Disclaimer: Harvest Moon 64 and all related characters are property of Natsume. This story is written for entertainment purposes only, and not one red cent is being made off its existence. (As one would assume would be obvious, as it's posted on fanfiction dot net)
Coming Home
-Chapter 11: New Year's Resolution-
Jack slowly became aware of being held carefully within a tender embrace. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of sweat and leather. His face was cradled in the crook of an obliging neck, and he opened his eyes and lifted his head to see who it belonged to.
Cliff.
The man in question smiled at him gently. Jack quickly became aware of several facts, all in quick succession. Cliff's arms were wrapped very firmly around his torso, as his were around Cliff's. Their bodies were pressed together from their knees to their chests, and Jack noticed a little uncomfortably that he was having some serious trouble concerning the region just below his belt. With their bodies pressed so closely together, there was no way he could avoid noticing that Cliff seemed to be having the very same problem.
That particular concern only occupied his immediate thoughts for a fleeting instant, however, because he couldn't help but notice how close Cliff's gently smiling face was to his own, and how it was drawing ever closer by the moment. He closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly, ready to receive Cliff's kiss.
He was quite surprised when he felt the enthusiastic menstruations of a wet tongue lapping over his face.
What the...?
Jack opened his eyes and took in the long brown face of Jiro, who, upon seeing that his master was awake, stopped licking and began snuffling loudly, poking his cold, wet nose into Jack's ear.
"Jiro! Get off!" Jack exclaimed, pushing the small dog away from his face with a little more force than was probably necessary. Jiro didn't seem to mind though, and retreated to his usual place at the foot of the bed, smiling a goofy doggy smile.
Jack, for his part, groaned unhappily and rolled over onto his side. The bright red digital numbers of his clock told him it was 4:42 AM...two minutes away from instant death. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to recall the last moments of the dream, but they had fled to wherever it is that dream-fragments go, and he couldn't bring them back.
I can't go on like this, he thought in despair. I'm going to have to tell him soon...then we'll find out one way or another how he feels...and if he hates me, I'll get over it. If he doesn't...
Jack opened one eye slightly to look at the clock again. It read 4:43. He quickly shut his eye again and rolled over so that he wouldn't be able to peek at the clock. He wasn't normally a superstitious sort, but some things stuck in his mind no matter how practical he tried to be, and the number 4:44 was one of those things that wouldn't leave him alone.
Despite his busy thoughts, he managed to return to disappointingly dreamless sleep a few minutes later.
(x)
Jack double and triple checked his recipe against the ingredients he had laid out on the counter. Not that he needed to, but he had managed to both find Cliff and invite him over for dinner tonight, and he wanted everything to be perfect. It had taken him a few weeks to acquire the necessary foodstuffs, because he'd had to order them from out of town and wait for them to be delivered. Onion, carrots, parsnip, lentils...check, check, check and check. Salt, pepper, butter, thyme, veggie stock and bay leaves. It was all here.
Rolling his eyes a little at himself, Jack turned the stove on to medium heat, placed a generous portion of butter in the cooking pot, and put the pot on the burner. That done, he busied himself with chopping the onion. About half-way through, his eyes had teared up so badly it was difficult for him to see. He berated himself for forgetting about his mother's old trick of refrigerating the onion before going to cut it up. He managed to finish it in the end though, and he dumped the whole mess into the pot, where it hit the melted butter and began to sizzle nicely. He swirled the onion around so that it more or less evenly covered the bottom of the pot, and turned his attention to peeling and chopping the carrots and parsnip.
It took him about fifteen minutes to finish with the vegetables, and by that time the onions had simmered long enough on their own. He added the chopped carrots and parsnip, and also about two pints of water. After stirring the veggies and water briefly, he added the veggie stock cube and stirred for a few more moments until it had dissolved. Then in went the salt, pepper, thyme and two large bay leaves. Lastly he added two generous handfuls of lentils, and stirred the whole mixture for a few more moments, before cranking up the heat on the stove.
Once the mixture was at a boil, he carefully placed the lid of the pot on lopsided, so that there was a space on either side for the steam to escape. That done, he set his kitchen timer for thirty minutes, and set out two bowls on the counter and placed two spoons, napkins, and glasses on the kitchen table. He then cut up a loaf of freshly baked bread that he'd purchased that afternoon from Elli and set it and a pat of butter in the middle of the table.
