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The visit was meant to be a surprise for Kaveh.
Alhaitham, Cyno, and Tighnari had checked in with everyone important, so it wasn’t like they were exactly invading his space. Things were all squared away on that front. It was a bright, sunny day, and the sky was clear of clouds. By all means, pulling Kaveh away for a lunchtime break would be normal. Besides, the place wasn’t even that far outside of Sumeru City. They were maybe five minutes’ walk away from anything important, less if someone was running. If they were needed, then they could be found.
One of Kaveh's coworkers was leading them to the main work site. He was a kind, short man with dark hair and skin, a bright smile, and blue clothes under the brightest orange jacket that Alhaitham had ever seen. “Kaveh hates wearing the orange jackets, but it’s something that the person organizing the build implemented.”
“For any…particular reason, Adahan?” Cyno asked.
“Oh! She was worried that we were going to get lost in the forest. The bright orange is a lot brighter against the green than our typical clothes. So.” Adahan tugged on the orange jacket and popped the collar, raising his eyebrows. “Hot, right? Maybe the Forest Rangers should implement it into their outfits. Right, General Watchleader?”
“Hmm.” Tighnari wrinkled his nose, mouth twisting. “Maybe not. The Forest Rangers are meant to blend into the surrounding woods. We’re not meant to be spotted.”
“Fair. She’s also trying to get us to wear helmets.” Knocking a fist against the top of his head, Adahan added, “Don’t know if it’s going to catch on. But, you know, I don’t mind the safety. I think she’s graduate of the…which Darshan is the one that does people stuff?”
“The closest I can guess is Amurta.” Tighnari said. “Their specialty is biology. If her experience is more technology, then that would be Kshahrewar.”
“Oh! So that’s why your Kaveh man knows so much. He’s one smart cookie! I like him—we might keep him.” Adahan flashed a grin Alhaitham’s way. “We love him here.”
“Careful, you might make his head too big for his shoulders.” Alhaitham said.
Snorting, Adahan arched a brow at him. “That one? Are we talking about the same man? My daughter has social anxiety, and she has much better self esteem than he does. I don’t think he could handle kindness from anyone if they beat him over the head with it! I should be thanking you for showing up when you did—that boy is a pain to take care of. We’re constantly asking him to eat or get water by asking him for help or lying that we have extra food.”
Looking at him, Alhaitham paused. “Hmm.”
“Ignore him. That’s how he normally sounds.” Tighnari said, glancing at Alhaitham and shrugging apologetically as soon as Adahan had looked away.
“It’s fine.” Alhaitham signed back with a casual shrug. Smiling at him, Tighnari turned to Adahan as he and Cyno traded dad jokes. Waving, Alhaitham met Tighnari’s gaze, nodded at Cyno, and signed, “He needs to have a child. He already has the awful jokes.”
Tighnari snickered. “Imagine him bringing his child into work. Strapped to his chest in a baby carrier.” Wrinkling his nose, Alhaitham schooled his expression to something more typical of him.
“General Mama-matra.” He signed. Tighnari stared at him, eyes wide.
“I can’t tell a single person you signed that. They’ll think I’ve eaten the wrong mushrooms again!”
Alhaitham sent him a cold smile.
Then, he turned back ahead. They had reached the construction site now. Sure enough, Kaveh was walking around and double-checking things, aiding with setting up some scaffolding. He had apparently been wrestled into one of the orange jackets that Adahan’s crew was wearing. I kind of wish we could see the argument that brought, Alhaitham mused. Kaveh was dramatic at the best of times. For him to get shoved into something like that?
He would liken it to trying to put a Rishboland Tiger in a dress.
Or getting Cyno to stop telling awful jokes.
Or trying to get Tighnari to take his own injuries seriously for once in his life.
Anyways. Ahead of them, Kaveh and the workers he was helping finally managed to shove some of the scaffolding back in place. One of them clapped Kaveh on the shoulder, remarking something that got a laugh from the others. Kaveh just smiled, laughing and face flushed. His eyes darted up. They landed on Alhaitham, Tighnari, and Cyno.
