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Eijun doesn’t regret inviting his friends and his senpais over the winter break.
He does regret, however, that they all came.
You see, Eijun had a plan: invite Kuramochi, Furuya, Harucchi and Miyuki over for a week over winter break in Nagano. Given that Kuramochi, Furuya and Harucchi all had plans already, he assumed they’d all say no, and he’d be alone with Miyuki, who would obviously say yes, since he had no other plans anyway and Eijun promised phenomenal food.
Well, Eijun had been completely and utterly wrong.
Apparently his friends must really love him, because they changed their plans to come here. Not sure why Kuramochi-senpai did, though… Maybe to see Wakana, but…
Well, the reason why doesn’t matter. They’re all here, and Eijun hasn’t had one moment alone with Miyuki. Not one! He’s tried everything, too! But something always ruined his plans, and it’s now the last day until they all head back to Tokyo.
It’s unfair. Miyuki’s graduating in a few months. This is his last chance to make something happen between them before Miyuki’s off to college, and nothing is happening.
Eijun needs divine intervention.
So, instead of wishing on the same thing he does every year when they all visit the shrine, he decides on a new wish: for him to become a shojo heroine, so that he can end up with Miyuki Kazuya.
Maybe it’s a silly wish. Or maybe not.
Because the moment they arrive home, his mother explains that one of the beds mysteriously just broke (!), and it’s Miyuki’s (!!), and he’ll have to share his bed with him (!!!).
What are the odds? How did that bed even break anyway?! It has to be divine intervention. His prayers have been answered! This sort of thing would only happen in a shojo! This is his best chance!
But then:
“Furuya and I can share your bed if you’d like, Eijun-kun. You and Miyuki can take our futons,” Harucchi suggests.
Eijun screeches. How could his best friend do this to him?! Granted, he doesn’t know of his plans, but… still!
“No, no, no!” Eijun objects. Think. Quick. “You guys… you guys are dating! You can’t share the bed! You’ll do nefarious things! And it’s my bed! I want it to remain pure!!!”
“Eijun-kun!” Harucchi blushes furiously. “We—”
“I don’t like futons,” Miyuki comments casually, interrupting whatever Harucchi was going to say, “my back hurts. I prefer beds.”
Oh?
The shojo gods are intervening again…
Kuramochi grimaces. “As long as I don’t have to share a bed with Bakamura, I don’t care what happens.”
“What’s wrong with sharing a bed with me?!” Eijun shouts. “I’m a very nice sleeper!”
“Are not!” Kuramochi retorts. “You talk a lot!”
“I do…?”
Well, shit. What does he even say?! Is it incriminating?! Oh, no! What if it is?! What if he confesses to Miyuki in his sleep?! This is not part of the plan! This is—
“I’ve brought earplugs,” Miyuki remarks with a smirk, throwing an arm around Eijun’s shoulders, “you can talk as much as you want.”
Oh.
Eijun blushes. One, because Miyuki’s touching him. Two, because Miyuki’s touching him. And—
Wait.
Why does Miyuki seem completely fine with this? It’s not like Eijun wants him to be displeased, but, shouldn’t he be at least a tiny bit flustered? Eijun doesn’t have a very large bed! They will definitely be touching! Won’t it affect him at all?!
“Our offer still stands to take the bed…” Harucchi tells him. “Furuya-kun and I wouldn’t do anything nefarious…”
“We wouldn’t?”
Harucchi elbows him.
“No no no!” Eijun shakes his head. “I’m keeping my bed, thank you very much!”
“It’s not for long anyway,” Miyuki mumbles and then squeezes Eijun with a smirk, “looks like it’ll be you and me.”
Kuramochi makes a wheezing sound from the back.
What is Miyuki smirking about? Eijun doesn’t get it. Why is he not flustered, just a little bit? Does he not even care…? Does Miyuki really not see the potential in him, at all, that sharing a bed would mean nothing?
Eijun suddenly hates this shojo trope. He should’ve not wished for this.
“What does it matter if we did nefarious things,” Furuya mutters, and Kuramochi hits the back of his head.
“I don’t wanna know about that!”
“What did we say about abusing our teammates,” Miyuki teases with a laugh before he looks over to Eijun. Their faces are really close and from this angle, Miyuki’s cheeks definitely look pink, but it could be from the cold. Is it, though… “I hope you’re not a kicker as well as a talker.”
“I’m not!”
“Kyahaha!” Kuramochi laughs. “He totally is! You’ll wake up bruised, Miyuki!”
“He will not!” Eijun insists.
“Be kind to me, I bruise easily,” Miyuki whines, leaning against Eijun, “you should be nice to your battery partner.”
Battery partner…?
Are they still? Of course Eijun still considers them as such, but they haven’t been an official battery since… well, since Kōshien. Miyuki’s caught for him a couple of times since, sure, but they haven’t played a game together in… so long.
Does Miyuki hope they’ll get to be a battery in the future, too?
“I’m always nice…” Eijun mumbles.
“Then you should know I like the right side of the bed and… I’d like the right side,” Miyuki flashes him another grin. “Any objections?”
Eijun almost points out that his bed is honestly not big enough for sides, but, he abstains. The right side does mean Miyuki will be trapped against the wall, though… hm.
“Nope,” Eijun drawls out, putting emphasis on the ‘p’. “All good.”
“Do you mind if I shower first?” Miyuki asks, finally letting go of him. “Kinda cold… it’s colder out there than Tokyo.”
“It’s not that cold,” Furuya mumbles.
“Of course you’d think that, you come from Hokkaido!” Eijun says, turning to Miyuki… who’s already left for the shower.
“I’m going to go rest,” Kuramochi says, looking down at his phone. “I’ll take the shower after Miyuki.”
“We can go after you,” Harucchi smiles.
“We?!” Eijun screeches. “Don’t tell me you and Furuya are sharing a shower now?! I won’t allow it!”
Harucchi blushes. “I meant that we would go after him separately, Eijun-kun…”
“Why?” Furuya yawns. “We’ve showered together before.”
Harucchi elbows him again.
Eijun expects Kuramochi to hit him again, but he’s gone, too. This leaves Eijun with his unexpectedly feral so-called best friends who want to steal his bed and his shower… hm. Eijun kind of wants to go read shojos while he waits for Miyuki, but what are the two freaks gonna do while they’re alone… hm.
“Let’s go watch something!” Eijun declares, stepping in between the two of them and grabbing both of their arms to lead them to the living room. He puts a random channel on, and sits in between the two of them… just because.
Maybe he’s being petty. Maybe he’s being jealous. Maybe he also wants to be in a relationship.
Maybe the shojo gods will make it happen tonight…
“Sawamura,” Miyuki’s voice interrupts at some point, “could you lend me something of yours?” He stands in the entry of the living room half naked with a towel loosely wrapped around his waist. “I… didn’t pack enough clothes,” he adds with a sheepish laugh.
Eijun’s going to have an aneurysm. It’s not like he’s never seen Miyuki half-naked, but, one, it’s been very rare (why does Miyuki even avoid bathing with the rest of them at Seido?!), and two… it’s the first time it’s happened since Eijun acknowledged his feelings, so. It’s a big deal.
He needs to get up and find something, quick, otherwise he’s just going to stare, and—
And Harucchi’s just nudged him.
Shit! How long’s he been staring?! Gah!
Eijun gets up and quickly walks past Miyuki, very careful not to collide because then he’d definitely have gotten an aneurysm then. Or several.
He gets to his bedroom and grabs the first thing he sees: a plain t-shirt and sweatpants he hopes won’t be too small for Miyuki, because he really doesn’t need to see him in tight-fitted clothes that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination.
He turns around to find Miyuki’s followed him and he screams, throwing the clothes at him.
Miyuki laughs, catching them and gives him an exasperated look. “What the hell are you doing? You’ve been jumpy. Did Mochi bully you while I was gone?”
“No! He left!” Eijun turns around, facing the wall. “Now get dressed! You said you were cold!”
“You’re being weird,” Miyuki chuckles, “you’re acting like you’ve never seen me like this before.” There’s some movement behind him and then suddenly, Miyuki’s hand is on Eijun’s shoulder, “you can look, I’m decent.”
