Welcome to Week 5 of Fluff for the Summer, and Kaveh's birthday gift! This one was super fun to write and while we may have stretched the meaning of fluff a bit, it all works out and it's not like we delved too far in- please don't come after our bones... ehe. Anyway, enjoy the story, and tell us what you think in the comments! Fae is especially interested to hear what you think. This is a continuation of week three Make a Wish
Alhaitham woke in the dead of night, groggy and disoriented. Out of habit, he reached across the mattress, feeling for Kaveh. Instead, he found an expanse of cool emptiness occupying his partner's spot. Kaveh was… missing. Immediately he ran a hand down his face, propping himself up on one elbow while trying to clear the fog of sleep from his mind. There was no need to panic, there was every chance he just went to the kitchen for a snack or something…
As he started really waking up, Alhaitham got out of bed and trudged to the door, then paused when he heard the distant sound of running water. After a moment he identified the source as the shower, which was not entirely unusual. Hat Guy- well, Kuzushi, often stayed the night, either claiming the couch or Nahida's room Whichever was most convenient. He seemed fond of midnight showers, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Systematically he moved through the house, quietly checking each room for any sign of Kaveh, but found none. Not even the desert foxes, which had followed him home after the Inter-Darshan Championship, were anywhere within sight. Often he found himself tripping over the furry little things, so the fact they weren't around meant there was only one other place they could be.
He didn't want to think about what it meant if it wasn't his partner in the shower.
Alhaitham made his way to the door, pausing for a second before knocking twice. "Kaveh, ya hayati," he started, voice still a little rough around the edges, "can I come in?" When he received no response, the Scribe sighed and said, "I'm coming in."
He paused for another second or two, long enough for the blond to protest if he wished, then turned the doorknob and let himself inside. What he was greeted with was the sight of Kaveh curled in the corner next to the shower, the foxes curled around him. Immediately Alhaitham's expression softened and he settled himself in the middle of the floor, close enough to help if he needed to, but far enough to give Kaveh the space he so clearly needed. The blond had half his face buried in his knees and arms, carmine eyes cast down at the ground. Tentatively Alhaitham asked, "Kaveh… are you okay?"
The architect didn't answer, and for a moment Alhaitham thought they'd be sitting there for the next hour before he so much as twitched, then Kaveh crawled towards him and climbed into his lap, resettling in the younger man's arms. The Scribe just held him, pulling Kaveh against his chest. "Ya hayati please talk to me. What's wrong," he asked, running his fingers through blond locks in an attempt to soothe his partner. Kaveh didn't answer, but he did lean into the touch and seemed to finally relax a bit.
For several minutes Alhaitham just held him, whispering sweet nothings and reassurances nearly the entire time. Finally, he pressed the core issue and asked, "Was it a nightmare, Kaveh? The same one as usual, or something different?"
He was starting to get a little desperate for an answer. As much as he enjoyed time to himself, filling the silence was never a strong suit of his, and Kaveh's silence was worrying. He'd become accustomed to the constant chatter and cacophony of sound that followed the Light of Kshahrewar wherever he went and while he'd never admit as much out loud, he sorely missed the bubbly optimism that seemed to ooze out of his partner.
In a desperate bid to find the root problem and soothe any worries Kaveh might've worked up in his mind, Alhaitham murmured, "Ya hayati I would never leave you ever, but especially not like that. I love you far too much to let you go again, you're stuck with me Kshahrewar." As he spoke, he pressed a kiss to Kaveh's head.
After another pause, he added, "Come back to bed, Kaveh. The floor isn't comfortable and as much as I love you, I'd prefer to sleep on a bed rather than the bathroom floor. One time is already too many."
"I don't want to," Kaveh mumbled, snuggling into Alhaitham's chest and tucking his head under the silver-haired man's chin. Even his annoyance at the refusal to move was washed away by the overwhelming relief the Scribe felt at finally getting a response.
The younger man huffed a laugh and threaded his fingers through blond hair again, tugging lightly. "Too bad," he said, gathering Kaveh into his arms and standing in one smooth motion, "we're going anyway. I'll make you a cup of tea in the morning, so you don't get to complain about mattresses." Alhaitham quickly turned the shower off- no use wasting water now that his partner was safely acquired, and trudged off to bed. The foxes wound around his feet, slowing him down so as not to trip and fall, but for once, Alhaitham didn't mind so much.
Of course, getting Kaveh into bed was easier said than done. The blond refused to let go, clinging to Alhaitham with every ounce of strength he possessed and making it near impossible for the younger man to fall asleep. It didn't help that the foxes had taken this as an invitation to invade his space as well, snuggling right up against the both of them. He rolled his eyes, even as a small smile lighted his lips, and reached over to the nightstand to grab a book. He turned on the bedside lamp and dragged himself into a sitting position, resettling Kaveh half on top of him as the foxes scrambled away. The blond didn't seem to mind though, simply sighing in his sleep and snuggling into his chest.
Alhaitham absentmindedly ran his fingers through Kaveh's hair, then started reading quietly. A few minutes later, the foxes returned. The first settled on top of Kaveh, the second next to the Scribe. The third was bold, hopping onto his shoulder as he read before yawning and curling up. The silver-haired man didn't mind it though, simply continuing his book.
After a while, Kaveh roused slightly and blinked tired carmine eyes at Alhaitham. The Scribe noticed and paused his reading to ask, "Comfy?"
'Very," Kaveh mumbled before adding softly, "I love you ya amar."
"I love you too, ya hayati," Alhaitham replied, kissing the top of Kaveh's head as the older man sighed softly and drifted back to sleep.
Wasn't that sweet? The ending scene was based on a piece by Quelle ( nyaruelle) on Twitter
Another thing, you'll notice in the coming months some discrepancies between what our name for Wanderer is across oneshots and fics alike. As a general rule, we have two names we will use. The first is Kuzushi, featured here and the second is undecided. This is because Storm and Faerie have named their Wanderers different things and stories with the same name are VERY LOOSELY related, whether they fall into the same universe or are just similar in certain behaviors and friendships is fic by fic. Kuzushi is Storm's Wanderer, and the name for Faerie's will be voted on in Week 6, which will be up by Thursday. Feel free to tune in to that hot mess and cast your votes~