A/N: I live! Ha ha...

So afters years of hiding away, buried up in a hole somewhere, I finally decided to write again. And... Really, it was for just one reason alone... There's so little SoS stories out there, and even fewer Raeger/Fritz, so I'm hoping that by writing about them, I'll shed some light on just how adorable this pairing is so that others will write about them too. :)

Honestly, I was surprised by how much I grew to like this pair, but oh man, do I love it now...

Well, I guess there isn't much else to say, so... Let the ship set sail~


Chapter One

When Fritz first moved to Oak Tree Town, he had quickly befriended most of the people living there. But that was to be expected, given his friendly, carefree personality, so he hadn't any trouble fitting in, even if some of the townsfolk found him overbearing at times... Regardless, that certainly didn't mean he got along well with everyone. There were a few, namely Elise among others, but none of them quite rubbed him hard enough the wrong way...except for Raeger. Now, there was nothing wrong with the guy, at least not anymore, but back then...Fritz was sure he was a two-timing jerk. And it wasn't just the rumors that had lead him to believe that, but the way girls would, without fail, swing by his restaurant at every minute of the hour, chatting him up in an endless storm, all giggly and quick to turn red whenever he would smile at them, and sometimes him leaning over the counter as if to draw nearer to them and flirt back. Ugh. So annoying. The worst part was when they didn't even order any food! Fritz had confronted and accused him of these actions once before, but that was the last time, as Raeger had somehow managed to politely tell him that if he believed in such lies, he must be an idiot, and that he should leave, or something like that... (Fritz didn't know if he called him an idiot, but he was pretty sure he was thinking it...) But it didn't really matter either way, because for the longest time, he had never been completely cool with Raeger... In fact, if he had to be entirely honest, he even felt like he hated him!

So, for two months, Fritz's mind went unwavered... It wasn't until Fritz had collapsed from overexertion on his farm one night that his opinion of him started to change. When he came to, what he found out was...unthinkable. Raeger had taken him into his own home, set him into his own bed, and had prepared a meal for him, all free of charge. Wow. To say that Fritz was shocked would be an understatement... Wasn't Raeger still upset that Fritz had basically labeled him a playboy? And why would he do such a thing, even if Fritz hadn't? Was he really that kind? Apparently he was, for it wasn't long before he had heard tales of him doing similar acts for other people... Just wow. No one had ever done something so nice for Fritz before...

After that, the two got along just fine. Fritz apologized so profusely to Raeger that Raeger wasn't sure how many times he did it, while also thanking him just as many times for his troubles. The commotion got so bad that night that Raeger had to go to bed early because of a headache... And before too long, Fritz decided that he really liked Raeger. He liked the way he did favors for him in ways that Raeger thought were no big deal. For instance, he let him use his kitchen once (though there was much begging and pleading to be had on Fritz's end), and he continued to take care of him every time he passed out from exhaustion on his farm or otherwise (which happened so often anymore that Raeger had started charging him for it, or at least for the meals)... He even began to think that maybe the reason Raeger was so friendly towards women was because, well, he was just a really friendly guy, and apparently had no real intention of cheating on his girlfriend (which was good, but also bad because it meant that he wasn't even trying to hit on the girls, and Fritz knew that if he tried, he wouldn't get any attention from any girls...) Not to mention, Raeger's food was amazing! Fritz would try eating at his restaurant almost everyday, providing that he had the funds.

There were many more ways Fritz found himself liking Raeger, but those ways were much more embarrassing to think about. In particular, he really admired the way he was so serious about his work, and that sometimes he would work himself sick because of it, and that if Fritz tried to help him by telling him to give it a rest, he wouldn't listen because he that hardworking. It was worrisome, no doubt, but Fritz couldn't get angry at him... After all, Raeger didn't expect any pity from anyone... And it was just one more reason why Fritz liked him so much...

And... All of this lead to...this. Whatever this was. A feeling, to be sure, but what exactly?

