Chapter Text
Hours later, Alhaitham gained consciousness slowly, waking up in his bed.
Burying his head deeper into the pillow a pang of pain struck his neck. Right, Kaveh had… had drank from him.
His eyes were heavy, and he could've drifted right back to sleep…
“Alhaitham?” Head snapping up at the sudden sound, he stared up at the architect who was sitting by his bed.
It took effort to keep his eyes open. The scribe blinked in quick succession, trying to regain some clarity. His mind was so ...cloudy. Kaveh seemed to catch onto this, leaning back and giving him time.
Alhaitham raised a numb hand to rub at his eye, flinching at the dull sting of the bite, movements slow.
Even so, the glowing red caucht his attention, and he couldn't help but stare.
Now that he was so much more aware of the other's non-humanity, it almost seemed ridiculous how he'd never even questioned why Kaveh's eyes seemed to change colors.
Usually, they remained red, soft peach bleeding into it from the bottom. In sunlight, they were bright, rose- colored. At night or in the shade, the red would become more prominent, overpowering the pink, yet never losing its glow. When injured, hungry or feeding, they turned crimson. Dark, all-encompassing, swirls of wine and ruby and blood. Even then, they shone brightly in the dark, pupils aware and sharp.
Kaveh sat on his desk-chair which he'd dragged over to his bed. He looked awake (alive) and much more healthy than the past weeks. Color had returned to his cheeks, his body showing no signs of tension or pain.
That's your blood, rushing through his veins.
“How’re you feeling?” Kaveh's voice was smooth, pleasant to his ears, and he almost caved to the pull downward, onto his pillow.
He just blinked in reply, as if opening his mouth was an insurmountable task he could not bear to execute.
A strange emotion swirled in his stomach, warm and soft. It had begun the moment Kaveh's fangs pierced his skin...
His hand strokes through blond strands, and he pulls his head closer. Kaveh's breath quickens, lips grazing his throat, and Alhaitham freezes. The wall against his back is cold and he stares up to the night sky, adrenaline and fear still making his body shiver. He presses his knees tighter around Kaveh, curling his fingers, listening to the vampire's whisper.
Teeth bury themselves into his neck.
Lips close around the bite, a tongue slides over the skin, and— “ah,”— molten fire spreads through him. His head hits the wall, body going slack in Kaveh's hold. Every pull of blood sends waves of warmth down his spine, mind growing cloudy with pleasure.
Kaveh leans closer, pushes him further against the stone, hands grabbing his shoulders, holding him in place, as if he would ever dream of stopping this. He wants to say something, though his mouth only manages quipped breaths and airy whines, so he just keeps playing with Kaveh's hair, pressing him closer.
The lips of him are soft, plush, and his tongue catches each escaping drop, soothes the wound. Time does not exist while he swims in the poison, eyes unfocusing and relaxing even more. He could fall asleep here, stay here forever, even when a part of his mind screeches, it drowns beneath the aphrodisiac.
But Kaveh wouldn't kill him, no, not like this, Alhaitham was sure of it. With every passing minute, he grows more and more placid, wrapped in cotton, pressed against the wall, held together by his arms.
He wondered if he'd shatter, if Kaveh let go, now — and maybe that was the poison talking, but he was too far away to pay any mind.
Alhaitham feels the fangs leave before Kaveh's tongue licks across the bite, hand slipping out of his hair. Reduced to mush, he melts, barely registering Kaveh as he breathes something against his own lips, something he can't understand.
All he hears is ‘home’, and then the world turns black.
“You're still a bit out of it, huh?” That same voice pulled him back to reality, and he blinked, lifting himself into a sitting position on stiff arms.
Alhaitham shrugged, mute.
“Here.” Kaveh reached over to him, a glass of juice in his hand. He lifted a heavy arm and took it. At least the fog in his head had begun to fade with time.
He drank until the glass was empty, every drop of liquid mending the strain his body had been through. Alhaitham leaned against the pillows behind him, lowering his hand as his eyes properly focused on his surroundings.
Kaveh had changed out of his bloodied clothes. At that, he realized his own had been, too. There was a bandaid on his bite-wound. Hand subconsciously lifting to the slight pull, his fingertips pushed onto the small bandage. It stung.
The other watched his movements intensively before taking the empty glass from him.
“You lost around one and a half liter, uhm. It should be okay if you just drink some more juice and rest. Your body should be able to regenerate over a day or so.”
He drank more than a whole liter?!—
The thought probably evident in his eyes, Kaveh ducked his head a little, avoiding Alhaitham's stare.
“I, ah, don't usually need that much…” He mumbled apologetically, refilling the glass with more juice. The architect gave it to him, and he took it, still silent.
Alhaitham drank it while the other stumbled over his words, already feeling a bit better. “But, uhm, again. Thank you… I probably would've d—”
“Well, you didn't.” He cut in, making Kaveh’s eyes flick to the scribe.
The blond broke into a smile, understanding unsaid words and relieved to see him talk again.
“What time is it?” Alhaitham placed the glass on his nightstand, rolling his shoulders out. While he wasn't in any notable pain, his body was still a bit sluggish under his control.
“About three am. You slept a while.”
He sighed, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. “I have work tomorrow…”
“You don't, actually.”
“Huh?”
"The matra are investigating the rogue hunters in sumeru city and since we were attacked, we are ordered to stay home for at least two days.”
"Oh." He narrowed his eyes. "You called in sick for me, hm?"
Kaveh scratched his neck, looking away. "...possibly."
At his sigh, the architect sat up straighter, "Still! I wasn't going to let you work in this condition, cause I caused it—"
"That was hardly your fault. I made the choice of not letting you bleed out in some alleyway. But it's fine. They can lose me for a couple days."
❀❀❀
Their conversation slowed, the scribe growing more and more tired, eventually falling asleep mid-sentence.
