Chapter 18: Sleepover with the Baseball Idiot's Captain
"Hell, Kaz! Will you stop being a dick already?!" Sora cursed as she unlocked the door to her dorm room and got pushed inside by her captain who still refused to remove his arm around her shoulders. "You really are an annoying pain right now! I just promised you I would go to sleep, right? Can't you trust me with this for once? Not that I'm planning to run away"
"Ehh… But you also promised me that I could sleep over, Sora… Don't retract now", Miyuki pouted playfully.
"Wha-…?!" Sora pinched the bridge of her nose in aggravation. "Why today?! Nobody's occupying your room at the moment, right? That offer was to help you out when you need it, not to annoy the hell outa me for fun!"
However, the brown haired catcher wasn't gonna have any of Sora's arguments and plopped down on her bunk once he had taken off his shoes and his jacket at the entrance. His smirk was more than triumphant and the young girl truly had to fight back the urge to punch him.
"Mhh… I've got some things on my mind I thought about asking you. Or discussing with you. And I just assumed that would be easier and comfier for you if we did it in private and as relaxed as possible. You seem to be more talkative and cooperative when you feel at ease and I want to use that for my advantage"
"Wow, Kaz… That really makes me feel comfy with you now…" Sora shot back sarcastically, but sat herself down on her bed beside her captain.
Miyuki chuckled amused and climbed back a bit so that he could lean his back against the wall, making himself at home. The blue haired girl sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest. The young catcher furrowed his brows, noticing that this was more of a gesture to shield the blue head from him instead of coming closer. Sora was still reluctant and being defensive and Miyuki didn't understand why he was the only one his blue haired teammate wouldn't warm up to in a way she did with the others. And no, he still didn't want to classify this as jealousy!
"So, what is it?" Sora asked, waiting for a reaction from her captain.
He suppressed an unnerved sigh. Why was that so hard?! How the hell did Sawamura or Kuramochi and even guys like Shirasu, Watanabe and Kawakami handle the blue head so that Sora would turn to be all tame and gentle and even affectionate?!
For a while the brown haired captain started talking about baseball related things that he would need to know for improving their battery performance. They were mostly discussing different throws, strategies, signs and how Miyuki called his leads and how and if Sora would actually respond to them. Over the time, the blue haired girl relaxed a little bit and also sat back to lean against the wall and to stretch out her legs. Later on, the two of them also talked about the other pitchers and about the way Takigawa had worked with Sawamura to make him grow so fast.
When he finally got tired of beating around the bush and when a longer moment of silence occurred between the two teammates, Miyuki heaved a sigh.
"Sora…", he started seriously, but not so sure how he should put it correctly.
"Not another lecture please, I'm already tired enough…" she wailed, interrupting her catcher before he could say anything.
"…?!"
"Kaz, seriously… I love you guys. I truly and honestly do, but I feel like I can't take like three steps alone without you or Mochi observing my every move like a hawk or somethin'. That's creepy as hell, I swear!"
Miyuki blinked, completely flabbergasted. His mind was still focusing on the three little magic words I love you, although he was very well aware that they had a different meaning in this case and that they hadn't been directed at him alone. But he couldn't care less about the small details. The young catcher repressed a heavy blush and instead cleared his throat to appear calm and composed.
"Well, I mean you're a troublemaker, Sora. Can't really help it right? That's partly your own fault", the brown haired captain argued matter-of-factly. "First the thing with your fever and your breakdown during practice, then you try to trick me and the coach and you even attempted to hide your own abilities as a pitcher, you broke our curfew for a part-time job you never told us a thing about and I'm also pretty sure that you would've never even considered telling us about your past if that fever hadn't happened. Okay, the Christmas party was a nice surprise, I have to admit and it also pushes the team's morale, especially during hell camp, but you still pushed yourself again by getting up so early in the morning to help out at the café. Do you actually know that we have the feeling you could self-destruct at any second if we didn't keep an eye on you twenty-four-seven? That's also not a very pleasant situation for us, but it's our job as captain and vice-captain to beat some sense into our teammates when they're being reckless. Not to mention that Sawamura always seems to be filled in somehow when it comes to you, but he never does the right thing to stop you or to inform anyone of us, so we have two stupid idiots to deal with who try to hide important things from the team. No offense, Sora, but that's exhausting and frustrating and I still got the suboptimal feeling that you have even more secrets. I seriously don't know how to deal with you! And then you say stuff like trust only works both ways, when you're obviously by no means trusting me only one little bit. You rather choose to open up to our moron pitcher or Kuramochi… No, honestly… What did actually happen between you and Kuramochi? I still have no clue and Sawamura has mentioned a panic attack… Do you want to kill me? Because I might as well suffer from a heart attack any time soon if you keep this up!"
