Behind the school

[Its Smiley]

Mayah Playah

"I don't give a sh-t about your gambling addiction," Magnus spat. He looked at the baseball, then at the scoreboard. He was half-tempted to throw the game and make this cocky brat lose all his money, but there was one thing he wanted enough to goad him into playing: redemption. He was going to show everything that he wasn't just some cursed kid. He was going to use this curse to win the game!
"I'll play," he agreed. "So what, I'm still on the field?"

Yasu paced in place, pumping himself up as he was next to bat. He and the entire team stopped to glance at BLAckJAck when lightning came down from the seemingly cloudless sky. There was a tense silence that followed.
"I felt something... malevolent," shuddered Kaoru.
Ken ignored it, tossing Alan towards Vinny's direction. "Vinny's not talking to any of us. Maybe he'll talk to one of Dexter's friends. You need to break down these walls he's built before it's his turn to bat, otherwise he'll throw the game."
Reed sat down next to Dexter, giving him a concerned look. "Did you figure anything out? Get anything out of him?" he asked, briefly looking at the field when the lightning struck.

 

[Mayah Playah]

♠ ♥ BLAckJAck ♦ ♣

"Yeah." He reached out for a ball from a basket, tossing it to Magnus. "Can you pitch?" he asked, tilting his head at the teen. "If not, we can put you on short stop and move Cameron to left field."

Alan protested the entire time, but landed close to Vinny nonetheless. Wow, he really needed to start eating more. Clearing his throat, he scoot a little closer to Vinny, then settle about a foot away. "Hey, uh, so... You're in my fourth period class right?" he asked, not sure how to break the ice.

Beside Reed, Dexter didn't say a word. He just stared off at Vinny silently, then dropped his face into his hands and shook his head. It was no use. Vinny was done with him, he knew it!

Coconut Coalition

 

[Its Smiley]

Mayah Playah

1 - Hit and 3rd // 2 - Homerun // 3 - Strikeout // 4 - Hit and 2nd // 5 - Hit and out // 6 - Hit

"Pitching's not a problem," Magnus said while taking the ball. He tossed it up and down as he moved to the field, replacing Hayden. He glared at the cheerleaders, then at the batter. Yasu gulped. Wasn't that the mess up from earlier? He looked different. He looked... stronger; scarier, even. The drummer gulped and tapped his bat against his cleats before taking aim.
Magnus tossed the ball up and down as his electric eyes shocked the batter. He gripped the ball firmly and raised on leg. Yelling out, he hurled the ball towards the catcher. It flew at a speed rivaling Hayden's - No! It was faster! It was getting even faster than that! It... It caught on fire!
Magnus's shadow latched onto the baseball, igniting it into a ball of black fire as it soared towards the catcher. Yasu was helpless. He swung the bat, but it was physically impossible to strike something so blindingly fast. It happened again, with him barely recovering from the first strike. Growling, he hit his head with the bat. C'mon, you're better than this! he mentally yelled. He gripped the bat tightly once more and readied swung the bat immediately.

Vinny didn't respond, simply staring out into the field. It didn't seem like he was focused even on that. After what seemed like a hopeless attempt, the guitarist mumbled something quietly, "Did you ever have a student named Akira?"

 

[Mayah Playah]

♠ ♥ BLAckJAck ♦ ♣

The third ball hit the bat with a satisfying crack, sending it out towards Haneul in left field. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the incoming balckened ball and lifted his hand to catch it. He shut his eyes, winced and almost dropped it when it fell into his mitt. He remained still for a few seconds, not sure what to do, then lowered the mitt and pulled out the ball. The entire crowd was quiet, then their side erupted into cheers as the umpire cried the out.
He looked out to Ellery, who nodded with a smile. "Well done, Magnus!" he called out, clapping his hands before returning to position. This was just what they needed for their edge.

Alan didn't really understand what was going on out on the field, so he didn't pay any attention. Instead, he looked up in thought. "Akira?" he repeated, then shrugged. "I had an Akito once, though. Akito Kuronuma. Now he was quite the coming scientist. I think he was actually Dexter's teaching assistant, and they dated briefly too. He was pretty handsome." He smiled a little, then looked to Vinny. "You're not upset about that, are you? Akito ran off ages ago."

Coconut Coalition

 

[Its Smiley]

Mayah Playah

1 - Homerun // 2 - Strikeout // 3 - Hit and 3rd // 4 - Hit and out // 5 - Hit and 2nd // 6 - Hit

Magnus watched Yasu walked then shot Ellery a glare. "Shut up!" he yelled before looking at the dugout, waiting for the next batter. He had to admit, this felt good. Hell of a lot better than screwing up and breaking someone's glasses by pure bad luck.

