Work Text:
Title: Tears on his grave
Author: icraveforkazuya/foureyedcatcher
Artist: 2slam
Genre: romance, drama, confusion
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Kazuya/Sawamura Eijun, Narumiya Mei/Sawamura Eijun, OC/Sawamura Eijun.
Rating: NC-15
Word Count: 6552 (including both summary and this template)
Warning(s): few vulgar language, slightly implied lime, shounen-ai.
Summary: “I swear to god, if you aren’t such a clueless prick. I would have snatched him away from you before you even have time to blink.”
A/N: I’m not confident, to be honest. But I guess, there’s nothing more I can add now. Haha.
-
It’s thrilling. It’s exhilarating. It’s exciting. It’s intoxicating. It’s breathtaking.
“Ssh, don’t let out such a loud voice,” he said, smirking in delight as he covered his lips with his finger. Eijun nodded, almost in tears as he tried not to squirm.
“Does it hurt?” he said, voice muffled but underneath the rough tone revealed his growing concern for his partner. Eijun slowly nodded, trying to ease the pain by adjusting.
“Damn, you’re tight again,” he said, wiggling his two fingers inside as he gauged his partner’s reaction. Satisfied, he nodded, and started inserting another one.
“Haha! Have you seen what that woman was wearing yesterday? It was hilarious!” Eijun’s eyes widened, quickly trying to remove himself from the suggestive position they unconsciously did while trying to do it, but he quickly calmed him down with a quick kiss.
“Don’t make a sound,” Eijun nodded obediently, having used to the sound of his lover’s soothing voice. However, not expecting him to continue what they were doing before the students from the hallway started passing, Eijun almost screamed.
He anticipated that.
Smirking, he said, “We’re not done yet, Ei-chan.”
And he proceeded to bite the side of his neck as if warning.
-
It’s enchanting. It’s tempting. It’s rousing.
A secret relationship, that is.
Eijun wondered if he was simply too much of an idiot, or he was just really delusional. Because he was enjoying every second of their relationship.
But Eijun knew it had nothing to do with the amount of consequences they’d face in the future if they were found out (although part of it was), but because of who he was with while doing it.
Eijun knew what he himself felt for the man before him. He knew that the pounding of his heart whenever Kotaro-kun was around, it was the same feeling.
The same feeling as those people from the books he always read when he had breaks from baseball practice. He understood, never mind the fact that those people were fictional, they’re related to what he was feeling.
It’s love.
Narumiya Kotaro-kun was a senpai from his baseball club. They met just last year when he tried out for the team. At first, he didn’t like Kotaro-kun. He was simply too arrogant, too self-important, and with a mouth so sharp the katana from his friend’s dojo had compared to a knife slicing a bread in two.
Kotaro-kun was one of the main catcher in the team. And that’s what connected them both. Eijun was an aspiring pitcher, and Kotaro-kun was a genius as a catcher, even tabloids had his name printed on it like it was natural.
The strange yet inviting sound emitting from his mitt, the crowd almost disappearing in the background, it was the most sensational event Eijun had ever experienced when he barely turned thirteen. Of course, right after savoring half his unforgettable experience as a pitcher, the asshole laughed out loud, and said,
“You suck, loser.” And proceeded to to throw the ball back to him, and hit him squarely on the face. Eijun was feeling so much anger that time that he didn’t notice the smile from Kotaro-kun’s face.
A lot had happened since then. Kotaro-kun, for some reason, decided that hanging out with Eijun and his friends were more fun than hanging out with his twin brother, Mei, and his fellow teammates.
Eijun, of course, protested at first saying, “Don’t you have any friends your age? Go bother them, dammit,” but the bastard just laughed them away, and said.
“Be honored, Sawamura. You are lucky to be graced with my presence,” the bastard winked, and whisked Wakana-chan away asking for her number.
Eijun was in so much rage that he recklessly tackled the bastard on the ground to do what, he didn’t know. But that was the first time Eijun had his first kiss.
And also the first time Eijun started questioning his own sexuality.
