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Kaveh couldn't pinpoint the exact date from when it happened but it started out... as a normal day- well, as normal as it could be for Kaveh and Alhaitham anyway.
He was just minding his own business as usual, working on one of his many projects when Alhaitham came home with a frown on his face. Kaveh stopped what he was doing and stared at him with scrutiny. The Acting Grand Sage usually would come home exhausted and about to collapse anytime soon. It was not an unusual thing per se, for his roommate to act like this even more so since he picked up the Acting Grand Sage position. However, something seemed very wrong about the man today. Something Kaveh could not put his finger on.
So being the great kind-hearted senior that he was, Kaveh said, "You... looked like shit."
At that, Alhaitham haltered his steps where he was walking towards his room, looking at Kaveh with an unreadable emotion that was starting to worry the male. "What an astute observation, Senior," he replied, his expression unchanged. A little unnerved by the look, Kaveh tilted his head to the left, laughing awkwardly. Habitually, Kaveh was used to being able to read Alhaitham's emotions no matter what it was but this time, he just... could not do it. Shrugging it off, the blond spoke again, "Uh... Are the scholars bothering you?"
The younger male blinked and shook his head, sighing. "One of the Amurta scholars wanted to do a project on human psychology. The project he proposed..." he trailed off but did not continue. Kaveh chewed on the tip of his quill, not wanting to push Alhaitham to spill anything, knowing that it was not his place to know such secrets happening in the Akademiya. He hummed. "Did you accept the project though? What do you mean by 'human psychology' though? If you don't mind me asking?"
"... He wanted to study how far the human mind can break," Alhaitham answered blankly.
Kaveh blinked, surprised that Alhaitham even answered in the first place. "Oh," he thought out loud when what the other said had finally been processed in his brain. "That's... horrible," he said. "Nevermind. Let's just forget about this. Since my little Junior worked so hard, I'll be kind enough to not start an argument with you and make you dinner. How does lamb curry sound?"
"It sounds great if a Senior like you decides to behave like my housewife," Alhaitham said with a small teasing smirk. Kaveh fluffed up like an angry Anemo slime. "Hey! Who are you calling a housewife?! Who wants to even be your housewife?!" he stormed into the kitchen as soon as he said that, completely missing the dark contemplating look on Alhaitham's face. The both of them decided to leave the topic there with Kaveh going to make Alhaitham dinner.
If he truly thought about it twice, Kaveh would've noticed Alhaitham never really answered his initial question: Did he accept the project?
And Kaveh never got the answer to his question.
Not more than 2 months after, the four of them; meaning Kaveh, Alhaitham, Tighnari, and Cyno, found themselves hanging out in Lambad's Tavern for a 'Boys Night Out', according to Kaveh, once they went to the Bazaar. They had decided to play TCG, daring the loser to crossdress for a week as punishment. And unfortunately, that loser on that round happened to be Kaveh, which of course went not without complaining loudly.
"I hate this! I bet all of you are cheating just to get me to wear this!" Kaveh screeched as he stomped out of the bathroom, attracting so much unwanted attention from other scholars that spent their night at the Tavern as well. Tighnari smiled brightly when he saw Kaveh's outfit. "I actually think it looks good on you. It makes you look brighter. Like the Sun. Isn't that right, Cyno? Alhaitham?" Cyno just nodded with an amused look and Alhaitham... Kaveh stuttered to a stop.
It was weird.
What was, you asked?
Alhaitham's stare.
You see, the thing is, Kaveh wore a simple short sunny yellow box pleated skirt that covered half of his thighs along with his usual white top. Kaveh swore Alhaitham was
not
blinking.
Kaveh wondered what Alhaitham was thinking about for his face to look so intense before he plastered on a sweet smile and twirled. "How do look, Alhaitham~? Am pretty~?" he asked, totally expecting Alhaitham to start insulting how ugly he looked but what came out of the Acting Grand Sage's mouth... was definitely not what he expected.
"You have always been beautiful," Alhaitham responded calmly and collectedly, which made Kaveh stare at him with wide eyes, cheeks tainted with red hues. For some odd reason, his heart started beating so fast in his chest and he could feel himself getting even more flustered as seconds passed by.
