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To say that things had been a whirlwind, it would be an understatement of the last year. Gavin had quit his job, which had made him fairly good money but damn had it been boring, not to mention exhausting. His Nonno had left him his farm years ago when he’d decided to go off and do whatever he’d decided to do. Gavin wasn’t entirely certain that the old man had died as everyone had believed -- he was far closer to the old man than most people in their family and it wouldn’t strike him as odd or even out of character for the man to have decided he’d had enough of everything and wanted a new adventure. From the letters he received with photos of the man and the sights he was seeing, Gavin knew he was right. He wrote back every time and got a response that was pages long. Gavin had taken the bus to Pelican Town, a seaside town that was really quite charming. When he arrived a year ago, it had been a little run down and in need of repair, but so had the farm he’d inherited. The community had attempted to keep it going, but it had been overgrown and needed a lot of help.
It had been a rough year of hard work, work that he’d barely known how to start, but everyone in town had been very quick to help him out. Geoff, the mayor of the whole town, had been welcoming and warm, and almost immediately adopted him, and Jack, Geoff’s husband, the owner of the livestock farm just below his own, had immediately taken to him. Fiona, his adopted daughter, ran the blacksmithery had quickly become his best friend. She helped him out by teaching him to how to make tools and mend them, though Fiona was also likely to just roll her eyes and heave a massive sigh and go,
“You’re an idiot,” fondly before taking his tools and mending them herself.
She also introduced him to Michael, the adventurer who took one look at him and said,
“You’re gonna need some serious training to keep up in the caves… And it’s gonna be me that’s stuck with that. Fuck.”
Gavin immediately decided that he liked him, and his partner, Lindsay, who as it turned out, was a wizard, something that Gavin found shockingly easy to wrap his mind around. They were a wild card, with bright blue hair and a wild grin, with the faintest smell of ozone coming off them. They moved rapid fire through topics, forcing Gavin, at first, to struggle to keep up, all but tripping through a conversation. As he got to know Lindsay though, he learned to pick through what they were saying and started to jump through topics just as fast as they could, much to their delight and the bane of everyone else’s existence. After a very large crater had been made on the beach, he, Lindsay and Fiona were banned from being left “unsupervised”, which had all three of them breaking down into hysterical giggles. Matt, who lived on the beach and was also the town doctor, had taken one look at the crater, shrugged and said,
“At least it wasn’t the dock or my house,” and headed off to his office.
Ky and Trevor had found the whole experience entertaining, though they were also the town’s mother hens and fussed over the trio for the ringing in their ears and the faint lines of soot that covered their faces. Matt had cleared them and made sure that they weren’t about to develop tinnitus. Ky and Trevor ran the museum and library, though Trevor could also be seen at the community house, helping organize events with Geoff as smooth as though he’d long been running the town. Ky was a joy to be around as well, always happy to catalogue the weird artifacts that Gavin lugged back with Michael, the pair of them laughing and trying to figure out what they’d found. Ky’s eyes would grow wide and she’d immediately race to get Trevor, Jeremy, and Alfredo, and the three of them would chatter about what had been found.
Alfredo and Jeremy had arguably been some of the biggest help for Gavin. They’d quickly become his friends, Alfredo even offering him discounts on the goods he sold at the general store, mainly the seeds and gardening supplies that would help him out. Jeremy had also come out the second day to help Gavin build fences and clean up the property, and then invited him back to the bar that night for a good round of drinks after a hard day’s work. Which was how he learned that Jeremy did a majority of the building in the town when the others couldn’t quite figure out how to build it, or wanted it done a certain way. Jeremy would always roll his eyes and huff at them, but he was happy to help.
The other residents of the town -- Sarah, Steffie, Larry, Sam, Chad, Barbara, Jon, Blaine, Chris, Kdin, Alec, Ify, Chilled, Elyse, James, Ashley, Jarren, Jacob, and Aaron all helped in their own ways as well. Chad worked with Trevor at the library, usually managing the front while Trevor lost himself in his research while Sam and James helped Alfredo with the general store. Sarah, Ify, and Blaine helped Fiona at the forge, though Ify could also be seen with Lindsay, working on his own magic with them.
Elyse, Jon and Jacob took over quite a few shifts at the doctor's office for Matt, making sure that he actually got sleep instead of just working himself at an insane rate. Chilled, Ashley, and Alec could usually be found around Jack and Geoff’s farm, helping Jack take care of his animals, and as Gavin got his own, helped him care for them. Kdin and Jeremy seemed to tag team, though Gavin still wasn’t sure if Kdin ran the carpentry business or the bar first before switching to help Jeremy with the other. She never gave a straight answer, and seemed to delight in his confusion.
Barbara and Larry helped Ky with the library, ensuring that it ran smoothly and things were catalogued and the stacks were organized while Ky worked on preserving the more fragile ones. Jarren managed to help keep Geoff organized, while Steffie, Chris and Aaron worked with Michael to clear out the mines and make sure that they were safe and bring in ore for Fiona to smelt. It made Gavin feel warm, that he was able to provide for the town, for all the friends he’d made in such short order.
“Earth to Gavin! Hello, earth to Gavin!” Trevor’s voice jolted him out of his thoughts and he blinked, looking around.
“Huh-?”
Trevor frowned at him, tilting his straw hat back. “Damn, Gav, you get heat stroke? Should I go get Matt or Elyse? They’re on shift at the office,”
Gavin scowled and playfully batted Trevor’s hands away. “Bugger off, I’m fine!”
Trevor snorted. “Uh-huh, sure you are. You’re looking pale. You’ve been zoned out the whole time we’ve been fishing. I swear you’ve let two fish go.”
“Not my fault the bugger’s are hard to catch,” he muttered under his breath, though Trevor caught it.
“You’re usually more focused on fishing,” Trevor pointed out, pushing his own hat back as the summer heat beat down on them. “You sure you’re okay? And no funny business Gav. I’m not hauling you out of the river.”
