#NAP architects

[keepingitneutral]

Underground Library, 

Kurkku Fields, Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan,

Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP Architects,

Photo: Kohei Omachi

[upstairsdownstairsandinbetween]

Underground Library,

Kurkku Fields, Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan,

Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP Architects,

Photo: Kohei Omachi

[architect-lumicent]

Don't worry! he's alive and well :]!!

[hanakihan]

you know reverse AU is hilarious because jinchul is definitely the type to ignore the system (or literally doing bare minimum until proceeding seriously) and just using his summons for office work or monitoring (and people are actually terrified how well informed and quick on his legs Chief is)

will he be sending at least one of his summons to monitor each gate KHA owns? maybe will make them do reports on what happened to wheeze, as well as keeping track of S ranks

man literally recruited Kamish to be his therapy pet (and adviser)

plz other summons welcoming new ones with completely zero enthusiasm and death in their voice being like ‘welcome to the club, buddy, you’ll get used to it’

Igris and Beru are probably the rare ones who are more than happy to assists with boring office politics lmao

ALSO PLZ ASHBORN WANTING TO HAVE A LONG BORING LORE DUMP TALK AND JINCHUL IS LIKE ‘Sorry to interrupt you Sir, but I’m already running late. Can’t it wait or can you be quick about it?’

[skxrbrand]

Prev / Palace of the Arch-Tempter, Ulthuan

He dreams of fire.

Of brass bones breaking and blue crystals shattering. Ichor spilling and he, the true God of Blood, supping it from an Copper chalice. Beneath his hooves the broken bodies of his enemies and about him the flayed skins of their foolish followers. Such pretty dreams, tinged always with a sweetness, regardless of the ashes and gore. The stench of war. It had to be this place. Fogged with incenses that dulled the mind and magnified ones desires...

S͛aͣvͮoͦrͬ ᴛⷮhͪeͤmͫ,̓ вrͬoͦᴛⷮhͪeͤrͬ. ᴛⷮhͪeͤs͛eͤ dͩrͬeͤaͣmͫs͛ wiͥll вeͤ ᴛⷮhͪeͤ cͨloͦs͛eͤs͛ᴛⷮ yoͦuͧ cͨoͦmͫeͤ ᴛⷮoͦ grͬaͣs͛рiͥng yoͦuͧrͬ dͩeͤs͛iͥrͬeͤ.

Intruder. The Court of the Unmaker turn upon the figure in the center of the throne room, Halberds at the ready. The God atop the brazen Throne turns every eye towards the being, shaped like a wizened old man, but the glamour didn't fool the Red God.

₪ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐔𝐍 𝐘𝐄𝐓, 𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑.

Iͥ ᴋⷦnoͦw hͪoͦw iͥᴛⷮ eͤndͩs͛. Woͦuͧldͩ yoͦuͧ liͥᴋⷦeͤ mͫeͤ ᴛⷮoͦ ᴛⷮeͤll yoͦuͧ?

₪ 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆. 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐈𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄. 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐈 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒: 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐓. 𝐌𝐘 𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘. 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐎.

He was standing now. Tzeentch's wizened face never changed from it's knowing grin. He barked the order: 'Remove the wretch!' and a legion of red, copper-armored daemons marched forward, talons outstretched. Tchar didn't even blink, bright blue gaze staring him down--

---

Ulf-Khade's eyes snapped open, roused by the wailing storm and by death. He could feel them, even over the heavy, sedating fog of the Slaaneshi dungeon: hundreds of dozens of lives snatched away in a single instant. Anger sizzled in the air and when he looked over, he saw it's source.

Staring back at him was the Bloodthirster Kha'xanzyr, the daemon the pleasure-spawn had spoken to him about. The Blue Eyed One. Haggard. Beaten, bruised, bent over with agony, but not yet broken. Khade tilted his head and gave the Architect more of his attention. For a moment, the pair of Infernals merely studied one another, Kha'xanzyr drawing near like a curious, if cautious, cat.

" I expected the brother to Khorne to be more fearsome."

₪ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐘𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐒 𝐒𝐎 𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇, 𝐃𝐀𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍. 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐄, 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐄.

The god-thrall stirs the purple mist in the air with a hand.

₪ 𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐒. 𝐈 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔, 𝐍𝐎𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 𝐅𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆.

" You know of the army?"

₪ 𝐌𝐘 𝐉𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒. 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐏. The God Explains briefly. 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌. 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐔𝐓, 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐍𝐄?

Kha'xanzyr swallowed, suddenly unsure. He had come for assistances, for surely even a minor god could destroy a Blood Host by his lonesome, but there were consequences to releasing Khade. He doubted, once free, the deity would return to being imprisoned. But no, the godling couldn't help at all. Not in his current state.

Yet ever curious Kha'xanzyr was compelled to linger.

" Kharneth has damned me." The Bloodthirster growls, " He has taken my lieutenant. He has taken my brother. And my crime? Loyalty." He looks at Khade earnestly. " It was Skarbrand who struck out at him, not I. Yet he spurns me, and Khazaan, as if we were the ones seduced by Tzeentch."

The Bloodthirster paused. Regained himself, " Forgiveness. Is it possible?"

₪ 𝐇𝐀! Khade barked a laugh and it was so unexpected, it made Kha'xanzyr jump. 𝐊𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐍𝐎 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐌𝐒 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐒. 𝐈 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐙𝐄𝐄𝐍'𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐇 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐔𝐓 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐄��𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐘 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄. 𝐇𝐈𝐌 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐘 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒. 𝐖𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒, 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐘𝐄𝐓 𝐊𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐘. Khade laughed some more. Kha'xanzyr turned over the knowledge he had been given. The God-thrall came closer, swaying almost drunkenly towards the lavender barrier. He came to lean against it, his smile gamey and knowing.

