Chapter Text
“Senpai.”
You looked up from stretching your right arm to see Furuya, Sawamura and Haruichi.
“Hm?”
“Lion-senpai, can you bring us to the washroom!? Leader-senpai, said someone has to go with us!”
You stopped rotating your slightly swollen muscle and laughed.“Ok, come on kids.”
The trio beamed and followed you after you got up from the metal bench in the dugout. Today, was finally the semi-final match against Sensen.
Seriously, I feel like a big sister…or big brother haha!
You chuckled to yourself and leaned against the wall outside of the male’s washroom. You were staring at the clean ground, your arms crossed against your chest; not really paying attention to your surroundings. So, when someone tapped your shoulder, you nearly jumped three feet in the air.
“(Name), is that you?”
Your eyes widened at the sight of an old classmate from your previous school. Your jaw slacked slightly in alarm at the sight of the brunette.
Oh sh*t.
“It really is you!” The tall male placed his hands on your shoulders and gave you a confused look once he checked you out. “Wait, why are you in a male’s baseball uniform?”
You panicked not knowing what to do so you just gulped slightly. “I’m not (Name).”
The male blinked, Hiro, before furrowing his eyebrows. “What are you talking about? I know it’s you (Name). We might not have been the best of friends but I can still recognize you.”
You bit your lip, uncomfortable with the situation, and shook your head, feeling guilty that you had to lie. “I’m no-“
“Haru, what’s going on?”
Hiro and you turned to see Kuramochi eyeing you both. It seemed as if your friend noticed that you were uncomfortable due to your body language. So, the batter casually walked over to the two of you and pulled you back from the other male with a strong arm loosely slung around your shoulders. Kuramochi gave Hiro a good sizing up. “Listen, anyone who bothers my friends gets their ass handed to them. “
Hiro flinched at Kuramochi’s penetrating glare. He could only laugh nervously while scratching the back of his head. “M-my mistake! Just thought he looked like someone I knew! Sorry.” With that, Hiro scurried away in haste.
“Hyaha! Look at him go! I haven’t scared anyone like that in a while.” Kuramochi laughed before looking down at you. “He probably thought you were a girl. Grow some facial hair or something.”
You pursed your lips in a tight line at Kuramochi’s comment before nudging him.
“Why are you here? If you wanted me to walk you to the washroom with the first-years, you could have just asked.”
“Huh? What was that?” Kuramochi flicked your forehead roughly.
“Ouch! “ You scrunched your face in annoyance and rubbed where he flicked you while he laughed at your reaction. You glanced passed Kuramochi and noticed a girl with long black hair blushing and hiding behind the wall watching the two of you. She must have realized she was caught because she squeaked and ran away. You stared at where she was standing for a few more seconds but shrugged it off.
Weird…
After a minute or so, the first years finally came out of the washroom. The trio walked in front of you and Kuramochi chatting away about the giant pitcher on Sensen. Well, it was more like Sawamura and Furuya arguing while Haruichi was the mediator.
“(Name).”
Your heart leaped through your chest as you whipped to look at Kuramochi who looked thoughtful to the roof.
“That guy called you that.” Kuramochi turned his head to look you in the eye.
“Yeah…I guess I look like her or something.”
Kuramochi grinned. “Hyahah, maybe she looks like a guy.”
“Haha, maybe.”
“Or, maybe she’s hot…you know what, maybe I should go find that guy after the game. Maybe she has a nice rack.”
“…”
“Hyaha! Want me to get her number for you Haru? Maybe, she’ll be the only one to accept your big dick problem.”
You chuckled. “I don’t think you should hound someone for a girl’s number. She’ll think you’re creepy.”
Kuramochi pursed his lips before grinning again. He swung his arm around your shoulders casually. “Let’s go girl hunting one day. You seem like a chick magnet.”
“…I’d rather not.” You pulled out your phone after feeling a vibration.
“Hyahah, be a man Haru! I know, after today’s game I’ll show you some videos that’ll make you crave for the wonderful female population. Women are sexy.” A dark, mischievous grin spread across his face. You blinked, not catching on what Kuramochi was hinting at until it hit you in the face.
“N-no! I’m not watching p*rn!” You yelled at him with wide eyes.
Unfortunately, you said that a little too loud…and you were now standing in the dugout with most-if not all of your teammates. Seeing many pairs of eyes turn to look at you, you instantly started to try to explain the misunderstanding. “I’m really not watching it!”
It seemed like those were not the best choice of words because the boys erupted with laughter. You felt a hard chop on your back.
“Eh? Watching p*rn before the game starts, how bold of you Yukimaru.” Ryosuke chuckled at your flushed face. You shook your head rapidly with a dark blush spreading quickly across your cheeks.
“Senpai, I swear I wasn’t watching it!" You whipped your head to look at the batter who was enjoying the moment. "Kuramochi tell them!” His sharp eyes glinted mischievously.
“Hyaha, Haru called me out to the washroom to show me a scene he loves!”
You shot Kuramochi the dirtiest look you could muster- that seemed to only edge on him and the other boys to further laugh at you.
“AH! So that’s why you were there cheetah-senpai!" Sawamura nodded with a hand under his chin. "Lion-senpai you’re so bold!”
