Archive of Our Own

The quiet pitter-patter of the rain against the library windows made the most perfect reading soundtrack, in Aziraphale's opinion.

It'd been a quiet day at the library - the weather wasn't encouraging and nobody went out unless they absolutely had to. The librarian didn't mind - as much as she loved her work and she was always happy to help the library patrons, she also appreciated the quiet days like this.

After all, there were always new stories to be read.

The one she was currently reading was one of her favourite kinds: a sweet, fluffy romance novel with queer protagonists. Aziraphale didn't have any romantic pursuits of her own, so she got her dose of romance from books - it'd always been this way. She didn't mind, usually; it was all for the best, choosing the safety of escapism into a fictional story over the uncertainty and potential hurt from a real relationship with someone. That said… every now and then, she could experience this pining that was almost painful, this yearning, this desire for something more than just her boring everyday life - sometimes she wished she could experience a love story, the kind of the ones she could find in the books she loved so much. She knew, of course, that real life wasn't a carefully crafted set up, and hoping for tropes like meet-cute, or grumpy x sunshine, or opposites attract was idle daydreaming - nevertheless… it was nice to daydream sometimes. And although Aziraphale usually kept her feet firmly on the ground, every now and then she let herself fantasise a little bit.

Suddenly, the library door opened and the noise made the librarian snap out of her musings.

The newcomer was cursing as he entered, and he was in the process of peeling his drenched jacket off himself. And… Oh. Aziraphale perked up with interest: the handsome stranger was tall and thin, clad all in stylish, black, designer clothes. His wet hair, currently plastered to his face, was dark from the rain - but there still was a burgundy shade to it. Despite the downpour, the man was wearing black sunglasses, and that detail, along with his sharp jawline and pronounced nose, gave him the sort of roguish charm that reminded Aziraphale of the novels she was so keen on.

He really looked like he could appear on the cover of the steamy romance book she'd finished just a night ago.

The man approached Aziraphale’s desk and asked sheepishly, “Hey, uh, is it alright if I wait here until it stops raining?”

“Hello! Yes, of course. There’s a toilet on the left, there should be some paper towels if you want to dry yourself off,” the woman replied with a polite smile.

“Cheers,” the man said and went in the direction she'd pointed him to.

Aziraphale suppressed a small sigh. See, this precisely was what would sneak inside her thoughts every now and then - a chance meeting like this: someone trying to seek shelter from the rain, the other person offering some unexpected kindness, the MC falling hard and fast…

But these were all things out of novels, of course. In real life, it was basic decency to help someone - not to mention that the library was a public building, so it simply made sense that someone would use the place to get out of the rain.

The man emerged back from the toilet - slightly drier now when it came to his hair and face, but his skintight black jeans looked soaked. He put his jacket on a hanger and after quickly assessing the library floor, he went to claim one of the old comfortable armchairs in the corner of the room.

His sunglasses stayed on and Aziraphale wondered briefly if the stranger was wearing them for medical reasons. After all, leaving them on just for the aesthetic value would be rather pretentious, wouldn't it?

Oh, but never mind the glasses.

Aziraphale got up from her desk and approached the man. "Would you like some tea?"

"Huh?"

The stranger looked up, and his expression was unreadable because of his glasses, but Aziraphale could feel that he was regarding her carefully. If she'd been younger, she might've blushed and got self-conscious about the way she looked in her old, slightly worn but wonderfully soft cardigan, tan trousers and sensible shoes with tartan socks peeking out - but God bless, she'd been mostly past caring about such matters. That, and she wasn't trying to appear attractive - she just wanted to be a decent person and offer a warm beverage. "You must be really cold and the heating isn't on. I believe a warm drink could be good for you, don't you think, dear?" Aziraphale smiled. "I can offer you tea or cocoa."

The man kept staring at her, wordlessly, and eventually the librarian arched her eyebrows to prompt him to speak.

He cleared his throat and he seemed to snap out whatever haze was over him. "Uh- no, thank you, I'm good."

The librarian nodded and she was about to go back to her desk - but the man's voice stopped her.

"But, hey, could you tell me the wifi password?” The man's request was decorated with a handsome grin, and if Aziraphale wasn’t at work, she would be hopeless and speechless against such charm.

Fortunately, she was on duty as a librarian right now.

“We encourage our patrons to browse books instead of surfing the internet,” she informed the man with a serene expression.

He huffed, and Aziraphale guessed he rolled his eyes, too. “Brilliant. I’m not a patron though, I just need to find a way to get home, so-”

“Well, if you would like to access the internet here, you need to have a library card. It seems like the perfect opportunity to get one,” Aziraphale suggested with a smile. "After all, you said you'd like to wait here until it stops raining."

The man groaned. “Is there no way for you to just give me the bloody password?”

“I highly encourage you to get the card-”

“Oh, hell. Fine, how do I do it?”

Aziraphale gave the man a beaming smile, proud of herself - as always, when she managed to talk someone into getting a library card. “It’ll take just a minute! Please, follow me to the desk."

Once there, she stepped behind her desk and picked up a sheet of paper and a pen. She offered them to the man. "Fill in this form, please. Then I can give you the card, and you’ll get access to the wifi network.”

With a bit more grumbling, the stranger filled in the form and then slid it back to Aziraphale. There was something that was almost a pout on his lips, and Aziraphale thought that it looked quite adorable.

