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Chapter Text

Alhaitham sighed as he rifled through the paperwork on his desk, running a hand over his face and trying to force himself to focus. His thumb absentmindedly caressed the side of the coffee mug Kaveh had handed him that morning - the same mug he poured steaming hot coffee into each day but subsequently ‘forgot’ on his way out the door in what had become something of a ritual.

Truthfully, Alhaitham was not as forgetful as he made himself out to be. However, as a result of one hectic morning a year or two ago when he’d forgotten his coffee in a rush to get to work and Kaveh had hurried over to hand it to him with a sleepy but radiant smile, Kaveh now habitually grabbed Alhaitham’s steaming mug and handed it to him each morning with a gentle brush of their fingers and a soft goodbye. Alhaitham secretly enjoyed Kaveh being the last thing he saw before heading to work each day - so, clinging to the domesticity of the routine, Alhaitham’s feigned ‘forgetfulness’ had remained ever since.

Just as he started to find his rhythm, his pen scratching steadily across the paper, the door to his office burst open. His irritation flared as he glanced up, ready to reprimand whoever interrupted him - only to see his secretary, Raiya, wide-eyed and dishevelled.

“Sir, there... there was an accident at one of the forest research labs under construction this morning, an explosion. Kaveh is in the Bimarstan,” Raiya said urgently - despite his cool façade, she had always been able to see how deeply Alhaitham cared for Kaveh.

Alhaitham nodded jerkily, already rising from his chair. “How severe are his injuries?”

He tried to sound calm, but the slight waver in his voice betrayed him as his stomach sank like lead. Memories of nights spent tenderly bandaging the accident-prone blonde rushed unbidden into his mind - each recollection edged with the constant worry that someday, bandages wouldn’t be enough to heal him.

“I’m not sure. He’s been unconscious since they found him, he was hit with quite a bit of shrapnel. He saw the faulty wiring collapse a second before it came down on two of the builders. Apparently, he pushed them aside and took the brunt himself - they likely would’ve died if he hadn’t -”

Alhaitham cut her off abruptly and tossed his paperwork onto his desk, missing by several inches. He didn’t bother to pick the pages up as they fluttered to the ground. “Cancel my afternoon appointments. I’m not coming back.”

“I - yes, sir. I’ll take care of things here. They said they’re keeping him in the B wing. I... I really hope he’s okay.” Alhaitham was already out the door before she finished speaking, his strides long and quick as he walked through the corridors of the Akademiya without a second glance.

Alhaitham reached the Bimarstan in record time. Nearly colliding with several medical staff as he barrelled down the hall without bothering to apologize, he shoved open the door to the B wing.

He spotted Kaveh immediately - for a heartbeat, time froze. Alhaitham’s heart stuttered in his chest, his lungs seizing and momentarily ceasing to function as all the breath left his body in an involuntary, shaky exhale.

Before his eyes lay his stubborn, strong senior - motionless on the bed, not showing so much as a hint of life.

The sight struck him like a physical blow. Kaveh’s normally vibrant, sun-kissed skin was pale, covered in bandages - one particularly large one around his head concealing his eyes - with tubes connected to his arms and machines beeping steadily around him.

With slow, hesitant steps, Alhaitham crossed the room and sat gingerly in the chair beside Kaveh’s bed. He stared blankly for several moments before gently taking his hand - a gesture far too intimate for Alhaitham to ever dare attempt while Kaveh was awake.

His thumb traced idle circles over Kaveh’s knuckles, gaze fixed on his face as he tried to calm his frayed nerves and the pit of anxiety in his stomach. Kaveh’s chest rose and fell in time with the ventilator’s rhythmic cadence, soothing a fraction of the panic swirling within Alhaitham.

Kaveh was alive. For now, that would have to be enough.

Hours passed in that quiet vigil, the only sounds the soft beeping of machines and the distant hum of the hospital. Alhaitham eventually dozed off, his head curled awkwardly to avoid putting any weight onto Kaveh’s still form.

He awoke to a gentle hand on his back and the warm smile of a kind-faced nurse. “Grand Sage Alhaitham? Nice to meet you. I’m Nurse Avia, I’m coordinating Kaveh’s care.”

Alhaitham’s gaze immediately snapped to Kaveh, hoping to find him awake - but Kaveh remained stagnant in the same position he’d been in since Alhaitham had first arrived.

“Hi,” he muttered gruffly, running a hand over his face with a deep sigh.

“I was wondering if you could fill out some paperwork for me. Are you his spouse?” Alhaitham’s brow furrowed, his hand tightening around Kaveh’s involuntarily.

“No,” he said shortly, unsuccessful in his attempt to keep the bitterness from creeping into his voice. “We’re... I’m his... we’re friends. Roommates.”

Avia smiled, her eyes softening with understanding. “Ah. Gotcha. My aunt has a 'roommate' too.” Alhaitham shook his head, opening his mouth to correct her - but she stopped him with a gentle smile.

“No need to explain, sweetie. I’m glad he’s got someone here who cares about him, he’ll need you when he wakes up. His recovery is going to be...” she trailed off with a heavy sigh that made the knot of anxiety in Alhaitham’s stomach tighten.

“Going to be what?”

Avia’s expression grew somber. “He’ll likely wake from the coma soon - we’re not too concerned with that, but... there’s a good chance that the injury to his eyes won’t heal. He may lose his sight. Permanently.”

Alhaitham’s heart plummeted. He glanced down at Kaveh’s pale face, the bandage obscuring his eyes as he lay unconscious suddenly seeming far more oppressive.

“I see,” Alhaitham eventually managed through the lump forming in his throat. It would be Kaveh’s life, his career - his entire livelihood - in jeopardy when he awoke.

The prospect of Kaveh’s blindness tormented Alhaitham for countless reasons, but selfishly... he couldn’t bear the thought of never again seeing those beautiful crimson-golden eyes, the very essence of the light in his life - eyes that lit up with joy at a good meal or a perfectly aged glass of wine, blazed with passion as he argued with Alhaitham, and stared up at him with an innocent, soul-stirring warmth, always so unaware of the profound effect the mere sight of him had on Alhaitham.

He rubbed his fingers soothingly over Kaveh’s. Amidst the dread, he clung to a bittersweet comfort - he had been able to hold Kaveh’s hand for hours, a closeness he may never again get to experience.

Using his free hand, Alhaitham filled out the paperwork while his thoughts swirled with a mixture of worry and longing. He didn’t bother responding as Nurse Avia left the room with a soft goodbye after checking on Kaveh’s IV.

Exhaling a deep sigh, Alhaitham lowered his head to rest beside their intertwined hands and closed his eyes. He had only meant to rest his eyelids for a moment... but with the dim light and rhythmic beeping, he dozed off once again, sleeping through the night at Kaveh’s bedside.

His dreams were filled with Kaveh, as they so often were - familiar, vivid dreams where it was just the two of them, Kaveh on his lap, their bodies intertwined, and most tantalizing of all... Kaveh’s beautiful eyes gazing up at Alhaitham with an intensity that ignited a flame in every atom of his body.

Alhaitham awoke with a start to the sudden intensification of the steady beeping of the monitors. The hand he had been holding was yanked away from his grasp as Kaveh began to stir, returning to consciousness with a flurry of unbridled panic.

“What the fuck,” Kaveh gasped between shaky, heaving breaths, reaching up to claw at the bandages on his eyes and kicking anxiously at the sheets.

“Hey hey hey - no, Kaveh, stop, you’re okay,” Alhaitham said urgently, immediately sitting up straight and seizing Kaveh’s wrists to keep him from tearing the covering off. “Kaveh. Stay still. It’s me, you’re alright.”

“Haitham?” Kaveh choked out quietly, his wrists trembling in Alhaitham’s firm grip.

