Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The end of fall brought a cold chill into the shop, but Amelia wasn’t quite ready to close the giant garage doors. It helped keep her from overheating while she worked, and when you’re working with hot engines and tools you can’t help but feel sticky all day. She continued to hold out hope that her father would finally give in and put some AC in the damned place, but deep down she knew he just wouldn’t get around to it.

She was putting snow tires on her last car of the day when her brother approached her. He stood, arms crossed, scrutinizing her work. She knew that he wanted her to acknowledge him first, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Finally, after several silent minutes and a couple of challenging side glares, he gave up, “You know you’ve gotta talk to us eventually, Aims. Can’t keep ignorin’ your problems.”

Amy stopped turning her lug wrench, turning to her stupid little brother with a disbelieving face, “ MY problems? It’s not my problem. It’s your problem, not mine,” She shook her head, returning to her work.

“Dad very well can’t go with his back issues, and I don’t know the first thing about blacksmithing-”

“And who’s fault is that? Not my fault you didn’t go to the summer course,” she interrupted, “besides, can’t anyone else do it? I’m needed here at the shop, I can’t go looking after our cousin’s shop while he goes on a six month road trip. It’s ridiculous.”

“Cut the guy some slack, Clint’s been working his ass off for years at that shop. Poor guy couldn’t even get a date 2 years ago, and now he’s married,” she glanced over to see him looking at her with big, pleading eyes, “please Aims, just think about it? I’ve heard great things about Pelican town down in the valley. Maybe lacking in the night life department, sure, but it’s probably a great place to get over a certain somebody,” he trailed off, knowing he had hit a nerve.

Amelia looked over at her brother, turning his head towards him slowly and contemplating on whether or not she should hit him over the head with her wrench. Deciding she didn’t want to go to jail for murder, she let out a deep breath instead, “I’ll think about it Ollie, but please stop pestering me about it. This is the third day in a row.”

Oliver’s face spread out into a wide green, knowing his tactics were working. It was metal warfare and she knew it. But she couldn’t stand being berated everyday like this, especially by her annoying brother. 

Deep down, she knew she was the only one around who could possibly help out Clint while he was gone. People, for some reason, were always looking for swords and pickaxes and whatnot in the valley. She couldn’t understand why, her only guess was it was some sort of novelty value or something down there. Her family had been blacksmiths for ages, metal practically flowed through her veins. She and Clint were the only two in their generation to pick up the actual art of blacksmithing. She had been so interested in making sharp things at a young age that she begged her grandfather to teach her. In fact, She learned how to blacksmith in the family shop that Clint now owned, so she actually had fond memories in the valley there.

That’s one of the very few reasons she was even considering going out there. But other than that, what could the valley really offer her? She liked living right outside of Zuzu city, it was the perfect place, easy to stay in the quiet suburbs or go out for a wild night in the middle of it all.  So why would she give up her perfect little apartment and her comfy auto mechanic job to spend two whole seasons cramped up in her cousin’s tiny apartment with very little pay? Even though she kept saying that in her head over and over, something kept nagging her. The memories of that forge, hammering against the anvil with no restraints. The memory of bending the strongest materials known to man to her will. Forging metals made her feel so… powerful . 

As her brother walked away, she caught his victorious smirk. Even though she hadn’t said yes, her brother knew her unfortunately well. He knew she would cave, there was no way she could keep resisting the temptation of the shop’s memories; whether they were painful or not. She hated that she wanted to go, even just the tiniest bit. She had sworn she wouldn’t go back when her grandfather decided to give Clint the shop. She didn’t blame Clint, or her grandfather really. She knew she wasn’t as good as he was, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. 

~*~

Amy did cave a few days later. She told her boss her situation, and luckily he didn’t fire her on the spot. But that didn’t entirely feel like good news to her, as she was hoping her boss would tell her she had to stay. Then she could go tell her whiny ass brother that she couldn’t go do someone else’s job if it meant she’d lose hers. Unfortunately, everything seemed to fall perfectly into place. Her apartment lease was ending at the end of the month, her father would keep her stuff at his house instead of putting it in storage, and she would have no excuse not to go. That is of course until…

“Well look at that, brother, the bus to Pelican town is broken! Guess I can’t go after all,” She gave her brother a victorious smirk.

He looked pretty defeated at that too, knowing that nobody they knew had a car they could borrow and neither did Clint. Reluctantly, he shuffled through his pockets to pull out his cellphone, getting ready to call Clint and let him know. Her stomach seemed to drop slightly, and she almost felt bad… almost . 

He sat for a few seconds while the phone rang, “Hey Clint, it’s your cousin Oliver… yeah I’m good, you? … yeah I asked, she was really excited to come,” Oliver gave her a smug look, and Amy tried not to kick him, “But she doesn’t have any way to get there, the bus is broken yeah?,” a few seconds later his face lit up, giving Amy a great big asshole-esque smile, “Well I’ll say! What great news, well we’ll see you then dude. Congrats again… buh bye.” 

Amy was looking at her stupid brother, eyes wide. She had no idea what happened, but she knew it wasn’t good for her. She waited with a bated breath, but he just continued with his shit eating grin. Finally, she pushed him, “Well, you idiot, what’s going on?”

“You’ll be glad to hear it,” although she doubted it, she continued listening, “Clint has a car now. Bought it pretty recently, actually. A good husband ought to have a car, right?” 

Amy had tuned out her brother, instead focusing on the fact that she had no excuse not to go now. She wasn’t sure why she felt so opposed to going, but it didn’t matter; There wasn’t a single thing Amy could say anymore to get out of this. She was going to the valley whether she liked it or not.

Chapter Text

Clint would arrive any minute, and Amelia wasn’t quite sure she was ready. Her bags were packed, her apartment keys were turned in, and she had said all her goodbyes to her friends and family (cell reception was notoriously bad in the valley). But emotionally? Boy those bags were packed alright, but in this case that only made everything worse. 

She looked down at her watch: 2:45. He was 15 minutes late. She was beginning to hope he had completely forgotten her, but a second later a beat up Honda Civic pulled around the corner. She could tell the thing had been in more than a few accidents and received shotty repairs as well. It made her uneasy knowing she’d be in it for a full 3 hour ride. Clint parked the car in front of her and got out.

It had admittedly been awhile since she had seen her cousin, probably not since he took over the shop. She remembered a scrawny kid with a patchy beard, not a full grown man with a bit of a beer gut and a pretty solid goatee. She greeted him with an awkward nod and smile, “Hey Clint, it’s been awhile.”

He gave a slightly shy smile, and she knew he was still the same idiot she knew 10 years ago. Still just as shy. He grabbed her suitcase, “Thank you for doing this Amelia, I know it’s a large ask.”

The car door squeaked angrily at her when she opened it, adding to her hesitation. She looked up at her cousin, “It’s… really no big deal. Quite happy to go back to the valley for a bit actually,” she felt a little bad for lying, but she didn’t want him to feel bad. When she saw that Clint was sliding into the driver’s seat, she took a deep breath before following suit. 

The car ride went surprisingly quick. Clint made some conversation, telling her all about Emily. She seemed very… interesting. A tailor apparently, and Clint was very insistent on Amy seeing all of his wife’s work. He also apologized for not inviting her to the wedding, it wasn’t a huge event apparently. Not that Amy really thought that mattered, it’s not like she had kept well in touch with him over the years. 

It wasn’t until the sign for Pelican Town came into view that she heard about the old newcomers in town. She wasn’t surprised that there was a new doctor, the old doctor could barely keep up with all of her injuries when she was in the valley. Poor guy. But she was surprised that someone had fixed up the old farm west of town. When she was there the farm had just barely been abandoned. She remembered going there and picking fruits off the old orchard trees and taking dips in the pond. It was generally a good place to be alone and avoid contact with any of the nosy villagers.

“So this farmer, what’s he like anyway?” She didn’t know why she was curious, but maybe it had something to do with the fact that she couldn’t believe someone would be crazy enough to move to Pelican town when she didn’t even want to stay for 6 months.

“Oh he’s an amazing guy! Came into town like a storm, everyone had their doubts the tiny guy could fix up the whole farm. But by yoba he did it! In record time too I’d bet. He’s making a great profit now, and on top of that he’s managed to make friends with just about everyone in town, and turned their lives around too.”

She was taken aback by how highly her cousin was talking about this guy, “You know him well then? You talk as if he’s a saint.”

Clint nods, a wide grin plastered on his face, “Well he might as well be! He’s the only reason I’m married y’know. Told me I was being creepy--” Clint’s smile faltered and an embarrassed blush crossed over his face, “That I had to man up and ask Emily out instead of moping around that shop all day. It took awhile, but I finally asked her on a date and she said yes. That guy saved me from many more years of loneliness. I was already starting to find myself going crazy, can’t imagine what woulda happened to me if he hadn’t come around.”