Kaveh stayed awake — refreshed and fed, he didn't really need to sleep, and he doubted anything but nightmares would follow him if he did try to rest now.
While the adults of Sumeru did not dream, they had something similar. One would wake up with shards of conjured up memories, echoes of conversations even.
They could never remember what they'd experienced in the night, yet their body still had the same reactions to nightmares — somedays, Kaveh would wake up with a pounding heart and tears rolling down his cheeks. Somedays he awoke with the warm feeling of absolute peace before realizing he was back in reality.
His head was clear and the absence of tingles beneath his skin was pleasant. He could watch over Alhaitham and make sure he wouldn't be in any more pain than he'd already put his roommate through.
Yes. That was definitely the reason he stayed by his bedside until the sun rose.
Not the way his hair turned silver in the moonlight, eyelashes long, face completely relaxed. Kaveh could hear his steady heartbeat, hear his breath, see the way his chest rose and sank, glowing eyes enraptured by the beauty that was Alhaitham.
His hand itched to touch his skin, pet his hair, caress the bandaid, feel his own mark he'd left on his skin.
Alhaitham shifted a couple times throughout the night, ending up on his stomach, face turned to the architect. He was entranced, barely noticing how the hours passed until the moonlight changed to sunlight, spilling golden through the window.
It painted him in a holy crown, and oh he didn't know if he wanted to worship or ruin this man.
Taking a steady breath to get his mind out of the gutter, Kaveh grabbed the empty glass and stood up to prepare breakfast.
Kaveh may be a little 'promiscuous' as Cyno teased, but never did he treat the people he drank from badly after indulging himself. Not that Alhaitham was anything close to a hook-up and snack, but the code still stood.
He left the sleeping man alone, checking the clock with his akasha. 05:22. Still early, but hey. More time to create a nice meal and shove away some thoughts that would surely destroy his— friendship? Could he call them that again?
Anyhow. Kaveh entered the kitchen and put the glass away, opening their cabinets to check what ingredients they had left. Usually, he went grocery shopping for them, but he hasn't left the house much the past weeks, and yeah.
There was enough to make pancakes. Kaveh revered in the steadiness of his hands as he cracked some eggs, humming to himself.
Usually, he drank every two weeks, and oh the sated feeling he would never get tired of. Not to mention the actual luxurious taste of Alhaitham's blood.
Kaveh licked his lips, mixing the batter and trying to think of something else.
The hunters, maybe. Their attackers were already taken into custody, probably being questioned for more information as he whisked the milk, eggs and flour together.
His side still stung a little — while his advanced healing helped a lot, it did not prevent scarring, and he could feel the line of freshly mended flesh prick against his clothes.
Kaveh poured sugar into the batter.
─•~❉᯽❉~•─
Alhaitham looked up from where he sat, leaning against pillows. Not even half an hour after being dead to the world, the scribe was back to reading. "Breakfast in bed?"
Alas. Kaveh nodded, if a bit sheepishly. They hadn't really— even though they've lived together for months now (shit, soon it'd be a year), they weren't exactly close.
When time permitted it, they'd eat together. Kaveh did Alhaitham's laundry with his own. He cleaned when the other was busy. Alhaitham went shopping (claiming Kaveh would only buy more stuff they didn't need) and Kaveh did most of the cooking and food errands.
Other than these routines, the two of them hadn't talked that much. Alhaitham was tired from work, Kaveh from working on his blueprints or running after special supplies.
The only times they spent together in relative peace was meeting up at Lambad. Playing cards with Cyno and Tighnari, eating and drinking, gossiping, so on. Those evenings were fun. They reminded Kaveh of back then, and it'd warm his soul enough to warrant fluffy thoughts he usually kept locked away.
Most of their conversations ended in arguments anyway, so it was unusual for Kaveh to actively seek out one with the scribe. Even so, they understood one another quite well. How could they not?
They'd known each other for nearly two decades. Sure, time was lost after the fall out, and even now Kaveh wasn't sure if they'd ever get that old bond back, but it was okay - he was fine with what they had now.
(At least it was easier to convince himself of such a thing instead of wishing…)
Anyhow. Kaveh placed the tray on the bed, two empty plates, two forks, and one pile of heavenly-smelling pancakes. With some syrup on the side, of course. He wasn't a heaven.
"Just don't want to drag you over to the kitchen." It's a lie, and they probably both know. Alhaitham spared him, though, shrugging and putting the book onto his nightstand.
Kaveh wasn't particularly hungry — actually, not at all. For normalitys sake, he took one pancake onto his plate, grabbing the fork.
The scribe seemed to enjoy it, plate already half empty. He held back a fond smile, feeling weirdly proud. They ate in comfortable silence, Alhaitham nearly finishing the entire pile by the end.
That's good though, it'll help produce more blood and stabilize him further. Kaveh would've been more worried if the other didn't have appetite.
"Well…" Alhaitham stared down at the blanket. Kaveh had already moved the tray away, hands feeling a bit antsy.
The silence could've only lasted so long.
What now?
It was a question that had been ghosting around Kaveh's mind ever since. Where do they go from this point on? What is there left to say, with all laid bare?
(Not all, his own thoughts betrayed him. Not all.)
The vampire sighed, pacing around the room before opening the blinds. Maybe it would overcome the stretch of quiet. His hands stayed on the fabric for a bit, red eyes looking out into the world.
It's about 7am, the sky barren of clouds and the city bustled with as much people as it always did.
He turned around, hands resting on the windowsill. Alhaitham was watching him, teal eyes pretty as ever, hair still messy from sleep, cheeks dusted slightly.
Sunshine warmed Kaveh's back, and he could almost fault it for the burning flame in his chest.
"Don't keep such things from me."
