Chapter Text
“Okay, try lifting your arm.”
You raised your right arm above your head and looked at the doctor. Coach and Rei stood behind him as he analyzed your bicep.
“Twist it to the left.”
You did as you were told. A tiny jolt of pain shot through your veins but nothing serious. Your hopeful eyes glanced up at the physician who made a noise of satisfaction.
“You can play for the finals.” He grinned upon seeing your expression brighten. “Keep resting up and don’t do anything to tear your muscle.”
The amount of excitement that flushed over your entire body couldn’t be described with words. You pinched your leg to check if you were dreaming but you weren’t. You were finally going to be able to play with your team again.
“I won’t!” You eagerly rolled down your sleeve and glanced over at Rei and Coach. “Promise.”
The corner of Coach’s lips lifted. “I’ll hold you to your word.”
With that, you bowed respectfully and practically bounced out of the room. You grinned as your creamy skin warmed under the vibrant sunlight. The sky was a light blue, clear of any fluffy clouds. A few of your teammates were walking around or playing catch; today was definitely going to be a good day. When you rounded the corner to head back to the dorms, your heart flipped.
Miyuki stood off to the side practicing his swing with a metal bat.
He was wearing his favourite red t-shirt and dark sweats. His brown hair was pulled back with a white bandana. Sweat soaked his lower back and with each powerful swing, the muscles in Miyuki’s arms and back rippled. For a few more seconds, you admired his beautiful physique.
Not wanting to be caught staring, you walked over to him. “Ready for the game later?”
The catcher stopped mid-swing and glanced over his broad shoulder. Slowly, a charming smirk stretched across his kissable lips. The sunlight caressed his tanned skin, giving him a glow. Speckles of sweat ran down the beautiful curve of his cheek down to his jawline.
It was amazing how one look from him caused your heart to explode.
“What did the doctor say?” Miyuki stood upright, his chest rising and falling to try to catch his breath.
“I can play in the finals.” You grinned provoking a laugh from the catcher. “You don’t know how happy I am right now. ”
He stretched his left arm, his gaze on your skin caused the butterflies in your stomach to flutter. A genuine smile danced across his face. “That’s great. Finally , we have our little monster back.”
You rolled your eyes as he began to practice again. After a few seconds of comfortable silence, you decided to break it.
“You know…if you adjust your hand a little, I think you’d be able to hit a homerun.”
Miyuki blinked and stopped swinging again. This time, he turned around to face you. He smirked, “Oh? Giving me pointers, Skirt-chan?”
A teasing smile appeared on your lips, “Just trying to help my wonderful captain.”
Miyuki raised a perfect eyebrow, humoured, then dropped his gaze to the metal bat. “Like this?” He moved his hands closer together.
You shook your head and placed your hands over Miyuki’s larger ones. A tingle of excitement flirted through you. “Adjust your hand like this.” Your fingers guided his right hand towards the base of the bat.
“Oh, so over here?”
You quickly tucked a strand of hair behind your left ear. “Not quite.”
Miyuki’s hot breath fanned down against your creamy skin causing goosebumps to appear. With your heart kicking fiercely, you tried to calm yourself down. The fact that you could feel your face starting to burn didn’t help either.
Miyuki’s grip tightened around the bat, his voice dipped, “ Ah , so this is what you mean.”
“ Yeah.”
Despite your heart going crazy, you didn't remove your hands from on top of his. Miyuki didn’t seem to mind, so you timidly ran your fingers over his knuckles. Come to think of it, did you even thank him for the other night? You lifted your eyes shyly to look at his handsome face; he was focused on your fingers running over the back of his hand.
“Thanks.” You blurted out quietly. “For… last night.”
Miyuki stole a glance at you through his dark eyelashes. He murmured back, “You're welcome.” His intense eyes scanned your face.
You immediately bit your bottom lip catching Miyuki’s attention. He gently pinched the skin of your face near the corner of your lips. You watched him swallow hard and for a split second, alarms went off in your head. Things were getting too intimate between the two of you as of late. But, you couldn’t bring yourself to back away; something rooted you to the ground.
He whispered, “I told you not to do that…” His thumb barely grazed your bottom lip.
You gulped, your heart pounded loudly in your ears. “R-right. I was just –”
“– So this is where the two of you were!”
You and Miyuki immediately back away from each other. Clearing your throat, you glanced behind you to see Kuramochi.
The shortstop eyed the two of you suspiciously before shrugging it off. “Coach wants to meet with us before the game.”
“Alright.” Miyuki sighed and stole a curious glance at you. He reached up and pinched your cheek affectionately. “Come on.” The catcher dropped his hand before stalking over to where Kuramochi was.
Your heart kicked and your blood simmered. Your fingers rubbed the spot Miyuki touched, but it wouldn’t stop pricking; it was impossible to calm down now. The small contact was so staggering.
Swallowing the thick lump in your throat, you watched his retreating back. “Coming…”
It was the ninth inning.
And, your team wasn’t doing as well as they should have been. The score was tied between Seikou academy and your team. There was still a small tingle of tension between a few players – well, maybe just Miyuki and Zono, but that shouldn’t be affecting the team like this.
