Haley Thistle
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Markus the Library Dragonborn
🕑 Added 2023-01-27 20:00:00 +0000 UTCFor some reason I both remember this being very popular and don't remember it at all.
Female Reader x Male Monster
Originally Posted, November 28th & 29th
The library is quiet as you walk inside. You look around, taking in the sight you had only seen in photographs. Your headmaster at your old school had come to this academy when he was younger. His office was dripping with photographs from his school days here. You wander inside, staring around at all the rows and shelves of books. You smile because it felt like home.
“I see a new face.”
You nearly jump out of your skin and you turn to see a man on top of a ladder. He glances down at you from the stack of books in his lap. He lays his arms over top of the stack as he leans forward.
“Welcome, are you looking for anything?”
You fidget for a moment then shake your head. “No,” you don’t know exactly what to say. He’s taken you off guard. “I just started here and I’ve always loved libraries.”
He sets the stack of books aside and he descends the ladder. His legs are amazingly long and you blush when you realize what you’ve thought.
“Well then,” he says as he steps off the ladder. “Then we should get you set up.” He adjusts his glasses and walks around and behind the front desk.
You walk up to the counter and as you look up at him you realize he looks familiar. You’re just about to place his face when he turns and meets your gaze. He smiles and hands you a form.
“This is just the basics,” he replies. “When you have all this ready I’ll enter you into the system and you’ll have your library card.”
“Oh,” you take the form. Your fingers brush against his hand and his skin feels cool. You glance up at him, watching his long hair slip off his shoulder and onto his back. You look back down at the form before he turns around again. You sign on the dotted lines and fill in your information before you hand it back.
“Wonderful,” he smiles then takes a card from a box. He signs the back then hands it to you. “Just sign your name and it’s official.”
You look over the card, his name scrawled at the bottom. “Markus?” You ask.
“That’s correct,” he nods his head. “So if you ever need anything, you know exactly who to call for.”
You can feel the itch at the back of your brain as you try to place where you’ve seen him before. You nod and tuck your new library card away. “Uhm…i’m in the alchemy program,” you start and you see his eyes light up. “Where should I go for-”
He walks back out from behind the counter. “I have just the place for you.” He says. He leads you down a long aisle that is dark and tight. At the end, there is a bright light. The room is circular and the ceiling domes into a massive, stained glass mosaic. You gasp, turning around to look at it all.
“This is where all the alchemy books are.” Markus thumbs through the shelves and lays a few on the table. “These books here should help get you started on your lessons.”
“Wow,” you gasp. “This is amazing.”
“Isn’t it?” He follows your gaze up to the ceiling. “This was actually the first part of the building at one point. Everything else has been added on from this point.”
“So all of this isn’t an original building?” You ask.
“The library grows every year,” Markus replies with a knowing smirk. “It gets a new addition every five years or so to accommodate not only all the students but all the new books inside as well.”
“That’s amazing,” you gasp.
He chuckles, “I’ll leave you be then.” He pats your shoulder as he walks by. “Stay a while, enjoy yourself while you’re here.” He disappears the way you came.
You sit down at the table and crack open the first few books. You remove your bag and take out your pen and paper to start copying notes for yourself to use the following day.
The library becomes your home away from home. You wander in every day after classes and sit yourself down under that stained glass sky. You go through the books, happy to spend the rest of your studies reading each and every one.
Markus is a common fixture. Sometimes you see him, other times you don’t, but you know he’s always around. You still can’t quite place where you know him. You would think you could remember someone with eyes like his. The deep red sclera and liquid gold iris. You could never forget eyes like that if you tried.
He always had great recommendations for books as well. He was always eager to share. For a librarian, it seemed like he never got to talk about books. He was always excited when you came to the counter to ask for his opinion.
“Most students come in knowing what they are looking for,” he sighs one day. “I understand though, life can get busy. You just have time for what you need. The things you want seem to fall to the side.”
“I just like to study,” you admit bashfully. “I read pretty fast so I’m always looking for new things.”
He’s half way up the ladder and he takes a couple of books. “People tend to think of alchemy books are overbearing.”
“They can be,” you take the books his offers and you clutch them to your chest. “But I think that they can be a lot of fun too. It’s like word problems in math but in a different language.”
“Right?” Markus beams, his eyes seem to light up. “It’s so fascinating. What led you to alchemy?” He asks.
“Oh,” you glance down at your books. “My dad was a military alchemist,” you smooth your hand over the pages. “He was gone a lot, but when he came home he always had so many cool stories and things to show me. He collected books from all over the world. It didn’t matter the language, he would buy books left and right.” A gentle smile spreads across your face. “I can remember his office. I would spend hours in there as a kid. I would just read and read, even if I didn’t understand them.” The smile then fades and you trail your fingers down the spine of the book.
