#Library of the unwritten - Hero & Rami

[penna-nomen]

Character A: I am chaos Character B: I am order. I will reform you A: A little order would be nice, if it makes you happy B: (smug) Totally winning you over to order A: Nope, gotta stay chaotic B: Help! I'm in a situation I can't solve with order A: ** solves things with chaos ** A: ** shares backstory highlighting the unfairness of the systems that enforce order ** B: Oh. I see. Agents of chaos provide balance A: So I don't need to change to keep your approval/love/friendship? B: Don't change. You're perfect. me: ** melts **

#some of my favorite fandoms #white collar - Neal & Peter #psych - Shawn & like half the cast #the extraordinaries - Nick & his dad #the house in the cerulean sea - Arthur & Linus #good omens - Crowley & Aziraphale - I think this is where season 3 will take us #the good place - Eleanor & Chidi #maybe Michael & Janet? #supernatural - Dean & Castiel? #Library of the unwritten - Hero & Rami #In Death Series - Roarke & Eve Dallas - it's been a while but that felt like their vibe #sal and gabi break the universe - Sal & Gabi #Merlin - Merlin & Arthur #even some of Jane Austen's couples lean that way - Elizabeth brings the kind of chaos Darcy needs in his life #maybe David & Patrick in Schitt's Creek? #a variation on this for Parker & Hardison in Leverage? #The whole premise of Leverage for that matter #Murderbot and its favorite clients - but I think Mensah already has chaos in her heart and Murderbot just expands it

[rockislandadultreads]

Warm Up with a Good Book!

Need a book to spark your interest & keep you warm? Check out one of these fiery recommendations! Make sure to also log whatever you read for our upcoming "Snow Many Books" Winter Reading Challenge, which begins this Friday, January 12th!

Where There Was Fire by John Manuel Arias

Costa Rica, 1968: When a lethal fire erupts at the American Fruit Company’s most lucrative banana plantation burning all evidence of a massive cover-up, and her husband disappears, the future of Teresa’s family is changed forever.

Now, twenty-seven years later, Teresa and her daughter Lyra are picking up the pieces. Lyra wants nothing to do with Teresa, but is desperate to find out what happened to her family that fateful night. Teresa, haunted by a missing husband and the bitter ghost of her mother, Amarga, is unable to reconcile the past. What unfolds is a story of a mother and daughter trying to forgive what they do not yet understand, and the mystery at the heart of one family’s rupture.

Dance Among the Flames by Tori Eldridge

Passion. Horror. Betrayal.

Across forty years, three continents, and a past incident in 1560 France, Serafina Olegario tests the boundaries of love, power, and corruption as she fights to escape her life of poverty and abuse. Serafina's quest begins in Brazil when she's possessed by the warrior goddess Yansã, who emboldens her to fight yet threatens to consume her spirit. Fueled by power and enticed by Exú, an immortal trickster and intermediary to the gods, Serafina turns to the seductive magic of Quimbanda. It's dangerous to dance in the fire. But when you come from nothing, you have nothing to lose.

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao

Poornima and Savitha have three strikes against them: they are poor, they are ambitious, and they are girls. After her mother’s death, Poornima has very little kindness in her life. She is left to care for her siblings until her father can find her a suitable match. So when Savitha enters their household, Poornima is intrigued by the joyful, independent-minded girl. Suddenly their Indian village doesn't feel quite so claustrophobic, and Poornima begins to imagine a life beyond arranged marriage.

But when a devastating act of cruelty drives Savitha away, Poornima leaves behind everything she has ever known to find her friend. Her journey takes her into the darkest corners of India's underworld, on a harrowing cross-continental journey, and eventually to an apartment complex in Seattle.

The Archive of the Forgotten by A.J. Hackwith

The Library of the Unwritten in Hell was saved from total devastation, but hundreds of potential books were destroyed. Former librarian Claire and Brevity the muse feel the loss of those stories, and are trying to adjust to their new roles within the Arcane Wing and Library, respectively. But when the remains of those books begin to leak a strange ink, Claire realizes that the Library has kept secrets from Hell - and from its own librarians.

