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Chapter Text

Kaveh sighed as he finished drawing the draft of a client’s commission. He flicked his hands as he gathered his things. He had been working in the house of Daena, a library of the Akademiya. He had opted to study there because of the books (and the air conditioner).

He scanned the blueprint and emailed it swiftly. As he was preparing to leave, a ding was heard from his phone. It was his personalized notification sound from Lynette.

Big brother, the House of the Hearth opens its doors for you.

Father was summoning him. They had this code because digital footprints were too risky for the Fatui.

When his father died, his mother… left him at the House of the Hearth. It was an orphanage at face value and a part of the Fatui underneath. They were a Snezhnayan diplomatic organization, but few know that it partakes in its fair share of crime.

The Knave, fourth of the Fatui Harbingers, was the headmaster there. 

He had joined when the previous director was still in charge. She was… someone you shouldn’t waste your brainpower on — a “loving” and “caring” “Mother”. Ha, what a joke. she was… quite the opposite, to say the least.

She would often tell him often that his innocence and kindness would create his downfall. When he first joined, it seemed like a perfect little happy family. Of course, this illusion was quickly shattered.

He may had been young, but he was smart enough to realize the tragedy that was this household. Yet, the others had not. Only two did. Clervie and Peruere.

Clervie was… a soul that was taken away from this world too soon. She was bubbly, even when all of her plans had gone to waste. She was sixteen so she felt like his true mother.  

Only two months after… she died. She was forced into a duel with Peruere, who despite her cold-blooded exterior, cared a lot about her. When he found out… he had been heartbroken. She was the only sibling he connected to at the time. So unreasonably, he lashed out at Peruere, who seemed to just… ignore him.

Clervie taught him how to survive here, so for the next 12 months, he had flown under the radar. He honed his machinery skills to excel in missions just enough to not lose value. Of course, those who did got sent to The Doctor.

Yet, he was weak enough that “Mother” never considered him to be the next “king”. But, he was no exception to duels. He embodied Clervie’s advice to make every duel end in a draw, but some siblings would not… listen. 

Despite his best efforts, his hands were stained with blood from a young age… 

Then, Freminet arrived. He was the only one who had a genuine sibling relationship with him after Clervie. At first, he thought that the boy was more of a machine. He was usually expressionless at those times, doing only what he was told. 

They both had interests in mechanical engineering, so they worked together often. Once he got closer to him, he realized that he would suppress his emotions to become “more useful”. 

Because of that, he had this instinct to protect his brother from all the horrors of the world. 

During missions, he was usually sent behind enemy lines, along with Freminet because of his “friendly” demeanor.

Everything changed when Father took control. She mended the broken bonds of the House of the Hearth, making it quite the place for comfort. It was ironic since it used to be a place of suffering.

With the birth of Father, came the death of Peruere. She was now Arlecchino, but it wasn’t just her name that changed. She now has this… different aura. 

Now that he thought about it, he never got the chance to apologize for all the mean things he said. Well, she’ll never accept it now.

She paired him with Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet, which felt different from his past siblings since they… actually cared about each other, not just themselves. It was also lovely since it was the first time he saw Freminet smile.

Yet, he always wanted to graduate from the Akademiya, like his parents. With that, he transferred to the leadership of Columbina, who was stationed at Sumeru for years. Father trusted her, so she agreed to the terms.

He had the option to work for The Doctor since he had this important project, but he took his chances with Damselette.

When he became a scholar of Kshahrewar, he returned to the House of the Hearth. He loved his siblings, after all.

He became their eyes and ears in Sumeru. He was recently tasked to investigate the failure of The Doctor’s project, despite it happening two years ago. The Dendro Archon mysteriously broke free while he was helping the Desert Expedition Team. 

But, she must be calling him for a different matter. Besides, he was forever indebted to Father. So when she needed his assistance, he would drop everything to help.  

Much more, the Harbingers were the ones who were granted divine abilities by the Tsaritsa. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t refuse her. 

It must be an important mission if Father needed him right now. He had a meeting too at 4. He guessed he had no choice but to cancel. 

Pulling out his phone, he both texted and emailed his client saying he needed to reschedule, and apologizing profusely at the same time. He also checked the time which read “2:40pm”, feeling guilt pool in his stomach at the late cancellation. He didn’t need to text anything to his boyfriend, who expected him to come home at 5 or so. 

With that, he headed to the House of the Hearth all the way in Fontaine. Well, it was just one hour away with a bus. It was better not to keep Father waiting.

Entering the familiar building, he headed downstairs. He was greeted by his brothers and sisters who were pleased to see him. He could only chat for a quick moment, though. 

He had reached the entrance to her office, a sense of nervousness riveting through a shiver as he reached for the door. He has shown no discomfort in his face. Father just… evokes a feeling of fear.

It opened, revealing The Knave who was sitting in her chair. Her sharp red and gray eyes were analyzing his every detail, making a shiver run through his back. Lyney was also there, bowing at her right. 

He closed the door behind him and bowed next to his brother. 

“Father” He greeted. “You asked for me?” 

“Kaveh, a rather… important mission is entrusted to both of you.” Her ice-cold voice started. “I need you two to… bring someone to me.” Which meant that she needed them to… kidnap this person.

“Efim Snezhevich is his name.” She said which caught his attention. “Lynette has already investigated him and his routine is written on this file.” She said as she handed them a yellow folder. “More information is written there. I expect his presence tonight.” She said a tad more sternly, but the message was understood. “You two are now dismissed.” 

Walking out of the office, Kaveh sat on the chairs outside. It was still quite private.

“Snezhevich huh.” Lyney said. “This means that he must have been a fellow member of the House.” He noted.

“Yeah, I remember him.” He said quietly. “He was an instructor while “Mother” was in charge.” He sighed. “Not the kindest person, either.”

He opened up the folder as he remembered the guy. Although, he did break off contact when Father took over. He must still be loyal to… “Mother”. “He was in Inazuma a while ago, preaching Mother’s directives while pretending to be under Father to fellow members.” He noted. “It says here that he fled in Sumeru after being chased out by our siblings.”

“ Oh. ” His expression dropped at reading his other crimes. There were a plethora but… he is the reason for that incident.  

It happened two years ago. A fellow orphan of the House of the Hearth, Lyudochka, had been killed in Inazuma. 

Lyney must have noticed his grip tightening as his expression turned curious. “What is it?” He asked. 

Kaveh sighed and the tension washed away. “He was the reason Lyudochka died.” He said calmly as he handed over the folder. 

Lyney was visibly angry as his eyebrows furrowed and his gaze hardened. He was always protective of his siblings.

“How could he…” Lyney said, his voice now containing a thin cover of anger. 

“Hey…” He said gently. “Calm down, Lyney. We’ll catch him and hopefully, the case will be resolved.” 

He himself felt bubbling anger beneath the surface, despite the hypocrisy of his words.

No, feelings shouldn’t be involved with missions. Anger makes you impulsive. Sorrow causes you to waver. It would only complicate things, and Lyney already knows this. Father expects this to be done without problems.

“You’re right.” He said calmly. “It also says here that he usually leaves a tavern in Sumeru City at seven. He also goes home on a discreet path. It would be a shame if someone would take advantage of his drunken state and kidnap him…” He said as a sly smirk appeared on his lips.

“Quite an excellent plan but where did you learn that! My little brother will not joke around a kidnapping.” He scolded but the upward motion of his lips gave him away. Who gave Lyney the right to be this funny?! 

Lyney laughed but continued. “He should be at the tavern now, which means that we should wait for him here.” He said as he marked a location on the map.

“Wait, is that Lambad’s tavern?” He said as he grabbed the folder again. “He’s familiar… He’s one of the regulars there.” He grimaced as he remembered the fights the man would get into. “Age really roughed up his facial features.” He insulted. “I didn’t even recognize the old geezer. Also, who goes through that old dark alley at night?” He remarked. 

Oh, they would stay out late. Sighing, he took out his phone to text his boyfriend. 

He covers his screen from Lyney’s prying eyes as he types:

Heyy, the meeting might take longer than expected. I might be home late. Love you <3

“Oh? And who might that be?” Lyney asked as he closed his phone the moment he tried to take a peek.

“No one important!” He insisted as he pocketed his phone.

“You’re blushing… Oh my Archon, do you have a crush?!” He said excitedly. 

“W-What? No! You’re completely misinterpreting it…” He bit back but it was obvious that Lyney ignored it. Well, he has been dating Alhaitham for a year now and he hasn’t told his siblings yet. 

He should introduce them but now was not the time.

“Hey, we still have a mission. We should change, little brother.” He said, ignoring his question.

“Okay, but you will be asked about this after we’re done!” He said as he ran to his room to presumably get dressed. 

He followed Lyney to his shared room with Lynette. He grabbed Mehrak and decided to change in the bathroom.

His usual get-go was obviously not meant for stakeouts or combat. Luckily, he always packed an outfit and a mask inside Mehrak in case of situations like this. 

He first removed the accessories and cloths attached to his shirt and pants, despite their beauty. He tied his hair up into a tight bun, removing his bright red hairclips. He hid it in a black wig cap, making his blonde locks unrecognizable.

He then replaced his shirt with a baggy black one with a hood. His pants were already black but they were too… personal. They had to be replaced alongside his shoes. Of course, he couldn’t forget his gloves. 

Mehrak was also too recognizable. She looked like she had ‘Kaveh’ written all over her with his obvious style. Since she does assist him in combat, he designed a new outer shell that is plain black. He took it out and replaced her design.

He had built her from a ruin machine core that was given to him whilst studying the architecture of the Deshret pyramids. She was quite useful indeed, beeping as she powered on.

He grabbed his vision and placed it inside a pocket that he sewed into his shirt. Visions were… too personal as they were gifts from the divine. He didn’t want to risk being recognized.

Although, no one knows that he received a vision. At least, no one outside of the Fatui. He kept it strapped to his left thigh, hidden in his usual baggy attire and tassels. When he would change into pajamas, he would keep it inside Mehrak.

He sighed as he looked in the mirror. He looked plain. Like some emo threw up on him. It was a contrast to his usual detailed and aesthetically pleasing fits. Well, he has to sacrifice that for anonymity for the mission.

At least he designed his mask. It was originally supposed to be boring ass black too but he was too bored. The focal point was the Paradisaea, colored in a beautiful green gradient and white stars. It was dead in the exact middle (with the help of Mehrak) with small green patterns outside. 

It was well, a work of art.

He folded his discarded clothes and put them in Mehrak, including his golden key and lion keychain. 

He quickly joined Lyney outside. He wore an outfit similar to his, boring and black. He wore a black shirt, and shorts with his usual stockings and boots. He had a black cloth draped across him, a red bow tying it into a hood. 

His bangs were tied back by a black headband as he held his mask. 

Kaveh also designed it, after all, he and his siblings had matching masks. His symbol was the Felis Fuscus, colored in a red-to-orange gradient with white stars. His patterns all had a card and cat motif which was not obvious to others. 

“We should wait here unless you want to go out in broad daylight with an outfit that screamed ‘criminal’” He said with thinly veiled sarcasm.

“Yeah… While we wait, I suggest we talk about a certain infatuation of yours.”

…

“Oh my Archon Lyney, I don’t have a crush!”

=====

Alhaitham was typing in the braille translation of a needed material in the Akademiya. He was working there as a scribe, which was simple and gave him a lot of financial gain. 

He had no plans of working other jobs but The Doctor’s plans just endangered his job. It would have been a bother to look for another profession. So with a few friends and Lumine, they freed Nahida. 

Afterward, he was promoted to Acting Grand Sage, which he quickly resigned from as soon as possible. It was bothersome with the amount of responsibility. Another downside was… its effect on his popularity. Frankly, he disliked it the most since people were more likely to interact with him.

Moreover, all evidence of the Fatui’s involvement was cleaned up. Nahida insisted on exposing them, so he decided to lend a hand. Besides, he might lead a more peaceful life if they were no longer in action. 

They were a “diplomatic Snezhnayan group” but there might be more than meets the eye. They had no solid evidence yet, and the ones the others gathered were deemed insufficient and confiscated.

It was obvious that they had ties to the law. They needed a piece of evidence that cannot be refuted. They also needed to exert caution. Those who investigated this before had been caught and… exterminated.

He wasn’t one to care for the well-being of strangers but living with one who did left an impact on the man. Well, Kaveh was like that, a star that brightened up others around him. All he can think of when he hears about heinous crimes is ‘What if they were Kaveh?’ 

Alright, work was not the place to think such sappy thoughts. He could only blame himself for carrying such heavy affections. No matter, he should focus on the task at hand.

Four o'clock was nearing so he finished the translation and cleaned up his workplace. He packed up his belongings into a small bag and clocked out at exactly 16:00.00

Humming in satisfaction at the numbers, he headed to their meeting place. Kaveh did say that he had an important meeting when he left. If everything went to schedule, he should be home before his partner, so he decided not to text him anything.

Making sure that no one was watching, he entered the restricted repository of the Akademiya. Since Nahida gained control over the Akademiya, she made it their headquarters. Once he entered the space, he saw Cyno sitting on a chair.

He was his colleague in the Akademiya. They were in different offices, of course, so they never met until they usurped the Akademiya.

At first, they didn’t get along at all, arguing at their every interaction. Well, that was more than a year ago. Now, they were friends. They hang out together with their respective boyfriends as a group now.

His phone had a small ding-ding which was his personal notification for his boyfriend’s messages. He opened the device and saw a text.

[Kaveh]: Heyy, the meeting might take longer than expected. I might be home late. Love you <3

1. Love you too. 

Sighing, he put his phone away and mentally noted the fact.

“Cyno, you’re early today.” He remarked as he pulled out a book. There was no telling how long the others would take.

“I found out something important.” He said, pointing to a folder he was holding.

Alhaitham put away his book and read the folder alongside Tighnari. 

“Efim Snezhevich, the guy we have been investigating definitely took part in some crimes. I was able to investigate the sites and look.” He pointed at a bunch of closed cases by the police. “I went to the evidence room and saw his fingerprints on a lighter that caused the arson case.” He said pointing to a picture. 

“He is a part of the Fatui and this is one of the few pieces of evidence that haven’t been destroyed. We can use it to pressure him into admitting the Fatui’s involvement with the crime.” He said happily. 

As General Mahamatra, he had access to important objects for their investigations. He was truly an important asset. Although, he would never admit that to the man.

“Hmm, he goes by Lambad’s usually at night. Terrible drunk. I say we take that moment to strike.” He suggested.

“I’ve been tailing him and he usually takes this path home. It is quite convenient for our plans.” Cyno remarked.

“So we should wait out here and detain our suspect for questioning? I’ll prepare a somniferous drug for that.” Tighnari said. He was the Chief Officer of the Forest Rangers and an Amurta scholar so he was knowledgeable with herbs. Furthermore, he was an excellent medic.

“How about I drug his drink?” Tighnari suggested.

“Sure. Target him when he’s drunk already.” He said.

“Be careful, Nari.” Cyno said. “Alhaitham and I will handle the rest so go home after.”

“Fine… but next time, you’ll take the back seat.” He said as Cyno smiled.

“Anything for you-”

“Can you both stop flirting? Cyno, we should change to suitable clothes for the occasion.”

“Don’t act like you didn’t create that romantic poem for-” 

“It’s irrelevant.”He said as he felt a tinge of embarrassment. “Let’s go and wait for him, he should leave in an hour or so.”

===== 

It was now 7pm, and a clueless Efim was stumbling towards an alley. In the darkness hid both Kaveh and his brother, waiting for the moment that he would walk near them. Their plan was simple. They would detain him using a tranquilizer with Lyney’s shot. 

Yet when he was ready, he suddenly fell to the ground. Had he drunk too much? Sure, he was reckless and crazy but he wouldn’t just collapse on the way home. 

Lyney was about to make a move when he stopped the man. Something felt off.

Like…

“We’re not alone.” He whispered once he made the revelation.

He could feel the hair on his arms standing. The prospect of someone also having their sights on their target sent a feeling of fear and anticipation. 

Then, a person also covered in all-black stepped out. They weren’t tall. Kaveh would say that he was close to Lyney’s height.

“Lyney, on my orders, release a Grin-Malkin Hat on their right. I’ll grab our target with your distraction.” He whispered which gained a nod. 

He summoned his bow, which had an intricate design and carvings. Using his vision, he charged up his arrow, ready to release his minion. 

On the other hand, the person was looking around the area and was about to grab the unconscious man.

“Now!” He whispered as the arrow flew, distracting the man. A surge of adrenaline went through his veins as he dashed and grabbed his target. He was about to make a getaway when suddenly, a tall figure seemingly teleported near him. Two green dagger things appeared on their shoulder as they did so.

Shit, the medium-sized person wasn’t alone. 

Luckily, rain was starting to drop which meant that the dendro attack from the figure created bloom cores.

Using Mehrak’s mapping ability, he created a radial scan that destroyed the cores near him, making both of his attackers stand back. The bloom explosions didn’t harm him, though. Instead, it made him feel more refreshed as he readied to leave with the target.

Electro fizzled through the air as the medium figure suddenly dashed forward with their polearm.

Kaveh could only quickly dodge before the tall person summoned their sword and sent him green-tinted slashes. Plus, flying swords appeared as they attacked. More Grin-Malkin Hats rained as his brother joined the fight.

This caused both figures to stop for a moment as Lyney used his Pyro vision to explode his summons. He made a curt bow before signing that he would distract them.

He sighed as he propelled himself with the help of Mehrak as he scaled the houses nearby. He hoped that Lyney could handle them as he escaped. 

He felt secure when a green diamond appeared before him. He tried his best to fall back despite the weight on his back as the tall figure plunged at him, their swords tinted in a pretty green. 

Okay, this was not the time to admire your pursuer’s attacks. 

Those green diamond things appeared again but now there were three. Kaveh hoped that this wouldn’t mean anything.

Dodging the barrage of attacks, he gasped as swords suddenly started to rain down on him.

He nearly got hit and it caused multiple bloom cores to form. Taking advantage of this, he again used Mehrak’s mapping ability, making a green scan that burst the cores.

With a new surge of energy and strength, he jumped to another house despite the slippery rain to escape the man. He continued to run, but his stamina was depleting from the man on his back. He must have been harmed by all the exploding cores, which made guilt pool in his stomach.

Shaking away his emotions, he focused on his mission. The annoying figure was still on his trail, which both scared and angered Kaveh. 

He couldn’t return to like this. He also saw sparks of pyro and electro to his right. Lyney and the other person seemed to be distracted. 

Jumping down to a fire exit, he decided to shake off the masked guy. He took a series of turns and stairs as he knew the place by heart. He had multiple chases before. He had been both the pursuer and pursued so it was easy to leave no trail. 

It wasn’t long until the person was no longer on his trail, so he sent out a birdcall. It imitated a dusk bird which was their call for the other to go home. 

Sighing, he carried the unconscious man to the place where Lynette was waiting for them just outside the city. She seemed surprised and confused.

“Ah, big brother Kaveh, where’s Lyney?” She asked.

“Take him to Father. Two people also wanted to capture him and he is still fighting one of them, I think. I’ll go back to help him.” He said. 

Lyney was a strong boy, but their opponents were also formidable. Worry made Kaveh’s heart beat faster as he ran back into the dead of the night.

=====

Alhaitham had lost the tall figure that he had been pursuing. He could only sigh as he made his way back to Cyno, who was fighting the smaller person.

Those two swiped their target. It was an intelligent move, he could admit, but the smaller figure was easy to overwhelm now that he would join their battle. 

Running towards the signs of elemental magic, he used his vision to teleport beside the hooded person and summon two Chisel-Light Mirrors. The person narrowly avoided his attack as a hoot of a Dusk bird was heard.

The person then quickly turned on their heel and ran away, but Cyno’s electro dash stopped their escape. 

They recovered quickly and turned a corner, but he quickly summoned his sword and slashed the person. They avoided the attack but were grazed on their arm. 

With his dendro-infused slashes, a hyperbloom reaction ensued which made the person fall to their knees. He was about to grab their mask when a claymore suddenly was thrown toward him. 

A crack was heard from the impact as a blade covered with wooden branches had stuck into a wall. The person must be angry.

He fell back and looked at his attacker, the same tall figure from before. He heard the claymore dissipate behind him as another was thrown, with the help of a beeping black box floating on their side.

But their suspect was nowhere to be seen. 

He could feel Cyno’s anger as he used his vision to dash at the person. 

With the distraction, the pyro bow user ran. Along with them, the dendro claymore user appeared behind them, parrying his sword projectiles. 

Their box then slashed the claymore in a sequence of four attacks. He had gotten quite fed up so after their last attack, he teleported right in front of them. This pushed their attacker back to a wall, and a gasp of breath was heard. 

