Work Text:
It was the clatter of something small hitting the floor that stirred Alhaitham from sleep.
For a moment, he considered just ignoring it—half convinced it was the house settling, or perhaps some stray breeze rattling a window. But when his hand reached across the bed and found empty sheets where Kaveh’s warm body should be, his mind sharpened instantly.
A sigh slipped from him.
Of course.
Knowing Kaveh, it was either something harmless or something catastrophic. With no in-between.
He shoved the covers off and lazily dragged himself downstairs, expecting to catch a half-awake Kaveh raiding the kitchen for late-night snacks again.
Maybe he’d even find him struggling with the microwave—last week, Kaveh somehow managed to burn instant oatmeal.
What he didn't expect to see was Kaveh, standing barefoot in the kitchen, holding an egg.
Not cooking it.
Not cracking it?
Just… holding it.
Staring at it...
Like it had personally wronged him
Alhaitham blinked, squinting through the faint glow of the kitchen light.
Kaveh mumbled something to the egg, voice thick and heavy with sleep, completely unaware of his audience.
For a long moment, Alhaitham simply stood there, arms crossed loosely, watching.
Was he dreaming? Was he communicating with the egg?
Somewhere deep inside, past the lingering irritation of being woken up at ungodly hours, Alhaitham’s heart squeezed at the sight.
His stupid, chaotic little idiot.
Another mumble came, this time louder.
Still absolutely nonsensical.
Alhaitham finally stepped forward, voice low, amused.
“Kaveh, are you interrogating breakfast ingredients now?”
No response.
Kaveh just kept glaring at the egg with the solemnity of a man facing the mysteries of the universe.
Alhaitham bit the inside of his cheek to hide the small smile tugging at his lips.
“Kaveh,” Alhaitham called a little more firmly, stepping closer.
Still no real reaction. Only Kaveh whispering under his breath, eyes half-lidded but determined, like he was solving a puzzle only he could see.
“…Eggs are weird," Kaveh muttered dreamily. "They're like... bird seeds. But wet."
Alhaitham blinked, processing that strange little thought.
“And— and if you hold them wrong, they break," Kaveh continued, clutching the egg like it was a precious artifact. "So fragile... like feelings..."
Alhaitham folded his arms, observing the sheer chaos that was his half-conscious lover.
Feelings?
Eggs??
He watched Kaveh sway slightly where he stood, hair sticking up in every direction, dressed in nothing but Alhaitham’s old t-shirt and a pair of shorts.
Then, Kaveh's voice dropped to a whisper, soft enough that Alhaitham had to lean in to hear.
“…if we get married… I want a gold ring. With a tiny diamond. Just a tiny one… not too much…”
His words tumbled out like secrets slipping from his chest.
“…Maybe an engraving inside. Something silly... like... 'Property of Kaveh'... or 'Certified Genius'...”
Alhaitham froze, heart lurching painfully in his chest.
For a brief moment, he wasn't sure if he was breathing.
Kaveh, still half-asleep, just smiled faintly at the egg in his hands.
Completely unaware of the way Alhaitham was looking at him — like he hung the stars.
Noted. Every word.
Alhaitham burned them into his mind with frightening clarity.
He exhaled slowly through his nose, calming himself down.
Now was not the time to propose to a sleepwalking man holding an egg.
"Come on, silly," he said at last, reaching out.
But Kaveh, stubborn even in slumber, only tightened his grip on the egg and shook his head, hair flopping everywhere.
"Nooo... m' busy... important... mission..." He started waddling toward the pantry with the gravity of a man carrying out a sacred duty.
Alhaitham sighed. Deeply. Fondly.
"Baby, we go back to bed, alright?"
Without hesitation, he simply scooped Kaveh up — egg and all — into his arms.
Kaveh let out a small, happy sigh, burying his nose into Alhaitham’s neck, arms looping lazily around him.
“Smells like…home…” Kaveh mumbled, his voice dissolving into soft, almost purring hums.
And Alhaitham, still cradling him gently, walking slow toward their bedroom, thought:
"Mn, you're my home too."
Alhaitham carried Kaveh easily through the quiet house, the weight of him so familiar now — a perfect, natural thing.
Kaveh, still lost somewhere between dreaming and waking, started mumbling against his neck.