Not this again…
“Haha! Haru, I never took you as someone who had enough balls to do that!” Miyuki cackled while placing his helmet on his head. “Make sure you call me when you go to the washroom later for the video haha.
“S-shut up, Miyuki! Don’t dip into this, you’ll only make it worse!” You flushed and glared at the catcher who let out a provoking laugh.
“He’s only getting his bat ready, he has to get it to stand up some way before the game. Hyahah!”
Your face burned with embarrassment but you managed to growl at the boy keeling over in laughter. “Kuramochi!”
“Hyahah!”
“Ah, I feel better now!” Jun exclaimed with a grin as he stretched. “Yukimaru’s p*rn watching lifted the tension before the game.”
“I agree. Thank you, Yukimaru.” Yuuki gave you a serious look.
Shaking your head, you placed your hand on your temple to try to calm your racing pulse down.
This is so embarrassing. I swear Kuramochi, I’ll get you back.
“Alright boys, bring it in.” Coach Katakura called you all in. You all huddled together (some of your teammates were still snickering and nudging you-much to your displeasure) to receive the prep talk.
“After we win this match we go to finals! Do your best out there and I know we will win!”
You all cheered and felt the surge of adrenaline pump through your veins. If you won this game, reaching nationals wouldn't just a dream anymore. As you were all separating to stand in your respective places someone called out to you.
“Oh, and Yukimaru, please watch such videos in privacy.” Coach Katakura looked at you amused.
“Coach, I wasn’t!” But, the look of disbelief he gave you made you sigh in defeat. “…yes sir.”
“Hyaha!”
“Shut up, Kuramochi!”
“You ok for batting, Skirt-chan?” Miyuki asked softly as he returned to the dugout. You rotated your right arm- it felt tense still but you nodded your head while smiling.
“I’m good don’t worry.” You gave your right arm a light pat to reassure the catcher. A rare genuine smile flashed on his face before the usual teasing smirk appeared again.
“If you can’t use your arm, remember you have an extra one down there.”
You nudged his side as you walked out into the field to bat.
“Lion-senpai, kill it!”
You flashed the first-year a bright smile and lifted a fist to him.
“Haha, get him with big D!”
You chose to ignore Miyuki’s inappropriate comment.
“That’s my son!”
Wait… that sounds a lot like- mom!
You grinned brightly at your mother, who was sitting beside Rei, waving enthusiastically at you from her seat. She held up a camera, snapped a quick photo then went back to hollering out encouraging words. You waved back happily before stepping up to the plate. Now, you felt like you could do anything.
So this is Maki Yousuke, the giant.
You observed and got into batting position. Yousuke gave you a rather bitter look before wounding up to pitch his famous curveball. You didn’t move a muscle once he threw his pitch.
“Ball!”
You let out another sigh to relax your muscles.
“Ball!”
Are they walking me?
You watched curiously as Yousuke shook his head at the catcher. The giant then gave you a hard look. You let out a small chuckle.
Ah, so now he wants to fight. But, he’s already cornered himself.
As the pitch was rapidly zeroing in on you, something told you to move. Maybe, you chose to ignore it because there wasn’t any time to process where exactly the pitch was going. It was too late to react because once you did your eyes widened and –
SMACK!
f*ck, my arm!
You clenched your teeth hard at the surge of pain as the ball hit your right arm accidentally. You dropped your bat instantly, feeling the sting rush through your bicep. You let out a shaky breathe and swallowed the lump in your throat.
“Batter hit!”
“Yukimaru, you ok!?” Jun yelled from the dugout.
As you were jogging, you lifted your left hand to show you were alright. However, as you waited at first base you began to sweat more, the pain in your arm only getting worse.
This really hurts, but I’m not going down without a fight.
You placed your hands on your knees, squatting slightly, ready to steal a base if it was possible. After a few more bats from your teammates, the bases were loaded. On the plate stood Haruichi. As soon as Yousuke threw a curveball, Haruichi was able to hit it into the left center field for a 3-RBI double play. Your teammates cheered loudly as you and the other players on the plates returned home, leaving the score to 4-2. Immediately upon returning, you grabbed a seat and took the water bottle from one of the female managers.
“Skirt-chan.”
Miyuki stood in front of you, the concern was evident in his eyes. You gave him a small smile. “I’m fine.” The catcher eyed you for a second longer before stepping out in his gear to catch for Sawamura.
It didn’t take long for the game to end with Sawamura learning a new pitch, the crossfire. Kawakami closed the game, and the score was 8-3; you were going to the finals. You grinned at your teammates as they cheered over the well fought victory.
“You took a nasty hit.”
You glanced over at Ryosuke who stood beside you.
“Ha, yeah. I’ll probably have a bruise there.” A sigh left your lips.
“You should ice it.” Ryosuke held up a pack of ice and handed it to you. You gratefully took it and placed the cold material on your right arm causing you to let out a sigh of contentment. Ryosuke let out a soft laugh at your expression before walking away to join Yuuki and Jun.
“Lion-senpai, let me carry your things!” Sawamura went to grab your bag but Furuya swiped it away before he could grab it. The two first years growled at each other.
“I’ll carry it for, Senpai.”
“Grr, Furuya! I’m going to carry it for Lion-senpai!”
You laughed at the exchange of rivalry. “Just don’t rip it you two.”
