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1.
Kaveh will be the first to admit that one of the perks of doing his assignments in the student-run campus coffee shop is the free refills Sethos gives him while his head is buried deep in his physics textbook. The second perk is that his friends always know where to find him, but that one comes with the unfortunate caveat of Tighnari cutting off his caffeine flow after the second cup. Tighnari is stuck in Microbiology for another ten minutes, so Kaveh is free to plead his case to Sethos without argument— though not entirely without comment.
"That's your third one."
"So what?" Kaveh snarks. He gestures to the books sprawled out on his side of the table. "I need something to get me through all this work."
Alhaitham types steadily for a few moments. It's easy to forget his eye color when he has multiple papers due, so rarely does he lift his head from his laptop. "You need better time management skills."
"And you need to mind your own business."
"It becomes my business when I have to listen to you complain about it."
The bell jingles with a new arrival— and if that weren't enough to announce his entrance, Hat Guy groans while he throws his backpack and himself onto the old beat up couch some upperclassmen had donated last year. "Ugh, you didn't tell me those two would be here. Coffee now."
"Quiet, my favorite show is on," Sethos replies. He's been wiping down the counter for a few minutes now, pretending to clean while just openly watching Kaveh and Alhaitham bicker. Still, he moves to pour an Americano. "And if you want coffee, you know how to ask for it."
"Coffee now," Hat Guy repeats, scowling. Begrudgingly, he adds, "Please."
Kaveh harrumphs, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. "At least some people can mind their manners."
Alhaitham decides to divert his energies back to his classwork instead of bothering with a response.
"Hello? Don't ignore me. Hey, Alhaitham!"
His ire is interrupted by another gentle chime of bells, this time followed with a familiar voice.
"...and this is The Bean. It's student-operated and open late. A few of us like to hang out here— and here they are. Guys, say hi to Collei. "
Tighnari enters with a young girl in tow. Though he tries to usher her forward, she stubbornly loiters half-hidden behind him. Despite her shyness, she has the wide, curious eyes of a budding scholar, taking in her surroundings with interest.
"Collei is a prospective student from the local high school. She'll be shadowing me this week."
Sethos sets about preparing her a warm drink as welcome while Kaveh begins introductions.
"Hello, Collei. My name is Kaveh. I'm an engineering major, so feel free to ask me any questions you might have about the maths and sciences offered here. Over there is Hat Guy. Don't take it personally if he has an attitude. Same with Alhaitham here. They may seem prickly on the outside, but they'll be more than happy to answer your questions, too."
She looks between them with a furrowed brow, like she can't tell if what he said was meant to be a joke or not. She settles for an awkward smile. "Is everyone here a STEM major then?"
Hat Guy snorts. Sethos lets out a good natured laugh and offers a steaming mug of tea to her.
"It's just herbal tea," he says. "And to answer your question, no, I'm a history major. Hat Guy studies philosophy, and Alhaitham has a double major because he thinks learning is fun or something."
"I major in linguistics and literature, with extra seminars to fulfill the requirements of being on the education track," Alhaitham interjects, not looking up from his screen.
Sethos's head bobs like that's exactly what he said. "Right. He thinks learning is cool, and wants to teach Sumeru's future minds to enjoy reading."
"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid," Alhaitham adds.
"I beg your pardon?" Collei asks, startled.
Kaveh rolls his eyes. "Ugh, don't mind him. He just does that sometimes. He likes to quote famous authors like the pretentious lit major he is, but he's especially fond of Austen for reasons I still to this day do not understand. It's not as if he's ever appreciated the romance of her writing."
If Collei knew Alhaitham better, she might have noticed the tick of his brow, but unfortunately, the only person who does know Alhaitham well enough to decipher the flash of irritation for what it is, is too busy complaining to notice.
"Better a pretentious lit major than tearing my hair out as a physics major.
Kaveh whirls back around in his chair, eyes flashing. "I'm an engineering major."