"Y-You!" Kaveh screeched again, almost whining. "You're so shameless, Haitham! When did you get so shameless?! Is it because you think that you're the Acting Grand Sage and you get to do whatever you want?!"
"I don't need to be an Acting Grand Sage to get what I want, Kaveh, and you know that," was all the younger replied before tugging Kaveh's arm to sit back down.
"Alright, you two," Tighnari chuckled. "Let's all calm down and continue the game. Shall we?"
Naturally, Kaveh lost again and this time, he had to sit on Alhaitham's lap for the remainder of the night. And no, it was not Tighnari's dare. It was Cyno's.
If anyone asked, Kaveh will tell you that he didn't exactly know how it happened and it was the truth.
Somehow, they got into a fight 5 days later.
The day before, Alhaitham saw Kaveh being flirted at by a Haravatat scholar when Kaveh was supposed to pick Alhaitham up from his office. Kaveh was confused because the Haravatat scholar was just complimenting his outfit with his usual hair accessories, a white high-waisted textured flare skirt, and a purple sweetheart neck blouse as well as a touch of makeup. The scholar, Ameer, saw the oncoming man behind Kaveh and quickly threw a quick half-hearted farewell, frightened by the death-promising look Alhaitham had on his face.
"Hey, wait!" Kaveh called with a confuddled look. "You forgot your-!" But Ameer was already too far to hear him.
"Who were you talking to?"
Kaveh squeaked, spinning around to face the bored-looking male that stood behind him without any noise. "YOU! Next time, don't just stand there like a creep! And that was Ameer. He's your junior! Isn't that cute?"
"It's your fault for not being aware of your surroundings," Alhaitham scoffed. "And I don't make it a habit of getting to know anyone else. I don't waste my time socialising like you. Perhaps you should try to read more. Maybe you'll be smarter that way."
"Hmph! That's why you're all alone!" Kaveh stuck his tongue out. "And who said I'm not smart?"
"I didn't say you're not smart. You admit it yourself. I just said that you could be smarter if you read more," Alhaitham looked at him with a smirk, one that Kaveh knew so well. "And besides, I have my wife with me, cooking me meals and cleaning my house. Who else would I need?"
"Stop saying such nonsense!" Kaveh screamed, running away from the smug-looking Alhaitham towards the direction of their house. "I'm not your wife!"
"But you will be," Alhaitham said, too far to be heard from the blond.
Kaveh went out the next day to go find Ameer to return the handkerchief that he lent yesterday while Alhaitham was working, who was studying at the House of Daena alone. He decided to spend some of his time helping Ameer study since he had some basic knowledge of Haravatat subjects thanks to Alhaitham. He didn't realise how long he had been there until it was well passed evening when the Sun had already set. Ameer thanked him profusely for his help, giving him a Padisarah before they parted ways.
"Is Alhaitham not home yet...?" Kaveh stared at the dark house with surprise. "That's odd. Normally he would've been back by now."
He shrugged it off as he unlocked the door with his key and entered the house with a tired sigh but before he could turn on the lights, he found himself harshly pinned to the door, knocking all of his breath out of his lungs. "Stop! Let go!"
"Where have you been all day?"
Kaveh stopped struggling as soon as he realised the voice belonged to Alhaitham. "W-What?" he stuttered, baffled by the sudden barbaric behaviour. Alhaitham growled and Kaveh gulped nervously. "Don't pretend you didn't hear me the first time, Kaveh. Answer me."
"I-I..." Kaveh couldn't look away from Alhaitham's heterochromatic eyes. "I was with... Ameer. I was helping him study after I returned his handkerchief. Haitham-" he swallowed the huge lump stuck in his throat. "Let go. You're hurting me." All of a sudden Alhaitham dragged the architect to his room by gripping his wrist. Taken by surprise, Kaveh struggled in his grasp. "Haitham, stop! What are you doing?!"
"I'm punishing you. You should've known better than to be a whore and let someone flirts with you. I fed you. I gave you money. I paid the tab you put under my name in the Tavern. I bought you clothes and this is how you repay me. By giving your attention freely to another man," Alhaitham growled, slamming the door open, and shoving Kaveh inside before closing the door behind him. "Well, it's none of your business who flirts with me! You're not my boyfriend!"
