Archive of Our Own ^beta

Miyuki Kazuya wants to sleep.

Seeing how accustomed Kazuya is at staying up late watching game videos and reading statistics, one would've thought he would've been able to deal with being woken up at five in the morning at the sound of screams even after he's only had three hours of sleep. He hadn't been watching his videos then.

Instead, he'd been reading shoujo mangas with Sawamura- who is not his favorite pitcher no matter what Kuramochi said- until two in the morning when a half-angry, half-deliriously sleepy Kuramochi had come to drag Sawamura back to their room.

Coach Kataoka's mercurial practice leaves little chance for rest days so the players treasure what little they have. None of them have endless stamina unlike a certain bright-eyed pitcher with his annoying cheerfulness.

It’s only been a few weeks since he’s been appointed as captain. The experience has been gruelling, the work relentless and he hasn't properly slept in a long time. He wants to rest for a change instead of staying up watching practice matches and strategizing plays but even that plan seems to be going down into flames.

Of course, he should've simply gone to sleep as soon as practice had ended but when it comes to spending time with Sawamura Eijun off the field, Kazuya is ready to give up the world. Sleep seems like a small sacrifice.

Slipping off his eye-mask, he squints towards the source of the noise. There’s not even a sliver of light streaming through the open window at this unearthly hour.

He gets up and goes to the window. The rising streams of light illuminate two figures arguing in a distance. By the distinct loudness, one of them is Sawamura and he makes out the other one to be Kuramochi.

Kuramochi kicks him at something Sawamura says and the gesture sparks a flare of anger in his chest. He clutches the curtains and balls them in his fists. Kuramochi's attacks are growing more and more by the day. No matter how annoying Sawamura is at times, he shouldn't hit him over everything. There are other ways of getting points across.

Sawamura shines brighter than the crack of dawn and looking at him, Kazuya can't help wondering if it was him out there instead of that damned roommate, he'll talk instead of pulling the pitcher into a chokehold or remind him how important rest was or trick him back inside using the lure of spending more time reading shoujo mangas or even tempt him into Kazuya's warm bed...

Wait. What is he thinking? He wants to pull Sawamura into his bed?

He must be more sleep-deprived than he thought.

Blocking out the noise with pillows, he’s barely nodded off when a series of sharp knocks startle him awake.

"Rise and shine, Miyuki senpai!” yells a familiar voice, a soothing loud that demands to be heard and Kazuya groans, grabbing the clock to check the time. “It’s only seven o’clock,” he grumbles. It’s still much too early to deal with Sawamura. He debates whether to go back to sleep or not, but Sawamura keeps persistently knocking on his door, refusing to let him have a moment of peace.

He makes his way across the room, cursing, and wrenches open the door.

Standing outside is Sawamura Eijun, bringing with him the radiance of the sun. Kazuya feels himself gravitating towards his presence, he feels his frustration melt away. Sawamura smiles shining bright and his eyes pierce him with that predatory gold. They make his heart beat faster and his cheeks feel warm. It is so hard to look away.

Until he notices the other person standing beside him.

It’s Furuya Satoru, their other resident idiot pitcher. Honestly, Kazuya’s a bit surprised to see him there. Furuya loves sleeping. He never misses a chance to take a nap. Even in the middle of practice, Kazuya can't count the number of times he's had to go search for Furuya during their water break only to find him passed out. To see him awake at the break of dawn was out of character.

“What are you two idiots doing here? Do you know what time it is?” he scowls, trying to project his annoyance. But Sawamura can’t take a hint even if his life depends on it. “Miyuki-senpai!” he crows in that loud voice of his, which at any other time he would find slightly adorable but right now it felt irritating. “Catch for me!”

“No, senpai. Catch for me.” Furuya’s voice is softer but just as determined. Kazuya stares at them for what seems like hours for his sleep-deprived brain but is probably only a few seconds in real-time. Both wait for his answer, eyes wide and unblinking, faces expectant. Sawamura’s practically vibrating with excitement.

He slams the door on their faces. After a moment of peaceful silence, Sawamura resumes his furious knocking. Kazuya groans, resting his forehead against the door.

“Damnit, Miyuki Kazuya!” Sawamura yells, not caring that he’s waking up everybody in the vicinity with his shouts. “Don’t ignore me!”

He yanks the door open once again, his anger bubbling. “It’s seven in the goddamn morning, Sawamura! Coach said today is a rest day. I want to sleep. I’m not going to catch for you right now.”

Sawamura falls silent, staring at his face.

Just when Kazuya thinks he’s gotten the message, Sawamura pipes up, “Okay, senpai! You can catch for me later.”

Flashing his blinding smile once again, Kazuya is left staring speechlessly at the jaunty figure dragging Furuya along to the dining hall.

After a few minutes, he slowly closes the door and makes his way back to bed, settling down on the mattress and pulling the covers over his head.

He wakes up an hour and a half later, his stomach grumbling. He rubs his eyes and ambles down to the cafeteria. The first thing he does is grab a cup of coffee, downing it all in one gulp. His head still feels heavy and his eyelids droop slightly, but he feels marginally more ready to tackle the day.

“You look like shit,” Kuramochi remarks, using his keen sense of observation to perfection, as Kazuya sits in his usual place beside him. “Sawamura woke you up too, didn’t he?”

Kazuya snorts. “He woke up everybody with that racket. Doesn’t he understand the concept of resting?”

Kuramochi gives his usual hyena-like bark of laughter. “It’s Sawamura. That moron doesn’t know when to stop.

“True,” Kazuya says, taking a bite of his breakfast. “Where is he anyway?” His eyes scan the dining hall for the loud boy, who he usually hears before he sees.

"He woke up Kanemaru with all his screaming so he dragged Sawamura off to finish his homework.”

Kazuya grins, his mind’s eye picturing Sawamura’s indignant squawks.

“What are doing after breakfast?” Kuramochi asks.

"Awww, I didn't know you cared so much about my daily activities, Kuramochi-kun," he smirks.

"Can you not answer normally asshole," Kuramochi growls in response.

"Alright then, I'm completing my homework or maybe studying game videos for a bit. And thanks to some people and their inability to keep their voices down, I'll take a nap in the afternoon.”

"You're really going to waste one of our rare off days like that? Instead of holing yourself up in your room and getting bored, you should come to the video game tournament in my room."

Kazuya feels torn. The pressure after becoming captain to keep up a stellar performance in both classroom and field is immense. He doesn't have a lot of time he can devote to his studies but he still needs to keep up his grades. Kazuya needs to catch up on his schoolwork, and to be honest, he wasn’t that interested in video games.

The only reason he slightly wants want to go is to see Sawamura’s reactions. Sawamura shouting with excitement about the game he wants to play, his adorable pouts when he loses, his cheerful crowing when he’s winning, his screams when Kuramochi throws away his controller and grabs him in a headlock. He’ll miss all that.

But as much as he wants to see it in person, his duties as a captain come first.

"No, I better skip it," Kazuya says, a light grin tugging at his lips. "Unless you want me to fail at the quiz and the practice match? How cruel you can be, Kuramochi-kun."

Kuramochi flips him off, his mouth twisting into that delinquent's scowl of his. He pushes his chair back with a clatter, standing up and making his way across the cafeteria to throw away his tray.

Kazuya leaves shortly after that and goes back to start on his work. He’s barely been at it for five minutes when a loud knock sounds on his door. He groans. He’s fully expected this ever since Sawamura said he’d return. He’s honestly surprised it’s even taken him so long.

Opening the door, he spies Sawamura's bright sunshine smile and Furuya’s characteristically deadpan face. He cuts off Sawamura before he can open his mouth saying, “No. I can’t catch for you now. Go away. I’m doing some important work.”

“But Miyuki-senpai!” Sawamura whines, like the needy puppy he is. “You said you’d catch for me later.”

“I didn’t really mean that,” Kazuya says, watching Sawamura narrow his eyes and press his lips together at hearing that.

“You can’t take that back, you mean tanuki!”

“Yes, I can,” Kazuya trills. “And where’s your respect? Call me senpai!”

“I’ll call you senpai if you catch for me!”

“That’s not happening, Sawamura. I really do have a lot of work to do.”

“But-,” Sawamura starts.

Losing his patience, Kazuya immediately interrupts him saying, “No means no, Sawamura!”

