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Man, Leon can’t believe that Taka talked him into this.
Leon has never, not once bothered to go to baseball practice—until now. See, the way that sports-based talents work at Hope’s Peak is a bit unique, by nature. You can’t exactly have nine Ultimate Baseball Stars at once, after all. So instead, to develop his talent, the administration organizes for Leon to travel to various baseball stadiums and practice with the big leagues. Or, they try to, at least.
For the first few weeks of the semester, Leon has been ignoring the emails reminding him to actually show up and get on the van on Friday afternoons so he can go practice, leading to some frustration on behalf of both the Hope’s Peak Administration and the teams he’s supposed to be playing with. Normally, Leon wouldn’t give a rat’s ass–after all, he’s not going to need baseball in the future–but someone on student council just had to go tattle to his boyfriend, who damn near had a stroke while lecturing him on how disrespectful of others’ time and effort it is. So, just to shut him up, Leon had promised to actually go to practice this week. Normally, it would be closed to any audience, but Taka and Mondo managed to convince the administration to let them go, if at least to make sure that Leon actually keeps his promise.
So, here he is, freezing his tits off in the stupid Hope’s Peak baseball team uniform made just for him while a bunch of adult athletes try to figure out the best way to torture him for a few hours. Did they really have to do this today? It’s, like, 13℃ out! October really isn’t taking any prisoners this year.
While the team coordinates, Leon glances over at the accessible section of the bleachers, where Mondo and Taka are seated. Noticing him, they both wave, with Taka smiling brightly and shouting to him,
“You’re going to do great, Leon!”
Mondo joins in, giving him a thumbs-up.
“Show ‘em why they call you an Ultimate!”
While Leon is far from excited to be here, he didn’t spend an hour in the back of a smelly rental van just to give up. He’s at least going to try a little. Might as well give his boyfriends a show, right?
“Hell yeah! I’ll show these guys what a real baseball player is like!”
He turns away from Taka and Mondo just in time for the pitcher to approach him, smiling in a friendly manner. Ugh, Leon fucking hates the stupid fake sports camaraderie.
“Must be nice to be a Hope’s Peak student, huh?”
The guy says with a laugh.
“No more shaved head!”
He gestures to his own hair, cut short to national regulations. Leon grimaces as he remembers how much he hated having to keep his hair cut short like that. It made it even harder for him to pass.
“Uh, yeah, man. At least they let me keep my own style here!”
The pitcher laughs again.
“Right, right. Well, I hope our uniforms aren’t too much of an eyesore for you. I’ve seen the outfits you wear to interviews. Wish I had that much style at your age!”
Leon chuckles at that. Maybe this guy isn’t so bad. Still, he wishes that they’d just get to the game already so he could go home and snuggle up under the covers in his dorm.
“So, how are we gonna do this? You’ve got the whole team roster here, but that doesn’t exactly divide evenly into two standard teams.”
Just talking about baseball so casually is filling Leon with dread. Why couldn’t he be at home playing his guitar instead? Stupid Taka and his stupid morals. Why’d he have to fall in love with the damn hall monitor?
“Well, we’re all pretty excited to see what a game with the Ultimate Baseball Star is like, so we decided ahead of time how we’re going to organize the teams such that we all get a chance to play both with and against you on a team.”
Oh, great. He can’t wait for them all to fawn over him for being such a natural at a sport he couldn’t care less about. It’s too late now, though. Might as well see this through to the end.
“Alright, sure. Works for me. What position am I starting in?”
And so, practice kicks off. One would think Leon would be rusty after not playing for months on end, but he doesn’t struggle in the slightest to get back into the swing of things. Playing against a Major League team is vastly different from playing against other high schoolers, but it only really requires slightly more effort on Leon’s part. Even among these talented athletes, Leon shines. At one point, Leon manages to single-handedly pitch three strikes in a row against the opposing team with screwballs, which earns him quite a few compliments and cheers from the other players.
It mostly rings hollow to him. What value do words of praise have when you hear them from everyone all the time, without ever having to try? It’s just exhausting, at this point.
While switching positions, Leon glances over at his boyfriends. Taka waves eagerly at him and Mondo flashes him a thumbs-up, both smiling brightly. It makes his heart race a little and motivates him to show off even more.
As Leon waits for his turn to bat, he faces Taka and Mondo and flexes. Mondo laughs while Taka swoons playfully, causing Leon to wink and blow him a kiss. Hey, maybe practicing isn’t so bad when he actually gives a shit about the audience. Although, he’s starting to get pretty sweaty, and that still sucks. Nobody wants to spend an hour on the van with swamp tit. He’d better get so many cuddles from Taka for doing this!
It’s finally Leon’s turn. He takes his spot and crouches down in the proper position, bat in hand. His eyes are laser-focused on the ball as the pitcher reels back, clearly determined to give it his all. It’s almost laughable, the ease with which Leon hits the ball and shoots off towards first base. He makes it to second base before the opposing team even has a chance to catch the ball, and he’s not slowing down at all.
