It was a peaceful morning in Brisbane, or well, it was kinda a very peaceful morning in the Indian team hotel which was a few hours away from turning absolutely chaotic and mad. It was 6 am in Brisbane and only few souls in the whole team were wide awake or well believed to be awake to be truthful and one, Ravi Ashwin was one of those few believed to be awake souls.

Eyeing the golden rays of hope gently penetrating through the glass windows of the large team room, creating looming shadows out of the objects blocking it's path. Ash waited for his cup of coffee to brew with saintly patience humming to himself. His dearest wife was asleep with his little munchkins, those balls of unconstrained energy wrapped around their mother in a tight bundle.

And Ash not wanting to disturb their sleep with his own nerves before the match had silently walked out of the room. His back still twitching with pain every now and then but it was better than before and he really needed coffee before they needed to vent out for the stadium. In few hours, It'll be absolute chaos around. The guys full of energy running around trying to maintain the humor of the group. Jinks checking and rechecking with Rohit about  his belongings.

It would become a full on circus then and Ash wanted a few moments to himself before that phase begins. A little calm as much as he loves this mad house they really can be a little overwhelming and to deal with them patiently through out the day. He needed these moments with himself, plain moments, to just breathe in and enjoy little things like coffee and silence.

The vibrations emitting from his phone suddenly created a hymn, a kind of soothing hymn mixed with the coffee machine disrupting the little randomly moving zone he was locked in, frowning slightly, he moved to check his vibrating phone lying beside the coffee machine. When did he put the phone on vibration mode? He didn't know and who's calling him so early in the morning? The cartoons were here.

They would have knocked on his room and it was too late for people in India to call him, now. It was what like 2 or 2:30 over there. So, who's the night owl calling him now? Sighing, he picked up his phone the caller Id making him smile almost exasperatedly. Of course, who else but the guy who had all but memorized his schedule will call him at this moment!

"How's your back now?" The question greeted him as soon as he picked up the call.

"Better" Ash smiled.

"10% bitter-better or actually better?" The guy inquired quite like an inquisitor with an unquenchable thirst.

"Actually better,"

"tying your shoelaces, yourself?"

"I'm wearing slippers!"

Okay, he wasn't absolutely grinning right now.

"Ashley!!"

The annoyed whine followed by a mewl, hushed curse and a soft hum of some song, he couldn't quite place as he heard his brother make an absolute fool of himself.

"You didn't hear that word, did you? Baby girl!! It's bad word, Okay!! you shouldn't ever speak that, well, you can shout that if someone is pestering you real bad then use it with a punch, alright, but don't speak it in front of mumma ever or your Mahi Tau ji for that matter! They'll scold your papa a lot! You don't want your papa to be scolded! do you my love?"

The soft smile playing on Ash's lips won't just disappear. He could all but see his brother in his mind's eye rocking the little bundle in his arms on his heels, humming the words to her in baby voice. He could see that and the image made him smile more. His Cheeku, a father, and head over heels in love with his baby girl as he should be, as any other father out there should be.

He wasn't there but when Bhuvi told them that Virat cried holding their little Viratee in his arms for the first time. All of them were inclined to believe it. It was a surreal feeling after all, holding, the life you made in your arms. And for an as emotional being as his Vi, Ash could totally imagine the importance that moment held in his life. The feeling greater than any other feeling in the whole world. The overwhelming feeling of absolute bliss and happiness that makes you weep and laugh all at once.

"Bad manners, Vi!!! You don't curse at babies!" And still, he found himself teasing his brother like this, reminding him of his presence it was highly amusing tsking like a disappointed parent on the call. He could all but imagine the eye roll followed by a pout at the direction of the sleeping  child? Was she sleeping? Newborns actually slept a lot but then they stayed awake a lot too, crying, in the nights specially.

"Ash!!" Virat exhaled, "Wait, she didn't pick it up? Did she?" He sounded so frantic and it was absolutely so hard to not laugh.

