Aru Shah Short Stories and Oneshots

''We can finally start again''

A/N- Spoilers for Nectar Of Immortality

The war was over. Aru could hardly believe that years had gone by since they'd started the quest. She felt numb because she didn't know how to feel. It was, in a way, a Pyrrhic victory, as they'd lost both the Sleeper and Kara in different ways. Some part of her was sad that the roller coaster of quests was over, she'd had so many experiences through these years, and she wasn't ready to let go just yet. She was exhausted too, mentally and physically. None of the Potatoes had said much on their way home, and Aru suspected that they were also too drained to process what had just happened. Her mom looked broken, and Aru hated seeing her like that. Aiden looked thoughtful, Mini looked sad, and Brynne looked frustrated. Yes, they'd won finally. But did the losses overpower the victory they'd just gained? Maybe their lives could go back to normal, but did Aru even want that? She didn't know. There was a lot she didn't know about herself anymore.

Aru offered a small wave to Rudy, Brynne, and Mini as they made their way to Greg, the stone elephant that also acted as a portal. The twins had been taken home by their parents. ''I'll see you guys tomorrow?'' she asked, glad that there was a tomorrow. They nodded. Mini squeezed Aru's hand and walked into the portal. Now it was just Aru, Aiden, and her mom. Krithika gave Aru a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. ''I'll be upstairs beti', she said and walked up to their house which was on the second floor of the museum's building. Aru looked up at Aiden, who was staring at the portal where the others had just walked through. He seemed preoccupied with his thoughts. Aru didn't know what to say, she didn't know what they were. Aiden glanced at her, looking surprised that they were alone. ''How are you feeling?'' he asked carefully. Aru shrugged. ''I don't know. I don't know how to feel'' she said. Aiden sighed. ''I feel like that too'' he confided. Aiden talking about his feelings was somewhat of a surprise, but he'd been doing it more lately. ''I never thanked you'' Aru said suddenly. He looked confused. ''For what, Shah?'' he asked. ''You know. For sacrificing yourself to Nidra'' Aru said softly. ''You don't need to thank me for that'' Aiden said. But Aru could never be grateful enough to him, not just for what he'd done for her, but also for believing in her. For trusting her with his life. ''I almost didn't fight. I almost gave up'' Aru said. ''What if I'd gone through with that?'' she asked, almost to herself. Aiden smiled. ''But you didn't. You did the right thing in the end, like you always do'' he said. ''Don't die on me again, Wifey'' Aru said, her stomach tugging, but not unpleasantly. Aiden laughed softly. ''I'll try not to'' he said. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted him to know, but couldn't find the words for, so she kissed him. But it was different this time. No prophecies. No wars. At that moment, it was just them, and nobody else. Maybe she didn't know how they could move forward from here, but this was a new beginning. Maybe things would work out in the end, and she would finally be happy. As she'd always wanted to be.

Hope is the thing with feathers after all.

A/N- I realized I hadn't written much fluff so far, so this was my attempt. I hope you liked it, and if you have any suggestions or anything you want to see me write, please comment down below!