Pairing: Major Iqbal x reader
Summary: After an attack leaves them looking over their shoulders, one broken glass window is all it takes for everything to unravel.
Reminder- It's all fiction and not based on anyone real in this entire universe
The kind that settles between two people after a long evening surrounded by family.
The city lights slip past the window in soft golden blurs while you lean your head against the seat, exhausted from hours of smiling and answering questions.
Most of them directed at you.
Your gaze drifts toward Iqbal.
He's focused on the road, one hand resting on the steering wheel, jaw relaxed for once.
"Ammi ne aaj phir mujhe itna khana khila diya hai ke Mujhe kal tak bhook nahi lagegi ."
"Tum kal subah bhi nashta karogi."
"Aap meri insult kar rahe hain?"
His expression remains perfectly serious.
You roll your eyes dramatically.
The corner of his mouth twitches.
The sight warms something inside you.
Because moments like these have become rare lately.
Because of everything else.
Because every conversation now feels like it's happening beneath a shadow neither of you acknowledge.
The security gate comes into view.
You barely notice the guards moving toward the entrance as the vehicle slows.
The first sound is so sharp that your brain doesn't immediately understand it.
Your brows pull together.
The world changes in an instant.
One second you're sitting upright.
The next Iqbal's hand is behind your head.
Your heart suddenly hammering against your ribs.
This time there is no mistake to the command in his voice.
Not the man who silently leaves the last gulab jamun on your plate because he knows you'll take it.
This is the version of him that other people see.
The one trained for moments like this.
Gunfire erupts somewhere outside.
Realization crashes into you all at once.
The air leaves your lungs.
You hear security shouting.
Orders being barked through radios.
Someone yelling for cover.
Everything becomes noise.
A fear settles deep in you.
Without thinking your fingers grab onto his sleeve.
You don't even realize you've done it until his hand closes around yours.
The shooting ends quickly.
Because now all that's left is silence.
The kind that makes every heartbeat sound deafening.
Slowly, you lift your head.
Enough for him to notice.
The answer comes immediately.
And suddenly your eyes burn.
Tears run down your hot face.
Because for one terrible moment you thought â
You don't let yourself finish that thought.
Not even inside your own head.
His eyes move over your face carefully.
Something about the question almost breaks you.
The tension in his shoulders eases slightly.
And somehow that's the thing you remember later.
The fact that Iqbal looked relieved.
As if the thought of finding you hurt had frightened him more than the attack itself.
The threats begin three days later.
Phone calls that disconnect the second somebody answers.
But still really obvious.
Just enough to remind you that whoever stood outside those gates hasn't forgotten.
Or at least it pretends to.
You still make tea every morning.
Still complain when Iqbal leaves files on the dining table.
Still argue about whether the television volume is too loud.
The normal moments survive.
Living quietly beneath everything else.
The morning it happens, sunlight spills across the kitchen floor in soft golden squares.
The kettle whistles gently on the stove while you stand by the counter, watching steam curl toward the ceiling.
For the first time in days, your mind feels calm.
Then a loud bang erupts somewhere outside.
The sound tears through the morning silence.
Your entire body freezes.
The spoon slips from your fingers.
And suddenly you're not standing in your kitchen anymore.
Back hearing people scream.
Back wondering if Iqbal is alive.
But your body refuses to listen.
The kitchen blurs around the edges.
the mug crashes from your hand and shatters against the floor.
Trying to steady yourself.
His name leaves your lips as little more than a whisper.
A plea disguised as a word.
The last thing you hear is hurried footsteps rushing toward the kitchen.
The last thing you see is the doorway.
And then everything goes dark.
Warmth is the first thing you feel.
Not the sunlight filtering weakly through the curtains.
Wrapped firmly around yours.
Familiar enough that your body recognizes it before your mind does.
Your eyelids feel heavy when you finally force them open.
The room swims for a moment before settling into focus.
The glass of water on the bedside table.
Still dressed in yesterday's clothes.
His gaze is already on you.
Like he hasn't looked away once.
The second your eyes open, something in his expression loosens.
Gone almost as quickly as it appeared.
The words leave him quietly.
Your voice comes out smaller than intended.
The doctor standing nearby steps forward.
"Stress aur shock ke baad aisa ho jata hai kabhi kabhi."
You immediately look away.
Embarrassment washes over you.
You can already imagine how worried everyone must have been.
Iqbal interrupts before you can finish.
The firmness in his voice makes you look at him.
The kind of tired that comes from worry rather than lack of sleep.
The doctor smiles slightly.
Both of you look toward him.
The doctor glances between the two of you.
"Aap maa banne wali hain."
The room goes completely still.
For a second you genuinely think you've heard wrong.
Your heart skips painfully.
The word hangs in the air.
The doctor continues explaining things.
Things you should remember.
Most of it fades into the background.
Because when you finally look toward Iqbal againâ
For a moment he doesn't react at all.
As if he's still trying to make sense of the words.
The tension that has been sitting across his shoulders since you woke up finally eases.
Like he'd been bracing himself for bad news.
Like he'd spent the last few hours preparing for every possibility except this one.
And for the first time since the attackâ
You see something dangerously close to happiness.
His thumb brushes once against the back of your hand.
The movement so small you almost miss it.
Then his free hand comes forward.
Resting carefully against your stomach.
Like he's afraid the moment might disappear if he moves too quickly.
