Scent of a Man (Ishman/Shubish/Ishdik/Shubman Gill x Ishan Kishan)

Scent of My Faults: Part 1

Notes:

Hey guys, hope everyone is doing well! So lemme just drop a quick update- I was working on this chapter for three days but as the construction plan that I had in my mind for this chapter was proved to be hectic while writing 'cause it just went on getting longer and longer, I am still working on the last part of the chapter, and finally have decided to break it into two parts.
So this is the part 1 of chapter 5, and if everything goes right then I think I will be able to drop part 2 tomorrow. Also, I haven't done the translation till now, it will be posted after I finish publishing the entire chapter.
And once again, thanks to my bff, Ms. SB heelshire for being the most wonderful critic for me , love ya babe 😘

That's it, I won't waste any more time, dig in! Happy reading! 🤍

******************

Chapter Summary:

He knows.
HE KNOWS.

****************

Chapter 5: Scent of My Faults: Part 1

"Everyone, please take your seats. The team meeting will start in five minutes. ", the room fell into a hushed silence as Virat stood at the front, his expression steady and stern. Clearing his throat, he started again, "We have important issues to address, and I expect everyone's full cooperation and attention."

It was not possible to say what exactly was going on in Shub's mind at this moment, but it was clear from his expressions that in this room, he was the only person paying zero attention to what was going on around him. To think that he was the sole reason behind this whole drama, his carelessness seemed very surpursing, funny even, to the man sitting right beside him.

"Aye, thik hain na tu?", Rishabh whispered as he tapped on Shub's shoulder.

It seemed like Shub was lost in his own world.

If he didn't absolutely have to be at this meeting, Shub probably would've bailed.
After Ishan stormed out of his room, that all-too-familiar wave of nausea crashed over him. His knees just gave out and he dropped to the floor, gasping for air, as the room started to spin around him- a usual sign to his panic attack blackouts; something he hadn't experienced since his younger years.
Growing up, Shub used to deal with this trauma often, but it had been a long time since his last episode. So, when he finally opened his eyes this time, he realized he’d been out cold for about twenty minutes. It took more than an hour, three bottles of cold water and a bonine tablet to finally get a handle on the panic and anxiety overwhelming him.
And since then, he had been questioning himself, what exactly did happen back then? Everytime he tried to think of that kiss, everything seemed blurry, and if he tried to force into his memory, it felt like his head would burst open. Still, he couldn't stop thinking. What was Ishan trying to do? Or, more like, was Ishan trying to do what Shubman thought he was trying to do?

Shub's childhood was not at all different than any other punjabi kid, except for one thing. He always knew something was not usual about him. When every boy in his class was talking about how sexy Katrina looked in 'Bang Bang', he found Hrithik Roshan more deserving of that kind of admiration. When everyone around him was swooning over Deepika in Ramleela, Shub couldn't help but think Ranveer Singh was just as breathtaking.
Once, when he was around 11, he made the grave mistake of telling his classmates about how he used to find Shahrukh Khan as attractive as Kajal if not more in 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge'. They looked at him as if he was from another planet before bursting into laughter and calling him names. That was the moment he realised his feelings were not shared by others; it was acceptable for boys to admire actresses like Deepika, Kareena, Priyanka, or Katrina, but not the leading men appearing opposite them.
Since then, he had never ever spoken about how his heart skipped a beat whenever Ranveer Singh came shirtless on screen, just as it did when Deepika danced on 'Ang Laga De Re'. And now, after so many years of burying those feelings deep inside his heart, he was sure that he never actually had those in the first place. He almost convinced himself that he was normal like everybody else.
That was until Ishan Kishan walked into his life. Shub tried his best not to overthink anything; anything at all- those stolen glances or hugs from behind or playful pecks on the cheek. He had never gave a second thought to any of these, in fact, he forced himself not to.
That was until today.
That was until Ishan pressed his lips against Shub's.