A/N- Vagarius on tumblr asked: hi! i heard youre looking for (gakuen babysitters) fic prompts. what about something with baseball manager ryuuichi?

Angela on AO3 said: Well, about the idea of your next fic, actually I don't have a real idea, but if you can put a thought of ryuuichi about how cool hayato when he is playing baseball.

I hope ya'll don't mind me combining these two prompts! AU in which Ryuuichi unofficially joins the baseball club when Kamitani joins the babysitting club.

Ryuuichi glanced up at the clock on the far corner of the class and sighed. Another half an hour left in class. He had never been able to pay attention in chemistry. The various words and formulas always seemed to meld into one jumbled tongue twister, so he usually gave up on taking notes pretty early on in the class hour. He pulled out a highlighter and his other notebook, the blue one that closed with an elastic strap, and began to go over the team data for the month, making note of any drastic changes that had occurred in player skill and team strength. It was his favourite part of being the (sort-of) manager of the baseball team. He worked diligently, his tongue slightly visible from between his lips.

Something hit him on the side of his head, and he jumped in his seat. The culprit, a small crumpled ball of yellow paper, landed in the middle of his notebook, and Ryu quickly unravelled it, reading the note inside.

Pay attention in class.

He glanced around the class and noticed Kamitani watching him. When he caught his eye, he gestured towards the front of the room with his chin. Anyone else would have thought he was pissed judging by the severity of his expression, but Ryu could see the smile in his eyes that threatened to break out onto his face.

Ryu gave a quiet chuckle, tearing out his own sheet of paper and writing a response.

I'm doing this for you :P

He nervously peeked at Hebihara-sensei, making sure he was absorbed in drawing some molecular structure on the board. He lobbed the note at Kamitani, breathing a sigh of relief when it landed on the edge of his desk. He watched Kamitani read the note. His eyes scanned the scrap of paper, and his lips moved up in a smirk. Feeling accomplished, Ryu turned back to his figures, trying to ignore the way his heart skipped a beat.

XXX

The baseball field was filled with the sound of laughter, cicadas, and the tinny thwack of baseballs against the bat. Hayato tossed the ball in his hand up into the air, eyes tracking its movement, before reaching up to snatch it back. It hit his hand with a satisfying thump. Koushien season was coming up, and the entire team was practicing hard. Hayato himself was only taking a small break after pitching a hundred straight fastballs. He didn't really think they had a shot at making nationals but everyone was so pumped that he couldn't help getting fired up as well. At least a little. His eyes flicked over to where Kashima sat on the bench, eyes sparkling and blue notebook clutched in his hand as he watched them play. He wasn't the official manager, they didn't have one, but ever since Hayato had signed up for the babysitting club Kashima had spent any moment he could spare helping the baseball club by gathering their statistics, researching the other teams, and even occasionally bringing them snacks when he could.

Hayato felt a new presence to his left, and turned to see Takeda and Miyamori take a seat next to him, apparently already in the midst of a conversation.

"Yeah man, I joined thinkin all sports clubs had a cute girl manager. That was a total disappointment!" Takeda said, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair.

"Haha yeah, all we have is Kashima!" said Moriyama unscrewing the top of his water bottle.

Hayato felt a flash of irritation. Who were these two to talk down on Kashima just because he didn't meet their stupid, manga influenced fantasies? He did all the work of a manager on top of his schoolwork and the babysitting club, without even being an official member of the team. He clenched his fist.

"There's more to being a manager than wearing a short skirt and looking cute. Kashima seems to be doing fine." He growled at his teammates.

"Hey, relax Kamitani, I didn't mean anything by it!" said Miyamori, looking nervous. Takeda on the other hand shot him a mischievous grin.

"I think what Kamitani means is that he finds Kashima cute enough on his own."

Hayato made a frustrated noise. He grabbed his hat and stalked back to the pitcher's mound. He tossed and caught the ball, once, twice, preparing to practice curves, and willing the blush to fade from his cheeks.

XXX

Ryu enjoyed watching practice matches. Everyone moved with a sort of determined energy that never really seemed to surface during regular practices. Kamitani may call the team weak, but they really pulled themselves together in front of other schools. This particular match was hosted by Morinomiya Academy, which meant Usaida had brought the kids out from the day care to watch. Once Ryu had become the manager of team, this had become a common occurrence. The kids loved watching Kama-nii play, and they were allowed to stay as long as they didn't disturb the team.

The match was in the last inning, Morinomiya one point behind, two outs down, bases loaded, and Kamitani was at bat. He'd been the major reason the other team hadn't pulled too far ahead of theirs, his pitching having knocked out several of the opposing players before they could even get into the game. Ryu was almost literally at the edge of his seat.

