Chapter Text
Kaveh stood nervously outside of the cafe. It was a quaint little building that had some beautiful works of graffiti painted on the side. He’d only visited here a few times alone amidst a busy university life. Today, however, he’d finally have someone to join him for coffee…only…that someone would be bringing a couple of their friends along who would no doubt criticize and judge him for all he was worth.
Scenarios of chatting with Alhaitham’s friends were running through his mind, all of them terrible. Alhaitham took care to mention one of his friends was a Valuka Shuna, a rare fox hybrid not commonly seen in the modern day. About 62% of Kaveh’s fantasized scenarios involved accidentally insulting him and then being yelled at and thrown out by staff with Alhaitham’s disappointed face just staring at him in the background.
The last thing Kaveh wanted to do was face another publicly humiliating event like last time. The memories brought tears to his eyes just thinking about it. He carefully dabbed at the edge of his face with a handkerchief, being extra careful not to smudge his eyeliner.
To say Kaveh was an anxious, nervous wreck was an understatement. His nails had been bitten to the bed and he had most definitely messed up his hair which had taken 40 minutes to style that morning.
Glancing at his phone, he considered making up an excuse to get out of this situation but a voice behind him pulled him away from his thoughts.
“I’m glad you could make it, let’s go inside.” Alhaitham lent a hand out for Kaveh to take and just like that, his thoughts from before had vanished. By now, the fact that they liked each other was clear as day, they just hadn’t gotten around to defining their relationship as of yet.
A bell chimed as they walked into the cafe. Luckily, it wasn’t too busy with only a few patrons lingering with their morning coffee. Tucked away in a corner was Alhaitham’s easily recognizable friends. They stuck out like a sore thumb. Cyno’s white hair and Tighnari’s tall ears and sweeping tail made them look like majestic performers you’d see on stage.
He plastered on his best smile as Alhaitham led him over to them. For some reason, this scenario was rather reminiscent of someone meeting their significant other’s parents for the first time.
Cyno gave them a nod as they both sat down while Tighnari held out a hand. “Tighnari,” he introduced, “its nice to finally meet you. Alhaitham’s told us a lot about you these past couple of weeks.” Kaveh fought the urge to glance at the other for some confirmation as he shook Tighnari’s hand.
He turned to Cyno who didn’t quite get the memo until Tighnari elbowed his side. “Cyno, the General Mahamatra of the City of Sumeru at your service.” Cyno stood up to bow as he introduced himself which Tighnari did not seem pleased about.
“Cyno, we’re in public! Save the role-playing for D&D!!” the Valuka Shuna hissed at his partner. Cyno frowned but sat back down in his seat anyway.
Kaveh held back a laugh, already feeling warm inside from just how odd Alhaitham’s friends were. He should’ve known they’d be as nerdy as him. “I’m- my name is Kaveh,” he stumbled. He mentally cursed at himself for being so stupid as to make such a mistake but the way Alhaitham went to take his hand from under the table led him to relax.
Tighnari’s ears twitched and Kaveh couldn’t stop himself from looking up in time. He quickly turned his eyes away from the Valuka Shuna but the other just smiled. “It’s okay to look, I don’t mind.”
Kaveh shook his head, apologizing. “I-I’m sorry, I must’ve made you feel uncomfortable.”
“Not at all. Here, you can touch my tail if you’d like.” Tighnari shifted his tail so it rested just above Kaveh’s lap. At such a bold invitation, how could he possibly refuse?
Kaveh reached out to gently run his fingers along his tail. The black fur was sleek and soft and he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. It felt like touching a kitten. Cyno grumbled from where he was sitting beside Tighnari. “It took me months before I could do that. How come he gets special treatment?”
Tighnari frowned. “Are you forgetting how you basically stalked me around the campus before saying hello? Of course, I wouldn’t trust you outright, you were a sketchy character!”
