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x : NOT JEALOUS ! :*+ïŸ
in which: alhaitham isn't jealous, he doesn't get jealous, so what is this suffocating feeling in his chest that only happens when you're talking to another man that isn't him?
warnings: 5.4k words, jealous!alhaitham x gn!reader who has loads of rizz, university!au, fluff with angst but happy ending, pining!alhaitham who doesn't realise that he loves you, kaveh is there, mention of cyno, ooc at some bits?, swearing, alhaitham is a little bit of an asshole at some parts sawry. he's bad with feelings.
a/n: inspired by @danijaci's jealous jealous boy comic with alhaitham! hi dani if you're reading this pls don't perceive me... hides... but i hope you all like it :,)
Alhaitham isnât jealous.Â
The uncomfortable feeling obstructing itself in his throat is just because heâs beginning to develop a sore throat- thatâs all. It is flu season after all, who knows what kind of bacteria are in the air? Ones capable of lathing an uncomfortable oil that burns inside his chest, the smog crowding its way into his heart, sickening him to his core as Alhaitham canât help but eavesdrop on the conversation happening beside him.
âIâm free friday,â a voice besides you confirms.
âOkay!â you cheer, sounding a little too happy for Alhaithamâs liking. After all, itâs 9 am, who has this much energy in the morning? âlets do Friday then!â
âSounds good, Iâll see you then. Bye Y/n.â
âBye, see you!â Alhaitham watches from the corner of his eye as you wave to the random stranger youâve decided to associate yourself with before finally taking the seat beside him with a sigh.Â
He doesnât say anything to you, feeling your eyes glance at him expectantly as he stares stubbornly at the lecture board instead of acknowledging you or the jumble of feelings clogging up his diaphragm.Â
âHello, you,â You lean over slightly, careful to not invade his personal space whilst waving at him, hoping to catch his attention. He glances at you, nodding in greeting before returning to his book, the pages and rows of words only fuelling his unease he suddenly felt. He doesnât even know where he left off, the bookâs events a blur in Alhaithamâs mind.
How bothersome. Whatâs happening to him?
âTalkative today, arenât you?â Your tone is playful despite his cold attitude and Alhaitham sneaks another look in your direction, noting the way your lips curve upwards. âSo, how are you?âÂ
âIâm fine,â he murmurs, inserting a bookmark between the pages before slamming it shut, an indicator that you could keep conversing with him.
âCool.â You tap your nails on the desks of the lecture hall. âOh, I finished my essay the other day.â
âThe one for your elective?â
You hum in agreement, âI hope I never get it back. Submitted it ten minutes before the due date.â
âYou know you wouldnât have been stressed over it if you just started it earlier-â
âI know, I know,â you huff, âspare your productivity lectures for another time, Iâll be needing them later in the semester.â The grey-haired shakes his head as you laugh, but his gaze returns to the front cover of his book as he solemnly thinks about the interaction you had with another man, right in front of him.Â
(What right did he have to see you smiling so earnestly like that?)
âWho was that?â Alhaitham coughs out, barely choking down his pride in time to make space for the question.
You murmur some guyâs name that he doesnât bother to remember. âHeâs a friend of mine in the same discussion group for this course and we decided to do the assignment together. He bumped into me on the way in so we were just planning when to meet to do the research.â
âOh.â Your answer doesnât calm the churning in Alhaithamâs gut. Not even one bit, in fact, it makes it worse.Â
But itâs not jealousy, Alhaitham doesnât get jealous because heâs above petty feelings of inadequacy. Heâs merely concerned for you, worried for your brainpower by the end of the project because your partner seems less-than-incompetent. If youâd picked someone like Alhaitham (or better yet, just picked Alhaitham), you wouldâve aced the class without even blinking an eye.Â
(The two of you are friends, so why didnât you pick him? Itâs literally been proven that the two of you are compatible working together since you were both executives of Sumeruâs Cultural Society, and amidst all of the activities the club has run, youâve collaborated many times to make each event run flawlessly. So why not him? Why would you pick another man over him?)
âYou know you could have picked me, I wouldnât mind working on the assignment with you,â he grumbles, words soft but very clear.
Alhaitham misses the way your eyes widen in shock as apologies scramble out of your mouth. âIâm sorry! I automatically assumed that you wanted to work on it by yourself. Next time Iâll ask you.âÂ
The lecture begins before he could say anything in return and like a robot, he sets his thoughts aside and begins listening, notes document up and cursor blinking at the ready.
A mundane two hours pass by, one powerpoint slide after powerpoint slide before the lecture is finally over, much to your pleasure. Alhaitham notices the way you eagerly jump out of your seat to stretch, grabbing your bag. On the other hand, your grey-haired accomplice takes his time in packing up, forcing you to wait for him.
âWould you like to get some coffee before the meeting?â You ask.
âSure, we can find a seat there and join it together,â he adds and you beam at him, expression bright and so enchanting that it makes him forget about all the perplexities he felt before the lecture.Â
The two of you make your way to one of the many campus cafĂ©s where you practically wrestled Alhaitham to stop him from paying for both your orders (losing in the end) before sitting at a booth, your laptop set up with a pair of Alhaithamâs earphones shared between you. The meeting begins to fill up with almost all committee members, even Kaveh, who resides in his room of his and Alhaithamâs shared flat. Upon noticing him, you go to text him, with the grey-haired peeking over your shoulder from time to time to see your conversation- not that he cares that much.
