Work Text:
It wasn’t a good day for Alhaitham, no. His head pounded as if something was squeezing it so hard it was about to burst. He had to admit that becoming the Acting Grand Sage turned out to be far more difficult than he thought it would be. The seemingly endless meetings barely allowed him to take any breaks in between, then the amount of people coming into his office and asking for his personal opinion tripled, leaving him quite annoyed. Stupidity, that’s what he hated the most and yet before there wasn’t ever a time in his life during which he had been subjected to it to this degree. It was both infuriating and alienating. (It also made him appreciate Kaveh a little. Just a little though.)
Today he was somehow even more tired, more irritated and more sensitive to everything around him than usual. He got so close to openly asking Nahida if he could go home early, but unfortunately she was nowhere to be seen – probably following that new pupil of hers. After the recent events he knew acting careless or slacking off was out of the question anyways. It didn’t change the fact that he felt awful sitting behind his desk, staring at the pile of paperwork that he had to at least look through. Only half an hour was left until his shift ended but he knew that he was expected to stay until he finishes all of his tasks. And then some.
Several encounters with less than welcomed scholars later, he locked the door so no one would bother him anymore and adjusted his earpieces to mute the noise coming from the corridor. Too bad he couldn’t dim the light in the room the same way he did at home. He took his quill and continued signing the applications and reports, though he didn’t get far. Ten minutes in and nausea joined his headache, making him whine. That’s when it hit him.
Alhaitham was regressing. At work. That meant he was not only useless in terms of doing his job now, but also that he’d need to walk back to his house all alone at night. The thought made him cringe. He was too scared to leave, stuck in his stupid office until he feels big enough to go outside; it was rather pathetic considering how composed he usually was, definitely not fazed by something as trivial as darkness.
He slowly lowered himself and sat under the desk where the bright light couldn’t reach him – he wasn’t brave enough to turn it off, but it hurt his eyes so in his regressed mind it was better to hide. Now he just had to wait, thinking about the most adult things imaginable. Too bad it was so hard...
***
„Where the hell is he?!” Kaveh exclaimed though there was no one to hear his complaint. He looked at the plates with cold meat and even colder salad. He was certain he’s made it clear enough that he was planning to cook this evening, so he expected Alhaitham to arrive home in time for dinner. „Arrogant as always.” It wouldn’t be the first time his roommate blantantly ignored his words, so why did it even surprise him? He sighed, sitting by the table as he began eating, too hungry after running errands all day to wait any longer.
Hours passed and Kaveh knew Alhaitham should have finished his work by now. Despite his best efforts, concern creeped up his back, a weight similar to one he felt when he learned about the rescuing of the Dendro Archon... and Alhaitham nearly dying in the process. What if something had happened? What if he got attacked? Then Kaveh would be the arrogant and selfish one for not even considering the man’s safety. He jumped up from the couch and rushed outside. He just hoped he was truly wrong in his worrying this time.
Only a few people remained at the Akademiya this late, mostly students who had evening classes or scholars with a tendency to owerwork themselves. Alhaitham didn’t belong to any of these groups. There was no reason for him to be there. Kaveh didn’t care; soon he was in front of the Acting Grand Sage’s office, knocking loudly at the door.
„Alhaitham? Are you in here?” He heard shuffling on the other side, but no response. „Alhaitham!”
„Kavie?” Oh, thank Archons. Kaveh sighed with relief. Then he realized what he got called and felt stupid. Although he was an experienced carer by now, he still managed to forget Alhaitham’s regression sometimes and thus didn’t take it into the equation while he considered possible reasons for his absence.
„Yes, baby, it’s just me. Could you open the door?”
After a few seconds Kaveh heard the clanking of the keys and Alhaitham’s eyes met his own. The boy’s hand was touching his lips in a gesture one could mistake for the sign of him simply being engrossed in his thoughts. The truth was it allowed him to chew on his fingers without anyone noticing. „Hi.” He mumbled, lifting his other hand to shield his eyes.
Kaveh knew most of his mannerisms, observing them for years. What he saw now was an overwhelmed and small child. No matter how big of an asshole Alhaitham was on a daily basis, he deserved to be taken care of. So Kaveh smiled as gently as he could. „I think it’s time for us to go home, Haitham. You seem really tired, you can finish your work later.” He said, noticing a stack of barely touched paperwork on the desk.
Alhaitham nodded. „Night.” He pointed at the window.
„Yes, it is, but don’t worry, I’ll be with you.” His heart ached as he thought of his baby all alone in the office for such a long time. Of course, Alhaitham would have mocked him for being dramatic – in his opinion he wasn’t in any danger, so everything was okay. Still, his red-rimmed eyes told Kaveh that the experience was far from pleasant.
They left the Akademiya as quietly as they could, though Alhaitham’s wobbly walk slowed them down. He kept close to Kaveh, almost pressing himself into the other’s side; he was this affectionate only when he felt really young. They passed couples on their evening dates and the last vendors closing their shops. Soon they reached their house, Kaveh getting to the door quickly so no one would see them together. Maybe everyone already knew, but he preferred living in denial. He reached for his keys in the bag, but did not find them there. He heard a giggle before Alhaitham handed them to him. „Very funny.” Kaveh scoffed, stepping inside.
The lights got dimmed, the curtains closed and he sat the boy on the couch. „I made you some meat and a salad, but you’d rather have something else, right?” Alhaitham didn’t respond, the exhaustion catching up to him. He was pressed into the corner of the couch, his fingers fully in his mouth. Kaveh sighed, getting a pacifier from one of the drawers. He pulled Alhaitham’s fingers out and, before he could protest, put the soother in. Now that the baby was all settled, Kaveh went to the kitchen to make him a bottle. Alhaitham struggled with eating when small, disliking most dishes. Milk was a safe option, angel milk? Even better.
When he returned, his roommate was rocking back and forth with closed eyes. It was more of a stress stim, Kaveh presumed. He had already planned to prepare a sensory rest time for him, though.
It was something they came up with together after one of Alhaitham’s worse shutdowns. The goal was to give each of his senses what they needed. Sometimes he wanted to sit in the dark and quiet bedroom, other times he craved the spiciest food Tighnari could cook (and Kaveh was always ready for a trip to Gandharva Ville). Right now the first step was providing a nice taste.
Alhaitham got picked up from the couch and carried to his bed. To this day it amused Kaveh how he never protested against being manhandled like that; maybe it was just too comfortable, or maybe the architect failed to realize that he had become his personal slave. Oh well, the perks of caregiving.
„Be good and wait here, okay?” He put the boy down, handing him a small, colorful Aranara plushie to cuddle and look at. He walked to the small table on which a vase with incense stood and lit up one stick – by this time he knew Alhaitham’s preferred scents. „What would you like to listen to?”
„You.” Of course. Surprisingly, Kaveh’s voice was one of his favourite sounds when he was small.
„Alright, should I read you a book?”
„No, sing.” If not for the innocent look on his face, he would have thought that Alhaitham was trying to humiliate him on purpose. Kaveh was a terrible singer. On the other side, Alhaitham had terrible taste.
„You’ll be the death of me.” He murmured as he sat next to him and began humming a song he remembered from his own childhood. A soft, simple tune floated over their heads as he guided Alhaitham to lay on his chest and drink from the bottle. When a second hum joined in, he smiled and took his baby’s hand in his. It was all calm. It was all safe.