Archive of Our Own

Blood spilled down his arm in a steady stream, heavy pants escaping his lips as he stared at the corpse in front of him. Swarms of people buzzed around him, some pulling him away from the horrid scene while others tried to block his view of the woman who had attempted to take his life. The shake in his hands made him lose his grip upon his blades’ handles, though the loud clattering of his weaponry hitting the stone path underneath his feet snapped him out of whatever haze he had initially been trapped within. 

Even so, he was unable to make out what anyone was saying to him. Their touches made his throat close up, his lungs flaming up as they struggled to push out another breath. There were too many people here. None of them were the person he wanted to see. He was alone in a crowd; dozens of eyes boring into him as if they were trying to burn him just as the corpse had. 

He stumbled his way back from them, filled with the need to get as far away from them as possible. Panic had enveloped him like a cloak ever since he had left the sanctity of his office, a parchment shattering his peace the moment it had been delivered to his desk. The penmanship was as swirly and elegant as ever, something that was so distinctly Kaveh that he hadn’t been able to do his other work before tearing it open. What he thought would be a letter scolding him about his habits at home turned out to be a letter of dismissal; a goodbye. Kaveh had no reason to leave now; his studies were here, his friends were here, he… was here. It wasn’t abnormal for Kaveh to threaten going abroad, but he always told him that in person. He was going to convince him to stay just as he always had, even if he was not sure how he was going to do it yet. That was why he had been outside in the first place.

He was ambushed not long after he took his first few steps outside, a group clad in leather and masks taking his surprise as a chance to stab at him. Their leader was a woman who was starting the process of decomposition on the floor, the pyro vision that had been sitting tightly onto her hip causing him a number of issues throughout their sad attempt of assassination. Pyro and dendro never mixed well, the burns that made their way up his hands and arms being enough to prove such a fact. Their steel hurt as much as  her elemental power, though once he managed to get the woman to fall, the group had made for a quick retreat.

His feet pulled him away from the crowd while his ears tuned the calls for him out, gradually picking up the pace even though the action only made hot liquid flow down his body and onto the ground faster than ever before. Adrenaline was his new friend, it seemed, as it numbed his injuries so that he could fulfill the only desire he had. His head grew dizzy - either from the lack of oxygen or blood, he wasn’t sure - which only caused him to stumble for a few instances, though he never slowed his pace. He would only be at ease once he saw what he needed: Kaveh, safe at home, working at his desk. No packed bags. Lights on. Complaining.

Using a porch column to stop his fast pace even though it dug into one of his many cuts, he tried to take a deep breath as he steadied himself. He knew, rationally, that Kaveh was going to be there. The assassins thought using this letter was the best way to get him out to where they wanted him, and he had to give kudos to them. It was an expertly crafted plan; he would have done the same if he was in their shoes. His heart still ate at him, though. 

What if he did leave? What if this assassination attempt had only been lucky timing? How did they manage to write a letter that was just so Kaveh? His roommate had potential, despite how often he might say otherwise, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the man left him anytime soon. Why… did this letter affect him so heavily?

What if they attacked here first?

He did not mind the bloody handprint he left behind on the column, instead stalking up to the door despite how his body trembled from overuse. Just rip off the bandaid; go inside, and see if he was there; it was a simple task, one that he had done many times before, but he still found himself hesitating. The crumpled paper in his pocket weighed him down, his knees feeling as if they were going to give out at any moment. Fumbling with his keys, he eventually managed to open the lock and push the door open.

Alhaitham was finally graced with air, his reality hitting him like a truck once he saw the blond hair he had been looking for. In all honesty, it would have been better to go without seeing Kaveh for a few hours longer so that painkillers could make their way from his system, but rushing home now certainly stopped his worries. Kaveh was just where he wanted him to be. Still breathing and at home.

Raising a hand to press against the slash that went across his forearm, he ignored how his burned hands ached at the movement. His adrenaline was wearing off, it seemed, which meant that he would be passing out any time now due to his injuries. He… might be able to make it back to the doctors if he tried, though if he did not, he was certain someone would call him one while laying in the street unconscious. Taking a few staggered steps back, he shut the front door quietly behind him. 

Kaveh seemed like he was working hard from the brief moment he had seen him, so he did not want to disturb him with something as little as this. He did not like the idea of being nagged at while he was bleeding to death, anyway; he already had the information he truly needed.

He hadn’t taken a few steps before the door moved again, swung open widely with no apparent concern for where it stopped. “I thought I heard something out here,” Kaveh called after him, far too loud for the time of night. “And since you showed absolutely no signs of coming home at a reasonable hour, I just assumed it was some animal rummaging through the garbage. But all I find is you, slinking away like you’ve done something wrong.” He paused for only a moment, not wanting an answer. “Have you?” he finally prompted, still standing within the doorframe as if intending to block entrance.

Alhaitham continued walking away in hopes that the darkness would obscure any abnormalities. He wasn’t sure what Kaveh would be like in this sort of situation, and he was not about to find out now if he could help it. The last time he had come home late, the blond had questioned him about where he went and what he had been doing for hours. It wasn’t as if it was any of Kaveh’s business, but he would run away from this problem if he was able to. “Nothing that you could prove,” he shot back with a voice he hoped sounded steady enough, tossing Kaveh a look over his shoulder. “I came home to grab my wallet for something at work.”

“At this hour?” Kaveh questioned, watching the other with narrowed eyes and crossed arms. “Don’t start pretending to be a diligent worker now, we’ve known each other far too long for that.”

“My temporary job provides new issues that I wasn’t aware of,” he dismissed, the fact not being an entire lie. It did bring about the issue of assassination, which he had found out tonight, but it could possibly be solved with some better time management. “I need to get going, Kaveh. I’m in a bit of a time crunch, so you can question me later.”

Kaveh scoffed, the start to any long-winded rant. “You can’t spare a minute for the man you live with? Just what big, important thing are you working on, then?”

“Kaveh,” Alhaitham huffed out, the irritation in his tone falling flat. He did not have the time to do this with the blond right now, not with how heavy his blood flow currently was. If it had been any other time, he would have entertained Kaveh for a few minutes, but this was not one of those times. “I could tell you about it later, just go inside.”

Rather than doing as requested, Kaveh took a few steps in the other’s direction, leaving the door ajar behind him. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked after a pause in the conversation, the petulance of his tone clearly remarking on Alhaitham’s demeanor instead of his general health.

He made sure to pick up his pace despite how he froze at the question for a moment, trailing his hand against the walls nearby to keep himself steady. “I don’t want to fight right now,” Alhaitham said instead, dodging answering it entirely. Explaining what happened today would take more effort than it was worth.

“First of all,” Kaveh started, beginning to trail after Alhaitham as if he had been invited, “you always want to fight with me. That’s your worst quality and I don’t imagine you lost it overnight. And secondly, you think staying out all night doing archons know what is a better idea than coming home and sulking by yourself?” He released an exaggerated breath, adding, “Despite what you may think, I do know when I’m not wanted. Most of the time, I simply ignore that.”

Stopping in his movements with another heavy sigh, he was silently grateful that he was able to breathe again compared to how he was earlier. His body felt like it was set on fire and then trampled over by a sumpter beast, of course, but it was better than his original feeling. “Kaveh, if you must get into my business,” he started, his form swaying unsteadily from where he stood, “I am just going to the doctor’s office for something.”

“The doctor?” Kaveh repeated, seeming to turn the word over in his mind before continuing in the vein of conversation. “You’re not sick or something, are you?”

He tilted his head to face the other man, asking in a deadpan manner, “Do I look sick to you?” How Kaveh came up with questions like those, he had no idea.

“If you weren’t so stiff, I’d guess drunk, actually.”

Alhaitham offered a slow blink to him before continuing down the path, clasping his hands together when they began to shake in a way that displeased him. “Sure, let’s go with that. Now go away.” At this point, he knew that Kaveh wasn’t going anywhere, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying. Somehow, he thought that receiving Kaveh’s concern would be more annoying than succumbing to his injuries.

“You are so insufferable. I don’t know why I even bother trying with you, honestly,” Kaveh responded, still following regardless of the numerous dismissals. “I should really pack a bag and leave for a weekend. I deserve a vacation from all your nonsense.”

His hand curled into a fist, stretching the burn that laid on the back of his hand. Out of all the days to say that bullshit, of course Kaveh had to choose today. The words didn’t sit right in his chest, but he would chalk it up to the wound that sat there for now. “Don’t joke about that,” he responded weakly, deciding that putting up a front at the moment was not worth the energy. “Just not today, please?” The word was foreign to his lips, but he figured that if he wanted Kaveh to ever listen to him, throwing the word out couldn’t hurt.

“Fine,” Kaveh huffed, dropping the topic despite sounding far from pleased in doing so. “Will you tell me what’s going on with you, then? If the answer is no, then I’m not going anywhere, and I’m certain I can make your evening worse without trying very hard.”

Either way, it was a lose-lose situation for him. Alhaitham figured that if he simply came clean now, maybe the other man would go home without much fuss. However, with all the years that he had known Kaveh, he knew that ‘fuss’ was his middle name. “Fine,” he half turned toward the other man to give him a slight view of the situation, though he hoped that the darkness of night covered up most of it. “I was attacked tonight, but she is dead now. I doubt you could make my evening any worse than that, Kaveh.”

“You-” Kaveh stopped short, quiet in the wake of Alhaitham’s confession. “I suppose it would be harder than I’d thought,” he muttered after a few moments, though the humor fell flat.

He stared at Kaveh for a while, trying to dissect his reaction for anything that he should stop. The blond wore his heart on his sleeve, and as much as he would love to say that that was a quality he didn’t care for, it was one he did respect. He didn’t want him to make a bigger deal out of this situation than it had to be. “I’m glad I was able to stump you once again,” he gestured between the two of them, “Are we done here?”

“Done!” Kaveh exclaimed, a slightly hysterical edge to the word. “Oh, of course you wouldn’t be worried about dying! Why did you even come home in the first place?!”

“I was making sure they didn’t break in at home, too,” he excused readily, not wanting to admit his alternative reasons. The letter was something he did not have to mention. If anything, he did not want to give Kaveh something to use against him.

Kaveh shook his head, looking to the sky for answers as he made a wide gesture with both hands. “I cannot believe you!” He shook his head again, amending, “No, actually, I can. Of course you would be more worried about a break in than your health! Why do you-” Kaveh stopped with a frustrated huff. “I guess you weren’t lying when you said you didn’t have time to argue.”

“Does that mean I’m free to go now?” Alhaitham questioned sarcastically, as if he were talking to a guard after he had been arrested. He was beginning to feel worse, if that was even possible.

“Obviously not! I leave you alone for two seconds and this is what happens. I’m coming with you,” Kaveh insisted, emotions seeming to fluctuate with a higher frequency than normal. “We will continue the very necessary argumentative portion of this later.”

Pressing one of his hands against the slash upon his arm, he shook his head, “You don’t need to. The woman is dead and her group ran away. I doubt anything else will happen tonight unless I don’t get help.” It was the honest truth - he doubted they would be attacking him again tonight. The next few days, however, he could not guarantee.

“I don’t care. I’m not leaving.”

Alhaitham studied Kaveh for a moment before relenting, turning on his heel to continue on to where he knew the crime scene would be. He knew Kaveh needed this, likely for a multitude of reasons. “Fine, just promise me that you won’t make a big deal about it. I’m on the verge of death, so I think I could make that demand.”

"But it is a big deal," Kaveh argued, tone level as if the spontaneous energy from earlier had dissipated. "What if you hadn't beaten them? Does that really mean nothing to you at all?"

“I’m not going to dwell on something that didn’t happen,” he dismissed easily, trying to ignore how heavy his limbs felt. If Kaveh wanted to go with him, then they had better get going now before the assassination attempt became a success. 

Kaveh followed his pace without any comment on the veritable shadow hanging over the interaction, the possibility of Alhaitham collapsing from his injuries far from welcome. "Learning from past mistakes - isn't that something the sages are fond of saying?"

He sluggishly trudged down the path, wishing that he still had the energy in him to run back. It was a miracle that he had been able to get to their home before, even if he was half regretting it already. “Are you saying that nearly getting brutally murdered was my fault?” 

"That's not what I meant at all!" Kaveh denied, pressing a hand to his forehead. "I'm trying to tell you to be careful." Without giving the other a chance to interrupt, he added, "I am not saying that being attacked is your fault, but acting like nothing happened in the first place is a great way to make sure it happens again. Is that really not obvious to you?"

“I am not acting as if ‘nothing happened’, I just don’t see the point of making a scene about this," Alhaitham excused, the words being half true. He really didn’t see why he would have to get outwardly upset about what just happened, especially when he was supposed to be focusing on getting care for his wounds. When he had been withholding the information from Kaveh, it was more so to spare his feelings. He didn’t want to ruin the other man’s time with needless worrying, especially since he knew that Kaveh had a big project due in a few days.

"I am not- Nevermind," Kaveh replied, a short huff of breath on which he chose to leave the conversation. Letting his previously crossed arms hang at his sides, Kaveh was quiet for a handful of steps and then a handful more.

Alhaitham let the silence settle over them like a blanket, glad that he no longer had to reply to the other’s questions. It was hard keeping his eyelids open as he tried to straighten his slanted walk, the only thing keeping him focused on the task at hand being the bloody trail he had left behind moments prior. If he was honest with himself, he was surprised that he hadn’t collapsed already, but he didn’t want to do that in front of Kaveh. He had tried to not let the blond see him at his worst, but that plan had evidently failed. If he could manage to keep up his usual persona, it would hopefully lessen the blow.

They eventually approached the familiar crowd of people that he had ditched not too long ago, the cold body now covered up with a sheet to stop any bystanders’ eyes from looking at the morbid scene. He recognized a few individuals as the doctors who had tried to help him before, starting to walk over toward them before his knees buckled out from under him. Catching himself on a nearby wooden bench before the action led him to the floor, he turned his body to Kaveh. Based on the look in Kaveh’s eyes, he likely looked as bad as he felt, but he wasn’t going to sound that way if he could help it. “Can-” he stopped himself, clearing his throat so that his voice sounded less strained. Ignoring the metallic taste taking residency in his mouth, he started up again, “Can you grab one of them, Kaveh? Any of them will do at this point, but… but preferably the one with the best academic standing.”

Kaveh stalled for a moment, a curled hand resting against his chest in some form of indecision, before he stepped away to flag down the medical professionals in the area. His demeanor changed as soon as he'd gained attention, gestures animated as he conversed with them, not likely to be asking after their academics. Kaveh turned back toward Alhaitham after a minute or so, waving an enthusiastic hand toward him to direct the doctors to their patient.

He wasn’t able to feel the multitude of hands grabbing at him once the doctors hurriedly made his way over, eyes closing shut despite how much he willed them not to. The void was more welcoming than life was, oblivion coming to him as gentle as a kiss. His worries would have to wait until he was punched back into the land of the living, though he had a feeling that Kaveh would be what greeted him instead. 

That, in and of itself, would be much worse to deal with.

「இ」

The sun would be setting relatively soon, the second Kaveh would be seeing consecutively without an ounce of sleep. His project, the fancy of his previous few days, was strewn about his desk, abandoned in favor of more pressing concerns - his progress report would be due in such little time, but he couldn't focus on the lines and measurements for long without his mind wandering. His roommate, the ordinary bane of his existence, was occupying more space in his brain than he deserved, keeping him awake even when his eyes begged for rest.

After dragging Alhaitham back home in the early hours of the morning, the doctors offering advice and promising to visit during the next few days to oversee the Acting Grand Sage's recovery, Kaveh had laid awake wondering the dangerous 'what if' that Alhaitham claimed was pointless. But what if he hadn't survived the attack? What if Kaveh had heard the news from some well-wisher that would offer him a shoulder to cry on without realizing how tempted he truly would be? Or worse, a mean-spirited colleague that wanted to make him hurt? But, of course, Alhaitham was fine, sulking in another room while Kaveh hid within his own, having claimed tiredness (truth) and said he would be resting for a few hours (lie).

It wasn't that sleep was any enemy of his, as it was often the complete opposite. He just… couldn't make his head quiet, some vine of thought tightening around his throat until his eyes itched with built-up tears. That was why he needed his space more than ever, to be away from Alhaitham until he had everything under control. Kaveh wasn't the one that had been through an ordeal, and it was awful of him to make everything about himself; Alhaitham needed support and Kaveh needed to try harder to provide it.

He had closed his eyes for a moment not long ago, letting the exhaustion grind his brain's frenetic chaos into submission, and had woken up just as quickly, palms shaking as he'd smoothed his hair down. It had been a mistake to try to rest, the image of Alhaitham beneath the politely morbid sheet rather than a stranger burned into his eyelids, and any further attempts were rendered impossible due to the adrenaline coursing through him after his abrupt awakening. What if that had really happened? What would Kaveh have done? Without the man in his sight, the darkest corner of his mind wondered if he had merely dreamed the doctor's visit, if Alhaitham really had died.

Kaveh released a slow breath, rubbing the space between his eyebrows as if doing so might quell his thoughts by force. He was overtired, obviously, and perhaps fueling his body's other needs might decrease the need for rest - he had survived worse conditions, certainly, and a few sleepless nights were no formidable foe as far as he was concerned. Kaveh could stand to drink some water, he decided, having paced his room for near an hour and found little solace in the motion. Perhaps Alhaitham would be conveniently located, so Kaveh might catch a glimpse, reassure himself, and disappear back to his self-imposed exile all within a single sweep. Then, with that out of the way, his head would be clear and he could finally finish the structural support designs he had been polishing the previous day.

It was strange, the way Alhaitham and Kaveh coexisted in a single space, coming and going while doing as little (Alhaitham) or as much (Kaveh) as possible to interfere with the other's activities. Kaveh often made productions of his movements throughout the house, making noise and encroaching on Alhaitham's space even when he wasn't actually curious about the other's work. Now, with tired eyes and heavy thoughts, Kaveh wanted very little to be noticed; he had to be seen at all times, it was how he survived, but he often wanted to crawl away from it, if only for a moment of peace. There was no peace to be had in his spiraling thoughts, but Alhaitham had no need nor desire to witness Kaveh's explosions of unnecessary emotion, and - for once - Kaveh had no will to force him to.

Kaveh pushed his door open without fanfare, seeking the pitcher of clean water kept in the same place at all times, surroundings blurry with his goal-oriented tunnel vision. The water would fix him, surely, and then he could do his job, remind Alhaitham to change his bandages, and maybe lay down, time permitting - not to sleep, of course, but to placate the weariness of his limbs, a necessary measure if he wanted to continue on. Kaveh did not want to rest and there was no time for it, perfect harmony that he would not be challenging.

Slow footsteps approached the kitchen, Alhaitham appearing in the doorway with an open book in his hand. His shirt was absent, his torso and arms instead being bandaged loosely compared to how it was supposed to be. “I thought I heard you come in here,” he said, wandering further into the room as he pinched his finger inside his book as if it was a bookmark. “You were walking around all night.”

