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It was doing that thing again.
And by that thing, Jack meant rain. He meant it was raining again and buggering fuck, he didn't have his umbrella. Unbelievable. Why did life have to be such a huge bitch to him, anyway?
He was sitting at the bus stop, concealed by the little shack that sat over top of it. The only problem with waiting for the bus was that he didn't need to take it. None of the bus stops took him anywhere near his house. In fact, he had walked out to the store and had been planning on walking back until the shit falling from the sky known as rain came.
Precipitation? Jack thought. More like, precipisatan.
He laughed to himself. At least he still had his incredible sense of humor.
But now, he still wondered what on earth he was going to do. Walking in sunshine was one thing, but walking home in the rain was another. He would be completely drenched within five minutes if he tried to walk home now, and it would take him much, much longer to walk home than five minutes. Jack glanced up towards the sky and with a pang of disappointment in his gut, he just knew that this rain wasn't going to ease off anytime soon.
Where did that leave him? Jack had no idea. He tucked his hands underneath his arms, trying vainly to warm himself up. Before he'd made it to the bus stop, he had been caught in the rain, and his damp clothes caused him to shiver.
All he'd wanted was some damn groceries so he could feed himself. Apparently, the universe just wanted him to fail epically at life.
Jack could hear the rain pounding on the little roof. If anything, it sounded like it was coming down harder.
“For fuck's sake,” he mumbled, lolling his head back. “Give me one goddamn break, wouldja?”
The sound of approaching footsteps caused him to snap his head back up. Jack looked around and another man slowly came underneath the protection of the little roof. However, this man was smart. He had his umbrella, which he closed as he sat down. He shook the umbrella a little bit, water spraying everywhere, and he sighed.
Jack stared. The man was his age, perhaps a tad bit older. His hair was dark and a little messy, and a pair of glasses hung loosely on the edge of his nose. He had a bit of an Asian-esque look to him, though Jack couldn't exactly pinpoint from where. His shirt looked to be in perfectly dry condition, the red flannel still vibrant and not damp like his own dark hoodie.
The man looked over and they locked eyes, and Jack's heart seized in his chest as the man offered him a broad smile.
“Bad day to be out, huh?” he said. “Didn't think it was supposed to rain 'til tonight. Glad I had the sense to bring an umbrella, just in case.”
Jack didn't know how to respond. It was as if all the words had just left his head. But after a few moments, he finally managed, “Yeah. I wasn't so smart.”
“Don't feel bad,” the man replied. “I'm usually pretty forgetful.”
Jack nodded slowly, swallowing as the man began to tap his foot, looking away as he went on, “Days like this are better slept through with a good cup of coffee and a good game, think so?”
He looked back and warm brown eyes fell on him. Jack could feel his face heating up. God, this guy was attractive. He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Good game. That's what I'd probably be doing right now if it weren't fer, y'know, the rain.”
The man frowned a bit. “Get caught out in it?”
Jack nodded. “Walked out to the store. Got caught here on the way back.”
He gestured to his shopping bags on the ground by his feet. “Would go ahead and walk on back, rain be damned, but I live...a ways from here.”
“So, bus it is?” the man asked, and Jack shook his head.
“Gonna wait it out,” he shrugged. “Bus takes me nowhere near home. I got time.”
The man frowned again, and if Jack didn't know any better, he would say he looked concerned. “That's a shame. You don't have anyone to pick you up?”
“I live alone,” Jack replied. “It's why I'm shopping for m'self. It's no big deal, man. Don't worry.”
The man looked as though he were going to protest, but just then, the sound of tires sloshing through water resonated. The man looked up as the bus rolled to a stop. His eyes darted back to Jack.
He stood up and extended his hand out, offering the umbrella. Jack stared at him quizzically.
“Take it,” the man said. “The bus will take me home. You should get home too.”
“I can't just...” Jack started. “No, keep it. 's yours. I don't need it.”
As if on cue, Jack sneezed, the cold finally settling into his bones. The man smiled that soft smile again, and Jack's heart thumped in his chest. “You can give it back to me later.”
He thrust it into his hands, and hopped onto the bus before Jack could protest again. The bus stalled for a moment and when Jack didn't move to get on, it closed its doors. Jack stared after it and saw the man wave at him from the window, and Jack didn't know what else to do other than wave back, dumbfounded.
Jack looked down at the umbrella. It looked well loved and used. He rotated it a fraction and looked at the little strip that seemed to be sewn onto it.
Property of Mark Fischbach. If found, please return to...
Jack smiled, and opened it. Grabbing his bags, he stepped out into the rain and down the street, making a mental note to return to Mark Fischbach as soon as possible.