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“What the fuck is this?” Kanemaru shouts when he opens the door to the dorm he shares with Sawamura. The pitcher is just sitting at his desk going over his notes, unaffected by the ungodly sight that Kanemaru sees before him.
Sawamura is honestly confused by his roommate’s outburst, “Oh, that?” He turns his head towards the offending item. “Miyuki-senpai brought it over when you went home to see your parents.”
Kanemaru brings his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, these idiots , “Why would Miyuki-senpai bring a brand new flat screen TV to our dorm?”
“I told him that the one Kuramochi-senpai left behind died and he said this would be a good one that I can take with me after graduation.” Sawamura shrugs.
That still doesn’t explain to Kanemaru why it’s so fucking nice or why he would buy one for Sawamura in the first place.
“And you don’t think that’s a bit weird?”
“No, why would it be?” Sawamura looks up at Kanemaru like he’s crazy. “He’s the one who bought our mini-fridge and our microwave too.”
“And you don’t think that’s weird either?” Kanemaru asks incredulously.
Sawamura pauses to think about it. It doesn’t seem that ridiculous. Miyuki is his friend, his former battery partner, and he’s a professional baseball player. He has the means to help Sawamura out so why wouldn’t he.
Before Sawamura can say anything, a look of realization dawns over Kanemaru’s face. “Oh my god.” He laughs. “You’ve been dating Miyuki-senpai this whole time and you didn’t tell me.”
“What?” Sawamura stands up from his desk chair so fast that it falls to the ground “No! Kanemaru you’ve gotten it all wrong!”
“No, don't you try to lie to me!” Kanemaru says, pointing an accusing finger into Sawamura’s sternum. “It all makes sense now!” He digs his finger in even harder to emphasize his point. “I knew you didn’t buy yourself all those designer clothes and fancy gadgets!”
Sawamura’s heart starts racing at the accusation. “I am not dating that four eyed bastard!” He argues.
Kanemaru crosses his arms with a huff, glaring at Sawamura through slitted eyes. “So he’s just your sugar daddy or something?” He lets out a scoff before he continues. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“WHAT? I WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING SO SALACIOUS! I AM AN HONORABLE MAN!” Sawamura screeches, probably disturbing half the floor by now.
“Who taught you that word?” Kanemaru barks out. “You shouldn’t even know that word.”
Sawamura reels at the implication. “So you think I would have a- a- sugar daddy ? But I’m not allowed to know the word ‘salacious’?”
Kanemaru’s face turns bright red. “No! Stuff like that is forbidden! Do not do or say anything salacious !”
“You can’t control what I do or say!” Who does Kanemaru think he is? Sawamura’s keeper?
“I’ll do whatever I want!” Kanemaru shouts back as they begin to argue late into the night.
And just for the record, Miyuki Kazuya is not Sawamura Eijun’s sugar daddy.
If you asked Sawamura about his first gift from Miyuki, he’d probably prattle on about the catcher buying him a sandwich and a coffee from a local cafe and how much it meant to him. But, if you asked Sawamura’s friends, it all started with a scarf.
“Harucchi! Furuya! Let’s go wait outside the gate for Miyuki Kazuya and congratulate him on his win!” Sawamura shouts, already meters ahead of his friends.
Haruichi quickens his pace, tugging a begrudging Furuya along. “Wait for us Eijun-kun! You’re going to get lost!”
“What?” Sawamura yells back, with his head turned towards Haruichi and Furuya.
“I said-” Haruichi starts.
“OOF!” Sawamura shouts when his cheek meets a warm, firm surface.
There’s a gentle rumble that comes from the mysterious surface as he lets out a familiar laugh, “Woah there southpaw!”
Sawamura flushes red when he realizes just who he’s run into. “Sanada-san!” He sputters, stepping back and bowing his head in shame. “This Sawamura is extremely sorry for bumping into you!”
“It’s all good!” Sanada chuckles good-naturedly.
Haruichi and Furuya, having caught up to the pitchers, wince at how bright Sanada’s smile is. Has he gotten more handsome since the last time they saw him? Is that even possible?