The architect's eyes snapped back to focus onto Alhaitham, tensing up.
"...What—"
"You had been followed for almost a month. Do you know the amount of times you could've gotten hurt? In that state, alone?"
He sounded— well, not mad, but accusatory. The words sharp, reaching his ears, icy tone all too familiar.
Kaveh inclined his head, a small smile tugging on his lips. "I know. I'm sorry."
Giving up so early was not usual. But this was not an argument Kaveh intended (wanted) to win. Because Alhaitham was right. He could've ended up a lot worse than last night.
Alhaitham raised his eyebrows, if for only a second. He swallowed, gaze shifting around, a rare insight of thoughts flying through that encyclopedia of a mind.
"Promise me." His hands held one another, fingers shifting restlessly.
"Huh?"
Kaveh knew. Of course he did. He'd understood the actual words after the first sentence. But he wanted to hear it regardless. This was one of the few special moments where Alhaitham was actually talking honestly with him.
The genuine tone of his, the look in his eyes— it had been so long he could've almost forgotten the times where this had been normal.
His questioning noise had stunned Alhaitham for a bit, it seemed.
"P-promise me you'll tell me when stuff like this happens. It doesn't matter if you think it'll…"
Alhaitham. Stumbling over his words. Kaveh thought he might die.
"Even if I'm afraid." He finished for the other, fingers curling into the windowsill to alleviate the tornado of affection surging up in himself.
The scribe nodded. Kaveh could almost hear his heartbeat shudder.
"I promise, 'Haitham."
And he meant it. Another blanket of silence laid itself upon them as Kaveh observed Alhaitham fumbling with the ring on his finger.
It had been a gift from his grandmother. He hadn't visited her in a while. Maybe they should.
"Then… then prove it."
Promise me you'll be honest with me, even if you're afraid? / Don't do that again. / You worried me to death. /Promise me. / There's something else, I can tell.
Kaveh swallowed. He pushed himself off the sill and walked across the room. Stopping at the scribes bedside, his breath shook.
"I will." Now, or never.
Two hands reached out. Fingers buried themselves in soft grey hair, curling, nails scratching against the scribes head, sending goosebumps down his spine.
Kaveh's palms rested on his jaw, thumbs holding Alhaitham's face in place, caressing his cheek.
The motion was but a brief second, but he was close enough to see the scribe's eyes widen. Alhaitham instinctively leaned into the hold, staring up into Kaveh's eyes, and he wondered if love could kill.
Kaveh could feel the thundering pulse beneath his hands, hear the rush of blood, the quick pace of the other's heart. His own must've been the same.
Even if you're afraid, —
He bent down, eyes closing as if bracing for impact, and kissed him.
Time stopped. It was as if the universe itself stopped breathing, the world stopped spinning — nothing but the sensation of feeling Alhaitham's breath hitch, plush lips pressing back, and hands grasping at his shoulders made it through Kaveh's mind.
He could feel his heart combust. With a burning confidence born from the smile he felt on the others lips (and gods they were so soft. And warm, and he could die right then and there and he'd be happy for eternity), he pushed further.
Kaveh suppressed a grin so wide it would split them apart, barely noticing how he shifted his own knee onto the mattress, melting into Alhaitham.
How often had he dreamt of this? How many times had he dangled his hand just close enough to the other student, to feel the burning excitement when they'd touch— how many times had he stared at those lips and wondered how they tasted.
But now Kaveh was— and… and he tasted divine.
He never wanted it to stop.
But alas, they could not live without oxygen. Kaveh's fingers continued to claw softly at the other's nape, eyes fluttering open as the scribe leaned back, gasping for air.
The vampire shivered, so overcome by warmth he thought he might just pass out. He blinked, noticing he was also breathing hard, face burning.
But gods, Alhaitham.
His lips were kissed cherry red, a blush beneath his eyes— glazed over, pupils blown… Kaveh pulled slightly on his strands, watching them dilate even more in real time-
"You're gonna be the death of me," he whispered breathlessly against Alhaitham's lips before diving back in.
His own eyes probably looked more creature than human, with the way his own vision grew impossibly sharper, gleaming below his eyelids.
But he didn't care, not anymore— and Alhaitham just sighed, meeting his lips with the surety he always wore, intent to get back at the architect in their lifetime of competition.
A tongue soon swiped across Kaveh's lower lip, and he accepted gracefully, drowning in all that the other gave him. He was kneeling on the bed now, hands never having left Alhaitham's face.
Every breath, every small noise escaping the scribe was like fire to his veins.
Why…
His own thoughts turned into incomprehensible mumbles as their tongues met. Alhaitham hummed, pleased with himself, vibration echoing through Kaveh's body.
They kissed and kissed and breathed and kissed some more. Somehow, it felt as if they'd just stayed like this, they wouldn't have to speak after, wouldn't have to think.
I should've kissed you years ago, Kaveh thought, and they broke apart once more— he'd long lost count, the only indication of time passing Alhaitham's steadily messier hair, the pulse hammering against his skin, the creak of the bed.
Somehow, they'd ended up with the scribe pressed against pillows and the wall and Kaveh kneeling over his thighs, straddling him.
He didn't mind this position, of course— soon, his lips moved down to pepper kisses alongside Alhaitham's jaw before reaching his throat.
The scribe automatically bared his neck and it might've been the most attractive thing Kaveh had ever seen.
His vision grew fuzzy around the edges while he licked a stripe across his skin, the rush of blood so close to his tongue he could almost taste it.
Alhaitham was reduced to nothing but a heaving mess, hands running up and down the vampire's back, biting his lip.
When a fang grazed over his pulse, Kaveh noticed him stiffen.
"Won't bite," he purred, only then realizing how out of breath he was, "promsie."