(Perhaps if Kaveh glanced up from his phone, then heâd see how close Alhaitham had gotten with you, breaching the distance that he prefers to keep around others. Heâd also notice the headphone sharing despite how he generally tends to keep them out of anyone elseâs hands.)
Youâre tasked with the role of taking notes for the meeting since Alhaitham, in your opinion, is not at all a reliable scribe. His notes tend to just include vital information and never what everyone else needs to know, yet each time you scold him for it, his unbothered expression never falters, waving your complaints off with a shrug.Â
âHey, Kaveh and I are going to go for lunch tomorrow after our classes. Care to join?â You ask, smiling at him hopefully as your messages with Kaveh sit open on your screen. Alhaitham doesnât think twice before agreeing.Â
ââ ââ
ââ
â ââ
âIt looks like itâs about to rain,â you murmur, pulling out a chair as Alhaitham and Kaveh take their seats opposite you.Â
âSo it does,â Alhaitham notes, not caring to look too long out the window before returning his gaze to you. âYou have an umbrella, right?â
âI, uh, didnât think I needed one today.â
âDo you not check the weather before you leave?â
âNot everyoneâs like you, Alhaitham.â Kaveh teases. âItâs no problem, Y/n, if it rains I can walk you back to your dorm.â
âOnly if you are okay with it,â you insist, âI have no problem walking home in the rain. I love the rain.â
Alhaitham intervenes with a raise of his hand. âNonsense, youâll catch a cold. Weâll walk you home.â
A soft but genuine âthank youâ slips from your lips, neither of you wiser to the way Kaveh eyes his roommate suspiciously, not missing the use of âweâ in his sentence and the implications the collective pronoun has. For it meant that Alhaitham is willing to take precious time out of his day to perform an act for someone that he is not indebted to do. Not that Alhaitham is inherently selfish, per se, but he is a man of routine. He wakes up every morning and takes five minutes to scribble on his stupid whiteboard in the kitchen what he has to do for the day and strictly abides by it, not even straying two minutes off schedule.
Willingly volunteering his minutes? Kaveh finds that suspicious.Â
âSo, howâs your architecture assignment, Kaveh?â You ask, breaking the blond from his daze whilst Alhaitham pours glasses of water for the table, starting with your cup.Â
âA nightmare,â he sighs, sinking into his chair. âI still have so much to do, you know my professor didnât like my blueprint? How ridiculous! I hope that man steps in a puddle and wets his sock.â
The grey-haired pipes up with a remark. âI canât wait for it to be done, our living room is a mess right now.âÂ
âHey, I am the one that cleans that living room, thank you very much. Your bookshelf is still a mess even though Iâve asked you to clean it five times.â
âIf it bothers you so much then why donât you do it yourself?â
âIâm the only one who-â
â-Iâm going to go to the bathroom,â you murmur, cutting the conversation before shuffling out of your chair, seemingly eager to do so.
Kaveh turns to the grey-haired again, âand you just scared away Y/n.â
âSorry no one wants to hear about your architecture project.â
âY/n literally asked, asshole.â
A rebuttal sits on the tip of Alhaithamâs tongue- as it always does when it comes to bickering with his roommate, but it dies out when an intruder comes to the table. âExcuse me, I hate to interrupt,â he begins, âbut the person who just got up, is that your friend?â
âYeah, why do you ask?â
âOh, I just wanted to drop this off, mind passing it over for me?â The piece of paper he was holding lands in Kavehâs hand. âThanks, bro.â Is all he says before strolling away, out of sight but definitely not out of mind.
The blond does not hesitate to open it up, chuckling in amusement when reading the content. ââHey youâre cute, hereâs my numberâ it says. What a bitch! You didnât like his vibes either, right, Alhaitham?â
âHold on, what does the note say?â
Grabbing (snatching) it from Kaveh, the grey-haired has half a mind to rip the note apart, a certain sense of distaste washing over him that intensifies the long he stares at the guyâs handwriting. His eye is twitching. Why is his eye twitching?
âHey!â He hears Kaveh call. âDonât scrunch it, thatâs Y/nâs-â
Alhaitham stuffs the ball of paper into his bag where heâll recycle it later even though something irrational within him tells him to burn it. âY/n wonât miss it. You said it yourself, heâs a bitch.â
âSure, but why are you doing-â
âHey!â You interrupt, sliding back into your chair with a grin on your face. âSo, what did I miss?â
âNothing,â the grey-haired murmurs, assuming his crossed-arm position. Kaveh side eyes his roommate before agreeing with a hum. âLetâs order something now. We want to beat the rain, right?â
ââ ââ
ââ
â ââ
This meeting for the Sumeru Society might have been one of the most important ones of the year thus far, with almost every committee member expected to attend. After all, the annual ball was a big event that always had the largest turnout, and the amount of planning that goes into it to ensure its success is almost triple that of its other events.
So why werenât you here?
âWhy did you leave the meeting early on Friday?â Alhaitham asks as soon as he sees you.