Eijun's shoulders instantly slump as he walks away, his head bent down, his lips curling into a pout. Kazuya watches him leave, feeling a twinge of pity at his receding form appearing like a sad puppy with its tail tucked between its legs. Something shifts in his heart at that. He shouldn't have been so harsh.

Waving the thoughts away, he pivots to Furuya. He didn't have time. "You too, Kaibutsu-kun. I'm not catching for anyone today."

Kazuya is worried that he’s been a little too harsh with Sawamura but the younger boy seems to have regained his spirits by lunch.

After lunch, he regrets not being harsher because the two pitchers keep coming back every fifteen minutes, trying to cajole him into catching for one of them. Kazuya keeps driving them away and yet they keep returning as if hoping for a different answer if they just annoy him into it.

He gives up any chance of finishing his work after he’s been interrupted for the eighth freaking time. He lies down on his bed, awaiting the next knock. Dozing off in the meantime, he’s roused awake when he finally hears the knock he's been irritatedly anticipating.

Checking the time, he sees an hour has passed since the last time they came. He gets up, somewhat amazed at this display of self-control, and opens the door.

Instead of the two idiots he anticipated, he finds Kuramochi.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, rolling his eyes.

Kuramochi grins. “Expecting someone else?”

Kazuya says nothing and glares at him some more.

“What's the matter, our most dedicated and sincere captain? You've spent the entire day all alone in your room, doing your work and you're grumpier than you were this morning. Were you not able to finish all your work? Not had a moment’s peace?”

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t and I’m pissed. What do you want?”

“Kyahaha! You would've been better off if you had come to our video game tournament. Anyways, remember that summer festival we went to last year? They're holding it again today this year and we’re all going. Can you drag yourself away from your pressing work and come with us?”

“Who’s coming?” Kazuya asks.

"Mostly the first string and some of the retired third years."

“Really? They’re coming to fool around with you guys?”

“Well, they need a break too, don’t they?”

Kazuya nods, trailing off. "That's true."

If first-stringers are gonna be there, then maybe Sawamura will be there too and everything involving him gives Kazuya great pleasure. Watching him play all those games, his face scrunched up in concentration, his smile contagiously lighting up. Then, Sawamura sharing food with him, watching the fireworks with him...

Only Sawamura giving it his all.

Yeah, it certainly would be fun.

Something must’ve shown on his face because Kuramochi snorts and says, “Yes, Sawamura’s going to be there too.”

Kazuya flinches. “Why would I care if Sawamura was there or not?”

Kuramochi gives him a knowing grin. The same grin he gives him when he catches the two of them heading towards extra practice after Sawamura manages to convince him. When he catches Kazuya sneaking natto onto Sawamura's plate just to watch the boy squawk and yell and pay him some attention. Like last night when he caught them reading shoujo manga together, Sawamura nestled against Kazuya's side, head resting on his chest so that they could both read it together.

Kuramochi is too observant to give Kazuya any comfort.

“So it doesn’t matter?” Kuramochi asks,

“No, it doesn’t.”

“I see.”

Kazuya deliberates for a moment. He doesn’t care, not at all if Sawamura’s going. It doesn’t matter one bit. Sure, Sawamura being there will ensure that he doesn't get bored. Sawamura's mere presence always provides him with entertainment. He’ll also have a blast hanging out with his old teammates. The whole day has been sort of a waste, he hasn’t finished any of his work, but it’s a rest day. He should enjoy it what's left of it instead of spending all his time holed up in his room.

“Why is it taking you so long? Can’t you make up your mind at all?” Kuramochi growls.

“All right, I’ll come. I’ll take pity on you since you don’t have anyone to go with.”

"Screw you, Miyuki, that pretty face of yours hides a trash-can personality and I feel very sorry for your fan club when they'll find that out."

"At least I have a fan club."

“Shut up! There are plenty of people interested in me. What about you, huh? You’re only coming because of Bakamura. I don’t know whose taste is worse, yours or his.”

“I’m just as much interested in Sawamura as you are in Ryou-san.”

Kuramochi flushes, a dark red creeping up his ears. “I’m not interested in Ryou-san!” he screams.

Kazuya raises an eyebrow. Kuramochi’s pining is obvious to anyone with eyes. Except maybe Bakamura. Then again, he does love reading those shoujo mangas of his, so who knows.

He smirks. “I’ll be sure to tell Ryou-san that.”

Kuramochi’s eyes widen, his fists clenching, the vein throbbing in his neck. “Don’t you dare, y-y-you shitty megane bastard!” he yells, looking as if he wants to put him in one of his weird chokeholds.

Kazuya gives a braying laugh, cooing in that pitch of his voice which he knows irritates Kuramochi. “Thanks for the compliment!”

Kuramochi heaves an exasperated sigh at hearing his delighted laughter in response. He turns away from Kazuya, rolling his eyes and mutters, “You sure have a nasty personality. I don’t care if you’re coming or not. But if you are, meet us at the gates in a half-hour or we'll leave without you.”

“Sure, I’ll be there.”

When Kazuya makes his way to the entrance, he sees the rest of the group already assembled. They immediately spot him and descend upon him with whoops and yells.

"Look who finally deigned to join us," Kuramochi sneers.

"It's good to see you looking so well, Miyuki. I've missed our shogi matches. We should have another soon," Testu-san nods seriously.

"Oye, Miyuki! How's captaincy treating you? Are you bullying your juniors?" Jun-san barks, slapping his back with enthusiasm.

Kazuya immediately relaxes. He's actually very fond of his previous team and it calms him whenever he's around them.

He grins and starts replying, "How could I not come after how sweetly you begged, Kuramochi-kun."

The baseball members immediately start laughing and Kuramochi's sneer changes into a scowl. His jaw clenches and he looks like he's one second away from jumping Kazuya especially after he notices Ryou-san laughing along with everyone else.

Kazuya feels his tension melt away though he feels the keen absence of a certain loud one even though Kuramochi said he's coming.

He distracts himself by replying to Tetsu-san and Jun-san and greets Chris-senpai, enquiring after his work so as not to get roped into a game of mental shogi with the former captain.

At last, Kazuya speaks up, “Where are Sawamura and the other first years?”

He's expected Sawamura to be there, unable to miss a chance to fawn over Chris-senpai, dancing around him like a puppy around his master.

He does not miss the look Kuramochi gives him.

“Sawamura and the first years left an hour ago. He dragged them off to do something before the festival,” Kawakami replies.

Sawamura dragging people on a hare-brained scheme is not unexpected but Kazuya's curiosity still gets ahold of him. After all, Sawamura gave up pestering him to catch for him all afternoon. What could be more important than Sawamura spending time with him?

“Wonder what it was that Bakamura wanted to do?” he mutters.

Kuramochi snorts. “You’re the only one wondering that.”

Kazuya’s eyebrow twitches. He smirks, “Maybe. But that’s not the only thing I’m wondering about. I’m also wondering if Ryou-san knows what we were talking about earlier. Do you, Ryou-san?”

“I’m all ears,” Ryou-san says, turning his head towards them. Kazuya is slightly impressed at how adept Ryou-san is at giving sharp looks without opening his eyes.

“It was nothing, Ryou-san!” Kuramochi all but yells, flailing his arms in obvious panic.

Ryou-san considers him for a second. Then he looks towards Kazuya, giving a thin-lipped smile, and says, “Miyuki-kun?”

Ryou-san opens his eyes slightly, locking eyes with him. Kazuya holds his breath, his palms slightly sweaty with nervousness. Ryou-san opening his eyes is one of the most terrifying things he's ever seen.

He gulps. Perhaps it wasn’t the wisest decision meddling with whatever weird dynamic the old iron wall of Seidou have just to mess with Kuramochi. Ryou-san’s smile will give him nightmares.

Kuramochi gives him a pleading look and Kazuya decides to take pity on him. “He was glad that we could all be together again. Said he missed meeting you every day.”

Kuramochi sputters, his face turning a deep shade of maroon.

“Is it true, Youichi?” Ryou-san asks, in a slightly softer tone than he usually speaks in.

“Y-Y-Yeah," he stutters, feeling everybody’s eyes on him.

Ryou-san says, “I’ve missed spending time with you too,” a slight smirk playing on his lips.

Kuramochi's nape reddens, matching his face and even Kazuya almost feels sorry for him.

The two of them stare at each other, having a silent conversation. Kuramochi looks almost pleading as if he's apologising to Ryou-san for misbehaving. Ryou-san looks cold at first but slowly cracks due to the shortstop's entreatments.

