[ If you were to ask, and this were a universe where Abe Takaya would answer such questions, Abe is pretty sure that he's got no real idea when this happened. Not the - the hugging, and the handholding, because that's been going on ever since they met, basically. No, the emotions that make him want to constantly do this with Mihashi, that's what he's got no real clue about. Mihashi frustrates him sometimes, sure, but it's not... He's pretty sure that he wouldn't know what to do with himself if he didn't see Mihashi nearly every day, didn't just talk to him when they weren't together.
When did it start? He thinks about it as he watches Mihashi fidget, slight frown on his face. Maybe it didn't really start so much as it just grew into what it was now, as they grew into who they are now.
That seems more right.
With a sigh, he reaches out and takes both of Mihashi's hands into one of his, collecting them together and curling his fingers over his knuckles to hold him steady. ] You know, you don't have to go if you don't want to.
[ It's easier to put it like that, though his tone and the way his face flushes a little indicate that it's something he wants, too. ]
[ post-game mihashi is not all that much different from post-practice mihashi. he does a lot of sleeping, dozing off on people's shoulders, or benches, or the floors, because he literally practices himself down to an empty tank, pitching until he almost literally cannot pitch anymore, and this really wasn't much of an exception. mihashi's mom had agreed well enough that her son was basically attached to abe after their last game, considering the fact that he fell asleep sprawled on him on the bus in that sloppy way that could only belong to mihashi ren, and so he'd woken up a few hours later asleep in abe's bed, with his catcher right there.
which had, admittedly, been a little nervewracking, because mihashi is still pretty conditioned and seeing someone looking at him right when he wakes up is more of a "what did i do?!" situation than a happy one, but. but! he got over it fairly quickly by mihashi standards, and after pitching with abe's little brother for a little bit (even if abe gave him a dirty look for it, but he was fine, and his brother was too cute) he's spent most of the night here. technically, he should be going home.
and it must be showing on his face that that's what he's thinking about, because suddenly abe's hands are reaching for his. they're not ice cold, but they're not super warm either, and mihashi flusters immediately, turning red, and squeaking out the tiniest-- ] ...Really?
[ his fingers curl against abe's palm, heartbeat fast and tiny as a baby bird against his chest, and mihashi immediately tries to cover for himself a little bit, arms and shoulders and head all flailing around and looking all over the room except for at abe, embarrassment on his stupid chicken face. ] I m-mean--if it w-wouldn't be too much trouble...!
[ but these are happy stutters... he's sparkly eyed a little bit... ]
SOMEDAY, MAYBE. not after three threads like kagehina
[ Rolling his eyes towards the ceiling as Mihashi flails and refuses to look at him, Abe sighs the sigh of the greatly weary, and he squeezes Mihashi's hands to keep him still and focused. No matter if they've won or lost a game, this is who Mihashi is, and he's not particularly inclined to change him any time soon. It would be nice if he'd stop stressing himself out, but they're working on that. He didn't even panic that much when he woke up! Progress! ]
You've been here all day, Mihashi. [ Of course they haven't, because the Abe family adores Mihashi. His brother would follow them both around everywhere if he could, and even manages to get Takaya to lighten up long enough to let his pitcher play with him without him participating. ] No one's going to tell you staying longer would be any trouble.
So, stay. [ And that's said a little more quietly, in response to the sparkles and the fact that he's saying this out loud. If only this wasn't as embarrassing as it is for him, but at least he can say that he doesn't flop around like a startled chicken the way Mihashi does. ]
O-okay!! [ mihashi smiles at abe like he's the sun himself, practically blinding (he recalls doing the same the very first time they had to hold hands, when he blurted out 'i like you too!!' and then much later when he did the same thing to get them to this stage they're at now) as he nods his head. the eye contact doesn't last too long, because this is mihashi, but it's warm and bright and he ducks his head happily.
it's only then that he pulls his hand away from abe's, but it's just to grab his phone.] I'll go tell my mom, right now! [ and he does just that, flailing a little to get to his phone and hopping out of bed to give her a call. mihashi gets up to his feet and paces a little, basically vibrating as he tells his mom he's going to stay at abe's house for the night--you can just hear his mom responding, happy, tinny noises before he says "i love you too, bye!" and clicks his phone off. ]
She said it's fine...! [ mihashi squeezes his phone happily, looking practically startled by this (even though it's obvious mihashi's mom adores his teammates, especially abe, for taking such good care of her son). setting the phone back down, he kind of.
