Chapter Text
RADIO I
“Do people even listen to the radio anymore?” Remy asks, her nose scrunched up. Jack, her conversational partner as well as partner in crime feigns hurt and shakes his head vigorously.
“What else is there to do in this town? Count cows?” he replies. Remy has no argument there; god knows how many hours she’d spent counting her own animals.
“You’ve got me there.” the young farmer admits, shrugging her shoulders. Currently, the two were huddled up in the back of Olive Town’s General Store sifting through what appeared to Remy as junk.
“C’mon Rem, this will be fun, I promise.” Jack says, shooting her a desperate look. She wants to say no; after all this wasn’t the first time Jack promised something distinctly Not Fun would be fun. But she sees the genuine look of determination in his eyes and comes to the conclusion that she can’t bring herself to say no to him. Thus, against her better judgment, Remy decides to say yes.
“Fine. But I’m not lugging that around. My back already hurts from farming.” she sighs as Jack celebrates. Remy is not looking forward to the extra work of helping run Olive Town’s only radio show but when she looks at Jack’s excited face she thinks she’s made the right decision.
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NEW GIRL
Remy looks expectantly at the ground, as if simply staring at the soil below her will encourage the seed buried beneath her feet to grow faster. She is new to farming and perpetually worried she is doing something wrong, despite constant reassurances from the more experienced farmers in town.
“C’mon little potatoes, I’m counting on you.” she whispers in vain. She knows the potato seedlings can not hear her but talking to them still makes her feel better. It’s not like she has many people to talk to in town anyway. Having only been here for a few months, Remy has not had the time to befriend people. Even if she did have the time, she isn’t sure how to befriend people. Her conversational skills with people are as lacking as her conversational skills with potatoes. She constantly finds herself tripping over words and second guessing everything she says. Responses to questions don’t come out easily and it takes what feels like an eternity for her to find the right thing to say. She wonders for a second if she ever should have left the city; at least in the city she can be lonely with other people. In Olive Town, she is alone only with her thoughts and potatoes. Noticing the empty sack of seeds beside her, Remy decides to head into town and buy more seeds at the General Store. She has been there only a few times before, trying her best to make her trips inside as quick as possible. Today, she figures, she will try to actually talk to someone inside.
***
There is a blonde guy wearing an oversized flannel jacket and Remy suddenly finds herself wanting to abandon her mission. Of course she knows there are people around her age in town but that doesn’t mean she isn’t still afraid of them. Her chance at escape is quickly extinguished when the merchant at the counter notices her and motions for her to come in.
“Welcome to the General Store, new girl.” he says, a smile forming across his face. For a second Remy wonders how he immediately pegged her as the new girl before realizing that he probably knows every single person in this town and has likely never seen her before. She also takes a second to realize that she has not seen him before, despite the fact that she has been to this store more than a few times.
“Hi.” she says plainly. She wants to slap herself across the face. That’s the best she can come up with? No wonder she has no friends.
“My name’s Jack.” the boy says, offering his hand for Remy to shake. This is one of those moments where Remy almost freezes up. For a moment she wonders if she’s able to act like a normal human being and shake his hand. She wonders if he’ll notice how clammy her hands are, and how long it takes her to decide whether she should even shake his hand. The thoughts are still racing through her head when she feels his hand connect with hers and she is suddenly jolted out of the labyrinth that is her mind.
“I’m Remy.” she says, her eyes meeting Jack’s.
“Remy huh? Well, it’s nice to finally meet you.”
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RADIO II
“Have you decided on a DJ name?” Jack and Remy are currently in the upstairs loft in the Olive Town General Store, a spot the two have decided will be the base of their operations.
“What’s wrong with Remy?” the young farmer replies, watching closely as Jack continues tinkering with the hunk of metal that is the ham radio in front of them.
“Well for starters it’s Remy.” the blonde merchant replies, eliciting a small chuckle from his partner.
“The nerve of you to make fun of my name.” She retorts quickly.
“Not all of us were lucky to be given such unique names.” Jack says, clicking his tongue as he makes one final adjustment with the radio equipment.
“What’s your DJ name, then?” Remy asks as she hops down from her perch.
“I was gonna wait for you to pick yours out. Ladies first and all that junk, y’know? Anyway, get over here, I think it’s working now.” Remy rolls her eyes but complies anyway, eager to see whether the last hour of tinkering Jack did actually accomplished anything. He adjusts a few buttons and Remy does not bother pretending to understand what is happening; all she knows is that Jack is absolutely mesmerized. His hands glide across the radio’s set up and he adjusts all of the settings as if he has been doing this his entire life. Finally, after a few more moments of fiddling, Jack picks up the microphone and begins to talk.
