Katsuki was in the middle of throwing on his Tornados jersey when his cell phone rang. He didn't need to check the caller ID. There was only one person he knew apart from his parents that preferred to call instead of text.
"Hey E."
"Hey," Eijiro replied. Katsuki was too pumped about their plans for the day to notice the somber tone in his friend's voice.
He cushioned his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he applied cologne to his wrists. "What time do you think you'll be at my house? My parents want to leave by two at the latest."
Eijiro groaned into the phone. "I'm sorry bro, I'm not gonna be able to make it."
"What?" Katsuki set his cologne on his dresser to give Eijiro his full attention. "Why not?"
"I have strep throat," Eijiro said. "And a fever."
"Damn it."
Katsuki closed his eyes as Eijiro relayed the rest of his ailments. This wasn't how today was supposed to go.
Katsuki's parents bought tickets to a Tornados game, and purchased an extra ticket so Katsuki could bring a friend. Eijiro was the obvious choice, given he was Katsuki's best friend and the two had a mutual love of baseball. The boys had gone to Tornados games together in the past, but this one had a special condition attached to it.
Toshinori Yagi, the best baseball player in Japanese history and Katsuki's inspiration, announced earlier this year that he was retiring at the end of the season. And since it was the middle of September, meaning there was a little more than a month left in the season, this was Katsuki's last opportunity to see his hero wear a Tornados uniform in person. Masaru and Mitsuki spent a lot of money for these tickets so they'd get good seats, which added to the hype. As excited as Katsuki was, it sucked that his best friend had to miss it.
"You'll take pictures, won't you?" Eijiro said.
"Of course. Feel better, man."
"Thanks."
Katsuki sighed as he hung up. He wouldn't let this ruin his time at the game. Eijiro would be upset with him if he did. Still, his excitement wasn't as high as it was a few minutes prior.
His parents were already decked in their Tornados attire when Katsuki dragged his feet into the kitchen. Mitsuki opened her mouth to speak, but Katsuki cut her off.
"Eijiro's not coming," he said. "He's sick."
Mitsuki placed a hand on her heart. "Oh, that's terrible. Poor thing. You both were so excited about today."
Katsuki grunted and proceeded to sit at the table. He wasn't in the mood to offer a verbal response. Masaru, occupying the chair next to him, rubbed his son's shoulder.
"Do you want to try finding someone else to tag along? It'd be a shame to have a spare ticket go to waste."
"No," Katsuki whined as he pulled at his hair.
He did that a lot recently, lose patience with his parents. It was tough being twelve. His body was going through a lot of changes, some good, most bad. Unfortunately, for both Katsuki and his parents, one of those changes was increased irritability over the most minor of things. In this situation, Katsuki had to hold back from screaming at Masaru that he had said twice in the last week that none of his friends were in town today.
"I told you," he said with a scowl, "Denki's in Osaka with his grandparents. And Hanta sees a Spanish tutor on Saturdays."
"What about any of your baseball friends?"
"Hmpf."
Eijiro was his baseball friend. Sure, the seventh and eighth graders on the team were kind to them during the spring season, but Katsuki didn't talk to most of them outside of school now that their season was over. Katsuki still had plenty of people that wished to befriend him, but he didn't want any of them coming to the game with him. Even with his newfound popularity in middle school, the people he cared most about never changed. There was Eijiro, Denki, Hanta, and, well...
"I don't think Shouto has any plans today," Mitsuki said. "Why don't you invite him."
Katsuki pouted as he stared at his mom with tired eyes. "Mom, no."
Mitsuki shrugged. "It was just a suggestion."
Katsuki dipped his head until his cheek hit the table. The wood was cold against his skin, almost to the point of being uncomfortable. Even though he wasn't in the best of moods, he found comfort in Masaru tenderly caressing his hair.
"I don't think it'd hurt to ask, kiddo," he said.
"You don't know that."
Though, since the Bakugous weren't leaving for the game until much later, he figured it couldn't hurt to stop by the Todoroki household to at least see Shouto. Katsuki hated how little he hung out with his neighbor these days. Every once in a while they'd both be free on a weekend day, but it wasn't enough for Katsuki's liking. Katsuki didn't hate having a vibrant social life, he just wished his interests and friend circle overlapped with Shouto's more so they wouldn't go so long without seeing each other. But they were different people with different passions. Katsuki liked sports and often went to boy-girl parties. Shouto joined a robotics team and liked to cosplay at manga conventions. Katsuki liked Shouto, but not enough to ever step foot in one of those places.
