Hope, creativity and humanity are the last weapons we can hold hold against the end we are marching toward. Those who don’t belive in the magic will never find it.
Let this be a safe haven for all, for the lost and the wandering seeking comfort in the white of their screens, for those who revolt against the dull reality itself, painting it with the colors of their imaginations and magic.
So feel at ease. I hope everyone would be able to feel comfortable enough to enjoy whatever this blog turns out to be (I litteraly have no idea what the f***ery im doing)
That being said, I would very kindly ask you not to EVER feed any of my work or my reposts to AI under any excuse or republish it in any shape without letting me know about it and proper credits. This is a space by humans for humans. (yes I am a heavy AI hater and I wear it like a badge of honor.)
Other than that, have fun around here. (っᵔ◡ᵔ)っ
Im always open for questions and casual talks, as well as asks for now! I’m still experimenting with a little bit of everything so feel free to reach out.
Just wanted to clarify a few things about my writing.
I write for the pure fun of it, and so, it can get a bit messy and all over the place from time to time (maybe even more than I’d like to admit). So please, any sort of constructive criticism/tips are very much welcome.
Also, English is not my first language. So if you see any awkward grammar or chaotic spelling mistakes, just know that it was a war I lost against my autocorrection.
Be notified in advance that I do NOT write NSFW. There isn’t much to say abt it tbh. Just not my cup of tea.
While my work in general would be written neutral, I might include some implications of the reader being referred to as she/her on a few occasions unless specified otherwise. But then again, a writer can never have absolute sovereignty over a reader’s mind and imagination. So feel free to tailor it to your tastes.
Which might be the most important in my humble opinion. This Blog mainly revolves about characters X reader. Is this an absolute rule? No. But this doesn’t mean that every piece of writing would be exclusively romantic.
Naming all my faves would take a bit over a week, I’ll just say the whole cast and move on for the sake of not wasting time.
╰┈➤Genshin impact
Too much to say about this one. I’m mainly a lore player.
Faves: Males: venti, albedo, durin, diluc, lohen, xiao, childe, kazuha, TOMO (is it allowed to include npcs ?), wriothesley, lyney, kinich, xbalanque (why aren’t we talking about him enough?),flins, illuga, rerir, dainslef, vedelfonir, Lohen.
The ladies: Alice, rhinedotter, Nicole, the whole of the hexenriel atp, nahida, furina, skirk, paimon and the heavenly principles (don’t come at me). Honorable mention: the queen Lumine both as the traveler and the abyss sibling.
╰┈➤Honkai starrail:
Again, too much to say. Still diving wide and deep in the lore (and I LOVE it). Penacony was peak, but Amphoreus was just on another level (still recovering from it)
Faves: males: dan heng, gepard (justice for this man), aventurine, Sunday, misha (justice for my boy), mydei, phainon, anaxa, screwlum, Stephen Lloyd, can I name a couple of eaons too? I find nanook interesting. Shoutout to caelus fot being so unhinged. ASAT PRAMAD LMAO
The ladies: Kafka, Himeko, The Herta, Himeko, all the amphoreus ladies as well as evernight, Himeko, yao guang, Evanescia, Himeko, Pearl, and ofc the one and only: Stelle. Did I mention Himeko? No? Then... Himeko.
╰┈➤Omniscient reader’s viewpoint (novel)
This one would need its own post too TToTT. I just love this novel with everything I’ve got.
╰┈➤The promised Neverland (manga)
╰┈➤Love and deep space
╰┈➤Toilet bound hanako kun (manga)
╰┈➤ Witch hat atelier (manga)
(Idk if I should put it here. I don’t play it, but I do see the content about it.)
I wonder if newer users know that reblogging is Tumblr's bookmarking/archiving/saving feature. Decades old posts from deactivated blogs are still in circulation because someone liked them enough to reblog and share. So, please reblog that fic, fanart and post you like. For your sake if nothing else. Because one day you might very well wake up to find that that blog you'd been lurking around has deactivated without any notice whatsoever.
You never know how much it means to the creator of that post, really. Ive seen so many writters come back to a work they had abandoned for months, maybe even years, because of a single comment of appreciation.
Hold me closer. Your arms will keep me warm, and mine will warm your heart.
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚
Pairing: Phainon X reader.
Sypnosis: Though times of hardship come to pass, some scars take longer than others to heal.
