That Cold Winter Sky

by Brave orange blossom

Eijun wants to give Mei something special for his birthday. So he decides to knit a scarf for him. Will Mei accept it? And will he accept his second present? Set during the off-season in Act I. One shot.

Author Notes: I've been really motivated to write recently, so y'all get the next part in the series!

This is set during Act I's off-season. It's going to vaguely mention Seidou's winter training camp, Christmas, and New Year's. It'll stop sometime on Mei's birthday.

This is part five of my Summer Sky series, but you don't need to read the other parts to read this part.

I hope y'all enjoy it!

That Cold Winter Sky

Eijun shivered as he walked to the café.

It was cold and dark enough that it looked as if it might start snowing any minute.

He was glad he remembered all his winter clothing before leaving his dorm room that morning.

His boyfriend would scold him if he forgot to wear any of his winter clothing.

He huffed, keeping his hands in his coat pockets and his arms close to his body as the nippy mid-December wind blew once more.

He had forgotten to wear his jacket one time.

(And he had a good reason for forgetting it. Not that his boyfriend seemed to care about that.)

And his boyfriend acted as if he couldn't take care of himself.

Yeah, his boyfriend's concern for him made his chest feel warm and made him want to smile.

But he was so annoying sometimes.

He perked up, noticing the familiar café in front of him… and the familiar blond who sat in a red armchair next to the window, his back facing him.

Lately, his boyfriend had been arriving early for all their dates. He didn't know if it was temporary, or if his boyfriend wanted to show him how much he cared about him.

But either way, he liked it.

A lot.

Dodging some very enthusiastic Christmas shoppers, he quickly made his way to the café, not wanting to keep him waiting.

The bell above the door rang as he stepped into the café, causing him to almost breathe a sigh of relief at the warmth. The smell of coffee wafted through the air.

People occupied almost all the seats in the café. Many people, it seemed, were having lunch. Others were reading the newspaper with a cup of coffee on the table in front of them.

He had a fleeting thought of ordering his drink before greeting his boyfriend, but he quickly dismissed it, already making his way over to where his boyfriend sat.

Mei, bundled up in his winter clothing, had some type of hot drink on the table in front of him, the steaming brown liquid resting near the top of his cup, causing him to wonder if he had drunk any of it yet.

He wasn't surprised Mei didn't wait for him to order his drink, as he knew Mei didn't like the cold.

Mei looked up at his footsteps, and before he could even attempt to say his name, he looked in his direction, his frown turning upside down as he gave him his soft smile.

His chest felt warm as he gave him the soft smile he reserved for him.

But it didn't last long.

As he stopped by the table, Mei huffed, frowning at him. "I thought I told you to tell me when you're almost here," he scolded.

Eijun paused in the middle of taking off his scarf and gave him a confused look. "Eh? I'm pretty sure I did, though?"

"Did you forget to send it? I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case."

Eijun frowned, taking out his phone. "I didn't forget. I know I sent one…" He blinked a few times as he looked through his messages. "… Sorry. It looks like I did forget to send it." He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

Mei scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I'm not surprised."

Any annoyance he felt died down quickly as Mei gave him a fond look.

He coughed, feeling his cheeks warm up as he turned around, missing Mei's knowing smirk. He took off his scarf and gloves, placing them on the table close to the windowsill. "You're here early."

"I had nothing else to do. And I didn't want my teammates pestering me, so I decided to leave early," Mei said, shrugging.

Eijun shook his head, amused. "They wanted to come again?"

Lately, whenever they had a date, Mei's teammates would complain about being left out. And while they told Mei that they wanted to hang out with both him and Mei, he knew they mainly meant him.

But neither of them had agreed to it, not wanting them to ruin their date.

(Which Mei suspected was the whole reason they kept asking. He told him once that he wouldn't be surprised if they started following him. And while he didn't want them (or anyone else) to ruin their date, Eijun couldn't help but feel amused at the image of the Inashiro players tailing their ace.)

"They're so annoying. It's like they don't know what a date is," Mei said, clicking his tongue.

Eijun chuckled before sitting down in the armchair across from Mei. "Well, I'm glad they didn't come with you."

"Yeah, they would've ruined our date. And I couldn't let that happen," Mei said, grabbing his cup. But before he took a sip, his eyes lit up, gleaming mischievously. "You look happy to see me."

Eijun furrowed his eyebrows. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, I am your boyfriend," Mei said smugly, causing him to roll his eyes good-naturedly. "But also because you keep smiling."

… He was right, of course.

Eijun could feel the smile on his face even as he looked away, trying to avoid those knowing eyes. "I suppose I am," he admitted, looking back at him, unsurprised to see that irritatingly attractive smirk on his face. "It's been a while." At his confused look, he gestured to the two of them. "Since we could go out on a date, I mean."

Mei reached out and held his hand, squeezing gently. "I'm sorry I've been so busy lately."

Eijun automatically shook his head, his heart clenching at those sad, regretful eyes. "It's alright. We've both been busy with school and baseball. And it wasn't all that bad." He gestured to his phone. "We had our phones, so that helped." He squeezed his hand back, giving him a soft smile.

"Yeah, but it pales in comparison to seeing me in the flesh, right?" Mei smirked as he flushed, not saying anything. "I thought so."

Eijun wanted to hate how he could read him so well at times. "I'm sure you missed me as much I missed you," he said, grinning devilishly.

Mei snorted, taking a sip of his drink before setting it back on the table. "You're not wrong. Seeing you in person is much better than talking to you over the phone." He squeezed his hand. "Go order your drink. We can catch up when you get back."

Eijun would've protested, but he found he couldn't speak, Mei's soft, genuine smile taking his breath away. He nodded, reluctantly letting go of his hand and getting up.

But before he could even take a step away from the table, a hand grabbed the bottom of his coat.

"Wait."

Eijun looked back at him, confused. "What is it?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" When Eijun only gave him a blank look, Mei huffed, rolling his eyes. "You didn't greet me yet." The hand that held onto the bottom of Eijun's coat let go, moving to hold the hand closest to him.

Eijun smiled sheepishly, already leaning down and making their lips touch.

Mei wrapped his free arm around his neck, pulling him closer and causing Eijun to break the kiss as he let out a surprised sound. He grinned as Eijun grumbled under his breath before kneeling next to his armchair, shooting him a dirty look.

They kissed once more, the angle better for both (not that Eijun would admit to it).

Eijun pulled away several moments later, but before he could do anything else, Mei pulled him back in, giving him another long and hard kiss.

He responded to the demanding kiss, wrapping his free arm around him, Mei's kiss making him forget where they were.

All he could concentrate on was Mei's lips on his and how it felt so good to kiss him after all that time apart. All he wanted was to keep kissing him and get closer to him.

He pulled away a few moments later, blinking a few times at seeing Mei's smug grin.

He opened his mouth to speak, but only an embarrassed squeak escaped as he felt arms around his waist pull him closer, belatedly realizing that he didn't feel the hard floor under him anymore.

When did that happen?

Wasn't he kneeling on the floor?

"See? I told you that you're happy to see me." Mei's smug grin remained on his face as he leaned closer and kissed his cheek.

Before Eijun could ask what he meant, he belatedly realized how close he was to him.

And that Mei was still sitting in his armchair.

Which could only mean…

He looked under him, flushing once he realized he was sitting in Mei's lap.

No wonder Mei looked so smug.

He must've moved closer while he was kissing him.

Mei laughed as he let out a groan, giving him a quick kiss before letting go. "As much I enjoy our new position," he teased, almost laughing again as Eijun's whole face flushed. "I wasn't kidding earlier. You really should order your drink."

But when he didn't move, clearly in a state of shock (or in a daze), he decided to take advantage of the situation. He grabbed his chin with one hand, brushing his lips with a finger, smirking as Eijun jumped a little, eyes darkening as he leaned closer. "Or we could stay like this? I can think of ways to warm us up that don't involve hot drinks. Right, Eijun?" He felt even more smug as he saw the familiar shiver.

"Yeah, you're right," Eijun muttered, wanting to kiss him again, suddenly not minding their new position.

Mei's touch warmed his skin and caused goosebumps to form. He wanted to press closer and steal more of his warmth, remembering how cold it was outside even with his winter clothing on.

… Until he belatedly realized where they were and what they were doing.

He sprang away from him, as if Mei's touch burned him, letting out a yelp as he fell off his lap and onto the hard ground.

He scowled as he rubbed his stinging cheek, shooting his snickering boyfriend a dirty look (not that he could see it from his position on the floor).

Eijun quickly got up, not wanting the café employees to get involved and make things worse. After shooting a smug Mei another dirty look, he marched off to the cash register, ordering a hot chocolate.

He could feel eyes on him as he waited for his hot chocolate, but he refused to turn around and look, resisting the urge to clench his fists.

By the time his hot chocolate was ready, his anger had completely melted.

It wasn't as if he disliked Mei's touch or their position.

But they were in public.

If they were somewhere private (like Mei's dorm room), he might've allowed Mei to continue what they were doing.

His cheeks flushed at the thought of making out with him while on his lap.

And maybe even going further…

He shook his head, thanking the barista and walking back to their spot with a hot cup of hot chocolate in one hand. The big cup was filled to the brim and topped generously with whipped cream.

(What was he thinking? He shouldn't be daydreaming about… things like that in public. Stupid Mei. This was his fault.)

Mei gave him an amused look as he set the hot chocolate down on the table in front of his armchair.

"What?"

