Work Text:
“Moniwa-sensei,” a soft voice of a little boy says behind Moniwa, accompanied with a light tugging on his khaki work pants.
“Yes?” He turns away from his work of fixing the art shelf leaving the assistant to watch over the kids having recess. He squats down to speak with the boy at eye level. “What is it, Yoshihiro-kun?” he asks with a gentle smile.
Yoshihiro looks away from him briefly, fumbling at something behind his back. Moniwa patiently waited for him to answer. After a few moments, Yoshihiro brings out his arm in front of him. Moniwa looks down a little and sees an apple sitting on top of tiny hands.
“This is for you, Moniwa-sensei,” he says shyly, pushing the fruit towards Moniwa.
Moniwa squeals internally at how cute his pupil looks like right now, but it only translated as a wide beam on his face. “This is kind of you, Yoshihiro-kun,” he praises, but not taking the fruit just yet. “But your mommy sent it for you. So you should probably eat it.”
“I have my own, Moniwa-sensei.” He uses his free hand and duly points to his table, and Moniwa cranes his neck and sees a container with a row of bunny apple slices beside the bowls of the daycare issued food that day. Moniwa almost smacks his forehead at his moment of idiocy. Of course a parent would not send an unpeeled and unsliced apple to a four year old child, no matter how independent Yoshihiro-kun acts, more so than the other pupils in his class.
“Well, thank you for this Yoshihiro-kun. Please tell your mommy that as well, alright?” Moniwa says, finally taking the apple and freeing Yoshihiro from the burden of holding it up. Moniwa thought he’s going to leave after that and return to his chair and continue eating his food. But Yoshihiro stays for a few moments more.
“But sensei, that didn’t come from Mommy. It’s from Waka-oji-chan. He asked me to give it to you.” He says, then quickly returns to his seat, leaving Moniwa quite shocked at what he said.
-----
Everyone in Japan and their mother knows the pro-volleyball player Ushijima Wakatoshi. He’s been pivotal in the National Team’s victory during the last World Volleyball Championship.
He also happens to be Yoshihiro-kun’s uncle.
He’d met him when he had taken Yoshihiro to the child care center for a week, a few months ago, and Moniwa, still a fairly new teacher and having used to meeting Yoshihiro-kun’s mother, Sakurako-san. He got star-struck and so intimidated that he spent the first few minutes of their meeting fumbling on his own words and being a blushing mess. He also mistakenly assumed that Ushijima-san was Yoshihiro-kun’s father.
They really do look alike, in Moniwa’s defense. For all of Ushijima-san’s seriousness was somehow inherited by Yoshihiro. The only exception was that Yoshihiro-kun still gives his smiles easily than Ushijima-san. Moniwa also distinctly remembers the wayward thought of Ushijima-san being such a good looking young father, and how Sakurako-san is lucky to be married to someone like him, and how he blushed and berated himself after entertaining such thoughts about a family man.
It was during home time the week that followed, when it was Sakurako-san who turned up, instead of Ushijima-san, to fetch Yoshihiro, did he realized his mistake.
He was actually surprised (and not disappointed, no he wasn’t), and he tells her so, because Ushijima-san was the one who brought him to school earlier that morning. Sakurako-san told him that she had to be away for an overseas business trip. Moniwa replied that it was still good, since it gave Yoshihiro-kun and his father time to bond.
Sakurako-san looked confused for a moment, before she bursts out in laughter, making Moniwa blush and self-conscious, and he started overthinking about what he said. He’s about to ask what it was that he said, when Sakurako-san clarifies that Ushijima-san is her younger brother, and that he’s still painfully single.
This, of course, caused Moniwa to bow repeatedly in apology for mistaking the nature of their relationship. It’s shameful because he should’ve studied Yoshihiro-kun’s file, and he would’ve saved himself from embarrassment and looking incompetent in front of a parent. Of course, Sakurako-san’s well-meaning assurance that it’s alright, did little to assuage his guilt.
The rest of the weeks had gone on a similar fashion, with Ushijima-san taking Yoshihiro-kun, while Sakurako-san fetch him in the afternoon. On the last day of school that month, Sakurako-san had looked at him funny, like she was trying to figure him out. She said a confusing ‘I think I understand now,’ before she and her son left for home.
That month had also been the last time that Ushijima-san had taken Yoshihiro-kun to school. Moniwa just assumed that he’s busy preparing with his team for the upcoming tournaments. He thought he wouldn’t be seeing or hearing about him for a while.
