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After many long years of sharing a home together, it was only natural to learn one another's everyday routine.
Alhaitham, as lazy as he was, lived a daily life full of mundane activities that rarely had any flexibility whatsoever. Every day, it was breakfast, work (usually anywhere else except his actual workplace), dinner, read, read, annoy Kaveh, read a little more, and then finally go to sleep. It was a simple, carefree life he was proud to live.
Kaveh was a much more spontaneous spirit. The only consistency in his schedule was bickering with an insufferable roommate. Projects often had him awake until the sun began to paint the sky with purple and pink hues. When he had nothing to work on, he’d find himself at the tavern a little more than usual out of boredom–and the need to be free from the judgmental turquoise gaze he faced every time he walked into the house a little too late.
Nonetheless, life was as good as it could be.
Kaveh found himself slumped upside-down, hanging over one of the divans, clicking his tongue with nothing to do. His roommate was gone, so bothering him was off the table. He could be drafting concepts on blueprints he most likely will never use, but keeping the creative energy flowing despite the lack of commission was important for an artist such as himself.
In his peripheral view, his eye caught something collecting dust, hiding underneath the sofa. When he dragged it out, it was a book that– disregarding the collection of dirt that sheathed it– appeared to be untouched and completely forgotten about. Alhaithem had the tendency to throw books wherever he pleased rather than tucking them back into the bookshelf, but Kaveh never thought he was one to lose one of his precious (incredibly boring) books.
“The Science of Human Behaviours and Conditioning.”
Ah, no wonder Alhaithem would be less than concerned about the whereabouts of this book. Kaveh scoffed at the idea of Alhaitham, of all people, reading a book about how to understand people who aren’t himself.
Kaveh sighed and flopped backwards to lie across the cushion and held the book above his head. He opened the book to a random page and began reading.
The book read something about how consistency creates habits, duh, and those habits become daily actions and blah blah blah. He nearly tossed the book aside before the Experiments pages caught his eyes.
Research shows that once the human brain gets so used to receiving something, it will soon begin to expect to receive it at the same exact time every single day. For example, once you feed a dog at the same time with the same food every day, that dog will soon find itself already expecting that same dish and nothing else before the food is placed in front of it. And one day, the time the dog was served was changed. The dog waited expectantly for his meal at the same time it had been receiving it, but the food never came. It was the idea of conditioning one's mind. Thus, the hypothesis that a brain can be trained to exhibit specific behaviour has been proven true.
His overtly intrigued expression after this newfound knowledge skewed into something of a more mischievous grin.
No, his roommate was no dog. But the same logic surely applies to humans the same, right? There certainly was no harm in conducting his own experiments as a little joke on his pain-in-the-ass roommate. Maybe it could be considered payback for all the times he couldn’t argue when Alhaitham made snarky, conversation-ending remarks.
Oh, and Kaveh had the perfect idea. One that would surely throw his companion for a loop.
He found the perfect hiding spot for the book, then immediately began planning a month's worth of hilarious tactics to trick Alhaitham's stubborn brain, which he claims is “untrickable”.
-
The next morning was almost like any other. Almost.
Kaveh already had breakfast nearly finished by the time his roommate woke up. Coffee brewing in the pot, eggs sizzling in the pans, and music lightly playing from Mehrak to accompany Kaveh’s lively mood. The very moment he heard Alhaitam pull out his chair at the kitchen table, Kaveh spun around with the pot of coffee in hand.
“Good morning, Alhaitham,” Kaveh greeted in a sing-songy tone as he poured the coffee into a very specific mug and delivered it to the still waking-up scribe at the table. He placed the mug on a coaster he had already set out at his seat.
Alhaitham, whose nose was stuck in a book already at such an ungodly hour, didn’t acknowledge him with more than a “Hm.”
Typical response as expected on Day 1 of Kaveh’s Amazing, Spectacularly Hilarious, Plan to Play With His Roomates Mind (it was a working title). He watched the tiniest, noticeable by no one other than the man who got to know his mannerisms all too well by living with him, surprised furrowed brow at the new gesture. He, of course, didn’t actually say anything.
Kaveh’s mischievous smile took over his lips as soon as he turned back to the kitchen. Part 2: Compliment him. Something Kaveh thought was an impossible task actually proved quite easy.
“It’s impressive how quickly you can read, you know? It’s like you go through a dozen books in just a week!” A simple, non-suspicious compliment.
Kaveh could hear the sound of the subject of his experiment choke mid-sip on his coffee by the very random, vocalised observation.
The test subject cleared his throat, “It isn’t a very difficult thing to do if you actually took the time to try it.” There was that normal, monotonous voice that Kaveh knew. Alhaitham had no idea what was in store for him for the foreseeable future.
“Unlike you, I actually have things to do that take up my time,” Kaveh retorted as he normally would. He set two plates down on the tabletop.
Alhaitham replied with an uninterested hum, already lost in the words on the page in front of him and headphones to block out all the sounds of the world. But, Kaveh would say day 1 was a success!
-
The next morning was the same routine.
Alhaitham wakes up to breakfast more than half done, coffee in the same mug on the same coaster at the table before him, and a “Good morning, Alhaitham”.
And the same boring, lifeless “Hm” in response to Kaveh’s oh so kind “You look like you had a good night's rest.”
Alhaitham didn’t notice a damn thing suspicious about it.
Their day carried on as it normally would. Alhaitham gone for the better part of the day, Kaveh hidden in his room, scheming out the next parts of his experiment. It was perfect.
He felt like he could outsmart Alhaitham, surely. There was no way in all of Teyvat that he would consciously notice the addition to his mornings. He was determined to outsmart his genius roommate.
And so, a week passed as easily as he suspected. If Alhaitham had suspected anything, he would have spoken up. He was a very blunt person and didn’t shy away from prying for answers he wanted.
“Your hair looks amazing. Did you get a new shampoo?”
“Oh, wow! You smell so good. What soap are you using? I like it!”
“You deserve to have a great day today, Alhaitam.”
The same intricate motions every single morning. The same Alhaitham choking on his morning coffee every new compliment Kaveh gave him. Returning back to the same bickering as if Kaveh hadn’t just told him how good he looked immediately after.
Two weeks in, Alhaitham had started to “forget” to bring his headphones to the table. He was already getting used to the coffee, the bubbly voice of his roommate, and the fresh breakfast in front of him within mere minutes of being at the table.
Kaveh had read that it could take anywhere between 18 and 200 days for the human mind to get in the habit of expecting, depending on what the gesture was. It was noted that the average time to develop this mindset for a human being was 66 days– 2 months. It had been 16 days since the first morning Kaveh began his little scheme, and he was already noticing changes in Alhaitham's morning routine. He struck gold by having a subject who was very keen on keeping life simple and plain.
