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Writer's pov;

OMG!" Vihaan exclaimed as soon as Vikram went out.

"What happened, Vihaan?" Hari questioned, descending the stairs. His eyes narrowed in confusion as vihaan ranted something incoherent to himself absentmindedly.

"Hey! What happened?" Hari patted his shoulder once he reached near him while vihaan looked at him wide-eyed.

"Hari anna, did you see Vikram anna and Harshitha hugging each other?" Vihaan blabbered out but gasped, shutting his mouth with his palm quickly, realizing he spoke this aloud.

'No, no! Vikram anna is going to kill me!'

"What?" Hari came dangerously close to him, causing vihaan to step back in fear, his heart started palpitating as Hari looked at him with a 'tell me, or I will kill you look.'

"Repeat what you said!"

"Ah, I a..sk...asked whether you saw Harshi and Vikram anna hu..hanging with each other?" Vihaan gulped, holding his breath as his elder cousin looked at him with knitted eyebrows coldly.

"No, that's not what you said. Tell me what you said at first, and don't lie to me, Vihaan!" Hari pointed out, placing his hands on Vihaan's shoulder heavily while Vihaan winced as Hari squeezed his shoulder in warning. If he added more pressure, it would surely leave a bruise.

If he told the truth, his brother would kill him, and if he doesn't tell the truth now, his cousin will kill him.

'Well getting, beaten by his brother seemed less painful than getting killed by his cousin. At least his mother would help him from his brother's wrath.'

'So the truth is it.' Vihaan nodded to himself.

Taking a deep breath, Vihaan asked the question again under his cousin's intense glare.

"Did you see my brother and your sister hugging in the back seat? But that's not the problem, I guess, as he is just comforting her." Vihaan blabbered, avoiding his eye contact, but Hari's face remained cold as he stared at him doubtfully.

"I swear! That's what I said at first!" Vihaan exclaimed, emphasizing his words by pinching his throat as if telling an oath.

Vihaan stood still as Hari's dark eyes scrutinized his face, looking for any changes that might indicate that he was lying.

But Vihaan looked at him with puppy eyes, the same puppy eyes vihana show him when she wants something done! His hold on Vihaan's shoulder became loose as warmth filled in his heart when her innocent face came to his mind.

Vihaan sighed in relief as Hari released his shoulder from his grip, but the relief didn't last long as Vikram walked in.

"Hari, Vihaan, what are you both doing still down?" Vikram's voice echoed in the silent room as he walked towards them with a confused look.

"We are just talking. Did you double-check the locks?" Hari questioned about the door that Vikram went to lock, to which Vikram nodded in assurance.

Hari stared at the brothers with a strange look as Vikram waited for him to say something, but he climbed the stairs without speaking and entered Vikram's room while Vikram caught Vihaan's arm when he tried to climb the stair.

"What were you both speaking, and why are you looking as if deer caught in the light?" Vikram questioned, dragging his brother to the living room while he struggled against his hold.

'Oh no, I'm not ready to have another mental breakdown.' Vihaan thought as he struggled to get off his brother's hold on his arms.

"We are just speaking about Arjun." Vihaan lied, flinching as his brother squeezed his arm harder when he heard Arjun's name.

"Who?"

"Arjun"

Vihaan yelped in pain, snatching his arm off Vikram's hand, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"What the hell are you both eating? First Hari anna and now you! It would leave a bruise, Vikram!" Vihaan shouted and moved back, rubbing his arms in pain.

"I'm sorry! Here let me have a look." Vikram apologized, rolling his brother's T-shirt above his elbow, closing his eyes in regret as he looked at the light bruise forming on his brother's arms.

(It's not just made up. Some boy's hands are very rough and strong. Even a light hold feels painful if they are not careful.)

"I'm sorry, Vihaan. It's just that bastard's name triggered me." Vikram breathed, looking at his eyes in regret while vihaan looked at him unblinking.

"I'll forgive you and will not say this to mom if you lend me your bike for my 1st day to college." Vihaan bartered, smirking as Vikram looked at him with, 'are you kidding me? look.'

Their mother is always sweet and calm, but if she will turn into Bathra kali if any one of them got into a physical fight. Vikram shivered as he remembered the days his mother gave them the cold shoulder after lecturing them for a whole day for getting into fights.

"Deal?" Stretching his hands forward, Vikram waited for his brother to shake his hands, to which vihaan looked at him speechless.

"Are you really okay with this deal? You should not back out on that day! If you do that, I will surely tell mom you abused me today!" Vihaan continued, raising his brow in surprise when Vikram nodded.

'Idiot idiot.' Vihaan cursed himself for asking less. If he knew his brother would agree on this soon, he would have asked more!

"Deal deal." Half-heartedly, Vihaan forwarded his hand. The brothers shook hands, sealing the secret between them, but who knows what will happen in the future.

The brothers climbed the stairs after applying some cream to Vihaan's arms. Vihaan gasped as his brother walked toward his sister's room, where the girls were sleeping.

