Chapter 3: There was only one bed (intentional)

Kaveh sat underneath a tree by the oasis, keeping out of the sun's rays, not interested in being lightly toasted during this short trip. Finally, Alhaitham appeared in the distance. The scribe jogged leisurely towards him, but Kaveh knew he'd walk if he, too, wasn't interested in being out of the sun as soon as possible.

"Alhaitham!" Kaveh called, realising the man hadn't spotted him.

"Oh good, you're here."

"Of course I'm here, but I don't see this hotel you promised. Are we camping again?"

"No, but you're welcome to."

"Then where -?"

Alhaitham was already walking off towards what appeared to be one of the far-flung mausoleum exits.

"Seriously? Have you been taking tips from Cyno? You've got to be joking – I'd rather have stayed back at the building site camp."

"You trusted me enough to come all the way here to meet me." Alhaitham turned to look back at Kaveh. "I suppose that's rather strange in itself. I always thought you enjoyed time away from me."

"I could say the same for you. I knew I should have smelled a rat – since when did you ever invite me anywhere nice, especially if it's somewhere you could get some peace away from me?"

That was simple to answer: he pretended that was how he felt, but it wasn't true. He just hadn't been able to tell Kaveh yet. This was, in a way, a roundabout way of telling him.

"I thought you would like to see this place. After all, I doubt you'd be able to afford to stay here without me funding you."

Kaveh was about to retort, but he was too busy being shocked by the fact Alhaitham appeared to be ringing an intercom of sorts and moments later the 'ruin' doors opened to reveal a glamorous reception. So, it really was a hotel.

He followed Alhaitham in, even though he wanted to run back outside and look at the building again to figure out what was going on.

"One room?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes," Alhaitham confirmed.

That finally snapped Kaveh out of his reverie. "You cheapskate! You're not even going to get me a room?"

"This is the desert's most exclusive hotel," Alhaitham said. "The amount you spent hiring the sumpter beasts for the journey wouldn't even pay for half of the room."

"I'm sure you can afford it."

"Oh, I can. That's why we're here."

The receptionist lightly cleared her throat. "And you only requested one bed, Mr. Alhaitham?"

"That's correct."

Kaveh bristled again. "So, I'll be on the floor again tonight?"

"I hear the bath tub can fit several people. Either way, having a proper roof over your head will make up for any discomfort."

Alhaitham took the key and headed to the elevator, with Kaveh angrily following behind. They descended, and Kaveh forgot his annoyance as his mind returned to the building. If the hotel was entirely underground, that explained a lot about the outer building lacking windows or balconies. How many levels were there? Five, if the buttons were anything to go by. There must be some incredible infrastructure going on beneath the sand if this place had plumbing and ventilation – how come he hadn't heard of this place? Was it very new? Or so old that he had missed it?

They entered their room for the night and it really was the height of luxury – it was enough to make you forget about the lack of an outside view.

"I told you, it's big enough to fit three of me," Alhaitham said from the doorway of the bathroom.

"So is the bed," Kaveh noted. "But you really don't need that many pillows and blankets, do you? I'll take some for the sofa."

"No need," Alhaitham said. "We can share."

Kaveh blinked. "…What?"

"As you said, the bed is big enough for three. We can easily share."

Kaveh squinted at him. "Are you really Alhaitham? Did you get heatstroke on your way here?"

"If you don't want to share, you can just say so. Take the blankets for the sofa."

"No! No, I mean, it's very kind of you." He sat on the bed and laid back on it, letting out a pleased sigh. "This is glorious. Is it bed time yet?"

Alhaitham pulled him off the bed. "You're dirty. No laying on the bed until you've changed."

"Fine. I'm going to put that massive bath to good use."

"It has a jacuzzi function."

And that was how Kaveh found himself relaxing in the tub with Alhaitham, because Alhaitham said it was a waste of water for both of them to have individual jacuzzi sessions, and Kaveh couldn't argue with that knowing they were under the desert.

"Are you enjoying it here?" Alhaitham asked.

"Yes, thank you for inviting me. I'm going to go back and read up about this place." He had to spend his time thinking about the hotel otherwise he'd get lost in thinking about the fact he was currently sitting in a tub with a hot, naked man. If it was anyone else, he'd probably have made a suggestive comment by now to test the waters. If that had gone down well, it would be so easy to lift his foot and press it between their legs.