Gavin sighed and reeled his bobber in, setting his rod beside him and settled back on his elbows, sticking his feet in the cool, slow moving waters.
“Just… Thinking.” he finally said, grateful for the sunhat shading his face from the sun. “It’s been a year, but it doesn’t feel like only a year, you know? It feels like… Seven or-or eight, you know?”
Trevor laughed softly as he recast his own line. “Yeah, I getcha. You thinking of asking Jeremy and Fredo to the summer dance tomorrow?”
Gavin felt his cheeks glow with a blush as he sputtered and shoved at Trevor. “Oi!” he squeaked. “None of that!”
“What-! Hey, watch it!” Trevor cried, laughing harder.
Gavin growled and shoved Trevor again, just lightly to keep him from falling into the river though it was a tempting thought. It was something that only Trevor and Fiona knew, that he was crushing hard on the pair, and while polyamory wasn’t seen as a taboo in the town -- which had shocked Gavin at first, given that he’d been assuming the small town mentality would keep people from wanting to be together -- Gavin was nervous. He wasn’t sure how the other two felt at all, and he wasn’t about to start and force himself to have to move away from the town.
Gavin was forcefully wrested from those thoughts when he heard a pitiful meow. He looked around and frowned.
“Trevor, did you hear that-” there was another meow, deeper than the first and he reeled his line in hastily, scrambling to his feet. “That sounds like a cat-!”
“Oh shit-!” Trevor scrambled to his feet, leaving his fishing rod on the ground and pushing his hat back, looking around. “Where could they’ve gone?”
Gavin didn’t reply, too busy looking around for any sign of the cat. There were bushes and reeds, and a few trees. He scanned the area quickly, trying to pinpoint any sign of the animal. There was the higher pitched cry, no longer just a pitiful meow, and Gavin felt his heart break, trying to figure out where the poor creature was. Trevor scrambled up beside him, looking around and put a hand on Gavin’s shoulder.
“I’ll go left, you go right.” he said firmly. “I’ll bet you we can find them.”
Gavin nodded and set off to the right, carefully moving along the bank. The high pitched mewling was getting louder and he paused by a set of reeds before he pushed them back, not wanting to scare the poor thing further. For a moment, Gavin wasn’t sure what he was looking at, it looked like a ball of fluff and dirt before it opened its mouth and showed off bright white teeth, just barely past milk teeth, and a little pink tongue, the dark green eyes staring up at him pitifully.
“Ohhh, little sweet thing,” he cooed, reaching out carefully and scooping the kitten up. “Do you have a mother somewhere, little one?”
He looked around, holding the kitten to his chest, and the little thing mewed, chewing at his thumb. Gavin hissed in pain and pulled his thumb away, tucking the kitten so their face was facing away from his fingers.
“Treh! Treh, I found them!” he called before lowering his voice again and cooing, “It’s okay little one, we’ll get you to Linds, she and Ify can help…”
Jack would arguably be the better person to go to, but Lindsay and Ify both had magic and they were closer. They would be able to tell Gavin and Trevor exactly what was going on with the little scrap, and if they needed medical help, at which point they could go to Jack. Or Ify could heal the kitten, he was good with potions and magic, almost as good as Lindsay. Trevor came running, looking relieved and nodded, letting out a long breath.
“Good, that’s good. Come on, we should get going. Lindsay’s home, I can give them a call to make sure that they’re at the tower, but they should be alright..”
Gavin nodded and cradled the little mewling scrap of kitten close and followed after him. Trevor looked the kitten over and cooed, smiling at them.
“Lookit them, Gav, they’re so cute!”
“I know,” Gavin smiled at his hands. “Bitey little thing but just, lookit them!”
Trevor laughed. “You’ve had them for all of two minutes and you’ve already got baby brain,”
“Hey, Jeremy’s got three cats and Alfredo has Gabu! What else am I’m supposed to do?” he cried in mock outrage, the kitten crying out with him.
Gavin looked at the kitten and burst into a giggle fit, Trevor not too far behind him, wiping tears from his eyes as he shook his head.
“That kitten’s almost as opinionated as you!”
The sharp mew that erupted from the kitten that punctuated Trevor’s statement sent them both into another giggle fit. Gavin tried to keep his hands from moving and focused on keeping himself upright as he laughed and trembled. Trevor wrapped an arm around his shoulders, helping keep him upright, and walked with him towards Lindsay’s tower.
“Hey, Gav, Treh!” Jeremy’s voice nearly made Gavin jump and he looked down the road.
Jeremy was jogging towards them, a wide grin on his face. He was wearing worn jeans and a black shirt with a band logo on it -- a circle with 1551 in the center and One of the Hoard scrawled underneath like it had been written on. It was a very plain outfit, something that Jeremy wore everyday. It still made Gavin’s heart leap into his chest and his tongue feel too thick for his mouth, everything he wanted to say evaporating in an instant. Trevor, thankfully, took over talking, giving Jeremy a friendly wave.
“Hey there Jeremy! Gav found a kitten so we’re gonna take them to Lindsay to have them look the little buddy over.”
Jeremy’s smile dropped to a worried frown and he hurried over, cooing over the little kitten.
“Awwee, poor little guy,” he murmured. “Poor thing, I’ve not seen a mama cat around either, so it’s hard to say what happened. Did you just find him in a nest or something?”
Gavin managed to kick his brain into gear and unstuck his tongue enough to get out,
“Uh--No, we uhmm-- we just found the little thing out in the reeds and bushes,”
Jeremy nodded and turned to fall in step with Gavin and Trevor, giving the kitten in Gavin’s hands a worried look.
“Poor guy. I wonder what happened to him…”
“Can’t Lindsay like, talk to cats?” Gavin asked. “They’ve got a good enough sense for cats and all that,”
“You’re thinking of Ify,” Jeremy said, shaking his head a little. “He’s the one who talks to animals. Does wonders actually, for figuring out when someone’s lost a cow or a chicken. They’re just attracted to him, he’s like a Disney Princess.”
