Five Feet Away From Love

The Next Day - Monday - 5:45 AM

"Sawamura, get the hell up," Kuramochi said as he ripped the sheets from Eijun's body. "Didn't you hear me yesterday? We're resuming practice today."

"I don't wanna go!" Eijun moaned, shivering at the sudden rush of cold wind.

Practice would mean seeing Miyuki, and seeing Miyuki would mean seeing Furuya, and seeing them within five feet of each other was something he just couldn't deal with right now, tomorrow, and ever.

"I don't wanna go," he repeated. "I don't feel like playing baseball. I'm tired."

"And I'm tired of you being a little bitch. Get it the fuck together. You've been moping around for the past week, contributing absolutely nothing to society—not like you ever did—and it's quite frankly getting on my nerves. I know what Miyuki did was unforgivable, and I don't expect you to forgive him, but you can't let that incident dictate your life. Boys come and go, you'll find someone else—"

"That's not the point, Mochi-senpai. I need time to heal. Please."

Kuramochi froze.

Upon hearing those words, he stopped buttoning his jersey, his hands dropping to his sides. He looked at Eijun who was staring at him with teary eyes, a silent cry for help that he couldn't fight against.

Why was he being so pissy and harsh? Eijun desperately needed time to heal, yet he's done nothing but force him out of bed and berate him for not going to class. Granted, he would never be able to understand the full extent to which Eijun's heart was broken, but as the only upperclassman he could rely on, he had to do better in supporting him.

Kuramochi grabbed the sheets from the floor and walked over to Eijun. He leaned down and covered him with them, offering the brunette a small smile.

"Sorry for being a dickhead," he said, "You need time to heal. I'm in no position to be rushing you. Everyone copes differently and if this is the way you wanna go about it, that's fine. Just make sure to eat today, alright? I'll let Coach know you haven't been feeling well."

Eijun rose a brow as Kuramochi moved away and finished buttoning his jersey.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked. "You're not meant to agree with me! Why aren't you dragging me to practice? Why aren't you putting me in a headlock? This is peculiar! Have you been possessed? I rebuke you in the name of all delinquents!"

"Oh, shut up already! Don't make me regret my decision!"

Kuramochi slung his bag over his shoulder and opened the door to their room.

"I can't always force you to do something you don't feel like doing," he said. "It won't help solve anything. I want you to take your time and heal, Sawamura. Come back to the field stronger than ever. Now that Furuya's off, we need you to lead this team to Koshien…as our next ace. See ya when I get back."

Kuramochi waved goodbye and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Eijun huffed as he pulled the covers over his head, gritting his teeth.

'Me, the next ace? What the heck is he talking about? My desire to become the ace is long gone…'

--

6:25 AM - Practice

"I'm open!"

"Run home!"

"Keep your eye on the ball!"

"I can help you stretch."

"Fifty more laps and then we'll run a simulation!"

Furuya burst into flames as he watched everyone else practice to their heart's content. The sounds of balls and bats making contact instilled a heavy dose of envy within him.

"I want to pitch," he whispered aggressively, glaring daggers at the mound Tanba was occupying.

Umemoto Sachiko slapped him on the back and grinned, "You're one of us now, so quit slacking off and help us carry this ice!" she said. "Please lend Haruno a hand before she drops it."

Turning around in time, Furuya held one end of the ice bucket while Haruno held the other. They carefully carried it over to the dugout and set it on the bench with a loud thud.

"I can't believe that's not even half of it," Haruno yawned as she stretched. "See, Furuya-kun, this is what the girls go through for you guys and we barely get a thank you. How does it feel?"

Furuya's aura intensified, "Terrible. It feels terrible. This isn't fair. I want to pitch! What's the point of sticking around if I can't play? This is torture."

Haruno frantically waved a towel about to keep Furuya's aura from melting the ice. Not that it made sense, but she found it humorous how openly the pitcher was voicing his desire to rule the mound.

