The Potato Oneshots

True Blue

Aiden Acharya was Brynne Rao's best friend in the whole world.

They did all sorts of things together. They cooked (Well, Brynne cooked, Aiden merely filmed the cooking), they told each other secrets, had fun, comforted each other. Brynne helped Aiden overcome his parents' divorce, while Aiden helped Brynne whenever she had what they called an Anila Problem.

So when Brynne heard from Aiden's own mouth about that wretched prophecy, that Aiden, her best friend, basically her brother, was probably gonna die, all because he loved her sister, she couldn't help but feel all the emotions she's been holding in ever since Aru's birthday.

"What the hell do you mean you're gonna die?" she asked, her voice cracking just the tiniest bit. It felt like there was no air to breathe in.

They were in Rudy's room/lobby/thing, and they just got back from Patala. Brynne decided to finally confront Aiden about the thing that hqppened in the museum lobby while everyone was asleep. But the things Aiden said, they made her regret she was ever mad at him.

"I mean I'm gonna die, but not in the way you think it is," Aiden said calmly.

"I don't even know what that means!" 

Aiden sighed, and Brynne looked away, feeling extremely guilty. Just a few hours ago, she was ready to rip him into pieces after she heard what he said to Aru. But hearing his thoughts and fears about the prophecy, that he had to force himself to bury his feelings for her sister, just so he wouldn't die, it felt like Brynne misjudged Aiden entirely.

"You know Aru wouldn't kill me, right?" started Aiden, making her turn to him again.

"What? Of course not. She likes you, you already know that," said Brynne.

Yes, Aru was impulsive and reckless sometimes. Everyone knew that. She might even accidentally kill someone if she continued to be.

But kill Aiden? Or actually, anyone in the little family they've created over the years? Absolutely not.

Aiden started speaking again. "I just. . . have this hunch. That I might die protecting her. At least, that's what I want to happen."

"Or, you know, you could just not die?" suggested Brynne. Aiden laughed.

"You know that's not possible."

"But it might! We'll do everything, anything to stop it," said Brynne. She didn't want her best friend to die.

But even as she said those things, she knew she was suggesting impossible stuff. You can never prevent a prophecy once it was uttered.

"That's what the Sleeper tried to do, but it didn't exactly work did it?" asked Aiden, and his tone startled Brynne.
It sounded like he's given up on life.

Brynne turned to look at Aru's unconscious form on Rudy's couch, and that guilty feeling in her stomach heightened once more. If Aru knew the real meaning of the prophecy, she would be devastated. Brynne knew she would try to stop it, do anything to prevent Aiden from dying. Aru says  she just likes Aiden, that it's just a small crush, but Brynne knew that she, too, had grown to love him. Not just romantic love, family love. The Potatoes didn't go through all that just to not see each other as family. Aru loved Aiden. Even if she showed it by constantly calling him a snob.

"She looks so peaceful, right?" said Aiden, startling Brynne out of her thoughts.

Aiden was also watching Aru, with that loving look in his eyes that Brynne had caught many times. But that loving look always came with a tinge of sadness.

Brynne always had the job of comforting Aiden. From simple things, like getting into a fight with one of his parents, to his parents' divorce, to gods know what's next. And Aiden definitely needed comfort right now.

So after saying a soft "Come here, man", she reached out and hugged Aiden.

Aiden tried to get out of the hug, as if he was expecting Brynne's body crushing hug, but it really wasn't. She tried to be as gentle as possible this time, to say words she couldn't say to the hug. Aiden must've realized it, because soon enough he hugged her back, and Brynne heard a relieved sigh from him. He understood the message.

They broke apart, and Aiden smiled at her. She smiled back.

"Promise me you wouldn't tell anyone. Promise me you wouldn't tell her," whispered Aiden.

"I promise I won't," said Brynne, assuring him. Brynne expected him to smile and nod at her, or something. What she did not expect was Aiden holding out his pinky finger and looking at her expectedly.

"You pinky promise it?" he asked innocently. Seeing her shocked look, he snickered.

Brynne laughed, catching on. "We haven't done that since we were, like, eight."

"You made the rules, and the rules specifically said to pinky promise whenever making an unbreakable promise," shrugged Aiden, smirking.

"Okay, then." Brynne held out her pinky finger and held Aiden's pinky with hers.

"I, Brynne Tvarika Lakshmi Balamuralikrishna Rao, pinky promise it," said Brynne in a formal tone. Aiden smirked more.

Perhaps they won't be able to prevent that prophecy. Perhaps Aiden will be taken from them. But some little voice in her heart tells her Aiden will find his way back to them somehow.