When Sawamura lifts his head up, Sanada’s hands rise to cup his jaw. “Are you ok? Did you hurt yourself?” Sanada asks, genuinely concerned for Sawamura’s wellbeing.
Sawamura’s neck reddens even further, “I-I’m fine.” he stutters as Sanada uses his thumbs to stroke his cheeks.
Sanada nearly coos in response to Sawamura’s reaction. “That’s good. We can’t have anything happen to this pretty face. In fact I-” Before he can say anything further, he’s cut off by Haruichi and Furuya dramatically making slicing motions in front of their necks over Sawamura’s shoulder.
“Oh! What do we have here?” Miyuki asks from behind Sanada. His voice loaded with insincerity and his eyes darkened by something that Sawamura can’t place. The only thing he knows is that this can’t be good.
Sawamura shakes his head violently, forcing Sanada’s hands off of his face. “Miyuki-senpai! I bumped into Sanada-san and I was just apologizing for my error!”
“Bumped into?” Miyuki questions as he nearly shoves Sanada aside. “Let me see your face.” He says gently, cupping Sawamura’s cheek.
When Sawamura shivers in response, Miyuki brings his face even closer to Sawamura’s “Are you cold?” he asks as he looks down at him.
“A little.” Sawamura replies, shy and blushing like a maiden from a romance novel as he stares up at Miyuki through his eyelashes.
Haruichi attempts to butt in “I told him to bring a hat and scarf but-” He stops dead in his tracks when Miyuki unravels the brand new designer scarf that’s wrapped around his neck and brings it around Sawamura, tucking in the ends so that the pitcher stays warm. Who does Miyuki think he is? A shoujo manga protagonist?
Sawamura just buries his nose into the scarf and whispers a quiet “Thank you.” While he looks at Miyuki like he’s hung the stars in the sky.
“Well I’m going to go now.” Sanada blurts out, rubbing the back of his neck, awkwardly breaking the tension. Miyuki once drunkenly told Furuya he only does that because he knows it makes his biceps look good. “Stupid ikemen pitcher” he had muttered before falling asleep at the bar.
“Text me sometime. Ok Sawamura?” Sanada quickly says before he jogs off with a red flush sprinkled across his cheeks.
Miyuki scoffs at his teammate’s retreating form before he starts fussing over Sawamura again. His hands all over the pitcher, trying to make sure he’s sufficiently warmed up.
And if some new jackets and fall accessories showed up in Sawamura’s dorm’s mailroom, then Miyuki was none the wiser.
“Sawamura! Do you want more chicken?” Miyuki asks, already putting one of his skewers onto Sawamura’s plate.
All Sawamura can do is let out an “mmph” as his mouth is already full from the tamagoyaki that Miyuki had placed into Sawamura’s mouth with his own chopsticks. Kuramochi groans at the sight.
Miyuki is always so disgustingly doting when they go out together. Making sure that Sawamura doesn’t drink on an empty stomach and watches what he eats.
“Here drink some water! You haven’t had enough!” Miyuki scolds. But the pitcher just swallows his food and waves him off before he starts chattering on about something unimportant.
It’s unimportant to Kuramochi, but it seems like Miyuki is hanging onto every word that the pitcher says as he looks at him with an intensity that he never honors Kuramochi with unless they’re talking about said pitcher.
If third wheeling wasn’t bad enough on its own, it’s only made worse by the fact that these two idiots aren’t together. They don’t even realize they’re flirting and being disgusting while Kuramochi tries to eat his food and drink his beer after a long week.
And the worst part? They’re flirting under the guise of talking about baseball.
“There’s no way you threw at 150 kph.” Miyuki teases, poking the pitcher in the side.
Sawamura tries to slap his hand away but Miyuki doesn’t let him as he continues his pokes and prods. “I did! Honest! You can ask the wolf boy!” He pleads.
“I don’t like liars, you know!” Miyuki laughs as he honest to god starts tickling Sawamura with his fingers. Kuramochi puts his face in his hands and groans, but they don’t pay him any attention.
