Title: Honey
Rating: High K plus/Low T (for language, courtesy of Aomine of course)
Themes: Protection, bees, fluff

A/N: I don't really remember where, but I read somewhere that Aomine has a fear of bees, so I became inspired to write something dedicated to that lol. Also, I had another one shot written up along with this one, and it took me a while to decide which one to use first as part of the one shot collection. I went with this one though since the other one is a bit…angst-y (but not entirely). I wanted to start it off with something sweet, haha.

"Dai-chan, stop running! You might trip!" A six year old Momoi cried out, jogging futilely after her said friend. He ignored her however, laughing loudly as he defiantly dashed on ahead. She pouted as she struggled to catch up with him.

After school was always the same. She was beginning to wonder why she had become friends with him in the first place. He would always challenge her to a "race," but of course, they both knew that she would lose. Either way, Momoi still kept desperately after him, since she had determinedly promised his parents that she would always "protect him and watch over him."

Suddenly though, she saw him stop abruptly. "Eh?" Momoi spoke as she finally reached his side. She noticed that the expression on his face was filled with horror, and that his body was petrified. She also noticed that he was staring solidly at his arm, where a small bee had landed. "…Dai-chan?"

Aomine gulped nervously as he gazed at the insect on the sleeve of his elementary school sweater. He had remembered watching a TV show in which a boy was hurt by one of these bugs.

"S-Satsuki. These things can hurt people with their butts," he informed her seriously, recalling what had happened on the TV show. She frowned, staring at the bee. She finally tilted her head to the side, curious and doubtful.

"Huh…? But it's so small," Momoi pointed out. Before he could protest, she had reached out and brushed the bee off of his sweater. It buzzed around in a few circles before retaliating and stinging her hand.

"Ow!" Momoi flinched. The bee flew off, leaving Aomine to stare in distress at his friend's hand.

"I-I told you! It hurt you with its butt!" He exclaimed. He loomed over her gradually swelling hand, and noticed a small black point where the bee had stung her. He could feel his body trembling in fear. What's going to happen to Satsuki? He wondered worriedly.

Suddenly, Momoi burst out crying, completely startling him. "Dai-chan, it hurts a lot!" She wailed, using her uninjured hand to rub her moist eyes. Aomine continued staring at her as panic ran throughout his veins.

"Here! I'll carry you!" He finally shouted, bending down so that she could climb onto his back. Still sniffling, she crawled onto his back. He placed his hands under her knees and stood up. He walked quickly, determined to get her home safely.

"It's okay, Satsuki! I'll get you home so that your dad can take care of the bee's butt attack," he told her soothingly, trotting along. She sobbed back in response, unable to speak a word. She tightened her hold around his neck.

When they reached Momoi's house, her mother was outside, tending the garden. Upon seeing her daughter crying on Aomine's back, she dashed towards them with a worried look on her face.

"I-it hurt Satsuki," Aomine explained nervously as he watched his pink-haired friend crying in her mother's bosom. He felt a tight knot developing in his throat.

"Ah, it's a bee sting, isn't it? Thank goodness you're not allergic," Momoi's mother stated, gingerly stroking the girl's hand. "We'll have Tou-san make it all better, okay?" She reassured, smiling warmly. She turned towards Aomine, giving him the same smile.

"You did a very good job, Daiki-kun. Thank you for protecting Sat-chan. You're so brave," she told him, giving him a gentle pat on the head. At that moment, Aomine also broke out into unexpected tears. Momoi's mom smiled wider as she reached over and also held onto him, rubbing his back in soothing circles.

000

Why did I remember that in my sleep…? Aomine wondered as he sat up groggily, swiping drool off of the corner of his mouth. He glanced around to see that everyone was still practicing diligently. Upon seeing Aomine wake up, Wakamatsu glowered at him.

"Hey, are you done slacking off already?" He demanded, dribbling the ball heavily. Aomine yawned loudly, carelessly stretching out his arms. The other teen twitched in annoyance at being completely ignored. He opened his mouth to shout at him again.

"Okay guys, practice is over! Get changed and go home," the coach shouted, blowing the whistle. The blue-haired teen grinned mockingly over at Wakamatsu, who grudgingly dragged his feet along the floor.

"Hmm. Coach, there's a swarm of bees outside," the captain commented after glancing out the door. Aomine tensed violently. Was that dream some sort of premonition? He demanded in his head.

"Bees, huh?" Momoi asked, crossing her arms before glancing over at her childhood friend, who hastily looked away. She smiled.

