Work Text:
It all began with a single message.
Kaveh was walking fast down the narrow path that led from the supermarket to Tighnari's apartment. In his arms he carried many bags, full of everything he'd need for the banquet he was organising for the Christmas Eve party. With less than two hours to go, he had little time to waste. He had to get to Tighnari's house, set the table with the starters and cook the main courses.
So it was with some annoyance that he greeted the sound of his phone announcing an incoming message. With some difficulty, he managed to free his hands from the envelopes and reach for the phone in his pocket, realising that the message was from Alhaitham.
Group Chat – CREWMERU – Alhaitham: “I won't be able to make it tonight.”
Kaveh read the message three times to make sure he had not made a mistake, then he began to fidget in anger. As his friends’ replies began to appear in the group chat, Kaveh opened up his private chat with Alhaitham.
“You idiot!” Kaveh yelled at his phone before putting it back in his pocket. He had worked so hard over the last couple weeks to organise a perfect party and Alhaitham stood him up just before the start! He was so angry he was tempted to go home, grab Alhaitham by the ear and drag him to the party by force.
The blonde clenched one hand into a fist before taking a deep breath to calm himself. It was nothing new for Alhaitham to skip parties and events with many people, Kaveh was used to it. He knew his friend hated such gatherings, but he had made a promise to him. He had promised to be there this time because it was the first Christmas Eve after their reconciliation and Kaveh wanted to spend it with him as a reminder of old times.
When they were young and had no company but each other's, they used to sit by the fire on Christmas Eve, snuggling under the blankets and sipping their favourite drink: black tea with cinnamon and ginger, and a few drops of lemon. Alhaitham had told him it was a tradition he had shared with his grandmother until she passed away, and Kaveh could only feel honoured that his friend had shared it with him too.
Of course, Kaveh knew it was too presumptuous to hope that Alhaitham would still want to share such an important tradition with him after ten years of separation, so he hadn't mentioned it, preferring to organise a small party with their friends, but he still hoped that his junior would care enough about him to want to spend the evening together.
How wrong he was...
Feeling now more depressed than angry, Kaveh let out a deep sigh before resuming his walk towards Tighnari's apartment.
---
“Kaveh? Are you all right?”
“Hm?” The blonde took his eyes off his phone and looked at Tighnari, who was sitting beside him. “Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tipsy.”
“I’m glad you’re not drunk, but that wasn’t what I wanted to know...” His friend answered, gesturing to the phone. “He didn't write you anything else, did he?”
Kaveh tightened his grip on his phone before placing it on the coffee table in front of him with a sigh. A small part of him had hoped that Alhaitham would eventually change his mind, that he would join them, or at least write him something to explain the reason for his absence. But no matter how often Kaveh checked his chat with his junior, there were no new messages. “No...”
A few moments of silence passed between them as the sound of Nilou and Cyno's laughter filled the room. Then Tighnari spoke again. “The party was a success, don't you think?”
Kaveh nodded distractedly, but a happy smile adorned his lips. “Yes, I think so too.”
“Well... It's late, everyone's tipsy and sleepy and we've already exchanged gifts and greetings...” the dark-haired boy continued again, in a tone that implied something Kaveh couldn't quite grasp.
The blond looked up at his friend, trying to figure out where he was going with his words, but failing to understand. “I know...?”
Tighnari let out a long sigh and put a hand on Kaveh's shoulder, defeated by his friend's inability to follow him. “What I mean is: you can go home, if you want to.” he concluded, glancing once again at the phone.
Kaveh's eyes widened as he finally realised what Tighnari was trying to say. “No! No, I can't! We hosted this party together, I can't be the first to leave. And I need to help you clean up before I can go.”
“Kaveh, you pretty much organised everything from start to finish, you did the shopping, you cooked the starters and the rest of the dinner. I'd say you've done enough. Besides, I can always ask Cyno to stay here with me and help me clean up...” Tighnari replied, his eyes searching for Cyno as his cheeks turned a little red.
Kaveh could only smile as he watched the scene and felt deeply grateful to his friend, “Then... I guess I'll go?”
Tighnari smiled broadly at his friend before standing up and heading off to join the rest of the group. Kaveh followed, saying goodbye to everyone and wishing them a Merry Christmas before grabbing his jacket and heading back home.
---
As soon as Kaveh opened the door of the house he shared with his junior, he noticed that the living room light was on. Could his friend still be awake?
“Alhaitham?” he called out in a loud voice as he took off his jacket and hung it up on the coat rack. But he was met with silence. Well, it was to be expected. His junior was probably fast asleep by now and had simply forgotten to turn off the light.
With slow movements, Kaveh took off his scarf and shoes, leaving them at the entrance, before picking up the phone and looking at the time.
His phone screen glowed with a bright light: 24th Dec - 23:37
Trying to make as little noise as possible, Kaveh walked into the living room, intending to check that everything was in place before turning off the light and going to the bathroom for a quick shower before bed, but as soon as he entered the room he immediately realised that something was wrong. There was an empty glass of water on the coffee table. Next to it was an open packet of pills and a half-finished jar of honey. And on the sofa, wrapped in blankets like a chrysalis in its cocoon, was Alhaitham.
