Chapter Text
It was supposed to be a relatively normal night. He was looking out the window with Alhaitham, excitedly chatting over the next day’s exploration. Kaveh was a bit nervous about the exploration, his unease towards the desert evident ever since his father had died out there, but he felt reassured that he at least had Alhaitham coming with him. As long as he had someone with him, he could stave off the sense of dread in his heart. When he had expressed wanting their classmates to come along as well, an argument broke out between the two of them.
“They thought taking the venture would be too much,” Alhaitham had said. “At least they didn’t cancel last minute and try to push all the workload onto us.”
“Hey, don’t be harsh on the others. They’re trying their best,” Kaveh said in their defense. “Next time they’ll tag along.”
The project was going to be a lot of work. It was best to let everyone do what they felt like they could do without forcing them to step out of their comfort zone. That would create burnout. Besides, Kaveh wanted to maintain a good relationship with everyone else involved so that they could help each other out. Alhaitham however, saw things differently. From the start, he’d been apprehensive about the others that have joined the project, but Kaveh just assumed that Alhaitham preferred to work alone. He was still trying to figure out why Alhaitham had agreed to work with him in the first place. Surely there were less taxing projects that he’d be willing to work on.
“If they can’t even find it upon themselves to participate in something as simple as a trip, how are they going to handle the workload when the going gets tough? They’re going to drop like flies as soon as a problem is encountered, “ Alhaitham argued.
Kaveh felt irritated as he watched Alhaitham from the corner of his eye. How could someone make himself so closed off from the rest of the world? Even when standing right beside him, it felt like he was far away. Did Alhaitham even care about the well-being of the others involved? It seemed like he was only concerned with himself and his own part in the project. Kaveh couldn’t wrap his head around the reasons why Alhaitham even liked Kaveh. He wasn’t anything special. Sure, he was smart, but lots of students were and he doubted Alhaitham cared about looks and personality. He was like a cat that attached himself to one, refused to let anybody near them, but also refused to let the one he had attached himself to give him any sort of attention for long. But Kaveh supposed he was no better. After all, he masked his true emotions from Alhaitham all the time and kept several things from him. They knew each other best, but maybe it was because they were alike in a way no one else would be able to understand. In the end, they really only had each other.
“I don’t want to discuss this right now. Can we please save it for another time? Let’s just go to bed, we have a big day tomorrow,” Kaveh pivoted the conversation with a yawn. He wasn’t in the mood for an argument. Seemed like that was all they did these days. “I don’t want to miss out on the sunrise by sleeping in. A classmate said it’s better than the ones in the city.”
Alhaitham turned to face him and Kaveh wondered what he was thinking about. Was he going to call him out on the excuse? Or was he going to go along with it?
Alhaitham opened his mouth to say something when Kaveh was suddenly enveloped by a blanket of light. He didn’t have time to register what was happening. One moment he was standing right next to Alhaitham in their rented room in Aaru Village and the next he was dumped into the middle of the woods outside of Sumeru City.
He stumbled forward, unable to find his footing. If it weren’t for a pair of strong arms grabbing his shoulders, he would’ve likely fallen face-first into the mud.
“I’ve got you,” a familiar voice reassured him in a soothing tone.
The world around him felt like it was spinning. He looked up at the man holding him but his brain couldn’t piece together who he was looking at. All he knew was that he felt comfortable and safe.
“How troublesome,” the voice sighed. “We forgot to mark the date on the calendar, Kaveh.”
“What date?” Kaveh muttered in confusion before darkness consumed him.
When he woke up, he was lying on a divan in the middle of an unfamiliar room. He sat up and took in his surroundings, trying to decipher where he was. Nothing around him was familiar. It wasn’t his home or any of his friends’ houses. He placed his feet on the floor and stood up to begin exploring his surroundings. As he studied the contents of the room, he began to recognize some items as his own. There was the box his mother had given to him when she left for Fontaine sitting on a shelf, along with a few books he knew belonged to Alhaitham. Who owned this place? Why was he in this strange house? And why were some of Alhaitham’s belongings mixed with his?
Kaveh heard footsteps coming from somewhere inside the house and he whipped around to see who was his companion.
He found himself face-to-face with his friend, but he knew that was impossible. Alhaitham was all the way out in Aaru village and he didn’t live in a place like this. At the same time, it was unmistakably Alhaitham. No one else had teal eyes with red irises and looked upon the world as if he was studying it every waking moment. There wasn’t a single person Kaveh knew that had silver hair as untameable as his. Yes, the person before him had to be the one and only Alhaitham. Yet at the same time, the Alhaitham before him was completely different.
For starters, this man was taller and broader than the Alhaitham he knew. Last he checked, they were about the same height, and his friend had a lanky physique. Not to mention the fact that this man who resembled Alhaitham had muscles as if he was somebody who worked out regularly. Alhaitham?! The guy who spent all his time reading a book and then would take a nap right after because nothing else has ever interested him?! The thought of him working out a single day in his life was laughable.
