Author Notes: Ahh, I know I'm the one who wrote it, but I feel bad for Eijun and Mei.
This is set during Act II after Seidou's first game of the spring tournament.
This is part of my That Sky series, but you don't need to read the other parts to read this part.
I hope y'all enjoy it!
That Lucky Spring Sky
"Kuramochi-senpai, I'll be back later." Eijun looked in the mirror one last time before walking toward the door.
Kuramochi-senpai clicked his tongue. "You've got a date tonight, Sawamura? School starts tomorrow, you know."
Eijun frowned, double checking he had his key and phone before putting on his shoes. "I know that, senpai. I promise I'll be back in time for curfew."
He stopped by the door, opening it before turning to look at him.
Kuramochi-senpai rolled his eyes. "If things… change, let me know, okay?"
Asada looked between them, confused.
Eijun could tell Asada wanted to ask a question.
(Maybe he didn't because he didn't want to interrupt his senpai's conversation?)
And normally, he would answer Asada's question himself.
(Because Kuramochi-senpai could be quite scary. He wouldn't be surprised if Kuramochi-senpai had already traumatized the poor first year.)
But if he didn't leave, he would be late.
And he was not going to be late for his date with Mei.
He beamed. "I will, Kuramochi-senpai! See you later, Asada!"
Asada looked surprised for some reason before nodding. "Have a nice trip, Sawamura-senpai."
"Thank you!"
Eijun walked out of his dorm, smiling goofily at the thought of seeing Mei again.
Tonight's date was going to be perfect.
ZZZ
Ryousuke hummed as he checked his phone for the time.
His visit with Haruichi took longer than he thought it would.
He did ask if Haruichi wanted to join him for dinner.
But Haruichi had refused, wanting to eat dinner with his teammates.
So impertinent.
Haruichi's new haircut suited him.
He chuckled, running his fingers through his short hair.
Haruichi had gasped, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping at his haircut.
He didn't think he looked that different.
But his reaction was amusing.
Speaking of amusing…
Haruichi had told him he had cut his hair after Koushien.
And that he had gotten angry with Sawamura over it.
He was looking forward to Kuramochi's reaction to his haircut.
As so far, he and Haruichi were the only ones who knew he had cut his hair.
(Well, besides his parents and his university teammates, of course.)
And if he were honest, he was looking forward to Sawamura's reaction to his haircut, too.
Sawamura was always so expressive and amusing.
He could be a bit of an idiot and quite loud.
But he supposed that was part of his charm.
… At least, according to Chris and some of his kouhai.
He shook his head, amused, his feet taking him through the local park.
It had been obvious (to him at least) that a lot of his teammates had… crushes on Sawamura.
Not that Sawamura ever realized it, of course.
That idiot was too oblivious.
And from what he remembered, Sawamura was dating someone.
They didn't know who Sawamura was dating.
(Kuramochi had told him in his latest message that they still didn't know who Sawamura's mysterious significant other was. If he had to bet, he would bet that Chris knew. Sawamura practically worshipped him after all.)
But it was safe to say that whenever Sawamura wasn't concentrating on baseball, he was thinking about his mysterious significant other.
He remembered a few times when he walked through the hallway on his break and catching Sawamura smiling goofily at his phone.
Instead of confronting him, though, he had walked away, storing that piece of blackmail away to use against him later.
(How exactly he planned on using it against him, he hadn't been sure. But if he had gotten the opportunity to use it, he would've.)
Sawamura really liked this mysterious significant other of his.
And honestly?
He had to admit he was a little curious who Sawamura liked this much.
Sawamura did have a crush on Miyuki after all.
It couldn't be someone worse than that, right?
He furrowed his eyebrows at hearing a familiar voice.
That sounded like Sawamura.
Did he have a date?
Tonight?
Maybe he was hearing things?
But if he wasn't…
He took out his phone, ready to capture some more blackmail material.
This was his lucky day.
Almost grinning at his good luck, he followed the path to where he heard Sawamura's voice come from.
Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, he found Sawamura in the middle of the park.
And he wasn't alone.
His eyes widened despite himself.
Was that really… Narumiya Mei?
… Was this why Sawamura never told them who he was dating?
Almost as soon as he thought that, Sawamura threw himself into Narumiya's arms and kissed him.
(It was a good thing he had remembered to touch the record button before the kiss happened. As he froze when Sawamura kissed him.)
If he were honest, it was weird seeing Narumiya in normal clothes.
As he was used to seeing him only in his baseball jerseys.
But tonight, Narumiya wore a dark blue long-sleeve dress shirt and brown pants.
He frowned despite himself.
While he was a little bitter about what happened during his last summer and how Narumiya stopped them from going to Koushien, he didn't dislike Narumiya.
But when it came to the rumors surrounding him…
Did Sawamura know about the rumors surrounding Narumiya?
(He wouldn't be surprised if Sawamura didn't know about them, as Sawamura was a bit of an idiot at times.)
If Sawamura had told him or if he had somehow found out he was dating Narumiya, he wouldn't have been angry.
He wouldn't have understood, especially considering what Sawamura went through during the summer tournament finals game.
But he didn't think he would've been angry.
… To be fair, he could understand why Sawamura didn't tell him or anyone else for that matter.
(Sawamura probably told Chris, though. Maybe not right away. But he wouldn't be surprised if Sawamura told him he had already told Chris about his relationship.)
He was never that close with Sawamura.
But Sawamura was one of his kouhai and Haruichi's best friend.
So he felt like he had to… look out for him.
And make sure Narumiya wasn't using him.
(If Narumiya was using him, he would regret the day he messed with him. As he already knew how to ruin his life.)
Sawamura and Narumiya pulled away from the kiss several moments later, giving each other… incredibly soft smiles.
Which surprised him.
He didn't even know Sawamura could smile like that.
(It was weird and a little disgusting that he directed it toward Narumiya Mei (of all people), though.)
And Narumiya…
Narumiya (if he wasn't imagining things) was giving Sawamura such a soft look.
And such a soft smile.
(That wasn't an act… Right?)
He would've interrupted their moment, wanting to see what their reactions would be when they saw him standing there.
But as he watched them seemingly get lost in a world of their own, he decided to wait until they finished.
Their reactions will be just as priceless when they returned to reality and saw him recording them.
A couple of moments later, they let go of each other, still giving each other soft smiles.
Narumiya held out his hand. "Let's go?"
"Yeah!" Sawamura beamed, holding onto his hand.
He was rewarded for his patience.
As Sawamura and Narumiya turned in his direction, presumably on their way to exit the park and start their date.
To his amusement, Sawamura jumped violently, almost jumping a few centimeters into the air, letting out a startled yell at the sight of him.
"O-Onii-san!"
Narumiya didn't look as startled as Sawamura, but he did look surprised. "Kominato-san." He narrowed his eyes. "Were you… recording us?"
"Eh?" Sawamura looked at Narumiya, eyes wide before looking at him. "O-Onii-san, you didn't…"
He smiled innocently, amused as Sawamura paled. "Today is my lucky day. Thank you for this nice piece of blackmail." He stopped the recording, labeling it before saving it in his blackmail folders reserved for Sawamura and Narumiya on his phone.
Narumiya glanced at Sawamura for some reason. "How long were you watching, Kominato-san?"
"Long enough to know you two aren't just friends." He gave their joined hands a pointed look before looking at them, amused as both flushed.
Sawamura audibly gulped, looking nervous for some reason. "Um, Onii-san… This is… I mean, I—"
But although he looked nervous, he kept holding Narumiya's hand, his grip tightening.
Interesting.
"Had dinner yet, Sawamura?"
Sawamura blinked a few times, exchanging a confused look with Narumiya before shaking his head. "We were just about to grab some."
He could tell by the way Sawamura's eyebrows furrowed that he wanted to ask something.
Instead of letting him, though, he pocketed his phone and gave them another innocent smile, amused as Sawamura shivered. "To tell the truth, I was just about to grab some, too. Mind if I join you?"
Narumiya furrowed his eyebrows, looking as if he were about to protest.
But before he could speak, Sawamura elbowed him, giving Narumiya a sheepish smile before looking at him and shaking his head. "Of course we don't mind, Onii-san!"
