How Many Acres, How Much Light [Tag Luke]

[jakeplatt]

Jake wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, sweat tricking down it and plastering his hair to his skin. The spring weather hadn’t been much of an improvement on winter, but he’d been hauling hay around the barn for over half an hour, and he was starting to overheat. Not growing his own crops, he had to have it brought over from a farm in Underwood - it was a long standing arrangement; they gave him hay, he gave them milk, and a little butter, if he had any. But today they hadn’t had time to help him put it away in the barn, and Luke hadn’t been due to arrive for a while, so he’d started work on his own. He was beginning to regret it, but the skies were promising rain, and he didn’t want the hay to spoil.

In a way he was glad Luke wasn’t there, the guy had been really jumpy recently, and Jake couldn’t help but feel that it was his fault in some way. He knew he himself had been acting in ways he wouldn’t normally around his friends, not least because the only person he was really friend with was Kate, but he felt like he might have overstepped the mark with Luke. It was like he couldn’t help himself, the two of them were just so similar - they’d known the worst things about each others pasts within seconds of meeting each other, and had only gotten closer since. Well, until lately. Now Jake wasn’t sure how to feel about their relationship, except a slight gratefulness that Luke wasn’t there right then.

Arching his back, Jake attempted to roll the hay bale he had across his shoulders onto the pile he’d started, but it was heavy and awkward, and slipped out of his grasp, falling to the floor and dragging him with it. Jake picked himself up - he was largely unharmed, but the hay bale was now sadly misshapen, and had covered him in stray stalks that had escaped frome the bale on impact. His tunic, now stuck through with bits of hay, had become intolerably itchy, as well as sticking to his skin with sweat, so he pulled it off over his head and threw it to an empty corner of the barn before begging to wrestle with the hay bale again.

[OOC - first Nettlestone post ftw!]

[Luke Scarlett]

Luke wasn't used to this perpetual guilt. It sat uncomfortably in his gut and made him irritable, jumpy and... well, guilty. Being around Jake every day only made him feel worse too. Every time his friend spoke he half expected it to be an accusation and being constantly on edge was exhausting. It didn't seem to matter that Emma was fine, that by the time they got back to the farm she'd pulled through the fever a bit and her temperature had dropped back to barely higher than what it was when Jake left. That didn't change the fact that Luke had lied, jeopardized somebody so important to Jake. He'd still done it, even though he knew Emma was all his friend had left.

He'd never felt this bad about anything before. It wasn't like the first time he'd done something wrong. Sure, he'd felt guilty about running away from Auntie Annie, about pushing that old lady in the duck pond (although that was totally Will's fault for telling him she was a witch) and about stealing the flour from Kate's dad. But none of them seemed to matter as much as this, maybe it was because this time he couldn't be sure that if Jake found out he would be forgiven. Even if he apologised, over and over, like he wanted to. How could he apologise without Jake finding out anyway?

The walk to Jake's farm seemed to be a lot shorter, the dread and guilt seemed to cut the journey in half. Normally he'd be itching to get there, even if it meant cows and that chicken that seemed to have taken a liking to pecking his ankles, but he kind of wanted the road to never end. He found Jake in the barn, shirtless, skin glistening with sweat and about to haul another fresh bale of hay into place. Luke wondered if his friend had mentioned the delivery or if he'd been too distracted to listen.

If he'd known he would have offered to come in early instead of leaving Jake to do all the work by himself. Luke opened his mouth to tell Jake this, bypass the greeting and settle into easy conversation while they worked, something that would have been only too easy less than a week before. Awkward doubt seemed to catch the words in his throat before he could speak. What if Jake thought he was being over-eager, offering to do extra work because he had something to make up for?

"Jake," He said quietly, half hoping his friend wouldn't hear so he could retreat. Maybe hide in the chicken coop because even pecked ankles were preferable to this. "Need a hand?" He gave a small, tentative half-smile and shrugged awkwardly from the doorway of the barn. It was kind of a stupid question, it looked like tough work to be doing alone and it wasn't like Jake paid him to just hang around.

[jakeplatt]

The sudden sound of his name made Jake jump - he hadn’t heard anyone come in, he’d been too caught up in how own thoughts. The sudden movement unsettled the hay and the misshapen bale slipped awkwardly out of his hands, jarring his knee and knocking him back to the floor. He was beginning to think that that hay bale had a grudger against him, as he attempted to push himself back to his feet. His knee hurt a little, but that was worse was that he now had scratchy stalks of hay stuck to his wet skin. He probably should have thought twice before he took the shirt off.

