Ishan didn't ban Shubman from the field on match day. Likely because he was busy strategizing, a process Shubman contributed to by snorting at ideas he disliked.
“Shub, this is a team meeting,” Abhishek hissed, nudging him towards the door.
"And your team's going to lose," Shubman quipped, sticking out his tongue.
Mayank responded by throwing a pebble at him, while the rest of the team simply sighed in resignation. Ishan rolled his eyes and carried on with his plan, turning to Rohit and Hardik for their approval once in a while.
“...wo same maarta hai, reverse swing daal usko…”
As Ishan spoke, Shubman couldn't help but notice the small details about him—the furrow of his brow, the way his eyes lit up with passion, the slight twitch of his lips when he emphasized a point. The sight of a concentrated Ishan was oddly satisfying. Their eyes briefly met, and Ishan shot him a questioning look. Shubman shook his head and looked away, biting the inside of his cheek.
“Tillu, don’t cry if they sledge you, okay?” Rishabh said with a teasing smile.
Tilak nodded in all seriousness. “Mai nayi gaali sikhke aaya, bhaiya.”
The others laughed as Hardik ruffled his hair proudly. Aditi entered the room with an amused smile, “How’s the spirit, boys?”
“Good, now that you’re here,” Surya chimed in with a smirk, nudging Ishan.
“Awesome,” she beamed. “I just wanted to wish you all good luck.”
“Did I hear it right? Did she say you all?” Yuzi remarked, snickering along with Jaddu. Ishan shot them a glare, silently urging them to pipe down.
Aditi blushed slightly as she shot a thumbs-up to everyone, her gaze lingering on Ishan. "Good luck, Ish," she said before hastily dashing out of the room.
"You all mein Ish aa gaya tha, nahi?" Rohit teased an embarrassed Ishan, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as the others erupted into laughter.
Shubman blinked, turning to Abhishek. “What’s this about?”
Abhishek chuckled. “It’s what it looks like, I guess.”
Shubman clicked his tongue, observing Ishan as he slapped his own cheeks, which resembled a tomato. What an idiot. Shubman turned to Abhishek to hug him. “Good luck, bro.”
“We’re finally playing together,” the latter replied giddily.
Shubman smiled softly, nodding in silent approval and he sent him off. Though he didn't say it out loud, his heart swelled with contentment at the sight of Abhishek and Ishan playing together. His hands itched to click a photo but he didn’t want to look like a middle-aged mother attending her son’s match.
Ishan, as usual, played aggressively. The crack of wood against leather echoed across the field as the ball raced past the infield. He had an uncanny precision for finding gaps, Shubman crafted a mental map, strategizing positions for his players when they’d face him. They had to exploit Ishan’s weakness to his breaking point.
Ishan got out scoring 32 off 19. Shubman could read his frustration by his footsteps as he walked out. It was probably not a good idea to approach him but Shubman found himself heading to the dressing room anyway.
“Not now, Gill,” Ishan said as he sensed the boy walk in.
“That wasn’t half bad,” Shubman offered.
“Don’t patronize me!” Ishan exclaimed, tossing his gloves into his locker and slamming it shut with a loud bang.
Shubman flinched before taking a seat beside the boy, who was slumped against the lockers. “I think you should have kept rotating the strike,” he said after a while.
Ishan puffed his cheeks, nodding with a grunt. Shubman stole a glance at him, his fingers fidgeting. After a moment of awkward silence, he cleared his throat. "You should go watch the others.”
Ishan sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He looked at Shubman with a frown. “What about you?”
“I was supposed to head back yesterday.”
Ishan snorted. “Then why’d you stay, idiot?”
“Wanted to watch you play.”
“Right,” Ishan said. “Got my weak points down, haven’t you? Feel free to exploit them.”
“I’ve always known your weak points,” Shubman rolled his eyes. “I know them by heart.”
Ishan stared at him. “That’s what scares me,” he mumbled, pulling his knees closer to his chest. Shubman had a feeling that he wasn’t talking about cricket.
He stood up, ready to leave. As he turned, Ishan spoke. “You could wait a little longer.”
