Bust Your Balls

The feeling of a baseball bat in Akio’s hands wasn’t foreign at all. He had played enough of it as a child to be halfway decent. He gave it a few test swings before stepping forward to hit the button for the pitching machine.

A familiar whirring sound signaled for him to be ready, and with a click, a fastball came shooting toward him. Akio heaved the bat forward, feeling a bit of rust shaking the swing. The sudden contact shook his grip, making it known that his skills had degraded with time.

He tightened his grip on the bat, drawing upon his knowledge. Images of children teasing him came creeping along with the muscle memory. Their voices grew louder and louder, yelling over the clacking of the pitching machine.

“Wada batter!”

“Wada swing!”

“Wada whiff!”

It made him remember just why he had given up on baseball. Throwing out random taunts was the very nature of competition, but when it came to personalizing them with his very name, that started getting under his skin.

Akio swung, catching nothing but air at the next ball. He recalled the annoyance, the disappointment, and the fallacy that he would make the next hit count. The voices continued, and this time, he swung too early. Anticipation made his body jump ahead of his eyes.

It was a downward spiral. When failure started, it was tough to tear himself away from its pull. He rubbed his ears, shook his head, and even smacked himself in the cheeks. Anything to refresh his thoughts. It worked for a split second, and he clipped the next ball, sliding into foul territory.

“Akio-kun! Watch the balls! Weren’t you going to bust them in front of me?”

“Stop saying that, ya damn yankee! You know full well I had a different set of balls in mind to bust! You and your damn thighs!”

Akio was barely in time to swing at the next ball. Somehow, it connected solidly and sailed high into the air. A surprised Akio stared as it flew all the way to the signboard above the pitching machine. A message popped up on the board saying “HOME RUN!” to congratulate him.

“It came!”

“Oh my god! You’re doing it on purpose!” Akio swung again, another solid hit. The signboard lit up with “TWO IN A ROW!”

“It came again! Nice strokes!”

Akio facepalmed. Somehow, his two best shots ‘came’ from being teased by Misaki. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He walked out of the batting cage and tossed the bat to her, eager to be the heckler instead.

But right after she slammed the button to start the round, the insults in his throat were stopped dead by a sudden chilling aura. Her eyes were sharp, lasering the first ball as it flew toward her. And just when it seemed like the ball would pass harmlessly by, her body moved in an instant, the swing of the bat happening so fast that Akio only saw the slow down afterward.

Needless to say, a home run message popped up in the next moment.

Misaki relaxed and slid back into a ready position, patiently waiting like a sniper nested. But the crispness of her next swing gave such a solid crack that Akio could feel the wind from it.

Akio’s heart was pounding. He was merely watching her bat consecutive home runs, but it was like he was staring at a maiden on a battlefield, slicing off the heads of generals that dared to face her. The wild expression she gave with every hit looked like pure bliss, lacking the rage she held while fighting for real.

He couldn’t deny it anymore. Misaki made him notice her. Regardless if it was good or bad, the temptation sucked him in. He simply stared as she full-comboed the entire set, making it look like child’s play.

He had remained frozen until Misaki came right up to him, lifting his chin with the end of the bat. She beamed a grin of victory that made him worship her as the goddess of the batting field.

“How was that for technique? Your turn now to finish me off.”

“And how am I going to do that, given our gap in skill level?”

“I love you best when you’re putting your life on the line.”

Just like everything that tasted wonderfully good, it was undoubtedly terrible for his heart.

Akio shook as he readied his bat. But this time, it wasn’t the pitching machine he faced.

“Are you ready, Akio-kun?”

Misaki had subbed in as pitcher. If it was anything like her batting, he was in for it. Scrunching up his face like sour lemons, he focused everything on his sight, hoping that the ball wouldn’t zoom by him like good fortune in life.

Of course, he wasn’t betting his life for nothing. Just moments ago, Misaki stepped right up to him, pulled back her skirt and let her bare leg loop around his torso. She knew no concept of distance or tact, pressing up against him. The protrusions of her chest rested right on top of either side of his collarbone, his head pressed at the top of the hidden valley, as if asking him for a personal ‘dressing’. She had even bent over and blown softly against his heated ears, the breeze chilling them enough to invoke a shiver.

