It was a bad idea.

Not that bad. Bhadra meant no offence but saying that it was awkward and made her feel like she could return to the abode of Bhoomi at once if she would agree on bifurcating on her plea, would be an understatement.

She was going to suffocate if the silence would lurk a moment more. Either the lord should give her the guts to initiate or her husband better be good at telepathy.

Fidgeting with one end of her uttariya unmindfully was Kaikeyi, attempting to look at Kanha who had fuchsia tincture rushing to his apple cheeks. With a complexion as dark as the rainclouds, apparently he thought she would not catch him flustering. The urge to giggle was too tempting and she gave in to it as soon as he met her eyes, coyly, which was again a rare sight.

He was blushing for the second day consecutively so she wasn't really surprised, though. She might have planned to paint a picture of him this way and show it to her children-

Krishna's features crumpled into a look of utter bashfulness as he stifled the urge to squeak in the middle of the woods like a mouse, “What?”

She chortled harder and then shook her head fervently in negation, “Nothing.” Pursing her lips, she internally cooed at how his adorably accusatory gaze refused to leave her features.

“You are laughing at me!”

“You are blushing as if you are the wife!”

Kanha's jaw could have touched the ground at this point and she wouldn’t have been shocked, “Wait, husbands can't do that?”

“Husbands who are as mischievous as you are, Swami, then it's certainly unexpected. You tease everyone and make them blush, not the other way around!” Bhadra had no idea how she went that far, forgetting the awkwardness but she chose to continue this tiny repartee that had now brought a fully bloomed smile on his handsome features.

Hush, Bhadra!

Internally facepalming, she shooed the thoughts away before he could read her mind. As much as comforting at times, this power was dangerous.

Was it unethical to think of her husband that way? No it wasn't.

Was it unethical when they were in the lap of nature pestered by her other counterparts in order to finally talk to each other? Yes it was because he would tease her to death even if he would catch the slightest hints of it.

Kanha found no response to her words, and once again a silence settled between them. Whether the silence was comfortable or heavy, she couldn’t tell. They continued their walk through the vast gardens, almost utterly isolated, thanks to her Satyabhama Jiji who ensured everyone stayed away.

She thought back to the confrontation her sisters had staged in the morning, after she and Kanha had parted for the night in uncertain terms.

Mitravinda slid into the seat beside Bhadra, plucking the book out of her hands despite the unladylike indignant squawk that slipped past her lips.

“Mitra Jiji, why’d you do that?”

“Because we need to talk to you, Bhadrae.”

Bhadra winced slightly.

“It’s not anything… serious, is it?”

“Oh, it is very serious!” Kalindi confirmed, trying her best to hide her slight mirth.

“Whether it’s serious or not is a relative term, Yami! Besides, we have a specific reason to be here, try not to meander from the topic!” Jambavati replied, her gaze fixed on Kalindi.

“Rukku my love, where in the world are you—” Bhadra could hear Krishna’s voice louder as Rukmini entered the room, half dragging her husband.

“Sit, Kanha! No arguing!” She ordered, pushing him into a seat.

Satyabhama clapped her hands, sounding joyous as she spoke.

“Now… we have heard from a very discrete source that you two have no clue what to do with each other. We know you two are newly-wed, and it might be awkward at times, but this mustn’t go on for long! Thus, we’ve decided that both of you will spend the entire day in the gardens. With no one but each other.”

Bhadra almost ALMOST choked on air, “What?! But Jiji—”

“But Bhamae—”

Satrajiti raised her hand authoritatively. No, they must know that Vasundhara wouldn't be budged so all infantile attempts would be futile.

“No complaints from either of you. Cheer up, how bad can it be?”

There was no response from either of them, though Bhadra fancied she could hear Krishna murmuring something she could not understand.

“Also! Kanha, you are not to split into any other form and try to sneak out, we’ll know if you do. You’ve been excused from all your official work today, so no excuses from that side. I myself will ensure that no one disturbs your peace today in the gardens, so you have no other avenue of escape. Are we clear?” She spread her hands, a satisfied expression on her serene countenance.

"Or we might hide your books and butter," Nagnajiti piped in with a sagely nod, looking as naive as she surely wasn't.

Bhadra might have whined if they weren't present alongside. He would feel she was trying to walk off on him again and that wasn't a risk she was willing to take.

On the other hand, Kanha's red palm was now resting on the left side of his chest with eyes dramatically ceased shut. Rukmini had half a mind to yeet him off single-handedly if he weren't her husband.

It was time for the other Lakshmis to laugh at the looks of the poor couple. Eventually nodding in acceptance, Kanha and Bhadra heaved out a breath which wasn't a sigh but not too enthusiastic of an expression either.

“I apologise,” two simultaneous voices addressed each other, meeting each other's faces in a snap and then travelled back to the verdant ground which surely did appear more interesting.

