A/n 1: Hey! XD It's been… Over half a year since I posted anything on FF. net. Apologies to anyone who's mad about that D: I'm sorry!
A/n 2: This new fic is also a Ying-Yang Pair (Gon x Killua) one, with minor changes to things such as ages so that it makes sense, 'cause the fic's set in a normal universe. XDD
A/n 3: It's been a while since I wrote in Killua's POV, so if you think something's not quite right, let me know! ^^
Rated T for slight language.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter, Togashi Yoshihiro does. Agh, lucky guy.
You Read Me Like An Open Book
Chapter 1: Nametag
Do you know just how many cases there are where people in relationships break up just because of a stupid little argument?
A lot.
Evidently.
No, I'm not saying this because that just happened to me.
I'm saying this because that's what's on the cover of the gossip magazine this week, and before you ask why I, a perfectly sane teenage boy, know what's on the cover of this week's gossip magazine, it's because I work in a library. You know, which means I sort out whatever books or magazines that have to be sorted. It also means I get to tell the little kids fighting over at the comics' section that if they don't keep quiet soon, the book is gonna be mine.
It won't, of course. I'll just hide it in some book cart till they leave, put it back where it was and watch the face of the next kid who finds it light up.
Part-time, twice a week, from four to seven. The job pays all right, I guess, and I get to leaf through any books I like while working. So long as no one's looking, of course. And I'm allowed to do my homework in any quiet corner if there's nothing for me to do in library.
If I could, I think I might've taken up another job that had to do with, say, skateboarding or chocolate. But there weren't any candy stores with open positions nearby (plus I might've just eaten all the candy myself. Well played, candy-store-people. Well played. ) and the guy at the skateboard store said they didn't need any demonstrators, especially not 'rebellious adolescents such as myself'.
Tsk.
Yeah, well, maybe I wanted to work at the library more.
Suddenly I hear an annoyed huff, and I turn away from the magazine rack to meet the exasperated magenta eyes of Biscuit Krueger, the head librarian. The woman may be blonde and wear cutesy dresses with ribbons underneath the dark green sash that's our 'uniform' (it only really has two things on it; a nametag and town logo), but don't be fooled by her appearance. She's nearly fifty years old. You wouldn't believe it, really. She has absolutely no wrinkles to speak of and looks like she could be twenty-five, but if there's one thing that shows her age, it's the way she nags at teenagers. Like me.
Don't get me wrong, though. She's really nice.
Most of the time.
''Yes, Bisuke?'' I ask, studying her currently annoyed facial features. Hm. Really, no wrinkles at all. I wonder what skin products she uses. Must cost her a fortune.
''You've been staring at that magazine for five minutes, Killua,'' she sighs, placing her gloved (seriously, who wears gloves in a library every single day?) hands on her hips. I shrug.
''Well, if you've got nothing to do, could you bring that book cart up to level 4 and sort it out? A bunch of books from there were just returned earlier,'' she suggests, jerking a thumb at a cart several metres away. ''When you're done, help Shizuku out in the back room.''
''Okay.'' That's all I say in reply, but it seems to please Bisuke, so she leaves. I readjust my sash, get the cart and bring it up to the fourth level by the elevator, humming contentedly to myself as the elevator door opens. I wheel the cart out the lift and begin organizing the books on the shelves, starting with some paperbacks on top of the messy pile on the cart.
Halfway through my organizing, I spot one of the other assistant librarians, a blonde bookworm who's in my grade at school, Kurapika. He's sitting cross-legged, reading in one of the corners. He looks at peace, completely immersed in a book so thick it could be a thesaurus or something. I can't blame him though. The corners of the library really are comfortable and perfect for reading and/or napping, plus the outward walls of the library are made of glass, giving whatever lucky guy who manages to get a spot in time a perfect view of the area.
I'm just about to call him over when suddenly I see a black-haired boy sneak up behind him. I recognize the boy as Kuroro, Kurapika's 'admirer'.
Apostrophe marks, because the two have what you'd call a love-hate relationship.