Expression shifting, he tilted his head slightly as he walked over. “What are you all doing here? I thought you had work.”
“We did. We took breaks.” Tighnari explained, “So we decided to bring you lunch.”
“And how did you get Alhaitham here? He never takes breaks!” Kaveh said.
Nudging him in the ribs, Adahan teased, “So this is that Alhaitham boy? You should have told me what he looked like, I would have teased him more!”
Kaveh’s face burned red. Alhaitham was pretty sure his own was starting to get there. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! I’ll be back in twenty minutes!”
“Take an hour or two! You deserve it!” Adahan called, cackling as he went over to his workers.
“So, what’s all that about? You look a little hot around the collar,” Cyno began. “Did you open the mist flower drawer and see the salad dressing?”
“Cyno—”
“See, it’s funny because dressing is a—” Tighnari slapped a hand over Cyno’s mouth, rolling his eyes with a soft smile. Snickering, Kaveh turned away. He glanced at Alhaitham. Then, cheeks somehow flushing even more red, he turned away. His eyes wandered over the plants around the path. Alhaitham turned away as well, a small smile on his face.
“So, where were you planning on taking me?” Kaveh prompted. This time, he looked at Tighnari. Watching him, Tighnari smiled.
“Well, there was a pretty spot not too far away. So.” He lifted the basket in his hands. Alhaitham hadn't even noticed him take it from Cyno. I guess I was too busy looking at Kaveh. Best not to tell them, then. I don't feel like being scolded for a lack of awareness. “Thought that you might want something to eat.”
“And you wanted to see me, I’m sure.” Kaveh remarked in that typical, self-deprecating way of his.
“We did! You’re very pretty.” Tighnari commented. Face flushing, Kaveh glanced around. Knocking a shoulder against his arm, Tighnari beamed up at him. “Come on. Admit it. Everyone at the Akademiya called you pretty.”
“No, they didn’t. I’m not that pretty.” Glancing at Alhaitham and Cyno, Kaveh gestured for them to take his side. “Right?”
“If you were a cantaloupe, I’d call you one in a melon.” Cyno said. “No, wait. If you were a fruit, you’d be a fine-apple.”
“I feel like that last one is worse, Cyno.” Kaveh commented. Turning to Alhaitham, he opened his mouth, “Come on, Alhaitham. Side with me. Please?”
“I thought it was well-known that I’m not one for lying, Kaveh.” Alhaitham replied, sending him a smile. Face dropping, Kaveh went right back to blushing furiously. When he glanced at Tighnari, Alhaitham flashed a grin of his own. Tighnari let out a barking laugh, passing off the basket he carried to Cyno as he took the lead.
When they finally reached the clearing, Tighnari dropped down on one of the nearby tree trunks and watched the rest of them approach. He pulled an apple from his pocket and tossed it to Cyno. “This is a proposal in some countries.” Cyno pointed out.
Tighnari grinned wolfishly.
A few moments into them eating together, Tighnari was throwing strawberries at Cyno, and he was trying to catch them in his mouth. Trying to being the operative words. He wasn’t very good at it.
Smiling, Alhaitham rolled his eyes and turned to Kaveh, handing him a peach. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile this much.” Kaveh hummed. Looking at him, Alhaitham shrugged.
“Don’t get too used to it, Architect.”
“I won’t.” After a second, Kaveh added, “Grand Sage.”
“Acting Grand Sage.” Alhaitham reminded. Snorting, Kaveh threw a strawberry at him. “Hey. I’ll take that from your rent.”
“I haven’t paid rent in years. We’re married.”
“For tax reasons.”
“Keep saying that.”
“We are married for tax reasons.” Alhaitham repeated. Scoffing, Kaveh crossed his arms and took a bite of his chicken-mushroom skewer. “You look like an angry tiger cub when you do that.”
