Twins, Cakes & Chaos

Birthdays are always special. That was what Omkara believed in, so when he got the opportunity to show his skills other than painting, he refused to back down. Even though it was his and Yuvika's birthday, seventeen-year-old Om wanted to do something special for his twin, who always took care of him. So the best thing he could do was bake a cake!

He didn't know the C of cooking, but his confidence was sky-touching.

Apparently, Arjun became the witness to an upcoming disaster, or a miracle, whatever you call it. Yuvika was at Kunj's house with Abeer, and Arjun returned from duty only to find his little brother struggling to understand the difference between wheat flour and all-purpose flour, kept in separate containers. Luckily, he was on time... wasn't he?

Arjun glanced at the wall clock. It was nine in the evening. The cake would take at least an hour with the speed Om was yet to start baking.

"I can make it, baccha," Arjun suggested softly as he saw his boy now contemplating between cocoa powder and vanilla essence. This was going to be tough!

"No, Bhaiya," Om protested stubbornly, "This is my surprise. I want to do it for Yuvi."

Arjun rubbed his temple helplessly, "The process usually takes one hour, beta, but with you making it, I think it will take the whole night." Sarcasm dripped from his words.

Om shot an annoyed glare at his brother before he focused on the important task. Flavours!

"Yuvi ko chocolate aur vanilla dono pasand hai, (Yuvi likes both chocolate and vanilla.)" he muttered, "Should I make one or both flavours?"

"One!" Arjun said instantly, clearing his throat as he noticed the sulking look on his brother's face.

"I mean, doo cake ka vo kya hi karegi, baccha. (I mean, what will she even do with two cakes.) You don't like cakes, and your sister has been health-conscious for the past few weeks," Arjun reasoned gently, "It's better to make one cake or we can just order, from outside." He tried to persuade him calmly.

Om pretended he didn't hear and focused again. His bhaiya was underestimating him. He could and he would make a perfect cake today.

However, Arjun wasn't underestimating his stubborn brother. He knew that if Om decided to do something, there was no stopping him. What Arjun cared about was his kitchen; the chaos that would follow afterward.

Who would clean it? He felt like crying already, the maids were on leave, his sister hated household tasks unless they came in the form of punishments, and Om... the boy, was already putting in so much effort, which Arjun felt guilty for doubting but he can't help it either.

Once done taking out all the ingredients and checking the recipe twice, Om paused and looked at his brother. "You know how to bake a cake, right?

"Haan, (Yes.)" Arjun replied quickly, already stepping forward. "Step back, I'll do it."

"No, Bhaiya," Om whined. "That's not what I meant. I mean, aapko aata hai toh aap mujhe instructions dijiye, (If you know how to do it, then give me instructions) and I'll follow. It will be easier than using phone recipes alone."

Arjun resigned himself to his fate and nodded. Any other day, he would have preferred flashing his scary eyes at his younger brother to make him comply, but not today. Not when it was the twins' birthday, and Om was doing everything for Yuvika, excluding himself.

Still, he made sure that Om wouldn't feel left out, as he had baked his brother's favourite cookies earlier, kept safely in a jar hidden in his room. He would give them at the right time.

Shaking away his thoughts, Arjun began giving instructions, slowly, step by step. His neatness-freak instincts jumped out of the window the moment Om spilled flour on the counter. Not purposely, but all thanks to his childlike clumsy hands, the hands that never shook while painting were the same hands struggling at different tasks.

"Stir the dry ingredients in wet ingredients," Arjun said carefully, watching every move. He hoped and prayed the cake would come out perfect after the effort his boy was putting in.

"Now taste the batter," he instructed once Om completed mixing the ingredients properly.

Om cringed. "There's less sugar. Yuvi likes it extra sweet."

Arjun nodded and opened his mouth to speak when the doorbell rang. It might be his sister. He looked at his brother. "Add one spoon of sugar to the batter. It will be enough. Mix it and pour the batter into the tin." He pointed at the circular cake tin, which he had lined with butter paper already.

Arjun sighed as the doorbell rang continuously and walked out of the kitchen, another impatient child of his.

