Catching Feels - KiriBaku Baseball AU (ongoing)

Prologue

I'm not entirely sure when the feelings became so– intense. I suppose the first time I truly noticed it was during the playoffs last year. The game everyone seemed to remember for one reason; "Breaking news: Promising young pitcher suffers devastating injury, becomes unplayable for the rest of the season."

I distinctly recall looking into his eyes before throwing the pitch, the ninth inning, tied game, full count pitch, that could potentially end our entire season. The hopeful glint of those red eyes as he gave me a confident half smile, a quick nod and held up that glove with a strong steady hand, ready to receive my pitch. I can't quite remember what I had thrown, whether it was a curveball or a slider– I only remember the loud crack as ball and bat met, driving the ball straight down the center with such speed that no one could have had time to react to.

I remember the immediate, unspeakable pain as the ball collided with my knee, and I could feel my body collapsing to the ground unable to remain standing as my leg went numb from the knee down. I could hear the play continuing behind me as if the people hadn't realized what had just happened and were more worried about getting the out than they were about me. However, he was the first to come check on me– he had immediately ripped off his catcher's helmet and sprinted over to me, as if the entire game didn't matter anymore and I was the only thing he cared about.

I must have been crying or something because I remember him wiping my face, telling me it'll be okay. It's funny how you black out in moments like those, only remembering certain bits and pieces of information which seem trivial in the grand scheme of things.

I don't remember much about the stretcher or getting to the hospital.. I do remember being given some sort of painkiller which made everything seem a bit off– possibly the reason these memories seem so hazy. He must have been the one in the ambulance with me because from what I remember, he seemed to be there the whole time. He would talk me through a lot of it, the needles being stabbed into me, the pain whenever they tried to move me or my leg– I'm sure I had liked him before then but maybe it was just.. just knowing how it felt when he was genuinely concerned for me.. knowing how amazing it felt to be acknowledged by him– knowing that I wanted him to always worry and care for me– that's when I realized; I was in love.

But fast forward a couple months, a couple surgeries and physical therapy and I'm doing just fine. I'd like to say I'm back to normal, however I do know that isn't entirely true. Now that I'm a second year, things have changed. Number one; Hitoshi Shinsou, the new kid who decided to try out as a pitcher even though he was a second year with no experience– hate to admit that he's pretty good. And besides, especially now that my knee is a bit jacked, we definitely need a backup since pitching by myself all year last year really did a number on my shoulder.

And number two; Eijirou Kirishima, and how he'd changed recently. A summer growth spurt had given a new kind of broadness to his shoulders and a newfound height allowing him to tower over me (only by a couple inches, but still). He had grown his hair out a bit more, long enough to pull back into a ponytail which was way more attractive than it should be. His voice had gotten a bit deeper and his overall demeanor was manlier but his face still had that boy like charm.

Not to mention the fact that since my injury, he's been checking in with me a lot more lately, making sure I take breaks and asking if I'm sore, even helping me stretch my shoulders and legs since I've been a lot tighter since I wasn't able to practice as much during recovery. To be honest, sometimes I'll have him help me stretch even when I don't need to–

So anyway, needless to say I'm still hopelessly pining for my catcher, and he definitely isn't making it any easier on me.

But romance aside, my team is back in the running for the playoffs and this year I know we can't lose. I'm back to my normal star pitcher self of course, and just in case I got that purple haired kid to back me up, along with the rest of my team. I know we can win, I just can't let feelings fuck it up.

Word count: 800

(Before continuing please read the story description and be aware of the AU and CW/TW, most chapters will have a warning at the top if necessary, thank you.)