Warning: mentions of SA
Jaskirat remembers it like it was yesterday. The day his mother told him that he was going to become an older brother. He remembers the feeling so clearly. Happiness, joy, pride.
He paid more attention to Harleen as a big sister after that. He noticed all that she was doing as the older sibling and wanted to be just like her for the new baby.
And when the day finally arrives, he's so excited, waiting in the hospital corridors with his Baba, and Didi. He's slightly bouncing, holding a soft toy of his that he intended to give his new sibling. He wanted to be best friends with them as soon as possible.
After what felt like decades to little Jassi, a nurse walked in front of them, holding a small bundle of blankets. His father immediately stood up, and so did he. He watched his Baba's eyes fill with tears as he looked at whatever the nurse brought. His 3 year old mind was having a hard time catching up.
Then, the nurse handed the bundle over to Baba, and with the utmost care, his father bent down in front of him, showing him that the "thing" was actually his new baby sibling. Jassi gasped in pure delight, the toy long forgotten as he looked at the chubby red face of the baby, sleeping peacefully. His Baba told him that it's a girl. A little sister. His little sister.
For the first time in his life, Jassi's hand trembled, and he dared to softly touch the babygirl's finger.
The baby, as if sensing his presence, opened her tiny fist and grabbed onto his pinky with all the strength she could muster. Jassi knew then and there that he would give her the moon if she asked for it.
The following weeks at the small home that they called their own, it was the chaos of the baby.
Jasleen, as they decided to call her, cried so much. Harleen was no stranger to this, gaining the experience with Jassi. But for him, every time she cried, it was like a piece of his heart being pulled at.
One night, at whatever ungodly hour it was, Jasleen cried, as usual. Little Jassi, unable to take it anymore, quietly slipped out of his big sister's sleeping hold, and tip-toed into the room where baby Jasleen laid. His mother was already up, rocking the baby in her arms, looking very tired. She looked up as Jassi walked in, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"What is it Jassi? Did the baby wake you?"
He only nodded in reply, his gaze fixed to Jasleen. She was still crying.
"Maa, is she hungry?" Jassi asked, his voice laced with worry.
"No jaan, she ate just a while ago."
He hesitantly moved closer, and his mother instinctively bent down forward so he could see the baby properly. Jassi reached his sister, and just like at the hospital, he held his pinky out for her to grab. She took it with the same fierceness, and her cries began to die down.
Her wails slowed down, and her breathing began to become steady again.
Their mother looked at him in surprise, her eyes softening.
Ofcourse. She just needed her bhai.
From that day onwards, whenever baby Jasleen cried, Jassi would come running to hold her hand. He wasn't strong enough to hold her fully, yet. But he would still try with the help of Harleen.
****************
After coming to know that babies said their first word around the age of 1, Harleen and Jassi were eager to see who the baby would call first. They kept teaching her to say Didi and Bhai whenever they could, forming a competition among themselves.
And one fine morning, Jasleen was laid in the living room floor mat, with Jassi appointed to look over her to make sure she didn't roll over.
He was bent over on his book, drawing what looked like a decent picture of a meadow when he heard it. And he responded so quickly that he didn't register what she said for a minute.
"Bai!" Said a soft, squealing voice.
"Haan?" Jassi responded, not looking up from his drawing.
A minute passed. And as if he finally understood what just happened, he quickly turned his head, to find Jasleen watching him with a wide smile, kicking her legs. His eyes widened in shock, and he sprinted over to where she was laying to pick her up.
"What did you just say?"
Jasleen looked up at him with confusion, and slapped her hands on his cheeks as if nothing happened.
"Did you just say Bhai? Did you? Say it again! Please, Jasleen! Say it! Bha-iiii"
She kept quiet for a minute for she opened her mouth again.
"Bai!"
Jassi has never felt so happy. He jumped up and down in excitement after that, evoking his Baba to come check on what was going on.
From that day onwards, it was made clear in the Rangi household that Jasleen's favourite was her Jassi bhai.
He would carry her around all the time, so much so that his mother and Harleen would tease about him spoiling her. He didn't care. He had just one younger sibling, how could he not spoil her?
******************
The first time Jasleen got hurt, she was 2. She was carelessly padding around in the front courtyard of the home, and she tripped on a small rock. It was nothing, really, just a small scratch, which were prone to happen to babies.
