Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The library. A musty old place filled wall to wall with shelves each one being lined with categorised books from all cultures, time periods and events. Outdated public computers which each cost far too much to have access to; and of course the corner which housed tables and chairs designed for students or adults who were simply trying to get work done in a quiet place. The roof of the library was arched, the pattern of it resembled wooden squares, similar to that of thatched housing, with a large window at the front and back of the building. Beneath all of this was a dark oak flooring coated with a layer of dust which always seemed to find its way back in no matter how hard one would clean.

Nothing but silence filled this library- well, silence and book pages turning, keyboards clicking, all of the regular sounds you’d expect to hear in such a place. For some the lack of noise was comforting, relaxing, however this was not the case for Blitzø.

Blitzø Buckzo was a man who enjoyed the hustle and bustle of everyday life; he enjoyed surrounding himself with as many people as he could and had spent most of his nights partying until his daughter had come into the picture. But that didn’t mean Blitzø still didn’t have fun, he and his employees were close and they went out for drinks two nights a week, he still went to bars and had one night stands, his lifestyle hadn’t slowed too much (although now he had an angry babysitter to deal with).

Blitzø loved his daughter, in fact adopting Loona may have been the best decision he’d ever made in his shitty life, that and creating his own business: An advertising agency by the name Immediate Marketing Professionals, or I.M.P for short. It was quite a tight knit business (and quite a new one), with his only employees being the married couple of Millie and Moxxie; but they got by. Blitzø enjoyed making the advertisements flashy, Moxxie created the jingles, and Millie was the brains behind the operation. They made an amazing team, if Blitzø did say so himself. So, how did an outgoing man of business and his daughter end up in a library anyway? Loona’s school assignment had involved going to this place and choosing a book, then writing a report on it. For a nine year old, Blitzø thought it was quite an advanced task and wondered about complaining to the school, but Loona, who was very seldom over excited about anything, seemed to really be drawn to this project so like a good father, Blitzø kept his mouth shut.

“Alright Loonie! What book did you say you wanted again?” He asked as they walked over to the children’s section. Immediately, he was met with a flat look from the girl.

“I’ve got this on my own, Dad.” She responded. He probably should’ve been offended that Loona didn’t want his help, but he shrugged it off and was instead proud of her for showing independence.

“Okay, Sweetie. Well, you take your time and I’ll meet you back at the front desk in fifteen?” He suggested, now wondering what the hell he’d do in a place like this. A mumble of agreement came from his daughter before she was already lost to the expanse of books, leaving a bored Blitzø to his own devices.

He wandered around the different aisles that the shelves created for a while, trying to ignore the loud footsteps his boots seemed to create. At this point it felt like the labyrinth of bookshelves was never going to end and he hadn’t even found a section that intrigued him in the slightest. With a sigh he stopped and decided that he’d just stay here until Loona was ready to leave. He tried desperately to seem busy, skimming the spines of the books that were in front of him- until his eyes stumbled across something of interest. The Complete Book of Horses: Breeds, Care, Riding, Saddlery. Blitzø swiped the book off of the shelf and sat himself on the floor in the middle of the aisle, immediately starting to flip through the book. He was instantly intrigued by the breeds, reading through each one until he came to his favourite- the Mustang Horse. It was small, but strong boned and sturdy and had so many different colour variations. He spent time reading every line, studying every photo until he was compactly lost in the pages.

Stolas loved the library. The mountains of books, the cataloguing, the organising, the blissful silence, everything about this place was like heaven to him. That’s why when an opportunity to work a part-time job at the place he considered his second home had dropped he simply had to apply. His job mainly consisted of putting the returned books back in their correct positions, a job which fit him perfectly. It wasn’t like Stolas ever needed to work- he came from the Goetia family, a well-known rich family, and could have whatever he wanted at the drop of a hat, but there was something about that lifestyle that never sat right with him- hence why he tried to distance himself so far from it.

He pushed his trolley through the maze which he’d seemed to have memorised the layout of now, ready to lighten his load by dropping off some animal encyclopaedias. There were more kids coming into the library for what Stolas could only assume to be school projects, so these books were getting used more and more everyday. It sparked joy within him to see the youth begin to read again, especially in an age where everything was digital.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw a man on the floor, seeming fully engrossed in his reading. Stolas took in the appearance of who was before him- chestnut brown hair which was cut into something resembling a shag, tanned skin with large white patches in it, he could just about make out the chocolate brown eyes which were hidden behind the man’s curtain bangs. He seemed to don a leather jacket, some kind of band t-shirt, black ripped jeans and chunky boots, paired with stacked necklaces (the one which drew Stolas’ eye the most had to be the metal and leather triangle one), a red belt buckle and rings on each finger.

