That Celebratory Summer Sky

by Brave orange blossom

Eijun and Mei celebrate their one-year anniversary. Mei only has one present for Eijun, but when Eijun tells him he has two special presents for him, he decides to come up with another one. Set during Act II. The first scene takes place the Sunday evening after Seidou's Summer Hell Training Camp, and the rest of the fic takes place a week later. One shot.

Author Notes: Happy Anniversary, Eijun and Mei!

This is set during Act II. The first part with Koushuu takes place the Sunday evening after Seidou's Summer Hell Training Camp. The rest of the fic takes place a week later.

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

I hope y'all enjoy it!

That Celebratory Summer Sky

Koushuu frowned, looking around the room.

Seidou's Summer Hell Training Camp had ended after the practice game earlier today, and like the rest of the nights, everyone on the first string gathered in Sawamura-senpai's room.

The room was loud.

(As usual.)

Kuramochi-senpai, Kominato-senpai, and a couple others sat near the TV, playing video games.

Taku had played with them for a few rounds before giving up his spot to another senpai.

(He wouldn't admit it, but he knew Taku felt relieved he didn't have to play anymore. Even from where Koushuu sat, Taku had almost looked uncomfortable and tense. Maybe it was the pressure from his highly competitive senpai?)

Koushuu couldn't put his finger on it, but something seemed… different about tonight.

… Hang on.

The noise level…

Sure, it was always loud, but it was usually much louder than it was right now.

He looked around one more time, frowning deeply when he confirmed his suspicions.

Sawamura-senpai was nowhere to be seen.

(No wonder it was quieter than the other nights he had visited Sawamura-senpai's room.)

Normally, Sawamura-senpai would be hanging around near the TV with the others.

With his teammates all around him.

Where did he…?

"Has anyone seen Sawamura?" Miyuki-senpai looked around the room, frowning deeply. "I know I saw him earlier."

Kominato-senpai looked over at him, smiling reassuringly. "Eijun-kun said he needed to make a phone call. Something about how his family was worried."

Kuramochi-senpai clicked his tongue, not looking away from the TV. "That idiot should call home more often."

"You're just saying that because you want a chance to talk to Wakana," Miyuki-senpai teased, grinning.

Kuramochi-senpai shot him a dirty look. "I was only interested in her because we thought Sawamura was dating her."

"Like I believe that." Miyuki-senpai didn't sound (or look) convinced.

Taku, who sat beside Koushuu, let out a surprised sound and looked at Koushuu. "Ah! Come to think of it, Koushuu… Did you see my text?"

Koushuu blinked before frowning. "Which one?"

He didn't remember seeing any texts from Taku earlier.

(Why did he text him? Was it something Taku couldn't talk about out loud?)

"I sent you a couple earlier today." Taku frowned. "You didn't see them?"

Koushuu's eyes widened. He remembered looking at his phone after the practice game, noticing Taku's texts. "Ah… I saw them, but I didn't respond yet."

"Don't worry about it." Taku smiled, easily forgiving him (like always). "I know you were busy watching the game and recovering from the training camp."

Taku had a point, but…

Koushuu felt bad. "Sorry, Taku. Was it something important?"

He didn't think it was, as Taku had texted him.

He needed to make sure, though.

Taku waved a hand. "Nah. I just sent you something I saw online and thought you'd like."

Koushuu frowned, searching his pockets. He searched them a couple of times before growling.

Taku let out a surprised sound. "Is something wrong?"

"I forgot my phone."

Taku let out an understanding sound. "Is it in your room?"

Koushuu frowned deeply.

He didn't remember seeing his phone in his room.

Which meant…

He stood up, causing Taku to blink. "I'll be right back. I left my phone on the bench."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Taku offered. "It's dark outside. You could probably use the help."

Koushuu almost accepted the offer, as he knew Taku's flashlight would help.

Before he could, though, Kuramochi-senpai turned around, grinning. "Alright! Seto, get over here! I'm getting my revenge!"

"… I'm coming." Taku stood up, rubbing the back of his head before looking at Koushuu. "Sorry I can't come with you, Koushuu."

Koushuu shook his head. "It's alright. I can do it by myself."

"But…" Taku frowned deeply before his eyes lit up a few moments later. "I know!" He looked over at Asada who sat near Kuramochi-senpai. "Oi, Asada!"

Asada looked away from the TV, confused. "What is it, Seto-kun?"

"You're not playing right now, right?"

Asada got up, walking over to them. "Yeah." He tilted his head. "Is something wrong?"

Taku shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. But I was wondering if you could help Koushuu." He smiled apologetically at Koushuu's dirty look. "He left his phone on the bench and was about to go looking for it in the dark by himself."

Asada immediately got the hint, looking at Koushuu. "Would you like to borrow my phone, Okumura-kun? It has a flashlight."

That sounded tempting, as Koushuu didn't want to trouble him by making him join him.

(Especially when Asada was enjoying himself.)

At Taku's pointed look, though, Koushuu knew that wasn't what he had in mind. "No, it's your phone. You should use it."

Asada blinked, looking confused. "Eh?"

"I could use your help."

Asada still looked confused, looking at Taku who grinned at him and nodded.

Tired of waiting, Koushuu turned around, heading to the door, feeling eyes on him.

When he looked back to see if Asada followed him, he noticed Miyuki-senpai frowning at him from his spot on the floor.

What was that for?

(Maybe Miyuki-senpai thought he was trying to leave early?)

He resisted the urge to growl at him, looking at Asada (who hadn't moved). "Come on. We won't take long."

"Y-Yeah! I'm coming!" Asada smiled, crossing the short distance that separated them.

Before leaving, Koushuu looked back at Miyuki-senpai one more time.

Miyuki-senpai grinned at him, waving his hand at him, as if he was shooing him away before returning to his game of shogi with Yuki.

Koushuu growled, unable to help himself.

He and Asada left the room, making their way back to the fields.

"Are you alright with me helping, Okumura-kun?"

Koushuu looked at him, unsurprised to see the hesitant look. "Taku's right. I could use the help. Sorry about this."

Asada's eyes widened. He shook his head before waving his hands back and forth. "No, it's alright." He smiled. "I don't mind."

They walked in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes, Koushuu grateful Asada didn't try to talk to him about anything.

(Not that he didn't like Asada or didn't like talking to him. Sometimes, though, he liked to be left alone with his thoughts.)

Noticing the poorly concealed worried look out of the corner of his eye, Koushuu turned his head to look at Asada. "What is it?"

"Ah… No, it's nothing." Asada smiled sheepishly. "I guess I was just wondering how you're doing after the training camp." When he furrowed his eyebrows, Asada's eyes widened. "You obviously don't have to tell me anything! It's up to you!"

Koushuu frowned deeply, confused for a few moments before realizing what Asada meant. "I'm alright. The bath helped."

Asada's eyes lit up. "I'm glad!"

A couple of minutes later, they arrived at the baseball field, the two of them walking over to the bench where everyone liked to place their bags.

Thanks to Asada's flashlight, they didn't have any trouble finding his phone on the ground behind the benches.

(Koushuu didn't know why his phone was on the ground, though. Did someone accidentally knock it off the bench?)

Asada let out a happy sound from where he kneeled on the ground. "Alright, we found it, Okumura-kun! We should—"

Koushuu shushed him, holding his wrist when it looked like Asada was about to stand up. "Don't move. And stay quiet."

"I-Is something wrong?" Asada whispered, looking around nervously.

Koushuu frowned, looking in the direction of the gates. "I thought I heard something."

Before Asada could reply, though, they heard a familiar laugh, causing their eyes to widen.

That sounded like…

Sure enough, Sawamura-senpai walked onto the field a few moments later, laughing loudly about something.

Was Sawamura-senpai still talking to his family on the phone?

Koushuu was about to tell Asada they should leave, wanting to give Sawamura-senpai some privacy.

But Sawamura-senpai walked in their direction, causing them to hide behind the closest bench.

Sawamura-senpai laughed again, but this time, it was that soft laugh Koushuu had heard before. "Yeah, that really happened!"

"I wish I was there to see it."

Koushuu frowned, not recognizing the other person's voice.

Maybe one of Sawamura-senpai's family members?

(He felt bad for overhearing Sawamura-senpai's private conversation. Maybe they could sneak away when Sawamura-senpai wasn't paying attention?)

"I do, too!" Sawamura-senpai grinned before sighing a few moments later. "You know, I… I was thinking about you today."

The other person snorted. "I would hope so, as today's our one-year anniversary."

Koushuu's eyes widened.

Sawamura-senpai… wasn't talking to his family.

(Or maybe he had already finished talking to them?)

Sawamura-senpai was talking to his boyfriend.

Koushuu had gathered from his conversation with Sawamura-senpai a few weeks ago that Sawamura-senpai really liked his boyfriend.

He didn't know they had been dating that long, though.

Not for the first time did he wonder who Sawamura-senpai's boyfriend was.

"That's not what I meant!" Sawamura-senpai groaned, looking away from his phone briefly. "I mean, it is, but…"

His boyfriend laughed. "Don't worry. I know what you mean. I miss you, too."

Sawamura-senpai's eyes softened. "Mei…"

Koushuu's eyes widened again.

… Mei?

As in Inashiro's ace, Narumiya Mei-san?

Sawamura-senpai was dating Narumiya-san?

(Sawamura-senpai called him by his given name? Without any honorifics? Wasn't Narumiya-san older than Sawamura-senpai?)

Koushuu had, of course, told Taku and the others what he learned about Sawamura-senpai's boyfriend. While they had been surprised (even more so at hearing Sawamura-senpai was dating the enemy), they had quickly started guessing who it could be.

