Chapter Text
Kaveh was blissfully drunk. The tavern was loud, and the smoke and perfume around the bar made his head spin. He felt deliciously overwhelmed in a way that would send most people reeling, but to him, it felt like a warm hug, toeing just close enough to his bad habits to satisfy him. He didn’t let loose like this very often anymore, but tonight was different because he knew that with Alhaitham there with him he was safe to let go a bit. As grouchy as the scribe could get, Kaveh knew that the man would never let anyone hurt him while he was there to stop it.
He keeps sneaking glances back to the table where his friends are. Tighnari and Alhaitham are sitting there in silence, looking despondent and exhausted and Kaveh would feel guilty for dragging them along if he hadn’t been having such a good time himself.
Cyno, too, seemed to be reveling in the evening. He had stumbled off to the dance floor some time ago with his cheeks flushed a deep red, giggling at the slightest provocation. How such a formidable man had such a low tolerance for alcohol, he had no idea. He didn’t think that Cyno had had more than two glasses of wine, but looking at him now, you’d guess he’d had to have had at least a whole bottle to himself. The general looks over at him, noticing him staring back and beams. Before Kaveh can even think to smile back, Cyno is walking over weaving through the crowds and beckoning for Kaveh to meet him halfway.
He pushes off the bar, blushing a little as he realizes how unsteady his legs are underneath him. Giggling, he tumbles forward to Cyno, wrapping his arms around the shorter man’s neck and draping all his weight over him.
“Hi,” He whispers, nuzzling against Cyno’s neck as the other man drags him out into the midst of the dance floor.
“Hi,” Cyno snorts back, sounding uncharacteristically bubbly. He spins Kaveh around, and they clumsily dance together, twisting and pressing into each other as the music reverberates around them. “I like your hair.”
“Thank you.” Kaveh smiles back as Cyno grabs his waist and pulls him closer. Their faces are only a few inches apart and Kaveh can practically taste the wine on his breath. If he were with someone else, he’d think he was about to get propositioned, but he already knew what Cyno was actually going to say before the words passed his lips.
“I think Tighnari would look good with his hair up.”
Kaveh laughs so hard he almost chokes. Cyno whines at him, but he’s too busy being disproportionately amused to listen to him.
“Interrupting something?” A sweet voice cuts in, and Kaveh looks up to see Tighnari watching them, his cheeks pink and his ears pinned back slightly. Kaveh is quick to pull away from Cyno, and Cyno is quick to trip over to Tighnari.
“‘Nari!” Cyno says giddily, pulling the little fox into his arms and spinning around like a kid with a teddy bear. Kaveh smiles as the pair starts to dance together, their movements and expressions quickly turning more charged as they whisper to each other, their little secrets getting drowned out by the music, leaving Kaveh’s brain to fill in the gaps. He watches them for a few more seconds, dancing casually by himself before turning back to their table to see Alhaitham staring back at him, now sat all alone.
He breaks out into a grin as he realizes his little junior has been watching him dance. Alhaitham looks stiff and awkward, but his eyes look so genuine and soft that Kaveh’s heart swells at the sight.
“I’ll get us more wine!” he yells with a wink, hoping Alhaitham hears him over the noise. He turns away and skips over to the counter, calling out to Lambad for two glasses and a fresh bottle of the house wine. Alhaitham really did look so cute and sweet when he was out of his comfort zone. Kaveh can’t help but smile every time he sees his face.
After a few minutes, Lambad heads back over to him with his wine, but as the man approaches him, he watches the tavern master's face darken.
“Kaveh, trouble.” He barks, pointing over his shoulder.
“Wha–” He starts spinning around and feeling the blood drain out of his face as he’s met with the sight of Alhaitham bleeding and pressed up against the wall, trapped under the weight of a filthy man. “ Hey!” He screams, hoping he catches Cyno and Tighnari’s attention as he runs over, brutally knocking other patrons out of the way as he storms across the dance floor. His rage reaches criticality as he watches the sleaze pinning Alhaitham start trying to reach down into his pants. “Get the hell off him!” Kaveh spits out as he grabs the man by the collar and, using all his strength, rips him off, slamming him onto the floor, snarling as the man's skull cracks against the tile. He glances back to Alhaitham and sees watery grey-green eyes staring back at him hauntingly.
