Chapter Text
Abolish was very aware that he needed to get out more. The only issue was that he didn't really want to. He was perfectly fine on his own with no one else to bother him, nothing huge to worry about, able to put all his focus on college and trying to finish his degree. But as much as he preferred to be alone, he was a bit… well, lonely, ironically.
Stepping into the library, his gaze swept the area. This wasn't the first time he'd been to the library, of course - he frequented the place when he wanted a quiet place to study and do research. However, this time, he'd challenged himself to at least try talking to someone, even if it was just a quick greeting.
He wasn't sure why he was doing this, if he was being honest. No one was forcing him to considering he didn't have friends in the first place; there were maybe two people he knew the names of in all his classes. Maybe he was just bored. Yeah, that was probably it.
As he walked in, his eyes met one of the employee's for a split second. They were standing behind a desk, and they'd looked up as he walked in, now staring at him - he wasn't sure if it was because he looked weird or had dressed weird or something else. Regardless, he forced a small smile and lifted a hand, mumbling, "Good morning."
"Oh, good morning!" the person said quickly, blinking a few times and smiling brightly at him. Maybe they'd just been lost in thought. He tried to reassure himself that it was fine, probably, swallowing and keeping his own smile on his face.
He quickly turned away, though, letting out a soft sigh as he shoved his hands in his pockets and reminded himself that he was here for a reason outside of socializing. Not before he took a glance down at his outfit, however.
Was he dressed weird? It was just a white shirt, black jacket, loose black jeans, and the same combat boots he always wore, but he admittedly had no clue how he was meant to dress. He'd realized he was a guy a long time ago, but he'd only had the chance to start transitioning a few years ago, and it was… difficult, to say the least, trying to figure everything out. He didn't have to worry about covering himself up completely now, but that somehow only made it more difficult to decide what to wear.
Stepping up to one of the shelves, he tried to push all of those thoughts out of his mind. He was probably just overthinking. He'd never seen this person before, so who could say what they were thinking. It was probably just nothing, though.
Eventually, he was sitting on the same couch he always sat in, leaned back into the cushions as he read the book he'd picked out. A notebook was beside him, and he jotted down bits and pieces eventually, noting down the page numbers so he'd be able to quote things later. It was a familiar rhythm, after writing plenty of research papers and essays in his life - something he enjoyed, oddly enough.
In the middle of reading, he glanced up to see the same employee from earlier talking to a different employee, one he recognized. He'd only briefly spoken to the guy before, and admittedly didn't remember his name. Both were smiling though, talking to each other softly but casually, and after a moment he shook his head slightly and returned to his book.
They definitely weren't talking about him. There was no reason for them to be doing that - he was just being paranoid. Probably one of the many reasons he never talked to people, but whatever.
As he worked, various people came and went, until his phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced up from his book and fumbled to pull it out, practically getting smacked in the face by his alarm reminding him to eat lunch. Right. He supposed setting an alarm was working, because he had entirely forgotten time was passing while he was reading.
Slipping a bookmark into the book, he shut it, stacking it on top of the other three he'd picked out but hadn't gotten to yet. He was a quick reader and had thought he'd manage to finish at least one over the course of the three and a half hours he'd been there, but the book he'd chosen to read first was unfortunately a pretty thick one. At least he'd have plenty of time once he got home, since he didn't have any class today.
Heading up to the front, he was grateful there wasn't a line, although the same employee from earlier was still there. He gave them a smile as he set his books down, greeting them, "Hey."
"Hello!" His gaze flicked down to their nametag for a moment while they checked his books out. Shelby. Something about that name felt strange, like he'd heard it before, although he was pretty sure he hadn't. "Sorry if I… freaked you out earlier. You just look really familiar."
He felt some of his lingering anxiety disappear, although his heart jumped at the fact that they'd noticed his anxiety earlier. He'd thought he'd been doing a better job at hiding all of that. But he smiled regardless, laughing a bit as he said, "No, uh- You're fine, sorry. I just don't… talk to people much. I was a little worried I'd done something weird."
"Oh, no, not at all!" They shook their head, thick red curls bouncing as they gave a quiet laugh along with them. Their voice was tinged with embarrassment when they spoke. "I don't really talk to people that often either. I just started working here, actually, since my friends said I needed to get a job where I actually talk to people."
Abolish's head tilted to the side slightly as he slipped his books into his bag. Good to know that they were in a similar situation. "Well, uh, it's nice to meet you. I'm Abolish."
"Abolish." Shelby's amber eyes sparkled, and he swore he could see flecks of red in them, but he brushed it off. "That's a really interesting name. I like it."
A quiet laugh left him, and for a moment he almost said something about how he'd picked it out himself, before stopping. It probably wasn't a good idea to out himself in public. Instead, he replied, "Thank you."
As he adjusted his grip on his bag and turned away, Shelby waved, calling after him while he walked away, "Have a good day!"
"You too," he hummed, tossing them a quick smile before leaving the building, the bell above the door dinging as he slipped out. He took a deep breath, then slowly let it out, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. Maybe talking to people wasn't too terrible.