praised, pulling Y/N onto his lap. “Yes, well, I have to admit, I was getting cold out there, leaning on the door and waiting for you to finish that story already. Regardless... I think it’s adorable that Kaveh didn’t pick up that the reason you were so intrigued to continue speaking to me was because I fooled the Akademiya not to wear that Akasha device.” Y/N laughed lightly. “One of the many.” he said, bringing her flush against his chest. “Or perhaps, one might say, I was trapped under the charming spell of a certain flower fairy.”
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fabricated-misslieness · 11 months ago
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ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: prince alhaitham x knight male reader
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ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: after spending some time with you, the prince finds himself wishing for things
ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 2.65k ~ PT.1 ~ PT.2
ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: sword training, classism, mention of war
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☾⋆☆⋆☽
This is a horrible place, Alhaitham thinks, but instead he says: "This is, well..." and it's not that much of an improvement.
The Crown Prince has never been to the servants' quarters, nor the kitchen, nor the knights' quarters or the troops' training grounds. He has never seen the thorough use of space, and has not experienced the smell of two dozen worked men sleeping in the same room.
Your old pallet-based bed has already been claimed by another soldier, but you know the position well and the new tenant doesn't have many memorabilia to show for his use of the space.
It is lucky that you have visited in the middle of the day while the knights are training, otherwise the Prince would've been nothing but drowned in the crowd of soldiers and their odor; odor so musky it still lingers.
He is vaguely aware of the wing reserved for war generals in the palace and wonders why you do not have one. "Should you not have had your own room?"
"They told me it was all occupied." You reply, to hide from him the truth. You know, from your sparse time in the castle as a war general and your now abundant time as the Prince's knight, that the castle has so many rooms, many are left unused.
Although of course, as the Prince, he knows this too. "Speak freely."
You answer immediately, "I am of low blood."
The Prince nods his head. This, he had expected. Among the many variables he had not, such as the foul odor of the room, something he was correct about pleases him. But, despite the burn in his nose, the rarity of being wrong and what's to come still excites him.
"I used to make polishing oil for my own armor, as well as my sword, and my own whetstone." You said, your hand gesturing to the small shelf above the head of the pallet. "But now the servants, and I suppose the King or Queen, supply me with those."
"Did you read about how to make one?" The Prince asked. It was as much a theory as a question.
"No." Is all you say. You can't just tell him you've never read a book in its entirety before, being read to not withstanding. "I have simply found walnuts work well, actually."
His eyebrows raise, "With trial and error?"
"Precisely." You smile.
He has tried, ever since the first day he had sat down to listen to you speak, to not let his judge of your character to fall into the stereotypes deeply ingrained in him.
That stereotype being that knights were nothing but brawn and battle prowess. They were not taught the word misslieness, for it was hardly necessary, but were taught the word hubris in order to not fall into it themselves. The same stereotype dictates that knights did not seek to expand their wisdom to tidbits of knowledge they did not require, much like nobles did not need to know what commoners did.
Trial and error for measly armor polish one could buy from the market on even a low blood knight's salary was certainly one of those tidbits of knowledge he thought you wouldn't care for.
He shakes the feeling off and listens to the rest of your words, choosing to focus on your explanations of how life was...and the finer smell of your plain armor polish, as opposed to the other odor he could smell.
The very same odor you either ignore or have grown used to. "The other boys snore," You smile fondly, "it is nothing like the sound of swords striking metal in aspects of harmony, but it is just as loud. The palace has been...respite, but hearing my old mate Rohan snoring is something I miss."
"And the bed?" He asks.
Respectful of the new tenant's space, you place your hand on the thin mattress and press down with minimal force. It creaks. "No."
He nods his head, a smile on his lips, despite the misery of smell. "Yes, I imagine a bed in the palace is a lot better."
Glee crinkles the corners of your eyes when you smile at him, "It is."
☾⋆☆⋆☽
Alhaitham is very happy to leave that dastardly room when you're done talking about how it used to be in there. You had talked so fondly about it: about how, even with the lack of space, you treated everyone in that room asa brother. The Prince had heard about it once before, from the less authoritarian, more cocky Knights of Favonius, that they were a brotherhood. He had hardly pictured it from the Sumeru knights who all behaved stiff as twigs around him.
The next stop is the troops' training grounds. On the way there, you explained some things to him. As a war general, you were also in charge of training your men. When your duty became to protect the Prince, the task was awarded to some of the lesser yet competent captains the other war generals often deferred to.
He's beginning to regret asking to follow your old routine, slightly, as one revolting place is replaced with another. He can hardly hear himself think when you step out into the field, beyond the sound of blades parrying other blades and men's shouts and groans.
As you maneuver through the crowd of sparring soldiers, they don't even realize that the Crown Prince is among their ranks.
They notice you first, the captains. "General!"
Their shouts of your name die out in the chaos blasting in his ears, but he stays his ground as he reaches the end of the worst of the men and watches as you continue forward to greet them.
You really are like brothers, bantering, fluffing up their hair and knocking on their speckled armor.
He knows war generals don't speak this way with their subordinates. He knows war generals don't even build bonds with them. He knows that, to them, it is all business: listen to me, plan this strategy with/for me, fight for me.
What is it that's��
"Your highness!" One captain shrieks, and suddenly swords clang and fall to the ground, either on their blunt side or tip first, digging up the Earth. Many men fall to their knees in an instant, more join them in the other.
There is a whole field of men kneeling to him, and Alhaitham turns up his nose with a snarl. "Stand." He says, his voice loud and stern. He cherished the silence leftover in the absence of metal, but he wishes even more for the attention to be off of him. "I thank you for your respect. Return to your duties."
The soldiers eventually stand, and after a reluctance quickly stepped over, they return to their training.