“Who are you?” Kaveh asked as he went into a defensive stance. “What are your intentions with me?!”
“I’m Alhaitham and you traveled fifteen years in the future,” the man said bluntly.
“What?!” Kaveh gasped. “That’s not possible, time travel isn’t meant to be--”
“Possible? I’ve seen it happen in front of my own eyes more than twice,” Alhaitham answered with a shrug.
“I don’t believe you.” he huffed. “A person doesn’t just get snatched out of their timeline and get deposited somewhere else.”
“It’s the truth,” he explained. “Look.”
The man lifted his shirt to reveal a birthmark near his belly button. Kaveh’s eyes lit up in recognition. It was the same birthmark Alhaitham had. He’d seen it every time Alhaitham had taken off his shirt to cool off during those hot summer days. That was something that couldn’t be replicated by anybody else. This person was undeniably Alhaitham of the future.
15 years in the future. That would make the Alhaitham in front of him 33 years old. He certainly looked older. The roundness of his cheeks was gone and he had a more pronounced jawline. Not to mention how hot the Alhaitham before him was. Kaveh always thought Alhaitham was decent-looking but his baby face and lanky figure made him want to squeeze his cheeks. What happened to his cute little junior?! Now that he had grown up and gained some muscle, Kaveh found his face heating up at the realization that he may be attracted to this Alhaitham.
As Kaveh’s mind continued to spiral over his newfound attraction to his own friend from the future, Alhaitham chuckled in amusement as if he could read Kaveh’s thoughts. How embarrassing would that be if he could?! Kaveh coughed awkwardly into his fist as he averted his gaze, choosing to instead study the photographs on the shelf.
“Okay, I believe you, but what are we going to do now? I mean, I can’t just stay here, right?”
“Nothing,” Alhaitham shrugged as he sat down on the divan.
“Nothing?! So am I just stuck here forever?!” Panic began to settle in his heart. He couldn’t stay in the future forever! He had an entire life back home! What about his mother? His Alhaitham? He couldn’t leave them behind!
“No, the ley line’s effects will only last twenty-four hours,” Alhaitham explained in a calm tone. “You’ll eventually return to your own timeline.”
“Whoa, whoa, slow down! Ley line effects? What even happened?” Kaveh asked as his mind tried to decipher the information he was being presented with. His brain felt like it was on overdrive trying to decipher the information being given to him all at once. Just a few minutes ago he didn’t even believe time travel was possible and all of a sudden he’s standing in the future in front of an older version of his friend!
“The two of us were surveying some ley lines earlier. You got too close to an unstable one and ended up switching places with yourself when you absorbed its essence.”
“I see,” Kaveh sighed. It seemed like even 15 years later his bad luck was chasing him. At least the effects of this weren’t permanent. The initial panic he had dissipated and he began to relax. That was one issue out of the way.
“Now that everything has been explained to you, I’m going to get some reading done. If you’re hungry, let me know and I’ll cook dinner. Otherwise, I’ll start preparing dinner in the evening,” Alhaitham announced as he crossed his legs and took out his book. “Feel free to explore the home. It’s your place after all.”
“This is my home?” Kaveh asked as he looked around. “Then why are there some things that also belong to you?”
“Because we live together. We’re roommates.”
Kaveh’s face turned red. “We live together in the future?”
“Have been for the past five years,” Alhaitham confirmed.
Five years. Five years living with the hottest man he’d ever seen. What did future him think of Alhaitham? Did he find him just as attractive as he was currently finding him to be? And if so, how does future Kaveh do it without wanting to explode? Surely living in close quarters with somebody as attractive as him was a recipe for disaster. Not to mention his personality. He was largely unagreeable, stubborn and not to mention a loner. He had to be insufferable to live with.
Kaveh walked over to the shelf with all the photos. There had to be pictures of him and Alhaitham right? Maybe it would give a hint to what awaited him in the future. As his eyes scanned over the photos, nothing special stood out to him. There were photos of the two of them in various locations across Tevyat. It was odd to see a photo of himself in the future. So that was what he looked like? Though he still looked the same for the most part, it was still odd to see an older version of him out on display. There was something about looking at those photos that made his heart flutter. This was what he was going to look like in the future! And he was going to travel all over Tevyat with Alhaitham. If only his friend was with him, he was aching to see Alhaitham’s reaction to all of this. Would he too be happy to see that they were still friends years later? He hoped so.
He focused his attention on the next batch of photos. Photos of the two of them in their Akademiya uniforms, photos of the two of them hanging out with unfamiliar faces at the tavern. Without fail, both Kaveh and Alhaitham seemed to be happy in each one.The photos displayed two friends who spent a lot of time together. There was nothing special about them outside of the fact that Kaveh was taking a glimpse at his future. He should be relieved that his friendship with Alhaitham would be long-lasting, but after examining for a while his stomach began to twist. What exactly was he looking for? Why did he feel disappointment when he found the photos were nothing out of the ordinary? Was there something missing in these photos that he was hoping to find?
