Chapter Text
It's the first day of Fall. You crouch down and pat down the soil on top of the seeds you just planted - the sun beating down the back of your neck. You've been out on the fields for hours now, getting ready for what's always the busiest season for farmers on Coral Island. It's been about a year since you took over this decrepit farm from your grandparents, and it's become home. You've gotten used to the sounds of the island - the waves crashing in the distance, the seagulls squawking above - it's much different than the city life you had but you've surprisingly adjusted quite easily. Maybe because of how beautiful it is.
More likely because of the people.
'You sure you're cut out for this?' you remember your old co-worker once said over your shoulder, as you were packing up your things from your desk job in the city - flights booked for Coral Island in a week. 'I mean, farming? What do you know about it?'
You remember taking the photograph of the farm you pinned next to your computer and looking at it, replying, 'I think it's what I was meant to do.'.
And it had been. The first year you were able to supply the whole island with organic produce for the first time. Sure, it was fucking hard. You definitely didn't plant seeds correctly the first time and you found yourself exhausted by mid-day, just from running around the island, picking up supplies, trading things, conversing with people. It was overwhelming, but the tingling in your chest when your first crop bloomed, the ache in your cheeks as you smiled handing over produce to thankful neighbors - that, that's what it made it all worth while.
You look up now, gazing at all the hard work you put in. You reach for your hoe to plant the last handful of seeds, and just when you slam it down to till the soil, the wood handle cracks. Shit. The impact radiates from your hand up your arm and to your shoulder, and you wince. It definitely needs a repair, and this is possibly the worst timing ever. You sigh and groan up at the sky before strapping it over your back and making your way to town.
-
You knock before stepping into the Sanchez' home, which is also the local blacksmith in town. You can hear the kiln running in the back, the sound of fire crackling but no metal sounds as it's close to closing. The temperature inside is warmer than outside, and you're grateful for the warm hug that surrounds your body as you step in. No ones at the front desk, so you round the corner and see Pablo and Kenny lounging on the couch, watching TV.
Pablo looks over his shoulder and smiles, putting up a hand to wave. 'Long time no see! Been busy lately?'
You flash him a smile and nod, leaning against the archway and hum softly, closing your eyes for a second before blinking at him - making a show for how tired you are. 'I need a repair. Desperately. Hi Kenny.'
Kenny, engrossed in whatever action movie they got playing, mumbles a hey and waves his hand up without turning around to acknowledge you. You smile and shake your head, looking back at Pablo. 'You think you can help?'
Pablo grins and starts to reach for the remote. 'Of course, what else am I here for? Let me just-'
'That's okay, Pablo. I think I got it.', a voice says from behind you.
You turn, and see Rafael making his way down the stairs, rubbing a towel behind his neck before looking up at you, a small smile on his face as he gets to the front desk. He leans forward and rests his forearms on the wood, 'What do you need?'
Pablo raises an eyebrow at his brother but shrugs, turning back to the TV.
Its just you and Rafael now. You swallow, trying not to look nervous as you walk towards him. If you were honest to yourself, you were hoping Rafael wasn't here today. You were hoping he was at the Inn - playing games with Valentina, or even outside cleaning up the graveyard like he usually does when the weather is nice. It's not that you don't like seeing him. You just, don't know how to act around him. You like seeing him a lot actually, more than you'd care to admit, and have gotten to know him since you moved. Your tools needed constant upgrades with how much you were using them, and Rafael just happened to be around more than Pablo. It's just a crush, you say to yourself as you walk towards him, sliding out the hoe from behind you and placing it on the table. A little school yard crush, that's all.
The towel is draped over the back of his neck, and you notice from his damp hair that he's freshly showered. He's not wearing his usual Fall outfit - which is your favorite - he's still in his white summer tank top and loose pants. He looks relaxed, so you try to bite back your nerves a bit and avoid staring at his bare arms as much as possible as you watch him take a look at your tool. Rafael picks it up with one hand and notices the split in the handle immediately, his eyebrows furrowing. 'Yeah, just need some hard wood for this and some metal bars. You got it on you?', he asks, still looking at your broken tool closely.
'Yeah, right here..' you place the materials on the table and cross your arms. 'How long you think - couple days like usual?'
'I think so..' He walks towards his working area next to kiln and places your tool on top of it, not making eye contact with you just yet. When you come around to stand next to him, he turns to face you, his back to where Pablo and Kenny are still watching that action movie. You look up at him and tilt your head, noticing he's staring but not saying a word.
'You, uh, left this the last time you came over - when we had that game night and sushi with Maisie?' he says softly, pulling out your flannel from the work bench beside him. 'I, uh, washed it for you. Is that weird? I just didn't want it smelling like the kiln, and, well, my hands get dirty so I-'
You interrupt him. 'Thank you, Rafael. That's really kind of you. I totally forgot I left it,' you reach to take it from him and your fingertips brush against one another. You can feel the slight roughness of his fingers and notice how large his hands are in comparison to yours. Your eyes flick up to his for a split second before holding the flannel closely to you, fiddling with the collar as you wait for him to respond. He smiles but then looks down and to the side, his hand coming up to rub the back of his head. He's never been really that great with eye contact, and also not great with words. A lot of your hang outs where mostly in silence actually, either eating lunch next to the lake or taking walks around the woodlands. The silence didn't bother you, you often worked in silence anyway on the farm, and it felt nice being around someone who was comfortable enough to just be.
The first time you hung out with the Sanchez' brothers, you knew Pablo was the talker. You considered yourself extroverted when you had to be, it was a skill you had to learn in the workforce back in the city, but at home it was much more comfortable to keep to yourself. You guess that it's why farming always seemed appealing to you, even though it was so different from what you were used to. Pablo talked your ear off that first day, but you felt yourself glancing at Rafael, waiting for him to interject. He never did, he just watched Pablo talk and made subtle eye contact with you here and there, smiling politely. Pablo was speaking for him a lot during the conversation, so you decided to interject.
