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“They’re holding a fireworks festival in front of the Akademiya. For New Year’s Eve,” Kaveh spoke abruptly, breaking the fragile peace between him and the man currently cooking in their small kitchenette.
Kaveh wasn’t helping with the meal preparation, instead choosing to laze around on the couch with a newspaper in hand. He flipped through the pages, circling what he believed to be important information while scoffing at the rest. He was loud, obnoxiously so for someone reading nothing but the daily paper.
“Is that so?” Was all Alhaitham responded with, not even bothering to look up from the cookbook he was holding in one hand.
“Is that so?” Kaveh repeated, mocking his tone with his eyebrows raised. “Can’t you give me one moment of your attention?”
“No.” The book Alhaitham was holding got placed down on the counter, the man instead turning around to grab ingredients to measure.
He was precise, careful in his movements. Careful with every action he took in making their shared lunch. Kaveh could never have the patience to cook with such accuracy to the recipe. Had Kaveh known any better, he would speak out with a remark about how strict Alhaitham was towards the recipe. How robotic it was to not experiment with the measurements and try something new. He didn’t.
“Too bad. I want you to come with me.” Kaveh waved a hand dismissively to Alhaitham’s previous comment, ignoring his words completely.
“Go with someone else.” Alhaitham poured the ingredients into a bowl, mixing at a slow pace. His words were cold, but there was something about them, something about the way he spoke, that made Kaveh believe it was more of a question.
“There’s nobody else to go with. If I could ask someone else, I would,” Kaveh scoffed, crossing his arms against his chest defensively.
“...Fine. After lunch.” Was all he responded with. Yet that was all Kaveh needed.
He grinned triumphantly, tossing his newspaper down onto the coffee table before standing up from his seat on the couch, walking towards his room. Alhaitham watched out of the corner of his eye, having chosen to put most of his attention towards their meal. He sighed, waiting.
As their meal cooked, the house was slowly filled with the sweet aroma of food. Alhaitham sliced the food in half, placing both on an individual plate to ensure that he and Kaveh had the same amount. A door creaked open from behind him, signaling Kaveh’s return to the living room. He placed the plates down on the counter with a clatter, walking around to sit himself down on one of the cushioned bar stools.
Kaveh sat beside him, picking up a fork and eating ravenously, quick and without savoring the taste of his carefully cooked meal. Alhaitham could only watch with a blank expression, the food in front of him growing colder by the minute.
“Are you not going to eat?” Kaveh caught his stare, locking them in uncomfortable eye contact.
Alhaitham looked away, snickering quietly to himself before picking up his own fork, “I am going to eat. You just ate rather quickly, that’s all.”
Kaveh narrowed his eyes, puffing his chest out, “Well I’ve been starving with how long it took you to make that food.”
“Too bad. If you ate it that quickly, it obviously tasted good to you,” Alhaitham reasoned, digging into his own meal slowly and with calculation.
Every piece he cut with his fork was just the right size, and with each bite he took he savored the flavor. A harsh contrast to Kaveh’s rashness with his eating habits. This time, it was his turn to watch Alhaitham eat, keeping his red eyes narrowed. Judgmental. Every quick jab he thought of rested on top of his tongue, unused while Alhaitham looked like he didn’t have a care in the world.
He’s always looked like that. Kaveh never understood how he was capable of seeming so emotionless. Surely he must have something going on inside that head of his, right?
“Let’s go.” Alhaitham’s words crashed Kaveh’s train of thought, snapping him back into the present.
“Huh?” Kaveh looked at him dumbfoundedly, struggling to comprehend what had just occurred.
“I finished my meal. Let’s go.” He stood up from the bar stool, taking his plate and swiftly placing it down into the sink for later.
Kaveh still stared, his plate untouched and his body unmoving from where he was seated. His mind was running at a mile a minute. How could he get so distracted? With Alhaitham, of all people? He mentally berated himself, jumping up and dropping the plate into the sink with far less care.
“Alright then, guess we’re going early,” Kaveh frowned, staring at Alhaitham’s back, “Because of you.”
“Don’t think you can blame me when it was your idea.” Alhaitham didn’t bother turning his head, though Kaveh could hear the disdain in his voice. The blond haired man just sighed in defeat, opening the door for him.