Shouto was on his front lawn, walking his Persian cat Kori on a leash. Kori chose to roll around in the grass instead of walk, which in turn made Shouto giggle, which in turn made Katsuki smile. Even after everything he'd been through, Shouto's soul was still too sweet and pure for a world so cruel.
"Hey," Katsuki said.
Shouto beamed as Katsuki stepped closer. "Hi. Nice jersey."
Katsuki played with the hem of his Toshinori Yagi jersey as he stepped closer. "Thanks." He sat in the grass and rubbed Kori's back. Shouto sat down with him. "Hey Kori."
Shouto scratched the back of Kori's ear. "Aw, you missed Katsuki, didn't you?"
"Of course she missed me," Katsuki said. "I'm the coolest person she knows." The two boys smiled at each other before he continued. "So, any plans this weekend?"
Shouto puffed his cheeks out. "Nope. I might hang out with Izuku tomorrow but I'm not sure yet. You?"
"I'm going to a Tornados game with my parents." Katsuki gestured to his outfit. "Hence the jersey."
"Oh yeah, Toshinori Yagi is retiring this year, isn't he?"
Katsuki dipped his head. "Yeah," he muttered, "so it'll be cool to get to see him play one last time."
"It sounds cool. I bet the stadium's gonna be packed! Wanna place bets on how many homeruns he'll hit today?"
Offering a weak smile, Katsuki told him, "We don't have to talk about this, you know."
Shouto tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"Just...I know baseball is kind of a tough topic for you, with your brother and your dad and everything."
It was hard for Katsuki to keep baseball talk to a minimum around someone he spent so much time with over the last three years, but he did it for Shouto's sake. Baseball was Katsuki's greatest love, but he knew it was Touya Todoroki's greatest love as well, aside from his little brother of course. And with Enji Todoroki being a tiger parent of the sport right until Touya's passing, baseball was simply a sensitive topic for Shouto. Sure, Shouto went to Katsuki's baseball games whenever he was free, but Katsuki could still see it in Shouto's eyes whenever the boy came to spectate: a longing for his brother, a longing for simpler times, before everything went wrong.
Shouto stopped petting Kori and looked up at the sky. "I wish you'd stop doing that."
"Doing what?"
Shouto met his gaze again, the disappointment in his eyes piercing straight through Katsuki's. "Treating me like a baby. Like if you say the wrong thing that I'll burst into tears. I'm not that fragile, Katsuki."
Katsuki nodded. Shouto was the quiet one out of the two of them, but every now and then he'd slap Katsuki with a serious dose of reality and Katsuki had too much respect for Shouto to ever fight him on it. "I'm sorry."
Shouto continued, "Baseball was Touya's thing, you're right. But I don't hate the sport now just because he's gone. I like going to your games. It gives me the chance to see the world through his eyes. I miss him, and some days really, really suck without him, but I never want to forget him."
Silence carried for a few seconds. Katsuki kept petting Kori, who had jumped into his lap at this point. Then he flashed Shouto a tiny smile. "You're tougher than you look, Halfie."
Shouto smiled back and flicked Katsuki's forehead. "Don't ever forget it."
Katsuki chuckled. "You know, my parents have an extra ticket to the game today if you want to come."
A smile encompassed Shouto's entire face, his pudgy cheeks turning rosy with delight. Shouto was cheesing too hard to give a proper answer, but it wasn't necessary.
That smile said it all.
*
They had great seats. They were in the front row right behind the Tornados' dugout. Katsuki had sent dozens of photos of players running on and off the field to Eijiro since the game started, most of the pictures being of Toshinori Yagi.
There was no getting around it. Toshinori Yagi was a specimen of a man. He was tall, muscular, and exuded power. He was even bigger than Enji Todoroki, which was not an easy feat. Katsuki spent the afternoon in awe at being in such close proximity to a living legend. There was even a time when Katsuki swore Yagi smiled right at him, and he'd been on cloud nine ever since.