Sora sighed and gestured Miyuki with one hand to move over to the side a bit. He adjusted his seating position on her bed and the blue haired girl lay down on her stomach right beside him. She placed her head on her arms and glanced up to her captain who returned her gaze with a storm of emotions in his caramel eyes. Well, if that wasn't rare enough… Shit! Her heart started pounding and suddenly she was feeling restless.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay… I never meant to make anyone of you guys worry and it's not like I did anything on purpose or just for the sake of annoying you. I just… I always had good reasons for how I acted and while I have to admit that I also made mistakes and might've been reckless, it was still my own decision. I'm not perfect, I never said that, but I also think about this team and my teammates and I wouldn't do anything to harm them. I just really don't like people who try to tell me what to do or what I shouldn't do. I can't stand that! It's my life and I decide on my own, whether anyone likes it or not. Eijun respects that and tries to help and to support me in his own way which I truly appreciate. That's also exactly the problem I have with catchers. I sometimes kinda snap is all. I hate being ordered around, especially when my partner isn't even able to deal with my pitches or if the strategies aren't even working out. I do have an own head on my shoulders and I tend to use it pretty well. So, it's the same in this situation right now. I'm perfectly able to handle myself. I don't need a chaperon or anyone patronizing me, that only feels like having a prison guard for me and I honestly hate to be treated like that. Just makes me wanna act in defiance anyways, so you won't get any results like that. The more you try to watch and to control me, the more I wanna sneak away. I cherish my freedom, Kaz. You're gonna realize that once you start catching for me on a regular basis and if you're not able to accept that, then our attempt to form a battery will fail again. Let me spread my wings and fly, even if you're worried I might fall. Don't try to chain me to the ground. Besides, I already apologized to you and the others and I promised to try not to worry you so much anymore. I'm not so stupid that I won't realize or admit when I made a mistake. What I can't promise is to never make a mistake again. I'm only human too, ya know"
The blue haired girl made a face after her own explanation.
"Ugh, sorry that was kinda cringy, but true…"
Miyuki laughed at that and crossed his arms behind his head. He tried to hide his awestruck expression that threatened to show on his face and to give away his true feelings. His eyes sparked to life with utter delight.
"So, you wanna fly? Fine with me, I'm gonna make you. If you want me to be the one setting you free, you just could've told me, Sora. However, take me with you. I want to feel some thrill and exhilaration too, that's what makes baseball fun after all" The young catcher gave her a smug smirk. "I'm considered the best catcher for High School baseball in the whole of Japan. If it's not me being able to let you feel at ease, no one ever will. So, let's go and fly together then. And crush those who dare try to stop us"
Sora's cerulean eyes widened at Miyuki's words and she gaped at him speechlessly with a slightly opened mouth. He wanted to set her free? Her heart raced by now and she could've sworn that it also had skipped a beat or two or three…
"See? I can do cringy too", Miyuki interrupted her thoughts and the young girl snorted with laughter, shaking her head at his antics.
Such an arrogant little jerk! If not him who else, huh? Yeah, right! First Kuramochi and now that guy of all people… Ugh! Her life would get so much harder from now on…
Sora sighed heavily. How did Miyuki always manage to be an absolute idiot, but still to find the right words she wanted to hear from him? She didn't know. She didn't even want to know. Instead she concentrated on her blanket for a moment and on pulling it over her body before lying down beside the brown haired catcher again. The blue haired girl looked up to him since he was still sitting, stretching only his legs under the blanket with her.
