Our Captain

Hardik's captain

A/N: Copied from "You can rise above it" cause I'll never be able to write a better Virat-Hardik chapter

Almost everyone had been furious with Hardik for his stupid words at the KJo show, but most people had already forgiven him too. Virat had been the angriest of all, for some unknown reason, and he tried to hold on to his anger till he found out he couldn't anymore.

He missed Hardik too much.

Virat went to smoke in the terrace that night; he hadn't smoked in a long long time, but the inner conflict in him was driving him mad.

The terrace was already occupied.

Hardik was hunched on the ground, his back leaning against the parapet. He seemed dejected.

He seemed...lonely.

In that moment, somehow Virat had a sudden revelation that not only had Team India missed Hardik, he himself had missed him too.

Virat joined Hardik on the ground. Hardik stared at him a wary, scared sort of way.

Virat offered him a cigarette.

"N-no, thanks," faltered Hardik, backing away.

"What, you gave up smoking too?" said Virat skeptically.

Hardik scratched his head, looking completely bewildered about how to react.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, you know," said Virat casually.

The old Hardik would have retorted, 'The only person I'm afraid of is Mahi bhai, captain.'

The new Hardik swallowed and clenched his fists.

"When I was your age, I was much the same," said Virat quietly.

"What?"

"Carried away by success. Thinking that I'm invincible. Not that I used that success too impress girls; I used it to abuse and demean others who annoyed me, because they weren't as talented or successful."

"Really?" asked Hardik, his eyes wide. Virat never demeaned anyone. Never. Rather, he could motivate people after failure better than anyone could.

"Why do you think I'm branded as arrogant and aggressive even today?" asked Virat.

"Because... people are jealous of you?" suggested Hardik, because that was what he had always thought.

"Not at all. I was arrogant and aggressive when I was younger."

"Oh," said Hardik.

"These tags never really go away." Virat faced Hardik. "Your tag as a sexist womanizer will never go away, Hardik."

Hardik's face fell. It was back to that again.

"But you can rise above it," said Kohli.

"Can I?"

"Yes, you can. You know, the one thing we have as a major advantage is that people want to forgive us. We have won a few matches for the country, so they want to love us."

Hardik took it in silently.

"You let a lot of people down that day. The ones who believed in you. But they still want to believe in you."

"Does anyone still want to believe in me?" asked Hardik, realising too late how feeble and weak it sounded.

"Apart from Bhuvi, you mean?" asked Kohli with a smile.

His love for Bhuvi was clear in his voice as Hardik said, "Yes, apart from him."

"A lot of people do," said Kohli, studying the matchbox in his hand. "Rohit does, Kuldeep does, Yuzi does...I do..."

Hardik breathed in sharply.

"You remind me so much of myself, Hardik. Of course I believe in you."

"Do you... really... forgive..." Hardik dared to say.

"I shouldn't have been so angry with you in the first place," said Kohli remorsefully.

It was the first time in weeks Hardik felt truly happy.

"Your team loves you. Your true fans love you--yes, you have got true fans still," added Kohli, seeing Hardik's expression. "You won't let them down again, will you?"

"I'll never again--" began Hardik with feeling.

Kohli smiled. "I know."

Hardik flashed a ghost of his cocky grin.

"Now please stop being a wet dog all the time. We want the old Hardik back," said Kohli firmly. "The one who was not always moping around on the field."

"Who're you to order me around, captain?" reported Hardik in his old arrogant tone, with his familiar mockery in the word 'captain' which he used to use on both Rohit and Kohli all the time.

Virat couldn't help laughing, he was so pleased to hear Hardik being himself again.

"That's the spirit, my boy." He patted Hardik on the head in a very elder- brotherly fashion.

"It--it means a lot to me that you still believe in me, Virat," said Hardik, a sudden seriousness flitting across his face for a moment, before he added with his trademark crooked grin, "After all, you're my captain!"

"That I am." Virat high-fived Hardik, feeling extremely content.

Finally-- finally, things felt normal again.

Hardik realised that day how much Virat's approval mattered to him, because unknowingly he had always been his role model, the perfect mix of agression and caring. He could not bear to disappoint Virat.

He wouldn't disappoint him ever in future.