“Did you know... sea otters hold hands so they don't drift away..."
His voice was soft, almost secretive.
Alhaitham smiled a little, shifting Kaveh carefully so he wouldn’t jostle him too much.
"Mm," he hummed in acknowledgment.
"And... and... did you know... the human brain named itself?"
Kaveh said it like it was the greatest conspiracy he’d just uncovered, voice full of wonder.
Another fond sigh escaped Alhaitham. He could feel Kaveh's warm breath against his collarbone, the soft little huffs and mumbles as he kept talking.
"Also... you're so strong, Haiyi..." Kaveh sighed blissfully, squeezing his arms lazily around Alhaitham’s neck like a koala.
"Could lift me with one hand... throw me onto the bed... mmm..." He giggled to himself, cheeks pink from warmth and sleepiness.
Alhaitham bit the inside of his cheek to keep a smile at bay.
Behave, he told himself sternly. (He was failing.)
"Most handsome boyfriend," Kaveh added in a sleepy singsong. "Smartest too... my Haiyi is so cool... like a... like a wizard. But hotter."
Another drowsy giggle.
Alhaitham gently nudged open the bedroom door with his foot, the familiar scent of their room immediately washing over him: faint cologne, clean linen, the lingering sweetness of Kaveh’s shampoo.
He set Kaveh down carefully on the bed, but Kaveh clung to him like a burr, refusing to let go.
“Nuh-uh,” Kaveh mumbled, nuzzling his face against Alhaitham’s chest. “You stay.”
Alhaitham let out a soft huff of laughter, brushing his hand through Kaveh’s messy hair.
"Of course," he murmured, voice impossibly soft. "I'm not going anywhere."
He tucked Kaveh under the blankets — gently prying the egg from his loose grip and setting it safely on the nightstand.
Kaveh, still clinging like he was scared Alhaitham would slip away, buried his face into the crook of Alhaitham’s neck. He mumbled something incoherent, warm breath ghosting against skin. Alhaitham shifted slightly so he could properly wrap his arms around Kaveh, pulling him closer under the covers.
The smaller man let out a pleased hum — a sleepy, content sound that made Alhaitham’s chest ache in the best way.
He felt Kaveh wriggle a little, trying to get even closer (as if that was possible), and finally settled with one hand resting against Alhaitham’s bare chest. His fingers tapped aimlessly, like he was playing a silent piano.
"You're so warm," Kaveh whispered, so softly that if the room weren’t so still, Alhaitham might have missed it.
"You're... like a human heater. My heater."
Another sleepy giggle.
Alhaitham just stared at him, utterly helpless.
Everything about Kaveh — his messy hair, his flushed cheeks, the way his eyelashes fluttered with every blink — it was almost unbearable.
He was so beautiful.
Even more beautiful like this — so unguarded, so very his.
Kaveh blinked slowly, dazed, looking up at Alhaitham with the softest, most trusting eyes.
"Hey, Haiyi..." he mumbled.
"Yeah?" Alhaitham answered, voice low and steady.
Kaveh’s hand clumsily found his cheek, patting it like a kid would.
"You have like... really pretty eyes," he said seriously, like it was the most important secret he had to share.
"Like... emeralds. Shiny ones... only mine."
He giggled again, the sound soft and sweet and terribly precious.
Alhaitham felt a smile tugging at his mouth despite himself.
He dipped down and pressed a feather-light kiss to Kaveh’s forehead, lingering there a moment longer than necessary.
Another kiss, this time to the bridge of his nose.
Another to his cheek.
Another to his temple.
With every little kiss, Kaveh’s giggles grew softer, sleepier, until eventually he melted completely against Alhaitham, finally giving in to exhaustion.
Alhaitham stayed like that for a while, arms full of the most precious thing in the world, listening to Kaveh’s breathing even out, warm and steady against him.
He shifted just enough to brush a hand through Kaveh’s hair, gentle, careful not to wake him.
"Mine too," he whispered against Kaveh’s hairline, so soft that even the night didn’t hear it.
And as Kaveh dreamed — maybe of eggs and sea otters and shiny rings — Alhaitham stayed awake just a little longer, simply...watching him.
Adoring him.
Sea otters hold hands so they don’t drift apart.
Kaveh would like that.
He would hold Kaveh’s hand for the rest of their lives, too.