"I'm glad." Ryousuke looked at Narumiya, his lips twitching at Narumiya's unhappy look. "Do you mind, Narumiya?"
Narumiya pursed his lips, looking at Sawamura who gave him a pleading look before looking back at him. "… I don't mind."
He pretended not to notice the obvious pause, turning around and gesturing for them to follow. "I've heard about this café not too far away. Why don't we eat there?"
"What! But—"
He looked back just in time to watch as Sawamura elbowed him again, giving Narumiya another sheepish smile before looking at him.
Sawamura laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "That sounds great, Onii-san."
He waited for them to catch up before turning his head and starting to walk. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, Onii-san. We just go to that café a lot, that's all."
Oh?
So it was one of their regular date spots?
He turned his head to look at them, raising an eyebrow. "Should we eat somewhere else?"
… Not that he would listen if they actually agreed.
But he could pretend to be polite.
Narumiya narrowed his eyes, clearly not buying his innocent look.
Not that he was surprised, considering this was Narumiya after all.
"No, it's alright. We can eat there." Sawamura gave him a reassuring smile, falling for his innocent look and almost… looking relieved for some reason.
As expected of Sawamura.
Ryousuke gave them a smile before looking away from them. "Then it's decided."
He walked ahead of them a little bit, trying to give the impression that he was giving them some privacy.
Sure enough, Sawamura fell for it and immediately started scolding Narumiya (much to his amusement).
"What are you doing? I told you about Onii-san before!" Sawamura huffed. "Why are you trying to make him angry?"
Narumiya let out a huff of his own. "He's the one interrupting our date!" he hissed.
Sawamura sighed. "I know, but we shouldn't refuse Onii-san. Onii-san can be pretty scary."
His lips twitched.
He felt glad Sawamura remembered how scary he could be.
"I don't care!" Narumiya sounded irritated. "Look… When we get a chance, I say we run away."
He raised his eyebrows.
They would dare try to run away from him?
… No.
Sawamura wasn't that stupid.
Sure enough, Sawamura scoffed. "Run away? From Onii-san? Are you stupid? He'll kill us!"
He smiled despite himself, amused.
"But you're the one who keeps saying that if he found out, he'll kill us anyway!" Narumiya hissed. "What's the difference?"
While he was a little amused Sawamura thought he would kill him if he found about their relationship, he almost… frowned.
He understood he was scary.
And that everyone didn't want to get on his bad side.
But did Sawamura really think he would kill him because he was dating Narumiya?
… On second thought, he understood why Sawamura thought that.
Sawamura winced for some reason. "The difference is that Onii-san caught us and wants to eat dinner with us. At least he'll feed us before killing us."
"You've got your priorities mixed up." Narumiya sounded amused. "You're not the ace, so you probably don't understand. But I can't die yet."
He chuckled, already knowing Sawamura's reaction.
Sure enough, Sawamura let out an offended sound. "What was that! I'm not going to die yet either! I haven't become the ace yet!"
"Quiet, idiot! Or he'll hear you!"
He shook his head, lips twitching as they started squabbling.
Narumiya was a little different than what he was expecting.
(Especially considering the rumors that surrounded him.)
But he still couldn't tell if Narumiya was acting or not.
Hopefully, he'll find out during dinner.
And dinner will be a great chance to get some more blackmail material.
They arrived at the café five minutes later, Sawamura quickly letting go of Narumiya's hand to hold the door open for him.
He raised an eyebrow as Narumiya frowned deeply, almost scowling.
But instead of saying anything, he nodded at Sawamura, amused as Sawamura lit up, as if he had praised him.
A couple of minutes later, they sat down at a table, Narumiya pulling Sawamura by his hand when Sawamura hesitated.
Sawamura glanced at him before sitting next to Narumiya, noticeably relaxing as Narumiya's shoulder touched his.
Ryousuke had already known Sawamura really liked his mysterious significant other.
So while it was still a bit of a surprise Sawamura's boyfriend was Narumiya (of all people), he wasn't surprised to see how Sawamura acted around him.
Sawamura looked so… relaxed around him.
As if Sawamura could be himself around him.
And as if Sawamura… felt braver when he was with him.
Even now, as they sat opposite him, Sawamura didn't look frightened at the thought of eating dinner with him.
And strangely enough, Narumiya, who had looked unhappy and almost tense, almost looked… relaxed himself.
… Well, whenever he wasn't shooting him warning looks, that is.
(Narumiya was so impertinent. He did remember he was a year older than him, right? He would have to think up a way to punish him.)
They ordered food, Sawamura complaining about how hungry he was.
"Come to think of it, Sawamura. I heard from Haruichi about today." Ryousuke smiled at him. "Congratulations on your win."
Sawamura gave him a bright smile. "Thank you very much, Onii-san!"
"Not that I'm surprised." He sipped his water, almost smiling as Sawamura furrowed his eyebrows. "You are aiming for Koushien after all. It would be embarrassing if you lost in your first game of the spring tournament."
Sawamura's eyes widened before giving him a determined look. "Don't worry, Onii-san! We plan on winning the whole thing!"
"That's good. We won the tournament in your first year." He gave him a pointed look. "I'm sure everyone would like Seidou to win again."
Sawamura puffed his chest out. "We won't lose! No matter who our opponent is!"
But before he could warn him about not getting cocky, Narumiya scoffed.
"Seidou will be lucky if they reach the finals. Especially with how they were batting at Koushien."
He raised his eyebrows.
Narumiya had watched Koushien?
Watched Seidou's games?
Sawamura glared at Narumiya. "What was that! We've been working hard to win the spring tournament! And we will!"
Narumiya smirked at him. "Impossible." His smirk widened as Sawamura glowered at him. "Inashiro's going to win."
Deciding to cut in before they started squabbling again, Ryousuke looked at Narumiya. "I heard Inashiro's going to play against Yakushi tomorrow. Good luck."
Narumiya looked at him for a few moments before nodding. "Thank you very much."
Sawamura gasped, causing them to look at him. He looked at Narumiya, eyes lit up with excitement. "That's right! Inashiro's playing against Yakushi tomorrow!" He pouted, tugging on Narumiya's shirt sleeve. "I wish I could watch it."
"You're not going to come watch?" Narumiya furrowed his eyebrows, almost looking disappointed.
Sawamura shook his head, smiling apologetically. "I've got practice." When Narumiya huffed, he gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll definitely watch the video of the game, though."
Narumiya smirked, puffing his chest out. "That's good, considering I'll be pitching."
"You will?" Sawamura whined before pouting again. "Now I wish I could watch it even more!"
Narumiya's smirk widened as he leaned closer to him. "Because you love watching me pitch from up close, huh?"
"Well, that's not the only reason." Sawamura grinned devilishly, causing Ryousuke to blink a few times. "I'm sure Sanada-san will be pitching. I wanted to see how he'll do against Inashiro."
Interestingly enough, Narumiya huffed, glowering at him. "He won't stand a chance against us. I don't know why you look up to him."
Was he… jealous?
Now that was interesting.
"He did pretty well at Koushien." Sawamura continued grinning.
Narumiya scoffed. "He got lucky."
Sawamura's grin widened. "I'm sure Sanada-san won't let you hit off him that easily." He nudged his shoulder. "It's too bad, huh?"
To his confusion, Narumiya's eyes widened before giving him a determined look. "I will hit off him. You'll see."
Sawamura snickered, looking away and sipping his water. "Maybe if you're lucky," he mocked.
Narumiya glowered at him again before elbowing him, smirking as Sawamura yelped.
For some reason, Ryousuke had a feeling he was missing something.
Like they were talking about something else.
He cleared his throat, amused as they looked at him, surprised. "As much as I enjoy watching you guys argue over petty matters…" He grinned as they flushed. "I believe it's time for you guys to answer my questions."
He could bring up what they were talking about and force them to answer him.
But luckily for them, he had more important questions he wanted to ask first.
Sawamura stood at attention (or as much as he could while sitting down). "What would you like to know, Onii-san?"
"I do have your word you'll answer truthfully, right?" He gave them a pointed look.