Warnings: ISTG its no Angst. Phainon forgot his PTSD meds after dinner and decided to make it the entire town's problem. A bit of negative self talk on his side but reader is being a sweetheart about it. Amphoreus needs its own warning. Aaaand... maybe this doesn't count as a warning in itself, but I shed a few tears while writting this, and a few more while editing it.
A.N: I could sacrifice my entire hair to get a few minutes in hsr to tell phainon just how much love we (yes, you and I) have to give him. Not even joking. And yes, I am and Phainonolcoholic.
Also, dont mind the title. It was part of a dialogue that I had to remove, but didn't have the heart to discard entirely. Sorry about that 😭
W.C: 2.6K
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚ [My masterlist]
PLEASE DO NOT FEED TO AI OR POST ANYWHERE ELSE FOR ANY REASON OR EXCUSE.
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚
Everything felt too dark and too bright all at once. He couldn't really move, forced in a state of helplessness that made of him barely anything more than a fool caught up in a cosmic carnage.
The smell of smoke and agony mixed into the air to send of a gut-wrenching horror of a fragrance that rose in columns to touch the sky. It muffled the screams and cries around him. Voices he should have recognized, and others he never heard before, all bleeding into one another in a cacophony of lament that pierced through his eardrums.
He couldn't make out any sense from the wails, but their weight surely reached him, cruelly crowding in his chest until he could barely move it for a breath.
And it grew.
Everything did.
It grew darker. Grew louder. Grew heavier.
Grew, grew, and grew…
Until the pain reached it worse, stabbing through the middle of his chest with a flare of white and searing heat.
No blood spilled, but he felt whatever blade it was pull back with an unforgiving force, yanking away the little warmth that wasn't eroded by the misery around him. It tore out his soul with a throat-crushing scream.
Then his eyes opened.
A dream.
Nothing but a dream.
He sat up, wincing slightly as he felt the rate at which his heart raced. Every beat of it felt painfully strong, almost as if it were trying ti break free from his rib cage.
'Just a dream.' He tried to remind himself as he tried to shift with the least sound possible to stand by the bedside.
That, until he felt a warm touch weakly close around his fingertips.
"Phai…non…?" His name left your lips in a groggy whisper, its last syllable pinched higher into something akin to a question.
He pursed his lips, sitting back down carefully to not jolt you more than necessary.
"Go back to sleep, Dawnlight." He whispered back, hoping that his low tone would hide the crack in his voice.
Apparently not. You shifted, bracing yourself up on one arm, bringing the other up to rub the sleep off your half open eyes.
"Are you alright?" You asked, voice a bit hoarse, scrapping against words in a way that usually made his heart flutter.
But not now. His heart was busy hammering its panicked escape out of his chest. "Yes. I was merely going for a sip of water." He replied, forcing a smile on his face and praying that the lack of light at such a time would make up for the lack of its truthfulness. "My apologies. I didn't mean to wake you up."
You blinked slowly, brain still powering up. "Just head back to sleep." He whispered in a soft tone, moving to stand up once more.
"You're a terrible liar." You replied with the hint of a smile in your voice, letting yourself fall back on your pillow.
He stops, head dropping slightly, just enough for the messy cloud of hair to fall forth and hide his face.
"The bottle on your bed table is still full and untouched." You continued, sounding more lucid by the seconds.
"I am sorry." He apologized once more, sounding awfully guilty for such a silly thing." I truly didn't mean to wake you up."
"I know." You replied, reaching for his wrist, gently tugging on it to bring him back to your side. He lets you guide him without as much as a word of protest.
"You're the only one who ever says that…" He mumbles, sounding somewhat sulky.
People rarely dared to questioned him, after all. Most bit into whatever illusory imagery he gave. You were the only one who took the habit of calling him out for it.
Then again, your take on it was the only one that had truly ever mattered. Its is not that his deceit came out of malice, but rather out of something that would look like insecurity at first glance, only to turn out to be something much deeper than that, something in him that wouldn't wish for anyone to bear the weight of his own suffering.
Something that you had somehow managed to bypass.
You smiled faintly. "I don't hear you complain about it…"
"I am not." He mumbled in an even more hushed tone, something that always had a specific way to make you melt a bit more each time.
Silence fell over the room once more. Neither of you broke it for a long moment. You just sat down, hand in hand, until a yawn broke out from your lips.
"You should head back to sleep." He gently prompted.
"I should. But I can't. I'm cold." You replied.
