Archive of Our Own ^beta

Kaveh knows Alhaitham is deaf.

He’s always been an observant person. With his observations, he often takes action because that’s simply what he believes is right.

He notices when a client isn’t satisfied with his work based simply on their facial expressions and he will tweak the blueprint until they stop frowning. He notices when a woman is uncomfortable talking to a man while he’s waiting for his drink at the tavern. He will easily go up to her, pretend that she’s his sister, and smoothly lead her away from the man.

He notices that Alhaitham is deaf.

There’s a lot of clues he began to notice when they started living together. He presses a button on his hearing aids, turning them on, whenever Kaveh walks into the room. Sometimes, when Kaveh’s talking quietly, he will look lost for a second before turning up a dial that must increase the volume that he can hear. When he doesn’t have his hearing aids on and Kaveh’s speaking, Alhaitham will often stare at his lips to read them.

But unlike other instances, Kaveh doesn’t take any action. He simply chooses not to.

He’s seen it–the way people treat him when they find out that he’s deaf. They will intentionally speak louder and slower, making Alhaitham flinch and turn down the dial on his hearing aids. Sometimes they will stare at him in pity and try to offer him a free trip to Bimarstan to try to find a cure.

There is no cure. Kaveh knows that and so does Alhaitham.

One time, when a man found out that he was deaf, contrary to his previous professional conversations he shared with Alhaitham, he began talking to him like he was a child who’s just learned how to talk.

It’s funny, the way Alhaitham would glance at Kaveh. Kaveh would glance back. They would smirk in sync. That is one of the rare moments that they share a common thought: Can you believe this guy?

Therefore, Kaveh doesn’t take action about this particular observation, purely because he doesn’t see Alhaitham any differently. Deaf or not, he is still Alhaitham. He is still the man who makes snarky responses whenever Kaveh’s bothered by a piece of furniture he brought home. He is still the man who chooses to ignore him, even if his hearing aids are on and he can hear perfectly clearly. He speaks to Alhaitham normally–quietly sometimes, and at a normal pace–because he trusts in Alhaitham to follow his words.

There is a point, in their time of being roommates, that Alhaitham began to stop wearing his hearing aids as frequently. When they first started living together, he always had them on. But, as they grew more and more comfortable with each other, Alhaitham began to wear his hearing aids less and less. In fact, it became so rare that Kaveh only sees him wear them when he’s leaving the house.

Of course, this doesn’t really have much effect, since Alhaitham can read Kaveh’s lips quite easily. It’s just like everyday life, just without Alhaitham noticing that Kaveh accidentally dropped and shattered a plate.

He does notice a missing plate eventually though.

Kaveh taps Alhaitham’s shoulder, grabbing his attention. “Is there a reason?” He asks. He points to his own ear to signal to him what he’s talking about.

Alhaitham’s eyes flicker to his lips. Immediately, he understands what he’s referring to. “To ignore you.”

Kaveh scoffs and crosses his arms over his chest. “You cannot be real. Isn’t it better to have them on? So you can hear?” His voice stutters at the end. He hasn’t had much time researching due to the recent influx of projects so he’s afraid he might’ve asked an ingenuine question.

But Alhaitham simply shakes his head with no malice.

“I can’t have it on for long.” His words are slightly slurred. That’s simply what happens when he can’t hear his own voice. Kaveh doesn’t pay it any mind. “My head starts hurting.”

“Oh.” Kaveh’s eyebrows raise. “I didn’t know that.”

“Well now you do.”

Kaveh winces. “It’s not because of my voice, is it?” He speaks a little too fast this time, his words accidentally jumbling together with nervousness.

Alhaitham stares at his lips for a second and then tilts his head like a curious cat. “Can you… repeat that?” He looks a bit embarrassed, making Kaveh’s heart sting.

“Sorry.” He speaks at a normal pace this time. “Is it because of my voice? That it gives you a headache?”

Now, Alhaitham understands. He shakes his head honestly.

“Anything but your voice gives me a headache.”

Kaveh’s eyes widen and he feels his cheeks flush. He’s aware that his voice can be quite loud. But Alhaitham, his roommate who often complains about anything he says, just admitted that his voice doesn’t bother him? He’s surely joking.

“Oh, I– I thought it was because of me. We live together after all. So I–” Kaveh pauses. He notices the way Alhaitham’s eyebrows furrow in concentration as he stares straight at Kaveh’s lips. There’s a small frown as his mind works to form words based on just the way Kaveh’s lips move. Kaveh suddenly feels a pang of guilt.

Maybe this can cause him a headache too. Even with his hearing aids off.

Kaveh abruptly gets up. “Nevermind,” he tells Alhaitham. “Dinner’s on me today.”

It’s after that particular moment, that Kaveh changes his mind and decides to take action. It’s never crossed his mind just how hard Alhaitham must try to keep up a conversation with him without his hearing aids. Sure, he can read lips. But does he ever get tired of it? And what if he eventually grows tired of his voice?

Not to mention, that look of embarrassment when Alhaitham didn’t understand him at first. Oh, that made Kaveh’s chest hurt a lot more than he thought it would.

Though, he doesn’t decide to take action in the way that other people do–like talking incredibly slow or incredibly loud (or both at the same time).

He does it in the way that he knows Alhaitham is most familiar with.

Learning sign language.

Alhaitham knows sign language. This is not an observation. He simply stated it once as a way to brag about the amount of languages he knows. Kaveh simply brushed it off at that time, too focused on winning the argument. But, he’s come to realize that Alhaitham is most fluent in sign language. He understands it very well.

If he can learn sign language, he can still communicate with Alhaitham, without the additional headache of reading lips or his own voice. It shouldn’t be too hard.

At least that’s what he thinks.

Currently, he sits in the House of Daena, surrounded by plenty of thick books on sign language. Making the signs are easy enough. It’s just memorizing them–remembering what signs to use to portray his thoughts that’s challenging. Still, Kaveh’s never one to give up.

Everytime he has even a single ounce of free time, Kaveh goes to the House of Daena to practice his sign language. He doesn’t pay attention to any passing students nearby, wondering why the renowned architect, the Light of Kshahrewar, is suddenly learning how to say “I’m happy” with his hands with an ironically concentrated frown on his face

“I’ve never seen you work this hard since you were a student,” Tighnari says once when he walked by to drop off a report from Collei who forgot to turn it in.

Kaveh looks up and makes a sign with his hands.

“Shut up.”

Tighnari raises his eyebrow. “Wow.”

“You understood it, right?” Kaveh asks unsurely, knowing that he knows a decent amount of sign language already.

Tighnari chuckles. “Yes, Kaveh.” He puts a hand on his hip. “Just surprised that shut up is one of the first phrases you learned.”

“It’s for Alhaitham.” Kaveh narrows his eyes.

“Understandable.”

Kaveh’s favorite sentence he’s learned so far is an odd one. Well, not odd in the way that it’s a weird thing to say. It’s just so… ordinary.

Are you hungry?

Despite their constant arguments and frustrated complaints about each other, they are still friends and roommates. And that means asking each other if they’ve eaten yet, both often preoccupied with work. To ask Alhaitham if he’s hungry takes many forms. It’s a form of apology for accidentally snapping at him. It’s a form of care when he can tell that he’s stressed. It’s a form of… affection.

But Kaveh won’t think too much about that last part.

Kaveh walks into Alhaitham’s bedroom. He’s lying on his bed, his arm thrown over his head as his eyes are closed. Sometimes, he reminds Kaveh much like a cat, bathing in the sun. Kaveh walks closer, his heart thumping. He’s not sure if it’s because he’s nervous that he’s going to try sign language in front of him for the first time or if it’s because Alhaitham is a very, very attractive man.

