Catcher and Pitcher: Fate

The Next Day - Sunday - 12:00 PM

"Bet it feels nice, huh? No one's been breathing down ya neck all day."

Out of Kuramochi's mouth came an awkward laugh, unsure if it was filled with surprise or relief.

"Yeah, that's for sure," he said as Jun walked up to him. "I wonder why the other students haven't been bothering me lately. Normally, I'd get questionable glances and prolonged stares. Is my delinquent aura finally doing its job? Is that what this is?"

"We can only wish," Tetsu said, appearing beside them, "but we decided to take matters into our own hands and did you some justice. You can rest easy now, Kuramochi. No one suspects you anymore."

Kuramochi gave the pair a confused look, wriggling his eyebrows. He knew something was up when he saw a group of students spread out in fear the day before. Jun had done something, or at least that's what his suspicions were telling him.

"Guys," he said warily, "Scratch that, Jun-san—yes, I'm talking to you specifically because I'm hoping Tetsu-san had absolutely nothing to do with this—what have you done?"

Jun turned his head and rubbed the end of his nose with his index finger, blinking rapidly, "I-I have no idea what you're talking about," he stammered. "Not like I threatened them with death if they kept pesterin' you."

"So it was you!" Kuramochi exclaimed, followed by a loud laugh.

"I felt obligated to put those little rats in their place! Ain't nothing wrong with that."

"Threatening people is illegal!"

"But it worked, right?" Tetsu placed a hand on Kuramochi's shoulder and squeezed it tightly.

The sun suddenly emerged from the clouds and shone through the window they were standing in front of. Its rays cast a golden light behind Tetsu, giving him the appearance of some heavenly figure.

"Everyone's still wondering who the father is," Tetsu continued, "but now you're off the hot seat and can return to normal life. Not like this entire situation could be considered normal, but you know what I mean."

Slowly, Kuramochi's jaw slackened as Tetsu's makeshift halo intensified, a strange warmth coursing through his body.

"God," he whispered, "is that you?"

--

12:15 PM

"We can't do this."

"We have no choice."

"How are we supposed to just tell him, Kataoka-san? We can't possibly hit Furuya with this bombshell. He was finally getting the hang of things…"

Kataoka grabbed his baseball cap and fixed it on his head, his calm eyes never leaving Rei's distressed ones.

"It can't be helped," he said with disappointment. "We did everything we could. We pleaded Furuya's case with so much passion and vigor, yet it wasn't enough to convince them. They make the rules and we have to abide by them. I wish there was more we could do, but they already established the circumstances for our next move."

Rei wiped her eyes behind her glasses, smudging her makeup in the process, "But…this isn't fair! Those ignorant men from the Board of Education couldn't wrap their heads around the concept of a male pregnancy and turned us away. They were yawning during our presentation; did you catch that? Did you see that? I refuse to accept that those soulless, saggy corpses are responsible for our students."

Kataoka sighed, "I understand what you're saying and I couldn't agree more. If we weren't in a professional setting at the time, the aftermath would have been…I won't say. What I will say is that we shouldn't give up hope. On the ride back from the meeting, I received an email and they've decided to give us some leniency."

"What do you mean? What did they say?"

"I'll let you know when we round up the team for a discussion. It's only right if everyone hears about this, not just Furuya and Miyuki."

"Alright."

"Here. Clean yourself up."

From his desk, Kataoka snatched a handful of tissue paper and offered them to Rei, who was somewhat draped over the couch, a position she found herself in after being unable to process the unbearable news.

Hesitant, Rei accepted the tissues with shaky hands and dried her face as Kataoka helped her up and led them out of the office.

'I can't fathom losing another student,' she thought. 'First Ryosuke, now Furuya…'

--

12:30 PM

Startled, Furuya pulled down his shirt as Haruichi entered his room with a tray of food.

"I understand that we're friends," he said, "but you could've at least knocked."

"I knocked three separate times and you still didn't answer, so I invited myself in." Haruichi kicked the door shut and set the tray of food down on an empty desk. "What were you doing just now?"

"Seeing if I was growing," Furuya said as he sat down, broke his chopsticks, and went to town on the crab omelet before him.

Morning sickness had rendered him bed-bound for the rest of the day, but he didn't mind it one bit. He used his condition to his advantage, sending people to fetch things for him, finding pleasure at the lengths they went to fulfill his every demand.

Haruichi snuck a piece of crab from his plate, twisting it between his fingertips, "Should you be eating that fast?" he asked. "You've been throwing up since early this morning."

Furuya drank some water before answering, swiftly hiding the fact that he was one bite away from choking.

"I'm starving and this seems to be the only thing I can hold down. I can't even stomach basic foods like vegetables."

"That's just because you never liked vegetables in the first place," Haruichi remarked as he rolled his eyes behind his bangs. He finally ate the piece of crab and seated himself on the carpeted floor.

