Chapter Text
“Are you freaking serious, right now?” the high-pitched soprano was so loud that the blond man needed to drag her outside the café. “You’re delaying our one-month-in-advance plan just because your best friend is sick?”
The sardonic tone in her remarks made him shudder. However, the tall, distinctively-haired man replied while trying to maintain his composure, “Correction: that bastard’s not a best friend; he’s just a flatmate. And yes, unfortunately, I gotta postpone our date ‘coz this good-for-nothing landlord badly, urgently, needs me by his side right now,” he paused, counting with his fingers, “well, technically, for about a week or so—”
“Why, you…” her (soon-to-be-ex) boyfriend’s continuous justification left the lady speechless. She ignored the chattering of the onlookers who were enthralled by the couple’s quarrel, her arms crossed over her chest. “Really, Kaveh, I’m weary of you and I’m tired of us. Now look; choose this ‘roommate’ of yours or me, and by all means, do use your goddamn brain before giving me your final answer.”
“Since I’ll have no roof above my head if I choose you, sweetheart,” the man named Kaveh shrugged, his hands floating towards the sky above. There was a long, exaggerated sigh as he responded, “With a heavy heart, my answer would be hi—”
—SLAP!
“…and there goes another heartbreaking story from our renowned, hottest architect in Sumeru,”
The commentary came from the silver-haired man, who spoke in his notable, toneless voice. He raised his beer bottle, pointing to the palm-shaped redness on Kaveh’s left cheek.
“Judging from that freshly-made handprint, she gave it all, I assume?”
“I believe she wanted to ruin my genius brain,” Kaveh complained, placing a tall glass filled with herbal tea against the side of his wounded face. “Really, why are all ladies acting that dramatic?”
The rendezvous occurred at the same café a few hours after the embarrassing incident,
Kaveh, the self-proclaimed main character, requested reinforcements to mend his broken heart. Unfortunately, his two friends weren’t those who could heal; they poured more salt on the open wound with their sarcastic remarks and unsympathetic gazes. However, in all circumstances, they came. Post ‘office hours,’ specifically.
Cyno – the Mahamatra, the prestigious position he attained at such a young age and was in charge of disciplinary actions for academic violations; thus, his intimidating vibe – rolled his eyes and gave his partner a gentle elbow. The black-and-green-haired forest watcher glanced back at Cyno, eyes twinkling as both faced their miserable, broken-hearted fellow. His long ears twitched a little as he picked up on Kaveh’s roiling emotions. Tighnari, his name, was more than sensitive when it came to others, even though most of the time, he opted to stay out of situations. Not that he was a clairvoyant – more like he was able to perceive the change in Kaveh’s respiration and heartbeat, noticing that he was anxious but relieved at the same time.
He gave a feeble chuckle, “If you’re talking about all those poor women whom you’ve been dating, and they all complained about the same thing, you might want to re-evaluate your life choices and priorities. So please, respectfully, quit the whining, Mr. Heartbreaker.” Tighnari gave up the warm drink he had ordered, which Kaveh used as an emergency compress, “It’s not like you’ve never been dumped before.”
Kaveh’s vermillion eyes narrowed in response to the derogatory alias Tighnari gave him,
“Can’t help it, right? My precious job demands me for roughly twenty-five hours a day, eight days a week, if we’re talking about typical days. It can be more horrendous once I’m haunted by deadlines,” he let out an exaggerated ‘—sss’ as though Kaveh intended to emphasize the plural form. “Not to mention when the CAD crashed. The rendering failed. The Lumion decided to shut itself down. My cursed hand forgot to click the ‘save’ button,” another hysterical moan escaped Kaveh’s mouth as he tugged his half-braided hair and slammed his forehead against the coffee table. He desperately muttered under his breath, “Archons must’ve hated me for giving me this deadly career and unlucky romances.”[1]
“I don’t need to be an Archon to despise you, anyway,” the white-haired man gave a sly grin, which caused Kaveh quickly leap from his seat and lunge for his friend across the table. Unfortunately, his hasty movement gave him nothing but a painful stumbling over the chair leg. Cyno snorted a restrained laugh.
