Chapter 16: Between the Two of Us

One Week Later - Saturday

--Flashback--"Mom? Who's that man?"

"O-Oh, Kazuya! I didn't expect you to be back from school so soon…crap. Wash up and I'll be right there, okay? Be a good boy and don't tell your father about this, hmm?"

"Mom…"

"Tell me, son. Have you ever seen your mother around the house with another man?"

"Dad, I'm not supposed to say!"

"Be a good boy, Kazuya! Help your father out. Yes or no?"

"…Yeah."

"You scumbag! How could you do this to me? I work so hard to put food on the table, and you're sleeping around with other men? In front of my son?"

"I don't care! I don't care anymore! I saw a chance and I took it, Kazuhiko. Sex is so stale with you. All you do is work, work, work. What about my needs? The other man I met puts me first and treats me like a princess. If pursuing what I want means leaving this family, then so be it!"

"What about Kazuya? Our child?!"

"Oh, you mean the little runt I never wanted to give birth to? Fuck him. Keep him. Ciao!"

SHATTER!

"Dad…is Mom ever coming back? I miss her…"

"It'll be just the two of us from now on, Kazuya. I'm sorry."

"Mom!"

"You're not the Miyuki I became friends with."

"From now on, you're nothing to me but the catcher from the magazine I once admired."--Flashback End--

Miyuki gasped, eyes wide with terror as he shot up from his bed. His chest heaved up and down as he hyperventilated, short ragged breaths escaping his chapped lips. He looked down and observed his sweaty figure, the source of the damp spots on his sheets. His throat was dry, which only added to the lightheadedness he was experiencing. Desperate, he looked around his room with teary eyes for the one object with the power to ground him, and when he found it, he sighed with relief.

It was his copy of a photo of him and Eijun from the night at the karaoke bar. Granted, the night when everything went to shit, but Eijun's smile always quelled the panic racing through his body. Bright, happy, and full of hope, with pearly whites he envied, full lips he loved to kiss, fluffy brown hair he found solace in ruffling, and...well, he could go on forever.

Swallowing what little saliva he could muster, Miyuki broke eye contact with the framed photo to look at the empty side of his bed. Why was it empty? Where was Eijun? Eijun was supposed to be laying there shirtless in a tangle of blankets, golden eyes hidden by his eyelids, lashes fluttering with each blink, chest rising softly with each small breath he took, occasionally making random noises in his deep slumber.

Eijun was supposed to be laying there, waking up right about now, screeching as he stretched and yawned, smiling upon seeing Miyuki's face, planting a kiss on each cheek, saying, "Rise and shine, future captain! It's time for our love to be measured by how many pitches you're gonna let me throw today! Whatcha thinking, fifty? I think that's a good number."

Miyuki grabbed a towel that was barely hanging on to the edge of his desk and used it to wipe the sweat off his upper body. He shivered as a cold draft entered his room through the window, reluctantly covering himself with his sweat-soaked blankets. Turning on his side, he rubbed his hand over Eijun's side of the bed, heavy feelings of guilt swelling in his heart.

Why? Why was he so immature? He had lost the one person who became the shining light in his dark life, his sole reason to truly enjoy baseball. Instead of taking responsibility for his behavior and his actions, he panicked and submerged himself in a pool of denial. His pride had cost him Kuramochi and Eijun, and now he was reaping what he sowed.

What an idiot he was.

Miyuki remained in bed for what seemed like an eternity until he grounded himself fully. With his breathing back to normal, he finally looked at the time—7:35 AM.

"I should get up now," he said to no one in particular, "I think I should see him today. Yeah, that sounds like a plan. I need to see him…"

3:30 PM - Inashiro

"That rain last week was definitely something, right? I've never seen anything like it. I hope it doesn't rain to that extent again this week—okay, someone tell me what that little kid is doing out there? I thought I told him to take a break!"

Tadano Itsuki gulped as he sheepishly pulled up behind Harada Masatoshi, quaking in his shoes, "Th-That's what I keep telling him, but he won't stop! He won't listen to a word I say; what am I supposed to do? I think he's stress pitching. He's never been at it for this long before."

