indeedsir_backup | Fic: Cats and Dogs

Title: Cats and Dogs
Pairing: Gen; Reginald Jeeves, Bertie Wooster, OMC (in a sense)
Summary: Young Reginald Jeeves, a rainy afternoon, and the kindness of a stranger.
Rating: G
Words: 564
Disclaimer: Own nothing. Zilch. Nada.

When Reginald Jeeves was a boy, a stranger saved his life.

To most, should they chance to hear the unspoken tale, it would be unremarkable. The stranger did nothing to grace the headlines. He did not push the boy from an oncoming carriage, nor did he ward off unwelcome bullies.

It was the simplest of things, on a typically dreary afternoon. The skies had opened on Jeeves on his way to meet his father, drenching his neatly slicked hair, and tossing mud onto his pristine shoes. While less than impeccable, the boy would never again leave without consulting the weather. Not for himself, but for the gentleman he would someday serve.

It was a sense of disappointment that filled him as he stepped to the side, seeking shelter in a nearby overhang, watching London flee from the downpour.

“No use in catching your death out here,” the voice was amused, kind, and suddenly the young boy was no longer subjected to the deluge. Looking up, he found was protected by a large umbrella, and warmed by a man staring back at him with laughter in his blue eyes.

“I apologize, sir,” Jeeves cleared his throat. “I shall be better directly.” Never let on to a gentleman of any discomfort, his father had informed him. A man relied on his valet to be nothing less than a well oiled machine.

The gentleman with the laughing eyes waved a hand, dismissively. “Come in, chap. Wherever you’re dashing off to will be there after you’re dried and warmed up. ”

“I apologize,” Jeeves repeated. “I must- “

“Well,” the man regarded Jeeves. “If you’re going to be stubborn, I’ll just bring you a cuppa.”

Jeeves could not protest, for the man pushed the umbrella into his hand, and vanished into an adjacent café without another word. For the life of him, he could not fathom why the stranger cared. There were plenty of children on the streets, after all.

Jeeves was nothing if not self-sufficient.

“Here you are,” the man returned, pressing a steaming cup into Jeeves’ chilled hand. “I took a guess…I don’t suppose you would have fancied a cocoa.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jeeves accepted the drink. The rain was dying down, by now, but Reginald Jeeves was warmed, sheltered by a stranger’s kindness.

“Go on, then,” the man said, after a time. “If you’ve got someplace to be, best be on your way before it starts up again.”

Jeeves tilted his head in acknowledgement, and his mouth tugged, imperceptivity. He left the stranger and stepped out to the street. He was still clutching the umbrella.

“Sir,” Jeeves turned. “Your umbr-“

But the man was standing in the rain, head tilted to the skies. It wasn’t behavior befitting a gentleman in public, but the man was smiling, and he could not bring himself to disturb him. He turned on his heel, and left.

A decade or so later, Reginald Jeeves setting the kettle in a spacious flat in Berkeley Square, briefly glancing outside at the rain slicked streets, before exiting the kitchen to open the front door for the young master.

Bertram Wilberforce Wooster was shaking out a worn, though sturdy umbrella. “Dashed weather we’re having,” Bertie observed. “It’s raining cats and dogs, if I’ve got the whatsit.”

“Cats and dogs, sir,” Jeeves confirmed.

“That’s the baby,” Bertie beamed, with laughter in his eyes.

~End

ETA: x-posted over at my LJ

jabber_moose

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From:

storyfan.livejournal.com

Am I right in thinking this is a lovely picture of Bertie's father?

jabber-moose.livejournal.com

You would be. I just did a little happydance. I've been lurking far too long, here

I thought this was lovely. I always imagine that Bertie would have been just like his father, kind and full of fun, a bit absent-minded, but very smart in his own way. Mr. Wooster the elder never would have ignored a drenched child.

What a way to join the comm. Corking good show.

Many, many thanks!

I just recced it on my LJ. HOpe you don't mind.

Not at all. I'm all sorts of flattered and honored

anansie-s.livejournal.com

Lovely, lovely, lovely. (I seem to have a limited vocabulary today!).

Lovely of you to say so

(deleted comment)

You all do wonders for my ego. Really.

mxdp.livejournal.com

What a lovely lovely story! I'm imagining it's Bertie's father, and one can't help but get such a clear and vivid image of the scene, I am completely in love with this darling little fic <3