"No, I am your husband."
"Haitham..." Kaveh yelped when the other pushed him onto the bed roughly.
"Haitham, stop..."
"Haitham, you're going to regret it."
"Haitham... It hurts..."
"Haitham... (hic) No more..."
Traumatised, Kaveh refused to talk to Alhaitham after that event, giving the Acting Grand Sage the complete silent treatment, not even a word that he would be leaving for his project in the desert. No note. Nothing. Just packed his bag and left, leaving Alhaitham to come back to the house shaking with pure rage.
And that had been the first grave mistake he committed.
"You're playing a dangerous game with me, my dear wife. I'll show you that I will always..." Manic mismatched eyes stared at the sight of Kaveh sketching from afar. "...get what I want."
It had become a regular occurrence these days; Kaveh not knowing what was happening. All he knew was that the moment he woke up in Aaru Village, the first face he saw was his worried friends. He blinked blankly. Tighnari caressed his head gently while Cyno and Alhaitham stood by the door, leaning against the wall with equally exhausted expressions.
"What happened...?" he croaked, once he was given water by the fennec.
"You don't remember?" Tighnari asked with an unrestrained amount of concern but Kaveh shook his head.
Cyno took the initiative to answer his question, knowing that Tighnari felt too heartbroken for his best friend to break the news to him. "The structure collapsed on you. The others are lightly wounded. You on the other hand..." Cyno bit his lips, glancing at Alhaitham and Tighnari with a helpless shrug. Kaveh felt disoriented by the news, breathing a little heavier than before once the memories started coming back to him. Although, looking at Alhaitham, he felt like he should remember something but couldn't get his brain to grasp what it was. "What... What is it...?" he looked at them with wide eyes, pushing the issue to the back of his brain.
"You... lost your legs, Kav," Alhaitham whispered, looking sympathetic and pained for him as he sat down where Tighnari originally sat. The fox had scooted over to give Alhaitham room to sit. "Your legs were stuck under the heavy rubbles. Your bones were completely shattered and the Bimarstan were not able to save your legs... They had to remove them from below your knees."
"WHAT?! What do you-" Kaveh struggled to sit up, throwing the sheets away from him and he froze at the sight of his... legs, where his limbs only reached his knees just as Alhaitham said. He started hyperventilating, which caused the other three to panic, trying to calm him down as he screamed in horror in Alhaitham's embrace, thrashing violently in denial. He couldn't calm down no matter how much they tried and Tighnari was forced to shoot him with some sedatives. It took a few seconds before Kaveh passed out.
News spread all over Sumeru about the Light of Kshahrewar's near-fatal accident. He felt like he was not himself anymore. It drove him crazy how sometimes he felt like his limbs were still there and yet when he checked again, it wasn't. It felt unreal. It made him very unstable. Throughout his struggle, Alhaitham was always there for him every step of the way. He cooked for him. He bathed him. He cleaned his shit. He read to him. He pushed his wheelchair when they were outside. Everyone applauded for his kind-heartedness. But behind that gentle smile was a heart filled with darkness and Kaveh was too tired to stop him.
Slowly, Kaveh started to realise how truly unhinged Alhaitham was when the man decided to throw all his clothes away, replacing them with feminine dresses instead. When asked, the man just shrugged and said, "What's the point of wearing them anyway? It's not like you have legs to walk, Kav. A skirt or a dress looks better on you." Kaveh couldn't refuse, seeing as it was either the dresses or him being naked all day. One time he decided to rip the clothes he had provided for Kaveh in a sense of rebellious retaliation, Alhaitham had lost his temper with him the other day, slapping him across the face while yelling. Inhumane, Kaveh had thought. Ever since that day, he wore them obediently.
He tried to be positive, chalking it all as Alhaitham was disappointed with Kaveh's attitude, still in denial even though the signs were obviously there. He refused to believe that Alhaitham could ever be so cruel. It was him that was the problem. Alhaitham was bound to lose his temper with Kaveh if the blond never appreciates a single thing he did for Kaveh. So, he let Alhaitham care for him.