Harada sighed as he watched Narumiya Mei repeatedly throw wild pitches at the net, each swing of his arm producing a large gust of wind.

"Mei, for the third time, that's enough. You've been pitching since five in the morning."

"I'm not done…yet!" Mei wheezed as he picked up another ball, steadied his form, and aimed a slider at the net, "Not until…Kazuya texts me back! It's been three weeks…and he still hasn't replied to my message! Just who does he think I am? I desire his…attention and nothing less! Why is that so…hard!"

A vein popped up on Harada's forehead. He had witnessed numerous displays of Mei's stubbornness throughout his lifetime, but this one managed to get under his skin more than usual. Not only was his partner wasting copious amounts of energy, it was also for a stupid reason he couldn't wrap his head around.

"Leave the poor guy alone. He's obviously interested in Sawamura. He's a taken man."

"I know, but a text back wouldn't hurt!"

After throwing a blazing fastball, Mei paused as the music blaring from his speaker was suddenly drowned out by the sound of his ringtone.

--"Incoming call from 'KazuyaHasBigDickEnergy,' incoming call from 'KazuyaHasBigDickEnergy.'"--

Judging from the strange noise Mei suddenly made from the bottom of his throat, Itsuki walked over to the blonde's phone, swiped the Answer button, and tugged Harada's arm.

"W-We'll be on our way," he said as they left.

Mei cleared his throat as he took off his mitt and tossed it to the mound, "Well, well, well, this is a surprise. Calling after leaving me on delivered for three weeks? What the heck is wrong with you?!"

Miyuki scoffed, "Want me to make it four? I don't respond to shitty memes. Anyways, I didn't call to hear you whine, you entitled midget. Being angry won't make you grow any faster. Just be happy that you get to hear my lovely voice after all this time."

"I'm totally happy," Mei muttered as he sat down on a bench, feeling his cheeks redden.

The catcher's voice did things to him, things even he couldn't quite comprehend. It was both smooth and husky, but he could tell there was something a little off about it this time, "I love hearing your voice, but that's enough talk. Why are you really calling me?"

"You sound out of breath. What were you doing?"

"Stress pitching! Now stop dodging my question! What's the problem?"

"There is no problem. I just wanna catch up with you. I'm bored. Let's meet at the park. Are you down?"

"Is this a date?"

"Whatever you want it to be."

"Then a date it is! Yay! Be there in an hour!" Mei chirped as he hung up the phone.

His heartbeat sped up in anticipation as his imagination took him to a place he never wanted to return from—he and Miyuki exchanging a warm hug, the faint smell of his cologne, his hazel eyes that glowed violently behind his thick-rimmed glasses, a pair of gray shorts that perfectly outlined the shape of his—

"No! I can't think of that! Not yet!" Mei slapped himself out of his thoughts and jumped up from the bench.

He sang to himself as he skipped to his dorm room, a noticeable pep in his step, "Masa-san!" he shouted, "Help me pick out what to wear!"

One Hour and 30 Minutes Later

"Be there in an hour my ass," Miyuki said mockingly, "I thought you actually stood me up."

Mei melted into Miyuki's embrace and sighed in satisfaction at his heavenly scent, "Choosing the best outfit for you will always take a bit more time, Kazuya. What do you think of these jeans?"

Miyuki pulled back and cringed at the sight of the blonde's ripped jeans, jeans ripped to the point where they might have just been named…he had no clue. They were a bold fashion statement.

"Your whole left thigh is showing," he said, "They're barely hanging on to your legs. You took so long to pick that out? I'm disappointed."

Mei playfully hit the bespectacled teen on the arm as they walked towards the far end of the park, "It could've been so much worse. I have these shorts that you've never seen, and they would drive you crazy. Not like I don't drive you crazy enough, that is."

"Couldn't have said it any better myself."