Mei shook his head, sipping his drink and watching as he sat back down.

… Wait.

Was it possible Mei could… read his mind?

Did he know what he was thinking about earlier?

He shook his head furiously, missing Mei's amused look.

Even if that were the case, surely Mei would've said something by now.

But every time they got close, Mei would just give him a look, as if he were waiting for something.

And when he didn't give him whatever he was waiting for, Mei would back off (even though he was just as aroused as him), confusing him even more.

Part of him felt frustrated, and even though the thought of it was embarrassing, he almost wanted to say something and let Mei know that he was alright with going further.

If only the timing was right.

Mei cleared his throat, raising his eyebrows at his gasp. "There's a special day coming soon. Can you guess what it is?" His eyes gleamed mischievously.

Eijun beamed. This was easy. "Christmas, right?"

But Mei only shook his head, looking disappointed for some reason. "Try again. It's a very special day. One that I'm looking forward to."

"New Year's?"

Mei huffed, shooting him a dirty look. "Of course it's not New Year's!" He rolled his eyes at his blank look. "Unbelievable. Did you seriously forget my special day?"

Eijun blinked a few times.

Mei's special day?

His eyes widened, his mouth forming an O as realization dawned on him.

Mei rolled his eyes again, no doubt recognizing the reaction. "I can't believe you forgot your boyfriend's birthday."

"I didn't forget!" At Mei's skeptical look, he picked up his phone, showing him his calendar. "See? It's right there!"

Sure enough, under January 5th was Mei's Birthday in bold.

But Mei didn't look impressed. "Knowing you, you would've forgot about it until the day of my birthday." He snorted as Eijun flushed, not saying anything. "I'm glad I thought to remind you. After all, it would be bad if you didn't get a good present for your boyfriend."

"What kind of present do you want?" Eijun decided against arguing, hating that he was right. He tilted his head as Mei shook his head. "Come on. There has to be something you want."

Mei thought for a few moments, tapping his chin. "Well, I suppose there is something I want."

"What is it?" Eijun leaned closer eagerly.

To his surprise, Mei didn't speak for several moments. He finally shook his head, causing him to blink. "No. I… can't ask that of you."

And while he would normally feel touched that he was being considerate, all he felt now was curiosity. "Come on. Tell me. I want you to be happy on your birthday."

If he were honest, he was a little surprised Mei was holding back. Normally, Mei had no problem being selfish and demanding things of him.

And he had honestly expected him to do the same thing for his birthday.

"Says the guy who forgot my birthday."

Eijun huffed. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? You know I've been busy lately." He gave him a pleading look. "You know that I wouldn't forget your birthday on purpose, right?"

Mei wanted to argue that being busy was no excuse, but the words died in his throat as he looked at his pleading look. He set his drink on the table, eyes softening. "Yeah, I know." He reached out, squeezing his hand gently. "And as for my present… Why don't you surprise me?"

Eijun frowned, giving his hand a squeeze back. "You're not even going to give me a hint?"

"Nope!" Mei grinned as he let out a groan.

If he were honest, he would probably enjoy anything Eijun got him.

But he wasn't going to tell him that.

Not when messing with him was a lot more fun.

They talked about what they've been up to lately in between sips, enjoying the cozy atmosphere of the café.

After they finished their drinks, Eijun suggested that they walk around the city, wanting to see all the Christmas decorations.

And although Mei complained about having to go back out into the cold, he stayed by his side when he exited the café, perking up a little when Eijun immediately held out a gloved hand to him.

Eijun enjoyed looking at all the Christmas decorations throughout the city, ignoring Mei's complaints and pointed remarks that the decorations were prettier at night.

Mei squeezed his hand gently, getting his attention. "If we weren't busy on Christmas, I would demand that we go out on a date."

Eijun felt his chest grow warm, smiling softly at him. "That would've been nice. Especially if it was a date on Christmas night." He gently knocked his left shoulder into his right one. "That way, I could see all the Christmas decorations lit up."

Mei gave him a soft, almost hopeful smile. "Maybe one day."

It wasn't fair how… cute his boyfriend could be sometimes.

He swore his heart skipped a beat at his smile, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "One day for sure."

Mei's eyes immediately lit up, giving him his genuine smile at how he worded that.

He was about to look away from him, but before he could do so, he blinked a few times as he stared at his neck, eyebrows furrowing as he realized something.

"No wonder you're cold. You're not wearing a scarf. Did you forget it?"

Mei scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I'm not you. I don't forget stuff."

He frowned deeper as the wind blew, Mei shivering even as he moved closer to him, as if trying to steal some of his warmth. "Then where is it? Honestly, you should know better than to not wear a scarf." And before Mei could reply, he let go of his hand, ignoring his loud protest as he unwrapped his scarf and wrapped it around both their necks. He grinned at his pink cheeks, holding his hand once more. "There. That's better. I'm glad my scarf was long enough."

"So impertinent," Mei said, looking away from him and clicking his tongue.

Eijun beamed, pleased with himself. He felt even more pleased (maybe even smug) as Mei moved closer, smiling that familiar small smile of his.

"I didn't bring a scarf," Mei said, causing him to give him a confused look. "I had a scarf, but it's gotten so old that I can't wear it anymore."

Eijun frowned. "Can't someone fix it? You need a scarf."

"I doubt it. It's in pretty bad condition," Mei said, thinking about the scarf. Several moments passed without a reply or some type of sound from Eijun, causing him to look back at him. His eyes softened at the poorly concealed concern in his eyes. He tugged him closer, leaning in to kiss his forehead once he was close enough. "I'll be alright. I'll get a new scarf soon."

Eijun wanted to go to a clothing store and buy him a new scarf, but he didn't know if Mei would accept it.

His boyfriend could be so prideful at times.

He reluctantly nodded a few moments later. "Then we're staying like this for the duration of the date. And I'm dropping you off at Inashiro when it's over."

Mei was about to protest, wanting to spend more time with Eijun, but his serious look caused his protest to die in his throat. "Fine. Whatever." He narrowed his eyes at his triumphant grin. His eyes lit up as a thought came to him. "I know you're just using it as an excuse to get close to me."

And even though he disliked the idea of listening to him, he wouldn't complain, as he knew Eijun was concerned for his health.

He was so lucky (and grateful even if he didn't show it a lot of the time) to have him in his life.

Eijun predictably flushed, causing him to grin at him. But to his surprise, he grinned devilishly at him a few moments later. "And if I am?"

"You won't hear me complaining, as you know how I feel about the cold." Mei moved closer as the wind blew once more, wondering how Eijun was so warm. Was it the scarf? "You must like me a lot."

Eijun snorted, pulling him closer so that they walked side by side with almost no space between them. "Of course I like you. You're my boyfriend."

"I like you, too, Eijun," Mei said, smirking as he saw him shiver and feeling even more smug at knowing that reaction wasn't because of the cold.

He felt very pleased with both Eijun's words and his actions, tempted to kiss him.

(Because Eijun was his boyfriend.)

But he resisted the urge, deciding to wait until they were alone.

With what happened in the café earlier, he had probably embarrassed him enough for one day, almost feeling bad for laughing at him that much.

… Not that he regretted it.

He adored giving him attention, always happy to give some. And even if he did go a little overboard considering the time and place, he didn't regret it.

Not when he noticed some of the other customers looking at Eijun as if he were a piece of meat.

(Eijun, of course, didn't notice the stares. He probably thought they were looking at him because of what happened and not because they were interested in him. He was so oblivious at times.)

Eijun kept an eye on Mei for the rest of their date, ready to end their date early if it looked like Mei was too cold.

But it seemed as though his body heat and the winter clothing he did have helped with the cold, as Mei didn't shiver or complain as much.

Mei needed a new scarf, and he needed to get one before it got any colder.

In between their conversations, he thought about what to give him for his birthday.

Not only did he want to make him happy, but he also felt bad for forgetting his birthday (even if it was for only a little bit).

So he had to give him something good.

The thought of it embarrassed him, but he thought of a present that Mei might like.

But there was no telling if Mei would even accept it.

So he needed to think of something else.

As he stared at Mei's neck for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, his eyes widened.

He didn't know why he didn't think of it before.

A scarf.

He could give Mei a new scarf for his birthday.

He beamed, missing Mei's confused look.

It was perfect.

ZZZ

Eijun sighed as he stared at the baseball in his left hand.

His first thought was to go to a clothing store and buy Mei's new scarf.

But the more he thought about it, the more it seemed… impersonal.

Sure, Mei would be happy with the new scarf, especially since he gave it to him.

But he wanted the present and Mei's birthday to be special.

Going to a store and buying something wasn't special.

How could he make it special?

"Here, Kominato-kun! It's all fixed!"

He turned around in his cafeteria seat at hearing the familiar cheerful voice.

Yoshikawa was sitting in a seat at the farthest table with her back to him, holding up a Seidou practice jersey.

Harucchi took the jersey and looked at the collar. "It looks as good as new. Thank you." He looked away from the jersey to give the girl in front of him a kind smile. "Sorry for the trouble. I didn't know what I was going to do when I got that hole."

Yoshikawa waved her hands, and although he couldn't see her face, he knew she was smiling. "It was no trouble! I'm happy I was able to help!" She gestured to the sewing supplies laying on the table to her left. "I've gotten much better at sewing. I don't even prick my finger anymore."

Harucchi said something in response, but Eijun wasn't paying attention anymore, staring at the sewing supplies.

An image of his mom knitting a scarf for him came to mind.

