Emotion in Motion—Chapter 6

by taitofan

Rated PG-13 for sexual situations

Disclaimer: If I owned Harvest Moon, the next game would be titled, "Harvest Moon: For Gay." But since that's very unlikely, it's safe to say that I don't own the games or characters.

Author's Note: Time skip ahoy! I know it's been a long time, and I'm terribly sorry! I'll try my best to get more up soon. We're totally out of the game events though, so here's where the real plot starts.

Please read, review, and enjoy! Finished 04-17-13

Four weeks passed quickly, leaving Mineral Town in the midst of Fall. Skye had decided that it was a very beautiful time of year the first day he looked out the window and saw the brightly colored leaves littered over the streets. His opinion hadn't changed that day as he sat at the bar with Ann, staring out the window as she hummed something he didn't recognize and wiped at the wooden surface with a rag.

"What are you thinking about?"

Over the weeks, he and Ann had become quite good friends, which honestly surprised him a little. He wasn't exactly the easiest person to get along with, and besides, he could tell she harbored feelings for Cliff that weren't purely platonic. He didn't think he'd be able to sit back and support Cliff in a relationship with her as she was doing with him. Still, other than briefly chatting with Carter, Gray, Kai before he'd left for the Summer, and a few of the bar's regular patrons, he didn't really know anyone else. It didn't matter too much considering he was used to being alone and Cliff was more than enough, but still…

He couldn't deny that having a friend that wasn't using him for his money or his body was nice.

"Just how lovely this town truly is. It's been like a dream being here… Though I can't help but wonder how long my good fortune will last." Ann sat the rag down with a slight frown at his tone.

"What do you mean? What in the world could go wrong?"

"You mean besides everyone realizing I was the Phantom Thief in Forget-Me-Not Valley? Or that I'm in a relationship with another man? Oh, nothing I suppose." She ignored his sarcasm and settled for rolling her eyes.

"Come on, that was in the past. They all care more about our resident con artist anyway." That peaked Skye's interest. He knew he barely left the Inn, but surely Cliff would have told him about a con artist… Sensing his curiosity, Ann continued. "You've never met him, and I don't think Cliff has either… Actually, I haven't even really met him, but I've heard enough stories. His name is Won, and he has a shop out on the beach with outrageous prices. Plus, he comes around to people's houses trying to sell overpriced junk, making it seem like the greatest stuff in the world. He doesn't come to the Inn, but everyone else seems really annoyed by him. I think Jack is the only one to ever even give him the time of day." Skye thought that sounded more like every salesman in the world than a con artist, but in a little town like this he supposed that was a horrid occupation. Suddenly his confidence that anyone would accept him plummeted, but he didn't let it show.

"And my second dilemma?"

"Well, I don't ever remember hearing anyone say anything that made them sound homophobic… And besides, everyone likes Cliff!" Yes, he'd quickly gathered that. A few of the other girls seemed to let their eyes linger on his boyfriend a bit too long… He knew he had no reason to be jealous, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"But you don't know anyone else who is gay, do you?" After all, hypothetical situations were one thing, but an actual event was entirely another.

"Well…no. All the other guys I know are dating girls or married, or just don't interact with anyone… Well, Rick isn't dating anyone, but everyone knows he likes Karen. I feel kinda bad she ditched him for Jack, but that isn't my business I guess…"

Rick… Jack… Karen… Did he even know any of these people…? Wait, Jack was the farmer, Karen was the girl who came in to get drunk on a regular basis, and Rick was that geeky looking blond guy who came in with her sometimes. Best friends he believed he'd heard early on in his employment. He hadn't known the girl was dating the farmer, though if he was perfectly honest, he didn't care either. Karen reminded him far too much of the girls back in the city.

"Hmm, I suppose not… I'll just take your word for all this then. Thank you Ann. Talking to you is always a lovely experience." She smacked him with her rag, laughing at the slightly disgusted expression on his face as he looked at the dirty piece of cloth.

