A/N: Another result of the fic prompt meme over on Tumblr.
Disclaimer: I don't own Richter or Emil. They're copyright to Bandai-Namco. I make no profit from this.
Richter really didn't like having to be out of school for the summer. There was never anything of interest to do. He much preferred to learn. Which is why he spent most of his time at the library, or hidden away somewhere with books he'd gotten from the library.
Today, about three weeks in, he was already bored and looking for something new at the library. He was just walking past and aisle when a blond—several years his younger by the looks of him—nearly collided with him. The younger boy barely managed to stop in time, and spilled several of his books all over the place.
"I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Even the kid's voice was squeaky, and Richter glared at him. But, he couldn't really stay too mad. Richter was the sort of person who valued knowledge and learning—and this kid was obviously carrying a stack of books high enough to block his sight. The number alone interested Richter enough to soften his anger, so he only sighed in annoyance. "Don't take so damn many at once next time."
The blond had cringed, muttering "B-but… I have to be quick, or Aunt Flora will be angry…"
There was something about the slight tinge of fear in the blond's voice that finished softening Richter's expression. He sighed a little, then leaned down and gathered up the books in his arms, muttering, "Here, I'll help you with them…"
Emil, however, was shocked and ecstatic. He'd nearly run the older boy down, but he was offering to help him?! The blond was amazed at how kind he was! "Th-thank you! Thank you so much!"
Richter just muttered something about it being nothing, and walked the blond to the self-checkout stations. He glanced at the books the other was getting, surprised to see they were all books about cooking. Books of recipes, books of healthy meal planning, books on the history of cooking in cultures around the world… The kid must really like to cook, he thought.
But soon enough, Emil had been on his way, and Richter had returned to looking for something to read for himself.
And yet, two weeks later, he'd run into the same blond again. This time he was getting a few books on carving food. That was certainly interesting.
And yet another two weeks after that, Richter had run into him a third time. This time he'd learned the blond's name. And this time, he'd arranged to meet him at the library in a few days time. He was quite interested in learning, after all, and knew nothing of cooking. Emil had been delighted to offer some insight and pointers on the matter.
And for the first time, Richter thought that maybe summer break wasn't as boring as he'd previously believed.