“Was I?” Kaveh asked rhetorically, watching the other for a long moment before turning away. “If you were sleeping like you should have been, you wouldn’t know anything about that,” he accused, pushing the conversation back on Alhaitham. What Kaveh had or had not been not doing was hardly his concern, and perhaps it was the lack of sleep, but Kaveh was sensing an interrogation he would rather avoid.

“You said you would sleep,” Alhaitham responded bluntly, walking over toward the cupboard before opening it with his free arm. “I was only able to sleep in snippets, the rest was filled with reading and your stomping.”

Kaveh huffed, pouring a glass of water and doing his utmost to ignore his roommate’s presence. “I would hardly call it stomping. And I was working. Sometimes I need to walk around to think, you know that.”

He grabbed a glass sitting on the middle row, the cup nearly slipping through his hand due to his bandaged fingers. Holding onto it tightly, Alhaitham shot him a look from the corner of his eye, “Not when you haven’t slept in two days. You’re not going to make any progress without resting.”

“Oh? Are you keeping track, now?” Kaveh questioned, wondering if Alhaitham actually knew he hadn’t slept or had just assumed correctly. “Well, I didn’t ask for your opinion, and considering your past few days, I don’t think you should be giving out advice,” he continued, holding his glass in both hands without taking a sip, distracted now that Alhaitham had apparently decided to resume their regular arguing.

“People who have been in my situation often have great advice,” his roommate answered matter-of-factly, holding his glass toward Kaveh as if he expected him to fill it.

Kaveh stared him down for a few seconds, imagining the potential consequences for tossing the water in Alhaitham’s face instead. It wasn’t a new thought, but the only thing stopping him this time was the fact that the other was already injured - it would be in poor taste. “Whether that’s true or not, I don’t particularly care about what you think,” he replied, placing down his own glass to fill Alhaitham’s. He really would need that vacation, soon.

Alhaitham watched him fill the glass after the initial surprise, reopening his book to continue reading. “You don’t do your best work when you’re tired. Remember the last bridge you made?” 

Embarrassed to be reminded, Kaveh turned his head away, his own water forgotten. “That was a special circumstance,” he argued, remembering that day quite clearly. The lack of sleep was only half the issue and it was hardly fair to condense it down like that, especially for the sake of an argument Kaveh personally did not like. “I was horribly sick and I know you heard me complaining about the deadline moving. This is not even remotely similar to that.” And, with any luck, no children would be falling into any rivers; it wasn’t likely in the first place given that he was designing a building, but Kaveh had never been very lucky.

Taking a long sip of water as Kaveh defended himself, his roommate placed the half empty glass upon the table. “Your tiredness is still factored into it. When I go back to work today, I will be in your shoes with the added rest. When all my work turns out as normal, we’ll know that I was right.”

“You are not going to work today,” Kaveh denied, facing Alhaitham once more with crossed arms. “You are going to listen to the academically successful doctors and I am not going to get in trouble for letting the Acting Grand Sage hurt himself.” He doubted he would actually be blamed for anything, stubborn as Alhaitham was, but the excuse was an easy one to come up with. There were only so many times that he could call Alhaitham an idiot and have it mean anything - the other never listened anyway, so perhaps false logic would be more effective.

The other man offered a miniscule shrug, the limited movement likely due to the pain of the action, before moving to leave the room entirely. “How would I get hurt at work?” Alhaitham inquired nonchalantly, turning the corner into their small hallway before raising his voice, “They can’t get an Acting Grand Sage for the Acting Grand Sage, you know.”

“You-!” Kaveh stopped, pressing between his eyes again; Alhaitham was a headache all on his own. “You nearly died the other day, and all you want to do is go back?” he questioned, trailing after Alhaitham to prevent the other from simply abandoning the conversation. “You are supposed to be healing your injuries, and I believe you were given at least a week of time off for that very purpose. Actually, no, I know that because I’m the one that asked for it.”

Alhaitham turned into his room, closing his door behind him. “I don’t trust them not to screw up,” he dismissed, a quiet shuffling being heard from the other side. “Besides, I did not almost die at work. I almost died outside.”

“And where were you coming from when you were outside?” Kaveh prompted, leaning his shoulder against the door rather than attempting to follow. He might have opened it just to spite Alhaitham, but it was far too much work for such little reward.

“They only delivered a note there. Otherwise, the two locations are entirely separate,” the other man argued, pulling the door open again without the knowledge of Kaveh leaning against the other side.

Kaveh had no chance to question the note, wondering if Alhaitham had purposely walked into danger, due to the sudden disappearance of the object he had been supported by. He tried to catch himself on the doorframe, but wasn’t quite fast enough to keep from stumbling forward. Kaveh wouldn’t have minded being caught by someone else, but the only available person was his asshole roommate who was far too injured to be rescuing anyone.

His head hit Alhaitham’s chest, making said man flinch at the impact. Alhaitham grabbed his forearms to steady him, face settling into a grimace as he took a hesitant step back once he was certain Kaveh was standing upright again. “Be careful next time, Kaveh,” he sighed out, his hand rubbing at his chest lightly. “It’s like you broke my stitches open on purpose.”

“Of course it wasn’t on purpose!” Kaveh sputtered, waving his arms once Alhaitham released him, careful not to touch him again. “You should change the bandages or, well, you could go back to the doctor. That’s probably a better idea, actually!”

“She’s already coming back in a few hours, I don’t need to bother her right now,” his roommate sighed out, looking down his shirt as if to see if blood had seeped through his bandages already. Releasing his shirt to sit back against his skin after the confirmation, he looked back toward Kaveh, “So you’re against me going back to work, but going to the doctor’s fine? Your logic doesn’t make any sense.”

“I’ve been going with you to the doctor,” Kaveh said slowly, as if that should have been obvious. “It’s perfectly logical, Alhaitham. There’s no reason to be so stubborn,” he huffed, smoothing his hair with one hand. It probably looked fine, but Kaveh couldn’t be sure.

Alhaitham moved toward him, as if he was trying to get out of his room without pushing him out of the way. “I don’t need a babysitter,” he deflected, watching his movements closely. “Besides, I think it’s about time you sleep, anyway.”

“How am I supposed to sleep knowing that you’re out there looking to get yourself killed?” Kaveh asked, pressing a hand to his forehead as if shielding his eyes, preferring to look at the floor rather than the man in front of him. “It’s like you don’t even care!”

“... I care,” he replied slowly, as if he was trying to give Kaveh what he wanted to hear. Hesitating for a moment, he shut his eyes for an extended period of time before offering begrudgingly, “What do you want me to do then?”

“What do I- Well, if you ever listened to a word I say, that much should be obvious.”

“Kaveh, you asked me to do several things since I left my room. If it were obvious, I wouldn’t have asked,” Alhaitham replied tightly, as if he was holding back a snippy comment toward him.

Kaveh wrapped his arms around his midsection, looking anywhere aside from Alhaitham’s face. “I want you to stay,” he confessed, sick to his stomach for even thinking it, let alone saying it. It didn’t matter what Kaveh wanted Alhaitham to do, even if the man in question was asking; he shouldn’t have said anything.

Eyes stared at Kaveh as he waited for an insult to come, the man eventually extending his arm toward his bookshelf to grab the book from before. “Okay,” he said finally despite how he looked as if he wanted to say otherwise, grabbing Kaveh’s shoulder as he directed him toward his room. “I’ll stay, at least for today.”

“What?” Kaveh asked, certain he had just experienced some auditory hallucination. Alhaitham agreeing with him was a strange enough occurrence, but inviting himself into Kaveh’s room was beyond that; it just wasn’t something that happened because Alhaitham had little interest in what Kaveh did, neither for a living nor the daily activities that kept him sane. “Are you joking right now? It isn’t very funny.”

Alhaitham continued to guide him to his room, entering the threshold with little pause. “I’m not Cyno, I could manage funny jokes. This is not one of them.”

Kaveh broke away from Alhaitham once he was within his own space again, turning on him with confusion. “Then what are you doing? I can’t stop you from going to work, you know. You don’t have to humor me.”

“Do you want me to stay or not?” the other man asked, shooting him an irritated glare. “I thought this is what you wanted.”

“It… is,” Kaveh confirmed, watching Alhaitham and almost expecting him to disappear. He hadn’t imagined his roommate would comply with his request, which is why he hadn’t even intended to ask it in the first place, and… having Alhaitham in his room might have been crossing a few wires in his overtired brain. “Should I ask what put you in such a kind mood? Or should I be afraid of it?”

Alhaitham blinked slowly at him before moving to sit on Kaveh’s bed, gesturing over toward his desk as he threatened, “If you want me to be in a bad mood instead, then keep asking about it. Just accept it without any questions.”

Kaveh opened his mouth to reply but changed his mind before he managed anything, releasing his breath in a scoff instead. He observed Alhaitham for a moment, out of place in Kaveh’s space, before shaking his head and resolving to ignore the other, no matter the strange mood that made him almost bearable. Alhaitham, for all his flawed logic, was right about the doctor coming in a few hours - there really was no point in calling on her early when Alhaitham was showing no real signs of pain. And with that taken care of, or going to be taken care of, Kaveh could put his attention elsewhere. He still had work to be doing, which he had gotten severely sidetracked from, and there was no better time to continue.

The few hours passed oddly fast, Kaveh feeling as if he had only just picked up his pencil when the doctor arrived, Alhaitham breaking the peace of the room as he rose to get the door. Kaveh did not follow after him, instead looking down at his work and seeing far more work actually done than he’d been able to manage earlier in the day by himself. It seemed as if Alhaitham being there, not even talking, was enough to quiet some part of his brain that he couldn’t reach, but the news was useless to him; Alhaitham was far too busy to be dealing with Kaveh’s silly problems, and he would be able to manage everything himself in no time.

─── 𓆩⟡𓆪 ─── 

It was the middle of the night when Alhaitham woke up from pain flaring up in his abdomen, his burned hands shivering when he removed them from underneath the sheets. He sat up in a hunch, throwing his legs over the side of his bed as he reached toward the bottle sitting upon his nightstand. The medication he got from the doctor was mostly to numb the extreme amounts of pain he was in, since the burns combined with the slashes and stabs his body had pounded into him was anything but kind to him. It had been a few nights since the attack - four, to be precise - but things had yet to get any better.

Only after popping the pill into his mouth and swallowing did he hear the rhythmic footsteps coming from across the hall, a hand running down his face at the revelation. Kaveh hadn’t been sleeping ever since his attack, and he wasn’t sure why. At first, he chalked it up to him being afraid that their home was going to be attacked in the middle of the night - which was a fair enough reason as it was, but he was told that people hired by the Akademiya were watching their house from time to time so that the group from before would think twice if they planned to go after him again, which meant that that idea was thrown out the window rather quickly. Another was that Kaveh had grown anxious about the project he was working on, but that never explained why his worries started the night of his attack rather than any other day. The brief thought that it was because Kaveh was worried about his condition came into his mind, but it was tossed out much faster than the others; if the blond had been worried for him, then he would have thought that he would have been more attentive instead of hiding away in his room for all hours of the day.

Which was what brought him here, sitting on his bed with not a clue of what was going on with him. Kaveh had the tendency of staying up late, sure, but for four days in a row? That was an agonizing abnormality, and he would love to solve the problem if only he had any indications of what was going on. His roommate was an emotional man, sometimes too emotional for his own good, which meant that he would have heightened reactions to things that he himself would not find as worrying. He would have pressed the sleeping issue more if he wasn’t worried about scaring the other man away. Any display of outward care typically sent Kaveh running for the hills, and he didn’t want to risk doing that when there was no guarantee that he would take better care of himself.

Slowly standing up from where he sat in bed, he blinked back the sleep that was still in his eyes as he began his short journey to Kaveh’s room. He was determined to get him into bed at this point by any means. His head had been screaming at him for days about the issue, though he had always convinced himself that tonight would be the night that Kaveh finally passed out from exhaustion. Apparently the man himself had accidentally taken that up as a challenge, as if his inherent need to prove him wrong had been awakened without him fully realizing.

Alhaitham arrived at Kaveh’s door after a few seconds, raising his hand to do a singular knock before barging inside anyway. The knock should have been enough of a warning, even if it only gave a second’s notice.

Kaveh was visibly startled by the intrusion, looking at Alhaitham with widened eyes and a hand pressed to his chest. “Archons,” he cursed, “what are you doing?” The state of the room alluded to what Kaveh had been doing, the papers from his desk having scattered to encompass the floor as well, laid out in a particular pattern that made little sense from afar. The bed, having no functional purpose in recent days, had become the new surface on which to place miscellaneous objects.

He thought it had been obvious what he was doing, with it being the middle of the night and all. The complaints he had voiced at the other’s newest late-night habits were not by any means subtle, though he supposed that lack of sleep could cause someone to not put together the pieces. “For Teyvat’s sake, Kaveh, go to bed,” he demanded through a tired sigh, running his hand down his face as if that would take away his own fatigue. “It’s been four days.”

“Oh,” Kaveh started, glancing between his strewn papers and Alhaitham. “Was I being too loud?”

“That’s not the problem,” he replied tightly, stepping over a few papers to get closer to the blond. Kaveh looked paler than usual, his eyebags being the only thing that added color to his face. It didn’t help that he hadn’t been as mentally present as he usually was, though hopefully that made him more susceptible to his demands. “You’re destroying yourself. It’s only a matter of time before you get yourself into an accident.”

“I’m not doing anything,” Kaveh denied, crossing his arms as Alhaitham neared but offering no sign to suggest that the advance was unwelcome. “And you’ve never kept track of my sleeping habits before. Why do you suddenly care?”

It wasn’t as if he was suddenly caring about him, but he supposed that it did seem that way. He usually did well at hiding the ways he helped Kaveh, whether it be through their living arrangement or how they interacted in the first place, but ever since he had gotten that note that led his life into a downward spiral, he did not keep up with that as well as he had been. Whenever he had heard Kaveh’s footsteps the past few days, it was only because he had woken up in a sweat thinking that what the note had said was true. Usually, he was able to rationalize thoughts like that, though lately his thoughts only turned to the worst. The footsteps were a great reminder that the blond was still there, but it was also a reminder that he was growing anxious over something that Alhaitham didn’t understand.

“Don’t downplay it, Kaveh, four days is fucking serious,” he snapped, his arms almost mimicking the movement before he stopped himself, knowing full well that the pressure would hurt far more than it needed to. 

Kaveh frowned, regarding Alhaitham with a pinched expression. “I know that, thank you very much.”

He forced himself to take a deep breath in an attempt to not let the words rile him up, releasing it slowly as he questioned despite the hint of irritation still present in his tone, “Then why do it?”

“I’m not doing anything,” Kaveh repeated, uncrossing his arms in order to gesture widely with them. “I can’t sleep, so I’m not sleeping. Not everything is so complicated.” The room was proof enough that he had been occupying his time somehow, creating work to avoid or make up for the sleep he was missing.

“There must be a reason, or else you would have passed out already,” he shot back, his hands curling into fists despite how his bandages shifted out of place as he did so. Ignoring the pain sprouting from his hands at the movement, one of them moved to jut his finger into Kaveh’s chest, “Do you think I would be out here if I did not know for a fact that this was a ‘complicated’ situation? Ever since I got attacked, you’ve been like this. I was fine playing along before because I convinced myself that you’d take care of it, but apparently I was wrong. You might be okay with this, but…” He didn’t mean to falter, but it had become a habit to take himself out of the equation when it came to Kaveh. “But nobody wants to see you like that.”

Kaveh’s eyes were wide as he stared up at Alhaitham, having taken an instinctual half-step backward at the other’s more aggressive motion but gone no farther. “I… I am taking care of it,” he argued weakly, raising a hand to lightly swat Alhaitham’s away from him. “I just can’t,” Kaveh said, voice shaking as he rubbed over one of his eyes, “and I’m trying not to keep you up, really! You need to be resting or you won’t heal, and I thought if I just stayed in here then it might stop but…”

“I don’t care that it’s keeping me up,” he retracted his hand once the other man backed away, gesturing to the messy room instead. “This is not taking care of it. Pacing around won’t take care of it. I don’t care if you’re lying to yourself about this bullshit, but if you’re going to lie to me about everything, make it believable.”

“I’m not lying!” Kaveh exclaimed, keeping his eyes fixed on his roommate, likely already knowing the state of his own room without looking. “I’m dealing with it, and… and it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“Archons, Kaveh, you-” Alhaitham scoffed, his bandaged hand running through his bedhead. Kaveh was a pain in the ass to deal with, but if he was going to knock any sense into him it would have to be now. Grabbing a hold of Kaveh’s forearms lightly as if to guarantee that he would be focusing solely on him, he didn’t mean to be as loud as he was. “You matter, Kaveh! I can’t lose you again!” He didn’t intend to say the second part, but it was true; that note was still ever relevant in his mind and it only made him think about what could have happened. “Stop being an idiot and sleep, even if it’s hard,” he murmured finally, watching Kaveh’s face for any sign of a reaction. His words were a gamble, but he truly hoped that it would work.

“I-” Kaveh broke off, posture sinking even as Alhaitham held him in place. He seemed at a loss for words, gaze darting to the side as he began blinking rapidly, the silence stretching as he leaned away from the other. “I can’t,” he said again, voice uneven as the dam finally crumbled and tears fell, “I really can’t.”

Guilt struck the moment the waterworks began, somehow hurting him far more than any of the injuries he had sustained. Faltering for a few moments as he tried to figure out what the right thing to say was, he let his hands remain where they were in case Kaveh needed to stay grounded. “What’s worrying you so much, Kaveh..? I can help you,” he said softly, trying to meet his eyes even as Kaveh’s own flickered in every other direction.

“I’m sorry,” Kaveh managed, shaking his head back and forth, eyes welling further as he avoided Alhaitham. “I was trying to… to... I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” he started, trying to grab the other’s attention again. There had been a handful of times where Kaveh had turned for the worse when he didn’t comfort him properly, but he wanted to make sure that a panic attack wasn’t on the horizon. “There’s no need to be sorry, alright? Tell me what I could do,” Alhaitham tried, one of thumbs moving back and forth slowly as if it would help anything.

“I’m not supposed to be like this,” Kaveh said quietly, breaths more labored than they should have been. “No,” he insisted, stilling at Alhaitham’s movements without meeting his eyes, “you don’t need to do anything. I can- I need to handle it myself.”

Kaveh was stubborn, that much he knew. There was no way that he would be able to convince the blond once he had already made up his mind about something without pushing him past the breaking point, and at the moment he did not want to risk that complication. He would have to come up with a solution on his own, even if he had no idea what the true problem was. “Come to bed with me,” he stated simply, figuring that he could at least watch Kaveh in there for the rest of the night even if the man never fell asleep. It would be better than leaving him alone in here.

At that, the other finally looked up. “What?”

“We could lay in my bed,” he restated, as if it was self-explanatory the first time. “You could sleep or talk, and if you don’t feel up to either then at least you wouldn’t be alone.”

“Why would you want to do that?” Kaveh asked slowly, now appearing more confused than panicked, breaths evening out as he observed Alhaitham with a questioning gaze. “You should be sleeping, not… not dealing with me.”

