THEATER OF ENVY

The Next Day - Tuesday - 5:55 PM - Practice Game

"Oh, come on," Mei sighed.

He picked up the bag of rosin at his feet and fondled it thoroughly until his entire hand was covered with powder. He tossed it back down and sighed once again as he eyed Todoroki Raichi.

The batter was making his way to the plate, dangerously swinging his bat around. He was cackling loudly, a repetitive and annoying cackle that Mei couldn't be bothered to hear at the moment.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Someone come get this crazy batter off the plate! Do yourself a favor and save yourself from the embarrassment while you can!"

Raichi's cackling stopped and he pointed his bat at Mei, a large grin consuming his features.

"Someone come get this blondie off the mound! Keep talking and I'm gonna spit your words right back at ya, one swing at a time! Ka ha ha ha!"

Mei sighed for the third time as he read Harada's signs. He slowly lifted his leg in the air and glared at Raichi as he swung his arm down harshly.

Strike! Strike! Strike! Batter out! Change!

The deafening roars from the stands proved Mei victorious. It was a symphony he conducted with the slightest twists and turns of his pitches, his personal baton. He waved it about and was gifted the concerto of cheers he yearned for and it never faltered.

Why?

'Because I'm the king and no one is good enough to take my throne,' Mei thought.

From the bleachers, Chris tapped Eijun on the shoulder as Inashiro and Yakushi switched sides.

"I hope you're paying attention, Sawamura," he said. "You're both southpaws and you could learn a lot from him. By a lot, I mean everything. It's possible to just steal his style, tweak it a bit, and present you with an entirely new identity."

"That sounds like an easy way out, Chris-senpai," Eijun said, "so I'd rather be whipped into shape and train like my life depends on it."

Chris turned to look at Eijun, who, from what he could tell, wasn't even remotely present in this conversation. His eyes were busy scouring the field, Yakushi's side to be exact.

"That was meant to be a joke," Chris said.

"Well, sorry for not laughing. You're not the comedian on this team."

Finding himself at the beginning of a maze of confusion, Chris then turned to Haruichi, discreetly nodding his head in Eijun's direction.

"Did I miss something? I'm talking to a wall that wasn't there before."

Haruichi shrugged sympathetically, "I'll fill you in later."

Meanwhile, Kuramochi laughed as he saw Raichi being comforted by his father and Mishima.

"Hyaha! That was the quickest showdown I've ever seen! Narumiya's definitely on his A-game today!"

"Must be because I'm watching him," Miyuki said, "which is strange. Whenever I'm spectating, he usually transforms into a nervous wreck and forgets the first thing about baseball."

"Well, that doesn't seem to be the case 'cause he's totally putting on a show for you."

Miyuki smacked Kuramochi's shoulder lightly, a move he learned from the man himself, "Ew, don't say that. You're making it sound like Mei's doing this intentionally. He's simply great at baseball; there's nothing else to it. However, now that I think about it, today must be a good day for him. Normally, Todoroki would have sent those balls flying right at our faces, but Mei's intimidation has been on point so far. As expected of a greedy king, right, Furuya?"

Furuya was in a world of his own, ultimately muting the majority of Miyuki's explanation while he observed Mei from his seat.

He recorded every granular detail in his mental diary, details that any ordinary spectator would disregard, like the Terms and Conditions of a brand new phone.

The way Mei styled his hair, the way he seamlessly evaded Harada's touches, his random spurts of Fortnite dancing while he waited for his at-bat—Furuya didn't quite understand the concept of that detail so he discarded it eventually—but most importantly, the suggestive looks he dished out to Miyuki every chance he could.

Furuya didn't like that one.

He inched closer to Miyuki and asked, assertively, "Why do you call Narumiya by his first name?"

"Hey, you didn't even answer my question," Miyuki complained, a vein popping on his forehead. "We've known each other since middle school. I thought everyone knew that by now. I've told the story like, a dozen times."

"Then why does he keep staring at you?"