With the satisfaction of her job well done, she fished a new library card out of the drawers, and then she completed the form by writing down the number of the card - 5249666. Next, she copied the card owner’s name and wrote it on the card - A.J. Crowley.

“Thank you, Mr Crowley, and welcome to our library,” she officially greeted him with a smile. 

“Thanks…” the man’s eyes flicked down, and in different circumstances, Aziraphale could’ve accused the man of staring inappropriately at her chest, but she knew she had the badge with her name on the lapel of her jacket. “...Aziraphale.”

He smiled warmly, and the woman cleared her throat, her eyes darting down before she handed him a slip of paper, with the name of the network and the wifi password. “I suggest you take a look at our collection of new arrivals-”

“Yeah, I’ll pass, thanks,” he replied, and his attention moved from Aziraphale to his phone as he was already typing the password into his phone.

The librarian sighed but offered no further comment, and left the man to his own devices.

It was almost an hour later when Aziraphale was alphabetising the returns. She glanced at the window behind her - it was still raining, even harder than before.

Remembering her guest - Mr Crowley, who was quietly entertaining himself by scrolling on his phone - she decided to check up on him. When she looked in his direction, the man jolted, as if startled when it turned out that he’d caught the librarian's gaze.

Aziraphale's brows went up. Was he watching her? Presumptuous of her to think that.

Maybe the man was looking at her because he wanted to ask about something? Or was it just an accident, and maybe he was looking through the window as well?

Seeing as Mr Crowley didn't have any questions for her, she quietly got back to her job.

Some time later Mr Crowley approached Aziraphale at her desk. "Well, I better be going. Thanks for the shelter," he said with something that looked like a half-smile.

Aziraphale glanced over her shoulder to look through the window. It was still pouring. "The weather isn't exactly inviting."

"It isn't, but I have places to be."

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke - and maybe Aziraphale would've felt a bit uncomfortable if she didn't come up with an idea. "Wait here, Mr Crowley!"

The man arched his eyebrows but obeyed as Aziraphale ventured to the backroom, and when she came back, she was carrying a small, yellow umbrella in her hand.

"Thought you might find it useful," she offered the brolly with a smile.

The stranger frowned a bit. "Yellow?"

"It's pretty!" Aziraphale said, almost defending herself. "Besides, the colour shouldn't matter to you as much as the fact that it can keep you dry."

"That it can." He cleared his throat. "Well. Cheers. I'll be bringing this back at some point."

"Feel free to keep it; we have a whole drawer of lost umbrellas here," the librarian smiled.

The man nodded awkwardly and offered Aziraphale a half-wave before leaving.

It'd been three days… and Mr Crowley was back.

This time, he had the borrowed umbrella in one hand, and a small pot with a green-and-yellow plant in the other.

"Thanks again for the rescue," the man said, sliding both the umbrella and the potted plant in Aziraphale's direction.

"Oh!" The woman tilted her head. "I'm not sure I would call it a rescue. It was just basic decency."

"Still…"

Aziraphale regarded the vines of the plant curiously. "What is this?"

"It's Pothos. It's quite resilient, and easy to take care of," Mr Crowley explained. "Brought this to say thank you," he offered, and he sounded almost abashed, his chin dipped down shyly.

The librarian was lost for words - but just for a beat. She collected herself quickly. "Oh! Mr Crowley, I-"

"Just Crowley."

Aziraphale looked at the man, surprised.

Crowley, meanwhile, took off his glasses… And Aziraphale's breath caught in her throat, because she saw his eyes were the most gorgeous shade of amber - they looked almost golden.

They were standing like this for a moment, just gazing into each other's eyes, and the air between them felt electric. Aziraphale could feel her heartbeat pick up, and the intensity of Crowley's gaze made a funny, foreign heat bloom somewhere in her core-

"Aziraphale, could you help me over here?" Tracy called out suddenly, snapping the librarian out of her reverie.

Crowley jolted, startled by the unexpected noise.

Before Aziraphale went to help Tracy, she focused on the man in front of her for just a moment. "Well, thank you. And have a good day, Crowley."

"You too."

 As intriguing as Mr Crowley had been, and even though he’d left quite an impression on her, Aziraphale didn't want to let herself be swept up in idle fantasies about the man. It probably would be inappropriate, anyway - she wasn't the kind to invite people from real life to star in her daydreams.

But… somehow, the man managed to slither into her musings, and she couldn't help but wonder what kind of person Crowley was. He was a little charming, a little awkward - honestly, he was quite enchanting, overall. Every now and then she caught herself recalling their interactions, or the man's beautiful eyes, or his almost embarrassed smile when he brought her the plant…

Oh, but there was no use in wondering. She had different things to do, and she doubted he would ever grace the library with his presence again.

No point in idle daydreams, was there?

Anthony J. Crowley was a sensible middle-aged man. He'd been alive for long enough to know that life isn't a pretty story you could see in a movie. He happened to repeatedly trashtalk online content promoting 'romanticising your life' and 'doing things for the plot'.

But maybe because his guilty pleasure was watching rom-coms, he'd been stricken for his hypocrisy and he was faced with love at first sight.

Well, maybe not love, let's not go that far - yeah, Crowley fancied himself an optimist under his cynical veneer, but he still knew how to differentiate the depth of feelings he'd been experiencing.

Being attracted to a gorgeous woman with soft curves and a beautiful smile wasn't anything revolutionary, of course. But what truly appealed to Crowley was the librarian's kindness, and the way she seemed genuinely concerned for his well-being.