Kamitani stood at the home plate, the end of his bat touching the sand. He stood tall, determination blazing in his eyes, tapping his bat on the ground a couple of times. He took a couple of practice swings, and Ryu could see tiny rivulets of sweat dripping down his temple. The pitcher wound up and let the ball fly. There was a thunderous crack and all four Morinomiya players were running. The ball jumped between the players of the opposing team, but always a split second too late. Kamitani slid past the home plate just before the catcher tapped him with the ball. Sato-sensei struck out next, but it didn't matter, they had won.

There was a moment of silence, before the team erupted into cheers, crowding around Kamitani and slapping him on the back. Their shouts were joined by the high pitched shrieks of the kids in the stands. Ryu let out a breath wasn't aware he was holding, and loosened his grip on his notebook. Despite not setting foot in the field, his face was flushed and his heart was thundering in his ears. He could just about make out Taka shouting about how cool his Aniki was, and Ryu couldn't help but agree. Kamitani caught his eye from the centre of the crowd and grinned at him. He felt his face grow warmer, but he beamed back. It was official. Kamitani was really, really cool.

XXX

Hayato was in the library searching the stacks for a book to help with the annoying paper he had to submit in English class. He'd just found something promising, when he heard a voice he knew coming from the group study tables. Peering around the shelves, he saw a familiar mop of reddish brown hair.

Kashima was sitting with Inomata, the two sharing her laptop, discussing something animatedly. They were sitting close enough that if either of them moved an inch inwards, they'd be touching shoulders. Their heads were bent over the something in front of the laptop screen, and they were murmuring just quietly enough that Hayato couldn't quite make out what they were saying. The sight caused an uneasy rolling in the pit of his stomach, and before he knew what he was doing, he strode over to them, leaning on the back of Kashima's chair.

"Hey."

He spoke a little louder than he intended to, and both their heads snapped up, smacking into each other in the process. Hayato winced. That was unintended. Kashima, realising who had spoken, shot him a grin, still rubbing the sore spot. Inomata looked annoyed, but no more than usual. In fact, neither of them looked particularly upset that he'd interrupted… actually he wasn't sure exactly what he had interrupted.

"What's up?" he asked, like he hadn't nearly concussed the two a split second ago.

"Inomata's been helping me transfer all the team data onto spreadsheets." Kashima said, gesturing to the notebook that was propped open in front of the laptop.

"It keeps everything more organized. Also Kashima was quite hopeless at it on his own." said Inomata fondly, or as fond as she ever got.

Oh. The ugly feeling in Hayato's chest settled.

"Can I help?" he asked. He wasn't an expert, but he could handle Excel well enough. Besides with the three of them working together, they might finish soon enough for him to get some help on that paper he was supposed to write.

Kashima patted the chair on his other side, and both he and Inomata moved over to accommodate him. As the three leaned over the laptop again, Kashima's shoulder brushed his, the warmth driving all thoughts of his English assignment from his head.

XXX

Ryu had just double checked and locked the equipment room and was heading over to the day care to pick up Kotarou, when he heard voices coming from the locker room. He sighed, knowing he should probably clear them out before leaving, just in case.

"Sorry Kotarou." He said quietly, knowing his little brother would be disappointed that he was late, before briskly walking in the direction of the locker room. He was just about to enter when he heard his name mentioned.

"…Kashima hasn't asked him yet?" that sounded like Watanabe-senpai.

"I mean if they are dating, I think it would be more obvious." came the muffled response. Ryu couldn't quite make out the voice, but the topic of conversation was already making his ears burn. Who on earth did the team think he was dating? He wasn't dating anyone!

"Please," and this was definitely Takeda "have you seen the way Kamitani looks at him? They definitely haven't started dating yet."

Kamitani? They thought he was dating Kamitani? Or at least they were considering the possibility. His cheeks flamed as a pair of blazing eyes and a lazy smirk popped into his head, and he blinked to clear the vision. There was no way Kamitani thought of him like that, was there? His heart sped up at the thought.

"Too bad." The mysterious voice was speaking again, he still couldn't quite figure out who it was. "They would make a good couple."

"Yeah"

"Agreed"

If Ryu thought his cheeks were flaming before, they were an inferno now. He ducked around the corner, leaning against the wall and taking deep breaths to try and get his face under control. He tried closing his eyes, but that only made him visualize the look of intense concentration on Kamitani's face when he'd helped out with the spreadsheets the other day. It wasn't exactly conducive to the exercise. Once he was sure he looked normal, he headed back to the locker room, and made sure to make enough noise that the gossiping trio knew he was coming in. He found Takeda and Watanabe-senpai sitting with the vice-captain, all three of them looking mildly guilty.

"Um, I'm sorry, but I need to lock up…" he said nervously, hoping that his face really had gone back to its normal complexion.