“Whats wrong?” Markus asks, his voice gentle.
“Oh sorry I was just-” you sigh, letting your shoulders slouch. “I can remember when I read the last book in my father’s library. I was excited for him to come back, to see all the new books he brought along with him.”
“Oh,” Markus seems to understand before you say it.
“I read them all,” you whisper. “I didn’t have anything left. I had nothing to treasure after that. I had read all the books and there would never be-” you bite your lip to cut off your voice. You close your eyes tight and shut the book before you.
“A lot of the books I’ve seen here I’ve read before,” you murmur. “But none of them are my dad’s.” You smile sadly. “They’re all still at home.”
Markus pats your back and you glance up at him, seeing his gentle expression.
“I wanted to study the same thing as my dad,” you murmur. “I often pretend that I’m reading books he read when he was in school. I feel like I’m reading his books again. Is that a silly reason?” You ask. “To want to be an alchemist?”
“As long as you enjoy it,” Markus answers. “There is no reason to force yourself to enjoy a profession to feel close to a loved one. Your father would want you to study what makes you happy, not what made him happy. So that goes to ask, do you enjoy alchemy?”
You smile and nod. “I really do,” you reply. “I love alchemy.”
“Then it’s a good reason.” He pats your back. “It’s getting late.”
You gasp, glancing at the clock on the wall. You put your things away and go to put the books back, but Markus is already gathering them.
“I can put those away. I’m the one who got them out.” You argue as you try to scoop the books back.
“Nonsense. I’m more than happy to do this.” He says. “You go on back to the dorms before it gets too late. I know they lock the stragglers out of the sleeping commons. I also know the couches in the recreation room are a century too old.”
You sigh and grab up your bag. “Thanks, Markus, have a good evening.” You race out of the library and back towards the dorms. You get to your bed and place your things under your bed as you pull out your sleep clothes.
“Back at the library?” Your bunkmate asks as she looks over the edge at you.
“Yeah,” you say. “That should be obvious by now.”
“Even with that weird librarian?” She asks.
You frown up at her. “Markus isn’t weird. He just loves books.” You slip on your nightgown and tie back your hair. “I’m sure people call you weird for loving plants.”
She huffs, unable to argue that logic. “Still, doesn’t there seem to be something strange about him? Like, have you ever seen him leave that place? Does he live there or what.”
You hesitate for a moment as you ponder what she’s said. You honestly haven’t seen him anywhere but the library. You know he talks about his home, but you’ve never heard him say where that was. A lot of teachers lived off campus, but it could be possible that Markus lived somewhere in the library. It was certainly big enough for that. You’d been at the school for six months now and hadn’t even touched a quarter of the entire building.
“He’s a little hinky, don’t ya think?”
You frown up at your bunkmate again. “You’re hinky.”
“Well I mean, you aren’t wrong.” She shrugs and slips back into her bunk as you crawl into your own.
You still can’t quite remember where you’ve seen Markus before. His face is so familiar and it always bothers you after you’ve left him. His eyes and smile are so aggravating recognizable, yet you can’t remember why.
The next day you have no classes, so you head to the library bright and early. You set up shop in your usual place and stretch out, knowing no one will be by to bother you that day.
“Good to see you so bright and early,” Markus says when he stumbles across you. “You seem to be enjoying your weekend.”
You blush. “Yeah, I’ve been kind of looking forward to this all week. That’s not sad is it?”
He laughs and shakes his head. “Not for me.” He places a few books back into place.
“Feel free to stay as long as you want tonight,” he replies. “I have some extra work I need to do so I’m just going to stay open for the night.”
“Really?” You gasp.
He nods. “I prefer being here anyway. This is my home.”
You blush and nod. “Well, if you’d like, I could go get us some food later.”
“You really don’t need to worry about me.”
You shake your head, hoping he takes you up on your offer. “It’s ok, really. I’d rather be here than the dorms anyways.”
He sighs and rubs his chin. “It’s fine really. But I won’t stop you if you decide to get me anything.” He winks and returns to the front desk.
You smile, clutching the books tighter. You return to your studies and after a while, you get up and leave. You go the concession stand in the center of campus and you buy something to eat for yourself and Markus. When you return to the library though, you can’t find him.
You wander down the aisles and make your way through the labyrinth-like structure of the library. But he’s nowhere to be found. You frown as you realize that in your search, you’ve grown lost as well. You sit down on a stack of books and sigh. It’s a little dark here and it’s hard to see. You then hear something. You turn, looking into the shadows.
