You Deserve It- Claus x Andy Oneshot(s)

Do You Think...?

*More Claus comforting Andy! (I'm gonna need to write Andy comforting Claus soon) let's go!*

Things around the farm were strange, to say the least. Everyone knew it was for the better, sure, but everything that happened to them would stick with them forever. The spirits, the entity… it was over. The souls finally moved on, and that demon finally left everyone alone, including Peter, who had decided that he wanted to go to his home now that he was finally free. Claus, Felix, Melody, and Margaret could at least let out a sigh of relief. No more haunting. The group of friends decided to celebrate their newfound peace (rather, Felix and Melody insisted on it). 

So, there they were, outside enjoying the late afternoon with grilled food and some yard games at the apple farm. Well, not everyone was there… Claus noticed fairly quickly that a certain apple was absent, which unfortunately had been a common occurrence as of late. Andy had been far more distant recently, it started with him talking less, then he started busying himself with extra farm work, now he barely even saw the others for more than two minutes. Claus had let it slide before, but this was getting ridiculous. 

Claus wandered around the farm for a bit, though it thankfully didn't take long to find Andy. He was sitting at the edge of the dock by the lake with his legs swinging over the edge, staring out at the water, clearly in his own head. Claus walked onto the dock. "Pleasant day, is it not?" Andy remained quiet. Claus walked closer, until he was standing right next to Andy. "May I sit here?"  Andy nodded. Claus sat close to Andy, also letting his legs hang over the edge. The farmer kept staring intently at the water, as though it were the most interesting thing in the world. Claus decided to ease into conversation, he knew Andy well. He knew that if he started with questions about why Andy was avoiding everyone, he'd never get a truthful answer. He had to let Andy warm up to him again.

 Claus glanced at the lake, the sun making it glisten. "It's beautiful." Andy, for the first time all day, gave a sideways glance towards Claus. "Huh?" The shorter man mumbled. "The water. It's beautiful. The way it glistens and moves when it's calm. I find it pleasant," Claus carefully wrapped his arm around Andy, "though I must say, you are also quite lovely to look at." Andy's already red face somehow turned a slightly darker shade of red. "How are you, Andy?"  "I'm… alright." Andy replied hesitantly. "I suppose there are worse things to be other than 'alright'." Claus added, a quiet lull in their conversation took hold again. 

"You know, before I came over here, the others started playing horseshoes. As it turns out, Felix is quite terrible at it." Claus smiled at Andy. The farmer looked up at him, his face expressing slight interest. "He missed the pole and got the horseshoe stuck in a tree. Margaret had to climb up and get it, and he did it again a few minutes later." Claus chuckled a bit at the recent memory. Andy suddenly started giggling as well. Claus smiled. For the first time in what felt like forever, Andy looked happy. "It's good to see you smiling again, Andy." Claus remarked, pulling Andy slightly closer. Andy sighed. "Yeah.." 

Claus used his free hand to hold Andy's. "What's on your mind, lovely?" Claus finally asked, Andy leaned into his embrace. "A lot…" Claus caressed Andy's knuckles with his thumb, queuing him to continue. "I just.. With everything that happened…" He paused, seemingly trying to find his words. "Claus… do you.. think less of me?" Andy averted his gaze. Claus raised a brow "Now, what makes you think that?" Andy seemed hesitant to respond for a moment, but continued. 

"I.. We saw a lot of ...things when those spirits were around. I did some things I'm not proud of. I lied to you, I tried to hide what was going on from you. I thought I could somehow fix it on my own and it ended up endangering all of you. I know what Thomas did weren't my actions, but I did do plenty of stuff on my own that was… questionable. After all that… what do you think of me?"

Claus was taken aback by Andy's words. So this was what had been on his mind. He thought of a response, choosing his words carefully. "We all did things, whether by our own volition or otherwise, that we wish we could take back. We were in a terrific situation. Its memory will most likely remain with us for the rest of our lives." Claus paused for a second, planting a light kiss on the apple's forehead. "I do not think any less of you; you're brave, kind, and generous almost to a fault. I can almost guarantee that the others don't think any less of you as well. We love you, Andy. I love you."  Andy looked up at Claus with a starstruck face. His green eyes wide and hopeful, welling up a bit.

"Why don't we go join the others, love? We all could use some fun, could we not?" Andy smiled up at Claus, wiped the tears that threatened to spill, and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go."

The two men rejoined their friends at last. All of whom greeted Andy warmly, even hugging him. They spent the rest of the afternoon reconnecting, finally starting to break down the mental barriers between them.