“I’d be able to do both, Kaveh. You’re not going to inconvenience me. After all, I was the one who offered,” Alhaitham reminded, finally retracting his hands once the blond made a mood change for the better.

Kaveh pressed his arms to his chest once he was free to do so, watching Alhaitham as if looking for a lie. “Are you sure?”

He made a face at the question, “If I didn’t mean it, I wouldn’t have offered.”

“Oh,” Kaveh said shortly, taking a moment to glance at the papers littering the floor before returning his attention to Alhaitham, “okay.”

Staring at his roommate for a few extra seconds as if he was waiting for Kaveh to take back his acceptance, he eventually moved back to the hallway. “You could sleep closer to the window,” he ordered, knowing that if there was a break-in, he was statistically more likely to be killed first. Yes, it was a morbid thought - that was why he hadn’t said it out loud in the first place - but it was just his personal preference.

Kaveh followed him, wringing his hands as he simply acquiesced to the demand. It wasn’t like him to be so agreeable, but the easy compliance after days of attempting to convince him to sleep was as good as the outcome could possibly be. “I’m sorry for waking you up,” he expressed again, unable to let the peace rest now that Alhaitham had encouraged him out of his room. “I really was trying to be quiet,” he emphasized, as if misunderstanding him was the largest issue.

“I didn’t wake up because of that,” was the easy response, especially since it was true. Over the course of the last few days, the pacing had never been the cause of his restlessness. Yes, at first he told Kaveh that it was because of that, but it was more so to bring up the other’s own restlessness than to actually complain.

“Oh. Oh! Are you hurting? I thought you told the doctor that you had been feeling better!” Kaveh spoke in a rush, tiredness apparently forgotten as he poked lightly at Alhaitham’s shoulder. “Maybe you should go back to the doctor for a proper check-up. I wasn’t paying attention and of course you wouldn’t say anything about it!”

Alhaitham waved the other off, “It wasn’t that, either.” The answer was a lie this time around, but he didn’t want to deal with any more worries. He told the doctor what she had wanted to hear in hopes that it would let things get back to normal, and he didn’t need Kaveh to run off to tell her that that wasn’t the case. Walking into his room, he sat on the side of the bed that he had designated for himself, holding his breath when the sudden movement caused tension in his chest wound before adding on, “It’s not your job to pay attention.”

The blond trailed after him, approaching the other side of the bed cautiously, like he expected consequences for moving too quickly. “Whose job is it, then?” Kaveh asked as he perched on the edge of Alhaitham’s bed, twisting his fingers together and looking around the room as if he had never seen it before.

“Mine,” he answered simply, tucking his legs under the covers before plopping his head back into his pillow. He figured that if he didn’t get comfortable first that Kaveh would be awkwardly sitting at the edge for a good twenty minutes, so he took the first step.

“Why only you? If anyone else should be aware of your health, it should be me,” he argued, taking Alhaitham’s movement as an invitation to recline as well, not bothering with the blankets as he laid on his side, facing Alhaitham to continue the conversation. “I’m a bad roommate if I don’t even notice that much.”

“Your only task is to pay rent on occasion, and you usually fulfill that task,” Alhaitham deflected, folding his hands to rest on his stomach. Kaveh never fulfilled that task, actually, but he was not about to refute his own argument. “You are a good roommate, and if you did want to factor health into this, then you were the one who got me the doctor when I was bleeding out on the bench. You’re the one who made the appointments, too.”

“You were dying. Anyone would have done that except for the person who wanted you dead,” Kaveh huffed, sounding more at ease now that Alhaitham had convinced him to lay down. “And I knew you weren’t going to make the appointments.”

Alhaitham turned his head so that his ear rested against the pillow, deciding to meet Kaveh’s gaze since the other was still watching him, “I wouldn’t trust anyone else to.”

“But you won’t tell me why you’ve been awake to catch me not sleeping?”

He blinked slowly at Kaveh as if he had insulted his very livelihood, rolling onto his own side so that his neck was no longer at an awkward angle, “You can’t say that when you won’t tell me why you’re awake when I come to catch you for not sleeping.”

“I already told you,” Kaveh refuted with a frown, though his eyes darted away from the other’s, “I just can’t. I’m not doing it on purpose.”

It made him glad that the spotlight was no longer on him, his deflections usually working out in his favor. He found it easy to steer the other’s mind in one direction or another when he found a topic that he was more interested in, and he figured that a sleepy Kaveh would go along with it far more easily than the usual version of him. “There has to be a reason, Kaveh. You never showed signs of insomnia before.”

“Well,” he started, pausing in an obvious and poor attempt to find an excuse, “maybe I’m ill. Sickness certainly keeps someone awake.” Despite the conviction with which he finished, it was clear that even Kaveh knew the lie was transparent. Even when operating at full capacity, Kaveh was never skilled in the art of deception, having more tells than anyone would ever be able to count.

“You wouldn’t get into bed with me if you were sick. Burns usually make the victim more susceptible to illness, anyway. If you were sick, I would be as well by now.”

Kaveh sighed, running a hand over his face and overall not appearing very surprised that his false reasoning had been rejected; that begged the question of why he had chosen to lie in the first place. “I know that, obviously. Isn’t it enough to just say that it doesn’t matter? Why is this an interrogation anyway?”

Alhaitham floundered at the question, not wanting to outright admit that he cared about Kaveh in fear that he’d just run off when he was so close to getting him to fall asleep. “It’s not enough, no,” he denied, adjusting his arm once the pressure of being on his side irritated it, “I just worry. Sometimes.” The confession was not a full blown admittance of care, but he hoped it was just enough to get the information that he wanted.

“Well- Well, I do too. On occasion,” Kaveh replied, like the words had been some form of challenge. “But you shouldn’t be worried, since you’re the one that’s injured. I trust you haven’t forgotten that part?” he continued, the last few words trailing into a yawn.

“You are the one who hasn’t slept in four days, Kaveh. That is of more importance to me,” Alhaitham responded, not allowing the conversation to fall back onto him. While his injuries were severe, he still found himself prioritizing Kaveh’s sleep above all else.

“I have slept a little,” Kaveh denied, “and none of it has been worthwhile. I’ve dealt with worse, though, and so have you, obviously.” 

“That is the first time I am hearing of that,” he replied, though he made sure his tone was full of disbelief. If Kaveh had slept, he would have brought it up earlier in the conversation. Trying to lie about it now wouldn’t do much for him. “If you have ‘dealt with worse’, then I don’t see why you are so adamant about not telling me why you can’t sleep.”

Kaveh huffed, clearly displeased with Alhaitham’s insinuation but making no further argument on the comment. “I don’t have to tell you every little thing, you know. Does not knowing something really bother you that much?” he questioned, abruptly accusatory without any obvious trigger.

“I do like knowing things,” Alhaitham confirmed, letting two extra words fall off of that sentence. Shifting so that his body would lay on a cold spot of the bed rather than the one he had heated up by laying there, he eventually offered up, “I could answer a question of yours in return, if you want.” He doubted that Kaveh would ask anything that he really didn’t want to answer, so it was an easy enough trade.

“Do you promise to tell the truth?” Kaveh prompted, watching him expectantly.

He half-shrugged, the motion being difficult in his current position, “Sure.”

“Why were you awake tonight?” Kaveh asked with little hesitation, having evidently been waiting to do so after receiving an answer he hadn’t liked.

Well, the jig was up. Releasing a breath, he lifted his torso up somewhat so that he could prop himself up with his elbow. It wasn’t an entirely bad question, but he did not like being forced to admit his lie from earlier. “Everything was hurting,” he answered simply, gesturing toward his bandages since he figured that explained everything. Alhaitham wasn’t sure why he felt a need to add on, but his own small explanation was that he wanted to give a suitable enough answer to get an equally suitable answer in return. “I’ve been having bad dreams lately, too. Nothing horrible, but enough to wake me up to listen to you pace around.”

Kaveh observed him for a moment, looking thoughtful before he said, “You should really tell the doctor about that, the next time she visits. It could be something serious.” Having given his advice, Kaveh sighed, breaking eye contact as he started again. “I’m sure I can guess what you mean to ask me, but I’ve always enjoyed making your life more difficult. So, ask me.”

Rolling his eyes at the other’s response as a whole, he asked his question for what he felt like was the billionth time, “What’s upsetting you so much that you can’t sleep?”

“I have bad dreams too,” he confessed more quietly, “even when I’m awake.”

He hummed lowly at the information, it making sense despite the limited details. While Kaveh wasn’t there during the attack, he supposed that the man was rattled at having a peer of a similar age get attacked. While he doubted that Kaveh would have this situation upon him anytime soon, it was only natural to be scared. “What about?” he inquired, figuring that he could ease his anxieties better if he knew.

“No, you first,” Kaveh argued, narrowing his eyes at Alhaitham as if trying to see through him. “This isn’t all about me, and you won’t be getting away with anything on my watch.”

“Wouldn’t mine be obvious?” he dodged, it really being anything but. He couldn’t care less about his attack when the situation with the note made it pale in comparison. There was a reason he ran home before receiving care, after all.

“Maybe,” Kaveh conceded, “but I wasn’t there, and I doubt you’ve gone and told anyone else about your personal life.” He shifted, fixing his hair as he settled once more, continuing, “I don’t think the Acting Grand Sage is hurting for acquaintances, if you’d rather not tell me.”

Grinding his teeth at Kaveh’s prod, he knew that it was only fair to confess his own as well. It didn’t make it any less hard, though. “It isn’t about the attack, necessarily,” he said slowly, eyes wandering toward his pillow as if it was more interesting than the man before him. “It’s more so about what happened before and after.” The words were growing progressively harder to force out of his mouth, any aggression within them only being there because of how much he didn’t want to say it. Kaveh’s answer would be only as shitty as his own at this point, but he hoped the other understood that he really had been trying as he added on finally, “There’s a reason I came home first.”

There was a pause in which Kaveh considered the new information offered to him, likely searching for the words to describe his own dreams at the same time. “I was…” Kaveh started, trailing into nothing before he tried again. “When you told me that someone tried to kill you, I was… scared.” Not leaving any space for interruption, the blond carried on, pace speeding up as he confessed, “I am. Because I just- I can’t stop thinking about it, and I shouldn’t even be telling you about this in the first place, but you keep asking and now you’re worrying, which is worse.”

“It’s normal to be afraid that it would happen to you too, Kaveh,” Alhaitham tried, eyes scanning the other’s features. So what he had thought before had been true, but he was glad he had the confirmation of it instead of being left to wonder. “I always worry a bit. I’d rather you tell me these things so I can help you through it. It’s what I want to do.”

“That’s not it at all,” Kaveh rejected, visibly put-out as he slapped his hand against the covers for emphasis. Letting out a breath, he looked at Alhaitham again, rubbing a hand over his cheek as he said, “You’re trying, I appreciate it. I’m just… tired. I’m not saying any of this right.”

“Fair enough,” he said, placing his arm back at his side as he laid on his back again. It was fair; with how much sleep Kaveh had gotten lately he was surprised that they were able to have a conversation of this nature at all. “We can talk more tomorrow then, alright? You could better phrase it for me,” Alhaitham continued, his eyes flickering over toward Kaveh’s form as if to tell him that the deal would still be on if need be. He was surprised that he had gotten what Kaveh meant wrong, but there was always something deeper for that guy. There was always something he missed. “Is there anything I can do that helps you sleep?”

Kaveh’s gaze darted away, suggesting there were a few things that could be done, but he declined anyway: “No, nothing at all.” 

Raising a brow at the other’s reaction, he pressed, “Kaveh, you’re in my bed. If we had any boundaries before, I’d say they’re severely breached now.”

The blond scoffed, face darkening as he replied, “Don’t say it like that! You’re the one that invited me here, you know. It’s all your fault that we’re here right now.” Kaveh turned away, laying on his back as well, as if the earlier position had been too personal. “And there’s no reason to tell you any of that, because it wouldn’t help now anyway.”

“I don’t know how else I’m supposed to say it,” Alhaitham stared at the side of the other’s face, as if his look would make Kaveh crack and give him the information he asked for. “I bet it would help, just let me try,” he tried to convince, eyes flickering up to the blond’s hair. “I bet it has something to do with your hair. You’re always playing with it even when it looks just fine.”

Kaveh, having been absent-mindedly twirling a strand, stilled upon being called out and stared at the ceiling with far more intensity than it deserved. “You’re ridiculous,” he accused, dropping his hand back to his side as if his hair had burned him, “and you have no idea what you’re talking about.” Kaveh huffed a laugh, sounding more delirious than amused, before he added, “I mean, really. If you wanted to touch my hair, you could just ask me, not try to justify it with all this sleeping nonsense. It’s ridiculous!”

Shifting closer to Kaveh ever so slightly, he scoffed at the assumption, “I’m not trying to justify it.” He sat up a bit, letting his hand rest beside the other man’s head as he offered, “How about this: I comb through your hair for five minutes and if you’re not asleep by then, you don’t have to pay rent for a month. If you do sleep, though, you have to make me dinner for the next two weeks.” It was an easy enough task, given how he put stray cats to sleep faster than that, but he wasn’t going to be too overconfident with it; that was why he made the bet about rent, after all.

The proposal drew Kaveh’s attention back to him, turning his head to squint in Alhaitham’s direction. “You’re putting mora on this now?” he asked incredulously, searching the other’s features for some answer to a question he hadn’t asked. “Since I cook for your lazy ass half the time as it is, I guess it doesn’t really matter,” Kaveh finally decided, returning to his side now that he was through with being petulant.

“Is that a yes, then?” he inquired, wanting to make sure the other was alright with it.

Covering a yawn with his hand, Kaveh shrugged. “I don’t see why not, so, yes.”

Leaning his back against his bed’s headboard once he had gotten close enough that his arm wouldn’t have to outstretch so much, he hovered his hand over Kaveh’s hair as he looked at the man for a final confirmation. Once he was certain that Kaveh was okay with it, he let his fingers start to comb through his hair. He wasn’t able to feel its texture due to the bandages wrapped around his fingers, but with the lack of pain from his sensitive burns he could guess that it was soft.

“Alhaitham,” Kaveh called quietly, eyes closed as he leaned into the other’s touch, “did you mean what you said?”

He was about to shush him before he had heard the full question, his fingers hesitating once he had fully processed it. Alhaitham had said many things tonight, so he wasn’t quite sure what Kaveh had been referring to. Despite how he felt like talking would be some form of cheating, he answered in the form of a question: “Which part?”

“Talking. Tomorrow,” he clarified shortly, hiding his face behind his hand. “Doing this again.”

“Yeah,” was his immediate answer, even if he had no idea what Kaveh had been referring to in particular. “We can always talk,” he confirmed again, hoping his shaky fingers weren’t as noticeable for the blond as they were for him. 

If Kaveh did try to speak again, Alhaitham wouldn’t know due to his overly aggressive shush at him. It was a simple task, combing through the other man’s hair with only the sound of his light yet steady breaths and the late-night rain outside. Alhaitham knew Kaveh was done for on the deal when he relaxed into his palm, features softening completely from the four days worth of tension that had been within him. Even if he didn’t understand what made Kaveh feel as if he couldn’t sleep, he knew that he would soon enough.

With another final ‘always’ slipping past his lips, he let sleep overcome him as well - a hand still on Kaveh’s head as his own lolled over his shoulder. His position would bring him a world of hurt tomorrow, but he would dare say that it was worth it.

「இ」

Kaveh awoke in a haze, thoughts sluggish as his limbs took their time with moving; he couldn’t recall a time he had felt so weighed down, the continual sleepless nights having made him far too shaky with fear to let the exhaustion overcome him. He managed to force his eyelids open, squinting in the soft daylight that came in through the window, slow to recognize his surroundings. Sitting upright and glancing around the room, Kaveh jolted as he realized that he was in Alhaitham’s room, that he hadn’t been daydreaming the entire scenario - it still seemed much more likely that Kaveh had imagined their late night conversation, but he wouldn’t have come to his senses in the other’s room if that had been true.

Running a hand through his hair to tidy the mess left by sleep and Alhaitham’s fingers (he would never be able to look his roommate in the eye again, especially after he’d cried in front of him, archons above-), Kaveh took stock of his condition, wondering just how long he had been indisposed. After being awake for so long, Kaveh could hardly stand the thought of being unconscious for hours, an invitation for something to happen to Alhaitham while he wasn’t alert and watching. It hadn’t started that way, simply being too anxious over the image of his friend dead at his feet to get any sleep, but keeping watch was an obvious next step once he was already confined to the land of the waking.

Where was Alhaitham? Kaveh hadn’t a clue what time it was, meaning he could have been meeting with the doctor, or gone to work despite Kaveh’s protests, or maybe he’d gone outside and gotten himself into trouble and Kaveh wasn’t there.

He pressed trembling hands against the covers, willing himself to breathe normally as some weight began compressing his chest, making every inhale shorter than it needed to be. The back of his neck prickled with ice-cold sweat, stomach twisting with nausea - what if? He hadn’t had a nightmare despite the rest that made his eyes and head hurt significantly less, but what if it had come to pass the one time he wasn’t prepared?

No, he could control this. Alhaitham had survived plenty of years without Kaveh invading his space and he could certainly continue to do so without Kaveh around to see him do it. He was pathetic for being so near to tears without any provocation aside from an empty room, and it was better that Alhaitham couldn’t see his fragility, acting as if the other couldn’t exit a room without bleeding in the doorway. No, he could handle this and keep the unnecessary reactions to himself; he would have to vacate Alhaitham’s room before the man returned, obviously, and he would return, but Kaveh assumed a few moments longer would do no harm while he regained his bearings.

His heart still pounded with adrenaline, but Kaveh ignored it, standing on unsteady legs to investigate Alhaitham’s belongings, as there was no apparent punishment for doing so now that he had been left alone in the space. As often as he entered the other’s room to continue an argument, he had never actually gone in while Alhaitham was away, recognizing the sanctity of one’s personal space without ever being explicitly told to do so. But he had been invited in so recently and, if Alhaitham had left of his own will, he obviously had no qualms about letting Kaveh stay there while he went out. It was still wrong of him, undoubtedly, but Kaveh stared at the signs of life as if he might iron that into his eyelids rather than the images he actually saw whenever he closed them.

The desk was filled with semi-organized stacks of papers, some corners curling from the rough handling they had received at the Acting Grand Sage’s hands. The book that the man in question had been reading sat on top of one stack, as if it were more important than the documents underneath it. While he was curious about what had managed to draw Alhaitham’s attention so often in the past few days, the slightly ajar drawer caught his eyes more securely, filled so tightly that it could barely contain the objects placed within it. Kaveh gave into the urge to pull it open and rifle through the sheets of paper, pausing when he noticed the curls of his own handwriting.

