"So?" Shubman asked as he crouched down beside you.

You only let out a sigh, seated on the grass as the dogs as well as the puppies played around you, a few of them on your lap.

"I just want to take all of them home," you leaned your head against his shoulder. "But we can't be there with them all the time. Because of that, I don't want one of them to have more time with us than the other one. And I want us to take care of all of them."

You petted the head of a puppy that's teething, finding comfort on your fingers as he nibbled on them.

"I want us to be parents who can give our children equal amounts of love and time," you added.

Shubman's chest stirred a little at your words. His spine tingled. His heart skipped a beat.

'Our children.'

"We will spend a lot of time with them, love," he said, an arm wrapping around you. "We'll recognize and respond to their different personalities. They can spend time apart from each other and together."

He held your hand as you stood up from the grass.

"We'll make sure to have one-on-one time with them everyday, even if it's just a stroll or playing fetch," Shubman assured. "I'm sure our children will love us."

He pecked your temple as you still looked undecided.

"If you want, we can take things slow and adopt only one of them for now," he said again while the puppy that was nibbling your fingers earlier, let out a tiny bark.

He stayed with you, while the others had already scattered across the shelter to play in different spots.

You looked at him as he played around your legs happily, and then at Shubman before finally deciding.

Back home~

"He's a Bullmastiff," you told Shahneel as you both played with the puppy in the garden. "Three weeks old."

Ishan was absolutely smitten with the little guy and Shubman mirrored your smile, seeing you so happy.

He'll do anything to always keep that smile on your face.

Your recently adopted son had already gotten comfortable around Shahneel and Ishan too.

During the ride back home, you kept caressing his head, talking about random things to him, telling him about his new home.

Shubman radiated the same excitement as you, and the driver looked as if he had seen a ghost.

His watching was interrupted by his phone ringing. Normally, it should've annoyed him that he was interrupted while with you.

But this call was from Shreyas. He was expecting it.

He left the garden quickly to talk to him, and Ishan glanced at him before walking to you and Shahneel who were discussing names.

-

"Do you like it?" You asked, sitting on the carpeted floor beside Shubman, your legs crossed.

You tried to read between the lines as he held the small box in his hand.

He looked up at your face, his happiness increasing tenfold before he hugged you. "I love it," he whispered, placing a chaste kiss in your hair.

Pulling away, he kissed your forehead, a hand caressing your cheek as he ignored the existence of his sister and his best friend near the Christmas tree.

"Thank you," he kissed your cheek this time, his heart content with the way you smiled.

"This is the best gift I've got in my life, Ishu," Shahneel was telling Ishan, holding the life size teddy bear beside her.

She was also still holding the black ruffle top you had designed for her.

Ishan had gotten you a Darth Vader lightsaber which at a glance, had you wondering if it was really one with the way it worked.

You had expressed your love for various movie franchises since the time you moved in, one of them being Star Wars.

Out of context, Shubman was given a Baby Yoda plush, twice by Shahneel and Ishan.

They were sitting in front of you on the floor too, leaning back against the couch as the four of you exchanged gifts.

"I saw it and thought of you," he shrugged, earning a nod from her.

Then she paused, squinted her eyes a little before she turned to look at him with a stare that- No, that wasn't a stare.

She was glaring at him. "Are you implying that I look like a bear?"

Shahneel got you and Shubman coffee mugs that said 'His' and 'Hers.'

She looked so proud and her brother couldn't help but give her another diamond bracelet.

No, but seriously.

A tiny bark interrupted you, making you turn your head towards your Christmas present.

"Yeah, cupcake. We remember your gift," Shubman said as he took the puppy in his arms, holding him on his lap.

He held out a small, squeaky latex ball that was excitedly accepted.

You have no idea when he bought that.

"I still think Razor is a good name," you said, head leaning against his shoulder. "Joey, John Wick, or Billy Loomis?"

"From Scream?" Ishan asked, holding the box of piercings you and Shahneel spent an hour searching for him in the mall in one hand, Shubman's Rolex for him in the other.

"Yeah," you answered, caressing the puppy's head. "The one from 1996."

Ishan suggested a few names in the morning, ranging from Orange Juice to Undertaker.

"Hands down, Strawberry Juice is the best name," Shahneel added. "Or Milkshake. Should we call him Draco? But Scorpius is older than him."

You'd have thought that she was talking about Scorpius from Cursed Child. But it didn't sound like it though.

"Who's Scorpius?" You asked, raising your head from Shubman's shoulder, making his chest feel slightly hollow.

I mean, all you did was move your head a few inches away from him.

"Shubi's pet scorpion," Ishan said, not thinking much of it.

His aim right now was to convince Shahneel that bears were cute and that he loved them.

"Where is he?" You asked again.

"In the basement," Shahneel said this time and before you could ask anything more, Shubman nudged your shoulder with his.

"Another little gift," he said, ignoring the reasoning between his sister and his best friend.

"Another one?" You asked as he handed you the black velvet box.

Seeing as he waited eagerly, you went ahead, opening the box and staring inside it with a dumbfounded expression.

He really went all out, didn't he?

"Shubi," you looked at him. "You didn't have to."

"I wanted to, baby," Shubman said, placing a kiss on your cheek. "Anything for my everything."

At this rate, you were either going to be diabetic or lactose intolerant.

"They're beautiful," you said quietly, looking at the diamond bangles again.

"Do you like them?" He asked and you nodded.

"Love them," you corrected, leaning forward and kissing his cheek.

Just a little PDA. Plus, the other duo didn't seem to mind, too engrossed with their argument.

"I want to show you something," Shubman said once you pulled away. "Can we go to our room, baby?"

"Leaving them alone?" You looked at Ishan and Shahneel, then back at him.

"They'll be fine," he replied, lifting the puppy up in his arms. "Happens all the time."

"Only if I get to meet Scorpius," you said as you both got up.

"I'll show him to you one day," Shubman assured as you took the puppy in your arms, ready to walk upstairs.