Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke isn't mine and Izuki's pun was taken off of Yahoo!Answers. The idea for this story came from the OTP Prompts tumblr in which Person A writes out a draft text regarding their feelings but leaves it unsent, only to have Person B find it.

It was another sweltering summer's day in Kyoto, and the humidity was making it hard to breathe. Mayuzumi Chihiro hated this weather, as any overbearing sources of heat made him more lethargic than necessary. To make matters worse, the AC in his apartment had broken down and he had an essay to write – one that he had pushed off into the corner of his mind for the past few weeks. There was no way he could work at home at this rate, despite his preference to avoid all outside contact with the world once the thermometer reached above 30 degrees.

Thus, he begrudgingly gathered up his laptop and notebook, threw them into his bag, and began his journey towards his favourite coffee shop a few blocks down the street.

"This weather is making this walk longer than it has to be," he thought, wiping the sweat that had accumulated on his brow since he had exited the building, "Goddamnit."

Normally, his trips to the coffee shop consisted of his preferred seat at the back of the shop, next to the window, with medium-sized chocolate frappé and his latest light novel in hand. But now he had to desecrate his usual sanctuary all for the sake of some essay he didn't particularly care for in the first place. He could cry, though that could also be the weather taking its toll on him.

He mentally breathed a sigh of relief the moment he had reached and stepped into the coffee shop. The cool air rushed towards this face and he took a deep breath, allowing the scent of freshly ground coffee to fill his lungs. However, his mood was quick to change as he irritably noted how crowded the shop was today. But that was obvious as to why, given the weather. A quick scan of the area told him, though, that his special spot had not yet been taken, and that he best place an order of the usual and claim his seat.

Fortunately, he was able to occupy the seat on time despite the people in line, as usual, unable to notice his rightful place in line and butting him. And yet again, the barista had completely forgotten his order the first time around.

Finally settled down, he took a long sip of his drink, allowing his mind to settle before pulling out his laptop and beginning to work on his paper.

Mayuzumi was well onto his third page of analyzing the works of Tosaka Jun when the sound of something heavy hitting his table ruined his concentration. Raising his head, he was about to make a rude remark at the intruder until –

"Izuki?" his eyes widening at the sight of a certain pair of dark and narrowed eyes he knew too well.

"W-Woah!" the owner of said eyes cried, stumbling back and almost spilling coffee onto the group of girls walking past him. "Ah, I'm so sorry!"

The point guard of Seirin High bowed profusely to them as they waved him off with a, "Don't worry about it!"

"Oh god, that was embarrassing," Izuki moaned, cheeks tinged with a hint of pink. "Mayuzumi! You scared me to death, when did you even get here? What if I spilled coffee over those girls?!"

"I was here the whole time," Mayuzumi snorted, slightly irritated at the accusation. "It's not my fault that your eagle-eye totally failed you just now, huh? Cutie."

"Again with that nickname? Can't you find something better?" Izuki murmured, pulling the chair opposite to the older male and sitting down. "Anyway, mind if I sit here?"

"I think it suits you perfectly," thought Mayuzumi, chuckling to himself before gesturing at the seat in front of him, "By all means. It's not like I can say no."

The two former basketball rivals had become acquainted after the Winter Cup. Izuki's grandparents had relocated to Kyoto to move in with his aunt, and so his mother would often send him there during school breaks whenever he was not preoccupied with school work or team practice. After a few awkward encounters on the train (awkward for Izuki anyway, Mayuzumi just chose to ignore him the first few times in favour of his light novels), they managed to establish minimal contact until they exchanged numbers. The two were somehow able to hit it off despite the older male's constant deadpanning at poor Izuki's puns.

"What are you doing here?" asked Izuki, taking a seat in front of Mayuzumi.

"Essay," he sighed. "It's due in a few days and of course I haven't started. I wouldn't be here right now in this weather but the AC in my apartment broke down."

"Oh man, I'm sorry to hear that. Yeah, I'm visiting my grandma again and I'm not too fond of this weather myself. Mom wouldn't take no for an answer though."

Mayuzumi snorted in response before turning his attention back to his laptop screen.

The two of them sat quietly amidst the chattering of patrons within the café. Izuki was fidgeting on his phone, swiping his fingers across the screen here and there while Mayuzumi tapped away at the laptop keyboard.

"Didn't you have to visit your grandma?" the grey-haired male asked, not looking up from his screen.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I'm going to head out later in the evening once it cools down. I'm just gonna stay here for now. You don't mind, do you?" Izuki asked.

In truth, Mayuzumi really did need to finish this paper. But he didn't necessarily want to be rude to Izuki, considering he was one of the only people from his high school days and even now, that he could tolerate. Well, Izuki was always more than tolerable, he thought as he glanced over at the other's inquiring expression.

"If you don't mind sitting here for the next few hours, then by all means go ahead. Don't bother me though." Mayuzumi replied.

"Ah, well," Izuki began, looking down at his phone. "Yeah okay, I don't mind. Oh wait, can I just one question before I commit myself to silence?"

