Archive of Our Own

I.

Miyuki Kazuya stands in the hallway of the dorms, staring down the vending machine by his room. The gentle hum and occasional flicker of fluorescent lights is strangely soothing; Kazuya shoves his hands into his pockets, staring at the faded labels of drinks as he chews on the inside of his cheek and tries to decide whether he wants a Pocari Sweat or tea. His t-shirt is sticking uncomfortably to his skin, and the white noise of the rainfall in the background unconsciously makes his shoulders relax. Inside the dining hall, he can hear the occasional clatter of dishes and murmur of distant conversation as the members assigned to dishwashing duty clean up after dinner. 

‘I should really get a towel and dry off…’ he thinks as water drips off his hair and slides down his neck uncomfortably, soaking into his already wet shirt. At this point, he’s just staring at the sun bleached display bottles inside the vending machine, leg shaking restlessly as he allows his mind to wander. Kazuya thinks of everything and nothing at the same time, but his mind always wanders back to baseball inevitably—it’s basically his life after all. He thinks of their last game, of how not only are Furuya and Sawamura improving by leaps and bounds, but of how Kawakami finally seems to be finding his stride. He thinks of all the scorebooks and videos he has to go over now that Senbatsu is over, and how he’ll have to thank Nabe for all his hard work. Maybe a gift? 

‘Speaking of gifts, Shirasu’s birthday is coming up.’ Miyuki groans and runs his hands through his hair, water droplets flying off as he does so. Being captain sucks. He’s so not sociable enough for this. 

“AH! MIYUKI KAZUYA!”

Kazuya flinches and looks up. There’s only one person who calls him by his full name at that volume, and he can’t help the grin that spreads on his face as he turns to face the source of the sound, ready to rile him up. “Eh~ what’s this~? On kitchen duty, Sawamoron?” his eyes scan Eijun up and down “That apron is quite fetching on you. Ah, but I don’t think you’re supposed to take it with you?” 

The self-satisfaction Kazuya feels watching Eijun bristle immediately is something he will never tire of. Eijun attempts to rip the apron off, but can’t undo one of the knots, and Miyuki can feel the laughter bubbling up too fast to stop it. He covers his mouth with one hand in a poor attempt to hide it (not that he was trying to hide it in the first place), shoulders shaking. He doesn’t even have to look at Eijun to know his eyes have gone cat-like in embarrassment. It really shouldn’t be as funny as Kazuya finds it, but he can’t help himself, riling up Eijun is just too fun.

“STOP LAUGHING!!” Eijun yells, cheeks flushed. Kazuya just laughs harder, his free hand shooting to his stomach. Eijun’s heavy footsteps fade as he runs back into the cafeteria, no doubt because he actually forgot to take that apron and its matching bandana off. Kazuya takes a deep breath as his laughter dies down, pushing his glasses up to wipe off a tear. Somehow, he feels just a bit lighter—is it bad how much fun he has bullying this idiot pitcher of his? Maybe it is, considering Eijun never passes up an opportunity to comment on how terrible a personality Kazuya has. As Kazuya gets lost in his thoughts again, a soft object is thrown at his head, pulling him out of them before they can take over his mind again. 

In the doorway of the dining hall, backlit by the soft light from inside, Eijun stands cat eyed, still blushing with his mouth set in a firm line. His left hand is outstretched, and his right is balled in a defiant fist at his side. Kazuya pulls the object from where it hangs on his shoulder and arches an eyebrow at Eijun as he holds it up.

“A dish rag? Really?”

“It’s CLEAN!!! I MADE SURE IT WAS NEW!” Eijun shouts, pointing at him. “Besides, I’m not the one who got caught out in the rain! Dry off! You’ll catch a cold and then we’ll be screwed! Why would you just STAND THERE dripping wet and not go dry off!! Do you have a death wish, Miyuki Kazuya!?”

Kazuya grins, wiggling his brows. “Worried about me, Sawamura~?” he teases, holding a hand over his chest. “I’m so touched!”

“AND WHAT IF I AM?!” 

Kazuya freezes, caught off guard. Though considering the way Eijun always wears his heart on his sleeve, he really shouldn’t be surprised. His smile falls off his face, heart doing funny things he refuses to acknowledge at the moment. He’s really caught off guard when he feels Eijun pushing him back, a soft “oof” leaving his lips as his back collides with the wall between the vending machines and he meets Eijun’s burning gaze. Kazuya finds himself swallowing involuntarily, reaching up to pull Eijun’s hands off of him. “H-hey, Sawamura, what do you think you’re doing? Quit messing around.”

In response, Eijun takes the dish rag with a frown and drapes it over Kazuya’s head, drying his hair with a surprisingly gentle touch—Kazuya is too surprised to even say anything, hands frozen in mid motion to push Eijun away before they slowly fall to his side and he allows it to happen. Above them, the fluorescent lights flicker, and Kazuya is unsure if the buzzing he hears is from them or from the blood rushing in his ears. 

“Seriously, take better care of yourself…” Eijun mutters, voice quiet. “What are we gonna do if our captain gets sick?” His voice is gentle, quiet. The complete opposite of what Kazuya is used to. There’s concern laced in his voice, genuine and caring. The funny feeling in Miyuki’s heart comes back (he really needs to get that checked out.) Eijun continues to dry his hair, muttering to himself about something Kazuya can’t quite make out. He takes that opportunity to get a good look at Eijun’s face—of the way his ears and cheeks are slightly pink, the way his lightly chapped lips move as he talks, and how they naturally curve up slightly in the corners. ‘Has he always had those freckles?’ he thinks, attempting to count the smattering of light brown spots sprinkled over Eijun’s nose and cheeks.

“...iyuki Kazuya...hey, are you listening Miyuki Kazuya?!”

Kazuya blinks. “Sorry, what?”

Eijun groans. Kazuya feels...fond, somehow. Eijun grips the dish rag in both hands; his eyes are burning like how they do when he’s on the mound and in the zone. A shiver runs down Kazuya’s spine involuntarily. The fluorescent lights above give Eijun an odd warm yellow halo in his hair from where they reflect, which flickers with the lights. They should probably look into getting those replaced. He’s tugged forward suddenly, caught off guard as he’s pulled down by Sawamura’s grip on the rag still on his head. Kazuya blinks. Eijun is suddenly a lot closer, eyes screwed shut tightly. It takes a moment to process that his vision is just slightly blurrier, glasses pushed askew on his face. There’s a warm and slightly rough sensation against his lips; a little wet too. He thinks he can feel Eijun’s hands shaking on either side of his head. 

Sawamura is kissing him. Sawamura Eijun is kissing him. It’s clumsy, and completely unrefined. Kazuya is at an awkward angle and their noses are bumping slightly. There’s more spit than is comfortable, and Eijun’s gripping the rag so hard his knuckles have to be white. The way it digs into the back of Kazuya’s neck is distracting, but what’s most distracting is how much he doesn’t hate what's happening. His hands come back up, hesitating a little before he cups Eijun’s face. Eijun flinches under his touch, going to move away. Kazuya chases after his lips, catching them in another kiss.

This one is much better than the first, probably because Kazuya angled his head. ‘He’s so bad at this.The idiot probably never kissed anyone before.’ he thinks, and the realization that their first kiss was so terrible because it was probably Eijun’s first makes Kazuya feel incredibly smug. 

He doesn’t know how long the two of them stay there, wedged between two vending machines kissing hidden from view. The rain continues to fall, though Kazuya can no longer hear it, faded into the background as white noise. Above them, the lights flicker and hum, and Kazuya can feel the heat and vibration from the vending machines on either side of them. In between the vending machines, it feels like they’re hidden away from the world, and not like they could get caught at any moment if anyone else assigned to dish duty happens to make the trek back to the dorms. The vending machines are their own haven—just him and Eijun, the rain, and the shitty lights above them. It thrills Kazuya, knowing they’re both hidden and still very much in public.

 His thumb unconsciously strokes over the freckles on Eijun’s cheek he noticed earlier, and he can feel some of the tenseness in Eijun relax as he does it. ‘He really is like a dog’ Kazuya thinks, amused.

The inevitable reality that humans need oxygen to survive rears its head, and they pull apart. Kazuya releases a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He stays close, looking Eijun in the eyes. At this distance, he can see himself reflected back in the deep gold, and notes that they both share bewildered expressions—like neither expected this to happen. With the rain, the air outside is chilly, just enough to see Eijun’s breath, which has picked up slightly. They’re so close his breath threatens to fog up Kazuya’s glasses. Kazuya glances down; Eijun’s lips are shiny now—He bites down the urge to kiss them again. The buzzing Kazuya hears has to be the fluorescent lights, it can’t possibly be from the way his heart is pounding in his chest. 