It'd been a while ever since someone had cared about him.

And… the woman radiated warmth, the kind he'd been seeking out for a very long time. He couldn't help being drawn to it, like a moth to a flame.

It'd been years since the last time he had entered the dating scene, but Crowley was considering dipping his toes in the murky water of that social dance again, if only to try to get to know the lovely librarian more.

Yeah, there was a chance that Aziraphale was taken or simply not interested, but Crowley was an optimist; he'd rather make sure before giving up hope. After all, that short moment today, when she looked at him with something that Crowley would love to believe was awe-

He had to try to ask her out, and frankly, even if she wasn't interested in romance, he'd gladly become her friend; anything to be able to bask in that warmth. 

A few days later Aziraphale was putting the books from the return box on the shelves - when she saw a familiar face.

"Oh, hello, Crowley," the woman smiled, and a wave of embarrassment washed over her when she felt that her cheeks heated up, surely turning red. "What a pleasure to see you among books and without your phone in hand," she teased, just to distract herself from her own reaction.

She experienced something like vindication when the man's sharp cheeks burned red. "Uh. Right. Yeah." Crowley cleared his throat. "Look, I was wondering if you could help me find something to read-"

“Of course!” The woman was enthusiastic, as always when she was on the quest to find reading material suitable to a patron’s interests. “But what do you like? Do you prefer non-fiction, contemporary or something else?”

“Uh… Fiction, I guess. I like James Bond, so -”

“Oh, so have you read the books?”

The man raised his eyebrows. “There are books?”

The corner of Aziraphale’s mouth twitched when she stopped herself from showing dismay on her face. “Indeed there are. As far as I know, we have quite the selection of Mr Fleming’s books, so follow me, if you please-”

“Oh, I please alright,” the man murmured, but it was so quiet that he was probably talking to himself. Aziraphale ignored it, and led him to the Thriller & Adventure section.

“We have almost a full collection of the Bond books, but I’d suggest you start at the beginning,” she said, taking Casino Royale off the shelf. “You’re free to decide yourself, of course, but there are plot points in the latter books that require you to read in a particular order, if you don’t want to get confused-”

As Aziraphale was talking, Crowley kept looking… Either at her or at the shelf behind her, it was hard to say, since the dark glasses covered the man’s eyes. His jaw was slack, his lips open, and Aziraphale would surely remember the jut of his full bottom lip later when she was reading her romance novels- but right now, she was busy doing her job. She really hoped the man was listening to her, because she wasn't a fan of Bond stories and yet she remembered the reading order just for occurrences such as this one - when she had to advise a library patron about which book to choose.

“-so, which one would you like to check out?” Aziraphale gave the man an expectant look.

For a few seconds, he was still, assumedly, deep in thought, but when he realised Aziraphale was waiting for him to say something, he cleared his throat. “Um, the first one - Casino Royale. I liked Craig in the movie.”

“Very well, then-”

“Though I respect Sean Connery’s version of Bond, the man has class,” the man interrupted her, but Aziraphale only raised her eyebrows.

“I wouldn’t know, I haven’t seen the films.” Aziraphale walked back to her desk, Crowley trailing behind her a bit like a lost puppy.

“No way, they’re legendary!”

“Perhaps, but as it happens, I'm rather the bookish kind,” the woman offered with a smile.

They moved to Aziraphale's desk so she could scan the book and enter the checking out into the library database.

“Here you are,” she handed him the book with a kind smile. “If you’re not done with this after 30 days, you can prolong it with a call, or via email, or just visit and let me know.”

“Oh, I will,” Crowley said. Then he cleared his throat awkwardly, and Aziraphale watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. He took off his glasses and the librarian found herself mesmerised by his eyes yet again-

"Hey, so, I was wondering… if you’d like to see that Bond movie-”

“Oh, no, that’s really not my cup of tea,” Aziraphale replied truthfully, and it made Crowley shut his mouth immediately, like she had smacked him.

“Uh. Alright.” He shuffled in place awkwardly, hiding the book in the inner pocket of his jacket. “Um. Thanks, then.” The man stiffly raised his hand to bid her goodbye, and then he was walking away from the desk.

As he walked away, Aziraphale's brow furrowed. Could it be possible that she was being slightly slow on the uptake, and she missed the fact that Crowley tried to ask her out…?

Nonsense.

The next time Crowley went to the library, his heart was picking up its rhythm as soon as he stepped inside the building. His heart actually skipped a beat when he spotted Aziraphale - and he hesitated before approaching her.

She shot him down very efficiently the last time he was here, but he wanted to try again. Maybe Aziraphale wasn't interested in a movie date because, indeed, she was the bookish kind. Maybe she just wanted to get to know Crowley more first. Or maybe she simply wasn't interested - and as soon as he saw any sign of discomfort, he'd give up on his advances. But until there wasn’t any hope left… He had to give it a try.

Aziraphale was assembling a book display on a small table. She was wearing a light blue shirt with an honest-to-god tartan - tartan! - bowtie. It worked nicely with her tan trousers and leather brogues.

With her pale blond hair held up with a hair claw, and with a pair of golden-rimmed glasses on her nose, she really looked like someone who was the very definition of the word 'librarian'. She was absolutely striking.

…But the clothes she was wearing reminded Crowley of the fashion preferred by one of his lesbian friends, and he needed a second to think.

He shouldn't be making assumptions, certainly not based on looks. He should simply approach her and ask. That was what normal people did, right?

