Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been a very dry season as the end of spring approached.  With the exception of a few scattered showers, there hadn’t been any notable rainy days for weeks.  As the end of spring arrived, the town was relieved to finally have some rain headed their way.  Farmer Jay was especially relieved, rainy days were usually welcome to hydrate the soil of Sour Cherry Farm.  Excessive rain, of course, had the potential to be disastrous, but a solid day or two of rain was exactly what Jay was hoping for before the summer heat was upon them.  Rainy days meant nourished soil, plus some extra time that otherwise would have been spent hand-watering their plants.

With a clear schedule for the rest of the afternoon, Jay was eager to head out into the pouring rain to pay their dear friend Harvey a visit.  Harvey generally disliked the rain and Jay was hopeful that they could drop by to see Harvey and lift his spirits during the downpour.  Not only that, but Jay was hoping to check in on Harvey to see if he was alright after very suddenly leaving the Flower Dance the day before.  Jay had been dancing with Shane and hadn’t noticed Harvey was gone until a few dances later.  It wasn’t unusual for Harvey to leave town events early, but it was unusual for Harvey to leave without saying a proper goodbye.  It couldn’t hurt to check in on Harvey today to make sure he was doing alright.

The walk into town was quiet and serene, exactly what Jay had been hoping for.  Most of the town remained indoors on days such as this, but for Jay it was fun to walk under the downpour.  The sound of the rain tapping lightly against Jay’s umbrella was soothing, leaving them feeling relaxed and at peace.  Already they were feeling very positive about today.

When they arrived at Harvey’s clinic, Jay folded up their umbrella and set it under the awning of the clinic.  Already Jay’s boots would be tracking in enough rain water, the dripping wet umbrella could remain outdoors to avoid bringing a flood into the waiting room.  As Jay entered the building, they heard the soft tinkling of the bell above the clinic door.  As usual, this alerted Harvey to the presence of a visitor and he snapped to attention in an endearingly professional way.  When his eyes met Jay’s, Harvey’s calm professionalism faded and his stiff, uptight posture loosened back to normal.  His expression, however, still bore an unusually forced smile.

“J-Jay!” Harvey greeted them, seemingly flustered by their sudden appearance.  Jay hoped they hadn’t interrupted Harvey working on important paperwork or in the middle of some well-earned downtime.

“Hey, Harvey!” Jay greeted cheerfully.

Upon approaching the counter of the clinic, Jay hopped up onto the counter to sit, their feet dangling casually over the edge.  Harvey still looked flustered and a bit out of sorts, though it hadn’t occurred to Jay until now that perhaps sitting on top of the clinic counter wasn’t the most hygenic choice.  Harvey always was very particular about cleanliness, even before he became a doctor.  By now the damage had been done, though, there was no sense hopping back down.  Jay shrugged and smirked apologetically at Harvey.

“Sorry that you’ll have to wipe the counters as soon as I climb down,” Jay laughed.  “Didn’t mean to make more work for you.”

“Rainy days are always slow anyway, it’ll give me something to do,” Harvey replied, smiling the first genuine smile since Jay arrived.

“You okay?  Did I interrupt anything?” Jay asked casually.

“Just my second cup of coffee of the day while I file the same dull reports,” Harvey groaned, gesturing to a stack of paperwork.

“Ah, I thought you didn’t look too happy when I got here,” Jay pointed out.  “I wondered if I’d done something.  Especially after yesterday.”

“N-not at all,” Harvey replied, though his pleasant expression seemed once again forced.

Jay couldn’t quite put their finger on why, but it seemed like Harvey was acting strangely ever since yesterday.  It wasn’t like Harvey to look so nervous around Jay and it wasn’t like him to leave without saying goodbye either.  After very quick deliberation, Jay decided it would be best to drop it.  Harvey knew Jay well enough to know that if he ever had anything he needed to talk about, he could always talk to Jay about it.  They’d been friends long enough that Jay never needed to remind Harvey that they were there for him.  Instead, Jay decided that friendly distraction was what Harvey needed.  It was, after all, Jay’s entire reason for visiting.

