Chapter Text
The library was quiet. It was early in the afternoon, and Phil was in the children’s section, reshelving books and humming to himself. This part of his job was boring, but oddly satisfying, putting everything back where it belonged. It was easy to lose himself in the ritual of it, and he almost didn’t notice when someone else appeared.
“Daddy, who’s that?” A sweet, high voice behind him made Phil turn around. Behind him, a small girl was clinging to the leg of a tall, ridiculously handsome man, peering up at him.
“Hi, I’m Phil,” he said, smiling down at the little girl. “I work at the library. Can I help you?”
“We’re looking for a book!” The girl smiled up at him. The man - her dad, Phil assumed, looked a touch embarrassed, but he was smiling as well, his hand resting on her shoulder. He had to stoop a little to reach, thanks to his height. Phil was pretty tall, but this man was a giant. A giant with curly hair that flopped into his face, and adorable dimples that came out when he smiled.
“Hi,” he said, waving awkwardly at Phil. “Sorry, I’m Dan. Sweetie, introduce yourself to the nice man.” He looked expectantly down at the little girl, who was still staring at Phil.
“I’m Emma,” she said. “I’m nearly five.” She had a shock of bright blonde curls, which were disordered but clean, and huge hazel eyes. Her face was round and cute, and she was probably tall for her age, although Phil wasn't an expert on the height of children. Her jeans were too short for her, ending just above her ankles, and her trainers looked scuffed and worn, but her clothes were clean.
“Oh, wow,” said Phil, kneeling down to get on her level. “Is it your birthday soon?” He didn’t spend a huge amount of time with kids, but they were generally easier to interact with than grown adults. They might damage a few books, but at least they never came in drunk and pissed on the bean bags.
“Yes,” she said, beaming proudly. “It’s nearly my birthday.”
“That’s exciting,” said Phil, “So, you’re looking for a book, Emma?”
She nodded, her eyes wide.
“What sort of books do you like?” Phil wasn’t exactly sure there was a huge range of genres for kids her age, but he might as well check.
“I like the, um, the dinosaurs book.” She looked up at her dad for guidance. “And, um, the princesses.”
“She’s just learning to read, isn’t that right, Emma?” Dan added, kneeling down as well. “She started school last week, and they want them to do some reading at home.” Dan looked at Phil, his expression slightly uncertain. “I’m not really sure where to start, honestly. I’ve just been reading her my old books from when I was little.”
“Well, let’s see what we can find,” Phil said, turning towards one of the shelves. He was hardly an expert on children, either, but at least he knew the library. “These are the books for people who are just starting out, would you like to look at them?"
Emma nodded, her eyes wide. Phil pulled a few books off the shelf, ones he thought had good pictures and a story that wasn't too tedious.
"So, you've just started school, huh?" he said, offering her the books, "How's that going?"
"It's really good," she said, taking one of the books off of him and opening it. "I've got five new friends and Daddy said that's more than he's had in his whole life."
Phil couldn't stop himself from laughing when he saw Dan's mortified expression.
"It's okay, I know what kids are like," he said, letting Emma peruse the books on her own as he turned back to Dan. "So, is she your first?"
"My one and only," Dan said, with a fond smile. "We're kind of figuring things out together."
"Ah, yeah, it must be difficult," Phil said, like he'd ever seriously considered procreating. He liked kids just fine, but he wasn't sure he could be trusted to keep one alive. "Well, hopefully she likes some of the books. Do you guys have a library card yet?"
"No, not yet," Dan said, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. He looked a little sheepish.
"No worries! I can set that all up for you guys at the desk." Phil looked at Emma, who was engrossed in staring at the pictures in one of the books. "Do you want to go do that now? She can stay with the books, the desk is just over there." He pointed to the reception, which had a clear view of this section. That was mostly because kids had a tendency to damage books, but he didn’t think Emma seemed likely to do that, from the reverent way she was holding the book he’d given her.
"Oh, sure," Dan said, putting a hand on Emma's shoulder. "Hey, Daddy's just going to get us a card so you can take the books home."
Emma nodded, not looking up from her book.
"She's very independent," Dan said, smiling as he stood up. "I swear she's not going to need me soon."
Phil smiled, leading the way to the desk. "She can look after you in your old age," he said, his tone light and teasing.
Dan laughed, a loud and undignified sound that Phil found oddly endearing. "I'm not that old," he protested. "I just don't sleep well."
Privately, Phil thought that he looked about sixteen. "You wear it well," he said instead, attempting a wink that was more of a blink. Dan laughed again, the sound echoing around the quiet building. Phil hid his smile, slipping around the desk and waking up the computer. "Okay, so I just need a few things from you."
"Sure.”
"So, your name?" Phil pulled up the new user form, tapping the desk impatiently as he waited for the ancient computer to respond.
"Daniel. Daniel Howell," he said, leaning his elbow on the counter and turning so he could keep an eye on Emma.
"And is there a Mrs Howell?" Phil asked, tapping his name out into the form on the computer.
"That's not one of the questions," Dan said, turning back to look at Phil.
"No, I'm just nosy," Phil admitted with a grin.
Dan laughed. "There isn't," he said, with a hint of a blush in his cheeks.
“Interesting,” said Phil, with a smile. "And the little lady is Emma, right?" Dan nodded, and Phil took a few seconds to fill out her name. “Okay, your phone number?”
Dan gave him a suspicious look.
“This one is on the form, I promise!” Phil said, turning the screen so he could see.
