Work Text:
Kaveh, of course, remembered when he had first developed his little light and the long, arduous task of bringing her to completion. She was important to him in ways he had a hard time explaining to other people, for they often only see the hard shell of a machine built in the Deshretian era technology that encapsulates her, and the mechanisms made by the genius Light of Kshahrewar that runs her. In the eyes of both the Akademiya students and the everyday people of Sumeru city, impressive as it may be, Mehrak’s existence was inevitable. It might not have her name, her mannerisms, or her shape, but her as a concept: a genius’s overelaborate private project was accepted as a foregone conclusion, what geniuses simply do. But despite how others see it, it doesn’t take away the pride Kaveh has for her. She had been his companion through and through, and now, still strong as she was the first time he made her, after a multitude of wellness checks and upgrades, Mehrak will be a year older, and as silly as the concept might be for some people, Kaveh wants to celebrate it.
Mehrak is in the kitchen whilst Alhaitham is teaching her how to brew different types of coffee before Kaveh goes to join them, hands full of old rolls of blueprints. Just minutes prior, he was looking through Mehrak’s first drafts, reminiscing on the multitude of features he had imagined for her, some of which have made it to her final design, though changed to an extent, most notably being the fact that she used to be a lot more triangular than square as his first idea of her were inspired by the ancient machines that provided her core. While showing what Kaveh could only see as the equivalent of Mehrak’s baby pictures, to her, getting a lot of cheerful chirps and beeps, his throat got parched, and he requested for her to bring him a cup of water, expecting a short trip to the kitchen. Kaveh was unexpectedly left to ponder why Mehrak had taken so long, and eventually got up to witness the confounding sight before him.
“Alhaitham? What are you doing?” he asked loudly.
“Ah, Kaveh, I had assumed you were familiar with the process of brewing a cup of coffee,” Alhaitham answered without turning to face him.
“Not that smartass, why are you taking all our coffee beans out and showing them off to Mehrak?” Kaveh quickly shot back, a confused lethargy blankets his voice.
“I was merely familiarizing her with how to prepare the different types of coffee beans we have acquired to best highlight their unique flavour profile so that when we request something specific, she’ll know how to prepare them correctly,” he explained.
“Wha- what Alhaitham, she’s not your servant!” Kaveh argued again, meanwhile Mehrak started beeping over the development of the situation.
“But if I recall, wasn’t it you who had asked her to run around and fetch things?” Alhaitham replied, and Kaveh exclaimed near instantaneously, “She’s my assistant Haitham. I mean Mehrak, sweety, you’re not upset when I ask you to do things, it’s not too much for you, right?”
To that, Mehrak beeped while showing her cheery, closed-eyed expression, and Kaveh sighed in relief at the confirmation. He caught a small huff of laughter from the space next to him and realized Alhaitham had the gall to find amusement at the situation, watching him with a smirk on his face. Though Kaveh really couldn’t be upset, so instead he giggled a little with Alhaitham before calling Mehrak back to his room, forgetting entirely why the two of them had gone to the kitchen in the first place. Perhaps he’s simply in a reminiscing mood, as he continues to tell Mehrak the story of how she first came to be, the line of narration shifts little by little to his general time at the Akademiya, and of course, to who made those moments so memorable in the first place.
His visage lay flat like a sheet of paper, a simplicity that had withstood the march of moments. Wherein glimpses of him caught my notice, even before my arrival at his side, such an image stayed. To label him stoic or cold would be an injustice. His face is honest. The steely characteristics of his gaze are absent in mine. Though still his eyes would flicker, sometimes dimming, other times brightening, even without any fluctuation in the luminance of the ceiling light.
Was Kaveh’s initial judgement of the junior whom he met as a happenstance. When he first saw the young boy reading all on his own, perhaps to have approached him in the assumption of loneliness, had him beating himself on the head in embarrassment for a little while. But after the feeling passed, Kaveh had no qualms about actually meeting this peculiar Haravatat boy. Not when the first words uttered to him when he offered support and camaraderie in his admittedly misunderstanding of the situation were insults. Soon followed by a series of discussions bordering on arguments (that Kaveh of the time would have never guessed would become something commonplace in his day-to-day) about the nature of assumption and performance of actions based on them.