"Anyways," he continued, "you shouldn't be so concerned about growing. If male pregnancies are similar to female ones, the bump will probably be noticeable around your twelfth week. Don't take my word for it, though. The science may be different somewhere and not everyone's bodies are the same."

Furuya turned around in his chair to face Haruichi. For the past few days, he'd been receiving random pieces of advice that miraculously helped him through his dreadful mornings. He was grateful to have someone so knowledgeable by his side because as much as he rambled on about raising his child on his own, it was a bold-faced lie.

He was terrified.

Would his family accept this?

Would he be able to carry the baby to term?

Would he—

"Hey, stop that."

Haruichi tugged on Furuya's pant leg, noticing that he was slipping into a panicked state, "Whatever you're thinking, stop it. It does you no good making yourself dizzy with negative thoughts. Your bump will show, you will give birth, you will be happy. Even if it's just me and Kuramochi-senpai…we'll see this to the very end. I promise."

Furuya could cry, but he wasn't going to.

He needed to be strong.

Instead, he nodded and went back to his food, oblivious of the chaos that was brewing in the distance, patiently waiting to unfold.

In the meantime, the duo sat in silence, wordlessly enjoying each other's company, until Haruichi's phone dinged. He slid it out of his pocket and looked at the message on his screen.

"Uh oh," he said, "Kataoka-san wants to meet all of us at the indoor practice field."

Furuya lowered his chopsticks from his lips. "When?"

"Immediately."

"But I'm not done eating…"

"Make it quick."

--

1:10 PM

"Why do you think the coach wants to see us?" Miyuki asked as he walked into the packed indoor field.

Kuramochi reluctantly made space for him and shrugged, "Beats me. If I had to guess, I'd say it's about getting back to practice. We've been off for days."

Miyuki frowned as he looked around the room but failed to meet the eyes of a certain someone, "Where's Eijun?"

"Couldn't get him out of bed. He's been laying there all day and I can only help but wonder whose fault it is…"

"Do you have to rub it in my face every time? I've done some reflecting and I acknowledge my wrongdoing."

"Never thought I'd hear those words come out of your shitty mouth. God truly is among us."

"My shitty mouth would like to have a conversation with Eijun, but I doubt you'd let me within ten feet of him. What are you, the sole member of the Eijun Defense League or something?"

"Let's save this discussion for another time," Kuramochi said.

A few minutes later, Furuya and Haruichi squeezed in next to them, and then the meeting commenced.

Kataoka cleared his throat and held up his hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down.

"Thank you for coming," he said, his hand falling to his side. "Firstly, I'd like to apologize for canceling practice for this long. Takashima and I needed the last few days to sort some stuff out, and after much deliberation, we have a very important announcement."

From the crowd of students came mutters and whispers voicing their concerns.

Kataoka quieted them down again, dreading what he had to say.

"After a long debate with the Board of Education, in the case of Furuya and the father of his child…they have both been expelled."

Furuya and Miyuki's eyes widened.

"What the fuck?!" Jun shouted. "You gotta be fucking kidding! Why?!"

Kataoka continued, "The Board, sadly, deems it unacceptable for a pregnant student to remain on campus. If Furuya were to stay, he would be a negative influence for the other students and possibly sway them into having unprotected sex as well."

'But that's not what happened,' Kuramochi thought, squinting, 'We all know that didn't happen. Unprotected sex it was, but this was also a rape. This ain't adding up.'

Finally gathering enough strength, Rei got up from her spot on the bench and stood next to Kataoka. She adjusted her glasses before speaking.

"Unfortunately, that's not all. Furuya-kun and the father have also been kicked from the team. The Board decided that for the sake of peace and harmony, they should no longer be allowed to play in both practice and official games."

Miyuki hung his head, his nonchalant visage overcome with incredulity. A single thought plagued his mind.

He would never form a battery with Eijun ever again.

Just as Furuya was about to comfort him, a voice rang out from afar.

"Good riddance," they said spitefully. "Not like some pregnant fag would benefit the team anyway."

Kataoka instantly turned his head in the direction of the voice and scowled.

"I want whoever said that to hand in their jersey and get the hell off this team! I will not tolerate any slander, and I better not see your face again! That goes for everyone else. If I hear a soul patronize Furuya from here on out, I will not hesitate to embarrass you in front of the entire team."

The person removed their jersey and walked away.

"Practice will be back in session starting tomorrow morning. You're dismissed!"

"Homophobic third-string virgin loser," Kuramochi spat, nudging Furuya with his elbow, "Don't pay that lowlife any mind. Want me to fuck him up for you? It's been a while since I've hit someone and Miyuki's standing right next to me."

Furuya shook his head. "People are entitled to what they want to say and believe. None of that has any effect on us, right, Miyuki-senpai?"

Miyuki looked up at him, "How are you not freaking out? We've been expelled. We're not allowed on the team! How are we supposed to live our lives now?"

"I don't have time to freak out. You're supposed to be the mature one here, remember? I know things aren't the greatest between us, but we'll get through this one month at a time."

