OS - How High Can We Go? (ABC/DC - AaRhuv)

(A/N): Hey, forum family! This is actually my first OS in a while.

This is the first show I have enjoyed in a few years. I haven't been interested or inspired enough to write anything for the longest time, but the magic of ABC/DC or AaRhuv broke my writer's block. Dr. Aarambhi, dealing with the absolute toxicity of Vishwas and the suffocating drama of that Tandon mansion, gave me so much material that I had to write her a sweet escape.

Grab your snacks, read on, and let's analyze every single bit of this chemistry in the comments below! Don't forget to hit that LIKE button!

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The neon lights of the Mumbai summer mela buzzed with an electric, chaotic energy. The air was thick with the scent of roasted corn and sweet jalebis, and the distant, rhythmic thumping of Bollywood tracks blasting from the ride's speakers.

"Aim for the center of the ring, Vihaan! Use your shoulder, not just your wrist," DC directed, his deep voice carrying that smooth cadence over the crowd's roar. Hs crisp linen shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his expensive watch as he leaned down to coach the eight-year-old.

Vihaan screwed his face up in intense concentration, tossing the plastic ring. Clink! It landed perfectly around the neck of a bottle.

"Yes!" Vihaan jumped up, high-fiving DC with absolute joy.

The stall owner reached up and pulled down a massive, fluffy pink teddy bear. As the man turned his back, DC leaned down, his shoulder brushing against Aarambhi’s as he whispered to the little boy. "Alright, soldier, mission accomplished. We got the target. Who are we presenting the prize to?"

Vihaan giggled, matching DC’s low whisper perfectly. "For Mamma. She never gets toys."

Aarambhi stood just a step behind them, her arms crossed over her exquisite, sheer saree. Watching the two of them plot together brought a warmth to her chest that she hadn't felt in a while. For months, her life had been a suffocating loop of Tandon family toxicity and hospital crises. But right here, watching DC treat her son like a priority, she felt a strange, beautiful fluttering in her heart.

"Here, Mamma!" Vihaan thrust the giant bear into her arms.

"Oh, Vihaan, it's beautiful," Aarambhi smiled, her eyes crinkling as she bent down. She pressed a sweet, lingering kiss to his cheek, then gently caught his chin in her hand, her eyes full of warmth. "Thank you, my brave boy."

"Thank DC too! He told me the secrets," Vihaan said. Before Aarambhi could thank DC, a familiar voice called out. "Aarambhi? Hi!"

Aarambhi turned to see Meera, one of the mothers from Vihaan’s class, holding her own son's hand. Three other boys from their school were buzzing around her. "Vihaan! Come look at the racing game! We’re all going together!"

Vihaan’s face lit up instantly. "Mamma, can I go? Please? Just right there with Meera Aunty!"

Aarambhi smiled, nodding gently. "Okay, Vihaan. But stay with Meera Aunty, okay?"

The moment she gave permission, Vihaan took off sprinting with his friends. Aarambhi’s motherly instincts instantly flared, and she took a step forward, calling out over the noise, "Dhyan se! Be careful, Vihaan!"

"Don't worry, Aarambhi, I have eyes on all of them!" Meera called back over the noise, guiding the herd of boys toward the brightly lit arcade booth just a short distance away.

Aarambhi’s eyes stayed glued to her son, her fingers tightening around the teddy bear. The crowd was thick, and the flashing lights felt overwhelming.

"Hey," DC's voice cut through her panic, low and steady. He stepped directly into her line of sight, forcing her to look at him. He was incredibly attuned to her every shift in posture, noticing the slight tension in her jaw and the way her breath had hitched. "Take a breath, Dr. ABC. They are thirty feet away inside an enclosed arcade booth. Meera has them, and my security detail is shadowing them from the entrance. They won't go far, and absolutely nothing will happen to him. I promise you."

Aarambhi looked into his dark eyes, finding the certainty she needed. She let out a long, slow breath, her shoulders finally dropping. "I know. I'm sorry, Mr. DC. It's just... after everything, it's hard to turn that part of my brain off."