“Yeah. I’m right here, Kaveh,” Alhaitham said, his tone far gentler than usual as he attempted to quell the panic rising in Kaveh.

“Where... what’s going on? Where are we?”

“The Bimarstan. There was an accident at your work site yesterday; you got hit with some rubble from an explosion. There’s a bandage covering the injuries to your eyes.”

Kaveh nodded jerkily, but his breathing grew increasingly erratic. After a moment’s hesitation, Alhaitham rose to sit on the edge of the hard mattress beside Kaveh.

Achingly unfamiliar with providing physical comfort, his hands rubbed awkwardly at Kaveh’s wrists as he fumbled for words - until Kaveh leaned closer and reached for his shoulder with a vulnerability that tore his heart right open. Somehow, instinctively, Alhaitham knew what to do, knew what Kaveh needed.

He released Kaveh’s wrists and pulled him in close, cradling his head against his shoulder as Kaveh’s hands fisted in Alhaitham’s shirt. Without a word, panting raggedly, Kaveh leaned heavily into Alhaitham’s embrace.

“In and out, Kaveh. In and out, just breathe,” Alhaitham murmured quietly. With slow, gentle movements, he pressed his palm against one of Kaveh’s hands balled up in the fabric on his chest, flattening it against his heart and holding it there. “Breathe with me.”

Kaveh was silent for a long while, his breath gradually normalizing as he synchronized his breathing to Alhaitham’s. Eventually, he broke the silence with a soft whisper. “How... how bad is it, Haitham?”

“Your other injuries are relatively minor and are healing well, but the doctors... they don’t know if you’ll regain your vision.” He wasn’t one to sugarcoat things, and he knew Kaveh needed his blunt honesty more than ever right now - especially given the loss of one of his senses - to evaluate his own injuries.

“I... can’t see? Even if I take the bandage off?” Kaveh asked weakly.

“No.”

Kaveh’s panic was back in an instant, surging into a torrent. “How am I going to - oh gods, my work - how can I be an architect if I can’t even fucking see? How am I supposed to... make coffee? Cut everything up to make you kubba mosul when you have a bad day?” Kaveh’s words tumbled out in a spiral of fear and frustration as the beeping of his heart monitor quickened in tempo with his racing heart once again.

“Don’t worry about that right now.” Alhaitham tried to sound reassuring, to keep the waver out of his voice - though it was made increasingly difficult by the fact that cooking for Alhaitham was among the most immediate list of things Kaveh was concerned about suddenly being unable to do.

He knew it was reckless to speak any promises of his heart to the man he’d been quietly in love with for years, but he couldn’t feign indifference - not to this.

“You’ll have help with whatever you need. I’ll be right here,” Alhaitham murmured, a hint of emotion colouring his tone without his permission.

“Promise?” Kaveh whispered after a beat of silence - a fragile, foreign word for such a fiercely and often infuriatingly self-sufficient man who normally refused to depend on others for anything.

“Promise,” Alhaitham echoed, cradling the nape of Kaveh’s neck gently.

Kaveh’s breaths slowly began to even out - but as he calmed, he remained right where he was in Alhaitham’s arms. Silence fell between them as the steady beeps of Kaveh’s monitors once again became a calming backdrop to the soft, distractingly warm breaths that Kaveh exhaled against Alhaitham’s neck, providing a delicate solace amidst the uncertainty.

“Just get some rest,” Alhaitham murmured quietly, his thumb sliding lazily over Kaveh’s pulse point. “I’m right here.”

Over the next few days, Alhaitham barely left Kaveh’s side. He followed the nurses’ instructions on discharge requirements and aftercare, gradually learning how to clean and rebandage Kaveh’s wounds and slowly getting Kaveh accustomed to Alhaitham’s hands guiding him to and from the bathroom.

Kaveh had, of course, initially insisted that he could walk by himself - but after bonking into the wall and stubbornly aggravating his injuries one too many times, he’d finally given in and allowed Alhaitham to place his palm on the small of Kaveh’s back to direct him.

Days later, back aching from spending countless hours half-hunched over at Kaveh’s bedside despite Kaveh’s persistent requests for Alhaitham to go home and rest, Alhaitham was signing Kaveh’s discharge paperwork and leading him out of the Bimarstan.

“It’s weird to feel the sunshine but not be able to see it,” Kaveh murmured as they stepped out into the warm air of the city.

“I suppose it would be,” Alhaitham replied softly.

“Okay. Let’s go,” Kaveh sighed, starting down the cobblestone path in the wrong direction.

“Wrong way, Kaveh. Can I...” Alhaitham trailed off, his hand tentatively coming to rest on the soft, smooth skin exposed by the window in the back of Kaveh’s shirt.

With another sigh tinged with exhaustion, Kaveh nodded resignedly and allowed Alhaitham to lead him home.

Only having guided Kaveh the short distance from his bed to the en-suite bathroom in his room at the Bimarstan up to that point, it felt far more intimate to allow his fingers to remain on Kaveh’s body as they made their way home.

Since Alhaitham had cleared his schedule for the week and taken off of work so he could care for Kaveh, the two of them spent the remainder of the day together in quiet companionship.

Later that evening, as they lounged on the divan in their living room after Alhaitham had cleaned his wounds, Kaveh traced his fingers over the window pane with a soft hum. “What does the sky look like right now?”

Alhaitham glanced up, shifting closer to Kaveh to gaze out the window. “There’s some... white clouds. And the start of a sunset.”

“What does the sunset look like?” Kaveh murmured softly.

“Orange.”

“Thanks, Haitham,” Kaveh chuckled dryly - the first laugh Alhaitham had heard from him in days, even if it was stilted and small. “Very descriptive. Feels like I can see again. How many languages do you know again? 27?”

Alhaitham rolled his eyes fondly, not bothering to hide the softening of his normally stern expression now that Kaveh couldn’t see him. “Shut up. You asked me to describe the sky. I described it. It’s orange.” Alhaitham glanced out the window again. “I suppose it’s a little pink too. Red-ish.”

Kaveh smiled. “What shade?”

Without considering the implications, the immediate comparison that came to his mind spilled out. “It’s the colour of your eyes.”

“... Oh.”

“I - shit, sorry,” Alhaitham winced and cleared his throat, attempting to change the subject. “Are, uh... are you hungry? I can make us something to eat.”

“Um... sure. But wait -” Kaveh began as Alhaitham stood, reaching up to grab blindly for his wrist to accompany him to the kitchen. But instead of reprimanding Alhaitham for bringing up such a sore subject as Alhaitham had expected, Kaveh simply asked, “how do you know what colour my eyes are?”

“I’ve known you for fifteen years. I know what your eyes look like, Kaveh.”

It was far from the full truth - he had studied Kaveh’s eyes so intently he’d committed their exact hue to memory and could place the precise location of each fleck of gold that sparkled in the crimson of Kaveh’s irises. It was a fascination that bordered on obsession, but it was hard to deny himself when gazing into Kaveh’s eyes felt like holding the entirety of the cosmos in the palm of his hand.

“Yeah, but you’re so unobservant with stuff like that. You know the shade of my eyes?” Kaveh asked, a raised eyebrow peeking above the top of the bandage covering his eyes.

Alhaitham began pulling ingredients out of the fridge, trying to find a way out of the hole he’d dug himself into - but somehow only managed to dig deeper. “I may not notice mundane things, but I notice you, Kaveh.”

“You don’t find me mundane?” Kaveh asked softly as he leaned his hip against the counter, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

“No,” Alhaitham replied simply, his tone edged with mounting frustration at his inability to control himself.

Thankfully, despite the lingering tension, Kaveh didn’t push further - though Alhaitham could swear a faint blush painted his cheeks beneath the bandage on his face.

