For the fanfiction trope mashup, if this jives with you: Bookshop AU & Accidental Eavesdropping. Any Darcy ship that floats your boat. :)
bookshop AU + accidental eavesdropping
Fitz doesn’t necessarily like working in the campus bookstore, but it’s not the worst thing in the world. It’s quiet so he can study and they’re really only busy at the beginning and end of the semester, when students are complaining about how much the books cost or how little they get back when they return them. He also gets as much free coffee as he wants, even if it has grounds in it most of the time.
He’s an engineering major so it’s not like he has any classes with Darcy, who of course is studying poli-sci. Well, sort of. Fitz sees her the first time sophomore year when she’s picking up her books. She’s pretty, she jokes with him about the horrendous selection of tie-dyed sweatshirts in the apparel section, and teases him that poli-sci is waaaaay harder than engineering. He thinks about asking her out but chickens out at the last second. He doesn’t have time for anything but school or work, anyway. Engineering is his first and only love, thank you very much.
She comes in again two weeks later, the cutoff date for dropping classes with a full refund. She’s returning books for two of her classes.
“I told you poli-sci is hard,” she tells him matter-of-factly. “Thinking about taking up engineering to give my brain a break.”
Fitz laughs. “Come join the dark side, Darcy.”
He’s only half-kidding. Maybe engineering’s not her thing, but he could tutor her.
Two months later, he’s stocking shelves when a group of laughing students comes in. Jemma’s working the register so he doesn’t bother to stop what he’s doing.
“Aw, your cute guy isn’t here,” a voice calls out, following by a round of shushing noises.
“Jesus, Jane, shut up. It’s not a big deal.” Fitz almost drops the book he’s holding. Darcy’s back. Cute guy? In the bookstore? Are they talking about him?
He doesn’t even have to hide, or have time to announce his presence really, because her friend Jane keeps talking loudly.
“What? I know that’s why you wanted to come here. You have a thousand pairs of school sweatpants, I know you don’t need another.”
“I need a graphing calculator,” Darcy argues defensively.
Her friend snorts. “That’s why Amazon was invented. Just own up and say you wanted to come here to see that guy. What’s his name? Lance?”
Fitz shoves the book onto the shelf and decides he needs to get out. He shouldn’t be eavesdropping, even though his heart’s pounding in his chest. He grabs the box of books and hurries to the end of the aisle, praying he can make a break for it.
“No, his name’s-”
He almost runs into her, eyes widening when their gazes meet. His neck is burning hot and he’s sure he’s red from his ears down to his feet. Darcy’s cheeks tinge pink too, but she smiles.
“Leo,” she says. “Hi, Leo.”
He smiles back, all awkward and fumbling with the heavy box of books in his arms. “’Lo, Darcy.”
It could have backfired, with the whole eavesdropping and the blushing and him barely getting the words out, but Fitz asks her out and she says yes. They get coffee and he accidentally dumps salt in his mug instead of sugar, he stammers over his words more often than not, and he talks way too much about homework. But Darcy smiles like the sunshine and he thinks that maybe he’s found something he likes more than engineering after all.
