His experience from Daikyou Senior did not prepare Koushuu for what Seidou has in store. Koushuu will admit, begrudgingly and to a select few people, that his time in junior high baseball skewed his perspective on his role and priorities as a catcher. A large portion of Koushuu blames his old coach for distorting his view on baseball completely after his betrayal to the team, but even before that, the coach never directly encouraged anything more than the 'typical' battery dynamic. Koushuu never sought to learn more, either.
Koushuu has heard, of course, from other teams and even major league players about how clingy their pitchers could get after an especially bad game or a single mishap during a tournament. How the main catchers would spend the day after the game comforting a distraught pitcher or two. He has always heard how sensitive pitchers were; has seen some for himself, so Koushuu always chalked up all the talk as exaggerated, romanticized or both. As it differed greatly from his own experience as a baseball player and a catcher, he couldn't help but assume that something, somewhere down the line, had been misinterpreted as fact and blown out of proportion by social media.
Sure, there had been pitchers in Daikyou Senior that were rather sensitive, as well as some that were not. However, none of them had sought out the main catcher or Koushuu, when he finally became a regular, in search of reassurance or comfort. Though, Koushuu can vaguely recall the ace approaching him once, stuttering and stumbling over his words before darting off in the face of Koushuu's confusion. But that could have been anything.
So Koushuu chose which high school he wanted to attend solely based on the talents of the pitchers there. The Seidou pitchers intrigued him instantly, with the three they regularly rotated, but it was the two first-years, now second, that really caught his attention and solidified his choice. At the time of watching them pitch from the stands, Koushuu could care less about their personalities in the face of their unique, and outstanding pitching abilities, and thus, he had failed to take into consideration that he would actually have to get to know them as people and not just as pitchers once he joins the team.
Koushuu was unprepared for Seidou in every way possible.
The first official day of practice was mainly focused around introductions to the team as a whole, before closing the day out with intense fielding practice, of which, the first-years bow out early from pure, unadulterated exhaustion. Koushuu drags his feet to the cafeteria, only to come across another, unexpected hurdle: meal portions. Long after the rest of the team filter out to continue with solo practice, Koushuu finally shuffles to his room, and promptly passes out, stomach near bursting, as he refuses to meet Miyuki Kazuya's eyes as they appear to dance with his barely constrained laughter.
Nearly five minutes after practice began on the second day, Watanabe Hisashi, or Nabe, came up to Koushuu, telling him to follow as he parades around the fields, collecting Yui Kaoru, Asada Hirofumi, and Kuki Youhei along the way. They all trail behind him like ducks; to where? Nabe has yet to mention.
"Yesterday, you were all introduced to the team," Nabe began, glancing over his shoulder, "Today you'll meet the battery." Yui's face lights up instantly at that, like a kid waking up Christmas morning to see all the presents under the tree. Asada was looking a little green in the face, possibly due to nerves. Kuki appears excited as well, but Yui wins in that department. Koushuu, however, is confused; hadn't they already met?
"Even though you guys are new, you're still expected to work with the battery to integrate yourselves into their dynamic," Nabe's tone was light, but it still leaves Koushuu baffled, "Miyuki is the head of the battery, so remember; Yui, Okumura, you'll need his permission if you want to catch for anyone, especially if they're on the first string. If Miyuki is unavailable, Ono is next in the hierarchy,"
"Hierarchy?" Koushuu unintentionally blurts. He's familiar with seniority, but he has never heard it used with the term hierarchy. Belatedly, he realizes everyone is looking at him, and that Nabe has stopped walking to stare at him, too, as if Koushuu is the one uttering nonsense.
"Did Daikyou Senior's battery not have a hierarchy?" Nabe asks with a tilt of his head.
Koushuu squints his eyes at Nabe, trying to see if he's just messing with him. When Nabe only continues to stare, Koushuu finally responds with, "No?"