Tighnari subtly distracted the irate Kaveh by adding a more concerned tone to his statement, “Be serious for once, Kaveh. No matter how hectic your job is, it’s just outrageously impossible to have this – saddening pattern,” he scolded. “One ex-girlfriend every three months is a concerning statistic, mind you.”
Kaveh groaned, “Do I seem like I’m asking for it?”
“Judging from how sturdy your face is for being slapped monthly is already a solid answer,” Cyno affirmed.
“You dick,” the designer eyed Tighnari, inaudibly begging for help, “defend me.”
“How could I when you’re the one at fault,” the rhetorical response made Kaveh’s pout deepen, yet his dejected face made Tighnari uneasy. He spoke more softly after fifteen seconds of silence, “—precisely, this time. What made her so enraged that she didn’t think twice to end her relationship with you?”
“We’re supposed to be having this vacation,” Kaveh didn’t sound enthusiastic as he recited his itinerary, “we planned a short gateway to Liyue ‘coz they’re celebrating the lantern things, right? Three days, four nights. I’ve booked our return flights. I also arranged for the inn, a reservation in a five-star restaurant, but.”
Tighnari pinched the bridge of his nose. Here we go, the legendary ‘but.’
“I gotta reschedule the whole trip,” Kaveh clasped his palms together as if he was in a confessional. His voice gradually vanished, if only it wasn’t a superhuman couple he spoke to, “—because that shithead Alhaitham needs me,” he whispered hesitantly, waiting to be judged or slapped (again) or both.
“…” Cyno was entirely impressed. Not in a good way, though, “you chose him over your woman,” he didn’t continue, but his rhapsodical (—questionable) expression loudly screamed, ‘dude, what the actual fuck?’
“I can explain,” Kaveh pointed his forefinger upwards, “his heat’s coming.”
A mutual, mute ‘oh,’ escaped the duo’s lips.
The ‘heat’ Kaveh was referring to was the monthly-to-once-every-four-months cycle which the omega – the second gender which was commonly defined once an individual reached the age of eight to eleven – had to go through, if not endure. The omega, whether male or female, would yearn to mate during this period. The urge was so powerful it could impair their sanity, along with excruciating intestinal discomfort and excessive weariness. That wouldn’t be concerning if an omega had been marked by an alpha – both antithesis and cure, sometimes destined, primarily by accident. But for a, let’s say, pure omega who was too proud of himself and refused to be a slave of the mythical ‘fated pair,’ just by merely existing could be very much troublesome. Problematic, even.
For instance, this Alhaitham, the person they were gossiping about.
The notable scribe of the Akademiya itself, once a top student of the Haravatat back in the school days, was rumored to be the next Grand Sage, and ta-da, the responsible one for this irresponsible adult named Kaveh. They shared a (hi)story longer than a folktale, starting from their carefree teenage years to their restless college life, until this very second, where they shared a house. Well, to be precise (and honest, duh) —it was mostly Alhaitham who paid the bills, the electricity, and the internet cost, since his senior, Kaveh, was too poor to afford such luxury. Not that his job as an architect couldn’t financially support him; his carelessness made his already messy life even more chaotic each day.
Kaveh loved showering his girlfriend(s) with presents and surprises, which was how he got into the current predicament. Yet, he didn’t learn from his unfortunate encounter(s). And Alhaitham, who felt guilty about indirectly leading Kaveh to his breakups (…and scams; there were these exes who used Kaveh’s credit card irresponsibly to the point Alhaitham had to call the bank and block the payment instrument), permitted Kaveh to live with him for an arbitrary amount of time. It didn’t stop there; his job as an architect polished him into a design brainiac, a pure talent with boundless creativity. Yet, again, he was a complete idiot when it came to the terms of the law. If you ever wondered what kind of engineer ended up in debt due to his ignorance of legal standing, Kaveh was the solid answer. As a result, he had to pay off the rising debt with the majority of his monthly salary.