The rest stand rapt with attention at this real-life soap drama occurring in front of them.

Finally, Zono coughs and says, “Should we go now?”

Pulling their wits together, everybody else nods.

The bulk of the group is at the front, all joking and laughing with each other. Kazuya walks a little behind, along with Chris-senpai, content in companionable silence. He revels in looking on from the sidelines, not particularly on the fringe, but not in the thick of things either. He enjoys watching others talk, interacting only to stir things up.

The only times he remembers wanting to participate in conversations is when Sawamura’s there, with him shouting and being so fun to mess with. When everybody takes potshots at him, teases him, prods him to get those entertaining reactions, that’s the only time Kazuya’s ever really wanted to be in the middle of things. He doesn’t want to think about the implications of that.

“Who are you thinking of?” Chris asks gently, breaking into his thoughts.

“What do you mean, Chris-senpai?” he asks blithely.

“You have a very fond look on your face. I was just wondering if-”

Kazuya interrupts, “I’m not thinking of anyone, Chris-senpai. You must’ve been mistaken.”

“Probably.” But Chris-senpai’s tone tells him he’s not convinced.

Sensing the direction of the conversation, Kazuya quickly seeks to distract him, gesturing to the duo who walk even further behind them. “What do you think of those two?”

Kuramochi and Ryou-san talk in low voices, lost in a world of their own.

Chris-senpai smiles. “Ryousuke and I talked earlier today. I told him that we're graduating soon and he might not get a chance ever again. No matter what happens, he shouldn't be left with the regret of what might've happened. So we may finally see some progress after so long.”

Kazuya snorts, “Finally! It seems like they’ve been dancing around each other forever.”

“Yes, that’s true. Not unlike another pair I know,” Chris-senpai deadpans.

He resists the temptation to ask because he has a feeling he knows exactly whom Chris-senpai is talking about.

After a few minutes of further silence, in which Kazuya contemplates his life choices, they reach the entrance to the grounds where the summer festival was being held.

The summer festival is being held on a public ground near Seidou. Ordinarily deserted except for a few delinquents loitering around, it has been spruced up for the throngs of people attending. Large colorful lamps spilling golden light are festooned overhead, hanging from colourful streamers. The atmosphere is buzzing with excitement with people chattering to each other. A certain aroma pervades the air with savoury food like yakisoba and takoyaki being sold, cotton candy being spun, chocolate bananas and candied apples nestled in the stalls, wafting enticingly over the grounds. The scene gives you peace as you watch the girls wearing yukatas, like a river of beautiful shades smoothly flowing through.

They are making their way inside when they’re accosted by a loud voice screaming, “CHRIS-SENPAI!”

A figure hurtles towards them at full speed and launches himself at Chris senpai. Their reunion looks very similar to that of a puppy and its master, together after being separated for a very long time. Sawamura dances around Chris-senpai, his eyes bright and smile so wide his face looks like it’s splitting in two. Chris-senpai fondly ruffles his hair and gives him a soft smile at which Sawamura perks up even more.

Kazuya tries to ignore the low swoop of his stomach. He knows the two of them have a special bond and he doesn’t begrudge them for it. Chris-senpai has done so much for Sawamura so it's obvious that he can never compete with their relationship. Kazuya looks up to him very much too so he could never be jealous of the two.

But it still leaves him feeling slightly anxious when the three of them are together because all of Sawamura’s attention, which is usually focused on him, is dominated by Chris senpai. So he can’t resist poking Sawamura saying, “Calm down Bakamura. If you don’t stop bothering poor Chris-senpai, he’ll leave.”

Sawamura immediately latches onto his insult with a vengeance, spitting out, “I’m not bothering him, Miyuki Kazuya! I’m being respectful and honourable to the great Chris-senpai, my master who took on an unworthy pupil such as this Sawamura Eijun and gave his best effort to mould me into the great pitcher I am today.”

He goes on to babble some more but Kazuya’s stopped paying attention to him because he’s finally noticed what Sawamura’s wearing. He isn’t wearing jeans and a t-shirt like the rest of them. No, Sawamura, true to form, is wearing a traditional male yukata.

The cloth is light blue with gold designs stitched onto it. It drapes Sawamura's slim form, showing a hint of his slender collarbones.

Kazuya licks his lips, wondering what he's done to make all his fantasies come true. He promises to be nicer to everyone to keep this incredible dream alive longer. Not to Sawamura though. He can't stop teasing his adorable pitcher. He's almost addicted to his reactions. Besides, he only has Sawamura's full attention when he's teasing him.

“What are you wearing?” he says, cutting off Sawamura's rant.

Sawamura scowls, “This is a yukata, Miyuki Kazuya! It is a piece of traditional Japanese clothing worn by-”

“I know what a yukata is,” Kazuya interrupts him impatiently, knowing by experience how long Sawamura can rant about traditional Japanese customs. Usually, it’s pretty cute to see Sawamura care so deeply about things but now is not the time.

“Why are you wearing one?” he asks, trying to mask the strain his voice with playfulness.

Seeing him scrunching his eyebrows, the metaphorical steam coming out his ears and his face turning red, Sawamura explodes, “Men wear yukatas too! It’s a shame that Japanese men don’t wear them anymore, it is a piece of our cultural tradition-”

This time Chris-senpai cuts him off. “That yukata looks very nice, Sawamura. You carry it well,” he says, soothing Sawamura immediately and making him blush slightly.

Kazuya feels his grin slip off his face. Sawamura’s praise kink is known to everyone who interacts with him for a minimum of five minutes but it still irritates him when he sees Sawamura give a reaction to anyone else's compliments.

He slips an arm around his shoulders and pulls Sawamura close to himself. He whispers into the pitcher's ear, “It does look really good on you," watching with satisfaction when Sawamura's blush darkens.

“T-Th-Thanks,” he stutters.

His bows his head and he's shuffling his feet, trying desperately not to meet Kazuya's eyes. Kazuya watches as the red bleeds onto the younger boy's neck. He wants to bury his head against the soft brown locks and feel the warmth that Sawamura is radiating.

“So you were the one who convinced the rest of them to wear yukatas too?” Kuramochi says, approaching them. Kazuya looks to where he’s pointing. The rest of the first years stand there, wearing yukatas too.

“Haruichi, you look very cute,” Ryou-san remarks, Kominato's cheeks turning completely red on hearing it.

“I told you so!” Sawamura crows, making Kominato blush harder.

“Sawamura dragged us all off to this rental store so that we could rent these,” Kanemaru grumbles. “According to him, we had to honour the spirits of our dead ancestors.”

“So you wore one because of tradition? Or did you do it because of those shoujo mangas you read?” Seeing Sawamura suddenly freeze, he knows that he’s hit the nail on the head.

“Oh god, I’m right,” he sniggers. He remembers a scene from one of the mangas he’s read with Sawamura. “So you’ve dressed up as the noble love interest in the summer festival event? Who’s the girl you want to impress?”

“I don’t have any girls to impress! I’m not even interested in girls!”

Kuramochi kicks him and says, “What about Wakana, huh?”

“I told you! Wakana’s my best friend. She’s not my girlfriend. Why do you keep asking about her? Do you wanna ask her to be yours?”

The atmosphere immediately freezes. Ryou-san is giving off an aura that makes Kazuya fear for his idiotic pitcher's life as he pulls Kuramochi towards him.

“You can ask for Wakana-chan’s number later, Youichi,” he says in a cold voice.

Kuramochi lets himself be led off into the grounds, as he tries to pacify Ryou-san.

“Well done, Sawamura,” Kazuya says.

“What did I do?” Sawamura asks, tilting his head. Everybody else just sighs.

“How about we go in as well?” Chris suggests and everybody makes their way inside.

Unanimously, all of them divide into groups and head off to do activities that they enjoy. Zono joins Ryou-san and Kuramochi at the shooting range. Chris-senpai, Nori, Shirasu and Tanba-san make their way to the stall selling masks. Jun-san makes a beeline towards the food stalls, closely followed by Tetsu-san, who soon gets distracted by the water balloon games. Kazuya doesn’t want to do anything in particular, so he follows the first years to the goldfish scooping stall.

