Work Text:
Kaveh has been buzzing for the entire week.
While the excitable architect is prone to bouts of nervous energy and anxiety, Alhaitham can tell that this is a different type of antsy-ness. Kaveh is counting the days down, as he is wont to do when he’s looking forward to a specific day, and a single glance at the calendar tells Alhaitham all he needs to know about the occasion that his roommate-turned-partner is eagerly anticipating.
The day finally arrives. It’s a weekend like any other, and Alhaitham fully intends to go about his day as he normally does. He sleeps in a little more, relaxes in bed a little longer without quite acknowledging the fact that it was empty when he woke up, and when he finally leaves the room and heads to the kitchen for breakfast, he sees an entire spread of food waiting for him, with a proud-looking Kaveh sitting at the table. He looks as if he had been waiting there for quite a while, and when he sees Alhaitham, he perks up instantly.
“Good morning!”
“Mm. Good morning. Have you eaten already?”
“I sure have. So you can just help yourself to whatever’s on the table, okay?”
“I see. Thanks.”
The low-key reaction seems to take Kaveh aback somewhat. He watches expectantly as Alhaitham slowly begins eating.
“Well? How does it taste?”
“It’s good,” Alhaitham says.
“Naturally, since I made it especially for you.”
“Mmhm.”
More silence passes between them. He notices that Kaveh has begun fidgeting a little.
“Is there anything you want to say?” he asks.
Alhaitham looks up from his plate. Of course, he knows full well what Kaveh is getting at, but he’s quite interested in seeing how long he can endure the deliberate obfuscation. “Do you want me to say anything?”
“Oh, you know, like… ‘Wow, Kaveh, you’re so kind to do something like this for me on this day.’”
“You certainly put quite a lot of effort into this meal. I’m surprised you were able to find the time in your busy schedule.”
“Of course I—ugh, wait. You’re being sarcastic.”
“Whatever do you mean? I’m praising you from the bottom of my heart.”
Kaveh clicks his tongue. “As you should! You know, I made sure to clear my schedule specifically for today! Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“You…” Kaveh looks at him incredulously. “Do you know what day it is today?”
“Sunday.”
Kaveh’s eyebrow twitches. “Do you know what the date is today?”
“February 11.”
Alhaitham watches with veiled amusement as Kaveh visibly fights to keep his temper in check. “Do you know what the occasion is today?”
“Lantern Rite festivities in Liyue should be reaching their peak right about now.”
“Oh, for…” To his credit, Kaveh still manages to rein himself in, an astonishing feat when Alhaitham is making a concentrated effort to be as annoying as possible. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
“What gave it away?”
“It’s that smug expression you have on your face!” Said expression looks no different from the visage that Alhaitham normally wears, but Kaveh can apparently sense the scribe’s mirth—and rightly so. Alhaitham is quite amused, and he’s not really trying to hide it either. “I swear, I'm the one putting in all this effort, and yet you're just… You're just trying to pass it off as any other day?!”
Now that’s unexpected. Alhaitham raises his eyebrows. “That’s what you’re getting worked up about?”
“Of course I am!” Kaveh exclaims. “You were born today, Alhaitham! You should be celebrating it more—you should be celebrating yourself more! Don’t waste it by spending it like any other day!”
“This isn’t any different from how I normally spend my birthdays,” Alhaitham replies calmly. “We’ve been through a few of them together already, so you should be used to my routine. What’s so different about this year?"
“Well…!”
Kaveh’s previous agitation appears to fizzle out. Instead, he turns bright red, refusing to look Alhaitham in the eye as he wrings his hands.
“This is your first birthday since we…you know…”
“Since we formally began our romantic relationship?”
Kaveh groans loudly, burying his face in his hands more out of exasperation than anything else. It does little to hide the blush—it’s spread to his ears too. “How can you be so blasé about something like this?” he asks, his voice muffled by his palms. “Do you even realize how alien you look, saying such outrageous things with a straight face? Then again, you’re hardly capable of making any other expression…”
“As opposed to you, who wears your heart on your sleeve. I find that equally incomprehensible.” In spite of his words, Alhaitham moves his chair right beside Kaveh. He’s tortured him enough for today, he decides, and Kaveh did really put in the effort for him. Alhaitham will have no part in ruining the care and consideration with which Kaveh carried out his acts of love.
“I appreciate the effort, Kaveh,” he says, touching Kaveh’s arm gently. “And I'm enjoying the meal. Thank you.”
As always, Kaveh is easy to appease, and he’s back to preening in an instant. “Well, of course you would! Since I know you best, I know what you’d like to eat on your special day.”
Alhaitham can’t deny that. Kaveh had definitely included all of his favourite breakfast dishes. “I suppose I can leave the cleaning to you, then?”
Kaveh rolls his eyes. “You always do, regardless. But I’ll let this recurring issue of our unequal division of labour slide out of consideration for your birthday.”
“How merciful.”
“Hmph…” Finally calming down from all the excitement, Kaveh turns back to Alhaitham. “So… What’s the plan for today? I said I cleared my schedule up, but now that I think about it, you probably don’t want to do anything, huh? As per usual.”
Alhaitham falls silent, then glances at one of the windows. Hazy sunlight filters lazily through the stained glass, an indication of the pleasant weather outside.
“I’m not opposed to taking a morning walk,” he finally says, and Kaveh perks up considerably at the suggestion.
“With your beloved senior?”
“I have neither additional roommates nor additional significant others that I am aware of.”
“You’d better not!” Kaveh gets up, gathering the empty plates to put into the sink for later. “Alright, you finish up here and we’ll get ready to leave. Make sure you dress appropriately! You don’t want to overheat on your birthday!”
“That’s advice that you’re better off following yourself,” Alhaitham says with a sigh, but does as he is instructed, finishing the rest of breakfast and getting dressed. Kaveh gets ready in record time, and is quick to intertwine their fingers together as they leave their home.
“Where should we go today?” Kaveh asks as they take a slow walk down the stone path. “Oh, maybe we should go see if any of the shopkeepers in the Grand Bazaar are hosting any deals. Just for today, everything’s on me. But only if it’s on sale!”
Alhaitham gives him a pointed look. “Can your ‘generosity’ really be called such if there are always conditions attached?”
“Hey, Mora doesn’t grow on trees, you know! Although, maybe we should pitch the idea to someone in Amurta… I'm sure Tighnari would be able to figure something like that out... Anyway, the point is, I’m willing to buy anything for you today, but within reason!”
“Duly noted,” Alhaitham says, fully intending to spare Kaveh his unorthodox taste in home decor today, among other things. After all, he muses as he listens to Kaveh’s chatter and relishes in the feeling of his warm hand snug against his own, he has little to ask for when he already has the best birthday gift of them all.