Fritz poked mindlessly at his food with a fork, his forehead in one hand with his elbow propped up on the table, deep in thought. He hadn't even noticed that the time had slipped by from evening to night, or that the place had cleared out long ago, making him the only customer left in the restaurant.

He liked Raeger now, sure, but it wasn't the simple "I wanna be friends with you!" kind of like... It was more...intense.

He buried his face in his hands.

Why?

There was no use denying it anymore. He knew the feeling. He was sure. The only reason it took him so long to realize it was because he had second-guessed it far too many times... He wasn't the type to do that. It wasn't in his nature. He was the type who knew what he wanted the second he saw it, the type who based his entire life around intuition.

And... The only reason he had second-guessed it far too many times was... Well... To put it simply, because they were both guys. Fritz was pretty sure that a guy could only ever like a girl that way, or vice versa... That is, he was pretty sure... But... Apparently, he had been wrong. The life he had been living in was a lie...

He put his head down on the table.

Nooooo...

It wasn't that he was particularly bothered about being attracted to someone of the same sex (although ideally, he would've preferred having fell for a girl instead), it was just...going to be that much harder if he were to ever confess to him. For one thing, Raeger was completely out of his league, and another...Fritz was 99.9% sure Raeger was straight. He figured this could only end badly.

Should he risk it anyway, he wondered? Did he even have anything to lose? Like, friendship, maybe? Fritz wasn't sure... If one were to ask if he and Raeger were friends, he would happily answer yes. But Raeger, on the other hand... Would he just sigh? Fritz didn't know...

"Okay, let's hear it, I guess..."

Raising his head to the sudden voice, Fritz found Raeger setting up two wine glasses on the table, each side by side one another, with a red wine bottle in one hand. The chef began to professionally pour the contents of the bottle into both glasses.

At this, Fritz immediately paled. "H-hear what?" Was Raeger somehow reading his mind?

But Raeger remained cool, passing one full glass to Fritz before taking a seat across from him at the table. "You've been sitting here picking at your food all night," he remarked. "And...every night before that for a week." He paused briefly, putting aside the wine bottle. "There must be something on your mind. What is it?"

Still unsure of whether or not he could read minds, Fritz faltered. Then he began with, "Waaait... You mean you actually care about what I have to say?"

"Well... Let's not put it that way, exactly... Rather, think of it this way: My restaurant closes at nine-thirty, and you've been working me overtime non-stop, so..."

"... Sooooo..." Fritz didn't know where he was going with this, but he didn't think he liked the sound of it.

Raeger stared at him for a moment. "Um... Never mind the details. My point is, are you alright? If anything's wrong, you can tell me. I may not give the best advice, but I'll try to help out in any way that I can."

"Wow, you'd do that for me, Raeger? That's really kind of you, thanks!"

"I don't know if kind is necessarily the right word, but... In any case," Raeger broke off to lift his glass midway, "Let it out when you're ready." He took a sip before lying back in his chair, relaxed, with his head tipped towards the ceiling and his eyes shut.

"Ha ha, thanks a ton!" Fritz laughed, then promptly quieted when he remembered just what it was he was troubled about. "Ummm..."

Was it really okay to tell Raeger about that?

Minutes passed. Fritz's eyes wondered onto the chef uncertainly, where they stayed glued. He took in his appearance. His hair was flying off in more directions than usual and he looked tired. It wasn't very noticeable but it was enough to have Fritz worried that he may be getting sick again. He watched him tug at the knot in his tie and loosen it, which lead to the discovery that the ring on his left ring finger was missing... But Fritz wasn't surprised. He knew for a while now that he and his girlfriend had broken up weeks before. He had been keeping track through rumors and such. This was the third time that he had broken up with a girl since Fritz first moved here two years ago. He heard it was mutual. It was always mutual. And he wondered if it was mutual this time around too... Granted, he could ask Raeger about it, but he knew Raeger better than that. He was too "keep-to-himself" about these sort of things and he didn't particularly like it when people butted in to his business. Although, that wasn't to say that Fritz didn't try asking him once before... But it made little difference. Raeger still answered the same way. It was mutual.