Kaveh pulled himself up to sit on the counter, biting his lip and settling into the quiet of the kitchen as the sounds of chopping vegetables and simmering curry filled the room. Though they’d cooked together hundreds of times, it felt both familiarly domestic and strangely intimate each time Alhaitham’s fingers curled around Kaveh’s body to slide him to the side so he could open one of the drawers beneath his dangling legs or a cabinet behind his head.

Alhaitham knew he was pushing his luck as his hands fell to Kaveh’s body over and over as though magnetized. He waited for Kaveh to stop him, to insist that he was perfectly capable of following simple commands and that Alhaitham didn’t need to be so touchy... but he just moved pliantly with the gentle guidance of Alhaitham’s hands each time without complaint.

Even as they ate, they sat closer together than usual so Alhaitham could guide Kaveh’s wrist - inevitably uncoordinated without his sight - when his spoon missed the bowl. Chest aching at the vulnerability in Kaveh’s movements, Alhaitham set the dishes in the sink after they finished and ushered Kaveh toward the bathroom to get ready for bed.

He helped Kaveh through his nightly routine smoothly - they were already steadily finding a rhythm, hyperaware of each other’s bodies as Alhaitham gently steered Kaveh’s movements. Kaveh reached his hand out to Alhaitham when he needed something and - even without his sight - always seemed to find his body immediately, as though Alhaitham was Kaveh’s anchor in a world suddenly turned dark.

Alhaitham led Kaveh to his bedroom and, careful to ensure the blankets didn’t snag on his bandages, got him settled within the frankly unnecessary amount of pillows littering Kaveh’s bed.

After setting a glass of water on the bedside table since Kaveh always got thirsty from his inevitable 3am wake-up - something Alhaitham had gleaned from the nightly sounds of Kaveh sleepily stumbling his way into the kitchen for a drink and bumping into the walls on his way back to bed - Alhaitham sat beside Kaveh on the edge of the mattress.

He reached down and ran his thumb along Kaveh’s knuckles unthinkingly, the soft, intimate caresses already becoming dangerously habitual as touch accompanied each movement while Alhaitham guided Kaveh’s body.

Kaveh rested his head against the pillows with a sigh that betrayed a quiet sadness. “Feels weird being back in my bed instead of the Bimarstan,” Kaveh said softly. Then, after a pause, “feels weird to be in my bed when I can’t see my room.”

“I know. Just try to get some rest, I’ll leave both our doors open so you can feel your way down to my room if you need anything, okay? Or you can just call for me, I won’t wear my headphones to bed.”

Kaveh bit his lip hesitantly. “Can you... can you stay, just for a bit? Until I fall asleep? Sorry, I know my eyes would be closed anyway when I’m going to bed, but knowing I can’t just open them if I need to is... it feels...” he trailed off with a thick swallow.

“It’s fine, Kaveh. I’ll stay. Let me just go grab a book.”

Alhaitham squeezed Kaveh’s hand as he stood. After retrieving a book from the coffee table, he made his way back to Kaveh’s room and settled into the soft lounge chair near the head of his bed.

To his surprise, Kaveh slid closer to the edge of the mattress, reaching out to gently rest a hand on Alhaitham’s thigh to mentally place him as he snuggled into his pillow - a silent request for Alhaitham to remain close.

“Thank you, Haitham,” Kaveh whispered.

Alhaitham merely grunted in response.

He tried to concentrate on his book, but his eyes inevitably strayed toward Kaveh. His gaze wandered over the contours of Kaveh’s face, his silky, golden-blonde hair fanning out on his pillow around his head, the gentle curve of his neck, the slow, steady rise and fall of his chest...

After spending a shameful amount of time simply staring at Kaveh now that he had the chance to do so without fear of being discovered, Alhaitham sighed softly and made to stand up - but Kaveh’s hand tightened on his leg.

“I’m not asleep yet,” Kaveh murmured, shifting restlessly beneath the blankets. “Can you, um... can you maybe read your book out loud or something?”

“You’ll think this book is boring. It’s a historical account of the archon war’s economic impact on commercial fishing and regulation in Inazuma.”

“I don’t care. Just your voice will help,” Kaveh breathed, oblivious to the eruption of inner chaos that his simple words wrought in Alhaitham’s chest.

Alhaitham cleared his throat, thumb rubbing unconsciously against the back of Kaveh’s hand, and began to read aloud.

He paused every few pages to make sure Kaveh hadn’t fallen asleep - and each time he did so, butterflies erupted in his stomach as Kaveh softly squeezed his leg - before he began reading again. Their hands gradually intertwined on top of Alhaitham’s leg, fingers tangling together just a little more with each gentle shift.

Finally, Kaveh succumbed to a deep, peaceful-looking sleep. Alhaitham longed to crawl into bed next to him - instead, with a resigned sigh, he slid Kaveh’s hand gently down onto the sheets and stood up. Unable to help himself, he lingered for a moment, gazing down at Kaveh with brazen, unrestrained longing.

“Sweet dreams, Kaveh,” he whispered as he leaned down to tuck a stray lock of Kaveh’s silky hair behind his ear with a soft hum, barely resisting the urge to press a kiss to his forehead.

With monumental effort, he forced his legs to carry him out of Kaveh’s room.

Chapter Text

That night, Alhaitham’s dreams were haunted by Kaveh, as usual - yet they bore a subtle shift.

Instead of the adoring gaze he was used to, his dreams now featured a blindfolded, bandaged Kaveh, his unresponsive face silently pleading for rescue. Morning brought no solace; the bitter knot in his chest only deepened. The loss of Kaveh’s eyes - even in his dreams - felt like a prelude to the waking nightmare of the potential permanence of his blindness.

Unable to shake the unease, Alhaitham rose and wandered down the hallway to check on him. Peering through the open doorway, he found Kaveh in a deep yet troubled sleep, the faint arch of Kaveh’s eyebrows visible above the bandage furrowed with discomfort.

Frowning, Alhaitham walked over and carefully stroked a few loose strands of Kaveh’s hair out of his face. “It’s okay, Kaveh. It’s okay,” he whispered.

Kaveh jerked toward him and let out a soft, uneasy breath. Slowly, Alhaitham sat on the edge of the bed, sliding his fingers across Kaveh’s cheek. “Don’t worry, you’re safe. Whatever it is, I’m right here. You’re safe, Kaveh. It’s just a nightmare.”

Just as Alhaitham was about to try waking him, Kaveh’s face twitched, leaning into Alhaitham’s touch as his brow unfurrowed ever so slightly. Alhaitham blinked - surprised that his presence had soothed Kaveh at all - before hesitantly cupping Kaveh’s cheek a little more firmly.

“You’re okay. I’m right here. Just relax - you’re safe, angel, I -” he cut himself off with a clench of his jaw, grateful that Kaveh wasn’t awake to hear his slip of the tongue. Aggravated at his growing inability to control his emotions after so many long years of practice, unwinding like a loose string of thread, Alhaitham began to withdraw his hand... but Kaveh followed him, seeking out his touch instinctively.

Alhaitham stared down at Kaveh in shock as his face dropped back into Alhaitham’s hand, his delicate features evening out as his body gradually relaxed back into something peaceful.

Unable to help himself, Alhaitham swallowed thickly and caressed Kaveh’s cheek with a gentle brush of his thumb. “There you go,” Alhaitham whispered.

He’d never called Kaveh any of the many endearments his mind unhelpfully supplied - as he shouldn’t, it was too dangerous for his poor, hopeless heart... but Alhaitham was too weak to stop himself as he reassured Kaveh in his sleep, revelling in the rare opportunity to speak to Kaveh in a way he never could in his wakefulness.

“There you go, angel. Relax. You’re safe with me, you’re safe. I promise.”

To his amazement, Kaveh nuzzled against his fingertips, a soft, contented sound rising from his throat as he shifted closer to Alhaitham on the bed.

