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”Come on, Haitham, it’s just one more!”
Kaveh was standing in their living room, face scrunched up into an irresistible pout and frowning eyebrows, carefully holding up a tiny kitten with beady red eyes hiding among blonde curls.
“You mean a fourth cat.”
Kaveh huffed, caressing between the kitten’s ears. “You would have to be a monster to throw this sweet baby out onto the streets. Look at how scrawny she is! And she’s so small, too…”
The kitten looked up to Alhaitham with a pout identical to Kaveh’s, orange fur flattened by pets.
“Fine.”
It was a white cat the following month, and a black one only one week later. Then a tabby who had “begged” for a family at the Grand Bazaar.
“Kaveh, you can’t save every single stray cat you see. You have to start taking them to the shelter.”
“No way,” Kaveh exclaimed, holding the tabby protectively in his arms. “Only Kusanali knows how they get treated over there, with a hundred animals crowded into a small space. And this one would have a hard time finding a home, look.” He pointed to where the cat was missing one paw. “You want to be the one responsible for this poor angel living the rest of his life all alone in a crowded shelter, with no love?”
“I would not be responsible for anything. We already have six cats, and there’s barely enough space for them. I know you have trouble sleeping with all of them in your bed already, and I’m not interested in waking up with a paw on my face.”
Kaveh scoffed, and he would have put a petulant hand on his waist were it not for the cat in his arms. “I sleep perfectly fine, cuddling all these cute little animals who love me. You wouldn’t understand the warmth of affection.”
Alhaitham crossed his arms. “Yes, warmth which makes you sleep half-naked and still has you wake up sweating.”
“It is not my fault that your house has inadequate ventilation!”
“The ventilation is perfectly adequate. It just doesn’t account for the shared warmth of seven beings in one bed.”
“Eight now,” Kaveh muttered, placing a kiss on the cat’s forehead. “And I don’t wanna hear a word about it.”
“Fine. And I don’t wanna hear a word about vet bills magically finding their way to my desk.”
That statement was ignored as Kaveh showed the cat his new house, touring the rooms and explaining, in a soft voice, the times at which they ate, which bed was his, and how Alhaitham was a meanie who kept his door closed at night.
“What should I name you, hm?” he hummed, setting the cat down. “You look a little like Alhaitham. Maybe I should call you Mr Grumpy.”
Alhaitham looked up from his book. “I heard that.”
The odd commission sometimes dragged Kaveh away to the desert, giving him a persistent tan and heaps of sand ingrained in his shoes, bags, and Mehrak’s nooks and crannies. He didn’t mind the inconvenience much, however, as he always came back babbling excitedly about the challenges of building over unstable sand and the brilliant architectural solutions that Aaru Village had been using for generations.
Alhaitham, on the other hand, definitely minded.
Kaveh,
When are you coming back?
- Alhaitham
Dear Alhaitham,
Miss me already? It’s only been four days, you know. Kind of embarrassing for you. I told you, probably at least five times, that I’m coming back next Friday.
- Kaveh
Kaveh,
I am perfectly aware of the presumed date of your return, but given that you are always late, I was wondering if any changes to your schedule had already been made.
And I am resenting your absence because your cats are bothering me all the time. Come back quickly. I don’t like cleaning all these litter boxes.
- Alhaitham
Dear Alhaitham,
Gods, you’re unbearable. Everything is going perfectly according to schedule, I’ll have you know! Maybe I’ll even come back on Thursday!
Stop lying. I know you love my children just as much as I do, you just don’t want to admit it. I see you giving them treats when you think I’m not looking.
Also: give them all a big, sweet kiss from me! Tell them I’ll be back soon, and I miss them so, so much!
- Kaveh
Kaveh,
I’ll have dinner prepared for two on Thursday, then. I’ll have to waste food if you’re not here, so I suggest that you meet that date unless you want the price of the meal discounted from your rent.
I will not tell the cats anything. They don’t understand spoken language.
- Alhaitham
Mr Grumpy looked up at him with striking teal eyes, meowing miserably.
“I know,” Alhaitham sighed. “I miss him too. But he’ll be home soon.”
Alhaitham was usually expressionless, his angular features holding a perpetually rigid and blank look which many mistook for irritation. It was not on purpose, however: he simply didn’t have the habit of showcasing his emotions through his face. It didn’t mean he specifically tried to keep them buried underneath a frown. And, at times, when the occasion called for a particularly strong reaction, his face organically showcased his emotions.
This was one such occasion.
“Kaveh,” he breathed, jaw dropping. “What… What? What the fuck?”
His eyes were completely fixated on the tiny beast sitting languidly on his doorstep, licking its paws with contentment and not a care in the world.