As Leon books it to third base, he turns to face the stands again. Taka and Mondo are both still cheering him on, smiling and shouting proudly. He grins at both of them and laughs, flashing finger guns.
Then, without warning, something flies into his jaw. Leon hears a crack and cries out in pain, tripping and landing face-first in the dirt.
“Leon!”
He hears Taka shout, followed by the sound of his chair’s wheels struggling against the grass. He makes it to Leon’s side just moments before Mondo, followed by most of the baseball team.
“Fuck,” Leon grunts as he sits up, the entire left side of his face throbbing. He spits some blood onto the ground and notices an upsettingly large white chunk among the liquid.
“Are you okay, dude?”
Mondo asks. Leon tilts his head up to look at all the people surrounding him, then reaches up to brush his fingers across his busted lip.
“Uh… I think I chipped a tooth.”
Taka frowns deeply, close to tears.
“We should take you to get checked out. The van should still be parked outside the stadium.”
Before anyone can stop him, Taka leans down and picks up the chunk of Leon’s tooth.
“Taka, what the fuck?”
Mondo shouts in concern.
“What? They might need it at the hospital!”
Mondo sighs in exasperation, leaning down to offer his arm to Leon.
“C’mon, let’s get you to a doctor… Should’ve been paying attention,” he mutters as Leon stands and leans on him.
“Wanted to show off for you and Taka,” Leon pouts in response.
Mondo scoffs lightly at that, but he knows better than to make fun of Leon while he’s hurt. He helps Leon onto the van and explains what happened to the driver while they put out the lift for Taka. Once Taka’s chair is tied down, he leans over to inspect Leon’s face.
“That’s going to leave a nasty bruise… Your pupils are even, though. Does your head hurt at all?”
Leon shakes his head.
“No, just my jaw. Damn it, that was so lame. And I was kickin’ ass out there, too!”
He huffs softly. Taka sighs.
“Well, in any case, I’m proud of you for actually going to practice tonight.”
Mondo interrupts them to hand Leon an instant ice pack from the van’s first aid kit, which Leon immediately presses to his swollen jaw with a soft hum.
“The nearest emergency clinic is only a few minutes away. Do you want us to come in with you? Ah, they’ll probably want to contact your father…”
Leon groans and rolls his eyes.
“Great, just what I need. I’ve been ignoring his texts all week, now he’s gonna wanna call me. Ugh.”
Mondo scoffs and waves his hand.
“Don’t worry about that right now. We gotta tell the headmaster, too.”
Taka hums.
“I wonder if he’ll have to write an incident report for this. I mean, it is a school-sanctioned activity…”
Leon pouts, kicking at Taka’s leg some.
“I’m gravely injured and all you can think about is paperwork? ”
Taka huffs.
“I’m worried about you, of course! I was just wondering about it!”
Mondo rolls his eyes and shoves Leon gently.
“He’s just messing with you, bro. He’s gonna milk this for all the attention he can get.”
Leon gasps.
“Are you calling me attention-seeking? After I just got thwacked in the face by a projectile?! You’re so mean, Mondo!”
Mondo sticks his tongue out in response. Taka sighs.
“Come on, can’t you two behave? We’re still technically on a school trip. We represent Hope’s Peak Academy whenever we’re out in public.”
Leon grumbles and leans back in his seat.
“You’re lucky your pussy is so fire, hall monitor,” he mumbles. Taka’s face and ears redden.
“Leon Kuwata! ”
Mondo breaks out into loud laughter, almost drowning out the driver’s announcement that they’ve arrived at the hospital. Taka reaches down to untie his chair and unbuckles himself.
“Let’s get inside. Who knows how long of a wait we might have in such a densely-populated area.”
The three boys make their way to the check-in desk, where Leon shyly explains what happened and presents his national insurance card. As he talks to the triage nurse, Taka glances around the waiting area, relieved to see only a few other people there. Maybe they’ll make it back to the dorms before curfew after all. Then, Leon and Mondo sit down next to an open space where Taka can park his chair. The TV in the waiting room is turned to a random news channel, which Taka avidly watches. Leon and Mondo choose to use their phones instead.
About half an hour passes in relative silence, save for Leon and Mondo occasionally showing each other their screens and chuckling about whatever meme they’re sharing. Then, a nurse emerges from the hallway and calls out Leon’s name. Leon pockets his phone and stands.
“See you guys in a bit, I guess,” he says. Mondo and Taka both nod to him, then Taka gasps.
“Wait!”
He digs through his pocket for a moment before producing the chunk of Leon’s tooth from earlier. Leon makes a face.
“I, uh… I’ll let you know if they decide they need that. Just hold onto it for me, for now.”
Taka gently places the item back into his pocket as Leon follows the nurse down the hall. Then, he glances at Mondo and sighs.
“I hope he’ll be okay.”
Mondo doesn’t look up from his phone as he responds.
“He’s a tough guy, he’ll be fine.”
“He didn’t seem to have a concussion, but it’s hard to be sure without imaging.”
