Chapter Text
In honour of the eternal oasis and the flourishing Padisarahs, the Lord of Flowers wore an amethyst crown.
"But 'eternity' is ultimately a lie. Intoxication and love could only grind memories down to broken dreams."
"You once asked me why I always sigh. Tonight, while the moon is bright, let me speak to you of things long past..."
Kaveh had always dreamt of an eternal oasis of blooming Padisarahs, and today was no exception to his beautiful visions. But in Kaveh’s world, beauty was fleeting; all flowers were meant to wilt and perish. ‘Eternity’ is ultimately a lie. And so the faint visions of an eternal oasis slipped from his mind like trickling sand, leaving no trace of its life in the world.
Of course, his head was throbbing from the obscene amount of alcohol the night before, though he never knew what he did when he was drunk. Did he slobber any vile words? Did he do anything indecent? What if he ended up increasing his everlasting debt? Even worse, he hoped he had not woken up to a forum inquiring about his living situation with Alhaitham!
Kaveh groaned out of frustration and fatigue, the alcohol really did pack a punch into his system.
Entering the study room, Kaveh saw the green glow that radiated from the glass panes as the light passed through to the room. The open library displayed multiple books which Alhaitham collected from time to time. Ugh, that despicable man always shoved his nose in a book every second in his life, what was he, the knowledge collector? It's not as if his life was on the line if he didn’t read for a solid minute! Dismissing his thoughts of the books, Kaveh then directed his eyes onto Alhaitham. Of course, like his thoughts, he was reading a book. Judging from the cover, it was a continuation of The Lay of Al-Ahmar, a novel that concerned the story of an unknown God, whose name has been lost in history. Kaveh sighed. When would Alhaitham ever be tired from reading so many words mindlessly? He knocked on the door very lightly to catch Alhaitham’s attention, but it was futile as he had his earpieces may have been blasting something in his ears, or had maximum soundproof settings… that brainless fool. Kaveh gave up as he quickly paced himself to be right beside Alhaitham, staring at his perfectly spiked grey hair… WAIT WHAT? He shouldn’t admire Alhaitham, nor be even interested in him at all! That would be illegal! General Mahamatra Cyno would arrest him for that crime! He shouldn’t even give an ounce of love to this man anymore, especially not after what happened which indefinitely broke their friendship.
‘Hey…’
Alhaitham had shut down Kaveh’s sensitivity, grinding it to nothing but dust. It was then Kaveh felt his insignificance in the vast world before him. How could someone be so callous as to challenge the intrinsic nature of altruism in this unforgiving world?
‘HEY! KAVEH!’
Kaveh snapped out of his spiralling thoughts. He then clearly saw Alhaitham with his earpieces out, his eyes full of concern, shaking his shoulders roughly. ‘I’ve been calling you for the past… 20 seconds.’
Kaveh scoffed. He was almost convinced that Alhaitham’s concern was not fake at all. ‘It’s not like I tried to get your attention when you're so focused on your little book-’
‘For your information, it's not a little book. I already told you, you need to come up close to me to get my attention.’
‘For fuck’s sake, why do I need to come up to you ?!’ Kaveh yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at Alhaitham.
‘Have you ever considered that I could be blasting bird sounds in my ears?’ Alhaitham asked in response, his signature deadpan look did not even support the absolute hilarity and ridiculous nature of his statement at all.
‘Hey…’ Kaveh said, lowering his voice. His head pounded even more when he strained himself from yelling. ‘Do you know what I did last night? Did I do anything incredibly stupid? Oh Archons, what if someone saw me going into your house?!’
Dismissing Kaveh’s spiral, Alhaitham sighed, his ears reddening and face expressionless. He had to look away and pretend a word in The Lay of Al-Ahmar was interesting.
‘Nothing happened. You just went home and slept. That's all.’
Kaveh did not believe an ounce of what Alhaitham said. That man had always manipulated the conversation to his liking, ending it when it starts, just to get back to reading another book. And his ears! Was this man’s ears growing red? Kaveh shoved off the thought. Maybe his earpieces were putting too much pressure into his ears and all that music must’ve been very loud.
Perhaps Alhaitham was not joking about blasting a shit ton of bird sounds in his ears. Kaveh thought, before continuing to complain. ‘I know you’re lying, Alhaitham. I’ll find out what happened last night, just you wait!’