“Glad to finally have some rain this spring,” Jay brought up conversationally.  “I love the sound of it.  I like to just close my eyes and listen.”  Jay proceeded to close their eyes and smiled at the gentle tinkling of the rain outside.  “It’s lovely.”

“You’ve always liked the rain,” Harvey pointed out with a grin.  “Can’t say I agree with you for the most part, though you’re at least right that it’s pleasing to listen to.  It’s comforting.  Reminds me of when we were kids.”

“Me too,” Jay replied fondly.  “I guess that’s part of why I like it so much.  The rain makes me think of you and Greg.”

In unison, both Harvey and Jay turned their eyes to the window facing town square, watching the rain fall in silence.  It was nearly a full minute of silence they shared watching and listening together before Harvey stiffened up and his professional demeanor returned.

“Jay, did you walk all the way over here in the pouring rain from Sour Cherry Farm?!” Harvey asked in sudden realization.

“Oh… yeah,” Jay replied sheepishly.  “But I used an umbrella, it’s fine.”

“Just please be careful, even with an umbrella it’s still cold out there and the ground can get incredibly slippery,” Harvey cautioned.  It was sweet to see him drift back and forth between being a friend and being a doctor.

“I know, I know,” Jay replied, waving a playfully dismissive hand at Harvey.  “I promise I’ll be careful, Doctor.  I just wanted to come and see you.  Like we talked about, rain always makes me think of you, so… here I am!”

“So here you are,” Harvey replied with an affectionate smile.

“We’re lucky we didn’t get this rain yesterday,” Jay went on.  “That would have ruined the whole Flower Dance.”

“Ah, yes, we… we couldn’t have that ,” Harvey replied, turning his eyes away as his affectionate smile faded.  Jay felt a pang of guilt bringing up the Flower Dance, knowing that Harvey hadn’t had anyone to dance with.  It was likely a sore subject as a result, possibly even the reason Harvey left so early.

“Sorry, I know you didn’t have the best time at the dance yesterday,” Jay remarked sadly.  “I noticed you left early.  I was actually kinda disappointed that I didn’t get to say goodbye before you left.”

“Oh, you were busy having a wonderful time with Shane, I… I didn’t want to bother you two,” Harvey muttered quietly.

“You’re never a bother to me, we’re friends!” Jay piped up happily.  Somehow, this answer didn’t seem to make Harvey feel any better, so Jay went on.  “I’ve always got time for you, Harvey.  In fact, I’ve got time for you right now.  We didn’t get to hang out much yesterday at the Flower Dance, let’s spend the day together.”

“Jay, I have work,” Harvey pointed out sadly.

“Even a doctor gets a lunch break,” Jay went on with a smirk.  “Take an early lunch break, Doc, live a little.  Let’s grab lunch at the saloon together, just me and you.  Shane’s working today, I know you don’t like it when the three of us hang out together, so… it’ll just be me and you.  Just like the old days.”

Harvey considered Jay’s offer for a moment, his face twisting in thought as his brow furrowed and his mustache curved in a terribly amusing way.  Jay had to stifle a laugh, it was always so amusing to see Harvey’s serious thinking face.  As Harvey’s brow loosened and his mustache returned to its normal state, Harvey met Jay’s eyes and smiled warmly.

“I’d like that,” Harvey replied, nodding.  “I don’t have any appointments for the day and there’s rarely any activity on rainy days.”

“That’s the spirit!” Jay exclaimed, hopping down off the clinic counter.

Immediately Harvey reached for his bottle of disinfectant and quickly wiped down the counter where Jay had been sitting.  This time it was impossible to hold back an amused giggle at Harvey’s quick response.  Though Harvey seemed embarrassed by Jay’s laughter, the moment they locked eyes Jay flashed Harvey a reassuring smile.

“Well, I’m ready when you are,” Harvey remarked once the counter was wiped down.

“Great, my umbrella’s just outside, I think we can both fit underneath it as long as we stay close together,” Jay offered, already headed towards the clinic door.  Harvey seemed to falter behind them.

