Work Text:
PRESENT
College World Series Championship. Runners in scoring position, two outs, bottom of the ninth, tied 3-3. Deku was up to bat, the count was 2-2. The crowd was watching intensely as Todoroki threw a flaming fastball outside and the umpire called a ball. The count was 3-2. This was it.
Deku stepped out of the batters box to clear his head. Taking his helmet off to wipe the sweat off his forehead, he looked toward third base to see Coach Yagi call time and jog to him.
“Midoriya, I know you feel the pressure of this game on your shoulders, but let your mind rest and let your years of instincts and practice take over. Don’t forget to smile like I taught you,” Coach Yagi said, giving him a smile of his own.
Deku nodded and gave him a determined grin. He purposefully walked back to the batters box and got in his stance. As Todoroki threw another flaming fastball outside, Deku let his instincts take over.
+ + +
PAST
“You really are a Deku. You can’t even fucking hit a fastball down the middle. I get that you’re a pitcher and you guys usually suck at hitting, but c’mon Deku,” Kacchan said.
“Well maybe I will learn better if I watch you hit first,” Deku said. He was absolutely exhausted from trying to hit the different pitches thrown at him from the pitching machine. They’ve been here for an hour and a half already and Deku has only hit about half of them solidly. Kacchan scoffing every time Deku missed one or jumped out of the way when a pitch was more inside.
“Fine, since you need to hydrate anyways you fucking nerd.” Kacchan grabbed his bat and started off hitting lefty, the balls tinging off his bat easily. After about ten minutes, he switched boxes and started hitting righty. Deku was furiously taking notes and sketching the way that Kacchan’s bat was angled and how he positioned his elbows. How wide his stance was, the way he kept his eyes on the ball completely, and how he twisted his core for more power. Finally, Kacchan decided he needed a break.
“Kacchan! You’re amazing! I wish I could switch hit like you!” Deku complimented.
“Of course I am and you never learned because you were determined to be an all-star pitcher like Coach Yagi, so you focused solely on your pitching, nerd. Now get back in there and show me what you can do. No more wasting time.”
Deku grinned and walked into the cage again. He took his stance and remembered his notes of Kacchan. After half an hour he was hitting every fastball and most of the off speed pitches solidly. Kacchan yelled that it was good enough for a Deku, and that they should cool off and leave.
They headed to the locker room to change. Kacchan was heading to the showers in only a towel hanging around his waste. He stops when he sees Deku bent over, still in his sweaty shirt and black shorts, filing up two ice baths next to each other. Deku seems to feel another presence in the room and turns to see Kacchan half naked.
“Ah! I mean, hey I just felt really sore from all the hitting so I wanted to take an ice bath. I filled one for you too. I didn’t know if you were sore or not so I just filled one because just in case. You don’t have to use it because I didn’t ask if you wanted to so you might not even want to. Anyways you could just shower instead while I take the ice bath, I don’t want you to wait and-“
“Oi! Shut up a minute, nerd. I’ll take the fucking ice bath and then a shower just so you can be fucking quiet.” He walks to one of the baths and turns away from Deku to unwrap his towel and step in the tub. As he gets as comfortable as one can in a cold tub full of ice, he notices the dazed look from Deku and feels his ears get hot from embarrassment. “Are you going to get in you idiot?” Averting his eyes because he knows Deku is going to blush at being caught looking.
“Oh, yup, yes right I am.” He quickly strips and jumps in, then yelps like he forgot that ice was cold. As he settles, he notices Kacchan giving him a weird look. “What is it, Kacchan?” Deku asks.
“You don’t fucking wear underwear under your shorts, weirdo?”
“I…no not under shorts I don’t,” Deku affirms abashedly. He’s blushing and he wonders why Kacchan was looking in the first place. Kacchan is still looking at him weirdly, so he decides to change the subject. “Kacchan, remember in tee ball when we used to have contests on who got the most foul balls?”
“Hell yeah, I always won because you were a nerd and couldn’t climb for shit.”
“Whatever, you did not always win! I was faster than you so I got a lot of them before you!”
Kacchan huffed a little and sunk deeper in his ice bath. After a moment of silence, he said, “Remember that one game in high school that we got fucking benched and had to chase foul balls. I won that contest, shitty nerd.”
Deku smiled at the memory, even though at the time it was not such a happy time. It was their Junior year of high school and they were both on the Varsity baseball team. They were quite the duo, pitcher and catcher. Although not without their faults. One game, they were up 4-2 in the top of 7th inning, Deku pitching and Kacchan catching. There were runners on second and third, with one out. The opposing team’s best hitter had been up to bat. Kacchan gave him the sign for a change up, which Deku shook off no. Kacchan signed for a curveball, anything that wasn’t a straight fast ball because the hitter would smack it. Again Deku shook him off, so Kacchan just yelled at him in the middle of the game to throw whatever the fuck he wanted since he knew best. Deku threw a fastball inside, and the big hitter whacked the ball out of the park for a home run and took his sweet time around the bases. But before he got to first Kacchan was running toward Deku with smoke coming out of his ears.