'What do you like about the island, Rafael?'
He looked stunned when you said his name, glancing at Pablo almost to confirm that you were, in fact, speaking to him. 'Me?'
You nod, giving an encouraging smile and even leaned forward on the table you three were sitting at, resting your chin in your palm. 'You've lived here your whole life, like Pablo said, so what do you like about it?'
He paused, staring at you for a couple seconds before smiling and saying, 'Thanks for asking'.
He was giving you that same smile now, finally looking up to make eye contact. You just to stare back at him, smiling, and instead steps a little closer to you, his body facing yours but his head turned to look at your tool. He rests his elbow on the table so he's leaning slightly, making it casual but you feel like this interaction is anything but. You almost forgot why you came here.
'It's been awhile since we've reinforced the metal on that, so that's probably why the handle broke with all the pressure it's been under - considering how much you're probably planting this season.' he speaks softly now, a volume only you can hear. You notice how close your hands are to touching again, and the warmth from his body is palpable on yours.
'Oh, okay..' you try to respond with a coherent thought but honestly your mind is definitely not on work right now. It's focused on how close your bodies are, closer than they have ever been. How tan Rafael's skin is, how it still looks damp but you're not sure if it's because of the heat from the kiln or because he just showered and you desperately want to run your hand up and up his arm, feeling the strength underneath your hand from how much forging he does every day.
He turns his head to look back at you now, and you swear you see his eyes flick to your lips and back up again. 'I, uh, been meaning to ask-'
'Oh fuck!', Kenny and Pablo yell from the living room, causing you and Rafael to flinch slightly, backing away a couple steps from each other. 'Holy shit, that was insane.' you hear Pablo laughing at the movie in front of him, the credits rolling. They lean forward to peek into the work area where you and Rafael now stand, an awkward amount of distance between you.
'They left it on a cliff hanger!' Kenny said, putting his arms up in exasperation. 'Thanks for hanging out Pablo. I should probably head back.' He grabs his bag and puts his rancher hat back on, making his way around the couch towards the front door. He and Pablo say goodbye, and he waves at you and Rafael before leaving out the front door.
'You two wanna head over to the tavern? Drinks on me!' Pablo says, getting up from his seat on the couch. Rafael looks over his shoulder at his brother and shakes his head once, 'I'm good.'
'How 'bout you? I haven't seen you in so long, I think you and I need some time together.' Pablo grins at you, sauntering over. 'Work can wait.' he gestures to the tool on the table in front of Rafael. You laugh lightly and spare a glance at Rafael, who isn't smiling anymore and instead looking down at his feet, crossing his arms. Pablo is like this with everybody, but you notice Rafael's demeanor change whenever Pablo gives you a little bit of attention. It's only started happening the last couple times you've hung out, but it's something you think about often. Most often in bed, when you usually think about Rafael the most. Turning over every last detail of your most recent hang out, reading into every word and phrase, body language and facial expression. Wondering if the lingering glances and soft smiles he gives are just because he's being nice, or if he likes you. If he ever gets jealous.
You don't play into it though, you know how much Pablo's personality tends to overshadow Rafael unknowingly. But you know that Rafael needs someone in his corner to speak up for him when he doesn't feel like he has a voice. You know that feeling all too well.
'I think I'm okay actually. I might head back to the farm too in a bit, it's getting a little late.' you say, giving Pablo an apologetic smile when he pouts playfully and shrugs, turning to head out.
'What were you saying?' you turn back to Rafael as the door to the blacksmith closes, eager to hear what he has to say. He's been meaning to ask me what?
'Oh, if you wanted to head out that's fine. I- I was just, well, Luke sent me a bunch apple wine. I don't really drink that much but couldn't turn it down, and was uh, wondering if you wanted to try it with me? We could order take out from the tavern too and just have it here. Maybe watch a movie.' he sighs after he finishes, likes he's exhausted by the effort that took. He takes turns squeezing his wrists, rolling his shoulders. All nervous twitches you've observed over the year you've gotten to know him. It's sweet, you think, and you feel heat creeping up your cheeks. This invite feels different - you've always hung out in groups or ran into each other and had lunch out of convenience. But this time it felt.. like a date?
'That sounds nice.' you say, before he can take it back. He looks at you and raises his eyebrows, almost surprised by your answer. 'Really?'
'What, did you expect me to say no?', you tease, giving him a playful shove. 'Maybe this weekend?' you offer, slipping the flannel he gave back to you on and readjusting your bags.
He laughs softly and nods, 'Yeah, uh, that works for me. I can uh, pick you up? I mean, what? Why would I pick you up. I meant, shit, do you wanna just meet me here?' he winces, closing his eyes and grimacing at how he stumbled over his words again.
'Rafael,' you say, he opens his eyes to look at you. 'I'll meet you here.' you smile and reach out to squeeze his hand, unsure what's given you this confidence to touch him but here you are. Your hand lingers slightly and you start to pull your hand away and can feel the slightest bit of resistance from him. Your fingertips curl around each others slightly before your hand drops back down to your side, and you clear your throat.
'I, uh, should get going. See you this weekend?' you say, making your way towards the door. He stays behind his work desk and nods, waving to you. As you walk out, you turn to close the door behind you and catch a glimpse of him one more time. You see him press his palm to his forehead and shake his head, turning to grab his hammer next to the kiln and begin pounding on the metal he left out earlier that day. Your lips part slightly as you watch him through the crack in the door, like a creep, as you watch his bicep flex as he raises the hammer and slams it back down, sweat beading on his brow once again. You close the door before anything stupid happens.