Clutching their shoulder, they took their box and jumped to another roof. Surprisingly, Cyno was already up there, which made the person lose their footing. They grasped the edge of the roof and Cyno was already approaching them. 

Cards were hurled at his companion, which made him slip. He wasn’t so lucky and fell into the flat part of a staircase on his back. 

With this, the tall person climbed the roof but he quickly teleported in front of them. Another card alongside a claymore was thrown at him. He had dodged them despite the slippery roof.

He quickly ran into another pursuit. This time, he won’t lose them. They seemed to be running out of energy to fight as they focused on escaping. 

More cats in hats were summoned but he knew to avoid them. He also refrained from creating bloom cores, as the tall person benefited from them. 

His goal for now was to discover the smaller figure’s identity. Yet, they were hidden in the shadows. 

Occasional cards were shot at him but it was easy to dodge. He shifted his position as he teleported near them, creating dendro cores from his vision. 

They yelped which caught the attention of the other person. He had a short while before another claymore went his way.

Yet, he only saw a flash of purple before they disappeared into a floating card. 

He sighed in disappointment as the pair disappeared. Their lead was gone alongside another key to incriminate the Fatui.

Well, there were other opportunities. Furthermore, he didn’t recognize the other party. He speculated that they were fellow Fatuus who were looking out for the target.

With this, he returned to Cyno who was lying down next to Tighnari.

“What in Teyvat happened?!” He asked as he saw the bruises on Cyno.

“We had two unknown attackers who grabbed the target.” He said as he sighed 

“One was around my height, wielded a dendro vision, and held a claymore. It was unique as it had a tree trunk covering the blade. They also had this black box that assisted them. I suspect that it has technology from the ancient Deshret civilization.”  

“As for the other one,” He started. “they were smaller than Cyno, held a pyro vision, and used a violet and white bow.” He said.

“I couldn’t see their face but I can detail the events more in my report.” He finished and Tighnari sighed.

“I’m glad that you both are alright. Just explain everything to Nahida tonight. I’m sure she’ll visit your dreams.”

“I had the same assumption. I should get home for now. See ya.” He said as he teleported to the rooftop again. 

He slipped into an alley and removed his black clothes. He wore his usual outfit underneath which was soaked.

He groaned as he tried to come up with an alibi. Kaveh would definitely be at home and would be rightfully suspicious. 

He pondered as he unlocked the door to their house, mentally preparing for the lecture to come.

Only that there was no angry blond architect sitting at the dining table.

“Kaveh?” He called out.

There was no answer. Did his meeting really go this late? It was strange…

=====

“Father,” Kaveh spoke. “Two figures were also looking to capture Efim Snezhevich. I had already written all the details alongside Lyney.” He spoke. His brother wasn’t with them as he was patching up the injuries he got. He could feel the anger blazing in his blood as he remembered the angry red stripe on his arm.

“I see. From what I know, all of his crimes are covered up. If these two or similar figures ever appear in future missions, they will be thoroughly investigated. As it stands, I see no reason to bother with them.” She said as she wrote a passage in her notebook. “You are now dismissed.” She said and he took his leave.

Oh, he could already hear the lecture from Alhaitham as he saw the time. It was 9:37pm now.

“Are you okay, Kaveh?” Lynette asked as he saw the way he was holding his shoulder.

Damn that tall figure. His right shoulder felt all the impact of that attack. Thank Archon he was ambidextrous. Otherwise, his sketches and drafts might suffer from his lack of insight. 

“Yeah, my shoulder was a little hurt. It’s alright, though. Don’t worry.” He comforted his sister but he knew it was bad. It might be swelling at this point. No, he didn’t need to bother anyone. Besides, Alhaitham was always annoyingly bright. If he caught onto his role in the Fatui, there’s no saying how much consequences he’ll have to face.

“I should get going now.” He said. He already changed back to his usual outfit and a story was prepared.

“Wait, you should let the nurse look at that for you. The doctors will ask questions, after all.” Freminet suggested softly, appearing behind Lynette with Pers in his hand. 

Shit. It was common knowledge that Kaveh was a people-pleaser. Okay, it wasn’t his fault that he also didn’t want to turn him down. Freminet also barely makes any requests, meaning that he truly was worried. He sighed internally. His siblings were always his weakness. 

-----

He was definitely getting lectured. It was now 11pm, which was past the time they usually slept. 

He twisted the key to their house as quietly as he could, praying to the Archons that his boyfriend was asleep.

Once he opened the door, a pair of teal eyes scanned him up and down.

“Kaveh, where have you been?” Alhaitham asked with a twinge of annoyance.

He looked ethereal. His eyes twinkled with relief and worry and his hair shone under the moonlight. Only one thought came to Kaveh’s mind. Dayum.

“Are you going to answer my question or are you going to keep on staring?” He asked with a layer of fondness and annoyance.

“Can I choose the latter or…” He joked which earned a displeased grunt.

“Well, after my meeting I decided to visit the orphanage. It was supposed to be short, I promise!” He whined. “But my little brother’s cat had gone missing.” He explained and Alhaitham raised his eyebrow.

“You cannot expect me to decline a teary-eyed cutiepie asking for help!” He semi-yelled. It was far from the truth, yes, but he could sell it. He had grown to mask his emotions, after all.

But this was Alhaitham, the man who could observe every crinkle on his face. The man who knew him the best. He could only pray to Celestia that the darkness obscured the nervousness he was feeling.

The man sighed. “Just text me next time?” He asked. “There’s still leftover soup that I cooked and get yourself cleaned up. You have no clients to meet tomorrow, right? It’s a weekend, after all.” He asked. 

“Well…” He started but was cut off.

“You cannot accept a last-minute meeting.” He deadpanned. “I saw your bulletin board and this client must have only told you today.”

“Well, it’s alright, really.” In actuality, he was the one who rescheduled. It was for the one he just canceled today. He awkwardly chuckled as he tried his best to change the topic.

His boyfriend sighed before kissing his cheek. “Just clarify your boundaries as an architect next time, alright?” 

“Okay.” He said as he gave a peck on his lips. 

Alhaitham’s expression softened and Kaveh could feel his lips unconciously smiling. He pulled away to eat and his boyfriend walked to their shared bedroom. 

It had been a long day, and he appreciated the relaxing moonlit night.  

=====

“Alhaitham, are you there?” Nahida’s soft voice called out in his dream.

“Yes, I am. I suppose you’re wondering about our failed mission earlier.”

She giggled at his response. “Blunt as always, but you are correct. I just wonder what motives they may have.” She sighed. “I feel that this may not be the first time that you’ll engage in combat with them, so be careful.” 

“Alright.” He said. 

“Well, just continue to be alert. Goodbye for now.” She said as she waved her hand.

“Farewell, Lord Kusanali.” 

=====

Kaveh awoke at the break of dawn. His client emailed him yesterday to say that they should meet at 7am. He yawns which makes his boyfriend stir next to him.

He takes a quick shower and prepares breakfast for the two of them. It was quite a hassle since his right shoulder hurt like shit, even at the slightest movement.

Alhaitham was usually up at 7 since he works on weekdays. He knew since he was awoken too when his partner left the bed. 

He already complained about this and the response was always “The pot is calling the kettle black, is he?” which was a phrase he told him one time.

Well, he could admit that it was hypocritical, not that he cared. He sighed fondly. Alhaitham was lucky that he was cute.

He wore his usual attire and hairclips, which were now a bother. What’s more, he physically cannot do his braid. He didn’t oversee the difficulties of not being able to use your right arm, which frustrated him to the core.

“Something wrong?” Alhaitham said behind him, making him jump.

He shrieked which made the man chuckle. “Hey, don’t laugh at me! You-! I still haven’t drunk my morning coffee!” He excused, which made his boyfriend’s lip turn upwards. 

“Anyways, why are you up so early?” He asked. 

“I could say the same for you.” He bit back which made Kaveh roll his eyes at him. “Important things came up, so I have to deal with them. When will you be back?” 

“About an hour or two. I’ll text you if I have extra plans.” He sighed.

“Are you leaving now?” Alhaitham asked and he nodded no. “How about I make us both coffee?” He suggested. 

“Archons, marry me.” He gasped dramatically. “Yes please.”

With that, his boyfriend went to the kitchen, but not without a smile. He sighed as he finished fixing his hair. Curse that mystery person.

He stretched his left arm as he rose from his seat. He should join Alhaitham at the kitchen.

“Thank the Archons who fated us to meet.” He said as he took a sip from his cup, sugary, sweet, and mild, just how he liked it.

He grimaced as he watched his boyfriend drink the black sludge he calls coffee. Honestly, how can his tastebuds handle that?

“Jeez, must your coffee be as dark as your demeanor?” He teased although he did know how to make it by heart. He loved that about him - how different their tastes were. 

“Hmm? I would say that your coffee is very much like you.” He said. 

“What are you say-”

“It contains ingredients which are like the vivid colors of a rainbow. All unique in their hues.”

“You Haravatat scholars and your words. Ugh, I love you so much-”

“But when mixed all together, the color becomes gray.” He smugly said.

“I take it all back.” He said as he pouted. “My coffee tastes amazing, for the record.”

“Your input doesn’t matter, for-” Kaveh knew he was going to say some scientific fact so he quickly cut him off.

“You don’t get it. It’s an acquired taste. ” He said as he finished his cup. As much as he hates to admit it, he loved their bickering during the morning. It lost its underlying bitterness and became more… affectionate over the years. 

“Acquired tastes are-”

“Won’t you let me win this once?” He complained.

“My dearest, Kaveh. I’ll let you win every argument.” He said as he pulled him in for a kiss. He hummed in contentment at the motion. He’ll let it slide, just because his boyfriend had his way with his words.

Pulling away, he smiled until he noticed the clock. It was now 6:35am.

“I should go now if I don’t want to be late.” He hurriedly said. 

“I’ll take care of the dishes.”

“Oh my Archon. Haitham, I love you.”

“Love you too.” 

 =====

Despite the lovely morning, his mood had gone sour by the time he reached their headquarters. Tighnari had demanded Cyno to take a break since he had apparently sprained his ankle and gotten a few burns. Well, from the fall that he suffered, he was surprised that he didn’t fare worse.

“Heard about your little run-in last night.” Dehya teased as she entered the room.

“You weren’t here yesterday, you have no place to talk.” He said as he quietly sulked in his seat.

“I read your report, must be troublesome-”

“Dehya, let’s get to the reason why we’re actually here.” Candace spoke behind her in her usual calm voice. 

“Okay, okay.” Dehya cleared her throat. “We found another possible lead. Have you ever heard of Ajax?” 

“Who?” He asked, clearly not amused.

“A toymaker from Snezhnaya.” Candace began. “Who is an ex-Fatuus.”

“This man gets arrested almost once every week.” Dehya explained. “Yet he seems to leave scot-free every time to the point where it’s infuriating.” 

“Not only that but he got imprisoned in Fontaine a year ago on false charges. Coincidentally, the Fatui raised diplomatic pressure afterward. Plus, he still attends Fatui events, which we noted.” Candace finished.

“I suppose you need my help in your investigation, do you not? I do agree that his involvement with the Fatui is probable, but we need hard evidence. This is pure speculation.”

Dehya sighed loudly. “Can you not?”

“Elaborate-”

“Can you not?” Candace repeated but she laughed slightly.

 “So… do you want to join our investigation or not?” Dehya asked.

“Hmph, fine.” 

=====

Kaveh’s meeting went well, as he would say so himself. His client was thankfully understanding. They had discussed her preferences, style, budget, vision, and deadline for the house she commissioned him for. 

He was going to return home when Lyney texted him.

[LyKnee]: Brother

[LyKnee]: Big brother?

[LyKnee]: Kaveh

[LyKnee]: KAVEH

He sighed fondly at the messages. 

What is it >:0

[LyKnee]: Oh dearest brother, are you free today? :3

Yes? Lyney… what’s up..? 

[LyKnee]: Freminet and Lynette were assigned to a task at Sumeru and I’m wondering if you could “coincidentally” meet them. :))))

… What exactly are you planning?

[LyKnee]: Well, they’ve missed you but they “didn’t want to bother you”. Here’s their location, toodles!!!

Fine, I’ll meet them. But they’ll know of your shenanigans… >:)

[LyKnee]: Gasp… Snitches get stitches, Kaveh Snezhevich

… 

Goodbye, Lyney Snezhevna

[LyKnee]: Hey! Calling me a girl isn’t an insult >:[ 

Wtver. Take care of yourself, alright? I’ll meet them. 

[LyKnee]: I will. Thank you, really. I owe you… unfortunately.

… It’s fine. I wanna see them too, after all.

He decided to text his boyfriend about his plans.

My siblings are visiting Sumeru so I’ll be home in about three hours? Hbu?

[Haitham]: They need me to work overtime. I won’t be home until 5.

Now that was unusual. He would always adhere to his schedule, which was eight to four. 

He slumped his shoulders. He was probably overthinking it since he did say that something important came up.

Okay. I’ll cook us dinner then. Love you mwah.

[Haitham]: Don’t do anything too reckless. Love you too. 

With a sigh, he put away his phone and headed to where his siblings were. It seemed that they took a detour to the Grand Bazaar. 

He met up with his client at Puspa Cafe, so it was near him. 

He exited the shop, admiring the architecture of Sumeru City before making his way to the wooden doors of the underground Bazaar. It was crowded, but Lynette’s hat was easy to spot.

“Lynette! Freminet! What are you two doing here?” He greeted enthusiastically.

She sighed. “Lyney sent you, didn’t he?” 

“Hfft! What makes you think that?” He says confidently.

“My brother is always predictable even if you’re a great liar.” She pointed out. “And you usually work during weekdays.”

“You should have rested, big brother… Your shoulder was quite messed up.”

“Don’t worry about it, Freminet. It’s fine. I just had a meeting. And what makes you both think that I unwillingly came here? I want to spend time with my siblings. Are you both free?” He asked.

“We just finished our task.” She said curtly. 

“Great! There’s this tea place nearby, do you both want to go?”

“S-Sure” Freminet said and Lynette nodded.

They chatted with each other as they took a short walk toward a small cute shop called Stupiditea.

It was run by a lovely wise old woman with her snarky niece. It was near their shared home, so he would go there often.

He entered the shop, a bell ringing as it was attached to the door. He walked to the counter and waved to the man.

“Ahh, Kaveh. What can I get you and your company?” 

“I’ll have a zaytun peach tea.” He ordered. “With popping boba and 100 percent sweetness, please.” He added. The popping boba were these balls filled with a sweet strawberry syrup. They were enclosed in this jelly-like wrap. 

“What do you all want?” He asked his siblings. 

“I’ll have a hot Jasmine tea. With 25 percent sweetness.” She said calmly.

“And… I’ll have a brown sugar milk tea.” Freminet quietly said as he fidgeted with Pers. 

He pulled out his wallet and dropped the exact amount of mora on the counter. Afterward, they made their way to a discreet table.

“How have you two been? I heard your magic shows are quite popular in Fontaine, Lynette.” He exclaimed. “The next time I’ll drop by, I’ll make sure to watch them.” 

“Oh and Freminet! Are you going to enroll in the Akademiya like me?” He asked his little brother. 

“I thought about it and… I enjoy my simple life in Fontaine. I’m really sorr-”

He laughed softly. “It’s fine. You know I want you to live your life how you please. I don’t need you to follow in my footsteps. I heard you’ve become quite the excellent diver!”

“It’s nothing, really…” He said shyly but a small smile crept on his face. Even as a little kid, he loved the ocean. So when he received his vision, he started to dive frequently.

Unlike him, Kaveh only received his in Sumeru, so he didn’t really have the chance to use the Hydro Archon’s blessing and dive into the waters without a diving helmet. Even then, he didn’t know how to use those. 

“It sounds fun.” He remarked. “Being able to dive and investigate the architectural details of the ruins underwater!” 

Lynette’s expression softened. “It seems like your thoughts always circle back to architecture, big brother.”

“I’m… really happy that you were able to do what you enjoyed.” Freminet said.

“I’ve heard tales of your creations all the way from Fontaine.” Lynette commented. She was always perceptive of her surroundings. Which also meant that she knew all the gossip.

“Which reminds me, you still have yet to recall the trial of the ex-Hydro Archon, Focalors, to me.” He playfully said.

“Well, the specifics aren’t widespread,” She began.

“Furina’s actually really nice.” Freminet added quietly. “We’ve sent cakes to her with Father’s orders and she’s really polite.” He added.

“I agree. She sometimes attends our magic shows and she would praise us afterwards.”

Their drinks came and Lynette recalled the events of Fontaine.

“That… is a lot to take in.” He said. Furina was always someone he adored as a child. She seemed so… confident and composed. As if all the problems were no match for an all-knowing deity like her. 

Plus, she performed the arts like she was truly living in the performance. Her acting would immerse the audience.

Wait… she was living in a performance, wasn’t she? Forced to act what her people expected an Archon to be.

Now that he thought about it, maybe she was like him. When he fell deep in debt, he pretended as if he was fine. People perceived him as rich after all. They thought that his magnum opus made him rise high and above when, on the contrary, it made him sink deep below.

No… they weren’t the same. He was lifted by Alhaitham. He was driven out of the drunken slump he fell into.

She… She was completely alone.

More adoration, sympathy, and… empathy seeped in his veins towards her. How strong must you be to withstand 500 years of soliditude?

At least from what he’s heard, she’s living humbly and happily now. She was free.

“She has become more admirable in my eyes.” He finally spoke as he sipped on his iced fruit tea. “Why haven’t I heard of this story?! In the age of the internet, too.”

“She didn’t want to be seen as a hero, I suppose.” Lynette answered. “Although I hope Monsieur Neuvillette will commend her at his oncoming speech. He has become the dragon sovereign of Fontaine, after all.”

“Hmm, the taste of this tea is quite exquisite.” She commented as she finished her cup. “You can tell it was brewed carefully. I’m sure Father would enjoy so too when she visits Sumeru. I’ll make sure to tell her.”

“You two sure love your tea.” He said as he lightly laughed. 

“Oh, how long do you two still have before you both go home?” He asked as he finished his drink.

“Father requires us to return in five hours.” Freminet answered.

“Are you both down to watch a movie?” He enthusiastically said. “My home is right next to here.”

“I would like to. How about you, Freminet?” 

“Me too…” He said. “As long as it’s not horror. Lyney always makes me watch with him at home.” He huffed.

He laughed slightly. “That does sound like him. He’s lucky you keep him out of trouble, Lynette.” He sighed. “Don’t worry, Inside Out 2 has just been released.”

“I suppose that you’ll use those illegal sites?” Lynette asked.

“They have a shit ton of ads… but they’re free.” He said as he smirked.

“Alright… I am quite curious about your living quarters. Your voice rises when you mention it.” She commented.

“I do? Huh.” It might be because of the fact that his home… can only be a home with Haitham in it. 

That was incredibly corny, his thoughts must be betraying him now. Ugh, this is all Alhaitham’s fault. His influence and poems were the ones to blame, yes.

He waved goodbye to the store owner as they made their way to his shared home. He took out his key and sighed in contentment as he stepped inside.

“Is that… the old mechanical penguin I gave you?” Freminet asked as he pointed to the cute little guy. “I didn’t know you kept it, all these years.” 

It was a parting gift before he enrolled in the Akademiya. He was always reminded of home when he looked at it, making him feel less homesick.

“Of course I did! Isn’t it cute? I made sure to maintain it but I won’t dare touch its machinery.” He said. He may have excellent knowledge of mechanical engineering, but the way Freminet crafted it was so… Freminet. His style was there and he will not erase it. 

“Oh, but it’s one of my early works.” He said quietly. “It’s flawed and-”

“I think it’s perfect.” He said softly. “And it always reminds me of you three back home. Plus, it’s always fun to see how far you’ve gone!” He remarked. “I would consider this as genius work for an adult, much less a child. So when I see that you still constantly work hard to improve on your mistakes, I feel more pride as your older brother.” He said as he slightly pinched his cheeks, making him turn away in embarrassment.

“I’m sure you’re overexaggerating it.” He said quietly.  

“Hmph, even folks from the Akademiya would say the same.” 

“I agree with Kaveh.” Lynette said simply. “You are a technological genius, even if you don’t see it.”

“T-Thank you both.” He said with a small smile.  

“Oh I think we still have some snacks, just sit in the living room and I’ll get them.”

“Brother, who’s ‘we’?” Lynette said with a sly look. “Lyney did say you had a possible romantic interest-”

He cleared his throat. “Oh my Archon. I. Don’t. Have. A. Crush.” He said plainly. “I may have forgotten to mention that I have a… boyfriend.” He said as he felt his face grow warmer.

