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Eijun has spent five years travelling back and forth between Japan and the US. He played MLB, but his family and friends, and all that he loved was back in japan- except baseball. Baseball was in the United States, thousands of miles from home, in a place he considered nothing but lonely. His contract was finally expiring and he looked forward to nothing more than coming home to play baseball in Japan. America had been a dream, for a while, but eventually it turned into lonely nights in a fetal position, missing, Missing home. Missing his ex- teammates, missing his family, and most importantly, missing his boyfriend. To be honest, Eijun had always thought baseball was his number one, but now he was in the middle of an internal crisis. He had realized that baseball wasn’t baseball without a snarky blue eyed rival to compete with.
They had skyped as much as possible, but the time difference and distance made it increasingly more difficult. Mei, ever the supportive boyfriend, had always said that Eijun was worth waiting for. Mei would endure as many skype calls as it took, for Eijun to be happy. Mei would never admit that each call was torture. Each one let him look but not touch. Each call was slightly less bright than the real thing. Mei endured, because Eijun was everything he ever wanted, and he would wait an eternity just to have that smile back in his life.
During the first year, it wasn't so bad. Eijun would stay up late just for Mei, Mei was his priority, but one skype call Mei seemed especially stressed, and when pressed on what was wrong he stated that if Eijun kept worrying about him then he would be wasting his opportunity abroad, and he minus well come back here if that was the case. Eijun protested, but deep down he understood. Mei was struggling too and if he didn’t pull his own weight he should just come home to Mei. Thus, in the second year, contact dropped off significantly. Mei missed him but they both knew there was no one else, so it didn’t matter. Their love could last this because their life couldn’t last without each other in the long term. The next two years felt absolutely desolate. They talked as much as they could, but Mei had his own career too, so they had to be content in the knowledge that their love is enough. There were times when Eijun got jealous, like when Mei posted pictures with Miyuki, or when Mei got jealous at all the new people Sawamura had in his life that Mei wasn’t a part of, but both were needy and communication was never a struggle for them, so they always left their feelings out in the open. The fifth year was unbearable. They were so close to Eijuns contract ending, yet so far. The days dragged on as they had to wait in anticipation for Eijuns day of return to arrive, and finally it did.
The day Eijun came back was one that Mei would never forget for multiple reasons. Firstly, it meant that Sawamura had realized what Mei knew all along, that baseball was not the same without the other. Secondly, he hadn’t seen that smile nearly enough in the past five years, meaning that the sun seemed to be missing from his life. Lastly, if Eijun came back, Mei wasn’t going to let him leave again. His fragile pitcher heart could only take so much and this time, he would be the greedy boyfriend who told Eijun exactly how he felt if he tried to go back. That was a discussion for later, however, after he was reunited with his world.
As Mei drove to the airport he noticed his hands were shaking. As Eijun sat on the plane he couldn’t stop tapping his knee, much to the disturbance of the person seated next to him. Mei was at the airport two hours early, and boy was it the longest two hours of his life. He scrolled through reddit,watched baseball videos, and even texted stupid Miyuki which he hates. None of it managed to ease his anticipation. Eventually Eijuns flight had arrived and he noticed before anyone even came off the plane, that tears were spilling down his face.
Eijun walked off the airplane only to see his beautiful boyfriend in tears, he broke into a sprint and the other boy met him as they collapsed into a hug and sunk onto their knees. They were hugging, on their knees, in the middle of an airport, but they didn’t even notice the world around them. It was just Eijun and Mei as it had always been. Eijun was crying now too and between choked sobs “I’m sorry baby. I won’t leave again, I'm here” to which Mei proceeded to sob harder shaking in Eijuns arms. He loved Eijun so much he couldn’t bear the thought of having him gone again. “I” Mei choked trying to get the words out “missed you ``''so much” Now it was Eijuns turn to cry harder. He had hurt the love of his life from his own desire to improve his baseball, yet Mei was nothing but supportive. Eventually, Eijun was the one to pull himself together, despite being the usual crybaby, and wipe his Mei’s tears. “Shhh it's okay” Mei sunk into his arms deeper and eventually Eijun just picked the blonde up in his arms and took him to the car.
Later that night, they cuddled in bed, Mei’s legs entangled in Eijun’s and arms holding him tightly as if he was scared he would leave again. “Listen Mei” Eijun said, still holding Mei close to him, “I thought about it and realized that my baseball isn’t the same without you, and my life isn’t the same without you. I love you a lot.” Mei just held him tighter, letting the words fill him with the comfort the long distance relationship of the last five years had deprived him of. “Hey Mei… Marry me” Mei immediately shot out of bed “ Huh?! Is that anyway to ask me to marry you” Eijun looked at him with a gloriously cheesy smile because atleast now Mei wasn’t moping and clinging to him. “Where's my ring?” Mei grumbled, knowing he was weak to all of Eijuns facial expressions. Eijun just laughed. “here” He opened a box with two bands in it, one silver and one gold. A gold one for Mei to wear, a ring that represented everything Eijun was, the sun, joy, light, unconditional love and a silver one for Eijun. The silver ring contained all that Mei was to Eijun, the moon, a calming presence, guidance, and unconditional faithfulness. Mei couldn’t help but drop his grumbly facade and jump into Eijuns arms “Ok Eijun, let’s get married” And Eijun smiled at him with that light up the world smile because they knew, not baseball or family, or a natural disaster, or even death could part them. They were stuck like glue.