"Dada/Why are your clothes dirty?" both brother and sister said in sync; one cheerful, the other concerned.

Yuvika looked down at herself. Her clothes were smeared with mud. Her lips jutted out, forming a pout, as she looked at her brother. "I was rescuing a pup, Dada. He was stuck in the drain, but I fell down."

"Khai lagi tujhe? (Did you get hurt?)" Arjun asked worriedly, already checking her over for injuries, "You should be careful Yuvi."

Yuvika huffed dramatically. "Lagi hoti toh abhi tak ro-ro kar ghar sar par utha leti na. Yahan main itna accha kaam karke aayi hoon, you should appreciate it. Aur aap hain ki... so not fair, Dada. (If I were hurt, I'd have cried and made a scene by now. I came back after doing such a good deed, and you should appreciate it. And you're... so not fair, Dada.)"

"Accha, I am sorry," Arjun relented, "I am proud of you. But that doesn't mean you will put yourself in danger again. It's okay to help someone, but you should be careful too. Hmm?"

Yuvika nodded, her eyes lighting up with mischief. "Well, Omi kahan hai? (So, where is Omi?) Making cake for me?"

Arjun frowned. "Tujhe kaise pata? (How do you know?)"

Yuvika giggled. "Gauri told me. He was eating her head for the recipe, and the girl spilled the beans by mistake."

Arjun shook his head. "Fine. Now that you know, you can at least pretend you know nothing. Go to your room, shower up, and come down. By the time he finishes everything he wants."

Yuvika grinned. "How about a little bit of teasing?"

"How about I drag you up by your ears?" Arjun warned lightly.

Yuvika huffed dramatically. "Yeah, yeah. Saara pyaar aapne bhai ke liye, iss chhoti si innocent si bacchi ke liye bas aap aur aapki Hitlergiri. (All your love is only for your brother, and for this small, innocent girl it's just you and your dictatorship.)"

Arjun rolled his eyes. His sister was the definition of a brat; nothing like the innocent self she pretended to be.

"Go!" He pushed her toward the stairs and moved back to the kitchen once Yuvika went up.

"Everything is done, Bhaiya," Om said as Arjun entered the kitchen. "I kept the cake in the oven. The timer is set for forty minutes. I'll sit with Yuvi till this bakes, otherwise she'll come down."

Arjun blinked as Om walked out of the kitchen without waiting for his reply. He looked at the counter, which was once clean and spotless, now looking like a battlefield.

Rolling up his shirt sleeves, he started the cleanup process. Obviously, cleaning was the elder one's job, and the younger one only knew how to make a mess!!!

✨✨✨

As the clock struck 11:55, Om dragged Yuvika down. The siblings froze at the dining room door as they found the table filled with their favourite sandwiches, wraps, and a cake placed at the center. Om palmed his face and looked at Arjun apologetically, the cake decoration part had completely slipped his mind.

"Darwaze par hi khade rehna hai ya andar bhi aaoge, dono? (Are you both going to keep standing at the door, or will you come inside?)" Arjun called out, startling them.

The twins dashed toward him, throwing themselves at their brother, their only guardian, solace, and parent in life.

Arjun held his siblings closer to his heart. Each year, he tried his best to fill the void their parents had left behind, doing everything in his power to make sure they never felt alone, never felt unloved.

As the clock struck twelve, the twins looked at each other; a silent message passing between them, before they bent down together to touch Arjun's feet, seeking his blessings, just like they did every year.

"Khush raho. May God bless you with everything you want in life." Arjun kept his hand on their heads, pulling his siblings up to their feet. "Happy Birthday." He kissed their forehead.

"Now cake cutting time!" Yuvika squealed before she could go down the overly sentimental lane and start her waterworks.

The brothers let her hover over the cake, knowing her like the back of their hands. Anyway, a crying Yuvika didn't look much better, according to Om, and for Arjun, he didn't want his sister to start crying for hours and forget the celebration altogether. Better to keep her distracted.

"This looks tasty," Yuvika said skeptically. "But in taste..." She shrugged and looked at Arjun.

