Chapter Text
Kaveh places the scent-blocking patch upon his scent glands and smooths it out with his fingers. He knows it’s not the best to wear the blockers every day, but not many people know about his second gender. Being an omega isn’t as prevalent as it was in the past, but omegas generally aren’t viewed as prestigious leaders of the Akedamia, such as himself.
Most of the scribes are alphas, which is intimidating. Kaveh pretends to be a beta for his own good. If not, he would be the most notorious omega to graduate from the Akedamia, which sounds like it would be a good thing. But openly omega graduates of the Akedamia have never been able to secure higher positions as scribes, Matras, or the most sought-after position, Acting Grand Sage. Kaveh would hate to lose the respect of his colleagues and his students because of something that is easily kept secret.
Well, for the most part. His heats are something that feels like it’s getting increasingly harder to hide. He usually “works from home” during the three days of his heat, or lies and tells the others in his darshan that he’s going to be in Avidia Forest, working on a construction project. Tighnari doesn’t mind covering for him after he discovered that Kaveh was also an omega. Both of them understand the importance of keeping such a thing a secret, so Kaveh doesn’t worry that Tighnari will sell him out.
His roommate is the other person that keeps his dirty little secret. He’s not exactly sure why Al-Haitham is okay with lying to the Akedamia about him being an omega, but he doesn’t question it. He assumes it’s Al-Haitham’s protective alpha nature to shield him from getting hurt.
Although Kaveh is not sure that Al-Haitham has a caring bone in his body. He’s the most detached person Kaveh has ever met, especially for a scholar. Most scholars are the neurotic type, the type that is constantly stressed by what their peers think and wants to be at the top of their class. But Al-Haitham, for as long as Kaveh has known him, has never cared about how others view him. It makes Al-Haitham insufferable when it comes to certain things because he just doesn’t understand.
Like Kaveh being an omega. Al-Haitham has expressed his disdain for Kaveh hiding behind scent blockers, because he thinks it’s ridiculous that people care so much about secondary genders. His taking over as acting grand sage has shaken the Akedamia a little bit with his indifferent attitude towards omega scholars. Al-Haitham has been firm about treating all of his inferiors the same, and some of the other sages have their feathers in a ruffle over it.
It's nice that Al-Haitham is inadvertently changing the Akedamia’s prejudice by not caring, but it isn’t enough to convince Kaveh. All of his students look up to him, and Kaveh would hate to destroy their view of him. Maybe it’s fear, or maybe it’s his ego, or maybe it’s a combination of the two. Regardless of what it is, it’s enough to hold Kaveh back from being completely honest.
The fear of being caught makes him a nervous wreck when his heat starts to approach. Al-Haitham often finds him pacing back and forth in the house, or cleaning until everything is pristine during these moments. Kaveh often chews his nails off when some of his fellow darshan members talk about the omegas in the Akedamia with spite lacing their tone. It’s a point of contention at home because Al-Haitham doesn’t know how to calm him down. It’s not as if his roommate is his keeper, but he knows Al-Haitham cares about him in some kind of way.
Kaveh sees his roommate pass by in the reflection of the mirror. Al-Haitham stops to lean on the side of the door frame with his usual aloof expression. Kaveh frowns at him in the mirror as their eyes meet and runs his hand subconsciously over his neck.
“What?” he asks, keeping eye contact through his reflection as he tries to fix his messy hair with pins.
“Are you getting nervous again?” Al-Haitham inquires, crossing his arms as he studies Kaveh.
“Maybe,” he says shortly, using another pin to clip his bangs back. Kaveh sticks his tongue out as he tries to make it look presentable enough for work. He’s visiting a client today instead of going to the office, so he wants to look his best.
“Meeting a client today,” he tells Al-Haitham, who is insistent he knows where Kaveh is when he’s not in the office.
“Where?”
“The desert,” he replies, rolling his eyes because he already knows what the next question is going to be.
“Do you have an escort?” Al-Haitham asks even though he already knows the answer. Kaveh huffs at the question.
“Just because I’m an omega doesn’t mean I’m stupid,” he grumbles, pushing past his roommate.
“Stop putting words in my mouth,” Al-Haitham says, frowning. “I’m not insinuating you can’t handle yourself, although I would argue that you’re too trusting for your own good and it gets you into trouble.”
