Bookstore AU
Firaga Productions
02-2015
Tumblr prompt from no one, I just decided I liked it: 'i noticed that you wanted this book so i bought it on a whim and now i have to figure out how to give a book to a stranger au'
This is so fucking stupid, I swear to god. I'm p sure Remus is out of character, the quote literally has nothing to do with anything I just liked it. Franny and Zooey is pretentious as fuck but its my favorite from Salinger so whatever.
characters belong to jk rowling. quote comes from the book franny and zooey and belongs to jd salinger.
"I do like him. I'm sick of just liking people. I wish to God I could meet somebody I could respect." - JD Salinger
He looks like a Zooey, is the first thing Remus thinks when the boy in the bookstore picks up the little green and white book off the shelf. He looks every bit the part of pompous, rich kid, casually elegant, leaning oh so pretentiously against the shelf flipping through the pages of the book he's picked up, dark hair falling perfectly into his face. Remus is staring, he needs to stop staring, so he picks up a random book from the shelf and flips through it, but keeps peeking up to look at this man who looks like a character from a fascinating book brought to life. He probably wouldn't have even thought of that if the stranger hadn't happened to pick Franny and Zooey from the shelf, but he did and now he's reading it and oh god he's tucking long hair behind his ear and it's so attractive Remus thinks he might die.
Remus John Lupin has never ever fawned over a boy in his life, but all be damned if that boy over there doesn't fucking deserve it.
Of course, Remus is a stuttering awkward mess, he's holes in his jumper and worn out jeans, his trainers are untied and about a size too small, and his own hair is a curly mess so there's absolutely no fucking way Remus is going to be able to approach this Zooey personified with his perfect hair. So he waits, instead, casually glancing among the shelves, carefully not looking at this man, no of course not why would you think such a thing.
He's so drawn to this man though, probably because he's still looking so intently through Franny and Zooey, and Remus can't help but like a man who's interested in such a fantastic book, so when the man finally puts the book down with a heavy sigh and makes his way towards the front door, it's completely irrationally out of character for Remus, but for some godforsaken reason he snatches the small book from the shelf, rushes to the desk to pay for it, and begins to make his way out the door to follow him when the horror of what he's done finally catches up to him and he actually literally has just hit himself in the forehead, what is he, a cartoon?
God, Remus thinks as he steps out in front of the shop and slouches onto a bench in front of the window. Did he actually just buy a book for a total stranger? One that the stranger may not have even liked in the first place? On the grounds that said stranger looked like Remus' imagination of a character in said book? Remus swears he's crazy, he's not really sure what the fuck has gotten into him, but now he has this fucking book in his hands that he's read a thousand times already, and the stranger is nowhere to be found anyway.
Great. Just great.
This is why Remus doesn't do impulses. Remus is calculated and analytical, he doesn't make decisions on impulse and this is exactly why. Because Remus Lupin never impulses normal things, no, he just decides that instead of asking the bloke for his number like a normal human being, he bought him a book.
Possibly the most pretentious book ever written.
For a man who has already left the vicinity and who Remus will never see again.
Bloody hell.
Remus sits on the bench, shaking his head at his own stupidity when the bell rings beside him signalling the door opening. He looks up, then quickly looks back down, as of fucking course it's the Zooey look alike, and god almighty that man has a beautiful smile.
"Ah, so you're the one who bought my book behind my back!"
"Er, um.."
Eloquent. Lovely. What a way with words, Remus.
"Stepped out to take a phone call, came back in and the book was gone."
"Um.."
The man shrugs. "Ah, well. Enjoy it. I'm sure I'll find it somewhere else."
With a nonchalant wave of his hand, the man begins to saunter off. Remus stares for a second, looks back at the book in his hands, and gets up, bringing his number of impulsive decisions this year to a grand total of two.
"Hey, wait a second!" he shouts, tripping over his untied shoelaces. The man, hands in his pockets ever so gracefully, turns.
"Yes?" he asks when Remus catches up to him.
"This is going to sound stupid, but I actually, um, bought it for you."
The man stops, blinks, then immediately bursts out laughing. Remus can feel himself deflating, but he doesn't really care, this whole thing was stupid anyway, so he mutters his apologies for being so goddam weird, and begins to turn away when the man grabs him by the shoulder and turns him back.
"No, no, I don't mean to laugh at you like it's stupid. It's not. Bloody brilliant, if you ask me. Really." He flashes that beautiful grin at Remus, and suddenly Remus is in grade school all over again, staring at his shoes and flushed bright red.
"I'm Sirius," he says. "Sirius Black. Care for some coffee?"