But Jassi wasn't having any of it. He ran over to her the moment she fell, his 5 year old mind filling with guilt for not holding her hand so she wouldn't fall.
Jasleen wasn't even crying that much, just a few sniffles, but even a small frown from her was enough to break his heart. He made her sit on the front steps, and carefully brushed off the dirt from her knees, and fixed her frock.
He disappeared into the house for a minute, and came sprinting back, holding what looked like an ointment, and knelt in front of her again. With the utmost care, he rubbed the medicine onto the tiny scratch, holding his one hand out for her to grip as he did so. She winced, but she stopped crying.
That day, she learnt that her bhai will come running to save her, even from something as simple as a scratch.
*******************
Her first day of school was a whirlwind of chaos. The Rangi household was bustling with the "first day of school" energy, with Harleen and Jassi running around to find their bags and books that they have forgotten over the time of the summer vacation.
Their mother was focused on Jasleen, making sure she looked perfect for her first day. She wore her Didi's old uniform, and Bhai's old bag, her hair done in two neat piggy tails.
The trio set off from their home together, with Harleen leading the way as Jassi held Jasleen's hand, and her bag.
After a while, they reached their school, and both of the siblings took the responsibility of dropping their baby sister off in her class. Jassi quickly did a headcount of the number of boys in her class, and left her with a kiss on her forehead.
At lunch, he sneaked off to check on her, and was delighted to find her already making friends, laughing with them.
But as soon as Jasleen saw her bhai, she forgot everything, and ran over to hug him. Jassi felt like a superhero.
*****************
He overhears it when he's in the boy's washroom. Some new kid, talking a bit too loud to his friend about the girls in his class.
Now, as a 17 year old, Jassi was used to it, the hushed conversations between the boys about their crushes.
But this one was different. Why? Because the kid was talking about Jasleen. At 14, she was a pretty girl, but that didn't mean that Jassi would tolerate other boys talking about her. Pinda noticed it too. Knowing his best friend's tendency to get overly protective, he immediately interferred and placed a hand on his shoulder, telling him to let it go.
"They're kids, Jassi. We'll keep an eye on him." Pinda added to calm him down. Jassi nodded, his eyes cold as he mentally noted the name on the kid's identity card.
Two weeks later, on a cold evening, Jassi is laying on the terrace when Jasleen finds him. She sits beside him, and tugs at his sleeve. This earns her a raised eyebrow, his body straightening at her silence. Usually, she would be talking his ear off about the events of her day, but now she just gives him an embarrassed smile.
A simple "what?" from him makes the younger girl spill everything, starting from how she caught this "boy" in her class staring at her multiple times, and how today he stopped her on her way to the library to confess his "undying love" for her.
Oh Jassi was seeing red. He should've punched that kid when he got the chance. He'll do it tomorrow. He'll bring Pinda too.
His trail of violent thoughts was cut off by an own revelation. She didn't say what she replied. What did she say to the boy? How did she react?
And when he voiced this out to her, she flatly replied that she said no, as if it was the most obvious thing.
The relief in him was instant. Good. Kids like him did not deserve his sister.
Then, she says something that stops his brain altogether.
"If I'm getting married, I want someone like you, Bhai."
Jassi turns his head so quickly that he hears a small crack. But he doesn't have time to focus on that right now. Not when she just said that so casually. He clears his throat, and asks her again, thinking that he imagined it. She repeats it, more firmly this time, and he has to blink back the tears threatening to form at the back of his eyes.
Jassi has never thought of life to be something to be won. But if it is, he'd define this moment as his biggest win.
*****************
The day he was leaving for training, was the day he noticed it. He didn't know how he missed it, but the moment he did notice, it was as if everything made sense.
It wasn't that obvious, or maybe it was.
Jassi was standing with his family, all five of them ready for the family portrait. He stood next to Harleen, teasing her as usual, and he almost missed it.
He looked up just in time, to see Pinda silently asking Jasleen, who was standing at the other end, to fix her dupatta. He would've passed it off as his own behaviour rubbing off of Pinda if it wasn't for the sparkle in the latter's eyes. It held that shyness, something he rarely saw in his best friend's eyes. And when he looked over to Jasleen, he noticed the dust of pink forming on her cheeks as she pulled her dupatta.