Sawamura saluted him, as if he were Kantoku and not his senpai. "I'll answer truthfully, Onii-san!"
As expected of Sawamura.
But Sawamura wasn't the one he wanted to hear that from.
He looked at Narumiya, raising an eyebrow.
Narumiya pursed his lips, looking over at Sawamura who gave him a pleading look. He looked back at him a few moments later, nodding reluctantly. "I promise, Kominato-san."
Sawamura kissed his cheek, grinning devilishly as Narumiya shot him a dirty look.
Ryousuke hummed, trying to give the impression that he was thinking. "How long have you guys been together?"
"Almost ten months!" Sawamura beamed, as if he had forgotten who he was talking to.
He blinked a few times despite himself. "You guys have been together that long?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "How have you guys put up with each other for that long?"
He was… surprised these two had been dating that long, especially considering their personalities.
(They were pitchers after all.)
Narumiya gave Sawamura a soft look, causing him to blink again. "It really has been almost ten months, huh?"
Sawamura looked at him, smiling that soft smile from earlier. "I can't believe it either. But…" He held up their joined hands, squeezing Narumiya's hand.
To his surprise, Narumiya squeezed his hand back before kissing the top of it, smiling softly as Sawamura flushed. "I'm here."
"Thank you, Mei. I'm here, too."
Ryousuke raised his eyebrows.
Sawamura called Narumiya by his given name?
Did Narumiya do that, too?
That soft smile was the same smile from earlier.
And Narumiya even kissed the top of Sawamura's hand.
It was such a… gentle action.
(Something he didn't think Narumiya was capable of.)
He hummed again, causing them to look at him. "Didn't you first meet each other back in June?" He looked at Sawamura, pointing at Narumiya. "You really fell in love with this guy?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Narumiya looking insulted, causing his lips to twitch.
Sawamura's whole face turned pink. "I-I wouldn't say I… fell in love with him. But…" He looked over at Narumiya, smiling softly. "I do look up to him, and I…" He took a deep breath before looking at him again. "I really like him, Onii-san."
Ryousuke almost rolled his eyes.
Talk about stating the obvious.
He already knew Sawamura really liked Narumiya.
"Why him, though?" He tilted his head. "Is there a reason?"
Sawamura furrowed his eyebrows, clearly thinking about it before giving him a soft smile a few moments later. "Because my heart wants him. Even if he is our enemy."
… That was so sappy.
But at the same time…
As expected of Sawamura.
Only he could come up with such a simple answer.
Ryousuke looked at Narumiya, giving him a warning look before raising an eyebrow. "What about you?"
"I know the rumors surrounding me, Kominato-san. But I…" Narumiya gave him a serious look. "I really like him. This is the first time I've liked someone this much before."
He narrowed his eyes. "And those feelings are genuine, right?"
"Onii-san!" Sawamura sounded horrified.
He didn't bother looking at Sawamura, keeping his eyes on Narumiya. "Be quiet, Sawamura. I'm talking to Narumiya right now."
Narumiya gave Sawamura a reassuring smile before looking at him. "These feelings are genuine. I…" He looked away, a regretful look coming onto his face, causing him to blink. "I didn't realize I liked him at first. And I treated him horribly."
Sawamura squeezed his hand, smiling softly at him when Narumiya looked at him.
Narumiya gave him a small smile, squeezing his hand back before looking at him again. "But I can't change the past. That's why I'm trying to become a better boyfriend for him."
If Ryousuke were someone else, his jaw might've dropped.
Narumiya…
The Narumiya Mei wanted to… become a better boyfriend for Sawamura?
He didn't know Narumiya that well.
But it didn't seem as if Narumiya was lying.
"I see." He sipped his water, missing the way Narumiya made a face. "For your sake, I hope you're telling the truth. Because I know how to ruin your life if you're not." His tone was light, as if they were chatting about something that happened at school.
To his satisfaction, Narumiya paled before shaking his head. "I'm telling the truth, Kominato-san."
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sawamura looking worried and biting his lower lip, as if he wanted to interrupt and defend Narumiya.
But thankfully, he didn't, although he didn't know whether it was out of fear of him or something else.
"Then that's good." Ryousuke looked at Sawamura, raising an eyebrow. "Speaking of liking people, Sawamura… I thought you liked Miyuki?"
Sawamura squawked, flushing. "I… Eh? W-What are you talking about, Onii-san?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Narumiya tightening his grip on Sawamura's hand, his eyes darkening.
"Don't give me that. I know you had a crush on Miyuki," he said, narrowing his eyes.
Sawamura whined, letting out a pathetic groan. "Does everyone know about that?"
He argued with himself for a few moments before deciding to tell him the truth. "Everyone observant enough would've noticed it."
"Great," Sawamura grumbled, almost pouting. He huffed a few moments later. "Not that it matters much, I guess."
Ryousuke raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I like Mei now." Sawamura gave Narumiya a soft smile, Narumiya relaxing his grip and smiling back at him. "I don't like Cap like that anymore."
… He almost felt bad for Miyuki.
Miyuki hadn't realized it.
But Sawamura had liked him back then.
Sawamura had… reciprocated his feelings.
If only Miyuki wasn't such an idiot.
If that had happened, Sawamura would be dating Miyuki instead.
(He wasn't sure which one was worse. As he didn't really like that Sawamura liked Miyuki or Narumiya.)
But Miyuki had unknowingly lost his chance.
And the most surprising thing?
Sawamura actually really liked Narumiya.
It obviously hadn't taken him long to get over Miyuki.
He furrowed his eyebrows, realizing something. "Does Miyuki know about your relationship with Narumiya?"
"He knows."
Ryousuke frowned deeply at Sawamura's frustrated look.
Was that… hurt in his eyes?
"He hates that we're together." Sawamura huffed, looking away. "I don't know why he's being such a jerk about it."
Oh, he had an idea.
He looked at Narumiya, Narumiya's eyes darkening as he gave him a warning look.
He rolled his eyes, looking away from Narumiya.
Did Narumiya think he was stupid?
He wasn't going to tell Sawamura that Miyuki liked him.
Sawamura liked Narumiya, and it was obvious he was really happy with him.
If Sawamura learned about Miyuki's feelings for him, Sawamura would be troubled and… sad.
(He remembered how quiet Sawamura was when he suffered from the yips. Thinking about Sawamura in a similar state… His heart clenched.)
Ryousuke raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell Miyuki?"
Sawamura huffed again, looking back at him. "Of course I didn't! He would've used it against me!"
So it had been an accident.
Knowing Sawamura, he probably talked to Narumiya or kissed him in a public place and Miyuki saw them.
Which reminded him of something else he wanted to ask.
"Who else knows about your relationship, Sawamura?"
Did Haruichi know yet?
He was Sawamura's best friend after all.
Sawamura gasped, his eyes widening, as if he realized something.
But before he could ask, Sawamura quickly bowed his head, causing him to blink.
"Sawamura?"
Sawamura kept his head bowed. "I'm sorry for being rude, Onii-san!"
Rude?
Ryousuke thought back to how Sawamura talked to him.
Sure, it could be considered rude.
But strangely enough, he… didn't care about that right now.
(He could always punish Sawamura later after all.)
"Just don't do it again. Or I'll punish you," he threatened.
Sawamura looked up, saluting him. "This unworthy Sawamura will remember that and thanks you for your forgiveness!"
He shook his head, amused despite himself, noticing out of the corner of his eye how Narumiya looked amused, too. "So… Who else knows about your relationship?"
"My teammates know about our relationship. They found out last summer." Narumiya shrugged when he looked at him. "They don't like that we're together."
Sawamura frowned, looking at him and tugging on his shirt sleeve. "Itsuki approves of our relationship."
"He's the only one, though," Narumiya said, rolling his eyes. "Not that I care."
So Inashiro knew about their relationship and didn't approve.
Judging by Sawamura and Narumiya's reactions, Inashiro probably reacted badly to the news.
And if that was the case, he could… understand Sawamura not wanting to tell the rest of his teammates.
(Especially while the summer tournament was going on.)
He looked at Sawamura, raising an eyebrow. "Does anyone other than Miyuki know about your relationship?"
