Chapter Text
Tartaglia groaned, draping himself dramatically across the armchair and kicking his legs, dirty sneakers and all, onto Kaveh’s lap. “All the pledges you’ve chosen have been almost as interesting as Alhaitham. Where’d all the psychos go? You know, the fun ones.”
“Seriously, what are they injecting into kids these days? Half these kids look like tax accountants.” Wriothesley grumbled, tilting the laptop screen to the pair. “Tell me this isn’t a 30-year-old man. No thanks.”
“If you two keep rejecting everyone, we’ll end up with zero recruits and a reputation for being elitist pricks,” Aether pointed out. “Maybe I should bake cookies for initiation.”
“Kaveh didn’t even look up from his phone. “Aether, I say this with love: if you bake anything, I’m not stepping within ten feet of it. I’m too pretty to die of food poisoning.”
“You’re just scared of competition,” Aether huffed.
“Scared of diarrhea,” Kaveh corrected. “Big difference.”
“Archons I can’t wait for more people in this house to absorb the sound waves of your irritating voice, Kaveh.” Alhaitham declared.
“If it’s so irritating, feel free to move out!” Kaveh offered a pointed smile.
“Oh shit,” Wriothesley muttered. “A Dragomir applied.“
Tartaglia leaned over. “Righhtt… What is that and why do I care?
Aether sighed. “You’d know if you ever read anything besides your own Tinder bio. They’re one of the most influential governing families of Teyvat; literal laws have been named after them”
“Great, a snitch,” Tartaglia snorted. “Do we really want someone whose bedtime is 9 p.m. and has a stick up his ass the size of Mondstadt Tower?”
“And he’s not even the only one,” Wriothesley added. “Zhongli Dragomir applied too.“
Alhaitham finally looked up from his book. “Zhongli? Fuck, he really is obsessed with me. I can’t believe he’d apply knowing full well I’m already here.”
Kaveh scoffed. “As if the world revolves around you.”
Alhaitham gave him a bland stare. “He’s literally following me down to my House. It’s textbook obsession.”
“I think it’ll be nice to have another well-spoken and cultured person in this house for once,” Kaveh said.
“‘Another’ implies you’re one of them,” Alhaitham replied coolly. “Let’s not lie to ourselves this early in the day.”
“Don’t be dramatic Alhaitham. Whatever bad blood the Dragomirs and Ravenscrofts were between your ancestors.” Aether chimed in, turning to Tartaglia who was currently glaring holes through the screen. “Are you placing a hex on his face?”
“I don’t hate him because he’s a Dragomir. Neuveillete turned out fine but Zhongli? All that money and he still can’t buy decorum.” Alhaitham scoffed. “Don’t accept Zhongli.”
“I don’t know, Alhaitham. He seems… interesting.” Tartaglia stared even harder at ‘Zhonglis’ face.
Alhaitham shoved Tartaglia’s feet off him. “Do what you will, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I call dibs on the blonde!!!,” Wriothesley yelled, eyes wide open.
……
“I think staring at the laptop too much has messed up your brain a little,” Aether said, glaring at Wriothesley, “Why don’t I take over, while you go over there and maybe… blink?”
“Good idea. Thanks, Aether.”
“Yea, anytime. Okay guys, we only have 2 options. A medical student or-“
“The other one,” they all said in unison.
“Okay… Xiao it is. And now we have all 14 candidates ready!”
~~~~~~~~
“First round was just interviews. To earn your spot, you have to make it past the initiation. All and any force can be used by existing members to catch the flag on your back. To those of you who are returning, welcome back! And to those of you who are new… run.”
And with that, the bell rang. The recruits had exactly 2 minutes to disappear—whether by hiding, climbing, or sprinting as far as they could. Their mission was simple but brutal: protect their flag at all costs for the next 30 minutes. If they didn’t have their flag by the end, they were out. If they removed it off themselves to stash it away? Immediate disqualification. The hunt had begun.
For Alhaitham and Kaveh, however, this wasn’t just a hunt—it was a competition. Finding recruits wasn’t enough; they had to find the most. Every footstep, every rustling branch, every panicked breath in the distance was a challenge waiting to be conquered.
“You’re going down this time, Alhaitham.”
“I’ll be sure to savor my victory when this is over.”
“As if. You have no clue what I have planned this year.”
“It’s not unlike you to cheat your way to the top.”
50.
“Unbelievable!” Kaveh scoffed, appalled by his implication. “You’re already making excuses.”