Eijun’s face explodes in color as he stumbles back, leaving Kazuya looking like an idiot with his hands in the air holding nothing. It turns from the light dusting of pink on his cheeks to a bright red all over; He looks like he could either cry or pass out at any moment, hands balled into fists at his side. “I...GOODNIGHT! CAPTAIN! THIS SAWAMURA EIJUN WILL NOW TAKE HIS LEAVE!” he yells, giving a sharp, 90 degree bow before turning and making a run for it. He’s gone so fast he could give Kuramochi a run for his money. Kazuya doesn't even have time to react. He leans against the wall between the vending machines, staring up at the lights. A hand comes up to his lips, and he feels them stretch into a smile despite himself.

“You never stop surprising me, Sawamura.”

—----------------------------------------------------

II.

Their lips meet in an empty stairwell of Meiji Jingu stadium, hidden away from the rest of the team. Eijun is pressed up against the wall as Kazuya kisses him fiercely, adrenaline still rushing through his veins from their victory. It’s all sweat and tongues as they desperately press against each other, still wearing their baseball uniforms caked in dirt from the diamond. It’s nowhere near as sweet and innocent as their kiss between the vending machines, but still just as secretive.

Their quiet hums and the sound of their lips meeting over and over echoes in the empty stairwell as they press against each other, Eijun clinging desperately to the fistful of Kazuya’s uniform collar in his hand. They break apart gasping for air, and Kazuya immediately begins to leave small kisses on Eijun’s neck, who immediately throws their head back, a soft sigh leaving his lips as his head hits the wall with a soft thud—not enough to hurt, but enough to make a noise. Kazuya tastes salt and dirt as he pulls the blue rash guard to the side and bites, causing Eijun to yelp and grip the fistful of fabric tighter. It just ends up pulling Kazuya closer. “You animal, stop trying to eat me!” he pants, but there’s no malice in it. Kazuya sucks a hickey right where Eijun’s neck meets his collarbone then bites again, pulling back to admire his handiwork.

Eijun is a divine vision, his sweat soaked hair clinging to his cheeks and forehead. At this distance, Kazuya can clearly see every single freckle on his face, much darker than the last time they were in a similar position thanks to the hot July sun bearing down on them for so long. Eijun’s neck is a shade lighter than his face, previously hidden under the now askew high neck of his rash guard. Right above his collarbone is the pretty red mark Kazuya has just left behind, and seeing it makes his chest tighten with pride and a dangerous twinge of possessiveness. Eijun’s eyes burn intensely, almost like they do when he’s in the zone on the mound but what’s behind them is not the fierce determination to win, but a simmering heat, threatening to consume Kazuya whole. His plump lips are spit-slick and swollen from how hard they’ve crushed their mouths together, and Kazuya knows his own are probably in no better shape.

Eijun’s hand is warm and rough as it lets go of Kazuya’s collar and threads its way through his hair, equally sweaty and disheveled as Eijun’s own. Above them, they can hear the murmur of the crowd as they talk excitedly about the game. It’s thrilling, knowing someone could happen upon them like this. There’s reporters walking around—which realistically speaking Kazuya knows would be the worst case scenario to get caught by but there’s a traitorous voice in the back of his head telling him that at least that way everyone would know that Sawamura Eijun; beautiful, sunny Sawamura Eijun belongs to him. 

Neither of them have said a thing about their feelings to each other. Ever since that night at the vending machines, Eijun will occasionally grab the hem of Kazuya’s shirt and look up at him expectantly through thick lashes, temptation personified as he blinks at Kazuya innocently. But there’s always a simmering heat flashing behind that gold, and they always end up between those vending machines, or in an equipment shed, or on Eijun’s bed while Kuramochi bathes if they’re feeling daring. Eijun has gotten braver as they’ve continued to kiss, demanding more attention and straying his kisses from Kazuya’s mouth. Kazuya has gotten used to figuring out how to hide the marks on his neck and collarbones now. He’s long since memorized the curve of Eijun’s mouth and how his own tongue feels against Eijun’s.

It’s exhilarating. Kazuya has dreamt about that molten heat in Eijun’s eyes on many nights, of the way he looks when they’ve gone just long enough without air that his eyes are unfocused when Kazuya pulls away to admire his work. Kazuya feels like he’s being burned alive. Every fiber of his being wants Eijun with an intensity that scares him. He wants everything Eijun is willing to offer him, wants to rip his heart out of his own chest and hand it to him on a silver platter if he were to even hint of asking. Kazuya is a greedy man. He takes and takes and takes everything Eijun hands him and still, he lays awake at night unsatisfied. He wants more. He wants all of Eijun, no matter if he’s left bursting at the seams. 

The adrenaline rushing through his veins makes him feel like he’s holding a live wire; his limbs aching to move and touch and just…hold onto Eijun forever. He knows they can’t; if they don’t leave soon they’ll be late to the medal ceremony and then they’ll really be screwed. Everyone would notice the captain and the ace missing without a doubt, and neither of them want to risk getting anywhere near Kataoka’s bad side. In the back of his mind though, the traitorous part of Kazuya’s brain tells him that it’s fine if they’re late. It’s fine if they end up running laps for missing the ceremony. Nothing matters aside from kissing Eijun until the end of the world.

Eijun gasps for air as they break apart again, and Kazuya wants nothing more than to dive back in and claim those bruised lips again and again. They’re pressed so close together Kazuya can feel Eijun’s breath ghosting over his own lips and it makes them tingle. It wouldn’t take much to close the distance again. He could pucker his lips and they would meet Eijun’s again. With his self control fraying, he does exactly that and it makes Eijun laugh. Kazuya’s heart flutters in his chest. Being so close to that smile is intoxicating. Eijun’s hand in his hair threads through Kazuya’s sweaty locks, smoothing down the mess from his catcher’s headgear. “We should really get back...” he whispers, voice quiet. Kazuya hears it loud and clear from this distance though.

“Not yet. Just a bit longer.” Kazuya sounds petulant and whiny to his own ears, so he can only imagine what he sounds like to Eijun. It makes Eijun laugh again. 

“We really have to go back, cap. They’re going to be looking for us.”

Kazuya hates it when Eijun sounds more reasonable than him.

“Hell, I bet Kuramochi-senpai is already looking for u–hey!”

Kazuya starts peppering short, chaste kisses on Eijun’s lips, trying to get his fill before they really do have to go back. Eijun has to put his hand on Kazuya’s face to get him to stop, laughing as he pushes him away a bit. Kazuya makes exaggerated kissing noises and pushes against that warm, calloused hand over his eyes just to hear Eijun laugh more. He can feel the grin on his own face and he feels like he’s on cloud nine. Today cannot possibly get better for him. Riding the high of victory with Eijun like this is the best feeling in the world.

Eijun eventually manages to push him off, but not before going “okay…well maybe one more wouldn’t hurt.” with mirth sparkling in his eyes as he pulls Kazuya in for one final kiss. One kiss turns into two, turns into three and then Kazuya’s voice of reason finally wins and decides it’s really time for them to go back to the team in the stands. For real this time. “Okay yeah, we really gotta stop now” he laughs, leaving one final kiss on Eijun’s temple before he moves aside and politely holds an arm out like a doorman welcoming someone inside a building, giving him space to get his back off the wall.

“What a gentleman!”

“Yeah yeah, keep it moving, Sawamoron. Don’t want you getting put in the Walls of Jericho by Kuramochi.” His cheeks hurt from how hard he’s been grinning.

Sawamura blanches at the thought, quickly running ahead of Kazuya. His cleats clack on the concrete floor as he turns around to grin at him, arms casually crossed behind his head. Kazuya wants to burn this image into his retinas forever. Eijun slows down his walk as Kazuya speeds his up and they meet in the middle, falling into step with each other easily—as if it’s as natural as breathing. They silently walk back to the stands where their team is watching the match between Ouya and Ugumori for the East Tokyo championship. As they walk, Kazuya’s pinky occasionally brushes Eijun’s hand and he hesitates. He wants to close the distance—to take Eijun’s hand in his own and change their relationship in a way that’s permanent and terrifying. He can’t bring himself to do it. Not now. Not with Koshien on the horizon. Eijun’s pinky grazes his own and he tries his best to ignore it. Kazuya’s not sure he’s ready to cross that line yet, as much as he’s dying to do so.

