Chapter Text
He wasn't sure where Nahida got this idea from, but he was so not on board with it.
"No, no, there is no way I'm agreeing to this," he said as he crossed his arms and looked away with a small sneer. "I'm over 400 years old. I'm perfectly capable of tending to myself, thank you very much."
Nahida sighed before tilting her head and giving him a small, sympathetic smile. He mentally prepared himself for any argument she might give to convince him.
He would not give in. Not with this.
"I know why you're so hesitant with this arrangement," Nahida began as she walked closer to him and placed a hand on one of his arms, "but I genuinely think you would benefit from it. Besides, you could use some company other than just me."
She giggled gently, as if she wasn't suddenly uprooting his life just like it had been so many times in the past. (Okay, maybe he was being a little dramatic, but still, this was a big change.) He pouted and shrugged off her hand before turning away and subconsciously hiding his face with his hat.
Memories from a past life that refused to leave him no matter how much he longed to forget flooded his mind, sending unnerving tingles down his spine as old aches and pains settled into his joints. He shuddered as the sensations eventually fled his body, and his hand found its way to his head to massage at the headache that was building behind his temples. If he had a heart, he was sure that it would be pounding.
"If you know why I'm so against this, then why are you still pushing me to go through with it? I'll just end up back here sooner or later," he weakly argued. "I'll bring disaster into their lives and they'll beg you to take me back, if they don't decide to abandon me first."
"This could be your chance to heal," Nahida tried again. "Sometimes it is necessary to face the things we want to run away from, if only to show ourselves that it can be done. Show ourselves that there is hope for another chance, another start at life. You've already made that choice once before by erasing yourself from Irminsul."
He scoffed bitterly. "Yeah, and look how that turned out. Nothing changed! Everyone is still dead, and I'm still—..."
I finally had one goal that was supposed to correct all of my wrongs, and I somehow managed to fail even that...
Warm hands enveloped his cold ones—which he didn't even realize were clenched until now—and he finally looked up. Nahida's eyes bore into his own with a soft intensity, making him unable to look away. She always treated him too gently for his own good.
"Please," she implored, "if you will not try for yourself, then at least try for me? If you still do not wish to continue this arrangement after a while, then I will not force you. You are always welcome back here."
He held her gaze for a second longer before deflating with a sigh. Damn, he was getting way too soft. "Fine."
She squeezed his hands with a bright smile.
"Wait, you want us to what?!"
He couldn't help the small flinch at the volume with which the blonde expressed his shock. He sighed, slightly annoyed as he adjusted his hat and returned his gaze to the two tall men in front of him.
"Kaveh, please use your inside voice," the silver-haired one calmly stated, causing Kaveh to splutter for a moment before he recovered with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"That's not what you told me to do last night, Haitham..." he muttered. Alhaitham did his best to hide his flustered reaction as he harshly elbowed Kaveh in the ribs, causing the older man to grunt in pain.
I'm starting to regret my decision of going through with her plan more and more, he thought with a quirked eyebrow as he stared at the couple.
Alhaitham cleared his throat, "Lesser Lord Kusanali—"
"Please, Nahida is fine," she interrupted with a small giggle.
The Acting Grand Sage blinked but otherwise recovered quickly. "Nahida, I hope you don't mind if I repeat what you just told us, but I want to make sure everything is clarified. You would like Kaveh and I to take him—" teal eyes met his own indigo ones before they returned to the Archon's "—into our care, correct? How long would this arrangement be for?"
"That is correct," Nahida answered, "and the duration will be decided by him as well as you two. Again, I will not force anyone into this arrangement if they do not wish it, and I will not bind anyone to it if you try it and decide to discontinue it."
He glanced at Nahida before turning towards the couple, and his indigo eyes met Kaveh's burgundy ones. They stared at each other, and they almost simultaneously gave each other a once over. He raised his eyebrow in a silent challenge, one that made Kaveh shuffle slightly with nerves.
"What made you decide this, if I may ask, Nahida?" Kaveh questioned as he glanced at said Archon.
She smiled sweetly as she replied, "I believe this arrangement would allow him to better socialize with the outside world. He could use a little brushing-up on his social skills—"
"Hey!" he snipped, annoyed and slightly embarrassed. He heard a chuckle and turned to see Kaveh attempting to stifle his snickers as Alhaitham did nothing to hide the small amused smirk he sported. He crossed his arms with a huff and grumbled, "Ya know, you could use some socialization yourself, Kusanali..."
There was a short silence before it was broken by the architect, who had finally managed to suppress his laughter. "Well, I certainly think this arrangement would bring some excitement into our lives. What do you think, Haitham?"
"Our lives have already had much excitement," Alhaitham replied.
"You consider reading reports and research proposals exciting?"
Alhaitham turned to his partner, slightly amused as he questioned, "Did you conveniently forget all of the events that led up to me being the Acting Grand Sage? ...Actually, I can't blame you, since you weren't there. Apparently, you got trapped in a magic floating bottle for months on end and decided to repair the spirit's architecture within it while you were there."
