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Kaveh had undeniably had the worst day of his life, being berated and screamed at and even degraded by a particularly cruel group of clients, who seemed to revel in his pain. He wasn’t even sure he was fully conscious and present by the time he practically stumbled out of the meeting, feeling everything and nothing at the same time.
............
He fucking hated himself. He was the most useless piece of shit architect that somehow defrauded his way through Kshahrewar. He had three more draft prints and a final due in the next two days and he hadn’t even begun on his grant request submission and he hadn’t eaten today and he hadn’t settled his tab with Enteka even though she was so kind to put it off like every other fucking time he couldn’t pay, unlike how Dori was threatening to increase his interest rates on a loan he was so fucking stupid to take because he was shit at business and life, and maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he accidentally stumbled off the Akademiya’s steps and ended up in a coma for a month or two so he could get some damn sleep and not have to think or eat or work or care or care about himself or-
“Kaveh, what the hell do you think you’re doing?“
That cold and patronizingly pitying voice felt like a bucket of ice water on Kaveh’s skin, serving to both bring him back to the present and leave him in a cold rage. He had somehow made it through the door of his... Alhaitham’s place during his spiraling. Kaveh wasn’t sure what expression he had on his face before Alhaitham spoke, but now he must’ve looked no madder than the previous Grand Sage. He was even less sure of how he intended to respond, but anything would’ve been better than what ended up leaving his mouth.
“You........” And then he began to sob, hands gripping his hair like it was the cause of his misery. No build-up, just full-force, almost screaming cries as he collapsed onto his knees. It’s almost funny, in a way, how he could so quickly go from wanting to kill himself, to the next person he saw, to…
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, f....... I’m so fucking tired.....” He practically whimpered out at the end.
Kaveh had no mind for Alhaitham, the man almost immediately leaving his head as Kaveh struggled to hold onto any coherent thought at all. He had almost actually began tearing out his hair when that voice rang again, much closer and this time with accompanying hands on his shoulders.
“Kaveh. Let go. Now. I said now."
Kaveh slowly looked up, his grip automatically loosening in surprise at the sudden touch. His vision was blurry and hot, but he could still make out the figure of Alhaitham crouched in front of him.
“Good. Now breathe, properly.”
A strangled sound came from Kaveh’s throat as he started to try to say something, heaven knows what, but Alhaitham just squeezed his shoulders and repeated himself more firmly. When Kaveh still hadn’t started taking deep breaths, staring at him like a deer in headlights, Alhaitham let out an impatient sigh and pulled him against his chest. Alhaitham’s arms wrapped around him like a... nevermind, Kaveh had no mental power to think of words right now. Instead, for a reason that he would never quite remember, Kaveh did the same, squeezing Alhaitham so tightly he might worry about strangling him if not for Alhaitham’s size. He finally started taking deep breaths, or at least trying his best to, as he was still actively sobbing his heart out.
“Good,” was all Alhaitham said, but never did he loosen his hold, which was actually pretty impressive considering Kaveh must have cried for at least 20 minutes, even with his best attempts to calm down. Kaveh had a pounding headache by the end, pitiful whimpers leaving his mouth, but he had no more tears to cry. Even then, he refused to let go of Alhaitham, feeling humiliated and grateful and clingy all at once. God, clingy for Alhaitham? Today really was a rough day.
Once he was satisfied with Kaveh’s state, Alhaitham carefully pulled back, leaving the two staring into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, though it felt much longer. And then, like it was nothing, Alhaitham reached forward and wiped Kaveh’s cheek. Another pathetic whimper left Kaveh, as if it was the only sound he knew how to make. When Alhaitham spoke, his voice was slow and hesitant, a very rare occurrence.
“You... You don’t know when to quit, do you? What the hell happened today to push you so hard over the edge?”
Oh how good it would’ve felt to rant to him then, to voice the torrent of stressors that led him to this moment.
But instead, he could only croak out, “Would you be happier if I was dead? Would everyone?”
...........
A long, heavy sigh left Alhaitham’s lips, though he didn’t look the least bit surprised by Kaveh’s question.
“No. And it’s foolish of you to consider that a possibility. You’re one of the only people I can stand to talk to every day, not to mention live with. Everybody loves you. And it’s actually pretty fucking ridiculous that you still can’t see that.”
“But-”
“Shush, I’m not done talking. No matter what brain-dead ignoramus you met with today, or what laughable ‘feedback’ they gave you, it’s all a load of shit. Now, I’m going to go get you some water, and then you’re going to take a nap, end of discussion. You’re not in any right state of mind right now. Alright?”
