Work Text:
Kaveh parked his car along the curb and opened the driver's side door. As he got out of the car, Nilou did the same, shutting the passenger side door behind her. The two of them stood in the front yard, taking in the sight of their brand new house.
Well, new to them. The house itself was several decades old at this point.
The front paneling was faded with some of the paint chipped off. Wrapped around the front of the house was a porch made of wood ready to crumble at any moment. The roof had also seen better days with a few of its shingles knocked out of place.
"I knew the house was gonna need some work, but damn…" Kaveh let out a sigh as he combed his bangs back over his head, holding his hand there as his eyes glanced up at the building. "It really is in rough shape."
"I think it just needs a bit of love, that's all," Nilou said as she looked at him with a smile. "Besides, we still haven't seen inside yet."
"Right, we might as well start there." Kaveh let his bangs fall back over his face as the two of them approached the run-down house. Once he was at the front door he dug through his pockets for the keys. He let out a grumble as his pockets turned up empty. "You gotta be kidding me…"
Kaveh took out his frustrations on the old rusted doorknob, jiggling it until he felt a light tug on his sleeve. He turned to see Nilou holding up a keyring with two gold keys dangling from them. "You had me hold onto them, remember?"
A wave of relief washed over Kaveh as he stepped aside, letting Nilou slide the key into the hole and unlock the door. However, his relief was short-lived once the two of them entered the house.
“Oh, this is hideous!” Kaveh blurted out, his eyes fixated on the empty living room. The walls were painted a muddy shade of yellow-green. It almost resembled split pea soup… after it came back up the way it came in.
“Yeah, that definitely is… a choice,” Nilou replied, leaving Kaveh to gawk at the sickly-colored room as she wandered around the rest of the first floor.
The wood used from the floors to the door frames were in decent condition, however, the design was terribly dated, and not in a cute vintage way like Nilou hoped. She poked her head into the kitchen to see even more questionable design choices. The walls were covered with a tacky floral patterned wallpaper, the soft pastel design clashing with the bold multi-colored tiled floors. While the stone countertops looked good enough, the unpainted wooden cabinets left more to be desired.
With all the issues that needed to be fixed Nilou couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. As she let out a sigh she felt Kaveh come up from behind her and wrap his arms around her shoulders.
"If the living room and kitchen are this much of an eyesore, I can't imagine how upstairs looks," Nilou said as she leaned back against his chest.
"Hey, it's not so bad," Kaveh murmured as he lowered his head so it was right beside hers. "If you look past the aesthetic, or lack thereof, the kitchen has potential. Lots of counter space, a nice big window to let in the sun…"
He could feel Nilou relax into his arms, her tension melting away. Kaveh kept one arm around her while using the other to point at the wall separating the kitchen from the rest of the first floor. "And once we knock that wall down it will feel much more open and inviting."
"Are you sure we can do that? What if it's a low-bearing wall?" Nilou asked.
"Load bearing. And don't worry, I know a load-bearing wall when I see one. That wall there is perfectly safe to come down."
"Well in that case let's do it. Not only will it give us more room but it's also less wallpaper to rip off."
"That's the spirit," Kaveh placed a kiss on Nilou's cheek before letting go of her and standing up straight again.
He stood in the doorway between the living room and kitchen, his eyes glaring at the muddy green walls. "First things first, that color needs to GO. Why don’t you get started painting the living room while I knock that wall down?"
Nilou nodded in agreement, letting him lead the way as they went back outside to the car. Kaveh opened the trunk to reveal a large collection of tools. They were mostly for his architecture work, with little odds and ends from other projects he had picked up on the side. There was zero semblance of organization, with items haphazardly thrown inside. As Nilou would describe it, it was a mess.
“See, I told you keeping this stuff in here was gonna come in handy,” Kaveh boasted as he began digging through the pile of tools. He pulled out a sledgehammer, discreetly wiping off the layer of dust that had accumulated on it.