It's a surefire way to get Kaveh hissing and spitting, and the two quickly devolve into an argument. Collei stands there, confused and a little afraid, but nobody else around her seems to share her concern. Tighnari even pats her shoulder, heaving a great big sigh.
"Don't mind them. They're always like this."
"Is that okay though…? Shouldn't we stop them?"
"No." The answer comes from Tighnari, Sethos, and Hat Guy, with varying levels of enthusiasm.
Seeing she still doesn't look reassured, Tighnari leans in and adds in a quieter tone, "They'll sort themselves out eventually. Even though they seem like they're at each other's throats right now, they're actually really good friends. Sometimes it feels like nobody else can keep up with their conversations but them."
"Huh…" Collei looks back at the two guys in question. It's still a little hard to believe, but no one else around seems particularly bothered, so she figures the sight must be normal. "If you say so."
She startles again when out of nowhere Kaveh bursts out laughing. He nudges Alhaitham's leg with his knee, leaning in to murmur something that makes Alhaitham crack a smile too.
Collei clamps down hard on her curiosity. It isn't her place to ask, but she gets the feeling that there's a story there.
2.
If you were to ask Kaveh, the exact moment their friendship formed was impossible to pinpoint.
The beginning is easy enough. They met through a shared elective: Jane Austen in Context. Kaveh had enjoyed taking a deeper view of the socioeconomic context surrounding the works of his favorite romance author, and Alhaitham had been Alhaitham. Insufferable, pretentious, and curt. He would have been easier to dismiss if his analyses had been shallow, but Alhaitham's mind was just as sharp as his tongue. His critiques, while annoying, were valid, and his points were worthy of debate.
Had they been less curious scholars, they might have never crossed paths. Or, to look at things another way, maybe that meant their friendship was preordained by the stars. Sometimes Kaveh wonders what his dad would have thought of that. But as it was, their intellectual sparring turned into saving each other a seat in class and lunchtime hangouts. They shared a table in the library for study sessions, and grabbed drinks to celebrate the end of finals. Somewhere along the way, a friendship was forged. Messy and sharp around the edges it may have seemed, but it was genuine to the core.
Now if you were to ask Alhaitham the same question, he would tell you to mind your own business. Privately, however, he might reflect on the first time Kaveh had ever argued with him in class, matching him point for point in a brilliant display of wit and well, maybe not poise but certainly passion. He'd recall the first time Kaveh saw him enjoying lunch alone in the cafeteria and invited himself to Alhaitham's table. He'd think of all the little ways Kaveh wormed his way into his life.
It would lead him to the same conclusion as Kaveh– that genuine friendship was a series of steps so gradual that it was nigh impossible to pinpoint the exact shift.
There are other shifts that easier to track, however, like the day Alhaitham first began a certain habit of his. The memory begins, like most memories of his college life, with Kaveh complaining.
"I just think it would be nice to be courted a little. Dating these days just seems to be dating apps and hookups. Where's the romance?"
Alhaitham remembers rolling his eyes, recalls all too keenly the spark of irritation that had him rubbing his chest. "You have three projects due by next week. You don't have time for a courtship."
Kaveh's forehead dropped to the table with a groan. "Ugh, don't remind me. It's going to take at least two all-nighters to get it all done… but that's not the point!"
"If there's a point to your rant, you've been circling around it for several minutes at this point."
"Isn't it obvious? The point is romance is dead," Kaveh sighed, turning to press his cheek to the cold table. His forehead was a little red from the impact in a way Alhaitham couldn't help but find horribly endearing.
"Romance is subjective anyway," Alhaitham had argued instead, trying to distract himself from his own thoughts, though the subject of romance didn't feel any safer. "What you consider romantic might be considered droll by some, and similarly, the modern day flirting that you complain about may very well be the pinnacle of romance to another person."