Claire and Brevity are immediately at odds in their approach to the ink, and the potential power that it represents has not gone unnoticed. When a representative from the Muses Corps arrives at the Library to advise Brevity, the angel Rami and the erstwhile Hero hunt for answers in other realms. The true nature of the ink could fundamentally alter the afterlife for good or ill, but it entirely depends on who is left to hold the pen.

This is the second volume of the "Hell's Library" series.

#fiction #book covers #reading challenge #reading recommendations #reading recs #book recommendations #book recs #tbr #tbr pile #to read #library books #booklr #book tumblr #book blog #library blog #readers advisory

[booksandwords]

The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith

Series: Hell's Library, #1 Read Time: 6 Days Rating: 5/5

The quote: Stories are, at the most basic level, how we make sense of the world. It doesn't do to forget that sometimes heroes fail you when you need them the most. Sometimes you throw your lot in with villains. — Claire Hadley

I really enjoyed The Library of the Unwritten so much more than I anticipated. With a very enjoyable plot, likeable and unique characters and alternating perspectives between several characters. This is a book that truly needs that alternating perspective to allow readers to see that not everyone is what they appear. To humanise them. To only present one perspective in The Library of the Unwritten would do the characters a disservice. Because the characters are a ragtag group (aside from Claire and Brevity) no one knows or trusts each other. That switching perspective allows the reader to see when the characters move from ragtag travellers to little found family. As the groups split up it allows for everything to be seen and if not understood at least known.

On the characters. There are six main characters. Hero a fictional character escaped from his book. Leto, a demon of Entropy, an amnesic demon. Andras Hell's Arcanist, a demon. Claire, Hell's Librarian and former human. Brevity, a failed muse, Claire's assistant and trainee librarian. Finally Ramiel, an angel looking for redemption. No two characters are the same, their motivations are different and you do get physical descriptions of them all allowing for visualisation. Claire is something of an intriguing character. She has a lot of layers, secrets and a past that comes back to haunt them. She is self sentenced to 200 years as Hell's Librarian. Bonus points for creating a soft coded demi character. Leto's whole arc broke my heart a little but I do like how twisty it is. He is so incredibly soft and sweet. Hero is the character that has the nicest development arc. He also is one of my fave types of character complicated, full of redemption and a prism. (This sort of character is why I love Sherrilyn McQueen so much).  Brevity is so, so bubbly but has her human flaws. I think her full backstory will likely come out in one of the later books. Not going to go into Rami or Andras because spoilers.

The story is one you will either enjoy or not. It asks you to follow it down the rabbit hole, check your faith and belief system at the door and believe in the world Hackwith created. If you have strong religious (and I mean any religion here really) views I would advise avoiding this series. While The Library of the Unwritten only challenges perceptions of Christianity and Catholicism (and those based thereon) it does make illusions to others. While I know some people even with strong views will be fine others will take offence. I say this but religion doesn't play a massive part, it more dictates the surrounding politics. Another warning for suicide is alluded to not shown but it is a key moment. The plot is strong enough and with enough going on that while I thought I had it figured out I didn't. Each of the characters has their own moment of strength and weakness that we as the reader see. The ending pulls together all the learnings from throughout the book into a climax that becomes somewhat bittersweet. And kinda left me think what if? The plot is just fun. It's always moving, always surprising and I'm really hoping that A.J. Hackwith can keep it up in the second book.

I want to add just briefly that the lore which I appreciated is revealed through quotes at the start of each chapter. Quotes are taken from journal entries by the various Hell's Librarians and their trainees from many, many years. This is a similar style to Neal Shusterman's Arc of the Scythe (first book Scythe). I always did like that way of revealing the lore of a series. Rather than just giving a massive just dump of lore somewhere for the reader to absorb. There is other lore given as the reader needs it but not as much as I initially expected for a book so heavily built on the other.

For a book I found Libraries -- Fiction subject and came into totally blind I'm immensely happy I read it. It's a combination of what we all want to believe in books, well-written librarians and interesting paranormal lore. There are so many fantastic quotes, mostly in the world-building about libraries, librarians and their cultural positions and importance. Disclaimer as always I am a trained librarian and have a love for my profession written well. This was both written well. It is so rare to see that practice of bookbinding done with such care though and with a solid reason for it to be done. I really do recommend this to libraries and fans of the supernatural.

