Diamond no Ace Imagines.{DnA x Reader}

Congratulations.(Katoaka Tesshin)

-I just love him too much, I hope I'm not the only one that feels this way about the coach. Then again, I like old men with facial hair. His name is also Tesshin, which reminds me of Kiyoshi LOL, anyway, enjoy!-

"Oh come on Katoaka, stop glaring at me like that." you sigh as you twist his shoulder around to help him stretch out his tired muscles.

"You. Are. Such. A. Pain." he grinds his teeth as he tries to pry his arm out of your grip. "I can do it myself."

"I'm your manager, therefore I have responsibility over the ace's wellbeing." you state as you tug a little harder to show him that you don't appreciate his rowdy behaviour.

"That's a responsibility that only you claim to-ow!" he starts to complain, but you shut him up by giving his limb another merciless yank. "You're really going to break my arm off if you keep at it!"

  Katoaka Tesshin is the ace of Seidou's baseball team. Everybody knows him by his impeccable role as the ace and as a very talented pitcher. You on the other hand, are just another face in the crowd. Being the head manager isn't really something to brag about, but you take great pride in what you do because you are truly proud to be supporting the team. Especially since you started to go out with the devil Tesshin himself, you take your job fairly seriously. Even if Katoaka acts blunt and rude towards you about it, deep down, he couldn't agree more about you being completely suitable for the tiresome role of keeping everybody in the team in check.

  Lately your brute boyfriend has been overworking. You try not to be obvious about it, but it remains clear that his body cannot keep up with his passion. He's still in high school, which means his body is still developing. To top that off with a newfound pressure to keep his ace number, anybody would worry for his wellbeing and his future. You are his lover, and you know how hardworking your boyfriend is, more than anybody else that is. To watch him erode himself away, you can't stand it.

"Don't you think you should take it easy with the pitching?" you sigh timidly as you run your hand along his back gently. "Your shoulders are under an overwhelmingly large amount of stress right now, it's probably for the best if you-"

"Don't worry about me, (Your Name). I'm fine," he reassures as he grabs your hand before giving it a small supportive squeeze. "We'll definitely make it to nationals."

"I know you will, but please just look after yourself. I'm getting worried." you nag honestly, and the man turns around to run his hand along your cheek.

"I'll be more careful. I promise."

  So you believe him and he does what he says he will. After all, he was never one to go back on his word. You are so surprised at how he changed over the course of many years. His self-centred and rebellious persona ebbs away to reveal an honest man with nothing but a burning spirit and desire to win. Even after university, he climbs higher and higher, and you can only watch and admire him from a distance as he is sculpted into a noble and strong-hearted man.

  It's been a while since you saw him in person. After your nasty break up during high school, you moved away to a different district. A part of why you did so was because you wanted nothing to do with him. You just couldn't forgive him for giving up on your relationship after all you've done for him. However, at that time, his mind was focused solely on bettering himself as a pitcher. He didn't have room for you, and now that you think back at that period in his life, you don't blame him anymore. Now you stand at your old school, with nostalgia crawling up your back. You don't know if you should be happy or sad to return to such a melancholy atmosphere. The crowd around you cheers loudly and you snap out of your trance to realise that Seido has won against their rivalry, Yakushi High. Your fists clench as you watch the group of managers squeal in delight. You've been there once, and you jealously crave to be in their shoes again. But sadly you've grown up, and Katoaka probably did too.

  Once everything dies down, you head outside to leave. You had debated about visiting him, but you decide that it'll probably be too awkward to bear. Just as you step out into the sweltering sun, you hear more cheering and clapping and look up to see a group of boys surrounding the man you dreaded to see. His tanned face looks more sculpted and defined with wisdom. But his old self still shines through in your eyes, and they automatically fill up with tears. His students finally put him down from throwing him in the air multiple times, and he looks around with a flustered expression. You quickly look away and speed walk towards the entrance, hoping that he hasn't noticed you. But he does see you through his shades, and his feet move on their own accord, not caring the slightest about the remaining group of his disciples who also look shocked to see their coach running after a woman.

"(Your Name)." he calls your name urgently, and you are taken aback at how deep and manly his voice has become.

"Ah. Katoaka." you breathe under your breath as you manage to put on a weak smile. "It's been a while."

"(Your Name)-" he continues but his words catch in his throat abruptly as you throw your arms around his neck.

  Tears stream down your face as you bury it into his chest. You don't know what to feel or how to react to seeing him right in front of you. But you do know that you feel nothing but pride. You're proud of him for chasing after his dream, even if he stopped chasing you in the process. It was either you or his passion, and you are so glad that he made it. He brought up a marvellous team, encouraged these young and naive students to do the right thing. Most importantly, he finally fulfilled his life goal, which is to play baseball to the very end. 

  Kaotoka doesn't say anything, but his strong arms wrap around your shoulders as he returns your embrace. His heart fills with love for you. It's as if a lost fire has suddenly been rekindled. It also contracts in guilt as he is reminded of how your relationship was cut off by his own selfishness many years ago. His tears start to leak down his cheeks again as he hides his face against your cheek.

"Congratulations, Katoaka."