Sawamura Eijun had completely crashed late that night.

Being a university student was tough, especially with his procrastinating work ethic. On a typical weeknight he'd be putting off his assignments, prioritizing playing baseball and constantly being on the field, only to leave them for last minute. So with all the finals he had to take, he was unusually fired up and focused on his studies—all week he'd pulled one all-nighter after another.

The day of finals eventually came, and Sawamura pulled out all the stops. He went home exhausted, and he'd gone straight to bed, physically and mentally drained, unable to think about anything else, or even just think at all. The softness of the bed on which he lay was all that mattered now. Before he realized it, it was already early next morning. Slight beams of sun made their way past the curtain-covered windows, into the dimly-lit room and shone on his tired face. It was already 12 PM.

The boy awoke, startling himself, reminded of the early game being held that morning. Sawamura stumbled to get ready and headed out the front door. He took the train at the nearest station to the stadium.

He ran through the entrance, past the crowds of people, and into the stadium that overlooked the great field. The nostalgic scent of the very mound that he loved floated through the air. The green of the well-maintained grass of the diamond reflected in the sunlight, a calmness that contrasted the players standing on the field, each of them filled with tension that showed on their faces. The stadium was lively and filled to the brim with people who couldn't miss a showdown between two major powerhouses.

Instead of sitting amongst the bleachers, he hurriedly approached the guard rail from which the whole field could be seen. It was there that he saw him, standing at the batter's box, holding the bat in all his arrogant glory. The catcher who commanded everyone's presence. The person Sawamura looked up to and loved more than anything—Miyuki Kazuya.

Surveying the current situation on the field, it was the bottom of the 9th, with Miyuki's team on the offensive. The opposing team was leading 5-4, and Miyuki was up to bat 4th cleanup. There were 2 outs, with runners on 2nd and 3rd—it was an opportunity that they couldn't squander.

The pitcher threw a sinker to the outside corner, but Miyuki, sharp as ever, saw through their tricks. He swung thoroughly, and the ball went far. It went far, though it wasn't the walk-off home run they were expecting—it was a long fly-ball into the outfield.

But luck was on their side that day. The fielder made an error, fumbling the ball, and the ball hit the ground, allowing the runners on 2nd and 3rd to score. Miyuki made his way around the bases and was outed before he could reach home plate, but they'd led by 6-5.

It was their win.

The players ran towards the batter's box; they huddled and cheered, celebrating their victory. Miyuki, at the center of it all, scanned the bleachers to see a cheering and shouting Sawamura looking idiotic as usual, but endearing nonetheless.

Sawamura entered the locker room to find Miyuki in the middle of changing.

"Congratulations on the win, Miyuki!" he exclaimed with a wide smile stretched across his face. He approached Miyuki and handed him a cold water bottle.

"Thanks," Miyuki replied, still trying to catch his breath in a seeming haze. He drank a few gulps before placing it on the bench. He could still feel the adrenaline and exhilaration from being on the field. Miyuki took off his uniform, revealing the rest of the undershirt that outlined his toned body.

Sawamura couldn't help but look on in curiosity. He loved every aspect of this man. Miyuki brought out the best in him, on and off the field. His amazing instincts for the game was an ability he deeply respected, and although his personality was rotten, he loved it anyway—something he kept to himself. Sawamura enjoyed having formed a battery with him all throughout high school, and now hoped to go pro after graduating in order to play on the same field again.

Miyuki slicked back his brown hair and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Sawamura stole a few glances here and there, but for the most part looked away so as not to make it too obvious. On top of his already handsome face, he had such a well-built physique—somehow it felt totally unfair. Miyuki was too attractive for his own good, he thought.

But Sawamura, the airhead that he was, made his staring completely obvious anyway. Miyuki tried to hide his amusement. He removed his undershirt, reached into his bag, and put on a casual black t-shirt. "If you're so eager to watch me change, at least make it less obvious," he teased, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Let's go, idiot."

"D-don't call me an idiot!" cried Sawamura, perturbed and red in the face.

They left the lockers and made their way towards the stadium exit.

"Did you see my winning hit? I'm quite amazing, aren't I?" Miyuki jokingly proclaimed.

"Heh, don't get ahead of yourself! That definitely could have been a home run, not to mention, you were outed!" Each word pierced like daggers through his chest.

"You sure know how to lay it all out, Bakamura. Why don't you try hitting one like that once in a while?" the catcher teasingly countered.

