Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sun shone brightly, despite the rather dull mood the day seemed stuck on. A beat-up red pick up truck was the only car in sight on the long, winding road into the country, and to Spot, it was like he was the only human on Earth.

He was heading South, to one of the few farms willing to hire a highschool dropout. It was only for a while, he was just going to pick up the family’s daughter’s chores while she was away, but every penny counted to Spot. Before he was adopted, at 13, he’d been in foster care for two years. Prior to that, he’d lived on a farm, and it was safe to say he knew his way around equipment.

The family was going to pay well. He was going to live on the farm, in the loft above an empty stable. According to the owner of the farm, Mayer Jacobs, the stable used to hold two horses. They weren’t able to give the horses the proper care they needed, and they were moved to a neighbor’s stables, but the loft was kept clean and didn’t smell too bad.

He was about 10 minutes away, still, and rather nervous. He’d miss his friends for the two months he’d be staying, for sure, but he was excited to be working on a farm again.

Yes, excited was the right word.

-

“Hey there, fella,” Spot crowed, latching the door into the pen behind him. Pogo, a wether, was laying closest to him in the grass, and the target of Spot’s chatter. They had six goats, a wether, a buck, and four does—two milking, and two kids.

Spot carried a large buckets of water in both hands, dumping them each into the nearly empty tank. The Jacobs had a hose, but not one that could reach the pen, so Spot filled up buckets at the house and brought them down the hill each morning.

He’d lived on the farm for nearly three months now, and he liked the work. Their family was kind, although David acted terrified of Spot. He was going to be sad leaving. His adopted family wasn’t great, and they’d signed the paper at his pleading when he thought he might be moved. It wasn’t bad there, but he liked the farm more.

He milked the does quickly, putting fresh feed into their box, and headed up the hill to get water for the sheep. With a sharp whistle, the herding dog, Artemis, came bounding over to Spot. There were two dogs, the other one named Apollo, but he was more of a house dog. He knew the basic commands to herd sheep, but the small flock barely even needed one dog, let alone two.

“Oy, Artemis, find.”

The border collie went bounding into the pasture, to find and hold the flock. Their pasture was huge for the 9 sheep they owned, and Spot was short and slim, so he relied on the dog to get them together.

The sheep were about ready to be sheared, the colder months were getting warmer and they had nice, thick coats now.

Mayer had left the farm a day earlier to begin the trip to New York to pick up Sarah. They couldn’t afford flights, and Esther hadn’t wanted Sarah to travel alone anyways, so Mayer was going round trip. Spot would stay for a while after Sarah got back while everyone got readjusted, and then he’d be back to Snyder’s apartment, looking for another job.

When he was done filling the sheep’s water, he headed back up to the house. Esther was in the kitchen, cleaning up for Sarah’s welcome home party. “Ma’am?” Spot asked, leaning on the door frame.

“Yes, dear?”

“I saw the gate down by the orchard was getting stuck. Do you want me to fix that, or is that Mr. Jacob’s job?”

Esther was beginning to respond when her phone rang loudly, blasting “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” around the kitchen. She picked up, holding a hand up to tell Spot to hold on.

“Hello?”

Spot hooked his thumbs in his belt loops, standing awkwardly.

“Oh, god. Where are you?”

Spot began to grow concerned with the amount of worry on her face.

“Which one? I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Another pause as whoever was on the line spoke.

“I’m on my way. I love you, stay safe.”

She hung up abruptly and shoved eggs back into the fridge.

“Spot, dear, Mayer and Sarah drove into a ditch. Mayer’s arm is broken, Sarah is bruised, they’re at the hospital. I’m going to pick them up. Can you get Les off to school? I’m sorry, it isn’t in your chores, but he can’t do it himself and David left just a moment ago,” Esther spoke quickly, barely leaving time to breathe.

Spot blinked, surprised. “Yeah, sure, of course.”

Esther nodded, grabbed keys off of the counter, and rushed out of the house. Logically, he knew Mayer was okay. They said his arm was broken, and she’s going to pick him up. What occupied Spot’s mind was the thought of what would happen to him.

He was there because they didn’t have everyone available to work. Now, the one with the most to do had broken an arm. Was Spot still going to go home? Did he want to? Spot wasn’t so sure.

