(An update! Hope you enjoy some fluff COUGHwhileyoustillcanCOUGH hehe.)


"Ah, shit." I threw the broom and dustpan back against my workbench, and rushed towards the front of the shop, wiping my hands on my pants as I went.

Claire initially cocked a curious eyebrow as I walked over before eventually pressing her lips together in an attempt to hold back a grin.

I stopped a few feet in front of her, leaning against the side of my grandpa's desk. "Uh, Sorry. Hope you weren't waiting too long. Usually, Gramps is the one that does the whole... greeting thing."

"It's fine!" Claire shook her head slightly, chunks of damp blonde hair scattering across her shoulders as she did. "I kind of figured that much." The farmer snickered at her own (bad) joke, undoubtedly referring to the first time we had met at the shop. "I like your look today, by the way," she added.

I was confused by her last sentence, as I was wearing a pair of the same grungy coveralls I did every day, but I paid it no mind.

"Right," I muttered, instinctually reaching for my hat, only to realize that it wasn't on my head. So that was what she meant. I internally cursed myself for being so tired today, wondering where the fuck I could have left it. "Okay, so what do you need?"

Claire's interested eyes remained fixed on mine as she let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, your customer service skills are next level," she quipped, unfazed by my eye roll in response. "Anyway," her free hand pushed a clump of wet hair from her shoulder before holding up the hammer with her other, "I'm here to upgrade this."

My gaze moved to the silver hammer in her hand. Without thinking, I snatched the hammer from her and started inspecting the mallet. I didn't want to admit it to Claire, but I was impressed that she was already upgrading the tool again. Even though I'd worked on the hammer with Grandpa at the end of spring, I had no idea it was hers at the time. I rarely saw her in the shop anymore, let alone in the mines or anywhere else she would be using a hammer like that.

But the face of the hammer looked worn. She was definitely using it somewhere.

"What do you use it for?" I asked before I could stop myself. As the sentence came out, I immediately regretted it, realizing how stupid and unnecessary the question probably sounded.

Claire tilted her head with a small frown. "What do you mean? I use it in my field, in the mine, y'know... normal hammer activities?" she said with a hint of sarcasm. "What do you use your hammer for?"

"Oh. Yeah, sorry." I turned my attention back to the hammer in an attempt to hide my face, wishing that I hadn't forgotten my hat. What had possessed me to say something like that in the first place? "That was a stupid question. I uh, I just meant that I never see you in the mine. Gramps and I are there a lot."

Claire pressed her lips together, slowly rubbing them together as she seemed to prepare a response. The tight line she'd created with her mouth curled ever so slightly. "I know." She seemed to notice my puzzled expression, so she continued, "I used to go a lot more in the spring before my crops took off, but I'd... uh, usually go during the day, y'know, when you're both here."

She idly rubbed her free hands together as she waited for a response. When I didn't speak quickly enough, she added to her thought, "Don't want too many chefs in the kitchen, y'know? Or I guess miners in the mine, but that doesn't sound as good." She placed a finger over her pursed lips in a mockingly-thoughtful manner.

I exhaled through my nose, shaking my head and almost laughing at Claire's ridiculous reasoning. "Yeah. I know," I replied as I looked down at the farmer.

She was staring back up at me with big ultramarine eyes, running her hands through the hair at the crown of her head. I wasn't sure if it was because she was shorter than me, but she had perfected the puppy-dog-eye look. Did she give everybody that same look?

A soft smile returned to her lips, and I was surprised when I felt a nervous thump against my ribs. As the corners of her mouth turned up, I couldn't help but trace the curve of her full bottom lip. I cursed myself for staring so much, but it was too much work to tear my weary eyes away. She was like a magnet, and I was just a pathetic fucking paperclip.

"So... is that a yes on the upgrade?" Claire asked, breaking my concentration. "Or do I need to wait for Saibara?"

Immediately I felt guilty for being so distracted by her appearance and wished my hat would materialize into my possession.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry," I very obviously tripped over my words. After placing the silver hammer on my grandfather's desk, I took a deep breath to regain my composure and turned back to the farmer. "Just put the ore here with the hammer, and I'll tell Gramps what's up when he's back in."

I grabbed the clipboard with the work log off the edge of his desk and leaned my weight against the corner of it as I penciled in Claire's order.

