Disclaimer: Junjou Romantica is not mine, it's all Shungiku Nakamura's.

A Spy in the Library

They ran as fast as they could down the street; the wind was howling and beating the rain down onto their heads more heavily than ever. It was a late Sunday afternoon and all the shops they glanced into as they passed were shut; no chance of shelter here. Miyagi held his jacket over his head in a vain attempt to protect himself from the storm. It did no good; the swirling wind simply swept the droplets of rainwater underneath, soaking through his clothes to his skin.

Turning the corner, he finally caught a glimpse of light in the windows of a very familiar building. He gave a shout and peered behind him. Seeing Shinobu behind him, he grabbed his wrist with one hand, gestured at the building ahead with the other and shouted,

'Quick! Let's get in there 'til the storm's over!'

The noise from the storm was too great for the boy to hear what he said, but he understood Miyagi's gestures and nodded, and the two made a mad dash for the sanctuary of the Tokyo Central Library.

Tumbling through the large, heavy doors into the atrium of the library, the two finally came to a halt, panting for breath. The lady behind the reception glanced up at them and frowned, eying their wet clothes and the new little puddles of water on the floor. Miyagi quickly steered his companion deeper into the building before the woman could make them leave for fear of getting the books wet.

Other than the two of them, the library was practically empty. Most potential visitors had clearly been put off venturing out of their homes by the raging storm outside. A few people browsed the shelves but only three of the many available tables had occupants. As befitted a library, silence reigned. All that could be heard was the turning of a page or a sudden sigh.

Miyagi looked over at the boy beside him.

'Shinobu-chin, you ok?" he whispered, "You look like a drowned rat!'

The boy frowned at him as he snickered, and stuck out his tongue. Noticing one of the visitors at a nearby table look up at the sound of Miyagi's whisper and stare at their bedraggled state, he pulled at Miyagi's sodden sleeve, dragging him down one of the aisles and away from prying eyes.

'Oh! Wow, finally! I've been trying to get hold of that book for ages!'

Miyagi stopped near the end of the aisle and pulled out a rather tatty-looking book. Holding it carefully, he started to flip through the pages when his attention was caught by a small sneeze next to him. Putting the book away at once, he turned to Shinobu and asked again,

'Shinobu, are you sure you're ok? I hope you're not going to get a fever after being out in this awful weather…'

Shinobu looked up at him and replied,

'No, I am ok – just a bit cold. Wish we could get just home and sit in a hot bath for a while! I can't believe all the taxi companies have closed 'cos of the weather! Miyagi, do you know how late the library's open until? It's not going to stay open all night and if the rain doesn't stop, what are we going to do?'

Miyagi frowned, recognising the worry in Shinobu's voice even as he tried to hide it. His frown deepened when he noticed the boy shiver. Reaching out, he pulled Shinobu against him and wrapped his arms tightly around him, hoping he might be able to warm the boy up a little despite his cold, wet clothes.

In his arms, Shinobu gave another shiver and pressed his forehead against Miyagi's chest, finding a little comfort there despite the fact that the man was soaked through and just as cold as he.

Out of the corner of his eye, Miyagi noticed a long radiator situated against the wall and he guided Shinobu over to it, hoping it was on. He tentatively brushed the metal with the tips of his fingers to avoid burning himself.

The radiator was indeed on and was sending out heat at a deliciously warm temperature. Once Miyagi had determined that they were safe from burning themselves, he let out a deep sigh and eagerly pressed himself against the metal.

Shinobu lost no time in joining him; he shrugged out of his lightweight jacket and hung it across the radiator. Then, loosening his t-shirt which was clinging tightly to his skin, he too pressed as much of himself as he could against the warm metal, splaying his hands out and enjoying the sensation of the heat slowly spreading throughout his body, drying and thawing his flesh.

After a few minutes squatting over the radiator, they both gave up and slid to the floor, resting with their backs to the heat. Miyagi sighed deeply once more and closed his eyes, listening as the rain continued to pound the window above them. Silently he reached out a hand and found Shinobu's, wrapping the boy's small hand in his much larger one.

They sat there in silence for several minutes, eyes shut and hands squeezing the other as they warmed up. When Miyagi noted that Shinobu had finally stopped shivering, he opened his eyes and slowly stood up, pulling on Shinobu's hand to make the boy get up too.

Glancing around to make sure they were alone, he pulled Shinobu closer and murmured,

"So Shu… This is the first place you ever saw me, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"I never saw you though… I remember I used to sit at one of the tables quite near the entrance, facing this way, towards the bookshelves with the windows behind – I've always preferred reading with as much natural light as possible. While we're here, why don't you show me where you used to hide?" Miyagi smiled encouragingly.

Shinobu blushed and ducked his head, but determinedly retorted,

"No – why don't you go and sit at your usual seat and see if you can finally manage to spot me, old man!"