The way he talked about this farmer made the hopeless romantic in Amy swoon. Something about a man with so much passion he was able to restore an entire farm and make friends with an entire town at the same time was certainly, appealing…

“Gosh look at me, going on and on about myself, what have you been up to all these years?” Clint’s embarrassment returned full force as he realized he’d been rambling. I didn’t blame him, he was a newlywed afterall, and obviously super excited about his new spouse. 

Amy smiled lightly, “Well, I’ve been working-”

“Oops, hold that thought,” Clint interrupted as Amy realized they had pulled up in front of the shop, “We’re here!”

Amy would have thought the interruption rude if she hadn’t suddenly become so nervous. She stared at her grandfather’s old shop, the same old place she had spent countless summers with her grandfather and cousin, learning the trade. The dirty grey brick the building was made of seemed to welcome her. She started to feel a little queasy, she hadn’t even touched a forge or an anvil since she left the shop. When she stepped inside though, it all came flooding back to her. She stared at the hammers on the wall and the ores stored on the shelves. She didn’t want to admit it, but she hadn’t ever felt more at home than here in this old place.

Clint walked past her and into the back room, causing her to follow. She was shocked to see the difference of the place. Back when she was here, it had just been a storage room for supplies. Now it was a whole apartment, complete with a kitchen, even.

“It’s different, I know. I had it as my room for a long time. But after I started dating Emily I asked Robin--the local carpenter--to add on a kitchen so I could work on my cooking skills,” he laughed, “Ended up not being worth too much to me, I moved in with Em a few months ago. Been empty since.”

Amy looked around, seeing the uncovered mattress and minimal belongings. She was glad, she hadn’t found the thought of staying in someone else’s room for months very appealing.

Clint continued, “Emily helped me clean it up for you, and by helped I mean she did basically all of it. She doesn’t really trust me with cleaning,” he smiled fondly at the thought of his wife, until he gave a clap of his hands, “Emily and I are leaving first thing tomorrow, so this is bye for now. I would have stayed and helped you out for a bit while you get settled, but I know how stubborn you are and I certainly trust you. Plus, the faster we leave the sooner we can get back,” he smiled.

Amy returned his smile, actually kind of glad to have his trust, “Thank you Clint, I appreciate everything, go enjoy your honeymoon.”

Clint gave her an incredibly crushing hug before taking his leave. 

Chapter Text

After spending the evening unpacking Amy was surprised to find the kitchen was well stocked. Her heart felt a little warmer knowing how much effort Clint and Emily put into making her feel more at home in the shop. She cooked herself up a nice but simple meal of trout soup. She was so exhausted from traveling she basically passed out immediately when her head hit the pillow.

The next few days were relatively easygoing, she worked on a couple of projects around the shop and the local adventurer--Marlon, she thinks his name was--asked for a sword to be fixed. She had it done in a day no problem. Other than that she was pretty bored. She contemplated going to town and trying to meet some people, but her introvert instincts kicked in and she thought about all those gossiping ladies her grandfather had warned her about. She didn’t think she could handle being the center of the towns gossip.

After she finished a nice omelet in the morning she was startled by the front door opening. She thought it must be Marlon, but she wondered what else he could possibly need. She was shocked, however, to find an unfamiliar face. A very handsome, unfamiliar face. 

He gave a nice, genuine smile that made Amy swoon. His overalls and flannel shirt complemented the mud caked all over them. She knew this had to be the ever famous farmer Clint had told her about. She noticed the basket in his hands and the iron pickaxe he carried with him as well.

“Hello! I thought the shop would be closed with Clint on his honeymoon, so I was surprised to see the place open,” He extended his hand out, and Amy shook it, taking note of the rough calluses on his hands. He gave her a questioning look and Amy realized she was taking too long to respond.

“Amy, Clint’s cousin. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Amy flinched at how awkward and formal she sounded. At least she knew she hadn’t changed.

“Well it’s good to finally have a new face in town, I’ve been here for two years and they still call me the new farmer,” he gave a light laugh that seemed to brighten the room instantly. Amy knew she was in trouble as he continued, “I like to know everyone around here, it started just trying not to feel so lonely in such a small town. But I found that I love getting to know people.”

Amy smiled lightly, “I’m just a temp, really. Clint will be back before you know it.”

The farmer shook his head, “Temporary or not, if you live in this town then you’re family. I wasn’t expecting to see a new face but,” he looked into his basket and shuffled around in it, “I picked this on the farm today, quite a lovely fruit if I do say so myself,” He pulled out a perfectly ripe pomegranate, a look of pride on his face.

“Oh wow, that’s wonderful! I love pomegranates, how much do I owe you?” She started looking through her pockets for some gold but he stopped her, “It’s a gift, please don’t try and pay me. People love to give gifts around here.”

She was flattered, for a moment she thought it might have meant something more. But she realized that she was in a weird small town where random gifts were just signs of friendship, not romance. “Thank you,” she took the pomegranate and examined it, “This is a wonderful gift.”

He smiled, before something seemed to strike him, “Oh! I almost forgot. I came here to do something!” He scratched the back of his head, “So sorry, I'm really distractible.” He lifted his iron pickaxe onto the table, “I need to upgrade this bad boy to gold. Been a good ride with it but yoba it’s heavy. Swing it a couple of times and I can practically feel the life draining from me. Think you can do it?”

Of course. This was a business visit. Amy didn’t know why part of her wanted to believe the cute farmer boy had come just to visit her. Then again, he hadn’t even known she existed. She gave a friendly smile, “Of course, I can have it ready for you in a couple of days.”

The farmer left after giving her his pickaxe, far too much gold in her opinion (but she had to eat, so she didn’t really object), and maybe a little something blooming in her a heart as well. As soon as he was out of hearing range she let out a delighted squeal. What a beautiful man, surprisingly not too buff from the farm work and mining, but so perfectly toned. She set to work immediately, trying to clear her head of those thoughts.

Amy couldn’t help being such a, well, such a hopeless romantic. Ever since she could remember she always had a crush on someone. It had gotten to the point at home where she had crushed on--and been subsequently disappointed by--just about every single person around her. Truth be told, she was trying to stay out of town because of this. She knew there would be new people for her weird little brain to latch onto. And to grab ahold of any little thing they did and jump to the world’s largest conclusions. That was something she really hated about herself, but something that she never was able to shake.

When it hit four she noticed the sun starting to set out the front window of the shop. She had done enough work for the day, and she hadn’t properly watched a sunset in a long time. Her grandfather used to stop work when the sun started setting, and he’d take her and Clint to the beach to watch it fall down behind the horizon. 

After cleaning and locking up the shop, she headed for the beach. As soon as the fresh air hit her face, she realized it was her first time stepping out of the shop since she got there. Almost a full week, and she somehow managed to not find a single reason to go outside. It didn’t feel wrong necessarily, the only reason she left her house back home was to go to work and get food. Now, she was working in the same place she was living, and Clint had taken care of her food for at least a couple of weeks. 

Her feet sunk into the freezing sand, a cold breeze gently wiring around her. She kind of forgot it was still winter, maybe the end of it, but winter all the same. Just another reason she should be back in the shop, sipping a warm cup of tea or coffee and maybe reading a sappy romance novel. 

She walked about to the end of the dock and sat down, staring off into the golden sky and the reflection in the calm water. She had forgotten how beautiful sunsets were. There really were so few opportunities to experience one so completely like this in the city. Nothing to obstruct her view of the colors that captivated her so much.

“Ah, someone else who can appreciate a good sunset, I see.”

This sudden voice startled the poor girl so much she almost fell into the freezing water. She looked up only to be startled again by the pure beauty of the man standing before her. Long, golden hair seemed to somehow perfectly move with the wind, unlike hers, which seemed to be obstructing her view far too much at the moment. She pushed it away, a slight blush as she realized she was staring, “Um, yes! I sure do love a good sunset,” she flinched at how unattractive her voice and words were compared to his. For a second time today she had managed to embarrass herself in front of a hot man.

“I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure to meet you yet, and trust me, I would know if I did. Quite a small town we reside in.” 

With a numb nod of her head, she glanced back out to the water while he sat next to her, “I’m Amelia, Clint’s cousin. I’m looking after the shop while he’s gone.”

“Oh what a beautiful name,” His eyes seemed to gloss over in deep thought before he started speaking again, “I sometimes have thoughts, in my loneliest hours, That lie on my heart like the dew on the flowers, of a ramble I took one bright afternoon when my heart was as light as a blossom in June"

It took her a second to realize he was reciting a poem, and all she could say was a soft and perhaps too dreamy, “wow.”

He seemed to shake back into reality, “My deepest apologies, it’s just that I absolutely adore the poetry of Amelia B. Coppuck Welby. Quite the woman she was,” She looked at her and smiled, “Anyways, your name just reminded me of her. I am Elliott, a pleasure to meet you,” He offered his hand and she took it gently.

It was probably the most pretentious thing she had ever seen. Who just spouts poetry out of nowhere? But it was also probably the hottest, most endearing thing she’d ever seen as well. But something ate at her, she realized she knew his face from somewhere. Was it just a coincidence? Did he look like someone she knew?