The silver-haired male came home early with a dark look that day. Kaveh tried not to dread what sort of news he was going to receive. It definitely will end badly.
Alhaitham sat in front of him, resting his head on Kaveh's lap before he told him that he had to put all of Kaveh's projects on pause because some of his people had gotten killed, apologising profusely that he couldn't stop the majority's decision since his projects were risking the lives of the other architects. Alhaitham didn't bother explaining what exactly happened and Kaveh didn't ask, too busy crying in despair, not understanding why bad things keep on happening to him.
Alhaitham held him gently to comfort him, rubbing his back while whispering sweet nothings in his ear.
"Can we... go to their funeral, Haitham?" Kaveh whispered pitifully once his breakdown ended.
"As you wish, Kaveh," the other said, burying his face into Kaveh's soft hair with a sigh.
What Kaveh didn't realise was that those who died were the ones that were closest to him and harboured some sort of feelings for him.
An investigation was set upon Kaveh's projects, looking for any foul play or some sort of sabotage but the Corps of Thirty was unable to find anything. Cyno just shook his head at them when the four of them decided to meet again at Alhaitham's house. "It's declared as an accident. Nothing was found that shows any signs of sabotage."
"I'm sorry, Kaveh," Tighnari hugged him tightly when the blond male wailed in grief, for himself and for his colleagues who got hurt and those who died in the accident. Alhaitham and Cyno just sighed, closing their eyes respectfully.
"The sages have decided that it's best the projects are be stopped entirely," Alhaitham whispered to them. Trying to cover his overwhelming sadness, Kaveh smiled wobbly towards the younger. "T-Then, I have to depend on you entirely..."
Alhaitham softened, cupping Kaveh's cheek, to which he blushed by the affectionate gesture that he didn't realised Alhaitham ever seemed to possess before. Their friends smiled amusedly and looked away. "You can depend on me all you want, Kaveh. I rather you do that. If you need anything, I'm here to help you. I'll do everything I can to fulfill it. I promise."
"I-I'm sorry I keep on troubling you!" Kaveh sobbed into Alhaitham's warm hug. "I'm sorry this senior is such a burden! I keep on taking you for granted!"
"No, Kav. No," the other hushed him gently. "Don't ever say that. You're not a burden. You never was and ever will be. If I wasn't willing, you know I won't do it. But I am willing. I want to take care of you always even if it's for the rest of my life. I swear on the Lord of Contracts that I will honour this promise and if I break it, may death be set upon me."
"Stay alive," Kaveh whimpered. "I need you... I need all of you here with me. I can't do this on my own." Cyno, Tighnari and Alhaitham nodded their heads. "We'll never leave you, Kaveh. We're best friends remember?" Tighnari smiled at him, making Kaveh smile back in relief.
Kaveh found it by accident.
Alhaitham's notes.
He didn't know what possessed him to do it but he found himself rummaging through his husband's desk (Alhaitham forced him to refer them as husband and wife) months later when he found detailed notes about the accidents, including Kaveh's incident that caused him his legs.
However, what he found there shocked him to his core.
Alhaitham came home that night to Kaveh staring at the wall blankly, eyes completely red from all the crying he did. "You're a monster," he croaked. "I can't believe you would do something like this. Why? What have I done to ever deserve such cruelty you did to me?"
"What are you talking about, Kav?"
"DON'T YOU PLAY DUMB, ALHAITHAM!" Kaveh screamed.
Throwing the notes to the floor, he pointed at them shakily. "YOU WERE THE ONE THAT CAUSED ALL OF THIS! YOU MONSTER! FUCKING KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU!" Kaveh sobbed after he was done screaming.
"You killed Ameer. You raped me. You purposely sabotaged my blueprints. You made me lose my legs. You hurt my colleagues. You killed them. How could you be so cruel?!"
Alhaitham stared at the papers blankly. "Ah, you went through my stuff." He laughed coldly when he saw Kaveh's expression turned incredulous. "Ha... I should've locked them in a safe," he sighed once he was done laughing. "Since when did you learn to go through my things, Kaveh? Hm? Who taught you that?" Kaveh realised there was nowhere he could run when Alhaitham approached him with a dark smirk. "You've been very naughty, dear wife. Do you want to lose your hands now? Hm? You lost your legs because you dare to leave without telling me. Do you want to lose your hands too? Tell me, sweetheart."
