Archive of Our Own ^beta

Alhaitham’s hands on his waist felt utterly perfect.

“Kaveh.”

He recognized the warning in the sigh, but he just didn’t want to stop. So what if it was quicker than usual? It had been a stressful day and all Kaveh wanted to feel was the rush of the orgasm hitting him.

He grabbed the headboard to steady himself as he moved his hips faster, panting.

“Kaveh…”

“Do it.”

Their eyes locked and he could see the exact moment when Alhaitham let go. It was always a sight to behold.

How the most delicious moans fell from his parted lips as he grabbed him harder.

How he tried to keep his eyes open as the ecstasy swept over him.

How he buried himself as deep as he could one last time before it was over.

It always drove Kaveh to the edge.

He bent down to steal his breath while sliding a hand between their bodies to stroke himself. It only took a couple touches and Alhaitham biting his bottom lip for him to come with a broken cry.

Panting, Kaveh collapsed on top of him, with no intentions to move in a while. Maybe, if it had been their first time together, he would have felt some shame about his nudity or the fluids sticking to both of them, but he knew by then that Alhaitham didn’t care. He’d say he probably even liked it, if the way his hands caressed his back and hair meant anything.

Eventually, they untangled from each other and continued with their new routine. While Alhaitham cleaned his bedroom, Kaveh jumped in the shower.

He sighed happily feeling the warm water falling over him. The perfect end for a disastrous day.

“Can you believe this client asked me to redo the ceiling mosaic? She said she preferred the first design!” He shouted as Alhaitham walked into the bathroom.

“Was that the one with the blue waves?”

“No! That was this last one! The first one had red and gold accents!” Kaveh turned around to face him and squinted his eyes. “You truly never listen to me, don’t you?”

“No.” He smirked.

Kaveh gasped, ready for the argument, but Alhaitham spinned him and gently lifted his head back.

“Close your eyes.”

Kaveh grunted but complied. They could always fight in the morning, but at that moment he decided he’d rather enjoy Alhaitham washing his hair. For someone who only used shampoo, he had quickly learned the order of all his products. But, of course, it was Alhaitham, who most people would consider a genius. He only needed to hear it once to get it right.

“You’re smiling.”

He blinked and looked over his shoulder. He had been so comfortable he hadn’t noticed Alhaitham was done with his hair. He stole a glance at his naked body before grinning at him.

“I’m mentally preparing the arguments for our discussion tomorrow about how you never listen to me.”

“If I never listen to you, why bother with the arguments?”

“I- You!”

“Me?” He teased, arching an eyebrow. Kaveh rolled his eyes.

“I’m too tired for your smug attitude.”

“I barely said anything.”

“You don’t need to!” He groaned. “I wanna go to bed.”

“I’m not stopping you.”

Alhaitham jumped out of the shower and grabbed his towel. Kaveh huffed and reached for the soap. Fatigue was getting to him and the sooner he was beneath his blanket the better.

He couldn’t help but watch Alhaitham meanwhile. He was slowly drying himself. Too slowly even. He also sometimes stopped to check his reflection in the mirror. Alhaitham didn’t know the concept of vanity so Kaveh was sure there was some other reason for it. He had been doing some field research and had discovered that he only did that when Kaveh took too long in the shower. As soon as he was out and ready, he quickened his pace. As if he was waiting. Waiting for Kaveh. Waiting to walk with him the two steps that separated the bathroom from their bedrooms.

Kaveh’s heart did funny things when that thought crossed his mind so he refused to entertain the idea.

Alhaitham kept the door opened for him and soon enough Kaveh was at his own door. He turned on his heels.

“Good night.”

“Likewise.”

No thanks, no compliments about their previous activities; they weren’t needed when they knew each other so intimately.

Kaveh closed the door to his bedroom and sighed. It had been a long day.

He plopped onto his bed completely content, but he could feel the damn nagging question lingering in the back of his mind:

How had that become their new routine?

Technically, Kaveh knew how.

Like everything between them, with an argument. He couldn’t even remember what was it about. Maybe the new painting.

He just remembered they were at home, in their hall. Alhaitham was too close. Or maybe it had been Kaveh who had gotten close and cornered him against the wall.

Alhaitham was staring at him so intensely that it made him stutter mid argument. He couldn’t help but blush ferociously. His eyes darted from his gaze to anywhere: shoulder, green gem, mouth, wall, mouth, shoulder again, eyes, mouth, mouth, mouth…

Alhaitham stepped forward, but Kaveh stopped him with a hand to his chest.

“What are you doing?”

He looked up and a shiver shook his body. He felt completely exposed by the piercing stare that traveled from his eyes to his lips to further down to his eyes again.