Alhaitham drank in the gentle intimacy of Kaveh’s unconscious affection for far too long - but eventually, he knew he had to let go. With a heavy sigh full of repressed yearning, Alhaitham pressed a gentle, tentative kiss to Kaveh’s knuckles before guiding his hand back down to the sheets and quietly leaving his bedroom.

Barely twenty minutes later, as Alhaitham was finishing preparing breakfast in the kitchen, he heard a loud, abrupt bang echo from Kaveh’s room.

“Haitham - Haitham! Where - fuck, where are you? I can’t see, I can’t - I can’t see anything, I can’t -” Kaveh’s panicked voice cried out.

Alhaitham was by his side in an instant. “Hey, I’m here, Kaveh, you’re okay.” Kaveh was sitting upright in bed as Alhaitham entered his bedroom, fumbling with the bandage over his eyes as he patted the sheets for some sense of direction, something familiar.

“I’m right here,” Alhaitham repeated softly as he sat on the mattress beside him. Reaching out, he carefully eased Kaveh’s hand away from his bandage and smoothed it with his thumb.

“Do you remember what happened?” Alhaitham asked softly as Kaveh clutched his arm with both hands like a lifeline.

“Yeah, I... I remember,” Kaveh replied after a hesitant pause. “I can’t see.” Kaveh’s voice trembled as panic began to rise within him yet again. This time, though, Alhaitham didn’t hesitate to shift into Kaveh’s space and pull him firmly against his chest.

Kaveh stiffened for a moment before pressing his forehead against Alhaitham’s neck, his hands sliding around to clench in the back of Alhaitham’s shirt as he inched closer. Alhaitham rubbed Kaveh’s back in a slow, even pattern that he was quickly learning seemed to soothe Kaveh’s nerves... it was becoming frighteningly natural for Alhaitham to touch Kaveh like this.

“They’re going to remove the bandages and check your eyesight tomorrow, we’ll know more then,” Alhaitham murmured as Kaveh relaxed into his hold.

Kaveh just grunted in response, his fingers relaxing little by little on the fabric of Alhaitham’s shirt until they were simply resting against his back, soft and gentle and unbearably tender.

Later that evening as Alhaitham was cleaning up after dinner, Kaveh sat on the counter, fiddling with his fingers. Kaveh opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, then shook his head ever so slightly and closed it again.

“What?” Alhaitham asked, turning off the tap and drying his hands.

“I - no, it - it’s nothing,” Kaveh said as he shook his head a little more firmly.

Alhaitham raised an eyebrow and walked over, resting his palm gently on Kaveh’s thigh just above his knee to let Kaveh know where he was. “Do you need something?”

Kaveh bit his lip and tilted his face toward Alhaitham’s voice. “It just... it was scary to wake up this morning and only be able to see darkness,” Kaveh murmured, his voice thick with emotion - far more vulnerable than he usually allowed. Alhaitham’s heart clenched in his chest. “Anyway, I know it’s... I mean - it’s stupid of me to even think of it, but I was going to ask if you would, um... if I could sleep with you tonight. But I’ll be fine, I’m just being ridiculous.”

“Not ridiculous at all. It must be disorienting,” Alhaitham replied a little too eagerly, his thumb tracing a slow, comforting circle over Kaveh’s knee as his heart leapt into his throat. “If you want, you can sleep in my room - it’s closer to the bathroom anyway so you’ll have less trouble in the middle of the night.”

Kaveh shifted on the counter uncertainly. “Are you sure? I don’t want to -”

“I’m sure,” Alhaitham said simply, somehow managing to keep his tone somewhat even as an uncharacteristic but unstoppable blush crept onto his cheeks.

“Okay. I - um... thank you,” Kaveh said after a brief pause, a small smile gracing his distractingly pink lips.

He scooted forward on the counter, shuffling his hips to get down. On autopilot, Alhaitham’s arm - entirely needlessly - encircled Kaveh’s waist. “I’ve got you,” he murmured as he guided Kaveh down to the ground. Equally as needless, Kaveh’s fingers closed around Alhaitham’s bicep to steady himself.

Alhaitham could feel the heat of Kaveh’s body as he gazed down at him, simultaneously glad that he didn’t have to pretend not to stare and heartbroken at the loss of his ability to gaze into Kaveh’s swirling, beautiful eyes, however fleeting.

Wrapped up in the intimacy of the moment - and the thrill of knowing he’d be sleeping next to Kaveh that night - Alhaitham spoke before he could stop himself. “I miss seeing your eyes, Kaveh,” he whispered.

Kaveh froze with a soft, slightly strangled exhale. Alhaitham cursed inwardly, scrambling to form a plausible excuse for such amorous words... but he came up empty.

“Why?” Kaveh asked softly.

Alhaitham swallowed hard. Unable to frame an answer in a way that wouldn’t reveal the depth of his feelings, Alhaitham finally muttered, “I just do.”

“You just do,” Kaveh echoed, tilting his head as though trying to solve a puzzle as his fingers traced a slow, unconscious pattern over Alhaitham’s bicep.

Alhaitham sighed. “They’re... nice,” he said hoarsely, aware that - even with his awkward wording - it was the most transparent thing he’d ever said; even if Kaveh couldn’t look him in the eyes to see the candor written on his face, his tone was undeniably tender.

Kaveh let out a barely audible sound, something between a sigh and a gasp. In an attempt to save himself from further embarrassment, Alhaitham reluctantly stepped back and slid his hand around Kaveh’s waist to guide him toward the bathroom and help him get ready for bed without another word.

They brushed their teeth side by side - a mundane yet domestic routine that was quickly becoming one of Alhaitham’s favourite moments of the day. Alhaitham wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand as he set his toothbrush down, gently guiding Kaveh’s hand to rinse his toothbrush and set it back beside Alhaitham’s.

“Are you sure you’re okay with me staying in your room? I know you like your space,” Kaveh murmured as he rubbed sweet-smelling moisturizer around the edges of the bandage on his face.

“I don’t mind,” Alhaitham replied softly, his gaze roaming over Kaveh’s face as his fingers traced idly along the side of Kaveh’s waist - a dangerous place to allow his fingers to wander, yet one he couldn’t resist as he rubbed small lines against his frame through the fabric of his shirt.

After Kaveh was finished with his skincare routine - the parts of it he could do right now with his injuries, at least - Alhaitham led Kaveh down the hall to his bedroom. Kaveh seemed far more comfortable with Alhaitham guiding him after only a few days, an implicit trust that was intimate beyond words.

As soon as they entered Alhaitham’s room, though, Alhaitham knew immediately that he’d made a mistake in allowing Kaveh to sleep in his bed - one that his heart would certainly not survive, already trying its hardest to punch its way out of his chest.

Kaveh sat on his bed, feeling around to get his bearings before laying down uncoordinatedly. “Oh wow, your bed is comfortable...” he murmured, snuggling immediately into Alhaitham’s pillows like he belonged there - and archons did he look it too.

Kaveh’s silky blonde hair splayed out around his head like a halo, his golden skin - having finally begun to regain its colour as he healed - practically shimmering against the dark green sheets as he inhaled deeply, as though comforted by Alhaitham’s scent.

Alhaitham didn’t even realize he’d been silent for too long until Kaveh frowned and sat up a little. “Haitham? Is - is this the side you usually sleep on or something? Or... do you just want me to -”

Alhaitham finally found his voice again and cut him off. “I... yeah. I sleep on that side,” he lied to cover up his extended silence with a reason other than I love you and you look so perfect in my bed I’m trying not to enter cardiac arrest right now. A lump formed steadily in his throat as Kaveh shifted to the other side of Alhaitham’s mattress.

Taking a slow breath to steady himself, Alhaitham climbed in beside Kaveh, laying down on his back and clasping his hands tightly on his abdomen to fight the urge to reach out and touch. “You comfortable?” Alhaitham asked softly.