“B-But my proj-”
Kaveh silenced himself at the look Alhaitham gave him, and then slowly nodded.
“Good. I couldn’t give a damn about any of your projects right now, and if your clients have a problem with that, they’ll have to speak to me. Now come on, let’s try and stand up. Slowly.”
Alhaitham helped Kaveh to his feet, but once they were standing, Kaveh didn’t seem like he had any intention of letting go of his arm. He always hated relying on anyone else, especially to such an embarrassing and personal degree, but he knew the contact was vital to keeping him grounded right now. It even felt a little... nice.
Alhaitham didn’t say anything, he just led Kaveh over to the kitchen and handed him a glass of water. Kaveh drank very slowly, his mind occupied by the swirling but much, much more manageable (and less hateful) thoughts. He set the glass down, finding it near impossible to make eye contact with Alhaitham. Still, he managed to get himself to speak, feeling like he needed to just say something.
“I... Thank you, Alhaitham. And I’m sorry, too. I’ve never been like that in front of... someone else before. God, I feel like such a baby right now.....”
A small smirk graced Alhaitham’s lips, but he suppressed it before Kaveh saw.
“Is that such a bad thing?”
“What?”
Alhaitham shook his head, pretending like he hadn’t said anything.
“Nothing. Come on, let’s get you to bed, no buts.”
Kaveh rolled his eyes, but followed Alhaitham into the bedroom. He didn’t feel like getting changed right now, so he just took off his shoes and accessories. As he did so, a strange feeling welled in his heart. Kaveh pulled back the covers and sat on the bed, looking up at Alhaitham, making him raise his eyebrow.
“…Yes?”
Kaveh flushed just a little, he couldn’t believe what he was about to say, but the idea of not saying it made him feel even worse.
“You... can you..... stay in here? Please?”
He didn’t explain why, not that Alhaitham needed him to. After a few seconds, he nodded.
“I don’t see why not, as long as it gets you to actually sleep. We’ll be talking about this more when you wake up.”
The thought made Kaveh a bit nervous, but he still nodded and laid down in bed. That headache receded just a bit, now, and he fell asleep in only a few minutes while Alhaitham sat reading.
Kaveh woke up after god knows how long. He didn’t much like taking naps as they had a tendency to get away from him, and it’s not like he ever had the time to either. Though based on the shadows on the wall, it was probably early evening now. Kaveh slowly sat up, about to stretch, when something fell from his mouth. He looked down curiously, only to be absolutely frozen at the sight of a goddamn pacifier laying on the bed. He hardly even had the time to comprehend it before Alhaitham spoke up from the chair next to the bed, scaring him a little.
“Good morning. You slept quite a long time, I’m glad.”
Kaveh was utterly dumbfounded, looking between Alhaitham and the pacifier like the two things were ever going to make any amount of sense together.
He sputtered for a bit before finally managing, “Did you put that in my mouth?”
He didn’t know what he expected, maybe a smug denial or a “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” but Alhaitham nodded like Kaveh simply asked if he was sitting down.
“I did.”
When no further explanation was given, Kaveh gave an emphatic “Why?!”
Alhaitham smirked once more, making no effort to hide it this time.
“That is what I wanted to talk to you about. I don’t think it needs to be said that what happened today was very serious, but also, not too uncommon. Correct?”
Kaveh sheepishly nodded.
“Clearly, your methods of coping with your daily stress are ineffective at best and completely nonexistent at worst.” He gave Kaveh a knowing look. “As your roommate, landlord, and the closest thing you have to a friend, as much as you hate to admit it, I have taken it upon myself to reconcile this with a coping mechanism I have been researching lately known as age regression.”
.....What? What? What was he talking about right now? Kaveh must be going deaf or something.
“A-Age.... age regression?”
“Yes. It is a therapeutic method in which one acts in accordance with, and often mentally regresses to, a younger mindset. I believe this will greatly benefit you, forcing you to take time without worrying about your responsibilities, which you clearly cannot handle.”
For some reason, that last bit made Kaveh feel a bit indignant, and he spoke with an increasingly irritated tone.
“Excuse me, in case you forgot, I am a grown man. I’ve been handling all my responsibilities just fine all these years, without any ridiculous-”
“And look where that left you.”
Alhaitham’s remark was as straight-forward and piercing as ever, and Kaveh couldn’t help but actually consider his words. Where did that leave him? Oh, right, having a mental breakdown in Alhaitham’s arms before noon, asking if he’d be better off dead.
