The Smell of Old Books and Blood

Chapter 10: One Life for the World

"I thought vampires can't get sick?"

It seemed like they wouldn't be able to get much work done today. How disappointing. They were almost done with their project and Alhaitham really just wanted to get it over today. But it seems things would be going differently today. He showed up at Kaveh's dorm only about ten minutes ago, knocking at the door and not getting a response. He knocked again before texting Kaveh, asking where he was. They planned to meet at a certain time. Was he just flaking out? Right before he was about to leave from annoyance, Tighnari opened the door, letting him in. It didn't take long for Alhaitham to hear the vomiting coming from Kaveh's bathroom.

"They can't," Tighnari responded, looking over at Cyno who was laying on the couch, "He's not sick... he's just... look- Kaveh very rarely throws up, but when he does, there's two reasons. He's either forgetting to eat, or... he has anxiety." Anxiety?

"Kaveh has a big assignment due tomorrow that he has to finish," Cyno turned around on the couch, looking back at Alhaitham and Tighnari. Those two were always covered in so many hickeys. Were they not embarrassed? Granted, Alhaitham always felt the need and desire to mark up Kaveh. But he'd do it in places where people wouldn't be able to see. "He was falling behind in his classes and one of his professors pretty much gave him this ultimatum. Finish and do well in this really big packet, or get sent home and try again in another decade."

"Is that legal?" Alhaitham asked with a cocked eyebrow. That was definitely against some kind of rule.

"Extremely," Tighnari confirmed, "But we don't technically exist from a legal standpoint. So what is there to do about it? And Dr. Pantalone is friends with our mother, who pretty much gave him permission to do things like this in the fall. Love mother to death, but she is very concerned about us and doesn't quite think Kaveh is mature enough to be on his own yet."

With a nod and then scratch of his chin, Alhaitham then asked, "And why is no one helping him right now? He sounds really..." gross, "bad." He would've expected at least one of them to be holding his hair back for him or something.

Tighnari frowned, looking down at his feet as he twiddled his thumbs, "Kaveh won't let us. He doesn't really say this, but he doesn't want to make anyone uncomfortable when he gets like this. He thinks he's gross because... well... Vampires only consume blood. Meaning that the only thing he's throwing up is well..."

"Blood and bile?" Alhaitham finished off, to which Tighnari nodded, "So what you're saying is that Kaveh is in the bathroom right now, vomiting up this weeks meal, all alone, just because he thinks he's gross?" Alhaitham didn't even wait for a response before heading to the small kitchenette, opening the fridge without any permission and grabbing one of those little juice boxes he always sees Kaveh grabbing. Once discerning it was the correct one, he made his way to the bathroom, hearing the retching start back up again. Alhaitham didn't knock, he just opened the door, letting himself in.

Kaveh was busy coughing up the last of what had come up when he looked over at Alhaitham, holding his hand out as if to obstruct the human's vision, "Alhaitham! Get out!" Kaveh's voice was strained as very obviously tried to yell at him and failed.

Alhaitham ignored him, sitting down next to him with the box in hand, "When your stomach settles, drink some of this. You're gonna end up starving to death with how much you're throwing up."

"I can't starve to death, idiot," he muttered, "Just get out. I don't want you to see me like this." A small groan left Kaveh's lips and he hunched over the toilet as he started throwing up again. Yeah, that was definitely blood and bile. Not something he wanted to see, but would suck it up for now. Alhaitham just sat there, rubbing Kaveh's back as his nausea passed again.