[zapdragon555]

[Self indulgent farm AU may or may not contain NSFW things and spooky things / violence.
Tread with caution and thank you for yeehawing responsibly. Please move to Seduki Farmlands when done.]

[Wolfgang Grimmer] - [Kenzo Tenma]

To say that it had felt irresponsible, at first, was an understatement--to drop the trail that he'd been following for years at the time, the trail that had become his whole life, his purpose. Tenma was adjusting slowly to the concept of being free of the whole thing, of being able to return to normal life.

Except, that wasn't entirely the case. It was more of a new normal--the normal he'd grown used to in the final months of that hellish chase across Europe, before the trail went abruptly, silently cold. Tenma hadn't let himself breathe for a full two years. Bouts of panic, of night terrors, shadows in the corners of his vision had plagued him throughout the process of recovering, but through it all, there had been a gentle presence he'd come to know and deeply feel for.

[zapdragon555]

The loss of the 'old normal,' as it were, had not been easy either. It had been a pipe dream, silly, to think that he would ever be able to return to his duties as a full-time brain surgeon at Eisler Memorial Hospital. After all, by many accounts, he was still a wanted man. Perhaps he didn't quite want to return to that place, knowing everything that had happened. It wasn't more than a few months off the case that Grimmer first brought up his own small pipe dream.

Weeks later, they'd packed their few possessions and bought the saddest, dustiest looking used truck Tenma had ever seen, and set a trail for the countryside.

[zapdragon555]

Finding a small plot of land that was practically free (and full of rocks and weeds so thick and merciless that Tenma winced to walk on it with his thinning sandals) was surprisingly easy. Tenma's internal monologue had been a near constant stream of self criticism that he couldn't believe he was running away from his duties, his sins, his responsibilities... to a farm.

And yet, two years later, it was becoming more and more natural every day to wake up to sunlight streaming through the curtains and Grimmer's lanky, suntanned arms closing him in a loose embrace.

Tenma rolled over as quietly and carefully as he could to peer at Grimmer's sleeping face, so much younger-looking than the usual laughter (and worry) lines that so often graced his face. Tenma drew long dark hair away from his own face to see better, letting out a slow breath through his nose as he allowed a smile, rare in its warmth, to spread.

[zapdragon555]

He must have fallen back asleep, because when he was awoken by the crowing of a distant rooster, Tenma was alone in the bed. He sat up, slow with sleep, forking his fingers through his hair to pull it back in a loose bun behind his head with the tie on the bedside table. The smell of breakfast wafted along with an audible sizzle from the kitchen, and Tenma couldn't stop that frail, happy thing inside of him from leaping with joy at the simple act of kindness.

He swung his legs over the bed, staring at the bandage that wrapped his foot tightly, and got up with a grunt. After a particularly scary accident with the hoe, Grimmer insisted he do most of the yard work while Tenma was helping out at the clinic. Tenma had been in too much pain to roll his eyes.

A day off was well deserved, though, especially to rest his leg.

[zapdragon555]

Grimmer nudged sausage and bacon around the pan with a spatula, glancing at the toaster with a kind of gentle warning in his eyes, daring it to spook him this time. As he refocused on the meat, he was instead spooked--only barely--by a gentle touch on his back, then sides, and then a pair of arms looping around his waist from behind. "Good morning," Grimmer murmured, too tall for Tenma to properly rest his chin on his shoulder, especially with that bandage on the doctor's foot. "Sleep well?"

Tenma hummed in the affirmative. No nightmares, no sleep paralysis... it was a good running record, by now. He'd stopped counting after it felt normal. The new normal, he reminded himself, squeezing Grimmer unconsciously and nuzzling his face into the other man's back.

"Still sleepy, huh," Grimmer chuckled, setting the spatula down for a moment to reach back and touch the other man's hip, the only thing he could really reach without grunting in pain.

[zapdragon555]

Tenma sensed the strain of Grimmer's back. He stepped back a little to run his hands down it, humming in thought. "I'll give you a massage today. Yardwork isn't an easy business, especially when it's more than a yard."

Grimmer's expression softened, and he carefully divided up the meat onto two plates, letting out a sigh at the doctor's words. "And there will be more to do when the sun isn't so hot... thank you, Kenzo," he added, turning his head enough to catch Tenma's inky gaze out the corner of his eye. Tenma's expression seemed to smile back, albeit mischievous.

[zapdragon555]

"Of course. If you come to the clinic, we have an actual chiropractor table. But... something tells me you'd prefer it here." Grimmer felt his face warm slightly, his next exhale supposed to be a laugh, but it really just came out like a shaky breath. "Mhm. That's what I thought."

"It's not fair for you to tease me like that, it's so early in the morning," Grimmer muttered good-naturedly, smiling as he set the pan aside. "Be nice, or I'm taking your sausage."

"Oh--don't do that," Tenma gasped, then grinned and kissed Grimmer's shoulder, finally pulling away to get some forks and knives for the table.

[zapdragon555]

Table set, Tenma moved away to give Grimmer room to set the plates down on their small, amateurly-finished table (Grimmer was becoming a jack of all trades, in which the jack in question was only somewhat decent at many things), moving over to the windows to open the curtains.

