Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Ball four! This is the third walk in this inning alone!”

And there goes another one, Kousei lazily watches the bases fill up with his teammates, wondering for the nth time what happened to the monster pitcher. How did he go from eleven strikeouts to walking so many batters? Hell, how did Kousei himself manage a decent enough hit to actually bring home runners? He’s not a terrible batter, but he’s not exactly reliable at it either.

He’s just a little (a lot) disappointed in this pitcher’s duel, or lack of it.

“And this is where Seidou’s coaches finally make their move.”

When Kousei first heard they were going to play Seidou he couldn’t sleep with all the excitement. The chance to see those blazing pitches up close and see just how fearsome the monster ace of Seidou actually was gave him a thrill he hasn’t felt in baseball in a long time.

“We will now announce a player change for Seidou High.”

But the reality of Furuya Satoru is he’s like glass. When the light hits him just right, he shines bright, truly something to witness on the mound. But when he’s off his game, he’s cracked and dull, and Kousei can’t see the pitcher that captivated all of Japan during Senbatsu. If this is all Seidou’s ace really amounts to, then this game is as good as called. Kousei thinks he should be happy about that, but he just feels disappointed. This is why he left baseball in his first year, there were never any challenges. Maybe whoever wins the game after theirs will prove to be one for him at least.

“Furuya-kun is pulled. And replacing him is a pitcher, Sawamura-kun, who will bat eighth.”

Kousei stands up a little straighter, eyeing the new figure approaching the mound. He’s vaguely aware of his teammates giving him odd looks, but he can’t take his eyes off the suddenly loud boy that’s been subbed in. He isn't completely checked out of this game, plus he’s curious about the pitcher Seidou’s coach would dare throw into the game when there are bases loaded with Hoshida up to bat.

Sawamura huh… Kousei grips the railing in front of him tighter, leaning forward just a bit. When he can’t fully recall much about him other than being a southpaw, he briefly wishes he had paid better attention during the team meeting, but he can’t focus on that right now. Right now he’s watching this little upstart absolutely shut down Hoshida with his pitching, and wow, what is that form, how does it look from the batter’s box?

Kousei distantly hears that Hoshida strikes out, and Sasaki right after, but he’s more captivated by the pitcher who roars with each victory, who came in the worst case scenario and stopped their momentum cold. The pitcher who if he had been brought in an inning earlier Kousei can honestly say they wouldn’t have those five runs. All he can do is grab his cap and shake his head in disbelief as they switch sides, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to catch a glimpse of the boy’s face as he walks back to his own team’s dugout.

Kousei’s trying to calm himself as he reaches the mound when he hears him, loud and bright as he gets ready to bat. Kousei can’t help getting excited all over again at getting to face him so soon. He can see Takami gesturing for him to be calm, but he can’t help it! He’s about to face the pitcher that finally made this match interesting after that bland performance. Plus Kousei can’t wait to pay Sawamura back for that spectacle with his own pitching, the need for victory even stronger now that he’s found a worthy match.

And maybe Kousei wonders if the words wrapped around his left forearm could belong to Sawamura. It’s a brief, barely there thought, one Kousei doesn’t dwell on much right now during the game, but he can’t deny his curiosity. Kousei is finally brought out of his musings when Sawamura gets to the plate and immediately shows a bunting stance.

Well, okay then, Kousei’s honestly so confused he can barely even nod to Takami at his signs, already starting his windup. He has so many questions about this strategy until he sees Sawamura get out of the stance as soon as the ball leaves his fingers, and easily hits a double.

He can’t even hear the stands be more shocked than him as he can’t help thinking why wasn’t Sawamura the starter for this game? Actually forget starter, why isn’t that kid the ace of his team? Before Kousei can go deeper into that hole he hears Takami call for his attention again. Right, there’s still a game going on, whoops. Kousei shakes his head briefly and focuses on the next batter, another bunt. Kousei would laugh but he needs to focus or their lead will be gone, and interesting pitcher or not, he’s not losing this match.

They win the match.

Kousei’s proud of his team, they’ve all come far from their defeat in the fall, and if this was any other match he would be just as happy as the others. But he has this feeling, an itch under his skin, that if he doesn’t hurry and find Sawamura he’s going to miss his chance. So he rushes Sasaki who’s helping him ice his shoulder, packs his stuff fast, and books it out of the dugout. A few of his teammates follow him, clearly concerned for his weird behavior, but he doesn’t have time to explain. Kousei needs to find Sawamura, he has to.

He makes it to the main hallway at the same time as Sawamura, who looks a little startled at his appearance. He doesn’t say anything, but gives him a small curt bow before he turns to leave, and Kousei doesn’t even think, he just blurts out the first thing that comes to mind, anything to keep Sawamura in front of him.

“Hey, wait up! I’m so glad I ran into you here. There’s something I wanna ask. What was that pitch? A slider? A cutter? Our guy who got to see it from the box said that it was like the ball suddenly vanished. I wanted to see it from up close from the batter’s box, too, but you didn’t throw it to me. How do you throw it? What’s the grip for it?”

Okay, maybe he should have thought things out a bit more, but Sawamura’s eyes are a golden brown that are way more captivating up close than eighteen meters away at home plate. Also he’s cute, like, really cute, and Kousei’s always been weak to a cute face.

And that pitch has been on his mind since he saw it, but he vaguely recognizes that probably shouldn’t have been the first thing he said to the guy. Especially when his face seems to be flickering through a lot of emotions before settling on anger, but also how is Sawamura still so cute even when mad, Kousei wants to scream a bit.

“Excuse me, but! We have lost the game. There is nothing else for me to say.”

Kousei’s mind goes blank as he hears his soulmark words come from Sawamura. He honestly kind of wants to cry, he thought for a millisecond Sawamura could be his soulmate, but actual confirmation is making him too emotional. Though when he focuses on Sawamura again, he looks upset and Kousei just panics.

“Why not? This and that are two different things, we’re just discussing baseball right now, no!?” Kousei should really get to his actual point but his curiosity is winning out too much, the words just flowing out.

“Eh!?”

“As in a hearty pitcher-to-pitcher chat, no? So come on, teach me the grip,” Kousei’s going to look back on this and bash his head over his stupidity, but that’s a thought for future Kousei. Present Kousei apparently wants to piss off his very cute soulmate because his inner pitcher can’t shut up for two seconds.

“No friggin’ way!”

Sawamura looks a bit puffed up, almost like an angry cat. It's absolutely adorable to Kousei but before everything gets away from him, he finally manages to bring the conversation where he wanted it originally. “Why not!? And anyway, we might be sou-”

Sawamura gives Kousei the fiercest glare yet, shutting him up instantly. Before his thoughts can spiral over that reaction, Sawamura is speaking again.

“If I give you my line will you drop this for now? I really don’t want to talk right now.”

Kousei just nods and brings out his phone as Sawamura rattles off his line address to him. As soon as he has it saved he looks up to see Sawamura looking slightly nervous as he accepts the request on his own phone.

“Sawamura-”

“I’ll text you. When things are less crazy and everything, okay?”

“Yeah, works for me,” Kousei can only grin brightly at Sawamura who manages a small smile before he turns away to catch up with his own team.

Kousei can feel the questioning stares of the few teammates that are behind him, but he can’t bring himself to care, not when he found his soulmate and got Sawamura’s attention. It’s a chance and he’ll take it.

A faint ping gets Kousei’s attention as he’s doing homework, which he immediately ignores when he sees Sawamura is the one texting him. It’s been a little over a week since the spring semifinals and Kousei was only panicking a little. He’s been fidgety during practice and he knows he bombed his history quiz because he wasn’t able to concentrate at all that day. But he knows if he reached out first, he’ll probably scare Sawamura away, and he doesn’t want to screw this up before it even starts.

He has thought briefly that even though Sawamura said his words, maybe Kousei hadn’t said his own and now he’s just trying to figure out how to let him down gently. But Kousei was watching Sawamura very closely (again, super cute, sue him), he’s almost one hundred percent sure he saw recognition in his eyes. Kousei’s also considered that maybe he wants to be this sure because he was captivated by Sawamura’s pitching, but he’s seen other great pitchers, hell they played against Narumiya Mei in the finals, and he’s never felt this enamored on that alone.

Because he is, he is utterly enchanted by everything he’s seen so far of Sawamura Eijun.

So maybe he’s really hoping to be right, but he’s never wanted to be right about something as badly as wants to be right about this. And if he’s wrong, well… he doesn’t want to even consider it at the moment, so he looks at Sawamura’s message.

Sawamura: Are you free this sunday?

Kousei’s brow raises a bit at the simple but blunt message before replying.

Me: I have morning practice, but I’m free the rest of the afternoon, why?

Sawamura: We have the day off so I figured I would ask so we could maybe meet up.

Sawamura: And talk.

Me: Got a place in mind?

Sawamura: There’s a cafe a few blocks from Seidou, I can send you the address. What time works for you?

Me: Hmm. Practice ends around 11, but then we have a team meeting and I’d have to clean up. How about 1?

Sawamura: That works for me. I’ll see you there.

Kousei hums as the address for the cafe comes through next, and he can’t stop the smile forming on his face. Forget homework, his concentration is shot, the only thing running through his mind being able to see Sawamura again so soon. He scrolls back up to reread the conversation, his smiling widening as he does. When he gets to the end again, he lets out a little laugh, putting his phone down on his desk. Kousei gets up and almost skips to his closet to see what he can wear on sunday. He might as well do something productive if he isn’t going to finish his homework tonight.

Sunday starts with an average practice, but many silent questioning stares from his teammates since Kousei is incapable of being still for any of it. He’s glad they and the coach don’t ask though, he’s not quite sure how he would answer them. Kousei could just lie or say it’s none of their business, but he’s finally on a good page with the team and he would rather not cause tension. But he also doesn’t know how to fully explain his nerves and excitement over getting to finally sit down with his maybe soulmate, so he’s ultimately glad no one asks. Maybe after he confirms everything with Sawamura, he’ll tell them what’s going on, but he’s also glad to just have this to himself for a bit.

As soon as Kousei is free from the meeting after practice, something about their practice games schedule, he bolts to the showers. It’s one of the few times he’s thankful he shaves his head now, even if he does sometimes miss having hair to style. Once he’s done and changed into his clothes, he checks the time to see he has plenty of time to make it to the cafe.

He debates stopping to get some flowers on the way there, but decides against it. Kousei’s done the dating thing before and while part of him screams to try being romantic for what could be a date (he wishes), a stronger part remembers how nervous Sawamura was when they exchanged line addresses. So maybe he wants to get his possible soulmate some flowers, but he wants Sawamura to be comfortable, especially if they really are soulmates. As cliché as it sounds to even himself, Kousei wants to do this right.

That doesn’t mean he isn’t going to offer to pay for lunch though. He may not be doing grand gestures yet, but romance isn’t completely off the table.

Kousei finds the cafe easily despite it being fairly tucked away from the main road. It's a cute little worn brick building that seems to invite those that want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. When he steps inside, he sees how cozy the cafe really is with warm lighting and big soft looking chairs and couches surrounding tables in a haphazard way. There are books everywhere, on shelves, tables, even a few empty chairs.

It looks like an escape, and Kousei wonders briefly what Sawamura is escaping when he comes here after he spots him curled up in an armchair towards the back, mug in hand as he looks out the window. He has a small frown on his face, but doesn't seem upset so Kousei goes to get a drink himself. With his own mug in hand, he takes a deep breath and approaches Sawamura.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Sawamura jerks his head up and blinks his big, brown eyes up at Kousei and he fights the urge to coo at the image. Seriously, how is he so cute, Kousei may not survive at this rate.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Have you been waiting long?"

"No! Just for a few minutes."

"That's good," Kousei says as he sits in the chair opposite Sawamura, and wow is it soft, he could sit here all day.

"Was it hard finding the place?"

"Nah, I'm pretty good at following directions when I pay attention."

"Do you usually not?" Sawamura lets out a small chuckle.

"I'm usually in no rush to be places, but today was kind of an exception."

"I see."

The two stare at each other when Sawamura finishes, both seemingly wanting to address the elephant in the room, but with no clear way how. Kousei sees Sawamura start to fidget with his mug and decides to be brave.

"I’m pretty sure you're my soulmate!"

Okay, maybe not that brave, Kousei really needs to start thinking things through more. Oh well, might as well keep going at this rate, he already brought up the elephant.

"I mean, I'm like 95% sure that you are, but there's only so much I can confirm on my own you know so, here I am."

Sawamura is staring wide eyed at Kousei, and he's starting to get a little concerned at the silence considering how loud he knows the other boy can be. He takes a sip of his drink, it looks like tea to Kousei which he didn't expect, and a deep breath before he finally speaks.

"Well I'm about 95% sure you're my soulmate too, so I guess we're at least on the same page." Sawamura gives one of his small smiles, and even though Kousei has come to enjoy the grins he saw during the game, he feels very warm at these ones, like they're something special just for him. But maybe he's just reading too much into it for now, though that doesn't stop him from blurting out how cute it makes Sawamura look.

“You can’t just say stuff like that,” Sawamura exclaims, looking incredibly flustered, red to his ears.

“Why not, it’s the truth," Kousei can't help but grin at this response, the dark blush complimenting Sawamura's eyes perfectly.

“You-! A-anyway, um, is your mark anywhere easy to see? So I can check?” Sawamura’s blush somehow gets even redder as he stutters through his questions, and Kousei has to stop himself from trying to see how red he can make him.

“It’s on my left forearm, so easy enough to show you. Where’s yours?”

“It’s here, on my right one,” he says as he taps on his own forearm through his sweater. Kousei briefly thinks it’s kind of romantic that their marks are on each other’s pitching arms, as if to mirror each other.

“Should I go first then,” Kousei asks but he’s already sliding his jacket sleeve up to show his words to Sawamura, who leans forward a bit to see them more clearly.

Excuse me, but! We have lost the game. There is nothing else for me to say.

Sawamura’s brow furrows a bit, but he confirms it’s his handwriting while he brings his own arm forward and yanks his own sleeve up. Kousei leans forward to see it better.

Hey, wait up! I’m so glad I ran into you here. There’s something I wanna ask. What was that pitch? A slider? A cutter? Our guy who got to see it from the box said that it was like the ball suddenly vanished. I wanted to see it from up close from the batter’s box, too, but you didn’t throw it to me. How do you throw it? What’s the grip for it?

Kousei’s pretty sure he stopped breathing for a second, until he finds his voice to confirm it for Sawamura. “Yeah, that, that’s my handwriting. Sorry for such a long mark.”

“It’s fine. People just assumed my soulmate would be as much of a chatterbox as me, which I guess they weren’t wrong. But we should talk. About that. About being, you know. Soulmates.” Sawamura turns his head back to the window but glances at Kousei as if to gauge his reaction.

“Way to sound enthusiastic," Kousei can't help snarking back, Sawamura is back to fidgeting and it's driving him a little mad.

“No! No, it’s just-”

“It’s fine Sawamura." And it is, really. Kousei knows the reputation he has in the baseball circuit and they didn't exactly meet in the best of circumstances.

“No, I didn’t expect this, finding my soulmate, until like, later. Not...not now." Sawamura turns back to Kousei leaning forward a bit in his seat, though he's mainly eyeing his mug in his hands.

“...you never thought it could happen, considering what your mark says?” Kousei doesn't mean for that to come out as fragile as it does, but he’s suddenly scared that Sawamura may not want anything to do with soulmates.

“Sometimes. For the longest time I didn’t even know what pitch it was referring to so it never really crossed my mind. Then with all the time I spent trying to improve my pitching, when I did figure out what pitch it was, I was trying desperately to master it for games. And then I was just focused on making sure our team didn’t lose our games, so not much time for thinking of anything else.”

“And after our game?”

“...the game was kind of a mess and I was trying to work through some stuff. And then we lost and I didn’t really want to talk to anyone, let alone the pitcher from the team that beat us.” Sawamura looks up at Kousei then, with a sort of pleading look, as if to will him to understand the feelings of frustration when you lose a game.

The Yakushi game in the fall flash in Kousei's mind and, yeah, he can understand too easily how it feels after a loss. Kousei feels a bit bad now that he went after Sawamura as hard as he did but he's not going to apologize for wanting to meet such an interesting pitcher. And he’d argue it had the best results possible so he’s really not sorry.

“I’m not going to apologize for winning.”

“I’m not asking you to! I just, it was a hard loss, it wasn’t against you personally or anything.”

“Well that’s good, I was really hoping you wouldn’t be mad at me for that. I kind of like winning, plan to do it again in the summer, so it’d be kind of awkward." Kousei gives a lazy grin, trying to bring it back to less tension filled territory. Maybe one day they can discuss those games and losses, but not for their first meetup.

“I think this is gonna be awkward no matter how we do this.”

“We?” Kousei tries really hard not to let too much hope slip through his voice, but he definitely fails if Sawamura's adorable small smile is any indication.

“Well yeah, we are soulmates! I do wanna get to know you-”

“Really!?” Screw hiding his hope, Kousei could happily dance across the cafe at this point.

“Of course I do! It’s been my dream to find my soulmate!” Sawamura stares him straight in the eye, and Kousei feels captivated for the first time all over again.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, I just, you’re a rival pitcher, and I really want to take my team to koshien, but I know you do too! And it just feels weird, but I wanna try anyway because I’ve dreamed about the day I would meet my soulmate since I knew what they were! I just hoped it would be more romantic than in a sweaty hallway.” Sawamura looks away briefly while rubbing the back of his neck before bringing his attention back to Kousei.

“I’d say sorry, but I had to meet you as soon as possible! Especially after your pitching, and by the way, wow, your pitching, but I had to meet you. And I just… I had this feeling after the game that if I didn’t talk to you then, I wouldn’t get my chance again for a long time. Maybe it was the mark trying to get me to you, or something like that, but I had to make sure you wouldn’t slip away.” Kousei usually has no filter when he speaks, he's very aware of himself, but something about those big brown eyes makes him want to spill every thought he’s ever had.

“Oh. Um, that’s actually pretty romantic.” Sawamura's blush is starting to creep down his neck, Kousei can't help but track it before grinning back at Sawamura. It seems romantic gestures would be very welcome then, good to know.

“I know right?”

“Ugh, don't ruin it," Sawamura groans but there's a smile playing on his lips and it somehow feels like a sweeter victory than the semifinal game they played almost two weeks ago.

"So how do you want to do this? We can go at whatever pace you're comfortable with."

"...have you ever dated anyone?"

"I had a girlfriend for some months before, she was nice, but we both knew it was mainly for fun, nothing lasting."

"I see."

"Does that bother you?"

"No! It's just, I've never dated. Anyone, ever. So I'm just nervous how to go about...any of this." Sawamura is back to fidgeting with his mug, taking a sip of his tea as if to relax himself. Kousei smiles gently at the sight.

"Then how about we try being friends first? Just get to know each other with no pressure. Like I said, we can go at whatever pace you are comfortable with."

Sawamura stops moving and looks at Kousei with wonder and a little relief. "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have made the offer if I wasn't sure. Though just warning you I'm probably still going to flirt with you, you're absolutely adorable and it would be a crime not to tell you," Kousei can't help being cheeky, and the bright red blush that returns with a vengence is worth all the sputtering he gets as a reply.

They're strolling down the sidewalk back to Seido, something Kousei insisted on after Sawamura refused to let him pay for his snacks. He's going to woo his soulmate, even if it has to be in the small subtle gestures for now.

They hit a lapse of quiet as they reach the gates of the school, Kousei reluctant to say goodbye just yet, and Sawamura seeming to feel the same, at least he hopes. Kousei is ready to break the silence himself when Sawamura beats him to it.

"Thank you, for being understanding about everything! And I had a good time too, it was nice, spending time with you." And there's that damn smile, Kousei's heart can't take much more, he might actually die from overexposure to cuteness. Not the worst way to go at least.

"I had a good time too. I hope we can do it again sometime soon? When we're both not busy with baseball of course, we both still have to keep up training."

"I'll let you know when my next free day is," Sawamura smiles a little wider as he says it and Kousei just feels giddy.

And very brave so he quickly takes Sawamura's hand, his left hand, and places a gentle kiss on it, before looking back up at Sawamura's stunned red face with his own small smile.

"I look forward to it."

By the time Kousei hears Sawamura recovered enough to yell over what just happened, he's already skipping a block away.

Chapter Text

“Congratulations on your win Sawamura! I read you pitched a shutout game all on your own, and against Hakuryuu!” Eijun can hear the genuine praise in Amahisa’s voice through the phone clearly, and he’s glad he’s alone in his room as he feels the blush rise on his cheeks.

“Heh, thanks Amahisa-senpai, I did do pretty good!” He can’t help the smile that comes to his face, Eijun has always been weak to praise and praise from his soulmate feels just a little extra special, not that he’ll tell Amahisa that anytime soon.

“Pretty good is an understatement, you held one of the best running teams scoreless! You should be really proud!” There’s a warmth there that Eijun can just feel, even through the tiny speaker. His blush deepens just a bit more.

“Ah, well, I did let quite a few of them make it to third, the fielders really saved me a lot. I could do better.”

“Sawamura...”

“But I’m going to get better! I still have plenty to improve on before the summer, but I’m ready for it.” And that’s the truth. Eijun has been fighting all this time to get better and he’s finally showing results, he knows that, but he can, and will, get even better. Because he has his goal of being the ace, that has never gone away, but it’s deeper than that now. He doesn’t want to let this team down, the one he’s grown with for a year now. It’s a depth he was missing in his first year, that extra connection that helped drive him forward even more.

And Eijun can admit, only to himself for now, that having his soulmate be his own school’s ace is extra motivation.

“Good, I want the next time we play each other to be even better than the first.”

“Wahaha! Then just you wait senpai, I’ll get so good that I’ll even snatch the ace number!”

“Then I’ll definitely look forward to seeing that '1' on your back.”

Eijun’s face feels like it’s on fire, but he’s grinning. It’s nice to hear someone believe in him so completely, to have that unwavering belief that he can actually do this. He knows his teammates support him, he knows they think he’s a good pitcher. It’s hard to believe sometimes that they do, but he feels it in every call out on the field, every pop fly and grounder being caught, and even in every kick from Kuramochi to get his mind back in gear.

But he doesn’t want to impress them as much as his soulmate. His soulmate who as soon as he saw Eijun pitch, he had to meet him, because he was so amazed in that moment. It made Eijun feel a little bad that he didn’t have a similar reaction, though he did think Amahisa’s pitching was incredible. He was just a little distracted by Furuya losing his momentum, because he knows Furuya can do better, they wouldn’t be rivals otherwise.

So he wants to keep impressing Amahisa, wants to keep giving him reasons to watch him. Eijun knows they’re soulmates, they already have the beginnings of a bond, but he wants them to have more than that. Eijun wants Amahisa to look at him and see him, fully, and for now that’s with his pitching.

“Thank you Amahisa-senpai, that means a lot coming from you,” Eijun says, hoping Amahisa can hear the gratitude he feels. He knows he’s been distant with Amahisa, but he just doesn’t know how to do any of this. Add in the stress of being on separate teams both aiming to win the summer tournament and Eijun just doesn’t know how to go about whatever they are. He’s going to keep trying though.

They wrap up their phone call, but not before Amahisa sprinkles in more compliments about his pitching and general flirting, leaving Eijun a blushing mess. When he finally hangs up, Eijun grabs the pillow off his bed and screams into it. He pulls it away with a small giddy smile, very glad Kuramochi and Asada are still out. He’s not really hiding Amahisa from his team, just a little cautious to tell them anything this early. Eijun will eventually tell them, but for now this feeling is just for him to enjoy.

Eijun is so late and he knows it, but he keeps sprinting to the park just ahead, on the look out for Amahisa. He turns the final corner to see Amahisa browsing his phone as he leans against the gate. As if sensing his approach, Amahisa glances up and sees him, face brightening immediately. Eijun is very glad for the heat on his face from running, knowing he probably turned a shade pinker at that smile.

“Sawamura, you made it!” Amahisa pockets his phone, turning to Eijun fully as he finally reaches him. He hunches over a bit to catch his breath, but still manages to beam at Amahisa.

“Sorry I’m late! Boss really put us pitchers through the ringer for fielding today.”

“It’s fine Sawamura, but are you okay after running all the way here?” Amahisa looks a bit worried, and maybe a little quilty, and Eijun can’t have that.

“It’s fine, a little bit of running can’t bring this Sawamura Eijun down!” Eijun stands up straight while jabbing his thumb to himself and grins, causing Amahisa to snort a bit at his theatrics. He’s secretly proud he made him laugh, Amahisa always looks best to him when he smiles. “So what’s happening today that you wanted to come here?”

Amahisa seems to glow a bit with how much wider his smile gets as he grabs Eijun’s hand, pulling him through the gate. Eijun immediately feels more heat creeping up his face at the gesture, but doesn’t pull away, letting himself be pulled along through the crowd steadily getting thicker.

“It’s an indie music festival, so it’s a lot of different genres, and even a few international booths! There’s a few performers throughout the day, but there's also game booths and food stalls around. I know you aren’t as into music as I am but I thought it would be fun to just look around and listen. But if you get bored we can totally leave𑁋” Amahisa keeps rambling and gesturing with his unoccupied hand, and Eijun just feels fondness well up for this absolute dork.

Moving his hand to lace their fingers more securely, Eijun speaks up before Amahisa can talk himself into an even deeper spiral. “That sounds like a lot of fun, though if there are games, there better be prizes too!”

Amahisa stops, his own face going a bit pink as his eyes stray to their clasped hands briefly before meeting Eijun’s eyes again, a grin growing back on his face.

“I’m going to win you a bunch then.”

“What if I want to win you a few?” Eijun doesn’t know where this boldness comes from but it’s worth it to see Amahisa get even pinker, and a bit bashful, at his words.

“I want a big one then, one of the biggest they have here!” It sounds like a challenge, the mischievous light in Amahisa’s eyes proving it is one, but Eijun has never backed away from anything in his life, he isn’t going to start now.

“Deal!”

Eijun manages to win three prizes compared to Amahisa’s five, but one of them is the second biggest one they can find in the festival, the first being won by the father who played before them for his daughter. It took too many tries and that last one was all luck, but the smile on Amahisa’s face as he hugs it close makes his crying wallet worth it.

“You’re really not going to the Tokyo Senbatsu?”

Eijun is trying to reorganize his bookshelf since he has the dorm to himself while he has Amahisa on speakerphone. It’s not even because he’s still sort of not ready to tell anyone about Amahisa, though that does factor a bit. But no, his process when he reorganizes is just so chaotic, it’s gotten on Kuramochi’s nerves plenty of times before and would probably terrify poor Asada, so he’s doing it now, and decided to kill two birds with one stone while he’s at it.

“Hm, no. I’m close to figuring out this new pitch and I think going would just get in the way of that. Coach agreed so Hoshida is going instead. He’s definitely a better choice anyway, though it was cool to be invited!”

“Huh, I guess that makes sense. I know everyone’s a bit worried about Miyuki-senpai going since he’s our captain, but I think Kuramochi-senpai and Zono-senpai have it covered. And wait, what’s this about a new pitch?” Eijun puts down a manga he was holding and turns toward his phone as if to will Amahisa to answer faster.

“Haha, nope! You’ll have to find out when everyone else does, but when I finally get it down, I may give you a hint,” Amahisa replies, sounding very smug, and Eijun wants to bristle a bit on instinct, but lets it go for now. Amahisa can be pretty stubborn about some things, one of those being surprises, so Eijun will just have to wait for when he gets his hint.

“So besides this elusive new pitch, are your practices still going well?”

“Yeah, but man do I hate fielding practice, it’s such a pain! I’d rather be working on my pitches instead.”

Eijun can sympathize, probably any pitcher ever can, but he can hear the determination mixed with the exasperation in Amahisa’s voice. It makes him want to practice more himself, but it’s one of Eijun’s no throw days and he’s trying to be better about actually resting on those days. Plus getting up to do some light training right now means being done talking to Amahisa, and he’s not quite ready to hang up just yet.

“Oh yeah, I know we both have practice games this weekend, but do you want to meet up monday after school at the cafe?”

“Sorry senpai I can’t, I have a test on tuesday and Kanemaru actually agreed to help me and Furuya study.” Eijun was genuinely sad to miss a meetup, it had been a while since they had seen each other in person, but if he didn’t pass Boss was going to have his head.

“Damn. Oh well, we can try for another day then.”

“Yeah, Boss is a real stickler for grades and I’m barely passing in some of my classes.”

“You don’t have to explain Sawamura, I get it.” Eijun can hear the understanding and his shoulders slump in relief. He didn’t think Amahisa would get mad, but he feels bad cancelling a meetup, especially when their chances to do so are only going to dwindle as the summer tournament starts.

And Eijun can admit he misses seeing his soulmate.

“...Thanks Amahisa-senpai.”

“You don’t have to thank me Sawamura, we both knew we were going to be busy. As long as we can still text and talk like this, I’m fine. Plus it makes the times I see you even sweeter!” The tease comes through loud and clear, causing Eijun to drop his head into his hands with a flustered groan. He can hear Amahisa chuckling through the speaker and despite his embarrassment, Eijun still loves making him laugh.

“You’re absolutely shameless you know that!?”

“Haha, hard not to be with a soulmate as cute as you!” There’s sincerity in Amahisa’s laughter, but Eijun never was good with genuine compliments about himself, so he just buries his head even more into his hands as he whines at the teasing. Amahisa coos at him, making Eijun blush even harder, before trying to placate him. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop. Mainly because I can’t see the adorable blush I know you’re sporting𑁋”

“Amahisa-senpai!”

“Alright, alright, I’m done, for real this time. How about I play that new album I got? You said you were interested in listening to it.”

“Hmpf, I’ll take it as your apology for making me a lobster,” Eijun says as he pouts at his phone, getting back to sorting his bookshelf. He only has a few left at this point.

“Aww, but you’re such a cute lobster.”

“SENPAI!”

It’s too hot, Eijun thinks as he helps Okumura off the field after he nearly passed out from the sun. He’s usually not as affected by the heat as others, but with everyone packed together like sardines and a semi conscious kouhai to get to the shade, he’s not exactly comfortable. Eijun is beyond happy to see that the spot the team picked to camp out while waiting for the coaches to be done with interviews is mostly in the shade.

Once he drops Okumura down gently and gets him some water, he joins Haruichi and Furuya when he hears a shout. Turning around he sees Yakushi’s team and suddenly a blur as Raichi runs at him to look at his jersey while laughing in glee.