“A desert fox!” Kaveh replied, cheerfully. “Listen, Haitham, I know what you’re gonna say! But hear me out. She can sleep out in the garden. Or in my room, so it won’t bother you at all! I swear she’ll be fully under my responsibility. I promise I tried to leave her behind, but she totally insisted on coming with me! Followed me all the way home, just because I gave her some water. The poor thing was so thirsty.”
Alhaitham blinked, sighing deeply. The shock had mostly worn away: ridiculous as the situation was, it was actually quite in line with his roommate’s usual behaviour.
“I don’t even think adopting a desert fox is legal. You’d have to check with the Akademiya’s Department of Wild Animal Regulations. And the rainforest isn’t her natural habitat, so I doubt she’d be comfortable here.”
“Yeah, I’m not stupid,” Kaveh grumbled. “I know all of that. It’s not like I’d drag a fox out of the desert! But she just followed me. What am I supposed to do?”
“I’m sure there’s some kind of wildlife service which relocates animals to their habitat. I can find out how to contact them.”
“I checked. In fact, I…” Kaveh looked away, clearing his throat as he looked down at the fox. “I sent in an application. To formally adopt her. Totally legally, might I add! Explained the situation and all. There’s a drought over there, you know? She might die of thirst. So, I argued that it’s in her best interests to live with me.”
”I doubt they’ll approve your application. I’m sure everyone is aware of your history of recklessness.”
Kaveh scowled, reaching down to pet the fox. “I’m gonna ignore that jab for the sake of our relationship. But you’re right, I travel around a lot and don’t have a house under my name, so I guess I don’t look like the absolute best candidate for this.”
Alhaitham nodded, relieved that at least some level of rationality was gracing Kaveh’s mind.
“Which is why I submitted the application under your name!” he added, cheerfully.
Alhaitham gawked at his roommate, who casually entered the kitchen to pour himself a cup of water, followed closely by the fox.
“I will withdraw this application now. I never agreed to adopting this fox—”
“We can name her after Sabz Meat Stew,” Kaveh interrupted.
“That would be ridiculous, so no. I did not agree to adopting a fox—”
“Sabz. Use her name, she’s not an object.”
“Whatever. I never agreed to adopting Miss Sabz Meat Stew. And, for the record, this idea is ludicrous. So, I will be withdrawing the application you illegally submitted under my name immediately, and will—”
A knock on the front door interrupted him. He opened it with a deeper frown than usual.
“Scribe Alhaitham!” the scholar chirped, smiling brightly. “I received your application for a desert fox adoption two days ago, sir, and I must say that I was surprised, but I was more than happy to oblige and even completed the paperwork for you. After everything you’ve done for Sumeru and your service to the nation as Grand Sage, I hardly think there’s anything the Akademiya would refuse, coming from you!”
Alhaitham opened his mouth to protest, but she continued. “And, as a worker in the Department of Wild Animal Regulations, it really warms my heart to see people caring for these angels. The drought has been really bad these past few years, and the desert fox population has been decreasing drastically. As such, I filed your application as urgent, and it’s all approved and ready. Here, I decided to deliver it personally so it would be quick,” she rambled, throwing a thick document onto his hands. “I don’t think I have to remind you that this creature is fully your responsibility now, and I sure hope you don’t regret your decision, because she’s under your full legal guard. I added in a document about how to take care of desert foxes.”
Alhaitham stared forward, speechless. When he finally opened his mouth to explain the situation, he was interrupted for the millionth time that evening. “I’m sorry, but I’m in a rush!” the scholar chuckled. “Thank you again for your kind service to the desert wildlife, and good luck!”
She simply closed the door, leaving Alhaitham to contemplate all his life choices.
“Kaveh.”
It was simply a statement, devoid of any fury or connotation whatsoever, but for the first time, Kaveh looked like a deer in headlights as he looked up from the fox. “Yes? Um. I promise I won’t cause you any trouble, Haitham, I just—”
“If I get fined for environmental crimes at any point, you’re covering the full expense.”
“Oh. Yeah. Sure, fair.”
Alhaitham sighed, looking down at the fox. “You better not attack any of your siblings.”
Sabz seemed to somehow instinctively know that, technically and on paper, her real owner was Alhaitham, because she made a point of following him around the house at every waking moment. He had to resign himself to a desert fox curled next to him on the divan while he read, and whining for treats while he cooked.
(He didn’t really mind). (She was adorable).
Most of the pets were stuck by Kaveh’s side whenever possible, lying on the bathroom floor while he bathed and pouncing onto his lap whenever he was seated — Potato was addicted to cuddles, and Fry had the habit of jumping onto his shoulder and lying there while he walked. Only one cat, really, preferred Alhaitham’s more reserved demeanour, making him company in his study through the evenings while playing with the chord of his headphones. It was the pale orange, fluffy kitten with red eyes who had, by now, almost doubled in size.