On seeing Kaveh’s self-conscious expression, Alhaitham scoffed.
“There’s nothing wrong with needing stuff like this. You tried to do things the “normal, responsible adult” way and it backfired horribly. So what if you’re maybe a bit more dependent than most? It’s really not that serious.”
“.......”
Kaveh let out a deep sigh, finding it impossible to believe he was actually entertaining such an idea.
“What would.... um, this whole thing include?”
Alhaitham seemed pleased, and cleared his throat. “Well, simply put, I would be taking care of you. You clearly have enough trouble with that on your own- ah ah, don’t interrupt. You know I’m right. I’d essentially be treating you like a child, and that includes making sure you’re fed, watered, and bathed, but also that you have a time where you can hand off your worries to someone else. As for the activities, you’d get to choose for the most part, just as long as it’s not work-related. Any questions?”
Kaveh was far too embarrassed to comment on just how appealing that sounded, so he simply asked, “Um, you’re volunteering for this... why?”
Alhaitham’s expression was unreadable, though he did exhale just a little deeper.
“If I’m being honest, I feel partially responsible for what happened today. Believe it or not, but I do actually care about people sometimes, and I’d really prefer if you didn’t have self-loathing mental breakdowns on the regular. And it’s not like there’s anyone else that’s more suited for this role than me. Besides, I simply think it will be interesting.”
Kaveh huffed, trying really hard not to look like a pouting child right now. Interesting, huh? Of course. As Kaveh was trying to think of how the hell he could even respond, Alhaitham stood up, walked to the bed, and sat down right in front of him. Kaveh gulped, a bit caught off-guard by their sudden closeness.
“You don’t really get to say no, by the way. This is my house after all, and I’m not going to let a repeat of this morning occur. That being said, we’ll go slow, only do what you’re comfortable with. Do you understand?”
“.........I... um, I understand.” God, Kaveh must be absolutely scarlet right now.
Alhaitham smiled then, an actual, for-real smile, as small and short-lived as it was. He reached forward and-... and actually patted Kaveh’s head.
“Good boy. Now, why don’t you pick up that pacifier again?”
Kaveh slowly did so, feeling like he was in a surreal dream.
“I don’t... Do you want me to put it in?”
“Not right now, we still have quite a bit to talk about. Just keep it in your pocket for later. For now, I think it’d be best if we got some food in you. Would I be correct to assume you skipped breakfast this morning, again?”
“...mm”
“And lunch?”
“W-Well hey, that one’s not fair, I was napping like you told me to.”
“My point still stands. Come on, I already prepared something.”
Alhaitham stood up and held out his hand. Damn, this really was happening, wasn’t it? Kaveh hesitantly took Alhaitham’s hand, conveniently ignoring the fact that his heart felt really, really fluttery right now. Alhaitham led Kaveh into the kitchen/dining room, where there was a bowl of some very hearty-looking stew on the table. Alhaitham must’ve just made it before Kaveh woke up, as there was still a bit of steam coming off.
“You made this for me?”
“Yeah, just from stuff we already had. You don’t have to eat it all, but I expect a good amount gone. You get started on that, I just need to go grab something real quick.”
Alhaitham turned to leave, but Kaveh suddenly spoke up.
“Wait! Uh..... th-thank you..... again. I don’t want to seem unappreciative of all that you’re doing for me, it’s just... a lot to process. To be honest, I’m really outside of my comfort zone right now, but I really will give this... this age regression stuff my best try. So... yeah, thanks.”
Though Alhaitham’s expression didn’t change much, his tone clearly held a hint of amusement.
“You’re welcome. By the way, you should say thank you more often, given thrice and all that.”
And just like that he was gone. Kaveh was left staring down at the stew for a few seconds. Eventually he just shook his head and grabbed the spoon to take a bite, deciding to think about this whole situation as little as possible. The stew was alright, but after the day that he had (and the fact that someone actually cared enough to cook for him), it might as well have been ambrosia.
Alhaitham was only gone for a few minutes, and when he returned he was carrying a bag with something inside that Kaveh couldn’t make out. Alhaitham sat down next to him.
“So? Not poison?”
Kaveh nodded with a small, genuine smile.
“Not poison. It’s pretty good.... I thought we were out of some of these vegetables.”
“I went to the market this morning. Now shush, and eat.”