“He does look damn good in a skirt,” Trevor agreed with a nod. “And heels. He, Fifi, Michael and Alfredo when they took part in the fashion show to help raise money for the community house last spring?”
“Gav, you didn’t look too bad yourself, all dressed up in your suit like you were.” Jeremy said with an easy grin.
Gavin felt like his insides had become the same tangled mess of cables and wires that accumulated in Geoff’s junk drawer. His heart stammered and he managed a weak smile in return.
“Thanks, Jer,” he got out, mentally patting himself on the back when his voice stayed steady.
Jeremy gave him a little longer look, something that Gavin knew he was fooling himself into thinking was disappointment and resolve flashing across his eyes before it was gone.
“Course man!”
Trevor covered a sigh with a cough, waving his hand when Jeremy peered around Gavin to give him a worried look.
“Inhaled wrong, don’t worry bout me,” Trevor wheezed.
Gavin wanted to stick his foot out to try and trip the other, but he knew that if he did, his own clumsiness may have him falling and hurting the kitten as well. The thing was smaller than he liked, like it were the runt of a litter, but it was obviously old enough for solid food from the little sharp teeth that were trying to nip at his hands.
“Oww, little bugger, stop that,” he grunted at his hands.
The kitten could comfortably sit in his palm and gave a pitiful mewl. Jeremy chuckled and patted his shoulder gently. Gavin ignored how it felt like it were burning a line straight to his heart, crushing it down, thankful for the rising heat to be able to pass his blush off as sunburn if Jeremy asked, sunhat not withstanding.
“Little guy’s hungry, Gavvers! They need to eat soon as Lindsay and Ify get them checked out.”
“Yeah, yeah you’re right,” he picked up the pace, taking a deep breath. “Come on, we’re not too far away.”
Jeremy nodded and Trevor hummed, the pair walking a little faster as well. It was barely two minutes later that they crossed the bridge to get to Lindsay and Ify’s tower. It was, supposedly, an imposing structure, with the dark stone and the large window at the very top, with ivy, moss, and flowers crawling up it like the earth were trying to swallow it back into the earth. The general air of the place, with the cheerfully babbling stream and numerous flower beds and herb gardens that grew around it, however, with the happily buzzing bees and chirping birds in the boughs of the ancient trees that cast wonderful shade over lovely little picnic spots dispersed the terrible idea of the gloom and doom. There was a massive bronze telescope set out on the side lawn, carefully tucked away under the tree’s to keep it out of the heat, but it was clear that it would be lugged back out to be used for stargazing.
The heavy wooden door had a large wrought iron knocker that looked like a mountain lion paw and Jeremy quickly reached out to knock twice.
“Linds!” he called. “Linds, Ify! You there?”
“Come on in!” Ify called and the door swung itself open smoothly.
Inside was warmly lit, with floating orbs of varying colors bobbing through the floors. The whole inside was connected with a massive ramp that circled the inside of the tower, the railing thick, twisting branches of a tree while the ramp seemed to be something from a fantasy game, all well worn wood that seemed to be one continuous piece, just jutting out from the wall with no supports. Gavin had long learned not to question it. But each floor had something different dedicated to it. There was a set of bedrooms up there somewhere for them to rest at if there were a need, an entire library and laboratory as well on two separate floors, and a kitchen as well as an indoor garden.
Lindsay was in front of the fireplace, books floating around them as they read, flipping through it quickly to try and figure out something. Alfredo was on the opposite arm chair, flipping through another book, while Ify was analyzing a crystal on the exam table, a pair of glasses with jeweler’s magnifiers on them perched on the bridge of his nose. His shoulders were hunched in and he made a quiet noise of confusion as he turned the crystal another way and Lindsay looked over quickly before they returned their attention to their book.
“Hey guys,” Lindsay said. “Fredo and Mikey found a weird ass geode, and when they brought it to Fifi, it made a musical note instead of the usual cracking. There’s no note of a geode or crystal like it, and Fredo agreed to help. Fifi and Michael had to get back to work.”
“Hey baby,” Alfredo said, looking up and smiling at Jeremy.
“Hey, sweetheart. How’re your wrists? You didn’t overdo it mining again, did you?”
Alfredo laughed and shook his head. “Nah, I like being able to move my arms and wrists without them screaming in pain.” he beamed at Gavin. “Hey Gavin! How’re you doing, man?”
“Oh-Uhm, I’m good! Yeah, I’m good Frehdy,” he managed to unstick his jaw, forcing himself to speak again. “Trevor and I found a kitten-”
“You found a what-!?” Lindsay demanded, springing to their feet, books scattered to the ground and rushed over to them.
Gavin leaned back a little, laughing as the kitten mewled from his hands, chirping and squirming in his hands at all the attention. Lindsay cooed at the thing and took the kitten from his hands, soothing their fingers over its head.
“Ohh, you’re just a baby, ” they murmured. “Oh, lookit you. I can’t take another cat though, Micheal would kill me. Or his allergies would kill him. Whichever came first. Ify?”
He shook his head, looking apologetic. “Sorry, Linds, but I can’t handle having a kitten at the moment. Kdin’s helping me renovate the house, and I don’t want to disrupt the little tyke so much.”
“I can’t take him either,” Jeremy sighed, running a hand over his head. “Gabu, Scooter, Booker, and Zipper are a lot of work already. Maybe Jack-?”
Alfredo shook his head. “No, Geoff and Jack have their hands full with the lambing season. They wouldn’t be able to watch a kitten.”
“I can watch him,” Gavin said before he could stop himself. “Foster or keep him. Whichever. I don’t have a cat yet, and I feed the stray that comes around every other day. I’m pretty close to adopting that one too. I’ve been calling him Smee.”
Lindsay beamed. “Really? Thank you Gavin! I’ll go and clean them up and make sure that they’re healthy enough for you to take home, okay?”
“Yeah, sounds good.” he said with a grin.
“I’ll swing by your place later today with him, okay?” they asked. “Ify, come on, we can leave the freaky geode for now, we’ve got a little baby to take care of.”
