Alhaitham X Kaveh - Love and Logic

11. Deepwood Memories

"I am not the one you should be afraid of, kid."
He woke up to a strong smell of coffee, making his mouth water instantly. He opened his eyes, seeing Alhaitham quietly sit at the table, reading one of his books. He looks so calm. He begins to get out of bed when a familiar face peeks through the door, ears twitching. Kaveh smiles: "Tighnari."
The ranger walks in, dropping his medical supplies on the bed next to Kaveh. Before he could protest, Tighnari was already examining his wound while muttering to himself: "Did not know the difference my foot. Cyno should have let me at him..."
Kareh covered one of his hands with his own offering him a kind smile.
"I am ok."
Tighnari rolled his eyes: "I prefer my friends without arrows stuck in their shoulders." Although he tried to seem angry, Kaveh could spot a hint of a smile. He knew Tighnari was just worried and since he was the one who saved him, he couldn't blame him for being a bit sassy. He couldn't imagine his reaction if he saw any of his friends in a state like that. Your friends are not as useless as you though. He took a deep breath, making Tighnari stop with a questioning look.
"Sorry, just wasn't prepared for the pain," Kaveh explained, hoping Tighnari wouldn't ask any more questions. The ranger kept quiet until he was finished switching the bandages. He put away his bag with medical supplies and pulled Kaveh into a tight hug.
"I am sorry she is back." His whisper makes Kaveh squeeze him, reminding him why he was here in the first place. His aunt, the mission that went awry as soon as it started. He still did not know why or how his aunt got involved with Azar, but he wasn't surprised in the slightest. He took a step back, trying to give Tighnari an assuring smile. His voice couldn't hide the nervousness as he tried to joke: "You couldn't ask your general boyfriend to be a bit nicer when he interrogates me, could you?"
Before Tighnari could, Cyno entered, holding flatbread and a cutting board with fillings with Collei right behind him. She put down the bowl with sauce and ran up to Kaveh, squeezing around his waist. He hugged her back, happy to see the young girl again. In the beginning, whenever he would join them for dinner, he knew Collei only listened to his ramblings out of respect but he believed they became friends after a while. The one thing that made them bond the most, was making jokes about Cyno and Tighnari's attempts at a romantic relationship.

"They are hopeless," Collei laughed as Mehrak giggled beside her. It was a cloudless night as they walked around the forest, giving the obvious couple some privacy. The forest was quiet as they made their way through it. "I imagine the "serious question" was just a diversion to leave those two alone?" Kaveh asked as they stopped next to a smaller pond. Collei giggled and nodded sitting on a nearby rock. He joined her.
"How is your reading coming along?" Kaveh asked, turning his head to face her. She made a grimace and slightly shook her head before replying: "Master Tighnari said I am still making too many mistakes on the tests. I am grateful he is so patient with me."
Kareh nodded before he turned back to face the pond. It was so pretty, the night sky and the top of trees reflecting on the surface. Like a mirror...
He heard a snap, now he understands why it's so quiet. Collei still hasn't noticed, she was tired even though she tried to hide it. Her body was still recovering. His body tensed as Mehrak flew in his hand. His voice was barely a whisper when he told Collei to run and get Cyno. She gave him a confused look when he jumped in front of her, his Claymore deflecting an arrow aimed at her head. He hasn't slept in days and these men just tried to hurt his friend. He will make sure they get what they deserve.