fidgets. in front of the bed. he can get back in right. you might as well give him a tug. ]
[ Even to this day, Abe still can't stand it when Mihashi smiles at him like that. It's so overwhelming for anyone to look at him like that, and he squirms a little on his bed. So it's for the best that he looks away, even if that's overwhelming in the fact that it's so damn cute, which flusters him even more and he has to turn his own head away. Hand raising as Mihashi pulls away, he covers the lower half of his face and clears his throat before he answers. ]
Yeah, all right. [ And he just sits like that for a long moment, listening to Mihashi talk to his mom. It's really obvious where his pitcher gets so much of his behavior from, and even with her voice so tinny he just knows that they're both vibrating on opposite ends of the phone. Is that what Mihashi will grow up to be like, if he can get rid of his more self-depreciating aspects? He already has the obvious signs of it in gigantic doses...
His attention snaps back to Mihashi as he makes more flustered chicken faces at the answer. As if either of their parents would ever say no to Mihashi Ren, god.
But he huffs out a little laugh, reaching out to snag his wrist and give him that encouraging tug to come back onto the bed. ] Well, good.
[ luckily for abe, mihashi doesn't even really notice abe squirming or anything--he sees him get red sometimes, and thinks somewhere deep in his head that he can't say out loud (mostly because what if abe thought he was weird) that it's kind of really cute. abe is basically really, very cute and mihashi likes him so so much for so many reasons.
and, as he sets his phone back on the bedside table, mihashi brightens when he catches his wrist. hand holding is by far the most familiar thing for either of them, that need for physical closeness--mihashi sleeps in abe's bed more than he does his own when they go on trips with the team, often sprawled across his chest as opposed to where he's supposed to be sleeping--so it's not abnormal. sleeping by abe usually means mihashi actually sleeps, so.
in a motion that can only really be described with scurrying and flailing, mihashi hurries back into the bed, scooching back in next to abe and pulling the covers back up over them both, flurrying about until he gets comfortable. he only takes his wrist away to take his hand, instead, small fingers dancing down his wrist until he can twine them together, callous to callous.
ducking his shoulders up a little, mihashi smiles at him, warm and soft and a little less chicken faced. ]
[ Sometimes it's really, really difficult to focus on anything but Mihashi, because for as frustrating as he can be, Abe is just - he really thinks he's amazing, as a pitcher, and finds him really, stupidly cute. The chicken faces are hit or miss on whether they're cute or irritating, but that's usually dependent on the situation that they're showing up in. So, he can't really be too irritated with them right now.
After all, this is a familiar setup for them. He's never batted an eye at the fact that Mihashi climbs into his bed and lays on him, hooking his lean limbs around every point on his body and burrowing against his chest. Abe just fits him where he can, settles with him, and gets a long, good night of sleep.
Now, though, he can't help but snort as Mihashi scuttles onto the bed. Abe settles under the covers without a care in the world as Mihashi flings them where they're best suited, and adjusts his hand to let him thread their fingers together. Slowly, he traces his thumb along the outside of his hand, finding the smooth skin before going for the rough.
And, when Mihashi smiles at him like that, he can't really help smiling back, tipping his head to knock their foreheads together. ]
[ it's been a while since the first time they held hands--when abe yelled and then cried, a thing that mihashi still thinks about sometimes. what could have made him react like that? it was just...genuine, maybe. someone who really--someone who thought mihashi was worth something. it was something he needed, more than mihashi could put into words, because abe believed in him. he believed in his skills, and it was that (and sakaeguchi and tsuyama and izumi and hanai and tajima) that helped mihashi to believe in himself, just a tiny bit more.
this thing that's come between them has just felt like a natural growth. something that was bound to happen over time. they were always together nowadays, a battery, a pitcher and his catcher. and mihashi adored abe, adored his skills as a catcher and his absolute trust in mihashi and his kind of scary smile on the train and just about everything about him, so it felt easy to one day turn "i like you" into "i really, really, really like you."