“Right behind you, Linds. See you four later! Thanks for the help, Alfredo.”
“No problem, man. Let me know what it is if you figure it out,” Alfredo said as he stood up and stretched, grunting lowly as his back cracked.
Trevor clapped Gavin’s shoulder and grinned and winked at him. Gavin really didn’t like that expression on the other man, but before he could say anything to the contrary, Trevor was already speaking.
“I’ve got to go, I promised Bab’s that I’d help her with some stuff around the farm after I finished fishing for dinner with Gav. Have fun, you three!”
Gavin turned to call after Trevor, sputtering a protest that sounded more like an electric scooter that was struggling to start up. He missed the look that Alfredo and Jeremy traded before they looked back to Gavin.
“Hey, Gavin, why don’t we make dinner for you tonight?” Jeremy offered, smiling. “We can also get you some kitten stuff for the cat. Food, milk if they need it, bedding, litter box, all that. I’ve got a cat scratch post that I finished making, but Scoot, Zip and Book are all too big to play on it comfortably. I made them a floor to ceiling one that connects across the house.”
“I’ve got a whole bunch of new blankets too,” Alfredo offered with a smile. “And I’ve got plenty of pet supplies. Food, dishes, toys, beds, all that. And you’ve a long day man, I can see it as easily as Jeremy can on me.”
“I-” Gavin stopped and groaned. “I’m not gonna get out of this, am I?”
Jeremy laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “Most people’re jumping at the opportunity to have a free meal cooked for them, Gav!”
Gavin huffed at him and rolled his eyes before he led the way out of the tower. “Sure, fine. But you’re making something other than soup or something.”
Jeremy grinned. “I’ll make you a burger. Best damn burger you’ll ever eat.”
“That, I actually don’t doubt.”
Jeremy shoved him gently and Alfredo laughed as Gavin squawked in indignation.
“Oi!”
Gavin lunged towards Jeremy, mischief glinting in his eyes. “Get over here, wanker!”
“Oh, I’m Gavvy Free!” Jeremy pitched his voice higher as he danced out of Gavin’s reach. “I’m a bloody wanker! A mingy bastard!”
“Oi! I’m not the mingy bastard, that’s you, Lil J! Fucking arse!” Gavin laughed, launching himself after Jeremy.
Jeremy just laughed and turned to run. “Meet you at the store, Frehdy!”
“Sure thing, baby!” Alfredo called, waving. “Don’t trip, either of you!”
“I’ll be back for you, Alfredo!” Gavin shouted over his shoulder as his sunhat flew off his head, but he couldn’t care. “Don’t think you’re free!”
“Wait, what?!” Alfredo yelled but Jeremy and Gavin were already moving too far away.
Gavin chased Jeremy all the way back to town, Jeremy somehow outrunning him. Gavin bent double as he leaned against the wall to the general store, Jeremy leaning against the wall beside him. His head was tilted back, eyes shut and a smile pulling at his mouth, faint chuckles puffing with every exhale. Gavin felt his heart hammer in his ribs, struggling to escape his ribs and scatter on the ground.
“You two’re stupid,” Alfredo called with a smile and Gavin’s attention snapped to him.
And he felt his heart hammer harder. Alfredo was smiling, ambling over towards them and it may be the way the sun was hitting him or the way that Gavin just saw him on a daily basis, but it was like Alfredo glowing. His smile was a sight all on its own, and as he laughed, Gavin felt like he may fall over. The sunhat swinging from his fingers made warmth bloom in his chest, softening his heart and making a blush erupt from his ears across his face.
‘Gods I’m so fucking gone on them. ’ Gavin thought, feeling his stomach swoop and twist as his ears tingled with a budding rise of a blush that he fought down. ‘ Why couldn’t it have been anyone else? Any other people. ’
He knew he wasn’t anything special. He was funny, and he was good at camera’s and occasionally, he was pretty smart. Gavin knew that he could farm, that he was good at fiddly things and had stupid luck, but more than half the people in town could farm or work their way around a camera and some half decent editing skills. Larry and Sarah were practically magic with it, he’d seen them work on it. They’d been working on building a youtube channel that showed off the town and attracted attention for the occasional tourist for them to visit. The town was thankfully now profitable enough to last without a mega corporation coming in to take over, and in tourist season, Blaine would get the bus going and take people out with Lindsay, Fiona, Jon and Alec to guide people around the desert. It was fun, and people loved the “quaint and quiet nature” of the area. It was nice to have new faces, and to have the channel, but it was nice to know that at the end of the day, that the town would quiet down and there wouldn’t be so much noise.
“You dropped this,” Alfredo said as he got closer, plopping the sun hat on Gavin’s head with a laugh. “You need this, Gav, you burn easier than J.”
“Oi, I do not!” Gavin exclaimed breathlessly. “I get tan, he just burns.”
Jeremy flipped him and Alfredo off and pushed off the building. “Come on, let’s get your new kitten what they’ll need.”
“I think Lindsay said it was a boy,” Alfredo offered as he pushed the door open to the general store with his hip, humming faintly. “Baby, I’ll help Gav with the kitten stuff, and you can get stuff for dinner tonight.”
Jeremy nodded and grinned, rubbing his hand together. “I’m gonna make the best damn burgers either of you have ever had.”
He darted past Alfredo, giving him a quick kiss, before he went inside. Gavin looked at Alfredo and grinned a little.
“So, kitten stuff?” Gavin asked.
“Sure thing,” Alfredo said with a grin, letting Gavin in before him.
The store was warmly lit, the shelves well stocked. The store was fairly small, compared to the massive stores that Gavin had grown up with, but it was comfortable and Alfredo had everything that the town may need, from backpacks to vegetables and saplings for orchards. It was comfortable, and Gavin knew exactly where everything was. He could faintly hear Jeremy milling about in the other aisles, shifting things around as he muttered to himself, and Gavin could imagine Jeremy nodding to himself as he tossed a few things into a basket and moved around.