One hand had stayed to curl into Alhaitham's locks (sometimes pulling a little to get that addictively breathy whine out of him) while the other gave Kaveh more leverage on the bed, digging into the mattress.
Alhaitham hummed. "You… can bite. Just …haah… don't drink."
Kaveh's head knocked against the scribe's collarbone, utterly blindsided. Fuuckkk…—
"How are you this hot? It should be illegal." His filter was basically nonexistent at this point, continuing to trace lines down and up the other's throat.
He reveled in the shivers. Soon enough, Alhaitham's throat was covered in small bite-marks and blossoming spots, all courtesy of Kaveh's mouth.
Originally, he'd wanted to make them light as to not bother the scribe when he'd have to eventually cover them up, but Alhaitham had just pressed him closer with a growl. — So what other choice did Kaveh have but to mark him up like he wanted to?
Heavily breathing, the vampire leaned back a little to admire his work. Now, he was not one for stereotypes, but…
Poessive.
"Like… what you… see?" Alhaitham's attempted tease only served to further his fire. The man's voice was wrecked.
Instead of an answer, Kaveh ground down with his hips, never taking his eyes off of Alhaitham, grinning.
The scribe bit his lip in an attempt to deafen an escaping moan, hands grabbing Kaveh's sides in surprise.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to…" Kaveh whispered against Alhaitham's lips and pulled on his hair, "do this."
He watched teal glaze over once more, a shuttering breath leaving Alhaitham's mouth, like he was holding himself back.
Don't. Give in.
The scribe leaned his head back, eyes on the vampire. "Oh, really?" He pulled Kaveh further down. "How long?"
Kaveh groaned at the wonderful friction, head resting on the others shoulder, his eyes falling closed. He dragged a fang over Alhaitham's collarbone as payback and reveled in the whimper.
"Years." Silvern voice, a siren calling for the men to jump into waters and drown, wrapped itself around Alhaitham, Kaveh's lips sucking yet another hickey into the scribe's skin. "And you, hm?"
"Same," Came the breathless answer, and oh, wasn't he so much prettier once that sharpness was gone?
"We're such idiots, aren't we?" It sobered him up a little, though Alhaitham quickly derailed his thoughts by rolling his hips again.
Thumbs circled at his waist, some fingers already beneath the fabric of his pants.
His hands had never stopped running up and down Kaveh's back, up to his neck to draw him back down, raking nails along the vampire's spine, reaching under his shirt.
For all his quiet and monotone, Alhaitham certainly reacted well to Kaveh's touch. Always kissing back, always grasping for more, dragging the vampire lower.
"Just means we've got a lot to make up for." Alhaitham whispered, leaning closer. "So why don't we start? Now."
"Getting impatient, are we?" Kaveh teased, flashing his teeth.
The scribe only narrowed his eyes, though his glare was intercepted by a moan when Kaveh's hand suddenly reached into his pants.
He palmed Alhaitham while sinking back into the heat that was his mouth, all tongue and teeth, burning up from within.
The grip on his waist tightened and teal snapped shut, groans and moans swallowed by Kaveh's lips.
A slight rhythm of shifting hips and his hand came to be, though they both seemed to crave more, blown pupils and ruffled hair.
"You got lube 'n here?" Asked Kaveh breathlessly, fingers teasing his waistband.
Alhaitham swallowed and inclined his head to the left. "Lower… drawer."
With one last grab to the hard-on, Kaveh leaned over and snatched the flask out of the nightstand.
It was like a fever dream — how long had they been making out? Fooling around like horny teenagers? — well, in all fairness, this had been a fantasy he's had for literally two decades (Alhaitham apparently as well) — so. Fair. Anyway.
Kaveh was back on the scribe, though this time he made quick work, ridding the other and himself off their shirts before kissing him again. Because he could do that, now.
He set himself down on Alhaitham's lap, the scribe's hands already roaming over his skin.
Kaveh pulled his waistband back, finally freeing Alhaitham's erection. With a sly grin, he poured some lube onto his fingers, watching the scribes' abs shiver in anticipation.
His other hand found its way back to Alhaitham's hair at the nape, curling into it once more and pulling his head back right once he wrapped his hand around his cock.
"F-fu-ck—" Do it again, again, again—
Alhaitham gasping out curses would be his undoing.
He started up a steady rhythm, thumb swiping over the slit every once in a while to catch pearling pre-cum, feeling the scribe writhe beneath him, watching as he tried to buck his hips to seek more.
Kaveh had claimed his mouth again, hungry tongues sliding against one another. Every twitchy thrust would be met with the vampire pulling his hair.
He shuddered when Alhaitham pulled him closer, only to shatter into a moan when the other dipped below Kaveh’s clothes to grab his dick.
The relief was insane.
Curses blurred into groans when Kaveh parted from the scribe's lips, strings of saliva connecting them. His eyes wouldn't focus, hazy with lust. Alhaitham started the same rhythm, using Kaveh's pre-cum as lube.
The vampire was back on his neck, fangs biting lightly, never drawing blood, yet he could tell Alhaitham's anticipation, the sharp pulse ringing in his ears. It was a siren song drowned by the velvety hand stroking him, faster, faster— tightening around the base, then up again— a thumb over the slit, nails drawing over veins—
"Shit, yes like— fuuck, like that—"
He kept up his own rhythm, riling the scribe further up, biting down while pushing down, fingers curled into perfect circles, an architect's skills put to use.
Kaveh littered the other's neck in hickeys, relishing in the answering whines, slowing down when feeling Alhaitham tense up, only to build the pressure up again.
Alhaitham's other hand traversed over Kaveh's skin, grabbing at his thighs, his waist, back, neck, scratching deep enough to leave marks.
It seemed they had both figured each other's weaknesses out— each pull of hair, each twitching, twist of hand, change of pace, drag of nails, pained whine-
Kaveh's head was spinning, and he was hot, so hot, and the ever-growing pressure grew low in his stomach, pulling tight.
