"Here're the things I usually carry around in my kitbag..."

Mahi smiled indulgently. Just looking at Cheeku showing the camera the things he carries in his kitbag with that air of frank professionalism made him smile. He kept smiling throughout the whole video, till his cheek muscles had started to hurt.

Near the end of the video, ABD put in a guest appearance, and Virat said, grinning, "And I cannot practise without this guy."

Whether it had been ore-planned or not, it looked genuine and pretty sweet. Apparently, the people of the country thought the same, since the comments section was already full of people prasising ABD and Virat's relationship, and 'stanning Devirat.'

Now what was Devirat? wondered Mahi, as he searched it up on Google. Come to think of it, what exactly was stan?

He found out soon enough that stanning Devirat meant people who're fans of Virat and de Villier's friendship.

Cool enough, thought Mahi. Though no doubt a little weird. Like why do you think someone would be a fan of two celebrities' friendship?

The Indian public was decidedly weird, and no one could help that.

Mahi would be lying to himself if he believed he wasn't a little bothered at that dialogue of Virat's.

The one about him not being able to practice without ABD.

Well, he used to think he was the one Cheeku had a problem practicing without. Cheeku had certainly given him such an impression.

For the first time, Mahi wondered if Rohit's perpetual problems with ABD didn not have a little bit of justification in them.

Later that day, he happened to open Twitter (a very rare occasion indeed) and saw a violently coloured collage that read:

'Best brothers in the history of IPL:

Hardik and Krunal Pandya

Rahul and Deepak Chahar

Irfan and Yusuf Pathan

AND

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers'

Mahi's brow creased. The post had a hashtag too—there is was again—

Hmm...

This thing Devirat, it was starting to piss him off now.

"Good evening, Mahi bhai," said a VERY polite voice above his head.

"What d'you want, Jad?" sighed Mahi; him speaking in that extremely polite tone definitely meant he wanted something.

"Nothing," said Jaddu in his usual laughing voice. "You seemed busy, you didn't even notice me coming in, so I thought it'd be best to start off with wishing you."

"How nice of you," said Mahi drily. "Sit down."

Jaddu did. "Virat has come up with yet another plan of giving the security the slip and escaping the bio-secure bubble."

"He called?" asked Mahi, quite failing to rise to Jaddu's bait of telling Virat off. "Why didn't you give me the phone?"

"He said he'll call you later," said Jaddu.

"Oh," said Mahi. "Right."

"What are you bothered about?" Jaddu asked curiously.

"What makes you think I'm bothered, Jad?"

"You look like you are," commented Jaddu.

"Well, I'm not."

Jaddu discreetly peered into Mahi bhai's phone and took in the soppy collage and the soppier caption, and a light went off in his head.

This ABD was certainly the most talented creature in the world.

He had already pissed Rohit off more than anyone in his lifetime on Virat's behalf—but if someone could make Mahi bhai jealous—Jaddu could pretty much bow down in front of him.

Mahi bhai jealous on that idiot's behalf.

AHA.

AHAHA.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHA.

Jaddu could not let this golden opportunity of causing trouble pass.

*************

"Mahi bhai, do you know—" Jaddu came running into Mahis' room, excited. "Virat got himself and AB invited to the president's daughter's wedding!"

"Huh?" said Mahi, deadpanning. "Our president's daughter isn't even of marriageable age, is she?"

"Not of India, of Saudi Arabia!"

"How did he manage that?"

"I dunno, he just said it took major planning on his and AB's side!"

"Thanks for the very interesting news," said Mahi drily. "I totally believe you."

A crestfallen Jaddu realized that this was not the right way of going about causing trouble.

*************

So Jaddu dug up pictures of all their teammates with their IPL teams—Shikki and Jinks and Ash, Rohit and Jassi and Hardik, Kuldeep and Nitish and Shubman, Rahul and Mayank (of course) and Virat and ABD. And he also dug up a whole ICT photo.

That was a real artfulness on his part, thought Jaddu, sending them all to their WhatsApp group, with lots of tragic emojis.

Rohit sent a '-__-'.