He couldn't remember who, but someone had jokingly guessed Narumiya-san, bringing up how Sawamura-senpai always looked interested whenever someone mentioned his name.

They had quickly shaken their heads, though, none of them believing it.

That was the only time they had talked about Narumiya-san being Sawamura-senpai's mysterious boyfriend.

As Koushuu watched Sawamura-senpai talk to Narumiya-san on the video call, though, he couldn't help but wonder why none of them had entertained the possibility.

Because now that he thought about it, it made sense.

Everything Sawamura-senpai had told him about his mysterious boyfriend…

It all described Narumiya-san.

Perfectly.

… Hold on.

Sawamura-senpai had looked worried about the rest of the team finding out about his relationship.

Was that because he was dating Narumiya-san?

(Koushuu understood Narumiya-san was the enemy, but was he that bad?)

"I was thinking about you today, too." Narumiya-san laughed as Sawamura-senpai flushed. "What? Did you think I wouldn't?"

Sawamura-senpai shook his head, turning his body so that Koushuu and Asada could see Narumiya-san. "It's not that. It's just… how you said it."

Narumiya-san sat outside somewhere. It even looked like he sat on a bench. He leaned closer to his phone, furrowing his eyebrows. "I said the same thing as you, though."

"I know, but…"

Narumiya-san pulled away from his phone's camera, snickering. "You're so cute." When Sawamura-senpai's flush darkened, he laughed. "I thought you don't like it whenever I copy you," he teased.

"I don't, so stop laughing, you ass," Sawamura-senpai grumbled.

(Koushuu felt surprised Sawamura-senpai didn't automatically start yelling.)

To Koushuu's surprise, Narumiya-san's eyes… softened (if he wasn't imagining things). "It's good to see you." He huffed. "I wish Inashiro was closer to Seidou."

"Yeah." Sawamura-senpai's eyes softened. "It's good to see you, too. I…" He looked away, rubbing the back of his head.

Narumiya-san raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I concentrated on baseball, and I didn't let it affect my pitching." Sawamura-senpai looked back at him, his sad eyes causing Koushuu's heart to hurt. "But whenever I wasn't, I was thinking about you. I wanted to see you."

Narumiya-san hummed. "Especially today of all days, huh?"

Sawamura-senpai closed his eyes briefly, looking pained.

"We'll see each other soon."

Sawamura-senpai gasped, his eyes widening, as he had forgotten or belatedly remembered something. "You're right!" His eyes softened again. "When can we meet up? Tomorrow night?" He looked hopeful.

But Narumiya-san frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"What!" Sawamura-senpai's loud voice caused Asada to wince beside Koushuu. "Why!"

Narumiya-san rolled his eyes. "Exams start tomorrow, you idiot. You should concentrate on studying." His eyes softened at Sawamura-senpai's disappointed look. "I want to meet up with you as soon as possible, too, but I don't want to distract you from school."

"You won't distract me," Sawamura-senpai muttered, as if he hadn't just admitted to thinking about Narumiya-san whenever he didn't think about baseball. He sighed a few moments later. "Fine. After exams?"

This time, Narumiya-san nodded. "Let's meet up sometime after exam week." When Sawamura-senpai beamed, Narumiya-san grinned. It almost looked like a cheeky grin. "If Inashiro was closer, I would offer to help you study. You'd like that, huh?"

Sawamura-senpai snorted. "No, that would be a bad idea."

"Eh!" Narumiya-san whined. "Why!"

Sawamura-senpai rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Because then you'd be the one distracting me. I wouldn't be able to study."

"Oh?" Narumiya-san smirked, leaning in closer to his phone. "I didn't know I distract you that much."

Sawamura-senpai huffed. "Knowing you, we'd probably be kissing the whole time. Not studying."

"So?" Narumiya-san's smirk widened. "I know you'd like it."

Sawamura-senpai glared at him, causing Narumiya-san to laugh. "Of course I would like it, you ass! But you're the one who said I should concentrate on studying!"

"Then…" Narumiya-san grinned that cheeky grin from earlier. "If I don't kiss you the whole time and only kiss you when you get something right, would that be alright?"

Sawamura-senpai made a face, causing Narumiya-san to snicker. "That would be even worse!"

"That's what I thought."

They talked some more, Koushuu surprised at how Sawamura-senpai interacted with Narumiya-san.

Sure, they had been dating for a year now.

But it was as if Sawamura-senpai didn't care that Narumiya-san was older than him.

Another thing that surprised him was how Narumiya-san interacted with Sawamura-senpai.

Koushuu didn't know Narumiya-san, but from how Sawamura-senpai had described him, he thought Narumiya-san might be arrogant.

Or more arrogant than Sawamura-senpai had been letting on.

To his surprise, though, Narumiya-san wasn't that arrogant. It was obvious he was, but it also looked as if he… really liked Sawamura-senpai.

Like he had a soft spot for him.

(Narumiya-san could be acting, but Koushuu had a feeling he wasn't. That confused him, as he didn't know Narumiya-san at all, but he trusted his intuition.)

Sawamura-senpai laughed loudly, bringing Koushuu out of his thoughts.

Koushuu looked over at Asada, wanting to see what he thought.

Asada furrowed his eyebrows, looking confused, as if he still didn't understand why Sawamura-senpai chose to date Narumiya-san. A few moments later, though, he smiled softly at the sight of his senpai's bright smile.

That told him all he needed to know.

Noticing how Sawamura-senpai and Narumiya-san kept their attention on each other, Koushuu gestured for Asada to follow him.

This was their chance to sneak away.

Asada nodded, both almost crawling on the ground in the opposite direction of Sawamura-senpai.

Several moments later, Koushuu gestured for Asada to stand up, keeping an eye on Sawamura-senpai.

Asada stood up, taking a few steps forward nervously.

Koushuu stood up, almost cursing out loud at the numbing and tingling sensation in his legs.

Did his legs fall asleep?

Or was this fatigue from the training camp?

Sawamura-senpai suddenly turned his head, almost in their direction, causing Koushuu to grab Asada's wrist.

Asada squeaked as Koushuu pulled him back, forcing him to hide behind the bench again.

"What was that?"

Koushuu and Asada froze, a wide-eyed Asada covering his mouth with both hands.

Sawamura-senpai tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Narumiya-san shot what looked like a suspicious look in their direction before looking back at Sawamura-senpai. "I thought I heard something."

"What?"

Narumiya-san furrowed his eyebrows. "It sounded like a squeak."

Koushuu and Asada didn't move, Koushuu wondering if they had caught them.

"A squeak?" Sawamura-senpai blinked a few times before furrowing his eyebrows. "Maybe it was the bench?"

(… As expected of Sawamura-senpai. He didn't suspect a thing.)

Narumiya-san shot another suspicious look in their direction before humming. "If you say so." He didn't sound convinced. "If it was the bench, you should probably get someone to look at it."

"Eh? Why?"

Narumiya-san rolled his eyes. "Because it might have a problem. You don't want the bench to fall apart, right?"

Sawamura-senpai's eyes widened, as if he hadn't thought of that. "Oh, I didn't think of that." He hummed. "I'll let someone know tomorrow during practice."

"You guys are still having practice?"

Sawamura-senpai nodded. "It's only light practice, as Boss wants us to get some rest." He made a face. "And study, of course."

Narumiya-san laughed. "Good luck with that. I know for someone like you, that can be difficult."

"What was that! Don't call me an idiot!"

Narumiya-san laughed again. "I wasn't."

"You totally were! Don't lie to me!"

Narumiya-san grinned cheekily. "Sorry."

"You don't sound sorry," Sawamura-senpai grumbled.

They talked a little bit more before Sawamura-senpai turned around, making his way off the field, causing Koushuu and Asada to freeze.

Sawamura-senpai didn't seem to notice them, though, his eyes lighting up as he told Narumiya-san an anecdote about something that happened during school one day.

They waited until they couldn't hear his voice anymore before relaxing, Asada uncovering his mouth and breathing a sigh of relief.

Koushuu stood back up, shaking his legs out a little bit before taking a few steps forward, frowning deeply at the numbing and tingling sensation.

Asada joined him a few moments later, looking at him, concerned. "Are you alright, Okumura-kun?"

"I'm alright. It will go away soon."

Asada looked away briefly before meeting his eyes again. "I'm sorry. It was my fault we almost got caught."

Koushuu immediately shook his head, gesturing for Asada to follow him as he made his way off the field. "Don't worry about it. I didn't hurt you, right?"

Asada smiled softly. "Yeah, I'm alright. You just surprised me."

"I'm glad."

Asada looked away briefly. "Um… What should we do?"

It was obvious what he was talking about.

Koushuu furrowed his eyebrows. "I think we should keep this a secret. Sawamura-senpai has his reasons for keeping his relationship a secret."

"That's true. He's dating Narumiya-san after all."

Koushuu blinked before frowning. "What do you think?"

Asada blinked a few times, as if he hadn't expected Koushuu to ask him for his opinion. "I agree. I think we should keep it a secret." He smiled softly. "Besides, Sawamura-senpai looks happy."

"You're right."

Asada furrowed his eyebrows a few moments later. "Do you think we should tell the others?"

Koushuu hummed despite himself.

He didn't want to hide this from Taku, but he also didn't want this to distract them.

(Especially when exam week was about to start.)

"Not right now. I don't want this to distract them."

Asada looked relieved for some reason. "That's a good idea. Maybe we should tell them after exam week?"

"Yeah."

