It's been three full weeks since Shubman last had his whole heart with him. Before the media knew, before the fans knew he had said to his seniors,
"Meri toh jaan basti hai usmein"
And to be apart from half your heart? No it wasn't easy. But he managed, he had his duties and he had his game to play.
After the short (very long indeed for Shubman) wait, they were playing next against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede.
Gujarat Titans had landed in Mumbai earlier that day. Getting settled in, squeezing in a meeting with everyone and a few hours of rest had the clock showing four in the evening. As the captain Shubman wanted to see the field and make sure of certain things, but were the coaches and other team members on board with it? Not really.
Maybe a little warm up session wouldn't hurt, they thought. But Shubman's eagerness to leave for the ground as soon as possible, his jittery legs throughout the bus ride and constant zoning out didn't help the narrative.
'What's up with the captain?'
Shami knew exactly what was up with him while others pondered over the question.
Pleasantries were exchanged in a quick succession and Shubman was seen walking towards the nets where the MI players were practising even before he took a look back at his teammates.
The head coach came to the rescue and assigned workouts for everyone. But they weren't ready to leave their captain alone. Keen eyes followed him.
Shubman walked around a bit like a lost puppy stopping to chat a bit with his other ICT mates in MI before he resumed his search.
It took a little over ten minutes more of pacing and frustrated looking Shubman to march towards the boundary with a growing smile on his face to pull a 5'6'' figure towards him in a tight hug.
The confused GT member squinted their eyes to see, who their captain was hugging with such an intensity and an extended period of time(?).
When Shubman pulled back to cup the other's face in his hands they knew who it was and resumed whatever they were doing before.
It was of course, Ishan Kishan.
"Oh god! I missed you", a peck on the head.
"I missed you so much", he snuggles closer.
Shubman and Ishan haven't been in the same city or seen each other in the past couple of weeks. It was not their normal.
Now that Shubman has successfully completed the task in hand, he didn't know what to do with rest of his time. So he did what he was absolutely best at, follow Ishan around and be as close to him as possible.
Shubman wanted to pull Ishan away from everyone, just the two of them and talk each other's brain out. He wanted to hold him close, run his fingers through his hair, pull him into a slow ki- .
"Ishan bhai what are you doing there? Weren't you practicing wicket keeping? C'mon I'll assist"
With that Ishan was pulled away from him.
To say Shubman was not happy would be an understatement. He was pissed.
It had to be Tilak Varma, Of course.
Who else would wanna drag his Ishu from him. Who would have the audacity to separate them for apparently no good reason. Practice wicket keeping? Pfft.
Shubman having nothing else to do than stare holes into Tilak, walked back to his team.
While the MI team was walking back to the lockers to change and head back to the hotel, there was an addition to the number. Shubman had tagged along. Nothing out of the ordinary.
In the bus, when Shubman entered a little after Ishan. He had to go inform his junior players to behave as he had some matter of importance to discuss with MI's captain so he'll be going with them.
When he entered the bus, he saw Tilak settling into the seat next to Ishan. He looked at Ishan who gave him a 'what? I'm not gonna ask him to move' look. That was enough reason for Shubman to settle in the seat to their front.
He could hear Tilak constantly asking questions or praising Ishan to which Ishan retorted with teasing or sarcasm.
Shubman had enough. ' I'm just gonna put my headphones on and mind my own business, let them sit together and do whatever' , he thought.
Shubman might have fallen asleep because in the next moment he is waking up to Ishan intertwining their fingers with his head on his shoulder.
Shubman couldn't not smile at that and pulled Ishan closer.
"Now you remember me?"
"I can't just ditch everyone because you are here"
" Then what are you doing here? ", Shubman asked a little hurt.
" I can't ignore you either just because Tilak was oblivious and came running to sit with me"
" Then why did you not ask him to move?"
"He's a young fella Mr. Gill, rejecting him every chance I get ain't helping the situation", Ishan sighs.
The thing is both Ishan and Shubman and the MI team knew of Tilak's little(quite big) crush on Ishan. They have all decided not to call him out on it.
