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The bustle of the crowded home overwhelmed Alhaitham as he pushed through the sea of people in search of his roommate. The strong aroma of alcohol and cinnamon flooded his senses, bodies pushing and shoving him this way and that as the partygoers carelessly enjoyed themselves.
So much for teasing him, Alhaitham thought, his mind wandering back to the argument he had with the architect earlier that week.
“It’s my home, I have the right to invite people over if I wish to do so.”
“You don’t even like socializing! I can’t have people find out I live with you! I should have a say in this!”
“You could’ve if it was your home and if you’d manage to pay for its rent.”
“YOU SON OF A-“
Alhaitham would’ve smiled as he remembered Kaveh’s exaggerated reaction, but the more he pushed past the crowd, the more he dreaded his petty decision to host this holiday party. With the floor littered in glitter and confetti that would be painstaking to clean up later, he knew for a fact Kaveh wouldn’t be helping out. Alhaitham supposed this was his karma for picking the fight with him.
His gaze wandered over the heads of people in an attempt to spot Kaveh’s golden hair, but it seemed impossible. He wouldn’t have even lost him if he was allowed some space at this party. He was held up for much longer than he would’ve liked by eager Akademiya students and acquaintances from work, who gushed for what felt like hours over Alhaitham’s status as Acting Grand Sage or asking personal questions that made him wish he had a drink in his hand…or a drunk Kaveh to give him as excuse to leave.
Alhaitham almost gave up trying to find him until he heard Kaveh’s voice ring out in anguish from the kitchen, somehow being louder than the whole party.
“NO!” Kaveh yelled, slamming his hands on the dining table as his TCG cards went up in flames before his eyes.
To no one’s surprise, Cyno extended his palm out in front of Kaveh, a smug look plastered over his face, “Rules are rules, where’s my mora?”
Alhaitham thought he saw a tear almost form in Kaveh’s eyes as he looked up at Cyno fearfully. He sighed and walked over to his friends, reaching into his pockets and counting a handful of mora. He slipped it in Cyno’s hand in Kaveh’s place, noting, “I see you’re enjoying the party.”
“Alhaitham, you can’t cover him every time!” Tighnari whined beside Cyno, slumping against him and very visibly tipsy.
Kaveh’s mood instantly brightened and he hummed, obviously a few drinks in, “Whatever, I’ll ignore your snarky comment because of your generosity.” He leaned forward and smiled, making Alhaitham’s face burn up like the cards.
“Stop betting with money you don’t have.” Alhaitham scolded, pushing Kaveh’s face away from him.
“So mean!” Kaveh yelped, flicking Alhaitham’s hand placed on top of him, “And for your information, I’m not enjoying this party. I just got my mora snubbed from me!”
“My mora.” Alhaitham corrected.
“That’s what you get for challenging a master.” Cyno proudly shrugged, collecting his cards in a neat pile, “I don’t suppose you’d want to try Alhaitham?”
“No thanks, I’d like to be able to afford the cards in the first place.” He remarked, getting laughs out of everyone at the table.
Suddenly, he felt his arm being tugged as he looked down to watch Kaveh get up from his seat and wave goodbye to their friends.
“What are you-” Alhaitham started, but was cut off by the buzz of the party as Kaveh pulled him into the crowd that filed outside the kitchen.
He blindly let his arm be guided through, Kaveh’s grip tight and making Alhaitham’s heart do backflips as they reached Kaveh’s room on the opposite end of the home. Kaveh placed a hand on Alhaitham’s back and pushed him into the room, shutting the door closed behind the two of them with a sigh. Ignoring Alhatitham’s presence, he sluggishly groaned and walked over to his bed, flopping down on it. He slowly turned over to face Alhaitham and gave him a puzzled look, “What are you doing?”
Alhaitham awkwardly stood frozen by the door, “What are you doing? Why did you bring me here?”
Kaveh let out a yawn and stretched against his bed, “I’m tired of the party - you seemed to be too - don’t you want some quiet?”
“I’m not that exhausted as you’re framing it to be.” Alhaitham responded, inching closer to Kaveh’s bed, praying he didn’t notice how pink his ears were.