“You shush.” Gesturing with the mushroom-skewer, Kaveh rolled his eyes. Alhaitham reached out and plucked off a piece of the chicken, grinning at him as he popped it in his mouth. Kaveh gawped at him like he had done something offensive. “That was mine!”
“Do you want it back?” Alhaitham replied.
“Ew. Absolutely not.” Recoiling, nose wrinkled, Kaveh shook himself. He leaned back on one hand, tilting his head back to look at the trees above him. In the dappled sunlight streaming between the leaves, with his eyes closed and golden light playing on his skin, he looked even prettier than he usually did. Watching his face, Alhaitham smiled and turned back to their food.
Selecting one of the other skewers, he placed it on Kaveh’s plate when he wasn’t looking.
An hour passed before any of them were thinking about it. Eventually, Kaveh managed to “accidentally” shift his way over to Alhaitham, until they were brushing legs. He was also picking at the strawberries still on his plate, turning them over and looking at them curiously. “Oh, hey. Try this one.” He shoved a very bright red strawberry in Alhaitham’s mouth before he could protest.
Looking at him, Alhaitham watched as Kaveh plucked a few of the leaves off. Not too far away, Tighnari and Cyno were staring at the clouds. Tighnari pointed one out, eyes bright and teeth flashing as he grinned. Sighing, Alhaitham continued to watch them both, then glanced at Kaveh.
Somewhere, there was a cracking noise.
Kaveh was on his feet before Alhaitham could even register him moving. “Wha—” Shoving himself upright, Alhaitham grabbed Kaveh, “What’s going on—”
“I know what that was, something’s wrong with the building.” Kaveh pulled away. “Come on. They might need some help!”
Then, he disappeared into the woods. Glancing back at Tighnari and Cyno, who were scrambling to their feet as well, Alhaitham shrugged and then took off after Kaveh. Behind him, he could hear Tighnari and Cyno following.
When they reached the construction site, there was chaos. Several of the support beams looked like they had collapsed. Snarls split the air. One of the men was thrown to the side. Springing forward, Tighnari grabbed him. “What are we looking at? Mitachurls? Specters?”
A glowing green tail, spiked like a thorn, whipped through the air. Glittering green claws slashed through another support post. Under their feet, the ground shook. Alhaitham caught a glimpse of stone gray plating and deep green skin.
“Why are we looking at a Consecrated Beast right outside of Sumeru City, Kaveh?” Cyno shouted.
“Good question! I don’t know! Alhaitham, Cyno, help me fend it off. Tighnari, get everyone out!” Kaveh ordered.
The Beast smashed through another wall. Several of Kaveh’s coworkers were thrown. A wall smashed down on one of them. Shouting, a man grabbed his friend and threw him out of the way. Tighnari darted in, chucking something at the Beast to distract it as he went by. A burst of Dendro went off right by the Beast’s face. Stumbling, it bellowed, fangs baring.
Waving his polearm, Cyno caught the thing’s attention before it could go for Tighnari. Head wheeling, the Beast snapped at him. Its fangs closed on empty air. Alhaitham went for its neck, praying that there might be a weak point. He couldn’t even remember if there one. At his side, Kaveh swung his claymore for the Beast’s face. It snapped at him.
Grabbing Kaveh’s cape and shirt, Alhaitham yanked him back and down. The Beast slashed right over Kaveh’s head. Glancing over, Kaveh breathlessly said, “Thanks.”
Alhaitham nodded, then went back to the fight. He aimed for the Beast’s ribs. Another roar split the air. Reaching up, Alhaitham turned off his hearing aids and triggered the extra noise-cancelling, wincing at the sound. The world went silent.
He could feel the roar, so loud his ribs rattled in his chest. Beside him, Cyno dodged, landed, and glanced at him. Alhaitham gestured for his ear, signed, “Deaf.”
There was a nod. Cyno signed as best as he could around the polearm, “Stay back. Weak here.” He traced a finger across the underside of his chin. “Get back!”