"It's not like I'm asking for a lot here," Kaveh argues. He lets out a heavy, wistful sigh. "Whatever happened to bringing someone flowers? Or poetry! Now that's romantic. At this point, I'd take anything, doesn't even have to be poetry. But the thought of someone reading something romantic and thinking of me, wanting to share it with me… well, it's just really sweet."
His voice had gone soft by the end, a gentle smile on his face while he played with the end of his braid. It had done something terrible to Alhaitham in that moment, taking the tangle in his chest and dragging it up his throat. It got knotted there, briefly, but after a moment's pause, he blurted out the words: "'I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love.'”
Kaveh sat up, brow furrowed. He opened his mouth, paused, then closed it, reconsidering Alhaitham's statement. "'I have been used to consider poetry as the food of love,'" he said slowly.
Relief washed over Alhaitham and it was only then realized he had even been nervous at all. Exhaling, he recited the next lines: “'Of a fine, stout, healthy love it may. Everything nourishes what is strong already. But if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination, I am convinced that one good sonnet will starve it entirely away.'”
Where Darcy had only smiled, Kaveh had laughed, a bright, beautiful thing that brought all of Alhaitham's bodily ailments back in full force. "Of course that would be the part you remember! You didn't even like that book that much. Your memory really is an amazing thing sometimes."
While it wasn't the swoon he had been hoping for, at the time Alhaitham couldn't find it in him to complain, not when Kaveh was in such high spirits again.
Besides, he'd gained valuable information from the exchange. All he has to do was put it into practice.
3.
Kaveh is ranting the moment Alhaitham opens his door for him.
"Can you believe Afshin came back to the room absolutely reeking of weed? Even when he wasn't making any noise, the smell was loud enough to give me a headache. Ugh, there was no way I could get any work done in those conditions."
Alhaitham shuts the door behind him with a hum. Kaveh takes over the desk like he owns it, while Alhaitham gets comfortable on the bed, reading while offering a half-attentive ear to Kaveh's ranting.
"I feel like every time we reach an understanding on one issue, he finds an entirely new way to disrupt my life! First it was the mess, then the bringing home strangers every week, then the noise, and now this. Is it too much too ask for a little peace and quiet?"
"Apparently," comes Alhaitham's dry response. "I certainly can't seem to find any, and I live in a single."
"Oh, quiet. You didn't have to let me in if you really hated it."
"I never said I hate it."
Waving a dismissive hand, Kaveh focuses his attention on his studies. He really needs to catch up; all the disruptive activities at home have him behind on his note-taking, plus he still needs to finish his paper. Oh, and he still has to reach out to his groupmates again about the project…
He doesn't realize how late it's gotten until Alhaitham's voice drags him out of the spiral of his assignments. He rubs at his dry eyes, fighting back a yawn while he checks the time on his phone.
"Sorry, I lost track of time. Am I keeping you up?" he frets, turning in his chair.
"You are, but it's fine," Alhaitham says with a shrug, and from anyone else Kaveh might feel he was overstaying his welcome, but Alhaitham wouldn't say it was okay if he didn't mean it. "Are you spending the night again?"
"Ah, yeah, would you mind?" Kaveh gestures to his notebook with a wince. "I still have a lot more to do before I feel good about this assignment."
Alhaitham nods in understanding. He must be tired if he doesn't bother with any smart comments or lectures, instead setting out the extra pillow and blanket Kaveh keeps here for nights just like these. Kaveh takes the silence to mean the conversation is over, and turns back around.
"You know, you could just move in with me."
Kaveh jerks so badly that his mechanical pencil goes flying out of his hand. He scrambles to pick it back up. "What?"
Alhaitham waits until he has his full attention to shrug. "You spend so much of your time here anyway. It's only fair you start paying your half."
"I don't understand."
"Next semester's dorm applications open next week. We can apply together, instead of you committing to another year with a roommate you can't stand."