when he bumps their foreheads together, mihashi makes his dumb little chicken face for a moment, and it fades into a happy, satisfied look as he squeezes the hand in his, eagerly. ]
Abe--[ he pauses, tries not to stutter, and his gaze flutters away from abe for a moment before he returns to him again, kind of looking at a spot over his shoulder instead of his face, but, you know, it's mihashi. ] I just... thank you....!
this feels weird to do alongside porn tags but yk w/e
[ For a while there, at the beginning, Abe didn't... really like Mihashi. He could utilize him for his pitches, certainly, for all his hard work, but he wasn't that great a fan of him. But it hadn't taken him too long to get attached, to become protective of him. That day when they played against Mihoshi, that probably cemented it into place, when they'd held hands and Abe had been so overwhelmed by his emotions, his thoughts about how hardworking Mihashi was.
Now, it's natural as anything for him to say - at least to himself - that he does, in fact, like Mihashi. He likes Mihashi a lot, and while he won't admit it outright or talk about his emotions freely without being incessantly badgered to the point of exasperation, it's the truth. And he makes sure that Mihashi knows, in whatever ways he can. Because Mihashi does the same for him.
Like here in the safety of his room, where they're squeezing each others' hands. The warmth is overwhelming, but it's a good thing, compared to the stressful chill Mihashi usually carries.
He flushes a little when he addresses him, but Abe is thankful that he has a hard time maintaining eye contact sometime because of it. Especially since he remembers the first time Mihashi thanked him out of the blue, and what that wound up meaning then. ] What for?
F-for... [ mihashi's confidence fails him as usual and his gaze flickers away again, looking at the wall, the pillows, the blankets, literally everything in the room but abe's face. he's sweating a little (a lot) but not in a bad way, because--well, he's really, really happy. it's nice to feel this way, and sure, he's still a little (ok a lot) scared of abe sometimes, but they've come a really, really long way! sometimes it feels like abe can read his mind. they've learned to communicate, not just to talk at each other.
(or, yell and stutter.)
eventually, mihashi does make eye contact again, and he's smiling. ] W-well, for...l-letting me stay! And...
[ c'mon you can spit it out. his ears turn a little red, but his expression is nothing if not completely earnest, before he tacks on a chirpy: ] ...everything!
[ because he has nothing but gratitude for abe takaya. broken promises, thrown pitches, called pitches, unshaken signs; these are all things mihashi has experienced and things he wouldn't trade for any other catcher in the whole wide world. ]
[ It would be easy for literally anyone that knows him to say that Abe is not known for his patience. He's not quite temperamental, exactly, but he just isn't the type to suffer fools lightly. And a lot of people are fools, in the grand scheme of Abe Takeya's life. But here, and now, in the quiet of his room with just the two of them...
He waits Mihashi out. Because he's learned a lot about him, and himself as well, over the time that they've known each other. They're the perfect battery, in his mind, even with all of the mistakes and horrible things that have happened to them. His knee still aches, he's only just started physical therapy not that long ago, and it's a constant reminder of a promise broken.
But Mihashi looks at him like he's the one that hung the sun, when he doesn't even know that he's the sun, and it makes it easier for him to get up in the morning so that he can fix himself. So that he can get back to the home plate sooner rather than later. ]
Well - [ Blustering, Abe bumps their heads together, sort of nuzzling in a way that's reminiscent of when he squeezes and ruffles Mihashi's head. Just... more gentle, more affectionate. It makes it easier to pretend his face isn't bright neon red. ] Thank you, too. For... for everything.
[ it feels like they really overcame a bump after abe got hurt--though it aches to think about, mihashi learned a lesson in that game. he learned that talking with tajima had felt like a conversation instead of just listening, and that shaking abe wouldn't get him yelled at. shaking him would get another sign. they could work together, and now that that time has passed, they have.
slowly, bit by bit, they were becoming a better battery. they had two more years to improve--two years to koushien, to national champions like they'd promised after the summer tournament ended. and with every passing day, the goal felt a tiny, tiny bit more attainable.
