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Jun was from a loud family.
They were always in each other's faces, always talking over one another, always direct and upfront about their thoughts and feelings and opinions.
Jun knew how to deal with loud. He had no idea what to do with quiet.
He had no idea what to do with Yuuki Tetsuya.
---
Jun was forced to reevaluate his opinion of Yuuki Tetsuya.
Yuuki was quiet and awkward and downright dorky at first base, but during his first game after making the first string at his very first at-bat he swung--
And Jun watched the baseball sail over the right field fence.
And Jun decided that Yuuki Tetsuya might be the loudest person he had ever met.
---
Jun got used to practicing his swing in the dark just outside the Seido Spirit Dorms.
He got used to listening to the almost mechanical rhythm of Yuuki’s swing. Steady and quiet…
Almost like a heartbeat.
---
“I’ve been made Captain.”
Jun looked up from the manga he had been reading. There had been nothing in Tetsu’s inflection that had changed. He still stood before Jun straight-backed. His expression was still stoic and serious. And yet…
“What are you worried about?”
Tetsu shifted from one foot to the other and that was confirmation enough that Jun was right. He shut his manga and set it aside.
“You’re the obvious choice. I can’t imagine anyone else as Captain.”
“Not even yourself?”
“No, not even me.”
Jun hadn’t known that was true until the words were out of his mouth. But now that the truth was out there, Jun couldn’t imagine not following Tetsu. He was the anchor of their line up. The one everyone turned to when they needed a big play. And Jun realized he would do more than follow...
“If anyone gives you a hard time, I’ll kill them.”
And Jun knew that he was prone to over dramatics and really, he was only half kidding. It was the half where he wasn’t kidding that suddenly concerned him. Because there was truth buried in that statement. A quiet kind of honesty that had snuck up on him--
Tetsu laughed. It was barely a rough exhale of breath. And Jun stared because it was as if Tetsu had forgotten how to laugh and somehow, someway Jun had startled the expression out of him.
“Good because you’re my Vice Captain.”
Jun blinked. And then burst out laughing.
“Yeah. Alright, Captain.”
---
After graduation, Jun stood with his diploma in hand as he looked out across the practice fields.
Tetsu walked up to him and for once, Jun didn’t have the words. Or maybe there were no words. He was content to stand and spend some time in Tetsu’s quiet. In the loudness of his presence.
And for the first time, it really dawned on Jun. That this was it. He was leaving for Kansai and Tetsu was staying in Tokyo. And this...this was over.
“Keep in touch,” said Tetsu.
Jun swallowed as he ducked his head. His eyes trained on his formal shoes. Already scuffed or maybe they had always been scuffed. And what did it matter--
“Yeah,” replied Jun half-heartedly because wasn’t ‘keep in touch’ something people said and didn’t really mean?
---
Except...Jun should have known better. He really should have. Because Yuuki Tetsuya said few words…
But he always meant every single one of them.
Tetsu messaged every day. Every day. He talked about mundane everyday things. Most of the time accompanied by photos.
Photos of his breakfast or lunch or dinner. Photos of clouds. Photos of his teammates. Photos of leaves that he decided were an interesting color. Photos of the books he was reading for class. Photos of which of his classmates fell asleep in the middle of the lecture that day. Photos of him in his Meijin University uniform. Photos of Tokyo that had Jun missing the city.
Or something.
---
“Seriously, Jun,” said Himari one night out of the blue. “If you don’t send a photo of yourself back I swear I’ll get Yua and we’ll wrestle you to the ground and take one for you.”
It was sometimes hard for Jun to remember that he loved his sisters.
“Fine!” growled Jun as he pulled out his phone and before he could think better of it, he held it out to snap a photo.
Himari grabbed the phone right out of his hands. Shoving the side of Jun’s face when he tried to take it back. She laughed.
“That’s awful. It looks like a booking photo.”
“Let me take it again if it’s so awful!”
Himari shoved his face again before grinning and closing his phone with a snap. “And sent!”
“What?!” squawked Jun.
And it was a good thing Jun was an athlete with quick reflexes because he was still able to snatch his phone out of the air when Himari tossed it back to him.
He did, however, drop it when it buzzed and lit up to indicate a new message. Jun picked up the phone from the floor and ignored his sister’s cackling as he opened the message.
Nice.
“That’s it?” replied Himari because, of course, she was reading over his shoulder. “Boring.”
“Yeah. Boring,” agreed Jun as he closed his phone.
“Wait. Jun. Are you blushing?!”
---
Jun was from a loud family.
They were always in each other's faces, always talking over one another, always direct and upfront about their thoughts and opinions and...feelings.
Jun knew how to deal with loud. He had no idea what to do with quiet.
He had no idea what to do with his love for Yuuki Tetsuya.
---
“Hey, Isashiki, you said you know someone on the Meiji team?”
