Chapter Text
The world is spinning around him, but Al Haitham can't find it in himself to care. He's being manhandled into bed. Kaveh pushes him down and Al Haitham knows it isn't a dream because the touch is not gentle. A few moments pass and Kaveh comes back with a glass of water. "Haitham, drink this. It'll help." His voice is laced with annoyance. Had Al Haitham successfully made him jealous?
Kaveh begins to leave the room, but Al Haitham catches his hand, just as he had a few hours earlier. "Stay with me."
"No."
"Please?" Al Haitham pulls him closer to the bed, close enough to stare up at the man.
Kaveh stares back, unamused. "I can't believe it. Using puppy dog eyes on me? You're even pouting." The architect runs the hand through Al Haitham's hair, patting it once or twice. Al Haitham thinks he's won, but still, Kaveh does not stay. "Goodnight, Al Haitham."
He can't help but let out a sigh when he closes the door behind him. Now that he's away from the scribe, he feels his sensibility return to him. His face feels like it's on fire.
Al Haitham on the other hand, sighs for a different reason. His body suddenly feels heavy. After a moment of intoxicated shuffling, he gets his boots off and lays down to sleep. So what if Kaveh hadn't wanted to stay? His mind starts to drift into muddled thoughts. That night, he dreams of Kaveh. Kaveh, Kaveh, Kaveh. He dreams of his gentle hands tracing along his features and tender kisses being placed along his neck, leaving him breathless.
When he wakes, he shoots up. Although he regrets it. The room is still spinning, and his head is pounding against his skull. It's just that... he's never dreamt of that sort of thing. He feels like he's somehow invaded Kaveh's privacy. Perhaps, hopefully, it was the alcohols influence. He feels a wave of nausea and flings himself off the bed, making a run for the bathroom.
There, he empties his stomach, which only makes him feel slightly better. Al Haitham stumbles around the house, eventually making his way to the kitchen. "Good morning, sleepyhead. It's almost noon." Al Haitham hadn't noticed. With all the curtains closed, he could assume it to be dark still. Kaveh speaks again, "I bet you're feeling great."
Al Haitham recognizes the sarcasm but doesn't try to fight about it. He just stands there, swaying and trying to stop the pounding in his head. "Yeah."
He hears the sink run for a second. Kaveh walks toward him, cup and pill in hand, "We're lucky we went drinking with Tighnari, of all people." Al Haitham takes the medicine from him, swallowing it after a moment of struggling.
"Yeah." Al Haitham doesn't look him in the eye, "I think... I'm going to take a nap."
Apparently, Kaveh thinks this is a great idea. "You should. By the time you wake up, the meds should be fully working."
The architect had called out of work to make sure Al Haitham would be okay. The only plans he does have are to visit Lesser Lord Kusanli at the Akademiya later.
╰┈➤
One nap later, Al Haitham Kaveh make their way to the Akademiya. It's midafternoon now, and Al Haitham had insisted on going to work. He said something like, "Better late than never." Which Kaveh had scoffed at. He hadn't asked why Kaveh was also tagging along. The sun is warm on their skin. Kaveh closes his eyes to take in the breeze and chirping noises. Sumeru was so beautiful.
Al Haitham watched him, like he had the previous night, except he didn't trip over anything or embarrass himself this time. They part ways shortly after entering the Akademiya. Kaveh smiles at the little wave Al Haitham gave him. He makes his way through the familiar building, nodding at some of the scholars there.
There's a nagging guilt in his gut. He knows Lesser Lord Kusanli is busy, but he can't seem to get past these dreams. There has to be a deeper explanation behind them, or even better, a solution. Kaveh isn't sure how much longer he can act normal around Al Haitham. After seeing that easy smile on his face and hearing his giggles, who could?
Whenever he remembers Al Haitham kissing their friend's cheeks, his face scrunches up. A feeing he can't explain makes his brow furrow.
He had heard from Al Haitham himself that Lesser Lord Kusanli was at the Akademiya, so he headed to rather large crowd of people were. Of course, they were all asking questions about their dreams. Kaveh would just have to wait his turn.
After about 40 minutes of looking around boredly, he gets to speak with the God. She greets him with a smile, "Kaveh, right? How have you been?" Her voice is oddly mischievous, almost like she's suppressing giggles.