It was a letter he had written some time ago, complaining about Alhaitham’s annoying habits and demanding he return home in time for a proper meal, since he’d known Alhaitham had been spending all his time at the Akademiya without pausing for breaks - a tactic to get the job done faster, Alhaitham had always justified, but Kaveh had never liked it. Kaveh read his own words over a few times, wondering why Alhaitham had even kept it in the first place. Perhaps he had shoved it in the drawer to put it out of sight and promptly forgotten about it, Kaveh reasoned, but when he flipped to the next paper and found another such letter, he began to question that conclusion. Alhaitham didn’t often reply to Kaveh’s letters, either because he saw no point in doing so or because he decided to speak to Kaveh in person given their living situation, but Kaveh had kept the few he had received, liking the way Alhaitham wrote his name. Kaveh doubted the other kept his letters for any similar reason. Surely it must have been an accident on his part, but Kaveh, unsure, put the letters back exactly as he had found them; Alhaitham wouldn’t appreciate Kaveh messing with his things, especially if there was some particular organization to the papers that the architect couldn’t fathom.

Idly smoothing his hair down, Kaveh looked to the door as if he expected to be caught doing wrong before he picked up the book Alhaitham had been reading for days now. It couldn’t possibly be so interesting for him to read it more than once, but Alhaitham, quick reader that he was, had been carrying it around nearly everywhere he went. Kaveh thumbed through it, picking up words here and there, but couldn’t bring himself to truly attempt reading it - the language was so dense and even with all the linguistics work he had done during his student years, Kaveh had never developed much love for complicated reading. As he reached the front of the book, however, his fingers caught on paper of a different texture, a thicker parchment than the previous pages. He frowned as he stuck his hand beneath the dust-cover, fishing out the strange object and tilting his head as he discovered a folded letter, Alhaitham’s name written on the outside.

Another letter?

Kaveh gripped the parchment tight in his hands, scanning over the words again as if he had made some mistake, skipped some sentence that put everything into some perspective he could understand. It was signed with his name, but Kaveh had not written it - there was absolutely no way he would ever write something like that, let alone give it to Alhaitham. Sure, he often called the man a bastard and remarked on his poor personality traits, but he… he would never write these things, would never even think of them in any serious way.

‘I’m sure you haven’t noticed despite my saying it, dull as you are, but I can’t stand you,’ the letter opened harshly, words Kaveh had said in much more playful tones. It outlined some things Kaveh did dislike about Alhaitham, but highlighted things Kaveh would never even consider - the short answers, the occasional aversion to eye contact, the shutting of doors between them as if Alhaitham was ‘too stunted’ to realize when a conversation had yet to finish, among others. Kaveh was immediately sick once more upon reading it, the anxiety that shook his hands rearing its unwelcome head again. ‘I’ll make it crystal clear for you, since that’s the only way you ever understand a word I say: I hate you, Alhaitham. Absolutely. I was an idiot for ever putting up with you in the first place and I’ve finally come to my senses.’ Kaveh could never imagine saying that he wanted nothing to do with Alhaitham, as it could never be true and he was an awful liar, but the letter was quite adamant about it, lines harsh as if the person writing had truly felt those things. He skimmed the rest, but could hardly focus on the words, thoughts moving too fast to catch them all.

Where had Alhaitham gotten this? Who had written this and how had they managed to copy Kaveh’s handwriting so closely that even he had done a double-take? More importantly, did Alhaitham think he actually thought these things?

It would certainly explain Alhaitham’s sudden desire to placate him, putting up with him out of an obligation pushed upon the other by a false letter. He must have been waiting for Kaveh to do as the letter said: to pack up his things and ‘finally’ leave, to never have to deal with Alhaitham’s ‘off-putting’ quirks ever again. Kaveh, despite how often he threatened to leave, had no real desire to do so; he and Alhaitham got along surprisingly well most of the time and he doubted he would be able to find another place with such low rent as he paid where he was. Surely Alhaitham didn’t believe all those things written down, but… why had he kept it? Why was it tucked away where nobody was likely to come across it? Where was Alhaitham?

As if on cue, the man of the hour came in through the door with a familiar sword in his hand. His gaze dragged from the bed to slowly land on Kaveh, the previously soft look turning into a light glare as he asked, “What are you doing?”

“What is this?” Kaveh asked instead of answering, waving the letter in Alhaitham’s direction without shame for his poor conduct.

Alhaitham tossed his sword onto his bed, walking over toward Kaveh to take the letter out of his hands. Glancing over it quickly before a brief flash recognition formed on his face, he eventually crumpled it up as if it was nothing. “That’s none of your business, Kaveh. It’s nothing.”

“It has my name on it, I think that makes it my business!” Kaveh argued, gesturing with his hands as if doing so might convince Alhaitham to take things seriously. He never seemed to care about the same things Kaveh did and it was absolutely maddening. “So what is that thing? Don’t lie to me, Alhaitham.”

His roommate picked up the book from where it was on the desk, slipping the paper back inside it as if for safe keeping. “A letter,” he answered vaguely, not tagging on any additional information onto it.

“How long have you had that? Where did you get it?”

“It’s nothing,” Alhaitham replied adamantly, turning to exit the room as if that would solve any of his problems.

Kaveh gaped at the audacity of the other, flapping a hand at the air to express his disbelief - he shouldn’t have expected anything else from Alhaitham, really, but that didn’t mean he planned to give up without an answer. “You can’t just walk away every time you don’t want to talk to me! This is important,” Kaveh insisted, moving closer to him without hesitation. “How long have you had that?”

Letting out a loud scoff at the words, Alhaitham stopped himself in the hallway, peeking his head inside as he stated, “Kaveh, I’m giving you a chance to let this entire issue slip by without conversation. We could forget about the letter you apparently didn’t want me to see if you just drop it.”

“And I’m giving you the chance to tell me where the hell you got that! I didn’t write it.”

Alhaitham rolled his eyes at the words, marching down the hall and out of sight without another thought.

He wasted no time in following, knowing he wasn’t wanted but needing answers more than Alhaitham’s favor. “You can’t just ignore me,” Kaveh huffed, running a hand through his hair in preparation of chasing Alhaitham through the street if necessary. He’d prefer not to, but he never hesitated when it came to making a scene; it was easier to corner the other into speaking to him with an audience present. “Do you think I’m lying? Is that the problem?”

“Well, are you?” the other man questioned, speeding up his pace once he heard Kaveh following him. Arriving at the front door, he started to get his shoes on as he added on, “I don’t understand why you even want to talk about this, Kaveh. It’s just a letter.”

“Of course I’m not!” he exclaimed, offended that Alhaitham would even feel the need to ask that. “If it’s such a small deal to you, why won’t you tell me anything about it? Why was it hidden in a book?”

“Fine,” Alhaitham agreed tightly, spinning on his heel to face him despite how there was only one shoe on his feet. “I got the letter a few days ago from the mail. It was in my book because I was reviewing it again. Is there anything else you want to demand of me, or are you done with your pestering?”

“Which day?” he asked shortly, not deterred by the other’s clear agitation. “The same one that had you bleeding out on our doorstep?” He had no evidence aside from a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, but Kaveh just knew he was right. Why else would there be a strange, hurtful letter with Kaveh’s name on it?

The other man shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as if a headache was beginning to brew, “That’s a leap, Kaveh.”

“Am I wrong? Are you just going to lie to me about it either way?” Kaveh demanded, volume raising as Alhaitham kept blowing off his concerns. “Why can’t you just talk to me?!”

“I don’t know, Kaveh!” Alhaitham yelled back, letting out a bitter laugh after the fact. Hands balling up into fists at his sides, he continued on with glare, “I don’t know what to say! There’s nothing to be said. You don’t get to demand answers from me whenever you damn well please, it’s my business!”

“I don’t do it for fun! I’m worried, you asshole!” Kaveh replied loudly, making a wide gesture with his hands. “You won’t tell me when you’re bleeding out, you won’t tell me when you’re lying to your doctor. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do!”

“I…” Alhaitham stopped, clasping his hands together when he found himself unable to string words together. Shifting from foot to foot as he searched for what he could possibly say to such a loaded reply, he could only supply a small, “That wasn’t my intention.”

"It's fine," Kaveh started, more calmly now that he'd said what he needed to say, "you're right. You don't owe me anything. It doesn't matter what I think." Alhaitham was right - Kaveh didn’t deserve to demand anything from him.

Sighing at his response, the other man eventually crossed his arms over his chest as if he was trying to shield himself from it. “Yes, the letter came that day. That’s why I was outside in the first place.”

"So, it's my fault," he concluded simply, having already connected the dots for himself.

“Were you the one who attacked me?” Alhaitham questioned without pause, eyebrows raised in expectation.

Kaveh scoffed, feeling sick. "Obviously not, but…"

“Then it’s not your fault.”

"Why would you keep it a secret, then? If you don't blame me?" Kaveh asked, shifting his gaze to stare at the floor. "Why would you say all those things if you thought I wrote that?"

Resigning from his original plan of going out, he slowly slipped off the shoe he had managed to get on in the first place. “What ‘things’ are you referring to? I’ve said a lot.”

"Last night, this morning - I don't know what time it was."

Alhaitham made a ‘go on’ gesture, “Kaveh, you can’t possibly think I know what you’re referring to.”

Kaveh sighed, rubbing the space between his eyes before shaking his head. “Nevermind. It doesn’t really matter,” he said, having changed his mind already. He didn’t want Alhaitham to take any of it back, so he shouldn’t have said anything at all.

“It has to matter if you brought it up in the first place,” Alhaitham pointed out, wandering over to sit upon the arm of the couch that was nearby. “I told you that we could still talk today, and I intend to keep that door open if that is what you want.”

“Maybe I don’t want to talk anymore,” he replied, not entirely contrary just for the sake of it - he wasn’t sure what he wanted anymore. “You already said there’s nothing to say, so what could we possibly talk about? It’s none of my business anyway,” he finished, tossing Alhaitham’s own words back at him.

“Okay, if that’s what you want,” Alhaitham agreed slowly, even if he wasn’t entirely convinced. “But if you’re only saying that because I did, then I don’t think that is for the best.”

Kaveh crossed his arms, gripping the fabric of his clothing between his fingers. This wasn’t how he’d expected the day to go at all, but fighting was what they had always done best. “What do you want?”

“I just want for you to be happy with the outcome of this conversation,” his roommate stated with a small shrug, adding on, “And for you to not look through my things next time you’re in my room.”

“Well- I doubt I’ll be going in your room any time soon,” Kaveh said, thrown off by Alhaitham’s answer. He had been expecting the other to wish for him to stop talking, or to go away for an evening to leave Alhaitham in peace. He didn’t know what to do with Alhaitham being civil to him; he never did.

“That’s one problem solved, then,” Alhaitham responded as if it was a surprising feat, staring at Kaveh expectantly, “Now, I need to know how to solve the other one.”

If Alhaitham was talking about making Kaveh happy, he would be stuck on that one for a while; Kaveh had no idea what he wanted and he couldn’t expect Alhaitham to magically figure it out for the both of them - he’d been doing far too much of that, lately. “It’s not your problem to solve, is it?”

Silence overtook the room as Alhaitham struggled to give him an answer, his fingers lightly tapping at his kneecap from his comfortable position on the arm of the couch. His mouth opened to say something before it snapped shut several times, inhaling a deep breath through his nose as he admitted begrudgingly, “I thought you died, Kaveh. When I got the letter, I thought you were leaving at first, sure. But after I got attacked, I thought they stopped by home first.” His leg started jumping up and down during the explanation, his hand moving to settle it back against the floor before continuing, “The writing was too much like your own, so I believed they must have taken it from you in some fashion. If they were that aggressive toward me, I… was worried they did worse to you. That’s why my injuries didn’t matter to me as much at the time. In short,” his back hunched slightly, looking away as if he did not want to see Kaveh’s reaction, “I care about you, Kaveh, and that’s why it is my problem.”

That… wasn’t what Kaveh was expecting to hear; not even remotely. He couldn’t find any words for a long moment, staring at Alhaitham as if he’d never seen him before. He had been thinking about Kaveh even at a time like that? The confession made his eyes burn, but he’d had enough of the tears. “I… would have been a lot nicer to you if you’d told me that earlier,” he finally said, needlessly adjusting his hair. He needed something to do with his hands, or he might do something rash. “And… And you’re an idiot, Alhaitham. I’m not going anywhere until you finally decide to kick me out, and I don’t really think you will.”

“I thought you knew,” Alhaitham dismissed, lightly picking at the bandages that were falling from his fingers, too loose. “You said time and time again that you’d be leaving, so don’t blame me when I thought you wanted to.”

“Well,” Kaveh huffed, disliking the spotlight over him, “we never talk to each other. I was never serious about leaving. If you’d ever asked me, I would have told you that.” Looking to the side, Kaveh added, “But I should have just told you anyway.”

“We talk all the time; we’re talking right now,” his roommate dismissed again, gesturing between the two of them as if that was further proof.

Frustrated, Kaveh scrubbed a hand over his face. “Talking,” he said with emphasis, “not just talking. Like right now and like… when we were talking about our dreams.” Kaveh had no clue how to explain what he meant, but he couldn’t exactly be angry with Alhaitham for not understanding the difference. "Seriously talking to each other,” he finished, “about things that are important.”

Alhaitham frowned to himself heavily, tilting his head to the side, “I thought we were talking seriously just now. Were you not serious?”

“I was serious,” Kaveh answered with a sigh, regarding Alhaitham for a moment before shaking his head. “It’s fine. Will you stay in, today?”

“I already went out,” his roommate answered instead, slipping off of the arm of the sofa to instead sit upon it properly. “I got my sword back from custody, since it was a murder weapon and all.”

“I mean now, since you were half-way out the door to avoid me not two minutes ago,” Kaveh specified, silently wondering about the ‘murder weapon’ part of that. He hadn’t actually thought about the fact that Alhaitham had killed someone in self defense, even if he had seen the body. He didn’t imagine Alhaitham would ever want to talk about it with him, but he hoped he’d talk to someone about the whole situation eventually.

Planting his ankle upon his knee, Alhaitham looked at the book he had left upon the table in front of him before glancing away, likely thinking about cracking it open before deciding against it. “Not anymore, no. I’m not in the mood to go to the doctor’s office, anyway.”

“What do you plan to do, then?” Kaveh was hoping the answer was something along the lines of ‘nothing,’ but wasn’t holding his breath. He couldn’t exactly ask for Alhaitham to pick an activity that would allow Kaveh to keep an eye on him, even if that was ultimately his goal now that they’d regained some civility with one another. “I’m not sure how long you were gone, but you should probably change your bandages soon.”

He glanced down at his bandages at the mention, humming in confirmation, “Yeah, I will. I usually let the doctor do it because it’s hard to do it on my own - I have tried.” Rubbing the back of his neck as if there was a knot in it, he eventually answered Kaveh’s question, “I was planning on reading, but I think I read everything here. I guess I will have to go out again, anyway.”

“Fine, fine. Go on, then. I can’t stop you,” Kaveh huffed, waving a dismissive hand in Alhaitham’s direction. Even if he wanted to, Alhaitham wasn’t likely to stay just because Kaveh wanted him to. “I suppose I’ll just be here by myself. I do hope you won’t stay out all night, but I guess it doesn’t really matter to you.”

“You say that, but I feel like your tone is saying something else,” Alhaitham replied back slowly, watching the blond’s hand movements as if he was trying to pick it apart.

"I shouldn't be trying to keep you all the time," Kaveh said, turning away from Alhaitham in preparation of returning to his own room. He had work to finish anyway, and he'd left the place looking like a hurricane had rolled through. "We're just roommates, after all. I doubt you want to spend all your time with me." Alhaitham confessing that he cared about him meant a lot, but it certainly didn't give Kaveh the right to demand the other’s presence just because he was anxious about the absence. "And you've been humoring me a lot lately," Kaveh added, more intended for himself than Alhaitham, "because you thought I had died. Which is- Well, it doesn't need doing if I'm quite alive, does it?"

Pursing his lips together at Kaveh’s answer as if he was trying to cover up his initial reaction, Alhaitham stood up from where he sat and wandered over to his footwear with just a single ‘okay.’ He slipped on his shoes as fast as his mangled hands would allow and opened the front door, not giving the blond another look before he shut the door behind him.

The sudden solitude was entirely unwelcome despite the way Kaveh had essentially pushed the man out of the house with his own two hands, Kaveh immediately spinning to face the closed door as if he expected the outcome to have changed. Of course it hadn’t; Alhaitham had left because Kaveh could never make his words work for him when it mattered, couldn’t express himself properly when the other stared at him. He must have said something wrong, done something without thinking it through, because Alhaitham would have stayed otherwise, if only to argue with Kaveh. But he was gone, just as he’d planned to be, and Kaveh… He didn’t know what to do with himself.

If there was no time to think about Alhaitham leaving, there would be no time to consider what might happen while he was gone - the ‘group’ that had failed to kill him the first time, the injuries he wasn’t properly caring for, some other unknown threat. Distraction was the first course of action, and the prickling of Kaveh’s skin at the thought of the mess he’d left in his room was enough to draw him there, sleeves pushed up as he began sorting through the papers that had wandered so far from his desk.

One stack for the project he had yet to finish: building plans designed not once but five separate times due to last minute requests; mostly sketches so early in the project, but some measured properly, preliminary blueprints he would need to model before turning in his report. Another for the side project he’d picked up a few days before the incident: decorative designs, meant to improve functionality and aesthetics of the water-carrying infrastructure between two places of business and the nearby river; he hadn’t had much time to work on it, but it was luckily a timeless sort of venture - the clients were willing to give him more time provided he presented a solution that both business owners could agree upon, which was much easier said than done. A third: sketches unrelated to work, just drawings of beautiful buildings that took far too much money to make in reality. He wasn’t sure why he bothered with the final pile, as those grand dreams were the reason he hardly ever had a hundred mora to his name, but he could never seem to stop creating more unattainable things.

It was something of a relief to look up from his pages and find the floor clear of debris, moving his pencils from his bedspread to instead inhabit his desktop once more before eyeing the bed itself warily. He hadn’t touched it in days and had no desire to attempt sleeping there once more, but it was a problem to deal with later - once Alhaitham was back and his chest no longer felt compressed by multiple tons.

The cleaning, as always, helped to calm his nerves but hadn’t been able to shut his mind off; he had yet to find any activity to truly do that other than sex, and that was always so temporary - and, to be entirely honest, disappointing. He’d been turning his own words over in his mind, wondering what he’d said that had convinced Alhaitham to leave in such a hurry, but found himself no closer to any satisfying answer. Had it been because he’d pushed Alhaitham to tell him about a traumatic incident? He’d even forced him to reassure Kaveh, as if there were any reason to be worried about him rather than the man who had nearly died a few days prior. There were almost too many reasons for Alhaitham to leave, and Kaveh couldn’t narrow down which one had finally snapped the final straw.

