Bigger Than Us

001. Meet Cute

Jonas

Jonas kept the paper from his breakfast burrito wrapped around it to keep the rain from ruining it, carrying it under the flap of his jacket as he exited the small shop and rushed towards the curb. He took a bite out of it once he got underneath a nearby awning at a bus stop, thick black gloves covering his hands from the slight September chill. For whatever reason Nick made him put them on and David seemed to agree that it was ridiculous.

"Aw come on Dad," Jo had said to Nick as he hovered near the door trying to avoid Nick's doting, ducking every time he tried to reach out and fix Jo's curly hair. "It's not even the middle of September and you're making me dress like we live in the tundra."

"Well it's cold outside," Nick argued, reaching out to zip up his jacket for him.

"Pops! Tell me you're not really gonna let him do this to me? We're in Missouri not Antarctica," Jo whined, pushing Nick away. David did his best to try and get Nick to lighten up but the man wouldn't budge and he ended up trying to compromise. It ended with Jo wearing an expensive jacket with fur lining the inside, a loose scarf, and the black gloves.

"Thanks a lot Pops," Jonas grumbled under his breath, lifting his breakfast burrito up to his lips to take a small bite. He knew he should have just agreed to living in the university's dorms instead of commuting from home. It helped that their apartment was in the city so he only had to walk a block to the nearest bus stop. It was there that he seemed to keep running into the same guy literally everyday.

Like literally running into him. He slammed into the tall bastard so hard yesterday that he felt a jolt and suddenly a headache came on. For the past two weeks they'd been doing that, and no matter how much Jonas mentally prepared for it they'd always manage to bump into each other. Whether it was knocking hot coffee into each other's laps or stomping one another's toes it was like the universe just wanted to see Jonas in pain.

That day Jonas hurriedly took a seat hoping that maybe if he just sat down he could wait for the guy to get on the bus first then follow after everyone else. Reaching up he adjusted his hearing aid, it felt weird having the thing hooked to his left ear. Half the time he didn't wear it at home, he mostly did it on purpose to avoid hearing his fathers' lectures, so when he did wear it it only felt uncomfortable but with his new life at the university he would quickly get back used to it again. Till then he was gonna turn it off to avoid having to listen to the boisterous strangers trying to navigate the sidewalk traffic.

Slouching on the bench Jonas pulled his phone out of his pocket just in time for someone to practically fall down onto the spot next to him, bumping into him on their way down and causing his brand new iPhone to fall onto the pavement and land on it's screen.

"Holy. Fucking. Shit." Jonas gaped down at his phone, grip tightening on his breakfast burrito tightening, debating whether he should pick it up. It wasn't a far drop, it was probably fine. But it fell right on its corner...

"Oh God, I am so sorry," Jonas looked to a familiar pair of lips, reading them as best as he could. They were the same lips that had been saying sorry to him since late August that fateful day coffee got all over his hundred dollar white jeans.

Licking his lips Jonas rubbed at his thigh, trying his best not to go off on the man.

"It's fine," he mumbled, his hearing aid was still turned off and he didn't want to end up accidentally yelling.

"I'm sorry what?" the man's lips moved rapidly as he said something Jonas could only assume was a string of sorry's and I can't hear you's. The man stared at him a moment, blue eyes squinting at him before he reached up to tap his ear. "Can you not hear me?"