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Alhaitham was not prone to mood swings.
This went almost without saying. He was simply not emotional enough for the flux of everyday life to noticeably affect him, and the rare occasions that did were never physically obvious, because he was also not expressive enough for any shifts to show.
Kaveh’s continuous attempts at mother henning, however, were the rare exception. They and they alone seemed to light an otherwise dormant fuse. Kaveh had often sworn by Alhaitham’s supposedly short temper, but the man being pregnant seemed to be the condition for others to finally witness it.
Not that they were explosive or showy. They couldn’t even hold a candle to Kaveh on an average day. But they were abrupt, cutting, and left you feeling winded.
Many at the Akademiya held the opinion that the Grand Scribe was cold, rude, and terrible to deal with. Few understood that Alhaitham simply preferred to be straightforward and to the point, and was otherwise relatively polite, if you were.
Seeing him actually be rude left any victims stunned speechless, and abruptly enlightened as to the vast difference.
Fortunately, the victim was rarely anyone other than Kaveh, the one who inspired them. As the weeks passed he had become progressively more and more pushy about Alhaitham, to the bemusement of their friends. Stopping by his office to offer to grab him food (Cyno usually had already taken care of it), or help him with paperwork (Alhaitham would sooner light his documents on fire than have them subjected to Kaveh’s ‘assistance’), or run errands (which Alhaitham already had someone to do so, thank you).
And then there was the nagging. Tighnari had that base covered in a far less obtrusive manner, and his was tolerable as he actually knew what he was talking about. Kaveh on the other hand would ask if he’d eaten, if he’d drank, if he was avoiding the things he wasn’t supposed to have, if he was cold, if he’d like a blanket. The list went on and on.
It seemed that in becoming pregnant, something had come loose in his mind regarding Alhaitham being a functional adult who could take care of himself.
And so, in response, Alhaitham had gone from tolerating him, to ignoring him, to snapping at him, to shutting doors in his face, to threatening him with physical violence.
One memorable instance that Cyno bore witness to was Kaveh poking through the doorway of his office, mouth open to question him, and without missing a beat Alhaitham had grabbed one of the pillows they left in the office for his fatigue spells and lobbed it directly into Kaveh’s face with a speed and precision that sent the other man flying back out the door.
Tighnari had had a very stern talk with Kaveh after that, once he’d made sure he was okay.
Cyno had personally found the whole thing hilarious, until Tighnari had rounded on him to point out his own temperamental shift.
That shift being how Cyno treated anyone who caused Alhaitham any inconvenience.
Made him late for his lunch break? Bumped into him in the hall? Hassled him about an issue he’d already said was not open for discussion and to submit the proper forms? Tried to waylay him when he was going somewhere?
If you were guilty of any or more of these types of offenses, you could guarantee the General Mahamatra would be setting you straight. Whether it was with a sharp glare or a stern reminder, he sent shivers down the spine of anyone who had, intentionally or not, bothered Alhaitham. Even his fellow Matra, used to how intimidating he could be, were especially careful to prevent any incidents that could bring his judgment on them.
Cyno could maybe concede he was a bit protective. But he would also argue in his defense that when his husband was not only pregnant, but notoriously prone to sudden bouts of collapsing from exhaustion because of it, anyone who increased that risk deserved to be reminded of it.
No, he wouldn’t apologize.
Now, sitting in Alhaitham’s office waiting for the man to finish putting away his things so they can walk home, he wondered at how much longer it would be before his condition had him working from home. They’ve had to change his schedule to half days, and Tighnari came by once a week just to visit and check progress. Cyno was already looking into who he would entrust his duties to if he needed to be home looking after Alhaitham.
Alhaitham had insisted he’d be fine without Cyno, that he was hardly an invalid and as long as their bedroom had water and food within reach he could easily weather several hours alone if he was too tired to get up.
Which was true, but…Cyno didn’t want him to be alone. He didn’t want him miserable and too drained to even read, drifting in and out of a restless sleep. He didn’t want him to struggle out of bed if nausea overtook him, and ignore food because the effort was too great.
He wanted to be there to support him, as much as he could.
He’s sure Lord Kusanali would agree. Perhaps he could even ask her to convince Hat Guy to help overlook things while he was away.
“You’re thinking very loudly.”
Cyno looked up to see Alhaitham ready to go and giving him a flat look.
“What has your wheels spinning now?” he asked, moving toward the door.
Cyno pushed off the wall to follow him. “Just going over my subordinates as to who would be best for what responsibilities.”
“I already told you, I’m fine by myself. I’m not yet in a state of being incapable of handling things alone.”
“I know. But I’ve made my own decision about it, and I’m not going to budge.” He then pointedly slung his arm around Alhaitham’s waist in support.
Alhaitham clicked his tongue. “Stubborn.”
“If it’s really important, I’ll attend to my duties as needed. BUt just as I took an oath to defend this city, I also swore an oath to you,” he paused and turned to meet the other’s gaze, lifting a hand to cradle his cheek, “An oath to support you and care for you, in times of need or otherwise. And I’m only following my word.”
Alhaitham sighed and looked away, but Cyno could feel the heat warming his skin. “Fine. If you insist.”
He smiled, dropping his hand and tugging him forward. “I do.”
“Excuse me, Grand Scribe!”
Both of them paused and turned to see a scholar hurrying toward them, clutching a stack of documents. Cyno felt his face fall into a neutral expression as the other approached, and before the man could open his mouth, Alhaitham was speaking.
“My working hours are over. If you need something, you’ll have to return tomorrow.”
The man frowned. “Well, I was running a little late, I’m sorry, I just need to submit this, if you could please look over it?”
Alhaitham folded his arms. “If you wanted to submit it, you should have managed your time better and come while my office was open. It’s not. Come back tomorrow.”
“But you’re still here,” the man protested, “It would only take a few minutes of your time, I promise. I have a lecture coming up and I just need to get this turned in so–”
“It’s closed,” Cyno’s sharp tone suddenly rang out, the man seeming to finally take notice of the General Mahamatra standing before him, “You’re too late today. Come back tomorrow.”
The man quelled, blood draining from his face at Cyno’s cold stare.
“Um, yes…tomorrow, I’ll…come back tomorrow…” he stammered, before turning on his heel and all but fleeing from them.
Cyno watched him leave, bizarrely tempted to go after him like an animal chasing prey despite the absurdity of pursuing a problem already dealt with, when he heard Alhaitham snort beside him.
“Careful, General. Your temper is showing.”
Cyno rolled his eyes at him. “You mean like when Kaveh asked if you wanted some water and you slammed the door in his face?”
Alhaitham wrinkled his nose. “Don’t remind me. He’s been completely insufferable and you know it.”
“I do. Still, he was only trying to look after you.”
“Last I checked, I married you, not him. I’m carrying your child, not his. I’m obligated to tolerate your coddling, not his incessant nosing into my business all hours of the day.”
Cyno bit back a smile. “I see, you're merely obligated to let me take care of you. My apologies.”
“I’m telling Tighnari how you’re terrorizing scholars over my wellbeing the next time we have dinner.”
“He’ll agree with me,” Cyno stated confidently, knowing Tighnari would understand his concerns, “Besides, he already convinced Kaveh to stop badgering you. You have no reason to keep being sour over it.”
“Hmph. We’ll see.”
They then headed out onto the street towards home, unaware that the whole of the Akademiya was hoping for a swift and uneventful end to Alhaitham’s pregnancy, if only to spare them the sting of the nation’s two most capable men's tempers.