He subconsciously began grinding his hips in tandem, the hand in Alhaitham's hair tight, ripping his head back, and—
The scribe was panting, leaning back into the clawed nails, pace quickening. "Hngh, c-come on-nhh—" More, more more more—
Kaveh raked them down to his nape before dragging his other hand up slowly, tightening the hold and watching the steady flow of pre-cum with rapt attention. "Hm? Use your words, 'Haitham."
His own breathing was heavy, voice strained, shuddering hips giving his own impatience away.
Nails pressed into his sides, but Kaveh paid it no mind. His hand went down again, and up, and down, so slow it bordered on painful, guessing by Alhaitham's broken sob.
He couldn't hold back his wide grin, smile more predatory than anything. Watching Alhaitham fall apart was almost enough to send him over, but he held on.
I want to hear you beg for it. Tell me what you want, I'll give you everything.
"Just— move! Fuck, I'll do it myse—" A twist. Kaveh sped up, switching up the pacing, letting his fingers caress the veins, tugging on every little string he'd caught on when starting. Each little thing that made his pulse go quicker, each hitch of breath.
Alhaitham pressed his eyes shut, head hitting the wall, hand subconsciously clenching around Kaveh, so deliriously warm and tight it made him see stars.
"Good, good," he breathed against Alhaitham's throat, gliding his fangs over the skin again, pulling on strands.
By the full-body shiver that raked through the scribes body, Kaveh nosed higher, lapping at his jaw, breathing more words of encouragement into his skin.
Alhaitham fell apart beneath him. His pace faltered, although Kaveh paid it no mind. He simply rocked back into the hand, Alhaitham following the new rhythm, eyes shut, chest heaving.
Broken gasps and whimpers joined the "Yes,"s and "Kha— Kavee-hhh"s, cock twitching in the vampire's grasp, thighs beginning to shake.
He could become drunk of the man's noises alone. It was addictive, and Kaveh wanted to hear it again again again and again.
"Cl- Close— ah, fuck, plea-hhaa—"
Kaveh licked into his mouth, drowning in his taste, a starved man— "Together," he growled, tugging on his hair to get his eyes to open. "Haitham, pants. Off."
Alhaitham complied instantly, freeing Kaveh of the fabric, and then there were two hands wrapped around both of them. Their collective groan of relief was instant.
Finally properly lubed and lined up, Kaveh began thrusting into the hold, the twitch of Alhaitham's cock driving him insane.
Their voices became one, senses overwhelmed. The heat was incredible— Alhaitham dove forward and crashed their lips together again. He was close, so close, and-
"Haitham, hhaa— haitham, fuck, haah," Kaveh repeated nothing but his name, sounding so utterly gone, crimson eyes bright.
"Come— come on, mine, hm? You gonna be mine, Haitham, fuck—"
A shudder zapped through Alhaitham as he came, leaving him shaking and boneless. Kaveh followed after, the image of the other's face going slack enough to push him over the edge.
For a long moment, they just sat there and breathed. Their hands were sticky and the bed was, too, but it didn't matter, because they were both staring at each other with lazy, sated grins, and Kaveh could feel himself melt, laying on Alhaitham's chest, arms wrapped around him.
Alhaitham seemed close to falling asleep, laying there with only a pillow raising his head. Kaveh hummed, kissing him before lifting himself up. "Don't fall asleep in our cum, dude."
He received an annoyed groan and wobbly middle finger in response. The vampire just laughed and left the bed to grab paper towels to take care of their mess.
─•~❉᯽❉~•─
Alhaitham fell asleep shortly after. They didn't really… address anything, seeming perfectly fine to doze off while Kaveh pet his hair. But the vampire was fine with that.
He was practically glowing, feeling the other's arms wrapped around his sides, heart set aflame by pure happiness.
It had been his last secret. The one he'd kept for all this time, locked away, indulged in glances and wayward daydreams.
When he'd walked up to him, had kissed him and felt the scribe push back — words could not describe the relief.
Alhaitham had wanted him for years; they were both simply too afraid to say anything. It cost them precious time, and caused so much anguish, but at least— at least it was over, now.
Kaveh softly caressed the other's face, eyes catching onto the array of bitemarks, hickeys forming dark splotches on the others whole neck, collarbones and even chest.
A fingertip traced over them and he watched as Alhaitham shivered in his sleep.
You're killing me, Haitham, Was all he could think, curling around the scribe. And what a wonderful fate that was.
❀❀❀
It was noon by the time they got up.
Kaveh was back in the kitchen, saying something along the lines of 'you're still not completely fit! You have to eat something!'
It was an excuse to buy time, of course. Alhaitham accepted regardless, dragging himself into the bathroom.
Taking off the small amount of clothes he'd left, he couldn't help but stare into the mirror.
"When was your first time?" Read Tighnari, sitting on the floor of Cyno's dorm. Bottles of alcohol surrounded them, cards and other games scattered around.
Kaveh snorted, rubbing his cheek. Two were leaning against Cyno's bed, the other's against a shelf. In the middle, the newest 'hit' laid, a box full of cards, containing questions and dares.
"At 16, I think. My turn." The blond answered, and Tighnari echoed a dramatic 'boring!'
And so the rounds went on. It was getting late. Alhaitham had been dragged along, slightly tipsy, but generally much quieter than the others.
Over the course of the night, Cyno had been stripped off his shirt, downed a mix of lemonade and pure vodka (where had Kaveh even got this snezhnayan stuff?), played out his ideal puck up line (a dad joke, of course, rewarding him a gag from the fennex) and chosen a teacher he wanted to 'bang'.
Safe to say Alhaitham was bored and at the very least annoyed at the loss of precious sleep time.