They walked the rest of the way back to Sawamura-senpai and Asada's room in silence, blinking when they saw Sawamura-senpai himself back in his room, as if he had never left.

Sawamura-senpai sat in the middle of a group of their senpai, laughing loudly. He looked over at them, grinning. "Where were you guys? You missed all the action!"

"We could say the same about you, Sawamura." Kuramochi-senpai clicked his tongue and looked over at him, Koushuu and Asada walking into the room and closing the door behind them. "What took so long?"

Sawamura-senpai tensed for a few moments before relaxing and laughing loudly. "My family wouldn't stop asking questions, Kuramochi-senpai! They wanted to hear everything!"

Koushuu knew he hadn't imagined Sawamura-senpai tensing.

Looking around, he noticed Miyuki-senpai and Kuramochi-senpai narrowing their eyes, looking suspicious.

… Did they know Sawamura-senpai talked to his boyfriend?

Kominato-senpai patted Sawamura-senpai's leg, smiling softly at him. "I'm glad you got to talk to them again, Eijun-kun."

Sawamura-senpai beamed. "Thank you, Haruichi!"

Koushuu was probably one of the only people who saw the knowing looks they exchanged.

Kominato-senpai knew.

(… He wasn't that surprised, as he knew Sawamura-senpai and Kominato-senpai were best friends. Sawamura-senpai probably told Kominato-senpai about his relationship himself.)

Koushuu sat next to Taku, Taku giving him a confused look.

"Is something wrong? You were gone quite a while. Did you find your phone?"

Koushuu held up his phone, frowning. "I'll tell you after exam week."

Taku furrowed his eyebrows for a few moments before nodding. "In that case, I'll wait."

"Sorry, Taku."

Taku shook his head, grinning. "Knowing you, you're keeping whatever it is a secret for a good reason."

Koushuu hummed despite himself, his eyes looking away from him and landing on Sawamura-senpai out of habit.

Sawamura-senpai smiled his normal smile, chatting with everyone in that normal loud voice of his.

Koushuu… didn't understand.

Didn't understand why Sawamura-senpai had looked so worried about his teammates finding out about his boyfriend.

Looking at them now, he didn't think Sawamura-senpai had any reason to worry.

It was obvious everyone adored their human sun.

(Some more so than others. Was he imagining it, or did a couple of his senpai… like Sawamura-senpai?)

Even if a lot of the senpai tried to cover it up by insulting him or hitting him.

(He didn't think Sawamura-senpai ever noticed, though. Despite being in a relationship (that was still going strong after a whole year), Sawamura-senpai could be amazingly oblivious sometimes.)

What was Sawamura-senpai so worried about?

Was Narumiya-san that bad?

(Maybe he was missing something?)

All he knew was that he supported Sawamura-senpai's relationship with Narumiya-san.

He also knew that he planned on keeping his word to Sawamura-senpai.

He would stand by Sawamura-senpai's side.

No matter what.

ZZZ

Eijun double checked he had everything, even double checking his looks before leaving Seidou with a bright smile on his face, missing the way Miyuki-senpai and Kuramochi-senpai scowled, Miyuki-senpai clenching his fists.

Exam week was terrible.

(The exams themselves weren't that bad. Eijun still felt smug he managed to beat Furuya in Japanese History. He had already told Mei about it, wanting to point out he didn't have trouble this year. The way Mei's eyes had widened, and his jaw had dropped… It had been priceless.)

Not only did he not get to play as much baseball as he wanted, but he also didn't get to see Mei.

He understood Mei had been looking out for him, and he felt grateful, his chest warm every time he thought about how much Mei cared about him.

But…

He pouted, kicking a rock on the street.

He had wanted to see Mei.

As soon as possible.

He had understood what Mei meant, of course, but it was still difficult.

Thoughts of baseball and getting to see Mei again helped him get through the week.

(It had been obvious that Mei had wanted to see him again, too. That more than anything made him feel better and accept what Mei had told him.)

Eijun perked up at seeing Mei already waiting for him at their park bench.

About to call out to him, he froze, his eyes widening and his breathing hitching as he stared at his boyfriend.

His handsome boyfriend.

Mei wore a white T-shirt under an open blue short sleeve casual button-up shirt. The white of his shirt suited his skin color, and his blue shirt matched the color of his eyes. He also wore brown jeans and white sneakers.

Mei had his eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at his phone, his blue eyes as calm as waves at the beach. His combed hair looked perfect, not even one stray hair sticking out anywhere.

(Eijun wanted to hate the way Mei's hair listened to him. He also wanted to run his fingers through that soft hair, not caring that Mei would complain.)

Eijun flushed, clearing his throat.

How many times was this now?

(Not that admiring his boyfriend's good looks was a bad thing. He just didn't want Mei's already massive ego to grow any larger.)

He walked over to their park bench, the sound of his footsteps causing Mei to look up.

Mei looked in his direction, his soft smile making Eijun's chest feel warm and causing him to smile back at him. Mei stood up as he approached, pocketing his phone and reaching out for him once he was close enough.

Eijun allowed him to pull him closer, gently placing the things in his hands on the ground before wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in his shoulder, letting out a small approving sound as Mei hugged him back.

"Is something wrong?"

Eijun wanted to lie and tell him it didn't matter. But Mei deserved the truth. He tightened his grip around him briefly before pulling away to look him in his eyes. "I really missed you." When Mei's eyes widened, he looked away, sighing. "We didn't get to meet up on the day of our anniversary or for any evening dates during exam week, so…"

"We still called and texted each other."

Eijun frowned. "I know, but…"

"It wasn't enough, huh?"

Eijun tightened his grip around him before shaking his head.

Mei forced him to look at him, his eyes soft. "I really missed you, too." He kissed his forehead. "I wanted to see you, but…"

"I understand." Eijun relaxed his grip, his own eyes soft. "You were looking out for me. And you're right. School is important." He made a face. "I would hate it if I couldn't play against you because I had bad grades."

Mei laughed softly. "You're right. That would be bad. I'm glad you did well."

"I told you I wouldn't have any trouble." Eijun looked smug.

Mei rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Yeah, yeah. You proved me wrong. You don't need to be so annoying about it."

Eijun grinned devilishly, leaning in closer. "Where's my reward? You promised me something special."

"Did I?" Mei grinned cheekily.

Eijun whined, glancing at his lips. "You promised!"

Mei smirked, leaning in close before kissing his cheek, his smirk widening when Eijun whined again. "There. That's your reward. Good job."

"Mei! You know that's not what I want!"

Mei snickered. "Then why don't you tell me what you want?"

"So mean." Eijun pouted, his lips twitching when Mei kissed the corner of his mouth. "I want you to kiss me." He glanced at his lips again. "On the lips."

Mei's smirk returned to his face. "Why didn't you say that in the first place?" When Eijun glared at him, he laughed, leaning in closer. "Fine. I suppose my knight deserves his reward." His smirk widened when Eijun shivered.

"I… I told you not to call me that," Eijun breathed, belatedly realizing how close Mei was to him.

Mei snickered again. "And you think I'll listen to you?"

Eijun narrowed his eyes, but before he could respond, Mei kissed him, causing his eyes to widen.

He eagerly responded to the kiss, almost frowning at feeling Mei grin into the kiss. Wanting to get revenge, he bit Mei's lower lip, almost grinning himself when Mei let out a pleased sound and opened his mouth for him.

His tongue darted into his mouth, exploring his mouth for a few seconds before touching Mei's tongue, Mei moaning and tightening his grip on him.

As much as Eijun enjoyed kissing Mei, that wasn't only thing he had missed.

He missed the way Mei held his hand.

(Gentle but firm enough so that they didn't get separated.)

He missed the way Mei hugged him.

(He always felt warm and safe in his arms, not wanting to leave them for a second.)

He missed all of Mei's small touches.

(Mei kissing his forehead to reassure him… Mei squeezing his hand gently… Mei gently nudging his shoulder with his own…)

He just…

He missed Mei.

Missed having Mei's presence so close to him.

Eijun pulled away a few moments later, smiling softly.

Mei leaned back in, giving him a gentle kiss before pulling away, his soft smile returning to his face. "What do you think? Was that good enough?"

Eijun hummed, glancing at his lips. "For now. We can always kiss more later."

Mei grinned cheekily, letting go of him. "You really like kissing me, don't you?" When he glared at him, Mei laughed softly. "Relax. You know I like kissing you." His eyes softened. "Let's start our date."

When Mei held out a hand, Eijun gasped, belatedly remembering something. "Wait. I told you I have something special planned."

Mei raised an eyebrow. "For our date?"

"Yeah." Eijun picked up his things from the ground, holding up the picnic basket. "This is one of your presents."

Mei furrowed his eyebrows. "A picnic?"

"You…" Eijun flushed, looking away briefly, feeling shy for some reason. "I promised you a while ago to cook you something, remember?"

Mei's eyes widened. "You… You cooked something for me?"

Eijun felt a little better at seeing Mei's cheeks flush. "I can't promise it will taste good, but I know it won't kill you." He puffed his chest out, looking proud of himself. "My teammates even complimented me."

"Come to think of it…" Mei furrowed his eyebrows before narrowing his eyes. "They didn't taste this, right?"

Eijun smiled reassuringly. "I only let them taste the ones I messed up." He bumped his chest with his fist. "I promised I would protect it from them so that you're the only one who gets to eat it."

"I'm glad." Mei reached out, squeezing the hand that held onto the picnic basket. "I really appreciate it, my knight."

Eijun shivered, shooting him a dirty look when Mei smirked. "I told you not to call me that!" He huffed, moving the picnic basket further up his arm so that he could hold Mei's hand. "Let's go!"