"Come on, if anyone heard you, they might think you liked me! What would Cliff think?" Honestly, he thought Cliff might be relieved. The only thing he was truly worried about was being found out as a thief; despite his questions, he really didn't care what anyone thought if they discovered he loved Cliff, only if they might hurt his boyfriend because of it. But Cliff himself had shown no sign of wanting anyone but the four people who already knew knowing anyway. He didn't like it; not at all…

But he didn't want to lose Cliff either. He'd finally found what he'd been waiting for in life, and if going at Cliff's pace was what it took to not drive him off, so be it. They couldn't keep it a secret forever after all. He could wait…

Cliff took a deep breath and wiped his brow as he carried the last bushel of grapes down to the cellar. Thankfully, the day hadn't been nearly as hectic as it had been just a few days prior during the big harvest. Even with Jack's extra help—just as he had the last year, when Cliff actually got the job—it had been hard work. Though, in a way, he supposed it helped him. His fatigue had given him an excuse to get right to bed…

Though he knew he couldn't hide forever. He and Skye had been together for over two seasons now, and they still hadn't… He groaned in embarrassment. He couldn't even think it! He didn't know what his problem was. He loved Skye, Skye loved him, and they both wanted it, but Cliff just couldn't seem to do anything, and it was really starting to drive him insane. Skye wanted to come out; Cliff wasn't ready. Skye wanted to make love; Cliff always seemed to freeze. Skye never complained, and that only seemed to make it worse. The silver-haired man wasn't exactly the epitome of selflessness. No, he was rather self-centered and certainly very self-assured. So for him to not push things meant that he really loved Cliff and didn't want to pressure him. Even knowing all of this, Cliff still felt guiltier than he had in quite a while…

"I'm no good at this…"

"No good at what?" Cliff jumped at the sudden voice, calming down a bit when he saw it was only Duke. Then he panicked again, as he really didn't know how to answer the question.

"Um, well… You see, it's just…" Between his flushed face and nervous stuttering, Duke's mind went right where most of the town seemed to go, much to his embarrassment…

"Oh, I get it, you wanna get closer to Ann, huh?" The older man's grin made Cliff uncomfortable, but maybe for once the mistake would help him.

"If you want be intimate with the person you love," he began, the hesitation evident in his voice, "but you always freeze when the time comes… Is that…normal?" Honestly, he wouldn't know. He'd never had a real boyfriend before. It definitely didn't seem normal, but Duke had been married for a long time and had a daughter around his age. Surely, he must have some good advice…

"Maybe if you're a blushing schoolgirl!" …Or not.

"W-what?" Duke laughed heartily, and Cliff wondered if he should have gone to Manna instead...

"You're freezing up because you're thinking about it too much! Just stop thinking about getting caught or messing up and let those manly instincts of yours kick in. Ann's not gonna care if things are perfect when you're both young and in love. That comes after the honeymoon, ha!"

As Duke laughed at his joke, Cliff pondered his words. Well, he was concerned that someone would hear—Doug especially. And he was afraid he'd do something wrong…

"Thank you. I think I understand now." Duke quieted down and shook his head, a knowing grin on his face.

"Cliff, you're like a son to me and Manna. Don't worry about asking for help from us, alright? That's what family is for." Cliff couldn't keep the grin off his face as he nodded.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?"

"I'm back." Two heads lifted as the brunet walked into the otherwise empty bar. Ann smiled and waved, and while Skye did the same, he wished he could just go over there and kiss his boyfriend as a welcome. He was trying his best to be patient, but it wasn't one of his strong suits. At all.

"Is the harvest rush finally dying down?" Ann asked politely, already knowing that if Jack was done helping, it was. Mostly, she didn't want any awkward silences between the two men in the room. Something was bothering Skye—more than he was telling her—and Cliff was on edge about something. Neither of them would come out and say there was a problem though, so she figured she wouldn't push it. Well, not unless it became a problem at least.

"Yes, it was pretty calm today." He was fidgeting where he stood, looking at Skye, then down at the floor.

Skye was waiting for him to say how tired he was, just as he'd been doing. Every single night. Skye was beginning to think he was going to stay a virgin until they moved out of the inn, and who knew how long that would take? Fine, he could wait if it kept Cliff happy. It was hard not to feel a little bitter that the biggest reason for it was Cliff's fear of being outed though. And while part of him knew that Cliff had gone through things to give him that fear, he had a hard time thinking that the people of Mineral Town would be the same way. If the pastor could accept it, surely the townsfolk could.

"Ann, do you mind if I talk to Skye for a while…?" Ann nodded quickly, desperately wishing she knew what was going on, but knowing that it was best not to pry. Yet.

Skye was confused as he followed Cliff, who immediately headed upstairs without anything more than a muttered "thanks" to their friend. Neither man broke the silence until they were safely in their room, door locked. Cliff gestured for Skye to sit down, but he didn't move an inch. He just stared at Cliff, and the brunet knew that his boyfriend was obviously expecting some new excuse. He just hoped he could say what he needed to before he lost his nerve…

"I want to have sex with you!"

Skye could only stare at first, his mind going blank at the sudden confession. Then, slowly, he came to his senses and, much to his chagrin, felt his face flush.