“Alright, so I’ve already got the litter box and litter, and a handful of cat toys, and Lil J’s already made a cat scratching post for me.” Gavin said, thinking. “I’ll need to get kitten food, and more litter, and more toys that’re more friendly for kittens.”
“Oh yeah, Jeremy built you that cat tower when you said you were gonna try and adopt Smee,” Alfredo said with a nod. “Alright, well, I’ve gotten a fair amount of beds and things, and there’s more than enough toys to keep any cat or dog or bird happy for a good long while.”
Gavin nodded, looking over the aisles idly even though he knew where to go. There was something oddly calming about being able to wander the shelves and be able to just wander without being rushed around from place to place by the need to get his groceries and then back home to cook something weak and then fall on his bed. A year and the experience of hard work on his farm, making friends, fishing with Geoff and Jack, working in the mines to find geodes and working to clear them out, it was good, hard work and it was fun. At the end of the day, he wasn’t so flat out exhausted that he couldn’t make dinner, and Gavin liked how he’d filled out over the year. He wasn’t a scrawny stick anymore, but was able to consistently keep up with everyone in town, even Fiona, Michael, Sarah, Kdin, Jack and Jeremy who had some of the more active jobs in town.
It was a good feeling and he felt accomplished in himself, in the work that he did. It was more fulfilling than sitting behind an office desk for too many hours, his eyes aching from staring at a screen and a hate for his computer or any the games he used to love winding down to curling sick and heavy in his stomach. Now, he could play games with his friends and go out and take videos and photos, and have time to actually sit and edit them, and enjoy the work. It wasn’t just another thing to do. A lot of his life had changed, and Gavin smiled, knowing it had been for the better. Alfredo walked along beside him, easily keeping the comfortable silence between them. There was no need for words as their arms bumped and pressed between them, Alfredo chuckling at him as he playfully stumbled, squawking.
“Come on, Gav, you know you’re fine.” he rolled his eyes in fond exasperation.
Gavin just grinned and straightened up as Jermey called,
“Don’t brain him, Frehdy!”
“I won’t, baby!”
Gavin grabbed a soft, fluffy pink cat bed and laid it in his arm, and then grabbed a few cans of wet food for kittens, two boxes with ceramic bowls in them, as Alfredo put in a few things of toys in the bed. Jeremy appeared around the corner of the aisle, basket in one hand and cat litter under his arm. He smiled at the pair and Gavin felt his heart thump hard in his chest. While he was distracted, Alfredo reached over and plucked the bed and all the items inside from his arms.
“Keep up, Gavvers,” he said with a grin.
Gavin rolled his eyes and shook his head, but followed after Alfredo, frowning when Alfredo breezed right past the front counter, as had Jeremy.
“Wait, Fredo, I need to pay--”
“Nah, don’t worry about it man.” Alfredo said with a grin. “Come on, let’s go get this stuff settled in for your new cat.”
Gavin just shut his mouth and nodded. He knew that it was pointless to try and argue with the pair. Jeremy pushed the door open, holding it open for the pair of them, and soon as they were through, Gavin noticed he made a point to walk around so that Gavin was between the two of them. Gavin reached up and messed with his hat, firmly ignoring the blush that was trying to work its way across his hat.
“--ke hamburger’s and grilled veggies,” Jeremy was saying, smiling with a nod. “There’s some good corn that you and I picked the other day, and I know you didn’t catch any fish earlier with Trevor or you’d reek.”
“Oi!” Gavin shrieked, forcing himself to snap back to reality before his thoughts could spiral too far away. “I would not reek--Well…”
Alfredo laughed and shook his head. “You already smell terrible from the river earlier, Gav. You need a showe before we sit at all close to you.”
Gavin sniffed at his arm and frowned, shaking his head. He smelled like river and sand, and it wasn’t a bad smell so much as the smell of the water and mud clung to his clothes and made him feel gritty.
“Yeah, okay.” he allowed. “I’ll shower, you two can cook.”
He looked up at the sun and tilted his hat back. It was fairly bright still, but it was later in the day, and it would be dark before all too long. It always shocked Gavin how the day passed so quickly and yet in no time at all, but it never really wore off.
“What’s goin through your head, Gav?” Jeremy asked.
“Huh? Oh, just thinking about how the days feel like they don’t pass at all but pass like, really fast.”
“Hmmn, I guess.” Jeremy shrugged. “Just feels like a day.”
“Yeah, but I mean, compared to being in the city most my life? These days’re nice. It feels like I’m doing more every day than not.”
Alfredo nodded in understanding. “Ohhh yeah, I get you there. I grew up in San Fran, and man, city was nice, but after a while, the high speed just grates you down to nothing.”
“Boston...Well, Boston was Boston.” Jeremy said with a snort. “Pretty shit at times, and I grew up in a smaller town, so I guess this place is just another nice, small town.”
Gavin nodded, humming. “I mean, it’s a lot nicer small town than I was expecting. I remember visiting my Nonno way back when I was a little thing, and helping out on his farm, but as I got older, it got harder to maintain those visits, especially since I started working corporate and it just drained my energy. I was tired.”
“Your grandfather talked a lot about you,” Alfredo said with a smile. “I was here the last two years he was here before he started talking about wanting to travel.”
“Where’d he go?” Jeremy asked.
“Uhhh, currently I think he’s in Sicily. He always liked the coast.”
Jeremy laughed and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like him. Just taking off in the middle of the night without so much as a note. I swear he would have faked his death if he could have.”
“Is that why everyone else thinks he’s dead?” Gavin asked, grinning slowly.
“Yeup. Worst kept secret in town,” Alfredo confirmed. “We all knew that he was going to head off at some point. Just poof gone one day.”
Gavin nodded and laughed. “Yeah, that sounds like him. Pulled a Bilbo Baggins on everyone.”
“Lord of the Rings, right-?” Jeremy asked slowly. “I’ve seen like...the start of that movie.”
“You keep falling asleep in the middle of it, baby,” Alfredo said, shaking his head mockingly.
“Hey! You fell asleep too!”
