· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·
PAST
An eleven-year-old Alhaitham runs into your bedroom and shuts the door behind him. "Y/N, I need you to help me hide." Your (E/C) eyes meet his.
"What did you do?" you ask, worry evident in your voice. A small smile makes its way to his face.
"I put hair dye in Kaveh's shampoo." Your eyes widened in shock.
"What?" you ask. "Oh no, my parents are going to kill you."
"No they're not. I asked them if I could do it."
"And they said yes?!" He nods his head.
"It took a bit of convincing, but it's only temporary dye," your gray-haired friend says. "It's gone after a few washes." You roll your eyes.
"I'd love to help you, Haitham, but I already told you two I don't want to pick sides in another silly prank war."
"It's not picking a side, it's just a small favor."
"ALHAITHAM!" your brother screams.
Alhaitham looks at you with pleading eyes. As much as you didn't want to help, you knew your brother would come breaking down your door soon, and you couldn't say no to one of your best friends.
"You can either hide in my closet or under my bed," you sigh. "Just be quiet when he storms in."
"Thank you."
He quickly opens your closet then closes it once again. You sit on your bed, reading a book. After a few minutes a loud knock is heard on your door.
"Come in," you call. A fuming Kaveh enters your room. You look up from your book, eyes traveling to his hair. His once blonde locks are now a teal color.
"Where is he, Y/N?" he asks, anger lacing his voice.
You shrug. "I don't know." Kaveh looks around your room. He goes on all fours to check under your bed.
"Are you sure you didn't see him around?" he asks as he stands up again. Your brother's ruby eyes fly to your closet.
"I already told you I don't want to be a part of this stupid prank war," you say, trying to remain calm.
"It's not stupid," he replies as he opens your closet door.
You brace for the worst, but to your surprise, Alhaitham was nowhere to be seen. You release a breath you didn't know you were holding.
"Are you done, yet?" you ask impatiently, trying to recover from the shock. "I already said he's not here, Kaveh." Your brother sighs.
"Sorry," your brother says. "But if you see him, tell him I will get him back for this. This dye better come out in the shower," he grumbles.
You watch as Kaveh leaves your room. You wait a few minutes before opening your closet door.
"Alhaitham?" you whisper.
"Up here," he says. You look up, trying to find the source of the sound. You spot his familiar silver hair on top of a high shelf.
"How did you get up there?"
"You had a box in your closet, so I used that to boost me up," he responds as he climbs down.
"You better get out of here, he's fuming."
Alhaitham chuckles. "Thank you, again Y/N," he says before hugging you.
Out of shock, you stay frozen. Alhaitham hardly hugs anyone these days. In fact, this is the happiest you've seen him in a while, so you mirror his actions, wrapping your arms around him.
· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·
PRESENT
After the first few days of class, you felt you could confidently say you've become well adjusted to college life. Though you were a morning person, you were grateful for scheduling many of your classes in the afternoon as you knew you'd be pulling all-nighters later in the semester.
It was currently midday, and you finished attending your last class for the week. Despite the amount of homework you had, you were looking forward to the weekend. Every year, Teyvat University holds the Regions Fair for students as a fun and engaging way to learn about each of the seven regions, and you and your friends were planning to go. Since you weren't meeting up until later in the evening, you decided to go back to your dorm to do some homework.
On your walk back, you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket, and you quickly pull it out.
"Hello?" you ask after accepting the phone call.
"Y/N," you hear Alhaitham say. "Can I ask you for a favor?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"Are you in your dorm?" he asks.
"I'm on my way there right now." you respond. "Haitham," you used his childhood nickname. "What did you do?" you feel your pace quicken.
"Nothing too bad, but can I stay in your dorm for a few hours? Kaveh is working on some big project and I don't want to be there. He's usually loud and has his stuff scattered in the living room. It's difficult to focus when he does that."
"Alright. I'll be there in a few minutes to let you in," you say as you open the door to your dorm building.
You quicken your pace as you head to the elevator. After it stops on your floor, you walk down a long hallway. A familiar gray-haired man stands outside your door. You fish your keys out of your bag, letting the two of you in your dorm.
"It's only the second week of the semester, how does Kaveh already have a project?" you ask. Alhaitham shrugs.
"I don't know why his professor did that, but I do know I don't want to be there." You gesture towards the kitchen and dining area of your dorm.
"Make yourself at home," you tell him with a smile.
You make a beeline for the kitchen, putting your backpack near the small dining table. Alhaitham takes a seat at the table, pulling out a book and laptop from his book bag. After you make yourself a snack, you sit across from Alhaitham and work on your homework.
Every now and then, you'd sneak a glance at him, noting how his brows furrowed when he was in deep thought and the way he gently turned the pages of his book. You felt a smile find its way to your face when you saw Alhaitham's eyes light up as he excitedly tapped the keys of his laptop. His viridescent orbs meet yours.
"Y/N is everything alright? Is there something on my face?" he asks. Your eyes widened, embarrassed to have been caught staring at your friend.