Alhaitham sighed. You just don't want to find out about that…
But he did not voice his thoughts, never will he ever voice out those feelings. He simply placed his earpieces back on and continued his reading, not even saying ‘goodbye’ to Kaveh. To him, Alhaitham simply did not care for human interaction. It was as if he was a divine god gone mad.
Kaveh stormed off.
Being angry was an understatement.
Kaveh was furious.
The audacity Alhaitham had to just blatantly respond that dryly! His reputation as the Light of Kshahrewar was at stake here, and yet this man brushed it off as if he was a speck of dust on his fine clothes! How he was wrong that Alhaitham would even have the decency to tell him what happened.
Or hoped that someone would even care for his miserable, pathetic life.
Dismissing those thoughts, Kaveh angrily went back to his lovely and comfy bed and went back to sleep. From the other side of his room, a mechanical chirp sounded from his lovely friend, who happened to be a semi-sentient suitcase who doubled as a toolbox and possibly, a pet therapist.
‘Argh, Mehrak! Let me sleep…’
Mehrak’s expression changed. Two, pixelated green dots for eyes looking dejected at him and then finally, shutting itself off.
Kaveh suddenly grew sympathetic, having hurt Mehrak’s feelings. ‘Well at least you care about me, unlike that fucking idiot who lives with us…’
He drifted off to sleep, hoping it would soothe his migraine.
Alhaitham grew restless. Not because he sat throughout the whole morning, but because he wanted to leave his home, to be free from such a tight space. He placed a bookmark in his book and set it down, standing up and stretching his muscles, tight from being stationary. It was good to stretch now and again, and now it was time to leave the house. Picking up his set of keys from the key bowl, he saw Kaveh’s little lion keychain attached to the key. The golden shine from Kaveh’s key reminded Alhaitham of when he commissioned a new key for his home, in a colour that suited Kaveh, the colour gold. Just like his unruly, shoulder-length hair. For some reason, he thought of the red cross clips that Kaveh had used in an attempt to tame his hair. It had become another accessory that Alhaitham liked on him. Kaveh had some incomparable beauty from any other person he had met in his life, as irritating as his actual personality was. It was as if Kaveh was gifted by the heavens to be blessed with such beauty, like the reincarnation of an eternal oasis of blooming flowers during the dawn of spring.
But Kaveh was way too sensitive, his flame often snuffed out by surrendering himself to the world around him. How he hated how Kaveh was brought down by the people around him, martyring himself constantly he had forgotten about the simplicity and meaning of life. He wanted to show Kaveh the reality he was brutally hit with, the same brutality that broke him when he faced that reality. He wanted Kaveh to truly understand the horrors of the world, and to be able to shield him from those horrors, telling him that everything would be alright by his side. Alas, his plan all came to waste as Kaveh’s reaction to his words were taken into the wrong turn, slowly creating an endless rift in their relationship. He knew that the rift now couldn’t ever be filled, no matter what he did. Even if he allowed Kaveh to live in his home to relieve him from his debt, that was not enough to even fix their relationship. Nothing could ever be enough with the way that he hurt Kaveh. They were simply fated to be opposites of each other, rationality and sensitivity could have never coexisted.
Alhaitham hated it.
No, hate was the wrong word. The word ‘hate’ wasn’t extreme enough to describe his predicament.
He loathed it.
Walking through Sumeru City’s Market Plaza, Alhaitham appreciated the scenery, the lush green from the trees around him, and the dusk birds flying across the city singing many songs. The bustling crowd, however, was not his cup of tea. It reminded him of his time at the Akademiya, where many scholars would flock around him due to his profound status as the Akademiya’s Scribe as well as his proclaimed “intelligence” and “talent”. He never liked the spotlight, the pressure of it all. He just wanted to live a humble, peaceful life, reading books to pass the time in the easing quiet. As Alhaitham glanced at Lambad’s Tavern, he saw a pair of unusual visitors, their attire not part of Sumeru’s traditional clothing, nor were they eremites, forest rangers or Akademiya folk.
Part of the pair was a gingered-haired man. He adorned a red mask on the side of his head. He made note that it was very similar to a Fatui’s mask, (was it possible that he was connected to the Fatui? He locked that aggravating factor in his mind) and took note of a beaded earring with a red crystal hanging from his left ear. He could only see his back facing him, but the outfit was grey and simple. Looking at the other man with him – compared to the first person he looked at – had much longer hair, tied with an accessory. The brown and golden intricate designs on his clothing – a dragon for that matter – very much indicated he was from Liyue, Sumeru’s neighbouring region. Alhaitham recalled how Liyue was ruled by the late Rex Lapis (though he did question how Rex Lapis had died, how could an Archon suddenly die just from a ritual? A question that he reminded himself to ask or research later.)
