Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon in any way shape or form, and no one should ever sell me those rights. ;)
Paring: Hero(Hansel)/Dirk
Rating: M for language and lemon
Setting: Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar
Author's Note: UNBEAT'D! I have noticed that there aren't that many stories on here that contain Grand Bazaar characters. So here's one, but it won't be to every body's tastes. I like lemons, good long descriptive lemons. And I like them even better when they contain two men. :)
Mid Fall
The rain pelted down on the roof of the house, rattling against the windows and echoing off the roof. Dirk rested his chin in the palm of his hand as he watched the rain pelt the stone road outside his house. A few people could be seen braving the on sought, running as they tried to dash off where they needed to be. Ivan had called hours ago, saying he was stuck in the city because of the weather. He had rented a room at a hotel and would be staying the night, which meant he wouldn't be back until tomorrow night. If the rain had let up by then, that was.
Dirk sighed, eyes tracing the patterns the rain made on the glass of the window. Boredom had set in and he felt like he was going stir crazy. He liked being outside, sunny or not. But he didn't want to chance catching a cold from being out in this rain for long. It seemed like a tsunami was on its way. If it was, that meant he would be stuck in this stinking house even longer, and without company.
The brunette had been drifting off to sleep when a loud knock echoed through the empty house. Blinking, Dirk pushed to his feet. Who the hell could be here in this rain? he thought as he padded on bare feet to the door. After unlatching the door, he pulled it open to reveal the smiling face of none other than Hero. Dirk blinked at the man in surprise. The rancher had been coming to see him every day since Spring. They had fast became friends through the year, spending more and more time together. With all of this rain, Dirk hadn't expected the rancher to show today. Apparently, he had judged the other man wrong, and it made his stomach do small flip flops.
"You gonna let me in?" the brunette standing in the rain asked jokingly and Dirk snapped back to life.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that," he apologized as he stepped back from the entrance way, pink tinting his cheeks. Hero walked into the room, kicking off his soaked shoes before walking to the kitchen table. Two walls ran parallel to each other through the middle of the house. The walls started near the middle of the living area and the kitchen, leaving an open area connecting the two near the door. In the back of the house were Ivan and Dirk's bedrooms. Dirk's on the left and Ivan's on the right. The rooms didn't have doors instead a part of each wall was missing so that if you stood in the middle of one room you could see directly into the other.
"I'll get you a towel," Dirk told the taller man and dashed off towards the bathroom that was connected to his bedroom. Hero watched him go and smiled to himself. He had chosen just the right time to visit it seemed. He had been hoping that Ivan would get stuck in the city for the night, and it seemed he was in luck. He had been planning on telling the younger of the brothers that he liked him for some time now, but he never seemed to find the right moment. The tall brunette had never been able to find the courage to tell the younger man when they were around others, and Dirk was always working when Hero had time off or the other way around. So the young man was always near his brother or Joan and Marian in the café.
So when he had woken up that morning to find it raining cats and dogs, he had mentally and literally jumped for joy. His dogs and cats had given him odd looks before eating all of the food he had just put in their dish. He had raced through all of his chores, brushing and talking to his animals in record time. Since it was raining, his crops needed no water. So he was able to commence with a plan he had thought up days ago. Packing everything he needed into his rucksack, and grabbing a Red Magic Flower out of his vase on the way out the door, he dashed for Dirk's house.
Now that he was here, standing in the middle of Dirk's shared kitchen, his heart was pounding away in his chest. He was so nervous. If he hadn't already been soaking wet his palms would have been clammy with sweat. Taking a deep breath, he sat the bag on his back on the table, making sure he sat the flower to the side so it wouldn't get crushed by accident.
A large green towel landed on his head, obscuring his view of his now open rucksack.
