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When Miyuki started to check on his phone -about 90% of the time- Kuramochi could easily tell that something had changed. As a mater of fact, anyone could tell something had changed. It wasn’t just the whole “phone-checking” phase, but the face he made while going through the messages. For Kuramochi, so used to snickers and his wicked tongue, those blushes and shy smiles were refreshing as an ice cream on summer.
The rumor of “he is finally dating someone!” started to run quickly, followed by the disappointment of most of the girls in the school and the disbelief of the guys on the same class.
“Is it true?” leaning towards Miyuki, hands on his pockets, looking carefree and indifferent, Kuramochi was the first one who actually bothered to ask.
Miyuki lifted his gaze of the phone and looked at Kuramochi with bright eyes; he scratched the back of his head with a smile fluttering on his lips.
Kuramochi didn’t have to ask again.
The third year’s graduation was considered one of the most important moments for Seidou baseball club. It was always hard to say goodbye, even if it wasn’t forever. That’s why that year, the graduation ceremony ended with a bunch of athletic guys, crimson cheeks and bright eyes, laughing and sobbing under a light rain of cherry blossoms.
As anyone could expect, Miyuki didn’t shed a single tear. Cold head inside and outise the field, he kept the composure, even taking the time to say a few words to their beloved senpais, wishing them good luck in the future.
When, after the ceremony, Miyuki suddenly disappeared, everyone just decided to ignore it, giving the captain enough time to say good bye to the person he admired the most. It wasn’t a secret how Miyuki felt, at least for the third years, who managed to distract their kouhais while the captain was absent. Feeling his throat dry, Kuramochi went for a drink and accidently came across Miyuki, who was hiding behind a pillar with a certain someone. Kuramochi found himself holding his breath while eavesdropping, squinting his eyes:
“…you won’t get rid of me easily.” On Miyuki’s mouth, it sounded as a sweet menace, but it was a promise that brought a smile on the older one’s face. Kuramochi saw Miyuki standing on the tip of his feet, clenching his hands on the white shirt, tilting his head as he closed his eyes and parted his cherry pink lips.
By the moment Miyuki was back, he had a cheesy smile and a clenched fist. Everyone wondered how it was possible for him to smile like that in such a sad day.
Only Kuramochi knew.
“No phones allowed!” Kuramochi shout from behind, making the rest of the team burst into laughter.
It became usual to see Miyuki with the phone on his hand, as he was expecting something. After the usual buzz on his pocket, the captain would reach his phone and answer right away, as if his life was on the line. It was inevitable that his friends would mess with him, throwing clever commentaries like “got a jealous girlfriend?” “Shouldn’t we ban phones from baseball practices?” just to make him nervous.
Miyuki blushed -he actually blushed- and stuck his phone on the pocket. Turning to his team, he fixed his jacket and shouted with a powerful voice:
“Let’s start running!”
Long distance relationships seem hard and Kuramochi felt blissful for not having to deal with one. It was enough for him to deal with his very own unrequited love.
“I’m not mad… I know you got a busy agenda…”
Kuramochi looked down at Miyuki, who was sitting on the stairs outside the ground. The jacket barely kept him warm, not at that time in the morning, but he didn’t say a word. Miyuki kept talking, even when it was cold and his breath came out of his mouth as steam, holding the phone like it was a very precious treasure so frail it could break if it slid through his fingers. Kuramochi knew what he treasured wasn’t the cheap phone but the delicate button hanging as a strap.
They usually texted each other during the day, but calls and real conversations were only possible at that time. In America was probably afternoon by that time and that’s why Miyuki had to wake up at 2:00 am, just to answer.
Miyuki used to sneak away from the dorms to talk. It didn’t matter how tired he was, he always answered, even when he ended up showing at classes with bags under his eyes or yawning during the trainings.
“Take care and don’t hesitate to call me, anytime it’s ok.” Miyuki lifted his gaze at Kuramochi, lips curving into a tired smile. “Me too, senpai…” He mouthed, before hanging and letting his head fall between his knees. Miyuki sighed loudly and then stood up, stretching his arms over his head and turning to face Kuramochi. “Thanks for watching over.”
“I don’t mind.” Kuramochi shrugged off "Is worse if someone catches you outside at this time, we can’t let the captain get in troubles."
Wrapping his arm around Kuramochi’s neck and pulling him closeto him to rub his cheek against his, Miyuki whispered on his ear.
“You are my knight in a shiny armor, Youichi.” The warm breath caressed the sking of his ears, making the blood rush to his cheeks.
“Shut up or I’ll punch that face of yours!”
He wondered how he could be so stupid to go out in the middle of the night, shrinking on his jacket, shivering as he saw Miyuki yearning over someone who wasn’t him.
