Hey everyone! Welcome to my newest story!

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you may recognize some things in this story. And for good reason: it's a spin off of my other Story of Seasons fan fiction, The River.

That story was all about Klaus and Maya (Annie/Minori), but during the process I experimented with Maya and Raeger. I liked them a lot, but ultimately the story was centered around Klaus. So, this is my solution to that!

You don't have to read the other story to understand this one (although if you wanted to read it, I wouldn't be opposed or anything…) but for those of you who have, this story begins just after Chapter Seven: Roses Are Red in The River.

I hope you all enjoy!

Into the Flame

Chapter 1: Roses Are Red

"We'll never know unless we try," He winked, trailing his hand up Maya's leg, over the curve of her hips and waist, coming to rest on the side of her neck. "Tell me if you want me to stop."

Giving her a chance to decline and only pressing forward when she closed her eyes, Raeger pulled her to him and kissed her.

He tugged her closer, his fingers tangling in her hair and securing her in his embrace; he was confident and sure, as he always was, and had every intention of taking complete control of their kiss-

Maya whimpered, throwing him off balance in the most delicious way.

He felt like they were challenging each other- pushing limitations and comfort in a competition of sexuality. She one-upped him, shifting until she was in his lap, straddling his hips, to see if he would back off. He didn't.

Raeger made a low sound in the back of his throat, his hands slipping down Maya's body from her hair to her hips, holding her in place and fighting the urge to grind into her. Raeger was surprised at himself- he expected this to feel stranger than it did.

"Maya-" Raeger whispered, his voice husky. He was about to break the kiss, knowing that if he allowed it to go on longer he wouldn't be able to stop his instincts from completely dominating him, when the unmistakeable sound of a door met his ears.

A sharp shudder ripped down Raeger's spine as he remembered, his shoes crunching noisily down the path leading away from Maya's farm.

The night was clear and crisp, very unlike his thoughts which were muddled and angry. How the hell had he let this happen? That was a stupid question. He knew exactly how it had happened, the issue was now what on earth he was going to do about it.

Raeger had kissed Maya. His best friend, his confidant, the new girl in town that was head over heels in love with another man, and Raeger had kissed her. Not only that, but he'd twisted her love for Klaus into the reason behind their kiss.

If he wasn't so pissed at himself, he'd be a little impressed.

Maya had moved to Oak Tree Town a few seasons ago. The two had become fast friends, and while Raeger always found her attractive, he'd never done anything like this before. Not since her feelings for the local perfumer had become so blatantly obvious.

It was the day of the Flower Festival, so the sickly-sweet perfume of flowers was everywhere, surrounding him even as he passed the Guild Hall. He'd only been at Maya's to comfort her after Klaus's polarizing reaction to her Flower Fest gift, and yet in the midst of their conversation they'd ended up making out on her couch.

If Fritz hadn't walked in on them, he didn't know where they would've ended up.

Raeger fumbled with his keys. Maya, in an effort to woo the older man, had given Klaus a sketchbook instead of a flower for the Festival. Raeger thought it was a wonderful gift, but Klaus's reaction had been a bit aloof. That was the reason Maya had summoned him, to ease some of her discouragement.

He was always happy to be there for Maya. Raeger made a point of it, most of the time, to be as available as he could to the young farmer. She was new, and didn't have many friends outside of him, and he found her intoxicatingly adorable.

Convincing her to kiss him, however, was likely not what she wanted him around for.

"Do you mean to tell me that Klaus didn't cross your mind at all during this little exchange?" He challenged, grinning in pained satisfaction as Maya flushed scarlet. "That's what I thought. But if it makes you feel any better…"

Raeger's hands went to Maya's waist, giving her a gentle but suggestive squeeze.

"There was a moment there," He began, letting his words roll off his tongue seductively, "that my mind was entirely focused on you."

Maya returned his playful smirk, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck and bring him closer to her.

