Good Omens Oneshots

Mysterious Author [Aziraphale X Reader]

You had just received the book you had published in the mail. It was the very first one to have been printed. Its binding was fresh and the paper smelled like recycled trees. Well, that's what you told yourself considering recycled trees wasn't really a scent. You just knew you demanded the book be printed on recycled stuff. It wasn't your first book to be printed, but this one you were particularly excited about.

With a skip in your step, you hurriedly made your way inside. The book was clutched tightly to your chest. Your feet sped off to your desk. There was a felt-tip marker sitting in a pen holder to your left. You grabbed it and opened the front of the hard-cover book. Then, you froze.

Words didn't often escape you. That much should be obvious with you being an author and all. But you weren't sure what you wanted to write to your dearest friend. You hadn't told him you were an author. It was a secret you would chuckle at when he raved about a book you had written. But you wanted to do something special for him and give him the very first edition, signed by the mysterious author that no one knew anything about.

You decided to keep it vague. You didn't exactly want to pour your feelings out into the letter towards the angel. That would only confuse him and possibly ruin your friendship. Instead, you told him how much you loved his bookshop and enjoyed your visits there. That would make his day, knowing that an author he liked was fond of something he held dear to him. You then signed it, placed it in a box, and addressed the box to his bookshop.

--

A couple of days later, and with the tracking information on your phone, you stopped by Aziraphale's bookshop. The book should be arriving at any moment and you wanted to be there to see the man's face when he saw what it was. The book hadn't even been released to the public, so you were sure he would be excited.

"Hello, [Y/N]!" Aziraphale called to you and stepped away from a customer, though not before snatching the book from the customer's hands. "How are you today, my dear?"

"I'm great!" you couldn't help the wide smile that spread across your face when you responded to him. "How are you?"

"Oh, doing well myself," Aziraphale noted. "Much better now that I get to see you! I wasn't expecting you today. What a pleasant surprise!"

"Hopefully you'll have more pleasant surprises," you said and winked slyly at the man. A slight pink spread across his cheeks. "Mind if I browse for a bit?" you asked.

You had no intention of buying any of his books. In fact, once you realized he didn't want to actually sell anything you would simply read while in his shop. Whenever you would pull a book from a shelf, you'd take extra care in returning it in the exact condition you had found it in. This was what led you and Aziraphale to become good friends.

"Of course not, my dear! Take all the time in the world."

You nodded and slowly walked down the aisles, looking for any new books that would stand out. Though, your attention was more directed elsewhere. More specifically, your attention was directed towards the door. Especially now since you saw the postal worker climb out of his truck. In his hands was the very same box you had shipped a couple of days prior.

The bell to the shop sounded when he walked in. His feet made the floorboards creak beneath his weight. He looked around for someone that appeared to be working at the establishment before he found Aziraphale. He walked over, handed the box over, and received the blond's signature. With a "have a good day" muttered from the worker, he quickly exited the shop to carry on with the rest of his workplace.

Aziraphale looked at the box in confusion. There was no return address, that you already knew. After he turned the box around several times, he retrieved a pair of scissors from someplace (you actually had no idea where they came from). The blades of the scissors pierced the tape and ran along the center. He pulled the flaps of the box apart and looked down. You held your breath, waiting for his reaction. He was still – for a moment or two. Then, his eyes widened and his mouth was held open. His hands shook when he pulled the book out of the box. He opened the cover and read the note that was written inside. A smile formed on his face. Quickly, you used your phone to snap a picture of him in a moment of true bliss.

"Whatcha got there, Aziraphale?" you hummed and walked over.

"Oh!" Aziraphale looked up from the book and over to you. You could see tears build up in the corner of his eyes. "I...I just received this book! The author sent it to me! They said that they love my bookshop, [Y/N]! I can't believe it!"

"That's wonderful," you said softly and smiled up at him.

"Yes! It certainly is!" he said but stopped. A frown covered his face and a look over horror took over him. "Oh no...I hope I wasn't rude to them!"

You laughed lightly and placed a kind hand on his shoulder. "Oh, I'm sure you weren't. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent you that book."

"I suppose you're right."

"And," you said with some amusement. "Who knows? Maybe they're here right now!"

Aziraphale looked around the shop in shock, trying to determine who the author was. You giggled, knowing you wouldn't be found out any time soon.