“Okay, sure,” Dan said, with a skeptical tone, before giving Phil his number, as well as his street address and email. It took Phil a few minutes to type them out, double-checking as he went, while Dan turned away to watch his daughter again.
“Great, that’s everything!” Phil said, tapping out the last of Dan’s details. “The card’s going to take a few days to come through, but you can start borrowing books now, either at the desk or using your last name and post code at one of the machines over there.” He pointed out the automated machines to Dan. “There’s also a drop box out front if you want to return a book out of hours." He pointed towards the front door, like Dan didn't know where it was already. “You can borrow up to 10 books for two weeks at a time, and you can renew them at one of the computers or on our website, and there isn’t an overdue charge for children.”
“Great,” Dan said, “Wow, I haven’t used a library since uni.”
“Personally, I think they’re great,” Phil said, with a grin. “If you like, we can give you a call to let you know when your cards have arrived.”
“Okay, sure,” he said, turning away to look over at Emma. “You said we can borrow some books now?”
“Yep, up to 10,” said Phil.
He watched Dan go over and chat to Emma, going through the small stack of books with her and selecting a few volumes, putting the rest carefully back onto the shelf. Together, they came over to the desk, a small pile of books clutched in her little hands.
“I want these ones,” she said, looking up at Phil.
“I’m sure you’ll love them,” Phil said, smiling warmly at her. “Can I have a look at what you’ve got?”
Emma looked at him suspiciously. Her take on the expression was eerily similar to her dad’s.
“Come on, sweetie, he has to check the books so you can take them,” Dan said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He had to stoop to reach.
“Okay,” she said, putting the pile of books carefully on the desk.
Phil scanned them, quickly and efficiently. “If you’d like, I can set up the system to send you a text or email reminder the day before they’re due.”
“That’d be great, thanks,” Dan said, with a smile.
Phil tapped away on the keyboard, quickly setting up the reminder. “Great, you’re all sorted,” he said, with a smile. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No, uh, I think that’s everything,” said Dan, looking down at his daughter. “Thank you. Emma, say thank you to the nice man.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling shyly as she gathered the pile of books and hugged them tightly to her chest.
“You’re welcome,” Phil said, smiling back at her. “See you soon!”
“Yeah, uh, you too,” Dan mumbled, shooting him a quick smile as he ushered Emma away from the desk.
Phil watched them leave, the girl still clutching her books close to her chest. Dan glanced back over his shoulder, a smile lingering as he made fleeting eye contact with Phil. He was cute - that was the only word for it, despite his size. Idly, Phil wondered whether he’d see him again - he was realistic about his chances, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t daydream. It was a pleasant change to have a cute single dad in the library, even if just to look at. Most of the library’s patrons were a few decades older, and decidedly less attractive.
The library was pretty quiet for the rest of Phil’s shift. A few people came in, and he helped a sweet old lady find a book her daughter had told her about, after going through most of the other books in the library. Otherwise, he whiled away the hours with admin, which he never seemed close to reaching the end of. The other librarian on duty was an older woman who’d worked there for decades - Phil wasn’t sure of her age, but he was pretty certain she had to be approaching retirement. He offered to lock up on his own, since it was Tuesday, and she had an evening class on Tuesdays - it was either painting or French, but she went to more classes than he could keep track of. He did a final round of the shelves just before five, checking that everything was tidy so the cleaners could do their job a little more easily, then headed out. He turned back to check the door behind him, pulling his hoodie a little closer as a cold breeze tugged at his clothes. Only September, but it was already getting chilly - he’d need a coat soon enough. He walked briskly to his car, his chin tucked in to his chest and his hands shoved deep into his pockets.
He arrived home to find Lenny sitting on his front step, looking up at him with disapproving yellow eyes.
“All right, mate?” he said, bending down to scratch the orange-and-white cat behind his ear. Lenny chirped at him, standing up and pawing expectantly at the door. “You know, you have your own door,” Phil said, unlocking the door and letting the cat go in before him. “It’s the perfect size for you, and you don’t need my help to open it.” Lenny just mewed softly, heading straight for the kitchen. “Fine, have it your way.” Phil dropped his keys in the bowl by the door, letting it swing shut behind him as he flipped the light on and kicked his shoes off. He stood in the hallway for a moment, lost in thought, then snapped back to the present as a small head butted against his shin.
“Hey, George,” he said, smiling as he bent over to pet the cat, white with patches of tabby fur. “Let me guess, you’re hungry too.” George mewed, presumably in agreement, and Phil followed him through to the kitchen, where both cats were sitting patiently in front of their bowls. “It’s always nice to know why you keep me around,” he said, reaching for the bag of dry food and gently waving the cats aside as he leant over to fill up the bowls. He smiled as they darted in immediately, scoffing down the food like they’d not eaten for weeks. He watched the cats for a moment, then turned away, rummaging through the cupboards and trying to decide what to have for his own dinner. He idly wished he just had a bag of food like the cats, but decided that, on balance, he’d rather go through the effort of cooking if it meant his meals would be more enjoyable. Not that the cats seemed to mind.
He ate in front of the telly, then let it play in the background while he scrolled on his phone. Lenny curled up contentedly in his lap, and George watched them from the back of the sofa, just out of Phil’s reach. Overall, it was a very uneventful day. As he fell asleep, his mind wandered idly, and he thought about the guy with the little girl - Dan, wasn’t it? He wondered whether he’d see them again. Probably not. He was cute, though. And single. Probably straight, though. And he had a kid. Definitely more daydream than date material. Still… he was cute.