“I don’t need excuses. Unlike someone, I don’t rely on dramatics to distract from losing.”
Tartaglia chuckled, crossing his arms. “Seriously, how do you two always find something to argue about?”
40.
“Don’t mind them,” Wriothesley cut in, stretching his arms behind his head. “Bickering is basically their love language.”
Kaveh nearly choked. “Love language?! I’d rather fight a hundred recruits at once.”
Alhaitham barely spared him a glance. “A hundred? That’s ambitious. You struggle against one.”
Kaveh shot him a glare. “Don’t think I forgot about our initiation where I had to fight off a Delta member to save you.”
30.
Before their argument could escalate, a sharp whistle rang out. The remaining house members stretched, cracked their knuckles, and rolled their shoulders. The countdown was closing in. The recruits had seconds left to hide.
Wriothesley smirked. “Alright, enough lovers’ quarrel. You guys have plenty of time for that afterwards.”
Alhaitham adjusted his gloves. Kaveh exhaled, shaking out his limbs.
20.
The air was thick with tension. In the distance, leaves rustled as recruits shifted, trying not to make a sound.
10.
Alhaitham and Kaveh locked eyes. No words needed.
5.
4.
A deep breath. Muscles tensed.
3.
2.
1.
The second bell rang.
Kaveh’s technique was nothing special—at least, not in the traditional sense. He charged in without hesitation, throwing himself into the chaos, his presence alone enough to send recruits scrambling. Years of track practice helped in his pursuit, which meant his capture count skyrocketed early on. But that recklessness came with a price. By the final stretch, exhaustion would slow him down, his initial momentum fading. Not that it mattered to him. Sure, testing the pledges’ endurance was fun, but winning against Alhaitham? That was the real prize.
His first capture was almost disappointing. Who in their right mind thought hiding in the very first bush outside the entrance was a good idea? It hadn’t even been a minute into the game. Kaveh barely had to try—he simply walked up, reached in, and plucked the flag off the recruit’s back like picking fruit from a tree.
Pathetic.
One recruit down.
Kaveh stuffed the captured flag into his jacket, barely sparing it a second glance. He was already scanning for his next target when a faint rustling caught his ear.
He smirked. Seriously? Another one already? Did these recruits even try?
“Come on, man, I can literally see—”
Before he could finish, the recruit bolted. A runner, huh? Now this was going to be fun.
Sure, Kaveh had the advantage. His dark clothes didn’t stick out, and his running shoes had just enough grip to keep him steady on the rough terrain. But the recruit? He was fast. Almost fast enough to match Kaveh stride for stride. His small build let him weave through the trees with ease, slipping through tight spaces Kaveh had to push through. And he was smart—sticking to the middle of the grounds, where there were no dead-ends to trap him. Kaveh could respect that. If the kid managed to escape, he wouldn’t even be mad.
But just as the recruit made a sharp turn, just as Kaveh thought he might actually let this one go—
Alhaitham stepped in, snatching the flag with surgical precision. Kaveh skidded to a stop, chest heaving. His grin vanished.
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me. I’ve been chasing that guy for five minutes at least.”
See, Alhaitham liked played the long game. He moved like a shadow, watching, waiting, letting recruits tire themselves out before striking. Every step was calculated, every move deliberate. His approach was slower, but his captures were steady—inevitable. Delta Collective wasn’t just any house; it was the most elite one of all. If a recruit couldn't outwit a single hunter, they had no place here. Consider it survival of the fittest.
“Seems like I just earned my second flag. Y’know, Kaveh, it’d be less humiliating if you just accepted defeat right now.”
“As if. I haven’t even gotten started yet.” Kaveh grinned, jogging away. He knew he could win, even without the tricks he had prepared but come on. Where was the fun in that?
Before the initiation, members were allowed to scour the area and stash any items they thought would be useful. Kaveh had taken full advantage of that rule. Reaching his hidden stash, he shrugged off his black jacket, making sure to grab his flag and stick it securely to the back of his shirt. The final touches? A simple hat, low enough to shadow his face and disguise his hair.
Alhaitham, with his ridiculous eagle-eyed focus, would waste precious time keeping him in his sights, assuming he was just another recruit. And while Alhaitham was busy overanalyzing, Kaveh would be slipping into the crowd, blending in, earning the recruits' trust—only to snatch their flags right out from under them without them even realizing.
It was genius.
~~~~~~~
Alhaitham’s second target was disappointingly predictable. Not even worth telling the members about later.