Eijun’s not sure he trusts that, but, he turns anyway. The clothes are thankfully not too small… Well, the shirt is a bit, but the pants are fine… ugh. Why does Miyuki look so good in his clothes?! Unfair…
“It’s rude to watch people change!” Eijun points out, arms crossed over his chest. “Was your shower warm? Did you take all the hot water?”
Miyuki hums and thinks for a moment before he nods. “Yeah. I did. I knew Mochi would want to go after me…” an evil, familiar grin appears on his face, “so I used all the hot water.”
“What about the rest of us?!” Eijun laments. “Guess I’m not showering today…”
“You could’ve joined me and we’d have stolen all the hot water but you stayed with those two touch starved freaks instead,” Miyuki remarks casually, grabbing his towel off the floor and hanging it.
That has got to be a joke. Miyuki doesn’t mean that. Obviously not… Still. What a strange joke to make. This is not a communal shower!
“They are freaks, aren’t they?!” Eijun rolls his eyes. “Apparently they’ve even showered together before… more information I didn’t need to know.”
“You jealous or something?” Miyuki teases, plopping down on the bed. “I’m not surprised. They seem like the types.”
“I’m not jealous!” Eijun lies. “Why would I be jealous?! It’s not like I want either of them!” At least that part’s not a lie…
“But do you want what they have? With all the shojos you read…” Miyuki chuckles, laying on his side and continuing to watch Eijun intensely.
Eijun hates how Miyuki just knows. Then again, maybe he just made a really educated guess. Of course people who read about romance all day would be interested in romance. It’s only logical. Still…
“I’m not ready to do what they do!” Eijun says, and that’s not a lie, either. He does want romance, he does want a relationship, but… Gosh, sex? Just the thought of holding hands with Miyuki leaves him flustered to no end. How’s he supposed to have sex? Not that he hasn’t thought about, but…
Miyuki makes a soft ooh sound. But then there’s that smirk again. “So…you don’t want to kiss? Or hold hands? Even though you read about it 24/7?”
“I do want to kiss! And hold hands! I meant…” Eijun pauses, heat rising to his cheeks. He avoids Miyuki’s gaze. “I meant the nefarious things…”
“Oh?” Miyuki smirks. “You can’t even say it, can you? How will you ever get around to it, hmm? Do you actually want to do ‘nefarious’ things? Makes it sound really evil…”
Eijun really wants to make his smirk go away. So he takes his pillow and hits Miyuki with it. “It’s evil if it’s them doing it!”
Miyuki laughs, his voice muffled. “Why are you hitting me? This is domestic violence, you know.” He snatches the pillow and smacks Eijun back with it. “Be nice if you want me to keep catching for you.”
Eijun pouts. “You barely catch for me anymore…”
“Aw…you have so many people now who want to catch for the ace. Still want me, is that it?” He sounds like he’s teasing but the smile on his face is… too sincere. “You pitchers… I’ll catch for you whenever you want, good?”
Eijun instantly perks up. “Whenever I want… like… now?”
Miyuki deadpans. “You want to go out in the cold, in this weather, and make me catch for you in your pjs?”
“Why not…?” Eijun pouts again. He knows it’s impractical, but… isn’t it cruel to get him hyped up now and then not go through with it?
Miyuki sighs exasperatedly. “The things I do for you. Fine. Ten pitches.”
Eijun grins, taking Miyuki’s arm and dragging him out of his bed. “Twenty!”
“Are you trying to kill me?” Miyuki whines dramatically. “Fine, fine. But no more than twenty and after, I’m taking your blanket. It’s freezing outside.”
Dramatic…
“Fine! I accept these terms, Miyuki Kazuya!” Eijun declares, dragging Miyuki out of his bedroom. He needs to sneak him out, or else—
“Where are you going?” Furuya asks, coming out of seemingly nowhere. Ugh! This is exactly what Eijun was trying to avoid…
“Nowhere! Go back to your heathen of a boyfriend!” Eijun orders him. No way he’s sharing his twenty pitches with Furuya… no way. Plus, him and Miyuki are finally alone thanks to the shojo gods, so there’s no way in hell Eijun’s about to share him with Furuya.
Thankfully, Furuya doesn’t follow them (very shocking), and Eijun grabs one of his mitts from the garage. He throws a catcher’s mitt at Miyuki, bright grin on his lips. “Aren’t you excited?! I haven’t pitched to you in weeks!”
There’s a smile on Miyuki’s face. His cheeks have a pink tint but… he did just get dragged through the house in a rush. And it’s cold, so… it could mean nothing.
“Do you really need me to say it?” He crouches down and flashes Eijun a grin. “Just pitch and I’ll let you know how exciting it is after.”
Eijun pitches a cutter first. It’s what Miyuki asks for.
“If it wasn’t cold,” Eijun hums. “Would you want to do more than twenty?”
“You’re being greedy,” Miyuki teases, throwing the ball back, “maybe.”
That’s a yes!
“Really?!” Eijun grins, letting out a victorious laugh. “I knew you missed it too!”
“Why do you ask such obvious questions… Bakamura." Oh? Despite the insulting nickname, Miyuki’s face is definitely getting redder and it can’t be from the cold, now. He must be blushing, right? Right?! He—
“Of course I did," Miyuki adds, quietly.
Gasp!
“You should’ve said so!” Eijun says, pitching his second pitch: a four-seam fastball. Could he get Miyuki to admit Eijun’s his favourite pitcher?! Hm…
“And why? Because you demand it?” Miyuki teases, throwing the ball back with an airy laugh. “You pitchers and your demands. You’re going to be asking me to catch until I’m 80.”
Oh.
Does that mean… does that mean Miyuki also hopes they grow old together?
No, no… that’s too big of an assumption… Too big of a leap… it’s probably just a saying… yeah. Yeah.
“What’s wrong with that?!” Eijun exclaims, pitching a 2-seam fastball.
Miyuki says nothing to that, he throws the ball back with a contemplative look on his face before he adds: “nothing. I think I’d like having you around riding my ass even when I probably will have shitty knees and hips. Only you’d drag me out and demand I catch.”
Eijun’s pretty sure Furuya would also drag him out and demand he catches, but he doesn’t say that. It’s not the same. Furuya is greedy and wants to pitch to whoever will catch his pitches, and Miyuki just happens to be the best at that. It’s not about pitching to Miyuki, it’s about pitching to a good catcher. But for Eijun…
“You should feel special! I’m not like that with everyone!”
“Who said I don’t?” Miyuki grins. “I feel very special.”
Eijun throws a changeup. But Miyuki’s grin is totally distracting, so it’s not a surprise it goes a little higher than it’s meant to. Still, Eijun groans. “I’m throwing that one again!”
“Oh, so you noticed?” Miyuki teases. “Wow. You’ve really grown, huh? Guess you don’t need me telling you stuff anymore.”
“You can still tell me stuff!” Eijun says, throwing another changeup. It goes a little high again, but barely.
“You like hearing me nag you? Is that it?” Miyuki calls back, throwing the ball back moments after it hits his mitt. “You’re a real masochist!”
“No, but…”
Miyuki pauses, the mischievous look on his face fading. A smile replaces it. “What? Tell me.”
“I like knowing what I have to work on! Saves me time overthinking trying to figure it out…” Eijun mumbles, quietly. He then throws Number 8.
Miyuki catches it with a loud echo. When he throws the ball back, the smile is still on his face. “Right. Thinking not your strong suit…"
"Hey!"
"Honestly, there’s not a lot I can nag you about. Your control is still shaky but… I’m willing to bet it’s because you overthink, right?”
“I try not to!” Eijun huffs, throwing Number 6. “I don’t always overthink, you know…”
“Yes, you get a look on your face that tells me there’s no thoughts behind those eyes,” Miyuki teases with a loud laugh, “your shoulder’s looking really good…” Oh? Miyuki doesn't say more though, and throws the ball back. “Had enough yet?”
“No!” Eijun shouts. “It hasn’t been twenty yet, Miyuki Kazuya!” He throws a Number 3 this time, maybe a little too hard. “This is only pitch number 8! I have 12 left!”
“You’re insatiable!” Miyuki calls back. “And lower your voice! Gosh, I’m still here aren’t I? I’m a good senpai, you better appreciate this.”
