The world had gone bonkers over Rahul's non-inclusion in the second test squad. Some people even went as far as to claim some kind of great conspiracy against the young lad was in play. Some people claiming Virat was feeling insecure from Rahul and so, the lad wasn't given in chance. People were cooking up stories and imaginary scenarios in their mind with involved a very gloomy Rahul, bawling his eyes out in some corner of the Indian hotel.

No one, absolutely no one, really asked about anything to the guy in question.

Unbeknownst, to the storm he had created in the world for he had absolutely taken retirement from social media. Rahul was dancing and singing like a crow in Mayank's room, totally, not in a gloomy mood like the world expected him to be. Rahul was hoping around, singing, on top of his voice, totally disturbing Mayank, who was feeling all nervous. This tour wasn't going quite good for him.

" Yeh zamana beshram hai, Na iska dharam hai, Kyun dhoondhe hai tu ismein bandagi, Oh tere sath tera man hai,Dil ki dhadkan hai, Aage badh ke jee le zindagi,"

"O re Kauwye, O re Chidiya mt ga re, teri voice chidiya jaisi ni hogi gaane se, abhi bhi Kaua hi lg rha hai," snapped Mayank, when he couldn't cancel out Rahul's voice even after covering his ear with pillows.

Rahul didn't pay any heeds to Mayank's words as he continued hoping around Mayank's room totally unbothered singing on top of his voice. Even i it sounded less like a song and more like random yelling.

"We all need that someone
Who gets you like no one else
Right when you need it the most
We all need a soul to rely on
A shoulder to cry on
A friend through the highs and the lowsI'm not gonna make it alone
La-la-la-la-la la
La-la-la-la-la 'lone
I'm not gonna make it alone
La-la-la-la-la la
La-la-la-la-la 'lone"

Frustrated Mayank shot his pillows like cannonballs on Rahul gaining multiple glares from him. But it wasn't like Rahul's glares affected Mayank even a little. He was as used to them. They seemed as harmful as a random butterfly to Mayank.

"Ja na re baba Jassi ko sata na, merko baksh de, mere kaan se khoon niklega abhi re," Mayu begged pointing the door to Rahul. He could go and sing to Jassi and get hit by some bouncers and yorkers for all Mayu cared.

"Jassi is already sleeping" Rahul stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, picking up the pillows from the floor and hitting Mayu with them. Why? Because he felt like hitting Mayu.

"Then you too go and sleep na!" Mayu begged. Why was this creature eating his brain?

"I'm not sleepy na. Accha do you remember my tips?" Rah demanded from Mayu.

"YES" Mayu nodded. Rah had been repeating the same tips to him for like every day with the words " Mere Virat ki nak mt katwana! Well, Mere Jinksy bhaiyaa ki bhi mt katwana"

Mayu didn't need to hear it again.

"Do you think Miyaan and Subhi boy  slept yet?" Rah asked out of nowhere, startling, Mayu. Okay, just a few second ago he was talking about tips now he jumped to "Miyaan-Subhi". God, why was his brain working as such a bullet train?

"Idk!" Mayank shrugged, he really didn't know.

"Should we check? I mean bhaiya's already have so much on their plates. Even Virat bhai isn't here to check on them. So, should we? I mean...it's the right thing to do isn't it?" Rahul asked Mayank contemplating.

And Mayank nodded instantly in support of this idea. If this guy, will go out to check on them at least then he won't be eating Mayu's head. But then again setting this creature on those poor children, didn't seem like quite the right thing to do to Mayu, so he suggested, "Call them if they picks up under two-three rings then they're awake full of nerves,"

Nodding, Rahul just did that and as predicted, both the soon to be debutantes were pacing their room, full of worries. Rahul invited both of them over to Mayu's room for a friendly night session without taking any permission of said session being organized in his room from Mayu.

Mayu just looked at Rahul searching for things to bang this creatures head with but thankfully for Rahul. Subhi and Miyaan arrived in Mayank's room before Mayank could succeed in his mission peeto Rahul.

"Bhaiyaa! you called" An anxious Subhi asked entering the room. Well, he wasn't used to seniors calling him to their room late in night.

"Yeah, come sit na, think its your room only," said Rahul, gesturing around the room as Mayu smiled encouragingly at Subhi but glared daggers at Rahul.

Nodding Subhi sat on the bed with his legs folded watching Mayuhul bicker curiously, when Miyaan arrived in the room and Mayuhul similarly tried to make them feel comfortable in the seemingly messy room. Rahul even going as far as cracking absolute PJ's to lighten up the mood and ending up making an absolute fool out of himself.

He was so going to kill Mr Nags, next time, he sees that guy.

