A/N: This one-shot is dedicated to Divyaa2612. While the theme may not be fully related to KaVi, I hope I did justice to their pairing.
"Speaking very generally, I find that women are spiritually, emotionally, and often physically stronger than men." – Gary Oldman
:: My Willful Warrior ::
..
"Check. And mate!," she grins triumphantly at the opponent seated across the table, after having made the last possible powerful move in the game of chess. The man smiles back, thoroughly impressed, though slightly astounded after being defeated. "Not bad!"
"Whoa! This game was something. As far as I recollect, nobody among us has been able to beat Abhijeet in a game of chess ever before. You're simply brilliant, Purvi!" says Daya, shaking his head in bewilderment as Purvi expresses her gratitude.
"Well, I'm not surprised! I knew Purvi would win," Shreya puts in, lending an encouraging pat on Purvi's shoulder and the latter smiles back in appreciation. Daya, however, raises an eyebrow at his girlfriend. "Are you doubting Abhijeet's capabilities?"
Her silky locks swishing against her shoulders, Shreya shakes her head as she replies, "Oh no, I'm not doubting Abhijeet sir's capabilities. I'm just saying, never question a woman's potential. If she decides, she can win over anyone and anything." She smiles knowingly at Purvi and Abhijeet nods in accord. "Well, I agree with Shreya! I mean, we've been taking these girls' efficacy too lightly all this while. They really deserve all the praise for the thoughts and power they put in everything."
Purvi gives her senior a coy grin, before glancing at the man who has been standing at a side, watching the events in silence. She stares into his eyes, and she senses the emotions being instantly conveyed. Although serving as a silent spectator, she knows he is the one whose encouragement, whose support having reached her heart in the most effective way; in a manner where none of the words spoken in her approbation a few minutes ago seem to have an influence.
Out of the countless things that has made Kavin fall for Purvi, this one is his most adored one. Admiration. He admires everything about her, every single detail and every single trait; and he is not surprised by the fact that 'her external beauty' does not top the list, though it is there at a very significant position.
Her emotional strength and her unwavering attitude toward many things in life is what he admires the most in her. Over the past couple of years, Kavin has seen her put her heart and soul in the work she does, making mistakes but owning them as gracefully as her accomplishments, speaking up for what deserves to be spoken, standing firm against something she doesn't agree with – even if it requires her to stand alone – and mainly, her unfaltering spirit to fight, and to continue fighting, be it for the nation, for her duty, for her people or for herself.
It is undeniable that he respected the ideologies, the courage of every single member of their team, looking up to many of them. But for her, the respect his heart has nurtured is of a different level altogether. Something that, unsurprisingly and distinctly, can never be nurtured for anyone else – not even for people holding experience much more than her.
Finding himself gradually attracted to her, he had never thought this would be the reason to make him fall for her. But then, there was no dismissing the fact. Admiration for her had to be the primary reason why he fell in love.
There had been instances, some incidents when she delivered such an outstanding display of courage and resilience, that it rendered him speechless. The occasions were often when he could not come up with relevant words to praise her enough.
Like now, when he has been watching her play those smooth moves on the chessboard, leaving not only him but all the others astonished. Therefore, when she looks at him, all he can mouth in a gesture is 'I'm proud of you!'.
She expresses a 'Thank you!' with a soft blink, flashing that trademark dimple, and for a moment, he is lost in her aura again. They stare at each other for barely a few seconds, before they hear a throat-clearing sound. Needless to say, it's Shreya who's been secretly spying on them.
"Umm.. would you mind continuing your subtle romance elsewhere? Playtime is over and people have already dispersed to their respective desks," she whispers leaning close to Purvi, before giving a teasing smirk to her best friend and walking away.
Purvi sticks out her tongue at her and gives a subtle wink to Kavin as she gathers the scattered pawns and arranges them in the box.
And like every other time, Kavin can only manage a sheepish smile.
"One cube of sugar won't hurt, you know that, right?" says Kavin, making a face as Purvi takes the first sip of the coffee and scrunches her face at the bitterness.
They are seated in a coffee-shop close to the bureau, trying to make the most of the break-time they have in hand before they have to report back.
"The taste develops after a few sips, Kavin. And besides, I'm trying to cut down on my sugar intake, so the least you can down is try not to discourage me!" Purvi answers, narrowing her eyes at him.