“I was trying to give you the fucking signs, Deku, what the fuck? You fucking idiot we wouldn’t be in this situation if you just listened to me!” Kacchan yelled.
“Go back to home, Kacchan. I know I messed up on that one okay? I’ll get the next guy,” Deku said.
“Yeah, and you want to be like Coach Yagi. You’re a shit pitcher. A Deku like you could never become as great as him,” Kacchan sneered, knowing this would push a reaction from the smaller teen. He didn’t expect Deku to tackle him to the ground and yelling at him to take it back. Coach Aizawa had to pry them off of each other and remind them they were in the middle of a game before dragging them back to the dugout and sending out another pitcher and catcher. They had lost that game and were suspended from the next.
The next game they were sitting on opposite sides of the bench glaring at each other. Their team was on the field and the visitor’s up to bat. The game went on until one of the hitters hit a foul ball and both Kacchan and Deku rose quickly to get it. They glared at each other before both racing to get it. Deku was still faster than Kacchan and was about to bend over and get the ball before Kacchan shoved him and got it.
“I win,” Kacchan grinned down at Deku, while holding a hand out to help him up. Deku was confused, but then he remembered their contests of going after foul balls and smiled too. He took Kacchan’s hand and was pulled up. Their hands lingered, until a voice sneered at them.
“What are you, five? You having stupid competitions for getting foul balls? Sounds about right for a shit pitcher and a second rate catcher,” said Monoma, a player for the opposing team. It seemed he was also benched, more likely because he was actually not a good baseball player, but his family was the sponsor of the team, so he had to be on it.
“EH!? Deku’s a fucking great pitcher you fucking asshole! He’s got a killer change up and a nasty curveball that could knock you off your ass!” Kacchan said, getting close to Monoma’s face. Deku was shocked to hear Kacchan defend him so openly, he didn’t notice himself smiling.
“That’s interesting. I heard you told him he was a shit pitcher last game. Isn’t that why you fought?” Monoma said smugly.
“So what if we fought, we always fight and we always make up. Kacchan and I are pitcher and catcher. We have to trust each other and I didn’t trust him for a second and that was my mistake. We are a duo and no one can stop us!” Deku said, grinning. Kacchan and Deku left Monoma and went back to the dugout.
Back in the ice baths, Kacchan and Deku agree they should shower now that the ice has melted. But Deku realizes he forgot his towel. He’s already out of the tub and he calls out to Kacchan to bring him a towel. He hears Kacchan coming back to him but doesn’t feel a towel in his outstretched hand. Instead he feels a sharp sting on his back and he yelps loudly. Kacchan had snapped the towel at his back and was now evilly grinning at him like he was going to do it again. Deku ran a little to avoid the next snap.
“Kacchan stop! I’m naked and cold and just want to take a shower!” Deku couldn’t help but laugh a little as he was being chased. Until he realized they were in the shower area and Kacchan had stopped chasing him. He turned a little and Kacchan was leaning against the wall, in only his towel holding the other towel Deku asked for. Deku, feeling reckless, walked straight on towards Kacchan, getting closer than needed to grab the towel. Kacchan was gazing down at him, curious and a little red in the face. Deku seemed to lean in a little as if going into a kiss, and Kacchan unknowingly leaned in too. But Deku whipped the towel from Kacchan’s waist and ran to the nearest shower and locked the door, cackling. Kacchan chased after but was too late, and yelled frustrated.
“Fucking Deku, you tease!” Kacchan yelled. Then surprised as Deku opened the door quickly and pulled him a deep kiss then pushed him towards the other shower smiling.
+ + +
PRESENT
Letting his instincts take over, Deku silences his mind. He lets all the hitting practices from Kacchan come through and he feels his bat connect squarely with the ball as a line drive to left center field. He explodes out of the box and runs like crazy to first and rounds to second, he glances at Coach Yagi, who’s signaling him to come to third. He speeds around second, sliding into third. Safe! Two runners in, making the game 5-3! They won! Deku hitting a game winning triple! His teammates run out on the field, dog piling on top of him. Coach Aizawa has to pick the kids off of each other so they won’t injure each other, while Coach Yagi was the first one to jump on Deku. As the team gets up, Deku is smiling and searching for a familiar set of red eyes. But he’s lifted into the air and turned around, his lips meeting some one else’s lips. They pull away and Kacchan is smiling widely at him. They cheer and yell their win while never letting go of each other’s hands, never stop smiling.