Kaveh’s always known this. He’s tall with an obnoxiously muscular build. His eyes are downturned yet his gaze is piercing. His nose is… Kaveh never knew he could find someone’s nose attractive yet here he is. He has thick eyebrows and nice looking lips. Alhaitham has a unique face and Kaveh sometimes finds himself blushing at the thought of his rare and small smile.

Kaveh also knows that he’s not sleeping. Therefore, he taps Alhaitham, making him blink his eyes open. He’s wearing his hearing aids now.

Of all times? Kaveh huffs. He wants to try the sentence that he’s most confident in.

“What?” Alhaitham says, his voice slightly gruff from grogginess.

Kaveh hesitates for a moment. He shifts awkwardly on his feet.

“I–” He stops himself. He shouldn’t be talking right now.

“Kaveh?”

Kaveh breathes out shakily. Slowly, he brings his hands up and begins to sign unsurely.

“Are you hungry?”

Alhaitham stares at his hands, his eyes slowly widening. His lips part and he looks up at Kaveh with a newfound wonder and fondness.

Naturally, his hand comes up and he signs back to Kaveh.

“No.”

Kaveh blushes. “Oh.” He had planned out a whole conversation, asking what food he would want and everything. He didn’t take into account that Alhaitham might not be hungry. Now, he doesn’t know what else to sign.

“Sorry,” Kaveh signs. Clearly embarrassed, he turns to walk away. At least he tried.

But then, he feels a warm hand close around his wrist, turning him around to face him. “Wait,” Alhaitham’s voice calls out. “You never told me you knew sign language.”

Kaveh stutters and avoids eye contact. “I don’t. I just started learning.”

Alhaitham’s eyebrows raised. “For what?”

“For you, obviously,” Kaveh mumbles. His palms are starting to feel sweaty. This is mortifying. He must have failed and Alhaitham will make fun of him for doing so.

“Why?” Alhaitham tugs on his arm, forcing Kaveh to sit next to him on his bed. “You know I can read lips.” How… odd. Alhaitham never lets him sleep, nevertheless even sit on his bed. Did something change?

Kaveh shrugs, his neck feeling warm now. “I– I didn’t want you to keep reading lips. I thought I should at least put more effort in communicating with you. Also… maybe my voice can be a bit bothering…”

Alhaitham stares in astonishment before schooling his face back to a neutral expression. Then, he reaches up and takes off his hearing aids.

“Sign something for me,” he says. His voice always grows incredibly quiet and calm when he has his hearing aids off. It’s an odd change of pace but Kaveh kind of enjoys the soft version of his voice. It’s soothing.

Kaveh sighs and he thinks for a moment.

“I am your roommate.”

His hands move shakily, nervously.

Alhaitham watches intently before nodding. He waves his hand in front of Kaveh to grab his attention. He signs something that Kaveh doesn’t fully understand.

“You’re …?”

Kaveh stares with confusion.

“What?” He tilts his head.

“Wrong,” Alhaitham says quietly. “You’re wrong.”

Kaveh bites his lip and whips his head to the side. There’s no way he can face him now. He knew he would mess up. He knew he would make a fool of hims–

Alhaitham suddenly grabs his hand, making Kaveh face him again.

“It’s okay,” he signs.

Kaveh rolls his eyes. But then, to his surprise, Alhaitham grabs his other hand. He puts Kaveh’s hands together and begins adjusting his fingers carefully.

Kaveh observes carefully. Ah. He did the roommate sign wrong. And Alhaitham’s correcting him. In the most gentle way possible. He’s so used to Alhaitham making fun of his every mistake. Yet right now, he is patient.

“Roommate,” Alhaitham explains quietly, his voice soft. Then, he lets go of his hands with a small smile.“I’m not hungry.” He signs slowly so that Kaveh can understand. “I can teach you now.”

Kaveh exhales in both surprise and relief.

“O-K.”

He spells out. Alhaitham stares at his hands before chuckling. He reaches over to put his hearing aids back on.

Kaveh frowns. “What’s so funny? Did I mess up again?”

“No,” Alhaitham bluntly replies. “It’s just cute.”

Kaveh’s mouth drops open. No single word or sign can embody the weird feeling in his chest that appears when Alhaitham says that.

Alhaitham is being weird. Him teaching others is not out of the ordinary. Kaveh’s seen the way he will willingly read books to young kids visiting the Akademiya—an endearing sight he must admit. But him being sweet? That’s weird.

He’s only really like this when he’s teaching Kaveh sign language. Outside of their lessons, Alhaitham’s still the exact same—deriving happiness and amusement from making Kaveh angry. But it still throws Kaveh off anyway.

He never gets mad when Kaveh makes a mistake. Instead, he will gently take his hands and correct them into the right sign, always quietly mumbling the meaning with his ever soft voice.

When Kaveh gets frustrated, Alhaitham always signs the same exact thing,

“It’s okay.”

It’s so odd yet Kaveh can’t find it in himself to complain. In fact, he quite likes it when Alhaitham gives him that soft smile when Kaveh successfully signs a full sentence.

It doesn’t help that Alhaitham never wears his hearing aids when he’s teaching Kaveh. Kaveh’s begun to horrifingly find it cute when Alhaitham talks in that quiet and slightly unsure voice. And, with his hearing aids off, that means that his eyes intently catch his every move, observant and nerve-wracking.

“I think… you are cool.”

Alhaitham stares at Kaveh’s hands closely before nodding. He signs back, faster now that Kaveh’s gained a bit more confidence.

“You never say that when we talk normally.”

Kaveh scoffs. “I am practicing. I don’t actually mean it.”

Alhaitham smirks. “Really?”

“Yes. Teach me another word please.”

Alhaitham’s hands fall into his lap as he thinks of something new. Kaveh clears his throat and looks away. It takes a while for it to hit him how domestic this looks—both of them facing each other, cross-legged on Alhaitham’s bed.

Then, Alhaitham taps Kaveh and signs something new. Kaveh looks curiously and tilts his head.

“Guess,” Alhaitham whispers, repeating the sign again.

Kaveh narrows his eyes. Then he shakes his head.

“Hint,” he signs.

Alhaitham sighs and rolls his eyes playfully. Then, he says, “longing.”

Kaveh’s eyebrows furrow. “I don’t know.”

Alhaitham smiles. Yet again, he remains patient with Kaveh. To think that just an hour ago, he was nagging at Kaveh for forgetting to do the dishes…

“Sentence.” Alhaitham waves a hand in front of Kaveh, grabbing his attention again.

He points at himself.

“I…”

Then he does that unfamiliar sign again.

“…?”

And finally, he points at Kaveh.

“…you.”

Kaveh gulps. He thinks hard this time. Longing… Then he inhales and he feels his cheeks go red. He nods at Alhaitham to signal that he understands.

“Miss,” Alhaitham confirms. “I miss you.”

Kaveh blinks and he suddenly feels the need to crawl in a hole from embarrassment.

His hands shake slightly as he signs, “Do you mean it?”

And this time, Alhaitham only replies with a mere shrug.

The two of them continue to practice together. Kaveh can tell that Alhaitham’s enjoying this. He finally gets the chance to communicate with someone in the way he knows best. He’s started to see Alhaitham smile more and more–a truly rare but pleasant sight.

Often times, their work schedules don’t match up. So, the only time that Alhaitham can teach Kaveh is late at night, when they’re both off work. Even then, Kaveh is determined. He will keep pestering Alhaitham to teach him more until he eventually groans and flops back onto his bed, signing towards the ceiling, “I’m tired. Please continue tomorrow.”

Kaveh will comply, of course, getting off of Alhaitham’s bed. But just before Alhaitham falls asleep, he always signs just one more thing.

“Sweet dreams. Thank you.”

Alhaitham will glance at him before humming with a satisfied smile, his eyes shutting closed immediately after.