"Kahaha! It’s ‘1’! Sawamura got the ‘1’! You got even awesomer then? Can’t wait, just can’t wait!" Raichi has a manic smile, but Eijun can tell he’s just excited to possibly play them. After the fall tournament, he had decided to actually talk to the monster batter and found out how shy he actually was. It made him a little less scary to face in games, but only just. Raichi was still an insanely great batter no matter how shy he really was.

“Oi Raichi, don’t circle him!” Turning his head, Eijun can see Sanada move away from Furuya with an exasperated but fond smile at Raichi’s actions. Once he reached them, Sanada laid a calming hand on Raichi’s shoulder before giving Eijun a wider grin. “Hey Sawamura, I know you said you were doing good in your practice matches, but wow! Congrats on getting the ace number!”

Eijun can’t help but feel a little bashful at those words, he’s always admired Sanada’s pitching since the last summer tournament. His bearing as his team’s ace had partially inspired how Eijun himself felt he needed to be now that he wore the ace number. His teammates have teased him plenty over his slight hero worship over the other pitcher, but it did motivate him to finally approach Sanada after the fall tournament final. He’s had a lot of fun getting to know Sanada, and Raichi, and he briefly feels bad that they haven’t gotten to spend much time together recently. Part of him knows it’s because he’s been spending as much as his free time with his soulmate as he can, and while he doesn’t regret that decision, Eijun resolves to be better about saving some time for his friends too.

Plus seeing Sanada and Raichi’s genuine excitement for him becoming the ace, as both friends and rivals, fills him with a lot of grateful warmth for their friendship.

“Thanks Sanada-senpai𑁋”

“Hey! Sawamura!”

Eijun knows that loud voice, turning immediately to see Amahisa running through the crowd and waving at him to get his attention. He can feel his cheeks start to heat a bit at the attention, and the slight questioning glance from Sanada, but the joy of actually seeing Amahisa in person quickly outweighs that.

“I see you’re wearing ‘1’ on your back! Why didn’t you tell me!?” Amahisa looks only a little hurt under the huge grin he’s wearing once he gets to their small group. Eijun has to take a moment to take him in before he can reply, it’s only been a few weeks, but he really missed Amahisa.

“Wahaha! I wanted it to be a surprise!”

“Well I definitely am, congratulations!”

Amahisa throws his arm around Eijun’s shoulders as he beams at him, and oh no this isn’t good for his heart. That smile this close is too bright and his brain is short circuiting being pressed against Amahisa’s side. They’ve held hands plenty, and hugged a few times, but those were always brief. This is prolonged contact against his very muscular soulmate and he just knows he’s pink in the face.

He can also see Sanada slightly tilt his head giving them an appraising look, an almost knowing glint in his eyes. Eijun just knows he’ll get a few texts later from the other ace, but at least he isn’t asking right this second. Eijun can’t handle thinking of much else from his position other than how not to embarrass himself in front of their teams.

Eijun is thankfully saved by Raichi shouting how Yakushi will beat all of them and then Inashiro in the finals to win the tournament, which prompts everyone else to yell about their own assured victories. Eijun uses the distraction to drag Amahisa away to a more private spot, leaving the chaos behind.

Once Eijun finds a secluded area by the stairs, he practically shoves Amahisa against the wall. But then he’s stuck staring up at a wide eyed Amahisa, whose blush probably matches his own, and Eijun doesn’t know what to do next. He mainly wanted to get them away from everyone before he did something stupid in his flustered state, but now they’re just staring at each other waiting for the other to do something.

“I’m sorry, I just, I wanted to talk to you alone, so I figured I would get us out fast, but I guess I was too rough and oh my god is your back okay, I didn't think I pushed you that hard,” Eijun says, apparently the brave one today. Though now he can’t stop talking and he really wishes he could so he can go die under a rock now. His hands progressively hold onto the front of Amahisa’s uniform tighter until he feels hands prying them off. Eijun is about to yank them back to his sides when Amahisa threads their fingers together and holds them to his chest. His rambling is stopped cold as he glances at their hands before he looks back to see Amahisa gazing at him fondly, pink still on his cheeks but not as vivid as before.

“It’s fine Sawamura, I was just surprised. Usually I’m the one to initiate things so when you manhandled me into a wall, I didn’t know what to expect,” Amahisa says smiling gently, as if to convey it’s really okay and that Eijun can relax now, which he does, now that he knows he didn’t accidentally hurt him. Eijun leans forward a bit to rest his head against Amahisa’s shoulder as he sighs his relief. “Plus it was kind of hot to see you take charge like that, so I wanted to see where it went.”

Eijun jerked his head up, his face flaming at those words, to see Amahisa grinning unapologetically. “Oh my god, you can’t just say stuff like that! I’m going to die at this rate, are you trying to kill me!?”

Amahisa throws his head back, letting go of his hands to give a full bellied laugh as Eijun keeps screeching at him to think of his poor heart, hands back to clawing into his shirt. This goes on for a bit until Amahisa brings his arms around Eijun, cutting his rant off, to hug him closer. Eijun goes still, his hands letting go of the shirt in his shock.

“Sorry, sorry. I can’t help it! You make it too easy to tease.”

Eijun shoves his head down to Amahisa’s shoulder, hiding his face as he whines how unfair it is. He can feel Amahisa chuckle at his behavior, which reminds him of their position causing his blush to reach his neck with how intense it’s become. Eijun’s about to move away when Amahisa starts speaking.

“That was a great surprise by the way, finding out you got the ace number. The ‘1’ fits you well.” He pulls back a bit, so now Eijun can see his face, while still holding him close. Eijun is struck by the warmth he can see in Amahisa’s eyes and he can’t help but melt a little bit as he gives a small smile back.

“Thank you Amahisa-senpai.”

“Kousei.”

“What?” Eijun startles a bit, but Amahisa just holds him a bit closer, never breaking eye contact. There’s nervousness in his gaze, but mostly determination.

“Call me Kousei, I want you to.”

“K-Kousei-senpai,” Eijun stammers it out, blushing back in full force.

“Drop the senpai?” Amahisa is full-on pouting and Eijun is going to die.

“No. Not right now at least!” Eijun hurriedly tacks on the last part when he sees Amahisa’s face start to fall a bit. He doesn’t want to be difficult, his inner romantic’s heart just isn’t ready for that yet. He starts to fidget a bit as he continues on. “Also you can call me Eijun, but only in private for now okay? I haven’t told anyone yet that we're soulmates, not that I’m ashamed because I’m not! I just know my team is gonna explode when they find out and then the teasing will never stop.”

“Hahaha, it’s fine, I haven’t told my team either. We can tell them when you’re ready. Plus I kind of like having you all to myself for now! Though I did tell my parents, they’re happy for me, can’t wait to meet you soon hopefully.”

“Mine are excited to meet you one day too, they were beyond happy when I told them.” Eijun briefly recalls the screams through the phone at the news, his parents yelling their congratulations as if that would make their excitement reach Eijun more. Coming back to the present, Eijun looks at Amahisa when he realizes he hasn’t said anything else.

Amahisa’s face is very pink, not quite the red Eijun is sporting himself, but it’s getting there. He’s grinning though, clearly happy at the unspoken promise of the future where they meet each other’s families. Eijun feels warm and a little too full at the moment, so he moves closer to Amahisa to lay his head on his shoulder again. He can feel arms settle around his waist to better accommodate the new position as Amahisa leans back against the wall. It’s peaceful, the two just leaning there as the far away chatter from the other teams washes over them.

“I can’t wait to meet them.”

“Heh, I’ll probably be a nervous wreck for yours, but me too.”

“My parents will love you.”

“And so will mine. Though warning you now that my gramps is a little insane.”

Amahisa snorts at that, his arms tightening around him more as his head nestles against Eijun’s mop of hair. Eijun feels a little too warm with the hug in this heat, but he’s too content to move away.

“...we’re going to have to head back soon you know.”

“Just a little longer Eijun.”

“Okay, Kousei-senpai.”

They stay in their little bubble for a while, only separating and leaving once they hear their teammates calling for them.

Chapter Text

“Hey,” Eijun’s voice cracks as he answers the phone, Kousei can’t help wincing when he hears it. He clutches his phone harder, wishing he was there to hold him instead.

“Hey, I read about your first game. How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine, just… disappointed in myself.”

“...Do you want to talk about it?” Kousei genuinely wants Eijun to talk if it’ll make him feel better, but he can admit to himself he’s a little out of his depth here. While he’s pretty open about how he feels and thinks, he’s not exactly the best at listening. He’s very aware it can be a problem, but he’s going to try, for Eijun.

Kousei realized a while back that he’s willing to try a lot to make Eijun happy.

“I just know I can do better! I know I was too keyed up from my nerves, and I didn’t really sleep well last night either. Okumura made me talk about it after the game, it really helped.”

“He’s one of your first year catchers right? Is he the wolf boy or young hercules?” Kousei’s not jealous that a baby catcher was able to help his soulmate. Not at all. That would be petty.

“The wolf boy, but he’s kind of like a husky these days! Though he told Miyuki-senpai he wanted to take his spot as a starter! The guts on that kid, it’s insane! But since then Cap’s been pushing us even more to be a good battery. He really wants Furuya and I to get used to pitching to him and Yui for the fall.”

“The fall!? Isn’t that too far ahead to be thinking right now?”

“Not for Miyuki-senpai, he’s been thinking this way since the spring! He really wants to make sure that when he retires the team will be fine. He can be a bastard at times, but he’s actually a great captain. Well, when he actually acts like it!” Kousei can hear some more grumbling from Eijun about how Miyuki should still act more captain-like, but he’s still baffled by Miyuki’s foresight and a little steamed at the grudging respect he can hear in Eijun’s voice.

He isn’t jealous. He’s not.

“That’s actually really smart to think about, I guess, it just seems a bit...extra.”

“Wait a second… are you jealous!?” Kousei’s silence speaks even louder than any denial he could utter. “Oh my god, you are!”

Eijun sounds almost gleeful as he says it. He can easily picture his grin on the other side of the phone as he speaks, and Kousei doesn't know if he should be glad that Eijun sounds happy now or indignant it’s at his expense.

“Well what if I am? You’ve just been gushing over your catchers,” Kousei huffs, and he’s a little ashamed to be this riled up over this, but Eijun is his soulmate. He wants his attention all the time, even if that isn’t possible considering they have their own lives, but it creeps up on him sometimes, how much he likes Eijun.

How he could easily love him.

That’s not how soulmates work though, there isn’t some cosmic rule that soulmates have to be together. Plenty of them do enter romantic relationships, but there are also many that keep it platonic. Soulmates are simply people that are compatible with you, that you could be happy with, however you choose to be.

But Kousei’s a romantic, almost as much as Eijun. He’s always wanted to fall in love with his soulmate after growing up hearing all those soulmate fairy tales as a kid. His parents being soulmates and still happy years later also adds to that wish.

He wants that, all of it, but he won’t push Eijun to love him, he meant it when he said they could just be friends. It would kill him a little inside if they were always just friends, but having Eijun in his life would be more important than anything.

After all, once you’ve felt the sun, you can’t go without it.

“Well, if you are jealous, I’d say you’re being dumb.” Kousei makes a sound of protest before Eijun continues louder to be heard. “You are! I may gush about my catchers, but it’s only as that, them being catchers. Kousei-senpai, I didn’t have a really good catcher until I got to Seidou! Now I have so many, of course I’m going to gush about them! But if it bothers you I can tone it down a bit.”

“No, no, you’ve told me how happy you are to be at Seidou with great players, I’m just being dumb like you said. I’ll be fine.” He tries to inject as much cheer into his voice as he can so Eijun doesn’t worry. He is being dumb about this, he knows Eijun cares about him, even if it might not be exactly how he hopes it can be.

“....Hey Kousei-senpai, can we switch to video call?”

“Um, I’m fine, really Eijun, you don’t have to𑁋”

“Please?”

Kousei’s still panicking but the slight pleading edge in Eijun’s voice makes him cave. No matter his insecurities, he wants to make sure he’ll be okay. Plus this call was supposed to cheer Eijun up from his ace debut match, if he makes him sad over another issue Kousei would never forgive himself.

“Okay.”

They both switch to using their cameras, and Kousei is immediately greeted by Eijun’s blushing face. It’s not quite lobster level (his favorite) but it’s getting there the longer they stare at each other through their phones. Kousei’s about to break the silence himself when Eijun just starts talking, like a dam has been broken.

“I really like you Kousei-senpai! Like, a lot, romantically, like a really stupid big amount!”

“Wait, wha𑁋”

“So you don’t need to be jealous of the catchers on my team or anyone else I might talk about! I admire a lot of players, but I only like you! So don’t be sad Kousei-senpai okay?” Eijun was finally at lobster red, his blush reaching down his neck and to his ears. He was almost glowing with how red he was. Kousei would usually have cooed at how cute it made him, but he was still processing the words yelled at him.

“You, you actually, like me?” He was grinning, he could feel it, and he had no desire to hide it. Especially when Eijun gave his adorable little smile, fondness clear in his eyes.

“Yeah, I really do, I have for a while now. I thought I was being obvious about it, and I was going to tell you for sure after the tournament when things calmed down, but you were being dumb!”

“Haha, I guess I was,” Kousei replies breathlessly, overwhelmed by Eijun’s words and ridiculously cute pout. Seriously, Kousei’s heart can’t handle the pout with how red Eijun still is, it’s beyond adorable. “Wait, what do you mean being obvious about it!?”

“I’m always grabbing your hands𑁋”

“I know for a fact you hold your other friends’ hands sometimes!”

“At the stadiums, I’d get lost if I didn’t! But anyway, what about all the hugs!?”

“You hug a lot of people, you hugged Raichi goodbye at the ceremony! Plus you’re just a generally touchy person right?”

“We literally cuddled for like 20 minutes after the ceremony, and there was nothing platonic about any of it!” Eijun looks exasperated, almost pleading when he says this and Kousei realizes how dumb he’s being to fight about this after getting confessed to.

“Well that’s certainly true. I just, I didn't want to assume anything, especially after I told you we would take it at your pace. I guess I should have let myself hope a little more then.”

“You should have! You’re my soulmate! And I don’t mean that’s the only reason I like you, I have a ton of reasons why I do!”

“A ton huh? Care to list them?” He doesn’t need a list, it’s just too easy to tease Eijun, especially when his face is still plenty pink and he’s looking like a fluffed up cat again, ready to yell.

“Stop smirking senpai!”

“But you seem so earnest, I’m curious what you’d say𑁋”

“You always listen to me!”

“H-huh?”

“You let me ramble about anything, from practice, to my mangas, to random stories from school. You listen to every word even if you aren’t as invested, because I am. You have weird taste in music, but I like it because when you describe it to me or have me listen with you, you get this really cute bright eyed look and babble a mile a minute. I like that whenever we go out to hangout we compete over who gets to treat the other because we're both dumb romantics that just can't take turns! And don't get me started on your baseball, there's a lot I could say there too!"

And he did, Eijun talked about how much he liked Kousei's pitching, his attitude on and off the mound, how he was confident, how he thought his quirks were charming. The longer Eijun talked, the more his blush was transferred to Kousei. He knew his own cheeks were fire red, but he couldn't stop smiling. Once Eijun finally stopped, he immediately went red again before burying his head in his knees from where he had curled up in his embarrassment.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe I just said all of that, just let me die now,” Eijun whines into his knees, refusing to look at the screen. Kousei finds it incredibly endearing how fast he can switch between bold passionate speeches to being a flustered mess.

“Hey now, don’t tell me you’re taking it all back,” Kousei teases the younger boy, hoping it’ll make him face him again, and he’s instantly rewarded when Eijun snaps his head up, face wearing a determined expression.

“No! Never!”

Kousei feels very warm when those golden eyes pierce him, feeling the weight of those words, the extra confirmation that Eijun truly likes him too. Despite what he’d said, Kousei couldn’t really help hoping, with all the times they had hung out, and all the physical affection they shared, that his feelings were returned. Now that he knows for sure they are, Kousei feels like he’s floating among the clouds and he never wants to come back down.

“Good, that makes me really happy. Maybe I should return the favor and list all my favorite things about you!”

“Please don’t, I’ll actually die.”

“Aww, but you said all those nice things, shouldn’t I get to shower you with praise?” Eijun’s blush gets worse, again, as he squirms a bit where he sits.

“But, you’re always telling me what you like about me! And calling me cute, and complimenting me over everything. So you don’t need to say it all again, I already know! But I hadn’t really told you, so I needed to fix that. Because I really like you and I want you to never doubt that. So stop getting jealous over other people okay!? You’re the only one I like!” Eijun was finally looking straight at him, blazing eyes on full display again, and Kousei just wants, cursing the distance between them.

“Okay, I’ll try not to be an idiot again, at least over that.”

“Good! You can be an idiot over any other stuff, but not that, it’s not allowed.”

“Ha! Alright, but you should know that just means I can be an even bigger idiot over you then. So get ready, if you thought I was cheesy before, I’m going to be even worse now!” Instead of flustering Eijun though, those words brought out a small pleased smile. Kousei’s brain stalls a bit, this just might be his new favorite expression from Eijun, in the top three at the very least.

“That’s fine by me, I always want your attention when we’re together.”

Where did this confident Eijun come from, was he always this smooth? Kousei can feel his heart trying to escape his chest as his face heats up even more. He’s so flustered over those words, but also so damn pleased, because it isn’t just him that wants this, he can be greedy too.

And well, he’s never had trouble being greedy, it comes too easily with being an ace pitcher.

“Well you can have it, as long as I can have yours too.”

And there’s that sunny smile, the one that makes Kousei’s insides goo and turns his brain to mush. He doesn’t know if he’ll survive having Eijun as his soulmate, of having that radiance directed towards him all the time, but why would he ever choose to live without the sun?

He briefly recalls that story of Icarus and the sun. He’s never related to a story as hard as he does right now, but looking at the soft fondness in Eijun’s eyes on his screen, he knows he won’t get burned.

He only feels warmth.

It was a bright sunny day with no practice, and Kousei was on his way to see Eijun at their usual cafe meet up spot. He was trying to get there even earlier for once to buy Eijun a few of the snacks he likes since he’s behind in their competition to treat each other when they go out. So far Eijun is ahead in the tally by two, but Kousei isn’t about to lose when it comes to sweet gestures. It’s not a serious competition, but Kousei genuinely just wants to spoil Eijun rotten like he deserves.

But if it was, Kousei totally isn’t losing. He's going to keep his promise to make Eijun swoon.

Kousei arrives at the cafe, opening the door to see no Eijun in sight. He grins making his way to the counter to order a coffee for himself, tea for Eijun, and a few muffins for them to share. By the time he gets his items he hears the door to the cafe open again, turning to see Eijun entering. Kousei holds up the drinks when he’s spotted, Eijun huffing with a pout at being beaten to it as he approaches.

“Damn, I thought I left early enough this time,” Eijun says as he grabs his tea from Kousei before leading the way to their usual seats in the corner.

“Oh you did, it’s still like ten minutes before we agreed to meet, I just left extra early this time since it’s a rest day,” Kousei responds as he follows, setting the muffins on the small table between them. Eijun rolls his eyes fondly at Kousei’s answer before he settles in his seat, immediately taking a sip of his tea and relaxing. “Rough morning?”

“Not too bad, just one of my pitches isn’t shaping up how I want it to be. Miyuki-senpai was frustrated and so was I so we just put it on ice for now. It wasn’t bad, just, frustrating, but my other pitches were fine at least.”

“A new pitch?” Kousei perks up at that, Eijun’s pitching will always interest him.

“Not really, it’s an old one but it’s always been hard to control so we haven’t focused on it much. And that’s all you’re getting out of me mister!” Eijun gives a little smirk, and Kousei’s heart swoops just briefly. He looks confident like he does on the mound and Kousei can’t handle it.

“And just when I gave you a hint for my new pitch already too. Alright, fine, keep your secrets,” Kousei says with a grin to show he isn’t actually upset.

“Ha! And what a hint that was, I still have no idea what it could be! Plus we might play each other in the semifinals, I need all the advantages I can get.”

“I mean you are going against me, so totally fair.”

“Oh shush!” Eijun smacks his arm lightly with a playful smile. He looks down at his tea to take a sip, but hesitates. His face turns contemplative before taking a quick sip, setting it down when he faces Kousei more fully. Kousei can’t help straightening up a bit in response, sensing the more serious atmosphere around them. “Before that though, your next match is Yakushi. You know, it’s almost like you’re fated rivals at this point, meeting each other three tournaments in a row.”

Kousei glances away briefly before he looks back to see Eijun watching him concerned. He attempts a smile but it probably comes out weak, prompting Eijun to grab his hand across the table. He grips it tightly and waits for Kousei to gather his thoughts.

“I guess that’s true. The team sure sees it that way, they’re all keyed up to play, to finally get a win against Yakushi. And honestly? I have full confidence that we can.”

“You aren’t underestimating Yakushi again right?”

“No, the team’s really come far after those losses, and I’ve gotten better, especially with my new pitch. I really don’t see us losing.”

“You aren’t the only ones that have improved though, Sanada-senpai’s a great pitcher and Raichi’s still a threat.”

“It sounds like you don’t think I can win.” Kousei can’t help pulling back to cross his arms as he slightly glares at Eijun. He can see Eijun get frustrated and lean back in his own chair.

“Baseball isn’t that easy, you know that. Plus you know I’m friends with them, I know they’ve been working hard. But I will say I’m hoping you and Sanada-senpai play a game neither of you will regret, it is your last high school tournament.”

Kousei knows Eijun’s right, and he doesn’t want to have a fight about this, but it still rubs him the wrong way that his soulmate isn’t as confident as him of his win. That’s probably really selfish of him, but he can’t help feeling it, or voicing it.

“I have full confidence that you’ll bring your best to the game but so will he! I just know what being overconfident can do, and I’m not just talking about you losing in the fall.” Eijun has sunk into his chair more and is looking out the window at passerbyers. He’s agitated, Kousei can tell by his frown and how he keeps tapping his left elbow. He knows there’s something that haunts Eijun from the past summer, he’s eluded to it enough for Kousei to have a vague idea of what it could be, but he’s never asked, wanting Eijun to be the one to tell him when he’s ready. Kousei has half a mind to finally ask about it now, but something holds him back, something tells him he should still wait for Eijun to come to him about it.

And when it comes to Eijun, Kousei has found he truly has more patience than he thought he was capable of. But he’s worth it, their relationship makes it worth it, so he shelves those thoughts for now to make this moment right again.

“I’m sorry Eijun, I didn’t mean to make you upset. I know you’re just trying to look out for me, I guess I’m just greedy and want you to cheer for me.”

“I’m sorry too,” Eijun sighs as he turns back to face Kousei, uncrossing his arms to lay his hands in his lap where he proceeds to fidget with his pitching one. It’s still endlessly endearing for Kousei to watch. “I am cheering for you, but I also hope my friends do well too! It’s hard knowing so many people from different teams, but I don’t regret any of my friendships at all. I genuinely want everyone to do well, but there can only be one winner.”

Eijun stops messing with his hand, bringing it forward with his palm up. Kousei immediately places his own on top, smiling gently when Eijun laces their fingers together. Eijun has his own soft smile on his face as he squeezes his hand briefly.

“But I am rooting for you, we still need to have that rematch after all! So do your best okay?”

“Always.”

They did it, they won, Ichidai finally beat Yakushi in their third tournament matchup. Kousei honestly can’t believe it for half a second before he’s rushed by his teammates, roars of victory carrying through the stadium. It’s been a long road but they finally stopped the giantslayers, their chances of winning the whole thing that much higher for beating the wildcards of the tournament.

And Kousei’s rematch with Eijun is that much closer too.

They line up to bow for the official end of the game, the team in high spirits at achieving what many in that stadium probably thought was impossible for them after their last two matchups. It’s satisfying, deeply so, to finally get this victory after so long. To win after going at it as hard as they all did, from both sides.

Kousei’s eyes search for Sanada, wanting to talk to him briefly, to let him know what a great pitcher’s duel that was. But when they finally locked eyes, Kousei couldn’t even breathe.

Sanada had his arm around a sobbing Todoroki, who was holding onto him like he would disappear if he let go as he babbles apologies to him. His face was unreadable, but once he noticed Kousei looking, he held Todoroki to him tighter, a slight pinch between his brows. Todoroki clung to him tighter, hiding his face into Sanada’s shoulder, making him look away briefly to murmur something to him with a tender soft look. Kousei couldn’t move as he watched them slowly turn away, Sanada throwing one last unreadable look back at him, before fully turning away to leave.

That moment was only a handful of seconds long, a minute tops, but it leaves Kousei bereft in the wave of excitement among his teammates. He doesn’t know what to make of that look he was thrown, it wasn’t anger, or contempt, or anything really. Kousei truly doesn’t know how Sanada feels about losing the game that he tried so hard to win.

But in the moment where Sanada looked at Todoroki, Kousei understood heartbreak.

He isn’t sorry he won, he’s never apologized for winning, not even to Eijun, and he never will. So why does seeing Sanada look guiltily at Todoroki, who’s sobbing over them losing, make him want forgiveness?

You know, it’s almost like you’re fated rivals at this point, meeting each other three tournaments in a row.

They’re rivals, they’re supposed to play each other. It’s all he’s wanted, to finally win one of the matchups. He's been the one broken over a loss already, it was his turn to win. He needed it to be more even, this fated rivalry, if it was ever going to be one that truly mattered.

I am cheering for you, but I also hope my friends do well too! It’s hard knowing so many people from different teams, but I don’t regret any of my friendships at all. I genuinely want everyone to do well, but there can only be one winner.

Only one of them can win, it's a tournament, single elimination. It doesn't matter how well you play if you can't get the win, it'll all end with one loss. And he knows that, he's tried his hardest to avoid it happening again. He played his best too, pushed harder than he thought possible when he saw Sanada’s unwavering spirit, having no choice but to answer in kind.

But I will say I’m hoping you and Sanada-senpai play a game neither of you will regret, it is your last high school tournament.

Kousei doesn't regret the game, he doesn't regret winning. It’s honestly the best game he’s played and enjoyed in his entire high school career. So why? Why does he feel like this, like he still lost something even though he won? Why does Sanada look like he’s saying goodbye when their rivalry is just getting started?

Oh, he can’t help thinking, numb. It’s our last highschool tournament, there isn’t a next one.

Kousei didn’t think victory could ever feel this hollow.

Chapter Text

Practice is wrapping up when Eijun hears that Nabe is back from the Ichidai-Yakushi game. He briefly still wishes he could have gone to see it, but he knows he needs the practice. Number two is still acting too wild to be used in their future games, though number nine is shaping up even more. He’ll have to review those videos again before his next session with Miyuki.

The meeting starts when everyone on the first string has arrived. It’s not an official one, it mainly consists of Nabe filling them in on the details of the match, of how much Kousei has grown compared to the spring. He’s glad to finally know what that pitch is, but of course his soulmate would come up with such an absurdly hard one to hit to his arsenal.

Nothing less from him, Eijun can’t help thinking with a wry smile.

Eijun feels both joy at Kousei winning, and sad that Sanada and Raichi lost. He knew regardless of the outcome he would have mixed feelings on who won, but he can’t dwell on that too much. He still has to focus on their upcoming match, determination to perform better as the ace fills him to the brim. He’s startled out of his thoughts by Nabe calling his name.

“Sawamura, I hear you’re in touch with Amahisa via Line, right? Did you guys talk about that pitch?” Eijun can feel all eyes on him after Nabe’s question, causing him to panic over how to answer him. He’s been thinking of telling the team about Kousei being his soulmate, but the timing has never been right. He still really hopes this isn’t how it gets out, it’s way too on the spot for him.

“Eh? What the hell?”

“Sawamura and Amahisa?”

“Wait, when did that even happen? And what kind of buddy-buddy combination even is that!?”

All the voices around him just get louder and soon he’s panicking. He doesn’t even think, he just starts babbling whatever comes to mind first. “Eh!? Wait, it isn’t what you think it is! I mean, we do talk but𑁋”

“Ah! So that’s why you asked me about gyro…” Miyuki Kazuya, you damned tanuki bastard, you are not helping!

“So? Did that swollen-face tell you anything about his new pitch?” Eijun would be insulted for Kousei but Kuramochi is giving him such an evil look, he’s too scared to say anything.

“What did he tell you?” Not Haruichi too, that smile is just like his brother’s!

“No, no, no! Wait just a second there! First of all, that’s just out of the question! It’s a strictly personal exchange! And I can’t just run my mouth to random people about its contents!” Plus a lot of their messages are insanely sappy, there’s no way they won’t tease him if they knew that.

“Well, alright I get it now. It’s no use talking to you, so just gimme your cell! We’ll pretend I went and stole a peek entirely without permission!”

“Wait, what are you doing!?”

Kuramochi moves fast, living up to the cheetah nickname Eijun gave him, and swipes his phone from his pocket before he could even try to stop him. He suddenly remembers he still hasn’t changed his passcode, so there was nothing stopping Kuramochi from reading his messages. Eijun would attempt to stop him but he’ll be in a headlock before he could even blink.

“So you do care about manners and loyalty sometimes. My opinion of you improved just a tiny bit.” Eijun turned to see Okumura giving him a small nod of approval, and he would usually demand to know what that’s about, but a shout from the group around his phone grabs his attention once more.

“Sawamura, what is this?” Kuramochi’s calm, scarily so, as he holds out the phone which shows his messages to Kousei, and the others around him are either still staring at his phone in shock or giving him critical looks. He can see Miyuki trying to pretend he isn’t sneaking a peek, only for his eyes to widen at what he reads, turning back to Eijun with a million questions in his eyes.

So he can either try lying, which he really doesn’t want to do (and is really bad at), or tell the truth and just accept the chaos. He takes a deep breath before facing his roommate, the others noticing the more serious atmosphere and quieting down to watch what happens.

“It’s exactly what it looks like, Kuramochi-senpai.” He goes to interrupt, but Eijun continues so he has the full picture. “Before you say anything though you should know… we’re soulmates, me and Amahisa.”

There’s absolute silence as everyone stares at Eijun in shock, Kuramochi even dropping the phone in his hand. Eijun manages to reach over in time to catch it, before straightening up, glancing at the messages they had found. Just as he thought, they scrolled up enough to see the sappy compliments Kousei had thrown at him two days ago. His cheeks warm a bit rereading them, but he quickly shoves his phone back into his pocket when he spots movement among the still shocked team, seeing Nabe come forward again.

