Work Text:
when hugo's not on the field kicking balls with ruthless precision or verbally tormenting other players unfortunate to play against him, he's at his favorite place—the bookstore.
the bookstore was tucked away in an isolated alleyway in the heart of paris, far from the curious, prying eyes of civilians going on with their lives. nobody really knew about the area. everyone else preferred indulging in their reading at grand libraries or aesthetic cafes.
hugo appreciated the bookstore's atmosphere. the air always carried the faint scent of aged paper and dust, a smell he oddly liked. he enjoyed his solitude engrossed in any form of literature. only here was he able to unwind relaxingly.
he believed that the bookstore was destined for him.
he even had his own spot—a comfy, secluded corner between two towering shelves, decorated with pillows and fairy lights someone lazily draped across the shelves years ago. all the other regulars settled for sitting on the floor or at some desk while he had his sanctuary.
his peace is disrupted when one day you arrive.
hugo was halfway through some book — this time not a blank one — when from the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of you.
he didn't think much of you at first, assuming you were just another tourist who stumbled upon the bookstore. instead of bothering to observe and examine you like he usually did with others, he immediately returned to his book. you were just an irrelevant passerby who found a "hidden gem" and would never return anyway.
that was until you started showing up every day.
the next day, hugo was looking through newly ordered books when he noticed movement. looking up, he immediately recognized you. there you were, deeper inside the store, fingers trailing along the spines of books.
then, you came the following day and again, you showed up the very next day. soon, a month flew by, and somehow you were at the bookstore every single day.
throughout this time, hugo began noticing little details about you. like how you always arrived at the bookstore past 5 pm with a bright smile on your face, greeting the owners politely. or how sometimes you'd be hunched over your computer, profusely typing away while you anxiously nibbled on your bottom lip.
hugo noticed the books you picked too. unconsciously, he began adding all the books you read to his "to-be-read" list.
he had a problem though. instead of learning how to appreciate your presence, he viewed you as a disruption in the background.
he could never focus on his book—pages left unread, words blurred together, entire chapters passed without him retaining a single piece of information.
his sharp gaze was always glued to you. and whenever your eyes met his, you smiled softly. hugo never returned the smile, opting to give you the cold shoulder, leaving you confused. when you looked away, his attention — persistent and unwavering — always drifted back to you. that irritated him to a great extent.
one day, you finally decided to speak to him.
you approached him with that same smile which pissed him off but also made the corners of his mouth unconsciously quirk up. he tried not to look at you immediately, attempting to ignore you like he always did. he was hoping to let you stand there awkwardly until you got the hint and left.
when you greeted him and began rambling about something, he gave in.
hugo was already affected by your existence and your proximity made things worst. he couldn't focus on what you were saying, your words slipping past him into meaningless sound.
your sweet voice left him hypnotized, and god, he couldn't stop staring at your lips—they were so perfect. a quick, vivid vision of him kissing you flashed in his mind and his entire body tensed up. he flinched back to awareness, eyes widening slightly before narrowing back. his gaze hardened to the coldness so quick.
you seemed to have noticed the shift in hugo's behavior and he felt embarrassed. he wasn't supposed to fold like this in front of you. hugo straightened his posture, jaw tightening as he forced his attention to remain on your words, not your lips.
"so, i was wondering if you could give me a couple of book recs?"
"sure."
that day, you two exchanged numbers and for some odd reason, an unfamiliar excitement bubbled in his chest.
hugo wasn't expecting you to one day ask him for book recommendations. the thought of you actually approaching him, talking to him, wanting something from him, never occured once in his mind.
he texted you a couple of books to read, ones that he carefully chose. after observing all the literature you indulged in, he knew what you'd like and what would bore you.
every time you finished a book, you messaged him, excitedly yapping about everything you read. your messages were long paragraphs, scattered thoughts, and half formed critical analyzations. hugo could easily tell you were typing faster than you could think.
meanwhile his responses were short and dry. sometimes he'd type out a long message that matched your energy, only for him to immediately delete it. you didn't seem to mind though as you continued to message him with large bursts of energy.
he began unknowingly yearning for your messages and your reviews, checking his phone far more than necessary. when you weren't messaging him something new, he'd catch himself re-reading your old messages. he didn't even realize he was falling deeper and deeper for you by every passing day.
even before matches, instead of staring at some blank book, he was on his phone, scrolling through conversations from weeks ago—conversations which were 99.99% of your rambling and 0.01% of his detached responses.
his teammates noticed the change in hugo's demeanor. the controlled boy was suddenly weirdly softer than usual. during matches and practice games, he was fumbling, a sharp contrast to his previous cold attitude and meticulous gameplay whilst playing soccer.