You pause briefly, eyes widening and eyebrows raising. It must have been the way that Alhaithamâs voice raised a pitch towards the end of the question, demonstrating a nervous break in character that was not at all typical. Cool and collected would be the defining words to describe Alhaitham, as well as someone who does not care for the menial activities of others, so what is he doing asking you? And why does he care so much?
âI, uh, had dinner with someone,â you confess, continuing to grab your books and laptop, missing the way his features contort into something un-cool, and very un-Alhaitham.
âWhom?â
You murmur the name of some other guy, who he vaguely recalls to be your project partner.
âWhat?â Alhaitham snaps.
âI didnât think missing out on some of the meeting would be a big deal! I got another committee member to explain what I missed,â you justified. âBesides, thereâs no big events going on right now, so I thought-â
â-That you could abandon your tasks and go have fun with someone else?â
Alhaithamâs not really sure why he said that. Heâs not angry that you skipped a meeting; there are larger things in the world to worry about, heâs angry because you spent time with another guy that wasnât him.Why not go to dinner with him instead? He spends it every night with Kaveh, and you are far more favourable than Kaveh. Â
âIs it really something to get mad over? I already told you, I got the meeting notes and everything-â
â-Youâre an executive of the society, Y/n, more is expected from you.â
âSeriously?â you ask, âhow come you didnât bat an eye when the vice president wasnât there the other day?â
âBecause she was sick.âÂ
âOkay, fine! what about the subcommittee? theyâre not always there either!âÂ
âTheyâre subcom. Whether they miss a meeting or not is not crucial.â
âSo, itâs just my business that you care about?â You ask, eyebrows furrowed, disbelief clouding over your expression like a mask.
Again, Alhaitham doesnât know where these punches are coming from and why heâs throwing them against you so viciously, but his heart is tightening defensively with a burning emotion that heâs been feeling more and more recently, and his first instinct is to lash out, to protect himself from it.
Perhaps itâs because foreign things that he canât understand terrify him and you, all you ever do is make him feel things that heâs never felt before and he canât understand why.Â
âYouâre not that special.â
A flash of hurt gleams in your eyes and Alhaitham knows now that heâs royally fucked up. âYouâre an ass,â you grumble, about to walk away when he intercepts.
âListen to me!â
âFuck off!âÂ
âY/n-â
Youâre gone before he can get another word out, retreating figure stomping away whilst his chest weaves into knots; something that no amount of deep breathing can calm. It doesnât help that the minute he returns home, Kaveh is onto him like some sort of parasite, curious over the tense air surrounding his normally-composed roommate.Â
âHey, welcome home- whoa, whatâs gotten into you?â The blond asks.
âNone of your business,â Alhaitham grumbles through gritted teeth, taking his shoes off and throwing them aside haphazardly. Kaveh doesnât miss the way Alhaithamâs jaw is clenched, or the strain in his hand when he brings up a hand to run through his hair, or the very subtle and minute twitch in his cheek.
The blond ignores all signs that he wants to be left alone, and instead, follows the grey-haired to his room after he swung the door open.Â
âWhoa, whoa, whoa, hold on, letâs talk about this-â
âTalk about what?â Alhaitham growls.
âWho pissed in your black coffee today?âÂ
âNo one. Now get lost.âÂ
âAw, come on, you know what they say. Getting things off your chest is always beneficial.â
âThereâs nothing on my chest, go away.â
âYou sure? no stress, no deadlines, no love interest making you tear your hair out-â
â-No, no, none of those!â
âThen what?â
Alhaitham steadies himself by resting his elbows on his thighs, hands clasped together as he exhales loudly. âI got pissed and took it out on Y/n, whoâs mad at me now.â
âHuh? Why so annoyed?â
âBecause Y/n went to dinner with another man.â
Itâs silent for a while. The sassy quip that he expects from Kaveh does not happen. Instead, the blond merely smiles, a satisfied, knowing grin that slightly irks him. âYou know, Iâve been waiting for the day you realise you have feelings for Y/n.âÂ
âWhat? Where did you get that conclusion from?â Alhaitham sits up straighter. There are a lot of things he knows, and he knows for sure that he does not like you in any way beyond platonic. He doesnât have any time to spare for love. There are scholarships he still needs to apply for, internships to be interviewed for, research projects to submit- nowhere amongst the minute hand of the clock is there space for love.Â
âOh come on,â Kaveh sits down on the bed beside his roommate, leaning back on his hands. âYouâre not as smooth as you hope to be sometimes.â
âIâm serious, I donât know what youâre talking about.â
âYâknow the sooner you accept you have feelings for Y/n, the easier life will be.â
âLife is already easy and there is no sooner because I donât like Y/n like that. Now get lost. I have stuff I need to finish.â
Kaveh shrugs, standing up with a soft âsuit yourselfâ, taking seven steps before heâs out of the room. Alhaitham lets out a sigh that has lodged itself in his throat for too long, and the feeling of reprieve he gets is short-lived before heâs flooded with a certain tightness again. Maybe he did have a weight on his chest after all, not that heâd ever admit it to himself or Kaveh.
He gets up from his made bed with a grunt and decides to push aside all distractions. Time is unforgiving, and if doesnât finish his assignment by this Friday then heâll be a little less than pleased.
