[human au]

it is a chill, dreary monday, one that ensures clouds of breath and foggy skies, one that sends you shivering in your cheap coat, one that chatters your teeth like the reverb of an old jack in the box. of course, you thought. it was typical that the first day of your new job should take place on a day like this.

winding your scarf tighter around your neck, you step forward in the blistering cold, despite the compelling argument from your wobbling knees. as you do so, however, a freezing sensation plods against the tip of your nose.

rain.

the splash pools in the nooks and creases of your skin before leaking down to your quivering lips. outstretching an arm, you extend your index finger to determine the severity of the downpour. a light drizzle. not ideal, but of significant manageability. you heave a sigh of relief and allow your wellington-covered feet to trod further down the hard concrete.

your luck is short-lived, as the grating voice in the back of your mind had predicted. another droplet hits your face. then another, then another; the magnitude of their splashing even transitions from a shower to an enslaught.

chucking it down.

soon, you are soaked head to toe; your hair is flat against your neck and forehead and your clothes stick to your skin like tack. of course, you thought. it is typical that you would forget your umbrella on the one day of the week that there is hammering downpour. you peel the hood of your coat off its cotton back and let it fall over your head. excess water and condensation drip in front of your eyes, the rain soaks through the top and down to your scalp, and the soft material isn't ideal for warmth in this weather, but at least it might keep you semi-dry.

in your pocket, you remember, is your phone, and so you stuff your head in and yank it out. to your relief, the screen blinks on, but to your dismay, the interference of the splashing means that it cannot distinguish your fingers from the rain, and the passcode keys dance a light-up tango, locking you out for the next twenty minutes.

great, you frown, the weather is awful, i've got no umbrella, i can't even call an uber, or like, even suki to come and pick me up. and i'm gonna be late for my first day at this new job and probably get fucking fired while i'm at it. great job, y/n! you have completely outdone yourself! this is an all time low.

and, lost in your internal ramblings, you hardly even noticed that the dribbling on your head had come to a holt. you do, however, notice the cast of shade over the atmosphere, almost as if a massive cloud took up residence directly above you. well, it isn't quite a cloud, but it's certainly a miracle.

"you all right?" asks the man standing beside you. he is tall, with a crop of brown hair, a handsome, boyish face, and an air of familiarity. "i saw you standing here in the middle of the way and figured it'd be a dick move to walk past, when i'm nice and dry." indeed, he is, his hand is snaked around a curved wooden handle that stands between the two of you. your gaze climbs up it and, lo and behold, at the top sits a large umbrella-top.

you smile, the first smile you have allowed to grace your lips all day. "hey, thanks." looking at him, you narrow your eyes. i must know this guy! you are convinced. but you can't put a finger on it, so instead you say: "i'll be out of your way in a minute. maybe just walk me to that pay phone?" you point to a stall down the stretch, he nods, and you start walking down together. his neck is craned so that he fits under the umbrella, his main priority being that you stay dry.

"so," he strikes up conversation, "where you off to in such a rush?"

you answer flatly. "work."

"oh, right." he says, quiet and sheepish, as if he has forgotten that people need to go to work. it is an odd reaction, one that earns him a puzzled expression from you.

"what, don't you have work to attend to?"

"oh, uh," he hangs his head low, cheeks flushing pink, "not really. not these days."

that is even stranger. "not these days?"

"let's just say, i'm sorted for life."

so, this handsome, mysterious stranger doesn't need to work, and, more bizarrely, possesses such riches that he may never again? well, you are certainly jealous of him. you've worked every day of your life since you were 14; from after school cafe shifts, to between-college-classes reception jobs, to full time work. fully booked might be the best way to describe you.

you reach your destination and swing the scratched plastic door open with ease. the man accompanying you stands with his umbrella so close you can feel his warmth (which, admittedly, makes you blush. he's a good looking guy) so that you can hop inside the booth without getting pelted by incoming rain.

once you're in, you shake your coat out with a subtle wiggle of the hips and allow the floor of the phone booth to collect the fallen water. the man watches, amused, a smirk on his chiselled face. you notice this and stand still, feeling heat rising in your chest, and begin punching the number to your workplace into the wall phone. bringing it up to your ear, it rings for a moment and you begin twirling the cord around your finger, and you expect the man to look away, but instead, he faces you, smiling sweetly.

