when 77 met 32 [ishman ff] [shubish]

2026

Third Person's POV:

Suhani told the members about the various other frauds of Kartik too. He had done too much shit for the association to support him anymore, and so it was easier to get him sacked. They were all shocked at this new turn of events. "So, wait... you are the head now?" Abhishek asked shocked, "Well yes." Suhani replied sheepishly.

Some of them were shocked, some were just happy, and Shubman, on the other hand, looked angry. "I want to meet this Kartik once," he commented. "No, Shubman, you aren't meeting him," Virat said, looking determined. "No, please, just once," Rohit looked like he could get sick at any moment. "Why do you want to meet him though?" Ishan asked innocently. "Trust me, Ishu, you don't want them to meet," Rishabh commented, making Ishan more confused.

"Stop talking like Shubman is going to commit a murder," Ishan said, and even though it was sarcasm for Ishan, for others it wasn't. They all looked at him like he was the alien in the room. "What?" he asked again, annoyed this time. "Nothing, let's go," Shubman dragged Ishan out of the room. Suhani had told Shubman about where he could meet Kartik. She did so without informing the other members because then they wouldn't allow it.

There was a new tournament announced for people who weren't already in the Bcci contract and were skilled enough to be playing for India. All of these players were to be competing against each other and trying to win their position in the Indian national team. Ishan's name was proposed for this tournament and he was practicing hard for it. There were no other matches during this time, and so everyone was anticipating this tournament.

Two days before Ishan was supposed to play, Shubman went missing. He didn't pick up anyone's calls; no one knew where he was. Not even Ishan. It was strange because Ishan would usually know where Shubman would be, but this time he had no idea about it. At first, he thought he might be a bit too busy with the practices that it might have slipped his mind, but no, there was no way he would forget about something like that.

That night, Shubman came home with dirty clothes and furious eyes. Shahneel tried to ask him about it, but he refused to talk. "Did you kill him?" Suhani asked over the phone call with Shubman. "Of course not. I am not a murderer, you see." He answered. "Did you hurt him?" she asked again. Her question was met with silence on the other end. "Shubman." She uttered again. "He deserved it," Shubman said before ending the call.

There was nothing more to be asked or said. She got her answers, and she was quite satisfied with them. Shubman called Ishan the same night, and they talked for hours again. Ishan did not ask Shubman about where he had gone earlier or why he was not picking up anyone's calls. Ishan felt like it would be better for him to not know.

The day of the tournament had finally arrived, and everyone was excited for it. Ishan, on the other hand, was too nervous. He had gotten calls from all the people that he had known wishing him luck, but his nervousness wouldn't stop kicking in. He was practicing for the match when he got a phone call. From shubman. His mood instantly changed, and he looked happy again. He looked at his coach for permission and then instantly skipped to the stands when he did get the permission.

"Hello meri jaan, kya karra tha?" Shubman said, and Ishan's heart skipped a beat again. He had no idea why it kept happening, but he wasn't complaining at all. Shubman rarely called him that, and when he did, it would make Ishan's heart flutter for some reason. "Practice karra tha." He replied. His voice broke in the middle of the sentence, and Shubman instantly picked up on it.

"Nervous hai?" he asked. Ishan wanted to say that he was nervous yes, but not anymore. The voice break had nothing to do with his nerves about the match at all, but he had no idea why it had happened either, so he decided to go with whatever. "You'll play well; I just know you will." He said, and Ishan smiled at that. "Shubi, tu ishan ko dilasa dera hai ya khud ko? Usse zyada nervous toh tu lagra hai." Shahneel's voice could be heard in the background.

Ishan smiled again. When he was with Shubman, he smiled too much, Ishan realized, and he wasn't complaining at all. Suddenly there was a commotion on the other side, and soon it was Shahneel talking on the call. "Hello, Ishu... all the best, bacha." "Thanks, di." He answered. Shahneel was an amazing sister, not only to Shubman but to Ishan also. And Ishan was thankful for her.