"Furuya-kun, you shouldn't be saying stuff like that," she said, panting as her arms grew heavy. "I don't know the whole story, but I'm glad you're still with the team. We need an extra hand since I'm incapable of doing anything right, and your presence alone is important to the team dynamic. You're our monster rookie and Seido wouldn't be the same without you."

"Haruno!" Sachiko called. "Stop standing around and help us arrange these mitts!"

"I'll b-be right there!" Haruno stuttered. She turned to Furuya and sighed, "Have fun getting used to this—"

"HARUNO!"

"I'm coming!"

--

Meanwhile…

"Why am I seeing your face, four-eyes? I thought you got banned."

"I did, but Rei-chan said I could still hang around and help out. I'm not wearing my catcher's gear for a reason."

"I literally can't stand you."

"Where's Eijun?"

"Still struggling. Forcing him isn't helping, so I let him be today."

"Damn. I really want to talk to him before I leave tomorrow."

Kuramochi squinted in confusion as he tightened his gloves around his wrists, "Leave? Where the heck are you going? Antarctica? Or better yet, Hell? That would be nice."

Miyuki rolled his eyes playfully, "Funny. Furuya and I are going on a very romantic honeymoon to each other's houses. What better way to celebrate our child than to meet the parents, right?"

"I can taste the sarcasm in your words," Kuramochi said, wincing, "Is it that bad?"

"My dad's gonna kill me. How haven't I thought this through? He knows I was dating Eijun and if I bring Furuya home…it's not a good look." 'He'll think I'm just like Mom.'

Kuramochi shrugged as he picked up his bat and rubbed along the smooth metal.

"Should've kept it in your pants, genius," he snapped. "Anyways, now that you're fully committed to being a father—I hope—you need to tell your dad straight up. Tell it like it is: I accidentally got my boyfriend's rival pregnant. I'm sure he'll understand."

Miyuki scoffed, "You must be out of your mind."

"I was joking, idiot. Also, if you wanna talk to Sawamura, help yourself. Not that I think it'll immediately solve your problems, but saying goodbye before you go seems like a nice gesture."

"Really?" Miyuki asked, eyes shining behind his glasses. "You're permitting me to talk to him?"

"Just don't do anything stupid and remember the five feet rule. Any closer and you're a dead man!"

--

12:30 - Lunch

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Eijun stopped scrolling on his phone and looked at the door.

"Who wishes to enter the House of Sawamura?" he asked in a deep voice.

"Miyuki Kazuya, Your Majesty."

Eijun's phone dropped from his hand as he heard the familiar voice, a voice he didn't want to hear. It instantly brought back memories he'd rather forget and completely erase from his mind, but he knew it was impossible. As long as Miyuki was around, the memories would remain and plague his mind, endlessly replaying as if on repeat.

He sighed as he turned on his side and covered himself with his sheets.

"What doth thou desireth?" he asked.

"I request an audience with thee. The duration shall be no longer than five minutes."

"Five feet?"

"I'll make it ten if it pleases you."

"Request granted. You may enter."

Miyuki smiled as he opened the door and walked inside. After placing a tray of food and water on Eijun's desk, he sat down on the carpet and crossed his legs.

"I remember when we used to do that," he said, "Roleplay-At-The-Door, you called it? It was a lot of fun."

"Yeah, well, it's not that fun anymore because you ruined it," Eijun mumbled.

"You don't look good. I mean, I can barely see your face since you're covering it, but Kuramochi said you've been struggling to get up and eat. I brought you some food."

Eijun tilted his head upward to see the steam rising from two bowls of rice and soup. The smell was inviting, but knowing Miyuki, the food was probably laced with malicious intent, and he couldn't afford to take the risk.

"Are you trying to poison me?" he questioned. "Food would be an easy way to eliminate me."

"Wait, are we still roleplaying?"

"No. It was a serious question. I don't wanna get poisoned."