“Nothing, I must have misread you.”

“That’d be a first.” He chuckled, trying to ease the tension in the air.

But Alhaitham was still staring at him, and Kaveh could feel the anticipation creeping over him.

“Alhaitham?”

“You’re right.” He mused. “That’d be a first.”

“Wha-?”

He couldn’t finish his question since at that moment Alhaitham decided to end the minimal distance between them and kiss him.

Of course everything had been Alhaitham’s fault.

But it’s not as if Kaveh had rejected him.

It took him a moment of shock, but he had answered that kiss with equal hunger, and soon enough they had stumbled against the walls until Alhaitham’s bed.

That first time had been awkward.

Too many questions, too many pauses, too much saliva. Some teeth here and there but he had actually liked that.

He’d even say that the initial heat had been gone at some point, so why did they keep going? Why couldn’t he stop kissing him? Why did Alhaitham undressed him with trembling hands? Why, why, why.

Why didn’t they talk about it afterwards? At length. Not just the short questions they had asked each other while their hearts still raced, lying on their backs.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Kaveh whispered.

“Do you regret it?”

“Do you?”

“No.”

“Same for me.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

One, two, three.

Kaveh sighed and turned, facing him completely.

“Would you like to do it again sometime?”

So, not everything had been Alhaitham’s fault.

A month later, Kaveh returned home to fresh padisarahs adorning their living room.

“What’s this?”

Alhaitham didn’t even look up from his book.

“I thought you would recognize a padisarah. They were selling them at the market.”

“That’s not what I asked and you know it!”

He slumped onto the divan next to him and reached for the vase on the nearby table. They smelled incredible so he couldn’t help the soft smile that was drawn on his face.

“I thought you might like them.”

Kaveh glanced at him and found Alhaitham had stopped reading and was staring at the flowers. He felt his heart about to burst from his chest and was sure his face was as crimson as his eyes.

Lately, Alhaitham had been doing that kind of things: flowers, sweets, drawing materials… Without apparent reason.

It was getting harder and harder to pretend there was no reason. To pretend he didn’t like it.

Alhaitham stood up so quickly it caught Kaveh by surprise.

“I’ll be waiting for the dinner in the study. It’s your turn today.”

He strode to their office no bothering with turning around, making Kaveh more confused.

“Hey! It’s not!”

He’d swear he saw a smirk on his face before Alhaitham left him alone.

As soon as they entered their home, Kaveh was kissing him.

He had been flooded with work lately, so it had been a while since they’ve been together and he was desperate.

He clawed at his shirt, undressing carelessly without breaking apart. Alhaitham tasted like the wine they had shared over dinner at Lambad’s, and for Kaveh, one cup hadn’t been nearly enough. He wanted to get intoxicated by that mouth, feeling it everywhere, biting and kissing and licking every part of his body.

And the best thing about it was that he could feel perfectly how Alhaitham wanted just the same. His hands grabbed him from his butt to rub them together, making him whine.

“Wait.”

Kaveh took a step back and undid his pants, trying to take them off along with his shoes, failing and falling to the ground unceremoniously, under the amused look of Alhaitham.

“Truly erotic.” He said while putting down his headphones.

“Shut up and help me.”

“And what do I get in return?”

But he was already reaching his hand for Kaveh before he answered. They stared at each other as Kaveh took a step forward, pressing their bodies together, and whispered against his lips.

“Me.”

The few clothes remaining were discarded between kisses and hurried steps until they got to the bedroom, where Alhaitham carefully pushed him onto the mattress, his lips tracing his jaw and his neck, reaching the spot that always made Kaveh shivered. He whimpered when Alhaitham pinched his nipples, and he did it louder when he replaced his hands with his mouth.

Kaveh entangled his fingers in the soft grey locks of hair at his reach and tagged, feeling the gasp and the grin against his chest. Every lick and nibble felt like torture, turning him on more and more, so he began moving his hips to get some friction on his lower area. He rubbed their cocks together, arching his back and moaning shamelessly.

With a last bite to his nipples, Alhaitham slid down his body, leaving behind a trail of kisses, and knelt on the floor. Kaveh propped himself on his elbows.

“Wait, you don’t need to-“

“Just shut up.”

Alhaitham took his head in his mouth and sucked, effectively cutting his thought process and making him lay down. He bobbed his head up and down, how he knew Kaveh liked, always stopping before there was no back, his piercing eyes carefully watching all the tell tales signs of his orgasm.

Kaveh grabbed his hair and pushed him a bit further, just a bit, just another suck, he wanted to cum, he needed it, his throat felt amazing, Alhaitham-

Alhaitham let him go with a pop, making him cry out his name in pure frustration.

