Work Text:
Vahumana was never a darshan to boast a staggering case of achievements. They had their own notable students, but never were they as renowned as Haravatat or Kshahwerar. Perhaps it was for this reason that a couple of final year students clad in their golden yellows entered the lion’s den and came out arm-in-arm with a pair of scholars in Kshahwerar white. Perhaps when Kaveh had seen the sigh all those months ago he should’ve put a stop to it. Perhaps inter-darshan collaborations should simply cease to exist. Anything to rewind the time and make up for the massive mistake Kaveh has found himself in tonight.
The Vahana was a simple application added onto the main system of the Akasha Terminal only weeks after the students who came up with the idea reported their final project and passed with flying colours--or so Kaveh heard from the vine. He was far too busy these days, cocooned to near death by the flying deadlines of his magnum opus: the Palace of Alcazarzaray. He didn’t mind it. This was it. Kaveh could feel it. All those days waiting for success to bask him in its warmth would be no more!
But back to the Vahana. It was accessible to all Akasha Terminal users, and by proxy all Sumeru citizens. Despite this, the application itself needed the user’s explicit approval to install itself into the device. Kaveh wasn’t sure what had made him do it, but he recalled that searing loneliness as he made his way back to his rental, to breathe in dust instead the air of a companion. To go to bed, once more, alone.
So, sue him for trying something new! He had clicked ‘yes’ and watched the single blue peacock feather icon appear on his dashboard. Kaveh was far too shameful to try it out immediately. He remembered shutting down the terminal--a habit he picked up from his time at Port Ormos--and went to bed.
Eventually he mustered enough bravery to start the application. (It was mostly curiosity, if he was being completely honest.) After that, the ball had rolled almost automatically without any further input for himself. As far as dating applications go, the Vahana was smoother than any of its predecessors of which there were many.
Back in his Akademiya days there were at least ten proposals for a similar concept. Seldom had it brought success to their proposers, but this... this was new and modern and sleek. It boasts a high success rate in its matches and partners were matched anonymously based on their terminal use habits and any other soft data collected by the Akasha itself.
And exactly a week ago the Vahana had matched him with someone called MightySword. Kaveh had been skeptical at best when he installed the app toe begin with, but when MightySword reached out to him first, Kaveh couldn't help but swallow it down and reply.
MightySword (1703): Hello.
Lionsmane (1705): hello back.
MightySword (1705): Not much of a talker?
Kaveh's brow furrowed deeply at that. Huh! If only he could show a certain someone what other people like Mister MightySword thought of him. Then maybe that would shut him up! Kaveh bit his lip as his fingers flew over the holo-kinetic typeface.
Lionsmane (1706): i can talk
Lionsmane (1706): when i'm interested.
MightySword (1707): I see.
Kaveh waited and waited until the clock struck half past and he huffed when their chat window remained frozen and absent of MightySword's reply. His eyes darted toward the flattened blueprints at his desk. There were a couple of new annotations that he had to go over with the Lord Sangemah Bay. He was going to wait until tomorrow but the bust that turned out to be his evening was far too upsetting for him to hold off on a tempting distraction even if said distraction was work.
He sighed and stood from his chair, ready to grab the blueprints when his terminal pinged.
MightySword (1746): I can make you interested.
MightySword (1750): Apologies for the abrupt interruption.
MightySword (1751): The House of Daena required assistance in settling their invoices for the month.
A tingliSng warmth bloomed past his fingertips as Kaveh read over the blunt excuse. Kaveh was replying before he could stop himself.
Lionsmane (1751): do you often help out past working hours?
MightySword (1752): I'm not that altruistic.
MightySword (1752): The House of Daena is different.
Kaveh smiled. He could relate, somewhat, even though the memory of it had been marred. The House of Daena was where he met him all those years ago--aloof and disjointed from the very reality he was harboured in, as though he was merely a bouy in the middle of the vast and open sea. He was sweet, then, Kaveh remembered. Called him 'senior' at every smallest insistence. Now, though, the sun would sooner split and birth a new God than hearing him call Kaveh that.
Lionsmane (1753): i can relate to that
Lionsmane (1753): the house of daena is special
Lionsmane (1753): any particular reason it is significant to you?
MightySword's chat bubbles dotted every so often, but it took him three minutes to reply:
MightySword (1756): Just call it a good memory from my past.
