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"There's absolutely no creativity put into this! Where's the romance, where's the love, where's anything that you'd need in a simple romance one-shot?!"
Alhaitham shoots a glance from his book at the other man sitting next to him on the couch, then shrugs, returning his gaze to what he was reading. It was a simple Friday evening, the two were spending time together, doing their own things as usual. They didn't necessarily need to do something together, but... This was enough for them in terms of hanging out.
"Ugh, and even you seem like you don't care about that," Kaveh huffs, placing his phone down and crossing his arms. "What are you reading, anyway?"
"Something I found in the library," Alhaitham simply answers, turning the page.
"Well, yes, but... What's it called? What's it about?"
Alhaitham flips the book around, reading the title. "Conflicted Truth," he says, flipping the book around once more. "It's about two characters who fall in love despite being enemies."
Kaveh raises an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were into romance. Especially such tropes like enemies to lovers." He thinks for a few seconds, considering something. "Actually, give me that." He swiftly snatches the book from Alhaitham's hands and starts going through it. Alhaitham simply sighs and shakes his head.
Kaveh starts reading from the start, skipping a few sentences every now and then, flipping through the pages quickly. "Zeno... Lorenzo..." Kaveh groans. "Couldn't these names be more creative? They sound the same, like they'd rhyme or something..."
He keeps flipping the pages, soon getting to a scene where the two characters kiss. Kaveh's eyes widen when things start getting a little spicier, and huffs out a laugh. "Woah, so this is what you're into, huh?"
Alhaitham snatches the book back from Kaveh and side-eyes him. "Like your little fanfictions aren't worse."
Kaveh furrows his brows and pouts slightly. "Don't bring my fanfiction into this. They're good! You should read at least one some day," he says, starting to smile. "Who knows? Maybe you'll like it more than you think."
"Right. Do tell, what sort of fanfiction would I even read?"
"Like... Fanfiction about the characters in that book!" Kaveh says, pointing to the book in Alhaitham's lap. "Surely there's fanfic of those two characters, Xeno, Lorzo... Whatever their names were."
"Zeno and Lorenzo."
"Yeah, them. Surely there's stuff about those two?" Kaveh picks up his phone and starts searching their names on a website dedicated to publishing fanfiction. "How popular is that book, anyway? Do you know?"
"Not that popular, I don't think," Alhaitham says, starting to read again.
Kaveh makes a surprised sound. "Oh! Wow, only 6 pages worth? Your ship is almost completely dead!"
"...I don't even-" Alhaitham gets cut off instantly.
"Ooohhh, there's a lot of spicy ones, maybe you should try reading these," Kaveh says, a smirk on his face.
Alhaitham glances over at Kaveh with a deadpan look. "No, I shouldn't."
"Aw, you're no fun..." Kaveh places his phone back down onto the couch, but slowly starts pushing it towards Alhaitham, hoping he'll at least take a small peek at it.
"I can see that, you know," Alhaitham sighs, taking his bookmark from the couch armrest and placing it neatly between the two pages he'd left on, closing the book after. "Do you really want me to look?"
"Yes! Of course I want you to look!" Kaveh pushes the phone one more time, it hitting Alhaitham's thigh. "Come on, please?"
Alhaitham stares at the phone for a few seconds, before silently giving in and taking the phone into his hands. "How do I use this website?"
Kaveh's eyes light up with excitement once the phone is in Alhaitham's hands. "Okay, okay, so..." Kaveh scoots closer to see the screen clearly. "This is the title and author. Here are the tags of the fic, and remember, these are VERY important. You do not want to accidentally miss a crucial tag." Kaveh points at the screen on different parts.
"And this is the summary. Sometimes it's something from the fic, sometimes it's a very simple summary of the fic, and sometimes it's just... a quote," Kaveh explains. "There's not much more to it, really. It's very simple."
"I see," Alhaitham hums. "So it's... like a catalogue of fan works of the characters?"
"Yes! Exactly. It's fun!"
"Hm." Alhaitham scrolls through the page, eyes darting over the words on screen, seeing if he would like any of the fanfictions displayed. Kaveh watches next to him, trying to gauge if he has a reaction to any of them.
