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It's the first time Kaveh has ever seen Alhaitham out of his Akademiya robes. I’m not one for physical activity , he said. I don’t follow any sort of regime , he said. I prefer to take things easy , he said.
Yet, here they are, having snuck out to dip into cool summer night waters, stripped down, and Alhaitham has a chest Kaveh wants to press himself up against. It’s his first thought, and a damning one. There’s a distinct lack of clothes here and nowhere for Kaveh to run if he gets too overwhelmed with everything that is Alhaitham.
Liar , Kaveh thinks. Nobody gets that kind of muscle being lazy. He feels his frame is too slim next to Alhaitham’s— the only thing that jolts him out of that thought is the splash of water that comes from Alhaitham jumping in ahead of him.
Kaveh sputters, shivers, and generally makes a huge scene about being splashed, long enough so that when Alhaitham pops his head out, he gets an eyeful of upset Kaveh (if not an earful, as well).
“What’s wrong?” Alhaitham slicks his hair back, pushing his bangs out of his eyes, and Kaveh wishes he had something more than one layer covering himself. “My senior isn’t about to pull a prank and leave me here without my clothes, is he? I thought you said that kind of thing only happens in fiction.”
“It does! And I’m not,” Kaveh barks back, offended by the suggestion. …alright, it would be kind of funny, but it’s enough that Alhaitham has made it clear prior to tonight he thinks it’s childish that Kaveh doesn’t want to attempt it.
Not tonight, anyway.
Besides, even if he did, he’d come back, of course!
Sighing, Kaveh decides to let himself be vulnerable and prays he won’t regret it, that he won’t ruin everything being open and have to backpedal, hard.
“But… look at you. And look at me! Why didn’t you tell me you were hiding all of that under your Akademiya robes!”
“I haven’t made it a point to hide anything. If you wanted to see, you should have asked.”
Tch. So literal. …but, it’s true, Kaveh didn’t ask— how is he supposed to ask that , anyway!? Shaking his head and shrugging, he sits down at the water’s edge.
“You just look so… good, ” Kaveh laments, pulling his knees to his chest. Luckily he manages to serve the sentence with what sounds like pathetic jealousy versus pathetic wanting. “It’s absolutely not fair.”
“Hm.”
Ugh. Hm. Kaveh wishes Alhaitham would say more. Could he at least think aloud? Kaveh’s pride and tattered confidence is on the line.
There’s suddenly something on his ankle, and before he can put together what’s about to happen, Kaveh is screaming and squawking like he’s being murdered as Alhaitham yanks him into the water.
Once he pops his head above water, Kaveh takes a deep breath not to refill his lungs after suddenly needing to hold his breath, but to yell at Alhaitham. He barely gets a sound out when Alhaitham clasps a wet palm over Kaveh’s mouth, leaning in close.
“Shhh. Part of the plan is not to get caught, isn’t it? Be silent, and listen for once.”
Oh. Oh… Kaveh is realizing two things at once: one, the way the water reflects in Alhaitham’s eyes is so beautiful, and two, that having Alhaitham this close to him, skin to skin, is doing terrible, terrible things to his body. Normally, he’d be furious at Alhaitham for silencing him— or at the very least, pouty about it— but Kaveh is too mesmerized, and there’s something about being shushed like this that’s hitting just right. He only becomes aware of how red his face is when Alhaitham’s cool hand is on his cheek instead.
“Kaveh. You’re beautiful.”
Things seem to be happening quickly, tonight. He can’t explain how he got here, or what words were exchanged prior, but Kaveh finds himself on land again, with their Akademiya robes under him, an act on Alhaitham’s part that he can’t describe as anything but romantic. He can feel the thick Sumeru grass beneath the fabric, and it serves to remind him they’re outside— technically in public, and Alhaitham’s weight is so firmly pressed against him, a feeling Kaveh only hopes he becomes more and more familiar with.
When Alhaitham pulls away from Kaveh’s lips, gaze intense, Kaveh reaches up and brushes Alhaitham’s half-wet bangs out of his face before pivoting to thread his fingers through his hair and tug him back down for more.
This has been too long of a thing for Kaveh to be satisfied with a kiss or two. Thankfully, Alhaitham, hand on his ass, seems to agree. The next half hour is occupied with satisfying all the daydreams and fantasies Kaveh has ever had about mapping out whatever is under Alhaitham’s robes.
An architect can only long to see and understand the plans of masterpieces, after all.
They don’t fuck, much to Kaveh’s dismay. He gets it: they’re ill prepared, they’re already out later than they planned, and being expelled isn’t an idea that’s very thrilling, even as a tradeoff for tonight. It doesn’t mean he isn’t a little disappointed. Greedy, Alhaitham chides him, impatient , he adds, but there’s an unmistakable smirk Kaveh can see at the corner of his mouth.