“I always appreciate when you catch for me!” Eijun shouts, again. He can’t help himself, apparently. He throws Number 1 next, followed by a combination of pitches that Eijun equally likes to pitch, but tire him. A little. Maybe. Not really. He could go on, obviously. But they did the 20 pitches and it is cold, and Miyuki definitely looks like he’s freezing, so…
“I’m stealing your blanket tonight,” Miyuki mumbles when he’s close enough to Eijun, removing his mitt. His hand looks red. He gives Eijun a pointed look, too. “The things I do for you. If my fingers fell off, you’d probably still make me catch…”
“Your fingers are not going to fall off!” Eijun exclaims, instinctively taking Miyuki’s hand in his own. Then he realizes his hands are probably too cold to warm him, so he starts to blow on it. “There!”
Miyuki stares at him with an unreadable expression on his face. But then he smiles and shakes his head. “Idiot. It’ll probably work better if, I dunno, we go inside? You can warm me up in a warm environment. Smart, right?”
“Don’t make fun of me!” Eijun pouts, letting go of Miyuki’s hands before he starts to make his way inside. “I was just trying to help!”
Miyuki’s hand suddenly catches his. “Hey I was teasing… I appreciate your help,” he follows Eijun, still holding his hand. Like this is something they do everyday. Like it’s not making Eijun’s heart race and his cheeks darken. Like— “You’re a very good pitcher. Happy?”
“Huh?”
Yeah, no, Eijun did not catch that. He’s focused on their hands.
Miyuki leans closer, a teasing smile on his face. “Why don’t you ever listen to me, hmm? Do I need to shout in your ear too? I said, you’re a very good pitcher.”
Is he… dreaming? He has to be. Miyuki’s holding his hand and saying this? He knows he prayed to the shojo gods earlier, but he didn’t think they’d act this quickly… Then again, the bed sharing incident happened earlier too…
Wait. If he’s dreaming now, does this mean he dreamt the bed breaking too?!
“Miyuki-senpai.” Furuya’s voice takes him out of his trance. “Did you catch for Eijun? Catch for me, too.”
Eijun goes cat-eyed. “He’s caught enough! His hands are red, see?! He can’t catch anymore, Furuya! His fingers will fall off!”
Furuya ignores him.
Miyuki groans, leaning against Eijun. “I’m tired. You two are killing me. I’m an old senior now, I need my rest or I won’t even make it to college baseball. Have mercy. My knees hurt. Go to bed, Furuya. I hear mini Kominato calling for you.”
Furuya looks confused. “I don’t hear him.”
“No, I definitely do. Maybe you should go check…” Miyuki laughs, throwing an arm around Eijun’s shoulders, “anyway," he pauses, looking at Eijun, "weren’t you gonna show me around your room? And stuff?”
Eijun narrows his brows. He does not remember them talking about that. Besides, hadn’t he already seen his room? He laid on his bed and everything! He—
Wait… is this a ruse to get rid of Furuya?!
Eijun cackles. “Yes, yes… of course… goodnight, Furuya! And do sleep! No nefarious things with Harucchi!” He warns, dragging Miyuki with him back to his bedroom.
Thankfully, Furuya doesn't follow. Good. Eijun has no intention of sharing Miyuki tonight.
“Took you a while,” Miyuki sighs, plopping down on the bed, “I wasn’t gonna go back out there,” he says, then grins, and adds, “nice save, ace.”
Eijun feels goosebumps. He will never tire of hearing being called the ace. He hopes he can remain one for the rest of his life. Maybe it’s ambitious, but…
“Did you want to sleep already?!” Eijun exclaims, walking to his desk. “Because I thought we could read some shojos!”
Miyuki chuckles. “You want to read shojos with me? You’re funny.” What’s funny about that?! “Alright… what do you want to read? You’ll have to educate me.”
“I always read some shojos before bed!” Eijun declares, giving one to Miyuki. “It’s good for the soul! You’ll sleep better, trust me!”
“I’ll sleep better if you don’t yell or kick but,” Miyuki flips through the shojo, giving Eijun a skeptical look, “every night? Before bed? You’re a very interesting person…” he smiles, “most of the time I go through scorebooks before bed but… this is probably more fun.”
“Scorebooks?!” Eijun grimaces. “That’s no way to end a night… this would give me nightmares! I don’t want to see numbers before bed!” He adds, sitting down beside Miyuki. “This’ll be a much needed upgrade for you….”
“Wow, I’m getting the full Sawamura special treatment tonight,” Miyuki grins, leaning closer to bump his shoulder against Eijun’s, “lucky me. You should read to me.”
“Read to you…?”
Eijun didn’t expect that. He’s never read shojos to anyone, before. Read them alongside someone else who was also reading shojos, sure, but…
Miyuki smiles. “I catch for you, you read me shojos? Do the voices too, I bet you do voices in your head when you read.”
“Of course I do voices! Who wouldn’t do voices?!”
“Perfect, then you can read to me and put me to sleep with funny voices and romance. Is this how little Ei-chan spent his childhood?” Miyuki pokes Eijun’s cheek. “Reading shojos when he should’ve been going to bed?”
“I went to bed at a decent hour! Reading shojos helps me sleep, not the other way around!” Eijun declares, though there has been a few times he couldn’t stop himself from reading and slept waaaay past his bedtime, but… Miyuki doesn’t need to know that!
So Eijun selects one of his favourite mangas, one he knows by heart, and starts reading it to Miyuki. It’s a strange experience, and it's a bit… awkward, at first, but Eijun finds himself really liking reading shojos aloud, doing the voices, and of course, all the very important sound effects. Eijun’s not sure how sparkles are supposed to sound, but there’s an integral part of shojos, so he makes it work.
He doesn’t know on which volume they’re at when they both fall asleep. It’s a little embarrassing, because Eijun was reading—how could he not notice suddenly passing out?
But then he wakes up with a manga on his face, and no Miyuki by his side. It’s then that he realizes he totally missed his opportunity to use bed sharing as a way to get closer, and he groans. Was this going to be his only chance? And he blew it?! No way!
He knows he’s not at the shrine anymore, but… one last time, he prays to the shojo gods to give him another opportunity.
They do.
The shojo gods listen to his prayers and make him fall down the stairs at school, a month later.
At first, Eijun’s livid. This has got to be the most humiliating moment of his life, especially because he was talking with Miyuki before his unfortunate accident, which means Miyuki saw the whole thing.
A lot of students laugh, and all Eijun can hear is a jumble of words coming from his senpai that make no sense. Hell, even Miyuki’s figure is blurry. He sounds worried, though, that much Eijun knows…
And that’s how he ends up being princess carried to the nurse’s office through the whole school. By Miyuki.
Princess carried.
By Miyuki.
Eijun can barely believe it. This has got to be the shojo gods at work again. He blinks, forcing himself to see more clearly because he needs to witness this with his own two eyes. Although, even with the blur, he can feel Miyuki’s strong arms around him. He can feel the warmth against his chest; he can even feel Miyuki’s heartbeat, beating faster and faster. It must be because he’s running, because Eijun can hear the loud and fast footsteps under him.
“Miyuki-senpai…” he mumbles, holding onto his neck. His eyes are slowly starting to adjust, but…
“Why don’t you ever watch where you’re doing? Do you like making me worry?” Miyuki scolds him, but it doesn’t carry the same impact as when he scolds during practice. Not when he looks so… worried instead of mischievous or taunting.
There’s the distinct sound of a door opening and closing before Eijun’s being placed down on a soft surface. But Miyuki’s still there, his hand on the back of Eijun’s head, his neck, his cheek.
Wow.
“Can you see clearly?” Miyuki asks, and Eijun definitely can’t, but despite the blur he can definitely sense that Miyuki is too close…
It’d be impossible not to be a blushing mess in this situation, so that's 100% what Eijun is.
“I’m fine!” He assures, trying to sit up. It’s a mistake. The room starts to spin.
“You idiot, don’t move, you’re just going to aggravate yourself. You’re not fine.” Miyuki pushes him back down, his hand still on the back of his head as he adjusts the pillow under him. “Stay still, the nurse will be here soon. At least you’re not bleeding… but you look really red.” His hand is back on Eijun’s cheek. “Are you sick?”
“I’m not sick!” Eijun insists, “it’s just… it’s really warm in here!” Eijun lies; he has honestly no idea if the room is warm or cold, if he’s honest. “And I just fell in front of everyone! This is from embarrassment!” Now that's not a total lie, but…
“Don’t worry, no one expects any less from you,” Miyuki teases with a small laugh. But it still sounds… tense? “How are you going to survive without me here?”