“For arousing discomfort the other night.” While Kanha bore a dilemmatic smile, his Priyaa's features were no different, just a frown tugging the corner of her lips which was self-deprecating.

“I...” a sigh passed her lips as she stopped in her tracks and so did he, “I know you wouldn't hurt me, but I… I had panicked under the impression that perhaps you were miffed by my attitude.”

“No...no I cannot ever be. I should have sought your permission before touching you, I was just driven by antsy that mayhap I made you uncomfortable and didn't realise-”

“It’s fine,” Bhadra interposed, a little content at heart as was he. “I think we should let go of whatever occurred.”

Kanha's hands dropped as tranquillity crossed him, head shaking fervently in accordance to her statement, “It was a mutual misunderstanding. Let’s not cling to it further.”

She chuckled, smearing her hand over her pale ivory face and shrugged, “I have always found haven in books. Not that I don't enjoy anything else, but they are like my babies. My parents used to get a tad annoyed by my habit of not opening up. I didn't know it would cause so much tension.”

Kanha waved her off with an assuring smile, “It's okay, love. I might have derived a different meaning. Indeed, Guru Sandipani encouraged reading. Turns out my interest lies in music.”

I have absolutely heard you playing the flute, Vanshidhara. Bhadra's heart jumped as her smile grew an inch longer. “That's... that's nice. Music is expressive and has a celestial touch to it. Especially your music, how do you play so well?”

“Practice, I suppose,” his flute was out in his hands, twirling as he played with it, adding, “Music is just about opening yourself up to the universe and letting its melodies flow through you. I am no master, I have just learnt to open my mind and let the music flow through me, and that is how I play.”

His cheeks had heated up a tad bit, but her smile softened as she heard the undercurrent of humility and love he poured into what brought him and everyone else joy.

“What about you, why do you like to read so much?”

“Reading is… an escape to me, from the harsh realities of this world. It allows me to experience what I might never be able to experience in this body, understand how other minds work and what circumstances led them there. There is a hidden magic in words, which makes it so ironic. Even a very few words can hold an entire treasury worth of knowledge within them. I like to read just for that reason, to explore. I’m not that adventurous anyways, so I turned to books.”

She gathered her dress, closing her eyes and letting herself bask in the sensations that she was currently experiencing—the feeling of the damp grass on her bare feet, the warmth of the sun’s gaze on her face, the sweet presence of the love of her life beside her—and she smiled again, feeling at peace with the world and herself.

They continued to walk, sometimes in a comfortable silence and sometimes chatting about the most random of topics. They did not notice the hours pass by as the sun traversed the heavens once more and prepared to set beyond the horizon.

The other wives of Krishna waited impatiently at the gates of the gardens, the sun having long since dipped beyond the horizon and the moon out with his wives in complete glory.

“Are they okay? Do we need to go search for them?” Nagnajiti asked, worry creasing her eyebrows.

“Yeah, just in case something has happened…” Tapping her foot rhythmically, it was Lakshmanaa mirroring Satyaa.

“What might have happened? Maybe they’re lost, or they’re really busy that they forgot about the outside world?”

“Busy doing what though? Talking or…?”

“Rukku Jiji, hush!” hissed Jambavati, noticing all her sisters turning a bright red at the implications.

They walked silently through the gardens in pairs, wondering what sight might have greeted them.

‘I’m so dumb!’ They could hear Satyabhama complaining in their minds through the bond they shared.

‘Well, you usually are dumb only when Kanha spends the night with you, but pray do tell me why you consider yourself dumb right now?’ Retorted Kalindi automatically.

‘Sahodari!’

‘You’re not helping, Bhamae!’ Huffed Jambavati, who was with her. ‘Bhamae means to say that they must have sneaked out of the gardens through a secret gate that most of us have conveniently forgotten. They’re probably back in the castle now, and seeing how Kanha refuses to let us near his bond, they’re busy.’

A giggle and simultaneous blush bubbled up on the Lakshmis’ expressions, and they returned to their palaces in their pairs, chortling and whispering to each other.

Within their chambers, the moonlight streamed through ceiling-high windows, a faint ethereal atmosphere tinging the room scented with aphrodisiacs and crimson roses. The serein of the eventide was music to BhadrAchyuta who seemed like the sun and the moon alongside, their souls indifferent.

“Kanha?” her voice was soft.

“Yes, Priyaa?”

“I love you.”

His expression softened, and he fondly grazed the pad of his thumb against her cheeks, love unrivalled flowing through their veins.

“I love you too.”

And when he accumulated her petite frame in his well-built arms, their touch feeling like sparks of magic against their skin, they heard their hearts singing like besotted cuckoos, finding querencia like never before.

A/N: And that’s done, folks! This brings us to the end of the two shot story. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it!

This chapter is more of Kanha's other Lakshmis creating a ruckus than BhadraAchyuta but we do not regret anything 😂