He opened his eyes to see Freminet’s slightly wide eyes while Lynette had her mouth slightly ajar. 

As his experience with not-too-expressive people, he could tell that they were shell-shocked.

“I’m guessing I’ll expect a call from Lyney demanding a 25-page essay about my romantic partner, his personal details, and social security number?” He teased.

“I…” Lynette sighed. “It would seem so. Although I can already hear him begging me to make an extensive background check.” She said. 

“Bold of him to assume that you didn’t do so beforehand.” He said which made Freminet semi-smile, despite his attempts to hide it. “I do wish that I could introduce him to you guys. Text me immediately if you have another visit.” 

“Anyway, we should focus on watching a movie.” He said as he stretched his left arm. 

They enjoyed the movie, and Kaveh loved the symbolism and aesthetics. Sure, he could not relate as his early teenage years consisted of missions sent out by “Mother”, but he liked it nonetheless.      

Soon enough, his siblings were needed back in Fontaine. He waved them goodbye as they left the house. 

He would consider it a great day.

The clock struck 12, but he was already full from the snacks he had eaten. There were still five more hours before he felt like making dinner so he set an alarm on his phone as he dozed off. 

Tun tun tun. His alarm had sung quite a lovely tune, too bad that it was obnoxiously loud. 

Sighing, he grabbed his phone and checked his task. He had installed an alarm app that gave him little assignments to make sure that he was completely awake. It was great since he usually was a heavy sleeper.

‘Shake your device’ His bright screen displayed which made him groan in discomfort. He spent the next five minutes grotesquely shaking the living daylights out of that thing, which thankfully made it stop.

He sighed in relief before getting up. He wanted to make a simple dish, maybe a seafood soup? He had been craving it.

It was the meal he and his siblings would usually eat, after all.

Oh, Haitham despised soup the most. Despite their comforting nature, he disliked them because it was hard to eat while reading.

That man… A small smile crept onto his face. He’ll just fry some shrimps they had.

A few minutes were spent creating the batter and other preparations when he heard a set of keys jingle outside the door.

“Haitham! You’re home.” He greeted as the door opened but… something was off.

He had winced at his greeting, his face in a neutral expression, instead of his usual softened one. Much more, he was grasping onto his right headpiece a little too tight.

“Are you alright?” He asked more quietly and softly.

The man nodded as he plopped gently on the sofa. His social energy must be depleted. 

Wordlessly, he started humming a relaxing tune. He also started preparing tea. As the water boiled, he continued with frying their meal.

He then left the shrimp to cool down as he poured the boiling water on a plain white mug. Placing the teabag in there, he headed to where his boyfriend sat.

He tapped the chair softly. It was to not alert the obviously tired man. He looked up from a page he had been staring at for the past ten minutes, eyes softening around the crinkles.

He took away his book as he handed him the mug. He smiled at him, which was a silent ‘thanks’.   

Laughing quietly, he placed a kiss on his cheek as he went to prepare the table. 

=====

Alhaitham was completely awe-struck.

It wasn’t the first time that Kaveh dealt with his shutdowns but every time it would leave him breathless. He seemed to… understand him. He knew what helped him relax, and what to avoid.

He smiled slightly as he tasted the fried shrimp his boyfriend prepared. While he did love seafood soup, he knew Alhaitham disliked them.

He was thoughtful like that. The silent and kind gestures sent a wave of affection over him. Archons, he loved him so much.

The day had been exhausting, but they had progressed quite a lot in their investigation. Ajax had connections to the Northland Bank. Furthermore, he may have been involved in the major events that injured a lot in Liyue. He could only hope that they can prove it.

Sighing, he closed his eyes as he felt the embrace of sleep grace his subconscious.

=====

Kaveh groaned as he awoke. It was Sunday, and he fully intended to sleep in but… his phone was ringing. His boyfriend was no longer in bed, probably reading a book somewhere.

Sighing in annoyance, he answered the call. They better be important or his caffeine-deficient ass could not. 

“Kaveh, dearest brother of mine.” Lyney spoke gently. “Why must I be last to know of your romantic relationship!” He said which made Kaveh laugh.

“Brother, as much as I enjoy your company, it is six. in. the. morning.” He said plainly. “Can’t I converse with you once I have a full eight hours of sleep?” 

“Hmm, no.” He said happily. “Tell me-” 

“Goodnight, oh brother of mine.” He said as he ended the call. Turning the phone into silent mode, he plopped back down to continue his slumber.

Until… his phone started vibrating. This wasn’t normal for Lyney. He would annoy him sure, but he respected his boundaries. He sighed as he picked up the phone.

“Lyney, you’re so lucky I-”

“Comrade!” The cheery voice spoke through the speaker.

He sighed. “Childe… As far as I remember, it’s not my turn to bail you out of jail.”

A laugh was heard from the other side. Childe was his superior, despite him being older both physically and mentally. He would usually visit the House, sparring with the members and having fun. He could see that he also had siblings back in Snezhnaya.

He was truly skilled too, defeating them with ease. He had also received missions with him. Although, his bloodthirsty attitude made him quite the headache of the Fatui. He was lucky he earned a lot.

“Now, now. I heard from The Knave that you’re investigating what happened in Sumeru?” He said. 

“Oh? And why are you interested in the issue.” He asked.

“Well, I find it suspicious that The Doctor built this “New God” when it looks like… a vessel of some sort. I also have this… feeling that there’s something.”

“Is your intuition the reason why I’m forced awake right now?” He sighed. “Remember when you challenged me that there were treasure at some ruins, only for there to be Clockwork Meka?”

“Hey now, isn’t the screws and cogs important to Kshahrewar scholars like you? One could argue that it counted as treasure” He said. “And be nicer to your superior!”

“I’m older than you.” He plainly said. “And that’s beside the point!”

“Come on, comrade. It’ll be like old times!”

“I’ll see what I can do.” He said. “You better get me some food too if you plan on taking me with you.” He huffed.

“Alright, alright. Text me, comrade!” He said cheerfully.

=====

“Alhaitham get down here right now.” Dehya said forcefully through his phone. “Something important happened that might help our investigation.” 

“Dehya, you realize that it is a non-working day?” He deadpanned as he sipped his coffee. He and Kaveh had tried out some beans not long ago and decided on this particular one.

I know, I know. But fellow eremites saw Ajax in the desert just yesterday. And now, he’s in the rainforest.”

He stopped mid-sip as he heard the news.

“I’ll get there right now.” He said as he hung up. He didn’t believe in goodbyes during calls. After all, if you are finished, just end the conversation. No need to bid farewell.

He sighed as he sipped his cup. Kaveh would usually sleep in so-

His thoughts halted as the man walked in and kissed him, licking his lips and rendering him speechless.

“Kaveh, what-”

“Your coffee is just bean juice. You barely add anything.” He sighed although the upward motion of his lips was not missed. “I can wake up by the remnants in your mouth.” He said.

“Are you sure you’re awake? Might you need another dose?” He teased.

“Ha, that can wait another time.” He said. “Do you have plans today?” He asked.

“The Akademiya is requiring me to arrive.” He said plainly. “I was just called right now.”

“On a Saturday?” He asked as his brows furrowed. He could not afford Kaveh being suspicious of his workplace. He was worried that the atmosphere around their relationship might change, as people usually felt uncomfortable if there was a higher power dynamic. The last thing he wanted to do was make him uncomfortable.

“There’s an emergency.” He sighed. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” 

“Alright. I guess I’ll just hang out with a friend of mine who’s visiting Sumeru.” He said. “Although, I have to criticize the work ethic of the Akademiya.” He said curtly.

“The pot’s-”

“Calling the kettle black, I know, I know. I said that one time and I’m still getting bullied about that.” He huffed.

“Bullied? What a strong word. I’d say that it’s more of a reminder.”

“Hey, at least I’m aware of my hypocritical remarks. Besides, it doesn’t refute the validity of my concern.” 

“And you brush off my concern about your questionable work hours?” He said as he chuckled. “I’ll be off now. Have fun.”

“Skipping breakfast? You don’t want the Light of Kshahrewar to drop you off lunch at the Akademiya, don’t you?” He teased, although the embarrassment would also apply to him.

“And cause rumors? I refuse.” He said. “Don’t worry, I’ll eat a lot. Besides, we’ll meet again for dinner at Lambad’s with Tighnari and Cyno.” It was their hangout every Saturday, where they would meet up.

“Okay, I love you.” He said as he tugged on his hair and kissed him again. “Consider that as my second dose.” He smiled.

“I love you too.” He said as he got up and left. He was already in suitable clothes, after all.

=====

Alright, I’m free until quarter to 7.  

He texted Childe.

[Child(e)]: I’m camping just at the edge of Chinvat Ravine. Here’s my location.

[Child(e) sent a photo]

He had sent a thumbs-up emoji which got a “?!” reaction.

Sighing, he made his way to his location. He had camped in the rainforest and he sent his prayers to the wildlife around the man.

He entered the Fatui tent the Harbinger set up. “Who in their right mind sets camp here? In the moist parts too.” He complained as he saw the familiar ginger. 

“Well, moist means those famous walking fungi. I wonder how they taste.” He sighed. “They wouldn’t show their faces, despite my best efforts.”

“I… the levels of insanity to attempt to eat those devils. Get to the what we’re doing?” He asked with a tinge of impatience. 

“We’re breaking into the Akademiya!” He said cheerfully.

“Childe…” He sighed. “The Dendro Archon will fucking end us. I heard she also can read minds.” He huffed.   

“I just need to find everything about the assistant of Buer. The one with purple hair and everything.” 

“You mean… Hat Guy?” He said judgementally. “What about that jerk.” He said. 

During the Interdarshan Championship… the little rascal had roughed him up badly. He admits that he’s still bitter, but who hurts a person over some game?” 

“I just… feel like…” He started.

“I swear to The Tsaritsa if this is about your intuition again.” He said as he facepalmed. “Have you also forgotten that his information is literally in the database of the Akademiya and you’re with someone who can access said database?”

“Hey, I just think that breaking in is more fun!” He said which made him groan. “And maybe I’m right. There’s just something about him… I’ll buy you food, like whatever you want if you can help me.” He begged. “Even if it’s not fun.”

“Hm, I was craving dandelion wine.” He said. “Hmph, fine.”

He lifted Mehrak, who was in her black shell, into the air. She beeped as she shifted into a computer screen, one that he used to hack into databases.

If he remembered correctly, he was enrolled in the Akademiya. His information should be-

“Weird” He said out loud.

“Huh?” Childe said. 

“When you enroll, you need to submit a birth certificate and other forms. Plus, they do an extensive background check. And his name… is literally Wanderer.”

“What?”

“There’s nothing about him. Just his ID picture with his usual scowl.” He noted. “Not even his age is here.”   

“Seems like your intuition is correct, for once. There is definitely something off about him. The only person with enough power to do this is… the Dendro Archon.” He said. “He might have been involved with her rescue or something.”

“So… does this mean we break in-”

“No.”

=====

They were now currently tracking this Ajax. For reasons unknown, Nahida sent Wanderer with them because he “might know something important”. Yet, for the past hour, he insulted them.

“How pathetic, I told you Tartaglia would be here, probably causing a forest fire right now.” He said as he yawned. 

“Tartaglia? Last time I checked, his name is Ajax.” He said calmly. He still had this underlying (childish) grudge against the kid for what he did during the championship. He sighed. Let bygones be bygones.

“Hmph. I saw… “Ajax” yesterday at the Akademiya. Given the time that passed, he is somewhere in this radius.” He said as he pointed to his map. “I’d say he made his way here since there were sightings of a massive spinocrocodile.” 

“You speak as if you know this Ajax… or Tartaglia.” He said somewhat smugly.

“Shut up. I knew him back then, although I doubt that he’ll recognize me.” He said which made everyone pause.

“You what now? And you didn’t think to tell us?” Dehya complained as her grip on her claymore tightened.

“Huh, so you two must have been close if you know his behavior so well.” Candace said calmly.

“Me… and that idiot?! You insult me.” He said as he crossed his arms. “You’re worthless as expected.”

“Your presence creates a toxic work environment. Work on changing your behavior before you comment on hers.” He said plainly. “But I suppose that location matches his sightings.” 

“Ready your disguises and we’ll tail him.” Candace said as she stretched her arms.

=====

“Childe… why do I need to wear a Skirmisher outfit” He groaned as the boy laughed.

“You said the Akademiya closes at 5, right? So we’re killing time!” He had somehow convinced the scholar who represented Kshahrewar to break into the Akademiya, no matter how stupid it sounded.

“And what part does that include your little dress up?” 

“You’re some big shot here in Sumeru, right? The star of-”

“The Light of Kshahrewar.” He corrected.

“Yeah, that. You have no links to the Fatui so if you were to be seen with me-”

“Yeah, yeah. What are we doing exactly?” 

“We’re…” He paused for dramatic effect. “Hunting this giant spinocrocodile!” He said giddily which earned a glare. “A fight with a ferocious beast, although I would prefer if you’d stay out of it.”

“You-!” He rubbed his temples. “You are so lucky I have nothing to do.” He sighed. “Although your tab has increased.”

=====

They had arrived at the location Wanderer had marked. Sure enough, a Fatui campsite was discovered which contained Ajax and a Skirmisher. However, he still had doubts about whether the ginger would go after the rumored spinocrocodile. Moreover, he had stalked his socials and his family thinks that-

The man suddenly dashed towards a giant figure. Huh, he stood corrected. He dodged a bite as he summoned his bow to strike. 

The Skirmisher walked calmly towards the battle, indicating that this was usual behavior for their target. Yet, he could tell that his stance and marksmanship were that of a beginner. The fact that he threw his last arrow further cemented his conclusion.

With that, the animal fell, and the man breathed a sigh of displeasure.

“Now wasn’t that anticlimactic?” He asked the other person.

“Why aren’t you speaking? Geez, you’re so paranoid.” He said as he sighed. “Why don’t you all come out now, you’re making my friend shy.”

Had he spotted them?

The Skirmisher showed body signs of displeasure, boldly signing the letters “K”, “Y”, and “S”. Was that an abbreviation?

Wanderer chuckled slightly before an arrow was thrown at him. Candace quickly ran into action, taking out her shield to block the attack.

“If you all wanted to spar, you could have said so.” He said.

The other person was about to join when Ajax held his arm out. “I’ll take care of them, comrade. Don’t worry about it.” He said with a sinister grin.

With that, Dehya took the lead as she discarded her claymore and started her barrage of flaming punches. The man merely laughed as he dodged, before getting hit in the face on her last one.

“Hmm, what a great punch. Too bad it’ll be the last one you’ll land.” He said as he crossed his arms and summoned two hydro daggers. Candace swooped in with her shield, protecting her partner. He quickly teleported behind the man. 

He side-stepped back and Candace lunged forward with her lance. He then attacked, summoning his dendro projectiles. 

Dehya then created her fiery sanctum field. Alongside her, Candace raised her weapon as she called upon her divine blessing, bathing the battle with hydro and pyro. 

“Not bad, you guys have a trick or two.” He said. “But I’ve had enough.” He chuckled as he summoned a hydro polearm and created a hydro slash that separated them. With this, he was about to dash forward when Wanderer finally decided to be useful.

He floated in the air as he created anemo slashes. “Does anyone tell you that you talk too much?” Wanderer complained.

“Join the club, buddy. Hmm, your strength is… commendable.” He commented. “Comrade! Fight these three for now.” He called out to his companion.

With that, the Skirmisher grabbed onto a four-leaf sigil as a black box accompanied them… The person from two nights ago. This solidified that their mysterious attackers were part of the Fatui.

=====

Was that… Hat Guy? What was he doing here? More so, he was with the person who attacked them on Thursday.  

He was obviously outmatched as he was facing three people - one of whom was the person he had faced before. Those three were excellent fighters. More reason as to why he should avoid hand-to-hand combat.

Summoning his claymore, he took to grabbing onto the four-leaf sigils he scattered around while Childe was busy with them.

They could say that it was cowardly, but a strategy is a strategy. Using Mehrak to attack them from above, he dodged the projectiles and polearms thrown at him.

It was going smoothly when the tall figure teleported to his spot, sending him flying into the trees. Damn them. 

He used Mehrak to safely land but not before the fiery person jumped him, making a circle of heat. 

The four-leaf sigils… where were they? He swore he applied dendro to-

Shit… the one in the Eremite uniform had burnt them. How… rude!

Well, he guessed it was time to take the battle to the ground. The other person dressed in desert attire had dashed forward, applying hydro to everyone there. The tall person also teleported near him. 

He smirked inside his mask as bloom cores formed. The tall figure got the memo, retreating immediately as he used Mehrak’s scanning to burst them.

The other two were unaware and possibly got hurt by the explosion. With the distraction, he took to the skies again by using Mehrak to grab onto the branches. 

“Damn you-! You’re really getting on my nerves. How about we fight fair on the ground.” The Eremite person said. 

Hmph, how can they complain about fairness when they are literally three whole people? Against one Kaveh. Besides, in battle, fairness is the last thing you would expect. 

He merely ignored the statement but a claymore was thrown at him right away.

Two could play that game… Summoning his weapon, he flew around the trees with his wind glider as he used Mehrak to throw his claymore at them. 

Wait… The hydro polearm user was nowhere to be seen. Readying his guard, said person attacked him from a branch. They had joined him in the trees. This was bad, they had the most martial prowess among the three of them.

He heard a loud grunt as an anemo slash was suddenly thrown at him, making him lose balance and fall. Luckily, he deployed his glider in time.

Hat Guy… He thought Childe was dealing with him?!

He looked over Wanderer’s shoulder, seeing a… defeated Childe?!

How… 

He had no time to think as the three musketeers arrived. 

Well, he knew he lost. Childe was stronger than him. For Archon’s sake, he was a harbinger of the Tsaritsa. So how did Hat Guy have the power of… a God?

Childe seemed to stand up slowly, obviously injured. With this, Mehrak dashed under the flying Wanderer and shot a claymore up at him, which he narrowly avoided. Meanwhile, he grabbed his companion and fled to the trees. 

=====

“Hmph!” Dehya huffed in annoyance as they lost those two. 

“The intel we gathered are quite enough for the day.” He said plainly.

“If zero was enough then-” Wanderer said but he cut him off.

“The Skirmisher with him was the person we encountered two nights ago. As I thought, the ones after Snezhevich were from the Fatui.”

“Snezhevich, you say?” Wanderer asked, turning towards him. “Snezhevich is the last name of the members who came from The Knave.” He said. “The Skirmisher must have been a fellow Snezhevich.”

“The… Knave?” Candace asked.

“A Fatui Harbinger. You know, like Childe.” 

“A Harbinger… Just like The Doctor.” He said. “And who’s Childe?”

“A Harbinger is the highest rank in the Fatui. And Childe is Ajax’s codename. Although, that brat was pathetic.” He said condescendingly. 

“Truthfully, I can’t say the same for The Knave. She’s crazy.” He said. “She killed most of her siblings and then betrayed the past director. Now, the Tsaritsa made her into the fourth of eleven Harbingers.”

“Do you have proof of such accusations?” He asked.

The boy only laughed. An annoying and vicious one. “I was a part of the Fatui, don’t test me.” 

“Ahh great, more important information that you didn’t think to tell us.” Dehya said.

“I left the organization a while ago. All I have to say is that most of its members are in secrecy. The mascots on the front are only distractions from the truth.”

“They also signed something.” He noted. “The letters K, Y, and S.”

To that, Wanderer laughed once more. 

“What does that mean?” Dehya asked.

“Kill yourself.” He said.

“You first.” She bit back.

“Hmph,  “Kill YourSelf” is the meaning of KYS.” He said while accentuating the letters in the phrase.

“So it’s an abbreviation. But, isn’t Ajax higher in rank? Why would a fellow member sign something like that?” Candace said.

“Because the idiot doesn’t know how to sign, despite ASL being one of the main languages of the Fatui.” He chuckled somewhat fondly.

“Well, despite his patheticness, he is the only one of the Harbingers who has an actual moral compass. There are lines he wouldn’t cross, although causing a city to almost drown wasn’t one of them” 

“What now?” “Elaborate.” He and Dehya said at the same time.

He only chuckled mischievously. “It seems my allotted time is finished. Consult Kusanali if you wish to speak with me again. So long… suckers.” He said as he flew away.

“What a… unique character.” Candace noted. “We should get back, we are done here.”

=====

“What… was that?” Kaveh asked the ginger lying down. They escaped to the outskirts of Avidiya Forest, all the way to Gandha Hill. He had now his usual attire, the uniform discarded in the corner.

“I… don’t know.” The man said, uncharacteristically quiet.

“The one with anemo slashes, he’s Wanderer.” He said which made the boy perk up.

“I knew it! I felt the same… familiarity. Like… I knew him.” He said.