Maybe he hadn’t been serious enough, like he’d often been accused of by others. He hadn’t been trying to make light of the situation, but he’d also been at a loss for words, not knowing what to say when Alhaitham finally told him everything he’d wanted to know. Alhaitham had nearly died and had apparently been worried over a similar fate for Kaveh and… he couldn’t even remember what he’d said to that. Kaveh should have told Alhaitham about the dreams he’d been having in those snippets of sleep he’d unwillingly fallen into over the past few days, explained that Alhaitham couldn’t go out because Kaveh wouldn’t be able to do anything but pace until he knew the other was home safe, but he hadn’t done that. And really, he couldn’t, because Alhaitham had more than enough to deal with on his own and there was no reason to put Kaveh’s petty problems on top like a garnish. Alhaitham said he cared about him, and that was exactly why Kaveh couldn’t keep forcing him to. When Kaveh was self-destructing only a room away and crying even with someone there to witness the event, it wasn’t surprising that Alhaitham was concerned; even if he’d hated Kaveh entirely, Alhaitham had always been too good of a person to leave him to it.

Kaveh had been doing everything wrong from the moment Alhaitham had shut the door silently on his way to the doctor, hoping Kaveh wouldn’t follow and make his life more difficult than it needed to be. He couldn’t take any of it back, but he could apologize and start acting like a better person than he actually was - help Alhaitham change his bandages, if the man would let him. He already owed the other dinner for the next two weeks and, even if Alhaitham wanted nothing to do with him, he’d still hold up his end of the bargain. He wouldn’t have agreed to it if he hadn’t been so sleep deprived, but Alhaitham wouldn’t have been in the position to offer it if he hadn’t.

With the rest of the day wasted with cleaning, pacing, and the occasional bright idea in regards to one of his projects, Kaveh stopped abruptly in a circuit around the couch when he realized just how dark it had gotten, natural light from the sun having disappeared as night crept upon it. When had it gotten so late?

His stomach churned at the secondary realization that Alhaitham hadn’t come home. Kaveh shouldn’t have goaded him out the door, or, he should have followed at the very least, to make sure nothing happened. But he’d just been waiting, idly, while Alhaitham could have been in danger - wouldn’t be coming home ever if the group had returned to finish the job they had started, using Alhaitham’s healing injuries as an advantage. And archons, why wouldn’t they do that? If he’d been so hurt while at full capacity, how easy would it be for a determined group of people to actually kill him now? Kaveh might not have been much help, but he could have done something if he’d been there. If he’d been a better friend or roommate or… just a better person. Not everything was about him, and he’d been ignoring Alhaitham’s real, physical needs because he couldn’t make his head quiet - the reasoning was weak, and he had no excuse. He’d messed everything up so royally and, if Alhaitham really wasn’t coming back, there was no way to fix any of it.

Alhaitham didn’t blame him for his injuries, Kaveh recalled as he chose a corner of the couch and shoved himself into it, knees drawn high as he pressed his forehead against them, breaths quick. His eyes burned and he had no audience from which to hide, so he let the hopeless feeling overcome him, trailing silently down his face. It didn’t matter if Alhaitham didn’t blame him, as that wouldn’t change the fact that it was his name that brought Alhaitham into danger in the first place and his blunders that sent him back out there. Kaveh didn’t deserve to be upset, not when Alhaitham’s life was in danger - was probably past that, even.

The front door eventually clicked open after an extended wait, Alhaitham making his way through it before pushing the door closed with the back of his foot. There was a bag in his hand, its contents likely being books given the person carrying it. He looked no different than when he had left the house initially, save for the small hint of alcohol that wafted through the air. Alhaitham noticed him sitting on the couch before moving toward the hallway that was connected to their bedrooms, only to stop at the intersection with a small sigh. Placing his bag on the floor beside the wall, he wandered over toward the blond until he was standing behind him, pressing a hand to Kaveh’s shoulder as he asked shortly, “What’s wrong?”

Kaveh wiped a hand over his face, tacky but dry, and looked at nothing in particular as he answered, “Nothing at all. Where have you been?”

“Gandharva Ville, book shop, bar,” Alhaitham replied in succession, eyes scanning Kaveh’s face quickly. “Why are you still up?”

“Oh,” he said shortly, surprised at the question, “I… couldn’t sleep.” It wasn’t exactly true, at least not in the way it sounded, but Kaveh had no better excuse to provide. He didn’t need an excuse to be awake, obviously, but he still felt the need to justify himself. Why was Alhaitham asking him anyway?

He hummed shortly to himself, his hand raising up from where it sat on Kaveh’s shoulders to instead poke him in the face, “Because you were crying?”

Swatting at Alhaitham’s hand, Kaveh leveled the other with an unimpressed look. “I am perfectly capable of doing both at the same time, not that it’s any of your business,” he informed, wondering how terrible he must have looked for Alhaitham to bring it up. “How could I sleep before you came back, anyway?”

Alhaitham shook his hand off from the light hit, eyebrows pinching themselves together after the first half of his reply. Bringing his hand closer to his form, he took a step backwards from him. “I’m sure if you cleaned off your bed that you would be able to sleep, Kaveh.”

“Well, I’ll have you know that I’ve cleaned everything aside from your cavern of a room,” Kaveh started, crossing his arms, “and that wasn’t the problem at all. Why were you gone so long? You were the one that extorted me into making you dinner, unless you’ve forgotten already?”

His roommate rolled his eyes at the question, “Weren’t you the one who was pushing me to go? You got what you wanted.”

“And I told you I’d rather you not stay out all night.” Kaveh had been worried sick waiting for him to come back and Alhaitham had just waltzed in like nothing at all in the world was wrong. He didn’t want him to know that, but Alhaitham’s attitude had quickly turned his relief into exhaustion.

Alhaitham gestured toward the window before retreating toward their kitchen, “It’s still night. I was back before the sunrise.”

Despite his better sense, Kaveh rose to follow him, as if anything good might come from the two of them talking again that evening. “Fine, you win. But why were you gone so long? I could have gone out if you didn’t want to be around me.”

“You told me to go, Kaveh,” the other man huffed out, filling up a glass of water as if to get the booze out of his system. “You told me to go, and I did. I don’t understand why you’re unhappy when I do the things you want me to do.”

“I didn’t want you to,” Kaveh denied, leaning against the counter a fair amount of space from Alhaitham, “but you wanted to go and it doesn’t matter what I want you to do.”

“Sure,” Alhaitham agreed fakely, taking a sip of his water before slipping past Kaveh. Grabbing the bag he left in the hallway, he outstretched his arms in a wide gesture, “Is there anything else you want to blame your roommate with? Because I’m all ears.”

Watching the other from a safe distance, Kaveh had no desire to be any closer. “I wasn’t- I’m not trying to blame you. It’s my fault.”

“Somehow, it doesn’t sound that way,” the other man disagreed snippily, readjusting his grip on the bag at his side. “It’s not your fault for giving me the big picture. Saves me some time in the future.”

“What big picture?”

Alhaitham shook his head lightly to himself, his body swaying a little with it as he placed down his glass loudly, “You don’t care.” The words were bitter and slightly slurred, but they were still quiet. “I’m just your roommate. A guy you live with. You made it crystal clear that you don’t care, Kaveh. I’m glad I didn’t spend my whole life thinking that you might before being stabbed in the heart. Truly, I am,” his teeth grinded together before he turned to make his retreat, letting out a shuddered breath as his feet carried him away.

“Wait!” Kaveh exclaimed hastily, taking a few steps in the other’s direction. “Wait, please don’t go.”

Faltering in his movements before his shoulders stiffened at the words, Alhaitham didn’t bother to turn around as he replied simply, “If you want to yell at me, do it now. I don’t want to do this all night again, Kaveh.”

“That’s not what I want to do,” Kaveh started hesitantly, too off-balance to close the gap between them any further - there was no way Alhaitham would want him to, anyway. “I- I do care, Alhaitham. I wouldn’t be up all night waiting for you if I didn’t and… I wouldn’t have nightmares about you dying if it wasn’t- Well, if it isn’t the scariest thing I can imagine,” he confessed, wringing his hands together and wishing it hurt more. “I’m sorry, it’s not your problem. I just- I don’t want you to think that I don’t care.”

He looked over his shoulder toward Kaveh briefly, “... You’re not just saying that?”

“Of course I’m not just saying that,” he promised, gripping his hands tighter and staring resolutely at the wall rather than his roommate.

Alhaitham turned toward him fully before coming at him in full stride, only to stop once he was in front of Kaveh. It did not take long for one arm to snake its way around his waist while the other one dropped the book bag entirely, a loud clatter sounding behind him. Alhaitham’s other arm rested a few inches above the one already pressed against Kaveh’s back before he came closer, his forehead dropping to sit on his shoulder.

Kaveh stilled entirely at the first touch, like a rabbit in a trap as Alhaitham wrapped his arms around the architect’s unresisting form. Though confused, Kaveh followed suit, wondering if he wasn’t hallucinating - it would be a more plausible scenario. “Um. Are you alright?”

“Sorry,” his roommate apologised, starting to retract his arms as if he was just catching up to his impulsivity, “I’m drunk right now.”

Seeing the opportunity slipping through his fingers, Kaveh tightened his arms around the other’s torso, unwilling to give up the gesture with the knowledge that it wasn’t likely to be offered again. “Don’t be sorry,” he insisted, “just talk to me.”

Alhaitham’s arms hesitantly returned to where they once were, one of them gripping at Kaveh’s shirt like a lifeline. “I don’t know what to say,” he confessed, his head rolling so that his temple rested on his shoulder instead.

“Okay,” Kaveh replied easily, drumming his fingertips against Alhaitham’s back as he thought. As much as he enjoyed being held, something he wasn’t likely to convince a sober Alhaitham to do to him, Kaveh knew the other needed rest. “Let’s get you to bed, hm?”

“Are you going to sleep?” Alhaitham asked, his breath hitting the blond’s neck.

Kaveh had backed himself into a corner, but there were more important things to worry about. “I’ll try,” he answered, not wanting to lie even if Alhaitham would be less liable to notice in his state. He didn’t know if he’d be able to, honestly, but knowing Alhaitham was alright certainly helped.

“You have to,” the other man stated, likely meant to be a demand. “I don’t want you crying in my bed in four days again.”

Mildly mortified, Kaveh exhaled a slow breath, saying, “Well, unless you drag me there yourself, I’ll keep the crying confined to my own room.”

His grip loosened on Kaveh’s shirt, huffing almost in amusement, “That’s where it started before, and then you passed out in my bed.”

“Like I said,” Kaveh emphasized, tapping Alhaitham’s back as if he needed his attention, “you would have to drag me there. Which you did. I’m not responsible for what happens after that, it’s your decision to bring me there.”

“I want to make sure you sleep,” Alhaitham responded, as if it was anything like a confirmation. Lifting his head up from Kaveh’s shoulder and releasing him fully, he moved back over toward his room without any care for the books he was abandoning on the floor.

After pausing for a moment to process, Kaveh scooped up the bag of books and trailed after his friend. Kaveh fantasized that the other would be grateful considering just how heavy the bag was, knowing all the while that Alhaitham wouldn’t be. He could have left them there, but he’d just cleaned and he knew Alhaitham would be looking for them in the morning. Whatever they were, he just hoped they were worth the strain to carry. “You don’t need to. Just focus on you,” he countered once he’d caught up.

Alhaitham was already sitting on his bed by the time Kaveh made his way inside, his arms above his head in a stretch, “Don’t insult me, Kaveh, I am more than capable of focusing on many things at once.”

“Alright,” he conceded without a fight, dropping the bag beside Alhaitham’s desk, a place where it seemed reasonable to leave a bunch of books, “and you plan to make me sleep?” He doubted Alhaitham would be so direct about initiating these situations if he were sober, but Kaveh was still surprised by the hug and willing to accept that his drunken roommate was looking for some kind of comfort. Or maybe he’d really liked what Kaveh had said, though that seemed less likely; it was a big confession for him, but Alhaitham couldn’t possibly put that much weight on Kaveh’s opinions, friends or not.

He watched Kaveh place his books by his desk as he slipped his legs under the covers, his feet making a visible tent under them, “Would it help you?”

“Probably,” Kaveh replied, knowing he’d slept just fine with Alhaitham’s hand in his hair, “but you’re too drunk to be worrying about me.”

“I’m not that drunk,” Alhaitham denied, crossing his ankles one over the other as he sat up. “You don’t have to worry about me, if that’s the only reason you came. I’ve been drunk before.”

“That’s not the only reason,” Kaveh admitted, having already told Alhaitham more than he’d really wanted to earlier. The other might not remember the details in the morning, which made him feel a little more secure in being honest. “But I did want to make sure you were okay. Do you want me to go?”

“… You don’t have to.”

“Do you want me to?”

Alhaitham looked off to the side, falling back into his pillow as he begrudgingly answered, “No.”

“Okay,” Kaveh agreed shortly, pleased with the invitation to stay, “I won’t go anywhere.” Moving to the unoccupied side of the bed, Kaveh sat down, remembering the last time he had been there. He hadn’t expected a repeat performance, but was more than willing to accept it even if Alhaitham might regret it in the morning. “How are you feeling?” he asked, wondering if he’d ever changed the bandages like he’d planned to do. It wasn’t Kaveh’s business, but he was worried.

“Tired, tipsy,” was the honest reply, Alhaitham turning his body so that he could better see the blond that way. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” Kaveh echoed, brushing a strand of hair away from his eyes as he watched his roommate, “but I’ll try to get some sleep.” As if to prove his words, he shifted to lay down properly, atop the covers once more.

“This is strange,” Alhaitham observed after a while of silence, shifting where he laid, “you’re not mad at me about anything and it has been over five minutes. That’s a record.”

Offering a small smile despite himself, Kaveh patted the sheets as he replied with a warning tease, “Don’t ruin it now, Alhaitham. We’ve just started getting along and you already want to go back to arguing.” Kaveh was certain they would in no time, but he was never usually mad at Alhaitham, not the way other people argued. It was just something they did, almost playful on Kaveh’s end, though he couldn’t speak for Alhaitham on that matter. Kaveh hated when they actually fought and, although the storm had passed for the night, he knew he’d be exchanging unpleasant words with Alhaitham tomorrow.

“It’s what we know,” he excused, staring at the area Kaveh previously pat, “this is uncharted territory.”

Kaveh waved a lazy hand, saying, "It won't matter tomorrow. We can hate each other when you're sober again."

“I don’t hate you, I only get easily aggravated,” Alhaitham huffed out, sitting up to lightly punch his pillow behind him so that it could be fluffed up.

He didn't want to put too much stock into drunk Alhaitham's words, but he didn't really believe the other hated him - they wouldn't have been able to live together if he did. That didn't mean Alhaitham particularly liked Kaveh most days, even if he claimed to worry about him. "Just go to sleep, Alhaitham," he finally replied, rubbing the space between his eyes to soothe the ache. Even if he couldn't fall asleep himself, he didn't want to keep Alhaitham awake.

His roommate eyed him for a moment before he eventually laid back down, turning his head away from Kaveh with a heavy sigh. “You too,” Alhaitham reminded, remaining unmoving in his attempt to sleep.

"I'll try," Kaveh repeated softly, turning to lie on his back since the conversation was coming to an end. Alhaitham gave no reply, either content with his answer or too tired to offer any, and Kaveh stared into the dark of the room for some time, squinting to make out the shapes he knew were there. The silence in the house had been overbearing before but with Alhaitham’s slow, steady breaths, Kaveh felt exhausted, the undercurrent of anxiety missing from where it had been powering him all afternoon into evening. Alhaitham was fine, home safe and sound with only a small gap of space between them, and Kaveh could breathe. 

He returned to his side once he was certain the other was asleep, observing the man’s peaceful form for a minute before he shut his eyes, the weight pulling his eyelids down too heavy to bear. He promised he would try to sleep and it didn’t take long until he succeeded.

─── 𓆩⟡𓆪 ───

Alhaitham woke up to a familiar warmth on his face, the sun peeking through his dark blue curtains in an effort to annoy him. His head was almost enough to block out the pain that still coursed through his body, the drinks from the other night having done quite the number on him. He sat up in his bed, ignoring how he had been wearing the same clothes as the night before, and started to make his way out of the bed.

Or, at least he tried to, but a small tuft of blond hair kept him glued in his spot. Kaveh’s sleeping form had moved from where he had been sleeping on the other side of the bed, now curled up behind his pillow as if he was pretending that it had been a person there instead. What he had learned from the other morning was that Kaveh was a fairly light sleeper, sensitive to any sudden movements when it came to someone else sleeping in his bed. Alhaitham was aware of this fact, but had never seen it in action before. When he had gotten up too loudly in the morning during the first few days of Kaveh living there, the blond had made sure that getting woken up early was going to be made into Alhaitham’s problem. Any time one of Kaveh’s one-night stands tried to sneak out the blond’s door, Kaveh always followed - likely having been awoken by the stranger’s rustling for their clothes, trying to escape before Alhaitham managed to glare at them or, Archons forbid, spoke to them.

It was a known fact, indeed, which was why he made sure to inch out of bed slowly but surely, making as little noise and minimizing his movement as much as possible. He had managed to escape his cage, but only after forty-five seconds of worming out of his sheets and onto the hardwood floor. Having another person in his bed was strange, especially due to how rare that occurrence even was. Kaveh was a special case, though, with his moping and all. If he was able to make his roommate feel better about this entire situation, then he would do it - even if they had a fight the day beforehand.

Their fight before the drinks was crystal clear, even if it hadn’t been much of one in the first place. He would be the last to admit that he had gotten a little emotional, but that was something that he could easily forget unlike the one they had gotten into when he had been drunk. The saying that drunken words were oftentimes the words thought by a sober man had been true in that scenario, but fuck, he didn’t want to admit any of that. It was over the top and temperamental in ways that he had never quite been before, which he despised with a passion. 

He hugged him.

Kaveh might have needed that hug, hell, maybe he did himself, but he did not want it to go down this way. It was messy, in a way he didn’t like to be. If he was able to avoid talking about what went down, despite how true it was, then he would gladly take that pass. He would gladly let the both of them go about their days as if nothing happened yesterday in the first place; it would save him from the self-humiliation. There was the idea that he could go back to work today for some time, to forget about his worries and continue on with his previous day-to-day life. It was worth a shot - all he had to do was sneak away without being noticed.

Quietly walking over to his dresser, avoiding any wooden planks he was certain creaked under pressure, he pulled off his shirt that still reeked of the alcohol he had last night. Tossing it into his hamper before removing his pants, he rummaged through his top drawer for something he would like to wear. He silently reminded himself to grab some more medication from the pharmacy soon once his eye caught sight of the empty bottle sitting on top of his dresser, especially for his wounds that were healing far too slow for his liking. It ran out a day or two ago, and while he had been planning to pick up said medication, there was always a small detour in the road that he had to focus on instead, whether it be arguing with Kaveh or ditching Kaveh. 

In hindsight, said ‘detours’ were always with his roommate and they were hardly ‘detours’.

“You aren’t going to work, are you?” the blond in question asked from behind him, clearly having woken despite Alhaitham’s best efforts.

He really had wished Kaveh had continued sleeping, but he supposed that there was nothing to be done for it now. Tossing a look over his shoulder to see the blond in his bed, he let himself not be as quiet shuffling through his clothes for something he would want to wear. “Yeah,” he confirmed, eventually pulling out a black shirt that suited his fancy, “it has been days, Kaveh. It will be fine now.”

