Chapter Text
Alhaitham hums to himself as he fits the key in the lock. He hopes that Kaveh will be in a better mood today. Seeing his abuser die at his feet would be a lot for anyone to take in, and Kaveh had been running on more adrenaline than sleep last night anyway.
But now, Alhaitham hopes, things will go back to normal.
“You’re home.” Kaveh comes up to him in the entryway as Alhaitham slides off his boots. He sets his bag aside and then pauses as he gets a good look at Kaveh.
Alhaitham spent most of the morning and early afternoon putting out various fires caused by the Grand Sage’s death, and giving testimony of what exactly happened to Cyno and a few other matra. He had not had to lie to them, but had been very selective with what truths he revealed, and he’s confident they suspect nothing.
It seems that Kaveh spent that time on his hair and makeup, and whatever skincare thing he does that always makes him seem to glow softly in the warm light. He’s wearing a short satin robe and he gives Alhaitham a coy smile, batting his unfairly long eyelashes.
“You should not have let me loose in your bedroom,” he says slyly. “I discovered something that I must assume is a gift for me.”
Alhaitham opens his mouth to ask what Kaveh could possibly mean, but his words are stolen when Kaveh lets the robe drop to the floor. Beneath it he’s got on a set of racy lingerie, the kind Alhaitham has fantasized about but would never have found the courage to ask Kaveh to wear.
The red satin is striking against Kaveh’s skin, delicate lace to suit his artistic sensibilities. They may say the Palace of Alcazarzaray is a masterpiece, but none of the beautiful works of art Kaveh has created can compare to the sublime beauty of the artist himself. Alhaitham draws in a sharp breath and his hands twitch with the overwhelming urge to touch.
“You like it?” Kaveh strikes a seductive pose that is half ridiculous and half mouth-wateringly appealing.
“Answering a simplistic question merely enables the questioner.” Alhaitham closes the distance between them, putting his hands on Kaveh’s narrow waist.
“All this work and you can’t give me one lousy compliment,” Kaveh grouses, but lets himself be thoroughly kissed.
Alhaitham kisses him until he’s flushed and panting, then pulls back to admire his handiwork. Kaveh’s lips are red and wet, his eyes slightly dazed with lust. He blinks a few times, then smirks and tugs at Alhaitham’s shirt.
“Don’t distract me. Tonight is about you.” He pushes Alhaitham down on their divan and climbs into his lap, knees on either side of Alhaitham’s thighs. “Just sit back and let me take care of you.”
Alhaitham leans back to give him better access as Kaveh undoes his belt and the fastenings on his pants. He lifts his hips so Kaveh can undress him fully, then Kaveh is kneeling between his legs, his lovely blonde hair gleaming in the lamplight as he rests his head against Alhaitham’s thigh. Hot breath on sensitive skin and the wet press of a kiss to his sac.
“Kaveh…” Alhaitham is already achingly hard, this close to begging for Kaveh’s touch. “Don’t tease.”
Kaveh seems to get the message, sitting forward on his heels to take Alhaitham’s cock into his mouth.
Alhaitham lets out a strangled yelp. It’s like nothing he’s ever felt before—hot, wet, and tight, as Kaveh sucks around the head, then begins to bob his head up and down. The slick wetness of his tongue presses to the underside and his hand comes up to gently play with Alhaitham’s balls as he does.
It’s unbearably good. Alhaitham digs his nails into the soft fabric of the divan and stares down at the spectacle between his legs. Kaveh, with his brilliant mind and exquisite sensibilities, engaged in such a vulgar task for Alhaitham’s pleasure.
He can see why people might do this to the exclusion of all other activities.
Kaveh pulls off too soon, and Alhaitham whines slightly at the loss. “Don’t worry,” he murmurs, climbing back into Alhaitham’s lap. “I’ll take care of you.”
He reaches for a bottle of lubricant that Alhaitham hadn’t noticed was sitting on a side table.
“So you did plan this,” Alhaitham says.
“I did.” Kaveh smirks at him. “Do you like it?”
“I would think that’s rather—” Alhaitham’s breath hitches as Kaveh slicks up his cock, the slide of his hand delicious but not nearly enough. “Obvious.”
“You can’t even say something polite,” Kaveh says. His tone is annoyed, but his smile gives him away. “Well, at least your body is honest.”
That is indisputable. Alhaitham thinks he’s never been harder in his life. He thinks it’s probably impossible for him to be more aroused than he is at this very moment, but then Kaveh reaches behind himself, eyes fluttering half closed as he pulls a generously sized glass plug out of his hole.
