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If vampires were real — hypothetically speaking, of course — one would expect that the most bothersome aspect of belonging to such a species would be the inability to walk out into the sunlight. Or, perhaps, the awful instinct to leech off someone else's neck, or the near-fatal garlic allergy.
Kaveh would beg to differ.
He fidgeted nervously with the gloves covering his hands as he waited for the elevator to reach the sixth floor, then stepped out with a thick swallow. The dental clinic he was looking for was on his left, door ajar, but he politely stopped in front of the doormat.
"Hello," he called out.
A white-haired head popped out from behind a desk. "Hi," a childish voice exclaimed. "Can I help you?"
"I have an appointment at seven." Kaveh looked down at his wristwatch, then pulled his sleeve back up to cover it. "May I come in?"
"Of course!"
He smiled as he made his way towards her, resisting the urge to pull off his sunglasses. They were gorgeous frames, golden-rimmed and heavy, but it was unfortunately considered rude to wear them indoors. Whoever made that rule clearly hadn't been a vampire.
"Kaveh, yes?"
He nodded.
"Paimon just needs your—" the oddly small woman (girl?) stuttered before clearing her throat and raising an excited finger. "I just need you to fill out this form, please. Some personal information. The doctor will be with you shortly!"
She smiled at him, and he returned the gesture, but all the while wondering if she was old enough to be working here.
The waiting room was coldly bright, with uncomfortable chairs whose design did not match the walls painted in a dull grey. He eyed the plastic flower sitting dejectedly on a coffee table, and it looked back at him. It was during those uneasy seven minutes, waiting to be called, that he reflected on one of the worst inconveniences of being a vampire: how do you go to the dentist?
The simple answer was, you don't. It was what he had been doing for the past ten years, since things at home got complicated and his parents were unable to keep scheduling his regular appointments. When he had tried to call the same clinic where he used to go as a child, he was somewhat-politely informed that the dentist no longer did business with 'special mouths' after being painfully bitten by a very rude vampiric patient.
Kaveh couldn't very well showcase his glittering fangs to some poor random dentist just trying to do their job, for both of their sakes. But keeping those sharp fangs retracted into his gums while a hand was quite literally prodding over his taste buds would take herculean effort.
Unfortunately, Kaveh had decided to take the risk. Because damn it, he brushed his teeth three times a day and flossed regularly, but this infuriating mouth of his had still managed to form a cavity. Or more, actually. He'd been trying to ignore the problem for way too long, but the pain was excrutiating by now.
"Kaveh?" a voice called.
It was not Paimon's shrill voice, but rather a bored, monotonous low timbre belonging to a man in the corridor. He was quite tall, with fluffy grey curls and strikingly bright eyes that were locked onto Kaveh.
Fuck. Please let this not be the dentist.
"Hi," he greeted warmly, smiling as he stepped towards the man. "This way?"
The man nodded, then unceremoniously started leading him to an open door in the back. "I'm Alhaitham," he said blankly. "Are you here for a regular cleaning?"
"I think I have cavities," Kaveh replied, closing the door behind himself. This room was even brighter, with sterile lights infiltrating every nook and cranny of a depressingly white corner. He sat uncomfortably on an ugly, blue reclining chair.
"Let's see." Alhaitham reached for a pair of rubber gloves, but Kaveh looked away before he could watch those dexterous hands snap them on.
Another issue with being a vampire: physical attraction manifests in different ways to humans. Kaveh didn't want his fangs to start aching with desire to come out and graze over Alhaitham's soft-looking skin.
"Take your sunglasses off," Alhaitham asked, covering his mouth with a mask.
Looking up at the offuscating light overhead, assumingly the one soon to shine on his poor mouth, Kaveh cursed internally. His face would certainly crack from dryness later and maybe even burn, even though he'd lathered an excessive spread of sunscreen all over before leaving the house.
"Is it really necessary?" he asked politely.
Alhaitham fixed him with an utterly bored gaze. "The lenses will get wet and dirty."
"I think I'll take my chances." Kaveh smiled. "I have sensitive eyes."
Shrugging, Alhaitham rolled his own chair forwards. "Lay back and open up."
Kaveh shuffled into position and sheepishly parted his lips, tongue running over his canines one last time.
"Wide," Alhaitham clarified.
Kaveh did as he was told, but his heart did accelerate its pace at the position. All of his willpower had to be concentrated in keeping his damn fangs in.