“If you’re bored, your section of books is on the right side of the study by the smaller desk,” Alhaitham interrupted. “The bottom shelf should have the books you were using at that time.”
“I’m not bored.”
“I’m not saying you are.”
“I’m serious! I’m not,” Kaveh insisted. “I’m just looking around.”
“If that’s what you’d rather do, then I won’t stop you,” he continued with a nonchalant shrug, not even bothering to look up from his book.
“Like I said,” Kaveh snapped as he reached up to grab a frame on a higher shelf, “I am just looking around and-- ah!”
As Kaveh’s fingers grazed the edge of the frame, he accidentally pushed it to the side, colliding the object with a random knickknack displayed next to it, which in turn began to fall directly onto Kaveh. Or at least it would’ve fallen onto Kaveh had it not been for Alhaitham. It had happened so fast, he wasn’t sure how Alhaitham did it. One moment Alhaitham was reading a book across the room and the next he was towering over Kaveh, shielding him from the object that had toppled over the edge. Kaveh’s back was pressed against the shelf as he stared up at Alhaitham in surprise. Above him, Alhaitham was staring down at him with a worried expression.
His head swam in confusion. He had never seen Alhaitham make such a face, in fact, Alhaitham rarely ever stepped out of his comfort zone for anything. Imagining the Alhaitham he knew doing this made his mind go blank. Had it been the other, Kaveh’s head would be throbbing from the collision and the other Alhaitham would stare blankly at him before berating him over his recklessness. How could these two be the same person? “Are you alright?” Alhaitham asked as his eyes scanned over Kaveh.
“Yeah,” Kaveh replied quietly, ignoring the pounding sound in his chest as his eyes fixated on a scratch on Alhaitham’s cheek. “But, you’re not.”
He reached up to where the wound was and placed his thumb against the thin line. Alhaitham hissed in pain from the pressure but no blood was drawn. It didn’t seem like much, but he still got hurt because of Kaveh. The least he could do was patch it up.
“Hold on,” Kaveh said as he began to dig into his pocket. “I always carry some bandaids on me.”
“It’s okay, I can grab one from the cabinet,” Alhaitham chuckled.
“No, no, I can handle this,” Kaveh said as he pulled out the bandaid. “You’re my junior, it’s my responsibility to take care of you as the eldest. Besides,” He tore the package open and began to line the bandaid up with the wound, “it’s my fault you got hurt.”
“Don’t blame yourself. It was my choice to take the hit for you. And need I remind you that I am currently thirteen years older? I think that warrants me as the senior.”
“Stay still and stop joking around, I need to make sure it sticks,” Kaveh chastised him as he placed the bandaid onto the wound. His eyes remained transfixed on the area as he smoothed over the edges before his hands returned to his side.
His eyes locked with Alhaitham and he swore the world stopped for a moment. There was an unfamiliar look in those eyes, one he hadn’t seen in years. It was the same way his late father looked at his mother whenever she did anything. A look of adoration and love. And that was when it all clicked for him. This Alhaitham cared about him. Overwhelmingly so. There may even be a chance that they were lovers. It wasn’t a far-fetched conclusion to make, right? There was no concrete evidence yet, but surely no one looked at someone they weren’t in love with the same way Alhaitham looked at him. That had to be the explanation. The realization was so much that Kaveh had to turn his head away before his brain exploded.
“There, all better,” Kaveh coughed awkwardly, his heart sinking as he thought about his present. The Alhaitham he knew would never look at him like that. How was it possible that Alhaitham, his Alhaitham, would become this person in front of him? “We’re even now.”
“Thank you,” he said as he bent down to pick up the fallen object and place it back where it belonged. Thankfully, it seemed like there was no damage to it.
Alhaitham placed a hand on Kaveh’s shoulder, dragging him out of his thoughts. He still refused to face Alhaitham, his face burning as he felt eyes on him. Knowing Alhaitham, he was studying him, taking in his expressions and coming to conclusions about what was the next best course of action to take.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
Kaveh wanted to answer no but the rumbling of his stomach betrayed him.
“Come with me, dinner won’t take long,” Alhaitham said as he began to walk away.
He did as told, crossing the room over to the doors that led to the kitchen. Upon entering, he was met with a decent-sized kitchen, with a nice sink, stove for cooking and a pantry that stored all their food. His eyes roamed over the counter and noticed a pair of mugs and a pair of wine glasses drying off the rack. A few feet away, two matching aprons were hanging off their respective hooks. It seemed like the two of them had pairs in everything. Kaveh wondered why that was. Did they simply buy each other matching sets as gifts? Or did they go shopping together and frequently buy them together? Either explanation made Kaveh’s cheeks red at the thought of them. To think that in the future he and Alhaitham were this domestic with each other, they had to be dating, right?