Mei snickered, holding his hand and following him as Eijun walked away from the park bench.

A couple of minutes later, Mei let out a surprised sound. "You didn't want to eat this in the park?"

"I've…" Eijun flushed, not looking at him. "I've a better place in mind."

Mei squeezed his hand gently. "Let me guess… It's more romantic?"

Eijun huffed at his amused tone. "So what if it is? Is that a problem?"

"Of course not. Lead on, my knight."

Eijun shivered, glaring at him, wanting to hate Mei's attractive smirk. "Stop calling me that!"

Mei laughed loudly, causing him to look away and grumble under his breath.

They walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Eijun occasionally looking around to make sure they were going the right way.

"So…"

Eijun looked at Mei, tilting his head.

"You mentioned that the picnic is one of my presents." Mei grinned cheekily as he flushed. "You got me multiple presents?"

Eijun reluctantly nodded. "Only two." He held up his free hand, showing him the large blue gift bag.

Mei's eyes lit up. He snickered a couple of moments later. "You must really like giving me presents." At his confused look, he grinned cheekily. "You gave me two presents for my birthday, too."

"I gave you one present on Valentine's Day and White Day!" Eijun protested.

Mei hummed. "And I really liked them. But you can't argue that my birthday and our one-year anniversary isn't more important than those holidays."

Eijun huffed, looking away, hating that he couldn't argue.

"Thank you, Eijun."

Eijun shivered, looking back at him, about to glare at him, as he knew Mei would smirk at his reaction.

To his surprise, though, Mei's smirk… was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he smiled softly at him, kissing his cheek and letting his lips linger there for a few moments.

Eijun cleared his throat, looking away briefly. "N-No problem."

(Mei could be so sweet sometimes. It was so unfair.)

"Now I feel bad."

Eijun blinked a few times. "Eh? Why?"

Mei pouted. "I only got you one present." He held up his free hand, showing him the small gold gift bag.

"It's not a competition." Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Besides, the cooking was a last-minute thing."

Mei whined. "Now I feel even worse! Stop rubbing it in!"

"I'm not rubbing it in!" Eijun protested. When Mei huffed, looking away from him, he furrowed his eyebrows. This… really bothered Mei for some reason. He squeezed his hand gently, smiling softly when Mei looked him in the eyes. "It's alright. I know how you feel about me."

Mei whined again. "But…!"

"If it bothers you that much…" Eijun kissed his forehead. "Why don't you think of a way to make it up to me?"

Mei perked up, grinning cheekily. "How about if I kiss you all over?"

Eijun cursed as he stumbled and almost fell.

Mei tightened his grip, pulling him close and wrapping his free arm around him, not letting him fall. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah." Eijun tightened his grip on his hand briefly, his heart racing. "I'm alright."

To his disappointment, Mei stepped away from him a few moments later, looking him over. "Be careful. I don't want you to get hurt," he scolded.

Eijun looked away, ashamed. "Sorry."

What was he doing?

He didn't mean to worry Mei.

(Especially when they were supposed to be celebrating their anniversary.)

But just the thought of Mei kissing him all over…

His flush darkened.

Mei forced him to look at him, his eyes soft. "I'm glad you're alright." He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you blushing?"

Eijun turned away, tugging Mei after him as he continued to walk down the street. "N-No reason!"

"Is it because of what happened?" Mei smirked when Eijun looked at him. "Or is it because you want me to kiss you all over?"

Eijun's whole face turned pink, causing Mei to snicker. "I'm not… That's not… You…"

Stupid Mei.

It was his fault he had trouble speaking.

"Alright, it's decided." Mei's smirk widened. "I'll kiss you all over to make it up to you."

Eijun looked away briefly. "Wait… Wait until we get back to Inashiro to do it."

Mei looked even more smug (if it was possible). "I can't promise anything."

Eijun groaned, looking away from Mei, Mei laughing loudly.

They arrived at their destination a couple of minutes later, Mei's eyes widening.

"You want us to eat here?"

Eijun squeezed his hand gently, leading the way into the park and climbing the stairs. "I thought about eating in the other park." His eyes softened. "As it's the place where we agreed to date each other."

Mei's eyes widened before softening. "That would've been a good spot."

"But…" Eijun gestured to the night sky above them. "We wouldn't get to see the stars."

Stars dotted the black sky, twinkling brightly. They couldn't see the moon, a shadowy circle indicating where it was.

Mei grinned cheekily. "You remembered."

Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly, leading them over to a nearby grassy hill. "Of course I did, you idiot. I wouldn't forget about one of the few spots in the city where we can see the stars."

"In case you forgot, I'm not the type to sit and admire the sights of nature."

Eijun let go of his hand, taking out a picnic blanket and spreading it on the grass before taking off his shoes and sitting down. "Then you don't have to look at it. I'm sure you'll find something more interesting to look at."

"Don't worry." Mei took off his shoes, sitting next to him. "I already have."

Eijun flushed at his pointed look, opening the picnic basket and taking out everything else, missing Mei's smirk.

"I'm surprised." When Eijun blinked and tilted his head, Mei gestured to the park around them. "I thought for sure you'd want to eat in the park where we agreed to date each other." He raised an eyebrow. "That sounds more romantic than this location."

Eijun huffed. "This is a good location, too! It's not my fault you don't appreciate nature!"

"I'm not saying this location is bad." Mei grinned cheekily. "Just that it's not as romantic."

Eijun glared at him before looking away. "Fine. Next time we have a picnic, you can decide where we'll eat."

"Challenge accepted. I'll pick the best spot."

Eijun's lips twitched despite himself.

He didn't think Mei would do it, as Mei preferred to eat inside.

It was nice to think about, though.

Eijun had made two separate bento boxes for dinner. Both had the same side dishes, but one of them had fried chicken as the main dish while the other had fried shrimp.

He laughed when Mei's jaw dropped.

"You made all this?"

Eijun grinned proudly. "Pretty good, huh?"

"I still can't believe you took the time to…" Mei blinked a few times before gasping, his eyes widening, causing Eijun to blink. "Wait! You made it!"

Eijun furrowed his eyebrows. "Weren't you listening?"

"Give me your hands!"

Eijun's eyes widened before softening. "I'm alright, Mei."

Mei held out his hands, narrowing his eyes. "Give me your hands."

"Stop worrying. My hands are alright." Eijun rolled his eyes.

Mei's eyes flashing dangerously was all the warning Eijun got before Mei reached over, grabbing his hands, causing him to let out a surprised sound.

Eijun tried to tug his hands back, but Mei refused to let go. "Mei, let go. I'm alright."

"Let me check."

Eijun's mouth dried up at the serious look on Mei's face. He nodded, holding out his hands.

His hands had a few bandages from where he accidentally burned himself, but the bandages wouldn't get in the way of his pitching.

His teammates had protested when he told them he wanted to cook something. Eijun hadn't listened, though, wanting to cook something for Mei. Miyuki-senpai had scowled, but he had still helped him, teaching him how to make everything.

Mei's eyes darkened at the sight of the bandages. Keeping his eyes on him, he lifted his hands to his mouth, kissing each bandage, causing Eijun to flush.

Even though it was embarrassing, Eijun's heart melted at Mei's tender kisses.

The burns were worth it if Mei enjoyed his food.

Eijun leaned in, giving him a gentle kiss, smiling softly when he pulled away. "I'm alright, Mei."

Mei closed his eyes briefly, looking pained. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, you idiot. It's not your fault." Eijun tugged him closer. "I chose to cook for you."

Mei frowned deeply. "But you did it for me." He looked pained again. "Because of your promise to me."

"That doesn't mean it's your fault." When Mei looked away from him, Eijun squeezed his hands gently. "Come on. Hurry up and taste my food." He grinned devilishly when Mei finally looked at him a few moments later. "You can criticize it all you want. I know you can be picky."

Mei huffed, but Eijun felt relieved at seeing the corners of his lips twitch.

After Mei let go of his hands, Eijun gestured to the bento boxes. "Which one do you want?"

"Give me the shrimp one."

Eijun gave it to him, watching nervously as Mei took a bite of the rolled omelet. "What do you think?"

"I think it's burnt."

Eijun knew it was coming, but he still pouted. "I tried my best not to burn it, but I kept failing every time. Those are some of the best ones I made."

Mei snorted. "I'd hate to see some of the worst ones. Did your teammates eat those?"

"They didn't eat them all." Eijun frowned, trying to remember. "Some of them didn't even touch the badly burnt ones."

Mei took another bite. "I don't blame them. Who likes burnt food?"

"You're…" Eijun looked hopeful as Mei kept eating. "You're going to eat it? I thought you said it's burnt."

Mei raised an eyebrow. "It is burnt, but you didn't burn the whole thing. It'd be a waste not to eat it."

Eijun's eyes lit up. "Thank you! Try something else!"

Mei tried the spinach salad, pickled cherry tomatoes, and the white rice, criticizing each one before trying the main dish.

Eijun pouted at all the criticism, but he also listened to what Mei had to say, reminding himself not to forget.

(He had told Mei to criticize his food, knowing Mei wouldn't hold back. Besides, his criticism wasn't that bad, although maybe that was because Eijun felt pleased with himself for managing to distract Mei.)

After trying everything, Mei raised an eyebrow. "You're not just going to watch me eat, are you?"

Eijun laughed sheepishly, grabbing the other bento box. "I was more concerned with what you thought than eating." His stomach grumbled, causing him to flush.