"So… About Mochi… I won't tell you what he has entrusted to me in detail. Just that he has… uh, well… opened up to me a little bit"
"Huh?!"
Miyuki's eyebrows shot up in utter disbelief.
"How so?"
And there it appeared again. Sora's blush. Fiery red cheeks, clearly visible for the young baseball captain. He smirked. That never failed to entertain him.
"Do I really have to tell you that?"
The blue head pouted. It was truly cute how flustered his teammate was. Miyuki snickered, he couldn't hold it back any longer.
"C'mon, I already promised I won't use it for blackmail. No need to be so guarded around me all the time…"
Sora stared at her catcher dryly. She didn't even raise her eyebrows and just gave him a very pointed look.
"Oi, oi, what's with that look, huh?"
"You're gonna make fun of me"
"Ah… Not gonna deny that…"
"And probably of Mochi too"
"Again, won't argue with you"
Well, at least he was being honest. As always, actually. Brutally honest. Fair enough… The blue haired girl exhaled audibly. Miyuki was still Miyuki after all and nothing would be able to change that. Somehow that was one of his charms. Sora liked his honesty. Not that she'd ever tell him! She shifted her gaze away from him so that the young girl didn't have to look at her captain while telling him what had happened in the night of the thunderstorm and the morning after that with Sawamura. Even when she was done talking, the young girl still refused to lock eyes with him again. Actually she waited for him to start laughing and complaining about his hurting stomach like he usually did, but nothing happened for a pretty long time.
When Miyuki finally spoke up, Sora almost couldn't believe her ears. The brown haired catcher was calm and serious, almost analytical and his caramel eyes were fixated on her with an intensity that made her hold her breath.
"Why did you call Sawamura?"
"Eh?!"
"I mean, you two have a weird relationship. He's been around you from the very beginning when you transferred to Seidou and he's somehow always around you and filled in in all of your little schemes and secrets. He even knows your brother and the rest of your family through video calls and also your manager from the café and all that… It's just making me curious, ya know. I wouldn't describe Sawamura particularly as a clingy one as far as I know him. The only person he ever showed that tendency with was Chris-senpai and he was his mentor. But with you it's even worse, Sora. He's sticking to you like glue. Also he mentioned you being touchy-feely and you guys hugging each other and stuff. I mean, are you two more than just friends by any chance? It would make sense to me and hey, no judgement here…"
Now it was Sora who had to laugh, much to Miyuki's surprise.
"Ah, well… I have to admit that Eijun and I are more than just friends, but not in a romantic way if that's what you're implying. He's honestly more like a brother for me. It feels like family. He's my self-proclaimed guardian and he promised Ten-nii to protect me on his behalf here at Seidou. I guess he's just taking his role very seriously", the blue haired girl explained matter-of-factly. "And I do have a habit of being touchy-feely whenever I'm tired or mentally or also physically exhausted and yeah, Eijun is a type of guy who would just hug me without thinking anything weird of it. He's our innocent one after all. But Nabe, Shira, Nori and Zono could tell you something about that as well since they have to cope with my morning-personality at breakfast. Shira that saint has made it his first priority to provide me with coffee so that I won't doze off on anyone's shoulder. And before you ask, yeah that has indeed happened before. I guess I shocked Nori a bit back then. He was avoiding me for two days after that because he was so flustered, the poor guy!"
"So, this kind of stuff happens whenever Kuramochi and I are not around you, huh?! And there you actually wonder why we're watching you the whole time?" Miyuki teased playfully, but it still seemed halfhearted since the young genius catcher was processing the amount of information he just got.
"Oh, shut up! I knew you would tease me!"
But the brunette didn't listen to the blue head's complaints anymore because his concentration was shifting to Sawamura and Kuramochi and also some of the other players of his team. Exactly how close had Sora and these guys gotten over the time already? The southpaw pitcher was one thing, but it was even more shocking, that Kuramochi had begun to talk about his past with their blue haired teammate. Not even Miyuki knew the shortstop's story. And seriously… sleeping in Sora's bed? Right this moment the young captain was trying to do the same thing somehow by being persistent and annoying and sneaking his way in, also with the not so much farfetched excuse of having to escort the blue head to keep the promise with the coach, but damn this guy and his smooth moves! Then again there had been Sora's panic attack and Miyuki had to admit that of course he would've reacted the same way. Also the brown haired catcher wouldn't have let Sora alone in that kind of a situation.
