Still don't own Oofuri!

I actually like how this chapter came out, I must admit...

Title means "umbrella".

Prompt: Walking

Rating: G

Genre: General (with some very slight romance)

Summary: Mihashi forgot his umbrella, so Abe being Abe, offers the pitcher to use his. Mihashi won't accept it, however, since that would mean that Abe would have to get wet and risk catching a cold. Their compromise creates a slightly awkward tension between them...


Kasa

PITTER-PATTER

PITTER-PATTER

PITTER-PA…

"Mihashi?"

Ren Mihashi nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden calling of his name. Not that it was very loud, he had just been so enticed by watching the falling rain from under the awning at the school that he had momentarily forgotten where he was.

Takaya Abe walked over, a confused expression on his face that was very justified, considering that everyone else had left already. The team had practice that day at the school, itself, due to the rain, and as far as Takaya knew, everyone had left.

Apparently, there was still one that remained besides himself.

"Ah…um…" Ren stammered.

"Any particular reason why you're just watching the rain?" Takaya sidled up next to the pitcher. It was easier to talk to the other teen now, but there were still things that Mihashi did that completely dumbfounded the catcher.

"I…uh…I mean…" Ren flushed as he shifted and averted his eyes.

Takaya's eye twitched. Patience…don't fall back on bad habits…

Sure, he had gotten a lot better with controlling his yelling, but there were still some situations that warranted it.

Though, it was a little disheartening to see, after a couple months of Ren rarely cowering when the two spoke, that the pitcher had fallen back on such a habit.

Of course, by now, Takaya knew that this sort of behavior meant that the pitcher had just done something incredibly stupid.

So, rather than get mad, Takaya took a deep breath, held it, then let it out in an audible sigh. "What did you do?"

Ren jumped again, then averted his gaze. "Ah…um-umbrella…I…"

TWITCH…

…went Takaya's eye.

He'd wait, though.

"I forgot…my umbrella…"

Ah, there it was.

Takaya blinked a couple times, then resisted the urge to laugh. "That's it? You don't have to get all worked up about that sort of tiny thing."

Ren blinked owlishly. He had expected the catcher to start yelling about how he could catch a cold for being so foolish, but…

Takaya dug through his bag. "I thought it was something major. But, you know, you shouldn't be forgetting your umbrella. The weather hasn't completely warmed up yet since it isn't quite spring just yet; this isn't a summer rain. It's easy to catch a cold, and that's the last thing you'd want to do."

Ah, there it was…Ren just nodded, slightly perplexed. No shouting? No raised voice?

Was the catcher feeling alright?

No…it couldn't be that. After all, now that Ren thought about it, Abe had definitely started to reign in his temper. That, or maybe he was just slightly embarrassed, since he had blurted out on more than one occasion that he cared about Ren outside of just the teen being the ace pitcher.

They were in between seasons, to boot, which could contribute…

"Here."

Ren stared blankly at the offered umbrella, then finally looked up at the catcher, and replied quite intelligently. "…huh?"

Takaya rolled his eyes. "Weren't you paying attention? I said, you can use mine. Here."

Ren reached out, then paused as a thought hit him. "What about…Abe-kun?"

Takaya shrugged. "I can afford to get a little wet. I'll just take my jacket off and use that as a make-shift umbrella. It's more important that you have one."

This wasn't the first time that Ren had seen the catcher put off his own health or well being for him, but it was the first time that the reality of the situation actually hit him. He cared about Abe, perhaps more than just 'friends' or a 'battery', and he didn't want the catcher to catch a cold, either.

"I'll…be…okay!" Ren stammered.

Takaya rolled his eyes. "We don't know that for sure. Just take it."

"But…then Abe-kun…might get a cold…"

"If I do, it's no big deal…"

"N-no!"

Both were surprised at Ren's raised voice.

Ren glanced to the side, then up at his catcher again. "I…don't want Abe-kun to get sick, either. Not…just because…I want Abe-kun to catch for me. Because…it goes both ways, so we can't…make any promises…to our health…but…because…I care about Abe-kun!"

Takaya's eyes widened slightly. The first time he had heard Ren say something along those lines back before their first practice match against Mihoshi, it had felt strange and a little awkward. Now, however, it felt good, and despite the cool, damp weather, Takaya felt an odd warmth that spread through his body.

It wasn't the first time he had felt such a warmth, either, and it typically occurred around Mihashi.

"Ah…" Takaya tried to push down the sudden heat that had risen to his cheeks. "I guess you have a point…it wouldn't do for either of us to get sick…"

Ren nodded. Abe-kun…always looks out for me. But…who looks out for Abe-kun? If he's always…worrying about me…he won't…worry about himself. There's…something greater between us, and…I can't help…but worry about him.

