a/n: likhne ka man bilkul nahi hai jo hua uske baad but i need to wrap up the story sooo. btw, i always imagine in a manga format while writing. it’s more fun like that.
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Ishan decided to steer clear of his room, not eager to spend a night with a possibly horny Shubman. Instead, he headed to the gym down the block. He frowned at the unusual buzz of the equipment, wondering who would be working out at this hour.
“Your posture is off,” Ishan called out, his voice reverberating in the otherwise empty gym.
Yashasvi dropped the weights with a grunt, casting a quick glance at the opponent skipper. He puffed his chest, going for another try when Ishan swatted at his arm.
“God, you’re drenched! How long have you been at this?” Ishan asked, noticing Yashasvi's sweat-soaked shirt.
Yashasvi mumbled, his cheeks flushing. “None of your business.”
“Still mad you got stumped at zero, huh?” Ishan grinned.
“Please don’t bother me,” Yashasvi said, though he allowed Ishan to help him. “Thanks,” he muttered.
"You're pretty dedicated," Ishan remarked, watching him. "Meanwhile, your captain is sleeping like a log.”
Yashasvi dropped the weights, finally catching a breath. “He’s always too casual after losing matches. I don't like that about him.”
Ishan chuckled, tossing a towel at the boy. "Every captain has his own style. But hey, he's still good, right?”
Yashasvi remained quiet for a moment before shrugging. “We still lost, it doesn't matter.”
“You’ve won two consecutive times,” Ishan pointed out.
Yashasvi clenched his fists, his expression turning serious. “That just means we had to win for the third time too.”
Ishan crossed his arms, staring at the other. “You remind me of myself.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” Yashasvi snorted.
Ishan shrugged, walking away. He suddenly remembered Shubman talking about this Yashasvi guy. “Has a resting bitch face but a good lad,” he had said. Ishan figured he should mind his own business and leave his opponents be. Even though his brain starts to tingle when he can’t befriend everyone within a mile radius, he knew he should respect people's boundaries.
But he had an idea what Yashasvi was going through. Overworking to punish himself, that wasn't something Ishan was unfamiliar with.
“Aren’t you gonna work out?” Yashasvi called after him.
Ishan glanced over his shoulder with a smirk. “Race you to the mess,” he challenged, taking off.
“Wha- Oi!” Yashasvi cursed at the strange boy who thought he would follow him. As if.
Yashasvi caught up with Ishan in no time.
“You’re fast!” Ishan laughed as they raced down the empty hallway. “Not bad, Yashu.”
“Don’t call me that,” Yashasvi panted, but a small smile tugged at his lips as he pushed himself forward.
“I guess you won,” Ishan mused as they reached the mess hall, slowing down. He patted the other’s back brightly, causing Yashasvi to scoff.
“Yeah, where's my trophy?”
“In the pantry,” Ishan replied with a mischievous grin, already sneaking around the corner for another one of his pantry raids.
Yashasvi shifted on his feet uneasily. “Do you wanna get suspended?” he hissed, glancing around for cameras.
Ishan gasped. “Rishabh beat me to it!”
Only Rishabh could be faster than Ishan in these raids. They had been partners in crime many times before, but this time, Rishabh decided to be a betrayer.
“I think we should get out of here,” Yashasvi muttered, hearing footsteps in the distance.
“Can you believe Rishabh took my stock of Mogu Mogu?” Ishan turned to him, pouting.
Yashasvi grabbed his arm. “Seriously, you are so strange.”
Somehow, Ishan led them towards Rishabh’s room. “Listen here, you little tsundere, we are going to reclaim our rightful Mogu Mogu!”
“Rightful? You mean rightfully stolen?”
“I don't care about semantics,” Ishan muttered, as he attempted to quietly turn the doorknob.
“This is so creepy,” Yashasvi mumbled. What was he even doing here, being an accomplice to Meridian's biggest rival captain in some cheap, midnight tomfoolery? He was going to get caught and bring shame to his uni. These Summit brats could afford to waste their time like this, but Yashasvi couldn't.
As Ishan pushed the door open, Yashasvi gaped at the scene. “Dhruv?!”
“Oh, Yashu! Check this out, they’ve got the Passion Fruit flavor,” Dhruv beamed, showing off the two packs he had managed to get, most probably for Yashasvi.