“S-stop!” Sawamura giggles, he’s hunched over trying to get Miyuki off of him, but the catcher is relentless.
Miyuki moves up from his sides to his ribs and tickles even harder. “Not until you apologize for lying to your senpai!”
After what feels like ages to Kuramochi, Sawamura grabs Miyuki by the wrist and holds on so he can’t resume his attack “I’m not a liar I- wait. Is this a new watch!” He brings Miyuki’s wrist closer to his face to examine it. “Wow this is really nice!”
“Do you like it?” Miyuki asks, uncharacteristically shy. “It’s from one of our sponsors.”
Sawamura nods aggressively in response. “It’s super cool! I saw Sanada-san wearing this brand the other day and it looked really good on him!” He always gets a little starry eyed when he talks about Miyuki’s current battery mate.
Miyuki’s expression immediately falters at Sawamura’s clear admiration for Sanada, but he quickly recovers and does something that Kuramochi doesn’t expect.
He takes off his watch that’s probably worth six months of Kuramochi’s rent and clicks it onto Sawamura’s bare wrist. “Here, I heard your grandpa’s watch got stolen from your locker last week.”
“What! Miyuki Kazuya, I can’t accept this!” Sawamura sputters out, his face turning red. His grandfather’s watch was nowhere near as nice as this thing.
Miyuki just waves him off with a flush covering his cheeks. “Think of it as an early birthday present from your favorite senpai.” He looks a bit nervous, as if he’s worried Sawamura will reject his gift.
Kuramochi grumbles under his breath at Miyuki’s failed attempt to be casual, “That bastard. Sawamura’s birthday isn’t for another six months.”
But he’s ignored by both of them when Sawamura wraps his arms around Miyuki’s middle and places his chin on the catcher’s shoulder looking all teary eyed and pathetic. “This is the nicest gift I’ve ever gotten! I don’t deserve this!” He sniffles.
Miyuki turns his face towards the pitcher so that their noses are almost touching as he slowly brings his hand up to Sawamura’s scalp. “It’s cause I’m proud of you.” He says softly, ruffling Sawamura hair.
“Disgusting.” Kuramochi mutters to himself while his friends stare into each other’s eyes and forget that anyone else in the world exists.
Miyuki has been absolutely despondent all week. His texts to Kuramochi have been even drier than usual and his team’s physio messaged Kuramochi telling him that Miyuki seemed off during practice.
So Kuramochi has no choice but to see the bastard with his own two eyes.
When he walks into Miyuki’s apartment, he realizes that the place is a mess, there’s dishes piled up in the sink and it smells like the trash hasn’t been taken out for a while. And there, in the middle of the living room, sits Miyuki, haggard and unshaven.
Kuramochi looks at the TV and scoffs. Miyuki is watching his own game highlights with the sound muted. Even when he’s like this, he still has time to be full of himself.
“Dude! What’s wrong with you?” Kuramochi says, hand pinching his nostrils. “It smells like shit in here and you look like you haven’t slept in days!”
“I think Sawamura hates me.” Miyuki replies morosely.
Kuramochi guffaws at how serious he sounds. “Sawamura? Our Sawamura? The one who’s been obsessed with you for years? That Sawamura?”
Miyuki buries his face in his hands and whines, “He hasn’t texted me back at all this week. The last thing he sent me was a picture of a puppy he saw on his way to school.”
“He’s a busy college student, he doesn’t have time to text you constantly.” Kuramochi tries to catch his breath while he reasons with his best friend.
“But I even offered to catch for him after practice yesterday, and he still didn’t respond.” Miyuki says, rubbing his cheeks furiously, trying to snap himself out of it.
“Oh. That bad huh?” Now Kuramochi is starting to worry. Sawamura would never pass up an opportunity like that. “Are you sure he’s ok? Did you try calling him?”
Miyuki doesn’t reply and just looks into the distance, embarrassed that he didn’t try the most logical option.
“I’ll call him.” Kuramochi states, ashamed that this useless lump of a man is the person he calls his closest friend.
When Sawamura doesn’t answer Kuramochi’s call, he does the next best thing. He calls Kanemaru.