"That's it!" he shouted, missing the way Harucchi and Yoshikawa stopped their conversation to look at him, confused.

He could knit Mei's scarf!

That way, it would be special and much better than a store-bought scarf.

He stood up, his chair falling over and crashing to the ground.

"I'll do my best! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

He quickly ran out of the cafeteria, laughing loudly and forgetting about the chair on the ground.

Haruno looked at Kominato-kun. "What was that about?"

Kominato-kun shrugged, looking as baffled as her. "Who knows?"

ZZZ

On his next day off, Eijun made his way into the city, looking for a knitting shop.

He vaguely remembered seeing one while walking through the city with Mei on one of their dates.

It took longer than he wanted, but after asking several people for directions, he finally made it to the knitting shop.

The night before, he had called his mom and told her what he planned to do.

She was understandably curious why he wanted to learn how to knit a scarf and asked who he was making it for, but he only gave a vague answer, telling her that it was for a person close to him.

Thankfully, she didn't pry, asking what she could do to help.

(Somehow, he got the sense that she would ask him about it when he returned home for New Year's. And he knew she wouldn't be satisfied with another vague answer. He would have to tell her the truth.)

He hadn't wanted to ask for her help at first, as he felt that he needed to do it by himself.

But he had never knitted before, and he didn't know anything about knitting or how to get started.

So he reluctantly asked her for help, telling himself that he would knit the scarf all by himself.

The only person (besides him) allowed to touch the scarf was Mei.

And as he looked around the knitting shop, his mouth opening at how big it was and how many different tools and colors there were, he found himself relieved that he thought to ask for her help before going to said shop.

Because it was huge!

He didn't recognize a lot of the supplies in there, eyebrows furrowing as he noticed some small cone shaped objects.

Why were there ear plugs in a knitting shop?

Maybe so that people could knit in peace?

He shrugged, taking out the list of supplies his mother told him that he would need.

While the shop seemed intimidating at first, he found himself surprised at how easy it was to find everything he needed.

He looked through his shopping basket, noticing he was missing only two things.

Needles and yarn.

Finding the yarn section quickly, his mouth opened at all the different colors and different sizes. When he told his mom that he wanted to make a warm scarf, she had told him that he should look for medium weight yarn or thicker.

He almost grabbed some blue medium weight yarn, but he stopped himself before he could grab it.

The blue color of the yarn would go well with Mei's eye color, as it reminded him of the ocean.

But maybe a different color would be better? Would Mei even like a blue scarf?

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a brighter color, turning his head to see several different red yarns.

Would red look good on Mei?

Blue would definitely look the best on him.

But then he remembered the Inashiro game jersey.

The mainly white uniform looked good on him.

(… Of course it did. It was so unfair how Mei looked good in anything. He found himself wondering not for the first time how he got such a good-looking boyfriend.)

Across the chest was Inashiro in dark red English letters.

Come to think of it, he always looked good in his red Inashiro jacket.

The same one, he remembered with a flush, that he wore not that long ago.

So maybe a dark red color would be better?

Nodding to himself, he grabbed a few dark red yarn skeins and placed them in his shopping basket.

His mom had given him some advice on yarn colors, but he couldn't remember what she said.

… Oh well. It probably wasn't important.

Now all he needed were needles.

He found the needle section quickly, but he was quickly overwhelmed by how many there were.

His mom had given him advice, of course, but there were still so many to choose from.

(When he told her he wanted to make a scarf, she expressed concern at first, not wanting him to hurt his hands. And while he appreciated her concern, he felt determined to make a scarf for Mei (even at the risk of hurting his hands). She had finally agreed to help him, warning him to stay away from the metal sewing needles.)

Thankfully, a nearby shop employee seemed to notice his confusion, immediately asking if they could help and encouraging him to pick up a few needles so that he could feel how they felt in his hands. They asked to see his yarn, pointing at the label so that they could find the ideal needle size to use with that particular yarn.

A few minutes later, he picked out some bamboo needles, placing them in his shopping basket.

After double checking the list, he made his way to the cash register to pay for everything.

His mom had offered to teach him how to knit, but even she admitted that it would be easier if she could teach him in person, asking if he knew anyone who could teach him.

Immediately, he thought of a certain baseball manager, wondering if she could teach him.

He would ask her the next time he saw her.

ZZZ

To his delight, Yoshikawa happily agreed to teach him, mentioning how her grandmother taught her how to knit.

(Much like his mom, Yoshikawa expressed concern when he told her he wanted to make a scarf, even shoving the sewing supplies behind her back and refusing to move, acting as if he were about to ignore her and steal the supplies. Thankfully, she seemed to understand when he held up the knitting needles, blushing at her mistake and bowing deeply to apologize for the misunderstanding.)

Yoshikawa taught him a few basic knitting skills first, mentioning how he needed to learn those if he wanted to make a scarf.

And at first, he didn't understand any of her instructions, feeling even more confused when she tried to show him.

(It was embarrassing, and it took a lot longer than he wanted to. But they finally understood what the problem was, Yoshikawa apologizing profusely when she remembered that he was left handed. He quickly forgave her, wondering out loud if that was why it felt so awkward.)

But after several hours of hard work, he managed to complete a full row without any mistakes.

Yoshikawa congratulated him before suggesting that he knit a couple more rows for more practice and that if he felt confident after that, he could start working on the scarf itself.

But before he could start working on the scarf, she asked him what kind of scarf he wanted to make, wanting to know how long and wide he wanted it as well as what kind of knitting pattern he wanted to use.

"There are different knitting patterns?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Yoshikawa nodded, opening one of the knitting books she brought to help him. "This book has some good ones for beginners. Just pick one that you like."

"I actually already know what kind of scarf I want to make. Sorry."

To his surprise, Yoshikawa beamed at him. "That's great, Sawamura-kun! What kind of pattern does it have?"

He shook his head, placing the scarf he brought with him on top of the table in front of him. The scarf was dark green with some light green mixed in. It also had some black fringes on the bottom of the scarf. The pattern reminded him of waffles for some reason. "I don't know the pattern, but I was hoping to make one just like this."

"This is a nice scarf. It looks warm."

He looked down at the scarf and touched the soft material with his left hand. "It's very warm. That's why I want to make it." He looked up at her, tilting his head. "What do you think?"

"It's perfect. And the pattern looks easy for a beginner." She hummed, studying the scarf, causing him to blink a few times. "It's very simple but stylish. I'm surprised you thought of it." She gasped, eyes widening, as if realizing what she just said. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean anything bad by it!"

He laughed, giving her a grin. "It's alright. I know what you meant."

She gave him a relieved smile before turning some pages in the book. "Let me see… Ah! Here it is!" She beamed, turning the book around so that he could see the page. "This looks like your scarf pattern. What do you think?"

He looked down at the book, studying the page.

The book called the pattern the ridge rib stitch, and it even listed the knitting techniques he needed to make it.

The knit stitch and purl stitch.

She had already taught him the knit stitch, and he felt pretty confident with it.

But the purl stitch…

"What's the purl stitch? It says I need to use it to make this pattern."

She gasped before shaking her head. "That's right! I didn't teach you that yet! Here, I can show you how to do it." She smiled apologetically at him before picking up her knitting needles and motioning for him to do the same.

To his surprise, it didn't take him long to learn it, Yoshikawa murmuring something about how him being left handed made it easier.

(Not that he understood or paid much attention to what she was saying, too busy looking at his own work and feeling pleased with what he accomplished.)

She suggested that he practice knitting a couple of rows with a combination of knit stitches and purl stitches before attempting to knit the scarf.

It was almost dinnertime when he started making the scarf itself.

"Wow, Sawamura-kun! You sure picked this up quickly!"

He paused in the middle of knitting to look up at her, setting it down before grinning at her. "I think it's because it involves a lot of practicing. It's like pitching in that way." He looked down at all the yarn he used to learn the basics and at all the books she brought him. "Thank you." He looked up at her, smiling softly. "I couldn't have done any of this without your help."

She blushed before quickly waving her hands in front of her. "No, it was all your hard work! I just made a lot of mistakes and wasted a lot of your time!"

She felt horrible for forgetting that he was left handed, and she felt even more guilty knowing that they wasted a lot of time because of her mistake.

"That isn't true." She blinked, looking confused. "It would've taken me a lot longer if I was by myself." He gestured to the beginnings of his scarf. "I might've given up without your help."

Her blush darkened. "Sawamura-kun…"

"That's why… Thank you." He frowned, noticing that she still looked unhappy. His eyes lit up as an idea came to him. "Is it alright if I come to you when I get stuck? Or need more help?"

To his relief, her smile returned to her face. "Of course! I'm happy to help!"

He continued knitting for a few more minutes before she gasped, causing him to look up, confused.

She was looking at the clock, eyes wide. "Oh no, I'm going to be late." She grabbed all her supplies, gently placing them inside her ocean blue drawstring bag.

"Ah… That's right. It's almost dinnertime," he said, frowning. He looked at her, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry to keep you here so late. Tell your family that it's my fault."

Her eyes widened. "Eh? But I couldn't do that!" She stood up, quickly waving her hands in front of her.

"Really, I don't mind. I am the one who asked for your help after all."

She shook her head, leaning in close. "No, it was my fault. I kept making mistakes." And before he could say anything else, she blushed, letting out an embarrassed squeak as she realized how close their faces were, immediately pulling away and not looking at him for some reason.

She grabbed her bag, giving him an embarrassed smile before leaving the cafeteria.