"Alhaitham." Cyno called, dramatically serious. He had a glint in his eyes that promised nothing but entertainment.
The student inclined his head. "What?"
"Have you ever had a wet dream. If so, with who. Punishment: three shots."
Kaveh barked out a laugh, curling in on himself. Alhaitham just sighed, staring at the floor, deciding his fate of being hungover or—
"Give me the bottle."
"Aw man," Tighnari huffed, grabbing the half-empty vodka, "and here I was, excited to hear what yo—"
The other student snatched the bottle out of his hand, feeling his face heat. He wasn't about to tell them— don't think about it.
Alhaitham filled his shot-glass and mixed some lemonade go alleviate the burn, downing the three shots. His vision swam, and five minutes later he noticed his body feeling fuzzy.
Sight blurry, movements sluggish, head pleasantly clouded. He laughed along more easily, even answering some stuff sober-him would've cringed at.
At some point, Kaveh gave them a dance show, giggling as he spun and tried his best to look 'sexy'. Cyno did a handstand and promptly fell over, almost breaking some bottles. Tighnari let Kaveh pet his tail. Alhaitham did a bad impression of one of their teachers.
"Ever did a lapdance?"
"Why do I keep getting the dancing ones?!" Kaveh whined, "And no! Who do you take me for!"
Tighnari grinned. "Great! Then have your first. Spin the bottle."
"And if not?"
"Five shots."
"I hate you!" He was slurring, though they all were. The blond grabbed an empty sparkling wine and spun it.
Cyno barked out a laugh. "HAH!"
It had landed on Alhaitham, of course.
Kaveh stumbled to stand, a delirious grin on his lips. "Alrighty then!" He pulled the ashens hand, getting him to sit on Cyno's desk-chair.
"Wha—"
That memory would haunt him for the next months, and Alhaitham had rarely felt such immense shame upon waking up with a problem in his pants.
Why exactly he remembered this now, standing in the shower and running his hands over the marks, Alhaitham did not know.
Maybe he did.
They were around eighteen back then. The last few years of their studies were on the horizon, and they'd taken to relieve some stress by playing games on weekends. It had only ever ended with new memories, spirals and unfortunate wants.
Had they really been running away from themselves for so long?
Water ran down his sides and he poured shampoo onto his hands, carding through his hair. He left the shower dressed in a soft, thin shirt and comfy pants, mind slightly clearer.
─•~❉᯽❉~•─
Pretty.
The marks on Alhaitham's neck looked sublime. Kaveh had tried his best to focus on anything else, sitting down with the scribe and eating.
His eyes were inevitably led back to the bites, red and purple bruises, and his hand itched to ghost his fingers over them again.
The food was good, warm and tasty— Alhaitham looked much more awake, the familiar sharp teal gaze back. It bore into the vampire, though neither of them spoke of much.
At some point, Kaveh carefully brushed his leg against Alhaitham's, a wordless attempt at easing the growing tension. The scribe brushed back, though not meeting his eyes.
Later, they sat down on the couch in the living room, sunlight shining through the colored windows.
A hand grasped his own. Kaveh's irises were back to normal, light red merging into ruby, looking at him with nervous hope. Alhaitham swallowed and curled his fingers around the vampire's.
"Not exactly the way I thought this would go, but, uhm…" Kaveh sounded nervous. Understandably so, he had to admit. "I don't regret it. But we do kinda have to talk."
Alhaitham rolled his eyes and squeezed the architect's hand.
What does love feel like? He'd asked himself, years ago. Even as his stare became laden with yearning, a pull in his chest he could not grasp, as he felt himself die a little every time the other talked about someone asking him out, he had not understood.
When Kaveh had left that day, furious in a way he had never been, a tone so foreign Alhaitham could've thought it wasn't really him, just then, that night, had he finally realized: He was in love.
Staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, wide awake, silence all but encompassing, a friend so comforting turned torture. His mind was racing, and yet he could only stare, frozen, body overcome by cold shivers.
He was in love with Kaveh. But Kaveh had left, and it was too late.
And he'd spent the next years diving into work. His house became a mere place he slept at, vacant of life, dust settling on furniture.
Life continued on.
The unfinished (had it ever begun, or was it ripped by the root, a mere seed, crushed before it could ever see the sun) relationship a rippling void in his heart. And then he'd returned. Indebted, magnum opus having stripped him of everything else.
Alhaitham had looked into those wide eyes, that face, much more mature, now, and had given into the flicker of hope.
Their relationship... He could never put a name on it. They bickered like an old married couple according to Tighnari, had a competitiveness incomparable to many, a trust so deep it could not be uprooted by fate itself, and yet so much secrecy they couldn't help but slip and fall on every altercation.
Alhaitham had known that he'd only hurt himself by taking him in. By watching him go out, complain about dates (or worse, gush about them), keeping quiet.
Unfortunately for his logical mind, his heart did not listen to advice. It fell for the blond architect once again, and months turned to nearly a year, and he could no longer deny it; Alhaitham loved Kaveh like the moon did the sun.
And just like their cycles, Alhaitham doubted they'd ever meet to stay.
"Haitham, are you alright?"
The scribe blinked, memories fading away. Kaveh was still holding his hand. They sat on the couch, and he could still feel the dull ache on his neck, because—
"What are we?" He asked back, tone a hollow shell of emotion.
"Whatever you want us to be."
Sunshine warmed his back, and the room smelt like spices and fruit, of the wooden table, and the books on the shelves, and Alhaitham had rarely felt so alive.
"I…" I want
I love
I wish
I hope
I want
What do I want?
Of you, everything
You will give me
Alhaitham sighed, losing himself in ruby eyes. "You. I want you." Have wanted you for so long I don't know how it feels not to crave you.