“Take a seat at the table, I’ll serve you a drink,” Alhaitham said as he began pouring something into a cup before placing it on the table.
Kaveh took the drink, noticing the vibrant coloring before taking a sip. It was thick and cold, but tasted just like some of his favorite fruit. He gleefully took another sip of it before turning his attention back to Alhaitham.
“What’s this? A smoothie?” Kaveh asked.
“Yeah, it’s a blend we do to preserve the fruit a little longer,” Alhaitham answered as he began chopping vegetables.
“Oh, I see,” Kaveh drummed his fingers against the cup as he studied the rest of the room.
There was a calendar on the wall written in a familiar script. He couldn’t recognize all the words, but he could pinpoint what the exact language was. It was the ancient language that they were decoding for their project. It amazed him to see their relationship was so sturdy that even 15 years later they were still talking in that language. It also gave Kaveh newfound confidence in their project. If they were still conversing in that same language, then that meant everything went well. He couldn’t wait to return to his time to work on it. Alhaitham would probably like the reassurance of its success as well, he was the one who selected the topic after all.
A bowl of soup was placed in front of him, and Kaveh’s eyes met Alhaitham’s. He gave him a reassuring look before turning back to the stove to continue cooking.
“You’re not going to have soup?” Kaveh asked as he picked up his spoon.
“I am. Just making some modifications before I eat,” he replied.
“Okay,” Kaveh shrugged as he lifted the spoon to his mouth. It smelled amazing, and he was pretty sure it was going to taste just as great. When the flavor hit his tongue, he moaned happily from the exquisite flavor on his tongue. Who knew that Alhaitham in the future was going to be such a great chef? The Alhaitham of his timeline could barely boil water. He was so used to his grandmother’s cooking that after she died, he spent all his money on takeaway meals since he didn’t know how to cook for himself. Kaveh ended up pitying him and began preparing lunches for the two whenever they met up at the Akademiya, just so Alhaitham could save some mora.
Once again, the dichotomy between the two Alhaithams left Kaveh’s stomach twisting. He missed the hopeless junior who claimed independence and yet relied on his money to have meals on the table and watched his senior cook meals as if it were a class. That teenager was gone, replaced by a man who now knew how to take care of himself without resorting to money. He swallowed down his food and willed his heart to go down. It was only natural that he was going to grow up someday. Heck, Kaveh was in a similar position as Alhaitham once. When his father died he had to learn meals to help his mother out and those first years were rough. Of course, after years of practice, he had improved. This was the same case here. The Alhaitham in front of him wasn’t the teenager still learning how to live on his own.
As he took another sip from his smoothie, Alhaitham joined the table with his dinner. It seemed like he had converted the soup to something drier. Kaveh stared in fascinated disgust as Alhaitham began to dig into his meal. He took back that comment about Alhaitham being a great chef, he was clearly a menace.
Noticing that he was being stared at, Alhaitham chuckled, “You know I don’t like soup.”
“Yes, but,” Kaveh stared down at his bowl before looking back at Alhaitham’s dish, “you can’t just destroy soup like that!”
“I served it to you as you like it, I served mine as I do,” he shrugged as he took a bite. “As long as it tastes good, the presentation doesn’t matter.”
“I guess,” Kaveh shrugged. “It’s still a crime against soup.”
“Then I guess I’m a felon.”
Kaveh couldn’t hold himself back. Laughter escaped his lips and once it came out, stopping was no longer an option. He held his stomach as he bent over in his chair and erupted with another round of laughter. As he sat up straight again, he could feel tears pricking out of his eyes. He wiped the tears off his face and took in a deep breath, willing himself to calm down.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh,” Kaveh wheezed. “It was just unexpected for you to crack a joke like that. I’m used to my cute little junior whose most expressive emotion is an angry pout. You’re just… so different from him.”
Alhaitham tilted his head in confusion, “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know, you’re just different. You’re more expressive, not as tight, you’re more agreeable and you’re nicer to me. Fifteen years ago you’d never say or do half of the things you’re doing right now.” Kaveh frowned before he shifted his eyes over to Alhaitham, crimson eyes meeting teal as he confessed, “I wish you were like this back then too.”
Alhaitham crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair, a frown forming on his face as he stated, “Did you not like me?”
“No! Of course I like you! And it’s not like you’re a bad friend. It’s just that… well, if something fell off a shelf I don’t think you’d take the hit to protect me.”
“It just never happened, if something did fall off a shelf I would’ve taken it for you.”
“No, you wouldn’t have,” Kaveh refuted.
“I would’ve,” he insisted. “Or at least I would’ve in the best way I knew how to. You just never noticed.”