“I’m sure they’ll look at his head, too. He’s got a thick skull anyway,” Mondo snickers.
Taka sighs, wringing his hands.
“You’re right. I hope his jaw isn’t fractured, either.”
Mondo sighs and pockets his phone.
“Hey, calm down, Panic Prince. I’m sure that if anything was really wrong he wouldn’t have been so talkative on the ride here, yeah?”
Taka hesitates, then nods.
“Yes, that’s a good point.”
Mondo grins lightly.
“I’m sure another ice pack and some kisses will have him fixed right up!”
Taka chuckles.
“Well, I was hoping we could all sleep in my room tonight, anyways. Maybe that’ll cheer him up a little.”
“Yeah, good idea! He’s always a sucker for snuggling.”
They both fall silent again, Taka facing the TV and Mondo playing some sort of fighting game on his phone. An hour or so passes before Leon returns, his lip cleaned up and bandaged.
“I lived!”
He announces, jogging over to his boyfriends.
“What did they say?”
Taka asks.
“No concussion, thankfully, and no sign of breaks or fractures in my jaw. Just a bad bruise and a chipped tooth, but they said I could get a dentist to fix it. Artificially, I mean. You gotta throw that chip away, Taka.”
Taka glances around for a trash can, then reaches into his pocket and tosses the bloodied piece of Leon’s tooth into it.
“Well, shall we head out, then?”
Leon nods, and Mondo rises from his seat. He stretches his arms up over his head for a moment.
“Man, I’m hungry. Hope the dining hall’s still open when we get back.”
Leon and Taka nod in agreement, with Taka checking his watch.
“We might have to eat fast, but so long as traffic isn’t terrible, I think we can make it.”
With that, the three of them make their way back out to the van, settling in for the hour-long ride back to Hope’s Peak Academy.
“Dibs on the middle!”
Leon shouts as he, Taka, and Mondo enter Taka’s dorm room. Taka parks his chair by the door and plugs the charger into it, then stands slowly.
“There’s no need to shout. We need to get changed into our pajamas first, anyways.”
Leon groans dramatically.
“I’m just gonna sleep in my boxers, man. I don’t care tonight.”
Mondo plops down on Taka’s bed and snickers.
“That’s why I stopped by my room and changed before I met you two here. Besides, shouldn’t you shower? You worked up a sweat out there.”
Leon grumbles, running a hand through his hair.
“I don’t wanna shower tonight. I’m all tired, and my face is sore, and I haven’t even gotten a single hug or kiss yet!”
Taka chuckles, leaning over to press a kiss to Leon’s cheek.
“There. You’re not getting into my bed until you shower, so you’d better hurry up.”
Leon whines a little.
“Aw, c’mon! Babe!”
He turns to Mondo for help, but Mondo just shakes his head.
“You’re not getting your sweat all over my shirt tonight. We’ll take you outside and hose you down, if we have to.”
Leon flips Mondo off and turns to the door.
“Okay, fine, but I better be getting so many kisses when I get back.”
“You can have all the kisses you want as soon as you’re clean,” Taka promises, “And remember to brush your teeth!”
“Yeah, yeah. I will.”
Leon blows a raspberry, then leaves to shower. While Leon is gone, Taka changes out of his uniform and into his pajamas, then brushes his teeth before joining Mondo on the bed. He leans on his shoulder with a soft sigh. Mondo wraps an arm around his shoulders.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m just in a little bit of pain.”
Mondo gently squeezes his shoulders.
“Here, let’s lay down while we wait for Leon.”
Mondo flops back on the bed and tugs Taka down on top of him. Taka nuzzles against his chest with a content sigh.
“Binders are great, but I just wish my spine didn’t protest wearing one so much.”
Mondo chuckles softly, running his hand through Taka’s hair gently.
“Mhm, I can imagine.”
A few moments later, Taka’s doorbell rings, and he starts to rise before Mondo grabs his wrist.
“I got it.”
Mondo gets up to open the door for Leon, who heads right for Taka’s bed.
“Scoot over, I wanna be sandwiched!”
Mondo snorts at his eagerness as Taka obeys, scooting over and opening his arms.
“I’m gonna lay directly on top of you, actually,” he threatens. Leon snuggles up against Taka.
“You have to be nice to me! My mouth is in pain!”
“Uh-huh, yeah,” Mondo replies as he shuts off the light, then lays down on Leon’s other side, wrapping his arms around his waist. Leon hums contently as he curls up between his boyfriends. He tugs the blanket up over all three of them.
“I love you,” Leon says.
“Love you,” Mondo replies, followed by Taka. There’s a beat of silence before Leon speaks again.
“Can I suck your tits, Taka?”
Taka sputters a little and Mondo smacks Leon’s arm.
“Oh, what happened to your mouth hurting so much, huh?”
Leon cackles.
“C’mon, can you blame me?”
“Oh my God. Please, just go to sleep before I kick you out,” Taka says.
“Worth a shot.”
The room falls silent once more as the three men drift asleep, wrapped comfortably in each other’s arms under the soft covers.