Shouto fed off of Katsuki's energy. The boy was decked head to toe in Tornados attire just like the three Bakugous. He borrowed the clothes from Katsuki, though he had to borrow clothes that Katsuki wore the year before so they'd fit properly. Even then, they ran a bit big. Katsuki chuckled every time the bill of Shouto's hat fell over his eyes and Shouto had to adjust.
Katsuki also had a spare glove for Shouto to use. Again, it wasn't a perfect fit, but Shouto didn't mind as the chances of a ball being hit in their direction were slim.
The crowd roared as Yagi strutted up to home plate. The game wasn't even halfway over and he already hit two homeruns. For someone who was nearing the end of his baseball career, he sure didn't play like it.
"He's so amazing," Katsuki said.
The opposing pitcher challenged Yagi with an intense stare down. Katsuki didn't see the point. Yagi's reputation was unmatched for a reason. It wasn't like he was going to strike out.
Then, on the very first pitch, Yagi smacked the ball with such strength that it fired off at lightning speed. Katsuki barely had time to react, except for a sinking feeling in his stomach as his brain registered the ball was heading right in his direction.
It was a clear line drive, right for the stands. If someone tried to catch it with their bare hands, it was bound to sting. But it traveled too fast, and Katsuki hesitated in the split second it would've taken for him to pull his glove out to protect himself.
And yet...
The sound of the ball colliding with the insides of a rubber mitt pierced Katsuki's ears. He blinked a few times, still in disbelief over what just happened.
Shouto was just as amazed, the boy staring down at his left hand with his mouth hanging open. When he opened his borrowed glove, the proof was there for everyone to see.
Shouto caught the ball.
Fans in their section went ballistic. Mitsuki and Masaru were ecstatic as well, though Mitsuki held back her excitement to first ensure Shouto was okay. Shouto slid his hand out from the glove and bent his fingers. His palm was a little red, as to be expected for a child that just caught a baseball hit at God knows how many miles an hour. But other than that, he seemed okay.
Katsuki grabbed Shouto by the shoulders and shook him. "Dude," he said, "you just caught a ball hit by TOSHINORI YAGI!"
Shouto peered back into his glove and studied the ball. He picked it up, rotated it in his hand as he narrowed his gaze at it, before ultimately extending it to Katsuki.
"Here," he said. "You have it."
Katsuki's jaw dropped as his eyes shifted back and forth between the ball and Shouto. "You're...you're serious?"
Shouto shrugged. "He's your hero, not mine. You'll definitely appreciate it more than I ever would."
Katsuki couldn't believe it. He couldn't think, he couldn't speak. He was so taken aback by the gesture that he almost drooled on the baseball as Shouto held it out for him since he hadn't closed his mouth yet.
When it finally sunk in that he was about to be in possession of what would always be his most prized baseball artifact, he threw his arms around Shouto, almost knocking the wind out of him.
"Thank you! Oh my God, you're the best!"
Shouto hugged him back, and that was when Katsuki realized this was the first time he ever gave Shouto a proper hug. Physical contact still wasn't his favorite thing in the world, but there were exceptions to every rule. And this was definitely an exception.
More applause came from their section as Katsuki accepted the ball from Shouto, both boys sporting huge grins. Katsuki couldn't help himself, he hugged Shouto again. Too much serotonin coursed through his body to not act on it.
Masaru, sitting next to Katsuki, gently shook his son's shoulder. "Boys, look. You're on TV!"
They looked up at the Jumbotron that took up the back wall behind center field. Sure enough, there they were, the smiles on their faces as prominent as ever. They waved, the applause now stretching from just their section to the entire stadium.
Of course, there was still a game going on. Their little moment of fame came and went in the span of ten seconds, but that was enough for Katsuki. The real highlight of his day, his year, and his life even, was resting in the palm of his hand.
A baseball hit off the bat of Toshinori Yagi, the greatest player that ever lived. The person Katsuki looked up to since he first picked up a baseball. The reason why he was as devoted to the sport as he was.
He couldn't believe his luck. There was no way Eijiro would've given him the ball had he been here instead. Not that Katsuki would've blamed him. But then again, he wasn't positive Eijiro would've caught it in the first place. Eijiro was as much of a baseball enthusiast as Katsuki, and probably would've been too frazzled to stick his glove out in time. In fact, had it been anyone other than Shouto, it'd probably have resulted in a serious medical emergency.