Cyno wrapped an arm around Tighnari, pulling the other closer to whisper something in his ear. Whatever he said must’ve been quite…spicy because Tighnari’s tail was wagging a mile a minute and his ears drooped down to the side of his head, a faint blush on his cheeks as he coughed. “E-enough of that, what is everyone ordering?” He picked up a menu and held it in front of his face, presumably to hide the slowly growing blush on his cheeks.
Cyno smiled, proud of his work. “For dessert, I want yo-”
“Wow, they do croissants here! Kaveh, share with me!!” Tighnari enthusiastically piped up. Kaveh chuckled at the couple’s antics but in the back of his mind, he vaguely wondered if he and Alhaitham would ever reach that point.
Brunch with Alhaitham’s friends went surprisingly well and not at all like the scenarios he had imagined prior. They ordered their food and drinks, played Genius Invokation TCG, and even discussed some of their studies. Kaveh learned Cyno was into Alchemical practices due to his interest in fantasy games but majored in Law. Tighnari, on the other hand, had always had an interest in botany.
“Kaveh, it's about time we head off.” Kaveh nodded at Alhaitham, picking up his things to leave.
“I hope to see you again soon,” Tighnari said. To Kaveh’s surprise, he gave him a hug which the blonde was all too happy to return. “Take care of him for us,” Tighnari whispered in his ear before leaving with Cyno’s arm around his waist.
Kaveh smiled as he watched them go. His earlier anxiety about meeting them seemed so silly now. They were just as nerdy and weird as him.
“Shall we?” Alhaitham said as he reached a hand toward Kaveh. He beamed up at the other as he took it.
They walked along the streets for some time, talking about the little things. Here and there, they’d enter shops on a whim, shops they’d never visited before because it was always more fun to explore with someone by your side.
They picked up a few tasteful novels (according to Kaveh) at a bookshop and gazed at some watches at another. They peeked in and out of several clothing stores and even stopped by a food vendor for a quick bite of shawarma.
Typically, Kaveh would feel fatigued after one store but something about Alhaitham made him feel more energetic and willing to adventure out into the world. By the time their browsing had come to a rest, it was late afternoon. Kaveh couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent the entire day like this, looking around random stores and just having fun.
They were walking back from another bookshop when an idea struck Kaveh’s mind. “Oh, I’d love to meet your cat! You said you had one, right? What are they like?” Alhaitham thought for a moment, a smile appearing on his face as the little rascal was brought to the forefront of his thoughts.
“She’s…not your average cat, I suppose. She loves to play fetch and can figure out some pretty complex puzzles. For example, she knows how to open cage doors.”
“She sounds incredibly intelligent, What’s her name?”
“Mehrak.” Alhaitham brought a hand to his chin in thought before continuing. “Would you…like to see her today?” Kaveh hadn’t expected to be invited to Alhaitham’s place so soon…if it all but he hesitantly nodded his head.
“Do you have any family or-”
“N-no, it’ll just be us.”
“O-okay.”
The awkward tension between the two grew until Alhaitham pulled out the keys to enter his apartment where Mehrak was happy to greet him. She practically jumped onto him and made herself home on his broad shoulders, meowing to Kaveh, questioning.
Tentatively, Kaveh allowed the cat to sniff his hand and within seconds, she was crawling onto him as well with her purrs as loud as a motor engine. “She’s gorgeous,” he commented. “Persian?” Alhaitham nodded.
“She wasn’t originally mine. She…Well, she was my Grandmother’s before she passed away.” Kaveh’s expression fell at the news. Looking around Alhaitham’s apartment, he could see the lights were off with the entryway being the exception. So, Alhaitham had no one to return home to either…besides Mehrak, of course.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Kaveh said. He cuddled Mehrak who rubbed her face against his. “I-I know what it's like to lose someone you love and… it's hard to…to go on.” Alhaitham could only nod as he led Kaveh into the kitchen.
“Water? Coffee again??”
“Coffee if you don’t mind.” Mehrak jumped from Kaveh’s arms onto the countertop which Alhaitham frowned at.