Eijun crosses it for him, silently hooking their pinkies together. Kazuya looks down at their hands and back up at Eijun, who gives him a soft smile. No words are exchanged. No words need to be exchanged. All Kazuya knows is that this feels right. He smiles back, and hesitates for a bit before hooking his pinky as well, securing the hold between them. He’s not brave enough to hold Eijun’s hand fully just yet. As they approach the stairs, Eijun lets go and goes a few steps ahead of him, turning to look down at Kazuya. He opens his mouth to speak, but missteps and loses his balance. Kazuya’s eyes widen in tandem with Eijun’s, running forward to catch him as he, thankfully, falls into his arms and not onto the stairs at his back. Kazuya has Eijun’s hand in one hand, and is firmly holding Eijun’s waist with the other. Their twinned expressions of shock mirror each other as adrenaline surges through their veins. If anyone were to walk by, it would look like Kazuya is dipping Eijun low to kiss him.

Which is exactly how Kuramochi finds them.

“Where the hell have you two been?! Stop flirting and get your asses back up to the stands, the game is almost over!”

“Sorry. Bathroom line was a nightmare.” Kazuya says, his voice sounding hollow to his own ears. He doesn’t break eye contact with Eijun as he speaks.

“Y-yeah! The bathroom line was horrendous!” Eijun agrees as breezily as possible, standing up and dusting himself off. “This is the first time I’ve seen the men’s bathroom line be twice as long as the women’s!”

Kazuya stands there, feeling empty for a bit before he straightens up and nods. “Yeah. It was crazy. Tons of dudes in line and like 3 women walking casually out of their own.”

“Yeah well whatever the situation was like, you guys were gone for wayyyyy too long. Haruichi sent me out to look for you guys and I’m glad I did. What the hell do you guys think you’re doing being lovey-dovey on the stairs of all places?!” Kuramochi grins at them, and Kazuya knows he’s not going to hear the end of this for the next two weeks. 

“We weren’t-” Eijun hesitates. “We weren’t being lovey-dovey. I tripped going up the stairs and the cap just happened to catch me.” he mutters, cheeks burning at being caught in a position like that.

“Hah! Of course you would trip going up some stairs.”

“Hey!” Eijun’s indignation is loud and clear, eyes cat-like as they take Kuramochi’s bait. Kazuya can practically see the tail fluffing up and the airplane ears. That signature Kuramochi laugh echoes in the stairwell as Kuramochi jogs to the step below Kazuya and begins pushing him and Eijun forward. When Eijun and Kazuya’s eyes meet, they give each other small smiles. Kazuya ruffles his hair as he walks past, and they take their seats with just enough time to watch Ugumori clinch their ticket to Koshien as the East Tokyo champions. Haruichi and Furuya give them questioning looks as they take their seats, as if to ask them what took so long, and Kazuya shrugs with a grin and motions his head towards Eijun. They both nod in understanding, though Kazuya knows they’re drawing their own conclusions. Kuramochi sits to his right and Eijun to his left. Neither he nor Eijun reach out to cross that line again.

 He’s still not sure what they are. All Kazuya knows is that he’s hopelessly, irrevocably in love with Sawamura Eijun.

—----------------------------------------------------

III.

They win Summer Koshien. Kazuya retires. He passes his captain title on to Eijun. That being said, while Eijun was the natural choice for captain, he definitely needed people to keep him in check. Kazuya laughs himself into a stomachache at Eijun’s reaction when Kuramochi and Maezono assign Kanemaru and Haruichi as his “handlers”. 

 Kazuya decides that night that he’s going to cross the line Eijun and him have been toeing the entire year on graduation day. Whenever he looks at Eijun, he feels the “I love you” on his tongue. It would be so easy to say it at any time, any place. Especially whenever Eijun comes to his classroom every day after school so they can walk back to the dorms together. Eijun deserves more, though. He deserves that shoujo manga confession of his dreams, even if the thought of confessing in public makes Kazuya want to shrivel and die.

It’s not like they haven’t crossed the line again since that day at Meiji Jingu. Occasionally, Eijun would hook their pinkies together when they walked, though always in private. Their post Koshien celebration lasted a full hour, just him and Eijun in the empty dining hall, kissing each other stupid in the dark. Kazuya wants more though. He wants permanency. He wants it to be official. He wants to erase that stupid line from existence and make Eijun his. Miyuki Kazuya is a selfish man. He wants Sawamura Eijun in his entirety and Kazuya will happily set himself on fire if it means getting that.

 Kazuya had felt so smug the next day watching Eijun attempt to hide the hickeys he left all over his neck and torso. Did that make him a terrible person? Maybe. It’s not like Eijun hadn’t marked him up either. He remembers making his way back to his room, riding high on cloud nine only to be met with a withering stare from Okumura when he opened the door.

“At least try to be subtle about it, Miyuki-senpai.” He had told him. Kazuya felt properly judged. Something about the way Okumura looked at him, disappointed, made him feel like a child. Kazuya had just laughed it off and purposefully ruffled his hair a bit harder than usual. Kind of a dick move from him, but Kazuya wasn’t really known to have a stellar personality in the first place, so did it really matter? He glanced at the mirror in the room. His neck looked like it had been devoured by a mosquito. A really big mosquito. His lips unconsciously settled into a wobbly grin, stomach doing flips as he knew he had been caught. When did Eijun mark him up like that? And in such a visible way?

“You should really tell Sawamura-senpai how you feel.”

Kazuya was caught off guard. Okumura’s perceptiveness made him a great catcher but damn if it didn’t piss him off a bit when it came to shit like this. 

“I plan to.”

“When? You two have been dancing around each other the entire time I’ve been here. I don’t think it’s fair to Sawamura-senpai.”

“Oh? You’re experienced in love, Okumura?” 

“Considering the fact that Seto and I have been together for two years, I would say so.”

That shut Kazuya right up. He flopped himself onto his bed, turning to look at Okumura again, who was sitting at his desk. It made him a bit embarrassed how…secure Okumura seemed to be about his relationship while he floundered, taking everything he could from Eijun without putting a name to their own relationship or telling him how he felt. Was that selfish of him?

Of course it was. Eijun deserved the world and Kazuya would have given it to him. If he weren’t a coward, that is. He groans and rubs his face, glasses pushing up onto his forehead. “I’m scared, Okumura.”

“That’s what happens when you love someone. You want to do right by them.”

Kazuya snorts. Here he is, taking advice from a first year of all people. “Yeah, well…you got me there. I want it to be perfect.”

“I don’t think Sawamura-senpai would ever reject you even if you went up to him and simply told him that you were his boyfriend now.”

“Yeah but isn’t that kind of shitty? He deserves better than that. Sure, my personality is bad but I don’t think it’s that bad.”

Okumura gives him another withering stare. Or at least Kazuya thinks he does, because his glasses are still on his forehead and Okumura’s face looks like an Okumura-shaped blob.

“Don’t make me say it, please.”

“Hah! I appreciate the hesitation, Okumura.” He settles his glasses back on his face and sits up. “I’m going to tell him on graduation day.”

“That’s not for another month.” Okumura frowns.

“I have things to plan.”

“And what will you do? Tell him to wait for you?”

Kazuya hesitates. “I signed with the Hanshin Tigers. He was the first person I told.”

“So you want him to chase after you some more.”

“I guess so, yeah.” Kazuya rubs the back of his neck. It feels weird, being this open with Okumura of all people. They’re not close by any means, but Okumura is like him in the way he doesn’t mince his words. If he’s being honest, Kazuya needs this right now. Needs someone to tell him to his face that he’s being a dumbass and that he needs to get his shit together. Because he does. “But it’s Eijun.” He can’t help the soft smile that spreads on his face as he thinks of him. Of those intense golden eyes seeing Kazuya for everything he is. Of that sunny smile, lighting up even the darkest parts of Kazuya’s life. “He’ll chase after me whether I want him to or not. Because that’s just the type of person he is. Loyal to a fault.”

“You really don’t deserve him.”

Kazuya grins. “Yeah. I really don’t.” he leans back onto his hands, mattress creaking under him. “But I’m going to do everything in my power to be the man Eijun sees me as. He sees the best in me and I don’t want to fail him. Not ever. I want to be someone worthy of Sawamura Eijun.”

“So what are you going to do? Give him the second button of your uniform on graduation day? Little cliche, don’t you think?”

“...You know what? That’s not a bad idea. It’s a shoujo manga classic for a reason, right?”

He can’t help the laugh that leaves him when Okumura agrees that yes, unfortunately, Eijun would eat that shit right up.