To those that knew him, Kaveh was a man who was well put together on the outside but a bit chaotic on the inside. And his car was no exception. His supplies not only filled the trunk but also spilled over to the back seats. Even though some items sat there unused, he was adamant about not throwing anything away. And today was the day that his hoarding had finally paid off.
“You got me there, guess I should give the ‘junk mobile’ some credit,” Nilou playfully rolled her eyes before looking over the inside of the trunk. She reached for a can of white primer that looked old yet it was still sealed. While holding the can of paint in one hand, she collected a few brushes and rollers with the other.
Once both of their hands were full they carried their equipment back into the house, coming back out for more. Kaveh opened one of the back doors and pulled out a step ladder that lay across the car floor. He carefully brought it inside and opened it up in the living room. Nilou wasn’t too far behind with her arms full of more supplies.
As they prepared their work area, Kaveh caught something in the corner of his eye. He noticed Nilou standing in the living room with her hair bunched up in her hands. She struggled to gather up every lock of hair in one hand while holding a hair tie in the other. Nilou found herself frozen in place as she felt someone come up behind her.
"Here," Kaveh said as he brought his hands over Nilou's and guided them off her head. "Let me help."
He ran his fingers through her hair as he gathered it in his hands. Nilou felt a chill go up her spine as his fingers brushed along the crown of her head to catch any loose strands. Kaveh then took the hair tie from her and wrapped it gently around her hair. He then finished it off by bunching up her hair into a bun and securing it in place.
“Thank you, darling,” Nilou said as she looked over her shoulder. She then turned around and placed her hands on Kaveh’s cheeks, prompting him to lean down so he was on her level. Nilou placed a soft kiss on the tip of his nose, her face bumping against the bridge of the safety glasses he had on. “Be careful, alright?”
“I know. I’ve done this all before, no need to worry,” Kaveh replied as he placed a reassuring hand on Nilou’s shoulder.
She let out a soft sigh, her worries quelled for now. Nilou turned to walk toward the living room to where the step ladder was propped up. With the walls already prepped with painter's tape, she picked up the bucket of primer and poured it into a tray. Once it was full she set the open can on the step ladder and grabbed a paint roller. She dipped the roller into the tray, generously coating it with paint before rolling it over the walls.
Meanwhile, Kaveh picked up the sledgehammer and slung it over his shoulder. He hesitated for a moment, getting used to the weight of the hammer in his hands before swinging it forward. The drywall crumbled under the impact, leaving a big hole in its wake. Kaveh could already feel soreness in his arms from the first swing. While he may not be the strongest, he surely had the enthusiasm to make up for it.
Nilou hummed to herself as she spread the primer over top the green paint. The house was filled with the sound of a steady pattern. A loud smashing sound followed by a grunt, a few moments of silence before the cycle repeated. Each smash was another part of the wall that Kaveh broke down, one step closer to safely finishing the demolition.
But with each swing of his hammer, Kaveh began to grow careless. He gripped onto the hammer's handle and readied himself to hit the middle of the wall. But as soon as he swung the tool forward it was nearly knocked out of his hand as it came into contact with a metal pipe.
The force of the impact caused a fracture in the pipe, letting loose a stream of water. Kaveh barely had time to react as the water was blasted onto his face. He instinctively opened his mouth to yell, but all it did was cause the unfiltered water to shoot into his mouth and down his throat. Kaveh sputtered and coughed as he tried to reach his hands out toward the pipe.
“Kaveh?!” Nilou called out as she heard the commotion. But as she swung herself around the paint roller bumped into the step ladder beside her, causing the can of paint to tip over. The thick white substance spilled onto Nilou’s body, flowing all over her. She looked down in horror as the paint dripped from her skin and clung to her clothes.
Kaveh didn’t even hear his name being called out as he scrambled to stop the leak. In a moment of panic, he ripped off his shirt and tied it tightly around the pipe. While this stopped the water from streaming out, the fabric quickly got soaked and started to drip with water. He looked around and spotted a bucket from the corner of his eye and placed it on the floor under the pipe. Kaveh stopped to catch his breath, a chill going up his spine as the air hit his bare back. He couldn’t take his eyes off the disaster he created.