I watch as Kurapika, not-so oblivious to Kuroro's advances, whips his head around to glare at Kuroro, seemingly annoyed. I laugh, secretly wanting to yell 'Get a room!' and wolf-whistle, but right before I do I remember that this is a library, so I can't.
Unfortunately.
So I turn back to the book cart, which looks considerably emptier than before. Deciding the nametag on the sash, which has nearly dropped off several times in the past half hour, is useless, I unpin it from the dark fabric and toss it onto the bottom shelf of the cart. I'm about to sort out another handful of books from the cart when I hear the sound of a book dropping onto the floor right behind the bookshelf I'm standing at.
Curiously, I walk around the bookshelf, only to find a raven-haired teenage boy sprawled out on one of the beanbags, drooling slightly. Is he… sleeping?
Sighing, I pick up his book, a notebook, and study the cover.
The boy's Gon Freecss, from Whale Academy, the high school twenty minutes from mine. He's in the same grade as me. I flip open the book and see that it's filled with what I make out to be messily scribbled Math notes.
Do you need notes for math? I don't know, I've never really needed them, so…
I freeze as a yawn is heard, and drop the book as the boy stirs. He blinks tiredly, rubbing his eyes gently. His eyes are a soft shade of brown, similar to the colour of honey. His eyes suddenly widen as he realizes there's a foreign, silver-haired boy inches away from him, and said boy has been looking through his notebook.
''U-um,'' I stutter, guiltily averting my gaze, ''sorry, I, uh, kind of… um…''
But somehow the brown-eyed boy doesn't seem to care about the fact that I've been snooping through his stuff. (Notebook, actually, but still.) Instead, his cheeks turn pink, and he scratches the back of his head apologetically.
''A-ah… Sorry, did I fall asleep again? Ahaha, sorry about that…'' he laughs nervously. The moment his eyes lock onto the notebook and he realizes what I've seen, though, he cringes slightly.
''You… You saw that? The whole book?'' he asks, looking even more flustered as I nod. I hadn't really seen the whole thing, but I didn't think that mattered much. Thus the nod.
''Ahh. Sorry for that. It's just, um, well, I… I'm not good at maths and Mito-san wanted me to get better so I thought I'd come to the library to study to have some peace and quiet 'cause it's kind of noisy at home but when I got here it was just so comfy and I couldn't help but- H-hey! Why are you laughing at me?''
And it's true. I was chuckling at this strange boy's outburst.
''Sorry, sorry,'' I apologize quickly, waving my hand as if to dismiss the laughter. ''But who's Mito-san?''
Gon goes on to tell me that Mito-san is his guardian, his 'aunt', though she's actually his cousin twice-removed. He tells me about his grandmother, his love for the stray animals near his house, his school. In return, I tell him about my school, my dog Mike and skateboarding. He makes me promise to teach him how to skate sometime, to which I immediately agree.
It's kind of funny, how quickly certain people can get along so quickly.
''Killua,'' he calls, still smiling. I'm about to ask him know he knew my name, considering I hadn't told him yet, but I realize I'm wearing a nametag on my sash in time and spare myself the embarrassment of asking such an obvious question. Instead, I just respond with a 'Yeah?'.
''Can you teach me this question?'' He asks, pointing to a question in his math textbook. I glance at it for a couple of seconds before nodding slowly. It's not an easy one, but after being yelled at for getting it wrong dozens times in a week you'd think it would register in your head.
I end up teaching him how to solve question after question until I realize the sun has set. I look at my watch.
Six forty-five.
Fifteen more minutes till the end of my shift.
Wait, shift?
Shift?
Shift?
Oh, SHIT.
I practically jump up from where I'm sitting and scurry around the bookshelf for the book cart I so shamelessly abandoned, but it isn't there. I look around frantically, but to no avail, so Gon gives me a weird look and asks what I'm looking for.
''Sorry, Gon. Have to go. Bye!'' I half-yell (remember, it's a library, folks.) to Gon before rushing down to the ground floor, where I'm sure an angry blonde old hag awaits.
Sure enough, there she is, waiting, but somehow she doesn't look mad. Instead she looks rather… thoughtful.