“Ah, I’m sorry for prying then Sawamura, also congratulations on finding your soulmate! I’m guessing you both found out in the spring?” Nabe has a curious look in his eye, but his gentle smile shows Eijun that he’s being genuine.

“It’s fine Nabe-san, thank you very much! And yeah, we said each other’s words and after checking the handwriting, we confirmed it.” Part of him is still nervous over the team's reactions, but he’ll worry about that after they all finish recalibrating. The other part of him is just excited to finally talk about Kousei.

“Oh, that explains why you were acting a bit weird after you spoke to him in the hallway after the game. I thought it was because he was being rude, but I guess that would be an awkward first meeting for soulmates.” Okumura’s epiphany seemed to finally rouse everyone else from their stupors because suddenly all eyes were on Eijun again.

“Well, he was being a pest, but yeah, mainly because he said my words. Well, all of them, I’ve had people say part of it before, but to hear the whole thing was a shock!”

“Oh yeah, you do have a ridiculously long soulmark! Knowing who it is now, it makes a lot of sense though!” Miyuki’s smirking as he talks, but Eijun can tell it’s softer than his normal ones. He knows for all of Miyuki’s teasing, he does actually care about people. Plus ever since he stopped being stubborn and actually did something about his own soulmate situation, he’s always softer when the topic of soulmates gets brought up. “Ah, what a noisy pair you two make!”

It doesn’t stop him from being a general bastard though.

“Shut it Miyuki Kazuya!”

“That’s senpai to you brat!” He’s ready to grab Miyuki in retaliation when Kuramochi finally speaks, freezing Eijun in place with his words.

“So you’ve known for months now, and you didn't tell any of us?” Eijun can’t tell if Kuramochi is angry or upset with how carefully neutral he keeps his face, but he thinks he can hear a bit of hurt in his voice. Eijun can’t help curling into himself as he looks back to answer him.

“I was initially scared how you guys would react to the news, most of you don’t exactly like him. But then after a while I just didn’t know how to bring it up, so I kept it to myself. Plus I wasn’t ready for the never ending teasing you guys would do once you all knew!”

Everyone seemed to ponder that while Eijun feels like he’s waiting for his death sentence with how Kuramochi stares at him. Then, as fast as he had taken his phone, he had Eijun in a headlock, but it’s not as rough as he thought it would be. If anything it’s too gentle, but before he can question it there's a hand ruffling his hair.

“Idiot! It doesn’t matter who your soulmate is, I’ll be happy for you okay? So congratulations and everything… and sorry you felt you couldn’t tell us.” Kuramochi’s face isn’t fully visible from where Eijun is being held, but he’s probably pretty embarrassed if the fond look Miyuki is throwing him is any indication. He’s about to respond when he feels the arm around him tighten. “But if that moon-faced bastard does anything to hurt you, I’m gonna kill him, soulmate or not.”

“Awww, is Mochi-kun going soft? What a caring senpai you are!” Miyuki’s back to smirking as he teases Kuramochi, who promptly lets go of Eijun to stomp over to him.

“Oi! Sawamura may be an idiot, but he’s our idiot, of course I’d throttle anyone that hurt him! Like you wouldn’t do something to anyone that even looked at your pitchers wrong!” Kuramochi gently jabs a finger to Miyuki’s chest while glaring daggers at him, who’s still smirking at the outburst.

No matter how annoying he can get, no one hurts Miyuki, not after the fall tournament.

His smirk isn’t as teasing as before, now more gentle, the fondness from before back in his eyes as he lightly grabs Kuramochi’s wrist. “Whatever you say, Mochi-kun.”

Eijun quickly looks away at that, not wanting to intrude on their sudden moment, but then he’s faced with his very curious batchmates who each seem to be waiting for someone else to ask him a question first. Surprisingly, and yet unsurprising considering how attention he can be when he isn’t napping, Furuya is the one that breaks the tense silence.

“So do you two discuss your pitches?” It’s so back to the original point of the conversation that Eijun can’t help the laughter that slips from his lips, but it helps him relax enough to answer.

“We actually don’t discuss our practices very much. I knew he had a new pitch in the works but that’s it! He only texted me a hint of it having gyro spin because he was thinking of unveiling it soon anyway.”

“Hmm. Is he nice to you?”

The change in topics is so abrupt but so Furuya that Eijun is still able to follow it pretty well. They may be rivals, but they’re also now friends, and Furuya is a worrier, even if it’s shown subtly. It warms Eijun’s heart that after baseball, which always comes first between them, he asks if his soulmate is nice to him.

“Well, he likes to tease me a lot by flirting all the time, but it’s usually really sweet so I don’t mind it that much. He’s always trying to treat me when we meet up, so it kind of became a competition between us for each time we do. And he tries so hard to be cool in front of me but he’s really just a big sappy dork.” Eijun knows he’s smiling fondly, and the kind and relieved smiles from his teammates near him make him a little bashful. He has no problem thinking all these things about Kousei because they’re true, but putting it into words in front of everyone is a little embarrassing.

Furuya takes it all in and gives a little nod of approval, a small smile on his face. “Good.”

Eijun thinks that’s the end of things but he gets a few more questions from Haruichi and Toujou, with Kanemaru giving his own promise of death to Kousei if he messes with him, fully backed by the others with their ominous smiles. He gets a few more congratulations from the rest of his teammates there, and of course the inevitable teasing from everyone. He’s a blushing mess by the end but his heart feels so full from his friends accepting his soulmate, from not being too upset that he kept it a secret.

“Sawamura-senpai?” Eijun turns from his laughing batchmates to see Okumura looking a bit uncomfortable but determined. He turns to face him fully while the others around him seem to sense Okumura’s seriousness, quieting down once again. “I have no doubt you and Amahisa-san will do your best as pitchers but are you two going to be okay possibly playing against each other?”

It’s even more quiet than before Eijun dropped the truth that Kousei was his soulmate. He can see most of his teammates looking contemplative at what Okumura asked, and a few looking at him concerned now that the thought has been brought up. It’s not a thought Eijun had ignored, if anything it’s crossed his mind plenty of times since they discovered being soulmates, so he replies as honestly as he knows how.

“It’s something we’ve briefly talked about, but not too much. I like to think we’ll both be mature about it but we can both be pretty immature at times. I don’t really know what will happen, all I can do is play a game neither of us will regret when it ends, and then work together on what the aftermath is.”

He can’t help fidgeting as he feels everyone’s eyes on him, taking in his words, especially when he feels so uncertain now. It bothers him, that he can’t be sure, but like baseball people are unpredictable. Eijun will never do him the disrespect of holding back, just like he knows Kousei won’t do the same. Whatever the outcome, they’ll deal with it together. Plus he really doesn’t think fate would pair them together if a lost game would tear them apart that easily.

The others seem to be mulling over his words when he feels hands on both his shoulders. He looks side to side to see Miyuki and Kuramochi flanking him but giving him encouraging looks, silently supporting him. Eijun has to suddenly will his tears back, not wanting to cry over this, but he’s so thankful for these two in this moment, even if in every other one they both love to tease him mercilessly over any and everything.

Okumura seems to take his silence and glassy eyes as being upset though. “I’m sorry if my question made you upset senpai, that’s not what I intended at all.”

“I’m not upset, I’m touched! I really appreciate the concern, you’re a pretty caring kouhai!” He feels a little bad teasing Okumura when he flushes and glares, but it does the job of having everyone being less tense over Eijun possibly playing his soulmate, which was his goal. He turns to give everyone a genuine smile, which a few return on reflex. “Thanks for being worried wolf boy, but first we have to beat Norikane! Right guys?”

“Right!”

Everyone starts talking all at once about the upcoming game, effectively diffusing any soulmate talk and Eijun sighs in relief. He feels Miyuki and Kuramochi squeeze and pat his shoulder respectively, before joining the other third years towards the front of the room. He sees Miyuki glance back at him with a contemplative look before nodding to himself and following Kuramochi again.

Standing there watching his retreating back, Eijun feels like he may have passed some sort of test, though he’s not sure what it was for.

Later that night, after he texted Sanada and Kousei some consoling and congratulating words respectively, he gets a call from the latter. He’s in his room and he sees Kuramochi peek over from where he’s doing homework at his desk, a silent question on his face from the noise. He waves him off as he answers, going to the door to put on his shoes to take the call outside. Just because everyone knows now doesn’t mean he wants an audience, plus he has a weird feeling as he answers. Kousei usually texts him before he calls to see if he’s free, it makes him a bit worried.

“Kousei-senpai, is everything okay?” Eijun keeps going down the hall and then the stairs, trying to find a private spot to have this conversation. He remembers the stairs by the field and sets out for them, passing a few curious teammates, but not giving them much thought when Kousei has his attention right now.

“Yeah of course, do I need a reason to call my soulmate?” He sounds cheery but Eijun can hear a little strain in his voice. He has no doubt Kousei’s happy to talk to him, he says it almost every time they do, but he just knows something’s wrong.

“Well, you know you can tell me if something is wrong though, right? I may not be able to help, but I can listen!”

It’s quiet, which is already unnerving, Kousei is almost never quiet, like Eijun himself. He’s talkative to Eijun’s loudness, but they’ve never overpowered the other with how they are, more like their brands of chattiness compliment each other. So this silence speaks volumes to Eijun that Kousei isn’t okay.

“... I don’t regret beating Yakushi, it’s what I’ve wanted for so long. I just, I didn’t think it could ever feel this empty.” Kousei gives a mirthless laugh and it tugs at Eijun’s heart. He wishes he could be there to have this talk in person, to physically be there to help, but he’ll have to settle for his words.

“Why does it feel empty?” Eijun reaches the stairs and goes to the top step to sit. It gives him a good view of the fields and the few members still out practicing. It’s a grounding sight as he waits for Kousei to answer him.

“I just, I know Sanada and I aren’t close but I really felt the competitiveness of being rivals during that game! And then at the end...I don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t that.”

“What exactly happened?”

Eijun listened as Kousei described from when they lined up, to making eye contact, to Sanada walking away, to how he felt the whole time. He could hear his voice straining from time to time, like he’s trying to hold back frustrated tears, but Eijun didn’t dare interrupt. When Kousei was quiet again and it seemed like he was done, Eijun finally spoke.

“So from your end, it seems like Sanada-senpai was saying goodbye to your rivalry. Like he may not play baseball anymore after this?”

“I know I don’t have anything to base it off of, but his face was so blank, and I haven’t made it a secret I’m going to keep playing after I graduate. I wanted to shake hands and tell him good game, that I hope we get to play each other again because high school baseball doesn’t have to be the end of things, but the look he gave me… I felt frozen. Like if I said any of that it would be unwanted.”

Eijun hummed as he thought over how to word what he wanted to the other pitcher. He knew a bit more than Kousei about what was going on with Sanada, but not by much, his friend being pretty tight lipped over his post graduation plans. He knew he was questioning continuing with baseball, but last he heard he hadn’t made a decision yet. Eijun made a note to text Sanada about having a talk if he wanted. Even without Kousei feeling this way, Sanada was still his friend and he wanted to make sure he was okay.

But first he had to make sure his soulmate was okay.

“I don’t want to speak for him, but I know he was weighing his options for after he graduated. I don’t know what he decided on, but even if I did that’s his business. But Kousei-senpai, it really sounds like you mainly regret that it took this long to finally take an interest in him when it feels like it might be too late.”

“...I think you’re right. I mainly saw him as just some pitcher to beat, but during that game I really saw what made him his team’s ace, what made you look up to him, what it means to have that rivalry. But what if that’s it? I don’t want that to be the last time we play each other.”

Eijun felt his heart squeeze painfully, flashes of his own rivalry with Furuya going through his head. He’s cursed Furuya to hell, worried over him because of the heat, even finally became his friend, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. It wasn’t easy, it was even painful at times, but he’s grown as a pitcher and a person for knowing him, and now he can see how Sanada and Kousei can be that for each other, if they can talk and acknowledge it. He’s not sure if this will work, but he’s determined to try and help, even if it’s just to get them to the starting line, the rest will be up to them.

“I’m going to give you his Line and I want you to text him. Doesn’t have to be today, or tomorrow, or even during the rest of the tournament, but you should! I think if you two talked it would help you both, whether it’s to motivate him to keep playing or to give you closure over it ending, I think it’s the best option. I will tell him that I gave it to you though so he isn’t completely blindsided, he’s still my friend!”

There’s silence again, but it doesn’t feel worrying like before. When Kousei speaks, he sounds breathless, a little in awe, like he doesn’t know how to take what Eijun’s offering. “R-really? You would do that for me?”

“I’m doing it for both of you! But of course I am, this is really bothering you, and I want to help somehow. This is ultimately between you two, but I can help make it a little easier. Just, promise me you’ll try to talk to him soon, don’t wait too long.”

“Okay, yeah, I can, I can do that, I promise. Thank you Eijun, really.”

“You’re welcome senpai. I’m glad you called and talked to me.”

“So am I, talking to you always makes me feel better.”

“Oh hush,” Eijun says with a huff, a fond smile on his lips. He’s gazing at the fields when he remembers what happened earlier. “Oh yeah, this might cheer you up… I told my team about us, about being soulmates.”

“Wait really? You did!?” Kousei’s excitement at the news comes through clearly, and a little unbelieving. Eijun can’t blame him though, the last time it was brought up he was still hesitant to do so. Bless Kousei and his patience, Eijun feels so lucky to have him.

“Yeah really. I didn't plan on it, but Okumura told Nabe-san that we were texting so he asked if we had discussed your new pitch, which I heard blew everyone away, congrats! And then the team overheard so it became a whole thing! Long story short, after Kuramochi-senpai took my phone to read our messages I decided to just come clean. It went pretty well, a few people were a little hurt that I didn't tell them, but they were pretty understanding and even congratulated me!”

“I’m really glad! I know you were worried how they would take it. Did you get teased like you thought?” Kousei’s teasing isn’t a surprise but it’s music to his ears compared to earlier.

“Oh my god, so much teasing, I was absolutely right, they were merciless! Especially after they read your sappy flirting!”

“My flirting isn’t sappy, it’s romantic and you love it!”

“Doesn’t matter if I do, you’re still a sap!”

The laughter Eijun gets as he continues on his rant fills him with warmth, making him glad he was able to help his soulmate. He still wishes he could be there in person but he takes comfort in knowing Kousei feels better as they discuss telling the Ichidai team next, their schedules, and other topics that come to mind. When they finally hang up and Eijun returns to his room, his good mood can’t be brought down even by Kuramochi kicking up a fuss over him staying out so late.

I guess that seals it, Eijun watches as the Ichidai dugout cheers in victory while the Sensen players walk sadly to their own. It was an overall good game, but from the middle onwards it was clear who had the momentum. Eijun can see how much more formidable Ichidai has become, and though it makes it tougher for them, he can feel a thrill at being that much closer to playing Kousei again.

He’s glad he got to see their batters again though, he has some clearer ideas now of how to possibly counter them, and it seems like Okumura at least understands what he means. Hopefully that will help him when he tries explaining to Miyuki his thoughts for improving his splitter. Looking back over the field again Eijun just knows he’ll need that pitch perfected if they’re going to beat Ichidai. Plus it’s only fair he pays his soulmate back with a new pitch of his own.

Speaking of his soulmate though, this is probably the last time Eijun can see him in person before the semifinals, he better take advantage of it. Pulling out his phone he shoots a quick text to Kousei to meet him for a few minutes before he turns to Nabe and Okumura.

“Hey, I know we came to scout the other teams, but would it be okay if I went to talk to Amahisa-senpai? I won’t take too long I swear!” Eijun isn’t above begging if he has to, but he really doesn’t want to, especially since he just knows Okumura will probably hold it over him forever. He’s trying to be a model upperclassman, but that kid makes it so hard.

“We still have some time before the next train, so go ahead Sawamura. Try to be back in around fifteen minutes though okay?” Nabe is an actual angel, Eijun could hug him, but he wants to use the most of his time, so instead he grins widely as he says his thanks. He can hear Okumura growl after him and Nabe’s gentle laughter in response as he takes off.

It doesn’t take him long before he sees the Ichidai team clustered around their bus, but he keeps his distance. He takes out his phone again to see Kousei left him a bunch of emojis, mostly hearts, and a text to let him know where he was which he responds to now. He finds a pillar close by to lean against while he waits, fiddling with his phone as he peers at the team in the meantime.

He can see that a few of the players spot him and shoot him curious looks but before anyone can approach him Kousei shoots up from where he was sitting by his bag, his phone in his hand. He makes eye contact with Eijun, a giant smile overtaking his face, and wow it’s been a while since he’s seen that smile. Eijun can already feel a light blush on his cheeks as Kousei waves to his coach yelling that he’ll be right back before he sprints over to where he is at the pillar. Eijun was prepared to be tackled in a hug, but instead he’s grabbed by the arm and dragged a little further away, out of sight from the Ichidai team.

“H-hey, Kousei-senpai, what𑁋”

Warmth, he feels nothing but warmth as he’s finally pulled into strong arms. His face is on fire, but he feels content wrapping his own arms around Kousei’s waist. He can feel his hair being nuzzled as he’s squeezed even tighter, and he’s suddenly very glad they’re in a more private location so he can just enjoy the closeness without worrying about an audience.

“Sorry for dragging you away, I just figured you wouldn’t want my team to watch me maul you for cuddles.”

“Do you have to word it that way!? ...But I guess I’m not complaining.” Eijun mumbles the last part as he squeezes a little closer to drive home how happy he really is, Kousei chuckling at his antics. “Did you tell them about us yet by the way?”

“Yeah, they were generally happy for me, though a lot of them kept teasing that only I would have such a star-crossed soulmate situation.”

“Ha! I guess they're right, but minus all the dying. I’m glad they took it well though.”

“Me too. But enough about my team, how long do I have you for?”

“I have maybe ten minutes now before I have to go catch the train back, but seeing you even for a little bit is always worth it.”

He feels Kousei pull back a little to look at him, and Eijun melts at the adoration he sees in those honey eyes. He feels more than sees Kousei brush some hair behind his ear, fingers brushing down his jaw to tilt his chin up slightly. Eijun grips the back of Kousei’s jersey, bringing him just a little closer, trapped in that gaze. He knows the flush on his cheeks is even redder now, but he doesn’t want to hide his face for once, afraid he’ll miss something if does. He feels Kousei’s grip on his face strengthen as he swallows, a determined look entering his eyes.

“I really want to kiss you right now.”

Eijun has imagined his first kiss plenty of times, hard not to with all the shoujo manga he reads, so he’ll admit he always imagined it to be this huge affair. That it’d be after a grand date to the aquarium, or a theme park, or some fancy restaurant, or just somewhere that screamed romance, the perfect ending.

He’s imagined it during the spring with the cherry blossoms in bloom, the petals cascading down on him and his partner. Or a similar scene but during the first snowfall of winter as they huddle for warmth. Or even during the leaves falling in autumn where the world is awash in warm tones as the weather gets cooler.

He’s imagined it with many faceless partners until he met his soulmate. His soulmate who he imagined would woo him in a whirlwind because Kousei is so much worse than Eijun when it comes to actually being a romantic. Eijun can spout poetry and say all the flowery words he knows, but every action of Kousei bleeds it as he pays for his lunches, sends him pictures of things that remind him of Eijun, holds him close like distance is an enemy and gently like he’s the most precious thing he’ll ever behold.

So Eijun has imagined his first kiss to be over the top, something so extravagant it would beat every shoujo he’s ever consumed.

The reality is this.

It’s summer, too hot to even be near another person, let alone in the arms of his soulmate. They’re outside the baseball stadium where Kousei just played a match, his team just around the corner, probably wondering where their ace is. There’s nothing grand at all about this moment, it’s the complete opposite in every way of what he’s imagined his whole life.

But here, in Kousei’s arms, being held and gazed at like he’s truly worth all the adoration in those eyes, where it doesn’t matter that they’re both melting in this heat, or that none of this is remotely romantic in either of their minds, Eijun just falls.

“Then do it.”

There’s delight and joy dancing in honey eyes, a grin stretched so wide it brightens his face, and distance closing slowly. With just millimeters between them, breaths mingling, eyes half closed, Eijun’s mind quiets as it fills with just Kousei.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

Eijun has never been patient, but neither has Kousei, a point proven when as soon as he utters his consent, they both close that final distance. It’s still too hot to be this close, and it takes them some adjustments to not bump their noses, but his lips are soft, a contrast to the tighter grip Kousei has on Eijun’s hips.

It’s not cherry blossoms in spring or snow in winter, or at the end of a romantic date.

It’s baseball in summer, the game that brought them together, the season where emotions run high, a culmination of their stolen moments.

It’s perfect, because it’s them.

Chapter Text

Kousei’s just finishing his workout when he hears a ping come from his phone. He carefully finishes his reps before grabbing his towel to wipe the sweat off his face. He had texted Eijun before he started to congratulate him on his team’s quarterfinal win, and it looks like he finally got a response.

Eijun 🌞💖: Thank you senpai, it was all the team though, they did great!

Eijun 🌞💖: I’m excited to finally play you again, but I won’t lose this time!

Kousei smiles fondly at his phone, excited for the upcoming game. He’s been ready for this rematch since he first saw Eijun pitch in the spring, with that unique form and pitches that leave the batter guessing until the last second. He remembers thinking how Eijun should have been the ace with that performance and feels pride bloom that he was able to make it a reality for this summer.

This summer, his last summer and he’ll get to play against his soulmate.

The thought doesn’t fill him with as much dread as he thought it would. He believes in his team, in their ability to score, in his own to pitch a shutout game. And he knows Seidou will bring their best too, that Eijun will bring his fire and passion in every pitch for every second he’ll stand on that mound. He believes in his victory, but also in Eijun’s ability to fight for his own. Regardless of the result, they’ll play a game neither will regret, that’s something Kousei truly believes.

For a brief moment he imagines how he’ll feel if they lose, if this upcoming game is the end of the line for their summer. It’s not what he wants, but he knows his soulmate, knows his tenacity, his ability to stop their momentum cold. If they have to lose to someone, Kousei could accept it from Eijun. Not because he’s his soulmate, but because before he even knew that, he was impressed by his pitching, by his mere presence on the mound.

Sawamura Eijun is a phenomenal pitcher who’s only going to keep getting better as he keeps growing, a truly worthy rival to play against in his last summer of high school baseball. Win or lose, though he does plan on winning, he refuses to have any regrets from this match.

The number saved in his phone burns in his mind briefly, a promise to be filled later.

“Kousei. All by yourself here again, huh?” A voice startles Kousei out of his thoughts, he turns to see who called him only to give a happy grin.

“Manaka-san! What brings you here?”

“Me, Oomae and the guys brought you something. Drink them when you feel like it.”

“Oh, thank you so much!”

It’s great getting to catch up with Manaka, to let him know he’s ready for this match. He finally gets to let him know that he gets it now, what he didn’t understand in his first year, what it means to really be part of the team. Part of him will always wonder what would have happened if he had stuck with baseball all three years and had been there last summer to help Manaka when he was the ace, but he’s had to learn to take that frustration and put it towards his training to do what he can now, in this moment.

Kousei still hopes that when Manaka, the coach, and the team look at him now though, they see the ace he’s trying to be, instead of the kid that ran away.

“Oh, I heard from the team that you found your soulmate Kousei, congratulations!”

“Heh, yeah I did. It’s Sawamura from Seidou.”

“Ha! Only you would be soulmates with a rival pitcher Kousei, only you.” Manaka is giving a soft smirk, more amusement than anything at Kousei’s luck. He can’t help chuckling since everyone, currently on or retired from the team seems to have the same reaction to his soulmate. “How’s that feel by the way, since you guys are going to play each other again.”

“Hmm, I know the team is concerned, but I actually feel good about it. We’ve been texting and we’re both honestly just excited to have a rematch! I think whoever loses, it’ll be a little hard, but I think we’ll be fine regardless of the outcome. He means too much to me for a lost game to ruin what we have, you know?”

“Kousei…”

“I don’t plan on losing though, I fully intend to win. I want to see this team amaze the country at Koshien, so I’ll be giving it my all!”

“That’s actually very mature of you. I’ll be rooting for you Kousei, for the game and with Sawamura.”

It’s simple praise, but coming from Manaka it means so much to Kousei. He's always admired the older pitcher, wanted to make him proud by being an ace worthy of his team's trust. He really hopes he can show him how far he's come in the next game.

"Thanks Manaka-san, I'll do my best."

Since he woke up Kousei hasn’t been able to sit still at all. From breakfast, the bus ride to the stadium, and even now as they all line up before the game, he’s just been a jumble of excited nerves. He’s been asked by his teammates if he’s okay over a dozen times already, but he knows what will calm him down and here lined up for the game, he finally sees him.

Making eye contact with Eijun, he finally mellows out, grinning to show his joy for the game about to start. He sees Eijun smirk back, his golden eyes alight for the same reasons as him. When he sees Miyuki lean over conspiritably, he sees twin mischievous grins that both confuse and excite him for what they have planned.

People haven't been calling them one of the most aggressive batteries in the circuit for nothing.

Before following his team to their dugout for their start on offense, he looks back at Eijun to see him already watching him. He has Kousei’s favorite small smile in place before he mouths something to him and then jogs away to the mound. Kousei feels warm as he giddily jogs to the dugout, ready for the game to begin, replaying those words in his head.

Give me your best Kousei-senpai.

A high speed splitter, are you kidding me!? Kousei can only stare in disbelief and awe at Eijun striking out his team. He feels very conflicted, frustrated his teammates couldn’t get on base, though it’s only the first inning, they have time, and incredibly attracted to his soulmate who just unveils a new pitch and gets three outs like it’s nothing.

“And it’s three outs! Seidou’s ace Sawamura Eijun is off to a superb start against Sankou’s lineup, finishing up his team’s defense in 3 batters!”

He’s squirming at his contradicting feelings before he remembers he has to grab his hat and get on the field. He’s trying, so hard, to be the cool ace the team can count on, but he can see Hoshida and Sasaki snickering at his lapse and he can’t really blame them.

He’s absolutely gone for Eijun and he knows he’s not fooling anyone.

But he has a job to do, and he’s not going to fail his teammates or disappoint his soulmate who's already given him the gift of a phenomenal start to light the fire for this game. Now it’s his turn to show what he’s made of, starting with Seidou’s leadoff.

“Two batters in a row retired on three pitches! Sankou’s ace, too, is off to a superb start!”

A pickoff and two strikeouts later, it’s only fitting he gets the first three batters out to match Eijun.

Finally, he gets his chance to bat against Eijun. He can’t wait to see that new pitch up close, a grin taking over his face as soon as he’s at the plate. He can see Eijun trying to stay focused, but after the first pitch he’s adopted an exasperated tilt to his frown. He shakes his head once he has the ball again, back to focusing on trying to get Kousei out. It’s a little crazy how much Kousei wants to pinch Eijun’s cheeks to break his serious face but they’re in the middle of a game, he really needs to calm down and try to hit.

Of course as soon as he really tries, that damn catcher denies him the pitch he really wants to see.

Kousei’s honestly not sure how he feels about Miyuki Kazuya, despite him being such a great player. He’s clearly a phenomenal catcher, or he wouldn’t be hailed as their generation’s best, and now he’s got a presence when he bats, truly a formidable opponent. Objectively, Kousei can admit Miyuki deserves the praise he receives and attention from the pro teams hoping to scout him. He’s even a little curious what it would be like to be in a battery with him, how he would respond to such aggressive game calling.

Personally, he wishes he wasn’t so damn perfect, though he knows from Eijun that Miyuki can be a disaster of a person off the field. He knows it doesn’t help that Eijun respects the hell out of him anyway, even slightly because he’s flawed and strives to be the best in their sport. The strong bond their battery has is evident in their plays, and even though Kousei loves being a pitcher more than anything, just like Eijun, it’s a bond he can't have with him.

The whispers he’s heard around the circuit about how people think those two are possibly soulmates also maybe (definitely) contribute to his mixed feelings about the catcher.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility for strangers to think that considering how fearless their battery is, the level of trust they have to pull off some of the plays they’ve made. It’s a logical assumption to make about them and if Kousei wasn’t Eijun’s soulmate, he would probably have thought the same.

But Kousei is Eijun’s soulmate, so it annoys the hell out of him.

Some of that annoyance probably shows on his face because Miyuki is giving him a cold stare from his squat. He knows he needs to focus on the game, on scoring for his team, but he can’t help the thoughts floating through his head. Add in the fact that Miyuki is being a stingy jerk and not letting Kousei see Eijun’s new pitch up close and he’s a little too keyed up. Which was apparently the goal because the next pitch comes and he swings like an idiot, missing by a mile.

Kousei got his wish and he struck out spectacularly.

He kind of wants to melt into the field and disappear now. When he starts to head back to the dugout and chances a glance back at the mound, he sees Eijun already looking, a small smug smirk on his face. When he notices Kousei is looking back at him, he actually winks at him, before he turns to the fielders to yell they have one out.

Kousei feels his face burn but he manages to make it to the dugout. A few of his teammates are giving him bemused looks, Miyauchi is definitely laughing behind his hand, which he tries to ignore, but he’s stopped by the coach patting his shoulder gently.

“Don’t worry Amahisa-boy, you’ll get it next time. Though do try to keep the flirting to a minimum okay?” Coach Tahara has a knowing glint in his eye to match his sly smile, and while Kousei kind of wishes he really had melted into the field before, he’s never been one to let teasing get to him too much.

“Whoops, I’ll try Toshi-chan!” The nickname rolls out easily, and Tahara looks fondly exasperated as he swats at Kousei, telling him to get ready for the mound again.

The frustration he felt from earlier is gone, the ease and comfort he feels from his team a calming balm. It lets him think more clearly and shake off any negative emotions he felt at the plate. With a deep calming breath he watches Eijun strike the next two batters out, ending their defense perfectly, he and Miyuki roaring in victory over an immaculate inning. The sight doesn’t fill him with as much envy as before, because he can clearly see how much Eijun shines in that moment. Kousei can admit to himself that Miyuki is pretty damn good at what he does, and he’s helping Eijun be the star he knows he can be.

As he walks onto the mound and glances over at the Seidou dugout, he sees Miyuki and their shortstop (Kuramochi, he recalls, Eijun’s roommate) smushed together, heads bent even closer as they talk, and Eijun is at the railing watching him once again with a determined gleam in his eyes. It’s a simple sight, but it fills him with warmth. The world can think what they want, because he knows where Eijun’s attention will always be, his own never wavering either.