Claire nodded enthusiastically and swung the rucksack clad to her back around one shoulder so that it was resting on her chest. She leaned forward to reach her hand deep into the pack, and as she pulled her arm out, several other items crashed to the ground. A few various ores clattered as they hit the floor and rolled, but what caught my eye was the sickle lying on the floor between us.

"Ugh, shit," Claire groaned as she slammed the gold on the desk next to her hammer and crouched down to recover the rest of the scattered ores.

I set the clipboard back down on the desk and took a step forward to pick up the sickle. A weird reflection of light off the side of the blade caught my attention as I lifted the tool. Completely ignoring Claire's outstretched hand, I raised the sickle to the light, rotating the handle to find the spot I'd noticed earlier.

"Thank you," Claire insisted, reaching further for the sickle.

I kept the blade in my hands and turned back to her, "You've got a pretty bad crack here in the blade, it's almost unnoticeable to the untrained eye, but it's there." I pointed to the side of the sickle's razor, where a faint silver line meandered from edge to edge. "You should consider fixing this instead. Not sure why you need a golden hammer when your sickle looks like this."

Claire let out a humorless chuckle and took a step forward to snatch the blade from my hand.

When I quickly raised it above my head and out of her reach, she crossed her arms and spoke again, "I… I see where you're coming from, but I don't use the sickle that much, honestly. The hammer is much more pressing." She stopped to inhale, and her hand flew up to meet the collar of her flannel with a squeeze. "Plus, I've already planned it out; I only budgeted for the hammer, not the sickle and the hammer. So I… I appreciate you letting me know but… not today."

I raised an eyebrow at the blonde, "You should take care of all your tools, not just your favorites. A crack like that could be pretty dangerous down the road if it spreads." When Claire took a second to respond, I lowered the tool and investigated the blemish once more. "It's not like it needs to be upgraded or anything, just reshaped."

Almost in an instant, Claire's energy completely deflated. She hung her head and spoke in a softer voice, "I know... you're right." After looking up at me and then back at the hammer on Gramps's desk, she took a deep breath. "I just need the hammer now... the sickle can wait. I want to take advantage of mining with the lighter hammer while I still can, y'know? Then I can use that money from the mine to fix the sickle."

There was a hint of melancholy in Claire's voice, but it also sounded like she had already thought it all through. She did have a point though, something about a very pregnant Claire swinging a heavy hammer around in the mines didn't sit right with me. The thought of her wielding a faulty sickle didn't particularly sit right with me either, though.

I looked down at Claire and then back at the sickle. Trent's less-than-gentle reminder to look out for Claire came to mind. I didn't know a whole lot about farming, but I could help her by ensuring that she wasn't trying to work with shitty tools.

The crack wasn't that bad. It was a relatively easy fix; I could bust it out in less than an hour or so. I'd only reforged blades a handful of times under my grandpa's supervision, but I felt certain in my ability to do it on my own now. I wasn't sure if Gramps shared this same faith in me, but he wasn't around to convince me otherwise.

"Listen, Claire," I started, catching the attention of the farmer. "I could do it for you right now if you want. Like I said, it just needs a patch. It's a quick fix."

"And like I said, I appreciate your concern," Claire started as she scratched at her neck, "but... I really didn't plan on paying to fix my sickle just yet, so I'm just—"

"I didn't say anything about you paying me," I interrupted her. Her head snapped up, mouth ready to object, but I cut her off before she could. "I feel like it's the least I could do for you considering… everything." As her eyebrows raised in response, I continued, "I'm still an apprentice, so it's not like Gramps is fixing it or anything." I paused and looked back at the sickle, my voice softer this time around, "Unless you want him to fix it, that's cool too."

As I thought about my grandfather, the self-doubt returned. He'd been much more trusting of me lately, but I knew I'd be in for it if I fucked up a customer's tool. It was enough to rethink my original offer to Claire. "Honestly, you might be better off waiting for him to come back. He'd probably do it for you for free too."

"No, no, that would be amazing!" Claire exclaimed, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. Her previous light returned to her eyes as she took a step closer to me, "If you're really feeling up to it, I'd love for you to do it!"

"O-oh," I stuttered, feeling a singing heat creeping up my neck, "you want me to fix it?"

Claire looked up at me with an assured smile, "Of course I do! I mean, you seemed so sure about it. You knew exactly what was wrong and knew how to fix it. I trust you; you should do it!"