"Yup."

"Is university hard? I mean," Izuki motioned to the laptop. "You seem pretty stressed out."

"Yeah, well, it's all about time management. It'll be hard if you leave everything till the last minute and cram like hell come midterms and finals. Some people are really good about it, though, and can start ahead of time. You any good at it?"

"I don't know. Uh, maybe?"

Mayuzumi sighed, "Right, then just don't worry about that now. I'm assuming you've got entrance exams soon?"

"Yep, I've been cramming with Hyuuga and them whenever I have the time."

He frowned at the name before asking,"Where did you apply?"

"Let's see… Todai, Meiji, Keio," he listed them off on his fingers, "and uh," he paused. "Yeah, and Kyoto Prefectural."

"Oh," Mayuzumi said, raising his eyebrows in slight surprise. "Kyoto Prefectural, Fudai, I go there." Did Izuki just look away? "But why Kyoto? And just one?"

"Well, yeah. I just thought, you know, that I should maybe broaden my horizons a bit. Maybe. I mean if they accepted me and all." Izuki exhaled, leaning forward.

"Right. Good luck."

"Thanks."

Afterwards, Izuki promptly excused himself to order some coffee jelly and came back a while later. Mayuzumi had to wonder why he hadn't bothered leaving yet. Casting a quick glance at his companion, saw that Izuki was staring out the window, hand propped on his chin. The sunrays had decided to bask their section of the café in its light, making it hard for him to see the laptop screen. However at the same time he noticed how Izuki's normally dark hair took on a reddish hue when bathed in the sunlight, and how his black eyes momentarily transformed into a pools of hazel. Hearing soft giggles and whispers, Mayuzumi turned to the side and noticed the group of girls from before sitting at a table not too far from theirs. Following their line of sight, he noticed that, they too, were admiring the view that Izuki had unknowingly cultivated.

If only they knew about his puns.

The raven-haired male sighed as he turned back to his phone for what seemed to be the tenth time in the past few minutes. Mayuzumi watched as he pursed his lips whilst rapidly swiping his thumb across the screen. He then paused, only to begin hastily typing something into his phone. He sighed once more before slamming his phone down and resting his head on the table, muttering incoherently.

Mayuzumi considered asking him if something was wrong but thought that he should try to focus on his essay instead. Why did he tell him that it was okay for him to sit here again? Oh yeah, cause it was Izuki.

He remembered the frustration he felt after the match against Seirin at the Winter Cup, regardless of the results. After both teams lined up and thanked each other for the match, Mayuzumi began his lone trek across the basketball court and towards the exit. Izuki had met him halfway, and just as he was about to dart past him, the raven-hair male had said, "Good match. You're pretty tough." And at first that had not mattered at all, but now. Mayuzumi had felt bad for the absolute look of repugnance he had given Izuki after he made that comment.

He had soon forgotten about Izuki, however. His third and final year at Rakuzan had come and gone, he graduated, and had moved onto university. Much like his life before he became a member of Rakuzan's first string, nothing eventful really happened. Or at least that's how he felt until the day Izuki boarded that train. Mayuzumi had initially thought they were just coincidental encounters, but after a few more meetings, the younger male had somehow managed to weave his way into his life in ways he would've thought impossible before.

It wasn't until Izuki excused himself for a moment to go to the bathroom that Mayuzumi's attention drew to the cell phone which the other had left behind. Judging by the brightly lit screen, he had left it unlocked. The grey haired male glanced curiously at the device before shifting his gaze to the bathroom door. He looked back at the phone and grabbed it. They did know each other well enough now that this would be deemed acceptable behaviour, right?

Curious to see whom Izuki had been messaging the whole time, he tapped the message icon on the screen and his eyes widened. Oh, this was more than acceptable behaviour.

And it was at that moment that Izuki came scurrying back to the table, "I left my phone he- shit!" he hissed, face growing pale.

"Izuki," Mayuzumi drawled, turning the phone over so that Izuki could see the screen."What is this?"

"Uh, it's nothing. Sorry, nevermind, gotta pee again." Izuki turned around, about to head off to the toilets again before Mayuzumi's hand shot out, grabbing his wrist.

"Izuki." He repeated.

"Uh," Izuki looked around the room, refusing to meet the other's stare until he finally settled his gaze on the table next to them. He thought that he had been getting better at reading Mayuzumi's blank gaze, but he was being imperceptible at the moment. "Yeah, I gotta go." Suddenly breaking free from the other's grasp, Izuki yanked his phone away, hastily grabbed his bag, and took off.

"Well, shit." thought Mayuzumi, quite thankful for his ability to fade into the background during these social situations. Not that they happened that often to him anyway – or ever – for that matter. At any rate, the café was starting to feel more and more cramped and in the end he opted to pack up his things and go home.

It was evening now, and thankfully much cooler than it had been earlier on in the day. He had managed to write a good portion of his essay after he had gotten home and calmed his nerves a bit. Finishing up his conclusion paragraph, he made a note to proofread the whole thing the next day. Getting up and slamming his laptop shut, he rose from his desk chair and flopped onto the bed beside him.