But it was Alhaitham who sat across from him, and one wrong move would probably see him trudging back to the site camp this evening.

He wondered what Alhaitham was thinking about. Did he ever have any thoughts like this? Was he completely unfazed by the fact he was sharing a bath with Kaveh? Or did it play on his mind as much as it did Kaveh's? Kaveh guessed not by the way Alhaitham was relaxing against the back of the tub, eyes closed, chest slowly rising and falling as if he was sleeping.

Alhaitham had his eyes closed because he was deeply affected by this turn of events and believed that seeing less of Kaveh was the best option. The less he saw, the less his mind had to play with later. Not that he was planning to think about Kaveh in the bath or anything, but…you never know. His brain loved to toss him an image of Kaveh asleep at his desk every now and then. Just a little reminder of his housemate being cute. This bath situation was prime material. And, also, he didn't need to see Kaveh naked. It wasn't necessary.

"Dinner?" Alhaitham asked.

"Do they have a restaurant too?"

"Yeah, but I was going to order room service so I don't have to get dressed."

Despite being underground, with no window to tell them if the sun had set or how high the moon in the sky was, and with few home comforts, it was a relaxing evening. Kaveh thought that spending an evening with Alhaitham in the same room which was about as big as their living room might be a little suffocating, but it was refreshing. Was it because this was leagues better than the night he would otherwise be spending in a hastily constructed temporary shed? Most likely. But he also thought they were both in a good mood for once. Alhaitham had long finished the book he'd brought on this trip, so he had spent some time fiddling with his music player and creating a new playlist. All the while, Kaveh had been tweaking the plans for his on-going project. Today had been the first day, and there were a couple of things that the builders had brought to his attention that needed to be addressed before certain parts could begin construction. When Alhaitham ran out of things to do, he moved to sit behind Kaveh and watch him work.

At first, he watched in silence, but soon he began to ask what certain bits were, and why Kaveh was changing things. He didn't mind explaining – it helped him to think about it a bit more, and he loved to mutter to himself when planning, something he refrained from doing when Alhaitham was about. So, being able to talk aloud made everything a lot easier, especially when he could explain why that idea was stupid and he never should have thought about it in the first place as he rubbed it out.

Eventually, Alhaitham stopped punctuating his monologues with short questions and hums, and Kaveh turned to see that he was sat up straight, arms folded, but eyes closed. Whenever he fell asleep anywhere he wasn't intending to, Alhaitham always looked peaceful and composed, to the point that Kaveh sometimes wondered if he was pretending. He reached over and patted Alhaitham's thigh.

"Haitham." No response. "Haitham, the bed is just over there." He grabbed Alhaitham's thigh and rocked his leg, which finally got a response in the form of an annoyed hum. "Do you need me to carry you to bed?"

He wiped his eyes and looked at the clock before heading to the bathroom as part of his usual night time routine.

"Don't stay up too late," he said once he'd finished.

Kaveh was going to make the most of the luxury while he had it, but he'd realised that sharing a bed with Alhaitham would be much easier if one of them was already asleep when the sharing took place. Once he'd given Alhaitham time to fall asleep again, he'd be carefully climbing in himself. Of course, plans involving sleep were not Kaveh's forte. What was supposed to be 10 more minutes turned into an hour, and he had to be thankful that he was so worn out from the day, otherwise it could have turned into another all-nighter by accident.

Alhaitham had not picked his side strategically in Kaveh's opinion; sure, it was the side nearest to the bathroom, but this meant that when he had laid down and turned his back on Kaveh and the light he'd kept on, he was facing the rest of the bed. Kaveh had hoped they would sleep back-to-back, pretending the other was not there. Unless Alhaitham turned over during the night, the first thing he'd see in the morning was Kaveh's back! That was… Kaveh wished they'd ordered more wine with dinner. It wasn't like he'd never shared a room or a bed with anyone else before, but usually he was a lot less sober, or a lot more interested in being in that position. Finding himself in bed with Alhaitham like this was…unexpected. Truthfully, he'd imagined a much different scenario. One he really shouldn't think about too much if he wanted to get any sleep tonight.

It turned out that having Alhaitham wake up to the sight of him was the least of Kaveh's problems. Instead, he woke with his leg trapped between Alhaitham's (his fault; he moved a lot during the night) and one of Alhaitham's arms over his chest (Alhaitham's fault). As he tried to rescue his leg, he disturbed Alhaitham. The scribe moved and Kaveh quickly retrieved his leg, but now his entire body was being pulled closer as the arm on his chest wrapped around him. His panic at this turn of events did not last long as Alhaitham suddenly froze; he was clearly awake enough to realise something was wrong.