"You have quite a sharp canine," Alhaitham murmured, gloved fingertip exploring Kaveh's mouth.
And, Archons, Alhaitham was healthy. Bizarrely healthy. Kaveh could smell it in his blood: rich in iron and all the vitamins most people neglected, thick with nutrients, mouthwatering with a tinge of that metallic aftertaste. And his veins were pumping deliciously right under Kaveh's teeth.
Kaveh had expected this, of course, but he hadn't expected for his dentist to have the best-smelling blood he'd ever caught a whiff of in his life. Fate really is cruel.
Of course, Kaveh was prepared. He'd filled his stomach with endless blood bags less than an hour before so as to quench any starting hunger, but it wasn't enough when the opportunity was quite literally within his mouth. He wasn't worried about biting off Alhaitham's hands — vampires aren't mindless savages — but the threat of his fangs dropping was unfortunately very plausible.
Humans didn't know of the existence of vampires. Kaveh would like to keep it that way.
Thankfully, Alhaitham was not like the dentist Kaveh remembered from his childhood, who was always asking him questions he couldn't answer when there was quite literally a hand inside his mouth. He quietly picked out a few funky utensils with his gloved hands, some with a little mirror, some uncomfortably sharp, and others that Kaveh couldn't imagine a use for. The metal was scraping his teeth, and he cringed at the uneasy discomfort it brought.
"We have to schedule another appointment for me to fill your cavities," Alhaitham stated as he pulled his hands back. "Are you free tomorrow?"
Fuck. And here Kaveh thought he would be free after today.
"Uh, yeah, same time?"
Kaveh closed his mouth and let his fangs drop down. The sensation was relieving, but he knew it couldn't last long.
"Check with Paimon, but I believe I'm available." Alhaitham picked up a new instrument, this one making a scary sound and whizzing weirdly. "I'll do a regular cleaning today."
Nodding, Kaveh felt his fangs retract a little painfully back into his gums. He opened his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut.
Alhaitham chuckled. It was a nice sound in his voice, a little huff, but that didn't take away from the fact that it irritated Kaveh. What, was he supposed to feel okay with that thing near his teeth?
"Wide," Alhaitham murmured, gently tapping Kaveh's lips.
And fuck, that little touch seeped like steady warmth onto Kaveh's face, bringing a brazen red to his pale cheeks. His mouth collapsed open on instinct, oddly pliant, and he tried not to focus on the scent of Alhaitham's fresh blood.
It felt like an eternity before Alhaitham was finally finished with all his finicky objects doing weird things to Kaveh's sensitive teeth, but he eventually pulled back and snapped off his gloves. Kaveh could feel his fangs throbbing in desire, and let them drop behind the privacy of his sealed lips. He closed his eyes as he removed his sunglasses, drying them off with the hem of his shirt.
"You need aligners," Alhaitham, the bearer of bad news, commented off-handedly.
"I don't," Kaveh replied instantly.
Raising a grey eyebrow, Alhaitham crossed his arms. The white jacket mostly hid his build, but it was clear enough that he was muscular. Well, that shouldn't be surprising; he probably exercised everyday if his blood smelled like that.
"May I see your credentials in odontology?" Alhaitham asked, evidently amused. "You can get the invisible kind, it's not as bad as you may think. The whole process will probably take less than a year."
This was supposed to be a one-time thing. Kaveh could not commit to regularly letting some guy touch his mouth.
"I'll need an X-ray of your mouth," he added casually, opening a laptop.
"I'm not getting an X-ray," Kaveh said firmly, massaging his temples. "I'm just here for my cavities."
Alhaitham sighed. "It'll get worse if you wait. It's not just an aesthetic matter. Your teeth aren't supposed to work like that."
"They work just fine," Kaveh retorted. They're great for slashing the necks of rude people like you! he wanted to add, but the joke probably wouldn't land well. "I'm not getting an X-ray."
"Why not?"
Kaveh looked away sheepishly. "I don't have to tell you."
"Right." A printer chucked out a page, and Alhaitham unceremoniously handed it to Kaveh. "The X-ray request. Send the images to my e-mail when it's done."
"I— What? You—?" Kaveh blinked in disbelief at the paper. "You might know dental stuff well enough, but it's clear that you were never taught any manners. I'm not doing this."
"Suit yourself."
Kaveh stood up with a raised chin. "Are you done?"
