Chapter Text
The day was cool as the sun didn’t beat down on you that late afternoon. A picnic basket was set out in the middle of the blanket that was full of goodies inside. It was sealed to prevent the ants from crawling in. Despite this, food was already set out on the blanket that was placed on plates to prevent them from sliding down the hill the blanket was set on.
Alhaitham and you were sitting on the picnic blanket, shielded from feeling the prickly grass. As you were both reading your respective books, you were holding a piece of pizza dough coated with herbal chicken sauce and topped with several kinds of vegetables and herbs, which Alhaitham made himself and called “Ideal Circumstance”.
As Alhaitham wasn’t fond of soup as it ruined the pages of his books, he turned a stew into a portable meal that could be eaten on the go without having to wash dishes or use utensils, which was convenient for a picnic like this. Like a slice of pizza, you and Alhaitham dug in and ate your meals using only your hands. It was strangely free of any oil too, which could degrade paper making up pages in books. Perhaps this was one of Alhaitham’s intentions of cooking a regular stew dish this way.
“Wow, I didn’t know you were such a good cook, Alhaitham. Maybe you could surpass my skills in the kitchen someday,” you complemented.
“Flattery will get you nowhere, but I appreciate a good compliment every now and then,” Alhaitham remarked, biting into his slice with a book on his other hand.
“So you doooo appreciate compliments, oh dear Scribe? Hmmmmmmm???” you teased back, leaning a bit forward into his cheek as your lips simply touched his cheek without you puckering them. Strangely, Alhaitham’s cheeks started to heat up a little, rendering him speechless.
“Uh um… Hmm… yes, you have a fair point,” Alhaitham said, flustered before he cleared his throat. You then retracted your face from his cheek, continuing your meal.
Minutes passed by and the two of you finished the whole plate of Ideal Circumstance as you read your books: Alhaitham reading a book about physics while you were reading a light novel from Inazuma.
Alhaitham was absorbed in his book, marveling at the wonders of the creation of stars and the universe in general. He also nodded in affirmation as he made little annotations into his book to comment on some lines that he found striking and thought-provoking. However, to keep you close, while reading, his shoulder was touching your shoulder. This was not purely incidental, but more unconscious as a way to show that he trusted you because there was no way he would just let anyone touch him that way intimately, not even his roommate, Kaveh who he has lived with for years.
Meanwhile, as you were reading your light novel from Inazuma, the elements of the story came to life within your imagination. The world came alive with the cherry blossoms from Inazuma flowing through the air and the scent of cherry blossoms engulfing your senses like lightning from the heavens. The Raiden Shogun came to life as she walked the corridors of Tenshukaku on a bright sunny day. The mikos came to greet her as they performed their religious duties in the shrine and temples all throughout Inazuma. As the story progressed, the tales of Raiden Shogun’s fighting prowess began to show with her blocking and swordsmanship techniques beating off enemies in fights and duels. Despite these, the Raiden Shogun found means to relax, especially in her private bathhouse at the end of the day to relax her muscles. Indeed, it was like getting a glimpse into the life of a figure with a high position of power within the country.
As you skimmed through the lines of your light novel, you slightly lowered it down from your eye level, looking at Alhaitham. He took the hint, so he lowered his book as well before looking into you, asking,
“You seem to be deep in thought. Care to share?”
You placed a leaf in between the pages of your light novel to mark where you need to continue when reading later on. You then replied,
“I’ve been wondering why it took so long for you to confess to me despite all the obvious signs.”
Alhaitham thought to himself first, giving his answer,
“I knew that you already loved me. I just needed you to acknowledge it.”
You blushed upon hearing this, realizing that he was surprisingly considerate of your feelings. You then looked away from him, which prompted Alhaitham to touch your cheek. Your cheeks felt flushed from that touch, turning tomato red as it heated up as if Alhaitham had a Pyro vision. Eventually, he let go, going back to reading his book as you sat there, frozen before you noticed that Alhaitham let go of his hand from your cheek.
Once you were out of the short freeze state, you peered over Alhaitham’s shoulder, noticing the lines of text and scientific jargon that Alhaitham read, underlined, and highlighted with his pen. You were curious, wondering what he was reading.
“Fascinating. This book is about physics?”
“Yes, more specifically, astrophysics and the origins of Teyvat.”
“Astrophysics?”
“It means the study of the universe, its origins, and what forces were involved in its origins.”
You mouthed an “oohhh” as you became more interested in the topic of the book even though academic subjects were not your forte. You asked Alhaitham questions about the book’s topic, which he promptly answered and explained to you using simple language as he knew that complicated language would make your brain burst.