The next half-hour passed excruciatingly slowly. Jack had nothing to do but pace about and check the progress of the soup occasionally to make sure all the water didn't evaporate away. Adding more water to the soup and stirring it didn't take all that long, and then it was back to the pacing.
Jack became increasingly more nervous as the minutes passed, and he was quite sure he wouldn't have even known Cliff had knocked on the door in the main room if Jiro hadn't begun barking wildly. He hurried to open the door and found Cliff waiting on his doorstep, his cheeks rosy from the chilly air outside.
"Hi, Jack,"
"Come on in!" Jack said, simultaneously stepping back from the door and nudging Jiro aside with one foot, for the small dog had ceased barking and edged over to the door behind Jack to investigate the disturbance more thoroughly.
"Wow, it's nice in here," Cliff said appreciatively, shivering slightly as he stepped into the warmth of Jack's cabin.
"Come into the kitchen and have a seat," Jack told him, motioning him forward with a wave of his hand. "The soup needs to cook a little more, but it's almost ready."
Cliff inhaled enthusiastically as he entered the kitchen. The bubbling concoction on the stove smelled good. His stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly, and he shot an embarrassed glance at Jack, who grinned at him good naturedly.
"Hungry?" he teased as he motioned Cliff to sit down on one of the stools at the table. Cliff returned Jack's smile with a sheepish one of his own, and nodded.
"Have some bread," he offered. Cliff took a slice, buttered it lightly, and watched Jack as he bustled about the kitchen attempting to look busy.
"How's the hunting?" Jack asked after a few moments of silence wherein Cliff contemplated whether or not he was brave enough to help himself to more bread. At Jack's question, he made a face and replied,
"It's gotten pretty scarce. I'm glad spring's just around the corner, because at least then there'll be herbs and stuff to eat."
"I know what you mean...All I've been shipping recently is a little milk, eggs, and ore from the mines, and I'm tired of having to order vegetables from town."
They were quiet for a moment then, Jack leaning on the counter and Cliff sitting at the table. Then Jack, noticing the way Cliff was eyeing the bread, stepped over to the table, picked up the top-most slice from the pile, and deposited on the place-mat in front of Cliff. Cliff flushed slightly and ducked his head in thanks, while Jack grinned.
Goddess, he's so...cute is what he thought.
"Please help yourself," is what he said.
The soup was ready soon after, and Jack quickly ladled generous portions into the two waiting bowls.
"Smells great!" Cliff exclaimed, inhaling appreciatively as Jack placed a bowl in front of him. Jack smiled at the praise, and picked up Cliff's glass.
"Water or milk?" he asked, moving to the fridge.
"Milk, please," Cliff said.
Once the beverages were dispensed, Jack sat down across from Cliff and they both tucked in. All the while he was eating, Jack was wondering how best to broach the topic of his crush. He'd actually been wondering how to do this all day, but had yet to come up with a satisfactory idea. The conversation they were having, which ranged from a variety of mundane, every-day topics, was not offering him any inspiration. Finally, during a pause, he decided to just come out with it.
"Hey, Cliff -"
"Jack, I want to -"
Both men shared a flustered moment in which they indicated that the other should go ahead and speak. Finally, Jack allowed himself to be persuaded, and launched ahead:
"Well...you know, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now..." he paused, suddenly unsure of how to continue. Cliff caught his breath and waited anxiously. What Karen had told him about Jack that day...could it really be true? Was Jack going to...?
"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out at the Inn with me on New Year's Eve," Jack said in a rush, not looking directly at Cliff. He mentally smacked himself on the forehead. Where hadthat come from? That wasn't what he had meant to say at all!
Cliff was torn between disappointment and happiness. He was disappointed because the hoped-for confession had failed to emerge, but happy because Jack had invited him somewhere.
"I'd like that," he said carefully, though he couldn't stop himself from smiling. Hopefully he didn't look too much like an idiot.
"Great!" Jack said. Okay, Jack-o. Maybe this is salvageable after all. You can tell him at New Year's. That's only a few days away, there'll be more time to plan. "Umm...What was it that you were going to say?"