When Jay opened the door leading outside, they gasped at the sight of a very empty porch outside of Harvey’s clinic.  Where once Jay’s umbrella stood, there was now nothing at all.  It was doubtful it was carried away in the weather, though the rain was still pouring there hadn’t actually been any wind.  Clearly someone, in need of an umbrella in the downpour, had taken it upon themselves to ‘borrow’ Jay’s umbrella.

“Well… the good news is that the walk to the saloon isn’t that far,” Jay began optimistically.

“And the bad news?” Harvey asked, poking his head outside of the clinic door behind Jay.

“The bad news is that someone seems to have stolen my umbrella,” Jay went on with a lopsided frown.

“What?!” Harvey called out angrily.  “Who in their right mind steals an umbrella during a storm?!”

“Oh, it’s not a ‘storm’, it’s just a little rain,” Jay went on, still attempting to remain positive.  “The saloon’s not that far, it’ll be a five minute walk at the most.”

“That’s still five minutes in the rain without proper rain protection,” Harvey pointed out.  “Hold on, I can grab my umbrella, I think it’s upstairs in my closet somewhere.”

“I’ve seen your closet, with how much is buried in there it might be a half hour before you find it,” Jay teased.  “Come on, what’s a little rain?”

Harvey glanced down at his very nice sportcoat, sighed heavily, then looked back out at the pouring rain.  He seemed to be weighing his options as well as considering the rain damage that would be done to his expensive coat.

“The longer we wait here, the less time we have to hang out,” Jay pointed out playfully.

“Okay, but we should make it a quick walk,” Harvey sighed in defeat.

“Ah, but remember, if we’re quick then won’t we run the risk of slipping and falling on the slick ground?” Jay teased.  “That is what you said, right?”

“So I did,” Harvey chuckled darkly.  “There’s no winning apparently.  Either we hurry and risk falling or we don’t hurry and we end up soaked.”

“I’ll take being soaked, it’s more fun,” Jay replied.

“At the very least I’ll try to give us cover,” Harvey offered, removing his jacket to hold it over himself and Jay.

It was not lost on Jay just how kind and thoughtful this gesture was.  Jay knew how worried Harvey was about ruining his nice coat and it was quite a sacrifice for him to offer it as a shield for the two of them to use on their walk to the saloon.  Of course Jay could attempt to turn down Harvey’s offer but it was such a kind act of care that Jay knew Harvey would not cave easily.  Instead, Jay nodded appreciatively.

“Alright, let’s head out,” Jay remarked, stepping out under the awning while Harvey closed the door behind them.

The first step out into the pouring rain tickled Jay’s face.  The jacket covered most of them, but a few rogue droplets splashed onto Jay’s nose and cheeks.  Jay only hoped that Harvey wasn’t completely miserable as the two made their way across town over the rain slicked cobblestone of town square.  What Jay did not end up seeing, too focused on their destination to notice, was the look of adoration on Harvey’s face as he huddled close to Jay underneath the jacket.  Harvey barely even noticed the rain anymore.

Chapter Text

“Flour?”

“Check.”

“Sugar?”

“Check.”

“Butter?”

“Check.”

“Eggs?”

“Eggs… eggs… oh Yoba!  I forgot to buy eggs!?” Harvey gasped in horror.  Jay laughed and shook their head.

“Of course you didn’t buy them, they weren’t on the shopping list,” Jay remarked.  “Why would I add eggs to the list when we have a coop?  I just meant do you have them here on the counter.”

“Oh… right,” Harvey replied sheepishly.  “No, but I can grab them.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of it,” Jay assured Harvey, already crossing the kitchen to retrieve the household supply of eggs.  “You just keep checking items off the list as you find them in the grocery bag.”

Poor Harvey was so eager for their baking project together, Jay couldn’t blame him for being a bit nervous and excited.  It was their first Winter Star as a married couple and Jay wanted them to enjoy as many festivities as possible.  Though it was Harvey’s busiest season, he managed to find time whenever he could to be with Jay and enjoy the holiday season together.  Jay’s work around the farm was so minimal this time of year, Jay was able to help around the house to the point that any of Harvey’s time off could be spent having fun together without having to worry about household chores or responsibilities.  In a way, it worked out quite well.  Their time together was more focused on quality than quantity during winter.