"Oh yeah, sorry Kashima" said the vice-captain "We'll clear out."

The three practically ran out of the door, and Ryu sank into one of the benches and buried his face in his hands. His brain immediately supplied him with the image of Kamitani in full gear standing ready at the pitcher's mound, and he groaned. He was so screwed.

XXX

The Koushien was just around the corner, and Hayato and the other members of the baseball team were gathered in the locker room looking at a somewhat nervous Kashima. He was toeing the ground with a gaggle of nursery kids, who could barely contain their excitement, standing in line behind him.

"So," he started hesitantly "I know the Koushien is coming up and you should be practicing, but the kids really wanted to do something to help, and well, Usaida thought it would be a good idea, so, um… here" He stuttered, herding the kids forward.

They ran towards the team, clutching several colourful bands in their pudgy hands. Even Midori was clutching one in her tiny fist, which she waved around from her spot in Kashima's arms. They stopped in front of them and held out their hands.

"Ni-chans! We made you m'sangas!" said Takuma, beaming.

"m'sangas!" repeated Kazuma shyly.

"Fow good luck!" exclaimed Kirin, waving hers' in the air. The other children nodded enthusiastically.

Hayato watched as some of his teammates turned red and tried to hide their pleased smiles, and others stuttered out their thanks. His little brother and his friends had become mascots of a kind among team, and as much as some of them tried to hide it, they were really fond of their chibi fan club. Hayato was 99% sure it was Kashima's doing. He felt a tug on his leg, and looked down to see Kotarou and Taka looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Aniki, Kota and I made one for you t'geter."

"Ung."

Hayato looked at the purple and yellow band they offered him. He could see where they had struggled, some of the braids too loose and others significantly tighter, indicating that either Usaida or Kashima had helped them. He could spot two places where the braid had been ripped out and redone… in the wrong colour. He took it carefully from Taka's hands and tied it around his wrist. Then he reached out and patted each boy on the head. Kotarou gave him pleased little smile and Taka turned red and ran to give his other misanga to Akaashi, overwhelmed by Hayato's sudden kindness. Kotarou toddled off behind him, and Hayato watched them leave, bemused, and oddly disappointed, as though he was waiting for a present from someone else as well.

Kashima clapped his hands. He had stepped back after helping Midori give her misanga to Miyamori, who had tied it to the silver chain he always wore around his neck. The baby had pitched a fit when Usaida had tried to make the band any bigger than the circumference of her own little arm, so it was the only place the charm would fit.

"Okay everyone," said Kashima with a slightly forced smile "the team has practice now, so say bye and run back outside, Usaida-san is waiting for you!"

With a chorus of bye-byes, the children made their way reluctantly out of the locker room.

"Sorry about that" said Kashima sheepishly, "but they really wanted to help."

The captain grinned at him. "No need to apologize!" he said with a laugh "Nothing like good luck charms from our number one fan club to keep our spirits up, right guys?"

There was a chorus of agreement from the team, and Kashima beamed at them, red-faced. The team soon finished getting ready and filed out of the room to begin practice. Hayato was following at leisurely pace in the back of the crowd, when he felt a hand grip his elbow. He turned to face Kashima.

"Um... can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." He said, motioning for Takeda and Miyamori to leave without him. The two shrugged at each other and did as he asked. "What's up?" he asked Kashima.

The other boy was picking at a thread on his sleeve, refusing to meet his eye, and Hayato could feel his heart beat faster. "The thing is," he said quietly, reaching into his pocket "I kinda had to learn how to make the misangas before I could teach the kids how to do it." He pulled out a braided band of earthy reds, dark green, mustard yellow, and brown, woven together in an intricate pattern. He offered it to Hayato.

"It feels right to give it to you. I know you don't believe in superstitions, but a little extra luck can't hurt, can it?" he asked, looking up at him through his eyelashes. Hayato swallowed heavily, and took the offered band. Kashima's courage seemed to fail him, and he looked away.

"Hey Kashima?" the boy's head whipped up to face him. Hayato swallowed again. "Can you tie it for me?" he asked, offering his wrist. Kamitani took the band, and tied it with trembling fingers above the one made by Taka and Kotarou.

"Hey Kashima?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

XXX

Ryu thought this first match of the qualifiers was going to actually kill him. Usaida had decided to bring the kids to the event, which meant that Ryu had to take on his duties as babysitter, rather than unofficial manager. He thought coach was going to cry when he told him he wouldn't be sitting on the bench. Between wrangling the children and the give and take of this match, Ryu's heart was constantly somewhere in the vicinity of his vocal chords.

The final inning had almost the reversed position from their practice match all those months ago. They were one point ahead, but the opposing team was at bat, bases loaded, team captain standing at the home plate. The man was built like a house, broad shoulders and strong stance. Ryu sent up a little prayer that this game ended favourably for Morinomiya Academy. It would hurt too much to have practiced so hard, only to fall in the first match.

