Okay before we get into it, let me specify that this is meant to be a platonic piece, but can be read as romantic if wanted.
I really do like the thought that saiki always imagines himself happier in certainnscenarios, especially if it's something he wants. And i just HC that he really does want physical affection but doesnt know how to initiate or ask for it. So he mostly just gets it from Nendou.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
There's something wrong with this city. Kaveh doesn't know why he's so sure, but he knows that it is wrong. It's the way the sunlight filters through the trees at slightly the wrong hue, the way the sounds of the streets warp in his ears, the way the people blur together as one. He doesn't get why no one else has noticed, and doesn't understand why Alhaitham disagrees with him so vehemently.
And then there's the thing that hunts for him at night.
“If only… we’d had more time.”
OR: The fic where Alhaitham and Kaveh find one another through an ever-escalating series of idiosyncrasies.
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People who know me, pretend I didn’t fall horribly into the genshin fandom specifically because I adore haikavehtham. I’m so sorry for what I have become. <33 it has been fun writing after a year of nothing though, so I’m pretty happy!
vvv Potentially unpopular opinion about valentine's day vvv
I think I've figured out how to put into words why women care so much about valentine's day: it's because they see it as a FREE ridiculously easy opportunity for their partner to be romantic. And in a society where most straight guys are super unromantic and women grew up on soap operas and fanfiction and rom coms and hallmark channel, it's no wonder that in a lot of relationships women often feel like they lack something special, like their partner doesn't quite romance them as much as they'd hope they would. But the excuse a lot of guys give is that they weren't taught how to be romantic, or that it's not their nature or that it's not that big of a deal.
Valentine's day is about love. Not necessarily romantic love, but it's still widely understood to be the most romantic holiday. It makes it so EASY to be romantic, the formula is right there!
So when guys don't even bother to follow a relatively simple "formula", I think women, including myself, get upset. Yes, it's all corny and unoriginal, but there can still be a lot of care and love and thought put into it to MAKE it special. And that's what counts, not the expensive roses or fancy chocolate. It's the lack of care that bothers women. Not the fact that their partner is cheap.
So yes. Women want you to cheat and do things the "easy" way sometimes. It's the least they could do. In fact refusing to follow social norms in this case, without appropriate substitution or direct discussion about it with your partner, can feel very insulting because culturally partners expect to be appreciated and doted on for valentine's day, and giving excuses like "but it's dumb and it's mindless consumerism!" only makes your partner feel more unloved, like they're not important enough to you to even take the low hanging fruit.
Besides why would you NOT want an excuse to spoil your partner and treat them like royalty? When else you gonna do it? Lol
Also, if you're so fucking unoriginal and unromantic that you can't come up with an inexpensive way to make your partner feel special and loved on "Appreciate your loved ones" day then yea I think you deserve to be forced to spend a bunch of money on overpriced flowers n shit. I am not advocating for people to spend a bunch of money for the sake of consumerism, that's a problem, but would it really fucking kill you to do SOMETHING nice for your partner??? Do you care that little about them?? I get it, rough times, people are broke, but it's simply not an excuse to do nothing or act like it's dumb and unimportant. It IS important to some people, and that people may include your partner. Get the fuck over it or spend some time single until you're mature enough to learn to love someone in a way that makes them feel fulfilled. It was never about the money.
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk
Tldr; Don't be a piece of shit! Be nice to your partner for valentine's day! Unless they've explicitly told you not to worry about it for good reason.