The two pitchers gave you a curt nod before settling on arguing over your bag on the way to the bus.
“Guess, I have to wrap you up again. Do you enjoy being a mummy?”
Miyuki walked up beside you while glancing at your arm.
“It’s not my fault why I got hit this time.”
As you were walking to the bus, you caught a glimpse of Hiro in the cool hallways. He made eye contact with you for a second and it seemed as if he was going to walk up to you. But, he thought better of it and scurried away nervously. You furrowed your eyebrows but felt a slightly dangerous aura emitting from behind you. Glancing back, you saw Kuramochi glaring maliciously at the retreating boy. You could only laugh.
“I’m making a quick stop to the washroom.” Kuramochi turned around.
“Take too long and we’ll leave you behind.” Miyuki teased.
“You shouldn’t rush someone when they want to take a dump Miyuki.” You joined in (it was actually fun ganging up with one of them to tease someone- not that you would admit it openly).
Kuramochi laughed. “How about I take a serious dump in the washroom by your dorm Haru?”
“Ew, gross. Hurry up and go already.”
“Hyaha!”
Miyuki chuckled at your face, then continued walking to the bus- you followed suite.
“Haru!”
You turned around immediately at the familiar voice with a wide smile on your face.
“Mom!”
You practically bounced into the arms of your mother who eagerly hugged you, although the hug was somewhat awkward because you were still holding the ice pack to your right arm.
“I’ll catch up Miyuki.” You turned to the catcher who smiled at you. He glanced at your mother, bowed respectfully and waved before turning back around.
“Ooh, who’s that?" Your mom lifted her eyebrows with a sly smile on her face. "You dig boys with glasses?”
“Haha, he’s a friend! I didn’t know you were coming today.”
Your mother brushed through your soft hair gently with her fingers. “I missed my (Name)! You’re so far away from me now! Is your arm ok?” Your mother pouted childishly.
“You and Rei were the ones who thought this was a great idea. And, my arm is fine.” You gave her a slightly annoyed face causing her to giggle.
“Aren’t you having fun?" You mother childishly giggled again. "You have your own harem, hehe!” Your pretty eyes rolled at your mother’s comment but you giggled alongside her.
“Yukimaru! We’re leaving!” Jun yelled from the entrance of the building.
“Oh dear, that’s a loud one!”
You couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, I’m heading back now. I’ll see you soon mom.”
“Alright, (Name). Take care of yourself sweetheart.” You mother gave you a quick kiss on the forehead and watched you jog out of the building. You made it just as the team was piling into the bus, Miyuki stood at the end of the line.
“Got yourself a few kisses from mommy?” Miyuki grinned and laughed as you smacked him with your ice packet.
“Kuramochi isn’t back yet?” You glanced around for your other friend.
“I’m here.”
The shotstop walked up to the two of you- he looked like he was in deep thought. Kuramochi glanced up and caught your eye. You blinked, feeling uneasy at the intense gaze he was staring at you with.
“What are you thinking about? If you think too hard you’ll hurt your empty head haha!” Miyuki piped up.
Kuramochi kicked Miyuki and flicked your forehead for laughing.
“You two, shut it!”
You rubbed your forehead while climbing into the bus.
“You’ve held onto Lion-senpai’s things far too long now, Furuya! It’s my turn!”
“No.”
They’re still at it?
You gave them a look. At least your bag wasn’t ripped yet.
You shook your head and took an empty seat while Miyuki slid in beside you. You closed your eyes with a smile, enjoying the bustling and noisy atmosphere of your ecstatic team.
The next day, practice was incredibly intense. Miyuki had wrapped your shoulder for you again and helped you stretch in your dorm before practice (since you didn’t want the entire team to know about your small injury). After practice was finished, your teammates went off to practice their own individual set of skills for the finals, which was now, two days away. You were sorting out which bat you wanted to use from a variety of selections, while Miyuki polished up his catcher gear.
“This bat is light…but I feel like it doesn’t support me well enough.”
You were sitting cross-legged on the ground while testing the weight of the bat. Miyuki glanced down at you from the bench where he placed his gear on.
“I use this one.” Miyuki moved closer to you and pointed to the bat that was beside a wooden one. You hummed before picking it up.
“Too heavy?” The catcher teased once he saw your face of dissatisfaction.
“This is for taller players.”
“Haha, then use a bat for midgets.”
You glared at him but grunted at the sudden ache from your lower back. You reached behind you with your left hand and massage the area that was uncomfortable.
Wait, what day is it? I think my period might be coming soon…sh*t. Please don’t come before the finals.
“Your back feels tense?”
“Yeah, just a little bit.”
Miyuki watched you for a second. “Here, you’re not massaging out the knots properly.”
Your heart slightly sped up when you felt his strong hands begin to knead your back, loosening the stiff muscles. You held in your sigh of enjoyment, instead you decided to focus on choosing what bat you wanted to use.
“I should grab the soothing cream.”
“Ah, you don’t have to.”
“I have to head back to my dorm to grab my gear cleaner anyway. I’ll be back soon.”
Miyuki stopped massaging your back and left to grab his cleaner.
“Sometimes, I wish he knew.” You pursed your lips in a tight line in frustration.
About five minutes passed when finally the catcher returned with a small bag in his right hand.
“Skirt-chan, do you know that girl?”