Luckily, Kanemaru answers after the first couple rings. “Hello? Kuramochi-senpai?”
“Is Sawamura alive?” Kuramochi asks, getting straight to the point.
“Yeah he’s right here. Pretending to study.” Kanemaru answers immediately, probably used to being Sawamura’s keeper. “I can see you reading manga behind that textbook!” He yells distantly.
“Is there a reason he hasn’t answered anyone’s texts or calls?”
“Oh yeah.” Kanemaru replies, nonchalantly. “He broke his phone and his parents didn’t send him enough money this month to buy a new one.” Kanemaru is so unphased by the whole ordeal that it would be amusing if it weren’t the cause of Miyuki’s misery.
Kuramochi lets out a sigh. “I see. Well tell him to get his ass over to Miyuki’s so he can see that the idiot is still alive.”
“Ok. Will do.” Kanemaru says before he shouts at Sawamura again. “They want you at Miyuki-senpai’s! And don’t stay too long cause I need to beat some more English into that empty head of yours!” And then the line goes quiet.
That gives Kuramochi a good twenty minutes to deal with this disaster he’s unwittingly walked into. “Hey jackass!” He yells, smacking Miyuki with one of his overpriced throw pillows. “Go take a shower and shave your ugly mug before Sawamura gets here. I’m going to clean up this mess you’ve made.”
Sawamura arrives almost exactly at the twenty minute mark. For someone who is regularly late to their one on one meetings, he’s surprisingly punctual for Miyuki. Kuramochi almost wants to strangle him just for that.
When Miyuki exits the bathroom, fully clothed with his towel around his neck, he has the audacity to feign ignorance. “Sawamura? What are you doing here?”
The murderous intent within Kuramochi only grows.
“Don’t play dumb.” Kuramochi reprimands before he turns to the pitcher. “This jerk was moping cause he thought you were ignoring him on purpose.”
Sawamura walks over to Miyuki’s side before picking up the towel from around his neck and using his hands to aggressively ruffle it through Miyuki’s damp strands
“You stupid tanuki!” He scolds, “I would never ignore your texts on purpose!” And it’s true, Miyuki has done plenty of things to upset Sawamura over the years, but he could never do anything to make the pitcher cut him off completely. It’s honestly kind of sickening how much trust they have in one another.
When Miyuki says shitty things, Sawamura rarely ever seems to be mad at him for long because he doesn’t believe that Miyuki would say such things in bad faith.
“I was just worried I pissed you off or pushed you too far or something.” Miyuki says bashfully, with his head lowered in shame.
Sawamura stops rubbing the towel through Miyuki’s hair and leaves it to rest atop his head as looks at the catcher with newfound understanding. “I’m sorry.” He admits. “I should’ve had Kanemaru text you so you knew everything was ok.” Sawamura looks up at the ceiling while a startling red flush creeps up his neck. “I was too embarrassed to tell you that I couldn’t afford to get a new phone.”
Miyuki lifts the towel off of his head and throws it over his shoulder. “If you’re really sorry, you’ll let me buy you a new one.” He says sternly, leaving no room for Sawamura to deny him.
The flush rises up from Sawamura’s neck to his face. “I can’t let you do that! I’ll just wait for my parents to send me enough money to buy it!” He pleads.
But Miyuki isn’t having any of it. “I’m buying you a new phone and you’re going to take it. If you don’t, I’ll never forgive you for ignoring me.” Sawamura might be stubborn, but Miyuki is even more stubborn.
Kuramochi watches them as they do that freaky thing with their eyes where they argue without saying a word to one another. Miyuki’s glare only deepens while Sawamura grows more and more cat-eyed.
Kuramochi can tell that Sawamura is the first to give up when he shrinks in a little bit on himself.
“Ok.” He concedes. “I’ll let you buy me a new phone.”
“Great!” Miyuki says, grabbing Sawamura by the wrist and dragging him towards the door.
“What about me? Don’t I get any thanks for helping you two solve this misunderstanding?” Kuramochi yells at them as he follows closely behind.
