Chapter Text
“Kaveh.”
Strong hands came to rest on Kaveh’s hips from behind. It was like they’d pressed a secret a button: Kaveh’s legs gave out under his weight, and he collapsed right into the arms encircling his waist, against a warm body. The person behind him held him easily, like they’d been expecting it, and drew him even closer until his cheek was smushed against a hard chest, with a steady, soothing heartbeat.
His ears didn’t stop ringing until a full minute later, and it was only then that he dared to open his eyes. For a moment, he couldn’t even remember where he stood. As he regained his balance, one of the hands on his hip came to rest on the small of his back instead, and the noise started flooding back in. The familiar hushed whispers of scholars exchanging knowledge and concerns around him.
House of Daena.
The hand rubbing his back moved up to his face, brushing his hair aside to press against his forehead. The rumble of a disapproving tsk against his cheek made Kaveh’s stomach sink. His eyes filled with tears, though he stubbornly forced them back. He tried pushing against the firm chest with his hands despite how weak his knees still felt.
“That’s enough.”
Kaveh squeezed his eyes again and swallowed a small whimper. Pathetic. He wasn’t usually this sensitive, but his body wasn’t currently listening to him. It was embarrassing, to get so emotional over noticing the smallest note of disappointment in Alhaitham’s tone. He wasn’t a small child, he didn’t need anyone’s approval, much less…
“Is this all you brought with you?”
Kaveh lifted his head and gave a slow blink, his eyelids so heavy it was a struggle to even pry them open. Alhaitham held the planes he’d be working on in one hand, carefully rolled up, and Mehrak in the other, with the arm he was still using to hold him against his body. Kaveh gave one annoyed huff and snapped his fingers, to which Mehrak put the planes away safely. When Kaveh extended his hand to take it from Alhaitham’s hand, Alhaitham pinched his side.
“These are the books you need?”
Kaveh didn’t nod, because he was too busy sulking, but Alhaitham still gave them to Mehrak. Mehrak took them happily, despite how hard Kaveh had been trying to teach it not to accept things from strangers. Then, just as Kaveh was opening his mouth to tell Alhaitham not to dare leaving before signing them out, Alhaitham bent down and swept him off his feet and into his arms so fast the world spun around him.
“Alhaitham!”
“Silence.”
Kaveh tried to squirm, and realized with dread that no amount of struggling would save him the embarrassment of being paraded out of the Akademiya like this, like a newlywed bride, when Alhaitham only tightened his grip around him. He gave up with a heavy sigh and dropped his head on Alhaitham’s shoulder, closing his eyes again. As they started moving, he decided this wasn’t as bad as he’d thought. He doubted he’d have been able to get to the entrance on his own, let alone all the way home.
“How did you know I was here?”
“It would take a fool not to know you’d be here after being told you need to rest. I didn’t bother checking the house, I came straight here after Tamara told me she’d seen you out and about from very early in the morning despite the instructions she gave you yesterday. I know taking care of yourself is a concept that can’t get past your thick skull, but the very least you could do is try and not get other people sick as well.”
That tone, again. Kaveh bit his bottom lip and hid his face against Alhaitham’s cape.
“It’s not very contagious. I was told most adults don’t get sick from this.” It was embarrassing, really, that he’d caught something only small kids did.
“You think many of these scholars don’t have children waiting for them at home?”
Kaveh closed his hands into fists. “I am working on my own. I keep my workspace clean, too. I disinfect everything I touch.”
“It is still irresponsible,” Alhaitham said, “and imagine the scandal you’d have caused if I hadn’t gotten to you in time. You were on the verge of passing out. It wouldn’t be the first time that happens, but it would reinforce the misconception that the Akademiya is overworking its scholars. It’s not the Akademiya. It’s fools like you who refuse to listen to the doctor.”
“Just leave me alone,” Kaveh groaned.
“You wouldn’t make it past the doors.”
Kaveh was upset. That very much he could acknowledge. He was tired, he was sad and he was a disappointment; but he was also feeling better than he had in the past three days, cradled close in Alhaitham’s arms after not seeing him in so long. It was very rich of Alhaitham to lecture him when he himself hadn’t been sleeping at home in the past week, but Kaveh knew there was no use in arguing with him.
“You came to find me,” he mumbled, his eyelashes fluttering as he struggled to keep his eyes open. They were outside now, making their way down, and they’d soon be home.
“They would’ve brought you to me anyway,” was all Alhaitham said.
Alhaitham didn’t immediately set him down on his feet when they got home. He toed off his boots first and placed Mehrak on the console table by the door, where it would be out of Kaveh’s reach, and then he carried Kaveh all the way to the couch. He lowered him gently on the cushions and knelt to undo the strap of his shoes.
“You’re not taking me to my room?” asked Kaveh, warm and sleepy, melting into his cocoon as his eyes closed little by little. “I thought you wouldn’t want me spreading germs all over the house.”
“I’ll give you your medicine first,” Alhaitham said, taking off his sandals. Kaveh frowned. “Tamara told me you refused to accept the medicine she offered you. So I went to the Bimarstan and picked it up myself.”