"E-eh…? Does that mean we have to stay until they leave? But there's a sale at the supermarket today…" Sakurai frowned, nearly pouting. Wakamatsu cringed at him.

"Stop being such a housewife, Sakurai. Anyway, we'll just have to take the other exit," he reminded, jerking a thumb at the back door. Sakurai let out a relieved sigh before walking into the locker room.

"Hm? Aomine, aren't you going to get changed?" Wakamatsu questioned, looking over at the said ace, who was still in the same spot he had initially been in. As if snapped out of a trance, he flickered his eyesight over to him.

"Yeah, later. Go on without me," he said gruffly, crossing his legs. Wakamatsu gave him a weird stare before shrugging it off and following the rest of the basketball players into the locker room.

Bees. Of all things that could be outside, it had to be bees, Aomine thought with a slight shiver. And the last thing he wanted was the others to discover his fear of the insects. Damn. This really sucks, he scowled.

"Well, I'll see you later, Dai-chan," Momoi spoke up, giving him an all-knowing smile as she turned around towards the back door. He flinched unwillingly.

"Ah, wait, Satsuki"—

When she turned back around to look at him, he shut his mouth, suddenly looking stubborn. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Is something wrong, Dai-chan?" She inquired, imitating the smile of a clever cat.

"No. Ah. Um," he muttered, strictly avoiding eye contact with her. He nearly cursed himself.

"…Stay here for a while," he finally told her.

Regardless of the fact that she knew that he would tell her something along those lines, she blushed a deep, red color. She hastily shook her head in an attempt to get rid of the blush on her face. "Alright then," she said after her quick recovery, spinning on her heel before walking over to him.

"Oi, we're leaving now. Bye, Momoi-san, Aomine," Wakamatsu spoke up from the back entrance. Sakurai, the captain, the coach, and the other basketball members were crowded behind him.

"Don't forget to lock up when you leave," the coach reminded Momoi. "And don't have too much fun," the captain advised as a glint appeared in his glasses. The other basketball players began whistling and laughing jokingly while the innocent Sakurai looked around, oblivious and confused.

"S-shut up!" Aomine shouted. "Bye bye," Momoi told them, ignoring the captain's suggestive remark. The group quickly filed out of the gym, and the back door shut, leaving the two alone.

"You're not going to practice at all today?" Momoi questioned casually, swinging her hands behind her back. He shrugged tiredly.

"I don't really want to. Too lazy," Aomine replied, leaning back and resting his elbows against the floor. "Stupid bees…" He murmured. He reluctantly glanced over at the pink-haired girl, who was now studying something on her clipboard at one of the benches, entirely unaware of his lingering gaze.

After the bee incident, the six year old Aomine had promised himself that he would walk by her side everyday after school to protect her from anymore harm. After all, he felt that it was somewhat his fault, since he was always eager to race her home. Of course, no stray bees had interfered with them again, but that didn't stop him from wanting to look after her. He would childishly glare at any living thing that was looking in her direction.

Before he knew it, he was chuckling fondly at the memory. Momoi whipped her head towards him, eyebrow raised.

"You're laughing," she stated, perplexed. He carelessly waved a hand at her.

"Sorry, sorry. I was just remembering something stupid. Anyway, come over here," he gestured, patting the spot next to him. Cautiously, she approached him before sitting down and eyeing him warily.

"What? You're giving me a weird look," Aomine commented. "I don't know why you're being so uncomfortable now. I mean, we used to take baths together when we were kids"—

"Idiot!" Momoi exclaimed, smacking his upper arm repeatedly. He noticed with an amused smirk that her cheeks were brilliantly red. He scoffed before reaching over and grabbing onto her wrist.

"Dai-chan, wha"—

She watched as he slowly led her hand up to his face. Without thinking, he brushed his lips against her soft hand, the place where the bee had stung her many years ago. Her blush visibly darkened, and she felt the air from her lungs disappear. He looked at her through half-hooded eyes that she barely recognized. But it gave her a warm, reassuring feeling.

"Dai-chan?" She finally called out. Aomine blinked, and the rare, unusual haze in his eyes was gone.

"Sorry," he said instantly, letting go of her. He couldn't help but look embarrassed. Momoi smiled softly at him before resting her head against his shoulder and drawing her knees up to her chin.

"We'll stay here until the bees are gone, okay?" She suggested to him.

"Ah. Okay," he said back, slightly disoriented. She gingerly placed her hand over his and gave it a light squeeze.

A/N: I had warm, fuzzy feelings in my chest while I was writing the ending, hahaha. Sorry it's so short…

Despite that, thank you very much for reading! I don't know when I'll update again, but it won't be too late.