Title: Phantom Ring
Author: Rokutagrl
Pairings: First TajiIzu
Summary: Izumi wonders when it was that he first started hearing things.
A/N: Wrote this in half an hour, half dead, and therefore I apologize if it doesn't make sense or flow right. I may or may not revise it when I have half a more mind. Which probably won't happen. Mainly wanted to write something for my short hiatus-ish from being so busy XD
Disclaimer: If I were Asa Higuchi, don't you think I'd have seen the second season by now?
Some evenings when the Mihashi's weren't dining on curry, Tajima would say goodbye to his friend at the first corner and dog Izumi until the brunet realized a mile down the road that yes, in fact, Tajima was following him home. Then he had no choice but to call his friend over and wait until the only slightly smaller teen caught up to his side.
Izumi would notice with a scowl that their difference in height was becoming all the more minor and soon he wouldn't even have that edge.
After dinner and after Izumi had doodled some sentences over his homework (letting the rambunctious clean-up copy), they would sit down to watch a movie or play video games in the Family Room.
Izumi had a phantom ring. Not the cellular sort—though there were moments he suffered from that as well. This was a different kind. Just as the movie reached its climax, or the game was almost won, he could have sworn to hearing Tajima breath against his neck, unnecessarily close.
"I love you."
Izumi at that point would drop his respective controller, ghosting over the area where Tajima's breath marked his skin and feeling pink in the face. When he looked over to Tajima, he was grinning like he hadn't rolled up his sleeves with his heart on the ends and challenged Izumi to one more something or other.
The freckle-faced outfielder wouldn't hear it again for the rest of the evening, but he listened for it under the cries of electronics and artificial violence. Just to see if it would come again. But it wouldn't be until next time, when his guard was down and body swaying from the days of practice building on his shoulders would he lean, or be leaned into, then the phantom ringing would sound in his ears almost too simple to hold onto.
Izumi couldn't help but wonder when he showed Tajima to the door, handing him a bag of his mother's homemade cake, when it was that he first started hearing things.
It remained on his mind through school the next day, even when Tajima called out to him with enthusiasm ("Hey Izumi!"), never faltering though Izumi was hiding his darker complexion in his store-bought bento.
"Mihashi's mom is making curry tonight so I'm heading over there!" As if he cared.
Tajima's grin would be screwed up while his arms and hips were glued to the bumbling blond's. Only a moment of protest hit the air, but died on deaf ears—Tajima heard nothing that bothered him. Oh, how lucky to be him!
Mihashi's eyes would look on Izumi for only a minute, but that would be far more than enough time. The blue-eyed outfielder couldn't help but think, a bit painfully, did Mihashi ever hear things, too?
