Chapter Text
Gandharva Ville has always been a quiet place, that’s why lots of scholars have designated it a safe haven. Far away from Sumeru city’s agitation, it has become their base for strict meditational training. And with the overdeveloped hearing of the ‘General Watchleader,’ their peace is closely guarded. If a discussion grows too heated, the instigators are guaranteed to be met swiftly by a very annoyed Valuka Shuna. One who is biting with his words and cuts through conflicts with clever quips and piercing remarks.
But rules don’t exist without exceptions: there is one type of noise that Tighnari can’t restrain.
That noise is Kaveh.
“I swear, this client doesn’t know what he wants! We sat for three -three- hours before he finally chose a design for the door. He kept looking at me like I would make the choice for him. It’s not my future house being designed! Really, non-opinionated people are the worst sometimes!”
“Huh…”
Currently protected by Tighnari’s hut from the judgmental stare of the other forest rangers, Kaveh is unaware of the volume of his voice. To be fair, he isn’t speaking that loudly right now. Maybe it’s thanks to the relaxing cup of tea set before him on the table, its fresh scent calming him down.
Kaveh knows he is the only recurring disturbance of Gandharva Ville’s peace and quiet. He knows he gets too heated, speaks too loudly, and he doesn’t even need a discussion partner to warm up his engines.
But today, that won’t happen. He decides he won’t speak any louder than he is now. Today, he will not bother the forest rangers with his endless blabbering (about, for example, Alhaitham).
At least, he tries to convince himself he won’t. And Tighnari, apparently. The man in question is currently blowing steam off his own tea, unimpressed, his gaze screaming for Kaveh to ‘cut to the chase.’
But there is no chase to cut to because everything is fine, and Kaveh has absolutely no complaints about he and Alhaitham’s relationship.
So, he will continue to berate the much-more-annoying-than-his-stupid-boyfriend indecisive client.
“Anyway, we postponed the discussion for the windows because between the door and the roof, it took forever. It’s like he wanted to understand each of my choices, and know all of the possible outcomes!”
“Right,” Tighnari puts his cup down, gaze growing even more piercing, “isn’t that the kind of client you like the most?”
The Valuka Shuna then put his elbows on the table, head in his hand, physically pressing on the contradiction he just found. His verdant irises shine with intensity, trying to pull the thoughts out of Kaveh’s head.
And Kaveh is touched. Touched to have a friend who listens this closely to the interminable flows of words tumbling out of his mouth. Touched that Tighnari cares so much, despite the numerous repeated occasions where Kaveh rambles on and on, going in circles around specific subjects.
But sometimes, maybe he could let Kaveh off the hook.
When Kaveh doesn’t respond, frozen in place, Tighnari takes the initiative. He uses his ultimate attack in the art of asking questions: asking them directly. “Alright. Out with it. What did he do this time?”
It breaks the dam Kaveh desperately tried to keep shut tight.
“Too many things! I can’t keep up with him anymore, Tighnari. Each day, I feel like I’m living with a different person, and it’s freaking me out! He’s getting out of control and I don’t know what to do about it! Should… should I seriously play the senior card and order him to calm down?”
The Valuka Shuna relaxes, a satisfied glint of ‘there we go’ on his face, settling back into his chair.
“How bad can it possibly be? It’s still Alhaitham,” he sighs, egging Kaveh on to continue.
“How bad can it be!? You’re seriously asking this!?”
Oh, Kaveh has a list of all Alhaitham’s misdeeds at the ready.
1: Constant presence and excessive bluntness
“Do you know what he told me the other day!?” he starts, Tighnari grimacing at his dial-up in volume. But he ultimately says nothing and lets Kaveh yet again disturb his quiet abode. “‘Kaveh. You should start finding a way to reduce your KET (Kaveh’s Emotional Triggers). I noticed it triggers your KEBS (Kaveh’s Emotional Burst Scale) at random. Oh. And while you’re at it, do the same for your KIWP (Kaveh’s Intelligent Weakness Points).’ He’s impossible!”
