Saturday, 25 March 2017

Story of Seasons: Raeger Fanfiction Part 15

Writer's note: It's been a long week, but I'm happy it's coming to an end. Hope you enjoy this new chapter!

To read the other chapters, click the links below:

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures



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Flambéed Love

~Brothers~
Raeger exited his bathroom door, with a towel around his neck which he then used to dry his soft brown hair. He quickly inhaled a breath of fresh air, which felt even more refreshing after spending close to twenty minutes in a room filled with hot steam.. and he started making his way towards his bed.
It's been a long day for him. Beside having to run back and forth to the trade depot so early in the morning to meet his suppliers, his restaurant was, for unknown reason, very crowded today. With the number of meals he had to cook so far, Raeger didn't have any chance to rest until closing time.
As he sat by his bedside, he dried his locks further, and let out a sigh. Something has been on his mind ever since he entered the shower.. and he still wasn't sure on how he could resolve the issue without creating any conflict - because this is something that could potentially turn ugly.
'How would.. no, rather.. how should I tell him?' he told himself.
His shower thoughts led him to realise that he wasn't exactly the first to place a liking on Minori. Well, maybe he was; but he didn't register it sooner. And he certainly wasn't the first to declare his feelings to her.
It was Fritz. His best friend.
He knew that Fritz has most probably moved on from her. They talked it out; it was all in the past, and they're nothing more than close friends now, right? So he shouldn't be worried right? But these notions did not stop Raeger from feeling restless after all.
He took a long and deep breath, and he finally decided that the best way he could explain this to Fritz is to be completely honest with him... tell him every single detail, just like how he likes it. And preferably, as soon as he gets the chance to. Maybe tomorrow, if he sees him around. For now, he'll sneak into bed.
...
Raeger woke up earlier than usual, even though he had been pretty exhausted from his work the day before; and he couldn't fall back into slumber despite his multiple attempts, so he decided he might as well start the day off early.
He got out of his comfortable quilted blanket, which has always kept him warm especially in this cold winter. He made a few stretches and then made his way to the bathroom to start his morning routine, before finally leaving the house.
His first stop, the trade depot, was already bustling with suppliers busily unpacking their goods. Raeger had always loved visiting the area. It was always a pleasure for him to see so many interesting goods on display, those he would never have seen in Oak Tree Town otherwise. He continued exploring the marketplace, all the while chit-chatting with some of the suppliers he frequently see. But after a good span of his visit, he was prompted to check the time to see if he might have been taking too long in the area.
'I still have more than enough time..' he let out a sigh of relief and smiled to himself.

 He stood still for a moment, a thought suddenly crosses his mind. Well, he could do it now.. and it's always better to do it sooner.
'But is this a good time?' he kept asking himself.
But he shook his head, clearing all hesitant thoughts away from his mind, and took a firm step towards the depot's exit, then making his way towards the city before finally entering the mountain area. The air here feels different somehow, even though it was just minutes away from where his house is located. He took a deep breath, and the freshness nature has provided seemed to calm him down a little.
Raeger finally reaches a familiar neighbourhood that he frequented a lot ever since he was young. The field of crops around the small house don't exactly look thriving, but he can see that it was taken care of with effort. He smiled knowing that his best friend was at least trying. Finally reaching the main entrance, he slowly brought his knuckle up, and placed three firm knocks onto the door.