He dragged Alhaitham back. A talon smashed into the ground where Alhaitham had just been. “Thanks.” He signed. Cyno didn’t respond.
Throwing himself forward, Cyno went for the weak spot. The Beast moved first. It slashed for him. Pitching himself to the side, Cyno just managed to dodge. The Beast caught him by the helm, throwing him to the ground. Eyes wide, Cyno stared up at the Beast as it pinned him to the dirt with a claw.
Alhaitham went for his own attack. Tail lashing out, the Beast caught him. The world flipped. His back slammed into the ground. Rolling, Alhaitham caught himself and stumbled upright.
Grabbing a knife from his boot, Cyno stabbed the Beast in the leg. It shrieked as the blade drove into its skin. Thrashing, it grabbed him by the ribs and smashed him into the ground. Next was Kaveh, darting in to slash. He wasn’t really trying to hurt the thing. He was trying to distract it. As it moved to defend from Kaveh’s strike, it let go of Cyno.
Dragging himself to his feet, Cyno scrambled back. He had his polearm again a moment later, bracing it on the ground as he hauled himself upright. An arrow smashed into the Beast’s face, right beneath its eye. There was another Dendro explosion.
Stumbling, the Beast reared up and slashed again. The bladed tail lashed, striking the ground. Kaveh rolled out of the way just in time. Turning, Alhaitham spotted Tighnari running into the fight, bow drawn.
Still blinded by the Dendro explosion, the Beast stumbled around more, clawing at its face. How Tighnari had known where its eyes were, Alhaitham didn’t know. He didn’t even care. He grabbed Cyno and Kaveh and pulled them back as the Beast lashed its tail again, turning in a tight circle. Fangs bared, it swung its head from one side to the other. It snarled again, teeth flashing as it went for another bite. That tail it had swung again.
Kaveh was struck.
There was a blur of a red cape and a white shirt, and then he was gone. Whipping his head around, Alhaitham looked for Kaveh. His eyes found him lying against one of the support pillars. The construction workers were trying to race for him.
Alhaitham saw the crack right as Kaveh seemed to feel it. Red eyes wide, Kaveh looked up. His gaze met Alhaitham’s a second later. Terror split his face. In Alhaitham’s chest, something seized.
The building crashed down. He might have screamed. Kaveh didn’t.
Pain split the back of his head, and everything went black.
+
He woke to someone cradling his head and his hearing aids turned back on.
Gasping, Alhaitham stared up at the sky. His gaze met Tighnari’s. There were tears running down Tighnari’s face. No. Something’s wrong. What happened? Everything came back in flashes—the Beast—Kaveh—he was hurt—
Shoving himself off the ground. Alhaitham tried to shove himself upright. “Kaveh—” Hands grabbed his shoulders and squeezed. Thrashing, Alhaitham almost threw a punch. He didn’t. He remembered who was behind him at the last second. “Where’s Kaveh?”
His eyes landed on the rubble.
The entire construction site was gone, smashed into rubble by the Consecrated Beast. Speaking of the damned thing, he couldn’t see it anymore. Good riddance, Alhaitham staggered to his feet. Tighnari tried to stop him, a hand on his arm. His breathing was too quick, too harsh. “Where is Cyno?”
“The Matra are—they’re trying to handle things. He’s—” Alhaitham glanced back at him. He’d seen Collei have panic attacks before. This looked pretty similar. “Just—please, Alhaitham. You’re hurt.”
He relented, allowing Tighnari to pull him to the ground again. Apparently, he was hurt. The blow that had knocked him out was worse than he thought, especially once Tighnari actually pressed some cloth to the injury. It came away bloody. Still, he refused to lay down, keeping his eyes on the rubble as the Matra and the workers sifted through it. From the look of it, they were only searching for Kaveh. Tighnari must have successfully gotten everyone out, Alhaitham glanced at him in his peripheral. Much like Alhaitham himself, Tighnari’s eyes were focused on the disaster in front of him, expression blank. I don’t think that’s stopped him from feeling guilty over it, though, he sighed.