Miyuki smiled and Kuramochi snorted, his face flushed and the arm still around his shoulders. It didn’t matter how cold was at that time, Miyuki always found a way to keep him warm.
There was one night he didn’t call at all. Kuramochi could tell without a doubt that was the longest night for Miyuki.
They sat on the stairs near to the ground, side by side, Miyuki leaning his head on his shoulder as he held the phone with a languid hand. As comfortable as he was, Kuramochi realized it was meaningless to keep waiting on the cold. That guy wouldn't call that night. And still, Miyuki gave no signal of wanting to go back to his room.
Looking down at Miyuki, his eyes hid under thick eyelashes, Kuramochi called his name. When Miyuki didn't answered he tried again, this time settling a hand on his shoulder. Miyuki startled, eyelashes fluttering and suddenly meeting Kuramochi's eyes. The catcher blurted an apologize and ran a hand through his face, trying to pull a smile.
“Did you say something?”
Kuramochi bit his lip, lowering his gaze. He clenched his fists, searching for the right words:
“How…?”
How long are you planning to wait? How long are you going to stay like this? How long are you going to wait for him? How long this love will last?
Miyuki tilted his head, resting his crimson cheek on the palm of his hand, looking at him with half lidded eyes.
"How what?" He mouthed, hazel irises glistening despite the darkness of the night.
“H-How far is America from Japan?” Kuramochi asked, his face heating up. I’m so stupid.
Miyuki blinked and then laughed, slamming his thighs as Kuramochi glared at him.
“If I recall correctly..." He pursed his lips, peering up, calculating. "About 10162 km.”
His hands gripped on his knees, jealously swirling on his stomach as a dangerous snake. He had to bit his lip, scared of saying something hurtful that he would later regret.
Idiot.
“That’s not a problem.” Miyuki added, catching Kuramochi's attention. He looked at his friend, hope sparking on his eyes "You know what they said… The red string of fate can stretch and tangled, it won’t break.”
Something really interesting about the whole situation was how Miyuki’s face would lit after reading one of those texts he used to get during the day. Kuramochi also noticed how, over the time and as the seasons change, the phone started to buzz less and less and Miyuki got more and more gloomy.
The calls that, at the beginning, were made every day started to be made just three times on a week. The texts that Miyuki usually got two or three times during the day became -if he was lucky- a single long text on weekends.
Kuramochi wondered what would happen with Miyuki once the phone stops buzzing.
When a heavy rain started to fall, the last thing Kuramochi expected was to find Miyuki at the baseball ground, on his knees, groping the dirtty with his hands as he desperately seem to search for something.
“What are you doing?!” he shouted when he reach Miyuki.
“I lost it… I--” Miyuki looked up, pale and shivering, soaked from head to toe. His pupils trembled as much as his hands and the drops of waters run on his cheeks as tears. “--The phone strap, it fell, I have to find it, I have to--!“
Kuramochi ooked at Miyuki as he didn’t know him, because that person, that hopeless person kneeling on the field, with brushed hands and dirty knees, couldn’t be Miyuki.
He couldn't help to wonder if love was worth that much, to lose himself and his pride.
He got on his knees and settled a hand on Miyuki’s shoulder, squeezing hard as he spoke, darkened eyes looking at the emotional mess Miyuki was in that moment.
“We are going to find it.”
Widened eyes, Miyuki stared at him, clenching his fists. His body stopped trembling and he managed to smiled shyly.
As Kuramochi joined Miyuki on the search, he realized he was as hopeless as Miyuki.
Miyuki didn’t even bother to turn on the lights as he entered his own room. His bare feet let a wet trail of footprints on the floor as he reached the bed, where he sat. The mattress sunk under his weight, sheets getting wet.
“You idiot…” Kuramochi drop a towel on Miyuki’s head and proceeded to dry his hair because Miyuki had no intention to do it. He wasn’t even looking at him, staring at his feet. “If you catch a cold we are going to have problems.”
“I won’t get sick. I' m not that weak.” Miyuki whispered.
After an hour of looking, they found nothing. Kuramochi had to drag Miyuki back to the dorms because he refused to leave until he found the phone strap.
“He gave that to me, how could I lose it?” Miyuki said, nails sinking on his knees. Kuramochi pursed his lip and got on one knee, taking Miyuki’s face between his hands, forcing him to look at him in the eye. He wanted to call him a stupid, tell him how pointless was to get all worked up over that kind of stuff, tell him to just break with that guy and find someone else to fall in love, someone who didn’t call him just twice on a week and who actually answered his texts, someone who wasn’t a thousand of kilometers far away and who could promise him to stay with him. Because Kuramochi knew, deep down, Miyuki promised to wait, but that person never promised to come back.