Gavin just chuckled and grinned at their antics, feeling the gentle warmth in his chest bloom, spreading through his whole rib cage and into his blood, it felt like. Instead of the electric heat that had been snapping through him, this felt softer, warmer. More settled. Gavin let himself be content, for just a moment, and gestured to the house as they walked down the dirt path.
“You two go ahead and start cooking. You just leave the cat stuff for me to sort out, I’ll be right back. I’m gonna get some vegetables from the garden.”
“Don’t the sprites help you with the whole gardening thing?” Alfredo asked as he stepped up onto the porch.
“The sprites have been helping a lot, but sometimes I just wanna do the gardening myself, you know? I told them that they can come during the harvests, when I’ll really need the help, but they always seem to know when I’ll be too busy to take care of the fields and gardens. Or those times that I get sick,”
“They’re literally magic, Gav,” Jeremy pointed out with a grin. “So I think that they’re a little bit smarter than you may be thinking.”
“Fair as.” he said with a laugh. “Go on in you two, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Alfredo and Jeremy nodded and headed inside. Gavin tipped his hat back and took a deep breath and looked out over his fields. There were fields and trees, the gentle rustling of plants calming and cheerful in the gentle summer evening. There was corn and wheat in whole sections of field, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, squash, and orchards that had oranges and lemons, and the newly constructed greenhouses held his less seasonal plants and things that were more fragile. His apple tree’s, pumpkins, lettuce, onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, cucumbers, peppers, various types of berry -- blueberry, strawberry, raspberry and blackberry, and herbs like mint, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and basil. It was his farm, and it was comfortable. He took a deep breath and listened to his cows and chickens as they settled in for the night and made a mental note to thank Chilled, Ashely and Alec with some cake from the milk and eggs he got from the cows and chickens.
Gavin smiled to himself as he walked along the stone path -- it had been there since his childhood and he’d had to replace some of the flagons when he’d been cleaning up the farm, but it was good. It was like putting his own spin on the farm, and he knew that Nonno had been proud. The thick, steady cursive and mixture of English and Italian in the letters, expressing his excitement in Gavin’s work on the farm and his attention to the little details had been etched into his heart and made him feel more accomplished than any simple nod or praise from anyone else. It was his farm, it was Nonno’s farm. It was memory and layers of good and bad times, all rolled up into something that made him feel like he were home. Gavin picked up the basket that he left at the fence post and smiled when he heard a happy mrrrp as Smee jumped up to trot along the stone fence line.
Gavin grinned and went to the greenhouse with the cucumbers, garlic, peppers, lettuce, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and herbs, Smee hopping off the fence line and following close at his heels. Gavin chuckled as he crouched and started to pluck the tomatoes from their vines, then stuck his hand in the ground and pulled out a few good potatoes, brushing the dirt off of them. Then, he moved to the carrots, lettuce and garlic, repeating the process. It felt good to pull the vegetables up, making sure that they were whole and pulling the leaves that had been bitten by bugs off and putting them in the compost pile outside.
Smee wound around his ankles, mewing incessantly and as Gavin climbed the stairs, the cat followed him inside. Gavin blinked in surprise before he smiled and shook his head. Smee came in during the winter and liked to stay in during the rain. Gavin shut the door behind himself as Smee went immediately through the living room to the kitchen, where Gaivn could hear Jeremy singing to himself as Alfredo moved around in the living room in front of him. The couch and arm chairs were arranged in front of the fire place, and the curtains for the window were pulled away, letting in the last of the sunset in to paint across the rug and the hardwood floor. Smee was sitting on the cat tower, stretching out happily and purring as he rolled onto his back. Alfredo was putting together the bed and the toys, putting the toys in a little box and the bed on the floor, wrapping a few blankets around it.
“Let us know if Smee is an asshole to the new kitten,” Alfredo added as Gavin toed off his shoes. “We’ll come help introduce them.”
“He should be okay with them, to be honest.” Gavin said, watching Smee with a smile. “And I think I’ve always had Smee, I mean like, as my cat. Not just a farm cat.”
Alfredo laughed. “You’re just now figuring that out? Gav, he’s only ever let you bring him anywhere into town and he’s mostly ignored everyone but Linds, Ify and Geoff. And sometimes Matt, if he had some fish with him.”
Gavin blushed but rolled his eyes, flipping Alfredo off. “Well, now I have to worry about what to feed Smee too.”
“Just feed him fish and chicken,” Alfredo suggested. “It’ll be easier on him, since he’s the most used to that. There’s also recipes online on what you can feed your cat that’s homemade and how to make it so that they don’t get sick. Jeremy makes cat food and dog food for Gabu, Scooter, Booker and Zipper, but it may be different for Smee and the kitten. I’d ask Jack what he thinks they should eat, to be honest.”
Gavin nodded and walked over to Smee, letting the siamese sniff his fingers before he scratched at his flank, smiling as the cat purred and then batted at his fingers. Gavin pulled his hand away with a grin, shaking his head at the cat. Smee just meowed and flicked his tail at the pair of them and began to lick his paws and clean himself. Alfredo clapped a hand on Gavin’s shoulder and gently nudged him towards the kitchen.
“Come on, let’s go sit. I think that J’s almost done with dinner.”
“Damn right I am!” Jeremy called, interrupting his own singing. “Come and eat, they’re gonna get cold.”
“Can I at least wash the vegetables-?” Gavin asked with a laugh.
“Sure thing. The salad will be better than waiting for the potatoes to roast. We can cook those later.” Jeremy said, gesturing to the sink. “You two grab your burgers, I’ll wash the vegetables and make a salad.”
“Thank you, baby,” Alfredo said with a smile, walking over to give Jeremy a kiss, which was returned with a soft hum. “You’re the best.”
“You know it,” Jeremy said with a matching soft smile. He hip bumped Alfredo and said, “Now go get some dinner, and put on your braces, pain meds’re in my bag. You did way too much mining today.”
