Chapter Text
“Who’s that?” Yugi asked over the crack of the bat. The ball went sailing into the outfield. The hitter in question smirked, creasing his face in a way that made his eyes crinkle, and Yugi’s heart skip a beat.
Joey looked up from tightening his laces. “Oh, new recruit. May have been a trade, not sure.”
“What’s his name?”
Joey pursed his lips. “I dunno, something foreign sounding or something. Not often this sport sees many middle eastern players but hey, he seems pretty good.”
The bat cracked again, echoing off the metal fence posts surrounding Yugi and Joey in the dugout. Tristan’s feet looked like the Road Runner from an old cartoon as he ran to keep under the ball that the new guy had sent sailing.
“Atem,” Mai answered for Joey.
Yugi looked at the umpire, trying to hide his swoon at the handsome sounding name. “Atem.”
“From Egypt. No one ever thinks of their leagues over here, so coach thinks he’ll be our ace in the hole.” She looked at him with a wink. “A secret weapon.”
“Coach or Kaiba?” Joey asked, refereeing to the team’s owner and main sponsor. He owned the team, the stadium, everything down to the cups fans would drink from. The KaibaCorp logo was on every inch of the space around them when they played. It was even painted into the grass in the outfield.
On the practice field, they got at least of a little bit of a reprieve, but his presence was still felt. Yugi wiped his sweaty palms off on his blue and white uniform.
“Do you want to know the answer to that question?” Mai said with a roll of her eyes. “What matters is he is fucking good at what he does. Just watch. Taylor can hardly keep up with his hits.”
Another crack of the bat, sharp and sweet filled the air.
Yugi leaned in closer, focusing on how Atem’s arm muscles flexed under his short sleeves with each swing of the bat and then relaxed when his arms lowered. He could see sweat collecting at the base of the man’s jersey just where it met his pants. He bit his lip.
The sound of the bat was a siren call, and he was drawn in further by the sight of the mythical, foreign creature flexing and swinging just for him.
“Fuck me,” Joey breathed, “I don’t have a chance at the major leagues if this guy is gonna steal everyone’s thunder. Well, except for Yugi, here.”
Yugi couldn’t figure out if the flush of heat on his cheeks was from watching the handsome newcomer or the flattery from his friend.
“Stop it Joey, this guy looks plenty good compared to me,” he said bashfully.
Atem smirked again and shouted something incoherent toward Tristan in the outfield.
Coach Mahad lowered his clipboard and turned toward the dugout. Motioning with his thumb toward the infield, he summoned his second baseman to the field with a sharp whistle. Yugi felt his insides freeze.
“Looks like Tristan needs all the help he can get,” Joey chuckled to himself. “Go save him, buddy.”
Yugi fastened his glove to his hand slowly, fighting the subtle shaking at the idea of coming face to face with the new guy who already had his nerves on edge. So what if he could hit Bakura’s fastball with a left hook that usually rendered batters as useful as a hot dog wrapper blown onto the field. He could handle something like that coming at him at 80 miles an hour…right?
Especially if the face behind that ball was as handsome as this guy’s.
He jogged onto the field to his place between second and third bases, realizing that this practice session was bare bones. He was all there was in the infield, and Tristan was all there was in the outfield. The catcher seemed useless as Atem had hit every ball pitched.
Bakura looked at him with a chuckle that only spelled trouble to come. Sure, Yugi was confident in his abilities, but what better way to really test his abilities than to see how he squared up to a newcomer he had never heard of.
It was time to forget everything he had watched in practice up to this point. He bent his legs and trained his eyes on home plate, avoiding looking directly at Atem’s face. Instead, he watched him take his stance, feet planted on the ground firmly, and arms held up high. Good, his elbow blocked some of his face from view.
He shook his head. Focus, focus, focus. Bakura lifted his hands, kicked his foot up, and released the ball.
