A/N: Woo! I've gotten a few requests for Haruna/Mihashi fic, and it's one of my favorite pairings anyway, so I was like, "Oh, what the hell, let's do it!" Without further ado, story time!~

DISCLAIMER: Ookiku Furikabutte/Big Windup! does not belong to me. I only pair up the characters for funsies.

—s—t—a—r—t—f—i—c—t—i —o—n—

WHAP. WHAP. WHAP. WHAP.

He stared. As the ball flew from the opposing pitcher to his own former catcher and back, his eyes never left it. Back and forth, back and forth. And still, he couldn't see it. Haruna couldn't see why Abe had made such a big deal about this guy. This... Mihashi, was it? Yeah, that sounded right. Abe'd told him that Mihashi was ten times better than himself. Though, he never said why. Is it because you can bully him around, Takaya? Force him to throw things he doesn't want to? Geez, he's such a hypocritical baby.

The question continued to haunt him, though. What could be so great about him? This kid, whom he'd run into in the bathroom during the Summer Tournament drawing, nearly causing him to burst into tears in the process. The kid that cowered before him like an abused dog. The kid that looked so damn scared all the time. The kid that pitched for Abe now. How great could he possibly be, to make Abe think his team had a fighting chance? Perhaps Haruna was being a bit overconfident.

Apparently he wasn't the only one on the team observing their opponent's warm up. His new catcher, Akimaru, was watching them too, his expression light but serious. The same could not be said for the rest of the team. Those who were still watching had arrogant smiles on their faces, some even snickering at Mihashi's pitching. Haruna could understand what they were thinking: slow-ass pitches, easy to hit. As much as he wanted to think that, too, the problem was that he knew Abe. He knew the other boy wouldn't baselessly throw out praise like that (not after catching for Haruna, he wouldn't), nor would he put up with a pitcher that slow unless he had something up his sleeve.

So he remained slightly cautious. He would not lose, not against Abe. And certainly not against a pitcher like Mihashi. No, he'd win it for them. After Kaguyama and the fourth inning, of course. It would be no problem to keep 'em shut out with eighty pitches.

Haruna had started to stare at Mihashi for a moment. As if he could tell, the sandy brunette looked his way too, and their eyes met. The dark-haired boy felt a little caught off-guard; Mihashi's eyes were something else, all big and expressive and at the moment curious, not at all calculating or cold. After a moment he snapped out of his reverie and waved to the enemy pitcher with a winning smile, and Mihashi looked confused for a moment before he gave a brief wave of hand in return before hastily turning back to Abe. Haruna chuckled. I see his personality hasn't changed very much.

"Hey," Kaguyama called to Akimaru from across the dugout. "You wanna warm up too?"

Akimaru looked up from the bag he was rummaging through. "Oh, yeah, sure," he replied, discontinuing his search through the bag and zipping it closed. He stood up. "Just let me finish putting my gear on."

Kaguyama walked over to his side. "Here, let me help," he offered, grabbing a shin guard, kneeling down in front of him, and placing it in the designated spot.

Haruna smirked to himself. With the battery locked and loaded and their best hitters up first and how nervous the other pitcher seemed, this game looked like a no-contest in their favor. He adjusted the cap on his head a little bit, mentally pointing his index finger right at Takaya Abe.

"Watch out, Takaya," he murmured confidently. "We're going to take your new team out, starting with that pitcher of yours."

All players report to the field for the beginning of the game at this time.

Haruna brought up the rear of the line they formed, that smirk of his never leaving his face. Let's do this.

-asdfjkl;-

"Mihashi!"

The addressed boy flinched. He really did try to throw a screwball, honest! He'd just gotten distracted and it came out as a fastball, that's all. His catcher wasn't happy about this in the slightest.

"Dude, what the hell?" Abe said, his voice a bit lower and his expression a bit less fierce. He held the ball he'd just caught in his mitt out away from him, like it was something unspeakably repulsive.

Mihashi waved his arms around. "I-I'm sorry! I swear! W-won't happen again!" he nearly shouted in fearful response.

