A/N: Hi, Harvest Moon fanfiction archive! I got into HM fanfics a few months ago, and I wanted to give back. So yeah, here's a one-shot about Claire and Doctor Trent from MFoMT. It's my first Harvest Moon fanfic, so I hope you guys like it!

I don't own Harvest Moon.

"Really, Claire, this is too much," the doctor said uneasily.

His gaze swept over the various items inside the basket she had set on his table: a poisonous mushroom, an assortment of wild grasses, a shiny apple that looked freshly picked, and best of all, a large, cold bottle of milk. It was evident that she had taken great care in preparing the gift—aside from being a collection of the things he loved, it was even adorned with a bright pink bow from the supermarket. As he was unused to such treatment, he felt quite uncomfortable accepting her present.

Claire, however, only shrugged, beaming at him. "You saved my life. It's the least I can do."

"Actually, the least you can do is to keep yourself healthy and away from the mine," he said, his voice turning chiding as he was reminded of what brought her to the clinic in the first place.

The stubborn farmer crossed her arms defensively. "Hey, I try. But my tools need upgrading, and it's not like ore's gonna magically appear on my doorstep, is it?"

The doctor sighed. "Could you at least be more careful? Pace yourself, and bring something to keep your stamina up, for goodness' sake. A season hasn't passed when you weren't rushed frantically into my clinic by one of the townspeople." He shook his head.

"I'll ask my cow to rush me in next time, then," she responded dryly.

He rolled his eyes, annoyed yet somewhat concerned. "Health is no laughing matter, Miss Claire."

She raised an eyebrow. "Am I laughing?"

He sighed once more. When she was in the mood, the new farmer had enough sass to give Karen a run for her money. "Goddess, you are impossible. Let's just get this check-up over and done with." He carefully pushed the basket of gifts to the side to make room.

Claire smiled. "You really need to lighten up, Doctor. You're always so fazed when I see you."

"I wonder why," he muttered, putting on his stethoscope. He leaned over and carefully held the other end to her heart, listening closely. Surprise flashed across his gray eyes, and he glanced back at his patient, who shot him a puzzled look.

"Your heartbeat's rather quick, Claire," he informed her. She felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Hm . . . ah . . . how strange . . ." she muttered. "W—Why do you think so?"

The doctor paused for a moment, observing her. Her cheeks were flushed pink, which was an indication that she was under some sort of stress. Her blue eyes also kept flitting around, which strengthened his assumption.

"Something is bothering you . . ." he said, studying her intently.

"I—I wouldn't say 'bothering' . . ." she stuttered.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. Claire froze in terror. Darn her uncontrollable emotions—she should have known that he couldn't remain dense forever. Goddess, why did her heart have to race at the mere sight of him, why—

"It's trauma from the mine, isn't it?" She stared at him with her mouth slightly open in disbelief. He was looking at her expectantly, like he was just waiting her to confirm what he already knew.

Maybe he could remain dense forever.

"Uh, yeah!" she agreed. The doctor nodded, satisfied, and then proceeded to make a note on his pad. He didn't notice her exhale in relief. "That mine thing . . . really left a mark." She chuckled nervously.

"Oh, that reminds me." He removed the stethoscope from his ears and let it hang loosely around his neck. "Your head." He stood up and walked over to her, standing right behind her. "You fainted and hit the back of your head on a sharp rock about a week ago, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yes," she squeaked. Their closeness was making her incredibly self-conscious.

"Hmm . . ." The doctor probed her head ever so lightly, carefully shifting through her blonde hair. Still, every touch felt electric, and it took all her concentration to focus on her breathing.

He finally came to the injured spot, and the contact made her wince. This did not escape the doctor's attention. "Sorry," he murmured. Claire held back a sigh at how angelic his voice seemed to be.

She felt his touch leave her scalp a few seconds later, and he returned to his spot behind his desk. "I'm glad to inform you that your head wound's healing up nicely, Claire," he said, smiling. She grinned back not at his good news, but at the contentment in his tone; healing people made him happy, she knew. Performing his job as a doctor was just about his favorite thing in the world.

He started scribbling some more on his paper, and they settled into a comfortable silence. Claire, however, being the hyperactive, bubbly girl she was, couldn't stand the quiet and started striking up a conversation. "So, um, if you don't mind me asking, how are things going?"

"Well, as I said, your head wound's on the way to recovery. You still have traces of trauma, however—"

"I—I meant with you. How are things going with you?"

The doctor looked up, tilting his head at her curious question. "The same as usual, I guess. Life doesn't have much variation here in Mineral Town," he added thoughtfully before resuming his writing.

"How long have you been working here?"

"About a year."

"So how old are you?"

"Twenty-five."

"Wait, twenty-five?!" she blurted out, making him look up once more.

"Yes," he replied, the corner of his mouth pulling up in amusement.

"I—well, I have a friend who's in med school, and she's your age. Why are you—"

"I skipped a grade in elementary, and I took a special seven-year medicinal program in college. So I graduated at 24, and I've been working here ever since," he explained smoothly.

