Chapter Text
There was a child on the divan.
She didn’t look particularly old, perhaps five or six, with startlingly white and silver hair tipped with green. Her eyes were intensely green and though she seemed surprised to see Kaveh, her smile was sweet. “Hello,” she said. “Are you Kaveh?”
“Um,” Kaveh said eloquently. “Yes?”
The little girl kicked her feet, which weren’t long enough to hang over the edge of the divan. There were little charms around her ankles that chimed like bells. Very carefully, she closed the large book in her lap and scooted forward until she could jump to the floor. “Alhaitham said he’ll be back soon. He’s getting dinner.”
Behind Kaveh, Alhaitham opened the door. “Nahida, I’m back.”
“Oh, there you are,” the little girl, apparently called Nahida, said. “Kaveh came back.”
Very slowly, Kaveh turned around. Alhaitham was toeing off his boots, his hands occupied with a large parcel that smelled like the food and spices of home. After several weeks in the desert, eating only travel rations, it smelled heavenly . “Of course he did. Nahida, put that book away so it doesn’t get dirty and get ready for dinner.”
“Okay!” Nahida trotted past Kaveh to wrap her arms around one of Alhaitham’s legs. Which was…something because Kaveh had never seen Alhaitham so calm about being hugged, much less by a child. Children loved him, much to both of their dismay. Even when Kaveh was with Alhaitham and clearly more friendly toward the children, they always gravitated toward Alhaitham, who always did his best to avoid interacting with them.
But here was a young child that ran up to him and hugged his leg .
And he let her!
Without a fuss!
Alhaitham juggled the box in his arms until it was braced against his chest and reached a hand down to awkwardly pat her head.
That close to each other, Kaveh couldn’t help but compare the two of them and realized that there were far too many similarities between them. Natural gray hair, intense green eyes… was this Alhaitham’s daughter?!
Done, Nahida trotted back to the divan, picked up the book which was almost as big as her torso, and trotted down the hall.
Toward Kaveh’s room.
“Nahida will be staying with us for a while,” Alhaitham said, wiggling his boot free and kicking it aside. “I offered her your room, as having her sleep on the divan would be inappropriate.”
Kaveh sputtered. “You fucking what? ”
Alhaitham shook his head with a wince. “Language,” he chided. “Did you not hear me? I told you that Nahida will be staying with us for a while.”
“What is ‘a while’?” Kaveh demanded, trying his best not to shriek again. “Hey, don’t walk away from me!” He yanked off his shoes and tossed them carelessly aside and stomped after Alhaitham.
Ignoring him, Alhaitham continued into the kitchen and set down the parcel in his hands. “You’re tracking sand,” he said, clicking his tongue disapprovingly. “Aren’t you usually the one complaining about cleaning? Yet here you are—”
“Oh for fuck’s sake!”
“Language,” Alhaitham chided again. “Please refrain from speaking like that while Nahida is here.”
Fuck you , Kaveh signed, but the effort was ruined by the fact that Alhaitham wasn’t looking at him. “If Nahida’s in my room, then where am I going to sleep?” he demanded. Alhaitham shrugged without turning around.
“Go take a shower,” he said. “You smell like sumpterbeast. Don’t take too long fussing with yourself or dinner will get cold.” He slanted a look at Kaveh out of the corner of his eyes. With his hands, since he’d never say such things out loud, he signed, I got your favorites .
Kaveh huffed. Don’t think this conversation’s over , he signed back. Alhaitham huffed.
When he came out of the shower, Nahida had returned and was climbing up on the divan. It looked like she had washed up for dinner as well, as the skin on her face and hands were pink. She smiled at him as she settled on the cushions.
“Where’s your dad?” Kaveh asked. “I have a bone to pick with him.”
Nahida tilted her head to the side cutely. “My dad?” she echoed.
“Alhaitham.”
“Ah,” Nahida said, something amused and knowing in her intense green eyes. “I don’t know.”
Kaveh nodded absently. “Alright, I’ll make us some food. He can make his own plate when he’s ready.”
“I thought we’d all eat together,” Nahida said with a cute little pout. “Isn’t that what a family’s supposed to do?”