You nervously leaned against the metal bar of the dugout. Ah, this was so frustrating. If only you could go out there and help them, today . But, all you could do was cheer from the sidelines. Though, throughout the game Miyuki would glance over at you whenever things weren’t going as planned. Every time your eyes met, a tingle of excitement surged through your veins. You’d give him a reassuring smile and he’d smirk back before focusing again.
You felt nervous for your team but that wasn’t the only thing that was on your mind. Yakushi was probably in the stadium right now watching – Sanada, was here.
I really hope he’s okay…
Click!
The sound of the bat meeting the ball brought you back down to earth. To make matters worse, Seikou academy was batting and they were doing incredibly well.
“Damn it.” You gritted your teeth when Seikou’s captain managed to hit Sawamura’s pitch. “We should be playing much better than this.”
They already had a runner on base, Ogawa, their pitcher.
The ball soared through the sky but Asou managed to grab it.
“Quick Asou, back home!” Zono yelled in desperation.
Your heart quickened as you leaned forward in anticipation. Ogawa ran past second base and it seemed as if he was going to make it. But, when the familiar sound of the baseball hitting the glove resounded in your ears, relief washed over you like a wave crashing against dry sand.
“Yes, they made it!” Kanemaru grinned, his fist clenched tightly in excitement. “I thought I was going to have a heart attack.”
You were about to let out a soft laugh, that is, until you saw Ogawa running towards home plate still. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Miyuki stood frozen in his place, his head turned to the side to look at the pitcher charging towards him.
He wasn’t going to stop.
Your eyes widened, your throat tightened. “Miyuki, watch –”
BAM!
Your heart froze.
A scrutinizing surge of pain shocked every fibre inside of your body. Instantly, your grip on the metal bar tightened as your eyes widened in utter horror.
It was already too late.
You watched Miyuki crumble to the floor; the world seemed to stand still. Your heart stopped beating at the same time when Miyuki fell. It shattered when he didn’t move. His helmet had come off and Ogawa panted over him with a wicked grin on his face. He was motionless, and god, you were so scared. You wanted to run out to him to check if he was okay; to make sure not a hair on his body was damaged. Not a sound was heard from the audience. Complete shock had taken over everyone.
After a few painfully long seconds, Miyuki stirred. A tingle of panic rose up your throat when he paused on his hands and knees as he tried to collect himself. But then, he raised his glove in the air with the ball clutched tightly in it.
“Out!”
The crowd went wild and the announcer immediately snapped out of awe as well.
“Seikou falls short and couldn’t score! Captain Miyuki stopped Ogawa with his body! The game is still tied 5-5!”
You let out a sigh of relief, you hadn’t even noticed that you were holding your breath the entire time. Your knees felt wobbly, so you collapsed onto the metal bench to wait for your team to walk back into the dugout.
“Are you okay?” Coach instantly asked Miyuki when he arrived. “Are you hurt?”
Your eyes shot up to search for any injuries. You got up from the bench and stalked over to your team.
“Haha, everywhere hurts.” Miyuki cheekily grinned. “But, I’m fine.” He glanced around before his bright eyes stopped on you. He gave you a reassuring smile, then turned his attention back to coach.
“For the last inning, we’ll go with Kawakami.”
You zoned out his voice, your eyes narrowed when Miyuki shifted uncomfortably. He subtly brushed a hand against his right side. If you weren’t watching carefully, you wouldn’t have noticed that he flinched slightly. It could have been from the aftershock but the voice in the back of your head was telling you otherwise. After receiving the rest of the instructions from Coach, the team went back out to the battered field.
“Senpai?”
You jumped and looked at Furuya. “Yeah?”
“Do you want some water? You look pale.” He held out a cup of water. “You should sit.”
You blinked in surprise before you laughed softly. “I’m fine. I can see better if I stand, but I’ll take the water. Thank you.” You gratefully took the plastic cup from his outstretched hand.
The cooling sensation of the water hitting your dry throat helped your nerves to quiet. The heat from the glaring sun made you feel like you were in a furnace. You chewed your bottom lip and leaned against the railing again; your eyes glued on Miyuki.
There’s no way he could be completely fine after something like that.
You exhaled loudly through your nose and threw the cup in the garbage can at the same time the game started again.
It didn’t take long for your teammates to return to the dugout.
Kawakami had managed to strike out all three of Seikou’s batters; and the audience was going wild at his amazing pitching. You watched your team jog back inside; you offered up praises for their performances.
Miyuki walked past everyone, to the bench to take off his catcher's gear.
Maybe he really is okay.
Relief nearly drowned you until you saw Miyuki freeze in the middle of removing his gear. He paused for a couple of seconds before casually pulling it off. Your eyes narrowed instantly and your pink lips parted.
What was that…?
You were about to ask Miyuki if he really was okay but Sawamura piped up before you did.
“Would you like some amino acids?” Sawamura cheerfully asked him. “They’re good for you!”
The catcher gracefully turned around with his usual smile. “Oh, sure.”