Hearing Alan gush about the guy made Vinny want to sink deeper into his seat, but it wasn't physically possible.
"Dexter's been using me as a rebound," he muttered. "You said so yourself, Akito was practically perfect. Who knows why he ran off, but it's obvious Dexter's still in love with him. His daughter kept telling me about how perfect they were together too." He leaned forward, dropping his face in his hands. "I feel like everything I did is nothing compared to Akito. I hate it."

Reed wasn't sure what to do with the teacher, moving a hand towards him in an awkward hug and recoiling it repeatedly. He opened his mouth to speak, but by then Ken handed him a bat and told him to go up. The band director hesitated then decided it was better then this, and walked up to home plate. He made eye contact with Magnus for a second, getting spooked by that murderous glare and missing the first pitch.
Taking Reed's place, Ken sat down besides Dexter, looking at him. "Did you have a fight with Vinny?" he asked. "He's not talking to us at all, and that's not normal."

 

[Mayah Playah]

♠ ♥ BLAckJAck ♦ ♣

Alan allowed Vinny to sulk and complain about the chemistry teacher's former lover, then raised his hand just slightly. "I know why he left. I was there when Akito decided to leave." He placed a hand on his own cheek. "It was dumb too. Akito left because Dexter just couldn't keep up with him. When they started dating, Dexter tried really hard to keep their relationship secret and relatively celibate. That wasn't enough for Akito. He was a werewolf and went into heat more often than not, and Dexter just wasn't enough. As for Caroline, she's only met Akito once. I wasn't there for that, but from what I remember, she didn't like him too much." He tapped his chin with his finger. "Since you're human, you definitely will never be as strong or as good a fighter as he was, and he was very handsome and incredibly muscular. Far more than you, at least. However, Dexter's rather taken with you. I haven't heard him mention Akito once since you two started dating. That's a good sign, I think."
He glanced out to the field as Reed's ball was caught by the ditzy blonde dancer guy. Huh, they were just having rotten luck this game.

"He's not talking to me, either," replied Dexter miserably. "He won't even tell me what's wrong. How can I fix it if I don't know what I did!"

Coconut Coalition

1 - One of my guys bats next // 2 - Yours

 

[Its Smiley]

Mayah Playah

Magnus smirked as a defeated Reed plodded to the dugout. He tossed the ball up and down again, the ball getting engulfed in its shadowy flame. He wasn't just tossing a high powered pitch, but he was infusing it with his bad luck. Those batters were getting significant bad luck thrown at them. Literally.

Vinny didn't seem comforted. "So you're saying he settled for me," he muttered, not asked. "I'm not as good-looking or talented, not even with all the money and fame my band brings. But I don't run off to find more people to satisfy me. That's the reason Akito left, but he would have stayed if Dexter was more capable. And Dexter would've gladly kept him." He shook his head and looked at Alan. "The fact that he's talked about Akito at all means he's still in love with him. I'm just the standby until he's back."

"Think about it, then," Ken pressed. "Did you two have a fight? Or maybe something scared him. You've got a daughter, right? Maybe that scared him. Or maybe something your daughter said did. What's something that would scare you in a relationship?"

 

[Mayah Playah]

♠ ♥ BLAckJAck ♦ ♣

"Yeah, but that's just my opinion. I don't think anyone except Reed is good looking and even he has his faults." He shrugged, then shifted a little in his seat. "I think you're putting too much into this. A lot of people have feelings for Dexter, but is he trying to date anyone else but you? No. He rejects confessions all the time because he wants to be with you. He risks his job every day because he wants to be with you."
He glanced over to the miserable teacher. "Reed talks about his ex-wife. That doesn't mean he's still in love with her, it means that she exists. I don't dwell on it because I don't have insecurities about my relationship. Maybe it's just an adult thing to get over jealousy like this." He looked down at his fingers. "Maybe you aren't mature enough to be with him. Think about it: if you really trusted him, would you be feeling this way? I don't think so."

He shrugged again. "I don't know. I mean, we had a fight about my ex once, but I thought we resolved it!" He rubbed the side of his neck. "I guess infidelity would scare me since it ruined my marriage, but I wouldn't cheat on Vinny!"

Coconut Coalition

Who do you want out there?

