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the house was abnormally quiet. alhaitham was supposed to be home before the architect, but the lack of lighting in the small space was eerily terrifying. there wasn’t a single sound. no appliances, no music. there weren’t even any windows open to draw in the sound of the light breeze. it was unsettling, really.
though, amongst the quiet, kaveh could hear the softest of sniffles.
“...alhaitham?”
nothing.
carefully, kaveh set mehrak down on the table in the living room, ignoring the mechanic briefcase’s saddened expression as he walked off. he started down the hall, his hand carefully running down the molding of the walls. it was only then when he realized how dusty the small rails were. he needed to clean these, eventually.
both his own bedroom and alhaitham’s bedrooms were empty. the soft sounds had quieted, and left kaveh growing more and more concerned with each and every step he took.
a quick puff of shaken air filled kaveh’s senses. the architect was quick to whirl around in an attempt to see where it came from.
the bathroom.
kaveh quickly moved to the only room he had yet to check, and instantly paled the moment he stepped in.
within the darkness was alhaitham’s figure, curled into itself with his head in his arms. his body shook, and he hadn’t seemed to notice kaveh’s presence. the blond's eyes widened, and kaveh carefully approached his roommate. alhaitham had tucked himself in the corner, and kaveh could tell how he trembled, even in the darkness of the room.
“...hey,” ever so gently, kaveh managed to get himself to reach out, resting his hand atop alhaitham’s own, causing the scribe to instantly look up. kaveh’s heart panged at how… scared he looked. his vibrant teal gaze was clouded over in tears, red from crying for archons know how long. his eyes were wide from the realization that he was caught in such a state, and kaveh’s gentle touch only resulted in alhaitham breaking down all over again.
“oh, hey, hey. i’m here, haitham. c’mere,” carefully, kaveh managed to squeeze down into the corner with the younger, and alhaitham quickly buried his face into the architect’s neck as he was hugged gently. “it’s okay. i’ve got you.”
kaveh had no idea what he was doing. he, clearly, wasn’t expecting this to be what he walked in on, but here he was anyway, comforting his usually stoic roommate. typically this would be the other way around, where kaveh would be going to alhaitham for all of his problems. he felt odd. he wasn’t used to this, and seeing his roommate so torn apart hurt his heart.
it was a long time before alhaitham finally spoke, and when he did, kaveh was surprised to even hear it. his voice was broken, hoarse from hours of crying until his throat was raw.
“i’m sorry,” alhaitham sighed against kaveh, before slowly shifting up and rubbing at his eyes, refusing to look at the blond. “you shouldn't've had to see that.”
kaveh didn’t do anything but shake his head, resting against the wall as he watched alhaitham. he watched as the scribe shakily got up to his feet, moving to look at himself in the bathroom’s mirror, pulling at his face. he watched as alhaitham took deep breaths, watched how his chest rose and fell with each inhale and exhale he took.
“do… you want to talk about it?” kaveh continued to sit on the ground, bringing his knees to his chest and resting his arms atop them.
“no.”
kaveh blinked, raising his head to look at the other. from his spot on the floor, he just had a view of alhaitham’s backside, but he could see his face in the mirror. alhaitham’s gaze met his in the reflection, and the way his eyes held so much pain hurt kaveh’s heart.
“okay, that’s fine.” there was no malice in kaveh’s voice. he understood. there were times where he couldn’t find the words to describe how he was feeling if he was the one in the others arms, and alhaitham would simply hold kaveh until he was either ready to talk for simply fell asleep. kaveh needed to comfort his roommate, his friend.
the light of kshahrewar pulled himself off the floor, moving towards alhaitham. he could feel the others sharp teal eyes on him the entire time through the mirror, but kaveh didn’t care. he simply shifted his hair from his eyes, then took alhaitham by the hand. when the scribe didn’t move to break their hold, kaveh wordlessly guided him to alhaitham’s bedroom. putting him to bed for the night would be better. it was already late, and kaveh knew that sleeping would help clear both of their minds.
alhaitham didn’t even bother to change into night clothes, instead choosing to simply kick off his shoes and let kaveh guide him under the sheets. kaveh was gentle with him the entire time, like a mother to her child, carefully tucking the few blankets up to rest over alhaitham’s shoulders. alhaitham laid on his side, quietly watching as kaveh did all of this.
it was when kaveh pulled away to make his exit for the night when the scribe grabbed onto his wrist, resulting in a confused kaveh before gently pulling him into bed alongside him.
kaveh sighed softly, before removing his own shoes alongside alhaitham’s, then crawling under the blankets with his flatmate. he pulled alhaitham close, letting the scribe’s head lay on his chest as kaveh gingerly dragged his fingers through his silvery hair. he knew alhaitham needed someone with him right now, and kaveh was the only available option. he wasn’t going to let alhaitham be alone like this, not after all the times he’d been there for kaveh.
alhaitham’s arms coiled around kaveh’s torso, holding him close as he eventually succumbed to the darkness of the night. kaveh didn’t know much about alhaitham, but the fact that he was trusted enough to witness the acting grand sage in such a vulnerable state made him feel worthy of knowing more about his roommate.
kaveh waited for alhaitham to finally be completely asleep, then took this time to observe the situation. kaveh was laid on his back, with alhaitham coiled up on his side, his head on the architect’s chest. their legs were already entangled, and alhaitham’s arms remained in their soft hold around kaveh’s middle. there was no way he was getting out of this. not that he minded, though.
kaveh carefully pulled out the few hairpins in his blond hair, slowly reaching out to put them on the side table next to alhaitham’s bed. his long hair fell over his face, and kaveh then finally settled down into the pillows, his arms wrapping around alhaitham as he, too, fell into his own sleep.
they were so going to regret this by morning, but kaveh didn’t mind. he’d finally been shown a part of alhaitham he never thought was possible to witness, and that was an accomplishment in itself, one that kaveh would hold close for the rest of his life.