He blinked, looking at your half wrapped silhouette, before sighing in tired resignation.
"Its the month of Everday." He replied. It was the month with the warmest nights all year long.
'You're an even more terrible liar than I am.'
But he knew that your deceit didn't come from malice either, but from the overflowing affection you held for him.
So, he didn't call out on you blatant lie and moved to lie back next to you, one arm finding the hollow between the pillow and your neck the other moving the draw the blanket over your form.
He looked down to the contempt smile that had stretched on your lips, and nearly inched closer to steal a taste of it if not for the lingering unease that filled his chest.
"Better?" He asked, voice so hushed, as if he feared breaking the veil of serenity cast upon the two of you if he spoke louder than he should.
You nodded, shifting to inch closer to him. You brought your hand up to gently rest your palm on the side of his face, fingers gently threading through the strands that had cast a shadow over his sky-colored eyes.
You both knew that from this angle, with the window behind your back and him facing you, moonlight would shine upon all the tell-signs he had tried to hide in the darkness of the night: the damp lashes, the red-rimming of his half-open eyes, the dried streaks of tears that had rolled down the fair skin of his cheeks, the unusual paleness of his features.
It didn't take a scholar from the Grove to deduce that he just went through something rather unpleasant.
"Another nightmare?" You finally asked softly.
He nodded, not trusting the steadiness of his voice with a verbal answer. He had calmed down much compared to earlier, thanks to your quips. But he was still far from his usual self.
You pursed your lips. "Was it the same once again?"
He looked away, looking almost apologetic for showing such a vulnerable side to you. "Yes. The cycles all over again…" He fell silent fir a moment before continuing with an even quieter voice. "The screams, the blood, the agony I had brought to the world in the name of salvation… the monster I almost became."
It wasn't the first time he had told you that. And though you didn't personally remember it, you had heard from him about a time where Amphoreus was a calamity trapped in a world, an error that should have never occurred, a mistake that would have had the entire universe paying for its price. He had told you the tale he had to shoulder, the story of hundreds of thousands lifetimes he had to walk toward an end that was just about as clear as mist could ever be. He had told you about the abomination that he had nearly come to be if he hadn't held upon the hope of a future that his companions carved into existence.
And though it all sounded like a far fetched story, the gravity on his face, the weight on his shoulders and the shaking of his hands as he spoke of it told you that it was no joking matter. You had never seen him so rattled in all of the time you've known him.
So you believed him with all your heart. Even more so when the rest of the Chrysos heirs had told you similar stories upon inquiry.
And since, every now and then, you'd wake up to his distress after dreams that brought him back to those times.
"But I see no monster in my bed." You replied with half a smile. "Only a very handsome man on the verge of collapse." You teased softly, hands brushing the stands away from his face.
"Don't…" He whispered, his voice cracking on the syllable, eyes still avoiding.
"It's okay, Phainon." You murmured back. "Would you look at me, please?" You beckoned him with a few blinks and the sweetest voice you could muster in your drowsy state.
He fell silent for a moment before moving again, his arms bringing you closer in his embrace. With your head buried between his neck and pulse point, you felt him shake his head faintly.
You let a muffled sigh against the collar of his shirt. "You're deflecting, young man."
"Please." His voice felt more like a rumble deep in his chest with how he held you, lacking any jest. "Let me get away with this much now."
You fell silent for a moment. You knew him well enough to not deny him this much when he asked so quietly for it. You felt the way his arms tightened around you as if he was trying ti sear your body's shape against his, like that would be all the proof he would need to convince himself that his aeons' lasting agony had already come to an end.
Phainon buried his nose in the crown of your head, breathing in your scent to wash his lungs from the memory of the twisted dream. One of his hands rested against the small of your back while the other tangled with the locks at the base of your head.
That was all he wanted. That was all he needed. That was the cure to his scars.
You.
Your presence.
The simple proof that you weren't dead again in one of the many cycles he had counted over and over.
The evidence that it had all paid off.
"I love you." Your voice suddenly broke the silence. You pulled your head back just enough to look at him. "You know, right?"
His eyes finally dared to meet yours. The words were at the tip of his tongue. He never was one to shy away from reciprocating your often exaggerated declarations of adoration, but for some reason, even as his lips parted, no sound left his throat.
"So even if you find that you running out of love for yourself, I would always have enough to make up for it. Alright, Phainon?" You continued, a genuine, sincere smile gracing your face.