But it looked strained.
“You’re sweating a lot.” Furuya voiced your inner thoughts.
Miyuki tilted his head to the side. “Really? Sawamura, hand me a towel. It is really hot out there.”
“Right away, sir!”
Your lips thinned as you crossed your arms over your chest. You didn’t say anything as you watched Miyuki wipe away his sweat. When he looked up, he met your observant gaze; a cheeky grin appeared on his handsome face.
“What, Skirt-chan?”
“Are you really okay?”
Miyuki blinked, then smirked. He strolled over to you, “Of course I am.” He threw the sweaty towel over your head and laughed when you made a noise of disgust. “I’ve never been better.”
You pulled off the dirty towel from your face and frowned at him. He chuckled before grabbing his favourite bat. He held his hands together, near the bottom and met your curious eyes.
“Like this, right?”
You had a feeling that he was trying to distract you from asking anymore questions. Your gaze fell to the metal bat gripped firmly in his hands.
“Yeah.” The corner of your lips curved. “Planning on hitting a homerun?”
Miyuki chuckled and raised his right arm to pinch your ear. But, he immediately dropped it causing you to raise an eyebrow.
“Obviously.” He smirked and turned on his heel to walk over to Haruichi.
You sighed and leaned against the metal railing as you watched him talk to the first year.
“You’re really worried about Miyuki-senpai.” Furuya followed your line of vision.
“Of course, I am…” You murmured, your fingers knotted together nervously when Ogawa rounded up to pitch. “After something like that, how can I not be? And this inning decides if we go to the finals… I just don’t want him to push himself to the point where he’ll break.”
The pitcher smiled softly and leaned closer to whisper in your ear. “Senpai, you must really like him.”
Your heart jumped, heat crawling up your cheeks. “ Furuya. I- I told you it’s nothing like that.” You whispered back but Furuya gave you a knowing look before turning his attention back to the game. You tripped over your words and blurted out, “It’s really not!”
Kanemaru gave you a weird look at your sudden outburst. “Senpai, what are you talking about?”
“Nothing.” Your face burned from embarrassment; you dug the tip of your shoe into the ground. “J-just watch the game.”
He chuckled and complied.
Haruichi managed to hit Ogawa’s pitch but unfortunately, he wasn’t fast enough to reach the base. Now, it was Miyuki’s turn to bat.
You felt as if you were the one standing at the batting plate; hot blood rushed through your veins as you leaned against the metal bar. You were drowning in a sea of fire. You wanted to shout encouraging words but it felt as if you had forgotten how to talk. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up when Miyuki crouched into his batting position.
“Let’s cheer for Miyuki together, Lion-senpai!” Sawamura trudged over to you and grinned.
You smiled back. “Okay.”
Miyuki took a deep breath and you swear you were trying to calm yourself down as well. Your deafening heartbeat drummed inside of your sensitive ears as you swallowed the thick lump in your throat.
Ogawa threw a pitch and Miyuki flinched back to avoid getting hit.
“That was close.” Kanemaru’s eyes widened, his grip on the railing intensified. “God, my heart.”
Miyuki took in another deep breath before crouching again. He shifted his hands into the position you’d shown him earlier.
The sunlight scowled down on your sweaty skin, scorching it.
Ogawa threw another pitch but Miyuki didn’t move this time. The pitcher pursed his lips and stared at his catcher to give him a signal. This time, Seikou’s catcher shifted closer to Miyuki; they were going for an inside pitch. He threw the ball – and that’s when Miyuki moved.
It was like watching a movie, moving in slow motion. With the screams from the audience, the loud cheering from your teammates from the dugout and field, you swore your heart would rupture from the intensity of this moment.
Miyuki swung, firm and powerful.
Click!
The sound of the metal bat crashing against the baseball resounded through the air. Your lips parted in utter awe as you watched the pitch soar through the sky like a bird. It collided against the back of the fence.
The stadium went deafeningly silent until the announcer stuttered over the speakers.
“I-it’s gone! That’s the game!”
The crowd erupted in choruses of lurid cheers and your teammates yelled in exhilaration. Miyuki raised his fist in the air and glanced over at the dugout.
“ Oh my g – he just hit a…” You trailed off, your right hand raised to your mouth in complete astonishment.
You wanted to collapse from how intense this moment was. The stadium wouldn’t stop cheering and when Miyuki stepped on home plate all of your teammates ran out to surround him. You followed behind and couldn’t stop the wide grin from dancing across your face.
“You really are the captain!” Sawamura barked and laughed wildly.
“Hyaha! Why didn’t you do that before?” Kuramochi grinned and slung an arm around Miyuki’s shoulders.
“One more game before nationals!” Miyuki encouraged causing your teammates to erupt in anticipation again. He laughed and searched through the crowd; he finally found you. Then a genuine smile crawled across his face. “Told you I could hit it.”
At that moment, your heart exploded.
“Sawamura, grab the shoes!”
“Right!”