A teal eye cracked open to find Kaveh staring straight at him. Alhaitham carefully removed himself from Kaveh.

"Sorry."

Kaveh laughed nervously. "I'm happy to be your body pillow as payment for a good night's rest in a proper bed." He wished he'd said 'teddy bear' rather than 'body pillow' but he'd been in a rush to say something.

"Is that so?" Alhaitham reached out again, gently placing a hand on Kaveh's waist when he realised there would be no interception or evasion.

Kaveh watched with a mixture of curiosity and nervousness in his eyes, trying to figure out what was going through Alhaitham's head.

In one smooth motion, Alhaitham pulled him close and rolled him so that his back was pressed against that chiselled chest. One hand wrapped around his waist while the other settled over his chest, meanwhile Kaveh had no idea what to do with his own hands – perhaps he should put them together in prayer? He could feel his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest and he had to hope that Alhaitham hadn't noticed.

"I didn't think you liked this sort of thing," Kaveh said to break the tension he felt.

"I've never tried it," Alhaitham said in a tone that gave nothing away. "Seeing as you were offering, I thought I'd see why this was a popular thing to do in those romance novels you enjoy."

"And?" Kaveh asked. "How are you finding it?"

Alhaitham gently massaged the area over Kaveh's heart. "You're playing the part well. Do I make you nervous, Kaveh?"

Kaveh wanted to escape, but hadn't he fantasised about this too? Alhaitham may only be interested in the concept of spooning, but Kaveh was interested in spooning specifically with Alhaitham. "I'm not nervous," he lied, "I'm just surprised at seeing this behaviour from you. I'd suggest that maybe a morning coffee might turn you back into your usual self, who would never suggest getting this close to me, not to speak of the fact we're in skin-to-skin contact."

"I usually wouldn't wake up with someone in my bed I could ask this of. I'm simply taking the opportunities presented to me."

"If you had asked, I could have arranged something."

Alhaitham understood this to mean Kaveh would have offered himself, as he had today. Kaveh had actually meant he would hook Alhaitham up with someone he knew from the tavern who could be paid for such a service (under the assumption that Alhaitham wouldn't ask for Kaveh himself).

"I like it," Alhaitham murmured as he nuzzled his face into Kaveh's neck. He smelt good too; those complimentary lotions found in the bathroom still lingered on his skin.

"Incredible. I think I'll tell the whole Akademiya that the scribe is capable of enjoying physical contact. Perhaps they'll even pay me to write a paper on you."

"Kaveh. Stop ruining the moment."

"What's there to ruin? Are you seriously enjoying this that much?" He'd rather like to ruin it as much as possible; on one hand he wanted to hear how much Alhaitham liked this, but on the other he'd rather not have his heart toyed with.

Alhaitham had been trying to self-reflect, but he didn't know why he thought that would be achievable with Kaveh in his arms. Still, he held on, only wishing he had his earpieces on so that he could block Kaveh's nonsense out. He moved his fingers lightly over Kaveh's skin, thinking about how soft it was. So much softer than his hands, which were calloused from all the drawing and crafting he did. Not that he'd put much thought into Kaveh's hands – their condition was just quite noticeable the few times he'd touched them. Kaveh put a lot of effort into his appearance and that started with a good skincare routine. His bathroom had been overrun with various bottles and tubs since Kaveh moved in. So, it should be no surprise that the skin beneath his fingers felt so smooth and silky.

Kaveh had been halfway through his next complaint when he paused and changed track. "Alhaitham!" Finally, he knew what to do with his hands – put a stop to whatever Alhaitham was doing!

"What? You feel nice."

Thank the archons they were not facing each other – Kaveh could surely beat a tomato in a redness competition right now! Did Alhaitham not realise how strange that sounded? Especially coming from him?

"I – I… I have to get ready for work!" Kaveh declared. "Look at the time! It's a good half-hour walk from here."

Kaveh tried to leave, but Alhaitham's arms held him in place.

"The hotel has transport for hire."

"Fine, then I'll be more blunt and ask that you unhand me, or do you actually expect me to let you touch me however you wish as payment for this luxury?"

Alhaitham let go. "You were the one that said you were happy to be a body pillow."

