HULRAT ONESHOTS (Virat-Rahul stories)

A painful fatherhood ahead

27th December, 2023

Rahul went straight to his room from the bus and flopped down on bed when the team returned to the hotel after a tiresome second day of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa. 

Everyone was tired, but Rahul was especially tired, since he'd batted the longest, and till the end of their batting innings, and then had had to keep wickets the longest too (of course). And his team knew it perfectly well, and maybe felt some responsibility towards his tiredness, too, because had they batted or bowled a little better, he might not have been this tired and would certainly not have gone straight to bed from the bus.

The Indian team was alien to the concept of minding their own business. Hence, half of them followed Rahul into his room.

"Rahul bhai, is your back sore? Do you want a massage?"

"He needs water first--drink this, Rahul--"

"Are you hungry?"

"Are you very tired?"

"Of course he is very tired, can't you see? Do you want anything, Rahul?"

Rahul bit back several rude retorts, and said as polite as he could, "I'll just sleep for a bit..."

"Eat something first--"

"Drink a bit of water first!"

Rahul pushed away the bottle Jaddu had promptly brought to his mouth and again, tried to speak politely. "No, honestly, I'm perfectly all right. If you could let me sleep--"

His eyes went around the room to spot Virat, who, it turned out, was standing right beside the edge of the bed.

"I can see," said Rohit in a piercing whisper, "who's waiting for all of us to leave so the actual whining can begin."

Rahul gave him the most lethal of deadpans.

Because honestly, no one except Virat was supposed to know him this well, and he couldn't let Rohit get away knowing he was right.

From Rohit's teasing grin, he already knew he was right. Rahul wouldn't altogether complain, because Rohit cooperated by shooing away the ones still lingering.

"Let him rest, he's got another long day on the field tomorrow--"

"Rohit bhaiya, we'll get them all out within the first hour," promised Jassi.

"Yes, yes--we'll see...I'm sure you will..." Rohit steered Jassi, the last one--or last but one--out.

Rahul opened one eye and glared at Virat with it.

"Are you leaving?"

Virat, who was hovering around the door, went at once, "Of course not!"

"Good," grunted Rahul, closing the eye again.

Virat shut the door and was straightaway scolded with a, "Stop making loud noises!"

He tiptoed up to sit beside where Rahul was curled up and placed a hand on his head.

"What do you want to eat?" 

"I don't want to eat."

"Well, you have to," said Virat. "And since you don't like my choices, I'm asking what do you want to--"

Rahul groaned and turned over to lie on his stomach, lifting a hand to his forehead, half of which was buried into the pillow.

"D'you have a headache?" asked Virat in concern.

"I have one coming on," said Rahul. "And it came. It came."

"That swift?" said Virat sympathetically before another one-eyed glare from Rahul got him moving. "Right, wait--"