Work Text:
Lev really, really regretted signing up for this extra shift alone at the university’s library. Like, there was working hard and then there was slave labour. Stupid Kuroo and his stupid powers of persuasion and guilt tripping.
(In retrospect, Kenma having a new game he had to play with Kuroo immediately did not sound as good an excuse as Kuroo had made it seem. Especially since it was Kenma’s shift he was covering. But, like, it was the way he said it, Lev’s not an idiot. Plus he probably has loads of blackmail on Lev anyway).
To be honest, it wasn’t even doing library work that he minded. It was actually not doing library work that he hated. He was bored out of his mind. Who even came to this dingy library anytime other than finals week anyway? The few people who did were regulars, and they knew where everything was anyway. Probably knew the library better than Lev did, actually. And even they weren’t here today; the aisles were completely empty. The only sound was the creaking of Lev’s spinny chair.
… This led to an extremely bored Lev sitting behind the library scanner thingy playing with some paperclips.
Of course, this could have all been prevented if he had brought his PSP, but no , it had been confiscated because apparently Kuroo had been having multiple complaints that certain employees had been too engrossed in their games to properly ‘assist patrons’.
Now, Lev was definitely not the kind of person to tell on his friends. Nope. Never.
However, in the case of an utter injustice , drastic measures had to be taken. Which was why over the past few days he had been trying his damndest to prove that he did not deserve to have his game-playing right taken away just because ‘certain employees’ were too engrossed in their games.
Especially when ‘certain employees’ happened to be your boss’s childhood crush - wait, no, that made it sound like it was in the past. Kuroo’s poorly hidden lovesickness was pathetically an ongoing thing.
(What made it even more pathetic was that Kenma was pining after him equally as hard, if not harder. Even if he wouldn’t admit it to Lev, Lev knew. The fact that he always wanted grilled mackerel when Kuroo was with him, even though he would never touch it otherwise? The fact that his favourite on Mystic Messenger was Jumin Han, Kuroo’s doppelganger ? Their kind of off friendship dynamic that was basically already a relationship? Yeah right, Kenma. Keep denying it.)
Ergo, he had been taking on extra shifts to prove to Kuroo that he was the most responsible employee ever who would never, never abuse his game-playing privileges.
Even if he was a level away from beating the final boss in the game he’d been working on for months , dammit. Kuroo had better give him his PSP back soon or he would… he would do something . That he just couldn’t think of at the moment.
Lost in thought of what he would threaten Kuroo with, he almost missed the faint… grunting sound that was coming from the non-fiction section. The non-fiction section that was empty a couple of seconds ago.
Instantly energized with adrenaline, Lev cautiously picked up a nearby ruler in preparation for an impromptu ghost ambush. This was literally the exact set up in 99% of horror films: innocent and vulnerable uni student (ok, they weren’t usually 195cm) all alone on a dark, dark night (2pm on a Sunday in June felt dark when you were alone, ok!) with nothing but their quick wits to save them (Lev had gotten a B on his last maths test!).
Lev gripped his ruler even tighter, before slowly making his way past the science textbooks and the documentaries.
At this close proximity, he could hear a soft thump thump padded by the carpeted floor of the library. He took a deep breath in, before stepping around the magazine articles on Japanese history prepared to meet a very scary, otherworldly being, and found…
...probably the cutest thing on the face of the planet.
Lev could only stand frozen to the spot with his mouth agape as he watched him jump up and down valiantly to try and reach a cookery book on the very top shelf, to no avail.
He had this mussed-up sandy brown hair, and the cutest almond-shaped eyes Lev had ever seen. His forehead had a few baby creases in it from the effort of jumping, and his lips - god, his lips - were pouting - pouting, and Lev couldn’t look away, and how was he meant to look at this without squealing at the adorableness and-
“Can I help you?”
The object of his desires abruptly interrupted his inner spiel in a deadpan voice, and Lev was forced to look down at him.
Forced to look down a lot. Like, even more than he had to crane his neck to look at Kenma of all people. That was saying a lot. He was so bite-sized and cute, and wow, wow, Lev thanked whichever gods had made him take this shift, and wait, fuck, he had asked a question, hadn’t he?
