Chapter Text
At the end of the day, Alhaitham supposes he should probably just start expecting the unexpected.
There'd been a major Ley Line disaster deep below the Divine Tree that morning. In some secret Amurta lab hidden within the bowels of the Akadeymia, a group of rogue scholars created some sort of gas, but failed to correctly calculate its density whilst trying to package it for sale.
The resulting explosion quite literally shook the entire Akadeymia. The scholars, miraculously unscathed by the blast, were immediately arrested and taken in for questioning.
It’s merely an enhancement for humans. They told the Matra sheepishly. Just a way to temporarily improve one's physical attributes by borrowing from other creatures. It's not harmful in any way!
No alarms were raised. The pale white fog drifting over the city didn't look particularly unusual for the rainforest. There was a faint scent of petrichor in the air, sure- but that's nothing too uncommon for the nation of Dendro during the rainy season.
As is the case with every incident at the Akadeymia, the people of Sumeru quickly moved on and forgot about it.
-
That being said, Alhaitham was understandably a bit surprised when all of the attendees at the conference he was in the middle of recording suddenly began to morph.
The Rhtawahist Sage let out a strange squawking noise as his mouth and nose transfigured into an owl's hooked beak, fingernails curling into talons. A nearby matra fell to the floor, suddenly unbalanced by the fact that her boots had been replaced by cloven hooves. Another woman stared down in shock at her hands, which had been covered in tiny green scales.
Nahida tried her best to calm everyone, but it was a little hard to take her seriously. After all, their archon now had two little mouse ears peeking out from her snowy white hair.
-
In the ensuing emergency meeting, Alhaitham learned that the mysterious gas was something called Anima, a (previously) fictional creation from Inazuma. Although they were referred to as Kemonomimi in literature, the human-animal combinations standing around the room weren't a completely foreign concept.
People with animal features aren't all that uncommon in Teyvat. Tighnari, for example, carried his Valuka Shuna bloodline with pride, and Katzlein students from Mondstadt were a relatively normal sight in the Akadeymia's halls. There was a tribe of deer-people indigenous to Nod Krai, and an entire menagerie of animal Adepti guarding the citizens of Liyue. There was even an Inazuman courier who famously walked between nations on her paws instead of shoes.
But to someone who has lived their entire life as an ordinary human, it is admittedly a little jarring to watch all of your coworkers scream in terror whilst sprouting fur and feathers.
Their meeting wasn't the only place affected. Similar scenes of uproar were found all across the city. The Ley Line-impacted gas had seemingly spared no one within Sumeru City's perimeter, turning every single person into a hybridized creature.
Two weeks, said the emergency team sent over from the Fontaine Research Institute. Two weeks, and then all side effects of the Ley Line disorder would return to normal.
…Two weeks is a rather short time frame for an entire city of animal hybrids to learn how to coexist.
-
Naturally, Nahida sent everyone home from work as soon as she was certain the gas was not an immediate danger to public health.
Although it wasn't the case for everyone, some people hadn't retained their opposable thumbs, or were still stumbling around whilst trying to get used to their new feet. Most of the Akadeymia's staff were out-of-commission for the time being, and keeping so many species under the same roof would simply cause additional chaos. Though their new instincts were mostly harmless, reports of bites and scuffles between natural enemies were starting to trickle in.
Just think of it as a paid vacation, she told Alhaitham. The little archon’s smile was pinched with stress, but she patted his arm reassuringly all the same. You can return to your scribe duties once the side effects have worn off. Just go home for now.
-
Alhaitham wasn't much worse off than anyone else affected. If anything, he'd gotten quite lucky- he had retained all his limbs and all his senses, unless you counted growing a thin tail.
There was just one problem.
Alhaitham sighed deeply, staring into the bathroom mirror.
A pair of elegant bull horns were sprouting from the top of his head, each with velvety gray ears to match.
Alhaitham traces a hand over his new horns absentmindedly, admiring the smooth texture. He hadn't ever given much thought as to what animal would represent him, since the obvious answer was within his name and constellation- but it was much more convenient to be a mammal than a bird with fragile bones and messy feathers. Being a bull meant he wouldn't have to spend the next two weeks walking on metaphorical eggshells, and his reading habit would remain undisturbed by the presence of claws.
Appearance wise, the horns weren't that bad either. Alhaitham could almost see the appeal of keeping them.
The problem is that they're heavy, and also render his headphones entirely useless.
In the absence of his headphones and the presence of his sensitive new ears, everything is far too loud. Even the faint buzzing of cicadas outside is pissing him off, and he covers his ears with his hands as he closes the windows.
