Some old dating Sims have plots like, if you confess under this tree or at the location upon graduation you will be together forever... I wonder if the Akademiya has a lil local myth like that. They definitely have the idea of joint research being the basis for a family after all
also I wonder if during the Akademiya Days, Kaveh was already friends with Alhaitham when he went on the research trip that had the cave in🤔Imagine Alhaitham hearing about it after, seeing Kaveh hurt... having his first taste and true understanding of how self-sacrificing Kaveh is
The fact that Alhaitham and Kaveh's fallout was public but also quickly forgotten about because this kind of thing happens all the time in the Akademiya is like...... Sumeru are you OK?
"aww... you had a crush on me." "we're married." "still..." meme but haikaveh flavored. I actually like the idea of Alhaitham learning Kaveh had a crush on him in the Akademiya and was planning to confess after Alhaitham graduated, it'd buoy him sooo much wrt his own pining too
Naturally Kaveh does not tell Alhaitham this piece of information persay, it's more Alhaitham finds out when Kaveh is feeling secure and sentimental enough to go through his old scrapbook while Alhaitham is in the same room, and, perhaps, old love letter falls out...
"Alhaitham fell first and harder" OK I see the vision. But. Let's not forget Kaveh is the one gushing over Alhaitham in his journal pre-fallout. I HC he fell first (and hard at that) but didn't realise the depths of his feelings... at all. While Alhaitham realised his 'too late'.
Alhaitham rationalises his feelings and strikes me as the type who would have thought it's fine, he can go alone unlike a certain someone. Except then his own expectations are subverted as he's struck by a yearning he's never felt before. His feelings are almost retrospective.
Another reason why Alhaitham doesn't realize until too late is Kaveh was his first friend, he had no further context for how different his feelings from friendship might be.
Kaveh does. But. Kaveh is the type to repress and justify it as finding his first intellectual equal.
Honestly I imagine a lot of the time spent post-fallout and even up to having Kaveh invited back to his home was Alhaitham trying to rationalize his own feelings/obsession as well. Thus the mirror theory, and having Kaveh as a research subject. He KNOWS Kaveh is exceptional tho.
By which I mean Alhaitham has definitely had a Darcy-esque epiphany that he will love Kaveh despite all reason (or because of...?) and now he might as well test and examine it and Kaveh at every angle 😏
Kaveh does. But. Kaveh is the type to repress and justify it as finding his first intellectual equal.
i must put this man in a jar and study him