"I see." She slowly absorbed the new information. So he was only three years older than her . . .

"Well, you aren't the first one to react that way," he said, shrugging, before turning back to the prescription.

Having run out of things to talk about, Claire contented herself with watching him. His jet black hair was messy as always; she knew how forgetful he was when it came to non-medical things, so it wasn't hard to imagine him forgetting to run a comb through it. She knew he cared next to nothing about his appearance, but it was almost kind of annoying how he still managed to look great without trying. His dark gray eyes were focused on what he was writing, something she was grateful for—she found it quite distracting whenever he looked at her.

What Claire really noticed, however, was the small smile on his face as he wrote. It was rare to see someone so dedicated to his work—even rarer to see one enjoying it.

Maybe that was what drew her to him, she thought. Though she couldn't deny that he was indeed attractive, there was something else about him that just caught her attention from the day he offered her that horrible tasting medicine.

"You love your job, don't you?" she said, voicing out her thoughts.

He ripped off the page he was writing on. "Very much," he said, smiling slightly.

"What made you realize you wanted to become a doctor?" she asked, curiosity taking over her.

"Hmm . . . " He settled back into his chair, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "I guess it was having both of my parents in the medical field. They were very passionate about their work, and they enjoyed it a lot. To the point that they rarely had time for me . . ." He stopped, catching himself. His thundercloud eyes turned to her, apologetic and embarrassed. "Sorry, I know you didn't need to hear my personal life."

"No, no, it's fine," she reassured him. "Do continue, if it's all right with you."

He seemed to consider this for a moment before going on. "I don't really bear a grudge on them, mind you, but I just can't help but think that maybe they could have made a bit more time for me. Still, they were doing their job, and now that I'm a doctor myself, I know how occupying the profession is." He sighed. "I guess I just don't want to be a failure. My parents were brilliant—they've saved countless lives. Meanwhile, I'm here serving a population of around 30, and Lillia, Jeff, and Ellen are hardly in a better condition than they were in before." His shoulders slumped, giving him a clearly disheartened appearance. His gaze dropped to the ground in shame. "I'm sorry for dumping all this on you, Claire, I know you've got more important—"

"You've got it all wrong," Claire cut him off.

His head snapped up; he was clearly not expecting her answer. "Excuse me?"

"You're kind and caring, and you're passionate about what you do, too. You're brilliant as well—Goddess, you became a doctor at 24, what more evidence do you want?" she told him, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "And we may be a 'population of around 30—" She made quotation marks with her fingers. "—but everyone here in Mineral Town always has something good to say about you."

He looked bewildered. "Really?"

Claire smiled at his disbelief. "Of course. Everyone here trusts that you do your best, and they're completely right in doing so."

"But that's the problem," he said sadly. "My best isn't enough."

"You can't cure everyone, Doctor," she said. "I'm not saying this to make you feel better—I'm acknowledging reality. There are some things that are just out of our control."

"Still . . . it's my job—"

"You are doing your job. Remember when Stu broke his arm? Or when Carter accidentally ate a poisonous mushroom?" she asked. "Goodness, must I remind you that I probably won't even be here talking to you if it weren't for you saving my neck all the time?"

"Claire! That's no way to be thinking," he said reprovingly, glaring at her.

She only shrugged. "I'm just telling the truth and making a point. Seriously, I don't know what kind of illusion you're under, but I have no idea where Mineral Town would do without you, Doctor."

There was silence after that as he slowly absorbed everything she had said. Her tone and choice of words were far from sympathetic: they were frank with a sarcastic edge to it. Still, he couldn't deny its sound logic as well as its sincerity.

He studied the girl in front of him. It had just been three seasons since she moved to the abandoned farm, yet throughout his entire stay in Mineral Town, she was probably the person he had seen the most (not counting Elli, who also worked at the clinic). She was in a green variation of her trademark blue overalls with her worn-out rucksack strapped to her back. Her bright cerulean eyes showed none of the pity he expected from her—on the contrary, they seemed quite serious with a hint of annoyance (probably at his lack of self-worth).

Still, as often as he saw her, she remained to be a mystery. She could go from being carefree and chatty to serious and sarcastic at the drop of a hat. She could be arguing with him one minute and shyly avoiding his eyes the next. She was stubborn yet curious, hardworking yet accident-prone—she was a whirlpool of things that shouldn't go together; no one should have been able to be all those things at the same time, yet somehow, she was.

But that wasn't the most confusing part. He had no idea why, and he was embarrassed to think so, but something about her made him open up about things he would have never shared with anyone. He didn't know how it happened, but something made him want to trust her completely, and trusting someone was something he hadn't done in a really long time—possibly not ever.

Maybe there was more to the farmer girl than he had initially thought.

He cleared his throat. "I—er—thank you, Claire. You really made me feel better about myself," he said, smiling shyly. "You know, you're really easy to talk to, for some reason. I've never opened up like this to anyone else . . ." he confessed.

Claire reddened."I'm glad to have the honor of being the first, then," she said lightly.