But if he gets a little too much vindictive pleasure from personally getting Miyuki out again on a grounder at his next at bat, well, that’s just payback for the earlier strike out.

Kousei’s on his way back to the dugout when he hears Eijun, loud as ever, consoling his teammate who just got out.

“You put up a good fight, Kanemaru! Wahahaha! You were just a hair’s breadth away! I’ve got a charge of the Kanemaru power from you! Well then, let’s get going shall we? It’s far from over, after all!”

“That’s right! Nothing’s over yet!”

“That’s Zono-san for you! Loud as ever!”

“Yeah, I won’t be outshouted by you!”

The dugout that was silent in misery after getting three outs is suddenly livelier than ever. It reminds Kousei of the Yakushi match, where even when things looked grim with the score, that fighting spirit never wavered, determination to score only getting stronger with each new wave of frustration.

It’s still different when Eijun does it though, he has this way of lifting them all up, this infinite optimism that’s infectious. When he glances over from his spot in the dugout, he can see them all raring to go. Movement from their bench catches his eye, silence descending upon the rowdy bunch, where he sees their sidearm pitcher (Kawakami, he reminds himself) finally approach the bullpen to get ready.

As he’s approaching home plate, Kousei can’t help thinking it was odd that he hadn’t been warming up the whole game like normal, but he’s also confused by Seidou’s reactions. They all look a bit stricken at the sight, but it’s Eijun that surprises him the most, his face looking grave yet determined. When he’s faced with him to bat, the absolute focus Eijun is sporting is chilling, almost freezing him to the spot.

Before he knows it, it’s two strikes, and the level of precision his soulmate is showing this late in the game is truly baffling yet awe inspiring. He knew Eijun was good, amazing, at pitching, but to get this intense in the eighth, to keep this level of ball control, Kousei honestly kind of wants to swoon a bit.

Then Eijun throws a backdoor pitch and Kousei can’t help how weak his knees feel, staring at his bat in shock that he couldn’t even swing at what he thought was going to be a ball.

“Strike! Batter out! He was unable to take a swing at that outside breaking ball! A strikeout looking!”

Is this for real? Kousei’s frustrated he struck out but his grin shows his excitement over Eijun’s pitching kicking up a notch even more. This is what he wanted, an all out pitcher’s duel, to truly pit their best against each other and see who comes out on top. And as their turn on offense ends, Kousei just knows he has to keep answering in kind, he won’t allow himself to waver even a moment.

If only Eijun wasn’t so persistent on his turn at bat though, Kousei hates being sweaty, especially in this heat, but that burning fire in his eyes to keep attacking is one of Eijun’s most charming attributes. Those golden eyes bore into him with challenge, daring him to throw his worst, and Kousei isn’t one to deny his soulmate anything, giving him everything he has.

Doing any less would be a bigger betrayal to not just Eijun or his team, but to himself, and he’s more than done running away.

He gives it his all, getting Eijun out, but his teammates are also persistent, getting Kuramochi to third with two outs. He feels the intensity from their third batter, from Miyuki waiting on deck, from Kuramochi inching off third closer to home. It feels crushing yet thrilling, like one mistake will ruin everything but this is where his grit in pitching can really be tested.

Kousei gives, arguably, his best pitching of the whole game, but there’s something to be said for Seidou’s batters, fighters to the very end, a hunger to just hit that has only gotten stronger with each inning they’ve been left scoreless.

He watches the ball soar into the outfield, passing Adachi and just barely missing Miyauchi’s glove, allowing Kuramochi to make it home, jumping into Miyuki’s arms in celebration, to the thunderous roaring of Seidou’s dugout, the stands deafening. Their third batter is on first, his hand showing a one high in the air is louder than any shout of victory, the sight piercing into Kousei’s soul.

“Seidou High ties the game! The 3-hole Shirasu scores a truly priceless RBI!”

The weight of this run is heavy, and now Miyuki is up to bat.

Kousei can see his teammates coming closer but he can’t help watching Seidou’s still cheering dugout, specifically Eijun’s smiling face as he welcomes Kuramochi back into the dugout. It’s a bittersweet feeling, Eijun should always smile that brightly, but he’s frustrated that his failure to stop Seidou was the cause.

This is going to weigh on him for sure, but standing there surrounded by his teammates he can’t help thinking it’s going to be fine. The game’s only tied, they’ll score again, he has no doubt about that at all, and promptly tells them, their faces surprised before determination takes root.

“Alright!”

“Yeah! Let’s go!”

Kousei takes a deep breath to clear his head, but lets his frustration and determination fuel him to keep going. He’s not ready to give up, the fight in him hasn’t died out just yet. He briefly wonders if this is how Sanada felt during those last innings during their match, before he dashes those thoughts. He can be more introspective after they win, he needs to focus on the here and now.

Which is Miyuki at the plate, his amber gaze full of fire, a promise to get more runs, but Kousei isn’t that generous to just let him hit.

If he wants more runs then he’ll have to fight for them.

“It’s time for the fourth matchup between the ace and the main cannon, who will prevail this time!?”

And fight they do, pitch after pitch is fouled, Miyuki keeping up with everything he throws at him until they have a full count. He could throw a ball and let him walk but it would grate on him if they did that. A glance at the dugout shows Kousei the coach is still signalling them to be aggressive, believing they can get this out.

“Let’s go Kousei, it’s still two outs!”

“Yeah, let him hit, we’ll get the next one!”

With a deep breath, the calls of his teammates calm down the nerves that had crept up on him. He faces Takami with steel in his eyes, nodding at the sign he’s given. He puts his everything into this last pitch, and the moment it leaves his fingers he knows this is the one. This is the best pitch he’s thrown all game, maybe the whole tournament.

The clang of the bat and the absence of the ball hitting any mitt on the field as it’s going, going, gone, doesn’t take any of that away from him, even as he feels like crumpling on the mound.

He doesn’t though, because he’s Ichidai’s ace, and there’s still more game left to play.

“Game set! Winning 3-1, Seidou High advances to the finals!”

They lost, they really lost. Kousei had admitted it was possible, but he didn’t think his team would actually lose. He can see Hoshida still at the plate gripping his bat as tears silently fall down his face while he hears Takami behind him sniffle loudly as he tries to hold his back. Adachi is next to Coach Tahara, tears flowing but looking every bit the captain he is as he ushers them all for the lineup to officially end the game.

Kousei’s feeling a lot, but he’s not crying, his eyes remain dry as both teams line up. He can see in his periphery a few of his teammates shoot him some concerned looks, but the bigger surprise is when he gets a few from the Seidou team.

And then Eijun’s standing in front of him, between Kuramochi and Miyuki, and he looks misty eyed but doesn’t avert his gaze when he meets Kousei’s eyes. He can’t help the wobbly but fond smile that comes, Eijun mirroring him. He wants to say and do so much, but under the eyes of the whole stadium, he just follows the motions through the bows. He can hear words exchanged between the teams, including Eijun thanking his team for their three years of hard work which makes a laugh bubble out of him, garnering the attention of his soulmate and a few others around them. With a mirthful smile, he steps closer to Eijun, clasping his hand gently but firmly in his own.

“Thank you for the best game I’ve ever played, it was a great one to end on. But you better win it all then, you hear me? You beat me after all!” He tries to give a cocky smirk, but he knows he’s still just smiling fondly. Eijun’s tears are finally falling, eyes a mix of pride for his team and heartbreak over ending Kousei's summer, but that victory was well earned and he won’t let the other ace dwell too long.

Eijun seems too emotional to speak but he manages to squeak out a few words as he squeezes Kousei’s hand a little tighter. “That was the plan! I’ll make you proud.”

“I already am.” A new wave of tears hit Eijun, but he’s smiling brightly, the joy he was denying himself from the win finally coming through. Kousei can see the other Seidou players around them, many with relieved expressions while a few have approving looks as they watch the scene unfold. His own team, while still looking crestfallen over their loss, give him supportive looks, before they start heading back to their dugout, yells directed to the Seidou team to win it all echoing.

Before the teams fully separate, Kousei pulls Eijun a little closer to whisper to him to meet him on the side of the stadium. Eijun gives him an understanding look before he gives a small nod, letting their hands go and jogging after his team who give him many thumps on his back in congratulations over their win.

Kousei feels a little bubble of bitterness, but it leaves as quickly as it comes. He may hate losing, but he meant it when he told Eijun he was already proud of him, no matter the result.

The team seems to want to give him space, but also want to ask if he’s okay. And normally he would be very touched and tease them for being such big softies, but he needs to see Eijun. Once he has his shoulder iced up and all his stuff packed, he looks to his coach ready to plead his case when he’s beaten to it.

“Just go Amahisa-boy, we’ll debrief later.” Tahara looks subdued, but still bemused at Kousei’s antics. He gives a brief smile before he’s out the door, running to where he told Eijun to meet him.

He sees Eijun leaning against the wall close to the door, a small frown on his face as he looks at his phone in his hand. He looks up when he gets closer and tries to speak when Kousei immediately hauls him into a hug. Eijun doesn’t hesitate to bring his arms around him, one of his hands laying lightly on the back of his neck, gently guiding Kousei’s head to his shoulder. Once his head is tucked away, Kousei lets his tears flow out, slightly shaking as he cries.

This, this is what he needed. To hold Eijun and be held in return, being able to be sad over his loss without any platitudes. He knows his team would mean well, but he just wants to let it out with no one telling him he did his best and to be proud of what he accomplished. He already knows all of that logically, but here in Eijun’s arms he can just cry and feel safe. He can hear Eijun hum a tune from one of the animes he’s seen recently, light background noise that comes into focus as his tears slowly stop. He can feel him start to pull back a bit, but Kousei just holds on tighter, needing to feel the contact still.

“Not yet Eijun, please.”

“Okay Kousei-senpai… I won’t apologize for winning, because we promised not to and I’m not sorry either. If you need some time to be sad though, I’ll understand, just know I’ll always be here for you, for as long as you want me. And I’ll carry your frustration with me, and I’ll keep winning.” Eijun’s voice sounds a little rough, like he started crying again as he was speaking, but he isn’t done yet. “Because you gave me your best, like I asked, and you’re such an amazing pitcher senpai! I’m so happy I got to play you again, this time with both of us as aces.”

Eijun’s shaking, and while that thought hurts his heart, it oddly grounds him to speak up.

“I am so, so, so proud of you Eijun. No, my turn to speak, okay?” Kousei grips even tighter when Eijun tries to look at his face, but he wants to get out how he’s feeling before he’s subjected to those piercing golden eyes. He knows he’ll blurt something else that he isn’t sure Eijun is ready to hear just yet if he does. “I meant what I said on the field but I’ll say it again, that was the best game I’ve ever played. I’m sad I lost, of course I am, but if I had to lose to someone, I’m glad it was you. You once said to me you hoped I wouldn’t have any regrets for my last tournament, and this game isn’t one of them. I gave you my best and you gave me yours, it was the pitcher’s duel I’ve been hoping it would be and then some.”

Kousei finally pulls back to look Eijun in the eyes, his hands finding his face to make sure he sees the sincerity in his eyes. Eijun looks at him with everything he’s feeling, from joy to sadness, and awe to bewilderment. He’s always been expressive, wearing his heart on his sleeve, but Kousei thinks he’s dazzling in this moment being able to feel so much, his heart so big.

Sawamura Eijun feels so much for the people in his world, and Kousei has never felt more in love with him then right now.

“I am so happy for you Eijun because you showed everyone in that stadium what I already knew, that you’re an amazing pitcher and that ace number belongs on your back. Part of me wishes I could have gone to Koshien again, but the bigger, louder part, will cheer you on when you get there, because I know you can do it, you can win it all. I’m so proud to be your soulmate, and I will always, always want you, never doubt that Eijun.”

Eijun has tears falling again, but the softest smile on his lips as he gazes at Kousei with molten gold eyes. His own hands are up, covering Kousei’s own on his face and he nuzzles the one on his left briefly before he looks back at him. Kousei can’t help leaning forward to rest their foreheads together, both of them content as the noise from the crowd washes over them.

“I’m proud to be your soulmate too Kousei-senpai, so much.”

When he returns to his team’s bus, no one mentions the redness around his eyes, but they seem relieved to see he’s in a slightly better mood. Tahara nods at him as he gestures for him to come closer. He takes a spot near the edge of the group before Hoshida grabs him and pushes him to the front with him. Now he can feel the stares of the team and while he would normally preen at the attention, he still feels a bit too raw after talking to Eijun. He’s brought out of his thoughts when Coach Tahara clears his throat, gazing out at all the players.

“Well before anything I just want to say, I am so proud of you boys. You showed all of those people your baseball, and even though we lost, that was your best performance as a team to date.” Tahara’s eyes found Kousei’s as he continued his speech. “Every single one of you gave this team your all and it showed in this game.

“Third years, there’s nothing for any of you to regret. I wish your summer could have been longer, but there’s nothing for any of you to be ashamed of from that game. You fought with everything and sometimes it isn’t enough, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth the effort. I hope you take from this game what you take from your two and half years of playing for this team. This is your baseball, what you’ve cultivated in your high school career, that for those of you that keep pursuing baseball, I hope it continues to serve you well. And even if this is the end of your baseball career, I hope the lessons you learned still help you in whatever you choose in life. Never stop making me proud, but more importantly, never lose your pride for anything you do.”

Tahara continues to address the rest of the team, he imparts his pride, his advice, his hopes for the future of the team, and Kousei feels more warmth than sadness. He’s so glad he came back to baseball, to this team, and he’ll never run away again. He truly can’t imagine his life without baseball anymore, and he’ll continue on this path for all the people that have believed in him, so he won’t lie to himself anymore. He’s more thankful than ever for the team taking him back because baseball is where he belongs.

He can’t believe he ever thought differently.

“Thank you all again for your hard work, you truly make me the proudest coach there is.” Tahara gives a bow to the players, making the rest of the third years cry, but all Kousei feels is gratitude and the determination to speak up.

“We should be thanking you coach!” Tahara straightened up at Kousei’s outburst, giving him a surprised look. The others around him are giving him curious glances, but he sees his fellow batchmates smile at him, giving him a boost to continue. “You taught us, guided us, pushed us past our limits, but most of all believed in us all this time. You’ve helped make us into better players and people. It’s been an honor and privilege to be coached by you. So thank you coach, thank you for believing in our strengths and forgiving our faults. Thank you for these last two and a half years!”

Kousei bows, and he sees the others around him join in, showing Tahara their heartfelt gratitude. When they all come up, they see tears in his eyes but he’s smiling widely. The assistant coaches behind him beam with pride, and beyond the crowd of the team, Kousei sees the alumni members approaching. They give him looks of approval, showing him they heard his speech, before they clap to announce their arrival, congratulating the team on their efforts.

Among them he sees Manaka, who makes a beeline for him, clapping him on the shoulder with pride in his eyes. “Well said Kousei, a true ace to the end indeed.”

Kousei can’t help bursting into tears hearing those words, soon surrounded by the watery laughter of his team. Looking around at all the teasing he’s garnering, he may have lost his last high school tournament, but he’s gained something stronger that will help him keep moving forward.

This is where his summer ends, but the sun is still shining, his heart full.

Chapter Text

Eijun checked his phone for probably the tenth time in as many minutes before Kuramochi yelled at him to either call his soulmate or plant his butt on the ground to play videogames with them. He’s kind of impressed that his roommate lasted that long without saying anything, but it’s short lived when he hears Miyuki snickering from his bed. He knows he’s being a little ridiculous, but it doesn’t stop him from huffing at the catcher to shut up before he plops down next to Kuramochi, grabbing a controller.

The game manages to distract him pretty well, and he knows everyone is being kind by letting him keep playing even though he loses every round. Haruichi even moves to his side to give him tips, which is very rare since usually he’s the one destroying everyone without any mercy. He even spots Furuya silently putting his favorite juice near him that he didn’t even need to ask for.

He must look more troubled than he thought he did.

It’s not even a big deal, but he can’t help fixate on the fact that he hasn’t heard from Kousei since the final where he congratulated him on a hard won win against Inashiro. Kousei even told him that he would be a little MIA for the next few days, but not to worry about it. Eijun is a little concerned that he’s being ignored because of the semifinal but he knows Kousei would have been more blatant about that being the reason if it was. He’s incredibly blunt about everything, so even if the semifinal was a sore spot Eijun has full faith that Kousei would have just told him that.

It’s just the timing of the radio silence that has him on edge, but he wants to believe that everything is fine. That hasn’t stopped Eijun from checking his phone almost every hour anyway, to the great concern and annoyance of his team.

It’s ironically when he’s finally stopped obsessing over his phone, that it finally pings, causing him to swivel to it immediately. He can hear most of the occupants in the room stop talking when he practically dives for his phone, eyes only on the screen as he brings up the notification.

It’s from Kousei.

Kousei-senpai ⚾💕: You have the day off from practice tomorrow right?

Me: Yeah, why???

Kousei-senpai ⚾💕: Meet me in front of your school’s gate at 10am tomorrow.

Kousei-senpai ⚾💕: It’s about time I took you out on a real date! I finally got everything set up and I know you still have time before you leave for koshien, so you, me, date tomorrow? 😉

Eijun can feel his face burn but he’s smiling. He vaguely hears some murmurs around the room but the loudest is some fake gagging, probably from Kuramochi.

Me: Of course I wanna go on a date with you! Wait, did our cafe ones not count!?

Me: Where are we going???

Kousei-senpai ⚾💕: I mean they count but I’ve been wanting to go all out for one for a while but we never had the time, so now we are!

Kousei-senpai ⚾💕: And nope, it’s a surprise, your only hint is to dress comfy! And cute, but you’re always cute~

Me: 😳 Senpai, you can’t just write things like that!!!

The conversation quickly devolves into hearts and confirmation that Eijun will meet him at the gate in the morning before he tosses his phone aside and buries his red face into his hands. When he finally feels like his face isn’t melting from all the blushing, Eijun looks up to see most of the room watching him expectantly.

He feels his cheeks instantly reheat at the attention.

“Um…”

“So? What did that moon face have to say? He better have had a good reason for the radio silence.” Kuramochi looks terrifying, glaring at Eijun’s tossed aside phone, like he could mentally put Kousei into a chokehold by sheer will. Eijun feels both touched and exasperated from Kuramochi’s threatening concern, making a note to himself to keep those two away from each other for just a little longer.

“Well, we’re going on our first big date tomorrow. Apparently he spent the last few days planning it out because he wanted it to be special since we’ve mainly had just phone calls and the occasional free time to see each other because of the tournament.”

“Well, fuck, that’s actually really sweet. Dammit I can’t be angry at that.” Kuramochi looks conflicted on whether to be impressed by Kousei’s plans or still mad that he made Eijun worry.

“Well, he did take his sweet time to let Eijun-kun know, I’d say you can still be a little mad at that You-san.” Haruichi drops that reminder with a smile that would make his brother proud, causing Kuramochi’s face to split into a feral grin, sending shivers down Eijun’s spine.

“Kyahaha! You’re right Haruichi, he better pull out all the stops for our ace or we’re gonna have words!”

He hears a few others agree with Kuramochi, with some enabling comments thrown into the mix, and Eijun just sighs at how ridiculous his team can be. He appreciates their concern, even if it can get out of hand. As some throw out ideas on how to make sure Kousei behaves himself, he feels so incredibly lucky to have them whether it’s on or off the field.

I’m so glad I came to Seidou, Eijun can’t help tearing up when he thinks that. He’s thought it plenty of times before, but he feels it even more strongly at this moment.

“Hey why are you crying!?”

Everyone turns around to look towards Eijun at Kanemaru’s panicked shouting. The sight of close to twenty boys swiveling around at once makes Eijun laugh, confusing the team even more. Once he’s wiped away some of the tears that slipped down his face, he grins brightly back at them.

“Sorry, I was just really happy for a second there! I’m fine though I swear!” He grins even more at the few dubious looks he gets though he sees a few accepting nods thrown in there too. Everyone knows how emotional Eijun can be, it’s not the first time he’s cried out of joy in front of them, but he spots Furuya giving him a gentle smile, one full of understanding.

One that understands how life changing coming to Seidou has been.

Before he can say anymore, he finds himself in a familiar position of being wrestled to the ground by Kuramochi. The familiar cackles of his roommate and laughter of the team are a balm that helps take some of the sting out of the slightly painful position he finds himself in.

“So you’re happy we’re plotting against Amahisa? What a mean soulmate you are!” Miyuki’s nasally laugh fills the air as Kuramochi leans a little closer so Eijun sees his plotting smirk.

“Kyahaha! I’ll take that as permission to enact any plan we come up with then!”

“Oi, I never said you could! Don’t put words in my mouth!”

“Aww, but I thought you were happy over our plotting.” Eijun feels his eyes widen at those words, Toujou may look like an angel but he’s just as deceiving as Haruichi.

“I was happy because you guys were concerned over me, not because you’re plotting against my soulmate!”

A few of them stutter out denials while the others just look embarrassed, but it’s quickly back to yelling among the boys to change topics away from anything too mushy. Eijun smiles at them, not pushing but still happy. He then realizes Kuramochi isn’t as heavy on top of him as he had been, looking up to see him looking down thoughtfully.

When he sees Eijun looking back, he roughly ruffles his hair before he makes his way over to Miyuki, plopping down to lean against him. Miyuki lets out an oof before he turns to speak to him, most likely teasing him if the shove he gets as response from Kuramochi is any indicator. He sees Miyuki grab Kuramochi’s hand to pull himself back in, lacing their fingers before they lean back against each other to watch the current match of Smash Bros everyone has been sucked back into.

Eijun looks away finally to see Haruichi absolutely demolish Zono’s character on screen, causing an uproar among the players. His heart constricts a bit, thinking back to his upperclassmen, who are now joining in the heckling. He can admit briefly to himself that he envies that they can just spend time together, being on the same team even if their days are constantly filled with baseball (and sometimes school).

He misses Kousei, a lot.

He grabs his discarded phone and opens up his Line app to reread Kousei’s messages, warmth filling him up again with excitement. Even if they can’t have easy small moments yet, they can at least have this, moments where they’re always reaching for the other. He sends Kousei some hearts because he can, receiving some immediately after, and puts his phone away to turn and watch the rest of the team screeching over foul play.

I can’t wait for tomorrow, Eijun thinks as a soft smile graces his lips, content in the moment.

I’m not ready for today at all, Eijun thinks as he paces in front of his clothes, panicking over what to wear to his date. He’s ready to chuck the few choices he has laid out and start over again, when Kuramochi comes through the door back from breakfast and pauses over the hurricane that is Eijun’s part of the room. He seems to debate what to do before he gives a small nod to himself and leaves, the door slightly open.

Eijun wants to jump at that to distract himself from his fashion dilemma when he hears footsteps reapproaching the room. The door flies all the way open again to show Kuramochi dragging in Haruichi and Toujou, who both look bewildered. Behind them he can spot Furuya and Kanemaru who look confused at their friends being abducted by their upperclassman. Once everyone is in the room, Haruichi and Toujou have looks of clarity when they see Eijun still panicked in front of his clothes.

“Okay, help him so he’s not a breathing cliché anymore, good luck!” And with that Kuramochi leaves, slamming the door behind him and leaving the group of second years in silence.

“Um...I didn’t ask him to do this, but since you guys are here, please help me!” Eijun almost folds into a full ninety degree bow, but Haruichi stops him with a fond yet exasperated smile. When he has Eijun standing straight again, he pats his shoulder before going closer to his clothes choices for his date.

“It’s fine Eijun-kun. I was more surprised that You-san just dragged us here without saying anything.”

“Yeah, he left the cafeteria, then not even a minute later is back and just hauls us over here, and well, here we are!” Toujou spreads his hands out to gesture to the group now getting settled in to help out. Well, Toujou and Haruichi look ready to help, Furuya’s already on the ground napping while Kanemaru gets settled next to him to just watch everything unfold. Eijun isn’t complaining though, he’ll take whatever help he can get.

“Well, I appreciate it, really, thanks.” He feels touched that his friends don’t mind helping him with this, and that Kuramochi helped in his own way too, even if it was to just go get his batchmates.

“Hmm, so these are your choices so far? They aren’t bad, what’s been the main issue with deciding?” Haruichi has the two shirts held up to see them better as Toujou peers down at the others.

“...It’s going to sound silly,” Eijun mumbles while looking away, a light blush on his face.

“We’re all in here to help you pick an outfit for your date with your soulmate, who’s basically already in love with you, it can’t get any sillier than that Sawamura,” Kanemaru replies bluntly, his arms crossed as he leans against the side of the bed.

“You could have worded it better than that,” Toujou says exasperated.

“What, it’s true! We all saw those heart eyes Amahisa kept throwing at him during the semifinal!” As the two continue to bicker, Eijun can’t help his darker blush, covering his face with his hands as he whines in embarrassment. He feels a few pats on his shoulder from Haruichi, who’s chuckling over the commotion.

“Don’t be embarrassed Eijun-kun, it’s cute how much you two like each other. Now back to the clothes, where are you guys going?”

“I don’t know, he wants it to be a surprise. But he did say to dress comfy!”

“Hmm, so something that looks nice but has good movement then…” Haruichi grabs the jeans he initially had laid out before tossing them aside and marching back to his closet to poke through it. Toujou flits back to see the shirts he had out before following Haruichi to the closet also.

“Hey, check if you can find those cuffed light blue jeans of his, those look nice.” Everyone, even Furuya who looks more awake now, turns to stare at Kanemaru, who’s turning an alarming shade of red at the attention. “What!? I never said I wasn’t going to help!”

Haruichi and Toujou snicker at his embarrassment as they track down the pants he mentioned, while Eijun is ready to burst with affection for his friend. He’s ready to pounce on him for a hug when Toujou shouts in triumph, pulling out the very jeans Kanemaru had mentioned.

“Found it! And he’s right, you’ll look great in these Sawamura. Amahisa won’t know what hit him!”

“Toujou, do you have to say it that way!?”

“Like what Sawamura, the truth? Isn’t that why we’re here, to make you pretty for him?”

Eijun makes a strangled screech in embarrassment, his head back in his hands as his friends laugh. He can hear them talk about what shirts to pair with the jeans, or really he hears Toujou give suggestions and Haruichi shut most down. When he finally lifts his head to see their progress, he sees them holding out an outfit for him.

“Okay Eijun-kun, I think we’ve found the right one. What do you think?” Haruichi asks with a gentle smile as Toujou nods in encouragement. Even if he was embarrassed by it earlier, Kanemaru is right, he does want to look nice for Kousei.

It’s totally not because he said Eijun is cute all the time, not at all.

Haruichi holds one of his v-neck shirts, a pale yellow one, with his dark blue cardigan, the one with a few white stripes by the cuffs. It’s cute and comfy, exactly what he needs for this mystery date, and it brings a small smile to his face when he notices they picked Seidou colors, as if to subconsciously remind Kousei of the team ready to come for him if he messes up.

“It’s perfect, thank you so much guys!” Eijun rushes at them, pulling them into a hug, the clothes tossed onto the bed to avoid being squished and wrinkled. He can hear Toujou laughing into the impromptu hug while Haruichi gives an exasperated sigh, patting his arm. He looks to Kanemaru to join in, but is met with an embarrassed scowl.

“Oh no, I’m good where I am. And wear your white sneakers with it, those’ll match better.” Kanemaru’s cheeks are pink as he talks, and they only get darker at Toujou’s teasing.

Eijun gives a soft wide smile, then gives a yelp at the time, rushing to get ready as the others laugh and chat with him before he has to go.

Eijun makes it to the gate five minutes to ten and lets himself breathe to get rid of some of his nerves. He can see a few of his teammates close by trying to be casual, but he can tell they’re there to probably intimidate Kousei. At least, that’s why he’s assuming most of them have bats to practice their swings so far from the main field which he knows isn’t full at all.

Before he can tell them to knock it off, he hears a shout of his name from down the street. He turns to see Kousei jogging with a hand behind his back, the other waving to get his attention. Eijun feels his face burn, but a grin forms as he gives a small wave back.

The distance gives Eijun some time to see Kousei’s wearing a pair of dark jeans paired with a light grey three-quarter sleeved henley, a bag slung over his shoulder. It’s a tight henley, one that shows off his arms really well, and Eijun has to look away briefly to compose himself, willing his blush to go down. He knows Kousei is attractive, he’s even admitted it to him once when he was fishing for some compliments to shut him up, but being confronted with that so early is not good for his health.

He’s slightly more put together when Kousei reaches him, but he isn’t pulled into a hug like he expects. Instead he’s nervously presented with a few flowers tied together with a gold ribbon.

Specifically sunflowers.

“I was considering getting you roses, but then I saw these and thought they were perfect because they’re bright like the sun and bring happiness to others, just like you!” Kousei says the last part with a charming boyish grin, his cheeks a little pink. Eijun can’t help the bashful smile that settles on his lips as he brings the sunflowers closer to his face to look at them more, taking in Kousei words.

“I love them, thank you senpai.” He looks back up to see Kousei’s much redder face, lips parted in surprise. “What is it?”

“I just noticed how nice you look, and with the flowers you looked really cute. Kind of wish I could see you in a field of them now.” Kousei’s scratching the back of his head now, looking off to the side, his blush somehow even redder, and wow, Eijun has never seen him this red before. When the words finally register in his head though, Eijun easily matches him with his own intense blush.

“What- Kou- Y-YOU CAN’T JUST SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!” Eijun is going to die, he’s going to melt on the spot before the date can even happen because his soulmate is so damn sappy, and he’s so in love with this dork, the swell of affection almost takes him by surprise. He feels a hand grab his unoccupied one and squeeze, bringing him back to Kousei, who has the most gentle smile to match fond eyes.

“But I told you didn’t I? I’m going all out this time, and that includes as many sappy lines as I can think of! So are you ready for that?” Are you ready for me? It goes unsaid, but Eijun hears it loud and clear between them.

He loosens their grips on their hands to lace them tightly instead, stepping closer to Kousei, the sunflowers gently cradled to his chest. He looks up slightly to see Kousei waiting nervously with a hopeful smile, and an easy grin comes to his face as he leans even closer to his soulmate.

“You better sweep me off my feet then.” His response gets a cocky grin from Kousei, similar to the one he wears on the mound, who starts to pull them away from the gate to wherever this date is planned, but Eijun can see the glint in his eyes that accepts his challenge.

“That was always the plan.”

Their first stop leaves Eijun speechless as he looks up, up, up, and up, at the Tokyo Skytree towering over them. When Kousei had told him that they would have three stops for their date, he expected cute smaller places, not one of the tallest buildings in the city. He’s taken out of his trance by the click of a camera, turning to see Kousei shamelessly smiling as he takes another picture of Eijun now that he’s facing him.

