Chapter Text
- You go to the record store at the Southwest Plaza mall in September to look for a Stealers Wheel album.
- You’re searching the shelves, mentally sifting through the current 90s pop, when you step into someone standing close beside you in the narrow aisle.
- When you spin around you recognize Eric from one of your classes at the school just started.
- He glares as he turns around before realizing who you are and dropping his guard, a slight smirk flickering over his lips.
- He asks what you’re looking for and you tell him, talking about how much you enjoy the Stealers Wheel music.
- “Ah, mall shops don’t usually have the kind of music I listen to either.”
- He tells you he’s looking for Rammstein and volunteers to help you find the album you want.
- Spends about fifteen minutes canvassing the whole record store, staying at your elbow and talking to you the entire time.
- Making a scornful comment about what a trendy little place the store is, how he usually never goes to malls.
- It makes you wonder if something like fate put you two in the same place at the same time.
- He asks you how the start of your year at school is going so far, seeming genuinely interested in your answer. Wanting to know if you like the class you have together.
- You asking if he thinks you would like Rammstein.
- “Well, I don’t know about that.”
- Telling Eric about Tears For Fears and another album of theirs you want to buy, mentioning the song Everybody Wants to Rule the World.
- He’s interested in that, a song about the desires of humans to have power and control.
- You might have a conversation about the philosophical nature of the lyrics while people walk around you in the store, ignoring you as just two more teenagers talking together.
- The Lemonheads are playing Mrs. Robinson over the speakers and Eric makes fun of the lyric about Jesus loving you more than you will know. I imagine this as a typical reb comment ;)
- Him finding the Tears For Fears album you wanted and being so proud about it, smirking when he gives it to you.
- Not-so-subtly asking if you’re at the mall with anyone else, trying to see if he can keep hanging out with you.
- Going to Hot Topic and the food court with him. If you don’t like Hot Topic, just going to the court and sitting with him at a table.
- Eric buying you a pretzel or yogurt and soda.
- Him listening to everything you say with his hands folded together, trying to resist picking at them to dissipate some of his nervousness being around you. Leaning forward to hear all of your words over the general chaos of the food court.
- Thinking of whether he should buy you something else before you leave the mall, figuring that would probably be too forward and you might think it’s creepy.
- Afterward thanking the gods or whatever crazy omniscient force is out there for putting you in the mall that day and letting him meet you there.
- He still can’t believe you didn’t just turn away after you bumped into him. That you were actually willing to talk to and be around him for an extended period of time.
- He will remember this as the best day of his week or maybe his entire month to be honest.