The three devoted generals remain on their knees as Alhaitham strides up to stand by your side, not in front.
"I said stand." Alhaitham repeats, his voice emotionless yet interpreted as angry by the generals.
The first that stands stiffens up like a thin tree in the wind, nervous. "Your highness," His head is bowed, "what do we–"
"Look at me when you speak, Captain."
The captain yelps. He yelps, unbecoming of a man of his stature, build, and rank. "Y-Yes." He says, his voice a pitch higher. When their eyes meet, he knows that the mere act of eye contact makes his pitch even higher when he speaks again, "To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence today, my prince?"
He dislikes the way he calls him his. "I only wish to observe. Carry on as usual. Do not work harder on my behalf."
Alhaitham begins to walk further towards the sidelines, somewhere he can spectate without obstacle as well as listen to his mind.
However, when you call out to him, he stops the both of you. "My prince–"
He does not stop you because you call him yours, but because he wishes for the company of his own solitude and a view of the soldiers as seen by a bystander. "Command them as you would have."
"Yes, your highness." You nod your head dutifully and turn back to your former men.
After the quick talk of "yes, I'm back" and ordering them to train their stances, standing in line and slicing the air almost mechanically, you're back to talking with your captains.
The slicing of the air is a lot more quiet than the clanging of swords, an acceptable replacement he will thank you for later, so now he can actually hear himself think; and also accidentally eavesdrop. The way he does not try to shift his focus away from your conversation waves off the "accidental" notion.
You don't notice him anyway; you are much more preoccupied with catching up with your captains. They are busier now, without a war general to guide them, and you have not seen them since you were appointed the Prince's protector.
"How is the life?" One captain asks you, a bright glint to his worn smile.
Boring, is what he expects you to say. "It's interesting."
"Just interesting?" Another gawks, jaw slack, and Alhaitham can't help but mirror the question in his head. "Tell us all about it! It cannot just be interesting."
"It is gilded, and gaudy. Do you recall General Ipsit's golden armor? It is like that, an unnecessary show of wealth; but all the luxury is actually welcome. The floors are carpeted when wood is just fine, and even the tiles have a design. I can see my reflection on them."
All three of them laugh, as if such an idea is absurd. The third captain, which seems to be quite young yet clearly strong, asks the next question, "Well, how's the food?"
"Like heaven." You chuckle, "The puddings are as fluffy as clouds and the breads crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The meats are spiced; dried or smoked or grilled, all so divine it is like eating wealth."
He's never heard you speak in such a way.
"How about your quarters?"
You sigh, eyes closed as though collapsed over your mattress that very instant. "The head of the bed is colored with gold, and the sheets are even lilac." A diluted purple, but the color of royalty and wealth nonetheless. "The mattress is soft, and it molds to my very body."
And by this way, it was with descriptors for such worthless things. When you speak to him, you are always objective. This marble reminds me of magma, this green is very bright, its whistle is not as sharp. This is all in benefit, of course, to him, and it is always the way servants speak to their masters.
"Man. How come you get this treatment?" The youngest captain speaks up again, clearly jealous.
"Oh, dear Nayak," You laugh. It sounds so lively. "you are not the one who slayed a dragon."
And he has never heard you speak so jokingly before.
Perhaps he is not deserving of this, he thinks as you continue to joke with your fellows. He does not deserve to have your humor nor your emotion, only your solemnity. In fact, it is not that he does not deserve it, but that it is the only way you should address him—the only way a knight should address his prince, with objectivity. It is an irrational...fear? Thought–just a thought, nothing more–and it should not be occupying his mind, much the same way that you are treating him as you should.
And yet...there is a yearning. No one has talked to him like this, not his peers at the Akademiya, not the scholars, not his servants, not the knights, not his lesser brothers.
That is why he wishes for this...inessential way of speech. Because it is new.
That is what he's been prodding for these days, he realizes. Not just your friendship, but the unceremonious exchanges as well. He doesn't want you to report to him, he wants you to speak to him.
Nobody's ever spoken to him. There is his father scolding, his mother doting, the servants reporting, scholars exchanging, guards courteously greeting, peasants showing their respect, and you answering his questions.
How does one fix this?
Fix? What is he thinking? This is exactly the way you should be speaking to him. But, oh, he wishes for casualty. Yes, that's it. Companionship, from the man who saved his life, it is only natural.
Now, how to do it?
☾⋆☆⋆☽
When the both of you are back at Alhaitham's personal library, where he spends his time of leisure, the Prince thinks he should collapse into a heap and hide himself. He had thought about the dilemma, and with increasing effort came increasing thoughts—overthinking. He takes you out for an outing, no, you'd be too guilty and grateful to be honest, same thing if he gave you a gift. Having friends, no, making a friend is hard.
And then the blistering heat of the midday sun ruptured his thoughts, and the clanging of swords took over his senses, and then the heat came to rupture that too.
He does collapse in a heap on the couch, albeit more gracefully than in the hypothetical scenario.
Perhaps still affected by the joy of nostalgia and seeing your old brotherhood again, you spark a conversation yourself, despite him not declaring open discussion. "What did you think?"
Alhaitham is glad he didn't have to declare it. "It was horrible." He admits, wiping his sweaty, warm forehead with his damp handkerchief. He grimaces.
You laugh; it sounds nice, better than swords, at least, "I too would think it a horrible place if I had an upbringing such as yours."
You mean it as sympathy, but it only makes the Prince feel privileged and lucky. "Yes...quite."
You sense it yourself, a moment later, of course you do. You're way better at intimately social matters and empathy than he is.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way." You bow your head, already back to the Knight Protector of the Crown Prince.