Tighnari looks unimpressed as if Kaveh just spat out something stupid. “I have no idea what you just said to me.”
Ah. Right. No one else is constantly pummeled by blunt remarks about the stupid KBM (Kaveh’s Behavioral Model). Kaveh forgot.
“Well, his point was that I care too much, and I’m stupid.” He reformulates, “Nothing’s changed there. But now, since he is set on using his ridiculous model and stupid acronyms—stupid acronyms he explained to me for hours—there is no ambiguity left as to what he thinks!”
“Oh? Do you mean the way he made a whole new genre of research and a new way of flirting popular just for you? One that spread everywhere in the Akademiya?” Tighnari teases, a playful smile on his lips, “Sure, there’s no ambiguity on his feelings with that.”
“What!?” Kaveh feels his cheeks heat up.
Yes, that’s true. Alhaitham built an entirely new way of researching human behaviors just to understand Kaveh. And while he was offended at first, not fond of feeling like the subject in some weird experiment, he couldn’t stay mad. After a while, he understood: it is Alhaitham’s honest attempt at getting to know Kaveh better.
Despite all the years, fights, and arguments, the scribe never stopped paying attention, and never took their relationship for granted. The fifty or so pages covered in Alhaitham’s pointy handwriting back home prove it. The complexity of the described model surprised Kaveh when he finally read it: it’s written with such meticulous care, so inherent to Alhaitham, mixing math, sociology, and scientific observations… it nearly brought Kaveh to tears. It truly is one of the grandest proofs of love he had ever received from the scribe, heck, from anyone.
As to why and how this methodology spread to the rest of the Akademiya, Kaveh is not sure. Maybe they’ll need to have a talk about that.
Anyway, how dare Tighnari be right and laugh at his misery.
“Hey! This is a serious complaint, please! He’s staying at home on purpose just to rub that model in my face! My AOB —or Alhaitham Overload Bar— is going haywire! He. Is. Always there. And always criticizing me!”
Tighnari lets out another long sigh as he picks up his cup, taking a sip, looking pissed. “Really, that Alhaitham. Sometimes, I wonder if he learned anything from you running away.”
Oh. Not good. It’s not that Kaveh hates it exactly. On good days, he’ll even admit the importance of having occasional reality checks. And it’s not like Alhaitham hasn’t been taking good care of him in other ways. He absolutely can’t let Tighnari have the wrong idea about that.
2: The compliments, at any time, any place.
“Well… this ‘Kaveh Behavioral Model’ is not that bad,” he tentatively explains. “I think it has allowed us to be more honest with each other. Even if it’s weird, I’ll admit.”
Tighnari relaxes, his gaze softer.
And it’s true. It has allowed them to be more open.
Or more specifically, Alhaitham has been more open.
“Honestly, the weirdest part is how often he compliments me,” explains Kaveh. “Just the other day, we were in the middle of the Grand Bazaar, and he said he liked my outfit! Out of nowhere! And, don’t get me wrong, I did make an effort that day, but… He never noticed those things before!”
To be fair, Kaveh isn’t even sure what he is mad about here. He knows he’d be even more disappointed should Alhaitham not notice anything.
Before the whole DJLK (Drastic Journey of the Light of Kshahrewar… or was it Dramatic?) incident, Kaveh would know when Alhaitham spotted a change before he even said anything. In his weird, awkward fashion, he would stare, teal gaze piercing, then stare a bit more, before offering a neutral comment like: ‘Did you change your hair?’ and Kaveh’s answer wouldn’t really count. Even when the architect boldly tried ‘Do you like it?’ In return, all he’d get would be a hum, a tentative nod, and at best a: ‘As long as you like it,’ with a soft smile.
Kaveh was neither dejected nor enchanted by Alhaitham’s past reactions. It was part of the scribe’s way of doing things: an observer to the lives of others. One who doesn’t often interact and leaves them to their own choices. (Kaveh did used to feel a little discouraged at this, his next thought usually being along the lines of ‘What was I thinking?’)
But now, since Alhaitham entered this weird mood that Kaveh desperately tries to describe to Tighnari, he doesn’t show any restraint. In the morning, he wakes up, looks at Kaveh, and—without even a ‘Hello’—says things like: ‘Your hair is sticking out. It’s really cute,’ or ‘I want to bite your collarbone right now. It’s sexy.’ Without any filter, without any consideration for time or place.
(To get back to the Grand Bazaar incident, Alhaitham didn’t only say that he liked Kaveh’s outfit. This bastard slid his hand onto Kaveh’s hip, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered it with a voice way too sensual for something outside the house.)
The worst part is that Alhaitham doesn’t want to stop his maddening behavior, and probably never will. Because each time, he retreats with a sly smile, way too proud of himself for making Kaveh turn beat red.
But Kaveh isn’t sure how to explain that to an already grinning Tighnari, seemingly very far from grasping the gravity of the problem. “Oh?”
“Stop!” Kaveh feels his cheeks heat up, “It’s- It’s not that it doesn’t sound sincere, but I swear he’s doing it on purpose! He’s trying to embarrass me in public, I’m sure of it.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised, he sure does like to see you grow red,” Tighnari shrugs as if he didn’t just drop another huge bomb (and like a self-fulfilling prophecy, making Kaveh grow even redder).
“See? Incorrigible. He’s just messing with me…”
How did the conversation come to this already? Why is Kaveh currently putting his foot in his mouth at every sentence? It’s probably Alhaitham’s fault, as always.
Seeing his friend dissolving into a pile of grumpy mumbling and pouting, Tighnari’s gaze grows confused. “And that’s it? Sorry to say this Kaveh, but it sounds more like you’re gushing and less like you’re complaining.”
An offended gasp escapes Kaveh. He will not take this terrible accusation lying down. “I am not gushing about him.”
“You know, you don’t need to hide it,” Tighnari’s face turns so soft and understanding that it gets on Kaveh’s nerves. “If you just want to boast about how much you love each other, that’s fine by me.”
“Tighnari, listen to me—”
“I kind of like the change, to be honest. You know, if you just want to fawn over Alhaitham, I will still listen. You don’t have to preface it with the whole ‘we have a problem’ shtick.”
And oh, alright, how can Kaveh stay mad at that? How many people are willing to sit through all of his ramblings, how many would tell him that it’s fine if he just wants to talk about his sexy, attentive but very annoying boyfriend?
Kaveh is touched by Tighnari’s support. Truly. But…
“No. That’s not it. You don’t understand how serious this is.”
3: The whole Port Ormos situation.
That’s right. The two preceding points wouldn’t worry Kaveh if it wasn’t for this. Probably.
“We need to talk about Port Ormos,” he declares.
“Yes? What about Port Ormos?” Tighnari sighs, resigned to Kaveh’s rambling.
“The whole place has changed.” Kaveh lets a short silence fall over them, just for dramatic effect. “How the hell did he do that? Since I came back, none of my forms have been lost. For every project I only have to fill out a permit request. Not a single one of my files has gone missing. Not to mention the cleanness of the docks and the tourism picking up! And he worked there for what… three days!? Isn’t he amazing!?”
Tighnari huffs with a knowing smile as he sets his chin on his palm. “Kaveh, how is that not gushing?”
Right. He’ll admit, he got sidetracked on that one. “Oh, yeah, that part is not the problem. The problem is… the new Eremite brigade. What’s up with them!? They’re talking about Alhaitham like he is some sort of new god!”
“Well, you said it yourself. What he has done to that place is basically a miracle,” Tighnari says, still too casual for Kaveh’s taste. “Every other Mahamata gave up on the Port Ormos case. But then, Alhaitham shows up for three days, and suddenly, it’s a flourishing place of international trade.”