His geo vision was seen on his back, its golden borders a rectangular frame that mirrored Liyue architecture, confirming Alhaitham’s suspicion that the man was from Liyue. Alhaitham noticed how close they were, they seemed to have a good time together, the Liyue man chuckling at the ginger-haired man as he got his wallet out of his pocket with his head hung down.
What Alhaitham didn’t suspect, however, was the Liyue man giving the other man a peck on the cheek as he flush in a deep shade of red. He then complained about why he kissed him in public, only for his partner to chuckle lightly. It seemed like the pair was actually a couple, possibly on a holiday visiting a neighbouring region. But what Alhaitham hated most was the image that passed through his head.
He imagined himself in the place of that distinguished gentleman, giving a peck on Kaveh’s cheek, eliciting a long-winded complaint in response, similar to how the man with the red mask was complaining. He could have gone on and on about how Alhaitham was a fucking idiot (yes, with profanities and all), the audacity for him to kiss him in public, just anything that would set Kaveh off into a stream of anger.
‘Hey there! Didn’t know we had an admirer, right Zhongli?’ The ginger’s voice had a playful tone when he spoke. Alhaitham took a step back, a foreign presence within his personal space. He had not noticed that one of the pair disappeared from their spot, only to see the ginger suddenly pop up into his view. What happened to staying vigilant? He could have avoided this interaction in time and not wasted mental fortitude on small talk.
‘Zhongli’ walked up to follow the ginger, sighing at his sudden ambush on Alhaitham.
‘Childe, what did I say about suddenly appearing in people’s faces?’ Zhongli’s voice was soothing and calm, fitting for the knowledgeable aura he had given off. He seemed to have calmed Childe down from his unexplainable excitement. Perhaps it was Sumeru’s gastronomy? Or was it Sumeru’s culture and arts?
The newly named pair, Childe and Zhongli, seemed to be suspicious of him. After all, he did invade the privacy of a couple by staring at them for who knows how long.
Stupid Alhaitham, why did you even think about Kaveh in the first place? He thought to himself, but what truly scared him off was that the pair were ready to straight up murder him if he said something wrong or indecent. They were both vision holders, and most likely had years of fighting experience compared to the feeble scholar he was.
Zhongli tugged Childe’s arm and pulled him away from Alhaitham, the imagery of an owner pulling away at his overexcited puppy flashing through his mind.
‘Heh, sorry sorry. I forgot I wasn’t collecting overdue debts!’
The words ‘overdue debt’ seemed to trigger Alhaitham, as it always had come out from the loudmouth Kaveh wherever mora came into the conversation. He quickly reminisced on Kaveh’s staggering debt to Dori and how he was in a crippling financial crisis. Alhaitham had never forgotten the drunken, crying mess that Kaveh was on the night he first encountered him in Lambad’s Tavern, years after their friendship breakdown.
‘Comrade, you were staring at us for a while back there!’ said Childe, a shadow over his gaze as he narrowed his eyes on him.
Ah, this man is bloodthirsty.
Childe looked as if he was ready to attack if Alhaitham said anything that would reel him under the suspicion of both men, and possibly, the Fatui.
‘Uhm, I just-’ Really? Did my voice really not go through?
He felt a hand forcefully grasp his. Childe lifted their arms and shook hands with Alhaitham, his grip tight and handshake quite joyful. ‘The name’s Tartaglia, but I go by my codename, Childe!’
‘Child?’ Alhaitham inquired, puzzled over his name. ‘Like as in… a child? Like literally a little child?’
Childe widened his eyes, and then burst out laughing, his hand still in a handshake.
‘Comrade, what?! That's a cardinal sin! It’s Childe with an E at the end. Childe as in Childe, a young lord.’
Zhongli also seemed to smile a bit, seeing as Childe’s name was under attack and being misunderstood for possibly the fourth or fifth time he had been with him.
‘Well it seems like you can’t escape this, even if we are in a foreign region.’ said Zhongli, chuckling in utter amusement, much to Childe’s annoyance.
‘You- shut up you blockhead!’ Childe yelled, letting go of Alhaitham’s hand. Alhaitham sighed in relief, his hand twitching from the sudden, prolonged physical contact.