“If I were an alpha we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Kaveh shoots back as he digs around for his keys in the entryway.
“I’m going to send someone with you.” Al-Haitham’s tone leaves no room for arguing. Kaveh sighs, acquiescing to his roommate’s overbearing protectiveness.
“Fine, but send someone I actually like, please.”
“How about the General Mahamatra?” Al-Haitham suggests. “Aren’t you two friends?” Kaveh feels his face burn at the thought of Cyno escorting him to a client meeting.
“That’s embarrassing, Haitham.” He probably shouldn’t have admitted that out loud. Al-Haitham will take any chance he can to embarrass him.
“I’m sure he would love to escort someone as prestigious as the light of Kshahrewar,” Al-Haitham teases. Kaveh groans, putting his face in his hands.
“Fine, whatever, I don’t care. Whatever gives you peace of mind, just don’t call me that!” Kaveh hates the nickname he was given back when he was a student. It was mocking as much as it was a compliment, unfortunately. His peers couldn’t help but tease him about being renowned, and it’s followed him to this day.
He finally finds his keys under some books that have been haphazardly thrown onto the table in the entryway. He sighs again and straightens them, partly to make it look neater and partly to focus his stress on something that he can actually fix.
“Don’t you know by now to put your things away instead of throwing them wherever you please?” he gripes at his roommate. Al-Haitham just ignores him in favor of putting on his cape to get ready to leave.
“Wait for an escort at Caravan Ribat,” Al-Haitham says as he opens the door, looking over his shoulder at Kaveh. “Don’t leave without one.” Without another word, he leaves.
Kaveh lets out another sigh as he watches Al-Haitham go. He hates to admit it, but he wishes Al-Haitham were the one to escort him to the desert. It’s how they used to travel before he became acting grand sage. But now Al-Haitham is always busy, whether he’s working in the office, making sure the Akedamia runs smoothly, or reading proposals in his free time. Al-Haitham isn’t one for overtime, but lately it seems as if the Akedamia has needed him now more than ever.
Kaveh closes the door and locks it behind him, and heads to Caravan Ribat as he thinks about how increasingly busy the two of them have become. Kaveh loves being a professor, a mentor, and an architect all at the same time. He loves staying busy, and always being on the go, but it makes his hours weird. He’s barely slept for the last couple years, and he knows that it’s getting to him. Al-Haitham complains about his weird sleep schedule.
Kaveh can’t help that the only time he gets to work on his projects is late at night. He would rather die of exhaustion than give up his passion projects. It makes him happy to make his clients happy, and he knows that he is the best at what he does. It would be a shame to slow down now.
Kaveh whistles as he waits for his escort patiently. Luckily, his meeting isn’t for another couple of hours. Kaveh is smart enough to leave extra early when it comes to traveling in the desert, because of all the possible things that could go wrong. And with eremites, monsters, and other creatures creeping around the sand dunes, Kaveh is extra careful. He may be a little reckless when it comes to matters of the heart, but when it comes to his clients, he leaves no room for mistake.
Someone taps on his shoulder and pulls him from his train of thought. To his horror, the person tapping on his shoulder is the General Mahamatra, who looks unimpressed by Kaveh’s surprise.
“Are you ready?” Cyno asks, his voice as monotone as usual.
Kaveh nods a little nervously. Cyno is one of the most intimidating people he’s ever met, and Kaveh knows many people. He may be small in stature, but he packs a punch. They aren’t the closest, but they are acquaintances through Tignahri. Kaveh hopes it’s not as awkward as he feels that it will be.
Kaveh fiddles with his briefcase as they walk along the dusty path outside of Caravan Ribat and into the desert. It’s a long, hot walk to Aaru Village, and there’s not much shielding from the sun. Kaveh likes to feel the sun on his face, but this is a little too much for him. He fans his face, feeling himself getting warmer. Sumeru City may be hot and humid, but it’s nothing compared to the dry heat of the desert.
They stop under the shade of an overhang to get a break from the sun. Kaveh accepts the canteen that Cyno hands him and takes a couple sips from it, letting the cool water wet his lips. It’s strange how much the heat is affecting him.
“Your face is really red,” Cyno remarks, his face neutral as he glances at Kaveh. Cyno is so hard to read, just like Al-Haitham.