''Um, hi,'' I greet Bisuke awkwardly, half-expecting the librarian to explode in a fit of fury or something. ''Sorry about the cart, I, uh… Got a bit caught up with something.''
''Don't worry about the cart, I got Leorio to care of that,'' she says, ending her sentence in a wide grin. I stare at her suspiciously and sceptically, wondering what she's up to.
''… Why are you looking at me like that?'' I ask slowly.
''Well, aren't you going to ask why I'm not mad?''
''Not really, no.''
''Ask me why I'm not mad, Killua.''
''Don't want to.''
''Ask me, Killua.''
''Why should I?''
''Look, you either ask why I'm not mad or why I haven't fired you yet. Your choice, kid.''
I raise my hands up in defeat. ''Fine, fine. Why aren't you mad, O Great Bisuke?'' I ask sarcastically, bowing for added exaggeration.
''Glad you asked, Killua.''
''…''
''…''
''Well?''
''Well what, Killua?''
''… Are you going to tell me why you're not mad or are you just going to leave me hanging like that?''
''Right, right, sorry,'' Bisuke giggles. ''Well, I'm not mad because according to Leorio, you were having fun with your boyfriend. And when it comes to young, pure-hearted romance between two adolescent boys, there's just no way I can refuse, is there? Ahh, young love…'' She breaks off her sentence, sighing dreamily, and I'm not sure whether to be embarrassed or just extremely freaked out.
I'm thinking the latter option would be good, but I don't know. That's just my opinion.
''E-excuse me?'' I splutter.
Bisuke nudges me and gives me a wink. ''Aw, you know what I mean! Don't try to hide it, Killua.''
Hide what? I stare at her, exasperated. What on earth is this old hag rambling on about now? Has she finally lost it? I mean, I always knew she had a few screws loose, but this…
She smiles softly at me. ''I'm talking about that black-haired boy upstairs. Isn't he your boyfriend?''
… Yeah, she's lost it.
''Bisuke, who told you this?'' I ask.
''Leorio!'' Biscuit chirps back in response, and I have to resist the urge to march right up to the nineteen-year-old medical student to punch him for being such an idiot.
''And what, just what, pray tell, convinced you that listening to Leorio was a good idea?''
Bisuke shrugs back, that annoying smile still plastered on her face. ''He could still be your boyfriend, though. Is he?''
''Bisuke, I've known the guy for two hours.''
''About two hours and fifty-two minutes, actually. It's six fifty-six now,'' the hag retorts, glancing at my watch. ''Though, maybe give or take a few. I don't know how long you were actually working for.''
''Are those fifty-two minutes supposed to change anything?'' I challenge, only to be met with yet another one of Bisuke's weird answers.
''Yep.''
''Oh? How so? Do tell.''
''Well, say, talk to a person for two hours and you could've hooked up, gotten each other's phone numbers and made plans for a date. But talk to a person for two hours and fifty-two minutes, see, and you could be making arrangements for the wedding.''
''Is that so? Well, suppose your theory is correct. In which case, Bisuke, I can see why you're still single,'' I say, my face immediately lightening up with sheer triumph when Bisuke twitches.
The triumph only lasts for a second before Bisuke's face turns dark. ''Excuse me,'' she spat bitterly, ''what was that, Killua?''
''N-nothing…'' I chuckle nervously, hastily grabbing my schoolbag from behind the main desk and dashing out the library entrance/exit doors. ''See you Thursday, Bisuke!''
Once I'm home, and absolutely one hundred percent sure that I'm not being stalked by an enraged woman named after a snack, I relax a little. But a second later I realize I forgot to return the sash.
Oh well, I can always do it when I go back.
But then I realize something else.
I'd taken my nametag off before finding Gon asleep on the beanbag.
So…
How'd he know my name?
Tell me what you thought!
Not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I'm free this week so I'll try.
Uploading this in secret 'cos it's half-past-one am, I've got extra classes at school at 8 (meaning I've got to be up by 6!) and my mom's getting mad XDD
-Al