Jassi suddenly felt like the world's biggest idiot.
How could he not notice?
But the moment he does, he doesn't feel the protective rage. No, he feels relieved. He knew Pinda since they met on their first day of school. Ever since then, he has been with him through thick and thin, always down to create mischief or to threaten boys who dared to approach his sisters.
Afterwards, at the railway station, when Jassi hugs him bye, he whispers into his ear.
"Take care of Jasleen."
Pinda immediately pulls back, stumbling over his words, as his face turns red. Jassi just pats his cheek with a knowing smile and winks at him before getting on the train.
******************
He held the paper in his trembling hands, his vision blurring as he read the contents of the letter.
How could this happen? Everything was fine before he left. Sure, there were some issues about the land, but it wasn't this serious. His Didi. Harleen. His Baba. Both, gone. His hands turned red, and deep red blood flowed over them, staining the letter as he looked down.
And his sister. His baby sister, his Jasleen. Taken away by those monsters. He had to do something. Jasleen was all he had now. He couldn't give her up.
The train ride home was torture for Jassi. He saw Harleen in every young lady that passed by, and his Baba in every older man.
A sharp cry of a baby broke him out of his trance, and he looked to his right to see a mother cuddling their young baby in her hands to stop her from crying. A baby. His baby. His Jasleen. Where was she now? Was she safe?
********************
Jassi has held guns before, but not like this. This one felt heavier than the others, because it could gain or lose him Jasleen. He was determined to get her back at all costs. He couldn't lose her too.
He hugged Pinda, once again, asking him to take care of Jasleen before walking into the house.
The walk to the pump house was excruciating. Every step increased his heartbeat to an abnormal amount, and his head hurt with the memories of his childhood.
Once he reached the door, he hesitated. What if she was not here? Or worse, what if he was too late?
He slowly pushed the door open, and the sight that faced him almost made him crumble to his knees.
Jasleen, his baby sister, tied up, gagged with a dirty cloth, her salwaar ruined and torn at the edges.
But what struck him most was her eyes. So helpless, so horrified. So different from the pair of doe that once stared back at him when he first held her.
His hands trembled once again like it did when he was three, and he stepped closer to her. He dropped to his knees, and joined his hands together as if he was apologising. He bent down, and touched her bloodied feet, her cries echoing in the room. He looked up, and slowly untied her, careful not to hurt her wounds.
Once she was freed, she fell into his arms, her frame wracking with sobs that would haunt Jaskirat forever.
And for the first time in his life, Jassi is unable to stop his little sister from crying.
He linked his pinky with hers, and it only increased her sobs. He cried with her.
He has failed. He has failed his baby. He has failed in his role as a big brother. In the midst of protecting his motherland, he failed to protect his home, his heart.
If the sound of her cries and the sight of her wounds hadn't already killed him, the guilt gnawing at his chest would.
The safety of his land, paid with the price of his family.
******************
Hamza Ali Mazari opened his eyes to the sound of Zayan crying, and he patted Yalina's hand, letting her know that he will take care of it.
He walked into the nursery to find his 2 month old son kicking his feet and wailing, and Hamza stopped for a second, a sudden deja vu hitting him.
He knelt down beside the cot, and held out his large hand for Zayan to take.
The baby wrapped his hand around his pinky, and his cries softened, reducing it to small hiccups.
Hamza let out a dry chuckle, and blinked back the tears.
"You're just like your Bua huh?"
read my other headcanons here
tags: @afortoru @desigal-26 @angelllk1ssed @euphorkive @tere-naal-nachna @wwwjustkidding @marlena-marlena @tojisloft @fleurenoir @mandaakiniii @goldenharrysworld @peonies7002 @gehra-hua @gracelovestars @thewintersbloom @goodnightkatherine @scentedwolfdragon @buchanana00 @bobcuts-blog @harrystyleskiwi9 @fellivra @seasonofthenerd @gulaabjamun08 @granddynamonovajbvgjjj @kusakiguzen @hyade @chaotickittydreamer @mainyahaankyunhoon @goodasaysboo @haseen-pari @desigurlie @y0uneversawmehere @barcelonaaababe