He looked back down at his work, nodding to himself determinedly.

Now that he had gotten this far, he refused to give up.

Even if that meant working on it all night.

ZZZ

Kazuya clicked his tongue, irritated.

Lately, Sawamura had been acting strange.

And at first, he didn't think too much about it, as he knew Sawamura was a hard worker and liked practicing his pitching.

So when he noticed the dark circles under his eyes, he had assumed that he couldn't sleep well because of his sore body.

It wasn't until Kuramochi told him that Sawamura wasn't sleeping that he realized how serious the situation was.

He did warn Sawamura not to overwork himself. But the idiot only huffed, telling him that he could take care of himself, so he threatened him by threatening to take away their practice session.

(He would never tell Sawamura, but he was looking forward to testing out all the different grips, wanting to know if Sawamura could use any of them in a future game. And he was hoping they could teach Sawamura some more breaking balls during said practice session. So while he threatened to take it away, he would never actually do it.)

Unfortunately, Sawamura wasn't stupid enough to buy it.

Or maybe he somehow knew that he was looking forward to it?

(Such a ridiculous thought. Sawamura didn't know him that well.)

Sawamura continued practicing, and he foolishly thought that since he warned him, Sawamura would listen for once.

So he didn't know why he felt surprised when Kuramochi told him about Sawamura collapsing in the middle of the night.

He couldn't help but feel worried about him, but Kuramochi quickly reassured him that the idiot would be alright and that he just needed some sleep.

(Thankfully, this happened a couple of days before the winter training camp. He didn't know how much trouble Sawamura would get into if this happened during the camp.)

Kuramochi made sure to tell him that he already scolded Sawamura, warning him to stay away from his room until he got some rest.

He had felt tempted to tell Kantoku about Sawamura collapsing, but since Sawamura didn't have a fever and only needed sleep, he decided not to.

It was their day off, and it wasn't like Sawamura was missing practice.

He shook his head, resisting the urge to sigh.

He would probably get stuck babysitting Sawamura when he recovered.

What a pain.

"Kazuya!"

The loud and familiar voice calling out his given name brought him back to reality, looking in the direction of the voice.

To his surprise, Mei stood outside the locked Seidou dorm gates, looking irritated.

He walked over, unable to hide his surprise. "Mei? What are you doing here?"

"Why do you think I'm here?" But before he could answer, Mei held up his phone, glaring at him. "You have the nerve to tell me that Eijun collapsed, but you didn't tell me anything else!"

… Oh, right.

He vaguely remembered texting Mei that Sawamura collapsed, but he never thought Mei would actually come to Seidou because of it.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "You came here just for that? I told you that Sawamura would be alright."

"Now you tell me!"

He could've sworn he already told Mei that Sawamura would be alright.

… Oh, right.

He remembered wanting to mess with Mei (and get back at him for the last text message he sent him), so instead of telling him everything, he only sent him a two-word message saying that Sawamura collapsed.

He almost snickered.

No wonder Mei was so irritated.

"Well, now you know. Hurry up and leave before someone else sees you," he said, moving his hand away from him in a short motion with his fingers down. "Go on. Shoo."

After pocketing his phone, Mei glared at him (much to his amusement). "I'm not a cat, Kazuya!" He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And I'm not moving until I see him."

"Sawamura's sleeping, Mei. You can come back another time."

But Mei didn't listen, giving him a determined glare that he normally reserved for when he pitched. "I'm not leaving until I see him. I won't disturb him."

He gave him a skeptical look. "And you promise you won't disturb him?"

"Didn't I just say that?"

He clicked his tongue, unlocking the gate and letting him in against his better judgment.

"Finally."

Resisting the urge to change his mind, he turned around, gesturing for Mei to follow him.

Several moments later, though, he was starting to regret his decision to let him in.

Much like Sawamura, Mei was a social person by nature, able to chatter for hours and not feel tired.

They were halfway to Sawamura's dorm room when Mei decided to change subjects, having the nerve to act like it was their fault that Sawamura collapsed.

And then he had the nerve to blame him for what happened.

"Honestly, Kazuya, what were you doing? You should know what kind of person Eijun is. You should've made sure that he was alright."

He scoffed. "In case you forgot, I'm not his babysitter."

"No, but you're his catcher. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Kazuya wasn't sure what it was exactly.

Maybe it was all the insults directed toward his team?

Maybe it was the way Mei automatically blamed them for what happened to Sawamura?

Or maybe it was the way Mei continued blaming him, shaking his head, acting as if he were disappointed in him?

Whatever it was, he couldn't control his temper anymore, abruptly turning around and forcing him against the nearest wall before grabbing the front of his coat.

"Oi, what are you doing?"

He glowered at him. "Didn't you ever consider that this is your fault?"

Mei's mouth dropped at the accusation. "What? How dare you say that it's my fault!"

"But it is your fault. Sawamura's been practicing hard to catch up to you."

Surprisingly, Mei almost looked… uncomfortable for some reason. "He wants to become the ace, Kazuya. He knows he needs to practice a lot more if he wants to become the ace."

That almost uncomfortable look disappeared as soon as it appeared, causing him to wonder if he imagined it. "I'm not blind, Mei. I know that ever since he started dating you, he's been practicing harder now more than ever."

"What, so you think I had something to do with him collapsing?"

He tightened his grip on his coat. "Isn't that obvious? I don't know what he sees in you or what's going on, but you better fix it soon!"

"This isn't my fault!" Mei grabbed the front of his coat, glowering at him. "He's been ignoring me recently!"

He scoffed, letting go, unsurprised when Mei followed suit. "You deserve it." Not waiting for a response, he marched off, uncaring if he followed him.

Mei muttered something that he couldn't hear, but he ignored him, leading him to Sawamura's room.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Mei entered Sawamura's room.

And while he felt tempted to hang around and make sure Mei didn't wake Sawamura, he finally decided not to, not wanting to waste any more of his time.

He would give Mei a few minutes alone with Sawamura.

He didn't know why he was being nice to Mei when it was his fault, but all he knew was that if he were the one dating Sawamura, he would want some time alone with him, remembering how worried he felt when Kuramochi told him the news and how he had wanted to check on Sawamura as soon as possible.

(Was it possible Mei felt that way… or worse on his way here?)

So maybe he understood his feelings?

… Now that was an awkward thought.

There was no way he could understand what Mei was feeling.

One reason was that because the other person was Mei.

But another reason was that he didn't like Sawamura romantically.

Only as a teammate.

He was looking out for him because Sawamura was his teammate and one of his pitchers.

(And yet, why did he feel irritated at the thought of Sawamura kissing Mei? Sure, it could be because the other person was Mei. But he felt irritated at the thought of anyone kissing Sawamura. Anyone who wasn't him.)

His brain normally made sense, but whenever it came to Sawamura, it didn't make any sense, confusing him.

But thankfully, he knew why his brain wasn't making any sense.

Clearly, he was practicing too much, and it was starting to affect his brain.

He nodded to himself, deciding that he had practiced enough for today.

That had to be the reason why.

He couldn't think of any other possible explanation.

ZZZ

Mei carefully closed the door behind him, blinking a few times as he tried to adjust his eyes to the dark room.

Because despite what Kazuya thought, he wasn't stupid.

He wouldn't wake up his boyfriend on purpose. Especially not when he needed his rest.

(A part of him desperately wanted to wake him up and ask him why he had been ignoring him recently, but he ignored it, knowing that would be selfish.)

Now that he could see better, he could see that Eijun's roommate had turned on a desk light, the dim light not bright enough to wake his sleeping boyfriend but bright enough to light up part of the room.

Thankfully, Eijun's roommate wasn't currently in the room, meaning he had his boyfriend to himself.

(And he didn't need to tell anyone (besides Kazuya who already knew) what he was doing there. If someone came in while he was still there, he could always come up with a reason that involved Kazuya. It would make sense, given their history (which meant the rest of Seidou would believe it), and it would be a good way to get him back.)

Before making his way over to his boyfriend's bed, he patted the front of his coat and pulled the bottom of it to straighten it, wanting to look good for his sleeping boyfriend.

(… Even he realized how ridiculous that sounded, but it was better than admitting that he was nervous for some reason.)

After taking off his shoes, he made his way over to his boyfriend's bed, sitting in the chair next to it.

Eijun was sleeping on his back, and now that he was close enough, he could see the dark circles under his eyes. His eyelids were closed gently, and his breathing was soft.

He felt like he could breathe again.

Other than not getting enough sleep, he was alright.

Eijun was alright.

(Sure, Kazuya had told him that he was alright, but it wasn't the same thing as seeing Eijun in person. And he hadn't wanted to relax and show weakness in front of Kazuya, so he couldn't breathe a sigh of relief like he wanted to when Kazuya told him the news.)

What happened?

Kazuya had said that ever since school let out for winter break, he had been practicing his pitching.

Even when he was supposed to be sleeping.

But that didn't sound like Eijun.

Eijun knew better than to overwork himself.

There had to be another reason why he collapsed.

And it had to be something that took up all his attention, as he had stopped responding to his messages and phone calls.

(He had texted Eijun a few days ago, asking if he was ready for their date on their next day off. But Eijun never responded, too busy with whatever it was that took up all his attention. And even though he felt irritated (and disappointed) that Eijun didn't text him back (because he had told him that if he was ever too busy to meet up, all he had to do was let him know), he quickly got over it, as he knew Eijun had to have a good reason for doing so.)

He thought he knew how serious Eijun was, and yet he still felt surprised and very worried when he received that message from Kazuya.

