Chapter Text
“I thought we’re good now.”
Kazuya says, peeved as he gruffly bites at his bread. They’re outside the school building sitting on one of the few benches, thankful that the majority of the student population in this particular day chose to stay inside their classrooms during their lunch break so there’s only a small number of students loitering and chattering about outside.
And that’s good and all because he doesn’t really like being surrounded by people in the first place.
But it’s no good that the one he’s eating his lunch with is not really paying (or doesn’t want to) him any mind even Kazuya’s clearly wound up about something he’s very sure the shortstop knew already.
“I don’t really know what you’re going on about but I won’t spend my precious break time with you if I’m pissed off at you.”
Kuramochi shrugs as he loudly sips at his juice, yakisoba bread already eaten in a span of minutes after they sat on the bench.
“By the way, you totally sounded like you’re going to confess to me when you asked me seriously to ‘come and have lunch with you alone’ dude.”
Kuramochi scrunches his nose in distaste, looking in front of them not really focus on anything.
“I did not sound like that. Please stop spouting nonsense Youichi-kun.”
Kazuya denies with all his heart because he won’t ever come to like Kuramochi in that sense. Besides, the one he likes – loves – is the shortstop’s younger brother.
“I know you like me but puh-lease … you’re really not my type.”
Kazuya automatically adds because he’s not Miyuki Kazuya without his teasing and snarky comebacks.
And that which always get him into trouble but much less now compared to his middle school years when he’s still a midget because people are actually intimidated by him for some long time now.
But there’s still a lot of people apparently who won’t take his shits. And one of them is the guy sitting beside him.
Kazuya gets a discreet hard kick at his shin just immediately as he finished his sentence.
“You did asshole. You’re smart but you also don’t think before you speak man. What a waste of brain.”
Kuramochi clicks his tongue as he crumples the poor empty juice carton with his whole strength. Kazuya gulps as he massages his damaged leg thinking it could have been his neck being wrangled for all he knows because he just never learns to shut up for once.
“Thankfully our classmates are not that dumb so they just laughed it out. But try to be more aware of your surrounding Miyuki. Are you really that useless aside from baseball?”
Kuramochi sighs, suddenly looking tired as he leans his back on the back rest of the bench.
Kazuya tries to think of something witty to quip back but when none came in his baseball-filled (and lately Sawamura-Eijun-filled) brain, he just frowns and takes another bite of his bread.
“So mean Kuramochi-kun … I even treated you lunch …”
“Well, you volunteered and I don’t say no to free food.”
Kuramochi gave Kazuya a side glance and his own version of a shit-eating-grin.
“Because you won’t even budge on your seat if I didn’t do that!”
Kazuya almost shouts indignantly because it’s not like he also wants to specifically spend his lunch time with the bad-tempered shortstop.
In fact, if Kazuya has a choice, he’s gonna be spending all his free time with Sawamura if not for Kuramochi always, ‘coincidentally’ being on the same place or just within a two-meter vicinity near his pitcher.
Yes, Kazuya is a very arrogant person so yeah, he thinks Sawamura as his even though they hadn’t talked about their feelings for each other since the incident at the cafeteria three weeks and three days ago.
And he’s also definitely not counting the days that he’s stressing out on how to make it up to Sawamura and ask him officially to be his boyfriend without incurring the wrath of the said person-he-likes older brother.
And that older brother doesn’t really give them a chance to be alone to have some time to sort out the things that was left hanging between them. It’s hard and it makes Kazuya crazy to the point he’s losing important sleep which is no good because they have baseball practice – wherein he’s also the captain so he has more than one responsibility – and classes to balance that will gonna be affected sooner or later for sure if this continues on.
“Yeah, yeah … Fine. I’m here now right? Just hurry up and say want you want, I want to take a nap before the next class.”
Kuramochi waves a hand in Kazuya’s direction as he yawns unapologetically.
Kazuya reminds himself that he can’t really strangle Kuramochi if he wants to progress his relationship with Sawamura. Even if he really wants to do just that, he just can’t because again, the said shortstop is the brother of his hopefully-soon-to-be-boyfriend and Sawamura clearly adores Kuramochi and vice versa. He’ll definitely get nowhere if he at least upsets the former and make an enemy of the latter.
