Chapter Text
Kaveh laid in bed, drowsily staring up at the ceiling, Alhaitham by his side, his arm tugged around Kaveh’s waist. He had woken up to this arrangement, to this closeness day after day and it never failed to make his heart jump into his throat, relieved though that Alhaitham awoke after him. Kaveh had always pecked Alhaitham as a morning person not that he wasn’t gruffy in the mornings but he always stood up at such godly early hours, Kaveh only noticing since he did the opposite, staying up until those god-awful early hours.
Alhaitham mumbled to the side of him, pulling him closer, his strong arms enveloping him fully, his hot breath whispering over Kaveh’s face. It was close, too close but movement would only awaken Alhaitham and Kaveh would surely be teased by him. It was quite unfair with which ease Alhaitham manoeuvred their relationship, something completely foreign to Kaveh. Not that they were in a relationship in the first place but as much as Kaveh enjoyed physical affection, Alhaitham had never been one to cherish the same. Even after they had reunited after not seeing each other for years, they hadn’t even embraced or shaken hands or something. It bothered Kaveh now that he thought about how much their relationship had changed over one fight.
When they were young, Alhaitham hadn’t minded Kaveh’s sudden embraces or when he lifted his cute, smaller junior up. He had pouted perhaps but he let Kaveh do it without question, acting embarrassed always after the fact. But now, it seemed impossible, the distance between them unbreachable. It was inlaid within every interaction, their brash words reminding Kaveh day after day of that fateful day when words had cut too deep, when they had destroyed their relationship beyond repair.
Beyond repair may be too harsh words for it since they did live together now but it had changed everything and Kaveh didn’t know how to manoeuvre it, how to live with it. There was a constant tightness in his chest when he argued with Alhaitham but he always looked so unaffected as if Kaveh’s words were meaningless as if it was all just foolish words spouted by someone who followed foolish ideas.
He missed the way young Alhaitham’s eyes would spark with interest whenever they spoke, the small hidden smile whenever he thought Kaveh wasn’t looking. It had all vanished and though he thought he had moved on from it, he hadn’t. Alhaitham obviously had but he couldn't. He mourned the relationship they had and yet couldn't bring himself to mend it either, to speak of that unspoken.
It was rotten work.
Soft lips pressed against his cheek, Kaveh letting out an undignified yelp as he flailed to the side, lucky to be pushed against the wall rather than off the bed.
“Morning to you too, my love. What has you looking sorrow-stricken first thing in the morning? Didn’t we plan to take a break of overthinking?”
“Ah, well, it wasn’t about the revelation this time.” Kaveh mumbled, cheeks burning hot, his gaze searching for anywhere to look but Alhaitham. The blank ceiling, the atrociously ugly yellow wardrobes, the tidied tables but nothing seemed to stick as his gaze wandered back to Alhaitham who had watched him bemused. Kaveh pouted lightly though there was no real heat behind it, leaving aside his worries with Alhaitham for when he returned. If he returned.
“Do you have any plans for today?” Kaveh asked, curious if this Alhaitham was one to plan ahead or someone who went with the flow.
Alhaitham nodded, smiling brightly at Kaveh. “What about an aquarium?”
Kaveh was elated when Alhaitham explained to him what exactly an aquarium was, to be capable of witnessing wildlife, to see what normally hid underneath the surface of the sea. Who wouldn’t want to experience such beauty?
Kaveh wanted to, following Alhaitham as he was led through the streets, emptier now as they started their journey early in the morning to endure less foot traffic. It wasn’t far towards the so called aquarium, a large sign in its entrance, inviting anyone in, a grinning sea creature jumping over it.
“What is that?” Kaveh asked excitedly, unable to keep his curiosity under wraps while bombarded with so much new. He tried not to ask too many questions since he didn’t want to bother Alhaitham too much but every of his requests were answered calmly and surely by the other, no annoyance in his voice.
As if sharing knowledge was a gift in and of itself.
“That’s a dolphin. They’re mischievous little beasts which are intelligent enough to use tools. They even play with fish that can puff up as if they were balls. I don’t think there are actually any dolphins in this aquarium but I’ll show you some back home.”
At the last part, Kaveh’s cheeks heated. Though he himself didn’t consider the dorm rooms his ‘home’, it was sweet for Alhaitham to refer to it as such, as if Kaveh was truly part of his life, his home. But Kaveh pushed all the fuzziness away, he was here for aquatic animals, anything else could be side lined.
They entered the building, Kaveh staring around in awe, distracted enough by the beauty to hardly breathe. As ugly as most exteriors of the buildings were, the interior made up for it with its prettiness. Everything was bathed in a dim, blue light, creating an illusionary body of water around them, combined with the cold air, Kaveh felt almost weightless in this room. The walls were decorated with colourful sea life from corals to seaweed to little fish with vibrant colouration, standing out even more in the dim light.
It was magical yet no magic was involved, everything created from human hands with no Gods to aid. Alhaitham pulled him softly along to a small counter where a young woman stood smiling, accepting the money Alhaitham pushed over before giving him back two small cards.
“Enjoy your visit!” The woman chirped, pointing towards a metallic contraption that seemed to block their way. Kaveh looked towards Alhaitham for guidance who gave him one of the cards before moving towards that thing, laying the little card over a glowing red box that turned green at contact, the metallic contraption opening for him.
Kaveh followed suit, mimicking Alhaitham’s movement, surprised with which ease it worked. “And that’s not magic?” Kaveh asked surprised, seeing no way something like this could be possible without it.