Mei laughed softly, causing Eijun to smile despite himself. "Hurry up and start eating, you idiot."

Eijun's bright smile remained on his face as he started eating.

(He felt happy he managed to cheer him up.)

"Come to think of it… You made everything yourself?"

Eijun looked away. "Yeah, but…" He didn't want to admit it, as he already knew how Mei would react. But he also couldn't lie to him. "Someone taught me how to make everything."

"Huh~ One of your teammates can cook? Who is it?"

Eijun continued looking away. "Does it really matter?"

"What aren't you telling me, Eijun?"

Eijun shivered, unable to stop himself from looking at him, unsurprised to see his suspicious look. "It's just… You won't like the answer."

"Why? You're not going to tell me Kazuya helped you, right?" Mei raised an eyebrow. When Eijun didn't reply, he gasped, his eyes widening. "Seriously?"

Eijun reluctantly nodded. "I don't know why, but Cap offered to help me."

Mei hummed before frowning deeply. "That was nice of him." He raised an eyebrow. "He knew you were making it for me, right?"

"I didn't say it out loud, but I think he knew."

Mei hummed again. "He didn't make any of this, right?"

"He only taught me how to make everything." Eijun pointed at the rolled omelets, frowning. "He never burned any of his rolled omelets."

Mei huffed for some reason. "Good for him." He blinked a few times before setting his bento box down, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Eh?"

Mei's frown deepened. "You look worried."

"Eh? I do?" Eijun patted his face, surprised before sighing. "I guess I am."

Mei scooted closer, making their knees touch. "Did something happen?"

Eijun quickly shook his head. "Nothing happened. It's just…" He sighed again. "He looked angry the whole time." He furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't think I messed up that much."

"It's not your fault. Kazuya's just being Kazuya." Mei rolled his eyes.

Eijun tilted his head. "What does that even mean?"

"It means you should stop worrying about him and eat the rest of your dinner." Mei grinned cheekily, stealing a piece of his fried chicken, causing him to protest. "Before I eat it all."

Eijun glared at him. "That was my piece of fried chicken, you ass!" He huffed as Mei ate the piece. "If you want some, you should ask for it first!"

"I'll keep that in mind." Mei's grin widened at his suspicious look. "Here. I'll give you one of my shrimps. That makes us even."

Eijun huffed again. "Fine, I suppose that's fair. You're lucky I still have more left." When Mei held out one of the shrimps, he leaned in, opening his mouth. His eyes lit up at the taste. "You weren't kidding. These are good."

Eijun was so distracted by the food that he missed Mei's relieved look.

While eating, they talked to each other, wanting to catch the other up on what they had been doing lately.

They even talked briefly about their exams, Eijun bragging about how he beat Furuya in Japanese History again, causing Mei to roll his eyes good-naturedly.

After they finished eating, Eijun cleaned everything up, putting everything besides the blanket back into the picnic basket.

Mei tackled him as soon as he finished, causing him to yelp. Mei kissed his forehead, his nose, each cheek, and his chin in quick succession.

"Mei…" Eijun shivered as Mei kissed down his neck. "What are… What are you doing?"

Mei didn't look up from kissing up and down his neck, causing him to moan despite himself. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm making it up to you."

"I told you…" Eijun gasped as Mei nibbled his ear. "I told you not here. What if someone spots us?"

Mei laughed in his ear, that melodic sound almost making Eijun moan again. "We're alone, you idiot. Stop worrying."

"Wait…" Eijun yelped as Mei nipped his ear. "Don't you want to…" He shivered as Mei's hand crawled under his T-shirt and touched his skin. "Don't you want to open your present first?"

Mei hummed, kissing his jaw and his cheeks. "That sounds tempting. I'm curious what you got me."

Eijun pulled him closer, wanting to kiss his cheek, but he ended up missing, kissing Mei's jaw instead. "See? You can do this later."

"… Fine." Mei got off him, removing his hand from under his shirt and pulling him back up. "This isn't over, you know."

Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

"So you are looking forward to it." Mei smirked.

Eijun grinned devilishly. "Maybe a little."

"Now, now. What have I told you about lying?" Mei's smirk widened, leaning in close.

Eijun's breath caught in his throat at his proximity. "To… To not do it?" he breathed.

(Mei looked so handsome.)

"Good boy. So you do remember." Mei patted the top of his head.

Eijun flushed despite himself. "I-I'm not a dog, damn it!"

Mei laughed loudly, kissing his cheek, his eyes gleaming mischievously.

Eijun huffed, gesturing for him to get up before putting on his shoes.

After stuffing the blanket into the picnic basket, they left the park, Mei leading them back to Inashiro.

Eijun would've protested, but he knew that if he tried to lead the way back to Inashiro, he would get them lost.

He watched in awe as Mei confidently lead the way, Mei not even looking at the streets or buildings around them.

(How did Mei do that? It was like Mei had memorized the whole city.)

It reminded him of the time he got lost in Tokyo, and Mei had helped him.

"What are you thinking about?"

Eijun squeezed his hand gently. "This reminds me of the time I got lost in Tokyo. You lead us around the city just like this," he said softly.

"Oh?" Mei smirked. "You're thinking about our first date?"

Eijun flushed, glaring at him. "That wasn't a date!"

"It totally was. I don't know why you protest."

Eijun huffed. "Because it wasn't a date!"

Mei raised an eyebrow. "If it wasn't a date, what was it?"

"We were…" Eijun furrowed his eyebrows, trying to think. His eyes lit up. "We were hanging out! And you were helping me!"

Mei snorted. "So you hold hands and flirt with everyone you hang out with." He nodded when Eijun glared at him. "See?"

"That's… You were looking out for me!" Eijun protested. "And I don't remember flirting with you!"

Mei scoffed, looking away from him and tightening his grip. "Then I guess I read too much into it."

Eijun's eyes widened.

Did he… just hurt Mei?

His heart clenched at the way Mei refused to look at him.

(That was his fault. Why did he do that?)

"Mei, I—"

Mei scowled. "Forget it. I guess I was the only one who thought that was a date. It's no big deal."

Liar.

Mei still wasn't looking at him, his body tense.

His grip on his hand was still tight.

(Not enough to hurt, of course. Mei would never hurt him on purpose. Just tight enough where Eijun knew Mei felt hurt.)

"But it is a big deal! Mei, I—"

Mei shook his head, his dark blue eyes flashing with hurt and anger. "No, it's alright. I know how you feel about me. I—"

"I'm sorry!"

Mei blinked a few times before finally looking at him, furrowing his eyebrows. "Why are you apologizing?"

Eijun wanted to look away, but he didn't. "I… I was embarrassed." He flushed. "I didn't know you could tell how much I liked you back then."

Mei snorted, looking amused. "It was pretty obvious." He raised an eyebrow. "You really thought I wouldn't notice those lingering looks? Or how you stopped complaining about holding hands?"

"I…" Eijun's flush darkened. "I had hoped you wouldn't notice that."

Mei shook his head fondly. "I didn't know the extent of your feelings for me." He smirked. "But I knew you were crushing on me."

Eijun furrowed his eyebrows. "If you knew, why did you agree to go out with me?" He made a face. "Oh, right. You did that with everyone else you dated."

"It's true I did that with everyone else," Mei said softly. "But like I've told you before, you were different. Besides…" His eyes softened. "I had fun on our first date. I didn't see any reason to refuse."

Eijun looked regretful. "I'm really sorry, Mei. It was wrong of me to pretend that was anything else but a date."

"So…" Mei furrowed his eyebrows, relaxing his grip. "You're admitting it was a date?"

Eijun's eyes softened. "That was our first date." He lifted their joined hands, kissing the top of Mei's hand. "I could never forget about it. Just like how I could never forget about how we agreed to date each other."

Mei smirked. "I don't blame you. Not everyone gets to date the king, you know." He laughed as Eijun shot him a dirty look. "Seriously, though…" His eyes softened. "I was happy you agreed to date me."

Eijun looked away. "Was… Was that…" His whole face turned pink. "… Never mind."

"What?" When he didn't answer, Mei forced him to look at him, causing him to let out a surprised sound. "Come on. Tell me, Eijun."

Eijun shivered, wanting to hate the way Mei played dirty. "Was that because I agreed to date you? Or was that because of your ego?"

"I won't deny that when I learned you were crushing on me, I felt smug." Mei's eyes softened. "And when you agreed to date me, I felt even more smug. But I told you, right?"

They stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, Eijun's eyes widening when Mei turned to face him and cupped his cheek gently.

"You're different. And you have been since I decided to help you." Mei grinned cheekily. "I wouldn't help just anyone, you know."

Eijun laughed softly despite himself, his free hand reaching up and holding onto Mei's hand. "You're so horrible."

Mei winked. "But you like me anyway."

"Yeah." Eijun kissed the hand cupping his cheek, smiling softly as Mei flushed. "I really like you."

Mei's soft blue eyes were as soft as waves at the beach. "I really like you, too." He huffed a few moments later, causing Eijun to blink. "I'm still angry with you, you know."

Eijun almost smiled at the way the corners of Mei's lips twitched. "Is that so?"

(Mei tried to give the impression that he was still angry, but Eijun knew better.)

"I can't forgive you that easily." Mei pouted. "You refused to admit our first date was a date. You hurt me."

Some part of Eijun knew Mei wasn't being totally serious, but he couldn't stop the guilt, especially when Mei mentioned how he had hurt him. "How can I make it up to you?"

"You'll do anything?"

Eijun almost gulped at the mischievous gleam in his eyes. "I-I'll do anything."

Why did he have a feeling he might regret this?