As the game continued, Katsuki found himself watching Shouto more than the players on the field. Catching Yagi's hit really brought out the excitement in Shouto. He was clapping, chanting, even taking pictures with his cell phone. And then Katsuki remembered.
"...It gives me the chance to see the world through his eyes. I miss him, and some days really, really suck without him, but I never want to forget him."
That was what Shouto said about Touya. How he still enjoyed watching baseball, even in the times it brought out the pain of not having Touya around anymore. It hurt, but it was a good kind of hurt, if that even made sense. And at that moment, Katsuki understood.
Even if Shouto was the biggest baseball fan in the universe, even bigger than Katsuki, he still would've given Katsuki that ball and wouldn't have thought twice about it. Because for Shouto, the material items didn't matter. He didn't care about bringing anything home from the game, he cared about the memories from simply attending. That was as great of a souvenir to Shouto than any prized possession.
He was a mystery, that Shouto Todoroki. Even when Katsuki thought he had his neighbor all figured out, Shouto found new ways to surprise him.
It was a bittersweet realization. Had Katsuki not been so stubborn and close minded, he and Shouto probably would've become close a lot sooner. They would've had more years together to play, laugh, and get in trouble the way children did. He'd give anything to go back and change it all. Because for how nice of a day this had been, it wasn't permanent.
Come Monday, Katsuki would be back in with the popular crowd and Shouto would be on the outside as usual with his little nerdy friends. There was nothing wrong with it. They were both happy with the friends that they had. Katsuki just wished he had more time in his schedule to make room for Shouto.
Shouto pouted at him. "What's wrong?"
Katsuki gave a half smile as he fixed Shouto's hat, which fell in front of the boy's eyes again. "Nothing."
When the game officially ended and the Tornados were declared the victors, Katsuki and Shouto high fived each other. They were about to head out with Mitsuki and Masaru, but the four of them were stopped right before they reached the stairs.
A man dressed in all black stared down at them. He flashed them a security badge, which Mitsuki inspected in great detail to ensure this man was who he said he was.
"Is there a problem?" Masaru asked.
"Not at all," the security officer said before directing his gaze at the two young boys. "There's someone who wants to meet the both of you. Your parents are free to come, obviously."
So that was how Katsuki, Shouto, and Katsuki's parents were led to a very fancy office on the third deck of the stadium. Windows covered the entire wall, giving a perfect view of the field. The leather couch Katsuki and Shouto sat on was easily the most expensive furniture piece Katsuki ever used.
"He'll be right in," the officer said. Then he slipped out of the office, leaving the four of them to wonder what was going on.
Well, two of them. Mitsuki and Masaru had slick smiles on their faces, like they knew something.
"What?" Katsuki said.
They played it cool. "Nothing," Mitsuki said. "Just excited to see who our mystery guest is."
Katsuki wasn't stupid. He figured the security officer told them. Shouto picked up on it as well and soon started bouncing his leg. Katsuki knew it was just because Shouto was nervous, so he didn't snap at him to stop. But he still found it obnoxious.
Just when Katsuki was about to pester his parents again about what they knew, the door was busted open.
"I AM HERE!"
It was a good thing Katsuki was sitting down, otherwise he would've fainted. This couldn't be real. He was dreaming, he was certain of it. There was no way something as incredible as this was happening to him of all people.
Their guest stepped inside, having to duck his head and tilt his body sideways to fit through the door frame. A grand smile was plastered on his face as he approached the couch where Katsuki and Shouto sat. He offered a polite hello to Katsuki's parents as he walked over. Masaru, who'd been calm and collected until now, succumbed to his inner fanboy and choked out an overenthusiastic greeting.
Katsuki lost all feeling in his body, that numbness soon overtaking his mouth.
"Y-You're..." he said. "Y-You're..."
"Toshinori Yagi!" Shouto said.
Yagi let out a hearty laugh as he pulled up a chair. When he sat in it, one of the legs snapped, so he now sat at a downward angle. Still, he was all smiles.
"So how are you both doing today?" he said. "Did you enjoy the game?"
Katsuki was frozen. All he could do was stare in bewilderment as he processed that his idol was sitting directly across from him, talking to him.
