#gress

It's not difficult to love Stress. So kind but also tough. He's seen how the sleezy men around town make comments at her, making nasty remarks that they would never say in front of their mothers. Stress is not afraid to mock them, make fun of them, humiliate them. He even saw her kick the sense from one of them after he tried to be touchy with her.

He really, genuinely doesn't mean to enter her house. He was tired, upset, lost in the woods, and, from the back, their farms and barns and houses look incredibly similar. His house key even fit and unlocked hers, he really doesn't think he can be blamed. Look, take it up with the mayor for their keys opening each others' houses. She was absolutely justified for punching him and breaking his nose, though. He gets it.

Stress, after knocking him on his ass, lets him explain, and she gets it too. Cleans and helps clean him up, and, well, it gives him a great chance to talk to her. Ask her how her potatoes and carrots and flowers grow so well. She tells him with a giggle that her secret is love, patience, and a lot of bone meal. And Grian's also been using the wrong soil.

She helps him after, as an apology for punching him. And, it feels really nice to have friend again. She teaches him how to garden properly (apparently, the stillness from being a sniper actually helps quite a lot.) She doesn't mind resting him with when his pain becomes too much, sitting and after tea he waits for her medicine to kick in. Turns out, on top of already being a badass, Stress also knows a lot about how to make her own medicine as well. She's so amazing, it catches him very off guard when she gives him a kiss one night before scampering off to her own farm.

He... might have a little crush. He offers the first carrot he manages to grow instead of a flower. He still can't grow those.

The carrot might also not be the best. But Grian's determined now. He's going to grow an incredible one, and he's going to grow it for Stress. That's his goal, but for now, this will have to do.

And he's going to get good enough at farming that he can help her out when she needs it, the same way she'll look after his plants if he's having an off day.

Grian: I’m going to a boatem meeting!

Stress: Have fun love! KYS!

Grian: ...What?

*****

“Am I a shitty friend?” Capella said, looking into her data pad at Gress as she shifted on a bag of dried seaweed that was on a dock waiting for shipping. She really didn’t like the expression on his face that suddenly formed.

“Why are you asking me that?” Gress said.

“Why aren’t you answering it?” Capella shot back.

Gress sighed. It’d already been a long day and while he loved Capella more than just about anyone, he wasn’t sure he was up to dealing with this question at the moment.

“I believe we have had this conversation before,” Gress finally said. “You are my friend squared and I love you.”

“You’re still not answering it and you’re dropping your contractions which means you’re trying to avoid the question,” Capella said.

Read the rest at AO3!

Joaquín Bondoni;🌷