Chapter Text
Today felt different.
Asa Fell could feel it in his bones the moment he opened his eyes that morning. He felt slightly dizzy, nervous, excited, but for what, he couldn't pin point.
He did the same thing he did every day, in his lonely 50 some odd years existence. He boiled water for tea, and was about to make his usual eggs for breakfast, but something ... Something just didn't feel right. And yet it felt so familiar.
He snapped and made crepes instead.
He never knew how, so he had to learn it, and battled for a minute with Google and a woman named Siri.
It felt good, breaking the habit. But he didn't know why the sudden change ... Perhaps he was simply getting bored with his daily routine?
He shrugged it off and punched into work, bidding good morning to his boss, the bookshop owner.
Asa Fell would own his own bookshop, one day ... He didn't know what he was waiting for ... For his boss to croak? Surely if he waited til then, he'd pass on himself.
Or perhaps his boss was retiring? If he was, he was surely being subtle about it. But then again, he was never really one for surprises. Always got straight to the point. No frills, no nothing. Usually over a cup of coffee with oat milk.
The bell jingled, indicating a customer, and in pure Pavlovian fashion, Asa dropped everything to greet them.
And his heart skipped, no, leapt in his chest. He felt as if he was going to burst, but like all interactions with customers, he'd perfected his poker face and kept it all internalized. He'd let it out later with his therapist. Or a glass of red wine.
The customer was a handsome, tall, slender man with red feathery hair and glasses, and eyes, were they yellow? Or just a light brown? His smile ... That slack grin ... It just felt like home and Asa couldn't help but blush under his gaze.
And in a moment, his entire existence felt like it was being shaken, as if he'd been grabbed by the lapels and ...
No. No more romance novels before bed.
He really ought to stop fantasizing about the possibility of meeting the love of his life at WORK, of all places. It was getting old. He was getting old.
He mentally pinched himself and managed to regain enough composure to speak. Somewhat.
"I-I ... Hello, a-and welcome. My name is Asa, how may I assist you today?" Asa wanted to crawl into a hole.
"Asa ..." The man said, and to hear his name on the devilishly handsome ... Devilishly? Well, to hear it on the stranger's lips, it nearly melted Asa down into a puddle of burning goo ... What was that now?
"I'm looking for a book on astrophysics, any book in that area, really ..."
"Oh, um ..." Asa flushed, getting so hopelessly lost in those eyes ... They were yellow! Like two tiny suns ... Focus, Asa!
He glanced hopelessly over at his boss, who pointed him in the right direction, and he feverishly led the customer over to the small section that they had.
"First day, huh?" The customer asked.
"No!" Asa squeaked, turning a bright red, and he sighed, "No, I'm just ... I'm afraid I've been rather forgetful lately."
"I know that feeling," the customer agreed. Ugh, his voice was so low and gravelly, but in an unintentionally seductive sort of way, "Which is why I figured I'd brush up on subjects pertaining to my passion."
"Pardon?" Asa asked, his eyes unintentionally glancing at his lips.
"The stars," the customer clarified, and motioned to the shelf in front of him, "This is all you've got, I take it?"
Asa snapped to reality, "Oh! Yes! Yes, this is all we have, I'm afraid." He reached for the one book on the subject that he'd perused on more than one occasion, this exact copy, to be precise, "This one's rather in depth, it's been here for a while though ... I could offer you a discount ..."
"Well that's a little insulting," the man laughed, shoving his hands into his pockets awkwardly.
"Why's that?" Asa asked, "I'm not implying you can't afford it, I was just being kind ..."
"It's not that, it's just ... I wrote it."
Asa could've discorporated on the spot ... Discorporated? What? He could've died on the spot.
"Oh my goodness, I didn't mean-"
"It's quite alright," the man assured, clearly amused but Asa needed to repair his shame.
"It's just that it's secondhand. In a way. I've read through it personally during the slow shifts. It's ... Well, it's a little unorthodox for a book about science."
"What makes you say that?" The customer asked, intrigued.