“We found him!”
The cry came from one of the newer Matras, who Alhaitham only just recognized as a young woman named Priya. She dragged Kaveh from the rubble. With a glance at Tighnari, Alhaitham shoved himself up again and raced over. He, Cyno, and Tighnari were at her side in seconds, at Kaveh’s side in seconds. Dust caked him, turning his clothes and his hair and his skin an ashy gray tone. It made the blood look so much worse, reddish dust clumped in the corner of his mouth and smeared beneath his nose. His eyes were shuttered closed, lips parted slightly. The Matra placed her hand beneath his nose, feeling for breath.
Grabbing Alhaitham, Cyno dragged him back. He turned his head, staring at him. A few steps away, Tighnari just stared, hands shaking. He couldn’t work this close to Sumeru City. Not on someone he was so close to—and everyone knew how close he was to Kaveh. Was Kaveh even breathing? Alhaitham dragged his gaze back to Kaveh, terror splitting his chest. “Is he—”
“He’s breathing.” Carefully, Priya felt over Kaveh’s head, down his neck and spine. “I can’t feel any skull or spinal injur—” She yanked her hand back. Blood smeared her fingertips. Turning, she barked, “Someone get me a medic and a bed. Now! Amira!”
“On it!” Amira, another new Matra, shouted as she ducked away. “Padhal, with me!”
The first Matra turned to Cyno. “Take Grand Sage Alhaitham and Forest Watcher Tighnari back to the Bimarstan. You were attacked by the Consecrated Beast, too. That’s an order.”
Mutely, Cyno swallowed, pulling Alhaitham the next few steps back. Staring at Kaveh, Alhaitham felt his own breath hitching in his chest. Carefully, Priya lifted him into her arms.
When she straightened up, Kaveh’s head fell back, blood running up his cheek to drip to the ground.
+
They weren’t letting him into Kaveh’s room.
It wasn’t the head wound. It wasn’t because Kaveh was still in surgery. It wasn’t even because he was just getting out of surgery.
It was because Kaveh was “only allowed to have family” in with him. Except Faranak was all the way in Fontaine. Considering the lack of letters that she had been sending lately, Alhaitham doubted she was coming anytime soon. Something about the saccharine sweetness she had taken on when she had come to Sumeru and visited Kaveh last…Alhaitham didn’t trust her. As for Kaveh’s father…well, everyone knew about that.
Hands braced against the counter, more so that he wouldn’t fall over, Alhaitham stared at the secretary. He didn’t want to use the roommate excuse. He really didn’t want to use the ace he and Kaveh had up their sleeves. It would embarrass Kaveh, or scare him, and Alhaitham couldn’t do that to him.
But he also couldn’t leave Kaveh to wake up to an empty room, thinking no one cared about him.
Taking a breath, Alhaitham asked, “And there’s no one else who can visit him? Only family?”
The woman behind the counter gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, sir. But not even the Acting Grand Sage is allowed to visit someone he’s not related to.”
He glanced back at Tighnari and Cyno. Tighnari had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, sipping from a small cup of tea that Cyno had fetched for him. Looking up, Cyno met Alhaitham’s gaze. The question must have been clear on his face. Without even a word exchanged, Cyno nodded. Then, he turned back to Tighnari, setting a hand on his knee to catch his attention. They can take care of one another. I have to take care of Kaveh right now, however much I care about them.
Turning to the secretary, Alhaitham asked in a low tone, “And what about his husband? Can the Acting Grand Sage visit him?”
The secretary looked at him. “Sir. I have heard that excuse many a time.”
“Look it up. The General Mahamatra is right over there. If my statement is false, then have him come and arrest me.” Alhaitham replied. With a sigh, the woman began rifling through the files. She pulled out Kaveh’s and opened it. Dark eyes glanced up at him behind the rim of her glasses. She thumbed through the papers, searching for the pages on emergency contacts.
