Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it.
Summary: Julius owes Gill, and decides to use Angela to pay him back.
It was a Tuesday when Gill saved Julius' life.
It wasn't something he was truly conscious of. He was walking along the streets of Maple Lake District, his mind far away; probably stuck somewhere back on the farmer's plot. The victim was strutting along the streets, his mind likely trapped somewhere in the Tailor Shop, where his two favorite things- fashion and Candace- resided.
Maybe he hadn't saved his life, anyways. Perhaps Julius wouldn't have been hit by the galloping horse. If he had been, maybe he wouldn't have tripped backwards and fallen to his death.
But when Gill looked up to see Renee's terrified horse coming straight at the flamboyant man, a sudden grip of fear made sure that he didn't hesitate to sprint ahead and knock him to the side.
Despite Gill's protests that there was a good chance Julius would have survived the dangerous encounter, the blacksmith decided to praise Gill as his new God. Or, he might as well have, considering he spent the next week following the blonde around, offering assistance every time any sort of problem came up.
After a tiny drop of tomato juice that had spilled on Gill's shirt ended up with Julius' frantic attempts of cleaning up the entire glass, the mayor's son decided that enough was enough. He decided that it was time to let Julius down- as gently as possible, of course.
"Look, I'm tired of you following me around everywhere! I probably didn't even save your life, and now you're making me regret it!"
As gently as was possible for Gill, at least.
Julius acted as though he had just discovered the truth behind the tooth fairy. The sad, pitiful look in his brown eyes reminded Gill of a certain brown-eyed farmer's face; the expression she took on when she was trying to guilt him into something…
"Okay, okay, fine!" the blonde snapped. "How about this: just do something for me. Anything. Make me something from your shop. Make me dinner. Buy me something. And then, we'll be even."
"But…but…you saved my life," Julius whispered, his eyes wide. "I can't just 'make you dinner.'"
"Make it the best dinner of my life and it sounds about even," Gill mumbled bitterly, but this didn't calm his companion's worries.
After a few moments of different proposals- "I could save your life!" "NO! I don't want you following me around until my life is in danger!"- Julius finally gasped, jabbing his finger into the air.
"What?" Gill asked, annoyance clear on his face at the fact that Julius was refusing to declare his latest idea.
"I know the perfect way to pay you back. Yes, I think it'll be perfect…she'll just- oh, but it'll be a surprise!"
"What do you mean, she?" Gill demanded. His thoughts shifted instantly to the farmer, to her gentle touch and kind face. "Why does it have to be a surprise?"
"Because otherwise it wouldn't be as exciting! Besides, you might try to stop me if I told you about it," Julius shrugged. This did not make Gill feel any better. "Just consider it my favor to you, my hero."
"Stop calling me that!"
Days passed. Quiet days, during which Gill heard nothing of Julius. He kept even more to himself than usual, cutting out his occasional visits with the farmer. The word 'she' had unnerved him, and he was suddenly very paranoid that the other townspeople had taken note of his embarrassing affections.
Two weeks passed. He tried not to think of her or the blacksmith. He had been mistaken when he claimed that Julius' absence would give him peace; instead, it left him worried that her and his feelings for her would get them both caught up in something even more humiliating then his simple- and he hated to give a name to it- crush.
Then, one day, it happened.
He was sitting in his home, waiting for his father to return- Mayor Hamilton always spent much too long at the Sundae Inn, usually being escorted back by Hayden or Jake. A book sat open on his lap, but he couldn't focus on the words; he had reread the same sentence at least twenty times and it still held no meaning.
A tiny, pitiful knock sounded at the door. It was far too gentle to be his father, and hardly anyone else ever called. He thought of who could so gently tap against the door, and then his mind came to the farmer with the softest touch as she took his hand and led him around her barn…
He opened the door and found Julius standing there.
Gill could tell that Angela was standing behind him, but Julius stood before her with his arms outstretched, a proud smile upon his face.
Instantly, Gill's face reddened. A pit formed in his stomach. Somehow, he knew that his secret fear was coming true right before his eyes.
"It is I, Oh Hero-,"
"Don't call me that!"
"Oh, sorry. It's me, Oh Great One-,"
"Hey! …Oh, forget it…"
"Yes, anyways, it's me, Oh Great One, here to return the favor you showed me in saving my life. I brought here a favor of my own!" Julius told him enthusiastically, looking as though he couldn't wait to shove poor Angela at Gill.
Gill made a face. "You brought her?"