There was one time, when Kaveh realized the fact that Alhaitham might just like his voice. A little bit. Maybe more than that. Kaveh doesn’t really know.

Alhaitham was having a bad day, stressed from the sudden influx of requests to go through. They were working quietly just in the living room, Alhaitham already with his hearing aids off.

But then, Kaveh hears a quiet yet frustrated sigh.

He looks up to see Alhaitham reaching over to put his hearing aids on. Alhaitham then looks up and signs to him.

“Say something.”

Kaveh tilts his head.

“Hello,” he signs.

Alhaitham frowns and shakes his head. He points to his lips and opens his mouth slightly.

Kaveh stares before realizing. “Oh,” he says, outloud this time. No wonder he put his hearing aids on. “What do you want me to say?”

But even with such a simple question, Kaveh can see how Alhaitham visibly relaxes as soon as he starts talking. He even turns up the dial on his hearing aids. Kaveh stares, flustered beyond relief.

“Uh…” His cheeks redden. “Did you just want to hear my voice?”

Alhaitham hesitates before nodding. Then, he pulls his hearing aids back off and continues his work, his facial features less tense than before.

Kaveh ogles at the man before clearing his throat and turning back to his own work.

“I’m going to test you.” Alhaitham appears in the room.

Kaveh jolts. “What?” He exclaims in surprise. “What do you mean test me? This isn’t school you know. You taught me on your own volition,” he grumbles. Yet even with his series of complaints, he still pads over to where Alhaitham sits on the divan.

“Why get so worked up?” Alhaitham raises an eyebrow. “I thought you would be confident by now.” He reaches up to take off his hearing aids, setting them to the side, forcing Kaveh to begin using sign language.

“I am!” Kaveh furrows his eyebrows to really portray his frustration. “But I’m going to mess up.”

Alhaitham shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”

Kaveh rolls his eyes as he tucks a stray piece of hair behind his ear. He doesn’t quite notice the way Alhaitham stares a little too long at his face.

“What are you testing me about?”

Alhaitham reaches over and grabs a piece of paper and a pen. He momentarily writes something down. Except, when he turns it over, Kaveh winces at the paragraph that appears before him. He knows that Alhaitham’s the Akademiya scribe but he severely underestimated how fast he can write.

He reads over the words. It seems to be a simple excerpt from one of the books Alhaitham once read.

“Sign it,” Alhaitham mutters, staring at Kaveh expectantly.

Kaveh pouts but does so anyway. He’s slow, yes, he knows. But at least he can have a conversation and use many more words than he once knew when he began learning. His hands move a bit awkwardly and hesitantly but when he peers up at Alhaitham, he can tell that he understands perfectly.

But then, the sentences shift into… something else as he goes further down the passage. Now, it’s certainly not an excerpt from a book. The sentences he’s signing are much too romantic for a book that Alhaitham would read. Then what exactly is this?

“I like being with you.”

He pauses, biting his lip with growing confusion.

“Sometimes, I can be rude. I don’t mean it.”

Kaveh’s heart thumps, his hands forming each sentence.

“I like hearing you. Even when I can’t all the time.”

Kaveh glances up and Alhaitham’s eyes are trained on his hands, a certain glow and interest in his eyes.

“Thank you for learning sign language for me.”

The passage comes to an end, but Kaveh’s flushed cheeks don’t. His hands fall to his lap as he looks back to Alhaitham. At the sight, Kaveh gasps.

Alhaitham is embarrassed.

He’s looking away from Kaveh, focused more on the basket of fruit nearby. With his hearing aids off, Kaveh can see the red tint of his ears. He can even see the way Alhaitham’s features quiver nervously as he plays with his own hands.

Kaveh taps Alhaitham, his eyes wide and curious.

Alhaitham refuses to look. He even lets out a small whine in protest, making Kaveh’s eyes soften. Alhaitham has a habit of accidentally letting out small sounds when he has his hearing aids off. He never realizes and Kaveh doesn’t tell him, thinking it’s kind of cute.

Still, Kaveh sighs, before cupping Alhaitham’s cheeks and forcing him to look back at him.

“This is your test?” He smiles. “Or is this a thank you?”

Alhaitham huffs, flustered. “Neither. Now get out.”

Kaveh shakes his head and crosses his arms over his chest, signalling a strong “no.”

Alhaitham groans in response.

Kaveh giggles. “Did I do good?”

Alhaitham nods slowly, a small yet proud smile on his face. “Yes. Perfect.”

“Good. So are you going to explain what I just signed now?”

Alhaitham glares. “No.”

Kaveh curses, running a hand through his hair. “Why do I even try?” He mumbles to himself. He freezes just then, realizing that Alhaitham can still read his lips. “Please?” He tries once again, batting his eyes.

Alhaitham lets out a laugh. “I don’t understand,” he teases. “Sign.”

Kaveh scowls, knowing very well that Alhaitham can understand. He reads lips all the time. He just chooses to be petty.

Still, he begins to sign anyway.

“I’m just wondering.” He pauses. “If you like that I’m learning sign language for you.”

Alhaitham raises an eyebrow. Then, he signs, “yes, I like it.” But, the way he did it, Kaveh thinks he meant more of an, “isn’t it obvious?”

“Okay. So does that mean ‘thank you?’” Kaveh looks at him hopefully. Today is the day. It is the day that Alhaitham will finally, directly, thank him for spending so much time learning sign language for him.

“No. It means that I can’t ignore you anymore. It’s quite a pity.” Alhaitham’s lips tilt up into a teasing smile.

Kaveh’s eye twitches. He juts his pointer finger straight to Alhaitham’s chest, though he doesn’t flinch. “You…!” He scowls before he gets up and stalks out of the room. He must cool off before he starts arguing with Alhaitham. He doesn’t know enough sign language for that sort of situation.

“I’m going to get something,” he lies. “I’ll be back.” Quickly, he finds Mehrak in another room and he begins ranting to the poor thing.

“Why can’t he just say ‘thank you?’” He protests, his hands thrown up into the air. “I spend all this time learning for him and he refuses to say thank you! He confuses me so much, Mehrak. I can’t stand him! Not to mention he still wants to ignore me?” He growls.

Kaveh doesn’t notice Alhaitham who followed him, leaning against the doorway, watching him rant with a small smile on his face. Mehrak peeks over to him and blinks before turning back to Kaveh, making various beeps and noises to try to warn him. Alhaitham’s smile grows at the sight and he has to bring the back of his hand up to his face to cover it.

“I need a reminder of why we’re even still friends…” Kaveh continues, still oblivious. “Anyway… I’m glad, actually, that he can’t keep ignoring me without his hearing aids anymore and I’m going to tell him that as soon as I walk back into that room! He still needs to clean the dishes, and the books, and the–”

Kaveh hears a quiet laugh from behind him and he whips around only to find Alhaitham watching him with a fond expression. He pauses and he feels his cheeks burst into flames.

“How– how long were you listening for? And since when did you have your hearing aids on?”

Now it’s Alhaitham’s turn to startle, his hands coming up to cover his hearing aids in a failed attempt to hide them. But alas, he eventually lets out a defeated sigh. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.”

Kaveh gives him a skeptical gaze. “...why?”

Alhaitham bites his lip slightly. “...I don’t want to say.”

Kaveh shifts closer and Alhaitham backs away nervously. The door behind him closes and it seems that Kaveh’s now trapped Alhaitham against the hard wood of it. The blonde only smiles wider. “No, I think I should know. So please tell me.”

Alhaitham shakes his head. His eyes glance down to the minimal distance between their bodies. “You’re making a fuss, Kaveh. I wear my hearing aids most of the time either way.”