Immediately, Sawamura and Furuya start competing against each other, completely ignoring Kanemaru as he desperately tries to scoop up goldfish at the pace they're going to stay relevant in the competition. Toujou’s net breaks almost instantly, so he bows out and watches along with Kazuya.

Kazuya keenly observes Sawamura. He’s looking purely out of baseball-related interest because scooping requires wrist action. It wouldn't do if their only southpaw injures himself because of a silly festival game.

He takes care not to voice these thoughts to Sawamura because that will immediately result in listening to another lecture about the common pleasures of goldfish scooping and as much as he'd love to hear it, Sawamura would get distracted and lose because of him.

Kanemaru’s net breaks soon after, but he's scooped up a decent amount of fish.

“Furuya!” Sawamura yells, giving his rival a fierce glare.

The expression's familiar to Kazuya. It's the same look he has on the mound when he's being cornered by the batter. Just before he unleashes his deadly potential. As always, Kazuya can't suppress the chill that runs down his spine when he sees that predatory stare.

“The one who wins this competition in the better pitcher!”

“How so?” Toujou asks.

“My dear Toujou, everybody knows the trick for scooping goldfish successfully. It’s all in the wrist,” he nods, giving that obnoxious look of knowing everything.

Kazuya stifles his laughter. He can never take that expression seriously. Sawamura looks like a smug pufferfish, with those blown up cheeks and self-satisfied look in his eyes.

“Pitchers need to have excellent wrist control! Therefore, the one with more fish is the winner!”

“Don’t go overboard!” Kazuya warns. “You still have to pitch.”

“Don’t worry, Cap! We’ll be careful.”

Furuya nods. “Careful.”

Kazuya has not missed the little looks Sawamura keeps giving him since they started playing whenever he notices the older boy merely observing without playing once. He's not surprised when the younger pitcher finally speaks up.

“Why are you standing there like a benevolent boss, Captain? Join this Sawamura Eijun in the quest to capture the most goldfish! Or do you not consider yourself to be a worthy challenger?”

Kazuya sniggers, his shoulders shaking. Sawamura never fails to drag a genuine laugh out of him.“Oi Sawamura, I thought you were a shoujo manga character. Why are you talking like a shounen manga protagonist?"

“I am not talking like a shounen manga protagonist. I’m talking like the generals of the old-”

Sawamura breaks off, noticing Furuya’s net break. He pumps his arm, yelling, “Sawamura Eijun is victorious! He’s the greatest pitcher of all time!”

Furuya glares at him. “Rematch,” he demands.

“Just accept that you lost Furuya,” Sawamura crows.

“Excuse me,” a voice interrupts him. Everybody turns towards the source of the sound. Kominato Haruichi sits beside the biggest pile of fish anyone’s ever seen, bigger than all the other piles combined. He gives them an innocent smile and says, “I win, don’t I?”

Indeed he has. There aren’t any fish left to scoop. All of them stare at him, including the stall owner. “Y-Yeah,” Sawamura says, stunned into speaking in a normal voice.

Kazuya stares at him. Kominato Haruichi is a chip off the block and unlike Ryou-san, who looks as scary as he truly is, his younger brother has a sweet and innocent exterior to hide his cunning disposition behind.

“You really are a lucky boy,” Kanemaru says and they all laugh.

The stall owner kicks them out, saying that he won’t get any customers if they don’t leave and never come back.

Kanemaru generously gives all his fish to Toujou and the two of them grin at each other.

Furuya helps carry almost all of Kominato’s fish and his own as well in his arms, steadfastly ignoring Kominato’s soft suggestions that he can carry his own fish. Kazuya inwardly smiles, those two definitely make an interesting pair but Ryou-san would not agree with such a statement.

As for Sawamura, he ends up releasing all his fish except one, which he happily carries along with him.

“Where do you want to go after this?” he asks Sawamura.

“Let’s hit the food stalls! I’m hungry!”

“Sure, I want some takoyaki. What about you?”

“I’ll have some too! And some yakisoba! Oh and candied apples too! I haven't had those for a while.”

"You're going all out today," Kazuya chuckles.

Sawamura grins in response. "I'm having fun!" he cheers, skipping a few steps and spinning around as if he's trying to show Kazuya just how much he's having. Kazuya's unable to stop a soft smile from spreading across his face when he sees his adorable pitcher performing such antics, unheeding all the stares he's getting.

They run into Chris-senpai, Tanba-san and Nori at the takoyaki stand. Sawamura gives his fish to Chris senpai as a present, his face lighting up like a cute puppy. Looking down at the fish, Chris senpai smiles and ruffles his hair with affection. Kazuya watches beside them, a bitter feeling bubbling up in his gut. Something must’ve shown on his face because Nori asks him, in a soft voice, if he's okay and Chris senpai gives him an apologetic look.

Sawamura, as oblivious as ever, gets excited over Chris-senpai's Charizard mask and grabs Kazuya by the hand to yank him towards the mask seller's stall to choose for themselves. After spending fifteen minutes deliberating over which one he likes the most, spending all that time wearing increasingly outlandish ones and asking for Kazuya's opinion as if it was a personal fashion show, Kazuya finally reaches the end of his patience and grabs a cat mask to end Sawamura's confusion. Which he ends up wearing himself anyways, sideways like he usually wears his cap, because he can't bear the cat mask blocking those adorable golden eyes.

After this unplanned side quest, they resume their journey to the takoyaki stand, their steps hastening as the growls of their stomachs grow ever louder. Sawamura pushes his way to the front to shout out their order.

Seeing him unconsciously work his charm on the stall owner and the customers, Kazuya immediately notices how everyone around his pitcher almost seem to lose the worries and get dragged into his pace and excitement. Once again, he's left with the prickly feeling senses whenever he sees Sawamura's ability to gather people around him like the sun's gravitational pull bringing the planets into orbit around it.

Even Kazuya can't resist the pull. He's a doomed meteorite, forever on the edges of the solar system, unnoticed and unwanted, cursed to orbit around a brilliant sun surrounded by objects who deserve it.

Kazuya drags him off far away from the stall in the pretence of making their way to the yakisoba shop. He steals the ball Sawamura's about to eat and laughs as Sawamura sputters and calls him names.

“If you wanted to eat them so badly, why didn’t you take your own? Why did you grab mine?”

Kazuya slings his arm around his shoulder, taking comfort in the fact that the gesture is so familiar to Sawamura it doesn't even faze him and says, “I was the one who suggested it in the first place and I’m your senpai. That’s two good reasons why you should feed me.”

Sawamura looks up at him, an inscrutable look on his face. They stare at each other for a few seconds. There's a weird fluttering feeling in the base of his stomach. Sawamura breaks the unusual tension by grabbing another piece of takoyaki. “Okay,” he says, simply, and raises it to Kazuya’s mouth. His mouth opens on instinct before he has any time to realize what had happened. As he chomps on it, he can feel his cheeks warm in a slight blush.

“Thanks,” he says, looking at Sawamura with a gaze he hopes is soft.

If Kazuya’s face feels slightly red, Sawamura’s could rival a tomato. He keeps looking away, blushing and looking back at his eyes once more.

“Oh look the yakisoba stall’s here!” Sawamura screams, breaking the moment and making everybody in the vicinity stare at them. He laughs that loud, brash, slightly bordering on hysterical laugh of his, which he only does when he’s nervous. Kazuya notices and immediately draws away, giving him some space. Watching Sawamura run like a maniac towards the stall and almost scream at the poor vendor-he tries to analyze what just took place.

Does Sawamura . . . actually, like him? No, that isn't possible. Sawamura is a pure ball of sunshine; he'll never like someone twisted like Kazuya. But he remembers the manga the two of them read last night. The girl acted in the same way towards the guy she had a crush on. She acted just like Sawamura.

Kazuya wracks his brains trying to remember the particular details. He’d paid attention, but it hadn’t registered very much. He’d kept looking at the page only to look at Sawamura again. At Sawamura’s adorably scrunched-up forehead as he read about the problems of the protagonist. The way his pink lips puckered into a squeal when the couple had a cute moment. His slightly tearful, wide golden eyes when they fought. How Kazuya softly patted him on the head, trying to reassure him.

God, he is so gone for Sawamura. He's gone for the way he laughs. He's gone for the way he yells. He's gone for the way he shouts when he's excited. He's gone for the way he talks incessantly when he's nervous. He's gone for the way he's quiet at the serious moments of a game when Kazuya depends on him to give him his very best, his partner. And he's gone for the way he never fails Kazuya's expectations.

