121.
The next day~
Ravi was watching TV while scrolling through the streaming menu. They had decided to stay home for the evening. Yug wanted Ravi to relax for once instead of constantly being on alert.
Yug walked into the living room carrying a couple of blankets while Ravi continued searching for something to watch.
"Did you find anything?" Yug asked.
"There's a new Christopher Nolan movie," Ravi said.
Yug immediately stopped.
"I'm just going to put these blankets away," he muttered.
Ravi looked at him, confused. "Why?"
"I'm here with blankets. The weather is cold. The house is empty. And it's just us." Yug looked at him pointedly. "We're boyfriends, Ravi. Not roommates."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Yug sighed before throwing one of the blankets straight at Ravi's face.
"Just go back to India."
Ravi pulled the blanket away and stared at him. "Well, tell me what's wrong. I don't read minds."
"You found a science-fiction movie on the entire Netflix?" Yug complained. "There are literally hundreds of other things. And there's, you know..." He hesitated. "Romantic stuff. Maybe".
Ravi's expression slowly changed as he finally understood.
"Ohhh... okayyy."
"Okay? Okay?" Yug repeated, staring at him. "That's your answer?"
Ravi nodded, trying not to smile.
"We can watch something romantic," he said. "I just didn't think you liked that genre." He paused, giving Yug a knowing look. "Although I suppose you already have something specific in mind."
"I do."
Yug picked up the remote.
"There's a movie I've been wanting to watch. Let's watch that."
He sat down beside Ravi, deliberately leaving a noticeable amount of space between them.
Ravi glanced at the distance, then at Yug.
A small smirk appeared on his face.
Yug ignored him, started the movie, folded his arms across his chest, and fixed his eyes firmly on the screen.
The movie followed the lives of two boys in 1980s China-high school friends who slowly fell in love with each other.
Their families never accepted their relationship.
One of them eventually started dating a girl, hoping to hide what he truly felt.
Their relationship became a constant push and pull.
They grew closer, only to drift apart again because of misunderstandings, fear, and everything they were too afraid to say.
Eventually, one of them left the country to study abroad.
They cried terribly that day, both knowing there were things they wanted to say but couldn't bring themselves to.
Years passed.
They lost contact.
Then, as adults, they unexpectedly met again at a reunion.
They were no longer the boys they had once been. Both had built separate lives. One of them had a wife and a daughter.
The reunion forced them to confront everything they had buried for decades-the love, the regrets, and all the words they'd never managed to say.
Eventually, they confessed how they still felt about each other.
But it was too late.
Neither of them could simply walk away from the lives they'd built. They were already old, with families and responsibilities that couldn't be undone.
The movie ended bittersweetly, with the song one of them had written for the other playing in the background.
The screen faded to black.
Neither Ravi nor Yug moved.
They simply stared at the credits, both visibly devastated by the story.
Yug finally rubbed his forehead and let out a quiet sigh.
After a long silence, he cleared his throat.
"Ravi..."
"Hm?"
"What if we don't end up together?" Yug asked quietly. "Or what if we get married someday, but things don't work out between us? What would you do?"
Ravi remained silent for a moment, his eyes still fixed on the screen.
"Probably marry again, I guess."
Yug slowly turned toward him.
Ravi still didn't look at him.
"In my religion, a marriage like ours wouldn't normally be recognized anyway," he said matter-of-factly. "So we probably wouldn't have to go through a divorce process.
That was enough to crush Yug's heart.
He knew Ravi was teasing. He knew he hadn't meant any of it. But the way Ravi had said it so casually still hurt.
His eyes began to burn.
"Wow," Yug said quietly, forcing himself not to let his voice crack.
Ravi turned toward him.
Yug's face was flushed, and there were tears gathering in his eyes.
"You're crying" Ravi said.
"No-I'm sorry." Yug quickly wiped his eyes "This is stupid. I know it is."
"It's not stupid at all." Ravi's expression immediately turned worried. "I'm sorry. I was kidding. I didn't mean any of that."
"I know."
Yug managed a small smile and nodded.
He stood up from the couch as if he needed a moment away, but after taking only a couple of steps, he stopped.
He turned around, walked back to Ravi, and sat down on his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around him.
