Chapter Text
the Riley household used to have four working umbrellas. but ever since his a-hole of a father broke his, they have three now.
his father took the next best one (Mrs. Riley’s umbrella) so Simon had to let his mother have his.
Simon took it upon himself to give way, placing responsibility on his shoulders at an early age. it’s the child who has to adjust for his parents. it’s the eldest who has to give way for his brother.
since then, the Riley family has had three working umbrellas: one for the father, one for his mum, and one for Tommy.
and for a while, he had lousy experiences of running under the downpour, or wasting time until the rain cleared up. not this time, however, he has a friend who’s kind enough to let him share.
a floral umbrella unfurled and Simon’s stands under the protection from heavy rain and metaphorical cold.
“Sorry I was late, I had errands from the teacher,” she explains, extending her arm straight up to accommodate the two. “Did you wait long?”
simon snickers at her attempt to reach his height. he grabs the handle from her, and holds the umbrella over them.
“Yes, but I don’t mind,” he extends his body a bit out, letting a bit of rain on his shoulders. “thank you for having me here with you.”
simon rests his hands over her, to squeeze them under the limited space as they both head home.
and for a long while, the Riley family only needed three, since Simon found his other one.