It was only as he picked himself off the floor that he realised who it was who’d called to him. Seeing the very person he’d been fretting about seeing only a few minutes before made Jake feel astoundingly self conscious. He wished like hell he hadn’t just dropped the bale, and found himself beginning to blush. This wasn’t how he wanted Luke to see him, especially not now things weren’t quite right between them. And he didn’t won’t Luke to think he wasn’t capable of moving a hay bale by himself. He wasn’t even sure why he thought that - most of the time it took two men to move one effectively, and he’d already shifted several of them, so it wasn’t like just dropping one was that big a deal. But Luke hadn’t seen him move the others, and he had seem him drop that one. Jake dismissed the thoughts with something about undermining the employer/employee relationship and tried to concentrate on something else, which was surprisingly difficult with Luke standing there.

“Er, hi” He managed, turning away and busying himself checking the thin ropes holding what was left of the bale in shape. There was nothing wrong with them - hay bales were always tied with incredibly touch twine, and it took a sharp knife and a minute or so’s work to get through them - but he needed help with focusing elsewhere. Unfortunately, the only other think he could focus on was the itch of the hay on his bare skin. He lifted a hand irritably to his shoulder, scratching at the top of his back and leaving four long red lines where his nails grazed the surface. “I’m just gunna go to the pump and hose myself down” He said, standing up abruptly. He needed to get the damn stuff off his skin, and that way he wouldn’t have to be in the same room as Luke, for a few minutes at least.

Jake kept his eyes trained to the floor as he left the barn, not wanting to look at Luke at all, for fear of what would happen. He wasn’t entirely sure what had made him so agitated - it was probably the humidity of the barn and the constant itch of the hay that was doing it, nothing to with anything else at all. The pump was only a few meters from the barn, it needed to be close to where the cattle were so that they didn’t have to carry it miles to fill up the trough. They were lucky to have one to themselves - it had been put there years ago, before Jake’s family had even owned the land, and had been overgrown and rusted when his grandfather found it. Now it ran perfectly, with only a slight red tinge from the rusty pipes it came through. Jake lifted and yanked down the handle, ducking his head under the flow of cold water gratefully before scooping it up to rub over his torso. The sound of the water splashing on the flagstones beneath masked the distant thunder, so Jake didn’t hear the tell-tale sign of rain.

[Luke Scarlett]

Luke visibly winced as he watched Jake start with surprised causing his grip on the hay bale to slip. Seconds later both the man and the bale were on the floor and Luke opened his mouth to apologise. Yet again that niggling doubt cut him off before his tongue could move to form the words. Luke set his lips in a down turned line and let out a little huff of half-irritation, he knew he should be hurrying over there to help Jake up, perhaps scolding him for trying to move the bales on his own in the first place. Instead he was loitering in the doorway, mute and miserable, like actually doing his job or being a friend would somehow be an indication of his guilt.

Jake seemed to be struggling in equal measure with the awkward situation that had recently developed between them and this only contributed to making Luke feel worse. It was his fault for being so selfish and now their friendship was being ruined because of it. He nodded, still seemingly mute, as Jake explained where he was going, momentarily forgetting that it would mean the man would have to walk past him to get outside. He remembered soon enough when Jake approached, unable to stop himself from shrinking back further against the door frame, and watched, wide-eyed as he went past. Luke was just glad Jake seemed to be more interested in the floor so he hadn't been caught staring.

His eyes flicked back to the now empty barn and he contemplated starting to move the hay bales on his own while he waiting for Jake to return. Luke didn't much fancy trying to lift one of them with no help so he turned and trailed after Jake. Like a lost puppy with a glutton for punishment. His friend was in the process of scooping water onto his torso to dislodge the stray pieces of hay that had stuck to him, his hair already dripping wet and flattened to his head. It was times like this that made Jake a farm boy through and through.

A low rumble of thunder made Luke look to the sky. It had already been overcast all day but now dark grey clouds seemed to have collected overhead, the threat of rain a lot more imminent that he would have liked. Luke had been hoping the rain held off until after he got back to Knighton, it was no fun walking home in the rain. While he was no expert on farming, he did know they should probably try to get the bales into the barn before they got wet. "Looks like rain." He said, aiming for casual and failing miserably as he had to raise his voice to be heard over the water from the pump pounding on the flagstones. "We should probably hurry to get the hay under cover."

[jakeplatt]

Jake lifted his head up from the pump as Luke called out for him, water trickling down his face and making him want to sneeze. It was better than the hay, although he could feel the Goosebumps beginning to rise on his skin. When he worked out what Luke had just said, he immediately regretted dousing himself under the pump. Rain. He was wet already, and if the weather took a turn for the worse he stood the chance of being thoroughly soaked - Emma was only just recovering from her fever, he didn’t want to end up sick as well, who’d look after her then? His sister was a capable girl, their father had taught her a little as well, and she had a way of handling situations that Jake never had, but that didn’t mean she could cope with the farm all by herself. She’d need a man about the place, and Jake dreaded to think what man would take his place if he were suddenly not there.