"It's quite alright." He places his hand over yours, the joints of the iron glove dig slightly into his skin, but he doesn't care for it.
You turn your hand, letting his hand rest over your smoother palm. It feels like turning a new leaf, physically.
"So, it was horrible," you look down, and he tracks your gaze down to your hands, "and..what else was it?"
He wracks his head, thinks about it. Normally he doesn't have to think for such a thing, but he is considering something else now: your feelings. "...admirable."
You burst out laughing at his timidness, and if it were anyone else, he would be offended.
Alhaitham scrambles for something to say, "I mean it!" His face is red, he's sure, "I can't believe you can live under such conditions–without something as necessary as privacy–and fight for our lands and protect our people."
"The knighthood takes recruits before they even reach the cusp of manhood, my prince." You explain to him, and he is grateful for it, "We grow used to it."
"It is not a good thing to grow accustomed to." He says, his voice quiet, small. He is not the Crown Prince here, he is just Haitham.
You speak up again, to ease his worries, "We bear it for the people, as you do, and will." He is so grateful for you.
He grasps your fingers with his own, and has half the mind to intertwine them. He does not. "Thank you, (y/n)."
"There is nothing to thank me for."
There is a lot to thank you for. He doesn't mention it, because you would only shut him down. So he sings your praises, instead, in his mind; and he speaks his wishes there too.
His mind has never been quiet, but for a moment, there is only you.
☾⋆☆⋆☽
ɴᴏᴛᴇ: im sorry folks i am a terribly busy man
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nogenderbee · 1 year ago
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Could I request Zhongli, Thoma, Ayato, and Al-Haitham, and Kaveh hearing their lover talking about how they want to spend an eternity with them?
Of course! Again oneshots to make the reactions different for all. But yeah I had lots of fun doing it so hope you like it too! <3
Zhongli, Thoma, Ayato, Alhaitham, Kaveh being told you want to spend an eternity with them
TagList: @bleachtheidiot
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You and Zhongli had your classic and well known date, which was simple and yet enjoyable, so called tea date! You always chatted or listened to your boyfriend's stories, and his voice was always able of calming you down~
"... and that's how it ended. I could tell you a bit about the events that happened in the meantime. Have I told you about those time or have I not mentioned them untill now?"
"I don't think you did."
You were admiring him at this point, he may've thought that it's because you payed attention to what he's talking about at first but now when it was just you responding, and you still looked at him with this dreamy gaze, he knew there was something going on.
"Is everything alright, dear?"
"Yes, I was only thinking about how much I want to spend eternity you~"
That catched him off guard but he only showed surprised expression. He was a bit flustered but he wasn't blushing. He just cleared his throat and decided to move in from there.
"Ehem, thank you. I dearly hope your wish can come true. I'd be really happy as well if it would."
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It was normal for you to visit Thoma when he was doing his job or was during his break. Maybe it was to help him or to simply spend time with him. Either way, he never really mind! In fact, he was more than happy to see your face and it always gave him the boost of motivation he needed.
Even now he was just finishing watering flowers at Kamieato Estate and yet he was also planning your date out loud.
"And after that little walk of ours, I thought of treating you to some sweet! Miss Ayaka gave me good place recommendation!"
You really found it quite impressive that he could do his work properly and think of you without a problem. Sure, Ayaka did helped him but that's still something! You couldn't help but let him somehow know how glad you are for him.
"That's perfect~ I really wish to spend eternity with no on else but you."
Boy's eyes went wide and shade of red quickly spread across his cheeks, as he became to stutter. He tries calming himself down but it seemed like it's of no use in front of you.
"A-Ah, thank you... you're... very kind... that's nothing new of course! I- My wish is the same, trust me dear."
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You and Ayato just had a little walk. It wasn't a date but more like simple hangout to make the bond between you stronger. You were simply holding hands and chatting, even tho comfortable silence also had it's place.
"that's why I think dates like that turn out the best for us. But I saw that you enjoy those too, isn't that right?"
"Yes. You know me so well!"
"I try my best. If we plan to spend future with each other, it's only reasonable."
"Mhm, I wish to spend eternity with you~"
These words really just slipped from your mouth but it looks like he didn't mind at all. In fact, he seemed somehow pleased by your answer as he had a little smile on his face.
"Those are bold words. But I do feel the same. As long as I can, I'll always choose you~ in any life."
Maybe he was so calm because he expected it? Or he felt the same towards you for a long time and just didn't knew how to say it? Or maybe it's the fact he comes from region of eternity? Many questions and yet so little answers. But it doesn't matter! After all both of you have those lovey dovey smiles on your faces~
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Quiet dates were common thing between you and Alhaitham. Even now he was reading a book as you were doing your own things, but he also held your hand with his free hand.
But you suddenly got an idea or maybe your mind just wandered somewhere... whether was it for the sake of making him at least a bit flustered or because you genuinely wanted him to know... lovely words left your mouth.
"You know, I really wish to spend eternity with no one other than you..."
"Thank you, I'm glad we both think the same. I can't wait to see what the future will be like for us."
He says it almost as if he expected it, as if it was already so obvious to him. But you know him and you made sure to look closely... when your said those words, is eyes went wide a bit and even now he has problems with focusing back on his book, he may even quickly look your way from time to time.
He was trying his best to hide how flustered that made him but you couldn't let go so simply! So of course you added few more words to tease him~ And as you do, a faint blush appears on his face.
"It seems like my words moved you a bit~"
"Only a bit. It's expected reaction when I hear my lover say such a thing."
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Kaveh and you were classically walking around while he was rambling to you about what kind of project he had in mind recently. He never liked to spend time with you in his house because of his roommate... long story short, you usually hangout outside.
But today, when you two were walking, you couldn't focus on what he's talking as you were lost in your thoughts.