 

[Its Smiley]

Mayah Playah

Vinny looked at Alan when he mentioned how Reed always talked about his ex-wife. "You really have no worries about your relationship?" he asked. "Aren't you afraid that he's comparing you to his wife? Or that he's pitying you?" he asked until he maturity was called out. The scientist was a big cocky, in his opinion, but he suspected the man didn't realize it. And he did have a point.
"Of course I trust him, I just..." He drifted off, unsure of what to say. Maybe he didn't trust Dexter, after all.

Ken's eyebrows lifted slightly, then furrowed. "I'll let you in on one thing, old man, no one's truly over their ex," he said with absolute certainty. He leaned forward and looked down at his laced fingers. "Sure, people fall in love again and devote their lives to them, but they never forget their exes, even if it's just to talk about them. I guess you old people forgot about this after you reached your eighties, but us high schoolers are terrified to death about losing our lovers to someone better." At this, his eyes went to Bae. "I need Bae to reassure me just about everyday because of how bad this is. Do I trust him? Of course. But I'll never be the person he loved before me, and that drives me insane knowing I was picked after. I've never seen Vinny date anyone, so I don't know what his jealous side is like, but I'm sure that's our best bet."

Ryuu walked over to Anthony, handing him the bat. "Think you can handle this?" he asked with a hint of a cocky smile on his lips.

 

[Mayah Playah]

♠ ♥ BLAckJAck ♦ ♣

Alan thought seriously for a minute, then shook his head. "Nope. I know he compares us every now and then, since I'm much less agreeable than Mary, but I know I'm smarter than her, more physically symmetrical, and most importantly, that Reed picked me. He loves me even though I'm very socially awkward and don't understand social cues. He even finds it charming." Alan smiled a little, suddenly feeling wistful. Before he could get swept away, he cleared his throat and refocused on the issue at hand.
"Dexter is a good man, I know he'll understand if you talk to him about it. I mean look at the way he treats Caroline, despite her condition. Most father would kill themselves in his position, or push her away, but he is completely supportive." He should pat himself on the back for coming up with such a good example.

The teacher listened in silence, then scratched the back of his neck. "I never really thought about it that way. I mean, I'm pretty much over my ex-wife. I'll never forget her, but that's only because she bleeds half of my paycheck for alimony. I guess I figured I could just get over Akito the same way: b!tching and drinking." He sighed, then looked to Kenshin. "What am I supposed to do? He'll never listen to me now."

"You're awfully cute when you're cocky," replied Anthony, taking the bat and smirking a little himself. "You owe me a kiss if I win you a point." He winked, then stepped out to plate, getting into position. He cleared his throat, dug his foot in, and prepared to swing.

Coconut Coalition

1 - Hit // 2 - Strike one // 3 - Hit and reaches 2nd // 4 - Hit but still out // 5 - Hit and reaches 3rd // 6 - Strike one // 7 - Home run

 

[Its Smiley]

Mayah Playah

1 - Yours // 2 - Mine

The ball flew high into the sky, then bounced delicately on the grass. Fredrich narrowed his eyes. He saw the ball - Well, something - fly his way, even heard it land! Where...? He cursed under his breath as he grabbed at the air numbly. He couldn't see a single thing!
Hayden waved and called out to Fredrich that the ball was, in fact, right next to his feet, but the detective didn't seem to notice him. Did being blind also make you deaf? Sighing, the incubus ran over to his friend, picking up the ball and throwing it to first base, but Anthony was long safe.
In the dugout, Ryuu nodded with approval. Alright, not bad.

Vinny considered Alan's advice. "What should I even tell him?" he murmured while rubbing the back of his head.

"No, he'll listen. The guy's crazy about you, that's why he's sulking so much," Ken said. "Just tell him that he's the one you like, not any of your exes."

 

[Mayah Playah]

♠ ♥ BLAckJAck ♦ ♣

"The truth wouldn't hurt," Alan said with a shrug, then stood as it was his turn to bat. "Dexter is a very decent guy, he will listen if you tell him." He offered a smile, then grabbed a bat and went out to the plate. He didn't really understand baseball, but it was mostly just physics and geometry, so maybe he wouldn't be awful at it.
He got into the same position as Reed had, and swung.

Dexter wasn't totally sure if it would work, but still nodded and stood. "Okay, I'm gonna talk to him. I'll talk to him!" He tried to psych himself up, but only made himself feel a little worse. What if he messed up?