“I had some earlier at Lindsay’s,” Alfredo said, though he did go to the kitchen table, opening Jeremy’s backpack and pulled on his compression gloves, detailed on the outside to look like dragon scale bracers. Alfredo sighed as he slowly flexed his fingers and nodded to himself. “Thank you, baby.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Jeremy said as Gavin put the basket of vegetables on the counter. “Gav, shoo! Get, go get your food, damn it. You and Fredo both need to eat.”
“You need to eat too, Jeremy,” Gavin pointed out with an eyeroll. “Tosser.”
“Yeah, but I cooked my burger last, so it’ll stay warm for the minute or two that I’m washing and cutting vegetables,” he said, gently hip checking Gavin. “Now, go get yoru food.
“Fine, fine,” Gavin sighed, mostly faux exasperation, and giggled as he danced away from Jeremy’s wet fingers flicking water at him.
Jeremy nodded to himself as Gavin danced around him and over to the stove, taking the plates laid on the counter with the fresh bread toasted a nice golden brown, the last of the lettuce from the fridge already on one slice. Gavin grabbed the spatula and quickly put two of the patties on their respective bread slices and went back to join Alfredo at the table. Alfredo had already put glasses of water down in front of them and Smee meowed from his cat tower, though he didn’t seem to be hungry.
“I’ll bring you some dry food in the morning,” Alfredo promised as he took his seat to the right of Gavin. “And some more cat dishes.”
“Thanks, Frehdy,” Gavin grinned and took a bite of his burger.
It was delicious and he had to keep himself from groaning aloud. There was cheese, and the burger itself was delicious, and there was also lettuce and peppers, and grilled onions, all coming together to make a medley of flavors that Gavin hadn’t realized he’d missed. The steady sounds of the sink going and then Jeremy singing to himself as he turned the water off and started to chop up vegetables and tossed them into a bowl made Gavin feel warm. He and Alfredo didn’t talk as they ate, savoring the food and waiting for Jeremy to finish with the salad, which didn’t take much time at all. Jeremy set the bowl down in front of them before taking his own seat to Gavin’s left, effectively sandwiching him between them and dug in. Dinner passed in comfortable silence, the three of them preoccupied with their food and their thoughts.
Gavin took the plates once they were done and Jeremy followed him, going to help him wash the dishes as Alfredo wiped down the counters. It was so achingly domestic that it made Gavin’s heart hurt and he missed Alfredo and Jeremy sharing looks as he stared at the dishes as he washed them.
“Hey, Gav,” Alfredo started, startling him out of his thoughts. “We were thinking of going to a little cove on the beach for some dessert. Jeremy made brownies and packed a blanket.”
He opened his mouth, wanting to accept, before he stopped himself, rubbing the back of his head, ignoring the soapy feeling in his hair. “I mean...I should...Prolly stay here with Smee, make sure that he’s settling in alright…”
Alfredo gave him a look and pointed to Smee, who had claimed the couch and was curled up on the center cushion, breathing slow and steady. Gavin blushed to his ears and wiped his hand off on his jeans.
“I’ll go and get a jacket and some shoes…”
“Don’t bother with the shoes, they’ll get all sandy,” Jeremy pointed out, pulling off his own and balling up the socks before he rolled up his jeans and wriggled his toes. “You’ve already not been wearing your shoes this whole time. Leave your bag here, you won’t need it.”
Gavin sighed but put his bag down by the kitchen table and let Alfredo and Jeremy herd him out of the house, pausing for a moment to grab his jacket before shutting and locking the door behind himself. He took a deep breath of the warm summer air and looked up -- the sky had gone dark, and the stars were out, twinkling and sparkling, and with the full moon, it was more than bright enough to see by. Distantly, Gavin could make out the street lamps from the town, and further, the gentle glow from Lindsay’s observation deck, which meant that they were putting on some kind of light show or using their magic to keep track of multiple things at once. Alfredo gently bumped his shoulder with Gavin’s and smiled, gently catching Jeremy’s hand with his own and the pair started off down the path. Gavin swallowed the thundering heartbeat and took a deep breath, following along after them.
It was a peaceful walk, once more filled with comfortable silence. The dirt and stones shifted and crunched gently underfoot, though Gavin no longer really felt them after the last year of having gone barefoot as much as he could if only to feel more connected to the area he’d spent so much time as a child. It was comforting and warm, the air not really muggy, and as they got closer to the ocean, the smell of the salt began to bite at his nose and ruffled his hair, the wind cooler. Gavin was immediately grateful that he’d thought to bring a jacket and he paused on the sandy shore, looking around. Gavin didn’t recognize the area they were standing in, but there were flowers and towering, ancient oaks at the top of the bank, and then a set of stone steps that had been carved out of the stone that made up the bank, a wooden railing set up to help get down. There was a simple wooden shelter to the far left, with a lantern hanging from the overhang. Gavin squinted, taking it in and hummed softly -- it was like a gazebo, but like it had been cut in half and mostly enclosed, expect for two windows that showed a few comfortable looking rocking chairs inside.
“We use that for when it rains and we just wanna watch the sea,” Jeremy said with a grin. “Kdin and I built it. It was my anniversary gift to Alfredo. There’s a stone base and raised up enough that the high tide can’t get to it, and we’ve got some rocking chairs in there. But, tonight,”
He let go of Alfredo’s hand and turned on his flash light, leading the way down the stairs, hopping off the last two stairs and landing with a grunt and a faint crouch.
“Tonight we sit on the beach and eat dessert and watch the show.”
“What show?” Gavin asked, raising an eyebrow as he followed after Jeremy, Alfredo steps behind him.
“You’ll see,” Alfredo said with a grin.
Gavin just huffed and rolled his eyes before he went over to help Jeremy, who had put his bag down and was struggling with the blanket that he’d pulled out of the bag. Jeremy shot him a grateful smile and Alfredo wandered over to get the lantern and brownies out as Gavin helped Jeremy walk the blanket out to stretch it out properly and then immediately sat on a part of it to help keep it down as Alfredo walked around and dropped rocks on the corners, the lantern set in the sand by the backpack and the brownies in their sealed bag on the corner.
