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It was a quintessential Human Realm summer day. Wispy clouds hung in the sky, but the sun was shining warm and bright down onto the baseball field appropriated by the seven kids. They were planning a friendly game with some of Luz's friends from Gravesfield High that afternoon, but Willow's competitive spirit had seen them getting there with enough time to practice. Most of the witches had played the sport before during their time stuck in the Human Realm. Matt was the odd one out; he hadn't even heard of baseball before today, but the scrappy teen was willing to give it a go.
With Willow opposite him at the pitcher's mound, Matt was standing at the plate, feeling out the aluminum bat they had by tapping it to the side of his sneaker, then raising it comically high at his shoulder. His stance was straight as a board. Gus, observing off to the side, laughed good-naturedly into a fist and stepped forward, holding up a hand to signal Willow should pause.
"Hey,” he said. “Want some pointers?”
Matt glanced down at himself. "On what?"
"You’re not gonna be able to hit anything like that. Here, let me—" Gus trailed off, stepping close and wrapping his arms around Matt’s waist from behind. He reached around and gripped the bat in the space between the other boy's hands. It forced Gus to lean in, his torso pressing on Matt's back. His breath tickled his skin.
Matt gave a squeak of surprise, tensing at the unexpected contact. Whatever quip he might have made died on his tongue, crawled out of his head, and left the stratosphere.
Gus knew exactly what he was doing, but it was more fun to pretend he didn't. When he spoke, his voice was infuriatingly casual.
"Okay, so— you want your legs a little wider than shoulder width apart."
Matt glanced down at his feet and scooted them a couple inches wider.
"Like that,” Gus said. “And you don't want to be tense when waiting for the ball, okay? You wanna keep it loose. Relaxed."
“Uh huh.” Matt took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, but the expansion of his diaphragm only made him more aware of Gus at his back. He felt his face warm but held his stance, eyes set determinedly on Willow.
"You need some movement in your hips," Gus continued, and—Titan damn it—he even demonstrated with a little wiggle of his own that got Matt's face properly burning. "If you stand there stock-still, it's harder to react in time."
"Got it," he managed to force through unwilling vocal chords. "Stay relaxed, move your hips."
"Hands shoulder height.” Matt's hands had dipped thanks to Gus distracting him. Gus used his grip on the bat to raise them back where they should be.
Matt nodded. “Okay.”
"And bend your knees a little. Don't be straight."
"No problem there," Matt joked, and smiled to hear Gus snicker in his ear.
"Now, what I learned is— you wanna 'dance' with the pitcher." He nodded in Willow's direction, who looked perfectly content to stand there and be entertained by all this. "When she winds up, you wanna rock back—" He demonstrated by shifting his weight to his back foot, naturally bringing Matt with him. "But keep it smooth, okay? Don't tense up. Keep your eye on the ball and swing."
"Got it," Matt said, hoping his voice didn't sound too strangled.
"Alright, Willow!" Gus called over. "We're ready!"
Willow flashed a smile and took a small step back, got into position, and flung the ball hard (but not too hard) towards the boys. Matt tried to put Gus' closeness out of mind for a moment and focus on shifting his weight and watching the ball. Together, their hands swung the bat back and forward, the ball smacking off the metal with a satisfying crack. It sailed low over second base, but with no one currently in the backfield, it landed harmlessly and rolled to a stop in the grass.
"Nice!" Gus congratulated him. His elbows squeezed Matt's sides in a pseudo-hug, rocking him off-balance.
Matt grinned big, more from the embrace than the hit. “That wasn’t so hard,” he decided.
Gus got them square to the plate again and helped ready the bat.
"One more," Gus called, and Willow bent down to grab another baseball from the pail at her feet. This time Matt focused more on keeping a smooth rhythm, less on force, and the ball cracked off the bat to sail high over Willow's head. Matt breathed a laugh as he watched it go.
"You got it!" Gus cheered, and suddenly Matt felt the fleeting warmth of a kiss pressed to his nape.
Matt squeaked, freezing again, but Gus had already let go of the bat and backed off, grinning mischievously.
As Matt stood there, a ball came whizzing past at belly button level. He jumped back with a shout, then rounded on Willow, glaring. "Hey! I wasn't ready!"
Willow winked at him. "It's called baseball, not gayball, you two. Let's do a few more throws then give someone else a chance."
Matt grumbled but lifted his bat back into position. This time, either born of defiance or luck, he hit it even farther than before.