Atem swung, the bat cracked against the ball. Pop fly to the left. Yugi sprang up on the balls of his feet and ran toward second base.
“Got it!” he shouted when he spotted Tristan in his peripheral vision.
The ball disappeared into the sunlight, but he watched its shadow on the ground as it grew larger and larger. Gauging its speed, he positioned himself directly underneath it. He lifted his glove until he felt it.
Plup. Right in the palm of his hand.
He stared at the ball in his glove, mouth agape. It was almost too easy.
He smiled and looked at Atem who was smiling back at him with a nod of acknowledgement and a tip of his helmet.
“Give me a hard one next time!” he shouted as he threw the ball back at Bakura.
Atem smirked darkly.
The challenge was accepted, it seemed.
Bakura’s pitch was a right hook this time, which Atem hit with ease.
Crack!
The sound sent a shiver down Yugi’s spine. It was crisp and clean, no hesitation behind it at all. Did this guy even know the meaning of the word ‘strike’?”
This one was a line drive straight toward Yugi. He hopped forward and to one side to play off the easy catch and immediately toss it to Bakura who caught it with a double blink of shock.
Atem’s smirk was firmly on his face as he adjusted his gloves.
“Looks like I’ll have to hit harder,” he shouted across the field.
Yugi hunched down, hands on his knees, and prepared for what came next.
Crack.
***
Yugi rubbed his sore shoulder in the locker room. The sun was setting on another Florida evening and while it was Friday and Joey wanted to take him out, he could only daydream about his bed or a cool shower to stretch his weary muscles that had been used to field multiple fast balls hit by Atem.
He closed his locker and winced. The long winter months had been a little too relaxing for him and the throbbing in his legs showed he had skipped one too many workouts in the off season.
Bakura always hogged the ice bath, claiming only pitchers needed it (or deserved it as he actually indicated with his less than kind teasing). The best place he could possibly be was in his hotel room that he shared with Joey. If the other was going out drinking, then the bathroom would be completely free for him to use to the fullest.
“Well, well. It’s about time I met someone who could stand up against my hits.”
Yugi about jumped out of his skin at the appearance of a mid-height, dark and handsome Atem and that God forsaken smirk from before on his face.
“Y-yeah. I mean, I’m shortstop so, that’s my job,” Yugi stammered. In his hands, he wrung his batting gloves like he was trying to get the last drop of water out of a wet rag. “I stop fly balls, right?”
Atem straddled the bench and sat down as if he was ready to settle to watch a long game. Yugi took an unconscious step away. His locker closed with an echoed clang across the emptying locker room.
“Well, I’m center field. Just flew in last night. Came from the leagues in Egypt and Mahad found me. Seems like a pretty lucky break.” Fuck, did his eyes just rake down Yugi’s body like he was an art exhibit?
“You sure did jump in with both feet forward,” Yugi conceded, his eyes on the floor.
“Yes, well, I do need someone to show me the ropes around here. Think you could help me out? Or at least, make me feel like my skills with a bat here aren’t all for naught?”
Yugi swallowed. Looking at him was difficult. That smirk was going to live in his head rent free for a long time, and even worse if he imprinted more of it into his memory.
Atem, it seemed, was charming, if not a little cocky in his confidence. Then again, Yugi had found that in outfielders. If they lacked in their batting skills, usually that took them down a peg or two, and they were at least tolerable in the dugout. Atem clearly had no qualms about showing how proud he was of his abilities in both areas, though.
It leaked into how easily he approached Yugi, how forward he was in his tone, and that god forsaken smirk.
It was Yugi’s siren song, and he soon found himself falling into an easy conversation with Atem about their love of the game, feelings on spring training, and eventually plans for the evening now that practice was over.
“So, do you eat dinner or does Coach starve you all?”
