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I pushed my cart of books down an empty aisle in the library that was housed on the Overwatch Main Headquarters. Shelves lined with books on every subject imaginable. From culture to information on places around the world.
We didn’t just have books, but artifacts and evidence too. But those things were kept far away from the public, locked behind a door that required a library worker’s badge and the badge of an agent to get into. There wasn’t anyone needing to get back there right now. It was near midnight. There was no one else in the stacks or at the tables. The lights were low, emanating from lamps on the tables, and from fixtures that hung up out of reach.
The cart squeaked with the stress of all the books that filled it. It was heavy and clunky as I slid it across the floor. My fingers trailed over the books on the shelf, finding the right ones and slid them apart, just enough to slip in a book on mythology from my cart. Along I went, shelving books. My mind kept drifting. I had done all of this so many times before that I didn’t need to fully focus on what I was doing. Vaguely keep part of my mind on the spine labels, and the rest could daydream away.
My co-worker, Nova, was watching the front desk. Though, as the time crept towards midnight, there wasn’t anyone there to watch. The public tended to stay away after 9:30 and agents generally stopped by if they were working on a case or mission. The person watching the desk did get a chance to work on any projects that they needed to or just read if there wasn’t anything else to do. We needed to read stuff to be able to make recommendations.
I didn’t like when the library was this quiet. It got boring, fast. There are only so many topics you can cover with a co-worker before you start repeating stories. But, everyone had to take at least two night shifts a week. We had saved up a bunch of carts to shelve, but those dwindled fast. I tried to stretch it out as long as I could, but I could typically get a cart shelved in 30 minutes, 40-45 if I really stretched it.
I returned the empty cart to it’s rightful spot and approached the desk. Nova was nowhere to be seen. “Nova?” I called out. There was no sign of her. No footsteps. But, with the thick carpet that lined most of the room, it wasn’t abnormal to not be able to hear footsteps.
A quickly scribbled note lay across the keyboard.
Had to go grab some chow before the mess hall closed! Be back soon!
“Nova,” I groaned and rolled my eyes. “Why couldn’t you have just shouted or something?” I plopped down in my chair and stared at the computer screen. Nova had also neglected to do the nightly reports and data entry. Just like Nova to skip out on her shift and leave me with everything. That’s why we got paired together a lot. I was an overachiever and she was a slacker. Why they didn’t just fire her, I didn’t know.
I sorted through the files on the old IPS screen. For a high-tech facility and operation, they kept us very low tech. We weren’t important enough to get much of a budget. I was used to it though and I kept my fingers firmly on the keyboard instead of trying to touch the screen. There were smudges from where some of the new people had done that. I took a special cloth and wiped away the fingerprints.
I angrily punched every letter and number as I filled in the information. The symbols flying across the screen as my fingers moved quickly. Muttering to myself the whole time. “For goodness sake people! Do your damn jobs….”
“Problem?” A smooth voice announced the arrival of someone new. A small shriek of alarm escaped from me before I had a chance to clamp my mouth shut. Agent Jesse McCree stood on the other side of my desk. I composed my face and put on my best customer service smile. “No sir, Mr. McCree. What can I do for you?”
“You can start by just callin’ me Jesse.” His lips tilted up into a suave smirk. My knees wanted to buckle under the look he gave me. Jesse passed over a list. “I need these books, do ya’ know where can I find them?” I took the list and started searching through the system, making sure they were actually in the library. Writing down the call numbers as fast as I could, I tried to keep my attention on my screen, but Jesse kept his focus on me. He tilted his hat at me when he saw me peaking.
The heat from his gaze pooled in my cheeks. I’m a library assistant. Normally invisible unless someone needed something. Not usually the type to get smoldering looks from cute agents. “Looks like they are all here, Do you need my help collecting them?” I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. It was Jesse’s turn to be embarrassed. His face glowed pink and he looked away.
“Well, um” A nervous laugh bubbled up from McCree. “I’ve never been in a library before. I-I mean, I’ve been back to the archives, but not in the regular part out here! Not that there is anything wrong with the library-” My eyes widened slightly and I relaxed a bit. “Okay! No problem.” I flashed him a smile as I grabbed an empty cart. “Welcome to the library! Let me point out the highlights as we grab these, so next time you’ll know what to do.”
“So over here is fiction. These are stories arranged by genre and then by author. We’ve got westerns and mysteries which I think you might like. And of course pretty much any topic or style under the sun.” I gestured to the side of the library with the casual couches and comfy chairs, made to sit and relax while reading lighter material. “And over here,” I pushed the cart into the other large section, Past large tables and study carrels- the perfect furniture for researching and studying. “This is the section where your books are going to be located. We keep these arranged by topic. Each topic is assigned a number, though I have a feeling you will probably stay mostly in the 900’s.”
We strolled through the aisles, his spurs clinking and my cart squeaking. “So, I guess this is for a mission, hm?” I tried making small talk as we searched the shelves. I cringed a little. “Uh-I mean. I probably shouldn’t ask about that! Sorry.” Inside, I was beating myself up. Working so close to the archives, we had to a certain level of clearance, but it was generally considered bad manners to ask agents about current missions unless they spoke about it first. Jesse just smirked at me. “You don’t want to know about that, Darlin’. When we could talk about a bunch of other, more interestin’ things.”