Kaveh approached the sleeping figure with light steps and knelt before his friend. He noticed immediately that Alhaitham's face was flushed and his forehead was damp with sweat. Without thinking, the blonde reached out a hand and brushed his fingers over the hot skin of his junior, who awoke as soon as he felt the light touch. His eyes were moisty and unfocused.
"You have a fever..."
Alhaitham said nothing, just blinked several times in order to help his eyes get used to the light.
"What time is it?" slurred Alhaitham, his mouth clenched with sleep. It was obvious that he was not feeling well at all. His voice was hoarse and nasal, his eyes were ringed with dark circles and his body was radiating heat, an indication that he had quite a high fever.
"It’s almost midnight." Kaveh replied, keeping his voice low. Seeing Alhaitham like this, the blond began to feel guilty for being so angry with him a few hours earlier. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked his junior as he placed a cold hand on his forehead. If only Alhaitham had told him he was unwell, Kaveh would have had no reason to be angry about his absence from the party.
"Tell you what...?"
"That you were sick. It’s the reason you skipped the party, isn’t it? Why didn't you tell me?"
Slowly, Alhaitham sat up and locked his eyes with the blond's for a few moments before shrugging. "I wasn't aware that I’m obliged to tell you everything that happens to me." He replied before getting up from the sofa and heading for the kitchen.
"You...!" Kaveh shouted at his friend before the man disappeared behind the door. "I can't believe I felt guilty for getting angry at you!" He muttered then, more to himself than to the other man, as a new wave of anger rose from the depths of his stomach. He got up and was about to follow Alhaitham into the kitchen to give him a piece of his mind when his phone buzzed.
Group Chat – BFFs – Tighnari: “Cyno and I got together!"
Although Kaveh was furious, a sincere smile graced his lips as he read the message. Tighnari had wanted to confess his feelings for months and knowing that he had succeeded was simply fantastic. So Kaveh put aside his anger for a few moments, sat down on the sofa and opened up his private chat with Tighnari.
Definitely less angry, but a tad more confused, the blond put the phone back on the table and relaxed on the sofa, closing his eyes. Lots of thoughts crowded his head. Had Alhaitham really hidden the truth from him so that he could enjoy the evening without worries? The idea was not so absurd when he thought about it. There had been times when his junior had done him favours without him knowing it, like the time he paid off his debt to a woman he did business with. It was only by chance that Kaveh had discovered what Alhaitham had done.
“He really is an idiot…”
“Who’s an idiot?”
At the sound of his friend's voice, Kaveh opened his eyes abruptly. Alhaitham had reentered the room without Kaveh noticing. In his hand were two cups of steaming drink. He carefully placed one of them on the coffee table in front of Kaveh before sitting down on the sofa and hiding under the blanket again.
“You... are an idiot.” He muttered before grabbing the mug and bringing it up to his face. "What is this?" he asked without much thought, but as soon as he smelled the scent that permeated the air, his heart skipped a beat. He knew that scent very well... “Haitham... this...”
Alhaitham simply smiled. It was not one of his usual mocking or sarcastic smiles, no. It was a smile that reached his eyes and lit up his face, and Kaveh found himself enraptured by the expression in spite of himself. "Just drink it..." he said as he brought the cup to his lips, blowing to cool the drink before taking a sip.
The blond nodded as he felt his eyes become moist. Like Alhaitham, he blew on the drink before taking a sip, even as he felt his throat tighten from the emotion he felt. And there it was, the taste he had almost forgotten, the taste of their childhood together: black tea with cinnamon and ginger, and a few drops of lemon.
Kaveh squeezed the cup so hard that his knuckles turned white. So much time had passed, yet the feeling he felt was so familiar that it did not even seem like a day had passed. In spite of everything, in spite of the years they had spent apart, in spite of the cruel words they had exchanged years before, Alhaitham was at his side again, drinking tea with him as they waited for midnight like they had done many times before.
With each sip, all the negative emotions Kaveh had felt during the day, the anger, the disappointment, the sadness, the confusion, slowly faded away to make room for the warmth that was growing in his chest. He no longer cared about the party, about the fact that Alhaitham had not been there, or that he had kept the truth from him. The only thing that mattered was that single moment.
Without worrying about the consequences, Kaveh moved closer to his junior, slipped under the blanket and laid his head on his shoulder.
Surprisingly, Alhaitham let out a small chuckle. “I advise you not to stand so close to me, unless you want to catch a fever too.” He said, a smile still on his lips.
But Kaveh did not care about tomorrow, about what would happen. All he cared about was the warmth of the body at his side. “Well, I suppose it's worth the risk.”
Midnight found the two of them like that, in silence, snuggled together under a pompous blanket. And as the clock struck the hour, Kaveh could not help but think that this was the best Christmas present he had ever received.
- end
Bonus: - Private chat between Alhaitham and Tighnari before the party –