Yugi allowed himself a quick glance at his teammate and a smile. “No, we eat. Usually a microwavable burrito but-“
“Tch,” Atem ticked, “you can’t let the pennies they pay us keep you from eating well. That’s one of the keys to success in playing the game. Protein to keep your muscles firm.” He flexed his bicep. “Leisure to keep your nerves from fraying.” He licked his lips for emphasis. “And company to keep your sanity.”
Yugi shrugged off the advance. “I mean, we make due with what we have, I guess. Joey and I sometimes go out to eat but our lives are mostly playing, practicing and sleeping.”
“Do you ever go out with any other players?”
Yugi’s face practically burned. He looked down at his shirt, curing himself for already changing into his regular t-shirt, taking away the opportunity to hide behind his jersey as an excuse.
“I mean, Tristan who you met today, and Duke our first baseman sometimes. Though, he’s better for poker night when there’s a gap day between games on the road.”
Why couldn’t he look at Atem like a normal human being? It’s not like he hadn’t met his fair share of arrogant players. Bakura, for one, but that was a ‘pitcher’ thing, he had always figured. Bullies in high school had nothing on full grown minor league players who had no money and all the attitude, sometimes.
This guy had a different vibe, though.
Ugh, he had no time for crushes, but then again, it’s not like the World Series champions were calling his number, begging him for a contract next season.
He massaged his wrist nervously.
“I should really get some practice in with Joey. I mean-“
“I’ll do whatever you need tomorrow if you go out for drinks with me.”
Yugi took a deep breath. “Thank you but-
“Or if you give me a tour. I need someone in my corner and that pitcher seemed like an asshole so he’s not it. I’m pretty sure Tristan is scared of me. I haven’t really made any friends yet.”
Yugi pursed his lips. His performance earlier showed his excuse of needing practice was just that.
He finally looked up and met Atem’s eyes. Under the fluorescents, they weren’t as spectacular as they had been outside, where the brown looked practically ruby red. Still, he could see the playful pleading above the smirk.
It might be nice to make a new friend. The team’s ribbing sometimes hit a little too close to home for him to truly feel like he was friends with all of them. And Atem had gone this long without pointing out Yugi’s size as a joke.
Maybe it would be nice to hang out with someone different and make him feel welcome. Yugi knew all too well what it was like to feel new and uncomfortable in a new place. If it hadn’t been for Joey, he would still be the odd man out on the team.
He smiled at Atem genuinely before he looked away again. “Sure! We can hang out. I know this place nearby where the team likes to go for some food on the beach. Why train in Florida if you’re not going to take advantage, right?” If they got that far with the way Atem was looking at him that is…
He was rambling, and Atem wasn’t pointing it out. Smirk and all, he only looked at him with a listening ear and a curt nod.
So why did Yugi get the feeling he was also looking at him like something to eat? And why would he let him in a heartbeat?
Probably because he had muscles that peeked out from under the sleeves of is jersey that simply begged to be licked and cheekbones that made his smile as alluring as all get out. He had a deep voice, and there might be something to that, too.
Yes, having Atem spend time with him on and off the field was a good idea, after all.
“It’s settled then. But I’m buying, of course. I owe you for taking pity on the new guy, after all.”
Atem punctuated his pronouncement with a wink, which Yugi added to the list of reasons why it was a very good thing to have him on the team. Was there anything unattractive about this guy?
Crush or not, Yugi could make this work…couldn’t he?
“Y-yeah. Meet me in the hotel lobby at 7?” Yugi asked.
Atem bounded to his feet as if he had a spring underneath him. “It’s a date!”
Yugi’s heart was pounding. He hadn’t just heard that, had he? No, that had to be a joke and he was the butt of it. Just in case, maybe he could still go and have some fun and good food before he could stop pretending that wasn’t the case.
“Yeah. Sure.”
He couldn’t get away fast enough. He had to get back to his room and… do whatever it was that would help calm his nerves. Or he could just keel over dead from embarrassment while he was at it. Yeah, that was probably the most likely.