"I get hits in! ...every once in a while," the pitcher gruffed. "I'll show you, I still have a lot of growing to do! Oshi oshi oshi!"

"Oi, keep it down." He chuckled, and hung his arm around Sawamura's shoulders.

The two bickered and teased constantly the whole way back home, their humble apartment, one that was neither too cramped nor spacious, and not too far from Sawamura's university and the station. On the way back they visited the nearby convenience store to buy ingredients for dinner.

Before Sawamura was the dinner table, on which sat a plate of fresh chicken katsu curry, one of his many favorite dishes. Normally Miyuki decided what they usually ate for dinner, but he indulged him and his dinner request just for tonight—they did win today's game after all.

The breaded slices of chicken sat atop the savory curry sauce that enveloped the rice, surrounded by small chunks of potatoes. Freshly cooked and steaming hot, the aroma of the simple, yet exquisite dinner permeated the air. His star-studded eyes couldn't conceal his desire to dig in.

"Itadakimasu!" Upon the first spoonful of curry, he froze for a moment. A single, comical tear streamed down his face. "This is...HEAVEN! I must give my compliments to the chef!"

Miyuki chuckled. "I'm glad you like it." Leaning on the table, he rested his chin atop his hand and stared at Sawamura, who savored every bite of his dinner. Lost in his gaze, he observed him. All the lines and shadows that detailed his face. The deep brown of his eyes that he often found himself lost in. The disheveled brown hair that protruded in different directions, just beckoning to be ruffled. The air of joy and elation that surrounded the pitcher, just like it always had.

It all took him back to the days when he'd been in a battery with Sawamura, when he'd squat at the catcher's box, and Sawamura would stand across from him, on the mound on which he belonged. The exhilarating feeling that ran through his body as they locked eyes, when nothing else mattered but them. He reminisced the different emotions that shone on his face then—from his serious, captivating eyes that reflected the sun and briefly possessed a tint of gold as he winded up for the next pitch, to the air of cheeriness and encouragement he'd emit from the mound that would relieve his teammates of the tension in the air, just like a true ace did. And his smile—oh, that wonderful, blinding smile.

He truly was the embodiment of sunshine.

Baseball brought them together, and he couldn't be any more grateful; so he longed for the day he could be on the same field again, with him. Of course, living with Sawamura now, he still did catch for him often, helping him to hone his pitches, sometimes at the local park and other times on the field behind their apartment. But he held on to hope — no — he was certain those days would come again, that their time would come again; as partners on the field; as the best battery.

Even so, the time that they spent together now was just as precious.

Sawamura caught him staring. "...what? Is there something on my face?"

Registering the boy's voice, he returned to his senses, and the flustered Miyuki turned away to hide his now-red face. "No, it's nothing."

The sun was beginning to set, and the vast sky emanated hues of reds and oranges. From the window, the colors filled the room and lingered on Sawamura's profile. It was like a scene from a wonderful dream. Miyuki couldn't help but stare whenever he did. The person who sat before him now—he loved him so much.

"So, Miyuki, how is it? Being in the pro-leagues and all," Sawamura asked as he ate his dinner.

He pondered. "Hmm..if I were to describe it in one word, interesting. There are a lot of strong teams to face, and I get to form batteries with all kinds of pitchers. The variety in players makes game-calling all the more interesting."

"But the most unforgettable pitcher would have to be, yours truly, the Ace, Sawamura Eijun!" he proudly proclaimed, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yes, yes, of course, Ace-kun," the catcher replied in a jokingly dismissive manner, cutting up the large slice of breaded chicken on his plate into smaller pieces. "Of course, I'm still in the second-string as of now. But I'll make it to first-string eventually."

"I can't faw behind, 'an I? I'll be going pwo next year too, so be sure to 'atch my pitches then, Miyuki Kazuya!"

"Then you better pass your exams!" Miyuki chided. "And don't talk with food in your mouth!"

Sawamura obediently swallowed his food before continuing. "Don't underestimate my grades this semester! I've been pulling late-nighters all week, so it should be okay!"

"Speaking of which, your semester finals were yesterday, right? I'm surprised you managed to make it to my game today."

He briefly hesitated. "Ah, about that...when I got home from my finals yesterday evening, I completely crashed. I slept until the morning, and I actually woke up pretty late. I only managed to catch the last inning of your game, even though I promised I'd be there for the whole thing. Sorry." He looked down at the table, regretful.

In response to his now dismal expression, Miyuki stood up from his chair across the dinner table, and motioned towards Sawamura. He leaned down to him, brushed his bangs up with his hand, and gently gave him a kiss on his forehead.