For the last few winters, Harvey had expressed a desire to expand his model construction into a different medium; a tastier one.  It started a few years earlier when Gus had built a gingerbread house as a centerpiece for the Feast of the Winter Star and Harvey remarked that he’d been curious to try his hand at building a gingerbread house of his own someday.  Jay hadn’t thought much of this passing comment.  The following year, Harvey had seen a beautifully decorated gingerbread house in a magazine advertisement and commented yet again that he’d always wanted to try building one of his own.  Now, Harvey’s interest had caught Jay’s attention.  It was one year later and Jay hadn’t forgotten how Harvey had expressed an interest in gingerbread houses.  Knowing that their husband would likely never take the first step on his own, Jay surprised Harvey one afternoon by leaving a recipe for gingerbread on the kitchen counter alongside printed instructions on how to construct a basic gingerbread house.  Harvey was ecstatic.

With all the groceries purchased and the supplies ready, Harvey was eager to get started.  To fully set the festive mood, Jay insisted on playing holiday music while they worked.  With the scent of gingerbread expected to fill the farmhouse, the jolly music playing along in the background, and the farmhouse already filled with decorations, Jay was happy just to experience all the sights, sounds, and smells of the season.  The final addition to the festive scene were the holiday sweaters Jay had purchased for themself and their husband.  Harvey playfully protested the novelty sweaters, though Jay could tell deep down that Harvey enjoyed them.  It was always fun to see Harvey’s more playful side come out, it was something Jay prided themself on being able to do.  If anyone could get Harvey to loosen up a bit and have fun, it was Jay.  And if Jay had anything to do with it, today was going to be one of the most fun days ever.

“I think we’ve got everything,” Harvey remarked, his mustache curving upward at one side and his brow furrowing as he looked over the list once more.

“You’re so adorable when you’re concentrating really hard,” Jay pointed out playfully, pecking their husband on the cheek.  Jay could feel the warmth of Harvey’s cheek against their lips as it instantly flushed.

“I just want everything to go smoothly,” Harvey replied sheepishly.

“And it will ,” Jay assured him.  “We’ve got all the ingredients, we’ve got all the supplies, we’ve looked this recipe over at least a dozen times.  I think we’ve got it.  These houses are gonna come out perfect.”

“Your optimism astounds me, darling” Harvey replied fondly.  “Then I guess there’s nothing else to it but to dive right in.”

Both Jay and Harvey took a moment to roll up the sleeves of their sweaters.  The heating in the farmhouse combined with the warmth from the pre-heating oven was enough to keep the place cozy.  The sweaters might actually have been a bit too much, but Jay found it sweet that Harvey didn’t say anything.

“Okay, so first we need the dry ingredients,” Jay read from the recipe.  “That’ll be the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.”

“Already prepped and ready,” Harvey pointed out, gesturing to an area of the counter where a bag of flour and multiple spice containers sat in a group.  Harvey’s chest puffed out proudly.

“Wow, you really are eager,” Jay teased.  “While you whisk those together, I can start on the wet ingredients.”

The two exchanged a quick nod before each setting to work.  Harvey very carefully and precisely measured out each ingredient, often twice to ensure perfect accuracy.  Jay, on the other hand, was a bit less exact.  They weren’t quite at the level of throwing ingredients into the bowl carelessly, but perhaps their half cup of molasses was a bit more overflowing than it should have been.  Thankfully Harvey was too engrossed in his own task to notice.  While Jay turned the mixer on to a low setting, they glanced over at Harvey to find him carefully whisking his ingredients together.

“You look so serious,” Jay giggled.

Harvey had been so serious, in fact, that he was caught off guard by Jay’s sudden appearance and jostled the bowl enough to cause some of the dry ingredients to spill out onto the counter.  Harvey groaned and looked disappointed in himself.

