Prompt-locked in the same vicinity (e.g. chained up or broom closet)

Daiya no Ace

Miyuki Kazuya x Sawamura Eijun

Side pairing: RyouKura

Disclaimer: Daiya no Ace ain't mine

Out of the closet

" Oi! What's going on here? Let me out!" Eijun shouted, banging on the ramshackle door and twisting the doorknob furiously

"Nope" Ryousuke said, and Eijun could almost imagine the deadly smirk on his face as he said that.

Kuramochi cackled, adding onto the older Kominato "not until you resolve your differences. Everyone's had enough of you two dancing around each other like a pair of junior high students!"

"So with that being said," Isashiki boomed, "you're stuck in there until you make up or you collapse from hunger! Gahahaha"

"Gahhhh! Noooo! Beard-senpai!" Despite Eijun's pleas, his seniors responded to him with fading footsteps and a small "good luck" from captain Yuki.

"Give it up, Sawamura" Eijun turned around to see his fellow victim, Miyuki, leaning against a shelf with huge bottles of cleaning detergent.

"Hah! Why are you so calm?! They locked us in an old broom closet and they won't let us out until…" Eijun stopped short, letting Isashiki's words sink in just then.

There was a pregnant silence, and Eijun let out a resigned groan. He reached out for his school bag, which had also been caught up in this mess, and then scurried as far away as possible from the second-year.

The broom closet beside practice field B was about 2 metres square. It was rarely used, the paint peeling and cobwebs adorning the shelves, since the school had installed a new one in the main campus. There was hardly enough space for one let alone two people. Although Eijun had tried to put as much distance between them, his feet were still almost touching Miyuki's; Claustrophobic is an understatement to what Eijun was feeling right now.

Seconds ticked by, and Eijun considered trying to jump out the little window at the top, anything to get away from this suffocating silence. Though if it was anyone but Miyuki he was stuck with right now, it would definitely be a lot less awkward, because he doesn't feel ready to face Miyuki yet. Said second-year was rummaging inside his bag for something.

"Sawamura, do you have your phone? I think the senpais took my phone just now"

We could call for someone to unlock the door! Eijun realized, and made to take out his phone from his pants pocket…

Except that, it wasn't there.

Panicking, Eijun dug around in his bag, but he still couldn't find it. He was sure he had brought his phone though, because he had messaged Wakana during lunch break…

"Ah! Kuramochi-senpai must've stolen it!" Eijun exclaimed, wringing his hands in disappointment, thinking back to when Kuramochi stormed into his class after the last period and practically manhandled him to this place.

Clicking his tongue, Miyuki shook his head "then…"

"…"

"…"

Eijun felt the pressure of weighted silence again. Like two people who want to tell each other something but wouldn't, and so the air was thick with unspoken words. He almost, almost wanted to comment about the weather when without warning, his stomach growled loudly, letting out a funny noise resembling to the cry of a dying whale. Heat rising to his cheeks, Eijun prayed that Miyuki had not heard.

"…Umm…Mi—"

However, Miyuki heard it loud and clear, as a chortle sounded from the catcher. Seriously, based on today's events, Eijun must have kicked a puppy in his past life or something; first, he was forced into close proximity with the last person he wanted to see and secondly, he managed to embarrass himself in front of said person.

"It's not funny, you stupid megane!" Eijun yelled, glaring daggers at the concrete floor and refusing to look at the catcher. Only Miyuki could get him all riled up with just a growling stomach.

"Hahahaha! You should eat your meals properly. How can you possibly beat Furuya if you can't even take care of yourself properly?" goaded Miyuki, the corners of his mouth turning up in a smirk.

Fuming, Eijun was about to give Miyuki a piece of his mind when a Milo energy bar landed on his lap. Surprised, he turned around and inadvertently caught Miyuki's eyes.

"Eat. It may not be much, but it's all I have."

An unknown feeling fluttered through Eijun's entire being. He can't put a finger on it, only that it made him feel fuzzy inside, and made him jittery. Here it comes again, that annoying sensation that felt like he was on a rollercoaster ride.

Sporting a lovely shade of pink, Eijun opened the bar and ate it slowly, savouring the sweet, chocolaty taste.

Although it was not a practice day, the Seido baseball field was teeming with people anyway, as many people opted to do their own practice. The principal had always worried that the players might hurt themselves, but as long as coach Kataoka didn't say anything, no one bothered about it.

As expected, everybody in the first string was present, excluding Miyuki and Sawamura.

