Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"What's got your panties in a bunch?" Alex commented to the grumpy blonde stomping over to him.

Said blonde glared at him before leaning against the bridge deck, arms crossed and eyebrows knitted.

"It's that smelly farmer."

Alex raised his eyebrows in curiosity, "And? What about her?"

"She hasn't come to bother me like she usually does for the past few days."

The athlete snorts and chuckles a bit, pocketing his hands and shrugging before replying, "Shouldn't you be happy about that then?"

Haley remains silent, albeit still glaring at particularly nothing and her forehead as wrinkled as ever.

"Oh! Speaking of farmers and their nasty smells," Alex nudges the moody girl and gestures to the farmer's figure coming up to them.

Haley turns her head to the farmer's direction and her face brightens up a bit.

The farmer finally comes up to the pair, a net of fish on one hand and her free one waving at the two as a greeting.

Haley looks at your form from your hat to your muddy sneakers, "Oh, it's you. I totally smelled you coming from miles away."

The farmer looks at her blankly for a few moments before replying genuinely, "Is my smell all you ever think about?"

Haley lets your words sink into her brain before the tips of her ears burn a bright red and she sputters,
"What-!? Me? Thinking about you? As if!"

Alex struggles to hide his fit of laughter behind his closed fist, "No need to get so defensive, Hails." He manages to gasp out in between giggling.

She jabs at his side, embarrassed. "Shut up, Alex!"

Although confused, the farmer smiles at the pair's antics. She can't help but smile wider at the sight of a flustered Haley, in awe at how the blonde's flushed cheeks seem to brighten up her already pretty face more. Suddenly remembering she still had work to do you she glanced at her watch, "OH! I'll seeya guys later, I've gotta deliver these to Willy's before he closes up and I don’t get my coins!"

Haley and Alex pause their bickering and bid farewell to the farmer, watching her retreating figure towards the beach.

Alex, still smiling, glances over to his shorter friend to tease her but ceases his mischievous intent as he sees her solemn look.

"Do you think she's avoiding me?" She asks in a small voice, absentmindedly twirling a lock of her hair.
The athlete gently leans his shoulder against his friend, although wary to not put his whole weight on her. "What makes you think that?" Haley shrugs.

"Maybe she's grown tired of me. I don’t blame her though."

"Don’t say that! You're an amazing person, well, behind your rough exterior that is. Why do you think I've stuck by you for so long?"
Haley smiles a bit, "Totally gross." Alex chuckles and pats her head, moving a bit away from her.

"Ol' Hayseed probably just has a lot on her plate right now, she doesn't hate you. Nor she ever will, trust me on that." The blonde's mood brightens up and she stands a little taller thanks to the athlete's comforting words.

"Now, how about some ice-cream?" Alex cheerfully offers, moving to go behind his stand to scoop up said treat. Haley nods and watches him work on the counter.

Alex bops his head to an imaginative beat and turns away from his friend, scooping up her favorite flavor, he mutters to himself, "These bitches gay, good for them."

Chapter Text

Waking up at the crack of dawn to tend to your crops and animals has gotten easier the longer you stayed in Pelican Town.
But today was different, you awake with a smile excited to go about your day because you had things planned out. You had checked the weather forecast ahead of time and just as anticipated, the weather was pleasant and sunny, matching your bright mood.

When you first moved into town, you made friends with the local jock, Alex. Who quickly figured out your crush when he caught you not so discreetly making heart eyes at his friend Haley, and opted to drop the hint that sunflowers were the way to go to thawing the blue-eyed maiden's heart. So you quickly went ahead and saved up enough money to buy seeds from Pierre, planting the seeds and caring for them attentively. You had expected this day for weeks, the day you can finally deem the flowers ready.

You started to water your well cared for plants, mindlessly talking to them. "Drink up my pretties! You better look your best today, I'm finally going to show you off to someone special." You've made it a practice to converse to the indifferent flowers as often as you can as you've read that talking to and even playing music for plants can help them flourish better. You hum a little tune and walked a few feet away from the flowers, admiring your handiwork. You could swear they perked up and stood a bit taller than before.

‘I hope she likes this.’ The sunflowers you were so proud of were bright and and cheery, as warm and as inviting as the sweet summer sun.

And you can't help but compare the sunflower rays to Haley's dazzling golden locks and smile at the thought of her.

── •✧• ──

"Well look who finally decided to drop by." Haley commented without sparing you a glance, not taking her eyes off her shiny polished nails.
Alex snickered from his ice cream stand and handed you a treat, "Don't mind her, she's just all grumpy 'cause you haven't been hanging around for a while."

You accepted the treat with an apologetic smile and hopped over the bridge deck, seating yourself next to Haley. Alex exited his stand and joined you two with an ice cream of his own.