"Yes, that's right. So, Lesser Lord Kusanli-"
"Nahida is fine!" She interrupts but Kaveh doesn't mind.
"Nahida. Uh, is there any way to stop having dreams?" The girl places a finger on her chin, thinking a little bit too hard.
Her expression seems rather confused. "You don't want to dream?" Kaveh pauses. He just wants the dreams about Al Haitham to end. He doesn't mind his normal dreams.
"That isn't it." He shakes his head as to prove his point, "I've been having dreams about something... someone in particular. If there is any way I could stop these, or even gain some more knowledge as to why I'm having them, I would appreciate it." Nahida seems to hesitate before she speaks.
"As the archon of Sumeru, I can prevent you from having them. If they really are bothering you, that is. As to why, I think you should find that out yourself." Kaveh can't protest, seeing as she is his God. Still, she seems kind of disappointed. "My Light of Kshahrewar, tell me who it is you are dreaming of. Is it my Scribe, Al Haitham?"
Kaveh steps back slightly and let's go off a breath he didn't know he was holding. "How did you know?" Nahida does not answer this question.
Instead, she places her hands on her hips. "Let me give you the slightest hint. My Scribe, Al Haitham, keeps a picture of you in his office. It's up to you to decide what it means." Wow, Kaveh is confused. She sends him off, apologizing all the while. Kaveh feels a twinge of sympathy; having to deal with so many people in just one day. He hopes she takes a break soon.
He's left with his own devices after that. He thinks that she had given him a riddle to solve, or some sort of analogy. Everyone knew she loved those. But still, Kaveh can't see Al Haitham having a picture of him in his office as a riddle. He wanders around the Akademiya, promptly avoiding the Grand Sage's office. He still needs some time to figure this out.
Kaveh enters The House of Denea, hoping to settle his thoughts in the silence. Aimlessly, he picks out a book and flips a few pages. Understanding Love: One might find themselves missing the person they're interested in even if they just saw each other. "What the hell..." Kaveh flips another few pages. People in relationships, mainly married couples, will often keep pictures of their lovers on hand, or in their personal areas. "Wait, what the hell?" Kaveh continues to read. Some may even find themselves dreaming of their 'crush,' these dreams are not meaningless. "What the hell!"
Several people shush him. Kaveh doesn't pay them any attention. Instead, he flips to the back of the book. He reads that it originated from Mondstadt. Typical. Some kid scholars had probably brought it and forgotten it here. Romance was hardly something people studied. Kaveh pushes his chair back, scraping the floor. He gets a few nasty looks.
Still, he has to investigate. He makes his way to Al Haitham's old office, the Scribe's office. No one even bothers to guard it or stand around it. He finds the doors to be unlocked and opens them slowly. There is light pooling in from the windows and Kaveh can see why Al Haitham didn't want to leave it. He starts by searching the shelves, which are almost empty.
He stares at the large desk for a moment before tearing into the drawers. He pulls them open rather violently. The second drawer is heavier than the others, causing Kaveh to pause his insane searching. He pulls it open, expecting to find some dirty secret, but there are only pictures. Just like what Nahida had told him. The only difference is that there is more than one. A whole stack of them.
Kaveh picks them up, sitting down in the chair behind him. There are pictures of Kaveh working on his projects, of the food Kaveh cooked, of those desert foxes that follow Kaveh around, and finally, there is a picture of both Al Haitham and Kaveh, both younger than they are now. They're adorned in their old uniforms.
Kaveh's face is scrunched up in excitement, while Al Haitham wore a small smile. He was not looking at the camera, but rather looking at Kaveh. He hadn't known the Scribe was capable of making such a fond expression. There's a slight eruption of noise outside and Kaveh scrambles to put the pictures back. He slides outside silently.
He spots Al Haitham taking his leave for the day. Normally, he would need a whole lot of time to process what he just saw, but he feels his body move on its own. He wants to walk home with Al Haitham.
╰┈➤
Al Haitham flinches slightly when Kaveh popped up beside him. "You're still here?"
