A/N: Well, this is my entry for Miyuki Appreciation Week Day 3: Pro!AU, though I got a little off track and it got more shippy than I expected. I just love when Miyuki is so unbearably smitten with Eijun, so I couldn't help it.
Whatever I know about baseball comes from Daiya no A, and the few games I've watched irl, so don't expect much in terms of accuracy. Also, I only read through this once, so there's probably some mistakes. I'm already late for Miyuki's bday and for the day of Miyuki Appreciation Week this was supposed to be posted on, so I didn't want to be later than today. Also, originally I had Sawamura as in the Hanshin Tigers and Miyuki in the Yakult Swallows, but I wanted them to live closer together, so I changed it. Lmk if you notice an inconsistency with that.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Daiya no A, just a huge fan. I also don't own the NBP teams mentioned hear.
Crossposted on AO3 under the same username.
They lost. Somehow, despite being up 2 runs at the top of the seventh, the Giants had lost to the Swallows 3-4, a historic defeat. Miyuki shakes his head in disbelief.
The game had been going well. The Giants batters had managed to get a read on the Swallows' ace pitcher, hitting pitch after pitch. Runners on second and third, one out, the score 3-1 in the Giants' favor, when the Swallows had switched their ace out, putting in their newest player, rookie pitcher Sawamura Eijun. Sawamura had jogged up to the mound, grinning radiantly at his teammates, calling out what sounded like a catchphrase based on the fielders' cheers.
Miyuki wasn't one to underestimate others, especially when the Swallows had decided to put in a relief pitcher in their pinch. After all, they wouldn't have made the switch if they didn't think the new pitcher could pull it off. But even he didn't expect what happened next.
Sawamura's pitching had been unprecedented. Surprising. Thrilling. Miyuki had never seen anything like it. When it had been his turn up to bat, he had been unable to do anything but stare uselessly at fiery golden-brown eyes and an unusual, flexible pitching form. The first two pitches flew by, two strikes that he'd been unable to swing at. He had swung at the third pitch, but the ball moved right as it reached the plate, and he had ended up jamming the hit for an easy fly out to third base. The next batter had been taken out just as quickly, ending the inning.
Sawamura's pitching seemed to have lit a fire under his team, as they quickly took back the two runs in the bottom of the seventh, and the surprising slash bunt from Sawamura in the ninth was all it took for the Swallows' to bat in the winning run.
Miyuki stares over at the opposite dugout, where Sawamura's teammates are piling onto him, shouting cheerfully, patting him on the back, and Miyuki is unable to tear his gaze away from Sawamura who seems to glow under the sun as he throws his head back and laughs.
Miyuki's heart pounds in his chest, and a slow grin spreads over his face.
(He wants, more than anything, to catch those unpredictable pitches, to see that determined, golden gaze directed at him once more.)
All the sports news can talk about is the Swallows' new pitcher. Questions about who Sawamura was, where he'd come from, and why no one had ever heard of him before. The articles are helpful in giving Miyuki a starting point into his research on Sawamura, on finding out more about his pitching style. It's just data gathering, Miyuki tells himself, Scouting the opponent for the next time our teams face each other, so that we win next time. He ignores how his thoughts were caught on more than just Sawamura's pitching, denying how he couldn't stop thinking about his eyes, his laugh, his unwavering determination.
Even with the news doing part of the work for him, it is difficult to find much information on Sawamura's baseball career in high school and college. Miyuki finds a brief mention of Sawamura in a tiny paper in Nagano about the local amateur high school team that talked about how ace and captain Sawamura Eijun managed to take his team to the fourth round of the Nagano Prefecture Tournament. Sawamura is mentioned more frequently in college, having gone to the same university as Kuramochi, Miyuki notes, but it seems his accomplishments and pitching were frequently overshadowed by the ace at the time, Amahisa Kosei. He had some great reliefs, the articles said, but they were more focused on Amahisa, who had been the center of attention for his decision to delay the draft till after college.
Miyuki is almost tempted to call up Kuramochi and pry some answers out of him, but Kuramochi has always had the uncanny ability to see right through him, and there isn't really a subtle way to ask about Sawamura without giving his interest away. He can just imagine Kuramochi's distinctive cackles and teasing remarks. Yeah, calling Kuramochi would definitely be a bad idea.
He stares at the slightly blurry image of Sawamura hidden in the crowd of his college teammates, and shakes his head. If he really wants to be ready for next time, he should just review the game video. Miyuki has better things to do than dig into Sawamura's past when it's only his pitching he's interested in.
(That night his dreams are filled with golden eyes and bright laughter.)
It's a coincidence, the next time he sees Sawamura in person. (For some reason, he can't help but watch the Swallows' games after they beat his team, can't help but follow every bit of news about them and their new up-and-coming pitcher.)
