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"Read for me again, Uncle Kaveh!" The little boy begged. It was almost midnight yet his eyes didn't appear to be the slightest bit tired.
"You must rest. It's way past your bedtime."
"No! But Uncle Kaveh's stories are so cool!" He cried.
Kaveh took a deep sigh, "hush now. Alright one last story, Then you have to promise me you'll go to sleep."
"Pinky promise!" The little boy giggled, taking up a comfortable position to listen to Kaveh's storytelling.
In a kingdom far far away, there once lived a prince. A young prince with a beauty that could entrance any living being. Not a single soul would dare to resist, what with his crystalline eyes, soft golden locks, and satin fair skin.
It was as if aphrodite herself blessed him.
Adored by many as he is, the young prince had no friends. For no one would befriend such a "cowardly" boy such as him.
A cowardly boy who chose flowers and croquettes over swords and arrows.
A true man must be adept in the art of sword fighting. A true man would be able to shoot an arrow from miles away and still hit a bullseye. A true man would be able to slay the greatest of beast with just a single slash of his sword.
Everything the young prince isn't.
One day, the young prince was playing by a river bank with the tea cups he stole from the palace's scullery. As he was giddily pouring a cup of tea to his imaginary friend, another boy emerged from the bushes beside him.
The young prince had never been this close with another boy his age before. When the mysterious boy walked closer, the young prince noticed the wooden sword in his hand. Scared and alarmed, the young prince hurriedly ran back to the castle.
The next day, as the young prince came back to the river bank, the previous boy had already been there. This time his wooden sword was nowhere to be seen. He had left it at home.
"It's okay! I won't hurt you!" The boy assured, showing his palms in the air.
"Why are you here?" The young prince questioned.
"Why? Isn't it obvious, my prince?"
"What?"
"I want to be your friend!"
"My friend?"
"Yes, indeed, your friend. Would you play with me, my prince?"
The boy who turned out to be the eldest son of a knight was actually running away from sword training the day before. And the young prince was running away from his dear mother's scolding.
It was fated for them to meet that day by the river bank.
And so the friendship between the two younglings blossomed over the years. As their friendship grew, so too did the young prince's fondness. He had never met someone who would accept him for who he truly is.
He had always believed that it was because he was different that he had no friends. He believed that being withdrawn was the outcome of him being so queer. Yet from the young knight, he realized that it was their difference that bound them together.
"So... What did you learn from this?" Kaveh closed the story.
"Hmmm... To not be afraid of being different! Oh and to not discriminate people!"
Kaveh tried to reply to the little boy, yet an itch in his throat caught him off-guard.
As he coughed, cupping it with his palms, he found the dreaded petals laying innocently in his hands.
"What's wrong, Uncle Kaveh?"
Kaveh shook his head. "Oh... here! I've learnt a magic trick." Kaveh showed him the flower petals in his hands, earning an amazed look from him.
"Woah! You're so cool!"
"Haha, I know!" Kaveh laughed along with the little boy. "By the way, don't tell this to your mom, okay? It'll be our little secret."
"Don't tell what to who?"
Kaveh jumped as another person's voice butted into their conversation.
As he turned around, he saw Nilou smiling by the threshold.
"Mom! You're back!"
"It's time for bed, sweetie." She reminded the little boy, "and thank you Kaveh. I'll take it from here."
Judging by her expression, it didn't seem like she overheard the conversation. Good.
Kaveh nodded as he went out of the little boy's room, stumbling upon the living room where his best friend was sitting by the sofa watching TV.
Kaveh felt another itch in his throat. Yet he didn't even know the drumming in his chest was because of his illness or—
"Kaveh!" Alhaitham called out as he saw Kaveh standing awkwardly at the door frame. "How's the little kiddo?"
"Eh... Nothing new. He keeps begging me for stories."
"Yeah that's my fault. I've been so caught up with work that I can't even read my own son his bedtime stories."
Alhaitham continued, "By the way, thanks a lot for babysitting. I haven't had a decent date with Nilou for months."
Kaveh gave his best friend a crooked smile. How could a renowned genius be so damn stupid?
"Of course, anything for my dear brother in law."