"Hey! Earth to Y/N! What were you even daydreaming of?"
"Oh! Well... I was just thinking of how I wish we could spend eternity together..."
"What-!?"
You definitely made him blush, but he also liked the idea of spending so much time with you. He was simply a bit shocked to answer you instantly.
"Mhm, I thought of how it can look... you know, our house, our life... all of that."
He definitely needed some time to calm down so you stood silent for few seconds to let him do just that. And soon after, you finally received a reply from him!
"It sounds lovely~ I think I already have few ideas on aesthetic of our house. I'm sure you'll like it!"
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ivy-the-kraken · 1 year ago
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The Importance of "He lives rent free in each of our hearts"
No, I am not exaggerating when I am saying this joke has layers of subtext. What Cyno says in the Parade of Providence is not only a joke about the nature of Alhaitham in their friend group, but also a hint towards the evolution of Cyno and Alhaitham’s relationship. 
1- The Context
The first thing to note is the conversation that surrounds this joke. Previously, the conversation was:
Collei: That’s a good thing… It means you have integrity.
Kaveh: Thank you, oh my god, thank you… See, you get me Collei!
Kaveh: It’s a good thing Alhaitham isn’t here right now… He’d be quick to explain why you’re wrong.
Collei: Seems you always include him in the conversation, even when he isn’t here…
Tighnari: Yep. No dinner with Kaveh is complete without a few words about Alhaitham.
Now, the easy thing to latch onto is the fact that Kaveh apparently talks extensively about Alhaitham. However, let’s consider what else is said. Kaveh’s statement is certainly an insight into the nature of his and Alhaitham’s relationship- that being one of opposing forces, people who fundamentally do not mesh due to differences in experiences and worldview. 
Tighnari’s following statement is sarcastic, and is an obvious indication of the familiarity of this. Because of Kaveh and Alhaitham’s opposing natures, it is only natural that they clash. 
But how does this tie into what Cyno says? Well, Kaveh’s statement is antagonistic, meant to express his negative feelings towards Alhaitham by assuming that he’d say the worst about him. Tighnari’s is not positive either, but not exactly negative- simply, it’s exasperation towards the entire situation. However, what Cyno has to say is more positive, both that it’s a lighthearted joke, and that offers a glimpse at the much more friendly feelings that Cyno holds towards Alhaitham.
2- The Joke
Cyno: I sense that Alhaitham has in fact been here with us all along…
Kaveh: He’s here? Where!? Why didn’t you tell me?
Cyno: …He lives rent free in each of our hearts.
There’s a lot to unpack here. First to note, is that this is all too easy to brush off as a friendly joke. And on some level it is, which is in of itself, really telling. When Cyno and Alhaitham first fought in Aaru Village, neither… liked each other, let’s put it that way. But throughout the Sumeru Archon Quest, they clearly grew to respect one another’s characters and grew to form a partnership. The fact that Cyno can joke so easily about Alhaitham speaks to a major change in dynamic.
Now, the punchline. This is by far the most fascinating part to me. Saying someone or something “lives rent free in [your] head” is a common term on the internet now, and put in simplest terms, means you think about it a lot. But then, why heart? 
Well, the brain tends to symbolize rationality, thinking, and planning. If something lives rent free in your head, you think about it a lot. While the term is usually connected to a positive connotation, that what you are thinking of is something that makes you happy, it can easily dip into negativity. However, the heart is different. It tends to symbolize emotionality, love, and sometimes life. Cyno saying Alhaitham lives rent free in their hearts and not their heads creates deeper intimacy, making the statement very clearly personal. And tying back into the previous section, neither Kaveh nor Tighnari were expressing positive emotions about Alhaitham, making the statement seem out of place. But it makes much more sense when it is not taken as a mere joke; rather, it is an expression Cyno’s connection to Alhaitham. 
3- Conclusion
One final thing to note is that Alhaitham is not present when Cyno makes this joke. So, one, this could mean that this is an expression of emotionality that Cyno is comfortable making about Alhaitham, just not towards him, implying that he has come to terms with his feelings about Alhaitham but has not deciphered what Alhaitham feels about him. Two, the Traveler is unaware of their relationship, hence why the player doesn't pick up on anything, but everyone else is, and Cyno just wants to express that he loves his boyfriend very much.
In short, Cyno loves Alhaitham, even if no one else has anything good to say about him. 
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kaeyahiya · 2 years ago
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Hey there, I have a request please ! Any hcs for Alhaitham with a soft and sensitive s/o ? I'm a sucker for cold and tough person A x squishy beanie absolute cinnamon roll person B
I too am a sucker for that troupe and would be honored to write this
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SFW Alhaitham x Sweet and Caring Reader Headcanons (GN)
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Pairing: Alhaitham x (GN) Reader
Warnings: Fluff, Tsundere Alhaitham, mentions of an established relationship
Word count: 370
Authors note: This is cute. Idk I enjoy domestic bliss okay let me be happy, again no pronouns came up so I kept it GN, one of these days I'll write something gendered.... Regardless I hope the requester and all of you reading enjoy!
Reminder that my requests are currently open! Please send some my way if you'd like!
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When first getting into a relationship with Alhaitham it took you a while for the two of you to understand each other...
Emotionally the two of you were on different planets
You constantly constantly dote on Alhaitham, always telling him good morning and good night,
Welcoming him home,
(Which after two months he finally acknowledges with a grunt a win in your book)
and asking him if he's eaten yet!
Because he's been so busy being the Acting Grand Sage he definitely forgot and hasn't;
So you make him some food
Sometimes even bringing it to the House of Duma for him!
