I really enjoy my spacer, I'm not gonna lie.

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*slime monster from Monster Inc voice*

"I'm watching. Always watching."

heh

Chapter 6

"Just listen."

Miyuki glanced at the first year pitcher before looking back up and closing his eyes. As he closed them small sounds became clear to him; crickets were chirping, the grass was being tousled by the wind, and tree branches sang the tunes that the skies demanded.

He took a deep breath, allowing the wind's tunes to relax him. Crickets sang along, offering a constant background noise to the tranquility that was settling.

"How long are you going to hold my hand?" Miyuki asked, small smirk taking over his lips.

There was a couple long seconds of silence before Sawamura spoke.

"As long as you need me to."

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Sawamura allowed the sounds of nature to consume him, hoping that it had the same calming effect on Miyuki as it did on him.

"How long are you going to hold my hand?" The catcher's voice broke through the serene scene he was enjoying.

A blush crept over his cheeks, making him take a second to compose himself before he said the first words that popped into his mind.

"As long as you need me to." He mumbled, eyes opening slowly.

A glanced to the side showed that Miyuki's eyes were still closed, his face impossibly blank.

I said something wrong didn't I?...

Sawamura was about to pull his hand away from Miyuki's when his fingers were squeezed. He watched as Miyuki's eyes opened and trailed on the sky above them.

"You were right." Miyuki said softly.

"Hm?"

"The stars, they're brighter out here." Miyuki said, a smile painting itself across his lips.

Sawamura turned his gaze away from the catcher to look up at the sky. The stars were sprawled out, bright dots littering every inch of sky.

"Of course I was right!" The pitcher stated with a lopsided grin.

Miyuki rolled his eyes, though the smiled stayed.

0_0_0_0

Morning came, an alarm screaming at its presence. Kuramochi sat up groggily before rubbing a hand over his face. He hit the snooze on his phone, getting rid of the annoying screeching.

Ugh mornings...

He made his way down from his bunk and peeled his baggy shirt off. He caught a blur of pink out of the corner of his eye. Turning towards Sawamura's bunk, his eyes widened.

I totally forgot he slept here last night!

Haruichi was sleeping soundly, arms coiled around the bundled up blankets. He'd managed to bunch up the blankets and use them as a sort of body billow instead of covers.

It's kinda cute...

The second baseman's hair was all over the place, the pink locks no longer hiding his eyes. Haruichi looked rather comfortable as he slept, breath blowing a piece of hair to and from himself.

Turn away... temptation... arg.

Kuramochi forced himself to turn away from his adorable second baseman and change into his practice uniform. At last, he managed to talk himself into waking the younger Kominato without doing anything irrational.

"Kominato." He murmured softly before shaking his shoulder slightly.

Haruichi mumbled something along the lines of 'five more minutes' before settling into the bunched up blankets.

"You need those five more minutes to change... Practice starts soon..." Kuramochi tried to keep his voice gentle.

Haruichi's eyes opened slowly, but the shortstop could tell he wasn't fully awake yet. He was surprised when the pinklet grabbed his arm and yanked him into the bed next to him.

"Five more minutes." He persisted.

Kuramochi's whole face with bright pink as he laid mere inches from the boy he undoubtedly had a thing for.

Ryosuke would definitely throw a fit...

0_0_0_0

Haruichi felt his arm shake slightly but didn't open his eyes.

Ugh... We stayed up way too late playing video games last night.

"Five more minutes..." he murmured.

"You need those five more minutes to change... Practice starts soon..." Kuramochi said gently.

Haruichi's eyes opened slowly before an idea occurred to him. He reached towards the shortstop and yanked him into the bed next to him. He knew that if he was to tell the other that he was fully awake, pulling the other towards him would never be something he could explain as being something he usually did. He was usually more reserved than that, but for some reason or another, he wanted the shortstop to lie next to him and relax.

"Five more minutes." He repeated before letting his eyes fall close.

0_0_0_0

Furuya's mood was far from distasteful when he saw both Haruichi and Kuramochi running extra laps for having been late. He wanted to know why the ever so diligent and punctual pinklet had been late to practice. He silently seethed, though the other first years seemed to duck away, reading his aura rather well.

0_0_0_0

Sawamura's eyes opened slowly before he sat up. The sun was leaking through his blinds, allowing him to understand that it was indeed time to get up. He glanced towards his bed, expecting to see Miyuki laying there. To his dismay, the bed was made neatly, and the catcher was nowhere in sight.

Getting up, Sawamura made his way to the washroom to both relieve himself and brush his teeth. As he made his way downstairs, it was easy to pick out Miyuki's laugh from his mother's. Upon entering the kitchen he noticed the two of them with mugs wrapped in their hands.

"Ah, Good morning Eijun." His mother offered before turning back to Miyuki. "Kazuya was telling me how close you were to a certain upper class man."

Sawamura's cheeks darkened in embarrassment as his mother continued to giggle.

"Haha, you should've seen him this last summer." The catcher stated before laughing. "He followed Chris around like lost duckling."

Miyuki, you bastard!

If the flush of embarrassment could get any darker, people would label Sawamura a tomato.

