It was ridiculous, like something out of a dumb romance novel, and you knew it. But you were sure it could work. Maybe. Hopefully.
Naturally, you were extremely nervous about this plan, especially since it did require you to be dishonest to Aone. But this was your chance to finally get an answer.
Still, you wanted to try at least one more thing before using your idea.
"…Aone-kun, are you happy with me?"
You asked him when the two of you were walking to school. And he patted your head and smiled and nodded…just like a friend would. At least he had turned away before you embarrassed yourself any further and actually tried to kiss him.
Now you're walking at his side silently as people and students happily bustle around you. The school is in sight, and you can see students rushing through the doors.
It's time. You couldn't put it off anymore.
On the sidewalk, a few feet in front of you, there's a piece of stone that sticks out. People trip over it every day, and you did so once a week until a concerned Aone made sure you were always walking on the side that didn't have the rock. Although it had never seriously hurt someone, it still amazed you that the school or the city had done nothing about it.
Before you could chicken out, you run forwards. "Aone-kun, let's hurry!" You turn back to call to him, as you keep running. You see him give you his usual small, gentle smile, the one that makes your heart beat faster, before his eyes suddenly open wide. He reaches out for you, rushing forwards, and even after all the times you've seen him playing volleyball, you're surprised by how fast he moves his large body. You think you hear him calling your name, and you feel his fingertips just brush your shoulder…but it's too late.
You're already falling away from him.
"Ow!" You cry out, as you end up falling on your front. Luckily, you had managed to angle your body so you ended up falling on the soft grass beside the sidewalk. It still hurt though.
You hear your name being called again, and you look up to see Aone's concerned face above you. His eyes watch you anxiously, and you can tell he's trying to see if you're okay.
"I'm fine, Aone-kun! Lucky me, I landed on the grass. But…um…my ankle kind of hurts…" You say shyly, rubbing the back of your neck awkwardly. It wasn't hard to act embarrassed and awkward, since that's exactly how you felt enacting your 'plan'. "I think I twisted it when I tripped over the rock…" You say quietly, looking down at your ankle where it's sprawled out near the rock you tripped over.
"Ah…Aone-kun, could you help me up? This is embarrassing, but…I think I may need help walking." You whisper softly. You ignored the strange looks people were giving you and Aone, as you focused completely on him. You tried to ignore how hard your cheeks were burning, because now that you were actually doing this, it was really becoming apparent how ridiculous and pathetic this plan was.
The idea behind it was for you to see how Aone reacted to having to hold your hand. If he helped you up and immediately dropped it, you'd know he didn't like being close to you at all. But if he held you hand and didn't let go…maybe you could bring yourself to ask him how he felt.
You hold out your hand to him, trying to steady it when you realise you're shaking to the tips of your fingers, but you don't have to wait long. Aone immediately takes your hand, holding it firmly yet gently. You feel your heart beat even faster…until you see he's not pulling you up. In fact, he's coming closer to you. You blink in surprise, obviously confused, when you feel his other arm come around you and slide underneath your hips.
Your eyes widen in shock, and you feel your mouth fall open. Okay, so this was definitely not what you were expecting!
In a smooth, effortless motion, he picks you up, bridal-style. One arm is under your knees, while the other around your back, holding you securely. His hand is still grasping yours tightly as he looks down at you. His eyes are blazing with a burning determination you've never seen from him up close. Rendered speechless, you can only stare up at him as he starts running to the school.
"Move!" He yells out to some students blocking the doorway, and his deep, powerful voice makes them back off instantly. He squeezes your hand tighter, like he's telling you not to worry, as he runs in and heads in the direction of the nurse's office. He only stops when he reaches the door, and urgently knocks on the door with the hand still holding yours. You look behind you, and of course everyone is frozen in place and staring at you. You turn back, feeling your face grow incredibly hot.
And you had thought asking him if he wanted to be more than friends would have been embarrassing. At this point you were so humiliated you wanted to crawl into a hole and not come out for a week.
Worse, even that couldn't match how terrible the guilt from doing this made you feel.
"Aone-kun, I'm so sorry…" You whisper softly. You have so much more you want to say, but the words stick in your throat.
"…Don't worry." Aone speaks gently. He looks down at you and gives you a comforting smile, and it just about breaks your heart.
"Yes? What is it?" The nurse opens the door, and Aone immediately rushes in. He quickly puts you down on the first available bed he sees. He gives you a concerned look (Are you okay? Are you comfortable?) and the moment you give him a weak nod, your stomach still rolling with guilt, he turns back to the nurse.
"Wow, this early in the morning? Was it that rock on the sidewalk across from the gates?" The nurse sighs loudly, muttering under her breath about how the city needed to get that fixed.
Aone nods urgently, and motions towards your ankle on the foot you'd tripped over the rock on. He stands over you anxiously, and you realise, through all of this, he's still holding your hand. He had never let it go.
Suddenly, you feel tears running down your face.
You hear Aone call your name again, and he squeezes your hand again. You feel his other hand on your back, rubbing it soothingly.
"Does it hurt that badly?" The nurse speaks up, her tone now concerned as she steps towards you.
"N—No, no, I—I'm sorry, I'm not hurt, I—I—" You stammer, struggling to get the words out. Your eyes dart to Aone, who's usually so composed, and you see he's practically shaking, looking down at you with distressed eyes. Then, your gaze goes back to the nurse. You stare at her with a guilt-ridden expression, and suddenly a look of understanding dawns on her face.
"…I'll give you two a few minutes. But when the opening bell rings, you have to go to class. Alright?" The nurse's tone is stern, but her eyes are sympathetic. You nod quickly in agreement, and the nurse draws the thin curtain surrounding your bed to give the two of you some privacy before she steps out.
Aone looks confused, staring in disbelief at the spot where the nurse left, and you squeeze his hand gently so he returns his attention to you.
"Aone-kun, I'm sorry. I was so stupid. I—I tripped on purpose…my ankle doesn't even hurt." You admit quietly. You sniff loudly, as more tears start to trickle down your face. "I'm so—"
You're interrupted as you feel something on your face. Aone brushes your tears away and lightly strokes your face. His large hands are so gentle, and his fingertips caressing your skin makes you feel pleasantly warm.
"Don't cry." He murmurs softly. You look up to him, and are stunned by his sincere, caring expression. He strokes your face for a few more moments, until you finally calm down a little. The tears have stopped, although your breathing is still occasionally interrupted with loud, raspy gasps. Now that you're calmer, he looks at you with an expression of curiosity.
You understand he wants to know why you did all this.
"I…I didn't know if you liked me as a friend or—or—" You choked on the words, but Aone squeezed your hand gently, encouraging you. "You didn't seem to like touching me, or being touched by me, so I wanted to see if you would hold my hand if I was hurt so so—so I tripped on purpose. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. It was so stupid, and you got so worried for nothing. I'm an idiot. Aone-kun I'm so sorry, but—but please! Please don't stop being my friend! I know I did something really selfish and I like you different than how you like me, but I promise I won't do anything like this ever again! And I promise my feelings won't be a burden to y—"
You're interrupted again by Aone, but this time…by his lips.