Trembling in fear, Kaveh shook his head desperately. "W-Why are you doing this, Alhaitham? I just wanted to know... You say you love me and yet you go and do such a thing... What did I do to deserve your cruelty?" Kaveh sobbed when Alhaitham knelt in front of him.
"Because you're mine," he said simply.
"You belong to me. Only I can touch you. I gave an exception to Cyno and Tighnari because I am fond of them as friends. Only I can make you smile. Only I can make you laugh. Only I can provide for you. You're mine. Just mine, Kaveh. Mine. Anyone who has feelings for you and those who touches you familiarly... deserves death."
"If you didn't run away from me... I wouldn't have resorted to such extreme measures, Kaveh. You have no one else to blame but yourself. I gave you mercy the first time it happened but when you ran away, you really were testing my patience. Might I remind you again, wife, that whatever I want, I will have it no matter at what cost."
Kaveh burst into tears once again as Alhaitham hugged him close in a fake gentleness. What used to feel like home now felt like a cage. "There, there. No need to be afraid. But I can't let you out anymore since you know so much. It might put my position in danger."
Shaking in terror as soon as he heard that, Kaveh desperately held onto Alhaitham, looking at him in the eyes. "N-No! Please! I won't tell anyone! I won't! promise! Don't lock me in!"
"Oh, sweet wife," Alhaitham smirked darkly, pressing a kiss on Kaveh's forehead 'lovingly', making the elder flinched in shock. "I know you won't. You wouldn't dare to cross me, would you? Remember... not a word to anyone."
Kaveh shook his head rapidly in desperation. "I-I promise!"
If Kaveh rarely ever saw people after the incident, now he never saw anyone at all but Alhaitham. Minus the occasion where Tighnari and Cyno would come to visit.
Morning, noon, evening and night.
If Kaveh behaved, Alhaitham would bring him out in his wheelchair to meet people from the Bazaar, watching Nilou's performance and spend a part of their day outside.
However, if Kaveh misbehaved, Alhaitham would lock him in his room for a week without anything to do. Nothing at all.
Just because he promised not to tell anyone, doesn't mean he accepted his fate just yet. No matter how much tantrum Kaveh threw, Alhaitham never got mad at him, only patting his head as he cleaned the mess Kaveh made without fail.
Until one morning...
This time, it was an accident. He was so focused on trying to make Alhaitham mad that he accidentally ruined a belonging of Alhaitham's grandmother and Kaveh knew how much Alhaitham treasured her things that she left for him. Including THAT book. Kaveh didn't know that the books once belonged to Alhaitham's grandmother until Alhaitham stepped into the living room and his eyes zeroed on the ruined book in his hands. He realised it a tad too late when he noticed he had ripped the page where she wrote:
"May my child Alhaitham lead a peaceful life."
"..." Alhaitham stared at the book blankly before slowly the cold dead eyes raised to look at him. The moment he started speaking with that empty tone, Kaveh truly felt the terror wrecked his body. "I... don't personally care if you ruined anything that belongs to me... something that I bought with my money..." Hearing that sent sharp knives straight to Kaveh's heart. Guilt swarmed his brain and and heart, making his breath hitched. "That... is the only thing of my grandmother that I owned, Kaveh."
"I-I'm sorry–" Kaveh tried to smooth the pages but to no avail. Tears dwelled in his eyes in panic. No, he thought. Please no. "I-I didn't... I didn't mean to–" he said weakly, looking at Alhaitham with a pleading look.
"I can't let you go unpunished," Alhaitham said robotically. It was like any emotion he could ever feel was gone from existence, leaving an empty shell behind and it was entirely Kaveh's fault. The man walked towards him and started pushing Kaveh's wheelchair towards his room that he stopped coming to ever since he was forced to sleep in the latter's room.
For the first time Kaveh lived here, he noticed a latch at the bottom of the door to his previous bedroom. Inside the room was completely empty. Nothing was inside except a door to the equally empty bathroom and Kaveh even noticed that there was no light. No electricity. No window. Just complete darkness.