“Hmm.” He said. “The tall person with them, the one that teleports, interfered in one of our missions two nights ago. If Wanderer is in their affiliation then… they might have been the ones to interfere with The Doctor’s project.” He noted.

“Did your intuition get a level up while you were in Liyue or what?” He teased. “Last I heard, you summoned a dead god or something.” 

“We… don’t talk about it. I visited Fontaine a year ago too-”

“Yeah, you got arrested, unsurprisingly.” He snorted.

“Wrongfully! This time… Well, comrade, it seems that we don’t need to break into the Akademiya anymore.” He said woefully. “Also comrade, you’re so quiet during fights. You’re so boring!”

“Well, I have some interviews on the internet. What if they were to recognize me.” He sighed.  “Anyway, I’ll report this to Father.” He opened his phone to check the time. After all that fighting, it was now 5:46pm.

“I suppose my payment shall…?”

“How much mora?” Childe asked. “Just buy the wine you want.”

“Huh? Well, one is usually 10,000 but-”

“Buy yourself ten then. I appreciate your help, comrade!” He said as he tossed a bag of gold coins.

“What? But are you-” 

“Yeah, it’s no problem.” He said nonchalantly. He supposed rich people were a… different breed.

“I really gotta go now. Are you alright?” He asked. “Do you need me to help you go back to Sumeru or..?” He asked as a small drizzle of rain began.

“Pfft, comrade! It’s just a scratch.”

“Yeah, a scratch that broke your fucking leg-”

“I can still carry myself fine. Besides, I’m going back to Snezhnaya tomorrow so I’ll get it looked at for Tonia and Teucer not to worry.” He sighed.

For all the recklessness Childe has, he still cared about his family above all. He supposed that was (the only) one thing they had in common. 

He sighed. “Don’t be so reckless the next time.”

----- 

He had cleaned up back at home. Luckily, his boyfriend was still (unusually) away so he avoided all the suspicion. No, it was probably nothing… Besides, he might think that they’ll meet again at Lambad’s.

Every week at 7pm sharp, they would hang out with Tighnari and Cyno whom he awfully missed. He also grabbed his TCG cards as Cyno loved the damn game.

His shoulder felt sore after the battle which made him unwrap his bandages. He then placed ice around an old torn shirt to apply to his injury.

Luckily, he didn’t break a bone but a dark purple was imminent in the area. He had strained some of the tissues badly in his shoulder. He hissed as he felt the burning cold.

His attire naturally hid it which made him internally happy. He didn’t want anyone else to worry.

Once he was done, he placed everything back into their exact spots and direction, as if they were never used at all. It was fruitless, really. But, it was a… habit of his that developed back when “Mother” was still in charge.

He then set out to Lambad’s, expecting to possibly be there last.

Entering the familiar building he helped renovate once, he greeted the man in charge before walking up to his three friends.

“You’re 42 seconds late.” Alhaitham deadpanned as he plopped semi-dramatically at his side. They had probably ordered drinks and food.

“What happened to hello, how are you?” He complained but held his hand beneath his tassels. They kept their relationship quite private since they were both… public figures. To become the Acting Grand Sage, even temporarily, did a massive hit on his popularity. As he returned home, Alhaitham was quite the talk of the town. However, he did seem more difficult to approach for others. Yet, for Alhaitham, this was a blessing (somehow). 

“Well, hello became hi.” Cyno said. “You know, hello became high? Like how you become high from drugs.”

A wave of silence passed and Kaveh couldn’t help but snort. 

“Hey! Don’t encourage him!” Tighnari said who was beside the man. “You are so lucky I love you.” He sighed.

“A snort, I’ll take it. I have another member of “Cyno’s Jokes Enjoyer Club” or CJEC.” He said proudly.

“I didn’t consent to that.” He complained. 

“A club is an association or organization dedicated to a particular interest or activity. An association cannot consist of just one person.” 

“I have more than one CJEC member.” He said happily. “Albedo and Sethos.”

“I’m guessing you’re taking non-verbal consent? As much as I hate to do so, I agree with Alhaitham.” Tighnari said, grinning.

“Must you all truly pop my bubble? CJEC will rise.” He said dramatically.

“I’m sure it will but in another nation.” He said.

“Kaveh, I already said not to encour-” Tighnari said but was cut off.

“You really think so?”

“In your imagi-nation.” He said with a curt smile.

To that, Tighnari laughed which got a glare from Cyno.

“Tighnari, your partner’s disease is spreading to mine. I may have to require them to be quarantined, tested, and vaccinated.” Alhaitham said, flicking him on his forehead. In response, a mature middle finger was thrown.

“That was at least better than Cyno’s jokes.” He said which made said person’s glare burn with annoyance.

“Your opinion doesn’t matter since you are psychologically going to be biased towards-”

“Okay Haitham. When the food arrives, stuff your breathing hole with them and shut up-”

“You need to be more specific as to what “breathing hole” you are referring to.”

“What else do you stuff with food?” He exclaimed.

“Technically, you can stuff both breathing holes with food, not that it would be hygienic.” 

“In the context of my sentence, shouldn’t it be easy to guess that I’m referring to your mouth? Or have you lost your critical thinking skills and devolved into fungi.” He smirked.

“Oh? So you admit I have critical thinking skills?” He teased.

“Eherm PDA. Eherm.” Tighnari teased, seemingly noticing their connected hands.

“Didn’t you just say that you loved Cyno? Also, shut your breathing hole right this-”

“You still didn’t specify what breathing hole.” Alhaitham said.

He didn’t get to bite back before the food and drinks arrived. He felt excited to find out what his boyfriend configured for him. 

“Sweet Madame… How did you know that I was craving that?” He asked the man beside him who chuckled. 

“You have a habit of doodling the foods you are thinking of.” He said, lightly brushing the hair from his face.

“Eherm PDA. Eherm-” Tighnari was about to say when Cyno suddenly pulled him in for a kiss.

“Way to break our moment, asshat.” He complained but he couldn’t stop the smile on his lips.

“Steal my jokes and I’ll steal your moments.”

“You guys aren’t even lowkey in the slightest.” Tighnari said. “Let’s just say that you are a terrible drunk, Kaveh.”

“Guys, let’s get to eating so that we can finally move to the most awaited part of the night?” Cyno excitedly said as he finished his plate.

“Food is meant to be enjoyed. Each flavor that bursts into your tastebuds has to be carefully proportioned to make the most out of each individual taste.” He said dramatically.

“Food is meant to be eaten at average speeds to avoid indigestion.” Tighnari sighed.

“Food is meant to provide you with energy and nutrients.” Alhaitham said.

“Who cares about food when you have TCG?” Cyno said.

“Ehh, valid.” He responded. 

They had played a couple of rounds of the card game after they had all finished eating. As usual, Cyno won mostly with Kaveh securing victory once. 

In his defense, after a few drinks, it was hard to think logically.  

=====

Kaveh certainly has too much alcohol in his blood. He was now acting under the influence, getting quite touchy with him.

“You’re so… pretty.” He said as he hiccupped and held his face. “Did I ever tell you that?”

“Okay, I think it’s time for us to go home.” He said. He had drunk quite moderately and made sure to drink a 1:2 ratio of alcohol and water to dilute it. 

Helping his boyfriend walk, he wrapped an arm around his shoulders to steady him. 

Tighnari and Cyno waved goodbye as they started their short walk. 

“Pretty, pretty, pretty.” Kaveh slurred as he giggled, breath infused with alcohol.

Knowing that he was being ignored, he suddenly planted a kiss on his cheek. “Stop pretending that” He hiccuped. “you can’t hear me.” He said as he pouted.

“Stop being childish.” He said gently despite finding his antics quite cute. “We are in public and you’re drun-”

He was stopped mid-sentence as Kaveh whacked him gently. “You’re so meann.” He whined. “I’m giving you a compliment, you know.” He said as his crimson eyes glimmered under the street lights. 

“I’m being rational-”

“Meh, meh, meh, rational.” He mocked as he smiled. “You’re the kind that father liked.” He said as he giggled but his expression told a different message. His lips slightly drooped and his eyes… burned with guilt.

“Kaveh…” He said quietly. The man barely spoke about his family. All he knew was that his father died when he was a child and his mother gave him up to an orphanage in Natlan. “Let’s talk about this when we get home.” He said softly. “Come now.” He said as he gently kissed his forehead.

“Oh…” He slurred. “Don’t get so serious now. father is a… nice(?) person.” 

“I know. Frankly, based on your mother’s journal, he would’ve liked you more than me.”

=====

Kaveh groaned as he awoke. It was currently Sunday and he felt the headache from his hangover. He shouldn’t have drunk so much.

Sighing, he sat up and hissed at the drilling pain in his head.

At that moment, Haitham quietly entered and handed him water and painkillers. Butterflies sprouted in his stomach like a high schooler as he realized the kind gesture. 

“I love you so much.” He said as he gulped down everything to stop this catfight in his head.

“Are you alright now?” He asked which he nodded. 

“I didn’t do anything stupid last night, did I?” He semi-joked.

“Well, you did mumble something about your father.” He said which made him almost spit out the water in his mouth. From his sentence, he might have thought that he was talking about his biological dad which made him internally sigh in relief.

“Ahahahaa… Ignore that. I usually spout nonsense when I’m drunk.” He excused. He needed to control himself more or his desolate past with the Fatui will be revealed.

Speaking of Father, he needed to drop by for that report and further instructions.

“It wasn’t your fault.” He said as he squeezed his hand tightly. 

“I… know.” He whispered. “Thank you.” He genuinely said but the extra squeeze on his hand asked him to drop it.

“You have plans today?” Alhaitham asked nonchalantly, getting the message.

“As usual, I’ll drop by the orphanage.” He answered. “They’ve been starting to miss me- Oh!” He said. “I almost forgot to mention but they visited on Friday.” 

“Mhm” 

“I may or may not have told them about you and they may or may not want to meet anytime soon.” He said, looking foolishly.

“Is that so?” His boyfriend responded teasingly. “Then I may or may not agree.” 

He chuckled slightly. “Oh you’ll love them! I’ll try to schedule something as soon as I see them” He said enthusiastically.

“Why not I just come with you to Natlan?” He asked.

“Hmph, three of them are away right now.” The lie rolled easily on his tongue. “They’d throw a massive fit if they caught a whiff of your visit.” He chuckled fondly.

“Alright.” He said as he kissed his cheek. “Are you sure you’re going in your condition?” 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” He said as he stretched his left hand.

Checking his phone, he saw a news notification of a flash flood that filled the banks of  Fane of Ashvattha again. He mentally noted it. As Lynette had said, every piece of information might be crucial.

-----

“Father, as for my progress this week,” He started. “I have discovered that the group that was after Efim Snezhevich might be affiliated with the rescue of the Dendro Archon. Detailed recallings are written here.” He said as he handed her stapled papers. “A possible suspect is the assistant of Buer, Wanderer. I will investigate him further this week.” He said.

In that case, I’m assigning you to investigate another faction. A group of loyalists to Crucabena are misleading members of the House under the guise of working under me. They are currently in Sumeru.” She said. “Reconvene with Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet outside. I expect that each and every one of them will receive punishment for their betrayal.” She ordered.

He shivered internally. It was house rules that everyone who turned against them would pay… with their lives.

“Yes, Father.” He said emotionlessly as he got up and exited her office. In the lounge, he waved curtly to his siblings before joining them.

He greeted with a smile as Lynette started.

“From the information I gathered, they are camped here at a cave in Fane of Ashvattha. A message was sent out for all the members to meet today because of Efim’s disposal.” She said as they looked expectantly at him.

“We can take a path here to a waterfall. We can then use the four-leaf sigils nearby to go to the entrance, though I’m afraid we have to swim since it is submerged underwater. Last I heard, Traveler cleared it out but there was a recent flash flood.”

“Huh is that so.” Lyney began. “We’ll sneak in using the water and use the element of surprise.”

“You already have a plan, brother?” Lynette asked.

“Mhm” He nodded. “We will throw them into the river where Freminet will freeze them.”

“That way… we can make it so that they drowned because of the flood and not…” He realized.

Lyney chuckled awkwardly. It was no secret that everyone in this room had taken lives before but… he just wished that they didn’t need to.

He ruffled his brother’s hair. “Quick thinking, little brother. Let’s strike now so that our story’s more believable.” 

=====

“Alhaitham.” Cyno’s rushed voice said over his phone speaker.

“It is a Sunday, Cyno-”

“I found Efim Snezhevich’s group’s hideout from his phone.” He said breathlessly.

“We can wait until Monday. I suppose he’ll be protected by his fellow Fatuu-”

“He’s dead, Alhaitham.” Cyno deadpanned. “We just found his body right now. From the autopsy, he died from a stroke but… the time of death was 20:43 on Thursday.” 

“Right after the Fatui got him… So if they intended to exterminate him then…”

“Most likely, they’re going to exterminate his group too.” Cyno finished. “All of their members are also gathering right now.”

“I’m coming to the location. Just send it to me right now. We’ll meet there.” He said quickly and clearly.

“Alright.” Cyno said as he pressed the “end call” button.

=====

They lurked beneath the waterline, hidden by the darkness. From what he could see in his diving helmet, there were around a dozen people sitting on top of ruins. Right beside the deep water. They were outnumbered but the terrain made it easy to sneak onto land unnoticed. 

Signing to the others, they quietly emerged into a corner. Freminet remained underwater, as he was the one tasked with making sure they couldn’t swim.

Lyney signed that he would attack the right, Kaveh the left, and Lynette the center when he used his birdcall.

With that, she followed him as they walked to the left side, in a secluded part. They were beside an elemental monument. He could see that it must have been triggered by Lumine back when she was here.

They were in position, waiting on Lyney’s orders. They sat in a semi-circle position. Six were in the middle and there were three on each side. 

A hoot of a dusk bird echoed as Lynette ran forward swiftly, a cat symbol appearing on her targets. She pushed six of them into the water as they were right at the edge.

He dashed forward, about to deal with the three on his side when a familiar green diamond illuminated as the tall figure appeared.

He had no choice but to draw back. Because of that, the three men went into an attacking stance, one of them quickly dashing at him.

He only grimaced as he dodged and used his momentum to throw him off. Another ran away and dived into the water. They probably thought that they could swim away. 

Pushing aside the building guilt in his stomach, he focused on his attacker.

Lyney was able to throw two of his with his Malkin Hats when an arrow was shot at him. Luckily, he disappeared in time, using his tricks. Yet, four extra arrows appeared and tracked each one of them, including Freminet.

The medium figure dashed toward them and another mystery person with the dendro arrows appeared. 

His group quickly scattered as their attackers gathered in the middle. He had grabbed one of them using Mehrak but the other remaining target was knocked out by the electro wielder. 

They had this rule between themselves - never kill unless ordered. It was their silent agreement. Yet, he could see by the slight hesitation that his brother was thinking of…

“No” He signed. “It is not our orders.”

He could see him considering it as he halted. 

“Brother” He signed back. “Fine”

With the distraction, the tall figure created a green field and multiple slashes concurred. He quickly dodged the attack, dashing at his attacker.

His attack nearly sent them to the edge, almost tipping over. He summoned Mehrak and his claymore in his panic, making sure that they would not die… They didn’t need to, after all. With this chance, he ripped off their black and green mask.

Yet, he had forgotten that Mehrak held his target, sending him flying towards the water. He supposed that it was part of their plan-

A deafening crack was heard, echoing in the cave. He looked over to the water and… 

Cryo formed on the surface of the water from Freminet’s vision. For how it formed, he may have panicked at the arrival of these three and… his target had fell on his head on it.

His forehead cracked as blood seeped on the ice, tracing the delicate patterns. Vibrant red stained the dull blue waters. His eyes were… lifeless as blood dripped down like tears. His body was limp despite the cold temperature that would normally tense his muscles.

A wave of nausea washed over him, threatening to buckle his knees and leave him vulnerable. His legs felt like recently cooked spaghetti, with no structure to lift his body. His arms felt like heavy metal weighing him down. Vomit almost rose up his tightening throat.

No, he should… the mission.

Looking at his assailant, his breath caught in his throat. 

Gray hair that fades into teal. Green-maroon eyes that hid confusion, sadness, and… anger . 

Alhaitham  

Yet, he stared at him with an emotion he never expressed towards him before. Pure hatred .

Shown by his gaze hardening, his jaw clenching, his eyebrows furrowing, and his eyes glimmering with a scalding burn instead of a calming warmth. He never wanted to be looked at like this again. Not by him. Not by Alhaitham who looked at him like the world.

He could only stare for a split second as he grabbed his mask and hid his face once more. He was sure not even Lynette saw. She was busy with Alhaitham’s companions.

This movement put him away from his trance, but the damage was already done. Why was he here? What was his goals? Why couldn’t he foresee it? Why didn’t he foresee it? It was plainly obvious now that he realized all those extra hours at the Akademiya and the extra-draining week a scribe shouldn’t have. 

Maybe he had noticed but instead… chose to feel the bliss of ignorance.

He was jostled out of his thoughts as Alhaitham screamed. “Someone is in the water freezing people to death!”

=====

Alhaitham had returned to Cyno and Tighnari’s side. They were now protecting the unconscious man from these three.

The tall person had seen his face, a blunder that filled his veins with fear. What if his personal life was affected? What if they harm Kaveh?

He shook away the thoughts. He had left swiftly, too busy to even analyze if his opponent recognized him. It was useless, in his opinion. He received fame for his time as the Acting Grand Sage. He’d say the probability was most likely.

The Fatuus were quick to group up which Cyno attacked. Calling upon his divine spirit, two claw-like purple arm extensions as the static from electro was felt. He lunged forward and three electro slashes appeared, dividing the group.

Yet, they all disappeared into cards. It was a trick.

He held his guard up as all three attacked from all sides. A giant cat in a hat strode by, infusing them with pyro as it exploded to reveal the small figure they encountered on Thursday.

Another figure, the one with impressive speed, summoned a cat attached to a spring in a hat. It made waves of anemo drift by. 

This separated his group and caused the remaining survivor to fall towards the water.

 He acted quickly, jumping to retrieve her and teleporting back before he reached the water. Tighnari shot had shot three powered arrows to ward off the attackers, each having six Tanglevine Shafts that followed their location.

They quickly dodged, scattering amongst themselves.

But, the last person - the tall figure, breezed through his blindspot and used their black box to grab the woman. He knew then that she would die but… he saw it. The way their hand trembled and their request earlier through sign language.

They were hesitating. Yet, it wasn’t enough as they dropped the person to their death. He internally sighed in disappointment. It wasn’t like him to hope for the best from people, but something in him thought that… this person was different. Something about them were subconciously linked with empathic and merciful actions. They were no Kaveh, in the end. What was he expecting? Maybe his lover’s ideals were affecting his own, no matter how foolish it sounded. 

All three then tried to flee but he shot a projectile, one of his Chisel-Light mirrors toward the pyro bow user. It was meant to disrupt their balance and make them easier to capture when… the dendro claymore user stepped in and took the hit for them. 

Still, they ran into the darkness and sunk into the depths below, replacing their masks with diving helmets.

He already knew how their deaths looked like. Twelve casualties from the flash flood. The Fatui didn’t need to step in for that narrative, even for the one who suffered a blunt force to the head. It could have been the current’s fault.

“Let’s look around for anything they may have left behind.” Cyno suggested which they followed.    

There was another room cut off in a barrier but he teleported into a crack on the wall. Quickly, he spotted a woman. She was wearing the same attire the others in the meeting had and must have hidden here whilst her companions were slaughtered.

Their crucial piece of evidence.

=====

He huffed for breath. They ran in the direction of Sumeru City, changing attires in some cave. Despite them already surfacing from the water, he still felt… suffocated.

“Big brother, are you alright?” Lynette’s voice was laced with worry as she noticed the small trickle of blood on his right shoulder.

He had already compressed the wound with a tassel of his. “Don’t worry about it.” He answered, trying to stop the quiver in his syllables.

 This only had the opposite effect, as all three of them turned to face him. 

“You three should…” He said breathlessly. “should report back to Father. I’ll return to my house.”

“Brother, are you really okay?” Freminet now spoke, realizing the damp spot on his shirt.

“I’ll… I’ll go back to… Yeah, I’m okay.” 

“Brother-”

“I’m okay!” He said unexpectedly harshly. “I-... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout.” He said more gently. “I just need… air.”  

-----

Kaveh had now arrived at their shared house. He somehow had convinced his siblings to drop it yet it all felt blurry as his head spun.

Tears prickled in the corner of his eyes as he locked the door. Dragging himself to the bathroom, he threw off his shirt and unwrapped his makeshift bandage. 

Washing his wound, he opened Mehrak and took out a first-aid kid. 