"No, she didn't silly! But don't make a habit of doing this,"

"I don't, you know me Asheey, it just I had just put her to sleep and then I...okay, now don't laugh at me na Asheyyyy,"

"I'm not laughing!!" Ash denied through his chuckling didn't help his case at all.

"Of course," Virat grumbled and Ash smiled more.

"Is she asleep?"Ash found himself ask when he could hear hum a little more under his breath.

Ash nodded and then realized Virat really couldn't see him nod but maybe he could for he whispered, "Yeah!! Wait a sec, I'll video call!!"

In a few seconds, he received the video call request and accepted it without a second wasted as the connection established, he could see the camera was focused on a little bundle swaddled in a purple blanket sleeping in a cradle. Her small fist wrapped around a finger too large for her and her little lips quirking in heart melting smile, her tongue poking out every now and then too as she laughed in her dreams.

And whoever said that, "You can just keep on looking at babies with happiness seeping through your veins and heart melting," had been right. Ash couldn't think how someone could ever get tired of watching and noticing these little moments. They were all worth capturing and preserving forever, as a parent you could forget everything but not these moments of your children. They always reside in your heart. They always fill you with love and happiness.

"I...I can't get enough of her, you know, every now and then, I find myself looking at her breathe enthralled, I can't look away from her, Ash. I love her too much, Ash!! I never thought I can love someone this much but here I'm, I love her too much, Ash!! My daughter! My Heart! My soul! My hope!!"

The raw emotions in Virat's words resonated deep in Ash's souls. For he knew the feelings first hand too. The emotions of utter joy and being in love like never before. He had gone through it all too. His daughters!! His world!! He doesn't think there is something in the whole world, he won't forgive them for. Even they don't know what kinda power they held over him.They would never know the extent of love he holds for them. It's almost overwhelming.

They won't ever know the things he will happily do for them. How much he could do to fulfill their wishes? The lengths he goes for them. It was a kinda love, a love, he couldn't explain in words. Bright eyes taking everything, small lips quivering and crying for everything. The newborn dependent on them for everything, the toddler babbling, the crawler seeking adventures and the unbalanced being trying to figure out balance and walking, flopping, falling, crying and laughing.

It all seemed like yesterday, he was watching them crawl around and climb on him and now, here they are walking, talking, running yet watching the whole world through a sheltered positive window. And, what he wouldn't do to maintain that window? What he wouldn't do to keep their innocence and curious wandering questions intact? What he wouldn't do to protect then from everything and everyone?

He could feel Virat and his need to keep on holding onto the little bundle of sunshine and waterworks. The tedious journey full of screaming, crying, sleeplessness, frustration, worries and yet, the inexplicable amount of unwavering unconditional love.

"I know!" Ash admitted, for he knew, he really knew and understood Virat's feeling at the moment. It was something he had felt a numerous times too.It was a feeling he experienced every day, every morning, every wake up call he receives from his girls, every little game they play, and every breathing moment, he falls more and more for them. His love just expanding.

"Hmmm," Virat hummed his hand resting protectively over the sleeping pinkish newborn with tufts of hair on her forehead.

"We will always be heroes for them, Ash. We can be villains for the world but never them, never them!"

Ash didn't miss the way Virat put special emphasis on 'We' and 'them'. Both of them knew the world was a very fickle place, one day they'll be hailed as hero the next scorned as villains. No matter how hard they tried, how that bad inning shattered them? The world won't see their efforts, their tears, their heartbreak. They'll be the villains subjected to absolute lashing and the next heroes praised to heaven. The cycle will continue and the disillusioned world unaware that with each cycle they became more disconnected to the world or it's thoughts.

The world wasn't their own and they understood that, what,continued pushing them were the people around them. The people wiping their tears, the people not lashing at them, the people more concerned about their pain then anything. The childish words asking him to take leave for you don't work with pain. The hugs after each loss stating, "It's okay papa! You will win next time!"