"Haitham..." Kaveh trembled in fear at the sight. He's not... going to lock me in here... is he? "W-What are you doing?" he asked, just for the sake of confirming his thoughts.
"Punishing you," Alhaitham retorted blankly. "From now on, you will stay in this room until I say you can come out. I'll give you food through that latch that I'm sure you've seen on your way in. Scream all you want but the house was made soundproof while you had your little escapade months ago. Bathroom is there, as you know. Newly installed. Until you learned that you shouldn't have pissed me off, you will stay in here indefinitely."
Horror filled him to the brim once he realised his predicament. At that moment, he realised that all these times, he was and always will be in the mercy of Alhaitham's hands. He could never escape. There was no way out. Even if he have told anyone, they would not be able to help him. Alhaitham will find him and drag him back. This torture was a never ending cycle for Kaveh. He had fucked up. He wanted to test his patience and he had gotten it. And now... punishment was due.
He shook his head, grasping on Alhaitham's hands desperately. "I'm sorry, Haitham. I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I promise! I'll behave! Haitham!" Kaveh shrieked, struggling against the younger's hold as he was shoved off his wheelchair and into the empty room roughly. "NO! NO, PLEASE! I'M SORRY! COME BACK!" Alhaitham walked back towards the door with silent steps, as quiet as a ghost.
"ALHAITHAM!"
"Until you learn how to behave properly and be grateful for everything I have done for you, you're not coming out of this room until I say so," Alhaitham said coldly, sending shivers down Kaveh's spine.
"Alhaitham, please! I'm sorry! I'll behave! I swear I'll behave!"
Kaveh was nearly in hysterics but Alhaitham just ignored him and shut the door close, locking them as he left. Kaveh dragged his body to the door and banged his fist against it, screaming for Alhaitham to let him out to the point he lost all of his energy and cried himself to sleep.
The first few days of his isolation, Kaveh was fine. He ate. He drank. He went to the toilet even in complete darkness. He slept. Rinsed. Repeat. Alhaitham never bothered talking to him, only leaving some food through the latch as he said he would. Even though the isolation was making Kaveh's skin itched, he was doing fine so far. He was confident that he would make it out alive but his sanity? It was on the line.
Two weeks passed by and truly alone without any human contact, Kaveh's mind finally caved. He lost track of time entirely and he was starting to hallucinate all sorts of stuff. At first, it was the fungus from the forest. Then, it turned to eremites raping him again and again. Next, it was the ruin machines scattered all over Teyvat. After, it was his closest friends insulting him, downgrading him. Tonight, his nightmare took the form of Alhaitham.
"You..." Alhaitham looked at him with such sadness that made Kaveh's toes curl in shame. "You're such a disappointment. Not only to me but also to your friends. If you have accepted me... If you have let me love you the way you deserved to be loved... If you didn't run away... If you didn't ruin my grandmother's book... All of this wouldn't have happened, Kaveh. Admit it. I was right all along. I shouldn't have loved you. You don't deserve love. All you did was toy with the people around you, taking us for granted. We genuinely cared for you, you know? Shame that you had to ruin it." He woke up with a start, gasping for air. His head spun as he scrambled to find the door, dragging himself from wall to wall to find it.
He banged on the door loudly, sobbing. "Haitham! Haitham! Please! Open the door! Please, I'm scared! Haitham! I can't do this, Haitham! Get me out! GET ME OUT! PLEASE!" Kaveh shouted in complete madness. Sweat dripped from his face, soaking his dress wet. No matter how much Kaveh begged, Alhaitham never answered.