⚾⚾⚾ 

Graduation is here before he knows it. Kazuya enlists Kuramochi, Furuya, and Haruichi for help. He had sat down and had a long, long talk with Kuramochi the day after his talk with Okumura, and Kuramochi had essentially given him a shovel talk. He promised under threat of some crazy wrestling move that Kazuya couldn’t remember the name of that he would treat Eijun right. It was only then that Kuramochi had agreed to help him. 

They spend the morning leading up to the ceremony trying to make Kazuya look as handsome as possible—not that it was hard, Kazuya knows he’s a good looking guy on his worst day anyways. 

“You’re really smug about this.”

“I’m a handsome guy, ‘Mochi.”

that earns him a swift kick to the back of the knee and Kazuya stumbles, laughing. “How do I look?”

“Like a model. Fuck you.”

Kazuya grins. Kuramochi also signed with the Tigers, so he’s not too torn up about leaving his best friend behind because they’ll see each other next week anyways.

“You know you only look like one because Haruichi and I fixed you up, right? If it were up to you and your trash fashion sense, you would look a mess right now.”

“What’s wrong with the way I dress?!” Kazuya whines, fixing a lock of hair in the hand mirror Haruichi so kindly provided him.

“If I tell you everything wrong we’ll be here until evening.”

Kazuya groans. He doesn’t think his fashion sense is bad! He can dress himself decently enough. Most of the time. Sure, he has trouble throwing old clothes away but it’s clothing! If it still fits him he’ll wear it! Why throw away perfectly good clothing? Besides, he’s wearing his uniform right now. They just styled his hair and groomed him a bit. Who knew Kuramochi was so good at cleaning up eyebrows?

“Senpai!”

Kazuya and Kuramochi look towards the voice calling them to see Haruichi and Furuya running at them. They come to a stop a few feet from them, panting. “Everything is finished being set up,” Haruichi grins. “We made sure to tell the first and second years to stay away from the vending machines by the dining hall for the next three hours. You should be good to go until about an hour after the ceremony finishes.” Furuya gives a silent thumbs up and a nod to confirm what Haruichi said. Kazuya swallows, nerves bubbling in the pit of his stomach. It’s actually happening. No backing out now.

“Thanks guys. I owe you big time.”

“Buy us dinner with your first paycheck and we’ll consider it even.” Furuya says, a small smile on his face. “And…treat him well, Miyuki-senpai.”

“Yeah. I will.” Kazuya gives them all a wobbly smile. Eijun really is like the sun for so many people. He takes a deep breath, shaking out his nerves. “Alright, let's get that ceremony over with.”

Kazuya feels like he’s going to die. No doubt about it, he’s going to expire before Eijun ever makes it to their meeting place. He doesn’t think his heart has ever raced this fast, not even after running sprint drills during the hellish summer training. His palms are so sweaty. He feels clammy all over. He can’t help the way he paces back and forward, looking at the sun-bleached bottles in the machines in front of him occasionally. It brings him back to that rainy evening last April, when something new blossomed between them between these two very machines.

“AH! MIYUKI KAZUYA!”

Kazuya flinches in surprise. Eijun is early. It’s do or die now. He swallows down the lump in his throat and turns to look at him, a wide grin on his face. “Hey, Sawamura.” He hopes he doesn’t sound as nervous as he feels. Eijun looks as handsome as always. The past year has been kind to him—his shoulders, back and arms have filled out with muscle from pitching, and he’s grown a few centimeters. Kazuya and him are at eye level now, which makes kissing him easier. He also has a stellar ass from all the training they do, but that’s besides the point right now. The baby fat on Eijun’s face has mostly melted away, giving way to delicately chiseled features that give him a boyish, but still manly sort of charm that wasn’t there when they first met. Eijun has really become a man worthy of holding the ace number on his back right in front of Kazuya’s eyes.

“What’s the big idea? Harucchi and Satoru told me you wanted to meet me here.” Eijun looks around. It’s abnormally quiet and empty. “Where is everyone?”

“They’re around.”

“Around?” Eijun quirks a brow.

“Yeah. Told them to stay away from here for a while.”

“Huh? Why?”

Kazuya swallows. He rubs his hands on his pants. They’re shaking. He’s so fucking nervous. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, turning to face Eijun. Eijun naturally closes the distance between them, stopping just close enough for Kazuya to reach out and take his hand. Eijun looks down at their hands, smiling softly.

“Your hand is sweaty, cap.”

“Hey now, that’s not my title anymore. It’s yours.”

“It hasn’t entirely sunk in yet" Eijun laughs, the sound melting some of the nerves in Kazuya’s heart. “I don’t know how good of a captain I’ll make.”

“You’ll do better than I did. I know it.”

Eijun smirks, a little cocky. “What, like it'll be hard to be a better captain than you with your trashy personality?”

Kazuya laughs and threads their fingers together, squeezing. “Come on now, I just graduated! At least give me some respect on my graduation day!”

“I’m going to miss you, Miyuki-senpai.” Eijun says, suddenly serious. 

Kazuya looks at him fondly. He’s so in love with this guy it makes him feel insane. “Yeah. I’m going to miss you like crazy.”

That seems to catch Eijun off guard, his eyes widening as he unconsciously squeezes Kazuya’s hand. “You are?”

“I am.”

“So uh…why did you call me here?”

Kazuya swallows. His empty hand reaches into his pocket and grabs the button he’s been holding onto for a month now. “I have something for you. Hold out your hand?”

Eijun does. Kazuya gently places a white button into the palm of his hand, his fingers shaking.

“A button?”

Kazuya nods. “It’s uh…the second button of my baseball uniform.”

Eijun’s eyes widen in surprise, face immediately flushing in understanding. “Really…” he looks down at it and grins, face pink up to his ears. In the background, Kazuya hears a fan whirr to life, and pink, petal-shaped confetti begins to gently drift towards them. Eijun looks around, caught off guard by the sudden blossoms in the breeze. “Cherry blossoms?”

Kazuya clears his throat. “Listen. I know I haven’t been…very clear with you on where we stand. But I’m changing that now.” Kazuya takes his other hand—the one with the button, in his. He squeezes both of Eijun’s hands. “I, Miyuki Kazuya, am so fucking in love with you I feel like my heart could explode at any moment.” Now that he’s started talking, Kazuya can’t stop. It’s like the floodgates have opened. “I think about you every waking moment and dream about you when I’m asleep. Every single part of you is just…so incredible I can’t get you out of my head. The fact that you deem me worthy of your affection is something I find hard to believe at times, but I want to do my best to be the best version of myself for you. The version you know I can be under this shitty personality and awful communication skills. I want you so fucking bad it scares me at times. I want to be able to have every part of you you’re willing to give me, and give you my all in return.” Kazuya can’t look him in the eyes as he talks. He stares at their hands, squeezing Eijun’s a bit tighter. “We’ve been toeing a line since you took my first kiss here a year ago. Fuck that line. I want to kiss you whenever I want. I want you to be able to kiss me whenever you want.” Cherry blossom confetti continues to drift around them. Kazuya prays it looks as romantic to Eijun as he hoped it would. He can feel his face burning. “You’ve made my life so much better by just…existing. You’re like the sun to me, and I’m nothing but a flower that can’t help but turn to face you as you go through my life. I am so, so hopelessly, irrevocably in love with you. I’m crazy about you. Absolutely head over heels stupid. I always will be. This is it for me, Eijun. I’ve never loved someone before you and I don’t see myself loving anyone after you.” Kazuya finally looks up at Eijun, and their eyes meet. 

Eijun has tears streaming down his face, a shocked expression in his eyes. Like he didn’t expect this to happen. It makes Kazuya’s heart skip a beat and without hesitation, he reaches up to cup Eijun’s face. Eijun puts his hands over Kazuya’s.

“You mean it?” His voice is so, so small. “Really? You really mean it?” his golden eyes are watery with fresh tears. Kazuya fights the urge to kiss them away.

“Yeah.” Kazuya croaks. His throat feels dry. “I love you, Sawamura Eijun.”

Eijun crushes their lips together. Kazuya immediately deepens the kiss, desperately holding onto Eijun as if he could disappear at any moment. Faintly, he hears the button clatter to the floor. The kiss is salty with Eijun’s tears, but Kazuya has never tasted anything sweeter. He holds onto Eijun like a lifeline, peppering his face with kiss after kiss. His glasses occasionally get in the way as he does it but he doesn’t care. Eijun is his. He’s actually his. It’s real. 

They kiss and kiss and kiss, as if the world is going to end if they stop. Eijun is sobbing between kisses. It would be pretty funny if Kazuya wasn’t also crying.

