TPQ One Shots

Rainy Days and Chai

A/N - this was very much inspired by the rainy days in India. whenever i go on vacation its always monsoon season and our whole family is gathered up on the front porch, surrounded by the sweet, but savoury smell of chai and loads of snacks like banana chips, murukku, etc. anyway, i cant wait to go this year and i've been feeling quite nostalgic sooo here's the one-shot!

The rain drummed against the windows of the apartment above the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, a steady rhythm that filled the place with a soft, almost musical hum. Outside, the world was a blur of grey, but inside, the five of them were crammed together on the floor, surrounded by half-eaten snacks and a very questionable attempt at making chai.

"I'm just saying," Rudy declared, dramatically swirling his mug of hot chocolate, "chai is overrated. Cocoa is the superior warm beverage."

Aru gasped, clutching her chest like he had personally insulted her ancestors. "Take that back."

"I will not."

"You will."

"Make me."

Mini sighed, rubbing her temples. Brynne stole another handful of mixture, munching on the spicy, but tangy blend of fried peanuts, cashew nuts, sev and boondhi.

"Will you two ever stop?" asked Aiden, looking over his shoulder from the window. Shadowfax was positioned in front of his right eye, as he clicked pictures of the scenery outside.

"He just had the audacity to say that hot cocoa was better than chai!" exclaimed Aru, flabbergasted. "And if you think that I would just let that slide, you don't know me at all."

A small smile tugged at Aiden's lips, but he brushed it away and focused on the photos instead.

"I've gotta agree with Shah on this one," said Brynne, smirking. "Chai is way better than hot cocoa."

"How dare you, mortal!" exclaimed Rudy, sipping on his cocoa, which was put in a plastic glass with Elsa, Anna and Olaf's faces over it.

Rudy took another dramatic sip of his cocoa, trying to appear regal, but the effect was slightly ruined when the plastic Elsa glass made a loud squeak against his lips.

"That's it," Aru muttered. "This means war."

Without warning, she snatched a pinch of boondhi from the snack mix and flung it at him. It hit Rudy squarely on the forehead.

"AH! My royal brow!" he cried, toppling backward into the snack pile like a felled tree.

"You've done it now," Brynne muttered with a grin, scooting away from the incoming disaster zone.

Mini made a noise halfway between a groan and a whimper. "I just vacuumed the carpet-"

But it was too late. In retaliation, Rudy tossed a handful of sev in Aru's direction, most of which missed and landed in Aiden's hair. He froze, turning slowly toward them.

"I'm going to pretend that didn't happen," he said calmly, pulling spicy noodles from his curls.

"Sorry," Rudy said sheepishly. "Collateral damage."

"You're the definition of collateral damage," Aiden muttered, brushing off the last of the crumbs-just as Shadowfax beeped, caught a photo mid-chaos, and displayed an unflattering close-up of Rudy's panicked face on its tiny screen.

Everyone stared at it.

Then Brynne cackled. Loud. Wheezing. Nearly-crying kind of laughing.

"I-he-oh gods, save that picture. Frame it," she gasped.