"what'cha reading?" charles would attempt looking over hugo's shoulder and peer into the very interesting glowing phone screen, only for hugo to push him off.
hugo didn't even let loki, his most trusted partner, on whatever was happening in his life.
he was so caught up with you, the bookstore girl and the biggest distraction in his life.
but because of the label he gave you — a distraction — he tried so hard to not pursue the strangeness he felt whenever you were around or talked to him. he had to avoid you to not be sidetracked, even when he felt deeply conflicted.
the final push which led him to ignore you completely was after a rare loss.
the entire time he was on the field, his mind was on you. when the ball was passed to him, his grip faltered. his focus, which was usually always sharp, had slipped.
when he returned home and checked his phone, his notifications were all you. after finishing another book, you sent long paragraphs of all you learned. your excitement was practically radiating off the screen.
normally hugo would've responded and sent similar recommendations for you to read, but he chose to leave you on seen instead.
that's how it was like for the next couple weeks—you messaging him about your latest reads and him leaving you on delivered like all of a sudden you meant nothing to him. only after a couple of days you realized he was ghosting you.
even at the bookstore hugo avoided you, acting like you were a ghost every time you attempted to speak to him. he never hesitated to walk away when you even took a single step in his direction. you tried to communicate with him and understand why he was acting like this towards you, but either your efforts were left unnoticed or purposefully ignored.
you always knew hugo was kind of indifferent and cold, but after all the shared, intimate-ish moments, you thought you had a place in his life. it hurt knowing he could easily push you aside like that.
but you had no time to dwell, especially when your own life was constantly throwing things at you recklessly. you were so busy with exams, assignments, and other problems that at one point, you had to stop visiting the bookstore. you went weeks without dropping by the bookstore once.
your absence didn't go unnoticed by hugo. he pretended not to care, but every day, his eyes would drift to the door at 5 pm, the time you always stepped foot into the bookstore. hugo thought things would go back to how they were—the time before you stumbled into his life. he would return to reading peacefully without his attention slipping to you.
vivian hugo, who was so mentally strong, crumbled from the lack of your presence.
he found it harder to play soccer. he even tripped on air while thinking about you! he felt even more distracted now.
"why don't you just message her?"
hugo finally told his trusted friend about his conflicted feelings towards you.
"no. i haven't spoken to her in weeks. it'd be weird."
"well you obviously have to reach out first. you're the one who started this," loki advised.
"no."
hugo wanted to talk to you. he missed your voice and your messages—he missed your energy and the way you'd continuously talk about books. yet he was too stubborn too break this whole no contact stage. he felt guilty, but he also wanted to protect his ego simultaneously.
weeks turned into months.
hugo thought you might've forgotten about him and the bookstore. he thought you moved on, found someone who actually appreciates your love for literature than cold ol' him.
he even stopped regularly visiting the bookstore. it was no longer a place of serenity for him. he was constantly longing for your presence every time he was near the vicinity of the bookstore.
today was one of those rare occasions where he actually built up the courage to stop by the bookstore. he needed something new to read anyway.
hugo stepped into the alley, the familiar quiet settling around him as he approached the bookstore. he entered inside and was immediately hit with the comforting smell of old pages.
without thinking, his feet carried him deeper inside the bookstore. he walked through rows of books, eyes lingering longer on books that you've read.
he pulled a book out of a shelf, remembering how you once recommended this one too him. he held the book to his chest and headed to his spot—the comforting area which was silently decided to be his.
hugo stopped in his tracks when he realized his spot was occupied. someone was curled up in his spot, head resting against one of the pillows. his brows furrowed slightly, irritation already rising out of instinct.
who the hell?
when hugo looked closer, his irritation instantly dissipated, replaced with that feeling in his chest he could never coin.
