Well Aren't You A Charmer | Alastor x Reader

Chapter One

I began to search behind the counter for a record to play with the small collection back here.

I settle on a jazz song and place it in the record player filling up the silent store with jazz music.

I smile to myself happy with my selection as I begin to wipe down the counter and make sure everything is in its place before I open up the shop for the day.

After taking a quick walk around ensuring everything is ready I walk to the door and flip the sign from closed to open.

I then make my way back to the front desk and hum along to the music as I wait for any customers.

Eventually a young woman does walk in after a few minutes. She has a bob hairstyle, and a very pretty face. "Good morning" she says kindly to me as she enters.

"Good morning." I echo back to her. "Is there anything I can help you find today?" She look around at a few records quickly before answering me.

"Hm yes actually. I've been looking for an album of music my father enjoyed. It's called 'What'Cha Got' by Ethel Waters, do you have it?"

"I've been looking everywhere I could think and I just can't seem to find the album." She asks with a slightly frustrated look on her face.

I think for a moment tapping my fingers on the desk. "You know, I think we do have it. It should be over here." I start to walk towards a corner of the store.

When I get over there I begin to look through the stack of records. "Here we are!" I say happily as I hold it up.

Her face lights up and she immediately walks over to me, taking the album from my hand. "I cannot thank you enough" she says with a smile on her face. "Hm, how much will this be?" She then asks, seeming to reach for some change in her bag.

"It's $1.25. I'll ring you up at the front." As I walk back to the desk she follows me with a pep in her step.

She places the record on the counter and smiles, grabbing some change from the small coin purse she had. "Here you go." She says counting out the quarters with a smile before handing them over to me.

I smile back at her as I thank her. "Thank you for coming in today. I'm glad I was able to help you find what you were looking for."

"I'm glad to. Have a wonderful rest of your day." She waved cheerfully as she took the record and left the shop, the bell on the door making a joyful ding.

The rest of the day was a bit slow, but some more customers slowly came in throughout the day, some buying an album, others looking to sell a record they have, and some even just wanted to hear some of the albums before deciding if they wanted to purchase them or not.

A swing song was currently playing on the record player next to me as the last customer was interested in hearing some records in that genre.

Just then the small bell on the front door rang and an older woman entered the store. She looked very kind but also slightly out of her element.

As she glanced around the shop I could tell she didn't know the difference between all the different records. I smile gently at her as I can tell she's most likely in her shopping for a gift.

"Excuse me, miss, could you help me out?" She asked me politely, with a very kind look on her face as she walked over to me at the desk.

"Of course. Are you looking for anything specific? If not, could I give some recommendations?" I suggest to her hoping that will be helpful.

"Mm, I'm looking for an album of music that my son would like. I want to give him a nice small gift but the only thing he does is play those dang radio shows all day." She says with a small chuckle, before shaking her head.

"Have you ever listened to his show? He's quite the talker on there." She asked me curiously.

I shake my head. "I don't listen to the radio often. I prefer listening to records." I step from around the counter and lead her towards the jazz section.

"I can absolutely help with picking out a record though. Jazz is a very popular genre. Does he like jazz or something else more?"

She puts a finger on her chin, thinking for a moment before replying. "I'm pretty sure he likes jazz, he always seems enthralled when something he really enjoys is on, and he likes to talk about jazz singers on his show a lot." She says with a small chuckle.

She then turned her gaze back to me. "What albums would you recommend?" She then asks curiously.

I hum in thought and look back at her with a smile. "Well, if you're looking for jazz, then you can't go wrong with anything from Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, or Charlie Parker. Any of them are great choices." I explained to her cheerfully.

Her eyes light up slightly. "Hm, my son mentioned those names before when he was talking about the show I think, especially that Charlie Parker and Armstrong fella."

"Would you mind if I take a listen to an album from one of those people you listed?" I give her a big smile. "Yes of course."

I notice a Charlie Parker record first so I pull that from the stack and walk over to the record player so I can start playing it.

The old lady's eyes widened slightly as she began to listen, the sound of the horns in the music seemed to spark some recognition in her. "I've heard this before! My boy talked about this record, and how much he liked the sound of it." She says with a smile on her face.

"Hm, yes, I think I will get that record for him" she says after a moment of humming to herself as she listens to the music from the record I put on.

"What are the chances, that's perfect!" I say happily. "Let me put it back in its sleeve and I'll ring you up."

She chuckles slightly. "I think it's fate more than chance." She replies with a small chuckle as I place the record in its sleeve gently.

She then reaches into her pockets and pulls out some change, counting out the exact price of the album and placing it on the counter. "Thank you." I collect the change and then hand her a bag with the record inside. "I hope he enjoys it."

"Oh he will. He will probably talk about it for a while." The old woman says with a small laugh, taking the bag from me. "Thank you, again. May I ask your name?" She then asked kindly, tilting her head to the side a small bit.

I laugh slightly at the idea of her son's enthusiasm. "Yes of course. My name is (Y/N)."

"A fitting name! It fits a pretty girl like yourself." She says with a small sweet smile before chuckling.

"Well, I should get going. Thank you again." She says before turning around and leaving the shop, the small bell above the door ringing as the door opened then closed after she left.

I wave her goodbye and she gives me a small one back as she begins to walk away from the shop.

Once the old lady had left the shop the day continued as it had, a few customers coming in, others leaving, some just coming to look at the records.

Before I knew it the sun was starting to descend into the horizon, signaling the end of the day, and the approaching night.

Seeing the sun setting I decided to close the shop for the day. Flipping the sign in the door from open to closed before beginning to clean up the shop, taking care of everything from sweeping, counting the money I had earned, and tidying up.

Once I had finished I grabbed my coat and bag and exited the shop, turning the lights off as I exited and flipped the sign from "we're open" to "we're closed".

I let out a content hum as today was another successful day. The sun was now almost completely gone, leaving behind a mixture of colors in the sky that showed the night was coming. I could hear crickets already starting to fill up the silence, and the street lights had begun to turn on.

There was something beautiful about the night. The streetlights lit the sidewalks and the stars shined in the sky. The soft sound of crickets in the distance, and the soft hum of cicadas in the trees. I take it all in as I start to make my way home for the night.