K.L. Rahul was pacing in Hardik Pandya's room, looking quite haggard and bullied to be honest. Jasprit Bumrah aka Jassi aka Boom Boom mirrored Rahul's expressions.Well, at this moment Hardik wanted to profess to everyone that these guys just looked bullied, he was the one really getting bullied here. Yes, He, who was lying on Shreyas's lap looking at Kiddy (Kuldeep-he is a kid, so Kiddy)and Monku (he's a monkey, no, rocket science involved in his naming) doing something on Kul's lappy.

Well, Yas- because only, Virat was allowed to call him Shreya and Harry loved his life a little too much to take that risk, wasn't sitting idly too. He was throwing a smily ball on the nearest wall and catching it. Hardik pondered who was his neighbor and would they mind this "Tk-tk" sound? But then decided he didn't care anyway. Well, they can go and complain to Virat if they wanted too and it's not like he was the one doing it?

"Where the hell is Yuzi?" Harry's musing on his neighbors reaction was broken by Rahul's frustrated yell. His bestie was literally looking like a fire-breathing dragon right now. Harry didn't know who was the reason behind his brother's such grumpy mood? He just hoped for the sake of that person that the person doesn't come anywhere near them.

"Umm...He went to get ice-cream with Nattu, Rishu,Subhi and Prithvi" Kul replied looking up from the laptop and all, Harry heard was ice-cream.

"Kiddy!! Yuz ko bol mere liye rainbow cone laye" Harry exclaimed eagerly, Yuz should have informed him about this outing he would have accompanied them too. Harry thought adjusting his head in Shrey's lap, geez, he liked Virat's lap better but his idiotic brothers weren't letting him go anywhere near Virat, right now. So, He had to make do.

"Mere liye bhi" Shreyas said following Harry's suite, spiting the pacing people in the room even more.

"REALLY PANDYA" Rahul couldn't help but demand eyeing Harry totally frustrated.

"What did I do now?" Harry couldn't help but ask totally defensively. It wasn't his fault Yuzi wasn't around. Rahul just looked like he couldn't believe him and Harry could just stare at Shrey questioningly, who looked as lost as him.

"Be serious guys" Jassi couldn't help but snap, here, he was dying out of worry and these guys...humph.

"How is ice-cream related to seriousness? What's even the logic behind it? Can't I lick ice-cream and be serious?" Harry couldn't help but ask Jassi and Rahul very-very innocently.

Both of them just glared at him heatedly in return and didn't he mention, he was the real bullied person in the room.

"Weren't you going to call Mahi bhai?" Rahul demanded, hands on hips as he looked at Harry with absolute scrutiny. Harry just nodded making a whole lot of show of grabbing his phone and dialing Mahi bhai's number and just like his first fifty or so tries, the call went unanswered again.

"Seems like Mahi bhai misplaced his phone again," Harry said shaking his head sagely, "Should I call bhabi? IT's around 5:30 am there, isn't it?" Harry asked when his umpteenth call went unanswered.

"Wow...it took you only about fifty calls to figure out the time difference" Rahul spoke grouchily sharing a look with Jassi, who seemed equally grumpy.

"well, none of us focused on that point, to be honest" Monku clarified, looking up from the laptop screen again.

"And Shrey, spotted another clown" Kuldeep informed Shreyas, well, they were on sm clown hunting session, realizing laughing over the clownish statements together was the better way to deal with it. The time they had spent in quarantine over-thinking over such stuff and bolting them in their hearts. It was good to let it go and laugh together.

"so, kya throw krey iss baar? logic se toh lena dena ni hoga!" Shreya asked throwing the ball towards Kul, a thoughtful expression on his face, unknown to their big-brothers, they were operating fan pages of their brothers and defending them. They were quite busy answering back to some clownish people sprouting nonsense about their brother.

"kuch bhi kr ball k alawa, I bought it for Aga, not you" Harry quipped, through he didn't make any moves to stop Shrey from throwing the ball around like he owned it.

"Aga is just 4 months old, bro!" Shrey defended his possession of the ball while Kuldeep and Mayu continued playing around on the laptop.

"but he'll play catch-catch with me," Harry argued his eyes shinning with mirth.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"I can't believe it!" Jassi-Rahul exclaimed, not even a little hint of smile on their faces and the other four couldn't help but look at each other shrugging helplessly. They had been trying to lighten the mood since hours but it wasn't working. Mahi bhai wasn't picking their calls and their mood was getting worse and worse.

"Bhai! I'm trying na" Harry said finally sitting up and looking at Rahul and Jassi, "How's it my fault that Mahi bhai misplaced his phone again?"

Jassi looked at Rahul who seemed to be staring out breathing deeply and answered, knowing Rahul would snap if pestered anymore, " We know ari, we know, it's just...it's just hurts to see Virat bhaiya being..." Jasprit trailed off not knowing the right word to describe the situation.

"An absolute idiot that's what he is being! Professing publicly he is missing Mahi bhai but always fetching one or other excuse to not call him.  Did he really think we don't see the sadness engulfing him? Did he really thinks we didn't see how his eyes search Mahi bhai on the pitch or the way his lips almost let Mahi bhai's name slip while referring something? He can act all he want but he can't hide his true feelings...never from me," The last words were all but a whispers lost in the afternoon breeze, as Rahul let out his feelings out in one breathe.

It wasn't like Virat made him feel that he was letting him down or something. His Virat bhaiya encouraged him, cheered him, made him feel like he was the best wicket keeper in the whole planet. Virat bhaiya ignored his mistakes with a patented "Next time" line and believed him without a single doubt creeping anywhere on his mind. Virat bhai trusted him with his all but all of them noticed the moments when Virat bhai's eyes sought someone else on the ground.

Their Virat bhaiya was missing his Mahi bhai and hurting. Their Virat bhai needed his Mahi bhai just like they needed their Virat bhai.

"He is an idiot, you know that, he thinks he is Achilles..." Harry grumbled, finally letting go of his pretense of nonchalance

"And we are Achilles heel," Rahul muttered with a sad smile, the context of his bhaiya's latest interview swirling in his mind.

The boys couldn't help but look down hearing Rahul's words. They were the only weak link in their brother's otherwise invincible front, the chink in his armour. The point people always targeted. The point that could actually kill their Virat bhaiya and they didn't want to be that point anymore. They wanted to be his armour, not the chink in his armour.

For they couldn't define in words, what Virat had been for them. Their Captain, their brother, best friend, mentor, guide and guardian, their shield, the shoulder. There were hundred of pics out there showing the different times Rahul broke in his Virat's arms. There were words in the air, hymns of glory and gratifications from Jassi and Hardik's song of flamboyance hiding the wallows accompanying harrows never forgotten with a consoling touch from the new Captain on the end of defeat.

Jassi still remembers the night, after the loss. Most of them blamed him. He knew. He had even heard his Bhuvi bhaiya's words, they weren't direct but it was indirect. The way he said the no-ball changed the course of that game. Jassi accepted it. He knew he was at fault and he was all ready to face the wrath of the new Captain. The New Captain who lost his first tournament because of him but it never came, instead the Captain was beside him, consoling him, trying to lessen his guilt.

"Not your mistake, it happened, next time, we will do it" The words continuously repeated to him. The arms wrapped around him weren't of a Captain, they were of a brother and Jassi won't ever forget who was with him, trying to understand him, when the whole world was against him. Though, he hadn't understood it right then how Virat wasn't blaming him? It had taken him few more months to know Virat blamed himself and none of them. Chasing was his responsibility and he failed.

But Jassi remembered the arms around him, holding him as he cried and the arms that embraced him first on his success too. Virat was his Captain but more than that he was Jassi's brother, his go to man. His shield. Who treated him same in success and failures! And Jassi could do anything for his Virat bhaiya, his Captain, for he'll always be so for Jassi. Jassi can't ever forget those hugs making him feel better at his lowest.

Hardik for all his flamboyance and pretense, couldn't really hide anything from Virat. He was carefree most of the time, not letting people know how bad something hurt or affected him. He had known hardships and sorrows. He had seen problems and he had learned his lessons, nothing changed if your cried or begged. So, he had developed his aura, his shield of flamboyance but he couldn't shut off everything like Virat on field. He didn't know the art of keeping on-field spats restrained to the field and he had been an absolute jerk after the CT run out, yet, there was his Captain, the losing Captain sitting with him, hearing his venting out and helping him reconcile with Jaddu.

"Brain fade, happens all the time. Just not our day, I guess," He had said, and he had been there, listening to him always, every time, helping him out, having his back. If there was a guy, a person with whom Harry could really share something without feeling ashamed of his own self, it was Virat. He didn't make him feel small ever. He made him feel himself. He was the shield, the go to person, the person to whom Harry felt he could always complain and let his displeasure be known, even when he was in opposition. It had never stopped him from looking at him like he was being bullied even if he was the one doing the bullying, for Virat was his safe place.

The place where he can be himself well all and any shade of himself.