“I see.” Kaveh bowed his head in shame, feeling his heart sink.
He was a fool. Of course, he knew that Alhaitham made several exceptions for him. It was evident from the moment they met in the House of Daena that Kaveh was the first one to have ever managed to breach that wall he had set up. But the Alhaitham he knew was also an 18 year old boy who didn't know the first bit about maintaining friendships and had a long way to go. Kaveh knew he was trying, but some days felt more like an uphill battle than others. And when faced with an Alhaitham that had grown and matured, had learned to truly express himself, and was more open with his feelings, the Alhaitham Kaveh wished he could be, how could he not want that?
“It’s been fifteen years. It would be bad if nothing has changed,” Alhaitham pointed out.
“Right…” Kaveh sighed defeatedly. In his own longing, he had failed to consider that.
“Listen,” Alhaitham took hold of Kaveh’s hand, “neither of us were perfect back then, but we grew, and we learned to grow together. We made each other better people.” Kaveh felt Alhaitham’s thumb run across the back of his hand in soothing circles. “The relationship you want isn’t going to appear overnight.”
“Is this some convoluted way to say to be patient?” Kaveh asked, eyeing their joined hands before shifting his gaze over to Alhaitham.
The corner of Alhaitham’s lips turned up, “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“I’m sorry,” Kaveh apologized. “I guess I failed to consider that fifteen years is a long time.”
“It is a long time,” he nodded in agreement. “And I’m not the Alhaitham you should be apologizing to.”
“Right,” Kaveh laughed bitterly. When he returned he would be sure to make it up to his friend for putting such little faith in him.
The rest of the dinner went by quietly. When Kaveh finished his soup, Alhaitham had taken their dishes to the sink and suggested they go to the study. Kaveh once again took in his surroundings. Kaveh spotted blueprints on one of the desks and couldn’t hold back a giddy smile. It was a relief to know he did manage to follow in his mother’s footsteps into becoming an architect.
The two of them in the future really do make their lives revolve around each other. There were two desks in the room but he couldn’t tell which one belonged to whom as they both contained items that belonged to either roommate. It was as if they shared the space, just like how they shared everything else.
Alhaitham crossed over to one of the bookshelves and began to sort through it as if he was searching for something. Kaveh observed him once again. He truly was handsome. Someone like him had to turn heads. There was no way he was single. Even if he wasn’t the outgoing type and preferred his peace, there had to be someone who had his heart.
The realization washed over Kaveh like waves crashing against the shore. It was him, wasn’t it? He was the one that managed to capture Alhaitham’s heart. All the signs around the house pointed to yes. He just needed confirmation.
“You know, I’ve been thinking,” Kaveh started as he examined the books on the desk. “Five years is a long time for two men in their thirties to be just roommates.”
Alhaitham paused in his search to look over at Kaveh, eyes studying him for a moment. He turned back to the shelf and retrieved a book from it, opening the book and flipping through it to read its contents.
“It’s not uncommon for people to have roommates nowadays,” Alhaitham answered before he returned the book to its original spot.
“But we both had our own houses and neither of them were bad.”
Alhaitham snorted, “A great architect once told me that a house is not a home unless you make it one. This is our home.”
Kaveh’s face turned red, “Can you just outright say if we’re dating or not? The suspense is killing me.”
“Why do you wanna know that?” Alhaitham asked teasingly. “Trying to get a sneak peek?”
“No,” Kaveh huffed as he crossed his arms. “I just can’t think of any other reason why we’d be living together.”
“You should find out for yourself,” Alhaitham chuckled. “Knowing everything will ruin the fun.”
Oh, they were so dating. His lack of response only confirmed it. Kaveh couldn’t help himself from smiling as he turned over to the bookshelves. He wondered when they had gotten together. He doubted it would be anytime soon but maybe by the time the project would end? It seemed reasonable. It was going to take years to finish and the two of them were going to have to work together a lot. Maybe the “learning to grow together” Alhaitham mentioned will happen then. He can imagine it, being with Alhaitham for several years. It felt right. Perhaps that's why they eventually moved in together to a new place because the two of them loved each other so much that they couldn’t bear to be apart.
He glanced over at Alhaitham. He just seemed so dedicated to Kaveh, even to one from the past who had no idea what was in store for them. There was no other explanation for this devotion. His adoration was overwhelming, he wondered if in the future he could handle it. Maybe he just got used to it after so many years. It was a bit scary to think about an entire lifetime with someone, but if this was who Alhaitham was going to turn out to be, he completely understood why he stayed. They just had to be the type of couple everyone was jealous of. The infamous Akademiya sweethearts trope.
Kaveh knelt to look for where he remembered Alhaitham mentioned the books related to the project were. He recognized the titles of the books for most of them were ones he had already collected himself. If he could remember which book he had left off at, he could get some more research done.