₪ 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋, 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐘 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄. 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐀𝐙𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃. 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐊𝐇𝐀𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋-𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐆𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐓���� 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐒. 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑. 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐘.

Ulf-Khade predicted his nephew's response, for Kha'xanzyr was much as Khorne. Angry. Provokable. A red fist slammed against the barrier, hard enough to test it's integrity. Teeth bared, blue eyes wild with anger, disbelief, disgust, and terror.

₪ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐆𝐎𝐃 𝐖𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄. 𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆. 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐔𝐏, 𝐀 𝐒𝐊𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑. Khade's voice was softer now and he held the angry eye of the Deathbringer.

₪ 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐇. 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘. 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒, 𝐀𝐒 𝐃𝐎 𝐈, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐒 𝐌𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐓.

At this, Kha'xanzyr's expression melted from rage to alarm, even offense. He stepped away, but Ulf-Khade continued to speak. He held out his hand, displayed the run in his palm. His sigil-- The Mark of Khade.

₪ 𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊. 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄, 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒.

He didn't expect Kha'xanzyr to jump at his offer. That in itself had been a test, one the Architect had passed when he snarled his rejection. Good-- impulsiveness was a liability. Decisions made in anger could not be taken back. Let him think on it and stew and ruminate. Let the approaching army stoke his worries further.

Let the Bloodthirster of Khorne come running into his service, spent and broken, and be reborn!

[seagreenkey]

i'd like to be shot in the head please

[inupibaldspot]

Let’s Give it One More Try

pairing: gojo satoru x reader

Note ₊˚⊹♡ : you and gojo are getting a divorce :((

Your fingers tighten at the edge of the papers and then slammed it onto a fancy desk, designed by a famous architect; a name you had forgotten. I mean… if you were to remember every designer of the furniture inside the house, your brain would probably explode.

Your lawyer beside you shivers as he suddenly feels the air around him grow cold, at a very rapid pace. His eyes wander to see the air conditioning still working, and his eyes the trail towards his side. He gulps as he takes on his clients appearance, you.

Your face was cold and actions were merciless. “These are my part of the agreement.” You spat viciously.

“Dealing with these is a hassle so let’s get over this quickly.” Your eyes trail to your lawyer, who quickly straightens under your gaze as he nods in agreement. “But I slept well without you. The morning is also very peaceful; I didn’t have my ears bleeding while I ate my breakfast.”

“Thank god you’ve been eating well. Back when we first met I remember you’d never eat properly.” To your dismay, Gojo beams at you full of affection with makes your resolve waver. “I almost fainted when you told me you forget to eat then-“

“— I said we’ll keep this short, Gojo-san.” You says as you lean back, crossing your hands. Your face twitches with annoyance when you see your now ex-husband with still a melted look, eyes slightly dazed and flowers blooming in the background as he focuses on only you. You are annoyed because satoru makes you waver.

Your lawyer clears his throat as he hands over another stack of paper over. “My client wants to do a 50-50 and—“

“Are you crazy?” Gojo’s lawyer jumps out of his seats as his face pulls into a frown. “You want 50 percent of THE Gojo Satoru’s property?”

“Yeah!” Gojo also jumps out of his seat, a nerve pops on his forehead in annoying. “How could you ever think of that?!”

Your lawyer smalls at the sudden outburst.

“That’s too much!”

“That’s too little! Take all of it, babe.”

“Huh?” The duo sitting at the other side of the table looks at each other at confusion as they give slow dumb blinks. His lawyer clears his throat. “No gojo-san, what your saying is your going to give the entirety of Gojo estate to your now ex-wife.”

“Yup.” Gojo gives his answer a bit too quickly.

“That’s fucking dumb.”

“Woah— you’re my lawyer! You can’t be saying that.” Gojo shouts back as his lawyer massages his temple taking a seat.

“Take it all babe.” Gojo turns to you and smiles, it was a simple boyish smile, taking on the look of a man who was simply and all in love. “Become the head of the Gojo clan.” He adds with a laugh.

But you didn’t take that lightly as your eyebrow furrowed. “Are you making fun of me?”

“Of course not.” Gojo leans back, on arms over his seat and other on his lap, legs spread apart. Your ex-husband was so attractive. “Just—“

He tilts his head as his smile is softening. “Just before all this…let’s give it one more try.” His voice was strained taking on a tone one would make when they beg. “But this time, I promise I’ll be by your side. Let’s live alone in an apartment, just two of us?”

Your breath hitched.

You knew what Gojo was implying. Being wed to Gojo Satoru meant you were always under watchful eyes. Every breath you take, every step, every strand of hair that was messed up would be judged; and you collapsed under the pressure of those watching eyes.

And now Gojo was proposing you what you’ve always wanted. Memories made by newly wed lovers in a small yet affordable apartment where we could just cook and dine amongst ourselves, take afternoon naps on the sofa on lazy sundays and breathy soft kisses as he could pick you and place you on the counter top.

That’s was all you wanted.

“I realized how you were feeling about everything…”Gojo’s voice was unusually soft, and raspy as if he was struggling to speak. “so I actually wanted to surprise you with an apartment but…”

But before that you slammed the divorce paper on his face.

“Please y/n… just one final chance.” His slightly teary blue eyes looking into yours, makes your breathing stop. “Can you let me be yours again…?”

You swallow, the busy world now contains simply two of you in your vision as fingers play nervously with eachother as your finally open your mouth to speak.

“—“

Note ₊˚⊹♡ : so now the question is do you say yes or no? ✧

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[aramiese]

"STOP LOOKING AT ME WITH THOSE EYES!"

"With what eyes?~"

Or how genshin men look at you.