Alhaitham looked up at him with a blank expression. "Yes. Schedule the filling with Paimon."
"I was already going to." Kaveh turned on his heel towards the door. "See you tomorrow. Maybe."
"May I come in?"
"Sure!" Paimon exclaimed. "You know, you don't have to ask every time."
"Right."
He waited while rapping his feet insistently against the hideous white floor, and stood up in an instant when Alhaitham appeared in the doorway.
"Kaveh," Alhaitham greeted evenly.
Sitting down on the unsightly blue chair was even more nerve-wracking this time around. Kaveh gulped at the sight of the torture instruments laid quietly by his side, starting to fidget with his gloves.
"Will it hurt?"
"A little," Alhaitham replied while sitting down. "I'll apply the anaesthetic through a needle, so that usually hurts. The drilling and filling shouldn't hurt."
"Okay." Kaveh shuffled on the seat, chewing on his bottom lip. He shouldn't be scared of something silly like the pain of a needle, but it had been way too long since he'd done anything like this. "I'm ready."
He was not ready.
But he squeezed his eyes shut and let Alhaitham inject the needle regardless, holding back a whimper at the pain that he wouldn't quite characterise as 'little.' He blinked his eyelids open after the worst of it had faded away, meeting the intensity of Alhaitham's pretty irises.
Gods, he really was beautiful.
And his blood still swirled into Kaveh's nose like the sweetest temptation, but that wasn't what was spiking Kaveh's anxiety. The irking numbness was spreading through his mouth, and he couldn't properly feel his fangs anymore.
Fuck. Fuck.
When Alhaitham dipped a gloved finger back into his mouth, Kaveh panicked and shut his lips.
Alhaitham blinked. Kaveh blushed. They both looked at where they were their bodies were united in an odd predicament, finger trapped against tongue.
Would Alhaitham think he was a weirdo? Probably, but Alhaitham would probably think he was even weirder if he saw Kaveh's full fangs. What if he opened his mouth and they were right there for a human to gawk at?
"It won't hurt," Alhaitham reassured him. "The worst part is already done. I'll be quick."
No, Kaveh couldn't risk it. Or could he? Maybe if he spent the entire procedure thinking of unappetising things like rotten fruit. After all, how would he explain a decision like giving up on getting his cavities dealt with?
"Open up," Alhaitham said, more softly now. "It won't be so bad. If you don't do it now, you'll have to take the needle again."
Slowly, tentatively, Kaveh parted his lips.
"Good boy," Alhaitham murmured, scanning his teeth.
And that was that. Kaveh's fangs instantly collapsed, which he knew even without being able to feel them — half because of the heat those words also sent to his groin, and half because of the shocked widening in Alhaitham's eyes.
Incomprehensibly however, rather than pull his vulnerable hands back in horror, Alhaitham leaned forwards, running a careful finger over Kaveh's fang and watching in fascination.
"How?" he asked under his breath.
Heart beating erratically, Kaveh tried to reply, but it came out as nonsense.
"Does it…" Alhaitham started to ask, poking Kaveh's canine. "Can I push it back in?"
Kaveh blinked. Seriously? This guy was playing with a vampire's fangs? Did he have no sense of self-preservation?
Shrugging, he nodded in response.
Alhaitham's eyes glittered like those of a child as he assumingly retracted the teeth manually, then pulled them back out.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, as if the answer wasn't obvious. "I didn't fully clean your canines, then."
He muttered something while reaching for another tool, and Kaveh simply watched in disbelief as this dentist went about the appointment as if he hadn't just met a freak of nature. "Aren't you… scared?"
"Of what?" Alhaitham asked, deadpan. "Of being bitten by a patient? If you wanted to do that, you already would have. Now, let me get started on the drilling."
And so he worked meticulously on Kaveh's teeth, as if this was all normal and there weren't fangs lightly grazing his gloves. What the fuck?
"Done," Alhaitham pronounced, leaning back. "It might stay sore and sensitive for a while. Avoid eating anything very hot or very cold for now."
"Okay," Kaveh found himself saying, still in a daze.
"Now." Alhaitham snapped his gloves off, and Kaveh flinched a little at the sound. "Care to explain your canines?"
This was it. Kaveh would be the reason why the existence of vampires would become common knowledge after thousands of years of careful secrecy, all because of cavities.
"I'm a vampire."
