Chapter Text
Although he would never admit it out loud, Kaveh misses Alhaitham. The Scribe has disappeared who knows where, without so much as a word or a letter to him. It shouldn't upset him as much as it does. Although they have stumbled together in bed a few times, they aren't exactly a thing. The other scholar doesn't have any obligation to tell him what he's up to.
Still, it would be nice to know, to be under the impression that Alhaitham cares.
Ironically enough, he's musing about it when guards come to arrest him on orders of the Grand Sage.
This must be a mistake, he utters as he is forcibly dragged away. He has never done anything that could go against the laws of Sumeru, he is certain of it. However, all of his pleas fall on deaf ears as he is thrown into jail. He doesn't have to wait long before the sages themselves come to interrogate him.
They ask about Alhaitham. About his location, about what he is planning. Kaveh tells them the truth: he has no idea. Deep down, he wonders if that is the reason why the Scribe kept him in the dark. Is it because he doesn't trust him enough to believe he would cover up for him? Somehow, that train of thought hurts. Alhaitham should know that despite their usual quarrels, Kaveh would never do anything that could put him in trouble.
His honesty isn't enough to convince the sages. At worst, Kaveh expects to be put back into his cell until they finally discover what they want to know about Alhaitham. Later on, he will curse himself for being so naive, for not trying to make a run for it when the guards captured him.
Kaveh soon discovers they won't stop at anything to put their hands on the information they want. When they threaten to torture him, he tries to persuade himself that it's nothing but a bluff, that they won't actually carry through with it. All he can do is hope, because it's not like he could give them satisfaction either way.
Sadly for him, they mean every word.
They put him through the worst pain of his life, to the point where he comes up with some nonsensical lie about Alhaitham's projects just so they will stop. He has to be carried back to his cell because his body just won't respond to him anymore. Kaveh barely has enough strength left to wince when he's unceremoniously dropped onto the hard floor.
Sobs wrack through him as he is finally left alone. However, he isn't so mad at Alhaitham for not sharing information with him anymore, because after what he's just been put through, Kaveh wouldn't trust himself to keep anything secret either. At least he's been spared the hurt and humiliation of betraying his closest friend. It is a hollow comfort, especially considering how his whole body is aching, but he clings to it nonetheless.
He is left alone for a few days, until the sages realize he has sent them on a false trail. Then, everything begins anew. They're even crueler, this time around, and again, Kaveh can only lie in a desperate attempt to save himself. It starts a vicious cycle with no end in sight. However, they stay convinced that, as the person who lives with Alhaitham, he must know something. He would laugh at their misconception, if it didn't hurt so damn much. How resilient do they believe him to be, to think that he would manage to hide anything from them after being put through hell and back?
At some point, he loses all hopes of having his unjust punishment ever come to an end. His life has been reduced to nothing but suffering, and the sages won't even allow him the mercy of death, not when they think he still possesses some imaginary knowledge.
Despite everything, he finds solace in their questioning, because if they keep asking him, it must mean Alhaitham is still safe.
As Alhaitham is taken away by guards, his biggest challenge is to not look smug, despite how pleased he is by the turn of events. Everything is going just as planned. The Grand Sage fell for their little mise en scene, hook, line, and sinker. It is only a matter of time before the Dendro Archon is freed. Now, he just has to look upset enough so that the sage who is supervising his arrest won't suspect anything.
“Look, we have a surprise for you, Scribe,” The despicable man announces with unveiled disdain as they reach the cells.
The guards open a door, and then he sees him. Kaveh, bruised and battered, curled onto himself, wearing torn clothes covered in blood, his eyes unseeing. Alhaitham no longer has to pretend to look horrified. He stays frozen in shock, and his captors have to push him into the cell before locking them inside.
It's a nightmare. Kaveh was supposed to be working on some architectural project, hence his absence. Or at least, it was what the rumors said. And like an idiot, he took it for granted, thinking Kaveh didn't warn him of his departure just to get back at him for doing the same.
Carefully, he takes him into his arms, afraid to worsen his many injuries. Panic and urgency rush through him. Dehya and the Eremites need to take control of Sumeru fast, so he can take Kaveh to a healer.
“I'm here, Kaveh. It's going to be okay.” He whispers.
He tries his best to sound reassuring, but tears betray how he truly feels. Kaveh wasn't meant to be mixed into all this. At least, hearing his voice pulls his roommate out of his daze. His tired eyes focus on him, which almost makes Alhaitham sob in relief. Kaveh isn't completely gone.
“You... You were right... For not telling me where you were going... I would have told them everything...”
His voice sounds rougher than usual, and he quickly falls silent, as if it physically hurts him to speak. It probably does. His words are all it takes for Alhaitham's heart to shatter. Is that what Kaveh truly believes? That he didn't share his projects with him out of selfishness?
“No, you don't understand. I didn't tell you anything because I didn't want you to get in danger because of me. If I had known that... That you were... I would have done everything to save you, I promise. I... I am so sorry, Kaveh. I love you, so please stay with me. I'll get you out of here soon, I swear. ”
Alhaitham peppers small kisses into his messy hair, trying his hardest to convey how much he cares, how much it hurts him to see him like this. Kaveh returns his hug with all his meager strength, holding onto the Scribe as if his life depends on it. They stay huddled together until Dehya finally arrives to free them.
When the other scholars ask Alhaitham to become the new Grand Sage, he accepts. Not because he particularly cares about the position, but because this way, he can make sure Kaveh will stay safe, that no corrupt ruler will cause him harm ever again.
Initially, he wanted nothing more but to resume his peaceful life as the Scribe of the Akademia, but he can't settle for that anymore. Not when almost every night, Kaveh cries in his sleep, plagued by nightmares, and only calms down as Alhaitham holds him close and murmurs in his ear that he will always protect him, no matter what. Not when Alhaitham finds endless scars under his fingers, no matter which part of him he caresses.
Kaveh shouldn't have to shake in fear every time a guard so much as salutes him. He shouldn't have to live with the constant dread that one day, the sages might come after him again
The long meetings, the expectations of all of Sumeru, the responsibilities, Alhaitham is ready to bear it all. It might not be the life he expected to lead, but the way Kaveh smiles at him, knowing Alhaitham will keep him safe, makes it more than worth it.