"Sooo...?" Kaveh leans closer, smiling.
"I shouldn't read any of these yet," Alhaitham says.
Kaveh's smile drops. "Why not?"
"I haven't finished the actual book yet." Alhaitham gives the phone back to Kaveh. "I don't want any spoilers."
Kaveh reluctantly takes his phone back, and pouts. "Fine..." But then, what Alhaitham just said piques Kaveh's interest. "Wait- So..."
Alhaitham sighs, knowing what Kaveh is going to ask. "Yes, I do want to read some of those after."
Kaveh's eyes light up once more, and he smiles wide. "Really?! Oh, that's great news! You'll finally take your first dip into the world of fanfiction!"
"I suppose so."
"Update me. Once you've read at least one fanfic, I mean. Okay?" Kaveh smiles happily at Alhaitham.
"I... Sure. I will."
"Thank you!" Kaveh stands up from the couch and places a hand on his hip. "Now, I've got work to do. So you better finish that book quick!" he exclaims before skipping over to his room and closing the door behind him.
Alhaitham can only think about how awful this is going to be for him and how he doesn't even want to finish the book anymore.
◊
The next two days go by excruciatingly slow. Alhaitham feels like he's reading at a much slower pace than usual, or his brain can't process the words in the book as well as before. The thought that Kaveh is probably giggling away in his room about the fact that he'd gotten Alhaitham to even consider reading fanfiction, honestly sucks.
Alhaitham is on his last few pages.
Then, he's on his last two pages.
And finally, he closes the book and sighs heavily.
He places the book down onto his desk and stands up from his chair, stretching to get rid of that heavy feeling in his muscles. Alhaitham can't believe he's about to do this, but...
He takes his phone from his pocket, flops down onto his bed, and looks up the website name on his browser for the fanfictions. Alhaitham looks at the home page, a little confused on how to use it. He tries to figure it out, but eventually gives up. Should he ask Kaveh?
There's no way he's asking Kaveh for help on this.
But he finds himself standing in front of Kaveh's room door anyway. Alhaitham knocks, then opens the door. He sees Kaveh laying on his bed sideways looking at his phone.
Kaveh looks over at the sudden intrusion and groans. "Can't you let a man rest?"
"I need your help," Alhaitham immediately cuts to it. "...I don't know how to use the website."
Kaveh blinks. "What website?"
"That. Website."
Kaveh blinks again, until he understands what Alhaitham is talking about. "Ohhhh. Oh!" He almost jumps up from his bed and walks over to Alhaitham. "I'll help, yes!"
Alhaitham hands over his phone to Kaveh, the website still open on the home page.
"What were the characters' names again?"
"Zeno and Lorenzo."
"The book name?"
"Conflicted Truth."
"Aha!" Kaveh smiles, having been able to find the fanfictions for the fandom and pairing. "There you go." He gives the phone back to Alhaitham, proud of what he'd been able to do. Proud that he'd been able to help Alhaitham with the first step to becoming an absolute fanfiction addict.
"...Thanks," Alhaitham says, turning around and starting to walk back to his room.
Until Kaveh calls out to him. "Wait!"
Alhaitham stops and turns around.
"If you... need any other help, just text me."
Alhaitham blinks, nodding. "...Wouldn't it be easier to just come to your room again?"
Kaveh rolls his eyes. "Whatever! Either one works!" He huffs, then smiles. "Have fun!" He closes his door, leaving Alhaitham alone again.
And so, Alhaitham's journey into the fanfiction world begins.
The first one he reads is quite simple; A fanfiction where the characters Zeno and Lorenzo comfort each other about past things that had happened in their lives. It's a very generic hurt/comfort one-shot.
The second one he reads is a bit more complicated, a bit more interesting. In it, the characters are enemies, much like in the book, and slowly fall in love through many obstacles. However, it's a bit different from the book itself and the canon events.
The third one he reads is pure fluff. Kissing, cuddling, holding hands, all the basics.
The fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh...
He becomes hooked.
Alhaitham finds the writing in some of the fanfictions interesting. Some of the others... not so much. The story in some of them is also extremely good. He doesn't want to admit it to himself, but the truth is... He can't stop reading. Some of the fanfictions' writing is better than the book itself. Of course he'll read it if that's the case.