Every time he looks at him, he feels the corners of his mouth twitch. Spreading into a wide smile he knows is true. He can't let him see that. So he twists it into something that resembles him more, twisted, unkind, cruel. Something broken.

It's alright when Sawamura's not looking at him. He can smile and feel proud as much as he wants then. Even if he feels a little jealous at how close some are and how far he has to be.

No wonder Kuramochi looks at him like he wanted to murder him. No wonder the team keeps giving them weird looks.

He likes Sawamura.

He likes Sawamura.

Sawamura bounds back to him, his hands steadying the plate and Kazuya realizes what a strange place he’s having this realization in. And how strangely calm he is being. He’s subconsciously realized this quite a while ago but it’s taken him all this time to truly realize it.

He stands quietly next to Sawamura, gazing off into the distance. Where does he go from here? He’s never even considered the possibility of Sawamura liking him but what if he does? Should he say something? Or should he be silent, keep pining until he gets over it? Would he get over it? He’s never felt something like this for anyone or anything before. Baseball is the only true thing he cares about. Kazuya doesn’t like people, he doesn't trust and welcome them as easily, as casually as Sawamura does. He put up walls around him, walls nobody could break through, walls which Sawamura kicked down with ease.

“What are you thinking about, Miyuki-senpai?” Sawamura asks, his voice all soft and curious.

Kazuya says, “Nothing.”

He can’t do anything about it. Even if Sawamura likes him back. They are a battery.

Nothing is worth ruining that.

Sawamura gives him the last of the yakisoba to finish off as they aimlessly wander the grounds, seeing flashes of their teammates enjoying everything the festival offers.

He notices his companion get distracted by some candied apples and waits for his return. The younger pitcher comes back with one held in his hand, licking it with small kitten licks.

The sight of him is so cute Kazuya's heart almost stops and he turns away to regain his composure.

Sawamura's lips are impossibly red and soft and slick with saliva and so tempting to devour that he doesn't quite catch at first what his pitcher is trying to say.

"I said, do you want to eat this?" Sawamura shakes the candy apple in front of Kazuya's face.

Kazuya is sure Sawamura's not trying to destroy the last shreds of his self-resistance but he still feels irritated at how defenceless the younger boy is.

"And why do you think I even want to eat that?"

"You've been staring at it intensely for a while. What was I supposed to think?"

Kazuya does want to know what it tastes like. He doesn't like sweet things but maybe it wouldn't be as sweet if he tastes it through Sawamura's lips.

"Hmmmph! I'm not gonna give this to you because I want to eat it all by myself!"

Kazuya feels his lips curling into a smirk, as he bends down to erase the few inches of their height difference. "What if I do want to have a taste,'' he whispers, his voice lower than it usually is.

"W-w-what do you mean?" Sawamura stammers, reaching shades of red beyond anything Kazuya's ever seen.

He merely chuckles, bringing his lips close to Sawamura's, almost touching them, before resting his lips on the candy apple where Sawamura's were before and giving a long, slow lick. All the while staring into Sawamura's eyes.

Sawamura looks like he's almost stopped breathing. His face is flushed and he looks like he's blinking back the tears pooling into the corner of his golden eyes.

Kazuya immediately pulls back- he doesn't want to make Sawamura cry, he doesn't even know what he wants- but Sawamura grabs onto his sleeve as if Kazuya is the steady rock he depends on to regain his balance.

So he stands there, waiting for the blush to fade from his pitcher's cheeks and for his breathing to resume his normal pace.

Sawamura mutters something again but he's paying attention this time. He catches the words, "Indirect kiss," and feels like preening at how much joy courses through his body upon hearing those words.

“Do you want to go for a ring toss game?” he suggests, wanting to distract his train of thought and bring himself and the atmosphere around them back to normal.

Sawamura’s shoulders droop. “I’m not really that good at the game. My control . . . you know . . . it’s not that great.”

He looks at a loss for words, his eyes dimming to the point where there were only shadows left. His sunshine, his radiant smile, his Sawamura, only reduced to a cloudy darkness. Kazuya's heart lurches so painfully at the thought that he immediately put his arms on his back, rubbing soothing circles.

“It’s alright if you don’t want to,'' he says, “but I believe in you. Your control’s improved a great deal since I first met you.”

Sawamura’s eyes brighten and there's a slight blush on his cheeks.
“You really think so?” he asks, his voice hopeful.

“Yeah, I really do,” Kazuya stresses, trying to convince how genuinely he believes that. He'll be the first to agree that he's a regular asshole but he would never try to kick someone when they're feeling down. Especially not Sawamura.

Bolstered by Kazuya’s show of confidence in him, Sawamura takes the first turn. As he said, his control is slightly bad. None of his rings goes over any of the prizes. The first two completely miss but the third one almost makes it to the hoop before curving at the last minute and going in a completely different direction.

Sawamura looks utterly morose, no sign of his usual smile. His shoulders droop and his eyes look like they're tearing up.

Kazuya feels extremely bad, anger fueling his thoughts as to why he suggested this stupid game in the first place. He should've remembered how determined Sawamura is to win everything no matter what the cost. That quality of his is incredible but it's a double-edged sword because he completely breaks down when he fails despite trying his best.

He places both his hands on Sawamura’s shoulders and pulls him slightly towards himself.

“Don’t worry about it, Sawamura. These games are usually fixed anyway. They just want our money. Your control is amazing and I have full faith in you."

Sawamura smiles. “Yeah, okay,'' he says in a quiet voice. He still hasn't perked up. Kazuya’s blood boils seeing how sad Sawamura is. He marches up to the counter, slaps down his money and takes his three tries.

The first one doesn't even go anywhere near any of the hoops.

The second one, thrown with a slight curve in his wrist, lands perfectly on one of the hoops. Sawamura claps for him, a slightly cheerful look on his face. That hoop wouldn’t give the prize he desires. That isn't what he wants.

He takes his third ring, aims carefully and throws it with all his might. It lands perfectly around the exact hoop Kazuya wished for. He smiles, seeing Sawamura recover his spirits completely and jump up and down on the place shouting his trademark cheer of, “Oshi, oshi, oshi!”

The vendor glares at him while handing out the prize, confirming his suspicions of the game being fixed. Oh well, he’s won fair and square. He hands the stuffed tanuki he’s had his eye on to Sawamura.

“Why are you giving this to me?” Sawamura asks, his head tilted adorably to the side.

“I played because of you. You deserve it. Think of it as a gift from me for improving your control beyond my wildest dreams.”

Sawamura grins, giving him the full force sunshine smile. Kazuya smiles back at him and they continue grinning at each other like idiots before Sawamura realizes the hidden insult and shatters the moment with his yells.

“What do you mean, beyond your wildest expectations?! I am a great pitcher so you should’ve expected great things from me!”

“I never expect anything from you,” Kazuya says. Sawamura squawks, feeling insulted but Kazuya continues before he could interrupt. “You’ve surprised me so many times I’ve lost count. You always do the most unpredictable things. So I’ve stopped expecting anything."

“Are you insulting me or complimenting me?” Sawamura grabs his hair. “I can’t tell.”

“Idiot,” he scoffs. “I’m complimenting you.”

Sawamura watches him for a while, eyes narrowed in suspicion before a smile makes its way to his lips. “You’re a mean senpai but you have a very soft heart.”

Kazuya laughs, thinking Sawamura's is making a joke, but he isn’t. He remains unsmiling and quite serious.

“You’re joking, right, Sawamura,” prodding him because Sawamura can be a little slow sometimes, even when it comes to laughing at his own jokes.

“No, I’m not. You are kind," he insists.

Now Kazuya’s smile vanishes. “I’m not kind, Sawamura. As you say, I’m a mean, rude, trash-can like human being. I’m not Chris-senpai.”

“I never said you were. Not everybody nice is Chris-senpai. Though they should aspire to be.”

Sawamura tightens one hand on the tanuki and takes Kazuya’s other hand in his free one. “Remember the day I first met you? I intervened even though nobody asked me too. So did you. Remember? You came into a fight no asked you to. A no-name middle-schooler comes out of nowhere, misunderstands the situation completely, yells things that don't make sense and insults a veteran player he's never met before. And yet you still came to my rescue. You must've felt angry yourself at how fatass Azuma-senpai was treating Nori-senpai. Even if it was only a little bit of anger."

