Summary: our love for reading goes hard, and canon Jason is a bookworm so this just WORKS (reader hates coffee I’m sorry I can’t even fake it)
You’d been having a good day.
A slow morning, music playing low, and the small, perfect satisfaction of reorganizing your bookshelf.
It wasn’t just a shelf, it was your altar. Every book was lined up by genre, author, and shade all spines intact, all covers pristine. Your collection was your sanctuary, the one thing you could control in a world full of chaos.
And Jason — bless his leather-jacketed, bullet-magnet heart, knew this.
He’d come in from patrol, jacket still on, bruised knuckles flexing as he grabbed something from the table. You were too focused on dusting to notice that his hand landed on your latest book. the limited edition hardcover you’d waited months for.
By the time you turned around, it was too late.
And not just reading — mangling it. The cover bent slightly under his grip, his thumb pressed right into the middle of the pages like a knife.
You stood frozen, mouth half open, as he casually flipped a page. Then you saw it. The faint, horrifying crack of the spine.
His head snapped up immediately.
“What?” he said, utterly clueless.
You were pointing now hand shaking, voice trembling between outrage and heartbreak.
“Did you just—did you just crack the spine?”
Jason blinked. Looked down at the book. Then up at you again.
“YES, THAT!” you shouted, snatching it from his hands like it was a wounded animal. “Do you have any idea what you just did?”
He tilted his head, eyebrows drawing together. “I was reading it.”
“You bent it in half like it was a cheap magazine!”
Jason tried, really tried not to laugh. “Sweetheart, it’s just a book.”
You gasped dramatically, clutching the broken-backed novel to your chest like it had been mortally wounded. “Just a book? JUST A BOOK?!”
Now he was definitely grinning. “You’re cute when you’re homicidal, y’know that?”
You glared at him. “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”
Jason held up his hands, still amused. “Alright, alright, I’m sorry. I didn’t know I committed a literary crime.”
“It’s a capital offense,” you muttered darkly, running your fingers along the crease in despair.
He stepped closer then, gentler now, voice softening. “Hey,” he said, his hand brushing the back of your arm. “Didn’t mean to ruin your book, sweetheart.”
You didn’t answer, still mourning the damage, but he reached out, sliding his fingers under your chin until you met his eyes. “Tell you what. I’ll buy you another copy. Two, even. Hell, I’ll buy you the whole damn collection.”
You sighed, torn between forgiveness and irritation. “It’s not about buying another copy. It’s about respect for the art.”
Jason smirked faintly, leaning down until his nose brushed yours. “So… no breaking the spine?”
“Got it. I’ll just borrow you instead n you instead next time.”
You blinked. “Borrow me?”
He grinned — slow, teasing, utterly incorrigible. “You’re easier to read anyway.”
You swatted his chest with the corner of the book, trying to hide the blush creeping up your neck. “You’re insufferable.”
He caught your wrist, pulling you closer, the scent of leather and smoke wrapping around you. “Yeah,” he murmured, lips brushing your temple. “But you love me for it.”
You exhaled, the anger melting just a little. “You’re still replacing that book.”
“Already did,” he said, producing a bag from behind his back. Inside was the exact same edition, still wrapped in plastic.
You stared at him, eyes wide. “You—when—how—?”
He just shrugged. “Had a feeling I might mess something up eventually.”
And damn it, how were you supposed to stay mad at that?
You sighed, half smiling now. “Fine. But if you touch my annotated classics shelf, I’ll actually commit murder.”
He chuckled, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. “Noted.”
Then, as he walked away, he called over his shoulder,
“You ever think maybe you’re the spine that keeps me together?”
You groaned out loud, tossing a pillow at him. “That was so corny.”
He dodged easily, grinning. “Yeah, but it worked.”
A/n: hmmm I have another book related idea
jbbartram-illu
jacobvanloon
ellievsbear
kianamaiart
prguitarman
dailybridgerton
izzy806
