Bittersweet

2.

"Hey Cheeku, how are you doing?"

"I don't know, Bhaiya. I thought we'd win this tournament, I've been so optimistic about everything and I don't understand where it all went wrong." Virat spoke through the tears, he tried so hard to control his own sadness for the sake of being the stronger person in front of the youngsters. But this was his Mahi Bhai, he had nothing to hide nor maintain.

"I know, this time I had hope too. I know how heartbreaking it is to come so far and fail at the last step, I remember crying like a kid after our 2019 semis and now it is the finals which must be a worse feeling for you guys. But it is not just about the final match, okay? You guys have been wonderful throughout the tournament and that will be remembered for a very long time."

"But this squad is so special to me, Bhaiya. Ash who has been there since 2011, Jaddu an exceptional fielder since 2015, Shami and Bumrah were so good with their bowling, Kuliya and Siraj saved so many runs too, SKY worked so hard, poor Hardik had to leave in between, Shardul and Ishan couldn't play much but still were very supportive, Shreyas was exceptional with his centuries and got us rid of the 4th batter problem, Shubi was a great opener and was stable despite the pressure, Rah who reminds me so much of you with his wonderful decisions and catches" Virat sniffled, "And most importantly Ro, who has been nothing but the best all throughout. Even the support staff and all the coaches made the tournament so good for us. Every single one of them means so much to me."

"I understand the feeling, Cheeku. I felt the same with a lot of the teams I played tournaments with. It is extremely devastating to think about how you may not play another tournament with the same team but that is just how this sport is, it gives you so many memories to cherish but it can also be quite cruel sometimes. And give yourself some credit, Cheeks. You never appreciate yourself for how you've helped in winning so many matches. I'm so proud of you, okay?" Mahi tried to calm him down.

Hearing his Mahi Bhai say that he was proud of him only made Virat sob even harder, but the reassurance also meant a lot to him so he slowly calmed himself down. And besides, there were still some things left for him to do.

"Thank you, Bhaiya. Thank you for always being a pillar of support for me during tough times. I love you so much for always being there. I'll now go and talk to Ro, he must be in a worse situation than I am."

"Alright Cheeks, take care of yourself and tell Ro to do the same." Mahi concluded.

"And I'll go to Ro's room and video call you later, so please don't throw your phone away again." Virat teased him for never lifting any calls.

"Haha okay, go now." he chuckled.

"Bye, Mahi Bhai,"

"Bye, Cheeku." The call was disconnected and Virat was once again smiling despite all the pain. He was reminded of how Mahi Bhai came to his room to console him that night after the semis despite how much the match hurt him too. And it was now Virat's job to pass on the same kindness and love that he had received.

A/N: This was a part that happened completely uninentionally, it wasn't the initial plan but I wanted to write something for my first favourite ICT ship, Mahirat, so this is a small story that I somehow managed to finish.

Do let me know what you think about it in the comments. <3