A/N: This story is complete, to be posted in three parts. It is short, not epic in the slightest, and somewhat fluffy. For fans of my work, you will be intrigued to find that this is not a Vergil/OC story; it is Dante/OC. ;)
This story started as a request from Zombi3gyrl, as a love story with a librarian in glasses. I hope it is everything you wanted!
Disclaimer: My rights to Devil May Cry fell into the black hole at the center of the galaxy. :(
Ex Libris
Volume I: Check Out
One look at him was enough to convince her he didn't have a clue about libraries. He wandered from section to section, obviously not finding whatever it was he was looking for. If he even knew what he was looking for. And who in his right mind dressed like that anyway, all that red and black leather?
She shook her head. Well, she was a librarian, this was her domain, and he clearly needed help. She walked over to him.
"Excuse me, sir? Can I help you?" she asked, straightening her glasses.
He turned, and she was momentarily struck by how handsome he was. And young. Not that he was a kid or teenager; it was just with that white hair, she had been expecting someone old. This guy was probably in his early twenties. He cocked a crooked grin at her.
"I don't know, babe, what is it you do?"
His lecherous smile made his words seem even dirtier than they should have.
She bristled.
"I am a librarian!" she snapped. "I don't know what kind of women you're used to dealing with-"
"The kind that shoots me in the head," he muttered glumly.
"-but you cannot talk to me that way! If you need a book, I would be more than happy to help, if not, I suggest you leave!"
"Whoa, relax, babe!" he backpedaled. "Look, libraries aren't really my thing; they're more my brother's deal."
"Then maybe you should have sent your brother," she huffed.
A pained wince came across his face, and she wondered if she'd said something wrong.
"Maybe you can start by telling me what you're looking for," she said, more gently, in an effort to salvage the situation.
His lopsided grin came back, and his pale blue eyes cleared.
"Sure, babe. What kind of books do you have on demon lore?"
"Demon lore?" she repeated.
What an odd request.
"Hmm, well, follow me. We can start in religion and mythology."
She headed for the nonfiction section.
"What are you trying to find out? If we can narrow down your focus, we'll find your book faster."
"Anything about Sparda."
"Sparda? The legendary dark knight? I'm afraid we don't have a lot about that old story."
She picked through the books, vetoing some immediately, reshelving others only after leafing through them, and finally dumping two volumes into his hands.
"This one," she pointed at the larger of the pair, "mentions the basic legend, along with some other old stories and myths about demons. This one," she indicated the small, thin book on top, "is a book that was found in the rubble of that massive tower that appeared a few years back, remember?"
He nodded once, a terse jerk of his head.
"Anyway, this was found there. At first, it was thought that it belonged to some business or residence that had been in that section of town, but when the police looked it over, they thought maybe it had actually come from within the tower itself. Can you imagine? I talked to a local devil hunter who said he'd been in there, fighting the demons! How exciting that must have been!"
She paused, looking at the guy.
"Was he now? No telling what a guy might have seen in there," he drawled.
She cocked her head, trying to figure this guy out. She shook her head, then straightened her glasses again.
"Well, I think that's all we have here. I know of an island just off the coast that is supposed to have a bunch of stuff-"
"Nah, thanks anyway, babe," he said dismissively. "Think you can help me get these checked out of here? The longer I stay in a library, the more it's gonna damage my reputation around here."
She bristled again. Damage his reputation? She had just started liking this guy, and now he was insulting her and her library! She just hated jerks like him, thinking there was something wrong with being in a library.
She turned on her heel, straightened her glasses again, and stalked off towards the front desk.
"You'll need to fill out this card to check out anything."
She handed him a short form, which he quickly filled out. She looked at the information.
"Well, Mr. Redgrave," she said, "if you'll wait just a minute or so more, I'll have your card prepped, and you may go save your reputation."
'Anthony Redgrave' was written on the form. She frowned. She knew that name.
Tony Redgrave had quite the reputation, all right; he was supposedly a devil hunter here in the city and was renowned for his prowess at drinking. Supposedly, he'd drunk the entire bar under the table one night, and wasn't even buzzed. She shook her head. There were three kinds of stories you could never believe: drinking, fishing, and anything from a hunter's bar.
She filled out the card, got him to sign it, and watched him exit the library with the books stowed away in the pockets of his absurd coat.
She tidied up the paperwork on her desk, straightened her glasses, and went back to sorting the new books she'd been adding to the library's collection.