Six hours later, the café door opened again. 🚪
Laddu walked in.
Tired 😮💨
Smelling like road dust 🌫️
Suspiciously calm 😐
Mochi looked up immediately. 👀
"You learned how to drive?" 🚗
she asked.
Laddu nodded once.
"Yes."
No drama ❌
No bragging ❌
Mochi blinked. 😳
"…That's it?"
"Yes," Laddu replied seriously.
"Steering goes left ⬅️. Right ➡️. Brake saves life 🛑."
Mochi accepted this explanation. ✔️
Dinner Arrives 🍲🔥
A little later, food arrived.
A big hotpot, steam rolling out like celebration ♨️🎉
Along with Chinese wine, poured carefully 🍶🍷
Everyone sat around.
Plates filled 🍽️
Noise returned 🔊
Life resumed 🫶
Laddu didn't serve himself first.
He picked up his chopsticks 🥢, dipped carefully, and fed Mochi with his own hand 🫂
One bite.
Mochi ate. 😌
No protest ❌
No embarrassment ❌
Just… normal 🧘♀️
The entire table went silent. 😶
Maya paused mid-chew 😲
Cousin stared 👁️
Candy squinted 🤨
"…Are we invisible?" Maya whispered 😑
Laddu didn't notice.
He fed Mochi again 🥢➡️😌
She ate again.
Then Laddu spoke casually, like reporting weather 🌤️
"Sometimes," he said,
"I think… what if I never met you."
Mochi looked at him. 👀💭
"I would be more careless," Laddu continued.
"But now…"
He smiled softly 🙂
"I am less careless."
He leaned closer 💞
"All thanks to my sweet 🍬, hot 🔥, sexy 😳, tall 🪜 baby."
💥 TOTAL SILENCE 💥
Candy slammed her chopsticks down 🥢💢
"YOU CALL HER BABY?!"
"That's cringe 😖!"
Laddu looked at Candy calmly 😌
"I learned from Jalabie."
Maya snorted 🤣
"That explains the confidence."
Candy crossed her arms 😤
"Cringe."
Laddu shrugged 🤷♂️
"When you have to call someone this," he said seriously,
"it is not cringe."
He paused.
"Not even for Jalabie."
Mochi's ears turned red 🔥👂
She didn't stop eating 😌
Mother watched quietly, then smiled faintly 😊
"Eat properly," she said.
"Both of you."
"Yes, Mother," Laddu nodded obediently 🙏
He fed Mochi one more bite 🥢
She took it.
No explanation needed 💗
Around them, the family resumed eating 🍽️
pretending this was normal.
Because somehow…
With Laddu and Mochi,
it always became normal eventually 🫶
Omnitrix Interruption ⌚💚
Steam from the hotpot ♨️
Quiet smiles 😊
Romance flowing 💞
Then—
Candy popped up suddenly 🚀
"Brother," she asked loudly,
"what did you want when you were a child?"
💀 Romance collapsed 💀
Laddu froze mid-bite 😐
"…What?"
Candy's eyes sparkled ✨
"As a child—what you want?"
"I wanted Omnitrix," Laddu said seriously ⌚💚
Silence 😶
Then Candy jumped 🤸♀️
"ME TOO!"
"Green watch 💚⌚! Alien 👽! Boom 💥!"
Maya laughed 🤣
"Of course."
Cousin nodded 😏
"Very on brand."
Laddu leaned back, nostalgic 🧠
"I planned everything.
First alien 👽.
Then hero 🦸♂️.
Then homework never again ❌📚."
Candy nodded hard 😤
"Same plan."
Mochi watched quietly 👀
Then she reached out and grabbed Laddu's ear 👂✋
Not hard. Just enough.
"Hey," she said calmly.
Laddu yelped softly 😖
"…Yes?"
She leaned closer 😌
"Feed me."
💥 ROMANCE PATCH REINSTALLED 💥
Candy blinked 😳
"Oh."
Maya burst out laughing 🤣
"ROMANCE PATCH REINSTALLED!"
Laddu immediately turned back 😌
"Yes. Sorry."
He fed Mochi again 🥢💗
She ate.
Satisfied 😌
Candy crossed her arms 😤
"Adults are strange."
"Yes," Laddu nodded seriously.
"But powerful."
Mochi released his ear 👂🙂
"Eat properly."
Hotpot bubbled ♨️
Omnitrix dreams paused ⏸️
Romance resumed 💞
Candy decided she'd ask hero questions later 😌
One Month Later 🏠✨
A month passed 🗓️
Dust settled 🌫️
Walls rose 🧱
Fresh paint mixed with memory 🎨💭
Everyone stood in front of the new house 🏠
Sunlight touched the doorway gently ☀️
Father cleared his throat.
"I added two new rooms," he announced proudly.
"One for Laddu and Mochi."
"One room is enough," Laddu said honestly.
"No," Father replied firmly ❌
"This house grows with family."
Mother smiled softly 😊
"…Can we enter in Indian style?" Laddu asked 🙏
Mother nodded.
Laddu joined his hands 🙏
"Hey Shivji."
Everyone joined.
"This house brings peace."
"This house brings happiness."
"This is not just a house."
His voice softened 💗
"This is our old member of family."
Silence followed 😌
Mother stepped inside with right foot 👣
Everyone followed.
Candy ran 🏃♀️
Maya laughed 😂
Cousin clapped 👏
Laddu stayed last.
Not proud 😌
Not loud 🤫
Just grateful 💛
He stepped inside.
Home was complete again 🏠💗
New walls 🧱
Old love ❤️
And for the first time since the fire 🔥,
the house didn't feel like a replacement.
It felt like it had always been waiting for them 🌸✨