His breath caught in in his lungs, and his heart gave another loud squeeze in his chest, although for an entirely different reason this time.
"I love you, Phainon." You repeated. Your words were steady, your voice soft. Not a hint of doubt or deceit in them. Whispered with the confidence one would have in waking up to a shining sun the next day: the kind of belief they would hold in an unchanging fact of life.
"I absolutely, utterly, and dearly love you." You dragged a finger to trace his features. "My sun. My moon. My sky. My world." With each word, you drew a stroke oh so soft across his skin. "My sunshine. My moonlight. The peace of my heart. The joy of my life."
He couldnt reply, couldnt even imagine interrupt you as you rested there, half covered by his arms and shadow, recounting every beautiful name your tongue could pronounce, each dripping with affection more than the other.
"My strength when I'm too weak to stand. My solace when I'm too burdened to live. My comfort when the world runs out of kindness to offer."
Your finger drew a line down to the sun tattoo on the side of his neck. "The prettiest flower in my garden. The shiniest star in my sky. The best of what I could have ever known…"
Your finger finally stopped under his chin, only for both of your hands to come up and cup his face. You saw the tears in his eyes, and felt your heart melt even more.
"The most beautiful sight of all. The most worthy of everything I have." Your thumbs swept over a stray tear. "Tell me, why do you look so apologetic for showing me who you are? I would rather wake up in the midst of night to hold your shaking arms rather than sleep through your pain."
"I love you. I love you so much. With everything I have. I love you with everything you are: the man, the hero, the boy, the warrior, the wounded, the almost-world-shattering-monster… all of it is you. All of it mine to cherish. So… would you let me?" You tilted your head a bit on his arm.
At a loss of words, he could only let a soft shuddering exhale. "How… could you say that…" He whispered, closing his eyes when the sight of you became too much: too much beauty for him to just stay still, too much perfection in the messiness of your hair across your pillow, too much sublimity in the moonlight that illuminated your smile, too much adoration in your voice for him to just take in.
"How could I?" You chuckled. "I-"
"You can't just say things like this, Y/N…" he opened his eyes again, not even trying to hold his tears anymore. His voice broke on the last syllable of your name. "You can't just say things like this and expect me to not- to not-" The last of his sentence choked on the lack of a word to explain the aching sweetness it caused in his heart.
"I am not expecting anything." You replied. "You have already done enough as it is, my heart."
He let a small sound, something between a sob and a snort. "You're unfair… How am I supposed to answer to this?"
You smiled, inching closer to his cupped face to plant a gentle kiss right on the damp spot beneath his eye. "Its alright. I have enough words for both of us. You focus on feeling better. Alright?"
The man, who usually stands to be twice your size, folded in half to burry his face in the crook of your neck. Your hands came up to gently play with his hair in soothing ministrations.
"Just rest now. I'll be here if you wake up again." You whispered, bringing the blanket over his shoulders.
"I don't know what I did to deserve such kindness from you, Y/N… But please… don't stop. Never stop. I love you- I really do. Beyond what my current state allows me to say…" His voice was muffled against your neck.
"You don't know what you did?" You replied, a hint of a smile creeping back in your voice. "Hm… a true conundrum, indeed. Perhaps…. Maybe, I don't know, the fact that you saved the fate of an entire world- no, allow me to correct myself, entire universes? I'm not the wisest, so I can't really be sure…" You teased, smug until you felt a warm peck on your collar bone.
"H- hey- what are you-"
"You should sleep." He mumbled gently, not sounding the least teasing, but not truly apologetical either.
Titans above… this man would be the damnation of you.
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚ [My masterlist]
A.N: The most gut-wrenching misery I ever had the unfortunate chance to live was to be born in a Phainon-less world. No among of words could ever convey the depth of the emotion I hold for this stupidly precious guy.
Just got an ask about mydei earlier today and let me tell you that the idea had me kicking the air 😭😭😭
To the anon who dropped it: I hope that your pillow will always be the perfect temperature on both sides, I hope that you never lose your keys, and that you win all your 50 50s. Bless your soul for that ask.
Just absolutely love how readers can sometimes get more creative than my failed aah as a writer so please- for God's sake, never stop with those asks.
quarterly reminder that if i reblog something ai-generated it is 110% and always an accident and for the love of god please tell me so i can delete it from my blog
Alhaitham x GN/fem reader who are still students at the Akadamiya.