(He would never admit it out loud (especially not when he was with Kazuya), but he felt… a little scared when he heard the news. It was Kazuya's fault for sending such a vague message. And while that was true, he knew most of it was because of how much he liked Eijun.)

He had immediately left Inashiro grounds, ignoring his teammates' nosy questions, focused on getting to Seidou and checking on his boyfriend as soon as possible.

And now that he was looking down at him, he couldn't help but scowl.

What if…

(He hated even thinking it.)

But what if… Kazuya was right?

(Kazuya would be pleased to hear that, easily imagining him leaning in closer to hear him better with that annoying smirk on his face. Just the thought of it irritated him.)

What if it was hisfault?

Eijun wasn't shy when it came to his emotions.

If he made him angry, Eijun would let him know. Loudly.

So if he somehow made Eijun angry (or even sad) for some reason, he didn't know what he did. He wished Eijun was awake so that he could ask him.

And apologize.

He let out a low sigh, shaking his head.

… Maybe Kazuya was right.

Maybe he did deserve the silent treatment.

Especially if he couldn't remember what he did.

It had to have been only a few minutes since he entered the room, but he knew that he should get going soon.

(Especially if he didn't want to get caught by any of the Seidou players.)

He reluctantly stood, turning to face the door.

But before he took a step forward, he turned his head to look at his boyfriend again.

Eijun was still sleeping as peacefully as when he entered the room, causing him to smile a small smile.

He knew he shouldn't, as he knew it might wake him up.

But he couldn't stop himself from leaning in and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

He froze, holding his breath as Eijun muttered something before turning over to face him, thankfully still fast asleep, causing him to breathe a sigh of relief. The movement made his blanket come loose, causing him to shake his head fondly and fix the blanket so that it covered him once more.

And even though he still felt worried about what he could've done to earn the silent treatment, he couldn't stop the soft, genuine smile from forming on his face.

But it didn't stay on his face long.

He smirked a smug smirk, unable to help it when he remembered what Eijun muttered.

Mei.

His given name.

(Did Eijun normally dream about him? He really hoped he did, as he often dreamed about him. Some of the dreams were more… mature than others, which made things a little awkward in the morning, but the dreams were always about him.)

Eijun was lucky none of his teammates were around to hear him.

(Did Eijun normally talk in his sleep? Or was that because he somehow… felt his touch even while asleep?)

None of his teammates knew about their relationship yet.

… Well, besides Kazuya, of course.

Wait.

Was that why Kazuya was so irritable?

He snickered.

If Kazuya didn't already know how genuine Eijun's feelings were for him, he would've found out then.

Saying his given name in his sleep like that…

His boyfriend was too cute.

ZZZ

Eijun smiled as he stared at the scarf.

Much to his relief, it was almost finished.

(He had felt worried (almost panicking) that he wouldn't finish it in time after he lost so much time catching up on sleep and playing baseball. It got even worse once the winter training camp started, as he didn't have any time to knit. He had tried to knit some more, but his teammates would always pull him away from it, laughing and not believing him when he told them that he was busy working on something.)

Only a few rows left.

"It looks like you're almost done, Eijun."

He blinked, looking up from his work.

Kaa-chan had just entered the living room, smiling warmly as she looked at the scarf.

After everyone (somehow) got through the winter training camp, Boss gave them a few days off, most of the team deciding to go home to recover and celebrate the new year with their family.

He hadn't done much since he got home, too busy working on the scarf, but he did visit the shrine on the first day of the new year with Wakana and his middle school teammates. They had wanted to hang out some more (and play baseball together), but he had to reluctantly decline, knowing that he needed to use the time to finish the scarf. They understood (of course they did), but he still felt bad, promising himself that he would make it up to them.

He finished the row he was working on before holding it up for her to look at. "What do you think?"

"It looks good, Eijun," she said, sitting at the table with him and looking it over. She frowned, inspecting the bottom half of the scarf. "This scarf…"

He frowned, looking at it up and down before looking back at her. "What? Is there something wrong with it? Did I make a mistake?"

She shook her head, giving him another warm smile. "It's alright. You've done a great job."

He furrowed his eyebrows.

… So there was nothing wrong with it?

Geez, Kaa-chan scared him.

He nodded a few moments later, looking down at it. "I'm glad it will be finished in time." He thought for a couple minutes before looking at her. "Can you teach me how to add a fringe on the bottom of it later?"

"I'd be happy to."

He gave her a grateful smile before looking down at his scarf and picking up the needles, about to continue knitting.

"So who's the lucky person who will receive this scarf?"

He almost choked, dropping the needles as he looked up at her wide-eyed. "Eh?"

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Come on, Eijun. You told me that this is for someone close to you." He couldn't stop the flush at how she emphasized the last part. "So who's your crush?"

"C-Crush? Kaa-chan, what makes you think I have a crush?"

She gave him a teasing smile. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's the way you're blushing when I mentioned that person." Her smile turned softer. "Or maybe it's the way you're putting this much effort into their birthday present."

She wasn't going to stop asking, was she?

… Well, he knew this was coming.

Since she was asking, it was time to tell her.

"They're not a… He's not a crush," he said, looking her in the eyes. "He's my boyfriend."

She gave him another soft smile. "Have you been together long?"

"… Only a few months," he admitted, his flush darkening at her knowing look. "But I… really like him."

She shook her head, giving him a fond smile. "Are we ever going to meet him?"

He nodded automatically. "I don't know when I can introduce you guys to him, but I want to."

"Is he a baseball player?"

To her amusement, he beamed. "He's a southpaw pitcher like me! And the ace! Isn't that cool?" He smiled dreamily. "Aah, I want to be just like him!"

"You think highly of him."

He gasped, eyes widening. "You can't tell him anything!"

She blinked a few times, confused. "Why not?"

He huffed, rolling his eyes. "His ego is already out of control. If you tell him everything that I told you, his ego will grow even larger."

She resisted the urge to laugh and reached over, holding one of his hands. "I'm happy for you, Eijun. Really." He gave her an embarrassed smile. "One more question. What's his name?"

He looked down at the almost finished scarf, an image of his boyfriend coming to mind.

Mei would be smirking that irritatingly attractive smirk of his as he teased him about seeing something that he liked. Moments later, that smirk would soften into a soft, genuine smile, the smile belonging on his face as if it were always there. Those eyes that resembled soft waves at the beach would beckon him closer, drawing him in like a fisherman reeling in a fish. His hands would reach for him once he was close enough, squeezing gently.

"Mei." He looked at her, smiling softly. "His name is Narumiya Mei, and he's Inashiro's ace."

ZZZ

Mei huffed, kicking the ground in front of him as he waited for his boyfriend just outside Inashiro grounds.

His boyfriend had some nerve, messaging him out of nowhere and ordering him to come and pick him up.

And he didn't even mention his birthday!

Unfortunately for him, his birthday was on a Saturday, which meant they had practice.

(And while he normally would like that he was playing baseball on his birthday, he found that he… didn't care. All he cared about was spending time with his boyfriend. Especially after all that time apart.)

So he couldn't go and see Eijun like he wanted to.

(A part of him had felt tempted to skip practice, but he knew Eijun wouldn't be happy. And he would let him know what he thought of his stupid decision. Loudly.)

He couldn't help but pout.

He had wanted to spend the whole day with Eijun, but it looked like they would only get to spend the last few hours of it together.

His eyes widened.

… Wait.

It was still his birthday.

Which meant he could be as selfish as he wanted.

If he ordered Eijun to stay the night, he would listen to him, especially since tomorrow was their day off.

He nodded to himself, smirking.

It would be perfect.

Eijun finally arrived a few minutes later, running toward him.

He normally would smile or smirk at the sight of Eijun running toward him.

But this time, he couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows at seeing the brown backpack.

That was strange.

Eijun didn't normally take a backpack with him on their dates.

What did he bring that required him to use a backpack?

He opened his arms once Eijun was close enough, unable to stop the smile as Eijun leapt into them.

But before he could tease him, Eijun leaned in to kiss him, his arms already around him.

He wrapped his own arms around Eijun as he responded to the kiss, almost frowning as a hand touched his hair.

(He would complain later. He didn't care about his hair right now. Not when he was kissing him.)

Mei deepened the kiss, his tongue darting out to lick his lower lip.

Eijun hummed and tilted his head, approving the action and letting him take charge.

He almost smirked into the kiss, eagerly licking his lower lip again, silently asking permission. He grinned as Eijun's lips parted, allowing his tongue inside his mouth.

Eijun couldn't help but moan as his tongue touched his own. He allowed his tongue to explore his mouth, touching different parts here and there. When Mei's tongue touched his again, he responded eagerly, matching his passionate and brisk pace.

Mei finally pulled away several moments later, grinning triumphantly even as he breathed heavily.

Eijun narrowed his eyes, already pulling him back in to reciprocate the favor.

Mei let out a barely audible laugh as he followed obediently, allowing their lips to touch again. He let out a moan of his own as his boyfriend's tongue touched his, responding eagerly when their tongues touched a second time.

Eijun pulled away a few moments later, smiling his smile, taking his breath away. "Happy Birthday, Mei."

He huffed, shaking his head, unable to stop the fondness. "I was beginning to think that you forgot. Again."

"I didn't forget! I just… didn't know which holiday you were talking about!"

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I told you that it was a special day that I'm looking forward to. It doesn't get any more obvious than that." He gave him a cheeky grin. "I guess I forgot to take you being an idiot into account."