Kaveh broke into a smile, a blush spreading over his cheeks. He grasped Alhaitham's hand with both of his, all encompassing, staring at them.
"That's… you have me. You— I— I want you, too."
"I realized I was in love with you the night after you had left."
He said it because he knew he would never be able to say it again otherwise. The architect froze, finally meeting Alhaitham's eyes.
A sad smile resided on Kaveh's face. "It could've been so much easier if we had just taken the risk, hm?"
"Yeah." His reply was all but a breath.
"But, you're right. Just means we've got lots to catch up on. So, let's start off with this— I love you. Will you be my boyfriend?"
Alhaitham felt tears in his eyes, and wasn't it ridiculous, how such things like emotions could wash over him if he let them for once?
"Yeah." He crossed the distance between them and hoped his lips would convey more than words ever could.
Kaveh met him, the kiss lacking of all the heat from before, and it's soft and sweet and the scribe shut his eyes. The architect shivered, and when Alhaitham reached up to cup his cheek, he caught a tear.
He wiped it away with a thumb, leaning back. Wobbly ruby looked at him, grin bright, teeth glinting in the sunshine. Kaveh shook his head and pushed away the next ones, and Alhaitham wondered how he'd survived without having this.
I am born anew in adoration of you.
─•~❉᯽❉~•─
"So, who confessed first?!" Tighnari was brightly smiling, ears perked up. It's a wonder he hadn't jumped over the table to hug them.
Alhaitham just pointed at Kaveh, hoping that the two will keep it down, since, you know, they're in public and all.
"HAH! I KNEW IT! SEE! YOU OWE ME THIRTY THOUSAND MORA!!" The fennec cheered, hitting Cyno on the shoulder.
"You had a bet?" Kaveh chimed in, frowning.
"Of course. Though neither of us thought it'd take you more than a decade— hey!" Cyno broke off as Tighnari stole his drink, placing it back down on the table.
They were at Lambads, about a week after their confession. Upstairs, not many people stayed here. It wasn't their preferred spot, but Alhaitham hadn't wanted to draw much attention to them.
Rarely had he ever been so happy than this week. It was as if their home had become brighter— the tension so familiar he had barely taken note of before was gone.
Everyday chores were exciting, somehow. Folding laundry together, searching for a specific book, cleaning the floors, making dinner.
Never did any of them miss out on touching the other, be it a slight brush of fingers, a playful bump or a quick kiss. (It made Alhaitham's brain freeze the first few times, so utterly taken aback that that could just happen now.)
Honeymoon phase, people called it. Alhaitham wondered if that feeling would ever fade. Could loving Kaveh ever become a commodity? Would his touch become so familiar it would lose its sparkle?
Somehow, the scribe doubted such a thing. Even so, he'd be okay with that, too. Because as long as Kaveh was his and he was Kaveh's, he would be fine.
Oh, another change; he'd studied language after language, poetry an ever occurring thing, the very basis of humanity, it seemed — inseparable. Humanity cannot be without art. Humanity could not be without love, either. How many times now did he look at Kaveh and remember some obscure poem in a language so old it was all but forgotten?
How many times did he find his own mind trying to describe what he felt, echoes of different speech mixing with his mother tongue?
Alhaitham pinned it on the built up of repressed thoughts and feelings. Kaveh was the same, at least— it was if he was incapable of going about his day without kissing him stupid.
He hummed praise and sugary words that made Alhaitham fear of diabetes, randomly huging him and ruffling his hair.
The scribe never rejected it, though, to see the gleam in the other's eyes, to feel the smile against his own lips.
From then on, they mostly slept in the same bed. Most of the time it was in Alhaitham's bedroom, Kaveh falling onto the mattress much later, having worked on his projects.
Alhaitham would stay awake, or fall asleep to later awaken with arms wrapped around his middle.
They both seemed more well rested, even if some nights entailed little sleeping at all, courtesy of their insatiable want for one another.
Alhaitham got back to work, the problem of the Vampire Hunters taken care of by the matra in less than two weeks.
Kaveh appeared to be overflowing with newfound inspiration, blueprints and notebooks filling up day by day.
A sense of normality returned. Or, a new normal came to be.
Waking up in the same bed, spending a few minutes holding onto sleepiness, half-lidded eyes and slow kisses, a hum and a yawn… Getting up, brushing teeth, covering some hickeys up, getting dressed, eating breakfast…
Returning from work, sometimes falling into the other's arms, or the chair, feeling as a hand runs through his hair, (sometimes pulling), a warm conversation or comfortable silence.
Reading in his office or in the living room, Kaveh either on a seat or across his legs (or sometimes he'd lay on top of Kaveh, the blond's head resting on his shoulder, lips pressed into his skin).
The other's body became a familiar sensation. Their presences melted into one, and sometimes Alhaitham seemed to forget where he began and Kaveh ended.
After about three weeks, Alhaitham noticed a small change. Kaveh was getting nervous.
─•~❉᯽❉~•─
"What's up with you?"
"Hm?"
Kaveh hummed, nuzzling himself deeper into the crook of the scribe's neck, lips grazing his collarbone. They're laying in bed. It was sunday, after all. They've got time.
Alhaitham danced his fingers along Kaveh's back, eyes watching his blond mane spill across the pillow. It's as soft as he had always imagined it to be.
"Getting hungry?"
The architect stiffened in his arms, breath halting. He just continued to trace lines up and down Kaveh's back, touch featherlight, other hand resting beneath the pillow.
A tongue licked across his collarbone, lips starting to mouth at the skin, and Alhaitham wondered how he had gotten used to this so easily.
"Kaveh," he began once more, voice barely above a whisper, the hand stilling on the blond's back, "Kaveeeeh."
But Kaveh just hushed against his throat, already working on adding yet another hickey to the ever-changing canvas of Alhaitham's neck area.