Lev took a couple of deep breaths, and braced himself. Calm, Lev, calm, you can totally say something normal, and cool, and make a great first impression.
‘...You’re super short and I’m sorry, but it’s really cute whenever you try to reach that book on the top shelf - here, lemme help you - oh no, don’t be embarrassed, your face is even more adorable now, I am going to die.’
Nice, Lev. Nailed it.
Although, actually, his face was going red at an alarmingly fast rate now. Oh shoot, did Lev embarrass him even more? He had a weird embarrassed face; his eyebrows were pulled in and his mouth was almost scowling, and hey, he looked kind of like Nekomata (the grumpy librarian) did when he was really angry, and-
“OW!” yelled Lev, as, seemingly out of nowhere, a powerful roundhouse kick made contact with his shin. He fell to the ground unceremoniously, clutching his leg because damn, that hurt.
After a few minutes of this, the intense pain began to subside a little, and he looked up incredulously at the feisty patron.
Who was shaking in anger, fists clenched and one step short of having steam pouring out of his ears - wow, Lev really misread the situation this time.
Too afraid to say anything or get up (and also in too much pain to do either), he stayed on the ground, and found himself in an intense staring competition with his attacker, who was now conveniently standing over him. Those almond eyes were unyielding, and his sandy eyebrows were drawn in so close they were practically touching.
At last, just when Lev thought his watering eyes were about to pop out of his skull, his opponent coolly broke eye contact. A tiny hand was thrust out to him, and hauled him up with a weirdly strong grip.
“Yaku.”
Lev was in such a daze that he barely noticed the small grunt he had elicited from this… this… small and angry kitten. Instead of acknowledging said kitten’s barely-there grunt like the mature adult he was, he decided to tilt his head down and blink at Yaku for several seconds with what Kuroo called his ‘lost puppy dog face’.
Perfect, Lev.
With an exaggerated sigh, his companion rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, before repeating himself a little louder.
“I’m Yaku. Yaku Morisuke.”
After a couple of seconds of silence that still managed to be awkward, Lev cleared his throat, and echoed Yaku’s - he had a name now! - introduction, mentally preparing himself to make a final good impression.
“I’m Lev. Haiba. Did you know it’s Russian for lion? I’m Russian, but I can’t speak any. My name is Haiba Lev, but you can call me… Call me Lev, I mean! Heh, I didn’t mean call call - even though, like, I wouldn’t mind if you did call me because you’re really cute, although I guess you would need my number for that. Which you don’t have. Do you want my number? Oh no, actually ignore that it sounds really creepy and oh gods why am I still talking, of course you don’t want my number I’m just this creepy guy to you now, and ok I’m shutting up now.”
Lev trailed off awkwardly after his ramble. He finally understood why Kenma had instilled a tax on talking during working hours now after, well, that. He had probably lost his only chance to seduce Yaku, who he’d probably never see again, and who probably thought he was a-
“I want your number.”
Oh.
Lev blinked a few times in surprise to clear his head. Wow. He didn’t expect to get this far. What was he meant to do now?
He suddenly remembered that Yaku had actually said something, and that, as conversational niceties go, it was now his turn to say something in response. Also, Yaku’s brow seemed to be in a perpetual sake of anxiety, as it was jittering and maneuvering his face into a totally unreadable expression.
“So, do you want to give me your number, or was that just a joke?” came Yaku’s terse voice. Lev vaguely registered that he wasn’t making eye contact anymore. His tone of voice sounded like he was amused, but it was a bit off, and wait did he think Lev was actually going to reject him? He had to clarify that he wasn’t going to do that immediately.
“No! No, I’m not going to.”
“So… it was a joke then. You aren’t going to give me your number.”
Yaku gave a strained laugh, oblivious to Lev’s mortification.
However, and to this day he thanks whichever angels blessed him by saving him from that moment of awkwardness, he heard a voice, probably sent from the heavens above.
Which was giving him possibly the smoothest exit from that disaster he could ever ask for.
Tell him you want to take him out for coffee right now.
Lev kind of wanted to worship the mystery voice’s skills.
“...because I want to take you out for coffee right now?”
