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It was morning.
Morning, and the first day of the rest of his life.
Sawamura Eijun opened his eyes, gazing up at the bedroom ceiling with a little sigh of satisfaction.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, his future was right there in front of him.
He pulled himself up in bed, hesitating at the sound of a sleepy murmur coming from his right side. He paused, turning to send a tender glance in the direction of his companion, still lost to the world even though it was already almost eight o'clock. Well, the pitcher reflected, it was the off-season, now. For him, everything was just beginning, but for his partner, Tokyo relief catcher Miyuki Kazuya, it was the end of a busy and hectic few months of highs and lows. As he resisted the urge to reach out and touch the sleeping catcher's cheek, Eijun remembered that even in High School, Miyuki had not really been a morning person. He had dragged himself out of bed - or been dragged out by Eijun himself - in order to meet the expectations of Seidou's punishing training regime, but there was a reason that he had a nuclear siren level volume on his alarm clock.
Eijun, on the other hand, was wide awake. Awake, excited, and buzzing for the day ahead.
Two days ago had been the baseball draft, and, after a whirlwind 24 hours being pursued by the press, Eijun had finally managed to slip away to the sanctuary of his boyfriend's fortress-like apartment building so that they could celebrate in private. He had been careful not to be followed, wearing an oversized beanie, thick glasses and a scarf around his face so that even his own mother would have had trouble picking him out of a line-up. The only reaction his odd appearance had elicited from his boyfriend, however, had been an arched eyebrow and a question as to whose grandfather he had mugged on his way over.
But that was Miyuki, smart-tongued and slick as ever, and Eijun had responded in kind, telling him that he was going to stay the night, because getting out without being arrested would be more hassle than getting in.
Miyuki had not argued, but Eijun had not thought that he would. Despite the sass in the other's words, he had seen the spark in the catcher's gaze that told Eijun Miyuki was dying to discuss the draft and its implications, and had been waiting impatiently for an opportunity to do so.
And so, into the early hours of the morning, they had done just that, with Miyuki asking questions in his usual forensic way, and Eijun replying eagerly with emphatic embellishments and dramatic poses where the opportunity had presented itself to add them. Eventually, they had gone to bed, and now, the following morning, there was an uncharacteristic aura of serenity around the neat and tidy bedchamber. Eijun paused a moment to drink it in.
Since the draft, his life had become exceptionally manic. And it probably wasn't going to stop any time soon, for that day he was due at his college to meet with representatives from the team who had been lucky enough to - hopefully! - secure his services for the season to come.
Eijun smiled ruefully at the memory.
As he had promised Miyuki, he had been a contested first round pick, whose fate had ultimately been decided by lottery. Miyuki's team had not been one of those in the hat, and privately, Eijun suspected that this had been a conscious decision on the part of the club. He had expected it, and had not taken it as a slight, but rather as proof that the Tokyo club had chosen to protect their catcher by not risking awkward questions in the future, if and when their relationship became a public matter. As it happened, there had been several other teams interested in his skills, and Eijun had watched with his heart in his throat as the lots had been drawn.
The result had been good in some ways, and not in others, he reflected now, gently pushing back the bedcovers and sliding his legs one by one onto the soft carpet floor of Miyuki's bedroom. Good, because he would be playing in Chiba, an area an hour or so away from the capital and therefore, in easy reach of Miyuki's orbit. And bad, because it meant they would not play each other often in a season - the team Eijun would be negotiating terms with was a team in the opposite league, and fixtures between the two clubs would be few and far between. But, as Miyuki had pointed out to him, it was a league where a pitcher wouldn't be relied on to bat - Eijun's weakest point - and it would make their game encounters all the more exciting if they were rare and coveted events.
Of course, one day I want to pitch to you again. But I don't mind if it takes a little while longer. I want to be a pitcher in my own right, so that I can be your pitcher; your equal on the field as well as off it. You've always said that, and I agree, now. I want us to play together when both of us are known for being the best, and if that means waiting a few more years, so be it.
Eijun stood beside the bed for a moment, watching Miyuki's chest rise and fall, slowly and evenly. It was rare to see the catcher with his guard so completely down, and there was something about those stolen moments that filled Eijun's heart with affection. Miyuki didn't trust people very easily, but Eijun knew that he was one of that select circle. Their relationship had never been as secure as it was right then, and Eijun felt as though the universe was all, finally, aligning in the way he knew it should be.
I have Kazu-san, so nothing else matters. We're both going to be playing professionally next year. And it can only build from then. I still want to strike him out. He won't want to let me. I can't wait for that moment...but I suppose, waiting is part of the fun, because it makes the final clash even more exciting.
Miyuki often wore an eye mask when he slept, claiming that it kept out the light that crept in around the edges of the curtains and disturbed his sleep. Eijun personally thought that it would take a torch being shone in each of the catcher's eyes individually to really wake him if he was properly sleeping - but on nights that Eijun slept at the catcher's apartment, the masks were nowhere to be seen. Eijun didn't know quite why, but he thought that, maybe, it was because of something he had once said. It had been a momentary aside, without any particular meaning attached; a comment that he should leave the mask for the field, and not the bedroom - but it seemed as though Miyuki had taken it to heart anyway. Building the easy intimacy that their relationship now had had been something of an uphill struggle at times, but it was hard to believe it that morning.