I looked away from Claire and back at the sickle once more. The thought of my grandpa scolding me for fixing tools without permission had me second-guessing my decision to extend my service to her.

But the way Claire spoke about me was making me feel like I could do it without waiting on my grandfather. The reassurance was a nice, unfamiliar feeling.

"O-okay, cool." I looked back down at the sickle in another poor attempt to hide my face and cleared my throat. "Well… uh, you can breathe easy; I promise I'll fix it. I'm not about to fuck up one of your most important tools." With the smallest sliver of courage, I looked back at Claire and motioned towards the sickle. "Blacksmith's honor."

Claire's face scrunched into a toothy grin as she let out a laugh, though it sounded more like a series of repeated hisses than anything else. "I didn't know blacksmiths had an honor code. But thank you. I really appreciate it, Gray, more than you know."

I took a step back from the farmer and stopped before returning to my work station, "Um, it's gonna take me like... thirty, maybe forty-five minutes or so to bust this shit out," I said over my shoulder. "You can stay here, or you can come back in a little if you want."

"I'll stay!" Claire replied as if she'd known the question beforehand. "It's pretty shitty out there anyway. And I've always been curious about how you guys make tools and stuff!"

My heartbeat picked up as I realized I would have an audience now. "Well, I'm not giving you a tutorial or anything," I mumbled as I turned and walked back to my station with the sickle in hand. "But you can watch."

After returning my protective equipment to my body, I turned back to Claire before getting started. "Just, uh, don't get too close to the forge. If something happens to you, my ass is fucking grass."

Claire nodded eagerly and walked back towards my workbench. She grabbed the stool sitting in front of the desk and dragged it over so that she was sitting no more than ten feet away from my spot next to the firepit.

The farmer settled in her seat, propping her elbows on her knees and resting her chin in her hands. Claire wasn't seated directly in my view, but I could see in my peripheral that her gaze was locked onto me.

I took another deep breath, attempting to shake off the nerves Claire was causing. It was too late to say anything now, but I was starting to regret letting her stay and watch. With shaky hands, I lifted the sickle and placed the face of the blade into the smoldering furnace.

Claire let out a few soft "oohs" and "ahhs" as I heated and eventually pulled the glowing red blade out of the flame. She watched with wide, interested eyes as I went to work reshaping the metal to patch the crack, coaxing the gleaming blade to take shape.

As I progressed, only clanking metal and the patter of work boots reestablishing their footing echoed through the shop. In retrospect, it was the longest Claire had been silent since I had met her, but I didn't say anything at the time; I was too focused on not fucking up. Eventually, I settled into a good rhythm, focusing solely on the shape of the sickle in front of me.

After dunking the tool in the quenching bucket to cool the metal and sanding out the blade, I stopped to check my work. Looking for the spot I had initially noticed, I carefully rotated the sickle in my hand. I'm not sure why I was surprised, but the flaw was gone entirely. I had known exactly what to do, but for some reason, I wasn't expecting to be successful on my first try alone.

"Wow!" Claire startled me out of my thoughts. I looked up. She had left her seat and was standing on the other side of the anvil where I was working. "I can't believe you just erased that crack like it was nothing!"

I felt a small smile tug at my lips as she praised me. "Well, thanks, but it is my job." After giving it one more scan and a test swing, I handed it over to Claire. "Uh, here. One sickle, good as new."

I watched her intently as her hands grazed my glove to take the tool. I'd felt a rush of confidence when working, but now that the sickle was in Claire's possession, I was nervous about how she'd react.

She examined the sickle before looking back up at me with wide eyes and a grin to match. "I'm still so impressed that you fixed it so quickly and effortlessly! You're awesome. Seriously. Thank you so much!"

I hadn't expected her to flatter me so much, and honestly, I wasn't quite sure what to say back. Compliments were still foreign to me, and it seemed like Claire took any opportunity to express them. I instinctively reached up for my hat, remembering its absence, and ran a hand through my hair instead.

"I'm glad you like it. I felt surprisingly confident in the heat of the moment," I admitted without thinking, "and a while back, Gramps told me that if I feel like doing something, I should just go ahead and do it."