She gasped, the realization hitting her, “Elliott? THE Elliott? Author of Camellia Station?” She realized she did recognize him, in the author section of one of her favorite books.

“The one and only, I never expected to find a fan of mine out here in the valley.”

She was blushing beet red at this point, forget the muscular farmer, this tall writer had already stolen her heart, “Of course, I love that book. Couldn’t put it down, called in sick just to finish it.”

He chuckled softly, “Well, I’d be happy to sign your copy, if you’d like?”

She looked down at her feet, “Oh, I don’t own it. I used to buy books all the time, but it wasn’t really great for the budget, y’know? Now the library is my best friend.”

“A woman of great tastes and a reader, how very interesting. I’ll happily give you a signed copy. Free of charge, of course, for such an adoring fan.”

She could almost feel the heart burst out of her chest, and she was so close to saying ‘And have my babies, too?’ but she knew that was wrong, and creepy, so she settled for shaking her head, “No, I couldn’t possibly accept that, it’s your livelihood, after all.”

He waved his hand in dismissal, “No, please, it really is wonderful to find a fan all the way out here. I don’t think I’ve ever had the opportunity to offer.”

The sun had fully set and she hadn’t even noticed. It was dark, and the wind seemed more angry now. She looked at Elliot and smiled, “I’ll only accept if you wouldn’t mind discussing it with me sometime,” She began walking slowly towards the bridge and off the cold beach, he followed, no doubt also feeling a bit cold.

He looked absolutely thrilled by the idea, “Wonderful! I haven’t had anyone to talk to about my book in a long time, my husband, bless the man, only knows how to talk about his own work. Not much of a reader, you see.”

She was nodding along when the full force of his words hit her. Husband, he had said. He was married. She tried her best to compose herself, because of course, she could still be excited about meeting and talking with such an amazing writer without falling in love with the man. Even if he had the most beautiful head of hair she had ever seen. She decided to stop thinking, quickly, “Well I would love that too. My family doesn’t read much either. I’m at the shop if you need me.”

Elliot’s eyes fell on something behind her and his face morphed into a brilliant smile, “Well speak of the devil! Darling, I thought you would still be working?”

Amy turned around to see what he was looking at, and her heart fell into her stomach. It was the farmer. He approached Elliott and gave him a quick peck on the lips, “I see you’ve met the blacksmith too, babe.”

Chapter Text

Amelia had gotten herself out of that situation real quick, spouting off some excuse that she had to go to dinner and she would see them around. As soon as she made it to the shop, she fumbled with the keys before basically falling in. She barely had enough sense to shut the door before she pulled off her outer layers. She should eat, she thought, but she also felt like throwing up.

She crawled into her bed, knowing that it was far too early to sleep, but also she just wanted to hide from the world.

As soon as she was under the covers her heart finally began to slow down, but she was no less mortified. She had somehow managed to fall in love with two men on the same day only to find out they were both married … to each other! Only she could put herself into a situation like that.

It’s not like she was particularly invested in either of them, she had just met them, but it was just the whole ordeal that made her frustrated. She didn’t need a boyfriend or a love interest, in fact she had been single for a few years now (although not something she’d brag about) and she was doing fine. Maybe, however, she had just gotten her hopes up. She had met two men that gave her hope of a romance in her future. And she didn’t want to admit it, but she was lonely. She wasn’t old, but she certainly wasn’t young anymore either. It was starting to feel like now or never when it came to romance.

She thought about whether or not she should just give up, resign herself to a loveless life and die alone. But she knew that wouldn’t work for her. She was tired of waking up alone. Of course, her stay in the valley could be a good opportunity to give her hopeless romantic heart a break. She had just met two very handsome men, and she doubted there could possibly be any more cute (and single) men in such a small town. 

Eventually she looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table to see she had been curled up for a good part of an hour. There was no way she would be able to sleep, so she did what she always did when she was upset and reeling over something stupid she did: Work.

She jumped out of bed with a new found determination.

The embarrassment didn’t go away while she worked, in fact, it only seemed to burn brighter with each hit of her hammer on the tool. The loud clang that echoed around her couldn’t even stifle those flames, nor could the sweat now dripping down her back and forehead from the combination of heat and hard work. 

She was starting to get tired and distracted, and she knew she had overworked her body for the day. She set her tool down and leaned back, not noticing the hot metal piece of the forge behind her.

“Shit!” she cried out in painful surprise, jumping forward and knocking her hammer to the ground with a loud crash. She stood still for what felt like forever, trying to piece together what had just happened. She was hoping the burn wasn’t too bad, but when she saw the angry red and white mark on the forearm she knew it would leave a pretty bad blister. 

She was crying, she noticed, feeling the warm tears meld together with the now cold sweat coating her skin. With shaky feet, she managed to turn off the forge before sitting down at the front counter. Today would no doubt take the cake for the worst day, maybe not ever, but in quite awhile. She definitely didn’t think it could get any worse.

A hurried knock from the front door startled her, she wondered who it could possibly be at this hour. She got up slowly, her body still unsteady, and walked to the door. When she opened it, an older gentleman with a worried look on his face stood on the other side. 

She realized just how bad she looked, her hair in a sweat soaked bun and her tear-stained eyes. The man seemed to grow impossibly more concerned at the sight of her. He cleared his throat, “Excuse me, I heard a large crash while I was on my way home and came to check,” he looked her up and down, “if everything was alright.”

She gave a small smile, “Everything is fine, I’m Amelia, by the way. Clint’s cousin. I’ve been looking after the shop for him.” 

He looked a little surprised before giving a curt nod and sticking out his hand, “My apologies, I didn’t mean to intrude. Clint didn’t tell me he had someone looking after the shop, so I had assumed there was an animal in here or something.” 

Without thinking, she grabbed the mayor’s hand with her own, not realizing she was extending her burnt arm. He realized immediately, his face returning to heavy concern. 

She pulled her arm away quickly, “Just been a rough night, nothing to worry about,” her smile was unconvincing. 

Lewis shook his head, “No way, you’re getting that looked at right away, young miss.”

There was no way she wanted to go see the town doctor right now. Not in the state she was in, and especially not so late into the night. She shook her head, “I think I can patch it up myself just fine, but thank you.”

The look on his face told her she wouldn’t be getting off that easy, or at all. He looked incredibly determined to bring her no matter what, “That’s not going to work, I’ve dealt with the farmer brushing off his injuries for long enough now, I don’t need you doing the same thing.”

She gave a defeated sigh, “Fine, just let me grab my jacket.”

Chapter Text

Thursdays were always busy for Harvey, so he always made sure to get ready quickly and get a head start downstairs in the clinic. He put on his standard green coat over his button-up shirt and slipped on his loafers. If there was one thing that kept him sane in his monotonous life, it was looking put together, even if he didn’t really feel all that put together.

Once downstairs, he double checked that his office was set up and ready to go, and made sure he would have everything he needed for the day as well. Winter was almost over, and he was looking forward to being able to take a breath of relief when flu season went with it. But for now it was still his busiest time of year, meaning he wouldn’t have much time between patients. He needed to have as much ready as possible. He heard the door chime, and at first he thought it might be Maru, but it was his first patient.

He chided himself silently, reminding himself that his nurse (and closest friend) was off in Zuzu city taking classes and participating in an incredibly important research project. She had been gone since the end of summer, almost two whole seasons now, but he could still feel her absence. She was quite a bit younger than him at 24, but she was very mature for her age. She was his only friend in town, and the only person who really understood him. 

Maru was incredibly intelligent, and although he would have loved for his friend and closest confidant to continue working in his clinic forever, he knew she would go places far beyond The Valley. So while he was upset without her, he was also happy to know she was following her dreams.

Remembering he had people waiting for him, Harvey turned around to greet George and his wife, Evelyn. 

He was finally able to take a rest during his lunch break, even if it had to be a relatively short one. He grabbed a Joja meal from the freezer and threw it in the microwave. Taking the hot tray out, he made his way back down to his front desk to continue his paperwork. Before he could even take a bite, his door chimed once again.

A familiar sweet smile greeted the poor man, one that caused him more pain than he was willing to admit, “How’re you Doc? Still working hard.”

Harvey tried to match the farmer’s smile, but knew he fell quite short, “I’m doing good Gavin, besides all the work of course.”

The farmer nodded, and a silence ensued. Harvey wished it wasn’t so awkward, but it seemed to be getting harder and harder to make any conversation with him. He also knew that he was socially anxious to begin with, so it would be hard to even fake acting normal.

Gavin’s smile didn’t falter at the silence, and instead he tried again at some conversation, “Heard about the newbie in town?”

Harvey’s ears perked up at this, he wasn’t one for gossip, but somebody new in town was big news. Something that happened so rarely, the newest person in town was Gavin himself, and even he’d been here for two years. “Somebody new in town? Really?”

“Yeah,” Gavin confirmed with a nod, “Clint’s cousin, taking over the shop while he’s gone. Really nice girl, I think her name was Amelia? Anyway, hasn’t left her post at the shop since she got here a week ago.”