A lot had happened after the kiss, with Eijun realizing his feelings for a certain catcher, and Kotaro-kun confessing to him at the end of the cultural festival*. Eijun had been unable to say yes due to shock, but Kotaro-kun took it as an invitation for their second kiss. And the third, fourth, and now here they were.
Having a secret relationship because same-sex relationship in middle school was considered simply not normal. Besides, Japan was not exactly open-minded for such things.
Jokes on them though.
The lingering touches whenever they’re around each other and their teammates, the secret smiles that only the two of them knew, and the kisses behind the shed whenever they take out the baseball equipments.
Those were some of the things that Eijun find as thrilling.
“Hey, Kotaro-kun,” Eijun called out silently, threading his fingers through Kotaro’s hair. The catcher hummed in response. Eijun chuckled.
“Let’s stay together forever,” the catcher opened his eyes opened, and smirked.
“Stupid, that’s impossible.” Eijun jerked his head down, and was greeted with a small kiss. He smiled.
Ah. This was bliss.
-
The next day, Kotaro-kun died.
It was bright and sunny, the wind was blowing normally, and everything else seemed to glow enticingly. Eijun appreciated it, especially when it was a time where he could be open with his relationship, and hold hands with the person he loved as they walked down the hill.
Then a shout out of nowhere came out, “Watch out!” and Eijun recalled himself flinging to the wall next to the tree, and Kotaro-kun’s calm smile mouthing words that Eijun tried to understand before he was hit by a red car with an alarmingly speed for a residence area.
Eijun sat frozen, watching the live scene of people screaming, and some even taking pictures of the gore scene.
But the only thing that mattered to Eijun at the moment was Kotaro-kun. Slowly, Eijun got up from where he was sitting. He dazedly walk to where he knew Kotaro-kun was, and was greeted with a scene that he knew would forever haunt him.
Kotaro-kun’s bloodied body, with his legs twisted, his arms flattened, and his head bleeding. Eijun almost puked from the sight, but he didn’t. He slumped near his lover, whispering “God, please,” he laid on his back next to him.
“Hey, isn’t this too early even for you, Kotaro-kun?” his voice sounded even, not incoherent like Eijun expected it should be, and wistfully smiled when no one responded to his query.
The sound of sirens and stretchers unfolding made Eijun aware of his surroundings, but he just felt numb. As if every part of his body was screaming to stay still, to stay where he was, to wait. But wait for what? Wait for who? He didn’t know, and so Eijun stayed.
For a brief moment, Eijun thought he too might have died, and everyone else could not see them. But he saw from the corner of his eyes a kid, the age of four almost, was pointing a finger at where he and Kotaro was, and Eijun almost laughed out loud.
“Say something,” he whispered.
“Cough, cough, cough,” jolting awake from his awkward position, Eijun was on high alert.
“K-kotaro-kun?” Ah, he finally saw some cracks. How ironic. Left eye opening with blood dripping to his left eyebrows, Kotaro-kun smirked.
“W-what’s up, cough, w-with your, cough, face?” Eijun wanted to smack him upside the head (and also at the back of his mind wondering why there’s no one rescuing them) but restrained himself.
“Y-you’re gonna be okay, all right? Hang on, please,” he whispered. Kotaro shook his head, and held his right hand up. Eijun intertwined his own with Kotaro’s, and sniffed.
“Eijun, cough,” here, Kotaro squeezed his hands. Slowly closing his left eye, with Eijun whispering “no, no, please,” Kotaro lastly whispered.
“M-move o-on e-even without me, okay?”
-
It’s been a year since then. Eijun still tried to decipher the words Kotaro-kun mouthed when he was flung to the wall across the street. Too bad he had no such luck as of yet.
Eijun had tried to move past his relationship with Kotaro, but had also no luck. And add to that, his friends also found out about their relationship. Eijun dreaded their reaction, but none of his friends really cared what his preferences were. They said, “as long as you’re happy then we’re all in it for you,” he almost cried.
But Eijun never cried. Not since after Kotaro died. The loss of Kotaro-kun was still fresh, and Eijun still didn’t see the point of crying. Would it give Kotaro-kun back? Would they go back to how they were before if he cried? No. It would not change anything. And so Eijun didn’t.