Grinning, Miyagi accepted the challenge and, dropping Shinobu's hand, hurried off down the closest aisle towards the centre of the library where the tables were grouped. Shinobu watched him go and then walked quickly past the bookshelves of modern Japanese and other Asian literature, eventually turning into the aisle of medieval literature.

Creeping softly, he padded towards the far end nearest the tables. His wet feet squelched slightly in his shoes, but the carpeted floor absorbed the sound. Nearing the end of the aisle he slowed down. On the bookshelf to his left, just about level with his head, was a large, fat, leather-bound tome, a dusty book that clearly got little use. It was in the exact spot that Shinobu last remembered it. Carefully, he gripped it at the top and bottom and slid it silently off the shelf, laying the heavy book gently on the floor behind him.

In the book's place was now a sizable gap, slanted at an angle that allowed him to peek through and watch Miyagi without being seen. The man had settled in his familiar chair, a thin book lying open in front of him for appearance's sake, although he clearly wasn't reading it. He was stretching back in his chair, a smug smile on his face as he carefully examined the aisles of books around him, searching for his little spy.

Miyagi's eyes narrowed as they swept up and down, left and right, quick to spot any flash of movement, any shadow, but each time he was proven wrong: the shadow was that of a tree suddenly revealed by the clouds to the light of the moon, the movement was the flicker of light as the storm played havoc with the library's power.

Surprised that his lover had found such a good hiding place, that he couldn't find him even now that he knew he was there, his brow furrowed in confusion. That's when he caught it – a muffled giggle emanating from an aisle to his left that cut short as soon as he looked in that direction. Miyagi thought he also saw a quick movement through a small gap in one of the shelves.

Smiling triumphantly, he slipped quietly from his chair and darted over to the end of the aisle. Poking his head around the corner, he found himself staring directly into the startled grey eyes of his lover. The boy had been replacing the book in his peep-hole and half of it was still sticking out, the heavy book propped up by both of his small hands.

"Gotcha!" he teased, grinning at the boy.

Shinobu frowned and snapped the book fully back into place.

"Hmm. Took you long enough, old man," he retorted, crossing his arms and leaning against the bookshelves.

Miyagi pulled out the large book that Shinobu had just put away and peered curiously through the gap. Shinobu had had a remarkably clear view of him, though he had barely been able to discern the boy. Replacing the book, he moved to stand in front of Shinobu, leaning close to him and placing his hands against the shelves on either side of Shinobu's head.

"So, Shu-chin…" he breathed. "Here you were, spying on me on so many occasions… You liked what you saw, eh." It wasn't a question, however; Shinobu raised an eyebrow at Miyagi's cockiness.

"Did you ever think that one day I'd be standing here with you like this?" Miyagi continued, running a finger gently down the centre of Shinobu's chest, making the boy shiver. "Did you ever fantasise that one day I would catch you here and hold you against me… and softly… kiss… your lips?"

Miyagi was whispering now and his hands reached up to cup Shinobu's soft cheeks. With each husky word, he leaned a little closer to the boy until their faces were millimetres apart. Shinobu's breath quickened and he gazed, transfixed, into Miyagi's gentle, confident eyes until they closed as Miyagi finally brushed Shinobu's lips with his own.

Shinobu was trembling, and this time not from the cold. Miyagi held him there, delicately, the slightest pressure of his lips on Shinobu's. It was the sweetest kiss Shinobu thought Miyagi had ever given him, not lustful, not jealous, no anxiety or fear because of their impossible situation lay behind that kiss. As they broke apart, Shinobu opened his eyes and there before him was his Miyagi, the perfect, pure-hearted man he had watched for so long in this very building, untainted by his connection to Shinobu's sister, free from duty to his father…

Miyagi smiled down at Shinobu. The boy was gazing up at him with wide, awed eyes as if he were some hero or idol. Stroking Shinobu's cheek, he leaned forward once more and placed a lingering kiss on his forehead. Shinobu's eyes slid shut and he hummed quietly with pleasure.

Pulling back, Miyagi glanced out of the window. The rain was still falling, but it seemed to have abated somewhat. Taking Shinobu's hand in his and lacing their fingers together, he suggested that they try to head for home before the weather worsened once more.

Double checking that they had all their belongings, they exited the library, nodding to the librarian who pursed her lips at their soggy state. Outside, they screwed up their faces against the battering rain. Looking across to each other, they grinned and, hand in hand, made a mad dash, running all the way home, to the warmth and comfort of their apartment and each other.

A.N. Just a little oneshot! This story's been half written for months now but only just completed. I wasn't quite sure where I wanted to take it... Hope the ending wasn't too abrupt.

Please feel free to drop me a review if you like and let me know what you did/did not like, what could be improved etc!