Was it evil to be excited to suddenly change the routine when the time came? Perhaps.
-
Two and a half weeks.
Kaveh began to include a biscuit with Alhaitham’s coffee.
His expression of surprise had started to become more obvious.
“Kaveh,” Alhaitham grabbed his wrists one morning before he could dance away to the kitchen and deliver his morning compliment. Kaveh froze. Shit, he thought, does he know?
“Alhaitham,” Kaveh mirrored his peers infliction.
Alhaitham didn’t continue immediately. He glared deeply into Kaveh’s eyes as if he were searching for a hidden explanation for his behaviour. Instead of questioning him, he said: “Thank you.”
Thank you?!
He let go of the hand on Kaveh’s wrist and let him scurry back to his position.
That was close, Kaveh sighed internally. But, it proved that he really had the upper hand for once over such an unmovable object (Alhaitham). If his experiment weren’t such a secret, he would be flaunting his success. He kind of hated that he had to keep his accomplishments inside.
So, when Alhaitham left for work after breakfast, Kaveh found himself sitting across from the two men he considered his best friends: Tighnari and Cyno.
“You guys are never going to believe what I’ve been up to,” Kaveh started eagerly. He didn’t even let any of them ask what it was and continued on. “I found this book a few weeks ago, just lying under our sofa. Like, it was absolutely covered in dust, so it had been there for who knows how long. And, the best part about it is that it hadn’t even been read. I would know if it was because Alhaitham leaves the most offensive seams in his books,” he was simply only observant of his roommates' reading quirks, “It was a book about this tactic called ‘conditioning’.”
“We know what conditioning means,” Cyno commented, currently unimpressed.
Kaveh rolled his eyes, “Anyway… Alhaitham has been my little test subject.”
“Test subject?” Tighnari asked with a hint of concern.
“It’s nothing bad!” Kaveh brushed off. “For the past (almost) three weeks, I have been repeating the same morning routine. He wakes up to his coffee already brewed in the same exact cup, a goodmorning and a little one-off compliment–”
“Compliment?” The two men said at the same time, both with cocked brows of suspicion.
“Yes– anyway…, he has definitely gotten used to it. Eventually, he is going to start expecting it. Which is hilarious, honestly. The best part is, is that Haitham has no clue.”
“Are you sure he has no clue, or is he just enjoying the free waiter every morning?” Tighnari half-joked, slightly unconvinced.
“Ugh,” Kaveh scoffed, “Yes, I’m sure! He is Alhaitham for crying out loud. He would have said something if he thought I was conducting a research project on him. He even said ‘Thank you’ this morning!” Kaveh crossed his arms over his chest and pointed his nose to the sky, huffing along with it.
When they remained silent for too long, Kaveh strained one eye open to catch a glimpse of their faces. Both of them were just blinking at him.
“What do you gain from this?” Cyno finally broke the silence when Kaveh gave up the snobbish act.
Kaveh sighed and dropped his forehead to the table dramatically. “I don’t know,” he lifted up again, quickly, “Fun? Bragging rights? The fact that I was able to train the great and ‘unfoolable’ scribe, ‘Alhaitham’?”
“You said you compliment him every day?” Tighnari jerked his head quizzically to the side, his ears mimicking the movement.
“Yeah,” Kaveh answered nonchalantly. “Why?”
Cyno rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Are they genuine?” he finished Tighnari’s question.
“I mean…,” he started to pick at the wooden table with his nails, “yeah. Of course they are. I’m not evil.”
Both of them mirrored each other's smile. It was a little creepy– but they did spend a lot of time together, so it was only natural they adopted the others' mannerisms sometimes. He wondered if that was something he and Alhaitham did too.
No, definitely not. All they did was argue; there was no time to play copycat unless it was Kaveh mocking his annoying companion.
“It’s your turn,” Cyno snapped Kaveh out of his wandering thoughts.
Oh, right. They were supposed to be in the middle of a game of Genius Invocation TGC (aka the only way Cyno would agree to meet with Kaveh).
-
37 days into Kaveh’s little experiment, Alhatiam no longer was burying his nose in a book at the breakfast table. First it was the headphones, now the book was gone. Kaveh wanted to laugh, but that would make his test subject suspicious. So, instead, he carried on as usual.
“Goodmorning Alhaitham,” Kaveh greeted as he set the coffee mug down as he did every day.
“Good morning, Kaveh,” Alhaitham responded. Halfway back to the kitchen, Kaveh froze. That was the first time his roommate reciprocated after all this time. He ignored the odd warmth that tickled his neck and quickly broke the trance he walked into.
“Well, it’s good to see you in a good mood,” Kaveh started as he plated their meals. He stopped for a moment to look at his roommate. What would he discreetly compliment if he wasn’t nose deep into a book he was rereading for the hundredth time? If Kaveh had to think about it now… Alhaitham being distracted made it ten times easier to throw something out there. And now, Kaveh suddenly couldn’t seem to find the words. “I, uh,” Kaveh coughed, trying to sound like he knew exactly what he was doing.
Something about the fact that his roommates' eyes were now entirely on him rather than stupid tiny words on his stupid tiny pages induced much more pressure than there was just a day before. He snapped his fingers when the thought finally reached his mind. “Your eyes reflect the morning glow beautifully, Alhaitham.” His voice was much, much softer than they were supposed to be. He also did not mean to basically call him beautiful. At all. He would never call his roommate beautiful!
He was just conventionally attractive, and that was just a fact, nothing more. Those same eyes widened, and they quickly averted away from Kaveh’s own.
Kaveh blinked at him for a few seconds, studying the out-of-character behaviour of his long-time housemate– and enemy! Or… something like that. Enemy may be too harsh… Rival, then?
Without another word, Kaveh delivered Alhaitham his breakfast and took his typical seat across from him. Before Alhaitham could catch him staring, he squinted observantly at the colour of his face. Was that... a blush? Was Alhaitham, super-cold-hearted, stuck-up asshole Alhaitham, blushing? The milisecond those supposed to be emotionless eyes glanced back up through the silver hair that hung over them, Kaveh’s food became much more interesting.
His stomach churned nervously. He couldn’t even say what he said was a lie. Because it wasn’t. And he hadn’t meant to say it like that. Kaveh cleared his throat before he spoke up, “I’m going to eat in my room. I have a project to finish…” He was only kind of lying straight through his teeth. He had already finished a client's blueprints for home renovations just hours before, but Alhaitham didn’t need to know that.
“Why?” Alhaitham’s hoarse morning voice stopped him in his tracks as he got up from the chair. “You aren’t going to be able to finish eating if you are doing two things at once.”
“You are always doing two things at once!” Kaveh squawked in protest.
“That’s because I actually sleep at night, Kaveh. I have the energy to do so.”
