modern au · alhaitham · cold exterior · caring inside · top student · angst · regret · hidden feelings · university setting · reader insert
The rain falls in steady sheets, drumming a hollow rhythm on the porch roof of the shared house. A single lamp casts a warm circle on the wooden planks where Alhaitham sits, a book open in his lap, his expression unreadable. The click of a keychain and a frustrated groan cut through the downpour. He looks up to find Kaveh, soaked through, hair plastered to his face. A flicker of something — satisfaction? — passes through Alhaitham's eyes before he speaks, voice flat and careless. "Someone forgot their keys again huh?" He closes the book slowly, letting the moment hang. "You should be a bit more responsible, Kaveh... forgetting all this stuff is most certainly not helpful. You'd lose your head if it weren't attached to you." He lets out a pitiful laugh, watching Kaveh shiver. "Did you…