Note: Muggle/Modern!AU, Remus and Hermione are the same age.
Merry Christmas, Liza!
Remus would be the first to admit that he didn't exactly like his job; it was only necessary to pay until he could find someplace better. Working in a women's boutique was the last thing he had in mind.
He wrote in his journal since the place was pretty much unoccupied. The only ones inside were himself and a woman that came in half an hour ago. As he thought about it, he hadn't heard or seen the brunette since she went in the dressing room.
Setting his pen down slowly, Remus looked around for one of the other staffers to no avail. He'd have to check it out himself and hope that no one came in for quick checkout. He moved away from the counter, his head shifting in every direction to spot the woman.
There was a thud by the dressing rooms, so Remus being the concerned guy that he was, headed towards the space to get a better understanding of what was going on. He didn't see her, so she had to be in one of the rooms.
"Miss?" Remus said hesitantly. "Is everything all right?"
He heard a squeak and thud, and he could assume he'd startled her.
"Everything's…" she trailed off. "Everything's fine!"
Remus frowned. It didn't sound fine, but he wasn't at liberty to barge into the dressing room. The thought of invading that woman's privacy was horrible! The thought of seeing her in her knickers too was exactly the reason he should not be in a place like this.
"All right," Remus replied back, turning around. He only made it a step away when he heard her shout 'wait' at him. Remus returned to the door he heard her in and stood in front of it. "What's wrong?"
"I…" the woman cleared her throat. "I need help."
Remus nodded. "What can I help you with? You're not locked in are you?"
"No, no," she replied. "I'm having a bit of a clothing mishap and…"
It suddenly felt awkward to Remus. He looked around again in hopes to see one of his female coworkers. They were meant for this kind of thing, not him. He was content being the stocker and cashier; this was above his comfort level.
Yet what was he supposed to do when no one else was around and this woman needed help?
Remus cleared his throat. "What kind of clothing mishap, ma'am?"
There was a sigh beyond the door. "I must have picked up the wrong pair of trousers, and they're rather...stuck...and I can't take...take them off."
A blush graced the young man's features. He couldn't do this. Nu-uh.
"I could let you leave in them and inform my employer of the incident," Remus suggested, hoping that it would be that simple.
"Unfortunately, I can't walk out of here with trousers only half up my thighs," the woman quipped, and it only made Remus blush harder on his end. "I'm afraid I have no other options without your help, sir. I...please just help me."
This was going to be the worst thing Remus had ever done in his life. After this, he was going to have a talk with his coworkers on someone staying when they see the dressing rooms occupied. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, chanting in his head that he could do it. He could help her remove the trousers and be on his merry way.
Oh God, he sounded like Sirius just then; he felt so dirty. But it was now or never, and Remus couldn't leave her like that.
"I'm coming in," Remus said, reaching for the handle. When he opened the door, the sight before him was not entirely welcoming, and the scent of vanilla filling his nose. The unfortunate circumstance was that he was still a man. He swallowed hard, thankful that she had a shirt on long enough to have her top and bum covered. It didn't do much for the fact that she looked even better up close, and the blush on her cheeks only intensified that.
He had to focus.
Remus turned his head to the side, his hands going forward for the waistband of the jeans. He'd kept from meeting her gaze because it would only add to the awkwardness. His fingers brushed against the skin of her thighs, and he nearly froze.
"If you could hurry up, I'd be grateful," she said in a low tone as if she were nervous.
He licked his lips and felt the fabric of the jeans, helping tug them down as best as he could in his position. She wiggled and moved to create friction, and while Remus didn't see it completely, the movement was felt. His face would be the shade of tomato by the time this was over.
That wouldn't be much longer as he felt the jeans moving downward. As soon as he thought they were low enough for her to do things on her own, Remus stood up straight and cleared his throat.
"Thank you," she said, and Remus could only nod before bolting out of the dressing room.
"You did what?" Sirius demanded, his arms holding his sides as he laughed.
Remus' cheeks were tinted pink as he looked at his best friend. "This isn't funny," he said. "I'm going to talk to my manager about this. I can't get caught up in that situation again! What if it's not pants next time?"
"Did you see her knickers?" Sirius wiggled his brows.
Remus sputtered. "I did not!" He hadn't seen them thanks to the shirt the woman was wearing, but that's beside the point.