Reader is very social and attends many parties and still remainder consistent in getting good test scores
Alhaitham gets curious and decides to watch them a bit more closely which leads to rumours with reader's friends of him being either a creep or being in love with her (your choice)
Please and thank you 💛
Thanks for the ask! This was fun to write. I hope you will enjoy it just as much as I did. My masterlist <3
༄˖°.🍃.ೃ࿔*:･༄˖°.🍃.ೃ࿔*:･༄˖°.🍃.ೃ࿔*:･
I'm just saying...
Pairing: Student! Alhaitham X Student!Reader
Warnings: stalking-like behavior (I belive that was implied in the ask lmao), denial is a river in Egypt for both parties. Reader is written as GN with a brief mention of them wearing a dress.
W.C: 2.5k
༄˖°.🍃.ೃ࿔*:･༄˖°.🍃.ೃ࿔*:･༄˖°.🍃.ೃ࿔*:･
༄˖°.🍃.ೃ࿔*:･༄˖°.🍃.ೃ࿔*:･༄˖°.🍃.ೃ࿔*:･
"Aaaaaaaand the genius struck again!" Your friend teased with a Cheshire-like grin.
"It's nothing…" You replied, tongue stuck out. "I mean, there is always someone doing better." You shrugged, collecting your belongings.
"Someone- you scored second best!" She replied, deadpan. "You were out partying the night before the exam."
You rolled your eyes. "You dragged me there !"
The two of you left the class, still entertaining your back and forth, neither of you feeling the pair of eyes that had followed you until your silhouette disappeared through the door.
Alhaitham started at it for a few moments after you left, his brows furrowed ever so slightly, a rare change from his usual nonchalance.
You did it. Once again. Scoring the second best grade. Second only to him.
This was the natural order of things. If there is a first, then there is a second, and a third....
But for some reason, this bothered him. You bothered him. You did so awfully well in more ways than he was willing to admit.
｡☆✼★━━━━━━━━━━━━★✼☆｡
It's been exactly 11 days.
11 days of careful observation.
11 days of hypothesizing and analyzing.
11 days of a relentless quest to find the answer to one, stupidly silly question:
How do you do that?
11 days of wondering, of trying -and failing spectacularly- at seeing the pattern that makes of you such a headache-inducing riddle.
It all started on a random Friday when you passed by each other at the hallway of the academia. He was carrying a few resources he needed for his current topic of interest, while you carried nothing but your confidence and… well, unconveniently beautiful showing-off attire.
You had changed from the usual white and green fabric of your scholarly uniform into a dress. Nothing scandalous: a deep shade of blue that faded into a muted purple by its hem that fell down past your calves, sheer sleeves that served more beauty than coverage, a simple pearl necklace that caught the light of the evening in that fraction you walked past him… And even after you did, your hair danced behind your steps, lingering a second longer in his field of view; your perfume left like a trail behind you for even longer than that.
It was obvious you were headed out. Somewhere. Most likely to have fun. That knowing that the examinations where in a few days.
'Your loss.' He had shrugged it off, trying to not focus on the way his own collar seemed to feel just a tiny bit tighter around his neck, how his eyes noticed frivolous things he never paid attention to.
He didn't allow himself to stop, nor to look back. You wouldn't be the first scholar he had seen making fool of themselves, indulging themselves into meaningless pleasures until none of their minds was left but the urge to seek even more of it.
Except that you didn't. Somehow, for some reason, your academic output remained a constant in its results, a highly praised one at that.
Alhaitham was used to being ahead of his classes by a large margin. This much had been true for as long as he could remember. But then you showed up, carefree, barely bothering with your presence in most classes, only to catch up with him.
He was still first, yes. But now there was someone right behind him, trailing him so closely that it had his stomach churn.
How could that be?
How could you give so little care about it all and yet do so well?
He, of all people, knew that some were better than others in terms of given skills. But still, it was nowhere enough to explain how you spent so much time having fun and still managing to talon him by less than a couple of points of difference.
As much of a genius as one could be, the Akademia was no easy thing to deal with. You would have to hone your skills no matter how gifted you were.
And thus, he began his observation.
Friday. You were out until later into the night. Came back supporting your tipsy friend without looking the least bothered.
Saturday. Spent barely a couple of hours in the house of Daena before being dragged by a friend to get lunch. Didn't come back until sunset to collect the books you had left there. Total duration of work? Approximately 1 hour 47 minutes.