Even if she wasn't interested in men, Crowley was hoping that she'd be willing to go out for a coffee with him. There was just something about Aziraphale that pulled Crowley closer, and he wanted to enter her social orbit - if not as a potential dating prospect then at least as a friend.

He took a deep breath before walking up to the woman.

He braced for a rejection, but the little flutter of hope made him approach the librarian with a smile.

The woman was busy assembling a display of books on a little table decorated with fake cobwebs, fluffy spiders and paper ghosts. She acknowledged Crowley with a smile when she noticed him in her field of vision, and he replied with a grin of his own without even thinking about it.

"Hi. What do you have there?" he pointed his chin at the books, even though the display was rather self-explanatory.

 "Oh, it's just a selection of some horror novels - something other than Stephen King," she rolled her eyes, and there was very obvious judgement of King's books in that one look.

"Huh, would you look at that? That's perfect," Crowley said. "I love scary stories, and I'm just looking for one."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Big spooky fan, me."

Aziraphale tilted her head slightly and gave him an assessing look. "Let's see, then. I already know you enjoy thrillers and espionage stories, and now you’ve told me you like horror too…" She moved her eyes to the books in front of her, presumably looking for a recommendation, and Crowley could swear there was a twinkle in her blue eyes as she set herself up for the task.

She grabbed a book with a purple cover and presented it to him as if she were holding an award at a ceremony, full of excitement. "This one is quite thrilling indeed, I enjoyed it a great deal. It's a murder mystery, very atmospheric, set in an abandoned mansion in Edinburgh. There's also bisexual representation, so I see that as an extra advantage-"

Crowley squared up his shoulders. There it was, his opening to find out about the librarian's preferences.

He cleared his throat, feeling bad about interrupting her but knowing he was a man on a mission. "Does bi rep hold any special significance to you?" he asked, aiming for an innocent enquiry.

Aziraphale tensed slightly, her eyes narrowing with suspicion, and she stood up a little straighter.

"Hm! As a matter of fact, it does!" She sounded almost combative. "If only for the fact that bisexuality is way too often overlooked and treated with condescension. Unfortunately, it's not easy to find books that get it right - who treat the matter with respect and weave it into the story without making the sexual identity of the character their only notable trait." She huffed petulantly.

"Hey, no need to get so feisty on this one, I'm with you here!" Despite his words, he was absolutely charmed by the librarian's dedication. He bit his lips, considering his next words (and he didn't miss the fact that Aziraphale's eyes were drawn to the pull of the soft flesh under the sharp edge of his canine tooth).

He lowered his voice and made sure to catch the woman's gaze. "As it happens, I'm bisexual, you know. So I definitely appreciate the queer rep."

Tension immediately left the librarian's frame, and the smile that bloomed on her lips set Crowley's heart aflutter. She perked up, sweetly surprised. "Oh! Is that so?"

"Yeah. So I might get this one, if that's alright with you."

Crowley reached for the book and his fingers brushed against Aziraphale's as he took hold of the novel in her hands. It felt as if there was something like an electric spark that jumped between them, and the woman almost gasped.

For a moment, they were both holding the book, but eventually Aziraphale let go. She fidgeted with her hands instead.

"Oh. Um." Aziraphale swallowed thickly and her eyes darted anxiously to the side before they returned to Crowley. It was clear she wanted to say something, and the man was hanging on her every word. "I am, too." She cleared her throat. "Bisexual, I mean."

Crowley smiled brightly, feeling like he won a lottery. "Well, that's very pleasant to hear."

For some reason, the words made the librarian shoot him a wary look. "And why is it so pleasant?"

Crowley gaped, thrown off by the unexpected question. "Huh?" He let out an amused (and slightly confused) huff. "Sorry, isn't it always nice to meet a fellow queer person?"

Whatever Aziraphale was waiting for evidently didn't happen because after a beat of tense silence, she sighed - and the sound was almost relieved.

"Indeed, it is," Aziraphale declared. Crowley arched one eyebrow in question, sensing that there must be a reason for the woman's reaction, but he didn't want to press.

His attitude seemed to be enough to lower her guard. "Forgive me, dear." (Crowley had forgiven her alright, and he felt a pleasant thrill at being called dear by her). "It's simply… Look, I’ve had the unpleasantness of being asked out by partnered people merely because they were looking for their pegasus, and I'm afraid that although I am bisexual, I am not one for polyamory."

Crowley's lip twitched but he bit back a smile. "Sorry, Aziraphale, just making sure… Did you per chance mean unicorn?"

The librarian widened her eyes in surprise. "Oh. Well. Possibly." She huffed and rolled her eyes. "I'm not really up to date with modern slang."

"I can see that." God, Crowley was completely gone.

Aziraphale was having a cup of tea, sitting by the open window. It was raining again, and the atmosphere was quite gloomy.

The door to the library opened as someone walked in… And Aziraphale's heart stuttered when she saw that Crowley was back - but he was back with two children by his side.

Curiosity stirred inside the librarian as soon as the man approached her in the company of two prepubescent boys, and Aziraphale tried not to stare too much at Crowley's clothes - black turtleneck with a leather vest and tight black jeans. The outfit looked as if he was painted on the man, and it made Crowley look most dashing.

"Hello, how may I help you?" She offered the man a small smile and then managed to tear her eyes away from him, and focused her attention on the children.

"Brought these little rascals so they could get their library cards," Crowley declared, and the librarian was quite sure there was a small gleam of pride in the words.

