Warnings: Everyone's alive, too many happiness, Zero wears glasses, Kaname is a dork, and author.

So Kaname might be a little bit in love with the book he's currently reading and as much as he loves his dearest sister, he's not going to tear his focus from the pages just because she wants him to pay attention in class. In class. That he probably already attends for dozens of times.

Another tap, another poke on his cheek and Kaname finally looks up to hiss at his sister. Gently. Gentle hiss. Because let's never forget that Yuki is one of the very few good - wonderful - things in his immortalized lifespan.

"Yuki, have a care for my-"

"I'm trying to save you the trouble here. Toga has been glaring at you for forty-two minutes and you know how protective your little goons-

Kaname sighs softly. She will never drop the 'goons' part, isn't she? One time. One time he called Aido and the rest of the night class students as 'ridiculous, besotted goons of mine' and this is what he gets for making a cheap joke?

"-over you. They might just attack the teacher if he wouldn't stop with the glares and it'd be a problem - a very huge problem for us - if it came to that." Yuki speaks in a hushed whisper. "So read later. Lesson first, Kay?"

Another audible sigh, follows by the sound of fluttering pages before Kaname closes the book, albeit reluctantly. With a heavy dead heart.

"There. Content?" He addresses the question at the pureblood princess but Kaname's eyes are hard and calculative when they finally land on the male hunter.

"Very." He doesn't need to stare at Yuki to know the other is grinning at him. She finds joy in seeing Kaname in a petulant behavior, something that akin to a child who's lost his favorite toy.

Good thing he loves her very much.

"I'll make it up to you later, Kaname. Stop with the pout."

X

"What is this?" Kaname eyes the small blue card that only has a short address printed on the back. His expression is void but in the burst of his chest, a small curiosity ignites.

"Said I'd make it up to you." Yuki says and again, with the same annoying grin. "It's a card you can use at the suburban bookstore at the edge of the town. The place is hard to miss. The small building is mostly cozy of woods and chimney. Chimney, Kaname. Chimney. When was the last time we saw that?"

"Two days ago."

"That's not the point here."

"Yuki, that street is almost empty. Except for the Lake, of course."

"You like books. I like it when you're not grumpy. And you're never grumpy around books. And you've read almost every book the Academy can offer. Including the ones at our parents' home. So do me a favor and be a good big brother and just enjoy yourself." Yuki twirls on her heels. The silk of her long, crystalline brown hair interwoven like a waterfall. "It's only open when the sun is still high above the sky though."

"It's fine." Kaname smiles. It doesn't reach his eyes but the affection is not lessened in the gesture anyway.

X

He thinks he's probably not going to the bookstore tomorrow. It requires efforts and he's often short on that.

X

He's going tomorrow.

X

Honestly, there's something wrong with the sun. The way it just continues to glare and glare at the world as if it's hoping it can just melt every breathing creature on earth. Kaname feels anger, and fury but the sun somehow expands its horizon in that matter. For that very reason alone, Kaname's glad Yuki allows him to borrow her umbrella. Even when it's decorated with stickers of ponies and puppies.

The walk, fortunately, has been quite and almost barren of souls. The pavements are still wet and colored in pale shade from the last night heavy rain and never lets a soul tell you that Kuran Kaname, the pureblood prince, is not equipped with a shrouded sense of equanimity.

He can very well enjoy the fine stretching view of a fresh Lake and the sound of zephyr whispers against his skin like soft kisses.

Kaname halts when he spots a - as Yuki has described it - a small, solitary building crafted in wood and hard oaks. The puff of smoke wafts through the ancient chimney and maybe Yuki's right about the ancient part solely because this place looks like it's survived wars in the medieval Era. Beautiful. Cozy in its unique way and also very inviting.

Maybe Kaname's glad he decides to come after all.

He tucks the silly umbrella down and moves towards the door palettes in blue.

X

"Welcome." Kaname follows the string of soft tenor, the bells chime in the background as he closes the door carefully. At the back of the counter stands a young male with an odd combination of pure silver hair and a pair of doey, lilac eyes and Kaname wonders if it's a common occurrence now for mortals to be born with an incomplete albinism.

Perhaps.

Then the boy is looking at him with a tilted head, studying his features like a keen puppy trying to unfold its ears, hands patting twice on the brown apron he uses to scatter away the invisible dust.