Alhaitham groans, his fingers moving of his own accord between Kaveh’s legs. Kaveh’s hole is soft and pliant, stretched by the toy, and he takes three of Alhaitham’s fingers easily, whimpering as they slip inside.
“You really did spend all day preparing this,” Alhaitham says.
“This hardly took me all day.” Kaveh takes Alhaitham by the wrist and pulls his hand away. Alhaitham watches, tense with lust and barely able to breathe, as Kaveh scoots closer, lining himself up, then sinks down slowly onto his cock.
His body is warm inside, so warm it feels as though they’re melting together, as though Alhaitham will never truly be separate from him again. Alhaitham draws in a shuddering breath, his hands coming to grip Kaveh’s hips and hold on desperately.
“Most of the morning I spent reading your notes,” Kaveh says, and Alhaitham’s eyes snap to his face, his heart in his throat even as Kaveh rolls his hips and the pleasure renders him nearly speechless. “I can’t believe you, Alhaitham. Who knew you could be so ruthless and calculating?”
Alhaitham still can’t say why he left those notes lying out on his desk for Kaveh to find. He wanted Kaveh to know, perhaps so that he wouldn’t feel so deeply alone in having committed such a crime. But he hadn’t taken into consideration the fear that grips him now. Kaveh is the kindest person he knows. Surely he would never forgive such a violent, terrible act.
“Kaveh, I—” Kaveh moves again, and this whole situation is terribly unfair. How is Alhaitham supposed to defend himself with Kaveh in his arms, the tight drag of his walls against Alhaitham’s cock rendering him incapable of higher cognitive function?
“Thank you,” Kaveh says, and presses a soft kiss to Alhaitham’s lips. “Thank you for saving me, Alhaitham.”
Alhaitham wants to respond, but he can only groan and clutch Kaveh tighter as Kaveh picks up the pace, riding him in earnest.
He knew sex would be good, with the way everyone talked about it and carried on like idiots, but he didn’t know it would be like this. Pale skin and red lace, Kaveh whimpering softly in his ear each time his hips descend. The waves of pleasure that overtake him with each sweet sensation, until he can’t help but thrust upward to meet each of Kaveh’s movements.
Kaveh’s eyes are closed in pleasure, his expression naked and vulnerable as he grabs at Alhaitham’s shoulders. Alhaitham has the strangest desire to mark him, to make sure that everyone in Sumeru knows that Kaveh belongs to him.
“You’re mine,” he murmurs, sliding one hand into Kaveh’s hair and gently pulling his head back so their eyes meet. “Promise me.”
“I’m yours,” Kaveh says, giving his most precious treasure to Alhaitham as easily as he might offer his last mora to help a starving orphan. “Always, Haitham. Always.”
At that, Alhaitham can only kiss him, desperately drinking him in until the pleasure overwhelms him and he snaps his hips harshly upward. Kaveh cries out, clenching hard around Alhaitham’s cock, his own release spattering onto Alhaitham’s chest and stomach. Alhaitham groans into Kaveh’s mouth as he spills deep inside him.
Afterwards, they cling to each other, panting. Kaveh rests his head on Alhaitham’s shoulder and Alhaitham holds him tightly.
“I can’t believe you killed a man,” Kaveh murmurs. But he doesn’t sound all that upset. “Why didn’t you ask me for help?”
“I thought you’d be horrified.”
“Mmm. Maybe a little at first. But I would have come around.” Kaveh pulls back, and Alhaitham’s soft cock slips from his hole, a trickle of come following. Alhaitham just barely stifles the urge to gather it on his fingers and press it back into Kaveh’s pliant hole. “I need to clean up. Join me?”
“Sure.”
Under the spray of the shower water, Alhaitham washes Kaveh’s hair and runs soapy hands over his skin.
“I love you,” he says, because he can’t hold it back any longer.
Kaveh presses a kiss to his lips and pulls back smirking. “I know.”
“You know?”
“You killed a man because you were jealous,” Kaveh says.
“And to save you.”
Kaveh smiles, then. It’s radiant, breathtaking, and Alhaitham knows that everything he did was worthwhile just to make it so Kaveh can feel joy like this again.
“And to save me. Because you love me.”
Alhaitham rolls his eyes. “I believe we already established that.”
“How pedantic.” Kaveh kisses him again. “For the record, I love you too.”
Alhaitham takes the knowledge capsule from Cyno with his usual disinterest.
“The final word in Azar’s death,” Cyno says. “Not surprisingly, the conclusion was that he died of natural causes. You can go ahead and file it.”
“Thanks,” Alhaitham says, adding it to the pile on the desk for the Scribe to sort out later.
“I hear they found a new Grand Sage to take his place.”