“No, no, I’m not discrediting his work: it is exceptional,” Kaveh can’t stress this point enough. Sadly, it doesn’t help convince Tighnari that there is an urgent problem and that he is absolutely not gushing about Alhaitham. Kaveh should stop wasting time and get onto the real issues.
“My problem is… why do I feel like the spouse of a cult leader every time I go there?”
This last remark finally gets the correct reaction from the forest ranger, his eyes widening. “What!?”
Yes. Tighnari heard that correctly. Last time, when Kaveh went to Port Ormos, five big, muscled Eremites were waiting for him at the city’s entrance. At first, he thought he was being threatened.
But no. Upon recognizing Kaveh, large smiles illuminated the men’s faces, and they exclaimed versions of “Hey, it’s Alhaitham’s special ‘friend,’”or “Good to see you Mr. Kaveh!” or again, “How can we help you, sir? Care for a drink? My treat!”
And while they continued their friendly talk, Kaveh couldn’t, for the life of him, get them to drop the ‘sirs,’ ‘misters’ and ‘boss.’
“I can’t meet any of my clients without having at least three Eremites tailing me,” he continues, “It’s really unnerving, and it affects my work as much as the past bad administration!”
“AH—!” Tighnari’s hand flies to his mouth as he tries to stop his laughter. Kaveh watches him struggle for breath, unimpressed as his friend tries to calm down for a solid 30 seconds.
“Ye… Yes, I can see why,” he finally says after inhaling deeply. “That sure must make an impression on your poor clients. At least they won’t ever try scamming you with the Eremites around.”
Kaveh is touched that Tighnari is trying very hard to appear serious, but he can still see his shoulders trembling and his wobbly smirk.
“Tighnari, please! I want their trust, not their fear. But you know what’s really the worst?”
The forest ranger hums, interrogative, his mouth still twisted in a weird frown.
“The name of their brigade. What’s up with that!? ‘The Scribe’s Light’? Like- how!?”
And any semblance of composure on Tighnari’s face bursts. He crumbles in his chair, shaken by laughter. But that doesn’t stop Kaveh, who’s at his wits end.
“I’m not being paranoid about this, right!? Why is my ridiculous nickname being used by an Eremite brigade!? And why precisely am I his light!? Since when am I Alhaitham’s property!? Where is the contract stipulating that I relinquished my person to him, and when did I sign it!?”
Alas, his heated rambling only makes Tighnari crack up harder, the Valuka Shuna laughing his heart out through all of it.
“That’s— That’s quite the situation huh…” he tries, “I-I can understand how you— oh god. Ooh. This— This is so embarrassing for Alhaitham actually… ah ah…” and after that, he is gone again, his sentences dissolving into barely concealed giggles.
“I thought so too!” Exclaims Kaveh, “But nooo, that guy has absolutely no shame, Alhaitham doesn’t care that every single person on the street is convinced that he is madly in love with me. But I care! I’ve had enough of getting stared at everywhere I go!”
Strangely enough, it’s this line that gets Tighnari to stop laughing. “I mean. It’s true though. That he is madly in love with you.”
The forest ranger’s smile is now borderline threatening. Kaveh suddenly breaks into a cold sweat. It’s as if Tighnari is daring him to refute this. Once again, he feels seen through.
And yes, he can’t deny it. He is surrounded by mountains of evidence of Alhaitham’s love lately. Yet, a part of his brain is still left fearing that this is just a phase, that soon, Alhaitham will return to his aloof self and Kaveh will be left doubting once again. Maybe Alhaitham is just overbalancing for their month apart, and spoiling Kaveh rotten with his attention because he asked him to. Maybe the scribe will get sick of it soon, and decide that Kaveh is not worth the effort.
Tighnari, as sharp as always, probably guessed that this is his current way of thinking. Kaveh knows these thoughts are ridiculous, he doesn’t even need to say them out loud to notice how desperate and stupid they sound. Afterall, it’s highly improbable that Alhaitham engages with something he doesn’t see worth in.