Gritting his teeth, Kaveh nodded. “Alright, we’ll wait for Alhaitham.” Gingerly, he sat down on the divan across the table from Nahida. “How old are you, Nahida?” Nahida smiled and held up a hand, all five of her fingers splayed. “Five years-old? Wow.” He scrubbed his hands on his thighs. “I didn’t realize that Alhaitham had a daughter.”
Nahida gave him a secretive smile. “He didn’t meet me until recently.”
“He must have been surprised,” Kaveh said carefully.
“I thought so.”
She didn’t seem distressed, merely amused in some strange sort of way, so Kaveh cautiously asked, “And what about your mother?”
Nahida didn’t seem upset when she said, “I don’t have a mother.” She paused, an enigmatic smile on her lips.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Kaveh said with a shaky smile.
“It’s not something that upsets me,” Nahida assured him and yeah…yeah he could see her absolutely being Alhaitham’s daughter because that was a very “Alhaitham” thing to say. Perhaps there was more to the argument of nature versus nurture if, despite only having met her father recently, Nahida behaved similarly.
Nahida frowned thoughtfully and seemed to be struggling to find the correct words to say. “My previous…guardians did not care for me in a way that…dad approved of. So he indulges me more than he would otherwise, I think.” Then she flashed a smile that was pure mischief, that was certainly not something that she’d gotten from blank-faced, stoic Alhaitham. “I think I amuse him more than he likes to admit, which is why he was perfectly alright with me coming to stay with him.”
Kaveh frowned. “Did something happen?” he asked, unable to help the sense of worry. “Are you okay?”
The smile that Nahida gave him was sweet, and something that had tensed up in Kaveh’s chest loosened slightly. “I am now, thanks to dad.”
It wasn’t quite reassuring, but Kaveh supposed that he didn’t need everything to be reassuring all at once. No matter, he would find out from Alhaitham later and make sure that Nahida really was alright. “As long as you’re sure,” he said firmly. “And it’s alright to be not okay too. It’s okay to be upset and scared, as long as you have someone nearby to help you.”
Nahida smiled indulgently, an almost knowing look on her face. It was strangely unnerving, as if Nahida knew more about him than she let on. Then she turned and her smile widened as she looked over his shoulder. “Dad!”
Alhaitham paused in the doorway. Both of his gray brows rose toward his hairline. “Okay,” he said. He looked at Kaveh. “You didn’t take as long as I expected. Help me carry the food in.”
Glancing at Nahida who showed no sign of climbing off the divan, Kaveh stood and followed Alhaitham into the kitchen. So, do you know how long she’ll be here?
Are you so ready to be rid of her? Alhaitham signed back. Maybe I don’t mind her staying here.
Kaveh narrowed his eyes at Alhaitham. Since when do you enjoy having people in your house?
The look on Alhaitham’s face wasn’t one that Kaveh could easily read. He seemed part amused, part exasperated, and also a third emotion that Kaveh coudn’t name. I make exceptions as I see fit , he said. Then he picked up one of the plates, effectively ending the conversation.
“I haven’t had food like this before,” Kaveh could hear Nahida say as Alhaitham walked back into the living room. “What did you get?”
Kaveh looked down at the remaining dishes. There was a wrapped box that had been set aside and Kaveh peeked inside, surprised to find a cake, something that Alhaitham very rarely indulged in. Normally, Kaveh may have helped himself but with Nahida there, it was clearly for her and he wasn’t that much of a monster to steal a child’s cake.
Instead he closed the box carefully, grabbed the remaining plates, and walked back to the living room. Nahida was carefully helping Alhaitham rearrange the table to allow their plates to be set down, and Kaveh couldn’t help the warmth blooming in his chest. He’d always liked children, and though he’d only known Nahida for less than an hour, he was already taken by her.
The truth was, he wasn’t too upset that Alhaitham had given up his room to her—if Alhaitham had been cruel enough not to, Kaveh would have done it himself. But Alhaitham wasn’t heartless, he just found certain types of communication to be inconvenient , and it irked Kaveh to no end.