Their chat flourished from then on. Kaveh realised that MightySword had taken to read almost all of the House of Daena's catalogue and had taken to submit his own order ever since he was a scholar. Kaveh joked about how that should merit him some sort of administrative role at the Akademiya to which MightySword merely agreed but never expanded on. Another thing that they touched upon was their similar borrowing records at the library. All the books Kaveh checked out from the beginning of his career at the Akademiya had all but checked out by MightySword himself.
When Kaveh attempted to ask him the dates on which he borrowed the books, the Vahana glitched and instantly removed his message with a warning that prior to meeting in person both parties of the match should refrain from revealing too much about themselves.
"I just don't understand the reasoning behind it, that's all!" Kaveh complained over a pint of Shevirme's imported dandelion wine.
Tighnari fixed him a look as he placed another card down. "Are you sure that's all and not the fact that you want to stalk your new partner?"
"Partner!" Kaveh shrieked, sputtering out a laugh. Beside him, Cyno grumbled to himself as he surveyed his own deck. Kaveh slapped his hand against the table and the cards he had so neatly arranged jumped at the impact. "He's just some online stranger! Archons know if he's even real."
"Who's real?"
Kaveh bristled at that voice. He would recognise it anywhere. When he turned to the door of the tavern, Alhaitham was already making his way to the table, sharp eyes scrutinizing Kaveh as he sat down. Kaveh folded his hands and rolled his eyes.
"Nobody. And why are you late? Are you too good to arrive on time at a friend's invite?"
Alhaitham took a seat, firm hands smoothening his trousers as he spied the current playing deck. He dealt himself a few cards, hummed in thought, then looked at Kaveh to say: "Not a friend. It was your invite."
“You—!”
Tighnari squeezed Kaveh’s shoulder placatingly. “Hey, now. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” At the same time, Cyno nodded at Alhaitham to signal his turn. Kaveh scowled at the pair of them. The audacity of it all! Kaveh will show them. Once he meets MightySword then it will all be over. He will finally have somebody who understood him. The Vahana had matched them together based on their characteristics, personality, and shared interests. Hell, there had even been successful testimonies in the past month of matched couples from the app, the report had even claimed a twenty-percent surge in wedding planner hire across the nation!
And Kaveh was right. It was all over. Just not the way he thought it would be.
A couple of days before the incident, MightySword suggested to meet in person.
Lionsmane (1343): what? you’re already wanting to meet me?
Lionsmane (1343): isn’t it a bit too soon
MightySword (1344): If anything, I would be regretful to delay it any longer.
Lionsmane (1344): ah, watch what you say mister mightysword
Lionsmane (1344): a boy like me might think that you’re actually interested!
MightySword did that thing again where his chat bubble would dot, appear, then disappear. It happened a couple of times and Kaveh was sure that this was enough forwardness to send MightySword back to whatever fantasy realm the terminal conjured him out of, but that thought was immediately discarded at his next reply:
MightySword (1350): Have I failed to make my intentions clear?
MightySword (1350): I am.
Blood rushed to his cheeks and away from his fingertips, leaving them prickled with phantom ants and Kaveh resisted the overwhelming urge to shake himself over. Seriously! Who says things like that?
He typed in his reply with tremulous hands and quickly shut the application close. When he sank to his bed, his heart was beating out of his chest. He did it. He’d gone and asked MightySword on a date. The date if all things go well tomorrow. Fuck, it was tomorrow!
Kaveh buried his face in his hands and groaned. MightySword would be the death of him.
The fated evening came. Kaveh rushed through his meetings right after lunch so that he had the late afternoon and early evening to prepare. He couldn’t get the niggling feeling that this meeting was something bigger than it actually was: meeting someone for the first time. He had fretted over his outfit thrice now and had even gone so far as to use Mehrak to holographically scan him and send it to his receiver stationed in Tighnari’s house at Gandharva Ville. An hour passed, and then another went, and soon—as Kaveh stepped out of his cold shower, the sun had disappeared, and the shadows of stars begin to lit up the night sky.
Kaveh quickly checked his terminal for the time and cursed when he found that he was at least twenty minutes behind his schedule. With the precision of a true, seasoned late-comer, Kaveh managed to haul himself into the outfit he picked for tonight and hastily drew on his eyeliner and powdered his cheeks with a hint of rouge. Mehrak whirred on the desk, as if reprimanding its owner for being late yet again. Kaveh took one look at his briefcase and crooned, “You’re just lashing out because I’m not taking you out with me tonight, my dear. Hopefully I get home soon, alright? Guard the place for me, Mehrak!”