How is he indeed.
Well, Eijun doesn’t plan on making falling down the stairs a regular occurrence, but, he also hates every time he has to think about Miyuki leaving. He’s grown so used to his presence, on and off the field, that the reality sinking in about Miyuki graduating always makes a pit in his stomach. Even if Eijun didn’t have… feelings (big, big feelings) for him, it’d be hard. Having to wait a year to be potentially reunited… it’s not something Eijun likes to think about. Especially not when his head is throbbing and his vision is malfunctioning.
He’s definitely got a concussion.
“I’ve survived without you before! I’ll just… do it again!” Eijun says, but his voice… cracks. Definitely doesn’t sound convincing, either. Maybe he can blame it on the fall.
Miyuki sighs. “That didn’t sound very believable. I’m going to have to ask someone to tail you and send me detailed reports, otherwise—”
“What are you two doing here?” A new voice interrupts. Must be the nurse.
Eijun still can't properly see.
“This is the nurse’s office isn’t it?” Miyuki’s tone sounds flat. “We didn’t come here to gossip if that’s what you’re asking.”
There’s a pause and a sigh, then: “What do we have here?”
“He fell down the stairs. He probably has a concussion.”
The woman comes closer, fussing around Eijun. Her hands are definitely rougher than Miyuki’s. She does a bunch of tests, like flashing a light in his eyes, asking him to follow her finger… and other things Eijun assumes are standard procedures. In the end, her prognosis is: ice. Nothing else to do but ice.
It feels a little underwhelming…
“Make sure to keep the area cool and stay awake for the next few hours,” she instructs. “Don’t go off on your own, understand? And no practice today!”
Eijun pouts. No practice…? That sucks. He’s sure he’s fine enough to play… why should a small concussion hold him back from—
Miyuki places his hand on his arm. Oh. “I’m not planning on leaving him alone for the next 24 hours at least.”
Oh…?
Eijun can’t help but stare. Miyuki looks so… protective. Is he imagining that? Or…
The nurse hums. “That’s… not necessary, if you get any headaches, Sawamura-kun, take painkillers. You can rest here for however long you need.”
Well, Eijun’s not going to say no to an opportunity to miss class…
“Oi. you look too happy to be missing class.” Miyuki doesn’t miss a beat, squeezing his arm. There’s a smile on his face, though. “But you’d just pass out anyway. Might as well do that here. I’ll stay with you.”
Oh?!
“Are you allowed to miss class, Miyuki Kazuya?!” Eijun asks. “What are you gonna tell people?!”
“That an idiot fell down the stairs and needed to be rescued,” Miyuki teases, “relax. It’s fine. I can’t have the ace harmed, what kind of catcher would I be if harm fell to my pitcher? I nearly caught you too…” he sighs, “sorry. I tried to get your hand but…”
The rest of what Miyuki says gets drowned out.
Because, um.
My pitcher…?
Normally, Eijun would yell something about being called an idiot, but right now, he’s speechless. Since when does Miyuki call him his? Did Eijun even hear that right? Could the concussion make him hear what he wants to hear?
Because, well. Eijun always wanted Miyuki to be his catcher, and they definitely reached that stage when they were the main battery of the team, but now… Now, Miyuki’s retired and although he does come to the practice field from time to time (though it’s often to nag them or make fun of them…), Eijun’s no longer his pitcher, not technically.
So then why…?
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Miyuki laughs, poking Eijun between the eyes, “don’t pass out on me. You okay? Does your head hurt? You’re staring too hard even for you.”
Eijun's eyes suddenly go cat-eye as a warm flush spreads across his cheeks all the way down to his neck, and he averts his gaze. He totally got caught. He'll deny it, though. "I wasn't staring, I'm… I'm concussed! I was zoning out! I'm sick!"
"Uh, no. I know your zoning out stare and your thinking stare… you were thinking, which is very impressive. Your mouth hangs all open when you zone out though," Miyuki teases with a small laugh.
Eijun gasps. "It does not!"
Does it?!
"It's okay," Miyuki shrugs nonchalantly, "it's cute… and very dog of you."
"Very dog?!?"
"Mhm, puppy." Miyuki smirks, leaning closer once again and patting his head teasingly. "I didn't say it was a bad thing."
Eijun's face flushes, not knowing at all what to make of this. Is Miyuki really insinuating he's a dog?! No, not insinuating, literally telling him!
"But I'm not a dog!"
"Oh? You don't want to be my puppy?" Miyuki chuckles. "Fine. I guess. Unfair though, you call me tanuki, why can't I call you my puppy?"
Huh?!?!?!?!?!
Eijun's jaw drops, his brain shortcircuiting into a proper mess. He can't even blame it on the concussion; he would've been shellshocked no matter what had previous happened to his head.
Because, huh, did Miyuki just call him his puppy?
His?!?!?!
"You're making a funny face," Miyuki notes, a growing smirk on his lips.
Eijun instinctively covers Miyuki's face in response, hiding his eyes from seeing any more of Eijun's embarrassing faces. "I'm not making a funny face! I'm injured! It's my head!"
"Hmm, I dunno, I know all the faces you make and this one I've definitely seen before." Miyuki teases, taking Eijun's hands and gently prying his fingers away with a laugh. "It's the oh I'm so flustered face. Do I make you flustered, Ei-chan?"
"No!!!"
"I'm seeing some redness," Miyuki teasingly pinches Eijun's cheek with a low chuckle, "why are you lying to your catcher, hmm?"
Your catcher…
This does absolutely nothing to help the thumping in Eijun's chest, the drumming of his heart. Has Miyuki always referred to himself as his catcher, or is this the result of Eijun's prayers to the shojo gods, determined to leave Eijun a puddle in Miyuki's hands?
"I'm not lying!" Eijun insists, averting his gaze and pouting as Miyuki finally lets go of his hands, his warm laughter echoing in the room. But he relents, seemingly allowing Eijun to have some peace, though he ends up doting on him for the rest of the day, acting like Eijun is made of glass and he'll break if he does so much as sneeze.
It's…
Well, different. Does Eijun mind it? No. Is he wondering why it's happening? Yes. Could this really be the work of the shojo gods? It has to be. In what other circumstances would Miyuki Kazuya take care of him for an entire day, after carrying him like a princess all the way to the nurse's office?!
Unfortunately, nothing happens past, well… Miyuki's sudden doting on him. No first kiss, but maybe it'd be greedy to ask for that after a wonderful day getting taken care of by the catcher of his dreams, the reason why Eijun went to Seido.
Eijun can wait for his first kiss.
It'll come.
Right?
The next week is uneventful. Miyuki is busy with exams (so is Eijun, technically), and he doesn't visit the field much. It sucks, but Eijun tries not to pout too much about it. Okumura seems already annoyed with him for always sighing wistfully and wishing for Miyuki's return. Eijun realizes it isn't fair to Okumura, and he should be more focused on his current catcher than the one who's about to graduate, but, he can't help it.
Even if Eijun wasn't hopelessly pining for Miyuki off the field, he'd forever be longing for him to be his catcher again.
Maybe next year, when Eijun graduates and ultimately follows Miyuki to Meiji…
"Eijun. Are you listening?" Furuya asks him, standing beside his desk.
When did he even get here?!
"What do you want?" Eijun asks. It comes a little more aggressive than intended and he winces. "Sorry."
Furuya seems unbothered. "I was asking if you wanted to go with me later get our maid outfits for tomorrow's maid café."
Eijun frowns. "What maid café?!"
Beside them, Kanemaru groans. "Don't tell me you forgot, Bakamura. Our class is doing the maid café in the school festival tomorrow."
Huh?!?!?!?
How come he's never heard of this until NOW?
"Sawamura Eijun in a maid outfit, now that's something I'd pay to see."
Eijun blinks, his head whipping towards none other than Miyuki Kazuya. Huh?! What is he doing in his class?
Did the shojo gods teleport him here because they were talking about a maid café?!
"What are you gawking at?" Miyuki teases with a grin. "Shame you won't be able to do much pitching in a short frilly skirt."
Eijun's face flushes. "I won't be wearing a short frilly skirt!"
Kanemaru grimaces. "Actually…"
Eijun frowns. "Actually what?"
