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A heavy knock on the door had Alhaitham blearily pulling it open, still rumpled from sleep. The night was still young, but the scribe preferred to rise early which meant being early to bed. On the other side of the door was a young scholar who looked liable to flee with one sharp word and a chilly breeze that had Alhaitham wrapping his arms around himself.
Sighing, the scribe snapped anyway, too annoyed by his sleep being disturbed to care much, " What ?"
A flinch from the Scholar and the words came pouring out.
"Oh, uh, Mr. Alhaitham! Sir! Well, you see uh, there was a gathering at the Akademiya where we were all hanging out and chatting and hanging out," he stumbled over his words, repeating himself in his fear. "Well, Mr. Kaveh was there discussing some architecture or something with some other older scholars and he well…."
Alhaitham was getting bored of this rambling but perked up upon hearing Kaveh's name. His eyes narrowed, which only seemed to scare the student more and they trailed off into silence, staring at the scribe with wide eyes.
"Well? Spit it out."
"Yes sir! Mr. Kaveh passed out and one of the other scholars sent me to find you so you could take him home. He said you two were friends and you would know where he lived and that no one else did."
A few long, silent moments passed.
The young scholar kept rambling about Kaveh's actions at the party, not drinking and yet collapsing anyways, with more talk of architecture, and other such things. Alhaitham wasn't really paying attention. He sighed raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, his annoyance quite apparent.
"Where is this… party?" His tone was sharp, and the scribe jumped, quickly supplying an answer before Alhaitham waved him away and the young man hastily made his retreat.
Closing the door, the scribe returned to his bedroom, picking out a light jacket and boots, pulling each on before returning to the door. As he opened it, a glint of metal caught his eye. Kaveh's key. Rolling his eyes, Alhaitham realized his night would have always been disturbed by the architect, party or no. He would have to scold him about leaving his key again in the morning.
He pulled the door shut behind him and began the brisk walk to the Akademiya location the scribe had given him. The sound of chatter reached him a minute before he entered the Pavillion, and he found himself wishing he had thought to retrieve his soundproof earpieces before leaving his home.
As he approached the gathering and the first people noticed him, the whispers started. Thank the Archons for the chilly air that excused his reddening ears.
" Isn't that Alhaitham? I didn't know he went anywhere but his office and his house."
"It is! So strange…"
Ignoring the whispers he was quite used to, Alhaitham scanned the crowded benches and tables, hoping to spot Kaveh and get him home quickly. He didn't want to linger here. Already the whispered conversations and louder discussions alike were starting to ring in his ears, and it was an effort not to cringe away from the whole gathering.
He didn't spot Kaveh's blonde head, but his sight did catch on the same scribe as earlier, who nervously approached him, still just as twitchy. "He's um… he's outside om the hill." With that, the young man scampered away again, disappearing into the crowd.
Another heavy sigh from Alhaitham. Then he was out of the stuffy pavilion and wrapping his jacket tighter around him to combat the chill. Circling the pavilion, he found Kaveh laying in the grass on the side of the hill that dipped down behind the building.
His braid had come undone, leaving his silky golden hair to splay around his head like a sun-touched cloud. His usual berets were gone, perhaps lost in the grass or in the crowd. And, Kaveh wasn't alone.
The woman sitting beside Kaveh looked to be about the same age as him, and they were speaking in hushed whispers.
Alhaitham's ears started to ring again as he observed the two for a moment. Kaveh sleepily chuckled at something the woman had said, and that sent Alhaitham's feet forward, practically marching up to the pair. Glaring down at both of them, he snapped.
"Why is it that I'm called down here in the middle of the night because you're ' asleep' but I get here and find you perfectly awake and capable of taking yourself home?"
The pair of heads snapped towards him, albeit one more slowly than the other, pulled down by sleepiness. Kaveh's eyes were glazed as if he was barely awake at all. The woman looked up, surprised, and maybe a little nervous to be snapped at by the scribe.
"I'm sorry, sir! I was just keeping Mr. Kaveh company. It's chilly out and I didn't want him to freeze out here or seek out a Pyro slime out of desperation." About most you would assume this to be a jest, but between the woman's serious tone and Alhaitham's own knowledge of Kaveh's idiocy, Alhaitham found himself glancing around to be sure none of the pests were nearby. Begrudgingly, he nodded to the scholar girl and she glanced between the architect and the scribe before hastily rising, dusting herself off, and returning to the party.
Kaveh blinked up at Alhaitham, who had squared his feet and crossed his arms, and with a flat tone dragged down with weariness, he asked "Are you going yell at me here, or wait until the morning?"
Alhaitham's lips twitched downward in a frown. "Get yourself up. I'm not going to carry you."
He had already relaxed significantly since the woman left, glad to not have any more eyes on him. Yes, Alhaitham, you just don't want other people around to see you take Kaveh back to your home, he thought sarcastically. He mentally scolded himself for the thought. That was exactly why the woman had put him on edge, after all.
Kaveh was pulling himself to his feet, but he stumbled and brushed against Alhaitham. The scribe startled and reached out to steady him before he could fall back into the grass again, and once he was steady he pulled back again, shoving his hands into his pockets. The fleeting warmth of barely touching the architect quickly disappeared with the cold air.
Alhaitham set a brisk pace back to his home, forcing Kaveh to follow him, though at a much slower pace. This had all been a waste of time when he could have been sleeping in the comfort of his bed. Of course, Kaveh had to disturb him when it wasn't even necessary. He clearly had other people to look after him and yet Alhaitham was still being called to his side like a dog.
Ragged breathing from behind him made Alhaitham turn, and he realized that Kaveh had lagged behind quite a bit. A pang of guilt hit him as he marked Kaveh's slumped posture and half-closed eyes. Still, he wanted to get home quickly… making up his mind, Alhaitham walked back to Kaveh's side and grabbed his hand, putting it around his own shoulder. Warmth bloomed over his fingers and back where Kaveh's arm lay as Alhaitham hurried them forward. He was moving more slowly than he was before, but Kaveh wouldn't lag behind now. This way, he wouldn't have to wait in the doorway at home for Kaveh to catch up. That's what he told himself.
The familiar building he called home appeared soon after they crested a hill. Alhaitham slowed almost imperceptibly, but Kaveh noticed the small change in gait. He blinked sleepily, turning to Alhaitham with heavy eyelids, and tilted his head quizzically. He could guess what caused the change, of course.
"Oh, I'm not that heavy, you're fine. We're almost there anyway and you can dispose of me." He cut a sharp, annoyed glance at Alhaitham, starting to pull his arm away before the scribe tightened his grip, keeping him close at his side.
"Don't be stupid. I'm not cleaning you up after you fall in the dirt and pass out." There wasn't much bite to his words. He pulled them forward again, and Kaveh fell silent, sullen. His golden hair brushed Alhaitham's face as his head dipped to almost rest on the taller man's shoulder. Warmth bloomed there, too.
They reached the door too quickly, and then Kaveh's bedroom. Finally, Alhaitham let Kaveh pull away, and he stood there for a long moment. Alhaitham met Kaveh's eyes, forcing out "Don't let this happen again. And don't forget your keys, either." The sharpness returned to his tone before he turned on his heel and left the room returning to his own.
He collapsed on his bed as he listened to the muffled grumbles and complaints coming from the other room and closed his eyes. The warmth on his skin had already faded but he refused to wish for it to come back. He refused to imagine it.