Kaveh felt his face start heating up, and not from the fever. “It’s a very expensive medicine. I’m sure any child will need it much more than I do.”
Alhaitham paused for a second before lifting his head, and meeting his stern, very displeased eyes for the first time made Kaveh’s stomach fall to his feet again. He squirmed a little in his place and lowered his eyes to the ground, damp with tears. When Alhaitham got like this, it was inevitable that he felt scolded like a small kid. It made him want to disappear.
Alhaitham still had a hand resting on one of his ankles. He only gave it a squeeze, rather than lecturing him again. It was both meant to serve as comfort and a warning, Kaveh knew. No more nonsense would be tolerated from him—or so would Alhaitham say.
“I knew you would say something like that,” Alhaitham said. “And she said you’d have to take it for two weeks, and I don’t trust you to follow through with oral medicine for so long, so I asked for a more convenient delivery route.”
Suddenly Kaveh didn’t feel as sleepy. He sat up, eyes wide. Alhaitham was no longer looking at him, he had turned to grab a small wooden box from the table behind him that Kaveh hadn’t seen before. When he opened it, Kaveh felt his bottom lip tremble a little.
Inside lay a syringe, with a glass barrel and a golden needle and a plunger. It looked very new, and the needle looked very sharp, like it had been crafted just for him that same day. The needle was long too, which meant it had to go deep into the muscle. Kaveh flinched involuntarily and took in a shaky breath, more like a sniffle.
“That is very mean of you.”
“Two shots, one this week and then another next one. It’s what the Bimarstan suggests for patients that are not compliant with oral medicine. You’ve proved now you are in that category, so Tamara agreed this was the best option. Just because of what you caught is an illness usually only children catch it doesn’t mean it can’t put your life in danger if left untreated.”
“You can’t make me.”
“I can,” Alhaitham said, calmly. “I’ll hold you down if I have to.”
Another sniffle. Kaveh closed his eyes and took in a deep breath this time, promising himself he wouldn’t cry, though his hands were still shaking. Tamara had probably told Alhaitham that this wouldn’t be the first time Kaveh wasn't compliant with his treatment. That she’d heard Kaveh would gift the medicine to other families as soon as he started feeling better.
“You don’t even know how to give an injection.”
“Tamara made me practice on a Zaytun peach,” Alhaitham said, so seriously that Kaveh wanted to bury his face into a cushion and scream. “She said my technique is flawless. I got her approval to do it myself. Now, I am not asking you for permission. I’ll give you your injection now, and if you want to put up a fight, do it. It’ll only hurt more if you’re tense.”
Kaveh didn’t want to. He was upset and tired and he only wanted to cry because of how unreasonably mean Alhaitham was being to him. He could only lie back and curl on himself and watch helplessly as Alhaitham dipped the needle into a strong-smelling solution and cleaned it meticulously with a gauze pad. Then as he mixed blue powder with a clear liquid, and as he drew the resulting aquamarine concoction into the assembled syringe.
Alhaitham dampened a cotton ball with the antiseptic and grabbed Kaveh by the arm to pull him to his feet. Kaveh already knew that a needle so long could only go in one place, but he still whined in distress when Alhaitham sat down tugged him across his lap. His cape was nudged out of the way, and his sash undone and put aside.
“Behave,” Alhaitham warned him, when Kaveh lifted one of his bare feet and stamped it against the carpeted floor without really meaning to. He was getting too antsy as Alhaitham worked on undressing him, untucking his shirt and pushing it up to the small of his back. His hands were cold, too, in contrast with Kaveh’s burning skin. It was even worse when he slipped his fingers into Kaveh’s trousers to tug them down.
This was Alhaitham, so Kaveh didn’t get a warning or any kind of reassurance as he wiped the top of his exposed cheek with the damp cotton. It was even colder, it made him shiver and break into goosebumps. He let out the smallest of whimpers when Alhaitham readjusted him in his lap and placed his other hand on his bare skin, his fingers framing where he’d jab the needle.
“You’re clenching,” Alhaitham observed. It was infuriating, a couple tears rolled down Kaveh’s cheeks.
“I don’t like needles, of course I am.”
For what felt like the first time in his life, Kaveh noticed Alhaitham hesitate. His hand didn’t move from where it was, a comforting weight on Kaveh’s rear, but he didn’t just stick the needle like Kaveh would’ve expected. Kaveh couldn’t bring himself to look at him, he buried his face into his hands.
“You didn’t tell me you were afraid of needles.”
“Is there anyone who isn’t?”
A pause, again. He felt Alhaitham sigh, in that way he did usually when he was about to let Kaveh have things his way, but Kaveh knew better than to get his hopes up. Alhaitham didn’t let him up, he only moved his hand from place to rub circles on the small of his back again. Then he leaned in to kiss the top of Kaveh’s head.
“I have to give you this injection.”
“I know you do.”
“If I don’t look after you myself, you never will.”
Kaveh wanted to cry again.
“That doesn’t make you any less mean.”
A deep breath, again. This time, he couldn’t stop more than a couple tears from spilling. Alhaitham kissed the top of his head once more and his hand returned to his previous position, this time pressing down a little on the muscle of Kaveh’s butt. Kaveh braced himself, doing his very best to stay as relaxed as he could, but a fresh wave of tears still rolled in as soon as Alhaitham drove the needle in.