Alhaitham waited for an elaboration. Nothing came. Kaveh wanted to die.
"Are you serious?" Alhaitham asked after a while.
"Yes." Kaveh hugged his own chest. "Um. Please don't tell anyone. I swear I'm not dangerous. I drink from blood bags, I don't hurt anyone. I'm a normal guy. I'm an architect."
"I know."
Kaveh frowned. "What?"
"I know you're an architect," Alhaitham clarified. "You were all over the media when the Palace of Alcazarzaray was built."
"Oh." The recognition admittedly sent a tingle of warmth to Kaveh's heart, and he let his lips curve a little despite the anxiety still clinging to him. "That's nice to hear. But, uh, yeah. I was just born with these fangs. And I'm sensitive to sunlight. That's pretty much it. nothing crazy. I'd appreciate if you could keep it a secret."
Well, he could also read minds, but he didn't quite feel like telling Alhaitham that. He was going for a 'harmless' image. Which, for the record, he was harmless, but a human might not think that.
"You're a vampire," Alhaitham repeated slowly. "Are you pranking me?"
Kaveh pursed his lips. "You saw my teeth."
"And vampires simply… exist among us?" Alhaitham's eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "Are there many around?"
"No." Kaveh sighed as he took off his sunglasses, taking Alhaitham in with his strikingly scarlet eyes that no human had ever been born with.
Without the dark lenses, he could see the full colour painted in Alhaitham's dual eyes, teal and amber mingling in his irises. Some strands of his grey hair were tinged in a blue-green that surprisingly matched his skin, and his lips were a pretty pink.
"There's very few of us, so humans don't know," he explained. "I didn't want you to see that. I just couldn't hold the fangs in because of the anaesthetic."
"I see." Alhaitham looked properly rattled for once, posture a little stiff and gaze still locked onto Kaveh's blood-red eyes. "So this is why you don't want to get an X-ray."
Kaveh's shoulders slumped. "Yeah."
"But it's necessary regardless," he added in a clinical tone. "Your teeth need adjusting because…"
He dove into a meticulous and minute explanation of why Kaveh should risk getting the imaging done, spitting scientific facts and monologuing about dental arches with an expressionless face. He concluded with a cross of the arms, staring forwards in silence.
"…Seriously?" Kaveh asked. "I just informed you that vampires exist, and that's your reaction?"
"Schedule the X-ray," Alhaitham replied simply. "And have a good evening. It's time for me to close the clinic."
Just what was going through this man's mind? Kaveh watched with parted lips as Alhaitham stood up and shrugged off his jacket (revealing bulging biceps and beautiful forearms), wondering if this was all an act to reassure Kaveh before running off to tell the police about a bloodsucking freak in the area.
"Uh. Okay?" He cleared his throat. "Are you sure this isn't freaking you out?"
"It's not my responsibility to freak out about this. You pay me to take care of your teeth, that's all." Alhaitham gestured towards the door. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go home."
Wow. Such manners.
"I— Whatever." Kaveh put his sunglasses back on and stood up, scratching the nape of his neck. "Um? Bye? I guess? Thanks for not calling the police on me or something."
"As far as I'm aware, having sharp teeth is not a criminal offence in Sumeru."
It could have been just an incorrect impression, but Kaveh saw a little smug tug on the edge of Alhaitham's lips.
"Let's keep it that way," he mumbled. "Bye. And no, I will not come back for aligners."
He came back for aligners.
"Yes, you can come in," Paimon called out, a little frustrated as indicated by a frown between her eyes. "How are you, Kaveh?"
"Fine." He smiled. "How about you?"
"A little stressed," she chirped. "Exam week is coming up at the Akademiya, and ugh! Some of these professors are just unreasonable."
She was in university? She looked like she was fifteen. Or ten. Or four, actually.
"People are unreasonable," a familiar voice replied calmly. "University is preparing you for the world."
Kaveh turned to look at Alhaitham with a gulp, unsure of how this encounter would go. Paimon hadn't said anything odd when he'd texted the clinic, and Alhaitham was standing right in front of him, so things were probably alright, right? Unless this was an ambush of sorts to capture the vampire and stick him in a lab to be studied.
That had just been paranoia, apparently. Alhaitham calmly led him to the hideous blue chair as always, snapped on his gloves and mask, and started explaining how to use the aligners.
