"Arush! Badmaash! Come here." Arnav was greeted by Khushi yelling on top of her voice as he entered their bedroom, returning home from a hectic day at work.
Looking around, he obseved his one year old son, running across the room, squealing with laughter as he escaped from his mother.
"Arnav! Catch hold of him." Khushi screamed seeing Arush run towards the door between Arnav's legs. Immediately, Arnav picked him up in his arms while the boy struggled to free himself from his father's grip.
"What happened Khushi?" Arnav asked amusedly, observing her seething with fury.
"What happened?" Khushi asked sarcastically. " This happened!" she said pointing at the walls of their bedroom that were splattered with colourful paints and tiny handprints interspersed with pencil scribbling. In short, the wall was nothing like how it had been when he had left for work in the morning.
Arnav sighed looking at Arush who was burying his face in his shoulders fearing his mother's scolding.
"Arush, look at Papa." Arnav said and the little boy slowly lifted his face covering his hazel eyes with his paint stained palms and peeked through the gap in between his tiny chubby fingers. Arnav couldn't suppress his smile seeing the innocent yet naughty antics of his son.
"Did you do all this?" he asked, and Arush moved away his one hand to reveal his one eye.
"Papa, No" he squeaked with his husky baby voice, using his limited vocabulary, as he looked down at Arnav's shirt pocket while putting his tiny hand inside to see if he could find anything in it.
"Arnav! See, he has even begun to lie." Khushi added. "Pass him to me. He is going to get scolding from Mamma tonight." she said, holding out her arms to snatch him.
"Khushi, wait!" Arnav stopped her turning to the other side. "Arush, tell the truth." he asked once again, this time tickling his son's tummy.
"Nooo..." Arush squealed, as he laughed hysterically, reaching out to his father's face to kiss his cheek, something that he always did to bribe his father to defend him whenever his mother was angry.
When Arnav glared at him with wide eyes, Arush reached to his ears and whispered, "Yes." so that only his father could hear it.
Arnav smiled at his son and turned back to face Khushi, reaching out to hold her furious face with his other hand.
"Khushi, he is saying he didn't do it." Arnav replied calmly.
"Arnav! There is no other kid in our house and you know very well that he did it." Khushi pushed away his hand, glaring at her son furiously who was flashing back his mischievous grin at her.
Arnav silently walked towards the wall with Arush in his hand and bending down, he picked up the colour paints lying on the floor and dipping his fingers in it, he started drawing random designs on the already messy wall. "See, I did it. Now Arush's Mamma can start scolding me." he said looking at Arush while the boy laughed loudly, sticking out his tongue at his mother and hi-fied his father's hand with his tiny chubby arm.
"Badmaash Lard Governor! Just like his son." Khushi pouted annoyed at him, as she folded her arms on her waist. Ofcourse she should have known that Arnav was going to support his son only. Afterall, they had teamed up to make her life miserable.
"My Jalebi bai." Arnav held her arm and pulled her down to make her sit beside him. "Arush is just like you. Badmaash." he said, bending his face to pacify her with a kiss. "But at the end of the day we like to annoy you because we love seeing you run after us. We both love you a lot." he said, kissing her one cheek.
"Mamma!" Arush reached out for her other cheek, imitating his father. Khushi glared at both of them angrily for a minute. But the next minute, she hugged both of them, squeezing them tightly.
"I love you both, too." Khushi said, kissing her son first, followed by Arnav. "But Arnav, the walls are so dirty."
"So what? I'll repaint them once again." Arnav assured her, wrapping his arm on her waist. "Let him have some fun until then."
"Fine." she agreed, resting her head on his shoulder when suddenly, her eyes lit up with mischief and she instantly reached out for the paints and dipping her hand in it, Khushi started drawing on the wall, leaving both the father and son dazed with her unexpected action for a minute.
"What?" she asked raising her eyebrow. "Why should I miss out on the fun? You are going to paint it anyway. And we are the Badmaash Raizadas right?" she chuckled, wining at him and the three of them burst out into laughter as they grabbed the paints and started attacking the walls and each other with colours, creating a picture perfect kodak moment of their small happy family while the room echoed with happiness.
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