“Okay, fine. Since we’re both not really happy with this conversation, I’m just gonna say it directly.”
Kazuya’s half eaten bread stays loosely on his right hand. He stares at it for a moment before deciding to get on with it before he lose all his barely hanging patience and bravado because there’s a little part of him that is still scared of Kuramochi even if he vehemently denies it.
Because for one, he’s afraid that he won’t really get any kind of permission from Kuramochi to start dating his younger brother.
And because Kuramochi’s one of the few people Kazuya consider his friend and respects fully, he also wants to gain the shortstop’s trust like he is trusted as a catcher, a batter, a captain and a leader on the field.
That even though Kazuya messed up even before something started and will probably mess up in the future – that he will also try his best to take care and treasure Sawamura.
And Kazuya wants Kuramochi’s approval because he likes the shortstop as a person and he truly likes Sawamura.
Even though he’s admittedly a twisted human being, he still wants to do his best for the people he likes to like him back, too. At the end of the day, he’s also a human being capable of feeling emotions even not just in a humanly way, if you get what he means.
“Kuramochi, can you please stop cock blocking me?”
Oooh …
Shit.
“The fuck did you say, BASTARD?!”
Kuramochi growls at him, narrowing his gaze as he turns his upper body to face him who’s still winded from his very own words – stance defensive and probably triggered enough already that if Kazuya says another ‘wrong’ or any word that the shortstop doesn’t find to his liking, Kazuya would be on his back at the ground with Kuramochi on top of him for the second time in his life, probably strangling him to death.
Of course. What did Kazuya expect? Of course.
His shitty mouth and his overthinking is gonna be the end of him.
“I mean–”
“What do you mean ‘cock blocking’ you– don’t tell me you’re planning to do something dirty to Eijun shithead!? I swear–”
“Calm down– I don’t plan– won’t do something to him like that right now but rest assured–”
“Do you hear what you’re saying Miyuki?! What ‘right now’ you fucking pervert–”
“Like I said – calm down– I mean let’s both calm down–”
Kazuya wants to cry. He also wants to bang his head on a wall until he gets memory loss so he can forget being himself even for just a second.
He’s really digging his grave and they really need to calm down. Both of them.
Kazuya lost control of his brain and his mouth is running amok and Kuramochi will start running amok any second now if he says anything remotely close to suggesting his deeply hidden motives and aspirations.
Kazuya tries to scooch backwards as far as the bench would let him as he failingly tries to placate a murderously-glaring-at-him Kuramochi who isn’t really moving to get closer to him but he doesn’t want another week of not feeling one of his cheek and the pair of glasses he’s already using is his last spare so he can’t afford to break them now.
“Calm down?! How can I fucking calm down when you’re shamelessly revealing you wanting to get on Eijun’s– on my brother’s pants–”
“Um– Kuramochi-san we’re outside so please lower your voice a little– I promise you that’s not what I meant–”
“KURAMOCHI-SENPAI!!!!!??????”
Kazuya and Kuramochi swivels their head simultaneously as that familiar loud bubbly booming voice enters their hearing.
Kazuya thanks the nearby gods watching over his being for sending an angel to save him from his inevitable downfall in the form of one Sawamura Eijun.
Kazuya sees as Sawamura beams confirming that it is Kuramochi indeed and jogs up to where they are sitting. He sees in his peripheral that Kuramochi’s attention has fully shifted to his younger brother and Kazuya sends another set of silent prayers of thanks.
“Stop shouting Bakamura! You’re embarrassing me!”
Kuramochi stands up and went to ruffle Sawamura’s hair hardly but fondly. Sawamura tries to swat the hand digging at his scalp but ends up just holding it and somehow pushing his head more onto it, like he wants more petting and the giggly laughter he makes becomes one of Kazuya’s favorite sound in the world.
Kazuya ignores the twinge he feels at the sight and also the fact that he’s not the one eliciting that sound but he knows better now than to get jealous lest he wants another beating Kuramochi is more than willing to give him any time.