"It's just like we were talking about last night!" Claire beamed, her eyes unwavering from mine. "Your grandpa knows that you're capable of great things." She thrust the sickle in my direction again, as if I'd forgotten what it looked like, her voice gaining momentum as she spoke, "And you very clearly demonstrated that today. You should be confident; you made it look so easy!"

If anyone knew confidence, it was Claire. Almost every time she spoke, it was with such certainty and zest. I couldn't help but be envious of how self-assured she seemed.

There was no hiding it now; I was sure that at this point, my entire face just looked sunburnt. And it felt like it too. Seeing Claire so happy with my work made me feel good about myself, but the new sensation and attention also left me feeling... embarrassed? Self-conscious? I wasn't sure what to call it, but I was definitely feeling something.

Why did I have to forget my hat today, of all days?

"Don't give me so much credit," I said quietly, looking away from the blonde, "I was still pretty nervous repairing something that wasn't mine by myself for the first time." I removed my goggles and gloves and walked them back to my station. As I made my way back to the farmer, I dried my hands on the sides of my pants, "I mean, my hands are still sweating."

I didn't want to admit it to Claire, but the fact that it was her sickle was what gave me the drive to focus and fix it. It also contributed to my nerves about repairing the tool, but I didn't share that with her either.

"But you did it!" Claire reminded me, tightly gripping the handle of the sickle. "And it turned out great. Really, Gray, I can't thank you enough!"

I'd never seen somebody so excited about a fucking patch job, but I guess there was a first for everything.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I looked back down at Claire. "I don't know a whole lot about farming, so uh... can't really help you there, but I can repair and help you maintain your equipment. So if you ever need any work done on your tools, even if it's as small as that crack, come see me."

Claire released one hand from the sickle and balled her first with gusto, "I will! I promise. I'll bring every single problem to you so that you can continue to improve!"

I couldn't help but stifle a chuckle in response to Claire's… encouragement? I wasn't quite sure what to call it. She was a little lost, but she had the spirit. "I, uh, I mean Gramps can always help you too," I nervously pointed out, "but thanks."

She nodded in response, her unnecessary enthusiasm still evident in the creases around her eyes. I half expected Claire to see her way out of the shop at this point, but instead, she remained in front of me, looking up at me with that fucking smile.

As I spent more time alone around Claire, I was starting to realize that this was something that she did. Sometimes she would just stare, and it just so happened that I was the focus this time around. I wasn't too sure what it meant, though.

I waited a minute, hoping that she would break the awkward silence that was forming between us, and then spoke again when she didn't, "Uh, you all done with work for the day… or...?"

Claire lightly shook her head, seeming to snap out of whatever world she had been in, "Oh! Yeah, heh, sorry about that." She looked out the window, then back up to me with a sheepish smile, a soft blush tinting her cheeks. "I….I should probably head out. But thank you again!"

I nodded in response, and the farmer turned to leave.

She took one step before stopping and turning on her heels, "Mmm... wait. One last thing." It was always something with her.

"What now?"

She took a deep breath and met my gaze with a purpose. "What are you doing tonight?"

Hopefully sleeping.

"Uh, nothing," I replied slowly. "Why?"

"You should get dinner with me," Claire said without missing a beat. "I… I know we've seen a lot of each other lately, so I totally understand if you're sick of me right now, but…" She pressed her lips together and shrugged. "I just thought I'd ask."

Her hands were clasped around the sickle as she looked up at me, batting a pair of thick eyelashes. I hated to admit it, but she was… so cute. I stared, partially in admiration, but mainly because I was taken aback by how forward Claire was.

It didn't seem like much of a question. Maybe a request? 'You should' wasn't usually how normal people started questions. It was a suggestion if anything. Either way, it had caught me off guard, and I was scrambling for an answer.

Do I want to hang out with her again? She's not asking me on a date, is she? There's no way it's a date. She would have said it was … right?

I wasn't too sure how to answer. Claire did have a point; we'd seen each other a lot lately. And while I thought I'd dread having to see her again, that couldn't have been further from the truth.

Recently, but especially today, being around Claire made me feel less awful about myself—bordering on actually feeling good. I'd spent so much time dwelling over negative emotions that I wanted to chase the feeling, but at the same time, I didn't want to seem too overeager. It was just dinner. She probably just wanted to discuss our situation more.

"Well, dang, you really have to think that hard about it?" My head snapped up at the sound of Claire's playful tone, and I noticed her studying my serious expression with curiosity. "I can see the smoke from here!"