(especially with abe coming back. mihashi knows now he can pitch to other people, but nothing feels the same. he's the number one member of the abe takaya fan club, ok. and not just because they kiss sometimes, either.)
which, speaking of. this gets a flush out of mihashi, where steam practically comes out of his ears, and he lifts his hands to wave them around, shaking his head wildly. he at least moved out of the way of abe's forehead. ]
Uwaoh-- I d-d-didn't--Abe-kun did--!!! [ "i didn't do anything!!!" ]
[ Though it had been a struggle, going from that game to where they are now, it's been a journey. It's been a chance to grow, to become better, to learn. It's only made them stronger, in the end. Abe can't complain about that, for as bitter as he can get about his knee some days. But so long as he has his family, his team, his pitcher, then...
Then it'll be okay. They've got a longer road ahead of them than this, and he's prepared to walk it. Even if he's going to require a little help along the way, at least until he can get his feet under him again.
And, even then. So long as it's Mihashi with him, he's gotten a lot better about accepting aid. About showing weakness. (Although he's absolutely not better about sharing him, he can at least admit that there are other people that he can pitch to. They're just the ultimate battery, all right? So long as there are others out there that appreciate Mihashi Ren, then it's fine - they can be one another's fan club presidents, and kiss on the side.)
Abe watches Mihashi's hands, head leaned back just in case he jerks, and then he makes his move. His own hands move quickly, snagging the flailing ones and pressing them close to his chest so that he can't get away as easily. It sort of shuts off one mode of communication for him, but it's fine, it gets him to listen, too. ]
Don't be stupid. We're a battery. [ And he squeezes, to drive his point home. ] We work together and for each other, okay?
[ mihashi kind of deflates a little, like all of the air goes rushing out of his ears, and he ends up just sort of. melting into the covers like an idiot. this is not the first or the last time he's done this. (at least he's doing it laying down and standing up this time.)
mihashi is a lot of things. he's a pitcher. he's an ace, a title he used to think he didn't deserve that much. he's a student and a person but most of all, mihashi is a member of a battery, two parts of a functioning whole. as they learn to work together better--as abe only scares mihashi like 75% of the time now and mihashi is 75% of the time understandable to abe--they start fitting together more and more. they're going to be strong, the strongest, no matter what happens. and they'll win. they'll keep winning.
it was hard not to want to keep winning, once he'd gotten a taste. a taste of victory with real teammates, with a catcher who gives him signs and, is even learning to trust him. is there anything better than that in the whole world?
he makes a dumb squeaky noise as his hands get grabbed, but. the deflating commences and mihashi blushes a little further, up to his ears. ] R... right...
[ say it with a little more confidence before you piss him off mihashi jeez. ]
[ With the most exasperated noise to ever grace humanity, Abe stares Mihashi down. At least he doesn't immediately start shouting, but he feels that temptation rear its head. It's just his default response to things, because if he shouts loud enough things usually start getting solved before too long. Either because they want him to stop shouting or because it's motivating.
But, right now, he doesn't give into the urge. It helps that it's only a minor one, compared to how it used to be.
Instead, he uses his hold on Mihashi's hands to push him around. Considering Mihashi is basically a beanpole, it's pretty easy to do, and he nudges him onto his back. Careful not to put weight on his knee, he peers down at him, assessing. They're not 100% in sync yet, but they're damn near it, and every day is another day of progress. He still has trouble understanding him some days, and he knows that he still strikes the fear of god into his pitcher, but...
It's better. ]
You're my pitcher, same as I'm your catcher. [ Said firmly, even if he's somehow managing to flush even more. ] And we've got a lot more games to play.
[ the "we've got a lot more games to play" is what gets mihashi to brighten, because the promise of coming back is one he knows abe keeps. he's getting better over time, and the fall tournament is coming on fast, fast enough that they're going to be a battery again soon. mihashi is thrilled about this, because sure, he likes pitching to tajima, but abe is abe, and with him back in the running, they'll win all the time for sure! it's how they're going to end up at koushien, and mihashi just knows it.