The pureblood raises a brow at that. "What is it? Something on my face?"

"Oh," the boy is not quick with emotions, probably, not easy to open up and reach out to the clients. Something that Kaname evaluates from the way he's tapping his foot on the floor - to conceal anxiety? - And the bobs of his Adam's apple whenever his purple eyes land on him. "It's- have we met before?" The boy blinks. And shakes his head. "Never mind." like a shy sapling, the boy permits a smile to glow his previously blank slate. "You're here for anything?"

"Obviously." Kaname counters, trying his best not too sound too snarky - as Yuki always puts it. Kaname walks towards the first perfectly sculpted drawer. Novels are stacked carefully like a sacred treasure, which they are, and Kaname has to browse for another second before his fingers stop on a specific cover.

His brows flutter in momentarily dubiety. "Am I seeing this right?"

"Well, if you're not blind, I'm sure you see just fine."

Kaname ignores the boy behind him as he warily picks the book and feels the burden in his hands. It's like holding a thousand years old of Chinese utmost valuable vase. Too precious and too beautiful for this world.

"You have Don Quijote de la Mancha?" But... "How?" Kaname gently brushes a finger on the cover, almost craning his neck down to inhale the beauteous scent.

"How? Why the heck not? We mostly offer old, archetypal novels instead of the newly written ones." by now, the boy is standing next to Kaname. Properly holding the brunet's shoulder. Perhaps he's worried that the taller man might just pass out from the way his face turning from white sheet to complete pale.

It tends to happen when the copy you've been searching for, for at least more than two hundred years just randomly pops up at the very last place you look.

Such is life.

"Did you know that Cervantes borrowed the old Spanish language, old Castilan, into his book? Hence the archaisms in almost every paragraph." The boy bluntly said.

Yet this revelation was enough to tear Kaname's focus from the jewel in his hold. This time, he smiles genuinely at the other male. "Yes. But this version if far easier to read for modern Spanish readers truthfully." He cocks his head. "You read it then?"

"I sell the books. I read almost all of them by now." The human turns away from Kaname and makes a small line towards one of the opened boxes. He bends one-knee on the floor, ruffling through the contents with ease. "Have you ever tried novels by James Joyce? His Ulysses-"

"Ulysses." Kaname hisses in a deep growl before he takes an urbane stop by the boy's side on the floor. Eyes sharp as he eyes the mountain of books in the box. "Do you have it? Please. I- I've been searching-"

"Have it." The boy hands him the novel. A jaded look on his face.

But not on Kaname's. His pupils dilated. Pulse quickens and breaths labor and he has to virtually hold his chest to prevent himself from combusting to ashes.

"This is-" His hands shaky as he touches the cover with his nails. "This is beautiful."

"How about Finnegans Wake? Interested?"

Kaname chokes. The only reason he doesn't cry is because it's almost impossible for him to shed tears anymore.

"Yes, very."

X

It takes Kaname twenty five minutes to realize that he's too engrossed at reading one of the books that he's sitting cross-legged on the floor with the silver-haired kid at his side, dropping hints and minutiae for every book that Kaname mentions he's been looking for.

His voice is pacifying, Kaname notes. A small wave of endless sea paddles against the boat and his eyes brighten whenever Kaname manages to add gen of his own occasionally.

Kaname smiles a lot today but the boy chuckling softly at the brunet's antics is of course, one of the reasons in the equation too.

X

"The name's Zero. In case you're planning to come back."

"Kaname." A heartbeat. "I will."

X

"Yuki, you are by far the best sister one can ever hope for."

"I am. Whatever the reason is, I am."

X

When Kaname comes back on the fourth day, Zero cranes his neck to study him and then gives him a tiny smile, pointing at the few novels on the desk near the fireplace.

Kaname merely quirks his lips up.

"Been waiting for me then?" He pulls the wooden bench, taking a spot a tad distance away from the heat. His hands scramble to grip at the first book he touches.

"Atlas Shrugged? Do you have a grasp of knowledge of how horrid this book is?"

Zero laughs. Actually laughs.

"Good to know you have a taste." Zero tiptoes and rearranges some of the books. His glasses droop slackly on the bridge of his nose.

"I do. When it comes to reading. I have a very high standard." Kaname drops the heavy volume with a morph of disgust on his expression. Like a scared cat, Kaname gingerly thrusts his arm out for the next book, somehow expecting the unforeseen. He blinks once the title flashes before his eyes. "Huh. I haven't read this once."