When you do that he'll ruffle your hair affectionately before heading back to his desk to eat whatever you prepared for him
Alhaitham has his own... interesting? ways of showing his affection for you
He's constantly protective over you in so many ways
A big one for him is he absolutely hates when you walk alone at night and constantly scolds you for doing so:
"I've told you time and time again. It's unsafe for you to be about late at night."
"You do it all the time though!"
"That's.... It's different. Please don't do it again."
Scolding you for doing silly things is common in your relationship
You could scrap your knee and this man will call you a moron while bandaging you up
Alhaitham reads a lot
We know this
You "pester him" while he reads
(in reality you are just checking on him and want to spend time with him)
After a while Alhaitham ends up reading to you about whatever is currently peaking his interest
While he does this you sometimes busy yourself with your own projects taking in
However most of the time you end up falling asleep on his shoulder
And yes he does end up carrying you to bed 💚
He will tuck you in and give you a sweet kiss on your forehead
But will never tell a soul because he would rather die than have you fuss about it
You definitely found out he does this but choose to keep your mouth shut
Because it's nice to have your tough boyfriend be sweet. It's your little secret too 💚💚💚
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Reminder my requests are open! Feel free to leave me one if you enjoyed!
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youreallyshouldtalkmore · 2 years ago
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Nosiness Isn’t a Virtue
A.N:  One-shot with the same artistReader as in the series Once upon a Time which can be found on my Genshin Impact MasterList.  
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“Huh, you’ve been going out in the evenings a lot here lately.” Kaveh remarked as he came out of his study, holding his mug, in time to see Alhaitham open the front door. 
“Seeing as I own this house, I can leave whenever I feel like and not report to you. Meanwhile, you, on the other hand, don’t ever have to report to me if you move out.” 
Kaveh just glowered at him, “I make one passing short remark, and you blow it up as usual.” 
“Then mind your business.” 
“I was until you got sassy with me! Now where have you been going these past couple of evenings?” Kaveh laughed suddenly, “Not like you’re going on a date, and you don’t do overtime. So what, Pupsa Cafe having an event I don’t know about?” 
Alhaitham just stared at Kaveh over his shoulder for a long moment. 
“What?” 
“If you must know, yes, you had it right the first time. I’m going on a date, with my girlfriend.” With that, he stepped out the door and shut it. 
Kaveh scoffed as he heard Alhaitham lock the door, “A date! Please. What self-respecting woman would date him? You don’t have to come up with such a common lie!” 
Kaveh went to step towards the kitchen before he paused. Wait, this is Alhaitham we were talking about here. He had no need to create a lie just to appease the masses. Equally, he could have just left it at ‘None of your business.’ Even more than that, he didn’t have to say anything, and just walked out. 
Kaveh’s eyes bugged as he slammed the mug he was holding onto a random surface and ran for the door.  He locked the door behind him before quickly looking around for Alhaitham. 
The only logical explanation for all of this was that the feeble scholar was in fact telling the truth!! 
He did have a date, with a young lady. The only reason he would mention it, would be that he expected Kaveh to treat it like a joke. 
“Has to be joke! Has to be!” Kaveh murmured, refusing to believe there was any truth to his words until he verified it with his own eyes, “There was just no way!” 
He was about three seconds to giving up as he twisted this way and that, when he finally spotted that that familiar green. He ducked out of sight and peered closely, rolling his eyes. 
Alhaitham was sitting on the bench by a tavern, reading. 
“So typical. He needs a life.” Kaveh muttered. 
Five minutes passed and Kaveh growled, “He really was lying! He is just reading!” 
The architect was ready to give up and leave when suddenly: 
“Hey, Alhaitham! Sorry I’m late!” 
Kaveh got whip lashed when he saw a young woman wave to Alhaitham as she approached him. Alhaitham stood, shutting the book and putting it away. 
Who was that young woman? Kaveh watched amazed as you smiled up at Alhaitham, who returned it ever so slightly. Wait, he needed to get closer! This had to be a carefully crafted prank! He tried his best to get closer without being seen. 
“Sorry about that! Meeting with my client ran overtime.” 
“Not a big deal. Not like it happens all the time. Did you want to go in to eat now or…?” 
“I’m not quite hungry. How about we walk around a little first?” 
“Agreed.” 
Kaveh’s mouth parted as he darted out of view. A shop owner gave him a weird look. Wait, Alhathiam was being considerate? Had the whole world gone mad? 
“How was your day, Acting Grand Master?” you teased. 
Alhaitham sighed, “I will be glad when they finally assigned a new Grand Master. I have to monitor the Inter-Darshan Championship next month. It’s mandatory, they said, as Acting Grand Master. Great, more work I do not need.” 
You giggled, “Well, when you are assigned back to Scribe, let me know and I’ll throw you a party.” 
“Please don’t.” 
“Come on, you know me. You know that just means I’ll cook a meal for us, and we’ll spend a quiet evening together, just the two of us.” 
Kaveh choked on air. Alhaitham actually had a young lady willing to cook for him? Just how long had he been hiding you? And how did Kaveh miss it all this time? 
Kaveh vibration of anger stalled when he saw Alhaitham give you a small smile.  
“That sounds agreeable.” the scholar replied. 
Kaveh choked on air and coughed as his eyes bugged, “It’s official, the world is ending…..” 
“Kaveh, what are you doing?” 
Kaveh jumped a foot in the air and whirled around to see Cyno looking at him reproachfully. Just then you looked up to see Cyno and waved. Alhaitham turned to see who you were waving too and rolled his eyes at who he found. You frowned at him. Did he know that blonde haired man? Or was he rolling his eyes at Cyno? 
You trailed down towards Cyno, “Hey, Cyno, you aren’t on the clock, are you?” 
