Once again, thanks for the reviews :D

There's something about this chapter that I don't like… but eh, it will do.

Imperfections

A few weeks had passed and Will found that he was gradually becoming accustomed to his new life on the Sunshine Archipelago.

It was an easy-going albeit slow lifestyle and sometimes it was difficult to pass the time. On most days, he wandered around, doing whatever that happened to come to mind. Will doubted he could spend his entire life like that, but he would do his best to make the most of the experience, for now.

Living in such a close-knit community was rather nice. Once Will triumphed over his concerns, conversation with the townspeople came easily and he was fast making friends. In fact, Chelsea had taken it upon herself to help him become acclimated to the island. Each time the farmer dragged him to lunch there was someone new to meet: Pierre the gourmet, Denny the fisherman, Lanna the pop star on sabbatical and of course, Julia and Elliot joined them too.

Everyone had welcomed him with open arms. It had nothing to do with social standing or his family connections; the townspeople of Sunshine Islands accepted Will for no other reason than they liked who he was.

He did appreciate having family here, though. Whenever Will felt at unease or needed advice or just wanted to see a familiar face, he visited his uncle and cousin. Regis took him down to the mines and would swell with pride as he explained the intricate details of his company – although, more often than not, Will was much too preoccupied by the pools of lava that pulsed through the cracked floors to listen properly. The afternoons he shared with Sabrina were much less life threatening; they chatted over tea and homemade cakes, and sometimes he helped her tidy their enormous private library.

After days spent with Regis and Sabrina, Will couldn't help wondering if that was what he longed for: simple contact with another person.

He loved his parents, truly, but growing up, they had been so busy that Will often went days without speaking to them and had to rely on the companionship of his servants and maids. When it came to friends, he had very few, mostly the sons and daughters of his father's business associates. The only interests they had involved money and what could be purchased with said money.

At least he'd had Arthur. Ever since he was a young boy, the horse had always been by his side, his most trusted companion.

But when Will headed down to the stables that morning and discovered a half-empty bag of horse feed and a rather disgruntled-looking hungry Arthur, he realised that perhaps he hadn't been as attentive lately as he should have been.

"Oh dear, it appears that you're running low on feed," He murmured to the horse with a frown, "I've been neglecting you, haven't I?"

Arthur made a snorting sound and pawed at the ground, as if to draw attention to the old hay collecting around his hooves. He seemed restless as well, no doubt because he'd been cooped up for a while – their rides around the island had grown quite short over the last few days.

The guilt sunk deeper into Will's stomach and he patted the horse's neck. "I'm so sorry Arthur… I got caught up in the excitement of making new friends. But do not fret! I'll hurry out straight away and buy you some more."

Will poured the remaining grain into the trough. Leaving Arthur to eat in peace, he quickly headed back above deck to prepare for a morning of shopping.

Mornings were often the busiest time for the people of the Sunshine Islands. Locals rose with the sun and opened their stores bright and early, always ready for another day of hard work. They truly enjoyed what they did. Another attribute Will wasn't very accustomed to. Most of the successful people he knew hated their occupations but continued with it regardless, for one, and only one, reason: money. Even his own father seemed to go about his day with a permanent grimace etched on his face.

Will was greeted with cheerful good mornings and friendly smiles wherever he went. He made sure to return the happy salutations, though he also felt a little disappointed; he'd gotten into the habit of striking up a friendly conversation with whoever would give him their time, but today he was in too much of a rush to stop and chat. Arthur was waiting for him.

He made a mental note to spoil Arthur today. To make up for his neglect, he would give the horse a thorough grooming, take him on an extra long walk and even treat him to a few sugar cubes.

Mirabelle's animal speciality store finally appeared at the end of the street. His pace quickened and he was at the front step. Without hesitating, Will turned the door knob and a bell chimed as he pushed the door open.

Julia's face lifted into a smile, "Hey Will!"

"Good morning Miss Mirabelle! Good morning Julia!" Will said cheerfully to the two women behind the front counter.

Mirabelle clapped her hands together, "Ooh, my stars! The prince has decided to pay us a visit, what a way to begin the day!" The owner of the store and Julia's mother was fair haired and plump, always with an everlasting smile on her face.

"Oh no, I'm not a prince…" Will laughed.

She waved a hand at him, "Well you're sure the closest thing to a prince we'll ever get to see in this lil' ol' town!"