Stolas’ gaze travelled down to the book he was reading, The Complete Book of Horses: Breeds, Care, Riding, Saddlery. If it were really that engaging he made a mental note to check it out for himself sometime in the near future. Something about the man was enticing to him, the pure childlike joy which seemed to cross his expressions when he came to a part that he really seemed to like- Stolas wished to know more.

“Did you know that if a horse intakes too much sugar it could cause laminitis?” He blurted out, simply wanting to start up a conversation with the man. “Well, there are three main causes- overload, metabolic and….” The third cause had left his head, now he really looked like an idiot. “Sorry, I just noticed that you were reading that book and…” He trailed off from the look he was getting.

Blitzø hadn’t expected his reading to be interrupted, which had caused him to jump out of his skin when he’d heard another person’s voice talking to him, not telling him to move, or to get lost, but rather trying to discuss the topic of his book…? This was a new realm for him.

He looked up to see who was talking to him- a tall man stood by a trolley, his icy blue eyes seemed nervous, now darting around the space, looking anywhere but Blitzø, yet they were slightly obstructed by the wire glasses that he wore. His eyes travelled up to the man’s hair, it was short but thick, a light grey colour yet he could see some streaks of a darker and a lighter colour peppered within it. His gaze moved to his pale hands which were moving over each other, before looking up again at his white shirt which wasn’t buttoned all the way and dark slacks. He was the textbook definition of a pretty boy.

Blitzø cut the rambling man off, “Inflammatory. That’s the other cause.” He responded, standing up. “You know your stuff on laminitis, huh?” He said with a grin.

“I had a rather… thorough education as a child.” He peered at the page the brown-eyed man had been reading. “Personally I had always been a fan of the Falabella.”

“Seriously? They’re tiny.”

“Maybe so, but they are intelligent, docile and obedient.”

“Mustangs are way cooler- they’re fast and strong, and they’re pretty smart too.” Blitzø crossed his arms, shutting the book and holding onto it.

“You seem rather intrigued by horses.” Stolas observed, causing his companion to shrug.

“They make no sense. Plus, we live in a horse’s world, they could totally kill us all if they wanted to.” He said with a touch of excitement in his voice, he was clearly passionate about this. “I’m Blitzø, the ‘o’ is silent.” He introduced himself.

Stolas seemed confused by this statement, but he chose not to ask, “I’m Stolas, the ‘o’ is not…” His lame attempt at cracking a joke, yet it seemed to make Blitzø smile.

“So, Stolas, did you steal that trolley or do you work here?” Blitzø asked, trying the name out on his tongue; it fit the man before him so perfectly, a mixture of pretension and beauty- not that he could really make too many snap decisions from knowing the taller man for a total of ten minutes.

He’d forgotten about the job he was supposed to be doing, he swiftly grabbed the books he’d intended to start putting away. “I work here.” He responded with a chuckle.

“Don’t you get like… creeped out? It’s always so fucking quiet in here…”

“I quite enjoy the silence, it gives you time to think which is in quite a short supply nowadays.”

“Would give me the heeby jeebys.” Blitzø said, shuddering slightly at the thought. “At the office we always have music playing, usually the radio or one of my employee’s fucking show tunes.”

“What is your line of work?” Stolas asked, now less interested in the books and more so in Blitzø.

“I run an advertising firm- you might’ve heard of us- I.M.P.” He bragged, clearly proud of what he’d accomplished.

“I’m afraid I have not.” Blitzø waved his hand,

“You’d probably know one of our jingles, Moxx makes the catchiest shit.” Maybe he was capable of giving Moxxie positive feedback…

Just as Stolas was about to respond, a small girl with light hair bounded up to Blitzø- she was almost as pale as Stolas himself and had brown eyes similar to Blitzø’s- she began tugging at his sleeve.

“Dad, you were supposed to meet me ten minutes ago.” Her tone made it clear she did not enjoy being on her own.

Blitzø’s heart dropped- how could he have forgotten about Loona? He’d known when he adopted her that she needed security and reliability: his lack of an appearance could’ve made her think that he’d left her. God, he’d hate himself forever if that happened. “Loonie- Shit, I am so sorry, Sweetie. I started talking to Stolas and he knew about horses- I am so sorry, I promise I will never leave you again.” He crouched down to her level and engulfed her in a hug, which she reluctantly returned.

