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the sun is setting down when kaveh gets ready to leave tighnari and collei’s shared house. it seems weirdly empty without the girl’s possessions, her bedroom strangely bare, missing her beloved stuffed animal - cuilein-anbar, from its place beside the headboard, the books she loved reading packed up and taken with her, and a sense of loneliness where there was once laughter and contentment.
tighnari rests against the frame of the door, watching kaveh as he leans down to put his shoes down.
“it’s going to be weird without her, isn’t it?” kaveh says without thinking. tighnari’s gaze shoots to him for a second, full of melancholy and sorrow, and he immediately regrets opening his mouth. he’s beginning to stutter an apology out, full of holes, when tighnari stops him with his own words.
“yeah. i’m going to miss her so much,” he says, looking at the floor. he looks so tired, so sad. kaveh’s heart aches. the dust in the air drifts down to catch the leaves of the multiple plants tighnari had raised with collei, nearly a greenhouse in and of themselves. tighnari crosses his arms. “she’s my little girl…”
kaveh watches him in silence from where he stands, understanding that maybe he just needs to listen for now. sunlight slants between the leaves and casts shadows over tighnari’s face. “it’s really scary,” he whispers, nearly inaudible. kaveh has to lean in slightly to hear him - hoping he’s not coming across as rude. in that same quiet, ruminating tone, tighnari continues. “i wonder if i’ve done enou-“
“you have!” kaveh speaks, again without thinking. he raises a hand to stop tighnari in his tracks. as an architect, he sees things that most people don’t notice, tiny details others may not think worthy of attention. that’s why he sees the love and care tighnari has put into this relationship with collei, raising her as best as he could with the circumstances. “you’ve done so much, tighnari! and…”
he trails off, watching tighnari’s eyes fill with surprise, raising from the floor, staring at his feet, to kaveh’s eyes, quietly watching him, shocked. suddenly, kaveh feels very small, but he continues; it is his turn to look at the ground now, a little shy now that the forest ranger’s full attention is on him. “you’ve done so much,” he repeats. “and you don’t even know it.”
kaveh hears tighnari inhale, tight against his chest.
“i… i can understand as well, to an extent,” he says, sighing. his dumb roommate pops into his head, all aloof and bluetooth headphones that block out his chatter, but with a mug of fresh coffee made for him each morning. “i lived with al-haitham for a year, but now that i don’t?” he runs a hand through his hair before smiling sheepishly and spreading his arms. “i find that i miss having someone to eat breakfast with.”
and it’s true. it’s why he recognised the loneliness in collei’s bedroom that seemed to permeate the entire room. it’s the same kind he gets when he returns to his apartment, where he lives, by himself, without al-haitham to chastise him or laugh with him. it’s the same kind he gets when he opens his mouth to call al-haitham, before remembering he’s not there.
his gaze returns to tighnari’s, who is still standing in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest, staring blindly with a sad, thankful sort of smile on his face. “it’ll be hard at first, but it’ll get better,” he reassures, wondering if he’s saying the right thing, wondering whether this is what tighnari needs to hear, or if he just needs silence the same way kaveh had. “plus…” he swallows his nervousness. “you have me!”
tighnari’s smile grows just a little bit. they move into the kitchen, where tighnari proceeds to take a sip out of a cup of water before leaning against the counter.
animated now, kaveh waves his arms, still a little nervous, looking for the perfect words. “you know, i’m here for you! i’m always looking to learn something new, so teach me!” he gestures to the plants in the background, sitting against the windowsill, planted all around the house, ferns and bushes and saplings. “you know, botany? or taking care of plants? i’ve never been really good at that, you kn-“
he knows he’s rambling when tighnari lets out a puff of air, laughing. “thank you,” he says, and the sincerity of the words hit kaveh in the face.
he’s standing by the door, tighnari against the kitchen counter, looking small between the plants framing his face and figure, arms folded across his chest, the way he’s been this entire conversation. he smiles warmly, and his eyes turn into little half circles.
“thank you,” he repeats again. “and just so you know,” tighnari adds, as kaveh opens the door of the house, “you’re always welcome for breakfast.”