#hell's library #the library of the unwritten #a.j. hackwith #book review #ktreviews #read 2021 #biblophile #booklr

[writertrust]

The archive of the forgotten

THE ARCHIVE OF THE FORGOTTEN HOW TO

The plot of the ink well that appears in the archive is secundary to this. It is one of the biggest conflicts throughout the book that gets fueled extra by a muse friend of Brevity.

THE ARCHIVE OF THE FORGOTTEN HOW TO

Their roles have changed and neither knows how to truly navigate that. Their interactions have gone from librarian and assistant to archivist and librarian. It has caused a big strain on the relationship between the two. Claire is now head of the archive which in fact is a demotion. In this installment the characters are still dealing with the aftermath of the near destruction of the Library of the Unwritten. The setting of a library in hell of unwritten books with an archive next to it of forgotten items. The thing with these books is that it is all about the setting and the characters. The Archive of the Forgotten immediately became my most aniticipated release of the year. I read The Library of the Unwritten earlier this year and was immediately hooked. The true nature of the ink could fundamentally alter the afterlife for good or ill, but it entirely depends on who is left to hold the pen. When a representative from the Muses Corps arrives at the Library to advise Brevity, the angel Rami and the erstwhile Hero hunt for answers in other realms. But when the remains of those books begin to leak a strange ink, Claire realizes that the Library has kept secrets from Hell–and from its own librarians.Ĭlaire and Brevity are immediately at odds in their approach to the ink, and the potential power that it represents has not gone unnoticed. Former librarian Claire and Brevity the muse feel the loss of those stories, and are trying to adjust to their new roles within the Arcane Wing and Library, respectively. The Library of the Unwritten in Hell was saved from total devastation, but hundreds of potential books were destroyed. Tags: Adult | Fantasy | Hell | Found Family | Friendship | Muse | Angel | Books | Library | Archive | LGBTQ+ | Bisexual MC’s Book: The Archive of the Forgotten (Hell’s Library 2) by A.J.

#The archive of the forgotten

[midnight-nears]

Brevity: how do u guys like your coffee?

Hero: bitter and empty, like my soul

Rami: he’s lying, he can’t drink coffee because it makes his tummy hurt too much

#hell's library #funny #the library of the unwritten #hells library #library of the unwritten #hero (hells library) #rami (hells library) #the archive of the forgotten #hero #brevity (hells library) #incorrect hells library quotes #hells library shitpost

[emile-hides]

Hero’s chapters have very quickly become my favorite part of the second book

#Hell's Library series #The Archive of the Forgotten #The Library of the Unwritten #He's so GAY??? And it's really funny actually #I meant to document more but this was my favorite snipet so far #To be fair my favorite line of book 1 was also a Hero line #'It's exhausting containing multitudes' #I love him #This book all his waning about his clear crush on Rami vs the task at hand and his just stubborn resolve??? #God I ADORE him #I read this letter in the same way one may read Doctor Phil's 'Your ugly your digusting I'm gonna kill you give me $200' #The Unspoken wing might be my favorite part of the library btw. At least in concept #How COOL is just like?? An archive of words never said? Emotions and feelings never expressed? #It's so.. .human. It makes my heart ache. I love it. #Also there's a fanfiction section in the Unwritten wing called the 'noncanon' section and I love that #Anyway these books are great I'm not done with Archive of the Forgotten yet but I'm at my halfway point

[uniquely-sarah-elisabeth]

Hero x Rami

#hero x rami #the library of the unwritten #new book new ship

[annarellix]

The God of Lost Words by A.J. Hackwith (Hell's Library, #3)