Mei hummed, as if he was pretending to think about it. "In that case…" He smirked. "Kiss me."

… Eh?

Mei wanted him to kiss him?

That was…

Eijun gasped, belatedly realizing where they were. "Right now? We're in the middle of the sidewalk."

"You said you would do anything." Mei's smirk widened. "And who cares about that? Normally, you wouldn't hesitate to kiss me no matter where we are."

Eijun flushed. "That's because I forget we're in public a lot of the time."

"Have I mentioned I like it whenever that happens?"

Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Of course you do. It means I'm keeping my attention on you. You and your ego."

Mei let go of his cheek, shaking a finger in his face. "Don't try to distract me. You're not getting out of this."

"I wouldn't. I…" Eijun looked around them before looking at him again. "… Fine, I'll do it."

Mei grinned triumphantly.

"But… Not here, okay?" Eijun pulled Mei into a nearby alley before he could protest, kissing him gently. He pulled away several moments later, smiling softly. "How's that?"

Mei frowned deeply, the corners of his lips twitching. "I guess I'll forgive you." He narrowed his eyes. "Don't do that again, or I won't let you off with just a kiss."

"I promise, Mei." Eijun's soft smile remained on his face. "Thank you for forgiving me." He hugged Mei, letting out a happy sound as Mei hugged him back, kissing the top of his head.

Mei hummed. "You know… I wasn't that angry with you." He tightened his grip briefly. "I was mainly hurt."

Eijun felt his heart hurt, a regretful look coming onto his face. "I'm sorry, Mei. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know." Mei kissed the top of his head again, eyes soft. "Don't worry about it."

They hugged each other in silence, Eijun not caring who saw them.

(He probably wouldn't notice them anyway, not wanting to look away from Mei for even a second.)

It was then Eijun promised himself.

No matter how embarrassing (or annoying) it was to admit it, he wouldn't hide the truth from Mei any longer.

He hated seeing Mei upset, and he never wanted to see it again.

Eijun wasn't sure how much time passed before he pulled away, smiling softly. "Come on. Let's go back to Inashiro. Don't you want your other present?"

He laughed loudly as Mei eagerly pulled him out of the alley.

Mei was so cute.

As they walked back to Inashiro, they reminisced about their previous dates.

Eijun couldn't stop himself from flushing whenever he or Mei mentioned something embarrassing, feeling a little better (and smug) whenever Mei flushed.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at Inashiro, joking and teasing each other.

As they walked past the larger common room, though, someone whistling caught their attention.

"You're looking hot as always, Eijun."

They stopped in their tracks, Mei glowering at his teammates.

Eijun flushed, reluctantly looking away from Mei to look at his teammates. "Good evening. Sorry for the intrusion." He bowed.

Once he straightened, he gave them a bright smile, his smile brightening at the sight of Itsuki.

"You look hot, Eijun," Kamiya-san said, whistling.

Eijun's flush darkened at the compliment. When Mei huffed, he stepped closer to him, squeezing his hand gently before looking at Kamiya-san. "Thank you very much, Kamiya-san."

Eijun wore a white T-shirt under an open Inashiro red short sleeve casual button-up shirt. He also wore black jeans and white and red sneakers.

Shirakawa-san looked him up and down, seemingly missing or ignoring Mei's glower. "Inashiro red looks good on you." He looked at Mei for a couple of moments before looking at him again. "I didn't know you owned a shirt in that color."

"I bought it recently." Eijun grinned proudly. "I remembered that Mei always liked it whenever I wore this color."

Yabe-san furrowed his eyebrows. "Why did you decide to wear it today?"

Mei smirked, pulling Eijun close and kissing his cheek, causing most of his teammates to groan. "Because we're celebrating our one-year anniversary today."

Itsuki gave them a bright smile. "Congratulations, Mei-san! You too, Eijun!"

"Thank you, Itsuki." Eijun smiled brightly. "We couldn't celebrate it on the day itself, but I'm happy we got to meet up today."

Kamiya-san narrowed his eyes for some reason before giving him a suggestive look. "If you ever get tired of this jerk, you can always come to me." He winked. "My bed's very warm if you know what I mean."

Kamiya-san liked to joke around and mess with Mei. His suggestive looks and provocative comments made Eijun uncomfortable at times, but he never read too much into it.

(Because Kamiya-san didn't like him. He only did it to make Mei angry.)

The same couldn't be said about Mei, though.

Mei tightened his grip on his hand, glowering at him. "Stop hitting on my boyfriend."

"We're allowed to compliment Eijun!" Yabe-san yelled.

Mei's eyes flashed dangerously. "That's not what he was doing, and you know it."

"Mei…" Eijun reached out with his free hand, forcing Mei to look at him. "It's alright."

Mei held the hand on his face, closing his eyes briefly. "It's not alright. I keep telling you that if they make you uncomfortable, you have to tell me."

Eijun smiled reassuringly. "They're just joking, Mei. They don't even mean it."

"He's so dense." Kamiya-san groaned.

Shirakawa-san clicked his tongue. "He probably wouldn't get it even if you asked him out."

Eijun frowned deeply.

What did they mean by that?

Kamiya-san didn't even like him.

Why would Kamiya-san ask him out?

Mei kissed his forehead, causing most of his teammates to groan. "Don't think too hard about what they're saying." He grinned cheekily. "You might hurt yourself."

"Stop being mean." Eijun glared at him, causing Mei to snicker. "I won't hurt myself."

Mei raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying it doesn't hurt whenever you think too much?"

Eijun flushed, scowling when Mei laughed.

"That's all I'm saying." Mei's eyes softened. "I don't want you to hurt yourself." He caressed his forehead. "Especially today of all days."

Eijun smiled softly, his heart melting at Mei's caress. "You're so sappy."

"But you like it, don't you?"

Eijun's soft smile remained on his face. "Yeah."

"This is disgusting," Yabe-san complained.

One of Mei's other teammates scoffed. "Can't he tell that Mei's only acting?"

"Yeah, he doesn't even like him." Another one of Mei's teammates scoffed. "Mei doesn't deserve him."

Anger flashed in Eijun's eyes.

(How dare they say that about Mei!)

Before he could yell at them, though, Mei kissed his forehead, still caressing it. "Don't."

"But… But Mei…" Eijun protested weakly.

He wanted to hate the way Mei's touches made the anger go away.

(He wanted to yell at Mei's teammates, damn it!)

Mei shook his head, squeezing his hand gently. "It's not worth it." He caressed his cheek, his eyes soft as Eijun closed his eyes briefly. "Come on. Let's go to my room. Don't let my teammates ruin our special night."

"Special…" Eijun's eyes widened before softening. "Alright. Let's go. Sorry, Mei."

Mei smiled softly, letting go of his cheek, Eijun having to bite his lower lip so that he didn't whine. "Don't worry about it. And thank you."

Before leaving the room, Eijun glowered at the Inashiro players who bad-mouthed Mei, causing them to flinch.

"I'll talk to you later, Eijun." Itsuki smiled softly.

Eijun smiled brightly at him. "Yeah. I'll talk to you later, Itsuki."

"Remember to tell me what Mei-san got you."

Eijun's bright smile brightened even more. "I will."

Once inside Mei's room, Eijun gently placed the gift bag and picnic basket on the floor next to the bed.

He turned around, about to ask something.

Only to smile softly as Mei hugged him.

Eijun hugged him back, burying his face in his shoulder and breathing in that comforting sandalwood and lemon smell.

(He really needed to ask Mei for one of his jackets. Or one of his shirts.)

"Are you alright?"

He pulled away, unsurprised to see Mei's concerned look. "I'm alright."

"They didn't make you uncomfortable, right?"

Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "You worry too much."

Mei narrowed his eyes. "Can you blame me? My teammates keep hitting on you and saying those provocative comments." He huffed. "This is your fault, you know."

"Eh?" Eijun blinked a few times before furrowing his eyebrows. "How is it my fault?"

Mei gave him a pointed look. "You keep encouraging them."

"Well…" Eijun made a face. "What am I supposed to do? I don't want to be rude."

Mei let out a frustrated sound. "You can tell them not to do that stuff anymore." His eyes gleamed dangerously. "Or you can let me take care of it."

"I can take care of myself, Mei." Eijun frowned deeply. "Besides… I don't think they'll listen to you even if you scold them."

Mei growled, but Eijun knew it wasn't directed toward him. "Then…" He blinked before smirking.

Eijun didn't like the sight of that smirk. "Mei?"

"If they won't listen to me, I'll get someone who they will listen to."

Eijun blinked a few times. "Who's that?"

Mei kissed his forehead. "You don't need to worry. I'll take care of everything."

"But…" Eijun pouted despite himself. "But I can take care of myself."

Mei's eyes softened. "You don't want me to take care of you?"

Eijun flushed, looking away briefly. "I… That's not…"

"Let me do this for you." Mei kissed his cheek. "You're always looking out for me. I want to do the same."

Eijun knew without even looking that his whole face was pink. "I… Okay." He frowned. "Don't hurt them, okay?"

Mei huffed, tightening his grip around him possessively. "I promise I won't hurt them." He clicked his tongue. "Even if they deserve to pay for trying to steal you away from me."

Eijun resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

No matter how many times he tried to tell Mei they didn't mean it, Mei refused to believe him.

(He understood Mei knew his teammates better than he did. But this time, Mei was wrong. None of his teammates liked Eijun. They only did it to make Mei angry.)

Eijun let go with one arm, cupping his cheek gently. "You know… You look out for me a lot." He smiled softly as Mei held his hand there. "I really appreciate it."