Nabe's eyes widen slightly as his mouth forms a silent oh. Momentarily, Nabe hums in thought as his gaze slides unseeing to the rest of the team practicing, before his eyes find Koushuu again with a small smile, "Well, I'm no expert with the dynamics of a battery, as I have never been a part of one. I've mainly learned about it after joining Seidou since in junior high, kids were still in their awkward phases. Too awkward for them to be seen in a situation where someone might consider them as 'weak'," Nabe pauses, as if he was considering his next words, "Though in my junior high, it was still prevalent, just not as much, and the coach would encourage the battery. It wasn't until I started high school when I realized the battery should function on its own, without a third party having to step in to enforce certain interactions."
"My coach had us go through battery bonding exercises at the end of each practice," Yui chimes in. Asada and Kuki nod in agreement, making Koushuu the odd man out.
"Did your coach not even teach you about it?" Asada questions with wide eyes. Koushuu snarls at the mention of his coach, but swiftly reigns the anger back in to shake his head in the negative. The replacement coach never even mentioned it either, so apparently both have failed him.
"To keep it short, it has essentially been proven that having structure amongst a battery improves mental health, especially during high school, when the competition gets tougher. The catcher's role then becomes the support; emotionally, mentally, and physically for pitchers. In return, it has shown to help relieve stress from the catchers, and by extension, the rest of the team as well." Nabe explains, though it still leaves Koushuu with questions.
"Does this have to do with the whole...reassurance and comforting?" Koushuu hesitantly asks.
Nabe nods his head, "It depends on the battery, but mainly on the pitcher's preference. You'll learn more about that once you assimilate into their dynamic."
"Right," Koushuu says, uncertain. He remembers hearing something similar a couple of years ago, but had assumed it to be fake; apparently not. Koushuu just had coaches that neglected to inform him and his old team about a whole structure that was apparently built within batteries. Something it seems everyone else is taught, and Koushuu wrote it off to be propaganda.
It was incredibly frustrating.
"Just follow Miyuki's lead and you should be fine," At that; Nabe turns back around to continue walking. Shortly after, Koushuu sees the bullpen, the currently in-use bullpen. Loud shouting could be heard resonating from it, though it didn't sound like an argument, or if it was, it was one-sided.
Nabe pushes open the gate, stepping aside to motion them in first, "I brought the first-years," he announces as soon as the four of them file in. Immediately, the current occupants drop what they are doing to turn towards the gate. Koushuu easily recognizes Miyuki, who has a smirk plastered on his face. Then there's Sawamura Eijun, Furuya Satoru, and Kawakami Norifumi. He vaguely recalls the fifth person, and deduces him to be Ono, another catcher.
"Thanks, Nabe," Miyuki rises from his crouch and approaches them right as Nabe makes his exit.
Before Miyuki can even utter another word, he's quickly cut off, "Welcome!" Sawamura loudly greets as he bounds over, throwing an arm around Asada's shoulders. Asada laughs awkwardly but doesn't try to remove Sawamura's arm, "Welcome to our humble realm!" The bellow of laughter that Sawamura lets out instantly grates on Koushuu's nerves, and it takes all of his restraint to refrain from saying anything, even as he clenches his fists at his sides.
Thankfully, Miyuki steps in, by grabbing the back of Sawamura's jersey and prying him off Asada. Once Sawamura is beside him, Miyuki places a hand on his shoulder to keep him in place, "What he said," Miyuki's smirk has yet to leave his face.
Yui steps forward, "I look forward to learning from you!" He exclaims with a bow. Kuki and Asada hastily mimic him. Koushuu shoots a glare Miyuki's way, before he stiffly bows as well.
Sawamura stares, then leans close to Miyuki to loudly whisper, "I don't think he likes you, Miyuki," he pauses, considering, "What did you do?"
"Me? I didn't do anything," Miyuki doesn't bother with whispering, "I don't know why he wouldn't like me."
"I can think of several reasons," Sawamura instantly and easily mocks.
"Oi," Miyuki levels an unimpressed stare on Sawamura, "He was glaring at you, too."
"What?! When?!"
"When you threw yourself on Asada."
Sawamura splutters, "But, but I was just welcoming them!" The grin returns to Miyuki's lips as he shrugs. Sawamura narrows his eyes, "Are you lying to me?"
