Archive of Our Own ^beta

A lot of people like to think Kaveh is an open book… He isn’t. He puts up a front and hides many secrets behind his smile. He goes through a great effort to make sure no one finds out about a lot of things in his life

He acts as though he doesn’t hear the whispers of the other scholars as he passes.. How he was easy… How he was pathetic… Just a pawn for the Akademiya… That he spends all his money on useless buildings.. That he was gullible.. That he was.. Overemotional….

That he was as easy to read as any book in the house of Daene… But Kaveh was able to hide a lot that no one would of guessed

Kaveh was good at hiding; he was from the desert. The bias against the ‘desert dwellers’ was so harsh, Kaveh always found it was best to simply hide it

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“Water you doing?”

It had been way too long since Kaveh came on a trip in the desert with Cyno, but he felt a bit homesick and asked to tag along on a trip to an oasis. One that isn't dangerous, Cyno made sure… then triple checked just to be very sure

Kaveh wasn’t used to the heat anymore but he still handled it a lot better than Tighnari did. Of course Tighnari had been handling it better since Tighnari made him a Cryo only tcg die, keeping him cool in the desert. They probably should have borrowed it… So Kaveh wanted to take a break when they reached the first…

So here Cyno sat with a smirk, watching Kaveh excitedly dancing in the water of the oasis, petals and flowers blooming and flowing with each turn… It was beautiful… He just sat and watched for a while… It was Kaveh’s way of feeling at home again. They used to do this when they were kids all the time…

Then Cyno uttered that cursed pun

Kaveh stopped and looked over at his childhood friend and partner blankly. Just as Cyno was about to explain it, Kaveh reached and pulled him down into the water with a splash and a laugh “Utter one more pun and i’ll drown you” Kaveh huffed but a smirk was on his face

Cyno laughed and pulled Kaveh down with him, splashing him back and pushed water at him. It wasn't high at all, both having to bend down to swipe water, but neither minded.

“Come on, I thought we could get along swimmingly- see cause” Cyno was cut off by a splash and spit out water with a laugh, wiping at his face, his headdress having fallen off by then. “Don’t be so crabby” He continued

“You are so dead!” Kaveh pounced on him, play wrestling and teasing pecks as they rolled in the water. Mehrek was over to the side, playfully rolling her eyes at Cyno and her Master’s behavior

They would need to dry their clothes after this… but they could worry about that later

Kaveh was home

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Kaveh was good at hiding he was trans. He was always ashamed of it.. Even after his top surgery that got him in debt and after being able to craft a dendro ‘replica for his.. Ahem.. lower part… It just wasn’t something he liked to bring up

—

“It's so smooth…” The ruby eyed blond hummed gently

Al’haitham and Cyno were working overnight so Kaveh was spending the night with Tighnari as at least he was free to keep Kaveh entertained… As they were getting ready for bed… Some kisses were exchanged… leading to a soft makeout… and shirts were taken off…

But things didn't go further as Kaveh’s fingers trailed Tighnari’s flat chest. He had pulled back and just ran his hands over them. Tighnari was trans too… So how were they so… “Are you just naturally flat?” He looked up. They never really talked about it.. They both knew that each other were trans but Kaveh always refrained from asking or speaking about it

“Yeah they are. They only grow if I get pregnant.. So I am pretty lucky” Tighnari’s tail swayed lazily back and forth, watching his boyfriend touch him.. It wasn’t sexual, but it felt intimate in a very romantic way in his opinion. Just touching and exploring.. Learning about each other.

“You’re so lucky… I’m still healing from the scars from my surgery…” Kaveh pouted softly, tilting his head as his blonde hair swayed to the side, eyes never leaving the other's body “What I wouldn't give to have a naturally flat chest. I wouldn’t be so deep in debt then”

Ugh.. Tighnari hated how Dori took advantage of poor Kaveh. Taking all his mora and more for a surgery… Not to mention it was clearly stitched with the purpose to scar. Most likely to get Kaveh to come back. Horrible truly.

“I think I could live with having to get surgery… though I am fortunate enough to only get a period once a year… I think I would rather take the chest and ovulation over the heat cycle I have to suffer through…” Tighnari sighed with a shake of the head

“Once a year” Kaveh’s jaw dropped “How.. but… how dare you be so lucky” Kaveh pouted even more if that was possible “I have to go through it every month. Do you know how hard it was to hide that from Al’haitham for years? I used to have to tell him I got frequent nosebleeds and he would laugh at me. I would take 3 months of heat over that in a heartbeat…”

Tighnari chuckled and shook his head again, pulling Kaveh onto the bed, resting Kaveh’s head on his chest. He allowed his tail to curl around the Light in his arms and a soft purr rumbled in the back of his throat, playing with those blonde locks.

The past few years of Kaveh trying to keep that a secret from those he cared about was hard for him, but that didn’t matter anymore.

Kaveh was home

—

He was good at hiding his sensory issues. Although he wasn’t really good at hiding his emotional sensitivity and his hyperfixations, most people just took it for Kaveh being very passionate.

—

It hurts.. Everything hurts so bad… He couldn’t open his eyes… Kaveh had left his glasses his partners gave him at his workstation and honestly that just made his whole day worse. At least that is what Mehrak told Al’haitham. The toolbox didn’t really like Al’haitham all that much but he was Kaveh’s closet partner.. Distance wise as she would clarify… So Al’haitham set off to what he needed to do before Kaveh would arrive shortly

Of course, there was a noise of confusion when the door opened. Kaveh actually remembered his key today. Al’haitham mused over that with a small smile as Kaveh came into the dim apartment. He gave a small nod when his partner came into view, setting a cup of tea on the table.

Kaveh didn’t speak. Glancing up to his room to see Mehrak peeking out.. Ah that’s where she had run off too. He smiled softly and moved sitting on the couch, giving a soft squeak as a weighted blanket covered his shoulder and there was a weight at his side

Al’haitham settled down with a book and his own cup of slightly less sweet tea next to Kaveh, sparing a glance over then back to the book “Lay down” was all he said to the other since he arrived.

He watched Kaveh giving a gentle chuckle and take a sip of tea, shifting to nestle his head to Al’haitham’s shoulder with a content hum. He shut his eyes as Al’haitham read, both silently sipping on tea as the time slowly passed.

Cups and books set aside after a while as Al’haitham laid back, Kaveh laying on top of him, fast asleep with the blanket over them. Though nothing was more comforting than the darkness around for the architect on him… Good. He should feel comfortable there.. afterall…

Kaveh was home

—

There was one thing Kaveh was never good at hiding though…

Was how much he was in love with these 3 men that kept every day bright, though not too bright Cyno would always add, getting a chuckle out of Al’haitham and groan from Tighnari They were his life. He was not scared to share that. Throughout everything that has happened and everything that will happen in the future…

They are his home