Yes. No. Yes.
Kaveh was late coming home that day. When he did finally come through the door to their shared apartment, Kaveh was loud and angry. You could feel the rage emanating from him as he walked in. He walked through the hallways to his room and unpacked his things while angrily ranting in a volume that could be heard throughout the house.
"You know I was starting to think that maybe that Spiderman guy isn't all that bad. I mean he refused to answer anyone's question but mine. He even took us to the roof so that we wouldn't be crowded. But that's where it ends and his arrogance and self-centredness begin. I mean, he left me on that rooftop alone, with no way to get down. And in the end, he didn't even answer my question properly! He's just your run-of-the-mill asshole who got given powers. He's probably only 'saving' people to make himself feel good."
Al Haitham could hear his rambling from where he sat on the couch with his book in hand. He didn't say anything to Kaveh, he only smiled slightly to himself at Kaveh's frustration. The smile was barely even a smile and it quickly vanished, especially when Kaveh made his way into the loungeroom to rant to Al Haitham directly. He sat on the other end of the couch to Al Haitham and started talking to him, despite Al Haitham's clear interest in his book at the moment. Kaveh curled up in his seat and faced Al Haitham.
"Didn't you wonder why I came home so late today even though I said I had a half day? Aren't you curious?" He said like a question but didn't wait for Al Haitham to respond. "I can't believe that jerk. Because of him, I was stuck on that rooftop for three hours until someone came and unlocked it. And even then, when they found me after all my screaming for help, and had to make me wait another hour while they found to keys."
Al Haitham really was listening, he found that he quite enjoyed Kaveh's frustration.
"Are you even listening?"
"..."
Kaveh's rage grew. Al Haitham was doing it on purpose.
"What are you talking about now?" it was a question, though Al Haitham's tone suggested he didn't care about the answer.
Kaveh turned a shade almost as red as his eyes.
"You-! You're unbelievable." He decided he couldn't handle being in the same room as him and stormed off to his room. He didn't know who was worse, Spiderman or Al Haitham.
Time passes without either of them speaking with each other and without Kaveh ever leaving his room, apart from when he came out to get himself dinner. He wasn't about to skip a meal because of that entitled snob he happens to live with. Al Haitham also enjoyed the time alone.
...
The next day Kaveh actually gets out of bed at a reasonable time where he would usually sleep in and panic about getting to work. He was all dressed up too. Well not too much, but he looked nicer than usual, even with his job requiring him to appear on TV, he looked nicer than that. Al Haitham got over his shock of seeing Kaveh like this, up this early too. He read his book while he waited for his toast to be done. Without looking up, he addressed Kaveh in such a monotone, that you'd wonder why he even bothered asking.
"Where are you going?"
"What's it to you?" Kaveh immediately on the defensive.
"I was just trying to figure out why you would've dragged yourself out of bed at such a reasonable time today. You realize it's also the weekend on top of that, you don't have work."
"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm going out to meet with some friends."
"Ok."
That's it? That's all Kaveh gets? 'Ok'? He's the one who asked, it's like he doesn't even care.
Al Haitham could already see the anger forming in Kaveh, and it delighted him.
"Don't you want to know who I'm meeting?"
"Why would I care about people I've never met before?"
"Precisely because they are people who have definitely met before."
"..." Al Haitham didn't feel like feeding into Kaveh's lead-on answers.
Kaveh gives in because he wants to spill it so badly. "I'm meeting up with Cyno and Tighnari, you know, from high school?"
That brought Al Haitham back, he never really socialized back then. Not much has changed in that regard. Though he didn't keep in contact with anyone from high school, he does distinctly remember these two. He didn't mind them, they both kept to themselves and Tighnari was especially good at reading a room and understanding when Al Haitham didn't want to talk. He'd had a few disagreements with Cyno from time to time, though nothing serious.
"Cool." That's all Kaveh got, after that big reveal too. Kaveh feels his eye twitch. He sighs.
"I told them we were roommates. I've kept in contact with them since we graduated and we're still close so I didn't mind telling them since they know you as well. They want to see you. They told me to bring you along, mainly Tighnari."
"What? No."
"What do you mean 'no'?"
"I mean no. You can't just drag me along when it looks like you're already running late and you've only just told me about this."
Kaveh meant to tell him, last night. But he was too mad at him to talk to him. He felt just a little bit bad for not telling him sooner.
"Come on, just come."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"..."
-
He ended up going.