He tried to forget everything that he and Kotaro-kun did, trying to forget that one existence who held the largest piece of his heart. But he couldn’t. Especially with Narumiya-kun having the splitting image of Kotaro-kun. They’re almost alike, but Eijun could always tell the difference. But that didn’t matter anymore as Narumiya-kun was the only left.
“Stop it, Eijun. It’s been a year,” he lightly tapped his forehead to remind himself of what today was.
He’s leaving Nagano.
He was scouted by a strange woman from Seido. Apparently she was a manager in one of the most prestigious high school in Tokyo. She happened to see one of his games when his team was up against an irol wall, and decided that he had the potential to lead Seido to Koushien.
Eijun was at first reluctant to leave Nagano because he has all his friends there, and he was happy living a simple life.
But Wakana beat some sense into him, and reminded what Kotaro-kun had last said. “M-move on even without me, okay?” And just like those days where he rarely defied Kotaro-kun, Eijun consented.
And now, here he was. In front of the station having one of the loneliest time of his life.
“We’ll visit you, Ei-chan.” Nobu said. Eijun nodded, smiling one last time to his family and friends then boarded the train.
When the train started moving, he moved to the other side of the train. He saw the spot he and Kotaro-kun usually go to whenever they cut classes, and said goodbye in his mind.
“This is the last time, Kotaro,” he whispered.
“Goodbye.”
-
“One more, Mei,” Harada ordered, punching the inside of his mitt. Mei nodded, sighing in a bored manner as he began his trajectory.
Narumiya Mei grew up in Nagano with his parents and his twin brother who died just last year. It was still fresh, the wound that his brother inflicted the moment he stopped breathing.
It was painful knowing that his brother wouldn’t be there when he wake up in the morning, in the middle of the night because Mei wasn’t born immune to beings that may or may not exist in life, knowing that no one would be there to be with him when none of his friends could, knowing that the only person he trusted the most with every of his secrets and vice-versa would not be there to listen to every words that come out of his mouth, knowing that there’d be countless of days and nights where the person he looked identical too would not be there unless he stared at himself in front of a mirror.
And lastly, knowing that there’d be no one he could prove himself he could do better because the person he really wanted to be aware that they’re equal left his side when he wasn’t looking, and forever, Mei would never be able to be number one.
His twin brother was always ten steps ahead of him, always in front, always in first, and always the “perfect child.” In fact, Mei could count on his hands when his parents complimented him for his accomplishments.
His brother was a great catcher, even Mei craved for those sounds that usually goes out when a ball slams itself onto it as though both ball and mitt were magnetic.
Mei had initially wanted to become a catcher.
Because Mei had secretly but everyone knew anyway, idolized his twin brother to the point of insanity, and was determined to follow his footsteps because that’s the only that Mei could think of if he wanted to surpass his brother on his own game.
But that changed when he met a scrawny little kid playing around the park, throwing ball after ball to the trashcan nearby, and missing.
The boy had noticed his presence and deemed him to be a good guy, and asked for a match. Being a catcher didn’t mean he couldn’t throw, so Mei agreed although it seemed a bit petty, but hey, a game’s a game.
In the end, Mei won. The boy huffed in annoyance, but later grinned, and told him, “Hey, nii-san. Don’t think this will be the end. I will beat you in pitching once I get to high school, I’m telling you,” and proceeded to run away.
Mei had never been so amused that he doubled in laughter.
And that’s when Mei found out the joy in pitching.
At first, Kota was against him pitching. Saying that he knew Mei wanted to be a catcher too, but Mei had brushed him off. And said, “I can decide what I want to do with my life, Kota. You’re not mom,” and that was the first and longest fight that he and his brother had.
But they had reconciled, not because they wanted to, but because they were affecting the team’s morale. And oh yeah, that scrawny kid that he saw at the park too. Yeah, he was part of his middle school team.
There was a time when Mei wanted to prank Sawamura Eijun. He was getting too cocky for his taste. At least, in Mei’s book anyway (in fact, every pitcher on the team were getting too cocky, but Eijun stood out from all of them--how, no one knew).
