𝐑𝐔𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐘 𝐑𝐔𝐍, 𝘥𝘯𝘢

3.

RUN BOY RUN
chapter three.

miwa ren couldn't sleep that first night. perhaps it was because of nerves, perhaps because of the loud snoring coming from all directions, or perhaps it was because he was actually here. in a dorm, in a high school, in tokyo, far, far away from his home. to play ball. he couldn't quite understand why he'd agreed to come, it couldn't have been just because he'd pitied takashima rei, he wasn't so nice as to do something he hated with people he hated in a city he hated simply because he felt bad for someone. but even if so was the case, he himself was left wondering why it was that he had agreed. it wasn't even a team with any of his old teammates whom he felt remotely comfortable with, but a team of blockheads who no way in hell would understand his feelings towards a ball, bat, and glove. this team was always aiming for nationals— something miwa ren had never even thought of, something he could never do because he never put his all into playing it.

he groaned, flailing around in his bed, staring at the dark ceiling above. he didn't have any friends, no one he could tell about his dilemma. not even family, both his parents and brothers were pro baseballers, so they couldn't be much help either. if anything they thought he loved the game more than anything, which he didn't, but found it hard to say due to being raised in a household that was only baseball this and baseball that. the first thing he'd ever held in his life was a baseball mitt, for crying out loud.

rolling over to his stomach, ren takes his phone from the shelf planted on the wall where it had rested since earlier that night. he turns it on, the bright light blinding him. 3:02 the screen reads. great. biting his lip, he finds his messenger and looks through the only three contacts that lived in it; home, takashima rei, and narumiya. He reads them over and over again, thinking who would most likely answer at three in the morning. possibly someone from home but it could also mean the ringing would wake up multiple people and they didn't deserve that. takashima rei was busy so he shouldn't bother her, she deserved to rest. though she did owe him for leaving him alone to find his dorm earlier. narumiya mei would definitely answer if he knew who was calling but they hadn't spoken since he'd graduated junior high, and that would just be... awkward.

takashima rei it was. carefully sneaking out of bed, and down the wooden steps that creaked under his each and every step. he hurriedly shoved on shoes and stepped out into the night, somehow not waking either of his roommates. he breathed the fresh air, free from the awful smell of sweat that had engulfed him the past multiple hours. looking around, he notices a wooden bench accompanying some lit-up vending machines, hurrying there, he sits down and just lets the air blow for a moment, against his skin and against his hair.

miwa ren had never thought he would ever be living in a dorm. like many other things, he also couldn't stand sleeping around other people. thinking on it, perhaps that had been the reason why he couldn't sleep.

taking out his phone once more, miwa ren typed in the number, pressed the device to his ear and waited. she didn't answer the first or second or third call. she answered the sixth, voice groggy and half asleep. "yes?" asks she.

"takashima rei." answers he. "how was dreamland?"

shuffling on the other end of the receiver before the female voice comes through again, "miwa? Is everything alright?" her tone of voice is confused, slightly concerned. ren couldn't blame her, not really.

"yeah, uh, fan-fucking-tastic, is it cool if i drop out?" straight to the point was better than stalling is what he had taught himself long before.

"what?"

"you know, like, drop out?" he repeats, "not coming to—"

"you haven't even been there for a day, what brought this mindset on?" the assistant coach interrupts, trying to hide her need for yawning.

"well, see, these kids practise until their hands are rock solid and until their legs stop working and that's just not me. i can barely hit a ball five yards." he stretches out his free hand, turning it back and forth, the memory of the hard palm of kijima rei in his mind. he hadn't known someone's hands could become so hard before.

the woman laughs on the other line, "that's exactly why we need you. most wouldn't be able to tell that much from one glance, you know."

"huh? but it's not that hard."

"so you think, but unless you've known one for a long time, often people can't tell if someone is hiding exhaustion."

"but he was dragging his feet—"

"when meeting for the first time, most don't notice the legs. they focus on the face and the chest." silence. "how about this? if you still feel like this in a month, you can go home."

"one week. i don't think i can survive a full thirty days."

"alright, just make sure to be productive to make the right decision."

"right, right, yeah, have fun in dreamland." before waiting for a reply, miwa ren hung up the phone. groaning with his hands in his hair. this was a disaster. he should've just stared at the ceiling for a couple of hours more.

placing his phone lightly in his shorts pocket, he stretched his arms and feet before heading back for the dorm room that stood across from him. the door creaks open, the smell of sweat inhaling miwa ren just once more. taking a deep breath and blocking his nose, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. sliding off his shoes, he softly made his way towards his bed.

taking hold of the wooden railing atop, he was ready to lift himself up before he was interrupted by a voice. "all good?" miwa ren almost jumped from his skin as he turned back to meet eyes with the third year, looking up at him from where he lay.

ren blinked. once, twice, silence followed. he let go of his breath then and formed his lips into a tight smile, "no, sir."

miwa ren slept two hours that night.

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