"And you think caffeine is really good for your health?" asks Kavin, derisively pointing to her cup of coffee.
"Are you really going to argue with me in the fifteen minutes that we've got?," says Purvi in an annoyed tone which instantly shuts him up.
Post a few sips of the hot chocolate and the taste-developing coffee, Kavin speakes, "By the way, I was reading your interview this morning. And I must say I am in love with the smartest and the boldest girl I've known."
"There's nothing wrong in what I said. If my statement offended anyone, that's not my problem!," says Purvi nonchalantly, taking a sip of her coffee. "And if you're referring to the mention of Jaywanti breaking doors, then there's definitely nothing wrong or exaggerating," she continues.
"Umm hmm!," nods Kavin.
"I don't understand why do we make it a big deal whenever a woman does the same thing that a man does effortlessly? Women are made to do stuff with the same precision as a man. People praise a woman for the efforts she puts in, but then also prefix it with statements like 'in spite of being a woman'. What exactly do you mean by 'in spite of being a woman'? What do you expect, a woman to lock herself in the kitchen twenty-four by seven that when she does something beyond your imagination, you are shocked thinking 'How can a woman do this?!'? Please, Jaywanti breaking doors is no big deal, just like Daya sir breaking doors is no big deal. Stop making a fuss over it. Jaywanti can break doors as efficiently and as effortlessly as Daya sir. And Shreya, in spite of being Daya sir's girlfriend agrees with me." Purvi explains, in a rather adamant way to prove her point, and Kavin can't help but smirk at the passion in her tone.
"And people need to understand that women like Jaywanti don't need to be encouraged or empowered. Jaywanti is an extremely strong and fierce lady, she doesn't give a flying fuck if someone doesn't praise her efforts. She knows her worth and she will keep fighting till the end. She just needs to be understood, to be supported by her own people," she finishes, smiling confidently as she gulps down the last sip from the cup.
"With a mind like this, no wonder many people are left utterly speechless before you," Kavin shakes his head, his eyeballs widening to twice their normal size and Purvi grins with a glint of mischief in her eyes. "What do you think, mister?", she plays along.
"Well.. I'm happy I have got a one-in-a-million girlfriend," he winks.
"Cover me, Kavin. I'll go and take these numpties down in no time," says Purvi.
Caught in an unexpected encounter before nabbing a murderer, Purvi and Kavin are trying to incapacitate as many goons as they can. They are positioned behind a wall of unmanned bricks, occasionally craning their necks to check for signs of potential threat.
"What! No, you're already injured. I can't allow this, sorry!," replies Kavin, pointing to her bleeding arm.
"Ohh come on, it's just a brush of a bullet. I can handle this," she speaks in a determined tone, turning her focus to the two criminals hidden behind a pillar in front her.
"Purvi, I'm your senior, don't forget. You have to follo-"
"Are we really doing this right now?," she mutters, narrowing her eyes dangerously at her boyfriend.
He is about to protest when they hear a voice from behind them. "What's the status?," asks Abhijeet, having appeared at the spot and Purvi's injured arm catches his attention. "Purvi, what's this?"
"Nothing, sir, just a tiny wound! I can see some goons ahead of me who I can easily take down, but Kavin isn't allowing me," she rolls her eyes and Abhijeet gives Kavin a look before speaking, "It's alright, Kavin. Give her the cover, she will handle this. I'll go to the other side and try to catch hold of the main culprit if I can. Purvi, be careful," he orders, scurrying off making trying to remain as noiseless as possible.
They obey their senior, Kavin sighing audibly as Purvi gives him a 'Told you!' look before resuming her position and keeping herself ready to attack with Kavin covering her.
The encounter ensues, with the evildoers being down one after the other like mosquitoes and the bullets being fired in a continuous rhythm.
Purvi and Kavin have now scattered to different positions, both shooting at regular intervals. Purvi continues fighting, launching bullets and injuring the rogues gracefully and with a perfect aim, when she suddenly hears a familiar cry of agony.
She instantly diverts her attention to the direction of the sound and gasps when she sees Kavin being shot in the shoulder and wincing in pain. Luckily, like her, this too is merely a bullet brushed past.