Shubman rubbed his neck awkwardly, shifting on his feet. Ishan added, “Let’s go and watch Abhi.”
A smile crept onto their lips simultaneously as Shubman nodded. Abhishek had always been their peace treaty. Ishan cheered for him on the crease, his heart lighter than it had been in days. Probably because of an old friend by his side and another in front of him.
Ishan’s stomach swooped with pride when the boy raised his bat for his fifty. He instinctively hugged the person beside him, Shubman that is. The latter stilled for a second, unsure of what to do with his hands. Before he could slowly wrap them around the smaller boy, Ishan pulled back hastily.
“Sorry.”
Shubman's ears tingled with warmth. He shook his head, muttering under his breath, "Stupid."
"Hah? Who're you calling stupid?"
Shubman bit back a smile, averting his gaze to the field while Ishan stared at him pointedly. “Abhishek.”
“Don’t call Abhi stupid!” Ishan smacked the taller boy.
Shubman’s lips parted in surprise before he turned with a smirk, landing an unexpected slap on the other’s ass. Ishan let out a small squeal, glaring at him. Shubman grinned. “It’s quite soft.”
Ishan shot him a disgusted look before scooting away from him. Shubman laughed, intentionally raising his hands in the air and making suggestive gestures of squeezing, much to the other’s annoyance.
If Ishan inched closer to him again in the latter half of the innings, Shubman didn't comment on it.
They clinched the match by a good 20 runs. Ishan was all smiles, jumping onto Rohit excitedly. The latter ruffled his hair fondly, and assured him that they were definitely going to win the tournament this time.
"Chal ab paise nikal." Ishan heard Mayank talking to Abhishek.
"Kya hua?" Ishan asked, glancing between the two.
Mayank grinned. “The newbie pays up for treat, right?”
“Oh, right. “ Ishan looked at Abhi with a broad smile. “Drinks on you tonight!”
Abhishek blinked. “Wha- uh.”
“Party time!” Hardik yelled beside Abhishek, almost giving him a fright. He looked at all the boys staring at him with anticipated eyes. “Tilak’s new too,” Abhishek pointed out.
Tilak pouted. “Hardik bhaiya!”
Hardik slung an arm around the younger, shaking his head. “He’s just a baby, Abhishek.”
Abhishek gaped at the injustice, turning to others for help but gave up when they started chanting his name. He sighed, reaching for his pocket. “Oh, I left my wallet in my room.”
Mayank squinted his eyes. “Try again, genius.”
“What, I’m not lying!”
Rishabh crossed his arms. “Do you want to be strip searched?”
“What the fuck?” Abhishek covered his body protectively. “Guys, I’m not lying. Let me just go and get the money from my room.”
“Oh, no, no.” Surya smiled innocently. “We don’t trust you enough to let you go now. What if you lock yourself up?”
Abhishek groaned. “Do you all think I’m that cheap? I’ll get you whatever you want, okay? But I’ll need the money for that.”
Ishan sighed. “Okay, guys. I’ll go get the money from his room.”
Ishan hurried to the dorms and pushed open Abhishek's door, which wasn’t locked for some reason. He halted in his tracks when he saw a dripping wet Shubman inside, standing in his naked glory. Well, half-naked, but the short towel covered only so much. His skin glistened under the soft glow of the room's lighting and the damp strands of his hair clung to his forehead, making him look oddly sexy.
What was it with them and nudity everytime?
Ishan observed a water droplet tracing a path along Shubman's bicep, descending slowly down his arm. He had the most deranged urge to lick it.
Ishan blinked. “Uh, sorry.”
Shubman, who had been staring at him with an indifferent expression, finally smirked. “No, you’re not.”
“What?” Ishan felt like his ears were on fire.
“You’re not sorry.” Shubman simply repeated and returned to tousling his wet hair.
Ishan felt his heart thumping louder as he stepped inside. He had to get the money; that's what he was there for. Ignoring the abnormal spike in his heartbeat, he walked past Shubman to reach the drawers.
He didn't catch Shubman’s quiet footsteps as the boy’s chest pressed against his back. Or maybe he did.
