Take a Pitcher – It Lasts Longer
For the past couple of weeks, it had been practice as usual for the Nishiura baseball team. But Abe couldn't shake the feeling that there were constantly eyes on him. When he was walking in the hallways during school, when he was eating his lunch, when he was putting on his catcher gear, and especially when he was changing in the locker room...
He'd grown accustom to looking over his shoulder every time that sort of warning shiver tickled his spine. It took him a whole week to catch a glimpse of hair. Orange hair.
"Mihashi!" he called after the fleeing figure the next time it happened in the school hallway. He sighed and watched him round the corner out of sight. Takaya supposed it was time he confront his pitcher.
The next day, he dropped by his house with a gift.
"What? Why do you keep staring at me?" Abe said in annoyance when Mihashi couldn't seem to take his eyes away from him once again. "You've been doing this for a while now."
Mihashi's soft hazel-eyed gaze didn't falter. Abe squirmed uncomfortably. Being the only other occupant of Misashi's room, it felt weird, as if he were in the spotlight of a solo taking place on stage.
Takaya swallowed and continued, "It's only a cake. Is it so strange for a catcher to give his pitcher a present?"
"N-No, but I thought it was a weird coincidence since I was thinking of giving Abe-kun one a-also," Ren murmured, finally loosing his nerve as he stuttered. He looked away, fidgeting and squeaking. The way he spoke easily could have been mistaken as Mihashi talking to himself, but Abe knew better.
"Eh? What is it then?" he implored, peering closer at Mihashi with curiosity. He hoped the close proximity would pressure him into giving an answer.
The other boy's orange head slowly whipped back and forth between Abe's tasty-looking cake, waiting to be eaten as it sat innocently on the floor between them, and Abe's pondering gaze.
Ren leaned forward suddenly and clumsily brushed their lips. The kiss was quick, chaste, and somewhat blunderific; it was so Mihashi. But that didn't stop the fire-red blush from spreading across both boys' cheeks in a matter of seconds.