It kind of sucked. He had to glue things to Kaveh's teeth — which was an extremely odd sensation — and keep his mouth open way too wide with some plastic thing that made his cheeks ache. Maybe he shouldn't have gone through with this.
"Schedule an appointment in seven days," Alhaitham said when he was done. "You'll have to wear elastics."
Kaveh poked the plastic now keeping his teeth caged, running his tongue over the texture. "What about my fangs?"
"Can't you keep them retracted?" Alhaitham asked. "And let them go down when you take the aligners off to eat?"
"Not really."
"Well." Alhaitham paused. "If they're sharp enough, you can let them pierce the plastic. Your canines don't need aligning, anyway. It's not ideal, but I doubt we could get custom-made vampire aligners."
Kaveh snorted, tentatively letting his fangs drop as a test. They instantly teared through the aligner.
Alhaitham blinked at the sight, then looked away.
"Thanks again," Kaveh mumbled, playing with his fingers. "For, um, being so normal about this. I've been really needing a dentist for a while. I didn't expect anyone to react so… nicely."
"You're welcome," Alhaitham replied. And then he jotted something down on a piece of paper and handed it to Kaveh. "My phone number. Text me if you have any immediate questions or concerns."
Be professional, Kaveh told himself. But his excitable fangs and his stuttering heart had other ideas at the thought of having Alhaitham's number, irrational as that was.
"Alright," he replied, clearing his throat.
This was going to be a long few months.
"May I—"
"Yes," Alhaitham interrupted, smiling amusedly from where he was leaning against the wall. "Come in."
"Get that smirk off your face," Kaveh grumbled once Paimon was out of earshot.
"I simply didn't expect that particular myth to be true," Alhaitham replied, closing the door behind them. "What, do wooden crosses burn your skin too?
Kaveh fixed him with a deadly glare. Though perhaps it wasn't very effective with the dark lenses hiding his eyes.
Alhaitham snorted. "Good to know."
"Oh, stop it, or I'll bite your neck," Kaveh muttered.
"I'll rub garlic on your teeth."
Raising an eyebrow, Kaveh settled uncomfortably on the blue chair. He was quietly relieved that Alhaitham was taking this in such good faith, but he wasn't going to give such an arrogant man the privilege of seeing that. "You're awfully relaxed for a man alone in a room with a monster."
"Monster…" Alhaitham murmured, eyes meandering over Kaveh from head to toe. "A monster who's weak to the light of a lamp. Who has to dress in gloves and coats in Sumeru spring."
"Are you going to do your job or what?" Kaveh exclaimed, pointing to his teeth. "I'm a busy man. I'm not here to be teased for my carefully curated outfit. This coat is a vintage, by the way."
"Yeah? Did you buy it one hundred years ago?"
"Hey!" Kaveh frowned. "I'm twenty-eight."
Alhaitham snapped on his gloves. "Sure you are."
"I wouldn't lie to a doctor," he replied sweetly.
"Right."
Alhaitham rolled his chair towards Kaveh, pretty long fingers stretching towards his mouth. It smelled even sweeter today, rich.
"What are you doing to me today?" Kaveh asked, though it was almost unintelligible with Alhaitham's fingers meddling over his tongue.
Alhaitham seemed to understand however; it was probably a skill a dentist acquired eventually. "I'll put a metal button on your teeth so you can attach the elastics. You'll have to wear them all the time from now on."
Archons, he'd look hideous with elastics in his mouth. He wished he'd done this at thirteen years old when he was already covered in pimples and feeling ugly all the time anyway.
Kaveh looked up at the white ceiling and tried to ignore the unnatural sounds and motions being made inside his mouth. All he had to do was wait, and everything would—
Except, as Alhaitham's hand bent at an odd angle while doing, well, something, a sliver of his bare skin between his gloves and sleeves brushed against Kaveh's chin.
Right, another detail about vampires: they can read minds, but only during skin-to-skin contact with humans. Kaveh was instantly and unexpectedly bombarded with Alhaitham's unfiltered thoughts.
His fangs are so cute.
I wish I could see his eyes again.
I wonder how in the fuck the retractable canines work. Would he be willing to let me take a better look?
He looks uncomfortable. I'll be quick.
I should order a pie from Lambad's for dinner.
I wonder if he could drink my blood if we had sex.
Would he want to discuss with me his aesthetic philosophy paper?
