"Second. It hurts to watch him. He shines. He's brighter than the sun. He's too beautiful for your eyes. It's hard to look at him. It's even harder to look away from him. You're going blind."


Kazuya stands from his crouch, grinning widely once they've been declared the winner. His grin is returned, forming around a familiar victory chant and dimming everything around him. Sawamura is a beacon, drawing the team to him like moths to a flame. Their battery breaks as soon as their eye contact does.

Whenever Kazuya faces him, a beam of energy connects the mound and home plate. Sawamura pitches with an intensity he hasn't known before, one that should feel crushing but isn't. It locks him into place, like Sawamura is his key - his to choose to set free or to keep, to choose when Kazuya's attention should be on him and when not.

Even if Sawamura didn't have this power over him, Kazuya wouldn't be able to look away, on or off the field. He is too bright for that, too much like a light in the dark to not draw attention.

As concentrated as he is on the mound, as free and unbound he is off of it. Sawamura is like the summer sun, hot and unyielding. His light shines on everything, the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly.

It shames Kazuya. Someone like him should be burned by it but somehow he doesn't burst into flames.

There's a warning not to look directly at the sun.

If he could, Kazuya would break the connection forcing him to watch it. He can feel it's brightness burning his eyes, hurting, but it feels like deserved pain.

There's a warning that to keep looking means to go blind.

Kazuya thinks he's already halfway there. It's a fitting punishment.

But he tries to look away because to go blind also means he can't see the sun anymore, and he's too selfish to just take it without resistance.

He's been in the dark alone for too long to ever get used to it being his only companion again.

But even the dark is illuminated by Sawamura and Kazuya is almost relieved for it.

Turning his gaze back to him hurts. That's what he gets for not doing what he should. It hurts more than to keep looking.

Still, his attention is fixed on him despite the pain, because as beautiful as the sun is to watch - it's distant, too far away to ever touch.

That's a punishment he gratefully accepts.

If watching is all he can do, it's worth going blind for.