(admittedly, it's with everyone else's hard work as well, but. again, captain of the abe takaya fanclub here.)
he moves easily when he's rolled, tipping onto his back and blinking those big, wide, golden eyes up at abe as he leans over him, fidgeting only a tiny bit as if abe's words are the thing that have managed to pin him to place. and then, he nods, clamping his mouth shut because none of the words he wants to say are going to come out of his mouth right. the nod is enthusiastic, though, up and down and up and down, and he's obviously brightened quite a bit at the thought. ]
[ This, of course, is another case of Mihashi practically sparkling at him. Abe doesn't ever know what to do when he looks at him like that, so bright and happy and wide-eyed in a way that doesn't result in him shaking out of his shoes. It makes him want to squirm, makes him the fidgety one. But instead of focusing on that, he looks to the future. Because they have the fall tournament ahead of them.
That's his immediate goal right now. He needs to be up and walking on his own by then. He needs to be able to crouch and hold his weight by then. He needs to be able to run, to slide, to score his team points. To be there for his pitcher.
Tajima is good, as a substitute, but he's meant to be standing at a different base than home plate. That, that's his spot, where he can meet Mihashi's eyes and hold his mitt in anticipation for a reliable pitch.
Nodding a much more subdued nod, satisfied, Abe leans over him that little bit more and presses his lips to his forehead. Good, he thinks, determined. Remember that. ]
[ mihashi's eyes flutter shut immediately at the kiss to his forehead, mouth falling open just a little bit as he wrinkles his nose with it as well, feeling all warm and nice and squirmy inside. mihashi's felt like that around abe a lot more often than he did at first now (he used to be terrified of abe all the time, and now it's only half that, maybe. seventy five percent.) abe trusts him and cares for him--in fact, abe cares for him more than anybody. mihashi knows this, and mihashi definitely cares for and trusts and loves abe more than anybody too.
(though, abe is a good player and a good person and mihashi is mostly his tagalong, being led by the hand into something great; he'll never believe he's great, and so he'll never quite believe that he's the best thing for abe, but. maybe that will come in time.)
it's not quite enough though, he thinks, and mihashi's eyes flicker open for a second, darting across before they settle on abe again, wide and golden and focused like a pitcher.
maybe... if i just...
his small hands come up to cup abe's cheeks, and it's mihashi who lifts himself up a little off the bed to press a small, sweet kiss to his mouth. ]
[ There's something so easy about this, now. Abe has to wonder if all that physical contact before, as just teammates, made it that way. But he likes to touch Mihashi, likes holding his hand for reasons that aren't just support or checking to see if he's okay. He likes to curl up with him in a nest of blankets. He most of all likes kissing him. Forehead, cheek, mouth. He likes it as much as he likes Mihashi, which is saying something. (Again, he went from being not a fan to being the biggest fan, so it's a bit drastic. But here they are, and he loves Mihashi so much that it's overwhelming sometimes.)
Bracing his weight on his arms, so that he doesn't get any weight on his knee, Abe ducks down a little into Mihashi's touch. Because encouraging him is important, when he does something right, when it's good. And this, this is right. This is the greatest good that there is. Abe knows this for a fact, even if Mihashi doesn't believe it himself, and there are two places where this is the most obvious to him - when they mirror each other at the mound and on home plate, and when they're like this.
So he kisses him back, even if he feels the burn of a blush all the way to his ears. Eventually he won't turn red, but this is still so new and delicate that he can't help it. There's plenty of time ahead of them for more baseball, more practice and games, and more of this. More of them. It makes him feel warm all the way down to his core, makes him calm. Which is a surprising thing all of its own, too. ]
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abemiha is a box of pure cinnamon rolls that will be porn la...ter......
When did it start? He thinks about it as he watches Mihashi fidget, slight frown on his face. Maybe it didn't really start so much as it just grew into what it was now, as they grew into who they are now.
That seems more right.
With a sigh, he reaches out and takes both of Mihashi's hands into one of his, collecting them together and curling his fingers over his knuckles to hold him steady. ] You know, you don't have to go if you don't want to.