Cliff paused for a moment and blinked several times. He had been about to spill his guts and confess, but now he chickened out.It'll be better to do it at New Year's, he thought, giving himself an excuse. "Oh, I just wanted to, uhm, thank you for this wonderful dinner," he said, congratulating himself on his very plausible-sounding lie.
"You're welcome!" Jack said with enthusiasm, smiling so happily that Cliff couldn't help but smile back. "I'll have to have you over for dinner again sometime."
"I'd like that."
With the awkward moment past, the two young men spent the rest of the evening chatting amiably until around ten o'clock, when Cliff insisted that he'd "better get back," even though Jack repeatedly offered to let him sleep over.
As he watched Cliff disappear from view around the hedge that blocked the road from view, Jack thunked his head gently against the doorframe several times.
"Stupid," he muttered to himself.
(x)
The days until New Year's Eve passed both too quickly and not quickly enough. Even though Jack now had several extra days before his self-enforced confession, his mind remained a complete blank. It seemed that there would be no heavenly intervention, no divine inspiration, to help him through this ordeal. As things stood right now, he was probably going to make a complete fool of himself.
Nevertheless, he was outside the door to the inn promptly at eight o'clock, and was inside soon after. All the regular patrons had turned up tonight, as well as a few irregular ones. Actually, the only person he didn't regularly see at the inn was Ann, and she was holding a very animated one-sided conversation with her brother Grey. Jack made his way over to what he had come to think of as "their" table to wait for Cliff, exchanging New Year's greetings with the people he passed on his way. The inn was quite crowded, and the usual comfortable, quiet atmosphere had been exchanged for a festive, cheery one in honor of the occasion.
Cliff arrived only a few minutes behind Jack. He was accosted at the door by Ann, who was already rather tipsy, even though it was still quite early in the evening. Jack watched in amusement as the two exchanged New Year's greetings. After a few moments, Cliff managed to extricate himself from Ann's presence. Jack smiled at Cliff as he made his way to the back of the room, and Cliff grinned back.
"Happy New Year," Jack said as Cliff settled into his chair.
"Give or take a few hours," Cliff responded with a grin.
"Yes, well..."
"How's life?"
"Same old. You?"
"Nothing new here."
"Can I get you boys something to drink?" Karen had wandered over and was standing over them with a mysterious little smile on her face. Cliff blinked at her and gulped, but Jack didn't notice.
"You can if you're paying," he said, leaning back in his best flirtatious manner. Karen raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"I'll spring for my cousin here," she said, patting Cliff companiably on the shoulder, "but you're on your own, Jack-o,"
"Awww...what's he got that I don't?" Jack asked with a pout, leaning forward and resting his left elbow on the table and propping his chin on his hand.
"He's cuter than you."
"I beg your pardon!?"
Karen snickered. "You heard me. Now what'll it be? I do have other tables to serve, you know."
Jack grumbled something unintelligible that Karen interpreted as a request for beer. Cliff made the same request, albeit a bit more intelligently. Karen grinned at him and winked as she whirled about and made her way behind the bar to begin filling her orders. Cliff watched her with mixed emotions - he was glad she was rooting for him, but he was still a little unnerved by her all the same.
Karen returned shortly with the drinks.
"I'll just put this on your tab," she said sweetly to Jack, who was still pouting.
"Whatever," he muttered. Karen grinned and winked once more at Cliff as she set his drink in front of him, then turned and wandered off to talk to Ann. Cliff couldn't stop the snicker that escaped as she left.
"Everyone's ganging up on me," Jack muttered, feigning hurt.
"That's not true!" Cliff protested, his mirth dying quickly away at the sight of Jack's put-out face.
Jack couldn't continue the charade any further than that. "I'm just kidding," he told him with a smile. "Cheers!" Jack raised his glass, and Cliff mirrored him.
"Cheers!" he agreed.
(x)
While the other patrons allowed themselves to become pleasantly drunk as the evening wore on closer to midnight, Jack and Cliff abstained. Each wanted to be sober enough to confess properly to the other, and the kind of seriousness they desired couldn't be achieved through drunken antics.
