Disclaimer: I do not own Animal Crossing, but if you turn your head sideways and squint a little...oh; wait, never mind. I still don't own it.
Author's Note: This is actually the first Animal Crossing fanfiction I ever wrote. I really like Nook and Sable as a couple. I mean, they put their goals together in a little time capsule in the ground when they were little! How cute is that? They talk about each other all the time in Wild World. Hmm, methinks something's going on there... ^_~ [laughs]
Oh, also, in this story, there's a fictional second floor to the Able Sisters' shop, since they need someplace to live. O_o; Ever wondered where they actually live?...
Well, without further ado, here it is:
Little Voice
"Sis, don't you think you've been working long enough? It's almost midnight!" the young blue hedgehog complained.
Sable ignored her sister and continued to sew. Carefully, she completed a perfectly straight line of stitches. The sewing machine was old, but she refused to get another one— after all, this one still worked, and as her friend might say, "If it isn't broken, then don't fix it, hm?"
"What are you even working on?" Mabel inquired, padding closer to her sister. She looked at the pattern below the sewing machine and wrinkled her nose. "Don't tell me those are more clothes for that old miser Nook," she said distastefully.
"Now Mabel, Tom Nook was a good friend long ago, and you shouldn't speak that way about adults," Sable said quietly, still hard at work.
Mabel made a small huff of protest but did not reply. She paced the floor of the shop impatiently, grumbling. "What has that old Nook ever given us? I swear, most animals have a little voice of compassion in their heads, but that old raccoon-dog has none!"
Mabel might have been a little grouchy about Tom Nook, but Sable knew the little hedgehog's intentions were good. She knew her sister was only staying down on the first floor because she didn't want to leave Sable alone. "Go to bed, Mabel," she sighed. "I'll be all right."
Mabel looked at her sister for a moment. "Okay," she said finally, "but finish up. It's winter and I don't think it's healthy to run yourself down like this."
Sable glanced at her with a smirk. "Since when are you worried about things like that?"
Mabel huffed. "I'm always concerned for you!"
"That's good to know," Sable smiled. "Good night, Mabel."
"...Good night, Sable," Mabel replied. She trotted upstairs, where the two lived.
Sable continued to work for about another half hour, but when her work was done, she turned off the machine and held up the result at arms' length: A blue store-manager's suit. Sable thought it looked rather nice. Certainly much nicer than what that silly tanuki was wearing now, anyway. And—Sable smiled to herself—the suit had long sleeves, so he wouldn't get cold during the day. She laid the suit with the white shirt and red tie she had made earlier, and turned off her work-light. She went upstairs, leaving the clothes on her chair.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The following morning was very cold.
Tom Nook shivered in his apron. His store may have been stacked with high-quality products, but its insulation was as bad as ever. It was still early yet— Timmy and Tommy had yet to arrive, and merchandise still needed to be stocked. Nook began to fill the shelves. He'd just set a row of tools when the door slid open. He turned and began to say, "I'm sorry, we're not quite open yet, hm?" when he realized who was standing there—"Sable! How nice to see you."
Sable gave him a weary smile. There were circles under her eyes. "You look cold, old friend," she said softly.
"Yes, it is brisk, but I've just learned to make the best of it, hm?" he said, and shivered.
Sable walked forward. From behind her back she produced some folded clothes. "Maybe you don't have to anymore."
Nook looked down at the clothes. "What do you mean, Sable?"
"Take them," Sable said, holding them out.
"But... we do not sell clothing," the shopkeep said, uncomprehending.
"I didn't make them for your customers! I made them for you!" Sable said impatiently, blushing slightly. Honestly, he acted as if the very concept of a gift were foreign to him!
Tom Nook blinked. "How much do I owe you, then, hm?"
Sable resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "You owe me to wear them, and that is all."
Tom Nook took the clothes from her arms, still blinking in confusion. "But Sable, this is your livelihood. You spent time making this. Not paying you would be unfair, hm?" he said, not unkindly.
Sable sighed. "You don't understand," she said. "It's not about my livelihood. It's not about my pay. It's... it's about helping those I care about." She looked down and blushed.