You take a bite of your cone before starting, "Sorry, really. Just busy with loads of work at the farm. Those crops and cows won't tend to themselves ya know!" You tried joking, hoping to lighten the blonde's mood, but the most you got was a hearty laugh from Alex, who earned a thankful smile from you. Your heart sank when you turned to face Haley to see how she was reacting and saw that she was still upset.

Haley scoffed and turned to leave. In your panicked state you manage to tangle your limbs together..
.
.
You blink in utter shock at your clumsiness. You sat at the riverbank, your lower half drenched and your sweet treat forgotten somewhere in the waters.
.
.
You look up the bridge and glare at a laughing Alex clutching his shirt in attempts to steady his breathing. Yet your face quickly softened at a slightly smiling Haley who quickly tore her gaze away from you once your eyes met.

"Old McDonald had a slip I guess!" The jock spat out in between laughter as he made his way to you to offer a hand. You begrudgingly thank him before turning your attention back to Haley.

Who was nowhere in sight.

Your shoulders slumped and your gaze dropped to your wet sneakers. 'And I just cleaned these too.' The world didn't seem as bright as when you first woke up this morning anymore.

Sensing your soured mood, Alex finally had enough of his joyful fit and patted your shoulders comfortingly. "She's probably at the beach. I didn't think she'd be this upset about your absence these past few weeks." He guiltily stated as you shook your head, thankful for his concern.

"It wasn't your fault, you couldn't have known."

He sighed and shook his head, "Right. Well, now's your chance to shine ol' pal!" He slaps your back and you grunt at the force of his gesture. His strength definitely matched up to his looks.

You smile nonetheless, and start to walk away from him to chase after Haley. "You're a good friend Alex," You pause for a moment and look back at his standing figure. "And a good wingman!"

He bursts out laughing and shoos you away with a wave of his hand and you jog away with a grin on your face.

── •✧• ──

By the time you arrive at the beach your lower bottom has dried off decently thanks to the considerable amount of running you've done.
You look around and don't see Haley at her usual spot which is somewhere in the middle of the beach, where she's either standing to bask in the sea air and breeze or sprawled on a blanket to get a tan.

But then again, you suppose now wouldn't have been a good time for her to do any of that.

So you decide to walk up to Willy's shack to ask if he's seen Haley around.

But just as you set foot on the docks leading to his house you see Haley, seated at the edge of the docks. Feet bare and dangling mindlessly, you find her sandals situated beside her.

You gulp nervously and approach her cautiously. A board creaks startling you both, Haley turns her head to you in surprise and her shocked face quickly melted into a scowl upon meeting your shy gaze.

"Uh, hi?" She scoffs and turns away from you.

"What are you doing here?" Haley asked snobbishly, her nose scrunched in agitation. You press your lips into a thin line and take it as an invitation to sit next to her.

"Sorry," You start off timidly, not really knowing what to say.

"About what? For burying yourself with work and not even sparing me nor Alex a note?" You grimace at her words, realizing how your absence has affected her.

"Are we not worth your time anymore, am I not worth your precious time anymore-?"

"No- I- You got it all wrong! I wasn't purposely avoiding you guys! Especially not you!"

"Then what? 'Cause it certainly seemed to me that you were! You always just happened to have some sort of excuse to get away from me!" Haley fumes, her cheeks burning red and her eyes glossy, "-a-and Alex!" She adds.

You gasp and sputter out words but none of them seem to be coherent enough for you to convey your feelings, but it seemed like Haley has had enough. She aggressively stands up from her spot and hastens to put her heels back on, her fuming and foggy vision making the task a bit of a struggle, giving you the time to rack your brains for a response to her outburst.

But not nearly enough, you blink and see Haley already walking away from you, the wooden boards creaking loudly with each step. You scramble to run after her and call for her name, but your words only reach deaf ears.

"Haley, please I-" You trip over your own feet and stumble forwards, you feel tears pricking your eyes and in a last attempt to stop Haley from potentially cutting you off for good-

"I like you!"

Three words you've longed to tell her ever since the moment your eyes met, you wished you could've done it at a better and suited moment but alas, desperate times call for desperate measures. You look up and see that Haley stood frozen, silent. You wipe at a few escaped tears on your cheek with your sleeves.

"I like you, I've been wanting to tell you that for a while now. And I wanted it to be special! So I had been working on this- This surprise, for a while."

"I'm sorry if I made you feel otherwise, but I really do like you. A lot. I hope you'll at least give me a chance to make it up to you." You lower your gaze, waiting for her response. But the longer you waited, anxiety crept up on you and you began to wonder if voicing your feelings was a good idea after all.

A beat of silence.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable-"

"I like you too."

Your eyes widen and you quickly jog next to Haley, a big smile on your face. You stand beside her and try to meet her face, but she seems to be discreetly avoiding your gaze.