“You’ll have to get used to your new sister at some point, Jellybean,” Alhaitham murmured, petting the cat as she clung to his cloak with ferocity, eyeing the desert fox just two steps away. “She won’t hurt you. I hope.”
She didn’t. Sabz was remarkably well-behaved for a wild animal, slowly but surely earning the cats’ trust and their cuddles. She was quiet and well-mannered, too, and hardly took any work. Her only real flaw was her clinginess.
“No, sweetheart,” Kaveh cooed, holding her back with a gentle hand. “Alhaitham’s going to work. You can’t go with him. We’ve been through this before.”
She gasped a strange mixture of a whine and a bark, pleading with massive eyes, please, please, please, please.
“The Akademiya has a no-foxes policy,” Kaveh explained, smoothing down her fur.
”It doesn’t, really. I’ve never seen that written anywhere,” Alhaitham corrected.
Sabz lit up with hope, while Kaveh scowled. “Are you gonna help? Or should I just let her accompany you to work?”
“Well,” Alhaitham murmured, taking the time to review the idea. “I suppose she must miss the outdoors. Perhaps a walk would do her some good.”
Kaveh squawked as he watched Alhaitham open the front door, steadily starting on his way to work with a jittery desert fox by his side.
“And then I’m the insane one,” he mumbled.
Sabz was on her best behaviour at the Akademiya, greeting every curious scholar with lowered ears. “She is a rescued desert fox,” Alhaitham explained to the few who had the guts to ask.
She fell into the habit of sniffing around his bookshelves and playing with discarded research application forms, walking by his side each morning and each late afternoon between the Akademiya and the house. Almost every scholar came to know her by name, often petting her as a greeting when she took a stroll around the corridors.
“I’m being forced to spend two nights in Port Ormos to document some sort of meeting,” Alhaitham announced over dinner, half to Kaveh and half to Sabz. “I’ll leave on Monday and return on Wednesday for lunch.”
“Okay.” Kaveh looked with pity over at the fox. “Poor Sabz. She already sleeps in front of your door every night. She’s gonna be inconsolable.”
“She’ll manage,” Alhaitham grunted, but really, his heart lurched a little at the thought of the fox missing him.
The meeting was useless, as was to be expected. Alhaitham suppressed the urge to groan in boredom as he heard the Sages discuss something completely inconsequential for the millionth time, pulling out a book to read under the table. When it was finally over, the Scribe was itching to go home and sleep in his own bed rather than the uncomfortable hotel mattress which scratched his back with its poorly washed covers. He rearranged his limbs uncomfortably, imagining how, at this time, Kaveh might have been brewing them both a warm cup of tea, carrying one of the cats in his arms and laughing delightedly as he sang, out-of-tune, a few made-up verses about how adorable his kitty was.
What if he just went home early?
Sure, it was late already, and he’d arrive home in the middle of the night, but he had the whole day off anyway, so he could just sleep in. And he’d barely be able to rest in this ridiculous excuse for a bed, anyway. It was decided.
He opened the front door slowly, careful as to not make enough noise to wake up Kaveh or any of the other nine inhabitants of the house. After pouring himself some water, he stretched his sore limbs while shuffling to his bedroom.
He paused once inside.
The fox was curled in on herself over his mattress, occupying half of the bed, but that was to be expected. She must have missed his scent, and the door was open. The actual surprise was that, on the other pillow (the side on which Alhaitham always slept), was a drooling Kaveh, golden curls sprawled over the mattress as he snored quietly. He hiccuped in his sleep, adorably, and shifted to adjust his arms.
In doing that, he lowered the blanket, which exposed the top of his chest. Alhaitham’s breath hitched as he noticed, under the drowsy moonlight, that Kaveh was wearing his shirt, a comfortable dark green pyjama he often wore to bed. It had been tucked under his pillow when he left, and Kaveh had… Kaveh had…
Sabz blinked an eye open, tail wagging like that of a dog as she practically leaped onto Alhaitham, earning her a rushed shush! and a tight embrace. She climbed back into bed, returning to her initial position, and Alhaitham reflected on what exactly he was supposed to do in this situation. It was his bed, so naturally he had every right to sleep there. And yet, climbing in next to his roommate felt too intimate, too dreamlike: would Kaveh be upset?
He quietly made his way to Kaveh’s own room, concluding that they should simply switch beds, but, sprawled on the mattress, were seven cats, outstretched and covering both pillows. They dotted the entire blanket, some sleepily gazing up at him.
Alhaitham noted that the bed was completely made, implying that Kaveh hadn’t even climbed into it that night.
He returned to his own bedroom, gulping and massaging his wrist as he carefully climbed onto the mattress, situating himself between the fox and his roommate. He could feel Kaveh’s warm breath on his face, and the touch of his knees under the blanket. Sabz rustled the covers, and Alhaitham’s heart beat wildly at the thought that Kaveh might wake up from the sound.