Blockhead? Zhongli thought, this particular nickname ringing a bell. Only one person could have called him that in his lifetime, or at least, taught Childe that word. Wind-borne Bard, never sleep well again. I will murder you in your sleep when I get back.
Zhongli bowed, a slight incline for respect. ‘I am Zhongli, Consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour back in Liyue. A pleasure to meet new friends.’
Wangsheng Funeral Parlour . Alhaitham recalled. A renowned business specialising in funerary rites of any kind, whether for mortals or Adepti. A consultant was a job that befitted this gentleman, he even looked the part. As for Childe… No ordinary civilian would go by a code name. No ordinary civilian would certainly appear in people’s faces for collecting overdue debt, not to mention how he was always alert and vigilant, even if he was enjoying a meal. He took note of how he introduced himself to Alhaitham, domineering in his mannerism, always after something yet careful in formal speech and introductions. He did not seem like the kind to heed orders so casually, yet it was as if a noose constantly hung over his head.
Alhaitham had reached a conclusion, a chilling one at that. Childe is not a Fatui Agent. At the very least, a low-ranking Fatui Harbinger. But a Harbinger all the same.
He felt his life flash before his eyes, a feeble scholar having crossed paths with a Harbinger. He hated to think of his method of collecting an overdue debt; the Fatui was notorious for aggressive diplomacy. Alhaitham hoped he would live to see the sunrise tomorrow.
But then there came another question. A Funeral Consultant, and a Fatui Harbinger. Those two really clicked well with each other, with the way they bantered, the way they looked at each other and the way their personalities complement each other. How they found love in spite of their differences, and how they managed to forgo their past grievances.
Alhaitham couldn’t help but wonder; How did they meet? Who confessed to who? What did they do? Perhaps that was a story for another time? But as much as Alhaitham wanted to suppress or deny it, it ignited a flicker of hope within him.
That he and Kaveh would one day be like this.
Alhaitham realised that he had yet to respond to both Zhongli and Childe, having delved into his thoughts and analysed everything in his surroundings. But he could not have parted with rationality, for it was always a part of him.
‘I am Alhaitham, I’m just a feeble scholar from the Akademiya.’ Was all he could manage, but he had to continue explaining himself. ‘I was simply on my daily walk around Sumeru City. Seeing some foreigners in the market was just a surprise to me, that's all.’
‘But comrade,’ Childe began, shrugging. ‘Do you not see foreigners every day?’ He pointed to the docks, south of Lambad’s Tavern. ‘Merchants selling goods. Foreign exchange students from the Akademiya. Writers looking for new inspiration, especially for that new TCG game. That reminds me, I’ve got to secure a deck for Teucer…’
‘Walking around the city provides a person with fresh perspectives and new opportunities.’ Zhongli said, as if reminiscing on a past experience. He simply smiled. ‘Perhaps, you found something new within us today, on your walk.’
Alhaitham hated how both Zhongli and Childe had easily read him like an open book. It seems it was his turn to be subjected to intense scrutiny and analysis, though it was fair as he did the same to them. Was he really that easy to read?
Then why couldn’t Kaveh read his thoughts?
That was when Alhaitham fully realised, he was not dealing with ordinary foreigners. They possibly had the power to be a threat to any region in Teyvat…
‘Why don’t you take a seat with us, and talk about whatever it is that’s bothering you?’ Zhongli said, inviting Alhaitham to their table outside of Lambad’s Tavern.
‘Fine, I’ll be straightforward.’ Alhaitham crossed his arms, acquiescing to their words. He sat down with them, though refused to order anything for the time being. He had a feeling that he would have to come back there again at some stage during the day or at night. ‘Looking at you both… I had a strange feeling, I kept on envisioning something, or rather, someone.’ Alhaitham felt a strange warmth creeping up on him, threatening to encapsulate his state of being, chipping away at his own rationality.
‘So, our feeble scholar here happens to be entangled in a love story out of his own will?’ Childe said, amused. He gently nudged Zhongli. ‘This is getting a bit too familiar, right Zhongli?’
Zhongli hummed in response. ‘This person must bring you much frustration. And yet, you seem to come back to them, no matter how hard you try to run.’
