When Ivan woke the next morning his head was swimming. He squinted and clasped a hand over his eyes when tried opening them, his memory of the night before a daze.

All he really remembered was a black ponytail and Tino's concerned expression. Did he help Ivan home last night? Ivan certainly didn't remember getting himself home.

Either way, he stumbled out of bed and made his way to the kitchen, trying to avoid turning any lights on. He was starving. Did he eat dinner last night? Probably not: he usually had a late lunch and an even later dinner, making something quick after he got off his shift.

He poured himself some of his cheap cereal and saw his phone plugged into a charger by the fridge. The blinking red light told him he had a text.

In fact, he had several.

Sadiq: Man you owe me big time. I had a date tonight.

Tino: Are you all right? Why is Sadiq here?

Tino: Text me when you wake up in the morning. You were pretty wasted.

Alfred: I don't know if you remember this but you threw up on my shoes last night. You're gonna be so hung over in the morning, dude!

Well, apparently he drank a lot more than he had planned to.

He sat down on his threadbare couch with his bowl and began to eat. Maybe he'd go down to the library once he felt better. Today was Wednesday so Yao would be there…

Yao. How'd he figure out Yao's name again?

And suddenly all the embarrassment from yesterday's encounter with the Chinese came rushing back.

Oh god, he couldn't go back to the library today. Not when Yao was there. He just couldn't bear the shame of being recognized or approached. He had one chance to make a good impression on his crush (crush? When did he start thinking of him like that?) and he blew it big time. Fuck.

He guessed he'd just have to avoid the library on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Friday, Saturdays, and Mondays between twelve and four from now on.

Yao walked home quickly and silently, keeping his head down and eyes on the sidewalk.

It had been bad enough to run into Jay at the library, but far worse to run into him again mere hours later on the street. He had been so relieved when he heard that soft Russian voice call out to him.

And that brought him to more curious thoughts: who was that 'Alex'? Why had he felt the need to step in? It was rather strange.

And, why did Yao have this niggling feeling that he knew him from somewhere? He vaguely recognized the pale face and silver hair, but where from? Yao continued to ponder this all the way home.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out.

Kiku: Can you pick up vegetable oil we're out.

Yao sighed and typed out a positive response: Yeah, I'm right by Uwajimaya. Need anything else?

Kiku texted back almost automatically. Maybe some seaweed? I can't tell if we'll have enough for the next week. And some ramune. Thanks.

Yao sighed, and his thoughts returned to the soft spoken Russian. He tried to place the face as he made his way to the store.

He continued to try to place his face as he walked through the aisles at Uwajimaya.

He continued as he waited in line.

He continued as he carried the bag home.

He continued as he walked up the five stories to Kiku and his apartment.

And, right as he reached for the knob, carefully balancing the second bag against his side, he realized where he knew that face from.

The library. Nearly every day Yao was there, the Russian man was there also, sitting for hours at the study table but getting nowhere in the seemingly random book he was reading that day.

Ivan stayed home that day, and walked to work a new way that week in case Yao happened to walk down the same street again.

It was starting to get very crisp in the morning and at night, and his scarf was necessary to go anywhere. Tino said it looked good on him.

It had been over a week now since their encounter on the streets, and Ivan had not been to the library since. Ivan felt rather cowardly about that, but it was much better than being embarrassed even further.

It was Saturday, and Sadiq, Berwald and Ivan were all working. Berwald was out by the door, while Sadiq and Ivan covered inside. Ivan thought Sadiq was fucking annoying, but he ignored it in favor of professionalism.

Tonight there was a particularly rowdy crowd, and at the heart of it all were Gilbert Beilschmidt and Francis Bonnefoy.

The short story is that these were two of the most obnoxious asshole patrons the club had to put up with.

The long story is that one time Francis flirted with Tino and upset Berwald, and then Gilbert tried to start a fight with Ivan but was too drunk to punch straight. But they were the boss' boyfriend's friends, so they were pretty much exempt from being banned.

Today, the Frenchmen was on the dance floor, and Ivan couldn't tell what he was doing, but he could clearly hear the profanities being called by the German.

"Hey, cut it out," Ivan heard Sadiq order, even over the booming music.

The German mumbled something, but quieted down, the Frencmen appearing at his side.

Ivan rolled his eyes; as always, there was a trail of men eyeing Bonnefoy.

Beilschmidt made a show of disdain as he slunk away, tailed by his right hand man.

"If you ask me," Sadiq yelled over the music to Ivan, "I don't care who they're friends with. It's bad business having them in here. One of these days Berwald's going to knock some teeth in of theirs and teach 'em a lesson. I would, if I were still young like the two of you."

Ivan agreed with his point, but was annoyed by the last comment. Sadiq wasn't even that much older than Ivan or Berwald, but liked to act like he was, as a superiority thing. In reality, Berwald was two years older than Ivan, at 23, and Sadiq was just 25.

But Ivan nodded, and Sadiq went over to the bar as Arthur beckoned him.

The rest of the night was pretty slow.

When Ivan went home, at nearly 4 am, he was not tired enough to sleep. Rather, he pulled out his laptop and played around online.

Eventually he got bored and logged onto Skype. Surprisingly, Yekaterina was online.

Ivan Braginski

Katerina?

Yekaterina Braginskya

Oh hey big brother

This is Natalya

Ivan Braginski

Hi Nat, how is St. Petersburg?

Yekaterina Braginskya

Fine. Kat asks if you've made friend yet.

Ivan sighed. He seemed to do that a lot when talking to his sisters.

Ivan Braginski

No, I've been working too much.

Yekaterina Braginskya

Not making friends with your co-workers, either? That doesn't make for a very healthy work place, Ivan

Ivan Braginski

Natalya please stop. I came here to work and make money. I can make friends later.

Yekaterina Braginskya

With that attitude you're gonna wake up in twenty five years completely disappointed with your life

Yekaterina agrees with me

Ivan Braginskia

Gonna?

Yekaterina Braginskya

Going to, it's like a slang term, I guess.

Ivan Braginski

I don't know what slang means either.

Yekaterina Braginskya

That is beside the point. Point is: make friends, dammit. Maybe they could help you learn English, too.

Ivan Braginski

Yeah…

Yekaterina Braginskya

Isn't it really early there, Ivan? You can't make friends by sleeping in all day!

Go to sleep!

Are you going to the library again tomorrow?

You seem to go a lot…

Is there something—or someone ;) – you're not telling us about?

Ivan Braginski

No, I'm not going to the library tomorrow.

You're right, I should sleep. Bye.

Ivan Braginski has left the conversation.

Ivan did not go the library that day.

Nor the next day, or the day after that.

It felt weird not to, though. It had become his sort of routine on those days he knew he'd see Yao there—breakfast, library, home, snack, work, dinner. Now he sat at home or went over to the park and read his library books.

He got a lot more reading done without the… distractions of the library setting, but he felt something was missing from the experience.

That was just too bad though, because he couldn't go back to the library now, not with how embarrassed he still was. No sir, not an option.

Over the weeks that he had spent constantly at the library he had checked out about ten books, and over the one week he spent away from the library, he read all of them.

He wanted to go get more but he abstained. He even began reading through them a second time, when a library notice came in the mail.

He had a due book.

Now he had to go back to the library.