Fuck. I didn't even realize how long I'd been considering Claire's offer, but clearly, she'd noticed. My eyes dropped to my shoes in an attempt to hide my fully exposed face, though I was sure she could see the color rushing back to my cheeks.

"We don't have to… y'know, if you don't want to," I heard Claire's voice pipe up again, but I could tell it had lost a bit of its momentum.

I wasn't sure if it was the words or how they were said, but the statement left a sinking feeling in my gut. Why couldn't I find the right fucking words? It felt like I was moving in slow motion, watching the scene as if it were being played twice as fast.

Finally managing to get ahold of myself, I inhaled slowly through my nose and brought my eyes back up to meet Claire's. "No, yeah, sorry. I'm just tired," I answered, unintentionally giving my worst attempt at sounding casual.

"No, yeah?" Claire repeated with a laugh, and I noticed an entertained smirk spreading underneath her knitted brows. "So which is it?"

I held back a groan, though I wasn't sure if I was more frustrated with my inability to communicate or Claire's teasing. "Uh, yeah. Sure." It wasn't much of an improvement from my first try, so I nervously added to the thought, "I just, I mean... I'm down if you're down."

"Of course!" Claire gripped the sickle to her chest with that signature wide grin, both rows of pearly teeth on full display. "I wouldn't ask you if I wasn't! How else could I thank you for all your hard work today?"

As Claire stood talking to me a few feet away, I gave her a once-over. My eyes lingered longer than they probably should have on her hips before coming to rest on her lips.

I could think of a few other ways.

My exhausted mind wandered further than I'd allowed it in the past, and I wasn't sure if I was too tired to stop it or just didn't want to. Claire brought me out of my trance as she spoke again, making me feel ashamed of how far I'd let myself go down that rabbit hole.

"So what time works for you?" Her silvery voice asked sweetly. "I have a few more things I need to get to get done today, and then I still need to clean up." She motioned to her dirty overalls, but I hadn't noticed their staining until then. "Like five-thirty, six o'clock?"

"Oh, um, yeah," I stammered, trying to refocus on the conversation and away from my lewd thoughts. "Five thirty's fine. I'm exhausted, so I'm not trying to stay up too late." It was the truth: after a sleepless night, a full shift, and free after-hours labor, I was fucking spent.

"Perfect! I'll meet you there then." Claire turned as if she were about to leave and then stopped on the balls of her feet. She looked over her shoulder with a playful smirk and spoke again with a familiar coyness to her voice, "Don't worry, I won't keep you up all night this time."

What the actual fuck did she just say? I stopped dead in my tracks, repeatedly blinking to make sure I wasn't dreaming. But there she was, still in the shop, walking towards the exit as if she hadn't just spoken that sentence so casually.

My heart hammered against my chest as I forced myself to swallow the desert that had formed in my mouth. All night? She had to be joking, right? Regardless, the thought was enough to leave me tongue-tied. Out of all the drunken nights I'd had, why was that the one I couldn't remember?

With my mouth agape in astonishment, all I could muster out was a shaky, "A-alright."

The bells above the shop door chimed, and suddenly my grandfather was standing in front of Claire in the entryway. I wasn't sure how the situation could get any worse, but that was a pretty good start.

Gramps seemed a little startled at first but then smiled politely when he registered that Claire was standing before him.

"Good afternoon, Claire," he said with a slight bow, "Welcome. It's nice to see you again." As my grandpa straightened his posture, his eyes locked on to the sickle in Claire's hands. My heart dropped to my stomach in response.

"Well, hi, good afternoon," Claire greeted him, mirroring his actions. "I was actually just heading out, but it was good to see you too. I'll stop by again sometime soon!" She attempted to scoot past him, but he stopped her with a gentle hand.

"What's that you have there?" My grandpa asked, only spiking my heart rate. If only Claire had left a minute earlier.

Claire looked down at the tool in her arms, "Oh, this? Just my sickle, Gray actually just patched it up for me."

Shit. Damn her loud-ass mouth. Why couldn't she have just stuck the sickle in her bag and left? I anxiously awaited my grandfather's response.

"Did he now?" My grandfather's grey eyes flashed over to me as he spoke. The sound of my heartbeat echoed in my ears as he opened his palm towards Claire. "May I?"

