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“I have a whole other perfectly functional arm over here, you know,” Sawamura said exasperatedly, waving around his right hand before setting it back down on the bed.
Miyuki simply held out the spoon filled with soup with a pointed look, ignoring him completely. Sawamura sighed, but opened his mouth, not without glaring at the catcher first, though.
“Quiet, the doctor said you have to rest your elbow,” Miyuki scolded, setting the bowl down on the side table.
“I don’t see how feeding myself-”
“Eijun.”
“Seriously! You’re acting like I got shot- hey!” Miyuki pinched his cheek hard, grinning when the pitcher spluttered and jerked his face away.
“There’s no need for you to use your elbow for trivial things like eating since I’m here. Plus, you’d spill it everywhere no matter which arm you use.”
The pitcher rolled his eyes, “My hero.”
Sawamura had strained his elbow from overuse, and it now sat in a cast by his side. He was not allowed to pitch for a few weeks, much to the disappointment of the rest of the Meiji team, including his catcher and boyfriend.
Sawamura had made a big splash in his rookie year at Meiji, the reunited former Seido battery quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the college circuit.
They had just come out of finals, losing by a slim margin to their biggest rivals, Keio University. It was a close match, and both teams could be proud of how they played.
Even though it was the off-season, instead of resting, Sawamura had been training harder than ever, going so far as to strain his elbow. The pitcher had been working himself to the bone all semester, between baseball and keeping up with schoolwork to maintain his scholarship.
Luckily, his injury was minor–confirmed by the doctor’s visit earlier today–but Miyuki took it upon himself to fully pamper the other player, as Sawamura rarely slowed down enough to really take care of himself (evidently). Plus, he couldn’t help it, he was worried.
Sawamura was now staring into his lap, clearly zoning out. Miyuki frowned–there was definitely something off.
“Hey,” he said, snapping the younger player out of it. When he looked up, Miyuki held out the spoon again, filled with more soup. To his confusion, Sawamura glanced at the spoon for a moment then suddenly turned away, hiding his face.
His worry increased tenfold when he heard a sniffle, and saw that his boyfriend’s eyes were filled with tears. Miyuki set the soup down in a hurry, moving to sit next to Sawamura on the bed. It was rare to see the pitcher cry over something that wasn’t manga or a movie.
He gently grabbed the pitcher’s uninjured hand, stroking his thumb back and forth over his skin soothingly. With his other hand, he tenderly turned Sawamura’s face toward him. His face was flushed, tears now flowing freely. He somehow looked exhausted and riled up at the same time.
“Sorry, I don’t know what just…I can’t-” he attempted to explain in a rush, sucking in a deep breath involuntarily.
Miyuki hushed him and simply shifted closer, carefully pulling the sobbing pitcher into his arms. He murmured quiet reassurances, rocking them back and forth slowly so as to not aggravate his boyfriend’s injury. He could almost feel the build up of emotions pouring out of Sawamura, months of anxiety, frustration, and stress coming undone all at once. Miyuki expected something like this would be coming, having noted the pitcher’s stewing and half-hearted teasing ever since they had come home from the doctor.
When the sobs reduced to sniffles, Miyuki pulled away slightly to look at the younger player, and softened at his puffy face. He wiped away a few stray tears, then handed Sawamura a tissue, all while keeping him tucked into his chest, the pitcher leaning against his collarbone.
But when he grabbed the glass of water he had left on the side table and held it to his lips, Sawamura looked as if he would burst into tears again. He quickly set it down, then looked the pitcher in the eyes, sensing what this was about.
“It’s okay to accept help, especially when you’re hurt. I’m worried about you, so you’re helping me out by letting me fuss over you, hm?” He pressed a kiss to Sawamura’s dark hair, and the pitcher melted into his arms. “How many times do I have to tell you? I love you, so let me dote on you a little bit, Bakamura.”
He smiled at the blush that colored the pitcher’s cheeks at his words, getting the reaction he wanted. They sat in comfortable silence, letting Miyuki’s words sink in. He gently rubbed circles into the pitcher’s back, feeling him relax bit by bit.
“You still with me?” Miyuki asked after a bit. He chuckled at the sleepy hum his boyfriend gave in response. “Guess not, then. Wait!” He said, pulling back just enough to grab the forgotten soup beside him.
At Sawamura’s responding pout, he said sternly, “Finish this, then you can sleep.”
“Kazuyaa,” Sawamura complained, hiding his face in the catcher’s neck. “Didn’t you just say you’d listen to me?” He snarked, causing relief to bloom in Miyuki’s chest.
“That’s not remotely what I said. I said I’d make sure you’re taken care of, even if you’re too stubborn to do it yourself,” he said, brandishing the spoon like a weapon. "Plus, this is good soup."
Needless to say, Sawamura finished the entire bowl.
When Miyuki turned off the light, as he crawled back into bed, Sawamura immediately reached for him, causing the older player to smile. He always got clingy when he was exhausted.
The catcher obliged, gently tucking his pitcher into his arms. Sawamura took a deep breath before snuggling closer to his boyfriend, who was now running his fingers through his hair soothingly.
Just as Miyuki was convinced Sawamura had fallen asleep, he spoke up softly. “Kazuya?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you,” he mumbled, “and…loveyou…” he struggled to get out, sleep overtaking him.
Miyuki’s heart swelled, and he pressed another kiss into his hair in response, pulling the pitcher a little closer.