So, he tried dressing as his twin brother. He thought he could get away with it ‘cause they always did. When he and Kota didn’t want to go to their proper class (and could tolerate the other’s class but not their own), they’d switch with each other. They always get away. None of his teachers and classmates (even his friends) could tell them apart.
And Mei thought he could with Sawamura too, considering the kid was the very definition of an idiot trying to survive life.
“Yo, Sawamura,” Mei said. Already used to mimicking his brother’s notions and whatnot. What startled him was when Sawamura just raised an eyebrow in question, and asked.
“Why in the world are you wearing your brother’s clothes, Narumiya-senpai?” Mei knew that Sawamura was talking about him (because the kid had the guts to give his brother vulgar nicknames such as “bastard,” “asshole,” “crappy senpai,” and other inappropriate names calling a senpai). And had almost lost himself in nostalgia when a person (which was their mom) was able to tell them apart without second guessing themselves.
“How did you know it was me?” Mei asked, genuinely curious as to how his kouhai* could immediately tell he wasn’t his brother.
“Senpai, are you drunk? Of course, I can tell who you are. I’m not blind,” Sawamura sent him an incredulous stare, and said.
“You are not exactly alike.” And Mei was so astounded he wasn’t aware he was already laughing by himself like a madman. Man, this was rich!
This kid was amusing, all right.
When he finally calmed down, Mei wiped the tears that came out of his eyes when he was laughing too much. Smiling, he asked, “We’re identical twins, you know. We’re alike to the point of two twigs in one tree.”
Sawamura threw him a dirty look. “And twigs can also be different. Identical don’t mean you’re the same person. It just meant you have the same physical traits.”
By this time, Mei was actually taking every word of Sawamura hungrily. He needed to know more, to make him realize that there was someone taking notice of his existence while still playing by the shadow of his perfect twin.
“Then do you care if we switch places? Are you okay with either of us because we have the same face?” By now, Sawamura’s face was getting red.
“Of course I do, are you an idiot? Asking if I’m okay with either of you as my catcher (Eijun didn’t get what Mei was trying to say on this one) because you guys have the same face and can actually catch my balls, are you really asking me this?” Mei nodded, memorizing word per word as Sawamura recollected himself because Mei knew he was being ridiculous.
“Then, no. I’m not okay with it. Besides, having the same face doesn’t mean I can just choose either of you because you have the same skills and faces. That’s just bullshit, and completely idiotic. Anyway, I’m outta here, I’m hungry,” then Sawamura jogged away from Mei.
Mei didn’t even have the energy to reprimand Sawamura from behaving too impolite while talking to a senpai.
That was the first time Mei saw Sawamura in a different light.
And also the first time he had entertained the idea of blaming his twin for taking everything away from him. Starting from his parents to Sawamura. Yes, Sawamura too.
Because godawful Sawamura just had to fall in love to his brat of a brother (though he was a brat as well) and they may had thought their relationship was safely hidden, but Mei was not fooled.
He wasn’t Kota’s twin for nothing.
Mei had tried several attempts to claim the brat, but his brother was too fast for his liking. Already manipulating an idiot while still having those careless smiles that seemed to be nothing, but actually meant a lot that should be downright terrifying if known. Mei knew.
He was one of Kota’s pawns after all.
And so was Sawamura, poor poor Sawamura who had wanted nothing else but to be a great pitcher someday, a pitcher who’d be able to step on the mound of Koushien. But Kota manipulated that desire, using every tactics to wrap Sawamura on his little finger to control, to let Sawamura have a delusion that Kota was on his side.
But Mei knew, he always knew. That underneath those false smiles, teasing remarks, and slashing words, Kota already had Sawamura on the tips of his finger.
Of course, Mei tried to intervene. To take the brat as his (because he already admitted to himself, quite begrudgingly, that Sawamura brat had already grown on him) and take his brother out of the game.
But he was too late. Sawamura was already in too deep, and Mei already knew that his brother as well.