Kaveh rolled his eyes, taking another bite. Alhaitham seemed to enjoy being pretty bossy in this role, huh? Not that he wasn’t always, but right now, for some reason, Kaveh felt like he actually had to listen to him. Egh. He was starving though, so Kaveh ended up finishing the bowl relatively quickly.
“Very good job, I didn’t expect you to eat that much.”
Kaveh’s heart fluttered once more, and he had to turn his head to hide his little, very unwelcome smile. God, please don’t say he was actually enjoying the praise.... Yes, it may have come from Alhaitham, someone he had been secretly hoping for approval from for years, but he hadn’t even done anything impressive. He didn’t deserve any recognition for something so simple as eating.
“Hey, eyes on me.”
Kaveh quickly turned his head back, feeling a little chastised. “Y-Yes?”
Alhaitham studied his expression for a few seconds before speaking.
“Would you like to see what I grabbed a few minutes ago? It’s a surprise for you.”
“Surprise?” Kaveh was, well, surprised. The words surprise and Alhaitham somehow went together even less than pacifier and Alhaitham.
Alhaitham nodded and held out the bag. Kaveh gingerly took it, wondering what the hell could even be in there. Something soft? Kaveh opened the bag and pulled out-... Buggles???
“Ah- What, you.... Where did you get this?”
Kaveh sounded more dumbfounded than anything else, until the realization that he had just been gifted his own childhood stuffed animal by Alhaitham washed over him.
Alhaitham smirked and leaned back in his chair, very much enjoying Kaveh’s face right now.
“I found it in a box you never unpacked from when you moved in. You really need to take better care of your stuff.”
Kaveh stared down at his little stuffed bunny from all those years ago. He didn’t know he even still had the thing. It was in alright shape, all things considered, but the ears were worn most of all. Kaveh always used to rub them between his fingers when he was nervous, or scared, or shy, all common occurrences when he was a child. He found himself reflexively doing the same thing now, trying to come up with words.
“Thank you,” he mumbled, Alhaitham’s earlier statement ringing lightly in his head, though the bunny was still his main focus.
After two or three minutes, Kaveh looked back up at Alhaitham. Trying to decipher his expression was pointless, so Kaveh just repeated, “Thank you. I really mean it this time…”
He hugged the stuffie closer to his stomach, not really feeling embarrassed right now. He just felt warm. Alhaitham leaned forward in his chair once more.
“So? What’s the little rags’ name? It has one, doesn’t it?”
Kaveh blushed just a little, but nodded.
“Yeah..... it’s Buggles.”
“Buggles?” His lips twitched slightly.
“Hey, you shush, I named him when I was like 4. And it’s a cute name, not that you would understand.”
“Oh sure, sure. Now, as for what we're doing next...”
Alhaitham looked him up and down.
“Let’s see, the baby boy has already taken a nap and been fed, so I believe some playtime is in order.”
“B-Baby boy?!” Kaveh sputtered. He couldn’t believe Alhaitham had just said that. Was he high?
Alhaitham quirked his eyebrow, looking way, way too smug for Kaveh’s liking.
“Is that not an apt term? You might as well consider yourself a baby right now, it’ll make this all a lot easier.”
“Wah- Just because I’m trying this out doesn’t mean you get to make fun of me! I didn’t ask for this!” Kaveh snapped. He really didn’t think Alhaitham was being serious.
Alhaitham’s eyes narrowed and he leaned forward.
“Woah woah woah, stop right there. Who said I’m making fun of you? I’m being completely genuine right now. If it really makes you uncomfortable to be called that, tell me so and I’ll stop, but you don’t raise your voice at me. Understand?”
Kaveh shrunk a little, Alhaitham’s firm tone making him feel... strange.
“I..... sorry....” Kaveh was certainly not a stranger to yelling at Alhaitham for just about anything, but this time he actually felt a little guilty. Alhaitham was doing all of this for him, he made him stew and was trying his best to take care of him.
Alhaitham sighed and shook his head, his voice softening a little.
“It’s fine, just don’t make it a habit. Trust me a little more than that, yeah?” He reached forward and ruffled Kaveh’s hair, much to his junior’s chagrin.
Kaveh wanted to bite back with a sarcastic remark, but he decided against it and just nodded.
“Okay... and I guess it doesn’t really matter what you call me...” He mumbled, looking almost sulky as he subconsciously squeezed his bunny. Alhaitham found it pretty cute.
“Alright then. Would you like to pick the next activity?”
Kaveh paused, actually taking a while to come up with something. He hadn’t been a kid in what felt like forever, what was he even supposed to do? What did he like to do? Go on walks? Nope, definitely not right now. Mm...