Miyuki chuckles and tilts his head just right so the light reflects off his sports glasses, and effectively hides his eyes, "I'm not. It looked like he was ready to snap at you, hence why I pulled you away." Sawamura continues to glare, hiding none of his suspicion. To be fair, Miyuki's grin wasn't doing him any favors.
Koushuu could feel eyes on him, but he refuses to meet them.
Fortunately, Ono steps up to get them all back on track, "We should go over the basics with them."
"Yeah, Miyuki."
"Mature."
"Anyway! Unfortunately this," Sawamura gestures to Miyuki with dejection, "is the head of our battery."
"Oi."
"I don't know who qualified him, but now we're stuck with him," Sawamura shakes his head, pouring every ounce of feigned woe he can muster into the act.
"You do realize, it was you pitchers that chose me, right?" The smirk was back, "Also, I'm the main catcher; I catch the majority of your guys' pitches, so naturally, you come to me."
Sawamura's face begins to turn red as he splutters once more, "Well! I take back my vote!"
Miyuki throws his head back to laugh, "Too late for that! As you said, you're stuck with me." He swings his arm around Sawamura's shoulders and pulls him flush against his side. Sawamura squirms to break free, but to no avail.
"Sawamura, do you want to pitch some more? You should pitch some more," Ono rushes, glancing at Miyuki out of the corner of his eyes, almost in askance. When Miyuki doesn't say anything, Ono steps up to lightly tug Sawamura away. Miyuki easily relinquishes his hold as Ono leads Sawamura back to position him.
Kawakami had been seated on the bench drinking water when Koushuu and the others arrived, but now Furuya has joined him. However, as Furuya watches Sawamura throw a smooth fastball, his eyes scream that he wants to pitch, too. On instinct, Koushuu nearly asks to catch for him.
"I'm glad we've got some more catchers," Miyuki begins in a pleasant tone that only annoys Koushuu more, "Sawamura alone is a handful."
"Hey!" Sawamura yells in indignation. His next pitch veers off course and into the chain fencing behind Ono.
"Focus!" Ono shouts back, tossing the ball to Sawamura's mitt.
Miyuki ignores them, "We could always use a couple more bodies."
"What are their preferences?" Yui asks. He's still exuding waves of excitement that only baffle Koushuu.
"Well," Miyuki starts, "Out of the three, Nori is the most self-sufficient. However, when he does get in a slump, he's usually good with proximity and praise. Furuya, though, will avoid Ono and I, which is the first sign that his mood has spiraled, until either of us forces our presence on him and he finally caves. In which, he then enjoys physical contact and praise, followed by a nap. Sawamura…," Miyuki heaves a put upon sigh, "Sawamura is an octopus. He'll seek me out first and suction himself to me. If I have something that I need to take care of momentarily, I have to pass him off to Ono, but as soon as I'm back, he immediately plasters himself to me again."
Koushuu can feel his mind racing. Everything he thought he knew has been flipped upside-down all within the span of a single afternoon. When Koushuu woke up this morning, he was under the impression that he would only have to worry about showing off his abilities in hopes of getting a slot on the first string. Now, he feels like he has just been thrust into the deep end that he didn't even know existed until it was too late. He either has to sink or swim, and Koushuu is determined to swim.
"Miyuki," The abruptness of Kataoka's voice nearly startles Koushuu, "We're doing fielding and need a pitcher."
Miyuki hums in thought as his gaze slides to the three pitchers behind him. Sawamura and Furuya were visibly pleading in their own forms, the want to pitch on the mound was a desire they both clearly share, "Nori can," Miyuki declares, turning back to face Kataoka. Furuya noticeably deflates while Sawamura glares heatedly at Miyuki's back.
Nori sidles by, fingertips lightly brushing the back of Miyuki's hand on the way, before he exits to follow Kataoka to the field.
Once again, Koushuu is thrown for a loop; that even the coach defers to Miyuki when it involves the pitchers.
"Also," Miyuki continues the conversation, "Just because they have a general preference, doesn't mean that is always what they're going to want. You'll have to follow their lead on how they want to be comforted in the moment."
Koushuu was honestly beginning to feel like he should be taking notes.