“Hm?” You gave Miyuki a confused look as he walked over to you, before looking over at where a girl with long black hair and glasses stood timidly. You continued to fiddle with one of the bats from the pile in front of you.
“She wants to talk to you.”
You blinked before tilting your head to the side as the girl entered the batting building shyly after being beckoned by Miyuki. Your friend stood close by while twisting his water bottle open, interested in what the girl wanted.
Hey, isn’t that the girl I saw yesterday at the game?
You flashed a warm smile and looked up at her as she fidgeted with her fingers. “Hey, how can I help you?”
The black haired girl didn’t say anything for a while instead she glanced around, avoiding eye contact. Scratching the back on your head, you stood up, and placed a comforting hand on her head. “You okay?”
“S-Senpai!!!” She suddenly shot her head up with confidence causing you to flinch back in surprise (Miyuki also glanced up from cleaning his helmet, startled by the sudden noise). She clenched her fists tightly before staring into your confused eyes intensely with a heavy blush on her face. “I-I…please go to the book store with me!”
You slowly let it sink in, “The… book store?”
She bit her lip nervously before nodding vigorously.
“Haha! It’s a date, Haru-chan.”
“N-no! It’s not a d-date! I just want Y-Yukimaru-senpai to go somewhere with me!” She buried her hands in her face, embarrassed.
You gave Miyuki a look before glancing back at the girl who was nervously fidgeting. You cleared your throat, unsure of how to feel. “Well, if we’re just going to hang out for a little…”
Her head shot up, her face adored a brilliant smile. “I’ll go get ready now! I’ll meet you at the bus stop in an hour, Yukimaru-senpai!”
“W-wait! Right now?”
However, she already scurried off to who knows where. You let out a defeated sigh, not amused by the laughter erupting from behind you.
“Well, look at that, you got yourself a little girlfriend!” Miyuki walked beside you and slung an arm around your shoulders. “Getting a girl without even trying, that’s my Skirt-chan.” Miyuki teased and pinched your right cheek to annoy you further. You glared at the handsome boy before swatting him away to hop in the showers.
”Annoying.” You grumbled at the boy as you left.
“Hey, you’re just leaving all this equipment?”
You glanced back over your shoulder, a sly smile stretching across your face. “Well I have to get ready for my date.”
Miyuki shot you an irritated look before turning back to the equipment to sort it out. You laughed, then went to your dorm to grab your belongings.
It was 5:00p.m when you finally finished getting ready. You fiddled with your bag strap that was slung over your left shoulder and waited patiently for the shy girl to arrive.
I don’t even know her name.
You took out your phone to send a message.
[Miyuki, did she tell you her name?]
You tapped your foot, waiting for him to reply.
[No, but you can ask her for it when you two are in bed together haha!]
You pursed your lips at his comment.
[Gee, thanks for helping]
[No problem hahah! Don’t forget you’re helping me with math today at 8]
You swore you could just hear the teasing in his voice, causing a small smile to stretch across your face. Soon, the sound of footsteps pattering towards you caught your attention.
“Sorry I’m late!” The girl hunched over her knees panting. She was wearing a nice top with a skirt (you were only a little jealous of her skirt).
“It’s fine, come on our bus is here…uh.” You gestured at her to enter the bus first.
“M-my name is Suki!”
“Suki.” You laughed at her nervous reply while paying your fare. The ride to the book store was quiet but not uncomfortable. However, you did notice that she was clutching a heavy looking bag to her chest. Curious, you asked, “What’s in the bag?”
“Oh! This? Haha! N-nothing, I’ll show you when we get there!” She quickly looked away. You eyed her for a few more seconds before shrugging at her weird behavior. Finally, arriving at the book store, you two took a seat inside one of the comfortable two-seater tables.
“So…why did you want to come all the way here?” You tapped your fingers on the table. Honestly, you felt a little awkward…you don’t even know this girl!
Suki looked down at her lap, her hands on top of her large bag. “Senpai….I know your secret.”
Your heart shot through your chest.
You gulped as sweat began to precipitate on your palms due to being anxious. However, you managed to keep your voice steady and calm. “What…what are you talking about?”
She looked up at, caught your eyes and gave you a serious look. “The fact… that you’re gay.”
“I can expla-what?”
You blinked, flabbergasted at her comment. She grinned brightly and pulled out a manga from her heavy bag to show you a Yaoi title, Junjou Romantica, proudly “Senpai, who is it? Is it Miyuki-senpai!?”
You couldn’t answer, your mouth gaping at Suki who giggled with a heavy blush on her face. “I-I…no I’m not! This is a misunderstanding! “
“Don’t worry senpai! I will give you advice! I’m an expert since I read all kinds of manages about a romantic relationship between two guys!” Suki pulled out another title, Love Stage, and placed it in front of you. “This one even has an anime, it’s so cute!”
Not knowing what else to do, you picked up the manga in defeat and flipped through it shocked.
She thinks I’m gay… what? How do misunderstandings keep happening to me?
“Senpai, you would be Izumi Sena from Love Stage because you’re a trap!”
Oh god, another person thinks I’m a trap?
You shook your head at the enthusiastic girl before handing her back the manga. “R-right…”
She grinned and clasped her hands together before leaning towards you and said in a serious tone. “I got your back senpai! I ship it!”
