Prompt 9 by thoroughlynerdy

[aibamods]

A Strike to the Heart
Prompt: #9- Aiba and Jun (or someone else!) used to be friendly rivals. When they reconnect years later, the spirit of competition manifests in a much more exciting way.
Pairing: Aiba/Jun
Rating: PG
Word Count: 4000~
Warnings: None
Notes: The title of this story might be a smidge misleading unintentionally, but bowling has strikes too, not just baseball. Dear prompter, whoever you are, I hope you enjoy this! I had fun writing it.



I

“Are you really sure they won’t mind me being here?” Aiba asks as he and Nino make their way inside the alley.
“It’s fine, I signed you up,” Nino shrugs hefting his bag to his other shoulder. “Why are these things so heavy?” he asks with a grunt.
“Oh, well, I guess I’ll do my best then. Will they have shoes I can rent?”
Nino ignores him in favor of slipping through the mass of bodies and up to the registration desk.
The building has a smoky air, and Aiba’s nose wrinkles as the scent mixes with that of sweat and fried foods in the small space.
“Ninomiya Kazunari and Aiba Masaki checking in for the Classified Division, 15 and under,” Nino says while Aiba stares at the various people milling about around him. There are more than he anticipated, both old and young, and he is fascinated by the variety he sees.
“Nino,” he hisses as a particularly gruff looking man squeezes by, “Are you really sure this is a good idea?”
“Look, neither of us has to win, we just need to show up and bowl so I’m ‘outside getting some fresh air’,” the younger sighs. “That’s the deal I made with my mom.”
Aiba laughs, shaking his head at his friend and takes the number the younger thrusts at him. “I feel official,” he giggles as he pins it to the t-shirt he’s wearing.
Nino rolls his eyes but follows suit, donning his own number before glancing down at the paper he was given. “I’m in lane 4,” he reads.
“Oh, I’m in 20,” Aiba says a little sadly. The sixteen lanes between them make him a little wary, but he shrugs it off. “I need to find some shoes and a ball,” he says wandering towards the rental counter. Nino follows, his own bowling shoes tucked away in the bag he brought with him.
The exchange is easy, Aiba trading his well worn sneakers for a borrowed pair that make his big feet look even more clownish, and he snags a spot on a small bench to slip them on before wandering over to the large wall full of balls of varying weights. He selects a blue one, thirteen pounds, and sets it down next to him. They have about fifteen minutes to kill before the competition really starts, so Aiba follows Nino to his lane because it is closer to the rental counter.
“This has one of those things that keeps score for you, right?” Aiba asks as he glances around the lane as Nino switches into his shoes.
“Nah, they have papers under the ball return,” Nino says gesturing to the small stack of papers right where he said they would be. “It’s mostly basic math though. If you manage a strike, just add the next two rolls to it, if you get a spare, add the next shot. I’m sure the other people you’re bowling with can help you,” Nino shrugs.
Aiba nods, trying to memorize what his friend said, but with only a few minutes before the competition is set to start, he doesn’t have time to ask more questions. He throws a hasty “Thanks, see you after!” over his shoulder before hustling down the alley towards lane 20.
When he gets there, he sets is ball in the runway and smiles at the only other person occupying the lane, a small boy who is maybe a few years younger than himself. “Hi, I’m Aiba Masaki, it’s nice to meet you,” he says with a bright smile.
“Matsumoto,” the tiny kid replies, a hesitant look on his face.
“Is it only us here?” Aiba asks with a quick glance around.
“I guess?” Matsumoto replies. He seems very focused on the task of filling out his card, so Aiba takes the chance to sneak a peek and sees the character for Jun next to Matsumoto.
Aiba follows suit, grabbing his own card and scrawling his name at the top. “I’m kind of new to bowling, so I might need some help filling this out as we go,” he smiles at his counterpart.
“You entered a tournament without knowing how to score?” Matsumoto gapes back.
“I’m mostly here for my friend, but I’ll still do my best,” Aiba shrugs easily. “The important thing is having fun, right?”
“The important thing is winning,” the other counters.
Aiba has no response to that so he just waits for the officials to start the timer and lets Matsumoto Jun go first. The smaller boy is surprisingly good, quickly going through a ritual of blowing on his fingers before tapping them against the side of the ball twice before rolling it with precision down the lane. Aiba watches in awe at the graceful arc the ball makes as it slides smoothly towards the pins, knocking down all but three.
“Damn,” Matsumoto mutters and Aiba suppresses a giggle at the minor curse.
Matsumoto picks the spare up easily, noting it on the sheet before moving aside to let Aiba take his turn.
Aiba has no ritual. He picks the ball up, shoves his fingers into the holes and swings his arm back. Both he and Matsumoto let out noises of surprise as the ball flies backwards, Aiba’s giggles are loud as he bows to those around in apology as he hurriedly retrieves the unintentional projectile. “Nerves,” he laughs as Matsumoto stares at him in annoyance as he takes his stance once again. He repeats the process, this time making sure to keep a firm grip on the ball as he swings his arm back, then forwards again, body staying straight as he does so. To his (and Matsumoto’s) surprise, it sails down the lane and hits the head pin dead on, all ten pins falling down.
“Um, lucky shot?” he asks to Matsumoto’s shocked face.
Luckily there is a quick guide on scoring at the top f the sheet, so he slashes a quick X in the Frame 1 box.
Aiba keeps up his unexpected momentum, picking up a spare in both the second and fourth frames, before Matsumoto picks up his first strike in the 5th.