'Because he's been wanting to get in my pants ever since he first laid eyes on me.' "Whoa, you're pretty straightforward today. Is that what pregnancy does, make you all overprotective? Is it the hormones?"

"O-Overprotective? How am I being overprotective? I'm not being overprotective. I just want to know."

"Sounds like jealousy to me," Kuramochi remarked. He immediately followed it up with an impromptu coughing fit in case Furuya didn't process his words in time to actually hear him.

Furuya heard it, though, yet he chose to ignore it due to the increasing amounts of frustration boiling within him.

Strike! Batter out! Game set!

And with the umpire's booming voice the game was over, and the cheers grew progressively louder as Inashiro celebrated on the field, victory falling into their grasp once again.

It wasn't anything worth celebrating or remotely being happy about, though. The goddess of victory was always on their side and winning was a given, a known fact, an inevitable occurrence. It came naturally like the seasons which was why Mei detested it.

He wanted a challenge, a rival to fight for the throne, but now that Furuya was out of commission, he was forced to be a greedy and pretentious brat.

His only non-baseball-related challenge resided in his heart.

It was Miyuki.

Reluctantly being hoisted onto Harada's broad shoulders, Mei searched in the crowd for Miyuki's gaze.

They locked eyes and Mei winked as he was carried away to the changing rooms.

Jun sighed as he slapped his thighs and got up from his seat, his hands trembling.

"Bro," he said, "that was scary. Narumiya was killing it out there. I'm convinced he sold his soul to the baseball gods or something 'cause…being able to shut down a game that quickly…is freaking impossible. To think we'll have to face him soon is makin' me shake and I hope it's out of excitement 'cause I don't feel like crapping my pants right now. Am I crapping my pants right now? Tetsu, is it okay if I crap my pants right no—"

"Absolutely not, Jun," Tetsu said, standing as well. "We all just witnessed Narumiya display his full potential. His outstanding performance only proves that we need to exceed our limits and defeat him. We're taking—no—stealing his throne as a team, with or without Miyuki and Furuya. We can admire Narumiya all we want but in the end, he's our enemy. Let's go."

Miyuki looked at the time on his watch. Making several calculations in his head, he nodded as he got up and handed his bag to Furuya.

Furuya cocked his head in confusion. "Miyuki-senpai, where are you going?"

"I'll be right back."

"Our bus…"

"The game ended early, so we have plenty of time to kill. You can wait for me outside the school if you want."

"But—"

Furuya frowned as Miyuki brushed past him and maneuvered through the swarm of people in the bleachers.

Meanwhile, Kuramochi swiftly trapped Eijun in a headlock.

"Stop right there," he commanded. "You were just about to go somewhere without telling me. You're not slick. Where are you going?"

Eijun wasn't going to lie, but his words that followed weren't necessarily the truth either.

He pretended to struggle against Kuramochi's hold and mustered some fake coughs, attempting to earn his upperclassman's pity.

"I-I wanna visit Yakushi for a second," he choked. "Inashiro beat them pretty hard, but I wanna tell them that they put up a good fight. You always pester me about good sportsmanship, so I figured it would be a good idea."

Kuramochi's hold slackened as he realized that Eijun technically wasn't wrong. Good sportsmanship was his motto and having Eijun spread that message was a gesture he couldn't refuse.

"Oh, that's cool," he said. "Send Sanada and Todoroki my regards. Be careful and don't do anything stupid!"

Eijun bowed before scampering away, smiling.

That was easy.

--

Inashiro's Changing Room

Mei's heart jumped as Miyuki walked in and closed the door behind him.

"What the hell, Kazuya?!" he shouted, futilely trying to cover his bare chest with his hands, "Why can't you knock? What if I wasn't the only one in here? What if I wasn't wearing any clothes at all?"

Miyuki rolled his eyes as he sat on a bench near the wall. He leaned back and crossed his legs, warding off any chance of Mei groping him.

"Stop playing victim," he said. "When we made eye contact, that was you signaling that you wanted to meet me. This was all deliberate, Mei. The rest of your team already left and you just happened to be shirtless when I arrived. Besides, this isn't the first time I've seen you naked."