You stared at her, the only thing you could do was nod causing her to squeal causing a few people looked over at the two of you. You laughed awkwardly at the stares and scratched your cheek.
“Or, I totally ship you with Kuramochi-senpai. The whole pretty boy and yakuza thing is really nice.” You watched her nod thoughtfully, her hand placed under her chin. “There’s always my classmate Sawamura-san too…a second year and first year together, so cute!”
“You’re in Sawamura’s class?” You tilted your head, finally pipping up.
“Yes, Senpai! He’s the one who invited me to your baseball game the other day! You were amazing. And it was even more amazing when Miyuki-senpai and Kuramochi-senpai wrapped their arms around your shoulders hehehe! Do you share a room with any of them!?” She practically yelled and leaped forward, her glasses becoming crooked at the impact causing you to lean backwards in surprise.
“S-sometimes we sleep in the same dorm.” You gave her a nervous smile.
Suki stared at you shocked before squealing loudly again. “A Yaoi threesome!? Senpai, you’re amazing! This is like a dream come true! I actually write Yaoi fanfictions and manga strips, look!”
She pulled out a piece of paper with explicit drawings with two males who were engaging in certain activities on a bed. You blushed heavily at the scene before clearing your throat. “This….this is a pretty good drawing!”
“I knew you would like it! Can you proof read this for me!?” She pulled out a large stack of papers tied together. “I’m thinking of entering a contest but I need a model for it….” Her green eyes sparkled behind her frames. You quickly caught on to what she was hinting at.
“You want me to model for you!?”
“Well, I’ll model the main character after your personality and switch up his appearance so no one will know your secret!” She placed her pointer finger on her lips. Her eyes held hope. Suki pouted with a puppy dog face making you feel uncomfortable at the sudden rush of whispers from people that were directed towards you.
Damn these first years.
“…F-fine! But don’t make it too obvious!” You gave in.
Suki cheered loudly, shot up from her seat and grabbed you into a hug while squealing. “SENPAI, THANK YOU SO MUCH!” You laughed and gave her an awkward smile.
What have I gotten myself into…?
After arriving back at school, Suki wanted to immediately start the modelling process so you lead her to your dorm.
“Come on in, make yourself at home.”
Suki nodded and removed her shoes before plopping down in front of the center table. She pulled out drawing materials and white paper. You couldn’t help but laugh at her eagerness as you grabbed two drinks from your mini fridge.
“Senpai, could you sit in front of me for a minute?”
“Sure.” You were about to take a seat until someone knocked on your door. Your eyes furrowed in confusion, wondering who it could be. You opened your door-
“Miyuki?”
Miyuki grinned at you and held up his math textbook. “I came for my lessons, Skirt-sensei.” Miyuki paused for a moment and laughed when he saw realization spread across your face. “Don’t tell me you forgot about it.”
You glanced behind you at Suki who was giggling at the two of you when she recognized just who was at the door. You gave her a bizarre look before turning back to Miyuki, “Haha, sorry. Come in.”
Miyuki grinned and entered but stopped when he saw Suki. He turned to you with an eyebrow raised, a knowing smirk adored his lips. “You should have told me you had company , Haru.” You pursed your lips and nudged his side to shut up, then went back to Suki who was glancing between you and Miyuki, her face seemed to mimic Miyuki’s grin.
Oh, if only they knew what the other was really thinking about.
You silently laughed at them as they exchanged greetings. Miyuki took the spot beside you, scooted closer then cracked his textbook open. Suki remained quiet, although you could only imagine what was running through her mind.
“Ah ok, so you have to use this formula to solve it.” Jotting down a formula for the math question, Miyuki nodded in understanding. You glanced up because you felt eyes boring into your head and saw Suki giving you a thumbs up with a knowing smirk. You shook your head and laughed softly before turning your attention back to Miyuki who finished a math problem.
“Hm…not quite right. You missed a step here, you’re supposed to square root it.”
Miyuki clicked his tongue in annoyance. “I’m not too good at this unit.”
“Haha, don’t worry I’ll help you.”
Miyuki grinned and slung an arm around your shoulders while ruffling your hair with his other hand.
“H-hey cut that out!”
“Hahah! Skirt-chan, you’re like my math savior.”
“You two are close.”
Miyuki and you stopped goofing around to look at Suki, who was grinning very hard with a glint in her eyes. Miyuki removed his arm from around you and gave her a smirk, “Well, Haru is like a little brother.” The catcher pinched your cheeks to provoke you.
“Like a little brother….?” Your lips pursed.
“What’s with that look?”
You made a face at Miyuki. “I don’t want to be related to someone like you! You’re too mean.”
“W-wait! So this could be…step brother love.” Suki’s eyes widened before she jotted down something into her notebook. She ignored the bizarre look that Miyuki gave her,”T-that’s it! My plot! I have to tell, Nana!”
“What the hell?” Miyuki laughed under his breath as he watched the first-year flip. He turned to you and raised an eyebrow. “Is she alright?”
“Yes, from what I collected today. She’s a nice person who’s….passionate about her work.” You smiled while Suki started taking pictures of you. After a couple of shots, she sat back satisfied with the photos and grinned.
