Virat had a unique bond with Bhuvi. His friendship with the boy had come a long way. Virat was the one who could reassure Bhuvi in any kind of tough situation, and Bhuvi was one of those who could make Virat agree to anything. Virat called Bhuvi's eyes deceptive because not only can Bhuvi calm Virat's anger, he could also coax the man into anything. Something his teammates took more advantage of than him! But for Bhuvi, Virat was the one who could calm Bhuvi's nerves and put away his fears; both personally and professionally.

~~**~~

Bhuvi had recently gotten engaged when he met up with the boys and almost immediately became the center of all the jokes and teasing. The jokes were alright. He could take the teasing as well but there was still something that was bothering him.

"Why are you sitting alone?" Virat asked.

"Where do I sit?" Bhuvi simply scoffed, toying with his cup of coffee.

"Wherever you want," Virat drawled, before rapping his knuckles on the table to get Bhuvi's attention, "What's this about, kid?"

"After the wedding, at which table do I sit? With the couples?" Bhuvi asked, gesturing at Rohit and Ajinkya with their wife. "Or with my friends," Bhuvi whispered, eyes fixed at Jassi, Rahul, and Hardik joking around at the other table.

"Oh, kiddo!" Virat sighed. "You can sit wherever you want! Getting married doesn't mean that you have to let go of your friends." Virat explained.

Bhuvi didn't look convinced, so Virat huffed, leaning forward in his chair.

"Look at Ro and Jinks, did they stop sitting together. Alright! Both of them are married and are sitting with their wife but I'm still part of that group despite not being married" Virat said.

"I like having my coffee with Jassi, and we discuss bowling plans together," Bhuvi whined.

"Jassi is a good kid! Your wife will like talking to him once he stops being shy though," Virat chuckled, watching Jassi shake his head at probably some inappropriate joke by Hardik.

"I love listening to Rahul talk. We help each other pick up the pieces on a bad day. Nupur will not have any problems with Rahul, I know," Bhuvi pouted.

"You can always speak to Rahul. What are you pouting for then?" Virat chuckled.

"Hardik? Not everyone understands him" Bhuvi voiced out his concerns.

"Even I don't understand how you understand him," Virat huffed, "but this weird little understanding that you have with this kid is exactly what you need to show your wife."

When Bhuvi looked up at him, confused, Virat sighed.

"This is your world, your family! You have to introduce your wife to your world. You have to show her why your friends are your friends." Virat said.

Bhuvi gave a little nod.

"And if she is the one for you to consider a wedding then I know she'd be okay with your friends and family as well," Virat reassured the boy, patting the boy's hand.

"She wants to meet all of you already," Bhuvi snorted, a little smile creeping onto his face.

"Ah, I can't believe my Bhuvi is getting married soon" Virat was back to his cheerful self, pulling onto Bhuvi's leg.

"You're getting married a few days after me," Bhuvi pointed out.

"Shush! It's a secret," Virat whispered with his finger on his lips.

Bhuvi shook his head, laughing, his heart a bit lighter now.

~~**~~

The IPL was the time when Virat would face an opposing team and end up having one or more such opponents tucked in his side, either bragging about the win or whining about not being with the Indian team right now. Facing SRH would go smoother than after KXIP or MI or CSK because facing KXIP meant seeing Rahul either be too happy about his win or crestfallen after a loss.

With MI, it meant having two monkeys, Jassi and Hardik nearly climbing all over him to claim their 'time with big bro Vi' as they'd like to call it, while with CSK, Virat would be the one clinging to MS while sticking his tongue out to Raina and Jaddu.

But with SRH, it was different. He'd say a quick 'hi' to Saha and share a few words with Manish. Lately, he got acquainted with Abhishek Sharma. It warmed Virat's heart to see the pure admiration in the boy's eyes for him. He'd talk to the boy for a while, and then he'd go look for Bhuvi, but this time Manish, Abhishek, and Bhuvi were all missing after the match. And when he got to his hotel room, Virat understood why exactly.

"She is gorgeous, Anushka" Virat could hear Manish's voice. He smiled and walked into his room to see Manish holding Vamika.

"And I was wondering where they were," Virat chuckled.

"With the superior VK, of course," Manish teased.

Bhuvi shook his head, turning his attention to Vamika when Manish handed him the baby.

"Isn't she cute? Just like me," Virat asked, leaning over Bhuvi's shoulder and promptly ignoring Manish.

"She is the cutest thing I've ever seen! Unlike you," Bhuvi snorted, earning a chuckle from Anushka.

"You be very careful, boy! When it will be your turn, I'll have my revenge," Virat eyed him.

Bhuvi smiled softly, leaning forward as he whispered in Virat's ear, "You can start planning your revenge!"

"Is that a challenge boy?" Virat rubbed his palms together before it hit him, and he looked up at Bhuvi in shock.

"My turn now? Please?" Abhishek spoke up, and Bhuvi turned around to help the boy hold Vamika.

Anushka leaned forward to help the boy hold Vamika as she mumbled, "A kid holding a kid!"

"Huh?" Virat asked as his daze broke.

"Bhuvi bhaiyya and Mani bhaiyya said that I can come to see the baby along with them. I can hold her, right bhaiyya?" Abhishek asked, worried if he overstepped by asking to hold Vamika.

"Of course, kiddo" Virat shook his head, smiling at the boy as he ruffled the boy's hair before turning to Bhuvi.

Anushka watched, intrigued by her husband tugging Bhuvi to a corner and whispering at the man before hugging Bhuvi in pure excitement. She turned her attention back to Abhishek wanting a picture with Vamika. She'd ask Virat what's going on, later.

~~*~~

Anushka raised an eyebrow at Virat, who was whispering to Vamika.

"What?" she asked.

"Vami is going to have a friend soon," Virat simply said, and when Anushka still looked confused, he laughed, adding, "Can you believe Bhuvi is going to be a dad soon?"

Anushka's expression matched that of Virat as they shushed each other, to not wake Vamika up.

~~**~~

"Vami, see it's a baby!" Virat tried to get Vamika's attention to the phone, but his daughter ignored him until Bhuvi's voice came through.

"Hi Vami," Bhuvi called out, and Virat's cheeky miniature responded to that instead of her father, giving Bhuvi a gummy smile.

"She is so cute," Anushka cooed at the little bundle in Nupur's arms while Virat smiled fondly at Bhuvi's little family.

"You'll blink, and she'll grow up, Bhuvs!" Virat sighed, instructing Bhuvi to cherish every moment of the baby.

As he ended the video call, Virat might or might not have blinked back some happy tears!

~~**~~

Virat, who had started as a chubby teenager wanting nothing more than breaking through the senior team, never thought that there'd come a time when cricket wouldn't be his top priority. Virat had always thought that he'd practice, play and practice his entire life. Anushka's arrival in his life changed things, and Vamika changed the meaning of life itself.

So, Captain Virat, who was usually there to pick a teammate that was down or give a youngster some cricketing tips, had now turned into captain dad, feeling proud to see his younger teammates get married, settle down, and have kids of their own.

And with Bhuvi, it was kind of special to see his timid yet quietly mischievous kid finally settle down. There could be a thousand changes in the cricketing system, people would come and go, but their own little family would keep growing filled with nothing but love and support.

~~**~~

A/N

Got a bit sappy at the end but with the changes in the team lately, it caught my attention that this family cannot be broken easily, can it?

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