Work Text:
Today was supposed to be like any other day in the house of the scribe. Alhaitham steps inside of his home, putting his stuff down on the ground (he’ll deal with that later. Or better said; Kaveh will deal with it later, since the former seems unable to pick up after himself, causing a certain perfectionistic omega to do it for him, though not without complaints).
As the gray-haired alpha grabs the book he has been indulging himself in for the past few days and is about to get comfortable on the divan, he notices the lack of pillows on the divan he usually sits on. He looks over at the divan across from him, the one Kaveh usually sits on, and notices those pillows are still there. He decides to pay it no mind and starts reading, waiting for the architect to get home so they can start cooking.
After a while, a certain smell hits the unsuspecting scribe’s nose. Fresh Bergamot tea and lilies.. Kaveh’s pheromones. Alhaitham grabs his bag from the floor, takes out his calendar and opens it. On today’s date, in big bold it says “ Kaveh’s heat ”.
Yes, Alhaitham tracks his roommate's mating cycle. This is because on days like these, where Kaveh is in heat, Alhaitham goes to stay at an inn for a couple of nights, to respect the suffering omega’s privacy.
This is the same way the other way around; during Alhaitham’s rut the architect goes to stay with Tighnari and Cyno for a few days so his heat doesn’t accidentally get triggered against his will.
People always say unmated alphas and omegas shouldn’t live together, and although it has its difficulties, they make it work. Kinda.
Alhaitham knows how much the blond dislikes his secondary gender; it has made his journey to being a successful architect much more difficult than it would have been if he were a beta or an alpha. His clients respect him less and don't take him seriously most of the time, all because of his nature.
Kaveh was so against people knowing of his omega status that he never even had his first heat until after the Akademiya; having used heat blockers and scent blockers all throughout his puberty and scholarly times (though to no avail; he got exposed as an omega early on but continued with his unhealthy habits regardless). Alhaitham didn’t know about this until Kaveh moved in with him and went into his first, unprompted heat; the effects of the heat blockers decreasing more and more over time if the omega using them has never actually had its first heat. When this happened the scribe immediately called Tighnari, an omega, for help, not wanting to be around Kaveh during this sensitive period since the gray-haired’s secondary gender could have complicated things had he not been careful.
The truth is, Alhaitham likes the way Kaveh smells. A lot.
The aloof man stands up, putting a bookmark in his book before making his way to the blond’s room. Alhaitham is aware he’s overstepping boundaries, but based on the fact the pillows are missing, he has to know if Kaveh is okay.
The scribe knocks on the door of the suffering architect, earning a sleepy, pained whimper in response. He pushes the door open and immediately the sweet smell of the omega’s preheat hits his nostrils, but he tries to ignore it.
He takes a step into the room and sees Kaveh sleeping in just a tank top and his boxers, sweat sticking his normally well-kept bangs to his forehead. The unconscious blond’s face is scrunched up, showing discomfort even while asleep. Alhaitham blinks when he notices the omega is surrounded by the missing pillows, familiar blankets and laundry in the circle the architect built. He’s nesting.
Kaveh hasn’t nested since his mom moved away to Fontaine, not a single residence having felt like home since then. The omega is conflicted; why now? Why did he accept this home as his? Why did he accept that annoying scribe’s home to be a safe haven? The gray-haired man is an alpha , for fuck’s sake! He also couldn’t seem to be able to get comfortable without some items of his alpha roommate, which made the whole situation that much more humiliating.
The omega clearly also didn’t think about the fact Alhaitham would come home at some point and catch him in his nest, surrounded by his junior’s (stolen) items that carry that familiar Cedar wood and parchment smell; the one thing that seemed to have been able to calm his heat-filled body down enough to be able to fall asleep. Alhaitham chuckles at the thought.
Alhaitham decides to walk to his own room, grab the pillow he sleeps on from his bed and going back to the heat-ridden omega, handing him the (hopefully) comforting object. Kaveh immediately hugs it close in his sleep, before slowly waking up.
As the architect opens his eyes, he sees his roommate standing over his bed, looking over at him protectively. However as soon as Alhaitham notices the omega’s sleeping form stirring, indicating he’s waking up, he puts his stoic face back on. Kaveh immediately freezes, realizing he’s been caught surrounded by the items he took from the scribe without asking. Alhaitham doesn’t seem to mind, however, and speaks up.
