Make your own kind of Music | A Shubman Gill x Ishan Kishan Fanfiction

Punjabi colonies

PRESENT

After the Test series against Australia ended, in the two-weeks' break before IPL, the Indian team flew to Mumbai to visit Rishabh. A lot of their friends who had not been part of the team also joined, and it ended up becoming a mega union in a rehab hospital.

Rishabh glowed with all the affection showered on him.

He had gotten back on his feet a couple of week ago, though he had been advised to keep it under rest. When he put on a show of walking down the stairs for them, everyone howled and cheered. Rishabh was laughing so hard, Rohit bhaiya rushed to hold his arm in case he overbalanced. That would definitely be a disaster.

When most of them had left for the hotel nearby, Shubman and Ishan stayed back to present to Rishabh the ganache brownie they had picked up at the airport.

"We hid it till now," said Shubman. "If we had produced this while they all were here, it would have been gone before you could even touch it-" He took a bite and cried, "God, this is the best brownie I've ever had," and he took another bite, and another.

Ishan snatched it from him to taste. "Yes, seriously."

"Looks like it will be gone before it reaches me anyway," sighed Rishabh.

"Oh sorry-!" Shubman and Ishan stopped gobbling down the brownie with great self control and passed over the remaining bit to Rishabh, who swallowed it whole.

"That was a nice brownie, but my friends gave me only one bite," said Rishabh gloomily. "Well, they do say it's the thought that counts."

"We're really sorry, Rishu-"

"-brownies like that, they just make you forget everything sensible-"

"-we'll get you another next time, promise-"

"After the IPL," agreed Rishabh. "You guys are returning home before the IPL starts? So it's gonna be a long time before you two meet, too."

"No, Shubman's coming to my new house next week," said Ishan, grinning "And we're going on a road trip."

"Are we?" asked Shubman.

Ishan narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry...I just completely forgot," said Shubman. "I'm sorry, Ishu, we have this huge wedding in our neighbourhood, Mom said I can't get out of there before IPL..."

"You have to come," said Ishan indignantly. "I have the route planned, it's best for March, you have to come!"

Shubman's shoulders dropped. "I'm so sorry I forgot the times clashed. Maybe you can come over," he said hopefully. "And we can try to sneak off for a brief road trip, though I doubt my Mom wouldn't notice."

"This is not fair. It's always me who goes to visit you," said Ishan. "You never come."

"What do mean I never come? I always go-last three times!"

"Oh, are you going to count the Grihapravesh too?"

"All right," said Rishabh. "All right, you two-"

"You stay out of it," Ishan and Shubman commanded together.

"You always have something or the other coming up in your stupid neighbourhood. Can't Punjabis do anything quietly without involving ten colonies?"

"Don't say a word against my colony," Shubman flared.

"You-you-" Ishan was at a loss for words. "You are cancelling our plan for your colony and then you are standing up for your colony-"

"It was a mistake, all right? It's nothing to throw such a tantrum about. And it's nothing to diss us Punjabis over-!"

Ishan ground his teeth to stop himself from shouting. He did not wish to be kicked out of the hospital. After a second, he got up and stalked out.

Rishabh and Shubman stared after him warily.

"Bye, Rishabh," Ishan called fiercely. "I'll see you before leaving."

Shubman scoffed loudly enough for him to hear.

***

The next day at the airport, Shubman and Ishan sat separately in the waiting lounge. When the flight to Punjab was announced, Shubman accepted a hug from Virat bhaiya, told everyone but Ishan goodbye and went without looking at Ishan.

Not that Ishan was looking after him either.

Shubman was slouching a bit as he walked.

He never could pull off the angry stride away after a fight.

***

The Mumbai Indians team caught the second innings of the first match of the season, GT vs CSK, after their fielding session. Ishan was secretly glad it was someone else who put on the TV. He would not have, and he would not have been happy about not putting on the TV either.

Shubman batted in that beautiful, effortless way of his. It was one of those knocks that only Shubman could play, that kept you mesmerized to the TV and you couldn't look away for a single second in case you missed even one shot.

He walked off after a well made 63, dragging his feet. When he walked out of the dugout after his team's comfortable victory, his underconfident slouch was back after a long time.

That was the point Ishan decided to get up and leave.

Aditi was watching a fashion show in her iPad, back in their room. "Hey, baby. How was practice?"

"Not bad," said Ishan.

"What's with the long face, then?"

Ishan took off his sweaty jersey absent-mindedly. "Just wondering if I should call Shubman."

"And you haven't already called because-?"

"I don't know. I'm still mad," said Ishan. "Maybe he's still mad too."

"Aw, come here." Aditi pulled him into her comforting arms. 

***

In the first match against RCB, Ishan knew he batted horribly. He felt out of touch and couldn't connect at all. When he walked off after a very jittery 10, he did not dare to look at Rohit bhaiya initially. But when he did, of course Rohit bhaiya didn't look disappointed.

Even if he was, Rohit bhaiya always hid his disappointment.

Ishan caught a glimpse of Aditi, up in the VIP box with the families and girlfriends of his teammates. She had gotten comfortable to travel with him during IPL only last year, and Ishan was glad.

She didn't use to watch cricket when they first met. But in four years, she had learnt a lot, and could differentiate between good and bad knocks, at least, though she always spoke positively to him even after bad knocks. 

Maybe it was good she didn't understand too much cricket.

Ritika bhabi, for example, gave Rohit bhaiya hell every time he played a risky shot and got out. It was kind of sweet, but it must also weigh Rohit bhaiya down.

It was enough to have all his friends professional cricketers without having a girlfriend who got cricket professionally too. All his friends, including his best friend.

After the match, against his will, Ishan checked the IPL schedule. The MI GT match was twenty-two days away.

If he had unconsciously been planning to avoid calling and straightaway meeting and making up with Shubman, it was not going to work.

But he was angry and Shubman was angry...Shubman hadn't called either, point to be noted...

So he asked Aditi, "Want to go for a walk?"

Aditi had already changed into nightclothes. But she looked keenly at him and read his mood. "Alright, let's."