“Oh Acting Grand Sage! What an impressive title! How talented and remarkable and incredible you are-” Kaveh mocked in a high pitched voice, to which Alhaitham cut him off.
“Okay, I understand,” He sighed, sitting next to Kaveh as he was sprawled on the bed, “I may be a bit tired.”
Kaveh softly giggled and closed his eyes as he laid on the bed, his hair spread out in all directions and brushing against Alhaitham’s hand propped beside him. Alhaitham didn’t dare move, and gently observed every detail on Kavah’s face. His long, blonde lashes, the freckles that shone like stars on his nose, the rosiness of his cheeks from his drinking - it was like staring at a painting in Alhaitham’s perspective, one crafted with so much attention and care. There were moments like these, despite all their disagreements they’ve had between each other and petty arguments that led to things like holiday parties, where Alhaitham remembered all over again what made him feel so deeply for his roommate. He may be stubborn and reckless, and they may have had their rocky parts in their relationship, but all the fighting was worth finding himself back in these split seconds of quiet.
It was rash.
It was stupid.
But Alhaitham unconsciously took a strand of Kaveh’s hair in between his fingers, fidgeting with his soft locks in his hand.
And Kaveh noticed.
His eyelids fluttered open and gaze fell on Alhaitham’s hand.
“Sorry.” Alhaitham coughed, letting go and looking down to his hands that now rested in his lap.
Alhaitham didn’t look back, but he felt Kaveh shift against his bedsheets, laying on his side towards him. He felt his arm being once again tugged from behind and his heart rate skyrocketed.
“What was that?” Kaveh asked in a low voice, cheeks growing redder by the minute, “You don’t do stuff like that.”
“What’s ‘stuff like that?’” Alhaitham innocently asked.
He got no response, assuming Kaveh dropped the idea.
But Kaveh never dropped their conversations until he got an answer he liked.
Alhaitham felt a hand brush against his head and tenderly take a strand of his hair to play with.
“W-what are you doing?” Alhaitham let out, warmth tickling his cheeks.
“I don’t know.” Kaveh simply said, and Alhaitham could almost sense he had a stupid grin on his face as he spoke.
Not wanting to give him any satisfaction, Alhaitham tilted his head back to face Kaveh. Kaveh hesitantly let go of his hair and slowly looked up at him, laid on his side with one hand supporting his head and the other hovering beside Alhaitham’s. His emerald eyes glistened brightly in the lights of the chandelier above them and any snide comeback Alhaitham tried to muster up immediately melted as he met Kaveh. All he could do was stare at him like he’d seen a ghost, his gaze flickering between Kaveh and his hand that sat in front of him, only a mere inch away from his own.
Alhaitham regretted not taking down a shot or two before coming into Kaveh’s room, because none of what he wanted to do he could ever attempt to do sober. Luckily, Kaveh’s hand drew closer to his own first, his eyes also switching between their hands and Alhaitham’s face like he was waiting for an objection that never was going to come.
He slipped his hand over Alhaitham’s and Alhaitham interlocked their fingers together. Kaveh squeezed tightly, and Alhaitham held his breath as he let him.
Kaveh spoke up, breaking the silence between the two, “Aren’t you gonna stop me?”
Alhaitham paused for a moment before answering, “No.”
Kaveh’s eyebrows unexpectedly furrowed, and he forcibly let go of Alhaitham’s hand. He sat up and fixed his gaze on the floor away from him, pulling his hands away.
“What’s wrong?” Alhaitham asked, his heart lumped in his throat as he spoke.
“You’re just so!” Kaveh huffed, massaging his temple before he continued, “I just don’t get you.”
Kaveh whipped towards Alhaitham and continued, “One second, you’re fighting with me and pissing me off until the next you act like that.”
“Like what?” Alhaitham pressed.
“Like you care, like you…I don’t know!” Kaveh pushed out.
“About you? Of course I care, what makes you suppose I don’t?” Alhaitham asked, feeling embarrassed over the amount of questions he was asking.