Aside from those catastrophic series of events,
“Even the brat with the most brain can’t win against the natural cycle,” Cyno broke the silence.
“Stop being so heartless, will you,” lectured the young engineer. Alhaitham might be a pain in the ass, but Kaveh found it annoying to hear Cyno make fun of his flatmate. “You’re an alpha and have zero idea how miserably and badly and topsy-turvy this heat thing can affect an omega, be more considerate.”
“I am considerate; you think I don’t know how noxious a heat can be?” his gaze fixed on Tighnari, “I have him.”
Kaveh uttered an inaudible ‘oops’ as he glanced at the fair-skinned omega.
“That must be harder for him than it is for me,” Tighnari hummed – it was always easier to live in pairs, even more so for an omega like him. “Even I suffered if Cyno wasn’t around when my cycle started. I could only wonder how painful it is for Alhaitham, who had never been marked,” he brushed his chin, tilting his head, “but I heard that a beta’s scent can soothe him. Is that how he has endured up to this point?”
“Uh-huh, he won’t be around functioning if it’s not because of me,” the art worshipper patted his chest proudly, “sometimes it doesn’t take an alpha for victory.” Kaveh snickered at Cyno, who decided to sip his cold beer rather than dispute such a pointless argument.
A beta,
Considered the majority of the entire population, the betas were those who inherited no particular alterations to their reproductive systems. They didn’t depend on the period or cycle to carry on the bloodline. They were just – normal, plainly normal. No knots, no distinct wombs – just a man and a woman. While the alphas possessed a strong, pungent scent that they frequently used to intimidate their rivals, and the omegas discarded sweet essence to aid them in their search for a mate, most betas produced the subtle scent which could calm a furious alpha and diminish an omega’s libido. It was almost unnoticed among their kind, but it was sufficient for the other sub-genders. In this scenario, Alhaitham, as Kaveh had never tried to (and had no desire to attempt to) face down a rampaging alpha. Perhaps he should test when Cyno experienced his rut but let it be a story for another time.[2]
Long story short, Kaveh was born a beta, who was (allegedly) in charge of his roommate’s volatile heat with a comfortable shelter in return. A win-win solution, if not brilliant, according to the penniless Kaveh.
(—then again, everyone was a beta unless stated otherwise, as was taught in biology class.)
“You’re being a great friend, Kaveh,” the praise came from nowhere. Technically, Tighnari said it.
“I don’t think we’re friends-friends, but I won’t say ‘no’ to that,” denied the blonde.
Cyno responded in jest, “Sure, two guys, chilling in the same house, three feet away because they’re not gay,” which was very out of character of him, who typically spoke the blatant truth instead of speaking in a satirical manner. Nonetheless, a blunt-headed individual like Kaveh needed occasional violence. Verbally, at the very least. “You’re not friends, yes, more like an old married couple with an anger issue.”
Tighnari concealed his snicker with minimum effort, which aggravated Kaveh, “Stop laughing! That’s not even funny! Told you that Alhaitham and I are strictly roommates; no more, much less. You, folks, gotta know how stoic and tedious this man is: talking to the boring manuscript all day, rewriting only-Archons-know how many ancient poems, showing zero respect to visual arts, which I adore the most.” Kaveh shivered preposterously, “—besides, above all: my entire existence is for worshiping boobs.”
“Which means?” Tighnari could feel his ears tingling.
“I am the straightest male of Teyvat,” Kaveh summed up.
“So was this pasta before things were hot and steamy,” Cyno casually chimed in as he rolled the spaghetti on his half-done plate, setting aside his beer bottle to be finished next.
“Fuck you, muscle-man,” cussed Kaveh and Tighnari found it hard not to chuckle.
Cyno shook his head, “No thanks. Not interested in a ridiculously tall man’s penis.”
“You sure are a bit short for an alpha, aren’t you.”
“Let’s have this outside so you can die under the moonlight.”