Hours and hours go by as Alhaitham lays on his bed, thumb clicking on and scrolling through multiple fanfictions, until... Right. There were only 6 pages of fanfictions in total of the two characters. That's exactly when Alhaitham realizes what he'd gotten himself into.
He quickly looks at his digital alarm clock on his nightstand, eyes widening.
2:00AM.
"Oh-" Alhaitham didn't realize reading fanfiction would be this addicting. He sits up on his bed and places his phone down. Why'd he look at the alarm clock anyway? He had his phone right in front of his face. He could've just- Alhaitham groans, head in hands.
◊
It's a beautiful morning as the smell of coffee lingers in the kitchen and living room, and two men sit side by side on the couch drinking said coffee to wake up their minds and bodies.
Kaveh had noticed during their usual routine that Alhaitham had not only woken up later than usual, but also had been groggier and a lot more tired-looking. He didn't want to comment on it first thing in the morning, but...
"Alhaitham?" Kaveh speaks up after their long, usual silence in the mornings.
"Mm." Alhaitham nods, sipping on his coffee.
"You've seemed very..." Kaveh struggles to find the right words to describe just exactly how Alhaitham has been acting. "Uh..." He REALLY struggles.
"Tired?" Alhaitham guesses.
"Yes- Uh, yeah..." Kaveh nods. "Were you up all night reading fanfic?" He asks in a teasing tone.
Alhaitham's head turns towards Kaveh, glaring at the other man.
Kaveh's body stiffens, his throat letting out a weird combination of a strangled sound and an awkward laugh. "I- Uh... You were?" He shifts in his seat.
"What did you get me into, you rascal?"
Kaveh can't help but burst out into small laughter. Alhaitham on the other hand, still glaring at Kaveh, lets a slight smile onto his face from seeing how giggly Kaveh is that morning.
"So you WERE up all night reading?" Kaveh wipes a tear that had escaped from his eye while laughing, looking up at Alhaitham's precious smile.
"Maybe I was," Alhaitham says, shrugging.
Kaveh smirks proudly. "I knew you'd like it!" he exclaims, taking a sip. "See? I'm always right about these things."
Alhaitham sighs, the small smile still on his face. "I suppose you are."
◊
As days go by, Alhaitham had started reading more books and more fanfictions right after one another, seeking for extra fan content. It's fun to Alhaitham, reading about how the fandom perceives the characters and other things in the books, turning certain scenes into something else, or writing more about what they think would've happened after the canon events.
Alhaitham spends countless hours on the fanfiction website, and a lot of questions about romance end up popping into his head. He's read a lot of kissing scenes, both in the books and in the fanfictions. More so in the fanfictions. Either way, his mind has been clouded by thoughts of how to kiss. The authors for the fanfictions seem to know what they're doing, is what Alhaitham thinks.
Alhaitham has never been the type of person to think about romance or kissing in a sense where he would be involved in those thoughts, but now that he's been reading more kissing scenes and other even more romantic scenes, he's started to think about it.
He's already 25 years old and hasn't once thought about that kind of stuff, until now. Alhaitham sits at his desk, tapping on the page of a book he's been reading for the past hour or so. He can't seem to read any more words, them not processing in his head.
Who would he even kiss if he had the opportunity to? The closest person to him is-
Oh.
Alhaitham's finger stops tapping on the open page, and his thoughts completely stop. He realizes, if he were to kiss anyone anytime soon, it would definitely be... Kaveh. He's the only person he would consider himself to be even slightly intimately close with. He's the only person who's been there with him since his childhood, who knows about pretty much everything that's happened in his life.
He isn't really close with anyone else in particular, at least not as close as he is with Kaveh.
Alhaitham's rapid thoughts are stopped by a knock on his door, and the slow opening of it. Alhaitham turns his head to see Kaveh waltzing into his room without a worry in the world, unlike Alhaitham's thoughts, which are very much full of worries.
Kaveh sits down on the side of Alhaitham's bed, looking at Alhaitham with a bright smile. The thoughts that had been in Alhaitham's mind come back with full force, not being able to stop them from appearing again.