You laughed softly and adjusted your bag on your left shoulder. Glancing back at your teammates scurrying to pick up their belongings in the dugout, you decided to go to the changing room first. Everything felt so surreal; you still felt the adrenaline from Miyuki’s homerun. You smiled to yourself but then you heard voices coming towards the room.
Your heart froze and your blood turned cold when you recognized one.
“It amazes me how you could eat so many bananas, Raich – “
Your eyes widened when Sanada stepped through the door. His expression immediately mimicked your own, and he stopped in place. Your throat felt like sandpaper and your grip tightened around the strap of your bag. The two of you stared at each other, not really knowing what to do.
“Hey, don’t just stop so suddenly at the door!”
Tearing your gaze away from Sanada, you saw Mishima, Raichi and Hirahata behind him.
“Hey, it’s Seidou’s monster batter!” Mishima immediately recognized you and smirked. “Raichi, you better not lose to him!”
Raichi laughed before turning to you. “I won’t lose to you, Haru-senpai!”
Mishima and Hirahata blinked.
“You met him before?”
Raichi nodded and looked over at Sanada who was still watching you. “Sanada-senpai introduced me to him. They’re good friends.”
Friends; you scratched the back of your head nervously while Sanada shifted his weight from his left leg to his right.
“How interesting.” Hirahata chuckled and was about to say something but he paused. He looked behind you, so you glanced over your shoulder as well, hoping that it was a few of your teammates.
You visibly relaxed when you saw Kuramochi, Zono and Miyuki walk in. They blinked in surprise at the Yakushi players; Miyuki’s eyebrows furrowed at Sanada before his gaze fell on you.
He immediately stepped beside you. His arm brushed against yours subtly in hopes of providing comfort. You offered a tight smile before Sanada’s voice interrupted your thoughts.
“Congratulations on making it to the finals!” He cheerfully chimed. His dark eyes avoided you.
Your heart squeezed painfully.
“We can play again!” Raichi laughed and leaned forward in excitement. “Just like the summer!”
Kuramochi frowned deeply. He’d moved to stand at your other side, his neat eyebrows furrowed. “You don’t think you’ll lose? You’re playing against Ichidai.”
Sanada laughed in response causing your heart to ache again. Miyuki quietly brushed his fingers against yours. You sighed and caught his index finger between your thumb and pointer. When you glanced up at Yakushi’s ace, he was staring at something; so you followed his line of vision. He was watching Miyuki’s hand flirting with yours. You instantly moved your hand away from your captain’s causing him to look at you in question.
Sanada tore his gaze away from you. “We have thirty-three consecutive wins!” He threw up a peace sign and grinned when Raichi laughed. “Eh...or was it thirty-four…or thirty-two?”
Mishima grinned. “Oh, well! We’re going to win today so see you at the finals, haha!” He walked past you all to go out to the dugout, Hirahata following behind with Raichi right on his tail.
Sanada trailed after his teammates and stole one final glance at you before leaving.
Kuramochi clicked his tongue and walked to the exit. “If they win, I can’t wait to kick their asses.”
Zono agreed and stepped into line with him just as the rest of your teammates came piling into the locker room.
Miyuki murmured to you. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just…a bit surprised.” You sighed and ran a hand through your short hair as you walked out the door. “I knew they were coming today but I didn’t expect to run into him so soon. It was so awkward.”
He made a noise of understanding.
“Anyways, aren’t you going to go to the doctor with Furuya?” You tilted your head to the side.
Miyuki blinked and looked at you in confusion. “Eh? Why?”
“Because you’re…” You trailed off with a frown. “Never mind.”
He laughed and turned away from you. “I want to watch the game. Come on.” The catcher strode forward, not letting you question him any further.
You shook your head and followed him. When you stepped out into the bleachers, you found your teammates and grabbed a seat next to Sawamura. Miyuki was sitting in front of you with Kuramochi and Zono.
The game hadn’t started yet, so you decided to go to the washroom before it began.
“I’ll be right back.” You told Sawamura who nodded.
You wandered through the cool hallways and finally found the men’s washroom. You fanned yourself but halted when you saw a familiar person in front of the sink.
It was Sanada.
You thought about turning around and bolting out of the stall but he had already looked up to see who walked into the washroom. Surprise flashed across his face before he cleared his throat. He ripped his eyes away from you and found the water rushing down on his large hands more interesting.
You didn’t know what to do. But, you figured just standing here gawking at Sanada wouldn’t be the best option. Leaving right now would only make things worse too… So, you uncomfortably walked over to the sink at the far end to wash your face.
No words were exchanged between the two of you and, god, the tension was cutting you like a knife. You cleared your throat and managed to work up some courage.
“Uh…do you think you’re going to win today?”
Sanada glimpsed at you for a brief second. “Yeah.”
Damn it, you felt stupid for asking that. Of course, he’d say yes. He’d practically bragged about not losing at all for the entire season just a few minutes ago.
“Ah…that’s good. I think you’ll do well too.” You decided to just wash your hands instead of your face. So you grabbed some soap and lathered your fingers thoroughly. Your eyes glued themselves to the sink but you could feel Sanada staring at you. You gulped; your ears began to turn red.
