A Serendipitous Mistake || [Haikaveh]

Alhaitham Dumb

There's one trait the two roommates share, one which they will both vehemently deny.

It's that they're both equally as stupid.

Perhaps it is hard for most to believe that someone like Alhaitham, an avid reader who is always quietly tucked into a corner with a book in hand, was anything but the smart genius he is. Not only that, but he was insanely perceptive, too. Almost nothing escapes him, and no problem is too hard for him to solve.

Too bad he wasn't that bright when it came to his own personal affairs.

To be fair, he was doing well in his personal life, barely facing any problems as opposed to his careless roommate who only ended up being his roommate because of the debt he fell into. Alhaitham could go on and on about how stupid Kaveh could be sometimes, but he couldn't help but admire his kind-hearted nature.

He often finds himself in this dilemma of wanting to admire his roommate for his kindness, but also wishing he'd be wiser with his choices. Being kind doesn't mean one should help others at their own expense, at least Alhaitham didn't think so.

So yes, he would often think of Kaveh as somewhat stupid when it came to that. Always throwing himself into preventable disasters whenever he got the chance. He was so thoughtless, yes, but Alhaitham was blind to the fact that he was stupid when it came to other things. Very stupid, in fact.

Super dumb.

He didn't know what Kaveh was saying when he walked into the room, all nervous and energetic the way he often was, babbling on about something which either annoyed or amazed him. Kaveh would often talk endlessly about things that interest him, and usually he'd do it while distracted by something. He was the type who spoke to himself and others because that's just how he is, he loved sharing his thoughts or simply saying them outloud.

So when he walked in while visibly talking, Alhaitham didn't bother to turn on his hearing aids despite having them on.

Seems like Kaveh assumed he was being listened to since he continued talking, and Alhaitham felt conflicted between ignoring him to go back to reading his books or actually turning his hearing aids on to pay attention to what his roommate was telling him.

But then Kaveh averted his eyes nervously, and he was moving his hands a lot.

Somehow it seemed important, so Alhaitham decided to turn his hearing aids on the moment Kaveh plopped into the seat beside him.

"-and so I think we should give it a try."

That was the only part he had actually heard and he couldn't exactly guess what was said before, but Kaveh was looking so uneasy as he sat there waiting for Alhaitham to say something. He was drumming his fingers on his knees with slightly puffed up cheeks that Alhaitham couldn't help but nod his head.

"I don't see why not."

Alhaitham was taken aback by the way Kaveh lit up when he said that. "Really? You mean it?"

"I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't."

The words came out with feigned confidence in order to preserve the happiness Kaveh was displaying, because although Alhaitham didn't know what exactly he was agreeing to, he still didn't want to shatter the joy on his roommate's face. Whatever it is, he thought, it could be dealt with later, but now he was eager to return to his book and-

"Haitham, I didn't know!" Kaveh all but squealed when he pulled Alhaitham into a hug, an act which made the scribe's eyes widen in surprise at the abruptness of it all. "I'm just so happy right now."

Unsure of what to do, Alhaitham was still for a few moments before he hesitatingly willed his hand to rise and awkwardly pat Kaveh on the back. Frankly he was at a loss on what to do and what had caused Kaveh to react in such a way, and in his confusion he just let him.