Zhongli was right, Alhaitham was frustrated that Kaveh did not listen to his words, that the cruelty of the world would consume him whole if he did not realise the extent of his self-sacrifice, and that in the end, no one outside of his circle would have batted an eye. Even if their friendship was broken beyond repair, Alhaitham still wanted Kaveh to live a somewhat comfortable life, free from his debt, free from his misery.
Especially after his mother left him for Fontaine…
Thinking about Kaveh’s mother really drove him to a point of insanity he never reached before, and not even rationality was part of the equation at that point. That woman left her son, just because she too was grieving for her husband? Did she forget that Kaveh himself lost not only a father, but a mother if she left? Alhaitham shook his head.
‘I…’ Alhaitham mentally slapped himself. ‘I just want him to live his life with no worries, he’s such a self-sacrificial piece of shit.’ He said, doing away with formalities and delving into the surface of his deep love (or rather, frustration) for Kaveh.
Zhongli placed his hand on Alhaitham’s shoulder. ‘We may not know how deeply you love him, or how you both met, but you both must come to terms with yourselves before it is too late. Unrequited love is like a dormant volcano, threatening to unleash itself at any moment and possibly ruin yourself, in the process.’
Childe looked up at Alhaitham, and contributed a piece of advice to Zhongli’s wise words. ‘Well, if you cannot seem to find a common ground to resolve your romantic tension, you can both just fight to the death!’
Alhaitham froze, trying to grasp at the utter horror of it all. A fight to the death with Kaveh?! No way in Celestia would he do that! He tried to keep a straight face as Childe added his “advice”.
‘After all, it worked out for us, right Zhongli? That was one hell of a battle I tell you, I passed out for a few hours just at the sheer gravity of it all!’ Childe grinned, looking at Zhongli for affirmation. It was as if Childe was proud of having been beaten up and getting a love confession in return.
Once again, Alhaitham mentally shut down, his thoughts and analytical process grinding to a halt at the sheer absurdity of it all.
‘Uhm.’ Was all Alhaitham simply could muster, no more, no less. And he thought the previous Grand Sage Azar was the craziest of them all.
Zhongli immediately rebuked Childe. ‘Childe, that was poor advice! Did you really have to tell him to fight? You are scaring the living daylights out of poor Alhaitham!’
Alhaitham saw how Zhongli went out of his esteemed character to scold Childe, as if he was quite literally a child! Alhaitham was glad that Cyno was not here to milk the hell out of that pun. The horror… Tighnari would have started another cataclysm right here and there.
‘When we get back, we are going to have a nice chat about being considerate to others, Ajax. ’ Zhongli seemed to whisper the last word very quietly, but Alhaitham was able to pick it up. Ajax, huh. Was that Childe’s real name?
Childe immediately straightened up his posture, sweating from the warning Zhongli gave to him. It seemed like the mention of Childe’s real name really became effective to control him…
Was Zhongli’s eyes glowing amber? Was Alhaitham seeing things? Surely the constant routine of reading books did not distort his eyesight, right?
Alhaitham had hoped that his poker face had not dissolved from their peculiar public display of affection and questionable sense of romanticism.
Alhaitham stood up, having found the opportune time to leave them be and go home. ‘Thank you both-’
‘Hmph, seems like the Acting Grand Sage is occupied.’
Alhaitham had always associated the wind to be a gentle figure, singing ballads of breeze, like Mondstadt's beloved Anemo Archon. But he was proven wrong, as the wind was in fact, a wandering scholar with an even sharper tongue than Alhaitham had. A small boy, clad in blue had emerged into the scene, though he had kept his distance unlike Childe did initially. He tipped his hat only to Alhaitham, completely disregarding the other two. No, he was practically glaring at Childe.
‘Acting Grand Sage?’ Childe asked, entertaining his thoughts. ‘What's that? Sounds like a prestigious title for a ‘feeble scholar’ like you Alhaitham.’
The boy in blue simply continued to glare at Childe, ready to murder him on the spot for the many possible crimes he committed as a Harbinger.
Tch, good riddance. What a way to make my day a whole lot better with that Fatui Scum, the boy thought to himself.
Alhaitham felt the addling tension between the boy and Childe, the way they looked at each other so awkwardly, without words at that. Alhaitham decided to intervene, lest this situation spiral. ‘This is ‘Hat Guy’, he is a visiting scholar from the Vahumana Darshan. He specialises in the socio-political history of Inazuma and has written many papers on that matter.’