The pureblood soothes the back of his middle finger on the book, rereading the title for the third time and childishly hoping the major title might give him a proper response; to read or not to read. He's heard about The Secret Garden before and it's not a conundrum that Frances Burnett was both a very notorious author and a remarkable woman.

"If you're disqualifying that book from your 'must-read', I might just have to pour this coffee all over your expensive coat."

And then Zero takes the vacant spot on the seat, depositing two mugs of coffee on the table in front of them. The crackling of the fire is temperamental to Kaname, yet the way Zero stretches his hips as he removes his glasses is indeed an adorable sight- even though the boy looks like someone who can easily put a bullet between his eyes.

Not that he thinks Zero is adorable (which he just did a moment ago but that's not the focus here). Right now, Kaname's content to slide his fingers along the neatly folded papers where words are written and worlds are created. Where people are molded to be unique to live in a fictional realm. In a translucent of imaginary place.

It's a nice feeling here. Now. Surrounded by books.

"I think I remembered why you look familiar."

"Oh?"

"Kuran Yuki. She's related to you? I think she mentioned a 'quite annoying brother of mine' to me the last time she was here."

Of course.

"She's not a wonderful, delicate flower she made herself to be. Trust me."

Zero smiles a bit. His hand encloses around the mug whilst he huffs a blow at the steam oozing from his drink.

"I'm sure she's not. She just barged in, demanding for my name before she stormed off. But she came back on the next day, and the day after that, and also the day after that."

Kaname sighs, closing his eyes in disdain.

"I'm sorry that she's weird."

"I like that she's weird. It makes her different. Bring her next time, will you?"

"Absolutely not. She's a wreck when things get too peaceful."

Zero drinks his coffee but not before he chortles and coughs on it. Kaname hesitates at first. Still, he leans closer to pat the boy lightly in the back, too gentle for his liking. He's not used to it. Being kind to others who are not his parents or his sister and he's willing to admit he's not warm to his cousin and uncle either but that's only because Shiki is too quiet and his uncle is obsessed with his mother.

So gentleness to stranger is rather a new trip to self-exploration and Zero is helpful and polite enough to deal with his farcical requests. That he's sure of.

But...

"There are very few customers."

"The customers are here mostly on weekends. Besides, like I said. Old novels. Ancient. People prefer Harry Potter these days. Nothing's wrong with it but I'd choose Great Gatsby over Harry Potter any day."

"Won't you get lonely then?" Kaname asks truthfully.

"Visit me once a week and I might not be." Zero claims another sip.

Kaname's quite for a moment. At the pureblood's sudden reply, Zero almost stumbles when he tries to stand on the balls of his feet

"Careful. If you're flirting, I might just flirt back."

X

"You try to set me up with Zero?"

"He's cute and kind- waitaminute. You actually went? To the bookstore?"

"Yuki."

"He loves books. You love books. You both can make baby books together so why not, right?"

"That's not how this works."

"You remember his name so yes, it works just fine."

X

Kaname has enough books by now that he sees no reason to return to the bookstore in the feasible future. It'll take weeks for him to come back and he's absolutely fine with it. Talking and sharing your passion with someone who shares the same love is really interesting and... fun. However, Kaname has an image to keep among his peers. A name and a rank to uphold. He can't possibly look all too eager to spend time with a mortal who has no knowledge regarding vampires.

Not that he's eager to see Zero again. He's just saying that he might. Might. He barely knows the boy anyhow. No need to get riled up for not visiting the bookstore for six days now. No. Not at all.

X

Kaname visits the next day.

Zero smiles warmly at him.

X

Kaname visits again two days later. It worries the pureblood how quick he considers the other as an actual friend.

X

"Will it be viable to you if I require your number?"

"Why do you speak like you're from the sixteenth century or something?"

"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm a vampire who hunts for his prey when nocturnal has fallen."

"Right."

X

He has Zero's number. He has Zero's number and he's incapable to initiate a friendly conversation. Kaname sits on his bed. Face sunken as he glares at the walls. Claws tighten harshly on the elastic cover of his communication device. He's abundant at vocalizations, tongue rich with words, so why it that he's mind is negated with any proper greetings? Kaname stands. Sits down. Paces around in his room. Sits down on the floor. Stands up and paces back and forth once more.