“Hmph.” Kaveh steps closer. “But that’s only when you’re out of the house. So why choose to listen to my voice here even when I’m complaining about you?” Kaveh asks, tilting his head curiously. “I thought you’d choose to ignore me by now.”

Alhaitham shuts his eyes. “Just because.”

“Being a little vague there, Scribe Alhaitham.”

“I just…” Alhaitham sighs. “I just really like your voice.”

Kaveh’s taken aback. He jerks and he backs away. He feels a pounding feeling in his chest–one that Kaveh hates to admit is not a new thing when he’s around his roommate.

“What?” Kaveh’s voice shakes. He was just nagging at Alhaitham… yet he chose to hear his voice anyway because he liked it? Kaveh thought Alhaitham was joking all this time.

“Happy?” Alhaitham’s eyes dart away. He makes a move to walk away but Kaveh’s quick to grab his arm and keep him in place.

“Wait.” Kaveh furrows his eyebrows. “I don’t understand. You said that your head starts hurting when you have your hearing aids on because of all the sounds. My voice doesn’t have that same effect?”

“Haven’t I explained this before?” Alhaitham looks at him earnestly. “Many things bother me. The scratch of a pencil, the constant ticking of the clock, other people talking. But it’s your voice that I don’t mind.” And this time, it’s not Kaveh who tucks that same stray hair behind his ear. It’s Alhaitham, his hand tenderly coming up to the side of his face to push it away. “I just like your voice, Kaveh.”

Kaveh feels himself go dizzy. They’re standing so close but it doesn’t seem close enough. He finds himself chasing after Alhaitham’s warmth as he tries to wrap his head around his words. Alhaitham likes his voice. He only wears his hearing aids just to hear his voice.

“You’re confusing me,” Kaveh signs with a shaky breath.

Alhaitham’s eyes soften.

“What’s so confusing?”

“Everything.”

Alhaitham smiles at that, his hand moving to cup Kaveh’s jaw. His thumb caresses his skin lightly, making Kaveh feel like his face is lit on fire.

“Why won’t you talk?” Alhaitham finally asks, eyeing Kaveh’s hands. “I can hear you now, you know.”

“It makes me nervous.” Kaveh flushes. “You always look at me like that when I talk. And now I know why.”

Just then, Kaveh expects Alhaitham to tease him or push him further. But instead, Alhaitham’s hand leaves his cheek, causing a shiver down his spine, as he takes his hearing aids off.

“Better?” He raises an eyebrow with a tilted smile.

Kaveh’s chest lightens and he nods his head. “Yes. Are you hungry? What do you want for dinner?” But then, his hands grow weak and his lips part as he looks at Alhaitham closely. “Why are you still looking at me like that?”

And it’s true–Alhaitham is still looking at Kaveh just the same. His eyes are soft and his gaze is admiring as he watches Kaveh’s every move. There’s a fondness in his expression that makes Kaveh feel like he’s going insane.

Then, Alhaitham speaks softly.

“Do you think I only look at you like this when you’re talking?”

Kaveh’s breath hitches.

“What do you mean?”

“I look at you like this because you exist and you’re here with me.”

“Shut up.” Kaveh’s chest burns. “You’re being weird.” And even with such an insult, Alhaitham’s expression does not falter. Kaveh doesn’t know what to do. He feels like he’s falling but floating at the same time, unable to make sense of his feelings or Alhaitham’s.

Their relationship is not normal. It’s changed ever since Kaveh began learning sign language. All the longing gazes, the sweet smiles exchanged, that one time that Kaveh fell asleep with Alhaitham in his bed–they’re becoming something more than just roommates or friends.

“I’m not,” Alhaitham signs. Then he pauses and reaches forward for Kaveh’s hand, interrupting whatever he was going to say. “And I…” He stumbles over his words. Kaveh nods quietly in encouragement. “I really did mean to say thank you. I’m sorry for being rude earlier. Thank you for learning for me,” he speaks quietly, bringing Kaveh’s wrist up to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss there. Then, he mumbles something incoherent and turns away, his ears taking on a bright red now. “I’ll go make dinner today.”

Kaveh’s breath stutters.

After what Alhaitham said, Kaveh’s become more aware of everything regarding the man. He’s somehow learned the time that he wakes up every morning and how much sugar he adds to his coffee. He’s started to acknowledge the small glances that Alhaitham gives him that he’s sure he’s never noticed until now. Whenever he speaks outloud, he peeks to see if Alhaitham puts his hearing aids on.

And he always does.

In fact, Kaveh finds it sort of endearing, the way Alhaitham does it. No matter how insignificant the matter is, when Kaveh ever so opens his mouth slightly, Alhaitham will scramble to put his hearing aids on.

Alhaitham can read lips, yet he chooses to listen to Kaveh.

Of course, this is only when Alhaitham’s not teaching Kaveh sign language. When he is, he refuses to put them on to force Kaveh to practice. But still, it irks Kaveh just how eager Alhaitham is at times, just to hear his voice.

One time, when they were just relaxing on the divan together, Kaveh was about to ask about the broken light with sign language when he noticed Alhaitham already reaching for his hearing aids out of habit. He lurched forward and grabbed Alhaitham’s hands, preventing him from putting them on. He pouts, making Alhaitham’s eyes soften.

“I learned sign language for you but you still want to use your hearing aids to hear my voice?” Kaveh furrows his eyebrows, angrily. Alhaitham still doesn’t quite take him seriously. “What happened to ignoring me?”

Alhaitham lets out a whine-like noise. Kaveh bites back a small smile. “Why? Let me hear your voice.”

Kaveh shakes his head. “No. You’ll keep getting a headache.”

“How many times must I tell you that your voice doesn’t give me a headache?”

Kaveh’s stuck at that. He really doesn’t know what to say. His hands stutter.

“But– what about all my hard work? I learned sign language for you.”

Alhaitham’s features soften even more. “And I appreciate that. But sometimes, my head hurts because I don’t hear your voice for a long time. There must be a balance.”

Kaveh falters at that, his face beginning to burn. “But I…” His hands fall down, at a loss of what to say. Then he exaggerates a sigh to show just how annoyed he is with Alhaitham before signing, “fine. But only for a bit. You’re not done teaching me.”

Alhaitham brightens and reaches forward excitedly to put his hearing aids back on.

Kaveh clears his throat. “So… what– what do you want me to say?” He mumbles. He becomes further embarrassed when he notices the way Alhaitham visibly softens at the sound of his voice.

Alhaitham tilts his head adorably. “Anything you want.”

“Well, I–” Kaveh looks away, his cheeks flushed. “I could tell you about my day?”

“Sure.” Alhaitham shifts over so that he’s sitting right next to Kaveh.

“I mean, there isn’t much that happened today,” Kaveh breathes with a laugh. “I met Cyno. Though, it was entirely on accident. He found out I learned sign language and he told me a joke with it.” Kaveh’s too engrossed in his story to notice Alhaitham shifting even closer. “It was horrible. I mean– it was just so bad. I never knew a joke could be so bad.”

Kaveh’s eyes dart to where Alhaitham moves even closer to his body. He tries not to pay it any mind.

“Oh! But, I did find some fresh fruits at the market! Ridiculously expensive but…” Kaveh’s breath hitches and his eyes shoot open. His hands hang midair as he processes the fact that there are now two strong arms wrapped around his waist. He looks down, only to find himself facing a gray tuft of hair.

Alhaitham is hugging him.

And, he’s not only hugging him, but he’s also pressing the side of his head straight to Kaveh’s chest.

“Al–Alhaitham…” Kaveh stutters, his hands falling to his sides. He’s not sure what to really do with them. Wrap his own arms around Alhaitham? Push him off?

He doesn’t really want to do that second option.

Instead, he slowly sits back, allowing Alhaitham to nuzzle closer against his chest.