"Then there's nothing to be worried about. I would never poison you."

Huffing loudly, Eijun hoisted himself from his bed and shuffled over to his desk. He eyed Miyuki suspiciously as he took a seat and began eating.

"Your five minutes start now," he said with a mouthful of rice. "What do you wanna talk about?"

Miyuki cleared his throat as he thought of what to say. On his way to Eijun's room, he didn't think he'd get this far. He envisioned being told to go away before he even knocked on the door. Much to his surprise, Eijun had willingly invited him in, and now he wasn't so sure what to do next.

"Um," he started, scratching the back of his neck, "I just wanted to let you know that I'll be away for a week. Rei-chan decided that Furuya and I need some bonding time, so we're going to visit each other's families."

Eijun shrugged, "I should care because…"

"Hey, what's with the attitude? I'm doing you a favor. I know we're not on good terms, but it'd be selfish of me to simply disappear and not tell you."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we should use this time to move on."

Firming his resolve, Miyuki got to his feet and stood in front of Eijun, staring into his pair of hollow brown eyes. Seeing them made his heart swell up with guilt, but he had to get his message across, face to face.

"I know you don't love me anymore," he continued, "but I do. I still love you, Eijun. I do. Everything I said when you confronted me was the truth. Furuya was a mistake and now I have to take responsibility. That being said, I can't afford to keep thinking about you. I know it sounds corny, but you're always on my mind.

"I want to see you smile again. I want to hold you again, but I messed up. I won't get another opportunity to experience happiness with you and…I need to come to terms with it. I want to get over you and you should do the same. This one-sided love along with your depression isn't working. We both need to heal and move forward. Does that make sense, Eijun?"

Eijun outstretched his arm to measure the distance between him and Miyuki.

"You're not five feet away," he said. "My hand shouldn't be touching you. Scoot."

Miyuki shook his head defiantly, "I'm not moving until I get an answer."

"What kind of answer do you want?"

"A promise. I want you to promise me that you'll get better while I'm gone."

"Oh, please."

Slamming down his empty bowl, Eijun jumped from his chair and jabbed at Miyuki's chest with his index finger. He glared at him intensely, his anger acting as a shield guarding the sadness pooling inside him.

"You're just telling me to move on so when you come back, you won't feel guilty about hooking up with Furuya. You do not get to tell me what to do!"

"Why won't you believe me? I have no reason to lie."

"Because you've broken enough promises and I can't do it anymore, Kazuya. I can't! I'll cope the way I want to, so leave me alone!"

"That's fine. You don't have to promise me anything. That was selfish of me. I'm sorry."

"Now gettest the helleth outteth."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Miyuki started for the door until a random thought spurred in his mind. He turned back and placed both hands on Eijun's shoulders. He felt the brunette recoil under his touch.

It was disheartening.

"One last thing," he said quickly, afraid he'd lose Eijun's interest, "As a parting gesture, can I…forget it. You'll say no if I ask."

Then, as swiftly as he possibly could, Miyuki pressed his lips against Eijun's in a chaste kiss, the final moment of their romantic relationship. Miyuki grabbed the remains of Eijun's food and headed for the door once again.

A new life without his ray of sunshine awaited him on the other side, yet with each step, he felt a force pulling him back. It clutched the hood of his sweater, forcing him back, choking him. With a dark whisper, the force pleaded for him to turn around and return to the safety and familiarity of his unrequited love.

However, Miyuki battled against it with all his might, sluggishly peeling away from the force one excruciating step at a time, until he opened the door and freed himself.

His past was now behind him.

--

4:15 PM

Nurse Akagi nodded attentively as Furuya recounted the events of yesterday's emergency meeting. She noticed a slight change in Furuya, perhaps a mere flash of excitement when he arrived at the details of his and Miyuki's "romantic" getaway. It was adorable yet frightening at the same time.