He releases a sigh of odd relief and realizes that Sawamura didn’t really recognize his presence so out of ‘pure’ want of acknowledgment from the pitcher (and not some childish envy on his part), Kazuya clears his throat loudly.
“Hello to you, too, Sawamura.”
Sawamura’s eyes widen upon recognition of Kazuya’s voice and as he raises his one brow at the other, he didn’t really expect a blush and a shy fluttering of long eyelashes, golden eyes peeking from beneath them.
Shit … why is Sawamura looking so cute and adorable–
“Hi there Miyuki-senpai.”
Sawamura says meekly, so far from his usually rambunctious voice.
“Sorry, didn’t really see you at first.”
The soft and endearing small smile Sawamura sends him as a sign of apology is probably enough to last Kazuya a month of Kuramochi constantly breathing on his neck.
“Uh … yeah. I’s fine, no worries.”
Kazuya doesn’t know why he is suddenly feeling nervous and also a bit shy but the twinkle of Sawamura’s eyes as his smile widens for being forgiven makes him avert his gaze because he also feels his cheek starts to warm for some reason.
Too bad though, his eyes accidentally meet directly Kuramochi’s lethal and icy glare and all the bubbly warmth he feels gets doused with cold water in an instant as he swallows anxiously, a drop of sweat forming in his temple, remembering what they’ve just been talking – arguing – about just before they were interrupted.
“Oh! You’ve got the famous melon bread that always get sold out in a minute at the cafeteria Miyuki Kazuya!”
Kazuya broke off the staring contest he’s having with Kuramochi – which he’s clearly losing as seconds pass by – to look at the bread Sawamura is giddily pointing at with his index finger that he forgot that he’s still holding.
“Oh this ... actually this was the last one. And this is famous?”
Kazuya lifts the bread in eye level and surreptitiously inspects it if there’s some noteworthy distinction that makes it famous because he doesn’t really remember what the bread tasted as he was thinking about more important things a while ago while eating.
And it’s probably not that really good if it didn’t get his attention in the first place, just maybe decent enough of what you’ve expect a bread would taste so he doesn’t sympathize with the level of excitement Sawamura is emitting.
“The taste is just so-so I think … Not that different from what I’ve eaten before–”
The offended gasp Sawamura gives out makes him stop from voicing out his opinion.
“Miyuki Kazuya! Who do you think you are?! It’s famous for its sweet rich cream filling that just oozes when you bite it and the thin layer of crisp cookie dough is just perfectly right AND the harmony of flavor would make you melt from the inside–”
Kazuya gets confuse of why he’s suddenly getting scolded and lectured for a piece of baked dough. He may not be a fan of sweets but in his defense, it’s really not that remarkable. If it was sweet as Sawamura is painstakingly describing it is, Kazuya would’ve at least cringed and he’ll probably think that sweet-lovers would’ve definitely liked it but since it didn’t, it just means one thing.
And Kazuya bets Sawamura hasn’t even tasted it before just basing from the envy in his tone he detected and the advertisement-like description the other is gallantly speaking.
“Have you even tried this before Sawamura?”
Kazuya cuts off Sawamura from his rant and bingo.
The pitcher clacks his teeth as he abruptly stops his tirade.
“Well … I might’ve–”
The kid is really transparent.
“So you haven’t even tried it before …”
Kazuya emphasizes just to rub it on Sawamura’s face that he doesn’t really have the right to chastise him if the guy himself hasn’t even eaten it before. And the extra urge of getting on the pitcher’s nerves adds to Kazuya’s motivation because there’s never a dull moment every time he’s with the overly expressive pitcher and teasing him is one of his favorite past times.
Sawamura frowns until it turns into a pout and he crosses his arms in front of his chest as he turns his head petulantly at the side.
“Well, that’s what my classmates said–”
“And you believe what they say over your senpai, captain and battery partner? I’m deeply wounded Sawamura.”
Kazuya sullenly shakes his head showing his mock-displeasure and it gets him his desired reaction from Sawamura.
“You’re not really that trustworthy outside the field so I’m not at fault here! I won’t ever forget my first day at practice you four-eyed-bastard!”
Sawamura reverts to his flustered-angry shouting.