In a flustered flash, he turned on his heel and wound his way around the other lockers until he could hear Atem’s deep chuckle fade away into the background.
***
The first night out turned into another, and another, and before Spring Training was over, Yugi found himself spending every spare moment with Atem.
To his relief, after the first night, it was easier to look at him without the butterflies in his stomach getting the better of him.
Kissing him, though…
The only thing that could make him focus around Atem was the smell of his leather glove, the crack of the bat, and the thrill of running across the field to slide into base or catch a fly ball. Practice, it seemed, was the cure. And not only was it more enjoyable with Atem in this context, but he found himself getting faster, better, even.
He could field the wildest fastball coming at him from Joey, or even Atem. Bakura tried as he might to trip him up at the plate and even then he was probably still hitting .260 on his best days. He tried not to think of it too much. Every day was its own battle in spring training.
It was the Minor’s, after all. Even large victories went unnoticed.
Unless one was going steady with a hunk of a hitter.
The fact Atem could turn a simple dinner into a walk on the beach and then a tour of the ballpark after hours, without anyone around and just the lights to remind them how forbidden it was, well, Yugi would be remiss if the thrill of it hadn’t swooped him off his feet.
Back on Earth, he had to wonder how real it was. Atem was obvious in his attraction to him physically and he had the skills of seduction to keep Yugi coming for more. Even on that first night, he had all the grace and charm of a gentleman with an edge that he couldn’t resist.
They shared their first kiss on the pitcher’s mound surrounded by mosquitos and moths that were drawn to the enormous spotlights. It wasn’t too soon into the evening and not too late to make Yugi think he was crazy for how Atem looked at him.
Like he was a snack…or maybe, something to savor.
Lately, it seemed to him to thankfully be the latter. Especially with how public Atem had gone with his affections in the early days of his joining the team.
Yugi was coming off the field one day, reliving his wrists and shoulders to make way for Tristan to give it a try at the plate. It was typical for Tristan to come at it with the energy and fervor of a newbie ready for a chance to show his stuff, but since that day with Bakura and Atem, the man seemed to be in need of a break.
Yugi patted him on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up for encouragement in passing.
“Need anything?” Mai had asked with her clipboard in hand.
Off season saw her doing more scouting for the major’s, which for a woman was completely unheard of. But if anyone was going to break a glass ceiling in this sport, it was Ma. She could handle the worst advances from the creepiest players without breaking a sweat. Breaking hearts was the least of her concern when she could break body parts that could take away a player’s dreams of playing professional baseball for life.
Yugi was about to shake his head and politely decline in favor of his lucky water bottle which was buried in his bag with his other lucky batting glove, lucky rag and he couldn’t forget his lucky dog tag charm his friend Tea had given him when he made it to the minor league. Atem grabbed him from behind and kissed his temple with as much fervor as he could from that angle, taking him by surprise and stopping any attempt at getting any rest.
“You did great out there, babe! Bakura didn’t know what hit him!”
“You should have hit him,” Mai grumbled over her papers.
“I mean, I don’t know. I did okay,” Yugi muttered between kisses on the cheek.
“Oh, no, Babe, you were better than the Bambino out there! Your phone will ring tonight, I know it!”
“Let him breathe!” Mai scolded Atem with a tap on the shoulder with her clipboard.
“I’d suffocate before I’d stop kissing him, and he’s the same with me,” Atem insisted.
Yugi laughed out loud but with a tap on the shoulder, he alerted Atem to the very real need for breathing room after his workout on the field.
“Atem! Atem!” He could only say the man’s name through the laughter coming involuntarily.
“Come on! I’m done throwing with Duke! I’m free if you are!” Atem said, essentially ignoring Yugi’s pleas.
“You’re stuck with him, now,” Mai said with a chuckle.
Yugi bit his lip, stopping Atem’s next onslaught of kisses.