“Thank you so much for today Yukimaru-senpai! I’ll leave now”, Suki wiggled her eyebrows while glancing between Miyuki and you. “I’ll send you my draft! Have a goodnight!” Suki sprang up, grabbed her belongings and dashed out the door before you could even respond.
“Ah…she’s a really funny person.”
“More like psychotic. What was she talking about? She even took pictures of you.” Miyuki placed his chin on the palm on his hand and looked at you curiously.
“U-um, it’s nothing. Hey, let’s finish this and go to bed.”
Miyuki gave you an amused smile before turning back to his work causing you to sigh a breath of relief. Like an old habit, you grabbed a book from the bookshelf to glance through it.
“You think we can win?”
You smiled at Miyuki’s question but didn’t look up from your book. “Is the high and mighty catcher doubting?”
Miyuki let out a laugh.“No. Just curious what you think about it.”
You remained quiet for a few seconds, then glanced up at the catcher. “Aren’t we facing your old teammates?”
The catcher gave you a crude smirk and shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah.”
“Nervous?”
“More like excited.”
You ‘hummed’ and closed your book so that you could look at Miyuki fully. His golden-brown eyes danced with passion behind his frames. A smile crept onto your face. “We’ll definitely win. With this team, I have a feeling we can do it.
Miyuki returned your grin and leaned back on the palms of his hands. “I want to see it. I want to see what nationals is like.”
You paused, it was rare for Miyuki to openly express his feelings- it was almost strange that he was telling you what he truly wanted. You replied. “Haha, me too. I want to hit a homerun at nationals…ah, but it might be really difficult. But, I think what I want the most is to bring our team there.” You tapped the cover of your book to your chin thoughtfully. Miyuki gazed at you for a second longer before pipping up with a teasing remark.
“Haha, you won’t miss a pitch with your massive-“
“Shh! No more dick jokes you ass!”
“Haha!”
“My period just had to come today. Didn’t I tell you not to come before the finals?” You hissed quietly in the bathroom stall, hanging your head in defeat. Sighing as you quickly pulled out a pad that was hidden in your bag, you slipped it on and stood up from the toilet. After fixing yourself up, you exited the washroom to head to your first class of the day while rubbing your lower abdomen.
“My stomach freakin’ hurts.” You sighed, your face tight as you sat down in your seat. You placed your head down on the cool surface of the wooden desk and thankfully it provided temporary relief to your warm body. Soon, your ears picked up a ridiculous laugh and a familiar provoking voice entering your classroom.
Ugh, I can’t deal with them today.
“Skirt-chan.” Miyuki took his seat in front of you, and sat backwards in his chair so that he was facing you. His arms were folded on top of your desk as he blinked down at your quiet greeting. Kuramochi also took his seat that was beside you and glanced at you curiously.
“Haru?”
You lifted your head to look at Kuramochi.
“You look like sh*t.”
“Gee, thanks.” You sent Kuramochi a glare before placing your head back down on your desk.
“You sick or something?”
“I’m not feeling too well.” You replied to Miyuki.
“Constipation? Maybe you should go sh*t before class starts.”
You kicked the catcher for his comment and lifted your head reluctantly once the teacher walked into the classroom.
Today is going to be a long day…
When lunch rolled around, right before your third class, you decided the pain was too much to bare so you were excused from your classes for the rest of the day. As soon as you arrived back at your dorm, you stripped from your uniform, pulled on some black sweats and a red t-shirt, then flopped onto your bed. As soon as your eyes closed, you fell asleep.
You didn’t know how long you slept for but the loud knocking coming from your door woke you up. Sighing, you reluctantly got out of bed and opened the door.
“Yukimaru! Skipping out on practice today, you brat!” Jun pulled you into a tight head-lock and knuckled your head.
“No, ow! Senpai I’m not feeling well, I swear!” You struggled.
He let go of you as another voice piped up from behind him. “We know. We came to see how you were doing. The team’s worried about you.”
You glanced at Yuuki who stood behind Jun. Yuuki held out a book for you.
“Thanks, Tetsu-san.” You grinned and looked down at the book. It was about improving your skills in Shogi. Of course; only your captain would give you something like this.
“I figured you should at least practice something else since you can’t move. Face me when you are ready for a challenge.” Yuuki gave you a challenging smile.
You held in your snort and returned his grin. “I will.”
“Hey, hey, I brought something too! Here!” Jun dropped the shoujo manga, Say I love you, in your hands as well.
“Ah, I like this one! I wanted to start watching the anime for it.”
“Ha! I told you he would like my gift more!” Jun gave Yuuki a sly smirk and held his head out proudly.
“My gift makes more sense, it is helping Yukimaru to train.”
You laughed at the two third years and grinned.” Thanks guys.”
“We’ll let you rest, hopefully you can get a practice in before our final game.”
“I’ll definitely feel better by then!” You waved at the two boys as they left. You closed you door and set your gifts on your counter feeling warm on the inside. A rather loud and hard knock erupted from your door five minutes later just as you were flipping through the Shogi book.
“LION-SENPAI, ARE YOU OK?!” Sawamura was immediately in your face as soon as you opened the door.
“Senpai!” Furuya emitted an aura of concern, his lips tugged down in a frown.
“Eijun-kun, let Yukimaru-senpai breathe!” Haruichi practically pulled back the hyper pitcher from your face.
