Chapter Text
An ordinary summer day is the last time anyone would expect anything to happen. An ordinary summer day is a time to get ice cream and take a walk around a park. An ordinary summer day is definitely not the time to die tragically in a freak car accident with the guy you like.
August 15 is a terrible day to die. Especially when it’s a Tuesday. Nothing happens on Tuesdays. That’s why they were exploring the city together, trying to find something interesting to do. Nobody could have expected it. An overworked truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and veered off the road. The sidewalks were sparse, since it was an ordinary summer Tuesday. The driver didn’t sustain any injuries, and only two passersby died in the crash.
Alhaitham jolted upright in his bed, heart racing. His body hurt as though the truck in his dream had really hit him. Panicked, he checked his phone to ensure he was awake. It was just after noon on August 15, and Kaveh had texted him. He opened the text and recognised a picture of him with a cat at the park they liked to visit. Another text followed, asking Alhaitham to come join him at the park.
Alhaitham pulled his shoes on, shaking the nightmare out of his mind. As he walked, he could feel someone, or something, watching him. However, whenever he looked, he saw nothing. Soon enough, he made it to the park that Kaveh had sent the picture from. His friend was sitting on the swings, petting a black cat on his lap. When Alhaitham was finally noticed, he was waved over excitedly.
“Haitham, look! She just jumped up when I was sitting here. Her name is Mehrak.”
“You named her? Kaveh, she’s a stray. You probably won’t see her again.”
Kaveh pouted and scratched the cat between her ears. “Sit with me.”
Alhaitham sat on the swing beside his friend. It was disgustingly hot out. He pulled his phone out to check the temperature, glancing at the time as he did. 12:28, August 15. 87 degrees, sunny.
“I really hate the summer sun. There aren’t even any clouds to block it out.” Kaveh was about to pet the cat again when she jumped out from his lap and ran towards the park entrance. He darted after it, Alhaitham following shortly behind.
“Kaveh, why are you chasing her?” He called out. They passed through the entrance to the park. Both of them had begun sweating from the heat and exertion, but Kaveh kept running.
“There’s a road up ahead! She could get hit and killed,” Kaveh replied. Sure enough, the cat ran out into the street. Kaveh followed close behind, the light changing colours just as he stepped onto the asphalt.
“Kaveh, wait! The light-”
Too late. Suddenly, the streets were painted red as Alhaitham watched a truck slam into Kaveh. He stared at the bloody stain that he once had loved. His vision was getting blurry, and he could hear someone screaming. His throat hurt. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks as he realized he was the one screaming.
Alhaitham shot up in his bed, throat hoarse and tears slipping down his face. Another dream. It had just been another dream. He felt like he hadn’t slept at all. As he calmed himself down, his phone turned on with a text from Kaveh. 12:04, August 14. Alhaitham opened the text, only to find himself staring. Kaveh had taken a picture with the black cat from the dream. Mehrak. Another text followed, asking him to come to the park.
He nearly sprinted to the park. Sure enough, Kaveh was on the swings, Mehrak in his lap. Just like the dream. When he was noticed, he was again waved over excitedly.
“Haitham, look! She just jumped up when I was sitting here. Her-”
“Hi, Mehrak,” Alhaitham greeted with a pet to the cat’s head. Kaveh’s nose scrunched up, something he often did when he was confused about something.
“How do you know her name?”
“Weird dream.”
“Wanna tell me about it?”
“No.” Alhaitham sat on the swing, mind still racing. Kaveh opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted. “You’re about to complain about how hot it is, and comment on how there aren’t any clouds.”
Kaveh shut his mouth, nose scrunching again. “Stop having weird dreams about me. It makes for weird realities.”
They sat quietly for a long moment. Suddenly, Mehrak jumped out of his lap and again ran towards the park entrance. Before Kaveh could run to grab her, Alhaitham grabbed him, memories of his dream flashing through his mind.
“You’ll see her again soon, I’m sure. Want to head back to my place?”
Kaveh looked hurt at being stopped, but obliged. They began walking in the direction of Alhaitham’s house, the memory of Mehrak running off so suddenly racing through their minds. Alhaitham did his best to ignore the weird feeling of being watched again. Around them, people were looking up at something and murmuring, concerned. They continued walking in silence, not paying attention to the mutters that had grown evermore worried. There was a small break in the crowd, and Kaveh finally looked back up.
“Alhaitham, look!” Mehrak sat in the middle of the separated crowd, staring up at the boys. The people around them suddenly gasped and stepped back a bit. Alhaitham was about to take Kaveh and step back too when his friend moved forward to grab Mehrak. It didn’t seem like a problem until Alhaitham finally saw what was happening to cause such a crowd.
All around, metal pipes began falling into the gap made by the crowd. Mehrak dashed away again just as Kaveh was impaled by one of the pipes. People around them screamed at the bloody sight. Alhaitham rushed forward, hot tears welling up again. He grabbed Kaveh’s head, desperate to hear or see any signs in life. Instead, all he got were glazed eyes and a sad smile.
Again in his bed, Alhaitham darted upright. A single tear slipped from his eye, trailing down his cheek. Whatever was going on, he was sure this time it wasn’t a dream. Before he could get the text, he got up and ran full speed to the park. Just like every other time, Kaveh was on the swings with Mehrak.