Alhaitham wanders into the living room with a deep sigh, stacking as many pillows as possible on the divan before laying his head down.
It's hard to get comfortable. Alhaitham is usually a side sleeper, but the horns get in the way every time he tries to turn over. The tail is a pain too- he took off his tight leather pants the second he walked in the door, but the extension of his spine still pressed weirdly against his legs when he lay on his back.
Sitting on the divan is pretty much all he plans to do for today. He can already feel some of his more bull-like instincts starting to kick in. The desire to laze around and conserve energy whilst grazing on snacks is already quite familiar to him.
At the Akadeymia, everything felt strange. The presence of people Alhaitham usually tolerated was deeply irritating to him, and the idea of someone walking into his office uninvited almost made him want to charge them like a wild animal.
At home, he's in his element, in his territory. He can lounge around naked on the couch all he wants to, and doesn't have to wear stupidly constricting clothes. Everything in the house is catered to Alhaitham and his comfort.
…That is, aside from one exception.
The moment he begins to drift off, the sound of knocking startles him awake. Something large, far less coordinated than his graceful roommate was currently attempting to force its way through the doorframe.
The door flies off its hinges with a resounding crash. Something stomps over the threshold in its wake, grumbling unintelligibly. Alhaitham freezes.
“...Kaveh?”
A strange shuffle from the shadow in the hall. In the low light of their living room, he can just barely make out two glowing red eyes peeking at him from the dark.
Something clicks in Alhaitham's mind, a small detail he's forgotten amidst all the chaos that morning. “Your meeting. You… you were in the basement when the explosion happened.”
No response other than a low, inhuman growl. The scribe's hair stands on end.
(For Alhaitham, who had only breathed in a tiny amount of fog before ascending the elevator to his office, there wasn't much in his lungs to begin with- but Kaveh had almost certainly taken in a much greater volume of Anima gas. With the intended dosage now destroyed along with the rest of the scholars’ records, it was impossible to tell whether or not he had taken in hundreds or even thousands more than the intended amount.)
Frankly, it was a miracle he'd made it home alive.
That being said, Alhaitham isn't at all prepared for Kaveh to quite literally pounce on him like a cat.
Hefty paws pin his chest to the divan as Kaveh straddles him, eyes wild. The architect's golden hair is far longer and more unruly than Alhaitham has ever seen it, almost mane-like, with two fuzzy brown ears peeking out from his scalp. His face, despite being shaved the night previously, was now sporting several tiny whiskers.
The lion above him snarls, unnaturally sharp teeth peeking out from below his lips. In the dim light of the living room, Alhaitham can just barely make out the glint of four matching fangs where his canine teeth should be.
His roommate's crimson eyes are wide and feral, pupils narrowed down into tiny slits.
A bead of sweat rolls down the scribe's forehead.
Oh.
Normal Kaveh was slender, with a soft heart and severe carpal tunnel. Alhaitham couldn't imagine a reason why Kaveh would ever legitimately try to harm him, but in the event that he did, Alhaitham could easily overpower him.
Lion Kaveh, on the other hand, was about a foot taller than usual. Lean, muscular, and apparently feeling quite hostile towards his landlord.
Lions are apex predators. Alhaitham could not afford to underestimate his strength- right now, Kaveh was very much capable of killing him.
His roommate leans in, teeth bared and ferocious. The 2-inch claws resting against Alhaitham's throat press down on his windpipe, and he gasps at the sudden lack of air.
“Flicker!”
Alhaitham's Dendro Vision activates, and the skin beneath Kaveh's claws vanishes in a flash of green light. The lion tumbles forward into the cushions with a grunt of surprise as Alhaitham rematerializes behind him, shoving him face-first into the divan’s mattress.
He grips Kaveh's wrists loosely behind his back, just enough to hold the abnormally sharp nails out of range. Fortunately, his own transmogrification has given him the additional strength of a bull. In combination with his habit of working out, it was just enough to hold back his out-of-control roommate.
Alhaitham doesn't really like to think about what could have happened if Kaveh had caught him completely off guard in this state. The architect clearly hadn't retained his full mental faculties, and now was unusually powerful for a man with such an unhealthy lifestyle. Strength is essential for a creature capable of staying at the top of the food chain, and a mighty lion is no exception.
Kaveh snarls dangerously beneath him, fluffy tail lashing back and forth.
“Sorry, senior.” Alhaitham whispers, suddenly very aware of the tension in the air. “But I'd prefer it if you didn't eat me today.”
Kaveh lets out a low hiss, ears pinned back behind his hair.