He can do this. He can text Zero and inquires of his evening like a good friend does. Kaname is about to press the first key when his phone buzzes and the pureblood insists that he doesn't throw profanities when he sees Zero's name on the lit up screen. He's too graceful for that.

He swipes the screen. Reads the text three times like a normal living (or dead) creature without hopping on his feet.

I saw a duck today and it reminded me of you. That's not weird right?

Kaname replies cautiously (hysterically).

Depends. Is the duck rather fetching?

Another vibration.

You're ridiculous

Maybe Kaname is but why does it matter anymore?At least, it's not for tonight.

X

"You think Zero's cute."

"I do not. I merely agree that he's charming."

"Oh pff."

"Yuki, did you just pff-ed your brother?"

"You have known him for four months by now. It's safe to assume in your dictionary that charming and cute are the same thing."

X

"Romeo and Juliet? Really?"

"Say whatever you want, Kaname. It's still one of the best classic romance literatures."

"Everyone dies."

"Not everyone."

"As long as you're happy." Kaname spares Zero a small beam. His face bright as he studies the other. Zero looks different without his glasses and the bland-brown apron. Different yet still very much colors with life.

"I am happy. My brother just gave me a double chocolate cake this morning. A big reason to smile."

"If I bought you a whole cake, would you be happier than you are now?"

"Now now, Kaname." Zero elbows the pureblood with a grin neatly shapes on his jaws. "Looks who's flirting."

X

"You invited him on a date?"

"Not a date, Yuki. A friendly outing."

"Oh my god."

"What?"

"You two are ridiculous. I'm better at this whole silly crushes thing and I have a snail for a pet. What's your excuse?"

"That I don't have a snail for a pet?"

X

It's quite a surprise for the pureblood when he catches a familiar fragrance of woodland and the sweet scent of Chinese wisteria orbits in the air, gravitating towards him like a tender roll of affection. He knows this scent all too well. That's why the male has to prevent himself from dropping his head on the book he's so enthralled with. What is she doing here at the Academy?

A knock on his door.

Kaname groans.

He opens it regardless as a sign of respect. "Mother." Kaname nods once, taking several steps aside to permit his mother an entrance.

She skips with poise into the room - long, exorbitant dress and all - and Kaname knows his evening is about to be ruined. He just knows it.

"So..." Juri takes the spot on Kaname's bed. Her voice is patiently pitched, eyes are dark and almost null from scarlet drops but the sparkles inside them are too cheerful for someone who's just returned from long, tiring meetings overseas. "Let's hear it, Kaname. Hurry hurry and share the passionate tale of your love with your mother will you?" dearest mother is practically glowing.

Kaname squints. And sputters.

"There's no love story, mother." He leaves the door ajar. "And where is father-"

"Don't change the subject, Kaname. Yuki called me and we talked about it for hours! Can't you believe how excited I was in the plane that your father actually had to ask someone to give dozens of orange juice to me? You know what orange juice does to me. So, now..." she pats the bed next to her and Kaname acquiesces. Legs heavy as he slowly sits by her side.

"Yuki is a traitor."

"She's a worried sister. You've been single for centuries, my dear. And oh- I haven't seen you and your sister for nearly a year." she feigns a sob and dives in to embrace her son. Kaname reciprocates the gesture but never forgets that the female members of Kuran family are manipulative and nonchalantly twisted with their words.

"Mother. A year for us is barely but like that of a passing month."

"Okay but... Your date?"

"Friendly date. Not romantic date."

"Yes yes of course. Is she cute?"

"What is it with you and Yuki and this obsessive disorder concerning cuteness?"

"Is she?"

"He. She's a boy. I mean, he's a he. She's not a girl- you know what I mean. A mortal boy. He's in his pre-adult year."

"Oooh."

Both Kurans look at the shadow standing at Kaname's door, tall and regal as if the world should have always bowed before its presence.

"Why did I tell you, Juri? It's a boy. I called it months ago."

"Father, how in the-"

Then his mother hastily stands, leaving Kaname slightly unbalanced at the sudden loss of contact from his mother.

"Isn't this remarkable, Haruka?" she holds her husband's hands in hers. "Our Kaname is a hermit no more! A mortal mate at that. A forbidden love." she prances pass her husband and into the hallway. A hum follows the rhythm of her light footsteps.