Kaveh hadn’t even thought about how he must look after pulling all-nighters day after day for the last… 37 days? How else would he make sure he got up before Alhaitham so he could continue to execute his master scheme? It would only work if it were him making the breakfast, not the other way around. Kaveh groaned and begrudgingly sat in his seat. What did it matter to Alhaitham, anyway? He was a grown man; he could do as he pleased!
Yet, there he was, sitting right back down as he was told to. It was just to prevent further nitpicking from his irritating roommate.
And they sat in silence.
…
When Kaveh arrived home at an ungodly hour later that day, only half as drunk as usual when he’d spend his evenings at the tavern, the lights were suspiciously still on. Alhaitham must’ve forgotten to turn them off.
The first thing he noticed when he walked into the living room his eyes caught a familiar face sitting on the couch. His hand held his head up where his elbow rested on the arm of the divan, a book turned upside down on his chest, and on the table next to him was a half-empty mug of coffee. The same mug Kaveh had been giving him every morning. Interesting. Was Kaveh’s joke going that well to the point it had become the only cup he’d take his coffee in? Kaveh laughed quietly to himself.
Silver eyelashes slept soundly on the cheeks of the sleeping man. Kaveh had only caught him like this a small handful of times. Alhaitham was the type to make sure he slept nowhere other than his bed. It was a strange sight to say the least.
Kaveh tip-toed the path to the nearby cabinet where they kept extra blankets and pulled out the coziest one he could grab. Soundlessly, he delicately draped the blanket over Alhaitham. He replaced his strained wrists with a nearby pillow.
Typically, it would be the other way around. Alhaitham would stumble upon a drunken, passed-out Kaveh sprawled across the couch and fast asleep. Kaveh would wake up either 1. covered generously with the same blanket and a pillow under his head or 2. somehow back safely in his bed. He just assumed he never remembered being woken up and being scolded about his bad habits and unconventional sleeping arrangements.
Kaveh couldn’t help but smile warmly at the sight. He looked so peaceful when he slept. His breathing was easy, his silver hair fell over his face, there were no stress wrinkles lining the space between his eyebrows. He looked adorable, honestly.
Kaveh brushed the sleeping man's hair out of his face, his fingers lingering for just a moment before pulling away. “Goodnight, Alhaitham,” he whispered before forcing himself to retreat into his room for the rest of the night.
The morning after, Alhaitham was no longer cuddled on the couch when Kaveh woke up at the crack of dawn to begin preparing breakfast.
Kaveh snickered to himself. He already knew what he was going to say when playing out the usual routine;
“Good morning, sleeping beauty.”
-
The following two nights, Kaveh would find Alhaitham in the same exact position. Albeit it was a strange coincidence. But, Kaveh didn’t think too much into it. He really didn’t mind taking care of him for a few minutes a night.
40 days in, Kaveh decided it was time to begin part 2 of his super secret plan to get his annoying roommate addicted to being praised over coffee. Or something like that.
Everything was the same up until the usual time Kaveh would spew some rushed compliment that would make him feel awfully weird inside. He decided to say nothing as a way to test the waters of how his experiment was going.
Kaveh had to bite his lip to hide the smirk his face desperately wanted to wear as he watched Alhaitham stare at him. He drummed his fingertips on the table top one by one. Oh, Kaveh was nothing short of a genius.
When presented with his plate, his eyes followed every little movement Kaveh made.
“Kaveh, are you feeling alright?” Alhaitam said when the blonde finally sat down across from him. He watched his roommate poke at his food with his fork.
Kaveh wanted to laugh out loud at how well everything was falling into place. His science project was a success!
“Mm, yeah. Why?” Kaveh was entertained. He kind of liked how Alhaitham tried to hide his expectation and confusion. Then, “You’re being weird. Is something wrong with you?” he pried.
Alhaitham folded his hands together and held them in a fist to cover half of his face while his eyes intensely studied every piece of Kaveh’s face. His eyes narrowed as he did, and returned to normal once he had concluded everything was normal. “I’m fine, Kaveh,” he finally said.
“Right…,” Kaveh snorted. Alhaitham would never admit it, but the tiniest shift in his expression told Kaveh all he needed to know. He was… disappointed?
Kaveh assumed it was because he had spent the last month and more boosting the man's ego ridiculously high. Kaveh almost cringed while considering the fact that the entire time he was just giving his roommate an extra shot of serotonin every morning. But, he also couldn’t bring himself to regret it.
Instead, he started to feel terrible. Everything was going as smoothly as Kaveh had expected it to.
But the plan never outlined what either of them might feel in response to the growing routine and the sudden stopping of it. Kaveh thought it was unimportant since it was just a joke after all. He thought he’d be laughing so hard his eyes would be filled with tears because of it. But now that the time had come, he did not feel like doing that whatsoever.
He got used to finding something new to complement Alhaitham with everyday. He enjoyed the embarrassing reactions he managed to pull out of a man who claimed to always be level-headed and prepared for anything.
Nothing was making sense. His head was spinning with words he didn’t need to focus on right now. He felt a sharp sense of pain strike his gut. A feeling he had never felt before, and one he wanted to ignore now that he had experienced it. It was an awful, anxious feeling that nearly drove him silly.
But, the day carried on as a day usually would.
Except three things were different:
He let Alhaitham leave for work without the compliments he was used to receiving.
He noticed a small vase of purple Sumeru Roses on the table between their seats in the dining room.
And, instead of being sound asleep in the living room as he had been for the past few nights when Kaveh got home, Alhaitham was awake this time.
Kaveh felt his heart beating out of his chest as he slowly walked into the house and into Alhaitham’s line of sight. He could’ve run to his bedroom, slammed the door, and blamed it on being sick and tired from a wine-filled night. But, he didn’t.
“Oh, ‘haitham,” Kaveh aimlessly darted his gaze around the room. He swayed on his heels– not sure if it was from the alcohol or the nerves. “You’re still awake.”
“Mhm,” he didn’t look up from his book.
“Uh-hum,” Kaveh rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “why?”
“It’s later than usual.”
That bastard and his need to respond to anything except the question he was being asked. “Okay, and?”
“Somebody had to be awake just in case that somebody had to drag you home from the bar,” still buried in his book. Kaveh could tell he wasn’t actually reading it, though.
A smirk crept onto Kaveh’s face, and he crossed his arms over his chest, amused. “So, you stayed up waiting for me?”
“Haven’t I always?” Alhaitham finally laid the book down on his lap.
“No!” After a beat of silence; “Wait– is that why you’ve been falling asleep in here for the past few nights? You are waiting for me?” he didn’t even believe the words were coming out of his own mouth; they were so bizarre.
Alhaitham sighed and massaged his temples. “Yes, Kaveh. I have been waiting for you.”