"Y-you do? Well, haha, that's wonderful! And, ah, when do you plan on making this happen exactly…?" Girls had thrown themselves at his feet and offered him their body right there and he hadn't even blinked, but here came Cliff, who was making him flustered with a single sentence. But at least it couldn't get worse.

"I don't know…" He stepped closer to Skye. "Maybe…" When he was mere steps away, he brought a hand up to Skye's face and cupped his cheek. Skye thought it was awfully unfair that he didn't look nearly as nervous as Skye felt. "Now?"

"Now…?" Skye repeated lamely, wondering how something he'd wanted so badly was suddenly making him act completely foolish. His face was red, his knees were weak, and he could barely form a coherent thought, and Cliff hadn't done anything but chastely touch him.

If he hadn't already known just how much he loved Cliff, this certainly would have told him.

"Unless you don't want to." Of course, he did. There was nothing he wanted more at the moment.

"Cliff…" He allowed the brunette to wrap his arms around his waist and pull him close. "Show me the moon and the stars."

And with the rest of the world forgotten, that was exactly what Cliff did.

The next time Ann saw Cliff and Skye, things were a bit…awkward. Not between them, oh no they were as happy as could be, and she could guess why after Skye never came back.

No, it was because of her father.

When Doug had returned the night before, he'd been very suspicious as to Skye's whereabouts. Ann had put two and two together at that point and told him Skye hadn't felt well and went to bed, but he hadn't seemed to buy it.

She hadn't known why at first; he'd believed the roommates ecuse so far, why stop now? But then she noticed the letter he'd set on the counter from someone named Vesta in Forget-Me-Not Valley… And then she remembered when Cliff told her about a woman named Vesta who hated the Phantom Thief and wanted to run him through with a pitchfork…

She wouldn't deny that she felt nervous. Very nervous in fact. She liked Skye a lot but there were lots of people only hours away that wanted his head on a platter. If anyone there knew about Skye being here and told everyone in Mineral Town about it…

It could be bad for Skye. Cliff too, because Ann had no doubts that Cliff would stand by Skye. She would too, but it would all be so much easier if they just never found out…

She hadn't gotten to look at the letter before the inn closed, but Dou had left it on the counter, and she'd gotten to peak at it that morning before anyone else was up. Only one part stayed in her mind.

Cliff was a good kid, but it was mighty suspicious that the Phantom Thief disappeared when he stopped coming down here. You'd all best watch out or you might find your things missing too.

Maybe they were all being naïve, thinking Skye wouldn't get caught eventually. But he hadn't been around long enough to let people know him, to see that he was a good guy and more than a petty thief. Cliff and Ann knew, and a few select others like Carter, but that wouldn't be enough if the secret got out already. She was glad the letter didn't mention Skye by name, but her father didn't trust him as it was, and this was definitely implicating that the thief disappearing from the valley and appearing at the inn with Cliff at the same time weren't coincidences.

But then Cliff went to work and her, Doug, and Skye were alone. And the uncomfortable atmosphere slowly thickened.

"So Skye, Ann tells me you were sick last night." To his credit, Skye was an amazing actor. He turned on his dazzling smile and nodded. Ann just hoped that Skye's charm would be enough.

"Yes, I'm afraid I was feeling rather under the weather. No worries though, I feel fine after some sleep." It wasn't even really a lie, Ann thought. Only, he'd been emotionally troubled, and Cliff had helped him with that. Though she was positive that more than sleep had happened.

"Hmm…" Doug turned away, and bristled when he noticed the letter on the counter, right as he'd left it. Ann had made sure nothing was different about it, and made no comment as he shoved it in his pocket, though she kept a close eye on his expression. Sure enough, he kept glancing at Skye, though he didn't seem to notice. "Well, keep a close eye on things Ann. I need to see Harris this morning, so you're in charge until I get back."

He left quickly, and she could help but roll her eyes. As if she wasn't in charge most of the time those days anyway! It was as if Skye cared about that; all he wanted to do was cook anyway.

She tried not to be concerned about her father going to see Harris of all people, but it was difficult.

"So," she began, deciding not to worry Skye about it when she herself didn't know what was going on, "you're a lot more cheerful than you were before you left with Cliff yesterday." He laughed and sent her a friendly wink.

"I believe it's in bad taste to kiss and tell," he joked, and Ann couldn't stop the grin that found its way to her face.

"Since when did you care about things like that?" He laughed again, and it hit Ann that maybe this line of questioning might not be in very good taste on her part when Skye knew that she had been in love with his boyfriend as of only a few seasons ago. But he didn't look upset at all.