It took him close to half an hour to make his way to Lambad’s. The tavern was already full of its regular patrons: tired businessmen and scholars pouring their woes into their cups and washing it down with more and more alcohol as grilled meat patters and freshly baked flatbreads were served all around.
He could’ve probably chosen a more romantic setting to meet his true match (as the Vahana proudly called them), but there’s a charm to Lambad’s that was hard to find in the rest of the city. Everywhere he looked, the Akademiya’s fronts were plastered all over the businesses, making it even harder to forget a workday’s worth of frustration.
He hoped MightySword would agree.
He walked up to the bar and waved Lambad over, ordering two glasses of his finest dandelion wine and swiped onto their chat window on his terminal.
Lionsmane (1945): hey I’m here
Lionsmane (1945): sorry im late, i was finishing something up
Lionsmane (1945): i’m just at the bar with two glasses of wine. come by if you’re around
Kaveh exited out of the chat before he could do something even more embarrassing like text him again. Lambad slid him the two glasses and quirked a brow.
“Normally you’d ask for a bottle if you’re drinking more than a glass,” he said.
Kaveh looked at the two stemware and hummed. “It’s not just for me.”
“I see,” said Lambad. He clapped his hands together. “Well, I wish you luck regardless.”
Kaveh gave him an appreciative nod and as he was about to call out his thanks, a deep, all-too-familiar, voice spoke behind him.
“Lionsmane?”
No.
No way.
Alhaitham stood behind him, the screen of his terminal a holographic cyan veil over his face. Beyond the blurry haze of the prismatic sheen of the terminal, Alhaitham's face was as cold as ever. His neat brows were stitched at the centre and the ends of his mouth turned downward. Perhaps there was a way for him to play this out so it wouldn't be as awkward as it was. Kaveh let out a laugh.
"Huh? Who's that?"
No! Not like that!
But Alhaitham had already closed his terminal and spied the two glasses of wine in front of Kaveh. Without another word, Alhaitham picked up both glasses and looked at Kaveh before he said, "Should we go somewhere more private?" His voice dropped a whole octave and Kaveh was sure the entire air in the tavern was sucked in a single breath and surged so painfully into his lungs he might just combust. The tips of his ear feel hot and Kaveh tried to rub them against his shoulder to no avail. The skin that peeked out of the cold-shoulder cut of his top was searing to the touch.
"Hah! Why would we do that?"
Alhaitham's piercing gaze lanced through him. Kaveh felt as though he had been turned transparent by the sheer force of Alhaitham's will. When Kaveh refused to add on to his reply, Alhaitham simply walked toward the stairs leading to the more secluded and quieter upstairs balcony, leaving Kaveh no choice but to follow.
"Ah, jeez," Kaveh said as he took his seat across a very disgruntled Alhaitham (or, at least, what appeared to be a disgruntled Alhaitham. They had drifted so far apart since that project that Kaveh wondered if he could even still be fluent in the many micro-expressions of his junior.) He wanted to say what a mess and maybe moan a bit more about their whole situation, but the way Alhaitham was still staring at him made his mouth dry. Kaveh reached over the table for one of the glasses and took a heavy swig from it. If Alhaitham so persisted they have this talk, then he might as well drink!
"Look, I won't hold it against you, alright? When we walk out of here, I won't tell anybody about... this," Kaveh said, gesturing between them. He swirled the dandelion wine and hummed as the scent of those sweet, pressed flowers wafted toward him. Kaveh took another, more controlled, sip. "I'll delete the chat if you want, too. I'll forget whatever you said."
Seriously, Kaveh was a saint, he thought. Who would even grace Alhaitham with this much kindness? A whole lot of scholars and non-Akademiya people would leap at the opportunity to couple up with The Scribe. But Kaveh knew Alhaitham--past the height and past the title. Kaveh knew Alhaitham as a boy when he too had just been a boy. They had scarred and scabbed the other enough that whatever... this was... he was sure he could sweep it under the rug and let it go. There was never such a thing as a one-hundred-percent guarantee, anyway.
“We’ll chalk it up to the undermined error margin,” Kaveh continued. Every word that fell from his lips felt like a nick at his heart and Kaveh numbed it down with another gulp of wine. “It’s made by students in their final year anyway, it’s bound to have some errors.”