“There were 4 forces that were involved in the creation of Teyvat: gravity, electromagnetism, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force. Gravity attracts objects with mass and determines the orbits of the planets around us besides Teyvat. Electromagnetism, on the other hand, helps keep electrons intact…”
As Alhaitham explained the subject in such intricate detail, you listened to him attentively as he rambled on and on about the subject he was reading about. Alhaitham’s voice was strangely calming as he explained, which led you to lie down on his lap as he continued explaining about astrophysics and how the stars and planets in the universe were born. Eventually, you closed your eyes, still listening to Alhaitham’s soothing deep voice as you fell asleep.
A few hours passed, and you woke up from your sleep. You yawned as you rubbed your eyes, finding Alhaitham above you still reading the book. As he was reading the book using one hand, he was gently stroking your hair with his other hand, caressing little strands of hair here and there on your head and near your hairline.
“Had a good nap?” Alhaitham asked.
You nodded, smiling at him as he let out a slight smile which looked like a smirk towards you.
You slowly got up from his lap, leaning on his left shoulder as he continued to flip the pages of the book. He brought an arm around you, holding you close.
“Teyvat may be one of the many cycles of a Big Bang and Big Crunch. Who knows? Maybe another Teyvat may appear once more in the next cycle of the universe…” Alhaitham rambled, leaving you attentive towards him.
As he finished rambling about his book, he put it down after he finished through it. He then stated,
“Say, I’ve always looked into the future to see what it may be like. But with you, the future looks… different.”
“In what way is it different, Alhaitham?”
“For one, the future seems a lot brighter now that I think about being with you,” Alhaitham continued, leaning against your head, “Two, I imagine that we would be together for a long time. I can’t say if we can be together eternally, but I would love to try to keep our union going.”
“Hmm… that’s nice and true at the same time,” you replied, “I wish I could be like this forever. Not necessarily in this position, but I’d like to be able to see and touch you every day for the rest of my life.”
Alhaitham smiled upon hearing these remarks, bringing you closer to his chest with his arm. You were surprised by this reaction, your heart beating faster upon your ear touching his chest. You could feel his heartbeat and his breathing from there, which was moving a lot faster than usual despite Alhaitham’s calm demeanor.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been like this,” Alhaitham noted, feeling your face on his chest, “I think I like this feeling of your body next to mine.”
You blushed, your heart beating faster. Just as you were flustered, Alhaitham cocked his head towards your eye level, asking,
“Would you like to be with me for the rest of my life?”
You smiled at him, crying tears of joy. Alhaitham was a bit alarmed, to which he tried to rub your back gently to try to soothe your tears. Eventually, you gently grabbed his arm that rubbed your back, stating,
“Yes. I would love to. And I love you, Alhaitham.”
The wind blew softer as you both embraced each other and held each other’s arms. As you let go a little to relax your arms, you stated,
“I think it would be nice to have a bigger house so that we can have a big space for you, me, and a kid.”
“Oh? I think the house needs more rooms, preferably a bigger study room for our family.” Alhaitham added.
From there, you and Alhaitham talked about your plans for the future to see where you had similarities and differences in. Any similarities would be jotted down in Alhaitham’s brain as a necessity while differences would mean that both of you would come to compromises to avoid leaving out one person’s wishes. Eventually, it all worked out. Talking about it for hours helped clear both of your minds and plan clearly for the future. Just as you were about to stop talking, Alhaitham broke the silence, saying,
“So, would you like us to live together from now on, my dear?”
“Yes.”
Just as Alhaitham smiled at you, he brought his book bag closer to him as he gently rummaged through its contents. Eventually, he brought out a thick book with a deep brown cover, filled to the brim with pages upon pages of notes and knowledge about the universe.
“I’m sorry that I don’t have anything special for this occasion, but I’d like to give you this.”
He handed you the book.
“Wait, this is…”
“My mother’s journal. I want you to have it as I’d like to keep being with you for the rest of my life. Cherish it like how I would cherish you.”
“I will, and I accept this. I’ll take good care of this, too. Thank you, Alhaitham.”
You then leaned in slowly into his face as he leaned towards you. Your lips met each other as you deeply kissed each other. Alhaitham tucked away strands of your hair from your face as his lips matched your movements. Eventually, you let go, leaving this gesture towards each other as a testament to your love.
Once you let go of the kiss, you caressed the book with both arms as you held it deeply, cherishing it as if it were you and Alhaitham’s baby. As the sun set, you and Alhaitham cleaned up the place, keeping the picnic basket, blanket, and all the food, drinks, and books you brought. You climbed down the ladder as Alhaitham helped carry the heavier things for you. Once you were down from the ladder, Alhaitham accompanied you back to your house. You unlocked the door as you bade Alhaitham good night. Before Alhaitham left, you said,
“I can’t wait to live with you, Alhaitham.”