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

Say nothing at all

The team flew from USA straight to Sri Lanka for their next series.

"How come we never seem to catch a break?" Ishan complained to Shubman when they touched down on Colombo.

"You want a break from cricket?" said Shubman.

"A little one, maybe," said Ishan. "Hardik bhai said I should take Aditi to the Taj Mahal, but I think that's over."

"You think?" Surya bhai said from behind, ultra-sarcastic. "Just invite her over here-"

"She's coming tomorrow."

"-and ask her to move in the first time you're alone with her."

"Maybe at the airport," Shreyas suggested.

"No, airports are really cliched," said Surya.

"Cliches are cliched for a reason."

Ishan turned to Shubman. "Do you think asking at the airport would be cliched?"

Shubman was tempted to say, Asking her to move in is cliched in itself because everyone asks their girlfriend to move in with them.

But he suspected that would bring on many more patronizing looks from Rishabh, who was already hovering around in patronizing silence and not taking part in the conversation.

"Yeah, airports are a bit cliched," he said, neutrally. "Maybe take her to the poolside. The hotel has a great pool."

Ishan rejected all other suggestions instantly. "I'll ask her by the pool when she comes tomorrow."

He linked his arm with Shubman and pulled him ahead. Rishabh came to link his arm with Shubman's other one.

"Yeah, really, really great suggestion, Shubi."

Shubman elbowed Rishabh in the chest hard enough to make him yelp and Ishan almost took all three of them down as he bent over, laughing.

"We shouldn't have taught him to give it back to people, Rishabh," said Ishan. "That's where all the trouble started."

***

The irony was, Ishan wouldn't have been able to go with the airport proposal anyway.

The next day, when they were returning from practice, Ishan was walking with his nose inside the phone, alternately gasping and laughting.

"Will you tell us what the joke is?" Shreyas asked in exasperation.

"No, I'll directly show you, wait-" said Ishan.

Shreyas held out a hand for the phone. Ishan pushed it away.

"I'll show you in person."

Ishan paused at the head of the stairs of the first floor. Shubman, Rishabh and Shreyas also did.

"Right," announced Ishan, waving a hand. He'd always had a flair for drama. "There's the most amazing trick possible with nothing but the banisters of a staircase. And you wouldn't believe how easy it is. Rishabh, take a video."

He lowered his kitbag and leapt atop the banisters. Shubman looked down the cavity into the ground floor over the banisters, at Rishabh and Shreyas, both of whom had poised their phone cameras, and back at Ishan.

"Seriously?" he said. "Get down, Ishan, if you fall you'll break your neck!"

"Why would I fall?" Ishan laughed, straightening up and lifting his arms above his head.