"Okay, I may have been slightly annoyed at how he was treating his juniors. But that doesn't mean I'm a kind person. And I intervened because I thought it would be interesting to watch you make a fool of yourself. I had no ideas about your capabilities then."

Even after hearing his harsh words, Sawamura still grins. And steps in towards him.

For this first time this evening, it's Sawamura invading his personal space and not the other way around.

"I would've made a fool of myself. I don't doubt that at all. My control sucked back then and I was too blind to realize that. I have to improve a lot before I can become a real challenge. But I didn't lose. You helped me win. Your presence made all the difference. It doesn't matter to me whether you believed in me or not. You said we're partners. And that's enough."

Kazuya feels a lump form in the back of his throat.

Sawamura is loved because his words have no hidden meaning behind them. He says exactly what he feels.

His words, unlike Kazuya’s twisted barbs said to hurt and belittle, are warm and wrap around you like a comforting hug when you're wracked with self-doubt.

Kazuya feels like he can get lost in the warmth of those golden eyes. Like he wouldn't mind it at all. Not as long as Sawamura's right there in front of him.

Furuya interrupts their tender moment, bludgeoning any question of the conversation moving further to a topic Kazuya's now itching to discuss, never mind the consequences.

“Everybody’s being called to watch the fireworks,'' he intones in his usual monotonous voice, at which Sawamura flinches and answers that they'd be right there.

They make their way back to everyone's standing. It almost feels like they're on the baseball field again, not at a fireworks festival. Tetsu-san's taken command once again, supervising the laying of the blankets, while Jun-san's at his side barking at Kanemaru to lay them properly by smoothing out the creases.

Kuramochi and Ryou-san are lying down together on the same blanket, their hands side-by-side and only the little fingers touching, with Kuramochi playing with the hems while asking Ryou-san some questions, who's wearing a kitsune mask that resembles his actual face so much Kazuya wonders what is the need.

Ryou-san is also keeping an eye on his little brother and Furuya who are lying down on the blanket that Kanemaru just laid out. As soon as he escorted Kazuya and Sawamura back, he immediately made a beeline for the younger Kominato, which had not gone unnoticed by either Kazuya or Ryou-san as it seems.

A loud sound drags his attention back to Jun-san arguing with the former captain over what blanket they should choose and Kazuya has a feeling of deja-vu.

Something similar happened last year. He remembers looking at this same scene while standing at a spot not so distant from where he is now. Nothing has changed in a year. He's still on the outside looking in. No matter how much he's bonded with his teammates over the past year.

He feels alone even when he's surrounded by people.

Not when he's with Sawamura though. He never feels alone when he's with Sawamura.

Last year, he left his teammates to go somewhere else. Even if Sawamura is here, he still wants to go to the spot he found last year. He doesn't want to go alone though this time.

This time, somehow, he wants to bring Sawamura along with him.

He's thinking about his idea while scanning his eyes over the chaos his team was creating and he almost misses Sawamura. The younger pitcher nervously flitting about trying to find the best spot to see the fireworks from. Their older teammates keep yelling at him to just pick a place and settle down and Sawamura keeps apologizing, having still not made up his mind

Watching Sawamura, Kazuya makes a decision. Screw the consequences.

“Sawamura,” Kazuya taps at his shoulders so that the younger pitcher pays attention.

“What?” Sawamura asks defensively.

“It's getting very crowded here. Plus, they probably chose this place because it was big enough to fit all of us and not because it's a good location. We might not be able to see the fireworks properly over here.”

Kazuya almost falters, his brain trying to send signals to his heart that he's taking a big step here but he feels just as nervous as he does when he's stepping out to the plate with all bases loaded so he can't miss his chance now. He has to trust his instincts and take a full swing.

“Do you want to go somewhere else? I know a better place."

His heart's beating so fast he's convinced that everyone in the vicinity can hear it.

Sawamura tightens his lips into a frown as he examines Kazuya. He's not trying to hide his suspicion, his deliberations about Kazuya's true motives showing on his face.

"What are you trying to pull?" he asks, eyes narrowing.

"I'm not trying to pull anything. I just want to show you the place I saw the fireworks from last year."

"You've been here before?" Sawamura's curiosity is almost palpable.

"Yeah, I think it's a Seidou tradition at this point."

Sawamura looks convinced at this point and he raises his hand almost as if he's offering Kazuya a chance to spirit him away.

Sometimes, even Kazuya feels embarrassed about the stuff his lovesick brain comes up with.

“Okay.”

He grabs Sawamura's outstretched hand and takes him away from the grounds to a shortcut through the woods.

There's a blanket of silence enveloping the woods. The sky is dark with stars dotting its inky blackness. The moon is out but the light doesn’t reach the ground, so Kazuya has to fish out his phone to use as a torch.

Sawamura asks, in a slightly scared voice, “You do know where we’re going? You’re not taking me to some creepy place, right?”

“Do you trust me?” Kazuya looks at him.

“Yes,” says Sawamura in a quiet voice. “Always.”

They get out of the woods and make their way up a winding path. Kazuya leads the way and Sawamura lags behind him, looking around, his nervous looks changing into interested ones.

Sawamura gasps as he comes into view of their destination.

“A playground on top of a hill?” he asks, the excitement showing in his voice.

“Yeah, that's right. I came here last year. The former captain was a big fan of team-building exercises so we went to the festival the previous time too. I didn't have anyone to walk around with so I just spent the entire time by myself. I explored the surroundings and found this place just as the fireworks started. The view was incredible so I decided to come back here to watch if I ever returned."

“You weren’t with anyone?” Sawamura's voice is quiet and small.

Kazuya immediately rushes to reassure him. “No, I mean, you know nobody really likes me that much. People only tolerate me now because of my baseball skills and my position as the captain. Actually, even now I think there are a few people who still dislike me. I'm not a fun person to be around, what with my sarcasm and taunts. It’s alright. I like being alone.”

Sawamura places his hand on his. “Don’t say that. Nobody should have to get used to being alone so much that they come to like it. I hate seeing people alone. Everybody needs somebody. I had a lot of fun with you today. Walking around with you is the best time I've spent in a long while. I’m always here for you, Miyuki-senpai. Always. I’m not gonna leave you. After all, I-," he breaks off, looking away.

Kazuya's heart is beating like it never has before. It feels like he's mere seconds away from hitting a match-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

“What were you saying?” he prods, trying to get Sawamura to say the words he's sensed are extremely important.

“It’s nothing. The fireworks are gonna start soon. Where are we watching them from?”

Sawamura is clearly trying to avoid revealing what he almost let slip earlier but Kazuya takes pity on him for the time being and decides to pursue it later.

Kazuya makes his way to the jungle gym and climbs up. “Right here,” he says, reaching the top and patting the spot next to him.

Sawamura raises his leg but can't seem to lift his leg enough to reach the first rung. “Captain!” he salutes. “I can’t come up.”

“What do you mean you can’t come up? Are basic hand-eye coordination skills beyond you, Sawamura?”

“No, you jerk! It’s the yukata. It’s restricting my movements.”

Kazuya hums. He jumps down from the top and lands next to Sawamura.

“Okay, I have an idea.”

“What is it?”

Kazuya places his hands on Sawamura’s waist. And lifts him up.

“Hey!” Sawamura yells.

“Quiet, Bakamura.”

It takes all the strength he has - he sends a quiet prayer to Coach Kataoka for all the extra weight training he assigned - to place Sawamura on the upper rungs of the jungle gym. His muscles strain with the effort but he's successful.

“Can you make the last few steps up?”

Sawamura tries wriggling his way upward, maneuvering his flexible body.

Kazuya shimmies up the structure in a trice and pulls him up along the last few rungs.

Sawamura is blushing hard, unable to meet his eyes.

“How long are you gonna stare at your hands? The fireworks will start soon.”

Sawamura looks up and the two sit side by side staring at the night sky, waiting for the fireworks. Sawamura sits snuggled into his side. Kazuya feels the warmth his pitcher's body gives off.

The sounds make them both look up to the sky. The fireworks have started.

They shoot up straight in the sky before bursting into a shower of gold and silver sparks. The next batch whirl in a spiral, tumbling like a crimson waterfall in the night sky. The fireworks are jets of blue and green, the sound of them bursting making ears ring, shimmering against the inky black darkness.