ââ ââ
ââ
â ââ
Alhaitham feels like he canât breathe.Â
Youâre sitting alone at a library desk, all focused and concentrated on your laptop screen with your headphones on, blocking out any outside voice as you type away. He wonders if he should say hi, maybe try apologising for the way he acted last Monday- who is this guy thatâs approaching you and why does he look so familiar?Â
And why are you smiling so happily?
You beckon to the seat beside you and the guy readily complies, taking the chair beside you like he belonged there, like there werenât other candidates that should be there instead (heâs not talking about himself. definitely not).
He hands you one of two coffee cups heâs holding. What kind of right does this guy have to give you a coffee? Does he even know your order?
He feels like a bit of creep keenly watching you interact with someone else from a balcony of the library, but the book and laptop in front of him lies forgotten, and in a rare moment of weakness, Alhaitham canât find it in himself to return to his tasks, pursuit of knowledge momentarily forgotten. He canât push aside the bile that threatens to rise, he canât loosen his grip on the couchâs armrest, and he canât blink for a second in fear of losing you from his sight.
(Youâre laughing. Why are you laughing? How can you look so pretty laughing and why doesnât he ever get to make you laugh like this?)
Alhaitham is losing his damn mind. So much so that the first thing he does when he sees you again is corner you.Â
âYou shouldnât talk to that guy anymore.â
Youâre backed against the brick walls of the time-worn building that your shared lecture always takes place in, and Alhaitham, spotting you like a hawk, put you in this precarious position as soon as the two hours were over.Â
He canât breathe. Itâs been almost three weeks since you last spoke to him and youâre staring up at him like youâve done nothing wrong, blinking once and twice at his uncharacteristic display of subtle aggression.Â
âWho?â you mutter, shaking your head to try and grasp reality once again. you hug your laptop closer to your body. âWhatâs this about?â
âI said you shouldnât talk to that guy anymore.âÂ
âWhat guy?âÂ
âYour project partner.â
âReally?â you mutter in disbelief.
He nods, teal eyes shining at you firmly. âReally. The projectâs over, you donât need to talk to him anymore.âÂ
âI donât recall ever giving you the right to dictate who gets to be in my life or not, just like how you canât tell me what to do with my time.âÂ
âIâm looking out for you, so stop trying to make me sound tyrannical.âÂ
Your mouth hangs open as you furrow your eyebrows, growing more and more frustrated with each second. So much for thinking that he wanted to resolve the awkwardness between the two of you. âIâm not even going to argue with you,â you murmur a quick âjerkâ under your breath before brushing past him.Â
Alhaitham, however, is not willing to let you go as easily as you wish, quick to chase after you. Not that you go far anyways, turning around to face him again in the spaciousness of the vacant hallway. âWhy do you care?â You ask, exasperated. âYouâre Alhaitham, you donât let trivial things like who I hangout with bother you, youâre cool and collected and rational, and I just donât understand why youâre acting like this.â
He doesnât understand either, not the erratic beating of his heart, the stubbornness of his mind, nor this undisputable urge to keep you all to himself. Is it normal to want to hide someone for selfish reasons?
Trailing off, Alhaitham is slightly humiliated that for the first time in his life, someone has witnessed him coming short of an answer. No logical conclusion, no explanation, not even a satisfying quip, just plain, suffocating silence.
âRight. When you do have an answer, let me know.â You walk away.
ââ ââ
ââ
â ââ
Your last rebuttal still weighs heavily on Alhaithamâs mind, even two days later as he and Kaveh are seated for a lecture in a shared course. His thoughts are scrambled like never before, the messiness of it all making him feel uneasy because for once, he doesnât have an appropriate answer to a question.
Why was he acting like a temperamental teenager? What you did with your life was up to you, and indeed he has no right trying to change that. More importantly, why was it so hard to apologise for the stuff he said-
âSo, howâs everything between you and Y/n?âÂ
Kaveh turns to him with widened eyes whilst Alhaithamâs poker face doesnât move an inch, deceivingly apathetic.
âGood, weâve been hanging out a lot more recently,â the other guy says, who Alhaitham quickly recognises to be your project partner and distaste rises in his stomach like bile.Â
âAye, good for you, man! So when are you going to ask Y/n out?â
âNo way, bro, not yet. Iâm such a wimp, but I hope I grow the balls to ask soon because I really like-â
â-looks like you got some competition!â The blond nudges Alhaitham, and if it were anyone else, they would not have glanced twice at the grey-haired who seemed unmoving and uninterested. However, Kaveh is not anyone else because he noticed the darkened look in Alhaithamâs eyes instantly, anger seeping into his composed gaze as his nose scrunches in disgust.Â
ââ ââ
ââ
â ââ
âSo, you and Alhaitham still arenât talking?â Kaveh asks, leaning on the table of the restaurant with curious ears, hoping that he can grab some answers out of you as to why there was a stalemate between you and his roommate.
âNope,â you sigh.Â
âWhy not?â
âIâm just-â you pinch the bridge of your nose, âIâm just waiting on an apology from him.â
âAn apology? Why? What did he say?â
âHe didnât tell you?â
âYou know how he is. Always insufferably secretive, so no, I donât know anything that happened.âÂ
âAlhaitham just said some hurtful things to me, and he was being weird when I told him I was going to dinner with a friend of mine. Just kept being in my business.â
âReally?â The architecture student quirks a brow, confusion plastered on his face. âThatâs not like Alhaitham at all.â
âI know, right? He kept trying to be like âdonât hang out with himâ and ridiculed me for not playing my part as an executive of the Sumeru society,â you complained, âlike sorry I have other things I want to do.â
Kaveh nods in understanding as the conversation briefly stops when the waiter comes to drop off utensils at your table. As soon as they were gone, however, you begin again.