Then, something else dawned on him. Raeger was drinking wine. Fritz was pretty sure that he heard somewhere before that Raeger didn't like wine... So why would he be drinking it if he didn't like it?

But... Rather than asking that, what came out instead was...

"Wh-what kind of wine is this?"

It slipped out without much thought, really, as he had just taken a sip of the wine and was genuinely interested in what flavor it was.

Raeger answered on cue. "Cherry. You can't tell?"

"Ah, no..." Fritz spoke into the glass, eying the red liquid. "My taste isn't really...as good as yours, I don't think... But this wine... 'S pretty good... I think."

Raeger nodded slowly. "Everyone tastes things a little differently. That doesn't mean that anyone can taste any better or any worse than anybody else." He sat up straight now, taking his glass into his hand. "You probably just can't taste it 'cause you're nervous, is all." He took a swig, all indifferent-like, as if what he said was merely common knowledge.

"Oh – uhhh... That... Yeah... Th-that might be it..." Fritz took a drink also.

To his surprise, though, Raeger laughed. It was the first time that he had heard him laugh all week, and it was all light and real and wonderful.

"I've never seen you so shaken up before. Whatever it is, it must be pretty important to you... Shall I play the guessing game instead?"

Fritz swallowed. "Uhh... I kinda doubt you'd be able to match it, but... You can give it a shot, if you'd like..."

"Hmm..." the chef thought, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. "I'll bet it's a girl..." he said, reaching for the red wine bottle. When Fritz didn't respond, his smile grew brilliantly. "Did I hit the mark?"

"Ummm... P...Pretty close, actually..."

Raeger began pouring more wine into his glass, still slightly amused. "Ah, close, but no cigar, huh..." Then he stopped. Then he thought. Then his smile started to fade. Pretty close? What exactly does that... He was looking away, his expression contorted in intense wonder.

"I-it's you."

Oh.

Time stood still as Raeger simply stared back at Fritz with widening eyes. The wine that he had been pouring had long since overflowed his glass and was now seeping like blood from an open wound. It traveled across the table and around the edge and down onto...

Raeger leaped to his feet the instant he felt the wet liquid hit his legs, the heels of his chair screeching quite noisily against the tiled floor.

About a minute ticked by as he stood there, gawking at his own mistake: the stain on the table, and now on his apron too... He was positively embarrassed. Mortified, even. A part of him didn't even want to risk sending a glance Fritz's way, though he knew that at some point he had to... So he did. He didn't know if it eased him any more or less to find Fritz the same way.

"Um, s-sorry, will you excuse me for just a..." He lifted a finger, unable to keep the words from dying in his throat. He sauntered away from the dining area and into the restroom.

Oh, no, this couldn't be happening... Oh, no, no, this couldn't be happening...

He paced around the room like a caged animal, grabbing at his hair, pulling at it. Then he went to the sink and tried indignantly to scrub the stain out of his apron with a damp towel... But it was futile. The stain wouldn't leave, and he didn't know why he had even bothered... He draped the towel over the sink and took off his apron. He didn't know what to do with it, so he just dropped it on the floor. Then he remembered what had caused all this mess and he didn't know anything about any of that either...

In all his time living here... No. In all his entire life, he had never had a single guy confess to him... He had had some hit on him, once or twice, maybe (if he was reading between the lines correctly...and to which he chose to completely ignore)... But he had never had one actually confess any sort of feelings for him... So why...

This is too unreal. It doesn't make any sense... What was Fritz thinking? Wasn't he aware of the implications? The meaning?

He took in a deep breath and calmed down a little, fervently wishing that it was all just a misunderstanding, that he had somehow misheard what the farmer had said, that everything would go back to normal as soon as it was all cleared up...

Then, to help relieve the stress, he thought momentarily about filling the sink with water and dunking his head in it and just holding it in there forever... Too bad that wasn't as funny as he thought it sounded...

