A.N: sorry for taking so long ! it seems when i write, i need ages to think of a new fic.. ;v;)a

Also i know i say this on every fic but apologies if this isnt very good, its 2am and im super tired but i rlly need to get this out askjdfh

also x2 im sorry if this is the last thing i write for a while, im kind of wondering if i even enjoy writing anymore.

That being said, enjoy!

Ivan loved his job. He did, he really did. Working in a library wasn't 'exciting' but that's exactly what he loved about it; he loved how quiet it was, how quaint and calm the rooms were, how the books sat silently waiting for its new temporary owner to come and borrow it.

The people that came in were lovely too, especially when a family came in with young children who looked about excitedly, hoping to find a book on animals or history, he thought it was adorable and that's what made him love his job.

He was technically a library assistant, someone who would help others find books they needed and put all those books people had strewn about back into their slots on their shelves, their homes.

Despite all this, and despite being a 'Library Assistant' he also worked at the front desk from time to time, checking customer's books in and out, checking the outside box early in the morning before opening to see if anyone in a rush had put their book in there (he had always thought those people were considerate as most people who don't have the time leave their books then forget about them entirely, costing the library one more book).

What Ivan didn't like about his job, however, was that there that one person, the one person who never bought back their books. He always promised, always said "Don't worry, dude, it'll be back by next week, i promise!" and Ivan always fell for it. Ivan always fell for it because the guy was good looking and kind and his smile made Ivan feel as though he were just a twelve year old boy crushing on that cute girl from the class above him.

This one time, though, Ivan needed the book back. He was a student, just like that customer who never bought his books back, and so there were certain books he needed to borrow too. Which turns out, the man was borrowing the book Ivan also needed, and in another horrible turn of events, Ivan had found out the library didn't have a backup book for that borrowed book.

So that meant Ivan would just have to go get the book himself.

It wasn't very hard to find out the man's information, all Ivan had to do was look up the book in their system and find the last person who had borrowed it. His ID said Alfred F. Jones, 19, College Student. It also kept Alfred's address and phone number, thank god, that meant he wouldn't have to go around asking people about some guy he had never talked to just to get a book back and people thought he was weird enough as it is.

It took a while to muster up the courage to actually go to Alfred's home and ask for the book back, Ivan wondered what he would say and how he would go about it. Would he just knock, ask for the book back, be given the book back, and leave? He hoped it would go that smoothly.

As he stood there on Alfred's doorstep, wondering to himself as he waited for the door to open how Alfred, a college student, could possibly afford to own his own home, he glanced down at the letter slot in the white door. It was absolutely full of letters, some even on the welcome mat he was standing on. Does Alfred just leave his letters to pile up? That cant be a good thing.

He was suddenly caught in his thoughts as the door swung open, letters flying everywhere. Looking up, he saw Alfred, the man with the nice smile and happy demeanor. He could see Alfred saying something, his mouth moving, and Ivan cursed himself in his thoughts, ironically, for being stuck in his thoughts and not being able to hear Alfred over the sound of his racing heart.

"Ah- I came to get your book back."

There, that was a good start. Probably.

Alfred looked confused for a moment before his face lit up, letting out a little ah in realisation before asking Ivan to hold on and rushing back off into his home and into a room, leaving Ivan on the doorstep, confused and with the urge to walk inside and make himself comfortable.

"Dude, come on in and make yourself at home, ill probably be a little while!" Alfred called from the room he had gone to, the loud noise of books falling to the floor following Alfred's voice. Cringing as he heard the loud thumping of the fallen books, he sighed and stepped inside, over the letters and mess and into what he assumed was a living room.

Sitting on a sofa, he waited for a few quiet moments, looking around the room that looked as though it hadn't been touched in a while. There was no mess or papers, no books or unopened library letters. Maybe Alfred just didn't use his living room, he figured.

Alfred was back and standing in the doorway, his chest heaving as he had clearly been looking quite earnestly for the book. Ivan felt his heart flutter at the thought, the thought that Alfred had looked so hard for a book for him.

"Sorry man, i couldn't find it! I'm sure though if you just give me like ten more minutes i can totally find it but i want to sit down just for a minute." Alfred said rather quickly, Ivan nearly struggling to understand what he had said, as he sat himself down on the sofa next to Ivan, tipping his back with his eyes closed and sighing. Opening his eyes slightly, he rolled his head to look at Ivan.

Suddenly a smirk came upon his handsome features and he sat up straight, looking Ivan straight in the eyes with a look he couldn't really label.

"Wanna play twenty questions?"

Ivan barely knew this man, and he wanted his book damn it, but- Why not? He had only been there for about ten minutes and the man he had been crushing on for months asks to play a simple game with him, who was he to say no?

Nodding in response, Alfred smiled and sat so he was facing Ivan, one leg tucked under his body and an arm holding himself up on the back of the sofa.

"Okay- So ill start. What's your name?"

"Ivan."

"What are your interests? Im into space, personally, and that's kind of what i needed those books for." Alfred laughed, a hand behind his head.