How on earth was he going to explain this to Nilou?
As he prepared a profuse apology in his head, he turned around to see Nilou standing in the entryway to the living room. A trail of white paint followed her, little drips hitting the hardwood floor. They both looked equally as horrified as they stared back at each other.
After what seemed like an eternity of silence Nilou walked towards where Kaveh stood next to the half-demolished wall. She glanced over at the hastily fixed pipe, answering her question as to why Kaveh was shirtless all of a sudden. Nilou’s eyes then turned back to look at Kaveh’s sorry state. His hair was darkened from getting drenched, with his bangs pressed down on his face. Before he could even explain himself a small giggle escaped Nilou's lips.
"Not to be mean but," Nilou said as she held her hand near her mouth, continuing to laugh. "You look like a soggy wet dog who just had an accident!"
Her laughter was contagious as Kaveh joined right in. He couldn’t help but notice how much the paint that covered Nilou’s body almost looked like vanilla frosting. It wasn’t the first thing that came to mind when thinking of a thick white substance, but the paint was too opaque to compare it to that.
"You're one to talk, cupcake," Kaveh teased as he brushed his bangs over his head, water dripping from the strands of hair. He then let a playful smile spread across his face. “Since you have paint all over you, and I’m soaking wet… maybe I can use myself to wash you off.”
“What are you-” Nilou’s sentence was cut off as Kaveh wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He then picked her up and spun her around in the air. She let out a surprised yelp followed by a fit of giggles as she felt him pepper kisses over her nose and cheeks.
As Kaveh gently set her down, he loosened his grip around her waist. But the moment Nilou got back on her feet, she was prepared for payback. She tightened her hold on Kaveh and pulled him forward just enough to disturb his balance. Nilou brought him tumbling down on the ground, making sure they both came down in a way that wouldn’t injure them.
The two of them lay on the ground in each other's arms, catching their breath and letting out the last of their laughter. Despite them both being wet and covered in paint, they were having the time of their lives. As they started to settle down, Nilou placed her hands on each of his cheeks and pressed a kiss onto Kaveh’s forehead. She always took advantage of the moments when her lips could reach his forehead like this. Even on her tip-toes, she could barely reach his lips when they both were standing.
“So…” Kaveh said as he pulled her in a bit closer. “Guess we have a bunch of paint to clean off the floor now, huh?”
“That and fix the pipe you broke,” Nilou replied as she reached toward him and wiped off a bit of paint that got on his cheek. “But that’s okay… it’s all about the journey, not the destination. Don’t you think?”
“Yeah, even if this house doesn’t turn out perfect, it's still our home.”
Nilou hummed in agreement, a wide smile spreading across her face. She sat up on the floor and looked down at the mess of water and paint beneath them. “But first we should go back to the apartment and clean ourselves off… and maybe look into hiring someone to finish taking down the wall.”
“Good idea,” Kaveh got up from the ground, offering a hand to Nilou and helping her stand.
The two walked outside hand-in-hand, taking a moment to pause before getting into the car. Kaveh looked over his shoulder back at the house. There was still a lot of work to do, with a myriad of possible setbacks that could get in their way.
But he knew he didn’t have to face it alone.
Kaveh smiled down at Nilou as he opened the car door for her, making sure she was seated before shutting the door. He walked over to the driver-side door and got inside the car. But as he reached in his pocket for his car keys he came up empty-handed. He frantically patted down his pants pockets and searched around his seat, his panic coming to a halt as the car keys were dangled in front of his face.
“Looking for these?” Nilou asked with a sly smile, letting the keychain hang off her finger.
“Ah, thank you, love…” Kaveh replied as he took the keys and put them in the ignition. He sat back in his seat and gripped the steering wheel, looking both ways before turning onto the road and driving off.