"Very true! However, for Cliff's sake, I'm afraid I must keep the details to myself." His smile turned slightly dreamy, as he no doubt remembered something Cliff had done or said. "Let's just say that I'm very lucky to have met Cliff. I don't think I could have met a better person than him."

She was inclined to agree, and though it still stung, she could honestly say that she was very happy for them. She just hoped her fears were unfounded, and that her father's letter meant nothing.

That evening, Doug was still gone when Cliff returned from work. He seemed as agitated as he had the night before, but in a different sense. He was almost angry, and though Skye was bewildered by it, Ann felt a sense of dread come over her.

"Harris came to the winery," he explained when Skye asked what was wrong. "He said Doug came to him this afternoon and reported a string of small thefts here in the past few weeks. He thinks the Phantom Thief from Forget-Me-Not Valley must have left there and come here, and wanted to know if any of us had noticed anything missing."

Skye couldn't speak; he didn't know how to react to that, as he knew very well he'd taken nothing and had no reason to. Ann however, was furious and had plenty to say.

"I can't believe him!" she shouted, making both men jump. "He suspects Skye because of that stupid letter he got, and now he's spreading lies? How dare he!"

"What letter?" Cliff questioned, subconsciously seeking out Skye's hand on the counter and gently squeezing it. Skye still didn't say anything.

Ann told them about the contents of the letter and her observations of her father, and she didn't think she'd seen Cliff so upset as he looked now.

"What has Skye ever done to Doug? I just don't—"

"I do." They whipped their heads towards Skye, who smiled sadly. "I understand. Isn't it obvious? He wants you to marry Ann. Either he suspects we're together or just thinks I'm a friend distracting you from romance, but either way, I'm an obstacle. One who was a criminal in the recent past and for all he knows, could relapse at any time. Honestly, I'm a little surprised neither of you asked if what he said was true…"

"Don't be ridiculous!" This time it was Cliff's outburst that surprised the other two. "Of course I know you didn't do anything. I trust you Skye, and you haven't given me any reason not to. Just… Please don't let this get to you. We'll… We'll get through this, I promise."

Cliff couldn't help but feel guilty at his own words. How many times had Skye tried to get him to stop worrying about people finding out about them? And this was potentially more dangerous—even if Skye hadn't done anything wrong in Mineral Town, he'd still stolen in the valley. What if Harris sent him back to the hands of Vesta? No, he wouldn't let that happen.

He swore right then that he would never, ever let such a thing happen.

Skye's smile brightened a bit, and he rose Cliff's hand to his lips, placing a kiss to the back of it. Ann hoped they hadn't forgotten she was there…oh who was she kidding, she knew that she'd be okay with that. But now wasn't the time for those kind of thoughts. No, they needed to figure out what to do before—

"I'm back." …Before Doug came home.

Ann didn't trust herself to stay calm, so she merely shot him a hard look. He wasn't paying attention to her though, and she followed his gaze… It landed where Cliff and Skye's hands were intertwined. She almost gasped, especially when she saw the defiant expression on Cliff's face. Even Skye seemed shocked. Cliff hadn't let go. Cliff wasn't going to let go.

"Tch." Doug walked past them all and headed behind the counter to the door that led to his and Ann's living quarters. When he reached the door, he paused. "…You don't work for me anymore, thief."

The door slammed behind him before anyone could say a word.

Ann was ready to go after him; her face was flushed with anger and she had every intention of giving him a piece of her mind. Oddly, it was Skye who calmly asked her to stop.

"I should have known better than to think it would be this easy. Even if he can't prove it now, he'll be able to as soon as anyone from the valley can come confirm I'm the Phantom." He chuckled; it was a hollow sound. "I should be glad he didn't kick us out actually. I suppose he could have."

"And I could have let you go, but I didn't. Because we need to stop running…both of us. Skye, I love you, and I'll stand by you no matter what. I don't want to hide anymore. So let's make the town accept us for all that we are, okay? Let's do this together."

Ann tactfully looked away as Skye got up and buried himself in Cliff's arms. She would help them all she could, and she knew Carter and Manna would to. Cliff and Skye were important to her, and she wouldn't let them down. Not even for her father. Especially not for her father when he was acting like this.

It was going to be hard. No doubt, rumors were going to spread about Skye, and they would all be surprised if everyone didn't know about Skye and Cliff's relationship within a day. Some people would approve, some would condemn, and some wouldn't care either way.

One thing was for certain though: they wouldn't be going through it alone.