My Review (5*): I fell in love with this series when I read The Library of the Unwritten and this series always keep me entertaining and in love with the words I read. It's a long love letters to books, ideas, characters, and it's also an excellent fantasy series that mixes genres, tropes and make them original and new. The God of Lost Words is the brilliant last instalment in this series: I read it as fast as I could, savoured the words, enjoyed the story, and cry saying goodbye to the characters. Parts of me hope to be able to meet again Claire, Hero and the other fleshed out characters. They were well developed, and I loved following their evolution as much as I loved the amazing world building. I can't wait to read another book by this author. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Titan Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Synopsis: To save the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, former librarian Claire and her allies may have to destroy it first. Claire, rakish Hero, angel Rami, and muse-turned-librarian Brevity have accomplished the impossible by discovering the true nature of unwritten books. But now that the secret is out, in its quest for power Hell will be coming for every wing of the Library. To protect the Unwritten Wing and stave off the insidious reach of Malphas, Hell’s most bloodthirsty general, Claire and her friends will have to decide how much they’re willing to sacrifice to keep their vulnerable corner of the afterlife. Succeeding would mean rewriting the nature of the Library, but losing would mean obliteration. Their only chance at survival lies in outwitting Hell and writing a new chapter for the Library. Luckily, Claire and her friends know how the right story, told well, can start a revolution.

Book page: https://titanbooks.com/70147-the-god-of-lost-words/

The Author: J. Hackwith is a queer writer of fantasy and science fiction living in Seattle. She is a graduate of the Viable Paradise writer’s workshop and her work appears in Uncanny Magazine and assorted anthologies.

Twitter: @ajhackwith Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ajhackwith/

#fantasy #Titan Books #libraries #urban fantasy #NetGalley #review

[semper-legens]

126. The Archive of the Forgotten, by A J Hackwith

Owned: No, library Page count: 365 My summary: After the destruction of many unwritten books under her care, ex-librarian Claire has been estranged from ex-muse and current librarian Brevity. But upon the discovery of a strange ink, everyone begins to realise that there are more to the unwritten books than they first assumed. Can they find the true nature of the ink before everything is torn apart? My rating: 3.5/5 My commentary:

I didn’t think I’d pick up the sequel to The Library of the Forgotten, a book I read earlier this year. To be fair, I’m not sure I knew there was a sequel out there yet. But I saw it in the library and thought eh, why not, so here we are. Overall I found that I connected with it a little more than the first book - that happens, when I’m more ‘inside’ a world and know the characters better, the book can spend less time establishing and more time just being. I’m still not super into it, but on the other hand I can see why someone would be. More of a personal preference than a value judgement, is my point.

Claire continues to be compelling - she’s stoically resolved to unravel the mystery, no matter what it takes, but she still wants to help and protect her friends. In a lot of series her kind of character might become a misanthropic lone wolf type, so I really like that while she’s isolated throughout the book, she still likes and values the others and has good intentions, even when her experimentation takes her down dodgy roads. Her quiet desperation at being unable to save all of the books is heartbreaking, and I enjoyed being along for the ride.

Brevity, meanwhile, gets a bit more serious in this one. She’s got some real responsibilities, but the main conflict for her is that her sister-by-choice Probity has shown up, and has some ideas on what Brevity should do with her new discovery. To be honest, I didn’t really love her side-plot, and that’s mostly because the fact that Probity’s up to something dodgy is so clear from the start. I spent the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop, and when it did it was interesting, but not particularly satisfying, if you get me. This might be another preference thing though.

Meanwhile, Hero and Rami, a villain escaped from his book turned library assistant and fallen angel turned archival assistant respectively, do the questing-style legwork for this one. I gotta admit, I really love Hero, and that’s because he’s exactly my type of character - sad man hiding under bluster and snarkiness, with a kind of tsundere attitude to the concept of friendship. His arc, seeing him becoming more and more of his own person and accepting his place in the universe, is wonderful, as well as seeing him get closer and closer to Rami. Rami, meanwhile, is a good contrast to Hero - straightforward, wise, experienced. He’s a gentle giant type, but a clever one. Seeing them slowly get together is, frankly, adorable, and I gotta give major kudos to the author for not having them have a sexuality freakout or anything. They’re just two dude who love each other a lot, and honestly I think that’s beautiful.

A lot of this narrative is caught up in the nature of books and stories - makes sense for the framing, but I do wonder about what it classes as a story. In a tale about how stories have lives of their own, the setting of a library necessarily foregrounds the kind of stories that are written down, but of course the oldest and most pervasive stories come down to us from oral traditions. No mention of that, though to be fair that is explained by the whole ‘library’ thing. The idea that books themselves have souls is...obvious, which is more irritating than not thanks to the fact that the book treats it as a reveal. I know, I usually eat this kind of stuff up, but here it just failed to stick the landing for me.