“People who care about each other, don’t always yell at each other or hurt each other like we do. Like we did.” Kaveh’s emphasis on the last word made Alhaitham’s heart nearly stop.
“What occurred then…” Alhaitham started, but his words trailed off. They sat in silence before Alhaitham constructed his thoughts, because they never talked about it. Their Akademiya days remained distant memories, ones they never brought up to each other since it was such a sensitive topic to mention. It felt like a stab to the chest for Kaveh to bring it up now, of all times, and essentially admit it was something that still affected him.
“Humans always seem to hurt each other somehow, even if we care for one other, we tend to act selfish at times.” Alhaitham started, pausing every now and then to read Kaveh’s expression, “I act selfish at times.”
The statement made Kaveh’s eyes widen and he remarked, a small smile forming on his face, “Is the Acting Grand Sage admitting to being a dick?”
“You are enjoying this more than you should.” Alhaitham softly laughed.
Kaveh froze, his face even pinker than it was earlier, observing Alhaitham as he now moved to sit facing him. Alhaitham tried to ignore his reaction so he could finish, “I…I apologize. Perhaps this conversation is happening a bit too late, but I didn’t intend to offend you back as students.”
Kaveh’s expression softened, “Don’t take all the blame, it was my fault too…” He fidgeted with his fingernails as he continued, “I’m not trying to be hypocritical, I know I cause a majority of our fights. All I do is burden you afterall.”
Alhaitham laid a hand on Kaveh’s that sat in his lap, “You’ve never been a burden.”
Kaveh quickly protested back, “But all I do is leach off of you, I mean I didn’t talk to you for years and had the audacity to come crawling back when I needed something. I’m much more selfish than you’ve ever been.”
“I’m not...proficient in conversations like this, but you’ve never been selfish Kaveh. You’re constantly aiding others who need it, even if you arguably need said help more." Alhaitham instinctually cupped his hand against Kaveh's cheek, "You think I don’t notice that?”
Kaveh remained silent and his actions dawned on Alhaitham, as he quickly retrieved his hand from his face in embarrassment.
Alhaitham couldn’t tell what Kaveh’s expression was, but he answered back, “What else do you notice?”
“What else…” Alhaitham said, his eyes flickering around Kaveh’s features.
Kaveh’s other hand slid up to cup Alhaitham’s face, and Alhaitham felt he’d been transported back to their Akademiya days, like he was once again the immature little boy who admired his senior in between glances during lectures or study sessions in the library.
He watched Kaveh’s gaze fix on his lips as he pulled him close, “Has our Grand Sage finally gone speechless?” He joked, locking eyes with Alhaitham.
Alhaitham placed his own hand over Kaveh’s that sat on his face, caressing it with his thumb and watching Kaveh carefully, “You truly don’t know when to quit, do you?”
They both drew close and their lips brushed against each other. Alhaitham pulled Kaveh’s arm, pulling his whole body closer to his. Kaveh got up on his knees and shifted over to sit on Alhaitham’s lap, not for a moment letting go and entangling his hand in his hair as they kissed. Alhaitham pulled back to litter kisses down Kaveh’s face to his neck, letting himself loose after restraining for so long. Kaveh giggled between kisses, making jokes here and there until Alhaitham silenced him with another long kiss.
After a few minutes, Kaveh broke away with his breath heavy, not letting his gaze leave Alhaitham’s even for a moment, “I hope you know I care about you too, even if I can act...difficult."
A smirk pulled at Alhaitham's face, "Care?"
"Ugh," Kaveh sighed, "Okay, I'm...fond of you."
"You're getting closer, I'm sure an accomplished architect of your caliber will find the right word for it soon enough." Alhaitham teased.
"You!" Kaveh yelped in frustration. He paused for a moment before answering, "I love you.”
Alhaitham smiled softly, “I love you too…Merry Christmas, Kaveh.”
“Cheesy…” Kaveh laughed, placing a few more kisses on Alhaitham’s cheeks, “Merry Christmas, Alhaitham.”
Alhaitham pushed back to add, "Could this suffice as your gift this year, I've honestly run out of ideas."
"Nevermind! I take it back!" Kaveh shouted.
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