"...Touché."
"In any case," Alhaitham continued as he faced Nahida and himself, "I believe Kaveh and I are in agreement when I say that we would be willing to try this...intriguing arrangement." Kaveh nodded his compliance.
"Great!" Nahida cheered before shifting to look at him, "And you? Are you still okay with this? Again, you can return to me at any time if you so wish."
He huffed. "Whatever."
"It's settled then! Alhaitham, Kaveh, I entrust his care to you now. All of you, please do not hesitate to seek me out if there is anything you need," Nahida said as she glanced his way one more time—encouragement and hope in her eyes—before gracefully making her exit.
It was quiet in the house for all of two seconds before Kaveh clapped his hands and once again broke the silence, albeit a little more awkwardly this time. "So, who's hungry? I think we have some leftovers that I could heat up!"
Some time later he found himself sitting with the couple at the dining table, quietly eating his meal as the two men shot glances between him and themselves. Geez, he really hoped these awkward silences wouldn't become a trend around here...
"So," Kaveh drawled, drawing his attention so that they met eyes, "what's your name, kid?"
He looked to the side, swallowing his food and licking his lips before replying, "I don't have one."
"What?!" Kaveh exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise.
"Interesting," Alhaitham commented as he sat back slightly and looked at him in curiosity.
"Surely you're joking, right?" Kaveh asked incredulously. "There's no way you've gone your whole life without a name! People must've referred to you with something."
He stiffened in his seat, memories flitting about in his head as he tried to remain calm.
"Ah, come to help me in the forge today, Kabukimono?—"
"Hehe, I promise, big brother—"
"Bear with it, Scaramouche, the process is almost—"
"Retreat! It's Kunikuzushi—"
"I'm sorry, little one—"
"...Kid?"
He blinked and managed to suppress a shudder as he returned from the depths of his mind. When he looked up, he was met with the concerned gaze of Kaveh and the calculating eyes of Alhaitham. He cleared his throat and replied with faux confidence, "I have been referred to by many titles, but I bear no name."
Alhaitham hummed, setting down his utensils as he placed a hand on his chin in thought. "It would certainly be confusing to not have something to call you by."
"Oh, oh!" Kaveh interrupted excitedly, eyes once again lighting up, concern forgotten for the moment. "What if Haitham and I came up with a name for you? That'd be fun, right?"
He scoffed, not sure if he should be worried for what they picked or amused by the blonde's clear excitement. However, he couldn't stop a small amused smirk from gracing his lips as he shrugged and replied, "Whatever suits your fancy. Just make sure it's not something stupid."
The mood was a bit brighter after that as Kaveh and Alhaitham brainstormed name ideas while they finished their meals, occasionally turning to him for his opinion. At some point, he must have let his stoic mask slip to display his fatigue because Kaveh stopped mid-sentence to once again look at him with slight concern and dare he say...fondness?
"Haitham, why don't you show our charge to his room, hm?" Kaveh spoke gently. "I'll take care of the dishes."
"I'm older than you, ya know. Over 400 years," he quipped, but got up from his chair to follow the Acting Grand Sage anyway. "You don't need to treat me like a child."
"Alright," Alhaitham said with a shrug. "We'll treat you like a proper elder then since that's what you claim to be. Follow me to your room, grandpa."
Kaveh let out a guffaw as he could do nothing but stammer out indignant noises. He caught a small amused smile on Alhaitham's face as they finally made it to the room. It was a decent size with a bed, a dresser, and a desk with a chair. It also had two doors, one most likely for a closet and one that presumably led to a bathroom.
"This is where you'll be staying," Alhaitham said. The taller man resided by the door while he ventured into the room to get a feel for the space. "It's a little bland at the moment, but you can customize it however you please. I'm sure Kaveh would love to go with you to get some things to make the space more personable."
"As long as it's your money I get to spend, dearest~" Kaveh called with a chuckle as he walked up next to his partner.
"Because you like to spend yours exclusively at Lambad's?" Alhaitham asked in a subtly joking manner, to which Kaveh responded by gently slapping his shoulder. Alhaitham huffed a small laugh before leaning over and chastely kissing the blonde's temple.
Ugh, gross.
"Okay, you can leave my room now," he said with a fake gag.
Kaveh rolled his eyes, but he smiled as he said, "Alright, alright, but you better get used to it. Goodnight, kid."
Alhaitham grunted his agreement, "Night."
He nodded his acknowledgement. However, before they could leave, he briefly stopped them with a small noise. He looked down, slightly timid as he muttered, "Um...thanks."
The two smiled at him before they shut the door and proceeded to have a conversation in hushed whispers. He sighed in exhaustion and took off his hat, not looking to see where it landed as he tossed it to the side. He flopped onto the bed, not even bothering to properly undress and get under the covers as his eyes slipped closed.
This is certainly going to be interesting...