That’s all here - next up, time for some strange short stories.

#The Archive of the Forgotten #A J Hackwith #bookblr #book blog #book blogging #3.5

[littlefurpants]

The archive of the forgotten (sequel to the library of the unwritten) rocketed to the top of the list of the best lgbtq books I've ever read. I loved hero more with every page that past, he is seriously one of my all time favorite characters now, and when he almost died MULTIPLE TIMES I kept going OH MY GOD. YOU DID NOT JUST GET ME INVESTED IN HERO/RAMI AND THEN FUCKING PULL A BURY YOUR GAYS. I was so mad!!! I was ready to throw my book! But, spoiler, he comes back as a character who has been liberated from his book and has a soul and is WRITING HIS OWN STORY AHHHHH. Fuck. This book took me on a ride. I very nearly lost it but it turned out SO GOOD I had big feels and near tears. I'm begging you to read it!! The first one is good but the sequel is fucking off the charts. And there's a third coming out in November!

#sidenote i saw the author's pic and was like uhhhh is this a picture of me? #we're practically identical

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: More LGBTQIA+ Fantasy

The Binding by Bridget Collins

Books are dangerous things in Collins's alternate universe, a place vaguely reminiscent of 19th-century England. It's a world in which people visit book binders to rid themselves of painful or treacherous memories. Once their stories have been told and are bound between the pages of a book, the slate is wiped clean and their memories lose the power to hurt or haunt them. After having suffered some sort of mental collapse and no longer able to keep up with his farm chores, Emmett Farmer is sent to the workshop of one such binder to live and work as her apprentice. Leaving behind home and family, Emmett slowly regains his health while learning the binding trade. He is forbidden to enter the locked room where books are stored, so he spends many months marbling end pages, tooling leather book covers, and gilding edges. But his curiosity is piqued by the people who come and go from the inner sanctum, and the arrival of the lordly Lucian Darnay, with whom he senses a connection, changes everything.

The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie M. Liu

Briar, bodyguard for a body-stealing sorceress, discovers her love for Rose, whose true soul emerges only once a week. An apprentice witch seeks her freedom through betrayal, the bones of the innocent, and a meticulously-plotted spell. In a world powered by crystal skulls, a warrior returns to save China from invasion by her jealous ex. A princess runs away from an arranged marriage, finding family in a strange troupe of traveling actors at the border of the kingdom’s deep, dark woods. Concluding with a gorgeous full-length novella, Marjorie Liu’s first short fiction collection is an unflinching sojourn into her thorny tales of love, revenge, and new beginnings.

The God of Lost Words by A.J. Hackwith

To save the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, former librarian Claire and her allies may have to destroy it first. Claire, the rakish Hero, the angel Rami, and the muse-turned librarian Brevity have accomplished the impossible by discovering the true nature of unwritten books. But now that the secret is out, Hell will be coming for every wing of the library in its quest for power.

This is the third volume in the “Hell’s Library” series. The first two books include The Library of the Unwritten and The Archive of the Forgotten.  

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

Welcome to Charon's Crossing. The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through. When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead. And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead. But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

#fantasy #LGBTQIA #lgbtq characters #lgbtq books #science fiction #reading recs #reading recommendations #book recs #book recommendations #to read #library books #booklr #book tumblr #TBR pile #tbr

[midnight-nears]

Yay! finally got around to drawing The Family!! and i’m actually happy with it for once

promise i’ll make more!

#i drew them smiling beCAUSE THEY DESERVE TO BE HAPPY #the amount of angst in the book rn is killing me (and them) ahhhh #its cartoon-ish but its at least roughly how i picture them #i know its dumb but i spent awhile on it haha #hell's library #hells library #the library of the unwritten #library in hell #The God of Lost Words #The archive of the forgotten #hells library fanart #hells library characters #hero #claire bradley #claire foy #brevity #rami #ramiel #@emile-hides

[midnight-nears]

obsessed with how dramatic this ‘death’ scene gotta be while the next chapter they walk out fine—

anyway here’s my boys

#funny #library of the unwritten #unwritten library #library of the unwritten fanart #hells library #rami #ramiel #hero #hero (hells library) #rami (hells library) #hells library fanart #@emile-hides