“Senpai!” Eijun tries to sound more tough in his reprimand, but it comes out more like a whine, causing Kousei to give him a teasing look as he pockets his phone.

“What, you looked so cute, face full of wonder, how could I resist?” Eijun swats at him, but his hand is just caught and held before he’s pulled towards the entrance. “Anyway, you’ve mentioned before that you wish you had the time to see some of the sights since you aren’t from Tokyo, so I thought today would just be that!”

“And the Tokyo Skytree is what you decided to start with!?”

“Well, gotta start with something big right? The other places aren’t this crazy, but I figured let's get the big one done first and then unwind throughout the day?” The nervousness from earlier is back and Eijun can’t have that, so he squeezes Kousei’s hand and beams at him.

“I’m just surprised senpai, but that sounds amazing! And it makes me really happy you remembered how much I wanted to sightsee.” Eijun has a light blush when he finishes, truly touched his soulmate had remembered, and excited to take in the sights he’s been denied because of baseball.

Not that he would ever regret baseball or even think of slacking on his training, but it’s nice to do this with Kousei, to spend time together outside of the sport.

“Good, I always want to make you happy.” Eijun’s blush gets even redder as he ducks his head closer to Kousei’s shoulder to hide his face, but the shaking he feels as Kousei laughs tells him he was seen anyway. “Hey now, no hiding your face from me, it’s too cute!”

“Kousei-senpai!”

“Hahaha, come on then, we have a view to see! Though the one next to me is pretty great too!”

“SENPAI!”

The guard by the door gives them the stink eye as they pass him to get to the elevator after they get their tickets, a silent reprimand to quiet down. They manage to muffle their giggles until they’re some feet away before they dash the rest of the way towards the elevators, laughter loud and bright. They get some amused and annoyed looks from the older visitors, and some curious glances from others around their age. The elevator ride up is uneventful, but once Eijun is tugged to the main viewing area, he feels his heart stop.

“Oh wow,” Eijun says breathlessly, awed by the city sprawled below them. Tokyo’s always been this enormous city to him, even after living in it for over a year now, he doesn’t think he’ll ever see it all, but up here, it’s both as big as he imagined and smaller than he thought. He can see the skyline and the roads, filled with cars and people, all trying to get to their destinations, all living their own lives.

He’s brought back to the observation deck by another click, turning to see Kousei softly looking at him as he lowers his phone. He pockets it before he drags Eijun closer, still looking at him tenderly, his thumb swiping along the back of the hand he’s still holding. Looking up into his eyes, Eijun sees the light reflected, making his honey eyes glow, captivating him.

“I like how you look at the world,” Kousei talks low, as if to preserve the moment, a secret between them. “Like it’s still full of wonder to be discovered.”

“Because there’s still a lot I haven’t seen,” Eijun whispers just as quiet, wanting to keep this moment for just themselves, as people chat walking past them. He sees adoration in Kousei’s eyes as he feels the grip on his hand tighten.

“Will you let me keep discovering it with you?”

There’s a lot hiding in those words, and while Eijun would usually shout how he feels in response, the soft atmosphere that cloaks them in their corner of the viewing deck tells him that can come later. For now he leans his head against the shoulder closest to him, looking back at the view as the sun climbs higher in the sky, giving everything a slight golden hue.

“There’s no one else I could ever want with me for it.”

He feels a slight pressure on top of his head before Kousei leans his head there instead, nuzzling his hair briefly. Everything around them keeps moving as they stand there quietly, content in their own little bubble.

After eating lunch at the tower’s cafe, Kousei takes him to the Edo-Tokyo Museum, saying he knows how much Eijun likes learning about history, even if he hates taking tests for it. Eijun’s heart is close to bursting with how much Kousei has paid attention to what he mentions, little things other people might not have remembered.

He even lets Eijun ramble over what he remembers from class and what he’s read on his own, even citing what stories he’s read that were inspired by certain events in history. Kousei only interjects when he knows something Eijun doesn’t, doing it in a way that fuels his enthusiasm.

When Kousei’s been silent for a long time, Eijun looks over to see him gazing at him with fondness, but instead of feeling embarrassed, it makes him feel bold. So he stares back, Kousei’s eyes widening a bit in surprise but not looking away. He doesn’t know if they stand there for seconds, minutes, hours, but whatever Kousei seems to be searching for he finds, giving a gentle smile that Eijun returns.

“Everything okay senpai?”

“Yeah, I just like listening to you.”

Eijun blushes, because what else can he do when faced with such sincere words, told with sweet smiles and tender eyes. He feels like he’s floating, the only thing grounding him to reality being the hand held in his own, warm and calloused.

His throat constricts with the words he can’t seem to voice, frustration clawing at him. So he just squeezes Kousei’s hand tighter, his knuckles almost white. Eijun knows it can’t be comfortable, but Kousei just smiles wider and pulls him along to more exhibits.

“Come on, we still have more to see! Does that section over there have any stories attached?”

Eijun can feel the lump in his throat lessen as he goes off about the three legends for the next section, Kousei staying engaged the entire time, his attention never wavering.

By the time they leave the museum, gift shop trinkets acquired and all, it’s early evening. They’re walking down the sidewalk as Eijun swings his gift shop bag along, the flowers poking out a bit, humming another tune.

“Is that the song I sent you the other day?”

“Yeah, it’s really catchy! I even looked up a few of their other songs, I get why you like them so much now!”

“Wait you did?” Kousei looks surprised, but pleased that Eijun was taking an interest in his hobbies. He gives him an exasperated yet fond look in return.

“Yeah? You started a few of the mangas I talked about, it was only fair! Plus you have some interesting taste, it was fun!”

Kousei beams, laughing giddily at that knowledge, and Eijun melts a little at the sound. He always wants to make Kousei laugh, it’s loud and full of life, letting everyone around him know how happy he is, and always pulls Eijun in. He lets himself drown in the sound as he threads his arm through Kousei’s, holding it as he leans closer to him. The laughter softens to low chuckles as Kousei crooks his arm a bit to accommodate their new position.

“That makes me really happy, I’ll send you more recs then.”

“I’ll look forward to them.” Eijun can’t help the bashful smile that comes out, looking to the side to avoid being teased. “So what’s our last stop senpai?”

“It’s just around here.”

The two continue, seeing the riverside and a park sprawling to the side. There are trees lining the walkway, but not too many that they can’t see the river as they keep walking. Eijun can see more people up ahead, some walking around and others sitting on blankets. A closer look shows that while there are families among the crowd, it’s mainly couples which causes Eijun’s cheeks to pink a bit.

They stop by a tree further in the back that still has a good view of the river, giving them more privacy. Kousei slides his bag off his shoulder to take out a blanket, laying it down on the spot he’s chosen. When it’s down to his liking, he turns to Eijun with a bashful smile as he gestures around him.

“So um, this is Sumida Park and I read they do firework shows around this time of the summer! I thought it would be a great way to end our date, especially after all the walking.” It’s the most nervous Eijun has seen Kousei all day, but it’s so endearing to watch him scuff his shoe in the grass while he rubs the back of his neck waiting for his reply.

“You’re such a dork.”

Kousei blinks at him, looking a little confused at his reaction, but Eijun isn’t done.

“And sappy, and ridiculous, because only you would be boldly confident about waxing poetry about how cute you think I am but nervous planning our date, like I could ever hate anything we do together.”

“Um𑁋” Kousei’s going red in the face, but the small smile on his face tells Eijun he doesn’t hate what he’s saying, giving him confidence to keep going.

“Because I want to do everything with you, and nothing, and anything, as long as it’s with you, I’ll love it. You said you love how I see the world, but it’s brighter and more exciting because I have you in it! I’ll love whatever we do, even if it’s dull or boring or mundane, because we’ll be together. That’s all I care about because𑁋”

Kousei had been getting closer with each sentence until he’s right in front of Eijun, his hands now holding his biceps gently, his eyes burning into his own, willing Eijun to finish, to hear those last few words. Eijun brings his hands up to fist in Kousei’s shirt, closing those last few inches as he drags him even closer.

“Because I love you Kousei.” The words are barely breathed out before lips crash into his own, the grip on his arms almost bruising but not painful. Eijun is briefly glad they picked a spot further away from the crowd, especially when he tries to push Kousei closer to the tree, only for them to trip over the edge of a root onto the blanket laid out.

He can feel his face burn in embarrassment, but he doesn’t dwell on it long when he feels Kousei cradling his head close to his chest, the other arm wrapped around Eijun to make sure he landed alright. He lifts his head a bit to see Kousei looking at him relieved, before a mischievous look replaces it.

“So you really fell for me, huh?”

A beat, then two.

“Oh my god, you did not.”

They both devolve into laughter, but it’s light and breathless, kept between them in their private bubble. Eijun can feel Kousei move them to their sides, but keeps him tucked into his arms so they’re basically cuddling. He takes a quick glance around to notice the sun has set by now, a few park lights have turned on near the walkway. He’s brought back to Kousei by a hand gently turning his head up to face him, a tender smile greeting him.

“You couldn’t wait a little bit huh? I had this whole grand plan with the blanket, the fireworks, the timing, but you just had to go and beat me to it.” The complaint is said with a widening grin, so Eijun knows Kousei isn’t really bothered by his plans being dashed.

“Well nothing’s stopping you from still doing it,” Eijun snarks back, still bold after his confession.

Kousei’s hand gently cards through Eijun’s hair, pushing some strands away from his eyes, the other arm pulling him closer. His eyes search Eijun’s, flitting down to his lips briefly before coming back, fondness clear.

“But I got something even better. You, in all your unpredictable glory, giving me even more reasons to keep falling in love with you.” His hand moves to cup Eijun’s cheek, lightly stroking it with his thumb. “Because I love you too Eijun.”

After that declaration, Eijun gets gentle kisses on his forehead, his nose, his cheeks, and finally his lips, all featherlight but full of care. Kousei leans their foreheads together after, a bright smile on his face, looking the most relaxed he has all day.

“You know, I really had fun playing tourist with you today. I’m glad you planned this.”

“Yeah? Do you feel properly wooed then?”

Eijun thinks back to their day, from the flowers to the tower, feeling on top of the world, and not just because he was in one of the tallest buildings in the world. Their lunch in the clouds at the tower’s cafe, giggling over Kousei’s dumb sky jokes while they ate. Getting to enjoy history with Kousei’s funny commentary as Eijun regaled him with all the legends he knew, leading them to debate the accuracy of period dramas. The thought and planning that went into every part of this date screams of care, of Kousei wanting to do something special for him. The declarations of love warm Eijun’s heart just thinking about them, letting him be more than content laying with his soulmate.

He doesn’t just feel wooed, he feels loved.

“Yeah, yeah I do.” Eijun feels a little choked up over all his emotions, but instead of trying to put them into words, he decides to let his actions speak instead. He cradles Kousei’s face, bringing it closer for more kisses, some gentle, others more heated, all filled with his affection and love for his soulmate.

Kousei reacts immediately, dragging him even closer, trying to contain joyful laughter at Eijun’s enthusiasm. A few chuckles still slip through, making Eijun laugh along, before they’re joined again, only separating to murmur more ‘I love yous’ that get swallowed by the next kiss. It’s a little messy and silly, but Eijun couldn’t care less, content to lay there in Kousei’s arms, watching the stars come out, with the occasional peck still exchanged.

When the fireworks finally start, they match the erratic beating of Eijun’s heart, but pale in comparison to bright grins, honey eyes, and loud laughter.

Chapter Text

“It’s the bottom of the sixth and Seidou High is the one to break the stalemate! Maezono brings two runners home with his RBI!”

It’s a slow Thursday, one where Kousei is trying to do his summer homework, but failing in this heat. Even with the fan trained on him, he still feels too sweaty to be productive, so he’d pulled up the latest Koshien game stream on his laptop just in time to see Seidou on defense in the fifth. Furuya’s pitching, and while he would much prefer to watch Eijun, Kousei can admit the monster pitcher is looking much better than in the spring.

Seidou’s annoyingly persistent batting lineup is also looking great, that RBI had been brutal, the poor pitcher, Kousei can sympathize.

He’s brought out of his musing by loud cheering from the screen. He can see Eijun as he shouts encouragement from the dugout to his teammates taking the field for the next inning. Kousei lifts his hand to trace Eijun’s smile on the screen, a soft one mirrored on his own face.

He really misses Eijun.

Kousei’s proud of him for taking his team to Koshien, for continuing to do well among the top teams in the country, but now that he’s retired from the Ichidai team, he doesn’t have baseball to distract him from missing his soulmate. Not that it stops him from dropping in to say hi and give tips to Terui if he’ll allow it, all while avoiding Tahara’s questions about which teams he’d like to sit down and talk to.

Or if he’s going to enter the draft and let luck decide.

Kousei isn’t getting cold feet about going pro, it’s what he’s wanted since he started his third year and noticed the scouts that would drop by practice some days. He knows they all weren’t for him, Hoshida is a big candidate as well, but his batchmate had told him he wasn’t picky about teams and was putting his name in the draft.

He said it like it was so easy, like it wasn’t a big deal that he could end up on a team close to his family or across the country instead. But then he had looked at Kousei with painfully understanding eyes, ones he couldn’t escape until he admitted why choosing is stressing him out so much.

Because he found his soulmate.

His soulmate who still has a year left of school, who he doesn’t want to be that far from, but would kick his ass if Kousei made a decision based solely on that fact. He doesn’t want to be far from Eijun, but that year of difference already hurts, he doesn’t know if he can move across the country and be happy playing when he’s so far away. Especially when he knows Eijun is leaning more towards college before possibly going pro, to get a degree in case anything happened, the many injuries his team has suffered influencing his caution.

That could make it five years before they’d be in the same league, let alone the same region.

“At the top of the eighth, Furuya is pulled, with Kawakami taking the mound!”

The announcement brings Kousei out of his spiral, watching Kawakami take his place on the mound to the deafening cheers of Seidou’s dugout, with the loudest cheers coming from his fellow third years. It sends shivers down his spine despite the heat, an answering grin forming when the camera pans to Eijun and Furuya raising their fists in solidarity.

He remembers how he almost dropped his phone in shock when Eijun had told him a week after the semifinal that Kawakami had gotten injured right before their game. That moment when Kawakami had shadow pitched in their bullpen had suddenly made so much more sense, finally seeing the act for what it truly was, a rallying cry to his team to keep fighting, to score so this wasn’t the end, and they had delivered.

Now weeks later Kawakami is pitching at Koshien, his injury healed, ready to pay his team back for getting them all there.

Eijun had also told him that Kawakami was quitting baseball after highschool, a decision that surprised Kousei considering he thought the sidearm pitcher was a pretty good pitcher. He didn’t think everyone wanted to go pro like him, but to stop after highschool seemed a little premature when you could play in college. Though Kousei figured he didn’t have the whole story to really judge why he would choose that.

His eyes catch on his phone, a number still saved but unused.

Kousei takes a deep breath, eyes never leaving his phone. He can hear cheers as Kawakami gets Seidou the three outs for a side change, everyone roaring in support, Eijun the loudest of all.

Eijun, who shines brighter than the sun, who can inspire even a rival pitcher to keep fighting, to keep reaching for the top when it might look bleak. Who gave him the gift of a chance to fix things, with his bright smile filled to the brim of optimism and encouragement.

He makes a decision and grabs his phone.

Kousei drums his fingers against the table as he stares out the window. He glances down at his phone on the table, the last message open and mocking him, before he looks back out the window in frustration. He knows he’s impatient, but it’s been almost fifteen minutes after they agreed to meet, and maybe constantly arriving to dates early for Eijun has affected how he perceives tardiness now.

He’s checking the time on his phone again when he hears the bell on the door as it opens, glancing up to see the person he’s been waiting for finally arriving. He looks around the restaurant and spots Kousei at his booth, making his way over.

Sanada Shunpei does a good job looking relaxed despite how tense they both are at his arrival.

Sanada plops down across from him, looking pretty calm and collected, but the small taps he gives the table once he’s settled give away his nerves. He opens his mouth to speak, but before he can say anything, Kousei beats him to it.

“Want anything to eat?”

“What?” Sanada just blinks at him, now visibly unsure how to continue.

“You hungry? They make decent burgers, but their chicken sandwiches are actually really good. My treat, since I called you out here and everything.”

Sanada stares at him for a bit longer, enough for Kousei to squirm a bit to his amusement if the smirk he gets after is any indicator. “Bacon cheeseburger. It’s been a while. Thanks.”

“Cool. Be right back.”

Kousei goes to order their food and panics a bit when asked about drinks, having forgotten to ask Sanada, before settling on a coke, the same as his. He waits for their food by the counter, glancing at Sanada who’s tapping away on his phone as he waits. He pauses before a small smile forms on his lips, then he’s back to tapping away, probably to respond to the text he read.

Kousei hears his number called and gets their food to head back. By the time he returns to their table, Sanada has finished with his phone, put away as he gazes out the window thoughtfully. He turns when he hears Kousei close by, the smirk back in place as if it never left.

“I forgot to ask what you wanted to drink so I just got you a coke, that okay?”

“Heh, haven’t had a soda in months because of training. Yeah it’s fine.”

They sit in silence for a bit just eating until Sanada finally decides to break it.

“So not that this isn’t awkward, but why did you invite me out?” He pops a fry into his mouth after he speaks, seemingly content to wait Kousei out if need be.

“I… I don’t know?”

“Huh?”

“I mean𑁋” Kousei drags his hand down his face, scrubbing a bit at his cheek as he glances away from Sanada briefly before he refocuses on him. “I do, but I’m trying to word it… better than how it sounds in my head.”

Sanada doesn’t say anything to that, just takes a sip from his soda as he waits him out. Kousei takes a deep breath before he decides to just ask, bluntness be damned.

“Are you quitting baseball?”

Sanada’s eyes widen a bit as he stiffens briefly before he carefully goes blank, crossing his arms loosely in front of him as he leans back into the booth. “What’s it to you?”

He sounds nonchalant, like they’re talking about the weather of all things, but the slight clenching of his jaw shows Kousei how much he’s trying to appear normal. Kousei decides he might as well go all in since he’s come this far, or what was even the point of calling him out here for.

“I don’t think you should. Quit that is, if you are thinking of doing it.”

“Why? And why do you care if I do?”

Sanada’s still trying to appear unaffected, but he looks truly bewildered behind the act. Like he really can’t understand why Kousei cares enough to even have this discussion, but considering their history he can’t blame him. He steels his resolve and stares Sanada in the eye as he responds.

“Because you’re a great pitcher and I think you can go farther.”

There’s silence, a few more beats, then Sanada is laughing, but it isn’t mirthful. It has a mocking edge, a little chilling in the warm restaurant, making Kousei fidget as he waits it out.

“So because the genius pitcher has deigned to finally notice little ole me, I shouldn’t quit baseball? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“What? No, I just𑁋”

“Because that’s what it sounds like. And last time I checked Amahisa, we aren’t friends, let alone remotely close enough to warrant this.”

“We’re at least rivals𑁋”

“And what rivals we are, with you always looking down your nose at me. This is the first time we’ve even really had a conversation!”

“Which I’m trying to fix! Would you just, look I’m sorry okay!? I’m sorry I was such a dick to you!”

A few people are glancing over at them for the noise, the cashier even peering over, but Kousei only has eyes for Sanada, who looks truly shocked into silence. He takes that as permission to say the rest of his piece.

“I was a dick, and you didn’t deserve that, so I’m sorry okay? I just, I admire Manaka-san a lot, and to see him lose was horrible, but I was more mad at myself for leaving the team when they could have needed me, and I took that out on you. I treated you like you didn’t matter, even though you’re honestly a really great pitcher and the best rival I could have.”

Sanada blinks a few times before coming back to himself, clearing his throat. He looks away, but Kousei can see the faint blush on his face. He uncrosses his arms, putting them by his side before recrossing them, finally looking toward Kousei again. He’s wearing a disbelieving but sheepish smile as he grips his biceps to ground himself.

“I would think Sawamura would be your best rival.” It’s a little deflecting, but Kousei lets it slide, accepting he’s probably flustered Sanada.

“Well, he’s a little special.” Kousei can’t help the small smile at the thought of Eijun, he’s stopped trying at this point.

“I bet he is. Congratulations by the way.” Sanada has a sly smile on his face, but it quickly falls when he looks down at the table, that thoughtful expression from earlier back. “What’s it like?”

“What’s what like?”

“Having a soulmate.”

“What do you mean?” Kousei feels ice slide down his spine when Sanada looks at him again, a weird mix of emotions he can’t pinpoint in his expression. “Isn’t… isn’t Todoroki your soulmate?”

Sanada looks back at the table, his arms uncrossed again, as he picks at the edge, agitation in every movement. “We aren’t.”

Sanada drops that bomb as if it doesn’t tilt Kousei’s world view a bit.

“Wait, what?”

“Odd right? You’re not the first person to be surprised after seeing us together. But yeah, we aren’t soulmates.” Kousei is honestly shell shocked. Those two seem to have an ease in their relationship that looks so natural, so obvious fated, like the sky is blue, they love baseball, and Sanada Shunpei and Todoroki Raichi were made for each other.

“Have either of you met yours?”

“Raichi has, it’s our catcher Akiba. They’re childhood friends so they’ve known forever. But they’ve always had a platonic bond, neither wants more than that.”

“And you?”

“I don’t have a soulmate.”

“So you haven’t met them or…?”

“I don’t have a soulmark, wasn’t born with one. So there isn’t one to look out for on my end.” Sanada has a rueful look as he glances away from Kousei, like he’s gone through these motions too many times to count.

“Oh, I’m, I’m sorry.” Kousei doesn’t know what else to say other than that, he’s still stuck on the fact that these two aren’t a fated pair. He knows people can find great loves outside of being soulmates, he just didn’t think these two fell into that category.

“Why? I’m not,” Sanada replies sharply as he turns back to Kousei. He feels pinned to his seat beneath that stare.

“Well, even if soulmates aren’t romantic ones, it’s nice to have someone in the universe. And I mean, you don’t need to be with your soulmate that way to be happy, I know that, but with you two I just always thought, I guess, and I wasn’t trying to say anything bad about you not having one, I𑁋”

“It’s fine Amahisa. You're blunt but I can tell you’re not trying to be rude.” Sanada has an amused smirk on his face, one that Kousei can admit makes him very handsome. Eijun is very much his type, he’s completely gone for him, but he can see why Sanada has some fangirls.

“So you don’t have a soulmark, and Todoroki has a platonic bond. That works out pretty well then, right?”

“Hmm, well we both put in a lot of work for our relationship, but that does help.”

“Have you ever just told people you guys were soulmates to not get any questions?”

“Never.”

“Really? Why?”

Sanada straightens up a bit in his seat as he looks at Kousei, the most serious he’s been this whole talk. He has this wistful smile on his face that Kousei can’t quite place. “Well barring the fact it would be rude to dismiss Raichi’s bond with Akiba… it’s because I’ll always be the eternal challenger.”

“What?”

“I’m not a genius pitcher, I have shit stamina, and for the longest time, no one expected that much from me. But when Raichi looks at me, he sees someone worth admiring, worth loving. He makes me want to try, in every aspect of my life, whether it’s on the field or off, I want to reach him so I can stay with him always. So I’ll challenge any team, any league, any thing, even fate itself, because I want to stay by Raichi’s side always, but I also want to be proud of the man he makes me want to be. Because to me, loving him isn’t a given, it’s my privilege and joy.”

It’s a moving speech, beautifully worded and spoken, like one of the love interests in some of the mangas Eijun recommended to him. But there’s a part of it that rings false and it brings him right back to why he asked Sanada to meet him in the first place.

“Then why are you considering giving up baseball. If you want to keep playing with him, why give it up?”

Sanada gives him a hard look, a feral glint in his eyes. “Who said I was giving up?”

Kousei starts at that, suddenly very confused, but stays silent to see where Sanada is going with this.

“I’ll admit I was having doubts, I thought I was done after our game, that I had given baseball everything I had with no regrets.” Sanada takes a deep breath, before slowly releasing it, some of the tension leaving his shoulders as he meets Kousei’s eyes again. They’re calm yet determined, a slow burning ember. “But I felt lost after that game, and avoided even thinking about baseball. Didn’t help that Raichi would tear up whenever he saw me, despite me telling him I didn’t blame him for us losing, I-I didn’t know what to do. Then I went to see your semifinal match, well, I got there during the fifth, but it was enough, what I saw, to remind me why I play.”

“So why do you play?” Kousei asks quietly, as if to fit the somber mood that’s fallen over them, watching Sanada carefully.

“Because I love baseball,” Sanada laughs with a warm smile, his eyes crinkling in his joy. “It’s given me so much, and it was dumb of me to think I had given it back my all when I don’t know what my all even is, I mean I’m only 18! That’s what I felt watching Sawamura pitch, as he got better with each inning, with each pitch. And I remembered that brash kid that was just as wild as me last summer, how he was nervous to approach me in the fall, and how now he’s striking out draft picks like he was meant to do it. It was inspiring, and humbling, because he’s clearly still going to grow more, so why was I so convinced I can’t?”

“Heh, he does that a lot. Whenever I think I have him figured out, he goes and does something completely unexpected. But that’s kind of his brand at this point.” Kousei chuckles thinking of all the times Eijun has surprised him on and off the field, whether it was in his bold flashy displays or the small sweet gestures he makes when they’re alone, it always warmed his heart.

“You must really love him. Who knew the genius pitcher could be so sappy?” He’s smirking at Kousei, a teasing glint in his eyes.

Kousei gives a playful glare at that, throwing one of his napkins at Sanada, who catches it easily. “You say that like you didn’t just wax poetry about how you’ll alway go the distance, no matter how far, for Todoroki, like a complete sap.”

“Touché.”

They both try to keep straight faces, only to burst into laughter that gets a good amount of attention and confusion from the other patrons. They manage to quiet down with the occasional giggle escaping as they calm down. Kousei feels a grin settle, content that the air around them finally feels light and more carefree.

“I don’t know what it’s worth to you, but I’m glad you’re not giving up baseball.”

“...You really see me as a rival?”

“Sanada, the only reason I got this good, to be considered a genius, was because I wanted to beat you. It started from the wrong place, but I’ve always seen you as a threat, someone to beat. Maybe it’s a little easier for me to pick up pitches, but I'd never had the motivation until I had an obstacle to overcome. You. I didn't realize until you were walking away that the only reason I came this far was because I wanted to beat you, not for Manaka, not for the team, but for me. Because we’re rivals and it makes the games we play mean more.” Kousei can feel his cheeks heat up a bit at his admission, but the matching light blush on Sanada as he glances away makes him feel a little better about being so honest.

“I don’t know what to say to that to be honest, I never expected you to even care. But I can admit, since we’re being honest I guess, that playing against you for our school rivalry has been fun, even with all the messy parts of it.” He faces Kousei now, a small smile on his face with sincerity in his eyes. “It’d be fun to see where this rivalry can take us on a different level.”

“Maybe as friends too?” Kousei injects as much hope as he can into his words, wanting Sanada to know how sincere he’s being.

“Well, I’m already friends with your soulmate, who’s also good friends with my boyfriend, so I guess we can also try being friends.” Sanada is leaning back into the booth, his smile now a relaxed smirk as he playfully sounds reluctant to Kousei’s request. He can feel himself mirroring Sanada as he finally feels relaxed.

“Hey you can be a little more enthusiastic over it you know, I’m a delight!” They’re back to full blown laughter, attracting so much attention, but Kousei couldn’t care less with how light he feels after weeks of stressing over how to go about this. He’s glad he took a risk, that Eijun had helped him with this chance, that it wasn’t too late to try.

And watching Sanada grin after he pops another fry in his mouth, he can’t help thinking he isn’t the only one.

Kousei’s jogging down the sidewalk heading to Seidou, pulling out his phone to shoot off a quick text to Eijun letting him know he’s there when he sees the gate appear. As he’s reaching the gate he hears a loud shout and some accompanying ones in response, making him chuckle imagining Eijun making a huge scene just from his text alone.

But he couldn’t wait another day to see Eijun, even if he did get in late the day before from Koshien.

“Kousei-senpai!”

He’s just walking through the gate when he hears his name called and sees Eijun sprinting towards him with no signs of slowing down. Kousei barely has a second to brace himself before he’s tackled to the ground by his overexcited soulmate.

They land in the grass with a soft thud, Eijun a little frantic he might have hurt him, when Kousei starts laughing, holding him closer. The fall wasn’t bad and any possible pain is minimal in comparison to holding Eijun again after the few weeks of not seeing each other in person. Soon they’re both laughing, and pretty loudly if the faint gagging he can hear in the distance is any indicator.

When they both finally calm down to faint giggles and low chuckles, Kousei takes Eijun in, with his bright smile and golden eyes gleaming in the late summer sun. He’s so beautiful, Kousei thinks as his heart physically aches.

“Hey there national champ.”

Eijun blushes to the tips of his ears, but he has a satisfied grin, showing his joy over how Seidou dominated at Koshien, and what a triumph it was. Kousei watched as many games as he could in between catching up on his studies and summer break work, but he read all the articles detailing Seidou’s hot streak.

With three solid pitchers, Seidou shut down many of their opponents, with much praise going to Eijun for being a superb ace who managed to catch many batters off guard with his unique pitching form and many breaking balls. However, the most articles were dedicated to Miyuki, who could now really claim to be the best catcher of his generation, having led his team to a national championship, leaving nothing to be desired in his final year. Everyone was also buzzing if he would go pro immediately after he graduated or not, but he had stayed tight lipped over that, deferring to his coaches when the questions got too much.

So even Miyuki Kazuya, who lived and breathed baseball, could falter in his career path.

“Were you able to watch the final?” Eijun’s question brings Kousei back to the present as he gets off him, the two sitting up, but staying in the soft grass.

“Of course I did! I wouldn’t miss it for anything! Even had a little watch party for it, and um, actually it was with Sanada, and a few retired players from each of our teams.”

“Really!?” Eijun had stars in his eyes as he grinned from ear to ear, joy radiating off of him.

“Yeah, I messaged him after you left and we talked. He still has stuff to figure out, but we’re good now, trying to be friends and seeing what happens.”

“I bet it was really awkward for both of you, wasn’t it?” He has a sly smile on his face, and Kousei’s face burns at how well Eijun knows him.

