it's okay if it's you | ishman ✓

CH: 13

shubman doesn't force him to. it's alright, ishan doesn't owe him any explanations.

“i want you to know that you can tell me anything, okay? you don't have to be a coward like me.” ishan says softly, letting the words hang in the silent air of the night.

shubman thinks of how to respond, he knows what ishan means. but this is not a conversation he’ll like to have.

he laughs, or pretends to at least.

“there's nothing to tell, ishu, you already know everything about me.”

ishan stares at him, forcing a faint smile on his lips. shubman feels like he catches a flash of pity in his eyes but he doesn't want to confirm it so he looks away.

“i wish you were a girl, ishan,” he whispers, his voice barely audible.

“i wish you were honest, shubman,” ishan whispers back.

it’s a slow, calm morning for the team.

okay, that’s impossible.

“someone get siraj out of my face before i dump my yogurt on him,” shreyas groans.

siraj shoots him the most shit-eating grin, throwing grapes at him. “oh yeah? oh yeah? oh-”

‘“siraj, behen ke- hardik bhai! get your own pancakes! oh my god, no-” shreyas tries to stop the chaos around him, flailing his arms. he’s never sitting between siraj and hardik again.

surya eats his oatmeal, staring blankly at rahul. “why’s there no milk in your cereal?”

“sometimes i like to add orange juice instead of milk.”

“i hope you know that’s a federal crime.”

rohit has desensitized himself to the persistent chaos around them. in fact he’d be worried if they were not noisy.

he focuses on his toast and eggs, savoring the peace that his boys won’t let him have.

“some team bonding is needed,” he says to virat. “im tired of them squabbling like elementary kids all day. so restless.”

virat looks up from his parfait. “i was thinking of going to the auckland zoo-”

“zoo!?”

“sit down, ishan.”

“zoo! zoo! zoo!”

“shubman, stop climbing on surya.”

“siuuu!”

“shut up siraj.”

rohit sighs to himself as virat tries to shut everyone up. he mumbles to himself, “zoo is a perfect idea, i’ll leave them there.”

shubman drags ishan to every site in the zoo, and ishan drags surya to everywhere shubman drags him. surya holds onto rahul for dear life.

“please don't leave me with them, they are scary when they act like a married couple,” surya pleads to rahul.

rahul looks pretty uninterested but feels sympathetic towards the man. poor surya always gets stuck with the two kids. he nods silently, walking beside surya.

“red panda, oh my god. do you fucking see this, y'all?” ishan exclaims, pointing at the little thing in a nearby branch.

shubman looks back and forth between ishan and the red panda. “damn, these spot the difference games are getting too hard.”

ishan ignores him. “c’mon, c’mon, click me a photo.”

shubman can't help his fond smile when ishan poses adorably for the camera. he is so fucking cute.