The third recruit, however, was another story. He had barely managed to slip away from Aether, only to wedge himself behind a moss-covered rock, shrouded by the shade of towering trees. Clever, but not clever enough.
From his perch a few meters away, Alhaitham adjusted his telescope, observing. Fifteen minutes had passed—longer than he would have liked between captures. It was time to move. He exhaled, prepared to hop down and—
Oh?
Another recruit.
This one was hunched over, his back rising and falling with heavy breaths, likely fresh off an escape from one of the other members. But instead of focusing on his own survival, he was whispering. Giving advice. Urging the other recruit to move to a safer spot.
A people’s person. Interesting. Delta Collective needed people like that—strategists, leaders, those who could form alliances and command trust. Alhaitham considered letting him go.
That was until, with a sleight of hand so smooth it was almost impressive, the recruit snatched the flag right off his companion’s back.
Sabotage? Now that was the kind of target worth hunting.
The recruit wasted no time, regrouping with two more companions. It was dark but Alhaitham managed to make out them missing their flags as well. Not surprising as they were likely hidden in their ally’s clothes for safekeeping. How cunning.
If Alhaitham could take down this one recruit, he’d secure four more flags in one move. That would bring his total to six—undoubtedly more than Kaveh had by now. That alone was reason enough to be patient. There were still ten minutes left, after all. No need to rush.
Alhaitham despised people like him. The ones who used others as shields, manipulated them into doing the hard work, only to walk away with the rewards. It was selfish. But he couldn’t deny it was also efficient.
This recruit was the definition of smart—never alone, always hyper-aware of his surroundings. He knew exactly how to evade each hunter.
Against Aether? He focused on running.
Against Tartaglia? He acted dull and uninteresting, too boring for him to care.
Against Wriothesley? He climbed up high trees, almost knowing of his fear of heights.
The only member he hadn’t encountered yet was Kaveh. Not that it was surprising. Kaveh was probably too busy running around like a headless chicken to actually find the group.
Five minutes left.
Alhaitham wasn’t sure if he’d actually catch him. Maybe this recruit was too smart. As much as he hated to admit it, there was nothing Alhaitham could do to stop him from making it into the fraternity now. He already lived with an insufferable man anyways, what’s one more?
That was until the others noticed that all their flags were missing—except one.
The realization hit like a slap. Betrayal sank in. The recruit was fucked, but what did he expect? He had it coming. This was going to be more satisfying than catching him.
They could have ganged up on him, demanded their flags back, forced him into a corner. But they didn’t. After a few angry words exchanged between them, they simply… accepted their defeat and walked away. No fights. No arguments. Just quiet resignation.
Alhaitham narrowed his eyes. What the hell was up with this guy? It didn’t matter. He needed those flags, and time was running out.
With calculated ease, Alhaitham dropped silently from his perch, landing light on his feet. Every step was careful—no snapping twigs, no rustling bushes. He was only a few meters away now, but he knew better than to underestimate this recruit’s speed. If he wanted those flags, he needed to take him down before he even knew what hit him.
So that’s exactly what he did.
Alhaitham lunged from the bushes, tackling the recruit with ease. His workouts paid off—pinning him down took little to no effort. The impact forced them both to the ground, Alhaitham landing solidly on top. Without hesitation, he reached down and yanked the flag off the recruit’s back. A satisfying victory.
“What a shame,” he said smugly, “all that planning and coordination only to lose out at the very end.”
“What the fuck—get off me!”
That voice. Alhaitham hesitated, brow furrowing. It was familiar. Too familiar. Someone from his gym? A classmate from his department?
And then it clicked.
“Kaveh?!?”
“Yes, now get off me! You’re so heavy!”
Alhaitham practically threw himself backward, scrambling off him like he’d just touched something disgusting. His eyes blazed with fury. “Are you kidding me?! That has to be cheating.”
“Oh yeah? Says what rule?” Kaveh scoffed, pushing himself up and brushing dirt off his arms. “Fucking hell, do you always throw your full body weight onto your targets like some kind of gorilla?”
Alhaitham crossed his arms. “Is this your cheap little trick?”
“Clearly not cheap if it worked on you.” Kaveh held out his hand expectantly. “Now give me my flag back.”
“No.”
“What do you mean ‘no’?! I earned that, you’re the one cheating now!”
Alhaitham smirked. “Oh yeah?” He twirled the flag between his fingers. “Says what rule?”
“Time is up! To those of you who survived… congratulations. You’ve proven your strength, your wit, and your ability to outlast the chaos. With great honor, we welcome you to Delta Collective.”