“Mmm... mhm,” Kaveh hummed sleepily, his face relaxing into a gentle smile that looked strangely bittersweet.

The urge to wrap Kaveh in his arms, to slide his fingers into his soft golden hair and kiss him with every ounce of the passion he’d restrained for more than half his life, was nearly debilitating. If only he could see Kaveh’s eyes gazing back at him... though if he could, Alhaitham didn’t know that he’d have the strength to resist.

“Do you need anything else? There’s water for you on the bedside table.”

Kaveh shook his head. “No, I’m okay. Can you show me where the water is, though? I don’t want to accidentally knock it over.”

“Yeah.” Alhaitham slid closer to Kaveh on the bed and reached out to gently guide him, palm grazing the back of Kaveh’s hand to press his fingers against the glass.

For some reason, the intimacy of this moment, among all things, was the most overwhelming yet - he couldn’t bring himself to speak at full volume, afraid to shatter the delicate bubble that was slowly encasing his heart. “It’s right here, right beside you,” Alhaitham whispered, half-kneeling above Kaveh as he stared down at him.

“Okay,” Kaveh breathed unevenly, facing up toward Alhaitham as their joined hands lingered on the glass.

After hovering for a beat too long, Alhaitham reluctantly released his hand, fingers brushing Kaveh’s wrist in a slow caress as he retreated. Breathing far too heavily in the quiet of his bedroom, Alhaitham reclined back onto the mattress beside Kaveh once more, trying to focus on anything other than the domestic tranquility of Kaveh snuggling into his sheets.

Alhaitham’s heart thumped wildly in his chest as Kaveh turned on his side to face him. Kaveh’s palm slid over the silky sheets in the cavern of blankets between them, patting the bed blindly to get his bearings until his hand landed softly on Alhaitham’s bare chest.

Kaveh inhaled sharply, his fingers stilling. “I - oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to, um... you’re not wearing a shirt?”

“No. I don’t wear them to bed, I get too hot.” Alhaitham’s chest tensed under Kaveh’s gentle caress, his already ragged breathing growing shallower still. Though it was far too intimate to allow Kaveh to touch his bare skin like this, Alhaitham wasn’t strong enough to push him away as Kaveh’s palm settled on his sternum.

“Do you want me to put one on?” Alhaitham asked slowly, trying to decipher Kaveh’s silence.

“No,” Kaveh answered - oddly quickly - kickstarting his hand into motion as his fingers skirted over the muscles of Alhaitham’s pecs. “No, um... you don’t - you don’t have to change how you sleep for me.”

Though light and tentative, Kaveh’s touch burned a line down his chest. It was a hard-fought battle to repress the truly embarrassing sounds that fought to free themselves from his throat as Kaveh’s fingers slid downward, tracing an idle path toward his navel.

After a moment, Kaveh seemed to realize what he was doing. His breath hitched, retracting his hand as though Alhaitham’s skin had burned him instead of the other way around. “I - sorry, I don’t... sorry,” he whispered.

Kaveh’s touch had been feather-light, not overtly suggestive - yet it had ignited a spark in Alhaitham’s body all the same, goosebumps prickling along his skin and raising the fine hairs on his chest and abdomen. His now too-cold skin mourned the loss of Kaveh’s fingers, resisting the urge to pull Kaveh’s hand back onto his body.

Alhaitham exhaled harshly, struggling to control his laboured breathing as his lungs demanded heaving breaths from him. “It’s fine.”

Kaveh drew his bottom lip between his teeth and went silent as Alhaitham’s eyes snapped like magnets to the slight shift of his jaw. After a beat of silence, Kaveh hummed softly and tugged the blankets up around his shoulders. “Night, Haitham.”

“Goodnight, Kaveh,” Alhaitham breathed shakily.

Alhaitham lay awake for a while, trying to focus on the rhythm of Kaveh’s soft, even breaths and quiet the loud thumping of his heart as he stared openly at Kaveh, searing the image of his sleeping form cuddled contentedly in Alhaitham’s bed into his mind.

He drifted off eventually too, dreaming of gentle hands tracing his bare chest, lips brushing against his collarbone, a soft, pretty voice whispering his name in his ear... though still, even in his dreams, Kaveh’s eyes were obscured, Alhaitham’s cruel subconscious denying him the sight of the swirling sunset depths he missed so dearly.

He awoke from his shallow slumber a couple of hours later, moonlight streaming through his window and illuminating Kaveh’s angelic form. Frowning, he noticed Kaveh shivering slightly, arms shifting restlessly beneath the blanket.

“You awake?” Alhaitham whispered.

Kaveh jumped. “Shit - yeah, sorry, I just... I guess since you get hot easily you don’t like big blankets, but I’m always freezing when I sleep. It’s cold in here.”

“Here, there’s an extra blanket at the bottom of the bed,” Alhaitham murmured, fighting off the urge to slide in behind Kaveh and envelop him in his arms as he pulled the blanket up. As he tugged the edge up to Kaveh’s shoulders, though, his knuckles brushed against Kaveh’s skin - ice cold against Alhaitham’s warm palm.

“Archons, Kaveh, why the hell are you so cold?” Alhaitham hissed.

“I just... I get cold when I sleep, I don’t know.” Kaveh muttered, pursing his lips in a too-familiar glare that was incomplete without the heat of his fiery eyes. Alhaitham slid his hand down Kaveh’s arm, curling his fingers around his wrist beneath the blanket to warm Kaveh’s chilled skin.

Kaveh, to his surprise, leaned greedily into the touch and scooted a little closer to Alhaitham. “Why are you a fucking furnace?” Kaveh breathed shakily, attaching both of his cold hands to Alhaitham’s as though trying to soak up every ounce of warmth from his palm.

“You’re like an ice cube, Kaveh, gods... here.” Reasoning that he had a valid excuse to touch him this time, Alhaitham took both of Kaveh’s hands in his own, pressing his fingers together and rubbing gently. The skin of Kaveh’s hands was soft, but the tips were slightly roughened - the hands of an architect, an artist. It was yet another reminder that it wasn’t just Alhaitham’s ability to stare into Kaveh’s eyes that was at risk if his sight didn’t return.

“My room’s not any colder than yours, why are you on the verge of hypothermia?” Alhaitham asked gruffly, though his tone was underpinned by something quiet and gentle.

Kaveh shrugged, inching a little closer to Alhaitham beneath the sheets. “I don’t know. It’s probably part of the reason why I sleep so terribly - no matter how many blankets I pile on, I’m still freezing every night.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I’m getting a heater for your room.”

Kaveh simply shook his head in response. Rolling his eyes at Kaveh’s relentlessly stubborn nature, Alhaitham’s mouth outpaced his mind. “You’re going to get frostbite at this rate. You can just come closer if you want.”

Kaveh tensed in surprise, but before Alhaitham could form some sort of retraction, Kaveh hesitantly slid closer and laid his head down to rest on Alhaitham’s bare chest. Eyes wide as Kaveh let out a soft, shaky sigh against his skin, Alhaitham slowly brought his arms up to wrap around Kaveh’s body.

The soft sound that Kaveh let out bordered on an obscene moan as he snuggled immediately into Alhaitham’s side, as though Alhaitham’s embrace was some sort of gift from the gods. He slid his arms around Alhaitham’s torso, one hand reaching around to hold onto the side of Alhaitham’s waist, the other settling beneath his head on Alhaitham’s chest. “Oh my gods you’re so warm, Haitham...”

Alhaitham could hardly pay any attention to Kaveh’s praise - his touch-starved nerves were too busy melting into Kaveh’s arms. He gently rubbed his palms up and down Kaveh’s back, and - before he could talk himself out of it - slid his hands tentatively up beneath the fabric of Kaveh’s shirt to warm his skin.

“This okay?” Alhaitham mumbled unevenly as Kaveh pressed his face closer, nuzzling against the skin of his chest.