“Keep talking,” Alhaitham whispers.

“I…” Kaveh shuts his eyes and looks up to the ceiling. He’s practically begging for mercy. There is no way this is at all normal for roommates. Roommates who used to bicker every second of the day. Alhaitham’s body is warm and the weight of it is grounding against Kaveh’s. And although the hearing aid that Alhaitham’s pressing against his chest digs into his skin, Kaveh doesn’t mind. Instead, he tentatively brings a hand to Alhaitham’s back, laying it against his strong muscles.

Then, he begins talking once again. “I was thinking of using the fruits to make a sort of… dessert? If you pour melted sugar over it and let it cool, it becomes almost like a candy.” Alhaitham hums fondly as he listens.

“And… hm…” Kaveh hums, just to see what Alhaitham will do. And just as he suspected, the more vibration that resonates through his chest, the more Alhaitham will press against him.

He pauses.

“Alhaitham,” he says quietly. And still, Alhaitham will press further, seeking the vibration of Kaveh’s chest. “I don’t have anything else to talk about.” He peeks down, only to find Alhaitham’s eyes are blissfully closed.

“You always have something to talk about,” Alhaitham responds. “That’s how I found you at the tavern that one day.”

“Yes but–” Kaveh groans. “I don’t know what to say in this particular situation. Am I not supposed to mention the fact that you’re hugging me and pressing against my chest right now?”

Alhaitham laughs. “You can mention it.”

“Then–” Kaveh huffs. “Why?” His voice is quiet at the end.

Alhaitham pulls away. Of course, he still has a straight face on, even after pulling something like this. But then, to his surprise, he slips his hearing aids off. Kaveh watches as he sets them aside, leans back in, and presses–now, his ear–to Kaveh’s chest.

“Say something.”

Kaveh’s cheeks redden. “Something.”

Alhaitham looks up with an awed look. Then, he goes to explain, “though I am deaf, I can still feel vibrations. So even without my hearing aids, I can feel that you’re talking.” Then, he shifts to sign language as he sits back up. “My grandmother used to let me lay on her chest just so I can feel her talk, even though I don’t always know what she’s talking about.”

Kaveh’s lip quivers as he listens. “Does it… make you feel good?”

Alhaitham nods slowly.

“I know you learned sign language so I can understand you.” He looks at Kaveh with a soft gaze. “But I don’t always have to understand you. I can just be with you. That’s enough too.”

Kaveh bites his lip. He feels tears well in his eyes.

For all the years that he’s known Alhaitham, he never knew just how much he meant to him. In fact, it’s even taken him a while to come to terms that Alhaitham doesn’t hate him. The few years that they’ve spent living together, he was so convinced that he argued with him out of spite. But at some point, he began to realize he did it because he enjoyed doing it with Kaveh, and only Kaveh.

But to come to terms that Alhaitham wants to be with him? That’s different. There are definitely hints, like how Alhaitham cares for him when he’s sick, how he lingers around Kaveh when he’s had a bad day, and much much more.

But nothing can compare to this. This… this is confirmation.

Confirmation that Kaveh’s never quite gotten before.

“I enjoy being with you too.” Kaveh smiles. “I’m glad that you chose to teach me.”

Alhaitham gives him a smile back. Then, he asks Kaveh, “Do you know this word?” He proceeds to sign something that Kaveh doesn’t understand.

Kaveh shakes his head.

Alhaitham signs, “guess.”

Kaveh scowls and immediately asks, “hint,” just like he always does.

Alhaitham scrunches his nose. Then, he says something that baffles Kaveh even more.

“You.”

“Me?” Kaveh points to himself.

“Yes.” Alhaitham repeats the sign once again.

This time, Kaveh’s stumped. The word seems to be describing himself. But he doesn’t know what.

“Smart?” Kaveh asks, allowing Alhaitham to read his lips. But no, because Kaveh already knows the sign for that. Alhaitham is also aware of that and he smiles knowingly.

Kaveh sighs. “Drunk?” He also already knows the sign for that. “Tall?” He also knows that one. Each time he guesses, Alhaitham will only shake his head with an teasing gaze, waiting for Kaveh to guess correctly. “Architect?” He knows that one too. That’s one of the first ones that he’s learned actually.

“Wrong.”

Kaveh furrows his eyebrows. “Then what does it mean?”

Alhaitham hesitates slightly before he leans forward. In doing so, he pushes Kaveh down onto the divan so that he’s laying on top of Kaveh. And yet again, he presses his ear to Kaveh’s chest.

This time, Kaveh wraps an arm around Alhaitham, holding him close.

Alhaitham brings his hand up so that it’s in Kaveh’s view. He uses the alphabet to sign the meaning this time.

“B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.”

Kaveh’s heart pounds. He wonders if Alhaitham can sense that too.

“Beautiful,” he says. When Alhaitham feels the vibration through his ear, he nods. He doesn’t hear what Kaveh said but he knows that he said the correct word.

“Beautiful,” he repeats with his quieter voice. “You’re beautiful.”

Kaveh taps his shoulder, making Alhaitham look up. And archons, why did he have to look so cute at the moment? He seems almost like a cat, with the way his cheek squishes against Kaveh’s chest as he looks up at the man with sleepy eyes.

“You too!” He signs with a scowl. If Alhaitham’s going to compliment him, then he’s going to turn it into a competition.

Alhaitham huffs. “You’re the most beautiful. Now shut up.”

Kaveh’s heart pounds but he still finds it in himself to roll his eyes. “I thought you liked my voice. Now you want me to shut up?”

Alhaitham’s eyes widen slightly. “Wait, don’t.”

Kaveh smiles. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t shut up.”

Kaveh laughs loudly before adjusting his position so that Alhaitham can rest more comfortable on his body. Alhaitham easily complies, slipping his hands back around Kaveh’s waist as he nuzzles into his neck.

They don’t speak after that. Instead, they choose just to lie in each other’s presence. A million questions float around them like a dense fog. Why are they doing this? Since when did they cuddle like this? Since when did they start calling each other beautiful? What… are they?

Yet despite this, neither of them make any effort to answer these questions.

Another day, perhaps.

It slowly becomes routine. The nights that Alhaitham chooses to teach Kaveh sign language, are the nights that they will fall asleep together, always with Alhaitham’s ear pressed to Kaveh’s chest.

It is, as Alhaitham said, how they create a balance.

Kaveh gets to learn sign language for whenever Alhaitham has his hearing aids off while Alhaitham gets to listen to Kaveh’s voice vibrate through his chest whenever he craves it.

Well, sometimes, Alhaitham doesn’t just do it when he’s teaching Kaveh. He also does it purely because he feels like it.

Kaveh currently lays on his own bed, looking over a few notes for his upcoming client when the door suddenly bursts open. Alhaitham stands there, looking like he freshly took a bath with his hair slightly damp and messy. His eyes locate Kaveh and he immediately approaches him, and flops right onto him, pressing his hearing aid straight to Kaveh’s chest.

Kaveh stares at him, unsurprised but also a bit concerned. Alhaitham’s breathing is heavier and there’s a tight crease between his eyebrows as he holds onto Kaveh abnormally tight.

“Bad day?” Kaveh’s hand lingers in the air for a second before letting his hand find its way to Alhaitham’s head, stroking through his hair to help it dry properly. And… also to soothe the younger.

Alhaitham simply hums in response, burying his face further.

Kaveh smiles softly and continues brushing through his strands. He doesn’t mention how Alhaitham nuzzles into his touch willingly.

After a moment of silence, Alhaitham finally speaks.

“Can’t teach you today,” he says quietly. “I have no energy.”

Kaveh laughs. “That’s okay. Just rest then.”

