A Series of Aru Shah Oneshots

Happy Birthday, Shah

"Oh, come on," Aru complained, leaning back and frowning at the Monopoly game board. "Do I have to?"

Mini grinned, pointing at the square in front of Aru's token. "You can't argue with the jail."

"The prison food can't be any worse than what the school cafeteria serves," Brynne piped up.

"Enjoy your stay," Nikita teased.

"Betrayal!" Aru moved her piece.

"Hey, Shah?" Aiden's voice broke in. He hadn't joined in the game because there hadn't been enough tokens. He'd wandered off to take pictures of something or other.

"Yeah?" Aru twisted around.

He leaned against the doorway, one hands in his hoodie pocket, the other behind his back. He gave her an awkward smile, running his hand through his dark curly hair. "Can I pull you aside for a minute?"

Aru's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. She glanced back at her friends. Mini's eyes were shining. Brynne was grinning at her in a way Aru wasn't sure she totally trusted. Hira was also smiling. Nikita raised an eyebrow at her. Sheela watched them both, her gaze inquisitive. 

You guys are no help, Aru transmitted through the mind link, rolling her eyes. She looked back at Aiden. "I'm in jail, anyway. Sure." Standing, she followed Aiden out of the living room.

"So..." Aiden started nervously once they were out of earshot. "I didn't really want to give you my present out there. Um--yeah, sorry. Anyway, I hope you like it." He held out a paper-wrapped package.

"Thank you," Aru said, accepting it. She made short work of the paper.

Aiden shook his head as shreds floated to the floor. "You're a menace, Shah."

She laughed. "I try." She turned over her gift. It was a gold-covered photo album.

Aru flipped through the pages. They were all photos of her and her friends, in various places, with various expressions, in various positions. She stopped when she saw a familiar sight. The Ferris wheel that they had rescued Nikita and Sheela from. 

She was crouching on the ground, Vajra in one hand. The multicolored lights around them highlighted her pose and made her look a lot more impressive than she really was. Her face was a mixture of embarrassment and amusement--probably he'd caught this at the moment he'd told her to stand up.

Aru looked up. "You actually took a picture of me?"

"Well--I mean, at first it was an accident. But well," he shrugged, "I wanted to keep it. Sorry if you don't--"

"No, it's fine," she interrupted, going forward again. Her face burned a little but she smiled. "It's great."

Aru flipped to the last page. There she was, standing in the chakoras' forest, Vajra in its full form. Somehow, Aiden had managed to capture the photo so that her eyes flashed with the same fire as Vajra. The girl in this picture looked older. Mature. Powerful.

Aiden had once told her that his photos were the way he saw the world. So...was this the way he saw her?

Aru closed the photo album and hugged Aiden. "Thank you, Aiden. It's perfect."

He seemed to relax a little in her arms. "You're welcome. I--I'm really glad you like it."

They started to walk back to the group, but Aiden suddenly stopped as they neared the doorway.

Aru halted and looked back at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah--yeah, I'm fine." Aiden looked her and dropped his eyes. Was it her imagination or was he blushing?  

As she started to open her mouth, he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. His lips were warm. "Happy fifteenth, Shah."

Suddenly she wasn't sure what she had been going to say. "Uh," she stammered, her face heating up. From the living room, she could see her friends peering at them.

Aiden smiled. "I guess we should get back to the game."

You didn't tell us you had a Valentine! Brynne accused as soon as she rejoined the group.

Aiden? Aru rolled her eyes, trying to ignore her pounding heartbeat. It's not like that. Anyway, it's not Valentine's Day anymore. I wish my birthday weren't right after it. Sugar and despair and heartbreak... She made a face.

"It's not fair when you guys communicate telepathically," Aiden complained, sitting between Aru and Mini. There wasn't quite enough room, though, so he ended up pressed against Aru. But she didn't really feel like moving over. He smelled nice, like fresh laundry.

"What are you talking about, anyway?" Aiden asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Nothing," Aru said immediately. "So, what'd I miss?"

Mini launched into a full summary and Aru did her best to follow along, although she was a bit distracted by Aiden's body so close to hers. Their arms brushed.

"Aru, it's your turn now," Hira broke in.

"Oh. Right."

Aru took a card, ignoring the knowing looks her friends were giving each other.

They continued playing late into the night. Finally, Mini won in a major upset. As her friends laughed and talked around her, and as she sat by Aiden, Aru ran her fingers over the cover of her photo album and grinned. She wasn't sure if there was enough space for all the happiness that she felt. This was what she really only wanted today--being around the people she loved.

"So," Aru said. "Now that we're done with the game, I think it's time we got onto the movies."

"Let me guess. Lord of the Rings?" Aiden said.

Aru mock-gasped. "Am I that predictable?"

"Nah, I just know you. I call the best seat." He jumped up and dashed into the living room. Aru raced after him but was too late to stop him from claiming the sofa closest to the TV.

"Snob," Aru panted as she dropped onto the armchair beside him.

"Troll," he retorted, grinning at her.