Sawamura beamed. "I told Chris-senpai!"
Of course he did.
Considering how happy Sawamura was, Chris more than likely had approved of their relationship.
… Come to think of it, he remembered back in late February how Chris had been acting strange.
Chris had even gone out with Sawamura one Sunday.
Did Chris meet Narumiya on that day?
"And?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "Is that all?"
Sawamura hummed, tapping his chin, causing him to blink, as he had never seen Sawamura do that gesture before. "We've also…" His eyes lit up. "We've also told our families!"
Ryousuke's eyes widened despite himself. "You already told them?"
"I couldn't keep quiet." Sawamura looked embarrassed. "Because I really like Mei."
Narumiya laughed softly. "It's the same for me. I couldn't stop talking about him when I went home for winter break."
He raised his eyebrows.
Narumiya couldn't stop talking about Sawamura?
He wasn't just saying that, right?
Sawamura smiled softly before looking at Narumiya, Narumiya looking over at him and smiling back. "They were surprised, but after meeting Mei, they gave me their approval." He looked back at him, an almost pleading look on his face. "Mei is a good guy, Onii-san."
Ryousuke didn't want to admit it, but…
He was starting to see that.
He wasn't as stupid as Sawamura.
And he felt confident he could tell if Narumiya tried to lie to him or fake his feelings for Sawamura.
But to his surprise…
It really did seem as if Narumiya actually… liked Sawamura.
He still wanted to make sure Narumiya wasn't using Sawamura, though.
He hummed, looking at Narumiya. "I take it your family approves, too?"
"This might surprise you, Kominato-san, but I never introduced any of my exes to my parents." Narumiya looked over at Sawamura, eyes soft. "They knew right away how serious I was about him, and once they got to know him, they immediately gave me their approval."
Contrary to what Narumiya thought, he wasn't that surprised.
From what he had heard, Narumiya had a reputation of dating a lot of people.
But his relationships had never lasted that long.
Narumiya was many things.
But it was clear he took some things seriously.
Especially when it came to relationships.
(And he wasn't surprised Narumiya's family approved of Sawamura. Sawamura had a magnetic personality after all.)
Ryousuke blinked a few times, realizing something. "Wait… That's it? You haven't told anyone else at Seidou, Sawamura?" When Sawamura shook his head, he furrowed his eyebrows. "What about Haruichi?"
Sawamura winced, looking away from him. "I've thought about telling Haru… Haruichi, but I never found the right time to tell him." He looked back at him, smiling sadly as Narumiya squeezed his hand. "I'm worried about his reaction, Onii-san."
Normally, Ryousuke would scoff and scold Sawamura for not believing in Haruichi.
(Especially since he felt confident that while Haruichi might feel hurt Sawamura didn't tell him, he will accept his relationship and look out for him.)
But after hearing about how Haruichi had gotten angry with Sawamura over his haircut, he couldn't say he blamed him for feeling worried.
Haruichi could have quite the temper.
And he was a Kominato after all.
Ryousuke frowned deeply. "But you'll tell him eventually, right?"
"Of course." Sawamura smiled reassuringly. "I don't like keeping this secret from him. And…" He looked at Narumiya, smiling softly. "I want him to know that I really like Mei."
Narumiya gave him a soft look, squeezing his hand. "Give him time, okay?"
Sawamura frowned deeply. "I'm trying. But it's hard, especially when he refuses to talk to me." He sighed. "I thought we could kiss and make up today, but that didn't happen."
"He talked to you?" Narumiya looked confused.
Sawamura pouted. "Only during the game. He refused to talk to me after the game was over."
From what Ryousuke had heard, Sawamura was at fault.
So he understood why Haruichi was angry with him.
But…
He hummed, causing them to look at him, surprised. "You should listen to Narumiya, Sawamura. You just need to give Haruichi some more time."
"… Alright. If even Onii-san says that, I'll do my best to wait." Sawamura gave them a soft, grateful smile.
Narumiya pulled him close, kissing his forehead. "I know you can do it."
Sawamura gave him another soft smile. "Thank you, Mei."
"So you played today?" Narumiya grinned cheekily, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "What did you pitch?"
Sawamura huffed. "Fastballs."
Narumiya blinked a few times, clearly not expecting that. "Wait, really? That's it?"
"Cap wanted me to show everyone my fastballs, I guess." Sawamura huffed again. "He's such a bad guy."
Narumiya hummed, giving him a scrutinizing look. "How many innings did you pitch?"
"I only pitched in the seventh inning." Sawamura pouted. "I wanted to pitch more, but we scored so much that it ended up being called."
Narumiya snickered. "You probably would've struggled if you kept pitching."
Sawamura narrowed his eyes. "What was that! I've become a much better pitcher than the last time you saw me, you know!"
Ryousuke sipped his water, hoping his cup would hide his amused smile.
Sawamura and Narumiya bickered playfully for a few moments before their eyes softened.
They leaned in, soft eyes still on each other and clearly about to kiss.
Ryousuke almost rolled his eyes.
Surely they weren't stupid enough to forget that he was there, too?
But before he could remind them, their waitress walked over with their food, Sawamura and Narumiya flushing as they looked over at him, as if remembering he was there, too.
… So they were that stupid.
He almost couldn't believe they were that stupid.
(Sawamura he could believe, but he almost couldn't believe Narumiya was just as stupid as Sawamura. Was Sawamura's stupidity spreading to him?)
They were so impertinent.
… He could always karate chop Sawamura's head later.
As they ate, Sawamura answered some more of his questions while asking some of his own.
And while Narumiya mainly let Sawamura talk, he spoke up a few times, answering one of his questions or teasing Sawamura about something.
Ryousuke made a face as they fed each other, Sawamura flushing once he realized he was watching.
Not that Narumiya seemed to care.
Narumiya had seemingly stopped caring about his opinion.
And that he was watching.
Narumiya leaned in and kissed Sawamura's cheek, grinning cheekily once he realized Ryousuke was watching.
Sawamura looked embarrassed each time he noticed Ryousuke watching.
But he never refused any of Narumiya's touches.
Which only seemed to encourage Narumiya even more.
Thankfully, before he could do something foolish (like kiss him), Ryousuke cleared his throat, giving Sawamura a pointed look.
Sawamura rubbed the back of his head before giving Narumiya an apologetic smile.
Narumiya pursed his lips, not looking pleased.
But after glancing at him, he nodded several moments later.
(One time, when Ryousuke wasn't looking, he could've sworn Narumiya had kissed Sawamura. As both had been flushing and Sawamura and Narumiya looked too innocent when he finally looked at them again. He almost clicked his tongue, although he didn't know if it would be at himself or them.)
As they finished up dinner, Ryousuke sat back and watched them interact.
Narumiya leaned in, whispering in his ear about something, snickering as Sawamura flushed.
Sawamura gasped, his eyes widening, as if he thought of something.
He leaned in, whispering in Narumiya's ear, grinning devilishly as Narumiya flushed.
When Ryousuke had found out Sawamura was dating Narumiya, he had been suspicious of Narumiya.
And his feelings for Sawamura.
He still wanted to confront Narumiya and make sure he wasn't using him.
But he had a feeling Narumiya wasn't using Sawamura.
Speaking of Sawamura…
Sawamura had… surprised him.
He certainly didn't expect Sawamura's mysterious significant other to be Narumiya Mei.
And something was… different about him.
Like he was more mature or something.
It could be because Sawamura was a second year and a senpai now.
But that wasn't it.
Sawamura and even Narumiya for that matter weren't letting their egos get in the way of their relationship.
Sawamura really liked Narumiya.
And seemed to accept all of him.
Completely.
He had felt suspicious of Narumiya's feelings for Sawamura.
(Especially considering the rumors surrounding Narumiya.)
But it seemed as though Narumiya accepted Sawamura for who he was.
And really liked him.
But he had to make sure.
Ryousuke wasn't that close with Sawamura.
But he didn't want to see him get hurt.
(He was Seidou's precious southpaw and mood maker after all.)
Once they finished dinner, he cleared his throat, causing Sawamura and Narumiya to look at him.
"Onii-san? Is something wrong?" Sawamura looked confused.
