Work Text:
Kaveh and Alhaitham rarely exchange gifts.
Though some may claim both men are somewhat lacking in certain aspects of common courtesy, the concept of giving does flicker into existence between them when a special occasion calls for it. It is a rare occurrence for them to bother to comply with the traditions, but they do give in to them every now and then, especially when doing so will cause less trouble than simply ignoring it. It’s a small inconvenience at worst, anyway. They’re rarely concerned with what the other would like to receive as a gift. If anything, the excuse of an inconsiderate gift can later be used as a tool in their next argument, to help them get some steam off. Kaveh fondly remembers several instances where he got to use the very presents his roommate got against him to get the upper hand. Among that scarcity of gifted items, there’s one Kaveh ends up thinking about a little more than usual.
Wrapped around Alhaitham’s lean body on the couch, flamboyant and daringly colourful, lies a thick wool blanket. It may keep warm, and may feel somewhat soft to the touch, but Kaveh can’t shake the feeling that the fabric looks like it’s been unevenly and sloppily stitched together to fall apart any given moment. The colours don’t match, the patterns don’t make any sense; so much so that Kaveh would go as far to say it hurts to look at.
All in all, it’s an ugly blanket. But that isn’t even the worst part about it.
The worst part is that the said blanket has been a birthday gift to Kaveh from Alhaitham. The audacity.
Kaveh can still vividly remember how insulted he had felt at the notion when the gift wrapper revealed the monstrosity. It’s already more than enough as is for his nerves to deal with the ugly vases Alhaitham seems to pick up from the bazaar every other week. Now he has to deal with this . And an incoming headache whenever he happens to see the ugly blanket.
He had tried to reject it, claiming that his roommate had already brought his share of ugly furniture and household items earlier this week, but the blanket somehow found its way into his closet despite all his protests. It didn’t matter how many times Kaveh tried to throw it away, it would always welcome Kaveh back every evening, lay menacingly on top of his pillows on the bed. Washed clean and pristine. So Kaveh keeps it. Stuffing it into the bottom end of a drawer, he has managed to mostly ignore its existence.
Someone else decided to make use of it quite often however.
Every now and then Kaveh comes home to an Alhaitham napping on their couch, unapologetically covering himself in Kaveh’s blanket. When the architect asks about it, his response is always on brand, expertly deflecting, never giving away the actual reason why.
“It’s a blanket,” He says in the most matter-of-fact way Kaveh has heard someone talk about a piece of fabric. “Its purpose is to cover you and shield you from inconvenient temperatures when asleep.”
“I know that,” Kaveh snaps, righteously incredulous that Alhaitham even feels the need to explain the purpose of a fucking blanket to him in the first place. Both of them know that wasn’t what Kaveh really asked about. But Alhaitham doesn’t care about that, does he? He proceeds to steer the conversation to whatever way he wants, as always.
“Why does it bother you that an item you don't even like is being made of use? Isn't this better than letting it lie in waste at the bottom of your drawer?”
Well, when you put it like that… Wait, no, Kaveh won't let him reason his way out of a perfectly reasonable question. Not again.
“Yeah, no, why not just use your own blanket? Don't you have an imported fancy one that was woven out of Mondstadt's dandelions? The one that perfectly matches your daily outfit? Why take my blanket?”
“It seems to me that this conversation is running in a circle.”
“It wouldn't, if you just chose to answer the goddamn question. Just— Ugh, can you be direct for once in your life?”
“Oh, that's rich, coming from you. Tell me, why does it bother you so much that I'm enjoying the gift you were so adamant on rejecting? Do you want it back?”
Kaveh isn't sure what prompted him to yell “Well, yes!” and yank the blanket off of Alhaitham's half sitting posture on the couch, but the taken aback expression his roommate presents him with leaves him very satisfied. He decides he's not backing down from this one.
“Might as well,” Kaveh declares as he neatly folds the cloth over his arm. “It's my gift after all, isn't it?” He flashes a winning grin to Alhaitham which only answers with a blank stare. It's odd how he doesn't have a comeback for once, but Kaveh is determined to carry this act through. Surely, his roommate will find a way to twist this whole thing in his favor anyway, but Kaveh will take the win while he can still enjoy it. He promptly marches back to his room with his winning prize of a blanket in tow. For once, the sight of the object lying on his bed makes him feel satisfied. He can't wait to see what Alhaitham will come up with in response.
