Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, I'm just borrowing them for Christmas.
A/N: This piece of fluff was written for whereinthewarehouse over on tumblr, as part of this year's secret santa exchange.
I hope you enjoy the read, Wisty! Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays! :D
(Also, this has not been beta'd, so I apologize for any mistakes)
Ducking her head against a particularly nasty gust of icy wind, as she hurried around the last corner to her destination, the young woman dared a glance at her watch. Three minutes past two, the delicate device around her wrist said, and Myka's long legs hurried up even more, almost making her break out into a run.
One or two stubborn strands of her curly hair had escaped the haphazard bun she had managed to wrestle them into earlier, and as she finally reached the door to one of the university's smallest libraries, another gust of wind carried them across her face. Hastily wiping them away from her eyes and mouth, she took a few seconds to catch her breath, the heavy oak door clicking shut behind her.
Panting slightly from the exertion of the mad dash across the campus grounds, she made her way along several aisles of towering bookshelves, and then turned left, deeper into the cozy atmosphere of the library. Closing in on her workspace, which her colleague and friend was currently still occupying, Myka finally came to an almost screeching halt.
"Leena, I'm so sorry I'm late!" she broke out into an apology, dropping her bag behind the desk.
The other young woman looked up from the computer, friendly eyes twinkling and lips stretched into a smile. "Myka, you're all of-" she checked the clock on the computer, "four minutes late. I think I'll manage to forgive you."
Chagrined, Myka's slightly frost-bitten, rosy cheeks reddened further. "You know I hate being late," she said, her words slightly muffled by the big, fluffy scarf she was in the process of removing.
"I know, sweetie," the younger woman said, her gentle voice as soothing as always, doing wonders for Myka's still racing heart.
"Do you need me to stick around for a few minutes longer?" The younger woman asked, but Myka shook her head. Settling herself into the creaky old chair her friend had just vacated, she was already half-lost in the work before her. "I got it. Thanks, Leena."
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, then. Have a good day, Myka."
"You, too." Myka answered with a smile, and watched as the other woman buttoned up her thick coat, pulled her own scarf around her neck, and with a last wave over her shoulders at the other brunette, vanished between the bookshelves.
Getting as comfortable as she could manage on the chair, she made a mental side note to once again ask Artie to consider to finally get a new one, while pulling up the inventory file Leena had gotten a head start on.
Two hours later, a hot mug of chocolate procured from the small kitchen cabinet tucked away in a corner behind her, Myka had just about completed her workload, and then some.
Taking another sip of her chocolate, she was interrupted from her thoughts by the sound of footsteps closing in on her position.
Looking up, the librarian saw another young woman stepping around the corner, her sleek, black hair shining more than Myka thought possible in the dim light coming from the antique chandeliers hanging above them.
The woman came closer, and Myka found herself fascinated by the high cheekbones and deep brown eyes before her.
"H-hi. Uhm, can I help you?" she found herself stuttering, and blushed, slightly mortified by her undignified response.
Her flush deepened, when the woman's lips stretched into a slow, lazy smile. "Good afternoon," a soft, accented voice reached her ears, and Myka found herself almost hypnotized. "I am terribly sorry to interrupt your work, but I was hoping you could help me find a book."
"Of course!" the curly-haired brunette enthused with an answering smile, "That's what I'm here for, after all!"
Pushing herself up from the chair, which creaked and groaned in protest, she stepped out from behind her desk. "Which book are you looking for?"
"That would be Jordan's Anthology of Advanced Physics."
Myka took three seconds to order her thoughts, and then her smile brightened further. "You're in luck, it just came in about a week ago." Already moving along the aisles to the corresponding one holding the book, she felt the other woman falling into step beside her.
"This is a lovely library," the accented voice stated, "the atmosphere is so welcoming. Almost like a sanctuary, of sorts."
Myka glanced over at her, and nodded, almost shyly. "That's actually how I feel about it. As a sanctuary. I always love coming here. It's soothing, surrounded by so many books. They're the one companions who never judge you," she said, quietly, and then wondered what had made her say that out loud. To someone she had met all of two minutes ago, no less.
"Exactly," her companion murmured, her slender fingers gently, almost reverently touching the spines of some of the books they passed.