âAnd even though he was all up in my business, trying to tell me what not to do, he then said that I wasnât special, which is so confusing because like-â
â-hold on. Alhaitham said that you werenât special?â You nod at his parroted claim. âTo him?âÂ
âYeah. Stung like shit when he said that, especially since I thought we were friends but guess not,â you murmur sadly, fiddling with the fork.
Later that night, almost immediately after meeting you over dinner, Kaveh barges into his roommateâs room, not even changing out of his outside clothes. The sudden intrusion shocks Alhaitham who was busy typing on a document, textbook splayed open beneath him but momentarily forgotten as the blond takes a seat on the bed.
âWhat the- not even a hello?â The grey-haired asks, confused by this uncharacteristic silence of Kavehâs. Itâs pretty normal for the blond to barge into his room without notice, but it was not normal for him to be so quiet, practically brooding on the mattress. âWhatever. Where have you been? Have you eaten yet, because I made-â
âWhen will you just confess to Y/n?â
The mention of your name causes a spike in Alhaithamâs heartbeat and he swivels around instantly, attention fully directed towards his roommate. âWhere is this coming from?â
âY/n told me everything that happened between you two by the way-â
â-what, when?â
âTonight, we just met for dinner.â
âAnd you didnât tell me?â
âWhat would you have done if you knew? Showed up and made things worse?â He doesnât say anything in retaliation, merely shutting his mouth and furrowing his eyebrows. âWhy did you say that Y/n wasnât special to you?âÂ
âI didnât,â Alhaitham sighs, very loud and very perplexed. âI didnât mean for it to come out the way it did.â
âDonât you miss Y/n? You two used to hangout so often.â
âI do, of course I do!â He exclaims, burrowing his face in his hands.Â
âSo why arenât you apologising?âÂ
âBecause whenever Iâm around Y/n, Iâm not who I normally am,â he mutters, âespecially everything whenever that project partner is around-â
âJealous, much?â
âIâm not jealous.â
âOh come on, youâre ridiculous. Stop pushing away your feelings and just be honest with yourself, Alhaitham! Y/n is not just a friend to you and you know it.â
âBut, we are just friends-â
âSo you mean to tell me that if I hung out with someone else- like if I hung out with Cyno, you would be pissed?â
âWhat? No, of course not.â
âThen why is it different with Y/n?â Once again, Alhaitham doesnât have an answer to the question, sitting as still as a statue hunched over his desk. âFine, Iâll spell it out to you. You like Y/n, more than just a friend!â
The silence leftover from Kavehâs outburst is tense and full as the grey-haired lets the words sink in.Â
âIâll let you think about it,â the blond murmurs, voice softening dramatically as he stalks out of the room. Before he closes the door, however, he leaves a few final words. âJust- be honest with yourself, Alhaitham, and I wouldnât delay trying to talk to Y/n.â
A sharp click rings through the room.
Alhaitham is no stranger to being alone, for who needs the company of others when you are happiest by yourself? Yet, in the weeks that you have not been speaking to him, a cardinal urge as been growing each and each day, wanting him to do something so atypical of him: to reach out and make the first move. Every passing day doesnât lessen the thoughts that plague his mind, rather, they make him more and more impatient, because what if you get swept away by your project partner?Â
(What if heâll be too late? What if you wonât know of these powerful emotions that are steering through the storm in his heart? What if you wonât know just how badly he was been wanting you- wanting to see you, wanting to apologise, wanting to see you beam at him like you always would.
What if you wonât know that he adores you, especially now that heâs figured it out?).
ââ ââ
ââ
â ââ
A rain droplet falls and lands on your nose, another lands on your forehead, then another lands on your lip then more and more keep falling from the cloudy sky, falling through the leaves and landing on the bench you were currently sitting on. Goodness, you should have checked the weather before leaving your dorm. Why was it now out of all times that it had to rain, what would Alhaitham think after he finally decided to reach out to talk?
Taking your phone out to message the grey-haired about relocating, an umbrella is suddenly held over you, stopping the gentle drizzle from falling onto you. Looking up, youâre greeted by a familiar face that you have been missing too much recently.
âHello, you,â you breathe, voice gentle and quiet and Alhaitham feels like he can finally breathe after so long, the scent of rain washing away all perplexion.
He nods at you in greeting before offering you the bouquet of flowers he was holding. A gorgeous arrangement of pink of white stare prettily at you and a man even more gorgeous expects you to accept it.
âFor me?â You ask.
âFor you.â
âThank you, theyâre so beautiful,â you take his gift with gentle hands, holding it close to your chest.Â
âI want to apologise,â he firmly states, getting straight to the point; very Alhaitham of him. âFor treating you the way I have been recently.â
You beam at him, so bright and so gorgeous that it renders him speechless, a feat pretty difficult when it comes to someone like Alhaitham who has a whole dictionary of words, in multiple languages too. Somehow, they all flock out of his mind the second you smile at him. Â
âI accept your apology, thank you for reaching out, must have been hard for someone like you, huh?â You tease, standing up from the bench.