Sawamura was an enigma. Despite his exuberance nature, Sawamura was not an idiot like most people presumed him to be. Sawamura was observant, careful, but an extreme honest kid to the point of stupidity.
And Mei knew those traits were what drawn his brother to the kid named Sawamura. Mei knew.
Those were one of the traits he liked about the kid as well after all.
“Stop spacing out, Mei. Come on,” Harada broke Mei from his rather long nostalgic journey, and pulled him along.
“We have a meeting in ten.”
Mei grinned, tossing his glove into the basket, and followed his catcher.
“I still don’t see why we need to. Ichidai is not that great.” He added cheekily. Harada looked from behind and glared at him. Tossing the rosin bag on his face, Harada spoke.
“You’re still small.”
“Hey!”
-
Sawamura had no idea how he got himself into this strange scenario. For reasons he’s still trying to grasp, he’s now in a restaurant eating together with a man he barely knew (hell, he had no idea who the man was), and could not leave until he finished his own lunch.
The man with glasses snorted, and said.
“Stop staring. I prefer the other gender, thank you.”
Sawamura saw red.
Earlier that day, Sawamura’s train stopped at Tokyo’s station. He decided to look for Takishima Rei, the strange manager he had mentioned earlier, and was a little bit surprised that the woman was still not there.
Eijun kind of assumed that the woman was straight-laced, a person who’d never do wrong because she was just too nice.
It was half an hour did Eijun decide he had waited too long. Coincidentally, his stomach started growling and if he didn’t eat now, then when would he.
So, wearing the strap of his backpack to his right shoulder, Eijun walked outside the station. He tried looking around for some decent food to eat while waiting (he could just explain that he was hungry and that’s why he wasn’t at the station which was true anyway), but did not have any luck.
Thankfully, he saw a McDonald’s nearby and decided that it was better than an empty stomach the whole day.
However, before he even got a foot inside the fast food restaurant, a lady suddenly pulled him aside. Baffled and kind of miffed because he was still hungry as hell, Eijun didn’t even notice he entered a secluded place.
Eijun finally tuned out his upset stomach, and started lookinh around. The interior was kind of weird, he thought, with all hearts and a baby with a diaper all over the wall of the place. Eijun thought he was in some kind of tv show, but apparently, this was a restaurant for singles.
Eijun spluttered, wondering why in the hell was he in a restaurant full of singles (which kind of applied to him as well since he was single, but still, no need to rub salt in his already damaged wounds). But before he could tell the lady to stop pulling him, she already made him sit on the chair.
Getting seriously ticked, he almost shouted at the lady (god forgive him for being disrespectful but he wasn’t really given a choice here), but she was already gone.
Letting a loud, exaggerated sigh, Eijun decided he could just forget McDonald’s and try the food here. However, before he even try calling for the waitress (he was seriously getting hungry, and this was not making him feel happy, at all), a question appeared on the screen beside him (where a monitor that Eijun was pretty convinced was not there when he was forcefully made to sit), and asked.
“Do you want to eat with someone?” And Sawamura was already picking no, but the stupid monitor answered itself and picked yes, and now had him experiencing this situation with a bastard (he already knew) who thought he was Sawamura’s type, hell nah, and had the nerve to say.
“Stop staring, kid. I prefer my partner to have meats and as curvacious as barbie. I’m afraid you’re the wrong gender,” Sawamura had never had the urge to kill someone until now.
“You are an asshole.” The other boy just smirked, and started eating.
To be honest, an upset stomach was the least of Eijun’s concern.
He wondered how long the cops would get here before they apprehend him for murdering someone on broad daylight.
Hmm, a food for thought indeed.
-
“You have got to be kidding me,” Eijun groused, looking at the boy in front of him in disdain while the other tried to stiffle his laugh but failing.
As if reading his thoughts, the boy finally laughed out loud (startling Takashima Rei who was standing a few feet away from Eijun). He even had the gall to wink at him as though they were sharing a private joke. The nerve.
“Man, is this what you call destiny?” Eijun snorted, pinching the bridge of his nose to show his irritation. What he really wanted to do was bang his head on the wall, but he’s afraid Takashima-san would think he was a psycho, and send him back to Nagano.