Miyuki turns to address Asada and Kuki, "Though I may be the head of the battery, that does not mean you have to come to me; you can seek out whoever you feel the most comfortable with. And, if you feel up to it, you can come to me and we can figure out your own preferences."
"Yes!" Asada and Kuki affirm in unison. While Kuki was giddy, Asada, however, was still pale with nerves.
"You'll join us for an hour after practice every day so you can get used to our dynamic," Miyuki says to all four of them, "Especially Yui and Okumura. You two will need to build up a rapport with the pitchers for the off chance Ono and I are unable to assist them." He pauses and glances between them, "Any questions?"
Yes, but Koushuu isn't sure he wants to ask Miyuki. He'll do a little research on his own, and leave Miyuki as a last resort. He doesn't want to inflate Miyuki's already large ego. The others shake their heads no.
"Remember, a healthy battery equals a happy team!" Sawamura cheers.
"That sounds like a sales pitch," Koushuu mutters, which causes Sawamura to laugh more.
Miyuki dismisses them to begin their normal practice with the rest of the team. It was as they were leaving that Koushuu overhears; "Alright Furuya, let's work on your splitter some more."
"But Miyuki! My numbers!"
"You've been pitching a lot already, take a break. Maybe we'll try some of them later."
The sound of Sawamura's yell of frustration follows them even after they join up with the other first-years.
Koushuu doesn't get to see the battery dynamic in action until almost a full week later. A very frustrating week as Koushuu continues to stumble across new ways he is lacking comparatively to the second and third-years. So he pushes himself, eager to improve to be on an even playing field with them. However, he still struggles to force down all three bowls of rice, while some of the first-years appear to devour their meals at a quicker rate as compared to their first day. Only Asada is slower at completing their dinner than Koushuu. Once they're both done, they leave together to join the rest of the battery in the bullpen or the indoor gym.
So far, during each session with the battery, they learn about how each of the pitchers throw and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. Koushuu was deeply impressed to hear the explanation of Sawamura's numbers. Unfortunately, Koushuu has yet to catch for any of them in a serious manner, as he has only helped them cool down after practicing their breaking balls with Miyuki. Yui managed to squeeze in a few pitches with Furuya before Miyuki stepped in as Furuya began to grow frustrated. That had been a blow for Yui's pride, and Koushuu couldn't help but want to one-up him but was unable to find the right time to ask if he could catch for Sawamura or Furuya.
Koushuu and Yui were regulated to working with their fellow first-years and helping the first-string pitchers with their stretches and cool-downs at the end. They spent most of the time watching Miyuki work personally with each of them, how he was able to catch anything thrown at him, even Sawamura's more wayward numbers, to the comfort of the pitchers. How the pitchers were able to throw carefree and to their heart's content with Miyuki. Yui would take on a sort of sad determination look on his face every time they watch, while Koushuu continues to search for opportunities to jump in, but misses them almost immediately when the chance crops up, leaving him to be the only catcher that hasn't caught for someone on the first-string.
It sure doesn't help that all three of them, especially Sawamura and Furuya, are always vying for Miyuki's time. It makes it hard for Koushuu to insert himself into a system that was already going strong.
Towards the end of that week, the first-string had a practice match where Sawamura was the starting pitcher. However, Sawamura struggled to locate his numbers, and eventually, it began to affect his fastballs. In the end, he was subbed out in the fourth inning with Furuya after allowing three runs. Sawamura morosely left the mound to return to the dugout, where he cheered just as loudly as normal, and Koushuu thought nothing else of it.
Later in the evening, as Koushuu slinks into the bullpen, Miyuki and Sawamura are nowhere to be seen. Ono is leading the pitchers through some warm-ups and even allows Koushuu to catch for Furuya while Yui catches for Kawakami. Koushuu is quite literally blown away by the speed and force of Furuya's pitches that he forgets to ask where Miyuki and Sawamura are, and no one else brings it up, either.
Koushuu makes his way back to his shared room, his hand still buzzing from catching Furuya's pitches. He freezes as soon as he steps inside and the door closes behind him.
Miyuki is sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed with Sawamura in between his legs, arms wrapped around Miyuki's torso, and face buried in his neck. Miyuki's own arms wound tight around Sawamura, keeping their bodies pressed together, leaving not a single gap of space. They're both still wearing their uniforms, though Miyuki has replaced his sports glasses with his regular ones.