"There's not enough male maid outfits. So you and Furuya have been voted to wear, um… well, the ones with the skirts."
"Huh?!"
Eijun dramatically stands, hands slammed to his desk. When did this voting even happen? And why is Furuya completely unbothered by this?!
Well… It's not that Eijun is bothered, per se. He doesn't think there's anything wrong with a man wearing a skirt, of course! But… the thought of wearing a frilly maid outfit… in front of Miyuki…. flusters Eijun to no end.
"What's wrong with it?" Miyuki grins, nudging Eijun, "you'll look really cute. Maybe I could help you pick one…"
Oh?
Cute as in… Miyuki-will-want-to-kiss-him kinda cute or, cute like a puppy?
"Will you help me pick one too, Miyuki-senpai?" Furuya asks.
"Ah, Furuya, you're telling me you can't pick something out for yourself?"
Kanemaru coughs. "Favouritism coming in strong, I see…"
Ah-ha!
So he is Miyuki's favourite!
Or maybe Miyuki just thinks he's stupid and he needs some hand holding…
Ugh.
(Eijun wouldn't mind some real hand holding, though.)
"What can I say? He's my pitcher," Miyuki throws an arm around Eijun's shoulders, "isn't that right, Ei-chan?"
"I'm also a pitcher," Furuya unhelpfully points out.
But you're not his pitcher, Eijun wants to reply, but he bites his tongue. He's not even technically Miyuki's pitcher anymore…
As if reading his thoughts, Miyuki looks over to him with a smirk. "You're special, right, Eijun?"
"Am I…?"
Furuya nods. "Yes. Eijun is special."
Oh.
Special how…?
Is it a bad thing?!
No. Furuya isn't malicious and wouldn't have said this with hurtful intent. In any case, Eijun especially wants to know why Miyuki thinks he's special, but he doesn't get to ask, because Kanemaru asks Miyuki a baseball-related question and the two of them end up talking each other's ears off while they make their way to the club storage room where all maid café cosplay related items are, to find out that indeed, there is almost nothing left.
Miyuki teases them a little, mostly Furuya, though Furuya seems completely unbothered by it. Eijun is still frazzled, uncharacterstically quiet as he's flustered to no end at the very real prospect of Miyuki seeing him in a maid uniform tomorrow…
It'll be fine. Maybe Miyuki won't even come. Maybe he won't even have the time too. There's still exams, right? Miyuki will probably be too busy studying. Yeah.
Eijun couldn't have been more wrong. Apparently, Miyuki had nothing better to do than to get to their class's maid café, because he's the first one seated, in Eijun's section, all smiles as he waits to be served all the while Eijun is very carefully hiding behind the cardboard cutoff in the back.
Of course, Furuya catches him.
"What are you doing?" he asks, face neutral despite the outfit he's wearing, that's way too small for his tall stature. At least Eijun's fits like a glove, though he doesn't know if that's better or worse.
"Can you switch sections with me?" Eijun asks, chickening out. Even if this is definitely orchastrated by the shojo gods, Eijun is too nervous. Miyuki's probably here to tease him to no end anyway. Or, call him cute again and insist he's like a puppy, or something. And Eijun doesn't want to be seen as a cute puppy. He wants Miyuki to see him as his equal, as a partner, as someone who he could build a long-term relationship with. Someone he could love.
Being seen in a maid costume is not going to achieve that, is it? So, Eijun needs to hide.
"Alright," Furuya nods. "That's okay with me."
"Thank you!"
Overwhelmed with relief, Eijun adjusts his costume and takes out a few menus, calming his heart and plastering a smile on his face as he walks towards his first customer… only to find out it's Miyuki.
Huh?! Did he switch sections?
"Don't you look as pretty as a flower," Miyuki remarks, chin resting over his fist as he eyes Eijun with a smirk. "Took your sweet time. I was starting to think you forgot all about me."
Pretty as a flower…?
Well, Eijun supposes that's better than a puppy. Flowers are romantic, right? So it's a step in the right direction!
Though the compliment does absolutely nothing to help his erratically beating heart and the bright flush to his cheeks. Damn Miyuki Kazuya for being able to get under his skin so easily!
"I thought you'd be too busy to come," Eijun chooses to mumble, handing Miyuki a menu even if he wants to keep them all so he can hide behind them.
Miyuki accepts the menu, their fingers brushing in passing. Oh. "Too busy for you? Never." He flips the menu open, humming under his breath. "So is this just…. a maid cafe or do you host, too? If so… I wouldn't mind the company."
Host?
What does he think this is, Ouran High School Host Club?!
No.
No, no, Miyuki wouldn't know that manga… Definitely not.
"I don't have time to play host, I have a full section to take care of!" Eijun exclaims, which is a load of bullshit, because only Miyuki's in his section.
For now.
Miyuki glances around and then gives Eijun a look. "It's just me. What, don't want to keep your senpai company? I was going to offer to share a cheesecake with you. Maybe a drink…. I'd pay extra. Aren't you supposed to be making money?"
"The money's for a charity…"
Honestly, Eijun forgets what. He's sure Kanemaru told him, but he's, well, a little preoccupied. Because one, he's wearing a frilly maid outfit. And two, it kind of sounds like Miyuki is asking him for a date?!
Or is Eijun just imagining things…
"Exactly," Miyuki grins, setting the menu down, "for the starving sick kids, or whatever. You should share a cake with me. Don't you want to?"
"Maybe…"
Miyuki hums. "Then… I'd like the strawberry cheesecake and one drink. Your choice. Since we'll be sharing it."
Sharing it?
The drink, too?
Eijun's breath hitches. That'll be an indirect kiss…
"O-Okay."
(Ugh, why is he stuttering?!)
Miyuki flashes him a smile. "Is staring at the customers part of the maid charm? Because it's working."
It's working?!
What's working?!?!
"I'll, um… go get your cheesecake and drink, Miyuki Ka— san," Eijun corrects himself, scurrying off before Miyuki can answer.
God, his heart is beating so stupidly fast. This is all Miyuki Kazuya's fault. He said he was pretty as a flower! And he wants to share a drink! And indirectly kiss! And he said something was working! His charm, right?! But working towards what…
"Are you okay?" Furuya asks him, suddenly beside Eijun.
Right. Eijun's been frozen here for a few minutes. He needs to get the cheesecake and drink!
But what drink is most romantic…
"Furuya!" Eijun exclaims, grabbing onto his arms. "What's the most romantic drink we have?!"
Furuya looks perplexed. "I don't know. Why?"
Eijun groans. Unhelpful. He can't very well tell him it's for an indirect kiss with Miyuki, either. Would Furuya even know about the significance of an indirect kiss?! Probably not. Anyway, Eijun has been keeping his crush close to his heart, not sharing the details with anyone but Wakana, for fear they would spill the truth to Miyuki. He's not about to start now that the shojo gods are working in his favor! He needs this to work before Miyuki graduates!
So he lets go of Furuya and surveys the menu, until he decides on strawberry milk, which should pair well with the strawberry cheesecake! Plus, everyone knows strawberries are romantic!
Yes, this is the right choice.
Eijun nods to himself, bringing out the cheesecake and strawberry milk to Miyuki's table. Although his heart returned to a state of calm, it speeds up the moment Miyuki's face lights up and the grin that curves his lips.
Is he that happy to see him…?
Or is it because he thought of something to tease him about…
You never know, with that tanuki!
"There you are," Miyuki smiles, his gaze drifting toward the drink, "good choice." His eyes find Eijun’s again and he smiles. "You gonna sit down or make me beg for it? Come on, I want to try the cake. Better yet, you feed it to me. It’ll enrich the experience."
Huh?!
Eijun's jaw drops. Feed it to him? Really? That's very romantic…
Is it too romantic?! How will Eijun's heart fare?! It's already beating so fast…
"O-Okay," Eijun nods, adjusting his frilly headband before he sits, his cheeks ridiculously warm.
"Nervous?" Miyuki teases, lacing his fingers under his chin. "I can close my eyes if that'd make it easier, Ei-chan."
Eijun squints.
Is that mockery…?
"I'm fine!" Eijun insists, adjusting himself in his seat. He even makes a point of getting some cheesecake on one of the forks, bringing it to Miyuki's lips. "Eat."