"Well naturally," She purred, capturing his lips in another kiss. Raeger groaned in surprise, returning the gesture more eagerly than he would've expected. "I am incredibly attractive after all."

Raeger burst into laughter, kissing her one more time for good measure. His lips lingered, tasting her, until she giggled and he knew the moment was over. He pulled away, his mouth set in a flirtatious grin.

Raeger groaned, flopping onto his bed with a solid thump. Of course he'd been focused on her, he'd been painfully aware of her the entire time. It hurt him to ask, but he knew she'd been thinking about Klaus. He just needed to hear it to pry himself away from her.

How could he have been so stupid?

The clock on Raeger's bedside table ticked away, irritating him further. His heart was pounding, his stomach was tight with anger, and to top it all off he was still painfully aroused. Everything he'd done in the last hour had been nothing but a gigantic mistake.

Even thinking that, Raeger couldn't bring himself to regret what he'd done. The taste of Maya's kiss lingered on his lips, a taste that he liked more than he was comfortable with.

Raeger had had his fair share of women. Most of the bachelorettes in town had been his girlfriend at some point or another, and for the longest time he'd been caught up on one blonde beauty in particular.

Iris.

Ironically, Klaus's best friend was Raeger's biggest regret from his playboy lifestyle. Iris was the whole package, and his feelings for her had scared Raeger into breaking it off in the worst way possible. He'd never been so afraid of a response to a text message in his life.

Raeger feared he would never get over Iris. He even went as far as to share his concerns with Maya- bonding with her over their mutual dismay at their poor luck in love. He wasn't entirely sure when his lamenting became less about venting his frustrations and more about spending time with Maya, but before he knew it he was thinking about his new friend more often than not.

But now he had kissed her, and everything was different.

Raeger could handle a crush. He'd had them on countless women, and with a little determination and time he could usually banish them with relative ease. That had been his plan with Maya. It would've worked, if he hadn't kissed her.

His heart was still roaring in his ears, his breathing shallow and his stomach fluttering in ways he hadn't thought it could. The memory of Maya's body in his arms and her legs around his hips, her tongue in his mouth, her almost inaudible moans-

"Argh!" Raeger groaned, rolling onto his stomach. He tried and failed to push the image from his mind. He couldn't go down this path, not with her. For Goddess' sake she was in love with someone else! Raeger found that thought and held on for dear life, using it to dispel any hope that was taking root in his heart.

He would never be with Maya. Not now, not ever, and that was just how it was supposed to be, despite what others might-

Raeger sat bolt upright in his bed, his stomach suddenly clenched in fear.

Fritz. Fritz had walked in on them kissing and then stormed off before they could explain. If Raeger didn't enact some damage control, the entire town would know about the incident by morning. He couldn't let that happen- Maya would be devastated if Klaus found out.

Pulling on his old leather jacket, Raeger made a break for the door. He was still shrugging his arm into the sleeve when he reached the handle, giving a mighty tug and nearly running headlong into someone waiting on the other side.

"Jesus!" Raeger cursed, skidding to a sudden stop with the help of the doorframe. He flipped his long ochre-coloured hair out of his eyes, and came face to face with the exact man he was just taking off to find.

"Fritz?" Raeger blinked, furrowing his brow. "What are you doing here?"

Fritz had looked just as startled at Raeger's sudden appearance as Raeger had at his, and he was momentarily frozen in that state. After a few hard breaths, Fritz donned an angered expression.

"I came to yell at you!" Fritz pouted, his volume about the same as normal despite his words. "How could you not tell me? I'm your friend, Raeger!"

"Not tell you about what?" Raeger tilted his head, realising as soon as the words left his mouth what Fritz was referring to. His realisation didn't come quick enough though; Fritz had taken more offense to Raeger's ignorance.

"About Maya!" He exclaimed loudly, his shout echoing in the still night air. Raeger's heart skipped a beat- at this rate someone was bound to hear him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Raeger whispered, hoping to calm his friend's anger with his gentle tone. The effect was less than successful as Fritz huffed. "Please, come inside and we can-"

"No!" Fritz stepped back out of the chef's reach, stomping his foot like a toddler.