Arjun played his part perfectly. "Maine nahi, Om ne banaya hai tere liye. (I didn't make it. Om made it for you.)"

Yuvika gasped dramatically before launching herself at her twin, pulling him into a deadly hug. "Awww, I love you, Bhaiyu. You are so sweet."

Om coughed as she tightened her grip, "Leave me, Yuvi," He partially pushed her away. "Stop behaving like a clingy panda and tell me the truth, tujhe pehle se pata tha na that I made the cake?"

Yuvika frowned, rubbing her neck. "Meri acting itni kharab thi that you saw through it? (Was my acting really that bad that you saw through it?)"

"Worst!" the brothers muttered together.

Yuvika huffed. "Kaise bhi pata chala, that doesn't matter. What matters is... I know. So let's eat. Cut it and get it done, I'm hungry."

Arjun nodded. Yuvika reached for her twin's hand as he tried to step back, letting her cut the cake. Gently, she kept his hand over hers, holding the knife together.

Om tried to pull back. "Arre, it's for you... Ouch!" He winced as Yuvika whacked him hard.

"I call you bhaiyu sometimes, that doesn't mean you're the elder one. We are twins, remember that," Yuvika retorted firmly, "Now cut it with me or I will get angry."

Om went silent. Slowly, the twins cut the cake together, and the brothers fed Yuvika the first bite.

"Now feed us," Om said hopefully.

"Nope!" Yuvika picked up the plate of cake in her hands. "It's for me. No one else can have it."

"That's unfair," Om protested, "I put so much effort into this and you aren't letting me have it. Bhaiya, dekho na isse."

Arjun stared at his sister, he had already seen through her act. He looked back at his brother. "Om, mere room mein ek box pada hai. Go and bring it down. (Om, there's a box in my room. Go get it.)"

Om nodded and left grinning from ear to ear.

Arjun immediately stopped Yuvika as she tried to eat more. "Kya kar rahi hai? Why are you forcing yourself? Accha nahi banana hai na? (What are you doing? You don't want to overeat, right?)"

Yuvika shook her head, stepping back. "Accha hai, Dada..." She coughed hard between words.

Arjun passed her the water glass, taking the plate from her hands.

"It's okay, Dada," Yuvika said softly, "Ussne itni mehnat se banaya hai. How can I upset him? (He worked so hard to make it. How can I upset him?)"

Arjun sighed. "I understand. I am not saying you do anything you don't want to. But don't eat too much. You'll have a stomachache in the morning. Om will feel even more guilty if he finds out that you ate it even after knowing that it wasn't good. Appreciating someone's love is good, but we should know our limits too."

Yuvika nodded, keeping the piece down. It wasn't bad, just a little too salty for her taste.

What they didn't know was Om had added salt by mistake instead of sugar when Arjun asked him to add it, and the taste completely mismatched.

"Bhaiya, yeh mere liye?" Om asked excitedly as he ran toward Arjun with a jar filled with his favourite cookies.

"Nope, for your ghost," Yuvika drawled.

Om ignored her, already stuffing himself with cookies, the ones made by his bhaiya were his favourite, as they were made using the same recipe their mother used to make on special occasions, the taste bringing back memories of her gentle hands in the kitchen and her love.

"You didn't feed me the cake," Om said muffled between bites.

Yuvika snatched the cookie jar from his hands. "I will have these all, and you have my cake. What's say?" She knew her brother hated cake; he couldn't stand it. The only sweets he liked other than chocolate were cookies.

Om glared at his cheeky sister. "Give it to me now."

"Give it to me now," Yuvika mimicked him, rounding the other side of the table as Om tried to block her with his arms.

"Bhaiya!" Om shouted, half-laughing, half-serious.

"Bhaiya!" Yuvika again yelled, waving the jar teasingly, annoying him further.

Om lunged at Yuvika, who smirked, already moving to the other side of the table, ducking and darting around him with the cookies, making him chase her in a playful battle.

Arjun settled down in his chair, letting the twins do whatever they wanted. The joy on their faces was his greatest gift, a silent reminder that despite everything, he had managed to give them moments of happiness even in darkness.



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