Hello, my wonderful readers~

This oneshot was a spur-of-the moment thing. I'm happy with this fic because it's the first time I started something and finished it in just one day. Just a little warning: Byakuran and Sho-chan might seem quite OOC but that's what happens when I try to make two strangers fall in love in less than 6,000 words. Also, this story takes place in an alternate universe :)

Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

Byakuran swallowed nervously. It was a very uncharacteristic action. But then again, it was also very uncharacteristic of him to be going to the library.

Yes. He, Byakuran Gesso, the most popular guy on campus, known for never getting along with books, was about to enter the library which was the very dwelling place of his enemies.

What on earth convinced him to do so? This year he had gotten a pretty stuck-up lecturer for one of his subjects who did not accept any assignment unless they contained proper references. She also had a reputation for being one scary-as-fuck lady. Now, Byakuran was a very intelligent man. 99% of the time, all his material was organically produced but for the sake of satisfying the lecturers, he would add a few internet references that matched his content. This year he had been confident that he would get away with his usual routine but this new lady whose name he had not bothered remembering was having none of that. She claimed that the internet alone was insufficient and that book references were a must if anyone expected a passing grade from her. He had lost count of how many detentions she had given him and now he was in danger of failing her class, which frankly, was kind of an insult to the natural-born genius.

So now here he was, outside the library double-doors. He had just been released from that she-devil's lecture and said woman had given them all another assignment. But now that he was actually here, he was a tad bit hesitant to go inside. Why? Because he knew for a fact that he wouldn't be able to complete his homework during the one hour of free time he had so he'd have to borrow a couple of books and finish it at home. The only problem was Byakuran didn't know how to borrow books.

Yes. He, Byakuran Gesso, the most popular guy on campus, known for never getting along with books, was about to enter his institute's library to borrow them. And he didn't even know how.

It was another insult to the natural-born genius.

He cringed as he remembered this fact.

Okay, so maybe that statement was a bit false. Byakuran knew there was some kind of check-out procedure to it but he didn't know the details since he had never borrowed a book in his entire twenty-two years of existence. He had briefly considered asking his legion of followe- er, friends, but quickly turned down that option due to two reasons. Firstly, he doubted that any of his friends were any wiser than him in this matter. Secondly, even if there was someone who knew how, it would be more than a little damaging to his image if people knew that Byakuran Gesso didn't know how to borrow a book. And thus he decided to rely on his brilliant observation skills as well as intellect.

In other words, just see how others do it and follow.

Not that he'd ever put it those words. Oh no, never.

With a glare of determination, he slowly pushed the door forward and was immediately swallowed by a blinding light (to him at least). When his eyes had adjusted to the brightness, he observed the spectacle before him. There were massive book shelves starting from the middle of the library that stretched to the back all lined up in parallel columns. Each shelf had row after row after row of books. In front of all these shelves was the seating area, where large round tables were all spaced out in a zigzag pattern.

Byakuran made for an empty table furthest away from the entrance and placed his things down, then sat down and waited. From where he was sitting, he spotted the librarian's desk on the opposite side of the room. It was a pretty large area for just one person, he noted. There was an impressive pile of books on one side of the desk; all stacked haphazardly so there was a danger of the pile toppling. The other side was clean and empty. A sudden bolt of inspiration struck him. Instead of waiting for someone to show him how, he would ask the librarian how to borrow a book! It's not like he/she would have ever seen him before so there was no danger of his image being tarnished. A satisfied smirk spread across his face. Once again, his genius was going to outdo his enemies (plural, for the books andthat she-devil of a lecturer). All he had to do now was wait for the librarian who wasn't there at the moment. Perhaps they had gone to the washroom or something.

Twenty minutes was a long time for someone who had gone to the washroom. Byakuran grit his teeth in frustration. His patience was wavering, and it was bad enough he barely had any to begin with. Deciding to go pick some books while waiting, he casually made his way to the nearest shelf. After flipping through a few books, he realised that all of them were science-related. With a scowl, he put away the book in his hand and went further back to check the books there. Still, they were science-related. Then Byakuran noticed something taped onto the shelf. Upon closer inspection, it was a small slip of paper with what seemed to be a code. He took a few steps back and noticed that there were other codes taped on random places. He sighed in frustration, not in the mood to figure out what it all meant.

"If only that damned librarian would show up."

Byakuran marched over to the librarian's desk as if doing so would make them magically appear. Unfortunately no such thing happened, but he did notice two things. Firstly, the impressive stack of books that he had seen earlier looked a little smaller than before. And secondly, what he had assumed to be one massive desk were actually two side-by-side desks. There was a sleek golden plate in front of the desk on the right that said 'LIBRARIAN'. Similarly, the desk on the left also had a plate that said 'ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN'. His gaze shifted back to the pile of books and to his momentary horror; he noticed a pale hand on the very top book. The hand then retracted back, taking the book with it.

Byakuran face-palmed. Why had he not noticed all this earlier?

He cleared his throat and said, "Excuse me, um..." His eyes scanned for a name-plate or something but found none. He mentally cursed. "Are you the assistant librarian?"