Exchanging grins, they continued their walk in silence, their hands brushing every so often, which turned out to be mostly Mei's fault. The feel of Miyuki's skin, no matter how brief, made him jolt, leading him to purposely walk a bit too close to the latter and blaming it on the uneven pavement. He had been deprived of Miyuki's presence for two months, which he understood because he was dating Sawamura, but now he saw no reason to continue letting himself starve.

It pained him, but his mind was plagued with thoughts of Miyuki every hour of the day. Sexy, dangerous thoughts that drove the lower half of his body wild, especially at night. Whether they were scenarios of Miyuki trapping him in a breathless kiss or forcefully pinning him against the wall to fuck the ever-living shit out of him or desperately screaming his name in pleasure from his expert tongue technology, Mei respected their relationship, so he promised himself he would only dish out small touches and flirtatious banter. His love for Miyuki would always remain unrequited. He knew that someday would never exist for them and that he would desire more and more every day, but he would learn to deal with it.

A fresh face and a change of pace. Miyuki needed this. A day out of the prison that was his room was bound to lift his spirits somehow. Not that he was feeling completely better about himself, but seeing Mei put his mind at ease. His small figure brimming with excitement and his passionate talk about all things nonsensical put a smile on his face, even if it was temporary.

He was well aware that Mei had the hots for him. It was obvious since their middle school days. The way the blonde spoke with affection, blushed at the slightest mention of his name, and more mannerisms that never went overlooked.

Throughout the years, however, Miyuki kept Mei's burning desires at bay. He had zero intentions of feeding into them. He felt that it was right to remain close friends. No matter how much Mei insisted they would be perfect for each other, he believed the complete opposite.

The blonde deserved someone better, someone who could satisfy his needs and not use him as convenient comic relief. Miyuki, in fact, did feel extremely flattered by Mei's romantic advances. He could never reciprocate his feelings, and he did feel slightly horrible for teasing him with suggestive advances of his own, but it was all in good humor and nature.

To the outside world, their relationship was an anomaly. No one seemed able to wrap their heads around how two boys could be all over each other with the dirtiest of conversations and still not be in a couple. Miyuki liked it, though, the shroud of mystery they lived in.

Upon reaching their desired section of the park, Miyuki and Mei sprawled their bodies out on the grassy hill overlooking an intricate display of sprinklers. It was relatively quiet save for the sounds of birds chirping and kids giggling in the distance. Miyuki knew that was soon to be his reality.

Mei moved closer to the catcher and absentmindedly began to thread his fingers through his hair, something he hadn't done in forever.

"I haven't seen you in two months," he said, "There's so much I wanna talk about, but since you're the one who asked me out on this wonderful date, I guess I'll let you do the talking. What's up? Why are we here?"

"Nothing's up," Miyuki answered, resting his head on Mei's chest, "By the way, eyes up here. I know I'm wearing gray shorts, but that doesn't mean you can gawk at my balls."

"Something is up. You would have complained about me touching your hair. You would've noticed that I was staring at your dick way before we got here and hell, you wouldn't want me laying this close to you."

"Maybe I'm just being nice to you for once? Why can't that be a possibility?"

"Because you'd never let me fulfill my fantasies. You'd hate for that to happen. You're dating Sawamura, right? You would never let me be selfish when you love him so much."

"…"

"Why have you suddenly gone quiet, Kazuya?" Mei stopped moving his fingers and held Miyuki's chin, tilting his head up at an angle.

Miyuki's eyes were slightly watery and puffy around the edges. His hazel irises were dimmer than when he last saw them. Something was wrong and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"I mentioned Sawamura's name and your spark…disappeared. Did something happen between the two of you?"

Miyuki wore a cheap grin, but he knew Mei could see right through him. He took great pride in being a mystery, but Mei was the only person capable of figuring him out. They had spent much time together and only now was he regretting it.

He didn't want to talk about Eijun at the moment. That was not the purpose of them being here today. He wanted to unwind and escape from the harsh eyes of Kuramochi, the cold stare of Furuya, and the brokenhearted gaze of his now ex-boyfriend.