Kazuya turns to look at Sawamura’s expression and is not disappointed. His mouth is open in a small ‘o’ and his golden eyes are wide and bright, reflecting all the beautiful colours of the fireworks.

No matter how beautiful the fireworks are, they can never match the beauty of his Sawamura.

His Sawamura is beautiful enough to put him in a trance-like state that's responsible for the stupid decision that he now makes.

“I like you,” he says, softly, under the cover of the loud fireworks.

But Sawamura probably has the ears of a bloodhound, judging by the way he looks at him. As if he heard exactly what Kazuya said.

“What did you say?” he yells, Kazuya just hearing him over the sound of the fireworks.

Kazuya freezes. A numbness steals over him. He can feel the tips of his ears burn. He just blurted it out without thinking. What has he done? He’s been so lost in his eyes, he lost control over his own thoughts.

Sawamura stares at him, that inscrutable look masking his emotions the one time Kazuya needs to know.

The tension is palpable. The fireworks ended some time ago. Now, the atmosphere has fallen silent as if it too waits with bated breath to see his response.

What should he do? He could always lie. He’s lied so many times before, he could probably do it without a sweat. He’d bluff his way out and Sawamura wouldn’t be any wiser.

But what if Sawamura has heard him? What would happen if he told him? How would it affect their battery? That’s the reason he’s been in denial in the first place. Baseball will always come first for them no matter what.

Maybe he didn't hear. The fireworks were so loud, he barely heard himself. The chances of Sawamura having heard are even slimmer.

But there’s that look.

He’s giving the look he wears on the mound when he’s up against a particularly troublesome batter. The look he wears when he wants a very particular sign from his catcher. From Kazuya.

A memory arises in his mind, unbidden. The loud middle schooler wearing a yellow jersey, poking his nose where he didn’t need too. Sawamura trusts him from the start, even after he got in trouble because of Kazuya.

He needs to trust Sawamura as much as Sawamura trusts him.

He leans in close, his mouth brushing against the shell of Sawamura’s ear.

He whispers, “I like you.”

“What do you mean?”

Kazuya bites back a fond smile. There’s a disbelieving look on Sawamura’s face. His lips pull into a scowl and he’s looking at Kazuya with narrowed eyes. Like he thinks Kazuya’s just joking around.

Well, looks like he’ll have to prove just how serious he is.

He wraps his arms around Sawamura’s waist, trapping him.

Sawamura locks eyes with him, looking at him intently with those intense golden eyes. He probably thinks if he looks serious enough, he can mask the vulnerability Kazuya senses.

Neither of them says anything, unwilling to break the spell.

Kazuya makes the first move. He captures the soft pink lips that he’s wanted to feel for so long in a chaste kiss.

His eyes flutter close automatically but he opens them again, panicking because Sawamura’s not kissing him back.

He tries to pull away but Sawamura places his hands on his shoulders and pulls him back in.

There’s a lot of bumping of noses and awkward clashing of teeth. He’s never kissed anyone before but judging by the soft moans Sawamura’s making, he likes it. And that’s enough for Kazuya.

Sawamura pulls back first and Kazuya lets out a little whine, trying to chase his mouth. They’re both panting heavily like they’ve gone through Coach’s summer training week all over again.

Sawamura tastes amazing. He tastes like the candy apple he ate, sweet but not overbearing, enough for it to become Kazuya's new favorite taste.

Sawamura resembles a tomato more than a human, shying away from looking at him. They stay like that, his head resting against Kazuya’s shoulder. He can feel the heat of Sawamura's blush through his shirt.

Kazuya simply enjoys the feeling of holding the boy he likes in his arms. And he doesn’t want to let go.

Long after the fireworks have faded and the noises of the crowd have grown less, Kazuya asks him, “Do you want to go back?”

Sawamura hums in response and Kazuya grudgingly lets go of him. He makes his way down from the jungle gym and stands waiting for Sawamura to follow him.

Sawamura’s awkwardly fumbling down the ladder. He can’t properly take steps because of his yukata. Just as Kazuya’s about to ask if he wants any help, he slips and bangs his ankle on the last few rungs.

Kazuya’s heart leaps into his throat. “You idiot!” he yells, not caring how loud it is.

Sawamura’s eyes swim with tears but he still manages a shake of the head and says, “I’m alright, Miyuki-senpai.”

“Why did you wear it in the first place, you idiot?”

“I told you. It’s because-”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“But you just said-”

“Sawamura, shut up for one second. You’re an athlete so you need to take good care of your body. How badly does it hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt that much!” Sawamura whimpers, his tears betraying his real pain.

Kazuya sighs, “I can’t take my eyes off you for a second, can I? Does it hurt if you put pressure on it? Answer honestly or I won't catch for you tomorrow.”

Sawamura’s head whips towards him and there’s a hurt look on his face. “You’re so mean, senpai.”

Kazuya huffs and places his hands on his hips, waiting for an answer.

Sawamura tests his ankle and admits, “It hurts a little.”

Kazuya marches towards him as Sawamura repeatedly assures him that he’s okay. He stands right in front of him, taking advantage of his slight height advantage to tilt Sawamura’s face up and stare deeply into his eyes.

“I can’t trust you to not injure yourself again. So come on, get on my back, I’m carrying you back to the ground.

Sawamura lets out a crow of delight and says, “Wow, you really do care about me, don't you?”

Kazuya flicks the younger boy's forehead. “Of course, baka! Life wouldn't be as entertaining without you in it. Now shut up and listen to me. This is a one time offer I'll never repeat.”

Sawamura immediately jumps onto Kazuya's back, making his knees buckle. He waits for a few minutes to let the other guy adjust himself before letting out a whiny, “What's taking you so long?”

“Sorry, Miyuki-senpai!” Sawamura nearly screams into Kazuya’s ear, making him wince. “But the yukata is not letting me accomplish this task, Cap!”

Kazuya sighs, before gesturing Sawamura to stop clasping his back like a particularly determined koala and let him think.

His mind goes back to the shoujo manga that he read yesterday with Sawamura. A faint blush covers his cheeks once he remembers a festival scene just like this one and the two main characters stuck in a predicament just like theirs.

For a moment, he glances at Sawamura, suspicious. Kazuya wonders if he came up with an elaborate scheme to trap him like this, before gazing at the pitcher's honest golden eyes and realizing he could never come up with a scheme like this.

Well, it couldn't hurt to try out what the manga characters did.

Breaking the uncharacteristic silence between them, Kazuya says, “Well there is another way. I can, um, maybe, carry you . . . in my arms?” He tries to fight off the stutter and blush that comes naturally to him upon saying something so embarrassingly pleasing.

He focuses on Sawamura's reaction, praying to all the deities he knows for a favourable one.

Kazuya needn't have worried though. Judging by how those golden eyes light up and how his face becomes cherry red, a wide grin spreads across his face as Sawamura says, “Yes,” in a soft voice, almost bashfully.

Kazuya's heart starts beating even faster than it did during the kiss. He can't process such an adorable reaction.

Letting a soft grin play on his lips, he whispers, “Okay,” letting his tone match Sawamura's low one.

Sawamura's blush starts spreading from his cheeks to his neck, which turns bright red within seconds. Even Kazuya's cheeks betray him and started trying to mimic Sawamura's.

Usually, Bakamura is the most oblivious person on the planet. But sadly-although not really-when it comes to Kazuya, his attention is second to none. Which is why his razor-sharp eyes spot Kazuya's blush and if it's possible, his grin grows even more delighted.

He holds out his arms to Kazuya and says, “Well, aren't you gonna carry me?”

Kazuya grins. Cheeky brat.

He walks towards Sawamura, trying to fight his instinct telling him to flee.

Wracking his brains trying to remember how the manga characters did it the best he could, he imitates them by bending down and placing one hand on the back of Sawamura's knees and the other around his waist. Once again praying to all the deities he knew and to Coach Kataoka's weight training, he puts all of his strength into his arms and legs and lifts.

Sawamura's in his arms and it's lighter than he thought it would be. He's carried Kuramochi on his back during training so he's used to carrying teammates but Sawamura's not a mere teammate. So he'll try his best to carry him gently.

“So do all should manga love interests do this with their girlfriends?”

Sawamura blushes and says, “In a way.”

The walk back to the festival grounds both feels like an eternity and yet not enough. Sawamura apparently can't hear looking him directly in the face and so buries his face in the back of Kazuya's neck.