"Everything's fine. I was just lost in thought," you say, trying to fight the blush threatening to dust your cheeks. "Oh, I forgot to tell you earlier, but Ayaka and I have plans later tonight," you mention.
"Is it the Regions Fair?" Alhaitham questions. You nod your head in response.
"Do you wanna come with us? We're planning to meet up with Collei, Nilou, and their roommates. Ayaka invited some of her friends, too, but they said they'll meet us there," you say.
"I know you don't like social events that much, but I thought it would be fun," you quickly add.
Alhaitham looks into your (E/C) eyes, full of excitement and joy. He lets out a content sigh, knowing he can't say no to you.
"I'd be happy to come. Besides, I'll make Kaveh wait to get these back," he says as he holds up a set of keys, you squint your eyes, recognizing the lion keychain.
"Kaveh's keys?" you ask.
Alhaitham smirks. "Kaveh's keys," he replies.
"You do know he will be barging through my door, right?" you sigh.
"That's precisely why I'm avoiding him. Plus, if we go to the Regions Fair together, he'd have a harder time finding us," he says with a gentle smile. Not knowing how else to react, you return his smile and go back to your homework.
A few hours pass and you, Ayaka, and Alhaitham leave the building, and you spot Nilou, Collei, and two unfamiliar faces waiting outside.
"Y/N! Alhaitham!" Nilou calls. "Guys, meet my roommate! This is Mona." You smile at her.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Y/N."
"I'm Alhaitham," your friend says. A brunette girl standing next to Collei smiles at you and Alhaitham.
"I'm Amber!" the brunette chirps excitedly. You introduce Ayaka to your friends and set off for the fair.
"So, you're all from Sumeru?" Amber questions.
"I'm from Inazuma," your roommate says.
"Amber and I grew up together in Mondstadt, but I've always wanted to travel. Is Inazuma as beautiful as the pictures online?" Mona asks. Ayaka smiles.
"It's even better."
Alhaitham observes his friends and their roommates conversing with each other without a care in the world, and before they know it, they arrive at the Regions Fair. The once empty grass lot behind Teyvat University was brightly lit and decorated with fair games and regional food booths.
"I want to go to the Liyue booth!" you exclaim in awe.
You instinctively grab Alhaitham's hand, leading him away from your friends and through the crowd of students. At first, he was surprised at your sudden action but felt himself smile. Once you got to the booth, you realized you were holding his hand the entire time. Embarrassed, you quickly let go.
"Sorry about that," you say sheepishly.
"It's alright," he replies. "I didn't mind."
"Well, would you like anything to eat?" you ask.
"No, thank you," he responds. You shrug and happily order food.
He notes how your face lights up as you enjoy the dish. A gentle smile settled on his features. You were unaware of how much joy and comfort your childlike excitement brought him.
"Is there anywhere else you'd like to go?" Alhaitham asks once you're finished with the food.
"Nowhere else in particular. Would you like to just walk around?" you suggest.
Your gray-haired friend nods. "Alright, let's go." He holds his hand out to you, expecting you to take it, but you only look up at him in confusion. "So we don't lose each other in the crowd."
"Alright," you say as you slip your hand into his, oblivious to the red hue on his ears as you lean close to him.
The two of you wander the makeshift fairgrounds, stopping only to play games or try food from other booths.
Unbeknownst to you and Alhaitham, a certain blue-haired man was curiously watching this interaction. He knew Alhaitham isn't the type to grow attached to someone in such a short period of time, and even if he was attached, he wouldn't let himself show it. So, when you and Alhaitham were nearing his booth with hands intertwined, he knew he had to ask about it.
"Hey, Alhaitham," he called. Alhaitham's viridian hues met baby blues.
"Kaeya," he greets.
"Hope you had a good summer," he says to Alhaitham.
"Thank you, I did. I worked at a research library in Sumeru." Kaeya nods while listening to Alhaitham.
"Well, well, I don't think I've seen you around campus before," Kaeya says, turning his attention to you.
You laugh nervously. "That's because I'm a freshman."
"Ah, where are my manners?" the navy-haired man says. "Welcome to Teyvat University." You smile in response and look to your silver-haired friend.
"Alhaitham, I'll be right back," you say. "I need to use the bathroom." You remove your hand from his and walk away from the Mondstadt booth. Kaeya observes how Alhaitham's eyes follow your figure until you're out of view.
"How are things with Diluc?" your friend asks, turning to Kaeya.
Kaeya laughs at the mention of his step-brother. "Over the summer, we got into a huge argument and broke a vase because of it. Since I wanted to be the bigger person, I bought him a new one with my hard-earned money, but he didn't like it. He said it didn't match the decor in his house," he sighs. "Maybe he just has bad taste in furniture. Anyways, how's Kaveh?"