Raeger felt a pang of guilt. Even though Fritz wasn't correct in his assumptions, he was hurt enough to confront him. This was a big deal for Fritz- he generally avoided confrontation at all costs. Raeger opened his mouth to defend himself and ease his friend's mind, but Fritz wasn't done.

"You told me there was nothing going on between you two," he continued, sounding more saddened than frustrated now. "Why did you lie to me? You never lie to me!"

"Fritz," Raeger interrupted, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I didn't lie to you, I promise. Come inside, okay? I'll explain what happened."

Fritz hesitated. Raeger could see that he wanted to come in, but whether it was his anger at Raeger or an inherent distrust, Fritz was unsure if he would comply. They stood in the doorway long enough for the chill in the air to seep into Raeger's bones, and then Fritz pushed passed him into the restaurant.

Fritz's heavy work boots resounded through the empty restaurant as he stomped to the bar. Raeger followed, already formulating what he was going to say. He'd known Fritz for many years, but he wasn't always the most understanding person. Likely Raeger would have trouble getting his ideas across.

"I'm not going to pretend you didn't see me and Maya kissing," Raeger began, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He knew it was best to confirm Fritz's beliefs before trying to change them; he'd encounter less resistance that way.

"But you're not together," Fritz mumbled doubtfully. Raeger cringed.

"No, we're not."

Fritz heaved a sigh. "You know that makes no sense," he pointed out, eying Raeger with disdain. "What, you just go around kissing whoever you like now?"

"Apparently," Raeger muttered, avoiding Fritz's piercing stare. "Look, I'm not saying it makes any sense. Maya and I were just kind of… caught up in the moment, I guess. We both decided it didn't mean anything, so it doesn't, okay?"

Fritz was silent as he contemplated Raeger's words. Raeger knew that he couldn't push Fritz- the fiery-haired farmer would come to his conclusion in his own time and no sooner. So, Raeger waited patiently.

He hadn't realised how tired he was. The silence that filled the room as Fritz thought pressed in on him with a weight that wore on his shoulders. Raeger tried to suppress a yawn. It was only about 11, but he felt like he could sleep for 12 hours straight. He almost wished he could; perhaps that would fix everything.

Finally, Fritz lifted his gaze to meet Raeger's. The two stared at each other apprehensively until Fritz spoke.

"Okay," he nodded, exhaling. "I believe you that it didn't mean anything."

Raeger was about to breathe a sigh of relief, thank Fritz for understanding, when all of a sudden he spoke again.

"But are you okay with that?"

Raeger wasn't expecting the question, but he reacted instinctively. The chef laughed, shrugging off Fritz's concern with an easy smirk and a casual dismissal.

"Of course I am," he chuckled, offering Fritz some hot chocolate before he headed home. Fritz agreed to the beverage, the two falling into their usual conversation. That was the beauty of being friends with someone as fickle as Fritz; it wasn't often that a feud lasted longer than a day at most.

For the remainder of their time together, Raeger was no different than he always was, as least on the surface. He laughed, joked, and bid Fritz a proper farewell as he set off into the night. Even still, his blatant lie clung to the back of his throat, leaving a bitter taste on his tongue.

He slammed the front door with far more aggression than he'd intended, but hearing the loud bang resound through the empty restaurant was sickly satisfying. It wasn't like Raeger to let something bother him like this, but Fritz's disturbingly relevant question had stuck in his heart like a barb.

But are you okay with that?

"Of course I am," Raeger uttered under his breath, clomping up the stairs until his feet hurt. "I have to be."

With no one around to hear his vow, Raeger settled into bed and stared at the ceiling. He'd made his promise with conviction and purpose, but his stomach twisted uncomfortably whenever he thought about it.

He'd managed to convince Fritz, sure, but had he convinced himself?

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