It's a sound idea. Practical, and all the more tempting for it. But that doesn't lessen his confusion. "That's not the part that confuses me. It's just… I know you value your personal space. I find it hard to believe you would be willing to give that up."
For me.
Alhaitham studies his expression then glances away, seeming to mull over his words carefully. Kaveh takes it as his opportunity to continue listing the cons of the arrangement; he would hate to be the reason Alhaitham does something he regrets, if he became a burden to the person closest to him (he doesn't think he can handle that a second time in his life).
"'...But as long as we could be together, nothing ever ailed me, and I never met with the smallest inconvenience.'"
The words hit like a strike, leaving Kaveh so genuinely winded that he's dizzy with it. After he forces air back into his body, he recognizes the words as belonging to Persuasion's Mrs. Croft. In context, the character is talking about the difficulties of living aboard a ship alongside her naval officer husband, but how his companionship was all she ever needed to be happy.
Taken out of context, well… Kaveh isn't quite sure what to make of it. It's still terribly intimate. The word together hits him anew. He grabs at his chest, fist twisting the fabric of his shirt sitting above his heart. He thinks there must be another, more neutral meaning behind Alhaitham's words, but in this moment, short of breath and entirely too warm, he can't find it.
"...Okay," he croaks. It almost doesn't sound like a real word, but he can't trust his own ears to hear anything properly when all he can hear is the rush of his own pulse.
Alhaitham's answering smile tells him he's heard. "I'll put down both our e-mails for the dorm request then."
"Right. Thank you, Alhaitham."
He hums as he goes about tucking himself into bed. Just before he slips a dark green eye-mask over his head, he says, "Don't make too much racket tonight. I have an early class tomorrow."
The nagging is enough to bring Kaveh back to himself. He turns back around in his seat with a huff, rolling his eyes at Alhaitham's unnecessary reminder. "I get it, alright? Goodnight, Alhaitham."
"Goodnight, Kaveh."
Kaveh stares down at his notes in silence, waiting until Alhaitham's breathing evens out, and then he waits some more. Only when the time on his phone reads half past midnight does he allow himself a quiet groan. His head sinks to the table.
He has a feeling he won't be getting much rest or work done tonight.
4.
Living with Alhaitham is easier than expected. Alhaitham does his share of the cooking and cleaning, and he doesn't stink up the place like Kaveh's last roommate, but he does have the terrible habit of leaving his books lying around all over the place for Kaveh to trip over. It's lead to quite a few arguments, but that's the thing— they know how to argue. Scolding Alhaitham doesn't feel nerve-wracking, like disagreeing with a project partner, nor does it feel like the end of the world when he has to put his foot down. It's simply a thing that happens and then they move on to studying or reading in the same room or watching reruns of cooking shows together.
It's funny to think that he gets along so well with Alhaitham given that he met his former roommate during orientation and didn't meet Alhaitham until his third semester. Kaveh tells him as much one day.
“'It is not time or opportunity that is to determine intimacy;—it is disposition alone. Seven years would be insufficient to make some people acquainted with each other, and seven days are more than enough for others.'”
It's a response he should have expected, really, but for some reason, the quotes have been the hardest adjustment for him since cohabitating with Alhaitham. Ever since he moved in, it's felt like Alhaitham's increased both the frequency and… well, intimacy, of them. He throws out romantic lines without even blinking, leaving a stunned Kaveh to sit and stew in flustered silence.
It drives Kaveh crazy and also to the comfort of Tighnari's couch to complain about all the mixed signals he's getting from his roommate.
"I'm not seeing what's mixed about it," Tighnari deadpans. He's in the kitchen portioning out veggies for the week because, unlike Kaveh, he's a well-adjusted adult who finds the time to mealprep.
"How can you not?!"
His knife hits the cutting board with light, even chops. "Because he's clearly into you? He's always been different with you versus literally anyone else, but now it seems like he's being more blatant about his flirting. Probably because somebody wasn't getting the hint before."