He takes his time, slowing down. Prying Eijun’s mouth open with his tongue to feel the familiar slick of their tongues against each other. It’s better. It's perfect. Eijun’s hand snakes into his hair and takes a firm grip, causing Kazuya to groan as Eijun attempts to fuse them together by pulling him even closer. He grabs Eijun’s hips, pulling them flush against his own. Kazuya doesn’t care about propriety anymore—not when he has his boyfriend in his arms and they’re guaranteed some privacy for at least another half hour. He takes his time leaving some marks on Eijun’s neck, staking his claim so the new first years know he’s off limits, purposefully sucking and biting in places the rash guard can’t hide. It makes Eijun pull his hair tighter and Kazuya relishes in the burn on his scalp at the feeling. Eijun pulls him up and their lips crash together again, gasping into each other’s mouths as their tongues meet once more.

When they finally break apart, who knows how long later, the confetti has stopped. They just stand there, holding onto each other tightly as Kazuya murmurs sweet nothings to Eijun to watch him flush. 

“You’re a menace.”

“Get used to it,” He grins. “I don’t plan on going a single day without telling you I love you anymore.”

Eijun grins. “I think two can play at that game. We’ll see who’s really going to be flustered! I have the power of hundreds of shoujo manga on my side!” He points a finger directly at Kazuya, watery grin widening. “Get ready, Miyuki Kazuya, because this Sawamura Eijun is taking his weights off!”

Kazuya laughs. “I look forward to it.”

“Wait for me, yeah?”

“Always.” Kazuya kisses him again, heart feeling like it’s soaring. 

Kuramochi, Haruichi, and Furuya emerge fifteen minutes later, warning them that people are going to be coming back soon. Kazuya can’t bring himself to care much, arm slung comfortably around Eijun’s shoulder as Eijun rests his head in the crook of Kazuya’s neck, arms around Kazuya’s waist as they turn to face them. Kazuya doesn't think he’s ever been this happy in his life.

“Congrats you two. It’s about fucking time.” Kuramochi grins, kicking at their legs gently. Furuya and Haruichi both silently clap with smiles on their faces, nodding in agreement. 

“Please make sure you follow through with those lofty promises, Miyuki-senpai.” Haruichi smiles, though there’s a biting edge to it that reminds Kazuya of Ryosuke and sends a shiver down his spine. 

“Congrats, Eijun. Very happy for you both.” Furuya nods, a small, happy smile on their face. “Happy to see Miyuki-senpai’s plan worked out.”

“Yeah, but it’s going to be a pain in the ass to clean up” Kuramochi groans, looking around at all the confetti on the floor.

“I think it was worth it. Look how happy Eijun is.” Furuya says, pointing. “He got everything he wanted. A confession under the cherry blossoms on graduation day. Second button and all.”

“WAIT! is that why you kept asking me what my favorite confession from all the manga I read was for like a week straight, Satoru???”

“Busted.” Furuya says, smile widening. For him, it might as well be a grin. 

“So…where’s the button?” Kuramochi asks, nudging Eijun with his leg.

“Oh! it’s right he–” Eijun holds out an empty hand. He frantically pats himself down, turning in circles as if that will make it appear out of thin air. “Oh SHIT! where IS the button?!”

“You lost it already, Sawamoron?!” Kazuya groans, but there’s no actual malice behind it. How can there be, when one of his dreams just came true?

They spend the next half hour looking for it. Haruichi finds it under one of the vending machines.

—----------------------------------------------------

IV.

Kazuya waits. Eijun joins him on the Tigers a year later. They dominate the NPB together for three years before Kazuya gets posted and receives an offer from the Padres. Two nights before Kazuya leaves for San Diego, he spends the evening memorizing Eijun’s body again, as if it’s not the thousandth time he’s mapped it in its entirety with his lips. Eijun cries, naturally.

“This isn’t fair.” he sniffles, burying his face in Kazuya’s shoulder as they lay in bed together, sweaty and sated. “I wanted to go with you.”

“I wish you could,” Kazuya sighs, taking Eijun’s left hand and kissing every single callus on it one by one. Eijun smiles, eyes still watery. “But the Tigers rejected your post, so there’s not much we can do about it until next season.”

“They only rejected it because they didn’t want to lose both of us at the same time.” Eijun grumbles, shaking the hand that Kazuya is holding. 

“Well, you’re the best pitcher in the league, of course they don’t want to lose you at the same time they’re losing me.” Kazuya mumbles, shifting their bodies so he can kiss Eijun’s neck lazily.

“Yeah, but that means we’re going to be apart again!” Eijun frowns, tilting his head to give Kazuya better access. “My third year of high school already felt like it lasted forever! And this time, who knows how long it’ll be! What if they reject my post next season again?!”

“Then we keep trying until your posting is approved or my MLB contract ends.” Kazuya shrugs. “I don’t think they’ll reject it two years in a row. You know the MLB is chomping at the bit to get their hands on you.”

Eijun groans. He kicks the sheets off them in frustration, tangling their legs in the process. “I wish we could have gone together. We haven’t been apart more than a few weeks since I signed with the Tigers.”

“Yeah. I would have loved that too. But I’ll be back to you as soon as the season ends. You know nothing could keep me from you for long.”

That makes Eijun smile. “Yeah…I know. I just…I just love you so much, you know that?” He turns his body to face Kazuya properly, gently placing a hand on his face to stroke it. “It would have been nice to be able to be more open about our relationship.”

“Ei, the entire team knows we’re together.”

“I know! But I mean…I don't know…I just want to be able to show you off. Have physical proof that both of us are off the market and stuff.”

Kazuya hums. “Yeah…I understand.” he grins, cheeky. “If the general public knew you were off the market and fucking your catcher, maybe then you would stop getting interview questions about which actress or idol is your ideal type.”

Eijun laughs and elbows him gently. “Please, I’m tired of all the most eligible bachelor lists! The only reason you’re not getting on these things is because of your shitty personality! Remember what happened when we were featured on PokaPoka?” he wiggles his brows. “The other guest kept trying to flirt with you and you were in the corner absolutely seething the entire time!” Eijun laughs at the memory. “And then when they caught you sulking because she started paying attention to me instead, what was it you said to the camera? Something about how,” Eijun frowns and tries imitating Kazuya’s angry glare. He’s not too far off. “ ‘Being a handsome guy is a curse’ or something?” he cackles, tears long gone. “The videos and gifs of it were everywhere! People were going crazy! I still see people using that screenshot of you saying that.”

Kazuya groans and flips them, pinning Eijun back down into the mattress as he settles between Eijun’s legs. “I only need one person to like my personality, thank you very much! Besides, she was trying to feel you up! Only I’m allowed to do that!”

“Oh there’s plenty of video evidence of you feeling me up in the dugout. I think our fans are keen to agree.” There’s a heat behind Eijun’s eyes that tells Kazuya he’s exactly where he wants to be—like he’s been goading Kazuya on purpose to rile him up again. Who would Kazuya be if he didn’t submit to the sun’s will?

“Come on, handsome.” Eijun wraps his legs around Kazuya’s waist, pulling him flush as he bites his lip. Kazuya feels the familiar pool of heat in his stomach. “We have all night. Give me something to remember you by before you leave.”

“Gladly.”

The next morning, Kazuya gifts Eijun a Rolex GMT Master-II. It has their anniversary engraved on the back. “So you always know what time it is where I am. I was gonna get you some jewelry but I couldn’t find anything that I thought you would like.” That’s a lie. Kazuya wanted to get them matching rings, but he wasn’t sure if that would have been too much. He and Eijun haven’t discussed marriage—they haven’t come out of the closet officially to anyone but their close friends and family. Despite that, Kazuya already knows he wants to spend the rest of his life with him. There’s no doubt in his mind. So he settles for ludicrously expensive matching watches that display two time zones at once for now. Is it cheesy? Absolutely. Is it more discreet than both of them suddenly appearing with matching rings the moment they’re an ocean away from each other? Definitely. Eijun cries again as Kazuya puts it on his wrist and it feels like he’s making a promise. A promise to always come back to him. A promise of forever. That no matter how far apart they are, they’ll always be connected and have each other. He makes a promise to himself that he’s going to ask Eijun to marry him the moment they’re living together again.