Abe sighed. He threw the ball back to Mihashi, with a little more force than was really needed. "Look, I know you're nervous. You just gotta relax."

Mihashi looked down. He glanced over at the opposing team's dugout, where everyone seemed preoccupied doing other things to notice them, but the last time Mihashi had mustered up the courage to peek over at them, every single one of their eyes was trained right on him. Especially that awesome pitcher, Haruna; his eyes had never left him, as far as Mihashi could tell. "I-I just feel like I'm being watched."

"Well, you are being watched. They're trying to figure out what kind of pitcher you are. Don't worry though; I'll keep 'em guessing," Abe said, smiling evilly with the last part. Mihashi swallowed audibly. Abe really was the backbone of their team's defense. "As long as you stick with me, we'll be fine."

Mihashi nodded, thankful for Abe's way of reassuring even if it didn't make him feel much better. He couldn't help but glance back over at the other team's dugout though, and in the process locked gazes with Haruna, who'd been staring at him again. Mihashi's breath caught in his throat; those eyes were breathtaking, they were so confident and strong and attractive. Wait, attractive? Try as he might to shove the thought out of his mind, Mihashi knew that was the only adjective to describe them that he could come up with at the moment. He blinked a couple of times, unable to take his eyes away, when Haruna smiled and waved at him.

Mihashi looked around himself quickly, then, realizing he'd been waving at him, gave a small, meek wave of his own in return and quickly adverted his attention back to his catcher, who scowled but said nothing.

Abe cleared his throat. "Three more," he demanded, repositioning himself.

So Mihashi threw three more: a curveball low and to the outside, a screwball high and center, and a breaking ball down the middle. Abe looked satisfied enough, much to Mihashi's relief. The catcher raised his face-mask up, presumably to tell him something, but he never got the chance. Tajima came bounding up to them, putting his arm around Mihashi's neck and a huge grin on his face. "Hey~ Coach told me to tell you two that we're batting first. Awesome, right? You guys ready?" he asked, his voice excited. "I can't wait to hit that guy's pitches! Agh, hurry up and start the game already! I wanna play!" he got so pumped up he nearly chocked Mihashi with his arm as he said it.

All players report to the field for the beginning of the game at this time.

"Ahaha!" Tajima exclaimed, looking proud of himself. "I must be able to see the future or something! I'm just that good... Come on, guys, let's go," he said, dragging Mihashi along and beckoning the eye-rolling Abe as well. The sandy brunette looked to the sky.

I don't know if I can beat you, Haruna, but I will try my hardest for Abe and the guys!

-asdfjkl;-

Haruna couldn't believe it.

It was the end of the fourth inning, and they still hadn't gotten a hit off this kid!

Everyone agreed on one thing; his pitches were slow. But he appeared to be able to place the ball wherever he wanted to, and that was the backbone of the problem. Somehow, he knew all their weak spots and aimed his pitches accordingly. Haruna scrunched his brow in frustration. This kid couldn't be that conniving... could he? But he looked so simple on the outside! Maybe that was just a facade. Either way, they were losing two to nothing, and that was not making Haruna very happy.

Staring at the other pitcher had become a habit of his. From the way he'd blatantly struck out on the three at-bats he'd had so far, Haruna concluded that he wasn't the best batter in the world. But on the mound, the kid was confusing. He looked almost scared, but at the same time you could see the pure excitement in his eyes as he let the ball fly from his hands that increased threefold when the WHAP of Abe's mitt could be heard. The sandy-haired boy's demeanor reminded him of a little kid.

Kaguyama had come into the dugout on the verge of tears, apologizing profusely for giving up two runs. While everyone else was treading very lightly and reassuring him with half-hearted smiles, Haruna hooked an arm around his shoulders and stuck a thumbs-up in his face. "Don't worry," he'd said. "I'll keep 'em shut out; you guys focus on getting on the board." To everyone's amazement, that seemed to do the trick, and Kaguyama was back to his usual semi-confident self in no time at all.