Harvey wasn’t sure how to respond, or even what to think. He wasn’t dumb enough to think a new person meant new chance for romance, not again anyway. Besides, by the sound of it, she wasn’t a permanent resident by any means. But he did know a thing or two about not being super social, so he was curious about her lack of presence around town.

It was silent again, but if Gavin noticed he couldn’t tell, “Oh, I almost forgot!” he pulled out a steaming hot coffee as he did every week, “Here, you know the drill. I hope it tastes as good as usual.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it,” it was silent again.

“Well,” Gavin waited a few more seconds, fruitlessly trying to fill the gap, before finally giving in, “Got a lot to do today, and I’m sure you do as well. Have a good one, dude.”

Harvey nodded, “You too.” 

Once he was sure Gavin was really gone, he took the coffee to the sink and poured it down the drain. He loved coffee, emphasis on the past tense. Tea was much healthier, he thought. But he knew it that for once, it was not a health related reason making him pour perfectly good coffee down the drain. It had something to do with the fact that a year ago this coffee would make him swoon and blush. That even though back then it had just been Gus’ coffee (not homegrown and homebrewed on a certain someone’s farm) it had meant so much more to the doctor. At least, he thought it had meant so much more.

By the time he returned to his desk, he was in a much more sour mood and his sorry excuse for a lunch was cold. He dumped it in the trash before getting back to his work.

Finally, after a long day of looking after patients and completing some of his overflowing paperwork, the clock hit 6pm. The shop had been closed since 3, but he had so much stuff to work on that he hadn’t actually been able to leave the clinic until 6 these days. He cleaned up his paper covered front desk and quickly double checked his inventory was all set for the next day before retreating up to his apartment for the night.

He actually ate his frozen meal this time without any distractions. He had thought about going to the saloon to get a decent meal for once, but he wasn’t sure who would be there and he sure as hell wasn’t gonna be okay if he saw him for a second today.

After eating, he read some medical journals before getting ready for bed. Another day done, he realized, and tomorrow would be exactly the same. His head barely hit the pillow when there was a loud knock at the door downstairs. He knew what that meant, a medical emergency, and he would always have to be prepared for that. He was up in an instant, pulling his lab coat on quickly and practically running downstairs, turning lights on as he passed.

He got to the door and opened it quickly, always expecting the worse, but instead he was something he never was at times like this: surprised. At his door was the mayor, who was usually at his girlfriend’s house by this time. But the surprising part was the girl next to him. 

She was short, much shorter than him, but that wasn’t hard considering he was the tallest person in town at 6’ 2”. She had to be at least a foot shorter than him. But besides that he noticed her big golden brown eyes, red and puffy like she’d been crying for awhile. It was a good match to the rest of her, her light brown hair tucked up into a bun that was practically falling apart and a jacket haphazardly thrown over her shoulders.

“Good evening doctor,” Lewis knocked him out of his observations, “Sorry to wake you, but this is Amelia, Clint’s cousin.”

Harvey gave her a small nod, “I’m Harvey, the town’s only doctor.”

She blushed slightly, and he could tell she was definitely thoroughly embarrassed, and just as shy as he had thought. 

“Anyway,” Lewis continued, “She burned herself pretty good in the shop, thought it’d be best to bring her to you.”

All of Harvey’s thoughts about the girl on a personal level dissipated immediately, he had a job to do now, “Yes of course, that’s a good idea. Come on in, Amelia.”

Lewis left Harvey and Amy alone, trusting the girl to his care. He led her down the hallway and into the exam room. She hoped up onto the exam table, like she was incredibly used to this routine. He wondered how often she must hurt herself working with metals. He saw Clint often enough as it was, so he wasn’t so surprised. 

“Nice, uhhh, office you’ve got here,” He noticed her wince at how she sounded. He recognized an awkward attempt at filling the silence as he worked. He didn’t find the silence uncomfortable as he prepped what he needed, but he understood that while he was doing his job, she was with a complete stranger late at night.

“Thank you, I’ve tried to make it as comfortable as possible for my patients,” he sat down on his stool, rolling over in front of her while putting on his gloves. He motioned towards her injured arm, “May I?”

She nodded, extending her arm out towards him. He grabbed it, noticing the blistered red skin about five inches long down her forearm. 

“Looks like a superficial burn,” At her look of puzzlement, he clarified, “Second-degree. It’s not too bad. Did you run it under cold water?”

She nodded, “Lewis made me before we left.”

“Good, Did you wash it with soap?” When she shook her head no, he guided her over to the sink. She jumped slightly in shock with how cold the water was. He gently washed off the burn, noticing the stark contrast between her soft skin and rough calloused palms and fingers. 

“I’m going to go get some gauze and ointment, I’ll be right back,” He said after helping her back up onto the table. Once again he noticed how small she was, and the effort it took just to get up onto it. 

He left the room, his mind finally able to melt from his confident doctor persona now that he knew everything would be okay. His mind wandered to the girl in his exam room as he headed for the supply closet. She was definitely attractive, but he was much more interested in becoming her friend, if only because she would be leaving in 6 months anyway. If there was anything he wanted to avoid, it was another heartbreak. 

Chapter Text

Amy found herself in hospitals a lot more than she cared to admit, but that didn’t make her like them one bit. She lost count of the amount of stitches she had gotten, and she had broken a bone or two. She was incredibly accident prone, and unfortunately, that meant a constant stream of medical bills. It seemed her time in the valley would be no different. 

It was a plus to have such a cute doctor. Although it was a little hard to tell while he was in striped pjs and slippers. She still noticed his warm green eyes and well groomed mustache. She wondered for a second if he had a wife or a girlfriend, but she pushed the thought away faster than it came. After today she wanted nothing to do with romance in this godforsaken valley. But it wouldn’t hurt to befriend the man, especially with how often she found herself injured. Besides, even if she was thinking about romance at the moment, she didn’t want to be the center of the towns gossip by dating the town doctor.

He returned with bandages and some ointment. After he put them down, she wordlessly handed her arm to him again. He got to work quickly and confidently. He was very quiet, much more quiet than any doctor she was used to. They usually rambled on and asked about her life and talked about their own. She couldn’t tell if she liked the silence or not. 

Before she knew it he was done and telling her to wash and re-dress the wounds everyday. “Stop in sometime in the next few days so I can make sure you’re healing well.”

He helped her down and walked her to the front door. She turned to him, and felt guilt settle in her stomach, “Thank you again Doctor Harvey, and sorry to keep you up so late.”

He waved her gratitude off, “It’s my job, so please don’t worry about it.”

She gave him a small but genuine smile, one he seemed to match with ease, “I wish we had met under more desirable circumstances,” but Amy knew she probably wouldn’t have met him any other way, especially with the way she was hiding herself from the rest of the townsfolk.

He shrugged, “There are worse ways to meet someone, Miss Amelia.”

He tried to insist on walking her home since it was so late, but she didn’t want to inconvenience him anymore than she already had.  

The early morning light burned against her eyelids and forced her awake. She stirred groggily, realizing she had forgotten to shut those damn blinds before she went to bed. Turning over, she saw that the clock read 8 in the morning. She groaned and stretched her arms up, remembering with a jolt of pain why she was so tired. The memory of the night before, and the the whole day yesterday as well, flooded back into her head. And this time she released a groan of embarrassment.

She managed to pull herself up out of bed and into the bathroom. She felt incredibly gross and desperately wanted a shower. She had fallen straight into bed the night before as soon as she had gotten home. Who could blame her, she had an agonizingly long day prior. 

Even though she had been embarrassed to an extreme, what she felt most bad about was interrupting the doctor’s night because she was such a klutz. She wanted to find some way to make it up to him, and show him that she was not the fuck up he most likely thought she was.

She was determined to look less like a mess in front of the doctor today. There were very few articles in the dresser that looked super presentable, as she hadn’t anticipated doing anything but working in the shop while in the Valley. But she managed to pull together a semi-presentable outfit. Her nicest pair of jeans and a nice enough sweater with only a small hole or two on the sleeve would work well enough. 

The tools were strewn about the shop, and the pickaxe was left on the floor. She cleaned it up quickly, trying to erase her stupid mistakes, but the slight sting of her burns was a clear reminder. Once she was done, she grabbed her jacket and was out the door as quickly as possible.

What do you get a doctor that treated your wounds late at night? Amy didn’t think they’d have a card for that, especially not at Pierre’s. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was trying to get him a thank you gift at all, but something about a small town doctor treating burns at midnight was much more impressive than a doctor in a big city doing so. Maybe it was because he was all alone in that clinic, and not working a late night shift. Whatever it was though, she felt bad.

It took her awhile to notice a few pairs of eyes on her. She tried not to look directly at them, but it looked like a couple of older women gossiping in the corner. She ignored them, they were probably talking about something else anyway. It was nothing for her to be concerned about. She grabbed a nice looking bottle of wine, was that weird? No, she decided, she loved a good bottle of wine. She decided to grab a second for later, as well as a couple of things she needed for the apartment.