A very pleased Rishabh, sitting next to him, smirked at Ishan. Ishan gasped as he watched Rishabh down the last pack of Mango flavor.
Yashasvi shook his head with a sigh. “Let's go, Dhruv. We have to leave early tomorrow.”
“What a party pooper,” Ishan scoffed. “Let the boy have his dose of happiness.”
Yashasvi ignored him, focusing on Dhruv. “You know, your disciplinary points would have been cut off if you pulled this at Meridian.”
Rishabh barked a laugh at that. “Ish, they have a disciplinary point system! What are you, kindergarteners?”
“Geez, what a bunch of stuck-ups,” Ishan chuckled, picking up a pack for himself.
Dhruv’s shoulders slumped a little as his grip tightened around the drink. “We’ll have to live in that hellhole from tomorrow anyway, can't you let me be for once?” he mumbled.
Yashasvi stared at him. “Hell- what? Dhruv, do you realize how that sounds? You want to talk like that about our home in front of them?”
“Kya galat bola usne?” Rishabh interjected, sensing Dhruv’s discomfort. “It's no secret the torture your so-called elite uni puts their recruits through.”
“Stop brainwashing him,” Yashasvi snapped. “That is the cost of winning. If you don't give, you can't take–”
“I did give my best!” Dhruv protested, his voice cracking slightly. “And we still lost.”
“That's because I played like shit,” Yashasvi muttered, clenching his fists.
“I’m already sad, Yashasvi. Don't make me sadder,” Dhruv replied.
Yashasvi winced at the use of his full name. “Okay, I’ll go.”
Ishan sighed and smacked Yashasvi on the back of his head. “Go and sit down.”
“I’m not taking orders from you.”
Ishan shot him a flat look. “Your body is dehydrated after all that working out. Have a fucking drink before I drag your sorry ass to the third years and leave you there for a wonderful night of ragging.”
Yashasvi blinked. “You guys are so weird.”
Ishan shoved him onto one of the beds before tossing a pack to him. “I shouldn't be doing this,” he mumbled to himself, looking down at the drink in his hand.
“Live a little, will you?” Ishan said as he sat beside the boy.
“What would you have done if you lost?” Yashasvi asked pointedly.
Ishan grinned. “Raided the whole pantry.”
“Is it a crime to be serious here?” Yashasvi whined.
Rishabh chuckled. “Maybe you should rephrase the question. Ish, what would the old you have done if we lost?”
Ishan sighed, rubbing his neck. “I would have practiced until I passed out, I guess.”
Yashasvi sparked up at that. “So, why do you stop me?”
“Because you are not a robot, Yashasvi. You are a human and a human deserves rest. Whether you win or you lose, sometimes all you can do is let it go.”
Yashasvi spoke after a pause, “What after that?”
"After that... you practice until your limbs fall off, silly!" Ishan laughed, smacking him again. "But not now. Not when you've just lost and you feel like the worst person alive.”
Yashasvi blinked. “Alright,” he muttered in a small voice. He didn't know how else to respond to just being ripped open apart by someone who didn't even know him.
Ishan grinned, tousling Yashasvi's sweaty hair before recoiling. “Ugh, gross! You need a shower. Right now.”
“He’s a stinkball,” Dhruv chuckled. “He always works out at night and crashes just like that.”
“Let's throw him into the fountain tomorrow,” Rishabh quipped happily.
“Why, you’re a genius, Rishu!” Ishan giggled. Yashasvi rolled his eyes, silently sipping his drink.
“They are fun, aren't they?” Dhruv nudged him with a wide grin.
“We are the most fun!” Ishan exclaimed, grinning as well.
Yashasvi looked at both the boys, beaming like idiots. “Too bright, I’ll go fucking blind,” he grunted to himself.
The two sunshine boys exchanged a confused glance, while Rishabh chuckled, nodding his head. “I know, right?”
What an odd bunch of people. He wished he could play against them once again. Too bad they were graduating in a few months.
Shubman was pissed. Ishan had stayed out the whole night. Wasn't it just a date? Did they sleep together? Couldn't Ishan have at least informed him? Shubman had even built a pillow fort for them to watch Star Wars together. He ended up getting smacked by Rohit for stealing his pillows because Shubman needed more.
