Work Text:
Not much happened at the library Andrew Minyard worked at. He had to pay the bills somehow considering his mother Bee could only afford so much sending two boys to college. Half the time his job at the counter was stamping books and telling people their due dates which he didn’t mind at all -- he liked to try and figure out who people were based on the types of books they checked out. One time his brother, Aaron’s girlfriend came in and checked out a particularly interesting book on ancient Norse mythology, an interest he would not have pegged on the girl. He often read while he waited around, what else was one supposed to do when stuck in a library for three to four hours at a time? One time, the slow and steady pace changed when a fight broke out in the library.
“Hey, asshole!” some football player called out, breaking the strict code of silence for most libraries, and considering Andrew had a bit of a headache, this was about the worst thing that could have happened to him today. Not to mention his shift ended in about five minutes. Just his luck.
The asshole in question was a short but fit redhead who looked glaringly innocent at the notion of being called out. His nose had been in a book he checked out and when he raised his head, Andrew had a mini heart attack because he was… hot. Hot and about to be punched in the face according to the bright red face of this football player.
“Me?” the redhead asked condescendingly, pointing to himself as he slowly shut the book and placed it on top of the shelf next to him. Andrew would have laughed if he hated showing emotion when it came to the situations of strangers. The aforementioned football player stomped over and grabbed the redhead by the collar and Andrew’s mind went to the knives in his armbands. He was on the job, yes, but he could be discreet under the notion of breaking up the fight instead of escalating. Placing a tossed-aside receipt into the book he had been reading, he closed it as he stood with his hands bracing the counter he sat behind -- ready to intervene if need be. It was rare Andrew would pity a stranger, but the football player had about a foot on the other one and he didn’t feel like cleaning the redhead’s blood out of the carpet today. Not to mention part of him wouldn’t mind being a knight in shining armor if there was a slight chance the redhead happened to maybe swing that way. Andrew probably shouldn’t think about this poor stranger like that, but with eyes like that how could he not. However, a black eye was probably in this kid’s future and Andrew was sort of obligated to step in as a bystander. That being said, he was interested in what could cause such a fit from someone so big, strong, and above it, all like the football player. Okay, the football player was kind of hot too, sue him for thinking as such but Andrew is only human.
“Yeah, you! You slept with my girlfriend!” the football player yelled and Andrew cursed to himself. Damn it, he was straight. And possibly a douchebag, but Andrew wasn’t exactly an angel either.
The boy, however, looked utterly bewildered at this statement, scrambling to defend himself while simultaneously trying to shove the other off of him before a fist went flying. “Dude, I don’t even like girls that much you’ve got the wrong guy! Do you have some shit you need to work through, no, I’m asking, because this seems like an adverse reaction, I’m gonna be real with you.”
“Shut the fuck up, I know it was you, lie all you want, but I’m done talking,” the taller of the two argued as he pulled back his fist. Andrew didn’t want to exert himself, but he would hate to see such a pretty face get ruined. Maybe he could be nice. Just this once. And totally with no ulterior motives whatsoever.
Andrew sighed as he stepped out from behind the counter, speaking bluntly as he interrupts the conversation before a punch can happen, “Hey, not in my fucking library.”
“Shut up, midget,” the football player shouts, letting go of the pretty stranger as his attention is now on Andrew. The taller steps forward, but Andrew doesn’t back down as his expression remains utterly neutral, bored even. The football player doesn’t question Andrew’s confidence until he steps just a little too close and feels the cool metal against his ribcage. Andrew smiles serenely as the man freezes.
“I said not in my fucking library,” Andrew repeated, his voice cool and controlled as he tried his best to keep his attention on the person in front of him and not the pretty redhead smiling as he watched the tables turn. “You might wanna ask your girlfriend a few more questions before you go pummeling some poor twink.”
“Hey!” called the redhead, but Andrew didn’t comment further.
The football player’s eyes had widened at the feeling of the knife as he took a step back, adjusting the collar of his jacket and acting as if nothing had happened. Andrew could be good at de-escalation when he wanted to, he just didn’t often want to. It really was more fun to just watch two people go at it, but he had his own motives for this one regardless of how much he didn’t want to admit to himself.
After he straightened himself out and Andrew sheathed his knife, Andrew pointed to the door wordlessly. When the football player didn’t move at first, Andrew raised an eyebrow, “Wanna see what happens next if you’re not out of here because I’m getting bored of all this standing around.”
“Whatever, I know it was you, dude,” says the man as he glares at the two of them one last time before exiting the library.
Before the redhead can say anything, Andrew raises his hand to stop him, “Don’t say anything, it wasn’t like it was out of the kindness of my heart.”
