Chapter Text
“Ugh, why does Alhaitham have to be such an insufferable asshole!” Kaveh screamed as he slammed the glass of beer in his hand. Already used to Kaveh’s antiques the other patrons in the tavern ignored the blonde man who was currently cussing out their current grand sage.
“I concur, that bastard gives me nothing but headaches.” Cyno agreed as he downed the glass in his hand and poured more into it. “Just this morning he was belittling the work of the Matras just because he found a faulty thesis first before we did, the nerve of that man.” Cyno slurred his words slightly as he recalled what had happened earlier in the day. “I have the power to strip him of all his titles you know, even the scribe one.” He exclaimed.
“Right, who gave that title to him anyways, I mean I revere Lesser Lord Kusanali and all, but he must’ve manipulated her somehow. Because there is no fucking way he actually got that title himself.” Kaveh drunkenly accused with Cyno nodding along beside him.
“C’mon guys, I’m sure he’s not that bad.” Tighnari finally spoke up.
“That’s because you’ve never met him Tighnari, he’s like the most insufferable person in the world.”
“He’s the most annoying person I’ve ever met in my life and meeting annoying scumbag scholars is my livelihood.” Cyno grits his teeth and clenches the glass in his hand. “He’s so annoying punching him like a sandbag over and over and over again won’t be enough”
Tighnari could only chuckle as he watched the two of his closest friends make valid complaints about their latest Grand Sage Alhaitham. However, what his two friends didn’t know is that Tighnari and Alhaitham have been in a committed relationship since their time at the Akademiya.
They met in Tighnari’s Introduction to Herbology class, Alhaitham had taken the class out of curiosity that semester. Tighnari didn’t care much for him at first, heck he didn’t even know the other existed, too focused on his own work to care. Though he did hear of a rumor that an exchange student from the Haravatat Darshan was in his class, he just never bothered to find out who it was. It wasn’t until our professor had paired them together for their midterm and final project did Tighnari met the infamous student from the Haravatat Darshan.
He had worn the Haravatat Darshan symbol on his Akademiya uniform, and his beret contrasted his gray hair so eye-catching making Tighnari stare at him, he was smaller than what Tighnari had imagined he would be, and his face always had this pout Tighnari found just adorable, though his friends didn’t agree to say that the boy was more stoic then pouty, Tighnari couldn’t see it. Overall Alhaitham would be the first person Tighnari had ever found attractive or even eye-catching and thinking back on it now, his calculating nature and stoic demeanor and the way his eyes lit up just the slightest bit when he had learned something new was just so cute.
Tighnari smiled fondly at that memory as he sipped his ale not realizing that his tail was swishing side to side in happiness, tuning out the voices of his two friends. He only realized they were talking to him when Kaveh had started snapping their fingers right in front of Tighnari’s face did he finally snapped out of his memory train.
“He rubs his wealth in my face Every. Single. Day.” Kaveh complained. “And don’t get me started on my keys, last month I was homeless for a whole entire week because he had some kind of ‘business trip’.” Kaveh made a quotation gesture as he emphasized the business trip part. He wasn’t actually, he had asked Lesser Lord Kusanali time off every time Tighnari’s heat hit, so they could be together. That day he had accidentally brought Kaveh’s keys with him, when Tighnari told him to go and give them back to him, he answered with a simple no the proceeded to explain when Tighnari glared at him, he said well they’ll have the whole place to themselves in the city, and not in the Hut they had built somewhere in the Avidya forest a few years back when Kaveh moved in with him. However now that Alhaitham is the Grand Sage they couldn’t go there as often as they’d like. Tighnari chuckled at that memory.
As if realizing something, Kaveh’s face contorted into something between disgust and shock. “Oh my god, Tighnari, whatever you do, do not fall for that bastard!” He said out of the blue which took both he and Cyno by surprise. Tighnari almost spat the drink in his mouth.
“Wh-what are you talking Kaveh?” Tighnari asked as he tried to wrap his brain around what Kaveh just said.
“Look I didn’t wanna tell you this, but Cyno and me, we know you have a thing for smart tall dudes who basically tower you with muscles that can manhandle you to oblivion.” Tighnari’s eyes widen into saucers because ‘What in the actual fuck is Kaveh talking about right now?’ Kaveh then placed a hand on his shoulder with an attempt at a serious look on his face, which just looked ridiculous with how drunk he was right now. “Look we’re not gonna judge you cuz everyone has a type, I’m just saying Alhaitham’s not it, I mean sure he has a handsome face, and Kusanali knows how he stays in shape when all he does is read books and sit in that office of his, but the point is…”
As if Cyno understood where the conversation was going, he immediately grabbed both of Tighnari’s shoulders, slapping Kaveh’s hand away in the process, and proceeded to say. “Scratch that, don’t you ever be in the same room as him alone you hear me, don’t even look at him, even if he summoned you, wear a blindfold.”
“What-what-wha-wh…what are you guys-”
“We just wanna keep our Narinari safe from the clutches of that women-hungry bastard.”
“Okay, you guys are drunk.” Because there is no way Alhaitham is woman crazy alright, he has me, goes unsaid.
“I am not!” Kaveh disagrees and continues. “I’m serious, I know he has someone over every few weeks, but I have never met that person in the entire time I’ve been living with him, It safe to say either his keeping her from me or he keeps a few of them in his rotation, I personally think it’s the latter.”
“What makes you say that?” Now Tighnari’s interest is peeked, because there is no way Alhaitham is cheating on him… right?
