[The Aranara tune was familiar to him from other children talking about it or seeing them. He can remember Kaveh mentioning them when they were younger, specifically. As for him, he figures he was humbled by life too fast to have seen them like others did. Yet, hearing the tune on Aether's lips brought him back to those simple years of reading by himself while waiting for his grandmother to come home.

He couldn't imagine all the sights Aether's seen, both bad and good. Yet, to still contain enough whimsy to have interacted with the Aranara directly made him more fond.]

I haven't done anything yet and here you are calling me names.

[Alhaitham prefers to think of himself as patiently possessive. He waited to know if Aether felt anything for him while making himself available, and it worked. If the pay-off included getting to remind everyone else that Aether returns those feelings, who was he not to cash in on those benefits?]

Although if you really are into the possessive boyfriend thing, I can lean into it.

[The scribe grins, nuzzling against him while petting his hand down Aether's back. He never thought of himself as the type for affectionate gestures, but being with Aether like they were made it so easy to lean into.]