[midnight-nears]

little sketches of my favourite I-used-to-hate-you-but-now-we’re-on-the-same-side-I-actually-care-about-you-and-your-health couple: Ramiel the Watcher and Hero the Book

I will make better drawings of these two I swear-

[bonus:]

@emile-hides

#I AM NOW ONE OF THE LEADING FANARTISTS FOR THE HELLS LIBRARY SERIES AHAHA*cries* #and tell me how wrong i am with hero i know #hero #ramiel #rami #hero (hells library) #rami (hells library) #the library of the unwritten #archive of the forgotten #a. j. hackwith #hells library #they’re not great I know

[emile-hides]

I am fully obsessed with this dynamic.

#Hell's Library #The Archive of the Forgotten #The Library of the Unwritten #Hell's Library series #Hero is so gay in this book he's genuinely getting worse??? Better??? #The way his SMILE is described I'm WEAK #These aren't even the only parts I simply wanted to highlight my favorites #my ABSOLUTE favorite is Hero a being who lives in hell and has come face to face with numerous gods #claiming to be an Atheist just to spark an argument with Rami #SUPERB #Also I forgot Hero is the tallest character when though I did a character line up #His entire vibe this book has been very gay dramatic twink so I've been imagining him as such #He could be a tall twink but he's clearly not suppost to be #He's like Ramiel. Built like a brick. #And YET #Brain put him shorter than Ramiel. Not much. Just shorter. #And he is not #Anyway I love Hero he's taken his place as favorite character I am actually going to commit murder for him

[midnight-nears]

Remembered Hello’s

Just a happy little reunion for my favourite characters. Rami x Hero and Hero/Leto brothers. I will do more chaotic/domestic kind of fics but this i really just needed to do. So what if its crappy?? its only me and @emile-hides reading it hahaha....[cries].

Taken/followed directly from pg. 348 “...Claire squeezed his hand, and ahead of them the sea crested into stacks, familiar and deep and infinitely wider than the Unwritten Wing had been. Horizon to horizon, stories swept like a flood into the Dust Wing, vibrant and alive. “It’s time we became a real library, don’t you think?”...

Just then, before Hero’s response even began to form on his lips, he could already see the faded edges of Claire disappearing. He wanted to say so much more, even if he couldn’t think of words to describe it, he wanted to say goodbye, but he didn’t, he didn’t want to let go, and he could already feel her presence slipping. Her warmth was being smoothed into the background and her voice became a gust of wind. Blinding, impossible light reached out for him, and the only thing he could do was shield his eyes. 

“You were always a good warden…” he whispered into the nothingness, and even though she had melted away, he heard her laugh.

 It was so bright. And he was so tired. Squinting through the light did nothing but hurt, so he gave in and gently closed his eyes to wait. He was good at waiting now.

  He tried to say something, anything, but as the scratch of an unused throat started to fade, he realised that the light did too. It was almost silent here. The prickle of his beard didn’t seem to be as painful and his calloused hands didn’t hurt so much anymore, and as the weight of a hundred eyes slid gently from his shoulders, the smell of loneliness and yearning dissipated into the air. Replacing it came not the scent of anise and ash, but of English Breakfast and the warmth of sunshine.

 He opened his eyes with a quiver. The living, beating heart in his chest pounded so loud that he wondered if he held every story within it now. The Librarians desk glitched into a halt in front of him and huge stacks grew around it. The Librarians Log sat innocently on top. 

 “Hero?”

 A question. Another question. Asked so timidly, so scared of what the answer might be. The same one he had heard only a second ago, by a different person.

But this time he knew how to answer it.

 “Y..Yes?…Ramiel? Brevity!” Tears fell before he could even fully turn around. 

The rest of the library's shelves and books were lost in a blur as he faced the almost hundred of The Library's inhabitants. Duat, Bjorn and every other Librarian stood back besides further stacks with mouths hanging speechless or solemn. He didn't even spare a glance for them as his slow, exhausted legs started sprinting toward his friends. His family.

 Hero didn’t think he had run that far, but when Rami’s arms surrounded him, it was all he could do to collapse into them. “Ramiel? Rami? Is that…is it you?” Tears spilled down into a feather coat as his voice wobbled, and he buried his face into his lover's neck. 