"You don't ever have to apologize to me for being a good mother," DC said softly, a look of profound respect crossing his face. He gestured toward the walking path lined with colorful stalls. "Come on. Since Vihaan has abandoned us for video games, the loser of the ring toss game owes the winner some dinner. And last I checked, you didn't win a single prize."

Aarambhi let out a soft laugh, her eyes sparkling. "Are you saying I lost by default?"

"Exactly. Let's walk. You're buying."

They strolled side-by-side down the path, the massive teddy bear tucked firmly in Aarambhi's arm. DC naturally adjusted his stride to match her pace, navigating the crowd so his broad shoulder subtly shielded her from being jostled by passing strangers. He kept stepping entirely too close into her personal space—a casual disregard for distance that would have caused a massive scandal back at the Tandon house—but under the bright, chaotic fairground lights, Aarambhi found herself surprisingly relaxed.

She led him straight toward a row of steaming street food stalls, the aromatic scent of spices filling the night air. "If I have to pay, then you have to eat what I choose," she teased, stopping right in front of a fiery pani puri cart. "Let's see how you handle real Mumbai street food."

"Please, Dr. ABC. I managed boardroom takeovers in Dubai. A little spice isn't going to break me," DC smirked, picking up his first filled puri.

Intent on proving his own toughness, he confidently took the massive, spice-loaded puri down in one bite. Within two seconds, his eyes watered, and his face turned a hilarious shade of crimson. He choked, coughing into his hand, his charming composure completely shattering. "Wow. I think my soul just left my body."

Aarambhi burst into a full, breathless laugh, covering her mouth with her hand as she hurriedly handed him a bottle of water. "Mr. DC! That is authentic Mumbai street food! It doesn't care about your superhero or executive status. You have to respect the spice!"

"Lesson learned," DC wheezed, wiping his brow, though his grin was infectious as he watched her. Hearing her laugh like that—deep, real, and entirely unguarded—made the entire burning sensation in his throat worth it.

As they waited near the stall for his tongue to recover, two elderly local aunties passing by stopped. They looked at the giant teddy bear tucked under Aarambhi's arm, noticed her elegant, sheer saree, and then stared at DC's broad, protective stance next to her. One of the aunties smiled warmly, nudging Aarambhi. "Arey, beta, your husband is so handsome. You two look so beautiful together. God bless your marriage!"

Aarambhi’s breath hitched, her face instantly turning a bright shade of pink. She opened her mouth, her voice slightly frantic as she quickly tried to clarify. "Oh! No, no, Aunty... you are mistaken. He isn't—"

Before she could finish the sentence, DC stepped right into her personal space. Without a shred of hesitation, his large, warm hand slid down her arm, his fingers interlaced firmly with hers, locking them together.

"Thank you, Aunty," DC interrupted smoothly, his voice dropping into a deep, incredibly charming register as he gave the elderly women a respectful, dazzling smile. "She is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm a very lucky man."

The aunties practically melted, gushing with a flurry of "Shabaash" and "Jug jug jeevo" before finally wandering off into the crowd, entirely satisfied.

The moment they were out of earshot, Aarambhi yanked her hand back as if she’d been burned, though her face was flaming for a completely different reason. She stepped back, her eyes wide as she tried to regain her composure.

"Mr. DC!" she gasped, her voice a frantic whisper as she looked around to make sure no one else heard. "What on earth was that? Why did you let them think... why did you say that?!"

DC casually slid his hands into his pockets, a thoroughly amused, unbothered smirk playing on his lips as he started walking again. "Relax, Dr. ABC. Think about it. If you try to explain the entire hospital board structure and why we are at a mela together to two traditional aunties, we’d be standing at that pani puri stall until midnight. This way? They're happy, they gave us some good vibes, and we got to move on. Just accept the blessings."

Aarambhi walked briskly to keep up with his stride, rolling her eyes, though a small, helpless smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Accept the blessings? You are unbelievable. You can't just go around pretending to be a married man to escape a conversation!"

She tilted her head, her tone shifting into something much more lighthearted and teasing as she glanced up at him. "Besides, if you're so comfortable playing the role of a doting husband, you should really tell Dadi. Because she has been running a full operation to find a real match for you. She thinks you're falling behind."

DC groaned playfully, throwing his head back. "Please tell me she hasn't started showing you candidate profiles."

"Not yet, but she’s getting close," Aarambhi giggled, the heavy air completely clearing. She stopped walking entirely, stepping directly in front of him so he had to halt. She tilted her chin up, a proud, knowing smirk on her face. "You know, you shouldn't underestimate me, Mr. DC. I actually have a flawless eye for matchmaking. That's how I knew Raj and Manmeet were meant to be together before they even realized it themselves. I can read people."

DC slowed his steps to a complete stop, turning his dark eyes down toward her, his playful expression instantly fading into a look of quiet, intense focus. He crossed his arms over his chest, thoroughly amused by her sudden boldness. "Is that so? Alright, expert. If you're so brilliant at reading people... what kind of match do you think Dadi should be looking for? What do you think a man like me actually needs?"

Instead of answering right away, Aarambhi took a deliberate step forward.

With a soft hum, she began to circle him slowly, her eyes tracking him with the precise, observant gaze of a doctor, yet there was a distinctly playful rhythm to her movements. She walked a slow perimeter around his broad frame. DC stayed rooted to the spot, his head turning slowly to keep her in his line of sight, a fascinated smirk tugging at his lips.

"Let’s see," Aarambhi murmured, coming back around to face him, stopping entirely too close into his personal space. She tilted her head, tapping a thoughtful finger against her chin as she looked him up and down. "You are different, DC. You've lived abroad, you have this grand, commanding presence, and you're used to being completely in control. So, a woman for you... she shouldn't just agree with everything you say. She needs to have her own strength."

She paused, a distinctly mischievous, glittering smile breaking across her face as she leaned a fraction closer, completely dropping the professional tone.

"And most importantly, your future wife is going to need an absolute mountain of patience. Because you vastly enjoy talking about yourself and going on and on about your own charm."

DC raised an eyebrow, a low, rumbling chuckle trapped in his throat. "Excuse me? I do not go on and on."

"Oh, you absolutely do," Aarambhi countered smoothly, her eyes dancing with pure amusement. "You walk around like the universe personally appointed you to solve everyone's problems. But what’s truly funny to me, Mr. DC... is that for all this talk, I've never actually seen you wearing a cape."

DC let out a short, surprised laugh, thoroughly captivated by her sudden wit. He leaned down slightly, bringing his face closer to hers, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly register. "A cape, Dr. ABC? Is that what it takes to impress you?"

"I'm just saying, a real superhero has the full uniform," she shot back with a proud toss of her head, before softening her tone just a bit to guide them back into the deep stuff. "But seriously... she should be someone quiet but fierce. If you find a woman like that, she will keep you on your toes, but she’ll also give you total peace. And you're a good man, DC. Finding a woman like that shouldn't be hard at all."

DC stepped a fraction closer, completely erasing whatever distance she had left between them. His dark eyes locked onto hers with a sudden, unyielding seriousness that made her pulse race. "What if the only woman who fits that description is trapped in a situation that doesn't deserve her?"

Aarambhi froze. The question hit the air with the weight of a physical blow. Aarambhi blinked, her proud smile faltering slightly as she tried to keep her tone light. "Well... then you find someone else, Mr. DC. There are plenty of wonderful women in the world."

Aarambhi fell silent as the meaning behind his words settled between them.

Before the heavy silence could pull her under, DC stepped directly into her line of sight, purposefully breaking the spell. He casually raised a hand, pointing upward toward the sky to completely reset the mood.

"But before I let you find me a bride, Doc..." DC murmured, his eyes lingering on her flushed face for one last second, a gentle, knowing smirk returning to his lips. "We have an appointment at the top of the world. Look up."