And yet… The scribe changed recently. Who’s to say he won’t change again in the near future? No matter the amount of logical thinking Kaveh does around the problem, the little whispers inside his head just won’t shut up. Under Tighnari’s piercing gaze, he feels ashamed of them.
“Well— I mean—,” why is his face heating up again? “How should I know!? I’m not in his head!”
It doesn’t relax Tighnari’s face. Time to change the subject.
“A-Anyway, even the administration is speaking highly of Alhaitham there. Even though, Archon knows how much the regular Akademiya staff members in Sumeru City hate him…”
Kaveh grows inexplicably grumpy at the memory of his last visit. That deputy port master was quite extensive about Alhaitham… When he saw Kaveh approach to submit a form, the Navbed’s face lit up, and he immediately asked for news about the scribe. He then talked without end about how he wished all the good in the world for Alhaitham, how strangely endearing his jarring honesty is, and how beautiful his quiet kindness shines.
“One of the guys—Masrur—had literal stars in his eyes when he talked about Alhaitham.”
The smile of the forest ranger finally shifts, but not yet into something very agreeable. It’s full of mirth, and Kaveh thinks he won’t like what will come out of his mouth next. “Oh? Is that jealousy?”
Kaveh was right. He doesn’t like it.
“No!” He denies, “Of course not! What’s more, Masrur refuted going after him, assured me that they ‘will stay friends,’ and that I had ‘nothing to worry about’!”
For some reason it makes him even grumpier. “But you know… maybe he does have a crush on Alhaitham. He seemed sad when I asked… such a nice guy. Such a shame…”
“So, you asked,” Tighnari’s smug smile grows wider.
It makes Kaveh immediately defensive. As if he was really jealous. But he’s not. “Well, I was curious okay!? The last time someone developed a crush on that blockhead after talking to him for more than 5 minutes, it was me. Hey. No. Stop that face, I don’t like it.”
Tighnari does not, in fact, stop that face.
“Ugh! Fine, enough about Port Ormos! Let’s change the subject.”
4: He can’t keep his hands to himself.
“Sure,” says Tighnari, with a subtle note of victory in his tone, “anything else to ‘complain’ about while we’re at it?”
Was there anything else? Oh. Yes. Right. “Well… he has been quite… passionate, recently.”
The Valuka Shuna makes a show of raising his eyes to the sky, picking up his cup. “And that’s a complaint because…?” He starts to sip on his drink.
“Uhm… We had sex in his office last time I went.”
Tighnari spits his tea. Then coughs.
Oh no.
Where did Kaveh’s brain-to-mouth filter go? “I mean, I don’t mind the passion, and he always asks for consent, but— but now he starts riling me up when we’re outside! Not that he cared before, but he pays no attention to our surroundings! Do—Do you think he wants us to get caught?”
Seriously, where did his filter go? “I heard some people are into that… Well, I don’t exactly mind but, what about the poor soul who could walk on us at any moment!? Just the other day, in the library—”
“Alright! I’m going to stop you right there!” Tighnari cuts him off after recuperating his ability to breathe. “I don’t want to think about which piece of furniture you both desacralized the next time I go to the Akademiya! Anything else!?”
5: He gets…excessively handsy.
“No, wait, I was going somewhere with that! I promise!!” blurts out Kaveh.
To be fair, this is what has really been on his mind. The bluntness? It’s not like some new acronyms and weird papers inherently changed what Alhaitham has always been. The compliments? Just a new way of embarrassing Kaveh. Port Ormos? Well, he did save the entirety of Sumeru just last year, so why wouldn’t he save the port from its administrative hell? Sensually touching Kaveh without a care for TPO (Time, Place, Occasion)? He simply missed him.
But the most alarming, most worrying new behavior…
“About his new burst of passion… It would be fine, if he was just keeping it to the both of us. But… He continuously keeps hugging Cyno without any reason! Apparently even while they’re on the job!”