“So…you and Miyuki, huh?”
Your head shot up to look at him but he’d already turned off the faucet and was drying his hands. His back was turned to you.
“What do you mean? There’s nothing going on between us…”
Sanada didn’t say anything, instead he threw the paper in his hands in the garbage. He glanced over his shoulder, a tight smile on his handsome face. “You should be more honest with your feelings, Mrs. Eigh – Yukimaru.”
Your heart broke.
Ignoring the painful throbbing in your chest, you turned off the pipe. “Sanada, we’re not strangers. Can we…can we talk? I don’t want things to be awkward between us and – ”
“– Not right now.” He swiftly cut you off. “I have to go.”
You opened you mouth to say something but he’d already retreated. You murmured, “Good luck…”
Frowning, you grabbed a few paper towels to dry your soaked hands. You sighed and threw the drenched paper in the garbage.
Yakushi had won the game against Inaidai.
When they won, you were incredibly happy; especially for Sanada. His game wasn’t affected at all despite having an extremely awkward conversation with you in the washroom. If anything…you believed he’d played his best game today. Despite that, you couldn’t help but feel somewhat hurt because he was avoiding you. You’d sent him a text right after the game ended, congratulating him, but… he didn’t reply.
Well…I should’ve expected it.
You sighed and walked under the moonlight to the bathhouse. It was just... weird not talking to Sanada. You wanted to tell him you’d met your father the other day. You wanted his opinion on what to do - he seemed like he always had the right words to say when you were feeling down. You rubbed the side of your face. You missed him.
Then there was Miyuki who was more than likely hiding something from everyone. As soon as you stepped out of the bus, he had taken off. He didn’t even sit beside you like he usually did and he was avoiding all physical contact. Something was definitely wrong – so you planned to crash his dorm after your shower just to make sure he was okay. Finally arriving at the bathhouse, you slid open the door.
Kuramochi was already inside, seated on the wooden bench. He was scrolling through his phone but when he heard the door slide shut, he glanced up.
“Slow as ever.”
You grinned at his annoyed face. Childishly, you stuck your tongue out at him as you strolled past him to the showers. “Mei told me that queens are never late.”
You didn’t see the bizarre look he shot you because you had already hopped into the shower. But you did hear his ridiculous laugh.
“So, now you’re royalty?” He played along. “Well excuse my bad manners, your highness.”
The corner of your lips lifted as you turned on the shower faucet to let the water warm. Your mood lifted. You watched the shower spit until it was hot enough to your liking. “I was always royalty. I just never told you.” You grabbed your fruity shampoo. “You better treat me right or I’ll get my guards to take you out.”
“Oh, really?” Kuramochi laughed and leaned against the door. “Whoever it is, I can kick their ass.”
“Not if it’s Ryo-san.”
The shortstop didn’t reply causing you to laugh softly.
“Where’d the tough guy act go?”
“You wouldn’t happen to have any other guards? You know, ones that I can actually beat?”
You hummed thoughtfully while running a hand through your silky hair to wash out the soap. “None. You should think about joining my side.” You scrubbed at your dirty skin.
“Not a chance, hyaha! I’d much rather overthrow you than join your army. You probably make all your subjects cross-dress for entertainment.”
“Ha-ha, very funny, Kuramochi.” You rolled your eyes and finished up your quick shower. “I should throw you in prison for that comment.”
He laughed again; the door creaked when he shifted his weight against it. “So, who’s the king?”
“Hmm, good question.” You rummaged through your bag and grabbed your white towel. “I’m looking for one right now.”
“Do you hold auditions?”
You sniggered and pulled on your blue underwear and dark sweatpants. Then, you began to bind your chest. “Why, you applying?”
“Possibly.”
“Oh, you are? Well, you have to go through my matchmaker, Furuya, first. Though, he’s not very open to suggestions.” You pulled a green shirt over your head and grabbed your bag. You knocked on the door and slid it open when Kuramochi moved.
He grinned upon meeting your eyes. “Hyaha, well if it isn’t the royal highness! How kind of you to grace me with your presence.” Kuramochi tugged on the end of your shirt sleeve. “But, I was expecting you to be wearing something more… elegant. ”
Despite rolling your eyes, you smiled at his antics. “You should be happy that you’ve caught me in such attire, sir. But please, refrain from touching my royal garments.”
Kuramochi snorted and held his hands up in defence. “My apologies, your highness.”
You laughed then nudged his side playfully. “Are you sure you don’t want to join my side? You can be the royal clown.”
The shortstop flicked your forehead, hard .
“ Ouch.” You rubbed the aching spot. “I was just kidding. Besides, I think Miyuki suits that role more.” You paused. “Speaking of him…do you think Miyuki really isn’t injured?”
Kuramochi’s lips thinned out into a straight line. He opened the door for you to walk out and followed behind.
The cool, crisp night air kissed your still damp hair and skin causing you to shiver slightly. You hugged yourself as you strolled to your room with Kuramochi by your side. The blue metal stairs reverberated from each footstep. For once, the insects weren’t singing.