“Haitham-”
“The cat’s name is Mehrak, she jumped up into your lap, you really hate the summer sun, and there aren’t any clouds in the sky. We’re getting out of here now.” Alhaitham pulled Kaveh off the swing, causing Mehrak to go running. Kaveh was about to go after her when Alhaitham pulled him away with just a bit too much force.
“Alhaitham, stop! You’re hurting me!” Kaveh tried desperately to pull free, but Alhaitham had always been the stronger of the two. They began crossing a rope bridge over a rocky river when Kaveh finally broke free, tears in his eyes.
“What is wrong with you? What is going on? This isn’t how it’s supposed to go-” Kaveh suddenly covered his mouth, a scared expression on his face. Alhaitham’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Kaveh.
“What do you mean this isn’t how it’s supposed to go?”
“I…” Kaveh started. He took a deep breath and was about to speak again when his eyes widened. He lunged forward, shoving Alhaitham off the bridge just in time for it to collapse. Kaveh fell down into the river with the bridge, a faint smile on his face.
Not again. Please not again.
Alhaitham didn’t jolt upright this time. He was used to it. He stared at the ceiling, vision fuzzy with tears. He felt his phone vibrate next to him, the text from Kaveh coming in, but he didn’t acknowledge it. He just laid in bed, minutes passing by until Kaveh inevitably found some way to die again.
A gentle knocking at his door coaxed him out of bed. He forced himself to open the door despite really not wanting to. The door opened to reveal Kaveh, blond hair sticking to his sweaty face.
“Alhaitham, you okay?”
“Why are you here?”
“You didn’t come to the park. I was scared something had happened to you again.”
“Again?”
Kaveh made a face and gently pulled Alhaitham out of his apartment. “Let’s go. I’ll explain everything over some coffee.”
Alhaitham sighed, then allowed himself to get pulled along to the stairs.
“We aren’t taking the elevator?”
“No. Not this time.”
"Where’s Mehrak?”
“She ran away, but I figured you were more important.”
Something new. In every previous turn, Kaveh had attempted to go after Mehrak. This time, however, Kaveh abandoned Mehrak to check on Alhaitham. He’d long grown used to this feeling in his heart, the one of knowing Kaveh cared about him, only to dismiss it as a platonic love.
“Alhaitham, what time is it?”
An odd question, but Alhaitham pulled out his phone to check. “It’s 12:28.”
“Wait, already? How does that even make sen-” Kaveh suddenly tripped and fell forward down the stairs, landing at the bottom in a limp heap. He laid there, unmoving. Alhaitham moved down the steps quickly, wanting to ensure his friend’s health despite already knowing the truth.
“Kaveh? You okay?” Alhaitham called. And then he was back in his bed. Again.
Well, that answers that question. Time to wait for Kaveh to show up at his apartment door. He could probably set up some snacks and drinks in the meantime. He'd try to get them to stay inside this time, not wanting another repeat.
The tea reached a boiling point just as Alhaitham heard the telltale knock at his door. He opened it to a worried Kaveh, who greeted, “Alhaitham, you okay?”
“Yeah, come inside. Are you okay? You look like you sprinted here.”
Kaveh walked into the apartment and sat down on the couch, wringing his hands. “You didn’t come to the park.”
“Is that so strange? I wanted to make myself some tea. Would you like some?”
“Sure. And no, I suppose it isn’t strange. It’s just that every other time you always came to the park.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk about. Madeleine?” Alhaitham handed him a box of cookies. Kaveh graciously took one, biting down on it as Alhaitham turned back around to finish off the tea. Extra sugar for Kaveh, extra lemon for himself. He heard a strange noise behind him, but opted to ignore it. Whatever it was, Kaveh could probably handle it.
Kaveh, who had died four times in one day.
Alhaitham spun around, much more concerned than he’d been prior, but it was too late. Of course. Of course Kaveh found a way to die eating a cookie. The strange noises had been him choking.
What was even the point? Every time Alhaitham was close to finding out more about what was going on, Kaveh found a way to die. Every. Single. Time. It didn’t matter anymore. The story would always just end where it began.
Was this really the only ending they could reach?
Alhaitham got the text from Kaveh. He walked to the park and sat on the swing. Mehrak was still sitting in his lap. Those repeated sentences drifted past his ears, Kaveh’s complaints of the heat not meaning much anymore. Alhaitham vaguely noticed Mehrak jumping out. Not putting a whole lot of effort behind his movements, he followed after as Kaveh chased the cat down. Just before Kaveh entered the crossing, however, a thought crossed his mind.
Kaveh was pushed backwards out of the road. Alhaitham rushed forward to take his place, embracing the pain of the truck hitting him, somehow trampling the heat along with it. However, it didn’t hurt nearly as much as the look of horror on Kaveh’s face. He made a silent prayer for everything to end this time as everything went dark.
Kaveh bolted upright in his bed, tears spilling from his eyes. It happened again, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He tried. He tried to stop Alhaitham from dying, but every day at 12:28, he would die.
“Guess I failed again,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes. He glanced out the window, scoffing at the cloudless sky. “I’m getting so sick of the colour blue.”