Chapter Text
You grew up having mixed feelings over love triangles. On one hand, the main lead had a promising relationship with two people they were close to. On the other- everyone fought over who deserved them more. They turned love into a competition- someone's heart into a prize- and it left a sour taste in your mouth.
You met Yuuki Tetsuya first. You'd been introduced to him by Isashiki Jun, your friend of nearly a year. You were a little intimidated by the stern look on his face, but, just like Jun, it didn't take long for you to see the dork that resided within. Eventually, you started waiting after school to walk home with Yuuki. Sometimes he'd give himself a concerning amount of extra practice, but you made sure the two of them didn't swing themselves into morning.
You don't even remember the first moment you saw him as more than a mutual friend. It was like you turned around one day and your heart decided 'hey, we're doing this now.'
You're sure Jun, ever the bleeding heart, noticed your incredibly subtle crush, but you were grateful that he never tried to force the two of you together like some kind of cupid.
"'Love at first sight' should stay in manga," he told you one day out of the blue. "Slow burn are the more interesting relationships. And healthier,"
You didn't even know how to respond to him- didn't even know how this topic started- but Yuuki returning from the bathroom had Jun on another train of thought.
"Oy, Tetsu! Get any swings in yet today?"
-
You met Takigawa Chris Yuu a few times since meeting Yuuki, but you never really had time alone with him. Neither of you were the type to pull a conversation out of thin air, so many of your interactions were limited unless someone like Jun was there to keep things going.
When you'd gone to get a drink from the vending machine after your club activities, you noticed him sitting on a bench. He looked rather down, so you found yourself offering the extra chocolate milk you bought.
He looked a little shocked at first- and you couldn't say that you weren't either- but accepted the offer with a quiet thanks.
"You doing alright?" you asked. "Practice seems like it's getting pretty rough."
He fiddled with the drink for a moment. "Nothing I can't handle."
An admittedly tense moment passed between the two of you before you sat beside him. "I've got to say, I'm pretty convinced that your guys' practice isn't designed with your survival in mind."
He let out a short laugh as you looked at him from the corner of your eye, hoping to see a bit of a smile.
"I'm starting to think you guys are dipping into witchcraft with how hard you're working. I have no idea how you're all holding up."
You finally opened your own drink, if only to give your hands something to do.
"We have expectations to live up to," he said. "Games to win, goals to achieve."
You leaned forward a bit to get a better look at his face. "You guys are really putting everything into this, aren't you?"
His lips twitched for what you hoped was a smile. You lost track of how long the two of you sat there, making small conversation like every interaction of yours.
"Ah, there you are," a new voice eventually called from the side.
You both turned and saw Jun and Yuuki coming towards you.
"Thought you got your arm stuck in the machine," Jun said, head tilting a bit in amusement.
"Just catching up," you nudged Chris' shoulder gently before rising from the bench. "Seemed odd that someone on such a huge team was sulking alone."
Chris let out a quiet laugh before standing too. "I was just thinking about some new plays. No sulking involved."
You hummed, shooting him a teasing look. As you turned back to the other two, you saw Jun casting an almost panicked glance between the three of you.
"I should get going," you put your drink in the side pocket of your bag. "Don't want to completely miss dinner."
"Tetsu can walk you," Jun said, as if that wasn't the norm.
The first baseman looked as off-put by that as you did.
"Well, thank you for the talk," you turn to Chris for a goodbye. "We should do it again some time."
He gives a soft smile and nods. "Get home safely."
-
The walk with Yuuki was as quiet as usual, but something felt different. You tried to remember if they had any practice games lately that may have dampened his mood, but nothing rang any bells. You looked up at the sky and watched the clouds drift.
"Have you two been close for long?" Yuuki's question might as well have been a car alarm with how it startled you.
"What?"
"You and Chris. You two seemed close."
What did this boy constitute as close? Did he mean you were sitting close together?
"It was barely a conversation." You shrugged and looked over at him. "He just looked upset and it seemed wrong to walk past."
The furrow in his brow deepened.
"Yuuki? Are you okay?" you tugged at his sleeve gently to stop him.
There was a moment of silence as the two of you stood there on the sidewalk.
"It's nothing," Yuuki eventually said. "You just look good together."
He continued walking at a pace that you weren't sure you were supposed to match.