"Anna! Where are you going?" Vihaan whispered, holding his shirt, whereas Vikram turned and glared at him for stopping him.

"You go sleep!" Vikram hissed, removing his hands off his shirt, controlling his urge to smack his brother's head.

"No! It's wrong." Vihaan shook his head when Vikram opened the door slowly. He doesn't know why the hell he felt like a thief in his own home!

"Vikram Vihaan!" Hari's voice boomed in the hallway as he strode towards in long strides.

"What are both doing here?" Hari snapped, closing the girl's room door silently, turning around, and looked at them for answers.

"I'm just checking upon them," Vikram answered, moved forward to open the door, but a hand stopped him.

Pissed, Vikram looked up to meet Hari's glare. Both stood glaring at each other as if they are enemies, while Vihaan stood there, not knowing what to do.

"I know how to check up on my sister," Hari spoke, walking forward to open the door.

"So hypocritical of you, telling me not to check when My sister is also in there." Shoving Hari aside lightly, Vikram added.

"Please guys, stop! Why are you guys even fighting over this silly matter? They both are our sisters!" Vihaan exclaimed, separating them.

"She is not my sister!" Vikram scowled.

"She is not my sister!" Hari frowned.

"And we are not fighting." Both exclaimed at the same time and burst out laughing while vihaan looked at them dumbstruck.

'So much for separating them. I should've just left them to fight." Vihaan facepalmed and went back to his room.

"Why are you guys standing here?" A sleepy voice asked them as the door opened. Both of them turned to see Harshitha standing there with her head tilted a little in confusion.

"Nothing dear, do you want any pain killers?" Hari asked his sister, touching her forehead to check her temperature.

"No, I'm fine. you both go to sleep." She advised, leaning against the door sleepily as they looked at her unsure.

"Are you sure Harshi, do you want something else? If you are not comfortable in there. You can take Vihaan's room. Vihaan and I'll just take the living room." Vikram offered, looking at her longingly while Hari embraced his sister gently.

"I'm alright in here, don't worry." She comforted him, blinking her eyes in assurance.

Giving a longing look at Harshitha, Vikram left the sibling to talk privately.

"Okay, sleep well. I know saying this won't work, but I'm still saying this, everything will be okay. We'll take all the necessary steps to punish him, okay?" Hari whispered, wiping the lone tear that rolled down her cheek.

"And call me if you need anything. Chin up, my sister is a queen. She doesn't bow to anyone!" Hari added, raising her chin with a smile while she hummed, wiping her eyes.

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Vihaan stirred from his sleep as his phone kept vibrating. Ignoring it, he closed his eyes, but it kept disturbing his sleep with its non-stop vibration.

Frowning, he sat up and searched for his mobile on the bed.

His eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as he found no missed calls on his mobile.

Scratching his head, he looked around for the still vibrating phone. His eyes widened in surprise as he found someone named 'My wildcat' calling his brother's phone in the middle of the night.

His fingers hovered above the accept icon to answer, just as he was about to touch it, he heard someone's footstep.

Vihaan quickly laid on the bed and pretended to sleep, dropping the phone back in the same place. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a silhouette of a girl walking inside silently.

He controlled his urge to gasp as Harshitha came into his view with her mobile in her hand, displaying a calling history that clearly showed she was the one calling his brother.

Vihaan bit down on his lips not to make any noise as she patted his brother's arms gently.

"Vikram, wake up." Harshitha patted her lover's arms as he slept face down on the bed. She looked at Vihaan's sleeping figure cautiously as she patted Vikram's back gently.

"Baby, what happened?" Vikram questioned, sitting up, taking her figure into his arms while Vihaan closed his mouth with his palm, shocked.

"Can you just hold me for a bit?" Harshitha sobbed, throwing herself on him, to which Vikram lifted her off the bed and made her sit on his lap.

"Of course, of course! Cry it out. I'm here." Vikram whispered, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"You know I was so scared, Vikram. At first, I thought it was you." Her whole body trembled as she spoke about how he touched her and how he held her forcefully as Vikram listened silently, from time to time placing small kisses on her forehead and her head.

A teary-eyed vihaan laid on the bed as he heard his cousin speak out her trauma, his heart clenched in pain as he heard her, the always smiling Harshi sobbing in his brother's chest.

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The next day, 8.00 am.

"Good morning, baby!" Vikram whispered, kissing her forehead as she hugged him sideways.

"Good morning, Vikram." Harshitha greeted, placing a small peck on his lips, to which Vikram raised his brows in surprise.

"Someone is in a good mood, I see." Vikram chuckled, passing her the coffee cup as they both sat on the living room couch.

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Vihana yelped as she dashed at Hari when coming out of her room.

"Sorry!" She whispered, tucking her wet strand of hair behind her ears shyly.

Confused, Vihana raised her brow in question as Hari stood smiling at her.

"Good morning." He smiled, forwarding his hand to her to shake.

Slowly vihana forwarded her hands in greeting, her cheeks reddened as his big hand engulfed hers gently in a handshake.

"Good morning"

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