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.