Without a word, Claire handed over the tool. My grandfather studied the blade, slowly rotating the handle in his hand. I couldn't read a single emotion on his face, only furthering my anxiety about the situation. Finally, after what felt like hours, he handed the sickle back to Claire and politely nodded at her.

"Thank you, Claire," Gramps said to the farmer. "I won't keep you any longer. Thanks for stopping by. We'll see you soon." I tried to pick up on any cues in my grandfather's tone and facial expressions, but he remained as stoic as a statue.

Claire returned the polite nod. Her eyes darted back over towards me, and she gave me a quick smile and a wave before exiting the shop. I was barely paying attention, though; I was too busy worrying about what my grandpa would say about my patch job. It couldn't have been too bad if he let her leave the shop with it, but that didn't ease my worries too much.

As the door slammed shut, my grandfather turned to look at me, his face still as stiff as ever. "You still have a lot to learn, Gray." His voice was low, and instantly I could tell he wasn't necessarily thrilled about the situation.

I hung my head in response, awaiting the verbal barrage soon to follow.

However, I was surprised when his tone had relaxed the second time around, "But, you've improved."

"Huh?" I said in disbelief. Was I hearing him correctly?

"It seems as though you're finally starting to understand what it is you've been lacking in the past," Gramps said as he walked past me and towards his desk. "Continue to devote yourself to your training and remain diligent."

I wasn't quite sure what he meant, but I was just happy to receive praise from my grandpa, no matter how small. "So you're not mad?" I asked without thinking.

My grandpa glared up at me from the papers on his desk, "Don't push it. I asked you to watch the shop, and while you managed that, you still made a few sloppy mistakes on that blade. You're going to have to account for those errors whenever she decides to upgrade that sickle."

I definitely didn't remember him asking me to watch the shop, but I decided not to push my luck and settled for the initial appreciation he had given me. "So… am I good to go then?"

Gramps was checking out Claire's hammer when he replied, "You got big plans tonight or somethin'?"

"Dinner, that's all," I answered almost too quickly. When my grandfather's mouth curved into a slight smirk, I felt my muscles tense in response. Something about the face he was making irritated the hell out of me. "You got something you wanna say, old man?"

He let out a short chuckle and rested the hammer against the wall next to his desk, "Nothing. I'll see you tomorrow, son." I eagerly took my cue to exit, but before I could get out the door, he called after me, "Have fun tonight!"

I rolled my eyes and slammed the door behind me, suddenly eager for a walk home in the rain. The chilly drizzle was a refreshing change of pace from the usual summer heat, but as I dodged the growing puddles settling in the cracks of the cobblestone steps, the thought of my missing hat returned. It would have been especially useful right then, maybe even more so earlier in the day…

Shit. I need to find it if I'm gonna see Claire again today.

When I finally got back to the inn, I got to scouring the empty dining room. I could have sworn that I'd put it on before leaving my room for the day… but I also had been convinced that I was wearing it when I left for work, so admittedly my mind wasn't the most reliable in its current state.

Doug was little to no help, just offering a 'no' and a shrug when I asked if he'd seen it. Ann wasn't around to bother, so I figured Doug had her busy doing something in the back. Either way, my hat didn't seem to be in the dining room, so I headed up the stairs to check literally the only other place I'd been that morning.

"You forget something today?"

I looked behind me, realizing Ann was standing at the bottom of the inn's steps. In her hands, I noticed a familiar blue fabric, and relief washed over me.

"Where was it?" I asked, watching as she skipped up the stairs to meet me.

Ann twirled the hat between her hands, a playful smile across her lips. "You left it at the bar this morning." A laugh escaped her as she held it towards me.

I reached for my hat, and almost as quickly, Ann pulled it away and hid it behind her back.

"Seriously?" I growled, meeting her whimsical look with a glare. "I'm not in the fucking mood today."

Ann rolled her eyes and plopped the hat on my damp hair in one swift motion. "Clearly. You never are."

I readjusted the awkwardly placed hat on my head and let out a huff.

"So whatcha doin'?" Ann asked with prying eyes. She looked out the foggy window behind her and then back at me. "It's weird seeing you here in the middle of the day... usually you're out doing something with Kai after work."

I shrugged. It was too shitty outside to go to Kai's, and it wasn't like I was going to try and talk with Mary in my current state. "I'm spent. Probably just going to take a nap or something before tonight."