⚾⚾⚾ 

Kazuya’s first and only season with the Padres is decent. He gets good plays, a decent batting average, and a couple of home runs to pad his RBI. They make it to the postseason, but fail to make it to the World Series. When the series ends, Kazuya is traded to the Dodgers. He manages to make some time to go home for the holidays to see his father and Eijun, and to officially meet his family in Nagano for the first time during New Years, after making a brief visit to his old man. Miyuki Toku has improved since Kazuya was in high school, and kicked his drinking habit while Kazuya was still on the Tigers. He recently started talking to a woman who was also widowed, and they seemed to be hitting it off. Kazuya hopes it means his dad is finally moving on with his life again.

“Hey pops.”

“Kazuya.” Even if Miyuki and his father are on better terms now, Kazuya can’t say they’re particularly close. Toku doted on him in his own way, busting his ass working long hours so Kazuya could play as much baseball as he wanted. Still, being left alone so often strained their relationship. “I take it this is Eijun?”

“Yes! This one is named Sawamura Eijun. It is an honor to meet you sir!” Eijun does a formal bow to Toku. Toku smiles faintly.

“Eijun’s my boyfriend, dad.”

Eijun’s head snaps to Kazuya’s in surprise, no doubt shocked that Kazuya introduced him like that so casually.

“Is that so? Is this the same Eijun you couldn’t stop talking about in high school?” Toku smiles, leaning on one of the closets in the genkan. He looks between both of them like he’s looking for something. When he seems to find it, he nods. “Good on you, Kazuya. He seems nice.”

Kazuya swallows the lump in his throat and tries to hide how red his face is. Despite being called out by his dad like that, he nods, smiling at Eijun. “Yeah. The nicest.”

Later, when Eijun steps away to the restroom, Toku looks at Kazuya from the kitchen. “You seem to love him dearly.”

“I want to marry him, dad.” Kazuya looks back at him, serious. Toku nods silently.

“You know I’ll always have your back even if you can’t see it. You’re a good kid with a good head on your shoulders. When you decide to do something you do it no matter what.” Toku leans on the kitchen counter. “I’m happy to hear you’ve found someone that seems to make you as happy as your mother made me. Make sure you hold on tight to him. You never know when you won’t be able to.”

Kazuya nods silently. “I’m glad you’re living life again, dad.”

Toku snorts. “Yeah, it definitely took me a bit to get there but I’m happy where I am now.” he hesitates. “That’s more than I can say for your childhood though. I’m sorry, Kazuya. I should have been there when it mattered.”

“Yeah well…that’s in the past. Besides, I know how hard you worked for my sake. I’m just glad you’re enjoying retirement now.” He shrugs. He doesn't like breaching this subject. Kazuya was never as rich as the other kids on his team. His dad did what he could to make sure Kazuya never wanted for anything regarding baseball anyways. He wouldn’t be where he is now if it wasn’t for Toku’s sacrifices. Toku seems to pick up on the hint and nods with a small smile on his face. Eijun emerges from the bathroom and things go back to normal.

They leave the next morning for Nagano. Kazuya and his dad exchange pleasant goodbyes and Kazuya promises to notify him when it happens. Toku pulls him into a hug and whispers to him. “As long as you love him, everything will work out. Hold on tight to him. The person we love will always bring out a side you never expect to see in yourself. Cherish him as much as you can, Kazuya.”

Kazuya swallows the lump in his throat and nods. If he squeezes his dad just a bit harder when they hug at the door, neither say a word about it.

⚾⚾⚾ 

 Of course, Kazuya already knows Eijun’s parents and his grandfather, but this is his first time stepping foot into Eijun’s childhood home and meeting his extended family. It feels strange, spending the new year surrounded by so much warmth and chaos. The Sawamuras are loud and rowdy, but incredibly warm and inviting. Kazuya can see how Eijun ended up the way he did growing up in a home filled to the brim with love. Eijun takes him fishing, and shows him all the childhood places he and his friends used to run around in. He shows Kazuya the baseball diamond where Rei first discovered him, and tells him the story of how he slapped the entire opposing team because they were assholes. Kazuya laughs so hard he nearly slips on some snow. By the time they return home, Kazuya’s face hurts from all the smiling he’s been doing and the cold outside. Eijun’s mom calls him to the kitchen at one point, leaving Kazuya alone at the kotatsu with Eijun’s father and grandfather. It’s quiet for about two seconds before his grandfather speaks.

“So. When are you asking that boy to marry you?”

Kazuya chokes on the mandarin slice he has in his mouth. He had forgotten how direct Eitoku was. “Huh?”

“Eijun. You are planning on marrying my grandson at some point, right?” Eitoku narrows his eyes. “That’s legal in America is it not?”

“Y-yeah. It is.” Kazuya forces some tea down. He clears his throat. “I uh…I haven’t bought the ring yet because I don’t know his ring size, but I was planning on asking him to marry me when he moved back in with me. The Dodgers offered him a deal so we’re gonna be playing on the same team again.”

Eitoku grins. Kazuya can see the ghost of Eijun’s own in it. “Good lad. His ring size is a 17 by the way. I think that’s an 8.5 in the states? That boy has always had skinny fingers.” 

Kazuya immediately takes out his phone to write that down. “Thank you, Eitoku-san. I appreciate your help.”

“Please, no need to waste formalities on my pops like that. We’re family!” Eijun’s dad laughs, clapping Kazuya on the back hard enough it stings through his sweater. “But, if you don’t mind me meddling I have a better idea.” His face suddenly serious, Eijun’s dad leans in so there’s no risk of them being heard from the kitchen. “The Dodgers are a good team. With you two on it you’re bound to make it to the World Series. Ask him then. You know how he is.” Eijun’s dad grins, and he can see the ghost of Eijun there as well. “He loves larger than life gestures. Doesn’t get much larger than proposing to that lovesick fool on the biggest stage in baseball.”

Kazuya laughs. “You’re right. He would eat that up.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Eijun peeks his head out from the kitchen, squinting at the three of them suspiciously.

“We’re telling the lad about the pictures of him you have on your wall from middle school.” Eitoku grins.

“Gramps!” Eijun’s eyes immediately go cat-like. “You promised me you wouldn’t tell him about those you shitty old man!”

“Did I? I remember no such thing.”

“Oh, so they do exist?” Kazuya looks at Eijun, smug. “Had a crush on me since our first meeting?”

Eijun throws a rag at him. Kazuya laughs along with Eijun’s father and grandfather. He is incredibly smug about it when Eijun shows him the pictures that night. Eijun refuses to look him in the eye for a solid hour that night and they have to cover the pictures when Kazuya fucks him into the mattress. 

⚾⚾⚾ 

They spend the entirety of the early off-season looking for the perfect house, settling in one in Pasadena after recommendations from fellow teammates. It’s just close enough to the stadium that getting there and back isn’t a total pain in the ass, and it’s nice and spacious with a large backyard so Eijun can start a garden and they can set up a makeshift backyard bullpen and a net for pitching and hitting on the days they feel like practicing from home. By the time they find the house and begin moving boxes, it's time for spring training. They decide to leave the unpacking and decorating to a company, seeing as by the time they catch their flight to Arizona for training, the plastic isn’t even off of their new mattress.

“It’s not fair” Eijun pouts, holding Kazuya’s hand in the ride to the airport provided by team management. “We didn’t even get to break it in.”

“There’ll be plenty of time for that when training is done, Eijun.” He glances up at the driver, who doesn’t seem to understand them since he doesn’t speak Japanese. Kazuya smirks a little. “I’ll have to make sure to pound you nice and hard into it when we get back.” he says, not even trying to hide his voice by whispering like Eijun was. Eijun’s face immediately flushes scarlet, shushing Kazuya frantically.

“Kazuya! The driver’s going to hear you!”

“The driver doesn’t speak Japanese. There’s no interpreter here with us.”

“Yeah but just in case!”

“What, you don’t want to hear about how many times I’m gonna make you cum with my mouth before I fuck you?”

“Kazuya!!” Eijun squirms, burying his face in his hands to hide the heat behind his gaze from his boyfriend. Kazuya snorts.

The weather in Arizona is a warm mid to low 80’s when they land. Kazuya is both baffled that it’s this hot in February and thankful that it’s at least a dry heat. He doesn’t know if he would survive in humid, sticky conditions like Japan in the summer, but it’s definitely harder than it used to be thanks to his year with the Padres. San Diego’s weather truly spoiled him.

Spring training with the Cactus League breezes by, and before they know it, the season has started. They’re both next level busy, but they’re never apart. They wake up at the same ungodly hour every day, and collapse into bed as soon as they get home like clockwork. They win games. They make a name for themselves at the first game of the season, when they’re subbed in together at the top of the fifth. Eijun is still a new player in the MLB with no one having experience with his pitches, and Kazuya only has one season under his belt.