Miyuki looks up at Koushuu, leveling a crooked smile at him, "Yo," Koushuu hesitates in front of the door, unsure if he's allowed in or if he has to leave, "Don't mind us," he says, probably noticing Koushuu's qualm. At the disguised invitation, Koushuu slides his shoes off and walks further in, staring at Sawamura's back as he approaches them. It was odd, seeing Sawamura so still and quiet, and if it wasn't for the tight grip he had on the back of Miyuki's jersey, Koushuu would have believed him to be asleep. "See? An octopus," Miyuki punctuates that with a pat to Sawamura's back.
"He always gets like this?" Koushuu finds himself genuinely asking.
"More or less," Miyuki answers, shrugging the opposite shoulder Sawamura wasn't occupying, "He's a needy one-ow! Don't bite me! What are you, a dog?" Despite the abuse, Miyuki doesn't release Sawamura or even try to pull away; instead, he rubs his back, which apparently appeases Sawamura.
Someone knocks on the door before they pull it open. Yamaguchi pokes his head in, "Miyuki, Coach wants to speak with you,"
"Thanks, I'll be right there," Miyuki says. The door closes again and Miyuki turns his attention to Sawamura, "Will you let me leave?" He quietly asks with a hint of laughter in his voice. Sawamura shakes his head against Miyuki's shoulder and squeezes tighter. Miyuki glances up and locks eyes with Koushuu. Koushuu nearly flinches back with the sudden weight of Miyuki's gaze, but Koushuu wasn't going to be the one to break the contact. It almost feels like a threat. After several tense, for Koushuu at least, seconds, Miyuki looks away to whisper to Sawamura, "Go to Okumura, I'll be right back."
Sawamura grumbles something Koushuu can't make out and Miyuki hugs him tighter momentarily before he separates them. Miyuki rises to his feet while Koushuu internally panics. As Miyuki passes, he levels Koushuu with another hard look before he quietly leaves Koushuu to handle Sawamura.
He looks to where Sawamura was still sitting, staring at the floor. His eyes weren't red, which was good, because Koushuu doesn't think he would be able to handle it if tears were involved. They remain in awkward silence as Koushuu's mind races with what exactly he should be doing. Sawamura fidgets, rubbing absently at a smear of dirt on his knee.
Koushuu grits his teeth and clenches his fists, as he comes to the conclusion to just follow Miyuki's lead. He backs up a few steps until he hits the wall, then allows his body to slide down so he's seated on the floor. Sawamura glances up at him, narrowing his eyes, but otherwise doesn't say anything. They size each other up, before reluctantly, Koushuu opens his arms in invitation. Briefly, he fears Sawamura would reject it, but he doesn't have to worry for long. Sawamura's eyes soften with a small smile and crawls over to Koushuu's awaiting arms. Sawamura falls easily into them, but immediately, Koushuu's body tenses up as he fights the instinct to push him away. Sawamura must have felt the slight shift, but before he could pull away, Koushuu forced his arms to wrap around him and hold him in place.
Sawamura is tense against him, but slowly, his body relaxes against Koushuu with a sigh as he buries his face against his neck. Koushuu's heart is pounding in his chest, and desperately, he hopes Sawamura can't hear it.
They stay like that for, Koushuu doesn't know how long, until his pulse regulates itself and his body adjusted to the heat of Sawamura's, when the door opens and Miyuki walks in. Miyuki smirks at him, but doesn't comment as he reclaims his spot against the bed. He doesn't even need to say anything and Sawamura is already pulling away to wrap himself around Miyuki again. Koushuu can't help the flood of annoyance, with an undercurrent of jealousy, wash over him at that.
Miyuki smiles knowingly at him, but when he speaks, it's directed at Sawamura, "Are you staying here tonight, or will you go to your own bed?" Sawamura mumbles something only Miyuki can hear, "Staying it is, then."
Koushuu glares at the side of Miyuki's head and pushes himself up to get ready for the night.
A/N: Marked as complete, but may occasionally add more.