“Boys, the joke’s too far; sit down. Please, you two,” Tighnari quickly mediated, effectively stopping those hot-headed men from killing each other. Not that they were being serious – weren’t they?
The calmest of the trios changed the subject.
“So, what it is exactly you did to help him with his heat, I’m genuinely curious,” he wasn’t entirely lying, though. Tighnari always had Cyno by his side and he couldn’t even remember how to deal with his cycle the other way. “I mean, for him to be able to take a whiff of your odor, you have to be physically close, and,” he let his piercing eyes resume the unspoken question.
“Eh, nothing’s special, just being there, around him; breathing, existing,” he answered unthinkingly.
The botanist rested his chin on his palm, “And you weren’t affected by his scent?”
“Nope,” Kaveh confidently shook his head, “how could I be affected if I smell nothing from him?”
“So, it was true that a beta couldn’t detect anything from us,” Tighnari nodded, “it’s fascinating for me to learn that ‘just being there’ is the only thing a beta should do when encountering an omega in need.”
Kaveh gulped, his eyes darting all over, “That’s all, Archon’s my witness,” one hand was on his chest while the other one stretched out, palm facing Tighnari as if he was vowing, “it’s not like we were cuddling—”
“Don’t tell me you called me here only to hear you boasting about your pathetic love life.”
“—GYAAAHHHH!!!”
The newcomer cocked an eyebrow and scowled as he sat down next to his flatmate, “…what are all those shoutings about.” Alhaitham gave a tiny chin jerk to Cyno and Tighnari as a substitute for a simple ‘hello.’
“Alhaitham,” Tighnari greeted back on behalf of his partner, “didn’t expect you to come.”
“Those old men prevented me from departing promptly. I apologize for being late,” almost as stoic as the typical Cyno, he replied, discarding his coat and exposing his – uniqueness, talking about attire preference, “What did I miss? I wish my senior didn’t say inappropriate things about his adventure with ladies in bed.”
“Quite the opposite, if I might tell,” Cyno smirked, “tonight’s the night of separation.”
Alhaitham’s eyes widened, “Again?”
“Again,” this time, Cyno and Tighnari synchronized their answer.
“Ugh, I hate it when I gotta repeat the story because of your stupid, packed schedule,” Kaveh turned his seat, so he was face-to-face with Alhaitham, pausing only to ask, “…wait, why are you here again?”
Internally groaning, the gray-haired man said, “You texted me to come, so I came.”
“Huh? I did? No, I did not,” the loud friend furrowed his brows.
“You sent a text and just forgot about that?” Alhaitham challenged with poise.
“I did not?”
“You did.”
“I did?”
“Check your phone.”
Kaveh hastily touched the side of his pants, rummaged through the pocket, reached for his cellphone, and scrolled through the sent history, before muttering an inaudible ‘—oh right, tee-hee.’ He cleared his throat and glared at his lovey-dovey friends, who looked in other directions. Sometimes, Kaveh’s carelessness was too painful to watch. The architect abruptly changed the topic, “B-but you shouldn’t force yourself to come, alright, not when your heat is approaching.” Kaveh placed an arm on the table, torso directed at his junior, trying his best not to lose face. However, “…ugh, I shouldn’t have said that should I?”
Alhaitham was side-eyeing the Mahamatra and the forest watcher, exhaling sharply. It wasn’t like he hid his gender identity, yet talking about the cycle he considered a sensitive topic was always awkward.
“That’s just a natural phenomenon, nothing to worry about,” he finally spoke while beckoning for a waiter to bring him the menu, which the worker quickly accomplished, “what could you guys recommend?”
“The. Uh. Sabz meet stew here is extraordinary,” Kaveh remarked, “—you’re sure you’re fine?”
“What’s with your question, again?” Alhaitham shifted his focus away from the food list.
“You’re just kinda different today,” Kaveh twirled his fingers, “you behave.”
“Aren’t you the uncivilized one here?” retorted Alhaitham before ordering Kaveh’s recommendation.