“Mehrak, you don’t get a free pass just because we have guests over.” She meowed back at him as if arguing. Kaveh smoothed out his pants before taking hold of Mehrak and placing her on his lap.
“There, problem solved,” the blonde chirped. Alhaitham rolled his eyes but he did so with a smile on his face. Clearly pleased Kaveh was smitten with his cat and vice versa.
“Don’t encourage her,” he responded as he grabbed a pair of cups from the cabinet. “She’s a spoiled brat.”
“I wonder who spoiled her.” They both shared a small laugh as Alhaitham set down their cups of steaming coffee. Kaveh took a sip, moaning at the taste. “We should’ve just had you make coffee for brunch.
“I-I’m glad you like it.” They sat in silence, side-by-side, drinking their coffee. It was a comfortable atmosphere Kaveh wished he could experience every day. With Alhaitham, he felt at peace and it made him think that everything would be okay in the world. Perhaps not perfect, but okay in his little world that had expanded to fit a new friend group. It was these thoughts that led Kaveh to question the ashen.
“Haitham, what…what are we?” When Alhaitham didn’t answer right away, Kaveh felt a sinking feeling. Maybe all this time, they weren’t anything at all and Alhaitham had merely taken pity on him.
With bated breath, Kaveh listened intently as Alhaitham spoke. “I would like for us to date, if that is also what you would want, of course.” Alhaitham sighed. “Apologies, that came out…weird. I’m just trying to say that I like you and I’d like to get to know you better. Of course, if that’s not what you want then I-”
Alhaitham didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence as Kaveh pulled him into a kiss. Mehrak meowed loudly which caused them to part with a fit of giggles. “I think she’s a little jealous,” Kaveh joked.
“Too bad because I’m not willing to share.” He leaned in for another kiss which ended up turning into an additional five or six more. Honestly, Kaveh lost count. All he knew is Mehrak had vacated his lap when Alhaitham pulled him closer to deepen their kiss. This entire experience felt like something out of his best dreams. His crush returned his feelings and he even had new people to call friends.
Kaveh couldn’t be happier with this outcome as he dove his hands into Alhaitham’s hair. “For the record, Haitham, I would love to date you.”
Bonus:
“Oh Cyno, I think I left my textbook at Alhaitham’s place the last time we went. Could you text him?” Tighnari’s tail flicked in irritation as he thought about his upcoming exam. He walked into the living room to find his partner curled up on the couch, gaming console in hand. Tighnari huffed. “Cyno, please?”
Cyno placed his console down to pick up his phone. “Thank you,” Tighnari said as he headed into the kitchen. He’d only left for a few minutes before he heard a loud noise.
“HOLY SHIT TIGHANRI I TOLD YOU!!!” Tighnari rushed into the living room to see Cyno staring wide-eyed at his phone.
“What the-” but Cyno pulled the Valuka Shuna to his side and practically shoved the phone into his face. Tighnari grabbed it from the other’s trembling hands and glanced closely at the screen. He dropped the phone in shock.
Cyno: Hey, Tighnari left his textbook at your place.
Can we drop by to pick it up?
Alhaitham:
Can’t, I’m busy.
Cyno:
You? Busy? The guy who spends his entire evening dedicated to reading novels?
Alhaitham:
[Image attatched]
The image was of Kaveh, fast asleep against Alhaitham’s chest. His neck was littered with hickeys, lips swollen, and tear tracks down his eyes but a very smug smile on Alhaitham’s face could clearly be viewed in the photo.
Like I said, I’m busy.
Cyno:
WTF??!?!??!
DAMN OKAY, NOTED. YOU’RE “BUSY.”
OMFG, TIGHNARI IS GOING TO HAVE A STROKE.
PRAISE THE LORD!! ALHAITHAM FINALLY LOST HIS V-CARD!!!
There were no further messages from Alhaitham until the next afternoon