“Well,” Kaveh scoffed, “you haven’t been doing a very great job at staying awake to actually do that.” Bickering felt weird now. It hadn’t really hit him until this moment that they had rarely been arguing whatsoever. The nights when Kaveh is actually home at a decent time were peaceful. It would be Alhaitham finishing some leftover work or stuck in his book while Kaveh made a mess of the floor with supplies he used when making a new blueprint. For once, it had been peaceful in their home.
“Is it wrong of me to?” Alhaitham’s ask wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement.
“You’re worried about me.”
“I get woken up anyway by how loud you are when you get home.” There was something off in Alhaitham’s tone. Kaveh, as wasted as he was, could sense it. “What is so bad about changing how I navigate your nightly endeavours?”
Kaveh had no remark to retort with. He didn’t have it in him, surprisingly. It was easy to come up with something when he was drunk all the other times. But, after the last month, he couldn’t do it anymore. He didn’t want to instigate any further.
Actually, thinking about it, Alhaitham’s worry was kind of nice..? His chest warmed up with the new consideration from his roommate. Kaveh just swallowed. “No, there’s not.”
His eyes trailed behind Alhaitham, who walked to the kitchen to clean his coffee mug– the usual one, of course. “Go to bed, Kaveh,” he said sternly. “Goodnight,” gently. Kaveh didn’t move until Alhaitham disappeared into the dark hallway and shut his door for the night.
Every plan was bound to have its anomalies, but this wasn’t something Kaveh would have ever expected.
-
“What’s up with the flowers?” Kaveh asked the next morning with a mouthful of his breakfast.
“I thought they were nice,” Alhaitam answered blankly.
Kaveh cocked a brow in interest. “You never get anything because you think they’re nice. Matter of fact, you don’t even buy plants in the first place! I am the one who had to introduce you to the concept of house plants.” He sighed, “But, I admit they are a notable choice. Surprising for your horrendous taste in decor.”
“I was hoping you’d like them,” he responded as nonchalantly as he says all things.
“I–What?” Kaveh stammered out immediately, coughing in the process as he was mid-chew.
“You heard what I said.” It was so annoying when that smart ass did that. Never wanting to repeat what he said. “They’re for you.”
Was Alhaitham fishing for compliments? Was that what this was all about? Did he miss the praise that badly?
It was actually kind of sweet, Kaveh thought. And that bashful side of Alhaitham was adorable. He wished he could take a picture and store that side of his face in his memory forever. Kaveh could recall how flattered Alhaitham would get when people such as himself would sing him compliments about how amazing he was at something back in their Akademiya days. He honestly never thought he would see that same man ever again.
But there he was, sitting right in front of him.
Kaveh’s face softened. “Thank you, Alhaithem..,” he nearly whispered in astonishment. The flowers looked more beautiful now than they did thirty seconds ago. Kaveh’s heart performed flips in his ribcage as if it were a professional acrobat. He probably looked insane the way he smiled back at his roommate.
– his roommate who always seemed to hate him all these years.
Kaveh’s elaborate science experiment did not account for how it would make him feel or what Alhaitham might do in return. He honestly didn’t think Alhaitham would reciprocate the gesture.
Now that Kaveh thought about it, there was a point when the experiment felt a little too real to be an experiment.
All those times he had pointed out how good his housemate looked, telling him his clothes looked extra good on him that day, or how his scent was something to die for, and that he admired him… What was supposed to be surface-level compliments turned personal very quickly. And suddenly.
It was better not to think of it as anything deeper.
-
The titillating aroma of a familiar dish filled the bustling streets of the evening in Sumeru City. Someone who may not be so in love with the specific dish may not even notice the scent nor care the direction it came from.
Kaveh was more than intrigued by the smell of his favourite meal filling the air around him. He was starving after a long day of arguing with a client about how his request cannot possibly be executed since it defies the laws of physics unless he were some magician who could magically bend the rules of gravity. He was so worn out from a long day of work and wanted nothing more than a delicious swig of wine in the safety of his own home. He thought his sleep-deprived mind was playing tricks on him as the smell of his favourite meal swept him up and pulled him along.
To his surprise, that irresistible smell led him right to the doorstep of his own home. Which was… odd.
Kaveh wasn’t much of an eater during dinner time. He preferred to fulfill his hunger by drowning in alcohol with some fruit and call it a night. He wasn’t the best at keeping up with eating proper meals until he started making breakfast for himself and Alhaitham. Still, breakfast remained the only constant source of energy he indulged in daily.
When he swung the door open (thankfully, it was unlocked because his keys were not on his person) and immediately got hit by the hypnotizing smell of cheese and potatoes emanating from the kitchen.
Good thing Mehrak had the ability to fly, for otherwise Kaveh would have dropped her right on the ground out of disbelief at what he saw.
There was Alhaitham hovering over the stove, his headphones on and back turned away from Kaveh. Kaveh had never seen his roommate so.. Lively. Like, ever. That lazy, analytical bloke was in the kitchen bobbing his head to whatever music played in his soundproof headphones while hard focused on what he was cooking.
Kaveh’s eyes trailed to the ingredients on the counter. Perfect, soft mashed potatoes were set out to cool on the counter, and unused cheese on another side of the surface.
Alhaitham was making Masala Cheese Balls. A dish Kaveh had only mentioned was his favourite only a handful of times.
“Uh.. Haitham?” Kaveh crept up to the counter behind the (temporary) chef. “Haitham?” he repeated. Of course, Alhaitham had to have that stupid noise-cancelling setting turned on on his headphones. “Alhaitham!” He said louder and jabbed his finger into the spot between his shoulder blades.
Alhaitham jumped and scrambled to remove his headset before turning around. “Oh. You’re home.” Alhaitham nervously leaned his hand on the counter to play off the fact Kaveh had startled him. He also seemed to be trying to hide what he was doing.
“What’s that?” Kaveh pointed over him.
“You’re back early,” Alhaitham cleared his throat and pointedly avoided the direct eye contact he was typically strict about. “I wasn’t expecting you to come back so soon.”
Kaveh looked over at the table. Two wine glasses stood empty and an unopened bottle of wine behind those new flowers Alhaitham had picked up yesterday. “Yeah,” he drew out skeptically. “You’re cooking.”
“Yes, I can see that, Kaveh,” Alhaitham tried to keep his stern facade he always played. “Thank you for pointing out the obvious.”
Kaveh rolled his eyes. Not with annoyance, though. It was playful, happy. He couldn’t help the little giddy smile that tugged on his lips. He gently pushed on his roommate's shoulder. It was strange the way it felt like their relationship had always been like this. But it was natural. Not forced like their petty arguments felt like from time to time. Kaveh wasn’t convinced this was even real.
Kaveh crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his body back on the kitchen counter, his leg crossed over the other. “It better be good,” he teased.