“I think…he might be hiding something.”
“That’s what I was thinking too.”
“He’s not going to tell anyone, so we’ll have to watch him for now.” Kuramochi stopped outside of your room. “If he is…” He trailed off.
“…What?”
He snapped his head up and smiled at you. “ Nothing .” The shortstop yawned and stretched his muscular arms. “Well, I’m going to bed.” Before you could even react, he flicked your forehead again and grinned at the immediate noise of protest that escaped your lips. “Hyaha! Sleep well, your highness. I’ll see you tomorrow morning with my application.” He spun on his heel and retreated back to the stairs.
You watched him leave with a small smile on your face.
BUZZ!
Oh, your phone! You quickly took it out of your pocket as you opened your room door. Ah …it was Mei. You were half expecting it to be Sanada calling you but that idea was too far fetched.
You picked up the call. “Hello?”
“I heard you’re going to nationals.”
You grinned and pressed your phone closer to your ear to hear Mei’s voice better. “The doctor said I can play too.”
“Oh, you can!? That’s awesome, haha! You better win!”
“I will…we’re facing Yakushi.” You bit your bottom lip but immediately stopped; you had to break out of your bad habit. “I feel nervous.”
“Of course you’re nervous. But, don’t freak out too much. If you come home for the weekend, I’ll help you practice.”
You leaned against your closed door and stared up at the ceiling. “That’ll be amazing. Aren’t you the best brother in the world?”
“Haha, obviously! I’m going to watch you play in the finals.” Mei chirped happily. “The other night I was thinking –.”
“– Oh, that’s not good.”
“Shut up. Anyways, as I was saying, I was thinking that you should just transfer to my school. Can you imagine the two of us on one team? Hehe, my ultimate team will become even more perfect!”
“No thanks.”
Mei clicked his tongue causing you to laugh. “Whatever, your loss. Oh but then again, maybe it’s better if you stay there. Carlos would be all over you.”
“…Carlos?” You furrowed your neat eyebrows, your mind flashing images of Mei’s teammates. “The batter right? The one who runs really fast?”
“Yeah. Then there’s Shirakawa. He’s sharp, so he’d know right away that you’re a girl.”
You made a noise of understanding.
“Oh, I didn’t get to ask.” Mei paused. “Did you talk to… that guy?”
“What gu – oh.” You closed your eyes and sighed in defeat. “No. I didn’t contact my dad.”
Mei was silent for a few seconds. “…Do you think your mom would want you to?”
You heard the slight concern in his voice; he was properly a little shaken up with the sudden appearance of your father. Your expression softened.
“No. She’s really happy with your dad.” Hoping to lift his mood, you teased. “Scared that you’ll lose me as a sister?”
Mei scoffed. “You’re the one who’s scared to lose me as a brother! Anyways, I just called to say congrats. Go to bed. There better not be any boys in your room! It’s already –” He paused. “– 10:30!”
You stifled your laughter. “Alright, alright. I’ll go to bed soon.”
“ You better. I’ll know if you’re hanging out with anyone! I’ll hang up first, goodnight (Name).”
“Goodnight, Mei.”
Pulling your phone away from your ear, you wondered for a moment if Miyuki was still awake. Of course he is. You exited your dorm. He’s probably watching a DVD again, like usual. Your heart fluttered as you walked to his room. You arrived a lot faster than you thought you would.
Knock, knock!
“It’s open!”
Your heart jumped and you paused to collect yourself. Taking in a deep breath, you nervously pushed open the door. To your surprise, Miyuki wasn’t watching TV. Instead, he was sitting on his bed, reading a health book. He glanced up and grinned when he saw you.
“Oh, Skirt-chan? What brings you here?” He clapped the novel shut and placed it on his counter, face down.
You shut his door and took off your shoes. Walking over to Miyuki, you sat on the edge of his comfortable bed. Now that you were here, you hadn’t really thought about how you were going to ask him if he was hurt or not.
“What’s up?” He moved to sit beside you. “Why are you so quiet?” His leg brushed against yours and electricity fired through your veins. Miyuki didn’t bother to move his leg. Instead he playfully knocked your knee with his.
Ignoring the rapid pace of your heart, you pursed your lips into a thin line.
I’ll just ask him directly.
“You’re… hurt, right?” You stole a glance at Miyuki who raised a perfect eyebrow at you.
“No, I’m not.” A charming smile stretched across his face. “What makes you say that?”
You knew that smile. He’d used it on you before and this time, you weren’t going to fall for it.
“You can’t hide something like this from me.”
“What are you talking about, Skirt-chan? I’m not hiding anything.”
Still playing the fool, huh?
“Miyuki…I’ve known you long enough to know something is wrong.” You stared at him straight in the eyes. “And, I’ve been injured enough to know one when I see one.”
He impishly teased. “You know, Skirt-chan, being injured isn’t something to be proud of.”
“I just don’t want you to hide something that can be serious.”
Miyuki silently leaned back on the palms of his hands, but he didn’t look at you. “The only thing serious here is you.”