He hadn't meant it to sound so rude, but he knew it had been by the look on Julius' face.
"I thought you'd-,"
"I didn't mean it like that!" Gill said hurriedly. He couldn't see Angela's face, but he could picture the crestfallen look that would sour her normally cheerful expression. "I meant…how can forcing her to come here pay me back for saving your life?"
Julius' smirk only grew wider. "Ha! How you ask? Well, I'll show you how. She doesn't even have to talk. I spent all this time working on this…well, just look at her!"
He moved over and finally revealed the timid girl behind him.
Gill hadn't expected anything but her, and he hadn't expected to react the way he did. But when Angela looked up at him with an awkward, nervous smile, he couldn't help but catch his breath.
She was wearing a dainty, loose yellow dress; in fact, the color was as pale as the shade of his hair. He wondered if Julius had done that on purpose. Besides that, she was wearing small, white flats- a sharp contract to the mud stained sneakers he was used to- and a necklace with a charm the same pale yellow color hung against her neck. Even the cowlick of her hair was lying down flat.
"You…look…"
"Incredible, right? I decided that since you two spend so much time together, you probably see her pretty negatively. I mean, she's always wearing those dirty clothes-,"
The hesitant smile that had been spreading on Angela's face seemed to have met a wall; it faltered and then fell, replaced by a grimace.
"I think she looks beautiful…no matter what she's wearing," Gill stammered, unable to stand looking at that dejected look of her's.
Instantly, a smile lit up her face again. That's the smile, Gill realized, that makes her beautiful no matter what she has on.
He had to admit that in her dress, with her gelled hair and delicate shoes, she looked even more stunning than usual. He felt as though a wind came crashing onto him, blew through him; and when it had passed, he realized that he would never be able to look at Angela in the same way. The sudden way he had had seen her, the words he had said, were not things that he could take back so easily.
"Thank you, Gill," she told him in her softest voice, the smile still on her face. She tugged at the sleeve of her dress, looking rather uncomfortable.
"It's…nothing," Gill murmured, looking down. "You don't have to hang around here, if you don't want. You…don't look very comfortable…"
Angela seemed even more grateful at this. She grinned even bigger, nodded her head, and then, after a very long pause, opened her arms to him.
It took a swift, unnoticed kick from Julius to put him into gear, and he nervously extended his own arms, allowing her to come closer. For a moment, her arms wrapped around his waist, her head rested on his shoulder, hair tickled his face. Then, she pulled away and said, "I'll see you tomorrow, right? You haven't come around lately."
"Uh…yeah…yeah, of course, I'll…uh…stop by tomorrow, yeah," Gill stuttered, nodding his head furiously.
"Okay. Bye, Gill. Bye, Julius…thanks for making me these," she told him politely, and then she hurried off, her white shoes already being stained with dirt due to the rather unladylike way she dragged her feet.
The moment she was out of sight, Julius turned to Gill with a grin that rivaled her's, folding his arms very pointedly.
"What?" Gill snapped. Now that Angela had left, he no longer felt the need to speak in his kinder voice.
Julius didn't seem to mind. He just asked, "So, was that enough to pay you back for saving my life?"
"It…uh…" Gill drifted off, smoothing his hair down for a moment. He stared down the path that she had taken towards her home and thought of that very brief moment in which she had been his…
"Yeah," he answered in a small voice.
Julius smirked again. "I thought so," he said simply.
Gill tried not to roll his eyes and began to retreat back into his house.
Julius caught the door before he could close it and said, "Hey, Gill?"
"…Yes?"
"That was pretty nice of you. What you said to her."
Gill looked down at his spotless shoes and was surprised when a small smile found its way onto his lips. "…Thanks…"
"Oh, yeah, and there's something else I wanted to say."
"What is it?" Gill asked, smiling more freely. He felt a sudden pinprick of comradeship towards the blacksmith. They were polar opposites and yet, there they were, speaking. Julius had, after all, been the reason for Angela's visit…he had given him the chance to shine in her eyes…
The singsong voice jolted Gill out of his thoughts. "You love Angela, you love Ange-,"
The blonde slammed the door shut and sat back down, picking his book up. He reread the same sentence over again, and then, listening to the faint whistling of Julius' fade away, smiled.
Author's Note: This was an idea I came up with in my trig class today, and I had to write it as soon as possible. I don't usually like Gill and Angela together, but I thought that if Gill showed her his softer side…and then the whole thing came together. Haha, I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I liked writing it. Thanks for reading, anyways! (: