(Not) Just a dream (OR, the ICT steals a groom)

Ishan's excellent taste in music

Much to Shreyas' irritation, Shubman and Ishan watched reels (mostly based on them) and shrieked the songs at the top of their voices over the drive back to the hotel after the hospital had indeed kicked them out.

"Put on classier songs," he said, glaring, every time the other two paused for a breather. "Put on Ed Sheeran. Put on Alan Walker."

"We're Indian, Shreyas!" said Ishan. "We're pro-Bollywood!"

"Don't you like dancing to Bollywood songs when you're not sleepy?" said Shubman.

Shreyas closed his eyes huffily.

It was impossible to win a fight against these two because they, of course, always took a united front.

"Tere saare rang odh ke hang odh ke tera hua main sabko chhod ke..."

"Oh, who do you think took this video?" Shubman interrupted Ishan.

"One of our nosy teammates who pretends to be sleepy, maybe," suggested Ishan.

Shreyas opened a baleful eye to peer into Ishan's phone. In the video, Shubman and Ishan were smiling sappily at each other inside a lift. Watching the video, they were doing pretty much the same.

God forbid someone ever told them best friends didn't smile into each other's eyes like that! thought Shreyas.

"For heaven's sake, stop this PDA," he said loudly, because he was presently single and it irked him to see two people being in love and being idiots about it.

Shubman and Ishan jerked out of their trance and looked around at him.

"You want PDA, Shreyas?" asked Ishan smoothly.

"No, I don't want it, that's the whole point--"

Ishan threw an arm around both of them and drew them close exaggeratedly. As they laughed and Shreyas sighed, Shubman's eyes were, obviously, fixed on Ishan's face.

Everyone could see it.

Their team. 

Their fans. 

The whole world.

Except the pair of them, themselves.

Shreyas shook off Ishan's arm and closed his eyes again.

_______________

When they returned, there was none of the usual bustle and yelling in their hotel associated with their team, which must mean the rowdier members had gone to sleep (or had been out visiting a friend).

"You're going back to a lonely room," Ishan gloated over Shreyas for no reason at all, arm around Shubman as always. "I have my partner with me."

"I'm not going to a lonely room," said Shreyas. "My sister's there."

"But she's not always there," said Ishan, who was plainly in a mood to be contrary. "Shubi and I are always roommates."

"And what will you do after one of you gets married, roommates?" Shreyas asked before stalking off to his room to finally sleep.

Sometimes, he really sympathized with Rohit bhaiya.

Back in their room, as Shubman and Ishan washed off the coffee from their hair and prepared to retire to bed, Ishan noticed Shubman seemed kind of quiet all of a sudden and with all the rights of a best friend, sat down to pester him.

"What happened, Shubi?"

"Nothing."

"Why are you quiet?"