Thinking about the project made him wonder how it turned out. It was an extremely ambitious project, but he had faith that it would go well. Surely all the hours of work that they were about to put in would be worth it, right?
Kaveh’s eyes fell onto a folder that was tucked between two books. Curious, Kaveh pulled it out of the shelf. It was worn due to its age, but the content inside seemed to be even older. Kaveh opened up the folder to take a look.
“Wait, don’t look in there,” Alhaitham warned. “That’s—
Kaveh found himself staring down at an academic paper. He’s seen a million of them but what was special about this one was that the title was the exact title he and Alhaitham had agreed upon for their project. Their own names were written at the bottom where the authors should be. It was their project, and the paper had been torn apart, haphazardly taped back together as if someone had attempted to salvage the damage after the fact.
“—spoilers,” Alhaitham said defeatedly.
Their project… he slammed the folder shut and shoved it back where it belonged. He wished he could erase the memory of having seen that, but the image of the torn-up paper was already etched inside his mind. He took in several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down but his heart was pounding and his head was racing with a million thoughts.
What happened? Why was it torn? The damn thing didn’t even look finished! Why was their project in such a state? He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to find Alhaitham had knelt beside him and was trying to comfort him, but his face was the last thing he wanted to see. Anger began to well up inside him.
“What the hell was that?!” Kaveh said through gritted teeth.
Alhaitham’s eyes shifted over to the offensive object, a look of pain in them before they returned to Kaveh.
“It’s not a pretty story,” Alhaitham answered. “We both agreed it's best to not discuss that night anymore.”
“I don’t understand. Did we do that to the paper?”
“No,” Alhaitham said quietly, “it was all you.”
“But I wouldn’t do that to something I value. What happened?!”
Alhaitham remained silent for a moment mulling over what to say.
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why?!”
“Because if I did, you’re going to try and change it,” Alhaitham answered. “And I can’t let you do that.”
“I don’t get it. Wouldn’t you want to change this? I thought this was important to you too.”
“It was,” Alhaitham replied without hesitation. “But I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
“You’re fine with everything going down the drain?” Kaveh curled in on himself. He felt betrayed, and now that he knew that this would be the result, the temptation to quit was high. And it was like Alhaitham couldn’t care less! “How could you want this?”
“Because I like where I am today, that project’s end provided a valuable lesson in my life. It was a wake-up call of sorts.”
Wake-up call? Kaveh’s head spun as he thought about what that meant. What kind of wake-up call would that be? The more he thought about what could’ve happened, the more he was afraid to experience it himself.
Noticing Kaveh’s distress, Alhaitham pulled the two of them up and began to gently guide Kaveh out of the room.
“It’s late. You should get some rest, and clear your head,” he advised.
Kaveh couldn’t bring himself to say a single word. Instead, he allowed Alhaitham to guide him over to the bedroom. He didn’t point out the fact that the room clearly was inhabited by two people or that Alhaitham was a little too good at making one feel comfortable around him. When he crawled into bed and pulled the sheets over his head, sleep immediately began to take him. He was already losing consciousness when he felt a hand comb through his hair.
“Goodnight Kaveh,” Alhaitham said.
Kaveh didn’t reply. His last remaining conscious thoughts had returned to the boy with teal eyes who spent all his time away from everyone else reading. The cute little junior that somehow became attached to his hip. He missed him terribly, and his heart ached to see him again.
He dreamed about the two of them sitting together in the House of Daena, enjoying each other’s company as they worked on their respective homework, just like any other day. He knew that once he woke up alone in an unfamiliar room in a place far far away from his own, his heart would only ache to return to his time more.
Kaveh stepped into the kitchen the following morning, only to find himself alone. This was expected, Alhaitham was never the type to rise early unless he absolutely had to. He was also extremely moody before his daily morning dose of caffeine. Guess some things never changed. It was likely Alhaitham was going to sleep in for a while, and Kaveh didn’t want to bother him. He’d already done so much, the least Kaveh could do was let him rest. After making himself some coffee and toast, he exited the kitchen and headed over to the living room. He was just going to have breakfast in a more comfortable spot to mull over the events from the night before, but he stopped when he noticed Alhaitham lying on one of the divans. His heart twisted at the sight. Did he have nowhere else to sleep? Why did he give up his bed? Kaveh would’ve gladly taken the divan.
He turned to leave but Alhaitham began to stir. He sat up on the divan and stretched his arms before squinting at Kaveh.
“Are you having breakfast?” Alhaitham asked as he eyed the coffee in Kaveh’s hand.
“Yes.”
“Why did you wake up so early? I could’ve done it.”
“It’s almost noon, you just slept in,” Kaveh hummed as he took a sip of his coffee. He offered it to Alhaitham. “Here, take a sip of this while I make you a cup.”
“No need,” Alhaitham pushed the coffee away before standing up and walking away. “I’m going to make my own.”