"Aniki, are you sure about this? Won't it make the problem worse?" Haruichi worried as they were changing into their practice gear.

"It won't" Ryousuke said confidently, shucking off his school trousers "they just need time to work out the sexual tension"

"Kyahahah! I can't believe we had to resort to the cliché stuff-them-in-a-confined-area move to make them face each other," Kuramochi guffawed

"Don't act as if you didn't need it, Kuramochi!" mocked Isashiki "and you were a sniveling mess when we unlocked the door"

"That was different!" squawked Kuramochi, looking to his boyfriend for help

"True, I remember you wouldn't look me in the eye for weeks" Ryousuke recounted, and Kuramochi groaned.

A chorus of laughter filled the locker room. Haruichi smiled; they were lucky to have such caring upperclassmen, even if they hid it behind their rough exterior.

"So, how long do you think they're going to take?" Yuki asked, putting on his cleats "We should go check up on them at around 8"

"Knowing Sawamura's stupidity, he'll only realize his feelings by tomorrow morning," Kuramochi said. Masuko grunted in agreement.

"Nah, I'm with Tetsu on this one," said Isashiki "Miyuki doesn't have that much patience"

"I'm sorry to say, I agree with Kuramochi" Chris, who had come in to look for Tanba and overheard, chimed in.

"Then, why don't we make a bet?" Ryousuke suggested, "I say that they'll be done by dinnertime". When he received quizzical stares, he added, "You guys underestimate Miyuki"

"Bring it on! Don't cry when Tetsu and I win all your money" Isashiki called out confidently

A myriad of voices protested as everybody inserted their opinion of when the erratic battery would finally get together. As prices and stakes increased, Haruichi thought that if he didn't know better, he would think that he had stepped into a gambling den.

"I'll write it down" Chris offered, fishing out his trusty notebook from his bag as a line formed in front of him, the first person being Ryousuke.

Haruichi sighed in resignation when even Furuya joined the queue. At least...I think they care…

Back in the broom closet, an awkward silence had descended upon the pair. Ejun had just finished the energy bar and was fiddling with the wrapper, for once at a loss as to how to begin conversation.

"Sawamura" Eijun flinched at the sound of his name. He turned to find Miyuki staring at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Y-yes?"

"Do you realize why we're here?" Without giving a chance for Eijun to respond, Miyuki said, "It's because you can't differentiate personal and professional stuff. So much so, that it's starting to affect the team and our battery dynamics. Honestly, I never thought that you could be so childish"

Eijun flinched. He had tried to keep his emotions in check, but every time he saw Miyuki, his brain just shut down. His pitching went haywire and had even hit Miyuki once, and luckily, Miyuki was wearing his catcher's facemask then.

After wiping his clammy hands on his school trousers, Eijun continued fiddling with the empty snack wrapper in silence, having nothing to defend himself. He was guilty as charged.

"At first I thought I had said something too offensive and gotten you mad" Miyuki continued monotonously, "I thought through it but I can't seem to figure this out, and it's affecting Seido's baseball, so humour me, why have you been avoiding me?"

Eijun had expected this confrontation to happen, just not so soon, and definitely not with something so direct. He hung his head guiltily; he himself didn't know the answer to that question, so how on earth was he supposed to explain it to someone else, let alone to the object of his affections? It was like his body was on autopilot; every time the catcher was in sight, he would automatically make a 180 and run away, face flaming.

Ever since two weeks ago, when he accidently stumbled upon something he really shouldn't have seen, he was trying to wrap his head around to many bizarre emotions he had never felt before, Miyuki being the cause of them all.

(Approximately two weeks ago)

Eijun was walking to the baths after self-practice with toiletries and a bath towel in hand, when he spotted a female schoolmate hovering around the dorms, looking lost.

The girl was petite and with long curly hair, and when Eijun caught a glimpse of her badge colour, he found out that she was a second-year. Since she didn't look like any of the managers, Eijun assumed that she had gotten lost while trying to visit someone from the baseball team.

Being the big-hearted person he is Eijun approached the girl with the intention to help, when she suddenly turned around. Her face lit up, seemingly finding the person she was looking for.

"Miyuki-kun!" the girl called out, and Eijun jolted in surprise; what could such a pretty girl want with that bastard? Miyuki, who looked like he had just finished bathing, turned around to meet the girl with a serene expression.

Curious, Eijun slunk behind a corner turn to listen in as the girl ran up to Miyuki, her hair billowing after her.