Alhaitham suddenly lifts his head off his chest and instead chooses to stare straight at Kaveh’s face. Kaveh stares back, and he can’t help but feel his chest tighten at Alhaitham’s pouty face. He looks drowsy, his eyes heavy and his bottom lip jutted out adorably.

Kaveh slowly starts to get flustered, his face warming up.

“What are you looking at?” He complains. “Lie back down.”

Alhaitham’s eyes only soften further, his eyelashes ridiculously pretty as they flutter against his cheek.

“You look nice today.”

Kaveh’s heart seizes right then and there. He gawks at the man in absolute disbelief. “Wha– you can’t just– show up and say stuff like that!” He exclaims. When Alhaitham gives no response and instead chooses to take off his hearing aids, Kaveh groans. “Alhaitham! You–”

Alhaitham gives him a petty smile before pointing at his ears as if to say, “I’m not listening.”

“Stop making a big deal out of it and accept the compliment,” Alhaitham says quietly. Kaveh seethes but doesn’t protest when the man returns to his position, lying back down onto his chest.

It’s silent for a moment. Kaveh’s unsure of whether he should speak or to just keep the silence, allowing Alhaitham to unwind.

But soon enough Alhaitham answers his question. Though it’s an unexpected response.

“Could you… sing for me?”

Kaveh freezes.

“Sing?” He whispers to himself. “I don’t know any—” Ah. But he does know one song by heart. That is the song that his mother used to sing to him whenever Kaveh felt sad. Memories flash of when his mother would stroke through his hair–just like he’s doing to Alhaitham–singing the song with her beautiful voice as she wipes away his tears.

He smiles and looks down at Alhaitham who reminds him much like his younger self at the moment. He looks so… small, despite his large build. Kaveh’s eyes soften.

He begins singing, his tone slightly shaky and off-pitched. But the words, the lyrics, he remembers perfectly. It makes Kaveh’s heart hurt as his hands continue to comb through Alhaitham’s hair.

Alhaitham lets out a relaxed sigh as he presses impossibly closer to Kaveh. He can’t exactly hear Kaveh singing, but the hums and vibrations are enough to make his eyelids droop and a small smile appear on his lips.

As Kaveh sings, both of their hearts lighten. Eventually, Alhaitham is lulled to a deep sleep. Kaveh soon follows, holding Alhaitham tightly and warmly.

“I thought this particular commission was actually quite nice,” Kaveh mumbles another day, glancing down to where Alhaitham already has his head tucked under Kaveh’s chin, his ear pressed close to his chest. Kaveh’s not sure if Alhaitham can understand what he’s saying but he doesn’t really mind either way, finding it cute how easily Alhaitham melts against his body. Bonus points for whenever Kaveh’s fingers card through his hair. That’s another new thing now.

Alhaitham stays quiet. He’s usually like this, leaving Kaveh to ramble on and on as he enjoys the vibrations.

“And…” He always speaks in a low voice, relaxed as Alhaitham lays his whole body weight across his body. “This client I was talking to mentioned the language of flowers in Fontaine. It’s quite interesting. They told of how this magician often uses rainbow roses to symbolize a kind of romance and… passion.”

Kaveh hesitates, his hand stuck in midair.

“It kind of fits the two of us, now that I think about it…” Kaveh looks down, only to find that Alhaitham’s already fast asleep, his cheek still adorably smushed against his chest. “Passion,” he whispers, his finger coming down to thumb at Alhaitham’s bottom lip. “And romance.” His hand moves up to caress Alhaitham’s cheek.

Kaveh’s eyes sweep over Alhaitham, from his beautiful face, his features devoid of any tension to his whole body, wrapped tightly around Kaveh’s build, his legs tangled with Kaveh’s. When he sleeps, he looks truly relaxed. Kaveh can’t help but admire him. He feels Alhaitham’s hands tighten slightly around his waist–the same hands that always gently take Kaveh’s as he teaches him sign language.

He feels a familiar warmth in his cheeks. It’s a fire that’s yet to be put out. Instead, it spreads across his body, all the way to his heart where it begins to beat erratically.

“Archons…” Kaveh mumbles, leaning his head back as he shuts his eyes. “This is bad.”

Kaveh stumbles through Tighnari’s door the very next morning. Tighnari looks up, startled with his breakfast halfway into his mouth.

“What?” He mumbles, his voice muffled.

Kaveh finds the nearest chair he can find and he collapses into it. And luckily, there’s a table right in front of him so he practically throws his whole body onto the surface with a loud groan.

“I can’t do this,” he whines. “This is so stupid.” And simply out of habit, his hands come up just to sign that very last word.

Tighnari watches his hands with interest. “Huh,” he breathes. “Alhaitham really does have an influence on you.”

“Don’t!” Kaveh shoots up, his hair an absolute mess. “Do not speak of him.”

Tighnari sighs before sitting across Kaveh, his posture perfect in contrast to the blonde’s, who’s still in utter distress. “Another argument?”

Kaveh winces before shaking his head. “No. And that’s the problem. It’s not an argument. It should have been– he should have never taught me– he should have never told me that he liked my voice–”

Tighnari’s breath hitches. “He told you what?”

Kaveh groans. “Fuck, fuck. What’s the sign for fuck?”

“I don’t know that one. Wouldn’t Alhaitham teach you something like that?”

“I said, don’t speak of him!” Kaveh cries, slumping his head back onto the table. “And no. He doesn’t teach me words like that. He teaches me words like beautiful, and– and– admire, and love and–”

He pauses. Kaveh came here only to confess his growing feelings for Alhaitham. But just at the reminder of the word love, it suddenly hits him–straight into his chest where he feels like he’s completely lost his breath. These are not just growing feelings. This is something else. Something that’s been brewing for who know’s how long.

“Fuck, I’m in love with Alhaitham.”

Tighnari chokes at that. “What?” He asks in an incredulous tone.

“I think I’m in love with him.” Kaveh looks up, an utter look of distress on his face. “And now I don’t know what to do.”

Tighnari blinks. It’s him who takes a deep breath, as he stares at Kaveh with a gaping mouth. “How… how did this start?”

“I– I don’t know,” Kaveh whispers. “Or maybe I do? I don’t– ever since he started teaching me sign language, I realized just how caring and patient he can be. And I– I learned sign language because I didn’t want my voice to give him a headache. But then he tells me that he likes my voice and that he wants to hear it sometimes.” Kaveh shrinks into his seat. “And then we started sleeping together so that he can feel my voice through my chest.”

Tighnari snorts. “And what, you’re worried he won’t love you back? The answer’s pretty obvious there.” He crosses his arms over his chest with a tilt of his head.

Kaveh stares before grumbling. “Look, I don’t know. I need confirmation. You know me. So what– am I supposed to tell him?”

Tighnari raises an eyebrow. “Yes. Just tell him.”

Kaveh glares. “With my voice or with sign language? He seems to enjoy both.”

“Then do both.”

Kaveh lets out a breath at that. Tighnari’s always been a straight-forward person but… it isn’t a bad idea. He will confess to Alhaitham, with both his voice and with the amount of sign language that he’s learned so far.

He’s not scared at all.

Kaveh is absolutely terrified for his life. His hands shake as he knocks on Alhaitham’s door.

“Come in,” his voice calls out.

Good. So Alhaitham heard him, meaning he has his hearing aids on. Just as he planned. Kaveh’s heart pounds as he opens the door. He’s practiced many times for this. It must be perfect. He’ll tell Alhaitham how he feels. And then whatever happens after that is up to fate, Kaveh believes.

But then, he stands frozen at the entryway.

Alhaitham looks up with an unimpressed look.

“Are you just going to stand there?”

Kaveh winces. This is a bad idea. This is stupid and a horrible thing to do.

Kaveh is scared.

