"Haah haah, don't worry bro. You did your best." Ken said, between his gasps for breath.
Daichi just looked at him weirdly, not knowing how to respond. His emotions were still in turmoil after both last night and his brother's actions this morning.
After a few minutes of recovery, Ken moved to the spot where they usually cooled down and began to stretch his muscles.
"Are you not going to stretch?" Ken queried, sending his brother a glance.
Daichi couldn't refuse since he also needed to stretch his muscles.
He went to the opposite side and began to stretch out his legs, avoiding eye contact with Ken, his emotions still in turmoil.
"Hey man, I'm sorry for what I said last night about your mother. I shouldn't have spoken like that to you, I deserved to be hit."
Daichi's eyes widened. The apology had come out of nowhere and he'd not been expecting it.
All of the unease within him seemed to shatter at once, turning into a distant memory. The sincere expression plastered on Ken's face told him that his brother was being genuine in that moment.
The fact that Ken had interrupted his apology this morning wasn't because he didn't want to hear it, but because he felt like he didn't deserve an apology.
Daichi lowered his head, tears pooling in his eyes.
"You bastard…" He said, emotionally.
'Huh!? He's cursing me?' Ken thought, his face throbbing in the next moment.
Daichi approached Ken slowly, his head still lowered, causing Ken to feel some fear.
'Is he gonna hit me again!?'
Yet once he was within striking distance, he flung his arms out and pulled Ken into an embrace, squeezing him tight.
Ken had already flinched, yet as he felt the hug his tense muscles relaxed and he embraced him back.
"I thought you hated me…" Daichi said, his voice muffled as he pressed his head into Ken's shoulder.
"Hate you? I could never hate you. You're my brother for life."
Ken let out a small chuckle, finding the situation a little absurd. He was more worried that his brother might hold a grudge against him for the horrible words that he'd said last night.
The two embraced for a while longer, however it wasn't too comfortable considering they were both covered in sweat. Though neither voiced their complaints.
"I'm sorry I hit you." Daichi's muffled voice sounded out, yet Ken could tell it was sincere.
Ken grabbed Daichi by the shoulders and held him at arm's length.
"It's fine man, brother's fight all the time. Next time I'll be hitting back though okay?" He said, sending Daichi a wink.
"Hahaha."
Daichi couldn't help but laugh, snot coming out of his nose in the process.
"Ah…" Ken looked at his brother and then at his shirt, noticing that some snot had been left on his shirt.
"Gross…"
"HAHAHA."
This only caused Daichi to laugh even louder, his mood improving significantly.
After stretching, the two slowly walked home, closer than ever. It seemed that working out had a cleansing affect on the two, apart from the exchange of snot.
"When are you gonna head back?" Ken asked, trying not to be pushy.
"I'll head back after lunch so I can attend afternoon training. I've got some apologies to make." Daichi stated solemnly.
"Mmm."
A silence stretched out between the two for a while before Daichi opened his mouth.
"You were right ya know…"
"About what?"
"I was being a selfish asshole." Daichi confirmed.
"Yup, I know."
Daichi flashed his brother a look, only to receive a wink in response.
Letting out a small chuckle, he continued, "I lost motivation to play baseball…"
"It all seemed pointless, and training was so hard. It didn't make sense to me why I should suffer so much for no reason."
Ken listened to his brother's words, keeping silent as he laid out his true feelings.
"But you made me realize that I was being selfish. I didn't start baseball just so I could get back at my mother…"
"Mmm." Ken nodded. He knew that Daichi wasn't so stupid to work so hard for a woman who had abused him all his life. There had to be another reason pushing him forward, one that wasn't so flippant.
"I started baseball because of you big bro… Originally I wanted to repay you for becoming my friend, but once I started, it became much more than that."
Daichi stopped in his tracks, turning to his brother.
"Baseball gave me a purpose in life, even before your family took me in. It became a place where I could be myself and work hard towards a brighter future."
Ken halted his footsteps and faced Daichi, a small grin forming on his face.
Daichi's words resonated with him deeply. Baseball was his whole life, even after he was injured in his previous life, he never forgot about it.
"You showed me that I can have fun and create a career for myself at the same time. All the sacrifices that you, Mom and Dad have made for me… I'll never be able to repay you in this lifetime."
As his words entered Ken's ears, a figure flashed in Ken's mind.
His only remaining friend who stayed by him after he was injured. Apart from his mother and father, no one else remained but Daichi.
Yet he took him for granted.
The fake smile that was forever adorned on his face, hiding all of the pain and abuse he'd received for all his life.
"Don't worry… You've paid me back far more than you realize." Ken said, his voice sounding a little husky.
Daichi raised his eyebrow in question. He couldn't understand why Ken was reacting this way.
"Daichi… Do you remember the pact we made on that day in the middle of the road?" He asked softly.
"Of course."
"You also said best friends don't lie to each other."
Daichi looked thoughtful for a moment, scanning the recesses of his memory.
"Mmm."
"So next time, let's skip all the fighting and just tell me the truth like you did just now." He said, a grin forming on his face.
Daichi couldn't help but grin, seeing the panda eye on his brother's face.
"But then I wouldn't get to punch you again." He said, letting out a hearty chuckle.
Ken gave him a serious look, holding out his hand.
"Promise me that you'll reach out if anything like this happens again okay?"
Seeing the tone shift, Daichi understood. He clasped Ken's hand and pulled him into a half-hug.
"I promise."