They’re coming out to a comfortable lead of 5-1, which means the coaches are probably not expecting them to pitch a shutout game. They take their places, 18.4 meters from each other and the fire in Eijun’s eyes when they meet his own makes Kazuya shiver. It’s time to let the world know Sawamura Eijun has arrived.

He signals for the cutter kai. Eijun’s eyes light up and he grins. The ball lands securely in his mitt two seconds later and Kazuya grins back at him. Eijun wastes no pitches and strikes the batter out on the third—a nasty low inside fastball. The crowd erupts. Eijun and Kazuya proceed to allow two runs for the rest of the game. The game ends 7-3 when Kazuya hits a two-run homer.

Their momentum only builds and builds, and soon Eijun is having articles written about him left and right, about the monster rookie pitcher on the Dodgers. The articles balloon in quantity when Eijun pitches a shutout game to send the Dodgers to the world series 3-0.

He goes to the PR manager the next day—a woman named Alison. She motions for him to sit at her desk and he takes a seat, hands cold.

“What brings you here, Kazuya? Good news, I hope?”

“I sure hope so. I have someone I want to propose to.”

Alison lights up. “Congratulations! Though I’m not entirely sure why you would need the PR team for that? Most players just make an announcement on Instagram or wherever they see fit. So, what’s the name of the lucky lady?”

Kazuya clears his throat. “I’m dating a man. Sawamura Eijun to be specific.”

Alison is quiet for a moment. “Ah.”

“Yeah.”

“And you want to propose to him.”

“I want to propose to him at the winning game of the world series if we win. Ideally on the mound.”

Alison closes her eyes. Kazuya suspects she probably has a headache coming on. “And you’re absolutely sure he’s going to say yes?”

“We’ve been together for six years. Since high school.”

Alison smiles. “That’s a very long time. I can see why you want to do this if you’ve been together that long. A battery for most of it to boot as well! I’ll need to get back to you on this, but I’m going to give you a tentative yes. Congratulations again in advance, Kazuya. To you and Eijun both.”

Kazuya leaves the office and exhales the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Now all that’s left is to wait and pray.

He gets the approval a week later, during game 1 of the world series. His coach comes up to him in the dugout and simply tells him “Got a call from Alison earlier today. You’re good to go. Congratulations.”

Kazuya has rings custom made, rush order. They’re done by game 3. They’re simple gold bands with the day they first met on Seido’s field engraved inside—the day they became a battery for the first time and Kazuya’s life was changed forever, though he didn’t know it at the time. He keeps them in the bottom of his equipment bag wrapped in a pair of socks to not arouse suspicion. They stay there until the time comes. He tells his team slowly, and they’re all behind the idea. A few of them even say he’s lucky to be able to do that sort of thing right on the mound.

“I woulda proposed to my girl like that too if I had the option. Good on you, man.” one of his fellow catchers tells him, clapping him on the back in approval.

 The series is tied 3-3 when the time finally comes, and Eijun and Kazuya are working their special brand of magic together. Bottom of the ninth, Eijun stands on the mound with two outs, the bases loaded. His eyes burn into Kazuya in a way that has his heart pounding against his chest. He calls for the pitch. Eijun winds back, form absolutely perfect despite being gassed. Eijun’s ring sits on a chain around Kazuya’s neck shoved into his compression shirt to keep it from showing. Ready at any time.

The ball hits Kazuya’s mitt with a resounding thwack. It’s quiet in the stadium for a moment before it erupts. Kazuya is on his feet in record time, mask forgotten in the dirt as he runs to Eijun as fast as he can. He’s the first to make it to him, picking him up and twirling him around as the rest of the team reaches them as well and they’re surrounded. They both grin widely at each other, and Eijun leans in and hugs him so tight it hurts. Kazuya’s heart is pounding in his chest from the adrenaline and his nerves. He wants to kiss Eijun so fucking bad. “We did it!” he yells over the rest of the team’s screams of joy, and Eijun nods ecstatically. 

“We did it together!” he yells back, and to Kazuya, that’s what means to him the most. Standing at the top of the mountain with Eijun, a victory they made with their own two hands. He can feel the metal of the ring, warmed by his body heat, against his skin. He gently sets down Eijun and nods at his teammates, who all back up to give him some room. Eijun is too distracted being excited to notice.

“Eijun.” he calls over the crowd. It’s time to give them the next show of the night.

The moment Eijun turns to face him, Kazuya takes his left hand and drops down onto one knee on the mound in one smooth motion. His free hand reaches into his shirt and pulls the ring out, simply snapping the delicate chain off because he can’t be bothered to try to get it over his head right now. Faintly, he can hear the gasps from the crowd, but all of the noise fades into the background as his attention focuses on Eijun. On his shocked expression. On the way those golden eyes sparkle in realization.

“Marry me, Eijun. ”

Eijun doesn’t even bother saying yes before he screams and leaps into Kazuya’s arms again. Kazuya catches him with ease, simply because it’s Eijun and he always will. Eijun cups his face roughly and kisses him hard. It’s chaste and brief because they’re on national television and Kazuya can’t shove his tongue in Eijun’s mouth, but it’s the best kiss Kazuya has ever had. Kazuya can faintly hear the team cheering for them as Eijun holds his left hand out and Kazuya slips the ring onto his finger. He nearly drops it because his hands are shaking so hard. Eijun’s laugh is clear and bright like a bell as tears stream down his face. The sun has long gone down, but Kazuya feels like he’s looking directly at it anyways.

It fits like a glove.

—----------------------------------------------------

V.

There’s a very intense four weeks following the victory parade (during which he kisses Eijun multiple times) where Kazuya and Eijun are dragged around to interview after interview, putting their story out into the open. Kazuya builds a new fanbase of female fans—drawn by the gap moe of how his personality normally is compared to when he’s talking about or looking at Eijun. Kazuya hates to admit it but he can definitely see the way he looks at Eijun like a lovesick schoolgirl in every interview. He gets labeled a wife guy despite Eijun being both a man and currently only still his fiancé. 

They talk about how they met, Eijun admits he fell in love with Kazuya at first sight. That admission makes Kazuya flush with pride. Kazuya, meanwhile, admits that while he may not have known it, he fell for Eijun the moment that first pitch hit his mitt. They talk about the confession, and about the meaning of the second button, which Eijun still wears on a necklace even all these years later. Kazuya readily admits that if it were anyone but Eijun, he wouldn’t have gone through all these lengths to show affection, but being around Eijun lowers his IQ just enough to take away any inhibition he has for public humiliation. Eijun frowns and hits him gently for that, which just makes Kazuya laugh. 

Of course, not all the coverage about it is positive, and of course they have people in the league and outside of it that don’t approve of them being out so publicly, but neither of them care. Kazuya can’t find himself being able to care for any negativity surrounding him when he gets to kiss Eijun and show him off like he’s always wanted to but was too scared to do so. It had been years before he allowed himself to even dream that this was ever possible, and now that he had it in his grasp he wasn’t letting go. No one could force him back into that closet even with a gun to his head. 

 It takes a couple of months to settle in Kazuya’s head that they can just…be public now. He can hold Eijun’s hand when they arrive together. He can make kissy faces at him in the dugout now. They can go on dates, and not need an excuse ready on why they’re being spotted at another restaurant together. Kazuya finds that greed from high school coming back harder than ever. He takes whatever Eijun deems worthy of giving him—takes and takes and takes all the love and affection and finds himself wanting more. Wanting it all. Unlike last time though, there’s a ring on his finger that proves that Eijun is willing to give him everything. To let him feast on his desire until he’s finally, finally sated. Morbidly, Kazuya is pretty positive he won't ever be tired of Eijun’s love until they’re both dead and cremated in the same urn. Even then, he doubts he would be tired at all.

Once the media circus regarding the world series and their engagement dies down, they settle in at home, ready to relax in each other’s presence. Proudly displayed in a shelf they bought for the occasion, is Eijun’s World Series MVP trophy flanked by their world series rings on either side.

“I still can’t believe that happened.” Eijun marvels, staring at the matching rings on their hands. “I didn’t think you had it in you to do something like that.”

“Yeah well, you know what they say. Love makes you crazy.”

“Yep! And it’s made you absolutely fucking bonkers apparently.” Eijun kisses his cheek. “You?? Doing something emotional in front of not only a completely sold out stadium, but national television? I thought I was dreaming!”