"Yep, needed to look into a few new designs." Kaveh is not a good liar. They exit the Akademiya together, standing closer than usual. The sun has begun to set, painting Sumeru in beautiful oranges and pinks. Without much thought, they take the long way home. The sights of Sumeru were worth it, at least to Kaveh it was. He thought Al Haitham to be someone who overlooks the beauty of things, but after seeing those photos... Kaveh is aware.
Al Haitham loves a lot more than he lets on.
Although Kaveh may look calm right now, he's having a crisis on the inside. He needs to talk to the Scribe, needs to confront him. He just isn't sure how to without starting a fight. Or making Al Haitham uncomfortable. He doesn't want their quiet evenings to end, and knowing Al Haitham, he would most likely self-isolate after a fight.
Something about this just feels more serious than their other squabbles. "Kaveh," He whips his head around entirely too fast at Al Haitham's voice. "What do you want for dinner?"
"Asking me this time? That's a surprise." He smiles and nudges Al Haitham's shoulder playfully. Oh my archons, why did I do that. He averts his gaze to the ground for a second.
"As a thank you... for taking care of me when I got sick." Kaveh looks up, taken aback by the softness in the man's voice. Al Haitham is smiling slightly, and maybe its the sunset, but Kaveh swears he's even blushing a tad bit.
Kaveh takes a deep breath, "Al Haitham." The Scribe makes a 'Hm?' sound and looks at Kaveh. "You said at dinner the other night that you were having nightmares."
"It was a lie." Al Haitham admits almost immediately.
"Then... what have you been dreaming of?" Kaveh slows to a stop, finding it difficult to have a conversation while walking.
Al Haitham seems to hesitate for a moment, "Of you."
The architect's voice betrays him when he speaks, "The pictures in your desk?" He hears an intake of air, Al Haitham's definition of a gasp.
"For me."
Kaveh shakes his head. "Damnit, Al Haitham. These answers make no sense! None of this makes sense. I have been dreaming, dreaming, and dreaming of you! I don't understand."
"I didn't know you were also dreaming of me." Al Haitham takes a few steps closer, only perplexed for a second. "Perhaps it was our God. She has a habit of tampering with dreams." Oh, so that's why she had seemed disappointed. She was practically playing matchmaker with them!
A sigh escapes Kaveh's lips. Why is this so confusing? "I just- I thought..." He trails off, unsure of how to finish.
"Kaveh, I have come to a few realizations recently." Al Haitham is standing directly in front Kaveh, urging him to look up from the ground. "I don't mean to scare you away, and I'm sorry if finding those pictures disturbed you."
That was nothing like how Kaveh felt. "No, no! I'm not disturbed, just not understanding... why?" Because, truly, who would take so many pictures of Kaveh? Pictures where he completely himself, not bothered by other people's opinions. How he is with Al Haitham. Safe.
"Because."
"'Because' is not an answer."
"Because you're beautiful." Al Haitham has broken the dam, any and all feelings are pouring out. "You reminded me of how important life is. I care about you; I hate to see you in pain. Not only do I need you, Kaveh, I want you." He's shaking by the time he's finished, but he still lifts a hand to tuck Kaveh's hair behind his ear.
And of course, Kaveh has started to cry. He was sensitive, after all. It's just that... no one has ever wanted him before. "I-I don't-"
Al Haitham's hand moves cup his cheek, "I am not asking you for anything, but Kaveh, I love you." He winces as the words leave his mouth. There is no going back or changing what has been said. Even if their relationship is ruined a second time, Al Haitham has to understand.
Instead of communicating properly, Kaveh goes in for a kiss. He isn't sure he can even speak with the lump in his throat, so a kiss will have to convey his feelings for now. Al Haitham leans into it after his momentary shock ends. Right now, the only thing that matters is the two of them. Kaveh is sure they look straight out of a romance novel, kissing as the sun sets.
Running out of breath, Kaveh taps Al Haitham's shoulder. His voice is watery, "I didn't know you could do that."
"What? Kiss?"
"No! I didn't know you could sound so genuine and... vulnerable. I just... thank you for telling me." Al Haitham only mumbles with a flushed face. "Haitham, let's go get those photos."
"Hm? The ones from my desk?"
Kaveh smiles brightly, taking Al Haitham's hand in his, unashamed. They run back towards to Akademiya for the images, and when they get home, they hang them up around their shared home.