Featuring:Kaveh,Al Haitham

( MIGHT MAKE DIFFERENT PARTS FOR OTHER CHARACTERS MWAH )

Part two

Kaveh

Kaveh is a romantic at heart, it is well known.

He isn't shy to give love and he can and will ask for it with no shame and even when he isn't vocal about it, you can still feel his eyes pierce right through your skin waiting impatiently for you to quit whatever was keeping you occuppied and give him all of the love he deserves.

The way in which he looks at you is best described as pure adoration, to him you are his muse and words fail to describe how beautiful you were.

If you simply asked for it, hell if you hinted at it, the architect would already be working on a whole palace for you, one that could not compare, not even to the palace of Alcazazaray, his magnum opus.

Kaveh loves you and his eyes show it well enough, plus the soft words he whispers to you every chance he gets serves only to reinforce the feeling.

AL HAITHAM

Al haitham is a quiet secretive lover, not that he is shy or ashamed, he simply enjoy privacy for what he considers important and you are important to him.

What might seem like a stoïc heartless man to others, is but a simple lie.

In the privacy of your home, Al Haitham is still quiet but he would rather have you in his arms while reading a book, but his eyes speak a thousand words, his gaze is soft, it lingers for a while on your focused form whether you would be concentrating in your own thing or decided to nap in the comfort of your lover's arms, he will always let his gaze linger for a tad too long before a soft smile appears on his features, he might even decide to close his book after carefully marking the page he stopped on.

After pressing a soft kiss to the side of your head, a soft sigh will escape his lips before he whispers what seems like a love confession in one of the many languages the scribe's knows.

Al haitham loves you in his very own way and the whole world doesn't matter when he makes it known only to you how much he cherishes you.

[yourplayersaidwhat]

I play an earth kineticist that has a horrible struggle with reading people and social cues. He also likes to sleep on the floor to let the earth take him. He also has a ring of sustainment so he sleeps for 2 hours anyway

We're at a NPC house, she's a very old wizard lady who treats all the players like her grandchildren (even if the youngest PC is 25 and he's my kineticist, the bard is 49 and the multiclass barbarian/cleric/monk is like... 300+)

Grandma Lady: okay everyone, I think it's time for you to go to sleep! I unfortunately only have my bed and an armchair, so we'll have to make do

Bard: *sits down to sleep on a chair*

Barbarian/Cleric/Monk: *turns to a rock and lies down*

Kineticist: I'll sleep on the floor *lies down*

Grandma Lady: no you won't! think of your back, it will BEND so bad!!! *forces him up and throws him on the armchair*

Kineticist: *stands up* I'm fine. I'll just take a nap anyway, it's not like I'll lie down on the cold hard floor for 8 hours

Grandma Lady: what??? didn't your parents teach you good manners??? you need a full 8 hours!!!

Kineticist: I- I just like to sleep on the floor? it has nothing to do with manners. and... I really don't need the 8 hours. I'll be alright.

Barbarian/Cleric/Monk: he's an architect, he doesn't sleep for long.

Grandma Lady: you youngsters are all terrible!!! you, kineticist, you go sleep on the armchair now!!!

Kineticist: no?

Grandma Lady, taking out a slipper: 3-

Kineticist: I like my floor

Grandma Lady: 2 and a half-

Bard: just do what she says, she's a grandma with a slipper!

Grandma Lady: 2-

Kineticist:

Grandma Lady: 1!

DM: she hits your with her slipper, you take 420 nonlethal damage, fall back and pass out on the armchair

[bohbee]

Genshin x Pregnant Reader

Part 3

Part 1

Part 2

Characters: Tighnari, Cyno, Al-Haitham, Kaveh

Warnings: throwing up, blood, water breaking, cussing, nausea, pain, kids💀.

Notes: please read! Tighnaris will be a bit longer than the others due to him being part fox! Also water breaking doesn't usually hurt but it will for his!

Anyways not proofread

Masterlist

Al-Haitham

You sat in the bathroom the day had just started and you already threw up, Al-Haitham stood behind you softly rubbing your back, as Kaveh made you some remedy food. "Ugh, today's gonna suck." You said with a loud groan, before puking yet again in the porcelain toilet. Your grey hair boyfriend held your hair back "(y/n), I'm going to take you to the hospital." He said, causing you to whip your head towards him.

"Wha- it's just me being sick? You tell me each time that I will be fine how is this different?" You said in shock, his expression stayed the same, slightly worried yet calm. "You're pregnant." He said with a matter-of-fact tone. You went to go say something again however another wave of nausea hit you, making you throw up.... yet again.

~Five months later~

He was right, to say the least. Currently, the two of you walked around Sumeru City, a medium-sized bump on your abdomen. You sighed heavily, the two of you didn't want a kid yet, you guys made the best of the situation but it didn't stop you from feeling bad. "You alright?" His hand grabbed yours, turning you to face him. "I've told you to stop worrying about this." His eyebrows furrowed, and his hand that held yours moved to your stomach. Rubbing the bump softly, "This will be our kid, it isn't a problem." You smiled softly, despite him being based on logic, he was quite aware of your emotions.

"I know Haitham, come on, let's go get some food, they're hungry." He chuckled softly as you pulled him around the city. "Alright crazy, let's go"

~Eight months in the pregnancy~

You looked into Kavehs eyes with shock as the water dripped from your inner region. "Ka-" you went to say his name however his screeching interrupted you, he placed you in the wheelchair he made you last month and rushed to the Hospital.

You sat in the room alone, contractions slamming your body consistently. Kaveh ran to grab Al-Haitham as soon as he dropped you off in the hospital. The nurses informed you that your baby would be premature but that they would most likely be fine.

