Diamond no Ace
Jealousy
Chapter 3
Eijun ran as fast as he could with hopes of getting rid of some of his rage. He gripped on his tire tightly while he trotted around the field. He had been running for quite a while and his muscles were even starting to get a bit tired, but whenever an image of Miyuki appeared in his head, anger would swell within him.
Letting out a yell from the top of his lungs, Eijun ran even faster and pulled his black tire even closer to his body. Night had already fallen and everyone was probably getting ready for bed. Still, he didn't really care. He just wanted to let out some of his anger and frustration and running seemed to be one of the only solutions he could think of.
He just hated Miyuki so much sometimes. He hated his cocky laugh and smug smile. He hated his inflated ego and his laid back attitude. He hated the way he always made fun of him and the way he would put him down sometimes. There were so many things that he hated about him, but nothing made him more furious than seeing him practice with Furuya.
With that mind, Eijun increased his running speed once again as his eyes narrowed to the opposite side of the field he was suppose to reach. Miyuki was always catching Furuya's pitches. There was never a day he didn't see them together. Then, to make everything worse, Miyuki seemed to enjoy being Furuya's catcher.
He wasn't going to deny the fact that they made a pretty awesome battery. Without being seen, Eijun would watch Furuya and Miyuki practice sometimes and they never failed to amaze him. Miyuki was working with Furuya better than he had ever expected and with each passing day, Furuya's pitching was getting sharper. He was gradually improving.
Eijun suddenly stopped running to catch his breath. He leaned his hands against his thighs, dropping his black tire on the ground. He could feel drops of sweat slowly streaming down his forehead while his heart thudded loudly beneath his chest. It wasn't until then that he realized how tired he really was and it was all Miyuki's fault. It was all his fault.
It was true that he loved practicing with Chris. In fact, he was grateful that he had gotten Chris. Even though their practices were short, Eijun felt like he would learn something new each time. He looked up to Chris for guidance and advice. He was helping him in a way that Miyuki probably would have never been able to accomplish. Chris was truly pulling out his full potential.
Still, that didn't mean that he had forgotten about Miyuki. He would never be able to forget the sound of his pitches landing on his mitt. He wanted to practice with him again, but it seemed that Miyuki would rather be Furuya's catcher than his.
Letting out another frustrated yell, Eijun picked up his tire and started running again. He didn't want to feel that way, but he couldn't help it. He didn't know exactly what it was and that was probably why he didn't know how to deal with it.
"What in the world are you doing?"
Eijun stopped running and turned to look at the person he had just been thinking about. He was leaning against the dugout with his arms crossed while wearing a smug look on his face.
"Miyuki-senpai?"
"Only a crazy person like you would be out here running and yelling at this hour." He lifted his head as his smile got a bit wider. "What's got you all worked up this time?"
Eijun didn't say anything even though he could feel Miyuki's pressuring eyes on him. Instead of giving him an honest reply, Eijun shrugged his shoulders and coolly tried to brush him off. There was no way he was going to feed his ego and tell him that he had been thinking about him for the past hour or so. There was no way he was going to tell him that he was aching to form another battery with him.
"It's none of your business." Eijun responded and even though it was dark, he could see Miyuki lifting an eyebrow. Clearly, he hadn't expected such a cold answer. "It's something between me and my tire."
"Oh, really? Well, excuse me for interrupting." Miyuki huffed with sarcasm as he stood up straight. Eijun thought he was going to leave, but instead Miyuki suddenly threw a baseball mitt in his direction. His tire immediately slipped from his waist since his hand had reached out to grab the glove.
"Well," Miyuki continued while he pulled out another mitt from behind his back. Surprising enough, he was also carrying a baseball. "Since you're all warmed up, how about we play some catch?"
Eijun's eyes immediately widened as he looked at Miyuki with disbelief. He couldn't remember Miyuki ever inviting him to practice. It was surely a strange thing and yet, for some odd reason, his heart was pounding insanely. He wondered what it could all mean since it wasn't required for him to do so.
"Why do you want to practice now?" Eijun asked him even though he was already getting into position. "Don't you think it's pretty late for this?"
He ignored him and Eijun watched as his smile dropped a little. There was definitely something wrong with him. Even during their afternoon practice, Miyuki seemed a bit off and distracted. He didn't seem like himself at all, to say that he even missed one of Furuya's pitches. Shortly after that, he ended up leaving the bullpen early than usual. Eijun couldn't help but think if something was wrong with him.
Miyuki tossed the ball a few times in the air before he suddenly threw it his direction. Being caught off guard, Eijun had to do a little more than reach out to grab it. He stumbled forward, but he managed to catch the ball just in time before it fell.