âWell, I had do for someone as special as you.â The grey-hairedâs voice is deceivingly confident and assured, but you know better, especially when he looks away to hide his expression with his neatly styled bangs.Â
âNo need for the flattery, you know, Iâve already forgiven you.â Thereâs a moment of silence that occupies the air, caused by Alhaithamâs hesitation as he fishes his brain for the courage to ask you out. You speak before he can get a word out, however. âI got asked out the other day.â
âBy your groupmate?â
âHe has a name, you know, but, yeah. I rejected him, though,â you laugh awkwardly, almost like you were trying to cope with it by playing it off. âDid you know that he would do that?âÂ
âYes. I did.â
âIs that why you were so adamant on me not hanging out with him?â
âI guess you could say that. We can talk more about it another time,â he tells you, voice gentle and caring to mask the subtle hit of jealousy he feels in his chest, scolding himself for letting someone else confess to you before him. However, itâs a minute sensation in comparison to the triumph Alhaitham feels knowing that you rejected the other party.Â
âWe have a lot to talk about, donât we?â
âWe do, but I want to ask you something first.âÂ
You nod, hugging the bouquet closer to your chest, anticipation heavy in the air as you spur him to continue.Â
âIf I asked you out, would you reject me too?â
A mere second passes by where you donât respond, yet the second stretches out to what feels like eternity as Alhaithamâs stomach churns. Patience is something he doesnât lack, but how can he be patient when his heart wants you so bad?Â
Then, you take his hand, and the heavens sing at the feeling of your hand in his. âI wouldnât, but are you asking me out?â
âAre you free right now?â
âI am. Why?â
âLetâs go out then. On a date.â
âI'd love to.â You rise up to place a lingering kiss on his cheek, one that has his heart racing with joy rather than frustration.
The smile you earn is gentle, shy, but says more than Alhaitham's words ever can.
© EARTHTOOZ 2023, do not steal, translate, repost my fics and do not recommend my fics onto any other site.
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PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2 PART 2
â bewitched

as the apprentice of none other than the founder of the hexenzirkel, alice, you are all too familiar with expecting the wildly unusual to be the norm. explosions which can destroy an entire city? you can handle. appearing on the other side of teyvat within a blink for some sight-seeing? you can handle. getting ganged up on by old hags and the anemo archon for your non-existent love life with a man you just met? um... what?
CONTAINS : fem!reader (no gender pronouns are used, but honestly just being a part of the hexenzirkel is indication enough when they are all. well. a faction of female witches.), 2k wc, fluff, love at first sight (varka), once again on my puppy/loser in love varka agenda, venti gets a kick out of it, the witches get a kick out of it, you are not getting a kick out of it
A/N : i swear on my life this was actually supposed to be two paragraphs long. like the concept of a fic. but now it is a fic. i hate it here. (also i'm so punny for that title i know hahaha.)

Your mentor informs you there will be a meeting soon with Barbatos and the current Grand Master of Mondstadt's Knights of Favonius. You don't think much of it â why would you when this clearly seems like some important business to be taken care of? Not to mention the fact you're positive such diplomacy has nothing to do with you. In fact, you've already planned how you'll be spending your newfound free time in your head!
At least, that was until you're faced with your ever so chipper mentor beaming at you with the watt of a thousand suns, her words, âNow, won't you be a dear and fetch our guests for us?â being the first and last thing you hear before your surroundings are warped.
Next thing you know, through bleary eyes and a disgruntled mind, you find yourself in an unfamiliar room. There's smoke in your lungs from Alice's questionable choice of a theatrical entrance, tickling the back of your throat and forcing a slew of coughs to be released. Really, you ought to have a word with your mentor about springing something as disorienting as teleportation on you with barely a word of warning. Not everything has to be flashy and come as a surpriseâ
âOh? I didn't think you would be the one to come meet us!â Barbatos' familiar voice breaks your thoughts, and you're forced to realise that no, you're not alone, and yes, you did have an audience watching your embarrassing flounder. An audience of two, that is.
You recognise Barbatos, of course, and greet him with a nod. You've met him a handful of occasions, courtesy of Alice stringing you along for occasional meet-ups. Though you're willing to bet she just wanted an excuse to show you off in the new outfits she'd made for you on those occasions to someone other than the few available Hexenzirkel members. Regardless, heâs not all that bad of choice company during the times he strums his lyre and hums a song for you, melting away the stress which tends to build up when dealing with your eccentric mentor. (His love for alcohol is something you can handle in comparison.)
The second person isnât someone youâre entirely familiar with, though you can deduce he must be the renowned Grand Master bold enough to seek an audience with the Hexenzirkel. Messy blond hair feathering across his forehead and falling atop his shoulders, eyes which rival the clearest of skies, and a build expected for someone of his calibre, you can say with full confidence he definitely is younger than you were expecting, what with the stories youâve heard of his feats and his accomplishments. (Maybe all the teasing looks and pronounced smile Alice always wore when bringing him up to you was just her hinting he was closer to your age than youâd guessed?)