The interesting part was that Miyuki had thought that Kuramochi had a crush on some unknown girl in school since he had talked with the shortstop in the corridor when the green haired had looked so utterly frazzled. Kind as he always was, the captain had offered to listen to him and even had gone to the trouble of offering some words of advice, but right now Miyuki was reconsidering his assumptions. Could it be that the human cheetah of Seidou was actually falling for their blue haired new transfer student?! It was still just a mere hunch without real proof, but hell wouldn't that be fun? So much room for teasing!
Still… No jealousy involved! No, not at all! Impossible!
"Kaz?"
Sora's quiet mumbling snapped Miyuki out of his mischievous thoughts. As he looked down on his teammate, the blue head's eyes were already closed.
"Hm?"
"Can you switch off the light, please?"
The sly captain smirked, but suppressed his usual chuckling. So apparently his teammate had already resigned to the fact that he would sleep over? Sora didn't even make an effort to throw Miyuki out. The brunette tried to find some other reasons than the exhaustion from hell camp. Couldn't possibly be that Sora was just too tired to argue with him, right? Nah… There had to be something else too…
"Sure"
Miyuki stood up, switched off the light and quietly slipped back into Sora's bed and under her blanket with her, however differently from Kuramochi he didn't pull her close to snuggle with her. By the time the young catcher lay back down beside the blue haired girl, she was already breathing deeply and peacefully. The exhaustion from the early started day had finally caught up to her and she had fallen asleep even with her captain being present and also with her knowledge that he was intending to stay the night. Not that she hadn't been nervous, but her fatigue just had been stronger. Seriously… Just what the hell was wrong with Miyuki and Kuramochi?!
Miyuki on the other hand watched the calm features of Sora's sleeping face in the dark room with only very dim light coming through the clearance between the door frame and the door leaf and through some slits between the curtains. The blue head looked young, cute and innocent being so peacefully asleep and before he could control his actions, the brunette reached out and brushed some strands of azure blue hair out of Sora's face. Maybe his fingers remained on the smooth skin a little bit longer than necessary to do that, but no one would ever know.
The awakening for the young catcher the next morning was kind of… yeah, a surprise, to put it mildly. When he heard the alarm of his phone ringing, he reached out his hand to grab it and to switch it off, wondering why he couldn't move as freely as he should be able to. Opening and rubbing his caramel eyes, Miyuki soon realized that the reason for his immobility was Sora clutching at him, still sound asleep. The brunette tensed up and stared at his blue haired teammate, face buried in his chest, arms wrapped tightly around him and the small hands gripping the fabric of his shirt.
Miyuki didn't know how long he was gawking at the slightly snoring blue head while holding his breath and hoping that Sora wouldn't wake up just yet, but the moment seemed to be endless. It was also the first time for him to notice the sweet cinnamon scent of his friend since they were so close to each other. The baseball captain's heart fluttered and he allowed himself to enjoy it just a little while longer before shaking Sora's shoulder. So that was the situation Kuramochi had been in… Lucky little bastard! Somehow that didn't prove his assumptions wrong that the shortstop could have a thing for Sora now, did it?
"Oi Sora, I know I'm hot and all, but you still have to let go of me and wake up now!" Miyuki teased and suppressed a yawn.
Sora's response, however, was to cling even stronger to her captain, complaining with a soft whine.
"Don't wanna…!"
"Heh… So, you want to continue cuddling me?"
"Yeah, live with it", the young girl mumbled still half asleep.
To be completely honest, she didn't even recognize her current situation. It was more like talking to a living pillow for her.
Miyuki on the other hand struggled to keep his poker face. With the blue head snuggling up to him, he really had a problem to maintain his usual smirking composure. Well, he should be more careful with what he wished for in future… Sora opening up to him the same way his team member did to others… Yeah… Goal achieved, congrats, idiot!
The brown haired catcher sighed exasperatedly. He tried shaking the blue head again.
"Sora, wake up!"