Pouting, Mei snatched a clean shirt and a towel from his duffel bag and stood in front of Miyuki, arms crossed.

"I forgot how much your snarky attitude gets on my nerves," he said. "I hate you."

"Those are fighting words."

"I hate you."

"That's disrespectful, Mei. Don't make me bend you over and teach you a lesson. You know I will."

"Don't threaten me with a good time, Kazuya."

Mei's pout disappears as he imagines Miyuki pinning him against the wall, forcing his hands behind his back, stripping him from the waist down with nimble fingers. Miyuki, with coordination he never seemed to lack, plants a trail of wet kisses down his neck, pausing and sucking at sensitive patches of skin, earning a moan.

Then, when things were about to get hot and heavy, Mei felt a sharp pain in his shin and cursed when he realized that Miyuki had kicked him.

"You're so disgusting," Miyuki said, lowering his foot. "Were you actually thinking about us having sex? Right in front of my face? Have you no shame?"

Mei's pout resurfaced as he plopped down next to Miyuki, smoke protruding from his nostrils.

He just had to have his fantasy cut short. It was a fantasy he enjoyed fabricating because it was vivid and semi-realistic. He knew Miyuki's scent, touch, and voice by heart, so weaving them into a basket filled with aggressive mental orgasms was his only way of release, his only way of having Miyuki.

"I was getting to the good part," Mei mumbled, using his towel to dry his sweat. "A few more seconds and we would've settled into a fantastic rhythm."

"I'm sure we would've, but I didn't want to let you get carried away. After all, why use your imagination when the real thing is sitting next to you?"

"Stop teasing me. If you weren't such an asshole, you'd be in my asshole."

"Wait, wha—"

"Anyway!" Mei set his towel down and clapped his hands, changing the topic in hopes that Miyuki didn't hear him. "Is there anything you wanna catch up on? We haven't seen each other in a while. How are things with Furuya?"

Ah, yes, the part Miyuki dreaded. It wasn't Mei's wink that brought him here, it was his conviction to confess the outcome of his actions. Determined as he was, he couldn't bear to witness Mei's face sink from hearing his truth, and sadly, that's exactly what happened.

"You've been expelled and banned from the team?" Mei repeated incredulously.

"Yes. I'm sorry, Mei. That's my punishment according to the Board of Education. What are your thoughts on this? You don't look like you're processing this news well."

"That's such a sick question," Mei whispered as he got up and paced around the room.

His footsteps were light as he walked from one end of the room to the other in a straight line, momentarily blocking out Miyuki's existence. Of course he wasn't processing this news well; in fact, he greatly wanted to refuse that he had heard it in the first place. However, as much as he wanted to believe the punishment was too harsh, it was justified in the eyes of the law.

"You said you raped Furuya," Mei said matter-of-factly, looking Miyuki dead in the eyes. "If you're expecting me to feel pity, you've got it twisted. You forcefully put your dick in someone else, someone that wasn't me or Sawamura, so obviously, you're gonna be punished for it.

"To be honest, I think you're lucky you're not behind bars. Do you know what they do to rapists like you in jail? You're a rapist, Kazuya. I don't know why you're surprised."

Miyuki gulped as a bead of sweat trailed down his neck. Mei's tone was condescending and ice-cold, a reaction that had never crossed his mind.

He was naive in presuming that Mei, his delightful little Mei, would fall into his arms and whine about how he'd never get to face him on the field again. Their rivalry had been brutally torn apart, yet Mei wasn't concerned in the slightest.

Miyuki gulped again before asking, "Are you disappointed in me?"

"I'm disappointed in you for a lot of things," Mei responded, pulling his shirt over his head and shimmying into it, "I'm disappointed that you chose to touch Furuya instead of me. I'm disappointed that breaking Sawamura's heart was more favorable than going out with me. Are you starting to see how this entire fiasco could have been avoided if you had just stopped being stubborn and gone out with me?"