She brought her stuff up to the counter, smiling to the kind looking man behind it. He returned it gently, “Hello, you must be Clint’s cousin. I’m Pierre, your local shopkeep.” He seemed to puff up with confidence at this. She could tell he was proud of his job. 

She gave a curt nod, “Amy, nice to meet you.” She was curious as to how he knew her already, considering even the mayor didn’t know she was here.

Pierre checked out her items, and she noticed the ladies still staring and whispering. She paid quickly and gave a small goodbye to the shopkeep as she left. There wasn’t any time to think about those gossiping women because she was immediately in the clinic nextdoor, the bell chiming above her.

The waiting room was empty when she walked in, “I’ll be right with you,” She heard the Doctor yell from the back. It was a few seconds before he walked in, staring at a clipboard intently. She was floored, however, when she noticed how well put together he was now that he wasn’t in his striped pajamas and slippers. Instead, he wore a white button up that was perfectly wrinkle free with a red tie, pulled together with a green coat that matched his eyes beautifully. 

Before she could think any further, the doctor looked up at her, his face instantly becoming concerned, “Miss Amelia, I didn’t expect to see you so soon. Does your burn hurt? Is it infected?” He rushed towards her, ready for action, but she held her hand up to stop him.

“No, no. I didn’t come for that. My burn is fine. I came to say thank you actually,” She pulled the wine bottle out of her bag and handed it to the doctor, “So, thank you, for treating me last night.”

He looked at her, his face coated in confusion while taking the bottle from her hands, “You really didn’t have to do this.”

Her eyes went wide, had she done something wrong? “Oh, I’m sorry. I just thought…” she trailed off.

His confusion faded as he gave her a small smile, “Thank you, I just don’t get gifts like this,” he paused, “very often.”

A weight fell off her shoulders, “It’s nothing really, I just felt bad for getting myself hurt in the middle of the night,” she paused, “Come to think of it, I guess it’s a bit of an apology in advance too. I tend to injure myself quite a lot.”

Poor Harvey looked concerned again and quite hesitant. But he relaxed a bit, probably hoping it was a joke, “Well, I’ll never object to more income flow.”

They laughed together for a bit before it went quiet. Amy noticed that Harvey was a little different now than he was last night. Even though he looked more put together with his attire, he seemed to be less confident in himself than when he was working last night. She could recognize a fellow introvert, someone as plagued by social anxieties as she was. 

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Harvey exclaimed out of nowhere, “I need you to fill out some paperwork, standard procedure with new patients. I would have had you fill it out last night, but I think we were both too tired for that kind of nonsense.”

Amy nodded in agreement, still feeling the tired effects of staying up so late. 

Harvey disappeared into the back and reappeared moments later behind the counter. He walked over to a messy pile of papers she hadn’t noticed before. He shuffled through them, “I am truly sorry about this, Amelia, I’m not usually this unorganized. I lost my assistant a few months ago and I still haven’t quite gotten used to the expanded workload again.”

“You had an assistant here?”

Harvey nodded, “Yes, Maru. She is quite brilliant, and she was offered a hefty scholarship and huge research opportunity and the University of Zuzu. She wasn’t trained medically, but she could help with paperwork, organizing, stock, and cleaning. A true blessing when you’re trying to run a clinic on your own.” 

Amy didn’t know what to say. She didn’t realize how much work this guy must be doing to keep this place running. She felt even worse for injuring herself so late last night, and made a mental note never to do it again. 

Harvey finally found the papers he needed, attaching them to a clipboard and handing them along with a pen to her. She sat down in the waiting room, watching as Harvey busied himself with his mountain of paperwork. Something about Harvey felt so familiar, his loneliness and his pile of work. Maybe she would think of it later.

In the middle of filling out her (pretty nonexistent) sex history when the door chimed in. She looked up, and almost ironically, it was a very pregnant young woman. She had soft and long blonde hair, with worried blue eyes. Couldn’t be more than 25, and despite her very large belly she was wearing very fashionable clothing. 

She didn’t even notice Amy sitting there, too busy making her way towards the doctor hurridley. At first she thought maybe this was his wife, but most likely just a pregnant woman worriedly talking to her doctor. She tried not to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t hear much anyway. She mentioned some pain and Harvey tried to calm her down. He asked something Amy couldn’t quite catch, but she just shook her head solemnly.

Harvey motioned towards the waiting area, and the woman finally noticed Amy. She seemed apprehensive at first, but when Amy gave a small smile she seemed to calm a bit. Harvey disappeared into the back room and the woman made her way to sit across from Amy.

At first, she didn’t think the woman would say anything, but apparently curiosity got the best of her, “You’re new here, right?” she asked, her voice uncertain, “Surprised I haven’t heard by now. But I guess I’ve been a little preoccupied lately though,” she looked down affectionately at her stomach, placing a hand on it gently. 

Amy smiled, “Yeah, I’m helping out with my cousin’s shop while he’s away.”

The woman blinked, “You are Clint’s cousin?” at Amy’s nod the woman laughed lightly, “Sorry, I completely forgot he mentioned something about having someone come take care of things while they were gone,” her eyes went wide, “How rude of me, I’m Haley, by the way. I guess we’re kind of like family now, sort of anyway. I’m Emily’s sister.”

It was Amy’s turn to be surprised now, “Oh wow, I didn’t know. It’s nice to meet you, Haley.”

Right then, Harvey entered back into the room, catching both of the girl’s attention. Haley got up, “It was nice to meet you, Amy. I hope we can talk again soon.”

Amy gave her a smile and a small nod, “Of course, let’s get together sometime,” She filled out the last box of her paper quickly, and headed over to the doctor. She handed it to him, “All done doc, I guess I should head out now.”

“Yes, thank you. And don’t forget to stop in so I can actually check on that burn. I’ll be around tomorrow and Sunday afternoon,” and before she could ask why he was working on the weekend, he was gone.

Chapter Text

After a slow day of work, Harvey was feeling a little stir crazy in the Clinic. He decided to close up shop a little early and head to the saloon, his usual routine on a Friday night. The walk was short, and he could see the sun setting over the horizon in front of him. The cool, fresh air felt nice and he reminded himself to go out more often. It would be good for him, but he wasn’t being too good about being healthy. He had started getting better about it all 2 years ago, but he had fallen back into his old habits again.

The comforting smell of Gus’ cooking greeted the doctor as he entered. There were quite a few people there already. Pam was already on her second mug, and Shane wasn’t far behind. Sebastian and Abigail were waiting for Sam to get there so they could start their game of pool in the back. Elliot and Leah were talking at one of the table’s and Willy was at another. Harvey contemplated sitting with him in place of Clint, but he would probably just be awkward with the fisherman anyway. The three town gossips: Jodi, Marnie, and Caroline were busy whispering away right next to his usual position next to the bar.

He contemplated turning around and leaving, but Gus saw him and gave him a wave. He wasn’t sure why he always came on the busiest night of the week, but he was afraid he would only be a doctor if he was never seen outside of the clinic. He took his spot and Gus approached him immediately.

“Hey Doc! The usual?”

Harvey nodded and Gus disappeared behind the counter. He sat waiting, thinking about what he would have to get done over the weekend. He used to go to the museum on Saturdays, maybe do some light reading or work on his model airplanes on Sundays; but ever since Maru left he’s had too much work to really do anything else. 

He was so distracted by his own thoughts, that he didn’t notice the 3 hyena’s staring straight at him. That is, until one of them boldly came up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He startled, looking over at Jodi, the offender.

She gave a deceptively sweet smile before pouncing, “So Doctor Harvey, what can you tell us about the new girl in town?”

Harvey looked at her, confusion written all over his face, “What new girl?” then he shook his head at his own stupid question, “You mean Amelia? Why would I know anything more than the rest of the people in town?”
The three of them shared an unconvinced look. “I saw her leave your clinic really late last night, and all of us saw her buy a bottle of wine and go to your place directly with it this morning,” Jodi proded.

“What? What exactly are you saying?” He was utterly confused, and not used to being the center of their gossip, “I barely know Amelia.”

The three of them giggled, “You don’t need to know her for that Doc, especially not a girl from the city,” Marnie whispered loudly.

The sneer of their voices irked Harvey. He knew they had definitely had a few drinks too many, but their gossiping had always bothered him. With an unexpected burst of confidence, he turned fully to the group, “If you asked your boyfriend , Marnie, then you would know Amy injured herself and I treated her wounds last night. And the bottle of wine was simply a thank you,” He turned to Gus who was trying to watch inconspicuously behind the bar, “I’ll take my order in a to-go box if you don’t mind.” Gus cleared his throat and nodded, walking off.

Marnie Flapped her lips wordlessly at the mention of her “secret” relationship. Harvey made sure not to say it too loud so others wouldn’t overhear, but he still kind of regretted saying it at all. The four of them stood silently, none of them moving. 

Gus returned with a box and Harvey paid the man, before leaving he turned to the ladies, “You guys should really find a different hobby. People don’t really like being talked about behind their backs.”