“Ow,” Kaveh complained, quietly, clenching again. “Ow, ow, ow.”
“I know,” Alhaitham said, and for once he sounded genuinely sorry. He rubbed soothing circles on Kaveh’s butt cheek with his thumb. “Take a deep breath for me.”
Kaveh did, but then Alhaitham whispered, softly, just like that, and the praise made him start crying again, louder this time. Alhaitham kept whispering sweet nonsense as he injected him, but Kaveh’s sobbing made it difficult for him to understand what he was saying. It had a soothing effect nonetheless, and by the time Alhaitham pulled the needle out, Kaveh had already melted into a puddle in his lap, his cheek pressed against the damp cushion.
“Oww,” whined Kaveh, one last time, when Alhaitham massaged his cheek. He sniffled and wiped his face with his hands, then allowed Alhaitham to guide him to sit again. It hurt to sit on the side Alhaitham had just abused, but it was worth finding himself in the warm cocoon of Alhaitham’s arms again.
“You cried so much more than any small child would.”
“No small child would’ve ever gotten this treatment.”
“You’re right,” Alhaitham said, lips pressed against Kaveh’s forehead. “Small children are much better behaved than you are. They’d take their oral medicine for two weeks obediently. They would rest when told they have to.”
Kaveh closed his eyes tightly. The most difficult part of it all was knowing that Alhaitham worried so much, honestly. That he wouldn’t just let Kaveh do—whatever he always did, ruin himself. It wasn’t like Kaveh did it on purpose, but it wasn’t like he did anything to avoid it either, at all. Without Alhaitham, he always just let things happen, no matter the consequences.
“I am sorry that—”
“If you apologize,” Alhaitham said, “I’ll spank you too.”
Kaveh closed his mouth. To many that might sound like teasing—Kaveh knew better than that. That was a real warning. It didn’t match the tenderness with which Alhaitham currently held him, but almost nothing Alhaitham ever did did. Kaveh didn’t feel like pushing his luck, instead, he only burrowed his face into Alhaitham’s neck.
“You need a bath,” Alhaitham said, after a couple minutes in silence. “I’ll go get it ready.”
“Alhaitham—”
“It’ll be a bath for the two of us.”
Kaveh’s bottom lip started trembling again. Alhaitham held his chin gently and kissed him, on the lips this time, melting his insides. “I wasn’t about to complain about that,” Kaveh protested softly, against his mouth. “You have work to do. I don’t want you hounding me later because you missed it.”
“I have three days off work this week. And then another three the next one.”
Kaveh gaped at him. Alhaitham returned his look with a perfectly composed gaze, very serious, and very stern still, even as he brushed Kaveh’s hair with his fingers.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I can’t trust you on your own.” Alhaitham said. And, before Kaveh could complain again, he slid his hands under Kaveh’s thighs and picked him up as he stood. He did it so easily Kaveh’s stomach swooped, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around Alhaitham’s neck. “You need a fulltime babysitter, and this is the best I could manage. The sages are already forcing me to do something with all those days of vacation I have piling up.”
He brought them both into the bathroom. He gave Kaveh’s tender cheek a small squeeze before putting him down again, and Kaveh squeaked in pain. Alhaitham lost no time undressing him, he started with the trousers, and then he unpinned his cape and removed his shirt. Kaveh stood there completely naked soon enough, while Alhaitham remained fully clothed.
“This is going to bruise,” Alhaitham said, brushing his thumb over the injection site while the bathtub filled with lukewarm water. “I guess I’ll need to work on my grip while I administer the medicine. Your muscle is much…thicker, than the soft flesh of the Zaytun peach.”
“Are you calling my ass…”
“Your ass is small, just tight. Don’t put words in my mouth.”
Kaveh was a bit steadier on his feet while he helped Alhaitham undress, though Alhaitham still insisted on keeping both of his hands on his waist in case he got dizzy. They scrubbed each other with soapy sponges while they talked about their day, Alhaitham being particularly gentle when rubbing Kaveh’s butt, and then they rinsed and they got into the tub together.
They soaked, Kaveh lying on Alhaitham’s chest while Alhaitham poured water over him to cool down his fever. Not long after, he started feeling sleepy again, his chest tight with emotion. Alhaitham’s hand was still resting on his waist, and it was almost like he couldn't bear the thought of not touching Kaveh for a single second. It made Kaveh happy, as much as it made him sad, other times. Today, though, he was so content he could purr.
“Tamara went looking for you.”
“She did,” Alhaitham said. “I believe she, like many, knows I’m the only one capable of knocking some sense into you.”
That you’re my only weakness, he meant. It made Kaveh’s heart hurt, but he pushed the feeling aside for the time being as his eyes started falling closed. Alhaitham wrapped an arm around his waist and readjusted him to a position that was more comfortable, tucking a wet strand of hair behind Kaveh’s ear.
I’m sorry for being a burden, Kaveh thought, before he fell asleep, lulled by Alhaitham’s heartbeat.