[ It's easier to put it like that, though his tone and the way his face flushes a little indicate that it's something he wants, too. ]
NOOO THEY'RE TOO SWEET AND SMALL
which had, admittedly, been a little nervewracking, because mihashi is still pretty conditioned and seeing someone looking at him right when he wakes up is more of a "what did i do?!" situation than a happy one, but. but! he got over it fairly quickly by mihashi standards, and after pitching with abe's little brother for a little bit (even if abe gave him a dirty look for it, but he was fine, and his brother was too cute) he's spent most of the night here. technically, he should be going home.
and it must be showing on his face that that's what he's thinking about, because suddenly abe's hands are reaching for his. they're not ice cold, but they're not super warm either, and mihashi flusters immediately, turning red, and squeaking out the tiniest-- ] ...Really?
[ his fingers curl against abe's palm, heartbeat fast and tiny as a baby bird against his chest, and mihashi immediately tries to cover for himself a little bit, arms and shoulders and head all flailing around and looking all over the room except for at abe, embarrassment on his
stupid chickenface. ] I m-mean--if it w-wouldn't be too much trouble...![ but these are happy stutters... he's sparkly eyed a little bit... ]
SOMEDAY, MAYBE. not after three threads like kagehina
You've been here all day, Mihashi. [ Of course they haven't, because the Abe family adores Mihashi. His brother would follow them both around everywhere if he could, and even manages to get Takaya to lighten up long enough to let his pitcher play with him without him participating. ] No one's going to tell you staying longer would be any trouble.
So, stay. [ And that's said a little more quietly, in response to the sparkles and the fact that he's saying this out loud. If only this wasn't as embarrassing as it is for him, but at least he can say that he doesn't flop around like a startled chicken the way Mihashi does. ]
cries about it
it's only then that he pulls his hand away from abe's, but it's just to grab his phone.] I'll go tell my mom, right now! [ and he does just that, flailing a little to get to his phone and hopping out of bed to give her a call. mihashi gets up to his feet and paces a little, basically vibrating as he tells his mom he's going to stay at abe's house for the night--you can just hear his mom responding, happy, tinny noises before he says "i love you too, bye!" and clicks his phone off. ]
She said it's fine...! [ mihashi squeezes his phone happily, looking practically startled by this (even though it's obvious mihashi's mom adores his teammates, especially abe, for taking such good care of her son). setting the phone back down, he kind of.
fidgets. in front of the bed. he can get back in right. you might as well give him a tug. ]
INNOCENT BABY BIRBS
Yeah, all right. [ And he just sits like that for a long moment, listening to Mihashi talk to his mom. It's really obvious where his pitcher gets so much of his behavior from, and even with her voice so tinny he just knows that they're both vibrating on opposite ends of the phone. Is that what Mihashi will grow up to be like, if he can get rid of his more self-depreciating aspects? He already has the obvious signs of it in gigantic doses...
His attention snaps back to Mihashi as he makes more flustered chicken faces at the answer. As if either of their parents would ever say no to Mihashi Ren, god.
But he huffs out a little laugh, reaching out to snag his wrist and give him that encouraging tug to come back onto the bed. ] Well, good.
TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD TOO PURE
and, as he sets his phone back on the bedside table, mihashi brightens when he catches his wrist. hand holding is by far the most familiar thing for either of them, that need for physical closeness--mihashi sleeps in abe's bed more than he does his own when they go on trips with the team, often sprawled across his chest as opposed to where he's supposed to be sleeping--so it's not abnormal. sleeping by abe usually means mihashi actually sleeps, so.
in a motion that can only really be described with scurrying and flailing, mihashi hurries back into the bed, scooching back in next to abe and pulling the covers back up over them both, flurrying about until he gets comfortable. he only takes his wrist away to take his hand, instead, small fingers dancing down his wrist until he can twine them together, callous to callous.
ducking his shoulders up a little, mihashi smiles at him, warm and soft and a little less chicken faced. ]
I AM SO MAD THEY'RE SO CUTE
After all, this is a familiar setup for them. He's never batted an eye at the fact that Mihashi climbs into his bed and lays on him, hooking his lean limbs around every point on his body and burrowing against his chest. Abe just fits him where he can, settles with him, and gets a long, good night of sleep.
Now, though, he can't help but snort as Mihashi scuttles onto the bed. Abe settles under the covers without a care in the world as Mihashi flings them where they're best suited, and adjusts his hand to let him thread their fingers together. Slowly, he traces his thumb along the outside of his hand, finding the smooth skin before going for the rough.