For once, the sigh that escapes Tighnari isn’t born out of resignation from Kaveh rambling, but from a deeper place. Not exactly concerned, but tired and annoyed. “Yes, I know… Cyno makes sure to report it to me every time it happens.”
Kaveh studies the forest ranger’s face for a while, searching for any trace of anger, of revolt, but really, there is nothing but profound tiredness. Like Tighnari is just bored of this subject in particular.
It dawns on Kaveh that he just doesn’t seem to care much about his boyfriend getting hugged by another guy on the daily. “You’re alright with it!?”
Proving his deduction, Tighnari shrugs. “Well, that’s just how their friendship evolved, I guess. Cyno doesn’t mind, he just feels guilty because I was surprised the first time. Hence his unnecessary reporting. I told him it was fine with me but… you know Cyno.”
Kaveh just stares, astonished. Is he the crazy one here!?
“To be honest, I’m kind of glad they’re getting along now. I much prefer this atmosphere to whatever tense rivalry they had going on before,” adds Tighnari.
Alright, fine. Maybe Kaveh is overreacting. It’s true that he hasn’t seen Alhaitham get a new friend in years. Maybe that’s all that it is.
Yet, something feels off.
It took years for Alhaitham to so much as brush their hands together. True, they had the whole group project debacle and lost contact in the middle, but still. It’s huge that Cyno went from an amicable acquaintance bordering on a rival, to a friend getting hugged on sight during the month Kaveh was gone.
“I guess he hugs you too sometimes…” Muses Kaveh. “In fact, when we meet at Lambad’s, he greets the both of you with an embrace now.”
“What of it?” Responds Tighnari, “He hugs, and kisses you when you two meet.”
“Yeah, but… Still. I’ve never seen him get so physically close to anyone else before.”
Tighnari stares for a while, smile gone, expression indescribable. Kaveh holds his gaze, surprised by the sudden tension, not sure when and how it came to be.
“So that’s what it is…” says the Valuka Shuna.
“Yes? What?” responds Kaveh on the edge of his seat.
Tighnari continues to stare, a strange shimmer in his eyes that Kaveh can’t clearly point out. It almost seems like sadness, like he learned bad news about a friend.
He then takes a breath, ponders for 3 seconds, and finally speaks. “You are jealous.”
And all the tension suddenly evaporates as Kaveh understands Tighnari was just teasing him again.
“I. Am. Not!”
Tighnari’s stern face melts into laughter. Seriously. Kaveh didn’t remember him to be such a prankster! Cyno must be rubbing off on him.
“You do know you’re looking like a desert fox growling over his mate?” Continues the Valuka Shuna (somehow, getting that comparison from him is even more insulting), “Don’t worry, neither Cyno nor I will steal Alhaitham from you, message received.”
“Hey! Just— What do you mean message received!? I wasn’t trying to pass on any message!”
Really. Tighnari has been laughing an awful lot today. What’s up with him?
Kaveh isn’t jealous. (Is he? Where does this sense of relief come from?)
He doesn’t like this. Time for his favorite technique: changing the subject.
“Anyway, we are going to the desert next week. He took some vacation time, and I’m finally caught up with most of my work. It will be just the two of us, so let’s hope spending more time together will help him get over this… weird phase he’s been going through. I’ll pamper him until he grows sick of it!”
“Yeah, yeah alright,” Tighnari sighs, picking up his (now cold) cup of tea, finishing it in one gulp. “I’ll stop your bragging here. I should prepare for my next patrol.”
And really, what’s up with Tighnari and embarrassing Kaveh today!? “I wasn’t bragging!”
But the forest ranger is already packing up his stuff, running away from the situation.
Well, whatever! Kaveh can handle Alhaitham! Piece of cake! They’re going to go see some of Deshret’s ruins, cuddle in the cold sand at night, and by the end of their trip, He will have pampered Alhaitham until suffocation!
It’s going to be perfect!