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@tilyoutryit / tilyoutryit.tumblr.com

alyssa • 34 • MI
5k | rated E | read on ao3 Eddie's the star pitcher of the 118's intramural softball team. Buck is the assistant coach who has a few pointers for him.

The mood in the locker room is jubilant after their game against the 127.

“Let’s hear it for Chim and his two homeruns, and four RBIs!” Hen hollers, as Chimney waves his arms like he’s on a parade float.

“And we can’t forget that clutch stolen base in the 7th inning,” Eddie adds. Hen takes a bow.

“You all played great out there today,” Bobby says. “I think we’ve got a real shot against the 133 next week. Everyone rest up tonight, all right? You’ve earned it.”

“Thank you, Bobby,” Buck says, gripping his clipboard with the game’s scoresheet. “As the assistant coach of this team—”

“Bobby only gave you that title so you wouldn’t feel bad for getting cut!” Chim protests.

“—as the assistant coach of this team,” Buck continues, “I have a few notes on what we can improve.”

“Absolutely not,” Hen says, plucking the clipboard from Buck’s hands.

“Hey, give that back!”

She flings it across the locker room, sending Buck scampering after it. By the time he’s retrieved it, almost everyone else has fled the locker room.

Buck scowls. He wasn’t just made assistant coach because he got cut from the team, he earned that title fair and square. Sure, he was lousy at fielding and even worse at bat, meaning he’d spent the first three weeks of the LAFD intramural softball season riding the bench. But that was when he’d proven his true asset to the team—keeping meticulous track of everyone’s statistics to the point where even Chimney couldn’t deny the advantage it gave them over the other teams. It had been Buck’s suggestion, after all, to make Ravi the lead-off batter, and to move Julie Rosen from right field to second base.

Eddie’s the only one left in the locker room, probably because Buck is his ride.

Buck rounds on him, clipboard in hand. “Diaz.”

Eddie smiles into his locker as he unbuttons his jersey. “Let’s hear it.”

“You pitched well today,” Buck says, checking his stats from the day and flipping back to look through the last couple games. “You had ten strikeouts, which is great, but you also had those two walks in the third and fifth innings. And while your ERA is still right around 3.2, against left-handed batters it’s more like 3.8. Now, given Ravi’s less-than-stellar performance in right field, I think you ought to be pitching more inside to those players.”

“Yes, Buck,” Eddie replies gamely.

“Sorry, what was that?” Buck asks, cupping a hand around his ear.

“Yes, coach,” Eddie amends with an eye-roll and a bitten-off grin. He shoots a look over his shoulder at Buck. “Anything else?”

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