Kaveh followed him into the kitchen and watched as he made himself his own pot of coffee.
“You know, you didn’t have to take the divan last night,” Kaveh said. “It’s your house, you should’ve claimed the bed.”
“I’m not going to let you sleep on the divan,” Alhaitham answered as he plucked a fruit from the bowl and began to cut it. “It’s not uncomfortable, but it’s not right for you to sleep there if a bed is available.”
“But—”
“No buts,” Alhaitha interrupted, plopping pieces of fruit onto a plate and pushing it over to Kaveh. “The night has already passed, and you’re leaving in a few hours. It’s meaningless to debate over this.”
“Okay,” Kaveh quietly answered as he picked up one of the pieces of fruit on the plate. He nibbled on it as Alhaitham poured his coffee.
“Speaking of last night, how are you feeling?” Alhaitham asked.
Kaveh winced at the question, swallowing the last bit of food in his mouth before pondering over what to say. He wasn’t sure what there was to say. Up until he had seen that folder, the future looked so bright. It was everything he could’ve ever wanted. But now that he knew everything wasn’t as perfect as he originally imagined, he wasn’t sure what to think.
“You’re disappointed,” Alhaitham pointed out.
“How could I not be?” Kaveh answered, gripping his mug.
“Nothing in life is perfect. It’s naive to believe so.”
“I wasn’t expecting it to be. I just really wanted something for once to go right.”
His father’s death. His mother leaving for Fontaine. He didn’t expect people to stay anymore but after spending so long with a future Alhaitham that he was possibly dating in 15 years, he had thought that maybe at least one thing was going to be fine. Was it wrong for him to hope so?
“It’s going to go right,” Alhaitham reassured him. “Eventually.”
“My future isn’t set in stone yet,” Kaveh argued. “What if it doesn’t work out?”
Alhaitham stepped closer to him. Kaveh went to take a step back but was stopped by a hand gently taking hold of his own. He looked up to find Alhaitham staring down at him with so much love and devotion in those teal eyes of his, Kaveh’s heart stopped for a second.
“Is this the future you want?” he asked.
He thought back to the photos on the shelves depicting an older version of him smiling with his best friend. The blueprints left behind on the desk, the lovely home he had been inside this whole visit, and a familiar face who held him like he was the world to them all came to mind as well.
He didn’t need to think about it for long. The answer was obvious. A future where he had a career, a cozy home that he could proudly call his and someone who loved him? What more could he possibly ask for?
He thought about his present. The late nights he spent on his projects, the empty house he occupied that was but a memory of a past that will never return. His best friend who could use a lesson or two in relationships but remained by his side. Someone he loved, and wanted more with. Someone who he might one day have that ‘more’ with.
“I do,” Kaveh said. “This is something I want.”
“Things happen for a reason, just let it run its course. What is meant to happen will happen,” Alhaitham said, intertwining their fingers together. “Trust that you will one day get to where you want to be.”
“Do you really think I’ll make it?” Kaveh softly asked.
Teal eyes met crimson and Kaveh could see a hint of a smile on Alhaitham’s face, “I’m currently living through it. You just need to believe in yourself, and enjoy every moment in the present.”
Kaveh felt his eyes tear up and he quickly wiped them off before they fell down his face. He gave Alhaitham a grateful smile.
“Thanks.”
They released their hands to enjoy the rest of their breakfast. After finishing, Kaveh had expected to spend the rest of his time in the future at the house, but to his surprise, Alhaitham dragged him outside.
“We need to be back at the forest before the switch,” Alhaitham explained as he trudged on his cloak.
As he followed Alhaitham out of the house, Kaveh found himself in awe of his surroundings. Sumeru City was simultaneously the same and yet so different. The streets looked familiar but the structures looked different, even the shops were completely replaced. Nothing looked the same, and yet, it still resembled the Sumeru City he grew up in.
Kaveh found himself tempted to explore a bit more, but Alhaitham was quick to notice the distraction. He came up to Kaveh and grabbed his wrist before dragging him away, steering clear of the stalls and shops on the street.
The sound of laughter escaped Kaveh’s mouth.
“Sorry, sorry,” he apologized as he fell into step with Alhaitham. “It’s just that everything looks so interesting.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to check it out in the future,” Alhaitham chuckled. “I’ll take you to some one day.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Kaveh muttered as he blushed.
“I’m positive that I will keep this one.”
If he could blush anymore, he would be doing so.
Once they were in the forest, Alhaitham squeezed Kaveh’s hand.
“Stay close, the forest is dangerous,” he warned before summoning his sword. As they walked through the forest, Alhaitham slashed away at the trees and bushes to create a clearer path for the two of them. It was at that moment Kaveh realized that the sword was made purely out of dendro. Alhaitham had a vision. Dendro suited him well, and the fact that he even knew how to create a sword from Dendro demonstrated how proficient he was. Kaveh wondered if he had a vision too. Surely, if Alhaitham proved himself to the gods, he had to have done so as well, right?