“Actually…”
Atem raised an eyebrow, deepening his smirk that Yugi had come to call his own that was reserved just for him. It hid Atem’s sometimes inability to see what was coming out of Yugi’s mouth next but gave the illusion that he was in control. Not that Yugi ever felt he was in control of this godlike being in his arms, but still, it was nice to think he could trip him up sometimes.
“I need more practice fielding,” Yugi admitted. “Joey was going to play with me but…would you mind helping me?”
Atem grabbed a ball from the bucket before he knew what was happening.
“It would be my pleasure,” Atem said quickly.
“Any excuse to show off, huh?” Mai said before she disappeared.
They moved to the field where others were already practicing throwing and catching. Joining them, they placed themselves in right field.
“I do think it’s nice that you think I’m good enough to teach you something,” Atem confessed with a slightly sheepish tone. It made Yugi laugh.
“Well,” he chuckled, “you’ve been showing all of us up, lately.”
“Oh?”
Yugi moved many farther away to begin the slow game of catch.
“You’re so much better at fielding, hitting, well, everything than me,” he admitted loudly. The ball landed in his glove with a soft flap.
“Well, my father hated that I wanted to play ball all the time,” said Atem.
“That’s too bad.”
Flap.
“I used it as motivation to get better,” Atem confessed with a little chuckle. “You know, improve out of spite. Then it turned into a professional career.”
“That’s really impressive, actually,” Yugi laughed.
Flap.
“Okay, back up more! I’m going to really give it to you!”
Yugi ran back another ten feet.
“Further!”
Yugi laughed again. Atem’s softer side was fun.
“I’ll keep going, but you have to go easy on me,” he called out, now having to yell.
“You have to learn the hard way, sometimes,” Atem teased.
Woosh!
The ball flew right past Yugi’s head, close enough to move his hair with the wind. He ran back to get it from the dirt lining the edge of the outfield.
“Okay, right. But wait until I’m ready next time.”
“You really think our opponents will wait until you’re ready? You have to meet them where they are,” Atem instructed. “Fast balls can turn into an infield fly really easily. Or a right hook pitch can turn into a line drive straight into your direction if you’re not paying attention.”
Yugi shook himself loose. “Okay, okay, I get it.” He hit his glove with a closed fist. “Now show me what you got.”
Atem smirked and Yugi melted. No, focus.
Focus… on that handsome smile. The way his muscles flexed tightly against his skin whenever he arched back and threw the- oh shit!
Flap!
He caught it! He actually caught it!
“See? Focus and be ready.” Atem swept his hair out of his face, clearly aware of what he’d done. “No matter what distractions come your way.”
Yugi stared at the ball in his glove again.
“Again!” he ordered, throwing the ball back.
Atem caught it easily. “Okay, but I’m taking you out for dinner when we’re done.”
“Well then make me work up an appetite,” Yugi said, offering a wink of his own. “Make me earn it.”
“Gladly.”
***
The days went by quickly, and finally, it was the night of the first game. The crowds were loud, the hot dog smell wafted into the dugout, and the stars were blotted out by the large lights that made the green grass on the field practically sparkle.
“I love a game night,” Atem said, his hand on the small of Yugi’s back as they stared out at Bakura who made his way to the mound first.
Music blared and the crowd went wild. Bakura removed his hat and, with an aggressively pessimistic smile, waved it at the crowd.
“Good luck out there,” Yugi said before Atem could give him a quick kiss for good luck. It wan’t that he wasn’t ready for the crowds to know there was a couple on the team, but it still made him nervous to be seen so widely.
That, and the team owner was watching so intently. What would Seto Kaiba really think about two players canoodling off the field? Not as if he wasn't watching Joey scarf down an entire hot dog in one bite, which was admittedly impressive.
Atem settled for kissing his cheek. “I know you’re going to do splendidly.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Alright team, first game! Let’s show them what is coming their way! Now get out!” Mahad shouted.