"Hey, mind telling me when you're going to throw it?!" Eijun exclaimed as he threw the ball back with the same amount of force. Miyuki let out laughed, making Eijun think that he was messing around with him. It was always the same. He was always joking around. Then again, Eijun couldn't forget the time Miyuki had snapped at him for insulting Chris. He rather have a joking Miyuki than an angry one."I'm being serious! What if you ended up hitting me in the head or something!?"
"I was aiming for your glove, not your head, idiot." Miyuki stated with a smirk. Once again, he tossed the ball a few times in the air before he suddenly flung it toward him again. However, Eijun was more ready for it this time.
They kept tossing the ball after that in utter silence and as the minutes continued to stretch out, an awkward atmosphere suddenly formed around them. Eijun gulped silently as he began to feel a little nervous. He had no idea how to break the silence between them.
"How has practice been with Chris?" Miyuki suddenly asked him as the ball landed inside his mitt.
Unlike before, Eijun couldn't tell if Miyuki was asking him that seriously or just playing around. Miyuki held the ball in his mitt for several seconds before he threw it back at him. Catching the ball swiftly, Eijun decided to keep his focus on it as he spoke.
"It was a bit tense between us at first. In fact, I didn't want him to be my catcher at all." Eijun began while he twirled the ball in his hand. He remembered the deep respect Miyuki had Chris and that was the reason why he decided to give Chris the praise he deserved.
"But that was before! Things are really working out now and I really like pitching with him! I've learned a lot of things! I thought the exercises he was giving me were useless, but in reality they were really helpful! Without even realizing it, they were helping me improve! Chris-senpai really is great catcher and I'm really glad that I was given the chance to form a battery with him!"
Almost out of breath, Eijun looked up at Miyuki as he placed his fist over his chest. It was true. He was glad that he got to know and interact with Chris, but it was also true that he also true that he wanted to form another battery with him. He wanted to pitch into his glove and he wanted to look into his eyes. He wasn't trying to push Chris away, he just wanted Miyuki. He wanted him as his catcher again.
"But, I," Eijun choked on his words. "Chris-senpai is a great catcher, but-"
"Ahh, I see! That's great! I'm glad you're getting along with him, then!" He said with a laugh, but for some reason, his eyes weren't smiling. They weren't giving off that happy and joking aura that they always carried.
Eijun threw the ball reluctantly toward Miyuki and just as soon as he caught it, Miyuki dashed it back to him harder than before. There was no way he could have ever caught something like that, so the ball whiffed by him to the back of the field. With anger, Eijun turned to look at Miyuki with a glare and he was a bit surprised to find him staring back in the same manner.
"Hey!" Eijun exclaimed, pointing an index finger at him. "You did that on purpose!"
"No, it's just that you were too distracted to catch it." He responded indifferently while he calmly took off his glove. "Anyways, I guess that's enough playing around. It's been a pretty long day after all. Catching Furuya is pretty exhausting especially considering how hard that guy throws. He has been getting better and he's been pretty consistent during our practice games. I can see why the coach picked him out from the start."
Eijun didn't say anything, but he could feel his hands curling into fists. There he went again. He was talking about Furuya with pride. He really did enjoy being his catcher. He really did prefer him. Eijun wanted to understand why that was. He wanted to reason out with himself that it was okay. However, Miyuki boasting about Furuya hurt him. Eijun wanted him to talk about him in that way too.
"Oh, really?" The glove on his hand slowly slipped to the ground and he made no attempt to grab it. "Good for him then."
They stood in silent for what seemed like an eternity. Then, Miyuki started walking in his direction and he didn't stop until he stood right next to him. "Furuya has the potential to become the ace of this team and if you don't pull yourself together, you'll just end up as his relief pitcher."
That was all it took to make Eijun snap. He suddenly picked up the glove from the ground and pushed it against Miyuki's chest. He didn't care if he was his upperclassmen or not. He couldn't just couldn't take it anymore. "Fine then! Stay with Furuya if that's what you want! I don't care anymore! I'm fine with Chris-senpai, anyways! I don't need you!"
"You're not the one that makes those decisions." Miyuki replied to his outburst. Then, out of no where, he tightly grabbed his wrist and pulled him a tint closer. "The coach is the one that decides. If he says you're pitching with me, then you're pitching with me. If he says you sit on the bench, then you'll sit on the bench. Do you get what I'm saying?'
Eijun pushed his hand and grabbed him tightly by the shirt. He knew he was messing around with him on purpose, but a part of him just wanted to punch him in the face. He really didn't understand him sometimes. He couldn't see that he was the one that he wanted the most and yet, he always brought up Furuya.