“ Acting Grand Sage,” Alhaitham says. “It’s a temporary position, just to prevent the instability caused by a power vacuum.”
“Hmm.” Cyno turns those sharp eyes on him. “Funny, how life has these little coincidences. You ended up with his job and his lover.”
“Hardly surprising. I’m the most qualified replacement, and Kaveh was my roommate and friend long before he started seeing Azar.”
“No need to be defensive. I’m not making a formal accusation.”
“What are you doing, then?”
“I just want you to know that I’m not stupid.” Cyno crosses his arms, leaning casually against one of the marble pillars. But he’s drawn his inhuman power around him, cutting the same dangerous figure that many criminals see just before they’re captured or killed. “In case you ever feel the temptation to cause this kind of a coincidence again.”
Alhaitham nods. He respects Cyno, and is not terribly surprised he was able to connect the dots in this case. But he also knows that Cyno will never be able to prove a thing.
“I say that to you as the General Mahamatra,” Cyno says, and just like that the intimidating aura is gone and his usual unflappable good nature returns. “But speaking as simply Cyno, well… Tighnari told me a little about what happened to Kaveh. I’m glad he’s doing better.”
Cyno turns to leave, then pauses at the last moment, looking back from the doorway.
“One more thing. I hope you won’t think it’s too grand. I just want to give you some sage advice.”
Alhaitham can’t help it. He laughs.
With a triumphant grin, Cyno strides out the door.
“What’s this?” Kaveh asks, pointing to one of the notes on the kitchen table. “Did you seriously itemize the time you spent researching your murder plot?”
“It was a service that benefited the Akademiya,” Alhaitham says. “Of course I billed them for my time.”
“Won’t they get suspicious?” Kaveh’s gaze sharpens. “You didn’t tell them what it was for, did you?”
“Of course not. I kept it purposefully vague. And anyway, the Acting Grand Sage approves all independent research requests. I should be reimbursed within three business days.”
Kaveh gives a strangled laugh and buries his face in his hands. “You are impossible.”
“Come on, get up.” Alhaitham taps at his shoulder. “I want to take you somewhere.”
They walk together through the streets of Sumeru, hands intertwined. Once, Alhaitham thought hand holding was silly, a childish gesture of affection. But now he’s come to like it, because Kaveh clearly does and also because it telegraphs to everyone who sees them that Kaveh is taken.
They stop before an abandoned house on a large lot filled with weeds and tangled vines. The house has clearly been empty for some time, shutters hanging loose on hinges, windows broken and the roof sagging.
“This?” Kaveh whirls around to stare at Alhaitham. “You took me here to what? Mourn this architectural monstrosity? It’s falling apart, and that’s all due to the terrible way it was designed.”
“I like this location. It’s an easy walk to the Akademiya, and will actually be closer if you stumble home from the tavern drunk.”
“You want to live in this? ”
“One of your intellectual weaknesses is that you always jump to conclusions.” Alhaitham gives him a fond look of resignation. “No, Kaveh. I don’t want to live in the falling down house. Surely you can extrapolate from there.”
Kaveh’s eyes widen. “You want to tear it down. And… and build a new one?”
“What good is having the Light of Kshahrewar in my bed if I can’t get a design for a simple house?”
“Simple house. Ha! I’ll build you a monument that all of Sumeru will wonder at.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Alhaitham presses a kiss to Kaveh’s temple. “Go ahead. Survey or whatever you want to do. Let me know if it’s a good site.”
“Thank goodness I brought Mehrak,” Kaveh says absentmindedly, already lost in the structure he’s undoubtedly creating in his head.
Alhaitham sits on a nearby bench with the book he bought in his hand, but mostly he watches Kaveh poke around the land, surveying the lot with Mehrak’s scanner and inspecting the foundations of the sagging house.
He looks so happy, and the joy makes him glow brighter than the sun. Alhaitham thinks he could easily spend his life cataloging Kaveh’s smiles, filing each moment of his laughter away to be dreamed of later.
Kaveh is beyond precious, worth risking everything to protect. Alhaitham would have had no regrets, even if he’d gotten caught and spent the rest of his life in prison.
It’s a little unnerving knowing how easy it was to take a life, and how little remorse he had when Azar fell dead at his feet. Instead, all he felt was satisfaction, that his plan had gone so well and that Kaveh would be safe.
Oh well. Such things aren’t worth dwelling on. He turns his attention to Kaveh again, watching the way his flowing white blouse and his golden hair catch the gentle breeze as he crouches down to inspect the decrepit house.
An old thing will be destroyed, and something new built in its place. Maybe that’s just the way of the world.
Whatever it is, it’s good enough for Alhaitham. He closes his book and goes to retrieve the love of his life.