Kaveh was snapped back into reality by Collei calling his name. Her eyes were full of worry as she asked: "Did I do something wrong? I tried to avoid the wound..."
He hugged her again, his voice firm and assuring: "You did nothing wrong. I am just happy to see you." After he moved away a bit he whispered: "And that they finally stopped pretending to be just friends."
"I can hear you, you know." Tighnari attempted an annoyed face. but Cyno decided to give him a kiss on the cheek which made him blush. Collei tried to stifle her laugh but when her eyes met Kaveh's they burst into laughter. Tighnari shook his head in embarrassment as they took the empty seats at the table. Collei made sure Kaveh took the spot next to Alhaitham, giving him a wink. Kaveh chuckled but stayed silent. They dug in, enjoying the food in silence. Cyno moved the meat away from Tighnari and the ranger gave him a grateful smile. Cyno smirked and began to explain: "Nari, did you know that many chefs think that being a vegetarian is a huge missed steak."
Everyone stopped when he spoke the last words. Tighnari couldn't even look at his partner, the silence was almost too painful to bear. Then someone on Kaveh's left chuckled.
Alhaitham
Kaveh could only stare in disbelief. Tighnari hid his face in his hands while Cyno beamed at Alhaitham. Collei whined: "He is never going to shut up about this!"
Alhaitham cleared his throat, ignoring Kaveh's stare as he spoke: "If you are all finished, we should talk."
Everyone was silent. They had to talk about what happened. Kaveh had to talk about it. Why did the words feel so heavy then? He felt his chest tighten, he had to tell them. But how? When he looked up he realised everyone was looking at him. He was holding onto Alhaithams hand, squeezing it as he tried to catch his breath.
"Kaveh, you're having a panic attack. It's ok. Try to focus on my voice." Tighnari kept talking. Focusing on his voice did help. What helped more was knowing Alhaitham was with him. He knew he was safe. He started to calm down, apologising for his nerves. Alhaitham's thumb massaged his palm, telling him everything is ok. Kaveh felt tears on his cheeks, when did he start crying? He shook his head, knowing what comes next. He has to tell them about her. Why he was silent all these years? He stuttered but before anyone could interrupt him he raised his hand stating: "I know I have to tell you about her. Please just, just don't interrupt me. I can't..."
Everyone nodded, Alhaitham stared him down before he dipped his head and so Kaveh began to explain.

He was late. So late. He stopped to help their neighbour with her groceries and also some kids were playing and their friend got stuck in the tree. It's a good thing Kaveh was always good at Saving the day. He couldn't wait to tell his dad about all the things he did while he was in the desert. He ran up to the doors, stopping to stick his shirt in his pants and try to make his hair look presentable. He knew Dad will ruffle it the moment he has a chance. He entered, and the house was quiet. No, someone was weeping. His mother was sitting on the couch, her face covered by her hands. The two men standing across from her, they were like statues. Cold and without mercy, shattering his mother's heart.
"Mom?"
His voice felt like it came from someone else, someone who was not watching his mother sob and shake. She didn't move when she heard him. One of the men did, kneeling when he got close enough. The matra. He was part of the matra. Kaveh didn't need anything else to figure things out. He felt his stomach drop and tears began to fall down his face.
"He is not coming back."
The man's eyes widened before he slowly nodded. He wiped away his tears and walked to his mother, grabbing one of her hands as he sat next to her. There were documents on the coffee table, and Kaveh could see quicksand written on one of them. His heart kept tugging at him, he needed to cry, to scream, he needed it. But his mother needed him more.

"I met her after my father's passing, she came to express her condolences. She is my mother's half-sister, which when you look at them, well... You wouldn't think they have different mothers. They look so similar. When I saw her yesterday I ... But yeah, she came and she offered to help us with the money since my mother stopped working. I did the best I could and I thought she had our best interests at heart." He held the coffee mug in his hands, doing everything he could not to cry. Alhaitham still held his hand and Kaveh wondered if he will still be holding it at the end of this story.
"I did odd jobs and at some point, I took her offer to help her with her business. I would pick up supplies and bring them to her when I wasn't working. She was so proud when I got my vision. Huh, well not proud. Happy. Mostly for herself. I used Claymore because I could do the most with it, you know...
I didn't realise what she was doing until I met Lily."
He took a sip of his cold coffee, only to calm himself down. He could see Tighnari's concerned look. He just didn't know who he was concerned for.
"I tried to ask my mom about her, but she was already gone. I mean, her mind was. She would just lie in bed all day. Sometimes she would get up only to... Well, you know how people get when they grieve. I just, the money helped with food and I was still doing other jobs, so I never questioned what she was doing. She sent me to help some people on their farm. That's how I met Terra and Lily. She was just a kid, not her real granddaughter but that never mattered to Terra..."
He stopped, silence falling over them. They all thought about his words. Alhaitham stayed silent but his thoughts were roaming. Kaveh still hasn't told them what his aunt did. He knew Kaveh's mother was hurt by her spouse's death, but to completely abandon the care of her child. Kaveh believed he was guilty of his father's death. He was a kid, it was natural to come to the wrong conclusion, but his mother did nothing to assure him it wasn't true. In the end, she left him for her new family in Fontaine. She has no idea how hurt her son was.
Kaveh spoke again: "She was selling them again wasn't she? To Azar?"
Cyno gave him a questioning look when Alhaitham widened his eyes in realisation. Those documents. They didn't make any sense, but they were a code. Azar wasn't buying lab supplies, he was buying people.

Yaay I finally wrote another chapter, hope you enjoy reading it. Of course, this is not canon, it's all my imagination or as the meme says: My source is that I made it the fuck up.
Thank you for all the comments <3