"Well…" Mei snorted. "I am your boyfriend."

Eijun hummed. "Believe me. I'm grateful every day that you are."

Mei flushed, looking away briefly. "You're so sappy."

"It's the truth."

Mei snickered, causing him to blink. "Can you believe us? We're so sappy."

"What's wrong with being sappy?"

Mei hummed. "It's alright to be sappy sometimes." He grinned cheekily. "It would be weird if we were sappy all the time, though."

Eijun made a face. "Yeah. I can't imagine you being sappy all the time." He grinned devilishly. "Your massive ego won't allow you."

"Says the guy who likes me for who I am."

Eijun's grin widened. "I like you for who you are, but it's also true you can be annoying sometimes."

"Trust me. You can be just as annoying."

Eijun laughed loudly, kissing his cheek, causing Mei to furrow his eyebrows.

They sat down on Mei's bed across from each other, Eijun leaning over to grab the large blue gift bag.

He smiled softly as Mei's eyes lit up. "Here. Open it."

Mei grabbed his present, eagerly tossing the tissue paper sticking out of the bag aside, Eijun almost laughing at his excitement.

(Mei was so cute.)

Eijun waited patiently for Mei to pull out his present, blinking a few times when Mei furrowed his eyebrows. "Is something wrong?"

"You…" Mei stared down at the present before giving him a baffled look. "You gave me a pillow?"

Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Maybe if you take it out of the bag, you'll understand why I gave it to you."

Mei furrowed his eyebrows before taking the pillow out of the bag, his eyes widening and his breathing hitching. "This…"

"I saw this in a shop window a couple of weeks ago." Eijun's voice was soft. "I thought it'd be perfect for you."

The gray suede pillow had the words Our first year together near the top, their given names near the bottom, and a picture of them in the shape of a heart in the middle.

In the picture, Eijun and Mei sat on their red loveseat in the larger common room, Mei's left arm draped around Eijun's shoulders, his hand holding Eijun's left hand. Both smiled softly, their eyes soft.

It was one of Eijun's favorite pictures.

He really liked Mei, and he liked him for who he was.

But in that picture, Mei wasn't the king. Or Inashiro's ace.

Mei was… being Mei.

His boyfriend.

Mei's soft smile and soft eyes…

They told him how much Mei liked him.

(That picture was another reason why Eijun would never believe it whenever Miyuki-senpai (or Mei's teammates) tried to convince him that Mei was only… acting.)

Mei stared down at the pillow, tracing the heart shape with a finger. "How did you…?"

"Itsuki took the picture." Eijun rubbed the back of his head. "I guess it was one of those times we tuned out everyone else."

Mei's eyes softened. "This is what I look like whenever I look at you?"

Normally, Eijun would tease Mei somehow, especially if Mei was being smug.

He could tell, though, that Mei wasn't being smug.

He looked almost… awed.

"Yeah," Eijun said softly. "We've been together for so long, but I still can't believe it sometimes."

Mei chuckled. "I don't blame you. If someone tried to tell me I would look like this before I met you, I wouldn't have believed them."

"There's more." Eijun grinned at his confused look. "Turn it over."

Mei furrowed his eyebrows before obeying him, his eyes widening and his breathing hitching again.

Twelve small square shaped pictures bordered the back of the pillow and surrounded a larger picture in the middle. Below the middle picture was the date they started dating.

In the middle picture, Eijun and Mei sat across from each other at their normal date spot, laughing at each other's marshmallow mustache.

(One of the baristas had taken that picture. Mei hadn't been pleased at first, but after the barista showed them the picture, Mei had clicked his tongue, ordering the barista to send the picture to them. Eijun had rolled his eyes good-naturedly at his attitude before thanking the barista with a bright smile on his face.)

In one of the smaller pictures, Eijun and Mei stood in a purikura booth, sticking their tongues out and giving each other bunny ears.

(They hadn't known they gave each other bunny ears until the pictures popped out of the machine. Mei had complained about it at first, not able to believe Eijun had thought of the same idea, but he eventually warmed to it, laughing at how silly they looked.)

In another picture, Eijun and Mei sat on their red loveseat, Mei's left arm draped around Eijun's shoulders. Mei had a cheeky grin on his face as he whispered into Eijun's ear, Eijun grinning devilishly.

(Itsuki had taken that picture, too. Eijun hadn't known Itsuki had taken so many pictures of them until he brought up not having enough pictures of him and Mei for the pillow. Itsuki had looked sheepish, but he had happily sent all the pictures he had to Eijun.)

In another picture, Eijun and Mei stood outside one of Inashiro's practice fields under the tree where Eijun told Mei he liked him. Eijun wore his casual clothes while Mei wore his practice uniform. Mei held both of Eijun's hands, his eyes closed as he kissed Eijun's left hand. Eijun smiled softly, his eyes soft as he looked at Mei.

(That was another picture Itsuki took. It had been in the middle of the off-season. Practice had ended early, Eijun wanting to surprise Mei (and hopefully go out on a date with him). After Mei's practice ended, Mei had walked up to him, asking about his practice. Before Eijun could respond, though, Mei had grabbed his hands, kissing his left hand.)

The rest of the pictures were of Eijun and Mei out on a date somewhere.

"Let me guess…" Mei looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Itsuki?"

Eijun smiled sheepishly. "I got some of those pictures from Itsuki. I didn't know he took so many pictures of us."

"Honestly." Mei clicked his tongue, looking down at the pillow. "He's lucky he's my battery partner."

Eijun laughed softly. "I'll make sure to thank him for you."

"Tell him to send me the pictures, too."

Eijun furrowed his eyebrows. "But you got the pictures on the pillow?"

"To my phone, you idiot."

Eijun rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, right."

Mei looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "What made you think I'd like this?"

Eijun's heart dropped.

Mei didn't like it?

That was impossible.

He thought…

Maybe Mei was teasing him?

"Well, I know how possessive you can be. It's…" Eijun flushed. "It's also good for those times whenever I'm not around."

Mei smirked. "I get to snuggle with you every night?"

"Y-Yeah." Eijun looked away, tugging at his collar nervously. "Something like that."

Mei forced him to look at him, his soft blue eyes expressing his happiness. "I love it, Eijun. Thank you."

Eijun shivered, smiling one of his brightest smiles. "You do?"

Mei grinned cheekily. "I think this is more romantic than your dinner idea."

"Why?" Eijun scowled. "Because I didn't cook everything perfectly or pick the right place?"

Mei laughed softly, kissing his forehead. "I'm kidding. I know I already said this but thank you for dinner." His eyes softened. "I really appreciate all the hard work you put into it."

"I-It was my pleasure!" Eijun smiled goofily, happy Mei liked both presents.

It was worth it to see Mei smile.

(He knew Mei would like both presents.)

Mei smirked, holding the pillow to his chest. "My teammates are going to love this. I'll make sure to hold it whenever I miss you."

Instead of rolling his eyes good-naturedly, Eijun's eyes softened. "That's what I thought you'd say."

Mei stared at him for a few moments, causing him to blink. In the next moment, though, Mei kissed him, giving him such a long and hard kiss that it made Eijun moan.

Eijun's chest felt warm when Mei pulled away, his blue eyes soft and happy.

(He always wanted Mei to look at him that way.)

Mei grinned cheekily, leaning over the bed to grab the small gold gift bag. "My present might not be as large as yours, but I guarantee that you'll love it."

"You sound confident." Eijun's lips twitched as he grabbed the gift bag.

Mei's grin widened. "If this was a bet, I'd win."

"We'll see." Eijun tossed the tissue paper aside and pulled out the present. He blinked at seeing a small black box.

(Did Mei give him jewelry?)

He opened the box, furrowing his eyebrows at seeing a brown leather wallet. "A wallet?"

Mei's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Maybe if you open it, you'll understand why I gave it to you."

"Don't copy me, you ass," Eijun said automatically, causing Mei to snicker. He opened the wallet, his eyes widening and his breathing hitching at the engraving carved into the inside of the wallet.

You're loud and impertinent, but I don't want you to change. I'm not going anywhere.

Below the engraving was Mei's given name.

"This…" Eijun looked up at Mei, his mouth open.

Mei shrugged. "I thought about removing my name, but I decided to keep it on there." He looked away briefly, flushing. "Your teammates won't find out about us if I leave my given name on there, right?"

Eijun looked down at the wallet, tracing the words. "Mei…"

Mei hummed, yelping as Eijun tackled him, looking up at him wide-eyed.

"Thank you, Mei. I love it." Eijun's eyes softened.

Mei smirked. "See? I told you you'd love it." When Eijun slapped his shoulder, he laughed. "Seriously, though…" His eyes softened. "I'm happy you love it."

Eijun huffed, the corners of his lips twitching. "Did you have to insult me, though?"

"What?" Mei grinned cheekily. "It's the truth. I would've added more, but I ran out of room."

Eijun leaned in closer. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that," he breathed, kissing him.

Mei pulled him closer, responding to the kiss.

They kissed softly for a few moments before Mei, the impatient guy that he was, licked his lower lip.

Eijun briefly thought about not opening his mouth, but Mei licking his lower lip again made him change his mind, parting his lips.

Mei let out an approving sound, his tongue darting into his mouth.

Eijun whined despite himself when Mei's tongue explored his mouth instead of touching his own, moaning when Mei finally touched his tongue.

He matched Mei's passionate and brisk pace, not wanting to lose to him. He pulled away a few moments later, grinning devilishly at Mei's surprised look.

"You can be so sweet sometimes."

Mei flushed, looking away. "Shut up. I don't want to hear that from you."