“You better have the keys,” Kaveh hissed, squinting his eyes as the harsh light of a bitter cold afternoon assaulted him.
The sun was already beginning to set, the typically warm breeze of Sumeru replaced with the harsh wind of the northern regions. Cold, relentless. Winter was a harsh season for a nation that was renowned for having a perpetual summer. Though it was incomparable to the worsening conditions of Dragonspine, it was still just as awful for Kaveh to deal with. Thin layers often did not help with the cold.
People were already starting to gather around the front of the Akademiya, bright smiles and cheerful laughter as they wandered around the small stalls set up. Scholars still enrolled in the school were talking amongst themselves, whispering and slumping over with exhaustion at the prospect of exams coming up. It was loud, crowded, filled with life compared to the typical solitude the Akademiya was used to.
Alhaitham seemed impartial to it. Scanning over the crowd, keeping his eyes away from everyone else. He seemed more interested in the ground than the people around him. Shopping was particularly difficult that way.
Alhaitham wouldn’t give any specific answer to questions Kaveh had. He wouldn’t talk more than necessary. He wouldn’t greet people warmly like Kaveh did. He just stood there, shoulders stiff and mouth kept in a tight frown. Kaveh almost felt sad, seeing Alhaitham like that.
The sun was gone now. The first firework shot up into the sky, exploding into a bright shade of green that highlighted the crowd. Everyone immediately went quiet, staring up at the sky as though expecting the next big explosion. Murmuring, wondering what the next color would be.
Kaveh grabbed ahold of Alhaitham’s wrist, dragging him to the rail overlooking the city beneath them. They stood side-by-side, Kaveh looking up at the sky while Alhaitham looked beneath him. To the buildings below, and the empty streets that lacked people.
A blue firework shot up and exploded, before a pink one, and then an orange one. The sound was loud, almost painfully so, as they watched. But the crowd’s awe was amusing to hear behind them.
Kaveh turned to face Alhaitham, the other man clearly distracted. Alhaitham’s eyes were still trained to the city, the highlights of the pinks and blues, oranges and yellows, coloring him in a different light. Kaveh wondered then, what it would be like. What it would feel like to kiss him underneath the fireworks, quiet and without any warning.
Would he reject him? Push him away? Tell him to back off? Kick him out of his house, a kind gesture that Kaveh has yet to truly appreciate? He looked away, back to the fireworks that slowly continued to fire into the sky.
The fireworks stopped. The countdown to the new year began.
“Ten!”
He looked at Alhaitham, in his glory. His silhouette was just as obvious in the night as it was during the light of day. He didn’t seem to notice Kaveh staring at him again. It was almost worrying, how lost in thought he seemed.
“Nine!”
“Hey, Alhaitham,” Kaveh tried speaking, trying to grab the man’s attention. Alhaitham turned his gaze away from the city, towards Kaveh with an eyebrow raised.
“Eight!”
“What?” He asked, frown still on his expression. How Kaveh wished he could make Alhaitham smile, their bitter arguments aside.
“Seven!”
‘Could I kiss you?’ Kaveh thought, but didn’t say.
“Six!”
“Are you enjoying the fireworks?” He asked instead, tilting his head slightly to the left questioningly.
“Five!”
Alhaitham looked away for a second, “It’s loud. I prefer quieter places. You should know that.”
“Four!”
“I know. I figured you would enjoy a change of scenery for once. I guess I was wrong.” Kaveh winced, turning his body away from him.
“Three!”
He was so stupid. Of all the cheesy places to confess love, why did he think a loud celebration of the new year would be a good idea? Of course Alhaitham would be disappointed. It was his fault.
“Two!”
“Still, you have the best view of the city below from here.” Alhaitham continued, giving Kaveh a side glance.
“One.”
Kaveh turned back to face Alhaitham, capturing his face in all of its beauty. His short hair covering one eye, his headphones covering his ears, his jawline. Everything.
“You’re right.” Kaveh smiled widely.
“Happy New Year!”
Firework after firework rapidly shot into the air, exploding into a mass of colors behind them. Kaveh stepped forward, capturing Alhaitham’s lips in a kiss. He felt the man tense up next to him, but his fears never became reality.
Alhaitham never pushed away.