“Good job!” Aiba says after the smaller one marks his own X.

The rest of the match is similar, with Matsumoto just edging out Aiba to win in the tenth frame when he rolls a strike and gets his bonus roll.
“Wow, that was awesome Aiba grins at the other as they pack up their belongings. “Congratulations on the win! I hope you win the tournament,”
Matsumoto throws him a skeptical look, “I thought you were here because of your friend? Shouldn’t you hope he wins?”
“He’s only here because his mom promised him money for leaving the house. You have a better reason.”
Matsumoto gives him another strange look before nodding vaguely and heading towards the officials to submit his score card. Aiba follows him because he is unsure of protocol and once they’re settled he sits on a bench to wait for Nino to finish up his own match. He loses himself in the latest copy of JUMP he shoved in his bag before he left.
“C’mon, let’s get out of here” Nino says twenty minutes later, waving impatiently.
“Did you lose too?” Aiba asks returning the book to his bag and standing up.
“Obviously,” Nino laughs as they make their way to the exit.
Aiba pauses in the doorway, eyes drawn to Matsumoto who is chatting with someone a few feet away, “Good luck, Matsumoto-kun!” he calls out.
Matsumoto stares at him in bewilderment before giving him a reluctant wave and returning to his conversation.

II

“But you said you were never bowling again,” Aiba laughs as Nino once again drags him to a classroom on the third floor.

“Mom still says I have to do something that is not in my house and that aksi counts as a sport so we’re joining the bowling club,” he explains shoving the other towards the nearly empty classroom.
Only three other people are inside and at their appearance, the one standing at the front perks up, “Ohh, now we’ll have enough to have an alternate!” he declares happily.

Nino sighs and Aiba grins, smiling and bowing deeply before introducing both of them to the club.

