It had been hard saying goodbye to the LA sunshine, but Connor Stevens found himself packing up the last of his things into a rented U-Haul, ready to move back to his hometown of San Diego. He was going to miss the local haunts, the familiar faces that LA offered, but he didn't have much choice in the matter. He had just been traded from the LA Angels to the San Diego Padres, and although he originally wanted to pitch a fit, he was genuinely happy to still be playing in the baseball major leagues. It wasn't as though he was a bad player; in fact, the LA Times sports critic called him the 'best catcher to ever grace the baseball diamond in decades'.

It had taken him a long time and a lot of sacrifices to get to where he was. Baseball became his life in high school in LA, and he was given a full scholarship to play for a Division One university. He loved his job more than almost anything else, but the huge downfall of it was that he found himself unable to make his sexuality public. He had known he was gay ever since he had the fortune of meeting one Jude Adams Foster, and even after he moved to LA in eighth grade and left Jude behind, there had been numerous relationships he held with other guys. When he started in the major leagues, he found himself going out less and less out of fear that he would get caught, so he hadn't had a serious boyfriend since he graduated from college. And if he were completely honest with himself, his first boyfriend was by far his favorite.

It had been more than a decade since he had seen Jude, but Connor wondered if how he was holding up every so often. When Connor first moved to LA, they vowed to call each other every day, to make an effort to stay together. However, the calls became less and less frequent, the connection between them getting smaller and smaller, and when Connor's good friend Daria called him one day and mentioned how one of their guy classmates had expressed an interest in Jude, Connor figured he should let Jude go so that they both could move on with their lives. It was painful, but necessary.

Connor sighed and closed the back of the U-Haul. In two hours, he found himself parking in front of an apartment building, and getting out of the truck to greet the smiling woman standing on the sidewalk. He gave her a hug, and she smiled widely at him.

"Connor Stevens," she said. "It has been too long since I have actually seen you in person."

"Hey Daria," he replied, smiling. "The Skype chats weren't enough?"

"Never. I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too." Connor gave Daria another hug, and she returned it before opening up the U-Haul.

"Jesus, Connor, I don't know if all of this will fit into the apartment," she exclaimed.

"It'll fit," Connor stubbornly said.

Daria glared at him. "If you try to get rid of any of my stuff, I'll get rid of you."

Connor laughed, happy to talk to his friend in person for once. Daria and Connor had been timid with each other during the very beginning of their friendship, but as soon as she found out Connor was gay, she had been quick to stop being weird around him. She stayed in San Diego after high school, working as a secretary at an elementary school, and when Connor found out he had to move back to San Diego she suggested that he move in with her. Connor knew it was most likely because she hadn't been making a lot of money at her job and her roommate had just moved across the country, but he was delighted anyways.

"Are you going to help me?" Daria's yell jolted Connor out of his thoughts, and he joined her in the back of the U-Haul, carrying his things into the apartment he would now call home.

-!-!-!-!-!-

"Everybody, meet Connor Stevens," the coach of the team, Daniel Fletching, announced. "Connor Stevens, meet everybody."

Connor weakly waved hello to everyone in the locker room, excited to start practice and break the ice with his new teammates. A few of the guys waved back at him, but most of them weren't paying attention to the introduction, instead talking amongst themselves. Connor didn't mind. It was only his first day, after all.

The team had been practicing for about an hour when a water break was called. Connor was grateful, but on his way to hydrate himself, one of his new teammates came up to him.

"Stevens, right?" he asked. Connor nodded. The man held out his hand, and as Connor shook it, he introduced himself. "My name's Reggie Peterson. I'm a third baseman."

The name ringed a bell in Connor's head, and he nodded in response to Reggie. "Peterson, didn't you play for the Orioles awhile ago?"

Reggie smiled and nodded. "Sure did. I played against you a few times, if I remember correctly."

Connor politely nodded back, but then Fletching called the men back into practice. Connor quickly swiped a drink of water before heading back to the pitcher's mound, where everyone was meeting. Before he got there, Reggie tapped on his arm, and Connor turned around to face him.

"After games, a few of us guys like to get together for a drink or two," he said. "You're more than welcome to join us, if you'd like."

Connor smiled, before replying, "Yeah, I'd love to. Thanks for the invite."