Tom Nook cleared his throat embarrassedly. "Er-hem... well... thank you. I appreciate the sentiment. I assure you that this clothing will be worn with pride."
Sable nodded. That was all she needed to hear. She turned and made her way toward the door when Nook called after her, "Sable?"
She turned. He walked toward her, holding a small bag of Bells. "Here. Buy yourself a new sewing machine. Or maybe a new toy for Mabel, hm?" he said, holding the bag out to her.
She shook her head, annoyed. "Tom, I told you, I don't want—"
"It's not about pay," Tom Nook interrupted, smiling gently at her. "It's about helping those I care about, hm?" His voice was quiet when he said this, and he didn't meet her eyes.
Sable flushed deeply and accepted the bag, smiling. "Thank you," she said with a small bow, and she turned to leave. Just before she went out the door, however, she looked over her shoulder. "I think Mabel's wrong. Your voice of compassion hasn't left you after all." She went through the door and disappeared from sight.
"No, I don't suppose she has," Tom Nook muttered to himself, smiling, and he went to change into his new clothes.
~*~*~THE END.~*~*~
Author's Note: It was super short, I know! [laughs] But I do like this one. They really are cute as a couple, I think. ^_^ Please review if you've read this, or even if you've just glanced at it! I'd really appreciate it, since I'm going to college for Creative Writing. This could influence my career! [gasp] =O [laughs] I'm kidding about it affecting my entire career. But it really would help me out! ^ ^;
I really hope you enjoyed my story! Love to all!
~Meganium
EDIT: Many thanks are in order for all my reviewers!! Since I cannot reply to them in the Reviews section, I will thank them right here! ^_^
Rose Scatcat: Thank you so much for the review, and I'm flattered to hear you think I'm a good writer! That means a lot ^ ^ And I'm glad I got the characters well. I'd have to say Sable and Tom Nook are both sort of hard to write for because they have that aloof air about them...LOL. Thanks again!
Luckycharms2841: A review on this one too! =O Thanks so much!! XD I'm glad my story made you think about the characters! That is my goal, after all. Well, that and to make you feel all fuzzy inside. ^_^ I'm glad you liked it, and thanks again for the reviews!
Insane Dreamer 101: Thank you so much! I'm glad you thought it was well-written! ='D And yeah, I wish there was more Sable/Tom Nook out there too. =( It's partly out of the dissatisfaction with the number of S/TN fics out there that I wrote this one. "The world needs more Sable/Tom Nook!" I thought. So here we are. XD I'm glad people feel the same way I do. Thanks again for the review!
Superleigh50: Thanks for your kind words! You have been looking for Sable/Tom Nook as well, then? XD I guess I am not alone after all! Glad to know someone shares my shippiness! And glad you thought my story was cute and sweet. ^ ^ That's what I was going for! LOL. Thanks again for the review!
Dahmy: I'm glad you thought it was cool! XD And you're welcome ^ ^ Thank YOU XD
GoodxStoryxReader: Hmm, I guess I should be flattered that you've even read my story, considering your name. XDXD I'm so glad you liked my story! ^ ^ And whaa? You mean Tom actually DID say "How much do I owe you then, hm?"?! XDXD I TOTALLY didn't remember that, even though I've read the "episodes" like a million times. Guess my characterization was more spot-on than I thought...XD This amuses me to no end.... Anyway, thanks so much for reading and for your kind words! ^_^
Emo Spider Senses (or Amber? XD): Yesss! I'm glad there's more people out there who support Nook and Sable than I thought. I looked on here and was like, "Where are all the Nook/Sable fics?!" XD Glad to hear you like it short and sweet--sometimes I think it's much more...hmm...emotional? Powerful? If it's shorter, I mean. Like, you have to pack a whole story's worth of a message into a small package. I'm not making any sense. XD But thanks so much for reading and reviewing both of my fics; it means a lot to me! ^_^
Happymystery12: I'm so glad you loved it and thought it was cute! ^__^ Thanks for the Read and Review!
I'll try to update this whenever I get a review, so you just might see your name here if you post a review ;) And if you liked my story, be sure to check out my Favorites for more Animal Crossing goodness! Love to all!
~Meganium