Finally, after what seemed like ages and just as Kaveh felt the beginnings of his tongue falling off, Alhaitham spoke. “We did not err.”
“I’m sorry?”
“We did not err,” Alhaitham repeated. “Though the project reached a hiatus, we managed to translate the dead language and completed with no errors.”
I can think of one error, Kaveh wanted to say as the litany of their past fights during the research flashed in his mind. He bit his tongue and looked askance. The faint, but pleasant, thrum of wine had begun to dull his senses.
They sat at a rounded table with a humble set of chairs. Kaveh wondered if Lambad had thought that most of his patrons wouldn’t ever even think about setting foot upstairs, so decorating with less than subpar furniture was passable. Kaveh had half a mind to go downstairs and give Lambad a lecture worth of a keynote presentation on the importance of appropriate furnishing, if only to get away from whatever mess he had found himself in tonight. Alhaitham was still staring at him--he could feel those piercing silver eyes hold him down, like ghostly apparitions of a cuffs or leather bindings... or...
Stop!
Kaveh shook his head and eyed his empty glass. Alhaitham still hadn't touched his. Without thinking much of it, Kaveh leant forward and snatched the glass in front of Alhaitham and took a swig. That stubborn junior of his merely watched Kaveh make a spectacle out of himself and, out of spite, Kaveh leered over the glass' edge and quaffed the entire pint. His throat burned pleasantly, and heat rushed up from his core to his throat then nipped at his ears. He messily swiped his arm (taking care to not actually touch his sleeves of the very nice and incredibly poignant top he had chosen to meet his match. Oh, well. What to do) across his lips, catching the moisture there. It only took a few minutes for the alcohol to catch up to him and create that heady daze he craved. Kaveh knew this was a terrible, terrible mistake. But he had to let him know.
"Alright, fine," Kaveh said, "it's no secret that I find you attractive. You are an attractive man, that is a factual fact."
Alhaitham quirked a brow at this, and the ends of his lips had started to tug up in what Kaveh could only hope was amusement. "Factual fact?"
"Let me finish!"
"Suit yourself."
Kaveh cleared his throat. He placed the second empty glass of wine next to his first and rested his chin against his hands on the table. "I believe that you find me attractive, too."
"And how did you come up with that?"
"I have eyes, Alhaitham," Kaveh said pointedly. His eyelids grew heavy, and it was harder to really look at someone, much less Alhaitham, but he really tried to. Whatever his face did, it seemed good enough to shut Alhaitham up momentarily. "But it doesn't matter. It won’t work out, in any case. Your ego is greater than the Devantaka Mountain itself."
A scoff. Kaveh blearily lifted his gaze up to Alhaitham and in place of that stoic, cold face, Alhaitham wore the brightest grin (as wide as he was capable of conjuring). The whites of his teeth were blinding, and the reds of his lips made them comparable to the brightest roses. Kaveh watched Alhaitham's broad shoulders shake with his barely concealed laughs. Before long, he was full on laughing. Kaveh glared at him.
"Why are you laughing?"
Alhaitham took longer to reply, but when he did, his voice was still high with amusement. "I waited for you to speak of it for so long, now that I've heard it, I fear I must be dreaming or drunk. Have you drugged me?"
"Are you mad?"
Kaveh sneered at him, but Alhaitham still laughed into the back of his hand. There were gentle creases at each side of his eyes, which were shut close, but Kaveh could almost drink the joy that seeped out of his junior. It poured out in torrents and Kaveh was sure whatever was in the air had him drunker than the wine.
In the end, Kaveh blamed the dust of red across Alhaitham’s tan cheeks which made him surge across the table, grab the lapel of Alhaitham’s cape, and kiss him.
“I can’t believe you still live here,” Kaveh gasped as Alhaitham rucked his shirt up, exposing his skin to the chill air of the research-centre-turned-home’s living room. “Ah!”
Alhaitham nipped at his neck and ground his knee between Kaveh’s legs. “Mm.” He grabbed Kaveh’s waist and brushed their lips together before he ran a wet tongue across Kaveh’s bottom lip. Kaveh parted his mouth willingly, moaning when Alhaitham’s tongue slipped past his lips sensual and slow. Kaveh swirled his tongue against Alhaitham’s, but eventually let him fuck his way into his mouth. In and out, tantalisingly slow as the tension and heat burst into open flame between them.