Nahida smiled up at him. “Will you sit with me?” she asked.
Glancing at Alhaitham, who didn’t seem bothered that he was being snubbed by his daughter, Kaveh nodded. “Sure, kiddo. Do you need help?”
“I can do it myself,” Nahida told him, as children her age tended to, and hopped up on the divan where she sat with her hands folded cutely in her lap.
When Kaveh looked up, he found Alhaitham looking at him. “‘Kiddo’?” he echoed, his lips curling upward.
Kaveh flushed. “Shut up.” He looked at Nahida who smiled up at him. “Sorry.”
“I am not your child,” Nahida said in an oddly formal way, but somehow Kaveh thought that it fitted her very serious demeanor. She was a somber child, at least she seemed to be in the short time that Kaveh knew her, and though she seemed cheerful and polite, she also had an air of seriousness that…well, if he was being honest, he thought it very much resembled what he would assume Alhaitham was like at her age.
Except Nahida was much friendlier.
And actually smiled.
He wasn’t sure that Alhaitham was capable of it; if he did, the world would probably explode. More people would fall in love with him at the sight of it, and he’d leave behind a trail of broken hearts. At least, more than usual. Because Kaveh got to hear about how much everyone loved and lusted after Alhaitham, who was as cool and untouchable as an ice sculpture. He wanted to tell them not to bother, that they were better off declaring their love to a Statue of the Seven because it was much more likely that the Archon may see fit to answer their prayers! Alhaitham did not care for anyone, did not seem to bother with the mortal experiences of physical, emotional, or romantic attraction. Of this, Kaveh was very sure—he’d tried for years.
“Sorry,” Kaveh said. “Habit. Is there something else you want me to call you?”
Nahida peered up at him, her smile not wavering. “It was just an observation. I’m not your child but you called me ‘kiddo’. Why?”
Helpless, Kaveh looked at Alhaitham whose expression said, you got yourself into this, don’t expect me to bail you out . Asshole.
“Would you prefer habibti? ” Kaveh asked, only half joking.
Nahida tilted her head to the side. Her eyes shone and her smile widened. “You’d call me that?”
Across the table, Alhaitham made a cough that was half laugh. “I bought fatteh ,” he said. “And several other dishes for you to try, including ghormeh sabzi, tahchin, and roasted chicken.”
Kaveh scoffed. “ Fatteh , really?” he complained. “Is it actually fatteh or someone that claimed that it’s a traditional recipe?”
“Is this such a matter of contention?” Nahida asked.
“Only with Kaveh,” Alhaitham told her. “He has opinions about what constitutes ‘proper’ fatteh . When he is drunk, he enjoys this fatteh well enough, but when he’s sober he insists that he should be the one making it, since he’s apparently the only one that knows how to.”
Nahida reached for the plate and Kaveh leaned over to bring it closer to her. The divan was too far away for her to reach without standing beside the table, and Kaveh made a note to see what he could do to fix it. A lot of things would have to change with Nahida in their proximity, and Kaveh was surprised that he was excited by it.
Invigorated.
He tried not to think about why.
“I will try this one now,” Nahida told Kaveh, “which you claim is sub-par, but only when you’re sober. Another time, will you show me how to make it ‘properly’?”
Kaveh smiled so hard it hurt. “We can make it tomorrow, habibti .”
“As long as you don’t spend three hours trying to recreate the Palace of Alcazarzaray in it.” There was something warm and indulgent in Alhaitham’s face, visible only in the curl in the corners of his mouth and the creases around his eyes.
Kaveh was left breathless by it.
“You were the one that designed the Palace,” Nahida said, turning to look at Kaveh. “I had heard a lot of very good things about it. They say that it is your greatest work, though I cannot imagine that you will stop there.” She hummed and accepted the napkin that Kaveh absently passed her. “I had wanted to visit it to see it myself, but I am told that it is private property.”
Alhaitham gave her a look and she turned to her father. A wordless conversation passed between them and Kaveh swallowed the lump in his throat.