***
Surprisingly, Alhaitham doesn't pick up the argument again the next morning. Doesn't use the opportunity to bring up how childish or petty Kaveh's behaviour was; doesn't call him out on being unable to share or be accommodating.
Kaveh would be concerned, if impromptu silence was the only thing going on in the past couple of days, but that isn't quite the case. It isn't obvious at first, but Kaveh notices because he's paying attention. Every other day, he sees Alhaitham wear something different. At first, it’s only small accessories like another pair of headphones or an extra ring attached to his half gloves. Then it’s a different pair of home wear, a new pair of slippers, and sometimes, he even adorns a different cape. He recognizes some parts of his outfits to be the customary gifts Alhaitham used to get back from when he was the academia’s acting grand sage.
Kaveh had never seen his roommate bring out all those clothes before. When he'd asked about it in the past, Alhaitham brushed him off by stating that simply accepting the gifts was enough of a social act to make nice with the officials, nothing more was needed. They weren't to his taste anyway. Kaveh is surprised to find out he didn't just throw them all away as soon as the others turned the other way, even more so that he's now trying them on indoors, seemingly never satisfied with how they turn out with the way he tries a different pair every day. Even when he doesn't leave the house and his clothes don't get dirty. Kaveh notices the used up ones are not going to the laundry bin, so he's assuming they're simply back to the sack Alhaitham keeps to store whatever unwanted gifts he receives. Alas, his private impromptu fashion show goes on, and Kaveh thinks it's almost like Alhaitham is looking for something . Maybe it’s a specific combination. Maybe he’s trying out outfits because he received an invitation to a public event. Yeah, right, Kaveh scoffs to himself. As if. It's intriguing, to say the least.
Something else Kaveh notices is that his roommate starts to get a bit restless as the days pass by. There's less of lazy lounging on the couch with his books and more of seemingly pointless pacing of the corridors. His legs start to bounce when he's sitting on the chair and his free hand is always moving, fingers grabbing at the armrest and curl in purchase of nothing in particular.
Once, he threw off his sweater in the middle of the living room, onto the divan, claiming there was something at its neck that was catching on his neck. Kaveh later found out that the cloth had perfectly fine stitches, all smooth lines and softly woven wool. He frowns as he runs his fingers on fine material. Alhaitham's behavior had been out of track the whole week but Kaveh hasn't seen him make up excuses out of thin air like that before. Sure, his ability to bullshit like no tomorrow drove Kaveh more than insane countless times, but logically he knows Alhaitham's reasoning has always had a base; a motivation, an explanation. A ridiculous one or not, but it would make sense from a certain perspective. It was never random and seemingly baseless like this.
Kaveh tried asking him what was up once, but of course, he was brushed off. He lets it rest this time, curious to see how things would unfold.
Things do unfold on an unsuspecting weekday when Kaveh arrives home earlier than usual. He finds his roommate in his bedroom, rummaging through his drawers in a rush. He jumps almost a few feet up when Kaveh shows up unannounced, caught so unprepared that he couldn't even comment on Kaveh's untimely arrival.
“What are you doing here, Haitham?” Kaveh asks, more curious than upset but trying his very best to mask it. Unfortunately, Alhaitham catches on quickly, fixes his posture and adorns his calm and expressionless face like a china doll.
“Looking for something,” He replies a moment later. No elaboration, straight to the point without giving anything away. Kaveh wonders how long that will hold.
“Which is..?”
“...”
There it is. Kaveh can give him a second or two, but he knows his roommate by now. He can see where this is going.
“I came home and found you ransacking my room. I think it's fair to assume you owe me an explanation.”
“Ransacking is a strong word…” Alhaitham stalls, and Kaveh realizes something crucial: Alhaitham has no plan to get out of this. He started this act without forethought, simply relying on not getting caught. It's so unlike the Alhaitham he knows that it leaves Kaveh jarred, no longer enjoying his roommate's discomfort.
“Alhaitham,” He tries again, this time more gently. He relaxes the hands he has put on his midsection, letting them fall to his sides, trying to appear less imposing than the moment he first walked in on the scribe. He can't tell if it helps or not, but Alhaitham does put on his pondering face, and seems to be considering his olive branch, so he must be doing okay.
“The blanket,” He offers, and his voice is not meek, but it's so far down from the strong matter-of-fact tone that it might as well be. “I was looking for the ugly blanket.”
“So you admit it!” Kaveh can't help but jump in. “It is ugly! You said it yourself. No take-backs allowed.”
“...”