“Bed,” Kaveh pants when they part. He stares at Alhaitham’s swollen, glossy lips and feels his cock twitch in his trousers. “Now. Quickly.”
Alhaitham looked at him for a moment before he nodded. “Yes, senior.”
Yes, senior.
White-hot heat burst behind his eyes and pulsed his mind raw, robbing his vision so painfully he was afraid he came. Kaveh moved his hands to grip at Alhaitham’s arm and held on for dear life. “Alhaitham,” he gasped, “I need you.”
That slow, heavy desire consumed him entirely. He felt raw to the touch, as though the very thread of his skin had torn apart and restitched themselves over and over again. He felt bigger than his body and he wanted Alhaitham to devour him.
Kaveh’s breath hitched in his throat when Alhaitham crashes their lips together. It’s messy and biting and he’s losing more air to his head more than he cared to breathe in, but it’s hot. Kaveh keened when Alhaitham roughly yanked him close then reached behind to grab Kaveh’s ass and lift him off the ground, kiss unbroken. Kaveh mewled into Alhaitham’s waiting mouth as Alhaitham walked them over to (what Kaveh presumed to be) his bedroom.
Alhaitham laid him out gently, that feverish kiss dampened momentarily and swapped for sweeter and softer brushes of lips against his lips, neck, and chest. Kaveh moved to help Alhaitham unbutton his shirt and paused when he saw Alhaitham render to a stop to watch Kaveh do it. Those eyes. They pinned him to the bed, a physical hold. Kaveh’s mouth dried as he slowly undid all Alhaitham’s buttons of his vest then slipped the tight material off his shoulders.
Alhaitham descended upon him as he laid back down. Chest to chest, Kaveh felt the warmth emanating from Alhaitham’s bare skin on his own.
“Where do you keep…”
Alhaitham kissed him into silence and Kaveh heard rummaging to the side. He peeked one eye open just in time to catch Alhaitham blindly pulling his bedside drawer open and fish out a vial of oil and packaged condoms.
“How do you want to do this?” Alhaitham asked. His voice was rough and hoarse, completely devoid of that impartial and professional air of the scribe. Alhaitham stole ragged breaths through his mouth, his eyes were hooded, and his skin flushed prettily in the candlelight. Kaveh wanted him bad.
Kaveh nuzzled against the arm that was supporting Alhaitham’s weight next to Kaveh’s head. He pressed a chaste kiss on Alhaitham’s wrist. “Like this. I want to see you.”
Alhaitham groaned as he drew back to lube his fingers with the oil. The first press inside had Kaveh squirm. He hadn’t been the most…active, per se—what with the second reconstruction of the Palace and all his other commissions, he barely had time to sleep! But Alhaitham worked him thoroughly. He pressed the pad of his thumb through that tight ring of muscle and gently pressed firm and deep until he could slide in a second finger, then a third. All the while, sweat had ringed Kaveh’s temple, and his lips are parted in a perpetual moan as Alhaitham lapped at his nipples and sucked them until bruises bloomed in the shape of his teeth.
“How long, ah, Alhaitham,” Kaveh stuttered as Alhaitham began to piston in and out with his fingers. “How much longer will you keep me like this!”
Alhaitham barely looked at him when he said, “Patience.” He didn’t look at Kaveh again until, with a crook of his fingers, pushed into Kaveh just right Kaveh had no choice but the scream in pleasure. Alhaitham surged upwards just as Kaveh came down from the high, wantonly panting. Alhaitham kissed him deeply then moved away. Kaveh held the whine that threatened to escape him in the back of his throat, eyes hazily tracking Alhaitham as he quickly pushed his trousers down until they pooled where his knees met the mattress and, archons, his thighs. Saliva wet his mouth as Kaveh though of all the things he could do to them: bite, kiss, fuck. The possibilities were endless.
“My eyes are up here.”
Kaveh didn’t roll his eyes, but he kept watching those working thighs flex at every movement Alhaitham made. He was entranced even as Alhaitham slid the condom on and tugged at himself. That was when Kaveh snapped his eyes back to his… his what?
“Do you want me to do anything?” Kaveh asked, eyes dropping down to the covered cockhead. “I can, I don’t know, get you ready or something.”
When Alhaitham replied, there was a carnal frenzy in his eyes that left Kaveh breathless. He said, “If you so much as touch me, Kaveh, I might come.”
“Oh,” Kaveh said, heat rushing to his cheeks. “Alright.”