He knew when she found his name.
Eyes darting between him and the file, she reached over and found Alhaitham's own file, repeating the process. Arms shaking, Alhaitham gripped the edge of the counter like a vice. He had to keep standing. He had to wait it out. Behind the desk, the secretary swallowed and traced the name on the page. “My apologies, Acting Grand Sage. I hope you take no offense at my following protocol.”
“None taken. It is protocol, after all.” Alhaitham said. “What room is he in?”
She summoned one of the nurses, giving the young man orders on where to take Alhaitham. At the door, Alhaitham glanced back at Tighnari and Cyno. Then, he followed the nurse back to Kaveh’s room.
It was always so cold in the Bimarstan, even with most of it being open to the air. Kaveh had always hated it. Anytime he was sick, anytime he was hurt, he’d whinge and complain until Alhaitham brought him a coat or gave him his own jacket to warm himself. “He’s gained consciousness a few times after surgery. I’m not sure he’ll be awake when you walk in, though. Just…I know you’re apparently husbands, but please be gentle with him if he does wake?”
“I have no plans on doing anything Kaveh cannot handle in this state.” Alhaitham replied, fighting to keep his tone even.
The door opened, and the nurse gave him a pitying look.
As soon as he was sitting by Kaveh’s side, Alhaitham knew why. Kaveh was pale still, and too small in the bed. He easily cleared a hundred and eighty-five centimeters. He wasn’t that much shorter than Alhaitham, maybe five centimeters (and he would complain about that, too, when Alhaitham used centimeters instead of inches. Despite that complaint, Kaveh used the metric system when he worked. The imperial system, too, but not as often. It was an argument they had just for when they were bored). For Kaveh to look so small…
Sighing, Alhaitham sat down beside Kaveh and exhaled, fiddling with his rings. He didn’t typically wear his wedding ring out in public. Kaveh rarely wore his. Safety reasons. Now, both rings sat heavy in his left pocket, and Alhaitham carefully pulled them out. In the bright light, the plain bands—both gold, both with a single tiny gem set at the top—glittered. Carefully, Alhaitham lifted Kaveh’s hand. The ring with the peridot gemstone was so strangely heavy, and he slipped it onto his finger.
Hilariously, it was almost the exact same way he proposed. It’d been late at night, in the middle of winter. Sumeru had been freezing cold that night, so they were sharing Kaveh’s bed because he strutted into Alhaitham’s room to bother him with a conversation. He’d remarked that it was freezing, that he wasn’t going to take care of Alhaitham if he got sick, and then dragged him into Kaveh’s room and his bed with the many blankets. In the middle of the night, Alhaitham had finally gotten the courage to slip the ring onto Kaveh’s hand. Morning came around. Kaveh found the ring. He demanded to know where the other ring was and made a dramatic show of complaining about Alhaitham, swearing up and down that it was a marriage only for tax reasons, and still put the ring on Alhaitham’s hand anyways.
It felt wrong for him to put it on himself, when Kaveh was hurt like this. When it was on, though, it felt right. Like it belonged there.
He belonged there, at Kaveh’s side. Shifting the chair so he could watch the door and watch Kaveh at the same time, Alhaitham stripped off his jacket. He laid it over Kaveh, smoothed out the wrinkles and carefully tucked it around him. Leaning down, he brushed Kaveh’s hair from his forehead, pressed a kiss to his too-cold skin, and settled down in his seat to wait.
He was Alhaitham.
He could be patient.
+
“Ow…”
Eyes snapping open, Alhaitham turned to Kaveh. Sucking in a breath, Kaveh twitched his fingers against the mattress, finding Alhaitham’s jacket. As soon as he did, he relaxed. The hard lines on his face softened. Then, he tilted his head to the side, cracking his own eyes open. “Kaveh.” Alhaitham greeted, moving closer.
Glassy eyes focused on him. Fingers shaking, Kaveh reached for him. “Haith…” He sucked in another breath. Gritting his teeth, he winced. “You…okay?”