“Okay,” Kaveh agreed far too easily, standing to right the side of the bed he had occupied, “give me a few minutes and I’ll come with you.”

Alhaitham turned fully to look at Kaveh with narrowed eyes, not minding how goosebumps formed on his arms. “You wouldn’t like it, you would get bored,” he denied just as easily, slipping his shirt on over his head. The words were not necessarily true, since there would be plenty for Kaveh to look at and do when they got there, but he did not think he would get much work done if the blond was lounging in his office the whole day. “Don’t you have a project to finish?”

Kaveh watched him right back, crossing his arms at Alhaitham’s reasoning. “I am very skilled at entertaining myself,” he refuted, “and I can bring my work with me. I don’t need to be confined to a single room to get anything done.” Releasing an exaggerated sigh, Kaveh huffed, “Are we going to argue about this? Or can we skip that part and just go to work together?”

Slipping his arms into their designated spots with a shake to his head, Alhaitham made sure to make his eye roll obvious, “Fine, but I’m leaving you behind in five minutes. We both know how long you take.”

“I can do five!” Kaveh exclaimed, darting out of the room, presumably hoping to do so before Alhaitham had the chance to change his mind.

Slowly turning his body as the blond made his way out of the room, he couldn’t help the light frown that formed at the other’s excitement. He was not sure what was so great about going to work with him so early in the morning - if Kaveh even made it in the first place, that is - but he was not going to question it any further. Alhaitham grabbed a random pair of pants from a lower drawer on his dresser before stalking his way into the bathroom to perform all the necessary duties there as well.

It only took about three minutes for him to get to the front door, all the books he had gotten from the book shop in the bag sitting upon his shoulder. He wasn’t sure if Kaveh was counting down the minutes until he left, but he figured that leaving a few minutes early wouldn’t hurt. Looking down the hallway and toward Kaveh’s room for any sign of life, he grabbed his set of keys off of the table nearby the door and lightly shrugged to himself. Exiting the house after pulling the door shut, he started to make his way down the trail that he was all too familiar with.

The blissfully quiet portion of his walk was far too short, the architect catching up to him sooner than he would have liked. “You are such a liar!” Kaveh complained, swatting his hand in Alhaitham’s direction to express his displeasure. He sounded slightly out of breath, suggesting he had been in a hurry not to be left behind.

“It’s been six minutes, and you’re only now showing up,” Alhaitham stated matter-of-factly, despite having not been counting the minutes since he had left. “You were going to be late either way.”

The blond huffed loudly, muttering a disparaging comment to himself as he reached Alhaitham’s side. “You could have waited a minute, you know. It wouldn’t have killed you.”

“It felt like it was,” he replied sarcastically, adjusting the strap on his shoulder as he fell into step with Kaveh. It wasn’t a far walk to his office, only a few minutes at most, but sometimes all they needed was a few minutes to get caught up in an unneeded argument. He could have waited, yes, but he hadn’t really wanted to. “I bet you forgot your keys,” Alhaitham said, eyeing Kaveh to see if it had been true, but mostly to catch his reaction to his intentional jab.

Kaveh shoved his hand into his pocket, visibly deflating as he returned empty-handed. “If that’s anyone’s fault, it’s yours for leaving me behind!” he excused indignantly, watching Alhaitham with narrowed eyes. “You don’t plan to leave me again, do you? You know I won’t be able to get back in without you.”

“I didn’t make you forget your keys,” Alhaitham defended, resisting the urge to grab a book out of his bag so he could ignore the other man and read on the way in peace instead. “You were so happy in my bed earlier, Kaveh, what soured your mood?” he inquired pointedly, not minding the strange glances they got from people they were passing by. He made his phrasing that way on purpose, knowing full well that Kaveh would be embarrassed while he would feel no different.

Predictably, Kaveh struggled with a response, mouth opening and closing a few times without any success. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into that. Twice,” he said with emphasis, looking resolutely away from his roommate. “You were a lot easier to stand when you were drunk.”

“I think you secretly like it,” he responded, a smug smirk forming upon his face - at least, as much of a smile as his face would ever allow.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kaveh said flatly, turned as far away from the other as he could manage. “You’re the one that keeps grabbi… You keep dragging me places, that’s your fault!”

Alhaitham shot Kaveh a deadpan stare, “You’re the one who came along, especially right now. I didn’t force you to, like you are trying to make it out to be.” He did not want to comment on the ‘grabbing’, it only having ever happened twice and one of those was when he had been drunk. The blond’s argument was a longshot, and he was certain both of them were aware of that fact.

“Well- Whatever,” Kaveh finally huffed after a long pause, not denying the accusation in the least. “Just because I let you doesn’t mean you should do it whenever you feel like it,” he complained, casting a quick glance at Alhaitham before averting his eyes once more.

“Okay,” he started slowly, focusing on a fountain that they were passing by instead, “then I won’t do it again. Power’s in your court.”

Kaveh looked at him again, fiddling with a strand of his hair. “Or you could,” he said more quietly, as if suddenly aware of the other people on the street. “I… might not mind.”

Alhaitham wasn’t sure why the other man was flipping back and forth on what he was saying, since it was at times hard to keep track of. Whenever he got one answer and then it was suddenly changed to another, he was never sure as to what Kaveh actually wanted. “Well, which is it? Stop or don’t stop?”

Raising a hand to his cheek, Kaveh’s voice was partially muffled by his palm as he answered shortly, “Don’t.”

He glanced back over at Kaveh, questioning in a fake tone, “What? Sorry, I didn’t hear that.”

“You’re so-! Ugh, I am not doing this with you.”

More than happy with this outcome since he believed that it likely brought silence amongst them, he continued down the path without another word. They were nearly there, anyway, if the dry bloodstain on the poorly cleaned up pavement was any sign. It had been days since he was last here, and he apparently did not bury the memory as deep as he thought he had. His hands felt a faux-burning sensation that made him shake them out, releasing a heavy sigh as he ignored what was attempting to resurface.

Alhaitham pulled open the door and walked inside, knowing full well that Kaveh would be trailing behind him no matter if he held the door open or not. His feet mechanically moved toward his usual space by muscle memory, eventually popping open the door to the room he had been absent from for a few days now. He might not have loved his temporary position, but that did not mean that he wouldn’t treat it well. After all, if he wanted grants for any endeavors he wanted to partake in, it would be easier to get them if he did well in his current position.

Moving to sit at his usual desk, Alhaitham gestured toward the floor, “You could work there.” Of course, it had been a joke even if Kaveh did not necessarily take it as one. His desk was far bigger than anyone would ever need, so he was intending to share it with him if all went well.

“You aren’t serious, are you?” Kaveh asked almost hesitantly, looking at the floor with disdain. “Tell me you’re joking.”

He placed his book bag onto his desk before staring at Kaveh nonchalantly, “Don’t I look like I’m joking?”

“You look like you’re making fun of me. And since you’re always doing that, it’s hard to tell,” Kaveh replied with a huff, taking a few steps toward Alhaitham after having stopped when it was no longer clear where he was meant to go.

Alhaitham gestured to the seat across from him with a shake to his head, opening his bag to start unloading the books he had planned on reading during his short time here. “Sit there,” he ordered, though it was only a mere suggestion. Any documents that needed his attention had been given to whichever fortunate soul that was next on their list as Acting Grand Sage, so there was likely only a few documents that he would need to go over.

Without any more comments, Kaveh conceded with the request, setting the few items he had brought with him on the open space of the desktop. Despite his inherent need for attention - often gained by obstructing Alhaitham’s day - Kaveh seemed content to be quiet that particular morning, pulling out a sheet of paper and working as he’d said he would.

Upon the blond’s silence, he took it upon himself to pick up one of his books so that he could use up his quiet time wisely. He wouldn’t be surprised if Kaveh broke it sooner rather than later due to his antsiness, but for now he would relish in the white noise and the sun hitting his crisp pages just right.

His current book was about hieroglyphics, a topic he had been wanting to get himself into further for the last few weeks - especially ones from Sumeru’s very own desert. Alhaitham wanted to go on an expedition to the desert once he was able to step down as Grand Sage, even if he wound up finding nothing new about the area. The weather wasn’t ideal there, but it had a rich history; the Eremites never buried their god’s legends like those in the lush tended to do, so everything one might find there would be untainted. They viewed their past god in reverence, and while Lesser Lord Kusanali had upped her presence, she still had some push back from the citizens in the city. The history around her was little to nothing due to her captivity for the past five-hundred years, so it was nothing worth looking into. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had no data on herself, either, so any search on her would be futile as well. 

A few weeks on his own would do himself some good, anyway. He had been locked within the city for far too long, anyway, and he was certain that Kaveh would enjoy his own alone time after he got over his initial nerves. The book went into depth about many of the ancient markings past researchers had stumbled upon during their travels, and although he had doubts about some of them, he would greatly enjoy correcting the likely deceased writers when he had proven them wrong. He jotted some notes down into the book where he saw fit - making sure to mark up the pages that he deemed entirely incorrect without a piece of truth within them so that he could refute the dead as soon as he deciphered those markings in person himself - before he placed the book down altogether.

It only took about an hour of his time to get through the entirety of his book, which left him grabbing at his next one. The next one was some physics research done in Liyue, something that many people in Sumeru never quite looked into. The Akasha was a handy tool, he would say that much, but it stopped too many people from looking elsewhere toward scientists in the other nations in Teyvat. Not everyone who was in academia was within Sumeru, after all.

“Is this what the Acting Grand Sage does?” Kaveh finally spoke up, shoving a pencil behind his ear for safekeeping as he regarded Alhaitham from across the desk. “I didn’t realize they paid you to do precisely what you do at home.”

Glancing up toward the blond before letting his eyes return to the book, he figured that it was a valid question. “The person who was doing my work after the assassination attempt likely did everything already,” he excused, placing his ankle on his knee as he leaned back. “Same could be said about you, with you being paid for doodles, after all.”

Kaveh frowned, holding up the paper he had been writing on not long ago for Alhaitham to see, gesturing to it as if it should have been obvious why the other was wrong. “They aren’t doodles. The calculations I’m doing determine whether a building stands or topples over in ten years. It’s important work!”

“Architects are all the same,” Alhaitham shrugged, placing his finger into his book as a placeholder. Architects did tend to use the same principles in every piece, but he did respect their work. “Many buildings in Sumeru are only a copy and paste of each other.”

“You have no sense for aesthetics, I wouldn’t expect you to understand how buildings within communities are commissioned,” the blond scoffed, straightening his papers and retrieving his pencil to make a quick alteration as he did so. “But there’s a reason so many buildings have similar designs, and considering how smart you seem to think you are, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to solve that mystery.”

“It isn’t a difficult mystery to solve, though I don’t think you would care for my answer,” he dismissed, knowing it wouldn’t be wise to insult Kaveh’s line of work when the man was going to be making his food for the next week. “I do have a sense of aesthetics - I decorated our home just fine before you came into the picture.”

Kaveh, clearly irritated, did not look up from his work as he replied, “You don’t. It was hideous.”

“It was minimalistic. That is a trend now, no?” Alhaitham excused, recalling the days back when he had lived alone. It had been nice to have his own space to read without having to venture out to find a quiet space to relax, but he would admit that his current living situation was better.

“There is a difference between minimalism and living in a house without furniture,” he said flatly, “and I’m certain you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Don’t you have some ‘work’ to be doing? I’m trying to focus.” 

“You’re the one who spoke to me first,” he argued back, opening his book back up in his lap. His house before did have furniture, stocked with a couch and any other appliance that a kitchen would require. True, he did not have anything else in there, but there was no need for anything else. “If you wanted to not be within my presence, you could have stayed home.”

Kaveh sighed, placing an elbow on the desk for support as he leaned his head on his hand. “I do want to be within your presence. That’s the problem.”

Humming as a temporary response, he reopened his book as if he intended to continue reading. It was an unexpected reply, he would give Kaveh that much. He did not know how their relationship had evolved from before the attack to now, though he didn’t necessarily… despise it. After having read the top line on the page for what felt like the twentieth time, he eventually inquired instead, “Why?”

The architect waved a dismissive hand. “That doesn’t really matter, does it?” he questioned in return, the lack of writing suggesting that he hadn’t gone back to working despite his claim of focus.

“I want to understand,” Alhaitham admitted, closing his book altogether as he placed it back upon his desk. “We’ve been different.”

Blinking at him in obvious surprise, Kaveh took a moment to answer, “I… would prefer to know where you are. And, well, that’s much easier if I just go with you.”

“You didn’t come with me yesterday,” he pointed out, tapping his aching fingers on his knee. It was true that Kaveh hadn’t really expressed any interest in going out with him yesterday, and he hadn’t shown any interest in him staying home, either. The reasoning was flawed.

Looking away and smoothing a hand over his hair, the other started, “You wouldn’t have let me. Or- I mean, I didn’t ask you, but I already knew what you were going to say. You were mad at me before you stormed out.” Spinning his pencil in his hand, Kaveh added, “I wasn’t trying to make you leave, either, but I’ve always been good at doing that.”

Alhaitham had been angry at the start of the conversation, he could admit. That crumpled letter wasn’t meant to be looked at by anyone else in the first place, which was why he intended to put his other secretive items somewhere where a snooping blond would never look. “I wanted to stay, you know,” he brought up eventually, arms folding over his chest. “I was going to.”

“I guess I got nervous that you wouldn’t,” Kaveh said before releasing an audible sigh. “It doesn’t really matter,” he continued, idly tracing over the shapes that made up one of his designs, “since it’s in the past, already.”

“The past is important to me,” he pushed lightly, though not enough so that Kaveh would feel like he was forced to share. If his roommate truly didn’t want to talk about it, then he could swap his attention back onto his book.

Tilting his head back to gaze at the ceiling for a moment, Kaveh refocused his attention on the other, crossing his arms as well. “Fine. What do you want to know? I thought I’d already answered your question.”

Alhaitham thought that the question had been obvious, since Kaveh had been an expert at this act since the first moment that they had met, but he supposed that he could say it anyway. “Why did you push me away?”

“I don’t know,” Kaveh said with more than a tinge of frustration, fingers curling tightly around his pencil as if he meant to snap it. “I don’t know,” he said again, staring hard at the surface of the desk like it might hold the answers for him, “I just… It was easier seeing you leave when I knew that-” Kaveh broke off, frown deepening as he tried again, “It would have been worse knowing that you left after I asked you to stay. So, I guess I just- I wanted to avoid that.”

“I suppose that’s fair,” Alhaitham agreed, leaning forward from where he was leisurely sitting back in his chair. The explanation made sense; he wouldn’t want to stick his neck out only to be burned as well, and he supposed that he… wasn’t the most reliable in those sorts of situations. “You know that I am your friend, correct?” he questioned, actually unsure of the answer. They both always referred to each other as ‘roommate’ when they had to talk with someone else, and despite how his friends were few and far in between, he still did consider Kaveh one. “I could try being more… lenient at home, if that would help you.”

Observing Alhaitham before finding his words, Kaveh began slowly, “I do know that, but I wasn’t aware that you did.” He gave no response to the offer, looking at him expectantly - Kaveh was clearly looking for something in particular from him.

“What gave you that impression?” Alhaitham idly scratched the side of his cheek, unsure as to where to start with that question. He had likely given more than enough impressions that would make anyone believe that, though he had hoped that everyone had seen through that somehow. 

“I don’t know,” Kaveh hedged, finding newfound interest in the papers beneath his hands, “just, things.”

“Is it just how I am?” he asked, understanding if the other man answered yes to it. Alhaitham was rather hard to get along with, and he supposed that living with Kaveh for so long would give Kaveh negative effects.

Kaveh shook his head, still looking down at his calculations as he gathered his thoughts. "Maybe it was at first," he said, finally glancing up, "but I know you, now." Brushing a strand of his hair aside, he continued, "You don't always understand what I mean and I'm not good at explaining myself, but I know that you try anyway. And that… means a lot."

Leaning his head against his fingers as his elbow situated itself on the arm of his chair, he was almost glad to hear the words. Of course, he would have been more happy with himself if he understood everything Kaveh said instantaneously, but it was progress. “What do I get wrong? I don’t like trying and then not succeeding.”

"It's more of an in-the-moment type of thing," he started, watching Alhaitham for a reaction. "I don't know if you ever figured out why I've been having trouble sleeping, though. I… didn't know what to say to you about it."

“I think you told me yesterday,” Alhaitham answered, even though the memories from last night were somewhat hazy in his head. He remembered what happened and mostly what had been said, though there were snippets that he had forgotten entirely. 

Kaveh shrugged, looking away once more. "I tried to. But I didn't know if you were listening or if you'd even remember it. You were drunk, I shouldn't have said anything about it to you then in the first place."

“I was unreasonably angry, Kaveh, you said what you had to so that I would go to bed,” he dismissed, knowing full well that he had done that several times when the blond had come home drunk as well. Kaveh was certainly a sentimental kind of drunk - the things he had said to make a drunk Kaveh go to bed were some that he wouldn’t want to repeat.

“I wasn’t just saying things,” he corrected, frowning at the wall. “Do you even remember what I said last night? It was important and I’ll do it again if I have to.”

Alhaitham remembered that part of yesterday fully, but he wanted to see if Kaveh would change up his answer at all. “Enlighten me.”

“I swear, if you’re just doing this to make fun of me…” Kaveh trailed off, fixing the other with a glare that dissolved nearly as quickly as it had appeared. “I care about you, even if you’re an idiot and a bastard. I don’t want anything to happen to you and that’s not just because you let me pay my rent late,” he confessed for the second time, words not nearly as soft as when Alhaitham had been drunk the night previous.

“You forgot to add in the part about the nightmares, Kaveh,” Alhaitham reminded, the faintest of smiles playing upon his lips nevertheless. Although he may tease, he did enjoy hearing it.

The blond scoffed, mouth hanging open for a second before he snapped it shut. “You-! I can’t believe you! Why did you make me say it again if you remember?”

“I wanted to see if you would say the same thing,” he excused, it only really being a half-lie.

“Well, are you happy now?” the other asked, beginning to shuffle through his design plans once more. “You tricked me into repeating myself, so now I’ll never say it again,” he threatened, though it was obvious from his tone that he didn’t mean that.

He nodded minutely, moving to reopen his book as if he deemed the conversation finished, “Yes, very. You’ll be saying it the next time we argue, I’m sure.”

Kaveh huffed, muttering under his breath, “That makes one of us.”

It was only after he read a few quick pages that he remembered something that had been on his to-do list since the start of the day, causing him to look up toward Kaveh once more, “Are you busy?”

“Not particularly,” Kaveh answered after a pause, finishing whatever he had been writing to look at Alhaitham questioningly. “Do you need something?”

“Can you run to the doctor’s office for me? I ran out of a few things I need,” Alhaitham explained, though the small errand was only to get Kaveh out of his hair for a little while. There could be a few things he would have to do while walking around the building, and he did not necessarily want a pet following him while he crushed fellow sages' dreams. “I could meet you back home in an hour or two.”

