Just A Towel🌹

He could hear the mumbles. Too many people speaking at once, a mixture of voices.

Ekagra grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck before opening his eyes. He blinked a few times before immediately jolting upright.

Maan.

It's Maan.

He immediately attacked him with a furious hug. Thud. They both fell hard onto the floor, a low groan escaping Maan's throat.

"Gay."

That voice.

Ekagra turned his head. Akshnav had said it with the same straight face as ever. He was still lying on top of Maan.

"No, I'm not," he replied with an annoyed expression.

"Aashole, don't just say I'm not. Say we are not," Maan grumbled before pushing Ekagra away and standing up, fixing his suit.

Ekagra's face brightened at the sight of his brothers finally being back. The Vipers were together again after months of handling different missions.

He walked toward Akshnav to hug him, but a hand immediately covered his face, pushing him away and refusing to let him come closer.

"Are we hugging, or should I start crying first?" he mumbled.

"Shut up before I remember why I hated you," Akshnav grumbled, trying his best to sound uninterested.

"We are back after months, and that's what you have to say?" Ekagra almost sounded like he was whining.

"You look like shit," Akshnav stated with a straight face.

"That's his version of saying he missed you," Kritarth spoke, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I missed you too."

Ekagra finally pulled Akshnav into a hug.

"Unfortunately, you're still alive," Kritarth said as he looked at Ekagra.

Ekagra almost hissed.

This bastard.

His teasing tone. His cold attitude.

"Disappointed?" Ekagra asked, arching a brow with a teasing smile.

"Enough, y'all..." Maan spoke, drawing everyone's attention.

"And what is this? We have a council meeting in an hour, and you're wearing a towel. Tell me that's not your outfit for the meeting."

Maan shook his head in disappointment, though not surprise, gesturing toward Ekagra's attire.

Ekagra grumbled but immediately noticed it. His brothers were all dressed in suits, looking every bit like gentlemen, while he stood there wearing nothing but a towel, his hair still damp from his shower.

"Just a towel and your snake hanging around your neck." Kritarth clicked his tongue.

"That snake is crawling all over him, not hanging," Akshnav mumbled.

"I didn't ask for your commentary," Kritarth grumbled at Akshnav.

"You all love seeing me like this." Ekagra grinned as he flexed his biceps.

"We've seen enough, you jerk," Kritarth muttered, rolling his eyes, already done with his nonsense.

"Gay," Akshnav stated suspiciously.

"Bloody hell... He couldn't make you stay in that fucking group chat where we were tortured by his ass and dick pictures because he emotionally blackmailed Maan and me." Kritarth turned his face toward the wall, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Don't even remind me." Maan clenched his jaw.

Ekagra smirked, feeling utterly proud of himself.

"Don't smirk, you pretty boy jerk," Maan grumbled.

"Did you just call me pretty?" Ekagra immediately turned toward Maan with a teasing smile, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"He called you a jerk as well," Akshnav pointed out.

"Mmm... You mean hot, narcissistic, genius?" Ekagra winked.

"You are a bitch. Now go and change. You have ten minutes to stop looking homeless," Kritarth said.

About fifteen minutes later, Ekagra walked down the stairs, adjusting the cuffs of his black three-piece suit. The suit was uncomfortable, but Maan would have a stroke if he appeared in another towel. He missed the towel already.Apparently, civilized people wore suits to council meetings. But hearing Maan complain for another hour would've been worse.

As he reached the last step, he noticed Raghav entering through the main door. His brothers welcomed him with small smiles and casual conversation.

Ekagra pouted.

"You guys didn't greet me like that."

He narrowed his eyes at them while Raghav immediately bowed his head slightly.

"Do we get bonus points if we act like we care?" Kritarth asked. "Because your existence certainly gives us headaches. Sit your ass down."

Ekagra grumbled, rolling his eyes before dropping onto the couch beside them.

"You greeted him."

"He doesn't send dick pictures at three in the morning," Maan replied.

"That's because he lacks personality."

"That's because he has shame," Kritarth corrected.

Raghav quietly looked away.

"We still have some time. Shall we go to the main house? It's been a while."

Akshnav spoke softly, making everyone turn toward him.

"The main house is still under maintenance," Raghav informed them.

"That won't stop us from going there anyway," Ekagra mumbled, sinking deeper into the couch.

"It barely stopped you when the roof collapsed."

"You all survived."

"Barely," Maan muttered.

"And whose fault was that?" Kritarth asked.

Ekagra looked offended.

"The house was old."

"The house wasn't old enough to survive you," Akshnav grumbled.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

The main house.

It had been a while.

"You guys remember when we used to come to the main house with our dads on the weekends?" Ekagra suddenly spoke, sounding unusually energetic.

