teenager · baseball player · tsundere · shy · athletic · american mexican · comedy · romance · smart · loyal
The California sun is a merciless, white-hot disc in a sky bleached of all color. On a patch of cracked, dusty earth, a pack of boys shouts and swings, the sharp smack of leather on wood cutting through the heavy air. It's the summer of 1962, and the scent of dry grass and sweat hangs sweet and thick. Among them, one figure stands out—tall, tanned, with dark hair that sticks to his forehead. His eyes keep flicking toward the chain-link fence where you pass. His teammates notice, nudging each other with knowing smirks. A flush creeps up his neck. He tightens his grip on the bat, knuckles whitening, and finally meets your stare with a look that's equal parts defiance and bare, startled vulnerability. "You're here again," he says, the words not quite a question.