Frowning, Kaveh shoved his papers into some semblance of order, standing up from his seat. “I can, but you know I don’t have my keys. You’re not going to leave me outside for hours again, are you?”

He sighed before he slipped his hand into his bookbag, handing Kaveh his own pair of keys. “Here, don’t lose them on your walk home. Remember to let me in.”

The blond took them with obvious surprise, pocketing them before the other had time to change his mind. “If you take longer than two hours, don’t expect the door to be open, Mr. Punctuality. If you won’t wait a minute, then why should I?”

Alhaitham was certain that Kaveh wouldn’t lock him out of the house overnight since he was too good of a person to, but he was not about to call his roommate out on his bluff. “If it takes longer than two hours, it is likely because of the idiots here. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“I didn’t say I was worried,” Kaveh scoffed in reply, though he gave no denial otherwise. “Be home for dinner,” he warned as he moved to the door, having gathered his few belongings along with Alhaitham’s keys, “or you won’t be getting any.”

He knew that the words were an empty threat and that there would at least be leftovers on the counter if he wanted it, but instead of correcting Kaveh he decided to watch him leave. Alhaitham, surprisingly, hadn’t been bothered by his roommate’s presence in the office, but at least now he could reject project proposals among other things without additional eyes boring into his back. Most people would say that, as Acting Grand Sage, he wasn’t very ‘kind’ - but at least he was not corrupt.

Looking back down at his pages as he mentally checked off his medication refill off his list, he allowed himself to relax into his chair. The past few days had been hectic and far too emotional for his own taste, but he wouldn’t dare call them bad. Something had changed for the better, it seemed, and he would get attacked again if that meant he would get this outcome once more.

「இ」

Alhaitham’s keys laid next to Kaveh’s own on the table near the door, both present despite the absence of one of the house’s inhabitants. He’d left the door unlocked with no thought of how long it might actually take Alhaitham to get home from work; whether it was two or even five hours, Kaveh would never have actually locked the door on him. The architect himself had been left outside for hours on multiple occasions, as he often complained, but Alhaitham always came to let him in eventually. Sometimes he even looked surprised to see him, not having known Kaveh had forgotten his keys. Alhaitham’s offering of his own keys had been surprising, but he’d been happy to hold them tightly in his hand on the way home, wondering why he’d been given them in the first place.

Kaveh was more content than he had been in a handful of days, possibly even longer, and absent-mindedly humming a tune as he cut up the vegetables he’d picked up on his way home. Alhaitham could do with a healthier diet and with Kaveh making the meals, the other would have no excuse to complain - he surely knew what he was getting into. It was nice to put his focus into something mundane, the process of cooking a familiar dish easy enough for Kaveh’s whirling thoughts to dull into a buzz in the back of his skull.

Alhaitham would be home soon and, if all went well, they would both be in for the night; Kaveh would do his best not to push the other out the door, hoping that his earlier confession would at least help Alhaitham parse his conflicting thoughts and actions. Things were always complicated with Alhaitham, not that it was always the man in question’s fault. Kaveh just never knew how to act around him and would most often prefer to bury his feelings beneath layers of lies than admit anything to anyone around him (let alone Alhaitham himself). His honesty over the last day, fueled by the crushing concern that he had hurt Alhaitham’s feelings, had been yielding positive results, but Kaveh hated to be so vulnerable, especially in front of Alhaitham. The other was rarely mean to Kaveh on purpose, but the blond had always been told he was too sensitive.

His headache had lessened considerably with two decent nights of rest, his main project nearly ready for review with his newly recovered attention, and he had no doubt that it contributed a lot to his rising mood. The bigger component was, as always, his absolutely infuriating roommate. He was the reason Kaveh had been able to sleep at all, kept awake with unabating anxiety until Alhaitham had grabbed his arms and asked him to come to bed or given him a drunken hug and invited him to stay. He was the reason Kaveh had thrown his hair up to keep it out of the way as he cooked, having been tricked into making dinner for the man - not that he wouldn’t have ended up doing so anyway. He was the reason Kaveh was back in their shared home with both sets of keys, buoyed by the fact that he and Alhaitham weren’t in the middle of an argument for the first time in days. It wasn’t likely to last but, as he had said earlier, they had been different, lately.

The front door eventually clicked open, Alhaitham entering their abode with his head stuck in an entirely new book. He wandered his way inside, leaning his book bag against the wall beside the door before he nearly walked past the kitchen. Stopping in his tracks when he heard noise coming from said room, he lifted his head from what he had been reading and let his feet drag him inside. “I was half expecting you to have already eaten,” Alhaitham commented, peering over Kaveh’s shoulder to see what he had been up to. “Please tell me it isn’t soup.”

“Why wouldn’t I wait for you?” Kaveh questioned, looking up at the other’s entrance. “And beggars can’t be choosers, Alhaitham. You wanted me to cook. Don’t start complaining about it now.”

“There’s a reason I give you my soup whenever someone forces it upon me,” he complained, though there was no true aggravation to his words. 

“That’s because you don’t have any sense of taste,” he said easily, “but you already know that.” Continuing from where he had left off, having strayed from his task due to his roommate’s comments, Kaveh asked, “You’re not standing there to distract me, are you? This is the only thing I’m making, so if it’s ruined, nobody gets anything.”

“If you manage to ruin soup, I would be immensely surprised,” Alhaitham replied, continuing to stand behind Kaveh nevertheless. “Is this a ploy to get me to talk to you while we eat? You always complain about how I read, instead.”

The blond turned his head, glancing at Alhaitham. “It might be, but you shouldn’t be reading at the table anyway. I don’t usually see you during the day and the least you can do is talk to me for ten minutes every evening. It wouldn’t hurt you.”

His roommate grabbed Kaveh’s chin from the other side of him, directing his gaze to the vegetables that he was currently slicing, “Look where you’re cutting. We don’t need you to cut yourself while you’re nagging at me.”

“I can multitask,” Kaveh managed, the declaration seeming like a lie when his hand stilled at the contact. If he wasn’t careful he really could cut himself, but it wasn’t extremely helpful to have the author of his inattention give him a lecture for it. He had been trying very hard to forget the earliest parts of his morning, for his own sanity, and it was unfortunately beginning to look as if Alhaitham had not been doing the same. Kaveh hoped his voice sounded less strangled as he added, “It really does seem like you want to distract me, though. Isn’t your book more interesting than me cooking?”

Alhaitham released his chin, his shoulder hitting Kaveh’s back as his head hovered closer, “I thought the least I could do was talk to you for ten minutes every evening, and now you’re sending me away to do just what I wanted to do?”

Kaveh struggled to collect his words for a few moments, not even pretending to be engaged with his actual task. “You’re impossible,” he finally decided upon, “and I’m not sending you anywhere. You can stay if you want to, but this would go much faster if you didn’t.”

“Obviously,” Alhaitham remarked, moving to stand next to Kaveh instead as he gestured toward his hands. “You won’t be getting anywhere if you’re not even going to bother cutting.”

“You could actually help me, you know?” Kaveh asked, already knowing that Alhaitham would be doing no such thing - because he preferred to do as little work as possible, yes, but also because he was a disaster in the kitchen as far as Kaveh was concerned. Kaveh did continue cutting at the reminder, keeping his eyes on the task rather than his infuriating roommate.

“I would, but alas,” he gestured toward his bandaged hands half-heartedly, “my doctor said to not use my hands as much - might as well listen to her for once. Besides, the deal was that you made me dinner, not that I help you with it.”

Sighing, Kaveh brushed the chopped vegetables into the pot sitting nearby, asking, “When was the last time you even changed those bandages? They must be disgusting by now.”

Alhaitham glanced down at his own fingers as he recalled the date before folding his hands behind his back, “Not too long ago. I tend to let the doctor do it since wrapping everything myself takes more time than I would like to spend.”

“Then let me help you with it,” Kaveh requested, having already wanted to say as much but never having found the time. “You should be changing them more often than your doctor visits anyway, and since we live together, I doubt it would take much time out of your ‘busy’ schedule.”

The other man looked at him unconvinced from the corner of his eye, “Are you sure? You always seemed like the type to dislike looking at wounds like these.”

“I just offered, didn’t I?” he asked rhetorically, not denying that he wasn’t fond of seeing blood. Even if he didn’t like the idea, it was necessary sometimes, and Kaveh would consider Alhaitham to be an exception to his regular rules. “It was only a suggestion, though,” he added, feeling that usual urge to take his words back but trying to resist it.

Alhaitham continued with his stare, eventually nodding in confirmation after a long wait, “Fine, as long as you don’t make a big deal out of it, you could do it.”

“Don’t sound too excited,” Kaveh huffed, too pleased with the acceptance to be truly annoyed. “I put your medication on your desk, by the way. I wasn’t sure where you’d been keeping it, but I didn’t want to leave it out and forget where,” he mentioned, the talk of health reminding him of the quick stop by the doctor’s office for Alhaitham’s prescription. He’d hesitated upon entering Alhaitham’s room but, given the way he’d been invited in the past two days, he had figured that stepping in to leave the other’s medication in sight wasn’t an overstep.

“... Thank you,” Alhaitham responded begrudgingly, shifting his weight from one foot to the next as he leaned against the kitchen counter. “You’re in a rather good mood today, Kaveh. What changed?”

Looking up from the stirring he’d begun, Kaveh watched the other for a moment, unable to help his slight smile as he replied, “Nothing in particular. Can’t I just be happy without a reason?”

“You could, but it doesn’t make it any less strange.”

“Now my being happy is strange?” he questioned, frowning as he turned his attention back to his cooking. “It’s not very nice to want me to be sad, Alhaitham,” he said, mostly joking - only mostly because the word ‘strange’ actually didn’t feel very nice.

“If this is you on a full night’s sleep, I think everyone would thank me for letting you sleep with me,” Alhaitham remarked, opening up the book he had previously ignored to read throughout their conversation.

Kaveh stared at his work more intently than necessary, wishing Alhaitham would stop saying things like that. “You were drunk last night, I don’t think that counts as your bright idea,” he responded after a pause, not voicing the thought that it had only been a special occasion; Alhaitham would have nothing to be proud(?) of, since Kaveh sincerely doubted the other would be extending the invitation again. “And I just said that I didn’t have a reason,” he added, glancing at Alhaitham, “but, I guess getting some sleep probably helped.”

“There is a reason for everything,” his roommate reminded, flipping the page in the journal. “It is a cause and effect relationship. You didn’t sleep for four days, so you slept with me. I got drunk yesterday, and now I have a hangover. You get the picture.”

“Sometimes there’s more than one reason for something,” Kaveh replied, the conversation abruptly reminiscent of their old Akademiya arguments - ‘intellectual differences.’ “Happiness isn’t a science experiment, Alhaitham,” he huffed without real annoyance, “and it doesn’t exist in a vacuum for you to start isolating variables.”

“I never said there couldn’t be multiple reasons for something, only that there could never be no reason,” Alhaitham explained, his head perking up at an idea. “That would be an interesting experiment, though.”

Kaveh paused in his food preparation to point a threatening finger at Alhaitham’s chest. “Don’t you even start.”

He rolled his eyes lightly, “I’m not going to do it, but it is something to think about.” Alhaitham lowered his book, looking upward in thought, “The average person usually only needs four things in life, and if someone played around with a few different variables, it is possible to find the bare minimum of happiness. Humanity has always been an interesting subject.”

“I shouldn’t be encouraging you,” Kaveh acknowledged for the both of them, “but what four things?”

“Love, pleasure,” Alhaitham tilted his head toward Kaveh before he listed the other two, “stability, and money.”

Kaveh released the spoon he was holding to give Alhaitham his full attention, watching the other doubtfully. “That’s not where I thought you were going with that at all. The only things a person really needs are for survival, are they not? I can’t imagine what the ‘bare minimum’ of happiness is, but it sounds miserable.” Kaveh obviously understood the importance of relationships on happiness, as devoid of them as periods of his life had been, but he could never pass up an opportunity to disagree with Alhaitham about some theory of his; he really had expected Alhaitham to list the needs as survival-only, and the actual answer surprised him.

“That fits in with stability,” he argued, raising an eyebrow toward the blond. “I doubt anyone is ever truly happy when they focus solely on survival. Take you, for example. You wouldn’t be ‘happy’ without love and pleasure, though I suppose you could do without money.”

“Don’t use me as an example,” Kaveh complained, swatting his hand in Alhaitham’s direction before carrying on with his task, unwilling to let his roommate distract him completely, “and stop bringing up my… less than phenomenal financial situation.”

Alhaitham took a small step away from him at the hand motion, “You were the first person to come to mind. I couldn’t have used myself since I am not an average person.”

Taking the obvious route set in front of him, Kaveh asked, “What do you need, then? To be happy.”

There was an extended pause as if Alhaitham was actually putting in the effort to give him a good response, the man eventually shrugging in dismissal, “I have never been the best self-reflector. I have been fairly happy the past few months, though, so whatever happened during that time frame could be put into account.”

A small smile rose to his features as he shook his head to himself, saying, “I’m glad to hear that. I want you to be happy.”

Alhaitham frowned at his words, turning his body to face him, “... You really are in a good mood.”

Taking one look at the other’s palpable confusion, Kaveh laughed, a hand briefly raised to cover his mouth. “Don’t be so shocked! We’ve been living together for how long? You’ve seen me in a good mood before, Alhaitham.”

“Not toward me,” he refuted, the frown lessening even if it was still apparent.

“Maybe if you were nicer to me more often, I’d be nicer to you more often,” the blond suggested, the words partially true - he would he kinder to Alhaitham if he received the same treatment, but there was more to his behavior toward Alhaitham than simple transaction. It was always complicated with him, and Kaveh, to the other’s obvious surprise, was going off-script lately. The whole situation had shaken him, and he had somehow managed to improve his relationship with Alhaitham; even if the change was temporary, Kaveh intended to enjoy it while he could. He really was happy, especially since Alhaitham had gotten home and hadn’t left his side.

Alhaitham put his book down on the counter to instead move toward their cabinets, grabbing two bowls from it, “I’m almost always nice.”

“Well,” Kaveh started with emphasis, stirring the spoon through the mixture he’d created once more before deeming the consistency correct, “you’ve been especially nice lately when we haven’t been arguing. And maybe that’s part of why I’m in such a good mood, even with you bothering me in the kitchen.”

“You told me to stay,” Alhaitham deflected, placing the bowls on the counter so that they were easy for Kaveh to reach. “I suppose you do have your reasons for being happy, then. I haven’t sparked your innate need for the dramatics yet.”

Picking up one of the proffered bowls, Kaveh replied, “I didn’t tell you to, I let you. There’s a difference, Alhaitham, being that you chose to be here to have this conversation with me.” Beginning to ladle the soup into it, he added, “Besides, I’m always dramatic. You tell me that constantly.”

“You seemed like you could use the conversation. Besides, the fact that you had even let me in here while you cooked in the first place was what drew me in.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kaveh denied, setting aside the filled bowl to do the same to the other. “It’s not like I usually bar you from entering the kitchen when I’m making something. I might not welcome you, but there’s nothing exciting about me letting you stay.”

Alhaitham grabbed two spoons from out of the drawer, placing them both into the individual bowls. “You tend to get aggressive.”

Though he wanted to deny it, Alhaitham wasn't exactly wrong. "Well," he defended, turning to watch the other now that he had finished, "you tend to deserve it. You've been surprisingly unobtrusive today, actually. You're usually terribly annoying when I try to cook something with you in the house."

His roommate moved over toward their small kitchen table with a shake to his head, “What do I do that is obtrusive? You may be exaggerating a little.” 

Beginning to clear away the mess he’d created in the kitchen, Kaveh replied, “You always like to judge how I do things, like there’s a right way to do everything.” He was certain by now that Alhaitham was rarely malicious in doing so, but that acknowledgement did not mean the commentary was always welcome. Kaveh worked hard to convince himself that everything didn’t need to be perfect - the last thing he needed some days was someone telling him the opposite. “But you hardly even complained today!” Kaveh continued cheerfully, joining Alhaitham at the table. “Maybe you’re in a good mood too, huh?”

“I am hardly ever in a good mood,” Alhaitham answered, stirring his soup around idly after he had sat down. “And I don’t feel much different compared to how I usually feel.”

“I won’t let your bad attitude ruin mine,” Kaveh huffed, looking at the other pointedly. It was too much to hope that Alhaitham would feel the same way as he did, especially since the other’s injuries were still affecting him.

Alhaitham eventually took a bite of the soup, eyeing the blond lightly as he otherwise commented, “I didn’t say I was in a bad mood, either.”

Stirring his own bowl with his spoon, Kaveh sighed, cheek balanced on his palm. “Don’t be so difficult, Alhaitham,” he scolded briefly before changing the subject entirely. “Did you get a lot of ‘work’ done after I left? Don’t think I didn’t see through your plan to get rid of me.”

“It wasn’t a plan to get rid of you,” the other man huffed out, rolling his shoulders back in a light stretch. “I was going to decline many people’s proposals, and I didn’t need you following me around to watch.”

“I’m not sure I would have wanted to watch that anyway,” he said, more accepting of Alhaitham’s idea to send him away; he hadn’t been upset about it, even when thinking the other had merely wanted to be alone, but having an explanation helped. “Did you find any of them interesting? You’re always complaining about the proposals you have to look over.” Kaveh couldn’t imagine sending in a proposal for Alhaitham to accept or reject, and he had a decent amount of respect for anyone brave enough to try.

“They were all poorly written and held no merit. I did not have to read all of them to know that much for certain,” Alhaitham answered matter-of-factly, fiddling with the end of his spoon.

Poor Akademiya scholars. “So, just another day, then?”

“Of course,” he leaned back into the wooden chair, crossing his ankles over one another, “it is the best part of work. I may dislike being Acting Grand Sage, but that is the highlight of my day.”

“I’m not surprised,” Kaveh replied easily, “since you tore down their proposals for free when we were still students. At least you get paid to do it now.”

“Nobody wanted to know an onikabuto’s favorite snack, Kaveh. They were just looking for an excuse to go to Inazuma,” Alhaitham said, recalling the memory almost on command.

Holding back a laugh at the absurd proposal and the thought of how Alhaitham must have reacted to it, Kaveh argued, “Maybe some people do. Anyone who likes bugs is bound to have strange ideas about what’s ‘important’ information for the Akademiya to have.”

He blinked at Kaveh slowly, “Would this information make anyone in all of Teyvat any more intelligent? Would it lead to anything of importance?”

“Depends on what you consider to be important, doesn’t it?” Kaveh asked, if only to annoy Alhaitham further. “Maybe they’re just really passionate.”

“If you love bugs so much, Kaveh, why don’t you try to sleep outside tonight?” Alhaitham asked sarcastically, his gaze falling upon the soup bowl instead.

Kaveh huffed, resisting a shudder at the thought of any insect crawling on him, let alone any so large as they’d been talking about before. “Why does that sound like a threat, Alhaitham? After I made dinner for you, this is how I’m treated? Honestly.”