“Because every few times I clean the house, I find different sets of hair sometimes black, sometimes this lime green…” Kaveh grabbed the green part of his hair. “Just like yours Tighnari,” he said in a pondering manner.
Tighnari's face heated up embarrassed that he almost accused his lover of almost five years cheating on him because of a drunken Kaveh, he must be drunk too.
“Oh and get this whoever they are, either they’re super vanilla or super wild.” Kaveh started, now the conversation is steering into a more gossipper direction. This for some reason intrigued Cyno as he leaned in to listen better, Tighnari hadn’t realized where the direction of the conversation was going until Kaveh continued in a hushed tone. “Y’know I live with him, so I’ve walked in on him changing his shirt several times, most times it was normal y’know, sometimes he has scratches on his back, sometimes not, as much as I loathe it I know he has an active nightlife. But there was this one time when I saw the absolute art piece his partner left on him.” Kaveh whistled as he recalled the memory. “His back was all scratched up from his nape to his waist and the amount of literal bitemarks not hickeys, don’t get me started on those, no bitemarks, on him would rival the days of the month,” Kaveh explained, listening to Kaveh Tighnari turned red. “It’s as if he was having sex with a feral beast. Oh, and his arms-”
Tighnari slammed his glass down hard garnering the attention of the entire tavern, which embarrassed Tighnari even more, his ears pulled back in embarrassment, his face beet red. “Okay that’s enough, I don’t wanna hear it anymore.” Tighnari managed. “Kaveh you’re drunk and I wanna go home,” Tighnari said as he stood up, a bit unsteady, either from the alcohol or the embarrassment he doesn’t know. “Cyno could you take Kaveh home please.” Tighnari requested, when his best friend nodded Tighnari walked off into the night, hoping it would help clear his thoughts.
Even after he walked until he reached the forest, he just couldn’t free his thoughts from what Kaveh had just said. Shit, was he really like a feral beast when he was-? But he wasn’t that bad was he? No way, aside from his heats he remembers every time he was with Haitham and he was very tame…right?
A twig snapping caught his attention, it was close. Shit was his mind so clouded that he didn’t even realize someone had snuck up on him? Grabbing his bow with one hand and his arrows with in another he turned in one swift move, but before he could fully turn the person caught his arm and turned him back around, and forced his hands down before hugging him from behind.
“Well, this is not like you Nari.” A familiar deep voice whispered into his ears. “I’ve been following you for 20 minutes now, Did my little fox drink a bit too much tonight?” The person asked.
“Ugh, Haitham stop doing that.” He whined as he placed back his bows and arrows before turning towards his lover. Tighnari pouted as he placed his arms on Alhaitham’s shoulders, interlocking his fingers. He noticed that his headphones was placed around his neck rather than its usual place around his head.
“Well, it is a rare opportunity to catch the Forest Watcher of the Avidya Forest by surprise, I should take all the chances I can get, after all, it would make quite an interesting observation,” Alhaitham replied as he placed his hands on his lover’s waist.
Tighnari giggled as he swayed slightly making the man in his arms follow his lead. “Since when were you following me?”
“Well, I saw you leave the tavern from my balcony and thought I might as well join you,” Alhaitham explained. “You seemed distracted so I followed you until you at least realized I was here.”
“You sound like a stalker.” Tighnari joked. They stayed silent for a while which led to Tighnari remembering what Kaveh said that night and he started fidgeting in Alhaitham’s arms.
“Now let me guess, Kaveh said something stupid didn’t he?” Tighnari’s jumped up on alert.
“No…” Tighnari looked away.
“Uh-huh, what did that idiot say this time.” Alhaitham sounded annoyed, however Tighnari stayed silent. “Let me guess, that I have several people in my rotation?” Tighnari’s ears pressed down. “or is it that I’ve been in bed with some feral beast?” Alhaitham teased when he saw Tighnari’s reaction. Tighnari’s hair jumped in alert making the grey-haired man smirk as he knew he’d hit the nail on the head.
“He told you.” Tighnari whisper-shouted in disbelief.
“Well, he did walk in on me changing Nari, Kaveh’s never the type to keep his loudmouth shut.” Tighnari pushed Alhaitham away and yanked his ears down to cover his face in embarrassment making an unidentifiable sound with his throat because there was no way he would do that. “I didn’t you know.” Alhaitham started, catching the Valuka Shuna’s attention making him peek over to his lover from behind his ears. “Cheat on you, I mean why would I when I have such a feral beast in bed?” Alhaitham continued to tease. Tighnari groaned childishly and pounced on his lover and started hitting the man.
“I am not a feral beast!” Tighnari landed a hit with each word that he spoke, Alhaitham couldn’t help but chuckle at the fox’s reaction and soft punches. Tighnari’s eyes lit up, even after so many years of being lovers and more years as friends, Tighnari doesn’t see Alhaitham laugh often, and it always brings joy to his day every time he sees it.
“You are on certain days of the year my little fox.” Alhaitham picked the fussy fox and started walking his way to his second home on the outskirts of Sumeru city, the home he and Tighnari purchased after Kaveh moved in with Alhaitham, away from the prying eyes of the world, with Tighnari in his arms.
“Shut up Haitham!” Tighnari’s face turned another fifty shades of red if that was even possible, he puffed his cheeks circled his arms around Alhaitham’s neck, and turned his face away from his lover in annoyance. He does have to agree with both Cyno and Kaveh on this one, his boyfriend is definitely an annoying insufferable bastard.