He was certain he was worried about Mayer, at least. He’d still yet to meet this Sarah, but he was worried about her, too, if she was half as nice as her family members. His worrying was interrupted by the thunder of footsteps down the creaky, wooden stairs. Les popped out of the hall, energetic as always. He stopped short at the sight of Spot, who didn’t usually stay in the house for longer than it took to use the bathroom during the day—Mayer insisted he ate meals with them, and he showered indoors, of course, but the loft was just fine to him.

“Where’s mom?”

“Uh, she left to… meet your dad and sister.”

“Oh.”

A silence followed, the 9 year old staring at Spot expectantly and Spot still feeling very awkward.

Despite having lived there for around 3 months, Spot hadn’t really talked to Les. He chattered at dinner, but Spot always stayed silent unless directly asked something, and Les wasn’t one to target people in conversation. He knew the younger boy made and sold goat milk soap, and he would pick apples come time, but he didn’t know much else about him.

“So… do you ride the bus to school?”

“No.”

“Does your mom usually take you?”

“Yeah.”

Spot sighed. “Do you have everything to leave? What’s your normal routine?”

“Mom makes me lunch!”

“What food do you usually eat?”

“Lunchable, duh.”

“Oh.” Spot didn’t know lunchables actually existed, he thought they were something made up on TV. Lo and behold, little square packets titled Lunchables were in the fridge.

Les got Spot his lunchbox for him, and he began packing food with Les’ direction. He got little cut up strawberries, too, and a baggie of chips. Spot got more into the rhythm of what to do around Les as they went along, and he got him into his car after going over every single thing Spot could remember needing at school in elementary school.

“What are the sheep going to do while we’re not there? No one's home!” Les demanded.

“The sheep will be okay. Artemis is in the pasture, she’ll stop anything scary.” Spot replied dryly. The school was pretty far away, and Les was rummaging through his glove department, so Spot was a bit miffed. He wasn’t letting himself think about the whole What Is Happening To Me predicament, instead focusing on how he planned on fixing the orchard gate.

“You turn up here.”

“Left or right, Les?”

“I don’t know. My side.”

“That’s right. Thanks.”

Les hopped out of the car the second they pulled up, rushing to the doors of the junior high elementary school mashup building. Spot drove away, beginning the ten minute drive to what might become home.

Chapter Text

Spot scuffed up dirt around his freshly dug hole with his foot. The consistent thudding of the shovel lulled him into a sense of calm. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, grabbing at his water bottle. The canister was empty.

Spot tossed the shovel onto the ground, trekking back to the house to refill his water. David should be back at the ranch soon, his school had gotten out just a little while ago, and he usually took the bus home. He didn’t know how long it would be for Esther to be back.

The Jacob’s didn’t have one of those fancy fridges, but rather one of those white box fridges that lasted for years. Spot turned on the rusted sink, holding his water bottle under it awkwardly. The rushing of the sink filled the room, but it didn’t echo.

The front door, found just down the hall from the kitchen, swung open suddenly. Spot didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just David, so he stayed still and didn’t say a word.

That is, until a shriek rang through the house, and a yellow hydro flask hurtled just past his head. Spot jumped, hit his head on a cabinet, and swore loudly. “I’m the farmhand!”

“Sarah!” Esther bustled in, followed by her husband. “That’s Spot!”

Spot rubbed at his head, where he’d hit the cabinet. “Who?” Sarah asked, her head snapping around to look at both her parents and the strange, underweight boy in her kitchen.

“Me,” Spot raised his hand, “the farmhand? Y’know, hired to help while you were away?”

Sarah stared at him blankly. “No one told me we hired a farmhand.”

“Sure we did! We discussed it before you left,” Esther scolded.

“No, we didn’t.”

Spot watched the conversation hesitantly. “Uh, well, I’ll just… go… continue working…”

“Hold on a minute, dear, David is picking up food from Bryan and Jack on his way home, we’re about to eat.”

Spot shifted on his feet uncomfortably, not liking the awkward silence as Sarah inspected him. He turned around, then, and knelt down to pick up the thrown water bottle from the ground, handing it back to the taller girl.