“Is it?” he says, his voice coming out weak. Something is wrong. Heat is starting to creep into his body, enveloping him in a familiar feeling. He can feel himself start to panic as he recognizes what it is.
“Are you okay?” Cyno asks, his usual stern expression morphing into one of concern.
Kaveh shakes his head frantically, internally panicking. He’s starting to sweat excessively as his nervousness builds. He’s never told Cyno that he is an omega, and he doesn’t want to tell him now, despite the fact that he’s in pre-heat.
“I think I’m overheating,” Kaveh gasps. He lays down on his back and tries to figure out what he’s going to do to fix this situation. He’s stuck in the desert with an alpha, but he knows Cyno won’t hurt him. But he’s definitely not going to make it to the meeting with his client, which is disappointing. And he’s going to have to tell another person his secret, which is scary.
“Kaveh, I think I need to carry you back to Caravan Ribat until you’re well enough to go home. Your client is going to have to wait.” Cyno rips off a piece of his clothing to wet it and press it against his forehead to cool him down.
“Cyno.” Kaveh grabs Cyno’s wrist before he can move his hand away. Cyno looks down at him, frowning. “I need to tell you something,” he croaks, feeling another wave of heat hit him.
“Well, spit it out.” Kaveh licks his lips to wet them.
“My heat is starting.” Silence follows Kaveh’s statement. He opens his eyes to look the general.
“You came out here when your heat was about to start?” Cyno asks in disbelief.
“No, my heat isn’t due for another week. I’m not sure what’s going on.”
“Something must have brought it on,” Cyno says, looking as if he is trying to work out an equation in his head. “I didn’t even know you were an omega. Al-Haitham didn’t warn me about this.”
“He wouldn’t have,” Kaveh sighs, reaching up to push his sweaty bangs back from his forehead. “I made him promise to keep a secret.”
“He’s going to kill me,” Cyno grumbles under his breath, but Kaveh hears him.
“It’s not your fault I started my heat,” Kaveh says, trying to comfort him.
“No, I mean he’s going to kill me for not taking care of his omega. I shouldn’t even be around you right now.” Kaveh makes an affronted sound.
“I am not his mate, thank you very much. We just live together!’ Kaveh sits up, feeling his energy start to come back from the shock of hearing Cyno’s statement.
“Ah, my mistake,” Cyno says, but Kaveh can see what he’s not saying in his eyes.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Kaveh narrows his eyes.
“I didn’t say anything.” Cyno wraps his arms around Kaveh’s middle and helps him up. Kaveh can’t help but wrap his arms around Cyno, letting his inner omega be vulnerable and rely on an alpha to take care of him. Cyno stiffens at Kaveh pressing his nose against his neck.
“I’m mated, thank you very much,” Cyno says defensively, but he doesn’t push Kaveh off. “I can smell it now. I don’t know how I didn’t smell it before.”
“Scent blockers,” Kaveh murmurs, pressing his forehead against the general’s tan shoulder. “I’m sorry, I’m just worked up right now. I just want to go home.”
Cyno sighs. He slips one of his arms down to scoop Kaveh up, carrying him bridal style.
“Let’s go then.”
_________________________________________
Kaveh doesn’t know how he ends up back in his and Al-Haitham’s shared home, but he’s thankful that Cyno got him here so fast. Luckily, not many people saw the General Mahamatra carrying him back. Kaveh hates the fact that Al-Haitham’s house is so close to the Akedamia, because of the many passersby that have witnessed Kaveh having to wait on Al-Haitham to get back to unlock the door for him.
Kaveh feels Cyno lay him down onto the couch with a gentleness he wasn’t aware the general was capable of. He tilts his head towards Cyno, watching him through squinted eyes as he gets Kaveh some water from the kitchen. His whole body has started to feel hot from his head to his toes. He curls in a ball as a wave of heat washes over his body, making him tremble. His heats have always been intense but short, and borderline unbearable.
Cyno is at his side again, and tilts Kaveh’s chin up with his hand to make him drink from the cup he holds to Kaveh’s lips.
“Drink up. You’ve sweated through your clothes, which is going to dehydrate you.” Kaveh nods, letting Cyno feed him the water.
Cyno sets the cup down when he finishes and stands up, stepping back.
“I’m going to have to leave you alone to get Al-Haitham. Will you be okay by yourself?” Kaveh internally laughs at Cyno’s question. It’s not unusual for him to spend his heats alone, so it isn’t really necessary for Cyno to go fetch his roommate.