"Here," Dirk told him as he pulled out a chair and took a seat at the table. Wondering eyes landed on the flower, and Hero could see the small gleam in the young man's eyes. Pulling the towel down around his neck, he picked up the delicate flower and held it out to the other man. Dirk's eyes lit up and Hero chuckled. Never before had he seen anyone, especially a guy, so happy to receive something like a flower. But Dirk did indeed love the plant. Since they only grew in the Fall, Hero had been bringing him one a day since the start of the season. He watched as the shorter man lovingly place the flower in the vase sitting on the kitchen window sill. It was already brimming with the flowers of past days, but he still managed to fit the newest one. Dirk took a moment to fiddle with the plants, moving them here and there until he had them just the way he wanted them.
Hero watched all of this with a small smile on his lips. He used the towel to dry his moppy mess of hair, rubbing hard in an attempt to get all the water he could out. There wasn't much he could do for his clothing, though. He looked down, realizing he was making a small puddle next to the table. Hastily, Hero wiped at his soaked clothing, trying to get any excess water he could. Once he felt he had done a decent job, he placed the towel on the puddle to soak up the water.
When he finally looked back up, Dirk wasn't there. Blinking, Hero looked around to find the young man coming around the corner with clothing in his hands.
"Here, I'm not sure if they fit, but you can try if you'd like," Dirk told him, holding out the clothes. It was a pair of his old lounge pants and a large tee shirt he used to sleep in. Hero smiled and took the clothing form his hands. He looked around the room, trying to figure out where he could change. He knew it would be far from proper to change in the kitchen, so where did he need to go…
"Use my room," the brunette standing in front of him said pointing down the long hallway, "It's the one on the right." Hero nodded.
"Thanks," he said, making his way to the bedroom. Dirk's room wasn't much, but was impeccably neat and clean, definitely not what one would expect at a first glance at the small brunette. As much energy as the small man contained, one would never guess at how neat he was. His brother, Ivan, was actually the messy one. Hero looked across the hall to see clothing strewn across the other's bedroom floor. His desk and dresser was cluttered with things and his bed was left unmade.
The tall brunette peeled off the wet clothing that was sticking to him and threw them through the open bathroom door. He pulled on first the pants, which were only a bit tight and touched the tops of his feet, and then the large shirt. It was baggy and he wondered what the smaller man would look like in the thing. He bet the large piece of fabric engulfed Dirk completely. On the heels of that thought was one about the small brunette wearing his clothing. Hero quickly shoved the thought away and padded back down the hallway to the small kitchen.
Dirk was pulling things form the rucksack on the table. Cooking ingredients, movies and even a few board games had been shoved in the bag. The ingredients consisted of things used to make curry; cumin, onions, curry powder, chicken, tomatoes, rice, and other spices. The movies were all cartoons and Dirk eyed them with interest before he sat them down on the table.
About the time Dirk was pulling out the Monopoly game he had brought, Hero stepped forward, catching Dirk's attention. The small man blushed at being caught going through the other man's bag, not that Hero cared much, but all the same.
"S-sorry," he muttered, looking up at the larger man. When he found Hero laughing at him, he relaxed visibly.
"It was all meant to be kind of a surprise, but its fine," he told the other man as he stepped forward.
"You hungry?" Hero asked Dirk as he assessed the ingredients sitting on the table. There was a grumble and Hero looked over his shoulder. He chuckled when he saw Dirk clutching at his stomach and looking down at it as if it had done something horrible. A light blush dusted his cheeks. Green eyes looked up and he smiled slowly at Hero. With that knowledge, Hero went about fixing what would amount to their dinner.
Thirty minutes later found the men cleaning up the table. Dirk had a content look on his face, sighing as he carried the two plates to the sink. Hero smiled at him, taking the dishes from his hands and submerging them in the warm, soapy water in the sink. He washed and rinsed them before sitting them in the strainer. The brunette dried his hands on the towel sitting near the sink and turned to watch Dirk look through the small stack of DVDs he had brought with him.
They were all animated films, all involving some sort of fantasy element. Hero was a lover of anything fantasy and had quite a large collection. The few he had brought with him today were a few of his favorites. The small brunette paused and pulled on case from the pile, sitting the rest back on the table. He read the back before looking up at Hero.
