Archive of Our Own ^beta

Doug couldn't sleep, and the raging typhoon outside his window was doing nothing to help.

Well, even if the night sky was peaceful and clear, he hadn't really been able to sleep since... that day, when Frey had just up and decided to make him question everything he had known in his life, turning his need for righteous vengeance into feelings of bitter guilt and swirling confusion.

Damn her for being so good and honest and kind-

Part of him wished that he could have lived his life in ignorance, far away from here, coming to accept his (maybe) incorrect but understandable hatred of Ventuswill and moving on.

That way life would have made any sort of sense, at least. 

Sighing from deep in his gut, he sat up in bed, throwing his blanket aside (as well as grabbing the warm shawl from his nightstand to toss over his shoulders) to head into the kitchen for a warm drink. Anything to calm his brain, which was seemingly conspiring against him.

Just like I did to the people of this town-

Thoughts like those were exactly what he needed distraction from.

Confident that the rain pounding on the windows would sufficiently mask his footsteps from Granny, he made his way into the kitchen and began to boil some water. A nice, hot cup of tea and-

Bang baNG BANG-

He nearly dropped his cup.

Who would be banging on their door at the dead of night!? Already feeling tense and cross from a lack of sleep, he marched down the stairs to give whoever it was a quick what-for before slamming the door in their face to keep the water out.

"Who in their right mind-!"

Before him stood Frey, who was soaked down to the bone and shaking, eyes red like she had been sobbing recently. There were leaves and twigs in her hair, and her teeth chattered as she spoke, "D-Doug. I need your help."

This girl. Who had only about a week and half prior learned that he had entered their community under a false pretense with the intent to kill their holy being, was now standing in his doorway half dead, begging for his help. He almost wanted to laugh, What is wrong with you? 

But in all honesty, this is exactly why it was only her who could have changed his mind at all. No one went this far out of their way for things they didn't wholeheartedly believe in.

"Come inside, before you catch your death!" he urged, pulling her inside and tearing off his shawl to cover her shivering frame, "What's wrong!?" 

Finding herself unable to speak from the chill for a moment, he quickly hoisted her up onto the store counter and began to rub the shawl over her shoulders to warm her up. This seemed effective enough, and she managed to croak out, "A tree...fell onto my monster barn...I managed to patch it as well as I could but I need more thatch or else...they might not make it through the night..."

"It's you who won't make it through the night at this rate..." Doug grumbled, but still glanced around the store, straining his eyes in the dark, "We have some, but Bado would have more-"

"You think I could wake up Bado in the middle of the night, during a storm?" Frey smiled weakly, some good humor returned now that she was indoors, "You were the only one I could turn to. I knew you would help me."

Not You owe me one you nasty rat, or This is in exchange for keeping your dirty secret.

Just I knew you would help me.

Because despite it all, I still trust you, Doug.

His heart did several elaborate flips in his chest, so he pulled away from her abruptly to go find the thatch she asked for. 

But mostly to hide his red hot cheeks.

Once he had gathered what was probably more than enough, he bundled it as tightly as he could with a thick rope. Curiously, however, he didn't hand it to her.

She tilted her head to the side, shaking some water from her hair onto the floor, "Doug?"

"You're going to have a hard time doing this on your own after going through a typhoon both ways. I'm coming with you."

Frey's eye lit up with gratitude and mirth, hopping off the counter, now with some renewed vigor, "And you say that you're lazy!"

"S-Shut up!!!!" he snapped in embarrassment, running upstairs to grab his rain poncho, as well as their spare, petulantly tossing it at her when he came back down. She caught it with far too smug an expression on her face.

Working together to carry the bundle and moving quickly, they managed to get back to Frey's farm in a stressful, stressful ten minutes. It took another ten to patch the weak spots in the roof, but they were thankfully able to secure the barn and calm the nervous animals.

"Ms. Moomoo..." she rubbed the back of the snorting beast, who slowly stilled and nuzzled her large snout into Frey's neck, "It's okay, you're safe now."

Doug found himself soothed by her voice, and later felt no shortage of irritation that he was as easily tamed as a Buffamoo. It had to have something to do with her being an Earthmate that made her presence so calming. It had to be or else it meant-

"I don't think you can go home in this weather," she mused, head turning to look out the barn down as lightning flashed.

There was NO way she was suggesting-

"I have a cot in my room, mainly for when Clorica falls asleep after she's finished cleaning, but you can use it."