"That's not— I don't—" Kaveh gives him a helpless look. "He doesn't flirt with me."
"Kaveh. He literally quotes lines from famous romance novels at you. All the time."
"He just does that! He's a lit major!" he argues, face hot. "Besides, the stuff he quotes isn't even romantic all of the time. He once told me, 'Better be without sense than to misapply it as you do.' That one's from Emma, by the way. Definitely an insult."
"You're not even the same major, but you always pick up on all the references," Tighnari says. He snaps the lid shut on his tupperware. "It's almost as if he's specifically picking lines from those books because he knows they're your favorite. And before you complain about the context of the lines or whatever, need I remind you that it was you who came here complaining that he's been pulling out the big guns lately— whatever that looks like when it comes to your weird Victorian courtship."
"Regency," Kaveh corrects automatically, causing Tighnari to roll his eyes. Despite his frustrations, Tighnari still has a point. Kaveh wouldn't be feeling so conflicted if some part of him didn't feel like there really was something going on between Alhaitham and him. With a longing sigh, Kaveh slumps over the side of the couch, hugging a throw pillow to his chest. "'If I could but know his heart, everything would become easy.'"
The look Tighnari shoots at him is so scathing that Kaveh's certain if he weren't already hogging the pillows, Tighnari would have beat him with one.
"Ugh, sometimes you're just like him." Tighnari holds up a hand to stop Kaveh's indignant rebuttal. "Nope. I'm not taking any arguments at this time. I listened to you and now it's your turn to sit and listen."
Pouting, Kaveh nods. He sits up to give Tighnari his full attention.
"You want my advice? Simple. Talk to Alhaitham."
"Tighnari!" he cries, aghast.
"If you want to know where you stand with him, communication is the only way. Not with me or Nilou or Candace. With Alhaitham. It should be easy. You already live with the guy."
The logical part of Kaveh's brain knows he's right; the emotional, melodramatic part of him though, the part that Alhaitham has a knack for dragging out in full force, is whining and kicking its feet in despair. Why should he have to be the one to initiate the conversation? Alhaitham is the one being all cryptic and weird in the first place!
But then again, it's not like he has much experience in romance, does he? Kaveh thinks, with a pang of sympathy for his junior. Alhaitham hardly had friends when they met, and he had been rather adamant about keeping it that way until fairly recently. Maybe he's just feeling awkward. Put that way, it's almost a little endearing.
"Fine," he decides, sitting upright. "As his senior, it's only right I get to the bottom of things."
"Whatever you need to tell yourself," Tighnari grumbles.
5.
It takes time for Kaveh to work up the nerve. He spends his nights flipping through his old, thoroughly annotated copies of Austen's works, searching for some insight into Alhaitham's thought process. Though entertaining and familiar, the texts offer no illumination, and he's reminded yet again of Tighnari's wisdom. Knowing what he should do, however, doesn't make it any easier to actually get up and do it. It takes a few more days of stewing in his own feelings before it all comes bubbling over.
"We need to talk," he declares, standing in front of Alhaitham one evening. They are words that would strike fear in a lesser man, but Alhaitham only gives him a withering glance before returning to his book.
"Thanks to your abrupt announcement, we are talking."
Kaveh's burst of confidence flags, but he's made it this far, so he may as well see things through. He perches on the edge of the coffee table, fiddling with the sleeves of his sweatshirt. "I'm serious, Alhaitham. I have questions for you."
Alhaitham pauses, head raising to search his face for perhaps a sign of an impending argument. Kaveh tries to keep his expression open. He hasn't come looking for a fight, after all.
"Alright," he says after a moment. "Go ahead then."
They both fall quiet— Kaveh, still trying to find the right words, and Alhaitham giving him the space to do so.
"Lately, you've been weird. Weirder than usual, I mean. And I just want to understand what it is you mean by your… recent comments."
"You'll have to be more specific."
"I'm talking about all the Austen references— or rather, the quotes."
