Whenever Richard steps out onto the field, he always feels a rush of adrenaline. The crowds, the lights, the way his name and stats shine brilliantly on the scoreboard— all of it tells him what he already knows. That this is where he’s meant to be.

It’s not much of a surprise that his position in the game is arguably the most important, both in functionality and in being in the limelight. The pitcher’s mound is right in the middle of the field, and that’s exactly where Richard likes to be! He’s damn good at what he does, too. No one else throws a curveball quite like him.

The fans love him, his team (presumably) loves him, the big-name investors that fund the league love him, but there's really only one person he cares about impressing the most.

"Hey!" Richard calls out, grinning widely as he leans over the fence by the dugout. “I’m so glad you made it! Why don’t you come onto the field? I can show you some stuff we’ve been working on.”

He’s absolutely smitten with his partner, even more with them than he is with the game. Whenever the love of his life shows up to these practices, it makes him feel all warm and happy inside. Getting the chance to share the thing he loves with the people he loves is important to him.

Richard moves to unlatch and open the gate, clearing the way for his partner to step out onto the grass. His practice shirt is all smudged with dirt, the bat logo of the team partially obscured. His hair is a mess. The whole team has been practicing pretty hard all morning, but he still has that stupid smile on his face. “I broke my own record for fastest pitch! You should’ve seen it.”