"Here we are," Myka said a moment later, coming to a halt in the rare books section of the library. "Jordan's Anthology of Advanced Physics." Picking the book from the shelf, careful in her handling of the old tome, she handed it over, shivering as the other woman's fingers accidentally brushed against hers in the process. She vaguely wondered what was going on. Such intense reactions to other people were unfamiliar to her.
"This is perfect," the other woman exclaimed softly, carefully browsing through the heavy book in her hands. She looked up and met Myka's eyes. "Thank you, darling!"
She felt her ears warming in response. "Glad this helps you. I-I'm Myka, by the way."
"Myka," her opposite repeated, and she felt her insides fluttering, with how her name rolled pleasantly off the other woman's tongue. "That's a very lovely name. It's a pleasure to meet you, Myka. My name is Helena." The raven-haired woman gently closed the book in her hands, pressed it against her chest in order to keep a good hold of it, and then stretched her right hand out towards Myka.
Their hands met in a firm grip and she felt goosebumps erupt all over her arm. "Hi, Helena. It's nice to meet you, too," she managed, and reluctantly pulled her hand back.
Clearing her throat to find her voice, she asked, "Do you need anything else?"
Helena – What a beautiful name, Myka thought – made a humming sound in the back of her throat, deep in thought for a moment, then shook her head slowly. "No, I believe that is all I shall need for now." She met Myka's eyes and smiled. "But I'm sure my treacherous brain will come up with something else. Most likely as soon as I get home."
Myka laughed knowingly. "Well, then, let me check this one out for you, and if you need anything else, you know where to find me."
"I'll take you up on that."
Almost exactly twenty-four hours later, Helena made good on her promise.
Huddled into a thick woolen coat, her head encased in a burgundy colored beanie, and followed by a flurry of fat, white snowflakes, she made such a lovely picture that Myka deeply regretted not having a camera at hand.
Having halted in her reorganizing of a shelf near the entrance, the librarian threw the Englishwoman a teasing smile.
"Your brain didn't disappoint, did it?"
"So it would seem," Helena admitted, meeting Myka's eyes, a sly grin forming upon her lips, "It forced me out into this bloody cold and through inhumane conditions to make this trip here, but now that I'm here, I can't for the life of me remember why I was opposed to the idea at all."
Myka flushed and ducked her head in order to try and hide her reaction.
"Now, now, no need for that," Helena's voice was suddenly much closer than just a few seconds earlier, and Myka dared raise her gaze off the floor.
"W-would you like a hot cup of cocoa? I just made some." Myka blurted out nervously.
"A hot drink sounds heavenly, darling, thank you."
Smiling at each other, Myka led the way back through the aisles and stacks of books to her desk, where a thermos was standing. Myka grabbed two mugs from the board behind her chair and poured them both some of the steaming drink.
Handing over one of the mugs to her guest, Myka hurriedly looked around for a place to seat her. Quickly, yet still carefully, depositing an armload of books off another chair onto the floor, the curly-haired woman turned back around to face a smirking Helena.
"Uhm, would you like to take a seat?" she asked, waving awkwardly at the now-empty chair.
"After you so heroically cleared the seat for me, how could I possibly refuse?" Letting her smirk transform into a genuine smile, she added "Thank you, Myka."
"You're welcome, Helena." Smiling as well, Myka settled back into her own chair and took a sip of her cocoa, work forgotten for the moment.
"So, what is it you do, Helena?"
"Oh, this and that. Right now, though, studying English Literature, as well as Mechanical Engineering, with a few courses of advanced physics thrown it. Can't let it get boring, now can we?" Helena told her over the top of her cup of cocoa.
"Wow. That sounds like it definitely won't get boring anytime soon." Myka replied, a bit of awe coloring her voice. Myka herself wasn't stupid by any stretch of the imagination, but it seemed like she had found someone who could match her intellect, for once.
"What about you, Myka? What is it that you do, besides working in this cozy library?"
So the English Literature major told her about her studies, about growing up with a bookstore as a playground, and how that love of books had obviously never dimmed in the slightest over the years.
Conversation continued to flow easily between them. They sipped their drinks, refilled their mugs occasionally, and laughed and joked together in the little bubble they had created in their corner of the library.
