wolfymcwolf: (but not if you go with me)

[personal profile] wolfymcwolf 2018-09-09 09:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[After being closed up in the closet of an office the publishing company he copy-edits for keeps him in all day, Remus can't stand just going home and writing his own stories alone in his dingy flat. It may not be in the literal basement, unlike his workplace, but it isn't exactly an inspiring locale.

Instead, he does the most stereotypical thing imaginable and frequents different coffee shops, several notebooks and pens in his messenger bag. It's routine now; he orders the largest mug of Earl Grey they offer and finds a spot where he can look out over the store, people-watching when the words elude him. Sometimes he doesn't look up for hours, scribbling out rough drafts onto paper until his hand cramps up, his tea long gone cold. Sometimes he can barely get a sentence down, and after another cup or two, gives up the endeavor for the night.

It's not every day, but it's most days. Occasionally Sirius and James will drag him out to something so he doesn't turn completely anti-social, but he's not really. He just prefers to observe the world around him rather than participate in it sometimes. The coffee houses are his safe haven, where he can filter out all distractions and get the stories rattling around in his head down onto paper. It doesn't matter that he wouldn't even be able to get the company he worked for to publish it, that his work was relegated to pulp magazines willing to print "unsuitable" works of fiction, displaying it like a spectacle.

Well, alright, clearly it bloody matters. He can't even put his own name on it, he'd surely lose all employability if word got out he wrote queer fiction, erotic or no. But Remus excels at compartmentalization and has made the decision that coffee shops are the one place he won't allow himself to think about those things, or any looming financial issues, or his failing health, or all the problems in his flat.

Today is one where the words just won't come. He stares out the window, chin propped up in one hand, the other gently drumming fingers against the table. About a week ago, he'd taken the plunge and started writing the novel he'd been planning for the better part of three years, but after so long of only writing short stories, it's difficult to manage. And, of course, he's got writer's block. That doesn't help.

He leans down and gives Snuffles' ears a good rub. The dog is being perfectly well-behaved, laying under his chair, relaxed but attentive. His size often makes him seem intimidating but Remus always tells people he's a very well-trained teddy bear, and it's true.]


Don't suppose you have any ideas about how to finish out this scene? [The question, murmured low, is of course rhetorical. Snuffles is smart, and knows when Remus is about to collapse before he does, but if he has any ideas for how to get Remus' protagonist to finally admit his feelings for his best friend, he's not telling.]
Edited 2018-09-10 04:53 (UTC)
wolfymcwolf: (they're gonna keep us alive someday)

novels are fine

[personal profile] wolfymcwolf 2018-09-11 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
[The thing about rhetorical questions, especially when they're asked to dogs, is that it can be very jarring when someone answers them. So it is here, Remus startling into sitting up again, turning towards the source of the voice.

Taking in the sight of him is a wholly different kind of surprise. He cuts an odd figure with his choice in clothes, but more than that is the unplaceable familiarity. Remus knows this man, but he can't for the life of him figure out how, or from where.]


I'm sorry, do I know you? [The question, usually intoned rudely and dismissively, comes out as the question it is instead, no bite to it. He's an American. Remus doesn't know many Americans, and none that look remotely like this man.

Despite the... interesting choice in clothing, he's handsome. And there's something... off about him, more than the clothes and the answering a stranger's rhetorical question to their dog and the burning sense that he should be familiar in some way. Something about the whole interaction seems almost other-worldly.]
wolfymcwolf: (yes i know i'm a wolf)

[personal profile] wolfymcwolf 2018-09-12 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
[Remus can't help a huff of a laugh. There's really no other word for the man than interesting. Lucky for him, Remus likes interesting people, and-- well, he's curious. Almost everything about the man makes him want to know more.

So he scoots the chair across from him out a smidge with his foot.]


My name's Remus, and this is Snuffles. Would you like to join us? I don't think I'll be getting any more writing done right now anyway.
wolfymcwolf: (you're not gonna watch me)

[personal profile] wolfymcwolf 2018-09-13 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
[Is he-- flirting? Remus lets out a huff of nervous laughter. He's not used to being flirted with, certainly not by another man, and so openly in a coffee shop of all places? If he were at a gay bar, maybe it would be less of a shock.

Snuffles sniffs the man's shoes, then settles his big shaggy head back onto the floor.]


You don't have to-- oh, uh. [Another small laugh, this one a bit embarrassed.] I'm writing a novel. Awfully cliche, I know. [A thoughtful pause. Somehow it doesn't feel as uncomfortable to tell Felix about it than other people.] It's about a man whose brother has been murdered, and the police have been paid off, so he has to figure out who the killer is and track them down with the help of his best friend and his sister.

[That's not to mention the requited pining between the man and his best friend, but... better be sure he's interpreted Felix's intentions correctly before talking about that.]
wolfymcwolf: (but not if you go with me)

[personal profile] wolfymcwolf 2018-09-16 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
All of the above, and then some. [Remus' eyes catch on Felix's mouth as he bites onto his lower lip, sensing the intent but still doubting his own instincts. What if he's misinterpreting it all?

It takes him just a moment too long to stop himself from staring at the man's lips. He swiftly looks away, disguising it as a casual movement to scratch Snuffles' ears.]


Why do you say that? [The tone is gently curious. Once upon a time, Remus fancied himself a career in academia, and he still fondly remembers his tutoring days, coaxing reluctant students into trying their hand at writing, just once more.]
wolfymcwolf: (and i've been raised to kill)

[personal profile] wolfymcwolf 2018-09-24 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, he's certainly not entitled to a stranger's life story. If Felix doesn't want to share the real reasons, he won't push.

He certainly seems interested in Remus' work, though, which is weirdly flattering. He hasn't even read any of it yet.]


And you're the latter, then?

[He smiles, idly flipping through his notebook.]

Perhaps I'll consult you for some proofreading. [He's only partially teasing.] That is, if you're not headed out of the country soon.

[Probably not local, with that accent. And alright, maybe he's fishing for some more information. No use getting his hopes up on someone who will be leaving the country in a couple weeks.]