fierrochase oneshots

[libraries]

A/N ahhhh so this is my third attempt at a oneshot today and if this doesn't work im giving up and studying for the quiz I have tomorrow. mortal au, by the way. both around 20. enjoy!

Alex (F) PoV

Alex hated her job.

It wasn't that she didn't like libraries, it was the fact that she didn't like working in them.

She didn't have any time to read, and her day was a dull repetition of telling people to be quiet and shelving books. Maybe some people's dreams, but not hers.

As a child, Alex's imagination had been filled with ideas of traveling the world as an adult, or possibly owning her own pottery shop. But then she had been kicked out of her own house for being genderfluid and all those dreams came crashing down around her. She had bounced around from foster home to foster home until she was sixteen, when she had gotten her first job at a gas station. From there, Alex worked first at a Starbucks, then a Target, and finally, the public library she had been working at for the past year.

It was a fairly small library, so most of the people there were either regulars, or a few tourist stragglers wanting to "experience authentic Boston culture", whatever that meant. Alex never bothered to get to know any of the people, and chose to ignore the stares she, or he some days, would get for her eccentric green hair and sweater vests.

One seemingly normal Thursday, when the library was completely empty, Alex decided to start reading her first book in months. Even though the library was never packed, it was also rarely empty, so Alex decided to use the free time. Right as she was settling down at a table with Made You Up by Francesca Zappia, a book that had been stuck in her mind for about four months, she heard a loud creak as the large double doors to the library were opened.

The person who raced in was...interesting. His blonde hair was disheveled, presumably from running, and a messenger bag was draped precariously over his right shoulder. His piercing stormy grey eyes were darting all around, as if he could see any of the titles from his vantage point. He seemed to be in a rush, but then came and calmly sat down at a table near Alex's, acting as if he had all the time in the world.

Alex stayed in her seat for about five minutes, trying to focus on her book, but her thoughts kept darting back to the person who had just disturbed her peaceful solitude. She knew he was a regular at the library, but figured he had some coffee date with a nice girl, or boy, she wasn't there to judge, in the busier parts of the city.

Finally, her curiosity got the best of her, and Alex stood up to go question him. Standing in front of the man, who was so absorbed in his reading that he didn't even notice Alex's presence until she dropped her own book on the table, causing a loud thump to sound through the formerly quiet library.

He glanced up, obviously surprised, and his only response to Alex standing there was, "Are librarians allowed to read on the job? Because if so I want to become one."

She laughed a dry, humorless laugh before replying, "Oh, you do not want to become a librarian. It's awful, at least for me."

"You do seem like you'd have a freer spirit than working in a quiet library. I think this would be a great job."

"It's just telling people to be quiet and shelving books all day."

"Sounds perfect to me. All that time by myself to just think of new poems."

"Ah, so you're a poet then."

"Magnus Chase, poet extraordinaire, at your service," Magnus replied, with a small mock bow.

"What do you do that you would prefer book shelving to, Mr. Poet?"

"I teach a fourth grade English class. And don't call me Mr. Poet."

"Fine, Mr. Poet, but if you teach a fourth grade class, then how are you always hanging around this library? From what I understand, school is an all-day, five days a week kind of deal."

"Correction, I used to teach a fourth grade English class. I criticized their poems so much that I was complained about and was...asked to resign."

Alex almost burst out laughing at this, but also knew how hard it was to lose a job so suddenly, especially if it was one you even half liked, so she tried to keep her composure, "Well, maybe I can hire a co-librarian, and make you do all the boring stuff while I relax and read all day." she managed with small smirk.

"Hey, that doesn't seem fair- wait, are you offering me a job?"

"I mean, unless you don't want it.." Alex said, picking at one of her fingernails in mock boredom.

"No, of course I do! Thank you! Do I need to do like an interview or something?"

Alex thought about it for a few seconds before deciding, "Only one question, why did you run in here in such a hurry?"

"Oh, that.." Magnus replied with a small chuckle, scratching the back of his neck nervously, "My friend who got me the teaching job was mad that I lost it after only a couple of months, and I know she hates libraries for some reason, so I came here. But she's going to come in here soon, a strange hatred won't keep her from murdering me."

Alex did laugh at this, and gave Magnus her phone number so she could text him about his new job.

Right as he was about to leave and face his friend, the doors burst open and a flash of curly red hair marched in and started dragging Magnus by the arm, until stopping in her tracks and staring at Alex.

"Um, Mallory, meet Alex, my new..boss."

"Ah, so this is the librarian you won't shut up about?" Mallory laughed when Magnus elbowed her sharply in the side, and Alex noticed that her voice had a slight Celtic accent to it.

"So you've been telling people about me before we even talked, Maggie?" that was it. The perfect nickname.

"Don't call me that either! And shut up Mallory, I don't talk about Alex," Magnus complained, sending a sharp glare the redhead's way.

"Let's go, you need to get some work done and get ready for your new job, Beantown."

Seeing Alex's raised eyebrows, Magnus simply sent a slightly softer glare her way before he was dragged unceremoniously from the library.

After shelving some books, Alex noticed a piece of paper that Magnus must have dropped while he was leaving.

It was open on the floor, and Alex couldn't help but read it as she picked it up.

"It might grow tall,

it might break and fall,

but if you want to test 'us' at all,

just give me a call,"

she read aloud, and saw Magnus's phone number written beneath the poem.

By the time she had read it again, Alex was already pulling out her phone and typing the number into a new contact, a smile growing on her face the whole time.

Maybe being a librarian wasn't so bad after all.

sooo I finally finished one!!! yayyyy!!! I know it's kind of unrealistic, but it's happy and I like it lol.

Y'alls not-so-favorite self deprecating author, signing off!

~~