"It was awesome," Shouto said with a smile. "I caught a ball you hit. I let Katsuki keep it since he's your biggest fan."
Yagi laughed again before directing his attention to Katsuki. "So your name's Katsuki, is it?"
Katsuki balled his hands into tight fists and rested them on his thighs. "Yes," he choked out. "M-M-My name's Katsuki. K-Katsuki Bakugou."
Yagi leaned back in his lopsided chair. "Well, young Bakugou, you're lucky to have a friend as selfless as this one." He then looked to Shouto. "My teammates showed me the footage of what you did. It's not every day you see such a tremendous demonstration of sportsmanship and friendship. So..." He then pulled out a baseball from his uniform pocket, one that clearly hadn't been used. "I'd like to give this to you."
Shouto sat still for a moment as he focused his gaze on the gift being offered to him by a living legend, then accepted it graciously. "Thank you."
Yagi smiled as Shouto cupped the ball in his hands. "What's your name, kid?"
"Shouto Todoroki."
This time Yagi was the one in disbelief. "Oh man, you're Enji's son, aren't you? I can't believe I didn't notice when I first stepped in here. The resemblance is uncanny."
"Oh, um..." Shouto sucked in his lip. "Yeah. He's my dad."
"It's a shame what happened to him," Yagi said. "Could've been the best to ever play if he never got injured. Some people didn't like his attitude, but I admired your dad when I was younger. It's rare for a player to have that much tenacity."
Shouto shrugged. "I guess so."
"Do you play ball?"
"Nope." He nudged Katsuki's shoulder. "But Katsuki does. He's really good."
"Is that so? What position do you play, young Bakugou?"
Katsuki was still too star struck to say anything of substance. "I'm a...pitcher," he said weakly.
"His dream is to throw a perfect game in the major leagues," Shouto said.
Yagi threw another smile in Katsuki's direction. "Well, I look forward to seeing it one day."
Katsuki bowed in his seat, the words of affirmation from his number one hero sending shivers throughout his body. "Thank you."
"How about I sign those baseballs for you?"
Both Katsuki and Shouto shoved their respective baseballs in Yagi's face, causing him to chuckle once more. As he signed both of them with Sharpie, Katsuki kicked his feet together out of giddiness. Once the initial shock that Toshinori Yagi was in front of him wore off, he grew more confident to speak.
"Do you think you can sign something for my friend Eijiro too? He was supposed to be here today but he's sick."
"Of course." Yagi pulled out another baseball from his pocket. "It's a good thing I carry these around, isn't it?"
Katsuki giggled, as did Shouto. They spent the next several minutes speaking with Yagi about anything and everything. School, baseball, other hobbies, they covered a variety of topics. It amazed Katsuki that someone as legendary as Toshinori Yagi was so charismatic and down to earth, and genuinely seemed to care about what the two boys had to say.
Good things didn't last forever though. Eventually, they did have to leave. It sucked, but Katsuki just had thirty minutes with his biggest inspiration, which was thirty more minutes than he thought he'd ever get. And hey, if Katsuki was bound to become a professional baseball player one day, it was possible that their paths would cross again.
"I'm sorry," Mitsuki said to Yagi, "if it's not too much, can I get a picture of the three of you?"
"Absolutely!" Yagi replied.
Mitsuki pulled out her digital camera as Katsuki and Shouto rose from the couch. Yagi stood in the middle of them, wrapping an arm around both boys and pulling them close. Katsuki and Shouto wrapped their arms around Yagi too. Their hands ended up connecting at the center of his back, the tips of Katsuki's fingers resting on Shouto's.
"Smile!" Mitsuki said.
Katsuki didn't need to be told twice.
*
On the drive home, Katsuki kept staring at his autographed baseball. His eyes scanned the message Yagi wrote for him over and over.
Young Bakugou,
Go Beyond. Plus Ultra!
-Toshinori Yagi
He had no idea what that meant, but it was his new favorite phrase. He smiled at the boy sleeping against the car window, little Shouto holding his own baseball as he slumbered. Eijiro's ball rested in Katsuki's pocket. Katsuki didn't tell Eijiro anything yet. He figured it'd be a nice surprise the next time they saw each other.
When Masaru pulled into the Bakugou-Todoroki shared driveway, Katsuki gently rocked Shouto awake. Shouto fluttered his eyes open, a small pout forming on his lips as his sleep was interrupted. Katsuki laughed as he unclicked his seatbelt.