“Yes, gods... I wish I could sleep like this every night,” Kaveh breathed sleepily, his words slightly slurred and his shivering practically nonexistent already.

Me too, Alhaitham thought bitterly.

Alhaitham’s hands trailed in broad strokes along his skin for a few minutes as he simply gazed down at Kaveh. Something about the peaceful quiet of the night, Kaveh’s sleepy acceptance of Alhaitham’s touch as though it were only natural for him to curl up in his bed, in his arms, gave Alhaitham the courage to whisper, “you can.”

Kaveh didn’t respond; Alhaitham huffed a soft, humourless laugh as Kaveh shifted closer to Alhaitham, already fast asleep.

Alhaitham remained awake for a few moments longer, but the steady rise and fall of Kaveh’s breathing, the small, soft sounds that slipped from his lips as he slept against Alhaitham, the warmth of his body pressed against his... it was impossible not to give into. Finally allowing his exhaustion - both physical and emotional - to wash over him, Alhaitham drifted off to sleep with his face buried in the soft crown of Kaveh’s hair.

Chapter Text

Alhaitham awoke later than usual, comfortable and ridiculously well-rested. His arms were wrapped tightly around a warm, soft weight, gentle puffs of air ghosting over Alhaitham’s neck in a slow rhythm.

A contented hum rose in his chest as his sleep-addled mind registered - Kaveh, love of my life, in my bed - and nothing else. Alhaitham buried his face in Kaveh’s hair, basking in the warmth of their embrace. His bleary mind had not yet processed why Kaveh was in his bed - and he didn’t care to question it. Unwilling to shatter whatever precious bubble he’d somehow awoken to, he simply intertwined their bodies and drew Kaveh closer to his chest.

Sliding down the bed slightly, Alhaitham pressed his face against the soft, warm skin of Kaveh’s neck, sleepily nuzzling against the hollow of his throat. He allowed instinct to take over, moving on autopilot as he began pressing slow, loving kisses along the smooth skin beneath his lips, gently caressing the contours of Kaveh’s body.

It was a divine indulgence - holding Kaveh close, kissing an unhurried, sensual path down the side of his neck as his palm flattened against the small of Kaveh’s back. It wasn’t until Kaveh’s sleepy, confused voice cut through his consciousness that he realized how far he’d allowed himself to get swept away, blurred dreams with reality. “Um... Haitham?”

Realization crashed over him like cold water. Freezing midway through a kiss near Kaveh’s collarbone that was far too tender, Alhaitham jerked backward and wrenched his lips away from Kaveh’s skin with a soft smooching sound that echoed loudly in the quiet of his bedroom.

“Fuck, I - Kaveh, I didn’t - I’m so sorry -” he stammered, retracting his arms - but Kaveh reached out blindly in search of Alhaitham’s hands with a frown, curling his fingers around Alhaitham’s wrists and guiding them back to his body.

“Don’t be,” Kaveh murmured softly. The unexpected reassurance rendered Alhaitham temporarily speechless, aching for a love he knew would never be within reach... but Kaveh simply sighed and pressed his face against Alhaitham’s hair.

“I don’t remember the last time I slept this well,” Kaveh whispered. He paused, his voice growing gentler as he said slowly, ”you were kissing my neck.” Instead of anger or disgust as Alhaitham would’ve expected, his voice was earnest - merely stating an observation.

“I... yeah,” Alhaitham replied disgracefully, unable to deny the truth as he waited for Kaveh’s inevitable rebuke.

Kaveh hummed and slid his fingers along Alhaitham’s bare torso, tantalizingly gentle. “I liked it,” Kaveh confessed - a simple statement that sent a cascade of butterflies fluttering through Alhaitham’s chest as his fingers stilled on the elegant curve of Kaveh’s spine.

“You did?” he asked incredulously, voice soft with wonder.

“Mhm. It felt nice.”

Freed from his initial shock, Alhaitham’s hands tentatively resumed their gentle exploration of the soft skin of Kaveh’s back. “Do you... want me to do it again?” Alhaitham ventured hesitantly.

“Yes.” Kaveh shifted closer with a sleepy, soft hum of agreement, his body aligning perfectly with Alhaitham’s as he cradled Kaveh in his arms - as if this was where Kaveh was meant to be, where he had always belonged.

Achingly slowly, still half-expecting Kaveh to shove him away at any moment, Alhaitham lowered his lips back down to Kaveh’s skin. He pressed a gentle, tender kiss along the slope of Kaveh’s neck, then another, then another, hesitant to believe that the divine gift of Kaveh’s acceptance - his desire - was reality.

Alhaitham had imagined this moment a million times over... but he’d always pictured it either as a fiery, passionate frenzy as they tore each other’s clothes off or something sensual and romantic, burning with eroticism as their bodies entwined intimately. But he’d never considered that it could be as simple as this - a domestic, soulful touch in the early hours of the morning as they awoke curled up together, a lingering caress with no intention of leading into something more.

Alhaitham’s body was heavy and warm with sleep as Kaveh’s fingertips danced idly along his bare chest, each kiss devoid of urgency yet no less profound. As his lips traced over Kaveh’s skin and his fingers memorized every soft curve of his body, Alhaitham was overcome with a depth of connection he could scarcely articulate.

Kaveh’s breath quickened as he arched into Alhaitham’s grasp; for a moment, Alhaitham was tempted to intensify his touch - but he couldn’t bring himself to break the spell of such gentle, sacred closeness.

That was not to say that Alhaitham’s touch was chaste, necessarily - but without pushing for more, he could truly savour the feeling of simply holding Kaveh’s sleepy, pliant body in his arms. Alhaitham slowly kissed up to his jaw with Kaveh’s name on his lips, whispering it with the reverence of a prayer against his skin.

“You said you missed seeing my eyes yesterday,” Kaveh whispered as Alhaitham kissed a sensitive spot just beneath his ear.

Alhaitham paused, but didn’t pull back. “I did,” he murmured against Kaveh’s skin, nuzzling against it gently with his nose.

“I... I miss being able to look at you,” Kaveh confessed, his face angled toward Alhaitham’s - though his bandage hid the eyes Alhaitham longed to see shining up at him.

“Me too, Kaveh.” Alhaitham pressed one final, lingering kiss to his jaw with a sigh that bordered on a moan before pulling back. “You’ll get your bandages off today - maybe you’ll be able to.”

“I’m scared,” Kaveh admitted after a beat of silence, quiet and shaky. “What if... what if I can’t? What if I still can’t see, Haitham?”

Alhaitham cupped Kaveh’s face, his thumb gently brushing over his cheekbone just beneath the line of his bandage. “Then I’ll love you just the same, and we’ll figure it out together.” The long-repressed confession spilled out before Alhaitham could filter it, his defenses lowered as a result of the unbelievably blissful intimacy they’d shared over the past few minutes.

Kaveh’s breath left him in a rush, reaching up to caress Alhaitham’s face with desperation in his fingertips. “I... I wish I could see you right now,” Kaveh gasped, pressing his forehead firmly against Alhaitham’s as his voice wavered with the threat of tears. “I want to see you so goddamn badly, Alhaitham.”

Kaveh leaned in and pressed a soft, gentle kiss to his lips - brief yet lingering, laden with unspoken meaning. But before Alhaitham could fully absorb the profound euphoria of their first kiss, Kaveh jerked back and let out a hiss of pain.

Alarmed, Alhaitham sat up immediately. “What, Kaveh? Are you okay?”

Kaveh released a bittersweet laugh. “I’m fine, just... I’m crying. It hurts,” he gestured uselessly to the bandage covering his eyes. “And I’m not saying it back until I can see you,” Kaveh whispered, his fingers tightening on Alhaitham’s face. “But once I can, I hope you know... I’m going to say it back.”