 “Hero, it’s me, it’s me, Hero, you’re safe,” Rami’s breathless laugh caught in his ears and played over and over again, knees weakening with emotion.

 Hero pulled away, taking in the olive skin and dark cropped hair, the silver eyes full of gentle unyielding love, the small tear gliding down his tender face, the slightly rough look around his eyes. 

God, if he looks like that only after a couple hours, how am I going to look after years? would have been the normal Hero response to something like this. But, instead, he simply grabbed that gorgeous face and slammed it into his own.

 When they pulled away, Hero croaked, laughed and sobbed breathlessly as they kissed again and again. He could still taste him on the edge of his tongue, with his hands gripping his jaw and foreheads pressed together he opened his mouth to say something but quickly Rami interrupted him.

“I love you, Hero,”

 Hero’s eyes snapped open and the laughter drained away. Suddenly, it felt like only them in the world. He couldn’t even think of a witty response as he stared into those eyes.

“I told you, Watcher, I told you I’d come back.”

  A tear stained burst of colour slammed into them and Hero was knocked back in surprise. “Hero!” He found a hold on the Librarian as he stumbled backward and desperately squeezed her into a hug. 

“I was told that I was only gone for a couple hours,” he managed to get through- although he got no answer.

The warmth of her arms engulfed him- especially when Rami decided to join too- and he wasn’t able to let go until Brevity pulled back to look him up and down with a bemused smile. She reached up to his beard.

“W…What is this?” 

 Hero chuckled and wiped a burning tear away, almost feeling the eye bags beneath them.

“What? You don’t like it?”

“No.”

 It was good to hear their laugh again. 

  Eventually, the need to hold each other as if they would disappear again faded, and so did the last drop of adrenaline in Hero. 

 “Now, if you don’t mind,” he sighed, “I would like to sleep for a week straight.”

 “Oh!” Brevity gasped, pushing away from him- completely ignoring his request, mind you- her face flushed with lilac and glittering tears. “There's someone who you have to see.”

“Brev, as much as I’m excited to ‘meet new people’ I’m not really in the mood for-” Hero fell short. His heart stopped, and for the fifth time today he felt as if it was caught in his throat.

 Someone in a loose, tidy suit came into view, the edges of him slightly faded. And what memory of that little, timid teenage boy Hero had obtained, suddenly changed. It was replaced with a boy who had grown enough to pull his shoulders straight against the back of his jacket, to eyes filled with confidence and a homely knowledge, to someone who, even though they had spent time so far away, knew what home looked like. Hero knew this boy. Hero knew that feeling.

 Time slowed as Hero stepped forward. 

“Leto…You’ve changed.”

“I…Hero…” Leto’s voice didn’t sound as uncertain as he remembered, but there was still that touch of question as he looked at him. 

“Welcome home, my boy,” Hero whispered, to keep his voice from breaking. It still managed to quiver on the last word. 

He reached out to gently but firmly pull him into a hug, hands gripping Leto’s back as he gave it a firm pat, and immediately pulled him tighter. For a second he tried to desperately remember that lost feeling of having a father in his book…or even a brother. Owen was as close as it got, but even that warmth had faded into an almost forgotten memory. 

 Now, Hero could feel Leto’s hands clutching his back and the place in his heart where his story had once been became whole again. 

 A tear dropped down his cheek as the others arms pressed in on them.

 A world. A home. A family.

 “Thank you,” Leto croaked, as they eventually began to make their way back to the damsel's suite for a well needed rest.

#AHHH #originally this was supposed to be solely about hero and leto seeing each other but i HAD TO involve the others #i miss them already #GOD the ending was perfect though #i read it and cried #for everyhting except claire ofc #i miss her #but this FAMILY it just...AHHAGDGKH IT GETS ME EVERYTIME #god they're finally happy #and and #he got back #so i COULDN'T NOT INVOLVE THAT #AHHHHH #I LOVE THEM #HERO/LETO BROTHERS #hells library #hell's library #the library of the unwritten #unwritten library #hells library fanfic #The God of Lost Words #The archive of the forgotten #hells library added ending #hells library fandom #hero x rami #hero (hells library) #hells library fanfiction #rami (hells library) #brevity (hells library) #leto (hells library)