Just a little something to satisfy my hunger for this pairing.

Extemporaneous

Abe left early that day. It was after their Saturday afternoon practice, he stayed for a bit (not even changing out of his school uniform) then left. He said it was some kind of family emergency and apologized to the team, to Momokan, then to Mihashi.

Abe missed the important announcement made by Momokan of the surprise training camp they were going to go to for the spring break. So Momokan grabbed Mihashi's shoulder (the boy visibly jumped a foot, scared for his life) and left him with the responsibility of calling Abe and informing him of the camp.

Mihashi nodded quickly, fiddling with his glove awkwardly in order to calm himself. It was Sunday tomorrow so Mihashi wouldn't see Abe as it was the weekend and the team had off then. But Mihashi never called Abe before... he was sure if he did, it would just end up being awkward and he would stutter and make a general fool of himself. He would text him then.

"Ah, hey! Someone left their cellphone here!" Tajima shouted from the benches. He ran over to Hanai and showed the boy the phone.

Mihashi, who was standing next to their captain, looked over at the phone in Tajima's outstretched hand and felt a shock run through his body and a sinking feeling of disappoint in his stomach.

"... that's Abe's. I'll hang onto it and give it to him on Monday," Hanai took the phone and pocketed it.

Ah... Mihashi looked away and curled in on himself.

He would have to call him.


Abe gave his home and cellphone number to Mihashi after their Golden Week training camp, telling him not to hesitate in calling for anything. Mihashi did certainly hesitate, and he didn't think there would ever be a time when he needed to call Abe's home phone either... what if someone else picked up? What would he do?

Mihashi sat on his bed with his head tucked between his knees and his clammy hands wrapped around his phone tightly.

"I'll... I'll call..." he stuttered, trying to convince himself to gather up a bit of courage.

He played what he would say to Abe over and over again in his head as he slowly pressed Abe's speed-dial number.

The phone rang.

Mihashi pressed the "End" button repeatedly as if his life depended on it.

'I can't do it! I can't do it!'

He hated his indecisiveness. He really couldn't do anything about his personality... even though he tried to hard for himself... and for Abe.

"That's right... Abe-kun... he-he needs to know about... the camp..."

Right! Abe needed to be told about it! Mihashi needed to do this for Abe! He... he needed to...

Mihashi gulped and pressed again. His shoulders hunching as he listened to the BRRRING on the other line and he patiently waited...

(And somewhere in his heart, he didn't want Abe to pick up at all.)

Click.

"Hello?"

Mihashi fell forward in shock and grasped at his shirt, "He-he-hello..." he whispered back.

His mind went blank. His practiced lines left him like courage right before a big game, and he couldn't think—he couldn't breathe—he couldn't see—

"Hello? Who's speaking?"

"Mi-Mi-Mihashi... m-may I speak to Abe-kun..." he paused for a moment, then added, "Please?"

"... ah..." the person on the other line didn't sound like Abe. His voice was much higher and the way he spoke was different as well, "Uh, everyone who lives here is Abe."

Mihashi nodded numbly, "Oh. Then please excuse me," he mumbled into the speaker and then hung up.

It was only after a little while later, what he just did caught up with him and Mihashi attempted suicide by suffocation with his pillow.

'What am I doing?! What was I thinking?! T-that must've been Abe-kun's relative...! How stupid I must've sounded!'

"I... I'll try again," and he lifted his phone.


"Nii-chan, I think there was some guy on the phone looking for you."

Abe Takaya looked up from the dishes he was washing to his little brother standing in the doorway with the cordless phone in his hand, "Is he still on?"

"Nah, he hung up. Some weird guy. Kept stuttering."

Abe frowned and looked back at his dishes; the corners of his lips twitched in annoyance, 'Mihashi. Why the heck did he hang up?' but really... it was no surprise with Mihashi's mouse-like personality.

But that didn't mean Abe liked it.

"Are you going to call him back, Nii-chan?"

"Yeah, I'll do it after—"

BRRRING. BRRRING.

Abe quickly pulled off the rubber gloves and snatched the phone out of his brother's hand. The younger boy jumped back quickly and left with a frown and a tiny look of suspicion over his shoulder. His brother looked... too expectant.

Abe took the call and pressed the phone against his ear, "Hello?" he called into it and only heard soft breathing from the other line for a moment, before there was a loud gulping noise and—

"M-may I speak to Takaya-kun, please?"

—something like that.

Abe stood there for a moment, completely dumbstruck.

"Hello? He-hello? Um... may I speak to Takaya-ku—"

"Ah. Mihashi, it's me."

There was tiny sigh of relief from the other boy and Abe heard the covers rustling in the background.

"Takaya-kun..." and rustling covers...

Abe fell over and collapsed over his table, his knees strangely weak. His head was spinning and his face was too hot...

"A-Abe-kun? Are you okay?"

There was only slight disappointment when Mihashi dropped the "Takaya," but Abe decided it was for the best. He couldn't take it too fast, it wouldn't be good for Mihashi, and even he needed to get used to it...

'That is if Mihashi ever decided to call me by my given name again...'

"Abe-kun, the-there's a... training camp... over spring break. I-I just called to... tell you... since you... left... early..."

"Hm. Okay."

Of course, they were very close now. Even Haruna called him by his first name, surely someone like Mihashi (whom Abe respected, unlike that Haruna) had the right to call him "Takaya."

And... and... maybe it might just go downhill from there...

It might be "Takaya" now... then someday it might even become something like... "Tatchan..." or "Takkun..." or "Yacchan..."

Abe wrapped a hand around his temple and massaged it. His head was rolling too fast.

"Abe-kun?"

"Yeah, thanks Mihashi. I'll see you Monday then."

"S-see you Mon-Monday."

And he hung up.

Abe pressed his face against the cool top of the breakfast table and grounded himself for a bit, trying to will away the little Mihashis in his head all smiling and chanting "Tatchan! Tatchan!"

"... ... maybe someday. Later."


Mihashi looked at his phone. It was mission accomplished, but it was definitely weird.

"Ta-Takaya-kun..."

He blushed and buried his face into his pillow.

How embarrassing! He was sure Abe didn't appreciate him calling him that if his distant answers were evidence enough. Of course, as a battery Mihashi wanted to be closer to Abe... but if calling him by his first name made Abe uncomfortable, Mihashi would call him "Abe-kun" for eternity.

But... Mihashi would appreciate it if Abe called him "Ren."

A goofy smile spread across Mihashi's lips and his closed his eyes, heavy with sleepiness now.

"May-maybe someday... later."

-FIN-

I'll write something dirtier in the future. With lots of "A-Abe-kuuuuunn...!" and "Hah, Mi-Mihashi...". Haha, I'm looking forward to it.

...