Chapter Text
Clementine woke with a heavy eye. She came into consciousness slowly; steadily, as if sleep was cradling her back into her own bed where she could now go off and explore.
Her first thought was of the red haired man. Her ‘Genti. She bored her now open eyes into the ceiling, thinking of his steady hands and soft voice. The comfort in the warmth of his arms, holding her and rocking her back and forth with a sparkle in his eyes Clementine didn’t have the words to name yet. It reminded her of Baba.
The red haired man was the one to pick her up each morning. He woke up after she did, and before Baba did. Sometimes he would bring her out with him to tend to the farm or work with the horses. Not that Clementine did anything, she was just strapped to his chest the whole time, but she enjoyed looking around and being able to see the sights in the company of ‘Genti.
The mornings held in the hot breaths of the day, the heaviness of Summer’s peak. It was a pause, a brief moment in time where ‘Genti could get work done while still being affectionate. When the hot sun bore down, it meant he'd pause everything to focus on getting his work done better. He would feed horses, change Clementine’s clothes, weed out the farm plots and go fetch buckets of water for them if needed.
Overall, he was an incredibly hard working man. Clementine wasn’t sure how to feel about being put down so often, but she liked being outside either way. She liked chasing crickets and watching butterflies fly past her in awe. The colors of the world vibrant and beautiful. The simplicity of attention, of learning and value.
Clementine loved being here, on the farm with her dads. She loved waking up and seeing the moments before the day would start, silent and gorgeous. She loved having her Baba braid bits of her hair back and giggling up at him. She loved watching her ‘Genti work hard and love harder.
***
Dallas held Argenti against him as they swayed back and forth with the wind in the field, arms wrapped around his neck and strong hands holding his waist gently. Their foreheads pressed together, holding in a breath just to have the moment last longer. Savoring it.
Argenti smiled, and held one hand up to Dallas’ face to hold his jaw up to make eye contact.
They stayed like this, swaying with the yellow tall grass of the field, for as long as they wanted to. Watching each other, smiling and chuckling at thoughts in their own heads, just enjoying. Basking in the true company of the other, in their own world. The bubble that refused to break.
“Clementine likes you more than she likes me now, I think,” Dallas laughed, breath dancing across Argenti’s face.
“It’s only because you didn’t give her eggs yesterday.”
“That girl and her eggs.”
“Do you even have chickens?”
“Nope. Speakin’ of, we still have to run our way over to the market and get ourselves some food. I reckon you’d like most of the folk over there.”
The two trailed off, enjoying their company again and basking in the rays of the sun that bounced off of the tall grass and lit the world up in golden beams of light. The sounds of the birds singing and frogs chirping from a distance, the feeling of the clouds drifting over on occasion.
“I hope dearly that you’re aware I find you to be the most beautiful,” Argenti admits. Dallas flushes, and clutches the sleeves on his arms just a little tighter.
“You can’t go around sayin’ allat shit! Damnit, ‘Genti. Gonna give me a damn heart attack. Fuckin’ palpatations ‘n’ shit. Jesus.”
A pause.
“You’re pretty handsome, too.” He hides under his hat.
Argenti’s heart soars, and he lifts Dallas up by his waist and carries him in a Fireman’s hold back to their home.
***
This would be Argenti’s first time actually riding a horse. He had tested if Sparkler would actually listen to him and let him get on, which she did. Dallas had tried to teach him, but it’d been too hot out for Clementine so they had to cut it short.
“You nervous, space man?” Dallas smirked, kissing Argenti’s cheek and watching him as he began to speak.
“Yes. I’m not sure how good I’ll be at this! I only wish not to embarrass myself in front of your friends.”
Dallas let out a baffled laugh, loud and boisterous.
“Shit! Nobody’s good at stuff on their first try. If they think they are, they’re delusional. Fuck bein’ scared. Be big!! I’m sure as hell not gonna tease ya for somethin’ like this. You’ve gotta learn somehow. Let’s get a move on!”
He put his hat onto Argenti’s head, chuckling to himself and picking up Clementine to sit her on the horse. She sat in his lap, babbling about Idrila knows what.
The journey was quiet, Argenti would even go as far as saying it was quaint. It was his first example of the world around him other than when he had first caught a glimpse of it during his crash. The grass stretched out for what seemed like forever, winding rivers and streams lining the ground where it divoted. The pine trees and old oaks intertwined together in their lattice of forests; foliage in full bloom, caressing the shrubbery with their grace.
Overall, Argenti was incredibly impressed with just how much variation was everywhere once you knew where to look. On a few instances, Argenti had been the one to point out different kinds of plants, which inevitably became a game for Clementine to learn more words.
The sky stretched infinetly, beautiful and watery blue. The clouds danced across it in their blinding white puffs of cotton, whipping in certain areas and grouping together in others. If Argenti found the right place to look, he could spot hawks in the distance sometimes.
They’d been travelling roughly two hours now, with the town slowly coming into view. Argenti felt a rush of excitement, eager to introduce himself further to the world he had been blessed with. Clementine babbled, holding her hand out to Argenti as him and Dallas rode next to each other at a leisurely pace. He quickly picked her up off Dallas’ saddle and onto his, where he coddled her and played with her hands. She giggled, and laughed, and a delightful smile grew onto Argenti’s face.
He was incredibly excited to get to know more about his new home.