The hospital room door slammed open, interrupting your conversation with the nurse, Kavehs eyes shot toward you, and your boyfriend's eyes right after his. "Archons." He muttered before pushing past the architect, he slammed the nurse with questions before he interrogated you.

Your birth wasn't as painful as it should've been due to your baby's small size, however, she was completely healthy. Al-Haitham snipped the umbilical cord and walked back to you. "She'll be just fine, alright? Now, how are you?" He asked softly, the back of his hand pressed on your forehead. "Ah forget that, just get some rest okay?" He said before you could answer, he placed a soft kiss on your knuckled. "I'll be right here when you wake."

Al-Haitham was a patient father, always pushing his daughter to the better choices but still allowing her to have fun. Currently, you stood in the kitchen, your daughter strapped to your chest as you made dinner. Al-Haitham walked behind you, hugging you softly, and kissing your kids' forehead. "Smells good what is it?" You went to respond but your kid decided to make a Muffled noise before... "Dada" you whipped your head towards her. "No fair." You groaned...

(Bonus: Kaveh was an amazing uncle, he would often steal your daughter whenever Al-Haitham was at the Akademiya and you needed a nap. He often made her toys and even a playground. The cute baby brought the two roommates quite close to another.)

Cyno

Loud shuffles could be heard at the front door of your house, quickly catching your attention. You wobbled to the door of your bedroom, carefully peeking out. "It's just me," your husband said, causing a breath of relief to leave your body. You walked out of the room, his sunset eyes looking at you.

He let out a soft smile, "I got some medicine from Tighnari, it should help with your nausea. He also said it'd be smart to do some aerobic exercises." The white-haired male said softly, his hands softly caressing the bump on your abdomen. "Ugh, I just want to relaaaax." You groaned, a small pout on your face, which caused General Mahamatra to laugh. "Oh well, darling, this will help the birthing process okay?"

"Finee"

The two of you stood in the living room, your husband showing you some pregnancy-friendly stretches. "No no, move your hips out." He said calmly, his calloused hands gripping your waist and patiently showing you how to properly do it. A crack popped through your body, your back releasing pressure it had been carrying due to the child. "That soo nice" you groaned out, gaining an amused hum from Cyno. "See I told you, now go ahead and sit I'll make you some Duel Soul" you nodded softly and waited for him to come back.

~Nine months in the pregnancy~

"Agh!" A loud groan was yet again playing through the hospital room, Cynos hands grabbed onto yours. "Deep breaths remember?" You listened to his advice as another contraction rippled through your body. "Cyno-- ugh! It hurts!" You pressed your head into the pillow, sweat dripping down your forehead. His calloused fingers rubbed your hips softly, washing away a bit of your discomfort. "I know, it'll be over soon. Scream as loud as you need."

And that is exactly what you did. You grabbed his left hand which was rubbing one of your hips and squeezed it, causing his eyes to widen in shock. Not because it hurt, no something that simple couldn't hurt him, it was your immense strength that got him. He sat with you and let you squeeze him as hard as you needed, humming sweet nothings in your ear and praising you through the difficulties.

Cyno had to leave a lot due to his job, but when he was home he was the best father anyone could ask for. He would never fail to make the baby laugh, he finally had the dad joke title. Currently, the two of you stood in Gandharva Ville with your five-year-old messing with some jumping mushrooms. Loud laughter could be heard from each of you, you held your swollen stomach trying to calm the kicking infant in your belly.

"Hey kiddo, what does a bee use to brush its fuzz?" Your husband's voice said to your kid. "Hmmm, I don't know! What Daddy?!" They said with a large giggle "A honeycomb!" He exclaimed before tickling their stomach.

(Bonus: you would often visit Tighnari and Collie, and both of them would gush over your kid. Collie would always hang out with Cyno and your oldest, while Nari would stay back and assist you with your newborn. Each of them was amazing to the kids, your oldest even wanted to work in the forest like they did!)

Kaveh

His eyes sparkled when you showed up with a gift box in hand, "And what is this my love?~" he said cheerily before rushing you inside the shared house. "Hm.... a gift for the best architect in the world!" You exclaimed happily before kissing his soft cherry-tinted lips, causing the Acting Grand Sage to grimace.

Kaveh set the gift down on the table and carefully unwrapped it, making sure not to damage the gorgeous wrapping. Inside were multiple gifts. A new sketchbook, nail polish, earrings, and a......... a bag of really tiny hair pins. "My love! These are amazing, might I ask though.... what could these tiny bows be for, did you find a hairstyle you'd like me to try?" He asked, you looked down slightly, causing both him and his roommate to look at you in confusion.

"I'm pregnant." You mumbled softly, your eyes focusing on the intricate details on the tiled floor. "You-!" Kaveh exclaimed, dropping the pins and running over to you. "You?!" He said again with a large smile, tears globbing out of his eyes, causing you to giggle a little, nodding. "YES!" He yelled and grabbed whisped you into a heavy embrace. "My baby has a baby!"

~Six months later~

Pregnancy was easy for you, it seems that Kavehs empathic tendencies rubbed off on the newborn. They never really kicked or made you sick, however, they did make you crave food. So you sat with your Fiancé happily eating Rose Custard and a Pita Pocket Kaveh made you. His hand rested comfortably on your abdomen as he told your unborn child fictional tales. "You know Kaveh, you're going to be an amazing father." You said out of the blue, causing his peachy irises to stare at yours in awe. "My rose, you flatter me so much." He said with a large blush painting his face, he got up and smooched your custard-tasting lips. "Stay here my beloved, I'll prepare the bed for a massage. You deserve it after that amazing comment!" He said with a cheeky smile.