Now that the two of them have calmed down, Kaveh lies in the crook of Alhaitham’s arm as they both stare up at the vast, open, starlit sky. Kaveh feels small against it, but against Alhaitham, who’s dwarfed him since appearing at the Akademiya, Kaveh feels safe. Perhaps being too small next to him isn’t so bad.
“I never thought you’d be into me,” Kaveh finally admits, and when he turns to face Alhaitham, Kaveh is mortified by the look on his face. “What!? What’s that look for! You’re looking at me like I… I smell awful, or something!”
“That’s what you came up with for an analogy? Also, be quiet.”
“Then tell me why—!”
Alhaitham rolls over, caging Kaveh in with his arms. He doesn’t need to clamp a hand over Kaveh’s mouth to quiet him this time, but Kaveh sort of wishes he would.
“Kaveh. I would never agree to doing this sort of thing with anyone else.”
Kaveh has to run that through his head for a moment.
“...you—… Do you mean sneaking out at night, or, um…”
Kaveh’s eyes dart from side to side, turning his head to look at the robes spread out beneath them, next to his head, before he meets Alhaitham’s gaze again.
“Kaveh. No one else.”
There are no words for Kaveh to say, not now. His head screams at him that getting close to someone only means losing them. He drowns it out with Alhaitham’s lips against his again and all the nighttime sounds of Sumeru off in the distance.
~*~*~*~
The second time Kaveh sees Alhaitham out of his Akademiya robes is not too many days after, when he winds up in Alhaitham’s lap. He’s left his dorm to do so and is wholly convinced any punishment will pale in comparison to how hot and good he feels right now. His back is pressed to that chest he so admires as he squirms and writhes with Alhaitham’s hand fisted around his cock.
“You move so much.” Alhaitham sounds observant, inquisitive. “Haven’t you ever done this before?”
Kaveh isn’t sure whether to be aghast or flattered or insulted. He is, however, very frustrated. Alhaitham has stopped moving his hand.
“No!” The fingers he’s got threaded in Alhaitham’s hair give a tug. It’s the best thing Kaveh can do when he’s not able to give Alhaitham a disapproving nudge. He hears Alhaitham snort in what he isn’t sure is amusement, irritation, desire or all of the above. “The other night was my first. You took my first kiss too, by the way, so if you could be even the most minuscule amount of respectful, I’d— “
Kaveh is caught off guard by the hand that suddenly grips his chin. He meets Alhaitham’s eyes only for a moment, but they look so soft, so serene. It’s not the best position for a kiss, but Kaveh wants it. He’s leaning in for it when Alhaitham’s hand starts moving again, no warning, Kaveh crying out in surprise as he becomes a writhing mess in Alhaitham’s lap again. He can feel where Haitham is hard underneath him and while Kaveh has never given anyone a blowjob, he wants to try it. He’s already come up with a good opening line, something about Alhaitham finally agreeing on a good use of Kaveh’s mouth. Loath to be completely useless, Kaveh tries to grind his ass down against Alhaitham when he has the mind to do so, rewarded with delicious, deep moans from Haitham’s chest when he does.
“Kaveh. Come for me.”
Oh, Archons, that voice. Kaveh whines and shakes his head against Alhaitham and pulls on his neck, wanting something Alhaitham has learned to interpret very easily, very quickly. At the same awkward angle, Alhaitham leans down and in to crush his lips against Kaveh’s, meeting his request without a complaint toward the strain on his neck it must give him. Later tomorrow, Kaveh is sure he’ll hear about it.
Alhaitham’s hand working his dick couple with the bruising kiss (Kaveh won’t say no to a little pain) are enough to push him over the edge, Kaveh arching against Alhaitham’s chest and throwing his head back against his shoulder, the hand not tangled in his hair grasping Alhaitham’s arm as if it’s the only thing keeping him tethered to the earth.
Body trembling, Kaveh blinks hard a few times, catching his breath as he relaxes back against Alhaitham.
“Huh… So you can use that mouth of yours for things other than incessant moaning and whining. Interesting.”
Kaveh rears his hand back and slaps Alhaitham’s clothed thigh hard enough for it to sting. Fuck. Both annoyed by Alhaitham stealing the line he took so long and worked so hard on and adding insult to injury with having a thigh strong enough to leave him shaking the sting out of his fingers, Kaveh skips the soft formalities and goes straight to demands.
“Take your pants off. I’m going to blow you.”
He’ll do it. It’s his first time, but he’ll do it and make Alhaitham be the one to shut up. He’ll blow Alhaitham so good he’ll—
“I already came.”
Pantless and offended, Kaveh’s head whips around to stare incredulously at Alhaitham’s still-flushed face. He scrambles off Alhaitham’s lap and leans uncomfortably forward to question him, jabbing a finger at his chest.
“What?! When!”
“With all that squirming you were doing and how much you insisted on touching me, it wasn’t hard.” A pause. “I haven’t done this before either.”
Kaveh’s mind takes him back to Alhaitham questioning why he had been so, ahem, animated. Rude. It was because he was feeling good, obviously.