Kaveh flinched violently, avoiding an accident with the sharp instrument inside his mouth by some sort of miracle, and stared at Alhaitham in sheer disbelief.
Alhaitham frowned. "Did I hurt you?"
"You… you read the philosophy paper I published seven years ago?" he blurted out.
It was Alhaitham's turn to frown — wildly, in fact — and he pulled his hands back. "How do you know?"
Kaveh's heart was thumping much too quickly and much too loudly, mind racing with what he had just accidentally heard. His mouth dropped open, then closed, then opened again, and he simply didn't know what to say.
If he had to guess what Alhaitham would be thinking, it would probably be some level of reticence towards Kaveh, who was, after all, a threatening creature. Or, really, apathy. I hope I finish quickly so I can go home soon, or something of the sort.
He had not expected— that. Whatever that had been.
"I can…" His voice was a bit shaky. Maybe this would be the final drop that would finally get Alhaitham to stop granting him a disproportionate amount of trust. "I can read your mind if our skin is touching."
For the first time, Alhaitham expressed a shocking degree of emotion through his face. His dark features paled, and then flushed slightly. He looked almost embarrassed.
"Sorry," Kaveh added quickly. "I didn't mean to."
They spent an absurdly long and mortifyingly stressful moment in silence. And then, Alhaitham said quietly, "it was a good paper. I remember reading it when I was also at the Akademiya. I recognised your name when I read about the Palace, and again when you came in here."
"Oh." Kaveh looked away. "Thanks. It probably wasn't that good."
"Probably not," Alhaitham conceded. "Did you read anything else? From my mind?"
Kaveh probably flushed as red as his eyes. "Uh. Yeah. Nothing… nothing much."
"I see."
They looked at each other for a little longer, then cleared their throats at the same time.
"I'm almost done," Alhaitham said, leaning back in.
Not a word was said between them again until Kaveh was standing up to leave, which was probably for the best. The silence did, however, give him plenty of time to think and re-think why Alhaitham had been thinking of them having sex.
Well. It wasn't that bad of a visual.
"Here are the extra elastics," Alhaitham told him, handing over a little bag.
"You too," Kaveh blurted out.
Alhaitham blinked. Kaveh cursed himself internally.
"Ha, sorry." He forced out a chuckle. "I haven't been… sleeping well."
"Your coffin is too uncomfortable?"
Okay, back to the attitude. Kaveh crossed his arms in response. "You're so funny."
"Everyone says so."
Kaveh snorted. They each stole a glance at each other before looking away again, unsure of what to say next.
"Well, see you next month," Alhaitham murmured.
"See you." Kaveh attempted a little smile. "Sorry again."
Fuck. Things were not going according to plan.
For the record, Kaveh hadn't meant to text Alhaitham. He wasn't one to abuse boundaries, and Alhaitham had very clearly only offered his number in case of dental problems. And Kaveh, maturely, would only text him about dental problems.
Okay, maybe he was a little happy at having dental problems because they gave him an excuse to text his hot-cute-infuriating dentist, but it wasn't as if he was making problems up, so there was nothing unethical about it. He opened the chat and carefully typed out a message.
Hi Alhaitham
This is Kaveh
Sorry to bother you, but the little hooks on top of my aligners are poking my gums, and it hurts
It bled earlier today
Can I do anything about this?
He chewed on his bottom lip while turning off the phone, oddly anxious about the simple message. What if this was some sort of overstep? Would Alhaitham be annoyed at the—
Ding. Oh. Okay.
Hi Kaveh
You can buy orthodontic wax at any drugstore. Make it into a little ball and cover the hook with it so it stops poking you
I can try to make it less pointy the next time you come in
Alright, the thirty seconds of stress were unfounded.
Thanks!
His fingers were desperate to add something to the conversation, but there was nothing more to say. Alhaitham's typing bubble didn't appear either, and so Kaveh resigned himself to turning the screen off once more.
Would flirting with his dentist be shitty? He could make Alhaitham uncomfortable and their appointments even more awkward than they already were. As a general rule, flirting with your doctor should be considered a terrible idea.
But Alhaitham had been thinking of having sex with him.
The idea still brought heat to Kaveh's cheeks, even though he'd remembered the fact at least one hundred times by now. That was as clear a sign as any. Plus, Alhaitham knew he was a vampire and didn't care — that was rare. Getting into a relationship with a human had always been terrifying (what if they left when Kaveh told them?), and a relationship with another vampire was simply unrealistic. He hadn't met a single one who wasn't from his family.