Aarambhi followed his gaze. The Giant Wheel towered over them, its massive iron structure spinning slowly against the night sky, casting brilliant neon shadows over the path ahead.

"DC, I don't think that's a good idea. Heights and I... we don't have a good history."

"With me? You're always safe," he said, his voice full of a quiet, fierce sincerity that left her completely defenseless.

A few minutes later, they were locked into the rusty metal cart. As the wheel ground to a start, lifting them high above the fairgrounds, a sharp, chilly Mumbai evening breeze swept through the open cage. Aarambhi shivered, her fingers gripping the iron safety bar so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Hey," DC murmured, instantly noticing. Without a second thought, he shifted closer to her on the narrow bench. He didn't touch her, but his broad frame completely blocked the biting wind, enveloping her in his warmth and the rich scent of his cologne. "You're shaking. Is it the wind, or are you still thinking about the height?"

Aarambhi stared at the blurred lights below, her breathing shallow. The spinning movement was triggering a dark, buried memory. "The last time I was up this high... with no ground beneath my feet... Vihaan was in that building. When he was kidnapped... hanging from that ledge... I felt so entirely powerless. Every time the air gets thin like this, my brain goes straight back to that terrible moment."

DC’s playful demeanor instantly vanished. His expression softened into something incredibly tender and protective. He wanted to reach out, his eyes briefly flicking to the faint red sindoor in her hair, but he respected her too much to cross that line. Instead, he leaned in closer, his voice dropping into a low, grounding hum.

"Look at me, Aarambhi," he commanded gently. "Don't look down. Look right here."

She turned her head, her eyes locking onto his deep, steady gaze.

"You are not on that ledge. Vihaan is safe. And you are the most brilliant, resilient woman I have ever met," DC said, his eyes burning with an unspoken admiration that made her breath catch. "But if your heart is racing... what’s that thing to do when you feel stressed? Uh... Anululu Vilom?"

Aarambhi stared at him for a beat, the tragic memories suddenly colliding with his ridiculous pronunciation.

A soft, breathless smile broke out on her face.

"It’s Anulom Vilom," she corrected softly, a lighthearted chuckle escaping her as she shook her head at his antics. The heavy knot of panic in her chest instantly began to loosen, replaced by pure amusement. "How many times do I have to correct you? It is a sacred breathing exercise, Mr. DC, not a tongue twister."

"Hey, I got the spirit of it right," DC grinned, his chest swelling with satisfaction at the sight of her smile. "See? Works every time."

Just then, a loud, metallic CLANG echoed through the structures. The Ferris wheel stopped dead, leaving their cart suspended at the absolute peak of the ride. Below, the fairground music cut off, and the shouting of ride engineers filled the air.

"Attention riders! We have a mechanical gear jam! Please stay calm!" a megaphone blared.

Down on the ground, the commotion drew the crowd. Meera and the boys stepped out of the arcade booth, and Vihaan’s eyes instantly tracked to the top of the frozen wheel. Seeing his mother stuck up there, completely suspended in the air, a flash of pure panic crossed the little boy's face. The memory of his own terrifying ordeal on the building ledge rushed back.

"Mamma!" Vihaan cried out, his small voice carrying through the sudden hush of the crowd below. He tried to run toward the base of the ride, but Meera caught him, holding him tight as he looked up with tears in his eyes.

Hearing her son's cry from fifty feet above, Aarambhi’s heart plummeted. She leaned forward, her face turning pale as she tried to look over the bar. "Vihaan! DC, he’s scared, he thinks something is happening to me—he’s remembering the ledge—"

"Aarambhi, look at me!" DC intercepted her movement smoothly, shifting so he was directly in her line of sight, blocking the terrifying view of the ground. His hands hovered just inches from her arms, his presence absolute and unyielding. "He can see you. If you panic, he will panic more. Show him you are okay. Wave to him. Let him see his mother is smiling."