With his back turned, he heard Gus whisper to the ladies, “Best not make the only doctor in town angry.”

As soon as he was out of the clinic, he felt himself let out a sigh of relief. But immediately he started getting anxious and hyperventilating. He booked it towards his shop, his heart racing. Why did he do that? He never would--or should--have done that. He had never defended anyone in this town, so why now? It was probably because it involved him, he tried to assure himself.

He stopped right in front of the clinic, keys at the ready. But his face was burning and his heart was racing faster. A picture of golden eyes flashed in his mind as he remembered the blacksmith’s smile and a gift of red wine. Had he done it for her? No, of course not. He was just upset with them for accusing him of something like that. He hadn’t done anything like that, well, not in a long time anyway.

He finally stuck his key in the door and pulled it open, before shutting and locking it with a bit more force than necessary. She is only here for six months, he reminded himself, as his thoughts started to wander, I won’t get my heart broken again.

Chapter Text

The shop bell rang, and Amy looked up to see a bright smile. She hadn’t seen the Farmer (Or Gavin, as she had recently learned that was his name) since she had been completely embarrassed the other day. Luckily, after reminding herself that he nor anybody else would ever know about it, she was certain she could act normal around him, “Good Morning! You’re right on time, just got your pickaxe finished this morning.

“Perfect, can’t thank you enough,” he grabbed the pickaxe, testing its weight in his hands, “So much lighter, definitely will be a big help in the mines.”

She nodded, “Practically indestructible too, satisfaction guaranteed!” She joked.

He laughed, the smooth sound almost putting her in a trance. She wondered if she would ever get over how attractive this man--or his husband--was. She decided that probably not, but she also knew she could admire from afar without actually liking the two husbands.

He gifted her a jar of pickles before he left, even though she tried to refuse. He was adamant on giving it to her. She wondered why he was so insistent on it. Nobody at home ever gave her gifts out of the blue. Maybe she would like it here a lot more than she originally thought. Only for the next 6 months, of course. She knew she would eventually go crazy without her morning coffee at Frisco’s Cafe and her family. 

After he left, she opened up the jar of pickles and ate one, letting out a soft moan at the bitter taste. She loved pickles, and she couldn’t figure out how he knew that. The man must have a cheat sheet somewhere.

Once again without anything to do, Amy sat behind the counter bored out of her mind. It was only a bit later she remembered she was supposed to get her burns checked by Harvey. She really didn’t want to bother him on a weekend, but he had told her to, and she also really didn’t want to make the doctor upset. It also didn’t help that she felt weird going to his clinic for a third day in a row.

She managed to find another set of presentable clothes, this time an unstained t-shirt and the same jeans as yesterday. The doctor somehow managed to look good in such a small town, maybe she should put in more effort too? She made a note to have her father send some of her nicer clothes.

The second she stepped outside, she was hit with a warmth she wasn’t expecting. And suddenly, she was reminded that today was the first day of spring. She had never experienced such a sudden change in seasons. Seasons always seemed to blend together at home in the city, nothing ever really changed except the temperature and the appearance of snow.

But here, there was something different. The trees seemed so lively, freshly budding leaves. Sitting on their branches were birds chirping, a sound she definitely didn’t hear much in the city. She wasn’t used to being surrounded by so much nature, and it made her feel so at peace.

She took her time on her walk to the clinic, taking in all the sights. The townsfolk seemed unfazed by the change, and she realized that they were so used to it by now. She wondered what it would be like, settling down here in the woods and staying to see every season change like this. But she knew she wouldn’t survive out here forever, as her thoughts wandered to her family and her job back home. She was starting to miss them, and starting to miss having people to talk to.

Harvey, unexpectedly, was sitting right at the front desk. She wasn’t even expecting the door to be unlocked, let alone the doctor to be working the front desk on a saturday. He didn’t even look up, and upon closer inspection she once again noticed the large stack of papers he was working on filling out. 

When he did finally notice her a few seconds later, he jumped lightly in surprise, “Amelia, so sorry I didn’t notice you, as you can see,” he gestured to his hell pile of papers, “I was a little distracted.”

She shook her head, “No, I’m so sorry for interrupting, if you aren’t open I can leave-”

“Oh no, It’s nothing urgent, just some reports I’m behind on,” He scratched the back of his head, looking at the papers dejectedly. He shook his head, returning his gaze to her. His eyes landed on the two cups of coffee she held, and she suddenly remembered she had them.

“Right, I just came by to get my burns checked out. Thought you could use some coffee, though, especially since I’m coming in on the weekend,” She stretched her arm out, offering him a cup. But he hesitated, looking at the cup like it had almost offended him. Her eyes widened and she brought her hand back, “I’m sorry, you don’t like coffee do you? I’ll just throw it out if you don’t want it.”

He shook his head quickly, “No, sorry, I love coffee. I uh…” He seemed to think for a second, “I’ve just had a lot today so I was debating whether I should have anymore. Perhaps it will help me get through the rest of this paperwork,” he reached his hand out, and she once again reached her own out. He took a sip, humming in delight. He set it down and clapped his hands together, “Right, let me take a look at that arm.”

He was quick, taking a careful look at the burns until he was satisfied and wrapped them up in fresh bandages. They returned to the front, discussing payment and some other care tips. When they made it to the desk, Harvey picked up the coffee mug once again, taking two big gulps before his eyes fell back down onto his unfinished work splayed across the desk. She noticed his sigh. He looked back at her and suddenly his eyes widened before his face fell into worry.

“Harvey? Is everything okay?”

He nodded, but it was unconvincing, “Yes, it’s just, there’s something I should tell you. I’m not sure you’ll like it.”

Her own eyes widened in surprise at his words. He has something he needs to tell her? He’s only known her for a few days and something has already gone wrong? She cocked her head curiously, signalling him to continue.

His eyes fell to the floor, face pale, “Well, I was at te saloon last night, like I do every Friday night, getting my usual order,”

Amy knew stalling when she saw it, “Harvey, what is it. Whatever it is, I can handle it.”

He sighed, shoulders falling slightly, “I don’t know if you know Marnie, Jodi, and Caroline, but they’re known in town as the “gossips”. They were there last night, and they approached me and well,” his face fell into a deep red blush, “Well they saw you leaving the office late Thursday night and then the wine you brought.”

Amy was confused, but put it together quickly. Her face fell into shock, and then horror, “Oh god Harvey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t… I just-”

“No no, don’t worry, I told them about how you were injured and, well, you don’t have to worry.”

But Amy was worried. Sure, he had turned them away for now, but if they were truly gossips (she had a lot of experience with them) then she knew they wouldn’t let this go. The truth was, her avoiding the town, and pretending that she would be able to come in and out just as fast without any fuss if she kept to herself was stupid. She had put this poor doctor in the position and it was all her fault. If only she hadn’t shut herself off from these people, maybe she could have stopped this.

“Gosh Harvey, this is all my fault. If I had made more of any effort to get to know the town, and attended those events, maybe they wouldn’t see me as someone who would just go throwing herself at people like that.”

He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “It’s not your fault, those women just love to jump to conclusions. The good news is nobody really listens to their gossip anymore. So this shouldn’t really affect you or your image in the town.”

She shook her head, “That’s… reassuring. But still, I feel awful putting you in this position. I really should get to know the people in this town better, huh?”

He nodded, “They may not be anything like city folk, but they grow on you. For the most part anyway,” he looked back at his papers, but then his attention turned to the window out front. He gave a light smile, “Well, how about we go on a walk and I can show you around town. Maybe tell you a thing or two about the townsfolk.”

Amy was almost worried she would affect his reputation more if they were seen walking about town together, but then she noticed how he was looking so longingly out that window. She realized he probably needed a good excuse to get outside today, and agreed.

The second time stepping out into the warm spring air was just as good as the first, and she let out a soft sigh. She looked over at the doctor, busy messing with the keys to the clinic and the lock. He finally turned around, but his reaction was not the same surprise she had not long ago, but instead of relief. He took off slowing into the town square. 

She followed next to him, careful to put enough distance between them so if anyone was watching, they wouldn’t get the wrong idea again. He pointed out the saloon first, “If you really want to get to know this town, show your face there at least once a week. And even though I may have made you weary of it because of what I told you, Fridays are the best night to go if you want to talk to people.”

She nodded, silently listening as he talked about the people living around town. He didn’t seem like someone who usually liked talking, but maybe he liked talking about this because he knew the subject well. He was everyone’s doctor, afterall. 

While they were walking up the river, he talked about the community center and how Gavin was working to fix it up. For some reason, he seemed uncomfortable talking about that place, and the conversation trailed off into silence.

Not liking the silence, she decided to try and keep it going, “So you moved here, right? You haven’t always lived in this tiny town?”

He nodded, seemingly glad for the broken silence as well, “Yeah, the previous doctor retired and moved south so a position opened up here. I heard about it in passing while I was finishing up my residency in the city. Decided it would be nice to get away from the stress and live somewhere more peaceful.”

“How long have you been here then?”