Kamitani wound up, and let fly one of the fast balls he'd been working to perfect. There was a swish and thump as it landed solidly in Watanabe-senpai's catcher's mitt. Ryu let out a strangled cheer, hugging Kotarou, who had climbed into his lap, tightly to his chest. The opposing batsman shook himself, giving the bat a few practice swings and widening his stance. Kamitani went for another fastball, and this time it connected, only for it to fly off to the side. The Umpire called a foul and Ryu let out a sigh of relief. Kamitani on the pitcher's mound looked agitated, and then thoughtful. He closed his eyes, and Ryu could see him trying to control his breathing. When his eyes opened, they held the same determined look that had been haunting Ryu's dreams (and some of his waking thoughts as well). Ryu gasped in understanding, and crossed his fingers. After all, Kamitani had only been able to reliably throw a curveball two-thirds of the time in practice.

Please please please

Kamitani wound up, and the ball flew from his hands...

Please please please

It flew straight towards the batter, who adjusted his stance to take it head on...

Please please please

At the last moment it curved, just barely hitting the bat...

Please please please

It arced upwards and the players got ready to run…

Please please please

And it landed beautifully, right in the middle of Takeda's upturned mitt.

The Miyamori section of the stadium erupted into cheers, and out on the field the team had converged on Kamitani once more. The children were jumping and yelling around him, and Taka had pulled Kotarou into some kind of victory dance with him and Takuma, but Ryu only had eyes for the players on the field. Kamitani's eyes scanned the stands until he spot their rambunctious group. He caught Ryu's eye, and raised his hand in the air, and Ryu saw the two coloured bands still tied to his wrist. The rest of the team seemed to catch his drift, and one by one raised their arms in the air. Miyamori pulled out his chain and raised it as high as he could. The children babbled in excitement around him, and he could feel himself tear up as the team moved off of the field. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve before turning to Usaida.

"Usaida can you-"

"Yeah go get him, I've got it under control here." said Usaida with a knowing grin.

Ryu didn't need to be told twice, rushing towards the locker room. Coach was in the middle of his victory speech when he burst in, but he didn't care, heading straight for Kamitani, who was looking at him with his usual equanimity, but Ryu was willing to bet that the redness in his cheeks wasn't entirely due to the sun. He grabbed the other boy's shoulders and slammed their lips together, not caring that he had to stand on his toes to do so. There was a startled sound before Kamitani's hand moved to cradle the back of his head, and Ryu's arms moved from his shoulders to loosely circle his neck. They broke apart, but couldn't look away from each other, couldn't say a word.

The moment was broken by wolf-whistle, and Ryu turned red, suddenly registering what he'd done. The culprit of the whistle was obviously Sato-senpai, who winked at them. Ryu was pretty sure he saw Takeda and Miyamori exchange money ("Damn it, I was sure Kamitani was going to make the first move!"), and the rest of the team was grinning at them.

"So, um, congratulations." He said, his face a flame, but he couldn't help the grin that blossomed on his face "I'm so proud of all of you!"

There was scattered laughter, and the vice-captain raised his eyebrow "some of us more than others, huh?" Ryu wasn't sure if his face could get any redder, and even Kamitani's neck was flushed, although his lips were twitching. Coach sighed exasperatedly.

"As happy as we all are that you two finally sorted yourselves out, could you maybe do this later? We do have another match to prepare for, you know."

Ryu stuttered a quick apology, which probably wasn't very convincing considering he couldn't stop smiling and Kamitani still had his arm around his shoulders. He hurried out of the locker room to help Usaida with the kids, lost in his own thoughts.

They may win or lose the next match, and their Koushien dream may end here and now. They may head home in victory or defeat. But that could come later. And then there was him and Kamitani. The shy glances that become heated when they're alone? The hand holding, bashful interlocking of fingers? The chaste pecks that give way to kisses that would leave them gasping and panting? Those would come later too. Ryu felt his smile grow wider. "Later" had never been a more beautiful word.

A/N- Baseball manager Ryuuichi is a walking manga trope without even trying! So when it comes to sports anime, I've watched Free!, KNB, and Haikyuu!. None of those cover baseball, so please excuse my ignorance. In other news, I have officially become nocturnal now, send help. As usual I'm open to prompts. Find me on tumblr, I'm bards-against-hoomanity. I won't write anything that's ships an adult with a minor (I don't care what the age of consent is in Japan) or a similar age gap (i.e. teen with child), and I'm very uncomfortable writing smut, but anything else is good to go. Thank you all for being a wonderful audience, and if you want me to keep these shorter, just let me know, though I am trying!