“I didn’t realize you were already home.” The gray-haired man remarks casually. He follows it up by asking: “Is there anything you need? Water?”
The only thing the omega can do is nod, still embarrassed that his roommate has to see him like this.
Alhaitham simply nods and returns moments later with a big glass pitcher filled with water and a glass, putting the items down on the omega’s nightstand.
“I shall leave tonight. I understand you do not want me around, so I shall let you be.” The scribe says, a hint of worry in his gaze that most people would miss, but Kaveh catches it as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
The truth is, the intimidating and aloof man who happens to be Kaveh’s roommate has always seemed emotionless, but over the years at the Akademiya the blond has caught onto the small mannerisms that speak how the man is feeling louder than words ever could.
Right now, to any other person, it would seem like Alhaitham is doing the bare minimum, but Kaveh isn’t just any other person. Kaveh can tell the alpha is worried.
The slight, momentary scrunch of his nose that even Kaveh wouldn’t catch had he not been focused on the man’s handsome face.
The furrow of his eyebrows that easily could be misinterpreted as one of the scribe’s infamous unimpressed faces.
It is at that point that Kaveh realizes he does not want the Alpha to leave. He quickly shakes his head and speaks up in a soft voice, his throat as dry as hay making the words come out as more of a pained whisper.
“It’s okay, you can stay.”
Normally it would be foolish for Kaveh to think about letting anyone into his nest; let alone an alpha . He can already hear the voice of his omega mother scolding him for it; had she still been around. But the man before him isn’t any alpha. The blond has known this for a while; though Kaveh doesn’t express it through words, he deeply cares for Alhaitham. The omega has been kept up by this thought for the past few months, wondering why him ?
Why does he want to be protected by the scholarly man that has these insane muscles; gloriously sculpted abs and broad, strong arms for absolutely no reason? Is he just touch deprived? Is that why he has frequent dreams of cuddling with the broader man? Is it just the omega in him that wants to be spooned by Alhaitham as he rocks his sizable length into Kaveh’s slicked up hole, lovingly, slowly, until the knot pops in and he gets filled by the only thing he is sure would calm down the heat that’s slowly overtaking him more and more every second? Why not one of his colleagues? Why not that man that bought him a drink last week at Lambad’s? Why Alhaitham? He doesn’t love that annoying scribe of a roommate, does he? So why is all he can think about how glorious it would feel to finally have his lean stomach bulging due to that glorious, thick co-
“-Veh! Kaveh?”
The omega gets snapped out of his thirsty thoughts by Alhaitham calling his name in an uncharacteristically worried tone. Kaveh looks at him embarrassedly and speaks up.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“I asked if you were sure I could stay. I do not want you to put yourself in an uncomfortable situation for my sake. Why is it you want me to stay anyway?” Alhaitham asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
Kaveh whispers almost inaudibly, deciding to just be honest with the man in front of him.
“Could you come into my nest?” The omega asks, not daring to meet the scribe’s eyes.
The scribe frowns. “I couldn’t quite catch that.”
This triggers something that annoys the omega, and he unwillingly snaps at Alhaitham.
“Are you deaf? I asked if you could come into my nest!” He says, before meeting the scribe’s eyes. He’s expecting the man to scoff at his pathetic, downright
desperate
display before walking away. However when he does look up all he sees in the alpha’s eyes is wariness.
“You.. want me to come into your nest?” Alhaitham asks, trying to cover up his expression by putting on his usual stoic facade, yet to no avail.
Kaveh nods, and moves over to make room for the alpha. Alhaitham takes off his shoes, putting them right outside the architect’s room before closing the door. He approaches and is careful as to not break the walls of the nest as he steps into it, laying down next to the omega. Kaveh immediately wraps his arms around the scribe’s waist, resting against his side as he’s surrounded by the comforting smell of the alpha he’s been aching for for ages.
Kaveh nuzzles his nose into the man’s neck, relishing in the nostalgia Alhaitham’s touch brings. He believes the last time those two hugged each other was during Kaveh’s graduation from the Akademiya, something that happened way too long ago for both of their likings.
As the somewhat comforted omega starts dozing off, he hears Alhaitham mumbling something about going to take the next few days off from work. Too sleepy to reply, but happy with this fact, the omega slowly falls asleep. The last thought on his mind is that even though this might be the first and the last time Alhaitham decides to comfort him in this uncomfortable period, he should just relish in it. Enjoy it while it lasts.
They both do.