Chapter Text
After a while, they parted, and Alhaitham offered a warm bath to Kaveh. The blonde gratefully took him up on the offer. He was shaking, so Alhaitham made sure to give him a hand to avoid having him slip.
As Kaveh got settled in the tub, there was only silence between them, and the splash of water.
Kaveh got skinnier, Alhaitham noted. Dark circles under his eyes, hair unkempt (although it might be due to his current situation), his wrist and fingers were bony. He felt genuinely scared for the shorter man.
Kaveh did not let go of the taller man's hand. He wanted him there. Just like how they were used to, after their romps, or even when just one of them had a bad day and needed to soak. Whoever it was in the water, it would always be Kaveh being the talking head. It's either him in the water, ranting about stupid clients, or Alhaitham in the water, and Kaveh talking about anything, to keep Alhaitham grounded.
This time, it looks like Alhaitham will be taking the role of a talking head.
"Your hand will be cold," he said, as he slowly took his senior's hand underwater, his own still clasped. "Are you taking good care of yourself?" he asked softly.
No answer. It was obvious. Kaveh got skinnier, Alhaitham noted. Dark circles under his eyes, hair unkempt (although it might be due to his current situation), his wrist and fingers bony. He felt genuinely scared for the shorter man.
"I've been thinking... about you. I guess I missed your presence." Still no answer. "I worried... if you were eating on time, or if... you're having enough sleep. Knowing you, I had a feeling you were hunched over a project for hours on end without taking a break." Alhaitham did not mention it, but he also worried if Kaveh was getting any clients, or if his clients were not stressing him out.
Kaveh looked up to him, a tired and remorseful look on his face, as if saying 'I'm sorry, you're right.'
He soaked there until their hands were pruned. Alhaitham helped him dry up, and get him into dry clothes. At this point, Kaveh has gotten calmer, his breathing evened out, and his trembling has stopped. Alhaitham prepared Kaveh for sleep.
***
A lot of days came by as a blur. The two of them kept silent around each other as they carried on with their daily lives. Alhaitham's is pretty normal, as he has been working in the Akademiya as he has always had. Kaveh, however, has had a significant pause in taking commissions and making designs . Due to his moving out, bringing with him his drafting tools, and coming back into Alhaitham's household without them, his days mostly consist of staring blankly and doing household chores alternately, and itching to get a drink. A bad habit that for some reason, to Alhaitham's surprise, has been on halt, as he has not seen Kaveh make an attempt at consuming alcohol since he came back.
"Something's wrong, I'm sure of it," he said one time as he spoke with Cyno and Tighnari on a table in the tavern. As was usual, Tighnari was battling with Cyno on a game of TCG, and Alhaitham holding a book to pass the time while in their company. While the general mahamatra and the forest watcher are both aware of Kaveh's return under Alhaitham's roof, they have not seen their dear friend since he bade them farewell for his moving out.
"Alhaitham, would you mind if we came to visit?" Tighnari asked.
"You know, I think Kaveh would be the one to mind," Cyno said. "I'm sure Alhaitham is fine with it. But seeing as Kaveh has not have the initiative to see us, it could be that he is hiding something."
"Do you guys think..." the two of them looked at the scribe, "he would be angry if I let you guys see him?"
"No, actually, Alhaitham, I was asking if we could visit you."
Alhaitam stared at Tighnari. "Of course."
***
"Kaveh, can I ask you something?"
"Y-yes?"
"I'm... actually quite concerned at your appearance." Had circumstances been normal, a vein would have ticked on Kaveh's forehead, threatening to pop at what would have been an insult to his appearance. But as the circumstances aren't normal, Kaveh is more startled and anxious, than annoyed. "Are you sure it's not because of some illness?"
Kaveh was taken aback. He thought Alhaitham was implying something else. "I... I actually have not considered that. But I feel quite fine, it doesn't hurt or anything. You need not to concern yourself with my... belly. It must be the wine, I've... been drinking quite a lot recently."
Which of course is not true.
"I'm tired. I'll go to bed now. Good night, Alhaitham." Kaveh set aside the dishes that he was done cleaning, and retired to his room for the evening.
***
"Good morning, Kaveh. I've made some tea for you. It's good for your health. Alhaitham has been looking ill recently, so I thought me and Cyno should visit him and make him some tea. I did not know you were here as well."
Kaveh's eyes were wide at the sight of Tighnari on his bedside. How did he get here?
"Tighnari?"
"Cyno's here too." Tighnari said cheerfully. "I'll leave you for now so that you can wake yourself up. Go to the kitchen once you're done. Alhaitham made breakfast for all of us!"
"I..."
Beyond surprised, anxious and confused, Kaveh barely spoke during the pair's visit. Tighnari is a doctor, and he would know what is wrong with one glance. And yet...
"Good bye for now. We hope to see you at the tavern next time, Kaveh," Cyno said, taking Tighnari by arm as they walk under the moonlight to make their way home to Ghandarva Ville.
Him and Alhaitham went back to their home, and as was their routine, Alhaitham sat on the couch, and Kaveh proceeded to the kitchen to clean the dishes. His thoughts has not stopped working out what could be going on, whether any of them has had any suspicion, especially with the silence that Alhaitham gave him today. Now that he thought about it, Cyno and Tighnari did most of the talking. It felt weird. How did the four of them went about their gatherings before... all of this?
Most of the time Cyno was cracking some bad jokes, and Tighnari would be making insights on whatever topic they had. Alhaitham was typically quiet. And him...
He was the whiniest of the group.
And he was just quiet now. Oh no, did he maybe look weird to them? Besides his weird stomach of course. Speaking of which, what was he going to do about it?
"You're pregnant, aren't you?"
The blonde dropped one of the bowls he was cleaning, cracking to pieces on the floor. Frozen in shock, he could not face Alhaitham whose gaze bore a hole at the architect's golden head.
"Tell me the truth Kaveh."