It sounds large, and the footsteps are heavy. You sit up, staring into the darkness. You move closer as your heart begins to pound. You then see a bookcase tumbling towards you as it stretches from the shadows. You scream and duck, covering your head.
You hear the clatter and chaos of books falling, but nothing hits you. You look up, seeing scales. Your eyes widen as you glance upward. The scales are red and black and the body coils around you and pushes away the bookcase.
“Are you alright?” Markus’ voice asks.
“Uh,” you gasp as a set of eyes meets yours. They’re golden and red. “Markus?” You squint your eyes as you stare up at the creature before you.
He lowers himself down and sighs. “I’m sorry about…this.”
You stare up at him, your lips parting as you gasp. “It really is you.” He turns his head away and you see more of his features. His wide head, the deep orange of his underbelly. You reach out and touch him, running your hand down his scales. You quickly recoil your hand and you pick up the bag from the floor.
“I got us food,” you murmur. You hold it up towards him. “Would you like to join me?”
He looks down at you and a soft chuckle escapes his throat. “How kind of you.”
You smile up at him. “I got a bit lost,” you admit. “I was looking for you.”
“I’m sorry. I was trying to finish up my tasks here.” He points in a direction and you see a bright light turn on. “Follow that light, I’ll be behind you soon.”
You take one glance back at him, knowing he’d be changed when you see him again. You turn back, following the light that leads you back to the front desk. You wait for a moment and then Markus returns.
“Once again, I’m sorry about that all.” He replies. His cheeks flushed and eyes cast aside.
“So this is your hoard,” you say.
He glances at you, eyes wide and his jaw drops.
“I’ve read up on dragons before,” you admit. “After seeing you it just kind of clicked. But that’s why the library is so big, right?” You ask. “Because this is your hoard.”
He takes off his glasses and chuckles. “You’re very astute. You guessed correctly.”
You then realize where you’ve seen him before. In your headmaster’s pictures, there were a few with Markus in them. It never occurred to you before, because those pictures were over twenty years old. But if Markus was a dragon, it would make sense.
“What did you get us?” he asks.
“Oh!” You gasp and pull out the food from inside the bag. “Just some sandwiches.” You murmur. “But uhm…” you frown when you realize they got squished during the whole incident.
He takes them and chuckles. “I have some soup,” he says. “We can try and salvage these and have a nice warm bowl together.”
Your eyes light up and your heart begins to hammer. “Yeah. That sounds nice!”
He takes your hand, holding it gently as he leads you through the library. He takes you towards the very back and into a room closed off from the rest of the building. Inside is a small living space. There is a bed and some furniture, but it’s mostly taken up by a kitchen. There’s another wall inside made of glass and behind it, there are rows and rows of old books.
“That’s the archive,” Markus replies when he notices you staring. “I keep all the antique and delicate books in there along with important documents and scrolls.”
“Scrolls?” You gasp.
He smiles, “I’ve been collecting for a long time.” He turns on the stove and you sit down at the table. You watch him as he takes the squished sandwiches and makes them new with fresh bread and a little of his own touch. He hands you a bowl of soup and a plate with the refreshed sandwich.
“So, you do live in the library.”
“Call it a perk,” he jokes.
You smile and taste the soup. “I’d call it a perk. But then again, you know me.”
“I do,” he sits down with you and sighs, watching you eat before he takes his first bite. “When the academy was first built they wanted to build it on top of my lands,” he admits. “So the old headmaster made a pact with me. As long as I shared my treasure with the school, I could keep my home.”
“He must have been glad your treasure was books.”
“Actually, I was the lucky one. For ages, I just sat on what I had. I didn’t realize that what I had was something so powerful.” He smiles nostalgically. “I learned a lot back then and it only made my love grow. This library is more than just a hoard to me.”
“My dad said something similar,” you reply. “He used to say, a library is the world. It’s the universe. It’s every ounce of knowledge and wisdom that has been or ever will be. “
Markus smiles at you. “Yes, that’s it exactly.” He beams, his eyes bright and excited. “I’m so glad you understand.”
You feel your face burn as you look at this expression. Your heart hammers and you smile back. “I’m glad you do too,” you whisper. You realize then, you’ve fallen for Markus. Dragon or not, you want to spend all our days with him and his library. It’s a strange thought for you, but at the same time, it feels so perfect.
In the recent weeks, you’ve taken on an internship with Markus at the library to earn extra credit for your classes. If you had, to be honest, you would have done it for no reason at all but to do it. You’ve gotten to see more of the library. You’ve found hidden troves of books you had never seen before. It feels more like you should be paying the school to be able to do this than the other way around.
Also, you get to work with Markus, who you have to admit, you have fallen for. It wasn’t just his love of books that attracted you, although it helped. Some time ago, you had discovered Markus’ secret. The library was more than just that, it was also his hoard. He had been collecting and keeping it here before there was even an academy. He had been tending to the library since it was constructed.
Since that day you feel that you have gotten closer to Markus. He asked you if you wanted to take the internship and you jumped at the chance. He didn’t even need to ask. He could have just told you to do it and you would have.
One day, you’re fixing a section of cookbooks near the back. The shelf is high so you’re sitting on top of a ladder. You’ve never been one for cooking or even looking at cookbooks, but one caught your eye. It wasn’t so much a cookbook as it was a spell book. The recipes inside were worded in such a way you could make stew or a tincture for removing warts.
“Having fun up there?” Markus asks, leaning at the bottom of the ladder.
You glance down and smile. “Sorry, I got caught up reading.”
“Happens to me all the time,” he replies. “If you need a break, feel free to take one.”
“I’m fine,” you shake your head. “Why? Is there something you need me to do?” You move to take a step down off the ladder. You miss the step and you slip off. Before you can even scream through Markus has you in his arms. He’s pressed against the bookshelf smeared between you and the slightly toppled ladder.
“Are you ok?” You gasp.
“I’m supposed to ask that.” He shoves the ladder aside, letting it topple to the ground. He keeps you held tight and you don’t mind it.
“Thanks,” you gasp when he does set you on the ground.
“I’m just glad I was here,” he sighs, adjusting his askewed glasses. “Oh,” he pulls them off when he realizes they’ve broken.
“I can fix them.” You hold your hand out to take them. “I’ve actually gotten quite proficient in repairs.”
He places them in your palm and you look them over. Seeing one of the lenses is scuffed and an arm is broken off. “I have to get a few supplies. But I’ll be able to make them like new.”
“That’s fine,” he smiles. “Take your time, it’s important.”
“I’ll be right back, promise.” You make a dash out of the library. You’re able to navigate through the labyrinth as well as Markus now.
You go out, buying some supplies you can use to transmute a repair for his glasses. While you’re out and about you run into a few of your friends from the academy.
“It’s rare to see you during the daylight,” one chuckles.
“You’ve been working so hard at that library internship, we barely see you anymore. How is it going?”
You hide Markus’ glasses in your jacket. “It’s going really well. I’m enjoying it so much.”
“Obviously.” One laughs.
“Are you busy this evening?” Another asks.
“Not really,” you look at them curiously. “Why do you ask?”
“The Angeline dorms are holding a party. You should come! There’s going to be a lot of people there. You could meet someone.”
You’re knocked a little off guard. Not that you’re invited, but at the idea of meeting someone. In your mind, you’ve already met someone. You lower your eyes as the realization comes to you that, even if you have feelings for Markus there is a high chance he won’t return them.
“You ok?” They ask, snapping you from your thoughts.
“Oh,” you gasp then plaster on a smile. “Yeah! It’s fine. I’ll try and come. It sounds like it could be a lot of fun.”
“Oh, that’s great! Can’t wait to see you.”
You look back at Markus’ glasses tucked into the inner pocket of your coat and you sigh. It wouldn’t hurt to go. You knew you couldn’t keep daydreaming about a romance that probably would never happen.
You repair the glasses and return to the library. “Here,” you hand them back to Markus.
“Oh wonderful,” he takes them and looks them over. “I’ve had these glasses for so long. I didn’t realize how badly they had fallen into disrepair.” He slipped them on and smiles at you. “I owe you.”
“Oh, no really,” you shake your hand. “Please, you don’t have to owe me anything. They broke because you saved me.”
“They would have broken anyway,” he says. “So, how about tonight I buy you a nice dinner. For the glasses and for all the help you’ve given me lately.”
You swallow as your throat tight. “Tonight?” You ask, your voice a weak tremble.
“Yes,” he smiles down at you, his eyes making you melt like chocolate. “Is that alright with you?”
“No, I-” you gasp. “I had plans tonight.”
“Oh,” the look on his face makes you feel punched int he gut. He tries to cover it with a smile, but his eyes are terrible at hiding things. “That’s fine. I’m glad you’ve got something to do tonight. What is it?”
“Angeline dorm is holding a party.” You drop your eyes, trying to ignore his expression. “My friends asked me to go because I’ve been so busy here.”
“They must really miss you then. That’s great though, I do hope you have a good time. I can always pay you back another time.”
