Chapter Text
"Daddy!"
The sharp cry roused Kuramochi from his slumber immediately, his ears tuned to any sign of distress from his 3 year old. His eyes snapped open and he tossed the blankets off of himself, springing into action. The twenty-year-old dashed out of his bedroom and made his way down the short hallway and into Eijun's room. Although he could barely make out his son's face, there was just enough light to see the wet tears upon his cheeks. The young father made his way over to Eijun's bed, sitting beside him and pulling the toddler into his arms, rocking him and shushing his weakening sobs. He didn't know what the boy had been crying about and likely wouldn't get the chance to ask. Soon Eijun's sniffling silenced all together and was fast asleep, his steady breathing indicating he was at peace again.
Kuramochi sighed, debating on whether or not to put Eijun back to his own bed or to allow the toddler to sleep with him for the night. He had practice early in the morning and couldn't afford to lose anymore sleep. He knew Eijun would sleep better if he were to wake up again next to his dad rather than alone in his room. Coming to a decision, Kuramochi stood, cradling his son in his arms and silently made his way back to his room. The man eased himself into bed, laying Eijun down beside him, smiling softly as he wrapped his little arms around his own, snuggling up against him. Kuramochi put his arm around the small brunette, pulling him closer to his chest before covering them both up with a light sheet. He then dared a glance at the alarm clock upon the nightstand and groaned inwardly. It was half past three and practice would begin around dawn so, he knew tomorrow would be a long day. Glancing down at the sleeping form beside him, Kuramochi reminded himself that it was worth it. The single father then closed his eyes, falling victim to sleep in a matter of seconds.
~Break~
A yawn escaped from Kuramochi's throat as he carried Eijun the remainder of the way toward the Seidou practice field. Due to the early morning hours, the boy had gotten tired of walking rather quickly and was now resting his head against Kuramochi's chest, napping soundly. Smiling down at the child, Kuramochi held him tighter and began thinking of ways to keep the boy preoccupied while he was practicing. Most days he didn't have to bring Eijun to the field but with it being a Saturday there was no preschool for the three year old to attend. However, most of his teammates were already rather used to Eijun as they would sometimes babysit him.
Miyuki Kazuya, the team's catcher, was most acquainted with the toddler and was seemingly Eijun's favourite babysitter. He often times called Miyuki "his wife" (much to Kuramochi's disdain) and begged the professional player to play catch with him. Though he acted annoyed with the child's antics, Kuramochi knew that Miyuki had a soft spot for the boy. In fact, the kid's favourite baseball shaped nightlight had been given to him by Miyuki for his 3rd birthday.
Eijun also had a fascination with the other catcher, Takigawa Chris as well as the center fielder, Isashiki Jun. For the most part, the team was well acquainted with his son and with so many players, they all managed to keep him out of trouble and out of the way of Coach Kataoka.
"Oi, Youichi!" a voice called from behind him.
Kuramochi stopped for a moment, turning around to see Miyuki walking towards him, his hand help up in greeting. The sudden noise roused Eijun from his sleep and the small boy began to fidget slightly. Turning his attention away from the catcher, Kuramochi ruffled the boy's hair and smiled down at him, "Hey bud, have a nice nap?"
Eijun took no notice of his father's question, instead holding out his arms and grabbing for Miyuki as the older boy approached. "Miyuki Kazuya!"
Rolling his eyes and knowing it would only upset the boy if he refused, Miyuki grabbed Eijun under the arms, holding him up against his chest. "Had to bring the squirt with you today, huh?"
"I'm no squirt!" Eijun said defiantly.
Miyuki laughed, "Sure you are, kiddo!"
"Will Miyuki Kazuya play catch with me?" The brown eyed boy looked up at Miyuki, his expression desperate and pleading.
The catcher laughed again, patting the boy on the head, "You're still a long way from having me catch for you!"
At this, the child's eyes became watery, his bottom lip quivering as he tried to hold back his tears. The older boy's smile faded as he tried to coax the toddler to calm down but this only upset him more as he began wailing, the tears flowing freely down his face. Kuramochi glared at Miyuki as he took his son back from him, rocking and shushing him. "Don't pay attention to that mean old man." He shot another glare in Miyuki's direction, the taller man holding up his hands in apology while grumbling something about being the same age. After a few minutes the crying ceased and the three-year-old began to squirm, silently telling his dad to put him down. Once on the ground, he grabbed onto his father's hand and started to pull him forward. Kuramochi chuckled and allowed his son to lead the way with Miyuki, keeping stride with the short-stop.
The practice field was now in view and they could see the majority of the team already warming up with stretches and other various activities. Eijun smiled and began to tug on Kuramochi's arm, the excitement apparent on the little boy's face.
"I'm going to run on ahead and get some of my gear on, I'll see you in a few." The brunette then ruffled Eijun's hair and took off toward the field at a light jog. The child stuck out his tongue in defiance, pouting when he was too late for Miyuki to see it.
"Eijun." The little boy turned around to see his dad crouching down in front of him, a serious but soft expression upon his face. "If you be good today, I'll play catch with you after practice, okay?"
At this, the boy's eyes lit up in excitement, a huge smile on his face. "Okay, Papa!"
Kuramochi stood back up, squeezing his son's small hand before leading him the rest of the way to the practice field. Definitely going to be a long day...