She nodded her thanks, and they all stood silently in the kitchen. Someone looking in might think someone had just dropped big news, and everyone was trying to understand it. Which wasn’t far from incorrect, if Mayer’s arm counted as big news.

David did, eventually, come in with the food, some fancy kind of pasta only Denton knew the recipe to. Les chattered as usual, having come home with David, but it was diminished.

“Dad, what are we going to do about the farm? You’ve broken your arm, and Spot’s headed back to… his home,” David didn’t know he was from the city, “in a week. I’m in school, too!”

“I don’t know, David.”

“Um… Mr. Jacobs, I don’t know for sure, but my folks should be okay if I work here longer? I know it wasn’t the original plan, but all I’d do back at the house is look for another farm to work at. I could stay.”

Mayer and Esther exchanged glances, and Sarah stared hard at Spot, as if to gage how serious he was.

It wasn’t a lie, what he’d said. All he’d do in the city is go out to eat with Boots to catch up, and then get back online looking for farms willing to hire him. Annie and Eric, his adopted parents, were both working full time jobs, and still short of rent most of the time.

It would take a few phone calls, but Eric would certainly not mind, and he didn’t think Annie would, either. He liked the work here, and they needed him even more now.

“That could work,” Mayer agreed.

“Are you certain you’d want to do that? You’d work for a long while,” Esther argued.

“I don’t think my folks would mind. I like the work here, honest.”

“We’ll think about it. I don’t want to be pulling you away from your family.”

Spot nodded, and he fell into his usual silence, scraping food into his mouth. The familial chatter continued, and Spot listened, as usual.

“So, Spot, where are you from?” Sarah was focusing on him again.

“Uh, I grew up on a cattle farm. I live in the city now.”

“Do you like the country? Or do you miss the city?”

“I like the country just fine.” Spot was getting defensive, just a little. He didn’t know what the questions were for, and he didn’t like that he didn’t know.

“Have you ever been to New York?”

Spot shook his head, eating more of the food. Maybe she’d stop if he was busy chewing.

Esther got up to take her plate to the sink, oblivious to Spot’s discomfort. Mayer had fallen asleep and been moved to his bedroom shortly after David arrived. “Leave him alone, Sarah,” David muttered, and Spot gave him a thankful look.

“I was just trying to get to know him better!”

“You’ll get to know him plenty. Eat the food. Jack made it.”

Jack was David’s boyfriend, who’d Sarah had held a crush for before she knew he was gay. He was a decent cook, but his sort-of dad was better, and was teaching him how to be great. They got a lot of food that Jack had practiced making. Les had thoroughly enjoyed talking all about it every time he saw Spot indoors by himself.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be calling back home.” Spot rinsed off his plate in the sink and stepped into the hallway. His phone was old and the screen nearly shattered, and the microphone didn’t work. The Jacobs were fine letting him use the house phone, anyways. He called Boots first.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Boots, it’s Spot.”

“Spot! I haven’t heard from you in a bit, how’s it going?”

“Uh. Well, I might be staying on the farm a little longer.”

“What?”

“Mr. Jacobs broke his arm. They still need help on the farm.”

“You said you would be back this week.”

“I know, I know. I’ll try to work out visits? I thought I was going to be home, too.”

A sigh from the other side of the phone. “Does Annie know yet?”

“No. It’s not definite. I don’t want to tell her unless I know I’m staying.”

“Do you want me to tell everyone at the restaurant, or are you going to call them?”

“It’ll take a long time to call everyone. Could you tell them? I’m sorry, Boots.”

“Yeah, yeah. How’s the family treating you, Spot?”

“Fine, of course. Their daughter’s back home, now, and she keeps asking me about myself.”

“Ah. Well, if you stay longer, you’ll get to be with animals even more!” Boots’ pitiful attempt to cheer him up did make him grin, but a glance at the clock wiped it off his face.

“It’s getting late, Boots. I’ll call again tomorrow with a definite yes or no.”

“Alright, Spotty. Stay safe. Don’t get hurt. Everyone here misses you.”

“I miss everyone, too, tell them that. Bye, Boots.”

Spot hung up before Boots could get another word. He yawned, then, and headed back past David and Sarah to the back door. “Good night.” The door shuttered close behind him. “It’s time to ride the rainbow to dreamland,” he whispered to the stars.