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The two southpaws had been dating for a while, trying as much as they could to see each other between the intense practices and schoolwork. The scarcity of their meetings had made them a thousand times better; forced them to take their time to thoroughly enjoy the other’s presence. When they had a free weekend, they’d instantly call each other, making plans and claiming those two days for themselves. They were all about arcade dates and amusement parks, eating cotton candy on the Ferris wheel, and holding hands where no one could see them. They reveled in each other’s laughter and being able to simply be, nothing to worry about except the sky going dark.
This summer night, they had decided to take a walk in the park close to Seidou’s grounds. It was barely 10 o’clock and the sky is laced with dark blue and bright stars when the pitchers had been racing each other to a nearby playground. It’s not that they were childish, although Mei liked to joke often about Eijun’s kid-like excitement, they just loved the freedom of being silly together without any else’s judging them. They sat on swings and played “who goes higher”, pushing forward with their feet and almost reaching the night above. Eijun screams to who wants to hear that they are flying, Mei looking at his goofy smile and, for a moment, it truly feels like they are flying.
Whenever they are together, the ace feels light like bubbles, like they are floating around in a separate space-time from the others. Smiling to himself, Mei wonders if he’ll ever be able to tell Eijun how deeply he feels about him. How deeply he cherishes being able to feel so light in face of the constant pressure his team and position put on him. Together, it feels like time is flowing differently, bending to their will.
They keep swinging, going as high as possible, and kicking the air until a loud smack vibrates into the night. It is quickly followed by a sheepish Mei emerges from the ground after forgetting to grip the handles tight enough and swinging backward. A roaring laugh leaves the Eijun’s mouth, holding his stomach with his hands and tears gathering in his eyes; it seems like the pitcher can’t stop. Taking a deep breath he calms himself down, the blond still on the ground and pouting. The younger teen asks if he is okay, helping him to stand up. Pointing the scratches on his knees, Mei childishly requests a “healing kiss”. His request is quickly met with Eijun dropping to his own knees and delicately holding the ace’s leg, leaving a trail of soft kisses along the small injury.
A few minutes later, both teens are seated on a bench, waiting for the end of their curfew to come, but unwilling to leave the other’s side. The first year looks at Mei, stares at the silvery city lights reflecting in those big blue eyes. In a rare moment of quiet Eijun loses himself to this sight, drinking it in. Internally, he marvels at how he's never seen someone as beautiful and astonishing as Mei. His heart flooding with love and respect, Seidou’s pitcher takes the other teen’s hand and squeezes it lightly. Mei looks straight into the golden eyes looking at him with a tender he has never experienced before and his heart threatens to explode right here right now. Eijun looks completely star-struck but the ace is the one who feels hit. Tentatively opening his mouth, Meiji considers things for a second and calmly states “I think I’m in love with you.”
“Yeah, me too,” echoes him.
Now it feels almost cruel to have them separated and both pitchers lament to the upperclassmen, coaxing them into leaving the room for the both of them. Their seniors would never admit it, but they knew the couple had very few opportunities to spend the night together and wanted to give them the chance.
Finally lying down on, they only manage to steal a few glances, their nervousness thick in the air around them as the minutes tick by. Finding his courage, Eijun gently takes Mei’s head in his hands and leans in for a kiss. Eyes shut tight, he presses his lips against Mei’s hoping he won’t disappoint. Guided by instinct and enthusiasm only, Eijun wonders if he’s doing it right until he feels Mei pressing back, warm lips moving on his own, and his brain stops thinking letting him enjoy the kiss. His hands slowly move away from the blond’s face, reaching Mei’s fingers and intertwining them together with his own. Still kissing the ace, Eijiun tugs at the ace’s bottom lips making said ace moan slightly. Eijun backs away beet red, heat coiling in his stomach, a bit overwhelmed. Shyly, he cups the other teen’s face and kisses him once more, light as a feather.
Tonight is about taking their time and going with the flow of their relationship. They agree to leave the hot and heavy stuff for another day, choosing to cuddle and call it a night. Readying themselves to sleep, they move closer to each other under the warm blanket. Wordlessly, Eijun’s arms surround Mei’s smaller frame to spoon him. Soothed by the other’s heat and presence, the blond lets himself drift away and falls asleep, head settling right under the crook of the younger teen’s neck. Eijun kisses the top of Mei’s head, rubbing circles on his boyfriend’s hand and humming. He closes his eyes and wishes for this moment to never end, to somehow beat the impermanent nature of all moments. Slumber takes him shortly after, softening his features and promising happy dreams.
Their relationship only gets better in the following weeks as they anchor themselves in their burgeoning love. With Eijun's naive liveliness and Mei's never-ending passion, every day feels like a dream with butterflies pleasantly buzzing in their stomach for every date. It’s incredible how well they fit together, how much joy they gain by simply being with the other. It’s cheesy really, but one day Eijun tells Mei how their love can clear up the cloudy skies of his rough days and the ace feels like it should be illegal to be so in love with someone.
Their bond grows in strength as they grow as individuals, their fondness for each other boundless, just like their trust. They love without worries and without fears, their only focus the inevitable smile that curls each other's lips when the other is near.
People tell them something so good can’t last forever, but their love feels like salvation and they decide that they'll redefine forever if they have to.