"Don't marry anyone else," Yug whispered, his voice breaking. "Just don't, okay?"
"I won't," Ravi said immediately. "I-"
"Just listen to me."
Ravi fell silent.
"I know things weren't exactly great between us from the beginning," Yug continued, his voice trembling. "But I swear I'm trying. I know you've tried too. Tum hamesha mere dhaal bante aaye ho. Main bhi tumhara dhaal banna chahta hoon."
Ravi's arms tightened around him as he listened.
"Mujhe achha lagta hai jab tum mere liye kuch bhi karte ho," Yug continued. "Aur mujhe achha lagta hai jab main kisi ko batata hoon ki Ravi ne mere liye yeh kiya... ya Ravi mere liye yeh laya."
He swallowed hard.
"You don't get to leave me after treating me this well."
Ravi gently rubbed his back.
"I don't want an ending like theirs," Yug whispered. "I can't see you with someone else."
Ravi slowly ran his hand over Yug's hair.
He hadn't known Yug had been carrying all of this inside him.
Yug almost never cried in front of him.
Except, that one time, when he was drunk.
"Hey," Ravi murmured. "Look at me."
Yug lifted his face.
Ravi stared at him for a moment before his lips twitched.
"Wah. Naak se bhi nadi behne lagi."
Yug stared at him in disbelief.
Despite himself, a tiny smile appeared on his face.
"Shut up."
Ravi chuckled and gently held Yug's face between his hands.
"I made you cry today," he said quietly. "I'll never forget this. And I promise you, I won't ever make you feel like this again."
His thumb brushed away the tear on Yug's cheek.
"Mere Khuda ne aapko humare hawale kiya hai," Ravi said softly. "Aur ab aap hi humare khuda hain. Humare darmiyaan koi aur aaye, hum woh ijaazat nahi denge."
Yug looked at him for a long moment before slowly nodding.
Ravi smiled.
"Do you want to marry me?"
"Chhod mat dena mujhe". Yug said.
Ravi then without any words, reached beneath his shirt and took off the chain he always wore around his neck.
A small ring was hanging from it.
Ravi took the ring from the chain, reached for Yug's hand, and gently slipped it onto his ring finger.
It was a simple gold band.
Yug stared at it.
"This isn't an engagement ring, obviously," Ravi said. "I'll take you to buy a proper one tomorrow."
Yug couldn't say a word.
Everything had happened so quickly that his mind hadn't caught up yet.
He looked down at his hand again, staring at the ring.
Ravi leaned closer, a familiar smirk returning to his face.
"Ab hum pe haq hai aapka."
Yug's brain practically stopped working.
"Ravi-"
"Wait a second. Give me your hand."
Ravi took Yug's hand again, pulled out his phone, and quickly took a picture of the ring.
Yug blinked.
"Wait-what are you doing?"
Before Yug could stop him, Ravi sent the picture to Aarav along with a message.
Yug immediately snatched the phone from his hand.
His eyes widened as he read the text.
_____________________________________________
"Sir, congratulations on your wedding," Luca said.
"Thank you. And thank you for finding Bilal's wife for us," Shaurya replied. "You can ask for anything you want."
"My boss told me not to," Luca said, spinning lazily in his chair.
"You're not Lorenzo's man while you're here. You're my guest." Shaurya leaned back. "So name it."
"I want someone from here."
Shaurya raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, not Ravi, if that's what you're thinking," Luca quickly added. "I'm not a marriage wrecker."
"Then who?"
"That little boy, Dahnish, whom you brought here."
Shaurya's expression changed slightly.
"That kid is extraordinary," Luca continued. "But I think there's something wrong with him, and I want to know what it is. He could become a great asset to us if he's trained properly."
"And you think we can't train him here?"
"You can." Luca's expression turned serious. "But he'll become more like you."
Shaurya narrowed his eyes.
"We don't want that. We don't trust anyone completely. If he grows up under your influence, he could become capable enough to overthrow us someday."
Luca paused.
"That child could start a war if he isn't handled properly."
Shaurya studied him.
"And there's another problem," Luca added. "Your daughter seems to be close to him. That's another risk. You never know what could happen."