He had planned to leave later in the day, but when Ishan didn't show up by morning, he packed his bags and joined his teammates. He felt petty enough to drop a few texts.
Shubi
seriously?
the least you could do
was see me off.
im so fucking mad at you ishan.
don't you dare call me.
Ishan read the texts from the notification bar after slipping into his room once Shubman had left. He sighed upon seeing the messy attempt at making a pillow fort. Next to it was an untouched parcel of cake where it was written, "Congratulations for winning!"
Ishan did feel a little guilty, but he was nervous to face Shubman for some reason. He checked the time, cursing quietly when he realized he had planned to meet Aditi outside her dorm.
He could just call Shubman later.
“He still hasn't called!” Shubman exclaimed, pacing around in his room.
Yashasvi nodded inattentively as he sipped on his last pack of his drink. “What did you tell him?”
“To not call me.”
Yashasvi snorted. “You, my brother, are the problem.”
Shubman frowned at his junior. “You’re taking his side? Don't you hate those Summit brats?”
“Don't you hate them too?”
“Well, Ishan is my best friend.”
“He’s my friend too,” Yashasvi muttered.
Shubman raised an eyebrow. “Since when?”
“Yesterday, we bonded over this,” Yashasvi said, pointing at the drink.
“But he was with me until… Wait, when’s this about?” Shubman clenched his fists.
“At night, in Rishabh bhai’s room. I think he crashed there–”
Shubman didn't wait for him to finish before he rushed out, fuming. So, Ishan was avoiding him. He pulled out his phone to call him.
“What happened?” Ishan asked nonchalantly.
“You tell me,” Shubman snarked. “What is up with you?”
“Can we talk later? I’m kind of busy.”
“You’re with her again, aren't you?”
“Yeah, so?”
“Nothing.” Shubman pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation. “You are a dickhead, Ishan.”
“What- Okay, whatever. I’ll call you back. Bye.”
Shubman felt like smashing his phone on the wall as Ishan hung up on him but it cost him a fortune so he didn't. Instead, he screamed like an idiot as he ran around in circles.
“What’s up with Cap?” Sai asked, turning to Dhruv.
“The loss has finally settled in for him, I guess,” Dhruv said with a shrug. “You wanna try some Mogu Mogu? I stole it from Summit.”
“Sure.”
Aditi chuckled as Ishan carefully placed petals in her hair. “What are you doing, Ish?”
“Showing the way to honeybees.”
“That’s so sweet,” Aditi cooed. “But they might hurt me, you know.”
Ishan blinked, sighing. “Sorry, I’m not very good at flirting.”
“Are you flirting with me?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Haven't I made it clear?" Ishan retorted, copying her action and placing a flower in his own hair.
"I guess you’ve not," Aditi said with a feigned pout.
"Should I make it clear?" Ishan teased, leaning in a little. He chuckled when she lightly slapped his cheek.
"You’re not sleek, Ishu Kishu."
Ishan scrunched his nose at the name. "Ugh, that's so—"
“Cute!”
“No!”
“It's cute when I say it,” Aditi said, looking satisfied.
Ishan narrowed his eyes before whispering, “Okay, you got me there.”
They both giggled and continued their soft whispers until she asked a question that took him by surprise. “Have you heard the rumour about Shubman?”
“What rumour?”
Ishan tilted his head in confusion. Shubman always seemed to have some sort of rumor swirling around him, but Ishan never paid much attention to them. Until this one.
“Some people say he’s… gay.”
Ishan felt like he had been punched in the gut. There was no way the word could have gotten out unless Shubman had told someone else, or worse, hooked up with a boy. His hand instinctively rose to fiddle with his collar, trailing over the fading hickey.
“Don't believe everything people say,” he replied, trying to sound casual.
“I won’t.” Aditi said, staring at him. “But should I believe you?”
Ishan looked at her, panic creeping into his eyes. “W-What do you mean?”
“Ish, are you hiding something from me?” Aditi asked, her tone serious. “Or should I say– from yourself?”
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a/n: the plot is not like my last story so if you’re assuming ch: 16 from IOIIY would be repeated, you’re dead wrong lmao. you gotta be patient to realize what’s actually going on. i just love misleading you guys lmao.