Once they parted, Blitzø introduced them, “Loona this is Stolas, he works here, Stolas this is my daughter Loona.” He said, clearly proud of his little girl.

“Adopted.” She mumbled, clearly uninterested in this Stolas character- now she just wanted to go home.

Her father picked up on this quickly, “Well, we’re gonna head off. I’ll see you around when we return this fucker.” He said, referring to the heavy book he’d been given.

“Until next time, Blitzø.” Stolas smiled, until he quickly realised something. The horse book had been left on the floor. He picked it up and rushed after the father daughter pair. “You almost forgot this.” He said, handing the brown haired man the book.

Blitzø grinned once again, “Thanks.” And they parted ways once again.

It wasn’t until Blitzø arrived home that he realised Stolas had slid his number between the pages about the Mustang. That smooth motherfucker.

Chapter Text

blitz: hi is ths stols????

Stolas: Yes. Who is this? 

blitz: blitz frm rhe librsry 

Stolas: Ah, of course! Hello, Blitz. How are you doing? 

blitz: m ok hw r u?????

Stolas: I’m alright, thank you. 

Blitz was interrupted from whatever notification he got from Stolas next by his daughter, who was all dressed in her pyjamas ready for bed. 

“Teeth all brushed, Loonie Toonie?” He asked, putting his phone down to give her his full attention. 

She nodded, holding her arms out to be carried. Despite Loona always trying to appear tough to her peers, or to anybody else they’d meet, she mellowed out significantly on a night. 

Of course Blitz complied, taking the girl into his arms. He knew he wouldn’t be able to pick her up forever so he made the most of it now. 

The pair went into Loona’s room, one of the three rooms in the apartment, and Blitz put his daughter into her bed, tucking the sheets in around her. A small kiss was planted on her forehead, which she surprisingly didn’t rub off (Blitz put it down to her being tired), as the father sat on the end of her bed. 

“What book do you want tonight, Loonie?” 

“Can you read the horse one…?” Loona asked- she knew how passionate her dad was about horses, which made the reading so much more enjoyable. 

Blitz smiled, his daughter was liking the things he liked! He felt accomplished as a parent as he reached for the first book in the ‘Spirit’ series. He opened the book to where they’d left off and began reading. 

Sometimes it was difficult to read to Loona- Blitz had been diagnosed with dyslexia when he was eleven. His parents had been reluctant to let him get the diagnosis, but his school had insisted. However, when it came to something like ‘Spirit’, Blitz had spent a lot of time reading and rereading the book over and over again, so he was confident in the wording as he could practically quote it from memory. 

He and Loona read longer books over a few nights, and now she was getting older he found himself blown away by how many letters she could recognise when they were reading, how many letters she could write (she could even write her name!), and the words that she was able to spell. Blitz couldn’t have been prouder. 

Soon, Blitz found himself reading the timeless horse story to a sleeping audience, causing him to close the book and place it on his daughter’s nightstand. 

He took a second to look at Loona, the image of his girl caused his heart to swell with joy. Adopting her may have been the best decision Blitz had ever made. His life was so much better now that she was around to share it with him. 

“Night, Loonie.” He whispered, switching on the moon-shaped night light and switching off the lamp. With one last look behind him, he left the room, closing the door with a soft click. 

Blitz got himself settled on the couch again. He’d pulled his favourite horse blanket over him and was laid down, pressed against the side of the couch. He picked up his phone with the intent of doom scrolling for the next few hours until he saw a notification. 

Stolas: What have you been up to today? Have you had a good day? 

Stolas. Of course the handsome bastard from the library was texting him in the midst of his nighttime chaos with Loona. 

blitz: sry bt tht wuz ptn loonie 2 bed

Stolas: No worries, I took the time to check on Octavia anyway. 

blitz: octvia??? 

Stolas: Octavia is my daughter, she’s turning nine this year. 

blitz: no wy so is loonie

Stolas: Oh my! What a coincidence! Perhaps they would make good friends. 

blitz: mayb 

There was silence after that. Blitz silently wondered if he’d fucked this up already- he had a tendency to do that- but this may have been a world record for him. 

It had taken him sixteen years to ruin his relationship with his twin sister, Barbie, and of course his best friend at the time, Fizz. 

Yet almost a decade later, Blitz had managed to smooth things over with his former best friend, rekindling their friendship. He was always grateful for that- he loved Fizz. 