"Oh, isn't that just excellent!"

"I want to see what's here first," one of the boys - with dark blond curls and a bright look in his eyes - said, and he addressed Aziraphale with a serious expression on his young face. "Hello. Do you have any stories about cosmic cowboys?"

"I am not sure at the moment, but I'm quite certain we could find something along those lines," Aziraphale replied with a smile.

"I wrote a book once, you know?" the kid said excitedly. "It was about this pirate who was a famous detective." The boy tried to sound casual as he offered, "If you'd like, I could donate the author's copy to the library."

The serious, solemn declaration made Aziraphale grin. "Is that so?" Her eyes flicked to Crowley who smiled and rolled his eyes fondly. The librarian focused on the boy again. "Well, that's certainly an offer worthy of consideration. But let me get a friend to help us with your first enquiry."

Aziraphale searched the room and she found the young American volunteer by the shelves near the Occult section. "Anathema, dear, may I please ask you to come here and help this young gentleman?"

After Anathema made her greetings and left with one of the boys to help him browse the children's section, Aziraphale addressed the other kid - this one with dark hair and an unimpressed look on his face. "What would you like to read?"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Reading is boring," he said, and while the librarian pouted, he turned to Crowley. "Can I please have my phone?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "We had a deal."

"But I'm booooooored-"

"Warlock-" there was a warning tone in the word - the name - and the low growl made Aziraphale feel a certain kind of way that she was not willing to discuss.

The boy shot a quick look at her, then at Crowley, and crossed his arms on his chest. "If you won't give me my phone then I'm just gonna stand here and not move."

"You are in the library, go browse some books-"

"I don't want to and you can't make me," there was a smart-ass note to the child's voice.

Aziraphale watched the scene, intrigued.

"For fuck's sake," Crowley grumbled at last as he slid his hand inside his pocket to get a shiny smartphone.

He thrust it into the kid's hands angrily, and the boy - Warlock - snatched the device immediately and left to sit on the couch, and there was something almost like a triumphant gleam behind the jaded facade.

When they were left alone, Aziraphale let out an amused huff. "Well, this behaviour certainly seems familiar."

The words caused an absolutely darling blush to appear on Crowley's cheeks, and the man dipped his chin, almost embarrassed. "Look, I might not always practise what I preach but I'm trying to set a good example, alright?"

"That's really lovely of you." Aziraphale tilted her head to the side, looking at the man curiously. "Are these boys your children?"

 "What?" the question was almost a squeak "No! No, Jesus Christ, can you imagine..." he chuckled awkwardly. "Just my nephews, had to take care of them today so I decided to make it a joint effort." Crowley cleared his throat and shot the librarian a pointed look. "I'm a bachelor. Very eligible one."

"Hm. I see." If the information was noted in the librarian's mind and put for safekeeping for later, that was nobody's business.

"Anyhow, I thought I'd get them library cards, but…" the man sighed. "Yeah, Warlock's parents don't give a shit about what he does, so it's really hard to get him away from his phone. Adam, on the other hand…" he pointed his chin at the kid who was, apparently, deep in a heated discussion with Anathema. "I assumed he'd like it here."

"Well, who would've thought. I recall you weren't so eager to get a library card yourself."

"Like I said, 'm trying to set a good example." The man's gaze met Aziraphale's. "And, you know, I saw the error of my ways," there was a teasing smile on Crowley's lips. "I'm trying to repent by bringing the youth here."

"And that is much appreciated."

They exchanged soft smiles, and Aziraphale's eyes lingered on Crowley's lips for a few seconds… before she remembered herself and cleared her throat. "Right, the library card. You know how it goes," she announced, reaching for a sheet of paper and a pen. "Please fill in the details and…"

The thing was, Aziraphale was an adult woman. She was years past caring about what anyone thought of her tastes in food, music or books. She didn’t care about whether or not people thought romance novels were the lesser kind of books (they were not), and she couldn’t be bothered by strangers’ opinions.

But… there was a kind of appropriacy that came with working in the library, where elders and children alike visited. And even though Aziraphale enjoyed reading erotica novels, she thought it’d be in bad taste to flash their suggestive covers at work.

That is why one day, she took the dust jacket off Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (somebody had donated it, and the library already had a few copies of that title on their shelves), and she used it to cover the more saucy portions of her reading repertoire.

The bottom line was, the book jacket saved her the embarrassment of being caught reading heavy smut at work. Aziraphale, of course, adored Jane Austen, and she didn’t mind people thinking she was fixated on her novel, with how often she would be seen reading it - so there were no losers in this situation, only winners.

And that was what she was doing right now - it was late afternoon and it was a slow day, so she was enjoying a bit of reading. She was just getting to the good part - the protagonist was being swept off her feet by the love interest, and they were about to share their fits of passion during their first night together - oh, and the writing was so good, too - so she huffed with irritation when someone cleared their throat, trying to get her attention.

“Yes?”

“Hey.”

It was Crowley.

Again.

Aziraphale’s breath nearly caught in her throat, and something fluttered in her stomach. The man had been visiting so often lately - she almost let herself hope…

But oh, there was a book in his hands. Of course.

She hid her disappointment with the honest smile of a delighted librarian. “Oh, you’re done with this already? Lovely!”

“Yeah,” he put the book on the desk and slid it to her. “I wanted to-”

“Return it, no problem! Would you like to check out the next instalment of the series?”

