Rahul's eyes were searching Virat from the past few minutes. He couldn't spot his Virat bhaiya anywhere and his friends were being no help. Mayank was talking to his wife and handling the luggage. Hardik was all but sleeping while standing beside him and even, Jassi was sleeping curled on the recliner kept in the lobby.

Shreyas was leaning on a wall with his arms wrapped around Shardul and Washy, Navi, Siri and kulcha were huddled around each other having hushed conversations and all Rahul wanted to know at that precise moment was his Virat's location.

Rahul tried looking around him again, running his eyes all over the place, trying to decipher whether his Virat was hiding behind some pillar or not? But he couldn't find him anywhere. Rahul was still searching Virat when they were all ushered towards the team bus even Jassi was woken very rudely by a staff member and it all but confirmed Virat's absence to Rahul, for no one in the entire world would have even tried waking a sleeping Jassi rudely in one Virat Kohli's watch. (Virat waking his besties rudely was allowed. People waking his kids rudely absolutely not.)

Rahul tried asking around for his Virat but he didn't get any solid answer from anyone. Even when the squad pic lacking the whole squad was clicked and another of them in a corridor with Harry trying to sleep with open eyes. Rahul somewhat saved Jassi from the torture of getting snapped in an absolutely tired state as they boarded the bus and left for the airport yet all Rahul could concentrate on was a misplaced Virat and half asleep friends.

They even made them board the jet before he could spot Virat and for a moment, Rahul was absolutely worried scared thinking " Were they going to fly off without Virat?" then realized it wasn't possible anyway. Virat is their Captain, how can they fly off to Australia without him? So, after settling in his seat beside a snoring Harry and Jassi, all Rahul could do was keep an eye on the entry point checking for his Virat.

He finally found Virat boarding the flight after sometimes followed by the Aus team and the first thought in Rahul's mind was "WTF!!!" followed by "What lead to this?" but of course, he couldn't ask it out immediately as the flight was about to take off and he was supposed to be bound to his seat. Rahul couldn't be out of his seat anymore quicker when they were finally in the air as he went towards Virat's seat to besiege his brother.

"Virat!" He called softly, noticing Virat flopped on his seat with eyes closed.

"Ugh...oh! hello kiddo" Virat greeted Rahul, a tired warm smile gracing his face spotting his Rahul leaning over his seat looking all concerned. The questions Rahul needed to ask about Virat's absence and then boarding the flight with Aussies was all but forgotten as Rahul got a proper look of Virat's face, mainly his red rimmed tired eyes which shined a little only because Rahul was there.

"What happened to you? Are you alright? Your eyes look...red!" Rahul asked sounding very alarmed, not able to actually tell Virat that his eyes looked like they cried. He was very worried about his absolutely fatigued, pale looking brother with red eyes seemingly looking like they cried.

"ugh...yeah, just a little headache kiddo. I'm fine" Virat tried to reassure Rahul but how can Rahul stay calm knowing his brother was having a headache?

"Is it paining a lot? Well, wait I'll massage your head. It'll make you feel better. Did you skip breakfast? How did you gain a headache?" Rahul asked, immediately taking his position behind Virat's seat massaging his head determinedly turning a deaf ear to Virat's protests of "it's fine. I'll sleep it off"

And some other absolutely stupid excuses according to Rahul. Rahul stood there massaging Virat's head until he was sure his brother had fallen asleep after that he took a seat nearby, fully using his newly appointed vice-captain status to keep the noise down. He wasn't letting anything disturb his brother's sleep and after few hours of good sleep. Virat's eyes looked fine and Rahul let the matter go.

Few days later, Rahul spotted Virat donning red rimmed eyes look again during the practice sessions and when asked he again said headache. The chronicles of this continued during the whole session of their quarantine training and it made almost all the Virat kid's suspicious of something being wrong. Because everyday either Virat will have red-rimmed eyes or sleep-deprived, super fatigued look and even if he was really suffering from headache daily. It wasn't a good signal, was it?

It was the last day of their quarantine and again, Virat was sleeping in the bus with his head resting on Yuzi's shoulder and his arms wrapped around Yuzi too. He looked like a cute Koala sleeping hugging a tree branch, an extremely thin one for that matter. The comparison seemed all right in the mind's of the ICT though their Virat bhaiya wasn't anywhere near a chubby Koala their Yuzi fit the bills of thin branch well. Washy and Kul were busy snapping pics of their sleeping elder brother, awing every now and then at the cuteness of their elder brother while Yuzi made different faces near Virat bhaiya's sleepy face ushering Washy to send the pics to some B.

It sounded like a nickname given to some poor soul's by Virat to Rahul honestly as he turned to face the frowning Hardik, Mayank, Shreyas and Jassi looking quite serious.

"Are you also thinking what I'm thinking?" Rahul asked them cryptically in a hushed whisper making sure they weren't quite audible to their seniors. The fact their seniors were sitting absolutely at front didn't matter much to him. They were acting on their suspicions after all and didn't want any senior involved quite yet.

"If you're thinking that Virat's headache seems to make its appearance daily along with Virat's sleep in the bus then yes, we are thinking the same thing," Jassi replied, rolling his eyes as Yuzi seemingly asked Washy and Kul to use the dog face filter on snapchat to take the next picture.