Alhaitham was part of their group that had made themselves the enemy of the House of the Hearth. What was he thinking? Father will sooner or later end them after knowing of the events that happened today.

Bitter bile was tasted on his throat as he suddenly gagged and vomited. A few huffs of breaths were heard as he washed it down the drain.

What if he realized who he was? He would… hate him rightfully. He deserved it. After all, he killed three people right in his face. He would never look at him the same way, his gaze would be drowning in disgust.

He called himself an empathetic fungus back then, yet his actions disproved it. He took the lives of real… living people.

His shaky hands focused on grabbing the alcohol and spurting it at his wound, the stinging sensation making him hiss.

Yet the pain felt welcoming. It was a distraction from the spiral of thoughts running in his head. 

He grabbed the curved needle, drowning it in alcohol. He then cut a line of thread, struggling to fit it in the eye with one hand. 

He finally sighed as he tied off the end. His wound was somewhat small, the diamond thing not cutting all the way through. It had already dissipated, leaving only damaged muscles.

It wasn’t too deep. He supposed four stitches should be enough to shut it tight.

He doused the thread in alcohol as he started the first stitch, cutting through the soft outer skin easily. He could only stuff his mouth with a towel to stop his groans. He had no anesthetics so he had to make do.

Mehrak beeped worriedly at him, which made him pat her slowly, relaxing her expression.

It was fine, the pain he caused was nothing compared to this. He should stop writhing and deal with his self-imposed problems. He deserved the suffering.

He pierced through the skin as he tied off his first stitch, cutting the excess thread off. He did three more, fully closing the wound. In between, he struggled to fit thread after thread in the eye of the needle, his hand getting more and more unreliable as time passed.

Once he finished, he washed down the crimson blood staining their white sink. Some easily slid by the ceramic, but he carelessly let a spot dry, leaving behind a browning mark in its wake.

His dirty blood staining Alhaitham’s pristine sink.

Angrily, he spat out the cloth in his mouth, soaked in saliva and… 

He shook as he finally looked at the mirror, seeing trails of tears, a red nose, and swelling eyes. Was he… crying? 

He heard Mehrak beeping sadly beside him. As if to comfort him.

He had such a nerve. Why should he be the one in despair when he took lives today? He had no right to cry. 

Yet, despite his attempts, boiling-hot tears fell frequently from his eyes. Wiping away furiously, they still won’t stop falling. Why? Why was he crying?

He gasped loudly, shocking Mehrak beside him. He had stood like this, staring at the mess he looked like. A monster. A killer. 

Hours must have passed as his thoughts rambled inside him, making him sob pathetically.

His eyes followed a drop, falling into the white sink, making him remember the stain that still remained. At the same time, he heard the lock on the front door click.

Alhaitham was home.

Panicking, he stuffed the first aid kit back into Mehrak who beeped shockingly. He wrapped around a bandage to hide his wound as he shoved his bloody shirt and tassels into a blue plastic bag. He’ll wash that later. He threw the bag into a drawer underneath him.

He took hydrogen peroxide from Mehrak to scrub away the sink. Then, he wore a shirt he accidentally left there. It was soaked with sweat as he used it yesterday but… he didn’t care.

Shakingly, he listened as the man rummaged around. He made sure to make minimal noise as he hid behind the door. 

He sat and hugged his knees, using his hand to muffle any gasps of air from his crying. The tears really needed to stop now. They were still falling as he felt his nose clog.

He breathed slowly, as if not to accidentally hiccup and reveal where he was. 

=====

Alhaitham had quite a rough day. The woman had been annoying to capture as she ran and used her hydro vision against them. Tighnari had managed to apply a sleep-inducing ointment.

She was now in the hands of Nahida. They would question her tomorrow when she awakens.

Stepping inside their home, he immediately had his guard up. The chairs were disoriented as if someone had rushed through them. 

He quietly walked through the layout. It was now 6pm, and the sky was darkening outside the window. No lights were turned on.

If there was an intruder, he had the advantage of knowing the inside of their home. He was alerted by an unknown ding.

It came from… Kaveh’s phone? Had he changed the sound effect on his device? Was he the one home? 

It displayed a message from “Lynette”, the contents hidden. Worry washed over him. Did the Fatui Skirmisher report his identity? Did they hurt Kaveh?

He noticed that the bathroom door was closed when it was normally left open. Quickly, he silently twisted his keys. 

He slammed it open, eliciting a pained gasp from a person behind the door. He cocked his head to see matted blond hair… 

“Kaveh?” He called out.

“H-Haitham! You’re home… I must have slept here accidentally.” He hiccupped as he held his right shoulder in pain. Despite his attempts, he heard the weariness in his voice. He pressed his face against his knees as he groaned. Yet, he could see the wet circles on his kneepads.

“Why are you crying? Did anything happen?” He asked worriedly which made the man jump.

“Crying? Ahh yes, I was just watching something sad. It’s nothing.” He said with such confidence that he almost believed him. Almost.

“With what? Your phone is outside and I don’t see any more electronics with you.” He pointed out his bluff.

“Kaveh, you know you can tell me what’s bothering you.” He said gently.

“Did I say watching? I meant dreaming… Sorry, you know how my words twist after waking up.” He excused.

He was avoiding the topic. Between them, they had this silent understanding that the quips thrown from time to time shouldn’t be taken seriously. Kaveh knows that he won’t judge him. So why didn’t he trust him with this pain that he was shouldering?

“Oh! I didn’t know how late it was. I’ll cook us dinner and-”

“I’ll do it.” He cut his sentence. “Kaveh, I know something’s troubling you. There’s no point in hiding it from me.” The one who knows you the most . “You don’t need to say anything about it but… allow me to provide you comfort.” He said as he reached out.

He held out his hand and his partner looked up. Swollen crimson eyes looked at him with fear, adoration, and… hope.

He hesitantly grabbed it, helping himself up and pulling him into the tightest one arm hug. Kaveh held onto him like he was his lifeline. He held onto him like he might disappear.

They stood like that for a while, a few quiet sobs as he felt his shoulder get soaked with tears. To help, he had rubbed his back and played with his hair. 

Once he had calmed down, he prepared a chicken noodle soup. He had also set a cup of cold water, noticing how his partner was hiccupping from dehydration.

A few minutes of uncharacteristic silence passed as they ate quietly. He took his time analyzing the man. He noted how he was avoiding eye contact, his movements shaky with guilt and shame.

His curiosity was piqued at what may have occurred.

-----

“What have you done to me?!” The recently awoken woman screamed as Wanderer held her down from attacking Nahida. 

It was currently Monday and they were in the Sanctuary of Sunasthana where the woman they captured was kept.

“Calm down.” Her gentle voice said. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

“Like hell you all aren’t going to hurt me?! Where am I? Release me right this moment you!”

“You still have injuries! Some wounds might reopen if you keep on struggling!” She said as she bit her nail in anxiousness.

Nahida gave a faint glow as elemental traces surged around her and the girl, linking them together. Afterward, the woman suddenly went limp as Wanderer set her down.

The elemental traces returned to the Archon as she faced them.

“Alhaitham, Cyno, Tighnari, thank you for being here.” 

“Dendro Archon, what do we intend to do with the woman?” He asked.

“The Matra can take her in for questioning.” Cyno suggested. “I’ll personally find out the information if you see fit.” 

“Actually, I’d like to keep her here for now.” She said.

“What? Buer, you can’t adopt every Fatui member you come across.” Wanderer said bitterly.

“I took a look into her past.” She explained. “Wanderer, do you recall details of the former Knave?” She turned towards him.   

“Crucabena…” He held his chin. “She ran the House of the Hearth before she met her demise at the hands of Arlecchino, the current Knave. She had a partnership with II Dottore. I saw her send “incompetent children” to The Doctor for experimentation back then.” He sighed. 

“The Doctor, you say?” Cyno said.

“Huh, you know him?” Wanderer asked. 

“I know of him.” Cyno murmured as he huffed a breath of anger.

To that, Wanderer laughed. “Seems I don’t have to explain then. All I’ll say is that we have a mutual distaste toward that invasive vermin.” He spat.

“In my opinion, Crucabena is just as dreadful as him. She took orphans and trained them to become Fatuus. Children with no ability to mentally comprehend how fucked up that house really was. I am no saint but raising children to be your puppets hits a nerve.”

“I suppose that girl was from the House of the Hearth?” Wanderer finished.

She laughed softly. “Yes, I’m afraid so.” She said as her eyes went downcast. 

“Then… I see no reason why you shouldn’t try to help her.” He sighed.

“If that is your judgment, Dendro Archon, then I am not against it.” Alhaitham finally spoke. 

“I feel the same way but can we question her when she wakes up?” Cyno requested.

“She should be more civil now that the initial shock is done. I’ll wake her now.” Nahida said as she repeated her actions.

The woman slowly blinked once before her eyes widened. 

“You-” She was about to speak when he cut her off.

“The Dendro Archon wishes to house you. Choose to entertain our questions.” He said curtly.

“The Dendro Archon… housing me? What is this nonsense?” She said as she laughed.

“Think of it as a rehabilitation. You can stay here and we’ll perform excersises to help you adapt back to human society.” She said gleefully.

“And if I refuse?” 

“Then the Matra will happily take you for our rehabilitation program in prison.” Cyno deadpanned.

“Just give it a try. Once we’re finished, you can leave.” She quickly interrupted.

She grunted. “Fine… And now for your questions.” She said as she regarded them. “Speak.” 

“The attackers of your group and Efim Snezhevich, they are your fellow Fatuus. Do you recognize them? And what motive do they have against you and your members?”

“Them… Hmph, must be Peruere’s lackeys.” 

“Peruere?” Cyno asked.

“Arlecchino. The new Knave.” Wanderer answered for her.

“Hmm, and why would that be?” 

“That ungrateful bitch. Mother loved her, made her king, but she still had the gall to take her seat. Wasn’t being at the top enough for her? We were only preaching the true ideals of the house. Of course she was going to be prissy.”

“Elaborate on what you mean by true ideals.” He asked.

“What Mother wanted. A house where only the worthy should thrive. A house where the weak were thrown away. Nowadays, they have it so easy. They’ve grown soft and pathetic.” 

“So we took it upon ourselves to change that. They all would learn what it truly meant to be a child of the House of the Hearth.” She said pridefully.

“We made them fight for the true cause under the assumption that we were under Peruere’s command. She trained them to be so idiotic. Those cowards… they couldn’t even fight like adults.”

“You must be reffering to quote, Peruere’s lackeys, end quote.” He asked.

“They had to hide and use shock. What childish tactics. What should I have expected from a childish ruler. She never deserved to be king nor did she deserve to be The Knave. She’s nothing but a cheap knockoff.”

“And where can we find the House of the Hearth?” Cyno spoke, bored with her monologue.

“The main faction is in Fontaine. I recall seeing a familiar diver underneath those waters.” She laughed with malice. “Freminet, my dear former brother.”

“Last name?” He asked. He supposed he could get Lumine to help. She did help Fontaine a year ago.

“Snezhevich, if it wasn’t obvious enough.” 

“Then I suppose we’re done here. Thank you for your time, Dendro Archon, Wanderer.” He said as he and Cyno readied to leave.

“Don’t be afraid to visit again you two!”

=====

For the last hour and a half, Kaveh had been pacing around the house. He should report his findings to Father but… that would mean endangering the man he loved the most. The man who he could be “Kaveh” with, not the Light of Kshahrewar. His place of comfort. His home. 

Yet, not doing so would technically be betrayal to the House of the Hearth. The place that stolen and retrieved his childhood. Clervie’s ideal House of the Hearth. The place his siblings called home.  

He groaned audibly, his chest drumming with nervousness. Alhaitham’s group had repeatedly endangered missions. One wrong move and Father might personally make sure that they will never be in action ever again. If he allowed this to continue, who knows what might happen.

What should he… do? Who knows what kind of cards does Alhaitham’s group have. If he told him, the orphanage might cease to exist. His brothers and sisters would all have nowhere to turn to for they were socially unacceptable. It would be selfish of him.

What course of action isn’t selfish? Either choice would hurt the people dearest to him. 

Had he just didn’t see the man behind the mask then… maybe wouldn’t be in this position. 

He halted from his path. Maybe… he hadn’t saw anything at all. 

Then there would be no need to report to Father. It was too quick to have a glance, now that he thought about it. He certainly mistaken him for another person.

Alongside that, he could also do a little nudge to their group that the Fatui is just another totally normal diplomatic group. Nothing important to investigate on.

He needed another organization that he could use as the blame. One notorious enough and morally ambiguous to be able to do what the Fatui has been doing with the right motive. The Abyss Order.

Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy to pull strings in the background. He still doesn’t know anything about Alhaitham’s group. He should investigate them next.

But the world still spun. He needed to focus on his commission. He didn’t need the money because being a Fatuus paid well but… a few projects from here and there helped with his cover. His title as the Light of Kshahrewar also allowed him to observe certain people. Like his current client, Dunyarzad. 

-----

“I reviewed the latest drafts and I think I prefer this one here.” Dunyarzad said happily as she pointed to one of his designs. “I love the integration of Padisarahs in the pillars.” She was one of the few followers of Kusanali before the Azar was overthrown.

“I’m glad you feel that way.” He replied. It was rare to find anyone who enjoyed the aesthetics of a building. “In that case, I’ll estimate the cost of the materials and involved. Afterward, I believe you can begin construction.”

“Dunyarzad, is that you?” A somewhat familiar voice asked. They were in Lambad’s tavern at the moment so it was a public space.

“Dehya! How long has it been? How are you? I like your necklace!” She remarked.

“Thanks, I got it with Candace.” She said as she fidgeted with the blue and yellow pendant. 

“Oh, this is Kaveh, the Light of Kshahrewar.”  Dunyarzad said.

“Nice to meet you.” He said. 

“Isn’t he Alhaitham’s boyfrie-”

“Dehya!” Dunyarzad quickly interrupted.

“Excuse me but if I heard correctly, you mean to ask if I’m seeing the Scribe of the Akademiya? In that case, all I’ll say is that we are just roommates. You mustn’t believe the theories online.” He said in a no-nonsense tone.  

“Wow, you even speak like him. You can relax, I’m something of a… friend of Alhaitham.” 

“What Dehya means to say is that she helped with the whole Akademiya fiasco.” Dunyarzad explained. 

The Akademiya fiasco? The rescue of the Dendro Archon? He fully recognized her voice now, the one that was in the Eremite outfit.

“You must be the… mercenary, right?” He asked.

“The mercenary? Is that what he called me? That…” She said as she clenched her fist. Huh, they sounded as if they didn’t get along well. 

“I’m sure he said many false things about me.” She huffed.

“Is that so… Could you retell the story from your perspective then? Of course, if you don’t mind, Dunyarzad. We were about to finish, after all.”

“I don’t! How about you sit down, Dehya.” 

She then went on to explain what happened while he was in the desert. How the Dendro Archon was locked off by the Sages and their plan. So that’s how he met Lumine. She was a vital player in the defeat of The Doctor. 

“Huh, he totally downplayed your involvement.” He lied. 

“I know right? This is why I avoid speaking with him. Hmm, I like you a lot better than that idiot.”

“You avoid speaking with him?” He asked. He needed a way to make her not mention anything to Alhaitham. 

“No offense, but he isn’t the best person to approach. He’s infuriating to talk to.” 

He laughed fondly. “Oh he knows how to appear friendly to peers, he just doesn’t want to. You don’t know him enough. He does have a personality… it’s just too big.” 

“Huh, I just can’t understand the Alhaitham dictionary like you do. Who knows, he might not be that bad.”

“Dehya… Nilou would be glad to hear that!”

“I take it back! Not a word escapes this conversation.” She said which made him smile.  

“Fine by me. I did just defend him right now… I cannot feed his ego like this!” He said dramatically, trying not to sound eager.  

“Come on, Nilou has been trying to create a friendship between you and Alhaitham for years. A hint of something you might like about him will make her happy!”

“Between my pride and your girlfriend’s happiness, I don’t think so.” She said. Nilou has a girlfriend? Well, he was happy for them.

“ Our pride.” He said as he put his fist on his heart. 

“I mean, is there something about him that doesn’t make you want to commit several federal crimes?” Dunyarzad asked. 

As the two girls talked, he could feel someone observing them. A medium hooded figure who started listening in. They were sitting in the table behind the women, nonchalantly looking at the menu.

“Hmm, I like his boyfriend.” She answered which made him laugh.

“Agreed. Singlehandedly the coolest thing about him.” At his quip, the figure finally made themselves known.

“I beg to differ.” They said in their best Alhaitham impression. Yet, they could not fool him who knew every tone and dialect of the man.

Dehya, on the other hand, jumped and started to fidget with her nails.

“Very mysterious, Cyno. You’re giving my two new acquaintances heart palpitations.” He said in his best Alhaitham-like voice.

“Of course, thou recognizes thy disguise, for thou knows how thine pronounces each letter.”

“I think you’re overdoing it.” Dehya angrily said after a sigh of relief. “I thought you were really Alhaitham.”

“I also didn’t notice. You know I’m deathly afraid of him.” Dunyarzad said.

“An unusual trio. Mind telling me the circumstances that fated you all to meet?” Cyno said in his mock Alhaitham tone.

“Dunyarzad commissioned me. We were about to end our meeting when Dehya recognized her.” He explained. 

“Please don’t mention the saving the Archon thing. Please don’t mention the saving the Archon thing.” He repeated in his head.

“Well, thou botched up the telling of our majestic tale in saving Sumeru so I had to retell it in greater detail.” Dehya said which made him die inside.

“You… told him what?!” Cyno said, his eyes widening.

“Huh, what’s wrong?” Dunyarzad asked. “Alhaitham already told Kaveh all about it.”

“Alhaitham hasn’t-”

“I lied.” He said which made everyone quickly stare at him. “Although, why did you all keep this from me? I know that in the age of the internet, fame isn’t the best thing in the world but really?” 

“Look, it was Alhaitham’s idea. Something about not making you feel uncomfortable.”

“How did you know I was a mercenary? I’m not dressed like one. Also, what was that about downplaying my involvement?”

“You can say it was an… educated guess? I could tell by your outfit that it was designed for the desert and you… gave the vibes. The downplaying thing was me trying to find a way to get you both to shush about this.” He explained.

“Holy sh- and the fact that it almost worked. I got to say, you’re more cunning than you look.” 

“So Kaveh, what are you going to do?” Cyno asked. 

“I’m not mad at him, okay? I get it, he has his reasons. And I’m not going to do anything about the information I gathered today.” He said which was a semi-lie. It was very crucial to his investigation. He will definitely tell Father the first part, about how the Traveler first encountered the Dendro Archon in the repeating samsara. From what Dehya said, the Akademiya had done it. Since The Doctor was basically controlling the Akademiya at that time, it must have been done to power his creation.

“He can tell me when he feels comfortable to do so.” 

“That’s actually… very mature of you. And you successfully lied to Dehya and Dunyarzad into telling the story? Who are you and what have you done to Kaveh?”

It was a joke but… who truly was he? His friends - they all have no idea about his past or who he was working for. They really didn’t fully know him. And he accidentally revealed that today, showing that he could lie through his teeth when he faked being terrible at it. 

“A skinwalker.” He answered confidently despite his inner turmoil. “In all seriousness can you all not tell him about this whole situation because I don’t want him to feel pressured to tell me about this.”

“Huh, are you sure you aren’t just… avoiding talking to him about all of this? Aren’t you at least hurt?” Dunyarzad asked. 

Avoidance? Him avoiding his problems and pretending they don’t exist until they build up and make themselves known? Pfft, not him! Definitely not… him. 

Oh my Archon, she’s right. 

His whole plan was to pretend that he never stepped foot in that cave. He was going to erase them from the picture by making them chase another unrelated organization so that the Fatui wouldn’t be their enemy. Was this really the best solution? Could it work? No, it had to for him to return to his normal life when everything was fine.

“No, it’s not that.” He answered (lied). Truthfully, he didn’t know anymore.

-----

Three long weeks had passed. He reported to Father every Sunday, slowly establishing his story. The plan for them was to pin the blame on Lumine because she was the star player. He could easily remove his friends’ involvement.

It didn’t feel… It wasn’t right but it was the most believeable option. She could handle it. She was currently in Natlan too so she wouldn’t be affected for now.

On the other hand, he read everything he could about the Abyss, planting false evidence during their investigations. Alhaitham, Cyno, Dehya, Nilou, Wanderer, Dehya’s girlfriend Candace, and even Tighnari, were working for the Dendro Archon. He found it out by bugging Alhaitham, tracking every one of their movements. 

Father had labeled them as kill on sight so he made sure that their locations never aligned, tediously following and placing false leads. It was working as for every mission he had been on, their last sighting was at the cave. 

