Aone gets in the way of more than just volleyballs

Requested by Tintina25

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With great impatience and anticipation, you watched the small spirals in front of the bag of chips you desired move slowly inside the vending machine. It had better not get stuck this time, you thought and pursed your lips. Sure enough, it was as if the vending machine had heard your wish and decided to ignore it, refusing to release the snack you desired. With a groan, you put your face in your hands and tried to restrain yourself from body slamming the glass out of pure frustration.

"Hey, (f/n)!" you heard a familiar voice call, making you turn and look down the hallway. A nervous smile made its way onto your lips when you realized your crush, Moniwa Kaname, was approaching.

"H-Hey, Moniwa-kun!" You cursed yourself for stuttering but kept as calm an appearance as you could.

"What are you up to?" he wondered with a small smile. When your eyes drifted over to the vending machine, his dark ones followed. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and commented, "I'm guessing that's what you looked so distraught about."

You nodded slowly and complained, "Yeah, this stupid machine keeps holding onto my chips and my money."

He placed a finger on his chin as his gaze moved to the ground and he sunk deep into thoughts of how to rectify the situation. During the time it took him to think, you couldn't help but watch him and admire his features. The constantly rustled look his dark hair had made you want to run your hands through it to fix it every time you saw him, and he almost reminded you of a cat with his small pupils. As attractive as he was, you knew you didn't stand a chance. And even if he did want to date you, the probability of him getting past your older brother was slim.

As your brother popped into your mind, you heard footsteps nearby and looked over to see that he had appeared from the classroom where he had been eating lunch with you. His light brown eyes moved from you to Moniwa, silently examining the situation. "Ah, sorry for taking so long, Takanobu! My chips got stuck again," you explained, completely unfazed by his naturally stoic expression.

"I-I just thought, I could go tell the janitor! Maybe he might be able to fix..." Moniwa's voice trailed off as he watched Aone stomp over to the machine, slam the side of it once, and reach down at the bottom to retrieve the chips he'd freed. You smiled sheepishly when he handed you the bag. "O-Or that works... too..." the dark haired boy added, his voice nearly inaudible.

You wanted to stay and talk to him, but your brother remained beside you, unmoving. "Well, I'll see you later!" you chirped in an attempt to hide the discomfort you felt at how awkward Aone could be, especially in situations like this.

"A-Ah, yeah! See ya!" Moniwa called out through teeth clenched together in a grimace. Thankfully, you had turned away to walk back down the hallway with Aone and were unable to witness the exasperated expression that soon overcame him. He was tired of the numerous opportunities to get closer to you that your brother had inadvertently ruined with his overpowering and intimidating presence. It seemed that each time Moniwa was rewarded the opportunity to spend time with you, Aone used some sixth sense of his to find the two of you and interrupt. He'd assumed his teammate hadn't meant to be intrusive, but, at this point, could his constant interjections be considered accidental, giving how frequently they happened?

Little did he know that you unknowingly empathized with him. As much as you appreciated your older brother looking out for you, he was proving to be quite the obstacle standing between you and expressing your budding attraction towards his teammate. Whether or not he was aware of the feelings you had towards Moniwa you had no idea. But what you did know was that your chances of getting so much as a first date would be zilch if he kept hanging around. His lack of social graces combined with his ominous appearance quickly scared anyone with even a remote interest in you away, much to your dismay.

You wanted to talk to him about it, but you knew it was useless, since he was as impenetrable as the blocks he put up against whatever team he played. Not to mention, you would fear for Moniwa's livelihood if you suggested to your brother that you had a crush on his setter. All you could do was hope that Moniwa wouldn't give up on you.

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Later that day at practice, Moniwa decided to swallow his fears and step up to the plate. The more time he wasted being passive, the less time he got to spend with you, which resulted in nothing but mutual suffering. It was his duty to be diligent in overcoming any obstacles standing between the two of you. So, he took a deep breath and marched over to the tall, snowy-haired middle blocker while the team was working on taking down the nets.

Aone's tiny, brown pupils came to rest on his teammates smaller form as he approached him. "Aone-san," he spoke, his voice stronger than usual to hide the quavering of his body, "May I speak to you about something?" The tall boy gave no verbal response, as to be expected, and merely moved his head in an almost indeterminable nod. Trying not to outwardly portray the nervousness his steady gaze was instilling in him, Moniwa admitted, "I find (f/n) to be a wonderful girl and I would appreciate the opportunity to take her out on a date. Since she is your sister, I wanted to receive your approval, first. So, may I ask her?"

A long silence ensued, during which, Moniwa thought his heart would explode from the force with which it was pounding against his ribcage. However, his eyes refused to leave Aone's with the fear that any sign of weakness would mean a lost opportunity for him. The entire tense nature of the situation quickly changed for the better when Aone reached towards his setter and placed his slightly calloused hand on his shoulder.

"Be good to her."

Unsurprisingly, Aone never faltered in his reputation for being a man of few words when he chose to speak; and in this instance, Moniwa couldn't have been happier with what he had decided to say. Those four words accompanied by a pat on the shoulder was a sure sign of acceptance from the giant, making a wave of relief wash over Moniwa and his lips tremble with pure elation.

"You have my word!"

With a nod, Aone turned away from his teammate to resume his clean-up duties. Moniwa's heart soared as he walked across the gym to collect any stray volleyballs, and his feelings of hope were further encouraged when he noticed you walk into the gym to wait for your brother to walk home with you. Not wanting to waste another moment, Moniwa hurriedly helped his teammates stow away all the equipment before asking you if he could speak to you outside for a moment.

"What's up, Moniwa-kun?" you wondered, your (e/c) eyes bright with curiosity.

Your beauty nearly overwhelmed him and made him lose his nerve entirely, but he reminded himself that if he could get through Aone, he could conquer any of his other fears. Pushing his sweaty, dark hair away from his face, he gave you a warm smile and inquired, "Would you like to go on a date with me?"

A grin spread across your lips and you quickly answered, "I'd love to!" Not even two seconds after giving him your overjoyed response, though, your happiness faded into disappointment. "But, I doubt Takanobu will let me..."

"D-Don't worry, (f/n)! I already asked him!" Moniwa spoke quickly, his hands instinctively flying to your arms to assuage you.

You blushed at this contact, but raised your previously lowered head and gasped, "You did?" A large figure moving into the doorway of the gym alerted you to your brother's unmistakable presence, and your eyes moved past Moniwa to regard him with a look of disbelief. When Aone noticed the situation and presumably pieced together why you looked shocked, he gave you a firm nod and the tiniest of smiles. You were the only one who could extract an ounce of emotion from your brother since you were of utmost importance to him.

"So, how about I meet you tomorrow after school, since we don't have practice? We can get something to eat," Moniwa suggested, bringing your attention back to him.

Nodding enthusiastically, you accepted and gave him a wave when he parted ways to begin his walk home. Once your brother approached you after abstaining from interfering with your conversation, you gave him a hug and thanked him. In turn, he gave you a few pats on the back and rustled your hair playfully before the two of you walked side by side on your way home. While Aone was used to being a formidable wall in the path of his opponents, the last thing he wanted to do was act as an obstacle preventing you from being with someone who made you happy.