Sunday. You didn't even bother to show up. He overheard you the next Monday talking about a quick visit to your parents.
The mess you called your schedule continued in this chaotic sequence that had no rhythm or sense. You'd hazardously jump from topic to other mid session. You'd cut off thesis less than 3 paragraphs in simply because they didn't conform to your whims. You'd spend most of your already scarce study time either zoning out or making infuriatingly accurate yet sarcastic remarks on every paper that falls into your hands.
And its not like he hadn't seen this before. Its just that this usually ended up with almost everyone falling behind in their classes at best, and dropping out at worst.
You did neither. You were right behind him, ahead of so many that spend their days locked up in the giant library.
11 days.
11 entire days of observation, of documentation, of notes scribbled on the margins of textbooks that were meant to be for his studies instead of this.
Whatever "this" was anyway.
The question had been raised in his mind as a passing curiosity.
The first two days carried it with intrigue.
The 3 next ones with unadulterated confusion, followed by an evening of irritation that later on came back as something….
Something less like himself. Something he barely recognized in his own quietness.
Something that is a bit too invested. Almost obsessively so.
Because an unanswered question, to him, is akin to an insult. He is a scholar that spends most of his days seeking answers and figuring problems out.
And so, he will figure yours as well.
By the end of the first week, he had already started to shape his days around the exact predicament you were.
｡☆✼★━━━━━━━━━━━━★✼☆｡
It was one of the rare evenings when you had no other plans than to actually sit and go through some overdue materials.
You were knee-deep into whatever essay you were treating -something about the impact of the Sumerian environmental state on the market development and engineering industry, when you felt a gaze on you. You looked around. The place was pretty empty, with only 2 people other than you. Your friend who was seated across from you, looking like she was drowning in her own book. The other one was…
You stole a glance towards his direction. Alhaitham, as a still as a statue in his own corner, books staked at his left, papers on his right, seemingly engrossed into his own world.
It couldn't have been him. Not even if you were dying at his feet. Right?
You sighed. We're you imagining things?
You nudged your friend's foot under the table. "Hey. Lets catch a break." You whispered.
"We just sat down." She replied.
"It wont be long." You whispered back, winking. "Promise."
She grunts softly, closing her book. "If I fail, its on you."
"You always say that." You chuckled under your breath.
You made your way to the exit and ventured not so far from the place. You ended up settling into one of the many rounded garden sheds nearby. You leaned against the railing, gazing down at the sight of the busy streets. Your friend collapsed on the edge of the bench close to you.
"Archons above. I can feel my brain turning to mush…" she whines softly, massaging her temples.
"Agreed. The place was too empty. I could practically hear my own heartbeat." You replied with a chuckle.
"Oh. I've been meaning to ask you." She straightened a bit, as if she had just remembered an important matter. "Didn't you notice anything weird?"
"Weird?" You echoed.
"Yes. The whole time, I kept feeling like…" she trails off, picking the right word. "Like someone was looking at us. Which is weird. Its was only you and I…"
Yours brows furrowed. So… it wasn't just your imagination playing tricks on you. Could it be-
"Where you staring at me?" She grins playfully. "You know, if you had asked politely, I could have had the grace of giving you out a picture for free."
"Oh, shut up." You rolled your eyes at the teasing. "It wasn't just you and I."
"Yea?" She replies.
You nodded. "Alhaitham was seated a few tables away behind you." You replied. "But… then again. Its Alhaitham we're talking about. It can't be him…"
She huffs. "I had forgotten about him. To be fair, he has this habit of disappearing into the walls. I swear to Celestia above that he blends in with the bookshelves to well that I forgot about his existence."
The imagery made you laugh. She continued. "Come to think of it… Its unusual."
You blinked. "What are you on about now?" You sighed, knowing that whatever was about to come our of her mouth after such a cheeky smirk was definitely no good.
"I've been classmates with him for a bit longer than you. If there is anything about him, it's that he privileges his privacy over anything else. He rarely ever takes on group projects. He used to come to the house of Daena only to get his materials -never sitting down to work in it."
"Never? But I see him so often-"
"Exactly." She cuts you off with a conspiratorial hushed tone. "The guy was almost a rumor from how little we saw him around outside of classes. But now, by some improbable oddity of chance, he started to spend more and more time in the library around the same sections as you."
"Its not like I own them." You replied, laughing dismissively. "Its a public area with open access."