Kazuya almost laughs because it’s just so easy to get under the pitcher’s skin but the snort he heard coming from Kuramochi reminds him he’s not really alone together with Sawamura. He doesn’t even remember tuning out the other’s presence out of his mind.
Kazuya’s full attention just got directed at only Sawamura and he doesn’t really want to admit that his totally whipped for the boy but he IS very frustrated at himself for being so weak-willed against the pitcher.
“He’s not wrong Miyuki. Even if I trust you with baseball-related things, knowing your corrupt personality, even I have to think twice before believing your words.”
Kuramochi grins devilishly at Kazuya, voice laced with hidden threat and warning, probably not actually letting him out of the hook for what they’ve been discussing before Sawamura joined them.
Kazuya wasn’t able to stop a very ungraceful snort from coming out though when Sawamura says,
“Kuramochi-senpai you’re not one to talk about trust! You’re the reason I was actually late that day!”
Kuramochi’s grin turns into a glare and transitions from Kazuya to Sawamura.
“Shut up! It’s your fault for not getting up on time!”
“But you’re the one who roped me in into playing video games with you so late! And you didn’t wake me up!”
“Okay that’s it you cheeky brat! We didn’t raise you to disrespect your elders! I really need to put you in your place!”
Kazuya watches as Kuramochi wrestles Sawamura into a headlock and the latter trying to get away from the strong grip of the former but to no avail.
And Kazuya realizes again that the two are really close even from the start and he didn’t notice anything strange. Well, the idea of them being brothers is not strange per se, but who would’ve thought that they are real brothers? It’s not like Kuramochi and Sawamura have the same family name so nobody would really thought of that. And they didn’t even bother mentioning that important fact to the team.
Kazuya is reminded again of how foolish he had been, thinking that there’s something going on with the two. Even if they are not related by blood, Kazuya can see and feel that they truly are brothers in heart. Not that the team didn’t think that Kuramochi is awfully acting like an older brother to Sawamura but the reality that they are adoptive brothers still baffles them.
“Kuramochi-senpai–wait–Nii-san! Stop! I give up! I give up!”
“And now you call me nii-san you brat!”
Kuramochi gave one last hard tug on Sawamura’s head before releasing him. He’s clearly annoyed of Sawamura talking back to him but the fondness in his eyes that Kazuya sees tells him that they really care for each other.
And that still makes Kazuya envious of their close relationship, even if he already knows that they would never be more than brothers.
Because he also wants to be close to Sawamura.
Actually, he wants to be the closest person to Sawamura and achieving that would be impossible if the older brother who’s closest to him right now doesn’t even let him have a chance.
Which brings him back to his dilemma.
“Nii-san you meanie! I’ll tell mom you’re bullying me!”
Sawamura shouts back grumpily as he nurses his abused neck and head while also backing away from the shortstop to probably have a leeway to run if Kuramochi ever decided tackling the kid to the ground.
“You. Won’t. Dare.”
Kuramochi challenges back. The ‘hmph’ Sawamura offers says that he won’t really do it and Kuramochi knows it, too.
Kazuya doesn’t like to admit it but he thinks Sawamura is the more mature one of the two. The younger might be childish at the most insignificant times and Kuramochi gets to be the responsible more often than not but Kazuya thinks that the shortstop only becomes like that because of his need to protect the people important to him.
And Sawamura doesn’t hold small grudges that’s why he easily forgives and forgets even if he was really hurt. Because he’s kind and warm like that. One of the many reasons Kazuya had fallen in love with the boy.
“Miyuki Kazuya, why are you smiling creepily like that?!”
Kazuya then stops smiling, not noticing that he had started doing that in the first place because he’s being carried by the whirlwind of his musings.
“I’m not.”
Of course, he denies. Kazuya might have been really smiling ‘creepily’ with his silly thoughts but Sawamura doesn’t need to know that.
“Did too!”
“Did Not.”
“But you did!”
“Not.”
“You– Arrrrrrrgh! Miyuki Kazuya stop denying it!”
“I’m not denying anything.”
“But you are–”
“Not.”
“You–Bastard four-eyes!”
“Thank you!”
“Huh? Why are you– IT’S NOT A COMPLIMENT!”