A few moments of silence passed in which the pale hand took back another book with it before he got a response. "Yes, I am." For a moment Byakuran assumed the assistant was a female since the voice was very soft. But at the same time it was a bit deep.

"If only that ridiculously large pile of books wasn't in the way. At least then I could see who the heck I'm talking to."

"How can I help you?" asked the assistant librarian, after not getting a response from Byakuran.

"Uh. I- I need to borrow a book."

Another book was taken from the pile. "Okay. Can I please see the book you want to borrow and your library card?"

"Library card...?" Byakuran was lost. Library card? Was that like a credit card or something? Is that how books were issued? They swipe your library card?

"Sir?"

"U-um." Byakuran scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I don't have a library card."

There was a long pause. Still, whoever it was didn't stop taking another book from the pile. Byakuran was sure that the pause was due to disbelief and so he wasn't expecting what happened next.

"I understand," was the soft response. Then, slowly, the books began to move to the right. Byakuran, who was still under the assumption that the assistant librarian was a girl said, "Ah, let me help you with that." He grabbed the pile of books and helped push them out of the way. His left hand unintentionally slipped on top of the assistant librarian's right one, at which he took no notice to at that point. Slowly, as the books moved away, Byakuran saw a thin, pale arm and caught a glimpse of red. With one last mighty heave, the two managed to move the books onto the other table. Both of them looked up at the same time.

And Byakuran gazed into the most beautiful pair of emerald eyes he had ever seen.

Said eyes were shielded by a pair of spectacles. He took in the smooth, pale skin, soft pink lips and short, vibrant red hair. It was a lovely face, but something seemed off...

He blinked once. Twice. Thrice.

And then it hit him. The assistant librarian was a guy! And an unusually attractive one at that.

Said guy was currently staring wide-eyed at Byakuran as he too was captivated with the white-haired man's handsome appearance. After a good dose of gaping, both of them looked down at their hands. Byakuran quickly retracted his and mumbled and apology. The redhead simply nodded and looked away to hide his pink cheeks while caressing his own gently.

"S-so you
want to borrow a book but you don't have a library card," began the redhead as he sat down. "It's okay. We can make one for you right now. But you really should have made one on your orientation day."

"That was a year ago," muttered Byakuran.

"You're a second year?" gasped the redhead.

"What? No, um, that's-"

"I'm impressed. How did you get by for an entire year without borrowing any books? I'm a first year and I come here almost every day."

"Well, you see- Wait. What? You're a first year? You're a student?"

"Um. Yes?"

"B-but how can you be a student and a librarian?!"

"Shit! This guy's a student? I'm screwed..."

"Assistant librarian," corrected the redhead. "In this university, this post is always taken up by a student. I was recommended to take the post and I would've felt bad if I refused, so here I am. The real librarian has taken a sick leave because she caught a cold. That's why I have all this extra work nowadays," he explained while gesturing to the pile of books. "These are the books that people have returned. I have to check them all in and then return them to the right shelves."

Byakuran was mortified. This guy was his junior and yet he knew so much. Clearly he would be able to tell Byakuran what he needed to know, but if the redhead ever realises who he is then Byakuran could kiss his image goodbye.

"I see..."

The redhead turned to the computer that Byakuran hadn't even noticed was there and said, "So, let's make you a library card. It'll take about three days to make but you can still issue a book. For now I just need your details. Name, age, roll number, department and what programme you've enrolled in."

Byakuran hesitantly answered all the questions except for the first. When the redhead asked for his name, he paused.

"B-Byakuran..." he finally mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"Byakuran Gesso," he repeated.

"Byakuran Gesso...? That sounds familiar..." The redhead closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to recall something. Byakuran sighed, knowing exactly what would happen next. The redhead would recall who he was, squeal in delight and smother him with unnecessary and unreal affection. It was always the same routine whenever he met someone new in this campus. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of a keyboard mash.

"You're Byakuran Gesso?" asked the redhead in slight disbelief.

"Yes, I am." Byakuran discreetly got his hands ready to cover his ears. This precaution deemed unnecessary because the redhead responded in the most unpredictable manner Byakuran had so far witnessed.

"So you're Byakuran... I've heard a lot about you since almost everyone talks about you. To be honest I was kind of scared of you because people always made you sound so... So..." he paused as he searched for the right word. "Impressive! But now that I've finally met you, you seem like a really nice person," finished the redhead, with a soft smile.

Byakuran's eyes widened at this peculiar redhead's interesting response. He also found that he couldn't stop staring at that cute little shy smile the younger male was flashing. He tried to think of a good response to the redhead's compliment but all he could manage was a soft, "Thank you."

This redhead, whoever he was, was interesting. Byakuran liked interesting things.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Byakuran-san," said the redhead while extending his hand. Byakuran absentmindedly shook it and came back to his senses when he felt the redhead's soft but freezing cold fingers.

"Hey, your hand is really cold. Are you okay?" It was only then Byakuran registered the younger male's half-sleeved shirt.

"I-I'm fine," responded the slightly surprised redhead. "The air-conditioning is just a bit strong today so I'm just a little cold."