You leave that evening and get ready for the party. But while you’re there, you feel out of place. You’ve never been one for socializing, and even sometimes in class, you feel overcrowded. You sneak away, finding the Angeline dorm study hall. There you find several bookshelves that you can’t help but thumb through.
“Wallflower too, huh?”
You jump at the sound of the voice and you turn to see one of your classmates. He’s a centaur that’s in your advanced transmutation class. He rises from the sofa and yawns, stretching his arms,
“Did I startle you?” He laughs.
“Don’t feel like it’s special or anything,” you laugh and set the books back.
“I’m surprised that you’re here,” he says as he approaches. “I thought for sure we’d never see you between classes once you too that internship.”
You look back to the books, touching the rows of spines. “My friends begged me to. I didn’t wanna disappoint them tonight. Although-”
“Hiding in a study isn’t much different than hiding in a library. Right?” He asks.
You chuckle. “Right.”
“I can always cover for you if you wanna go back,” he says.
You look up at him and he tilts his head to the side. “Cover for me?”
He nods. “Yeah. Like, I’ll say we sucked each other’s faces for a bit and then you passed out or something.” He smirks at you. “Or maybe you just passed out.”
You smirk at him. “Why would you do that for me?”
“I need help with my transmutation homework,” he shrugs. “I cover your back, you cover mine.”
You look him over and smirk. “What makes you think I need my back covered?”
He stares at you like you’re stupid. “Just because I’m having trouble in class doesn’t mean I’m stupid. I’ve been in that library. I see how you are around Mr. Markus.”
You blush and turn away from him.
“Yeah. That’s very subtle,” he waves his hand at you. “I know that you would rather be in the library with him right now than in this study with me.” He tilts his head to his shoulder. “I get it though. The hot librarian, always a draw.”
You scowl at him then shake your head and scoff. “What do I owe you for keeping your mouth shut about this?” You cross your arms over your chest.
His ears flick and he thinks for a moment. “Hmm, I wasn’t expecting this.” He then snaps his fingers and points you. “I like sugar,” he says. “Keep candy on you at all times and I promise I’ll be as quiet as a mouse about all this.”
You glance up at him again and you slouch your shoulders. “Ok,” you hold your hand out to him. “You’ve got a deal.”
He shakes your hand. “This ain’t blackmail by the way. It’s just friends watching out for one another.”
“Of course,” you head towards the back entrance. “Thanks again.”
“I don’t like cinnamon of butterscotch candy so don’t ever have those!” He shouts at you as you make your escape.
You head back to the library, using your key to get inside. You step inside and you hear the heavy, lumbering footsteps of Markus in his dragon form. You walk towards the back, finding him in the cookbook section you’ve been working on.
“What are you doing here?” He asks as he lowers down towards you.
You blush and shrug. “I realized I would rather be here with you than with some acquaintances at a party.”
“You sure?” He asks. “You don’t have to be here just to make me happy.”
“I’m sure,” you say and you swallow your heart back into your throat. “I like you, Markus. A lot,” you confess to him. “I went to the party because I didn’t want to get my hopes up with you.”
Markus lowers down to you and he nuzzles his large cheek against yours. “I understand. I’m glad you told me.”
You touch him, putting both your hands on his face. “You are?”
“I’ve grown fond of you,” he murmurs to you and you’re almost certain your heart is going to explode. “I look forward to seeing you every day and I get sad when you have to go in the evenings. I was happy for you to go out tonight, I really was. But at the same time, I was…I felt like a jealous young man all over again.”
You glance up into his big eyes and you smile. “I can’t imagine you jealous?”
“Well, I was,” he sighs. “I know I don’t have much to offer but-”
“You have so much to offer!” You argue with him. “You have so much and I haven’t even seen all of it yet.”
He chuckles, smiling gently. “Even now?” He asks. “Like this?” He swipes his tail back and forth.
“Even now! Because now, there’s so much of you to love.” You then freeze up, realizing the word that has left your lips.
There’s a flash of light and you feel hands clasp yours. You feel a gentle kiss on your lips and as the light fades you close your eyes. You lean into Markus’ kiss and you wrap your arms around his neck.
He pulls back, clearing his throat. “Forgive me. I got…overwhelmed.”
You smile. “It’s ok. I liked it.” You kiss him again and he presses back.
He has to force himself away, holding you at arm’s length. “Well, if this is satisfactory for you,” he clears his throat. “Then perhaps, if I am enough-”
“You are,” you retort, taking hold of his hand. “You’re plenty for me.”
He smiles at you, squeezing your hand tight. “Then, let me love you.”