"PAPA!!"The laughter filled yells that looked at him with same adherence after wins or loss.He was their hero and no, game result could ever change it.

"We will!!" Ash agreed with Virat again. They knew each other well. Both of them had held onto crying distraught loves thanks to the trolling. And today, the people will praise them tomorrow the same people will burn their effigy, throw stones at their house, uncaring of the innocent lives they marred.

But they, they won't let that happen. They'll be the heroes of the innocent. They'll protect their children even though they failed to shield their wives from being targeted. No one will hurt their children. They'll be the demons lurking the nightmares for the world happily for their children. They'll protect their innocence from the harshness of the world. They'll always shield them.

Lil' Viratee's cute yawn broke their thoughtful trance for sometimes making both the boys smile. Letting her rest Virat walked a little away from her so that he could see her but Ash and his convo won't disturb her in anyway.

"So, how's everyone there?" Virat inquired, the worried brother taking over him as he looked at Ash, very-very worried for his brothers.

"Fine!! Last night Washy sang for us," Ash let Virat know making Virat smile.

"He is a good singer in making!!"

Virat defended his brother and Ash rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Really Ash!!"

Ash snorted.

"humph...don't believe me, you Ashleeeeeeeeey!!!"

"Anna!!! Why I'm hearing Virat bhaiya's voice?" Ash's retort was cut short by the question of a bleary eyed Washy standing on the entrance of the team room with a similarly, sleepy looking Siri and Rishu standing on the door looking all perplexed. The poor boys in their sleepy state couldn't perceive how were they hearing their Virat bhaiya's voice in the team room so early in the morning? Were they hallucinating their Virat bhaiya's voice or Were they dreaming? Should they go back to sleep or what?

"Because he is here?" Ash stated his lips quirking in amusement as the three boys neck rotated all around the room, eyes, searching a certain Kohli.

"By here, I mean on video call," Ash cleared almost laughing as three sets of eyes finally spotted the grinning being on Ash's phone screen waving at them.

"Bhaiyaa!!!"

Three excited yells echoed in the room as the boys appeared net to Ash in seconds. Wishing, boasting and rattling about everything to Virat on full speed and Virat being Virat listened and provided apt responses to the boys encouraging them in his on way. After a good, thirty minutes of complaining, rattling out, whining and gushing over little Viratee, the boys settled a little, not speaking over each other but giving each other equal opportunity to speak.

Rishu was sipping the Coffee Ash brewed for himself smiling sweetly at Ash and poking his tongue out at Siri and Washy.

"Bhaiyaa!!! Did you listen to my interview? How was I?? I called that Smith-Smudge, did you hear??" Washy asked over-excitedly.

"Yes, you did great!!" Virat praised Washy with smile but getting Ash sending him exasperated looks he smiled sheepishly and told Washy drawling, "But you shouldn't call him Smudge on national tv. Even if the Aus themselves had named him that but we shouldn't because it isn't right kinda nickname. We should invent some new name for him. Any suggestion kiddos?"

Virat asked grinning. Ash groaned exasperated. The kids snickered all amused but shut up watching Ash's expression.

"Really Virat??" Ash asked Virat still at a fix with Virat's words. God, they should never let Virat do disciplinary talks. He'll just encourage the kids to speak like this in press.

Virat looked back at Ash almost innocently though his yawn ruined the effect and made Ash realize it was really late back home.

"You know, you should sleep now when you can!" Ash advised Virat knowing he'll be up in the morning again to watch the matches and god knows since when he is awake.

"M'fine!!!" Virat tried to shrug this off but one look from Ash and he knew he didn't have any other option.

"okay,yeah, going too, Show em what you got boys!!! Your power!! chak de!!!"

"Chak de!!"

"you'll watch the match, right" Rishu asked a little doubtfully

"yes," Virat assured.

"You'll cheer for us, right" Siri asked softly

"Always!!!" Virat promised.

~the end~