Now it was time for ground maintenance. The whole team, save for Haruna and Akimaru headed out with the necessary equipment. As Haruna was putting his glove on, Akimaru put a hand on his shoulder. "You ready?" he asked.

Haruna stared at him for a moment before laughing. "What do you mean, am I ready? Of course I am! A few warmup throws and I'll be good to go," he said with another little thumbs up.

Akimaru laughed too. "Yeah, you're probably right. Let's get 'em back, okay?"

Haruna grinned. "Of course."

-asdfjkl;-

"You go, man!"

"Great job, Mihashi!"

"Nice pitching!"

Mihashi turned red at all of the compliments flying at him. Not only did it make him feel all self-conscious, but he felt like he didn't really deserve it. Abe was the one who called all the pitches; he just threw them. "Th-th-thanks," he stammered.

"Sit down and rest for a minute," Abe told him, heading past him into take his gear off.

"Don't forget to stay hydrated!" Shinooka chirped with a smile, handing the sandy brunette a mug of water as she walked past him.

Coach Momoe came up behind him. "Good work, Mihashi," she smiled sweetly, putting both hands on his shoulders. "Be sure not to overwork yourself though. We wouldn't want that, now would we?" The question wasn't really a question, and with the way her grip had tightened on his shoulders, all he could do was nod fervently in agreement. She led him over to the bench and sat him down gently, winking.

While he sat there, drinking his water slowly so his stomach wouldn't fill too quickly, Tajima approached Abe, who was taking the last of his gear off. "So, Abe. What should we expect from this guy?" he asked, for once being semi-serious. "This Haruna guy."

Abe shrugged. "I won't lie; he's a good pitcher. We're not ahead by very much, so he's not going to go easy on us. As long as you time his pitches right, he's just like any other pitcher," he said, putting his shin guards to one side and standing upright.

Hanai joined in the conversation from across the dugout. "That's the hard part though, isn't it?" he said, glancing at him from afar.

Abe's face was stern. "Pretty much."

Tajima cut in. "Alright then, no problem," he said, his confidence never ceasing to shock everyone else. "What about his best pitch? What is it?"

Abe didn't hesitate. "His fastball. When he throws at his best, it's almost impossible to hit; only a few people have ever even gotten hits on it." He closed his eyes then, crossing his arms. "You don't have to worry about it, though. He won't ever throw it for fear of hurting his arm or something," he said, his voice dripping with contempt.

Mihashi's eyes widened. A fastball only a few people have ever hit? Woah... His heart started to beat a little faster, his eyes strayed toward the opposite dugout and identified the topic of their conversation. He and the catcher were laughing, Haruna giving him a thumbs up. God, he was so confident and skilled and attractive... Everything that Mihashi wasn't. The sandy brunette blushed and looked away, feeling guilty for thinking something like that.

"Wow, seriously?" Sakaeguchi gasped, sitting on the bench next to Mihashi. "Damn. Well, if you're right and we don't have to worry about it, it's that much easier of a win."

Abe's eyes narrowed at him. "If I'm right?"

While Sakaeguchi struggled to find more appropriate words to ease Abe's glare, Mihashi became more determined. Yeah, I just have to keep pitching my best. As long as he did that, Mihashi convinced himself, Tajima and Hanai and Sakaeguchi and the rest of the guys would do their best too. And they would win.

...Hopefully.

-asdfjkl;-

Haruna smirked to himself. It was the end of the eighth inning, and they were now tied with Nishiura, two to two. All his teammates praised him as well as those who had scored runs as they ran back to the dugout.

He couldn't get the look of Mihashi's face when someone managed to hit his pitches out of his head. He always managed to look completely surprised and crestfallen at the same time, watching the ball soar over his head and not daring to look the successful batter in the eye as they ran for first base. It made Haruna feel bad. And Haruna never felt bad for anyone, ever. As put out as he always seemed, time and time again he would pull himself together and pitch one more time. At least the kid had that much control over his emotions, even if said control was only witnessed on the mound.