"Can we watch this one?" he asked with a hopeful grin on his face as he held up Paprika. Hero smiled back and nodded.
"That's the idea," he replied. Dirk grinned and got up and headed to the living room. Hero followed happily, watching the smaller man as he put the disc gently into the player. When he was done, he flicked off the lights in the living room, leaving the one in the kitchen on. It cast the small room in shadows and the two men settled down on the couch. Dirk pressed play on the remote and curled up into a ball on one side of the couch. Hero spread out on the other side and settled in to watch the movie.
By the time the credits were rolling, the sun had set and the room was almost completely dark. Dirk was close to falling asleep or already had. He had shifted, curling up so his head rested on the arm rest and had his knees pulled up to his chest. One arm was dangling off the couch and the other was draped across his knees. He looked so young and innocent in his sleep. Hero watched the shadows from the television flicker across his relaxed face. His breath caught in his throat. He hadn't expected to be this tempted to ravish the smaller man while he was over at Dirk's house. He had been prepared to feel his heart leap in his chest or have to fight down the urge to lean in and kiss him.
The rain was still pelting down on the roof in a steady rhythm, not letting up. The music from the credits was playing softly in the back ground and the whole damn thing was just too corny for the rancher. But something about it felt right…
Slowly, trying not to wake the sleeping man, Hero scooted across the couch until he was sitting mere inches away from Dirk. The brunette shifted in his sleep, snuggling further down into the cushions. Hero leaned forward, bracing one hand on the arm rest beside Dirk's head and the other pressing into the cushion near his ribcage. The rancher's chest pressed against the man's legs and Dirk mumbled in his sleep, shifting so his knees fell open and Hero slid in between them. Hero paused, suddenly unsure of himself. How was Dirk going to react to this? As his breath ghosted across the smaller man's lips, Hero figured there really was no going back now.
He watched as the brunette's eyes shifted under his eyes lids in his sleep. He groaned and shifted again, turning his head a tiny bit closer. Hero couldn't resist any longer. Taking a deep breath, Hero leaned forward and brushed his lips across Dirk's. The younger man's lips were warm, slightly chapped from all the time he spent out in the sun. Hero knew his were probably the same, if not worse. He sighed at the soft contact, wanting nothing more than to deepen it, but not daring to.
Then hands were coming up around his neck and dragging him in. Green eyes widened as Dirk pressed his own lips closer, kissing the rancher back. Hero blinked in surprise, hand clinching on the arm rest. Dirk let out a soft sigh against his lips, still far away in dream land. Hero whimpered as fingers came up to thread through his hair. With a groan, he gave in.
The hand that had fisted against the cushion came up to cup the smaller man's cheek, tiling Dirk's head up just a bit. Hero let himself enjoy the contact, knowing it could only last as long as Dirk remained asleep. He felt his face flush with heat as his heart rate accelerated. He leaned into the kiss, pressing harder against the softness. His eyes fluttered shut as a tongue flicked out across his lip and he had to pull back before this whole situation went too far.
When he opened his eyes, Hero was suddenly looking down into Dirk's shock widened eyes. The smaller man's face paled and he pushed back against the cushions, with a small scared noise. Hero felt his heart fall at the reaction, but it wasn't like he was expecting anything good. He really hadn't expected anything at all. Since the rancher was unsure of what to do in this situation, he sat back on his legs, giving the man space. Once he had the room, Dirk scrambled up and off the sofa.
Wide green eyes watched the brunette on the couch rub at his eyes with one hand while the other clinched on his thigh. Dirk's heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest. That was the last way he had ever expected to wake up. He could still feel the lingering touch of the older man's lips. It made his heart skip a beat.
