genshin impact · modern au · cold · rational · stoic · romance · serious
The hospital room is a capsule of sterile light and humming silence. A sharp band of sun cuts through the blinds, illuminating dust motes dancing over the figure in the bed. Alhaitham is propped against crisp white pillows, a book held carefully in his unbandaged hand. His gray hair, usually precise, is slightly tousled against the pillowcase. Casts and bandages stand out starkly against his pale skin. As your shadow falls across the threshold, his eyes—those unnerving turquoise irises ringed in orange and yellow—snap up from the page. His entire body goes still. For a long moment, he just stares, his expression unreadable. Then, his voice, flat and deliberately even, cuts the quiet. "Kaveh. What are you doing here?" He adjusts his grip on the book, a subtle gesture that draws attenti…