Aru Shah Fanfic (lightningsmolder)

aruden fluff, part 1

so this is basically just a thing after CoG :) tell me if u enjoy or if there's anything i should improve! this is my very first fanfic so im not rlly sure of how this works, lol. all characters belong to roshani chokshi

A drop of water slid down the blurred glass. Rain quietly pattered outside, a constant, gentle sound. Great, vast gray clouds covered the dark sky, spilling out endless torrents and sheets of water. The cloudburst certainly matched Arundhati Shah's mood. She sat in an armchair, gazing blankly through a window in the Indian Museum of Art and Culture.

"Beta, are you okay?"

Krithika Shah's voice cut through Aru's mind. Blinking and shaking her head, she managed a weak smile.

"Yeah, mom. I'm fine. Just, um, you know... thinking about stuff." She turned her head to the window again, resting her chin in her hand. Sighing, Aru's mom ruffled her hair.

"It's going to be okay, Aru," she murmured, pulling Aru close.

No. Things will never be the same again. I got our celestial weapons destroyed, Kara betrayed us, and we barely have any time to find the Sleeper.

Closing her eyes, Aru sank into the hug, then moved away. She just continued to stare outside. Exhaling, Aru's mom told her that she was going to make lunch, but Aru didn't really hear her, although she nodded and gave a forced smile. She slowly got up, the cozy red armchair making a quiet creaking sound, and stepped on the soft, cream-colored rug with her fuzzy tan socks. She gazed at the dancing, blue-tinged flames in the electric fireplace in front of her. For a moment, she closed her eyes, standing alone in the dark living room, lit only by a floor lamp and an orb thingy that gave off warm, soft light on the side table. Aru opened her eyes. She glanced out the window, seeing an inky, dark sky and clouds splitting with rain.

It was time to make the challenging trip out of the living room. The glass and ebony coffee table promised a hard fall, so Aru made careful steps to avoid it. Unfortunately, she ended up tripping over the fluffy gray and red cushions on the floor, nearly walking into the wall. She then stepped into the navy blue bean bag next to the floor lamp and fell into a pile of blankets and pillows. Grumpily and embarrassedly, she got up and walked to her room, which was across the living room. She glanced down the massive stairwell and saw the warmly lit kitchen, hearing cheery voices and conversation and smelling delicious aromas. Brynne, Aiden, and Mini had come over for an all day sleepover.

She heard Brynne shout, "Out! Out of the kitchen! I must cook in peace!"

In response, Aiden and Mini giggled and laughed, and Aru saw two dark silhouettes being pushed out all the way into the hallway by another figure. All of them were shaking with laughter. She watched them for a moment, peering over the railing, seeing Aiden and Mini's faces half-hidden in shadow. For a second, she saw Aiden's celestial eyes flash towards her. He gazed in her direction, and she thought she saw the barest hint of a smile touching the corners of his mouth as he studied her face. But then his eyes widened in concern as he saw Aru's sad frown.