You offer him an acknowledging nod; he merely stares at you, gaping. Tilting your head to the side, you observe with a raised brow as he continues to stare at you, unmoving. Actually, has he even blinked? Turning to the Archon, you deadpan at his mischievous expression mirroring that of your mentor. At least he seems to be getting a kick out of the situation.
Well, whatever. All three of you have somewhere to be, and you are more than ready to leave post-haste.
With that in mind, you step towards them. An incantation is spilled from your lips with familiarity, glowing triangular patterns emerging beneath the three of you as the spell reaches its completion. Then, within a blink, your bodies are transported out of the office and into a meeting room where the present Hexenzirkel await.
Before making your way to the side (because for some reason Alice insists on you being present, the other witches also more willing for your presence than youâd like), you give a swift bow to the two youâve teleported. Even with your back turned as you walk, the sensation akin to a pair of eyes following you remains. By the time you find a suitable spot away from the meeting of some all-too powerful people, you lean back against one of the pillars and wait for the meeting to be over.
You have to give it him, that Varka. He certainly has a way with words, even managing to charm the witches with his easy-going personality and boisterous laugh. You wouldnât have thought it from you initial meeting, what with how still and awkward he appeared, though maybe your sudden appearance just shocked him to the point of being rendered speechless?
Regardless, you can see why he is such an important figurehead. His conditions are made clear, points thorough yet straight to the point, and he can easily navigate negotiations which juggle multiple demands. Most importantly, you can tell he cares deeply for Mondstadt and its people, to the point of setting up this Tripartite Conference to ensure Mondstadtâs safety in their time of need. Fortunately for him, such displays of love for humanity is something Alice is a total sucker for, and his fair terms and conditions seem more than enough for Nicole and Barbelothâs thoughts.
The conclusion comes as you expected the moment he spoke his first words: the Hexenzirkel agree to help Mondstadt in their time of need. Really, someone who has such a way with words to the point of swaying even the most stubborn of witches you know is a feat in and of itself. He could probably talk his way out of the most perilous of fights with just a meagre wag of his tongue! Actually, how many incidents has he already talked his way out of by now?
You donât get to dwell on the matter for much longer when Alice suddenly calls you over. Despite your foreboding skepticism at her twinkling eyes and eager mannerisms, you merely sigh before making your way to her side. Theyâve already stood up from their seats, gathered together in a loose group as they (read: Alice, Barbatos, and Varka) chat amongst themselves.
âIâm sure you have already met from earlier, but this is my darling apprentice!â
Hands settled atop your shoulders, youâre thrust forward into Varkaâs direct line of sight. You barely have time to form something close to a proper sentence, let alone think. So here you are, sputtering as words refuse to cooperate under the sudden attention. It certainly doesnât help when Alice is giggling behind you, all-too pleased with whatever it is youâre supposed to be a part of, nor the fact Nicole and Barbeloth appear to be rather invested in you making a fool of yourself in front of them. Barbatos himself seems a little too smug for your liking, noting how his eyes crinkled with mirth shift between you, Alice, and the Grand Master he accompanied.
Speaking of the man, for all his earlier bravado when negotiating with the scariest people you know, you would think him to be a completely different person. Much like when you first appeared in that office, Varka just stares at you â wide-eyed and gaping. Itâs almost comical the way someone of his stature appears so unassuming; almost. If not for the situation at hand, perhaps you would have found amusement at the blatant contrast.
But no, being the subject of close attention where eyes of varying levels of intrigue watch you be out of your element doesnât give you room to feel that amusement, let alone gather your bearings.
Alice gives a warm squeeze of your shoulders, and you can practically hear the teasing smile seep through her voice. âWhy donât you introduce yourself, my dear? You know our new freindâs name, but he doesnât know yours. Iâm sure he would love to know your name, fufu.â
Gosh, you feel like a little kid being forced to make friends with the kid of your motherâs friend; not an adult who can make your own decisions.
Well, whatever. May as well get your introduction over with.
âMy name is [Name], an apprentice witch under Alice.â If not for your mentorâs sparkling stare burning into the back of your head, or the two other witchesâ very apparent interest in the situation, you would have stopped there. Unfortunately, you know you wonât be able to get away. So with another sigh, you begrudgingly continue, trying to focus anywhere but his starstruck expression. âItâs nice to meet the Grand Master who has made such a name for himself. Iâm sure you must have worked hard to get to this point, andââ
Without warning, he drops to his knees. Eyes oozing nothing but earnest compassion, he speaks to you for the first time, voice warm as it carries the heavy weight of his sincerity.
âYes, I am single. Yes, I will happily spend the rest of my life with you.â
Even the drop of a pin could shatter this new-found silence. Perhaps not quite a pin, but a tinkling explosion shatters it instead. Clouds of white smoke instantly fill the vicinity and drown out your vision. You still have enough wits about you to sense the presence of the Hexenzirkel witches, which also means you canât detect the two visitorsâ presence.
In other words: your hasty teleportation succeeded.
And sure, itâs not your best work, but conjuring a teleportation spell without any time to recite the appropriate incantations was the best you could do in that situation. Out of sight, out of mind as they say!
(You can only hope they end up back in his office. Actually? Scratch that. You hope they end up somewhere like Starfell Lake. Or a random location in Liyue. Or Natlan. Or Snezhnaya.)