He never mentioned that to Tighnari. Yes, he’s aware that some of the things that Alhaitham’s said are definitely a bit too romantic for average roommates. But he still doubts. He doubts whether Alhaitham’s started acting all sweet just as a joke, or maybe as a study. He wonders if he misinterpreted everything. He wonders if after this, he’ll walk away all alone, just as he’s always been most of his life.

He doesn’t notice Alhaitham’s eyes softening.

“Kaveh,” he calls again. “Are you okay?” He sits up further in his bed, creating a space as if to silently invite Kaveh to sit with him.

Kaveh slowly sits down, his breathing fast and erratic.

Alhaitham brings a hand up to the back of Kaveh’s neck, gently kneading the muscles there. It’s an attempt to help him relax, but it does the exact opposite as Kaveh starts to realize just how much he enjoys and misses Alhaitham’s warm touch.

He inhales and snaps his head towards Alhaitham.

“I have to tell you something.”

Alhaitham widens his eyes slightly. He doesn’t respond after though, instead staying silent until Kaveh spoke again.

“I…” His mind short circuits for a moment. He’s practiced for this. For three days straight in fact. All the words he would say, all the signs he would make, it’s all perfectly rehearsed and he refuses to mess that up. “I know that our relationship has never been perfect.” His mind flashes back to the words that he’s scribbled down and rehearsed so meticulously. “And I know that we fight a lot, and that I can sometimes be insufferable. But I hope that you don’t take it to heart because I… I really do enjoy being around you.” His voice quivers as he struggles to hold eye contact with the man before him.

Alhaitham stares, his eyes brightening as he listens.

“Me too.” Alhaitham tilts his head, a bit suspiciously. “What brings this on?”

“Shh!” Kaveh glares, already starting to become flustered. This is not part of the script. “I’m saying stuff here. Don’t interrupt me.”

Alhaitham stares, amused and fondly before nodding. “Alright,” he says with a soft tone.

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m… grateful.” He bites his lip slightly, trying to remember the words that he promised to tell Alhaitham. “And it’s not just for teaching me sign language. But for also being patient and… I don’t know–” He falters. “Listening to my voice? Because sometimes I– I’m scared that your head would hurt after listening to me for so long. And I know you told me plenty of times that it doesn’t. But it’s not the first time someone’s admitted that I talk too much…”

Alhaitham’s eyes soften. He looks like he’s about to say something but he stops himself, respecting Kaveh’s wishes.

“But just in case!” Kaveh sits up, determined. “If your head starts hurting, that doesn’t mean you can get rid of me so easily. Because I’ll– I’ll use sign language instead.”

And then he hesitantly reaches forward. His hands hover over Alhaitham’s hearing aids and he gives him a questioning look. When Alhaitham nods, surprised, Kaveh slips them off cautiously and sets them aside.

Alhaitham’s world is shrouded in silence, yet before him, there’s still a beautiful, beautiful blonde man staring back at him.

Kaveh’s hands come up and he begins signing.

“After saying all this, what I mean to tell you is that I–” His hands freeze. He furrows his eyebrows as he thinks and concentrates on what he’s going to say next. He practiced this. He can’t mess up.

Alhaitham gazes at him, a growing look of fondness in his eyes, his lips curling up into a small smile.

Kaveh narrows his eyes. “I want to keep asking you, ‘are you hungry?’ I want to keep talking with you whether if it’s with sign language or with my voice. I want to keep falling asleep with you on my chest.”

Alhaitham’s eyes grow wide and his lips part. He watches every sign that Kaveh makes, understanding the meaning behind all of them. He understands. And it makes his heart do a flip.

Kaveh looks up from his own hands, right into Alhaitham’s eyes. “I wanted to tell you that I…” His hands pause. And then he signs something that makes Alhaitham gasp quietly. “I love you.”

His hands fall into his lap. And then he jerks. He forgot he planned more to say after that. “There’s more!” He scrambles to sign. “I also wanted you to know that my– my–” Kaveh freezes. He forgot.

His eyes widen and his hands shake. He forgot what he was going to say after this. He knows what he plans to tell Alhaitham.

He knows that. But he forgot how to sign it.

Shit, shit, shit.

Kaveh furrows his eyebrows, frustrated as he bites the inside of his cheek.

“Hold on,” he hurriedly signs. He reaches behind him and pulls out his notebook. There, he wrote down every single word he would say and every sign that he would sign. It was supposed to be perfect, he thinks embarrassed as he flips through the pages, trying to find the part that he left off on. He can feel Alhaitham’s eyes on him and his heart pounds. How could he forget? After practicing for three days straight? This was supposed to be a perfect confession. And now Alhaitham will never even consider his feelings because he messed up and–

A hand slowly takes hold of Kaveh’s notebook, taking it away from his grasp. Kaveh looks up, bewildered and about to scold the man when he feels another hand grab hold of his collar.

It tightens.

It pulls him closer. Alhaitham pulls him closer.

And then Kaveh feels a pair of lips being pressed against his.

The wind gets knocked out of his chest as his whole body tenses. Large hands come up to cup his face, tilting his head further. Despite the confusion and despite the fact that he feels like he’s going to faint from how fast his heart is beating, Kaveh’s eyes slowly flutter close.

“Mmm… Haitham–” Kaveh gasps as Alhaitham continues to take and take. Shakily, Kaveh’s hands come up to grasp at Alhaitham’s hair, looking for anything to ground him as he can feel the man genuinely smiling into the kiss.

“Haitham– Alhaitham–” Kaveh tries to say as Alhaitham furrows his eyebrows in concentration.

A grunt in response.

Or, it’s not really a response, because Kaveh soon remembers that Alhaitham doesn’t have his hearing aids on. He grunts just from kissing him. A certain heat pools in Kaveh’s stomach at that. But, he quickly shakes that thought and he tentatively places his hands on Alhaitham’s chest, gently pushing him away.

“Sorry,” Alhaitham mumbles, his cheeks flushed and a dazed look in his eyes. His words are jumbled as he reaches for his hearing aids to put them back on.

Kaveh coughs into his hand as he quickly looks away. “It’s– it’s fine.”

“You… didn’t want it?” Alhaitham’s voice is low and unsure.

“No! I–” And to prove his point, Kaveh’s hands find the back of Alhaitham’s neck before pulling him in for a quick kiss. Alhaitham almost immediately melts against his lips. “I did want it…” He flushes. “I just wasn’t prepared, so I couldn’t– breathe.”

Alhaitham stares before nodding. He looks down, his hands fumbling in his lap.

“Are you…” Kaveh peers at him. “...okay?”

“No,” Alhaitham breathes. He looks up, straight into Kaveh’s eyes with a new look–one that Kaveh’s never really seen before. “I need to kiss you again,” he bluntly says. And as he says those words, he begins leaning in again, his eyes flickering down to Kaveh’s now red lips.

Kaveh chokes and yelps at the same time.

“Wait, wait– let’s– let’s talk about this!” He exclaims, planting his hands back on Alhaitham’s firm chest.

Alhaitham sighs with a small smile. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“What?” Kaveh narrows his eyes.

“I love you too.”

“Oh,” Kaveh breathes, staring at his hands. “Really?”

“Of course.” Alhaitham laughs. “For a very long time too. There’s a reason why your voice never bothered me, you know.”

“Shut up,” Kaveh stutters, backing away. This is all too much. Too much yet he can’t seem to get enough.

“And…” There’s a small smirk on his face now. “The fact that you prepared a whole confession for me is…” Alhaitham gives him a teasing look. “Quite nice.”

“Quite nice?” Kaveh scoffs. “That’s it? I spent three days on it…”

“Fine, if you want me to be absolutely truthful.” Alhaitham takes Kaveh’s hand in his, kissing the inside of his wrist before repeating the action on the other. Kaveh’s going to die. He just knows it. “The fact that you chose to learn sign language was enough for me to spiral into falling in love. I taught you because when you would sign something to me with your beautiful, expressive eyes, I felt like kissing you right then and there. When you used it for the first time, do you know just how hard it was to control myself?”

