rematch | ishman ✓

CH: 2

Shubman pouted. “Weren’t I your favourite student? Don’t talk to me like that.”

Shastri shot him a small smile. “Only because you were cuter back then, and less annoying.”

“Hey!”

Abhishek cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt your reunion but I was actually hoping to talk to you about the tournament.”

Shastri quirked an eyebrow. “What about it?”

“I heard you’re short of players?”

“All-rounder and a substitute, yes.”

Abhishek rubbed his neck and glanced at Shubman, who sent him an encouraging nod. “I was thinking of signing myself up, if you allowed.”

Shastri leaned back in his chair with a thoughtful hum. “Sure. I reckon you should talk to Ishan first, though.”

“Is he really the captain?” Shubman asked, his eyes sparkling. “Sorry, I only keep track of the prominent teams.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Shubman. That boy is something,” Shastri remarked.

“Looks like your hat-trick’s in danger,” Abhishek said, nudging his friend playfully.

“Ishan means business.” Shastri assured, idly rotating the miniature globe on his desk. “He is dead set on winning this year. We are.”

Shubman grinned at his former coach. “Wouldn’t be fun any other way.”

Shubman lingered outside while Abhishek went in for a chat with Ishan. He was about to go in as well, but Ishan’s icy glare stopped him in his tracks. Not that he was scared of the shorty, he just wanted Abhishek to finish up before curfew.

“Long time no see, Prince,” Rishabh said as he sat across from him.

“Rishu,” Shubman muttered softly, a smile playing on his lips. “How are you? Still hitting up rehab?”

“No, not anymore. I’m a new man now!”

“Looks the same to me, Panty,” Shubman teased.

“Oi,” Rishabh chuckled lightly, and Shubman was glad that his laugh hadn’t changed either. “Why are you here, Shub?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” Shubman let out a groan. “Can’t I visit?”

“Sure you can. But you haven’t, in three years.”

“Abhishek wasn’t here then.”

“So you came for Abhi,” Rishabh said with a knowing smile. If it irked Shubman, he didn’t let on. “Right, why’d he transfer?”

“His scholarship got axed.”

“What the fuck did he do?”

“Slept through finals.”

“Classic Abhi,” Rishabh barked out a laugh. “So, he’ll play for us. You don’t mind that?”

Shubman shook his head with a smile. “I don’t need him to win.”

Rishabh felt an odd sense of pride, seeing that their once-meek Shub had grown so confident. The same guy that used to follow Ishan around like a lost puppy, wagging his imaginary tail happily at everything the other said.

“It’s going to be awkward in the team for a while then, I guess,” Rishabh said with a yawn, stretching his arms.

Shubman huffed. “Wouldn’t have to worry about that if you had a competent captain.”

“Shubman,” Rishabh warned.

“Ah, sorry. You’re on his side.”

“There are no sides, Shub.”

When silence dragged on for a minute, Rishabh added, “Let it go.”

“Did he let it go?” Shubman snapped against his will. He quickly bit his lip, forcing himself to calm down and plaster on a smile. As the lights of the field flickered on, he stood up and cast one last glance at Ishan’s distant figure.

“We were supposed to be on the same side.”

That night, Ishan found himself staying up later than usual, thinking about their practice match next week, what Coach had said, the talk with Abhishek, and unfortunately, about Shubman. The last one settled a heavy feeling on his chest.

Why did he have to show up before the tournament started? Ishan could barely digest glimpses of him on their common match days. It must be his sick way to provoke Ishan, Shubman knew how raw his emotions ran.

“Can you turn it off?” Mayank drawled from the next bed, pointing at the bedside lamp.

“No, I need the light.”

“To glare at the wall?” Mayank snorted. “You can do it in dark. Please turn it off, I’ve got an early lecture tomorrow.”

Ishan sighed. “Why did he come, Mayank?”

“This is the tenth time you’re asking. I don’t know, fuck, let me sleep.”

“He acted like he stumbled across us, but I bet he's been stalking our stats,” Ishan muttered with a suspicious edge. “I have a feeling he’s going to play dirty this season.”

“What is even your thought process, man.”

Ishan sat up with a small gasp. “What if he sent Abhishek to spy on our team?”

“Yeah,” Mayank scoffed, “because Abhishek’s going to leave Meridian, spend thousands and get in here to spy on our oh-so-professional team.”

“God, there’s a limit to stooping low.”

“Ishan.”

“It must be Shubman’s plan. He can take it to such an extent. Too bad I’m not a weak motherfucker.”

Mayank muttered out something incoherent as Ishan added, “He’s gotten ruder, if that’s even possible. Treating us like we’re somehow below him. I’m gonna get Siraj to throw bouncers at him, just you wait.”

When there was no applause for his genius idea, Ishan turns with a frown. “Mayu-”

Ishan stared at the sight of his drooling best friend and then slowly switched off the lamp.

He made a mental note to keep an eye on Abhishek.

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧

a/n: sorry about the crumbs of ishman interaction. this is a slow burn so im intentionally focusing on he overall plot. warna likhne ko toh mai likhdu about ishman flirting all day 😋🙏