Miyuki was an attractive man anyway, although 'handsome' as a descriptor was often offset by a cheeky smile and a glitter of mischief in his expression. Eijun loved all of his partner's expressions - even the amused ones triggered by something he had done - but he especially loved Miyuki's sleeping face, because it was unguarded, unschooled, and entirely real. It was also a Miyuki very few people ever got to see, and Eijun treasured that he was one of that priveleged few.
The problem was that it made it so much harder to resist reaching out to ruffle the wild waves of brown hair, or plant a gentle kiss on the other's cheek, when he was sleeping so peacefully.
If I do that, he might wake up. He's always grumpy, first thing. And today, I'll either get a lecture about all the things I need to do to not offend my future club, or another long rant about how the umpire's decision in the eighth cost your team a place in the Japan Series final. If not for my draft, you probably would've talked about it all last night, too. I wouldn't put it past you to try and hold a baseball debate even during sex, if I let you - so for now, if you're sleeping, you're at least not filling my head with things I don't need to think about before going to college. I really don't have time to have another discussion about framing and strike zone judgements, so for now, I'm going to let you be. Much as I want to touch you - I won't.
He slipped his feet into his slippers, stifling a yawn behind the back of his hand and padding to the cupboard to get a towel. He had always intended to spend the previous night at Miyuki's place, and as a result had brought with him a change of clothes, which had been added to by items from Miyuki's own random and surprisingly wide range of formal attire. He would be ready to make a good impression when he met the representatives of his new team, at the very least, but he needed to shower and eat breakfast before he could function at his best, and so he crept across the bedroom to the door, opening it quietly and heading towards the bathroom.
As he did so, a sleepy mew came from the sofa, and he turned, putting his finger to his lips.
"Shh, Kai. Papa Kazu's still sleeping," he hissed softly, and there was the sound of a small feline leaping down onto the floor. The next minute, something soft and fuzzy wound itself around his ankles with a purr, and Eijun sighed, bending to scratch the cat's head. Kai was a grey and white kitten of around six months old, who had accidentally worked his way into Eijun and Miyuki's life during the summer months. Eijun considered Kai their furbaby, although Miyuki was the official owner. Kai tended to follow Miyuki around - a fact that made Eijun a little jealous - but when it came to food, he was less fussy, and he nudged his nose against Eijun's leg to remind him that it was morning, and that meant breakfast.
Eijun sighed again, but relented, putting the towel in the bathroom and then heading into the kitchen to fill Kai's food and water bowls. As he did so, he also checked the litter tray, mindful that, as he was up, he might as well be useful, and as he went about his chores, he was aware of an impatient furry shadow following his every move, occasionally mewing to remind him that whatever else needed to be done, food was still the top priority on the list. At length, and with the cat's needs all satisfied, he checked the time, then returned to the bathroom, turning the shower on and allowing his body to enjoy the warm shards of water caressing his skin.
If I'm going to move to Chiba, then it will be really easy to come see Kazu-san. But maybe, if I have a place there, he'll come see me, too. That would be awesome...for him to come stay the night at my place, instead of it always being here. It always makes me feel like I'm still a kid, somehow - but I don't want to feel that way. We're adults and I'm almost done with college. If I get a place in Chiba, I need Kazu-san to come sleep over at my place sometimes, too. Even if it's only in the off-season. I know that tabloid jerk is always sniffing around, but I'm sure it'd be fine, if we were discreet. And we can't hide from the world forever. Not once my contract is sorted, anyway. I think it would be better, ultimately, if people knew. Then it would become normal and we wouldn't need to think about things like disguises so much. If Kazu-san came to stay with me, perhaps Kai could come, too. I wonder if it would be all right, to take him on a train. I know Kazu-san has a carrier for him, but he's only used it that once when he took Kai to get him checked and registered at the vet. It might scare him, being on a commuter train, even in a carrier...but then again, he is our furbaby, and I do have visitation, even if Kazu-san is the one paying his bills. I do my fair share of cat chore time, too - it's not like I leave it all to him. We are a kind of a family, now, even if Kazu-san is shy about acknowledging it. And if it were a weekend stopover, Kai would need to come, unless we could get someone to catsit him. We couldn't leave him here for a whole weekend.
But...a whole weekend. A three day getaway with Kazu-san at my new apartment...
He leaned back against the tiles, a faint smile touching his face at this thought.
I need to not get ahead of myself. And, especially, not think about Kazu-san too much today. I want to be a professional and impress them with my awesomeness. Lovesick drool probably won't fly and so I need to switch off my hormones and get my focus back where it should be. Otherwise he'll be the most annoying about it of everyone.
He stepped out of the shower, turning off the water and reaching for the towel. With his other hand he nudged open the quarterlight window, shivering slightly at the chill in the air that proved that autumn was well and truly here. Ventilation in the bathroom to prevent mould was one of Miyuki's neat-freak idiosyncrasies, however, and Eijun knew he would only get a lecture if he neglected to follow rules. He dried quickly, wrapping the towel around his midriff and sauntering back towards the bedroom to find his clothing.