But it didn't always sit well with Shubman, and Tilak and Ishan being roommates didn't help it at all.
As always he let it slide. Ishan is with him now and they're gonna have a nice evening together.
At the hotel, they headed straight to the restaurant to have dinner. Shubman went in, piled two plates with enough food and beelined towards a table just for two.
Tilak was seen pulling Ishan towards the long table. But Shubman didn't have to think much about what he was going to do with this guy, Ishan brushed him off and jogged towards his Shubi.
Dinner was a pleasant deal with a lot of talking, teasing and banter. They couldn't keep their mouths shut even to chew.
They were the last ones there with a single staff member waiting on them.
It was around midnight when Shubman and Ishan decided to retire to their room.
Ishan swiped his keycard, entering the room followed by Shubman when a third person interrupted their plans.
"Ishan bhai, kaha the aap? Mujhe neend aa rahi hai", Tilak provided.
Shubman let an annoyed sigh and walked towards the bed. It was a single queen sized bed with Tilak perched on the left side of the headboard.
"Wow, you must be kidding me right?", Shubman said without humour.
"Shubi, listen to me-", Ishan started.
"You have plenty of explaining to do but before that ask him to leave"
" Shub-"
" Ishan bhai, is he asking me to leave? ", Tilak stood up from the bed and walked towards them.
" Tilak tu ek kaam kar-"
" What is he doing here? Doesn't GT stay at a different hotel"
" Tilak just shut up and go sleep with Hardik bhai, please na"
" Why are you asking me to leave? This is my room too. And what is he still doing here? ", It was hard to say whether Tilak was whining or arguing.
" I'll tell you what I'm doing here", Shubman started.
"Tilak mera bhai tu abhi jana. kal hum room kis ka hai, nahi hai, tumari kitni share hai yeh sab detail me bath karenge", Ishan cut him off.
" This is not fair, you have been ignoring me since he came here and now you wanna throw me out of my own room", Tilak was proper whining at this point.
Ishan looked at Shubman with a 'please be patient' look which Shubman perceived as 'i don't know what to do. Maybe you wanna room with someone else'. Blame his tired and frustrated mind.
"You know what, don't bother you two. I'll room with Hardik bhai"
" Shubi give me-"
Before Ishan could finish Shubman had left with the door banging shut behind him.
Hardik was little confused when he saw Shubman outside this late at night. To Shubman's fortune he didn't ask any questions just went straight back to what he was doing, Sleep.
Back in Ishan's room he stood there glaring at Tilak, who was trying to see what he did wrong.
But before he could say something to defend himself Ishan lost it, he could not hold back the anger and annoyance he felt.
" I'm trying to be considerate towards you and your feelings but you're giving me no choice Tilak", Ishan sighed.
Tilak rather than understanding the damage he has done, was nagging how Ishan was angry at him just because of Shubman and how much he hated him for that.
"You sit here and think of how difficult you're making it for me or do whatever. I can't deal with you right now", and he left.
Hardik was again woken up in the midst of his sleep and this time he had to say something.
" You could have chosen any other room for your couple fight, why mine? ", Hardik cried.
" Sorry bhaiya you go back to sleep. We won't disturb you again", Ishan hugged harry to pacify him before walking in.
He saw Shubman lying on the right side of the bed, his face covered with the duvet. He wants to make him sit up and listen to Ishan, clear all the mess he had made knowing or unknowingly. But didn't know how to approach a closed off Shubman with a third person in the room. If they were alone he could have screamed and cried and threw a tantrum till he gave up.
Once Hardik had settled down Ishan squeezed in between them and cuddled Shubman. He left little kisses on his nape and ran his fingers through his hair pulling him closer.
"Shub", he called in a hushed voice.
He only got a hum in response and he knew better than to press him to talk. Ishan felt his heart ache, they have had screaming and yelling sessions at night but never such an uneasy silence before they eventually fell asleep in eachothers arms.
Next morning Ishan woke up to Hardik getting ready and Shubman coming out of the washroom fully dressed.