you were fast asleep, your laptop closed beside you, and a book slipping slightly from your grasp. he looked at the cover and his chest immediately swelled. you were still reading from his recommendations.
hugo stood there, admiring your face which he hadn't seen in so long. the fairy lights casted a soft glow over your face, illuminating the faint exhaustion written in your features. even though you clearly looked worn out, you were still radiating beauty. hugo's heart was thumping so loudly that he was afraid you'd wake up.
slowly and hesitantly, hugo took a seat beside you. his grip on his book tightened when he took a better look at your face. there were faint traces of stress lingering in your expression even in sleep, like whatever had been keeping you away hadn’t been easy. he wondered if he was apart of your stress.
something unfamiliar twisted inside him—something between irritation, disbelief, and some feeling much softer that he didn’t want to acknowledge.
"you're always distracting me," hugo muttered under his breath, voice quieter than usual. he didn't even realize that he started talking.
"i thought you were a disruption who would only mess up my life. i was wrong," he continued.
hugo's gaze softened and lingered on you—on the way you were curled into his spot like you belonged there, like you’d always belonged there. he never felt comfortable with other people being in his spot, but something about you resting there so peacefully brought him ease.
"...you didn't mess anything up."
hugo hesitated to speak more, jaw tightening slightly.
"if anything, you made it worst for me."
he immediately regretted saying those words out loud. they felt unfamiliar and wrong. he exhaled quietly, running a hand through his burgundy hair. his eyes flickered away from your frame for a brief second, only for them to return right away.
"i'm sorry for leaving you like that. it was wrong—i was wrong."
his words felt heavy in the air. it was weird revealing himself like this. it felt even weirder letting go of his pride, but somehow also relieving.
"i'm glad you understand your wrongdoings, hugo."
your voice startled hugo, cutting through the quiet. you were awake this entire time and he didn't even realize it. a faint flush crept up his neck from embarrassment.
you shifted, sitting up properly in his spot, brushing off your clothes like nothing unusual had just occurred.
"if you were listening the entire time, you should've said something," hugo muttered. here he was, weakly attempting to regain control over this entire situation even though he was so desperate to see you again a moment ago.
but then again, he was grateful. if you said something to him earlier, he probably would've ran out the bookstore.
"it seems like you missed me," you hummed. there was a teasing lilt in your voice, soft and knowing. hugo's expression immediately tightened in response. it was true he missed you—he felt incomplete without you.
"don't worry hugo. i forgive you. i'm sure you had your reasons anyway."
"if you put it like that, then you're making me look like an insolent jerk," hugo muttered shamefully.
"are you not one?" you retorted teasingly. hugo's breath hitched at your words. he couldn't form a response at all.
the air felt suddenly thicker, unspoken words lingering around, wishing to be finally acknowledged.
"i really am sorry," hugo murmured. "i hope you can forgive me. if not now, then hopefully someday."
"of course i can forgive you," you responded. "but i am so curious—what do you mean i made things worst for you? how did i even ruin your life?"
hugo’s gaze dropped — a traitorous thing he couldn't control — locking onto your lips like it had that day when you first spoke to him.
"let me show you how much you've ruined me [name]."
quickly but gently, hugo cupped your cheeks and pulled you into a chaste kiss. you were completely taken aback by this sudden action, but you didn't pull away, leaning closer to seek out his warmth instead.
the kiss deepened and all the tension from before melted away.
hugo exhaled softly against your lips, his grip on your face tightening slightly to ground himself in the moment. his movements were still controlled and careful, but there was a growing urgency beneath them now.
he shifted slightly, releasing one hand from your cheek and resting it on your waist to pull you closer. your hand instinctively found his sleeve, fingers curling slightly on the fabric as the space between you disappeared completely.
his lips parted against yours, breath mingling with yours for a split second before he tilted his head just enough to deepen the kiss further. the lips he once dreamed of kissing was now on his and he couldn't hold himself back.
finally, hugo pulled away to let you both catch your breath. you rested your forehead against his, staring into those dark eyes which had not a hint of indifference.
"i think i finally understand what i feel for you," hugo muttered, staring at your lips quickly before meeting your gaze.
"je t'aime."