"So bossy. Just how I like it…" Miyuki winks.
Winks?!?!
Oh god. Eijun's heart will never quiet down now.
And now Miyuki's leaning closer and taking a bite with a low hum, like this is just something they always do…
"Wow," Miyuki nods appreciatively, "this is actually good. Or maybe it just tastes better coming from you…"
Is this… flirting?
?!?!
"Of course it's good!" Eijun replies, trying to calm his pulse. "It comes from a local bakery!"
"Right…" Miyuki smiles, staring at him unblinkingly. "You should try it, give it here…" he takes the fork from Eijun, cutting out a small piece and holding it out to Eijun's lips.
Oh.
Oh.
This does absolutely nothing to help the erratic thumping of his heart, the flush to his cheek and the heat to his ears. This is… this is romantic, right? It is. It has to be. Friends don't just feed each other cheesecake, do they…?
"T-thank you," Eijun nods. Ugh, though, the stuttering…
Whatever. He leans closer and takes the bite, golden eyes staring right into Miyuki's.
And…
Oh.
There's a very satisfied smile on Miyuki's face, his gaze unwavering and alarmingly … affectionate. As if he can't stand to look anywhere else but Eijun. Just how they are on the field, except without the rush of adrenaline, chorus of chants and blood rushing through their veins. This is… more mellow, but just as intense.
Wow.
Miyuki then cuts yet another small bite for Eijun and holds it out for him, smiling as he says:
"I prefer to watch you eat than to try it myself," he flashes Eijun a grin, "you look like you're enjoying it a lot."
I'm enjoying you a lot.
He can't say that!!!
"It's good, okay!" Eijun responds, taking another bite before he steals the fork from Miyuki and stabs the cake, bringing the bite to Miyuki's lips. "You need to eat it, too!" he says, before he also brings the strawberry milk closer. "And drink!"
So they can have their indirect kiss…
Though, technically, didn't they just do that by sharing a fork?!
Gasp!
Or does it have to be a drink…
Miyuki chuckles. "Yessir, so impatient…" he takes his bite and carefully shifts the straw to his lips, drinking from it with a low hum. "Oh that's good, you have to try this," he guides the straw to Eijun's direction. "I think strawberry is now my favorite thanks to you."
"You've never tried strawberry milk before?!" Eijun asks, bringing the drink to his lips and flushing knowing that Miyuki's lips were right there. On this straw. That's now in between his lips.
A true indirect kiss…
"No, strawberry milk always sounded gross," Miyuki smiles sheepishly, "but now I'll think of you every time…"
Oh…
That's…
"Eijun," Furuya says, suddenly beside them and tapping Eijun's shoulder. "More people are in your section."
Oh. That's… disappointing. Just when they were getting somewhere!
"I'll be here," Miyuki suddenly grabs his wrist, his intense eyes locking with Eijun's. "I have nowhere else to be."
Oh, wow. Eijun's cheeks are so warm. What a romantic moment. They just fed each other cheesecake and shared a drink and an indirect kiss and now Miyuki is looking deep into his eyes and grabbing his wrist like that? Wow.
Eijun is swooning.
"Eijun?" Furuya asks, and it, very unfortunately, snaps Eijun out of his shojo trance.
Which sucks, because he would have liked to bask in this moment longer…
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Eijun grumbles, reluctantly standing up once Miyuki releases his wrist. He hates that he can't stay. He hates that he can't get more. But, duty calls. Plus, he'll just get back to Miyuki once he's done with the rest of the tables. Yeah!
"I'll be back," Eijun tells Miyuki, placing a hand on his shoulder for a fleeting moment, his hand burning at the contact. Miyuki flashes him a blinding smile and tells him he'll be waiting, and god, he even winks at him.
Eijun swoons all the more, emboldened by Miyuki and his… his flirting! Because this is flirting, is it not?!
They're finally getting somewhere…
And then the shojo gods decide to leave him on his own, because the maid café get swamped, and Eijun is practically running trying to get everyone's orders. He barely has the time to get back to Miyuki by the time the event ends, and Eijun is so disappointed. Miyuki seems a little disappointed too, but he hides it better than Eijun, with those smiles of his that only serve to make Eijun melt.
In the end, Eijun gets too busy cleaning up after everyone is gone to go hang out with Miyuki after this, but it's fine. Valentine's Day is coming up next week, and exams will be over, so… Eijun figures it will be the perfect time to take this… a step further. Maybe even… confessing?
Would that be too soon?
Maybe…
Well, he'll start with his initial plan: get Miyuki some homemade chocolates he will prepare at night time so no one catches him and asks intrusive questions about who he's doing it for.
Then, depending on how Miyuki reacts…
Maybe Eijun will tell him how he feels.
Maybe.
The shojo gods must have been on Eijun's side, because no one used the kitchens while he was preparing his chocolates the night before. He did almost get caught in his room when Asada smelled the chocolate, but… Eijun keeps it securely in his bag, overly excited to hand them over to Miyuki later. Will he like them? Will he understand what it means? Will he be overjoyed learning how Eijun feels? Will he accept the chocolate and… kiss him in return?
Eijun has pleased shivers running down his back at the thought. Miyuki kissing him… oh, how he would like that.
Giddy with anticipation, Eijun spends the morning practice on cloud nine, distracted by his own musings and scenarios that flow through his head, of Miyuki having gotten chocolates for him too, or maybe even written a confession letter…
Eijun ends up running into someone when he doesn't pay attention and gets scolded by Coach Kataoka, which, on a normal day, would have his blood run cold, but today… he doesn't care. He's too excited!
He almost skips to class, the chocolates still secure in his bag as he thinks of the best moment to go give them to Miyuki.
They should be alone when it happens, though… in case they want to share a kiss. But how does he get Miyuki alone? Maybe he can get to him in between two classes later and tell him to meet him on the roof at noon? Won't that look a little ominous… or too obvious? Gah!
Still, it's Eijun's best option. So he (very impatiently) waits for the first period to be over before he practically runs to the third year's hall, bright grin and all. He sneaks in Miyuki's classroom, and—
Oh.
There's… a lot of chocolate. On Miyuki's desk.
"I can't believe that many people thought you'd be a good Valentine," Kuramochi snickers, nodding at the pile.
"Jealous, Mochi?" Miyuki grins, throwing a heart full of chocolate at Kuramochi. "You can have them. I hate chocolate."
Oh…
Well, that's…
Is it silly that Eijun feels completely… defeated? What happens to his plan now, if Miyuki doesn't like chocolate?
And what about all these people who gifted him chocolate… does Miyuki like any of them…?
Dejected, Eijun backs out of the class with his head down, his plan going up in flames. He should've known Miyuki doesn't like chocolate… should've deduced it, when Miyuki asked for cheesecake at the maid café instead of the chocolate cake everyone else was ordering…
Ugh!
How could he have been so stupid?!
"Are you okay?" Furuya asks him when he gets back in class and drags his feet all the way to his seat, offering Furuya only a weak nod in response. Furuya doesn't push, which is good, because Eijun doesn't want to talk about it.
He barely focuses for the rest of the class until lunch comes, and he sighs when he reaches his locker and looks into his bag to find the useless bag of chocolates. He pouts, a little. His plan had been so perfect…
Oh well.
He opens his locker, heart full of grief until a letter suspiciously falls on the ground.
Huh?
Eijun bends to pick it up and finds his name on the envelope, with a big heart drawn around his name.
Huh…
Confused, he quickly opens the letter, which reads:
Sawamura,
This is kind of embarrassing, but I wanted to say it anyway.
I’ve always admired and loved the way you throw yourself into everything with so much energy and passion! No matter how tired you are, you never give up, and somehow you make the people around you want to try harder too. Watching you pitch, or even just hearing you shout encouragement during practice, makes me feel stronger.
You probably don’t notice, but I always look forward to the times we talk, even if it's not for long, like complaining about training, or laughing over something stupid. Those little moments mean a lot to me.
I don’t know how you’ll react to this, but… I like you. Not just as a teammate, and not just as a friend.
If you can’t answer right away, that’s okay... I just wanted you to know how I feel.
…Oh.
Oh.
Wait, this isn't signed. Could it… could it be… from Miyuki…?
A hand suddenly slams into the locker beside Eijun, breaking him from his thoughts.