Right, Kaveh mentally berates himself, we were having a moment. This is not the time.
“Nevermind,” Kaveh amends, “we can discuss how accurate I am at describing things later. Tell me about why you were looking for that blanket.”
Unsurprisingly, Alhaitham is unwilling to answer. He just stands there, barely making eye contact with his roommate, neither attempting to escape nor make progress. Kaveh is confused for a split second before he realizes with a groan that he has to pry the answers out himself. He has to guess . He has no one to blame but himself.
“You were looking for my blanket,” Kaveh repeats his finding. Alhaitham blinks, then nods curtly. Kaveh feels like climbing out of his skin.
“Okay, well, were you cold?”
“...”
“Well, it was worth a shot.”
Feeling the situation getting out of his control, if it ever has been, Kaveh takes a few steps towards his junior. A small smile creeps up on his face when Alhaitham doesn’t step back. “Alright,” Kaveh says reassuringly, then clears his throat. “So.”
They look at each other, trying to find something in each other’s gaze. Whatever it is, before either of the two can find it, Kaveh's face brightens up as another idea comes to life in his head.
“Oh!” He exclaims, steps back and goes around the bed to stand before his nightstand and face the bed. His hands reach forward to lift up his pillow to reveal an infamous blanket. He holds it open like a banner. “Would this sweeten the deal?”
There’s no mistaking the spark in Alhaitham’s eyes as Kaveh approaches him again, this time with a peace offering. He’s about to just hand the thing to his roommate and be done with it, but instead, decides to try something else. He swiftly reaches for Alhaitham’s hand and puts it on the blanket instead. “Better yet?”
“...Yes,” Alhaitham admits begrudgingly. Kaveh can’t help but chuckle at how petulant he sounds. The blanket ends up surrounding Alhaitham’s shoulders like a cape, Kaveh’s hands holding it together under his chin. They’re closer now, and Kaveh feels himself sobering up at the proximity.
“It’s your turn to speak now,” Kaveh pushes gently. “You won’t see me willing to listen like this another time, better take advantage of the opportunity while you can, hm?” The teasing draws a reluctant smile out of Alhaitham, and Kaveh’s insides start to go a little bit soft at the sight.
“Why did you need to get my ugly blanket?”
Alhaitham avoids his eyes. “It feels… Itfeelsnice” He mumbles. Kaveh is witnessing a lot of rare occurrences today.
“Yeah?” He encourages. “What else?”
“It's… comforting.”
Not comfortable , Kaveh notes, but comforting. His hands move to Alhaitham's sides on their own accord and squeezes gently.
“Did you feel uncomfortable without it?”
Alhaitham nods. “Uneasy, to be more precise.”
Oh . Kaveh nods back his understanding.
"... Sometimes, certain items help organize my thoughts better. Help me think better," He offers, and Kaveh accepts that it's the best explanation he'll ever get about this. He's somewhat proud of getting his roommate to open up about one of his quirks.
He pats Alhaitham's arms down through the blanket, soft caresses travel around him until he closes his eyes and sighs contently. He's completely basking in the comfort this simple item provides to him, and Kaveh doesn't have the heart to leave him alone in the aftermath of their revealing conversation. It'd feel like abandoning Alhaitham, right after he let himself be upfront and vulnerable.
“Come on,” Kaveh coaxes him, pulling at the blanket until Alhaitham opens his eyes again and follows his steps to the living room. Kaveh drops onto the divan and pats the space next to him. Alhaitham sits down without protest.
And that's how they end up cuddling for the entire afternoon.
“Did you know you could've just asked for it back?” Kaveh breaks the pleasant silence sometime later after they've indulged in a short nap together.
“What?”
“If you asked me for it, I would've just given it back to you. The blanket," Kaveh says with a single shouldered shrug.
“Oh.”
Kaveh can't help but chuckle. For all his problem solving skills, Alhaitham can be very obvious and oblivious at times. It's endearing, in a way. Refreshing. It's easy to forget sometimes, that Alhaitham, too, is a human, with flaws and the rest of it.
Kaveh likes to explore these little things about him, to discover how he works, how his brain ticks. What is sight of line see and reveal. It helps him understand his roommate better, and in a way, understand himself better.
It's always a give and take, with him and Alhaitham.
He just hopes Alhaitham keeps opening up to him. The thought licks at his heart like warm flames would the walls in the hearth.
He drops a small kiss on the ugly blanket, where Alhaitham's shoulder would be, and promptly goes back to sleep.