But his sister… Blitz would have given anything to reach out to his sister again. He’d tried after she’d gotten out of rehab for the first time, but she’d pushed him away, telling him to never see her ever again. He supposed it was called for: After everything Blitz had done to Barbie he couldn’t expect forgiveness from her. 

And then of course, Blitz had a long line of exes. The one that stood out to him the most was Verosika. They’d dated for two years in their early twenties and it had been one of the best relationships he’d had. Until, of course, he’d run from it. Blitz always ran from his problems. It was the easiest way out. 

Stolas: I apologise if this is too forward, and please, feel free to say no, but I was wondering if you would like to get a drink with me this week if you are free? I know a lovely quaint cafe not too far from the library. 

blitz: im free tmrw if u r 

Stolas: Perfect. How about tomorrow at noon?

blitz: its a dte ;)

Chapter Text

Blitz arrived at the library in his beaten-up clunky van which he’d had since he created I.M.P. The vehicle was practically a company staple at this point, with the logo spray painted on the side (a joint effort between the creative mind of Blitz and the artistic, practical mind of Moxxie). It was always unclear to his employees why they had a van for an advertising firm, but to Blitz it made perfect sense. Plus, having a car he could write off as a company cost was always helpful. 

He got out of the van, slamming the door behind him and locking it. His hands smoothed over his black ripped jeans, which were being held up by his usual black studded belt: Above was a band t-shirt with a graphic print that Blitz had seen with Fizz back in high school- it was old and faded but he was always comfortable in it. He’d thrown a leather jacket on top of his outfit; alongside some stacked necklaces and rings, and of course a smartwatch on his wrist (truth be told, he only had this as he had a horse lock screen where the legs pointed to the time). 

The library had not changed since the last time the man had visited- it still had that musty smell, eerie silence and of course a labyrinth of shelves which Blitz had found himself lost in… again. 

blitz: m hre but idk were i am

Nothing a quick text to Stolas couldn’t fix!

Stolas: Oh dear. What kinds of books do you see? Perhaps I could locate you that way. 

What could he see? He moved around, looking at the spines of the books, trying to make out what the books could be about. 

blitz: smt 2 do w strs 

blitz: astroname

blitz: i thnk 

Stolas: I’m on my way. 

Blitz pulled out one of the books while he waited, figuring it couldn’t hurt. He opened it to reveal a colourful page of constellations. His finger traced along the page, mapping out the shape of each one. He had no idea what he was looking at yet he was fascinated by the different arrangements. 

“Orion. A wonderful choice.” 

Blitz was startled from his trance by a voice, he recognised the smooth British accent. He turned to face Stolas, who continued to speak. 

“It means ‘Hunter’. It’s the twenty-sixth largest constellation and you can usually see it best in January. Some friends and I saw it back in college with a telescope in the lab. It was one of the most magical experiences, seeing the constellations in the sky.” 

Stolas spoke in a way that kept Blitz enraptured, hanging onto every word. He didn’t stop his companion from speaking despite him not understanding anything from what he was saying, he simply latched onto his voice. 

The librarian took the book and placed it back in its respective place on the shelf. “I apologise for how long it took me to arrive, I had some trouble with a patron.”

“Some asshole not wantin’ to pay their book fine?” Blitz joked, shoving his hands in his pockets as Stolas led them out. 

“Yes, actually.” The taller man chuckled. 

The two exited the library in comfortable silence, before walking to Blitz’s van. 

“Sorry ‘bout the mess.” The shorter man apologised, trying to shove some of the cans and wrappers away from the passenger side. “Moxx eats in here all the fuckin’ time.” Most of the mess was from Blitz himself but he was not about to tell his new hot date that. 

“Do not worry about it, Blitz. I have a young daughter, I know all about mess.” Stolas smiled reassuringly, causing the other man to move out of the way and let him sit. 

“Really? Loonie’s the one keepin’ our apartment together. She’s always yellin’ at me about dishes on the table ‘n’ shit.” Blitz clamoured into the driver’s side. 

Stolas laughed again, a sound that Blitz was beginning to learn was enchanting to hear. “Via is rather tidy most of the time, I suppose, apart from when it comes to school. She was assigned a solar system model for her homework a few weeks ago and I am still finding glitter everywhere.” 

“When we did that shit, I banned glitter. She didn’t really mind, just used paint instead.” He shrugged and began driving. 