Ryousuke almost smiled at his confusion. "Even though it's April, it's still pretty cold outside." He gestured outside the window. "I should probably get going soon, as I do have a train to catch. But before I go, get me a hot chocolate, Sawamura."
Predictably, Sawamura's eyes widened. He nodded a few moments later, giving him a bright smile. "Of course, Onii-san! I'll be right back!" But instead of getting up right away, he turned his head to look at Narumiya, eyes softening. "I'll be right back."
"Hurry back, okay?" Narumiya gave him a soft look. He grinned cheekily a few moments later. "We wouldn't want you to miss me too much, huh?"
Sawamura only shoved him, causing Narumiya to laugh loudly.
Ryousuke almost chuckled at Sawamura's reaction.
Sawamura got up, stepping away from their table.
"Ah… Eijun."
So Narumiya did call him by his given name.
Why didn't he do it before now?
He furrowed his eyebrows as Sawamura shivered, as if he felt cold for some reason.
Sawamura stopped in his tracks, looking back at Narumiya and raising an eyebrow.
"Kominato-san's right. I should probably head back to Inashiro soon." His eyes softened as Sawamura gave him a disappointed look. "Add a white hot chocolate to that order. We can share it on the way back to Seidou."
Sawamura's eyes lit up. "You'll share it with me?"
"Isn't that what I just said?" Narumiya looked amused.
Sawamura gave him a bright smile, diving toward him and laughing as Narumiya caught him in his arms. "I'll do that!" He kissed Narumiya's cheek a few times, causing him to make a face and Narumiya to laugh softly.
"Yeah, yeah. You better hurry up." Narumiya gestured toward him with his head. "Kominato-san's waiting, you know."
Sawamura froze, looking back at Ryousuke, Ryousuke only raising an eyebrow.
To his amusement, Sawamura paled before letting go of Narumiya, Narumiya squeezing his hand before letting go. "I'm sorry, Onii-san! I got too excited! I'll be right back, I promise!"
And before he could say anything, Sawamura bowed to him deeply before walking away from their table.
Narumiya gave Sawamura's back a fond look before looking at him expectantly.
Narumiya wasn't as stupid as Sawamura.
He probably knew he wanted to speak to him alone.
Ryousuke furrowed his eyebrows. "So you call Sawamura by his given name." When Narumiya only gave him a confused look, he frowned deeply. "You didn't do it before now."
Narumiya let out an understanding sound, giving him a cheeky grin. "Eijun really likes it whenever I call him by his given name. I have to be careful not to do it too much."
He remembered Sawamura shivering when Narumiya called him by his given name.
So not only wasn't Sawamura cold, but he was also reacting to how Narumiya called him?
He scoffed, sipping his water. "So disgusting."
He knew Sawamura really liked Narumiya.
But shivering every time Narumiya called him 'Eijun'?
What an idiot.
"Well, he does like me." Narumiya continued grinning, not looking offended.
Narumiya was so impertinent.
Maybe he should karate chop him instead of Sawamura?
… Or he could karate chop them both?
Now that sounded like a great idea.
Deciding to cut to the chase, as he knew Sawamura wouldn't be gone long, he narrowed his eyes, pleased as Narumiya winced. "What do you want with Sawamura, Narumiya? And you better answer with the truth if you know what's good for you."
To his irritation, Narumiya looked confused. "What do I want?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "I already told you I really like Eijun. That's why I'm dating him."
"So you're not using him to get back at someone?"
Narumiya looked startled for some reason before shaking his head. "I'm not using him." He narrowed his eyes, seemingly not caring as Ryousuke gave him a warning look. "Why would you even think—"
"Maybe because you're the enemy?" Ryousuke said mockingly. "You even said it yourself that you treated Sawamura horribly."
Narumiya clenched his fists, glaring at him before taking a deep breath and seemingly… calming down. "That was in the past. And…" He gave him a serious look. "I might be Eijun's enemy, but I wouldn't use him like that."
For some reason, he got the feeling Narumiya was telling the truth.
But that wasn't good enough.
He huffed. "What about when it comes to his pitching?"
"What do you…?"
He gave him another warning look. "Don't give me that. I'm not as stupid as Sawamura." He almost raised his eyebrows as Narumiya glared at him. "You honestly expect me to believe you're not interested in Seidou's information?"
Especially after what happened earlier.
Contrary to what Narumiya thought, he was listening when Narumiya asked Sawamura about what he pitched today.
It wouldn't surprise him if he learned Narumiya was using Sawamura to get Seidou's information.
"… I would be lying if I said I wasn't." Narumiya gave him a regretful look, causing him to blink a few times despite himself. "And it is true I approached Eijun, thinking I could get him to tell me information about Seidou."
He glowered, causing Narumiya to shiver.
He knew it.
"But…" Narumiya's eyes softened, causing him to blink. "That wasn't the main reason why I approached him."
It wasn't?
Ryousuke raised an eyebrow, curious. "What could be more important than information about Seidou?"
"Eijun."
He gave him a skeptical look, causing Narumiya to give him an offended look. "Sawamura was more important than information about Seidou." He narrowed his eyes. "I thought you said you didn't realize you liked him at first."
Narumiya hummed, tapping his chin, causing him to stare. "While that is true, something about Eijun drew me in. So I offered to help him, hoping I could figure out what it was exactly."
Come to think of it, Sawamura had done that gesture not too long ago.
Did that mean Sawamura picked it up from watching and interacting with Narumiya?
(He almost made a face at the thought of Sawamura resembling Narumiya. What if Sawamura picked up his cockiness, too? That was a disgusting thought.)
"Something about Sawamura drew you in?" His tone sounded intrigued despite himself.
Narumiya grinned cheekily at him, causing him to blink. "Well, as one of his former teammates, you probably understand what I'm talking about."
Ryosuke didn't know why, but he could tell Narumiya wasn't trying to offend him.
He chuckled, giving Sawamura's back a fond look. "I guess I do." When Narumiya continued grinning, he shrugged, pretending to appear nonchalant. "And so does the rest of Seidou." He almost grinned when Narumiya's eyes darkened. "A lot of my former teammates have crushes on him, you know."
"I'm sure they do," Narumiya grumbled, clenching his fists.
He smiled innocently. "And I'm pretty sure Miyuki still likes him."
Narumiya huffed, glaring at him for a couple of moments before looking away. "While I don't blame Kazuya for liking Eijun, he lost his chance. Eijun likes me now."
… Oh, this was fun.
And while he did feel tempted to continue, he didn't want to forget why he wanted to talk to Narumiya alone in the first place.
"So that's all you knew?" When Narumiya gave him a confused look, he gestured to Sawamura's back. "Something about Sawamura drew you in, and you decided to date him?"
Narumiya laughed softly for some reason. "When you put it like that, you make me sound as if I'm an idiot."
"You are an idiot." He rolled his eyes. "What kind of person decides to date someone based on that?"
… To be fair, a lot of people probably started dating because of that reason.
But this was Narumiya.
The same Narumiya who dated a lot of people and treated them horribly.
Not caring about their feelings.
"It wasn't just that," Narumiya protested. "I wouldn't have started dating Eijun if I didn't enjoy his company."
He raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't enjoy any of your exes' company?"
Narumiya pursed his lips, not answering for several moments. "I did. But…" He closed his eyes briefly, giving him a serious look. "They were different. I didn't like hanging out with them, and I hardly ever went out on dates with them. With Eijun, it's different."
"I can see that."
Narumiya gave him a small grateful smile, causing him to furrow his eyebrows. "Even I don't know what it was. But something about Eijun made me want to… get to know him better. Spend more time with him." He chuckled. "I remember asking myself why I continued to date Eijun."
Ryousuke raised an eyebrow. "And yet you kept dating him." He looked at him, confused. "You even agreed to hide your relationship from us."
"Because Eijun didn't want to tell you guys yet." Narumiya rolled his eyes. "I thought it would've been alright if Seidou found out about our relationship, but he was so stubborn about it that I finally gave in."
He furrowed his eyebrows again. "Why go that far when you didn't even realize you liked him?"
