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Eijun has seen many patients during his time as a vet.
Big ones. Small ones. Fluffy ones. Hairless ones. Rodents and snakes, bunnies, cats, dogs, birds.
He’s seen many patients - and he’s seen many owners.
Men and women, children, parents, sisters, brothers. Aunts and uncles, newly weds and widows.
But he’s never quite seen someone like Miyuki Kazuya.
Miyuki Kazuya, the starting catcher for the Tokyo Giants.
It’s fine. This is totally fine. Eijun might be the world’s greatest Giants’ fan, but he’s a professional. He can keep it together. He’s got this.
“Oh my goodness,” Eijun coos, focusing his attention on the ball of white fluff on the table before him and not on the incredibly attractive professional baseball player standing on the other side. “Hello there, pretty girl,” he says, holding his hand out for Miyuki’s cat to scent. “What’s her name?”
Miyuki shuffles on his feet and runs a callused hand through his hair. “Sugar,” Miyuki answers, clearing his throat. He reaches out and strokes down along her back and up her tail, and Sugar meows, spinning around in a circle to bump her head into his hand affectionately. “Because she’s white… like sugar.”
It’s almost juvenile, Miyuki’s response, and a little awkward, like he isn’t sure how much information he should be giving.
It makes Eijun’s heart somersault in his chest.
Because it’s… cute.
Eijun bites his lip, watching the way Sugar gravitates towards Miyuki. “She seems sweet on you, too, just like sugar,” Eijun responds, and maybe it’s a little flirtatious, but he can’t help it, not with the way Miyuki is standing, stiff as a board, a crease between his brows, attentive towards his cat the same way he is towards his opponents on the field. “How long have you had her?”
Since she was a kitten, Miyuki explains. He found her wandering outside his apartment and took her in. That was four years ago, before he moved to Tokyo, before he played for the Giants, and she’s never been sick before, but she’s been throwing up multiple times a day and she’s been lethargic, and he just doesn’t know what could be wrong -
Eijun listens and he’s pretty sure that he falls a little bit in love.
It’s cliché, maybe, but how could he not , with the way Miyuki’s bangs fall into his eyes, hair messy but stylish, an undercut that Eijun would love to get his hands on. With the way Miyuki talks about Sugar, tentative but caring, like a man who became a dad and still isn’t quite sure if he’s doing a good job at the whole parenting thing. With the way Miyuki’s shoulder shift, strong and sturdy, God, they would feel amazing under Eijun’s hands -
“Okay!” Eijun says once Miyuki is done explaining the situation, cutting off his own thoughts before he gets in too deep. “Let’s run a couple tests and see what might be going on!” Eijun delicately takes Sugar and holds her against his chest, the same way he might when holding someone else’s baby, because that’s essentially what he’s doing . “I’ll come back in a few minutes to chat about this more.”
Eijun runs his usual array of tests when critters come into his office like this, and he goes through his lists of possible causes. While his techs work through some of the results, he goes back to check in with Miyuki, which is protocol , he tells himself, and not because he wants to spend more time with him.
Protocol.
That’s what this is.
“The good news is that Sugar is definitely going to be okay and this isn’t serious,” he announces when he shuts the door to the room, stepping back up to the center table. Miyuki rises from the chair in the corner of the room, eyes focused behind his glasses. “We’re still waiting on a couple results, but my best guess right now is that she got into something toxic that’s causing this response.”
Miyuki frowns at that, like that sounds serious even though Eijun has said it isn’t. “Okay,” Miyuki says slowly, urging Eijun to continue.
“I’m going to give her some fluids and some medication once I see the rest of the test results,” Eijun says.
Miyuki nods along as Eijun explains the procedure for that, listening intently, the way he might listen to a field plan during a game. He fidgets with the sleeve of his jacket, and that’s when Eijun notices a cut along his finger, one that looks fresh and deep. Without thinking, he reaches out and touches Miyuki’s hand, frowning. “You should bandage this, Miyuki Kazuya!”
Miyuki looks caught off guard, both from Eijun’s touch and from the use of his full name. He raises a brow, lips quirking up into a playful smirk that makes Eijun’s pulse pound in his ears. “Ah, so you’re a Giants’ fan, are you?”
Eijun’s cheeks burn as he pulls his hand away, brain catching up to his actions a few moments too late. He turns and rummages through a drawer for his first aid kit, pull out a bandage. “And if I am?” Eijun responds defensively, rounding the edge of the table. “Give me your finger.”
Miyuki blinks, taken aback by Eijun’s boldness. He clears his throat and offers his hand, watching Eijun with curious, interested eyes. “I can give you my autograph, if you want,” he teases, flirts, even. “As a thank you for taking care of Sugar.”
Eijun smooths his finger along Miyuki’s cut gently, eyes lighting up at the suggestion. “I’m not going to say no to that,” he responds eagerly, and then turns his attention back to the bandage. “How did you get this? It’s deep.”
“Cooking,” Miyuki answers, shrugging nonchalantly. “It happens.”
Eijun wraps the elastic around Miyuki’s finger. “You’re a catcher, Miyuki Kazuya,” he scolds, as if he hadn’t just met this man half an hour ago. “You’re supposed to take care of your hands! They’re important!”
He looks up then, frowning, brows furrowed in his scowl, and realizes how close they are.
They’re… really close.
Miyuki’s cheeks are red, his fingers flexing beneath Eijun’s touch. “Right,” he says, eyes dipping down over Eijun’s features, hovering over his mouth, the space between them sparking. “I’ll be more careful next time.”
Eijun feels breathless. This is not how his meetings with his patients normally go. He nods, pleased with Miyuki’s response, and steps back. “Good,” he approves. “Because if you lose the championship game because you didn’t take care of your hands, I’ll be mad, you know!”
Miyuki blinks. Stares.
Then, he laughs.
It’s loud and obnoxious, but genuine, amused, the corners of his eyes crinkling, a simple peeking out over his cheek. Eijun can do nothing more than stare until Miyuki calms down, until he curls his fingers into a fist and touches the bandage on his finger that Eijun has left behind. “Well, we can’t have that , now can we?” he lilts, smiling, and Eijun definitely falls in love this time.
So much so, actually, that when he gives Sugar back to Miyuki, he can’t help but say, “You’ll need to bring her back in a few days,” even though Sugar really shouldn’t need a second checkup. “Just so I can make sure she seems to be recovering fine, you know.”
Miyuki looks as if he can see through Eijun’s excuse, but he lets it slide. “I’ll bring her back on Friday, if that works for you,” he says. “Around 5?”
Eijun bites his lip over a smile. “It’s a date.”