An ache swell in his chest and Kaveh felt bigger than his body. To face such passion and desire, to feel and to be a person’s greatest desire, Kaveh could hardly stand it. Blood roared in his ears and Kaveh nodded quickly, hands shaky as they urge Alhaitham down. By the time Alhaitham pressed his tip in, Kaveh was so light-headed he might faint.
He doesn’t tell Alhaitham this but judging by the harsh breaths Alhaitham choked out next to his ear, he doesn’t think this is only a him thing. Kaveh had slept around during his Akademiya days, and then experimented even more once he graduated. He knew how fun sex could be and how bad it could be, too. When he accepted Alhaitham’s offer, he didn’t know which it would be, but he sure didn’t think it would be this intense.
But as he waited with Alhaitham, silently passing breaths between them, Kaveh realised that it was always intense with Alhaitham. Whether they were debating, researching, playing TCG, or now… having sex…there was never a middle ground with Alhaitham.
Alhaitham exceeded every boundary and expectation Kaveh held.
Overcome, Kaveh roped his arms around Alhaitham’s neck and brought him down to kiss him. Alhaitham took the bait with fervour, licking Kaveh’s teeth, and sucking at his tongue. There was hunger unsatiated deep inside him and Kaveh started grinding down onto Alhaitham until he felt a firm hand grip his waist to force him into a stop.
Kaveh whined, “Why are you stopping me? Alhaitham, I might just receive my Doctorate before I come—ah!”
Alhaitham snapped his hips into Kaveh in one long, harsh stroke. Kaveh scrambled for purchase, hands flapping on the bed until they grabbed onto the sheets.
Kaveh shrieked, “Alhaitham, you brute! You can’t just—!”
Alhaitham leant down to kiss him as he pushed Kaveh’s knees into his chest and buried himself to the hilt inside the other man. Kaveh had thrown his head back against the headrest and he kept going higher and higher the more Alhaitham pounded into him.
The pace was brutal. But it wasn’t entirely Alhaitham’s fault. Alhaitham had slowed down after a few sharp thrusts, but Kaveh grabbed his shoulders and dug his nails into the meat of Alhaitham’s back. With a feverish look in his eyes, Kaveh said, “Fuck me properly. Like you mean it.”
A haggard groan fell out of Alhaitham’s mouth as he looked down at Kaveh. He held Kaveh’s waist in a bruising hold and cursed. “Fuck,” he pants against Kaveh’s lips, “fuck. You feel so good, so good – ah – senior.”
“Oh, fuck,” Kaveh said as heat lances through him at the title. Kaveh kissed him, whimpering and frantic as their teeth knock in the rush. And, because Kaveh needed to preserve at least some dignity, he begged, “Something else. Call me something else.”
Alhaitham nodded, his dishevelled grey hair bouncing with the jerky movement. The air was thick in the room, heady with sweat and sex, but Kaveh’s pulse could only quicken as Alhaitham fucked into him again before he changed his angle and fucked him right on the spot.
He screamed Alhaitham’s name, just as Alhaitham pressed new names onto his skin, “That’s it, sweetheart.”
Kaveh’s eyes rolled to the back of his head so quickly he was sure he blacked out. He didn’t—and he only knew this because he felt the moment Alhaitham lined up his next thrust and was forcibly shoved up the bed as he slammed back in.
“Gorgeous,” Alhaitham murmured.
Kaveh moaned into the pillow. “Alhaitham.” He bucked his hips helplessly as Alhaitham fucked him over and over, hitting that spot again and again until Kaveh lost the ability to formulate coherent words other than the occasional sharp whine and the slurred begging: “Please – ah – just right there – please!”
“Come on, senior,” Alhaitham whispered. “You’re so good, just like that, fuck. I want to see you come on my cock—ah, can you do it, senior? Can you show me how you come on my cock?”
The heat that budded between them blistered at Kaveh’s skin. He could only look down at his red, weeping cock before he spied spied the bulge on his stomach as Alhaitham bottomed out again.
“Oh, holy fuck,” Kaveh moaned, then came.
When he came to, it was morning. Kaveh could tell because (1) he didn’t feel like a walking corpse for once and (2) the backs of his eyelids were bright red, ergo: sunlight. Kaveh blinked blearily and took a good look of his surroundings. Alhaitham’s room. Alhaitham!