At five minutes to midnight, Karen began making her way round the crowed room with a tray filled with champagne glasses. Everyone received a glass, and Duke turned on the old transistor radio that he kept underneath the bar. The frequency was tuned to the countdown that was taking place in the city, and everyone waited with baited breath as the voice on the radio announced the beginning of the countdown.
Ann joined in with the radio when the word "ten" was pronounced, and her enthusiasm for the whole affair encouraged everyone in the room to join in.
The countdown was over quickly, and everyone cheered as the radio announced, "Happy New Year!" Champagne was toasted, glasses were clinked, and everyone burst into animated chatter. Jack participated for about an hour, before he realized that the loud conversations looked as though they were setting up to continue for quite some time - he had something he needed to tell Cliff, and this certainly wasn't the place to do it.
Motioning to Cliff to follow him, Jack slowly made his way from the back of the bar where they had been sitting to the door with Cliff trailing behind. Everyone was very cheerful and merry, though they all seemed a bit to prone to making long farewells. Jack found himself making excuses that ran along the lines of, "Gotta get to bed - I wake up at dawn, you know!" and "It's way past my bedtime! I need to get to sleep!" He felt slightly bad about lying to his friends (because he had no intention of going to bed yet), but felt that it was justified in this case.
When they had both finally made it outside, Jack and Cliff began walking down the street side by side. Jack was possessed with a sudden urge to seize Cliff's hand, but he suppressed it and shoved his hands deep into his pockets instead.
Just before they reached the crossroads where they usually parted ways, Jack turned to Cliff.
"Hey...do you want to hike up the mountain with me? We can watch the sun rise on New Year's Day." As Jack said these words, he felt like gagging. That had to be the most cheese-eating line he'd ever uttered in his entire life. And that was saying something.
Cliff, oblivious to Jack's internal reaction to what he had just said, felt his face grow hot. "I...I'd like that a lot," he said, grateful as always for the obliging darkness.
"Okay," Jack responded, and the two turned at the crossroads and began walking up the mountain.
"Okay"? "Okay!?" Jack, you, my friend, are really, really...dumb. Seriously. Jack silently berated himself as he and Cliff made their way up the trail.
Cliff, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to Jack's internal monologue. He was rather more concerned with what he was going to say to Jack in the next few hours than anything else. Heart pounding, sweaty palms, nervous stomach...he had to tell Jack, and he had to do it tonight! Well, this morning, but still. The atmosphere couldn't be more perfect - at the top of Moon Mountain at sunrise? He couldn't have asked for a better set-up.
Wait, no, yes he could have. If someone could have scripted something for him to say...that would have made the whole situation perfect. He had been given a lot to work with, though, so he figured he would make the best of it.
The climb to the peak of the mountain passed in relative silence, each man consumed with his own personal thoughts. They made it to the top with several hours to spare, and Jack almost immediately wished he'd thought to bring blankets - he was still warm from the alcohol he'd had earlier that night and the actual hike up, but he knew that would wear off soon enough, and then he'd be freezing cold until the sun came up.
Jack and Cliff passed the time pleasantly, chatting about this and that - inconsequential things - in an effort to fill up the silence. Eventually, though, they both ran out of things to talk about, and so settled into silence. Cliff shifted around uncomfortably for a moment or two - they'd each seated themselves on the ground near the drop-off - before clearing his throat.
"Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"I, uh...I have something I have to tell you."
Curious, Jack turned his gaze from the serenely starlit forest below to look at Cliff. "What is it?"
"Well..." Here, Cliff trailed off into silence, and it looked for a moment as though he'd changed his mind about speaking at all - he was staring straight ahead, his gaze firmly fixed on the peak of a distant mountain. Jack's eyes were staring straight at Cliff's shadow-darkened profile, and, for some reason, his heart began beating erratically.
Cliff took a deep breath, and then all at once came out with it: "I like you, Jack. I've liked you almost since the day I met you, and I wanted you to know. I know admitting this is going to change our friendship, but I couldn't keep quiet any longer, and I really hope you don't hate me for telling you this, and I really hope we can still be friends, but it needed to be said, and - "
Jack stared in astonishment as Cliff rattled on. Part of him was astonished at how Cliff was babbling - he'd never heard Cliff say this much at once. The other part of him hadn't heard anything past "I like you, Jack."