“Um,” the man put his hands in his pockets, and he wet his bottom lip with the tip of his tongue, “Actually, I wanted to ask-”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to, I don’t know, get a drink sometime?” Was the man’s voice hopeful? She couldn’t tell because she couldn’t see his eyes, ugh, those bloody glasses!

Aziraphale’s own eyes got as wide as saucers, and it was like the cat got her tongue - she couldn’t speak, for some reason, she couldn’t comprehend the situation.

Yes, she'd been daydreaming about Crowley a time or two, but having the man actually proposition her… That was very much unexpected.

She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do.

Her lack of an answer caused Crowley’s face to get all pink with embarrassment, but it seemed he had learnt to keep his cool; instead of succumbing to desertion, he swallowed heavily and tried again.

“Or, uh, you know what, it’s a trivia quiz night tomorrow at the pub - my friend is ill, and we could use one more person for the team…” he pointed his chin at the book in Aziraphale’s hands, “Last week there was a question about Austen and her novels, who knows, maybe there’s going to be some literature tomorrow, so…”

If Aziraphale wasn’t so preoccupied with her wildly beating heart and turning stomach, she’d pay more attention to the signs of Crowley being anxious about the situation, too; she’d notice how he couldn't stand still, almost jittery as he moved his hand to mess up his hair, and how he tried his best to be cool and not show the woman how eager he was for her company.

Simultaneously, Aziraphale’s mind was a kaleidoscope of the books she had read, and the scenes where a handsome man asking out an ordinary woman would end up in either a steamy sex scene or a murder.

At last, Crowley decided to fill in the awkward silence. "By the way, if you're not interested in doing this… uh… socially… then I mean it, we could really use someone for our team." The grimace on his lips was half-wince, half-grin. "Apparently, Jane Austen wasn't the brains behind the Clerkenwell Diamond Robbery, brandy smuggler, and master spy I thought she was."

The words that left Crowley's mouth were so utterly ridiculous that they helped Aziraphale snap out of her shock. "She wrote books. Novels," the librarian said, feeling really bizarre about the fact that she had to tell someone above the age of 7 that Jane Austen was a writer.

"Yeah, obviously! But look, I believed she was a little bit of a dark horse," Crowley explained with a smile, and Aziraphale briefly wondered if the handsome man was trying to make her laugh on purpose, to break the tension, or if he was simply silly.

Whatever it was, it worked, because the librarian huffed a small, amused breath and then looked at Crowley. "Look, I'm not sure…”

“If you need to think about it, it’s fine, of course,” Crowley assured her, and then he took off his glasses - and oh goodness, Aziraphale was caught up in that gorgeous shade of amber again. “I was just thinking, maybe we could, I don’t know, swap numbers?”

Aziraphale took the deepest breath she could while keeping it quiet, “I suppose we could do that,” the woman offered hesitantly, trying to remember if she knew how to block numbers on the phone she was currently using (in case anything went wrong).

The toothy grin Crowley gave her in response was worth the anxious spike in her pulse. “Terrific.” He quickly unlocked his phone and handed it to her, already open on the ‘adding a new contact’ tab.

Aziraphale bit her lip, and she shot the man a quick look from beneath her eyelashes - anyone watching her right then would call the look ‘coy’ (except for Crowley, who’d call it absolutely fucking adorable).

She started tapping on the screen, but she got only as far as three digits in before she realised Crowley was waiting for her to offer her phone in exchange, “Oh, right!”

She presented the man with her phone and then she got back to typing in her own number in his device. For a few seconds she wondered if she should put her full name in, or maybe add library in brackets next to her name, but in the end, she just typed in her name.

When the phones got back to their owners, Crowley didn’t stop the self-satisfied smile on his lips - and it was actually sort of sweet. "Thanks."

Aziraphale dipped her chin shyly, but soon, she managed to get her head back to work. "Well then. Let's take care of this return…"

As she was trying to do her job, she could feel Crowley's eyes on her, and it made her cheeks burn red - but she was willing to admit that as stressful as the feeling was, it was also sort of pleasant. The idea of being watched never appealed to her - she appreciated her privacy - but there was something about this alluring, sharp-dressed man, following her with his gaze and a small dopey smile on his lips…

Yes, she could get used to the feeling, eventually.

Some time later, long after Crowley had left, Aziraphale was thinking about the man's invitation…

And she was overthinking.

Suddenly, it was really easy to find reasons as to why it would be a bad idea to go out with this stranger. Yes, so far he'd proven to be quite sweet, and Aziraphale couldn't deny feeling weak in her knees at his sight sometimes, but… it'd been a long time since Aziraphale went on anything resembling a date.

Then again… Crowley mentioned meeting his friends. And that would mean even more strangers to deal with - complete strangers, unlike Crowley.

It could go wrong in so many ways-

The librarian shook her head to physically get rid of the anxious thoughts. It was just a pub trivia quiz, for goodness’ sake, why was she so stressed about it!?

Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't sure if Crowley would like her outside of the library… but she could assume that this was exactly the reason why he'd invited her - to get to know her.

But if it went badly, Aziraphale would have a hard time dealing with embarrassment, and if she saw Crowley in the library again…

"Hey Aziraphale," Anathema, the library volunteer, brought her a cup of tea, and Aziraphale thanked her with a smile. "You seem worried. What's on your mind?"

It took a moment for Aziraphale to think about her reply, and before she opened her mouth, Anathema asked, a small note of teasing in her voice, "Could it have anything to do with that guy from earlier?"