And Alhaitham was so… striking in every way. Physically, obviously, with those gorgeous eyes, but also in his odd, quiet kindness and his concealed humour. In how Kaveh couldn't remember ever meeting anyone quite like that.
Which was a foolish thought, of course. Everyone is unique. But the fact that his uniqueness struck Kaveh so remarkably probably meant something.
He threw his head back with a groan. Seriously? This was not the time for a crush.
It was, however, an excellent time for alcohol.
He made his way to a tavern nearby and instantly chugged two shots of whatever the barman gave him, then ordered a drink with a pretty name and hummed along to the music playing somewhere in the distance. It was a peaceful hour or two of talking to strangers and spending too much money, but that's what Friday nights are for sometimes. Or, well, all the time if you're a lonely vampire who likes alcohol a little too much.
That was when Kaveh felt a poke on his shoulder.
He turned around with a lopsided smile and hazy eyes, only to be met with Alhaitham.
"Archons," Kaveh slurred, getting up instantly. "Did I manifest your presence? I was thinking about you."
Alhaitham raised an eyebrow. "All good things, I imagine."
"Always." Kaveh chuckled. "What are you doing here?"
"Same as you," Alhaitham replied, holding up a drink. "Though this is just my second. You look like you're ahead."
"Are you judging me, doctor?" Kaveh smiled coyly as he brought a hand to slide up Alhaitham's shoulder. "Let's dance."
Alhaitham swallowed. "You're not exactly in the clearest state of mind."
"What's wrong with dancing?" Kaveh could only see Alhaitham's eyes, Alhaitham's arms, Alhaitham's subtle little smile. He looked nice under this dim lighting. "Don't worry, I don't bite."
He threw his head back in a ravenous cackle, disproportionately amused by his own joke. And then he slid his arm around Alhaitham's neck.
He's ridiculously beautiful.
"Thanks," he whispered into Alhaitham's ear, which flushed pink at that. "You're not too bad yourself."
"Kaveh," Alhaitham murmured, cupping his chin and thumbing over his lips.
The motion made Kaveh's heart leap and his gut flutter unexpectedly, and he looked up with a blush.
Alhaitham leaned in closer with hooded eyes. "You're not wearing your elastics," he whispered.
Kaveh recoiled instantly, muttering something unintelligible as Alhaitham's evil mouth curled with a teasing chuckle. What a menace.
"I wasn't aware you drank this kind of thing," Alhaitham added. "Perhaps a Bloody Mary, but nothing more."
"It's not nutritious, but it has the same effect on me that it has on you lot," Kaveh explained.
"I see." Alhaitham sipped his beer. "I appreciate your advances, but I'm not looking to get involved with an old man."
Kaveh's jaw dropped. What did he— How many times would he have to—!
"I'm twenty-eight!" he exclaimed. "What, do you think I have the elixir of immortality?"
"Hm. Two hundred and eighty, maybe."
"You—!"
"Do you struggle with Wi-Fi passwords and whatnot?"
Kaveh felt his face heat up in ire. "I'm going to kill you."
Alhaitham tapped his glass. "Don't threaten me with a good time."
When Kaveh woke up to an unfamiliar room with black-out curtains and temptingly soft covers, he nuzzled into the warmth beside him.
"Morning," Alhaitham murmured.
Vampiric eyesight, formidable as it was, allowed Kaveh to see every bite mark colouring Alhaitham's soft skin, from neck to thighs, and he let himself enjoy the view for a long moment.
He could feel Alhaitham's thoughts seeping into his own mind from where their limbs were tangled together too, hearing a mix of warm and soft and sleepy and I hope he stays for breakfast.
"How about a date?" Kaveh asked, before he could properly think the question through amid his half-awake daze. "A real one."
Alhaitham's thoughts came out as an excited bundle of excitable reactions all in one, and it made Kaveh's heart speed up at the unequivocal enthusiasm. He didn't use to think a human could ever think about him this way.
"Yes," Alhaitham whispered. "I'm assuming you prefer night dates."
Kaveh hummed, leeting his eyes flutter shut again. "Alhaitham," he said quietly while nuzzling his forehead against the crook fo a neck he'd grown familiar with.
"Mm?"
Kaveh bit back a smile. "Just thought I'd tell you that I slept wihout my aligners."