"You're reading?" Kaveh asks, looking at the book in front of Alhaitham on the desk. He already knows the answer, but clearly just wants to make conversation before moving onto what he wanted to say in the first place.
Alhaitham almost forgets to respond, having been staring at the smile on Kaveh's lips. "Mm," he hums out, knowing if he were to say any actual words, he'd fumble them.
"Hmm..." Kaveh bites his lip in thought, before looking at Alhaitham again. "Guess what?"
Alhaitham subtly clears his throat, making a reminder to himself to not get too distracted by Kaveh's expressions. "What?"
"I'm writing my own fanfic."
Alhaitham blinks. "...You are?"
Kaveh nods, excited. "I am. Guess what also?" He pauses for a second or two before continuing, "I'm writing it about Zeno and Lorenzo."
Alhaitham's eyes widen the slightest bit, both in shock and confusion. "What?"
Kaveh laughs lightly. "Isn't that fun? I read the book you read, I really liked it, surprisingly. What got me to read it was the fact that you seemed so into the fanfictions, so the book must've been really good then, right? And the characters."
The seconds seem to go by extremely slow for Alhaitham when Kaveh goes into his little explanation. It's cute, Alhaitham thinks.
"The ending, too! It was really good. No wonder you wanted more!" Kaveh smiles, doing lots of hand movements as he talks. "Anyway! I'm thinking of writing fanfic about them."
"That's..." Alhaitham takes a moment to process Kaveh's words. "That's great. I didn't know you were into writing."
"Oh, it's a hobby I've picked up recently," Kaveh says. "I'm not the best at it, obviously, but it's fun to write something every now and then."
Alhaitham swallows down something blocking his throat, thinking about the possibilities that this could bring. Maybe Kaveh will ask to demonstrate with him regarding certain things so he can write certain scenes correctly. Or maybe things will go even further and-
"Alhaitham?" Kaveh tilts his head in confusion as the other man keeps staring at him without saying a word.
"Sorry, I feel a bit tired," Alhaitham says.
"Oh, okay. I can let you go to sleep if-"
"Kaveh, do you need help with something regarding the fanfiction?"
"Huh?" Kaveh blinks. "Uh, not at the moment," he says, thinking to himself. "What would I even need help with?"
Alhaitham hesitates for a long moment. Should he say something? Should he keep his mouth shut and play the waiting game until a better moment arises? What if he won't get another moment like this with Kaveh?
"The intimate scenes."
This catches Kaveh off guard more than he'd like to admit. "Intimate... scenes?"
Alhaitham simply nods and repeats himself. "Yes, the intimate scenes." He can't wait any longer. He needs an answer from Kaveh, or at least some insight on how he feels about this.
"I- You..." Kaveh struggles to get a proper sentence out, his brain short-circuiting. "You want to help me with..."
Alhaitham nods again, looking into Kaveh's eyes, searching for something.
Kaveh laughs nervously. "What are you..." he gulps. Kaveh's eyes dart around, not sure where to look. Definitely not at Alhaitham, though.
"I mean it."
"You-" Kaveh stutters, having to close his eyes for a few seconds to calm down and breathe. He opens them again, gaze landing straight on Alhaitham's lips. He blushes, mouth open slightly. "You're- Ugh, I hate you..."
Alhaitham smirks slightly. "You know you love me," he says without thinking about the words he's saying nor the aftermath of saying such things.
But it seems to fluster Kaveh more than he had intended for it to. In the back of Kaveh's head, the only thing he can think about is how much he hates Alhaitham, and how much he wants to kiss those soft lips of his.
Maybe, just maybe, this could go way better than Alhaitham had planned for things to go. Maybe those thoughts that he'd had earlier could become reality. Holding hands, torsos touching, lips against lips, fingers tangled in each other's hair, hands on hips... The endless possibilities this situation could bring.
"Am I making you nervous?" Alhaitham questions, already sure of the answer, but he can't help but tease the other man. He knows he's better at keeping his emotions hidden on the outside than Kaveh is, which is why right now, he loves seeing Kaveh's face scrunch up in embarrassment.