“Scoot over man,” Alfredo said, huffing and Gavin squawked as he was pushed out of the way and further onto the blanket. “That’s better.”
“Ass, you could have asked!” Gavin sputtered, fighting back a laugh.
“Yeah, but would you have moved is the question,” Jeremy pointed out as he sat on Gavin’s otherside, stretching his legs out. He grabbed the lantern and brownie bag, clicking the light on low and creating a soft pool of light around them before he set it down and held out the bag of brownies. “Brownie? They’re fudgy.”
“Lil J, I will die if I don’t eat these,” Gavin said seriously, reaching out and taking the bag.
He opened it and took one, balancing it on his thigh and passed the bag to Alfredo, who took one and then passed it across Gavin to Jeremy.
“Here you go baby.” Alfredo said, dropping the brownies in Jeremy’s lap.
Gavin took a bite of his brownie, settling back on one of his hands as he looked up at the sky, smiling to himself. He was comfortable, and if he ignored how hard his heart was pounding, he could make himself believe that it was just a night out with his two friends, and not some love struck notion that it was anything more. He had to be fine with them being friends.
“Hey, Gavin, do you want to go on a date?” Jeremy asked, making him choke on a bit of brownie.
He wheezed as Jeremy pounded him on the back, and waved the man off when he could breathe, staring at him and then Alfredo with wide eyes, shock written across his face.
“I-I’m sorry-?!”
“You really could have given some kind of runner up, Jeremy,” Alfredo said, faintly scolding before he turned to Gavin. “But yeah. It’s exactly like he asked, Gavin. Do you want to go on a date, with the two of us?”
“I-I-Huh?!” he put his bit of brownie down and rubbed his face, feeling a blush heat his cheeks up to his ears. “Why?!”
“Because you’re smart and cute, and have a great sense of humor.” Alfredo said instantly.
“You make us laugh, you help Alfredo out around the shop when he needs the help and the others aren’t there to do so. Your laugh is infectious and you’re kind,” Jeremy rattled off barely a second later. “We’ve also been flirting with you for the last year.”
“That too.” Alfredo nodded. “Look, if you don’t want to, you can just ignore us and we’ll never bring it up again. But, we really like you Gavin.”
“I-You-” he took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. “I’ve been head over heels for the two of you since I got here and you two helped me out. I had fully convinced myself that you two weren’t interested, and I didn’t know how to bring it up at all without sounding like-like a creep or somethin’,”
“We weren’t sure if you were gay or not,” Alfredo admitted.
“I’m bisexual,” Gavin said immediately.
“Yuep, both of us are too,” Jeremy said with a nod. “But, we didn’t want to make you uncomfortable either, or make you feel like you had to agree to something for whatever reason. It’s why I didn’t ask Fredo out for like...Six months after he moved here. I’d built his house and I didn’t want him to feel like he owed me a date or something skeevy like that.”
“Baby, I was hard core flirting with you the whole time.” Alfredo said with a gentle smile. “I about bashed my head in out of frustration.”
“Yeah, I get that now, ” Jeremy said with a long exasperated sigh.
Gavin couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of him -- here he’d been worried about making the two of them uncomfortable and they’d felt the same about him, in both accounts. It was all a massive circle of worry and anxiety and he couldn’t help it as he cackled. Jeremy and Alfredo shared a look and slowly started to smile.
“What?” Alfredo asked, grinning.
“T-The meme! Th-The useless bisexual meme!” Gavin wheezed. “We were all too anxious about asking the other out! We’re useless .”
Jeremy wheezed and clutched his stomach as Alfredo leaned into Gavin. They slowly turned into a pile of limbs and wheezing laughter. When one of them started to calm down, the other two would squeak out some part of the meme and they would lose it all over again. Finally, they began to get their breathing back under control and Gavin stared up at the stars, his head on Alfredo’s chest, the other man’s arm wrapped around his shoulder and Jeremy slumped over his side, sprawled onto Alfredo. It was a little uncomfortable, but Gavin was too happy to move. They just laid there and breathed for a good few minutes, their cheeks burning from how hard they were all smiling and the exertion of their giggle fits. Suddenly, Jeremy scrambled to sit up and in a hushed, excited voice, exclaimed,
“Look, look!! It’s starting!”
Gavin pushed himself up and looked around, wondering what Jeremy could mean and felt his breath catch. In the water were hundreds, if not thousands, of glowing blobs that made the tides glow and shimmer.
“It’s algee and squid, and some jellyfish,” Alfredo explained as he pushed himself upright and draped an arm around Gavin, smiling as he leaned into Alfredo. “They come up here towards the end of summer, the day before the Summer Festival. Jeremy and I found out about it the first time we came out here for our first date. It’s become our cove since,”
“Wow,” Gavin murmured, staring out over the water. “It’s beautiful,”
“It’s pretty great.” Jeremy agreed with a hum. “But you two are better looking,”
Gavin laughed and gently shoved Jeremy before he was grabbed and pulled away from Alfredo into an awkward hug/wrestling hold by the shorter man. Gavin immediately tapped out and Jeremy laughed in his ear, letting him up.
“Come here you two,” Alfredo said, voice laced with fond amusement. “Let’s watch the sea for a bit. We can plan our date later,”
“Summer Dance?” Gavin suggested as he curled up between them, letting his legs tangle with theirs.
“Sounds good to me. Be nice to have a dance and food, and then we can chill out later.”
“I like that idea. We’ll game later.”
“Oh hell yeah,” Gavin grinned and sighed as he settled, feeling Jeremy wind an arm under his shoulders and neck, reaching for Alfredo’s as Alfredo reached across him to reach Jeremy.
It was a very nice way to be held and Gavin knew he could get used to it. He also knew that his Nonno would want to hear about it in his next letter, and would likely come down to visit and see for himself. The thought made him smile and he closed his eyes as he listened to Jeremy and Alfredo discuss plans for tomorrow. He could add his two cents later, Gavin had a moment to enjoy.