The time had finally arrived, and people were all gathering in the stadium to watch the first match of the tournament. The seats were all taken, and the match had begun. Ishan had played extremely well in the first match. There was a scoreboard set up to showcase the position of the players on the to-be-appointed list. Ishan was currently in the first position. He had indeed worked hard for it all.

There were two more matches to be played before they would decide on the final list of players, and the top five players would get appointed to the Bcci central contract on a priority basis. And the next 15 players would enjoy other benefits from the tournament. These matches were too important to screw up for all of them.

In the last match, the air was unusually tense, and they were all too nervous. Not only the players, but the audience could feel it all too. Shubman had come to the stadium with his family today. They were sitting together with Ishan's family, who had been coming here for all of the matches. Shubman was sitting there, bouncing his feet, when he saw Ishan come on the field. Ishan had no idea that Shubman would come today, and he was shocked when he saw him there.

Feeling a lot better now, he gave Shubman a small smile. Shubman, though, was constantly looking at the pointer table, where Ishan's name could be seen in the 3rd position. As the game proceeded, his name fell to be in the 4th position, and Shubman's heart sank. He desperately wanted Ishan to win so that they could play together again but looking at the pointer table he felt like crying.

"God, Shubman, the match is still going on; it's not like he lost. Look alive." Pallavi (Raj's wife) said. Shubman looked at her with the same tensed eyes that he didn't even bother to conceal. He just gave her a small smile, focusing on the game again. Pallavi and Shaheel instantly made eye contact, and they both laughed as if in sync. Even their mothers smiled. "What are you laughing for?" Shubman said, sounding a bit upset. "Nothing," Pallavi said, shaking her head and concentrating on the game again.

Ishan looked at Shubman while going on the striker's end again and smiled. His form when he started to play had improved a lot, so much so that near the end of the game he had climbed up to the second position again. But Shubman was feeling greedy again; now he didn't just want Ishan to be in the top five; he wanted him to be number one on the list.

Every time Ishan almost got out, Shubman would almost get a heart attack, and his face looked green out of all the nerves that he was going through. "Pallavi di, don't you think Shubi looks like he would need oxygen soon?" Shahneel commented laughing, to which Pallavi replied with a "definitely." And joined Shahneel in the laughs. "Shabman beta pani chahiye?" Ishan's mom asked him, smiling at Shubman's mom. Both of their fathers were too focused on the game to notice the drama.

Shubman glared at his sister and smiled politely at Pallavi before returning to bouncing his feet and biting his nails. He appeared completely engrossed in the game, which was rather amusing. The game concluded with an incredible six, resulting in Ishan and his team winning the tournament. The stadium erupted in cheers, and everyone seemed overjoyed. However, Shubman remained fixated on the screen, eagerly awaiting the final player scorecard.

Ishan noticed Shubman's tension, despite his happiness, and furrowed his eyebrows. Even the commentators remarked on Shubman's noticeable unease. Ishan turned to Shahneel for clarification, and she reassured him that everything was fine. When the scorecard was displayed, Ishan found himself at the top.

Observing Shubman at that moment, one would have thought that he had just won the most important match of his life. He jumped up from his seat when he saw the results, then quickly sat back down and put his head in his hands, as if to calm himself. The entire stadium watched this gesture, smiling. After a few moments, they began cheering for Ishan, but Ishan was still fixated on watching Shubman through the screen, smiling.

Making his way through the crowd of people congratulating him, he finally reached Shubman, who was now looking at him with wide eyes. He immediately pulled him into a tight hug, and Shubman looked like he could cry at any moment. Ishan, on the other hand, realized that he had been in desperate need of this Shubman hug. Their families simply smiled at the scene.

Ishan took Shubman with him to the field, where he was to be interviewed and given the central contract again. He kept Shubman by his side no matter where he went or what he did.