Cora eyed Librarian shyly. She'd always held a level of admiration for him, but of late, she was seeing him in a new light. After her best friend was sent to Hell, Cora hadn't been doing well in any sense of the word, but he'd helped her back. He saved her. True, he was never overly chatty, warm, playful, or sweet the way June Freeman had been, but he was still very sturdy and supportive and that was enough. She briefly wondered if she was in love with him, but she briskly brushed the fanciful and dangerous idea from her mind. The last time an applicant had fallen in love with a higher-ranking angel, she got expelled. There was no way Cora was going to follow June's path. No, Librarian was as off limits as the banned books. So what if he helped her recover from her trauma? He still wasn't open to romance. Right?
Shaking her head to stop thinking about Librarian for more than two seconds, Cora returned to shelving books. It was very late but she didn't mind. All hints of romance aside, Cora really did find Librarian and the library to be a peaceful place. She didn't mind spending hours here because she enjoyed everything about the place. While the other applicants preferred to spend time on the fourth floor, listening to God's song-birds, Cora was more than happy to remain working up here with the shepherds of the flock. She was doing this grunt work of her own free will, it wasn't because it was another punishment.
Cora was right in the middle of shelving, however, when Librarian swung by.
"Cora Stein?" he called out to her. Cora shivered, his deep and rumbling voice was so alluring and pleasant that she could feel it vibrate within her.
"Yes, sir?" she replied dutifully, turning to face him and trying not to blush at the same time.
"You may stop shelving for awhile," he said, smiling slightly. "You did well, please take a break."
"Yes sir," she repeated gratefully, bowing slightly before sliding off to the powder room to get herself to calm down.
As she left, Librarian watched her go. When he first met Cora, she was just another applicant. When she correctly answered several of his questions, she became someone with potential. When he learned she hung out with June, she'd become a troublemaker. When June fell and Cora began to mourn but never question Heaven, she had become someone Librarian could really get behind. From the moment the young lady proved her ability to keep calm even in the face of a trauma, Librarian had watched her even closer than ever before. That was why he noticed that she was suffering in the first place. While everyone else was too concerned with their own lives, Librarian saw Cora deteriorating more and more each day and finally, he intervened.
He, through hard work, patience and diligence, brought her back to herself and although she did still grieve from time to time, she was doing far better thanks to him. It was because Librarian really did like Cora, though. He almost called it love. Of course he never revealed those feelings because he knew they wouldn't end well, but he couldn't deny their existence. Instead, he trained himself to be content with watching her from afar and trying to help her make her way in Heaven. He sensed a greatness in her future and he wanted to help her to it and he genuinely enjoyed her company. She was kind, intelligent, obedient, and calm. Just like himself. She was a very sweet, refreshing girl, especially when compared to all her peers, especially June. If he couldn't have her romantically, he could still help her out, so that's what he did.
After Cora returned from break and finished her work, she and Librarian sat back to back, reading in a peaceful silence that they both loved. They were the kind of friends that didn't need adventures or even words in order to bond. Tonight, however, they needed words desperately. They were reading, but neither was focused upon what they were reading. Cora was reveling in the feeling of Librarian's sturdy back and Librarian was reveling in the sweet aroma of Cora's perfume. Such a setup in perfect silence would not last forever.
A couple hours later, the two turned in for bed.
"Librarian?" Cora asked before she left the library. He turned to her. "I…" she began before looking down. "Thank you."
"For what?" Librarian asked.
"Everything," then she smiled, a real smile. It faded quickly. "It's been an honor," she added. Librarian understood and took her arms in his.
"You're welcome. It's been an honor having you," his face was as stern as always, but this time, Cora thought she saw something flicker in his eyes. She held his gaze evenly, studying him deeply. Neither was sure who began it, but soon they felt each other's lips and they let it happen.
It felt strange to kiss a man, but Cora decided it wasn't half bad. His lips were rougher than June's, but they were still warm and insistent, yet these lips seemed insistent without also seeming sexual like June had. Somehow, some of the kiss felt reminiscent of June while other parts felt so new and different and Cora explored it all with a deep intensity. Librarian was no June, but in this kiss, she was glad he wasn't. This was something between her and Librarian, so it shouldn't have felt like June. Yet the similarities between the two pairs of lips were undeniable and the differences were almost scary when they weren't exciting and shiny and new. Cora continued to kiss Librarian pensively, reveling in the smell of old books and fresh papers as she pulled him closer.
Librarian felt the same. He hadn't kissed a woman in a very long time so it felt weird at first, to be doing something so intimate after so long, yet it wasn't bad. Cora's lips felt small and shy, but also affectionate and longing. Although he was just as new to romance as she was, he was still able to read a lot from her kiss and he was able to do a lot in return, kind of going off of what she was doing in order to kiss back. He was figuring out the way she kissed and basing his "style" upon that.
The two broke the kiss after a time that seemed too short and too long and there was awkwardness about both of them once it was over. They were just two hearts, too new to the idea of romance. They were just two hearts, trying to beat as one and find common ground and support in each other. They were just two hearts that were so different and yet so bonded. Cora smiled and Librarian smiled back. It was the last kiss the two ever shared, but they both knew that somehow they'd entered a deeper relationship. Their lives still stayed the same with the nightly reading sessions and being silent, but there was something deeper there that had changed and both of them knew it without needing any kind of verbalization. But that was because they were the kind of friends that didn't need adventures or even words to be close. Tonight was one of those nights where they simply enjoyed each other's company and companionship.
AN: Obviously, this views the relationship between Cora and Librarian in a romantic light and before you can accuse me of making lesbian Cora fall for a man, there is a possibility that she is bisexual but just swings more towards women and Librarian is an exception. But if you don't like that idea, realize that Lyndon herself said there were moments when Cora was kind of eyeballing Librarian, soooo… (Personally, I do prefer June and Cora over Librarian and Cora, but you can't deny that Librarian and Cora does have some potential and to be fair, June and Cora wasn't exactly the best or most healthy of relationships anyway, regardless of the orientation of the girls involved.)