“Oh no, now I need to measure it all over again,” Harvey sighed.

“It was only a little, it should still be fine,” Jay assured Harvey, running their fingers through the scant amount of flour that had spilled onto the surface.  It really wasn’t all that much.

“But it’ll throw off the whole recipe!” Harvey went on.  Jay could already see tension building in Harvey’s shoulders and the return of his furrowed brow.

“Oh, my idiot, it’ll be okay” Jay addressed Harvey with nothing but love and affection.

They smiled reassuringly at Harvey and rested a hand gently at his cheek.  Harvey’s face melted into Jay’s touch and already he seemed much more calm.  When Jay pulled their hand away from Harvey’s face, they had to stifle a laugh at the sight of a smudge of flour on Harvey’s cheek.  They didn’t realize it at the time, but their fingers had been coated in flour before reaching out to touch Harvey’s face.  It must have been Jay’s wide eyed expression that gave them away, Harvey tilted his head curiously at his spouse and raised an eyebrow.

“Is everything okay?” Harvey asked.

“It’s nothing, it just looks like it snowed a bit on your face,” Jay laughed, reaching out to try and brush the flour off of Harvey’s cheek.  Already they forgot that their fingers were still coated in flour and the attempt to wipe it off only made it worse.

“Are you rubbing flour all over my face?” Harvey asked with a light chuckle, stepping back to avoid any further mess.  This only made Jay want to create even more of a mess.

“Originally not on purpose, but now…” Jay trailed off, smirking deviously at Harvey.

“Well at least allow me to even the score,” Harvey remarked.

Before Jay could process what Harvey said, Harvey dipped his fingers into the small pile of flour that had fallen onto the counter and swiped his fingers out to brush against Jay’s cheek.  Jay was left speechless for a moment; not from Harvey’s retaliation but from the swell of emotion at how much fun Harvey seemed to be having.  Only moments earlier, he’d been nervous over the recipe and upset over a small amount of lost flour, sure that the recipe was ruined.  Jay was proud of how easily Harvey recovered from the incident and how quickly he was able to turn it into something fun and playfully.  This is surely not how Harvey would have reacted even a year or two earlier.  It was heart-warming to see how far Harvey had come.

“Consider the score even,” Jay finally replied, smiling fondly at Harvey.

“Truce?” Harvey asked, holding out a hand to his spouse.  “Otherwise we really will have to start over.”

“Truce,” Jay agreed, taking Harvey’s hand for a handshake.

It was difficult for them to tear themselves away from each other, but there was still quite a bit of work to be done.  The moments that they could be working together were at least fun, far more than the times they were working independently.  Neither of them seemed to miss an opportunity to steal a kiss or an affectionate squeeze of the other’s hand while they worked.  It only made the process more fun to see how often they could work in short, intimate exchanges while passing by for a needed ingredient or standing at the counter to mix.  By the time they started mixing up their third batch, they’d found a steady rhythm and had the process down fairly well.  While the third batch was setup in the mixer, Harvey and Jay came together to start rolling out the first batch that had been chilling in their refrigerator as they worked.  Without meaning to, they both reached into the bowl to remove the dough, their hands and arms tangling with the other’s by accident.  Neither seemed willing to retreat, instead they locked eyes with each other and smiled.

“I got here first,” Jay teased.

“But I thought we were doing all this for me,” Harvey pointed out playfully.  “Shouldn’t I get to roll out the dough?”

“You’d think so, but it’s first come first serve in this house,” Jay went on with a smirk.

“I suppose I will need some help kneading the dough properly,” Harvey suggested.

“That’s the spirit,” Jay replied victoriously.

“My love,” Harvey sighed happily.

“My idiot,” Jay replied affectionately.

The two leaned forward for a kiss, their hands still tangled together in the bowl of dough.  Jay couldn’t remember the last time they had this much fun with Harvey or the last time that their husband was this playful.  At this point, it hardly mattered if their gingerbread house would be a huge success or a massive failure.  What mattered most was the company and Jay couldn’t think of anyone else they would rather spend their holiday season with than Harvey.