Weeks later, they’re at their first local tournament. It is in the same alley they competed at years before, and the memories come rushing back as Aiba slips inside. He quickly locates his team, easily identifying them by the bright orange bowling shirts they are all donning. He throws them a quick wave before lining up to rent his shoes. He’s next, leaning on the counter waiting to speak to the clerk when someone bumps into him, knocking him sideways. He turns around, an apology on his lips even though it wasn’t his fault, when he sees who it is and lets out a little “oh” of surprise. “Hey, you’re that tiny intense kid from last time, right? Matsumoto-kun?” he asks before he can think better of it.
“Uh,” the not so tiny, still intense guy responds, “Yeah, and you’re the idiot who didn’t even know how to keep score,” the other replies.
Aiba grins, “Yes! Aiba Masaki, it’s really nice to see you again. And now they have the automatic score things, so now I don’t have to worry,” he chirps back.
Matsumoto snorts out a quick laugh before giving him a derisive look and wandering off to join his own team.
After Aiba gets his shoes he finally joins his team.
“Who were you talking to?” Nino asks as Aiba drops in the seat next to him to put on his rented shoes.
“Matsumoto-kun! He’s that tiny kid from that last tournament you made me enter when we were kids.”
“How do you even remember him?” Nino asks, brow furrowed.
“He was funny,” Aiba shrugs. “Who are we up against?”
“Shinjuku Yamabuki,” their president answers coming to stand between them. “Are you two ready to bowl now?”
“Yes sir!” they reply in unison.
Matsumoto is not on the team playing against them, but he is in the lane next to theirs. Aiba gives him a wave as they settle in and ready themselves for battle, but Matsumoto ignores him.
“He really doesn’t like you,” Nino laughs at the exchange.
“I’ll grow on him,” Aiba shrugs.
He keeps stealing glances at Matsumoto as the match progresses, but the other never pays him any attention. He’s amused to see that Matsumoto’s ritual still lives and before each roll of the ball he bloww on his fingers before tapping them against the side of the ball twice.
During his own match, Aiba is on fire, bowling six strikes out of his ten frames and getting his team a bunch of points. In the end, they end up winning overall by a surplus of 50 points and Aiba’s incredible game is the reasoning, so he is chosen as the representative to go receive their trophy. As the chosen bowlers from each team line up, Aiba is delighted to find that Matsumoto is the representative for his team and they’ve won second place. He takes the chance during the photo to sling his arm around the other’s shoulder and smile widely for the camera, earning an indignant “hey!” from the not so tiny Matsumoto.
As they pack up and Aiba waits to return his shoes, he smiles widely at a passing Matsumoto, “See you next time!” he calls out.
Sadly, Aiba does not in fact see Matsumoto again. Two weeks later he falls off of his skateboard and breaks his arm ending his bowling season immediately. During his recovery time he falls in love with baseball while watching movies during his free time. He joins a summer league and starts working out, then brings Nino with him to the baseball club the following year.
For the last two years of high school he is laser focused on baseball, any thoughts of the alley, and subsequently Matsumoto, long gone.

III

“Aiba-kun, you’re joining us for bowling tonight right? Sakurai-kun has an obligation and we need someone to fill his spot,” Miura asks, leaning onto the partition separating Aiba’s desk from the rest of the office.

