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1
“So, Danforth,” Ryan says, smiling in a way that’s open and sincere, “can you waltz?”
“Try me,” Chad says, walking to Ryan. “Let’s go.”
2
It starts in the changing room – Ryan tosses his hat at him, and Chad puts it on. Not only does he put on the hat – he grabs the rest of Ryan’s clothes too, and winks at him before leaving. It’s strange, Ryan thinks, putting on the team jersey that says “DANFORTH” on the back, feeling a bit like a cheerleader girlfriend and not sure what to do with the feeling.
“You should join the team,” Chad says, as Ryan joins them for lunch. They sit next to each other, barely any space between them, and Ryan wonders if he’s dreaming, and when he’ll wake up. “You look good in the uniform.”
“I’ll thrash your ass at tryouts,” Ryan promises, and Chad looks delighted.
Ryan wonders, belatedly, if this is how jocks flirt.
3
“You have more hats in your closet than I have bones in my body,” Chad had said, the first time he’d gotten the honour of looking into Ryan’s closet.
“Haha, funny,” Ryan had said drily, but he was smiling (of course he was smiling.) “You gonna put that on a shirt?”
4
Back after summer, Ryan is shocked when Chad drops his bags and takes the seat right next to him.
“What?” Chad asks, noticing Ryan’s shock and not flinching from it. “Thought I’d be tired of you by now?”
Ryan shrugs. “No, just… what happens in summer stays in summer, you know?”
Chad shakes his head. “Not if it’s good enough to take forward. Unless you’d rather…”
“No!” Ryan says. “God, no. I just… didn’t expect this.”
“Get used to it,” Chad says, taking Ryan’s hat off and putting it on his head instead, covering his curls.
Ryan smiles. “If you say so, Danforth,” he says, and he wants it to sound cutting, but he knows it doesn’t.
He’s not very good at hiding it, when he feels delighted, and right now he feels warm inside.
5
Later, Ryan would say that it’d been inevitable, they’d been inevitable. From the first minute, on the field, playing baseball, the euphoric glory of it, the way they’d gotten sweaty and muddy together, throwing themselves down on the bases trying to win the game, Chad’s shin on Ryan’s hand, and damn, Ryan was fucked, but Chad was smiling at him, friendly and genuine and bright like the sun, and there wasn’t a force on Earth that could’ve stopped Ryan from smiling back.
6
“I can’t dance,” Chad repeats, but he lets Ryan loop his arms around him; lets Ryan lead.
“I played baseball for you,” Ryan murmurs, as they sway.
“It was the best game I’d ever played,” Chad murmurs back, pulling Ryan closer.
“You said you’d show me how you swing,” Ryan reminds him.
“Haven’t I been doing that?” Chad asks. He kisses Ryan’s cheek, chaste. “I swing towards you, Evans. Isn’t that obvious by now?”