“Maybe drawing?” Kaveh proposed. “Not for work or anything, no architecture stuff, just for fun..?”
Alhaitham considered it for a second before nodding.
“Drawing sounds good. Would you like me to get some supplies for you? I know where everything is.”
“O-Oh, um, sure. Thank you.”
Alhaitham nodded and stood to go get the stuff, but not before dropping a “You’re welcome, baby boy” on the way out. Kaveh blushed, but he was probably more embarrassed by the fact that he really, really couldn’t hate the title. Kaveh just tried to focus on Buggles, the dastardly thing surely making him more vulnerable. But he had to admit, he felt infinitely better than he normally would after such an incident as this morning. Especially knowing that Alhaitham maybe didn’t hate him so much after all.....
Alhaitham returned a few minutes later with some of Kaveh’s sketchbooks, pencils, pens, and even some watercolor paints. Kaveh didn’t work in color too often as he mainly worked on blueprints, so it actually sounded kinda fun. Kaveh grabbed a pencil and wondered what to draw, soon deciding to just do what he knew best, buildings. He really didn’t feel like setting up all his usual guidelines, so he just started sketching before he could put too much thought into it. Meanwhile, Alhaitham watched with just about the most neutral face he could manage.
Kaveh ended up drawing a very tall tower of sorts, something completely impractical that he would never entertain the thought of otherwise. He’d wanted to redo his wonky lines many times, but Alhaitham hadn’t given him any erasers, perhaps on purpose. Still, Kaveh eventually worked it into something he found passably acceptable, and at that point he just began adding whatever silly little things he wanted. A tree with a swingset, an umbrella on the roof, a bunny in the front yard.... Kaveh didn’t even notice he started smiling partway through, but Alhaitham sure did.
It wasn’t until Kaveh finished drawing that he sat back to take a look and remembered Alhaitham was there. He suddenly felt very self-conscious, just how ridiculous did it look?
“O-Oh I’m sorry, don’t mind this, I was just practicing... um...”
Alhaitham chuckled and shook his head.
“No, no, it looks good. A lot better than the boring, pragmatic things you usually draw. I bet it’ll look even better with some color.”
Kaveh felt his cheeks heat up, but he just couldn’t deny the fact that he was beaming. Why did Alhaitham have to sound so genuine for once?
“You... you really think so?”
“Of course I do. Though, I have to ask...” Alhaitham pointed to the bunny. “Is that supposed to be Buggles?”
Kaveh grinned sheepishly.
“Perhaps.... I didn’t even think of that, it just felt right to draw, but I suppose it could be.” Kaveh picked Buggles up from his lap and set him on the table. “There, now he can see too.”
It was only once Kaveh said that that he realized how silly it sounded, but Alhaitham only chuckled again.
“Yes, that’s much better. I’m sure he appreciates it.”
For the next little while, Kaveh painted the drawing while Alhaitham had some more active participation. Mainly, interrupting Kaveh whenever he started to say things like “oh that looks terrible” or “it’s like I can’t even draw.” Once Kaveh finally finished, he held up his sketchbook to admire it. It was... unique. The perspective was all off, the colors clashed, and the structure made no sense. And yet, inexplicably, he kinda loved it. Really loved it, even.
He shyly looked over to Alhaitham, who was studying the drawing intently. Kaveh wouldn’t admit it, but he wanted Alhaitham to compliment his work some more, as childish as that was. Instead, Alhaitham just held out his hand.
“May I?”
Kaveh was a bit confused, but he immediately handed over the sketchbook. He watched as Alhaitham carefully tore out the page and stood. It was only when he grabbed a tack that Kaveh realized what he was doing.
“Wait, you’re not going to-”
Alhaitham put the drawing on the wall and pinned it in place. Kaveh felt mortified.
“Oh god no, wait, please take that down. We can’t-”
Alhaitham turned around. “Hm? What’s wrong? You don’t want to display it?”
“Wh… Display it? N-No, of course not, it looks ridiculous. I don’t want people to....” He trailed off as Alhaitham stepped before him.
“Don’t want people to what? Think you made it?”
Kaveh paused, then nodded. Alhaitham shook his head and sighed.
“You don’t need to worry about other people, you enjoyed yourself and that’s all that matters. I quite like it, and it’s my house, so I say we keep it up. But, if it really matters that much to you, you can just say a local kid made it for you.” Alhaitham tried to sound serious, but Kaveh knew he was teasing him just a little. And he didn’t hate it.