There was nothing left to do and he knew he couldn't stay in there forever, so he left. By the time he had made his way back to the table, he had somewhat hoped that Fritz would be gone. Of course...he wasn't. The farmer was still there, very real, with his arms folded on the table and his face buried inside... And, as though to miraculously sense Raeger's presence, he lifted his head to make eye contact with him. It lasted only a second or two before his eyes fell again, his face a glowing red. Raeger could easily tell that he was uncomfortable... That wasn't a very good sign...

Raeger sat opposite from him once more. A heavy silence began to drag on, so he coughed stiffly into his fist to end it.

"S-sorry about dumping that all on you at once, Raeger... I just...didn't know of how else to tell you..." Fritz replied sheepishly at long last.

"It's...quite alright... But... Just to clarify, you mean..."

"I like you, yeah..."

"Like...as a friend... Or... Like...as a... Ahem."

"Ummm... Like, as in... I want to date you?"

Well.

Raeger frantically reached for his glass, but he kept pushing it aside each time he grabbed at it, all the while trying to keep his gaze pinned on Fritz. Eventually, he caught hold of it and downed the entire glass in one go, the intake so strong it made his head pound.

"Ah, but! Y-you don't have to worry! I don't expect an answer or anything like that!" Fritz explained. "I was just, uh... Looking to get this off my chest, that's all... So, really, uhh – thanks! Al...Although... It'd be kinda nice if you thought about it, maybe?"

Another silence lingered. At some point, Raeger had almost wanted Fritz to suddenly burst into some hysterical laughter and say that it was all a joke, and that Raeger had fallen very blindly to it. He wouldn't even care if he made fun of him, just so long as he didn't look and act so serious anymore. But Raeger knew Fritz. He wouldn't do anything like that. His sense of humor involved the watching of people slipping and falling on ice (never mind that he often did it himself). Alhough a little cruel, he would always be there to help them to their feet after his fit of giggles was over. He was too sweet to toy around with anyone's feelings...

"... Fritz..." Raeger began gently, carefully. "... You...do realize I'm a guy, right...? And... So are you... So..."

"Huh? Yeah, I know," Fritz answered innocently. Raeger waited for him to laugh. He didn't.

"... And... That by being together, it would be ten times more serious than any heterosexual relationship."

"... Ummm..."

Raeger forced a laugh. "Surely, you understand this, right?"

"... I... I think so..."

Raeger dropped his head into his hands, his elbows on the table. He tried to piece together everything that was happening, but his brain couldn't function properly due to the ever-buiding pressure the acohol had induced... And he wasn't sure if it even made a difference... So he just tangled his fingers in his hair and sighed.

"Th-thanks for the meal. It was great, as usual..." said Fritz. He stood up. It was probably time to go... He looked at Raeger. "Um... Should I pay for the wine too?"

Raeger didn't move. "No, it's alright..."

"You sure? Okay..." Fritz stepped away, leaving money on the table. He made it to the door. He froze. "Um... Raeger?"

Raeger still didn't move.

"Um... I know I tend to joke around a lot, but I really mean it this time... I really do like you... So... In case you were wondering... A-and this isn't the alcohol that's talking, either! I mean, this is really me! S-so..." Fritz shifted around awkwardly. "Anyway... Thanks for listening. I don't know if I feel any better or worse now, but I didn't want to, err... Well, I'm sure you get the idea. I, um, better get going now. See ya!"

The sound of the door opened and closed, and Raeger was left to himself again. There were no feelings, no thoughts, no words... Only oblivion. And Raeger was too scared to think about what that meant.


A/N: Wow, this chapter ended a lot more dramatic than I intended it to be... Sorry about that... But the rest of the story isn't nearly as dramatic as the first chapter, so...

Yeah, that's right – I actually have the entire story planned out. How sweet is that? It's not 100% written out, of course – more like 70%, but... I'm predicting that it'll be six to seven chapters long, and it might be updated weekly... But...T. Them reviews, though... They'll help immensely (if ya know what I mean...)

Man, after so long, I still can't keep Author Notes from sounding unprofessional... Sorry. :(

Um, don't forget to leave a review, please! It'd really make my day! :D