"Nooooo…"
"C'mon now, don't be a stubborn child"
"Kazuuuu…"
Torture… Sora was torturing him. On purpose. Miyuki was pretty sure the blue head was making fun of him as kind of a revenge for all the times he had done the same thing to his friend. Still, somehow the young catcher didn't want to complain about it.
"Yeah, I'll be your Kazu all you want. After you got up!"
"Mhh…"
Miyuki started pushing his teammate softly into a sitting position with him and finally the blue head let go of his shirt and began yawning and stretching.
"Mornin'", she grumbled displeased.
"Good morning, Sora. Finally awake now?"
"Not really. Need coffee"
"At least I can associate with that", Miyuki snickered amused.
And then the whole more than just familiar situation started to get into Sora's mind. She suppressed her upcoming panic, nervousness and embarrassment and fought against her furious blush. She had done it again! Like with Kuramochi! Ugh! Why?!
Just why did she end up in such situations with those guys over and over again? Some kind of curse? Karma? Had she been that bad in a previous life? Then again… It didn't feel bad and that in itself was more than alarming. Questionable, actually.
Still, part of it was also Miyuki's fault for sneaking his way into her dorm room and being so persistent about sleeping over. That didn't help the blue haired girl with her almost heart attack though.
Meanwhile Miyuki was getting up from Sora's bed and put some safe distance between him and his blue haired friend, just in case.
"I'll be going back into my room now since I didn't bring any change or our uniform with me. Be sure not to cause any trouble with Sawamura today, okay"
"Urks, fuck you too!"
"Wow, someone really isn't a morning person at all"
Sora snorted.
"Told you so"
Miyuki chuckled and shook his head in amusement while making his way to the entrance to get his jacket and his shoes.
"True", he admitted with his usual grin. "Don't be late for practice, Sora"
"Yes, mommy"
"Daddy, if you'd please. We wanna be correct about that, no?!"
"Dear Gods in heaven…" Sora wheezed, but her captain shook his head seriously.
"Nope, not their fault"
"Yeah, so true. Not theirs, but yours"
"Evil accusations…"
"Just facts"
Miyuki zipped his jacket close up to his throat and raised a hand to say goodbye to his grumpy blue haired friend, but before the young baseball captain could take his leave, Sora held him back once again.
"Kaz…"
"Hm?"
"You were right, you know", she said, looking down on her nails to avoid his caramel gaze. "I'm still keeping secrets from you and the team. There are things I can't tell you and I'm actually sorry for that. But coach ordered me to keep certain things for myself. It was a condition for me to be able to enter the team. Not that I don't have a bad conscience about it though"
Miyuki froze, his eyes widened. There it was! What he had wanted the whole time. A little step in his direction, voluntarily taken. An offer he would accept with gratitude.
"Thank you for telling me that", the brown haired catcher replied genuinely.
"Keep it between you and me. And Mochi, maybe. If you have to"
"Of course, I will" The young captain smirked mischievously. "However, Sora… That doesn't mean I won't try to figure out your secrets"
"Even if I would have to leave the team if you found out?" Sora asked, lifting her azure eyes to lock them with Miyuki's.
"I won't let you"
"Might not be your decision"
"No. Not happening. Period"
A little smile crept up the blue head's lips. Miyuki sounded so confident, or better over-confident, almost arrogantly sure about it that it amused Sora, but at the same time it also put her mind at ease. It was a hidden promise from her captain that he would stand up for her anytime, even in front of the coach and the team's staff if necessary.
"Well then captain, have fun trying to solve the riddle called Sora"
"Mh, thanks", the brunette gave back with a sweet singing voice. "I'm already having so much fun anyway…"
"Glad to hear that", Sora deadpanned and caused her catcher to start laughing.
"See you later, Sora"
Miyuki turned around, waving one hand casually over his shoulder and slipping out of her dorm room quietly.
"Later, Kaz", the blue haired girl mumbled after his disappearing back almost inaudibly, staring at the closing door.
When the young catcher left Sora's dorm room and walked down the corridor towards his own one, he was glad that there weren't any of his fellow students around to see the big, fat, idiotic grin that was plastered on his jolly face, which was completely out of his usual character.