“HAHA!”
If Kuramochi isn’t gonna be the one who strangles Kazuya one of these days, he’s sure Sawamura’s on the verge of doing that right now. He’s red from mixed anger and frustration and Kazuya just grins taking delight of the pitcher’s reaction because he wins this round.
He doesn’t even know what they are competing to begin with but Sawamura just makes it easy for Kazuya to push the right buttons to get him a reaction he wants.
“Oh gods! Stop flirting in front of me. You two are making me gag and want to vomit my lunch.”
Kuramochi interjects, disgust and repulsion palpable in his voice as he rolls his eyes.
Sawamura immediately blushes and he sputters trying to say along the lines of “We’re not flirti– I mean – we don’t– we’re not–”.
Kazuya’s not far off from Sawamura though because he’s pretty sure he’s also blushing, thankful that Sawamura is busy trying and failing to defend himself from Kuramochi.
If Kuramochi’s going to tease them like this, he could’ve have just also allowed Kazuya to have some alone time with his brother in the first place, Kazuya thinks forlornly.
“ANYWAY! You’re still lucky to be able to buy the infamous melon bread of Seido High Miyuki Kazuya!”
Sawamura forcefully changes the topic, still red in the face as he turns around in haste to face Kazuya and escape the knowing look Kuramochi is giving them.
Aaaannnnd.
Back to the damn bread.
And he has a lot more important things to talk about than a piece of half-eaten bread.
Kazuya doesn’t know anymore; he suddenly feels tired.
“You know what, you can have this half if you want. I’m not really that hungry.”
Kazuya gestures for Sawamura to take the bread but the sudden close proximity of the pitcher whose sitting and pressing at his side now steals his breath away as he stares back at glittering golden eyes, mere inches away from his face that if he leans in just a bit he would’ve tasted that plump lips on his own which should’ve happened three weeks and three days ago if they weren’t just interrupted–
“REALLY!?”
Sawamura squeals in glee at the prospect of having a taste of the bread like it’s gonna be the best experience in the world. Kazuya holds the bread in front above his chest, grip a little harder than necessary as he holds his breath because the boy he’s in love with is literally in his space at the moment – warm minty breath puffing on his face making his glasses fog up and–
“I can really take a bite?!”
“Well you can have the rest–”
Kazuya starts but is cut off by another squeal,
“Yay! Thanks for the food!”
Sawamura demurely tucks a stray hair behind his right ear as he leans down a bit, eyes hooding and lashes forming a shadow on his cheeks.
Kazuya watches attentively as Sawamura takes a bite where he bit off a while ago and even though his expression is blank and his body is still as a plank, his brain had long short-circuited and just kept on repeating the words “INDIRECT KISS!”.
The inside of his head is a mess and the tiny-workers-mini-version of him are either crying or banging their heads on the wall or running in circles and shouting ‘ILOVEHIM!’. Some are knocked out and lying on the floor in a pool of blood that is continuously spurting out from either their mouths or noses.
Just chaos, really.
“Mmmmm! This is soooo good!”
Sawamura gushes as he takes another mouthful bite out of Kazuya’s hand and he’s distracted at the cream that stuck at pitcher’s chubby cheeks.
“ –pai …”
Kazuya doesn’t know what suddenly came to him but he thinks ‘It’s now or never.’
‘ –ki-senpai?’
Since Kuramochi won’t probably ever give them any privacy, might as well do it in front of him right?
<This just shows how much fried Kazuya’s brain had been and later that night, he would be screaming and punching at his pillow for being an idiot while getting a worried question of ‘Captain, did something happen?’ from a very weirded out Kimura but still had the decency of a kouhai and a murderous glare from Okumura for being noisy and weird and creepy saying ‘Please have your identity crisis when there’s no other people around. You’re being a bother senpai.’>
“Miyuki-senpa–!”
“Saw –Eijun …”
“ –i hmmmmmm?!”
Kazuya blurts out as he grabs the left hand waving in front of his face and is now leaning forward into Eijun’s (Yes, he calls him Eijun now) space instead as the other bends a bit backward in a futile attempt to put some distance between them. He senses Kuramochi getting alarmed at the background but he ploughs on before he loses the sudden courage of his ‘loose’ mind and before the shortstop has the chance to pull them apart.
