TPQ One Shots

A/N - THIS WAS REQUESTED BY @finallyevrafter TYSMMMM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The girl you love will be the death of you..."

His mind was a mess of tangled thoughts, each one louder than the last. He'd been replaying the moment over and over in his head since it happened-the kiss. The way her eyes had fluttered shut, the way his heart had been pounding so hard it felt like it might burst right out of his chest. It had been...unexpected. Intense. And now, terrifying.

What had he been thinking? What were they even doing?

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm the storm of doubt and second-guessing that had taken over. Should he bring it up? Would she? He wasn't sure what he even wanted her to say. That it had meant something? That it hadn't?

His gut twisted at the thought of anyone else knowing. Not because he was ashamed-Aru was...Aru. Of course, he cared about her.

Well, not just cared. He loved Arundhati Shah and that scared the shit out of him.

He didn't want to hurt her. Or lose her.

The girl you love will be the death of you. He'd thought, maybe even hoped, that it was some cruel twist of fate-some far-off possibility. But when the words first struck him, he hadn't known what love really meant.

And it was her. It had always been her.

Aru Shah, with her lightning-bright wit and stubborn heart. The girl who leaped headfirst into danger. The girl who would be the death of him.

His chest tightened. Aiden wasn't afraid of dying, not in the way most people were. It was part of the deal, being a Pandava-adjacent and all. But knowing it would come because of her-that terrified him. Not because he blamed her, but because it meant he might not be there to protect her when it mattered most.

He needed to draw a line. For both their sakes.

"Ace-cakes?" called Malini from outside his door.

"Yeah?" replied Aiden, twisting his chair around to face his mom.

She offered him a pressed smile, a package in her hands. "The Jagan twins dropped this off for you."

Malini walked towards his bed and placed the package on his sheets. She turned around and examined his face before walking towards him and ruffling his hair. "You're okay, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Aiden said, getting off his desk chair. He reached over to his bed and opened the brown packaging.

I thought you guys might need elevated outfits for your mission, so here it is.

All of the outfits are flame-retardant, can make you invisible and change your voices.

- N&S

P.S.:DRY CLEAN ONLY. (I know you'll listen, Aiden. Don't let me down.)

Aiden frowned at the note and picked up the clothing under it. It was a cotton, plain black kurta with long sleeves and a classic mandarin collar.

His mom patted his shoulder and smiled, before leaving and closing the door behind her.

Aiden sighed and picked out a pair of jeans before changing into the kurta. As soon as he was done, he grabbed Shadowfax and started to pack his bag. He shoved a Kleenex packet and a few snacks (including Swedish Fish for Aru) and two bottles of water. Aiden looked at his desk where BB was fast asleep in his little basket.