Without realising what he was doing, Byakuran shrugged off his own white jacket, leaned forward and draped it around the redhead's shoulders. The younger male opened his mouth to protest but Byakuran cut in by saying, "Its fine. I was feeling kind of stuffy, anyway."

"Th-thank you," mumbled the redhead as he shyly looked away. He then finished entering Byakuran's details, saved the progress and turned off the computer. "Your data has been sent for processing. P-please come back here in three days to get your card. For now, which book would you like to issue?"

"Ah, about that... Where can I find books related to macroeconomics?"

The redhead blinked. It took him a few seconds to realise that perhaps the man in front of him didn't know how the books were arranged here. He got up and went around his desk to stand by Byakuran's side. "Allow me to show you," he said, with a kind smile.

"Thank you, um...?"

"Ah, I forgot. My name is Shoichi Irie."

"That's a Japanese name, isn't it? And come to think of it, you called my 'Byakuran-san' earlier."

"Oops. Sorry, it must've slipped. I'm Japanese, you see."

Byakuran beamed. Japan and its people were his favourite. "Thanks for helping me out, Sho-chan~" he said in perfect Japanese. Shoichi felt his cheeks heat up at the 'Sho-chan' part. Surely if this man's Japanese was good he would know about honorifics?

"N-no problem," he replied, also in his native tongue.

By the third day, Byakuran almost couldn't wait to go back to the library. Almost. Ever since he went home three days ago he had been feeling this very unusual urge to see the cute redhead again. This urge puzzled him since he had never felt the need to see any of his friends before. In fact, he'd rather not see them. But there was something about Shoichi that simply drew Byakuran's attention. Perhaps it was his beautiful, shining eyes? Or maybe the way his smooth pink lips formed lovely smiles? It could also have been his calming voice. Or maybe it was all those qualities that attracted the older male. Whatever it was, his urge would not be doused until he saw the redhead again.

Byakuran made a beeline straight for the assistant librarian's desk the second he stepped foot in the vast chamber of knowledge. Once again, a dangerous-looking pile of books sat on the desktop just waiting to topple over.

"Good afternoon, Sho-chan~ I see you're still neck-deep in work. Or head-deep in this case."

"Hello, Byakuran-san. You're seeing right." Byakuran obviously couldn't see Shoichi's face but he could pretty much hear the smile in his voice. "Just give me a moment, please."

"Sure~" Byakuran went behind the desk and leaned against the wall behind Shoichi, who was currently jotting something down inside a thick book. When he was done, he put the book away and swivelled his chair around to face Byakuran with that smile that Byakuran had been itching to see.

"Your card is done, so now you can officially issue books without any worry. I'll enter in the two books you borrowed earlier once you return them."

"I have them right here. By the way, I finished my assignment and handed it in. That she-devil nearly cried tears of joy when she saw the references."

Shoichi laughed merrily. It was a melodious sound in Byakuran's ears.

"That's good to know. At least now you won't fail her class."

"Yeah. I thought it would be the end of that but I was dead wrong. The lecturer said I have to keep this up." Despite his depressed facade, Byakuran wasn't actually feeling all that down. It simply meant frequent visits to the library – and Sho-chan. "Thanks for all the help, by the way. I really couldn't have done it without you."

Shoichi smiled timidly. "It was nothing. I'm glad to know that I was of some use. Please feel free to ask me if you ever need anything else."

"Of course!" answered Byakuran, a little more enthusiastically than he intended. Thankfully Shoichi didn't seem to notice since he was searching through a drawer for Byakuran's library card. He found it and held it out it towards Byakuran. The older male reached out for it and nearly didn't pull back after their fingers brushed.

"So..." started Byakuran. "Do you need any help? There are quite a lot of books to go through."

"Oh, n-no, I'm fine. All the classes have ended for today so I'm sure you want to go home and rest."

"No, really, I don't mind! I have nothing to do today. And I don't feel tired, but I'm sure you do. Let me help. We can get things done faster, and then we can go home together."

Shoichi tried his best not to think about how the last part of Byakuran's sentence sounded quite suggestive and was successfully failing. So before his cheeks turned pink, he spun his chair a little to the left and looked away.

"A-are you s-sure? I thought you hated books."

"It's fine. It's the least I can do since you helped me out, and since you're considerate enough not to uh, you know. Not to tell anyone about all this."

Despite his momentary embarrassment, Shoichi smiled at Byakuran and said, "Alright. Thank you for the help, Byakuran-san! I really appreciate it."

Byakuran returned the smile and it took all of Shoichi's self control not to blush at how alluring Byakuran's smile was.

"No problem."

Although it's a oneshot, I split it into two chapters because it's kind of long to fit in one chapter. And I settled with 'Gesso' for Byakuran's last name 'cause he's to cool to reveal his (if he even has one).

Also, I'm pretty sure there's no university on the planet that allows students to become assistant librarians but hey, this is an alternate universe 8D (Actually it's fan fiction, but you get the point).

My apologies in advance if I've mentally scarred anyone for life because of the OOC-ness in this story D: