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Though Alhaitham had initially denied the offer of the role for Sage, he couldn't help but feel like he was burdened with the title's workload all the same. The Akademiya haunted his every thought and paperwork was the center of every one of his dreams. Despite offers to help ease the burden, including ones from Kaveh (surprisingly), Alhaitham's stubborn and independent mindset kept him from accepting any of it.
This led to Alhaitham dragging himself through 3 weeks of seemingly endless paperwork and mental torture, without ever thinking to stop and take his friends up on their offers.
This is what also led him to try and figure out how he woke up in his bed when he clearly remembered passing out on the couch from exhaustion the night before. The first rays of the sun just barely lit up the room as the Scribe took in his surroundings. When Alhaitham looked down at his clothing, he could see that he was still in his clothes from the day prior, further confirming his memories, given that Alhaitham always changed into nightwear before going to sleep.
Fully aware that a bad odor was hovering around him, Alhaitham lifted himself out of his bed and made his way to the bathroom, still trying to deduce the events of last night. Filling the tub with warm water, the Scribe stripped himself of his clothing and climbed into the bath. In the past, basking in the warmth of the water while he slowly cleaned himself was a habit he often indulged in, however, he hadn't had a chance to spoil himself with such activities in a long while, and today would be no different. Cleaning himself to the standards that would fit the average person, he pulled the drain only 4 minutes after initially getting in- a new record for the Scribe.
Alhaitham stepped out of the bathroom and made his way over to the pile of clothes he had set out before entering. Once fully changed and his hair semi-dried, he opened the door to his bedroom and made his way over to the kitchen. Only a few steps into the room, the Scribe picked up on the scent of bacon and saw Kaveh placing breakfast on the kitchen table.
"What is all of this?" Truthfully, the food wasn't anything extraordinary. It was merely some scrambled eggs and a few pieces of bacon, but Alhaitham had become so accustomed to calling a cup of coffee his breakfast, that he couldn't help but feel grateful for his roommate's efforts.
"After last night, I thought you needed this," Kaveh replied, sitting down on one of the chairs and motioning for Alhaitham to do the same.
"Last night?" Alhaitham complied with the request and took a seat at the opposite end of the kitchen table.
"I heard you come back late last night while I was sketching a concept for a commission. Your unusually silent movements drew me out of my room and I found you asleep on the couch, practically dead to the world."
"So? I've fallen asleep on the couch plenty of times in my life." Alhaitham avoided eye contact as he idly moved around the food on his plate, already aware of what his roommate was going to say next.
"I won’t deny that you’re right, but, before this whole fiasco at the Akademiya, those occurrences used to be few and far between. Alhaitham, this is the fourth time this week this has happened, and the twelfth time since Jnagarbha Day." Kaveh's accusing tone further fueled the building aggravation in Alhaitham's mind that had been growing over the past few days.
"What's with you, Kaveh? You never used to give a damn about my sleeping habits before all of this."
"This has nothing to do with my interest in your well-being, Alhaitham. This is about you no longer taking care of yourself! I know you can be bull-headed, but we both know that you're smart enough to see that this is becoming dangerous." Kaveh exhaled deeply in an attempt to calm himself. "It is for these reasons that I have contacted the Akademiya, telling them that you'll be absent from work today."
"What?!" Alhaitham slammed his fists down on the table, the action causing the clash of silverware to echo off the walls of the small room. "Kaveh, you bastard, they need me right now!"
"Lies." Kaveh was unfazed by the Scribe's response. He had been expecting it. "Lesser Lord Kusanali has cleared the remaining two original Sages to return to duty and has hired over a dozen qualified staff in the past week alone. Yes, Sumeru Akademiya is still a far cry from its previous glory, but it has also gotten to the point where it can fare without you for a day."
Alhaitham was left speechless. He began to desperately rack his brain for a reason to go to work, to lock himself in the House of Daena, or even just to prove Kaveh wrong. He came up short. For somebody who claimed to be uninterested in politics, Kaveh was very well-informed about the Akademiya’s affairs. A bitter chuckle escaped Alhaitham's mouth. "You really don't want me to get anything done, do you?"
"If risking the state of your mental and physical health is 'getting stuff done', then no, I don't." A sigh left Kaveh. Alhaitham didn’t know what it meant. "I don't want you to go down the path that I've seen many other scholars take. Risking your life for the sake of academics? It's just not worth it."
"Why do you care so much?" Such a simple question, yet the implications it carried were anything but. Perhaps that was why Kaveh didn't answer.
By the time Alhaitham finally put his fork to his plate, the food was cold.
***
The sun had long since risen over the horizon when the two finally stepped foot out of the house.
"Where to, oh knowledgeable therapist?" Alhaitham's sarcasm was met with nothing more than a roll of Kaveh's eyes, who seemed to be scouring the streets of Sumeru City for something.
"When was the last time you went to the border of Sumeru and Liyue?" Alhaitham raised an eyebrow at the question.
"It's been many years, given that my line of work tends to take me into the desert, not other nations. Why do you ask?"
"You'll see~" Kaveh’s sly smile did nothing to quell Alhaitham’s growing irritation. He watched his roommate pull out a handful of mora and hold it out towards a man running a small stand, who had already placed two pouches on the stand's counter. Both parties took their share of the exchange and Kaveh made his way over to Alhaitham, placing the two suspicious items into his Traveler's Bag. "Let's get moving then, shall we? This day won't go on forever."
"Sure would be nice if you could tell me where we are going," Alhaitham stated as the two exited the city and began heading northeast.
"I already did: the border of Sumeru and Liyue."
"Do you have any idea how vague of a description that is? Sumeru and Liyue share the longest land border in Teyvat." An agitated sigh escaped Kaveh's mouth as he stopped in his tracks and turned to face Alhaitham, who almost ran into him as a result.
"Between Mawtiyima Forest and Nantianmen. There, happy?"
"Not really." Alhaitham crossed his arms as he glared over at his roommate. "Don't forget that I'm only here because you wrote to the Akademiya about an absence I didn't need to take."
Kaveh verbally groaned at the topic. "Alhaitham, we've been over this 3 times today: you needed a day off! Plus, at any time you can simply go to the Akademiya anyway! My letter is doing nothing to physically stop you- if you really want to leave, you can! You're here because you want to be, so stop lying to yourself."
Once more, Alhaitham did not respond. There was no sassy comment, no sly remark, no teasing jab- just silence as he thought over Kaveh's words. His roommate did not wait for him, however, and soon resumed on the route that had been planned, this time with Alhaitham much farther behind.
***
At some point, Alhaitham's long strides had him catch up with Kaveh, who had his eyes permanently fixed in front of him during the journey. Just a few minutes earlier, the pair had passed by the Mawtiyima Forest, the Liyue border drawing ever closer as they neared their destination. Below them, Alhiatham could hear the sporadic crackles of the Electro Regisvine as it fed on the high-voltage currents flowing through the Ley Lines.
"Our destination is just up this hill," Kaveh announced as he adjusted his bag's strap to drape over his shoulder and across his chest, the bag itself hanging between his shoulder blades. Cautiously, the blond grabbed ahold of a piece of the hill that jutted outwards and gave it a light tug to its safety, before making his way upward.
"Surely we're not going to climb up there?" Alhaitham watched his roommate make his way up the hill at a painfully slow pace. The man was an architect, not an adventurer, which was a fact making itself very clear to Alhaitham at that moment.
"There’s no other way up, believe me, I've checked. Plus, some physical exercise would do you some good." Kaveh casted a teasing grin at the man below him, who only raised an eyebrow in response.
"Are you saying I'm out of shape?" Both men were more than aware of Alhaitham's ideal figure, given the skin-tight outfit the Scribe wore daily, but ignorance of the obvious was never uncommon in their bickering.
"Oh, archons, no. Many would kill for your body," Kaveh mumbled as he focused on his climb, unaware that the man below him had heard every word.
"So you acknowledge that I'm good-looking?" Alhaitham allowed a rare smirk to form on his face as his roommate stuttered and stumbled over his words in an attempt to form a cohesive response. In the end, the Kshahrewar graduate simply glared down at Alhaitham, who had remained planted on the solid ground below him.
”Acknowledgment and actually believing it are two different things. Now get up here already, we don't have all day," he grumbled, turning his attention back to the hill. With a shrug, Alhaitham complied with Kaveh's request and began his ascension much faster than his roommate. Within seconds, Alhaitham was pulling himself up to the top of the hill, leaving Kaveh to continue climbing below him. Part of Alhaitham wanted to mock Kaveh and watch him struggle, but the more mature part of him recognized that Kaveh was doing all of this for him. Stretching out his hand to his roommate, Alhaitham silently offered to assist the Kshahrewar graduate. Kaveh eyed the hand skeptically, but ultimately accepted it, gripping the Scribe's hand with such a force that would have made anyone else wince in pain. Alhaitham pulled his roommate up to the top of the hill, and both men collapsed into the grass soon after.
"There it is," Kaveh sighed with relief, nodding towards two leaf umbrellas and a moss-covered log.
Alhaitham craned his neck towards his roommate's gaze, and couldn't help but be disappointed at the sight. "You made us come all the way out here for this?" He was well aware of how ungrateful he sounded, but after 3 hours' worth of sneaking past hilichurl camps and climbing mountains, the Scribe couldn't help but wish there was more.
"I know it doesn't seem like much at first, but trust me, you'll grow to like it just as much as I have." Kaveh stood up from his spot on the grass and began making his way over to the small setup. Reluctantly, Alhaitham trailed after his roommate.
Setting his Traveler's Bag down on the log, Kaveh pulled out the two mysterious pouches he had received from the merchant earlier. Untying the string that sealed them shut, Alhaitham discovered their contents were seeds.
"I know what you're thinking." Alhaitham glanced over at Kaveh, who had a knowing look in his eyes. "That look on your face is radiating 'I don't want to do this' energy."
"I study runes and you specialize in architecture. Neither of us have flowers in our field of interest."
"Academically speaking, no, but gardening has always been a calming hobby of mine. I've been wanting to introduce this to you, hoping that you'll enjoy it too." Alhaitham’s cheeks reddened at the almost affectionate confession.
This wasn't right. Kaveh was supposed to make Alhaitham want to pull his hair out, and Alhaitham was supposed to torture Kaveh right back. That was their dynamic from the moment they met and until they would eventually part ways. They- Kaveh wasn't supposed to be getting sentimental and sickeningly sweet. Kaveh wasn't supposed to care about Alhaitham, despite Alhaitham caring so much about Kaveh. Alhaitham wasn't supposed to feel warm when Kaveh's eyes looked upon him with a rare sense of compassion, instead of the disdain he was so used to seeing. Rationale couldn't explain this change, and that scared Alhaitham.
Rationale, also, couldn't explain why Alhaitham so easily accepted the gardening gloves Kaveh extended toward him, despite his initial hesitation. Rationale couldn't explain how such a complicated man enjoyed such a simple activity. Rationale couldn't explain why a sense of pride filled the Scribe of the Haravatat Darshan when he looked down at the rows of planted seeds that he and Kaveh had planted together. What rationale could explain, however, was why, when his gaze landed upon Kaveh's sunset-illuminated figure, that warmth in his chest blossomed like the flowers they planted soon would.
Rationale told him he was in love.
***
The street lights were being lit when the pair returned to Sumeru City. After making a quick stop at the merchant's stand to return the pouches, the two roommates agreed for their final destination of the night to be the city tavern.
Inside the building, several patrons were already passed out or drunk, despite the night still being young. Alhaitham made his way over to an isolated corner of the tavern while Kaveh went to grab their drinks. The day's events ran through the Scribe's mind several times over, and each time he was filled with the same fuzzy feeling. He didn't want to admit to Kaveh (or himself) that he had enjoyed his day off and time with his roommate. Despite what anyone else might have thought, Alhaitham did genuinely consider Kaveh his closest friend, and for how much the two bickered, could never bring himself to think otherwise.
When had those feelings of friendship become something more?
Was it when he shared Kaveh's excitement for his commission to build the Palace of Alcazarzaray? Or was it when the two would exchange letters during its construction? Surely it was when Kaveh showed up at his doorstep after a month of no contact, unable to explain his newfound homelessness and poverty.
No, it was none of those. It was all of them, and so much more. He had fallen in love with every part of Kaveh, from the flirting and confident side to the vulnerable and affectionate side. To pinpoint it down to one moment would be irrationally narrow-minded, and Alhaitham was a rational man.
"They're almost out of wine!" Kaveh's exclamation brought Alhaitham out of his thoughts as the blond set down a bottle of dandelion wine. "Can you believe it?! A tavern almost out of their main beverage!"
"Quite the predicament," Alhaitham commented as he opened the bottle and poured himself a glass. Kaveh snagged the bottle from Alhaitham, opting to pour it directly into his mouth, rather than the glass in front of him. It didn’t take long for the Scribe to take the bottle back and pour his roommate a proper glass, before setting the bottle out of Kaveh’s reach.
Kaveh’s eyes narrowed with irritation at Alhaitham, but he ultimately decided to continue running his mouth. "My thoughts exactly! Apparently, with the number of celebrations popping up across the nation, more wine is being exported than imported, which is supposed to cause an alcohol shortage if they don’t restock soon! It’ll be a nightmare! That tycoon in Mondstadt better step up its game, or they'll lose business in Sumeru." Kaveh downed his drink with ease, his hand already reaching for the bottle before the glass even left his lips. Reluctantly, Alhaitham handed it over.
"You've barely drunk anything, and yet you somehow seem tipsy already," Alhaitham sighed as he took a sip of the wine, casting Kaveh an accusing look over his glass.
"Please, if you consider me drunk like this, then you better prepare yourself!" Kaveh's laughter rang out across the tavern, and with anybody else, Alhaitham would have felt annoyed, but with Kaveh, he couldn't help but find the action endearing.
"I look forward to it." Though Alhaitham's reply dripped with sarcasm, a part of him meant his words. Alhaitham had never been drunk in the presence of Kaveh, in fear of accidentally saying too much. Although he did his best to think logically while sober, Alhaitham knew from past experiences that his intoxicated self did not adhere to the same standards. It was for that reason he was grateful to be blessed by the Archons with high tolerance, though he couldn't say the same for his roommate, who already had a hint of blush dusting his cheeks. Kaveh had begun rambling about something Alhaitham wasn't quite paying attention to, but simply hearing his roommate's voice was enough for him at that moment. A silent puff of laughter escaped his throat, heard by his ears only, as his own vision began blurring ever so slightly. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to give in, just this once.
***
They got booted out before they could finish their third bottle. Now, both men were holding each other up as they stumbled through the streets of Sumeru City, laughing at everything and anything that came to mind. Although Kaveh's laughs were far more obnoxious than Alhaitham's, none could ignore the chuckles that left the Scribe, nor the affectionate gazes both roommates gave each other when they thought the other was not looking.
“Shit!” The vulgar language left Kaveh's mouth suddenly as he tripped over a wilted vine of a nearby plant, dragging Alhaitham right down with him. Groaning, Alhaitham pushed himself into a sitting position, his hand dangerously close to Kaveh’s.
"Of course you of all people would trip over a plant vine right in front of you." Though the Scribe's words dripped with annoyance, the lack of venom behind them was betrayed by his amused smirk.
"Blame it on whatever bastard isn’t watering this thing! Look at it! It's practically dead!" Kaveh aggressively gestured to the wilted plant, which, indeed, looked like it should be knocking on death’s door.
"Tighnari would no doubt scold them to Celestia and back," Alhaitham hummed as he stood up and offered a hand to his roommate, who was still planted on the ground.
"Such a gentleman," Kaveh teased, dramatically taking Alhaitham's hand in his own . Alhaitham rolled his eyes as he pulled his roommate up from the ground. The two resumed their trek home, though neither bothered to untangle their fingers interwoven with the other's.
The key to the lock clicked and Alhaitham pushed open the door. At some point in their trip, the two had fallen back into their original state, holding up each other at the shoulders, but their fingers remained clasped together
In their drunken state, neither party bothered to remove their clothing as they collapsed onto the couch. Looking at his roommate, Kaveh felt something unfamiliar (but not uncomfortable) stir in his stomach. Against his will, the whisper, "I wanna kiss you," escaped his lips. Alhaitham's eyes widened. "I- I mean- I- I wanna kill you- wait no that sounds worse! I-" Kaveh's embarrassed stutters were cut off by a pair of lips pressing into his own. Kaveh's eyes widened at the action. Alhaitham wasn't one to act on impulses, was the alcohol messing with his thoughts?