Neither of you says anything.
Neither of you knows how.
For a long moment, he simply looks at you.
Like he's trying to memorize the sight.
Like he's making sure you're really here.
Then his hand slides gently to the side of your face.
His thumb brushing your cheek.
And before either of you says a word, he lowers his head and presses a soft kiss against your temple.
And somehow that touch says enough
The move happens four days later.
You spend most of those four days arguing about it.
Iqbal continues folding clothes.
"'Hm' ka kya matlab hai?"
"It means you're impossible."
Which somehow makes it worse.
"Tum sunte bhi Nahi ho Mujhe ."
That finally earns a glance.
"Aur hum phir bhi shift ho rahe hain."
You throw a cushion at him.
He catches it without even looking.
Youâve never seen this side of him before and it feels different.
But beneath the annoyance you know exactly why he's doing this.
The threats haven't stopped.
The messages haven't stopped.
And now every decision carries more weight than before.
Even thinking about it still feels unreal.
You start noticing things after that.
The way he automatically reaches for heavy bags before you can.
The way he remembers whether you've eaten.
The way a glass of water mysteriously appears beside you whenever you forget one.
The way his eyes find you the second a loud sound echoes nearby.
Making sure you're still there.
The new house is quieter.
Hidden far enough away that even you don't know the exact address without checking it twice.
Everyone keeps calling it safe.
You want to believe them.
Some days you almost manage it.
Tonight is one of those nights.
The storm has been raging outside for hours.
Rain lashes against the windows.
The occasional rumble of thunder rolls across the sky.
But for once it doesn't bother you.
Curled against Iqbal's chest.
His arm wrapped firmly around your waist.
Like he expects you to disappear if he lets go.
Like somewhere along the way holding you became instinct.
His heartbeat steady beneath your cheek.
For the first time in weeks, your mind is quiet.
The sound explodes through the house.
Loud enough to shake the walls.
Loud enough to rip you straight out of sleep.
Your heart follows immediately after.
For one horrible second you don't know where you are.
Everything blurs together.
Beside you, Iqbal is already awake.
His arm tightens around you automatically.
His voice is rough with sleep.
Another gust of wind howls outside.
Your breathing refuses to slow.
You hate that it's obvious.
His hand finds the back of your head.
Thunder cracks somewhere in the distance.
Which somehow makes it worse.
Immediately you grab his wrist.
The movement surprises both of you.
The words leave before you can stop them.
For a moment he simply looks at you.
Then his hand disappears beneath the blanket.
Settling gently over your stomach.
The gesture is so natural it makes your chest ache.
His thumb brushes lightly once.
"Mujhe bas dekh kar aana hai."
You shake your head immediately.
Your eyes sting unexpectedly.
Because you want to believe him.
His hand remains there for another second before he stands.
The bedroom door closes softly behind him.
Fear rushes in so quickly it steals your breath.
Your heart pounds painfully against your ribs.
You throw the blanket aside and climb out of bed.
Ignoring everything he told you.
Because fear doesn't care about any of those things.
By the time you reach the drawing room your hands are shaking.
Your pulse roaring in your ears.
For one horrible second that's all you see.
The scream tears out of you.
His head snaps up immediately.
And only then do you actually see him.
A shattered glass from the window beside him.
One hand pressed against his foot.
Blood staining the tile beneath.
Relief hits so hard it hurts.
But it doesn't stay relief for long.
Because tears are already burning behind your eyes.
You drop beside him instantly.
Hands searching everywhere.
Trying to make sure he's actually okay.
Trying to make sure he's really there.
"Aap jawab kyun nahi de rahe the?"
The tears spill over before you can stop them.
"Aapko pata hai main kab se bula rahi thi?"
Looking at you properly now.
Noticing what you really thought happened.
Because your body is still shaking.
Your heart is still racing.
You still can't stop imagining all the things that could have happened.
All the things that almost happened before.
The words come out broken.
You hate feeling like this.
Hate being afraid all the time.
Hate jumping at every sound.
Hate looking over your shoulder.
Hate what the attack turned you into.
Before you know it, tears are spilling down your cheeks.
Can't even bring yourself to think them.
Because for those few terrible minutes you were certain.
Certain your child had lost him.
Certain that nightmare had finally come true.
His expression softens immediately.
Something painful flickering across his face.
A broken sob escapes you.
Because that's exactly it.
For one horrible moment you thought he wasn't.
âHumara bacha ane wala hai iqbalâ you sob uncontrollably
His expression changes immediately.
The concern there is instant.
You don't even think before throwing your arms around him.
Like if you let go the world might fall apart.
For a second he simply wraps his arms around you.
One hand settles against the back of your head.
The other finding its way instinctively to your stomach.
Holding everything he almost didn't realize you were carrying alone.
Holding you close enough that you can hear his heartbeat again.
Lets weeks of fear finally leave your chest.
Nothing about him rushes you.
Nothing about him tells you to be brave.
He simply sits there and holds you.
The storm raging outside.
The shattered glass scattered across the floor.
And you tucked safely against him.
The words are spoken into your hair.
Your fingers tighten in his shirt.
And sitting there on the cold floor, with broken glass scattered around you and blood still staining the tiles, he finally understands something he should have seen weeks ago.
The attack ended that night.
Author's Note: Its a random idea that I wrote but I hope you liked this one !!
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