The redhead perked up at my last sentence. "Before tonight?" She tilted her head, taking a step closer. "What do you have goin' on tonight?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I fought the urge to roll my eyes, wishing that I hadn't even said anything. More time spent talking was just more sleep lost.

"Uh, yeah," Ann said as a matter of fact. "I would. You're being... especially weird right now." Her eyes narrowed, and she seemed to inspect me as if my behavior would give her any hints. Somehow, it did. "You have a date, don't you?"

I felt my mouth tighten. "It's… not a date," was the only phrase that I could conjure up. It was the truth, right? Claire hadn't said anything about a date. If I'd remembered correctly, it was just dinner—probably just a business meeting of sorts. Or so I told myself.

Ann paused, her curious expression fading into a smug grin. "You're seeing Claire again, aren't you?"

Maybe the exhaustion was just catching up to me, but I was having a hard time coming up with a reply. Fuck, I was probably just annoyed with the insinuations Ann seemed to litter in her questions.

I took a deep breath. "We're just getting dinner. That's it."

Ann took an excited step back, her wide eyes giving me more than an indication of how she felt. "I can't believe you asked her on a date, Gray!" She placed a free hand on her hip. "You continue to surprise me."

"First off, it's not a date. I don't know how many times I have to tell you this shit," I groaned, looking to my bedroom door less than five feet away. "Second, I didn't ask her. She asked me. And I assume it's just to discuss our… situation."

"Yeah," Ann huffed with a furrowed brow, her tone unconvinced, "Claire asked you to dinner because she wants to talk about being pregnant. That's it." She shook her head, letting out an exasperated sigh. "You are so dense sometimes…do you even hear the words that come out of your mouth?"

"Are we done?" I was about five seconds away from snapping on Ann, and I wasn't sure if I had the mental energy to play her little game any longer. "I need to sleep, so if you could maybe finish up with the interrogation, that'd be cool."

Ann rolled her eyes, her expression almost matching my own displeased one. "Fine. I'm done." She held up her hands in mock defeat. "Enjoy your precious beauty sleep. You'll need quite a bit of it before your date tonight."

"Whatever," I scoffed before turning towards my door, stopping before I could reach the knob. "Oh, wait, hey." I looked over my shoulder at Ann, who was beginning to descend the stairs. "Can you wake me up at like 5? Or just make sure that I'm up around then?"

"You're actually so annoying," Ann groaned before disappearing into the stairwell.

I heard her steady rhythm of steps and called down the stairs after her, "Is that a yes?"

"Fine!" I heard her aggravated voice yell from the bottom of the stairs.

With that settled, I finally made my way into my room. I was thankful that Kai was working and Cliff was out… doing whatever it was that Cliff did all day because the room was quiet and serene. A hint of dull, gray light seemed to illuminate my bed, and suddenly, the weight of the entire day was resting on my eyelids. I approached the mattress, peeling out of my clothes, and flopping on the comforter like my life depended on it.

Usually, I spent about thirty minutes at minimum, tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep. However, the minute my head hit the pillow, I closed my eyes and felt my brain surrender to the sweet rest I'd longed for all morning. Just peaceful, dreamless sleep.


((I had a lot of fun writing this chapter honestly! It's fun writing a grumpier (also oblivious lol) character that gets easily flustered by a cute (and flirty) ball of energy hehe. And before anyone gets mad at me for using the yellow heart event this early/not going in order, LISTEN. These two humans don't necessarily do ANYTHING in order, as you may be able to tell. So, given the circumstances, I felt it was justified lol.

Again, huge thanks to my beta-reader, rageaphobia. Seriously like your help is just *chef's kiss* idk what'd this chapter would have been without you lol.

Hopefully I'll be getting out the long-awaited next chapter next week because... some shit is about to go down. I just started work again for the semester so I will admit, it may be a little late... but I promise it'll be a thicc one packed with action lol.

ANYWAY. I hope you all enjoy! As always I'm eager for whatever feedback you may have for me. I super appreciate any of you out there who've been reading, favorite-ing, following, commenting, all the things. Like wow. It's so cool that there are people out there that like... want to read things I wrote? Ya'll don't know how much I appreciate you 3

BTW the title of the chapter is inspired by When I'm Down by Oliver Tree & Whethan.))