“Here,” Alhaitham grabbed a spoon and took a sample from the bowl of handmade dough he was using for the cheese balls. “You tell me if it’s good.”
This was a dish Kaveh hadn’t had the luxury of making for a very, very long time. He honestly couldn’t recall the last time he actually got to eat it. Either time, money, laziness, or all three kept him away from trying it again. But, he knew the taste of it like the palm of his hand. And, archons, was this recipe Alhaitham was cooking up was amazing. It was perfect– even better than he remembered.
His eyebrows rose in shock; he had no idea Alhaitham could cook like this. And why didn’t he do it more often? A question he would have to force an answer to later.
“I–,” Kaveh rendered speechless momentarily. “Haitham, this is delicious,” he praised airily. Anyone who didn’t know Alhaitham, like Kaveh knew Alhaitham would call Kaveh insane for noticing the light in his eyes when he applauded him. He could tell Alhaitham was more than proud of himself for being able to please Kaveh.
Alhaitham’s gaze flickered to the overflowing trash bin, then back to Kaveh in an instant. Many failed attempts of dough, cream, and potatoes lay sadly on top of it all. Kaveh stifled his laughter when he noticed. But, in reality, this might be the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for him.
“Go away until I’m finished,” the “chef” commanded, waving his customer off and turning back to the stove.
Kaveh had to keep himself from skipping down the hall and into his bedroom. He almost wanted to grab his pillow and squeal into it. His heart was playing jumprope in his chest, and he was giggling to himself like a little schoolgirl who’s crush just talked to her for the first time– Not that he had a crush on Alhaitham or anything. That would be weird.
He never thought some stupid book on human psychology would flip his life upside down. Things were different. And different was exciting. Different was something he didn’t know he craved for so badly.
He had no reason to freshen up just to eat dinner in his own home, but he couldn’t help himself. Plus, there was nothing wrong with wanting to look good over dinner with his roommate.
Kaveh nearly fell out of his chair at his desk, where he was re-braiding his hair, when Alhaitham knocked on the door and pushed it open slowly. He leaned against the doorframe with a kitchen towel thrown over his shoulder. Had he always looked that hot?
(That was a normal thing to notice about your long-time roommate, by the way!)
Kaveh fumbled with his clips before giving up altogether. He let out an exasperated sigh and decided he’d just leave his hair down for once.
“Kaveh,” Alhaitham looked him up and down, “What are you doing?”
“Hah! Nothing! My hair was just… bothering me!” That was something close enough to the truth.
Alhaitham rolled his head and pointed towards the kitchen with it. “Okay, well. Dinner is ready when you are.” He shrugged, but he didn’t leave. He waited for his roommate to follow.
Kaveh must’ve been sparkling when he entered the scene. Steaming hot Masala Cheese Balls, an expensive appearing wine bottle that certainly wasn’t a Sumeru specialty, the chair for him already pulled out and waiting for him.
This topped any “fancy” date Kaveh had ever begrudgingly gone on in his entire life. And this wasn’t even a date!
“Alhaitham,” Kaveh gushed as he made it to his seat. “What’s all this for?”
Alhaitham just shrugged–because of course he would. “Thought I’d make dinner for once. You know, you don’t eat as much as you should.” Was that really the only reason?
Kaveh melted with the burst of every flavour that delightfully filled his senses after every bite he took. The entire ordeal felt above him. This was something he didn’t believe he deserved. He didn’t understand why Alhaitham was doing this for him after everything Kaveh had put him through. The many, many drunk nights of crying, or being sick, or needing Alhaitham to drag him home.. The arguments over nothing, but everything at the same time. The fact Alhaitham had dreamed of a cozy, stress-free life on his own, but offered for Kaveh to move in. Though it was under the guise of only until Kaveh could get himself financially stable enough to survive on his own. Alhaitham never mentioned it, though, nor asked if Kaveh was anywhere near moving out. Eventually, he even stopped bothering Kaveh about paying rent on time.
Despite the immense guilt Kaveh felt about living with Alhaitham, life was actually really good. Though his financial situation was anything but ideal, he was living a life he was proud to have. And he was spending that lovely life at the side of someone he once considered his best friend. To be fair, if anyone asked, Kaveh would probably still call him that.
It was kind of silly how Alhaitham was acting now. Suddenly Kaveh stops showering him in compliments, and now he’s made them (the best) dinner (ever). He wanted to poke fun at Alhaitham for the attention he is searching for; however, he already knew he’d go to extreme lengths to deny that claim.
The bottle of wine was as empty as their plates were. Alhaitham, who drinks only in moderation, finished off the entire thing with Kaveh. It was the first time Kaveh had ever seen his roommate with alcohol induced reddened cheeks. It was a sight he hoped wasn’t the last time he’d get to see.
Kaveh grumbled as he continuously ran his hands through his hair to keep it out of his face. Just a reminder of why he kept it pinned back all the time.
“If you hate your hair down so much, why didn’t you leave it alone?” Alhaitham inquired as he took both their dirty dishes to the kitchen sink.
“It looked like shit,” Kaveh answered bluntly. He stayed seated at the table, one leg over the other, and his chin rested on the hand propped up by his elbow on the table. He kept breathing upwards in a lame attempt to get the stray strands of hair out of his vision.
“It looked fine, Kaveh.” That gentle tone his words were laced in was sickening. Thank all the archons, he could blame that heat he tried to ignore in his stomach and all the way up to the tips of his ears on the wine.
The piece of hair which annoyed him so much was suddenly being pulled back and tugged on. Kaveh squeaked an ineligible response when he realized it was none other than Alhaitam weaving the wavy strands of hair back into its usual braid. Kaveh would have liked to disappear right then and there.
“What– What are you doing?!” Kaveh managed to stammer out, but made no effort to put an end to it. “Since when do you braid hair?!”
“A ‘thank you’ would do just fine,” Alhaitham murmured through gritting teeth as if he was holding something between them. He slid a hairclip into Kaveh’s hair to keep his work in place.
Kaveh buried his face in the palms of his hands in embarrassment. “Thank you, ‘Haitham,” he mumbled back, his words muffled where his mouth pressed against his hands. He couldn’t help but miss the contact when Alhaitham pulled away and returned to the kitchen as if all of that didn’t just happen. “You’re avoiding my question,” he huffed in response.
Of course, Alhaitham shrugged. “It’s not a hard concept to learn.”
Kaveh glared at him, studying each individual crease and crevice that made up the dull expression on his face. What caught his eye was a part of his silver hair that he failed to effectively keep secret, which was crimped just enough to reveal it had been braided and undone multiple times over. “And why did you have my hairpins?”
“You leave them all over the house,” he deadpanned. That was unfortunately true… He did tend to rip them out after a long night in the tavern, blaming them for his headache and not the lack of food in his stomach or the drinks he had downed not too long before.