He huffs as he turns away with a pout, Eijun laughing at his reaction. “Yeah well, it worked out in the end at least.” He faces his lap then, his hands picking at each other as Eijun quiets down sensing the more somber mood. “Thank you by the way, again, I… I wouldn’t have been able to take that step without you. And I don’t just mean because you gave me his number, you encouraged and believed in me, and that really helped me want to make that change, to be a better person to Sanada.”

A hand grabs his own and he looks up to see Eijun smiling softly at him as he intertwines their fingers. “I’m glad I could help, it makes me really happy that you guys are going to try being friends, and not just because he’s already my friend! You look better, lighter, like you don’t have as much weighing on you now.”

“Haha, and what about you? You look actually calm for once.”

“Well winning nationals will do that to a person.” They both laugh more at that, before it subsides again. “Though our rebuild is going to be interesting since we’re losing so many third years, especially Miyuki-senpai.”

“You got any idea who’ll be the next captain, or your main catcher?”

“Well, I think everyone has thought about being captain, but I think Kanemaru will probably be the next one. The first years already listen to him really well, and our year respects him too.” He trails off before he hums, pondering the next part of the question. “As for our next main catcher, there’s the two first years, Yui and Okumura, Miyuki was training them specifically to take over after him, so those two are probably the main choices right now… We also have Kariba from our year, but he’s stayed on the second string this whole time, though it would be fun to be in a battery with him for an actual game, he helped me a lot last fall.”

Eijun’s face is contemplative, a little sad at the edges of his smile, but Kousei doesn’t want to interrupt him. He’s seen this look a few times before when Eijun gets in his head too much or comes too close to discussing his fall training. Kousei’s never pushed, and he still doesn’t want to, wanting Eijun to bring it up when he’s ready.

“Anyway, um, I don’t really know which direction the coaches will go in for that but I’ll be excited regardless, I like pitching to all of them! Plus I have to focus on maintaining my pitching or Furuya will snatch the ace number back!” Eijun continues on his spiel about how he and Furuya already promised to both get even better to see who’s the true ace of Seidou, and Kousei just basks in his enthusiasm. It lessens the weight on his own heart and for once an answer he’s been searching for becomes clear to him without any hesitation.

“I’m gonna enter the draft.”

Eijun cuts off, wide eyes staring at him in surprise before a gentle smile graces his lips. He gives Kousei a knowing look as he squeezes his hand tighter. “I know.”

“What, how!? I just made the decision right now!”

“Because I know you Kousei-senpai, it’s always made the most sense to me. You like how romantic luck and fate can sound for some stuff.” Eijun shuffles a little closer to Kousei to sit right next to him, their clasped hands in his lap as he looks at them. “I’m happy you’re going for it, and that you’re not letting this, us, stop you. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll miss you like crazy once you graduate and start playing, but I’ll also be cheering you on the loudest!”

“But it could be years before we’re in the same place if I get drafted to a far team or if you do college or the same. How can you be taking this so well?”

“You think it doesn’t hurt me to even think of being separated that far? It does, but I love you, and no matter how long it takes, I’m willing to put in the work to make us both happy. We’ll be apart for a while, but we’ll be doing what we love. Fate brought us together through baseball, and I really don’t think it’ll keep us separated because of it for too long. If anything, I believe it’ll keep bringing us together, no matter what.” Eijun places his free hand on Kousei’s cheek, his thumb brushing under his eye. “You’re going to do amazing things Kousei-senpai, so go out there and wow the country, I’ll catch up when it’s my turn.”

Kousei can feel tears build as he smiles at Eijun, who looks just as misty eyed as him, but his gaze is full of warm affection. The hand on his face wipes away a few stray tears, slowly and gently, like he’s someone truly precious.

And to his soulmate, Kousei probably is.

It’s not that he doubts how Eijun feels, he’s always tried to match, and even exceed, Kousei’s enthusiasm for their relationship despite how shy he can be over certain parts of it. He’s also felt plenty special in how Eijun treats him, from every word spoken, every touch shared, every first given, but it’ll still sneak up on him sometimes, how much he feels and how deeply. Kousei knew from the moment he saw Eijun that he was special, but he never would have imagined how special he would make him feel in return.

“Then I’m going on ahead Eijun, but I can’t wait for you to catch up. You’re going to take the world by storm, so I guess I should enjoy the limelight while it lasts huh?” They still have plenty to talk about, and plans to make for when he gets drafted and after, but for now Kousei’s content to sit next to Eijun and laugh as he enjoys the here and now. “And I really am proud of you Eijun, for taking Koshien by storm, for proving yourself as an ace, for showing everyone what I’ve always seen since I met you. So just keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll have all the opportunities when it’s your turn.”

“As long as you kick Narumiya’s ass while you’re waiting, don’t let him think he can be the king of pro ball so easily!” Eijun has a conspiring smirk as his eyes blaze with fire, that competitive glint shining.

Kousei loves every side of Eijun, from when he’s bold, when he’s flustered, when he’s loud, even when he’s crying because he feels too much whether it’s sorrow or joy, but one of his favorite sides of Eijun will always be the competitive one. The one that blazes into a game with no fear, a fire that refuses to be snuffed out, an ace that won’t back down from any challenge. He really is going to take the pro world by storm, if only through sheer will alone, and Kousei couldn’t wait to watch it happen.

After he raises hell in the pro league himself first.

“Ha! Then you better help me bully him out of championships when you get there!”

“Deal!”

Chapter Text

Eijun sits in shock, trying to process the words coming from Coach Kataoka’s mouth. He seems to realize he’s lost Eijun and stops, patiently waiting for him to reboot before he continues. Eijun is briefly glad the only other person to witness this is Takashima, but her slight smile at his behavior still makes him feel a little embarrassed. He’s brought out of his stupor by the coach clearing his throat.

“S-sorry Boss! It’s just, I didn’t expect this.”

“Sawamura, I understand this is a surprise, but make no mistake, your hard work and fighting spirit have become invaluable to the team. There were trials along the way, but the way you overcame them and excelled gave us the confidence to make this decision. However, if you truly feel you can’t rise to the position, tell me now.”

Tense silence fills the room as Eijun mulls over those words, wringing his hands together before dropping them. He takes a deep breath, looking Kataoka and Takashima in the eyes, then letting it out, finally calm.

“I want to keep meeting your expectations Boss, so if you really think this Sawamura Eijun can do this, then I accept!”

“Just remember to take it one step at a time Sawamura, and to rely on your vice-captains, that’s what they’re there for.” Takashima gives an encouraging smile, and Eijun swears he can see a little pride in her eyes. He almost wants to tear up in response, but he wants to keep a confident face while he’s still in front of them.

“I will! Thank you for the honor!”

“...and I truly believe that if you guys keep at it, we’ll be seeing you all at Koshien again. You guys already know what to do, so keep it up!” Miyuki gives a jaunty little salute as he steps back into the line of retired third years, the others snickering at the lackluster ending of his speech.

“Thank you Miyuki, for those words of encouragement, and now a word from our new captain, Sawamura!”

“Yes Boss!” Eijun steps forward and feels every eye on him immediately, making his skin crawl. He usually loves to be the center of attention, thrives on it really, but he feels like he’s under a microscope, being judged. He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves and just lets himself talk, something he’s always been good at.

“One of the best pieces of advice I’ve been given since I came to Seidou has been to take things one step at a time. No team before us was built in a day, and neither will ours, but that’s part of the process! We’re going to butt heads and mess up, a lot! We have a lot of… strong personalities on the team after all.” He hears a smattering of laughter and sees a few grins, giving him a boost of confidence. “We’ve all been practicing our baseball, so just take it one step at a time, and we’ll be sure to show the results of our hard work in each and every play we make. That said, we have a lot of work to do, so are you guys ready to start!?”

“Yeah!”

“I can’t hear you guys!”

“YEAH!”

“Then let’s get started!” Eijun takes a look at Kataoka, who gives him a small nod, a barely there smile in place, before he leads the team to start their laps around the fields. He keeps his voice loud as he shouts encouragement for everyone to keep pace, Kanemaru and Haruichi beside him lending their own voices when he goes quiet.

As they round the dugouts he spots the third years watching with looks of pride and longing, but the clearest one he sees is Miyuki, who once they make eye contact, winks as he holds up a thumbs up, mouthing his own encouragement to Eijun.

You can do this, one step at a time.

Eijun grins in response, yelling even louder as he picks up the speed a bit, pushing them even farther. There’s a lot to do, and even if he still isn’t fully sure about being captain, he still believes in his team.

They’ll be just fine.

A few days later practice is just ending when the first hint that something is wrong happens. It’s small and barely noticeable, but despite everyone saying Eijun could be pretty oblivious, he’s started to pay extra attention to his teammates, and he’s always been sensitive to the moods of others.

So when he sees the sneer directed at Kanemaru as he walks away from Takatsu, Eijun takes note. He doesn’t do anything just yet, but he takes note of it, knowing he’ll need to keep an eye on how this develops.

When he asks at dinner how the drills for the infield are going, he gets a frustrated huff from Kanemaru and a pinched smile from Haruichi, but assurance they’ll get better with more practice. He also notices the glances thrown between a few first years, specifically Seto towards Takatsu before he’s back to shoveling his food. The atmosphere is a little strained, but Eijun just continues onto Toujou, asking how the outfield is looking, who reports there are a few bumps but they’re getting there, effectively dispelling any discomfort as everyone goes back to chatting easily.

For a while after that training appears to go smoothly, but Eijun can feel a tension in the air, especially when he knows the team thinks he’s gone to the bullpen to practice. He’s taken to leaving but staying hidden to watch how the team meshes, and he’s starting to get a clearer picture of the problem. As he goes to finally join Okumura to pitch, he makes a note to pull a few people aside on their next day off to talk.

After talking to Haruichi, who outright says it’s between Kanemaru and Takatsu when he sees Eijun approaching him, he decides to find his other vice captain. During his search for the blonde though, he stumbles on Takatsu practicing his swings alone in a more isolated part of the grounds.

Not one to ignore a chance when he sees it, Eijun approaches him, calling out a greeting when he’s close enough. Takatsu startles, but quickly schools his face, simply nodding at Eijun in acknowledgement, leaving it to him to start a conversation.

And Eijun’s never had trouble talking.

“Hey Takatsu! Why’re you practicing here all alone? There’s plenty of space in the main field!”

He doesn’t go back to swinging, but he does look at his bat with a furrowed brow, frustration on his face. “It’s kind of… habit I guess. This is where I’ve always practiced my swings, so my legs just took me here.”

“Hmm, but you’ve been practicing just fine with the main team before today.” He says it nonchalantly, even looking around the area to let Takatsu collect himself, but he still glances at him to see him lower his bat all the way to the ground. Realizing he’s going to need to be more direct about this, Eijun clears his throat to regain his attention before he speaks. “What’s wrong Takatsu, what about today made you come here?”

He gets a mild glare for his question, but it’s tinged with sorrow at the edges, a front to hide behind. When Eijun gives a gentle smile in response unfazed, Takatsu’s shoulders sag as he visibly struggles to find his words, mouth opening and closing before he huffs in anger at his reluctance.

Eijun lets it happen, but still wanting to help his teammate he gets an idea. “Hey, let's take a walk, no talking necessary alright?”

He gets a hesitant and wary nod, but he counts it as a victory, gesturing for Takatsu to follow him back to the main field. Instead of joining the others that are swinging, which now includes his vice-captains that shoot him curious glances when they see his walking partner, he leads Takatsu to the outer edges of the grounds as he chats away about random topics to loosen the tension.

It’s in the middle of climbing the stairs as he talks about a funny joke Furuya told in the bullpen the other day when he gets a response that isn’t a grunt.

“I’m sorry I’ve been causing trouble for the team. I know you have a lot on your plate, you don’t need this on top of everything else.” Takatsu isn’t looking at him, his head turned, but Eijun can see the red of his ears from his apology.

“I mainly care about why it’s happening. I said it in my speech didn’t I? We’re all going to butt heads and mess up, but it’s part of growing as a team. I just want to know what’s wrong, I may not be able to fix the problem but maybe talking about it will help. I’d say if you weren’t comfortable talking to me to talk to the vice-captains, but that seems to be part of the problem.” Eijun smirks as Takatsu gives a pitiful glare in response, but he doesn’t refute the claim. He sits down at the top of the stairs and pats the ground beside him as he beams at the shortstop. “So let’s talk okay?”

Takatsu hesitates before he caves, plopping down heavily next to Eijun, while still maintaining some distance as if to shield himself from the upcoming talk. When he appears as comfortable as he’s going to be, Eijun decides to cut straight to the heart of the issue.

“So you and Kanemaru, what happened? And before you say anything, I only know something happened, but not what. I haven’t talked to Kanemaru yet either, so just tell me your side. No judgement okay?” Takatsu isn’t facing him, looking out over the field, suspiciously in the direction of the side Kanemaru is on, but he gets a jerky nod. Eijun waits for him to start, letting his silence tell Takatsu that he needs to start his own story.

With a shaky breath, he does.

“Did you know that around 15% of people meet their soulmates and never even realize it?”

“Huh?”

“With how fast paced everything is and how you can meet lots of people everyday, it’s really easy to meet them and not even know. It goes up to 20% if your soulmark is something really generic too, because lots of people will say it but there’s no real way to tell if it’s them unless they react. But if they also have a generic mark, then it goes up to 30%.” He stops, grabbing his left bicep tightly as Eijun watches him carefully with wide eyes. “30%, that’s actually pretty high when you think about it.”

Eijun has a sneaking suspicion of where this could be going, so he hums in agreement to show Takatsu he’s still following.

“Kanemaru and I’ve never gotten along, something about him rubs me the wrong way, and he can say some condescending things. At least, that’s how his encouragement sounds to me, when he got to the first string before I did. It made me greedy, especially when this year started and I thought I could do it. But like he said, sometimes too much ambition can fail you too.”

The acidity in his words startles Eijun from his whiplash over the abrupt change in topics from soulmates to Kanemaru, but his sinking feeling only grows. He manages to throw out that Takatsu eventually made the first string, but he gets hollow laughter in response.

“I did, for all the good I’m doing now that I’m here. I keep screwing everything up.” Takatsu buries his head in his hands as he groans, a drawn out tired sound. Eijun wants to pat his back for comfort, but doesn’t know if it’d be welcomed. Once he sees Takatsu rubbing his face in frustration, Eijun decides to go with his gut and try anyway, glad when he only stiffens briefly before his body sags again, accepting the gesture for what it is. “...I wish I hadn’t gone to the baths early that day.”

“What happened in the baths?”

Takatsu straightens up and looks Eijun in the eye, a desperate edge to his own. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone what I’m going to tell you.”

They stare at each other for a few beats, each searching for something different, but seeming to find it.

“I promise.”

After a few more seconds Takatsu lets out the breath he was holding, pulling up the sleeve of his shirt to show him the words circling his bicep. It’s dark out, the sun setting long ago, but the lights from the field are still able to reach them. It gives Eijun enough light to clearly see the words for his soulmark written, but it’s the handwriting that makes his jaw drop.

Kanemaru’s handwriting.

“Practice was really rough one day, so I decided to have an early night in for once. When I went to the baths, I walked through the door and saw him taking his shirt off. It wasn’t a big deal, but…”

“You saw his mark.”

“Yeah…” Takatsu lets go of his sleeve, covering his soulmark. He clasps his hands together as he looks back out over the fields, significantly more empty than when they first sat down to talk. “It was quick, but I recognized my handwriting. I didn't know what to do so I kind of just… ran.”

“That’s… wow.”

“Yup.”

“Okay wait, so Kanemaru’s your soulmate, but you guys kind of sort of hate each other, so… what? Now you just don’t know how to act around him, is that it?” Eijun looks at him bewildered as Takatsu buries his face in his hands again, but also curls into his knees, groaning the whole time. “Wait, sorry, I just, I’m trying to make sure I understand how you’re feeling about all this, it’s a lot to take in!”

“How do you think I feel!?” Takatsu faces him again, his cheeks alarmingly red, a scowl on his lips as he spits out the words. “I hate him, he gets on my nerves, talks too big for his actual skill, and being near him generally ruins my day, but! But…”

“But?”

“But when we were trying to get spots on the roster this summer, I felt a thrill at the challenge to beat him, to prove him wrong, that I could do it.” Takatsu’s face suddenly crumples, and Eijun lays his hand on his shoulder in support. “But I couldn’t. I failed and he just kept going, and I was so angry. We didn’t talk, which should have made me happy, but just made me annoyed. And then I get on the first string and find this out and I don’t know what to feel about him anymore.”

“Do you think that maybe you have feelings for Kanemaru?”

“Absolutely not, his very presence bothers me.”

“Maybe that’s because he doesn’t know you guys are soulmates? Maybe part of you wants that acknowledgement from him, like how you liked being challenged by him.” He’s silent at Eijun’s words, so he says his next ones carefully. “Soulmates don’t have to be romantic Takatsu, but maybe this connection you guys have is meant to help you both somehow. Maybe you’ll be connected by a great rivalry that’ll help you two grow as you get older, or maybe it’ll change as you two get to know each other, but you won’t know unless you tell him.”

“But why did it have to be him?”

“Do you think if you had known from when you first met, your relationship would be different?” More silence, but he can see reluctant agreement on Takatsu’s face. “You can’t change what’s happened, but you can change how things are going forward. I’m not saying you guys have to be super close, but right now you’re just angry in limbo, and the team aside, that isn’t healthy for you. So either make peace with this knowledge or tell him.”

Takatsu has a thoughtful look on his face, turning to face Eijun again as he mulls over his words. He still looks conflicted but Eijun can see he looks a little lighter after talking. “Was it… hard, being with your soulmate? Considering your situations? Wait, shit, sorry if that’s rude, I just𑁋”

“It’s fine Takatsu, I don’t mind!” Eijun has a small smile as he gazes up towards the sky. There aren’t many stars to see in the city, but the motion still helps center him. “It was hard sometimes, when we couldn’t easily spend time together or talk about certain things because we’re on rival teams. But we found the things in between to connect on, and we kept reaching out to each other to see where it would take us. We’re still learning about each other, and have a lot of growing to do together, but I’m glad I gave him a chance! He makes me really happy.”

Eijun can feel the sappy smile on his lips, but he’s stopped caring about that for a while now. The whole team knows about his soulmate at this point, in no small part because of Kuramochi’s teasing and efforts to plan Kousei’s demise in the event he makes Eijun cry. The huff of laughter from Takatsu just proves how used to his antics the team has become.

“You look a lot happier, compared to before. Not that you didn’t look happy! It’s just, just a different kind of happy, I guess. It sounds… really nice actually.”

His face looks wistful, a touch of longing mixed in his eyes too, and Eijun decides to take one last shot in the dark. “You know I’ve always wanted to find my soulmate and fall in love with them, but it’s a lot harder than what people expect or dream about. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible if you just try, even with lots of bumps along the way.”

He shoots Takatsu a supportive smile, which is tentatively returned, a sheepish look in his eyes at Eijun understanding an unsaid reason for part of his plight. With that said, Eijun claps him on the back before standing up, stretching after sitting for so long, noticing there are only stragglers left on the field practicing their swings. He starts heading back, but not without some last minute words.

“Regardless of what you decide to do, I hope it’s something that gives you some peace so you can get back to playing your best. You’ve worked hard to finally make the first string! And if you ever need to talk again, about this or anything else, I’m just a few doors down, okay? Not just as your captain, but as your friend!” He beams at Takatsu, who huffs with a small smile, so Eijun counts this whole thing as a win.

“Yeah okay. Thanks Sawamura.” After he’s a little farther ahead, he hears a call from behind him. “You’re a pretty good captain you know!”

He’s beaming again as he laughs into the night, Takatsu’s low chuckles joining in shortly after. There’s still some things for those two to work on their own, but Eijun’s satisfied, hopeful that it’ll turn out okay in the end.

It takes a while, but the friction in the team starts to mend, the first sign being the day Takatsu and Kanemaru aren’t able to look at each other in the eyes without turning red. Haruichi is visibly concerned, while Toujou is greatly amused by the whole thing, and Eijun just laughs, saying it’s just growing pains.

By the next week, the two have mellowed out and are trying to hold conversations, albeit awkward ones, but it boosts morale to see them not at each other's throats anymore. With it Haruichi and Takatsu start to mesh a bit better as their keystone duo, now that Haruichi doesn’t have to worry about them suddenly fighting in the middle of practice.

And when Kanemaru takes him aside one day to stutter out a thank you after Takatsu starts coming to their team hangouts in Eijun’s room more often, he just beams his sunniest smile in response, pleased the team is finally coming together.

Maybe he won’t be too bad at this captain thing after all.

It’s a cool crisp day, signalling the start of fall, when the day of the draft comes.

Eijun does well to smile and give encouragement to the team during fielding drills, and advice to Kuki and Asada in the bullpen. He gets a few concerned glances, but his stubbornness to focus on the team ultimately wins out, everyone letting him be.

A few people do approach him and ask outright if he’s okay, namely his vice-captains, Takatsu, and Asada, but he shrugs them off, saying practice comes first. They all still look concerned, but give him his space.

After practice is another story.

He’s holed up in the equipment shed as he hears Kanemaru shout for him, but he can’t bring himself to face his vice-captain. He knows he’s being childish, but he needs a few minutes to just breathe or he’s going to cry, even though he knows Kanemaru is just trying to help.

Eijun lets his head thump against the side of the shed as he groans in frustration. As soon as practice had ended, he could feel panic prickling under his skin, making him rush during dinner to escape. He knew Kanemaru and Haruichi wanted to discuss a few things about the team with him afterwards but he just couldn’t and ran. He promised himself his feelings about the upcoming draft wouldn’t interfere with the team, but with it just a few hours away, he can’t help how he feels.

What a captain I turned out to be, Eijun can’t help thinking bitterly. Maybe he gave Miyuki too much crap about being captain, not that he’d ever tell him that, he’d just lord it over Eijun forever, the asshole.

He’s still mulling it over when he hears the door to the shed open, panic once again flooding his veins when he sees Kariba poke his head in, a relieved smile at spotting Eijun. “Figured you’d be in here.”

“Wahaha! Am I that predictable?” By Kariba’s wince, Eijun can tell his laughter comes out hollow, quieting down when Kariba closes the door behind him. Once Kariba makes it over to sit next to him, he’s already looking at his hands as he wrings them together. “So how mad is Kanemaru?”

“He’s not really mad, just worried, a lot of us are.”

“Oh. So, um, how’d you find me?”

He gets a wry smile from Kariba when he looks up at him, fond exasperation written all over his face. “You forget I’m the one that told you it’s a good place to hide when you want to be alone.”

“Heh, oh yeah.” He gives a sheepish grin, which Kariba shakes his head at, a smile on his face.

Kariba scoots a little closer to Eijun, most likely knowing he’ll appreciate physical reassurance just as much as verbal ones. The gesture makes him feel a little choked up and he tries to swallow the tears, frustration bubbling that he even needs to be reassured.

“...the team deserves a better captain.” He accepted being captain, and most days he’s fine in his new role, but some days he’ll wake up and wonder if he was really the best choice. It’s the same feeling he had when he was named ace for the summer, but worse when he remembers all the extra responsibility on his shoulders now. “Someone who won’t hide away from his problems.”

“Hey, where’s all this doubt coming from? Aren’t you the guy that announced you were going to be the ace and then did it?”

“But that’s the ace number, this is being the captain, leading the team, I don’t know if I can𑁋”

“Isn’t that what you’ve always been doing though?” Eijun stares confused at Kariba who heaves a sigh. “Like, the coach has been telling you to lead the team with your pitching before right? And you did that Sawamura, and you continued to do it even when Miyuki-senpai was gone, it’s part of why you got the ace number, because the team saw you blazing ahead and followed suit. You don’t have to be a captain like Miyuki-senpai, or even like Yuuki-san, because you lead us with your heart.”

“Kariba…”

“But Sawamura, this isn’t really about being captain is it?”

Eijun places his head on his knees as he holds his legs close, his words coming out muffled yet clear enough for Kariba to hear. “...I’m scared to watch the draft. I know I told him I’d be fine with whatever team he gets drafted to, and I am, but I’m still so scared I’ll watch and he’ll be taken somewhere far away.”

The admission hangs heavy between them, silence following as Eijun tries to appear smaller by hugging himself tighter. He jumps when a hand lands on his shoulder, looking to see Kariba give him a sad smile, squeezing Eijun’s shoulder when they make eye contact.

“You know, when you got the yips, I honestly didn’t expect you to get over them.” He flashes an apologetic look before he continues. “I didn’t know you very well and you seemed to just be running in circles with no way out. But then you asked me to catch for you and I really saw you then. You looked thinner than before, always seemed frantic, and your eyes looked so haunted. It was really chilling to see.”

“...sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize Sawamura, and don’t misunderstand. It was chilling because even though you were the picture of defeat, you clearly hadn’t given up.” Kariba loops their arms together, forcing Eijun to come out of his curled position and giving them more contact for comfort. “No one knew how to handle your yips, but you kept trying and I was in awe. So even if it led to nothing, I wanted to keep catching for you because each time I did, you got a little bit of your fire back.”

“I never did thank you for that, so… thank you Kariba, for everything you did in the fall, I… I honestly don’t know where I would be without you helping me.”

Kariba looks startled, and a little confused by his unexpected gratitude. “But Chris-senpai was the one that taught you the outside pitch, not me.”

“But like you said, you’re the one that stayed with me after practice all those times, that made sure I wouldn’t over pitch, and just generally caught for me when no one else would when I…” Eijun trailed off, the words still a little hard to say after all this time. When he looks back at Kariba and sees painful understanding, he gets the courage to continue. “When I had the yips. You didn’t have to do that Kariba, no matter how much I begged, but you did. I just, I hope you know how grateful I am. I didn't have to give up baseball, and that’s because of you.”

Kariba has tears in his eyes, a wobbly smile as he tries to hold it all in, but a watery grin from Eijun causes both of their tears to fall as they laugh at their antics. When they calm down a bit, Eijun leans his shoulder against Kariba’s, a comfortable silence blanketing them in the shed.

“That makes me really happy Sawamura, that I was able to help you. I’m sorry you got the yips, but you’ve become a great pitcher, a great ace, and now a great captain because you beat them, because you learned to not let your fear control you.” He squeezes the arm looped through his own, a wider smile on his face. “You beat a career ending situation, and not because you weren’t scared, but because you learned to conquer your fears! So I know you’re scared about the draft, and what it’ll mean for you and Amahisa, but when has that ever truly stopped you before?”

Eijun’s tears keep falling, his vision blurs, but he grabs Kariba in a tight hug, letting himself fully cry out his frustrations. Kariba calmly returns the hug, rubbing his back gently as he lets out soothing words. After he’s done and is only sniffling now, Eijun pulls away, wiping at his eyes to get rid of any stray tears. Kariba lets him, but keeps an arm around him to keep him close which Eijun appreciates.

“Sorry, sorry for that, I just…”

“It’s okay to cry Sawamura, you should know that after all the times you’ve done it.”

“Yeah, but𑁋”

“Being captain doesn’t mean you're heartless! You’re the captain now because of who you are, feelings and all, it’s okay to show us you’re sad. You did good to not let it affect practice, but after it’s okay to confide in someone when you’re feeling down. Bottling it all up isn’t going to help anyone. I know you have a bigger responsibility now, but we’re a team, got it?”

Eijun gives a sheepish nod in response, truly feeling chastised by the catcher. When it looks like Kariba is satisfied that Eijun understands, he gives a firm nod before he pats his back and gets up. Eijun scrambles to follow him, feeling much lighter than when he first came into the shed.

“Come on, let's get you cleaned up. And then, if you want, we can all watch the draft together so you aren’t alone. How does that sound?”

That honestly sounds amazing and Eijun just may cry again, but he manages to give a genuine smile when he speaks. “I’d like that, thank you.”

“Good.”

Kariba leads them out of the shed, night fully fallen by now, and out towards the restrooms. They don’t encounter anyone else, and Eijun briefly wonders if Kariba told everyone else to stay away from the area while they talked to give him more space. He voices his thoughts to the catcher, who goes a little pink at the question.

“Haruichi asked me if I might know where you were, and when I said I might, he told me he would make sure no one would interrupt us. He was concerned, but figured you wanted privacy.”

It’s official, Eijun has the best friends, he wants to cry all over again.

They make it to the bathrooms, where Eijun washes his face and tries to put himself back together enough to look presentable. When he sees Kariba’s stern look, he lets his shoulders sag, reminding himself he’s allowed to not be okay, but the smile stays, becoming gentler with fondness for his friend.

The walk to Eijun’s room is quiet, but comfortable between them. As they approach his room Eijun freezes, but Kariba gives him an encouraging smile to take the last few steps to open the door.

Opening it he sees the majority of the first string on his floor, all arguing near the tv as Kanemaru appears to be trying to find a certain channel. It’s so loud no one hears the door open, but Asada spots them, shouting out a welcome back that gets everyone to stop and turn towards him. The image reminds him of the scene from months ago, making him laugh once again. Half of the room seems confused at his laughter while the other looks relieved to see him.

“Sorry, sorry, it was just really funny to see you all move at once! Haha, I needed that.” The team relaxes but still watch him with varying levels of concern. “So anyone want to tell me why it looks like Kanemaru is about to punch the tv?”

A few people look nervous and some look away, but it’s Okumura, blunt as always, that answers him.

“We’re trying to find the channel to watch the draft, but the local channels are all weird.” Yui looks scandalized at Okumura’s bluntness, but it just makes Eijun erupt into laughter, a grin stretching across his face with no resistance.

“Wahaha! They really are, but worry not, for your captain knows exactly what to do!” He gets some snorts of laughter in response to his declaration, but he’s relieved that it gets them to stop looking at him like he’s glass. “The channels are backwards so start from the last channel and go back four, that’s the one it’s supposed to be on.”

Kanemaru quickly follows his instructions, and the logos of the NPB teams flash before a voice narrates that the event will start within the next half hour, then cuts to a table of commentators discussing the top picks for the event. With the right channel secured, Kanemaru slumps against the desk nearby, mumbling something that only Toujou near him can hear, causing him to chuckle at his misery.

He drags Kariba to the back of the room near the tv, plopping them both next to Haruichi and Furuya. He gets a surprised blink from Furuya before a sleepy smile appears, and a shoulder bump from Haruichi who looks relieved to see him. The room has calmed down significantly, with everyone having their own conversations now as the coverage drones on. He notices movement and sees Takatsu plop down next to Kariba to chat, giving Eijun a supportive nod.