"I'll add one for every time I wanted to kiss you but couldn't."
He pushed the architect closer and his eyes fell shut from the soothing motions. A deep sigh escaped his mouth, Kaveh's distractions always devilishly effective. One day he'd get back on him for that. Today? Probably…probably not.
Simply because of how good it all felt.
They hadn't really talked about the— the more. Intense stuff. They just slipped into those zones, where Alhaitham listened and Kaveh gazed at him with gentle control, and it was good.
Kaveh had brought it up once, and they established the basics, and boundaries, but Alhaitham— talking about it was odd. But he'd done it just because he didn't want to lose drowning like that again.
The soothing circles and kisses soon evolved into bites, to fangs gliding across skin, teasing, yet never diving in. A hand slipped into his hair, and Alhaitham opened his eyes at the first curl, the first tug.
"Kaveh," he sighed, like it was the only thing he knew how to say.
"Hm?" The architect replied, vibrations reverberating against Alhaitham's chest.
"You do, tho—…uhhh." And another tug, tingle rushing through his head, eyes whiting out in a haze. Kaveh's fingers curled around the locks by his nape, nails scratching over the sensitive skin, making him melt into the mattress.
He shut his eyes, concentrating on forming words when his mind wanted to succumb to the pleasant fog. "Thats unfair, and you know it."
Fangs nipped at his throat, and he scratched across Kaveh's back in revenge. Getting the wanted reaction of a small shiver and hiss, Alhaitham kept going. They could both play this game.
(Kaveh would most likely win, yet only because Alhaitham would let him. But that was the fun in it, too — to give up that control.)
"Hey. You promised, remember?"
The architect sighed, but stopped his attack on Alhaitham's hair, slipping down to stay on his back.
"... A little."
"Hm?" It's a bit mean, but how else will the scribe get this enigma of a man to open up?
"I'm a little hungry." He repeated himself, voice buzzing against Alhaitham's collarbones. As if bracing for something, Kaveh tensed again, only for a hand to trace up his spine, coming to a stop by his nape.
Alhaitham gently pushed him closer to his neck, the spot the other almost religiously stuck by, never once without a bite or hickey.
"It was nice, you know," he could feel Kaveh's breath quicken, heartbeat thumping against his own, "would probably…" Alhaitham kept his voice low, tone smooth, dripping of honey, "feel even better, now that you're not half dead." He ended jokingly, though the wanted effect was achieved, as Kaveh's breath shuddered again, nails digging into the scribe’s back.
"You're really…" Kaveh whispered, breaking off, and it was almost if the other could feel the shift, "okay with it?"
"Yes, Kaveh. Just don't suck me dry."
"I would never!" The vampire reeled back, burning crimson meeting Alhaitham's gaze, so bright it (once again) shocked the scribe how he'd never questioned it.
He just smiled, thumb swiping along Kaveh's jawline, "I know. That's why I let you do it. Now come on, don't keep me waiting over here. Aren't you supposed to be the impatient o—"
Kaveh pushed him onto his back, motion almost too quick to be percieved— and then fangs buried themselves into Alhaitham's skin, deep, deeper than they'd been since that day.
A hand stayed on his shoulder, pressing him against the mattress, the other holding his head still. Alhaitham simply followed the other's lead, and oh, it felt good.
Ambrosia sank into his blood, spread to his every limb, clouded his mind. His head felt heavy, and he let himself sink into the pillow, barely feeling the drag of Kaveh's mouth.
Blood spilled from the bite, flowing steadily. Kaveh sighed, so utterly at peace, keeping eyes shut. Alhaitham carded his fingers through Kaveh's hair, thoughts blank, filled by nothing but fuzzy warmth.
The vampire drank for a couple minutes, though Alhaitham could not distinguish it if it had been half an hour.
Kaveh lifted his fangs, tongue lapping over the bite, soothing the wound. He simply kept his eyes shut, breathing even and deep.
Lips danced up his throat, and Kaveh's breath brushed against the scribe's cheek. "Sweetheart, stay awake, alright?"
He hummed in drowsy protest, though his eyes fluttered open, focusing on the crimson. Truly, the prettiest crystal of them all.
Alhaitham has the sudden urge to buy ruby jewlery. (The one Tighnari had pointed at, when he'd accompanied him to the market one time, grinning in a way he later realized was knowing.)
"You're… beautiful." He heard himself whisper, watching Kaveh smile down on him, cheeks heating up.
"Weren't lying, huh," the vampire thought out loud, brushing some strands from Alhaitham's face.
"Mh-mh." His agreeing response only made Kaveh smile more.
He licked his lips before kissing Alhaitham, warmth so bright in his chest like he might become the sun itself.
"You taste godly, by the way," Kaveh whispered after letting go, lying down next to the scribe, watching Alhaitham shiver beneath the praise.
"And it's all for me," fingers curled into the scribe’s hair again, and he opened his eyes, sated but present, and it calmed the flicker of worry in Kaveh's mind. "All mine."
Alhaitham's pupils got blown wide, and Kaveh reveled in the newfound information, continuing to play with his hair.
The scribe's eyes glazed over again, breath growing quicker. He blinked, as if trying to regain some clarity, and Kaveh caressed his jaw with a thumb.
"It's alright to rest, don't think, I'll take care of it." And the architect could've drowned in the display of trust when Alhaitham sighed and gave in, leaning into his hand.
"Love you, all mine, hm," Kaveh whispered, wrapping another arm around his boyfriend.
The scribe curled into him, and it's nearly noon, but that didn't matter, because he'd never been happier to be alive.
Borrowed life in his veins, he closed his eyes and buried his face in Alhaitham's hair. Sleep called for the both of them like a mother did to her children, and they embraced her darkness with ease.
The last thing Kaveh heard before slipping away was, "yours."