"I'm not an idiot!" Eijun retorted automatically. "And it wasn't my fault! You weren't being that obvious!"

He snorted. "Sure, if that's how you want to remember it." He almost smirked at his dirty look. "By the way," he said, grinning cheekily. "I hope that kiss wasn't my birthday present. It was a pretty good greeting, though."

Eijun glared at him, causing him to snicker. "Of course it's not!" He puffed his chest out, looking pleased with himself. "You're going to like your presents—" His eyes widened, belatedly realizing what he was saying and cut himself off. "I-I mean… You're going to like your present."

To his confusion (and amusement), Eijun's cheeks flushed pink.

And while he felt curious (and very smug) that Eijun brought a second present, he decided to think about the other present.

"So where is it?" He asked pointedly. "Where's my present?" His eyes lit up, gleaming mischievously. "Or are you my present?"

He was teasing, of course. He enjoyed flustering his boyfriend and seeing his reactions.

(If he were honest, though, he actually wouldn't mind if Eijun agreed and told him that he was his present. It was something that he had thought about for a while now, and it would make him very happy (and smug) if they did… it on his birthday.)

But nothing could've prepared him for his boyfriend's reaction.

Eijun's whole face turned pink, causing him to blink a few times. And instead of yelling at him (or even protesting), he let go, almost making him pout, to dig through his backpack.

A few moments later, he gave him a medium sized white gift bag. The gift bag had a blue ribbon tied into a bow at the top of it.

He blinked, looking at the gift bag before looking at Eijun. He felt even more confused as Eijun immediately looked away from him, almost looking… shy for some reason. "This is…?"

"Your present. Go on. Open it," Eijun muttered, determinedly looking at the ground.

He was too embarrassed to look at Mei when he opened it, unsure what kind of face he would make.

And yet, he found himself looking up at the rustling sound, eyes widening as Mei took out his hand knitted scarf.

Mei's eyes widened at the sight of the scarf.

And once he took it out of the bag, he could see that it was long enough to wrap around him (and possibly another person). The material (or yarn in this case) felt very soft and looked thick enough to keep him warm. It had an interesting design that reminded him of waffles for some reason.

It looked stylish.

Very sleek if he was being honest.

More importantly, this scarf looked like it was…

He looked at Eijun, mouth dropping of its own accord. "You didn't."

But Eijun nodded, causing his mouth to drop even more (if it were possible). He took the scarf out of his hands, tenderly wrapping it around his neck a couple of times, letting the short end of the scarf touch his chest while the longer end touched his stomach. Both ends of the scarf had black professional looking fringes on the bottom of it.

Once he was done, he stepped back, looking at him with soft eyes, causing his mouth to dry up. "You needed a new scarf." He shrugged, seemingly unaware of the effect he was having on him.

(He totally knew. This… brat did this on purpose. Eijun had to be enjoying that he left him speechless. And it irritated him that it didn't bother him as much it should.)

"That doesn't mean you need to make me one." He tried to sound irritated or maybe even incredulous. But to his embarrassment, he sounded as if he were about to cry, his voice even cracking at the end.

But before Eijun could say anything, his eyes widened.

Eijun made this scarf.

With his hands.

He immediately crossed the short distance that separated them, reaching for his gloved hands. "What were you thinking? You're a pitcher, you idiot!"

"Wait, Mei! It's not what it looks like!"

"Don't give me that." He tightened his grip on his hands when it looked as if Eijun would pull away. And although he hated doing it, especially during a cold day such as today, he removed his gloves, ignoring his protests. Much to his surprise (and relief), he didn't see any injuries on Eijun's hands. He looked them over carefully, turning them over a few times to confirm what he was seeing. He looked up at Eijun, eyebrows furrowed. "What…?"

Eijun huffed, but it almost sounded amused for some reason. "I tried to tell you."

"I don't understand. Didn't you make this scarf?"

Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I didn't sew it if that's what you're asking." He grinned, looking pleased with himself. "I knitted it!"

An image of his mom knitting something with knitting needles came to mind, making him nod.

He huffed, shooting him a dirty look. "Say that sooner."

"I tried! You wouldn't listen!"

This time, he rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Can you blame me?" And before Eijun could answer, he tenderly helped him put his gloves back on, feeling bad when Eijun immediately flexed his fingers, letting out a white breath as he sighed a low sigh, his temperature warming up now that he was wearing his gloves again.

It was out of concern.

Maybe it was a little thoughtless, but he did it out of concern for his hands.

Because what if Eijun hurt his pitching hand?

Of course, he was happy Eijun gave him a birthday present, especially one as special as this.

But he hated the idea of Eijun hurting his hands just so he could give him a special birthday present.

… Still, what he did was a little thoughtless. And even though it was only temporary, he felt bad for doing it.

"Sorry."

Eijun blinked, tilting his head in confusion. "What for?"

He asked as if he didn't already know. "For taking your gloves off. I should've listened to you."

Eijun automatically shook his head. "I forgive you. I know you didn't do it on purpose." He grinned devilishly. "I can't believe I got you to apologize on your birthday of all days. My day is looking up."

Mei shot him a dirty look, tightening his grip on his hands. "What am I? Chopped liver?" When Eijun acted as if he were thinking, he glared, relaxing his grip on his hands to pull him closer.

Once he was close enough, he let go, wrapping his arms around him. "My apology is what made you happy?" He pulled him closer, leaning in so that their lips were centimeters away, almost smirking as he saw Eijun's eyes dart down to look at his lips. "Not the kiss?" He leaned in, pecking his cheek before pulling away, smirking as he saw the frustration and disappointment in Eijun's eyes. "Not me?"

Eijun laughed loudly, grinning at him. "Relax. I'm just messing with you." His grin almost widened at seeing the relief in Mei's eyes. "You know that I like you. And that I'm very happy to see you."

"I thought so," Mei muttered, hating that he had fallen for Eijun's trick.

What an impertinent boyfriend.

Before he could tease him about being happy to see him, Eijun's eyes softened, catching him off guard. "But seriously, I'm happy you like my present. Will you… wear it? For me?"

… Now that was unfair.

If he asked like that, how could he possibly refuse?

Ignoring the part of him that wanted to protest at the thought of accepting help, he nodded, his own eyes softening as he gave him his genuine smile. "Of course. You know me. I don't like the cold. And this scarf is really warm."

(Besides, this was Eijun. Even if it did hurt his pride a little to accept help, at least Eijun was the one who helped him and not someone else. And if he were completely honest with himself, the idea of Eijun helping him… didn't bother him as much as he thought it would.)

Eijun's eyes lit up, as if it were his birthday, and he gave him the best present ever.

(He gave him such a special present. He had to put in as much, if not more, effort into Eijun's birthday present. Maybe part of it was that he hated the thought of losing to him, but it was mainly because he wanted to show Eijun how much he liked him.)

He cleared his throat, finding it hard to breathe under those bright brown eyes. And for a few moments, he completely forgot what he was going to say.

Until he remembered what Eijun said earlier.

"So…" He raised his eyebrows, causing him to blink and tilt his head. "What's this about a second present?"

Eijun's cheeks flushed pink. "Y-You said the scarf is really warm, right? I'm glad."

Normally, he would tease him and say that it was warm because of Eijun's feelings for him. Or even feel irritated that Eijun dodged his question.

But maybe because it was his birthday, or maybe because the thought of his second present obviously flustered Eijun…

But he felt amused.

"There's no need to hide it. You obviously wouldn't have said it if you weren't thinking of giving it to me."

Eijun shook his head, cheeks still pink. "It's not that." Mei blinked a few times. "I just didn't know if you would… accept it."

Mei raised his eyebrows, now very curious. "And why would you think that?"

But instead of responding, Eijun bit his lower lip, looking away from him. A few moments later, he took a deep breath before meeting his eyes again. "If you don't… want my present, just let me know. I'll understand."

Mei still felt confused, but he nodded, waiting for him to dig through his backpack again.

To his surprise, Eijun leaned closer, moving past his lips and to his ear where he whispered something.

His eyes widened, looking at Eijun as he pulled away, his own cheeks pink.

What the… hell?

Did Eijun really think he would refuse? Hadn't he shown him how much he liked him?

Wanted him?

Apparently not.

He obviously did something to make Eijun think that he might refuse it.

And while that bothered him, he decided to think about it later.

Because he really… wanted his second present.

Now.

"Of course I'll accept your present," he said, almost smirking as Eijun's eyes widened. "In fact, I've wanted it for a while now." He smirked as Eijun's face turned pink. He leaned in, giving him a quick kiss before tugging him after him, lips twitching as he felt Eijun almost stumble behind him.

He tightened his grip on his hand, waiting for him to catch up so that they could walk side by side.

When they walked past the larger common room, he wasn't surprised to see it empty. Earlier, he had walked past it so that he could meet Eijun, and there was no one then either.

And while he didn't know why none of his teammates were hanging out in the larger room, he didn't care.

Even if they chose to hang out later, he and Eijun wouldn't be joining them.

He wanted to spend the last few hours of his birthday with Eijun in the privacy of his room.

As soon as they entered his room, he closed the door behind them, locking it.

If his teammates knew what was good for them, they wouldn't dare interrupt.

(And maybe if they were loud enough, they wouldn't want to.)

Eijun took off his backpack, setting it down on the floor next to his desk. He took off his scarf and gloves, placing them on top of his backpack. He turned around, about to say something, but only a laugh escaped as Mei quickly crossed the distance that separated them and kissed him.