“Haha, well I’ve been better.” You couldn’t help but let out a laugh at seeing their worried expressions. “I’m not going to die, don’t worry.”
“But, Miyuki said you had really explosive diarrhea!”
You closed your eyes in annoyance and rubbed your temple. “It’s not diarrhea.”
The first years laughed at your irked expression. Haruichi held out a small, plastic bag for you to take. Grateful, you took it and glanced inside to see a baseball and the movie, 42.
“We thought you could throw a ball around to at least work out your wrist, Yukimaru-senpai.”
“It was my idea Lion-senpai!”
“It was mine.” Furuya glared back at Sawamura who shot him a dirty look.
You smiled and patted each of their heads affectionately. It was like having three younger brothers.
“Aha, with this I think your Senpai will get better in no time!”
The first years grinned, obviously pleased that you were happy with their gifts.
“We’re going to go practice a bit more, get better soon Yukimaru-senpai.”
“Lion-senpai, I’ll practice extra hard for you!”
“Senpai I’ll practice harder and when you come back I’ll be the ace.”
“Furuya, I’m the ace!”
You laughed and waved as Haruichi ushered them away.
“Ah, kids.” You placed the bag down beside your other gifts. You were fiddling with the baseball by throwing it back and forth between your hands when a softer knock came from your door. You pulled it open.
“Ehh, you do look quite pale.”
You scratched the back of your head at Ryosuke and smiled sheepishly. He smiled back and gave you a bag. “There’s chocolate, a heat pad and Advil in there.”
You blinked. “Oh, wow…thank you so much, this is just want I needed.”
Ryosuke smiled, gave you a soft chop on your left shoulder. “Let me know if you need anything else.” The pink haired batter said before turning around on his heel to walk away. You watched him leave before closing your door, amazed at the fact that he got all the right items for your pains.
He would make a good boyfriend one day. Wait...I wonder if he knows.
You thought, and rubbed you lower abdomen when a rather painful shock was felt.
“Haru, you dead!?”
You snorted at the comment, and pulled open your door to see Kuramochi grinning at you.
“You still look like sh*t. Let’s play some games until you feel better.”
You rolled your eyes, and stepped aside to let the gamer in.
“Ah, hold that door!”
You paused from closing the door and saw Miyuki walking towards you. He grinned and held up a bag. “Made you some soup.” The catcher placed the bag on your counter but raised his eyebrow at the many gifts. “Aren’t you a popular one.”
“Haha, a lot of our teammates came by.” You took a seat beside Kuramochi (who had already plugged in his PS3) after grabbing your blanket form your bed. Miyuki “hummed” and walked over to you and handed you the chicken soup in a bowl.
“I don’t get special treatment like this when I’m sick.” Kuramochi laughed as he clicked on a single player game, Ninja Gaiden 2, since you were eating.
“Maybe you’re not special enough." You teased and took a spoon of the delicious, hot, chicken soup.
“I would do something to you right now but you're sick.” Kuramochi sent you a playful glare while he pressed a few buttons on his black controller.
“Jealousy makes you even uglier Kuramochi, haha!”
“I’ll kick your ass later too.”
Miyuki and you laughed at the irritated gamer. You glanced over at the clock after finishing your meal to see it was 8:30 p.m.
I should go shower now.
You looked over at the two boys who were now playing Super Street Fight IV, then grabbed your bag.
“I’m going to head to the showers.”
You receive two short nods- they were too engrossed with the game. You laughed at the two of them and left your room. The shower was vacant, and for a second you felt weird for showering in the male’s washroom, especially since you had your period. Pushing those thoughts away, you let the hot water hit your lower aching back, your right arm and finally your stomach.
Ah, the water feels amazing.
After showering, you decided to pull on your underwear before wrapping your chest up- since you were bleeding. You glanced at the clock and saw it was 9:10 p.m.
I was in here for so long…
You shrugged and hummed happily at the feeling of freshness. In the midst of you pulling your sweat pants on-
“Haru, are you okay? You took too lon-“
The shower door slammed opened.
You whipped your head around to see Kuramochi staring at you wide eyed and gawking.
Oh sh*t!
You gasped, and covered your chest as your heart throbbed rapidly.
Kuramochi continued to stand there shocked, not knowing what to do. Soon, loud voices were heard coming near the showers and you started to panic again. The shortstop seemed to pick up the voices as well because he immediately slammed the shower door shut, and leaned against the door.
You bit your soft bottom lip, your heart was going crazy as you quickly started to bandage your chest with nervous fingers.
This is really bad.
You fretfully slipped on your sweater and quietly grabbed your bag. You stood in front of the shower door, and faintly saw Kuramochi’s body leaning against it. Hesitating, you knocked gently causing the shortstop to jump at the sudden noise. He removed himself from the door, allowing you to step outside.
The atmosphere was incredibly awkward.
Your heart was anxiously pounding in your chest and you didn’t know what to do. Chaos erupted inside of your mind; you felt hot and your head was spinning.
Swallowing the thick lump in your dry throat, you whispered, “Kuramochi…”
But, Kuramochi didn't turn around. Instead, he cleared his throat and began to walk away .
You felt as if your world was starting to crumble.
