Nevertheless, We Stand Together || jalim

Two

     After getting over the longing they felt for one another, they both had a few more beers; Jason was used to it and was only slightly buzzed, but because of Salim's religious background, this was only his second time truly drinking alcohol—Needless to say, he was pretty lightweight, but thankfully nowhere near drunk.
     It was one of those nights where Jason endured The Notebook playing on cable because he couldn't be bothered to change the channel. He always got inexplicably angry at this movie for no reason ever since it came out three years ago. At least he had a friend to watch it with now, one who apparently had just as much of an aversion towards it as he did.

     Around two-thirds through the movie, there was a knock on the door, and it was already past 8pm, so Jason nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the noise. He took the blanket off his body and threw it at Salim playfully, then walking to the front door. He looked through the peephole before opening it, realizing it was an expected guest. "Salim, it's your boy." He called the older man over, letting the seemingly socially awkward young adult into his house.
     After shutting the door behind him, he turned to Zain, smiling at him despite being a loner himself. "The name's Jason Kolchek." He reached his hand out, though he was surprised when the boy suddenly clung to him the exact same way his father had done earlier when he arrived. "Uh, nice to meet you too."

     "Zain, you're being rude..." Salim sighed deeply when he approached the two, though he couldn't help but admire how close they were despite having not met yet. "Sorry, Jason. He's wanted to meet you for a while. He thinks you're extremely cool." He chuckled at the scene, accidentally embarrassing his son with his remark.

     "What the hell, dad? Shut up." Zain pulled away from Jason and complained to Salim in Arabic, likely so they could speak in private.

     Jason didn't even try to understand what was being said; instead, he wrapped an arm around Salim's neck, tugging him into a rough side-hug to embarrass him just as much as Zain. "So the hugs just run in the family, huh?" He joked, feeling the tension dissipate along with Zain's shyness.

     "Thank you for saving his life. He told me you wanted to help him get back home no matter what." Zain changed the subject swiftly, the adoration visible in his glossy eyes.

     "Listen to me, son," Jason let go of Salim and closed the distance between himself and Zain, grabbing his shoulders and staring at him with utmost pride. "Your dad is one of the toughest guys I know. He was beating himself up that day for not being with you, even though he knew damn well he couldn't help it." He paused after introducing Zain to his love for Salim, glancing back at the older man with a supportive grin before continuing. "Even though I came back for him that day, he ended up having to save my life again. He just wanted to rub it in my face one last time." He snickered at his words, feeling content when he finally saw Zain smile at his lighthearted commentary.

     Salim shook his head in slight annoyance, though he couldn't wipe the pleased expression off his face as he watched Jason. "I wasn't trying to show off, honest. I wasn't just going to let that thing kill you, idiot." He returned the teasing behavior, gently slapping Jason on the back to express a slight disdain with his joking.

     "Anyways, you can make yourself at home, Zain. The bathroom is down the hallway on the left if you wanna clean up." Jason ignored Salim and his antics, directing his son to the back of the house where he could unwind. When Jason was alone again with the older man, he walked back into the living room and sat down, getting comfortable in no time.

     "You drive me crazy." Salim jokingly complained, holding back laughter as he sat down as well. To his surprise, Jason just smiled at him cheekily and wrapped an arm around his shoulders subconsciously, forcing them closer together. Salim thought he would be uncomfortable, but it just felt so natural, probably because they were so close.
     It didn't take long for him to unwind thanks to the beers and how relaxing the night was so far...not to mention the warmth from Jason, who was quietly watching the TV despite his recent argument against the movie. Salim leaned back and tried desperately to keep his eyes open, but it was becoming increasingly difficult the more they sat there. The only reason he stirred up eventually is because he heard Jason speaking.