Takaya mused on what to do. He wasn't about to leave Mihashi stranded there, since the rain didn't seem to show any signs of slowing down, but the pitcher obviously wasn't going to accept the umbrella.

Surprisingly, it was Ren that voiced an idea.

"Sh-share!"

Takaya glanced at the other for a moment, then realized it. "Oh! Share the umbrella, right? Well, it'll be a bit of a walk home, but…I suppose it's alright now and then. That can work. Good idea."

Ren beamed, then stepped closer to the catcher as Takaya opened up the umbrella.

Proximity had never really been an issue for them before, since they constantly tested each other on nervousness by touching palms. Plus, there were the training camps, where everyone's futons were literally touching each other.

This time, however, for whatever reason, both felt a little uncomfortable at being so close. It wasn't a 'bad' uncomfortable, but it was something that was definitely apparent.

"Ah…we'll go to your house, first," Takaya finally broke the silence.

"O-okay…" Ren fought to keep a blush from working its way up his cheeks. He knew that he felt something more for the catcher; and likewise, Takaya knew that his feelings towards Mihashi were more than those of 'just friends'.

There was a slightly heavy silence that fell over them as they started off towards the Mihashi household, as neither knew what to talk about or even how to break the silence.

Takaya considered praising the pitcher for his hard work at practice, but remembered that he had already done so, and didn't really want to repeat himself.

Ren tried and failed to think of things to say to the catcher that wouldn't make the strange air around them even worse.

So, for about half of the trip, the two just remained silent. Takaya stoically stared ahead while inside he was squirming, and Ren squirmed on the outside as he looked everywhere but at the teen that held the umbrella over their heads.

It was Ren that eventually broke the silence, and with a surprisingly off topic statement.

It wasn't what he meant to say; Ren meant to try and talk about the strange feelings that he got around the catcher now, and wanted to see what Abe thought of it since he was almost 100% certain that the catcher felt the same.

Rather, what he said was:

"Puddles."

Takaya actually stopped walking, which caused Ren to skid to a halt to avoid moving out from under the umbrella.

The catcher gave Ren a look that screamed "what the fuck?" as he tried to figure out just what the hell the pitcher was on about.

Ren blushed. "When…I lived at the Creaky Villa…Hama-chan and I…used to jump in all the puddles…"

Takaya stared, and for someone whose mind was always active, he found that he had nothing he could actually say to the quite random comment. Rather…

Ren blinked, then looked over when he heard a snort.

The snort, which turned into full blown laughter from the catcher.

Ren tilted his head to try and figure out what he had said that was so funny. For a moment, he was unable to figure it out. Then, he realized that it had been a rather strange start to a conversation.

It wasn't long before Ren's laughter joined Takaya's.

The two just stood there, under the umbrella and amongst the rain, laughing.

It wasn't so much as the random comment any longer, as it was the irony of being unable to talk about their feelings, and even how they had let the air around them get so thick to begin with, when all they had to do was relax.

Takaya was the first to get his laughter under control, and he used his free hand to wipe away tears of mirth from his eyes. When was the last time Mihashi really laughed like that? He smiles a lot more, now, and there's the laughter when they tickle each other on the bench, but…I think…this is the first time he laughed like that around me.

For whatever reason, that made Takaya feel good. It was as if he had just made a leap in the progress of their relationship, whatever the hell said 'relationship' was.

Ren finally managed to stop laughing, but couldn't wipe the goofy grin from his face. He was glad that Takaya had laughed, and that the strange atmosphere had been broken. I don't get to hear…Abe-kun really laugh that often. It's…kind of nice.

The two resumed their walk, but this time, in much lighter spirits than when it first started.

"Puddles?" Takaya asked in amusement, a lopsided grin on his face.

Ren flushed and nearly laughed again. "Yea. We got drenched…one time. Our parents…threw a fit!"

"I'll bet."

"Did Abe-kun…?"

"Jump in puddles?"

A nod from the pitcher.

"Hmm…probably, when I was younger."

"R-really?"

"Much younger."

Ren just smiled.

"What?"

"It's just…Abe-kun…is sharing something…"

Takaya scratched the back of his head. "Am I really that reticent?"

Feeling courageous, Ren nodded. "Except…when it comes to my safety. Which…I appreciate."

"Ah…" Takaya wasn't sure what to make of that comment. "So…what else do you want to know about me, then?"

Ren mused on that. "Abe-kun's…favorite food!"

Takaya nearly tripped over his feet, then chortled on a laugh again. "You and food, again? Geez…"

But there was no condescending or anger in his voice.

They hadn't been able to talk about how they felt for one another, but for the first time, they were actually able to talk about things that didn't involve baseball.

Both smiled, both laughed…and both thanked the timing of the rain, which had made this all possible.

END