You sighed in frustration. “Miyuki, you’ve been avoiding touching me since the game.” You blinked at how weird that sounded coming out of your mouth. You quickly tried to correct yourself. “No, wait, that came out wrong. I-I don’t mean it like that. It’s just that you usually touch me and - ”
Miyuki laughed flamboyantly; your cheeks flushed red.
“You know what I mean. Don’t laugh!”
“Do I really? You miss me touching you?” He provoked, his devilish smirk widened when you fired a dirty glare at him. “I never knew you liked me touching you so much. Are you not telling me something, Skirt-chan?”
You crossed your arms and cleared your throat. “Stop trying to change the subject.”
“I’m not. You’re the one who brought up touching.”
You clicked your tongue and went to nudge his side. But he flinched away.
Silence settled between the two of you.
“Usually when I do that, you wouldn’t move. You’re hurt. ” You rubbed your thumb against your forefinger, nervously. You chewed softly on your bottom lip. “Can I… can I see it?”
The catcher sighed before sitting up right. He grabbed the hem of his long-sleeved shirt and slowly pulled it up. Your eyes followed his motion only to widen at the incredibly large, blue-purple bruise tattooed on his ribcage. The skin was swollen and flecks of red were sprinkled across his inflamed skin like he’d just been beaten with a wooden stick.
You shuddered and your heart twisted in pain. You whispered, “Why… are you hiding something like this?”
It hurt just to look at it.
Miyuki turned his face away from you while he tugged down his shirt to hide the ugly wound. He shrugged with one shoulder.
“We need to get you checked out.” You shot up from the bed. “Let’s tell Coach and – “
He immediately grabbed your wrist. “ Don’t.”
Confusion ran through your mind. Glancing back at the catcher, you tried to convince him. “But, you’re hurt and – “
“– Please, Haru .”
The pleading in Miyuki’s voice froze you. It wasn’t like him at all and it sent tremors of shock down your stiff spine. Biting your lip gently, you closed your eyes to collect yourself. His eyes were rigid but you could see the silent plea in them, like a friend begging for a favour. You wanted to say something, to try to convince him, but the way he was looking at you made you feel like if you told anyone, you’d betray him.
You caved.
“Fine…” You rubbed your temples and turned towards the door. “At least… at least, let me put ice on it.”
Miyuki nodded slowly and let go of your hand. You noticed a white cloth on his counter so you grabbed it as you walked through the door.
Your thoughts were in turmoil as you stalked towards the vacant cafeteria to grab some ice.
“Maybe I should at least tell Kuramochi… no , Miyuki wouldn’t want that.” You shook your head and pushed open the cafeteria doors. The automatic light flickered on; there was no one inside.
Being alone in the cafeteria felt eerie... in a strange way. Like something was going to pop out of nowhere; it didn’t help that there was absolutely no noise. Tiny goosebumps appeared on your skin when you trudged towards the kitchen. You definitely watched too many horror movies – you were starting to become paranoid. Quickly grabbing a couple ice cubes, you placed them in the white cloth and tied it. Then, you returned to Miyuki’s dorm.
When you cracked open his door again, he was laying down on his left side as he played on his phone.
“Took you long enough.”
You rolled your eyes and stalked over to him. You shifted his long legs, so you had enough space to sit on the edge of the bed near him. Without hesitating, you rucked up his shirt. Your jaw tightened when the ugly, purple bruise glared back up at you. “This must hurt a lot.”
“Only when I twist or lift my arm.” He chuckled, his eyes never leaving his phone. “I took a hit for the team.”
Unimpressed with his joke, you gingerly eased the ice pack on his warm skin. Miyuki winced at the icy pressure being applied on his horrible bruise.
“It’s funny how you’re the one treating me now.”
“Hmm?”
“Since you’re a clumsy idiot, you’re always getting hurt.” Miyuki laughed and dropped his phone on his white pillow. He took off his glasses to rub his eyes. “Feels weird being on the receiving end.”
“Should I scold you, like how you always scold me?” You rested your elbow on the side of his strong thigh, your hand still gently pressing the ice pack against his swelling . “You practically tell me off every time I get hurt.”
He fired a wicked smile at you. “I’m only like that when you do something stupid. Yesterday, you nearly chewed off your own lip.”
You playfully shot him a dirty glare provoking a laugh from the catcher. A small smile graced your lips; your heart sped up at his content face.
Miyuki rolled his left shoulder, and a grunt of annoyance escaped.
“Is your shoulder tight?”
“ Mmm .”
You took off the ice pack and eyed his wound. Placing it on his counter, you motioned Miyuki to sit up. “I’ll give you a massage.”
He raised an eyebrow, a cheeky smirk crawled across his face. “Oh, my slave is back.” The catcher placed his glasses back on his face and sat up. “Make sure you get everywhere or you’re fired.”
“One more smart comment from you and I’m leaving.”
“You’re only saying that.” Miyuki chuckled and scooted towards you. He grinned once you placed your hands on his strong shoulders.
“It’ll be easier if you turned around, you know.”
He shrugged, thoroughly enjoying the way your cheeks slowly flushed red.