“This is Jack from Olive Town, can anyone read me?”. In almost an instant a crackling sound comes from the speakers on the machines and the two know they have succeeded. Remy gives Jack a huge smile and Jack gives her a fistbump.
“Well partner, are you ready to have some fun?”.
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MOVIES
Summer goes as quickly as it came. The crisp autumn air arrives almost as if on cue and Remy finds herself wishing for the summer to come back. She is not fond of the cold and hopes that this season passes just as quickly as summer did. Armed in an oversized jacket she found at a thrift store and gloves that had seen much better days, Remy begins her journey into town. She has been a resident of Olive Town for about six months at this point and still finds herself wondering if she fits in with the rest of the residents. Of course she is friendly with everyone and everyone is friendly in return but the lizard part of her brain still insists that they think of her as an outsider. As she walks past the shifting sea of red and orange leaves on the ground, Remy notices decorations that were definitely not there a few days ago. Is it another festival? What could it be this time? While there are festivals in the city, Remy never cared to stop by any of them. It wasn’t like she had any friends to go with anyway.
Festivals in Olive Town are different. Seemingly everyone in town shows up and no one is excluded. It feels like a home. Festivals in Olive Town, Remy has decided, are worth the effort of socializing. Having spent the last few minutes in her head, the young farmer finds herself at the General Store without even realizing she’s made it there. It is only when she sees Angela, the owner of the General Store and matriarch of the Harris family, that Remy realizes she has already arrived at her destination.
“Hello there Remy! If you’re looking for Jack he’s upstairs.” she says, winking. A blush creeps across her face and she makes a mental note to spend less time with Jack so his mother does not get the wrong impression.
“Thanks Angela!” Remy says, making her way to the back of the store. She heads up the stairs, loudly announcing herself which is a moot point considering she is already at the top of the stairs.
“Ready to hang, farm girl?” Jack flashes her a toothy grin and Remy feels her heart skip a beat. Gross.
“Why else would I have brought Zombies Slayers Volumes 1 - 3?” she says excitedly, pulling three DVD cases out of her bag. Jack joins in on the excitement and immediately begins to set up the movie.
“Y’know, you’re lucky you moved here this year. Up until last fall we were still using VHS players.” Jack says as Remy makes room for herself on the couch.
“You poor souls. It must have been awful living in 1987.” she says with a smile as Jack turns on his television set.
“You wanna know something even scarier? We still have a landline.” he says, sending Remy into a fit of giggles.
“By the way, what’s up with all the decorations outside?” Remy asks as Jack hands her a bowl of popcorn.
“Oh right, that. It’s the annual Mushroom Hunt.” he says casually, grabbing a handful of popcorn.
“What the hell is that?”
“Ah right, almost forgot you’re a city girl. Basically, it’s like an easter egg hunt but for mushrooms. People here either do a solo run or work together in pairs.” Jack replies.
“Oh.”
“Tell you what, since you’re new here I’ll do you the honor of being your partner for the Hunt. Sound good, new girl?” the blonde man says, a wide grin on his face. Remy feels her heartbeat quicken and wonders if this is what it’s like to actually like someone.
“I’d be honored.” she replies.
______________________________________________________________________
THE PARTY
“Happy 25th Remy!” a woman’s voice shouts, immediately followed by the sound of glass clinking. A group consisting of Jack, Laura, Lars and Blaire are gathered around a very intoxicated woman with noxiously bright orange hair.
“Cheers and bottoms up.” Remy says, slurring her words and she hoists a mug of beer to her face. She has already drunk two beers and four shots and the effects of the alcohol were beginning to show. Her tanned skin sports a soft pink flush and the hair she’d spent an hour doing is already frizzy and askew. In spite of this, Remy feels great, amazing even.
“God you’re old.” Jack teases, taking a swig of beer from his mug. Remy giggles and gives him a playful shove in the side.
“Aren’t you like, 26?” Laura replies, trying to contain her laughing.
“I never said I wasn’t old either.” he shrugs as the others around him begin to laugh. They have been at the Saloon for at least three hours but time seems to be flying by at warp speed.
“Cheers to two old idiots.” Lars says, downing his own drink.
The party is Jack’s idea. In fact, Remy didn't even know she would be having a party until Laura texted her that she should wear something nice to the Saloon. This posed a problem for Remy as she hadn’t exactly considered party wear when she packed up her life and moved to her grandfather’s old farm. Nonetheless, she managed to make it work and is wearing the only suitable party wear she brought with her, a strappy black dress that glitters in the right lighting. It's a bit gaudy but she’s glad she can still fit it in the first place.
