Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of KHR, it all belongs to Akira Amano.

Arthur's Notes: This one was a little harder for me to write because I find Gokudera's point of view much more difficult than Haru's. I hope I did him justice!

Major shout out to my brand spanken new Beta: Princess one99five! BTW, I found her using 's Beta Reader feature, so if any of you are searching for a Beta (and are unsure about it), I highly recommend using this feature!

Glasses – 1st year of High School (October)

"I'm surprised to see you here. I didn't think you'd even know where the library is." A chill ran down Gokudera's spine at the sound of her voice. What he really wanted was to be alone and she was the last person he wanted interrupting him. He chose to ignore her and continue reading, doing his best to pretend the sight of her bag dropping onto the table was a mere illusion. Unfortunately, however, she was ignoring his signals for her to clear off.

Since subtlety wasn't working, he decided to try a more substantial approach. "Go away."

Haru glared at him. "You're so rude. What are you doing here anyway?"

Can't she take a hint? Gokudera fumed. He let his glasses fall down the bridge of his nose so their eyes could directly meet. "None of your business."

Haru held his gaze before rolling her eyes over to the books he had laid out in front of him, studying each title. Annoyed, he watched impatiently as she processed everything and then turned to him with surprise. "Hahi! This is for Tsuna-san, isn't it? He's already thinking about building the base."

Gokudera found himself nodding, taken aback by how quickly she pieced the puzzle together. "He was talking about it the other day. He wants to be prepared, just in case."

Haru opened a book and flipped through it, stopping at a few of the pictures, her thoughts obviously on the Tenth. "And you're doing research for him?"

"As his right hand man, I have to be ready for any inquiries!" he said, pride pouring like tea from a teapot from his tone of voice.

Haru bit her lip and didn't say anything for a moment, choosing instead to flip through a few of the other books instead. Then she closed the last one and left. Not wanting to even think about what she was up to, Gokudera turned back to his own reading and note taking.

Not less than five minutes later, she returned with an armful of books which she set down on his table and took a seat across from him.

"I don't need your help," he immediately snorted.

Haru took out a notebook and opened the topmost volume. "Who said anything about helping you?" she said obnoxiously. "This is for Tsuna-san."

Do you even know what to look for? Gokudera thought, too irritated to say it aloud. What he really wanted was for her to leave, but he recognized the determined look on her face. Besides, he reasoned with himself as he went back to his own reading, as long as it was for the Tenth, he could allow her to be there. Well, as long as she was quiet.

A moment later he glanced up at her, watching as she engrossed herself in reading. If it was a few years back, he wouldn't have had the patience to let her stay much less "help". In the beginning, he found her unbearable. She was so loud and hyper, always saying "hahi" to every damn thing. It amazed him how his boss could endure it all, especially since she was so clingy. Truthfully, the only thing he found remotely tolerable about her was her devotion to the Tenth and in his book it was basis for a tolerance.

It was that small ounce of tolerance that allowed him to survive being in the same classroom with her, especially with her constant nagging. But it was also in that classroom that he learned that underneath the layer of loud hyper-activity was an even thicker layer of intelligence, even more so than he initially thought. Who knew, she might actually find something worth noting.

Her love and dedication to the boss were strong, almost at the same level as his. Gokudera knew that she would do everything within her power to help him, which was why he could put some trust into the work that she was doing.

And at that moment, her presence wasn't so bothersome.

P.S. I made a stupid mistake somewhere above. Free fanart to the first person who can find it!