Cyno folded his arms, “I just got off, on my way home, and found this miscreant disrupting public order.” 
Alhaitham folded his arms, “Book him, then.”  
You frowned up at Alhaitham in confusion. He wasn’t generally this hostile towards people. 
“Stop acting like you two don’t know me!” Kaveh pouted, “Anyway…” He smiled at you, “My name is Kaveh. And you are?” 
“I’m Y/N L/N, nice to meet you. Are you all friends?”
“No!” both Cyno and Alhaitham stated. 
“Yes!” Kaveh said at the same time. 
You blinked. Did you accidentally get into a situation? 
Alhaitham sighed, “Y/N, Kaveh isn’t really worth noting, but he’s my roommate.” 
Kaveh looked shocked that Alhaitham admitted it to a newbie so suddenly. But then again, this was the man who brought home the Traveler one day randomly. He hissed at him, “That is supposed to be a secret.” He looked around furtively hoping no one heard that. 
Your eyes lit with recognition, “Ahh, so you're that infamous roommate.” 
Kaveh felt a bead of sweat go down his back. Exactly what has Alhaitham been telling you? He needed to turn his impression of him around, and fast. 
Cyno’s eyes narrowed, “That doesn’t explain why you were stalking them.” 
“I wasn’t…stalking!” 
“You were following us because you were nosy, I take it.” Alhaitham interjected. 
“I wasn’t…I was….wait, you could tell?” 
“So you admit it!” Cyno asked. 
“No!” Kaveh cried before looking at Alhaitham, “How did you know?” 
“There is nothing about you that is subtle.” 
Kaveh glanced nervously towards you, who had a small smirk on your face. Why was this rather amusing, and you had just met him? You glance at Alhaitham to see he looked annoyed, but then again he looked that way 99% of the time. 
“I believe I can explain this.” Alhaitham turned to Cyno, “See, I told him, I had a date with my girlfriend, and he didn’t believe me.” 
Cyno’s eyes took on a look of understanding, “I see.”
“Wait, why aren’t you surprised? This is Alhaitham, we are talking bout here.”
But Kaveh got distracted by your head snapping up toward Alhaitham with wide eyes. Why did you seem so shocked? Wait, did you even know about this development?  
“G-g-girlfriend?” you stuttered. 
Alhaitham looked down at you, “Yes, girlfriend. I didn’t stutter.” 
Kaveh watched in awe as you slowly ducked your head, a smile spreading on your face. 
Alhaitham cocked his head, “Is that alright?”
You nodded, twittering on your feet, “Yes, it’s fine.” 
Cyno spoke, “Kaveh, this isn’t news. I already knew they were dating.” 
Kaveh gaped at Cyno before looking at you and Alhaitham, “How?” 
“Y/N knows Tighnari and Collei. They told me she was dating Alhaitham.” 
“So I’m the last one to find out?!” 
Alhaitham snorted, “I wasn’t aware that I had to keep you updated on my love life!”
“You are incapable of having a love life!” snapped Kaveh. 
You bristled at that, raising your head to glare at the architect, “Why?” 
Kaveh realize what he implied and backtracked, “I’m sure you are a lovely lady, Y/N. But this is Alhaitham, he’s not exactly sociable. He’s snappish and keeps to himself.” 
“He likes to mind his own business and have a meaningful use of his time. So do I. Point?” You returned. 
You returned it so quickly, Kaveh was at a lost for words. He looked at Cyno. 
“I’m not in this conversation. Since it seems you aren’t currently disrupting the public order, I’ll let it slid and be on my way. Don’t cause any more trouble, Kaveh.” Cyno stated before exchanging goodbyes with you and walking off. 
There was an awkward pause, where Kaveh turned back towards you and Alhaitham all the while sneaking peaks at you.  
Finally you raised an eyebrow, “Do we have a problem, or something? 
“No! No! Definitely not! It’s just…interesting.” Kaveh stated, “Let me get this straight: You actually like this lug?” 
You glanced up at Alhaitham before dipping your head, “Yes, I do.” 
Kaveh looked between the two of you as if he could not believe it. Alhaitham had an impeccable mask as he just stared drolly at Kaveh, “This foolishness has made me hungry. How about you Y/N?”
You nodded. You didn’t get very far on your walk but with all the commotion, you found yourself to be hungry now. 
Alhathaim gave a strong nod before glaring at Kaveh, “Then we will be on our way.” 
Kaveh glared, “I want to get to know this saint of a woman.” 
You busted out laughing, “Saint of a woman? How’d you figure that?”  
“Saint of a woman. Any woman who willingly puts up with whatever this is….” He gestured to Alhaitham, “...has to be a truly incredible woman and I want to get to know her.” 
Alhaitham snorted, “Well, it won’t be tonight and beside we are going to a restaurant. Where they pay with mora. Mora you don’t have.” 
Kaveh glared harshly at Alhaitham and would have said something if not for your laugh, “Yes, we really must be going so perhaps another time we can chat.” 
Kaveh gave a stunning smile, “I shall hold you to that, my lady!” 
“Please don’t.” sighed Alhaitham, “I don’t want to suffer him any more than I already do.” 
“You don’t have to be there.” 
“Like I’d leave you alone with her.” 
“Why? Afraid, she’ll wake up and find there is better out there.” 
“No problem with that. Better has mora, you don’t.” 
“Must you bring that up time and time again?” 
“You keep living in my house. You have a debt to me now, a mile long now. Yes, I’m keeping track of it. You literally have no mora and if you do, I ask, why are you still at my house? 
“Pipe down! I don’t want anyone else to know and I’m working on it!” 
“When?” 
“I was working when you left!” 
“Then why are you here? You got distracted didn’t you? Curiosity became so great that you let it override the time you need to try to collect some mora. Nosiness is not a virtue, you know.” 