"Aren't you a bit overdressed for breakfast?",he laughed. " Hardik bhai did you also have to dress up for meals while in GT? "
Neither Shubman nor Hardik resonated with his attempt at humour.
Shubman not looking at Ishan, stuttering a bit said, " Uh I'm not-,not staying for breakfast, have to head back. We got practice in the morning? Yeah we got practice"
It took some time for Ishan to process what he was saying and to notice Shubman was wearing Hardik's shirt. He had his clothes from yesterday in a neat pile on the chair, which he was stuffing now into the hotel laundry bag.
'This is not okay, this can never be okay'. Ishan knew he needs to do something and something fast. The way Shubman was not even looking at him and Hardik's dissapointed head shake was enough for him to panic.
"Harry bhaiya, can you give us five minutes please?", Ishan stood up from the bed took hold of Shubman's hand and stopped him.
"Yeah,I'm going downstairs for breakfast. Take your time", with that Hardik was out.
" Shubi, why are you leaving so soon?", Ishan asked turning Shubman towards him. "We both have practice in the same ground and didn't you say you'll accompany us? "
Shubman tried freeing his hands from Ishan still not looking at him.
"Shubi please look at me. What's the matter? Is it about last night? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It won't ever happen again. Please don't go like this when you're angry. I'm sorry on behalf of Tilak and for him being a pain in the ass every time you're around ", he pleaded.
Shubman had planned to go back to his hotel and forget all about it, like it never happened. He was disappointed, of course he had planned to have a peaceful and lovely time with his boyfriend before they had the match and would be seperated again for a long time. But right now he couldn't bite his tongue and let it go.
"Ishan you can't even see that I'm not actually angry. Why would i be even thinking about Tilak? It's not like he is pulling this for the first time", he scoffs.
" But I'm surprised you're playing along. It's not just about last night, it's about how you were in the ground with Tilak, in the bus and even during dinner. He couldn't just leave us alone for five whole minutes and you were just laughing him off", he sits down on the corner of the bed and looks up at Ishan.
" He has a bloody crush on you Ishan and has had it since the year he started playing for MI. Even Harry bhai feels like you're playing along this time", Shubman half yelled.
Before Ishan could put in a word, he continued,
" Before you cross me with 'do you think I'm double timing?' no i do not"
" Then what are you so worked up about? ", Ishan tried to keep his voice still.
" Ishan, it looks like you're leading him on and he could very well be in love with you after all this time. I'm sorry for being-, idk difficult?", Now Shubman actually felt like he was making a big deal out of nothing.
"Maybe i missed you so much that my mind is plagued with all these", he said exasperated. " You don't have to care about it", he slowly stands up and gives Ishan a forehead kiss.
"I'll get going and I'll see you at the ground"
Ishan pulled him back and made him sit exactly where he was a second ago. And
"Remove the shirt", when Shubman didn't make a move he started unbuttoning it.
"What are you doing?"
"Before i give you my side of the story, remove the shirt and don't even try to cross me when I'm talking", he glared at Shubman.
Once the shirt was off and Ishan was sure he wouldn't open his mouth. Ishan dragged him to his room.
Upon entering he went straight to his cupboard and started searching through his clothes. He pulled out a brown tshirt and handed it to Shubman.
"Wear that"
As if on cue, Tilak came out of the washroom with a beaming face when he saw Ishan but turned grumpy the second he spotted Shubman's head emerging out of the brown shirt.
" Oh my god! He's still here. I even skipped breakfast in the hopes of not seeing him all over you first thing in the morning", Tilak didn't try to hide the disdain in his voice.
Ishan has had enough; he physically felt the last ounce of his patience vaporize.
"SHUT UP! ANOTHER SOUND FROM YOUR MOUTH AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT I'LL BE DOING WITH YOU", Ishan screamed.
Shubman stepped forwards and rest his hand on Ishan's shoulder. He turned to Shubman still glaring,
"And how dare you say ' I don't have to care',of course I'll fucking care. And this guy, is this the first time someone's trying to come between us?", Shubman shook his head.