A shaky breath escaped Miyuki's lips as he watched Mei walk over to him and crawl onto his lap, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist. Without thinking, Miyuki adjusted himself so he could support Mei's weight, tucking his hands under the blonde's thighs.

Mei chuckled as he played with Miyuki's hair.

"You look nervous," he taunted, moving his fingers to toy with Miyuki's ear. "Why are you sweating? We've been in this exact position before and you were all smiles back then. Is something different now?"

"I'm still in love with Eijun, so this is very uncomfortable for me. Please get off of me."

"I don't care. He could walk in on us right now and I still wouldn't care."

"You were calling me a rapist and berating me a few minutes ago. You never really cared about me having sex with Furuya, did you? You couldn't care less about how Furuya feels. Am I right?"

"You're right. I was playing devil's advocate. I couldn't give less of a fuck about how anyone else feels. A king's only concern is himself. I thought you understood that."

"Now's not the time to be selfish, Mei. You need to get off of me. Now."

"Say that again but with a little more bass. I haven't seen you this desperate in ages. It's turning me on."

"Mei, I swear if you don't—"

RING RING RING!

Miyuki removed his hand from underneath Mei so he could fumble in his pocket for his phone. As soon as he pulled it out, Mei snatched it from his grasp and grinned as he read the Caller ID.

"Hey!" Miyuki shouted, "What are you doing? Give me my phone!"

"Shut up," Mei laughed as he kept Miyuki at arm's length. "Furuya's interrupting our special moment and I am very curious as to why. Don't worry, I'll put him on speaker."

Mei slid the answer button across the screen.

"Miyuki-senpai, where are you?" Furuya asked with bated breath. "You said you'd be right back, but you're not. I've searched all over for you and I can't find you. It's almost time for the bus to arrive."

Mei rose a brow, 'What bus?' he mouthed.

'Mind your business,' Miyuki mouthed back, then said, "Give me a few more minutes, Furuya. I'm a bit…tied up at the moment."

Furuya sighed, "Can you be a decent senpai for once and hurry up? I've been running around carrying both of our bags and I'm out of breath."

"My bad."

"What are you doing, anyway? Don't tell me…you're with Narumiya, aren't you?"

Mei lifted the phone to his lips, his grin widening. "You're smart," he said, "Your senpai has taught you well."

"I knew it," Furuya said, "I saw you staring at Miyuki-senpai during the entire game, so I had my suspicions. Narumiya, what exactly is your relationship with him?"

"We don't have a relationship, so I can't answer that. You sound frustrated, by the way. Are you jealous?"

"Impossible. I'm the one spending a week alone with Miyuki-senpai, so I think you should be the jealous one. Bye."

Miyuki and Mei's jaws dropped as Furuya suddenly hung up, leaving them stunned beyond belief.

"That sass," Miyuki said as he found an opening to take his phone back. "I still don't know where he got that from—"

"Shut the hell up!" Mei shouted as he turned back and tightened his hold on Miyuki's body. He tilted his head down and hesitated before licking his neck.

"If that's what I'm up against," he said between licks, "then I'm fucking pissed. No one has ever said that to me. Jealous? Me? Never!"

Miyuki's breath hitched as Mei bit down on his skin and sucked diligently, his tongue moving in circles. It was his fucking weakness and he could feel himself losing it.

"M-Mei," he said, voice barely teetering above a whisper, "Stop. Stop, stop, stop. I have to go. L-Last night, I told myself that I didn't have the energy to be sexually harassed by you. That still stands. You need to learn how to listen—shit!"

Mei rolled his eyes as Miyuki threw his head back, his phone clattering to the floor.

He had started grinding on Miyuki slowly, the existing heat between their bodies intensifying, and it annoyed him that that was enough to make Miyuki gasp for air. He had barely moved his hips to warrant that reaction.

He wanted more.

Mei continued to suck on Miyuki's neck as he adjusted his hips and grinded harder, faster, as passionately as he could between their layers of clothing.

"You're terrible," he whispered seductively, using his left hand to unbutton Miyuki's jersey, "The mother of your child is waiting for you, yet you're here enjoying my company. Didn't you say you were still in love with Sawamura? You're such a hypocrite.