“Yeah,” said Jun as he glanced at Oshiro who was in the middle of his warm-up stretches. “Yuuki Tetsuya. We went to Seido together.”
“And? What are his weaknesses?”
Jun barked a laugh. “He’s terrible at shogi.”
Oshiro rolled his eyes. “How about something useful for the game we’re about to play?”
Jun looked out across the baseball field at the Meiji University team dugout. “He’s the loudest person I know.”
It was Oshiro’s turn to laugh. “Louder than you?”
“Tetsu is one of the scariest batters you’ll ever face. When he is in the box...all of his attention, all of his strength and power are focused on a singular goal: to absolutely destroy any pitch thrown his way. He’ll take the best pitch you got and turn on it so fast it’ll make your head spin.” Jun glanced back at Oshiro. “You want my advice? Don’t back down and don’t show weakness.”
Oshiro gave a laugh. It was tinged with nervousness. “You sound like a man in love.”
Jun shrugged and said under his breath, “Yeah...I know.”
---
Oshiro lasted five innings before Tetsu wore him down.
Facing off against Tetsu was mentally draining. And Jun didn’t fault Oshiro for finally slipping up--a fastball that caught too much of the plate.
And Jun took off running as soon as Tetsu made contact. The sharp clang of the bat rang out clear and clean even in the outfield.
Jun hit the warning track and leaped against the centerfield wall. His side collided against it as he reached over the top. Stretching out with his whole arm, his whole glove. And all the while his eyes never lost track of the white ball against the bright blue sky. It arched, perfectly, beautifully--
Right into the pocket of Jun’s glove.
Jun let out a laugh. Half out of relief. Half out of disbelief. And he threw the ball into the infield before yelling, “BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME, TETSU!”
He was too far away to see for sure, but there was something about the way Tetsu trotted back to the dugout that told Jun he was amused.
---
‘Next time’ turned out to be the bottom of the eighth when Tetsu hit a curveball down the third baseline. An RBI double that put Meiji University ahead by one run.
And Jun didn’t imagine the glance Tetsu threw him after he popped up at second.
“Yeah, yeah,” replied Jun under his breath.
But he was grinning when he said it.
---
Playing baseball was easy. Eating dinner together afterward...less so.
They had walked to a family diner not far from the Meiji University campus and Jun was looking at but not seeing the menu in his hands.
Because Jun hadn’t lied to Oshiro. Yuuki Tetsuya was one of the most intimidating people Jun had ever met...on and off a baseball field.
“It was fun to play against you,” said Tetsu as he studied the menu.
Jun snorted. “Only because your team won.”
“Better luck next time.”
Jun barked out a laugh. The corner of Tetsu’s lips quirk up into a smile. It was there...and then gone.
“I do miss being on the same team.” Tetsu set down the menu. His gaze was steady and sure as he looked at Jun from across the table. “We were a good team.”
Jun sighed and set down his own menu. There was no use pretending that he was reading it. “Koshien still slipped through our fingers.”
Tetsu nodded, solemn. “True, but I was talking about the two of us.”
Jun did a double-take and blurted out, “Who says we’re not a good team anymore?”
“No one,” replied Tetsu mildly and Jun had the sinking feeling he was laughing at him on the inside.
“Damn right,” grumbled Jun as he picked up his menu again. “What’s good here?”
---
“Koshien isn’t the only thing that slipped through my fingers,” said Tetsu as he walked out of the restaurant and pulled his jacket around his shoulders. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.”
Jun frowned as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. Tetsu would do this sometimes. Pick up part of a conversation that had already ended as if they had been talking about it this whole time.
“What are you talking about?” asked Jun knowing that Tetsu wouldn’t be offended by his bluntness.
“When you had my back...I thought I could do anything.”
Jun snorted. “Why do you keep talking in the past tense? That’s still true, you know? I still have your back.”
Tetsu looked down and then away. “I know.”
And that was a weird enough gesture that Jun found himself reaching out for Tetsu’s sleeve. “What are you worried about?”
Tetsu didn’t answer and Jun didn’t push him to. Instead, he waited and watched as Tetsu gathered his thoughts. Eventually, Tetsu sighed and said,
“You’re loud and brash and in everyone’s face--”
“Gee, Tetsu, tell a guy how you really feel.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do.”
And that shut up Jun.
“I’m from a quiet family,” explained Tetsu. His eyebrows furrowing in concentration. “We don’t talk about...we don’t talk.”
“So, don’t talk.”
And for once, Jun knew exactly what to do with quiet.
His fingers skimmed along the fabric of Tetsu’s sleeve until he reached skin. Until his hand could curl around Tetsu’s hand. Until they were slotted together in the way Jun always knew they could be.
Perfectly.
Tetsu didn’t say anything but he squeezed Jun’s hand.
And Jun was quiet as he grinned...but his heartbeat was loud in his ears.