The two conversed in low voices, and Eijun could only make out some stuttering from the girl and a mumble from Miyuki. Just as Eijun decided to creep closer, the girl started to ramble the beginnings of the average, cliché confession.

Eijun felt his heart sink. He knew now that this is a confession, having seen the scene numerous times in shojo manga. Expecting Miyuki to reject, (he had never seen Miyuki display interest in any girl before) Eijun was surprised to see Miyuki ruffle the girl's head in an affectionate matter. The girl beamed, crossing the line of respectable distance to hug Miyuki in response. He could literally feel his stomach drop then. Eijun impulsively made to storm between the pair, but managed to stop himself just in time.

Suppressing the feelings of betrayal that ignited, Eijun debated whether to continue watching or tear his eyes from the sickening scene that was emitting rainbows and hearts. The corners of his mouth drooped into a frown as he tried to reason why he was feeling such emotions.

"So, Kazuya-kun, I'll see you in class tomorrow yeah?" The girl's high-pitched voice alerted Eijun to the end of the confession.

'Kazuya-kun, wasn't it Miyuki-kun just now?' Eijun felt irritation bubble, before approaching footsteps dictated him to remove himself lest he be caught spying. Thinking quickly, Eijun dived into the nearest room, not caring whose it is.

In the present, Eijun mused that he had been lucky that the room belonged to Toujou, an understanding fellow first year. If it had been Kanemaru, he'd be beaten to death in three seconds.

"S-senpai! I'm not avoiding you! Aren't you just being paranoid?" Eijun tried, but Miyuki didn't look the slightest bit convinced, shaking his head.

"You suck at lying" Miyuki's gaze was still unrelenting, but there was a hint of exasperation in his voice. The catcher scooted over to Eijun, who immediately tensed up, and rested his arm on Eijun's shoulder.

"Asking the younger Kominato to play catch ball even though I was free, yeah, sure you're not avoiding me. Even the others have noticed" Miyuki gestured to the door "weren't we supposed to form a battery together, partner?"

Eijun snapped. "Well, we could have, but nooo, you're always too busy catching for Furuya and going on dates with your pretty little girlfriend, and I don't know what she sees in an asshole like you, so it's no wonder you have no time to catch for me, and yet it's MY FAULT?" Eijun's sudden burst rendered Miyuki speechless, for once without a cheeky comeback.

"So don't go bring up the word 'partner' when you—mmph!" Miyuki put his palm over Eijun's mouth. Eijun instantaneously responded by trying to bite his hand.

Miyuki grimaced, releasing his hold on Eijun's face "Dumbass, who said anything about a girlfriend?"

"Don't deny it you tanuki!" Miyuki winced at the intensity of the shout, "I saw you a few weeks ago at the dorms after practice! She confessed, right? And you accepted! Why the hell did you accept? Koshien is coming up and you…oh shit" Eijun trailed off, realizing that he indirectly admitted that he had watched in on them that day.

Miyuki's glasses gleamed. His mouth curved up into a shit-eating grin that never bode well for Eijun. The catcher all but pounced on the opportunity laid before him on a silver platter "My, Sawamura-kun. Don't you know that listening in on other people's private conversations is bad?"

Eijun flushed in embarrassment and tried fruitlessly to shake off Miyuki's grip on his shoulder. His head throbbed and he desperately wanted to run away.

"Anyways, so what if I have a girlfriend, it's not like I bring her to practice, nor do I go on dates during practice days…" Miyuki said silkily, causing the hairs on Eijun's arms to stand. He could even hear his own irregular heartbeat and hoped that Miyuki would not.

If Miyuki knew just how much he affected Eijun he would tease him all the way till next Sunday.

"…by any chance, are you jealous of Mari-chan?"

"Mari-chan?" Eijun cried out almost hysterically, avoiding the bespectacled teen's amused stare, "Who's that, your girlfriend? Why would I be jealous? I'm not jealous! I'm just worried that your skills will go bad now that you're devoting less time to practice, THAT'S ALL"

"Hahahaha" Miyuki let out a boisterous laugh "I'm so touched, but my skills are good enough not to rust even with less practice. I'm just that good. You, on the other hand" Eijun felt his forehead being poked "need all the practice you can get. Besides, don't you have a girlfriend back in Nagano too?"

"What girlfriend?" The fiery insult ready at the tip of his tongue was replaced by confusion.

"Kuramochi told me you had one"

"Oh for the love of—argggh! Wakana's not my girlfriend! She's just a childhood friend!" Eijun hollered

"Okay okay, I was kidding," Miyuki placated, bopping Eijun in the head "seriously, your reactions are so predictable it's funny"

"Well it's better than being a scheming bastard with a nasty personality!" Eijun bit back, a triumphant look on his face at having thought of a good comeback.