“Not yet.” He stood up and walked to the drawer where they kept the lube and condoms. Then, he positioned himself back between Kaveh’s legs while pouring the lube on his fingers. He bent down and they kissed languidly as the first one circled his rim.

A broken moan left his lips when the finger breached him. Alhaitham worked him open slowly, adding a second finger, and then a third, scissoring them, applying more lube, always careful not to rub his prostate too much, to Kaveh’s annoyance.

“I swear, if you don’t fuck me in the next minute, I’m suing you.”

“Over what, exactly?”

“Neglect.”

Alhaitham raised an eyebrow, clearly amused, and withdrew his fingers.

“And you’re willing to explain to the matra the lengths of my neglection to you? What would you tell them exactly?” He ripped the condom package and slid it on himself. “Would you talk about that time you had me on my knees for hours? Or maybe I neglected you when you tied me up and stubbornly rode me until you got exhausted.”

Kaveh blushed and stuttered.

“I- That’s-“

Alhaitham grabbed his cock and pressed the tip against his entrance.

“If I remember correctly, you had to untie me. And I made you cum. Is that neglect?”

Kaveh shook his head, putting his arms around his neck. Alhaitham began pushing inside, kissing him and drinking every moan that left him. When he bottomed out, they both exhaled and stared into his eyes.

“Tell me what you want, Kaveh.”

“You.” He sighed. “Just you.”

The kiss was electrifying, like no other they had shared before. Alhaitham set a slow pace with shallow thrusts, turning them deeper as Kaveh grew used to them. The scratches on his back must have been hurting him surely, but that wasn’t stopping him, and Kaveh was grateful.

“Faster, please. You can go faster.”

Alhaitham groaned and picked up the pace, making Kaveh even more insane. His thrusts plus all the teasing plus the feeling of his cock rubbing against his abdomen became too much and Kaveh came screaming his name.

Alhaitham lowered his rhythm but without stopping, not wanting to halt his orgasm abruptly. When Kaveh’s breathing was more stable, he tried to take out his cock in order to touch himself but Kaveh stopped him.

“Keep going.” He gave him a short kiss. “It’s okay. I’m okay. I’ll let you know if it’s too much.”

“Are you sure?”

Another kiss. Kaveh nodded and Alhaitham thrusted inside again.

It didn’t take him long.

Kaveh kept tightening his walls and looking at him with a satisfied smirk, while also tagging at his hair. Alhaitham’s rhythm became erratic and he drowned his whimpers against his mouth. When he came, he did it whispering his name like a prayer.

There was no shower together that night. They silently agreed to lay down facing each other until they calmed down. They didn’t exchange any words, simply staring at each other.

But something was nagging at Kaveh. It was the way Alhaitham’s eyes seemed sad. Troubled. Lost. He gulped.

“Everything alright? You look lost in your thoughts.”

Alhaitham sighed.

“I’m tired.”

“Well, that’s not surprising.” He chuckled. “Guess I’d better go then.”

But before he could move, Alhaitham grabbed his hand and kissed it without breaking eye contact.

“I’m tired of pretending I don’t love you.”

It was barely a whisper, but it echoed like a scream between them. Kaveh’s eyes opened wide.

He had to say something. He needed to say something. He-

Alhaitham beat him to it.

“And I’m also tired of pretending you don’t love me.”

Kaveh’s face was on fire, he was sure of it. He didn’t know what to say. Was truly something left to say?

He hid his face on the pillow and groaned. He felt Alhaitham moving closer.

“You don’t need to say anything now.”

“I can’t believe you even confessed in my name! You took that from us!” He turned to glare at him. “You have no romantic bone in your body.”

Alhaitham sighed.

“That has a pretty easy solution.”

“Sure, enlighten me.”

“You could simply confess your feelings for me again.” He smirked. “I’m sure you’ll put better into words how much you love me.”

“That’s…”

He was going to deflect, to make a case about how it didn’t make any sense, and they could’ve been going at it until dawn. But he looked at Alhaitham, really looked at him, and conceded.

For the untrained eye, Alhaitham’s gaze was filled with nothing but calm and amusement. But Kaveh had been training for years and saw the truth: Uncertainty, doubt, hope.

He tucked a lock of hair behind his ear and smiled softly.

“You’re my best friend. My family. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without you. I love you.” He leaned closer and kissed him. “Would that suffice?”

Alhaitham hummed.

“I guess it’s okay for now.”

He tried to keep that mask of nonchalance on but the tips of his ears were red and he had a small smile on his lips. Kaveh cuddled closer, fitting perfectly between Alhaitham’s arms, and smiled.

“For now.”