Chapter Text
Kaveh doesn’t know where it all went wrong, all he remembers is the way his stomach dropped and the feeling of doom when he slammed his breaks and they gave out, broken. He doesn’t remember the slide and doesn’t remember the impact, but he remembers being pulled out of his car by Tighnari and Cyno. He’s never seen them look that way, horrified and panicked, shouting words that didn’t quite register in his mind.
Alhaitham remembers it all, though. He watched Kaveh approach the turn ahead set up just right for a perfect drift and he heard the loud screech of Kaveh’s brakes failing. He witnessed it all as Kaveh slid off the wet road and head on into a tree with the god awful crunch of metal Alhaitham had burned into his mind.
It was horrible seeing Kaveh lose control and wreck his prized car, but it was even worse seeing his friends drag Kaveh’s body free from the vehicle, Tighnari tossing his gloves off in record time to press his fingers against Kaveh’s neck and check for a pulse.
Alhaitham thought he lost him, he was almost sure of it.
But Kaveh was lucky. He was bleeding from cuts on his head and his left arm was damn near broken, but he was alive and god was that lucky.
“Alhaitham, you need to take him to the hospital now.” Tighnari commands, lifting Kaveh to his feet with Cyno’s help. He’s too out of it to stand, so the boys rush to get him in the passenger’s seat of Alhaitham’s car.
Alhaitham’s head spins, overwhelmed. “His car…”
“We’ll make sure we get it out of here. Just get him help, now. Go.”
Alhaitham drives fast and skilled, weaving in between lanes with urgency. He has to force himself to keep his eyes on the road on not on Kaveh, his pained gasps and ragged breathing the only thing Alhaitham hears. Kaveh struggles, head drooping back and spreading red across Alhaitham’s white seats.
“Car…” Kaveh rasps and Alhaitham shoots him a glance, concerned.
“You’re going to be fine, Kaveh.” His grip on the steering wheel tightens and Kaveh repeats himself.
“My car…”
“The others are taking care of it. We’ll be at a hospital soon, Kaveh. Hang in there.”
It’s the last thing Kaveh hears before everything goes black, slipping into a comfortable silence.
-
The next time Kaveh opens his eyes his body feels heavy, but his brain seems to be working better. His arm is in a splint and there’s bandages in more places than he can count. He takes in his surroundings, the room around him clean and white and silent except for the soft snoring coming from Kaveh’s lap.
Kaveh looks down and finds Alhaitham slumped over his body fast asleep, hand gripping onto his knee as if he was afraid to let go. Kaveh glances at the window—the sun had yet to fully rise, filling the room with soft orange tint.
“It’s light out.”
Alhaitham jolts when he hears Kaveh’s voice, sitting up immediately. He watches Kaveh closely as he blinks himself awake.
He looked different in the daylight, Kaveh notices. The warm light of the morning made Alhaitham’s hair look like it was glowing and he looked prettier than usual, even with disheveled hair and what Kaveh could assume was his own blood staining his clothes.
“We never see each other when it’s light out. The sunlight looks good on you.”
Alhaitham has a strange expression on his face, one Kaveh’s never seen before. His eyes narrow like they do when he’s mad and his lower lip quivers like he wants to cry—Kaveh doesn’t know if he should feel bad or make fun of him.
Alhaitham stands before Kaveh can make up his mind, hands meeting his face and pulling him into a tender kiss. When he pulls away he actually is crying, pretty tears falling down his cheeks.
“Stupid.”