"And that's why it's easy for me to see that you're jealous of Mari-chan" Miyuki continued casually, and that wiped the smugness off Eijun's face.

Eijun went into a frenzy of shouts and denials, frazzled brain unable to formulate an appropriate response. The fact that he was blushing profusely to the tips of his ears did not help his case either.

Then, Eijun came to the daunting realization that since he was already one foot in the grave, vehemently denying would only fuel Miyuki's sadistic tendencies. Therefore the best way out is to squash his pride and just admit it.

"…okay, I was a teeny bit jealous"Eijun ground out

"So now you admit that you're jealous, hmm? It seems like you want me all to yourself, I am irresistible after all"

"You are such a cocky jerk! I can't believe I'm getting so bothered by the likes of you" Eijun yelled, frustrated by Miyuki's jumps in the conversation

"Ah, so you were bothered by me hmm? Miyuki brought his face closer to Eijun's, to the point whereby their noses were mere centimeters apart "if I didn't know better I'd say you like me"

Miyuki's voice was lighthearted. If Eijun was in the right frame of mind, he might have caught the winning smile and the exultant gleam in his eyes that would have set off alarm bells. Unfortunately, he was exhausted and already at the end of his tether, so his mouth just blurted out the first thing on his mind

"Yeah I like you."

There was a moment of silence, but Miyuki recovered quickly, bursting into laughter. Eijun could watch in horror as his brain caught up with what he had just said.

"Hahahahahaha! Wow Sawamura, you really, really exceeded my expectations hahahaha!"

"SHUT UP!' Eijun wished the ground would just open up and swallow him completely, because he just died from mortification.

"I didn't expect you to be so direct…you really are an idiot" Miyuki said, and did Eijun just detect fondness in his tone?

"Stop calling me an idiot…" Eijun half-wailed, and was promptly silenced again, this time with Miyuki's lips.

It wasn't anything much, just a brief peck on the lips, but Eijun was positively scarlet. Miyuki withdrew slightly to press their foreheads together.

"Idiot, you talk too much"

Up close, Eijun realized how pretty Miyuki was. Sure, he knew that Miyuki was good-looking (the horde of fangirls at every game was enough to testify to that), but this was the first time he had really felt the attraction towards the pretty-boy catcher he mostly (secretly) admired from afar. It sent his gut churning with warm and tender feelings that threatened to burst out.

"W-why did you do that?" Eijun whispered. He wasn't sure what to make of the kiss, but knowing Miyuki, there was a chance that it might be a joke.

"Isn't it obvious, why else would you kiss anybody?" Miyuki drawled, exasperation written all over his face

"So…you like me?" Eijun asked, feeling bolder. His heart was racing so fast, he was sure he would suffer a stroke.

Miyuki averted his eyes to the side. He rubbed the side of his neck, a pinkish tinge visible on his cheeks and ears "mmyeah"

"Huh what?"

"I said yeah, you idiot"

Eijun grinned from ear to ear, euphoria dousing him "Well I may be an idiot, but you're the bigger idiot for liking me! Muahaha!"

"Touché" Miyuki tutted,

"You know, I like you better when you're like this," Eijun chirped

"Don't get used to it, you little sh—"

The firm rap of the door startled them both, causing both heads to snap towards the old rundown door.

"Oi! You two sorted your crap out yet?" Kuramochi's voice sounded

"You had better" Ryousuke's voice wafted through with a threatening edge

"Otherwise no dinner" Shirasu chimed in

Miyuki answered back in what Eijun thought had to be his most vexatious tone ever "Yeahh, now can you please unlock the door now?"

"Tch, that annoying bastard" Kuramochi tsked before keys jingled, followed by some muttering

Eijun let out a celebratory cheer

"Oshi oshi oshi! Oshi osh—"

The door swung open

"SHUT IT SAWAMURA!" Kuramochi immediately pulled his younger roommate into a headlock, the latter flailing his arms helplessly.

"HELLLPPP!" Eijun cried, but as usual, no one paid him any attention.

Omake 1: Ryousuke's reward (part I)

The canteen was packed, as it was dinnertime. However, the occupants keep glancing at the door, waiting for (hopefully) good news.

Finally, the door crashed open, revealing a bickering Sawamura and Miyuki

"I can't believe you don't like chocolate! What kind of sad soul doesn't like chocolate?"