“I hate how straightforward I am!” Akio grumbled under his breath, knowing full well that Misaki could press his buttons. Her teasing was purposeful, yet that only served to rile him up more to overcome it.

Three pitches. He bulged his eyes until they were bloodshot to make sure that they wouldn’t slip by him unnoticed. Every fiber of his attention honed onto Misaki’s windup and release. Yet, the blur that approached far faster than a normal pitch made him hesitate.

The ball took a sudden dangerous curve to the left, and instinctively, Akio moved in the other direction. It was fortunate that he did as it clipped the side of his ass.

“Ungyahhhh!”

His butt felt a bit tender but also a smidgen breezy. He looked down to see a hole in his pants. It was like a slicer had passed over the area. How a blunt object could do that induced a fit of panic.

“Is this what you meant by putting my life on the line?!”

Akio was ready to throw the bat. But that would accomplish nothing. Misaki merely smirked at him.

“I’m not an easy woman. As with everything else, my motto is ‘Love me or die hard’!”

Akio whacked the home plate and let out a roar. He knew it wasn’t meant to be easy. Nothing in life was, even with other problems out of the way. In his mind, he knew Misaki wasn’t looking for someone that would shy away from his own desires. Rather, he needed to be bold.

“Misaki, I’m going smash you so hard, you’re going to regret ever doubting me!”

Her face lit up with expectation. He could swear she also trembled for a moment, but she quickly wound up her pitch and unleashed the second ball.

This time, it was a straight fastball that screeched as it approached. Akio swung hard at it. Somehow, it felt like his timing wasn’t off. The end of the bat shook as it made contact, sending a powerful shockwave down his arms. Letting out the breath he was holding, he looked forward to eye the ball flying up, up, and off to the side.

Foul ball.

Misaki looked a bit surprised. She had her hand up to her mouth. But then, she tilted her head cutely.

“How unfortunate. A little bit off. But good enough for ‘just the tip’.”

Akio huffed angrily. Forget the tip, he wanted to slam it all the way down. He wouldn’t be satisfied unless it went deep. Deep enough for her to cry out in mercy.

They both readied up again. Akio felt in the zone. He would do it this time.

But as the pitch came, warning signs bombarded him as it veered dangerously high. His swing was already too far in motion, despite every instinct telling him to abandon it. He was too late to give up as the bat tried to follow it. Tilting his head back as a last resort, it caused him to hit only air. The ball whizzed by, only centimeters from his head.

The surprise proximity caused him to let go of the bat, flying out of his hands and spinning off to the side. Somehow, he managed not to fall down from the fear shooting down to his feet.

“OWWWWW! WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Akio snapped out of his stunned state. Slowly, he tiptoed around the cage and looked over to where the bat landed, all the way at the other end of the batting stations. By some uncanny luck, the bat had bounced and ricocheted into a man with a red leather jacket and tall pompadour hair. He was on the ground rubbing his face angrily.

“Aniki! Are you alright? What kind of asshole thinks they can mess around with the Yokohoma Reds?!”

Several other pompadour heads with red jackets burst into the batting area, checking their downed sworn brother. All at once, they turned their heads in the direction of Akio peeking out. It was pure bad luck that the batting cages were empty aside from them.

“There’s the culprit! Flay his ass! We’ll drag him behind our bikes until only a stain on the asphalt is left!”

Akio was about to make a getaway until he saw Misaki slowly walking over to the group. Seeing that, he wasn’t sure who to fear for.

“Oi, who’s this broad? Damn, bitch’s got some leg on her.”

Akio flinched. Misaki was certainly tall compared to normal girls. At a height of 187 cm, she was more than half a head taller than him. He didn’t particularly mind that, aside from being looked down on constantly, but she would’ve likely done that from sheer dominance to begin with.

“A yankee broad, heh? Bet ya can have lots of fun with her, can’t ya, Aniki?”

“Hell~~~ no. I ain’t interested in no Amazons. If I wanna ride something that big, I’d stick to my bike.” The ‘Aniki’ waved at his members in protest, his face puckering up. Laughter rippled through the crowd at the joke. He turned back to Misaki. “Run along, I got no wood for you, ‘cept for this bat. But that chump over there is first in line.”

Misaki sidestepped in tandem with the Aniki, blocking his path to Akio. Her hand slipped into the folds of her clothing, and she bent into a slight crouch, ready for a brawl.