“Hat Guy” scoffed. ‘Just call me Wanderer. “Hat Guy” was just a title Lord Kusanali gave me in order to get into the Akademiya. Nothing more than a moniker. I am sure that Fatui scum before you is familiar with having many names.’
The sheer mention of Lord Kusanali captured Zhongli’s attention, though he tried to keep it subtle and kept himself seated. He smiled, knowing that Lord Kusanali was doing well in maintaining her city and her people. Childe, however, did not keep his attention at bay – he never could – and immediately stood up from his seat. ‘Tch, what would you know about me, Wanderer?’ He snarled, tainting his words with bloodlust that Alhaitham had not heard when he was cordial with him. The Wanderer had only scoffed in response and crossed his arms.
Childe’s hand twitched, itching for a weapon in his hand to end this guy. ‘Why you-!’
‘Now now,’ Zhongli said, stepping in between them, a physical barrier between the two. He gave a stern look to Childe. No words needed to be uttered as Childe immediately understood and sat back down.
‘Let us be cordial here. Wandering Scholar, what brings you here?’ Zhongli asked.
Wanderer looked over to Alhaitham. ‘The Lord Buer is in need of you, Alhaitham. I have no interest whatsoever in your business with her, but she requires your presence at the Sanctuary tomorrow.’
‘Thank you for relaying that message.’
‘Hmph.’ The Wanderer simply vanished, out of sight from their view. He had left no trace of himself, as if he was quite literally gone.
‘Huh, seems like that one is very feisty. It’s rare to find those sorts of people these days. ’ Said Childe. ‘So, um. He said something about an Acting Grand Sage? Isn’t the Grand Sage the old dude who oversaw everything in the Akademiya, doing papers and shit?’
Alhaitham looked at Zhongli, signalling for him to reply in simpler terms for Childe to understand. ‘Well, since the recent events that shook Sumeru, the previous Grand Sage and his accomplices have been exiled to Avidiya Forest where they had to repent.’
Childe nodded. ‘Xiansheng, I already know that part of course, news spread like wildfire!’
Zhongli continued. ‘Now that the spot for the Grand Sage is open, the Akademiya surely couldn’t leave it like that for too long right?’
Alhaitham nodded in agreement.
‘That's where our friend Alhaitham comes in because he’s the Acting Grand Sage.’
Childe stared in shock, unable to take in the information he heard. ‘Eh? So you’re not really just a feeble scholar?’
Alhaitham shrugged in response. ‘It’s not like it's a permanent position for me anyways, being the Acting Grand Sage is too troublesome for me. I would rather be the Sage’s scribe, the workload is much lighter and my hours are flexible. I can even work at home if I wish, much to my roommate’s grievance…’
Zhongli hummed and looked down in thought. ‘Roommate, hmm?’
But Childe did not mirror Zhongli’s passiveness. ‘So- you’re going to resign just like that?! Imagine all the power you held… gone.’
But before Alhaitham could step in to explain himself, Zhongli intervened once more. ‘He had his reasons, did he not? After all… why do you think I retired from all that?’
Retirement? Was Zhongli not currently working as a Consultant? Was there more to it than meets the eye with this man? Nothing had made sense for Alhaitham as of now.
Once they had finished talking, Zhongli sighed and apologised for Childe’s rash behaviour and inconsideration.
Alhaitham started talking once their conversation was over. ‘You heard what that Wanderer said. Lord Kusanali needs me for Grand Sage business the next day, but I shall take my leave now. Continue to enjoy your visit here.’
Zhongli nodded. ‘It is nice to have a new friend in a foreign nation, I hope your predicament with your roommate is resolved swiftly and peacefully… Unlike a certain somebody who wanted to fight to the death…’
Zhongli turned his head to meet Childe’s eyes, both eyes focused on each other.
Childe broke off contact first and chuckled. ‘Pipe down Zhongli, I only wanted to fight to see the extent of your powers! Well, whatever you do Alhaitham, don’t die in battle! You seem like a strong dude for a feeble scholar anyways!’
Childe gave a strong pat on Alhaitham’s shoulder and grinned widely.
Alhaitham walked off and thought to himself. What an interesting couple they are. Though the pair had their oddities and shits, they still had the same look in their eyes, pure love. A certain chemistry danced in the air around them while they bantered, and yet, they enjoyed each other’s company, wherever they went; it was not restricted to their homeland.
But truth be told, Alhaitham realised why he was so drawn to them. Not because of their love, no.
He had only wished that Kaveh was there with him, to share the same love the pair had.