Coconut Coalition

1 - Hit // 2 - Strike one // 3 - Hit and reaches 2nd // 4 - Hit but double out // 5 - Hit and reaches 3rd // 6 - Strike one // 7 - Home run

 

[Its Smiley]

Mayah Playah

1 - Strikeout // 2 - Hit and Out // 3 - Hit // 4 - Hit and 3rd // 5 - Hit and 2nd // 6 - Homerun

The crowd didn't expect much from the small scientist when they saw him step up, but they at least cheered for a bunt. However, half of the crowd screamed at the top of their lungs when the ball flew over the fence, changing Kurai Arashi's score to two.
Reed cheered from the dugout as well. "That's my boyfriend!" he cried out, his eyes sparkly and teary as he excitedly punched the air.

Ken watched Dexter attempt and fail at pep talking himself. His eyes flickered up when he saw a figure approach them, then got up. He nodded at the man then walked off to look at the game.
"H... Hey," Vinny greeted awkwardly a couple feet away from the teacher. He looked more at the empty space on the bench rather than Dexter, his eyes glinting with nerves and shame, and his hands plunged into his pockets.

Ken handed Ryuu his bat, the blue-haired man nodding. He didn't play baseball like Ken, but had helped him during the moments he had trained, so he had a basic concept of the game - definitely more talent than the others. He approached home plate, hearing the cheers blasting from behind him and seeing the predatory glare aiming at him like two searchlights. Ryuu wasn't intimidated. If he could handle Ken's constant harassment, he could handle a teen with a grumpy mood. He waited for the pitch, and swung the bat.

 

[Mayah Playah]

♠ ♥ BLAckJAck ♦ ♣

It was all a rush to the scrawny physicist, but when he reached the home plate, he suddenly realized why people like sports. He heard people actually chanting his name, cheering for him, and over it all he heard Reed with such pride in his voice. He looked over, a breathless smile on his face, and ran to the dugout and immediately into Reed's arms. "Did you see me? Did you see?! I hit it!!" he exclaimed happily, hardly caring that the score was now at 3 and that they had a chance at winning.

Dexter jumped as he was suddenly approached by Vinny, turning to face him. He looked around, then gestured for Vinny to go further into the dugout to better hide them from prying eyes. "Good, you're here. I-I have to say something to you and it's really, really important." He paused to clear his throat. "I know you're a little nervous about my ex and that's okay. But you're so much better than him! A-and I like you more too! Not that I still like my exes, any of them. I mean, I don't mind my first girlfriend, she was pretty nice, and my first boyfriend was a decent guy too. Wait no, I don't still want to be with them, that's the point I'm trying to make." Realizing that he was babbling, the teacher covered his face with his hands. "God damn it."

Inside the dugout, Anthony hissed as Ellery easily caught the ball that Ryuu had hit and gotten him out. Wow. It wasn't even fair how fast that happened. Oh well, it was the top of the second inning and time for them to take the bases. As he walked out, he tapped Ryuu's shoulder. "Great hit, Ryoichi. The next time, though, try to edge it just a little more to the left to get it further away from Ellery. He's kind of a monster."

Coconut Coalition

 

[Its Smiley]

Mayah Playah

1 - Mine bats // 2 - Yours

Vinny snuck quick glances at Dexter in the middle of his talk, or more, his ramble about his exes. No, now wasn't the time to be consumed by jealous. Not anymore. When the teacher stopped, he looked at him again. He opened his mouth and closed it repeatedly, like a gaping fish. God, he wanted to run away, but this had to be done.
"I've... never been in a relationship," he started rather quietly. "I was busy helping my mom, and even then there was no one I was interested in. Then you came along, and you were... different. Strong but gentle, strict but kind; cool. I was happy - am happy. But then the other day your daughter was telling about about how happy you used to be with Akito and, well... I-I thought that I was just a placeholder until he came back..." he mumbled while rubbing the back of his neck shamefully, his gaze falling.

"Gee, sorry. How was I supposed to know he'd turn into a monster?" Ryuu said in his defense. The guy that was trading casserole recipes with him just last week was now doing parkour to catch a ball. He looked at the pitcher that walked towards the dugout, immediately given a carton of orange juice. "Even they're pitcher turned into a monster. Literally. Is that even legal?"
Meanwhile, Reed happily hugged Alan, spinning him around then setting him on his feet. "I saw! You were incredible out there! Now we're tied with them!" He was about to Eskimo kiss the scientist when Ken interrupted them.
"Tied. That doesn't mean we're winning," the redhead pointed out. He turned to look at Ryuu. "And you're right. Some of those people aren't even human, so I'll be pitching now." He put on his glove and grabbed the ball, feeling nostalgic energy flow through his muscles. "In order to beat the monsters, we've got to act like them. Let's go." He was deafened by the roar of the crowd as the prince of the band decided to be the pitcher.