The National Anthem had been sung, the first pitch had been thrown by Kaiba, who had thrown a perfect pitch right down the center. Now it was time for Atem to really show off to a real crowd. Yugi? Well, he simply hoped not to embarrass himself in front of so many people.
“Hey, you’ll do great,” Atem assured him from behind.
It was impressive how Atem filled out his uniform. The classic KaibaCorp white and blue fitted against his muscles perfectly, showing off the ripples on his arms and the immaculate six pack underneath his jersey.
Yugi took in the roar of the crowd, the cheering of children, anything to distract him from the body against his. He smiled and accepted a kiss on the cheek.
“Play ball!” the announcer called.
Yugi and the others ran out onto the field as the home team. Yugi to shortstop, Atem to center field. Tristan passed him on the way out, bumping gloves as they went as their ritual before games. Joey was firmly at first base tonight, switching for Mahad who said he “had a feeling.”
Yugi watched Bakura’s form as he tossed the ball in the air and caught it, smirking at the batter as he made his way to home plate. It was his favorite tactic. The intimidation factor. He was downright diabolical. He called himself ‘the snake’ in private, but the entire team knew it.
Like some serpent in the dark who could camouflage, he threw the ball so fast it was barely visible.
“Strike one!”
Yugi exhaled. He put his hands on his knees, knowing Atem was looking at him rather than the batter, like he wasn’t supposed do. Yet he knew the second the ball flew toward him, he’d catch it as if he’d been looking as closely as he was staring at his ass right now.
Another pitch, curve ball to the right.
Crack!
Yugi loved the sound of a bat hitting a ball so perfectly. He snapped into action all the same. Bouncing on the balls of his feet he moved to apprehend the line drive between him and second base.
Missed. Fuck.
Atem caught it on a single bounce and without a second of hesitation, it barely touched his glove before he threw it to Joey who caught it just in time to tag the batter out at first.
For a first batter, it was quite exciting for the crowd who went absolutely nuts seeing so much action. The organ blared across the field in an excited riff.
Yugi caught his breath and refocused as Bakura greeted another batter to home plate. He could feel Atem smirking like he had just made the final, winning play of the game. He had to admit, he’d earned it. But it was always a blow when Yugi knew he could have contributed to the play.
“You got this!” Atem called to him.
Yugi couldn’t look behind him. Not with a batter with a strike against him at the plate. He hada to focus.
Focus.
Focus.
He felt the dirt underneath his cleats. The sweat on his brow. The sounds of the crowd around him faded away.
All he could see was the ball flying through the air. He jumped on his feet.
It wasn’t his. Line drive to first. Joey apprehended it immediately.
He sighed. Two outs. It was a good thing. Easy game, so far. Bakura would be insufferable in the dugout at the halfway point of the inning, but it would be worth it if they could pull off a win.
The next batter was struck out. The batter after him got a double when Tristan couldn’t catch a fly ball his way. When he tried to steal third, he was thrown out by Bakura, who jokingly had a reputation for ‘snake eyes’ that could look in all directions.
When it was Yugi’s turn up to bat, Atem’s little slap on his ass propelled him out of the dugout with a mad blush on his cheeks while he practiced his swing.
Plant his right foot, launch with his left to push the inertia forward in his body and out his arms.
Focus.
Focus.
He swung once. Twice. Three times. Each time imagining his aim, aware of the slight changes in his angle each time. Regaining control, he swung a fourth time. Got it. It was the perfect way to hit a curve ball, which is what this pitcher seemed to like doing.
He approached home plate to the sound of hecklers and cheers alike. The pitcher was tall like their own second baseman, Rafael. Yugi gulped but raised his elbows as he lifted the bat. Nothing new. Just another big player who scoffed at his size.
Everyone who underestimated him would learn just how wrong they were.
Breathe. Breathe. Focus.
Joey was standing, hands above his knees ready to spring like a jackrabbit away from second base where he found himself after Valon had been taken out at first.
One man on base. Focus.