“Gosh, fine....” Kaveh tried to act annoyed, but he was smiling.
“The more important thing is, now that you’ve had a little time, how are you feeling about this so far?”
“How am I feeling? Umm....” Kaveh grabbed Buggles from the table as he thought. “Well, it’s... not exactly what I expected when you first brought it up, but I think... I like it. Is that weird?”
“Why would it be weird? It’d be stranger if you didn’t enjoy relaxing for once. But what specifically did you enjoy?”
“Um, well, the stew was really good, and it felt really nice seeing Buggles again.... I liked drawing, and not trying to make something perfect. That was pretty nice. Oh, and you were a lot nicer to me than normal. W-Wait, no, that’s not what I meant!”
Alhaitham laughed, an actual laugh this time, looking at Kaveh with a very unfamiliar expression.
“No, no, I know what you mean. I get that we have our little... ‘dynamic’ that we do, but honestly, I’ve been getting kinda sick of it lately. And after this morning, I realized why. I’ve been feeling like I’ve been picking on a little kid, and that doesn’t sit right with me.”
“Little kid…?”
“Yeah, and I think you know exactly what I mean. You may try to act way more capable and put-together than you really are, but I’ve known you too long to be fooled by that anymore. Either way, I’m very glad to know that you appreciate my attempt at an attitude change.”
Alhaitham took a step forward and kneeled down next to Kaveh’s chair so he was a little below eye level. His voice dropped to a softer quality as well.
“Maybe I just gotta be this gentle with you all the time, huh?”
Kaveh’s heart was beating out of his chest. This whole thing would’ve been unfathomable and crazy to him only a few hours ago, but right now Kaveh just felt so... small and seen. Words were kinda failing him at the moment, so instead he did probably the single most childish thing possible. Kaveh reached forward to grab Alhaitham’s shoulders and scooched off the chair, practically falling onto his lap. Alhaitham was very stunned, but before he could say anything, Kaveh wrapped his arms around his neck, clinging to him tightly.
“I’d really, really like that....”
This was the first time today that Alhaitham was the one to flush and look like a fish out of water, but his expression quickly morphed into an endeared yet disbelieving grin. He laid his head on top of Kaveh’s, his voice becoming just a little bit less steady.
“God, I knew you were just a baby.”
Alhaitham kissed the top of Kaveh’s head, making Kaveh bury his face in his neck.
“You’re so mean...” He whined, though he couldn’t stop smiling.
“That’s just part of the package, sweetheart. Now come on, let’s get off the floor.”
Kaveh was about to complain that he didn’t wanna let go of Alhaitham so soon, but he was cut off in surprise when Alhaitham readjusted his arms and stood up carrying him. He then grabbed Buggles from where he had fallen on the floor and handed him to Kaveh, before carrying him to the bedroom and sitting down on the bed. Once sat down, he was cradling Kaveh, who was holding Buggles tight so as to not drop him.
“There, is that comfortable?”
Kaveh let out a tiny squeak.
“Y-Yeah, comfy....”
Then, not really having any care for his appearance anymore, Kaveh nuzzled into Alhaitham’s chest. He’d forgotten how big Alhaitham was until he was right up against him. Alhaitham gently rubbed his back, trying his best not to look too smitten.
“Hey, baby boy?” He spoke up softly.
“Mm?”
“Do you still have that pacifier with you?”
Oh, right, the pacifier. Kaveh reached into his pocket and fished it out, looking adorably curious. Alhaitham took it from his hand.
“Can you open up for me? Oh you’re such a good boy.”
Alhaitham gently put the pacifier in Kaveh’s mouth and then kissed his forehead. Kaveh felt so giddy, blushing like a rose but loving it. This was what “being a baby” entailed, huh? He could get used to this. Though he was still a bit self-conscious, Kaveh really wanted to be good, so he slowly started sucking on the pacifier. He thought it would feel pretty weird, but honestly, it wasn’t all too different from all the pens and other random things he’d casually gnaw on throughout the day. Even better, Alhaitham seemed pretty pleased.
“Aww, are you enjoying yourself? You look so precious like that. Just the cutest little boy....”
Alhaitham playfully ruffled Kaveh’s hair. Kaveh giggled (that’s right, actually giggled giggled), and hid his face once more. It was so wonderful, not having anything on his mind. No projects, no money issues, no paperwork, and certainly no horrible clients. Just big, warm, wonderful Alhaitham.
And Buggles, of course.