“I tried to negotiate with Via, but it seems she is rather partial to her glitter. If you go left down here…” 

Easy conversation flowed between the duo, Stolas giving directions in between as they shared anecdotes about their lives and their daughters, finding similarities and differences in the girls, and also in themselves. 

Stolas led the way into the coffee shop, promptly joining the back of the queue with his companion. 

“What kind of drink would you like to order, Blitz?”

“D’you think they do iced coffee here?” The man in question was trying to see past the people in front of him at the menu board. 

“I would assume so.” The taller man squinted, his height giving him a better advantage over the heads. “An iced latte?” 

Blitz hummed, “Yeah, that’s the shit.” He grinned, the prospect of having his favourite drink in his hand brightening his mood even further. 

“It is beyond me how you can enjoy drinking coffee. Especially iced. I only drink it when I have to.” 

“It’s like… the best drink ever, Stolas.” 

“I disagree, it keeps me awake all night, and makes me rather jittery.” Stolas looked down at him, “That may be where you get all your energy from.”

“I’d probably blame ADHD for that one. The coffee helps calm me down if anything.” Blitz shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

Before Stolas could string together any kind of appropriate response to that, it was their turn to order. 

A bored looking teenager was serving them. “Hi, what can I get you?” She asked with a monotonous voice. 

“I will have an earl grey tea with a splash of milk in it please, as well as an iced latte-“

“With oat milk.” 

“An iced latte with oat milk.”

The librarian tapped his card on the awaiting machine and the girl handed Stolas a number. “Find a table and put this in the holder. You’ll get your drinks soon.” 

“Thank you.” 

They chose a table by the window, yet also in the corner of the café so as to not be surrounded by too much noise. Blitz took his wallet out of his pocket, sliding the money for both of their drinks across the table, only for them to be slid back to him.

“You can get the next one.” Stolas said simply, not giving time to process before he began speaking again. “Tell me about yourself.” He asked, realising how little he actually knew about Blitz.

“Well, I’m 25, I moved here about… four years ago, I work in advertising, and I live with Loonie. Not much to it.” He shrugged, “How ‘bout you?”

Stolas followed his lead, “I’m 26, I moved here from London when Octavia was five… Gosh that was four years ago now…” He trailed off in thought.

“Why’d you decide to move here?” Blitz asked.

“When my wife and I got divorced, I decided it was time for a change…”

“Your wife, were you guys together long?”

Stolas thought for a second, “Around 5 or 6 years, I think. We were an arranged marriage, our parents set it up for when we were 18.” He explained, “Neither of us were particularly too fond of the idea, but we did not really have much of a choice.” 

That’s when the waiter arrived with their drinks, placing them on the table. A couple of ‘thank you’s’ were said, and soon they were back alone.

“Why did you move here?” Stolas asked, picking up his tea and lightly blowing on it.

“Family stuff. Shit happened, and I just… couldn’t stay there anymore. So I moved up here for a fresh start away from it all.” Blitz’s tone was defensive, as if he didn’t like talking on the subject. “I adopted Loona not long after I moved, always felt like somethin’ was missing in my life, turns out it was her.” A fond smile was on his face as he talked about his daughter. 

“Loona seems like such a lovely girl, you speak of her so affectionately.”

“She is. Kid’s been through a lot… I’m just glad I could give her a home that loves her, y’know?” The dark haired man took a sip from his coffee. 

“She is lucky to have you as her father.” 

“Thanks. So’s Via… lucky to have you, I mean.”

As the two enjoyed their drinks, conversation flowed easily between them. Most of it consisted about how their lives had led up to these points, about their daughters, their drinks, anything and everything. Yet, soon they’d reached the bottom of their drinks, and Stolas’ next shift was about to start.

The journey from the coffee shop to the library was shorter now Blitz knew where he was going, the same easy chatter filling the van.

“We should do this again sometime.” Blitz said as they pulled up outside. “Next time, it’s on me.”

Stolas smiled, “I will text you after I am finished at work, we can see when we’re both next free.” 

“Awesome.” The shorter man grinned. “I’ll walk you back in.” He said, slipping out of the van and opening the other door to let Stolas out. 

“Such a gentleman.” 

“I try.”

This caused a chuckle from the taller of the two as he walked to the door with him.

“Well… I’ll text ya?” 

“I look forward to it.” Stolas leaned in and planted a kiss on Blitz’s cheek. “Good afternoon, Blitz.” He said, before walking off into the library.

Blitz was left standing at the door slightly dazed, unsure of how a simple cheek kiss had hit him so hard. 

“See ya…” 

Man, he was already whipped.