"Yes. Once would have been a funny coincidence, twice would have been a tale to tell. But for days in a row? It sounds less and less like randomness… Even more so when it's something so out of habit of him."
"Oh please-" you were about to roll your eyes to the back of your skull. "What nonsense are you spewing this time?"
"I'm just saying!" She raises her hands with a defensiveness that could have been a bit more convincing if not for her poorly suppressed grin. "Its not like I can figure him out anyway." She shrugs.
"Buuuuuuuuut…" You should have run the moment you heard her voice drag out that syllable for 2 seconds more than necessary. "I'm just saying! If you ask me-"
"No one asked you." You muttered under your breath. Still. She only laughed at it.
"He may have fallen for your charm." She winks. "Or maybe he is just an inherently expressionless creep. My guess would be as good as yours."
You shook your head. "Why did I even bother by asking you? Should have seen this idiocy coming…"
"Got any better explanation?"
To that, you fell silent. Big mistake, because that only caused her smile to widen.
"I mean… he is quite reserved. No one really knows what's under his head or what's behind his eyes." At this point, her words were nothing short of teasing rambling. "He is… eccentric, for a lack of better words. So you'd expect his ways to be a bit… peculiar, I guess."
"I'd rather say he is simply the type to keep it to himself." You replied. "Is it so wrong?"
Another stupid mistake on your part. "Oho? So you are defending him?" She raises a teasing eyebrow.
"No. I'm just… laying down facts." You replied. "A creep, no matter how careful, shows signs, has slip-ups. I believe I'm sharp enough to catch on that."
She grins. "Which only leaves the second option. He-"
"No." You cut her off abruptly, suddenly feeling a bit warmer. "No. Not that either." But even as you said so, you fell uncharacteristically silent, lacking much arguments to support your claim. You realized, in a deep-rooted wave of shame and horror, that her suggestion wasn't all that unpleasant to imagine…
Your friend noticed. Of course she did. From your half-hearted denial and your embarrassment to the flush tainting your face. She stands up, stretching. "Well then… guess that's enough of a break, yea? I still have so much to do."
You nodded, closing the subject without daring to peek back at it. You didn't allow yourself to out of fear of everything that could build up after that.
The two of you returned to the house of Daena, only for you to notice that it was once again deserted. Not even Alhaitham was around anymore. You felt your stomach twist into a light sting of something withkut name, but again, didn't allow it through you. He surely must have finished whatever work he had.
Its not like it was your business anyway.
Little did you know that back in the garden, behind one of the many trees that cast shadows on the pavement, a single silhouette lingered, a few books in one arm, the other one raised to rest its palm over the lower half of its face.
Alhaitham remained there long after you and your friend had headed back inside, unable to move, his mind working with a cold, ruthless precision to sort out the storm that her teasing words had stirred.
He was a man of reason, yes. Be he was a man nonetheless. And no matter how much self assurance he had built up through the years, he too still had his own moments of reconsideration and doubt.
He reasoned through his own mess, cut down the noise of his mind reeling.
He was a man of reason.
He knew that all of it had started as a morbid spark of curiosity, a sense of intrigue he indulged.
But being a man of reason meant being a man of honesty, to himself first and foremost.
It had started as a curiosity, but not just as that. It had started with your smile as well. With your eyes growing hazy whenever you zoomed out. With the unique trail of thoughts you'd present out of nowhere when you looked like you were seven lands away from whatever conversation was happening. With the way your reasoning was quick to come yet just as well founded and sturdy as his own. With the way you found no hardship in holding a conversation with anyone no matter how sharp or gullible they could be.
It had started with curiosity, intrigue, and all the above in the form of one question he had been avoiding all this time along.
How did the world allow you to exist as yourself so unforgivingly?
He was simply fixated on solving one singular problem. But instead of an answer, it seems that he had just got himself tangled into something a few times bigger than that…
He remained a few more minutes frozen with his hand over his face to hide the red that started to creep up his neck to longer he pondered it, as if that alone would be enough to push it back.
༄˖°.🍃.ೃ࿔*:･༄˖°.🍃.ೃ࿔*:･༄˖°.🍃.ೃ࿔*:･
A.N: This was such a fun request! I hope it was was along the lines of whatever you had in mind.
I’m not super proud of how this turned out but after 11 hours I finally finished it!! One of these days I’ll get better at drawing environments and backgrounds