"I also like space. Im studying it at college, or really, im studying astronomy and world history." Ivan said with a proud air about him. He loved his courses and also loved people's reactions when he told them what he was taking.

"Nice! I like history too! Uh.." The American paused for a moment as to think of another question before he let out a small Ah! and asked,

"Cats or dogs?"

A simple question, one that Ivan could definitely answer with ease, "Dogs. I have one of my own, Laika, she's old but a wonderful thing."

Alfred smiled softly along with Ivan's own before speaking up again to ask another question.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"You into only-just-younger dudes?" Alfred said with a sly smirk.

Ivan felt himself flush and felt the urge to just grab his scarf and hide himself in it because what kind of question is that.

"I.. Suppose."

How would Alfred even know if he was into men or not? By the look in Alfred's eyes he clearly knew and he wanted to ask how but Alfred was already asking the next question.

"Do you know that i know?"

Ivan felt his chest tighten, what did Alfred know? He searched his mind for anything he had done that was wrong but he couldn't think of anything- What did Alfred know? Alfred clearly saw the fight going on inside Ivan's mind because he was laughing now (What a sweet laugh, he wished he could hear it more often) and waving his hands about.

"Dude- Its okay! I just wanted to know if you knew that i know that you have the most obvious crush on me." Alfred asked with an easy, calming smile. "I mean whenever i went to the library you would always just sort of.. Stare at me. But not in a bad way? And you would always go red-ish when i flirted with you." Alfred told him, laughing.

It felt as though Ivan could have just passed out there and then. Alfred knew? His chest hurt from- What was that horrible feeling? Embarrassment? Probably.

"And!" Alfred started up again, startling Ivan out of his thoughts, pointing a finger at Ivan he asked, "I wanna know why you're here. If you're really kinda obviously crushing on me so hard, it cant just be for the books right?" He had a smile on his face that meant he didn't mean badly but he just couldn't tell if Alfred was joking or not.

Ivan felt his face heat up as Alfred stared at him with that welcoming smile on his face again, clearly waiting for Ivan's answer.

"I.. I just came to ask for the book back. I need it for class. And-! You never bring your books back!" Now, Ivan was pointing at Alfred and had turned to sit and face the American (said American smile now, brows raised in mock surprise as he listened).

"You never bring them back and- And i want them back!" He knew it wasn't his library, but it felt like it, it felt like all those books were his and he had to look after them, Alfred just didn't get it and he also didn't get that Ivan was now just rambling to avoid knowing that Alfred had actually been flirting with him the whole time.

Ivan felt something akin to anger mixed with embarrassment rise up as he scowled at Alfred, opening his mouth to say something before he was stopped by Alfred's hand on his shoulder. Looking down at it then back up at that bright face of his, he raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"You want your books back? Okay, you can have your books back. Im done with them now anyway!" Alfred raised his hands (that smile still there) and got up off the sofa, looking down at Ivan. "Ill go get 'em for you. You just keep your Russian self right there and ill be right back!"

Before Ivan knew it Alfred was gone to leave Ivan in his thoughts. Why did Alfred suddenly start questioning him? All he wanted were the books, it wasn't as if he were there to admit his crush on the American that he had been harboring since he had met the other. Ivan must have been staring off into nothing as suddenly there was a hand waving in his face. He blinked a few times and looked up to see Alfred with a very full plastic bag in his hands.

"All the books i borrowed! Now-" Setting the books down on the coffee table, he sat down again, one arm behind Ivan on the sofa, a leg tucked underneath himself, "I just wanna tell you that i didn't not bring the books back because im some lazy, inconsiderate asshole." Alfred told him, waving a hand lightly in the air.

"Im a college kid- like you probably! And that means i got tests and stuff that i need to study for. I needed all those books to study. You can take 'em all back now since my tests are over and now all i gotta do is pray that i passed."

Alfred paused for a moment, looking at Ivan in a way that said Do you want to say anything or can i continue? Ivan didn't have anything to say as, honestly, he was surprised and it made sense really, a hardworking college kid who simply didn't have the time to bring back borrowed, important-for-studying books. It also made sense that Alfred had probably locked himself in his house to study (his house? There was no way Alfred owned this house all on his own) and so he left his letters to pile up outside his door.

And wait- Didn't Alfred say earlier that he couldn't find the books? How did he suddenly find them so quickly? Ivan was about to ask about all those questions earlier and how he found the "Missing" books so quickly before Alfred beat him to it.

"Now, my adorable librarian, how about a date on Wednesday? I have a half-day at college and i know that's when you get off work for the week, so how about it?" Alfred said with a smirk that was so unlike his usual bubbly smile.

"Alsooo.. i should probably tell you that i kind of kept all those books here because i knew that eventually someone would have to come get them and i also may have known that the library was understaffed so they would most likely send you." Alfred rambled off all in one, heavy breath, now obviously embarrassed that he had to admit such a thing.

Though, Ivan didn't have time to be flustered over the pet name or even ask how Alfred knew Wednesday was his last day at work or why he would plan something out just so Ivan of all people would be the one to go see him before he felt himself nod, forgetting all about the book he had gone to ask Alfred for in the first place.