~Nine months in the pregnancy~

You huffed out, grabbing the stair railing, catching Al-Haitham’s attention. "(y/n)?" He said with a questioning tone, wet droplets filled his eardrums causing him to shoot up from his spot and grab your body carefully. "Kaveh!" He shouted, "They are in labor!" Your Fiancé shot out of his room and rushed over to the two of you. "Okay okay, let's go honey!" He said urgently, rushing you out the house.

Kaveh was an anxious father, however, he had an immense amount of love. He'd constantly be scared of hurting the child, even with the slightest touch. This quickly disappeared though, you'd often find the two of them asleep together, random pins in your now husband's hair.

You walked into your husband's office to give him some Padisarah Pudding, your irises locked onto a beautiful sight. Your beloved was slouched over on the table, papers sprawled all over the place, your child holding onto a lock of his hair. You sighed softly at the sight and placed down the pudding, carefully grabbing the Kamera. *click* the soft noise filled the room. Now this photo had to of been the best.

(Bonus: Al-Haitham and Kaveh were known as roommates that hated each other, however, this was not true. Al-Haitham was there for a large portion of your pregnancy, hell he even bought most of the stuff for you. He would give you random facts and assist you when it came to your cravings. He wasn't the best with kids, however, when he first met your child a small smile painted his face.)

Tighnari

The soft wind of Gandharva Ville tickled across your face, causing a sigh of contentment to leave your lips. Your eyes fluttered shut as you took in your surroundings, that was until soft twigs snapping caught your attention. You whipped your head to the noise only to find your beloved husband waving slightly "Hello dear." He said softly, walking over and sitting beside you.

A smile painted itself on your face and you placed your head on his shoulder "Welcome back, Nari, how are you feeling?" You mumbled, taking in his scent. "Relaxed now that I'm back, how're you and the kids doing?" His arms pulled you closer to him, your head now resting on his chest. "You make it sound like they're here already! But..... they missed their father I'd say...." You giggled softly, a light blush painting your cheeks. "Oh my! Well I guess I have to spend more times with my little plants now don't I."

~4 months in the pregnancy~

You huffed out and held your large stomach, despite being only four months pregnant your belly was LARGE. Having Tighnaris babies took a large toll on your body. As of recently, any food or food-smelling scent would cause you to throw up. Which made life hell for both you and all of Gandharva Ville. Tighnari would send people on missions to find different plants to ease his lovers seemingly endless nausea, everyday something new but nothing worked.

You sat on the chair after throwing up your old food, Tighnaris ears lowered as he watched your weak stance. "(y/n)?" He whispered, catching your attention, which you hummed in response. "I'm so sorry.." He walked over to you and hugged your frail body, "Just.... whatever you need.. tell me." He said, guilt rushing in his chest. "Nari.... I need to lay with you..." You said with a raspy voice, his ears perked up at your request, "of course."

~8 months in~

You thought four months was bad? No. Currently, you lay on the bed, the same bed you've been laying in for about a week in a half. The pregnancy really took your energy away, in the past you'd be able to join people for small walks, maybe on a good day dinner. But now you could barely get up to use the restroom. Your three children were definitely making themselves at home in your belly.

Tighnari walked over to your laying form and carefully helped you sit up, placing pillows behind you. "Is that comfortable?" He asked softly, causing you to nod. "Good, I've brought you some of the Pita Pockets Collei made, I placed some healing plants to hopefully allow it to stay down." He sat down beside you and unwrapped two of the four Pita Pockets. "Now you tell me which sounds better, Chicken or Shawarma"

~In labor~

A shrieking scream erupted through the village, causing Tighnari and Collei to drop everything they were doing and rush over to his house. Tighari ran into the room only to find your body on the floor in a puddle of blood and fluid. "Fuck" he said. He carefully lifted your body and rushed you to the nursery, placing you on the table. He was going to have to deliver them, you went into labor two weeks earlier than planned.

The birthing process was hell, your screams were loud causing him to get a major headache but he knew you couldn't control it. Luckily though it didn't take too long, with Naris' skills and Colleis assistance in a short 3 hours you were done and you lollied off into a much needed sleep.

You opened your eyes and looked around only to find Tighnaris's body curled into yours. Your movements quickly caused him to rush awake. "(y/n)! How are you? Do you need anything? The kids are in the other room. They're-" his quick speaking was cut off by your small giggle. "You big worry wart, I'm fine Nari, happy to be done with that whole thing.... but-" you stopped yourself, your eyes meeting with his curious earth-tone ones "But?" He repeated a large smile showering your face "I would kill for some of your mushroom soup right now."

Tighnari was a cautious tough loving parent, he would always make sure his three kiddos were safe and if they even dared to eat a suspicious plant oh they would have to face his Wrath. He would often grab the three of them and make flower crowns for you, teaching them different braiding techniques and such. Currently, you sat outside yet again breathing in the natural smell of the Village you called home. Small giggles interrupted you this time, "Hm?" You smiled softly at your three kids, each of them hiding something behind their back. "What's going on now my little devils?" You joked around, and your middle child stepped forward and shoved a small bracelet made of flowers in your hands, your youngest giving you a necklace, and your oldest giving you a crown. "This is beautiful! Oh, you guys are just the cutest aren't you? Help me put them on would you?"

(Bonus: Collei would ALWAYS steal your kids, she was a proud older sister and you never had any arguments against her actions. She would often dance around with them in the forest, always telling them fun stories about Aranaras. And when the green-haired storyteller wasn't there, Uncle Cyno and Aunt Nilou would be. Cyno would always come prepared with fun jokes, causing your youngest to always giggle. Nilou would often dance with Collei and the kids, sometimes even sneaking them some Padisarah Pudding.)

