Wish we were 28... still (A RohiRat Fanfiction)

The victim in the story

Talking with Rahul, at any rate, had got Virat into a much better frame of mind than he'd been in all day (which was stupid, because he could've spoken to him properly when he first called or called him before, and then he'd not have had to spend these hours in agony). 

A much better frame of mind, due to which, at three in the night, he was stomping up the steps and ringing the bell to Rohit's apartment.

A bleary-eyed Ritika opened after three rings. She did a double take when she saw who it was.

"What on earth are you doing, travelling across the city at this hour?" she asked, leading him in.

"I was here all the while," said Virat sheepishly. "Where's Rohit?"

"Er," said Ritika. "I don't know how to break this to you, but he's sleeping again."

Virat's jaw dropped in utter disbelief.

"Before you flip," added Ritika quickly, "you and I both know there's only been two other days he's slept twenty plus hours in twenty four."

Virat knew.

One was in Mumbai, the day the 2011 World Cup squad had been announced.

The other was at Lord's, the day after India crashed out of the 2019 World Cup.

Before his righteous rage could melt into sadness, Virat's said, "Right. I'll shock him awake."

Ritika bit back a smile and naturally, made no move to stop Virat as he strode in like he owned the place.

________________

Virat had lugged the bucket of ice-cold water to a few inches above Rohit's sleeping head when something stopped him.

Pouring water into Rohit's ear in winter, however much it always annoyed Rohit, was almost a--happy memory to Virat's. With Rohit. He didn't want to delve into happy memories anymore.

He swung the bucket down to the floor with a tremendous crash that jolted Rohit awake anyway.

"Wh--" he mumbled, and blinked when he saw Virat. "What the hell have you returned for?"

"What have I returned for?" said Virat furiously. "Do you think everyone's made of stone like you, Rohit? If so, you're mistaken. Most people can't brush everything off how easily you do and go to sleep peacefully."

"Clearly, there's no peace to be got." Rohit pulled the blanket to cover his head and turned over. "Ritika, why did you let him in?"

Then Virat brandished the bucket and overturned the water.

Rohit yelled with the shock of his life and threw the drenched blanket off. "What--are you--you idiot--"

"You deserve it!" shouted Virat. "And you deserve worse!"

"So do you!" yelled Rohit, shaking his damp head violently such that water flew in all directions. "Didn't you shout at Rahul, who has never given you anything but blind love?"

"He--he told you?" spluttered Virat.

"YES, HE TOLD ME." Rohit looked like he'd like nothing more than to hit Virat with the now-empty bucket. "What, is he only allowed to talk to you, Virat? Already he takes your side in every damn issue without spending a cell of his brain. You want more than that?"

"If he took my side--whatever that means--" Virat said, so beyond pissed he didn't even feel like shouting. "You couldn't have forced him into sleeping the day off."

"Forced him? Forced him? Is that how we're referring to advice these days?"

"The way you consider that to be advice," said Virat in disgust. "How inconsiderate can you be to think that's some sort of advice?"

"Yes, and you're the height of a considerate human being, Virat. Can you please be considerate enough to fuck off and leave me in peace?"

"Have you talked to Jinks?" demanded Virat. "Have you once thought of Jinks in all this?"

"Yes, Virat, I have constantly been thinking of you and him since the BCCI thought of promoting me into posts held by you two," snarled Rohit. "Without. A. Tip off. What. Am. I. Supposed. To. Do!"

"You sound demented when you talk like that," said Virat.

"You always sound demented," said Rohit. "Even when you talk normally by your standards. Because the word normal doesn't exist at all in your dictionary."

Virat's scowl deepened. Rohit glared back.

"I'm telling you what. You. Were. Supposed. To. DO," Virat imitated. "If nothing else, you were supposed to talk to us. Too much to ask for? Too much to ask you to forego your sleep one evening?"

"I didn't not call you because I wanted to sleep, damn it, Virat," shouted Rohit. "I slept because I didn't know what to tell you both if I called! What was I to say? Give you the good news? Hi, Virat, I'm ODI captain. Hi, Jinks, I'm Test vice captain. And then offer my sympathies for the bad news? Oh, sorry you're not ODI captain anymore, Vi! Sorry you're not Test vice captain anymore, Jinks!"

Rohit buried his head in his shaking hands by the end of it. It didn't take Virat enormous brain-exertion to see, then, that he wasn't the only victim in the story.

"Well," he said, in a much milder tone. "If you were that bothered, how could you sleep, anyway?"

"YOU WOULD LOCK YOURSELF IN A ROOM, OVERTHINKING. I CHOOSE TO SLEEP OVER THAT. BOTH OF US ARE DELAYING IT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE IF I CHOOSE TO SLEEP?"

"Will you stop shouting like an idiot? We're civilized people having a civilized conversation, Rohit."

"A civilized conversation of which you're a part? Sorry, that's not possible."

"You're a rude and insensitive and self-centered halfwit." Virat didn't need two seconds to think it up. "You've always been that, only now it's upfront. Now that there has been something where you can let us all see how self-centered you are."

"I am self-centered? God, Virat." Rohit raised his head from his arms only to put it back again, this time like he was totally done. "You know what? You believe you're so huge that the entire world should belong to your shadow and they should never have anything on their own." Disdain dripped off his voice. "And if they do, it's their problem."

"THERE," bellowed Virat, and Rohit started and looked up again. "YOU FINALLY ACCEPT YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING FOR YOUR OWN--YOU HYPOCRITE, PRETENDING ALL DAY STUFF HAS BEEN FORCED ON YOU AND YOU'RE THE VICTIM, YOU--ARE--ALWAYS--THE--"

"STOP TWISTING MY WORDS," Rohit screamed back. "I DID NOT MEAN YOUR STUPID CAPTAINCY BY THINGS OF OUR OWN. I MEANT A VOICE. A VOICE, VIRAT--AN VOICE THAT DOES NOT ECHO YOURS."

"I DID NOT EVER TELL YOU TO ECHO MY VOICE. OR ANYONE! IT'S NOT MY FAULT PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY HAVE MADE ME THIS HUGE, ROHIT, AND YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW I DON'T LIKE IT, I HATE IT. I HATE IT!"

"YOU'VE GOT A FUNNY WAY OF SHOWING HOW YOU HATE THINGS."

"SO HAVE YOU!"

As usual, they hadn't registered how loud they'd been shouting, nor heard the doorbell ringing or people entering the bedroom, till a familiar voice shouted above both of them.

"Will you both shut up?"