Mehrak beeped worriedly next to him, causing his reverie to end. 

“Sorry, I was just… lost in thought.” He reassured her. 

Suddenly, she had powered off, landing with a small ‘thud’. Worriedly, he rushed over to see what had happened. Did her battery malfunction?

Oh.

He had forgotten to recharge her. How could that… happen? He had placed several countermeasures to make sure that he would never let her battery die in case of emergencies. Had he really been that distracted?

=====

Ever since that day where he found Kaveh crying by the bathroom door, the man had been acting strangely. His workload had an unusual influx. He could tell by the bags underneath his eyes that he was drowning himself in his work again.

Furthermore, he had lied to him. It was about a small matter - his eating habits. He would no longer see him eat a meal for a long period of time, only cooking when it was his turn. 

He had argued about this topic before… self harm. Most people had an incorrect perception of it, including Kaveh. It did not just pertain to physical self-afflicted marks. He had argued before that his actions applied to the textbook definition but he had always brushed it off, denying it with words he was not sure whether it was directed at him or… himself. 

That day, something upsetting must have happened. Some burden he shouldered. Some burden he didn’t wish to share for unknown reasons. It hurt knowing that he was destroying himself trying to deal with a problem whilst being aware that Alhaitham would willingly carry it for him.

“I’m telling you, the Abyss Order had nothing to do with that, that, and that.” The woman, Katarina, said which stopped his line of thought. 

After some time with Nahida, she joined their investigation. Her temperament has also notably improved. “Those are all famously committed by Fatui commanders and Harbingers. I don’t know how these files got there.” She huffed.

“And the thing with The Doctor, I was there to witness every excruciating second of it. It wasn’t members of the Abyss pretending to be the Fatui. Why were reports and letters saying so lying around?” Wanderer added.

“It sounds as if someone is trying to shift the blame from the Fatui to the Abyss Order.” He hypothesized.  “The Fatui is receiving no blame so I don’t see why they are doing so unless… It’s directed at us.” 

“Hmph, that’s not what the House of the Hearth would do. Peruere… she would just order us to be killed.” 

“We are working for the Dendro Archon herself.” 

“Even so, she would just leave no evidence of the deed. I don’t see her rearranging the pieces to get us to go after the Abyss Order.”

“I agree. Arlecchino is the type to cause her problems to disappear.”

“So who-”

At that moment, Dehya, Candace, and Nilou burst through the sanctuary, holding an unconscious blond kid. In his hand was a mechanical penguin. One that felt oddly familiar. Had he seen this craftmanship before?

“Is that… Freminet..?” Katarina said.  

So this must be the member of the House of the Hearth that the three women had been investigating in Fontaine. He looked like a teenager no more than sixteen.

“What happened?” He asked.

“We were following him as he was in Sumeru breaking into someone’s home then he noticed us and he ran and he hit his head but he’s still breathing thankfully and-”

“Nilou, calm down. It’s just a concussion, nothing major. Get Tighnari and Nahida.” Candace said.

=====

“Big brother, Freminet hasn’t returned home yet.” Lynette’s shaking voice said as he accepted her call. “It’s been two hours since he was expected to be here.”

“Where was his last mission?” He said quickly, his hand shaking in fear.

“Sumeru City. He was supposed to plant evidence so Father sent him alone. He sent a message using Pers that was only received now saying that he’s been intercepted by three people, two of which fit your description of the people you encountered with Childe. The pyro claymore user and hydro lance user.” She said quickly.

“Don’t worry, leave it all to me. Send the details of his mission, I’ll do it too.”

“Brother… we’re counting on you.” Lynette finally said after a moment of silence.

“I’ll tell you both immediately if I found him.” He said as he ended the call. Those two must have been Dehya and Candace . 

He knew where to find them. They must be with Alhaitham right now considering that they were a group.

Pulling out Mehrak, he located the man. Looking at the screen, a red dot appeared at the Sanctuary of Sunasthana.

Wearing his usual attire, he changed Mehrak’s shell and ran out of the house.

-----

The Sanctuary of Sunasthana. The Dendro Archon’s home. He was crazy for infiltrating the inside while said Archon was busy outside but… Freminet’s safety was above reason.

There was a circular walkway with rooms scattered inside. Surely his brother was in one.  

It was dead quiet so he moved swiftly and silently, checking every door he came across. It wasn’t until he saw one that was slightly open did he see the boy.

Slipping inside, he was about to grab his brother when he heard a noise from a connecting room. Quickly, he hid under the bed. 

Footsteps were heard as a figure appeared, squeezing a drenched cloth and placing it on his head.

“You have a fever.” That voice… Katarina. What was she doing here?! Had she not tortured them enough? Can’t they escape her mockery and malicious words?

“How stupid, jumping into the waters in Sumeru. Did your brain become malnourished and forget you cannot swim infinitely here? I don’t remember training you to be this reckless with your life.” She said. 

He could only clench his fist in anger.

“I don’t know why Buer sent me to take care of you… or even why I’m talking to you right now! I should hate you… for surviving the House of the Hearth when you clearly didn’t deserve to!” 

“But… somehow I don’t? I look at you and remember how… young you still are. Even after all these years, you aren’t even an adult.” She said which shocked him. Was that… sympathy in her voice?

“Maybe I never hated you… No, I envied you. You and your duo. Your companion. Your true brother.”

“You two… had each other's backs and I wanted that more than anything in the world. I made you suffer just because I couldn’t have that.” She said as she laughed.

“Between the two of us, I think… I’m the pathetic one. I don’t even know how I can face you once you wake up.”

She groaned in annoyance. “I did not just say that. Curse you, Buer, for giving me a conscience again.”

“I can’t handle someone as difficult as you. I’m going to… go.” She said as she ran out of the room. 

What was that? Katarina being an actual human being? He didn’t have time to think about it as he grabbed Freminet. 

He silently ran to the room Katarina had been in. Inside, a window big enough to fit him was found. Using Mehrak to cut the glass, he made his escape.

===== 

The boy had disappeared. Katarina had left to request Nahida’s assistance and when they returned, he was gone alongside a panel of glass in the connecting room. 

Considering that he was recently unconscious with no weapons to create a cut so clean, it was obvious someone rescued him. When he spoke of his inference, the girl suddenly became flustered. 

It had been three hours since then. 

“Alhaitham, stand still for a moment.” Wanderer said as he reached down and plucked out a metal chunk sticking to his coat.

“A tracker.” He said.

“Hand it over to me.” Katarina demanded.

“Know your place.” He said but handed it over with his hand in a middle finger.

She seemed to be too distracted to take offense to his gestures. “This… I know whose work this is.” She gasped.

“Enlighten us.”

“It’s Kaveh’s.” She said which increased his heart rate.

“Who?” He asked quickly, hoping that he had misheard.

“Hmph, Freminet’s partner. They were the only duo during Mother’s time. I heard that he is the Light of Kshahrewar here in Sumeru.”

At that moment, all eyes turned to him. 

“Do you know him?”

“Do not destroy that tracker, keep it here.” He ordered as he ran outside, the penguin still at hand.

The penguin with the same craftsmanship as the one sitting at Kaveh’s desk all the time.

Sumeru City was crowded at these times, each corner buzzing with conversation. Every step he took, a person was either bumping into him or brushing him. Yet, he could only focus on the ringing of his ears as he approached their house.

He snuck in using an open window as he walked towards Kaveh’s old room. Once they started dating, they combined their living spaces. Yet as he peeked in the slightly ajar door, he could see the kid sleeping on Kaveh’s old bed as the man paced the room.

A gold suitcase with green facial expressions, the black box, floated near him, beeping constantly but he didn’t seem to notice. He was stuck in his thoughts.

It all made sense. The day he came home late, he had been in Fontaine, not Natlan. The less prominent use of his right arm when he hurt it that night. The friend that was in town that he was talking about was Ajax . The… time in the cave. He saw his face and staggered. He had been crying because he found out who he was. He didn’t use his right arm at all afterward because he stabbed it.

He must have been the one who orchestrated the evidence pointing to the Abyss Order. Meaning that he acted independently from the House of the Hearth. Could The Knave not know?

An audible groan echoed throughout the silent house as the boy was waking up. Because of this, Kaveh was broken out of his trance as he quickly went to the child’s side.

“Freminet, you’re awake.” He said gently.

“Brother?” He said as he sat up. “My mission!” He quickly murmured.

“Don’t worry about it, I already done it for you.” Kaveh quickly comforted his brother.

“W-What happened, brother? I remember being… chased and now…” 

The boy perked up. “Pers!” He said as he sounded as if he was on the brink of tears. “They took Pers!”

“I-I-I’ll get it back for you, don’t worry.” He said nervously, shocked at the boy’s outburst.

“More importantly, Lyney and Lynette were so worried about you. I’ll bring Pers to you as soon as I can, okay? Just… go back to Fontaine. You can even get Pers II for now.”

“What?” The boy said gently.

“Whenever I missed you all, Pers II comforted me.” He said as he plucked the penguin from his desk. “Think of it as a promise. When I get you Pers back, you can give me Pers II back too.”

“Brother… I’m sorry for shouting. You don’t need to do that for me. You’ve already done enough.”

“No, no. It’s alright.”

“That would be unnecessary.” He said as he finally stepped out, holding the original penguin in his hand.

“Alhaitham… but-” He said anxiously, looking at the gold box that displayed a red dot over the Sanctuary of Sunasthana.

“Katarina recognized the tracker but you know that already don’t you? You were there to see her, after all.”

“Katarina?!” The boy said in terror as he hid behind Kaveh.

His gaze only hardened as he stepped forward to retrieve the penguin. Yet, he could see the plethora of emotions he was going through. Every contortion of his face was studied.

With shaking fingers, he grasped the toy and gave it back to his brother gently. “They are still worried about you. You should return now, little brother.” He said softly.

The boy nodded yes as he quickly scurried past him. Yet, only when the door was shut did Kaveh say a word.

“Haitham, I can explain-”

“Don’t call me that.” He said harshly as he saw the pain that flashed on his face. “And you have nothing to explain to me. You are a Fatuus working for The Knave, you conspired to pit us against the Abyss Order, and you are willing to do anything you’ve been ordered, including murder.”

“Alhaitham-”

“Do you deny any of my accusations?” 

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke. “No.” He whispered. “But-”

“I have heard everything I needed to know. We’re over.”

“What..?” A trembling voice asked yet he knew he didn’t need to repeat himself.

“Alhaitham let me-”

“I do not want to hear any more from you.” He said as he turned away. “Trust is crucial for a relationship to work.”

He could not bear to look at the realization on his face or the defeated expression he must have. He could not because he knew that if he did, he’d cave and embrace him, taking back every word that felt foreign on his lips. He’ll caress his face and promise that they’ll make it work. But… he knew it was false. They were broken beyond repair.

=====

“We’re over.” The words registered in Kaveh’s brain, making him freeze.

“What..?” He spoke despite knowing full well what he meant.

He could fix this. They were not broken beyond repair. They could work it out. He didn’t want to lose him - his comfort, his equal, his opposite, his mirror, his other half… his lover.   “Alhaitham let me-” He desperately spoke. 

Don’t do this, please. Don’t leave.  

“I do not want to hear any more from you.” Alhaitham said as he turned away. He is too disgusted to look at me.

“Trust is crucial for a relationship to work.” He said but he could see the underlying words. I do not trust you anymore .

A tear slipped from his eye which he quickly wiped away. Father hated tears. A sign of sorrow, an emotion that makes you waver. Alhaitham’s decision is final and he should respect that as his former lover. He should leave before Alhaitham offers him his old room. He was not welcome here anymore. 

Wordlessly, he took his essentials and quickly left.  

-----

I'm Mr. Loverman 

The lyric played through his earphones which he lip-synced.  

And I miss my loverman  

A cracked sob echoed through his empty childhood home as he became aware of the cold drops falling from his eyes. He was lying down somewhere in his old room. He hadn’t been here ever since his mother… gave him up to the House of the Hearth even if she gave the property to him. Yet, it was the perfect place to hide. Leave the problems of the world as thoughts in the back of his mind.

I'm Mr. Loverman  

It had been two days since they broke up. Two days since he holed up in here with nothing more than bottles of alcohol.

Oh, and I miss my lover

He felt an urge to drink more despite the throbbing headache he was having. It was nice to numb his senses and forget . 

I've shattered now, I'm spilling out 

Weak hands try reaching wherever he placed the last bottle he drank from.

Upon this linoleum ground  

He knocked the bottle from all of his movements, causing it to shatter.

I'm reeling in my brain again 

The amber liquid spilled on the floor. A surge of alcohol aroma filled the room, causing him to taste vomit in his mouth.  

Before it can get back to you 

He ceased his movements to stop him from throwing up bile all over the ground.

Oh what am I supposed to do without you?  

… What was he supposed to do? He was alone again. He couldn’t seek companionship from anyone in his life. 

The rest of the song buzzed past him as he started to reminisce about the past. Before he knew it, the next song started playing. 

I could be the one, or your new addiction  

It's all in my head but I want non-fiction  

The upbeat tune started, making him laugh at the irony - a hoarse and choked-out laugh. Chappell Roan, this is not the time but he wasn’t one to complain.

I don't want the world, but I'll take this city  

Who can blame a girl? Call me hot, not pretty

He started to sing along to the catchy tune in a lower key.

Baby, do you like this beat? 

I made it so you'd dance with me 

It's like a hundred ninety-nine degrees 

When you're doing it with me, doing it with me

H-O-T-T-O-G-O 

Snap and clap and touch your toes 

Raise your hands, now body roll 

Dance it out, you're hot to go 

H-O-T-T-O-G-O 

Snap and clap and touch your toes 

Raise your hands, now body roll 

H-O-T-T-O-G-O 

H-O-T-T-O-G-O

He sang as he mimicked the hand movements with his left hand.

You can take me hot to go 

H-O-T-T-O-G-O 

You can take me hot to go

He felt… much better now. He could barely feel the dried tears that felt ice-cold in his face. Maybe he should cheer himself up. Being a pathetic mess will not help him with the problems he will have to deal with sooner or later.

Opening his phone, he decided to browse TikTok (he could already hear the clown music in the background). His note to self was that if he heard a Mitski song, he’d scroll with no questions asked.

He was greeted with a Triden edit which made him snort. Gen Z was… too unserious. Triden was the crack ship between Raiden Shogun and The Tsaritsa… He prayed that they didn’t have social media. The caption read “If I freeze to death or get struck by lightning, yall know what happened.” with goodluck, babe as the sound.   

Scrolling past, familiar music hummed sweetly through his wired earphones. Pasilyo - a popular Filipino love song. What could this be-

“The Acting Grand Sage Alhait-” His own voice was interrupted as he exited the app. Was that… a snippet from one of his investigations? Could he really just escape from the thought of the other man?

Maybe… Twitter would be better (as if it’s not pure chaos). With a sigh, he opened the app, hoping to feel disconnected from the nausea.

[@HaiKavehPresident]: Citizens of Sumeru… My parents… I haven’t seen them together in two days. Two. Days. I am dehydrated I need my crumbs.

He had an inkling that his suspicions were right. This “HaiKaveh” must be… their ship name. Surely the world must be out to spite him.

This post had gone viral, reaching 200k views. Who was this poster? And how did they notice the sudden change in their behavior?

Another viral repost was underneath it.

[@NotHatGuy]: Sethos… Leave them alone.  

Sethos? What business would he have with them? He had met the boy before as he once joined one of their weekly hangouts. 

What else could he have possibly noticed? What if his siblings in Fontaine saw this? His thoughts raced as he unconsciously started biting his nails.

His daze was interrupted as a familiar notification sound was heard. Lynette. Father was probably summoning him, not pleased with his actions. Reality all came crashing down. 

He needed to fix himself, fast. 

-----

“Father-”

“Kaveh, you know the reason why I summoned you.” Her tone was on the harsher side. “Leave no details and tell no lies about the events of two days ago.” 

“Father, after I received the information from Lynette, I rushed to rescue him.”

“How do you know where he would be held?” 

“I-...” He hesitated. “I’ve been tracking this group for three weeks now.”

“Oh? Then why are they not included in your weekly reports? Moving on, the Former Acting Grand Sage now turned Scribe of the Akademiya went into your house according to Freminet. Care to shed some light on that situation?”

“He worked for the Dendro Archon and went out to confront me after he found the tracker I placed on him.” He said.

“I suspect that there is more to that.” She stated. It was a question yet her tone made it sound as if she was saying a fact. There was no denying his way out of this one.

“I had… a romantic relationship with him at the time.”

“So you protected him despite his involvement with the Dendro Archon? Kaveh, you know the punishment against betrayal and I will not hesitate to inflict it upon you.”

“Yes, Father.” He somehow said despite the lump in his throat.

“I believe that your loyalties are being tested. For your next mission, exterminate the Scribe of the Akademiya.” She said coldly which made his heart drop. “I expect it to be done by this week.”

“Father-” He desperately spoke.

“Do you have any issues with my order?” She said. It was clear that this task was to prove his utmost devotion to the House of the Hearth.

He had to choose. Would he betray his family to protect his beloved or will he comply and eradicate those who made an enemy of the house? 

And there was no way to escape his circumstances. 

“No, Father. I understand.” He said calmly.

“Then you are dismissed… Don’t disappoint me, Kaveh.” 

He gently escaped her office… Almost as if he wasn’t experiencing a sandstorm of emotions right there and then.

“Brother Kaveh, brother Kaveh!” Heloir called out after him. “You’re back! Do you wanna see all my newest potions?” She said in delight.

At that moment, Foltz suddenly jumped out of his hiding place. “Brother, did you see that? I was taught by big brother Chaplau. My stealth got better, didn’t it?” He asked happily.

“I-... Of course it did, Foltz. Heloir, I really really want to but I’m… busy right now.” He excused.

“Come on, brother. You’re always so busy that you almost never come here.” She said.

“I’m really sorry-”

“Liar! If you were really sorry then you’d look at my potions.” She huffed.

“Heloir! Stop using big sister Lynette’s tricks on our brother! She told us that’s for bad guys only!” He said as he pouted.

So she was using a manipulation tactic on him? How could he not notice? He was not in the right mental space to think critically. He should really get away from here.

“I know I haven’t spent time with you all in a long while but…” He fake-sighed. “I wasn’t supposed to tell any of you this but I have a surprise.” He said which gathered the attention of the two kids. He didn’t bother to hide his nervous tics. 

“But don’t be impatient now. Good surprises take time so wait until tomorrow. You two strong kids can do that, right?” In reality, he had nothing prepared but he could come up with something.

“A-a surprise? But you will look at my potions tomorrow, right?” Heloir asked him.

“Of course. And Foltz, you can show me everything Chaplau taught you.” He said calmly. “I have to really go now, be good you two.” He said as he walked away.

=====

“Are you really sure that you’re alright?” Cyno said worriedly.

“Did I give you any reason to doubt my statement?” He bit back knowing that… he wasn’t actually alright. He would need to adjust to his new routine: wake up (not beside anyone), eat his breakfast (without arguing with a certain architect), go to work (and not receive life update texts every hour), and return to his (empty) house. 

It would be unideal yet he would face it. Despite how integrated Kaveh was in his life, he was determined to continue. To be frank with himself, he didn’t foresee a future without him but… with the crumbling down of the foundations - honesty, trust, respect, and communication, their relationship wouldn’t stand. Even as a scribe, he could see that. 

It wasn’t just that he didn’t trust him anymore. That could be easily fixed should both parties be willing. It was that the feeling was mutual.  

“Alhaitham, you can tell us your problems. We’re your friends and… we’re here for you.” Tighnari said gently. For the past few days, they had been trying to comfort him despite his protests.

“I am aware.” He sighed. “I am emotionally fine. I have accepted my decision and I do not hold any regrets. Truthfully, I see no practical reason for you both to visit so if you two have nothing else to say, leave.” He said albeit harshly.

“Fine… You may be alright but I’m still worried about Kaveh.” Tighnari said plainly. “You know how self-destructive he is and we haven't seen him these past two days. Do you have any idea where he might be?”

“Oh, if you needed my input about that you should have started with that. There is a possibility that he stayed in a motel. I should add that I intended to let him stay but he left independently.”

“We’ve already checked every single one here in Sumeru but we couldn’t find him… Do you think he went back to Fontaine?”

“Highly unlikely considering that The Knave still hasn’t retrieved what she was after.”  

=====

How much effort would it take for him to simply drop dead right here? He could ponder over it but he was too tired.

He had no food back in his house so he was now currently buying groceries in the Grand Bazaar. He went there after his trip to Fontaine expecting to break down yet… he just stared at the ceiling. It was currently night so only a few people were there.

