The Vulture and the Paradisaea (Alhaitham x Kaveh)

S1 C5 - Staying Home

Kaveh yawned and rubbed his eyes. The sun was shining. He got dressed, although every time he touched a part of his body, he shivered and remembered about Karim. Then he recalled what had happened yesterday. He peeked out of his room and shouted, "Alhaitham? Are you there?" There was no response. He walked into Alhaitham's room and saw a handwritten note. To Kaveh - I have a couple of things to do, so I decided to head out. Remember what I said yesterday. Don't push yourself, which means don't work on any projects. I will find out if you do, you you can bet that I'm going to chain you to the house once I find out. You need to relax. I might not see you today, since I'm really busy, so I'll see you tomorrow. Kaveh couldn't hold back his smile. It had been so long since Alhaitham had acted like this. It was a nice change, although he knew it wouldn't last.

Kaveh walked into the kitchen and fixed himself some breakfast. As he walked back to his room, he started wondering, why is Alhaitham so complicated? He would treat Kaveh like shit when he was doing fine, when Kaveh was hurting, he would act all nice and sweet. It was super annoying. One of the reasons I should move out of here. It wasn't that he hated Alhaitham, they were good friends. Well, kind of, used to be. It was just hard living with someone who was extremely hard to get along with. Besides, living with someone else is embarrassing. There were only two reasons you would be living with someone else if you're both adults. One, you're a couple, two, you are broke. Kaveh didn't want to be known as either of those options. After all, him dating Alhaitham? That's so bizarre to think about.

Well, what do I do now? He usually didn't stay home, since Alhaitham almost always took both keys. He could sketch up a couple of designs. Sketching out buildings helped him design actual ones late. He also could use Mehrak, but his robot obviously needed a break after last night, and Kaveh hadn't sketched in a while, so it would be nice to do it again. He headed toward his room, took out a couple of blank papers and started sketching.

After sketching out a few houses and stadiums, he looked around his room and thought, I should probably redecorate the house. He had always complained about where things had been placed, but Alhaitham never paid heed, so he might as well make a few changes since Alhaitham wasn't here. It took him only a few minutes to redecorate his room. Most things in there were already in place. He conquered the kitchen and living room after that. He smiled as he looked at the rooms he had redecorated. I hope Alhaitham doesn't complain. He then looked toward Alhaitham's room. He never lets me in there... he grinned. It wouldn't take him long to take a quick look around Alhaitham's room. He took a quick peek inside.

He didn't know what he expected, but he was a bit disappointed. No messes, a desk pushed to the side of the room and a bed just beside it. Rather plain for a room for the future Grand Sage or something like that. Although Alhaitham seemed to be telling the truth, Kaveh wouldn't believe it til he saw it. This room is basic as fuck. Well, what did I expect, it's Alhaitham's room. He opened up the closet. He expected to find nothing in it, because Alhaitam seemed to always wear the same outfit. He was surprised to find a few outfits. One of them stood out among the rest. The Akademiya's uniform. He had forgotten where his uniform was. Either lost or sold. He felt a tinge of melancholy. He really wanted to put it on. Well, Alhaitham isn't here, and his size is the same as mine... it's only difference is the Darshan pin. He slipped on the outfit and put on the little cap. He then fought a mirror in the nearest bathroom.

He smiled. It was like seeing an old friend. He looked as wonderful as ever. He spun around, unable to stop himself. He hadn't felt so happy, so carefree, in a long time. His heart sighed. If only he could have remained a child and had no worries. It went downhill after his dad had died in the desert. His mom had remarried, and he felt so bad. He had killed her husband. If he hadn't suggested that his dad would participate in that tournament, his dad would have lived. They would have still been happy. It was all his fault.

A tear fell down Kaveh's cheek, and he looked at himself stunned in the mirror. He looked so vulnerable, so sad. He looked defeated. The worst part about it was that the expression he made made him seem like he was resigned to it. Startled, Kaveh quickly wiped off his tears and took off the uniform. He put it in Alhaitham's closet and slammed it shut. His hands trembled. Stupid, you should have known it would make you sad. Thinking of the past always did. He walked out of Alhaitham's room and walked into the living room. As he looked on the shelves filled with unfinished books, he thought, Well, since there is nothing else good to do... He started to read some of the books on the shelves, and read as many as he could until the end of the day.