"oh, hello?" you sputter, having reached the other caller. they rattle off their list of services and you wait for them to finish to butt in with your own concern. "sorry, i work here. y/n l/n. because of weather conflicts i don't think i'll be able to make it... huh? oh. okay then... okay... i understand. thank you."

you hang the phone up with a maybe too aggressive slap to its wall fixture and let the man move closer once again, hovering his umbrella over the phone box. he sure is tall.

"what'd they say?" he asks, and you have to pretend not to notice when you step out and feel his breath, smell his deep cologne.

"closed for the day," you sigh, "the firm's rained in and there's leakage. they've gotta take the day for repairs and shit."

"firm? are you a lawyer?"

"no, not yet." the two of you turn the other way and make the subconscious decision to keep walking together. while you traipse through town, you notice women pointing and taking flashy photos with their iphone camera at the man beside you. "i'm just out of college, i mean, i studied law, but this is just an internship. no place wants to take on a kid fresh outta school, you know? so i decided to work my way from the ground up. real underdog story."

he laughs, peering down at you. "you seem intelligent, in the short time i've known you, that is. you've got a real energy about you. i think you'll make it work."

"hey, thanks." you say softly, and you realise you haven't had an interaction as nice as this in a while. amidst the chaos of studying, graduating, finding work, you haven't had much time for the little things in life. "but, what about you?"

"what about me?"

"well, you don't work, and you said you're settled for life. isn't there anything you want to do?"

he looks thoughtful for a moment. "do you know why i haven't got a job? why i've got all this money?"

you think, it's pointless, so ultimately you shake your head: a definitive no.

"well, when i was a kid, i was in a band with my brothers."

"what band?"

"doesn't matter."

"what band?"

he sighs. "brozone."

"oh!" you shriek. "that's why all those women were ogling you!"

he smiles. "i was only a kid then, you see, and it was this band with all my brothers. then, shit kinda went south, they all took off. the band fell apart, but so did my family. i haven't seen them in years, but i've got this massive pile of cash that i don't even fucking need. all this money and nothing to do with it. nobody to share it with."

in truth, you don't know what to say. nothing seems appropriate at this time, with this handsome stranger pouring his heart out to you. if it were anybody else, this might have felt weird, but for some reason you felt comfortable around him. maybe because he was a member of your favourite band growing up, maybe because he'd shown you kindness on such a terrible day. but, no matter the reason, you know his presence feels nice. for once, something feels nice.

"i'm sorry," he stops walking, looking soulfully down at you, "i kinda just unloaded that on you. you don't even know my name."

"branch." you whisper. of course, with your law skills and knowledge of nineties pop, you have figured out his name. "you don't know mine, though."

"y/n." he whispers back. you stumble, nearly slipping in your boots against the wet concrete, but he grabs your arm to keep you upright. "you said it on the phone."

smiling, you let an exasperated oh leave your parted lips. hearing him say your name was nice, and now you don't want to go your own separate way.

"well, branch," you continue the conversation, desperate for a moment longer with him, "isn't there anything you want to do? your life doesn't end here. you could always go back to school."

a playful grin plays on his cheeks. "well, i could tell you that here, or we could get out of the cold and grab a coffee?"

"is bitty b asking me on a date?" you say, and then regret it. "actually, referring to you when you were a baby felt weird. scratch that."

he chuckles, brushing your drying hair out of your face. "i guess you could say i am."

"it's customary for you to pay on the first date, just saying."

"oh i'm a gentleman, i'll pay on this one and every date here after."

"confident are you, that we'll go on another?"

"confident, hopeful, certain. i know you feel a spark, too."

and suddenly the two of you are running through the rain, the puddles pooling in the brick road soak your socks but you don't mind. his hand is intertwined with yours, and you are happy. for the first time in months, you are happy.

thank god for this mournful weather.

[end.]

shorter than my last, and a more simple concept, but i really wanted to do something that didn't end with a kiss. i also wanted to explore human adult relationships, and i don't really know anything about college or jobs so don't mind if that all doesn't make sense haha.