He eagerly responded, almost laughing again as Mei pulled away from the kiss and guided them over to his bed. But instead of pushing him or even ordering him to lie down, Mei sat on the edge of his bed facing him, giving his lap a pointed look.

And while the thought embarrassed him, it wasn't as embarrassing as when it happened back in the café.

He carefully sat in his lap, blushing as Mei gave him a heated look.

Before he could say anything, Mei wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer and allowing their lips to touch again.

The first kiss was soft and gentle but also very short, causing him to pout as Mei pulled away a few moments later.

To his irritation, Mei snickered at him before leaning back in, this time giving him a very long and hard kiss before pulling away.

And before he could fully recover from that kiss, Mei gave him another kiss, grinning as he eagerly responded.

He would've protested or even frowned, but Mei nibbling his lower lip made him have second thoughts, causing him to tilt his head and close his eyes.

Mei hummed, approving the action and darted his tongue out to lick his lower lip, silently asking permission and almost grinning again when Eijun parted his lips, allowing his tongue inside his mouth.

Eijun moaned as his tongue touched his own, allowing it to explore his mouth a little before touching his tongue with his own, trying to match Mei's passionate and brisk pace.

It was unfair that Mei knew how good his kisses made him feel and that he mercilessly used that to his advantage.

But as much as he wanted to continue kissing him (and maybe get some revenge of his own), his body protested at the lack of air, making him lightheaded and forcing him to pull away reluctantly.

He opened his eyes, noticing (with some satisfaction) that both of them were breathing heavily and that Mei's cheeks were pink. He probably looked silly, grinning while trying to catch his breath, but he didn't care.

It made him happy and so smug that he could make Mei react like that.

Mei cleared his throat, his serious look catching him off guard. "Are you sure about this? If you're not ready, we can stop now. I won't think any differently of you."

… Oh.

He suddenly remembered all those times when it was obvious Mei was waiting for something. And when he didn't get it, he immediately backed off, giving him space.

Maybe what he was waiting for was… permission?

He felt like hitting himself.

Of course Mei would wait for permission. That was the kind of guy Mei was.

And he felt like an idiot for forgetting that.

All those times Mei patiently waited for permission…

He was… being considerate. Looking out for him.

And even though he knew Mei liked him, it almost made him want to cry.

He nodded, giving him his special smile. "It's like you said. I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't thinking about giving it to you." He let go with one arm to rub the back of his head. "And… Well, if I'm honest, I've been wanting this for a while now."

"Oh, so you've been wanting this for a while now?" To his annoyance, Mei smirked a smug smirk, his smirk widening as he shivered at the feel of fingers brushing against his sensitive sides.

He jumped as he felt those fingers touch his skin, hating the way he leaned in closer, his body wanting more of his touch. "S-Shut up. You're the one who eagerly took me to your room."

(When did Mei take off his gloves? Did he somehow take them off without him realizing it?)

Mei hummed, kissing his cheek. "You're not wrong. I did say that I've wanted this for a while now." He shook his head, chuckling. "I almost can't believe it. This reminds me of what happened in one of my dreams."

To his amusement, Eijun blushed. "You dream about me?"

"I often dream about you. And not all the dreams are innocent," Mei said, grinning.

That grin turned smug as he squirmed at the feeling of Mei's fingers making their way up his stomach.

But before they could touch his chest, he felt those fingers disappear, causing him to blink and almost groan.

His boyfriend was such a tease.

To get back at him, he let go with both arms to unbutton his winter coat, grinning at his surprised look.

Mei quickly shook off his surprise (much to his disappointment), helping him take off his winter coat and revealing the blue long-sleeved sweater he wore underneath.

"By the way, I don't think I ever thanked you for the scarf," Mei said, touching the soft scarf one last time before taking it off.

Eijun smiled his smile at him, his smile lighting up even more (if possible) when he gently folded the scarf and laid it on a spot where they wouldn't accidentally crush it. "No, you didn't."

"Thank you for the scarf. I know I didn't act like it earlier, but I'm really happy you gave me such a special present," Mei said, eyes softening as he gave him a soft smile. It didn't take long for his smile to turn into a cheeky grin. "I'm a little surprised that you can knit."

Eijun huffed, almost rolling his eyes. "What do you mean you're surprised? Knitting isn't hard!"

"What I meant was that I didn't think you were patient enough to knit something."

Eijun glared at him, tempted to hit the back of his head. "I can be patient!" Mei snorted, causing him to glower at him. "I can!" His eyes softened. "Especially when it's for someone I really care about."

Mei felt his mouth dry up at those soft eyes, clearing his throat. "Well… Thank you. I really do like it." Eijun beamed at him, almost causing him to look away at how bright it was. "By the way… Why is it two different colors?"

"What do you mean?" Eijun furrowed his eyebrows.

Mei raised his eyebrows. Surely Eijun knew what he was talking about. "The scarf is two different shades of red."

That couldn't be right.

Eijun made sure he grabbed two yarn skeins of the same color.

… Or did he?

Come to think of it, his mom gave him some advice on yarn colors. Advice that he couldn't remember.

And she was acting a little strangely when he showed her the scarf.

Was it possible…?

He groaned, looking away from him and tempted to hide his face in his hands. "So that's what Kaa-chan meant! I can't believe I messed that up!" He looked back at him, unsurprised to see his confused look. "I'm sorry. It looks weird, doesn't it?"

It figured that he would mess up Mei's birthday present.

And after all that time he spent making it.

Mei was still a little confused, but he automatically shook his head. "It doesn't look weird at all. I like it the way it is."

It was true that the scarf was two different shades of red, but the colors weren't that different from each other. The top half of the scarf was a dark red, making him think of the Inashiro red on his game jersey. The bottom half of the scarf was a lighter red, but it wasn't bad.

It actually looked really good, but he didn't know how to explain that to Eijun without making a fool of himself.

Eijun gave him a suspicious look. "And you're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

"Of course not. If it looked weird, I would tell you."

… Yeah, Mei would tell him if he thought it looked weird.

He could be so blunt at times that it irritated him.

Eijun gave him a small smile. "Then I'm glad it doesn't look weird. And that you like it."

Mei grinned at him, grazing his clothed arm before moving to his buttons. "If you're still offering it, I want my second present. Now."

Eijun couldn't stop the shiver at the emphasis, helping him unbutton his black winter coat. He took it off, revealing the Inashiro red long-sleeved sweater he wore underneath.

His grin turned smug as he noticed how Mei kept staring at his sweater.

Mei probably didn't know it, but he knew how much Mei liked it whenever he wore Inashiro colors.

So he decided to wear Inashiro colors for his birthday.

He knew that Mei noticed his black jeans and red and white tennis shoes earlier, his grin widening as he saw his mouth open.

It felt… wonderful to leave him speechless.

Unfortunately for him, it didn't last long, Mei clearing his throat as he leaned in to give him a quick but demanding kiss.

"I like you," Mei said, kissing his cheek and almost making him laugh. "I like you. So much."

He laughed as Mei kissed the tip of his nose. "I like you, too." He grinned devilishly. "I should've worn Inashiro colors a long time ago. Especially if you were going to react like this."

Mei almost moaned at the thought of it.

He loved it whenever Eijun wore Inashiro colors.

Eijun looked so attractive in them.

And knowing that Eijun wore them for him made him feel so happy. So smug. And so grateful.

Grateful that Eijun was dating him and not someone else.

Kami-sama, he liked this impertinent brat so much.

He was about to take off his sweater and continue what they were doing before.

But then he remembered the scarf, blinking as he thought of something. "The scarf…" Eijun blinked a few times, confused. "You were making the scarf. That's why you were ignoring me."

(And why he collapsed.)

It all made sense now.

He knew Eijun had to have a good reason for ignoring him.

He felt horrible for doubting him.

Eijun rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I started the scarf a lot later than I probably should've, so it took me longer than I wanted to finish it on time. I'm sorry."

Mei shook his head, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "Idiot," he scolded. There was no heat in his words, though. Eijun gave him a sheepish smile, his smile turning into his normal one at the sight of fond bright blue eyes. "Next time, just let me know that you're busy. I won't like it, but I'll understand."

"I'll let you know right away," Eijun promised.

Mei nodded before giving him a cheeky grin. "Now, where were we?"

And before Eijun could respond, Mei tugged on the bottom of his sweater, causing him to blink a few times.

"Take it off, Eijun," Mei said, smirking as he saw him shiver. "Or do you want me to do it?"

Eijun narrowed his eyes, pushing his hands away gently and grabbing the edge of his sweater. "I can… do it," he said, finding it hard to speak under those expectant blue eyes. He took off his sweater, laying it on the floor beside the bed.

He drew a long breath audibly as he felt those fingers from earlier touch his bare skin, almost shivering again at the heated look.

"You look good, Eijun. Really attractive."

Eijun couldn't help but lean into his touch, flushing. "Stop teasing me…" He groaned as Mei stopped touching him, shooting him a dirty look. "You jerk."

Mei snickered, leaning in to give him a kiss. "And who's the one that likes me again?" He almost laughed as Eijun's flush darkened. When Eijun only grumbled under his breath and looked away from him, he shook his head, reaching out to grab his chin and forcing him to look at him. "Seriously, though. I'm not forcing you into this, am I? You would tell me if you're not ready, right?"

Eijun wanted to nod, but since Mei was holding onto his chin, he couldn't. "I already told you. I want this. I want you," he said, returning his serious look with one of his own.