"Stop being such a worrywart. We're fine," he said, voice glazed with uncertainty, "I had a bit of a rough morning—"

"You had that nightmare again, didn't you? The one about your mom leaving."

Miyuki visibly slackened. He sighed as he turned his head away, averting his eyes to the matrix of water loops that sprang forth from the sprinklers.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he mumbled, "We didn't come here for that."

"Liar!" The blonde crossed his arms in front of his chest, forming a pout with his lips, "Kazuya, you did have that nightmare. You can't hide anything from me. It's literally written all over your face. You look tired and worn out. And your breath smells like coffee, you never drink coffee."

"I needed something to get me going."

"That's what energy drinks are for."

"Don't assume you know everything about me."

"How long have we known each other? Fine, if you don't wanna tell me, then so be it. I'm leaving—"

"It's not a nightmare if it actually happened, Mei." Miyuki gathered the strength to lift the upper half of his body from the grass and instead sat with his legs crossed.

His eyes were glistening with tears he was struggling to hold back. He wasn't good at this type of stuff.

"I had it, okay? Was it that obvious? It's been so long that I don't even know what to feel. Am I supposed to feel? Do I deserve to feel?"

Mei instinctively latched onto Miyuki's arm and placed his head on his shoulder. They were a natural series of movements that had been ingrained into Mei's system whenever his friend was dispirited. Miyuki needed someone, as rare as it sounded, but he was determined to be there for him.

As for his desires, they could wait.

"It's alright, Kazuya. I'm right here. I'm right next to you. But, please tell me. You only have that nightmare when you're stressed about something. What happened?"

Miyuki fiddled with the rips on Mei's jeans, fingering the loose strands of fabric to keep himself from getting worked up, "Do you think I'm a good person?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's a yes or no question. Don't overthink it."

"Well…yeah. Of course you're a good person. I can't fall in love with people who aren't."

"That's cute, but I don't think I'm a good person. I fucked up. Badly."

"How? You're not making this any easier for me to understa—"

"Eijun broke up with me."

"That's not so bad—"

"Because I had sex with Furuya."

"Oh."

"And now Furuya's two months pregnant."

"Oh."

"With my child."

"Oh. Wait, whaaaaat?!"

"Yeah, what an eventful couple of days."

"Holy shit, Kazuya. Two months? What the actual hell?!" Mei loosened his hold on Miyuki and leaned away, unsure of how to react.

His brows furrowed as the news slowly sank into his mind. He couldn't believe it. What did he just hear? Miyuki Kazuya, the man who took his entire world by storm, was capable of doing such a thing?

He swallowed as he came to terms with the situation, "I don't…know. Why would you do that? How is that possible? You told me you loved Sawamura. Why would you do that to him?!"

"I don't want to go into full detail," Miyuki said, "but it was an accident. I didn't mean for any of this to happen at all. I'll understand if you hate me from here on out. It's my fault. I fucked up…I was drunk and got carried away. I'm such an asshole, Mei. I kept it from Eijun for two months and pretended that everything was peachy. I deceived him and he suspected absolutely nothing. That's how much he trusted me and I feel so sick for lying to him."

"Kazuya!"

"I treated Furuya like shit for no reason. He was just as surprised as me, yet I refused to believe him and said all kinds of things I would die to take back. I held onto my pride and panicked, but it only ended up making it worse. I broke Eijun's heart and now he can't stand to be around me. Furuya was always cold, but now he's planning on raising the child without me.

"I know I'm not in the most ideal headspace because…well shit, no one's gonna be okay when they randomly hear they're having a child, that would be insane. I don't know what to do. Nothing will ever make up for the damage I've done. I'm not a good person. I'm a monster, just like my mom."

Mei gritted his teeth as he suddenly slapped Miyuki across the face, displacing the latter's glasses. He hated it whenever Miyuki talked down about himself. It wasn't a common occurrence, but whenever he did it, his body grew a mind of its own. It only took a second for him to freak out and apologize profusely for slapping him. He went to readjust Miyuki's glasses, but paused as a lone tear trickled down the catcher's bruised cheek.