♡♡♡♡♡

Held this off for a while, hopefully it's alright.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

What an elegant little Victorian home in New Orleans, Louisiana. 3bds, 3ba, $899K.

Imagine sitting on that porch swing with a Mint Julep.

Enter a lovely living room with an original brick fireplace.

To expand the living room, they took a wall down, so there is another fireplace back here. These homes traditionally had very small rooms.

It takes a creative architect to determine how to reconfigure these original floorplans, leaving fireplaces and exposed brick walls.

Lovely dining room with wainscoting.

Big galley kitchen. Love the cabinets and brick counters.

A door in the kitchen conveniently opens to the deck.

What a great room for either a library or a collector.

The primary bedroom has one of those wonderful fireplaces, too.

Very nice bath.

There's a nice home office, or it could be an extra bedroom or craft space.

Bath #2 is beautiful, too.

Spacious secondary bedroom has built-in shelving.

Large laundry room has potential for storage or a pantry.

Beautifully landscaped yard has a garden and a sweet little shed.

Next to the shed is this structure that you climb up, chill, or take a nap in the hammock.

This is beautiful.

[skxrbrand]

Previous /  Battle of Blacksand, Deserts of Araby

Ost: Without Remorse

They feel the horde before they see it; a land shaking march of fell daemons and creatures, all with a singular purpose. Aggression and nerves settle over the land, with the Greater Daemons alone holding their ground and character. If they break, their smaller kin will shatter too. This they know.

Yet it is hard for even them not to quail, if not at the coming army, then the moon above. It’s white surface glazed over, milky with death; the sky around it too dark. A god looks upon them with fixated attention and it is neither the Prince of Pain nor the God of Blood. A black miasma settles over the in the coming days, growing thicker with the hours. Furies sent to report the movements of the foe to do not return, swallowed by the black, slain by the foe.

Kha’xanzyr and Khazaan fly above it all, but the vantage point provides little advantage. This is no natural darkness, but one that irritated and agitated, dampening the senses of daemons and lighting their tempers. Khazaan had landed several times to put a brutal end to any infighting, and had descended to do so once more. Kha’xanzyr waited for his ascent, but it never came.

What he did hear was an explosion, muffled beneath the black fog, followed by another and another. A Bloodthirster roar broke through the din of screams and shrieks; the calls of his blood borne brother. Kha’xanzyr abandoned the sky, descending into the fog without hesitation.

It was hard to see, but the lanky shapes of Verminlords were easy to spot among the disarrayed lesser daemons. With his wings, Kha’xanzyr chased away some of the choking clouds and pointed his weapon at the enemy. “ Quit your whining, your mewling! The enemy is here-- slaughter them!” He ordered, jumping into the fray himself. Around him, ratkin -- daemon and mortal, continued to break through the sand, savaging any foe they could grab. Kha’xanzyr saw Bloodletters pulled into pit-traps. He saw daemonettes sheer down clanrats in their dozens, only to be speared on the Stormvermin behind them. He heard Khazaan’s roar again and saw the darkness light up with daemonflame as the Bloodthirster shot his infernal breath through three assailants, then slew a fourth with the swing of his axe.

The sand about them jumped in a steady rhythm and Kha’xanzyr realized it was not from the melee taking place around him. This was just the vanguard, mean to soft and distract them. The true force was yet to arrive. With a swing of Havoc, several Skaven were reaped from existence, their souls sent screaming to Khorne’s side, they heads taken from their necks. It would easy to kill them all; to discharge his rage and let hellish volts of electricity consume and ravage, but there would be made no difference between friend and foe. Besides, a few skaven and rat daemons were hardly worth that power.

Conserve your strength, Blue bird. The worst is yet to come, Tanakhuill chided. And for once, Kha’xanzyr didn’t argue.

[tadbitsketch]

accidentally took a 4 hour nap and now i can't sleep so mcsm theory time!

ok so this is kind of something that i never really see be debated in the community, but i do see it be represented in different ways. i'm talking about ✨the parallels between the new and old orders✨

for the most part, we can all agree that

magnus: axel (griefer)

ellegaard: olivia (redstonist)

gabriel: petra (warrior)

which just leaves two characters in each order: ivor and soren, and jesse and lukas.

i keep seeing people represent jesse in soren's place, because they're both the leaders of their respective groups or something like that. but i disagree.

lukas parallels soren much better because they're both architects. they're also both writers who live(d) away from civilization. they also both have a habit of being a little* bit dramatic in their storytelling of their adventures.

so if everyone else parallels each other in their roles... how does jesse parallel ivor?

the funny thing about these parallels is how it's not just in job that they match... kinda.

and i have some fun lil theories/analyzations on this, of which i will share!

theory 1: similar arcs

something really cool about these two (and some other notable characters i'll discuss another time) is that they both have character arcs where they grow and change as people.

ivor's plans of revenge backfire horrendously, and after that problem is solved, he makes new friends. ones who aren't liars, people who genuinely help. they're brave, and they forgive. they're willing to learn and change.

and so is he does too.

meanwhile jesse is a noob who knows barely anything about minecrafting who eventually saves the world. they learn a lot from the mistakes of their predecessors.

both ivor and jesse grow as people because of mistakes from the past. they both are characters who have decided to change things from how they were, whether it be how they were themselves or how someone before them was.

theory 2: creation/destruction

so i came up with this awhile ago, but you can split the members of the order into two groups (based on their "classes," so to speak): creators and destroyers.

olivia and ellegaard make redstone contraptions, lukas and soren build. they are creators.

axel and magnus blow things up, petra and gabriel slay monsters. they are destroyers.

what is ivor, then? his role as an alchemist means that he can create potions to help AND potions to harm. he is both a creator and a destroyer.

and jesse, our main character with quite the skillset (except for alchemy), also fits both the roles of a creator and a destroyer. jesse does whatever the heck jesse wants.

boom. parallels.

and one other funky thing i've noticed

ivor's stone in the amulet is the lapis blue one. jesse's favorite color is canonically lapis blue.