"You are twenty-four years old," Sirius protested. "It's natural!" He leaned on the couch on his hand. "I know you wanted to. I'm sure she was a beaut to have you all flustered like this." Sirius looked Remus over. "I like it."
With a groan, Remus slid down the couch. "I'm talking to the manager about this."
"Don't you dare!" Sirius exclaimed. "It's not like you'll see the woman again, and from the sounds of things she was just as mortified as you were." He clapped a hand on Remus' shoulder. "Stop worrying, it's going to be fine."
Remus swallowed but nodded. He wasn't keen on being awkward around women, but he couldn't help it. Grade school was to blame for that. Nevertheless, Sirius was right. He wouldn't see the woman again, so there was nothing to worry about. Nothing would be awkward for him.
He didn't know how he'd never been in the library that was two stores away from the boutique. Remus had passed it for nearly a month now, and the only reason he noticed it now was because he'd dropped his wallet.
Something called 'Bookworms' Haven' had to be a library, right?
Curiously, Remus had gone in, and his assumptions were confirmed. There were shelves of books, spaces for readers to enjoy books and their work, and an overall atmosphere of home. He'd found his seclusion when he didn't have anything better to do on his lunch breaks.
He trailed his finger along the spine's of the books, taking in the titles of the stories with interest. Where one book was missing, Remus saw on the other side of the shelf, and he froze.
Standing right there with her head engrossed in a book was the woman from the dressing room. He knew it from the way her hair flowed past her shoulders, and the same vanilla smell filled his nose.
It wasn't until she turned the page that Remus realized that he'd been staring. When their eyes met through space in the shelf, Remus realized that he'd been caught.
"Uh…"
She blinked, her eyes widening just a bit in realization. Her lips parted slightly, and Remus wished they hadn't. It was going to take forever for him to get that image out of his head.
"Hi," they said simultaneously.
Remus scratched the back of his head, and she looked down before their eyes met again.
"You work in the boutique," she said lamely.
He chuckled lightly, hoping it masked how nervous he felt. "I'm Remus."
She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, closing her book. "I'm Hermione," she replied.
"Hermione," Remus repeated, getting a feel of her name himself. "It's nice to meet you."
Her smile grew on her face, and something inside Remus stirred in a good kind of way. Sirius had been wrong; he did meet the woman again. And he had everything to worry about. Remus was an awkward young man; surely, he'd mess this up.
Three months, two weeks, and four days later, Remus hadn't messed things up. He and Hermione had hung out a few times after meeting, taking their time to get to know each other better. She saw first hand how awkward he could be (he nearly spilled two cups of coffee on Hermione on the same day), but she didn't mind it.
"It's a good kind of awkward," Hermione said with a light giggle.
He learned a lot with Hermione; she read three times as much as he did. Debates with her was like jumping into the road in front of a car; he knew what would happen if he tried it.
Seeing the way her eyes lit up when she found something fascinating or was focused was mesmerizing. He never heard the end of it from Sirius.
Oh yeah, she even scolded Sirius sometimes. Remus couldn't let a gem like her go.
...ooOoo...
Remus found Hermione standing near the window, having stayed at her flat the night before. They'd fallen asleep over one of those documentaries on animal civilization. The fact that he could fall asleep with someone while watching that baffled him.
Without alerting her, Remus snuck behind Hermione and wrapped his arms around her waist. She jumped, laughing and relaxing when she looked over her shoulder.
"Scaring people isn't the smartest idea when they're formidable," Hermione told him.
He leaned into the nook of her neck. "Very true," Remus replied. "But I'm willing to take that chance so I can be next to you."
She chuckled lightly, weaving their fingers over his around her waist. "How brave of you."
Remus moved to look down at her, his eyes drifting to her lips. "Very brave indeed."
Once upon a few months ago, he would never think of being so bold as to kiss a woman, but with Hermione, it was second nature. With a small grin, Remus leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Hermione moved around so she could put her hands on his shoulders, his arms instinctively held her close to his body.
The heat increased between the two as they kissed, their hands moving on their own to remove any article of clothing they were wearing. Don't get Remus wrong, he still felt awkward and did awkward kinds of things.
But a certain curly haired woman brought the good kind of awkward in him, and he could take that.