Narumiya frowned deeply. "I might not have realized my feelings for Eijun at first. But the longer I dated him, I found myself… wanting to make him happy." He closed his eyes briefly, a pained look coming onto his face. "I hated it whenever Eijun was upset or hurt."
"And yet you continued to treat him horribly," Ryousuke accused.
Narumiya winced, that regretful look from earlier coming back. "Back when we first… started dating, I made Eijun promise that our relationship wouldn't affect baseball." He clenched his fists. "Back then, baseball was more important to me than Eijun was. And I would've broken up with him if our relationship affected baseball."
That probably went for Narumiya's pride, too.
Narumiya had liked Sawamura enough to date him.
But because he didn't realize his feelings for him, he treated Sawamura like he had treated his exes.
And while Ryousuke knew he shouldn't feel surprised, as this was Sawamura, he felt surprised Sawamura didn't break up with him before now.
(Did Sawamura really believe in Narumiya back then? Did he like him enough that he had wanted to stay with him even when Narumiya treated him horribly?)
"You expect me to believe you wouldn't break up with Sawamura now?" His eyes gleamed dangerously.
Narumiya had the nerve to glower at him. "I would never! I really like Eijun, and I'm not breaking up with him!"
He raised an eyebrow. "What if your relationship affects baseball?"
Narumiya huffed. "We'll work on it! Together!"
"And you're not just saying that because you want Seidou's information?"
Narumiya looked frustrated. "How many times do I have to tell you? Our relationship's never been about that."
He gave him a suspicious look. "I don't believe you. Especially now that baseball season has started back up again."
"Well, I don't care if you believe me or not." Narumiya scowled. "I'm going to date Eijun whether you like it or not."
He glowered. "And what if Sawamura thinks differently?"
Narumiya flinched, although he couldn't tell whether it was because of the glower on his face or the thought of Sawamura breaking up with him. "Eijun can…" He took a deep breath, giving him a serious look. "Eijun can do whatever he wants. And if he stops liking me…" He closed his eyes briefly, looking pained. "Then he can… break up with me. I won't protest."
Ryousuke hummed, furrowing his eyebrows and studying him carefully.
He had his suspicions, but…
Narumiya wasn't faking his feelings for Sawamura.
Narumiya really seemed to like Sawamura.
He even seemed to respect Sawamura's feelings.
He still didn't like that Sawamura was dating Narumiya (of all people).
But he could tell Narumiya was a good guy.
Like Sawamura told him earlier.
Which meant…
"Fine. I believe you." His lips twitched as Narumiya gave him a baffled look. "But you know, Narumiya…"
Narumiya flinched, but this time, he could tell it was because of him, causing him to feel pleased. "Yes, Kominato-san?"
He took out his phone and waved it around. "If you hurt Sawamura again, I will make you pay. And I won't even have to use this to do it." His eyes gleamed dangerously. "If you know what I mean."
But instead of looking scared, Narumiya furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait… Does that mean you won't tell anyone about our relationship?"
Ah.
He supposed he shouldn't feel surprised Narumiya (and probably Sawamura for that matter) felt worried about the video.
"Well, since you've been so obedient…" He smiled as Narumiya frowned, as if he wanted to make a face. "I won't tell anyone. But I'm doing it for Sawamura." He narrowed his eyes. "Not you."
Narumiya had the nerve to roll his eyes. "I'm well aware what you guys at Seidou think of me."
"I'm not part of the team anymore, but I'm confident I know how they'll react when they learn about your relationship with Sawamura." His lips twitched as Narumiya clicked his tongue. "It's a shame I won't be around to see it."
Narumiya made a face. "I don't care what they think of me. But…" He gave him a serious look. "I won't let them interfere with our relationship."
It was hard to say whether Sawamura's teammates would interfere with their relationship or not.
But if he had to place a bet, especially considering how many people liked Sawamura…
Ryousuke scoffed. "Like you can do anything even if they do interfere."
Narumiya scowled, causing his lips to twitch again.
(If Narumiya was telling the truth and he didn't want to break up with Sawamura, he felt confident they would be alright even if Sawamura's teammates tried to interfere.)
"Sorry to make you wait, Onii-san!"
They blinked, looking over and seeing Sawamura approach their table.
Sawamura huffed, setting his and Narumiya's cups in front of them before sitting down. "I can't believe it took that long!" He looked at his cup, worried. "Is your hot chocolate warm enough for you, Onii-san?"
Ryousuke picked up his cup, almost smiling as he could feel the warmth through the cup. He sipped it carefully, his eyes widening despite himself at the taste. "It's still warm, Sawamura. Thank you."
This hot chocolate…
It had cayenne peppers and whipped cream in it.
It also had a slight hint of cinnamon.
The cayenne peppers gave a nice kick to the normally sweet hot chocolate.
And the whipped cream had a light and cool taste, the temperature of the whipped cream cooling his mouth down.
Sawamura perked up, giving him a bright smile. "Of course, Onii-san! I was happy to help!" He looked over at Narumiya, pouting.
"You're such a child. Here." Narumiya held out his white hot chocolate.
Sawamura huffed. "I don't want to hear that from you." He accepted the cup, sipping it, his eyes lighting up at the taste.
Ryousuke sipped his hot chocolate again, studying Sawamura.
Sawamura had… actually remembered how he liked his hot chocolate?
He had drunk hot chocolate around the dorms before.
But he didn't know Sawamura had actually paid attention to what he liked.
… No.
Maybe it was a coincidence?
This was Sawamura.
And Sawamura was Haruichi's best friend.
Sawamura probably asked Haruichi what he liked.
Now that made more sense.
And yet…
Considering Sawamura's personality…
Sawamura looked at him, furrowing his eyebrows. "Onii-san? Is something wrong?"
He shook his head, getting up. "We should get going. It's getting late."
He wouldn't admit it to Sawamura, but…
He felt… grateful.
It was nice Sawamura remembered what he liked.
Even though he wasn't his teammate anymore.
After calling over their waitress and paying, they left the café, Narumiya closing the door behind him and already reaching out for Sawamura's hand.
But before he could, Ryousuke grabbed Sawamura's right wrist and pulled him next to him, causing Sawamura to yelp. "Now, now. We can't have any of that."
Sawamura pouted, shooting Narumiya a disappointed look before reluctantly walking next to him.
Thankfully, Narumiya wasn't that stupid and took the hint, walking behind them at a distance to give them time to talk.
"Sawamura."
Sawamura, who had been shooting Narumiya another disappointed look, gasped, eyes widening at his pointed look. "I'm sorry, Onii-san!"
He decided to be nice and ignore what just happened.
"I wanted to talk to you about your relationship with Narumiya."
Sawamura gulped audibly, looking nervous. "What about it, Onii-san?"
He took out his phone, Sawamura wincing at the sight of it. "I won't tell anyone about you guys' relationship."
Sawamura blinked a few times, clearly not expecting that. "Wait… You won't?"
He raised an eyebrow, amused. "Did you want me to?"
"No, of course not! It's just…" Sawamura pursed his lips, not talking for several moments. "I thought…"
If he were anyone else, he might've felt offended by what Sawamura was implying.
He pocketed his phone, shrugging. "There's no need for me to tell anyone. Besides…" He gave him a serious look, causing Sawamura's eyes to widen. "You're going to tell everyone about it eventually, right?"
"Of course, Onii-san. I…" Sawamura gave him a serious look of his own. "I want to tell everyone that I'm dating Mei."
He pretended to look disappointed, causing Sawamura to look confused. "Which means I won't be able to blackmail you with that video when you do."
Sawamura paled, looking away from him. "Onii-san's so scary sometimes," he muttered.
Ryousuke chuckled, looking away from him.
He could always use the video to blackmail Sawamura before he told everyone about their relationship.
But with him at his university and Sawamura busy with baseball practice, he didn't know when he would see him again.
(He could always get him to do something by ordering him through Kuramochi or Haruichi and ordering them to record Sawamura's expressions. But it wasn't the same as blackmailing him in person.)
He looked over, noticing Sawamura looking at him and furrowing his eyebrows. "What is it, Sawamura?"
"Onii-san, is it alright if I ask why you won't tell anyone?"
Sawamura wanted to know that?
… Well, he supposed he could understand why.