Alhaitham gently traces his thumb over the curve of Kaveh's paw pads, coaxing the claws to slide back into their sheaths. “You're hungry, aren't you? You didn't eat this morning. Imagine my surprise when I came home from work, and saw the breakfast I went to all the trouble of preparing sitting cold on the table.”
Kaveh's stomach growls, and he has the decency to at least look a little sheepish. Alhaitham clicks his tongue disapprovingly.
“I'm going to let you go now so that we can go to the kitchen and find you something to eat that isn't me. Then we're going to the Bimarstan. Okay?”
Kaveh huffs indignantly, face still squashed against the divan- but the tense muscles beneath Alhaitham's hands slowly relax, and the spiked golden fur on his arms begins to flatten.
Alhaitham sighs through his teeth.
“You must've had a hell of a time getting home, if this is how you react when you see other people.”
“Didn't happen.” Kaveh's voice is groggy and warped as he rolls over to face his roommate, ill-fitting fangs crowding his mouth. Fortunately, human speech hadn't completely escaped him. “Covered my face and asked Mehrak to navigate… You're the only human I saw. My client ran away after we both transformed. Became an elk...”
“Probably a good thing, considering your first instinct was to jump me the second you walked through the door.”
Kaveh licks his lips, looking mildly embarrassed. “Wasn't expecting you to be home early. I just wanted to go to bed and sleep it off.”
“Well, it's going to last for about two weeks, so that's not the smartest strategy. And it's a good thing I'm your first encounter- I imagine you have quite a bit of bite force with those new teeth.”
The lion whines underneath him, pupils dilated with fear. “I’m sorry. Didn't mean to.”
“You're fine. It's not like you can control it. And if you do feel the need to give in to your instincts, I am perfectly capable of defending myself. This is the best place you could be.”
Kaveh raises his eyebrows as he glances down, looking mildly alarmed.
“What the- where are your pants?! I didn't do that!”
Right. In all the chaos, Alhaitham had completely forgotten that he was now undressed down to his boxers.
“All of my clothes are high-waisted leather, and they don't fit with the new tail. I removed them myself for comfort’s sake.”
Kaveh growls in a sorry attempt at a laugh. His voice sounds more and more natural as he slowly adjusts to the structure of his mouth and tongue, but there's still a strange rasp to his speech. “Just borrow some of my work jeans, idiot. We're about the same size.”
“What are ‘jeans’?”
“New thing from Natlan. The Children of the Echoes wear them for their forging work… Don't worry about it. Just go put them on, if the texture isn't too unbearable.”
“Am I not allowed to be in a state of undress within my own home?”
“You just said you wanted to take me to a hospital, or bring a medic to the house.” Kaveh points out, tail lashing irritably. “So unless you intend on flashing all our neighbors, then no.”
“Fine, but let's get you some lunch first. Like I said earlier, I'd rather not be devoured.”
“I'm okay. I feel more like myself now that I'm talking to someone… I really don't remember much of what happened after the initial explosion. It just felt like I needed to get home and find something to eat.”
“You seem to have managed to avoid mauling our neighbors. There's no blood on your clothes or paws. Anyways, do you want leftover fish rolls or chicken?”
Kaveh's tail flicks. “Fish, please. I think I'd better stay pescatarian for as long as I can. I doubt there's many fish hybrids in the city unless they were close to the water, and I don't want to make these urges worse by eating any other meat…”
Alhaitham winces, flinging open the door to the icebox. “Definitely no beef stew for you. We don't want you getting any strange ideas.”
Kaveh waves his arms, looking appalled. “I- I'm really sorry! I'm serious, I don't know what came over me. You know I'd never hurt you.”
“I know.” Alhaitham amends quickly. “I'm just teasing.”
The lion hovers anxiously, licking his lips as Alhaitham tips the remaining fish into a pan for reheating. “...Can you add more salt?”
Alhaitham stirs in a small amount of butter, the fish sizzling to a lovely brown color. “No. It's bad for you. In fact, you need to be drinking more water.”
Kaveh balks, looking deeply offended. “I'm not a housecat, Haitham! Let me have the salt!”
“Fine. But don't blame me if you have kidney issues someday.”
Kaveh grips his mane in exasperation. “Archons above… just go put your pants back on, or I’m going to have a conniption.”
The architect's ears perk up with interest as Alhaitham transfers the fish to a pretty ceramic bowl. “Sure. Enjoy your meal, senior.”
“I will! I'm pretty sure the wait times at the Bimarstan are going to be rough today. I'd better savor this while I have the chance…”