"Oh I don't know." Asa said, suddenly emboldened, "Perhaps it was not your intention, but it seemed rather ... Romantic."
Now it was the customer's turn to get his feathers ruffled ... Feathers? Really?
"It's just a book. I mean, it's not just a book, I just ... Poured my life's work into it. It's my passion, the stars, as I've said."
"Well, you did a great job conveying that, if I do say so myself ... And I do."
Fuck.
I do? What was this? Wedding bells?
He could've sworn the man blushed, though it was hard to tell, his skin was so sun kissed ...
"Have you got anything else to recommend?"
"Well, I do have this older one, it's been here longer than I have, before I was born, actually ..."
The amount of shock and glee in the man's face as he looked it over, something about being a book he'd searched for his whole life, who knows, Asa wasn't paying attention, he was just happy to bask in the glow of that ... Passion.
And then it all happened so fast. He'd paid for the book, didn't want it wrapped or anything, and he was on his way with a smile.
"That's Anthony J Crowley."
It was as if someone shot him through the heart. Or in the face.
Crowley ...
The name shook him to the core, tugged at every fiber of his being, echoed throughout his veins, an astronomical pull seemed to tug at the ends of his nerves ...
"How do you know that?" Asa nearly spat at his BOSS, upset that he never caught the man's name nor did he even think to ask!
"It's typed in big letters on the book in your hand."
The book. He didn't realize he'd still been holding it. The one the man wrote. Of course! How could he be so stupid ...
"I think you should go after him," his boss suggested.
Asa's eyebrows furrowed, "Why do you say that?"
"It's not every day someone like that comes along ... You two seemed to get on."
Asa felt like he'd been set on fire, and he almost panicked, chuckling nervously, "I made such a fool of myself ... I couldn't possibly ... Well, you know me, I need to stay away from the Austens."
"He likes you. And you like him. What if you never see him again?"
That tugged at his heartstrings. He was right. Aside from a couple of local regulars ... And he clearly didn't appear local ... Asa needed to take a chance, even if he made an ass of himself.
Clutching the book, he made for the door, but soon stopped short.
"Should I clock out first, or...?"
"Go!!" His boss barked, and Asa jumped, hightailing it down the street.
A wave of panic swept over him when the man was nowhere to be found.
And then he spotted him.
At the end of the street, about to get into his car. It was a nice car, a Bentley he supposed?
Asa ran as fast as he could, "Stop!! Wait! You!"
He breathed in gasps, making even more of a fool of himself as he ran.
He really ought to exercise.
The man turned, and when he realized who it was, a smile ...
Fuck.
The man met him halfway, and he practically shoved his book at him.
The man put his hands up in surrender, "Oh, please, I've got a garage full ..."
"Autograph," Asa gasped, and the man produced a pen from his pocket, habitually, oh he must get this all the time ...
"Right, okay then ..."
"And you never ... Told me your name?" Asa managed finally when he'd caught most of his breath.
"Well it's written in bold on the book ..."
"Yes, yes, but you never told me ..."
"It's Anthony," the man said finally, cracking a smile. That beautiful smile. Those gorgeous eyes, "But most people just call me Crowley."
"Crowley ..." Asa breathed, testing the name on his lips out loud for the first time. It felt so familiar, like an old song, comforting like an old bench at a park ...
Crowley signed the book and handed it over with a grin, "There you go..."
"Oh, may I also have your number?" Asa asked, oh so smoothly. The change in expression nearly sent him into a coma. Crowley looked confused, unsure, and Asa stupidly babbled on, "S-So that I could call you and ask you out to dinner? Oh, but you probably will say no and it is a rather forward request, forget I said anything..."
"Well, I'm not going to give you my number," Crowley said quietly, and Asa's heart sank terribly. The threat of tears pricked at his eyes and he felt like he was falling, not in a good way.
"Instead, I'll just ask ... Where can I meet you?" Crowley offered feebly, "Are you free tonight?"
Asa's heart felt as if it was soaring high above the clouds, and he laughed through his tears, hugging the book tight.