Alhaitham quirks a brow at him. "I wouldn't exactly call those a new phenomenon. Isn't it you who calls me 'a pretentious lit major' for doing it so often?"
"Don't play dumb with me. It doesn't suit you," Kaveh says, scowling. The irritation spurs him on, laying out his next words with more ease. "I'm referring to the nature of the quotes you've been choosing of late. Normally you pick whatever quip you think suits the situation because you're too lazy to react yourself. Lately, it's been different."
Instead of rising to the jab, Alhaitham stays quiet. Observing Kaveh. Waiting. The fact that he isn't immediately deflecting is a sure sign that not only is Kaveh on the right track, but Alhaitham wants him to be. Where that track leads is the part that has been haunting Kaveh the past few nights.
"Do I have to spell it out for you, Alhaitham? I want to know if you're playing games with me when you're spouting all these romantic lines or if you actually mean it."
Alhaitham stares at him. He's got that familiar look on his face, the one that says gears are turning in that enigmatic brain of his, combing over his words until they are optimally arranged.
It's why Kaveh isn't surprised when the line he settles on is strikingly familiar.
"'In vain have I struggled. It will not do.'"
Kaveh's heart leaps into his throat. He tries to speak, but his voice gets caught up in the fray. "W-Wait," he rasps.
But Alhaitham continues, "'My feelings will not be repressed.'"
"Alhaitham," he tries. His face feels hot, but he can barely focus on that when his nerves are going haywire.
"'You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and—'"
"STOP!"
Kaveh leaps to his feet, slamming his hands down on the kitchen table with enough force to startle them both. His head is spinning, so tossed around by his own giddy disbelief that he's surprised he isn't swaying.
For his part, Alhaitham looks uncertain for what must be the first time in the entirety of their knowing each other. "...I apologize. It would appear I miscalculated. Had I known my feelings would be so unwelcome, I wouldn't have burdened you."
"No, no, wait! You've got it wrong!"
"Clearly," Alhaitham says sourly.
"Would you just listen to me?!" Kaveh insists, exasperated and frantic in equal measures. Only Alhaitham can drive him to such extremes, always bringing out the best and the worst in him, pushing Kaveh to his fullest self in every possible direction. If he's really, truly honest with himself, he really likes it.
"Your… feelings aren't unwelcome. I'm not trying to silence you. It's only that I need to hear it coming from you, not from Mr. Darcy."
Alhaitham still looks doubtful, but he doesn't look quite as defensive as before. "Was it not you who declared a love for romance of that nature? You've described his confession as the pinnacle of romance."
"Actually, Wentworth's confession is the pinnacle, but that's besides the point. At the end of the day, romance is so much more than just reciting lines. If there really is something between us, then I want to hear what that looks like to you. Nobody else."
His expressions twists, conflicted. He looks very much like he's scanning through his mental library and immediately rejecting every phrase that comes to mind. As endearing as the habit is, Kaveh's had enough of it for a while.
"Alhaitham," Kaveh interrupts, exasperated. He gives him an imploring look. "Please."
Alhaitham swallows. When he next speaks, his voice is rough, unsteady, "You are the most infuriating man I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."
"...Excuse me?"
"You are so incredibly stubborn, and self-sacrificial to a fault. Your brilliant mind is tempered by your naivete, which makes you susceptible to blatant scams. You waste your time trying so desperately to see the best in people who don't deserve you. Sometimes I think you must be doing it on purpose, being a contrarian just to spite me, but you just see the world in such a wholly different way than I do. I could spend years picking your brain and never understand you, but it would be time well spent because nothing and no one has ever intrigued me more.
I was relieved to hear of your fondness for romance novels because I felt deeply the difficulty of putting my feelings for you into words. There is no combination of words that I have found that fully encompasses the magnitude of your presence in my life, but I thought that so long as it was a combination of words you enjoyed, that might suffice. In hindsight, it was a coward's way. And for all my faults, I have never been a coward… not before you."