When the clouds of smoke settle, the quiet beginning to creep in, something akin to dread stabbing your gut tells you this⊠incident, so to speak, is only just the beginning of a rather tiresome matter. That instinct solidifies the moment youâre suddenly the object of interest for these old witches, their teasing smiles and far too amused expressions already making you want to run away and hide in a corner. Even then you doubt you would be able to hide from them for long, so you exhale a resigned sigh of defeat as you feel your vitality wither away at their enthusiastic theory-crafting.
As youâre caught in the middle of these meddlesome hags trying to have a say in your very much non-existent love life, Varka remains stock-still in the middle of his office â very much dazed and lost in thoughts with a thoroughly amused Archon-slash-bard staring at him all smug. Much like his position prior to the abrupt cloud of smoke and slightly disgruntling sensation of being teleported (which he barely registered the full effects of amid his stupor), the Grand Master remains kneeled. In the middle of his office. No thoughts running through his mind other than the shocked expression you bestowed him before it quickly morphed into something akin to morbid (-ly adorable, in his perspective) embarrassment, only to be obscured by curls of smoke.
âBarbatos,â Varka eventually says, features taking on a serious tone. Venti merely widens his grin, already knowing where this conversation is headed just from the unfamiliar expression residing on the ever so laid-back Grand Master.
âYes, Varka?â
Turning with a look so scarily serious, one none the wiser to the situation would think there to be some dire strategic talks occurring. Venti merely stifles a giggle, only to burst out into full-blown laughter as Varkaâs following words are delivered with utmost solemnity.
âI think I may be in love. Horrendously so.â
(And if you suddenly find yourself appearing in a puff of smoke for the umpteenth time in front of an all-too eager to please Grand Master youâre increasingly beginning to get sick of seeing by the day with pesky witches and a nosy drunkard of an Archon on your tail? Well, thatâs a story for another day. Probably.)
if you enjoyed this, reblogs and/or comments are greatly appreciated <33
#SPEAK YOUR MINNNND SOPHIE SPEEEEEAK IT#RAMBLEEEEEEEEE#IT DOESN'T EVEN NEED TO BE A COHERENT FIC#PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE SOPHIE#PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE#and can you please give me a sneak peek PLEEEEEEK
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I NEED THAT COOKIE SO EFFING BAD
Chad, Iâm not sure, but I think earth really wants to marry phainon đ€
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
YES GOD PLEEEEEASE
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can i be confess smthâ back in 2023, u posted a screenshot of hsr and i literally started playing it bc of u. im still just as obsessed two years later and screaming about danheng and phainon, so thank u lol
let me tell you something nonnie.
you and i. cut from the same cloth. our souls are conjoined. i get you and you get me. we are one in the same thing. two years have passed and we're still just as obsessed. it was an honour to walk this path with you.
#why am i so weird#whatever anywhoo#that's so cute :(( wow i'm sorry to have led you down the gacha path but i love this#the game is still so good after all this time#proud to say we have been hsr players since early 1.x
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Chad, Iâm not sure, but I think earth really wants to marry phainon đ€
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
YES GOD PLEEEEEASE
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sophie the gasp i gusped when i was scrolling through tiktok and this popped up
dog tricks ft. phainon
so uhh this is not exactly a comic, just a short fun vid inspired by that tiktok audio heheheh wnjoy
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oh earth... if we... if we end up having to fight phainon later on... i might lose my shit...
ON SHAOJI'S SOUL WE WILL ALL BE LOSING OUR MINDS.
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I think one big reason why we don't consider the stars as important as before (not even pop-astrology anymore cares about the stars or the sky on itself, just the signs deprived of context) is because of light pollution.

For most of human history the sky looked between 1-3, 4 at most. And then all of a sudden with electrification it was gone (I'm lucky if I get 6 in my small city). The first time I saw the Milky Way fully as a kid was a spiritual experience, I was almost scared on how BRIGHT it was, it felt like someone was looking back at me. You don't get that at all with modern light pollution.
When most people talk about stargazing nowadays they think about watching about a couple of bright dots. The stars are really, really not like that. The unpolluted night sky is a festival of fireworks. There is nothing like it.
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finding out about your sideblog and your main blog was the same person is like an average citizen finding out clark kent & superman are the same person đđ i was so surprised i clutched my pearls in surprise
LMFAOOOOO i love that xx
see i could have kept up the act and pretended like they were different people but a writer needs somewhere to put their nsfw pieces so that blasphemous account was created xD it feels like phainon and flame reaver literally
i wonder how many people might have already been following me and followed my other account on their own whim without even knowing đ
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ok for the sake of everyoneâs dashes Iâm going to quit this endeavour because Iâve thought about him twice in 10 minutes
iâm gonna reblog this post everytime i think about phainon from now on
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iâm gonna reblog this post everytime i think about phainon from now on
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iâm gonna reblog this post everytime i think about phainon from now on
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me
i was having a good day and then i thought abt phainon for one second and now im screaming crying throwing up
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I really don't have anything appropriate to say...
i really can't say anything right now without it being a) freaky or b) cannibalistic or c) freakily cannibalistic
original artist here (twitter link)
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the 'kill blade he's asking for it' shouldn't have made me laugh as much as it did. i'll just take dan heng with me
what really seals it for me is the fact that i only spelt âmarry phainonâ correctly
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