Ryousuke hummed. "It's none of my business. If Narumiya was using you or wasn't treating you correctly, I'd probably tell everyone."
Sawamura frowned deeply, looking as if he were about to protest.
"But since he isn't, I don't see why anyone else has to know. You seem happy after all."
To his amusement, Sawamura gaped at him for several moments. "You know, Onii-san. I thought this before, but are you really Onii-san?" He pointed at his hair. "You even cut your hair."
Ryousuke karate chopped Sawamura's head lightly, causing Sawamura to wince. "Stop being rude. Or I'll get angry." He smiled menacingly, causing Sawamura to shiver. "And you really don't want to see me when I'm angry."
"I'm sorry, Onii-san! Please forgive me!"
He hummed, trying to give the impression that he was thinking about it. "Fine. But don't do it again," he said several moments later.
"Thank you very much, Onii-san!" Sawamura bowed his head. "I'll be careful!"
His lips twitched.
Talking to Sawamura (and messing with him) was always a lot of fun.
He had almost forgotten how much he enjoyed it.
It was a shame he didn't get to do it as much anymore.
… Well, that and messing with his other kouhai like Kuramochi and Miyuki.
Sawamura gasped, his eyes widening, causing him to look at him, confused. "Wait… Does that mean you approve?"
He scoffed, karate chopping his head harder, causing Sawamura to yelp. "And when did I say that?"
"But I thought…" Sawamura furrowed his eyebrows.
He almost rolled his eyes. "Don't get me wrong, Sawamura. I won't tell anyone about your relationship, but that doesn't mean I approve." He clicked his tongue. "Especially of Narumiya."
"I see." Sawamura looked disappointed for some reason, causing him to blink despite himself. "I respect your opinion, Onii-san. But…" He gave him a pleading look. "You understand Mei's a good guy, right?"
Ryousuke raised an eyebrow. "He might be a good guy to you, but that doesn't mean I approve of him or you guys' relationship."
Sawamura breathed a sigh of relief, giving him a bright smile. "Then that's alright, Onii-san. I'm glad you understand Mei's a good guy."
… Did Sawamura really want his approval of their relationship?
Why?
He wasn't that close to Sawamura.
He could understand Sawamura wanting approval from certain people.
Like Haruichi and Chris.
Even Miyuki.
But him?
"We'll see. I haven't had long to process this news, you know," he said pointedly, as if it were Sawamura's fault he found out about their relationship.
Sawamura rubbed the back of his head. "Ah… That's true. Everyone else had more time than you to process the news." He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Onii-san."
"It's fine. Maybe I'll change my mind later."
Sawamura's eyes lit up, giving him a hopeful look. "You will?"
"Or maybe I won't." Ryousuke almost chuckled at Sawamura's disappointed look.
He wouldn't tell Sawamura.
But it really depended on Narumiya and his treatment of Sawamura.
Narumiya seemed to be treating Sawamura correctly and making him happy.
But with baseball season starting back up again, he had a sneaking suspicion Narumiya would hurt Sawamura.
Especially if Seidou won against Inashiro during the summer tournament.
… No.
Not if.
When.
(Because he refused to watch Inashiro beat them again. Of course, it didn't change the fact that the current Seidou team needed to work on their batting, especially if they hoped to hit off Narumiya.)
Narumiya told him he wouldn't break up with Sawamura.
But would that change after Seidou beat Inashiro?
Narumiya could be quite selfish and prideful.
He wouldn't be surprised if Narumiya broke up with Sawamura after that game.
Or if Sawamura broke up with him.
Sawamura was a bit of an idiot at times.
But he wasn't a doormat.
He had somehow put up with Narumiya's treatment of him this far.
(Only Sawamura could put up with and like Narumiya for that matter.)
But if Narumiya hurt him after that game and went too far…
He almost shook his head.
That was too far away right now.
"Sawamura."
Sawamura blinked a few times, confused. "What is it, Onii-san?"
He gave him a serious look. "How serious are you about Narumiya?"
"H-How serious am I?" Sawamura flushed, looking away briefly. He took a deep breath. "Onii-san, I really like Mei. And I don't want to break up with him." He gave him a serious look of his own. "We'll always be together."
Sawamura's feelings for Narumiya ran this deeply?
Did Sawamura even realize what he was saying right now?
… Probably not, as Sawamura was a bit of an idiot.
He hummed, not showing his surprise on his face. "And what if Narumiya feels differently?"
Sawamura flinched, his heart clenching despite himself at the pain in those golden eyes. "Mei…" He glanced at Narumiya who was still walking behind them. "If Mei doesn't feel the same as me, he'll…" He clenched his fists. "He'll break up with me."
"And that's alright with you?"
Sawamura clenched his fists tighter, his eyes darkening. "Of course it's not. I don't want Mei to leave me. But…" He relaxed before giving him a sad look. "I don't want him to stay with me if he doesn't like me anymore."
Somehow, he wasn't surprised Sawamura respected Narumiya's feelings.
(Was it because he read all those shoujo manga?)
He frowned. "Well, maybe you're better off without him. Did you ever think about that?"
He was joking.
(Not really.)
But Sawamura wouldn't know that.
Predictably, Sawamura's eyes widened before giving him a serious look. "I've never thought that before. How can you say that, Onii-san?"
"Well, you are putting yourself through a lot just to continue this relationship with him." He gave him a pointed look. "Is it really worth it?"
Sawamura didn't hesitate to nod, causing him to stare. "It is, Onii-san. All this pain I've gone through… All this suffering…" He smiled softly. "It's worth it if I get to date him." His eyes widened for some reason. "Don't get me wrong, Onii-san! If Mei did something unforgivable and crossed the line, I'll break up with him!" He frowned deeply. "But I hope it never comes to that."
Ryousuke wouldn't tell Sawamura.
But he hoped it never came to that either.
As he wanted Sawamura to be happy.
He raised an eyebrow. "And you're sure he's not using you to get information about Seidou?"
He already knew Narumiya wasn't using Sawamura.
But he wanted to see how Sawamura would react.
"I'm sure Onii-san." Sawamura continued frowning. "Mei does try to get me to tell him information about Seidou, but I never tell him anything." He huffed. "Mei can be pretty stubborn, but whenever I tell him I'm not telling him anything, he listens to me and doesn't bring it up anymore."
From what Ryousuke could tell, Sawamura was telling the truth.
As Narumiya seemed to surprisingly enough respect Sawamura's feelings and listen to him.
(And from what he remembered about the Seidou and Inashiro game during the summer tournament, Inashiro (and Narumiya for that matter) had looked surprised at Sawamura's cutter.)
He sipped his hot chocolate. "That doesn't mean he'll always listen to you."
Sawamura huffed again. "I'm aware of that, Onii-san. This is Mei we're talking about after all."
His lips twitched.
If he were honest, back when he first heard about Sawamura's mysterious significant other, he had thought Sawamura wasn't thinking it through.
(Because they were busy with baseball. And Sawamura really wanted to add a relationship on top of everything else he had going on?)
Sawamura wore his heart on his sleeve.
And he was the type of guy who pitched with his feelings.
Everyone had understandably wondered if Sawamura would be able to pitch like normal.
But baseball seemed just as important to Sawamura as it was when he entered Seidou.
And Sawamura hadn't let his relationship affect baseball.
Even when he was dating Narumiya.
(To be fair, Narumiya seemed to be just as much of a baseball idiot as Sawamura.)
But now that he had gotten to know Narumiya and what Sawamura was thinking…
Sawamura had thought this through.
He was aware the rest of his teammates might not approve or even like his relationship with Narumiya.
And it was obvious Sawamura wouldn't listen to them if they tried to convince him to break up with Narumiya.
(Not that he was surprised. Sawamura was really stubborn after all.)
But he… didn't seem to care.
Sawamura would continue to date Narumiya.
No matter what.
So impertinent.
Ryousuke almost chuckled, sipping his hot chocolate again. "It's a shame."
Sawamura blinked a few times. "Eh? What is?"
"That I won't be around to see everyone's reactions when you tell them about your relationship."
Sawamura's eyes widened. "What do you mean by that?"