"Eijun?"
As he stepped out of the bathroom, a bleary eyed figure accosted him, brown hair standing up every which way like a scarecrow, and black rimmed glasses perched at a slightly squinky angle across the catcher's nose. Eijun could hardly prevent a smile from crossing his lips, for the Miyuki that stood before him at that moment would be unrecogniseable to the Tokyo sports media. They would often talk about Miyuki Kazuya as a detail hound, particular and demanding, with an agressive, organised game and a sense of composure and confidence on the field that fired pitchers up to throw their best. But, at that moment, Miyuki Kazuya was definitely more like an escapee from a zombie apocalypse movie than a professional and poised baseball player. He wore a t-shirt with a tanuki print on it - a shirt Eijun had bought for him as a joke one Christmas - although it was strangely inside-out, and hanging half in and half out of the shorts he usually slept in. More mysterious yet was the fact that, for some unknown reason, Miyuki had only one sock on, as though he had begun to try and put more clothing on, but had given it up at the first attempt.
At the sight of the pitcher, Miyuki blinked, as though even with his glasses he was still too sleepy to focus, then, "Did you leave the door open?"
"The bedroom door?" Eijun's gaze flitted guiltily to the door in question, biting his lip as he watched a small, triumphant grey and white blur slip neatly between the divide and back towards the sofa. "Ah. Shit. Sorry. I guess I did. Kai got in, didn't he?"
"Yeah..." Miyuki ran his fingers through his hair, his action making absolutely zero difference to the haystack, and letting out a sigh. "I'm not awake enough to lecture you, but having a fuzzy butt shoved in my face is not the way I want to wake up most mornings. I swear his tail almost went up my nose. I really don't want him to get the idea he can come in the bedroom, either, because once he takes over that space..."
"I know. I'm sorry," Eijun held up his hands apologetically. "I fed him, so I thought he was occupied. I didn't think about him launching an ambush, but he is seriously obsessed with making camp wherever you are, so I should've realised he'd be looking for an opportunity. I'll be more careful."
"Well, I'm awake now. Sort of," Miyuki stifled a yawn behind his hand, then paused, as if taking in Eijun's scant attire for the first time. "Although I suppose that was worth seeing, so I won't complain too much about it."
A faintly wicked twinkle flickered into the blurry brown eyes.
"You better go get dressed," he added provocatively. "Else I might make you late for your meeting."
"Today of all days, you decide to flirt with me," Eijun groaned. "You do it on purpose, I swear you do. And when you're sleepy, you're double the asshole. Go have a shower or something, please? I need to get dressed without you watching me, as we both know how it'll end up, and if I'm gonna have breakfast as well before I go...well, I don't have time to do all the things I'd like to while I'm here."
"Meh. Fine. I'll do that," Miyuki relented. "Since I'm awake, I might as well get up. I'll cook something simple, if you like," he added, as he retrieved his own towel from the rail. "Then maybe I'll go for a run and wake myself up. You said you fed Kai? Then he can amuse himself for a bit," as Eijun nodded. "He's good at that."
"It would help, if you did breakfast," Eijun brightened. "Thank you. And I'm sorry he woke you up. I was trying so hard to let you sleep, too. I know it's the off-season for you now, and you should be allowed a break."
"Well...breaks aren't really my style, and it's not as though I'm going to let my fitness slide because there aren't any games for a while," Miyuki said philosophically. "What time is it, anyway?"
"Some time past eight, I think. I need to leave here by nine. My meeting is at ten, but I said I'd be at campus around half nine if possible," Eijun replied, squinting in the direction of Miyuki's clock. Miyuki nodded.
"I'll go shower, then," he reflected. "Go dress. I'll see you in the kitchen in twenty minutes or so. It won't be anything fancy, though - there's no time and I haven't been to the store yet. But I'll feed you. You need to be properly fuelled for a day like this one, so for once, I'll be nice."
With that he was gone into the bathroom, the door shutting behind him, and Eijun allowed himself a wry smile. He did as he was bidden, heading into the bedroom and, as an afterthought, closing the door in case the enterprising kitten was planning a second assault. It did not take him long to lay out what he was going to wear, for they had worked it all out last night - smart, but not ridiculously formal, was what Miyuki had advised - and he dressed quickly, sitting down on the end of the bed with a sigh.
I'm going to play baseball professionally, so long as I don't screw things up today. It's hard to get my head around, but finally, my dream is going to come true. Or at least, the first part of one of many dreams. They're all connected together, though, Kazu-san. And they're connected to you. This is just the first step, but no matter what, I promise.
He clenched his fists.
If it takes years, I don't care. I will be your pitcher again. And if I have to pitch for Japan to do it, then that's what I'll do. This is the beginning, but that's all it is. So long as I have you in my corner, the sky's the limit. Whatever happens now, I'm not afraid. If people find out about us, then they do. I am going to let the pitching do all my talking from now on...and show them exactly what Sawamura Eijun can do!