Kaveh rolled away to the other side of the bed. To safety. "Poor word choices – and can you blame me when they were the first things out of my mouth this morning?"

Alhaitham didn't respond as Kaveh made his escape. Instead he picked up the internal calling system to order his morning coffee and breakfast.

Kaveh was dressed and ready by the time breakfast arrived, not that one would think he was off to work on a building site. As they sat enjoying what seemed like every item on the menu, Alhaitham went over his plans.

"I'll be up in these ruins today, then over to those tomorrow." His finger traced his projected path on the map. "Which should lead me nicely back to Caravan Ribat tomorrow evening. Of course, should I find anything that needs me to return back here for any reason, I'll get word to you."

Kaveh raised a brow. "You'd invite me to stay here again?"

"Would you say no?"

"I'd be a fool to. But if not, then I'll see you back home late on Saturday, possibly Sunday morning."

Alhaitham nodded. "I hope it all goes well."

"Archons, so do I. Stay safe out there."

In the end, Alhaitham had no reason to retrace his steps and meet up with Kaveh again. It was the logical choice to return home, and yet he still found himself trying to come up with a reason to go back as he made his way to Caravan Ribat.

All according to plan, he made it before nightfall. It was a calm, warm evening, and he sat outside the tavern with a bottle of wine and a book he'd borrowed from the owner. It was another novel focused on romance, but he couldn't expect something suited to his tastes to be lying around in a tavern. Besides, the more romance books he read, the more he might understand some things about himself. At least, he hoped to find enlightenment within the pages one day.

"So, this is where you've got to."

Alhaitham had his music playing to drown out the din from the tavern, so he didn't realise he had company until he noticed the person take a seat opposite him.

"What are you doing so far from your desk?" Cyno asked. "I know you like to hide away in secluded corners of the Akademiya, but this is taking it a bit far, isn't it?"

"Have you come to investigate me?" Alhaitham asked.

"No, I'm merely curious. The scribe is said to be a highly private individual, and most people say he follows a strict routine. So, it is very unusual for me to come across said scribe here on a weekday night, and reading…something far from what he is usually seen reading."

Alhaitham had no reason to lie to Cyno, but he also had no reason to tell him anything more than was necessary. "It sounds like you know enough about me already. I would say it's strange to know that much if I'm not under investigation, but I suppose the General Mahamatra is expected to know a little about everyone. People might also tell you that this scribe is extremely efficient, and so I am able to take extra working holidays in which I carry out research not in my job description, but of value to the Akademiya."

"I see. Is the book any good?"

"Passable. I'm simply reading it to uphold my image of being a man with his nose constantly in a book, else I might disappoint you further. Perhaps you'd like to tell me why you're here? Not that I'd take anything you say to be the truth, but I do wonder why you've approached me."

"I am on my way somewhere, but not yet close enough to have to conceal my position. Talking to you here should not be a problem, so I thought I would try and have an informal chat with you, and find out why the papers I left on your desk several days ago are probably still sitting there untouched."

"And I shan't look at them until Friday. If that's all, General, I'd ask that you leave me to find out what Fahima sees in the doctor's foolish son when there are several other characters she should direct her attention to."

Cyno left and Alhaitham reflected on the interaction instead of absorbing the words on the page. Could they really have just spoken as two people meeting by chance? Cyno had tried to steer the conversation away from work, but Alhaitham had brought it right back. How would things have been different if Kaveh had been there? He was much better at making small talk. Alhaitham's eyes drifted to the wine. He probably should have offered Cyno a glass, even if the General Mahamatra was known to refuse alcohol 9 times out of 10 – it was the gesture that counted.

Alhaitham sighed. Thinking about Kaveh again, even when he's not here. Maybe he should have been illogical and gone back out into the desert.

ooo

Saturday passed slowly, and Alhaitham found himself hoping that Kaveh would return that evening rather than the next morning. He enjoyed his time without Kaveh, but he'd had enough of that and would like his annoying housemate back.

When the key turned in the lock, Alhaitham shot to the door like a dog ready to greet its owner, but of course, he had only done this because he knew Kaveh would be laden with luggage from the trip (which Mehrak would do most of the heavy-lifting for, but still).

"I must say, I was disappointed you didn't come back," Kaveh said.

"Unfortunately, I am too thorough."

"Well, fortunate for you – it saved you time and money. A little asshole decided to bite me that evening." Kaveh pulled on his trouser leg so that it rose high enough to show the mark on his ankle.