'I've never seen him cry before…he's really hurting.'

"Please don't cry, Kazuya. Don't you ever compare yourself to your mother either. You're not a monster. Things simply…spun out of control and you had a piss-poor reaction, I'll admit that. But there's always a solution. Sawamura will probably never forgive you and I know that you'll struggle with that since you're in love with him, but now it's time to focus on Furuya."

Miyuki wiped the tears that were tumbling down his face. He took his glasses from Mei's hand and fixed them on himself, "I'm the spitting image of my mom. She left my dad and me for some freaking nobody and I was the one who caught her in the act. She ruined our family to chase after some piece of shit and I still don't understand why. Were we not enough for her?

"My dad worked so hard to ensure that we lived comfortably, and she burned it all down with a smile on her face. I'm tired of these nightmares. I'm tired of seeing her brush past us and walk out the door, then waking up in a cold sweat. I say I'm tired but it's so ironic because I did the same thing. I ruined my relationship with Eijun because Furuya looked more desirable at the time.

"I left Eijun in the dark with a smile on my face and thought it was fine because he put his faith in me. My mom and I are both monsters and I'll always follow in her footsteps because that's how much of a weakling I am. You're right—Eijun will never forgive me and I won't blame him. What do you suggest I do, Mei?"

"Break the cycle," Mei said.

He grunted as he got to his feet, jamming his hands in his sweater pockets. A faint smile crept onto his lips as he watched the group of kids play around in the water shooting from the sprinklers. They were happy, an emotion he envied.

"You can change, Kazuya," he continued. "You don't have to walk her path. Deviate and forge your own. You're you and nothing can change that. Sure, your mind is in the gutter, and it might take you a while to recover, but make Furuya your priority. N-Not that I'm telling you to go and like him or anything! Just…if you two are really planning on keeping the child…being by his side would benefit him a lot."

'Break the cycle…can I do that?' Miyuki thought.

He too got up, swatted away any grass from the back of his shorts, and wiped his face one last time to erase any evidence of tear-shed. He hated being weak and therefore always switched on his infamous facade of acting unfazed and unbothered, which worked swimmingly well for the majority of his life, but now it was starting to wear down.

His facade was crumbling at the edges, and he couldn't keep it up anymore.

"You've changed," he said.

"I've changed? How?"

"I said that I was single and I expected you to jump all over me and not bother hearing the rest of my story."

"I figured something was wrong with you, so I controlled myself and listened. I care about your feelings, Kazuya. I would never take advantage of you."

"So you don't hate me for doing what I did? I've technically betrayed your trust as well."

Mei hummed as he made his way down the hill, "Can't say. Hate is a strong word, but I would say I'm shocked with a healthy dash of sadness." 'Hah, what am I saying? I can't even tell him what I really mean. Masa-san was right. I truly am whipped…he could do something even worse than this and I'd still get weak knees around him.'

"Fair enough," Miyuki said as he followed after him, "Also, don't share this news with anyone. No one else knows except…well, everyone at Seido knows that Furuya's pregnant, but only a handful know that I'm the father. I'd like to keep it that way."

"Whatever makes you happy. Say, why don't we walk around the city and grab some food afterwards? This is a date, remember?"

Miyuki rolled his eyes as they walked towards the exit of the park. "Whatever makes you happy," he mocked, "And let me guess, being in a shitty mood doesn't exempt me from paying?"

"We'll go half this time—wait, what are you doing?!" Mei gasped as the bespectacled teen suddenly pulled him to a halt, their bodies no more than a few inches apart, "Y-You're too close!"

Miyuki patted the blonde's hair, a genuine smile growing on his face, "Mei."

"Wh-What?!"

"Thank you."

Mei blushed, his heart skipping a beat at the two words he had never prepared himself to hear. It was strange but nice, and he would remember it for as long as he loved Miyuki.

He smiled.

"You're welcome, Kazuya."