Mayu didn't know whether to laugh at Rahul or help him out? He decided to laugh at Rahul in the end. Well, if asked he'll say he was laughing at the jokes. The boys were trying to dispel the awkward air and even search for a topic to relax the environment.

But they couldn't actually find anything until Rahul noticed Siri's eyes light up slightly hearing Virat's name. When Rahul was actually retorting to Mayank, who, called his last joke, pathetic and Rahul was adamant on his point that the joke wasn't bad. His Virat bhaiya had laughed until tears came out of his eyes on the same joke.

Mayank still wasn't convinced and Rahul ignored his obnoxious bestie, sometimes, he didn't even know why was he bearing these creature? But he ignored him for the time being, for he had gotten the perfect ice-breaker topic.

His Kohltio.

Why hadn't be bought up this before?

Rahul didn't know but again all of them started discussing their Virat and his antics while talking about these they had somehow reached Miyaan's first ICT call up and his emotions when he entered the dressing room first time.

"Areey, I really couldn't believe I was part of the team. I kept on staring at Virat bhaiyaaa like he will disappear the next second, like he was the best thing around. I just couldn't look away from him and then he comes and asked me "Kya hua Miyaan?" and I was too overwhelmed to even reply. I was feeling like crying tears of happiness, bawling my eyes, hugging him and ranting all about how I still think this is a dream but I was in the dressing room, so, I ended up just hugging him and not letting go," said Miyaan in his Hyderabadi accent all innocently and then felt a little embarrassed confessing this.

Noticing this, Rahul stated, "Areey yeh toh kuch ni, I unofficially shifted in his room, cried in a stadium hugging him and after that dressing room mein, I cried even more,"

"umm...why did you unofficially shift in Virat bhaiya's room?" Subh asked not getting the logic behind it.

"I didn't like my room much" Rahul shrugged.

"Yeah, that's why you shifted in Virat's room in midnight, snatched all his duvet, cried and even managed to push him down the bed!" Mayu pipped absolutely innocently.

"Yeh kb hua? Yeh kisne bola?" Rahul demanded hotly

"Virat ne bataya na...you got scared and shifted in his room hugging him like a teddy at midnight, crying about ghosts" Mayu quipped

"Aisa kuch nhi hua" said Rah all indigantly

"But Virat toh.."

Rahul threw a pillow at Mayank to shut him up.

Mayank threw it back at Rahul telling the nervous kids, "Pata hai! Last time.."

"Mayu baby, should I tell your debut story?" Rahul interrupted asking Mayu all sweetly.

Mayu shut up instantly making both Miyaan and Subhi boy laugh.

Rahul felt immensely proud at making the boys laugh and then, the four quite happily discussed about ghost pranks, scared team mates and normal days.

"Pata hai, Yuzi bhai pranked Washy one night and Washy couldn't even go to the Washroom without someone tagging along," Miyaan let out laughing along with the boys, contemplating about poor Washy.

"Yuziii...he himself is hell scared of ghosts," Rahul grinned, telling the boys of the ghost prank on Yuzi and how he didn't leave Virat for the rest of week hell scared. They were still discussing all this when Rahul got this brilliant idea.

"Hey! should we video call Vi and ask him to tell us a horror story?" He asked excitedly.

Mayu-Miyaan-Subhi gave him totally unimpressed looks.

"What!! We will sleep together. It won't be that scary. It's Vi who's alone" Rahul defended his plan, the guys were still totally unimpressed.

Miyaan-Subhi giving Rahul odd looks for even suggesting their Vi bhaiya would get scared of ghosts as if anything could scare their Virat bhaiya.

Bickering.

A little more Bickering.

Laughing.

Relaxed.

The four boys slept thinking nothing, dreaming everything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, Rahul video called Virat as soon as the match begin. He needed praises for his efforts and also he was going to give his bhai world-class commentary experience.

As soon as Virat had picked up the call, Rahul begin "Virat!!! you know yesterday night I helped Miyaan and Subhi relax. I even managed to make them laugh and took care of them very well. Don't you think I make a pretty awesome big brother? Don't you?"

Rahul asked Virat eyes wide almost dancing with glee looking at his brother's face.

"umm......you're still a kiddo, my kiddoliyaa" Virat laughed, showing Rahul pictures of Mayu, Miyaan, Subhi and him sleeping like toddlers while Ajju and Pujji covered them with duvets and switched off the room's light.

Rahul couldn't believe they snapped such pictures.

The pic and an absolutely cute video of jinks kissing each of their forehead was sent to Virat courtesy one Sir Jadeja with Rahul and Mayu mumbling in their sleeps.

And no, Virat can never think of them as anything besides absolute kids.

~the end~