I'm Your Man and Woman
A/N: Hey! This is Reina19 here. This is my first fic ever! I wanted to start out with a one-shot but I ended up making a chap fic instead. Just a heads up, I'm going to add previews for the next chapter after every 3 chapters I make. I'm trying to upload 3 chapters every time I upload. The chapters will just keep getting better and better, I promise. Enjoy!
Summary: Claire finds out from her friend Jack that he's moving into his grandfather's farm at Mineral town. But when the Witch Princess unintentionally turns Jack into a puppy, who will take care of the farm? Claire feels that it is up to her to take over the farm as she decides to disguise herself as Jack. But what if Jack's childhood love interest falls in love with 'Claire-Jack'? And can Claire handle being both a male and a female? A gender-bending romantic comedy. Claire x Gray, Jack x ?
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harvest Moon.
Chapter 1: Voices
Claire POV
"Yo, Claire!" Jack said. I turned my head to the direction of that goofy voice. Jack was sitting by an apple tree next to a chicken coop in bad shape. He waved at me and smiled his trademark grin and chocolate brown eyes. I almost didn't recognize him if it weren't for that grin because his clothes were different. He wore blue overalls, a white shirt, a red scarf around his neck, and a blue baseball cap that he wore backwards. A portion of his brown hair was sticking out of his hat on the front of his head. He looked kind of funny, but kind of cute in a farmer-ish kind of way. It looks like he's trying to dress the part, I guess.
'Ah, so that's where Jack is' I thought 'and this messy lot is his farm.' The map that Jack had given me before he moved here had leaded me to this run-down area. It wasn't really an authentic map – it looks like Jack drew it himself. According to him, the map showed all of the shops, houses, and hotspots the town had to offer. It showed all of the pathways and secret shortcuts you can take. A stick-figure drawing of an old man marked the location of this farm. It looks like he wrote 'grandpa's farm' in red crayon. He must have drawn this when he was five. Though, as childish as this map was, it was surprisingly accurate and easy to follow.
I had just arrived in the town Jack was taking about on the phone the other day. He told me that he was moving into his grandfather's farm to get away from the city life and live somewhere where he can get peace and quietness. There was also another reason…
"But why a farm?" I said to Jack, confused. "Couldn't you just buy a normal house? I mean, with a farm you have to, uh, farm. And that doesn't sound very fun or exciting…"
"No, no, no. I had to get the farm! Think about it Claire, I get to be my own boss. No manager. No douchebag customers up in my ass every day. Plus, I get to grow my own produce and take care of animals. That doesn't sound too hard. Sounds fun to me! Oh and I didn't buy it. The farm belonged to my grandfather and it's going under my name" Jack said. He sounded pretty preoccupied. Did I just hear a woman giggling in the background?
"Hey Jack, who are you with right now? I heard someone giggling on your line" I said. Oh Jack. That better not be Samantha or Katie or whoever that waitress is. Wait, was she a waitress? I forget. Jack has too many girlfriends in the city, and all of the ones I've met, in my opinion, just don't suit him. Really, I think it's time for 23-year-old Jack to find someone who can keep the 'girlfriend' title for at least a month.
"Uh, yeah. That giggle you heard on the background belongs to a beautiful woman named Jessica." Right after he said that, I heard a faint 'awwwee Jacky-pooo I looove yoou' on his line of the phone. Ew. Gag me with a spoon.
"Right. Whatever. Anyways, Jack listen. As your friend, I just want to make sure you're making the right decision. I'm going to come over to your, uh, farm the day you move over there. I'll be taking the ferry in the afternoon. You'll see me there at around 4pm. I just want to check out the town you're going to be living the rest of your life in and see what's so good about it. I'll be staying at an inn over there for about 3 days. Oh, and dump Jessica before you leave. It's for your own good." I said the last two sentences almost in a whisper.
"Er, we're just friends. It's nothing serious." He lowered his voice so that his 'friend' won't hear him. "Besides, I'm going to Mineral Town with a clean slate. Out with the old and in with the new! Well, not entirely out with the old…I wonder if she still remembers me…" He murmured the last part. She? Who is he talking about?
"If 'who' still remembers you?" I questioned.
"Oh, you heard me? Uh, I was just thinking about a girl I met a long time ago when I was still a kid. We used to hang out a lot when I stayed over at my grandpa's farm over the summer. I had a crush on her. And I think she liked me. When it was time for me to go back home, to the city, I remember I cried like a little baby! I only saw her that one summer though, and I never saw her again."