When Kaveh realises he may have rambled a little too much (not that Mehrak seemed to mind), he puts her to rest and starts working on what new feature he should give her for her birthday. Something hopefully she’ll enjoy and make use of often. Time beckoned him to finish his task in due diligence, so he may have gotten carried away. Those are his eyes, even with a glance, I am certain I could recognize them in the embrace of slumber. No different from identifying them within this pitch-black darkness. Kaveh was assured of that idea when he felt someone linger on the door to his room, watching him as he worked. The wick of the candle had burnt out, but Kaveh was too engrossed and inspired in the creation of this blueprint to be bothered lighting another one. So as light slowly creeps up to the side of his table, Kaveh is forced to turn and face the man himself.
There, Alhaitham held a lantern in his hand and extended it to Kaveh, chiming, “Is it not enough that you're working in the dead of night, Kaveh, but to do so without a source of light is a whole new level of recklessness.”
To which Kaveh replied, “Shut up, Alhaitham, can't you see I'm busy here,” with admittedly a lot less bite than he would have normally.
Alhaitham deadpans and says, “Wow, senior, truly your words are eloquently put. Suppose this proves maturity doesn't necessarily come with age.”
“Haha, very funny Alhaitham,” Kaveh sarcastically rolled his eyes in pretense annoyance, but it was hard to keep the smile off his face when he returned to his work. Seeing that Alhaitham concludes, while there is no stopping Kaveh, the least he could do is provide him with the lantern so he no longer has to work in the dark and potentially sacrifice the health of his eyes. Besides, as surprising as it is, Kaveh's mood seemed to be quite elated; therefore, Alhaitham would rather not sour it.
Alhaitham retreated to his room, lay down in bed, a small problem arising in the back of his mind as though he was sure that day was a good day, Kaveh was gleeful, and it was infectious; who was Alhaitham to resist? But the consequence of it is that Kaveh’s smile had now been embedded behind his eyelids, and he was not sure what it would do to him if he were forced to constantly watch Kaveh like that. His authenticity is so genuine that it borders on artifice; his inspection unburdened by distance, his vitality exceeding any Alhaitham has ever known. Like how books were made so believable, the saying reality is stranger than fiction exists, a testament to that adage. That man was akin to a piece of fiction with those deep crimson eyes and palpable existence. He is so visceral. Having Kaveh’s image in those moments when sleep was encroaching was especially pleasant. It was a sensation one would have when in a warm bath, having a good dinner, or on a peaceful walk through a silent forest.
The morning sun that filtered through his curtains had awakened Alhaitham, somewhat confused and uncoordinated, suddenly aware he had accidentally fallen asleep thinking about Kaveh. When he stepped out of the room, and groggily inspected the house. Alhaitham could hardly resist the urge to peek through the gap of his roommate’s slightly askew door merely to see how the other is doing. The realization hit him as to why Kaveh was in such a good mood yesterday, seeing what was inscribed in the old rolls of paper Kaveh had carried now sprawled open, scattered all over the floors of his room, most being of Mehrak’s early designs made when they were still in the Akademiya, her birthday is coming soon.
In the silence that festers between them during breakfast, he can admire the gentle slope of Kaveh’s neck as he bends down to take his fill and the curve of his throat to which his Adam’s apple bobs ever so slightly each time he swallows his share. He could capture this moment, encase it so that it cannot be seen like the selfish man he knows himself to be. The rhythm of his heartbeats sets the motion for what is to come and what will not. To shatter this melody into ruin would be to seize his lips in a kiss, to capsize them both in a puddle of tangled limbs and intertwined echoes of the other's name. Alhaitham took another bite of his shawarma wrap and saved that thought for another day.
During the following days Kaveh has found time after his lecture to focus on the gift he was making, but he’s come across an odd, strangely familiar quandary. Alhaitham had come to him in the House of Daena and silently watched him move through a multitude of prototype machinery while occasionally picking up his scattered notes, silently pointing at the differentiating equations. Each time Kaveh discovers a breakthrough in his device, he can feel a small, sudden sweeping wind, followed by a glance, and then a nod. Alhaitham is human, as perfect and flawed as any other. Kaveh is nothing if not amused by this. Alhaitham’s facial expression is much colder than it had been when they were students, though juxtaposed with his childish, wide-eyed focus, the same kind he used to show Kaveh. He can't deny that it makes him feel giddy, so much so that Kaveh doesn't even question why he's here when he should no doubt be tending to his scribe responsibilities.