They all manage to distract him for the wait, everyone chiming in on different conversations, but he doesn’t feel overwhelmed anymore. The talk with Kariba, crying out his feelings, and seeing everyone there to support him brings him a calm he sorely needed.

When the announcement that the draft is beginning comes, he’s nervous, but it’s far more manageable than before. As the fanfare continues, he feels a few hands pat him in solidarity, but no one says anything, and though he isn’t as nervous anymore, the silence is starting to get to him.

So Eijun does what he does best.

“I swear if Narumiya is picked by the most teams, I’m going to throw things.”

It has the intended effect and everyone bursts out laughing, even Okumura and Takatsu have amused smirks over his comment. After that low chatter fills the background as the teams’ picks get announced.

To Eijun’s great displeasure, Narumiya Mei is chosen by five teams as their first choice pick, his colorful insults of the blonde filling the room alongside laughter at his tirade. He doesn’t really have anything against the older southpaw, but his haughty attitude irks him, especially since Eijun is determined to be the best southpaw pitcher himself, though he knows he still has a ways to go.

Kousei gets picked by three teams, all in different regions of the country, but he’s proud that his soulmate is being recognized for his talents. Eijun knows how nervous Kousei was when he admitted that he thought he might not get picked due to some of his shakier performances, but it looks like he had enough renown to count.

There’s a few other names called, Mima’s being one of them, but soon after the first round ends, the lottery starts to determine which teams get Narumiya and Kousei.

“The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks win negotiating rights for Narumiya Mei! May the next representatives please step forward.”

Without thinking, Eijun grabs the closest things to him, which happen to be Kariba and Haruichi. It startles the two of them, but they let him hold on, knowing this is the part he’s been worried about all day.

It’s either the Carps, Eagles, or Marines, and Eijun is close to just closing his eyes to wait when the announcement finally comes through, a hush falling on the room.

“And the Chiba Lotte Marines win negotiating rights for Amahisa Kousei! We’ll be taking a short break before the second round begins.”

It’s quiet in the room, everyone turning to Eijun, smiles on their faces at the good news, but he’s still in shock over what happened. Before he can even try to vocalize what he’s feeling, his phone goes off, snapping him out of his daze. He looks down to see Kousei’s contact, then back up to see the amused and exasperated grins around the room.

“Oh just answer it already Sawamura, but go be gross outside!” Kanemaru calls out with a grin, shooing him away.

“How rude! I’m your captain, and it’s my room!” His own answering grin as he gets up to jog out the room is plenty proof to show he’s fine with being booted though, waving away the congratulations he receives as if he’s been the one drafted himself.

He’s barely out the door when he answers the phone, congratulations on the tip of his tongue, when he hears sniffling. “Kousei-senpai, are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, I’m just, really happy right now, and it kind of overwhelmed me for a second there, but I’m fine. More than fine actually.” He chuckles, his elation finally shining through, and Eijun can’t help the soft smile that comes to him.

“Congratulations senpai, you’re officially going pro! I told you teams would pick you!”

“I know, I know, but it was a valid concern! I’m a fantastic pitcher, but even I can admit Narumiya is the star people were eyeing, especially with Miyuki not entering the draft.”

“And so humble too!” The tease comes easy, a reflex at this point.

“Oh please, look who’s talking! Plus you like my confidence, remember?” The words are almost purred out, Eijun’s cheeks flaming as he recalls the very embarrassing date they had last week where he admitted he thought Kousei’s confident smirk was hot. It led to a lot of sputtering on his part and laughter on Kousei’s, until Eijun decided to kiss him stupid to stop the teasing.

It’s too bad he couldn’t kiss the memory of his words out of Kousei’s head too.

“Oh my god, you’re never going to let me live that down are you?”

“Nope!” The accompanying laughter is bright, more soothing than riling, and Eijun feels too much.

Once it subsides, Eijun can’t help the giddy tone as he asks, “So Chiba huh?”

“So Chiba.”

“It’s only an hour away.”

“That it is.”

“Are you really going to make me say it?”

“Maaaaybe.” The chuckles are back, but Eijun just feels fond.

“Ha! Why do I love you so much.” Eijun hears a sharp inhale but carries on. “Seriously, I’m so happy right now, my heart feels like it’s going to beat right out of my chest. I feel so damn lucky I don’t even know what to do with myself.”

“I’m the lucky one Eijun.”

“We both are Kousei-senpai. God I just, I know we’ll still have to juggle schedules, but you’re not across the country, I𑁋” Eijun stops, choking on a sob, then barrels on. “I’m just so happy, I don’t know what else to say.”

He can hear sniffles again through the phone, but Kousei’s voice is full of fond joy. “Well I do. I get to stay near my favorite person and play in the pro leagues, this is one of the best days of my life!”

“Only one of the best? Not the best?” He’s mainly teasing Kousei, but the response he gets leaves him truly speechless.

“No, that’s the day I met you.”

It’s said with such sincerity, so much love, Eijun wishes more than anything that he could hold his soulmate and never let go. “W-well, that's pretty hard to top, with how important that day was, but we can still make some great new ones too, right?”

I love you.

“Yeah, we can.”

I love you too.

Chapter Text

The weeks that follow the draft are a whirlwind for Kousei, who on top of trying to pass his exams to graduate school, is also looking for an apartment in Chiba for when he starts spring training. It’s stressful and books his weekends for a bit, severely limiting his time with Eijun, but he knows it’ll all be worth it when he’s done. That doesn’t mean he wishes it couldn’t be easier to pick a place, but each one he’s been to has felt wrong, even when he can’t pinpoint why.

It’s late afternoon, and he just wants to take a nap, when his mom suggests one more spot.

“It just went available today, but I didn’t think we would finish this early. I know you’re tired, but it can’t hurt to take a peek right?” She looks just as tired as he feels, being involved in his moving plans from the beginning, being supportive of his career choice, just being there for him, and Kousei feels his heart fill with gratitude.

“Yeah, let’s go see it.” His mom breaks out into a bright smile as she tells him the address to pull up the directions on his phone, mentioning as they drive some of the amenities the apartment complex offers.

Sometimes Kousei forgets he gets his passion from his mom, but ever since she’s been helping him with his search, he’s been able to see it up close. Being a real estate agent, she jumped at the chance to help Kousei find his first place, calling some contacts the next day to set things up. She also didn’t bat an eye when he would just say a perfectly good apartment didn’t feel right, immediately telling him of different listings they could try.

His mom is a saint and he’d be lost without her.

“We’re here!” She chirps in a cheery voice as she turns off the car.

Kousei gets out of the car, looking up at the building. It’s clean, in a quieter part of the city, but close enough to still experience city life if he wanted to, and he can see the stadium from where they are.

“Wow, this is a pretty good location Mom, I can walk to the stadium!” He probably won’t because he still hates overexercising, but a voice that sounds suspiciously like Eijun says morning runs are good for him, so he’ll shelve the idea for now. “How’d you hear about this place?”

“A colleague of mine helped the previous tenant move, but heard I was looking for listings in the area and gave me a call. I had him promise to let me come see it before anyone else, it sounded like the best offer so far.” They enter the building, a security guard asking them to sign in before letting them through, handing his mom a key that the other agent left for her. Once they’re in the elevator, she continues with her spiel. “Now it’s a little pricier than what we’ve looked at before, but your father and I can help with the first payments until your paychecks start coming in and cover it. Plus, besides the guard, there are cameras for more security, and like I said earlier it has quite a few amenities like a recreation area with a pool.”

“I bet you’re happy with the security bonus.”

“Of course! You’re my baby boy, I want you to be safe.” The elevator dings, letting them get out on the fifth floor, where they take a left to the end of the hall. “Plus once you start getting more famous, you’ll be happy for the added security with all those fangirls you’ll get.”

“Mom!”

“Oh hush dear, I know you’re gone for your soulmate, but you’re still a handsome young man and some fans are shameless. And speaking of your soulmate, when are you bringing him home for us to meet him? I need to meet my second son.”

“MOM! We’re both only 17!”

“So? If he looks at you with half of the affection you look at your phone with when you text him, there’s no doubt in mind you’ll put a ring on it when you both are older and ready. But first I want to meet him, so chop chop, get to it!”

Kousei buries his face in his hands and groans as his mom laughs at his embarrassment. He’s smiling under them though, glad that she’s excited to meet Eijun when he finally manages to get it set up. It’s just been hard to plan around both of their schedules and his parents, but winter break seems to be his best bet, he just has to ask Eijun for a few days before he heads back to Nagano.

“It’s in the works Mom, don’t worry.” They stop in front of the door while his mom unlocks the door. “I really hope you like him.”

She opens the door, but holds it closed when she looks back at him, a warm smile on her face. “Anyone that makes you that happy, I’ll love with all my heart. I’m happy it was your soulmate like you were hoping though.”

Kousei has to bite back a few tears, a wobbly smile on his lips. “Thanks Mom.”

“Of course sweetie. Now! Let’s see this apartment, I have a really good feeling about this one!”

The entryway is a good size, leading into a small hallway that opens up to a spacious kitchen living room combination on the left, the rooms through a doorway on the right. Kousei’s a decent cook, enough that he won’t starve on his own, and the size of the kitchen is good, enough for a few people to be in there comfortably at the same time. He likes that it looks out into the living room too, easier to entertain when he has people over.

He goes across the small hallway to where the rooms are, finding his mom already in the master bedroom. “It’s a good size! You can fit a good portion of your stuff in here, and I’m guessing you still want to make the second one an office right?”

“Yeah, even though I’m an athlete I’ll still have paperwork and stuff to do. I can always store a spare futon in the closet for when I have guests.”

“Very practical, I’ve taught you well! The bathroom doesn’t connect to here, but it’s mostly just you, so that’ll be fine right?”

Kousei follows her to the bathroom, peaking over her head to see it. “Yeah, it’s fine. Oh, this is nice! And cool a tub, I can soak after practice!”

“I’m glad you like the place so far, but there’s another reason I thought you would like it, come on.” His mom leads him back to the main living area, where Kousei notices a pair of sliding doors that leads to a balcony. She opens it, gesturing for him to step through first. “I think you’ll like this a lot.”

Stepping through Kousei sees the balcony has a good amount of space for a few chairs, but it’s the view that stops him. Being on the fifth floor, he can see a good amount of the city, but he can clearly see the stadium and the parks dotted along the roads. He also has a clear view of the sky, and while he knows the stars won’t be as bright as in the country, he can see Eijun out here stargazing anyway, bundled up next to him.

It’s that image that lets Kousei know what was missing from those other places he had visited with his mom. He couldn’t see Eijun in those spaces, but here, he can see it so clearly his chest is aching for it to become a reality.

Kousei turns around to face his mom, who looks at him hopefully and with a knowing glint. “So? What do you think?”

“It’s perfect mom.”

Being retired from high school baseball honestly wasn’t as bad as his seniors had made it out to be last year. Yeah Kousei would sometimes find his feet taking him to the field before he remembered he didn’t have to practice anymore, and maybe sometimes his right hand would twitch when he would pass the field and the sounds of practice would follow him as he continued on his way. And maybe sometimes when he saw Hoshida and Sasaki in the hall and stopped to chat, they would all end up in a lull, restless that they couldn’t play.

Okay, being retired from the team absolutely sucked and he kind of wants to take back every time he called the retirees drama queens now that he finally understands.

He only has a few months before he’ll be back to playing, and for a professional team at that, but the wait itself is still terrible. He and Hoshida have permission to still use the facilities so they don’t get rusty before they go off to their new teams, and what a novel feeling that he’ll be playing against Hoshida now instead of with him, the other being drafted to the Lions, but they both agreed it wasn’t the same. That doesn’t stop them from going together and getting some practice in anyway, it’s just different, and so much quieter than he’s used to.

It’s during one of these visits they get the news that Ichidai lost their semifinal match in the fall tournament to Seidou, who will be going to play Yakushi in the finals once again.

Kousei’s long gotten used to the conflicting emotions of upset that his school won’t be going to nationals, and the enormous pride he has for Eijun trying to bring his team there once again, this time as captain also. He’ll have to call him later to shower him in congratulations, but he has this nagging feeling when he sees the team downcast, but a certain freshman pitcher missing.

“Hey, where’s Terui?” The others all look a bit shocked that he asked, which, rude, but also understandable. They didn’t have the best relationship, but he wants to make sure the kid is going to be okay.

Failing the team as the ace hits a lot harder, a feeling he knows all too well.

One of the other freshman steps forward, one he’s seen with Terui a lot, Kousei remembers his name is Kuhara. He glares a bit at the other players, who take the cue to look away and some even walk off to give them more privacy. “He’s probably behind the dorms practicing his swings. If not there, then maybe running around the field.”

Kousei nods to thank him for the information, setting out for those places to find the other pitcher. As he leaves the team, he can see Hoshida giving him an encouraging nod, before he turns to talk to a few more underclassmen. He’s grateful for his batchmate who won’t question him and just supports his decision because he honestly doesn’t know what he’s doing.

He knows he’s more of a bother to Terui than a reliable upperclassman, but he’s the only one on the team that understands the weight of that ace number. Maybe Terui will hate what he has to say or even outright tell him to leave him alone, but he needs to try.

Rounding the corner to the dorms, he doesn’t find Terui swinging his bat like Kuhara said he might be, so he heads to the fields to see if he’s running instead. He arrives at the field and sees a figure sprinting, Terui looking angrier than usual when he turns to run back, which tips Kousei off that he’s actually pretty upset over their loss. He spots Kousei on his way back and slows down, eventually stopping near him, bent over trying to catch his breath.

“What are you doing here Amahisa-senpai?”

“Can’t your upperclassmen just stop by to say hi?” He has a teasing grin, but Terui looks more tired than usual at Kousei’s antics, so he drops it, matching his seriousness. “I heard about the loss, how are you holding up?”

Terui looks like he swallowed a lemon, reluctance written all over his face. “I’m fine senpai, you don’t need to… worry about me.”

Kousei’s suddenly wondering if this was the right call, if maybe he should have let him be, but seeing Terui strung up as tight as a coil, looking ready to bolt, he sees himself from last year. He was fine after the defeat, after he beat himself up with all his extra training to be a better ace, better pitcher, better teammate. He knows if he leaves right now Terui will be fine, the kid’s made of strong stuff, but Eijun’s haunted eyes when he says he owes a few teammates a lot make him decide to try anyway.

“That’s what I said too, after we lost to Yakushi last year. I’m not saying you aren’t but, it’s fine to not be fine okay?” It’s awkward, painfully so, but Terui seems to be considering his words at least. “I know what it’s like, to carry that number and feel like you’re not enough.”

That gets a visible reaction, Terui’s eyes widening, which honestly makes him look even more menacing to Kousei, but he stands his ground to hear what he’ll say in response. “...does it ever feel like it finally fits?”

Kousei thinks of long hours improving his control, thinking up new breaks, learning effective pickoffs, doing everything he could to be an ace the team deserved. How doing all of that led to a summer cut short anyway, but a better understanding of what it means to be part of the team.

He thinks of the shining figure of his soulmate as he led his team with his pitching, his spirit, his heart, the ‘1’ on his back made his own by his blood, sweat, and tears.

“It’s not about trying to fit the number, but making it your own Terui.” He gives a half smile at his irritated look. “Look, every pitcher is different, and each one leads their team differently too. Like, look at any of the aces here in West Tokyo, they’re all vastly different, but they all give off this presence, you know?”

Terui gives him a hesitant nod, but he seems to be following what Kousei’s saying. He takes a few moments to gather his thoughts again before he continues.

“I used to pitch with a lot of arrogance, I thought I could never lose, but I lost sight of the important part of baseball, that it’s a team sport. I had to work harder to be a better pitcher, but I had to check my attitude too. You’re not nearly as bad as me Terui, but you need to remember it’s not just you up there. An ace leads the team, but the team is there to support you too.”

His brows furrow as he scuffs his cleats in the grass, refusing to meet Kousei’s eyes. “I know that already.”

“Yeah, you’re already a better ace than I was when I first got the position, for what it’s worth.”

Terui looks up at that, a frown still on his face but not as severe. “Why are you telling me this Amahisa-senpai?”

He thinks of late nights pitching to nets, of bandaging overworked and bleeding calluses, of muffled screams of frustration when a pitch wouldn’t break right.

Why won’t this work, where am I messing up, why aren’t I enough𑁋

He thinks of hollow smiles and sharp pitches to match even sharper words, challenging defiant fire on the mound.

Where are you going, we aren’t done yet, it can’t end here, don’t run away𑁋

He thinks of haunted eyes and brittle smiles, wobbly silence that can’t be filled yet, words that refuse to be given voice, but gratitude for others that can be drowned in.

What happened to you, why do you look so strong yet feel so fragile, was it that dead ball, did you have the yi𑁋

Kousei has a wry smile when he faces Terui again, the kid looking at him in suspicion. “You’re a good pitcher Terui, I just wanted to tell you that… sometimes you just need someone to tell you that.”

Terui looks more confused than anything, but there’s a slight misty shine to his eyes, a brief look of understanding. Maybe he doesn’t fully get what Kousei’s trying to say, he wasn’t very good at explaining it if he’s honest with himself, but part of Terui probably needed to hear those words, even if it’s from his no good retired upperclassman.

A knot unfurls from his chest as Kousei turns to walk away, throwing a lazy smirk over his shoulder. “Just keep moving forward, with the team, and you’ll be just fine Terui. Go and show them the pitching of the murder weapon given human shape.”

Terui scowls at the nickname, but he doesn’t go back to running laps. He walks the other way towards where the rest of the team should still be, no more hesitation in any of his steps, head held high, the ‘1’ on his back fitting just a bit better than a while ago.

Kousei looks up at the darkening sky, a relaxed grin in place, heart not as heavy for the first time when he leaves the sounds of practice behind him, ready to move forward himself.

Tap tap tap.

“Kou-chan.”

Tap tap tap.

“Sweetie.”

Tap tap tap.

“Kousei!”

Kousei whips his head around to his parents, both looking exasperated yet fond. His dad pointedly looks at his hands that were tapping the counter with his nerves, now frozen mid tap. “Oh, um, oops?”

They both shake their heads at his antics, his dad going back to finishing dinner while his mom drags him over to help set the table. “Here, at least make that nervous energy useful.”

“Heh, that obvious?”

“I think the counter has a small dent in it now.”

Kousei chuckles, she sounds more amused than anything, and it does get him to finally calm down. He knows his parents will love Eijun, but it doesn’t stop him from worrying anyway, especially when he knows Eijun is freaking out about this even more.

Which is ridiculous, who wouldn’t love Eijun, he’s sunshine incarnate. He’s loud, but so lively, brightening everything up wherever he goes.

Maybe he shouldn’t be so worried either.

A ding from his phone gets his attention, and when he fishes it out he sees a message from Eijun that the train arrived at his stop, a sappy grin slipping out by reflex. He looks up at his mom to let her know and finds a soft look pointed at him as she’s already shooing him away. “Go get him sweetie, just don’t take too long!”

Kousei gives a wide smile as he pecks her cheek, grabbing his keys near the door as he runs out the door, the laughter of his parents following him out. The train station by his house isn’t far, only a ten minute walk, but he wants to see Eijun now, his jogging cutting it down to five.

When he turns the last corner, he spots a mop of brown hair above the small crowd trying to get to the street. Once it gets out, he sees Eijun fully, bundled in his coat and the scarf Kousei lent him during their last date, which warms his cheeks at the sight. He’s holding his duffle bag closely as he scans the station with an adorable pout, brows furrowed just slightly. “Eijun!”

Eijun looks up at his shout, his surprise melting to an excited smile as he waves back. He wants to pounce on him, showering his face with kisses as he holds him, but he likes saving those moments for when they’re alone, which they aren’t in front of the station. With that thought, he stops a respectable distance from Eijun, but lets himself match his grin to show his own excitement.

He still gets a hand immediately intertwining with his own though, which brings his blush back as he squeezes back. “Kousei-senpai, happy birthday! And you didn’t have to pick me up, I had the directions ready!”

“But then I couldn’t escort you like the good boyfriend I am! And thank you!” He lets go of his hand to hold out his arm, which Eijun takes with a fond eye roll as they set out back to his house. They chat a bit over Eijun’s winter training and Kousei’s exams coming up after break, the two strolling down the road, content to take their time.

His house comes into view, but he feels Eijun tighten his hold on his arm, giving him a nervous smile. Kousei gives a soft look, and squeezes the hand on his arm. “They’re going to love you Eijun, don’t worry okay?”

Eijun takes a deep breath and lets it go noisily, getting a chuckle out of Kousei, who receives a playful glare. “Okay, let’s do this before I freak out again.”

Kousei opens the door, letting them in, and insists on hanging Eijun’s coat, who looks less nervous at his gesture. Before he can say anymore comforting words, he’s interrupted.

“Wow that was fast, I thought you boys would be a little longer!”

“Mom!”

“I kid, I kid. Anyway, welcome Sawamura-kun, please come in!”

“Um, pardon the intrusion, and thank you for having me Amahisa-san! A-and you can call me Eijun, I don’t mind!” He looks a little flustered over his mom’s teasing, but Eijun’s eyes reflect more excitement than nerves now, so he’s grateful she managed to cut the tension so well.

“Then please call me Izumi, Eijun-kun𑁋”

“And me Junpei!” His dad cuts in from the kitchen as they pass it to the table. He’s holding the side dishes in his hands while he follows them to place them down, gesturing to the mini feast in front of them. “Welcome to our home, I hope you enjoy the food!”

Eijun stutters out a response as Kousei takes his bag and quickly drops it off in his room. When he returns they’re all moving to take a seat, so Kousei drags Eijun next to him with his parents across from them. He thought he’d have to start a conversation to get Eijun to loosen up some more, but after being flustered his soulmate seems more relaxed, asking about the meal his dad cooked.

“Ah, it’s one of Kousei’s favorites that I make, especially for his birthday when it’s so cold out! I’ll change the meat depending on what’s big at the market when I go, today was beef. How do you like it?”

Eijun stops to swallow his mouthful, before he beams at his dad. “It’s amazing Junpei-san! And you’re right, it really warms me up after being outside in the cold!”

The two descend into a discussion of food, mainly consisting of his dad talking about dishes he still wants to try out and Eijun volunteering to try them all. His mom chimes in with her own ideas, the conversation devolving into a ‘who can suggest the craziest dish’ competition, that his mom wins when she suggests a cream soup with natto in it and his dad and Eijun both shudder in disgust.

“Eijun-kun, you don’t like natto either? Finally someone who understands!”

“It’s the one food I don’t like, it’s so gross!” Eijun wails about how disgusting natto is while his dad pats his shoulder as he nods solemnly in agreement. His mom is cackling over what she’s started, and Kousei honestly can’t believe what gets his soulmate and dad to bond is their mutual hatred over natto.

Conversation runs smoothly after that, Eijun asking about his parents’ jobs and their hobbies, and while he’ll ask the occasional question about Kousei growing up, he makes it very clear he wants to get to know them as people, and not just as his parents. They return the favor, asking about Eijun growing up in Nagano, what his own family is like, his hobbies outside of baseball, everything flows out freely as laughter fills the room. Kousei would usually be in the thick of things, adding his own chatter, but the sight before him fills him with so much warmth, he finds himself speechless.

His parents are debating which show genre is better when Eijun looks over at him with a brief look of concern at his silence. Kousei can only imagine how sappy his face looks when Eijun just gives him a soft smile in return. A quick wink later and he’s joined his mom’s side that romances are peak fiction, her face lit up in victory.

“No Eijun-kun! I thought we had a bond, how could you side with her!?”

“You’re clearly cultured on food Junpei-san, but romance is the superior genre! Izumi-san, I see what you mean, this Sawamura Eijun will help you with this!”

“Thank you Eijun-kun, it’s nice to have someone else with taste in this house!”

There’s a lull when his mom excuses herself to bring out a cake, candles lit as she starts singing, Eijun and his dad joining in easily. There are smiles all around after they finish, all of them telling him to hurry and make a wish so they can have some. He takes a look at them, and with a heart full of warmth, he blows out the candles, his wish clear in his mind.

I hope I can have this for the rest of my life.

Cheers erupt as the cake gets sliced, the banter continues with topics changing frequently, Kousei eventually finding his voice enough to join in at times between mouthfuls of cake. It’s nice, to see his parents get along with his soulmate, to see Eijun fit in so easily, he feels much lighter at the sight. He really didn’t think the dinner would go bad, but he couldn’t help being nervous, having the most important people to him all in the same room.

It’s honestly the best birthday present he could ever be given.

Eventually his parents wind down, the time much later than any of them realized. They both have early mornings, so Kousei insists on doing cleanup, Eijun jumping at the chance to help, flashing them a sunny smile when they try to do it themselves. It helps that Eijun will be staying with them for a few days and doesn’t have to rush to leave like he might have if it wasn’t their break. He can tell the exact moment they cave, both flashing grateful looks before they excuse themselves to get ready for bed. The two of them settle into a rhythm of Eijun washing dishes and Kousei drying and putting them away, making it go quickly.

Well as quickly as they can with Kousei trying to sneak kisses in between almost every exchange of wet dishes.

Eijun keeps giving him playful glares, trying to be stern, but he allows a few pecks before he makes them concentrate to get it done faster. When everything is clean and put away, Kousei leans against the counter and takes Eijun’s hand gently, pulling him closer. He comes willingly, a small smile in place as he wraps his arms around Kousei’s waist, settling his head on his chest. Kousei holds him close, placing his own head on top of Eijun’s, just enjoying the feeling of him close. Eijun eventually props his head up a bit, his chin placed on his chest to look up at him, Kousei adjusting to see him easier.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

They both struggle to keep straight faces before they break out into giggles, matching grins on their faces. He can feel Eijun’s arms loosen their hold around him, hands now sliding up his chest, leaving goosebumps in their wake. They gently cup his face, tugging him closer as Eijun gets on his toes to meet him halfway, Kousei closing the last few inches himself.

Part of Kousei wants to say that kissing Eijun still feels like their first one, still feels magical, and while it’s sort of true, it’s also not. They’ve had plenty of gentle kisses like their first one, soft and in the moment, but they’ve also had plenty of different kisses now too. They’ve had playful pecks, solid presses for comfort and validation, clashes that become too much too fast and leave them breathless when they part.

So kissing Eijun still feels magical to him, but it’s also just more.

When they pull apart, Eijun gives a small yawn, prompting Kousei to check the time, seeing it’s gotten pretty late. He gently eases them off the counter, moving them in the direction of his room. “Alright, off to bed with you! You could have told me you were tired.”

He gets another yawn in response that turns into a pout. “But I haven’t seen you in a month, and it’s your birthday, I had to stay up as long as possible! Plus your parents are a lot of fun!”

“I told you they would love you.” He can’t help the smug grin that appears, even if a small part of him had been worried. He gets a swat to his arm for the look.

“Oh hush, just wait until it’s your turn in a few weeks.” Kousei turns a bit pale, Eijun chuckling at his reaction when they reach his room.

They shuffle in, Eijun heading straight for his bag to get a change of clothes, while Kousei goes to get his own. “The bathroom is next door if you want to shower.”

“Hmm, I don’t know if I’ll stay awake long enough for one, but I’ll change in there.”

Kousei’s about to tell Eijun he can change in his room, but the thought of seeing him shirtless catches up with him, making him tongue tied. He squeaks out an okay, Eijun looking at him with pink cheeks, probably for the same reasons as Kousei, before he leaves the room rather quickly to get ready for bed.

Kousei’s still a little flustered when Eijun comes back, asking about a futon to sleep. His face heats up when he thinks about what he’s going to ask, knowing how shy Eijun can be about certain things still, but he wants to ask anyway. “Oh, uh, I can go grab it if you really want, but um, I was hoping, and you can totally say no! But we could just… share mine? Nothing would happen, I just! ...Think it would be nice, you know?”

Peeking at Eijun, his face is fiery red, probably matching his own, but he doesn’t look against the idea. A little embarrassed and bashful, but his favorite small smile is there, giving him some hope.

“Well, if you think we can fit, I’m not against it.”

It’s a full sized bed, they both know they can easily fit.

“We definitely can if we cuddle.”

“I’d be offended if we didn’t.”

They both try to keep up the charade, but their growing matching grins are followed by giggles, their silliness breaking any tension his request may have brought. Kousei grabs Eijun’s hand, tugging him closer until they’re close enough to plop down together onto his bed.

He’s about to drag him even closer when he realizes the light is still on.

“Dammit, give me a second.” He can hear Eijun’s giggles as he gets up and flips off the light, plunging the room into darkness. He makes it back easily to his bed, but flops on Eijun in retaliation, getting some muffled squawks in return.

After some shuffling and a few elbows thrown around, they finally end up facing each other under the blankets. This close Kousei can still make out his face, Eijun’s large eyes drooping with sleep as he burrows into the blankets more, his hand blindly reaching out for his own. He ends up grabbing his forearm, right where his soulmark is, making Kousei shiver a bit at the contact. Eijun keeps going though, and once their hands are entwined, he pulls them to his chest, but not before he gives the back of Kousei’s hand a gentle press of his lips, murmuring good night against it.

Kousei’s heart absolutely melts and he just wants.

He wants this, all the time, and he knows it’s too soon for them, he only just turned 18 and he’s going to move in a few months to start his career, but he wants it, all of it. Even if it takes them years to get this everyday, he’ll keep wanting it and working towards it, because a life where he can be with Eijun like this will always be worth it.

He shuffles a little closer, resting their foreheads together, Eijun already dozing, his grip on their hands still firm. He tangles their legs together, curling into him even more, always trying to be closer than is physically even possible.

Kousei wants, and he’s stubborn enough to make it happen one day.

Chapter Text

After returning from winter break, Eijun finds himself extremely busy making sure the team is ready for Spring Koshien. Then they’re at nationals, making it to the finals before ultimately losing to Komadai, payback for the summer when they got their own revenge for last spring, Hongou’s pitching having revved up seemingly just on spite.

Even still, Eijun’s proud of how far the team was able to go, and tells them they’ll just have to take the crown back during the summer, to roaring approval all around.

When they get back, it’s a flurry of preparing for the spring tournament and the incoming freshman, the team amping up for more competition. He doesn’t remember it being this crazy last year, but he also wasn’t captain and didn’t have nearly as many responsibilities.

Bless his vice-captains or he probably would have keeled over from all the stress.