Reggie smiled back before giving his attention to Fletching. Connor wiped his face of his smile as he tried to look serious, but on the inside he was ecstatic, grateful to have found a friend on the team.

-!-!-!-!-!-

Connor couldn't believe it, but his first game was over, and they had won. Daria had assured him earlier in the day that he would do great, but his nerves wouldn't calm down until the game finally started and the dynamic he had been building up slowly with the team finally shined through to the public. He changed quickly in the locker room, checking his phone for a second before he put on his jacket. He had two text messages, one from Daria, and one from his father. He opened up Daria's first.

Just heard about your win on the radio! Way to go, buddy! Next time you have a game in town, expect to see an obnoxious fan holding up a cardboard cutout of your face (that fan being me, of course). xoxo Daria

Connor smiled. Daria hadn't been able to make it to his first game because she had a doctor's appointment, but he assumed on the drive back to their place she had turned on the radio to listen to the game's outcome. He was thankful that he had a best friend like her; a best friend that truly cared about him, despite all of his prior mistakes in their relationship.

Hesitating for a second, Connor opened up the second message.

Congrats on the win. For your first game, you did well. Keep on practising.

For his father, the text wasn't nearly as harsh as it could've been. Connor had a huge grin on his face. He put on his jacket, grabbed his bag, and was about to leave before Reggie called out to him.

"Stevens, you coming to the bar?"

Connor had almost forgotten about going out after games. "Oh, yeah, of course," he called back, before heading over to where Reggie and a few of the guys were huddled together.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Connor asked, hoping to make conversation.

"DeAngelo's," Reggie replied. "Best bar in town. Super hot chicks every night, and most of them are single and looking for a hook-up." The rest of the guys laughed, and Connor forced a smile.

"Sounds good," he said. "Let's go."

It took them about half an hour to get to DeAngelo's. When they arrived, Reggie dragged Connor to the bar and ordered two beers. Together, they drank, Reggie more so than Connor, and Connor found himself to be quite entertained with Reggie's attempts at being a wingman for Connor.

"Look here ladies, this guy's quite the catch," he exclaimed, laughing at his own joke. "Get it, Stevens? Catch? Because you're a catcher?"

Connor couldn't help but smile. "I think you need to lay off of the beers, Peterson. I never pegged you for a lightweight."

"It's just been awhile," he replied. "Okay, so I've been trying to get you some for awhile, but you haven't been responding so great, so now it's your turn."

"My turn? For what?"

"Land me a lady, Stevens."

Connor rolled his eyes, but decided to go with it, anyways. "For any ladies here, this man will gladly get you to third base."

Reggie burst out laughing. "Third base! Because I'm a-"

"Third baseman, yeah, I know," Connor said. His friend's laughter was infectious, and to Connor's delight, it seemed to attack a short woman who was laughing at Reggie's laughter. Connor smiled at her, and she smiled back, although Connor knew her focus was on his new friend. Taking a chance, he walked up to her.

"Hello there," Connor said. Up close, she was so beautiful that even Connor noticed, even though he wasn't interested. She had dark skin and a mass of black curls pulled up into a bun that seemed to be bigger than she was. "I couldn't help but notice you noticing that man over there," he said, pointing to Reggie, "and I was wondering if you'd like an introduction?"

"I wouldn't mind one," she said, eyes still on Reggie. Connor brought her over to Reggie, introduced the two of them, and decided to give them their space.

"Don't mess this up," he muttered into Reggie's ear before leaving. He doubted Reggie was paying attention to him, but he felt like he should say something.

Connor settled into a seat at the bar a little ways away, took off his jacket and asked for a glass of water, because he didn't want to get drunk. The water came, and in his newfound solitude, Connor took a glance around the room he was in. DeAngelo's was crowded, but he could see most of the place, from the people mingling on the floor to the people engaged in conversation at some of the tables in the back. His eyes wandered for awhile before coming to a jarring halt, taking in a picture that he couldn't believe was real.

There he was, Jude Adams Foster, smiling while talking with a woman sitting across from him.

Author's Note: hope you enjoyed this! I outlined this story, and it looks like it will be about fifteen or sixteen chapters. Please leave a review if you would like to! Also feel free to follow me on tumblr, my blog name is muncaster :) Any feedback is appreciated!