Every once in a while, as students, people who'd done their project report would sit and talk with Kaveh in hopes of having his aid in proofreading it. He looked so beautiful amongst them. But Alhaitham would find him there after, most times in his solitude, and simply bask in their shared silence. For whatever reason, the quiet was the most comfortable; it’d been peppered throughout the entirety of their experience once the hurdle of their continuum questionable method of exchange was overcome, the sentiment is much less surprising to Alhaitham than it is to Kaveh.
Now, with age, it seems Alhaitham has gotten bold as well. The man would look at Kaveh expectantly without a word, to which the request silently conveyed would be for him to open his arms because Alhaitham wanted to lie against his chest. Kaveh isn’t entirely sure how the development happened, nor the audacity that Alhaitham has incited in himself. Though he thinks he can get away with so many things by just looking at the other, a s if I could read his mind and do whatever it was he wanted. It's effective most of the time, but that's not the point. Alhaitham is getting too pleased with himself, and the soothing expression he bears turns sly when Kaveh pays a little too much attention to him.
On the day of Mehrak’s birthday, Kaveh could hardly contain himself; work still needed to be done if he ever dreamed of being free from his debt, which, to linger in the current development, sounds much more like a flimsy excuse to stay with his roommate but nonetheless, Kaveh toils. Alhaitham though has been much closer both in proximity and correspondence, there’s also this look he has and a matter in which he says Kaveh’s name in a little sing-song tone. Repeating it several times throughout the day when Kaveh seeped away from his mind. Alhaitham doesn't even say anything else, just expects Kaveh to pick up on his intentions with every utterance of his name. On shopping trips, in the House of Daena, as soon as Kaveh parts with his clients. His name on Alhaitham’s tongue feels like a gift or a siren’s call depending on the situation.
It would be a lot less grating had there been more but seeing that, that's how far the conversations usually go, the silence of a smile no one else seems to notice but him and his name in Alhaitham’s voice with that tone, and how does he expect Kaveh not to relent? Kaveh would return the call, mentioning only his name, and Alhaitham responded with pleasant hums as the other did whatever it was he asked of him. Kaveh understands that he technically has asked nothing of him, for not a word of request ever slips his mouth. But the man knows and is monopolising his knowledge that they require no such things save for the few moments their understanding diverges. Alhaitham’s wants are far too simple as well, to sit beside him, hold his hand because it had gotten cold, hear his voice ramble on and on in a language no other people would have such a clean grasp on because he looks so smug listening to his voice which he admitted was nice. Whatever mind games are at play, Kaveh can see it in the depths of his eyes, he knows something changes in them, he could have all of his without asking and he's been taking all of this before, but now the act of asking for permission itself was a tease, now he decides he wants the courtesy to ask.
Alhaitham relishes the way Kaveh’s subconscious moves his expression whenever he hears his own name called now that he’s excitedly alert. How dare he, honestly but who is Alhaitham if not a man tossed about by the whims of his own interests. On their return Alhaitham places the food they bought on the counter, while Mehrak can’t eat and making such a purchase on her birthday might be an oversight. It’s as much a celebration of Kaveh’s technical mastery as it is for her, so takeout of his favorites would hopefully set the mood as well. He could hear Kaveh in the living room talking to Mehrak as he’s about to surprise her with his gift. From the archway on the kitchen Alhaitham observes the two. Kaveh sat on the floor with his little light floating in front of him, slight confusion on her face but she’s optimistic. Then Kaveh pulls out something from his pockets and shows it to her while telling her happy birthday.
“Look Mehrak, I figured you’d want a more effective way to communicate with us so I wanted to give you a voice bank at first, but then I couldn’t really decide on what voice to give you so then I thought what if I give you the ability to record the voices around you, cut and mix them, and change the pitch, tone, and volume so you can personalize it as you please. Now mind you, it’s still clunky and you need to collect a lot of data to fill up the voice bank with this method, splicing words together might also sound a bit off if there isn’t sufficient information on the word yet but I digress. Oh yeah this also comes with an upgrade to your memory ah and some unrelated sounds that aren’t voices, you can add them as an effect when you talk or something, you can do whatever you want with it really, but since storing all this information might cause a bit of lag with your current capacity, well, y'know what just tell me, what do you think?” Kaveh rambles excitedly as he installs the add-on to Mehrak.