He heard a poorly suppressed snort from someone behind him. He craned his neck to look at the silver haired man who leant against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, black Stetson hat pulled low over his eyes.

"Oh good morning, Vaughn," He greeted politely. Up to now, every attempt Will made to speak with him had been unsuccessful. He certainly looked frightening, but Will knew not to judge a person solely based upon their appearance. After all, he hoped others saw past his exterior, instead of thinking he was nothing more than a spoiled and naïve rich boy.

Vaughn didn't reply straight away. He slowly lifted his head so his eyes peeked out from beneath the brim of his hat, "Hey," He murmured gruffly.

"Always such a chatter box," Julia said. He gave her a dry look.

Mirabelle saved him from having to form a longer sentence, "So what can I do for you today, dear?" She asked.

"I've heard you sell the best animal feed on the island," Will said; the shopkeeper giggled and waved her hand again, "I'd like to purchase five bags, please."

"Comin' right up! Vaughn, a hand, if ya wouldn't mind?"

The cowboy nodded curtly and followed her into the back storage area.

"So Will, you comin' to lunch today?" Julia was asking.

"I really would love to, but I've already made plans."

She sighed, "Chelsea said she's busy too. Looks like it's just me and Elliot then… not that there's anything wrong with that."

They reappeared, Mirabelle carrying one bag and Vaughn with two under each arm. Will paid, then picked up one of the bags, taking a moment to calculate how many trips it would take for him to get them all home. He moved to pick up another when the older lady stopped him.

"Don't worry about taking too much, Vaughn will be happy to help you out. Isn't that right?" She smiled at the man beside her, but his face didn't even twitch.

"Oh, no I couldn't possibly ask that! I'll be able to manage by myself," Will said.

Mirabelle cupped her cheek, frowning, "But you'll get your clothes all dirty. That'd be a mighty shame."

Will felt rather self conscious at that point. He'd been trying to dress down, wearing the most simplistic clothing he could find in his closet but it seemed that even his cheapest white suit and orange hooded sweater was still too eye-catching in a small country town.

The older woman continued to insist until Will relented and agreed. In the end, Will found himself walking back to the Sprout Island dock with a bag of horse feed in his hands and the most unlikeliest of escorts on his heels.

There was an awkward moment where, after boarding the yacht and unloading the horse feed, Will and Vaughn just stared silently at each other, unable to think of anything interesting or even remotely intelligent to say.

Not wanting to seem rude, Will offered to show Vaughn around his sea-bound home, which surprisingly the other man had agreed to. Very few words left the cowboy's mouth as they walked from one end of the deck to the other, not only because he was a quiet man by nature; he seemed rather stunned by the vessel's size and ample home comforts.

Will was even more surprised that Vaughn didn't leave immediately after they finished their brief tour.

Instead, he turned towards the blond man, meeting his gaze for the first time since they met – being one of the taller people on the islands, Vaughn didn't have to look up at him at an angle.

"…Can I see him?" Vaughn asked.

Caught off guard for a moment, Will tilted his head in confusion, "See who? …Oh! I've been so rude. I haven't even introduced you to Arthur!"

Given that Vaughn was the town animal dealer it was no wonder he wanted to see how the horse was fairing. Will led him downstairs to where the stable was located and in a rare display of emotion, Vaughn let out an impressed little whistle. Not many people believed it was possible to comfortably house a horse aboard a yacht, but Will had made sure that Arthur only got the best of the best.

Although, once the initial surprise wore off, Vaughn's eyes darted around from corner to corner, lingering on the unkempt hay and empty feed bag, until finally they settled on Arthur. The horse snorted, almost as if he felt a chill. The cowboy stepped forward with his hand reached out to pet him. Arthur neighed a loud warning. But the silver haired man wasn't fazed; he gently stroked the underside of his muzzle and instantly the horse calmed down, whinnying happily.

Will was amazed – this was the fastest he'd ever seen Arthur warm up to someone. And if Arthur accepted Vaughn, then there was no way he could be of ill-intention.

Though, when the cowboy shifted his cool gaze onto Will, he couldn't help but think the contrary.

"You been taking care of him?" Vaughn interrogated.

"O-Of course!" Will assured.

