Thread by @_sweetangle89_

🏛️🌱
#kavetham
haitham and kaveh knew each other as babies. kaveh reminisces about baby!haitham.
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"You used to be so cute," Kaveh said. "A wriggling... squirmy little worm."

"You think wriggling, squirmy worms are cute?" Haitham said, dry.

"With... these BIG... green eyes!" Kaveh said, drunkenly. He threw his arms wide, as if that might illustrate how lovely and glimmering and big Haitham's eyes used to be. Not that they weren't still lovely and glimmering. And green. But.

"You're spilling your wine," Haitham said, rescuing Kaveh's glass. Plucked it straight from Kaveh's hand... and then drank it. He was, he rationalized, stopping Kaveh from getting even more stupidly drunk. "Let's go home," he said.

"Go to /your/ home, you mean," Kaven slurred. Like a boneless creature, he slumped against Haitham's side.

"Our home," Haitham said, but Kaveh's eyes were closed. If he was listening, he was pretending not to.

Kaveh re-invigorated himself on the way back, which was annoying. Haitham preferred just carrying Kaveh. ("You carry me like a sack of potatoes!" Kaveh had once accused. "Well, yes," Haitham had replied.) It was easier than coaxing a drunk, but conscious Kaveh home.

Despite his slight build, he was very strong, and when intoxicated he often forgot to control his strength. He might go here, go there, go everywhere, and how was Haitham supposed to stop him? He'd have more luck corralling a sumpter beast.

Luckily, at least this time, Kaveh was stuck on the topic of baby Alhaitham. "You were THIS big!" he cried, demonstrating with his hands. "When we met! Tiny! A worm!"

"Would you stop calling me a worm? No, this way, our house is /this/ way—"

"A worm," Kaveh repeated. He looked down at his hands and suddenly stopped walking. Haitham had a hand on his arm, and so he, still walking forward, rubber-banded back.

"Kaveh—"

"And you used to follow me around." Kaveh stared down mournfully at his hands. "You'd follow me... EVERYWHERE. Holding the back of my shirt. So cute. You used to be... cute."

"I did not follow you everywhere," Haitham protested.

"Yes you did," Kaveh said. "You were my little tail." He looked behind him. "Where's my tail?"

Haitham tugged on one of Kaveh's many scarves and shirt tassels. "Right here. Can we keep walking?"

"Yes, but you have to follow me," Kaveh said. He set off again. "You're my tail."

"..." Haitham put a hand to his forehead. "That's the way to the market, Kaveh."

"/Big brother/ Kaveh." Kaveh whirled around. He pointed angrily to the nearest tree. "Why don't you call me big brother! You don't even call me senior!" Then he sniffled.

"Wh... why did you get even taller?"

Haitham looked at the tree. "I don't skip my meals or sleep late drawing blueprints for clients," he said.

"Oh," Kaveh said to the tree. "That's... that makes sense." He turned and, thankfully, started walking in the right direction. "You were /this/ tall," he said. "With big... BIG green eyes."

Haitham followed. After a moment, he reached out and grasped Kaveh's scarf.

Kaveh wasn't the only one of them drunk, after all.

"You used to smile at me all the time," Kaveh said. "Why don't you smile at me anymore? And you don't... You don't think I'm funny anymore! You never laugh!"

Haitham rolled his eyes. "What is there to laugh at?"

"Me!" Kaveh said. "I'm a joke!" He stopped walking. So did Haitham, who curled his fingers tighter on the fabric in his hand. He stared down at the deep red colour.

"I don't think you're a joke," Haitham said. "Big brother Kaveh."

Haitham was still staring at Kaveh's scarf, and so it took him a moment to realise Kaveh had turned around. This time, when he looked at Haitham, he had at least not mistaken him for a tree. "You're so big," Kaveh said.

"And tall. And rich. And... and... a big shot! ... An ex-big shot," he corrected himself, before Haitham could point out he was no longer Acting Grand Sage. "I... I..." He stared up at Haitham with mournful red eyes. "I can't take care of you anymore. I'm no good."

Haitham tugged the scarf, as if it were a leash, drawing Kaveh closer. "And didn't you ever think, big brother Kaveh," he said quietly, "that it might be my turn to take care of you?"

Kaveh's lips parted. He stank of wine. "Oh," he said.

And then: "I... I'll take care of you too. I'll grow even taller. I'll earn even more money! Y... you won't even have to read anymore!" A pause. "I taught you to read!"

Haitham's lips quirked. "I remember," he said, and then: "I'll hold you to that."

"Good!" Kaveh cried. He reached up to grab Haitham by his headphones and said, very seriously: "You... you're not a worm anymore, but you're still cute."

"... Thank you," Haitham said, dryly, and allowed Kaveh to pull him down for a kiss.