"I can't stay overnight in your room!!" he attempted to argue; he knew it didn't hold all that much water, considering that the entire town was almost like family, (A family I almost betrayed, his mind brutally reminded him) but he needed some sort of excuse to not be alone with Frey all night.

If for nothing else than to keep Granny from teasing him until the Buffamoo come home.

But sadly, fate seemed against him as the rain started coming down in even heavier sheets, timed perfectly with a thunder clap and the ominous cracking of more trees falling in the distance. He really couldn't go home like this.

"Fine..." he conceded with puffed cheeks. Even he knew that when it came to typhoons, his stubbornness couldn't bring him the win. She smiled, that same annoying, wonderful, smug smile, the expression of a girl who knew she had won and would continue winning. 

"Come on!" she urged, and he gave her a nod, following her out and matching her sprint back to the castle. He caught a glimpse of her pained expression when looking at her absolutely wrecked field, and couldn't help the shot of pain in his chest, She really loves this farm, huh?

His already monumental guilt at almost facilitating the destruction of her way of life suddenly weighed him down more than his sopping wet clothes.

By the time they entered her room, they were both soaked, panting messes, doubled over from cold and exhaustion. It was only a short distance across the field, but such torrential weather made it feel like they had done laps across the whole town.

They caught each other's gaze as they sit on the floor in their own respective puddles, and burst out into laughter.

"That was so stupid!" he choked out, holding his gut, "Who just like, goes out in the middle of a typhoon!?"

"Just us idiots!" she bellowed, barely intelligible through her laughter.

"The idiot isn't me this time, idiot!"

"You're always an idiot, Doug!" 

After about a minute of this, they both managed to calm down, laughter fading into breathy chuckles before dissipating completely. Once the only noise became the rain outside, they simultaneously came to the realization they both needed to change clothes, a revelation they punctuated with a mutual, awkward chuckle.

Both of them. Needed to change. In this one room.

"Erm," she pulled her wet gloves off, flushed face killing her attempt at nonchalance, "Could you just. Close your eyes?"

That will totally make it not weird, he thought with an internal and external grimace, but still did as asked, shutting them as tightly as possible.

"Are they really closed?"

"Just do it already!!"

After they successfully managed to stumble their way through changing clothes (Doug borrowing an outfit she had crafted but didn't fit her), they finally laid down to sleep.

But just like at the start of all this, slumber was the last thing he was able to think about.

"Frey..." his usually boisterous voice sounded so quiet, barely audible above the sound of the pouring rain outside, and he hated it. Hated feeling so weak, especially in front of her.

"What is it, Doug?"

"Why-" Damn, damn it! He wasn't choking up, there was no way that was happening, "Why don't you...hate me? For what I did? I tried to kill your friend and I was-" Willing to kill you too, at first.

He heard her shifting around, then saw a face peer down at him from the bed above, eyes full of a fire that stunned him into silence.

"Because I know you aren't a bad person. No one who wasn't good at heart would do everything you do for Blossom. Or leave birthday gifts for Dylas' even though you say you hate him, or go out into a typhoon just because a friend asked them to, or any of the other things you do," her smile was sad, but not pitying, "And the look in your eyes that I saw wasn't hate. It was lonely, and sad."

"You- You don't know anything about me," he attempted to retort, but it was too late as the threatening tears now made good, streaming down his hot cheeks, "You- You- You should hate me! B-But instead you haven't told anyone, and still treat me like I'm-!"

He choked on his own words, hiccuping out a sob.

"Like family!"

"Because you are, Doug. Everyone here was kind to me when I arrived, without anything but amnesia and a weird affinity for farming. You all treated me with so much warmth. And you didn't hurt me or Venti. You helped me save her. So long as you keep that kindness in your heart, I'll never hate you. And I know that Venti wouldn't have wanted me to resent you either."

"D-Damn you," he sputtered out, flipping over in the cot so she couldn't see his face. He was silent for a moment.

"...Frey?"

"Mhmm?"

"Thank you. And I really am sorry."

"I forgave you a long time ago, but I accept your apology again," he didn't need to be looking at her to hear the happiness in her voice, "But if you really want to repay me, there is just one thing that I want- keep being my friend."

Closing his eyes, relief that was a long time coming washed over him, and with a soft smile, he replied with ease, "That I can do."•