Andrew goes to step back behind the counter and the redhead follows him, having picked up the book he was looking at before. His outward expression is annoyed, but secretly he hopes the boy speaks to him. Maybe he could let himself have this just once. If he can let Aaron have Katelyn, he can have this. It wasn’t the same, maybe, but he could pretend it was.
“I just, uh, wanted to check this out, sorry,” the redhead muttered, shy all of a sudden which Andrew of course had to find cute because he was useless and gay before he was anything else. “Thanks for that, back there, I really didn’t sleep with his girlfriend.”
“You don’t look like the type,” Andrew says boredly and its the closest thing to a compliment he’s going to let past his lips when in reality he could give the boy many. It didn’t help that the boy was so utterly soft-looking with a white-collared shirt peeking out of a faded orange crewneck that was half-tucked into a pair of denim straight-leg jeans. So he had at least kind of a fashion sense, except Andrew, hated the orange. He did like the dark ginger curly mop the boy wore on his head, though, he liked that shade of orange. He had rosy cheeks, probably from the rush of almost getting into a fight, and striking blue eyes Andrew had to force himself not to look at. However, he did seem to notice the boy’s eyes lingering on him, too. “Staring.”
“Ah, sorry, uh, just lost in thought, I guess,” said the boy, “I’m Neil, by the way. Figured if you’re saving my ass, you might as well know my name.”
“Andrew,” the blond gruffed out, doing his best to seem uninterested when in reality he was anything but. Looking at the book the boy was checking out, he saw that it was Dune. “Good taste.”
The boy scoffed, “I’m just doing my research before I watch the movie. But I’m really only watching for Timothee Chalamet.”
Andrew lets out a small huff of a laugh at this as he works to check out the book, “Me too.” He hopes the boy gets the hint, which makes him wonder if the boy’s statement had been a hint in the first place. “Uh, it’s a good book, though, I’ve read it a bunch.”
“That one’s my favorite,” the boy, Neil, motions to the book Andrew had tossed aside in favor of stopping the would-be fight. It was Catcher in the Rye, Andrew’s own copy that was beyond withered. Mentally ill characters gave him comfort is the sad truth if he’s being honest.
“Mine too,” is all Andrew offers as he places the slip with the due date inside the pocket of the book, handing it over to Neil. “You have three weeks.”
“Thanks,” the boy says with a smile that could rival the sun in its brightness and the stars in its beauty. God, something about this boy was driving Andrew crazy. The worst part was knowing it was hardly likely he would see this boy again since he had never seen him once in the year he worked here. Granted, there was a chance the boy was a freshman, he looked young enough. Still, chances were slim as Andrew had shit luck. “Have a good one, Andrew, thanks for saving my ass.”
“Yeah, you too,” Andrew mutters as Neil gives him a mock-salute with a smile on his way out. Andrew laughs slightly to himself when he thinks of all that has gone down in the last five minutes. Five minutes , he’s in the clear.
“Hey, Andrew!” says the incoming clerk, Renee, who also happens to be his best friend, “You’re all good to go. We sparring later?”
He nods, “Yeah, yeah, see you tonight.”
Packing up his stuff, he bids the girl goodbye as she smiles at him. Sighing, he pushes out the main doors expecting to run straight to his dorm and absolutely not think of how pretty Neil is. However, it seems he can’t escape the boy because as soon as Andrew exits the library, he sees Neil leaning against the railing with the book he just checked out open in his hands. His ears perk up when he hears the door open and he smiles when he sees Andrew.
“I was hoping it was you because it’s getting kinda warm out here,” Neil said with a small laugh.
Andrew furrows his brow, asking, “You were waiting for me.”
The boy shrugged, packing up his book as he scratched the back of his neck, “Uh, yeah, I’m not really good with signals, but I was just kinda hoping for the best. I wanted to give you this.”
The boy pulls a small, torn piece of paper out of his pocket and hands it over to a still-confused Andrew with a small, nervous smile. Looking at it, Andrew realizes it’s a phone number. Neil gave him his phone number. This couldn’t be happening -- Andrew was never this lucky.
He didn’t have to say anything before Neil hiked his backpack upon his shoulder, bidding him goodbye with, “Okay, see ya for real this time. I, uh, I hope I get to hear from you.”
Just like that, Neil was gone again, except this time he had something tangible to connect him with the boy. Looking at the note, he saw in a messy scrawl the words, Let me know if you wanna watch Dune together… or go out to dinner. Both work :) Andrew chuckles to himself at the smiley face because of course, he would include a smiley face.
This , Andrew thinks to himself, This is something I can let myself have.