He gave him an amused smile. "I'm sure everyone's reactions will be great blackmail material."
Much to his amusement, Sawamura shivered, although he couldn't tell whether that was because of him or the cool wind. "Onii-san's so scary sometimes," he muttered.
And although Sawamura probably tried to say it quietly so that he didn't hear…
"Now, now," Ryousuke scolded. "Is that any way to talk to your senpai?"
Sawamura flinched, Ryousuke feeling pleased as he knew that reaction was because of him. "I'm sorry, Onii-san! Please forgive me!"
They walked to the nearest train station, Ryousuke shooting Narumiya a warning look when it looked as if Narumiya might walk closer and join them.
Narumiya huffed, having the nerve to glare at him.
But to his credit, Narumiya stayed where he was, shooting Sawamura longing looks whenever he thought Ryousuke wasn't looking.
(Which was gross. He really didn't need to see Narumiya giving Sawamura longing looks of all things. But while it was gross, he did manage to record him when he wasn't looking. He could always use this against him later if he needed to.)
They arrived at the train station five minutes later, Ryousuke stopping and turning to look at them.
"Unfortunately, I've got to get back to my dorm." He gave them a pointed look. "School starts tomorrow after all. You understand what I mean, right?"
Sawamura nodded furiously. "We'll go back in time for curfew, Onii-san."
"Then that's good." He should leave, but… "Sawamura."
Sawamura looked confused. "Onii-san?"
Instead of saying something, he gestured for him to come closer.
Oblivious of what he was planning and probably scared to refuse, Sawamura walked closer, furrowing his eyebrows.
Once he got close enough, he karate chopped Sawamura's head as hard as he could.
Sawamura howled, falling to his knees and holding the spot he hit with both hands. He looked up at him, his eyes watering a few moments later. "Onii-san, what…?"
"Honestly." Ryousuke clicked his tongue. "What were you thinking, kissing this guy in the middle of the park where anyone can see you? You're lucky I was the only one who came by."
Sawamura pouted, rubbing the spot he hit with one hand. "I wish it had been someone other than Onii-san," he muttered.
"What was that?" He smiled sinisterly.
Sawamura yelped at his smile, backing away from him. "I mean… I'm glad you were the only one who saw us, Onii-san!" He let out a pathetic whimper. "Please don't hurt me again."
Ryousuke almost clicked his tongue again as Narumiya knelt next to Sawamura, tilting his head to see the spot he hit, looking concerned.
Sawamura reached out, giving Narumiya a watery smile when Narumiya squeezed his hand.
He should separate them.
As he didn't want to watch Narumiya being so… sweet to Sawamura.
"You're lucky I have to leave soon, Sawamura," he threatened. "Or I would punish you some more."
Sawamura whimpered again, tightening his grip on Narumiya's hand (much to his irritation).
Narumiya had the nerve to shoot him a warning look before helping Sawamura stand up.
Ryousuke almost huffed.
He would let Sawamura off the hook.
(Especially since he didn't like kicking Sawamura when he was down.)
Sawamura blinked a few times before furrowing his eyebrows. "Onii-san?"
"I don't like your relationship with Narumiya, nor do I approve of it."
Sawamura gasped, eyes widening, as if he had forgotten he had said that.
"But…" He smiled a small genuine smile. "It's good to see you're doing well, Sawamura."
Sawamura gave him a bright smile. "It was good to see you again, Onii-san! I'm glad you're doing well!"
"Thank you." He looked at Narumiya, pretending to look surprised. "Ah… That's right, Narumiya. I almost forgot to tell you something."
Sawamura and Narumiya blinked a few times, looking at each other for a few moments before looking at him again.
Narumiya looked confused. "What is it, Kominato-san?"
He took out his phone and waved it around. "Remember how I told you that since you were so obedient, I won't tell anyone about you guys' relationship?"
Sawamura furrowed his eyebrows, looking between them, confused.
"I remember." Narumiya kept his eyes on him, furrowing his eyebrows. "What about it?"
He shrugged. "Let's just say if you had run away from me, I would've posted this video in our Seidou group chat."
Sawamura and Narumiya paled, looking horrified.
He chuckled at their reactions, pocketing his phone before turning around and leaving. "Good work. See you later."
"Ah… Yes, Onii-san! Good work for the day!"
Narumiya huffed for some reason. "Good work for the day."
His lips twitched as he kept walking.
Today didn't go exactly as he had planned it.
But he felt happy he was able to visit Haruichi before school started.
Finding out Sawamura was dating Narumiya (of all people) was just a bonus.
Sawamura had promised him he would tell Haruichi and the rest of his teammates about their relationship one day.
And for now, that was enough.
He might've felt tempted to tell someone about their relationship if he was still at Seidou.
But he had already graduated.
And he knew better than to get involved with the current team when he wasn't a part of the team anymore.
So he would keep Sawamura's secret.
But he wasn't doing it for Narumiya.
He was doing it for Sawamura.
(And if he found some way to blackmail Sawamura or Narumiya with their secret, he would do it.)
Who knows?
Maybe he would change his mind about their relationship later.
He didn't like the thought of it, but…
If it was for Sawamura, he was… willing to become one of their allies.
(But Sawamura and Narumiya would have to beg for his help and not complain about how he helped them. And he wouldn't help them out of the goodness of his heart either. He expected them to pay him somehow.)
He had walked only a few meters when his ears picked up Narumiya breathing a sigh of relief.
"You were right."
Sawamura let out a confused sound. "About what?"
"Kominato-san is scary."
Ryousuke couldn't help it.
He laughed loudly, the sound startling other people nearby and causing them to give him surprised looks.
(Probably because they saw a pink haired devil laughing in the middle of a train station.)
Today really was his lucky day.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Author Notes: I hope y'all enjoyed this fic.
Reviews/Favorites/Follows are appreciated.
I was talking to Kketilin on Tumblr about future plot bunnies. And one of the plot bunnies we talked about was Ryousuke finding out about Eijun and Mei's relationship. Originally, I had it planned where Ryosuke would find out along with the other retired third years after the Seidou and Sankou game during the summer tournament. But Kketilin brought up how Ryousuke would probably realize it sooner than that, which made a lot of sense to me. So I decided to write this plot bunny. Thank you so much for the plot bunny, Kketilin!
Speaking of Kketilin… Kketilin wrote me a Meisawa fic set in my That Sky series for my birthday. (My birthday was on August 10th.) It's a cultural festival fic set in the fall of Eijun's second year. Eijun's class is doing a café, but they're not doing a normal café 😉😉😉 The fic is called That Festive Autumn Sky. I really hope y'all will consider checking it out, as it's a fic I really love. It's such a cute and precious fic! Kketilin did such a great job writing the fic and all the characters! It's a fic that definitely belongs in my series!
I don't know how I managed to write so much from Ryousuke's point of view, but I'm really hoping he was somewhat recognizable. About Ryousuke's haircut… I remember seeing something about how Ryousuke texted Kuramochi, telling him about how he had cut his hair, too. But Terajima-sensei never mentions when exactly Ryousuke cut his hair. So I decided that Ryousuke cut his hair around the same time as Haruichi (because I wanted to write Eijun's reaction to his haircut xD).
Funny story about this fic… Originally, before I decided I would write the Ryousuke plot bunny, I had decided this would be another Meisawa date fic. And while that would've been fun to write, I had a lot of fun writing this fic, too. But one of the things I wanted to mention in both the fic I had planned and in this fic was Inashiro's game against Yakushi in the spring tournament. Especially since Eijun looks up to Sanada. He obviously doesn't look up to him as much as he looks up to Mei, and Mei knows that. But Mei still hates how Eijun looks up to Sanada, as he wants Eijun to only look up to him.
About my next fic… I already know what I want to write. Y'all remember Akamatsu Shinji, right? Well, my next fic will be about Eijun going over to Inashiro for the afternoon and meeting Akamatsu and the other first years on the first string. Akamatsu was Itsuki's kouhai, and I thought Itsuki would want to introduce him to Eijun. And while I don't know how much I'll write about the other first years on Inashiro's first string, I do want to include some of their thoughts and reactions to Eijun and his relationship with Mei.
See y'all next time!