Kazuya feels his face burning, pushing Eijun playfully. “Yeah but it was worth embarrassing myself like that in the end.” He looks at Eijun, smiling. He knows without having to look in a mirror that Eijun can see the love and adoration in his eyes. “Because I get to marry the love of my life and spend the rest of my life with him. You’re stuck with me now, Eijun. No take backs.”

Eijun snorts. “Who are you and what have you done with Miyuki Kazuya? I don’t remember him being such a lovesick fool.” 

“I’ve always been one. You’re just too stupid to notice.”

The headlock Eijun puts him in is worth it. 

⚾️⚾️⚾️

It takes about a year for them to be granted their green cards. The moment they’re officially permanent residents, wedding preparations start in full swing. They decide they’re going to have their ceremony in Japan first, and then once they’re back home in Pasadena, have a private courthouse wedding with all the paperwork. Chris and Kuramochi volunteer as witnesses, since they’re the people closest to them that are also in the MLB and thus available at a moment's notice. The ceremonies in Japan—a western one and a traditional Japanese one, are a formality at best. Mostly a way for them to celebrate with their friends and family, since it’s still not legal for them to wed there. Kazuya hopes it is by the time retirement comes around. 

On the day of the western-style ceremony, Kazuya feels like he’s going to puke. He’s never been this nervous in his life. He sits with arms crossed in front of him, staring at a wall in an attempt to will the nausea away. Kuramochi, his best man, sets a bucket down next to him. “Stop doing your best Ikari Gendo impression and take a breath.” Despite Kuramochi’s nagging, he sits next to Kazuya and rubs his back soothingly, handing him a ginger candy. “It’s gonna be fine. You two are the most lovey-dovey couple I know—and that’s saying something considering we know how absolutely fucking insufferable Narumiya is.”

 Kazuya laughs. Between that and the ginger candy, it makes some of the nausea subside. “Well, you know how Mei is. Always has to be the best at everything.”

“Yeah the best at being a pain in the ass. Which is saying something, considering I know Sawamura.”

“Hey now, not too much on him on our wedding day.”

“You know he’s the closest thing I have to a brother.”

“I’ll tell him you said that♥”

“Die.”

Kazuya cackles. It makes Kuramochi chop him on the head. “Fine, fine. Your secret’s safe with me you big softie.”

There’s a knock at the door and Chris peeks his head in. “It’s time.”

The nausea comes right back. Kazuya looks at Kuramochi. “You got any more ginger candy?”

Kuramochi pats his front pants pocket. “Locked and loaded.”

“Cool. I think I’m gonna need them all.”

⚾⚾⚾ 

Kazuya stands at the altar, heart pounding in his chest. He’s on his fourth ginger candy. Everything in his life has led up to this moment. He never thought anything would ever mean more to him than baseball, but this means the world. He gets to marry his soulmate. Once they leave this building, Eijun will be his husband. He scans the crowd, and sees all of their old teammates from Seido, some from the Tigers, a couple from his season at the Padres, and a few of their Dodgers teammates along with friends from other teams and Eijun’s childhood friends. Eijun’s mom and grandfather sit in the front row, next to Kazuya’s dad and his girlfriend. Kazuya met her officially a week ago, and she’s good for Toku. She makes him smile in a way that Kazuya remembers seeing when he was a kid and his mom was still alive. It makes him happy for his dad.

The room is bursting at the seams with people that are there to celebrate their love and it makes Kazuya feel proud. Proud that he and Eijun get to have this. Proud that they don’t have to hide a thing about how much they’re head over heels with each other. Proud that throughout their lives, they’ve met this many people that are willing to show up for them. Chris became legally ordained even, just to be able to help them through their vows. He sees the box of tissues at the stand, and grins at Chris. 

“I think you should have brought two boxes. You know how much of a crybaby Eijun is.”

Chris gives him a crooked smirk. “Who says these are all for Sawamura? I know you Miyuki. You’re not going to get out of this dry-eyed.”

Kazuya flounders. He can feel his face flushing and he hears Chris laugh. Before he can think of a sufficiently witty reply, the pianist begins playing and everyone stands. One by one, the wedding party comes in and takes their places—there’s a mix of sexes in the lineup, and a few male/male pairings due to them naturally knowing more men than women on account of breathing and sleeping baseball. Wakana and Kuramochi walk in last—with Wakana as Eijun’s best woman, arms hooked with Kuramochi who looks five seconds from exploding in nervousness. Kazuya makes a mental note to tease the fuck out of Kuramochi for it later.

He stops breathing when Eijun walks in, looking like a prince in a white suit with a red tie, a bouquet of sunflowers in his hands. He’s being walked down the aisle by his father who’s got tears streaming down his face behind his ever-present sunglasses, but Eijun has his head held high, grinning widely the moment he spots Kazuya. Kazuya can’t help but mirror it. The moment he makes it up to where Kazuya is, he hands his flowers off to Wakana, who fixes his hair a bit before giving him a thumbs up. Eijun gives one back to her and they do some complicated handshake that lasts ten seconds before Eijun turns around to face him. Kazuya immediately takes his hand and kisses it.

“Hey.” he says. It comes out breathless.

“Hey to you as well!” Eijun grins, squeezing Kazuya’s hand. Chris begins officiating, and Kazuya can barely pay attention. Eijun looks so good. Kazuya feels bewitched.

“Do you, Miyuki Kazuya, take Sawamura Eijun to be your husband?”

“I do.” It’s the easiest decision Kazuya has made in his life.

“And do you, Sawamura Eijun, take Miyuki Kazuya to be your husband?”

“I do!” Eijun chirps, eyes sparkling in happiness.

“At this time, the grooms will exchange vows that they have written for each other.” Chris announces. There’s a beat of silence. Kazuya’s staring at Eijun. Chris clears his throat.

“Miyuki.”

Kazuya blinks. He turns to Chris. “Huh?”

Chris smiles. He can hear Eijun snickering next to him. “Your vows, Miyuki.”

“Oh! Right. My vows. Yeah.” he clears his throat and takes a breath, turning back to Eijun. “Sawamura Eijun. You are…the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You are my sun, the light of my life. I love you more than I ever thought would be possible for me to love anyone, but here I am, seven years later. I fell in love with you the first time I caught your pitch, back when I was sixteen and you were still green behind the ears. ‘Fastballs for life!’ you had said, and I thought ‘who the hell is this guy? What a weirdo!’ and then I screwed you over by throwing you under the bus the first day of practice.” Kazuya hears the Seido alumni and staff chuckle at the memory. In his peripheral vision, he sees Kataoka shake his head with a smile on his face.

 “The joke was on me though, because you proceeded to blow away all my expectations. You kept blowing them away for the rest of my time in high school, through every up and down of our career at Seido. I’ve cherished every single moment I’ve gotten to play baseball with you, from that first pitch to the winning one at the world series. I can’t wait to play baseball with you until we can’t anymore. You make me want to be the best version of myself. The version of me you know I can be.” He pushes up his glasses to wipe away a tear in his eye. Eijun wipes his own tears with his sleeve. “When I confessed to you in high school, I told you this was it. That I was crazy about you. Absolutely head over heels stupid. I still am. I always will be. Choosing you is the easiest thing I’ve done in my life. In sickness and in health, and everything in between, I vow to love you with all my heart. Forever.”

Eijun cries the entire time he reads his own vows, promising to bother Kazuya to catch his pitches for the rest of their lives. Kazuya makes use of the tissues Chris provided, unable to keep himself from crying as Eijun promises him everything and more. He promises to chase him wherever he goes, and cracks a joke about them being buried in the same urn so he can keep following him, which causes Kazuya to guffaw in disbelief that Eijun had thought the same thing as him without them communicating a single word about it. Chris has to gently remind Eijun to wrap it up when his vows stretch on a bit too long, so Eijun quickly does by promising his everything to Kazuya with a sunny smile.

They slip matching gold bands on each other’s fingers, and Kazuya holds his breath for what happens next. Eijun is practically bouncing off the walls.

“I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss.”

Eijun leaps into his arms, and Kazuya catches him with ease. Their lips meet, and something slots into place in Kazuya’s heart. A sense of completion he didn’t know he was missing until it was there. He wraps an arm around Eijun’s waist and dips him down, deepening the kiss. The cheers from their guests fade into the background as Kazuya kisses his husband.

Breaking apart, Eijun’s golden eyes stare into his own. Kazuya can’t help the grin that spreads on his face. Eijun mirrors it instantly. 

“You taste like ginger.”

“Yeah, I was gonna puke up until the moment I saw you.”

Eijun laughs. Kazuya grins. They walk down the aisle hand in hand, and Kazuya knows this is only the beginning of the rest of their lives together.