He sighed, “Six years now, I believe,” He shook his head, chuckling lightly, “Dear yoba does that answer make me feel old.”

Amy thought for a moment and something seemed to click, “Six years? Wow, I can’t imagine sitting over that stack of paperwork for six years alone. How do you do it?”

He sighs, a building coming into the view from over the hill, “I didn’t, do it alone, I mean,” He pointed ahead at the large and well-built house in front of him, “I had an assistant, Maru. She didn’t have any medical school training, so she could only handle small things like cleaning and taking stock or watching the front desk. But it was enough to give me some free time at least.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to her?”

“Oh nothing bad! She was barely out of high school when she first offered to work for me. She loved science though, and eventually her inventions caught the attention of Zuzu university. She was so excited, and I’ve done this alone before so I wasn’t worried. But after working with someone so long, it’s been hard to adjust to not having the help,” 

When they returned to the clinic, Amy’s eyes fell on the stack of papers this time. She thought about Harvey spending the rest of his Saturday, and maybe most of his night now that she had disrupted his work, hunched over this front desk doing paperwork. She looked back at Harvey to see his eyes in the same place hers just were. And a crazy, possible absolutely insane idea passed through her mind. It was so quick that she thought maybe to ignore it, but it came back around like a boomerang and she knew it wasn’t that crazy after all.

She looked back at the doctor who seemed to notice her lost in thought, and even though he didn’t say it allowed, she knew he was asking her what was on her mind,
Hey Harv, I know we aren’t that close and we haven’t known each other that long. I mean, it’s only been a few days and in that time I’ve only shown you that I’m a complete klutz,” She laughed lightly at the realization that she was stalling, just as Harvey had earlier, “Well do you think I could come help you sometimes? Like Maru did?”

It obviously took a few seconds to sink in, because when it did, his face fell into shock and surprise. It seemed pretty clear that he was gonna go into some back and forth about how he couldn’t let her do that or something, so she decided to cut him off before he could, “I know I’m a klutz, and there’s no way I can do anything as well as your previous assistant. But to be honest, the shop isn’t all that busy, and I find myself pretty bored more often than not. I’d like the distraction. And you don’t have to pay me or anything, you’d be doing me the favor.”

He seemed to have an internal debate for quite the extended period of time, but eventually his face relaxed and he seemed to come to some kind of conclusion, “Okay.”

“Okay?” She asked, surprised he had even considered it let alone said yes.

“Yes, but only when you can. And I will pay you for your time,” He seemed hesitant, “Are you sure? You, well you would be an incredible help.”

She nodded, her face turning into a beaming smile, “Yes! I won’t let you down Doc!”

Chapter Text

As soon as Amy left, Harvey let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. What was it about her that made him feel so at ease but so uncomfortable at the same time? Why had he agreed to let her come help? Or to go on that walk in the first place? He had just come to the conclusion last night that he needed to stay away from her. She was nice, yes, but she was also a bit of threat. Somebody that could easily break his heart. She could reject him, or worse, she would actually reciprocate those feelings and then go back to the city when Clint returned. 

Before he could sit down to do his work, his phone rang. He was so unused to his personal cell going off he actually jumped in shock. He picked it up without looking, offering a brief hello.

“Hey Doc, it’s been awhile.”

The incredibly familiar and soft voice of his old assistant delighted him, “Well, what do you know, I was just talking about you.”

“Really? About me? Who could you possibly be talking to?” She of course, was making fun of him for his lack of friends.”

“Oh just the new girl in town,” Even though people other than the gossip three tried to stay away from it, a juicy tidbit like someone new in town was big.

The line was quiet for a second, almost long enough for him to ask if she was still there, but she responded, “New? In Stardew? That never happens, well hasn’t happened in a long time.”

“Well, her name is Amy. She’s Clint’s cousin, she’s taking over the shop while he’s on his 6 month trip around the country. You would know this, had you come home for winter break and attended the wedding.”

“You know I couldn’t, they practically begged me to show off my newest creation at the science Convention.”

He laughed, “Yes, I know, I’m just teasing you Maru. Anyway, Amy has actually offered to help me around here for a while. Not that I’m doing bad on my own-”

“Really, Harv? She offered to help you? Sounds like you’re getting along pretty nicely with this new girl Doc.”

“I-It’s not like that, she’s just a… friend. I guess.” He stumbled over his own words, and immediately knew his best friend wouldn’t believe him.

“Whatever you say Doc. But I actually called you for a reason.”

He cocked his head to the side, curious, “Yes, I suppose you don’t ever just call for a chat, do you?”

He could practically hear her rolling her eyes over the phone, “Well, I thought you would like to know, I’m coming home for spring break. And this time, That’s a promise.”

His face lit up, “Seriously? Back to Stardew? When?”

“Sometime around the dance I think, but I’m not quite sure yet-” The line was quiet for a second before she came back, “Hey Doc, I’ll call you back later. Bye!” And before he could even respond, the line was dead.

His best friend would be home, even if just for a week or two, in a little over a month. And he couldn’t wait to see her.

Amy was patiently waiting for the Doc to call her and ask her to come help her. Even though it had only been a day since she’d offered her help. She was excited, and nervous, and uncertain why she had even done it in the first place. She would like to think it was because she felt bad for him and she really was going stir crazy in the slow shop all day. But part of her really liked the doctor, and maybe he would make a great first friend in the valley.

While thinking about it for the 10th time, the bell above the door announced a customer. It was, unsurprisingly, the farmer. He gave her one of his dazzling smiles that made her melt a little on the inside and she greeted him kindly. 

“I’m sorry to bother you again after seeing you just yesterday, but I’m in desperate need for some copper ore, you got any?”

Amy hadn’t been asked for raw metals before, nor did she even know they sold it there, “Uh, I’m sure I do somewhere,” She looked through the cabinets until eventually she came across the bin labelled COPPER ORE, “Ah, how many did you need?”

He thought for a moment, “About 30, I believe.”

Amy grabbed the bin, only to be greeted with about 8 chunks of the stuff. She showed him, and unfortunately it made his handsome face fall slightly into a frown. But immediately he perked himself back up again, “I hate to ask this of you, but it’s only the second day of spring and I have a lot to do back at the farm if I want all my crops done by the end of the season. Do you think you could get more? I’ll pay you well.”

She looked down at the box, hoping her confused face would tell him exactly what he needed to know: How do you get more of it? When he didn’t catch on, she embarrassingly asked the question aloud.

He chuckled softly, “Pardon me, I’m so sorry. It slipped my mind that you were new here and I bet Clint--love the guy--didn’t explain everything to you.” Although he was trying to be helpful, and she had asked in the first place, something about his voice bugged her. But she pushed that thought aside.

She nodded, “Yup, he can be a bit forgetful.”

“Well you could get it from the adventurer’s guild, but they’ll charge you an arm and a leg for it. Or…”

“Or what?”

“You could go down the mines yourself.”

Her eyes widened before her face twisted back into confusion. People didn’t usually mine their own metals, she usually just bought it from a catalogue. 

This time, he seemed to catch onto her confusion, “There’s a mine up by the mountain lake, near Robin’s house. I’m sure Clint has an old Pickaxe lying around, but here, take my old sword. I’ve found a pretty good one while fishing,” The sword appeared practically out of thin air, had he been planning to ask her to go to the mines anyway? Why else would he carry his bulky old sword around with him?

He checked his watch, “Well, I’ve really got to get going. Just make sure to bring food down there with you, okay?” And with that, he was gone.

She debated not going for a long while. She looked down at her figure, she was fairly strong from years of swinging around that axe, but she wasn’t sure she was “swing a pickaxe around in a mine for hours’ strong. The farmer was obviously more built than she was, so why would he ask her to do it?

But, she also didn’t want to ask Marlon to do it either. Not if she could get it herself for free. She wasn’t sure how Clint usually did it, but if he did go to the mines, she didn’t want to mess it up by not going.

Sighing, she attached the hilted sword to her belt and went looking for a spare pickaxe. It took a fair bit of searching, but eventually she was able to find a rusty old thing out back. It wouldn’t be very efficient, but for now it would do. Before she left, she put on her sturdiest set of work clothes and packed some hearty food just in case. 

The mines weren’t too hard to find, but it did take a little longer than expected. Follow the river up to the mountain lake, she remembered where that was at least. But then what? 

The entrance was dark, but not too dark, and she noticed the ladder leading down immediately. Well, she thought, here goes nothing.

Amy surfaced from the elevator many hours later. Her backpack was happily full with not only the copper she needed, but anything else she could find. But she also had more than a few cuts and scrapes, and her burnt arm was killing her. 

The weirdest thing, she had noticed, were the slimy green things that had attacked her. She wasn’t entirely sure what they were, but the sword Gavin had given her worked just fine to get rid of them. She was suddenly incredibly grateful he had given her it, as she wasn’t sure she would have made it out without it’s help.

She looked down at her watch, wiping away some stray slime from the face before reading the time. 1:00, it read, and honestly Amy wasn’t sure if that was AM or PM. But she had her answer as soon as she stepped out of the cave entrance, the sky was pitch black and she could barely see her own hand.