Miyuki stops in his tracks. “Oh yeah!” He exclaims, turning his head back and throwing his towel in Kuramochi’s face. “Hang this up and lock up when you leave!” He yells over his shoulder before exiting the apartment.
“You bastard!” Kuramochi shouts after him. But Miyuki just throws his head back and laughs as he continues down the hall.
miyuki kazuya
Meet me at the cafe by your apartment.
sawamura eijun
i thought you had practice rn?
miyuki kazuya
It got canceled. I’m waiting for you.
sawamura eijun
kk omw
When Sawamura arrives, Miyuki is sitting at their usual table by the window with two drinks in front of him. He has his elbows propped up on the table and his fingers are intertwined with his thumbs pressed nervously to his lips.
“What’s got you looking all jittery today, Miyuki Kazuya?” Sawamura teases as he sits down across from him, trying to lighten the mood.
Miyuki looks around the cafe apprehensively before he reaches for something in his pocket. “I got you something.” He says softly, staring at the table and refusing to meet Sawamura’s eyes.
Sawamura leans back in his chair and studies Miyuki carefully. “You do that a lot. Don’t you?”
“Do what?”
“Get me things.” Sawamura is cautious when he says it, like he’s trying not to scare Miyuki off. “You know, Kanemaru asked me if you were my sugar daddy.”
Miyuki’s head snaps up so quickly that Sawamura thinks it will hurt his neck. “He what?” The catcher screeches, uncharacteristically. “I- I’m not! We’re not like that! Did you tell him we’re not like that?” He pleads.
Sawamura can’t help but giggle at Miyuki’s little fit. “I did.” He reassures him. “But it made me realize how much you do for me. It makes me feel bad that I don’t do much for you.”
“But you do!” Miyuki corrects him. “You text me when you see cute dogs and you drag me out of my apartment to hang out with our friends and you keep me company when I’m too embarrassed to say that I’m lonely! Besides, your job is to keep your grades up and be the best pitcher you can be! I don’t need you worrying about me!” Miyuki can feel himself rambling but he needs Sawamura to know that the amount of money he’s spent is a drop in the bucket compared to what the pitcher does for him.
Sawamura blushes in response to Miyuki’s admission, but lets him continue.
Miyuki pulls his hand out of his pocket and sets a little envelope down in front of Sawamura. “They’re going to announce my contract renewal soon and I figured that I’d invest in something bigger. I know that Kanemaru is moving in with his girlfriend at the end of the semester and this new place is closer to your school than my old apartment, so I was hoping maybe you’d want to move in with me.” He quickly adds, “We wouldn’t split the rent completely in half! I’d cover as much as you need and you can just pay what you can afford!” He needs Sawamura to know that his decision shouldn’t be clouded by something as stupid as money.
“So we’d live together as roommates?” Sawamura asks, a little disappointed that he was asked here so suddenly just for this.
“Well if that’s what you want us to be.” Miyuki responds nervously. He doesn’t know what Sawamura wants from him, but he will do whatever it takes to have him by his side.
Sawamura looks down at the envelope with trepidation. “What if I wanted us to be more?” He questions, too nervous to look Miyuki in the eye.
Miyuki’s breath hitches. Is this really happening?
“I’d like that!” He blurts out before he slaps his hands over his mouth. “I mean, I’d really like us to be more than roommates.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that?” Sawamura is suspicious by how quickly Miyuki answered that.
“No! I mean it. I can’t believe you didn’t notice sooner!” Miyuki says, bewildered. He’s been so obvious.
“So all the gifts weren’t because we’re friends?”
Miyuki can’t believe this is happening. He thought it was because of their friendship ? “No! Do you see me buying Kuramochi the newest clothes and accessories?” He sputters.
“No! And you better not start either, or else I’ll get jealous!” Sawamura yells earnestly, grabbing Miyuki by the hand.
“So greedy.” Miyuki laughs.
“So does this mean we’re boyfriends?” Sawamura asks, looking up at Miyuki through his lashes.
Miyuki rubs his thumb along the back of Sawamura’s hand softly. “Yeah it does.”