After a few seconds Mehrak stares back at Kaveh before exclaiming in a recording of his own voice, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!”
Kaveh laughs in absolute delight, “that’s right Mehrak, happy birthday!”
Alhaitham moves from his spot in the kitchen to the two of them and crouches slightly to get to their level, “You two seem rather thrilled, well Mehrak, I have somewhat of a gift for your birthday as well.”
“Happy birthday Mehrak,” she repeats with her gleeful expression.
“Ah Mehrak you don’t have to keep repeating that with my voice,” a small blush tinted Kaveh’s cheeks as he speaks, noticing this, Alhaitham says, “now now Kaveh, allow her to get used to the new feature you’ve provided her, besides she seems to simply enjoy hearing your voice.”
Kaveh’s blush deepened and as if to innocently embarrass him further Mehrak says, “that’s right,” in a copy of his voice this time in a slightly higher pitch giving it a more distinct sound.
“Okay enough, and Alhaitham, what do you mean you got her a gift? I’d thought you’d more than anyone would consider celebrating Mehrak’s birthday to be an unproductive use of your time,” Kaveh accused.
Alhaitham shrugs, “you wound me senior, why would I not get something for Mehrak’s birthday, it’s quite an accomplishment for her to make it this far after all?” before Kaveh could answer, Alhaitham pulls out a small metal clip shaped like a hydro fungus and dendro fungus next to each other only this time there must have been a mistake made by the craftsman as both fungus were discolored being yellow and grey respectively instead of the blue and green they were supposed to be. Kaveh of course brought that up immediately, “wha- Alhaitham what is this?”
“Now now senior, this is merely embellishments for Mehrak, I thought you of all people could appreciate its beauty,” Alhaitham explained not giving Kaveh the chance to complain he followed up with, “but I do have something else that might be more of an interest to you.”
This piqued Kaveh’s curiosity and he watches as Alhaitham pulls out what looks to be a small box with a phonograph record encased in it, not too dissimilar to the “Maison Cardinalice's Musical Tone” a popular gramophone design from Fontaine but very evidently smaller and lacking in the cylindrical device meant to enhance the sound. Alhaitham explains that this is a new design that has the benefits of being a more portable way to play music while sacrificing little in terms of volume. “They call it a turntable,” Alhaitham mentions. This of course brought forth Kaveh’s technical intrigue and had it been a gift for him he would definitely spend the rest of the night to take it apart. But it is not, and he wouldn’t want to do that to his little light’s gift. “Because you gave Mehrak a sort of voice module, training her on a multitude of languages would prove beneficial on a number of things and study shows the easiest way to learn a language is to practice it in everyday use and listen to it often. Hence I’ve gotten a record filled with a multitude of songs with different languages, cataloged each by the region. It’s content is much more expansive than my own headphones.” He cuts himself short of his explanation as he sees Kaveh holding back laughter.
“Alhaitham I just gave her a voice and you’re already trying to teach her new languages?” Kaveh tries to wrap his head around the absurdity, a disbelief grin still plastered on his face. Alhaitham only smiled back as he stood up, outstretching his hand to Kaveh. Once Kaveh took hold of it and rose as well, Alhaitham made a request to Mehrak to try playing her turntable and the two began dancing slowly.
Alhaitham leaned his head to rest on Kaveh’s neck, whispering in his ear, “Why else would I get Mehrak a record player if not to compliment your own gift?” before he twirls Kaveh when the surprise allowed him to move the other off guard. The two just began laughing and dancing the night away.
The next morning Alhaitham blinked himself awake, to the sun warming their room and Kaveh had been sitting at the foot of the bed trying to get the wrinkles out of his shirt and Alhaitham could truly see the full expanse of the white floaty garment that barely curtains the staunch red marks on the other’s body. Alhaitham who was breathing deep and calm despite the buzz in his head making him dizzy. He moved slowly to hold the other man from behind, his chest pressed to Kaveh’s back. He peppers kisses all over the other man as Kaveh begins giggling repeating “it tickles.” Before Alhaitham lifted him and brought him back to bed.
“You brute I just finished straightening out my shirt, hey,” Kaveh yelled but Alhaitham simply squeezed his face on the other’s cheek as if it were a pillow. Kaveh relents almost immediately and returns the other’s hug, he still has a lot of questions frankly about the past few weeks but perhaps that could wait.