"Aw, that sounds so sad…but you still remember her? You must have really liked her! That's so sweet, you and her - childhood friends! Hey, when you get there, she just might be the one girl you'll be spending the rest of your life with!" I'm a sucker for childhood friend romance.
"Hey, don't jump into any conclusions! I'm just wondering if she'll recognize me when I get there. Well, that is of course if she still lives there. But I have this strong hunch she still lives there though! She told me that she'll stay in Mineral Town and wait for me to return. And I promised her that I would come back. But it's been like what, 17 years since I made that promise? She probably forgot about it, I mean I even forgot her name..." He seemed so worked up about this 'promise' he made with that girl. This doesn't sound like the modern-day Jack-the-chick-magnet I know of. I wonder if he developed strong feelings for her.
"Well, it sounds to me that this mystery girl is the whole reason why you're going to take over the farm. And I don't think she forgot her promise – call it a woman's intuition. Really Jack, just admit it! You decided to take that farm because it holds so many of your dear childhood memories with that girl. And you hope that you'll see her again and show her that you've kept your pinky- promise and you'll get married and live happily ever after!" I probably had too much sugar when I said that.
"Claire, you're weird."
"Sorry, I was just rambling on. I get excited when I hear cute little stories like that."
"Just lay off the sweets and sappy romance movies."
"Right, right. Whatever you say."
"And don't forget, the farm used to be my grandpa's. Part of the reason why I wanted to move into the farm was to pick up and continue where my grandpa had left off. But uh…you're kind of right… I do want to see that girl again like you said. I know I was 6-years-old then, but even now I felt like she was special to me. Kind of stupid, don't you think?"
"Nah. I don't think it's stupid at all. I actually find it really sweet. This girl already sounds better than your past girlfriends. So, you and that mystery girl huh?"
"Yeah, whatever." He sounded pretty annoyed. "Look, I just don't want to talk about this girl with you right now. I've got to pack up my things for tomorrow. I'll talk to you later. Bye Claire."
"Bye Jack-poo."
"Ugh, you heard that too?"
I chuckled. "Hehe, of course. I have super hearing, remember?"
"Right. Bye."
"Bye."
That's right. Jack also wanted to see his childhood friend here. I wonder what she looks like. He said she was special. I wonder if there's a special guy for me here too…wait, what am I thinking?
Now is not the time to be thinking if Mr. Right lives in this town!
Now that I think about it, I've never had a long, serious relationship with anyone. I've only went out with guys that look like they're having fun. Fun-loving, free spirits…I've always been attracted to those types. Love is experienced when you're having the most fun, right? But relationships with these kinds of guys never end well for me. I have yet to experience what true love is like…
Claire, now you just sound really lame and pathetic.
I blame you! Shut up and die stupid conscience!
"Uh, Claire? Hell-oooh? You're spacing out and making all sorts of weird faces." Jack snapped me backed to reality. I didn't even notice that he was in front of me. Stupid flashback and stupid conscience! He must have thought I was crazy. I released a long, deep sigh.
"Oh, I must be still recovering from my seasickness, hehe." I never get seasick though.
"Yeah, you don't look too good. Let's go to this pond I found near the hot spring. Maybe it will help clear your head or something." Jack looked concerned.
"Ok." I didn't want to stay in the farm any longer. It looks as though it was hit by a typhoon or something. For how long was this farm in this terrible condition? There were weeds and rocks everywhere. Looks like Jack is in for a lot of work before he can have some real peace and quietness.
We walked into a pathway south of the farm. This pathway leads us to a forest area full of rich, green pine trees and grass. It was very quiet; all you can hear are the distant chirpings of small birds. 'It really is peaceful here' I thought. Jack tapped my shoulder and motioned his head towards his right, pointing at a stairway. I followed closely behind him and carefully walked up the steps.
We finally reached the pond and I paused for a moment to catch my breath. The pond looked really beautiful. The sky was almost dark, and you could see the water playing with the reflection of the setting sun. I dipped my hand onto the clear, cool water, moving my hand back and forth. I closed my eyes and relaxed, sitting on a rock.
"Hey Claire, do you hear something?"
"Hm?"
"Voices…It sounds like two women are talking."
I looked around. I didn't see any women or hear any voices. What is he talking about? Looks like its Jack's turn to be crazy.
Or maybe we're both crazy, because I'm starting to hear the voices too…