If Kaveh could evaporate into nothing but gas into the air on command, he would. His heart wanted to leap out of its confinement and take him on a wild goose chase to where Alhaitham stood. He yearned for answers to the questions he had no confidence to ask. For example, why was Alhaitham (his sworn rival) practicing how to braid hair when he had never ever considered doing so until now?
He must’ve looked like an idiot gaping at his roommate. Because when hypnotizing, turquoise eyes met his own, they looked nothing short of confused. Concerned even.
As if everything was casual, and he was overreacting to the situation at hand. Kaveh wanted to wipe that stupid look off of his stupid face. His leg anxiously bounced in place while thoughts raced through his mind, and he had to focus on not doing or saying anything he would later regret.
And all Alhaitham did was clean up their mess just to plop onto the couch with his book in hand. Kaveh took it as an invitation and slumped down next to him.
“Be quiet.”
“I haven’t even said anything!” Kaveh protested, his face twisting into a frown.
“You think very loudly.”
Kaveh groaned and threw his head back. “You are impossible!”
“I’m ‘impossible’?” He didn’t peel his gaze away from his book, but that coy grin he desperately failed to resist was enough for Kaveh to notice. Kaveh always noticed.
Kaveh came to the conclusion that this entire experiment was messing with his head. Giving him hope he had no reason to be searching for. Alhaitham was just snarky like that and nothing more.
There was a brief second when Alhaitham looked over at him that made him think they were something more. Like they had always been something more. Time froze long enough for Kaveh to get a glimpse of that fantasy. He shook his head. He was imagining things, and he was buzzed off their drinks from earlier.
He was staring much longer than he needed to and forced himself to look away. Dinner was just a nice gesture Alhaitham decided to pull randomly, and that was all it was.
He felt Alhaitham’s eyes still on him when he turned away. This was weird. And it was playing with his fragile heart. He couldn’t take it anymore, so he pushed himself up and headed toward his room.
“What are you doing?” Alhaitham caught his wrist.
“I… I just have some work I need to finish before tomorrow morning.” That was the same lie he used every time he needed a place to run away to.
Alhaitham didn’t release his grip. “You can work on it out here, no?”
Oh, now it was obvious Alhaitham was either 1. just saying that because he drank more than he was used to or 2. he knew what he was doing and was messing with Kaveh’s heart. He would never act like that on any normal day. In the morning, everything would return back to how it was. Alhaitham would forget he was being clingy, asking Kaveh to stay with him. The innocence and longing in his eyes would fade back into a cold daze that effectively walled everyone out from reading any true emotion he might have.
He had no idea he had truly fallen in love with his roommate until that moment. It was a nauseating realization and hard to keep down. Especially now. Especially with Alhaitham unwilling to let go of him until he got his answer.
Kaveh bit his lip and shook his head ‘no’.
Alhaitham dropped his arm. “Goodnight then, Kaveh.”
“Goodnight, Alhaitham,” his reciprocation almost inaudible.
He slid his back down his door as soon as he closed it, letting him fall onto the floor.
“Damnit,” he cursed to himself under his breath. He had tried so hard to make the feelings go away. He begged so desperately to feel any other way. Hiding his feelings for so long proved to backfire on him as he got slapped full force with them. What was supposed to be a happy evening turned into one of sorrow and guilt and regret. He hugged his knees to his chest. The room was quiet. The house was quiet. And he sat all alone in his bedroom, spiralling into the messed-up brain of his.
Tomorrow, he would have to wake up like his turmoil never existed once again.
-
Birds sang their songs of the morning sunrise, greeting the world’s brand new day.
Kaveh groaned waking up, the sun relentlessly shining through his windows and hugging him with its warm embrace.
It took a second for Kaveh to register the fact that he woke up incredibly late. Which means he left Alhaitham hanging without the everyday routine of breakfast and coffee before he even needed to process his first thought of the day. And the knife of guilt only sank deeper into his skin.
He reluctantly rolled out of bed and strolled into the kitchen, where he hoped Alhaitham wasn’t waiting for him to serve him.
And Alhaitham wasn’t waiting.
He had another dirty towel thrown over his shoulder, his headphones on and unaware of the world outside of his own bubble.
Alhaitham turned around when he felt ruby eyes staring at him from behind. “You’re awake. Good morning, Kaveh.”
“I am so, so sorry I overslept, and I never do that, and now you have to make breakfast yourself because I couldn’t do it–,” he immediately began to ramble.
“Will you be quiet?” Alhaitham stopped Kaveh from floating any further off the ground with crazy assumptions, “It’s fine, Kaveh. I wanted to do this, anyway. It isn’t solely your responsibility to do the cooking.”
Kaveh couldn’t find the words. He could only shape his mouth into the letter “O”.
“You look like shit.”
“Ha-ha, thank you for pointing that out, Alhaitham. What a kind observation,” Kaveh griped sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
Alhaitham's head tilted toward the chair at the table, where a cup of steaming tea was waiting to be drunk.
This was not how the experiment was supposed to be going. At all. Everything had derailed so quickly that it almost felt like a dream. He felt awful for breaking the routine he had put Alhaitham on.
Alhaitham was as silent as a mouse. He never made a sound when he walked. So delicate fingers combing through the wild, bed-head mop of hair on Kaveh’s head spooked Kaveh and forced him to steady his seat so he wouldn’t tumble over.
He knows he should tell Alhaitham to stop. To put an end to whatever games he was playing as possible revenge. To keep from humiliating himself if words he wanted to leave unsaid slipped out of his tightly clamped lips.
He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bring himself to destroy these moments even if they turned out to be an act in the end. It was probably the most selfish thought Kaveh could ever have, but he didn’t protest them either.
Alhaitham braided his hair back and scooped it into a low ponytail, pinning it in place with Kaveh’s usual red barrets.
Alhaitham made it seem like this was the most casual circumstance there could ever be. Made it feel like he wasn’t tugging on the thing strings that held Kaveh together.
Kaveh was quiet, but Alhaitham didn’t press on. He knew that whenever Kaveh had something to say, it would spill out eventually.
-
Kaveh was welcomed home to an empty house. No Alhaitham waiting in his chair like he had been doing before. Not a peep coming from the bedrooms, the bathroom, nor the kitchen. It was a relief that he didn’t have to encounter Alhaitham and could bask in the grief he felt so deeply without having to hide it.
Kaveh had skipped the trip to the tavern, hoping that he could keep every idiotic emotion inside, unlike he did under the influence.
Like clockwork, when Kaveh made it to his bedroom, Alhaitham appeared in the hallway, a hand stopping the door from shutting.
“‘Haitham-!”
“What is this?” Alhaitham held out a very familiar book. Pages were decorated with bookmarks and folded corners. Those were the pages Kaveh had been using to come up with his master plan.