"Why are you saying this to me? I thought you despised me for causing this whole mess."

"Despise is a strong word. I don't dislike you. That's all I have to say."

'Yeah, right,' Kuramochi and Haruichi thought, 'Look at how he's talking to him. He's smitten.'

"Furuya-kun, Miyuki-kun!" Rei called, waving her hand in the air to garner their attention, "Can I speak to you privately?"

The two of them looked at each other in confusion. How could there possibly be more to this already bittersweet ending?

Kuramochi and Haruichi said their goodbyes for the afternoon and left with the rest of the first string.

"What's the matter, Rei-chan?" Miyuki asked as they walked over to her, mustering a weak grin. "Are you gonna send us off personally?"

Rei motioned for them to sit on the bench with her.

"I'll get straight to the point," she said. "You two aren't exactly expelled. As a last-minute compromise, the Board has offered supplementary classes. Meaning, you'll stay at Seido, but you'll just be taking fewer classes throughout the day, separate from everyone else. This will remain in effect until you both graduate. Is that alright with you guys?"

Miyuki chuckled, "We're still screwed, so it doesn't make a difference. They're just prolonging our demise. If it's fine with Furuya, then it's fine with me."

Furuya nodded in agreement.

"Is there anything else you wanna say, Rei-chan?" Miyuki asked.

Rei leaned forward to look at Furuya, her eyes beginning to water, "I know you voluntarily left the team, but Kataoka and I felt that your departure was way too soon. We don't want to come across as selfish, but we'd like you to consider becoming a manager. You can help the girls out and do some light practice if Nurse Akagi doesn't mind."

Furuya sighed as a wave of relief washed over him. He had been on edge ever since his brave yet senseless conviction to quit the team. Every time he found a stray ball in his path, he would regret his decision. He had stripped himself of the ace number, the feeling of the sun's heat ruthlessly beating the back of his neck, and most importantly, Miyuki's fierce eyes shining behind his mask.

Being a manager didn't sound nearly as enticing as being back on the mound, but Rei was giving him a second chance, a chance he couldn't let slip past him.

Furuya stood up and bowed at a sharp angle, "Thank you very much," he said. "I won't let you down again."

Rei clasped her hands together and sighed. "Now that that's settled, there's something I have in mind for you two."

Miyuki rose a brow. "There's more?" he asked in exasperation.

"I take it you haven't told your families about this yet and I don't blame you guys. You're very young and this is a lot to take in, so I figured you should break the news in person."

"What are you suggesting?" Furuya questioned.

"We're giving you a week off to spend time with each other's families. Think of this as bonding time. As mother and father, there's nothing more important than getting comfortable in each other's space."

Miyuki shot up from his seat to retaliate, but Rei was already gone.

"She's joking, right?" he asked, beads of sweat dripping down his neck. "She has to be joking! You are not coming to my house! How has the school even agreed to us having a week off?"

Furuya let out a soft laugh at Miyuki's sudden outburst. He hated to admit it, but he found it somewhat cute.

"Why are you so against me coming over? We've put off telling our parents for far too long; it's only right we do it in person—"

"That's the thing. I don't want my dad to know about this."

"Why? Are you ashamed of me?"

"I don't want him to be ashamed of me."

Furuya was rendered speechless as Miyuki pulled the strings of his sweater tight and covered his head with the hood. In that split second, a second so quick he would have missed it if he blinked, he caught a glimpse of vulnerability. Although it was of no immediate concern to him, Miyuki was hiding something, embarrassed of something, and with him being the unfortunate source of his affection, Furuya was determined to peel back the layers and discover what Miyuki was sheltering.

Setting that thought aside, Furuya looked around the field for a baseball. Finding one, he picked it up and fondled it, sighing at the sensation of sand crumbling away at his fingertips. It was a sensation he missed oh so dearly, and he needed to relive it one last time.

With Miyuki.

"We'll figure it out," he said, finally responding to Miyuki's statement. "On a brighter note, I demand you catch my pitches. Pretend this is the last thing I'll ask of you."

"That's a lie," Miyuki chuckled as he walked over to a bucket of mitts and retrieved one. He fixed it onto his hand before squatting, "Should you be pitching, though? Pregnant people aren't supposed to overexert themselves."

"You're already in position and I know how to hold back," Furuya retaliated, loosening his shoulders, "Besides, Nurse Akagi doesn't need to know about this. What's the first pitch?"

"If you hurt yourself, remember that this was your idea."

"Not your first time refusing to take responsibility."

Miyuki's jaw dropped, Furuya's smart remark catching him completely off guard as a blazing fastball slammed into his mitt.

"Y-You little…" he trailed off, a vein popping on his forehead. He tossed the ball back to him and prepared for the next pitch.

Watching Furuya wind up, he rolled his eyes as he spotted a smug look on the younger teen's face.

'This little brat,' Miyuki thought, sticking out his mitt. 'He's no Eijun, but this…I could get used to this.'