My fingers froze on the book I was currently scanning. I couldn’t help it, it sounded so much like a pick up line that I rolled my eyes. “Like?” McCree grabbed my hand and spun me to face him. “Like what are you doin’ Friday night?” The look in his chocolate-y eyes looked wistful and hopeful. I jerked my hand back like it had been burned by his touch. “Why?” “Can’t I ask out a nice lookin’ filly like you?” Jesse put his hand on his hip. I quickly turned away and continued down the aisle. “Guys like you don’t ask out girls like me.” “Like what?” His voice hardened. “Like a dumb farmer that can’t read worth a damn?”
The book I was holding nearly slipped from my grasp. I spun around, nearly smacking into his chest. McCree’s hands rested on my shoulders, steadying me. “You can’t read? How did they expect you to do this research?” Annoyance and anger started bubbling up inside me for this man in front of me. Jesse averted his gaze and blushed deeper. “I can read. Some. Just not the….greatest.” He tussled his hair. The tension built between us with every passing second. “Forget it, I shouldn’t ‘a told you.” his accent thickened with the added emotion.
McCree was nearly back to the main aisle when I called out. “Agent McCree, Wait.” I dashed to catch up with him. I rested my hand on his arm, feeling the heat rolling off of him under his leather jacket. Grabbing his hand, I tugged him back to get him to look at me. My heart nearly broke at the look on his face. Pain. Shame. I knew what I had to do.
“I’ll make you a deal. Whenever you aren’t on a mission, meet me here. You pick the time and I’ll work around it. Every day. I’ll work on getting your information ready, as long as you can get from your commander what info you’re supposed to be looking on.” My confidence grew. I was more in my element doing this than dealing with small talk. “We’ll work on your reading skills together. It’s not a date, but you will get to see me. What do you think about that?”
Jesse was still unsure, but his lips turned upwards anyways. “Sure Darlin’. That’s be great.”
For months, we spent our nights together in a little corner of the library. Even on shift nights, he’d come up to the desk to keep me company. Little by little, we made progress. McCree grew more and more confident in his ability to read and even started to do some of his mission research himself, but we still met every night.
“You know, I was thinkin’ pumpkin,” Jesse drew my attention away from the atlas I had been looking over. “As much as I know you love the library, do you maybe wanna get out of here and go somewhere else?” Instead of freaking out, this time I smiled. I knew Jesse was being sincere.
My heart had warmed to Jesse as we worked together. I had learned so much about him and vice versa. We were comfortable around each other now. Little touches here and there, but never progressing more than that. “What did you have in mind?” McCree threw the books into his bag and held out a hand to me. “I guess you’re going to have to come along and find out.” He winked at me, causing me to giggle.
We strolled hand in hand, around the base. When we reached the main gate, I froze. “Are you sure this is okay?” It was Jesse’s night to be on call and leaving base during that time was forbidden. “Oh yeah,” McCree pulled his bike out of the containment shed and passed me a helmet. “Commander said I could have tonight off.”
The roar of bike filled the dark, summer night. I clung to Jesse like my life depended on it. He chuckled. “Hold on tight.” Revving the engine, we took off down the road that lead back towards town. The wind whipped by me, catching on my hair and clothes. It was exhilarating and nerve racking all at once. I pressed my face into Jesse’s back, sniffing. He smelled of tobacco and vanilla. Safe and home-y.
“This is the spot,” McCree yelled back at me as we pulled off the road. He let me slide off before dismounting. “Where are we?” I asked. I wasn’t sure where I thought he would take me, but I don’t think I imagined this. Jesse took my hand and grabbed a bag that had been secured to the side of his bike. Instead of answering me, he just smirked and led me down a little dirt path.
The path opened up into a beautiful, moonlit meadow. Wildflowers sprouted from everywhere. It was quiet and peaceful, much like our normal little corner of the library. Just more airy. McCree pulled out a plaid blanket that looked like it had seen better days. He spread it out and grabbed drinks and food from his bag. A stupid grin appeared on my face. “A picnic? You packed a picnic for us?” Jesse patted the space beside him. “Sure did Pumpkin, let’s not waste it now.”
Fully sated with food, we stretched out side by side on the soft blanket. “This is what I wanted to show you. You don’t get to see stars like this in that fancy library of yours.” He started pointing out constellations. I couldn’t actually see them, but I was enjoying watching him get so excited to show me something I didn’t know about. “The best place to see stars is on the rooftop of this diner out on Route 66. I’ll have to take you some time. They have the best cherry pie in the world.” His voice wistful for some other part of his life. Jesse wrapped his hand around mine. “That is, if you’ll do me the honor of goin’ on another date.” I reached up and stroked his beard. It was soft, scraggly, a little rough around the edges; just like Jesse himself. I nodded, not trusting the words to make it out. I would go anywhere with him. Before I could do it myself, he leaned over and gently kissed my lips. His beard tickling me, making me giggle.