A second crack of thunder brought Jake back to the present and the altogether more relevant concern of the hay. He’d been right to worry about it spoiling, now he and Luke would have to work together to get them into the barn before they got damp. With supplies still running low after the crop failure last year, mouldering hay was more of a problem than Jake would have liked - in other circumstances he could have told Luke he didn‘t need him and sent him home, the struggled with the remaining bales himself, sacrificing a few rather than face the awkwardness between him and his friend, but he just could afford that now. And he‘d get his skin covered in hay again, so the potentially fatal bath had been for nothing after all. Perfect. It wasn’t such a cataclysmic dilemma as him dieing and a fiendish, money grabbing male marrying Emma and making her life a misery, but it was one he didn’t relish none the less.

“Yeah” He mumbled, staying the pump’s handle with his hand so the water slowed to a trickle, before stopping altogether. He walked back over to the barn, trying to avoid looking at Luke as far as possible. He was achingly aware of the other boys presence as he brushed passed him, but forced himself to ignore it and walk straight into the barn and pick his shirt back up. It was still scratchy, but it was better than pneumonia. He slipped it back over his head and the loose fabric stuck quickly to his still wet skin, bringing with it the itching bits of hay that made him feel like his skin was too small. “C’mon” he said noncommittally as he walked back out side, bending down to puck up one end of a bale and jerking his head to indicate Luke should pick up the other. Trying to filter out all other thoughts and concentrate on the task in had, he just hoped he didn’t drop it this time.

[Luke Scarlett]

Jake looked at him as he spoke, leaving the pump thundering in the background. It seemed to draw attention to the awkward silence that continued to stretch between them as Jake took longer answering his comment than he really should. His friend looked worried and Luke couldn't even begin to guess what he was worried about, he'd never felt so distanced from the man as he did now. It could simply be concern about the hay spoiling, but his expression seemed far too serious for that. The way his brow was furrowed, causing deep lines to crease his forehead, couldn't be over something as simple as hay.

Unless things were really that bad on the farm, Luke felt a stab of guilt as he remembered he would have to asked to be paid later. "Yeah," Jake finally replied, the sudden silence after the sound of the pump running seemed to press at Luke's ears. The air was still hot and muggy despite the coming rain, it felt too close around him, only adding to his discomfort in true summer storm fashion. Jake had sounded reluctant and Luke suppressed a bubble of annoyance, if he didn't want the help he could finish the task himself, hay be damned. Of course Luke couldn't really blame him, he was not the best company right now. Jumpy with guilt and short tempered.

Jake passed him again and Luke felt like he was frozen in place once more, the tension between them was palpable and it made him wish he'd reacted sooner and headed back to the hay bales first so that they didn't have to be so close to each other, even if it had only been for a couple of seconds. He followed Jake's gesture, fingers sliding under the other end of the bale to lift it up. The hay was scratchy against his palm, the prickly stalks digging into his skin as the weight pressed them down. Luke had to wonder how Jake had manages to lift even one of these on his own, it felt heavy enough with the load shared.

They could quite easily have completed the task in stony silence, eyes down as they worked to avoid each other's gazes. But with every second that passed Luke seemed to feel the pressure building until he found himself risking a surreptitious glance in Jake's direction. He wanted to salvage whatever was left between them, so he summoned up as much courage as he could in preparation for what would be an undoubtedly awkward conversation. "How's Emma?" He blurted, voice sounding strained and slightly desperate even to his own ears. Luke quickly dropped his gaze, not quite able to meet Jake's eyes.

[jakeplatt]

The two men worked in silence as the storm clouds gathered overhead. Jake preferred it that way - if he’d been forced to talk to Luke, he wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t have blurted out all the doubts that were filling his head. Washy memories of the fair in Knighton started to push their way into his head. He couldn’t remember half the things that had happened that day, and those he could he wished he could forget, but there was a persistent feeling that he’d done something wrong.

That was when it all started, when things had started going awry between him and Luke. He’d coped with it, though, tried to pretend that what ever had happened hadn’t, but some time during Emma’s illness, things had taken a turn for the worse. Jake didn’t know what happened, whether it was something he’d done, or hadn’t done, or had only half done, or whether it wasn’t anything to do with him at all, but since then, his and Luke’s relationship had been fraught at best, and it finally seemed as if things were coming to a head.

Jake felt tears prick at his eyes. He didn’t want things to be like that. He’d finally found someone similar to him, aside from his sister, and even if Luke didn’t appreciate poetry, or have any idea who Aristotle was, Jake valued his friendship immensely, and there were so few people he could say that about, they were worth hanging on to when he found them.

“How’s Emma?”

The question cut through Jake’s thought-clouded mind like a hot knife through butter. He dropped his end of the bale they were carrying - there were only two left out side and suddenly he didn’t care if they spoiled or not. Still blinking back the tears in his eyes, he strode over to Luke and put his arms round him, pulling him into a back-breaking hug, as if that could fix everything between them. “She’s fine” He murmured, but at that moment his gesture spoke more than his words ever could.