"All you need is some action and you turn into a completely different person. Look at yourself. We're not even connected, simply moving against each other with clothes on, and you're already losing your mind. If only I could make you cum this way. That would be splendid."

All Miyuki could do was leave himself at Mei's mercy, holding onto his waist for dear life.

"W-Why are y-you doing this?" he asked through clenched teeth, breathing heavily through his nostrils. His brain was growing foggy with unwanted pleasure, yet he couldn't summon the strength to bring this torture to a halt.

Mei grinned again as he slipped Miyuki out of his shirt. He used both hands to pull his head towards him, their foreheads meeting.

Miyuki's eyes were out of focus and teary, a sight that excited him. Miyuki was suffering, just like he was.

They were equal now.

"Because," Mei began, grazing his lips against Miyuki's, "before you leave with Furuya, I want you to know who you truly belong to. Now that you're single and ready to mingle, I'm going to be a lot more aggressive. Your body is mine right now, Kazuya. Not Sawamura's, not Furuya's, mine. A king always gets what he wants in the end, so…just relax and let me show you a good time, Kazuya. Consider this a parting gift and the karma that you rightfully deserve. Okay?"

"…"

"Great. Lie down."

--

Yakushi's Changing Room

"You pitched a good game," Eijun said as he entered the room, "Don't get me wrong, Narumiya's in a different league, but…I can tell you really tried out there."

Sanada Shunpei smiled as he hugged Eijun and went back to arranging his belongings.

"Thanks for the kind words," he said. "Losing on your own field always feels like crap, but thanks. I appreciate it. Anyway, what brings you here? Where's the rest of your team? Where's Miyuki?"

Eijun lowered his eyelids, sucking his teeth.

"I came alone. Don't mention Kazuya's name when it's just the two of us. It defeats the purpose of me being here."

Sanada looked up from his bag and examined Eijun's face thoroughly before, accidentally, forming a joyous expression. He tossed his mitt into his bag, zipped it up, and walked over to where Eijun was standing. He tilted the brunette's chin up with his thumb and index finger.

"Did you guys break up?" he asked softly.

"Yes."

"How?"

"I'll tell you later. I'm not worried about him right now. I've felt like garbage for the past two weeks and I wanna feel better. That's why I'm here."

Sanada's interest was piqued more than he was letting on. Eijun had finally come to him, his puppy-dog eyes unknowingly seducing him the longer he stared. He sensed those intense brown orbs undressing him, eating him up with an indescribable fervor that he had desired for so long.

"You want to feel better?" he repeated purposely. He wanted to hear Eijun's voice glazed with hunger and need. "What do you mean by that?"

Eijun huffed. He was getting impatient. "I want you to make me forget about Kazuya. In simpler terms…"

Eijun's hand slowly trailed towards Sanada's lower body and he began stroking his cock through his pants.

Sanada got the message loud and clear. "So what you're saying is," he said, moving into Eijun's palm, "you want me to fuck you so hard you forget about Miyuki? Is that what you want? I finally get to be inside you?"

Eijun nodded vehemently, his own interest piquing as Sanada grew solid from his touch. He was salivating and quietly panting, internally begging to be dominated without remorse.

"Yeah," he responded, "but let's do this the proper way. Since we're on your turf, let's head to your room. Also, it's the perfect place to discover whether I'm wearing underwear under these shorts or not. I know you're dying to find out."

Sanada immediately ran over to his bag, scooped it up, and ran back to Eijun, his eyes beaming with delight and lust.

"If anyone walked in, they would get the wrong idea," he said.

Eijun laughed as Sanada pulled him close, their lips less than a few centimeters apart. "Of course. People would be shocked seeing us alone, hard and horny."

Sanada thumbed the brunette's cheeks before kissing him deeply, content with how easily he accepted his advance.

"So," he whispered into the kiss, "how long have we been hiding this?"

Eijun laughed again.

"Ever since I started dating Kazuya."