"I'm not-" Kaveh groans. "You always tease me like this, I should do it back to you someday, you know? Make you tremble in your shoes for once."
"I'd like to see you try."
"Oh, whatever!" Kaveh huffs, crossing his arms and straightening his back. There's a small moment of silence, until Kaveh speaks up again in a quiet voice. "Did you... Did you really mean it when you said you could help? With things?"
"Did you think I was lying?"
"No! Well, I mean..." Kaveh gulps. "I... didn't necessarily think you were lying, but..."
Alhaitham stands up from his seat at the desk and moves to sit next to Kaveh on the side of the bed. He can see that Kaveh stiffens up from the closeness of their bodies, and Alhaitham pushes that even more by moving his thigh so their knees touch. It sends a shiver up Kaveh's spine.
Kaveh can tell that even Alhaitham is nervous just by his body language. He's not acting much different, but he knows what Alhaitham does when he's nervous. Him straightening his shirt the tiniest bit, or fidgeting with the hem of his shirt for only a moment. It's the little things he does that reveal his true feelings.
Kaveh clears his throat, getting ready to say something, but nothing ends up coming out. He's completely enamored by this annoying man sitting next to him, looking at him, staring, touching knees...
Kaveh just ends up groaning, blurting out, "Just kiss me already..."
It's Alhaitham's turn to be flustered. He can see just how much Kaveh is blushing by now, and he wants to do nothing more than to just grab him by his chin (softly) and kiss him senseless.
So, that's almost exactly what Alhaitham decides to do.
He grabs Kaveh's chin with his thumb and pointer finger, turning and tilting his head towards him, just like how he'd read in books and fanfiction. He blinks multiple times, more than usual, another sign of him being nervous. He leans in a bit slower than needed, not being sure of what the right speed would be, closing his eyes and finally connecting their lips together. It's a nice feeling, Alhaitham thinks. But then he starts worrying about if Kaveh is liking this just as much as him, or less, or if he isn't enjoying it at all.
Alhaitham slowly pulls away, opening his eyes and searching for Kaveh's feelings in his flushed expression. He can't tell if that expression is one of discomfort, or something else.
"Was that okay?" Alhaitham asks softly, quietly.
Kaveh is startled by how gentle Alhaitham sounds in that moment. All his cold exterior gone, replaced by a genuine, caring sense of a person.
"Yes, that... Yes." Kaveh nods. "I... Please, do it again."
Alhaitham nods and obliges, knowing there's no way he can refuse that cute face.
Their lips connect once more, both men feeling just a bit more confident in the kiss. No, they're still not experts at the whole thing, but they do feel more comfortable now as they know that they're both okay with what's happening. It doesn't turn into a make out session whatsoever, with them having little to no experience with kissing, or this sort of physical intimacy in general. It's a sweet kiss, one that feels experimental, a little unsure still, yet very lovely.
Their lips separate once they realize they need to take breaths to calm down and collect themselves after what felt like such an intense experience. Both of the men's faces are flushed, Alhaitham's a little more than Kaveh's. They stare at each other with love and uncertainty, not sure about how to proceed from here.
"Should we..." Kaveh speaks up first, wanting to get things over with. "...Talk about this?"
Alhaitham is snapped back to reality by Kaveh's soft voice, nodding. "We... should. Yes."
◊
It's a beautiful morning as the smell of coffee lingers in the kitchen and living room, and two men sit side by side on the couch drinking said coffee to wake up their minds and bodies.
Kaveh keeps stealing small glances at Alhaitham while drinking his coffee, not having been able to take his eyes off of the man all morning. Alhaitham keeps doing the same, and every now and then, their eyes meet and tiny smiles make way onto their faces.
"So..." Kaveh starts up conversation, smiling contently. "To think that a simple thing such as you reading fanfic would lead us into this situation, huh?"
Alhaitham simply nods and takes another sip of his coffee.
The two share one more kiss before starting their days fully, doing their usual things. They know there'd be more kisses in the future, and maybe their relationship will evolve into something more sooner or later. Lots of secrets and unspoken feelings from the past making their way back into their minds, and out of their mouths to be told to each other.