A few times, Myka had to leave Helena for a handful of minutes, in order to help another student find a book they were looking for. Every time, when Myka returned to her desk and found Helena still sitting there, waiting patiently, she felt relief flood through her entire being. The third time, upon her return, she paused behind the last bookshelf separating them, and watched as the other young woman absentmindedly turned the pages of a book resting on the desk in front of her, her black hair creating a shimmering curtain around her face. Myka found herself fascinated with the bridge of her nose, the curve of her lips, and the slender fingers caressing the pages of the book, like a lover would another's skin.
Feeling a shiver travel down her spine, despite the comfortable warmth in the library, she took a deep breath, hoping to still the sudden tingling in her stomach.
It didn't help in getting rid of the butterflies, but another deep breath sorted out her nerves and she took a resolute step forward, carrying her around the bookshelf and closer to her companion.
Hearing her approaching, Helena looked up and a smiled brightened her gorgeous features. "There you are. Did you manage to help the poor, unfortunate soul wandering the aisles in search of some much needed research material?"
Myka chuckled and nodded. "I think this one was a procrastinator, with a last minute paper to complete. At least that's what I gathered by the over-caffeinated shaking hands and sleep-deprived, red-rimmed eyes."
Helena nodded her head knowingly. "I have to admit, I can relate to the poor boy's predicament. It might have happened to me a couple of times, too."
"Really? You don't strike me as the type of person to leave things unfinished." Myka stated, a reclaimed her seat beside Helena.
"Trust me, darling. I know how to prioritize," she murmured, a seductive smile stretching across her lips, her eyes never leaving Myka's face. "The important things, I never leave unfinished."
The brunette felt her cheeks grow warm and cursed her fair complexion silently. "That's, uh, that's good to know."
Helena laughed lightheartedly. "I'm terribly sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable, darling. I'm a bit of a flirt, especially when confronted with a beautiful woman. And there's something inherently beautiful about you, Myka, especially when you're blushing."
Ducking her head and rubbing the back of her neck with her left hand, Myka blushed even more at the Brit's charming words.
"Thank you," she mumbled. "I'm just not used to people complimenting me."
"That is unfortunate. I shall have to work harder to remedy that."
Myka grinned at her shyly, from under her lashes. "You're already doing a great job."
"Excellent!" The other woman exclaimed. "And in order to ensure further good work, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner sometime this week, darling?"
A pleasantly surprised smile graced Myka's lips. "I'd love to."
"Brilliant. Then allow me to ask for your phone number, so we can arrange further details."
"Sure, just hand me your phone and I'll type it in."
Making sure that Myka received her number in return, Helena finished her cup of cocoa, and got up off the chair, stretching her legs.
"Thank you for the lovely afternoon, darling."
"Thank you, for keeping me company."
"It was no hardship on my part, let me assure you," Helena grinned cheekily, making Myka laugh.
"I'll talk to you soon."
"I'll hold you to that, darling."
Donning her scarf and coat, Helena then pressed a quick kiss to Myka's burning cheek, waved and vanished amongst the aisles leading to the entrance.
Shaking her head to clear the whirlwind of thoughts Helena had left behind, Myka cast a glance at the clock on the wall and saw that it was already ten minutes past closing time. Laughing at herself, she quickly cleaned up the cups and thermos, cleared the clutter on the table, and then proceeded to follow in Helena's footsteps towards the door. Turning off the lights, and closing and locking the door behind her, she jammed her hands into the pockets of her coat, to ward of the chill. Taking a moment to look around at the buildings and benches that were covered in a thick, fresh blanket of powdery white snow, she enjoyed the silence that had fallen over the campus. Following the sparkling lights decorating the trees and windows along her way, Myka felt simultaneously at peace and giddy at the prospect of seeing Helena again. For a date.
It was only when she had reached the small flat she shared with her best friend Pete, that she remembered something. Still clad in her coat, boots, and beanie, and leaning with her back against the front door, she dug her phone out of the depth of her pocket, the light from the screen illuminating her face in the otherwise dark corridor.
"You forgot your book," she texted.
"Never mind the book, darling. I found something much more interesting."
~fin