With such severity ingrained in his face, Will was suddenly overcome with the need to confess every wrong-doing he'd ever committed. They flashed before his eyes: once, he'd left Arthur out in the rain; he'd scribbled all over his father's important papers as a child; he'd forgotten to bow in the presence of one of his mother's socialite friends and now here he was completely disregarding his best friend's well being.

Thankfully Vaughn soon returned his attention to the horse. He was much gentler when it came to animals, it seemed. "I know you're new to the island, so it can't be helped that you've been busy… but keep an eye on him, all right?"

"I will, I will!"

The silver haired man lifted an eyebrow – he wondered why Will was so jumpy all of a sudden – but he appeared to be satisfied with the assurance.

After a few more minutes, Vaughn stepped back and gave a non verbal signal that he was leaving. Ever the perfect host, Will walked with him back up stairs and thanked him once again for the help. He even regained his nerve long enough to smile as Vaughn departed the ship.

About to return to Arthur, his heart suddenly leapt from his chest as a high voice was carried over on the wind.

"Will, heyyy...!"

He peered over the side of the ship and instantly felt relieved when his eyes fell upon that familiar cheerful face in the red bandana. Chelsea waved vigorously, almost bouncing up and down on the spot. Vaughn was nearby too, seeming to have slowed his pace, as if trying to creep by the energetic farmer while remaining unseen – he had no such luck; she turned her attention to him not a second later.

Will hurried down to join them. "Chelsea! Whatever are you doing here?" He breathed. Hope fluttered up unexpectedly in his chest – did she wish to see him?

"Well, I was just in the neighbourhood so I thought I'd drop by and say hello," She explained breezily. The farmer suddenly adopted a rather stern demeanour as she nodded at Vaughn, "Don't smile Vaughn, your face might crack."

The silver haired man shook his head, eyes longingly drawn to the distance where he knew freedom could be found.

"I er, gotta get back. Lots of work to do…" He muttered.

"Thank you for your help," Will said with a grateful smile, "Have a nice day!"

Vaughn tilted his hat, then quickly turned on heel, wasting no time in escaping these strange people.

Chelsea faced Will, feigning shock, "Wow, he looked straight at you and you didn't turn to stone!"

"Admittedly, I felt petrified at one point…" He exhaled slowly, still a little unnerved by the imposing presence, "But… Vaughn genuinely seems like a caring man."

"Yeah, you shouldn't pay too much attention to that gruff act. Deep down, he's just as afraid of us as we are of him."

She started to giggle and Will found himself chuckling as well. Though, he realised, it was tense laughter, the kind a crowd made when his father attempted humour during a toast. In fact, he felt much more on edge now that he conversed alone with Chelsea like this, which was very odd because it wasn't as if they were speaking for the first time.

"What brings you out here today Chelsea?" He asked in an attempt at distracting himself, "Something to do with your farm? You must be terribly busy with your work…"

Chelsea stifled another giggle with her palm, "Ah, you found me out me. I actually came here to see you."

A strange feeling twisted in his stomach. "Y-You did?"

"It's been what? Two weeks or something since you moved here and you still haven't visited my farm once!" The farmer turned away slightly, pink lips tugged down in a pout, "I'm hurt Will."

"I'm terribly sorry Chelsea! I've gotten so carried away with everything… I've even started to neglect Arthur… please, you must tell me how I can make it up to you!" He blabbered on.

"Take it easy Will. I was kidding!" She frowned and crossed her arms, "I just wanted someone to brag to."

"Oh." He tittered weakly again, rubbing his neck with his hand. It wasn't normal for him to be so flustered, especially in the presence of a maiden. Perhaps he was coming down with some kind of illness?

"Though, if you really wanted to make it up to me…" Chelsea continued on, tapping her cheek as she thought, "You'd better visit my farm sometime soon… say, today? If you're free, of course."

Will glanced over his shoulder at his ship, "I would love to, but I must tend to Arthur first…"

"You could bring Arthur along with you! I have a huge field right near my house so he can run around as much as he wants."

"I-I suppose that would be enjoyable for him…"

Chelsea grinned widely, "Okay then, its settled. How about you come by after lunch? I'll be waiting!"

Without even giving him the chance to decline, Chelsea bounded off down the dock, headed back to her farm. Will could do nothing but watch her short-statured figure disappear into the distance as his mind slowly processed what in the world had just happened.

At least the anxious feeling in his stomach had disappeared. Right at the moment when Chelsea happened to leave too.

How very peculiar.