 As Raeger had expected, there was no answer coming from inside the house. It might be too early for him after all.
He knocked a few more times, simultaneously calling out to the nonchalant farmer.
"Fritz, wake up. It's me."
Raeger leaned closer towards the door, lightly pressing his right ear into the only wooden piece separating the two young men apart in an attempt to hear any signs of footsteps.
Nothing.
"Fritz!" Raeger called out once more, only to be left standing outside without any reply again.
'That's three times'
He sighed, then swiftly grabbed a set of keys from his right pocket. He scanned through them carefully, until he found a distinctly different key: a slightly different shape, with a cursive 'F' carved onto it. At some point in their lives, the two young men agreed to start sharing their spare house key with one another; mainly due to reasons of convenience. Sometimes Raeger wondered if he had made a bad decision after all, because Fritz started coming to his place for no reason more frequently, distracting him from his work. But without fail, the thought always quickly goes away as Raeger recalled the memories they shared together, how Fritz got him through some of his toughest moments, and how dull his life would've been without the farmer.
Raeger slowly opened the front door, ironically not to cause too much squeaking sound that could wake the young farmer up. As he started walking towards the bedside, Raeger started to call Fritz out too.
"Hey, Fritz.. I used your spare key. Sorry I came in this early."
By now, Fritz finally started to open his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust his vision to the morning light. He curled up inside his blanket, keeping himself warm, not wanting to leave his bed just yet. He soon realised the presence of his friend, who is now standing just a few inches away from him.
"Raeger? What's up? What time is it?"
"It's 8."
"Huh..whaa??" Fritz questioned as he yawned at the same time. "Why are you here so early?"
Raeger paused, with a guilty look on his face. He turned to grab one of Fritz's dining chairs and placed it facing his bed, before he took a seat. Fritz looked at him confusedly, but decided to keep quiet and wait for his friend to continue speaking. It's pretty unusual for Raeger to do this..
"Uhh.. I need to tell you something, Fritz."
Fritz, still in his bed, stared at Raeger for a few seconds, then finally fixes his position so he was at least sitting properly on his bed. "Oookay..." he began. "What is it?"
Raeger swallowed his saliva and inhaled some air, before he cleared his throat and braved himself to tell the young farmer everything. Everything that's been happening.
"Uhh.. how do I start?" Raeger scratched his head nervously. "Do you.. remember the time when you had a crush on Minori?" he studied Fritz's expression as he spoke.
Fritz was, initially, somewhat stunned from his sudden question, but nevertheless he answered them smoothly. "Yeah.. why?"
"What do you think of her now?"
"Minori? Yeah she's a very sweet girl. And an amazing friend to have." Fritz replied honestly. By this time, he's now very curious of what it is that Raeger had in mind, but he tried his best to be patient. He can be reliable when needs to.
"Oh, I see.." Raeger paused yet again to think of his next words carefully, afraid to hurt his best friend in the process. "Is there perhaps.. any.. lingering feelings towards her,  Fritz?"
Fritz, slightly taken aback, was now starting to be aware of the direction of where this conversation is going. He might be dense at times, but it doesn't take a genius to figure this out. "I did think from time to time what it would be like if she actually accepted my confession.." Fritz began, while Raeger listened patiently -and anxiously, too.
"But I don't have any romantic feelings towards her anymore," Fritz declared, much to Raeger's relief, which the farmer noticed. "I do like her, but I like her as a friend." Fritz continued, and he smiled sweetly.
"Is that so.." Raeger returned the gesture, and positioned himself more comfortably on his chair now. He had also noticed that by now, Fritz probably already knew what it is that he's been meaning to say.
"I'm guessing you already know what I'm talking about huh?" Raeger chuckled.
"You like Minori, right?" Fritz blatantly replied, and sighed.
"Yeah" Raeger smiled tenderly. "I do. I really like her."
"Well," Fritz continued as he started to stretch his body. "You don't have to worry about me, Rae. I'll be happy to support you. I appreciate your concern, though. Hehe!" he grinned.
"Ah, thanks a lot, man. I'm glad.." Raeger beamed, grateful for his best friend's constant support and encouragement. "So yeah.. that's what I actually came here for. I couldn't wait any longer because it's been keeping me feeling very guilty."
Fritz laughed upon hearing his confession, yet at the same time it makes him happy to know that Raeger is thinking of his feelings. "Well aren't ya' glad that you got it out now huh!"
"Uh.. Fritz. I'm not done yet."
"Hhhm?" Fritz asked in confusion.
"I, uhm.. I actually just.. confessed my feelings to her a few days ago." Raeger declared sheepishly.
"Wait WHAT?!" Fritz widened his eyes in utter shock almost immediately, but before he had any chance to start bombarding him with questions, Raeger had already continued his words.
"I really wasn't expecting myself to say it so soon, but.. it somehow just happened. Well, not somehow, I guess it's all because of Klaus. What a sneaky old man." Raeger snickered.
"WHAT?!" Fritz cried out in disbelief. "YO MAN THAT'S VERY.. I.. I WASN'T EXPECTING YOU TO BE SO QUICK?!"
"I told you, it was Klaus." Raeger remained calm.
"But STILL?!" Fritz yelled.
"I'm really sorry, Fritz..." Raeger gave an apologetic look to his friend. "Are you mad?" 
"Ah.. no. No." Fritz finally lowered down his voice. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Rae. It just.. took me completely off guard."
"Wait. What did she say?!" Fritz raised his voice once again.
"Oh. Uhm," Raeger stopped, thinking of how he should say it. 'What would be a nice way to put it?' He stayed silent, prompting some suspicions from Fritz. Raeger was at a loss for words, when suddenly he started to remember the sequence of the special event, that made him smile.
"It's.. mutual." Raeger smiled to himself.
"Ah.. that's great. I'm happy for you, Rae." Fritz looked at Raeger encouragingly. He's happy to see his best friend finally finding someone he sincerely loves, what's more it's with someone Fritz truly cares about too. He wasn't even thinking of the fact that he himself used to have feelings for Minori too. He's just genuinely happy for Raeger.
 "But goshh. For a second there I thought she rejected you, man! You were taking too long to think!" Fritz uttered.
"Ahaha! Sorry, sorry! It's not something I can just casually say, right?"
"Urgh.. I guess you could say that." Fritz agreed unwillingly, when his stomach suddenly growled.
"Raeger.." Fritz began.
"Yes.. yes...." Raeger sighed, and started walking towards his kitchen. He's already so used to it that he doesn't need Fritz to finish his sentence to know that the young farmer wants Raeger to prepare some meals for him. Raeger located the fridge and quickly opened it, and he was shocked to see what was inside, or rather, what was NOT inside.
"FRITZ!!! Your fridge is empty!!!"
"Riiiiiight...." Fritz looked away guiltily.
"How many times do I have to tell you to properly stock your ingredients?" Raeger uttered in disbelief. "Gosh.. I'm like your mother."
"Uh.. uhm.." Fritz stumbled for words. "HEY!! You woke me up at 8!! Shouldn't you be doing something to make it up to me? For my loss of sleep?!"
Raeger groaned. "Oh god.. okay, okay.. I'll run back to the restaurant to get some ingredients, alright? It doesn't look like your crops are ready anyway.."
"Hehe, thanks, Rae." Fritz grinned. "There better be plenty of food okay!"
"Yesss... but for now go get yourself ready first okay!" Raeger started walking towards the front door, reaching out towards the knob, and ready to leave the house before he turned to look back at his friend.
"Hey Fritz.."
"Oi?"
"You're a good friend, alright." 
Raeger smiled, and finally left with a much lighter heart.
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