"Oh my, and I suppose that since this Chris has graduated, you've taken our Eijun under your wing?"

"Of course, I always take good care of my juniors." Miyuki stated before laughing.

Sawamura rolled his eyes as he grabbed a bowl and filled it with cereal. Looking through the fridge, Sawamura pulled out the milk carton before filling his bowl and making his way to the kitchen table. He sat his bowl on the table before sitting next to Miyuki.

"What are you drinking?" The southpaw asked, leaning over to sniff the mug that Miyuki was holding.

"Oi, get your nose out of my coffee." Miyuki chided.

Sawamura rolled his nose at the bespectacled catcher.

"That's so bitter though." Sawamura whined.

"What do you care?" Miyuki asked while raising a brow.

"It's kinda like your persona." Sawamura stated matter of factly.

0_0_0_0

Miyuki's brow twitched after Sawamura's comment.

What the hell is that suppose to mean?
"Excuse me?" He asked, his aura darkening some.

Both the catcher and first year pitcher forgot of Sawamura's mother's presence.

"No really, it works!" Sawamura exclaimed, completely unaware of Miyuki's annoyance.

"Does it now?"

"Yea, you have a rather bitter personality, but everyone seems to love you. Like coffee!" Sawaura declared before smiling innocently in Miyuki's direction.

Is that supposed to be a compliment? You idiot...

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"I noticed that you were late this morning..." Furuya said softly, his normal mask of indifference up.

Haruichi looked up from his notebook, cocking his head slightly towards the boy that most of the team referred to as the Monster Pitcher.

"Ah, yea. Couch made me run extra laps." Haruichi said before sighing.

"Why were you late?" The ace asked.

He watched in growing annoyance as a blush overtook the second baseman's cheeks.

"Kuramochi forgot to wake me." Haruichi murmured after a couple of silent seconds.

Haruichi missed the way Furuya's eyebrow twitched with annoyance.

"Want to swing with me tonight?" The ace asked.

"Eh? Sure... You don't usually ask me to swing with you, is it because Eijun isn't here to run with you?" The second baseman asked while cocking his head.

Furuya simply shrugged before he focused on the notes in front of him.

0_0_0_0

Sawamura was smiling in Miyuki's direction, not noticing the twitch in the catcher's brow.

"What's your guys' plan for the day?" Sawamura's mother asked with a smile.

"I'm planning on meeting with Wakana, she wants to meet Miyuki almost as much as you did." Sawamura said with a growing grin.

Miyuki rose a brow as the Sawamuras spoke.

"Are you now? And when was my opinion going to be taken into account?" The catcher asked, smirk growing.

"We're in my town! You follow my rules Miyuki Kazuya!" The southpaw shouted before pushing himself up and grabbing his empty bowl of cereal.

Miyuki couldn't help himself, he started laughing, grabbing at his stomach as he tried to breath.

0_0_0_0

Kuramochi was dusting his practice uniform off as he finished off with sliding practice.

He made his way over to Haruichi, who was panting and covered in just as much dirt, if not more, than he was.

"Tired?" The shortstop asked, smirk in place as Haruichi straightened up, wiping sweat from his chin.

"Maybe just a little." The second baseman conveyed before chuckling lightly.

"I want to work on our coordination for defensive plays." Kuramochi stated.

"Ah, I've already made plans for late practice tonight... Sorry Kuramochi..." The pinklet stated with a small smile.

"Huh? With who?"

"Furuya asked me to work on batting with him."

Huh? Furuya usually goes for a run at this time...

"I see... I suppose we can work on it tomorrow..." Kuramochi said, disappointment leaking into his tone.

Haruichi cocked his head in question as Kuramochi walked away.

0_0_0_0

"Eijun!"

Miyuki's head cocked to the side, hearing the southpaw's given name being called, and by a girl no less.

"Ah! Wakana! It's so good to see you!" Sawamura called, his smile growing as his childhood friend threw herself in his arms.

Miyuki's brow twitched slightly as Sawamura's grip tightened around her.

"I missed you!" Wakana practically sang before pushing back slightly. "The gang wanted to come, but with finals coming and all... They had to study."

"AH!" Sawamura shrieked, making both Miyuki and Wakana cringe.

"You forgot to study, didn't you, idiot?" Miyuki stated before rolling his eyes.

Sawamura's face darkened in embarrassment.

"No! I have studied you four-eyed, demon catcher!"

Miyuki rose a brow, amusement flashing in his eyes.

"Fine idiot, I won't help you study." Miyuki stated before a small smirk rose to his lips. "Just remember, you can't play in tournaments if you fail anything."

Miyuki's grin only grew as he saw Sawamura's face pale.

"I will be ace one day you know! Mere exams won't stop me!" Sawamura bellowed.

"Some ace you can be if you can't even pass your tests idiot." Miyuki said before rolling his eyes.

Wakana had a smile on her lips as she listened to the battery bantered.

"How long have you two been together?" Wakana asked.

Both Miyuki and Sawamura's playful banter stopped, both battery members turning towards Wakana, one with a blank expression, the other one with bright red taking over his ears.