“Ehhh, that chump over there your boyfriend? Ain’t that something? Must be pretty slim pickings. But then again, gorillas can’t be choosers. Fine, I’ll smash you up first!”

The bat came down, all the while Misaki waited for the best time to strike. However, she wouldn’t get the chance as another bat intercepted it. Her eyes went wide as Akio had stepped in front of the blow.

He couldn’t believe it himself, but his legs had already been in motion the moment she had been insulted. His blood riled up at the thought of them having ‘fun’ with her, even if he knew it would be impossible. His grip clenched even harder when she was mocked. But rather than letting her do them in, he wanted a piece of revenge as well.

“Those words sound like a virgin trying to make himself look good around his bros. Pieces of shit like you don’t deserve half the leg she has if you can stay small at the sight of her.”

Aniki’s bat pressed harder into his own, obvious that a nerve had been struck. The Aniki pulled back and swung in a horizontal arc, forcing Akio to make distance to avoid it. He signaled to his color gang.

“What are ya waiting for? Wreck ‘em!”

Several jumped forward at once, causing Akio to hesitate who to target first. Giving up on trying to think, he swung low at the closest one, knocking his legs out from under him. Misaki grabbed the next closest, who had aimed a punch right for his head. Palming the guy by the face, she slammed him headfirst into the ground before kicking another in the chest and sending him into the wall.

Akio wasn’t nearly as coordinated or strong. He gingerly held his bat, waiting for the right moment for a single surefire swing that went between defenses. After every strike, he dove away from the crowd before setting back up again.

The heavy thuds of his bat against flesh felt more solid than the balls before. Perhaps, hesitation had clouded him. Once he mustered the courage to see things through, the execution flowed along with it.

He looked over to Misaki, who had just thrown an uppercut that sent a gang member into the home run board. She glanced over to him afterward, her face shifting to a bright grin and a chuckle. It was the type of expression shared when a friend had been roped into a mutual hobby.

Akio struck another guy with his bat, feeling almost satisfied with the result. Was he ‘enjoying’ himself as well?

“AHHHHHHH!!!!” he let out a wail along with another swing. It was a shout of denial that he was turning into Misaki. By now, he had taken down enough people that his messy flailing of despair no longer mattered. The crowd was too panicked to see his yell as anything but a war cry targeting them.

Not long after, Akio looked around to see just about everyone had been downed. He slowed to a halt, eyeing Misaki standing before the scared Aniki. Her eyes showed no mercy, and she had finally drawn the hidden blade that she kept on her. With a happy chuckle that betrayed the evil intent, she bent forward to insult him.

“You won’t have to fear being maidenless any longer. Not when I can cut it off and make you one instead.”

“Misaki!” Akio yelled at her.

The blade stabbed straight down, missing the Aniki’s crotch by a sliver. The jeans he was wearing grew a dark patch, revealing how he soiled himself. She looked over her shoulder at Akio.

“What’s your favorite part of me?”

“Thighs.” His response was instant.

“Very well.” She lifted her skirt, baring her legs before hopping into a knee slam into the Aniki’s face.

Akio winced, glad it wasn’t him but also a tiny bit jealous that it wasn’t him. Misaki stood up and walked over to him with a teasing look.

“Sad that he couldn’t stay conscious long enough to understand, so it’s up to you now to show how to enjoy a girl’s body.”

Before Akio could reject, she had thrown him to the ground. He looked up at Misaki straddling him over the torso, a devious look in her eyes.

“I did say that you did well enough for ‘just the tip’, didn’t I?”

Her hips came down hard as her butt fell into his lap. He saw stars as two things pressed together and pain shot up his spine. With that momentary ‘reward’, she stood back up and blew him a kiss.

“Thanks for the ‘date’. I had a good time.”

Akio was left tending to his privates as she walked away. He cursed at himself. It wouldn’t have hurt so much if he hadn’t been ‘enjoying’ things. But of course, he hadn’t realized how stiff he’d gotten until she sat on him.

“Wada fail,” he mumbled as he rolled to one side in hopes of alleviating the pain. Not to mention, she had just left him there afterward. Why would she do that?

The door to the batting cages opened. The manager of the place backpedaled in surprise.

“What the hell happened here?!”

Oh, Misaki had thought of an escape plan as well. Why didn’t she take me with her?