Purchasing a tub of white chocolate for his “surprise”, a flash of red suddenly ran toward him.

“Kaveh!” Nilou said quickly as she tackled him into a hug. Behind her, Dunyarzad followed hastily.

He grimaced as she tightly held onto him, hurting his right arm. Noticing this, she quickly pulled away.

“I’m sorry!” She said as Dunyarzad finally caught up. “Are you hurt? I was just so worried about you.” She explained. 

“Oh uhh, my arm? It’s… something.” He somewhat murmured as he felt too drained to even think.

“We’ve been trying to get ahold of you for so long! Not even Alhaitham knew where in Teyvat you were… How is Freminet?” She hesitantly said. So she knew about his involvement with the Fatui but probably not about his relationship or else she wouldn’t ask.

“He has recovered. And I should probably tell you that Alhaitham and I broke up.” He said nonchalantly but it came out a little sad.

“What? Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it? You can stay at my place if you-”

“Nilou, you don’t need to help me. I’m honestly fine. I also would understand if you would like to end our friendship.” 

“H-huh?” She said in confusion. “Kaveh, and why would I want to do that? I don’t care if you’re a Fatuus or not.”

“Shouldn’t you two at least be mad at me for deceiving you both? Who’s to say I didn’t tell them that you two helped the Dendro Archon?” 

“Did you?” She said nervously.

“... No.” He said defeatedly.

“Then I’m not mad at you. Dunyarzad?” She asked the girl beside her.

“I don’t really mind. We’re not close so I really don’t take it to heart.”

“But that still doesn’t change the fact that I’ve wronged you both.” He said bluntly. 

“Are you sure that… you’re not projecting onto us? We forgive you for what you’ve done. Maybe the one who hasn’t is… yourself?” Dunyarzad said anxiously.

Archons, she might be right again.

“You look pale.” Nilou said as empathy shone in her eyes.

“I… need to go. The chocolate might melt and it’s a gift for my siblings.” He said ignoring the fact that he bought a chocolate spread.

=====

It had been an ordinary day yet Alhaitham laid awake at their - correction, his bed. His nights were only plagued with insomnia… ever since he ended their relationship four days ago. His thoughts were riddled with the fact that he awakens with a blanket wrapped around him and he could move freely in this bed.

Changes that convenienced him yet… felt undesirable. 

Suddenly, a figure approached him holding a knife. He relaxed his face, hoping to catch his attacker off guard when… they walked into the moonlight revealing a familiar face - Kaveh.

The light reflected the tears scaling down his face and his expression… was one filled with love. He hypothesized that he must have something planned yet… if the null hypothesis were to be true, he would gamble his life.

“If you think your tears can deceive me then you are heavily mistaken.” A cold voice said which made the man drop his knife in shock.

=====

“F-father..!” Kaveh said as he turned around. “I was-”

“I doubt you can do anything with a dull knife with a mechanism designed to make it retract upon contact with an object.” She sharply said. 

“You’ve predicted correctly that I would watch your every move yet you fail to realize that from the moment you hesitated in my office, I knew that you would not go through with my orders.”  

“You should take more care of your creations. It would be a shame if such a realistically crafted thing would be damaged.” She said as she held his mechanical bird. The one that was meant to send the message to the Dendro Archon. 

“Father!” He said in terror. “I accept the consequences of my betrayal but… My final wish is that you spare him.” He said as his voice trembled. 

“I… cannot grant your wish. And how about you stop acting as if you’re unconscious.” She said sternly which confused him until he realized…

Alhaitham was awake.

Promptly, the Dendro Archon appeared which made Father’s eyes widen. At the same time, a surge of joy leaped from his stomach. He didn’t need to die. He could now rest easy and willingly give himself to the House of the Hearth.

“You must be The Knave.” She said.

“Lesser Lord Kusanali.” Father replied.

“You must be after the Electro Gnosis but… I’m afraid I don’t have it.” She said plainly. 

“Care to clarify why is that so?” She asked but there was an edge to her words.

To which, the Dendro Archon giggled. “I returned it to its rightful owner, of course. I’m afraid you no longer have any business with Sumeru. Should anyone involved be harmed then… I will publicly release all the information we’ve gathered these past two years. I warn you that we have not been idle. Do you wish to gamble with me?” She threatened. 

A moment of silence passed. “If that’s the case then I bid you farewell Lesser Lord Kusanali. As for you,” She said as she turned to him. “your wish is granted. Say your goodbyes and let us leave.”

“Yes, Father.” He said as he was shamelessly gleaming with joy. “I am forever grateful to you, Dendro Archon.”  

“Alhaitham, I’m really sorry. And I’m more sorry that I never apologized in the first place. I’m happy to have known you.”

“And where do you think you’re going?” He answered angrily which made him flinch. “The Dendro Archon said that anyone involved cannot be harmed and that includes you.” 

“Oh?” Father said. “Well, in that case, you are expelled from the House of the Hearth.” She said as she turned away to leave.

“Wait! She meant anyone involved in her rescue-”

“My protection is extended to you, of course.” She said kindly.

“Dendro Archon with all due respect, I refuse.”

“Like hell you are.” Alhaitham replied.

“Father!” He desperately called out to her.

“Kaveh, you are no longer bound to the rules of the House of the Hearth…” She reprimanded. “Look at it as a blessing, not a curse that you are so distressed to get rid of.”

=====

With the blink of an eye, The Knave had disappeared, leaving only a shell-shocked Kaveh. Nahida had led them to the Sanctuary of Sunasthana. Immediately, he escaped to one of the rooms.

All of his companions were now gathered here despite it being late at night. 

“Should we… talk to him?” Nilou suggested.

“He’d push us away.” He said with disappointment. “You cannot help someone who wholeheartedly believes that they do not deserve to be helped. Since we know him personally, he’ll think that we have a bias towards him.” 

“What do you think, Nahida?” Cyno asked her.

“Alhaitham is correct… He is also conditioned to follow the rules of his organization and despite his disobedience toward The Knave, he believes he still should die for doing so.” She sighed. “Wanderer, could you talk to him?” She said gently.

“Me..?” He asked with confusion. 

“You two don’t know each other closely yet .” She answered happily.

“As much as I hate the implications of your ‘yet’, fine.” He huffed as he walked to where Kaveh was currently locking himself up. 

=====

The door suddenly burst open, and Hat Guy entered the room. He jumped in shock as the boy sat angrily across him. He was… somewhere in Sumeru. He had not bothered to even recognize his location as his thoughts scrambled in his head.

He seethed for a minute before finally speaking. “I know where I recognize you now.” 

“Excuse me?” He said in shock.

“The Doctor’s workshop. You were sent there, weren’t you? You were just a kid then too.” 

He felt puzzled at the statement. At that age, Wanderer must have been just an infant. How did he remember him from back then? Did The Doctor experiment on this kid?

“You were hurt by him too, weren’t you?” He asked gently to the boy. 

“This is not about me.” He said harshly. “Crucabena sent you if I remember correctly. That bitch.” 

A small laugh was exerted out of him. “She did. I spoke out against her wild stories and it was to “remind me how much better I had it in there”” He spoke honestly. “But, you must have been so young then. You don’t deserve to see those monstrosities he committed.” He said softly.

“And you do?” He said with anger seething out of him. His case was different, he argued in his mind. It was his fault his family broke apart.

“I wasn’t a child then. I’m older than you by hundreds of years so stop speaking to me as if I am a boy. I made the mistakes that led me to that… man . Don’t feel the need to shift this onto me or to comfort me.”  

He was taken aback. But he was wrong, no one deserved to be harmed. 

“Even so, you didn’t deserve that.” He said.

“You’re hypocritical. You say that to me despite believing that you brought onto the pain you’ve been through.” He said alarmingly accurately.

“I-... You don’t know what I just did.” He said as his voice broke. “Father had been so kind, saving the house from Mother, yet I betrayed her and I couldn’t even atone for that.”

With his statement, Wanderer sighed. “Crucabena had told you to go to The Doctor to see “How much better you had it in there”. And while she is correct, it doesn’t erase the fact that the House of the Hearth is still a harmful place.” 

He could only nod in agreement.  

“With that same logic, even if Arlecchino is better than Crucabena, she is still training children to commit crimes at an early age.” 

“But Father-” He said in defense but was cut off.

“Is a bad person. I know that whatever I say, you won’t see reason.” He said coldly. “I don’t even know why Buer sent me.” He said as he slammed the door and left, leaving him alone to his torment of thoughts.

=====

“That was worthless.” Wanderer said angrily. “He wouldn’t listen.”

“I don’t think so.” Nahida said. “I think you got to him.”

“Dendro Archon-” Tighnari said quickly but Nahida responded as if she knew what he was going to ask.

“You can now talk to him.” 

At her statement, Cyno and Tighnari went to the room alongside him.

“Tighnari, Cyno, Al…” He gasped in surprise as crimson eyes scanned them rapidly.

“Calm down, we just want to talk to you.” Tighnari said softly.

“S-sure. What’s up?” He said as he tried to sound casual but his voice was strained.

“Are you… alright?” Cyno asked. 

“Of course. Why would I not be?” He said quickly in defense.

“You don’t have to lie to us.” He said sharply but was elbowed by Tighnari.

“We’re your friends, Kaveh. You can tell us the truth.”

“I’m alright.” He said more confidently. “That’s the truth.”

“Kaveh…” 

“Could you tell us how you got involved with the Fatui, then?” Cyno asked.

“Of course. I suppose I owe you all an explanation, after all.” He said shakily, noting how his fingers were pushing hard on the pulse on his wrist as if to make it stop beating.

“When my father died, my mother decided to send me to an orphanage.” He explained. “And she didn’t know that it was led by the Fatui so it wasn’t her fault..!” He defended quickly. 

“There, Mother - or Crucabena, taught the children to fight and kill each other to become the “king” and successor of her position. They were… horrible to say the least but it also wasn’t their fault.” He said more quietly. “I was lucky to have known what a family was beforehand, they did not.” He explained.

He wanted to interrupt but he held his tongue. All children deserve to know what a healthy family is, it shouldn’t be a privilege. Furthermore, children are more susceptible to harboring false beliefs because they haven’t developed intellectual skills yet. This organization was taking advantage of these young minds.

“We were sent to missions and duels to the death. We also… had no choice because if we failed to be useful, we would be sent to The Doctor or to the frontlines to be sacrificed.”

“The Doctor…” Cyno said angrily.

“Mother partnered with him but Father hates him.” He said quickly as if to defend Arlecchino.

“There, I met Clervie and… her best friend.” He said. His hesitation made it clear that he was withholding information. “They were the only ones who knew the true intentions of Mother and Clervie… she fought for a better environment.” He said quietly.

“She was the biological daughter of Mother and she would usually argue with her. She wanted nothing more but for the House of the Hearth to be a real family. Without her, I’m sure I wouldn’t have survived.”

“But… a year later, she was forced to duel her best friend.” He said sadly. 

“Isn’t she Crucabena’s actual daughter?” Cyno asked in horror.

“The reason she was there was to show the children that Mother favored no one - her blood or not.” 

“In the end, she gave up her life. I think… she wanted it to end that way.” He whispered. 

With that, Tighnari offered him a hug which he accepted.

“I’m… not alright, am I?” He asked as he laughed. Yet, it was obvious that he was using humor to mask his grief.

“Kaveh, how old were you when this happened?” Tighnari asked once he pulled away. He observed how his gaze averted.

“Does it matter?” He said playfully as he tried to brush it off.

“I think it does.” Cyno answered worriedly.

He muttered something incoherent, too jumbled up and quiet to understand.

“What did you say?” Tighnari asked.

“I was… eight.” 

Silence filled the room as Tighnari and Cyno sent worried glances to each other.

“But it still doesn’t excuse the fact that I’m a horrible person. I mean, I tried to murder… you today.” Kaveh said nervously as he mentioned him.

“Do you enjoy twisting the truth when it doesn’t benefit you?” He said with a tinge of anger. “You held a dull knife with a mechanism inside to make it look like you stabbed me. You planned something.”

“You were awake… the whole time?!” Kaveh said in horror. “Why didn’t you-... You didn’t even know what I planned!” 

“Because… I trusted you.” He said which made the man freeze in shock.

“I don’t understand-”

“I’ve always trusted you… It was you who didn’t trust me with your problems. You could have talked to me when you realized who I was in that cave.” He said as his voice trembled unusually. 

“It wasn’t that… I was ashamed of what I’d done.” Kaveh said quietly as he gazed at the floor.

“So you let it eat away at you for weeks?”

“I was scared that… you’d leave me.” He said as his eyes watered, causing him to look away to hide his face.

“I…” His brain raced for a response, but he fell short. “Do you want a hug?” He finally spoke.

He turned rapidly toward him in shock, his tears furiously wiped away but his swollen eyes spoke the truth.

“I forgive you, Kaveh.” He said as he reached out. 

They embraced each other as he rubbed circles on his shoulders to soothe him. His familiar scent of mourning flowers rushed through his nostrils as nostalgia and sadness hammered at his chest. He missed him. 

Pulling away, Kaveh asked before he could speak. “Do you want to be… friends again?” He said nervously.

“I… wish to be more than that.” He said which made Kaveh’s eyes light up with joy.

“I’d… love that.” He murmured as he leaned forward, a silent action for permission.

He only smirked as he kissed him gently, missing the warmth of his lips. He could hear Cyno and Tighnari’s quiet cheers as a feeling of fondness wrapped around him.

His hand had made its way up on his hair, playing with the soft locks. His other had cupped Kaveh’s face, making him gasp.

With this, he softly guided his tongue into the other’s mouth, deepening their kiss. He reveled in the taste of zaytun peaches as he nibbled on Kaveh’s bottom lip.

They pulled away for air, both gasping as they smiled at each other.

“I hate to ruin this moment but the PDA is-” 

“We’re not in public, Cyno.” Kaveh laughed as he flipped off the man.

“But my love wishes to make itself public for you, Nari.” He said which made him groan.

“Who taught him pick-up lines? His jokes are a health hazard enough.” He said which made Tighnari laugh.

“Oh of course you laugh at Kaveh and Alhaitham… but not me.” Cyno said as he huffed.

=====

Once they had calmed down, Kaveh was content to walk out of the room. He was… feeling better now that he was here with his friends.

“I see you’re feeling better.” The Dendro Archon said cheerfully.

“I apologize for my actions earlier.” He sincerely said.

To that, she laughed softly. “You don’t have to be so formal.”

“Thank you truly for protecting me. I suppose I will hand myself over to the Matra willingly.” He said which made everyone in the room glance toward him.

“Are you an idiot?” Wanderer said condescendingly. 

“Nahida, please, if we are keeping her, can we keep him too?” Dehya huffed in annoyance. Who was ‘her’?

“Calm down for a moment!” She said quickly to him. “How about we look over to a different form of consequence.”

“I don’t understand?” He said. Wasn’t the usual legal punishment for his crimes getting locked up by the Matra?  

“I agree with Dehya, surprisingly.” Alhaitham said behind him which received a glare.

“Me too, I like this kid.” Wanderer said despite looking much younger than him. He did mention being hundreds of years old yet he could barely believe it.

“You can join our… therapy sessions as I like to call it.” She said as she smiled.

“Therapy..? But I was complicit in the crimes of the Fatui.” He reasoned which made Tighnari facepalm.

“You only had done so because the Fatui ordered you. I wish to help every member of the House of the Hearth who was groomed to be Fatui agents.” She said as she reached her arm out.

“Groomed is a… strong word. And I joined only two years before Father took over. I wasn’t-” He was cut off by Cyno.

“Can you shut up and accept her offer? If Katarina gets to roam free then no way in Teyvat am I putting you in jail.” He said nonchalantly.

“Her usage of the word “groomed” applies to the textbook definition. Do you need me to recite-” Alhaitham was about to start when he was shushed by Wanderer.

“Yes or no?” He said harshly. 

“I agree..?” He said.

“Then we can start next Monday! You can call me Nahida.” She said which made Nilou smile.

“We have a new member of… our organization!” She cheered.

“Huh? What are you - I mean we, called?” He asked amidst his confusion.

“We don’t need a name.” The girl next to Dehya, Candace, said. “By the way, I am Candace. I believe we haven’t met before.”

“Buer, I’m finished with your eran…” A familiar woman trailed off as she saw him. “Kaveh.” She said as she regarded him.

“Katarina.” He said back.

“I suppose you two knew each other. Katarina, Kaveh just joined us so I hope you two can get along.” Nilou said quickly, noticing the tension.

“Yeah, of course I can do that.” She said with nonchalance.

“Likewise.” He said stiffly. “We may not have the best past but I am willing to hopefully befriend you.” He said as he sighed in relief. 

“WHAT?!” She said in shock. “But I haven’t even apologized yet!”

“I can see… that you’ve changed.” He explained.

“But-”

“Is every orphan from the House of the Hearth unable to accept forgiveness or am I the only one noticing the pattern here.” Dehya sighed. “I think we’re done here. It’s late at night and we all should sleep.” She said.

=====

It was sometime before midnight and they had now exited the sanctuary. It was raining mildly yet he wouldn’t want to be soaked.

Taking out his umbrella, he eyed the man next to him.

“I assume you didn’t bring anything against the rain?” He asked.

Kaveh looked over to him with a sheepish smile. “Sorry.” He muttered.

“Don’t worry. We can share.” He said as he opened the device, reaching his hand out.

“Thanks.” He murmured as a faint dust of pink reached his cheeks. They had usual displays of physical touch yet their short separation had placed some sort of awkwardness around them.

Placing an arm around his waist, they walked close together as he avoided the water. He noticed the way his right arm tensed.

“How is… your arm?” He said as he looked over in worry. He had forgotten that he… stabbed the man. “I hope you’ve gotten actual medical attention on that.”

Laughing uncomfortably, his eyes darted, presumably finding an excuse. “It’s alright… I think. I took care of it, relax.” He said despite having the opposite effect.

“You mean to say you treated yourself?” He said as guilt pooled in his stomach. “We are going to the Bimarstan exactly when it opens tomorrow.” He demanded.

“It’s mostly healed!.. Err, healing but aren’t they going to ask questions? I’ll look suspicous.” He argued.

“In that case, at least let Tighnari look at it.” He bargained.

A few seconds of silence passed before he answered. “Fine.” He huffed.

A wave of pleasant hums were heard after that. They were both content with walking side by side toward their shared home.

Suddenly, his partner’s eyes widened in terror as he quickly pushed him into a nearby alley, waiting for a figure to pass. He complied yet he felt worry strike over him.

Someone walked by, seemingly on the search for Kaveh. What was going on?

When they finally left, the man next to him sighed in relief.

“Who was that?” He asked. “A Fatuus? The Abyss Order?” He said quietly but clearly. What imminent danger could be posed against them?

“Worse…” Kaveh said with fear. “It’s Sethos.” He finally said after a dramatic pause.

“Did you offend the Temple of Silence-”

“No, no… He ships us.” He whispered but was somewhat trying to hold a laugh.

“Excuse me?” 

“He runs a Twitter fanpage of us! Do you know the edits on Tiktok to Chappell Roan songs? He started that! He is the self-proclaimed President of HaiKaveh…” He said as he snorted.

“Twitter, Tiktok. Two social media applications that I’m afraid I possess no knowledge in. What do you mean by edits and HaiKaveh?”

“It’s our names mixed together.” He explained.

“How immature. I expect such childish acts to be committed in middle school.” He said which made Kaveh laugh about something he couldn’t understand.

“What is the purpose of combining our legal names?” He finally asked.

“It’s fandom culture. When you want two characters to end up together romantically, you ship them. The combined name is the ship name.” 

“I don’t… completely comprehend some terms you used. Where in the English dictionary can I-”

“Think of it as slang. Let’s just get out of here before that boy can-” He was cut off as said boy appeared on the other side of the alley, looking breathless.

“Scribe Alhaitham, Light of Kshahrewar, what a coincidence seeing you both here-”

“Cut the charade, Sethos.” Kaveh said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Chappell Roan didn’t die to be associated with Triden… or HaiKaveh.” 

“Chappell Roan is not dead-”

“It’s a figure of speech, Haitha-” He suddenly stopped talking which worried him. “Alhaitham.” He corrected himself. 

Oh .

“You can call me Haitham… if you’d like to. I do miss your nickname-”

“So did you two go through your breakup era or..?” Sethos said which made Kaveh laugh.

“Breakup era..?” He said in confusion.

“I swear to Kusanali if you don’t delete that twitter account, Sethos.”

“How’d you know it was me?” He said in shock at his partner’s remarks.

“Wanderer namedropped you…” He said smugly. “As much as I like to talk to you Sethos, it’s the dead of the night. I’m tired.”