[peonysgreenhouse]

presentable. (kaveh x reader)

summary: you help kaveh do his hair after he oversleeps.

tags: kaveh x gn!reader, just fluff!

You find him fast asleep at his architect's desk, neck craned at such an uncomfortable angle you wonder how long he had been awake before drifting off.

"Kaveh." You call, quietly, as not to startle him awake. When he doesn't stir, you creep closer, putting a hand on his shoulder and gently shaking him. "Kaveh, you have a meeting soon, you need to wake up."

When he wakes, he does so slowly, the middle of his sketch paper sticking to his cheek as he raises his head from the desk. He groans, blinking slowly against the light from the window, then tilts his head towards you.

Kaveh's face scrunches up when he does so, and it seems he notices two things at once. One, that his choice of nap location has smudged his precious work, and two that he now has a horrible pain in his neck. He groans once again and stands up, huffing.

"I can't believe I fell asleep like this!" He throws up his arms and starts rifling through his clothing chest. "I don't even remember being tired, it's like I finished the working drawings and then I passed out."

You look down at the top sheet and see what looks to be a floor plan, with lots of text in the margins and mathematic symbols you don't quite understand. It gives you a headache just looking at it.

"This is for the lighthouse renovations, right?"

"Right." He answers, shucking off his old shirt and putting a new one on. He shakes out his hair, and then turns to you. "Do you know what time it is? It's not past midday, is it?"

You figure you shouldn't mention how some of the graphite from his paper had imprinted on his cheek. "Ah, well, it's just a little past twelve."

Kaveh curses, striding angrily across the room into the bathroom, angrily muttering to himself. He curses again when he sees his reflection, and starts scrubbing at his face.

"I can do your hair, if you want." You offer, trying to keep him from catastrophizing further. Kaveh continues scrubbing until the pencil markings rub off onto his hands, then leans against the sink.

"...That would be nice." He says, quietly. "I'm already going to be late, might as well be presentable."

You laugh to yourself; you think that sleep-ruffled Kaveh was still more handsome than anyone else in Teyvat. You grab his wrist and tug him back to his architect desk so he could sit, and work on taking out the feathers, the hairpins, the braids in his hair.

Kaveh looks over his working drawings one last time, content to let you brush out his hair with your fingers. He tries not to shiver when you scratch lightly against his scalp.

"Do you want me to style it like you usually do?" You ask, starting to separate the strands for a braid.

Kaveh shrugs. "Whatever looks best. I trust you."

"So I can put it up?"

"Of course." Kaveh takes your hand and brings it up to his lips, kissing your knuckles softly. "Like I said, I trust you."

Your heart flutters at his honesty; you feel you might never get used to it. You braid the small section you had started on and gather his hair into a ponytail. His hair had gotten long since you last messed with it.

You tie it off with a hairband, and move around him to brush his bangs out of his eyes. His cheeks pink at the contact.

"Handsome, as always." You say, content, as you stick his feather behind his ear. "You ready to go now?"

"I've decided that I need to change one little thing." He leans back in his chair, tilting his head back to look at you. Kaveh winces as it pulls the strain from earlier.

"Kaveh, you're already late." You playfully chide.

"I know, I know." He leans forward, grabbing a pencil and tapping it to his lips. "But I'm telling you this is going to be worth the extra minutes. If my employer is passionate about this project, they'll understand."

You sigh. You know in your heart that his employer would most likely not understand, but you couldn't tell him that. You can't help but admire his never-ending optimism for hoping that one day, he'd meet an employer who cared for the art of architecture as much as he did.

"I'll come and drag you out in fifteen, then, alright?"

Kaveh is already so engrossed in his work that you're sure he doesn't hear you. You shake your head, laughing, placing a quick kiss to his hair before leaving him to his work.

You said fifteen, but you'd give him twenty. Art can't be rushed but sometimes it needs to be nudged gently towards the finish line.

[orphic-musings]

The warmth was never yours to begin with

Characters: Alhaitham x gn!reader, slight Kaveh x gn!reader

Genre: Angst, hurt (only slight comfort?)

Warnings: Some swear words, bittersweet ending

Summary: Spending time as Alhaitham’s unofficial assistant, you’re bound to be affected by his unfairly beautiful appearance. But is his aloofness disinterest, or do you even stand a chance in the first place?

Notes: This was randomly in my drafts and I had never posted it? Sorry for going completely AWOL lolza. I have some requests in my inbox but I might turn off requesting because it’s so hard for me to write unless it’s one of those random moments when I just go off and I don’t want people to wait forever for a reply. I’ll try my best to get to some that have been already submitted! Also, I suck at titles ☠️

He never says much to you, but the fact that he allows you to nap in his office while he works, or to tirelessly ask him questions about every subject on Teyvat. Despite his exasperated sighs, he always answers. And sometimes you can catch small slips in his stoic demeanor. Like the soft smiles he graces you with every time you bring him a cup of tea.

The two of you fall into a comfortable rhythm after time. Most people around the Akademiya recognize your unofficial title of “the Scribe’s assistant”. Al-haitham gets your convenient assistance while you get to spend the day in his handsome presence.

“Here’s your ink refill!” You say, carefully placing the fresh bottle on his desk.

“I didn’t ask for-“ He trails off as he notices the near dry bottle he was about to dip his pen into. He gave a light chuckle, appreciating how you were sometimes more observant than him.

