THE MAN WHO WRITES HIS OWN SCRIPTS

"His little human"

"Congratulations, you did it!" Anushka grinned, baby Akaay in her arms. Virat was enjoying being on the field after so long but he also missed them terribly. Therefore, the first thing he did after winning and his little victory dance was calling his family.

"Thank you, love. He slept?"

"Yeah, but your little love is awake." Anushka laughed. "She won't sleep until you talk to her." Virat's face lit up immediately at the mention of his daughter. She has gotten too used to him being their with her during bedtime, telling her stories and craddling her to sleep. While Akaay was too young at the moment, Vamika has started to understand things a bit more. She knew he played cricket and she knew how to video-call him whenever she wants. Today's kids are something else, Virat thought.

"Vamika, baby, see. Papa is here!" Anushka called and Vamika ran towards her, taking the phone from Anushka.

"Papa!" She squealed in delight. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, my baby."

"The most? You talked to mama when I was sleeping." Came the babyish complaint with a pout.

"The most! Papa loves Vamika the most!" Virat replied in the same manner. "Khana khaya?"

"Khaya." Vamika tilted her head a bit. "Where are you, papa? That's a park!"

"It's not a park, baba." Virat laughed. "It's a stadium. Where papa plays." He switched the camera to show her the stadium. "Do you see the people? See."

"Wow." Vamika said. "Mama. Wanna go there."

"Yeah? Mama will take you in some days. Okay?" Anushka running a hand through her daughter's hair gently and got up when Akaay stirred. "Talk to papa. Mama will get bhai to bed, alright?"

"Kya hogya mere bache ko?" Virat asked softly, when he saw her staring at him quietly.

"I miss you. Mama is always busy with Akaay. No one plays with me." Vamika complained, her bottom lip wobbling, tears threatening to fall.

"Hey, no, no, no. No crying baby no crying." Virat pleaded. "Akaay is very young baby, he needs mama more."

"But I need mama too!"

"Even I need mama." Virat muttered, seeing the tantrum. "Okay, when I come back, I'll bring you a lot of new games and we will play together. Deal?"

"Pakka promise?" Vamika asked, smiling wide. Kids and their mood swings.

"Pakka promise." Virat said, making a funny face at her making the child giggle. "Okay, gimme a kiss. Helicopter kiss." He sent her a flying kiss to which the child responded with one of her own.

"Yay yay yay." Virat sang happily. DK, who was looking at him from a distance, smiled, remembering his own little boys. He knew how much his friend was missing Anushka and the kids. Especially Vamika. The child was a treat to talk to. She would send Virat voice messages, she would talk to all of them when they video-called in the team room and she was always so excited to hear new stories about her father.

She was like Virat in that way. Their presence alone was enough to uplift everyone's spirits.

"Brush kiya?"

"Kiya!" Vamika exclaimed, showing all her teeth to him. "Aapne kiya?"

"Kiya." Virat smiled wide, showing all his teeth to her as well.

"Sir, come for the post match presentation, please." A staff member said.

"Yeah, give me a second." Virat said, focusing back on his child. "I have to go, bye, love you."

"Noooooooo papa!"

"Arey match me hun." Virat laughed. "Dekho, bula rahe hai vo." He called the staff member closer who obliged happily. "Bhai, ek baar idhr aake bolde zara."

"See." Virat said, turning the camera back to himself. "I'll call you tomorrow, baby, pakka promise. Okay? Bye. Love you."

"Bye papa." Vamika waved.

"Bye Nushkie." Virat added when he saw Anushka coming back. "Love you."

"Love you too! Now go." She laughed and hung up.

"Missing your baby girl a bit too much." Faf chuckled patting Virat on the back.

"Daughters, man." Virat shrugged, smiling. "You know it."

Virat still remembered the first time he held Vamika in his arms, bundled up in a soft blanket, she looked like a doll and it took Anushka twenty minutes to convince him he won't drop her. He stared at her little face, his eyes welling up, was this how love at first sight felt?

Now, he could truly understand why Anushka's dad was so skeptical of him initially. He could understand why Anushka called her dad whenever something troubled her.

"She will love you in a way you've never experienced before, Virat."

Anushka has been very sure that Virat will be a great father from the very start, even if the latter himself was full of doubts.

Daughters make you a better person, her father used to say. And she saw it coming true right in front of her eyes.

The tenderness, the patience, the love that Vamika brought out of her husband was something else.

Virat had already left a lot of anger behind when he had met Anushka and now with Vamika coming in his life, the world saw a different, almost unimaginable, version of him. The father Virat Kohli.

The aggressive celebrations have now turned to cradle celebrations.

The free time was now spent colouring and block-building.

"Papa, I love when you play with me. I was so bored when you weren't here and mama was sick."

For that smile, Virat would take the same decision a thousand times over, irrespective of all the judgements and criticisms he faced for it. His wife needed him, his kids needed him and he would always be there.

And for his daughter's smile, Virat would quite literally do anything.

"Papa, chocolate?"

"Abhi to khayi thi, beta."

"Just one more. Please."

And there were those eyes again, looking at him pleadingly. Anushka often teased him about his inability to deny Vamika anything. But how, how could he possibly say no to that?

"You'd be so rigid for so many other things, but when it comes to that little human, you are like 'BAM'."

Because with Vamika, Virat couldn't ever be rigid. His happiest side came out when he was with her. All the trolling, all the outside judgements, all the baseless hate, nothing mattered anymore.

He didn't live to prove himself to anyone anymore. He didn't live to clarify himself to people anymore. He didn't need anyone's validation anymore.

It was just Vamika's smile. The only thing he desperately needed after a long hard day was his daughter's toothy grin and he would be alright.

Because when you have children, you live for them.

And now, Virat lives for Vamika. And for his two lucky A's.

Hi guys! How are you all doing?
Liked the chapter? Please please give more ideas, running out of them seriously.

And any book recommendations please? I've read most ICT fics here, when I didn't even have an account so I can't seem to track which ones I've not read fully or when they weren't completed.

There was this book where Ms, Virat and Shubman were brothers, I think and I can't seem to find it as well.

If anyone has any suggestions, please do share.

Take care!