"One that cares for their blood glucose level"

"See if I get you any for Valentines' day!"

With that, the crowd erupted into cheers, with a minority sighing disappointedly. Sawamura and Miyuki looked at them, puzzled.

Kuramochi clapped his hands for attention

"Those who chose anytime between 5.45 to 6.30pm today, come and line up in front of me, the rest, go to Ryou-san, and don't even attempt to cheat; I have it all written here" He warned, waving Chris' notebook

There were groans as the boys began shuffling their feet to either Kuramochi or Ryousuke.

"Damn it, Sawamura, couldn't you have waited one more hour?" Kanemaru whined as he lined up behind Ryousuke

"Hah?" Sawamura spun around wildly, at a loss to what was happening

Miyuki frowned, catching on fully. He turned to Kuramochi "Really? You had to start a pool over something like this?" Kuramochi merely cackled in response

"Tch. So how many people won the bet?" Miyuki was internally fuming. Damn those bastards, he would get back at them soon.

Kuramochi looked at the notebook "Funny you should ask. Although nine people won, Ryou-san is the biggest shareholder"

Omake 2: Ryousuke's reward (part II)

After he had finished his dinner, Ryousuke took out the zip-loc bag containing his earnings and began counting the money.

"I see that Sawamura and I have become your cash cow"

Ryousuke looked up to see a disgruntled Miyuki leaning against the table, his hands in his pockets. His handsome face contorted in displeasure as he eyed the stack of bills.

"I don't see why not, since you two have been giving me a headache for the past two weeks" Ryousuke answered silkily "in fact, I can spare a thousand yen for you, since I got more than I expected"

"Gee, thanks. I feel so touched," The catcher said dryly, accepting the thousand-yen bill. "Anyway, I came to give you this as per our agreement, although I'm starting to think that you won't need it, with all the money you have"

Ryousuke leafed through the small booklet of vouchers with a pleased expression. These vouchers are for a renowned sports equipment store in Tokyo; and he figured he'll spoil himself with a new glove this weekend.

"Well, this is a small price to pay, isn't it? For Sawamura? It was hard work getting the others to agree to this you know."

"Maybe" Miyuki shrugged, but Ryousuke could see the corners of mouth threaten to rise. Seriously, for someone as intelligent as Miyuki, he sure can be dumb when it came to the southpaw pitcher.

"Then, I'll be taking my leave now"

The door opened then closed, leaving Ryousuke in the near-deserted canteen. Ryousuke chuckled to himself, packed his things and left as well, leaving a line of terrified second-stringers along his wake.

Omake 3: Big brother Youichi

"Oi Miyuki" said brunette, without looking up from his book, quirking an eyebrow to show that he had heard "I heard something interesting from Sawamura…" this led Miyuki to look up, a quizzical expression on his face

"So he told me that you had a 'girlfriend', that girl, Matsuda Mari. How come you haven't cleared it with him yet?" Miyuki's eyes went back to the book in his hands, his brows furrowing "that is none of your business Kuramochi."

Feeling a vein throb, Kuramochi snarled, "it bloody is"

"…Is that so?" Miyuki asked rhetorically, but Kuramochi answered anyway

"Hell yeah. After that entire headache the past month, don't you dare go back to square one. Anyways just reassure him already dammit! It's gotten to the point that he asked me for advice last night!"

"Reassure what?"

"That you didn't have any feelings for her and it was only one date!"

"I already told him that she wasn't my girlfriend. If she was, he wouldn't even be my boyfriend"

"…For fuck's sake Miyuki, that's isn't enough" Youichi felt like copying Sawamura's stint of grabbing Miyuki by his shirt and shaking him senseless "he's insecure and scared that Matsuda would somehow manage to steal you away…don't tell him I said that"

Miyuki put down his book, snickering "oh my, you both are so darn funny hahahahahaha."

Youichi, taken aback by the unexpected reaction, swallowed a forming pool of saliva before asking tentatively "…what?"

"You must care so much for Sawamura, for telling me this," Miyuki abruptly said, grinning

Youichi did a double take "No! I just don't want to deal with another round of drama, you know how bad the mood drops when he's sulking; he affects the team emotionally…Anyway just be a good boyfriend and put his mind at ease alright?"

"Yes yes, Mr. Brother-in-law" mocked Miyuki

That was the last straw for Youichi. He instinctively grabbed the nearest object he could reach, which was a textbook, and threw it hard at the laughing catcher. Only god knows why he's still friends with that asshole.