"You need to build better accommodation then."

Kaveh huffed. "I knew I wouldn't get any sympathy from you."

Alhaitham pushed him onto the sofa and knelt down to inspect Kaveh's ankle. "Have you treated it? It looks like you should have bandaged it."

"It's – don't touch!" Kaveh jerked his foot out of Alhaitham's hand. "It's nothing."

"You were just trying to make me feel bad."

Kaveh shrugged. "Maybe. Did anything of note happen to you after we parted?"

"I met the General Mahamatra."

A worried look crossed Kaveh's features. "You did? By chance, or…?"

Alhaitham nodded. "Apparently so. It was a moment of note, but we didn't talk about anything note-worthy. Did everything go well for you? Apart from being bitten."

Alhaitham finally moved from his kneeling position in front of Kaveh, but all he did was move to the sofa Kaveh was currently occupying. Not back to 'his' sofa opposite, as he usually would. This was odd behaviour, but Kaveh refrained from commenting on it. "Yes, everything has been set in motion. I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that I'll be back out there next month to inspect the completed project."

The opportunity to tell Kaveh that, actually, this information did not please him, was allowed to escape. He simply acknowledged the information and tucked it away for later.

"I'll leave you to unpack." It was getting late; he shouldn't take up more of Kaveh's time, plus he knew that when he returned from trips, he always liked to have time to put things back in order, and assumed Kaveh would appreciate the same.

Kaveh didn't care about unpacking tonight, so he was disappointed that Alhaitham was leaving him so soon. It was late, and Alhaitham's standard bedtime was fast approaching, but Kaveh wished they could have sat together for a little longer. This was one of those rare moments where he could tell that Alhaitham wanted to see him – by tomorrow morning the magic of being apart for several days will have dissipated.

Those were not the last words between them that night, thankfully.

"Is it itchy?" Alhaitham asked, motioning to his ankle.

"It was, but it's subsided now."

Based on that information, Alhaitham handed Kaveh one of the two creams in his hands. "Here. Did you need any help?"

Kaveh couldn't help cocking his head. "With the cream? Or…?" He wasn't so old that he couldn't reach his ankle! But if that wasn't what Alhaitham meant, why didn't he offer to help with unpacking earlier?

Alhaitham realised that it was past his bedtime. The only time he said stupid things was when he was tired. He must be tired now. "Yeah, with anything."

"You'd…do that for me?"

"Yes." He'd offered, foolishly, and he wasn't one to back out.

"Let me get changed." He was not wasting this opportunity to see Alhaitham be weirder than he already was being this evening.

Kaveh returned in a baggy t-shirt and shorts that constituted his nightwear. "Now you can see the other bite too." He turned and pointed to a spot just above the back of his knee, not that it needed pointing to with how big and red the area was.

"Come here, then."

Alhaitham had Kaveh on the sofa, with his foot resting on the scribe's lap. He inspected the bite on Kaveh's ankle, gently circling the area with a finger.

"Did you take any Amurta courses?" Kaveh asked.

"No, but I've travelled enough to know what I'm looking at." Alhaitham never went out unprepared on trips. He was always armed with some sort of insect repellent because he had learned quite early on that insects found him rather tasty, but sometimes even the best prepared people had others poke holes in their plans.

The sound of the tub's lid popping off seemed louder than it should, and Kaveh hoped that was just because he was tired from his trip, and not because he was hyperaware of how Alhaitham was holding his foot still, anticipating the cool feel of the cream any moment now.

He could have watched Alhaitham's fingers making contact with his skin, but he preferred to watch the scribe's face. His expression was focused, but gentle, as he swirled the cream around the bite. His eyes flickered over to Kaveh as he pressed a little harder to rub the cream into the inflamed area, checking to make sure he didn't wince too much.

Moving on, Alhaitham carefully rolled Kaveh onto his front. "Have you seen this bite?"

"Not properly, no." A bite was a bite, and he hadn't been concerned enough to use a mirror to look at it.

"It's a lot worse than the one on your ankle." Alhaitham's finger traced the edges of the red zone around it. "It may be infected."

Kaveh hitched his shoulders in a shrug. "Well, I'm still alive after several days, so I wouldn't worry about it. Besides, it's probably because I scratched it during the night."