By now you were laughing so hard you had to lean into Alhaitham to try not to make a fool of yourself. You buried your face in his arm as you stifled your laughter. This distracted Kaveh as he watched in awe once more. He was really anxious to figure out where your head was at. 
You finally lifted your face and looked at between two of them, mirth still lurking, “Is it always like this?” 
“Every single day.” Alhaitham sighed. 
“I try, just so you know.” Kaveh told you, “I try to be the bigger person but no, he doesn’t let you!” 
You gave a lopsided grin, “To be fair, this could have been avoided if you hadn’t followed us. Sounds kind of nosy if you ask me.” 
Kaveh’s mouth dropped and Alhaitham smirked at this.  Were you more like this feeble scholar than he thought? Was that why you liked him? 
“Close your mouth and go back, Kaveh. Stop disrupting public order. I’m not wasting anymore of our date time on you!” Alhaitham stated before tapping you on the arm. 
“I’ll see you around, Kaveh!” You stated as you walked ahead and around Kaveh. 
Kaveh finally breathed, “I swore the world just shifted and bounce. I felt it!” 
With a shake of his head he walked back to Alhaitham’s house. When he turned on the doorknob he ‘ahhed’, and reach for his key….
…that he didn’t have. 
Kaveh resisted the urge to scream, “Wait!! Alhaitham took both keys again and I locked the door!!” 
Meanwhile, after your dinner, Alhaitham pulled out his pouch of mora to pay when a key fell out. You picked it up and after he was doing situating the bill, you handed it to him. 
Looking at it he grimace, “I suppose I took both key sets again.” 
“Both?” 
Alhaitham pulled out his own key set, making you laugh, “Even your subconscious wants him out of the house.” 
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vivalabunbun · 1 year ago
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This is about your recent work that had touched my heart to the core. As someone who has been married for over 6 years now, I felt every situation you have expressed in the story similar to the events of my life.
I and my husband got into a marriage due to our parents being close friends. It was an arranged marriage with no love or idea about each other's personality. As for me, I was always skeptical about romance and relationships as they sounded absurd to me at one point of life. I even doubted how long would my marriage with him last for but thankfully for the first few years we respected our spaces.
Just like Alhaitham had tried various ways to express his feelings through gifts (by the suggestion of his friends ofc), my husband had also tried buying gifts but unfortunately he had less clue about my preferences. In short, he sucked at communication, which did make me smile a little as I read your work.
Love necessarily doesn't come just from gifts or sweet words but every gesture can be accounted to the bond. It doesn't have to be voiced out and can even be formed from common interests. Let's say I've been quite enthusiastic about games and books, which my husband happens to enjoy as well. We literally saved a falling apart marriage just from voicing out our common interests, so here's me hoping the same goes for Y/n and Alhaitham.
Just like how they discussed a little at the dinner table, I wish they continue to talk and bond over the little common things they had. Even in silence as they do the household chores, I hope they do it comfortably, knowing they have each other to help and get the work done. After all marriage is not always about being lovey-dovey, but also to show an actual teamwork and effort!!
Another wonderful story by Viva! (p.s English is not my first language, I apologize for any mistakes)
Thank you so much for telling me how my works have revoked such personal experiences, it’s always a goal of mine to want each work to resonate deeply with the reader at times. 🥹🥹
Alhaitham and wifey are getting through this rough patch together 🙏 they’re young and still learning.
Your English is perfect don’t worry 💕✨
Since you shared a piece of yourself I feel I should too, i write a lot of slow burns bc… I write them to learn more about love.
It might come across as a shocker but I’m actually very very unromantic, even in past relationships it was always a criticism of my character. However, even if I’m unromantic I can still love no?
Communication. Quality time. Respect. These are also key aspects of love, and the ones I personally enjoy most.
I feel that’s why I’m so attracted to characters with similar personalities/ vibe as me, and in the soulmate au, I wanted to explore it.
I’m not the biggest believer in opposites attract, for personally, I’d like to find the person who’s fingers fit into the gaps of mine. The other half who has my missing extra limbs and face all those years ago perhaps.
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s-b-party · 2 years ago
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Vultur Volans: Alhaitham and the Flying Vulture
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****Possible spoilers ahead!!! (TW: there is one pic of a vulture covered in blood)
Our “feeble scholar”, Alhaitham, is someone who prefers to be away from the eyes of others not because he cares about how others perceive him but because he would prefer to not interact with others (that’s so relatable😭)
Volans means flying/soaring & Vultur is a generic translation for vultures, but not many vultures today have it as part of their scientific name; the reason for this is bc the word vulture is used to refer to a group of raptors that look similar & share a common trait: they feed on carrion
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So why is his constellation the vulture, a creature that tends to stand out in the skies or whenever it’s feeding, when he himself is often hard to find?