“Why you…”
The older scholar gritted his teeth in rage, providing Cyno and Tighnari a ‘pleasant’ entertainment as they mentally applauded Kaveh for having such unlimited energy beneath him. This man was having a day of mood swings, and his roommate inadvertently ruffled his feathers. Kaveh groaned, gulped his beer down in three massive swigs, and smashed the big glass on the table. “No, be serious for once,” what a jerk, he thought when Alhaitham lazily glanced at him. “There’s something off about you, but I can’t tell since the only time you’re acting this docile is when you’re,” he gasped, “it’s not approaching anymore.”
The scribe ‘oh’-ed him, “It is happening,” he confirmed.
“Right fucking now?” Kaveh nearly yelled when Alhaitham nodded, “Are you out of your mind?”
“Lower your voice. People won’t notice since mine’s quite mild, and I always take my suppressant.” Unlike the frantic Kaveh, the omega himself was collected as usual, “Besides, if anyone’s bold enough to make a move, we have the legendary Mahamatra sharing table with us,” Alhaitham gave Cyno an inexistent smile.
Kaveh turned his attention to Cyno, “You can sniff him, right? Why didn’t you say a word?”
“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m no longer able to identify one of our kind but Tighnari,” said the general in an exhausted tone, “—still, you don’t look like you’re….” Cyno didn’t finish his words, but the movement of his shoulders ended the sentence. Alhaitham appeared too healthy to be in heat.
“Still, it’s dangerous, silly,” Kaveh hissed as he swung his chair closer to Alhaitham, “if you had told me sooner, I wouldn’t have texted you! You should’ve come home right after your job’s done instead of being here!”
“What’s done is done,” still in his aloof demeanor, the man in green attire waved a hand. “Besides, you asked me to come,” their eyes met, and for the love of the Archon, Kaveh couldn’t stand it when Alhaitham stared at him in all seriousness while hushing in a somewhat alluring tone – dear, brain, what, the hell – “so, I come.”
Something was breaking inside Kaveh’s (already broken) mind,
“Alright, enough excuses,” the man in the white shirt decided, slamming the table while grimacing at the burning sensation on both his palms. Remind him that such a dramatic move only causes him pain – Kaveh gripped Alhaitham’s wrist and half-forced him to stand up, “We’re going home, can’t take the risk,” his voice was stern and unwavering, even the scribe didn’t refute but straightened his posture instead. With his other free hand, Kaveh secured his belongings scattered on the table: mobile phone in the pocket, wallet inside his sling bag, and the drawing storage tube encircling his shoulder. Before finally leaving for good, Kaveh took his time to say, “—about the bill, just put it on his tab, aye?” he snickered and pointed at his roommate. Tighnari chuckled, and Cyno muttered under his breath, ‘Just like I suspected.’
Alhaitham wondered, what was the point of his sudden coolness just now, yet he didn’t object when Kaveh dragged him outside the café, semi-pushed him into his (—their?) car, and drove him home at a breakneck speed.
“You feel better?”
“I don’t recall feeling any worse?”
“The ace student, yet still a terrible liar,” Kaveh rolled his eyes as he turned to look to the right and saw his junior curled up in front of him. His knees pulled against his chest and his elbows hugged his folded legs. Alhaitham now looked more like an anteater than a fetus, “—does it hurt somewhere? My scent didn’t seem to soothe you this time.”
Kaveh could see beads of sweat faintly shimmering on Alhaitham’s forehead in the dimly lit room – his room – which was filled with his natural odor and unfinished sketches. The bedroom, unlike Alhaitham’s, couldn’t be described as ‘tidy’, but at least the piles of books and drawing equipment weren’t scattered all over the floor. Typical of the room of a bachelor who spent more time working and dating than relaxing. There were more dirty clothes in the laundry basket than clean ones, bottles of skincare scattered around even though they were all tightly sealed, and at least three different combs in front of the vanity mirror. What made this room stand out was that Kaveh had designed it aesthetically pleasing, with choices of soft colors and lighting that were pleasing to the eye and made it more comfortable to rest in.