“Sure, but I need to warn you that it’s been years since I’ve bowled so I will probably be rusty!”
“That’s fine, we just need someone there so we don’t forfeit!”
Aiba laughs, nods, and starts packing up his belongings. “Well, then let’s go knock down some pins!” he says.
Miura fist pumps, then leads the way to the train station, talking Aiba’s ear of about strategy and the best weight of the ball to choose for each person, and where the best place to stand to make your angles as accurate as possible are. Aiba just nods along, humming his responses as the words float in one ear and straight out the other. Strategy has never been his strong suit.
When they reach the alley, Aiba heads straight to the rental counter as usual and as he is waiting for the clerk to return with his size when someone leans against the counter next to him. Aiba turns to offer a friendly smile and his jaw drops when he sees it is none other than Matsumoto Jun. He gasps, then waves excitedly at the man.
“Aiba-kun?” Matsumoto asks, eyes wide.
“You remember! I think the last time we saw each other was…high school?” Aiba asks on a laugh.
“Yes! At that tournament! But you classmate told me that you broke your arm shortly after and then you dropped off the face of the earth.”
Aiba laughs sheepishly, “I fell in love with baseball during recovery. My bowling career was over from then. I see you have kept up with it though,” he says.
“Hardly,” the other scoffs. When the clerk returns with Aiba’s shoes, Jun requests a pair in his own size.
“You’re renting shoes?” Aiba gasps, faking shock. “I never thought I would see the day!”
Matsumoto rolls his eyes and thanks the clerk when he returns once again. “Like I said, this is just a hobby now. I got roped into joining the work team because they heard about my past experience bowling competitively. It’s not my passion anymore.”
“Well, I’m still happy to be rivals once again,” Aiba says pointing towards his own group. “I am acting as a substitute since one of our regulars had to go out of town suddenly.”
“Then let the best man win,” Jun replies with a grin.
It turns out that their respective work places were playing against one another and Aiba and Jun have ended up in the same lane with two from each side taking each lane.
“Ready to go down?” Aiba asks, setting his ball into the return.
“I think you’ll find you will be on the losing side tonight,” Jun replies.
“This is the tie breaker, isn’t it?” Aiba muses as they sit down to wait their tun. “The first time, you won, the second time was me. So this will decide the ultimate champion.”
Jun grins and Aiba returns it easily.
“Aiba-kun, are you fraternizing with the enemy?” Hamada asks sinking into the chair next to Aiba to tie his own shoes.
“Matsumoto-kun and I bowled against each other in a couple of tournaments when we were younger, so we are catching up. And this is just a work league, so “enemy” is probably a little harsh,” Aiba replies.
“You two are professionals?” Hamada asks, eyes wide.
“Not even a little,” Aiba says shaking his head, eyes crinkling with a smile.
Before he can continue, the game begins and he and Jun are pulled into easy banter and friendly competition. As the night goes on, Aiba can’t help but start to steal glances at the other, appreciating the man he has grown into and glad to have found him again after all these years even if they barely knew one another. He’s also amused to see the ritual blowing on fingers and tapping of the ball has survived for even more years.
“Do I have something on my face?” Jun asks when he catches Aiba staring during the seventh frame.
“Just admiring the view. And the eyebrows,” Aiba grins in return, attempting a wink.
“Smoooth,” Jun.
“I am nothing but seductive,” Aiba replies primly. “Let me show you after this,” he says.
Matsumoto laughs fully, “Now that really was smooth,” he says with a smile. “Tonight’s no good, but what about Saturday?” he counters.
“Saturday is probably better,” Aiba concedes.
They set plans for Saturday, much to the annoyance of Hamada who is still going on about Aiba “taking it easy on the enemy” for the the last few frames of the game. Luckily for Aiba he rolls two strikes in a row to end the game and they win by seven points.
“Looks like I am the ultimate bowling champion between us,” Aiba says after Hamada is finally done high fiving him. “You have no choice but to admit defeat now.”
“I want a re-match,” Matsumoto grumps as he retrieves his ball to return to the wall.
Aiba laughs and follows the other, returning his own ball before they both go to the counter to return the rental shoes. As Aiba leans down to tie his laces, he glances over at Jun doing the same, “So, were you serious about Saturday?”
“Absolutely,” he replies.
“Let me get your number and we will finalize details this week then,” Aiba smiles and pulls out his phone.
Jun complies, and Aiba puts him in his phone as “Bowling Matsumoto-kun” which the other protests immediately.
“My name is Matsumoto Jun,” he whines.
“I know, but fine, Bowling MatsuJun-kun then,” Aiba compromises, smile bright.
“Whatever,” the other huffs, a hint of a flush creeping up his cheek. “You’re just going to be ‘Bowling Idiot Aiba’ in mine.”
“Perfect!” Aiba chirps.
Jun just shakes his head, a fond smile gracing his features.

IV

Aiba texts him the next day asking him about preferred dishes and what he likes to do. He gets several options in response, but keeps it vague on his intended plans, hoping to really surprise the other and make a good impression. He texts him a location and time to meet, but refuses to answer any other questions about what they might be doing.