On the day marked a month of his isolation, it was finally the day Alhaitham opened the door, letting in the light from the outside world. Kaveh, not noticing his presence, was pressed against the corner of the room, sobbing while gently scratching the wall. His mind shattered beyond repair, driven himself crazy while waiting for Alhaitham to come through the door. It proved to be too much for him to handle when the information came through his brain. "H-Haitham," he croaked, whimpering. "Husband, is that you? I-I'm not hallucinating again, am I? I-Is that truly you? Tell me it's the real you... Please..." Alhaitham crouched in front of Kaveh, who scrambled away in misery. "It's me, wife. I promise it's me. Have you learned your lesson?" he asked. Wailing, Kaveh launched himself at Alhaitham, clinging to his body while crying inconsolably. "I'm sorry! Please don't ignore me anymore! I learned my lesson! I promise-" Kaveh looked up to stare into Alhaitham's cold eyes. His own eyes dull and lifeless. What used to be a bright ruby was now the colour of dull red. "I promise I won't make you mad anymore, husband! I'll behave from now on! Please..." Kaveh begged weakly. "Don't leave me... I love you... I love you, husband. Only you! Please don't do this to me anymore..."
"I can't bear to be apart from you any longer," Kaveh sniffled. "I'm all yours! I belong to you! No one else. I promise. I'll stay. I'll– I'll never leave!" the blond frightfully trembled to even think of leaving.
After a few moments of silence, Alhaitham pulled Kaveh into a warm hug that had him bawling his eyes out all over again.
"I forgive you, Kaveh."
Kaveh succumbed to Alhaitham's deadly embrace in pure relief, nuzzling into his neck like a clingy feline. "Hold me..." he sobbed, burying his face into the crook of his husband's neck. "Pay attention to me always. You're not allowed to look away from me! I demand you to always love me!"
"Of course," Alhaitham agreed with a possessive smile. "Whatever you want, princess."
Kaveh leaned close to kiss him sweetly even as he trembled with the remnant of terror in his veins, moaning into the brutal kiss Alhaitham returned.
"I didn't think you'd stoop so low, Grand Sage," Cyno said coldly as soon as he stepped into his office. "I know what you did to Kaveh and the others. I have all the evidence here with me." He placed the documents on the desk where Alhaitham was currently sitting at.
Alhaitham sat there silently on his chair with Kaveh sleeping in his lap, not even bothering to take a look at the papers, fully knowing that if Cyno said he found evidence, it truly meant he found the evidence. Looking at the General with a bored expression, he said something that crushed the anger in Cyno's eyes, replacing them with disbelief.
"Don't pretend you and I are not the same, General."
"I don't know what you mean," Cyno spat, defensive and that was all Alhaitham needed to prove his point.
"Is that not what you have done to your sweet Forest Watcher?" he smirked, looking at Cyno with such cockiness. "It didn't resort to drastic measures, sure, seeing as Tighnari didn't lose any limbs but you did manipulate him into having a relationship with you all the way back to the Akademiya years. Way before I realised I want Kaveh all to myself. Although that's a story for another day, I suppose."
"I know you know what it feels like..." Alhaitham looked at Kaveh with an unhealthy amount of affection. "To love him so much that sometimes you just want to lock him up, keep him away from everyone. Am I wrong for wanting the same?"
"Besides, exposing me means exposing you. I knew what you did to Tighnari. I never said a thing. I never bothered to even foil your plans. I do have the evidence too, you know?"
Cyno stared at him, eyes filling with a myriad of emotions before he closed his eyes with a sigh of defeat. "Take care of him. Tighnari is very fond of his best friend," was all he could say, knowing this was not the fight he could win without losing all the work he had achieved.
"I could say the same to you, General Mahamatra. Send Tighnari our regards," Alhaitham spoke with a mocking smile and the male quickly left.
A soft whined from his arms grabbed his entire attention. Alhaitham hushed him softly, cooing as he peppered Kaveh's face with kisses. "Husband~?" Kaveh whined as he was roused from his sleep, squirming a little before he fell limped, moaning softly when Alhaitham's hand found one of his nipples. "Did you talk to someone...?" he blinked blearily.
"Hush, my sweet wife. Go back to sleep. I was talking to myself. No need to worry," Alhaitham cradled him closer, moving to caress Kaveh's plump thighs under the cute blue floral sundress.
"If you say so~" Kaveh mumbled into Alhaitham's neck.
Once Alhaitham was sure Kaveh had gone back to sleep, he pressed a kiss into the blond's hair, whispering darkly, "You're mine, Kaveh. Only mine. If I can't have you, no one else can."
At this moment onward, Kaveh had well fallen into a lethal trap of sweet smiles and dark promises.