With a new found confidence, she took a deep breath before stumbling and feeling her way back down to the shop. Luckily, she didn’t fall into the water.

Chapter Text

Truthfully, Amelia was freaking out about not having the right clothes packed with her to work at the clinic. The Doctor looked so put together, she couldn’t embarrass him by showing up in her usual hole-filled and stained work clothes. But  thank Yoba, she was able to get enough cell service to send her dad a quick text to send some nicer clothes last week. She pulled a modest striped blouse and some cropped black slacks.

The truth was, she was incredibly excited when Harvey called her yesterday, asking if she’d come in on Tuesdays and Thursdays because those were his busiest days. It was, more than anything, a chance to get out of the house and meet people. 

She was early, but he told her she could come whenever. Maybe a half an hour early isn’t what he meant, but she was too excited to wait. And besides, the door was unlocked. She saw that as an open invitation. 

“Harvey?” she called out into the empty office, the lights off. 

Hearing movement in the back, she headed towards the noise and opened the door. Harvey was coming down the stairs at the back of the clinic, buttoning his shirt sleeve with his green coat draped over his shoulder. At the sight of her, he smiled, “I wasn’t expecting you so early, but that’s okay,” He threw the jacket over his shoulders and adjusted it’s collar, “We can get to work right away.

The first hour working at the clinic was strange, but a lot of fun. She met so many people, and got to put faces to the names Harvey had told her about the other day. Unfortunately, much like starting any new job, she felt like more of a burden than a help. But, Harvey kept telling her she was picking things up really fast, and he was so nice it was hard not to believe him. 

By the time lunch rolled around, she had cleaned the waiting room, organized the front desk, and checked in what felt like half of the town for appointments. Harvey, she noticed, had ditched his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. It was… definitely a good look on him. She almost forgot how confident and in his element he was while working. She remembered the way he thoughtfully took care of her arm even though it was late and he was about to go to sleep.

“Let’s take a lunch break, alright?” He said as Robin, the final morning patient, checked out of the clinic, “If you need, there’s a microwave upstairs in my apartment.”

His apartment, huh? Amy was kind of curious to see how this neat and tidy man lived. What kind of secrets was he hiding? Although she doubted this man had anything to hide. Grabbing her backpack, she followed Harvey upstairs.

It was, as she expected, very neat, but perhaps it could use a good dusting. It didn’t even look very lived in at all, and she wondered if that was due to all the work he had to put in downstairs in the clinic. Something very unexpected that caught her eye was the collection of model airplanes lined across the wall. Those, she noticed, were well dusted and taken care of. 

Noticing where her attention was, he spoke up, “Well, the microwave is in the kitchen…”

She peeled her eyes away from the display and took in the rest of the tiny studio apartment. She walked into the kitchen while he sat down on the couch, closing his eyes for just a second. Pulling out her leftovers from the other night and sticking them into the microwave, she took a minute to look around. 

A pile of slim blue boxes in the trash caught her eye: frozen Joja meals. And It struck Amy, that familiarity and loneliness she saw in Harvey was no different than her a few years prior. How long had he been like this? All alone tucked up in his tiny apartment, only human interaction with his patients. She called back to herself a few years into working as a mechanic, after Clint had gotten the shop and her grandfather died.

She had fallen into a pattern, working long hours because two people at the shop had quit. Eating only frozen meals and spending her little free time in front of the TV. She was just as hopelessly romantic back then, and every month that passed with no sign of a prince sweeping her off of her feet pushed her deeper and deeper into her depression. What kicked her out of that funk anyway, and when did she stop feeling so sorry for herself? She looked over at the doctor, exhausted on his sofa. 

It clicked when she remembered her brother, and how he basically kicked down her door and told her she needed to stop relying on some fictional prince to come and magically fix her problems. He insisted on helping her and even went as far as getting a job at the shop to help out. He took her out to meet some new friends and cooked with her and got her back on her feet. She owed a great debt to her brother for his help. Who would do the same for Doctor Harvey?

She was pulled out of her thoughts when the microwave beeped loudly, opening it and smelling the warm parsnip soup from the night before.

“That smells good, what is it?” Amy jumped at Harvey’s voice now behind her.

“Oh, um it’s some parsnip soup from dinner,” she noticed he was making no moves to eat, “Are you going to eat? Do you want some?”

His eyes widened before he shook his head, “Oh no, I’m not hungry right now.”

She cocked her eyebrow, concern mounted on her face, “Did you eat breakfast?”

“Well…” He trailed off, embarrassed, before shaking his head, “I really don’t want to steal your lunch, please, don’t worry about me.”

She once again thought about the boxes of frozen meals, and she frowned, “Really, I can’t eat this all. Where are your bowls?” 

His face told her he was about to refuse once again, so she hit him with her best don’t argue with me face, which seemed to work. He sighed lightly, his face dusted in an embarrassed pink, and grabbed a bowl out of a cupboard. She poured half of her soup into it before offering it back to him, luckily by now he stopped refusing and accepted it graciously.

They sat at his table (after he cleared off the papers and junk mail with an embarrassed flush) and the two of them ate in a somewhat comfortable silence. She was curious about him distracting her from his models displayed on the wall, and couldn’t help but wonder what it was about. Perhaps he was just embarrassed about this seemingly normal, although maybe uncommon, hobby of his. Maybe he just bought the planes off the internet but didn’t want anyone to know he was too busy or lazy to do it himself-

An uncomfortable cough made her jolt her eyes back to a once again flushed doctor, realizing embarrassingly that her eyes had travelled to the offending objects in her deep thought. She instead looked down to her bowl, noticing how empty it was now. She jumped up, trying to distract both of them, “Well, we should probably get back to work, huh? Been up here long enough! Ha ha…”

He nodded, standing up alongside her and moving to the sink. She noticed sadly that she was still a bit hungry, but didn’t regret sharing her meal with him one bit. She thought sadly back to the stupid blue meals in the trash and made a mental note to bring more of her lunch next time. Maybe one day she could even bring some ingredients over and cook for him, or actually, with him. Maybe he just needed to learn some simple one person meals like she had all those years ago. 

The rest of the day went by quickly, Harvey continued to help show her how everything ran between customers and by the end she felt she had a somewhat solid grasp of it all. They cleaned up together after the closed sign was flipped and talked idly about nothing in particular. She was afraid to bring up any specific topics at the moment, like those planes upstairs, because she could sense that there was something Harvey was dealing with and she didn’t know him well enough to pry. 

“Thank you for all your help today,” Harvey gave her a smile as they finished up, the slight beginnings of crows feet on the edge of his eyes deepening slightly, “It wasn’t so lonely today thanks to you.”

She blushed lightly in response, “It was no problem, not much happens at the shop really, and I was starting to go a little crazy,” She reached up to nervously play with her shirt collar, her sleeve falling down and revealing her bandages underneath. The sight seemed to remind Harvey.

“How is your burn? That was over a week ago now,” leaning his head in question and offering his hand to place her arm in.

She hesitated for a second, a naive impulse in the back of her mind told her to grab his hand with her own, only to push the schoolgirlish thought down and place down her arm instead, “It’s been fine, really, no need to worry. I’ve changed the bandages every day and I think it’s almost healed.”

He gently unbuttoned the sleeve and rolled the fabric up her arm. Cursing herself for letting the brush of his warm hands against her skin send a shiver down her spine. Another thought to push down as he examined it, “You should be good to remove the bandages now- where are these cuts from?” 

She pried her eyes away from the doctor to see what he was talking about, and realized it was the almost healed shallow cuts from the mines. She watched as his eyes travelled to the others he was now noticing, the one by her collar bones and some more on her other arm. By the looks of it, he was correctly guessing there were more where that came from.

Realizing that maybe it wasn’t the best idea to tell the doctor who was already aware she was accident prone that she had taken a trip down into the mines, and probably would go for another soon, wasn’t the best idea. She didn’t want to give the guy anything more to worry about, as it seemed to be something he did a lot. She gently pulled her arm away and buttoned up her sleeve, a little sorry at the lack of contact, “Oh nothing, I told you I injure myself a lot.”

He nodded, but the curious look on his face told her he wasn’t quite convinced, but would drop it for now, “Okay, but don’t ever be afraid to get any injuries checked out, I don’t want you to get an infection.”

She chuckled, “If I came to you for every little injury I got, I’d have to move my shop here.”

He gave a chuckle in return as they said their goodbyes. Her head still spun a little as she pushed down any giddy and foolish feelings she may or may not have felt from spending all day with a certain Doctor. She knew herself too well, unfortunately, and knew that she wouldn’t be able to push down those feelings much longer. The empty and lonely apartment of his had unfortunately confirmed her suspicions that the doctor was not married, but maybe he was still seeing someone. She wasn’t sure who that could be, but for now it was the best hammer she had against those rising thoughts. 

She hadn’t been in town long at all, and she already felt like 6 months was too far away.