𝙊𝙝 𝙈𝙮 𝙈𝙮 𝙈𝙮 | 𝘈𝘭𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘮

2: Heights

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

PAST

You, your brother, and your parents were in the car. Both you and Kaveh were bubbling with excitement. Only a few hours earlier did your parents surprise you two by saying they would have lunch at Alhaitham's house. Your mom looked at you and Kaveh from the passenger seat, smiling at the two of you. You were both deep in conversation, discussing what games you two would play with Alhaitham. The car soon came to a stop, pulling into the driveway of a large house. You pressed your face to the window, trying to see just how big Alhaitham's house was.

"C'mon, Y/N! Let's go!" Kaveh exclaims. He takes your hand and runs out of the car. His little legs carry him up the front steps with you in tow, and with his free hand, he knocks on the door. Your parents quickly follow you two and ring the doorbell. The door opens, revealing Alhaitham's dad.

"Come in, come in," he says while moving to the side. You and Kaveh run in as your parents chat with Alhaitham's dad in the doorway.

You look around the living room, noting how luxurious the furniture looks.

"Wow, his house is so fancy," Kaveh whispers to you, verbalizing your thoughts. You only nodded in response.

"Hey guys!" Alhaitham greets from the top of the staircase. He quickly runs down to meet you two. "I thought I heard the doorbell ring. C'mon, let's go!"

"Go where?" you ask.

"My backyard! There's a cool tree I want to show you two," the gray-haired boy chirps before running through the kitchen and to the back door.

"Where are you three going?" Alhaitham's mom asks.

"I want to show them the apple tree," Alhaitham says, excitement evident on his face.

"Alright, but be careful. I'll be watching you guys from the kitchen window, and I'll come get you all later for lunch." Alhaitham nods at his mom in response and throws open the back door.

Both yours and Kaveh's eyes widen. Alhaitham's backyard was a large grassy field surrounded by a fence. You spotted the tall apple tree your friend excitedly talked about.

The gray-haired boy smiles at you and your brother. "Let's go!" he exclaims before running off.

"Hey, wait for me!" Kaveh yells as he follows Alhaitham towards the tree.

Your feet are frozen. You glance up at the tree, noticing just how tall it is, a feeling of uneasiness creeps up on you. Rather than following the two boys, you look around the backyard and spot a few flower beds near a window. You walk over and sit among the flowers, hoping to calm your nerves.

The boys both sit on the lowest branch of the apple tree, their legs dangling in the air. The two look over the backyard fence, admiring how high they are above the ground. Alhaitham notices your figure near his mom's flowers.

"Is Y/N okay? I thought she followed us up the tree," Alhaitham said while pointing in your direction. Kaveh looks where Alhaitham is pointing, his ruby eyes filled with worry.

"How could I forget she's scared of heights?" Kaveh mumbles as he climbs down with Alhaitham following close behind him. As soon as they're both on the ground, they run in your direction. Your (E/C) meet two pairs of worried eyes. Kaveh immediately throws his arms around you, and you reciprocate his actions. You two stay like this until you pull away from the hug first.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Alhaitham apologizes.

"It's okay," you say with a small smile. "I'm sorry, too, for calling you old a few days ago."

"It's okay! Everyone says something about my hair. I don't mind," the gray-haired boy replies nonchalantly. "At least I'm not as old as Kaveh." Both you and Alhaitham laugh at the joke while Kaveh folds his arms angrily.

"That's not funny," he huffs. "I'm not that old."

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

PRESENT

Your (E/C) scan the airport terminal, looking for your friends. You spot a familiar green hairstyle.

"I think I found them," you say, nudging your brother in the arm with your elbow. You walk over to your friends with your suitcase in tow and Kaveh following close behind you.

Your friends are occupying several chairs in a large waiting area. Tighnari and Cyno are playing TCG, Collei is reorganizing her suitcase with Nilou, and Alhaitham is sitting by himself reading a book. Nilou is the first to spot you and your brother.

"Y/N!" she exclaims. A few of your friends look up and wave at you and your brother. You wave and smile back. Nilou, though, runs over to give you and Kaveh a hug. You giggle at her actions.

"You act as if you didn't see us all summer, Nilou," you joke. The redhead playfully rolls her eyes.

Over the summer, Nilou got a job as a dance instructor for kids. Though she would spend time with her friends, she was always busy trying to come up with new lessons for the kids.

"C'mon," Nilou says. "Alhaitham said our boarding time is in a few hours, so we have to check in our suitcases before then. Collei is having a bit of trouble with her stuff."

Collei raises her voice, "I didn't know there was a weight limit for your suitcase!" You and Nilou go to help Collei as Kaveh takes a seat near Cyno and Tighnari.

The rest of your time at the airport feels like a blur. After sorting out Collei's suitcase, you three sit down. Before you know it, Alhaitham is giving everyone their boarding passes, and the seven of you are all on the plane.

Once you find your seats, you notice you're sandwiched between your brother, who wanted the window seat, and Alhaitham, who is sitting closest to the aisle. You lean back into your seat.

"Please don't fight you two," you say. "I really don't want to deal with either of you when we're who knows how high off the ground."

Kaveh mumbles, "Okay." Alhaitham, who is reading his book, hums in response.

Sooner than you would like, the plane starts moving. You feel uneasy as the plane's altitude climbs higher. You tightly grip the armrests on your chair, closing your eyes in an effort to calm yourself down. When you feel a hand on yours, your (E/C) flutter open, meeting Alhaitham's, worry embedded in his expression.

"You're going to be okay," he says gently. "Take some deep breaths, okay?" You slowly nod your head while following his advice. You keep your eyes fixed on Alhaitham. After you calm down, you smile at him.

"Thank you."

Alhaitham smiles back, "Of course." He keeps his hand on yours as he returns to his book. You smile and decide to watch a movie on your phone.

Kaveh quietly watches this interaction with a small smirk, not failing to notice the rose color painting both your and Alhaitham's face.