Chapter Text
With their busy schedules, it is not often that Cyno, Tighnari, and Alhaitham meet to have dinner together like they are tonight. It is even more rare for Alhaitham to be the one to organize it, which immediately piqued Cyno and Tighnari’s curiosity when he did. This has led to the three together in a local restaurant. The restaurant is bustling with patrons, making Alhaitham already regret his decision on coming here. He is however thankful that the business draws away any unwanted attention from the group. At first the three were simply engaging in small talk about their work. Eventually, Cyno brought up the subject that was on everybody’s mind.
“Is there a reason why you invited us here tonight?”
“Is it that unusual for friends to go out for dinner together?” Alhaitham simply responded, resuming his focus back to his meal in front of him.
Cyno and Tighnari share a look before Tighnari adds, “It’s not unusual, no. It’s just that you’re the one who always needs to be talked into even showing. The fact that it was you who organized this so suddenly is what’s unusual.”
“Well…” Alhaitham begins, “I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a specific reason for this.” Tighnari and Cyno give Alhaitham a look that tells him to continue.
“I have recently come to the realization that I may not be too well versed in the topic of romance. After some unsuccessful…” Alhaitham pauses, searching for the right words, “attempts, I feel like the best course of action would be to ask for your thoughts on how I should go about gaining the affection of the individual I’m pursuing.” There was a long pause of silence which is eventually broken when Cyno lets out a series of loud coughs to cover up his laughter, causing a few stares from the other patrons. The last thing the two expected out of Alhaitham was to ask for dating advice. It’s not as if he’s undesirable, in fact he is quite popular among the Akademiya, the issue lies with Alhaithams’s cold personality. He not only prioritizes his work, but is also brutally honest. Any poor soul who had the courage to confess their feelings to Alhaitham were all met with something along the lines of “I’m not interested” or “I’m not attracted to you.”
“I think you should clarify what you mean by ‘attempts’ first,” Tighnari states, “then we can go from there?”
Alhaitham lets out a sigh before answering, “Well I already pay for a majority of his food. And don’t get me started on his drinking habits. Do you really think Kaveh is the one that takes care of his own tabs?”
“So it’s Kaveh?” Cyno raises his brows. Alhaithem looks away, forming a face that is unrecognizable to the other two. Many would assume that people would be surprised at this outcome, but after witnessing them talk to and and about each other for so long, both Cyno and Tighnari would be lying if they said they didn’t see it coming. Eventually, Alhaitham turns back to continue.
“The mere-exposure effect suggests that when a person is more familiar with something, they will grow more fond of it. My attempts are mainly based on this theory. So, I tried to-” Alhaitham is abruptly cut off by Kaveh barging through the door, carrying an annoyed expression.
“Alhaitham!” Kaveh exclaims, “Do you know just how long it took me to find you? You took my damn keys again. I could have been home relaxing by now!” Kaveh continues rambling on about how Alhaitham is forgetful or inconsiderate, his volume drawing the attention of a few other patrons. Alhaithem finally decides to speak up.
“Should I remind you that it is my house you are relaxing in?” Alhaitham hands over Kaveh’s keys while Tighnari and Cyno are left watching the familiar scenario in front of them. The two bickering is not an unusual sight, which would leave many confused as to how Alhaitham even came to realize his feelings for Kaveh. The scene, as usual, ends with Kaveh storming off, keys in hand. Now Tighnari knows that Alhaitham is not a forgetful person, so it seems a bit odd to him that he would make the mistake of taking Kaveh’s keys. What is even more odd is that Alhaitham seems to have made this “mistake” multiple times. It is one thing to be this forgetful once, but numerous times? After they’ve been living together for so long? Then it clicked.
“Alhaitham… please don’t tell me you're doing this on purpose.” Tighnari hesitates, still unsure of his own theory.
“Why would he be doing this on purpose?” Cyno asks, “Don’t you think if he could avoid Kaveh’s bickering he would?”
“Alhaitham, just answer the question.” Tighnari pleads.
Alhaitham looks away for a moment, gathering his words. Truthfully, Tighnari is entirely correct. After discovering his feelings for Kaveh, he felt as though the most effective way to go about the situation would be to research psychological tactics as to how to make someone feel attracted to you. This is also right around the time when Alhaitham began “accidentally” taking Kaveh’s keys.
“My intentions were to just have Kaveh see me more often, at least once through his day, ultimately making me seem more familiar to him. The theory is that a person is more likely to become attracted to what they are familiar with. By taking his keys, all I’m doing is getting him familiarized with my face. I will admit, however, that since doing this, Kaveh’s behaviour towards me hasn’t changed, as far as I can tell. ” Alhaitham, once again, turns his attention back to his food, as if what he just said was completely normal. He appears unphased by the wide-eyed stares by the two infront of him. Tighnari is the one to break the silence.
“I won’t claim to be an expert in romance, but even I’m not as stupid as to constantly pester the person I like by stealing their keys as an attempt to gain their affections.”
“I’d hardly call it stealing if those keys belong to my own house.” Alhaitham retorts.
“That’s not the point!” Tighnari says, “The point is that this is a terrible way to flirt with someone.”
“Why do you think I’ve invited you here in the first place?” Alhaitham deadpans. “I’ve already told you that I’ve noticed my methods aren’t working.” The evening continues with Tighnari and Cyno providing suggestions as to how Alhaitham should go about his relationship with Kaveh. First, Tighnari suggests that if Alhaitham wants Kaveh to view him in a more positive light, he should start with small, kind gestures. Cyno proposes that if he is so persistent in continuing with his familiarity method, he should try to look for more direct ways to see Kaveh throughout his day.
“Wouldn’t that be strange? If I just suddenly start visiting him without reason?” Alhaitham furrows his brows.
“Then make something up.” Cyno responds, “Tell him you need his opinion on something.”
“I still think you should go with small gestures Make him lunch. Give him some genuine compliments. Maybe you should stop turning on those headphones every time he starts raising his voice at you.”
“Tighnari, that happens in almost every conversation they have.” Cyno states, “It would be much more effective if he just went to go see Kaveh, and actually tell him that he wanted to see him.” The focus of the conversation shifts from helping actually Alhaitham to Cyno and Tighnari disagreeing with which of their methods would work better. Alhaitham stares blankly at nothing in particular, contemplating the words of his colleagues in front of him.