"He keeps saying we'll spend the majority of the week at my house, but we'll figure it out," Furuya finished, waving his hand dismissively.

"Sounds like you're looking forward to this," said Nurse Akagi.

Furuya turned his head, a weak effort to hide the faint blush that crept onto his face.

"I mean, you can put it that way," he said. "We've never spent time alone before, so this will be a new experience for both of us. We'll be putting our lives on display for each other for an entire week…I'll get to have Miyuki-senpai all to myself for an entire week…"

"You said that part out loud," Nurse Akagi laughed as she finished checking Furuya's vitals. She slung her stethoscope over her shoulders and scribbled down a summary of her findings.

"Everything looks good to go," she continued. "How's morning sickness been treating you? Is it hell? It's hell, right?"

Furuya rolled down his shirt and reminisced about his 3 AM venture to the bathroom with Haruichi and Kuramochi.

"If being pregnant didn't include constant vomiting, I'd be a lot happier about it. My stomach could be empty and it'll still find something to throw up. It's annoying."

"Sorry, but that's how nature works. If you want to change it, take it up with Mother Nature. Also, can you please diversify your diet? You can't survive off crab omelets for the entirety of your pregnancy. You need some variety."

"I'll try," Furuya sighed.

He looked at the clock and realized that it was almost time for afternoon practice. His days as a manager were already tiring, especially since he'd been assigned as Haruno's helper. Haruno was a mess—he wasn't any better—but it was interesting to explore the behind-the-scenes of the baseball team.

"I have one last question before I go," Furuya said, swallowing. "I know it won't sound right regarding what's happened to me, but please don't judge me."

Nurse Akagi paused her note-taking and expressed a look of pure disbelief.

"Furuya Satoru," she said, placing a hand on her heart. "I'm disappointed in you for saying that. I am both a nurse and a guidance counselor. I would never, ever, judge you or anyone else. It's my responsibility to make you feel comfortable, so what's your question? Ask me anything."

"Well…"

--

9:00 PM - Cafeteria

"Just our luck," Jun said as he cracked open a can of juice. "We're back in the game and the first thing we're doing is going to a practice game tomorrow."

"That's facts," Kuramochi added, slumping in his seat. "There's no point in attending a match we're not playing in. That ain't fun at all."

Tetsu shook his head as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Stop being selfish, guys. This match is probably meant to boost our morale. Have you forgotten that it's between Inashiro and Yakushi? Kataoka-san definitely wouldn't want us to miss such a spectacle."

'Shit,' Miyuki thought, 'That means I have to see Mei. I don't have the energy to be sexually harassed by him. I really don't.'

"Miyuki-senpai," Haruichi said, "are you and Furuya-kun leaving right after the game?"

"Yeah. We need to catch the earliest bus to my house."

"You can still kiss my ass," Jun said, thrusting his can in Miyuki's face. "I gave Furuya my number earlier. If you do so much as lay a finger on him, it's game over. I'll be on my way to the town of Beat-That-Ass to deliver a can of Whoop-That-Ass. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth? Huh?!"

Kuramochi quickly got up and held Jun back with the help of Tetsu, "He can kiss my ass too, but threatening people is illegal, remember? Calm down!"

Seeing Furuya in the doorway, Miyuki laughed as he stood and walked towards him, "Don't worry, Jun-san. I'm a changed man. Furuya will return just as he left."

"He better!" Jun shouted.

Kuramochi watched as Miyuki and Furuya disappeared in the direction of the dorms, Miyuki's hand finding its way to Furuya's lower back.

It lingered.

Kuramochi couldn't decide whether it was intentional or not, and he didn't want to decide, because he wanted to pretend that he didn't see it.

If he didn't see it, then it didn't happen, and he wanted it to stay that way.

'That bastard,' Kuramochi thought. 'This is troubling. I don't like this one bit. I won't be able to protect Furuya while he's gone. Miyuki could literally pull anything and I wouldn't know. I still don't trust him…'