However, Purvi is not someone to take this lightly. Wasting no time, she points her gun to the location the bullet came from and marches forward. "That's my boyfriend, you foul loathsome evil little cockroach!," she snarls like a dragon breathing fire.
Two bullets, one in each knee, the shooter is writhing in pain in no time.
With the mastermind having confessed and he and all his injured thugs been taken into custody, Abhijeet shakes his head, grinning from ear to ear as he tucks his gun in his jeans. "Wait till ACP sir hears about this! Purvi, you owned this encounter, literally!"
She simply laughs at the compliment, winking at Kavin as they walk back to their car.
"Thank you for saving my life, my warrior!," he says, leaning slightly to whisper so that only she can hear him as he adds, "And thank you for taking my breath away every single time with that unmatched vigor of yours."
"You're welcome! Your treat at Global Fusion tonight at eight as a compensation for arguing with me," she says, her eyes sparkling in mischief as she runs ahead, leaving him to stare in disbelief.
"Thank you for agreeing to have dinner at home instead of going to a restaurant," says Purvi, snuggling closer in Kavin's arm as he caresses her hair.
"My pleasure, always. Besides, how will I get to play with your beautiful hair in a restaurant? Or admire those dimples worth dying for? Or feel the softness of these lustrous lips against mine," Kavin whispers, brushing his finger against the said lips and leans in closer.
"Shut up, liar! As if you never look at other girls when we're out," laughs Purvi, pushing him away, but not before pulling him back and lands a fierce kiss on his lips.
After they pull apart, he cups her face between his palms. "I love this! I love when you take initiative, unlike so many girls who do nothing but look down and blush," he speaks.
"I hate blushing and I certainly hate waiting for this idiot boyfriend of mine to shower me with compliments,"Purvi rolls her eyes in exasperation and Kavin raises a brow. "Excuse me?"
"Well, I must say, I can count on you with regard to so many things," he smiles, staring deep into her eyes. "Like?," she asks.
"I can count on you to manage things in a more coherent manner whenever we go through a stressful situation anytime in the future. I can count on you to stand firmly by my side whenever I need you. I can count on you to make me realize my mistake whenever I go wrong, and never give up on me if I do anything stupid. Of course, I'm prepared for a lifetime of facing your wrath deadlier than any lethal weapon-" he scoffs as she punches him playfully in the ribs.
"-but I can count on you to make every moment of our relationship worth living and worth fighting for. And most importantly, I can count on you to protect me, to save my life whenever I encounter a danger of any sort. And I'm willing to be protected by you, always. Because you, sweetheart, are my queen in shining armor," he says, softly kissing her forehead as she closes her eyes.
"And I can count on you to trust me on the promise that I'll never let you down!," says Purvi, giving Kavin a warm smile as she rests her head on his shoulder. "One more thing I can count on you, is for your arms to lend me the comfort like nothing else in the world can!," she murmurs against his chest. "Always!," he assures as they spend the next few moments embracing in silence.
:: The End ::
A/N: Purvi is a hero! She, Tarika, Shreya, Tasha and all those girls who stand up for themselves are heroes, in every sense. They are fighters, who alone have the strength, sharpness and resilience of all their male counterparts combined. Sorry, but it's the truth! They are women who stand rigid for everything they feel is rightful.
Women like Purvi don't sit and shed tears over petty issues, they take even the most treacherous of obstacles in their stride and find a path out from the mess in a manner no man can ever fathom. They are the "hero" the world needs, rather than a certain gentleman who is merely worshiped for his good looks.
I can only request people, please stop idolizing and portraying women as weak beings, who pour buckets of tears over some minor inconvenience, or who constantly need to rely on a man to come and save them from the tiniest of hurdles. It's high time every woman identifies the warrior within her and go out there, inspire people to stand and fight for what is right instead of waiting for a man to appear out of nowhere and save the world. A woman is capable of doing every single thing a man garners praise for; and she is capable of doing it more efficiently than any man ever can.
I wanted to post this on Women's Day, but nonetheless, better late than never. Thank you!
Also, no prices for guessing where the word "numpties" and the dialogue "that's my boyfriend, you foul loathsome evil little cockroach" have been derived from. I know they are mixed up, but how can we forget the epic scene from the Prisoner of Azkaban and that amazing sass of Hermione Granger, right? Right!