"Whoa, look at that," Miyuki’s voice comes from behind him, his breath way too close to Eijun’s ear. "What a love letter," Miyuki says, his tone clipped, his chest brushing against Eijun’s shoulder as he leans closer to get a look at be letter. "Are you going to reply?"
So this isn't from Miyuki, then…
Eijun is disappointed all over again.
Which makes him feel terrible, because someone on their team had taken the time to write this letter and poured their heart's out to him, and all he can feel is disappoinment that it's not from the one he wants. Ugh.
"I can't reply, the person didn't sign!" Eijun answers, folding the letter back into its envelope. It's not that he wants to hide it from Miyuki, but also… he has to respect this person's privacy! They are definitely shy if they chose not to sign the letter…
"Then why are you keeping it?" Miyuki leans closer, narrowing his eyes at Eijun. "You have no idea who it’s from and unless you recognize the handwriting, there's no point keeping it, right?"
Eijun looks at Miyuki, bewildered. "But that's a love letter! You can't throw it away! Someone poured their heart and soul into this!"
"What does it matter?" Miyuki frowns, eyeing the envelope like it spit in his face or something. "You have no idea who it even is, unless you do and you're lying to your senpai."
"I'm not lying!"
Why would he be lying?!
"Then what does it matter?" Miyuki arches a brow. "And why are you hiding it from me?"
"I'm not hiding it…"
Alright, technically, he is, a little bit. But only out of respect! If he wrote a letter like that to Miyuki, he wouldn't want anyone else but him reading it.
Plus—
Miyuki's hand suddenly slams into the lockers right beside Eijun's head, his whole body moving closer and trapping Eijun successfully against his locker. "Eijun. Are you going to reply to the letter?"
Eijun… blinks.
What… is happening.
Wait.
No.
No way.
Is this… kabe don?!?!?!
Eijun gasps. The shojo gods! They're here now!
"Do you… not want me to?" Eijun asks, tentative.
How would he even reply, anyway?! He doesn't even know who sent it!
Miyuki narrows his eyes at Eijun, his lips pursed. His unblinking gaze bores into Eijun. "It doesn't matter what I want, do you want to reply to it?"
God, they're so… close. It's getting difficult to think properly. Eijun can almost feel Miyuki's breath on his lips, which is… wow. Indirect kiss? No. But close. If Eijun leaned just a little bit closer…
"It matters to me," Eijun chooses to say. "If you don't want me to… then I won't."
"So… you do," Miyuki frowns, his expression shifting into a look Eijun is only used to seeing after a game they've lost, "you want to."
Huh?!
"What?" Eijun frowns. "No!"
Miyuki leans even closer, their lips nearly brushing. Oh. "Then don't. I don't want you to…" he trails off, his eyes drifting down before he falls suspiciously silent. Eijun follows his line of sight to his fallen bag on the floor, exposing the bag of chocolates. Oh, no! "Who are those for…? Did someone give that to you?"
Eijun's face blooms with familiar warmth, heart thumping so loudly against his chest. Should he tell him? He should, right? Even if Miyuki doesn't like chocolate… maybe he'll appreciate that Eijun took the time to make them. Because… well. There's only one reason why Miyuki wouldn't want him to respond to the confession letter, right…? He likes him too. He has to. Or else… none of this makes sense.
Still, Eijun is nervous. What if he's wrong? What if he's imagining all of this?
No…
No, he's not imagining this. Even if the shojo gods are definitely involved… Miyuki's feelings have to be real.
Right…?
"I…" Eijun starts, his throat dry. "I made them… for you."
Miyuki's bewildered gaze suddenly jumps up from the chocolates to Eijun. "The chocolates? You made them for me? But….why…" he trails off and Eijun can see the realization dawing to him, a smile slowly lifting his lips, "you wanted to give me a gift for Valentine's?"
"Yes…"
Miyuki's smile slowly mellows out. "Why didn't you give them to me, then?"
Eijun chews on his lip nervously. "I heard you say you hated chocolate…"
"I would've still accepted them if they were from you," Miyuki insists, a deep frown creasing his brows, "give it over. I'm going to try one."
"You don't have to…"
"I want to," Miyuki presses, leaning closer, "they're mine anyway. So… give it to me. I want my Valentine's."
Oh…
How is he supposed to go reach in his bag when Miyuki is that close? Eijun can literally feel his breath on his lips!
"Do you want to feed it to me?" Miyuki flashes him a grin.
!!!
"F-feed it to you?" Eijun stammers, his cheeks burning.
"Yes," Miyuki arches his brows at Eijun teasingly, "you made it, right? It's only right. Do it in spirit of Valentine."
God. Miyuki Kazuya will the end of him!!!
"O-Okay," Eijun says, his throat so dry. He nods too, though it only serves to apparently make Miyuki grin even more. Why is he being so calm and collected about this?! This should affect him more! It's not fair!
"Go on then, I'm waiting," Miyuki murmurs, bopping Eijun on the nose. "You fed me cheesecake, remember? You did very well, then. I trust you."
But this is different!
There's no… fork!
"Maybe…" Eijun swallows hard, "maybe we should go… somewhere else?"
Not that anyone seems to be watching them or anything, but… this feels like an oddly intimate gesture… is it not?!
Miyuki hums, looking around the area before nodding slowly. "You're right. I don't want anyone stealing the chocolates. Knowing Mochi, he'd grab it. We can go to the empty classroom on the second floor. It'll be just us."
That's so romantic…
Without giving Eijun a chance to get a word in, Miyuki grabs the bag with chocolates with one hand and with the other he grabs Eijun's, dragging him back toward the staircase. He has zero regard for the people trying to get down, pushing past them like a man on a mission until they reach the hall with the empty classroom.
Like he said, it's unused and… kind of dark...
"Nice ambience," Miyuki muses, sliding the door shut behind them and turning on the lights. "I'm sure we'll liven up the place."
"Right…"
Okay, so now that they're actually alone, Eijun is sweating bullets. Because, um. Well. Something is going to happen, right? Eijun is about to give him chocolates and feed it to him. On Valentine's day. After Miyuki expressed clear displeasure about Eijun getting a confession letter and wanting him not to respond. (Not that he could've anyway, but, whatever).
Something is going to happen.
Their first kiss, maybe…?
"Eijun…." Miyuki's warm hand squeezes his own, tugging Eijun out of his frenzied thoughts. "You weren't lying were you? They're really for me?"
"Yes," Eijun answers honestly, settling down at one of the desks and taking out the chocolates, placing it in front of Miyuki. "See?" He points at the ribbon holding the bag together, and the small incription on it. "Miyuki Kazuya."
The fond smile that lifts Miyuki's lips feels like a direct attack to Eijun's heart. "You put so much effort, Ei-chan… you didn't have to do this. I'd have been happy with a card, you know."
"But this is more romantic…"
Oh.
Oh, he just said that out loud, didn't he?
Well.
It's fine. Miyuki clearly knows his intent is romance, right? No need to beat around the bush, anymore. This was the whole point of the chocolates, anyway.
"I think… it'd be more romantic if you fed me one now," Miyuki murmurs, a smile on his face. "Don't you think?"
Yes. Right. That's what they came up here for.
Eijun nods, and it's with shaky hands that he opens the small sheer bag of chocolates, taking one in between his fingers. He can do this. He's read about this… so many times. It's his turn, now. He's the shojo heroine, just like he wanted…
"Here," Eijun whispers, tentatively bringing the chocolate to Miyuki's lips.
But then his eyes find Miyuki's, and oh.
Miyuki's own eyes are full of fondness and affection. He smiles at Eijun as he leans forward and takes the chocolate, his soft lips momentarily brushing against Eijun's finger. Wow. He hums, running his tongue over his lips appreciatively.
"It's not too sweet, I like it," Miyuki says. "You've outdone yourself."
Eijun stares, his mind replaying what just happened on a loop. The look in Miyuki's eyes. The smile. The feel of his lips against his fingers. The hum. The praise…
"What?" Miyuki chuckles, his cheeks turning a pinker hue. "Did I say something weird? Come on, you have one now."
Eijun shakes his head. "They're yours. They're…" he trails off, the tip of his ears burning. "…for my Valentine."
Miyuki hums. There’s a glint in his eyes, not really a tanuki one like he so often has, though. Softer. More and more there are days he looks at Eijun like that, without all the sharp edges and biting remarks.