"Still missing his keys," Alhaitham says with a smirk. He pulls out Kaveh's keys and twirls them around his finger before returning them to his pocket for safe keeping. Kaeya smiles at this action. "I might start buying unpleasant furniture, too, since Kaveh is taking up interior design as a minor. As if engineering wasn't already enough for him."
Kaeya chuckles. "I'm offended you assumed my taste is unpleasant, but I do know a furniture place I can recommend. Just say I sent you, and you might get a discount," he muses. "Enough of the small talk. I'm a bit curious about that girl. It's not everyday you see someone as guarded as you smiling and holding someone's hand?"
Your gray-haired friend crosses his arms. "She and I have known each other since we were little kids. I was only accompanying her here," he responds with an unreadable expression.
Kaeya hums, knowing there must be more to the story. "Alright," he says, deciding not to pry too much. "You two just seemed very close, that's all."
"Hey, is Diluc still looking for someone to workout with?" Alhaitham changes the subject. Kaeya shook his head.
"No, he actually found someone the other day. Do you want to guess who?" he teases.
"Don't tell me it's Kaveh."
"It's Kaveh," he says with a laugh. "Apparently, Diluc saw him taking all his frustration out on a punching bag, but he was doing it wrong. He pitied him and helped Kaveh with his form, now they're making it a regular thing. Hope he doesn't use you as a punching bag when you return his keys."
Alhaitham scoffs. "You're overestimating him. This is Kaveh we're talking about. Shoving him would be enough to cause an injury." The two share a laugh.
"I'm back!" you beam, smiling at the two.
"Well, I don't want to keep you two here for too long. Enjoy the rest of the fair, you two" Kaeya says.
You wave bye to him before taking Alhaitham's hand. You let him lead you away from the Mondstadt booth. He gently squeezed your hand, causing you to look up at him. It baffled you how even under the bright lights of the makeshift fairgrounds, Alhaitham looked so effortless with his silver hair framing his face and his sharp eyes. Eyes that only looked at you.
"Do you want to go anywhere else?" he asks gently. You shake your head.
"No, I just want to enjoy this," you respond with a smile.
Alhaitham is the first to look away, making sure to guide the two of you through the crowd, but your eyes remain fixed on him.
You try to memorize every detail of his face. You haven't noticed until now, but his features have matured since childhood. You remember how he used to have a few freckles scattered across his cheekbones as a kid, but now, you can't seem to find any. Now his eyes hold so many emotions, yet somehow he remains calm in any situation, which was one of the things you admired most about him.
A blush creeps up on your face as a new thought comes to mind. Has he always been this...attractive?
· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·
The next day you, Nilou, Collei, and Ayaka are all sitting together in a cafe doing homework together. You offered to pay for everyone's drinks and food, feeling bad about barely spending last night with them.
"I still can't believe you ditched us last night," Collei sighed, referencing how you disappeared during the Regions Fair.
"I really am sorry. I just grabbed Alhaitham's hand and dragged him with me. I meant to find you guys afterwards, but I don't really know what got into me." Nilou's eyes widened.
"Wait, slow down. You and Alhaitham were holding hands?" she asks. A light pink dusts your cheeks.
"Yeah," you start. "Like I said, I don't know what got into me last night."
Ayaka sips her boba. "I understand. If you wanted time with your boyfriend, you could've told us." Collei and Nilou erupt into laugher.
"No, no, no, it's not like that at all! We're not dating," you quickly respond.
"My apologies," your roommate says. "I just assumed since he was at our dorm yesterday and-"
"What?!" Collei exclaims. "Okay, now we need the full story." You feel your cheeks heat up.
"Guys," you groan. Collei looks at you with pleading eyes.
"C'mon Y/N. We really thought you left the fair after bringing us there."
"Okay," you sigh. "Alhaitham called me yesterday and wanted to stay in our dorm because Kaveh was working on a project. I said yes and we hung out and did homework for a few hours, and then I invited him to go to the fair with us. After we got there, we went to a few booths. We held hands so we didn't lose each other in the crowd."
"Sure," Nilou teases, earning a glare from you and laughs from the other two girls.
"Those were his words!" you exclaim. "Then we ran into someone he knew. I went to the bathroom to give them a bit of privacy to catch up. After that, we walked around the fair a bit more, played a few games, then left. But, I will say-" you trailed off, debating whether or not to tell your friends.
"What?" Nilou asks, leaning in out of curiosity. Ayaka and Collei mirror her actions.
"Until last night, I didn't realize how attractive he is," you say as your face turns tomato red. "I guess I just didn't notice that since we grew up together and he's one of my closest friends, but-"
"About time you admit your latent feelings for him!" your red-headed friend exclaims, cutting you off.
"That's not-"
"Latent?" Ayaka interrupts as she looks at Collei and Nilou.
"Oh, do we have some stories," Collei teases.
"Knew I shouldn't have said anything," you mumble.
As the four of you continue chatting and working on homework, your mind drifts back to last night's events and Nilou's words. Sure, growing up, you and Alhaitham have done some things that probably wouldn't be considered platonic, but that doesn't mean anything, does it?