DC’s voice was a shield. Aarambhi swallowed the lump of terror in her throat, forcing her hands to steady. She looked down at her crying son, took a deep breath, and waved, throwing her head back to mimic a cheerful laugh. "Vihaan! Mamma is fine! Look how high I am! DC is here!"

Seeing his mother waving and laughing next to the man he trusted, Vihaan’s small shoulders visibly relaxed. He buried his face in Meera’s side, but the frantic crying stopped.

It took nearly an hour of agonizing tension for the engineers to lower the baskets. Because DC and Aarambhi were at the very top, they were the absolute last to be rescued.

As the forty-minute mark passed, the biting Mumbai breeze swept through the cage, but the initial terror had completely dissolved into a steady, rhythmic back-and-forth.

Aarambhi let out a long, dramatic sigh, shifting her weight on the narrow bench. "If we survive this, Mr. DC, I am officially never letting you guide me anywhere again. My feet belong firmly on the ground. Reconstructive surgery? Hospital politics? I can handle all of it. This? Suspended in mid-air in a tin can? Absolutely not."

DC rested his arm along the back of the bench, a thoroughly amused smirk playing on his lips as he looked down at her. "So what I'm hearing is that Dr. ABC is a bit of a coward when it comes to altitude."

"It's called basic survival instincts," she countered, rolling her eyes playfully. "You are the one who seems entirely too comfortable with danger. You probably chase storms for fun. I prefer sanity."

"I am a businessman. Calculated risk is my specialty," DC chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "But alright, if heights are out, what's the verdict? Mountains or the beach?"

"Definitely the beach," Aarambhi answered without a second thought, a soft, wistful smile instantly overtaking her face. Her gaze drifted out over the twinkling city lights, her tone shifting into something incredibly warm. "I’ve already promised myself that the moment things settle down, I’m taking Vihaan to Goa. I want him to build massive, messy sandcastles, collect seashells until his pockets are overflowing, and just run around without a single care in the world. He deserves to just be a child."

DC watched her silently, his chest tightening at the sheer devotion in her voice. A sudden, wicked glint entered his dark eyes, his tone dropping into a teasing, lazy drawl. "Goa, huh? Hmm... so I guess that means I’ll finally get to see you in a two-piece."

Aarambhi’s head snapped toward him so fast her earrings rattled. Her cheeks instantly flared a deep crimson under the neon lights. "Excuse me?!"

"What?" DC smirked, looking entirely unbothered by her outrage.

"First of all, Mr. DC, who on earth said you were invited to our vacation?" she asked, tilting her chin up, trying and failing to look stern.

"Oh, come on. Who said I need an invitation from you?" DC countered smoothly, leaning in a fraction closer. "Vihaan will absolutely invite me. We are bros now—best friends, actually. And let’s be honest, Dr. ABC, it would be no fun if it were just the two of you."

Aarambhi let out a sharp, offended gasp, crossing her arms tightly. "I will have you know that I am a lot of fun!"

"Oh, please," DC laughed, throwing his head back against the metal cage. "I know your version of a vacation. You’ll probably pack a giant, military-grade first-aid kit to the beach."

"What is wrong with a first-aid kit?!" she shot back, a bright, breathless giggle escaping her despite her best efforts to defend herself. "That is called basic public safety, DC, sir! It does not mean I am not fun!"

"Right, right," DC chuckled, ticking points off on his fingers as his eyes danced with amusement. "Okay, let's test it. If you're so much fun... do you actually do anything at the beach? Do you jet ski? Go parasailing? Do you get on a banana boat ride, or do you just sit on a towel counting bandages?"

"I can build a spectacular sandcastle with my son, thank you very much," she said with a proud toss of her head, refusing to let him win. "And I can splash Vihaan in the shallow water without needing a high-speed bumper ride to prove my 'superhero status' like some people. Safety first, Mr. DC."

"Maybe," DC murmured, his laughter slowly tapering off as his eyes lingered on her radiant face. He was completely captivated by the way her smile entirely erased the heavy exhaustion of her daily life. "But for what it's worth... first-aid kit and all, I still think you'd be the best part of the trip."