Normally the first thing we think of when we think of a vulture is “a bird of prey that is an intimidating scavenger,” but there is a lot more to it than just how we perceive it (TW: blood on vulture in 2nd photo)
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Vultures are intelligent creatures & can be quite wholesome when we look at the way they look after their own family
Like other birds, they will digest food first to regurgitate back into their chicks’ mouths so that their offspring can get the nutrition they need; interestingly, this includes bones which are an important source of calcium (listen, I think they’re wholesome even with this regurgitating behavior, you can’t change my mind 😂)
They are usually social animals that live in groups although few may choose to be solitary
Now that I’ve gotten the wholesome agenda out, let’s look at the symbolism associated with vultures; although they are usually associated with death, there are a LOT of meanings attached to vultures, both positive & negative, so I’m going to focus on the ones that I think can be strongly connected to Alhaitham & his lore: motherhood & intelligence
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Intelligence is the easiest out of the two to see in his lore, but motherhood is probably the last thing you would think of as a concept present in Alhaitham’s lore at first glance, but I think we should take a closer look at his childhood & how he was raised since it would eventually lead to him becoming the person he is today (motherhood is present essentially in the entirety of his Character Story 5)
He had a grandmother who raised him after the death of his parents. His grandmother had essentially become the mother figure in his life who clearly loved him & understood him. She knew that Alhaitham was incredibly smart even for a child, reading difficult works at the age of seven
She opted to have him start school early, but when he came back telling her that everybody was boring & that he preferred reading books over listening to others lecture, she agreed to let him be self-taught rather than forcing him to attend school
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This reminds me of those situations where students sometimes become depressed because they’re not getting the intellectual stimulation needed when they are forced to learn at the same pace as those who are struggling to understand or are new to learning the topics (it might not be the same exact situation but it could speak to him not enjoying his time at school)
Some might wonder “Wouldn’t his self-taught education have negatively affected his social skills since he most likely saw others at the Akademiya boring and thus avoided interacting with them?”
The thing is when it comes to his social skills, there are a number of factors to consider: he knows that everybody has different strengths & weaknesses in various aspects (intelligence, work capability, judgement, etc.) & he knows that he is very different from them, so he already understands that his interactions w/ “ordinary” people are not going to be quite fulfilling; we have to keep in mind that he was VERY young (7 years old) when he was reading about topics that probably many children wouldn’t have understood at that point
I think it goes back to the idea of needing proper intellectual stimulation so that could explain why he called those people “boring” & why he didn’t really vibe with the lectures from that day
We know that he avoids interacting with others, it’s not that he’s incapable, it’s because he doesn’t think such interactions are quite necessary; if it is necessary for him to interact w/ somebody (like in the archon quest w/ the traveler), then yes, he will make an appearance & interact, but otherwise, you’re not going to have much luck w/ him
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A subtle factor to consider that could further explain his attitude towards socializing with others is the environment of Sumeru itself when the Akasha was still running
Up until the point when the Akasha was shut down by Nahida, many of the citizens took everything that the Akasha ever told them to be factual without ever questioning it, but Alhaitham merely saw it as another source of information that he didn’t completely rely on
For him, it probably felt like being in a nation full of sheep (the mob mentality was probably strong); if he’s interacting with someone who’s just going to regurgitate what a machine tells them, he might as well just be using his own Akasha; chances are he frequently encountered people who simply placed their trust in the Akasha rather than question it
There’s also the fact that knowledge in Sumeru is highly prized & those who show evidence of being geniuses or prodigies are usually shown with much respect (qualifying people based on intelligence is what divides the citizens of Sumeru to the extent of a hierarchy; it’s the reason why there is an obvious divide mainly between scholars & the desert people even though the latter for a long time didn’t have access/had limited access to resources that scholars had within the city so it’s an unfair assessment of the desert people to begin with); Alhaitham is someone who doesn’t like extravagance/over-the-top treatment, which we can see in how his position is something that is glorified/hyped up by others
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In other words, he doesn’t like people making a big deal out of matters or stalling around when it comes to conversing
Alhaitham’s grandmother taught him to not take his intelligence & uniqueness for granted; bc his intelligence is so high, she believed that it was his responsibility to always stay clear-minded & objective
As a result, Alhaitham doesn’t care about being exalted as a genius or looked down upon as a loner by others in Sumeru; he just looks at everything as it is without overly praising/criticizing something/someone
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You can tell it’s a trait he values, he’s even smiling as he mentions it being one of his strengths
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Understandably, there are going to be people who don’t like him after talking to him because their feelings WILL be hurt not only because he’s straightforward with his words but also because not everybody will react well to being exposed/being told they’re wrong/questioned, etc.
Obviously Alhaitham isn’t trying to be mean unless he’s intentionally trying to bait you, then that’s another story, but he will & does acknowledge both a person’s weaknesses & strengths (a lot of people will find his bluntness to be a negative quality, but at least nobody will ever have to worry about him dancing around in a conversation with rhetoric)
In the end, Alhaitham seems to be happy living a life where he doesn’t have to interact with others a lot; his grandmother wanted him to have a peaceful life too so it seems to be a win-win situation for Alhaitham honestly considering that he gets paid well as a scribe & he is living comfortably
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What’s interesting is that society even in our world views being a loner as a negative trait because it implies that you don’t know how to interact with people & there seems to be a requirement(?) to be able to interact with others because that’s just how it is (for any occasion regardless of whether it’s personal or business)
As I’ve said before, it’s not that Alhaitham doesn’t know how to socialize, he chooses not to if he can help it whereas others are just not comfortable doing so
Now the reason why I talked so much about his social skills is because part of it is how he was raised not just in Sumeru but also by his only family, his grandmother who essentially became his mother figure, going back to the concept of motherhood being present in his lore
Based on how he is in the present, I would argue that he was raised well in spite of his bluntness; his grandmother loved him & wanted him to be happy; it sounds like she didn’t force him into anything that he didn’t want to do (like going to school), she taught him to never take his intelligence for granted & to always remain objective; by letting Alhaitham be self-taught, she helped him to nurture his critical thinking skills & his ability to question others
We don’t know exactly if she ever brought up the topic of being blunt to Alhaitham, but if she did, it didn’t really seem like she saw a problem with it, at least not enough for him to change his ways from a young age
It’s interesting seeing such a character and knowing that his family loved him; honestly when we first met him in the archon quest, I wasn’t expecting to hear about him having a grandmother who took care of him; it’s wholesome, maybe not as wholesome as some other things in the game but it’s still a bit wholesome 😊
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