Dirk couldn't say it was a bad way to wake up, just a surprise, really. He had been harboring feelings for the rancher since the second week of Fall. All the beautiful flowers the man had brought him, how could he not have fallen for him? And then he had shown up out of the blue on a rainy day. The thought of spending the day with Hero had made butterflies in his stomach. And now, here Hero was, waking him up with a kiss…How was he supposed to react to that?
Common sense said he shouldn't have jumped up from his seat like he had, but embarrassment said something completely different. As he watched the larger man struggle with some sort of inner turmoil, guilt slithered up his spine. After a moment, Hero looked up at him, green eyes filled with hurt. Dirk bit his lip. He didn't want the other man to look like that. But how did he fix it? This wasn't something he was experienced with. Not in the least. But the kiss had felt nice. And he could remember seeing people in movies kiss to make each other feel better…
On the heels of that thought, Dirk took a tentative step forward, and then another, until he reached the couch where Hero was still seated. Green eyes blinked up at him and then the larger man was smiling up at him.
"I'm sorry," he said, voice thick with emotion, "I didn't mean to scare you. I just…well I don't know what I thought, but I'll go now if you'd like. It's getting kind of late." Dirk dropped to his knees in front of the couch, unable to find words. His hands shook as he reached up to cup the older man's cheeks. He was scared out of his mind, but he wanted this. At least he thought he did. Hero's eyes widened until the green in them was startlingly bright as Dirk slowly moved closer to him. The smaller man swallowed, trying to swallow his nerves, and his eyes fluttered shut.
The rancher's breath caught in his throat. He felt himself tilt forward, hands coming up to brace on Dirk's shoulders. The smaller man stiffened at the contact, but didn't move away. Then there was a slight pressure against Hero's lips. It took his mind a moment to compute the fact that Dirk was kissing him of his own free will. The smaller man was about to pull away when the hands that had been resting on his shoulder slid up under his arms so the rancher could drag him up off the floor. Dirk suddenly found himself sprawled across Hero's lap, mostly. He gripped at Hero's shoulders to keep himself from sliding back down to the floor while Hero moved his lips coaxingly against the younger man's. Dirk did his best to return the movement and was granted with a small groan and Hero pulling him closer.
The small brunette gasped as he was hauled fully on to the larger man. Hero pressed small perks against his lips before dragging him down for a kiss much deeper than the other two. A tongue traced the outline of his lips, Dirk hesitantly opened his mouth a fraction. The same tongue flicked just inside his mouth before pushing deeper. Dirk's hands shook where they were clinched against Hero's neck from equal parts embarrassment, pleasure and fear.
Hero groaned into the small brunette's mouth, fisting his shirt at his lower back. He couldn't think of anything that had ever felt as good as kissing Dirk. It was everything he had hoped it would be and so much more. So much that he could feel it consuming him as he slid his tongue against the roof of the younger man's mouth before sliding it coaxingly against Dirk's. This drew a small sound form Dirk and he willing followed the appendage back into its owner mouth to return the favor.
After what felt like a life time, Hero pulled back with a shaky sigh. Dirk's face was flushed, green eyes hooded and lips kiss swollen. It made Hero's pulse quicken. He pressed a gentle kiss against Dirk's forehead, drawing the slighter form closer to him.
"Spend the night?" The question was so low, the rancher almost missed it. He pulled back and stared up at the smaller man. Dirk felt his face flush hotly at the request. But he couldn't stop himself form asking. In all honesty, he didn't really like staying by himself. His over active imagination gave him way too much to worry about. Most of the time if he had to be at home alone, he would sleep in the living room with the television and light on. But what he really wanted was for Hero to stay so they do more of this whole kissing thing.
Hero smiled up at him and pecked him on the lips. He was more than happy to oblige the request.
Author's Note: So, a one-shot this is not. Once I started this, I realized this couple would move at a slower pace than would allow for a lemon in this part. I'm thinking a three-shot, the last two being during festivals. I was think the Starry Night for two and finish the story up with Spring Harmony Day. Or maybe only one. I don't know. So, till next time. I hope it was enjoyed and please review!