"And you'll tell me if I hurt you? If you want to stop?"

Eijun reached out to hold his free hand, squeezing gently. "I'll let you know in my loudest voice."

Mei let go of his chin, leaning in to kiss his forehead. He nodded, giving his hand a squeeze back. "Good. Then that's all I need to know."

Eijun already gave him such a special present.

But this?

Something as precious as this…

He would be gentle.

The last thing he wanted was to hurt him.

He wanted him to have a pleasant experience. And not to regret doing it.

He would take care of him.

Like he deserved.

And then… he would think about how to thank him.

After all, birthday presents as special and as precious as his deserved a special thank you.

ZZZ

Mei smiled a soft smile as he looked at the folded-up scarf on his desk.

Tomorrow was supposed to be another cold day.

Which meant he would get to wear the scarf Eijun made for him again.

If he were honest, a part of him still couldn't believe Eijun did this for him.

No one outside his family had ever given him such a special and thoughtful present.

None of his friends.

And certainly none of his exes.

Only Eijun.

His chest will always feel warm whenever he looked at or wore his scarf.

Eijun poured all his feelings for him into the scarf, and he could tell how much effort he put into it by just looking at it.

Eijun's birthday was in May, so he had a few months to think of a present for him.

But whatever it was that he gave, though, it had to be as special as the one Eijun gave him.

Not only because he wanted to thank him, but he also wanted to show him how much he liked him.

He wanted to make him happy.

"Mei?"

He immediately turned around, making his way over to his bed where a sleepy and naked Eijun was sitting up.

He crawled back into bed, eyes soft as Eijun snuggled up to him. He combed his fingers through his soft hair, causing Eijun's eyes to close. "I'm here. I was just moving the scarf so that we didn't accidentally crush it in the middle of the night." He looked him over again, confirming that he cleaned everything up and that Eijun was alright. "Are you alright?"

Eijun snorted, leaning his head on his shoulder. "You worry too much. I told you that I'm alright. How many times do I have to say it?"

"I know. I just wanted to make sure."

Eijun's eyes opened, giving him an amused look. "Are you going to be like this every time we have sex?"

Unfortunately for Eijun, his mind only focused on the last part of what he said. "'Every time'? Does that mean we can do it again?"

To his amusement, Eijun's cheeks flushed pink. "Pervert. Are you seriously thinking about the next time we do it already?"

"Why are you embarrassed? We just had sex not too long ago."

Eijun huffed, rolling his eyes. "Shut up. You can't tell me what to do."

Mei almost laughed. "I wasn't. But okay."

Silence enfolded them.

It was a very comfortable silence where neither needed to speak, enjoying each other's presence and proximity after not seeing each other for three weeks.

He had known that Eijun could be quiet. It had happened many times before in the past, especially whenever he was with him.

But there was something about this silence that was different than all the others.

Maybe because it was after they had sex?

He would start wondering if Eijun enjoyed it or if he regretted doing it.

If it wasn't for Eijun reassuring him before he fell asleep that he enjoyed it and that he would never regret doing it.

Eijun hummed, briefly nuzzling his head into his neck. "I hope you know that this means I'm expecting something really special for my birthday present," he said, his devilish grin catching him off guard.

"Of course. Only the best for the prince's boyfriend," Mei said, grinning. He gasped, eyes widening as he thought of something. "I know! I could give you me!" He nodded to himself, feeling pleased that he came up with that idea and almost smirking as Eijun's face turned pink. "After all, it's not every day the prince surrenders to someone. I'll make an exception for you, though."

Eijun almost choked.

Did he… really mean that?

When he said 'surrenders', was he implying what he thought he was implying?

Plus, he wanted to do it for his birthday present.

Which meant…

He reached out, hitting the back of his head and causing him to yelp. "S-Shut up, pervert. When did I say that I would want that?"

"Oi, be careful! What if you hurt me?" Mei pouted, turning his head so that Eijun got the full effect of it. "You don't want me? You really don't want me?" Moments later, he smirked as Eijun pursed his lips, not saying anything, causing him to chuckle. "I thought so."

Eijun huffed, glaring at him. "You better think of another present, too! I'm not going to be happy if all you give me for my birthday is sex!"

"But that's already a very special present! Do you even realize how lucky you are?" When Eijun only glowered at him, Mei huffed, almost pouting again. "Fine. I'll think of another present. One that will amaze you and make you cry tears of happiness."

Eijun raised an eyebrow, curious despite himself. "Is that so? And what kind of present is that?"

"… A secret, of course."

Eijun snorted, shaking his head. "You probably don't even know what it is yet." He grinned as Mei looked away from him, his ears pink. "It's a good thing you have a few months, huh? You should be able to come up with a present that will amaze me and make me cry tears of happiness by then."

Mei leaned in closer to kiss him on the forehead. "Is that a challenge, Ei-jun?" He smirked as he watched him shiver.

"And if it was?"

Mei hummed, kissing the top of his head. "Well, you know I'll never back down from a challenge. Especially from you."

"Then do it. Give me something amazing for my birthday."

Mei stopped combing his fingers through his hair, unsurprised when Eijun protested, moving his head away from his shoulder to look at him.

He leaned in, giving him a gentle kiss. "You'll see. I'll definitely think of something amazing to give you." He winked. "In fact, it might even overshadow the sex that we'll have."

Eijun shook his head, smiling despite himself. "So confident."

Mei grinned cheekily, pulling him closer to rest his forehead against his own. "When it comes to you… Always."

"You're so embarrassing."

Mei pulled away to give him a serious look. "Seriously, though. I do want to give you something special for your birthday. Especially after what you did for mine."

Eijun's eyes lit up even more (if possible). "You really liked it? I made you happy?"

"You made me very happy. I really liked both presents," Mei said, giving him his soft smile.

Eijun laughed a soft but happy laugh, giving him a quick kiss. "I'm so glad. That makes all those sleepless nights worth it." But before Mei could respond, he yawned, eyes struggling to stay open. "Sorry. I must be more tired than I thought."

And while Mei felt tempted to ask if that was because of the sex, he resisted the urge, shaking his head instead. "It's alright. We should probably get some sleep."

Depending on how sore Eijun felt in the morning, maybe they could practice some before going out on a date.

(Or they could just spend the whole day in bed. Now that was a great idea.)

"And you just assume that I'm going to stay the night?"

He looked at his clock, grinning as he saw what time it was before looking at him. "Well, it is still my birthday. You have to listen to me. So… Stay the night."

And instead of arguing with him or grumbling under his breath, Eijun only huffed. "Fine. It's not like I was planning on leaving tonight anyway."

His eyes widened. "You mean… You were already planning on staying the night?"

That was why he had the backpack with him.

Eijun gave him a sleepy, soft smile. "Well, it is your birthday. I thought you would want me to stay." He rubbed the back of his head, flushing. "And after not seeing you for three weeks, I missed you."

"You know me so well," Mei said, grinning cheekily. His grin turned into his soft smile. "I missed you, too. I'm glad you're staying the night."

(Technically, he did see him. But that was after Eijun collapsed and was sleeping. He didn't get to talk to him. Or touch him as much as he wanted to. And he had already decided that he wasn't going to tell Eijun that he knew what happened or that he went to Seidou. He could always bring it up later if he wanted to warn or tease him.)

Eijun gave him his smile, reaching for his hand and squeezing it gently.

What he said earlier about being very happy and liking both presents…

He was telling the truth.

This was the first time that he enjoyed the last few hours of his birthday.

Normally, he would pout and sulk that his birthday was ending.

(And, according to his teammates, he would become even more annoying than normal. He didn't think he did, though. They were probably imagining things.)

But thanks to Eijun, he actually enjoyed the last few hours of his birthday.

He gave his hand a gentle squeeze, smiling at him softly.

This was one of the best birthdays he ever had.

And it was thanks to Eijun.

He would need to think of something special for Eijun's birthday. Something amazing that will make him cry tears of happiness.

(Because he refused to lose to him.)

Thankfully, he had more than enough time to think of something.

He wouldn't disappoint him.

He will give him something special.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Author Notes: I hope y'all enjoyed this fic.

Reviews/favorites/follows are appreciated.

Wow, this ended up really long. I honestly didn't think it would end up this long. Some of the scenes definitely ended up a lot longer than I thought they would be. I think that if I took out a lot of the description, this would be a lot shorter. But if I did that, my fic wouldn't make sense. And I would have to rewrite the whole thing. So leaving it in makes the most sense.

By the way, I'm not an expert on knitting. I don't even know how to knit. But going into this story, I knew I wanted Eijun to knit a scarf for Mei. So I did a lot of research about knitting. Hopefully, it comes through my writing. If any of y'all knit and notice I made a mistake or something seemed unrealistic to you, please let me know.

I also wanted to take the time to thank y'all. So many people have checked out my series and left so much love for it recently. Some of y'all have even told me that you've reread my series more than once, which always makes me smile and my heart feel warm. I'm so happy y'all are enjoying my series and my writing that much! I almost wish I could write faster and give y'all more stories to read. I really appreciate all the reviews/favorites/follows I've gotten up to this point. Thank you so much for all the love and support!

This series is nowhere near over. I still have a lot more stories that I plan to write. I've already got a plot bunny for the next part in the series. Mei is going to meet Eijun's family in the next part! But they're meeting up in Tokyo and not Nagano. I already know how I want to write it, and I'm excited to start writing it. Hopefully, I can work on it and post it pretty soon.

See y'all next time!