Kaveh had nothing to say. He frantically switched his attention between the book and the man dangerously close to him. He swallowed nervously and plastered on the fakest, toothiest grin he could conjure.
“Why did you mark these pages, Kaveh? About ‘conditioning’,” Alhaitham pressed. His voice was as monotone as it usually was. Not an ounce of expression painted for the average eye to see. But, Kaveh felt… he felt something he hadn’t ever seen Alhaitham feel before. “Am I just a dog to you? Some animal you can ‘train’ to entertain you?”
Alarms began to sound in Kaveh’s ears. He had no way to escape the situation whatsoever. “No– it’s not.. That’s not–”
“Hm,” Alhaitham shoved the book into Kaveh’s chest.
Betrayal. That’s what that feeling that radiated off of Alhaitham.
Before Alhaitham could walk away, Kaveh grabbed his wrist. “That’s not at all what I think of you!”
“Really, Kaveh? By the looks of it, what you’re saying isn’t the most believable statement I’ve heard come from your mouth.” His voice was so sharp it shot daggers into Kaveh’s soul. The cold, closed out Alhaitham, travelling in his blood as if it were screaming at him for his mistakes. He swore he had hidden the book better. But that wasn’t what mattered anyway.
He had started the entire experiment as a means of entertainment; that fact was true. The sin of the crime started to eat away at his delicate heart. The reality of how awful this looks began to weigh in. He wanted to sink 6 feet underground and never be heard from ever again.
How was he supposed to explain this?
“I found it under the divan when I was bored one day like month ago,” he began his confession. “I wasn’t…” he trailed off, desperately trying to piece together the right words. “I did start it to get a rise out of you, okay? I did. I admit it. I wanted some kind of payback for the times I couldn’t find the words to rebut the comments you’ve made towards me.” He dropped his head in shame. “I wasn’t thinking it through when I made the stupid decision to go through with it. Nowhere in my plan did I consider the consequences.”
Alhaitham scoffed, unamused. “So, none of that was real is what you’re saying.”
“No!” He croaked, revealing his worst attempt at trying to keep from panicking. “No, I’m not saying that!”
“Then what are you saying, Kaveh?” Alhaitham hissed at him. Kaveh knew he wanted the conversation to be over. He knew Alhaitham wanted him gone and so far away that they’d never see each other again.
“Nothing I said to you was anything I didn’t truly believe, Alhaitham,” he was desperate not to exacerbate the situation any further; but he wasn’t sure if that was the case or not. “I enjoyed it. Not in a way I wanted to humiliate you or play with you. But in the way that every morning was something to look forward to. I got to have breakfast already ready for you without you needing to worry about it. It wasn’t difficult at all to praise you in every way I did, Alhaitham.”
Alhaitham scoffed. Not once did he take his eyes off of Kaveh. “I knew something was up. You knew I thought this was all real.” He finally shook Kaveh’s hand off his body.
“It was! It… It is! I didn’t know it would be so real. I didn’t know that would become the reason I woke up every morning. I didn’t know how important it turned out to be.” He only felt worse as tears spilled from his own, selfish eyes. “And, I didn’t plan for you to start reciprocating that either. You have done so much for me. Too much. And I… kept going. It became a habit for me, too. But not a habit I regret developing. I felt so shitty for waking up late this morning. Because I,” he bit his tongue, carefully choosing his words. “I love our mornings together. As shitty a person I am right now, and despite how much I despise the things I have done to you without you knowing... I can’t regret it. I can’t take it back and wish I hadn’t started all of this. Despite it all, I am so glad I was able to start the day off the way it was. I am so glad it turned into what we have now.
After all this time, I would still wake up for you. Search for that ounce of appreciation in every reaction to my every word, like I intended to do. After the first day, after the first look of shock on your face and how shy you were when you turned away. I knew there was no going back because I liked it. It felt less like a plan, or a game, or a test and more like a genuine connection between us.”
“I have never hated you, Kaveh,” Alhaitham spat his words out sourly. “And I know you think that, but I’ve never hated you. Why else would I have offered for you to live here? That I don’t bother you when you get behind on your bills. How I drag you home from the bar when I worry because you’ve been gone too long. I wait for you to come home, no matter what time it is.”
Kaveh blinked a few times before looking up to respond. “You... don’t?” Every moment they had spent together in the last few years of co-existing in the same house. Turning that house into a home. The fact that no matter what they argued about or how petty the bickering got, Alhaitham never asked him to leave. Alhaitham wasn’t obligated to hold his hair back when he got sick, to listen to his nonsense rants about irritating client after client. He didn’t have to cook his favourite meal and share drinks with him just one night ago.
Alhaitham’s eyes were glossy. Like he could break at any second. Instead, “You are an idiot, Kaveh.” And then he disappeared in the dark and daunting hallway and into his bedroom.
Everything was fucked. He was fucked. This whole mess was fucked. And it was all his fault. And he couldn’t even find the courage to say everything he should have said.
When he shut his door, he threw the book to the floor angrily. His frustrated cry was probably louder than it should’ve been, but who could blame him?
He slumped at his desk and let his head hit the hard surface. He was an idiot in love who ruined everything with the same man again. It seemed that everything he tried to touch fell apart and slipped through his fingers like sand. The hourglass he trapped himself in was drowning him.
A life so wonderful turned into an utter disaster within a few minutes.
All of this for what? A petty joke that was meant to be nothing more than a prank morphed into something real and meaningful. It was all gone now because he was stupid and clumsy. He was an amazing, brilliant genius when it came to all things art and architecture. But a fool when it came to feelings and emotions– and love.
He fell asleep that night at his desk, surrounded by torn-up pieces of paper that were once a not-so-thought-out plan to get Alhaitham to…
-
Alhaitham was gone before the sun rose. The house was eerie and quiet. He felt like he was walking on glass with every step he took. As perfect condition their– Alhaitham’s house was, it was falling apart in only their eyes. Physically, everything was as beautiful on the outside. But the people in that perfect house were far from the same condition. They were two broken souls burrowing themselves into separate holes they couldn’t seem to escape from.
Kaveh wouldn’t be a fool again. He wouldn’t be able to feel at peace until he found Alhaitham and at least tried to mend the pieces back together.
He had no idea what time it was when he left the house to trudge through the rain of a dark morning. The sun was still hiding under the horizon, so it couldn’t have been past 5 AM.
The words of that damned book flickered in his mind, tormenting him. The mistakes he couldn’t undo. Those mistakes that he had no idea if it were possible to fix.
He didn’t take a second to think about the fact that he was still wearing the clothes from yesterday, or to think about grabbing a coat. His mind was focused on one goal and one goal only.
There weren’t many places Alhaitham could be. Anywhere tucked away was still closed for a few more hours. He was lingering around the tavern, nor the cafe. He (thankfully) wasn’t sitting out in the freezing rain.