Kuramochi wanted to say a a lot of cruel things but before he could, Miyuki dared to smile.
“Thank you for your help…” Miyuki looked at him through his glasses, big shiny eyes staring at his friend. “I’m so sorry...”
Kuramochi swore under his breath, grabbing Miyuki’s shirt and pulling him close, their mounths clashing. Miyuki didn’t react until Kuramochi bit his lips and pushed him down the bed, straddling his hips.
“K-uramochi, wait--” Miyuki called with a hoarse voice, trying to sit on the mattress as Kuramochi took his shirt by the hem and pulled over his head in a fast mottion. Miyuki held his breath, staring at the naked chest, the skin tan over lean muscle. He parted his lip before Kuramochi slammed his mouth against his a second time. Kuramochi knew he was taking advantage of Miyuki, that those kisses were stolen, that his heart belonged to another person and just because he managed to take off Miyuki’s clothes and part his legs, that didn’t mean his love was requited.
Kuramochi pushed up the back of Miyuki’s knees and rocked his hips, making the captain moan loudly, curl his toes and throw his head back. He ignored the fact that, definitely, that wasn’t Miyuki’s first time, that Miyuki knew how to move his hips to give him pleasure, that Miyuki knew the pain of a penetration and the pleasure of having someone hitting that sensible spot inside him.
And when the phone started to buzz, Kuramochi didn’t stop, even when Miyuki asked him to pull out because he was calling. Kuramochi pushed harder and faster, making the mattress creak and the whole bed tremble as Miyuki rolled his eyes, his nails scratching down the skin of his arms, leaving a trail of pink marks over his skin. With the energy of a first timer, Kuramochi jerked his hips on an unsteady rhythm, enjoying the expressions Miyuki made, trying to remember which places made Miyuki cried loud and call his name with a high pitched voice. He didn’t give Miyuki a chance to stop him, shutting him with wet, sloopy kisses, until there was a thin thread of saliva joining his mouths when they parted.
Kuramochi finished way faster than Miyuki but didn’t stop jerking his hips until Miyuki came too, splurting over his stomach.
Trembling, his arms failed and he fell above Miyuki’s body, hiding his face on Miyuki's shoulders. Heart pounding on his ears and a delicious Kuramochi felt he could stay like that forever, just the both of them, a mess of tangled limps and aching bodies covered in a thin layer of sweat.
"...Pull out," A hoarse voice asked, a voiced that belong to the body beneath him "please."
Kuramochi felt his heart sinking on his stomach. He apologized and rolled over, lying next to Miyuki, missing the warm of his body. Silence fell avoce them, and as Kuramochi expected the captain to punch him or kick him out of the bed, he fell asleep, listening to Miyuki’s breathing.
The sound of Miyuki’s voice woke him up early in the morning. The first thing his eyes saw was the slender back, bathed by the orange sunlight that entered through the curtains, trembling as he talked, holding the phone next to his ear. Kuramochi stared at him, realizing how far he was and how closed those two actually were. Those kilometers were nothing compared to the distance between Miyuki and him. It didn’t matter that he could reach his back just by extending his hand or that he came inside him, because Miyuki wasn’t there, with him. His mind and heart were far, far away… 10162 km to be precise.
The last thing Kuramochi heard before leaving the room in silence, was Miyuki’s nasal voice apologizing again and again, not for cheating, but for losing the phone strap.
Needless to say, after leaving Miyuki’s room that day, Kuramochi didn’t have the courage to look at him in the eye. The time passed by with the usual rainy days, the phone checking at classes and tired eyes looking through the windows. Sometimes, he felt his gaze over him, but whenhe tried to meet his eyes, Miyuki would look away.
As he waited for the sun to rise, Kuramochi found himself spending the mornings on the ground, running around the diamond.
Miyuki didn’t know how "into running" Kuramochi was, until he entered his room without knocking on an especially rainy day.
Widened eyes, Miyuki rose from the bed, getting on his feet as he looked for a towel.
“Just what are you doing?” He asked, rushing to help Kuramochi to dry his hair. “Don't tell me... have you been running with this weather?”
Face covered in dirt, Kuramochi stepped inside the room as Miyuki backed off.
“Give me your hand!” He asked, with his fists strongly clenched. Drops of water slide down his hair, dampening his clothes, a small pool forming around his feet.
The captain blinked, puffy red eyes staring at a breathless Kuramochi. He did as he wa told and his friend opened his fist above Miyuki’s hand, the phone strap slowly falling. Miyuki held his breath, quivering irises focused on the small bottom. He closed his fist, bringing it close to his chest, as he was scared of losing it again. When he lifted his gaze, his eyes sparkled with something Kuramochi couldn't name.
