Mihashi POV

When were we ever going to get some time alone. It was a selfish thought, I knew it, but come on...I was really getting desperate, it was hard to even sleep at night these days; dreaming of Takaya as I was.

Practice, school, more practice, more studying, sleep, and start all over again. My high school life was actually going well: I was passing all of my classes, I was the ace on the baseball team, I had friends...I had a lover... Though certainly I needed more time with said lover.

"Waah! It's starting to rain!" Tajima exclaimed, looking up at the sky. Everyone else in the team followed suit, looking up as the clouds opened up, letting sprinkles of water fall out.

"You boys won't melt!" Momokan called to us, a grin on her face that said 'get back to practice'.

"Ren!" Takaya patted his glove, getting into his squat, signing to me, and holding up his mitt. A straight fastball, top level, center. I got into my wind-up, feeling a tremble work through me as Takaya's eyes met mine. Throw the ball! Geeze. I pulled my arm back. Wait. My grip! It was too shallow, it was slipping from the rain! But too late, my ball was already sailing towards Takaya. He had to pull his mitt down to catch it, it barely made it into the strike zone.

"S-sorry!" I called, looking around for somewhere to run to. I waited for Takaya's yell of disappointment, it never came. I glanced over at him, hiding behind my hat.

He was staring at the ball in his hand for a moment, before looking up sharply at me, "Ren!"

"So-sorry!" I wriggled; I couldn't run away!

"Throw that again." He tossed the ball to me.

"Wh-what?"

"Throw that pitch again." He held up his glove. He wasn't angry? Even though the pitch was messed up? "You might have just unlocked another weapon for the game. Throw that pitch, exactly the same as last time, again."

Exactly the same? With my grip too shallow and slipping? Takaya raised his eyebrows at me, giving me a nod. I trusted him. Even if I didn't understand. I wound my body up, and flung the ball exactly the same, feeling it slip from my fingers.

"That's amazing." Takaya murmured, standing up.

"Wh-what is?" I asked, feeling my face flush when he beamed a smile at me.

"You have an imitation knuckle-ball."

"Knuckle-ball?!" Tajima looked over excitedly.

"Imitation knuckle-ball?" I repeated with a frown.

"How did you throw it? What was different than the normal throw?" Takaya inquired, putting the ball in my hand.

"My-my hand is wet...my grip was much shallower...the ball kind of slipped out of my fingers..." I answered slowly.

"So that's it." That face was the same as when we first met and he asked if I would be his pitcher. It made my heart ache with the pleasantness of that memory. "Since it slides out of your hand, it reduces the spin on the ball...that's why it wobbles and then drops, like a knuckle-ball." He put his hand ontop of mine, over the ball, "We can use this."

"Can use what? Abe, Mihashi?" Momokan had walked over to us.

"It's better to just see it." I was surprised with how pleased Takaya seemed. I mean, I had thrown the wrong pitch! "Come on Ren, let's show her your new ball." He winked, walked back over to his box, squatting down as Momokan stood behind him. He gestured, and I sent the slipping ball, it was really easy in the rain.

"Knuckle-ball..." Momokan's eyes were wide, "A knuckle-ball pitched with a fastball grip."

"An imitation knuckle-ball...and it still lands in the strike zone." Takaya's smile was happy and yet, mischievious; an attractive look on him. "Imagine how wild it can get if he throws more speed into it. Imagine what we can do once we hone this pitch."

"Split your pitching now between your normal throws and using this new one." Momokan nodded, grinning as she walked back to the dug-out.

"You are brilliant, Ren." Takaya said to me, cupping my face, and kissing me softly. I might've been embarrassed, with the entire team within view, but...it was such a nice kiss.

Though I could hear:

"Wow, their romance has just gone up to a ten, how intense." Sakaeguchi.

"Yeah, its almost exhausting how all-over-eachother they are now." Mizutani.

"Eh, I'm used to it." Izumi.

;-;

Author's note: Yes, yes, I took this kind of idea for Mihashi's new pitch from another wonderful baseball anime/manga. I just thought it would be exciting! :) Anyways, I will get to some more fluffy romance soon, hopefully! :D Please be patient! Review (since I'm addicted to them)! Thanks!