"Umm...the headache sounds like a ruse through," Shreyas added his two cents looking at the other three contemplating people. They were hearing about this headache and watching Virat sleep like this in the bus from the last fourteen days. So, of course they were allowed to call it a ruse. A ruse their brother was using to hide something else?

"Do you think he is unable to sleep? I mean he sleeps in the bus where we are all there... IS he?" Even Harry didn't finish Mayu's statement. Even speculating that Virat might be scared to sleep alone seemed ridiculous to even Hardik. Virat was always this brave guy protecting them from all this silly fears, suggesting, he might be afraid seemed ridiculous.

"but what's can be the reason behind his sleepless nights?" Jassi asked looking at the other four because they won't consider fear of the unknown being the reason. They couldn't that notion was mutually disowned.

"Negativity?" Harry asked unsure, well, he had spent quite a lot sleepless nights after the KWK debacle and even Rahul would agree to the point.

"But Virat doesn't let it affect much and he is with us. He knows we don't care, everything is same. It would have dispelled everything," Rahul counterattacked. He knew for certain they made Virat feel alright and it was a vice-versa notion.

All of them could actually nod to that point. They surpassed all the hardships and heartbreak together. They made each other feel better and stronger. There was no space for negativity when they were together. So, what was really bothering Virat? All of them again turned their gazes at a sleeping Virat with a scrutiny of a mother hen, trying to decipher what was really wrong with their brother from their eyes.

But alas, their eyes still weren't blessed with X-ray vision or mind reading powers. So, they couldn't find the reason behind their brother's condition.

"Umm...do you think he'll tell us what's wrong with him truthfully if we just ask?" Jassi mused with a thoughtful look, a bemused smile gracing his lips watching Virat snuggle into Yuzi which disappeared quite soon, watching, the other four giving him "really" looks.

"What-I'm allowed to think wistfully," Jassi defended his thoughts while the others shook their heads. They couldn't be optimistic like this when the problems of their older brother was taken in consideration, along with the chance of him communicating about them easily.

"Umm...guys, it's the last day of quarantine, shift in Virat's room and let's observe his every action. We can get clues, you know" Mayank suggested, well some of his friends detective skills were better than Indian neighbor aunties and he was hundred and one percent sure, they'll figure out whether it was an actual headache or fugitive headache haunting their brother.

And Mayank seemed to have known his brothers right as the idea was well appreciated in their circle. Each and everyone of them seemed ready to done their detective hats.

_______________________________________________________

Rahul was doing his first online press conference as the vice-captain of the team India. He had his perfectly perfect poker face on. He had badgered the team management and BCCI into submission to allow him to attend the press-conference first. He wasn't letting his down looking brother anywhere near these vultures on his watch. He had left his brother in the proper care of the rest of the gang.

And so, with his proper composed facade on. He calculatedly started answering all the questions thrown his way. He tried answering as diplomatically as possible through his minds sometimes wanted to roll out some ultra-savage quips. He controlled himself but he couldn't control himself from adding unasked lines of appreciation for his brother. Well, they had ruled out negativity but it didn't mean Virat's Rahul will let the world undermine his brother. So, he tried to remind them "What Virat Kohli was to them?" in his precise heartfelt words.

After all, Rahul never allowed anyone to take away his brother's credits.

After ending the conference, Rahul ran back to Virat's room full speed. Well, he didn't want to spend any second more than necessary away from Virat. He had already spend more than enough time away and the stupid rules, didn't even allow him to hug his brother properly during IPL. Stupid rules!

Cursing them, Rahul opened Virat's door because firstly,it was Virat's door and they don't knock on Virat's door. They just barged in always. He had just entered the room when he heard Virat speak to Rishu consolingly.

"Areey, Mahi bhai must be busy with family. Someone called him that's why he disconnected the call, baccha. Let's not disturb him, alright," Virat was seemingly telling this to Rishu and Rahul couldn't quite control his emotions. Okay, this was so unlike Virat.

He always called Mahi bhai and encouraged everyone to call Mahi bhai knowing they can't ever disturb Mahi bhai, hearing him speak like this felt really odd to Rahul as he made his way to stand near Mayu, Jassi and Harry. Well, they were doing detectivegiri in his absence. They might have some intel.

"Did he speak with Mahi bhai? Rahul murmured, sending Yuzi a tight-lipped smile who looked as shocked as Rahul felt.

"Nops, he was in the corner staring at Mahi bhai wistfully," Jassi whispered back.

"Though the call was only for few minutes," Harry added, Mahi bhai's brother called him so he had to go but still, this was so unlike Virat. Why was he looking at Mahi bhai wistfully and not speaking? Rahul looked at his gang who looked as confused as he felt.

Okay! what was the world coming too? Virat not jumping in front of Mahi bhai's call! Virat not begging Mahi bhai to not disconnect the call! Virat making people understand to not disturb Mahi Bhai. It all wasn't normal. It felt abnormal.

And their sneaky suspicion that something was wrong with Virat suddenly felt more than just suspicion.

~to be continued~