"It's fine, you've worked hard. You must've been tired, and you needed the sleep. Still, thanks for coming to my game."

Surprised by the kiss, his expression returned to his usual smile—the one that made Miyuki's every day.

"Of course!"

The two finished their dinner just as the sky grew darker and darker and night began to settle in. Sawamura leaned on the side of the bed, tightly clinging to a pillow as he let out a long sigh.

"Ahh, we don't get to spend as much time together lately. You haven't been catching my pitches either," the dramatic Sawamura continued on his nonsensical tangent. "Just our luck; curse this untimely fate! Have the baseball gods forsaken us?!"

"What are you saying? Calm down," Miyuki laughed. "We're spending time together now, aren't we?"

"We are, but—" He mumbled and grumbled on by himself.

Miyuki sat up to face the Sawamura whose back was turned away. He wrapped his arms around him, and, resting his chin atop his soft, brown, ruffled hair, hugged him from behind. "It might not be much, but I'm having fun tonight. I needed to have my fill of teasing you, y'know?" he laughed again.

Miyuki got just the reaction he expected. Sawamura's face perked up into the cat-like expression that always gave him a good kick. But seeing Miyuki laugh, Sawamura could never stay angry at him. His closeness engulfed him in warmth. It felt like he could stay in that moment for eternity.

The two watched a movie to close out the night. A horror movie was just right for the occasion. At first Miyuki worried, knowing that Sawamura didn't do well with the horror genre, but Sawamura relented for this one night, for both of them looked forward to any shenanigans that would ensue during the movie itself.

And shenanigans did indeed, ensue. The movie went on, one jumpscare after another. Sawamura let out frequent yelps of terror, and even hid behind Miyuki, much to his amusement. At one point, a jumpscare frightened Sawamura enough to make him crush the bag of popcorn in his hands, making a mess everywhere—notably on his lap, and on Miyuki's head. Sawamura panicked, and that made Miyuki laugh up a storm. Although it seemed like Miyuki was the only one having fun, to Sawamura, seeing him laugh meant the world to him.

But as the movie neared its end, Sawamura had fallen asleep, his head resting on Miyuki's shoulder. Miyuki didn't want to move and risk waking him up, so he remained there on the couch, motionless. The warmth, their proximity—it was the best feeling ever.

Miyuki somehow knew he wouldn't last. For him to fall asleep in the middle of a movie, he must have been really worn out. Finals took everything out of him, and yet he still went out of his way to watch the game today and cheer him on. All he could think of was how grateful he was to have fallen in love with such a wonderful person.

"Miyuki...I'll make you acknowledge me..." Sawamura mumbled in his sleep.

There it was again. It was always the little things that couldn't help but make Miyuki smile. Sawamura...like his unpredictable pitches, from everything he said, to everything he did, always managed to be beyond anything even Miyuki could predict.

He was the curveball he didn't expect, yet everything he longed for; the spark in his life that gave the world color.

You're like the sun, you know that? You shine so brightly, that sometimes I have to look away. You want me to acknowledge you, when I already have...for quite some time now, too. You really are amazing.

Of course, Miyuki wouldn't say such words to him awake, lest he'd feed more of his ego's limitless confidence. His words would remain a secret, known only by himself and the dark of the tranquil night.

It'd been a while since the last time they did something like this. The two lived together upon Sawamura entering college, but recently, with all their responsibilities and busy schedules, they could hardly ever make time for one another. While one of them was home, the other would be out.

But not today.

Miyuki turned to kiss the sleeping Sawamura on his head once more.

"We ought to cherish the short times we have...just the two of us." He rested his head atop Sawamura's, and the warmth of his close being widened the grin already on his face, as he slowly fell into slumber.

fin.

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Author's reflections—

"This is actually my first time writing a proper story/fic—I love these two idiots so much, so writing a story about them was totally worth it!

You may have noticed while reading, my frequent use of moments and the boys looking at each other. Regarding the latter, I found it was a good chance to portray their perspective on one another; that and the fact that they couldn't help but admirably look at the one they love! And moments—the feeling of just wanting to stay in a moment of closeness with someone dear for eternity—now that's bliss.

I'm also a sucker for overly dramatic descriptions, because who doesn't love those.

I feel like these are things I would do/cherish if I were in a relationship, so don't mind me living vicariously through them lol~

Hope you enjoyed! And chicken katsu curry FTW!"

#teamkaraage