You clicked your tongue, praying that your face wouldn’t be as red as it felt. All the blood was rushing to your cheeks and the way Miyuki was staring down at you didn’t help. You were suddenly very self-conscience of just how close the two of you really were. Ignoring your rapidly beating heart, you focused on rubbing the muscular joint that connected Miyuki’s neck and shoulder. Subconsciously, he leaned into your touch and closed his eyes. When you kneaded a certain area of his tight muscle, Miyuki made a deep, quiet noise in the back of his throat that almost sounded like a growl of pleasure. It sent tremors of excitement rippling through your veins. You continued to stroke his smooth flesh, secretly hoping that he’d make that noise again.
You whispered. “Where else feels tight?”
Miyuki sighed and clasped both of your hands with his. The feeling of his calloused palms caressing your softer ones made your toes curl. Your blood simmered when he guided them to his neck. Shakily, you pressed your fingers gently into his flesh and drew semi-circles. Your wandering hands trickled to the back of Miyuki’s neck to his acupressure points; you stimulated the area. To your delight, you were rewarded with another satisfied sigh.
You swallowed and drew your hands back to the front of his neck and outlined his Adam’s apple. Without thinking, your fingers teasingly ghosted over his jawline and followed the curves of his warm cheeks. His skin was so soft. Idly, you fiddled with his ear before indulging in the roots of his hair. You ran your fingers through his brown locks, your hands fisted in his hair. You tugged gently. In response, Miyuki grunted in pleasure and the spring in the pit of your stomach coiled.
This was bad.
Hastily, you pulled your hands away, but Miyuki caught your wrists.
The two of you didn’t say anything. The silence echoed off of the thin walls and you could feel the temperature rapidly rising. The thick and heavy tension strangled the air out of your lungs.
“ Haru .”
Your heart jolted; your hands fisted as you swallowed hard. Cautiously, you looked up at him through your lovely eyelashes.
Miyuki’s kissable lips thinned out into a straight line; his forehead creased as he studied your face. His penetrating eyes burned into yours as if he was searching for something. Fire licked your skin and your nerves bubbled up from within your stomach.
It was suddenly so hard to breath.
Before the mood escalated, you hurriedly yanked your hands away from him.
“Miyuki…I.” You gulped and averted your eyes. This wasn’t good; you needed to leave. Your heart slammed repeatedly against your rib cage, your nervous palms began to sweat in anticipation. “ I need to go .” You got up but Miyuki instantly grabbed your left wrist again.
He tugged you back down on the bed.
You swallowed hard and squeezed your eyes shut; no, no, no.
Your heart kicked fiercely as you fisted Miyuki’s red bedsheets in your free hand.
When his calloused hand touched your hot cheek, your breath hitched. Miyuki turned your face to him but he didn’t say anything. You knew the instant you opened your eyes that something would happen – you had to keep them closed no matter what. But then, Miyuki pinched your cheek roughly, causing your eyes to fly open.
That was your mistake.
Your eyes widened when you met Miyuki’s. His lips were slightly parted, his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed the lump in his throat. His hooded, intense eyes darkened as he observed you, heatedly. The way he was looking at you was just so…
You ran your tongue over your lips and immediately Miyuki’s focus was your mouth.
“M-Miyuki, we – “
He placed his thumb over your lips, silencing you. For a moment you forgot how to breath. Sensually, he ran his thumb over your soft lips, stopping at the still small bruise healing. The contrast of his rough skin against your smooth mouth forced a jolt of pleasure down your spine.
It was arousing.
He brushed his thumb over your top lip as well, before returning to your bottom lip. He traced the outline, his other hand uncurled from your wrist and found its way to your jaw. Miyuki ghosted his fingers against your creamy skin before they trailed down to your neck to caress it tenderly, only to tangle themselves in your silky hair.
You needed him to stop before anything else happened, things were heating up too quickly.
But you were so absorbed in him.
His strong, masculine, spicy scent shot through you like hot adrenaline. It clung to your nose, making you lightheaded and breathless.
Miyuki leaned in closer, his nose brushing against yours. His hot, sweet breath fanned against your warm face causing you to shutter. His breathing became unsteady, his thumb pressed harder against your bottom lip. For a moment, he clenched his jaw and closed his eyes - as if he was internally fighting against something. But, when he opened them again, they burned with heavy desire.
Panic engulfed your entire being.
Your anxious heart hadn’t pounded so hard in your entire life. For a fleeting moment, you wondered if he could hear it screaming.
Miyuki’s velvet voice was husky and deep. He murmured. “If you don’t move, I’m going to do it.”
Your heart jumped out of your throat. You swore you were shaking from excitement, from the anticipation. You had to move; your conscience screamed at you but your body and heart ignored it. You were rooted to the spot; your grip on Miyuki’s bedsheets tightened.
Miyuki searched your eyes for any hesitation, god, the way he was looking at you caused the coil in your stomach to completely combust.
He moved in closer; your lips inches away from each other – without thinking, you closed your eyes.
And, finally, the distance between the two of you disappeared.