In retrospect, Kaveh felt silly because he was ashamed to admit that he and Alhaitham shared a house together. And when he was asked why, he also had a hard time remembering; was it because he was the older one and Alhaitham was two years younger than him but clearly more financially prosperous? Well, that is, if you measure ‘success’ solely in terms of monthly income. Kaveh himself, despite being in debt, never felt that his career was lacking. He was still the most sought-after designer in Sumeru, and his work was appreciated in other nations of Teyvat. Ah, his mind wandered – for now, Kaveh was more easy-going with the fact that he registered the same address as his physical mailbox, especially for work demands that required him to reside somewhere permanently.
What could go wrong, right?
Despite his (dis)agreement with Alhaitham, there was a part of him that could not bear to let his junior spend this crucial time alone. If there was anything he could do to aid – and his happiness truly lies in helping others – Kaveh wouldn’t think twice to set aside his resentment and prioritize the host’s comfort.
“You need me to turn on the air conditioner? Perhaps the meds? Right, I’ll bring you some water to take your suppressant, yeah? Stay here, I’ll get that for y—”
“Would you please stop talking?” Alhaitham buzzed, “…respectfully. You’re too loud.”
“You little brat,” usually, they would spend the night throwing insults at each other. Kaveh was still a man with a big heart, though, so he swallowed his pique and mimicked the way Alhaitham laid down.
Which, of course, made things more awkward,
“You can just sleep, Kaveh – staring at me wouldn’t make my discomfort magically go away.” His gripe matched the sluggish movement, an attempt to alter his sleeping position. Alas, it only persisted for three seconds.
“I hate feeling useless,” he snorted, “maybe you’re too used to my scent that the effect gradually wears off,” Kaveh brushed his chin, deep in thought. “A-ha! Perhaps all we need to do is get closer so you can properly smell me,” he suggested, snapping his fingers as if he had just found the most brilliant idea. Which Alhaitham, in stark contrast, rejected.
“Do you realize how perverted you sounded just now?” His brows wrinkled together in disgust.
Kaveh glared at his ungrateful roommate, “I just want to help you, geez!” he showed no sign of giving up. The man in red pajamas stubbornly insisted as he extended his arms in an invitation to hug. “C’mon, a warm embrace won’t kill you, and it might have the reverse effect – it’s not like I’ll do this every day. Just come here and sleep!”
Alhaitham squeezed his temple, “Turn around.”
“And how could I hug you if my back’s facing you—”
“I said, turn around.”
“Dear Archon, what a stubborn prick!” Kaveh surrendered. “Don’t even think of blaming me when you wake up in the middle of the night – that’s for refusing my generosity,” he piled two pillows under his loose hair and pulled the blanket over his chest. “That’s what always annoys me about you; you and your almighty attitude, even when you’re in pain,” Kaveh was still grumbling as he actually turned and pressed his cheek deeper into the soft pillow, “refusing my sincere offer as if you’re—”
—huh?
The faint, somewhat delicate ruffling sound was followed by an unfamiliar warmth,
It was an odd gesture that made no sense, yet at the same time, it felt natural. It felt right. Alhaitham held him from behind, pressing his face against his lean back, and Kaveh didn’t dare move a single inch – he was even too terrified to breathe at all. He could feel the tip of his nose, his warm sigh, the gentle flutter of his long, lustrous eyelashes, everything about him along his spine. Oh, his poor, old spine. No matter how sweet and heart-touching (—huh??) this particular moment was, Kaveh had to schedule an appointment with his chiropractor first thing the following morning. Welp, he thought, I’ll let tomorrow me solve tomorrow’s business. He yawned twice and decided not to think much about it; it was just a friendly (—huh???) gesture between two friends. Kaveh was on the verge of falling asleep when he put his palm on Alhaitham’s back of the hand, which rested on his waist. Kaveh patted Alhaitham’s sweat-covered arm to comfort him before lulling him to the dream world a minute later.
The conclusion for the drowsy Alhaitham was simple: hugging him wasn’t so bad after all.