"Come on, idiot," he said. "We're home."
Everyone climbed out of the car. Rei stood on her front lawn and waved.
"How was the game?"
Shouto, no longer cranky, beamed as he ran up to her. "We met Toshinori Yagi! And he signed these baseballs for us! And I caught a ball he hit! And-"
"Woah, okay," Rei laughed, "one story at a time please."
Shouto and Katsuki took turns as they recounted the events of today. Mitsuki and Masaru chimed in a little, but the boys were too revved up for the adults to get much of a word in.
Rei smiled. "Well I'm glad you had such a nice time. Shouto, why don't you give me that ball and I'll put it somewhere safe?"
Shouto nodded. "Okay."
Rei went back inside her house as Katsuki's parents went inside theirs. Then it was just the two of them. Shouto's eyes met Katsuki's as he approached him, a true appreciation for Katsuki reflecting in his gaze.
"Thanks for inviting me today," he said. "I had fun."
Katsuki nodded. "Same here." He lightly kicked the ground and shoved his hands in his pockets. When he pulled out his autographed ball, he offered Shouto a small smile. "I know I already said it, but thanks for letting me keep this."
Shouto shrugged. "It's no big deal. I got my own ball too, so everybody wins."
"Yeah, but you gave me this before you knew that was going to happen. So seriously, thank you."
Shouto smiled. "You're welcome."
Katsuki paused, gazed up at the sunset above him, before peering back at Shouto. A slick grin tugged at his lips as the words spilled out.
"You're a good friend."
Shouto's reaction was that of a kid in a candy store. Not that Katsuki was surprised. Shouto'd been trying for years to get Katsuki to admit they were friends, but the boy never budged. To Katsuki, it was just a silly game they played. He knew a long time ago that Shouto was his friend, one of his closest friends at that. Katsuki always planned on saying it one day, he just wanted to wait for the right moment.
He couldn't think of a better one than right now.
Though now that it was out in the open, heat rushed to his cheeks as Shouto smiled at him, stars dazzling in those dual colored eyes.
"Stop looking at me like that."
"You said it," Shouto answered, ignoring him. "You said we're friends!"
Katsuki crossed his arms. "Whatever. No need to make a big deal out of it."
But judging from Shouto's expression, he had every intention of making this a big deal.
Shouto stepped closer to Katsuki, so Katsuki took off. He knew where this was going, and he didn't like it. Katsuki had already done it twice today, and that was two times too many.
"Get away from me," he said over his shoulder.
"HUG ME!" Shouto laughed.
"No!" Katsuki sprinted into his backyard, closing the gate behind him. It didn't matter anyway, since Shouto jumped over it. "Leave me alone, you stupid nerd!"
Katsuki lost his footing as he attempted a left turn and slipped in the grass. Shouto tackled him to the ground, falling on top of Katsuki's back. His arms wrapped around Katsuki's neck as he rested his head over Katsuki's shoulder.
"Get off of me," Katsuki groaned. He couldn't believe how much heavier Shouto felt from such a minor growth spurt.
"Katsuki says we're frieeeeends," Shouto sang. "Katsuki says we're frieeeeends."
Katsuki rolled his eyes. "You're so annoying."
Shouto giggled and climbed off. Katsuki flipped over, the two boys lying side by side in the grass, both of them now laughing.
"Sorry," Shouto said. "I just can't believe you actually said it."
Katsuki huffed. "It's not like you didn't know."
"I know, but I'm happy you said it."
Katsuki turned his head, his cheek being tickled by the grass, and looked at his friend. "Just so you know, that's never gonna change."
Shouto turned his head too. "What do you mean?"
"Us being friends. I know we don't hang out as much as we used to, but it doesn't matter. We'll always be friends. And I'm always here if you need me. Understand?"
Shouto gave a sweet smile. "Yeah. I understand."
He then leant forward to hug Katsuki again, much to the blonde's dismay. Katsuki tried to wiggle out of Shouto's grasp, but the boy was like a koala.
Even so, Katsuki couldn't bring himself to be mad about it. Though he didn't mind pretending, even if he was terrible at it.
"I take it back," he laughed. "You're the worst friend ever."