"Then, I’ll have to return the favor for White Day," Miyuki tells him, "you deserve something for your hard work."
Oh…
Eijun flushes all the more, his heart thumping so fast against his chest. He hadn't even thought of White Day!
"What if…" Eijun starts, emboldened, "there's something I want before then?"
Miyuki leans closer, smiling. "All you'd have to do is ask."
All he has to do…
Butterflies flutter in his stomach, heart racing. Should he ask? Or should he just… do it? His throat feels too dry to even let him speak.
That settles it.
He'll do it.
He'll kiss Miyuki.
He'll—
"Oi!" Eijun hears Kuramochi's voice coming from the doorway, a flash of green hair coming beside them. "Miyuki, I was looking all over for you, I—" he abruptly stops, staring at the chocolates. "What are y'all doing?"
"I got a Valentine," Miyuki smirks, sticking his tongue out, "Ei-chan's are homemade. Better than anything you've received I bet."
Kuramochi squints, before he turns to Eijun. "This true? Or is he just bullshitting?"
"It's true…" Eijun shrinks a little, cheeks pink. He can't believe Kuramochi out of all people just ruined their moment. He was so close to kissing Miyuki, too…
"It's our chocolate of destiny," Miyuki cuts in, smirking as he snatches the bag of chocolates. "And I'm not sharing even one. Each one's infused with Sawamura's energy and love. Jealous, Mochi?"
Kuramochi grimaces. "Pass."
That's kind of rude…
"That's what I thought, you're not getting any anyway," Miyuki smirks, turning his attention back to Eijun, "do you want to join me for lunch?"
Mochi scoffs. "You're ditching me?"
"You're welcome to join us!" Miyuki flaunts him one of his exaggerated smiles.
"Right," Mochi rolls his eyes, "and third wheel? Pass. Anyway, we actually have to go see Himura-san. Sorry to crash y'alls date."
Date?
Eijun flushes.
Miyuki groan audibly. "Shit. I forgot," he flashes Eijun an apologetic smile, "raincheck? We can meet after practice if you want… I'm very curious to know more about this chocolate recipe of yours."
Does he even remember the recipe?!
Gosh, he's a mess…
Still, Eijun nods, ignoring the thumping in his chest. "Sure, Miyuki-senpai. We can… meet after practice." Another nod. "Yes."
Miyuki smiles, uncaring that Mochi is still there, very annoyed and very impatient. "Do you want to feed one more to me before I leave, Eijun?"
Kuramochi very audibly groans, meanwhile Eijun is convinced he's going to become a puddle on the floor. Or, his heart will explode. Or come out of his ears, somehow. That seems the most likely.
"Miyuki Kazuya…"
"That's my name," Miyuki teases, nudging Eijun, "I like hearing you say it."
And then, of course, he winks.
"Ugh," Mochi sighs, "how did you two get even grosser somehow? I hate couples."
Couples?!
Are they a couple?!
"Being envious is a plague," Miyuki chides with a smirk, "not good for the complexion. I've heard it turns you green. Can't be walking around with green hair and green skin."
Kuramochi rolls his eyes. "Don't make me kick you. Come on, let's go. You've stalled long enough. You can have Sawamura feed you chocolates later."
Miyuki sighs loudly and exasperatedly before suddenly snatching Eijun's hand. "We'll meet again. Keep the chocolates or someone might steal the whole thing."
Kuramochi groans. "As if I'd steal your stupid chocolates."
"Hey," Eijun frowns, "they're not stupid. I made them with love, and I—"
Eijun stills. Internally gasps, too. Made with love? He said that, didn't he? Just now?!
Oh, no.
No, no, no, they didn't even have their first kiss yet!
"Exactly," Miyuki nudges Mochi, oblivious to Eijun's turmoil, "they're the chocolates of destiny, infused with love. Be nice or you'll die alone, Mo-mo."
"Whatever," Kuramochi grumbles, giving Eijun what looks like an apologetic look before he drags Miyuki outside, leaving Eijun to his own… very frustrated thoughts.
Because, ugh!
They were totally about to kiss! How could the shojo gods do this to him? How could they— oh.
Oh, of course. This is a trope, too. Interrupted kiss…
Actually, this is totally one of his favourite tropes, but to live it… ugh. Not the best. He feels sorry for the poor shojo heroines who had to go through it, now. Has even half a mind to write to the mangakas to ask them why they would put them through such turmoil…
Eijun sighs. This is not helping! He needs to cool down, if he wants to be able to focus for the rest of the day and be useful during practice. He needs to not think about the almost kiss. He needs to also… not think about the fact that… Miyuki definitely likes him, too, and they will definitely kiss in the foreseable future.
Gah!
Is Eijun even ready?!
…
No?
Yes.
No, yes. He is ready. He's been wanting this for so long. He is definitely ready to kiss Miyuki.
Definitely.
As it turns out, Eijun does not focus for the rest of day. At all. Whether it be classes or practice, he ends up daydreaming about everything that happened, and, of course, everything that's about to happen. Maybe not today, maybe not even this week. But he will succeed at his plan, and he will make Miyuki his before Miyuki graduates. He is more determined than ever, after Miyuki clearly shown his interest (and all that flirting…) and even accepted his chocolates.
Miyuki will be his boyfriend. It's only a matter of ti—
"I can practically see the smoke coming out of your ears, Eijun." Miyuki's voice comes out of nowhere and way too close to Eijun's ear, similarly to earlier by the lockers.
Eijun jumps and nearly drops his bat. Actually, no. He does drop it. Dramatically, at that.
"Miyuki Kazuya!" Eijun chides, coming to pick up the bat. He notes now that everyone has left the field and he's alone with Miyuki, under the stars and the shimmering full moon.
Actually, it's pretty romantic…
"You looked so pretty standing there all by yourself, overthinking about who knows what…." Miyuki smirks, slipping closer, "But I was hoping we could pick up where we left off."
Oh.
"But I don't have the chocolates with me…"
"Not what I'm talking about…." Miyuki smiles, his eyes drifting down to Eijun's lips. "I meant something else."
Oh.
Eijun flushes instantly, his cheeks burning. They're so warm, he's sure Miyuki can feel their heat, even from a distance. His breath hitches, his heartbeat racing against his chest. Miyuki's… Miyuki's talking about kissing him. He must be.
Should he go for it, then? Or should he wait for Miyuki to make the first move, just in case? Should he—
Fuck it.
Eijun drops his bat, grabbing the collar of Miyuki's shirt before he crashes his lips on his, and god, Eijun's heart stops.
Miyuki makes a small sound of surprise, a quiet gasp and then….
He smiles.
Eijun can feel the upward lift of Miyuki's lips against his own. He wraps his arms around Eijun's waist, pulling him closer and returning the kiss with equal fervor.
Eijun melts. He already knew kissing Miyuki would be good, but this? It's even better than what he imagined. He's clumsy at it, sure, and he doesn't really know what he's doing, but that's the beauty of it. Miyuki doesn't seem to know either, and Eijun loves it. This is their first kiss. The first of many. The start of something beautiful. Meaningful. It's everything Eijun could possibly want and more.
Miyuki squeezes him gently, his hands coming up to cup Eijun's face sweetly, lovingly.
"I could do this all day and night," he whispers against Eijun's lips. "I can never get enough of you."
Oh.
That's… so sweet.
Eijun's heart skips several beats. Maybe even more than that. How can he not? This is everything he's ever wanted to hear.
"So…" Eijun starts, pulling away with a shaky breath, chewing down his lip nervously. "Does this mean… you'll date me?"
Miyuki smiles, fond and sincere. "Well, with the chocolates and everything else, I honestly thought I was being pretty obvious.... Eijun, how many people do you know of that I'd let near my mouth with their fingers? Of course I'll date you. Silly."
He doesn't even give Eijun a chance to get a breath in before he yanks him in for another kiss, just as sweet and full of affection.
Eijun melts all over again, his hands coming to cup Miyuki's cheeks, smooth skin under his fingertips.
Part of him can't believe it's happening, and yet, this is everything he's wished for when he made that silly wish at the shrine a little over a month ago.
Miyuki is his boyfriend, now.
And damn, if that doesn't make Eijun feel like the luckiest shojo heroine ever.
Thank you, shojo gods.
Thank you.