10 Signs Your Rishboland Tiger is in Heat and How to Fuck Him Out of it

Preheat

Kaveh can feel it the moment he wakes up. There's a thin layer of sweat coating his skin and everything feels warmer than usual. A growl in his stomach makes him carefully step out of bed, push past the door of his bedroom, and make his way into the kitchen.

The sun is barely up, leaving the light haze of the morning all the more irritating. Kaveh yawns, his ears flattening against his head as he blinks weary eyes, trying to wake himself up completely. When the yawn passes, they straighten back out, turning toward the sound of birds chirping as he opens a cabinet and looks through for something edible.

His tail swings back and forth behind him, almost as if delighted to be entering heat again soon. It'd be his first since moving in with—Kaveh narrows his eyes at the thought. This is a problem, not something to be excited about, he reminds himself.

He decides on reheating some Butter Chicken instead of picking out breakfast food. He'll need the calories and besides, he'll have plenty of time to eat whatever he wants in the coming few days. He knows he'll be hungry enough to down everything in preparation for his heat.

Kaveh sits down at the table when his food is finished warming up and he scarfs it down without much consideration, not noticing how he begins purring in content. He continues even when he finishes up his food, even when he moves to the sink to wash off his plate, and his tail continues to swish back and forth behind him as well.

He hears footsteps behind him before he's finished, ears turning toward the source of the sound though he continues to focus on the dish at hand.

"This is early even for your standards," Alhaitham says from behind him.

Kaveh's ears twitch as the cabinet opens and the clink of glass makes it apparent he's grabbing for one of their mugs. His standards. He says it as if it has any meaning at all—Kaveh's standards, as he puts it, could easily be working long hours into the night or springing from his bed early in the morning, it all depends on the day.

"It was too hot," Kaveh replies, not quite a lie. He finishes washing the plate and lays it on the countertop to dry, turning around to stare at his roommate. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Hot?" Alhaitham repeats, ignoring the question. He raises an eyebrow, eyes scanning down Kaveh's body for only a moment.

Kaveh flushes at it immediately. He knows what he means—hot, and yet he's wearing only shorts and a thin shirt—but that action when he's so close to his most vulnerable point makes butterflies flutter in his stomach. He can feel the sweat continue to slide down his back.

"Hot," Kaveh answers. He refuses to offer more than that and, thankfully, Alhaitham doesn't ask for anything further.

Instead, he turns back toward the counter to start preparing a pot of coffee, and Kaveh doesn't bother sticking around to watch. He takes in a deep breath, waves a hand dismissively to Alhaitham as he makes his way toward the doorway, and looks back with a small smile.

"Bring me a cup when it's finished?" he asks, though he's sure Alhaitham will outright refuse.

He hums in response, turning teal eyes to stare absentmindedly in Kaveh's direction. "Sure."

Kaveh's ears twitch, not expecting that answer, and he smiles. "Thank you," he says, then passes through the door. He doesn't notice his tail is still swaying in contentment until he sits down at the desk.

He hopes Alhaitham paid it no attention.

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