“Right. Why… why did you think I had?”
Deciding to give Alhaitham the benefit of the doubt, Kaveh crosses his arms and purses his lips, tossing the options he’s come up with back and forth in his mind. Kaveh’s a good lay? They haven’t fucked. He’s super attracted to Kaveh? Maybe. Alhaitham has no baseline? That’s…
Alhaitham doesn't answer immediately, and Kaveh catches the oh-so subtle narrowing of Alhaitham's eyes that Kaveh has come to realize means that he's thinking. How can you tell? other students ask Kaveh. You can't? he responds.
The first time he answers that question is genuine. Every time after is haughty.
"You're beautiful."
" Huh? " The word falls out of Kaveh's mouth gracelessly, face red, shoulders arched like a bothered cat.
"Is that shocking to hear?"
"I... I... Well, you’ve said it to me before, but..."
Alhaitham seems to not have time for Kaveh to think about what he wants to say. Not a surprise.
"I only assumed it would be easy for you to find a partner. You and I argue, and you seem to get riled up fairly easily. You're the light of Kshahrewar,” Oh, oh, now Alhaitham is just teasing him. “I’m just a normal scholar, content with getting good grades—"
Kaveh is the one to cut Alhaitham off this time, and with a kiss. He doesn't like the comparison. He doesn't want to be held above Alhaitham, even in jest. He’s had enough with the Akademiya labeling him and others; he doesn’t need it from Alhaitham.
Alhaitham kisses him back, and Kaveh is relieved. When they part, Kaveh sighs, putting on the air of being just a little mad.
“Listen! There’s no need to put yourself down. Besides, I very well can’t let my junior do that, can I? Besides, I don’t want someone to be interested in me just because they think I’m beautiful. I have to like them and the qualities about them, and they have to do the same for me! …though, it helps if I’m physically attracted to them, of course…”
Kaveh trails off, and the silence that follows makes him feel too warm and too self-conscious. When Alhaitham speaks up, finally, it’s worse.
“So, the ‘light of Kshahrewar’ has gotten full of himself, has he? The title seems to have gone to your head. To think, you didn’t pick up on simple teasing.”
“Excuse me!?”
Sure, Kaveh had figured, but… but just in case, he had said—... and now he’s looking the fool. This is the worst.
“Is that what you gleaned from my comment? That I was putting myself down? I was just stating facts.”
Alhaitham glances over at him, and Kaveh’s face must be a sight, because he sees Alhaitham’s face visibly change as he looks at him. At first, it’s a simple twitch of the corner of his mouth, and then… audible but quiet and small, Alhaitham laughs.
“I’m honored that someone of such high esteem finds both my qualities and looks likable.”
All Kaveh can do is follow the tug of what he’s more than happy to call his heart, fate, whatever else— he’s pressing himself against Alhaitham, both arms wrapping around one of his, as if Kaveh thinks he needs to ground the two of them to keep this moment from disappearing.
The abject horror from before isn’t even a thought in his mind.
“You laughed!” Kaveh tugs on the arm he’s claimed. “I’ve never heard you laugh before!”
The smile on Alhaitham’s face has softened a little, closer to the straight-faced expression he usually keeps, but Kaveh has looked at that face for long enough, has daydreamed about it, that he can still see even the smallest curve of his lips. If he had to choose a name for the expression Alhaitham wears, it’d be fond.
“And I’ve never seen your eyes sparkle like that. Hm. Is that what they mean by ‘light’?”
Kaveh knows Alhaitham knows what it means. What a relentless onslaught of teasing.
Kaveh wants to kiss him again. He does, and he swears he can feel Alhaitham smile into it. When he pulls away, Alhaitham isn’t smiling, but Kaveh knows what he felt.
“Speaking of the light of Kshahrewar, shouldn’t he be a responsible senior and get back to his dorm? Like an obedient junior, I’ll escort him.”
“You, obedient?” Kaveh rolls his eyes with a scoff. “Not even as a joke! But…”
Kaveh eyes Alhaitham’s outstretched hand, and gingerly slips his hand into his hold.
“...Still, I’ll allow you to escort me, anyway.”
Kaveh doesn’t know how he’ll ever sleep when he sees Alhaitham’s face light up, knowing that when he lays down for the night, it’ll be the only thing he thinks of. Maybe it’s just a twitch of his lips to any other person, but Kaveh can see it. This new intimacy between them is exciting, and Kaveh enjoys the flutter of anticipation in his chest at what might happen next.
Rumor has it the two of them will be paired together for a big project in the future. Sure, they disagree tons, but Alhaitham is his mirror. Whatever is thrown at them, Kaveh and Alhaitham will get through it, not because of labels like “genius” but because it’s them, and the project will be better for it.
That’s the future Kaveh hopes for, laughing against Alhaitham’s hand as he stifles him, tugging Kaveh out of the light of a streetlamp and sealing their goodbye with a kiss.
For once, Kaveh thinks, things are looking up.