The librarian's cheeks pinked furiously as she stared at the young woman.

"Sorry for meddling, I just saw that he asked you out and…" she peered at Aziraphale over the frames of her glasses, and then slid her glasses higher up her nose. "I hope you're gonna go meet up with him."

"Pardon?" Aziraphale's eyes went wide. "Excuse me, dear, but why do you care?"

Even if the librarian was slightly worried that she sounded rude, she couldn't help the direct question - because yes, she was amiable with Anathema, but they were hardly bosom buddies.

Anathema looked down sheepishly, and when she met Aziraphale's eyes again, she seemed slightly defensive. "It's none of my business, of course, but…" Her expression softened. "Aziraphale, he's been visiting so often - and each time, he can't take his eyes off you. He'd been following you around the library like a lovesick puppy," Anathema said with a smile. "And from what I've seen of you, you rather enjoy the attention… So it would be a shame if you decided to patron-zone him."

Aziraphale laughed. "Excuse me, what was that last part?"

Anathema grinned, emboldened by the lack of scolding she'd been expecting for sticking her nose in her superior's business. "I have no doubt that you're the main reason he's visiting our library, and that's good for our numbers, of course, but it's clear that there's potential for something more here." The woman arched her brows. "Anytime he comes around and you're here, he spends at least a few moments browsing. He visited a time or two when you were off work, and as soon as he realised he wouldn't see you, he left."

"Is that so?" Aziraphale's heartbeat picked up and her cheeks heated up when she realised how perceptive the young American woman was. Or could it be possible that she was simply that obvious with her interest in Crowley?

"Look, you're gonna do what you want, of course, but I'm just letting you know… I think this is worth a try."

The evening found Aziraphale in the lovely company of a smutty novel and a glass of red.

Was it her reading material or was it her drink that emboldened the woman to consider Crowley's invitation again? Whichever it was, it brought the librarian back to the events of the afternoon. She'd been flabbergasted by the man's offer - and then by Anathema's encouragement - but now, as she was relaxing in the safety and peace of her own home, she approached the matter in a calmer way… Calmer, warmer, and a bit fuzzier around the edges; she was feeling slightly bolder after having some wine, and maybe it wasn't a good look on her to use liquid courage but… With her mind so often racing into a million different thoughts, in a thousand different directions, the sluggishness brought by a relaxing evening enriched with erotica and alcohol made her more favourable towards Crowley's proposition.

The woman reached for her phone, and she tried to think about it a bit more.

But… at this point, was there really anything more she should think about? She was quite sure that she’d tried every overthinking method that existed.

Maybe it was time to just do it.

The woman opened a new chat with Crowley… and then promptly closed it.

Let's not get too bold.

She opened the notes app, and she attempted to draft a message.

Hello, Crowley. I would love to join you and your friends tomorrow :) If you could send me the details that would be lovely.

She went through the message a few times, checking for spelling mistakes (she hadn't drunk enough wine to affect her typing abilities, but better safe than sorry), and then trying to judge if she wasn't coming on too strong… But she was not, was she? After all, she was replying to Crowley's invitation; she wasn't trying to invite herself randomly.

Aziraphale inhaled deeply. She wanted to do this. She really did. So she should.

After proof-reading it two last times, she copied the text and pasted it into the chat with Crowley.

Then… she took a sip of her wine and pressed send.

It was rather ironic that among all the slow, lazy days in the library, the one day where Aziraphale could use some peace, her work found her busy. Then again, maybe staying occupied was good - because that way, she didn't have the time to think (and overthink…) about the meeting she'd agreed to attend.

If she were honest with herself, she could admit that underneath the anxiety there was a flutter of excitement - the idea of seeing Crowley outside of her work was… pleasant.

Nevertheless, the fact was she hadn't been on a meeting with a potential romantic partner in a very long time, and she even felt tempted to ask her colleagues for advice; unfortunately, a big group of preschoolers kept all the librarians busy for most of the day. When the children had finally left, Aziraphale was feeling exhausted.

She didn't usually mind the little ones, as long as they visited in reasonable numbers.

A group of over 15 was not a reasonable number.

Truth be told, Aziraphale found herself close to snapping a time or two, especially when an especially adventurous child was approaching the books with her sticky fingers and a crayon in her hand… But Aziraphale managed to damage control.

With a sigh, she tried to explain to the girl that she should treat books with respect, and that included making sure you won't damage or stain them.

The child didn't look convinced, but at least she went to wash her hands.

Aziraphale sighed. 

Evening couldn't come soon enough.

Before walking into the pub where the trivia quiz was taking place, Aziraphale was aflutter with excitement. Hope and anxiety mixed up inside her, but she took one last deep breath and exhaled before walking inside.

The place was reasonably crowded, for Thursday night, but to Aziraphale's pleasant surprise it wasn't unpleasantly loud - yes, of course, there was some establishment-typical chitter chatter, but nothing loud enough to make her want to leave the place immediately. She spotted Crowley quickly - her eyes found him easily among the crowd, and the woman couldn't stop a fond smile.

Tonight, instead of his usual sunglasses, Crowley had black frames that Aziraphale assumed were corrective glasses. Underneath the black waistcoat he was wearing a dark-grey henley, and he had some sort of a silver scarf tied into a loose knot… He looked very handsome.

As he usually did.

He was deep in conversation with the people at his table - a petite person with a black bowler hat on top of their black hair and a nervous-looking young man with glasses.