He starts kicking before he’s even really processed what he’s doing. The man on the floor cries and screams as Kaveh stomps down hard on his ribs before delivering a vicious kick between the legs. He vaguely registers Tighnari dodging past him and Cyno, trying to gently pull him back. But the image of this scum groping Alhaitham is still too fresh in his mind, and all he can do is keep beating the man into the ground. Cyno quickly gives up on trying to gently pry him away and grabs both his wrists, wrenching his arms behind his back and forcefully yanking him off the man and holding him tight as Kaveh just starts screaming obscenities at the writhing creep on the floor.
“Oi,” Tighnari growls at him, yanking at his cloak to get his attention. Kaveh falters a little at the sudden appearance and quickly shuts up as Tighnari glares at him. “Alhaitham isn’t doing too hot he needs to get out of here now, and he won’t leave without you, so chill the fuck out and help me carry him outside.”
Kaveh gapes like a fish, barely noticing as Cyno releases his wrists and pushes him over to Tighnari. He looks over at Alhaitham, and his heart clenches at the sight of his wide-eyed roommate trembling with a vacant look in his eyes. He feels torn as his eyes dart back to the man on the floor, feeling the rage start to bubble up again, but Cyno shoves them both away again and gestures over to the door. Catching Alhaitham’s eyes again, he pulls himself back together and lets Tighnari drag him over to help.
As Alhaitham passes out on the sofa beneath him, Kaveh feels like he finally understands what Alhaitham usually had to deal with when he was the one blacked out on the couch. Except in his case, it’s almost always entirely his fault, whereas Alhaitham was completely innocent.
Rolling his eyes, he gets to his feet and heads to their kitchen. He grabs some washcloths and ice and fills a bowl with some cold water before heading back over to the sofa and putting the stuff he’d gathered down on the coffee table, thanking the archons that he’d remembered to clear all the books away before they’d left. He turns back to Alhaitham, and his heart pangs at the pale, bloodied mess in front of him. Grabbing one of the cloths, he dips it in the bowl and wrings it out before he tentatively lifts Alhaitham’s head and shoulders up and sits down beneath him, cradling Alhaitham’s face in his lap.
“What am I gonna do with you?” He whispers as he pushes the matted grey hair out of Alhaitham’s face and begins to gently wipe the dried blood away. Kaveh softly drags his fingers through Alhaitham’s hair as he cleans his skin, teasing at tangles as he hums away to himself. Kaveh’s hands falter as Alhaitham lets out a soft moan, and he just watches as Alhaitham’s cheek squishes against his palm. He strokes his head again, and then, before he can think better of it, he leans down and presses a quick, chaste kiss against Alhaithams cheek.
It’s not the first time he’s kissed Alhaitham, but something feels different this time as he pulls back to see a tiny smile on the other man's lips. He caresses Alhaitham’s cheek again before reaching over to grab the ice pack and lay it over his forehead. Leaning back, he keeps his fingers tangled in Alhaitham’s hair as he watches him sleep. Gradually, as Alhaitham’s breathing evens out and slows, Kaveh finds himself yawning, and before he knows it, the darkness of the room is consuming him, and he drifts to sleep with Alhaitham’s head in his lap.
Kaveh wakes up sore and uncomfortable. The first thing he feels as he comes to is his hair clips digging into his skull and his belt digging into his waist. But the next thing he notices is the large, soft hand clasped in his, and as he blearily opens his eyes, he looks down to find Alhaitham still curled up in his lap.
His fingers are still tangled in Alhaitham’s hair, and in the night the taller man seems to have managed to cuddle in impossibly closer. He starts to pull his hand away, but as he does, big grey-green eyes blink open before quickly pressing shut, and he freezes.
