“Get out of my sight.” Kaz & Mei, Inashiro au where Mei shook off Kazuya's signs n they lost the match xoxo
players run past him, around him, forcing mei to calculate the points, to watch and realize that all the points he’s manage to score for the team means absolutely nothing when the other team is in the lead. they’re in the lead, in the last inning, leaving inashiro in the dust. leaving inashiro in defeat.
kazuya’s words-- as the other team leaps from the dugout and flood the field to cheer and celebrate and raise their voices as the crowd celebrates with them-- kazuya’s words shatters something in mei. it blows the reality of the situation in him, weighs him down as he comes back to the present and is made to realize that they lost they match. they lost the match all because mei wanted to show off and they could have won. insashiro could have won had mei just listened, had he just done what kazuya asked him to and they would be going farther into the matches, they could have made a legacy for inashiro. they didn’t, and it’s mei’s fault. he knows that, feels it when his stomach drops, his heart feel like it’s stopping, and the back of his eyes burn.
so this time, this time mei doesn’t shake kazuya off. he leaves, getting out of the catchers sight, brushes past their teammates who seem more concerned about him rather than being mad at him for costing them the game. he gets to the dugout, but then his coach...
his coach only makes him feel worse, and he’s left there after taking in the words from two of the people he admires the most, left there wallowing because he ended up being more bark than bite. he played himself to be such a great pitcher, but he isn’t. he isn’t and doesn’t this just prove it?
mei doesn’t realize he’s been crying, hyperventilating until he realizes he can’t breath, can’t breath and he’s choking on air, trying to get anything, anything to stop the pains in his chest, but it only makes him feel worse. he can’t-- he can’t stop it-- only if masa were here-- he moves, lowering himself onto the dugouts floor, and curls up, trying to breath, wondering how he can face kazuya again after that. he has to get better, he has to be a better pitcher, even if he’s already spending all his time pitching and training he has to get better. he’s coughing, choking on air, struggling to breath, but mei only wants to get better. that’s all he cares about. if he can’t pitch then he doesn’t have any worth being on inashiro.
assorted starters . @yeonban