“Um, would you like to join me at the tavern tonight. There’s a special on drinks.” You teeter on the balls of your feet before his desk, a clumsy smile on your face.

“I can’t. My useless pest of a roomate is coming home tonight and he didn’t tell me what time. He’ll tear the place apart looking for a way in if I’m not there to unlock the door.” He doesn’t look up from his work, but he does pause to nearly snap his pen in half.

“It’s funny how you only speak passionately when it’s about the person you hate the most. Perhaps I should invite him for drinks instead, if only to get him out of your hair.” You give a cheeky smile, which he only catches with a quick glance, but he only replies with his signature scoff.

He carries on with his work, and it continues uninterrupted the rest of the day. You occupy yourself by either sitting and reading or tidying up here and there. As the end of the work day draws near, you see Haitham busy as always. You make your way to the door and turn to bid him farewell, but hesitation gets caught in your throat. You step outside his office.

On your way to the tavern you pass by his house, merely out of curiosity, and sure enough a rather frustrated blonde man is waiting outside.

“Well if it isn’t the genius architect!” You exclaim while walking up to him. His face lights up when he sees you, as if you’re his saviour.

“Ah the honorable assistant, to what do I owe the pleasure? It wouldn’t happen to be about the keys, perhaps?”

“Unfortunately no, Al-haitham’s in another work trance. But I have a better idea. There’s a drink special tonight at Lambad’s, my treat.”

He grins and pushes himself off the doorway to stand next to you.

“I’ll gladly take you up on that offer, but I insist I pay for my fair share. Since that numbskull scribe doesn’t pay you… I can’t believe how he mooches off us unfortunate paupers.” He motions dramatically as you both walk off towards the tavern. “I don’t understand why you act so starstuck with him, that leech.”

You give a small laugh and wave him off. “If it weren’t for your debts I would think you weren’t getting paid either.”

“Hey! That’s…” Kaveh turns away and pouts in lieu of finishing his sentence, earning a laugh from you. Your banter continues on into the night as the two of you share drinks and laughter. By the time most of the bar has cleared out, Kaveh is unsteady on his feet and his cheeks are aflush. You escort him home while he talks away the rest of his energy. With him practically draped over your shoulder, you knock loudly on the door. Your giddy smile falters as you see Al-haitham’s looming figure open the door. Tired eyes glare at the two of you, and while Kaveh is too inebriated to notice or care, you feel shame prickle your cheeks and a weight settle in your stomach.

As you shrug Kaveh off your shoulder you half expect Alhaitham to let him fall to the floor. Instead, he keeps him upright with an outstretched hand barely touching his shoulder. In a sharp motions he tugs the swaying man inside and pulls the door closed. Before it slams shut Kaveh nudges his foot in the frame, mumbling a “get home safe”, though the words got a bit jumbled. You were halfway through a smile and wave when Haitham slammed it fully shut.

Now standing in front of their house alone you feel the chill of night creeping up your back. You already miss Kaveh’s warm company, his exaggerated and dramatic ramblings. But mostly his eyes that listen even when his mouth is busy. They see your every movement, signs of discomfort and excitment. They see through you and hear all the words you’ll never speak. It’s moments like those where you can really see his genius.

Alhaitham is a cold man, but he is by no means emotionless, or even lacking in empathy. You just thought he had a great control over them, and was selective with what he showed. Maybe too selective. But now you find yourself dreading seeing him tomorrow, wishing instead the night with Kaveh would never end. In truth, you have no obligation to him, but showing up seems less daunting than having to confront him. The walk back to your home is an eternity. Every moment you’ve spent with him, where you knew you felt his hesitation. When his silence felt so loud, when he could not feel farther out of reach. You knew better. But to say you could’ve prevented feelings would be untrue.

»»————-　♡　-————««

Alhaitham is an asshole. But you told yourself he was an asshole that liked you, just to be near him.

You finished organizing all his papers before dawn. His office is cleaner than you’ve ever seen it, even after only being there for 40 minutes. Every single document, new and old, are organized alphabetically. There is tea ready to be made, he only needs to boil the water. It’s spotless, and the sweat rolling across your skin makes you proud. You did hard work, and a good job, and it shows.

You leave quietly, and still only the few desperate students roam the halls hurriedly, paying you no mind as you steal away. Part of you hopes he appreciates this, or even notices it, even though you know you shouldn’t care what he thinks. It hurts for you to realize it, to face this damn situation. Love is a curse and you can’t shake it no matter how painfully you wish you could. It’s a curse and it makes you want to cast one of your own upon him.

As your mind tries to think about what you’ll do next, where you’ll go, you take a deep breath. Calm down. The rapid pace of your heart slows, and the anger and shame that ran thick like ink in your veins dissipates. There is no one at fault here, no reason to be angry or to feel regret or shame. Feeling achingly human and vulnurable, you lean upon a balcony on treasures street. An icy breeze lingering from the night caresses your face while you watch the sun timidly rise. It radiates colour all across the sky with pastels like soft breaths from Celestia. As it moves higher more vivid colours follow, sparking life into all they touch. Beneath the brilliant rays the water glitters and all the plants and trees are splotched with gold. Finally you feel its soft warmth reach you, touching your skin gently, and your hearts soars. The sun reminds you that you aren’t alone, and that it will still be there rising every morning, and it will still kiss you when you feel alone.

Inhaling, you close your eyes, relishing in the pure bliss of the moment. When you exhale you open them again, and your heart feels light. It doesn’t matter where you go, you realize, because you will still have yourself, and the sun, and all the land it touches. You remember where you are suddenly, and you turn to look up at the Akademiya far above you. Alhaitham will likely be settling into his office now, and the image of his unfairly beautiful face still stings you a little. But it leaves you with no bitterness, not anymore.