They didn’t exactly look intimidating, but Aziraphale couldn’t help but feel apprehensive. Nevertheless, seeing as she had already expressed her willingness to participate…

Nothing left to do but introduce herself.

"I enjoyed myself tonight," Aziraphale said later, as she was making slow steps alongside Crowley.

The man had chivalrously offered to walk her home, and the librarian had accepted the offer.

"Happy to hear it." Crowley smiled. "I think tonight was the first time we got second place, we've never been so close to winning."

"Well, I'm glad I could be of use." Aziraphale shivered at the late-autumn gust of wind. She wanted to make a comment about the weather, but before she did, Crowley shrugged off his leather jacket - and draped it over her shoulders.

Aziraphale's cheeks pinked. "This is very thoughtful of you, but don't be ridiculous. It's not that cold," she tried to give him his jacket back.

"Nuh-huh, I'd rather keep you warm. And anyway…" The man's eyes darted away shyly before he looked at Aziraphale again, slowly taking in the sight. "I like how you look in my jacket."

The words made Aziraphale feel even warmer, and she tipped her chin, biting back a smile. "You really are quite a nice man, Crowley."

"I'm not nice," the man protested half-heartedly, but his protests died down under Aziraphale's gaze. "Look, Aziraphale…" his voice softened. "I really liked having you around tonight." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Do you think… Do you think you'd like to do it again?"

"Do you mean the trivia quiz?"

"Uh. Actually- Ngk, I mean, yeah," the man stammered and Aziraphale couldn't stop a small smile. "Although… I've been wondering if you'd like to meet again - just the two of us?"

The librarian was pleased to discover that Crowley proved to be quite lovely company… and she had decided that she would love to get more familiar with him. She could admit that she was charmed by this smartly dressed man, confident and witty in conversation with his friends, who turned shy and flustered under Aziraphale's attention.

As they were walking next to each other, their hands would brush every now and then - and Aziraphale decided that now would be the best moment to slip her hand into Crowley's.

A sound that consisted mostly of consonants escaped the man's mouth. Another such noise followed after Aziraphale said, "Yes, I think I would like that."

"Oh. Uh. Brilliant," Crowley sounded pleasantly surprised, but it quickly melted into a soft smile.

They walked in companionable silence for a moment, their linked hands swinging between them, and Aziraphale thought back to the novels she read… and she realised that she could really feel like the MC of a fluffy romcom.

When they finally reached her destination - the old building at the corner of the street - Aziraphale bit back a smile before she said the cliche phrase, "Well, this is me."

Crowley regarded the building with interest. "You live in a bookshop?

"I live above the bookshop," the woman explained. "I know it's a bit on the nose, but I do like this place. The owner is a lovely man, very kind. He's an excellent baker, too."

"Oh yeah?" Crowley seemed - maybe not tense, but definitely alerted.

Seeing this reaction, Aziraphale added, "His husband is a very lucky man."

The uneasy energy disappeared immediately. "Bet he is."

It was time to end their evening, but the librarian found herself reluctant to say goodbye just yet. For a brief moment, Aziraphale considered inviting Crowley upstairs… But no, that would be way too soon.

Instead, she let go of the man's hand as she took off his jacket. "Thank you for this, Crowley. And… thank you for tonight."

For a moment, they were just standing there, looking at each other with interest, and the air was thick with anticipation-

In an unusual show of boldness, Aziraphale stood on her tiptoes so she could press her lips to Crowley's cheek in a quick kiss. Her face was very warm and surely, she was awfully pink - but she found it vindicating that Crowley's face went beetroot-red, too, and his jaw dropped slightly.

He remembered himself soon and closed his mouth. Aziraphale's lips bent in a smile, and the man gave her a searching look. His eyes flickered from her eyes to her mouth and her eyes again, and then he licked his lips before leaning in.

He was slow but purposeful enough that Aziraphale guessed what was on his mind - and she knew she had the time to change her mind and pull away should she want to do that.

As it happened, she did the opposite - and closed the distance between them.

Their lips pressed against each other softly and blood was pounding in Aziraphale's ears. She could feel herself bracing against Crowley, and the man cupped her cheek gently before parting his lips just enough to nip on her lower lip.

The warmth of his breath made the blood buzz in Azirpahale's veins, and the rush of excitement almost made her dizzy. She opened her lips, allowing Crowley to deepen the kiss, and the quick sweep on his tongue made heat pool in the woman's abdomen.

She was eager to continue, but he was the one to pull away.

Aziraphale opened her eyes - she hadn’t registered the moment when she closed them, but now she was pleased to see a small, shy smile on Crowley's lips.

He bit his lower lip and brushed his thumb against Aziraphale's chin one last time before he removed his hand. "Goodnight, Aziraphale."

Even though she was reluctant to end their rendez-vous-that-wasn't-technically-a-date-but-it-very-much-felt-like-one-right-now, the librarian let out a quiet sigh. She ignored the fact that her smile must've been rather dopey and she squeezed Crowley's hand one more time before letting go. "Goodnight."

The man took a few steps away, but he made sure that Aziraphale opened the door and got inside safely. Before she closed the door, she offered Crowley a small wave.

He waved back, a small grin on his lips, and Aziraphale's heart stuttered at the sight.

When she finally locked the door, she leant against it with a slow sigh. She had a good feeling about this - it could be the beginning of something very sweet.

Maybe she would even take a break from reading romance novels, seeing as she now had romantic endeavours of her own.