"Oh man, this is awesome!" Akimaru gushed as they both got water, Haruna already downing his like a parched elephant. "It's really going to be a nail-biter, huh? Hopefully it doesn't go into extra innings..."

Haruna laughed. "Don't worry, I've got fifteen pitches left and I only need nine of 'em," he assured, wiping his mouth. "After that, all we need is one run, which'll be simple enough; their pitcher looks about ready to drop." Sure enough, a glance at Nishiura's dugout revealed the sandy brunette laying on the bench, with the coach and a few fellow players standing around him and fanning him down. Haruna ignored the nagging feeling—worry?—in the pit of his stomach. "We've got this in the bag."

Akimaru shrugged, tightening his catcher gear slightly. "I don't know. I mean, what's that old saying again? 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch'?"

Haruna laughed at him. "Oh, please."

Their coach's voice made them both freeze. "He's absolutely right," his deep, gruff voice almost growled at them. They both whirled around to face him. He looked at them sternly. "You play this last inning just like you have played the former eight—with everything you've got. Understand?"

Both boys nodded furiously. "Yes, sir!"

The coach merely grunted. "Show me you truly know what I mean, then. Get out there and win this game, all of you!" he bellowed.

"Yaaah!" they all yelled in response, following the coach's orders and taking the field. Haruna slipped his glove on and patted it once, twice, three times. Watch out, Mihashi. This game's ours.

-asdfjkl;-

"Lay down!" Abe's voice commanded. Mihashi was feeling so exhausted that he let himself be pushed down and fanned without protest. A calloused hand—Abe's, Mihashi guessed—touched his forehead for a split second before pulling back sharply. "Damn!" he hissed. "You're burning up. Don't move." Mihashi heard him get up and walk away for a moment before someone placed a blissfully cool water-soaked cloth on his forehead. "Does this help?" Mihashi offered only a small, affirmative 'mmm' in reply.

As Shinooka did her best to help Mihashi swallow some water, Hanai sighed. "He can't pitch anymore, can he?" he said.

"We don't know that for sure," Abe snapped, obviously tense. "Just give him a minute, he'll be fine. At least fine enough to finish the game."

"Abe's right, he has a few minutes before we head back out," Coach Momoe said, crossing her arms. "More important right now is how we're going to win this. So far, we've only had six hits on Haruna: Oki, Tajima, Sakaeguchi, Hanai twice, and Abe. Hanai, what did you get a piece of?"

Hanai racked his brains. "I hit his curveball and a fastball, I think."

Momoe nodded. "What about you, Tajima?"

Tajima paused his fanning of Mihashi, also thinking back. "Pretty sure it was a curveball," he said.

She questioned each of them in a similar fashion. "Four curveballs and two fastballs," she concluded, putting her hands on her hips. "He doesn't have very good control, so it'll be hard to predict where they're going to be, but if it's a ball, don't you dare swing at it." Everyone gulped. "If it's a fastball or a curveball, you swing at it. Everything else, it's your call as a batter. Understand?" she concluded.

All eleven of them nodded. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Good." She smiled and turned to Mihashi, who was still being fanned down by Tajima, Sakaeguchi, Shinooka and Nishihiro. "What about you, Mihashi? You up for one more inning?" she asked.

The few minutes of rest had done him good. He sat up, removing the cloth and meeting her gaze with as determined an expression as any of them had ever seen. "Yes, I'm fine," he said, standing up slowly. His head swam a little, but he buckled down and sucked it up. His team needed him!

"Alright then. Since we're batting right now, just sit there for a little while longer, okay? Let's get out there and win this game!" she shouted, raising a fist into the air.

"Haaah!" the team shouted. The first and second batters grabbed their stuff and ran out to the field. Mihashi made two determined fists resting on his thighs. I'm not finished yet!

-asdfjkl;-

In the end, Nishiura won. And, much to Haruna's surprise, he felt that they deserved that win.