He waved him in farewell as they continued their walk to their home. It was as if everything was right again inside the building. No longer was it empty and desolate. He now laid next to a sleeping blond figure covered in a blanket he somehow stole. Yet, he didn’t bother as he hugged the man for warmth.

Chapter Text

It had been approximately 4 months and 17 days since Kaveh had joined their affiliation. It was not particularly forgiving to his partner, either. There were days when he would miss his siblings, his “Father”, and his role in the House of the Hearth. He could tell that… Kaveh felt extreme guilt about leaving his “family”.

In the earlier stages, he tried to suppress his feelings. Even he couldn’t tell whether the man was aware of his invisible self-harm. He bottled them up and when they inevitably exploded, he made sure to comfort him.

Now, everything has gotten quite better. Nahida’s weekly sessions had helped him understand his emotions tremendously. He could see him slowly accepting his past. Nothing else would give Alhaitham more joy than that… the ability to see his beloved heal from the scars of his past.

He walked back into their shared home, a letter addressed to his partner in his hand. Cyno and Tighnari were over, happily chatting with Kaveh.

“I have to admit, our last assignment was somewhat fun… despite it being in the desert.” Tighnari spoke. They were just tasked to investigate the Fatui’s partnership with the Tanit Tribe.

“I have grown to appreciate Mehrak now that she isn’t used against us.” Cyno said as he crooned over the (technically) inanimate object. “She’s so cute. All you two are missing is a son.”

“Yeah, as if having a Sethos is tiring enough. Isn’t he your cousin, Cyno? How the hell have you two adopted him as your son?” He joked and shifted to give space for Alhaitham to sit.

“We are different in our maturity.” Cyno said proudly.

“Your jokes imply otherwise.” He joined in the conversation. 

“I didn’t know that having a sense of humor has an age restriction.” Cyno huffed.

“You wouldn’t know if it did.” Tighnari said quickly.

“Nari… are you saying that I don’t have a sense of humor. Such a betrayal.” Cyno deadpanned as he batted his eyelashes, making both him and his partner ‘cringe’ as the popular phrase on the internet says.

“You disgraced my descendants by doing that in our home.” Kaveh said.

“What descendants? You’re homosexual.” Cyno said which made Tighnari laugh in the abruptness of it.

“He may not be a direct ancestor but-” He was about to correct Cyno’s statement when he was cut off.

“Tighnari finally laughed at something I said… the validity doesn’t matter.” Cyno said in awe.

“That wasn’t even a joke.” Kaveh said. “Oh and what’s that, Haitham?” He said as he looked at the letter in his hand. “Clients should send me emails, not actual mail.” 

“Mail or femail, you’re gmail so who are you to judge.” Cyno said, proud of his ‘creativity’. 

“Did you just… call me gay again? Stop with the friendly fire.” Kaveh glared as he looked curiously at the piece of paper. “I don’t recognize the address, does it say who is it from?” He asked.

“Not on the outside. I suppose it should be in the contents.” He deducted.

“Could you open and read it?” Kaveh requested.

“It’s an invitation to see the Iudex’s speech next week together in the Opera Epiclese and dinner afterward.” He said as he skimmed it.

A brief hesitance lay on Kaveh’s face as he spoke. “F-Fontaine? I don’t think it’s a good idea. They probably will be there too…” He said as he fidgeted with his tassles. “Who is it from?” He asked nervously.

He took a deep breath as he spoke. “Your mother.” He brushed his hand over the last sentence, feeling lines that were erased. The letter read ‘-Faranak’ yet he could see the remains of ‘-Your Mother’ and ‘-Mom’.

The room filled with silence… Tighnari and Cyno glanced over with worry in their eyes.

Kaveh’s face only contorted with guilt and sadness. 

“She said that she would understand if you didn’t wish to come. If you don’t feel comfortable with going, you should declin-” He suggested but was cut off.

“It’s been years since I last saw her. What if she misunderstands and never writes to me again?” He whispered.

“If you are pressured to come, you will not enjoy the event.” Tighnari spoke, moving closer to Kaveh. “You can write back and explain.” He suggested softly.

“I don’t know. She’ll think I’m making up excuses to avoid her.” 

“Kaveh, she’ll understand.” Cyno began.

“It doesn’t matter… She’s reaching out to reconcile and if I decline this, I’ll never have the chance again.” He said anxiously.

“You do not owe her a reconciliation. You should take your time to fully heal first.” He argued albeit gently.

“She didn’t know the House of the Hearth was a Fatuus organization. She doesn’t know that the Fatui aren’t great people. She did nothing wrong to me.” He said as his voice shook.

“Kaveh, even if the orphanage was not run by the Fatui, she still abandoned you.” He bluntly said yet he kissed his cheek in semi-apology. 

“But now we can set things right. I’ll go.” Kaveh said confidently after a moment.

“Are you sure?” He said as they interlocked their fingers together.

“Yes… could you three come with me?” He said as he read the letter himself.

“Thought you’d never ask.” Tighnari said as he smiled. “Of course we will.”

=====

They were walking toward the venue, his palms feeling sweatier every moment. The Aquabus ride had been filled with nervous anticipation. His mother said that they would meet just at the Fountain of Lucine.

Alhaitham nudged him as he must have felt how he gripped his hand. A silent “Are you okay?”. 

“Yeah… just scared.” He murmured.

“If you need air, we can rest here until you’re ready.” Tighnari suggested. 

“I may be scared… but I’ll do it scared.” He said confidently as he straightened his posture. “I don’t want to be late, now. First impressions are one hundred percent important.” He said to lighten the mood. 

They neared the building, his eyes feasting on the artistic design. He may have been here for the majority of his childhood yet he will still be made speechless of the structure. It had been one of his inspirations to continue architecture despite his… predicament.

He saw a blonde figure, her eyes widening as she saw him too. His mother. The word felt… strange as it had been tainted by “Mother”. Yet, she looked healthier, her eyes no longer bearing the loss of his father.

“You came.” She said almost shockingly. 

“I… did.” He said that although he knew that in different circumstances, Alhaitham would lecture him for stating the obvious. “It’s nice to see you, Mother.” He greeted.

“It’s nice to see you too. You’ve grown… so much.” She said as tears collected in her eyes. “I’m glad that you arrived. I know… I wasn’t the best parent. It seemed like the best option then but I still must have hurt you. I’m really sorry for everything.” She said as she cast her eyes downward.  

“Mother… you have nothing to apologize for. I’ve already long forgiven you.” He said which made her look up hastily.

“But I ran away from my parental duties.” She said as she clutched her sleeve.

“You needed time to mourn and you couldn’t raise me at the same time. I completely understand. It would have been for the better for me to grow up properly.” He said ignoring the fact that he was lying. He only didn’t want her face to be stricken with guilt and regret again.

“I see… This is my husband.” She said as she gestured for a man to come forward.

“Nice to meet you.” He said as he put his hand out for a handshake. He observed how the man seemed to hesitate. Was he uncomfortable?

“Nice to meet you too.” He said with a smile as he shook his hand. Ah, he must have been scared of his reaction but he seemed genuine.

“I also came with my closest friends and my boyfriend.” He said as he signed for them to approach behind his back. He knew that Alhaitham was fluent in ASL.

“This is Alhaitham, Cyno, and Tighnari.” He introduced them as he held Alhaitham’s hand again for comfort and to answer their mental question of who might his partner be.

“It’s great to meet you all personally.” She said somewhat nervously.

“It’s a pleasure to see Kaveh derive happiness from seeing you both.” Alhaitham said plainly yet he never said directly that he took pleasure in meeting them. Well played. It was a great move on his part, he had to admit, yet he wanted to nudge him into being nicer.  

“We feel the same way.” Cyno said, aware of the underlying meaning.

“We should get going. The program starts in 6 minutes.” Alhaitham said an edge softer now that it was directed at him.

He supposed they could judge her for themselves.

-----

They were seated at the back to avoid drawing attention to themselves. It was great since the huge crowd covered them, unlike Lumine who was being swarmed until Monsieur Neuvillette called for order. Years passed yet he still feared the man. 

It was starting so he comfortably leaned on his partner, using the tightly packed seats as an excuse. They didn’t need to be so guarded, he didn’t see many Sumerians here. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am glad to thank everyone who attended this event today. As you all know, I regained power as the dragon sovereign and turned the people of Fontaine into full human beings. Regrettably, the tale of how it came to be so remains untold.” He began yet his thoughts scrambled as he spotted his (former?) siblings.

Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet .

His heart swelled with countless emotions at the sight. They were beside the traveler and Paimon, quietly chatting with each other. He missed them… so so much.

Noticing his distress, Alhaitham rested his head atop of his - holding him tighter. He sighed in relief as he felt the comforting heat. 

His eyes drifted back to the man on the stage, trying to tune his brain to listen when something caught his eye. 

Childe.

Oh Celestia above help him. He had been staring at him with this sort of bewilderment in his eyes. He caught him resting on Alhaitham’s arm for comfort.

Somewhat quickly pulling away, he tried to act casual as he stopped a blush from forming. Childe stared at him, the person next to where the man was sitting, and back to him.

Oh.

Father was… seated right next to Childe. He prayed to whoever could hear to bless Childe’s remaining brain cells as he continuously nodded “no” with wide eyes.

Unfortunately, his prayers weren’t loud enough as Childe whispered to Father something and pointed to him…

He quickly looked away and tried to act cool despite his hammering heart. He repeated curses in his head as he steadied his heartbeat.

Huh, the speech seemed to be over as he realized that other people were now leaving.

“I never knew that… Lady Furina did so much for us.” His mother muttered as she stood up. “I took you here because I remember you idolized her when you were a kid.” She said fondly.

“I suppose I did. I had wonderful taste as a child.” He said, keeping his voice even.

“There are hours until dinner. What are you doing until then?” She asked and he figured she was going to invite him to spend time with her which he was not emotionally recharged for.

“We’ll be busy sightseeing and visiting Fontaine.” He lied through his teeth.

“Oh.” She wavered which made him feel guilty. “I suppose I’ll meet you later, then. You three can also come for dinner if you all would like. Goodbye for now..!” She said happily as they left the Opera. Sighing in relief, he might have sunk back down to the seat if he had no self-control.

“Let’s leave now and sleep the afternoon back home.” He said shamelessly to them.

“Huh, I guess we’ll sightsee in our dreams.” Cyno said but was nudged harshly by Tighnari who recognized his state of discomfort. “Sorry, yeah let’s go.” He said as they headed for the exit.

“Tighnari, Cyno, Kaveh, and Alhaitham!” Paimon’s voice was heard as she called out after them. They were in a secluded part of the Opera where the defendants and their representatives would reconvene.

“We didn’t know you all would be here.” She said as Lumine followed.

“My mother invited me and I asked them to come along. She lives in Fontaine.” He explained. Everyone was welcome to arrive at this speech, after all.

“Well, it’s been so long since we last saw you guys. Paimon missed your cooking!” 

“Paimon, aren’t there more welcoming words you can use?” Lumine said sarcastically yet fondly.

“Because it’s true! Paimon forgot how their food tastes! But Paimon misses our friends, maybe even Silver the Hedgehog.” She huffed which made him snort loudly. She must be talking about Alhaitham - her annoyance obvious for a long time.

“Silver the Hedgehog… It’s perfect.” Cyno said as he tried to muffle his laughter.

“Just who are you referring to?” Alhaitham said. 

“No one important.” He said as he pulled him in for a kiss, sighing at the contact.

“Excuse me?! When did this happen?” Paimon exclaimed somewhat loudly.

“Come on, Paimon. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.” Lumine teased.

“But… Paimon thought you two hated each other. Every time Paimon saw you both, you’re bickering with each other!”

“Don’t question it, it’s their love language.” Tighnari teased.

“But don’t let it fool you… they’re so domestic when they don’t think no one is looking.” Cyno added which made his face warm up a little. No, he won’t blush here right now.

“Traveler, I was wonder-” Lyney walked in with Father and paused mid-sentence for a minute as he saw him. “-ing where you are!” He continued as if nothing was wrong. 

“I hoped that we could discuss the information you gathered in Natlan yet that can wait another time.” Father’s cold voice pushed back any warmth that blossomed in his face. He subconsciously grabbed Alhaitham’s hand to steady his shaking fingers as he averted his gaze in shame. Cyno and Tighnari seemed to be on guard, hiding him slightly as best as they could.

“You must be the famed Light of Kshahrewar?” She said as if they hadn’t spent the last decade working with each other. She was… making it so that he had the same fate as his siblings whose memories were erased… the fate he wanted yet avoided.

“Yes, and you are?” He asked casually.

“Arlecchino, head of the House of the Hearth. It is my pleasure to meet the Scribe of the Akademiya, the General Mahamatra, and the Chief Officer of the Forest Rangers yet I’m afraid my time with you all is cut short. I have other matters to attend to. Children, see to it that you all are home by curfew.” She said as she left. Did she just… indirectly give his siblings permission to stay until 6pm? 

He released a breath he didn’t know was holding.

“I know, right. Paimon thinks Arlecchino is scary-” She said but he cut her off.

“How’s everyone doing back there?” He asked which made them all freeze. Was he not supposed to mention anything?

In the blink of an eye, Freminet ran and wrapped his arms around him.

“Okay, what did we miss?!” Paimon said as he hugged back, tears uncontrollably dripping down his face.

“Oh brother.” Lyney said as he joined the hug, Lynette following wordlessly.

“Huh, was not on my bingo list.” Lumine said nonchalantly.

“Well excuse Paimon but… Kaveh, you’re part of the House of the Hearth?” She whispered to his relief.

“I was .” He explained. “I can’t believe that Father would allow us to talk again, much less reunite after what I did.” He said honestly.

“Brother… We thought...” Freminet hiccuped as he hugged him tighter. “We thought that you’ve lost your memories for betraying the house.” He choked out as he buried his face in his stomach.

“What?!” He said as he looked over his teary-eyed siblings. Had they really thought the part of him that they knew died?

“Never scare us again.” Lyney said.

“I know your social security number.” Lynette semi-threatened which made him laugh.

Suddenly, Freminet stepped back in fear, staring at the man behind him.

“Oh, this is Alhaitham. He’s a nice person, I swear.” He comforted as he looked back to the man. “Stop looking so… menacing.”  

“This is my neutral expression.” He said indifferently.

“Alhaitham, huh.” Lyney said as he looked him up and down. “I’m too happy to judge your taste in men.” 

“Well, excuse me-”

“You’re dating him?” Freminet said in terror. “So when he saw me at your shared home then-”

“Oh, it was all fine, I promise.” He comforted his brother. “And Lyney, you have no room to talk.” 

“I agree with my twin.” Lynette said as she crossed her arms and stared intensely at the man who was unfazed.

“No comment.” He huffed. “This is Nari and Cyno.” He said as he introduced his other friends.

“More Fatuus children, how great.” Cyno said. 

“What is that constellation stitched on your handkerchief?” Tighnari deadpanned, knowing the answer. “Nice to finally meet you all not on the battlefield.” 

“Wait, now Paimon’s confused.” She said as she drifted back to Lumine.

“It’s a long story.” He said sheepishly. 

“Huh, so you are that bow user with the hats.” Cyno said. “I do have to say that they’re cute… before they explode on your face.”

“Brother, how many times do I have to tell you to hide away that piece of cloth. It’s linked to your identity.” Lynette lectured. 

Lyney only laughed awkwardly. “Anita Max wyn?” 

Time had passed as they chatted away, making it clear that they held no hard feelings. He felt… unusually lighter at the interaction. He truly had missed them. He promised to visit again now that Father had (somewhat) given them permission.

“Comrade! There you are.” A familiar ginger said, making him jump.

“Hey there, Childe.” He sighed. He felt his friends tense at the man’s appearance.

“I visited the orphanage recently and they were pretty weird when it came to talking about you… what did you do?” Childe said.

“I betrayed the Fatui.” He breathed out. “I’m no longer working for Father.” 

“Huh… Does this mean I no longer have an excuse to hang out with you? You are admittedly the most entertaining.” He said which made him glare at the man.

“And who are these three?” He asked. “I did see you be unusually close with this fellow.” He said as he regarded his boyfriend.

“These are my friends. Childe, it was nice working with you but I’m honestly exhausted right now.”

To that, he laughed. “I get it. See you around, then. Oh, Comrade, I’ll text you next time I’m in Sumeru again.” He said happily.

“Feel free as long as it’s not six in the morning again .” He huffed as they walked past.

“I forget you know Ajax.” Tighnari said when he was no longer in earshot.

“He’s nice… somehow. Murderous, but nice.”

“Why were you wearing a Skirmisher outfit then?” Alhaitham teased. “It was quite out of character.” 

“It was Childe’s idea, not mine.” He excused.

“Wait, you were the one who fought against Dehya at that time?” Cyno asked amusedly. “You’re going to lose your “gay best friend” status if she ever finds out. She was so annoyed after.”

“With the time he spent shopping with her, Nilou, Dunyarzad, and Candace, I don’t think so.” Tighnari said as he smiled. “He has obviously become their favorite among the four of us.”

“To my displeasure.” Alhaitham said plainly with a hidden aura of fondness.

“Say what you want but they’re sweethearts.” He defended but smiled.

“I have yet to find the similarity between Dehya and the adjective ‘Sweetheart’.” He quipped.

“Don’t be mean. Oh, by the way, are you three coming to dinner?” He asked.

“I think we both have no place there.” Tighnari said as he held Cyno’s hand. 

“I agree, we’ll just enjoy our night.” Cyno added.

“What about you, Haitham?” He asked nervously.

He only squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek.

“We’re really having an influx of PDA today, huh?” Tighnari teased.

“It could be platonic… shush.” He said back. “I’ll take that as a yes.” 

=====

They were now at Faranak’s home, Kaveh sitting undeniably tense. He had spent the last five hours getting himself ready despite the earlier three hours he took before the speech. He didn’t comment on it, however, because he knew how important this was.

He did enjoy the faint smell of mourning flowers on his hair as he absentmindedly played with it while he added various products to his face. Kaveh had suggested that he try his routine. It was unnecessary for him as he was content with his 4-in-1 shampoo and body wash that Kaveh wished to burn.

“I prepared chicken curry.” She said as she arrived with the dish, the aroma filling the table. “It was your favorite, as a child.” She explained but he could see the guilt in her voice. In some aspects, they were strikingly similar. He could tell that she was trying to rebuild their bond and he could accept that. She seemed genuine enough.

“Thank you, mother.” He said happily. “It smells delicious.”

“I share the same sentiment.” He said, trying to soften his tone for his partner.

The table buzzed with small talk, the kind he hated so he remained quiet unless he was regarded. The dish had a peculiar taste, a certain style that Kaveh also has when cooking. He enjoyed the somewhat familiar quality. 

“I’m glad you enjoyed your Akademiya days.” She replied to a story Kaveh just told. Yet, he knew the toll those years had on his state. He was simultaneously working for the Fatui while helping all of his peers as his own personal penance. He noticed it before and commented on it, most noticably on the day of their fallout.

He knew that they were now past that moment. They had talked about it before when they started dating yet he wished to take back the harsh words he truly didn’t mean.

“Professor Zaha Hadi did make things somewhat easier for me. I’m sure she would also love to see you again.” He commented.

“That reminds me, I have something to show you. If you two could excuse us.” She said.

“I don’t mind.” He said as her husband nodded, letting them leave to another room.

“Alhaitham, huh?” He said when they were now alone. “I know you have your reservations but I hope you can forgive her.” 

“You misunderstand my intentions. Kaveh doesn’t hold a grudge and so do I.” He explained. 

“I’m sorry if I’m mistaken but you seem… angry toward her?”

“I apologize if I gave you both that impression but I don’t have a problem with either of you. I merely regard everyone like this.”

“I see…” He said as the pair returned, brimming with happiness yet with an undertone of sadness.

He silently asked if everything was alright, soothingly placing his hand around Kaveh’s shoulders. To which, he nodded and sighed.

“Thank you for the meal, Mother. I really appreciate it.” He said.

“Likewise, the dish was obviously well cooked.” He complimented.

“I’m glad you both enjoyed it.” She said as her husband comforted her, aware of the looming sorrow. “It is getting late but I hope to get to know you both more at another time.” She murmured.

“I look forward to seeing you again, Mother. Take care!” He said as he rose from his seat.

“I also bid you both my farewell.”

=====

“What did she give you. Are you alright?” Alhaitham asked as soon as they walked some meters away from the house.

“Some of my father’s belongings.” He admitted, clutching his lover’s hand.

“Oh…” He said as he softly kissed his cheek, providing warmth in the cold night.

“Let’s open this box together when we’re home. It’s in Mehrak right now.” He said as he held the powered-off machine. 

“Okay.” He said as they walked hand in hand to the bus station.