Miyuki is standing in the produce section of a grocery store, comparing tomatoes to find the best one for his dinner, when a shout of his name catches his attention. Surprised that someone saw through his disguise (a beanie pulled low on his face and nondescript clothing - hiding in plain sight), he turns around to face none other than Sawamura Eijun, who is looking at him eagerly with a brilliant smile and innocent excitement on his face.
How cute, Miyuki thinks, and promptly shakes the thought away. Instead, he stretches his lips into a smirk and raises an eyebrow. "And who are you supposed to be?" Miyuki drawls out.
Miyuki grins as Sawamura's expression immediately falls into one of indignation and his face turns red, cheeks puffing out. Just as suddenly, the irritation falls away, and he straightens his posture. With a military style salute, he shouts, "My apologies, Miyuki Kazuya! This Sawamura Eijun is most pleased to make your acquaintance! I am the future ace of the Yakult Swallows, we played in the game against each other several weeks ago!"
Miyuki's eyes widen slightly. Is this guy for real…? he wonders, chuckling slightly to himself.
"Oi, keep your voice down, Sawamura. We're in a grocery store, y'know."
Sawamura tilts his head cutely like a confused puppy, and Miyuki has to suppress the urge to pat his head. "What's that have to do with anything?" he asks, brow furrowed.
Miyuki rolls his eyes, "Idiot, if fans notice us, it'll take forever to get out."
"I'm not an idiot!" Sawamura cries, louder than before, and now people are starting to look in their direction, more than during Sawamura's introduction. Honestly, it's a miracle no one has approached them yet, with all the commotion Sawamura's been making, especially when it seems he hasn't bothered with a disguise at all.
Is he that oblivious to how popular he is? Miyuki wonders, disbelieving, Or does he simply not care? Before he can decide the answer to that, a young woman approaches them, her equally excited looking boyfriend close behind her.
"It is you!" she exclaims, practically vibrating with excitement.
Her boyfriend looks just as awestruck as he fumbles for a pen. "Can we have your autographs? Both of you?" he asks, holding out his plain, red baseball cap.
Sawamura looks delighted. "This Sawamura Eijun would be honored!" he exclaims, seemingly not noticing the slowly growing crowd around him as he takes the offered cap and pen and scribbles out his signature.
Miyuki looks around uneasily, and grabs Sawamura's arm as soon as he hands the cap and pen back. "We have to get out of here," he hisses under his breath.
"Wait, wha-?" Sawamura is cut off as Miyuki quickly drags him along, abandoned groceries left behind as they weave through the crowd and out of the store. Miyuki pulls Sawamura behind him, ignoring his protests as he pulls him into an alley a few streets over from the store.
As soon as they stop, Sawamura yanks his arm from Miyuki's grip. "What was that for?!" he yells with an indignant huff.
Miyuki closes his eyes and exhales sharply. He can't believe he has to explain this. "Sawamura, I don't know if you've noticed, but you're pretty popular these days. Your face is everywhere, so you have to be careful when you go out."
"You should treat your fans better, Miyuki Kazuya! Even if…" Sawamura trails off abruptly.
Miyuki raises an eyebrow. What is it now?
A slow, mischievous grin grows on Sawamura's face. "Didn't...you say in the store that you didn't know who I was? If that's the case, how do you know that my face is everywhere? Unless...you did know who I was, but just didn't want to admit it for some reason?"
Miyuki's mouth drops open slightly.
"Are you embarrassed, Miyuki Kazuya?" Sawamura teases, eyes gleaming, "Have you been following me in the news?"
Miyuki feels his face heat up at Sawamura's surprisingly astute observations, and looks away to hide his flush. No one has ever left him speechless like this before, and for once, he struggles to come up with a retort. Gaze averted, he snaps out, "Of course not. As a pro baseball player, I just follow baseball news in general."
His head snaps up as Sawamura bursts into laughter. Just like the first time he saw him laugh, Miyuki's gaze is caught on Sawamura's radiant face, on his hair bathed in the sunlight, and the sight is even better up close than from the opposite dugout. Eager to change the subject, he forces himself to turn away. "Come on, the coast should be clear now," he says as he stalks out of the alley, Sawamura's laughter following him.
"Hey, Miyuki Kazuya, I'm hungry. Want to get lunch together?"
Miyuki looks at Sawamura's expression, the mischievous smile that's still playing along his lips, and he can't help the way his heart seems to stutter in his chest. (He's forgotten about his groceries, forgotten about the fans, forgotten about everything except the possibilities embedded in the depths of Sawamura's dancing, golden eyes.)
This time, he's the one that follows.
A/N: I'm still not really happy with the beginning, but I fiddled with it a lot, so it will have to do for now. Maybe I'll come back someday and change it, and maybe even expand so that it moves from pre-relationship to relationship. Right now, though, I want to focus on an AU idea I had that I'm excited to write about. It's also for Daiya no A.
Anyways, pls lmk what you think!