It started as a normal morning.
Mahi was packing Virat's school tiffin.
Virat was at the table coloring.
And Rohit... well, Rohit was too quiet.
Which Mahi knew was a warning sign louder than crying.
Mahi froze mid-buttering toast.
"...Virat, where's Ro?"
Virat didn't even look up from the coloring.
"That depends," he answered wisely, "do you want the truth or peace?"
Mahi shot him a look.
"Truth."
Virat sighed dramatically and pointed toward the hallway.
"He took the box with stickers."
Mahi nearly groaned.
Not the sticker box.
The huge box. The expensive, glittery, absolutely-should-be-hidden-from-toddlers sticker box.
He found Rohit in the bedroom.
Sitting in the middle of the floor. Completely delighted. Completely guilty.
And completely covered in stickers.
Not just him - the floor, the wall, the bed frame... even the sleeping dog plushie.
Rohit looked up proudly.
"Baba! Ro dekho!"
(Baba! Ro look!)
He pointed at his own chest - layered with strawberry, dinosaur, and superhero stickers all the way to his chin.
Virat peeked from behind Mahi, muttering: "I told you not to leave him alone with stickers. You never listen to me."
Mahi stared at the chaos, pressed thumb to his forehead, then - annoyingly - felt his heart melt.
Because Rohit was smiling like he had created ART.
And he had one more sticker in hand - a sparkly gold star.
He carefully placed it right on Mahi's forehead.
"Mahi star."
The room went silent.
Mahi didn't move for three seconds.
Then he exhaled and scooped Rohit up - stickers and all.
"You're impossible," he murmured.
Rohit giggled proudly against his neck.
------*___*___*___*------
The day had already been chaotic.
Virat had knocked over Mahi's files again while pretending the vacuum cleaner was a race car.
Mahi lost his cool and Virat was sent to timeout - standing against the wall, no talking, no moving.
Mahi: "Don't move till I come back.
You need to learn responsibility, Virat."
Virat stared at the floor, guilt and anger mixed on his face.
Just then-
Rohit woke up from his nap in the bedroom.
A tiny whimper first...
then louder...
"Maaaahhiii... Maaaahiii...!"
Mahi's heart instantly shifted.
Timeout paused.
Mahi scooped up Rohit, rubbing circles on his back.
Mahi: "Shh... shh... I'm right here.
Did you wake up scared, baby?"
Rohit sniffled, head on Mahi's shoulder, thumb in mouth.
He was calm within seconds - because nothing felt safer than Mahi's arms.