“You started it, I thought that I might as well end it.” Alhaitham pushed his mostly empty bowl forward, looking as if he wanted to leave but staying glued to his seat instead. “If I hadn’t known any better, you were sticking up for that guy.”

“No,” Kaveh denied without hesitation, “I was only arguing the other side because I wanted to.” Tilting his head as he watched his roommate, he teased, “And don’t push this all on me. I think you like having someone disagree with you from time to time.”

“Fair,” the other man commented offhandedly, though otherwise not denying the observation. Gazing down at Kaveh’s own bowl, he made sure to add, “You’re incredibly slow.”

His surprise at the lack of refusal was short-lived given the immediate turn into indignation. Alhaitham always complained about how slow he was, but it was difficult to eat and talk at the same time - not something that the Acting Grand Sage himself ever had occasion to find out. “You aren’t chained to the table, Alhaitham. You can sit there and admit you like my company, for once.”

“It is nice enough. I wouldn’t have let you live here if I didn’t like your company whatsoever,” Alhaitham replied, standing up from his seat to put his dish into the appropriate sink. 

Hiding a smile halfway behind his hand as Alhaitham walked away, the blond focused on the last of the meal in front of him, growing colder the longer he took to finish. It wasn’t his fault that Alhaitham was civil and, as a result, even more distracting than normal. As much as the other claimed to have just as sour of a mood as usual, Kaveh would have been blind not to notice the differences in his behavior; as long as it benefited him, Kaveh had no complaints to offer.

“Now,” he started as he followed Alhaitham’s path back into the kitchen, “back to the very serious issue you’ve been avoiding: how old are those bandages?”

“Old enough to need changing,” his roommate answered shortly, taking Kaveh’s dish out of his hands to put it near his own.

Crossing his arms when free to do so, he prompted, “Is that an invitation?”

“I already agreed, so we may as well get it over with,” Alhaitham confirmed, already tugging his shirt off and over his head before inquiring, “Where do you want me?”

Kaveh, with his great wealth of restraint, said none of the immediate answers that came to mind; Alhaitham’s new civility was really starting to get to him. “How about the kitchen table? I’ll need to clean it later, anyway,” he suggested, needlessly gesturing to the object in question as if Alhaitham didn’t live there.

Going toward where he was directed, he placed his shirt onto the table before he otherwise followed suit, his legs spreading as they dangled from the floor. “If you make one noise of disgust about this, I’m going to the doctors immediately,” Alhaitham warned, folding his shirt up nicely beside him.

“I have seen injuries before, you know? I wouldn’t have offered if I thought it was going to be a problem,” Kaveh shot back, locating the dwindling roll of bandages that Alhaitham had left on the counter - Kaveh had insisted on keeping it out of the kitchen at first, but he’d quickly found that it wasn’t worth the effort.

“You say that as if you don’t do that all the time,” Alhaitham pointed out, starting to take off the bandages wrapping around his hand first. “For example, you offer to pay rent when we both know that will be a problem for you.”

Glancing around the room in search of a reasonable answer, he eventually settled upon a weak one: “That’s different. If you told me to pay my rent on time or you’d die, maybe I’d figure out my money situation a little quicker.”

“Kaveh,” the other man started seriously, making sure to catch his gaze, “if you don’t pay your rent on time, I will die.”

“Considering the fact that a light wind could do that already,” Kaveh started, spinning the roll of bandages in his hands, “I think I’ll take my chances.”

Finishing up with the bandages on both of his hands rather quickly, Alhaitham moved on to the ones on his chest. “If I am able to be killed by a light wind, then just let me die. That would be my time to go.”

“Not on my watch. Who else would harass me when I cook?” Kaveh huffed, glaring fakely at Alhaitham. “Honestly, think about me in this situation.”

“You could ask the onikabuto researcher to harass you, since you are so fond of him,” he mentioned, the bandages coming off in swirls but quick enough to not be a bother.

“I’ve never even met him, how could I possibly be fond of him?” the blond asked rhetorically, trying not to stare as Alhaitham removed his bandages; he didn’t have an excuse ready, and really didn’t want to be asked for one. “Besides, I’ve gotten too used to you doing the harassing. I wouldn’t want someone else to be doing it instead.”

Placing the bandages that were around his chest onto the pile of old ones, Alhaitham bent his fingers back and forth as if to stretch them. “I’m sure there is someone out there who would talk to you like I do, as long as you harass them back as much as you always do.”

"I've never harassed anyone in my life," Kaveh denied, closing the small distance between them and looking at the removed bandages rather than the exposed wounds that had been underneath. He could handle it, but he didn't want his reaction to make Alhaitham change his mind. "You only say that because you don't like when I'm right."

Once Kaveh filled in his legs’ gap, Alhaitham placed his hands on the blond’s sides as if to give him more room to work with. “You have to look at me to do this, you know,” Alhaitham reminded with a touch of sarcasm, choosing not to reply to Kaveh’s jab.

Kaveh brought his gaze to Alhaitham’s face at the unexpected touch, looking for some sign that the other would reject his help - there was still time. “Do I just need to wrap you up? Or am I supposed to be putting something on the open parts? Or-” he asked, pace quick like the words were escaping him against his will. He didn’t want Alhaitham to know he was nervous about this, but it was difficult to conceal when he was a second away from the task itself and less than a step away from the shirtless man he lived with. He didn’t want to do something wrong and make it worse, somehow. “Tell me what to do,” he finally requested, squeezing the roll between his hands.

“Based on your reaction so far,” Alhaitham started, glancing down at his own wounds to see how they looked, “we should skip to the wrapping. You’re already a mess, so I could get the doctor to redo them tomorrow.”

“I’m not a mess,” he replied petulantly, finally looking down at the injuries Alhaitham had been carrying for the past few days. They were… Well, Kaveh wasn’t entirely sure what he had been expecting, but they certainly didn’t seem enjoyable to have. Hovering a fingertip just above the damaged skin of Alhaitham’s chest, Kaveh asked, “How much have these been hurting? You’ve hardly said anything about them.”

“They’re not too bad,” the other man excused tightly, staying still at the almost-touch. “I don’t see why I would need to say anything about them.”

Leave it to Alhaitham to miss the entire point of complaining despite the fact that he did so quite often. “The fact that you won’t tell me things like that is a big part of why I worry, you know,” Kaveh admitted, glancing at Alhaitham’s face for a moment before returning his attention to the healing injuries; he didn’t really expect Alhaitham to change his ways, but he had been more honest lately - guilty for making the other take care of him and for convincing Alhaitham that he didn’t care. Kaveh had seen how the bandages had been wrapped before as Alhaitham had taken them off and he didn’t imagine replicating the process in reverse would be too difficult, lining up the end of the roll with the top of Alhaitham’s chest as he said, “I guess I’ll just start here, hm?”

“That is fine,” Alhaitham confirmed, though only after grabbing Kaveh’s elbow to direct his hand a few centimeters lower than it had been. Returning his hand to where it had been previously glued to Kaveh’s side, he reminded, “You don’t have to be worried. If something is urgent, I would tell you.”

Holding down the corner with one hand as he began spreading the roll of bandages across Alhaitham’s chest, Kaveh confessed, “I don’t know if I believe you.” It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Alhaitham with a great number of things, because he did. Their definitions of urgent might have been different, however, and Kaveh had no idea how to begin fixing that. Alhaitham didn’t owe him anything, least of all access to the more personal aspects of his life, but that wouldn’t stop Kaveh from worrying about him; it had always been there, even before they’d moved in together, and the attack had only amplified Kaveh’s need to keep an eye on him.

“Why not?” he asked, stiffening at the touch as his back straightened. “I am usually honest with you.”

“Usually,” he echoed, as that was the operative word and part of the reason. Kaveh focused his attention on threading the line of bandages underneath Alhaitham’s arm, seeing precisely why it would be difficult to do by himself. He could have asked for help but hadn’t, making Kaveh regret offering - was he guilting Alhaitham into something else? “But it’s fine,” he assured, not exactly lying.

“Whenever there is something urgent, I do tell you,” Alhaitham said again, as if he had to support his statement despite Kaveh’s reassurance.

Lightly pressing the bandages tight against Alhaitham’s skin, Kaveh gave a small nod, agreeing easily: “Okay, Alhaitham.” He didn’t really want to argue with him, not after the previous day.

One hand dropped from where it was on Kaveh’s side, “When haven’t I?”

Glancing up at Alhaitham’s face, Kaveh said simply, “You lied to me. Outright. When you were bleeding to death.”

“That wasn’t too urgent,” Alhaitham defended honestly, placing both of his hands down on his knees. “At least, it wasn’t urgent to tell you. I was trying to go to the doctor as soon as possible.”

Rolling his eyes for his own benefit, Kaveh continued wrapping the bandages around Alhaitham’s torso, wishing he hadn’t been expecting the other to say that. Kaveh wasn’t filled with particularly nice things to say, but he was nearly done with his task anyway.

Alhaitham watched his hands at work for a small period of time, shifting his weight forward before he stopped one of Kaveh’s hands altogether, “If we have two separate definitions of ‘urgent’, I would like to know so that you won’t be angry with me later, Kaveh.”

Kaveh stared at his captured hand rather than Alhaitham’s face as he considered his words. “I think we do,” he finally said, having already known that much, “but I can’t expect you to care about the things that I do.”

“I already said I cared about you, does that not equate to caring about things that you do too?” Alhaitham explained, releasing his hand after the stare had grown too long. 

“No,” Kaveh started, letting his hand fall to his side, task not yet finished as he met Alhaitham’s gaze, “it’s not the same. Because I care about you, but I can’t make you do that too. Maybe bleeding out doesn’t bother you, but it bothers me.”

“Okay,” he said slowly, leaning back as he propped his arm up behind him, “then I’ll let you know next time. What else?”

He hadn’t anticipated the easy acceptance, but maybe he should have. “What do you think is urgent?” Kaveh asked instead of answering, feeling too uneven with everything he’d already said.

“World devastation,” Alhaitham listed, holding a finger up before adding in another, “work.”

Giving the other an unimpressed look, Kaveh replied sarcastically, “You’re a comedian.”

“I know,” the other man responded, checking the tightness of the bandages wrapped around his chest. “The only sense of urgency I have felt in the past few months is when I walked home to see if you were okay. Otherwise, I don’t think I have any others.”

“Oh,” Kaveh said, almost reflexively, “I… didn’t know that.” Looping the roll of bandages around Alhaitham once more before clipping the end, Kaveh left one hand pressed lightly against the other’s side; he didn’t need to keep it there for stability anymore, but he was in no hurry to move it. “I’ve been worried sick about you, lately. I couldn’t even sleep until I was sure you were alright, and, well… I couldn’t be sure unless I could see you.”

“Kaveh, you’re seeing me right now. I’m fine.”

Shifting his hand to brush the very edge of the layers of bandages he had just placed, Kaveh asked, “Are you?”

Alhaitham offered him a small nod, “Today has been the best one so far in terms of pain, so there’s no need to worry about something that brings me mild discomfort.”

“Okay,” he conceded, trusting that Alhaitham wouldn’t lie to him at a time like this, when they had hedged around an argument and ended up actually communicating with one another. “Let me cover up the marks on your arms, and then I’ll let you get up.”

The other man held his hand out, his palm facing upwards as he waited for further direction. “What about you?”

Moving to hold Alhaitham’s forearm with one hand and the roll of bandages with the other, Kaveh shot his roommate a confused look. “What about me?”

“Are you feeling better?” Alhaitham asked, letting his hand go limp so that Kaveh had an easier time moving it around.

“Yeah, I really am,” Kaveh replied honestly, finding very quickly that wrapping an arm was much easier than wrapping an entire torso - Alhaitham must have had no problems with doing that part himself, but he hadn’t complained when Kaveh had started. “I’m happy today, as strange as you think that is.”

“Two days of rest does make you more tolerable compared to four days without,” he commented, flexing his hand once the bandages covered the area.

Taking Alhaitham’s other hand within his own, Kaveh huffed, “I couldn’t have been that intolerable, considering you kept dragging me into your room late at night.”

“I’m talking about before then,” Alhaitham said, allowing for the blond to take his other hand away without fuss. “You tried to throw a sandal at me.”

“First of all, you deserved that. Second of all, I hardly threw it at you, really. It didn’t even leave a mark,” Kaveh complained, continuing to wrap the other’s arm as he went. “Well, it didn’t leave a mark the second time, since I did miss the first time, but that’s hardly relevant.”

“There’s a dent in the wall, Kaveh. One that you still haven’t fixed.”

“I tried to hang a painting over it, but you kept taking it down and complaining about the dent. There’s just no pleasing you.”

“Since we are all about honesty today,” Alhaitham’s nose crinkled slightly, “I hate that painting.”

Kaveh’s hand stilled in its wrapping. “I can’t believe you! That is a perfectly nice painting that I got from a friend!”

The other man shook his head, “Not a very talented friend.”

“He is a very talented friend,” Kaveh responded, beginning to cover Alhaitham’s arm once more. “I believe he’s working as an artist now. I haven’t actually talked to him in a few years, but that’s not the point! The point is that it’s my painting and I’m allowed to put things on the walls of our home.”

“Then put it in a dark corner that I don’t have to look at,” Alhaitham sighed, glancing around the room until he found their small trash can sitting in the corner, “preferably there.”

“Alhaitham,” Kaveh started seriously, “if my favorite painting goes missing, you will find your things in that trash can.”

“You couldn’t fit all of my stuff in that thing. Nice try, though.”

“If I tried very hard, I might fit you in that thing, actually.”

“You wouldn’t,” Alhaitham dismissed, moving closer toward Kaveh once the wrapping had almost finished up. “You need to see me, apparently, and you can’t do that when I am in the trash.”

Kaveh kept Alhaitham’s hand in his own as he secured the end of the strip of bandages, surveying his work for a moment before turning his attention back to his roommate. “Maybe you’re right,” he said without further hesitation, skimming a finger over the uneven layering he’d made.

Standing up once Alhaitham saw that he was done despite their close proximity, he raised his other bandaged hand up to look at Kaveh’s craftsmanship, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Kaveh returned, dropping Alhaitham’s hand and taking a step back at the other’s movement. “I don’t mind helping, you know,” he added, hoping Alhaitham might ask him for help sometime without Kaveh having to volunteer himself.

Alhaitham slipped his shirt back on from over his head, popping his arms into the sleeves just as smoothly. “You’re a busy man, and I am perfectly capable of doing most things on my own.”

“Maybe I want to help you. Have you ever thought of that?” Kaveh questioned, rerolling the remaining bandages and placing them on the table - he needed to clean anyway, so leaving them out for a bit wouldn’t hurt anything.

“Fine,” Alhaitham agreed, picking up the old bandages that sat upon their wooden table as he wandered over toward the trash can previously mentioned before, “you could help me by going to bed.”

Kaveh sighed, an exaggerated sound to be sure Alhaitham understood just how exhausted he was of the man’s insistence. “How does me going to bed help you at all?” he asked incredulously, watching Alhaitham from his spot near the table. “I’ve slept the past two nights, there’s no reason to worry about me.”

“It’d help you not to throw anything at me tomorrow,” he explained, throwing the bandages into the trash before heading toward the hall.

“If you don’t do anything throw-worthy, then you won’t have to worry,” Kaveh replied, trailing after Alhaitham despite his denial.

Alhaitham stopped at his own door, turning toward his stalker slowly, “According to you, I always do something ‘throw-worthy’.”

Kaveh offered no argument, since the words were almost true - he didn’t always feel like throwing things, after all. “Are you going to invite me in?” the blond asked, a bolder request than he would usually make. He wanted to blame it on his uplifted mood, but that wasn’t entirely it. “How else can you be sure I sleep?”

The other man raised his eyebrows expectantly, his hand moving to sit on his doorknob as he inquired, “Is that your way of asking to sleep with me again?”

“Do you really have to say everything so plainly?” Kaveh complained, false confidence wavering upon being asked so directly. “I already said I couldn’t sleep without you. Isn’t that enough?”

Alhaitham stared at him for a moment before otherwise grabbing his bicep and dragging him through the door, “Same as before, alright? If you want to grab anything from your room to sleep with, then go ahead now.”

“Let me go and I promise I’ll come back,” he teased, though it was true. He hadn’t expected Alhaitham to take the 'dragging' quite so literally, but he had no qualms with his methods.

“If you say so,” Alhaitham conceded, letting go of his arm as he otherwise retreated to his side of the bed.

Making use of his newfound freedom, Kaveh stepped out of the room to cross the short distance to reach his own. A quick change of clothes and a trip to the bathroom later, Kaveh followed the familiar path back to Alhaitham’s room, wondering if his temporary invitations hadn’t become a little more permanent.

“Are you sure you haven’t changed your mind?” he asked as he shut the door behind him, approaching the side of the bed that was becoming familiar.

Alhaitham was already laying on his side of the bed, clad in his own set of pajamas as he replied, “I don’t move in my sleep, you being there won’t change anything for me.”

“You sound so unenthusiastic,” Kaveh huffed as he made himself comfortable, lying on his side to face the other, “but you wouldn’t be dragging me unless you wanted me to be here.”

“I only get enthusiastic in bed for one thing,” the other man turned to face him as well, the corners upon his lips slightly upturned as he lamely finished his joke, “reading.”

Kaveh sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face as he heard the punchline. “You’ve read a book on every surface in this house, I don’t think that 'enthusiasm' is locked in this room.”

“It’s the best place to read anything,” Alhaitham defended, staring at the ceiling as he took a deep breath, “or at least it was, until you started sleeping in here too. It is not as quiet.”

“Until you started bringing me here to sleep,” Kaveh corrected without pause, swatting a hand in the other’s direction. “Don’t push it on me when you’re just as guilty, Alhaitham.”

“I’m not complaining, only observing.”

Regarding Alhaitham with narrowed eyes, Kaveh let the comment slide, since he hadn’t actually been upset in the slightest. “You tell me to sleep, but then all you do is talk my ear off. Honestly, Alhaitham,” he said playfully, content with the other’s confession to enjoying his company. He didn’t always read between the lines correctly, but he was learning a thing or two about Alhaitham, lately.

Alhaitham lightly pushed Kaveh’s cheek so that he would look at the ceiling instead. “Then sleep. I’m not stopping you.”

Kaveh didn’t bother to hide his smile at Alhaitham’s reaction, though he stared at the ceiling for a few moments before looking back at his friend. Tiredness weighed him down, lingering from the nights he’d gone without addressing it, and Kaveh let it pull him, safe and secure with Alhaitham beside him - perhaps a little closer than when they had first laid down due to Kaveh’s shifting, but that wasn’t anyone’s business aside from his own.

He was worried about Alhaitham, the attack and the injuries still obviously affecting him, but instead of bottling it up, Kaveh had a new plan: he was going to make it Alhaitham’s problem. Kaveh cared a lot about his asshole of a roommate and the other really needed to take responsibility for that. And if Alhaitham cared about him even half as much, then Kaveh wouldn’t mind being held accountable.

─── 𓆩⟡𓆪 ───