He regarded her for a short moment before shaking his head, the smile still on his face. Claire was about to ask him why, but he stopped her by handing her the prescription he had written earlier. "So what you need to get back to perfect health is sleep, nutritious food—"

"You mean milk?" she interjected, mischievously giving him a knowing look.

Claire could see he was trying to hide his amusement. "You run a farm, for goddess' sake. It'd do you better to actually drink the milk from your cow rather than to give it to me everyday."

She blushed hotly at this. "You don't like it?"

"I love it, of course," he assured her quickly. "But in the interest of your health, I suggest you keep it for yourself."

"I've got two cows."

"One milk to ship and one to drink then," he answered.

"What I do and what you tell me to do are actually two different things, you know." She shot him a smug smile.

The doctor let out a sigh. She was definitely one interesting patient, to say in the least. "Anyway," he said. "As I was saying, you need sleep, nutritious food-" She stuck his tongue out at him. "—milk—" She smirked. "—and a bottle of Bodigizer XL."

"Bodigizer XL?"

He nodded. "It's a stronger formulation of Bodigizer, twice as potent."

"Oh, okay, then. I just hope that the 'twice as potent' thing doesn't apply to its taste," she said with a shudder. The doctor's mouth twitched at her remark, but whether it was because he found her funny or annoying, she had no idea.

"You can get the medicine from Elli," he told her. "Elli!" Claire's heart sank as she remembered the doctor's cute nurse, who she knew had a major crush on him as well.

The brunette appeared in the doorway. "Yes, Doctor?"

"Prepare one bottle of Bodigizer XL for Claire. And don't charge her a single gold piece for it."

Elli looked surprised, but nodded obediently. "Okay, Doctor." She then returned to her desk to get the said medicine.

Claire stared at the doctor, who, in turn, raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What?" he asked.

"I've got money. The farm is doing great, and I have, like, four chickens and a sheep and cows, and the crops are growing well, I can—"

"I know. Can't I give you a free bottle of Bodigizer XL?" he asked innocently.

"I don't see why—"

"The wild grasses you shipped were instrumental in the development of the medicine," he said a-matter-of-factly. "And this is my way of saying thank you for that, among other things."

"Other things?"

"Let's leave it at that," he said dismissively, avoiding her eyes. Claire wasn't sure to make of the reddish tinge on his face.

"All right, then," she said, still somewhat mystified. She stood up from her chair. "Thanks for the check-up, Doctor."

He hesitated, apparently feeling conflicted over something. It was only momentary, however, because the next thing she knew, he was smiling at her. "The name's Trent."

"Oh," she said, surprised. So that was his real name. "Doctor Trent. Has a nice ring to it," she remarked.

"I don't really advertise it," he said, shrugging.

"Then why'd you tell me?"

"You are easy to talk to," he said, repeating his earlier statement. "And . . . I just wanted to. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't go around telling everyone, though."

She grinned. "You have my word. I'm no Manna."

Trent laughed at that. "Definitely not," he agreed. "Thank you for the gifts again, Claire." He looked pointedly at the basket.

"No problem," she replied. "Well, I'd better be going. Thanks again, D—Trent," she said.

"See you, Claire. And hopefully you won't be blue in the face when I do," he added playfully.

Playfully? Claire thought. Well, that's new. "I'll do my best," she said wryly, causing Trent to chuckle.

She walked out of the room and proceeded to Elli's desk. The nurse was waiting for her with a big bottle of medicine.

"What did you do?" she asked in awe.

"Huh?" Claire asked, confused.

Elli beamed at her. "I've never seen the Doctor so at ease and happy before. And he's always detested being called by his real name because it reminds him of his childhood. But look at him right before you left!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice, gesturing at the doctor's examination room. "You thawed him out. Thank you, Claire." She handed her the bottle.

Claire blushed. "I—I just talked to him. But you're welcome, I guess," she replied. "I seriously want to pay for this though," she added in a whisper, gesturing at the bottle.

Elli shook her head. "It makes the Doctor happy to give you this, and I don't want to spoil it. You don't know how he was before you moved here." She frowned, remembering. "I've been trying to get through to him ever since, but you've accomplished far more than I've ever done in the short time you've been here. Please do continue whatever you're doing," she requested.

Claire blinked, unsure of what to make of what Elli told her. "Um, okay."

"Thank you again, Claire."

She smiled at the nurse once more before turning to leave the clinic.

Walking through Mineral Town, she pondered on everything that had happened that morning—the check-up, her conversation with the doctor, Elli's words. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she seemed to get. What she had considered as hopeless seemed to become more realistic with each step she took.

That day was a turning point for her. It was the the day she allowed herself to really hope; it was the day she thought that maybe, just maybe she had a chance with him after all.

As much as I ship Claire and Doctor Trent, I don't like seeing Elli heartbroken or left in the dust. I prefer to think her crush disappeared or that she's gonna fall in love with Jack or something to that extent.

Uh, fluff is not my specialty, sorry :(

Reviews and constructive criticism for an amateur Harvest Moon fanfiction writer? :)