He manages to make time to see Kousei, but with his finals taking up time and his slow move to Chiba, they’ve been hard pressed to find opportunities. They make do with phone calls as always, but as January becomes February, and that becomes March, he finds there’s no more time before everything changes.

Because the thing about time, that Eijun rediscovers every time, is that it waits for no one.

Logically he knows it keeps moving, and that nothing can last forever, but there are moments when it really hits him that everything is changing and he has no control over it. That no matter how much he wants things to stay the same, they have to change so more can come after.

Graduations have slowly become the most glaring example of that.

Eijun’s grown up with the same group of kids since he was a toddler, only gaining more friends as he got older, never really having to say goodbye to any of them. Then he got scouted and despite knowing he would have to leave his friends behind for Tokyo, it didn’t hit him until they were all holding their middle school diplomas and they were talking about the clubs they would be joining in highschool.

The highschool he wouldn’t be joining them at, because he met someone that showed him what it means to play baseball at a higher level, to play while completely devoting yourself to the sport.

His heart breaks when he says goodbye on that platform, a part of him forever left behind with his friends and family in Nagano.

He thought he’d be more lonely at Seidou, knowing it was more competitive, but he makes more friends, slowly but surely he does. And as he expands his worldview, his heart follows, learning more about others as they settle themselves in the available spaces of his soul. Eijun didn’t think he could love his teammates as much as his old friends, but when he befriends Haruichi, it opens a gate he didn’t realize he had tried closing.

Part of him had tried to go it alone, almost forgetting what Miyuki had shown him that day, that you can't play baseball alone, and with the right team, you could soar even higher than where you started.

Eijun will always love his friends, but he wouldn’t have made it this far with them, a fact that’s hard to swallow, but rings clear when he’s on the mound at nationals, a sight only possible because he decided to follow the sound of his pitch reaching Miyuki’s mitt.

But baseball isn’t that kind, and losses still happen, saying goodbye to cherished teammates when it’s over, learning to start from scratch over and over, Eijun has learned that time waits for no one and the only way to not get left behind is to keep moving forward, even if the paces never match ever again.

He takes his time, mending his heart, but refusing to empty it, clutching those memories tightly, no matter the hurt they contain, because the joy hidden within them is just as important to him. Eijun has learned heartbreak through goodbyes, through realizing how fragile permanence truly is, that the only way to mend his cracks is through his own hard work. Whether that involves more time practicing, more time communicating, more time just trying, he’ll do it. The only things that can be permanent are what you put effort into, and what you don’t give up on.

But even then time still moves forward, crawling, running, stumbling, dragging everyone along with it, so Eijun has learned to let himself get swept away, finding his own ways to move forward with it.

That doesn’t mean watching his upperclassmen graduate this year doesn’t hurt any less or that he wishes he could have more time with them, one more summer.

It’s obnoxiously sunny the day the third years graduate, and while Eijun wears a smile for most of it, he still gets a few looks from people that know he’s breaking a little inside. He was sad the year before, he even sobbed saying goodbye to Chris, but there’s something different about this group, and he knows it’s the extra year of playing together, of building a functional team together from nothing, of overcoming so much together.

Of standing at the top of the nation together.

It’s when the ceremonies are over and the now graduated members are saying their goodbyes to the team that his tears finally start falling. While a few people are alarmed, most aren’t, having expected him to cry since the day began, though a few comment they’re surprised it took him this long.

Eijun doesn’t pay those comments any attention, he’s on a mission to talk to as many members as he can, to say his goodbyes. He tries not to cry too much, to get his words out clearly, and for the most part he’s successful, even if he and everyone he speaks to are a little misty eyed themselves by the end.

It gets a little harder when he gets to the regulars, choking up at a few points, but they all let him get it out, his gratitude and joy for playing with them, his well wishes for their futures, his hope they can stay in touch. He gets watery and indulgent smiles from Shirasu and Nabe, wailing from Zono, some pep talks from Asou and Seki, more group chats created than he knows what to do with, but determination to keep up, even if it isn’t consistent, it’s something.

And then comes the graduates he’s been putting off the most because he knows he’s going to break down easily, but he promised himself he would do this and he will, overflowing emotions and all.

He approaches Nori first, because he’s alone, and the nicest of his last goodbyes. He gets a smile from the other pitcher when he gets close enough, which he returns a little wobbly. “Hey Sawamura, guess I’m next on your goodbyes?”

Eijun nods, not trusting his voice, clearing his throat when he feels ready to speak. “Yup! Had to make sure I definitely said goodbye to you Nori-senpai, you’re near the top of the list!”

“I am? Really?” He looks surprised, and a little confused, but touched, his smile a bit softer at the edges.

“Of course you are senpai! You’ve inspired me a lot, especially in my first year!” When Nori still looks confused Eijun pauses to gather his thoughts before he continues. “I know you’ve struggled to be confident on the mound, but you never let it stop you from trying, from doing your job as a pitcher for the team. But when you hit your groove, you’re amazing senpai! And… and even though you never got to wear the ace number, you still carried yourself like one, you showed me what it means to be a pitcher for the team, and I’ll always be grateful for that!”

Nori tears up during Eijun’s speech, letting them fall by the end, giving a watery laugh when he does. “I, wow Sawamura, I didn’t know I made that much of an impact.”

“Well you did Nori-senpai, and no matter what you do next, I want you to know you’re a great pitcher, and it was an honor being on the same team as you! Thank you for your three years of hard work senpai!”

To Eijun’s surprise, Nori pulls him into a hug that he returns just as fiercely, a few muffled sobs coming through. When they pull apart, his eyes are red rimmed but his smile is wide, radiating joy. “Thank you Sawamura, I, I’m really happy I could help you grow as much as you helped me. Never stop improving okay? Keep doing great things, for all of us.” For me.

“Of course senpai!” I’ll carry yours too.

Nori gives him another teary eyed smile, but he looks calm, and ready for whatever comes next, like he always did on the mound. Eijun could tell that even though he was done with baseball after this, he’ll be able to take on anything with the courage he’s built playing it.

They separate after one last hug, Eijun badgering Nori to keep in touch, the other pitcher readily agreeing. After he sees Nori rejoin Shirasu and Zono, Eijun sets out to find the last people he needs to talk to, still debating if he should talk to them together or not, when he finds them alone together talking quietly. It’s sweet to see them relaxed, pinkies linked loosely while no one pays them much attention, that he almost feels bad interrupting them.

But Eijun is a man on a mission, so he does it anyway.

“Senpais!” He’s loud, but no one bats an eye, except the two he’d been running towards. They don’t separate, but they do straighten up to watch him approach them.

“Ah, so noisy! At least my ears can finally rest after today.” Miyuki smirks while Kuramochi cackles next to him, both looking amused at Eijun’s immediate squawk and cat-eyed reaction.

“So rude Miyuki Kazuya, as if you can get rid of me so easily! You’re not allowed to just drop off the planet after today!” Eijun points an accusing finger at Miyuki, who feigns innocence, not fooling anyone.

“Kyahaha! Don’t worry Bakamura, I’ll make sure he doesn’t crawl under a rock, you’re not the only one to threaten him with that today!” Miyuki pouts at Kuramochi’s words, grumbling that everyone is out to get him, but he goes back to smirking easily after the act, bringing his attention back to Eijun.

“So I’m guessing we’re next on your goodbyes huh? Should I have carried tissues?” That gets another snicker from Kuramochi, but it doesn’t deter Eijun in the slightest.

“So what if you are? You guys are the last two I need!”

“Oh? Saving the best for last? What an honor!” Miyuki’s being snarky, but Eijun can hear a slight waver to the words, betraying his confident demeanor. Kuramochi on the other hand is looking at him thoughtfully, as if sensing how serious he’s about to be with them.

“Yeah, I did! I have a l-lot to say!” Eijun can’t help the slight stutter as he tries to rein in his frustration at Miyuki’s antics and the slight embarrassment he feels to be doing this. The words seem to shock Miyuki into silence though, so Eijun takes that as his cue to gather his words. “I, well, um, first, Kuramochi-senpai!”

They both startle a bit at his raise in volume, but Kuramochi simply raises a brow in acknowledgement. Eijun takes a deep breath, letting it out with some of his tension, and starts.

“Y-you can be a bit of a bully and you like to wrestle me a bit too much, but you’re like the older brother I never had senpai. You were never afraid to tell me when I was being dumb, which was a lot.” He gets snorts from the both of them, but Kuramochi looks a bit choked up already. “But you never held it against me and even tried to help me get better and improve. And pitching with you defending at my back always helped me pitch my best, knowing nothing would get past you! I didn’t know I needed that support until I had it, and I’ll always be thankful to you for that.”

Miyuki has a soft smile as he listens, Kuramochi looking flustered as he tries not to let his tears fall, sniffling frequently. Eijun knows he isn’t far behind, but he can’t break down just yet, he still has plenty to say. He finds himself in a soft headlock first, that easily becomes a tight hug which he returns, the two not saying any words. When he’s released, Kuramochi is still sniffling but looking away, keeping his tough guy act to the end. Eijun decides to move along or he really will just start bawling.

“Miyuki Kazuya!” He gets a startled hum, but it lets him know he has his attention. “You, you’re the reason I’m even here senpai. I never told you, mainly because I know you would tease me forever, and you probably still will, but! But… meeting you changed my life.”

Eijun has to stop to collect his thoughts again as tears collect in his eyes, a look at Miyuki shows he’s frozen in disbelief over his admittance. “You showed me what playing baseball could be, what a battery could be, what I could be! It wasn’t easy, you didn’t make it easy, you sneaky tanuki, and there were a lot of bumps in the road, but I’m still glad we’re both here now. A lot’s happened these past two years, but I’ll never forget the day you called me your partner and we struck out Azuma-san. We’ve both come a long way since then, haven’t we Miyuki-senpai?”

Miyuki has tears gathered in his eyes, but is valiantly holding them in, while Kuramochi next to him is furiously swiping at his own. “What’s with all the respect now that I’m not your senpai anymore, huh you brat?”

Eijun’s sniffling, the tears finally falling, but he makes no moves to stop them. “Figured you deserved it on your graduation at least.”

Miyuki gives a watery laugh, a brittle smile on his lips that makes him look more fragile than Eijun has ever seen him. “I don’t think I deserve all that praise though Sawamura. Even if I inspired you to come to Seidou, I still made a lot of mistakes, especially with you𑁋”

“Oi, Miyuki𑁋” Kuramochi tries to stop his downward spiral, concern bleeding into his voice, but it seems emotions make Miyuki painfully honest, especially about himself.

“You know I’m right Mochi, you even said so when he had the yip𑁋”

“I know you’re the one that asked Chris-senpai to teach me the outside pitch when I had the yips Miyuki-senpai.”

The two freeze, turning to face him slowly, shock painted in their expressions. Kuramochi recovers first, coughing into his fist and not so subtly poking Miyuki to get him out of his frozen state. Miyuki blinks at the action, looking like he barely registers it, but he does refocus back on Eijun, that fragileness still in his eyes.

“I never blamed you for what happened senpai, and I had to learn what happened wasn’t my fault either. You probably could have been nicer, but we all know you’re emotionally constipated𑁋” He gets a faint squawk in protest, a reflex more than actual objection. “And that’s why you have Mochi-senpai, he balances that out, but Miyuki-senpai, did I ever say it was your fault?”

He gets a hesitant shake of his head, Kuramochi watching the exchange with rapt attention, his hand being squeezed by Miyuki’s own. He gives a brief smile at the gesture.

“Because it wasn’t. It’s okay to forgive yourself, you’re barely six months older than me, it’s not like you have all the answers, even if you like to act like you do!” That gets a few chuckles from him, a relieved smile appearing on Kuramochi’s face that he knows matches his own.

While he’s happy to see Miyuki emoting with more than just sass, this uncertainty and guilt doesn’t suit him either. Miyuki is snarky wit that projects confidence even when he doesn’t feel it, because he’s Miyuki Kazuya and he never lets anyone see the fragile teenager that hides behind his accomplishments.

Eijun has only seen small snippets, and usually only when Kuramochi is there to temper his sharp edges, and each view only paints a fraction of the full picture of loneliness that lies beneath the surface. He’ll probably never see the whole thing, but he’s okay with that, oddly enough, despite him wanting Miyuki to know he has friends, people who care about him. He knows he has Kuramochi, who if he ever needs backup to get through Miyuiku’s thick skull, can call Eijun and plenty of others who will all come running to help him out.

But this new piece of Miyuki is important, and Eijun tucks it away into his heart alongside the pieces of Kuramochi’s softness, Haruichi’s frustrations of inadequacy, Furuya’s insecurities when connecting with others, Takatsu’s sorrowful rage, Kanemaru’s mothering, Toujou’s mischief, Kariba’s kindness, and all the others he knows and has yet to discover.

He hopes Miyuki takes away from this talk Eijun’s forgiveness and holds it close.

Eijun takes a deep steadying breath before he rushes forward, slinging his arms around their necks, grabbing the two into a group hug. They both jerk at the action, but he holds on, and they eventually return the hug, both huffing at him. Before his sobs fully start, he manages to convey his last point, squeezing them closer. “Despite everything, and because of it too, I’m happy I met you Miyuki Kazuya! Thank you for everything!”

He can’t see it, but from the tightening grip on his back and the slight dampness on his sleeve, he knows Miyuki’s let go of the tears he’s been holding in. It warms his heart that even if he can’t see it, Miyuki trusts him enough to cry in front of him, and the pat he gets from Kuramochi tells him he’s not the only one.

I’m sorry.

I forgive you.

Thank you.

After what feels like hours, but is probably just a few minutes, the two pull away and Eijun lets them go, making sure to have a smile in place, determined to bring back the joyous atmosphere. Kuramochi gives a smile back even as he wipes his eyes again, but the puffiness and redness stay as evidence. Miyuki isn’t any better with a timid smile, but it doesn’t look brittle anymore, so Eijun counts that as a win.

“Thank you for your three years of hard work, and congratulations on your graduation senpais!” Eijun grins, and even adds a salute to his words, drawing out more chuckles from the two, the air more mirthful than before. “But remember, you guys can’t get rid of me that easily! You guys are stuck with me, wahaha!”

“I guess my hearing loss is coming earlier in life then.” Miyuki gives a dramatic sigh, but the small smile he sports after shows he’s not as opposed to the idea as he acts.

“Kyahaha! That just means I’ll have a permanent guinea pig for all my wrestling moves, I hope you’re prepared Sawamura!” Kuramochi has a feral grin as he wiggles his fingers at Eijun, inching closer as if he’s going to try a move on him right this second.

Eijun pales as he inches away, swallowing audibly. “H-hey now, no need to try them out on me right now𑁋” Kuramochi strikes, grabbing Eijun into a complex hold, cackling as he struggles to escape. Miyuki, back to being his tanuki self, just laughs at Eijun’s misery, but it’s genuine. He feels the hold loosen a bit, a silent thanks, as he goes limp.

From a little away he can hear more laughter and crying from the other members of the team as more goodbyes are exchanged. He lets himself absorb the chatter and the atmosphere, filing everything away to look back on later when they’re all gone, taking the next steps in their lives.

He knows he’ll be able to visit them, and text and call, but being all together like this again will be rare, so in Kuramochi’s next hold, with Miyuki’s chuckles and Zono’s sobbing in the background, he lets it all wash over him, ingraining this moment into his soul.

Time doesn’t wait for anyone, but everyone’s ready to move forward, and so is he.

Eijun doesn’t go to Kousei’s graduation, but they’d discussed that ahead of time. Knowing Eijun had many seniors he wanted to say goodbye to, and wanting to spend time with his fellow batchmates after the ceremony, Kousei had suggested they see each other the next day.

He’d jumped at the idea, glad it let them have some time together before Kousei fully moved to Chiba and started spring training in a few days. Chiba may only be an hour away, but they both knew they would have to juggle their schedules to meet up when they could, especially when the season officially started and he’d be travelling.

That wasn’t going to deter them at all, of course, but those were worries for another day. Today was just for them, before everything got crazy once again.

Eijun is just walking out of the school gate, double checking he has everything in his backpack, when he stops to look behind him at the fields. It’s quiet, being spring break, but no one is even out practicing. He didn’t think anyone would be, but seeing the fields empty really drives home that the third years are gone.

That in a week, he’ll be a third year.

“Ahhhh! Nope! Not gonna think about that right now!” It comes out louder than he intended, but he needs the verbal reminder to focus on today, on spending precious time with his soulmate.

The thought of Kousei brings a smile to his face, a giddiness filling him. Though Kousei had been the one to suggest spending the day together, Eijun had been the one to plan what they do, deciding on a simple date to just enjoy each other’s company. He’s planned a relaxing picnic date at the park, calling in orders at a nearby cafe to pick up food to eat since he’s still banned from the cafeteria.

You burn cookies one time and suddenly you’re a menace in the kitchen.

He’s been worrying that it’s too simple, but whenever he remembers the bags under Kousei’s eyes whenever they have time to video chat, he just wants to wrap him in blankets and make him take a nap. Since he can’t though, he figures this will be the next best thing and they can spend time together, so it’s a win-win.

After he gets their food, he passes by a flower shop and stops, taken in by all the vibrant colors. Eijun recalls the sunflowers Kousei had gotten him for their official first date, and decides to see what he can get for a graduation bouquet.

The florist is bright and peppy, enthused by Eijun’s request, smile turning a little sly when he admits it’s for his soulmate. She takes him around the shop rattling off different ideas until they come to a decision, getting all the needed flowers together, with Eijun requesting the ribbon to be a honey yellow when asked to pick from the giant selection.

She gives him a knowing look, causing his cheeks to heat a bit, but she wishes him luck when handing over the bouquet. He takes it with a grateful smile, loud thanks following him out after he pays that she returns.

With his purchases secured, he sets out to his destination, arriving not long after. He spots Kousei leaning on a tree by the outer edge fiddling with his phone as he waits, and Eijun slows down to appreciate the view of his soulmate finally looking relaxed after so many stressful months.

And the tight short sleeved shirt he’s sporting too. He has an attractive boyfriend, sue him.

He bounds closer, yelling his arrival, but not before he hides the flowers behind him to keep them a surprise for a little longer. Kousei starts, but the soft grin that appears melts Eijun’s heart, his legs suddenly feeling like jelly. He’ll never get over how much Kousei actually likes him, how he’d admitted that sometimes just seeing Eijun would make his day better. It had left his insides all gooey as he showered his boyfriend’s face with kisses, too embarrassed and touched to respond with words.

The enthusiastic kisses he had gotten in return had shown Kousei didn’t mind one bit.

When he reaches Kousei, he’s almost immediately pulled into a hug, but he dodges, wanting to give him the flowers first. The pout he receives almost makes him cave, but he stays strong, he’ll give Kousei all the hugs he wants in a few minutes.

“Sorry, but not yet, I have a gift for you first!”

Kousei visibly perks up at that, his eyes shining bright. “Oh? You didn’t have to Eijun.”

His cheeks warm up a bit, but he gives his shy smile, knowing it drives Kousei a little crazy, the excited look melting to a soft sappy one instead. “I know, but I wanted to! Plus you graduated, and a lot more, like being drafted and stuff, so, congratulations Kousei!”

He pulls the flowers out from behind him, presenting the bouquet of tulips, a range of reds, pinks, and yellows, to him with a bright smile. He watches as Kousei gently takes the bouquet, his eyes suspiciously misty eyed, right hand up to lightly touch a few petals. When he looks back up, Eijun feels the air leave him, the adoring look on Kousei’s face warming him more than the spring sun.

“They’re beautiful, I love them. Thank you Eijun.” His voice comes out soft, awe dripping from the words, the emotions drowning Eijun.

He swallows the flowers’ meaning, too emotional to explain, and comes forward, grabbing Kousei’s free hand with his own, tangling them together as he starts to drag them towards the spot he’s picked for their picnic.

“Come on, let’s go find the spot I picked.”

The spot is a nice shady area surrounded by trees a little ways away from the main trail. Opening his backpack, he pulls out a blanket for them to sit on, setting the bag of food on the corner closest to a tree. It’s reminiscent of the end of their first date, and while he isn’t actively trying to copy that day, he doesn’t mind the parallels.

As they settle down on the blanket, he feels a tug on his sleeve, looking over to see Kousei with his arms outstretched, silently asking for his hugs now that his flowers are out of the way. Eijun gives an exasperated smile but slides easily into his arms, enjoying being this close after so long apart.

It makes him wonder how he’ll handle Kousei being gone for the season, but he shakes that thought away, focusing on his strong arms holding him close and the nuzzling he can feel in his hair.

“What is your fascination with my hair? You’re always playing with it.”

Eijun has found that if Kousei can touch his hair, he will, and he’ll play with it for as long as he can, even when they’re in public. Whether it’s ruffling his bangs, petting them back, or nuzzling it like now, Kousei is always trying to mess with it. Eijun isn’t complaining, he loves having someone play with his hair, he finds it incredibly relaxing and soothing, but he is curious.

He stops, Eijun easily feeling how he freezes at the question, but instead of pulling away, Kousei relaxes again and continues to rub his cheek against his hair, more intent than before.

“It’s really soft.” He manages to mumble out, his mouth pressed to the crown of Eijun’s head. “It’s also relaxing to play with your hair, and I like when you go all soft when I do. Does it bother you?”

“No, I like it when you play with my hair too.”

He can feel Kousei’s lips pull into a smile against his head. “I’m glad.”

They both slump towards the tree, Kousei leaning against it as Eijun burrows more into his side, getting comfortable, his hand coming up to play with his hair instead. It’s nice and calm, the complete opposite of how they usually are, but after the craziness of the last few months, it’s exactly what they need.

He’s about to suggest they eat their lunch when Kousei’s left arm catches his eye, specifically his soulmark. The day has been uncharacteristically warm for March, so with his short sleeves Eijun can see the mark unobscured. He reaches out to trace it, catching Kousei off guard, making him tilt his head to see Eijun more clearly.

“Everything okay?”

Eijun hums, skimming his fingers against it, sliding across the words. He feels Kousei shiver at the action, subconsciously bringing him closer, catching their hands together before he slides his own down to move Eijun’s sleeve up to show his own mark.

“Wow, I really said a lot when we first met, didn’t I?” Kousei chuckles, the action vibrating against Eijun’s head where he still has it laid on his chest.

“You did, but it was kind of comforting to have such a long soulmark growing up.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I’ve always been loud, and I talk a lot, but seeing this, knowing I would have someone in my life who could match me in that? It brought me a lot of comfort and let me still be myself.”

Eijun had a good childhood, growing up with a loving family and great friends, running free throughout the countryside, catching beetles and fireflies, getting into all sorts of trouble. He’s always managed to make a place for himself and endear himself to others, shining like the sun he’s often compared to.

But words said in jealousy, acidic with malicious intent, still hurt, no matter the age you hear them.

His gramps would always tell him though that his soulmark meant that there was someone out there that would accept his loudness, probably even match it, or even exceed it. Some people had joked that they didn’t think they could handle two of him, but to Eijun, that possibility meant the world to him.

Years later, curled up next to Kousei, having known each other for almost a year now, having filled each other’s silences with the other, the quiet no longer feeling oppressive, he feels more content than he thought he ever could.

“I was always afraid mine meant my soulmate would never give me a chance.” Eijun looks up a bit to refute that, but is shushed and met with a soft smile. “It’s okay Eijun, I’m more than happy that wasn’t the case, but you have to admit, your glare when you said that was scary!”

“We just lost! I was upset! We’ve been over this!”

Kousei laughs in response, Eijun huffing at him, poking him hard in the side. “I know, I know, I’m not digging up the past, don’t worry. I’m just glad I was wrong, that you gave me a chance, that we’re both here now.”

“Well of course I gave you a chance, you’re my soulmate! Even if we hadn’t ended up dating I would have still wanted you in my life!”

“I wonder though, if you would have given me that chance if we weren’t soulmates.” Eijun’s eyes widen at the question, while Kousei starts trying to backtrack. “I mean, I’m not doubting you like me, I just can’t help wonder sometimes𑁋”

“Maybe I wouldn’t have.”

Kousei’s jaw snaps closed with a loud click, eyes wide in shock. Eijun knows he has to explain himself more before he gets the wrong idea, so he starts to sit up to face him better, but feels Kousei’s arms tighten, as if afraid he’ll disappear if he lets go. He gives Kousei a gentle reassuring look, lacing their hands together to show he isn’t going anywhere, and he releases him, still a little hesitant.

Eijun takes a few glances around to see they’re still alone, no one around where they’re hidden away from the rest of the park. He lifts himself more, throwing a leg over him to settle on Kousei’s lap, knowing neither of them can easily hide while they’re like this. Kousei goes a little pink at his stunt, a small squeak tumbling out as his hands automatically hold Eijun’s hips to steady him better.

He gives a small coy smile at the reaction, pleased to know he can easily fluster Kousei. His smile softens as he lets go of Kousei’s hand to use both to frame his face, making sure he has his full undivided attention.

As if they’ve ever stopped looking at each other.

“Maybe I wouldn’t have given you a chance then if we weren’t soulmates, but I have full faith that wouldn’t have stopped you Kousei! You’re persistent, insanely so, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t chase me down until I finally caved.”

“I would. For you I, I definitely would.” His face is full of so much longing, Eijun has to stop himself from drifting in to kiss him stupid. He still has more to say first.

“Exactly! You wouldn’t give up, and I know I would eventually cave. How could I not when a really hot guy keeps pursuing me?” Kousei gets a dopey grin on his face, Eijun pinches his cheek. “Being rivals would have kept me away, but the moment that was over? I totally would have given you a shot! Or maybe you would have charmed me while we were still rivals, and I gave you a chance because of how you would make me feel like I’m something to marvel at, when I wasn’t so sure.”

“Because you are Eijun! You leave me in awe every time I see you pitch, my heart always feels like it’s on fire.”

Eijun’s cheeks are red at the praise, and he leans closer as he continues. “Ending your summer hurt, but I felt so alive playing against you because baseball would have always brought us together! So even if it took more time, I would have always given you a chance, and that’s all you would have needed to sweep me off my feet.”

Their faces are inches away now, Kousei tugging him closer with each word, that longing back in his eyes, more frantic than before. Eijun stays just out of reach to finish what he has left to say.

“Because to me, being soulmates just means that with or without the marks, we would always meet, and always have the chance to fall in love. The mark may have sped up the process, but I fell for you Kousei. You and your petty pitching, and shameless flirting, and thoughtful gestures, and weird taste in music, and everything else that drives me crazy but I find stupidly endearing because it’s all you. Because I love you Kousei.”

The last words are barely out before kisses are peppered on his face, from his eyes, his nose, his cheeks, and finally his lips as they’re taken in a slow, toe curling kiss that leaves them both panting when they separate.

“Even if it took me years, I’d never stop chasing you, because you’re worth it Eijun. You’ll always be worth it to me, because I love you too.”

This time Eijun is the one to pull them together, slotting their mouths for a deep heated kiss. His arms cling to his shoulders while Kousei’s hands bury themselves in Eijun’s hair, the two pushing and pulling, trying to get even closer. One kiss becomes two, which turns into three, four, more until Eijun loses count, too lost in the moment to think of anything else.

A loud growl from his stomach breaks their kiss, Eijun’s cheeks turning an alarming shade of red from his embarrassment.

Kousei gives a loud bark of laughter which makes Eijun swat at his arm in retaliation. “Looks like someone’s hungry! I guess we did come out here for a picnic, though I was having something much better.”

“Oh my god, you just had to, didn’t you?”

Kousei only smiles, rubbing Eijun’s back in mock apology as he gives him a playful glare. He slides off his lap, but not without some whining from Kousei who doesn’t want to let him go, the compromise being them sitting next to each other, borderline cuddling again.

Eijun’s glad he got simple sandwiches and snacks for their picnic, the food light but filling, a great match for the nice weather. They’re both back to lounging when they finish, a few pieces of fruit left for them to share as they relax, the sun still a while away from setting.

“Hey Eijun?”

“Hm?”

“You finally stopped calling me senpai.” Kousei has a satisfied grin as he says this.

Eijun just rolls his eyes, used to the cocky attitude, a light dusting of pink on his cheeks with an amused smile on his lips. “Well, I figured that would be my other gift to you. Happy?”

“Very.”

They both giggle, finally finishing off the fruit, cuddling close again, watching the leaves sway with the breeze. Eijun can feel sleepiness start to creep in, but a quick shake from Kousei keeps him up.

“Hey, no naps yet, I have something to give you.”

Eijun lifts himself up by his elbow, peering down at Kousei in suspicion. “It’s your graduation, you shouldn’t have gotten me anything!”

“Oh this is for me too, don’t worry! Close your eyes and put out your hand.” He does, but not without some grumbles about how the gift better not be something weird, making Kousei chuckle in response. He feels something cold and small drop into this hand. “Alright, open them.”

When he looks down to his hand, Eijun sees a simple key attached to a cute baseball charm. It takes him a second, but then he’s looking at Kousei, excitement dancing in his eyes to match the fondness in his soulmate’s. “Is this...?”

“The key to my new apartment? Yeah, it is.”

“Oh my god.” Eijun looks back at the key, fingers curling tightly around it as he looks back up at Kousei, all his emotions threatening to overwhelm him as tears build. “Oh my god, Kousei.”

“I want you to know that you’re always welcome wherever I am. My home will always be your home Eijun, so I want you to be able to come by whenever you want. I hope it’s when I’m actually there though, I’d be sad to miss you!”

Kousei brings up his hand to brush away the few tears that escape, cradling Eijun’s face gently like a precious treasure, face smitten and adoring. It’s a look Eijun has seen plenty of times, even earlier that very day, but it always takes his breath away, now more than ever, the weight behind this gesture heavy.

“Baseball comes first okay?”

“Naturally.”

“But I’ll visit you whenever I can!”

“I should hope so!”

They grin at each other, laughter joining in as elation keeps bubbling up, refusing to be contained. Eijun tackles him back down to the ground in his excitement, babbling about all the plans they can make in Chiba when he visits, Kousei joining in with his own ideas.

The sun starts to set, bathing the park in an orange hue, adding a warm filter to the moment, the two content to chatter the last rays of sunlight away. A chill starts to creep in, a reminder that it’s early spring, but it’s still warm enough as they stay close in their own bubble.

There isn’t much time before they have to get up and leave, Eijun back to Seidou for his last year of highschool while Kousei heads to Chiba tomorrow to start the next stage of his life, both feeling bittersweet but full of excitement, knowing they’ll always find their way back to each other.

Because even if life throws them plenty of curveballs, neither can wait to find out what happens next.

Together.