Frankly, Kaveh thinks they've both been a bit cowardly about their feelings, dancing around what could have been for far longer than necessary. But it's hard to linger on the what-ifs when Alhaitham's raw honesty has his heart going haywire.
"I think…" Kaveh breathes, "that's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me."
Alhaitham rises, stepping forward so that he's standing between Kaveh's parted legs. He cups his cheek. "Better than 'I love you'?"
The gentle hand guides Kaveh's head back. He looks up at Alhaitham, so focused that he's barely aware of his own trembling. "You haven't said that yet."
"No?"
Their faces are so close. "No…"
He can feel the vibrations of Alhaitham's hum, just barely grazing his lips. "Allow me to remedy that."
In the privacy of their apartment, Kaveh and Alhaitham share breath, and touch, and the three simple words that encompass all the others that make up the pages of their story.
6.
"So yeah, we're dating now. We just thought you guys should know," Kaveh says, smiling warmly at the circle of his friends. They've taken over the cafe as usual, spread out across the faded old couch and the nearby tables.
"Finally," Hat Guy says, rolling his eyes. "It's about time."
"I'll say," Tighnari grumbles, though he can't quite hide his smile. To his left, Sethos claps.
Alhaitham, who had been forced to set aside his book for this, gives Kaveh a dry look. "Technically, you thought they should know. I could have done without all this fanfare."
"They're our friends."
"Then they would have figured it out in due time."
The glare Kaveh gives him is proof that some things never change. Their bickering is interrupted before it can begin in earnest by Cyno clearing his throat.
"Well, Alhaitham, I hope you've learned a valuable lesson from this."
He raises a brow. Across from him, Tighnari stiffens, looking wary. Alhaitham prompts him anyway, "And what lesson would that be?"
"In matters of the heart, it's best to be your-shelf."
The punchline lands like a rock in a puddle.
"Get it? Because you keep books on a shelf, and Alhaitham was—"
The ripples are enough to get everyone to disperse, hurrying out of their seats.
"Whoa, look at the time! I have a paper due!"
"And my shift's about to start."
"I need to be literally anywhere but here."
Cyno's left to chase after Tighnari, insisting on explaining his joke while the latter covers his ears. Only the happy couple are left on the lumpy couch.
"Well, that went well," Kaveh muses, drumming his fingers on the lid of his laptop. "I think."
Alhaitham hums his assent, already rummaging through his bag for the book he had been forced to abandon earlier. Instead of immediately tuning out the rest of world though, he leans over until his head lands on Kaveh's shoulder. The latter pauses, flustered, before opening up his laptop to work.
After a few minutes of companionable silence, Kaveh can't resist saying, "I didn't expect you to enjoy PDA."
"Everyone knows we're dating. I see no need to hide that fact."
"Still," Kaveh insists, biting his lip to suppress his smile. "I really expected you to be more opposed to this sort of thing. Not that I'm complaining. It's rather nice."
Alhaitham's finger lingers a few seconds too long in toying with the corner of a page before turning it. When he speaks, it's with that careful, even cadence often reserved for his recitations: "What pleasure is there in depriving my beloved of such bodily affections— you, who has already laid claim to my mind and my heart?"
Kaveh shifts to squint at Alhaitham. No matter how much he wracks his brain, nothing comes to mind. "Which book is that from?"
"None," Alhaitham admits with a wry smile. "You claimed that I was getting too lazy, relying on authors to speak for me all the time. So I decided to express my sentiments in my own words, as per your request."
"Oh" Kaveh's face reddens. "…And is this going to be a new habit of yours, you horribly pretentious and wonderful man?"
"I do, so I hope you don't regret it."
For all that he might tease about Alhaitham's more pretentious lit major tendencies, Kaveh can't help but be grateful that his partner is such a wordsmith. After all, there's still so much of their story left to be written.
"Not at all."