Chapter Text
The first time Megatron set foot inside Ambus Bookstore, it was in mid-January, during a surprise blizzard. He had been walking home from his session with Rung. It hadn't been a particularly productive one, and he ended up arguing with (or rather, at) the therapist for far too long about who knows what and when he left, he chose to skip the bus in hopes that some exercise could do him some good.
It didn't. He had expected some snow, but not this much. All the walk did was tire him out and freeze him half to death. Well. He supposed that it did get rid of his excess energy, but by making him cold and exhausted. Pulling his scarf tighter, Megatron started to walk faster, trying to get to his apartment quickly despite the wind blasting his face and the snow.
In hindsight, it was a perhaps foolish thing to do, because as soon as he took his next step, his foot slipped on a patch of ice that he hadn't noticed, and he ended up falling right on his face.
With a few false starts and stumbles, Megatron managed get pull himself up again, groaning and heaving. There was blood, blood in his mouth and blood running down his nose. He patted his pockets. No, he didn't have any tissues on him.
He still had to walk. All there was around him at the moment was an empty park and some people's homes. He didn't exactly want to knock on some random family's front door in the middle of a snowstorm as this strange man with blood on his face. (What if they called the police? He did not want that.)
Thankfully, he saw the silhouette of a building in the distance. It looked like a church. Megatron hoped that it was open. He made his way towards it, making sure that his boot was solidly on the ground every time he took a step.
When he reached the building, there was a sign above the door that said:
“Librairie Ambus - Livres d'occasion et rares - Atelier de reliure.“
And underneath that text was smaller text, presumably the translation:
“Ambus Bookstore - Books, used and rare - Bookbinding and restoration.”
Well, whether it was a church or not, it didn't matter; Megatron couldn't take being out here in the cold anymore. The doors were closed, but Megatron knocked loudly anyway. He was already here, and who knows, maybe there would be someone inside.
Thankfully, that seemed to be true. Megatron heard running noises from inside and then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted a man peeking out at him through a window. He waved awkwardly with his free hand and pointed at his nose. The man jumped, alarmed, then ran out of sight, towards the door. A second later and Megatron found himself face to face with a tiny mustachioed man, pulling him inside the building.
“L-Les toilettes sont là-bas. La deuxième porte à droite.“
Megatron hadn't understood a word he said, but it didn't matter, because the man was pushing him in the direction of a door with a symbol of a toilet on it. He could understand that, at least.
With a thumbs up from his free hand, he entered the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and started cleaning himself up. Huh. There was a lot more blood than he thought. No wonder the man had looked so distressed. His tongue also felt very sore. He must've bit down on it when he fell.
When it seemed like no more blood was there, Megatron wiped his hands (he pocketed some of the tissue paper and put it in the inside breast pocket of his jacket; best to be prepared next time something like this happens) and exited the restroom.
And then he was frozen in awe.
In his earlier rush, he did not end up taking a good look of the building's interior. But now that he was looking around, he couldn't take his eyes off it.
The place was indeed a church, one that had been refurbished into a bookstore judging by all the shelving, but still its origins were clear as day. Hanging from the tall curved roof were several intricate cross-shaped chandeliers, lights softly glowing from each point. The roof itself had its own lights, embedded in between the vaults that connected to Ionic columns on either side of room. To his right were stairs, leading up to the mezzanine, where bookshelves and large windows looking out into the stormy mess outside were. But what caught his eye the most was the large church organ at the back of the building, its gold pipes forming a hypnotic pattern framed by the stunning stained-glass display above it.
He barely noticed the man approaching him.
“Ah, est-ce que je peux vous offrir quelque chose? De l'eau, peut-être?“
Megatron blinked.
“Um. I-I don't,” he said, awkwardly.
“Ah. English?”
“Yes.” he nodded. And quieter, he added, “Please.”
The small man adjusted his green shawl. He must've gotten it after closing the door. The air was still a bit cold in here.
“I was asking if you needed anything. I have water if you need it. Coffee, too.” He gestured at a coffee machine on a table placed against the far-left wall.
“Oh. Thank you for offering, but I'm good,” Megatron said, walking towards the exit.
“You're going out? In this weather?” the man asked, somewhat incredulous. The door shook at force of the wind outside.
The man had a point. The snowstorm was still going strong and only a fool would rush out like this. But…
“I have to feed my cat,” Megatron said, bluntly.
“Oh. You can't call someone to take care of it?”
“No,” he said. “I live alone. And, ah, I don't really have any close friends.”
The man let out a small, self-deprecating chuckle and muttered, “I know what that's like. Well, good luck out there.”
“Thank you. Hope I don't fall again,” Megatron said, smiling slightly. He opened the door and went out. “Have a nice day.”
“Y-you too!” the man called out.
The door closed shut.
Minimus sighed, shivered, and pulled his shawl tighter. “Hm. Bof, j'espère qu'il ne mourra pas de froid.”
He walked towards the closet to retrieve a mop. The stranger hadn't shaken off the snow from his boots and there was now a trail on the floor. Unacceptable.
Minimus took a bucket and filled it with soapy water. He started mopping up the mess.
He hummed. “Suppose que tu ne sauras jamais, hein? Ce n'est pas comme s'il reviendrait…”
Eventually, the floor was spotless.