The teasing dissolved into a warm, comfortable silence that felt entirely intimate, suspended fifty feet above the roaring world below.

Finally, a loud, systemic groan shuddered through the iron frame as the emergency gears slowly began to grind, shifting their basket downward foot by frustrating foot. But just as they neared the loading deck, a violent, metallic CLUNK echoed through the platform. The machinery jammed completely, locking the gears tight. Their cart bounced once and stopped dead, hovering a few feet above the solid wooden platform. It wasn't high enough to be dangerous anymore, but it was entirely too high for Aarambhi to simply step out in her delicate saree.

Down on the platform, a ride technician banged a wrench against the control panel, entirely stressed out, before cupping his hands and yelling up to them over the ambient noise of the fairgrounds.

"Madam! Sir! Big apology, but the secondary gear just snapped! This is as far as it's going down tonight! You'll have to jump down from there!"

"Hold on, Dr. ABC," DC murmured, a calm contrast to the shouting worker.

With effortless agility, DC easily climbed over the iron safety bar, dropping down onto the wooden platform below. He didn't even stumble. He turned back around, looking up at her with those dark, unyielding eyes, and opened his arms wide.

"Alright. You heard the man. You're going to have to jump. It's barely a three-foot drop. I've got you."

Aarambhi looked at the drop, then down at his arms held out, her heart doing a frantic little flip that had absolutely nothing to do with her phobia of heights. "DC, I am wearing a saree. I can't just—"

"I know what you're wearing, and I know exactly how steady my hands are," he interrupted softly, his voice full of that fierce, quiet authority that always made her feel safe. "Trust me. Jump."

Taking a shallow breath, Aarambhi gathered the pleats of her saree, stepped onto the ledge of the cart, and let herself drop.

She didn't even hit the ground. DC caught her seamlessly, his powerful arms wrapping securely around her waist to absorb the impact. The momentum brought her sliding directly against his chest. Aarambhi’s hands instinctively flew to his broad shoulders for balance, her fingers digging into the crisp linen of his shirt.

For a prolonged, breathless second, the entire fairground went completely silent. Aarambhi looked down at him, her face flushed a deep pink, her heart hammering wildly against his ribs. They were so close she could feel the steady warmth of his breath on her skin. It was incredibly awkward, entirely inappropriate, but her body refused to move.

DC looked up at her, his gaze intense, before a slow, wicked smirk broke across his sharp features.

"You know," he murmured, his deep voice vibrating right against her palms, "for a woman who spent the last hour telling me I'm not a superhero, you’re holding onto me like I’m Shaktimaan saving the day."

The spell shattered. She lightly tapped his shoulder with her palm, her eyes sparkling with affectionate exasperation. "Mr. DC, you can put me down now. The rescue is over."

"Not until we discuss payment," DC chuckled, though he smoothly slid her down until her feet touched the solid wooden planks, his hands lingering on her waist for a fraction of a second longer than necessary to ensure she was steady. He stepped back just enough to give her lungs room to breathe, his eyes locked onto hers. "I believe you admitted up there that I was a bit of a superhero tonight. And a full superhero rescue means you officially owe me one. I intend to collect."

Aarambhi adjusted the border of her saree, her cheeks still warm, but she matched his playful smirk with a brilliant one of her own. "Oh, please. If we are being technical, a real superhero doesn't get stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel for an hour. I think this entire mechanical failure was your fault just to prove a point. If anything, you owe me an apology. And you definitely need a better costume if you want to claim the title."

DC let out a rich, booming laugh—the kind of sound that made Aarambhi feel completely shielded from the rest of the world. "A costume? Harsh, Dr. ABC. Very harsh. But I'll take it into consideration for next time."

As they walked back toward Meera and a now-smiling Vihaan, who was proudly holding the giant teddy bear, Aarambhi felt a profound sense of peace settle deep into her bones. The Tandon house was waiting for her, and the daily battles wouldn't stop—but for the first time in ten years, she knew her safe haven wasn't a place. It was him.

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