As much as Kazuya enjoys the sensation of the pitcher pressing his head, he's also slightly disappointed that he can't see that adorable face and all the amusing expressions it holds.

They're almost through the woods when Sawamura speaks up again. “I'm not too heavy, am I?” he asks in a worried tone.

Kazuya immediately hastens to reassure him. “I've carried Kuramochi during practice sessions. He's a lot heavier. So don't worry.”

Sawamura giggles and Kazuya swears he's never heard a purer sound. “Are you calling Mochi-senpai fat?”

“The way he's been stress eating after Ryou-san's retirement, he might as well end up being the next Masuko-san.”

Their laughter breaks the tension in the air between them that's been present since the kiss. They arrive in fits of laughter at the festival grounds, forgetting all the eyes upon them.

They aren't allowed to live in their dream world for long though. Kuramochi spots them and he looks as if today's his birthday, Christmas Day and Valentine's Day all rolled into one.

Kazuya is not surprised. He's expected taunts and comments since he first came up with the idea to bridal carry Sawamura. As annoying as dealing with it is going to be, he'll always choose being able to carry Sawamura in his arms.

“Kyahaha what do we have here? Here I was, worried that you two idiots had gotten lost somewhere and you were off canoodling?”

Sawamura buries his face once again in Kazuya's neck but he's not gonna give up without giving back a return taunt.

“Are you jealous, Kuramochi-kun?” he croons, watching the shortstop's face turn red with anger.

“Jealous of what? You?” Kuramochi gives a bark-like laugh. “Hardly.”

“Of course you're jealous. Because I'm getting some action and you aren't.”

"Action? With Bakamura? I'm not desperate enough."

"Really? Seeing how you salivate over either a chance to talk to Sawamura's childhood friend or an opportunity to visit the third year dorms, I'd say you're desperate enough to find companionship any way you can."

"Stop talking about shit you don't understand, you shitty tanuki!"

"You started it not me."

"Yeah because I question your motives, you megane bastard!"

"Thanks for the compliment~"

"It's not a compliment!"

The others watch them, unable to make any sense of these new developments. But Chris-senpai observes them with a knowing look. He notices Kazuya watching him and gives him a soft smile, almost like a look of approval.

Chris-senpai motions everyone to start packing the blankets and cleaning everything up, letting the noise of all the commotion drown out Kazuya and Sawamura.

He gently sets down Sawamura but the younger pitcher is still not ready to let go of his neck.

Sawamura buries his face in the crook of Kazuya's shoulder. He can feel the heat of the younger boy's blush seep through his shirt warm his skin.

He breaks apart their hug and gently pushes Sawamura away. Sawamura has a hurt look in his eyes. It's gone in a second and he's immediately turning away from Kazuya, prancing away to his friends. Kazuya stares at his retreating back, promising himself that he'll fix it soon as they go home, as soon as they're alone because they've drawn too much attention to themselves.

It's obvious in the alert way Kuramochi looks at him. Despite how rambunctious and violent their relationship is, the shortstop sees the pitcher as the younger brother he never had and is just as overprotective of Sawamura as Ryou-san is of the younger Kominato.

He helps in the clean-up, steadfastly ignoring the guardian shortstop, the look Chris-senpai is giving him and Sawamura's forced cheer.

As soon as they reach home, he promises himself.

The walk back is the same as the walk to the grounds but each second ticking away feels like an eternity. He feels like Sawamura's back is getting farther and farther away each step the pitcher takes.

Once they do reach the ground, Kazuya has a queasy feeling in his gut. His heart is pounding and his head hurts even more. He gulps, trying to erase the sensation of his dry throat but it won't go away.

Regardless, he speeds up his pace trying to catch up to Sawamura, not realizing that the younger boy has slowed down and almost bumps into him.

But before he says anything else, Sawamura looks at him with those big golden eyes that gaze straight into his soul, and asks in a quivering voice, "Did you really mean it? The k-kiss? Or were you desperate?"

Looking at tearful eyes of the boy he's grown to love so much, Kazuya cannot believe how lucky he is to have this angel in his arms and so affected by his actions.

"Sawamura," he begins, hoping just this once to throw caution to the wind and take what he wants.

"You've had my attention ever since the day you walked into my life wearing that loud yellow jersey and challenged a man twice your size."

Sawamura smiles at that, almost against his will and Kazuya takes heart in the fact that he doesn't look disappointed. At least not yet.

The feeling of embarrassment from the words he's about to say drags his gaze away from those golden eyes to the ground.

But he can't falter here. Otherwise, their kiss is meaningless. And Kazuya doesn't want to exist in a world where that's true.

Slowly willing his eyes to look up, his gaze latches onto Sawamura's left hand. Instinctively, he grabs it and places it between his own two hands.

Sawamura's gone stock still, almost like he's too afraid to even take a breath. Tracing his pitcher's palm, he can feel the calluses that have formed from hours and hours of practice. Hours of pitching to the net and running with his tire. Hours that Sawamura thinks he's spent alone but not really. Because Kazuya's always been there. Kazuya's always watched him from the start.

He's tried to persuade himself that it was merely because the loudmouth first year was their only southpaw. After he could no longer swallow that particular lie, he told himself that he was only checking up on Sawamura.

He's tired of lying. He's tired of running away.

The truth is, Kazuya can never look away from Eijun.

His world is within reach. All he has to do is reach out.

Gently clasping Sawamura's left hand, his pitching hand he trusts to throw the perfect ball for his mitt to catch, he draws him into his arms and wraps the free one around his waist.

He rests his forehead against Sawamura's, willing neither of them to look away and says, "Sawamura Eijun, I don't believe in love at first sight. But there's never been a single moment when I look at you and not think that you and I belong together. I know I'm not like those shoujo princes that you love so much and probably have the worst personality in the world. Still, I do like you. You're the only person who's seen for who I am and still hasn't run away. I definitely don't deserve you, but I will work hard to become the man you think me to be."

Kazuya's slightly out of breath after his long and uncharacteristic speech.

Sawamura's eyes are swimming with tears and he can't seem to stop them from falling down his face.

"I don't expect anything from you,'' he cries, pulling Kazuya into a crushing hug.

"I want you to be Miyuki Kazuya. The mean tanuki who teases. The senpai who watches out for me. The partner who fights alongside me to create a work of art. You've always been enough for me. It's you I want. It's always you. I came here, to this school, away from my friends and my family and my whole world because I wanted you to catch for me. I fell in love with you at first sight. I like you, Miyuki Kazuya. More than anything I've ever liked in my life."

Hearing Sawamura's confession - his confession in response to Kazuya's own - he's never felt more elated in his life. No matter how much he loves baseball, even hitting a home run with bases loaded would never give him the euphoria he's experiencing right now.

He has no time to be worried about glee and embarrassment because Sawamura immediately raises his head to capture his lips in a kiss.

Their second kiss is more passionate.

Sawamura's lips are parted slightly and he's giving out little sighs. His arms are wrapped around Kazuya's chests, pulling him ever closer as if he can't bear any distance between their bodies.

Kazuya keeps running his hands all over Sawamura's body. He doesn't know where he wants to touch first- it's all so tempting- so he settles for a hand resting on his lower back and another ruffling the pitcher's soft dark brown locks.

Sawamura's mouth is still parted so Kazuya takes that as an invitation and gently licks his pitcher's upper lip with his tongue. The younger boy gasps and Kazuya takes the initiative to push his tongue into the other's mouth.

Their tongues shyly bat at each other, both trying to figure out how it works. It feels good for Kazuya and judging from the small breathy moans, his partner's feeling it too.

It's too addictive. Kazuya can go on forever.

They stop eventually, both panting, out of breath. But they're still close to each other, their bodies crushing and unwilling to let go of each other.

Sawamura smiles at him, the blinding smile that promises him everything will be alright, that the sun will break out of the clouds that threaten to envelop it in darkness.

"I can't believe I've finally caught you," he giggles and Kazuya's unable to stop his smile from spreading across his face too.

"You always had me,'' he replies, raising Sawamura's hand to his lips and pressing a kiss.

Together they walk back to the dorms, their interlocked hands framed by the moonlight.

OMAKE:

“Sawamura and Miyuki got together before Kuramochi and Ryou did? I did not expect that!”

“Nobody expected that. That’s why no one won the bet.”

“That’s not true.”

“Really? Someone won?”

“Who did?”

“Chris.”