When they got to a clearing with a red ley line in the middle, Alhaitham stopped.
“This was the same ley line Kaveh got absorbed into yesterday,” he explained, putting up a protective arm to block Kaveh’s path. “Be careful, we don’t know if it’ll absorb you again and I don’t want you to be further displaced in time.”
“But, what if I have to walk in there to go back to my timeline?” Kaveh countered.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
The two walked around the outer rim of the clearing, examining the ley line from afar. Kaveh had to admit that it was abnormal. Aside from its color, it crackled and groaned as it rotated in its ball of matter. The smell of rotten eggs made Kaveh gag every time he breathed in.
“It’s almost time, isn’t it?” Kaveh said as he glanced at the sky. The sun was beginning to go down, turning the sky’s color into a fiery red. He didn’t see the sky when he first appeared but given that it was night by the time he arrived at the house, time had to be up.
“Almost,” Alhaitham answered.
Kaveh glanced back at the ley line.
“Kaveh…” Alhaitham said in a low voice, as if he could read Kaveh’s mind. “Don’t do it.”
“I think I have to,” Kaveh answered. “If I fell in there earlier then maybe the only way to reverse this is by going back in.”
“I can’t risk losing you,” Alhaitham’s hold on him tightened.
When Kaveh looked into his eyes he could see the fear in them. Ah, that’s right. This all happened because he lost Kaveh earlier. Watching somebody you loved disappear in front of your own eyes had to be mentally taxing. Alhaitham had done well in masking the turmoil emotions the entire time but now that he was faced with the possibility of losing Kaveh again, he was hesitant.
Even 15 years later, Alhaitham was still his junior. It was Kaveh’s responsibility to make things right.
Kaveh gave him a sympathetic smile, “You miss him don’t you?”
“More than anything,” Alhaitham confessed.
“And I miss someone too,” Kaveh cupped Alhaitham’s face. “Someone very dear to me. Risks have to be taken if you want him back.” He dropped his hand and stood up straight. “Thank you for taking me in. Goodbye.”
“Don’t say goodbye. We’ll see each other again soon enough,” he replied with a smile on his face that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Right,” Kaveh chuckled, feeling tears forming in his eyes. “I’ll see you then.”
Kaveh turned away from Alhaitham and took a deep breath, willing his heart to calm down. He took a single step forward before turning back to face Alhaitham. He wanted to have one last look at him, commit that face to memory. He wanted to remind himself that this was what was waiting for him in the future. Alhaitham looked at him in surprise, confusion and worry written all over his face. He began to walk backwards, still facing Alhaitham as he gave him a reassuring smile.
“Kaveh, watch where you’re going—”
“What is meant to happen will happen, right?” Kaveh asked. “If that is so, then I’m trusting everything will work out.”
He stopped once again. He could feel the tendrils of the ley line reaching out to him, beckoning him. As if under a spell, he felt himself drawn to it, inching closer and closer. He resisted the spell, stopping once again to meet Alhaitham’s face one more time.
“By the way, you were cuter back then!” Kaveh shouted before stepping into the ley line. It immediately reacted to his presence, enveloping him in that same bright light that had taken him earlier. In the blink of an eye, it was all gone and he found himself stumbling forward again.
“I’ve got you.”
He was caught by a pair of arms, holding onto him tightly. When he looked up, Alhaitham, his Alhaitham was holding onto him. It felt nice to finally be back. It felt like returning home after a long vacation. He pulled him in for a hug.
“I missed you,” Kaveh confessed as he held onto his friend tightly. He felt like his heart was going to rip out of his chest as he continued. “The future isn’t bad, but every second I was there I spent wanting to come back to this. To you.”
“I missed you too,” Alhaitham muttered into Kaveh’s hair.
When they pulled apart, Kaveh reached out to cup his friend’s cheek, taking in every detail as if he were seeing him for the first time. As he looked into Alhaitham’s face, he saw it. He saw where the chubby cheeks would fade, and then would form into that of an adult. It wasn’t that he became hot, he had always looked that way. In a few years, he would blossom into the handsome man who remained by Kaveh’s side. His heart was beating in excitement at the prospect of getting to grow older with him. He should cherish his cute little junior while he still could.
And Alhaitham was right. Even if the project was doomed to fail, even if there were hard times ahead and there was a risk of losing it all, he should still enjoy every moment to the fullest. Alhaitham was important to him and he wanted to cherish every moment he had with him. And maybe one day…
Alhaitham tilted his head as he looked down at him. Though reserved, he could see the adoration on his face. To think this man would one day unashamedly bask Kaveh in all of the love he had to offer had him blushing. It’s always been there, hasn’t it?
He was going to let things run their course. Whatever happens, even if it gets bad, the best is yet to come.