“ Are you able to recreate it in pita bread?” Nahida asked in a surprisingly smooth sidestep of the emotional minefield that was Kaveh’s feelings regarding the Palace. It was impressive for such a young child, especially one that was Alhaitham’s daughter.
No matter his feelings about the real building, Kaveh was able to put it aside for Nahida’s sake. “Uh, yeah, of course .”
“And dinner tomorrow night will be late,” Alhaitham said, rolling his eyes.
Nahida giggled. “Can we?” she asked, wiggling her legs. “That sounds like fun!” She looked at Alhaitham. “That means that we need to return home on time,” she told him and Kaveh barked a laugh that a precocious five year-old was scolding someone like Alhaitham. “That means that you can’t stay late working.”
Slanting a glance at Alhaitham, Kaveh was surprised to find that he looked at her with an expression of fond indulgence . If anyone else were to dictate to him how he should work, he would have said something rude or have come off as cold and standoffish.
But looking at Nahida, Alhaitham only looked amused and tolerant. “As my lady commands,” he said without a trace of irony in his voice.
“I do command,” Nahida said and Kaveh was about ready to combust. “I will not insist that you leave early, but it is imperative that you leave on time.”
Nahida looked at Kaveh as if for support and he laughed. “You heard her,” Kaveh said and Alhaitham rolled his eyes. “Maybe you should swing by the market too.”
As expected, Nahida bounced excitedly. “Can we?”
Alhaitham gave Kaveh a disapproving look, but his voice was ridiculously gentle when he said, “as my lady wishes.”
It wasn’t until much later that Kaveh realized that there was something still left unresolved.
Where the fuck was he going to sleep?
Rubbing the back of his aching neck, Kaveh stretched and winced when his shoulders and back popped. He walked into the kitchen and drank water from his hands at the sink while he mulled over the problem.
If Kaveh was being honest, he wasn’t getting any younger and his poor posture and…well, poor habits in general meant that sleeping on the divan would result in an aching back and shoulder and then he’d never be able to make fatteh with Nahida.
And it wasn’t like he was about to be that person and try to kick Nahida out of what had once been his bed.
Well, it’s not like Alhaitham offered him many choices, he mused as he rolled his shoulders and stretched. So he’d just have to suck it up.
The door to Alhaitham’s room didn’t creak as it opened, but Kaveh breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that Alhaitham hadn’t locked it. He didn’t think Alhaitham would, but he had also never tried to open the door without Alhaitham’s invitation.
For a moment he stood in the doorway, well aware that he was acting like a creep, and watched Alhaitham’s sleeping form. He looked different, younger when he was asleep. The stresses of the day no longer weighed on him and he looked much more carefree while curled up in his bed.
Kaveh let his eyes adjust to the gloom of the evening and walked to his bags. The nice thing about Alhaitham being deaf was that little noises probably wouldn’t wake him; the downside was that he knew that Alhaitham was more sensitive to vibrations and changing light as his body tried to make up for what some might consider a lack.
He smiled when he heard his roommate make a catlike “mrrp?” from the bed and glanced over to find that Alhaitham had peeked an eye open, seemingly unconcerned with finding Kaveh walking around in his room.
I’m grabbing my clothes , Kaveh signed, not sure that Alhaitham could even see his hands.
Alhaitham huffed and closed his eyes again. With a secretive smile that Alhaitham absolutely could not know about, Kaveh grabbed his things and went to the bathroom to change.
“Scoot over,” Kaveh told Alhaitham when he returned, even though Alhaitham couldn’t hear him.
His only response when he shook Alhaitham’s shoulder was a tired “humph” and while Alhaitham didn’t move, still stubbornly in the middle of the bed, he lifted an arm drowsily. Kaveh bit back a smile and curled up in bed, tucking himself against Alhaitham’s side.
“Fuck you,” he mumbled into Alhaitham’s shoulder. “I need somewhere to sleep too.”
Alhaitham grunted, able to feel him talking but not able to hear what he was saying, and slapped a hand over Kaveh’s face, groping around until he found his mouth. “Sleep,” he mumbled, voice a low rumble in his chest.
Huffing, Kaveh closed his eyes and decided to make more sense of it in the morning.