Family Above Everything

"Because we love you."

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"Dad will be here for my birthday, bhaiya! And yours too!"

Virat snorted at his sister's excitement. He couldn't understand why she was so excited to see the man. He didn't even have a single good bone in him.

"Bhaiya-" Amulya nudged his arm. "-are you still mad at him for leaving without telling us? It was a business trip, it was important-"

"Important more than his kids? Than you?"

"But- But he explained the situation to us afterwards, didn't he? Let it go na bhaiya."

"I am not mad at him or anything, Amu." Virat said, closing his eyes for a brief moment. "Tujhe pta hai mujhse unse koi lena-dena nahi hai. Vo jab aaye, jab jaye, unki marzi. But I don't like you getting all excited and happy and then he goes on and ruin everything."

"I know but-"

"I don't want to talk about him. Chod ye sab. Tabiyat kaisi hai?" Virat said diverting the topic. He almost always ended up snapping at his sister when they talked about their father.

"The fever is almost gone. Just a little headache." Amulya shrugged.

"I'm sorry." Virat said.

"Oh it's perfectly alright, Virat. You know we are really forgiving people. We don't hold grudges and all." Rohit cut him off, walking in with his widest grin. "That's you. Me and Amu are extremely good-hearted people." Virat scowled.

"I'm sorry to her, not to you." He said wiping the grin off of Rohit's face. "Tu to roz aise hi uthna deserve karta hai."

"Did you forget the warning bhabhi gave you so soon, Cheeku?" Rohit asked, purposely using the nickname to rile up Virat even more. 

"It was for Amu, you scatterbrained idiot!"

"What the fuck does that even mean?" 

"Isko google kholke de yaar, Amulya. Bhagwan jaane kaise school pass karliya isne." 

"Yaar! Bas karo na aap dono." Amulya groaned in annoyance. "Mera birthday aa raha hai, uspe forcus karo na." 

"OKAY." Rohit laughed. "Bta, kya chahiye terko?" 

"What will be your efforts if I've to tell you what I want bhaiya?" She complained. "Khud socho na."

"Dimag chahiye hota hai na sochne ke liye-" Virat chirped.

"Can you shut up?" Rohit barked. "Khud kuch acha socha jata nahi hai. Merko bol raha hai."

"Oh please. I'm amazing with surprises."

"That's Anushka. You just steal her credit."

"As if Ritika doesn't add your name in the gifts she sends us."

"You-"

"Then I think I should talk to Ritsy didi and Anushka didi rather than you guys." Amulya glared at the duo and stomped out. 

"She got upset because of you." Rohit accused. 

"Oh please. It was you. I'm her favourite brother."

"In your dreams, darling." Rohit rolled his eyes at his dramatic brother. "You have to pick dad up from the airport tomorrow by the way." 

"What? Why?" Virat asked horrified. "Why is bhai not going?" 

"Punishment for the stunt you pulled in the morning." 

"What the fuck? Amu is fine. I apologized too, why would bhai do that then?" Virat grumbled at the unfairness being shown towards him. Out of all of them, it was Virat who couldn't even stand being in the same room with that man. And his Mahi bhai, who knew all about it, was sending him to the airport? 

"You didn't apologise to your second victim though-" Virat looked at Rohit with such a betrayed expression, the later had to stiffle a laugh. 

"You convinced bhai to do this, didn't you? You're such a backstabber yaar Ro. I would've never done this to you. You've literally slammed my face in the table once, remember? And I lied to bhai saying I tripped! Or when I fought with people on your behalf and never told bhai. Yaad aaya? You ungrateful moron! Bhul gaya sab!" 

"Arey yaar, saara maza khrab kardiya ye sab baatein karke. Mazak kar raha tha mai."

"Thank god." Virat said, relieved. "I wish his flight gets cancelled or something. And his phone breaks and he loses our phone numbers and can never contact us again."

"That's a lot to wish for." Rohit chuckled dryly. "I just wish Amulya gets to know him for who he really is."

"Don't tell her but she's a little too dumb sometimes." Virat said.

"She's a kid, Virat."

"I wasn't this dumb even when I was a kid."

"Yeah, you were worse."

"Maybe. But I always hated dad. You've to give me that."

"That's not a criteria for smartness, you dunderhead."

"It is!"

"Don't shout! My head hurts!"

"Oh sorry." Virat quieted down suddenly.

"What's up with you today, Kohli?" Rohit slung his arm around his brother. "You're apologizing to Amu. You're apologizing to me. THE VIRAT KOHLI is apologizing. Am I dreaming?"

"I was just being nice." Virat scowled. "But of course you don't deserve that."

"Stop trying to be something you're not. You're a jerk. Waise hi reh. Waise hi pyaara lagta hai."

"Band kar apni bakwaas." Virat snapped. "When is Yuvi pa coming?"

"By tonight." Rohit shrugged. "You know he hates leaving us alone with dad. And Mahi bhai may have to leave in a few days for some meetings."

"I have a really bad feeling about this, Ro."

"You're thinking too much. Chill kar. Hum sab hai na yahan. Kuch nahi hoga."

"Par jab tum log nahi hoge to?"

"Kyun nhi honge?" Rohit knew why Virat was being so restless. The memory of those days still troubled him. He was still stuck there. The guilt was eating him up from inside. It hurt everyone to see him like this.

"Virat dekh meri taraf." Virat did. "You were a kid. It wasn't your fault. We're not going anywhere. Not me. Not bhai. Not Amulya. Yahi hai tere paas. Humesha."

Virat's eyes burned with tears but he didn't let them fall, clenching his fists to control himself. Rohit's heart broke all over again. No matter what happened, no matter how much pain Virat went through, they never saw him shed even a single tear after that day.

"Why did bhai let me leave, Ro? Why didn't he slap me back to my senses? Why did he- Why did he just- just gave up on me?"

"He didn't, Virat." Rohit's voice was firm. "How do you think we got to know what dad was doing with you? He never gave up on you, Virat. And how even can he? Jaan basti hai unki tujhme. Kaise bitaye hai unhone vo 2 mahine, sirf wahi jante hai."

"I hurt him a lot, didn't I? I said- I said such awful things. To him, of all people. And he still forgave me. He has done so much for me- He does so much for me. Why? Why did he forgave me so easily? How can he? I hurt him so much. Bhabhi too. You too. I didn't listen to anyone. And you guys still forgave me."

"Because we love you, you idiot." Rohit said, smacking the side of Virat's head fondly. "And we know you. You remember the few things you did wrong, but what about everything else you did right? Who stays up to give bhai a massage whenever he's tired? Who helps bhabhi without being asked? Who makes sure I don't forget anything while we pack? You, Virat. You came back to us because you love us. And we forgave you because we love you. Whatever happened has happened. It's all in the past. At the end of the day, it's just us who matter."

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Hi guys! What do you think of the chapter?

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Take care y'all!