Lying on the bed, Mayuzumi stared hard at the light fixture on the ceiling. What would he do the next time he saw him? Would there even be a next time? At any rate, he might give it a few days before sending another text. He closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands.

He had it bad for Izuki.

A light breeze wafted through the window of his apartment that he had managed to open after a bit of effort. It smelled of summer and overwhelmed his senses, making his eyelids grow heavier and heavier by the second. Just as he was about to lull himself to sleep, his phone chimed.

Mayuzumi groaned, but his chest tightened with slight anticipation. Reaching over to the table, he grabbed his phone and looked at the name flashing on the screen.

Izuki.

Rolling over onto his side, he picked up the call. "Yeah?"

"H-hey!" Izuki's voice stammered through the receiver. "Uh, yeah it's me."

"I kinda figured. Caller ID, you know?"

"Yeah, of course. Oops."

"…"

"A-Anyway," Izuki continued, with more resolve in his voice. "I'm really sorry about storming off like that. Sorry I kinda just left you there."

"Huh," Mayuzumi droned. "You make me sound like a jilted boyfriend."

"I, uh, no. What? But yeah, just calling to let you know that I'm sorry, and yeah..." Izuki's voice trailed off, and the grey-haired male instantly felt a twinge of guilt building up in his throat.

"Don't apologize," Mayuzumi sighed. "I shouldn't have looked through your phone like that. It was my bad. I'm sorry."

"Oh yeah, yeah, you're right! Why the hell did you do that?"

"Sorry, Izuki." Mayuzumi repeated, trying to sound as earnest as possible as he heard the other grunt through the line. "… Is that all you called me for?"

"Right, um…"

The younger male didn't respond for a while, and Mayuzumi would have been convinced that Izuki had hung up on him if it weren't for the sound of a TV coming from the other side of the line.

"Hel—"

"I-I know I sound like a basket case," Izuki began, taking a deep breath before going on. "But, whenever I think of you or catch sight you, my heart does a double dribble."

"… Sorry, what?" That pun was so, so, bad, and Mayuzumi wasn't quite sure how to respond, nor did he know what to make out of it.

"Uh, hello? Mayuzumi?" Izuki asked, almost pleadingly.

"Yeah," he replied after a short pause. "So you basically just read out that text you had saved in your drafts, the one you wanted to send me?"

"Er, yeah. Basically."

"And? What do you mean by that? Izuki."

"Can you stop saying my name like that?" the other grumbled, and Mayuzumi chuckled at the frustrated expression he knew Izuki was pulling at the moment.

"Well?" he pressed.

"I, I kinda really like you. And I've been meaning to craft the perfect pun for the past few weeks but I've never really confessed to anyone before so I didn't even know where to start…"

Mayuzumi was so glad he was at home right now, and in the privacy of his own room. That confession had broken through his blank façade, and he was pretty sure he didn't want anyone to look at his face right now.

Izuki liked him. Izuki Shun, with his little book of awful puns, that earnest expression he wore all the time, and that determination he showed in just everything he did. "You're pretty tough."

"Izuki," he said again.

"I told you to stop that!"

"Izuki," Mayuzumi teased again, thinking he should stop soon.

"Now you're just being a dick… but, well?"

"What?"

"Dude, I just confessed to you and you're not even gonna bother with a response?"

"Oh yeah, sorry." Mayuzummi sniggered, and immediately regretted his choice of words when he heard Izuki's voice hitch. "I, um, really didn't mean it like that. But hey, Izuki?"

"What?"

"Go out with me."

"What?"

"I'm saying I like you too. Cutie, you're wonderful."

"I-I, what? Since when?" he managed to stutter in response.

"Since a while ago," he replied, feeling the room heat up again as his heartbeat quickened. "Yeah, it's been some time."

"I see. Okay, I get it… oh man."

"Hm?"

"I really wanna meet up right now."

Yes, it was a good thing he was at home right now.

"Hey," Mayuzumi said softly. "When are you going back to Tokyo?"

"Hm? In two days."

"Then are you free tomorrow? It shouldn't be so hot, so you can come over to my place to chill. We can watch a movie or something."

"Your place?" Izuki asked, and some shuffling was heard on his end. "Yeah, yeah I'm free. That sounds like a good idea! Oh, grandma has a few desk fans lying around. I'm sure she won't mind if I borrow one. I'll bring it over."

"Awesome, thanks. So it's a date?"

"Uh, is it? Yeah, yeah it is."

"Great. So I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess so. G'night, and, uh, thanks."

"… G'night."

After hanging up, Mayuzumi supposed that he really should get that proofreading out of the way.

I started this in like January and finished it last night lol :( I also just want to hug poor Mayuzumi in recent chapters, and smack Akashi across the face I still love you though.

And please let me know what you thought about this because I never want to write out phone conversations ever again.

Thanks for reading!