And, when Mihashi smiles at him like that, he can't really help smiling back, tipping his head to knock their foreheads together. ]
RIP
this thing that's come between them has just felt like a natural growth. something that was bound to happen over time. they were always together nowadays, a battery, a pitcher and his catcher. and mihashi adored abe, adored his skills as a catcher and his absolute trust in mihashi and his kind of scary smile on the train and just about everything about him, so it felt easy to one day turn "i like you" into "i really, really, really like you."
when he bumps their foreheads together, mihashi makes his dumb little chicken face for a moment, and it fades into a happy, satisfied look as he squeezes the hand in his, eagerly. ]
Abe--[ he pauses, tries not to stutter, and his gaze flutters away from abe for a moment before he returns to him again, kind of looking at a spot over his shoulder instead of his face, but, you know, it's mihashi. ] I just... thank you....!
this feels weird to do alongside porn tags but yk w/e
Now, it's natural as anything for him to say - at least to himself - that he does, in fact, like Mihashi. He likes Mihashi a lot, and while he won't admit it outright or talk about his emotions freely without being incessantly badgered to the point of exasperation, it's the truth. And he makes sure that Mihashi knows, in whatever ways he can. Because Mihashi does the same for him.
Like here in the safety of his room, where they're squeezing each others' hands. The warmth is overwhelming, but it's a good thing, compared to the stressful chill Mihashi usually carries.
He flushes a little when he addresses him, but Abe is thankful that he has a hard time maintaining eye contact sometime because of it. Especially since he remembers the first time Mihashi thanked him out of the blue, and what that wound up meaning then. ] What for?
LMFAOOO... too sweet too pure
(or, yell and stutter.)
eventually, mihashi does make eye contact again, and he's smiling. ] W-well, for...l-letting me stay! And...
[ c'mon you can spit it out. his ears turn a little red, but his expression is nothing if not completely earnest, before he tacks on a chirpy: ] ...everything!
[ because he has nothing but gratitude for abe takaya. broken promises, thrown pitches, called pitches, unshaken signs; these are all things mihashi has experienced and things he wouldn't trade for any other catcher in the whole wide world. ]
so so pure
He waits Mihashi out. Because he's learned a lot about him, and himself as well, over the time that they've known each other. They're the perfect battery, in his mind, even with all of the mistakes and horrible things that have happened to them. His knee still aches, he's only just started physical therapy not that long ago, and it's a constant reminder of a promise broken.
But Mihashi looks at him like he's the one that hung the sun, when he doesn't even know that he's the sun, and it makes it easier for him to get up in the morning so that he can fix himself. So that he can get back to the home plate sooner rather than later. ]
Well - [ Blustering, Abe bumps their heads together, sort of nuzzling in a way that's reminiscent of when he squeezes and ruffles Mihashi's head. Just... more gentle, more affectionate. It makes it easier to pretend his face isn't bright neon red. ] Thank you, too. For... for everything.
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slowly, bit by bit, they were becoming a better battery. they had two more years to improve--two years to koushien, to national champions like they'd promised after the summer tournament ended. and with every passing day, the goal felt a tiny, tiny bit more attainable.
(especially with abe coming back. mihashi knows now he can pitch to other people, but nothing feels the same. he's the number one member of the abe takaya fan club, ok. and not just because they kiss sometimes, either.)
which, speaking of. this gets a flush out of mihashi, where steam practically comes out of his ears, and he lifts his hands to wave them around, shaking his head wildly. he at least moved out of the way of abe's forehead. ]
Uwaoh-- I d-d-didn't--Abe-kun did--!!! [ "i didn't do anything!!!" ]
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Then it'll be okay. They've got a longer road ahead of them than this, and he's prepared to walk it. Even if he's going to require a little help along the way, at least until he can get his feet under him again.
And, even then. So long as it's Mihashi with him, he's gotten a lot better about accepting aid. About showing weakness. (Although he's absolutely not better about sharing him, he can at least admit that there are other people that he can pitch to. They're just the ultimate battery, all right? So long as there are others out there that appreciate Mihashi Ren, then it's fine - they can be one another's fan club presidents, and kiss on the side.)