This time, Kaveh couldn't see Alhaitham at all as he stared at the arm of the sofa. He felt strange, and he felt like this was something that could only happen now; they were both tired, it was a warm, quiet night, Alhaitham was in a surprisingly good mood. Kaveh felt loved and cared for – this was not something he needed help with, and it wasn't something he'd usually accept help for. But if Alhaitham offered, he wasn't going to reject him.

The cream applied to the bite on the back of his knee brought a lot more relief than the one on his ankle. The skin there was a lot more sensitive, and as Alhaitham's finger rubbed around the edge, ghosting across healthy skin, he could feel goosebumps rising in response. Luckily, he did not have to endure this strange relief/torture for long.

"All done."

Kaveh moved carefully as not to wipe the cream off on the sofa, and he couldn't help but notice that Alhaitham chose to wipe his finger on his own trousers.

"Sleep well, Kaveh," he said as he popped the lid back on the tub.

"Wait, can I have that?" Kaveh asked as he realised Alhaitham was about to walk off with the tub.

"Do you have more bites?"

"The saying goes that things come in threes, and apparently even insects have heard of it."

Alhaitham smiled, finding the sentiment funny. "I might as well treat the last one too."

"No, no need. It's, um, in a harder-to-reach area."

"All the more reason I should help."

Kaveh wondered if Alhaitham would back out once he knew where the bite was. He stood up and traced a finger up the back of his thigh until he could feel the lump under his shorts. It was right at the top of his thigh, dangerously close to the crease that separated his leg and his genitals. "Here."

To Kaveh's surprise, Alhaitham pulled him back onto the sofa, face down again. Kaveh grabbed a cushion this time, suspecting he might need to hide his face in it shortly. Alhaitham very carefully rolled the fabric of his shorts up, but he still needed to pull the fabric out of the way due to the position.

The sound of the tub was enticing again and Kaveh found that he was biting his bottom lip in anticipation this time. He couldn't believe Alhaitham agreed to touch him there, but he guessed that this was clinical to the scribe, nothing more. Kaveh found himself wishing that Alhaitham would try to cop a feel, but the finger and thumb holding the fabric away did not seem to care that they were technically touching his ass cheek.

When the cream hit his skin, he couldn't help but tense at the sensation.

Alhaitham hummed. "It looks like you scratched this one until it bled. Is the cream stinging?"

"A little." Maybe it did sting, maybe it was the sudden coolness in a place that was much warmer than the other two places treated, or maybe it was simply a place he wasn't used to being touched like this.

As Alhaitham worked the cream into his skin, Kaveh felt tingly. It felt really nice.

"Stop," Kaveh requested, and Alhaitham's finger disappeared.

"Did it hurt?"

"No, but that one is still a bit itchy and the way you were rubbing it was making it worse."

Alhaitham sighed. "Why didn't you say so? I would have put the one with antihistamine on."

"Oh, well, if I could take both of them in case I feel the need to re-apply during the night…" Kaveh got up carefully, one leg of his shorts still rolled up.

Alhaitham handed him both tubs, but this time he had the control not to offer more of his services.

"Thank you, Haitham, I appreciate the help. Goodnight!"

Kaveh left to go back to his room, hoping that he didn't move too fast. That had been one of the weirdest experiences he'd had with Alhaitham – and he thought it'd be hard to top the stay at the hotel that included the bed sharing and morning spooning session! He wondered if Alhaitham felt the same as he did about these moments, or if he would never think about them again.

Kaveh was going to think about them a lot. He was going to think about how calmly Alhaitham had offered, and how easily he touched Kaveh. There hadn't seemed to be any hesitation. Was all of this so natural to him?

Alhaitham found himself lying awake with as many thoughts about Kaveh as Kaveh had of him. He had accidentally walked into that weird situation, one that Kaveh easily could have made fun of him for. Why hadn't Kaveh called him an idiot for suggesting he needed help with something like that? Why had Kaveh accepted his help? Hadn't he disliked the cuddling in the hotel when Alhaitham had touched him beyond the basic embrace? And hadn't he yanked his foot away just minutes before?

He ran a hand through his hair. Those were pretty mixed signals. But he was glad Kaveh let him do that. It made him feel like Kaveh really did trust him, that he could let his guard down around him. He smiled to himself; he was glad that Kaveh had made it home tonight, and that he would be there in the morning.

A/N: I'd like to thank that asshole bug that crawled up my pyjama trouser leg that one time and bit me from my ankle to my ass for inspiring this chapter. Kaveh got off lightly with only 3 bites.