Until now. And the succeeding days after.
Moniwa thought that the apple would be a one-time thing. But something’s always out to prove him wrong, as Yoshihiro-kun had taken to giving him different snacks during break time. He kept saying that it’s from his Waka-oji.
He’s just a doting uncle that’s probably just grateful to him, for taking care of Yoshihiro. But shouldn’t that be Sakurako-san’s concern? Not that Moniwa wants to be receive gifts from her instead, or to be given something in the first place, but really, what reason could Ushijima-san have for doing this?
Moniwa has to endure the subtle teasing of his assistant about it. Shibayama-kun had actually suggested that Ushijima-san is probably courting him, by making his nephew deliver things to him, just to ensure that Moniwa would accept it.
Moniwa doesn’t want to give himself any false hopes. True, he had developed a crush on Ushijima-san over the course of their meeting during the time he’d taken his pupil to the center. He’s admirable because he’s polite and gentle, despite his intimidating appearance. He doesn’t seem arrogant despite being famous. And, the one that Moniwa liked the most about him is how much he can feel that Ushijima-san likes and dotes on his nephew.
He’s patient with him, and actually had seen him play along the child’s whim. He had seen Ushijima-san carry Yoshihiro-kun on his shoulders as they leave school. He’d heard the uncle agree to his nephew’s request of getting ice cream on the way home. He never once flinched nor wince when Yoshihiro threw himself at him.
Moniwa, in layman’s term, has it bad.
But, he refuses to believe that that is the meaning behind whatever he’s doing. It’s a laughable thought and there’s no way that that is reason why.
He tells Shibayama-kun as much.
-----
Moniwa slightly jumps in surprise at his name being called in a deep voice. He turns around and finds Ushijima-san standing by the entrance of his classroom.
It’s the first time he sees him again after the past few weeks of receiving gifts that allegedly came from him. He instantly flushed at the thought of facing his ‘alleged admirer’.
“A-ahh, good afternoon Ushiijima-san,” he bows in greeting. “You’re here to fetch Yoshihiro-kun?”
“Good afternoon to you as well, Moniwa-sensei. And yes. Onee-sama cannot make it because of work, so she asked me to do it.”
“Ahh, is that so?” Moniwa nods empathically. “I’ll just call for him in the playroom, alright?” He excused himself and hastily went to the playroom. He doesn’t call out to Yoshihiro at first, opting to calm his nerves before he faces Ushijima-san again. When he feels ready enough, he called Yoshihiro’s attention and informed him that his uncle is already here to fetch him.
The child, understandably, jumps up and quickly says his goodbye to the other children left and runs to his teacher. When Moniwa returns with Yoshihiro, the child immediately jumps to Ushijima’s arm with an excited squeal.
When Yoshihiro has calmed down, he gets his things from his cubby box. Leaving his uncle and sensei alone.
“I hope you have been liking the gifts,” Ushijima says, breaking the quiet that had enveloped them. Moniwa pause and looks at him confusedly before the assortment of gifts that he had been receiving and promptly blushed.
“A-ah… yeah. Uh, thank you so much for those, Ushijima-san.” He bows his head, partly to express his thanks, and partly to hide his face. “But, they seem to be too much. A simple thank you would be already very much appreciated. And it can also be written in the diary, if you-”
“They’re not thank you gifts,” Ushijima cuts him off. Moniwa snaps his head up to look at Ushijima and finds him staring intensely at him.
“Wh-what?”
“They…they’re for something else. I like you, Moniwa-sensei.” Ushijima says slowly, a little redness creeping on his ears, his expression a mix between bashful and hopeful.
Moniwa’s mouth feels dry all of a sudden and he’s afraid to ask for clarification. When Ushijima notice that Moniwa is not reacting, his expression fell, taking Moniwa’s silence as rejection.
“I apologize if my advances had made you uncomfortable. It wouldn’t happen again.”
“No!” Moniwa exclaims. “Ah- I mean… It’s alright. I mean, I am not uncomfortable with it. But I guess, it’s better if you don’t ask Yoshihiro-kun to do it. Ah, I mean… you could just… ask me out or something…” His voice got steadily quieter as he says this. Ushijima still hears it though, and so he formally asks, “Well… will you go out on a date with me?”
Moniwa doesn’t trust himself not to choke on his words, so he only nods his head in reply.
Both are unaware that Yoshihiro is watching them, thinking that he’s going to tell his Mom how Operation: Express Shipping was a success.