He had no idea if the hooded figure about to open the doors to the House of Daena was his subject, but he called out anyway as he ran. “Alhaitham!”
The figure’s hand stopped right before making contact with the door handle.
A fire inside of Kaveh ignited when the narrow turquoise eyes he knew so well looked over at him. “Alhaitham!” he said again as he grabbed the target’s wrist to prevent him from disappearing into the safety of the library.
“Kaveh, what are you-”
“Stop,” Kaveh cut him off breathlessly, “don’t talk. Just listen to me, okay? I know I can’t make things right, I know I ruined everything we built together. I know how much of a fucking idiot I am.”
“You came all this way just to tell me something I already know?” Despite the harsh words, Alhaitham’s voice was quiet.
“I couldn’t let you stay out all day without talking to you. It would have driven me insane because I can’t bear to sit with myself after all I’ve done. I would be a fool to let you go. And I have been a fool for far too long. I can’t let you leave. I can’t… I am selfish. I can’t be alone. I can’t stand the idea of watching you walk away for good. Not again, not ever. You mean the world to me and more, Haitham. And I mean that with my entire body and mind. I would sacrifice my life to save yours if needed be. I know you act cold and foreboding, and you try to hide behind that mask of yours. And you should know I see straight through you, I do. The reflection of myself in your broken eyes isn’t how I want this lifetime to be.
You have been the light of my life this entire time. I shoulder the guilt of using what you have generously given me that you never had to. When I started that morning routine, a part of me felt like I would be able to fill the void that weighs so heavily in my heart. I didn’t know why I loved seeing how you’d react when I said something to catch you off guard. I didn’t know why I woke up before the sun could pull you up to make sure you didn’t have to worry about taking all that time in the morning, half-asleep, trying to put something together before a day of work.
When you sat at the table looking the way you do, being you the way you are… I didn’t have to think for a second about what to say to you because it came so naturally. When you stopped bringing your headphones to the table, it made me so nervous. I knew that now your full attention was on me, waiting for me to say something. What I said had to be perfect. It had to move you. Not for my personal gain or the success of my lousy, fucked up experiment. It felt like my heart was going to explode every single second of every single interaction in our mornings together. There is just so much to gush about, that sometimes I thought my brain was frying as I tried to put words together to form cohesive sentences.
The day I stopped saying anything, I regretted it. I regret letting you walk out that door with a crack in the routine I got us used to. I wouldn’t trade it for a single thing. If gaining something means losing you, I don’t ever want it.”
“Kaveh–”
“The night I walked in, and you were cooking my favourite dish, which I had rarely ever mentioned, I felt like I’d wither away on the spot. No one in my entire life has ever done something as considerate, as meaningful as that. Not even any of the stupid dates I never actually cared about because my mind was always somewhere else. You made me want to melt into the ground with the warmth you filled my body with. I let my hair down that night because.. I was trying to impress you. Look good for you. Even though I know it wasn’t…like that. After you braided my hair, I noticed the parts of your hair you had been practicing on. And I panicked. I panicked because my heart was on my sleeve, and I was afraid. I was afraid I was thinking too far into the flowers, the meal, the wine–our everyday. I was afraid of getting ahead of myself and stupidly thinking you could love me too.”
His words echoed through the empty streets of Sumeru City, made secret only by the sounds of pouring rain. The word had slipped out, and it was too late to take it back.
“I am helplessly in love with you, Haitham. And I am sorry for the hurt I put you through because I was too afraid to admit that I Love You.”
Not even the rain that soaked Kaveh from head to toe could disguise the tears he cried with his confession.
Alhaitham stared at him with a blank face, blinking at him while he processed what had spilled out of Kaveh’s mouth.
“Why aren’t you wearing a coat?” his words were wet, and he tried not to choke on tears he wanted to hide.
Kaveh’s jaw dropped to the floor in disbelief at what he just heard. “You–I–... Huh?!” he exasperatedly gaped in response. “I just confessed my love to you, and you’re asking me about a co-!”
His words were cut short when a pair of lips slotted onto his own. He stumbled back, but Alhaitham snaked his hands onto his waist and pulled him closer. His wide eyes fluttered shut once he understood what had just happened, and he melted into the kiss. He tugged the hood off of Alhaitham’s head so he could explore his soft, silver hair that Kaveh dreamed about running his fingers through much too often.
Alhaitam tore his lips away and rested his forehead against Kaveh’s, but kept his eyes shut. One of Kaveh’s hands trailed down to cup his cheek gently.
“You,” Kaveh whispered, attempting to catch his breath, “are the worst.”
Alhaitham smiled, and a low chuckle vibrated in his chest. “And you are an idiot.”
“At least I am a pretty idiot, aren’t I?”
“You are.” When Alhaitham leaned in for another kiss, Kaveh put two fingers over his lips to stop him.
“Have you ever kissed someone before?” he half-teased.
“No.”
Kaveh’s smile grew wider; giddier. “I can tell.”
“You’re an ass,” Alhaitham retorted.
Kaveh gasped with fake offence. “You are the one who asked me why I wasn’t wearing a coat after I spilled my heart out to you, asshole.” Kaveh pushed back to finally look into Alhaitham's eyes. His cheeks were pink and puffy, and his eyes were red. It was an innocent, sad look Kaveh had never seen before. He never wanted to see it ever again; that was for sure.
“You’re soaking wet,” Alhaitham once again pointed out the obvious.
“Ugh,” Kaveh groaned, crossing his arms over his chest and huffed air out of his nose. “You are unbelievable. Take me home.” He demanded, winking an eye open to see Alhaitham’s reaction.
Of course, it was a shrug. “Whatever you say, princess.”
“Princess?!”
It would’ve been weird if they didn’t spend the walk home teasing each other and bickering about absolutely nothing.
-
The fireplace burned brightly in front of them. Kaveh was cozied up in Alhaitham’s arms, where they sat on the couch, wrapped up in a warm blanket.
Kaveh’s hair was freshly braided thanks to Alhaitham’s convenient new skill. Alhaitham’s nose stuck in a book. The same half-empty mug of coffee on the same coaster on the table next to them.
“I love you, Kaveh,” Alhaitham whispered into the blond’s wet hair, planting delicate kisses on top of it.
“I know,” Kaveh snickered proudly.
Alhaitham scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it took you long enough.”
“Hey!” Kaveh looked up at him with furrowed brows. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know what that means, Kaveh.”
Alhaitham said Kaveh’s name was like the greatest delicacy the world had ever been graced with. The fondness in his voice was meant only for Kaveh to hear and no one else. Kaveh took the opportunity to dust Alhaitham’s jaw in quick pecks before grabbing the nape of his neck to pull him in.