At 7:00 on Saturday Aiba stands alone in front of a Starbucks and shifts nervously as the seconds tick by and Jun is still nowhere to be found.
At 7:03 a wheezing, “I’m sorry I’m late!” meets his ears and he turns to see his date jogging towards him. “Sorry, I got caught up trying to decide which shoes were best and then I missed my train and had to take the later one and—”
“It’s fine!” Aiba interrupts, a smile on his face. “We’re not on a real schedule,” he shrugs. He then offers his hand to the other, who takes it a little reluctantly. “Now, let’s go get some food, I hope you’re hungry.”
Aiba leads him to his favorite ramen spot, pulling him inside and sitting across from him. Their chatting is easy, with Aiba describing his life as the hub of the office, describing how he greets each person coming in and answers phones and keeps the place running, while Jun talks about his boring desk job of analyzing numbers on a daily basis.
“It’s why I bowl,” he says before slurping up a big mouthful of noodles, “I need some sort of outlet to keep me a little active. Plus I can get close with my team.”
“Why’d you quit competitive bowling?” Aiba prods.
“I wasn’t good enough to go pro and I didn’t care enough about it to continue in college. I had fun, but no one I knew was going to continue and that was the real fun part for me.”
Aiba nods, “I get that. I still play a few pickup games of baseball every once in a while to keep the love alive,” he says.
They finish dinner with Aiba insisting on footing the bill because he is the one who invited the other out, and once they leave Aiba steers Matsumoto towards the train station and their next mystery destination.
“Are you ever going to tell me where we’re going?” Matsumoto asks, eyes narrowing as Aiba guides him off the train four stops later.
“We’re almost there,” Aiba grins as they make their way down a residential street. “You’re probably going to think I’m really forward with this, but I’m bringing you back to my place,” he says when they reach an apartment building.
Jun raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t protest as they step inside and Aiba leads him up three flights of stairs before stopping in front of a door. “I promise not to kidnap and murder you,” he says reassuringly before unlocking the door and stepping inside.
“You’re so weird,” Jun laughs in return.
The genkan is small and there re shoes everywhere, but they toe theirs off and Aiba offers a spare pair of slippers before they step up into the apartment.
Do you want anything to drink?” Aiba asks stopping by the small kitchen and opening up his refrigerator. “A beer? Water?”
“A beer would be good,” Jun replies.
Aiba snags two cans and hands one to Jun before he pulls two glasses out of his freezer and hands one to the guest. Jun gives him an impressed look before they both pop the tabs on the can and pour them, each taking a deep pull before heading to the living room.
“So what I was thinking,” Aiba says setting his beer down and heading towards the small entertainment system, “is that we can continue our tradition,” he finishes as he presses the power button on the television, then stoops to hit a button one of the game consoles. The screen lights up and the familiar Nintendo logo flashes before Aiba turns around and offers his guest a Wiimote. “Good old fashioned Wii bowling,” he explains to an amused Jun.
“You really are an idiot,” Jun grins as he takes the controller. He immediately navigates to the Mii screen to make his own so they can get started as soon as possible.
Bowling on Wii is a lot different than in real life and Aiba sends the virtual ball backwards several times, echoing his first real experience bowling, before he gets the release timing right. Neither of them can break 115 for scores and after a couple of games Aiba sheepishly suggests that they switch to Mario Kart instead, which Matsumoto readily agrees to.
It’s past midnight when Aiba looks at the time again and he groans, turning to the other, “I may have broken part of my promise. The trains aren’t running anymore, so unless you want to walk or call a taxi, you might be stuck here tonight,” he says with a wry smile.
“If you don’t mind me crashing on your couch, I think I’ll save the money. And enjoy the company,” Jun replies with a smile. He shifts towards the other in the next second.
Aiba smiles back, setting his controller down and turning towards him, “You don’t have to take the couch unless you really want to,” he replies, another failed attempt at a wink making an appearance.
“What do I see in you?” Matsumoto asks before leaning forward and kissing Aiba soundly.

Aiba grins into the kiss, wrapping his arms around the other’s neck, “A really good night and more later,” he says against his lips.

Jun doesn’t leave until the next afternoon, wearing borrowed jeans from Aiba and smelling of his bodywash and shampoo. They make plans to see one another again at the next league night where Aiba will be there purely for support instead of bowling on his company team.

Comments

[ladyc2]

This was so cute. I love how they had such different styles/approaches to playing but that they ended up pretty evenly matched over the course of the fic. And there date was great.

[nicefinalbeam]

Ahhh I am so in love with this. When Jun gave his cutting remark about Aiba not being able to keep score and Aiba's just like YEP THAT'S ME HIII. So cute!! I love tiny intense Jun who grows into older still kinda intense but in a great way Jun. I like seeing the dynamic shift over the years and how perfect the setup is with Nino and his mom trying to get him out of the house. This was just a fun, funny, adorable read! <3

[satoyan]

This is wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Every scene through the years is a gem, and it makes me smile imagining them being together for years to come as well~