“More like me having my trials before I get send to hell,” he mumbled. Takashima-san didn’t seem to hear it, but the widening of the bastard’s grin told him enough that the boy heard him just as clear.
“Don’t worry. This is the only time we’re going to cross paths. After all, I’m betting you wouldn’t even last a day,” and proceeded to get out of the room. Eijun wished he could have done that earlier, when Eijun was still lost, and therefore had not known that a bastard like that guy was not someone he could potentially become teammates with.
Eijun wondered if his slightly good luck fortune that he had gotten during New Years at the shrine together with Kotaro was backfiring.
He’s blaming Kotaro for this.
-
Miyuki Kazuya silently watched the ordeal before him as though watching a movie. Wishing he had popcorn in his hand, he wondered if Kuramochi would kill him if he asked.
“But senpai, I’m just trying to help,” Sawamura, the brat, reasoned pitifully. Chris-senpai sighed, massaging his temple as if trying to distract himself away from this situation with a troublesome freshman, but the slightly turned up of his lips told Kazuya that Chris-senpai was enjoying the attention.
Correction, enjoying Sawamura’s constant attention.
“Sawamura, how many times do I need to tell you that I’m fine? I am not invalid. I can carry my own notebook. You don’t need to help me every single time, got it?” the freshman looked like he still wanted to argue (Sawamura was obviously obsessed with Chris, even the dense Furuya once told Sawamura he was being creepy--the obsession started when Sawamura saw Chris play in an intense practice game against Kiryuu--and Chris, a goody-goody with a sharp tongue who’d never let anyone force anything on him was letting Sawamura do as he pleased) but backed down as though finally seeing the stress on his wonderful senpai.
Kazuya snorted. As wonderful as it was to see the brat begging, he’d rather have it him.
Just like Kazuya predicted, he had never interacted with Sawamura unless they were standing on the same diamond during practice games.
Officially, it was always Furuya, Nori, and Tanba-senpai who were the pitchers Kazuya regularly worked with.
He was fine with that.
For a reason he had yet to figure out, Kazuya felt as though he was being strangled whenever he goes near the brat. They’d never really talked long (never mind the fact that they met at some singles’ restaurant somewhere in Tokyo--Kazuya still holds a grudge against Kuramochi because he was the reason he was there in the first place, something about losing in a video game-- a sore loser that Kazuya was) enough to actually call it a conversation.
Their teammates thought they were weird, but none complained because whenever both of them step on the mound, their battery would always be flawless.
They were both aggressive, laughing as though devils just came up straight from hell when they struck out their opponents’ batters, grinning to each other as though playmates who just pranked their younger siblings, and connecting to each other as though they didn’t need to know hand signs to know what would be best for them to strike a batter out.
A lot of people questioned their relationship, why they were as great as they were when they barely talk. Even Chris-senpai admitted it once that he felt inadequate for Sawamura because he could never utilize Sawamura’s skill like Kazuya could when he was the one who interacted most with the brat, except Kuramochi and Masuko-san.
But Kazuya never answered them. Not because he was being an asshole like he already established to the whole team (part of it, yes) but because he really had no idea why.
And quite frankly, that unnerved him more than he’d like to admit because he had never really connected with someone as much as he could with Sawamura.
Why this kid? Why him of all people? Why not Furuya? Or Nori? Or even Kuramochi? Why Sawamura?
This kid could not even stand the sight of him, and yet, why do they connect to each other like yin and yang? They were opposites, like south and north, yet they could communicate without words.
Kazuya did not understand.
And he’d like to leave it at that.
No matter how much his chest pounded, he’d never pry.
-
Eijun was starting to get irritated.
“Stop staring at me, Narumiya. You’re making me uncomfortable,” he complained. Narumiya Mei laughed, drinking Sawamura’s appearance as much as he could.
He had not seen the brat in years.
“You can’t blame me. I haven’t seen you in years,” he repeated out loud. Sawamura looked at him strangely, as though just noticing that this was the twin brother of his ex.
