HULRAT ONESHOTS (Virat-Rahul stories)

Hiding and otherwise

"Headache?" said Jinks quizzically, because you know they weren't blind.

Rahul saw Virat and Jinks just looking at each other in silence. God knows how they reached an agreement by just looking at each other, but apparently they did, because when Virat trudged up the stairs, thus skipping a meal again—he'd been skipping meals, spenidn excessive time at the gym, refusing to talk to people much, coming down with red eyes to practice, in short, behaved like a teenager after a break up since they arrived at Australia—Jinks did not object any longer, just stared after him impassively.

"Why did you let him go?" Rahul asked Jinks, unable to keep the accusation off his voice (when Bhuvi and Mahi bhai weren't around, Jinks was the only one Virat listened to, hence, if Virat starved himself to death, everyone would hold Jinks responsible).

"Need a good way to deal with him," muttered Jinks, looking about as worried as Rahul felt.

That worried look triggered something in Rahul's mind, a scene from four years ago, when he'd seen this same look on the entire team's face, directed at him.

******

18th December, 2018...

Getting dismissed in the 90s was a curse.

Getting dismissed on 99 was a terrible curse.

But getting dismissed on 199? Had anyone even heard of that?

Rahul knelt down on Chepauk's soil, his head buried in his hands, still struggling to believe that he'd thrown away his double hundred.

When he roused himself and walked back to the pavilion, he found Virat turning and fleeing into the dressing room. He thought he might even have seen the glint of tears in Virat's eyes, though it might've been an illusion just as well.

Virat had been standing, poised to jump and clap and yell himself hoarse for more than half an hour since Rahul had crossed 185. Somehow the thought made Rahul feel even guiltier.

Everyone patted his back and gave him hugs, expressing solidarity, but Rahul found that he did not want their solidarity.

He walked into the dressing room, which was empty except for his captain and biggest champion.

"You played great, Moi—" started Virat, but Rahul ignored his words and went straight to him and sat with his face hidden in Virat; shoulder.

Virat put a tight arm around Rahul and ran his other hand through his hair.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Rahul saw a few members of the team, looking into the dressing room, worried—worried for his sake, he realized—but Virat knew he didn't want anyone else around—Virat knew everything—so he indicated at his friends that he would manage.

And he did. Virat said nothing and yet managed to make Rahul feel better than a million well-meaning consolations from other people would have.

Rahul stayed in the warm comfort of Virat's hug as long as he needed to stop feeling that hollow, and maybe just a little longer, because KL Rahul could hide from the whole world but he could not hide from Virat Kohli.

*******

Present day...

So Rahul thought he knew what had to be done to 'deal' with their pigheaded idiotic captain, as Jinks had put it—the dealing part, he meant, not the pigheaded part. Surely, Rahul thought, as he finished eating quickly and started piling a little bit of every (healthy) thing on a plate from the buffet table on a plate, Jinks had to think Virat as pigheaded as well? But he did a great job of hiding it. Him and Bhuvi.