A hand ran through Kaveh's hair, causing him to let out a soft moan. Slowly, he let his eyes fall closed as he tilted his head and wrapped his arms around Alhaitham's neck. The two only broke away from each other once neither could breathe, only a few centimeters separating them as they gasped for air.
"I hope I don't regret that once I sober up," Alhaitham mumbled, pulling away from Kaveh.
If you're already having doubts, you probably will, Kaveh thought, though he dared not voice it. Instead, he pressed his head against Alhaitham's chest, who had laid down so that he was taking up the entire couch. The rise and fall of Alhaitham's chest as he slept did little to calm Kaveh. Did he do the right thing by reciprocating? Should he have stopped the kiss before it got too far? Kaveh squeezed his eyes shut, willing away any negative thoughts.
"Please don't regret it," Kaveh whispered to his sleeping roommate, unable to prevent a tear from running down his cheek.
***
Kaveh blinked as rays of sunshine blinded him through the open curtains of the window. Slowly, he sat up and began to take in his surroundings. This was the first time in a while that he had woken up on the couch, rather than in his room. Usually, Alhaitham carried him to his bed whenever he fell asleep anywhere else in the house. In turn, he would do the same to Alhaitham. It was an unspoken habit he had developed with his roommate, and-
Alhaitham
The previous night's events came rushing back, with the memory of their kiss playing itself over and over again in Kaveh's mind. Behind him, the smell of food on the stove drew Kaveh's attention as the man turned his head to see his roommate leaning staring down at the frying eggs, clearly lost in thought. Slowly, Kaveh stood up from the couch and began making his way over to Alhaitham, who seemed oblivious to his approach. Odd, given how attentive Alhaitham usually was.
"Alhaitham?" Kaveh's words were cautious, not wanting to make Alhaitham jump or receive a negative reaction.
"I'd like to apologize for last night."
"Alhiatham-"
“Don't." Kaveh was cut off as Alhaitham turned down the heat on the stove and looked him in the eye. "I kissed you without your consent, and that is unacceptable behavior for anybody. I acted without thinking, and now I'm sure I've made you feel uncomfortable in my presence."
"If I truly didn't want to kiss you, would I have said the words that I did? Would I have kissed you back?" Kaveh’s retort seemed to fall on deaf ears as Alhaitham began to argue ridiculous hypotheticals.
“Maybe you were doing it so I wouldn't kick you out, or maybe it was to get revenge for something, or maybe you-"
Kaveh placed his hand on Alhaitham’s cheek, slowly turning his head so that he could look him in the eye. "Alhaitham, you did nothing wrong."
Alhaitham shook his head, refusing to believe his roommate’s words. "But what if I-"
"I said I wanted to kiss you, and you acted upon that. Please believe me when I say that you did nothing wrong." Alhaitham's opened his mouth to protest, his eyes searching Kaveh’s for any sign of dishonesty, but found nothing. Hesitantly, he pressed his nose against Kaveh’s, foreheads just shy of touching.
Uneven breaths left the Scribe as he prepared how to voice his next words. “Can I kiss you, please?” The whisper would’ve gone unheard, if not for their close proximity.
”You may.”
The kiss was soft and far more tender than their previous one. Kaveh cupped both of Alhaitham's cheeks as the latter placed his hands on his roommate's hips. There was nothing heated about the contact, only cautious movement as the two bathed in their mutual love for the other. When they pulled away, Alhaitham rested his head on Kaveh's shoulder.
"What are we?"
"I don't know." A brief pause. "Do we need to know?"
“I'm a scholar, it's my job to know things."
Kaveh hummed. "But not everything can be answered."
"Are we one of those things? One that can't be answered?"
"I don't know."
Alhaitham turned his head so he could see Kaveh. "You're insufferable," he sighed.
"I know." Kaveh's affectionate smile released butterflies in Alhaitham's heart.
”...Thank you." It was quiter than a whisper, but Kaveh heard it all the same.
"For what?"
"I don't know." A brief pause. "Everything." Kaveh smiled.
"You're welcome."