His voice hardened.
"He tried to kill your people a few days ago."
Shaurya remained quiet for a moment.
Then he finally said, "Okay. Do you want to meet him?"
"I can?"
Luca's face immediately brightened.
"Sure. Let's go."
He practically jumped out of his chair.
Shaurya stood and followed him.
They made their way to the Unit's nursery, where the children of the staff and bodyguards usually spent their time playing.
As soon as they entered, they found Aarav sitting on the floor with a baby in his arms.
"Wow, look at you," Aarav cooed, gently holding the baby's tiny hand. "Aren't you a strong one?"
The baby let out a happy little sound and wrapped his fingers tightly around Aarav's finger.
Nearby, Aarya, Vayu, and Hanat (Dahnish's sister) -all roughly the same age-stood around them.
Aarya reached out and gently touched his cheek.
The baby turned his head.
His eyes landed on Shaurya standing at the doorway.
He stared at him for a few seconds, as though trying to recognize him.
Then his tiny mouth opened.
"Ka... ba..."
Shaurya blinked.
Luca looked between them, confused.
Aarav slowly turned toward Shaurya.
The baby stretched his little arms toward him.
"Ka... ba..."
Aarav looked toward him and immediately stood up.
Shaurya smiled and walked over. He kissed Aarav's forehead before gently running a hand over his hair.
Aarav smiled and held onto Shaurya's arm.
"Isn't he cute?" Aarav said, glancing at the baby. "He can crawl now too. Kids grow up way too fast."
"That they do," Shaurya replied, looking down at the baby.
He carefully took the baby's tiny hand in his own.
"Hey, kid. Don't trouble my baby."
He gave the little hand a gentle kiss.
The baby giggled.
Aarav chuckled.
"Daddy, Izel doesn't trouble me at all. He's very calm," Aarya said, apparently assuming Shaurya had called her his baby.
Shaurya laughed.
Aarav's heart practically melted at the sight.
Shaurya kissed Aarya's palm, then Vayu's when the boy patiently held out his hand, waiting for his turn.
Hanat remained quiet.
Shaurya smiled at her, gently shook her hand, and patted her head.
Hanat's face immediately brightened into a genuine smile.
Shaurya then glanced toward the other side of the room and subtly motioned for Luca to approach Dahnish, who was sitting by himself.
Aarav looked at Shaurya questioningly.
"Come with me," Shaurya said.
Aarav nodded and followed him.
"Vayu, Aarya, come on. It's already time for your lessons," Aarav called.
The two children hurried toward their room, while Aarav accompanied Shaurya.
"What is it?" Aarav asked. "Why is he here?"
"He wants to take Dahnish with him," Shaurya replied.
Aarav's expression changed.
"Oh. And what about his siblings?"
"They'll go with him too."
Aarav looked back toward the children.
"Kya hum Izel ko apne paas rakh lein?" he asked quietly. "Aarya's quite fond of him."
"And you too, huh?"
Aarav smiled sheepishly.
"We can't, Aarav. He has his own siblings. If we keep him here just because he's cute, he'll grow up and wonder why we separated him from his family. He might resent us for it."
"Okay," Aarav muttered with a small pout.
A moment later, though, he smiled again.
Shaurya looked at him in surprise.
"You'll have to make up for this at night". Aarav said. Shaurya looked at him amused.
"But I.. okay as you say", Shaurya said.
"And I want to have more kids who look like you", Shaurya said squeezing Aarav's butt. Aarav grinned.
"You know what, let's go to our room. It's baby time. Who knows, if we try some more, I can actually get pregnant", Aarav said. "Just like Eve said".
"You can't get pregnant Aarav", Shaurya reminded again. Since Eve sent Aarav a link to a guide about Omegaverse, Aarav couldn't help but cry thinking about it. Shaurya had to cuddle him every now and then just to make him stop crying.
Aarav rolled his eyes at Shaurya.
"Such a boring grandpa", Aarav muttered. "Anyway, come with me. Harsh and Asim are shooting some people today, we can't miss it", Aarav said as he pulled Shaurya with him. Aarav was strangely enthusiastic about that, that made Shaurya feel a bit scared too.
But he decided not to say anything.