“You... you will? I mean - you do?” Alhaitham’s breathing grew ragged as he searched Kaveh’s face for reassurance.

“Don’t try and pull it out of me, you bastard,” Kaveh breathed with a wry edge to his voice, wrapping his arms around Alhaitham’s neck and holding him tightly. “But yeah. I do.”

A helpless, soft sound escaped Alhaitham as he drew Kaveh in against his chest, fingers digging into his back with affection that bordered on worship. “I love you so much,” Alhaitham murmured shakily, voice muffled against Kaveh’s hair.

Kaveh melted into him. With equal fervor, Kaveh curled his fingers into the hair at the back of Alhaitham’s neck and pressed his face against Alhaitham’s with a soft, surreal laugh. “I told you to quit being sneaky - if you keep saying it to me right now I’m not going to be able to stop myself from waiting. I’ve already waited so, so long to tell you,” Kaveh whispered.

Alhaitham laughed softly - a genuine, uncharacteristically joyful sound that surprised him as much as it did Kaveh. “Me too, Kaveh,” he breathed, his lips tilting upward with the broadest, most unrestrained smile that had ever painted itself onto his face.

Kaveh let out a petulant, distressed groan, fingers tracing Alhaitham’s face urgently as his lips curved into a pout. “And now you’re smiling too? And I can’t even fucking see you?” he huffed grumpily, shifting out of Alhaitham’s embrace. “Okay, asshole, let’s go. I’m not missing any more of this.”

Alhaitham chuckled softly. “Kaveh, your appointment isn’t until three in the afternoon, and we don’t even know if you’ll be able to see. We should -”

Kaveh cut him off with a determined grunt, crawling toward the edge of the bed. “I don’t care. You’re taking me to the doctor early and I’m going to make them rip this shit off my eyes right now. And when they do, I’d better be able to fucking see you,” Kaveh said insistently, sliding out of bed and immediately tripping as he stumbled in the unfamiliar layout of Alhaitham’s bedroom - but Alhaitham was right there to catch him.

“You’re ridiculous,” Alhaitham smiled, unable to keep the fondness out of his tone as he steadied Kaveh. “Fine. Come on, I’ll help you get dressed.”

They arrived at the Bimarstan mere minutes after it opened.

The reception nurse eyed them curiously as they strode through the doors. “Uh, Grand - Grand Sage? Are you... alright, sir?” she asked hesitantly.

Kaveh frowned with confusion, then let out a soft, tinkly laugh of realization. Sliding his hand up to Alhaitham’s face to confirm that his features were still curved upward, he whispered, “people aren’t used to seeing you smile, Haitham.”

Alhaitham rolled his eyes but gazed down at Kaveh tenderly, squeezing his waist before stepping up to the receptionist. “I’m fine. I know Kaveh’s appointment isn’t until this afternoon, but we were hoping you might be able to fit him in sooner?” Alhaitham asked in his best attempt at a kind voice, though it came out more robotic than anything.

The nurse blinked a few times before glancing down at her schedule. “I - uh... not really, I’m sorry.”

Kaveh stumbled forward, leaning on the counter and angling his face toward the sound of the woman’s voice as he pressed his palms onto the countertop. “Please, ma’am. Alhaitham has been indispensable to the Bimarstan, as have I. He always approves your funding requests, and I’ve spent countless hours doing pro bono work for the development of the new campus in Port Ormos. This is a matter of utmost importance, of, um... national security. If you could possibly find an earlier slot, we’d both owe the Bimarstan a debt.” Kaveh plastered on a pleading expression - far less effective without his beautiful doe eyes to go along with it, but it seemed to work well enough.

The nurse burst into a bright laugh. “You’re a real charmer, aren’t you? Fine, I’ll see what I can do. Come with me, I’ll get you into a room.”

“How the hell did that work?” Kaveh hissed in Alhaitham’s ear under his breath as they followed her down the hall, clearly unaware of the magnetic pull he exuded so effortlessly.

Alhaitham sighed fondly, guiding Kaveh to the exam table as the nurse held open the door for them. “Sit here,” Alhaitham murmured.

As the door clicked shut behind her, they waited in quiet anticipation as the clinical hum of distantly beeping machines and the buzz of annoyingly bright lights filled the room. Alhaitham stood directly behind Kaveh as his legs dangled off the exam table, leaning backward against Alhaitham’s chest and fidgeting restlessly.

“Remember. Whatever happens when your bandage comes off, we’ll deal with it. Together. Okay?” Alhaitham said reassuringly as he bent down to press a kiss to the crown of Kaveh’s head.

“Yeah,” Kaveh whispered shakily - in truth, Alhaitham was just as nervous as Kaveh was... but at least if Kaveh’s eyesight was permanently lost, he wouldn’t be able to see the devastation that Alhaitham would be powerless to keep from making its way onto his face.

After a few agonizingly long minutes, a gruff, tall doctor entered. “Hello, I’m Dr. Patel. Says here... matter of national security to move your appointment up?” he said, tapping his pen on the chart with a raised eyebrow. Alhaitham suppressed a smirk.

“S-something like that,” Kaveh said nervously with a sweet smile.

Dr. Patel grunted and set down Kaveh’s chart, rolling his eyes but thankfully not pressing further. “You had no issues with your vision prior to the accident, correct?”

Kaveh shook his head, absently rubbing the backs of Alhaitham’s hands as they curled over Kaveh’s shoulders.

“Okay. Not much we can do other than remove your bandage and hope for the best at this point. Keep your eyes closed - if the blindness is temporary, you should be able to see already. If not... well, we’ll go from there.”

Alhaitham held his breath, heart pounding as Dr. Patel gently unwound the bandage. Kaveh’s breathing grew ragged as he leaned back more firmly against Alhaitham, his fingers trembling anxiously on Alhaitham’s hands.

Kaveh bit his lip as the cloth fell away but kept his eyes obediently closed, flinching slightly as Dr. Patel cleaned his eyes off. As the doctor wiped away the remnants of the healing salve Alhaitham had been dutifully applying each night, Alhaitham’s heart sped up, nervous anticipation building in his body with each passing second.

Dr. Patel checked over the skin around Kaveh’s eyes one last time before finally stepping back. “Okay. Please try opening your eyes, sir.”

Kaveh tilted his neck back so his face was aimed straight up at Alhaitham and slowly blinked his eyes open. For a moment, Kaveh stared blankly up at him, and Alhaitham thought all was lost; but then, the anxiety on Kaveh’s face melted into wonder.

Alhaitham let out a breath filled with the weight of the universe. Transcendent relief crashed through him as he beheld the most beautiful sight in Teyvat - Kaveh meeting his gaze dead-on with teary, slightly reddened, yet perfectly healthy bright glimmers of crimson-gold.

“Haitham,” he whispered shakily, twisting an arm up to slide his hand onto the underside of Alhaitham’s jaw. Alhaitham opened his mouth to respond - but Dr. Patel, oblivious to the significance of the moment, hummed and grabbed a penlight from his pocket. “You’re crying. Is it painful? It shouldn’t be painful, let me take a look.”

The doctor reached forward, but Kaveh waved him off. “It’s not, it doesn’t hurt. But, um... the thing is, about that ’national security matter’...” Kaveh began, letting out a bubbly, hopeful laugh as Alhaitham stared down at him, desperately drinking in the ethereal beauty of the eyes he’d feared he’d never get to see again.

Alhaitham’s arms encircled Kaveh’s waist, eyes locked on Kaveh’s - hardly able to fathom the amount of luck he was being blessed with all in the span of one day. Sliding one hand up from the curve of Kaveh’s waist, he gently brushed away the tears spilling down Kaveh’s cheeks as he let out a soft breath of disbelieving laughter - a sound of pure joy.

“Do you know who we are?” Kaveh asked without looking at Dr. Patel, apparently equally as unwilling to take his eyes off Alhaitham as Alhaitham was to him.

