rodrikstark's headcanons (part 1)

j. torres + first meeting

your lip twitches when you hear one of the rotating book displays topple to the ground.

people around you gasp, but you just let your eyes glaze over in annoyance.

the creaky, unstable thing lives on its last legs, and you wish your boss would fork over the cash to replace it. in the past two weeks, it's fallen three times.

"torres!" a tall, broad man easily lifts the heavy display back into its upright position as his slimmer friend scrambles to the ground, stacking books in his arms. "watch where you're going, man." the slight smirk on his face indicates something suspicious, but your exhaustion after a long week zaps away your ability to care.

"help, sam, before she—" torres stands, his chin resting on the top book to prevent the pile from tumbling to the ground again. his frantic brown eyes meet yours, and okay, fuck, he's kinda cute. "hi." he blinks. "i'm so sorry."

in the corner of your eye, his friend sam sneaks away as you grab the first five paperbacks from the top of the stack, flipping and rotating them into the correct orientation. you drop them into the shelves, trying to keep your voice flat and ignore his deer-in-headlights look. "not your fault, these displays suck."

why are you defending him? he's just a customer.

visitor would be a better word. he pops into your shop often, actually, but you've never talked to him, and he's never bought anything.

torres visibly swallows, watching you work. "i'll pay for any of them, if they're damaged."

your smile breaks through, just a little, and you curse the earnest look on his face. "so now you intend to buy something?" you steal the last few books from his hands, which instantly curl into loose fists and drop to his sides.

"if it would make it up to you," he agrees softly.

goddamn it. "you got a first name, torres?"

"joaquin."

you nod, sorting through the books in your hands to pick your favorite one. you shove it into his chest. "buy this one, joaquin. then read it, and let me know what you think."

he smiles, highlighting the pale red rising in his cheeks. "okay."

you replace the rest of the books, then walk to the cash register to ring up his first purchase.