For Kul, Virat was his source of reassurance, his back up, his source of unconditional confidence and his chosen place to fall back when everything seemed against him. His bond with his Virat bhaiya wasn't something he could write off in words. He could just say Virat bhaiya is very important to him.

"Harry Bhaiyaaa!!!" the excited yell rang around as Washy barged in the room, breaking their pondering stances.

"OH!!"Washy halted noticing all of them there looking at him all surprised. He grinned, "Virat bhaiya said we are going to the beach, get ready fast" He stated all excited.

"How come so suddenly?" Rahul asked frowning, Virat hadn't mentioned any such plan to him. All Virat said he was sleepy and wanted to rest.

"Um...he felt like going to beach, I guess" Washy said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head and the boys didn't need to take a wild guess to know the reason behind Virat's sudden desire to go to beach.

"We will be ready," Jassi reassured Washy, noticing him looking at them questioningly.

Smiling, Washy went away maybe to Virat or to get ready himself, they didn't know?

"So, What should we do?" Kul asked them, shutting down his laptop.

"Umm... Mahi bhai isn't picking the call anyway, We should try after coming back" Mayu suggested, they had tried enough times already.

"Okay! let's do this only" Jassi and Rah sighed out feeling defeated.

"Meet in few minutes then"

"yeah"

"Virat bhai's room?"

"Virat bhai's room"

They confirmed as everyone beside Rahul and Hardik left the room. Rahul looking tired. Harry looking resigned.

"let's go to Vi's room" Harry said, well, he needed to borrow some more clothes from Virat. He had been wearing his clothes these time around only. He is kinda surprised how did no one notice that? He means his and Virat's style are like so different yet no one questioned when he started wearing plain clothes.

"Yeah! Let's" Rahul said, he was already dressed in shorts and baggy shirt. He didn't feel like he needed to change anything so he followed Harry to Virat's room.

"Umm...Why don't you try to make Vi spill the beans?" Harry asked Rahul conversationally as they were walking towards Virat's room.

"Do you really think I've not tried?"

"Well, whine and pester some more, Virat will tell you..." Harry didn't add the (only you) in his sentence, he didn't need to inflate his brother's ego more than it was already, where ever Virat was concerned.

Rahul just send him a dry look and Harry knew Rahul had been trying. Well, his bestie had been trying to lessen Virat's emotional baggage from days without much success and Harry really didn't know what happened to their Mahirat? All of them staned Mahirat, they wanted to be like him, specially he. The way Virat bhai will always be Mahi's cheeku.

And Harry didn't know what happened?

Why wasn't his Virat bhaiya calling Mahi bhai? Forget that why wasn't Mahi bhai calling Virat?

He didn't know.

He just knew they had to get to the bottom of the whole matter.

After all, Mahirat were so precious. He means who wouldn't want the kinda bond they have? Mahi bhai always there for his cheeku and Cheeku always for Mahi bhai. Fundamentally, Harry knows Mahi bhai loved all his little brothers equally but with Virat, he had noticed the extra-layer of tenderness, the extra-love, Mahi bhai had always gone the extra mile for his Virat and Harry didn't know what was stopping Mahi bhai from calling Virat and vice-versa.

But they were going to get it sorted and until that happens. He was going to cling to Virat like his shadow. Virat had never let them feel lonely and they weren't going to let their brother feel lonely now. Harry was going to be there for his Virat. Well, He won't turn into the mother hen Rahul had turned into but he'll be there for his Virat.

Till they didn't succeed in getting Virat back under the protection circle of their Mahi bhai and Rohit bhaiya. They'll keep him under their protection circle, caring for him like he always does for them.

With this bright thought Rahul, Hardik and the rest of ICT followed Virat to their beach excursion, playing in the waves, making sand castles and burying each other under sand. They ran. They played. They laughed while shadowing their Virat bhaiya loyally.

Protecting him from toxic fans, words and imaginary enemies alike, forgetting about mission Mahirat for sometimes as they weaved their own circle around Virat.

~~~~~~~~~

Okay, so I just realized, I hadn't written on Mahirat anything for what felt like ages. So, I've this idea on Mahirat, based somewhat on the starting of this shot. Mahirat not talking to each other, but missing each other like hell. What happened? Why aren't they contacting each other? What's stopping them? And Virat's kids tries to unite Mahirat, is the basic plot idea.

So, do you want the story? or just a one-shot is the question, I wanted to ask?

Please, tell your views if you want I'll write a Mahirat story on this plot. It'll have just 5-6 parts though.