“I told you about electricity already. It’s energy used in different ways to ease our life but it's nothing comparable to magic as it’s something that exists within this world and is fundamentally a source of energy that resides within everything. It’s more comparable to an energy source. Just as you get energy through eating, electricity is made of small particles that move swiftly and through that movement, energy is given off.
I wouldn’t want to bore you with all the details but the difference between electricity and magic is that one can be summoned anywhere, created from nothing substantial but itself while electricity is created by a fundamental building block of the world.”
Kaveh still thought it was too similar to magic. They walked inside, side by side, Kaveh drinking in his surroundings with glee. Everything was tinted in this dark blue, creating an almost melancholic atmosphere, the walls slathered with windows where the marine life peeked out and the humans peeked it. The waters were filled with colourful riffs of plants, their forms differing greatly from one another, nothing uniform about them, algae swaying softly within them. The animals themselves appeared less colourful mostly, simple grey and blues that fitted the darker sea.
Kaveh had heard about the bright waters of Fontaine, with vibrant, pretty fish and other aquatic mammals within. Different to what he saw in front of him but he enjoyed this view more, knowing who he was sharing it with.
He pushed away his thoughts of his other life, ignoring the reminder of his mother’s spare letters, instead reading concentrated the plates next to the exhibits, reading of the fish, sharks, snails and so on living within. Whenever Kaveh had a question, Alhaitham answered them with ease, going into elaborate tangents on how fish took care of their brood, the importance of regulating temperature and salinity for corals and the overall need for preservation for sea life.
Kaveh listened intently, adding his own insight and ideas which either were confirmed or taking apart in a manner how one would treat a child perhaps, amusing Kaveh greatly.
“I’m not five, you don’t have to speak to me like I’m inept.”
Alhaitham smiled at that, turning away from the cat shark that had come close to the window, glassy eyes staring at them unmoving.
“You’re from a different world, how would I know where your knowledge on the creatures of the sea lays? Now then…” Alhaitham continued on unperturbed and Kaveh couldn't help the smile sprouting on his face. This was nicer than he had expected, he never had great interest in the sea but sharing such an experience with another alleviated it greatly.
They continued on, reaching smaller aquariums with open tops where smaller creatures were exhibited, a few crabby looking things with no strong arms to defend themselves and sea stars that were rippled through out, soft pink colourations to them. There were also a few plant looking organisms, spindly appendages to them that swayed softly as if reaching out.
“You can touch them.” Alhaitham added besides him, nudging him forward softly.
“Really?” Kaveh asked surprised, turning back to the open tanks, hands hesitant to move. Without a word of warning, Alhaitham took his hand, the warmth sending shivers up his spine. He was moved slowly, hands tentatively entering the waters which was a pleasant temperature against his skin. Alhaitham guided him over to the anemone as the sign called it, letting Kaveh close enough to have its tentacles tangle with his fingers, the touch soft, jelly-like, few of them wrapping around Kaveh’s pinkie who watched fascinated.
“It seems to like you.” Alhaitham teased, Kaveh rolling his eyes in response.
“It probably just tries to check if I’m something that it can eat.”
Afterwards, they move over to a sea star, Kaveh stroking over the hard, prickly surface of it, Alhaitham’s hold loosening as he gained confidence.
“I didn’t think it would feel this rough under my fingers, it looks softer.”
“It depends on the species; some have softer appendages while others are firmer like this one. I can show you some that are softer as well.”
They walked around to another tank where smaller sea stars laid, a few sea urchins dumpling in the waters, their spiky exterior warning not to be touched. Like little sea hedgehogs though less cute without a face.
Kaveh carefully tapped against one of the sea stars, the star easily giving in, similar to the anemone in its squishiness. “I like squishy things.” Kaveh commented intelligently, Alhaitham smirking to his side though he didn’t voice his thoughts. For now.
That little pet station was the last part of the exhibit though they went back to the cat sharks a last time for a little staring contest that the shark easily won. Only after did Alhaitham tell Kaveh that they literally had no eyelids which coloured his cheeks in embarrassment, slapping Alhaitham lightly.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Kaveh asked abashedly, Alhaitham shrugging with a teasing smile.
“You seemed determined to try who am I to stand between you and your competitive spirit.”
Kaveh scoffed, walking away though his steps weren’t swift enough to be an actual attempt at fleeing, rather just quick enough to give the illusion of separation.
All the teasing aside, Kaveh had a lot of fun in the aquarium, more than ever since he had entered this world. Before, he had always been too preoccupied by his own mind, the future to come and what to do. He hadn’t left himself room to breathe, thinking it was necessary to tackle the problems with no time for reprieve.
But Kaveh did feel refreshed through this small moment of silly adventure. Perhaps Kaveh should take a page out of this book and try to slow down more often, it wasn’t like his constant worrying had brought him any closer to solving his conundrum.
“Thanks.” Kaveh mumbled as Alhaitham caught up to him, keeping his face averted. His cheeks were still warm from his previous embarrassment and he wouldn't want Alhaitham to get the wrong idea. But who was he kidding, Alhaitham of all people would know how he was feeling, he seemed to know it better than Kaveh himself most of the time. An annoying trait that thankfully wasn’t present with his own Alhaitham otherwise they would have had many awkward conversations before.
“Don’t thank me for something like this. It was as much fun for me as it was for you. Thanks isn’t needed for something as simple as this.”
“Well, thanks for everything then.” Kaveh snapped back, softening his voice as he continued. “I’m glad that I’ve met you. To get to know this world with you. There couldn't be a better person for it, so thanks.”
Alhaitham ruffled his hair which he didn’t attest until he did, swatting away the affection. “I’m also glad to have met you, Kaveh. I won’t forget this time regardless how long or short it’ll last.”