“I’ll be fine,” he croaks, curling back into himself. “I just need to be back in my bed. Just tell the grand sage that it happened unexpectedly and that I’m fine.” Cyno frowns.
“He should probably be here to take care of you,” Cyno says firmly. Kaveh huffs and squeezes his eyes shut. Today has been a terrible day for him. Al-Haitham will definitely tease him for being needy if Cyno tells him that Kaveh needs him.
“I’ll be fine,” Kaveh repeats stubbornly. “I promise. I’m not sure what he can do besides be here for moral support, and he’s terrible at that.”
“Fine, I’ll just inform him of what happened, if you insist.” Cyno reaches down to scoop him up again. “Let’s get you to bed before I leave.”
Cyno leaves him in his bed, tossing and turning as he tries to get comfortable. Slick has started to soak his pants, along with the sweat from earlier. He feels dirty and gross, but he’s too weak to wash himself.
Kaveh feels tears start to form at the corners of his eyes. He hates feeling out of control, and it seems like everything is spiraling out of his grasp in this moment. He can’t help but think about the possibility that someone on the street saw Cyno helping him back, and what their assumptions about him might be. He’s fearful that the scent blockers didn’t protect him well enough.
Mehrak, his suitcase, beeps from his nightstand. Kaveh turns his head to look at her through his wet lashes. Mehrak is his little buddy, and she’s always there when he needs her, whether it’s blueprints, mathematics and design, or moral support. Cyno must have set her there, along with a glass of water.
“Mehrak, I think my career is doomed,” he wails, burying his face in his pillow. Mehrak beeps consolingly, her little eyebrows downturned to look sad along with him.
“Are you talking to the suitcase again?” Al-Haitham says from the doorway, eyebrows raised. Al-Haitham has never understood his connection with his beloved Mehrak.
Kaveh jumps at Al-Haitham’s abrupt entrance. Al-Haitham looks a little out of breath, his chest moving up and down as he tries to catch his breath.
“Cyno said you needed me.” Kaveh groans at Al-Haitham’s admission.
“I told him I am perfectly fine,” he whines, turning his face away from both Mehrak and his roommate.
“You don’t look fine,” Al-Haitham observes, moving from the doorway to sit on the edge of Kaveh’s bed. “You were literally just crying. And it smells like you started your heat. I thought it wasn’t due for a week?”
“It wasn’t!” Kaveh wails, hitting his fist against the mattress. “Ugh, this is so frustrating. Now my client is going to think I blew them off!”
“I’m sure we can inform them that you just got heat-sick,” Al-Haitham says.
“That’s not going to make me feel better,” Kaveh says stubbornly. “I hold myself to a high standard with my clients. Now my reputation is going to be ruined!”
“I think you’re being a tad dramatic, and you’re obviously overwhelmed. You need to get out of these clothes and get some rest.” Al-Haitham wrinkles his nose as he leans closer to Kaveh. “You smell like sweat.”
“It’s too much to get out of bed,” he admits, turning his face back towards his roommate.
“Are you asking for help?” Al-Haitham asks, his face impassive, but Kaveh knows he’s being teased.
“No, of course not!” He turns his head away again, feeling his face burn.
Al-Haitham elects not to answer him, but instead starts pulling all of Kaveh’s layers off to free him from his dirty clothes.
“You dress so frivolously,” Al-Haitham comments as he tries to undo the buttons of Kaveh’s blouse.
“I have to look my best,” he responds softly, trying to not let the feeling of Al-Haitham’s deft fingers touching his abdomen get to him.
Al-Haitham eventually gets most of everything off, save for his underwear, and runs some water for Kaveh to take a bath. He then slips his arms under Kaveh’s small frame and picks him up, carrying him to the tub.
Kaveh leans against the counter after Al-Haitham sets him down on his feet. He’s not sure how the alpha has so much self-control around an omega in heat, but Kaveh knows that Al-Haitham has always been a diligent person, not easily swayed by temptations. It makes them butt heads because Al-Haitham doesn’t understand his indulgence which usually comes in the form of spending all their mora. But Al-Haitham is also an enabler, because he lets Kaveh get away with most things that he complains about, like rent.