“Strike!”
Damn, that one got past him.
He stood and adjusted his gloves while the pitcher eyed him with a sneer.
Focus. Focus.
Eye on the ball, just like his grandfather taught him when they played in the backyard.
The ball left the pitcher’s hand.
Crack!
He bounced off his feet headed for first, watching the ball as it flew over their heads and into the crowd.
Foul ball.
He headed back to home plate.
0 and 2, not a good start. Yugi got back into position. Elbows up, feet planted and spread out just right.
The pitcher lined up, set his glove, locked eyes with him, and released the ball.
Crack!
Fly ball to left field. He was on his feet in a flash, running like hell for first base, which always felt so much farther than it was. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Joey make a break for third. Foolish considering the ball’s position, but it was worth a try, he supposed.
He watched as the ball flew over the head of the left fielder who got it off the wall, turned and threw it like a madman at the third baseman who tagged Joey out. Fuck.
Yugi kept going. The bag partially deflated under his foot with a whoosh when he stepped on it. Before the ball hit the first baseman’s glove.
He gasped. Catching his breath, he stayed on first base. The crowd went wild. A foiled double play is always something to cheer for. Unless you’re rooting for the double play, of course.
Joey went into the dugout and threw his helmet on the ground in a fury. He could see Atem laugh. When their eyes met, Atem threw him a thumbs up and a pucker of his lips. Yugi had to look away to focus, but he smiled all the same.
He was tagged out at second when he tried to steal, encouraged by Joey’s gumption and Atem’s smile. Still, he’d do it again. If taking a risk is how to play the game, he had to try it every once in a while.
Besides, the other team had made a habit of stealing already this game; what else was he supposed to do to keep it interesting for the crowd? Or for scouts. Taking chances was how you get attention, he figured.
Back on the field once their attempts at scoring were left futile (which led to a scolding from Mahad who wasn’t as impressed with his failed steal), he stood in his spot between third and second with a renewed vigor. Two innings in, there was still plenty of time to show what he was capable of.
Strikeout to start. Bakura must have gotten a second wind, too.
Second batter, line drive to right field, which Tristan caught like it was a toss from a toddler.
The third batter put himself on first when Yugi couldn’t throw to Joey in time. The fourth got a ground rule double that bounced over the center field wall right over Atem’s head before the man could know what was happening. The sixth time, he was almost caught off guard, unfocused. No one was doing well this inning.
The batter was scraggly like he’d already been on the road for weeks. Yugi and the other infielders stayed where they were. No need to move in. He wasn’t much to look at muscle-wise, either. Yugi looked over his shoulder at Atem to make sure he hadn’t moved either.
Crack!
The field was moving in slow motion the second it went from dead to lively. Everyone moved in scattered fragments. No one could tell where the ball was going. It curved toward Joey, then to second base, then finally, Yugi honed in on it. Right to him. Excellent.
He ran in long strides as far as his legs could stretch. Like a dancer. His friend Tea would be proud.
Focus.
He reached out.
The crowd screamed.
“Yugi!” Atem called.
The ball pitched high into the lights that hid it from view. Yugi tapped into his instincts. He moved his glove one, two inches to the left and took a half step to the right.
Flap!
A miraculous catch. He stared at the ball in his glove. The crowd went nuts. For only the second inning, it was a play that made for a showstopper in the heat of the ninth inning. But he had done it.
He had actually done it.
He looked over his shoulder after throwing it back to Bakura. The crowd roared his name, foam fingers waving.
Atem clapped over his glove and flashed him that devil may care smirk his way.
It promised a good game, a good night, and for some reason, Yugi felt his season had just opened up wide for him. Maybe a phone call? Nah, too optimistic for a mid-game catch.
Still, his heart soared as he got back into position. The possibilities were endless. He had caught the ball, and the heart of the hottest player on the team. What else could be thrown his way?
They won the game three to one. Atem kissed him on home plate that night.