“Thank you…” Nasal voice and eyes dampened with tears, Miyuki finally smiled like he hadn't done in weeks.
Kuramochi fell for Miyuki, again.
Kuramochi never had the chance to see Miyuki crying. He clearly remembered the match with Inashiro, the bitter defeat and Miyuki refusing to cry. He also recalled the graduation ceremony and how Miyuki’s voice didn’t shatter while saying goodbye to his beloved senpais. There were times when he actually questioned Miyuki's ability to show his emotions.
That's why when he found Miyuki sitting on the bench, holding the phone next to his eyes as the tears rolled down his cheeks, rage pulsed on his core, blood boiling with rage at the image. He cut the distance between them and snatched the phone away from Miyuki's hands.
“Stop!” he shouted on the phone, high enough so the whole school could hear, high enough so Miyuki wouldn’t forget. “Stop calling, stop playing with him, get out of his life!” Kuramochi shoved a hand on his face, unable to hold his voice. “If you can’t be with him leave him alone, let him be with-” Kuramochi shut, biting his tongue. His face grew redder and redder. “Let him be with me!”
A hand on his face shut him and then he realized it was Miyuki and realized he was also crying and he just dropped the phone and wrapped his arms around Miyuki, pulling him closer, squeezing his boody tightly . They hugged until Miyuki told him he couldn’t breathe and Kuramochi shut him, too scared of letting him go, because he couldn’t let Miyuki go and lost himself again.
Just when he calmed down, Miyuki gently pushed Kuramochi away to cup his face between his hands. The wet trail of tears on his cheeks made him insecure, but Miyuki wasn’t laughing at him.
“Give me a break, won’t you?” Miyuki asked, wiping the tears off his eyes. “I already broke up with him, Kuramochi.”
Jaw dropping, Kuramochi paled, blinked repeatedly.
“W-What? When?”
“When you took the phone away the call was already over.” He confessed, taking his seat again on the bench. “It was going to surprise you… and you ruined it.” He chuckled.
Kuramochi tried to process everything but couldn’t do it fast enough. And before he could say something, Miyuki was speaking again. “I knew he wouldn’t come back….” Miyuki shuddered, running a hand over his eyes. He then laughed. “He won’t come back. I-” Miyuki threw his head back and took a sharp breath “-I told him I’ll wait because-” He cleared his throat. “--I thought he would come back; but, he never promised me to come back. It wasn’t his fault, you know… I forced him into this relationship…”
“You didn’t force anyone!” Kuramochi shouted, tired of listening Miyuki blaming himself over every single mistake on that relationship.
“I did, I was really stubborn and never accepted a no.” Miyuki confessed, glancing with playful eyes at Kuramochi. “Even when we slept together it was because I insisted so much.”
Kuramochi flushed and looked away, listening to Miyuki’s light laugh.
“Don’t have to tell me that.” The whole idea was bitter enough to make him frown.
“Well, at least it’s going to be different with you.” Miyuki said. “I won’t need to force you to sleep with me… since you want to be with me so badly".
“¡S-Shut up!” Kuramochi said, blushing fiercely as he shoved his knuckles on Miyuki’s head. “W-Why do you think that?
“You fuck me even when I was dating someone!” Miyuki poked, his hard words sticking on Kuramochi’s heart. “That’s not very nice, you know?”
“D-Don’t try to blame me!” he cried, embarrassed. He wanted to forget about that but also couldn’t -and deep down, he treasured that memory-.
“I’m not blaming you, I’m glad you like me…” Miyuki confessed, peering up at Kuramochi. “Do you like me, right?”
Kuramochi bit his lip, narrowing his eyes. He realized he never confessed his feelings and those were Miyuki’s assumptions so it was normal that he got his doubts. He never though he could confess, so he wasn’t even sure of what to say. It was as wanting something so badly for so long but actually never picturing getting it.
Wanting to do things right, Kuramochi decided it was better to make it as clear as he could. He took a deep breath and sat next to Miyuki.
“I can run.” He started, without looking at the person next to him. "I ran a lot to get to the bases and I ran a lot to found that button you lost.” Kuramochi looked at the sky, realizing how clear it was at that time how they could actually see the sun. “So… 10162 km won’t be a problem for me, either.” He finished, glancing at Miyuki, realizing his face was red as a cherry. “M-Miyuki?”
“…you are so stupid.” He rustled, before closing his eyes and pressing his mouth against Kuramochi’s. They kiss long and soft, until their lips became swollen and both laughed at the tickling sensation on their mouths.
Before coming back to the rooms, Miyuki picked his phone up, saying how they should get matching phone straps.