Haruna's pitching had been as good as it had been the whole time, and yet those two batters, Hanai and Tajima, had managed to hit doubles off him, resulting in their third run. As surprised as he'd been, he shook it off and proceeded to strike everyone else out. No matter, he thought. Mihashi was shaking like a twig, awaiting his turn at the mound anxiously. He's about to crack; we'll hit his pitches no problem.

If only he knew how wrong he'd been.

He could only watch in awe as Mihashi threw his pitches perfectly, regardless of what kind of mental condition he was in, and hearing that WHAP every single time only boosted the guy's morale. Haruna couldn't take his eyes off the slim boy as his body twisted with every pitch he threw. One strike, two strikes, three strikes, one out. A few fouls here and there, but for the most part he threw perfect strike outs. Three in a row.

It was about that time that Haruna started to feel kind of strange whenever he looked at, or even thought about the opposing pitcher. His stomach would knot up, and he'd feel his cheeks warm up. It was weird, yet welcome at the same time. Almost like...

No, it couldn't be. Not him. ...could it?

He could deny it all he wanted, but the fact still remained: he had a crush on that kid.

So while the rest of his teammates sniffled and pouted, sitting there on the curb glumly after the end of the game cleanup, Haruna went to look for Mihashi and found him talking to Abe and one of the other guys... Tajima, Haruna recalled. The sandy brunette looked exhausted but happy, his half lidded eyes making that oh-so-rare and (curse him for thinking it) cute smile stand out that much more. It pained him when the innocent expression turned into a wide-eyed surprised, almost fearful look as he approached them.

Abe glared at him. "What do you want?" he asked, not even bothering to mask his hostile tone. Tajima just looked at him curiously.

Haruna put a hand to his chest. "Abe, you're so hurtful," he whined, his voice mock-hurt. "Do you have to be so grouchy all the time?"

Abe snorted. "Do you have to be such a douche all the time?"

Haruna ignored him. He looked at Mihashi, who winced and looked away quickly, unable to meet his gaze. God, since when did insecurity become so damn cute? Haruna managed to keep his face from going red and cleared his throat. "Anyway, so... Good job," he said, a bit awkwardly. Mihashi didn't seem to notice, though. He looked back up at Haruna with wide, awestruck, disbelieving eyes; he couldn't believe he'd heard him right.

Haruna smiled at his reaction. "You were something else out there today," he continued. Before Mihashi's gaze started to make him melt, he turned to Abe, his face now serious. "Takaya, you've found something worth your time here," he said, pointing a finger at him. "Take care of him."

And with that, he quickly walked away, leaving all three underclassmen with jaws agape.

Mihashi went about as red as a tomato. H-he... Did he really mean that? He nearly swooned, wobbling slightly in ecstasy. His idol had just complimented him! Day dreaming or not, Mihashi felt like some kind of lovesick girl, but he couldn't have cared less.

Tajima looked confused. "I thought you said he was an ass?"

Abe looked nonplussed. "He is! That bastard..." he trailed off, a fist shaking in the air. "He's mocking us somehow, I know it!"

Tajima shrugged. "Sounded pretty sincere to me," he said, laughing at Abe's sudden glare in his direction.

Meanwhile, Haruna met up with Akimaru as they were heading off to the train station to head back home. He looked up at Haruna questioningly. "Where have you been?" he asked.

Haruna shrugged his question off. "In the bathroom," he lied, thinking it better than to say he had been getting a last look at his newfound crush. That would have raised a few questions, but Akimaru seemed to buy it, shrugging and leaving it be. As they stood there, waiting for their coach's instructions, Haruna closed his eyes and let his mind wander.

He'd found a new respect for Mihashi, and he really looked forward to his next encounter with that kid.

—e—n—d—f—i—c—t—i—o—n—

A/N: I could not spell the word 'maintenance' to save my life! Dx A big inspiration for this fic was an episode of the anime I re-watched a few days ago. The way Sean Michael Teague says 'Haruna' is so cute!

I don't know if I like the way this turned out or not! xD Meh. Either way, reviews are always appreciated. Thanks for reading!