"And anyway, I just...wanted to tell you," Cliff finished lamely. He forced himself to turn his head and look at Jack, to see how Jack was taking his confession.
He likes me!
Jack was staring at him with a look of utter astonishment on his face - Cliff had no idea how to interpret that. "Jack?"
He likes me!
Jack continued to stare, not moving or saying anything. Cliff, who had felt as light as a feather for a moment after he'd finished speaking, began to experience a rapidly descending dread.
"Jack?"
Still no response.
Cliff likes me!
"I'm sorry...um...I'll leave now," Cliff lept to his feet - or at least he tried - sitting on the cold ground in the middle of a cold night was not the greatest way to treat one's body. Joints tended to become stiff, and Cliff's were no exception.
Karen was wrong! WRONG! Goddess, what was I THINKING!? She was obviously just screwing around with me! That's what people DO, you KNOW that's what people do, no one cares about you, you stupid moron! You could have just left well enough alone, but no! As soon as you hear that he might possibly like you back, you go and confess! You don't even think about it! Good going, Cliff. Good going.
Jack blinked as Cliff jerkily rose to his feet, and his heart leapt in his throat as he caught sight of the other man's face. Cliff looked to be near tears, and he had no idea why.
"Cliff!" Jack's hand shot out and grabbed at one of Cliff's trouser legs, preventing him from leaving. Cliff stood still and refused to look down at Jack.
"Cliff," Jack repeated, softer this time, and with a small tug on Cliff's leg. Cliff still refused too look down, so Jack got his feet under him as quickly as he could, and stood up, relocating his grip from Cliff's pants to the bottom of his vest.
"Cliff," he repeated for a third time. "I like you too, Cliff. A lot."
Finally, Cliff turned his head, and his eyes met with Jack's. Neither man said anything for several moments. Their only contact was Jack's grip on Cliff's vest. Slowly, very slowly, Cliff raised his hand and gripped Jack's forearm. Jack's skin was cool to the touch, but Cliff's hand was very warm. Just as slowly, as though he were scared he'd frighten Cliff away if he moved too fast, Jack raised his free hand and placed it on Cliff's shoulder. Cliff tensed for a moment, and then relaxed, and allowed Jack to pull him closer. When Jack felt Cliff's tentative touch on his waist, he moved the hand on Cliff's shoulder up to cup his face, and wrapped his other arm round Cliff's waist. Cliff, in turn, slowly and almost disbelivingly embraced Jack, bringing their faces within inches of each other. Carefully, almost reverently, Jack closed the gap between their lips.
It wasn't much of a kiss, as kisses go. It was quick, and over rather quickly. But it was sweet, and gentle, and, somehow, Jack was able to convey his feelings to Cliff rather accurately through this quiet contact. And really, how much more could one ask of a simple kiss?
(x)X(x)X(x)
-To be continued?-
(Edited) Author's notes: In response to several recent reviews, I feel I'd better note here that, as of right now (right now being February 2008), I'm pretty sure this story is resigned to "incomplete" status from here on out. Although I've also been told that where I left off is a fairly satisfying ending in and of itself - love is declared, kisses are had, and the world is like a sparkly, brand-new place...Heh.
Deepest apologies to those waiting for continuation; please take comfort in the fact that I myself hate it when authors leave off right in the middle with no hope for a proper conclusion, and now, by doing this, I've become something I myself hate. Ironic how that works, isn't it?
However! All is not lost! (Maybe.) I'm currently almost two years into a collaboration with another author on a fic with themes similar to this one - fairy tales (instead of farming), fluff, angst, wacky adventures, and, probably most importantly, slash. We're still going (fairly) strong and are updating (more or less) regularly. So if you liked this little fic, chances are you'll also enjoy t'other one. You can find a link to it in my profile, if you're curious. I'd link to it here, but eff eff dot net doesn't seem to allow that.
Once again, thank you for reading this far. If I've managed to brighten your day, awesome! If I've horrified you by writing about two men in love, even more awesome. :D You can flame me if you want, but the most I'll do in response to that is giggle.
Regardless of whether you liked this story or hate my guts, I hope you have an absolutely fabulous day. :)