Despite that, you followed behind him silently. The walk was tense and no one said a word. To say the very least, you were surprised when he led you back to your dorm. He plopped himself in front of the TV again to continue playing his game quietly.
“Ah, so Skirt-chan didn’t die! Guess I owe you money Kuramochi." Miyuki turned and grinned up at your flustered face. "You took too long in the shower. We thought you blacked out or something.” He blinked and tilted his head to the side, and looked between you and Kuramochi, sensing something was wrong. “What? Did you catch him jacking off or something?”
Kuramochi visibly flinched.
“Haha! Good thing you went to find him then!”
You laughed nervously, sat down at your desk and began to read, Say I Love you.
This was going to be incredibly awkward.
After half an hour, the two clowns decided to call it a night. Miyuki joked about you traumatizing Kuramochi (who remained silent and avoided eye contact with you at all costs) before the two of them left to sleep.
Shaky hands combed through your silky hair.
I should talk to him.
It was 10:45 p.m when you mustered up the courage to message Kuramochi. But, your phone lit up before you could even send the message.
[Let’s talk. I’ll come to your dorm]
Your heart was racing at text from the shortstop.
[Ok]
The two minutes that you waited seemed like an eternity but as soon as you heard a soft knock on your door, you wished that time had stopped. You sighed and craned your door open slowly to see Kuramochi standing there with a hand on the back of his neck. He avoided your eyes and glanced to the side awkwardly.
“Hey.”
You bit your bottom lip but managed to reply to him. “Hey, come inside.”
Kuramochi nodded, stepped inside of your room and stood awkwardly beside your counter.
“You can sit, you know. You’re not a stranger.”
The boy shoved his hands in his pocket and stared down at the floor.
This is so awkward.
You mentally cursed while shifting your weight to one leg. A few seconds passed in silence before you decided to walk up in front of Kuramochi who was still quiet as a mouse.
“Kuramochi…listen.”
The boy grunted but refused to look at you in the eye still.
“I…I came here because I wanted to play baseball again but my school didn’t have an official team for girls. So, when the opportunity came up I took it. Although, it is a little weird." You let out a nervous laugh and scratched your cheek. “I want to go to nationals with you guys.” You bit your lip again and looked away for a second and whispered. “I love this team.”
“…”
“Kuramo-“
“I won’t tell, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
You nodded slowly and caught Kuramochi’s eye when he finally lifted his face to look at you. You blinked at his bright, red cheeks. He looked away shyly again before muttering something under his breathe.
“What? I can’t hear you?”
Kuramochi shifted his weight uncomfortably and grumbled again.
“Kuramochi, you need to speak up.”
“The dick jokes!”
You blinked, “Yeah, what about them?”
“Y-you! I…whatever.” He gave the back of his head a violent ruffle to try to calm down his embarrassment.
“Haha! I’ve never seen you so red before! Are you regretting teasing me about my non-existent dick now?”
Kuramochi sent you a small glare and flicked your forehead. You grinned despite rubbing your forehead from the pain- the mood was finally clearing up.
“Does anyone else know on the team?”
“I don’t think so.”
Although, an image of Ryosuke did flash in your mind.
If anything, he might know... I'll confront him after the finals.
Kuramochi nodded in understanding and finally took a seat on your bed.
“So… what’s your name?”
You smiled. “(Name).”
“…Wait, didn’t that guy in front of the washroom call you, (Name)?”
You nodded.
“Hyaha! So you’re the girl he knew!”
“Haha, yeah.”
“Actually, when I was coming back from the washroom, I saw you and a lady together. She called you, (Name).”
You thought back to your mother. “Ah, so that’s why you were looking at me like that. Makes sense.”
Kuramochi nodded then crossed his arms and gave you a sly smirk. “Hey, what do you know? I already had your number even before I asked for it!”
Your face lit up in flames as you subconsciously crossed your arms over your chest.
“Out of all people to find out, it just had to be you.”
Kuramochi remained silent for a few seconds until a co*cky grin appeared.
“I knew you would have a nice rack.”
SMACK!
“Lion-senpai, sit beside me!”
You glanced over at Sawamura who waved enthusiastically at you from his seat on the bus. Laughing at his eagerness, you decided to take a seat beside him .
“Alright, alright. Senpai will sit beside you today.” You ruffled his hair then leaned back in your seat to pull out your phone.
“Wahaha! Wait till Furuya sees this!” Sawamura grinned at you causing you to grin back.
“Where are your other two partners in crime?”
“Haruichi and Furuya are helping Leader-senpai carry somethings to the bus.”
“Ah, I see.” You smiled fondly before glancing down at your phone to see you received a few messages.
[Good luck sweetheart! Mom loves you a lot :)]
[GOOD LUCK SENPAI!!]
[Kick ass today, Ms. Eight ;)]
You hummed happily at the text messages.
“Lion-senpai.”
“Hm?” You turned to look at Sawamura who was clenching his fists.
“I…I want to win today and go to nationals.”
You laughed and ruffled Sawamura’s hair affectionately. “We’ll win, we will definitely win.”
The first year grinned ear to ear at your comment. “Right!”
The bus soon filled, and in no time you were all heading to your final game. As you stepped out, you stood staring up at the stadium with your heart pounding in your chest rapidly.
“Skirt-chan, hurry up.”
You grinned, and took a step forward to play the final game of the tournament.