With bated breath, Lev waited. Whilst mentally applauding himself for carrying out that exchange so smoothly, because come on, that was hard, right?
Yaku furrowed his eyebrows imperceptibly, eyes squinting a little. With a jolt, Lev realised he was being weighed up. Those almond eyes were actually intensely piercing, what the hell? Lev felt like they were looking right through him.
Finally, after an eternity and a half, Yaku’s eyes widened back to normal, looking almost amiable. Eyes concentrated on his face, Lev almost missed Yaku’s hand placing itself in his, and his eyes focusing themselves directly on his to gauge his reaction. Yaku was acting like some adorable shoujo manga maiden and it made Lev want to just pick him up and carry him away.
Not that he would, of course. His shin was still stinging.
Plus he’s not, you know. A kidnapper.
Yaku cleared his throat, snapping Lev’s eyes back to him.
“Well, you’re hot, even though your dorkiness kind of balances that out. And I’m free. Or well, I will be, after you check out this book for me. It’s for a friend. But after that, I’m yours,” he said bluntly.
Lev thought he managed to agree pretty cheerfully, and even dial down the dork for a while, but really his had was just resounding over and over again with the same two words. Like a broken record, or some other cliched metaphor to express iteration, Yaku’s matter-of-fact voice was stuck in his head.
I’m yours.
Lev followed him out of the cookery aisle, arm tingling at every brush of contact between their shoulders.
(Okay, more like between Lev’s elbow and Yaku’s shoulder. But so what).
Yaku stopped abruptly, and Lev stopped to see what the matter was - oh, right, Yaku actually wanted to check out that book for his friend.
Like the good library employee he was, he got right to it, diligently scanning the back inside cover. Maybe adding a bit of flourish as he entered in the digits so that Yaku got a view of his awesome typing skills.
He barely even glanced around the room as soon as he had finished, latching his eyes on Yaku instead.
And missing the two new coats that had appeared on the coat rack.
Lev bounded out after Yaku without a second glance back, and the door swung shut behind him, library duty forgotten. The library was still, and serene. The calm fragility of silence had descended upon it.
Until one Kuroo Tetsurou came and shattered it as he came bounding in from behind the children’s fiction aisle.
“Did you see that Kenma?! Did you even just witness how smooth I was because damn Lev owes me. Seriously though, it’s good that we stuck around and all, because I just saved Lev from ruining what could be the start of an era! The 190 cm kid owes me big time. I should become a matchmaker or something!"
“...no.”
“...Mean, Kenma!”
“You were being sappy.” However, Kenma couldn’t cover his smile that easily.
“Also, it was me who asked Yaku-san to get that book. I don’t even cook.”
Kuroo turned on his heel, mouth gaping.
“Wait… How did you know he would come here, then? And how did you know he and Lev would hit it off? Or even talk? Also, why ? I’ve never seen you put this much effort into, like, anything .”
Kenma shrugged.
“Lev looked lonely. Also I felt bad for stealing his PSP. You can give it back to him now, I beat the final boss.”
“That doesn’t actually answer- or you know what, I don’t even want to know.”
“Ok.”
“Now, do you wanna go into the office and do what we actually came here for?”
This was accompanied by some, uh, enthusiastic eyebrow movement.
“...stop trying to act cool, we came here to play on the library computers.”
Epilogue:
Lev walked into the library just after lights out, satisfied after finally, finally getting Yaku’s number. Yeah, he had acquired a few bruises, to his body as well as his ego, but he had also gained an almost-smile! Which was worth way more, if you asked him.
So, still in his post-date haze, he wandered into the library sunnily, and his mood was only brightened by the fact that his PSP was waiting for him on his desk! Wow, the fates must be smiling upon him right now.
He leapt over, mashing his fingers into the buttons and unlocking the gadget quickly. Hey, maybe Yaku was into gaming! That would be a great conversation starter, right?
Lev waited for the annoying video game music to stop before finally he was greeted by the blueish light of the screen, telling him:
Well done! Game completed. Please redownload to play again.
After staring at it for a few seconds, like the broken man he was, he whipped out his phone.
To: Yakuuuuuuu Morisuke <3333333
So, guess what my complete ASSHOLE of a colleague did yesterday...