Haruka laughs. Free and gentle, trailing after his wife after he winks at his son. "Be gentle to him, if you comprehend what I mean."

Kaname swears he's not about this life. He's not.

X

It's not really forbidden love when his family members are coaxing him to invite Zero for a dinner at his parents' old manor. It's not a forbidden love when his mother preens even at the mention of 'That precious mortal who makes my son happy like a teddy bear' and sure he's... content around Zero. Many months have passed by and now, he's considered Zero a trusted friend and honestly, he knows too much about the boy.

Courtesy of his younger twin brother, Ichiru, who sometimes drops by and talks about his brother like Zero holds the moon and sky with his very bare hands. Like Zero is the most wonderful thing to ever happen in his life and maybe it is for Ichiru. Maybe Zero is his lifeline and Kaname understands that they're brothers.

Twins.

Family.

Still, Kaname feels a little bit... jealous.

X

"Are you snogging Kuran, Zero?"

"Ichiru, what the hec-"

"You're looking at his butt all the time."

"I didn't I didn- I didn't- I did not!"

"It's fine, Zee. He's looking at yours too."

"What, really?"

"..."

"...did you just text KURAN'S BUTT LOL at me with a wink?"

"I prefer the term emoji."

X

Kaname doesn't take Zero out to his family's dinner nor does he take him out anywhere in the town. He's too worried his mother might sweep the boy off of his feet and start playing dress-up with him. Instead Kaname settles down by bringing a blank book on his next visit.

When he enters the store - the bells chime as always - Zero is making a desperate dash at him and Kaname is this close to mutilate anything that dares to put such a sour look on his human.

His friend. He means. Not his human.

"Zero, what's wrong-"

"Okay this might sound weird. Wait, it really sounds weird but my ex is somewhere in the back and she wants to get back with me and is really really pushy about it but I don't want to, you know, get back together so can you please kiss me and let her see that I have a lover and it's not just a stupid joke I make up because I'm avoiding her?"

"Oh, sure?"

"Great. Kiss me now. Now. She's here-"

Kaname doesn't take Zero by the waist but he grips him by the back of his neck, as a show of mutual reverence. Their lips barely touch, hesitant at first, before Zero surges forward and captures Kaname's quivering lips with his. Kaname often assumes he's the better kisser between the two of them but Zero is bolder. He sucks at his bottom lip; tongue shyly nudges at his mouth before Kaname decides that they need to be more solid than that. So he clenches at the front of Zero's shirt and deepens the kiss, showering the boy's wet lips with playful bites, swallowing the smirk when he hears the shuttering gasp from the shorter male.

When they part, - Zero looks delicious like that. Red lips, disheveled hair, and the mess of his clothes are like these tiny, clear signs that Zero is kind of belongs to him - Kaname sees a quite pretty blonde girl (is that the ex?) gaping at them before she scurries away with a dark blush on her cheekbones. "Sorry. Sorry. I'm just leaving." she squeaks.

A door opens. Bells chime. Door closes. Another chime.

And then Zero is grinning at him.

"Aren't you a great kisser?" The boy angles his head to observe Kaname with the most shit-eating grin Kaname has ever seen.

"You're shameless. That poor girl."

"Really? You looked at her like you wanted to chug a book in her face."

Zero backs away. The grin stays. They return to their old, original routine of exchanging snarks and tales of their lives, leaving some subjects unsaid but it's still warm. A fireplace in the winter. Still them.

"Here." Kaname offers him the blank book.

"Oh? What secrets does this book entail?"

The brunet rolls his eyes. "No secrets. Just a blank book for you to write your own story."

Zero graces him with a smile. Kaname won't ever admit how he melts a little bit on the inside. Never.

"Why don't we write it together? It's probably gonna have a happy ending but let's not settle with the 'happily ever after' trope. It's too cliché for my taste."

"Most happy endings do end with happily ever after, you know?"

Zero tsks at him. "Borden your imagination, Kaname. The world is not made of seven colors. Especially when our eyes can see ten millions of different hues. Now come on. The first chapter will be about... Omelets."

Kaname can't help himself. He chokes on his laughter.

"Too much?"

"No." Kaname walks after the human boy. "It's just fine."

X

So Kaname might be a little bit in love and it's not with the book he's reading.

Written by Wookie

Beta-ed by Sakuyan