When Everyone Is Born, They Get A Soulmate Mark. When Aru Is 16, Hers Fades Away.

When everyone is born, they get a soulmate mark. When Aru is 16, hers fades away.

1 year later she finds a dead boy's diary.

Boop a little fic I started thinking up, even wrote the 1st chapter lol

Happy Aiden Acharya’s Death Day to those who celebrate!

So. I wrote something??? And I'm actually proud of it??? You guys will not believe how long I had spent on this. Like, 2+ months?? And it's only 15 paragraphs????

(Aru x Aiden, from The Pandava Quintet)

A Promise Broken

The rain fell in a relentless rhythm, tapping against the windowpane like a thousand tiny regrets. Aru stood there, her heart echoing the downpour. She had promised him forever, but forever was slipping through her fingers like sand.

Aiden– the boy with stardust in his eyes– had captured her heart. They met under the ancient banyan tree, on the rooftops, where moonlight painted their shadows on the grass. He was a musician, weaving melodies from the tinkling of the stars, and she was just a poet, scribbling verses of hope and hunger onto old parchment, creating rhymes out of what was once nothing.

And so their love was a symphony– an exquisite blend of minor chords and crescendos. But life had other plans. Aiden’s family disapproved; they wanted him to marry within their caste, to follow tradition. Aru was an artist, a dreamer– they said (and they lied, as Aiden had thought) that she would shatter his ambitions like glass.

And so, they made a promise on that rainy night: to meet at the rooftop every full moon, to share stolen kisses and secrets. But promises fray, like old love letters hidden in forgotten drawers.

The rooftop became their sanctuary. Aru would climb the rusty ladder, heart pounding, and there he would be– Aiden, shining in the moonlight. His laughter was a constellation, his touch a comet’s tail.

But the stars bore witness to their ache. Aiden’s eyes held galaxies, and Aru wondered if he hoped for the same future she did– a future where they danced through life, defying gravity.

One night, as raindrops kissed their skin, Aru whispered, “Aiden, do you believe in forever?”

He traced her lips with his thumb. “Forever is a promise we can’t keep,” he confessed. “But I’ll steal every moment with you.”

And they did. They stole kisses and whispered secrets. But the world pressed against them– the weight of expectations, the pull of duty. 

As months passed, the rooftop lost its magic. The ladder creaked, and Aiden’s laughter grew distant. Life without him was like a poem without rhythm, the loss haunting her every verse.

One full moon, she climbed up alone. The rain had stopped, leaving behind a damp canvas. But Aiden wasn’t there. Instead, a letter lay crumpled on the ledge.

“Shah,” it read, “I can’t be your secret anymore. My dreams are wilting, and our love is fading like stars at dawn. I release you from our promise. Find your forever elsewhere.”

Her heart shattered. She searched the sky, hoping to see his face among the constellations. But he was gone, leaving behind a void– a black hole devouring her soul.

~~~

Aru still sits on the rooftop, blank parchment in front of her, begging to be filled with verses of laughter and bliss. The moon watches, silent witness to her ache. She wonders if he found his forever, if he and some else, someone who wasn't her, would dance together among the stars.

And sometimes, when the night is heavy with memories, she imagines him beside her. Their love, like fading constellations, lingers– a melody unfinished, a promise broken.

Just an appreciation of Aru Shah

No because this series means everything to me as a Hindu Indian girl like this was the source my first feeling of major representation, had a shit ton of pop culture references, funny characters, and stories I read in ACK comics growing up? Perfection.

Me reading my old aruden fics: WAIT. WAIT. THEYRE SO CUTE. WHAAAT???

You can only reblog this today.