Chapter Text
Alhaitham’s apartment was only quiet when he was alone. He was lucky enough to find one close to the Akademiya, yet even the racket of the students and passersby faded to nothing when his housemate wasn’t around.
Strange enough, with how many hours Kaveh had been sprawled on their living room couch, working on his rough drafts. Stranger still, with it being minutes past midnight. Kaveh, burdened with a deadline, would have been home by now.
Crickets made Alhaitham near-deaf on the couch, his earplug barely enough to keep the racket of nature down. It was so bizarre, how he could hear the fan, the tap he never got around to fixing, the people bustling outside his door. All because there was no whining and complaining and soft rustling of papers to drown them out.
His eyes were used to that patch of blonde hair, like a mop plastered over sketches and blueprints. And he could only trail after what was gone from its rightful place. He could still catch the slight scent of charcoal and the fruit Kaveh had been eating nonstop.
Alhaitham had told Kaveh yesterday: “You’ll grow molds with how long you’re staying there.”
His roommate tore another page from his sketchbook, crumpling it and throwing it to the side. “You say I’m out of the house way too much. Could it be you’re missing me?”
“Your room is cluttered.”
Kaveh’s brows had furrowed, muttering something about Alhaitham only wanting him around for chores. “You- You’re distracting me again.”
“I spoke one sentence.”
“Yes, and you’re still standing here!”
“I’m not forcing you to reply.”
Kaveh had groaned. “Oh, Lesser Lord, just shut up, Alhaitham! You’re going to make me late.”
Alhaitham had laughed then.
His nose wrinkled now, the pads of his fingers running over the spot on the couch Kaveh’s head lay on top of that day. Who was the one making him late now?
He stood up to the bookcase, something clattering to his feet as he did. He crouched down to pick it up. House keys, gold and adorned with a small plush that was both unnecessary and too bulky to fit in his pocket. Kaveh’s, no doubt.
Perhaps Kaveh really was too cooped up in the house, with him forgetting these basic things. Though, Kaveh wasn’t one to remember his keys on a normal day either.
Alhaitham debated falling asleep then, but waking up to a cold and hungover Kaveh on his doorstep was not something he wanted to experience. On the other hand, it would be unwise to leave the door unlocked for Kaveh when there’s so many people out.
He took a glass of water, drank slowly to prepare for the headache that is his roommate, and left the house for the tavern.
Lights littered the streets, stalls set up with food and trinkets Alhaitham was sure Kaveh couldn’t ignore. Alhaitham had visited the festival earlier, and he’d thought Kaveh could use a break.
“Can you even think with all of this noise?” Alhaitham had asked him a few hours prior to him leaving, setting a mug of coffee on the table far enough from Kaveh’s sketch.
“No,” Kaveh grit out. “No, I can’t, Alhaitham, but you can’t get me to move. I’m finally getting struck by all the Archons at the same time with their creative talents, and my hand has never cramped less.”
Alhaitham would pity him if this hadn’t happened so many times prior. He had found it funny then.
“You’re amusing like this. Did you know you’ve smeared charcoal over your cheeks?”
“What?” Kaveh had asked, letting go of his pencil to touch his face, uselessly wiping away at it. He’d managed to stop himself, glaring up at Alhaitham instead. “This is another ploy to distract me.”
Alhaitham had huffed. “I am not.”
“Is that all you have to say? Oh, come here,” Kaveh said, standing up and rubbing the side of his palm on Alhaitham’s cheek, grabbing him by the shoulder to keep him there.
He had caught Alhaitham so off-guard that the younger could only stare, mouth parted in shock. He supposed Kaveh had taken it as an invitation, dragging him until Alhaitham’s head was on the sofa, the rest of him on the floor. Kaveh’s thumbs were still on his cheeks, but his eyes stayed locked on crimson ones, lids still painted red from yesterday, bags more prominent than ever.
He had heard the way Tighnari talked about Kaveh, something about the older man being ‘so lucky he was pretty’. Cyno had agreed, and now, Alhaitham supposed he agreed as well.
“This is where we’re supposed to kiss.” Kaveh had jolted him from his thoughts. He looked up to see striking crimson looking down at him expectantly.
Alhaitham’s rationality tried to catch up with the shock. “You’re sleep deprived.”
“And you’re so close,” Kaveh had muttered. “And I’m so tired, Haitham.”
His mind worked so quickly it was painful, eyes landing on the two bottles of beer Kaveh tried to hide under the sofa table. Oh, no wonder.
Alhaitham had held Kaveh’s chin. “Do you really want to?”
The man had stayed still, thumbs still tracing Alhaitham’s cheekbones. He had charcoal all over him now. “Well, I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t, would I?”
Alhaitham swallowed. "Alright, I’ll kiss you. Lay your head down first, and I will.”
Kaveh really was a lightweight. His cheeks had turned fully red now, and Alhaitham could feel how warm he was from where he lay on his chest.
“So you can follow instruction.”
“Oh, shut it,” Kaveh grumbled. “Will you kiss me now?”
“Whatever you’d like, Senior. Just close your eyes first.”
Alhaitham pat Kaveh’s head, his own hands trembling with effort not to just pull him up and kiss him like he wanted. He exhaled, hoisting Kaveh up and laying him down on the couch.
Asleep. He’d suspected as much.
He stayed there a moment, studying Kaveh’s sketch. He was sure he’d be able to finish by sundown if he woke Kaveh up at noon.
Though he never really got to, because Kaveh had left when Alhaitham returned from the Akademiya at noon to wake him up.
Ironic, how the people were still loud and the lights were still bright and Kaveh, in all the embodiment of the Light of his darshan, hadn’t seen any of it.
Alhaitham went straight to the tavern. It was an hour past midnight now, and he was so sure he’d find Kaveh on the counter again, drunk out of his mind. He shouldn’t have been so assured.
“Has Kaveh been here by any chance?” Alhaitham asked the keeper.
The man shook his head. “Left a few hours ago. Some guy with black hair took him.”
Tighnari, no doubt. Alhaitham gave him his thanks, and headed back home.
Minutes past one in the morning, he decided to just lay on the couch. He would surely hear Kaveh if he stumbled into the house, banging on the door. Alhaitham kept the gold house key on the sofa, the scent of Kaveh enveloping him until he was asleep.