"No, no, Fran; you have to hit the ball inside the white lines, and then try to run to the next base in the order they're set out in; you can't just skip the bases, alright?" Yamamoto was patient as he helped correct Fran, understanding the younger had never seen a game of baseball before, let alone played one. "You have to try and get to the base before the ball is thrown to whoever's standing on it."
Fran nodded, adjusting his grip on the bat. The two had been together all day, playing random games in hopes he would find something he enjoyed. As expected, he had been as numb as ever, indifferent to what they were doing, and baseball was no exception.
Oddly enough, Yamamoto had convinced his friends to play baseball with them – except for Hibari, who was sitting off somewhere on the sidelines. They had found an unused field, and once Yamamoto ran through the basics with everyone, had divided them all up into teams. Even Chrome was playing, though Yamamoto felt she was best equipped to stand on a base instead of making her run around.
"Ready, Fran?" Yamamoto grinned when the other nodded, throwing the baseball back over to the Vongola Storm. He himself was staying off the field, offering help to anyone who needed it – he could respect the fact that none of the others played baseball, and he didn't mind coaching them on his favourite sport, even if that meant he couldn't participate.
Fran steadied himself further as he waited for Gokudera to throw the base. He blinked before he realised something annoying, reaching up to tug his frog hat off his head and kick it away behind fourth base. He felt much better without the heavy material weighing him down, his teal locks blowing in the soft wind.
The Varia member hit the ball when it was thrown towards him, doing as instructed and keeping it within the designated playing area. He dropped the bat as he ran to the first base, not used to moving so quickly; he spent so much of his time laying around, and even on missions he hardly moved at a fast pace, it felt weird to force his legs into action when his life wasn't in danger.
"That's it, Fran!" Yamamoto encouraged, picking up the bat as he watched Ryohei run to fourth base, shouting his trademark, "Extreme!" as he did so. "Stay at first, 'kay!"
Fran did as instructed, stopping at the first base. He blinked as he regarded Chrome, nodding in acknowledgement at her; while they weren't particularly close, she was still someone he was familiar with, having lived with her at Kokuyo. Chrome returned the nod, catching the baseball that had been tossed to her.
"Are you having fun, Fran?" Chrome asked quietly, her one visible eye shining with nervousness.
Fran shrugged. "I don't know."
The girl offered a shy smile as she reached out, patting a teal head gently. "I know, Fran... I know..."
The two turned their attention back to the others as they heard the clang of the bat hit with the ball. Fran nodded at the younger again as he left the base, running to the next one. He didn't talk to anyone else until he made it back to fourth base, talking quietly when Yamamoto asked him if he liked playing baseball.
The older male shrugged, his eyes as emotionless as ever. "I still don't know. I didn't feel any different."
"That's alright, Fran. Do you want to keep playing, or would you rather sit here with me and watch?"
"Watch." The Varia Mist sat down beside the taller male, watching everyone else curiously; he didn't understand how everyone else was laughing and smiling as they ran around, throwing balls back and forth. He couldn't comprehend the fact that they were having so much fun, but the sounds of their laughter made him think; when the last time he had laughed? When had he so much as cracked a smile? All he did was be a sarcastic little brat, not trusting anyone enough to let his guard down around him.
How could this group be so close with one another, and trust that they wouldn't be hurt by them? Never before had Fran known that kind of comfort, and he didn't think he ever would.
It felt like hours had passed by since Fran had sat down with Yamamoto, and he was struggling to keep his eyes open; he was feeling exhausted, as if he could just drop off here and now – he wasn't used to spending so long sitting down doing nothing; he slept so much, he instinctively started dozing off if he wasn't focused on a mission.
Yamamoto could sense this, and smiled as he wrapped an arm around the older male's shoulders. "You can have a sleep if you want it, Fran; it doesn't bother us."
Teal eyes heavy with sleep blinked at Yamamoto a few times before Fran nodded, letting them slip closed. He remained sitting up, their backs pressed against the nets behind them, his chin resting against his chest.
Yamamoto just smiled warmly at the other, glad that Fran seemed to be starting to trust them – or at least Yamamoto.
Just before Fran drifted off to sleep, a question rang through his mind; what if his interest wasn't playing baseball, or doing other activities that required him to participate? What if his interest was just spending time with someone who seemed to accept him for who he was? Was he happy just following behind Yamamoto, doing things that seemed pointless and indifferent to him? Was it that he just wanted to have someone by his side, even if they weren't having the most amazing adventure ever?
It felt that way, because having just sat with Yamamoto, watching the others play baseball, made Fran feel better than he could ever remember feeling before.