" then what's so different this time? What made you think I'll let something like that happen? ", He was fuming.
Shubman was left a little scared and speechless. So he chose to keep his mouth shut and not answer.
"The bed thing, i know that's what triggered your possessive ass", Ishan pointed towards the bed. " They didn't have twin rooms on this floor and I didn't wanna gain too much attention on this matter by insisting on shifting"
Shubman felt like a spoiled brat who threw a tantrum when he didn't get enough attention. But he was relieved when Ishan shifted his gaze to Tilak.
"Can you please recall what I replied to your confession Tilak?"
" Oh he confessed too? ", That was Shubman with a new found purpose.
A single glare from Ishan and he let go of his new purpose and let Tilak continue. On the other side Tilak hung his head in defeat and replied in a small voice.
" That you could never see me as anything more than a little brother and teammate"
" And? "
"You already had someone special, you call as your boyfriend"
Ishan cupped Shubman's face and kissed him square on the lips and deepened it a bit before pulling away. He looked at Tilak standing still with his eyes and mouth wide open.
"Now you don't have to ponder about who it is or whether it is Shubman. Hope this clears everything"
Taking advantage of the little pause between Ishan and Tilak, Shubman kissed him again. He had always wanted to do that to let Tilak know, this sexy, hot and adorable charmer was his and only his.
Ishan tried to hold back the growing mirth on his face before asking, "And what did i say after that Tilak?"
Tilak was hurt and it was evident. But for Ishan, he couldn't prioritise anyone over Shub and if that meant being rude to Tilak so be it.
"And you being nice to me doesn't mean i have a chance with you, ever", he whispered the last part.
"Thank you Tilak and you should go have breakfast, we have a long practice session today"
Tilak chose that as his escape and ran out of the room.
Now that they were both alone Shubman was a little anxious. He was preparing for an earful from Ishan for acting like a child and overthinking.
But Ishan walked them towards the chair in the corner of the room and settled across Shubman's lap with his head on his shoulder.
" Oh god! I'm tired of dealing with kids all day long", he exclaimed. " I should have chosen a matured, rich old man to fall in love with"
Shubman gasped at that and tightened his hold on his waist.
" Ha! If only you had the strenght to not fall for my sexiness. I wiped the ground beneath your feet, you could do nothing but fall for me baby"
" Yeah yeah i was blinded from reality by your perfect abs and dimples", Ishan said poking his dimples.
Shubman was about to say something when his tummy made a rumbling noise and Ishan got up laughing. They both bantered their way to breakfast thinking about all that happened in the last twenty-four hours.
Breakfast was a peaceful deal for them accompanied with the usual teasing and knowing looks from their seniors.
It was either making the most of their time or making up for all the time wasted, they couldn't be apart from each other. Breaks meant laying on the ground or sitting flushed against each other. Warm-ups and training meant pair workouts. It was too cheesy even for the coaches to handle.
Did that stop them from eye fucking each other even while net practice? Absolutely not.
At the end of the session, while everyone was eager to head back and rest, Tilak saw Ishan and Shubman still on the field, fooling around and screaming 'I love you' to each other like it was no one else's business.
The last straw was when Shubman bit on Ishan's neck, which was a bit harsh even for a spectator, and rather than complaining, all he did was moan and drop his head back on Shubman's shoulder.
He didn't wait there any longer. He knew then and there it was useless to pin over Ishan and hate Shubman. They were two souls so in love that they couldn't see anything but each other, and there was nothing anyone could do to separate them.
- fin -
A/N: this was absolutely not what i had planned but i wanted to write something with these three. Tilak was supposed to be a cute love sick puppy but ended up being exactly not that 🙈
As always the inspiration behind this:
zainfected: have you seen Tilak's face whenever ishman interacts?
Sends 20 tweets and posts.
Me: aww he is hopelessy pining over Ishan 🤭🤭
Send more
zainfected: sends 5 yt links.
This single video made me to write 3000+ words 😭