"I know that, but it's not like you want to catch for me anyways! You're better off with Furuya and that's why you were chosen to practice with him to begin with! You should just catch for him instead of me!" He was saying all this with anger, but it was slowly subsiding to sadness. Even if he did work hard with Chris, he would probably never get the acknowledgement he wanted from Miyuki.
"I never said I that I didn't want to catch for you." Miyuki's words echoed inside him, making his body stiffen a little. Miyuki, in response, calmly clasped his hand over his. Without bothering to look at him, Miyuki pulled his hand away from his shirt as his face expression changed all at once. The angry look in his eyes was completely gone.
"Is that why you've been all worked up?" Miyuki asked him with a smirk that he was well familiar with. Then, he slowly lowered his hand, but much to Eijun's confusion, he didn't let go of him. He held on tightly to his now sweaty hand. "You were jealous?"
"What are you saying?! No! That's not it!" Eijun replied, feeling a bright red blush forming on his face. He quickly pulled his hand away from Miyuki's reach which only caused him more amusement. "You really are full of yourself! I was just saying-"
Jealousy. There wasn't any reason for him to feel that way. Miyuki didn't belong to him. He was the main catcher after all and he played with all the first string pitchers. Eijun understood that, but that wasn't enough to subside the strange feeling he had. That didn't erase the aching feeling he would get when he would watch Miyuki catch someone else's pitches. It wasn't just with Furuya. He would get the same envious feeling whenever he saw Miyuki practicing with someone else.
Could he really be jealous then?
"When are you going to remember that I'm your upperclassman?" Miyuki exclaimed as he playfully whacked him behind the head. Eijum was too spaced out to react, but he did take the glove Miyuki was handing him. "To think that you want me all to yourself. Don't you think you're being a bit selfish?"
"I told you that's not it!" He yelled back, throwing a senseless punch in the air. It annoyed him so much to think that Miyuki could read him so easily. Eijun couldn't help but wonder if it was his senses as a catcher. "I'm going back inside!"
Eijun started stomping back to the dorm rooms when Miyuki slowly extended his arm to stop him. Then, before Eijun even had a chance to glance at him, Miyuki pushed his head slightly so that it was leaning against his. Eijun heart started thumping loudly as they both stood there in silence under the night sky. Not knowing what to say or do, Eijun nervously turned to look at Miyuki, but his hair had fallen right over his face.
"It's okay, though. I've been thinking a little selfishly too." He told him in a rather low tone of voice and as the seconds ticked by, Eijun could feel Miyuki's head leaning in closer to him. It was only natural that Eijun started feeling a little nervous. He hated Miyuki sarcastic side, but he wasn't used to Miyuki's serious or soft side either.
"You said you wanted to be the ace of this team." Miyuki continued. "I don't know if that's possible or not, but I want to help you out. I want to be the one that helps you get there. Me and no one else."
Eijun couldn't exactly hear what Miyuki was saying since he was speaking in something that was much lower than whisper. Still, he was almost sure Miyuki had said something about helping him out. If that was the case, then maybe, he didn't prefer Furuya as much as he thought. Maybe, if he asked him to practice with him, he would say yes.
"Miyuki-senpai?" Eijun snapped his eyes shut as he suddenly felt his body get hotter. He didn't know why, but he wanted to embrace Miyuki in his arms. He wanted to tell him how important he was to him and that he wouldn't have come to Seidou at all if it wasn't for him. Of course, Eijun couldn't get himself to say any of that and instead he ended up asking the stupidest question ever.
"Were you jealous of Chris-senpai?" Immediately, Eijun felt Miyuki's body jerk up. "Is that the reason why you were acting so strange today?"
"Idiot." Miyuki replied, hitting him behind the head for the second time. He took a step away and helplessly sighed. However, Eijun could tell that he was avoiding making eye contact with him. "How stupid can you get? I was just having a bad day. As good as I am, there are times when I'm just off. If you have time to say such stupid things, then you should just go to bed. We have to wake up early tomorrow and like always, the coach isn't going to go easy on us."
"I know that! You don't have to remind me!" It was bad enough that he was fighting for a spot in the first string, but the coach seemed to be making them practice harder everyday. Then again, just when he seemed to be having an honest conversation with Miyuki, he had to suddenly change the topic. It was annoying that Miyuki could read him so easily and yet, he couldn't really seem to get what he was thinking.
Then again, he couldn't really tell what anyone was thinking.
Eijun pouted as he watched Miyuki turn toward the dorm rooms. However, before he walked away, Miyuki slightly brushed his fingers against his. With a flustered face, Eijun looked up at his catcher to find him smiling in the most sincere manner.
I'll be your catcher. Me and no one else.