Kaveh looked to the side of the bed, where he was sure Alhaitham must’ve slept the night before (it was crumpled and undone) and nearly sighed with equal parts relief and disappointment when he found it empty. Alhaitham must’ve gone to work. But to trust Kaveh so implicitly? Kaveh shook his head.
There was a pleasant ache up his legs but when he looked down, there was no cum that hardened overnight on any part of his bod. Warmth bloomed in his chest as Kaveh supposed that Alhaitham must’ve wiped him down before he fell asleep. Kaveh stretched with a yawn, stopping abruptly when the door to the bedroom jiggled and creaked open.
“Breakfast’s ready,” Alhaitham said monotonously and then left.
Kaveh didn’t really have the energy to act affronted. It was far too early for him to be up. He had carefully cultivated late working hours for this exact reason! Regardless, he followed Alhaitham soundlessly and accepted the seat when he was offered.
There was a modest spread of breakfast food. There were steaming flatbreads and masala omelettes plated for two. Kaveh couldn’t hide his awe. “You made all this?”
“I wanted you to stay,” Alhaitham answered easily.
Kaveh nearly choked on his paratha and took a sip of water before he began chastising, “Alhaitham, you seriously shouldn’t say things like that. A boy like me might think you’re actually interested.”
Alhaitham withdrew his hands from the table and sat upright. “I am. I thought I made it clear enough.”
“Don’t joke around. It’s too early to act like you’re humorous.”
“Would I have invited you to my place if I wasn’t interested?”
“Maybe,” Kaveh offered, not once looking up. He busied his hands with the omelette. “Why would you be interested in me? Our entire friendship is built on arguments.”
“Perhaps that would lead to a strong foundation in a relationship.”
Kaveh shot him a bemused glare. “Be serious. We have never gotten along.”
“That’s not true,” Alhaitham shot back. “We fell apart due to…philosophical differences. But to fall apart, the parties must be close beforehand.”
“Is this you telling me that you had some schoolboy crush on me or something?” Kaveh scoffed.
“Yes.”
Kaveh froze. He dropped the paratha back on his plate and finally looked at Alhaitham. Those piercing eyes were sloped in a mild anguish and Kaveh took in the stern downturn of Alhaitham’s lips to realise that he was actually upset! Alhaitham was upset at him, but this was different. Alhaitham’s upset usually trigger a quickfire rap of insult hurled calculatingly at Kaveh, but this… Alhaitham looked like he might actually cry.
Panic swallowed Kaveh. He tried to keep his breathing even. “Since when?”
“Since I saw you. Back then at the House of Daena.”
Something hit Kaveh then. A flash to their previous conversation on the Vahana. Kaveh spluttered in disbelief. “If you liked me, then why…” Why did he not see it? Why did Kaveh miss it entirely? Why had they fallen apart? “Why didn’t you say?”
“You didn’t look ready. I believed you saw me only as a junior,” Alhaitham confessed. He took a pause and sipped at his tea. “After the project happened, I feared you wouldn’t ever take me seriously. I couldn’t approach you then.”
Kaveh listened to it all stumped. Alhaitham thought he wouldn’t take him seriously? What alternate universe had they landed in, honestly?
“Then the Vahana happened. I took the chance in hopes that it would be you.”
Oh.
Alhaitham shook his head. “You don’t have to reply. I understand that this is a lot to process. But all I ask is that you give me a chance. If you wish for me to keep these feelings to myself, I’ll retract the confession and we can return to our previous dynamic if it is more comfortable. Or we could end it as is.”
A sharp pain stabbed through his chest at the thought of Alhaitham gone from his life forever. Spurred by the phantom hurt more than instinct, Kaveh reached out to grab Alhaitham’s arm over the table. The Scribe looked back at him; eyes hopeful.
“Let’s try,” Kaveh said.; voice thick. His eyes stung and he forced himself not to blink. “I want to try. With you.”
Thankfully, Alhaitham’s eyes were just as glassy as his. Alhaitham covered Kaveh’s hand on his arm with his own and nodded. “Mmm.”
They ate the rest of the breakfast in peaceful silence, broken once in a while by Kaveh pointing out a change Alhaitham’s house when it was still a research centre. Then, Alhaitham muttered, “If you don’t like it, just move in and get your own furniture.”
Kaveh felt that disbelief again, but it bubbled out of him in a hysterical laugh as he kissed Alhaitham silly.
“Maybe someday.”