~Break~
Eijun sat in the dugout next to Chris who was going through score sheets and statistics. Kuramochi was currently busy with fielding practice. Eijun had learned that the hard way as he was now sitting in the dugout as punishment. Miyuki had been allowing Eijun to watch Tanba pitch in the bullpen but the boy had quickly become distracted as he had heard someone shout his father's name. The child had gone running off in the direction of the field to find his papa, ignoring Miyuki's shouts for him to come back. Luckily, Chris had snatched him before he could reach the field but now he was being forced to stay in the dugout, much to his displeasure. His arms were crossed, bottom lip protruding in a very dramatic pout that Chris couldn't help but think it was cute.
The catcher set his pen and papers down, picking up the toddler and setting him on his lap, the new height boosting him up enough so he could see the field over the dugout wall. Chris pointed out to the field between second and third base, "Do you see your dad out there?"
Eijun followed Chris' pointing until he found his papa positioned in a crouch, ready to spring into action the moment the ball came his way. The boy nodded furiously, his eyes transfixed as Kuramochi eagerly shifted from his left to right foot and over again. There was a loud crack as a ball connected with a bat and suddenly Kuramochi was moving, lunging to the side and scooping the ball up in his glove. He halted his movement and quickly pivoted, throwing the ball to first base and howling when he heard the sound of the ball settling in Tetsuya's mitt.
An impressed gasp escaped the three year old's throat and he suddenly jumped up, nearly falling before Chris swiftly caught him and helped him stand on his lap. "Did you see?" the child cried, his mouth formed in the shape of a little 'o'.
Chris watched as the coach called for a small break, watching as the players relaxed their positions and stood up. Kuramochi turned in the direction of the bullpen, a panicked look crossing his face when he didn't see his son. The catcher then stood up, holding the toddler across the chest with one arm. "Youichi! He's here." The young father's face relaxed and he jogged over, messing up Eijun's hair as he stopped in front of the two.
"He hasn't been too much trouble, has he?" Kuramochi asked while rubbing the back of his neck.
The brunette shook his head, tightening his hold on the squirming boy. "Nah, he tried running onto the field once but I stopped him. That's why he's hanging out with me right now."
"Oh did he now..?" Youichi's eyes narrowed as he glanced over in the direction of the bullpen, cracking his knuckles at the thought of a certain catcher letting his son out of his sight.
"In his defense, he noticed straight away and it was because he called Eijun's name that it caught my attention," Chris said.
The short-stop shook his head, crossing his arms in front of him. "And he's babysitting tomorrow. Great."
Eijun reached out and grabbed onto the tight sleeve of Kuramochi's blue compression shirt, pulling lightly and looking up at his dad anxiously. Taking the hint, Chris handed over the child and Kuramochi took him into his arms. The brunette shook his head and tapped on Youichi's shoulder. "Up!" he demanded. Kuramochi saw Chris laugh silently to himself and he rolled his eyes, lifting the toddler up in the air and setting him on his shoulders. He held securely onto his legs while Eijun grabbed gently onto his hair, a playful giggle sounding as he pointed off in some random direction. "Can we go to Miyuki?"
He still wasn't quite sure what his fascination was with that damn arrogant catcher but it wouldn't hurt to fulfill the boy's request so he took off at a light jog toward the bullpen. Eijun laughed the whole way as the running caused him to bounce up and down which brought a smile to Kuramochi's own face.
"Yo, Youichi!" The voice was familiar. A smile appeared on his face - he didn't even have to turn around to know who it was.
Before he could open up the door to the bullpen, he turned around to see the second baseman, Kominato Ryousuke running up to him, the same smile on his face as always. "Oh, hey, Ryousuke. What's up?"
The older boy stopped before him, running a hand through his thick pink hair. "Would you like to join me for batting practice? Coach wants you to work on your switch hitting."
Before he could get a word in, the boy atop his shoulders suddenly yanked on his hair out of excitement. "Oniisan!"
Ryosuke chuckled, his hand coming up in front of his mouth slightly as he did so. "Why, hello there, Ei-chan. Are you having fun with your dad?"
"Yeah!" The boy said happily before yanking on Youichi's hair again. "Put me down! I want Miyuki!"
The young father grumbled something under his breath about 'the damn catcher' as he placed the child on the ground. Eijun opened the door to the bullpen and ran inside toward Miyuki. There was no one pitching at the moment but Kuramochi heeded caution anyway, "Be careful, Eijun!" He shook his head, continuing to watch the child until he was safe with Miyuki before turning his attention back towards Ryousuke.
"So, how's he been doing?" the older boy asked.
Kuramochi sighed, leaning up against the fence and crossing his arms in front of him. "Still having nightmares. He always falls asleep right as I come get him so I'm still not sure what they're about. He seems fine otherwise. It's probably nothing to worry about but I still don't like that he's having frequent nightmares. He's three, he shouldn't be having nightmares this much."
"Maybe it's all those video games you play with him," Kuramochi couldn't help but smile at Ryousuke's words, knowing he was joking. The older boy's face then became serious, his smile turning to a frown. "But, still, you're right. They're not exactly a problem but it would help to pinpoint why he's having them... Anyway, looks like Miyuki's got him under control, ready to start batting?"
Youichi glanced over at his son, laughing as he watched the boy torture Miyuki with his constant begging to play catch. After a moment, he nodded and turned back around to face his teammate. "Let's see who can hit a home run first. Loser has to buy ice cream."
Ryousuke nodded, the smile back on his face as he held out his hand in agreement. "Deal."