Balarama sat in his room, looking at the beautiful gift his wife had given him early in the morning. It was a painting of the two of them, and it was possibly the most ethereal work of art he had seen in a while.

As he admired Revati's beauty on the canvas as he always would, he heard a knock on the door. "Dau?"

"Rukmini? Come."

She walked in and sat next to him. "Happy birthday, Dau." She handed him a bowl of assorted sweets she had very lovingly made for him. She had learnt how to make some of those back in Vidarbha, and some others she had experimented earlier on. "I don't quite know what to gift you but I do know you like sweets."

Krishna and her had only got married a few months ago and she was still getting to know everybody. But despite the lack of knowledge of details, there was no lack of love or affection. She had become a part of the house the moment she had entered.

"I'll get more creative by next year, for sure."

Balarama shook his head. He tasted one of the sweets and smiled wide. "Don't get creative at all, I'll gladly make a lifetime subscription for these sweets."

Rukmini laughed. "I wasn't sure if you'd like it."

He frowned. "Everything you've cooked till today has been loved by everybody you've fed it to. So clearly that was an irrational idea."

She rolled her eyes, shrugging and still smiling. "Dau,"

He sprang his brows up.

"Today's Rakshabandhan too. Can I celebrate it with you as my brother?"

"I am your Dau, so of course. Unless, of course, you want to visit Vidarbha and celebrate with your brothers. Do you want that?"

"I want to celebrate here. I mean, I came here as Krishna's wife, but even before that, when you came to help in the abduction, I think you became my brother. I most certainly feel more cared for by you than by Rukmi who wanted me married to Shishupala."

"You're a better sibling than Kanha for sure. That one was always getting me into trouble."

Rukmini laughed. "I really felt more welcomed than ever because of you and Bhabhi. I might have come for Kanha, but I got a brother like you. You play the elder brother role in my life far better than anyone else ever has. And I'm so thankful."

Balarama was exceptionally bad at responding to comments like this, so he just looked down rather sheepishly, and shrugged.

"And, by the way, I'll always side with you to neutralise the Bhabhi-Kanha force. Those two have a little too much fun driving us crazy."

"Absolutely!" Balarama offered a fist bump. "Those two need a lesson or two."

"And for that, your brother needs to come back home. Did he tell you when he'll return?"

"He didn't tell me where he was going in the first place."

"Oh! He's somewhere in the north of Dwaraka, in disguise, to see what's up with the people and if they are happy."

"Is he well disguised or-"

"No he is pretty well disguised this time. He looked quite beautiful too, with a moustache and everything."

"You would find him beautiful in any case. Your Bhuvanasundara, no?" Balarama chuckled teasingly.

"Come on, you just keep using this one thing to mock him and me all the time."

"Just that is enough. I thought he was a hopeless romantic. You are a step ahead!"

"Beat your Kanha up when he returns home." she suggested, trying to change the topic desperately. "He's roaming around on a festival and on your birthday."

"It's the first time he hasn't sat on my head to wish me with the first ray of the sun, actually." Balarama thought, smiling rather wistfully.

Rukmini wondered if he was sad about it, or he was just mentioning the details because she wouldn't know.

"Hmm, I will beat him up whe-"

Krishna sprinted right in through the open doors and engulfed his brother in a violent hug. "Happy birthday-"

"What is this dacoit-like appearance you have?" Balarama asked, before he burst out laughing. "You look atrocious."

"I said Happy Birthday! Acknowledge it."

"Yeah, alright, thank you."

"And I do not look atrocious. Rukmini thought it looked pretty good."

"She thought you looked beautiful. But that's because she is Rukmini and you are her Bhuvanasundara." Rukmini turned red and Krishna punched Balarama. "Stop hitting me and give me my gift now."

Krishna sat down on the other side, next to his Dau. "First off, I'm sorry I wasn't the first to wish you like I'm supposed to be."

"Oh god."

"And I'm more sorry that I didn't tell you where I was going to be, because moms get pretty worried with stuff like that. Right?"

Balarama rolled his eyes. The truth, though, was that he had been worried and he often did seem to act like that little Kanha's mother. "You talk far too much."

"I got you clothes in a new shade of blue. A shade you've never owned and one that I'm so so sure you'll love."
He pulled out a dhoti and uttariya, both blue with a majestic gold border. The colour was the shade of dark rainclouds with a blue tint to them. It was not the brightest colour, not the richest blue, not the deepest hue, but it was astonishingly perfect to complement the skintone of Balarama.

Against his light conplexion, almost like the lighter, white clouds, the dark, grey-blue of heavier clouds was a perfect contrast. Balarama instantly loved it, and his eyes expressed that. "I have actually never owned this shade before!"

"I know, sir."

"Good work on the gift this time."

"Thanks." Krishna rolled his eyes. "Wear it today for the celebrations. It's comoletely ready. There's also some jewellery I have for you. Come to my room, I'll get you ready later on."

Balarama tried not to laugh.

"What? You can't dress yourself up with enough style."

Balarama nodded with an exoressuon of fond exasperation.

Krishna spotted the bowl of sweets next to his brother. In an instant, he picked it up, and before anyone could react, bolted away.

×××××

A/N: broken end. Broken chapter. But, a Balarama chapter.

Apparently Shravana poornima is Balarama Jayanti too? Idk but if it ishen here's a bday special for the cutest Dau in the world.

It's also Rakshabandhan so I included a but of both. Uh well. I haven't written much at all recently so this is really rusty, but I needed to write something for Dau 🥹

Okayyy thank you all for reading! Byeeeevshjandifkfnf! 💖😁