“I’m fine.” Alhaitham brushed his hair from his face. Reaching up, Kaveh shakily went to touch the bandages wrapped around his head. Concern crossed his face. “It’s okay. It’s not as bad as it looks. Head wounds always bleed a lot.”
“Tigh…” Kaveh managed to say that part of his name on the inhale. “Nari? And…Cyno?”
“Also okay. They’re out in the waiting room. Family only.” Again, Alhaitham brushed Kaveh’s hair from his eyes. He continued to smooth it back with his hand. As he did, Kaveh’s eyes fluttered. “Sorry, Kaveh. I had to tell the secretary. There probably were some aunties in the room, so I’m sure all of Sumeru City will know by now. Or…they will in a week.”
“It’s okay.” Kaveh hummed again when Alhaitham found a spot that apparently felt nice. Carefully, Alhaitham reached over and started to undo Kaveh’s braids.
“Do you want me to wash out your hair? It still has a bit of dust and rubble in it.” Alhaitham said. Nodding, Kaveh pushed his nose into Alhaitham’s jacket. “I’ll go get someone who can do that, okay?”
“Mmm, don’t be gone for too long.” Kaveh mumbled, slurring the words. Still, Alhaitham stayed at his side until Kaveh had slipped into a doze. Then, he left to fetch someone. It only took a few minutes, thankfully. Apparently, it was quiet in the Bimarstan that day. No one dared say as much aloud—Alhaitham knew better than to say that after experiencing the curse of "quiet" with Tighnari. They'd had six adventurers come in at the same time, all of them wounded.
When he returned, Kaveh was still asleep.
Gently, Alhaitham undid the braids on Kaveh’s hair, setting the hair clips aside. He would clean them later. For now, though, his main concern was cleaning out Kaveh’s hair. And maybe also wiping down his face, because they had been more focused on the internal injuries.
Kaveh stirred when Alhaitham was busy rinsing his hair out for the last time. They’d done this before plenty of times. Normally, it was Kaveh on the receiving end, if only because Alhaitham didn’t struggle with getting out of bed the way he sometimes did. Leaning down, he kissed Kaveh’s forehead again. “How was your nap?”
“Not as restful as I wished it was.” Kaveh lamented. “You should be a hairdresser.”
“The only person whose hair I want my fingers in is yours.” There was a spark in Kaveh’s eyes. Reaching out, Alhaitham gently flicked his nose. “No. You know what I meant.”
“Do I?”
“Kaveh, you are hooked up to an electrocardiogram.” Raising the hand they had put the monitor on, Alhaitham raised his eyebrows. “Would you want to get walked in on by the nurses who think you’re having a heart attack? Because I don’t.”
“Wait, how much would my heart rate rise in that situation? Like, minus the walking in part. I’m genuinely—”
“No. Stop it. We’re not finding out.” Frowning at him, Alhaitham asked, “How often have you and Tighnari been hanging out? Because that seems like something he would be interested in.”
“Well, he and I can find out together—” Alhaitham snorted. “Wait. No. Stop. Not like that. That’s not what I meant!”
“That’s what you said.” Brushing his fingers through Kaveh’s hair, Alhaitham added, “I’ll be sure to tell Cyno when we have the chance to get together again. And you’re going to be on bedrest. I don’t care if the doctors clear you to go back to work. You’re going to work from home.”
“Make me.” Kaveh grumped. Looking at him, Alhaitham smiled coolly. A second later, Kaveh realized his mistake, “Wait. No. Alhaitham. Don’t make me—”
“I’m thinking hot chocolate, books, and those fluffy blankets that we only ever bring out in winter. Did you know it’s raining this weekend?” Looking up at him, Kaveh went through the five stages of grief. “I love you.”
“I hate you.” Kaveh decided.
Leaning down, Alhaitham kissed him, this time on the mouth. “You love me.” There was a sigh, a soft expression playing on Kaveh’s features.
“I do love you.”