Chapter Text
“I like you.”
Kaveh was standing in front of the sink, repeating the same words over and over as he stared into his own reflection. He slowly took confidence and eventually started to take ridiculous poses as he repeated. But whenever Alhaitham’s face came to his mind his voice would get stuck in his throat.
He did admit defeat and went all the way the other day with Alhaitham but he still hasn't given him an answer yet.
Kaveh splashed some cold water on his face and sighed. He does cherish Alhaitham but he didn’t believe an Alpha could love another Alpha forever, it was a defiance of natural law. His parents, the very picture of that unconventional pairing, were the ultimate proof of failure. They had been his world, his definition of perfect love, defying every whisper and judgment. They always respected each other’s beliefs, they even managed to have a child. But after that incident, his mother completely changed. Her face would distort into anguish just at the sight of his face. This face, his face, that she had once praised, had become a source of pain she couldn't bear to look upon. No matter how much Kaveh tried to be the perfect son, it was too late. Kaveh could never bring back her smile.
Then one day, she found it again. Another person entered her heart after all that suffering, that grief. She found someone to replace his father. An Omega.
He didn’t resent her. How could he? He was just a constant, painful reminder of their loss. The helplessness gnawed at him, the bitter pill of needing a stranger to bring back the light he couldn’t. The definition of love he believed in, fell apart with his most precious bond.
He sank to the floor, drawing his knees to his chest, curling into a tight ball like a child, trying to go through the emptiness he felt in his chest.
As the pain felt more and more unbearable, a pair of arms lifted him up effortlessly.
“L-leave me alone…” he mumbled, still curled against himself.
Alhaitham responded with a soft hum and took him to the living room before settling on the couch. Kaveh tried breaking free but Alhaitham didn’t let him escape his embrace.
“I said let me go… I’m not in the mood to talk.”
“A chatty senior of mine used to say a hug was the best remedy for loneliness.”Alhaitham’s voice was a low rumble against his ear. “Worked pretty well for me.”
“...I am not lonely.”
“Right, you have me.”
“You don’t get it.”
“I would never get it, I could never fill the hole your mother left in your heart just like how you could never fill the gap my grandmother left in mine.”
Kaveh’s breath hitched. Alhaitham read him like an open book and always knew where to poke.
“I… don't really want to talk about it.”
“Then we can just stay like this,” Alhaitham murmured, tightening his hold, “until it hurts less.”
Alhaitham's body was warm and his arms comforting. His touch was gentle, as if he was trying to mend the jagged pieces of Kaveh’s heart. Kaveh finally gave in, melting into the embrace and silently cried. The warmth, the presence, the faint, comforting scent of Alhaitham—it was all he needed.
“I don’t get what’s so good about me for you to keep nagging like this. What do you even like about me?”
“That would be a very long list, I always ask myself what I wouldn’t love about you.” Alhaitham quietly laughed as he felt Kaveh’s body tense up. “How about you, what do you like about yourself?”
“You, you’ll just get tired of me eventually.”
“Wanna bet?”
“Urgh, I don’t even know what to do with you.”
“Let me rephrase it, then.” Alhaitham shifted, his hand cupping Kaveh’s jaw, turning his face. His thumb brushed Kaveh’s cheekbone, a tender caress. Their eyes locked, his voice softened as he spoke, “I love you, Kaveh. Please let me stay by your side, please let me step into your heart.”