Title: Metanoia
Fandom: Chak De! India
Rating: PG
Summary: Bindia sits at her bed, the hockey stick now a welcome weight in her hands.
A/N: This takes place after Kabir Khan tries to convince Bindia to play but before the actual match between South Korea and India.
for
64damn_prompts: "reciprocity"
Bindia sits at her bed, the hockey stick now a welcome weight in her hands after filling so many bottles of water. She twirls it on her palm as she mulls over Coach Khan's words with knitted eyebrows.
When Aliya returns to the hotel room to find her in this pensive state, she sighs heavily.
"Oh, have you finally come to your senses?" Aliya asks. "Do you want to actually go out and play for us?"
Bindia does not respond, but Aliya is not yet finished with her rant and continues.
"I don't know what you think of yourself but I am so tired of it. Vidya Didi says that the Korean Team is going to be the toughest yet and I don't even know what I am going to do tomorrow. It just kills me that we're so close this time!"
Bindia leans her stick against her night table and her supposed show of nonchalance incenses Aliya even more.
"My God, I still don't know what's wrong with you! Don't you have any team spirit? Don't you have any sense of duty? Is your personal pride worth more than that?"
Taken aback, Bindia finally meets her eyes, and Aliya lets out a deep breath and retracts herself in a softer voice. "Okay, look, I'm sorry. It's just that... I miss you very much when I'm on the field. Gunjun does too, although she may not come out right and say it to your face. All three of us had a mutual understanding when we played and it doesn't exist right now. Just... do whatever you need to do to come back, okay? Talk to the Coach and Krishnaji, tell them that you're sorry and that you want to play again, make them understand. Please."
Bindia chooses to not give her any affirmative answer, to not reveal how much she deeply misses Aliya and Gunjun too. She lets Aliya blow off her remaining steam and turns the lights off.
Tucking herself into bed, Bindia closes her eyes and dares to dream of painting the field with the tricolor hues.