"Yeah. You only came to create disasters, and we got scolded for them." Kritarth spoke with a teasing voice, a mischievous smile appearing on his face. "Ekagra and his pranks. The torture everyone suffered. Your pranks on our fathers, the guests, the guards. You spared absolutely no one. And Maan used to run after you all day. Ekagra don't do this. Ekagra don't go there. Ekagra stop. Ugh. He never had peace whenever you were around."

"Yeah, and you always sat with our fathers and the guests, analyzing and observing everything like an old man instead of playing with us," Maan said, shrugging his shoulders.

Kritarth glared at him.

"And Aks used to hide behind his dad. Shy little boy. He barely spoke two words, but whenever someone got scolded, he took the blame himself," Maan added.

"Not to mention Raghav. He used to look like he hated everyone," Kritarth smirked.

"Except me, right?" Ekagra finally spoke, looking at Raghav with genuine hope.

"Especially you," Kritarth replied.

"I'm literally his boss. He doesn't hate me." Ekagra sat up properly, looking directly at Raghav. "Do you hate me, Raghav?"

Raghav remained silent.

Ekagra narrowed his eyes.

"Careful. Your salary depends on this answer."

"He threatened me," Raghav replied calmly.

"I raised you."

"You traumatized me."

"I gave you purpose."

"You gave me paperwork."

Akshnav snorted.

"Answer the question," Ekagra grumbled.

Raghav looked at him for a few seconds.

"I tolerate you."

Ekagra looked genuinely offended.

"Raghav would kill anyone for you," Akshnav spoke.

"And I'd kill you one day," Maan said, looking at Ekagra.

"And Aks would probably die for you but never admit it. He'd probably tell his wife that Ekagra will always be his first son." Kritarth teased Akshnav with a genuine smile.

Akshnav glared at him.

"Shut up."

"And you?" Ekagra turned toward Kritarth. "What would you do for me?"

"I'd probably take all your assets, your wealth, everything," Kritarth replied flatly.

"Motherfucker. You're already the heir of the Vipers and you're still this greedy?" Ekagra looked genuinely offended.

"Someone has to think ahead."

"You're robbing my corpse before I'm dead."

"I believe in being prepared."

"The brothers have collectively adopted a feral psychopath and now refuse to admit they're attached to him," Raghav mumbled softly.

The room fell silent.

Ekagra blinked.

Maan looked away.

Akshnav cleared his throat.

Kritarth adjusted his cufflinks.

"I hate all of you," Akshnav grumbled.

"See?" Ekagra pointed at him. "He loves me."

The silence that followed made him uncomfortable.

Ekagra hated silence.

It meant people were thinking.

And thinking usually led to feelings.

Which was absolutely unacceptable.

"Alright, enough of this emotional nonsense. Let's head to the main house. We have some spare time to waste anyway" Ekagra spoke as he stood up, dusting his suit.

"Any information about Rooh?"

Ekagra's jaw tightened the moment Maan asked Raghav.

They began walking toward the entrance while Raghav answered quietly, but suddenly Ekagra felt someone grab him.

Akshnav.

Before he could react, Akshnav pulled him into a hug.

Not the awkward ones Ekagra forced on him.

His arms tightened around him.

"I was worried as hell," Akshnav muttered, his voice rough. "Don't die. Don't die on us."

Ekagra froze.

Akshnav never did this.

Never.

He never showed affection. Never said what he felt.

Yet his voice cracked.

And that terrified Ekagra more than anything.

Before he could even respond, Kritarth suddenly grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forward.

His face was cold.

His eyes weren't.

"This is the seventh time, you fucker."

His voice remained flat, but his fingers trembled.

"You jumped off a bridge because you thought it was fun. You crashed your bike into a goddamn truck. You got shot twice. You disappeared for three days. You nearly bled to death in Russia. Then those motherfuckers dared to attack you."

Kritarth swallowed.

His jaw clenched.

"I cut their bodies into hundreds of pieces and fed them to my dogs."

His voice cracked.

"You bastard."

He pulled Ekagra against him.

"Don't die on us."

Silence.

The kind that hurts.

"We are four."

Kritarth's grip tightened.

"The legendary Vipers."

His head lowered slightly.

"We are nothing without you."

For the first time in years, Kritarth sounded afraid.

"We can't lose our brother."

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

Maan stood a few feet away, his hands buried inside his pockets, his eyes fixed somewhere else.

His voice came out low.

"We lost enough people."

He still didn't look at them.

"Losing you would be the end of us."

Ekagra slowly turned.

Maan finally looked at him.

For once, there was no irritation.

No scolding.

No complaints.

Only fear.

"The end of the Vipers."

He swallowed.

"The end of our brotherhood."

His eyes reddened.

Just slightly.

"You always come back broken, bleeding, smiling like an idiot, as if dying is some kind of joke."

Maan's fingers curled inside his pockets.

"But one day you won't come back."

The words barely left his mouth.

"And I don't know how to live in a world where you don't."

Nobody spoke after that.

Because for the first time in years, Maan had said exactly what he felt.