“We should have gotten a cake for her.” Blaire muses. Remy shakes her head violently before remembering that she is drunk and violently shaking anything is probably a terrible idea right now.
“Not a good idea at the moment.” she groans as her friends continue drinking. Friends. Is that what they are to her? Remy is not sure what having friends is like but she imagines that this must be what it feels like. She wants to savor this moment for as long as she can but as she feels the contents of her stomach rumbling she knows that the night must end.
“I think I’m gonna go home before I puke all over the bar.” Remy says, slurring her words as she reaches for her purse. Her friends let out disappointed noises before deciding that the pale look on Remy’s face probably is a good indicator that it’s time for the party to end.
“Can you make it home? You can always stay at my place.” Laura offers.
“Nah, I gotta take care of Peanut.” Remy replies. Peanut is Remy’s dog and one of her first friends in Olive Town. She would be lost without him and he would be lost without her.
“I’ll walk her home.” Jack offers, handing Remy his iconic flannel sweater.
“Hope you don’t mind if I puke on this.” she mutters, slipping the sweater on.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” he mutters back as the rest of the group gets up to leave. The sweater is large and engulfs her completely. It is warm from being worn all night by Jack and smells like him. She wants to stay in this jacket forever.
“Goooooood night everyone!” Remy declares, linking arms with Jack as they say their goodbyes.
The cold winter air smacks the tiniest hint of sobriety into Remy and she immediately untangles herself from Jack.
“Sorry.” she mumbles, stuffing her hands in her pockets.
“What for? You can barely stand up straight right now.” the blonde merchant says, laughing. Remy’s face flushes and she shakes her head.
“Not true at all dude, look! I’m walking in a straight line right now!” she says defiantly, walking in what can be described as a zigzag at best. This causes Jack to laugh again and all Remy wants to do is hear that laugh for the rest of the night. He stops Remy in her tracks and walks slightly in front of her.
“Hop on, I’ll carry you home.” he says, offering Remy his back as a steed. Of course she wants to accept but the part of her brain that says she should run in hide instead makes the choice less obvious.
“What’s it gonna cost me?” she says.
“On the house this time.”
“Oh, so there’ll be a next time?”
“I hope so.” Jack responds. Remy feels herself melting and she is glad he cannot see her blushing face in the darkness. Needing no further encouragement, she climbs onto his back and feels at home as she wraps her arms around his neck. She thinks this is what love must feel like but she is unsure. A moment of comfortable silences passes between the two before Jack speaks up again.
“Did you have fun tonight?” he asks gently as Remy rests her head on Jack’s shoulder.
“I think this was the most fun I’ve had in a looong time.” she says happily. Although she cannot see it, she can tell that Jack is smiling.
“Good. I was hoping you would have a good time.” he replies.
“I always have a good time when I’m with you.” Remy says, holding back a yawn. She can feel the smile on Jack’s face growing larger. Jack carries her in comfortable silence until the two approach Remy’s rundown home.
“Looks like we’ve reached our destination.” he says suddenly. Remy looks up to see her shabby little house illuminated with moonlight and wishes that time would stop right there. Jack lets her down and she rummages around in her purse for her keys.
“I’ll head home now. I had a great time too.” Jack says abruptly. Remy’s brows furrow. She wants him to stay but she’s not sure how to say it.
“You don’t want to come inside and say hi to Peanut?” she blurts out. Smiling, Jack nods his head and the two make their way inside her tiny abode.
“Make yourself at home. I think I have some food in the fridge.” she says nervously, thankful that she decided to clean up a bit before the party. She eyes her room and admonishes herself silently for her interior design skills. Slipping the shoes off her feet, Remy throws her body onto the couch as her head swims.
“Not too bad of a place you’ve got here, Rem.” Jack says with approval. Remy rolls her eyes and smiles.
“You can say it’s ugly, you won’t hurt my feelings.” she replies. Jack lets out a chuckle and Remy feels more comfortable than she ever has before.
“Oh hey, looks like you’ve got some desert in here after all!” the blonde man says, removing a tray of week old cupcakes. Remy crinkles her nose.
“Come over here, now I can wish you a proper happy birthday.” Jack says, holding up a match he found in her kitchen drawer. Ignoring the dizziness she is feeling, Remy makes her way over to the kitchen, where Jack is sitting patiently with a tray of definitely spoiled cupcakes. He ignites the candle and the two sit around the soft glow of the fire for a moment before Remy wraps her hands around his.
“Make a wish.” he says gently, his face inching closer to hers.
“No need. It already came true.”