"I didn't quite hear you there," You try to hold back a grin as you ask, your cheeks suddenly feeling warm.

"..like you, too." You hear her barely mumble.

"Come on. I can't hear you, you know?"

Haley clenches her jaw and flails her closed fists, "I said I liked you too, idiot! I like you and your nasty farmer smell, your unfashionable clothes, and that stupid smile on your face whenever you look at me! I like everything about you!" Her cheeks beginning to get red as she huffs out. You're taken aback by her burst of confessions, your mouth agape and all the words dead on your throat.

"And- I thought-“ She stutters, her voice wobbling. “Right when I finally came to terms with my feelings for you, that you've finally had enough of me. That you finally came around to hate me.”

You look at her in disbelief, "I can't believe you’d think I hate you. Did all the gifts and pestering didn't make my feelings clear enough?" You say with a shy smile as she finally looks over to you with teary eyes.

Moving closer towards her, you wipe a stray tear from her cheek, "Will you let me prove to you how serious I am about how I feel towards you then?"
Haley sniffs, rubbing her tear stained eyes with a small laugh but nods nonetheless. You smile and take her hand into yours, leading her to your farm. Eager to finally try and sweep her off her feet.

Chapter Text

Haley's somber mood had lightened by the time you reached your farm, and the sun was setting, so you two were now conversing in a relaxed silence. As you met her gaze while still holding her hand, you looked over her and marveled at how stunning she appeared while enjoying the sunset's rays.

You felt as though you were drowning in the galaxies of her eyes because she appeared ethereal with her hair flowing in the breeze and the soft light of the sunset just barely kissing her face at all the perfect angles. It made you wish you had taken up photography as a hobby so you could capture her like this; but, you opted to store this image of her in your head instead.

“Is something wrong?” She asks with a confused expression on her face. You shake your head in response to her worried question and reassuringly grasp her palm. It seems like she was still unsure of your feelings for her. It would be better to end the wait now.

You jog ahead laughing while tugging her behind you as she shrieks in surprise, and you eventually covered the last distance to the farm.

You two finally make it to the farm, albeit gasping for air, and you led her to the area of sunflowers you've planted. But before you can come any closer, she pulls away from you, and you turn to face her in confusion.

You turn around and take her hands in yours as your expression softens at the sight of her fighting back tears. “All of this, for me?” Haley quietly asks, her eyes moist as though she is having a hard time believing it.

"What do you think?” You inquire as she catches your gaze, she stifles back a sob, shaking her head in exasperation.

“I think you should kiss me.” And before you could squeak out a response she pulls you towards herself, and your lips met.

Your eyes fluttered shut and it felt a lot different from how you imagined your first kiss to be. You expected fireworks and sparks going off in your head, but this…

All you could feel was an endless wave of comfort.
It was soothing, calm, and felt like everything was right in the world. She tasted sweet, a dozen times better than you thought she would, and you yearned for more.

And it seemed like she did too, you felt her hand starting to wander to the back of your neck, urging you to deepen the kiss.

Nothing has ever felt quite like it, as sweet and divine as her lips. Her mere presence, intoxicating your entire being.

You could feel yourself falling in love with her all over again.

She beams a bashful smile at you as the two of you slowly pulled apart, breathing unevenly and heavily. Haley looked gorgeous like this, you thought, cheeks as flushed as yours, and an emotion glinting within her eyes with you reflected amidst the blues of her eyes.

And at this moment, you felt everything was just right.
You moved away from Haley as she was gasping, startling and perplexing her.

You dug into your pockets and asked, “Does this mean you’ll be my girlfriend?” Presenting her the bouquet you had gotten from Pierre. Haley just looks at you astonished, before laughing uncontrollably.

“What did you think my answer would be- We literally were just making out.” She jokes, smiling broadly as she takes your bouquet in her arms. You could practically light up a bulb with how much you’re beaming right now. Haley brings the flowers closer to her face to take a wiff of their scent.

"I’m afraid this won’t do though.” If you had a tail it would’ve drooped in utter disappointment and despair by now, you were about to accept her rejection when Haley delicately brushed her hands down your neck and shoulder.

The slight touch of her fingertips fanned a flame within of you, You could only hope that you wouldn't overheat so much when she touched your shirt like it was a page she wanted to turn.

"..Then, what will?” Your knees could be about to turn to jelly as you mutter, suddenly feeling so exposed beneath her gaze. “How about a little more..” Her eyes flitting from your eyes to your lips."Of this? Haley drawls, barely raising her voice above a whisper as she brushes her thumb over the inside of your lower lip.
She looks at you, a smirk adorned on her face as she soaks in your flustered state, awaiting your answer.

"Yes, please.” You finally breathed out.