“And now you do. Can you move? I really need to do my business,” Sawamura asked irritably, inching to just force his way in because he really needed to pee.
Mei looked at Sawamura strangely.
“Do you not remember me?” he asked.
“You mean, the twin brother of my ex who looked exactly the same as you, and left me hanging? Then yes, I do remember you.” Mei felt his eyes widen.
Eijun looked at Narumiya’s face one last time, drinking the face of a lover he had never forgotten, and proceeded inside.
-
“I like you. Please go out with me,” Eijun closed his eyes tiredly. He opened them again, and carefully pulled a gentle smile.
“Sorry, I’m not interested.” The girl nodded in understanding, although she looked like she was about to cry, but Eijun did not feel like being the nice guy again.
When would people understand that he was not interested. For a reason a he never knew (though half his teammates knew, grudgingly because they wanted their own harem as well--after all, puberty did wonder on Sawamura that even Kuramochi whistled in appreciation even if he was straight as a board), ever since he jumped to the second year, he was constantly being asked out by both genders of their population in school.
Even some of his teammates tried asking him out, but Eijun just never really felt the need to open himself to another person again.
Being left alone was hard, especially if the person who left him behind did nothing but make him feel special that it was hard to let go.
It’s been two years and yet, Eijun still find himself sometimes wishing what could have been. But he would always slap himself if he did.
Because past was past, and never would Eijun want to experience the same pain again. He did not want to be left behind one more time without warning.
The happiness disappeared along with memories of a person who became closest to the deepest of his heart, and when he left. He just felt a sort of gaping hole that would never heal.
“Don’t be so cocky, brat. I still got more than you,” a voice that Eijun deemed to be dangerous spoke out of nowhere, startling Eijun from his trip to memory lane. Groaning, he said to no one in particular.
“I am tired.” And he really was. From everything, he was tired. And he needed rest, so much that he’d take up Narumiya Mei’s offer to his villa if he so desired.
“Wanna go grab lunch at Denny’s?” Miyuki asked casually, sitting down next to Eijun, and leaning his back on the tree.
“Are you asking me out on a lunch date, senpai?” Eijun asked just as casually, leaning the side of his cheek slightly on Miyuki’s shoulder. The catcher let him.
“Who knows. I’m not here to brag, but hey, you know I’m better than those people who asked,” Eijun laughed.
“Cool. Let’s go,” and they both walked hand in hand.
-
Mei threw his drink on the ground the moment he saw the scene playing before him, recalling those unpleasant memories of his own face indicating a sign of pleasure when sucking a face that belonged to one Sawamura Eijun.
“Bullshit, when did they even get this close.” Mei was tempted to strangle Kazuya, or maybe drag Sawamura away from the bastard because he knew Kazuya like the back of his hand.
Kazuya played around with his partners (girl or boy did not matter--though Kazuya sometimes lie and tell people that he prefered girls) like a child changing his toys every week when he gets bored.
But the look on the catcher that he had tried persuading on coming to his school (because despite Kazuya’s irritating personality, he was a force to be reckon with. And really, Kazuya was probably the only one that had Mei tingling all over his body for a day because he had caught for him) was almost identical to the face his brother was making when he was with Sawamura.
Damn, he didn’t even get to join the battle.
Both of them were already done in.
Just like his twin.
And him. Yes, even him.
-
“You what?!” Mei shouted, slapping the back of Kazuya’s head as he paced back and forth. Rubbing his temple as though he had a migraine coming, Mei asked Kazuya to repeat what he had just said.
“Yes, I broke up with him. He’s just a fling, what more do you expect?” Kazuya said, voice sounding so dull as though a piece of him was missing. Maybe he really was missing a piece, who knew. Mei did not really care at the moment about what Kazuya considered sentimental, but the mere thought of Sawamura’s blank face like he had when his brother was being buried made him move, he sighed.
“Kazuya, you are an idiot.” Kazuya glared at him, personally finding an offense to what he just said, but Mei really meant what he said.
“I’ve done stuff like this in the past, Mei. What’s new?” Mei sighed tiredly.