“I know this is a bit sudden – I mean … I already said this but–”
Kazuya hears his heartbeat loud and clear and feels it trying to jump its hardest out of his mouth.
“Will you be my boyfriend? Because I really like you …”
Eijun gasps at the sudden out-of-the-blue, out-of-place confession and Kazuya waits with bated breath. This isn’t how he wanted to ask Eijun again but–
“Please go out with me!”
But Kazuya’s going crazy and he can’t wait anymore.
“I–”
Eijun chokes out, flushed red up to his neck and ears. Kazuya hopes his eyes is enough to express his determination and sincerity to work things out between them.
Eijun closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and it smells like the cream on that melon bread. Kazuya thinks he needs to reconsider his earlier statement because now that the smell is coming directly from Eijun, it really seems delicious. Or maybe it’s just Eijun.
Kazuya feels Eijun hold his hand back and ‘Yes! That’s a good sign– ’
“Mm … Okay …”
A nod.
Pretty golden eyes peering beneath long lashes.
“‘Okay’ as in?”
Because Kazuya is a little slow on the intake of information at the moment, he asks again. Thankfully, Eijun indulges him even the boy himself is close to passing out from too much nerves and embarrassment.
“I – I – I’ll be your bo – boy – boyfriend.”
Eijun stutters out as he grips Kazuya’s hand much harder for support. He looks close to crying and Kazuya’s sadistic side wants to take over because the look on Eijun’s expression is turning him on in more ways than one.
Eijun whimpers quietly when Kazuya took a second too long to respond.
And okay. That is so adorable but Kazuya needs to be sure so he asks again.
“You mean it?”
“Huh?”
“Like really? As in we’re gonna be a couple with hand holding and kissing and more?”
“eeek! I – umm – yeah …”
“This is your last chance, you’re really gonna be my boyfriend?”
“I already said ‘Yes, I’ll be your boyfriend!’ Why are you being so suspicious?! Don’t make me say it again and again it’s bad for my heart!”
Kazuya breathes a sigh of relief because at long last, he can at least claim Eijun as ‘his’.
A small genuine smile appears on his face and he makes sure Eijun sees it.
“I’m just making sure. I don’t want you to misunderstand my intentions.”
“Well, I find you really being weird right now …”
Eijun frowns at him as he licks his lips and that simple action took all of Kazuya’s remaining sanity not to shove his tongue on that pretty mouth.
“Okay, we’re officially boyfriends.”
“Oh gosh! Have some shame Miyuki Kazuya!”
Eijun shouts, mortified and chagrinned.
“Got it.”
Kazuya nods and places the left over melon bread on Eijun’s other hand, the pitcher a little confused at the deed.
“You totally don’t!”
“Anyways, I love you Eijun …”
Kazuya says nonchalantly and quickly places a peck on the lips he’d been dreaming to touch long before he knew he likes Eijun in a romantic sense.
He also went on to lick the cream still stuck on the side of Eijun’s mouth he’s been eying since the start it had been there. He backs out a little and sends a seductive wink. Eijun altogether combusts and melts on where he’s seated.
Kazuya turns to look at the side to finally addressed the outraged and scandalized shortstop that’s also rooted on where his standing because everything happened in front of him in a span of just a few less than five minutes.
Kuramochi looks torn between wanting to cut off Kazuya’s tongue or dick.
“Mochi onii-san, let’s get along from now on!”
Kazuya stands up abruptly and whispers a “I’ll see you later”, directly melding his lips on Eijun’s earlobes and runs as fast as he can, laughing maniacally, not thinking as of the moment of the possibilities if he’s gonna live for another day once Kuramochi got ahold of him.
The sound of ‘MIYUKI KAZUYA YOU’RE DEAD!’ from a howling cheetah doesn’t do anything to damper his high spirit.
He’ll probably be a dead body later but for now, he’s high on the clouds and he feels so happy he doesn’t mind dying if he’s last memory is of Eijun’s sweet taste.
And ‘hurray!’ for infamous melon breads.