at least i'd be a fungus with empathy

The initial return! It was probably very cold! Alhaitham is comfy in his house, he's not going to outwardly change with a new roommate (regardless of their history)! He leans into the surfaces and walls with little thought! Kaveh on the other hand is wincing at corners and the edges of the counters! He doesn't touch or even look at anything beyond the things he brought with him or the furniture he cannot avoid... Everything reeks of alhaitham,, better to not touch anything..

Being in shared spaces! After sometime, Kaveh's gotten more comfortable touching a few communal things, they are living in the same space after all it can't be helped! (the "we can't be in the kitchen at the same time" meme) Alhaitham hasn't changed his ways and Kaveh finds himself in his space when going about his day. Shit like getting coffee is just easier if they both have it at the same time. And so Kaveh finds that he begins to see how he could possibly fit into this household... He has his designated lil areas and when things do collide its agreed upon (the lil clothes line is another communal spot where he just so happens to poke a lil into Alhaitham's new fashion...)

Getting Comfy! At some point, Kaveh takes the step to push the limits of those unspoken boundaries... Lots of lil nudges into Alhaitham's space! Brushing shoulders, lingering at each other's doors for idle chatter, actually lingering in the home?? like i think the day Kaveh sets his ass on a seat to simply take in the room, he feels a bit of wonder set in that he hasn't really let loose since he arrived? Like wowza, this house is full of Alhaitham's stuff,,, gotta take a look around...observing from the borders...