“Are you going to leave and give me some privacy?” Kaveh asks, after Al-Haitham makes no attempt to leave. He doesn’t really want to take his clothes off in front of Al-Haitham, even though he’s pretty sure his roommate has seen him naked before. But during his heat, it feels particularly vulnerable to be naked in front of an alpha.
A-Haitham has his eyes closed, taking a deep breath in. He looks like he’s trying to center himself, which is not a very him thing to do.
“Hey, are you okay?” Kaveh asks nervously. Al-Haitham opens his eyes and looks at him with a hungry gaze.
“I should leave, yes,” Al-Haitham says lowly, nodding to himself. He brings his fingers up to touch his temple. “Your scent is very…strong.”
Kaveh feels his body flush at the tone of Al-Haitham’s voice. He needs to be careful, because his instincts are telling him to throw himself at his roommate and submit. The hunger that rolls through his body is almost all-consuming, but Kaveh is not that weak. He backs away towards the tub, reaching up to press his hand against his scent glands.
Kaveh can smell Al-Haitham’s scent from here, which is an earthy smell, mixed with a hint of spice. It’s potent to Kaveh’s heat-sensitive nose, and almost makes him waiver and submit. He presses his fingers to pinch his nose, trying not to breathe too much of it in. He can feel slick start to drip down his leg as Al-Haitham releases his pheromones.
Al-Haitham takes the hint and walks out, closing the door behind him. Kaveh lets out the breath he was holding with a sigh. He throws his underwear to the side and crawls into the tub to scrub the dirt, sweat and slick off of his body. His erection begs to be touched, but Kaveh knows nothing will satisfy him completely.
Kaveh slides down until the water almost fully envelops him, except for his head after he gets done scrubbing. He closes his eyes, and tries to abolish the thought of his roommate bending him over the counter, and fucking him until he knots Kaveh and makes him his own. He swallows, and runs his fingers down his hips and to his erection, rubbing his hands up and down his length to get some short-term relief. It’s nasty, he thinks, to cum in his own bath water, but Kaveh ignores his disgust to chase his release.
He orgasms, feeling his body tremble as he hits his climax. He lets his head fall back to rest against the edge of the tub, feeling his head spinning as his heat starts to take over his rational thinking. He’s still technically in pre-heat, which is why it was easier to run away from Al-Haitham.
This is why he stays away from his roommate during his heat. The temptation to submit is too strong, and Kaveh would be lying if he said that he didn’t have some feelings for Al-Haitham. It was inevitable when they had been friends for so long, despite their hiatus of speaking to each other due to the nasty fight they had while working on a project in the past. It had severed their bond to a point almost beyond repair, but Kaveh was hopeful.
They could be nasty to each other, which was less common before their fight. It felt like Kaveh is always on the defensive because Al-Haitham never holds back. He isn’t perfect; he hits Al-Haitham where it hurts when he gets the opportunity. But he doesn’t necessarily like the notion of striking to kill, not like Al-Haitham does. Al-Haitham likes finishing things thoroughly, whether it be enemies or a fight between the two of them.
The contention between them doesn’t stop Al-Haitham from taking care of Kaveh, in an inadvertent way. Kaveh isn’t sure how he feels about the fact that Al-Haitham will buy him things and leave them in his room for him to find later, but won’t give them to him directly. He finds new sketch pads, pencils, or other random useful things laying around under books that Al-Haitham leaves everywhere in the house. Al-Haitham never admits to buying him these things, and Kaveh doesn’t thank him.
This non-confrontational style works for them. Kaveh won’t say that he misses Al-Haitham when he gets back late from his office, but he will make him his favorite meal for dinner in silence, while Al-Haitham sits at the table and sips his tea. Al-Haitham won’t say that he’s worried about Kaveh’s safety, but he will make sure he’s protected wherever he goes.
Kaveh stares at the ceiling. Would things be so bad if they were mated? Kaveh wants to be Al-Haitham’s mate, but he’s never said so. He’s not even sure Al-Haitham would want to be mated. Maybe Kaveh is just a phase in his life, until Al-Haitham finds an omega more like him: intellectual, stoic, and a reader like himself. Kaveh is none of those things. If anything, he’s the complete opposite of Al-Haitham.
He sits in the bathwater until it gets cold with only the heat of his body to keep him warm, thinking about how much he wants his roommate to bite him and make him his.