“What’s new? What’s new is that you really love him, Kazuya. This is different. Sawamura is not just some fling to you, and you know that,” Kazuya flinched but did not refute that statement. Mei continued.
“I am not even gonna go into details about how lovesick you look whenever you’re with him, but you need to fix this. ASAP*.” Kazuya did nothing.
“Do you want me to drag you out myself?”
“Why do you even care, Mei? He’s not related to you, is he?”
“God knows what I’m gonna do if I was related to him,” Mei closed his eyes.
“Look, if you don’t wanna get back together with him, then fine. But at least explain to him why, okay? My twin brother already left him behind without warning, I don’t need you adding to the fuel and having him hate relationships. Where am I gonna end up if my love interest for three years becomes uninterested in love,” he mumbled the last part.
Kazuya’s eyes widened.
“He was your twin’s...?” Mei nodded tiredly, feeling as though he had just doubled his training menu.
“Fuck.”
Mei looked up to the sky.
“I swear to god, if you aren’t such a clueless prick. I would have snatched him away from you before you even had time blink.”
-
Knock. Knock.
“Sawamura, answer the fucking door.” Kuramochi called out from below. Eijun did not really have the energy to stand up, or even breathe at the moment, but Kuramochi-senpai’s voice would nag him until he do it so he did.
“What do you want, bastard,” Eijun’s opening. Miyuki hid a wince. He deserved that.
“I need to explain.”
“Do you want a clean break up? Then here you go,” Eijun said monotonously, not minding that Kuramochi-senpai was obviously listening from inside.
“Miyuki, I’m breaking up with you. There, done. Now, go. I don’t need to see your face any more than I need to,” Eijun would have slammed the door right into the bastard’s face, but Miyuki pulled him outside without warning.
It was a miracle they didn’t stumble together on the floor.
“Let go of me. I already did what you wanted, what more do you want?” Miyuki sighed, threading his fingers through Eijun’s scalp as if to calm him down. To calm them both down.
“Look, I’m sorry. I was just really confused,” he started. Eijun interrupted.
“You’re not fifteen, senpai. The only thing you’d be confused about during seventeen was what would be better, alcohol or weed.”
“Shut up, I’m talking,” he glared. Eijun just merely glanced to his side. “I didn’t know you were Narumiya’s ex.”
“What does Kotaro has to do with this?”
“None. But I was just really surprised,” Kazuya knew he was stalling but he still wasn’t ready to open up with someone he barely could stand together with for most his second year life.
“Stop stalling. What do you want?” Kazuya sighed.
“Go out with me again.”
“Why would I do that. You literally just dumped me yesterday.”
“I’m sorry, okay? I know I hurt you, really bad. But I swear, I didn’t mean that. It just that... I haven’t really been into a serious relationship and it kinda.. just blew out.”
“What are you even talking about.”
“I love you, okay! There, I said it. Shit, I need to wash my face.” Eijun looked up, finally seeing Kazuya’s face in a light different from what Kotaro used to give, and laughed out loud.
“What?”
“You look stupid.”
“If I look stupid, then what are you? You’re crying,” Eijun’s eyes widened, bringing his hand up to his eyes. There really were tears coming out.
Then as though he had been called out, he looked ahead of him, and saw a shadow of Kotaro leaving the diamond.
And this time, Eijun did cry.
He finally remembered what Kotaro-kun said.
“Be happy.”
-
Omake:
Kazuya chuckled, tickling Eijun’s neck with his lips as he looked across. Half hugging the pitcher with his right arm around Eijun, and his other waving at the person standing right in front of them.
Mei felt his veins popped. This bastard.
Almost squeezing his drink in hand, Mei tried to calm himself down. It’s okay, he just helped. He just tried to do good deed, but this was really unfair.
Why did Kazuya get all the fun when Mei was the one who suffered from them all. Seriously, how was this even considered fair.
“Gahd, I am so going to kill you one day, Kazuya.” He said one last time as he walked out of the coffee shop.
He did not want to see Kazuya claiming Sawamura Eijun as his in broad daylight.
Fuck spending a day for himself, he needed a week.