“Uh... yes? Grand Sage Alhaitham and the Light of the Kshahrewar? What’s it matter?” Dr. Patel blinked with mild confusion. “Just because you’re public figures doesn’t mean you’re getting out of the bill.”

Alhaitham rolled his eyes fondly at Kaveh’s romantic nature - in no world would Alhaitham ever care to explain their personal business to a stranger. He’d just as soon scoop Kaveh up without another word to Dr. Patel, but he couldn’t bring himself to deny the warmth in Kaveh’s glimmering eyes.

“I’m assuming you’ve heard the rumours about us then? The whole city is constantly speculating about our relationship,” Kaveh murmured, gaze still riveted on Alhaitham.

Dr. Patel crossed his arms and leaned back onto his stool with a tired sigh. “I don’t much care for gossip, but sure. Seems the rumours are true?”

Kaveh laughed softly. “Well, not until today. I’ll spare you the details, but after years of pining that was apparently mutual, he told me... he told me he loved me this morning,” Kaveh whispered, his tone laced with reverence as he traced Alhaitham’s jaw.

A few nurses crowded around the doorway with excitable smiles - no doubt the gossip train of the Bimarstan. Any other day, Alhaitham would’ve shooed them away with a cold wave of his hand; but today, his heart was too full to be bothered.

“Anyway, I just about punched him when after all these fucking years he decided to lay it on me while I was blind, and he made me miss seeing this,” Kaveh continued as he traced Alhaitham’s bottom lip gently. “I’m sure you know he’s not exactly known for being a smiley ray of sunshine.”

Alhaitham huffed indignantly, but the smile didn’t leave his face.

“And then I told him,” Kaveh breathed, spinning around on the exam table to face Alhaitham, thighs framing his body as he cupped Alhaitham’s jaw. Eyes filled with pure adoration as he gazed up at Alhaitham’s face like he was seeing him for the very first time, he continued, “I wasn’t going to say it back until I got my bandage off and could see his handsome face.”

Alhaitham leaned in, sliding his palm down Kaveh’s waist to hold himself up beside his hip on the exam table, the paper sheet crinkling under his palm.

Kaveh swallowed with an audible click. “To tell him... tell him how much I love him too,” Kaveh whispered, his voice breaking with emotion as he reached his fingers up to tangle in Alhaitham’s hair.

Alhaitham’s heart melted in his chest as he leaned forward. “Good thing you got your bandage off, then.”

It was hard to tell who moved first - or perhaps it was both of them at once - as their mouths met in a tender, lingering kiss. Alhaitham cradled Kaveh’s head in his palm as his fingers slid through his silky blonde hair, pouring every ounce of love he harbored into the gentle movements of his lips.

Kaveh pulled back with a breathless gasp, just enough to speak. “So, Haitham,” Kaveh breathed against his lips, tightening his fingers in Alhaitham’s hair. “I love you too.”

Alhaitham brushed two fingers underneath Kaveh’s chin as he gazed into the warm, shimmering depths of Kaveh’s beautiful sunset eyes - the windows that allowed him to glimpse into the soul of the man he loved above all else.

“I love you, Kaveh,” Alhaitham whispered reverently. The sheer love in Kaveh’s gaze soothed something deep and profound in his chest, a longing that had been growing since the day they met.

Kaveh stared directly up at him with pure adoration; Alhaitham knew he must look like a lovesick idiot, unable to stop smiling - but he didn’t care. He couldn’t bring himself to look away from those brilliant eyes, glittering with unrestrained emotion that matched his own as Kaveh traced a soft line beneath the gentle curve of Alhaitham’s smile as though trying to etch it into his memory.

“Very cute story,” Dr. Patel muttered gruffly, his face impassive. “My wife will probably cry when she hears I was here for this.”

“Come on, let’s go home,” Alhaitham murmured, ignoring the doctor and pressing one last sweet kiss to Kaveh’s irresistible lips.

“I’ve never seen you smile like this,” Kaveh breathed, the kaleidoscope of shimmering gold flecks amidst the jewel-toned citrine of his eyes finally clearing of the tears that had blurred his vision.

“I’ve never had this much reason to,” Alhaitham admitted quietly, his heart thrumming in his chest as Kaveh pulled him closer and kissed him yet again, unable to keep their hands - or their lips - off of each other for long.

The loud clearing of a throat pulled them apart, breaking away to look at Dr. Patel as he stood with his arms folded over his chest. “Kaveh, I’m glad your eyesight seems to be intact, and I look forward to seeing you back for a recheck in a week. Now, with all due respect, get the hell out of my office. I have other patients to see that actually kept to their appointments. I wish you the best with your marriage.”

“Oh, we’re not engag-” Kaveh began to clarify, but Dr. Patel cut him off with a wave of his hand as he ushered them out the door.

“Whatever, close enough. Have a nice day,” Dr. Patel said dismissively, already picking up another chart as he turned and strode the opposite direction down the corridor.

Alhaitham’s palm fell to Kaveh’s back on instinct as they made their way out of the clinic and stepped into the bright morning sunshine. Kaveh lit up as he stared at the sky, drinking in the warmth of the sun and looking around for the first time in days.

Alhaitham, however, only had eyes for Kaveh. Radiant as a beam of sunlight himself, Kaveh looked resplendent as he was bathed in the rays of warmth.

Overflowing with joy, Alhaitham couldn’t help but lean in and tug Kaveh against him for a sudden, passionate kiss. Kaveh squeaked in surprise, but wrapped his arms around Alhaitham and reached up to cup his jaw as he kissed him back without hesitation.

They pulled back after a long, blissful moment. “What was that for?” Kaveh asked breathlessly.

“I’m happy,” Alhaitham said simply before kissing him again. “And I love you,” he murmured with another soft kiss. “And I’m glad you can see,” another kiss. “And I can’t believe you love me,” another. “And I’m glad I get to see those beautiful eyes of yours again.”

Kaveh’s soft lips curved into a bright, dazzling smile, the sun behind his head creating the illusion of a halo. He looked angelic. Tracing his fingers over Alhaitham’s cheeks, he whispered, “I love you too, Haitham.”

“Do you want to go home? Or would you rather stay out for a while now that you can see again?” Alhaitham asked softly.

“I think I want to stay out. I want to look at you in the sunshine.”

Alhaitham hummed and pressed a gentle kiss to Kaveh’s forehead. “Want to go to the hill behind our house? The sunshine is always bright over there and there’s not as many people,” Alhaitham breathed, shooting a half-hearted glare at some of the onlookers gawking at them on the cobblestone path.

“Mm. Yeah. Let’s go, Haitham.”

Alhaitham smiled softly once again, his cheeks aching from the overuse of the usually stagnant muscles in his face. Sliding his hand into Kaveh’s this time instead of guiding him from a palm on his back, they made their way through the city side-by-side, slow and unhurried.

The wind blew gently over their skin as they sat down on the secluded, sun-warmed grass of the hill. “I never want to let you go again,” Alhaitham whispered as he drew Kaveh into his arms. A warm but soothing tide of happiness washed over him, filling him with an unfamiliar serenity as the gentle breeze rustled their hair.

Kaveh smiled as he settled into Alhaitham’s lap and wrapped his arms loosely around his neck. “Okay. Then don’t,” Kaveh said softly. He paused for a moment, then admitted, “you know, I... I don’t think I was necessarily unhappy before, but it’s been a long time since I truly felt joyful. But I don’t think there’s ever been a time in my entire life when I was happier than I am right now.”

Alhaitham snaked his arms around Kaveh’s waist, staring at the vision of beauty before him. “Good,” Alhaitham said reverently. “You look beautiful like this. I like seeing you happy.”

Kaveh’s answering laugh mingled with the summer breeze. “I just like seeing you.”