Mahi bhai did not comment, but Jaddu, observing him from his hiding place behind the curtains, saw the slight frown on his face.

It was working!!

***********

When Sir Ravindra Jadeja took it upon himself to do something, he did it. Of course, he mostly didn't try stuff to trick Mahi bhai; this was a first, and he was still succeeding.

Talk about being a genius.

By the time the CSK-RCB second leg came around, he badly needed to share this success with someone right away.

Of course, the person who came to his mind was RCB's captain himself, staying in the floor below his.

**********

"Virat," said AB. "Why does MS keep glaring at me?"

"What?" said Virat absent-mindedly.

"Why does MSD keep glaring at me, Virat?" persisted AB.

"Mahi bhai doesn't glare at anyone," said Virat. "Except Deepak. He always glares at Deepak. You must've imagined it."

"Hmm," said AB. "Maybe. But I did catch him glaring at me at least five times at the practice session."

"Stop overthinking, you," ordered Virat.

"Yeah, right," said AB, because Virat was the accepted overthinking machine in their team.

"Mahi bhai was at the practice session?" demanded Virat suddenly.

"Um, yeah?"

"WHY DIDN'T I SEE HIM? JADDU SAID HE WAS RESTING!"

"Dude, please," said AB, moving away and covering his ears.

"There you are, Jadeja," said Virat menacingly, as Jaddu conveniently walked into their room. "I'll teach you to spoof me."

Jaddu grinned.

"Wait 'til you listen to my side of the story, Cheeku..."

ABD, being the nice non-interfering person he was, left.

Virat listened in silence as Jaddu spoke, his eyes lighting up more and more.

"Mahi bhai?" he cried in delight. "This is AWESOME, Jad. I LOVE YOU."

"What's new," said Jaddu. "Now think of all the ways we can continue this pra—"

Virat was already on his feet, poised to run straight to Mahi bhai's room.

"We are not continuing any prank," he declared. "I need to go and give him a hug."

"What—Virat, no, it will defeat the whole pur—" began Jaddu.

Virat flew out of the room.

Jaddu simply could not believe that his best pranking partner had just turned down his proposal of complicating a prank.

After a while, he did realize he'd been stupid.

Mahi bhai and Virat—they were batty about each other.

That was why Mahi bhai had been spoofed. And that was why Virat had turned down the prank.

*************

Mahi was seriously, seriously pissed off with this term 'devirat' now, that glared up at him from everywhere. His feed seemed full of them. His gallery too, owing to a lot of pictures and stuff sent by Jaddu.

"MAHI BHAI!"

Mahi uselessly tried to fend off the Cheeku shaped avalanche descending on him.

"I've finally managed to make you like me!"

"What d'you mean?"

"Jaddu says 'devirat' BOTHERS YOU!" shouted Virat, almost jumping with excitement.

Mahi narrowed his eyes at Virat suspiciously.

Wait, did he say Jaddu said?

Oh, god.

Mahi slapped his forehead in despair as he remembered Jaddu's messages over the past week. Why hadn't he realized it'd been deliberate?

"It doesn't bother me," he told Virat. "Just seems a little weird. Y'now...strange."

"Does 'mahirat' seem weird to you too?" asked Virat innocently.

"What's mahirat?" asked Mahi blankly.

"Look it up," said Virat, grinning.

And Mahi actually looked it up, and now he felt stupid for not having guessed what Mahirat was.

And no, he did not find 'mahirat' weird. Or strange.

He found it decidedly nice. Warm. Sweet, even.

Mahi looked up at Virat's impish eyes.

"Pretty weird," he said untruthfully.

"Yeah, right," said Virat, flinging his arms around Mahi bhai again. "Mahirat is my favourite thing in the universe, Mahi bhai," he said brightly. "What's yours?"

Mahi thought for a while.

Jaddu banged into the room and took in Virat giving Mahi bhai a bear hug.

"I knew it," he muttered.

"Knew what, dummy?" said Virat.

"That I was going to stumble into something sappy like this."

Virat laughed and beckoned Jaddu over, catching Mahi bhai's eyes.

"Mahirat is my favourite thing in the universe too," admitted Mahi bhai.

💖💖

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