Eijun laughed softly, his eyes softening. "Seriously, though… Thank you for the wallet, Mei."

Mei looked back at him hopefully. "Does that mean you'll use it?"

"Of course. I've been wanting a new wallet, you know."

Mei pouted, causing him to look away briefly. "What about me? You're not going to use it because I gave it to you?"

"Why?" Eijun grinned devilishly. "It's not that special." His grin widened as Mei narrowed his eyes. "I'm kidding." He cupped Mei's cheek, his eyes soft. "I'll look at it every day."

Mei huffed, holding his hand there. "You better, you idiot."

"Trust me. I could never forget about you."

Normally, a comment like that made Mei smug, Mei probably saying something about how no one could forget the king.

But this time…

Mei's eyes widened before softening.

Eijun thought he saw relief in Mei's eyes at one point, but he probably imagined it.

(… Right?)

Looking into Mei's soft happy blue eyes…

It made him feel as if he was at the beach.

As if Eijun floated on his back in the ocean, the sun warming up his whole body. He felt Mei's presence washing over him like waves at the beach, causing him to close his eyes and enjoy the caress of Mei's cool hands.

(He felt safe with Mei's presence around him. He didn't even care if he floated out to sea. Mei wouldn't let anything happen to him.)

He didn't want Mei to go anywhere.

"Do my touches feel that good?"

Eijun opened his eyes at Mei's amused voice, blinking at seeing him above him.

(When did that happen?)

He didn't even realize he had closed his eyes.

Mei laughed softly, continuing to caress his face. He moved from his forehead to his cheeks and then back again, Eijun letting out a content sound despite himself. "Maybe I should do this more often."

Eijun would complain, not wanting Mei's massive ego to grow larger. Mei kissing his forehead and tracing infinity patterns on his left hand made him change his mind, though, causing him to let out a weird sound that sounded like a strangled gasp and a content sound.

(Mei was totally doing this on purpose! He knew how much Eijun enjoyed his touches!)

"That sounds like a yes," Mei teased, his eyes gleaming mischievously. He stopped the caresses, causing Eijun to whine. "I would continue, but…" He smirked. "I believe I have a promise to keep."

Eijun blinked a few times before furrowing his eyebrows. Before he could ask, though, Mei kissed his forehead, nose, cheeks, and his jaw in quick succession, causing his eyes to widen.

Mei bit his lower lip, grinning when Eijun let out a happy sound. Instead of kissing him, though, he kissed down his neck, causing him to moan and tilt his head.

Mei let out an approving hum, kissing up and down his neck.

"You…" Eijun gasped as Mei pulled down his shirt and licked his collarbone. "What are you doing?"

Mei snorted against his skin, kissing every inch of his skin. "I'm keeping my promise, you idiot." He didn't even look up. "Don't tell me you forgot?"

"I… I didn't forget…" Eijun shivered as Mei's cool fingers stroked his pitching shoulder. "I just…"

(The timing surprised him, that's all.)

Mei hummed, pulling down his shirt even further and kissing his chest. "What was I thinking? You wouldn't forget. You were looking forward to this."

Eijun gasped as Mei kissed the area around his nipples. Instead of continuing, Mei pulled away from him, causing him to whine. "Mei!"

(He wanted him to continue, damn it!)

"Sit up." Mei tugged at his hands, causing him to blink. "I want to take your shirts off."

Eijun flushed, sitting up.

Mei kissed his cheek to thank him before helping him take off his shirts. After gently placing his shirts on the floor beside the bed, he leaned back in, kissing his forehead. "There."

"Do…" Eijun flush's darkened, but he didn't look away from those soft eyes. "Do you want to take off my pants, too?"

(He couldn't look away from Mei even if he tried.)

Mei furrowed his eyebrows. "It's alright?" When Eijun nodded, smiling softly, he unbuckled his belt, Eijun lifting his hips so that Mei could take off his pants and set it aside.

Eijun lied back down, shivering as Mei resumed kissing his chest, although he couldn't tell whether that was because of Mei's gentle kisses or because of the cool air caressing his skin.

(Probably both. Mei's touches had always affected him since day one.)

"Let me know whenever you want me to stop," Mei breathed, kissing the spot where his heart was at.

Eijun shook his head, feeling sheepish when he realized Mei couldn't see him. "Don't stop." His voice was as quiet as Mei's. He cleared his throat, grinning devilishly. "You don't want to disappoint me, do you?"

"That…" Mei kissed his shoulders before kissing his jaw. "That would be bad."

Eijun laughed softly, pulling him closer when Mei nuzzled his neck.

Mei licked his neck, causing him to gasp. "I wish you'd let me mark you. You'd look so sexy."

"That's tempting." Eijun shivered as Mei continued licking different parts of his neck. "But I thought you said you'd wait?"

Mei pulled away to give him a serious look, causing his breath to catch. "I'll wait as long as you want me to." He shrugged, smirking. "It's true that you'd look sexy, though."

"You would think that." Eijun snorted, the corners of his lips twitching. "Wait a little longer, okay?"

Mei groaned exaggeratedly, pouting. "Fine! This wait better be worth it!"

"I promise it will."

Mei's eyes darkened, but instead of saying anything, he resumed licking his neck, his hands caressing his stomach and ribs.

Eijun closed his eyes briefly at the touches, Mei's cool hands and warm tongue sending jolts of electricity up his spine.

"Mei?"

Mei hummed, kissing his pitching shoulder before kissing down his arm. He paused at his scar before kissing it a few times, causing him to shiver.

"Thank you for doing this."

Mei hummed again, kissing the leather bracelet before moving it out of the way to kiss his left wrist. "I told you that I would make it up to you."

"That's not what I mean."

Mei didn't look up from kissing his left hand, kissing the top, his fingers, and his palm in quick succession. "I know." He moved over to his right shoulder, kissing it before kissing down his right arm. "You know I'd do anything for you, Eijun." His voice was quiet.

Eijun shivered, blinking furiously, trying not to let any tears escape. His heart felt warm.

He wanted to hug him and never let go.

He wished he could put into words how he felt.

Telling Mei he really liked him…

That wasn't enough anymore.

But they made the most sense to him.

(Some part of him didn't want to think about what these feelings meant. He wasn't ready.)

"I really like you, Mei." Eijun's voice was quiet. "So don't leave me, okay?"

(He just… needed some more time to figure out his feelings.)

Mei looked up from kissing his right hand, holding his left hand up to his mouth and kissing the top of it. "You can't get rid of me that easily." He held Eijun's left hand in his own, moving them so that they rested over his heart. "This heart belongs to you."

Eijun smiled softly, tugging their joined hands lightly before kissing the top of Mei's hand. "That makes me so happy." He moved them so that they rested over his heart. "My heart belongs to you, Mei. It always will."

"You won't leave me?" Mei looked serious, causing his breath to catch. "We'll get to celebrate more anniversaries?"

Eijun blinked before smiling softly, tugging him closer and kissing his forehead. "I'm not going anywhere. We'll get to celebrate a lot more anniversaries."

Mei kissed him gently for a few moments before nuzzling his neck, Eijun's soft smile still on his face. "Happy Anniversary, Eijun."

Eijun shivered, pulling him closer so that he could hear Mei's heartbeat. "Happy Anniversary, Mei."

He had missed Mei so much.

The summer tournament was almost here, and he knew they would be busy with baseball when it finally arrived.

Hopefully, they would get enough time to meet up with each other.

(Some part of him knew he shouldn't hang out with Mei so much, as he was Seidou's enemy. But Mei was also his boyfriend.)

He felt comforted by the thought that Mei felt the same as him.

His teammates still didn't know about their relationship, and he felt worried about their reaction.

They might react like how Mei's teammates reacted.

(Or worse.)

They probably wouldn't accept his relationship and insist he date someone else.

But he didn't want anyone else.

Only Mei.

That would never change.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

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

Reviews/Favorites/Follows are appreciated.

I wanted to keep this fic as fluffy as possible but considering where we are in my series (and in canon), I couldn't stop myself from adding in some angst. On the bright side, though, y'all got almost a whole fic in Eijun's point of view. Someone's getting close to realizing his feelings for Mei 😉😉😉 I say that, but y'all need to wait some more before he realizes it.

Koushuu (and Asada) found out about Meisawa! Koushuu still hasn't heard any of the rumors surrounding Mei, though, so he doesn't understand why Eijun's so worried about the rest of the team finding out about his relationship. He'll find out about the rumors in my next fic.

Eijun and Mei could've eaten dinner at their normal date spot for their anniversary, but I wanted to do something special. That's why I came up with Eijun cooking for the two of them. Eijun's not a very good cook, but Mei enjoyed it all the same and could feel Eijun's feelings for him.

I wanted to come up with something special for Eijun and Mei's presents, but I couldn't think of anything. I looked online, though, and I found some anniversary present ideas. When I saw that photo collage pillow, all I kept imagining was a lonely Mei holding that pillow. I tried to go into detail for the pictures, but I didn't want to describe them all. I'll describe more of the pictures in some of my future fics. Mei's present was a lot more difficult, as Seidou doesn't know about Meisawa yet. I saw this engraved wallet, though, and thought it would be perfect.

Speaking of future fics… I already know what my next fic will be about. My next fic will be set after my Approaching That Summer Sky fic. Y'all will finally get to see more of Seidou's reaction to the Meisawa relationship, as the first string will ask Eijun questions about his relationship. Oh, and y'all will get to see Mei confronting Seidou about their treatment of Eijun. Ahh, I'm already feeling bad for Eijun.

See y'all next time!