“Hm…” Kaveh sighed, eyes still fully closed as he curled in on himself, now even closer to his roommate’s face. “Sweetheart?”
To say that Alhaitham nearly died was an understatement. Kaveh used pet names to talk to the cats (and Sabz) very often, so he was more than used to it: the habit didn’t really gauge any reaction out of him. Now, when it was murmured in that drowsy, soft voice only centimetres from his face, drenched in sweetness and innocence against Alhaitham’s own pillow—
Right. Kaveh was wearing his shirt, too.
…Alhaitham barely got any sleep that night.
Alhaitham was rudely awoken by Kaveh’s alarm screeching desperately, much earlier than he usually got out of bed. He groaned, hiding his head under the pillow, and muttered something like “turn… off…” while he heard Kaveh shuffle on the bed.
After a few seconds of bliss in the quiet of the morning after the treacherous alarm was eliminated, Alhaitham nearly drifted back to sleep before the previous night’s memories rushed back to him. He shifted under the covers, looking up blearily from under the pillow.
Kaveh was sitting rigidly, cheeks flushed scarlet as he eyed Alhaitham’s figure and the fox curled up against them. He opened his mouth upon feeling Alhaitham’s gaze, then shut it again. He nervously brushed back a couple of curls while thinking of what to say.
“I’m— I, uh,” he stuttered. “You’re home early.”
Alhaitham attempted to nod, but what came out was a yawn. “Hotel bed… was itchy.”
His voice was weirdly deep, and a little rough. Kaveh rarely ever got to hear it this early in the morning.
“I can explain,” Kaveh rushed to say, smiling anxiously. “You know how all the cats sleep with me. I mean, it’s super sweet, but I end up with almost no space in bed, so when you travel, I usually, um…” He coughed. “I usually sleep here, since there’s a spare bed.”
Alhaitham blinked, eyes begging to flutter shut. “And the—” He coughed, clearing his throat. “And the shirt?”
Kaveh blazed a furious red once again, looking down helplessly at the evidence of his crime. “I just— I, um— You see…” He cleared his throat too, searching the room for something which might help him come up with an excuse. “I was cold!”
Alhaitham blinked.
”Yes,” Kaveh continued, more confidently now. “You know I usually sleep shirtless, since it gets so hot with all the cats. So I came to sleep shirtless here, but I got cold. And I didn’t wanna get out of bed, and I’d seen your shirt under the pillow. So I put it on. Not a big deal.”
He looked proud of himself, red eyes twinkling with contentment at his convincing explanation.
Alhaitham snorted. “You’ve always been a terrible liar.”
Kaveh gasped, feigning offence. “I don’t— What do you mean? I’m not lying!”
“Well, that’s a shame,” Alhaitham muttered. “I was hoping you just liked sleeping with my smell.”
The words hung around the air for a long, unending moment, but just as Alhaitham was about to apologise for his foolishness, Kaveh let out a soft “Really?”
He lowered his body hesitantly, resting his face on the pillow right next to his roommate. The tips of his curls tickled Alhaitham’s face, but the feeling was delightful rather than uncomfortable.
“You can…” Alhaitham started, his usually confident tone giving way to a dripping awkwardness. “You can just sleep with me. If you like my smell.”
Kaveh laughed, his lips stretching into a toothy beam. “Okay.”
They looked into each other’s eyes, a sweet birdsong coming in through the window. When Kaveh reached to touch Alhaitham’s hair, his breath hitched.
“I’m in love with you,” Alhaitham confessed, voice steady and unwavering. “Always have been.”
Kaveh blinked a few times, his face edging even closer. “I’ve always loved how blunt you are.”
Alhaitham narrowed his eyes. “Are you lying again? Don’t pretend you don’t call me insensitive every five minutes.”
Kaveh threw his head back in laughter, circling his arms around Alhaitham’s neck. “I like messing with you.”
“Me too.”
“I’m also in love with you.”
Alhaitham inhaled deeply, heart hammering in his chest and he leaned forward just slightly — they were so close already — to press an adoring kiss to Kaveh’s chapped lips. They breathed in the taste of each other for what felt like minutes on end, caressing each other’s faces and tracing each other’s features: trying to memorise everything their eyes already knew by heart.
Gently, Kaveh pulled away with dilated pupils. “Haitham…” he whispered. “Your morning breath is awful.”
Alhaitham threw a pillow at him while he cackled desperately, swallowed up by the green shirt. The movement startled Sabz, who nuzzled her face onto Alhaitham’s neck.
“Looks like she doesn’t mind as much as you. Guess I love her more,” Alhaitham grunted.
Kaveh narrowed his eyes, climbing onto his lap with purpose. “Fine, then, if you wanna play that game. I’ll kiss you all you want.” He hovered his lips over Alhaitham’s, gorgeous amber eyes fluttering shut. “…Once you brush your teeth.”