Abe watches Mihashi's hands, head leaned back just in case he jerks, and then he makes his move. His own hands move quickly, snagging the flailing ones and pressing them close to his chest so that he can't get away as easily. It sort of shuts off one mode of communication for him, but it's fine, it gets him to listen, too. ]
Don't be stupid. We're a battery. [ And he squeezes, to drive his point home. ] We work together and for each other, okay?
[ And you're still here, even when I'm broken. ]
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mihashi is a lot of things. he's a pitcher. he's an ace, a title he used to think he didn't deserve that much. he's a student and a person but most of all, mihashi is a member of a battery, two parts of a functioning whole. as they learn to work together better--as abe only scares mihashi like 75% of the time now and mihashi is 75% of the time understandable to abe--they start fitting together more and more. they're going to be strong, the strongest, no matter what happens. and they'll win. they'll keep winning.
it was hard not to want to keep winning, once he'd gotten a taste. a taste of victory with real teammates, with a catcher who gives him signs and, is even learning to trust him. is there anything better than that in the whole world?
he makes a dumb squeaky noise as his hands get grabbed, but. the deflating commences and mihashi blushes a little further, up to his ears. ] R... right...
[ say it with a little more confidence before you piss him off mihashi jeez. ]
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But, right now, he doesn't give into the urge. It helps that it's only a minor one, compared to how it used to be.
Instead, he uses his hold on Mihashi's hands to push him around. Considering Mihashi is basically a beanpole, it's pretty easy to do, and he nudges him onto his back. Careful not to put weight on his knee, he peers down at him, assessing. They're not 100% in sync yet, but they're damn near it, and every day is another day of progress. He still has trouble understanding him some days, and he knows that he still strikes the fear of god into his pitcher, but...
It's better. ]
You're my pitcher, same as I'm your catcher. [ Said firmly, even if he's somehow managing to flush even more. ] And we've got a lot more games to play.
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(admittedly, it's with everyone else's hard work as well, but. again, captain of the abe takaya fanclub here.)
he moves easily when he's rolled, tipping onto his back and blinking those big, wide, golden eyes up at abe as he leans over him, fidgeting only a tiny bit as if abe's words are the thing that have managed to pin him to place. and then, he nods, clamping his mouth shut because none of the words he wants to say are going to come out of his mouth right. the nod is enthusiastic, though, up and down and up and down, and he's obviously brightened quite a bit at the thought. ]
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That's his immediate goal right now. He needs to be up and walking on his own by then. He needs to be able to crouch and hold his weight by then. He needs to be able to run, to slide, to score his team points. To be there for his pitcher.
Tajima is good, as a substitute, but he's meant to be standing at a different base than home plate. That, that's his spot, where he can meet Mihashi's eyes and hold his mitt in anticipation for a reliable pitch.
Nodding a much more subdued nod, satisfied, Abe leans over him that little bit more and presses his lips to his forehead. Good, he thinks, determined. Remember that. ]
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(though, abe is a good player and a good person and mihashi is mostly his tagalong, being led by the hand into something great; he'll never believe he's great, and so he'll never quite believe that he's the best thing for abe, but. maybe that will come in time.)
it's not quite enough though, he thinks, and mihashi's eyes flicker open for a second, darting across before they settle on abe again, wide and golden and focused like a pitcher.
maybe... if i just...
his small hands come up to cup abe's cheeks, and it's mihashi who lifts himself up a little off the bed to press a small, sweet kiss to his mouth. ]
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Bracing his weight on his arms, so that he doesn't get any weight on his knee, Abe ducks down a little into Mihashi's touch. Because encouraging him is important, when he does something right, when it's good. And this, this is right. This is the greatest good that there is. Abe knows this for a fact, even if Mihashi doesn't believe it himself, and there are two places where this is the most obvious to him - when they mirror each other at the mound and on home plate, and when they're like this.
So he kisses him back, even if he feels the burn of a blush all the way to his ears. Eventually he won't turn red, but this is still so new and delicate that he can't help it. There's plenty of time ahead of them for more baseball, more practice and games, and more of this. More of them. It makes him feel warm all the way down to his core, makes him calm. Which is a surprising thing all of its own, too. ]