Kaveh garbles out an odd noise.

“When you let me sleep on your chest, I want to hold you forever. And when you made that mistake, I fell in love even more.” Alhaitham breathes out a shaky sigh. “Kaveh, I love you so much–so much that I could kiss you until you tell me to stop because I will do anything for you.”

A pause.

“Does that suffice?”

All Kaveh can do is stare with his lips parted.

“That’s– that’s–” He knows that his whole face must be red at this point. “You must be messing with me.”

“Why would I be?”

“I don’t know, I just–”

“I love you, Kaveh.”

Kaveh freezes. “I love… you too, Haitham.”

Alhaitham’s hands find Kaveh’s cheek as he tilts him up to look at him properly.

Then, he signs, “I love you.”

Kaveh blinks. And then he blinks again. And finally, he signs back, “I love you.”

“I know more than twenty languages. I will gladly–”

Kaveh lurches forward and kisses Alhaitham’s cheek. A silence befalls them as he pulls away and they stare at each other with lovesick eyes.

“Okay, I get it,” Kaveh giggles. “So kiss me if you would like.”

“Please,” Alhaitham mumbles, his eyes trained straight on Kaveh’s lips. He leans in, this time, a bit more slowly and hesitantly than before. Kaveh, noticing his unsureness, is the one to pull him in this time. Their lips collide as they collapse against each other, back against Alhaitham’s bed that’s slowly starting to become their bed.

The two of them kiss until the sun sets. And by the time they’re done, Alhaitham’s back to falling asleep on Kaveh’s chest, hearing aids off, accompanied only by the silence of the world and the anchor that is the man next to him.

Kaveh’s made quite the shocking revelation ever since.

Alhaitham is loud when he kisses.

Kaveh has tried so hard to convince himself that it wasn’t hot whenever he would let out all of those grunts and hums when his lips are on Kaveh’s. But at some point, he just couldn’t help but admit that yes, it is hot. It’s hot when his hands roam all over Kaveh as he kisses him, breathy sounds and groans leaving his mouth as he does so.

Then, there’s the other thing.

Alhaitham doesn’t know that he’s loud when he kisses.

These particular sounds that he lets out, the ones that makes Kaveh feel hot and heavy under his skin, only happen when Alhaitham has his hearing aids off. Without the ability to hear himself, it seems that he unknowingly begins letting out his satisfaction as he kisses Kaveh, not realizing that he’s doing so outloud.

It’s actually endearing, Kaveh finds. He notices the way his eyebrows scrunch as he tilts his head against Kaveh’s lips. Then, whenever they even so slightly part for air, Alhaitham’s already letting out such noises. Some low, some higher-pitched. Kaveh finds it adorable either way.

Kaveh’s mind snaps back to the situation at hand.

Yet again, they’re kissing in bed after their daily sign language teaching session. Alhaitham pulls away, staring with his breathing heavy at the man before him. Kaveh stares back, his eyes sparkling.

“Beautiful,” the younger whispers, tucking a piece of hair behind Kaveh’s ear.

“Beautiful,” Kaveh repeats in sign language.

Alhaitham nods and laughs softly. “Like a flower.”

Kaveh scrunches his nose and hopes that his blush isn’t too visible. He points a finger to Alhaitham’s chest. “Handsome.”

Alhaitham raises an eyebrow fondly. “Handsome?” He repeats outloud.

Kaveh nods. “Like you.”

Alhaitham’s ears redden as he huffs. “Very funny.” He takes Kaveh’s hand, bringing it close and placing it on his chest where his heart resides. It beats fast and strong. “You do this to me.”

Kaveh melts as he looks at Alhaitham with a look of wonder. With his hand glued to the other’s chest, he can’t sign. So instead, he mouths very clearly, “Kiss me.”

Alhaitham stares at his lips–like he’s been the past few days really–before immediately leaning in. He cups Kaveh’s jaw gently, tilting him up for a better angle. Kaveh breathes in sharply but quickly melts into the kiss, feeling his limbs turn into jelly, even when they’re simply sitting up in bed.

When they part for air, it happens once again. Alhaitham lets out a series of sounds as he deepens the kiss. A groan rumbles in his throat as his hands find Kaveh’s waist. A raspy hum escapes him as Kaveh bites his lip.

Even a loud whine leaves his mouth when Kaveh’s hand finds itself up to the back of Alhaitham’s head, tugging slightly at the strands.

Kaveh’s feels a strong fondness fill him at every small sound that leaves Alhaitham’s lips. Alhaitham is a quiet person. Yet when he kisses Kaveh, he’s so… expressive. The feeling grows to be so strong, that Kaveh feels a laugh begin to bubble in his throat. It escapes soon enough, and he finds himself giggling as Alhaitham kisses the corner of his lips.

Alhaitham can’t exactly hear the laugh, but it’s pretty clear that he is laughing, with the way his lips form a bright smile and his eyes crinkle dearly.

Alhaitham feels the same smile spread to his own lips.

“What’s so funny?” He mumbles, leaning downward so that he can kiss at Kaveh’s jawline.

Kaveh keeps on laughing, Alhaitham’s intimate touches suddenly becoming ticklish. Alhaitham can feel the vibrations resonate through his throat, and it’s not long before he reaches over to put his hearing aids back on.

He wants to hear Kaveh’s laugh.

“Nothing!” Kaveh giggles, tilting his head back as Alhaitham continues to pepper his lips along the angle of his jaw.

“Nothing?” Alhaitham mutters, teasingly. “Did I do something?”

“You’re cute when you kiss.” Kaveh leans back, gazing into Alhaitham’s eyes with adoration.

Alhaitham stares at him skeptically. He’s not exactly sure what he does makes him cute when he kisses but he doesn’t question it further. There are more pressing matters at hand.

His hands find Kaveh’s shoulders, pushing him back to lay on the bed. He pins him under his body as he nudges Kaveh at an angle so that he can reach the perfect spot of his neck. His lips kiss there repeatedly, making Kaveh laugh even more with happy tears springing to his eyes.

Alhaitham clicks his tongue. As much as he adores Kaveh’s laugh, he wants to hear other things.

And so, his lips part and his begins sucking at the same spot until his skin blooms into a beautiful red. Kaveh’s laugh quickly dies down and his breath stutters. He tilts his head further against Alhaitham’s mouth.

Kaveh’s hands quickly come up to grasp at Alhaitham’s back, keening into his touch with a shaky sigh.

Kaveh’s hands tend to plague Alhaitham’s mind a lot more than one would expect. The way they form the different signs that he uses to have conversations with Alhaitham. Sometimes, it’s for that dear confession that he will always remember. Sometimes, it’s simply just to argue with him.

Alhaitham really loves Kaveh’s hands.

But, that is not to say that Alhaitham doesn’t also love Kaveh’s voice. The way it’s quiet as he takes care of him when he’s down. The way it heightens in volume when he’s enthusiastic about something, whether that be his love for Alhaitham or simply just to… argue.

“Haitham…” Kaveh mumbles, his voice breathy and higher-pitched. “I… mmh– oh–” His teeth grazes against his skin and Kaveh’s mouth parts further as his back arches.

He smiles against his lover’s skin.

When Kaveh brings up his hand to cover his mouth, Alhaitham catches it. He intertwines their fingers as he brings his hand away from blocking the sole source of his beautiful voice.

“Let me hear you,” Alhaitham whispers, marveling at the way Kaveh’s mouth forms pretty whines as their hips meet.

Alhaitham also really loves Kaveh’s voice.