Alhaitham looks awful. Bruises are littered across his skin, and in the morning light, Kaveh can see little bits of dried blood he missed the night before. He squeezes Alhaitham’s hand lightly and keeps his mouth shut as the other man whimpers. Kaveh knows better than to ask. He could tell Alhaitham had a killer migraine from the second he saw him crack open his eyes. Slowly, he lifts Alhaitham and gets up cautiously before helping the taller man to his feet and guiding him towards the bathroom away from the light.
“Do you feel up to a shower?” Kaveh whispers, and Alhaitham nods. “Good, that’s good.” He says, sighing as Alhaitham stumbles into the bathroom and slumps against the sink. “Are you going to be okay to shower alone?”
“I–” Alhaitham starts as his face twists, and he looks conflicted. His shoulders slump, and then very quietly, he continues.” Can you stay with me?”
Kaveh nods silently, not trusting himself to prod without setting the other man off.
“Just let me grab our pajamas,”
When Kaveh gets back into the bathroom, Alhaitham is already nude and leaning against the wall with a towel clutched in his hands. Kaveh smiles gently at him, putting their pajamas down before stripping himself and climbing into the shower to get the water going. Once the water is warmed up, he reaches out and helps Alhaitham step in. He doesn’t let go of Alhaitham’s hand as the other man steps under the showerhead and flinches as the water hits him.
“It’s alright,” He murmurs, reaching up to gently rub away some of the blood spatter he’d missed. “Just let me take care of it.”
Alhaitham lets Kaveh clean him off and wash his hair. Usually, their positions were reversed; Kaveh couldn’t dream of counting the times he’d ended up so wrecked he’d needed Alhaitham to hold him up and help him get clean. But this was only the second time Alhaitham had needed his help. The first had been barely a few months ago after his first day as acting grand sage and he can still remember how terrified he’d been coming home to see his infallible junior passed out cold on the floor.
He’s careful when washing Alhaitham’s hair, trying to be ever-so-gentle with the bumps, bruises, and dried blood. Alhaitham hisses as he pulls a little too hard on a bloody chunk of hair that has tangled and dried together, and Kaveh apologizes profusely even as Alhaitham tries to wave his worry away.
Kaveh washes himself off, too, but leaves his hair dry. The ponytail from the night before has held up surprisingly well, and he’s sure leaving it for a few more hours won't do any harm, and that way, Alhaitham won’t be left waiting for him for ages.
Once they’re both clean, Kaveh shuts the water off and hops out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist before holding one out for Alhaitham, who steps out behind him and lets Kaveh bundle him up with no complaints. They both get into their nightwear in silence and then are left standing awkwardly, not quite managing to hold each other's gaze.
“What do you want to do now?” Kaveh asks, careful to keep his voice breathy and quiet so as not to aggravate Alhaitham’s migraine further.
“Go back to bed,” Alhaitham responds predictably, and Kaveh just nods, letting the other man shuffle past him out of the bathroom.
Kaveh dithers at the door as he watches his junior shuffle away toward his bedroom, unsure whether he is permitted or expected to accompany him. Before he can make a move, though, Alhaitham stops a few paces from his door and turns back.
“Sleep with me?”
It comes out so quiet that, at first, Kaveh wonders if he’d imagined it.
“What?”
“I don’t want to be alone right now. But if you're going to make a scene or a sexual joke out of–”
“No, never,” Kaveh says, blanching as the image of Alhaitham writhing uncomfortably beneath the man from the night before flashes through his head. “I’d like to stay with you, though, if you’re sure that’s okay.”
Alhaitham lets out a deep sigh and nods, beckoning Kaveh over.
Giving him a soft smile, Kaveh follows him into his bedroom and lets himself fall into bed right beside him. Curling up against his broad back and letting himself enjoy the warmth and calm that came with listening to the gentle thumping of Alhaitham’s heart.
“Thank you,” Alhaitham whispers, and Kaveh just hums in response, not wanting to ruin the quiet moment. They lay in silence for a few beats longer until Alhaitham breaks it again. “ I love you.”
Kaveh’s heart skips, and he sucks in a shallow breath. He lets it sink in, and then he presses closer to Alhaitham, wrapping his arms around his waist and burying his face in his neck.
“I love you too.”