Their farm--it was generous to call it that, given how small the plot of land was, but it was comfortable for the both of them--faced the woods, a stream not too far off and the rest of the town to the west. The treeline was dark, a rich bluegreen in contrast to the softer, newer greens of the grass that grew along the edges of their seed plots. It had been a few days since they'd taken a walk there, with Tenma's foot injured. Already, he missed it. The sound of birds was something Tenma had near forgotten about, spending so much time slinking around cities and hiding out in safehouses.

He blinked when the toaster oven ejected its contents, and turned around in surprise at Grimmer's startled sound. Tenma's face broke into an amused smile, hurriedly hobbling over to help him transport the steaming hot bread to the plates.

[zapdragon555]

"I don't understand it--I always jump, even when I know it's coming," Grimmer mused through a full mouth of toast, as if chewing the thing would be his revenge on the toaster for startling him. "You barely move at all--or at least, it doesn't seem like it."

"Chalk it up to old operating room nerves. They don't startle easily," Tenma chuckled, shrugging a shoulder. "Also... toasters aren't very scary."

"Scary isn't even the right word though," Grimmer insisted, pointing a fork in Tenma's direction before stabbing a circle of sausage he'd cut. "Just... startling. It's not real fear, just... loud." He took another few bites, chewing, eyeing the toaster from across the room. "But at least it makes good toast. Hasn't burned one yet."

"Good track record... Let's hope it stays that way, yeah?" Tenma munched on some bacon as he let his eyes wander down a trail of dust in the air, floating on a sunbeam through the window. He swallowed, turning his attention to Grimmer once more. "What are your plans for the day?"

[zapdragon555]

Grimmer glanced up from his plate, blinking at the question. He swallowed with a smile, stabbing another circle of sausage with his fork. "Well, the fields don't need any more attention for another few days, and there's rain in the forecast, so I won't need to water them today... I was thinking of going grocery shopping."

"Yeah?" Tenma smiled, happy to listen to Grimmer's rambling plans. "What do we need? You should pick up some ingredients for dinner--we could make it together."

Grimmer's eyes lit up after a moment of thought. "Oh! It's been awhile since you've made nikujaga... that one with the potatoes and beef? I miss it..."

[zapdragon555]

Tenma's eyes shone, more than happy that Grimmer was so fond of his cooking. Such a simple dish, at that--comfort food, really. "I'd love to! It has been awhile, you're right... perfect for a rainy evening. I'll write you a list after breakfast."

"I'd invite you along, but... you really should stay off that leg," Grimmer said with a soft, rueful smile, finishing the last of his egg and setting his fork down. "It'll be better before you know it."

"Ah, that reminds me," Tenma began, pausing to chew and swallow some toast with egg on it. "We're running low on painkillers. If you could grab some from the clinic, that'd be wonderful. I'll add in some extra money for it..."

[zapdragon555]

Before long, breakfast plates were cleared and Tenma scribbled the last few ingredients on a small sheet of paper. Grimmer picked it up and read over it, inwardly pleased that he was getting better at reading Tenma's handwriting, which had come a long way into familiarity from the comically stereotypical doctor scribbles he'd produced when they first met. "Right! I'll be back as soon as I can," he said, looking over at Tenma, and bending down to press a kiss to his hair. Tenma made a small sound in mild protest, cracking a smile.

"Hurry back," he murmured, reaching up to touch Grimmer's shoulder, craning his head to press a kiss to the corner of Grimmer's mouth. "Don't get caught in the rain, yeah?"

"I'll take an umbrella," Grimmer murmured, soft, like he was saying he loved him, a grin on his face. It seemed a common reaction, whenever Tenma kissed him in such a way. Grimmer knew this must be what bliss felt like.

[zapdragon555]

Tenma waved as Grimmer left and shut the front door behind him, and with that, Tenma was alone once more. He blinked as a distant peal of thunder rumbled, internally thankful that Grimmer had decided to take an umbrella, after all. The doctor got up with a grunt, carefully picking his way around the table, hobbling over to a chair in the living room. It would be nice to cook dinner together, he thought, smiling to himself.

Carefully he picked up the book that he'd been reading, making sure not to lose his balance, and sat down with a grunt of relief. Putting any weight on his injured foot proved to be almost too much. At least those painkillers would help, when Grimmer returned with them.

[zapdragon555]

Tenma opened the book to where he'd dog-eared his last reading point, and curled his good leg beneath him to support the other. After high school, he'd never been much of a fiction reader. But somehow they acquired books, living there--whether it be bought from stores, given as gifts to them, or the occasional yard sale, they'd somehow amassed a small bookshelf worth of things to read. An odd assortment to be sure--medical journals, fantasy novels, old war stories, a beautifully illustrated picture book with a family's children's names written on the inside cover... and the one in Tenma's hands, in particular, was something interesting. A kind of supernatural western--something that made him feel just the right amount of tense.

Another clash of thunder, closer this time, rolled overhead. Tenma's eyes flicked to the window, brows raising slightly at the sight of dark clouds.

[zapdragon555]

How quickly had this storm rolled in? No sooner had Tenma reached the next chapter of the book, when sheets of rain started slamming against the glass window next to Tenma's chair. He squinted at the noise, too irregular and loud to be comforting to listen to, and tried to focus on the words in front of him.

Then, suddenly, the lamp beside him flickered. Tenma looked up, then grimaced, laying the book over the arm of the chair to hold his spot. He pushed himself up to stand, hobbling over to the cabinet where they kept candles and matches. Just in case... Usually sudden storms didn't last long, but a power outage wouldn't be nice, with the sky outside so dark. It was still morning, too... unnaturally dark, then.