"What are you looking for?" Shubman's deep voice echoed near Ishan's ears. He felt a tiny droplet fall from the boy’s hair onto his nape, sending a chill down his back.
“Nothing of your importance,” Ishan mumbled.
“I think it’s very important.” The low, deep voice was doing questionable things to Ishan’s body. “Tell me, maybe I can help you.”
Ishan frowned as he couldn’t find the wallet anywhere. He turned around quickly to search the beside table and ended up inadvertently colliding with Shubman.
"Ever heard of personal space?" Ishan quipped, rolling his eyes as he pushed Shubman aside gently. He felt the boy’s intense gaze on his back as he picked up the wallet.
"Five minutes?” Shubman asked.
Ishan turned back with a confused look. “What do you mean?”
Shubman flashed a grin, running his fingers through his hair. “Can I take up five minutes of your personal space?”
Ishan’s cheeks flushed a bright shade of red. He suppressed any desperate noise he might have made. He could tell that Shubman wasn’t joking by the way his eyes darkened and he licked his lips.
Ishan must have gone crazy. That’s right. Getting stumped earlier took a toll on him. It was the only probable reason for why he strode up to Shubman and smashed their lips together.
He felt Shubman smile against his lips before he pulled Ishan by his waist, making their bodies flush against each other. He ran his tongue over Ishan’s lower lip, asking for permission to deepen their kiss, and the latter instantly opened his mouth in response, letting him explore it. Shubman’s mouth felt warm. Ishan relaxed as the other cradled his jaw with one hand, leaning into the touch.
“You’re better at this than I thought,” Shubman whispered with a lazy smile.
“Shut up.” Ishan connected their lips again, slowly pressing Shubman against the wall. His hands ended up on the other’s strong abs. A small moan escaped his lips as Shubman swirled his tongue inside, the wet and obscene sound reaching his own ears, that only served to turn him on more.
Shubman tugged Ishan’s hair playfully, pulling his head back. He dragged his lips down to Ishan’s chin, and further down to his neck, where he sucked a little before letting go. He was about to return to Ishan’s heart-shaped lips again when the latter said, “Time up.”
The boy was a blushing mess, his eyes heavy-lidded, and letting out rough little pants. Shubman restrained himself from pinning the smaller boy to the wall and kissing him until time warped for them. He nodded instead, biting down a smile.
Ishan never walked out faster. He closed the door without glancing back, feeling the heat spread through his entire body. Once alone, he released the gasp he had been holding, bringing his hands to cover his mouth in shock. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
He kissed a boy.
He kissed a boy that he hated.
His head was spinning as he managed to walk back to the dressing room. He felt his entire world crumble down on the way, fighting the urge to throw up. What was he thinking? Right, he wasn’t thinking at all.
“Ish!” Abhishek yelped. “What took you so long? I was about to lose my dignity.”
“Huh,” Ishan muttered, lost in a daze. “Y-yeah. I found it.”
Abhishek grabbed his wallet with relief as the boys hooted excitedly. “Where’s Shub?”
Ishan’s heart skipped a beat. “W-why?”
Abhishek shrugged. “I texted him to help you find the wallet. And he said he’s coming with us anyway.”
Ishan’s jaw almost dropped. He could have lived without the information. That asshole.
“Bhai, kaha tha? Jaldi aa.” Abhishek waved at someone behind Ishan, causing the latter to turn around.
Shubman stood there like he hadn’t just kissed the daylights out of Ishan, smiling like he just came back from something that didn’t involve moaning into each other’s mouths. Ishan hated that he looked so composed. Shubman didn’t have a blush on his face that made it seem like he was having an allergic reaction, unlike Ishan.
Ishan remained frozen like a dumb statue as Shubman walked past him. Just like that. He was angry. He was so angry that he wanted to drag Shubman by his collar and slap him across his face.
Or maybe kiss him again.
♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧
a/n: i felt bad for yall so i made them kiss :3
anyways, i was trying to sketch ishman from this fic (yes, i made fanart for my own fic). i haven’t drawn in a year so this is a crappy 10 min rough sketch don’t judge ok.
btw it looks nothing like them lmao sorry i only draw anime twinks.