A/N: Hello again, HM community! I'm here with another Story of Seasons, RaegerxMinori fic because my dream is to overpopulate the community with them (though in reality I'll probably only write like, 5 max).

Anyway, phooo, this one was a doozy. Not only is it more or less a lime... I was up way too late writing this in my notebook last night, but didn't finish it, so today I copied it to the computer here and hastily wrote the ending. Sorry if it seems rushed! I use way too many ellipses that it kills me.

This story's among the top... four longest one-shots I think? Either way, it's pretty dang long, so I hope all you Raeger shippers appreciate this! Title's kind of boring and straightforward, which is very unlike me, but I couldn't think of anything else besides "Tea Time" and that's not even half the story, so...

I very lightly proofread it but as always there's probably like 17 errors you can point out, so don't be afraid to lemme know if there's anything that looks strange! And yes I know Agate's pretty OOC, but I think she's adorable like this. Thanks for reading :)

(Oh, and I'm trying to update the section with the SoS characters. So far I've covered all the bachelor/ettes but feel free to request em again or put in some regular villagers' names. We mean business, FF! And this is still a Harvest Moon game despite its name change, besides I think it'd be kinda stupid to make a whole new category when everyone's already starting to post SoS stuff in here.)

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Raeger

"You mean you guys haven't done it yet?"

Minori's face grew hotter than the teapot she was about to drop. Just how did Agate come up with that question? They weren't even on the topic. Maybe if she ignored it and tried to change the subject she'd forget about it.

"Um, Agate, did you say two or three spoons of su – "

"It's quite natural for couples to wait," Iris suddenly broke in, and Minori had to admit she was relieved. While the topic was still in play, at least she had someone on her side. "Just because two people are in a committed relationship doesn't mean there aren't any lingering doubts."

The remaining girls – Agate and Lillie – took this as fact, but Minori was a bit more troubled. She thought Iris was on her side! She was supposed to be her savior, not her tormentor!

"Doubts?" the farmer asked skeptically. She walked over to the table and poured the tea before seating herself.

Iris nodded, taking a sip before elaborating. "Before sharing yourself with another person, you'd want to make sure you're making the right decision, yes? You would want to understand the person's likes and dislikes and everything about them." She turned her head towards Minori. "How long have you and Raeger been dating?"

She felt her cheeks flare up again. "Uh… it'll be a year on his birthday, which… is in just a little over a week."

"No way!" Lillie exclaimed from the other side of the table. "It's been that long already?"

Minori twiddled her thumbs. "Yeah, I guess…"

"You're so bashful! Are you like this around Raeger, too?" Lillie asked.

"Look who's talking," Agate said playfully, glancing over at Lillie. "Anyway, I think she's only acting shy because we're talking about her sweetheart. Isn't that right, Minori?"

"Ah, well, it's not exactly wrong – "

"Agate, stop teasing her," Iris scolded. She cleared her throat. "I'm sure my little brother would be happy to know about your enthusiasm for romance." She gave her a knowing look.

This time Agate's cheeks reddened. "Hey! You said you'd keep that a secret."

Iris just smiled. "You mean your feelings for him? I believe the only person unaware is Mistel himself," she teased.

Agate tried to retort but her embarrassment probably got the better of her so she stayed quiet.

"So," Iris started up again, "do you want to take your relationship to the next level?"

Minori gulped, knowing she was talking to her. What was she supposed to say? They'd never really talked about this kind of thing before. "Well, I guess… I wouldn't really mind." She sighed. "I mean, am I supposed to want to? How does it even feel?"

Iris's eyes widened. "You're asking me?"

"Haven't you done it before?"

"…"

"What?" Agate asked incredulously.

"But you're so mature!" Lillie shouted.

The tea kettle began whistling loudly then, letting Minori know she'd forgotten to turn off the stove. Once she got up to take care of it, Iris explained.

"Just because I'm mature doesn't mean I've experienced everything under the moon," she said with a light laugh, putting a hand to her face. "I admit I have… been curious about that sort of thing, but I had no desire to get that close with any of my ex-boyfriends."

"But I've read your novels," Agate protested, "and you kinda explain it, uh, super well – a-as far as I know, anyway!" She threw her hands up defensively with the last line.

Iris took her hand away from her face and smiled. "Thank you for reading my books. To be honest, I make guesses when it comes to those parts, and I only write them because my editor keeps telling me it will draw in more readers. I use parts of my own experiences to start out, but afterwards is merely the pen moving on its own. What is written after that I have little control over."

Minori returned to her seat to find Lillie and Agate practically starstruck, though she admitted her own expression most likely mirrored theirs. "So… you've never had sex either, then?" she asked, but she probably knew the answer already.

Iris shook her head. "Well, has any of you?" she countered playfully, glancing around the table.

Minori covered her face, making it quite obvious that she, in fact, had not. Agate crossed and rubbed at her arms awkwardly, telling the same story, and Lillie just looked down.

"I've… never even had a boyfriend," she confessed sheepishly, blushing.

"Never?" Minori asked. "But you're so cute!"

"Ah! D-don't say that!" Lillie exclaimed, shielding her face. "It's so embarrassing!"

Agate smirked. "Don't worry, Lillie. I hear Kamil's got a thing for shy girls." When Lillie made a whimpering noise she giggled and continued. "Besides, you have the name of a flower and he really likes flowers!"

"Stop it!"

Agate just laughed again, and Minori and Iris exchanged a look of pity.

"Anyway!" Iris announced, tapping her teacup with her spoon to get the girls' attention. "We all came her today to help Minori out, right? So regardless of our personal experiences we must teach her how to be cute but seductive at the same time."

Minori raised an eyebrow. The four of them were really only gathered here for tea time, but then they started talking about relationships and Agate suddenly seemed so interested in Minori's sex life – or lack thereof, really. She pinched her cheek, hoping it would relieve some of the redness as she thought about partaking in those… activities…

"Um, Iris," she said shyly, "I don't think that's really nece – "

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" Agate interrupted. "Besides, we'll all learn from each other and maybe we'll be able to confess to our own crushes… right, Lillie?"

The girl in question blushed but nodded, eager to help out her friend. "You know, if Angela were here, I'm sure she'd tell us all sorts of stuff. She used to have a lot of boyfriends in high school."

"Angela?" Agate asked. "But she's so… quiet!"

"Nevertheless," said Iris, "let's catch her after work and see what we can find out."

The three girls united in cheer and, while Minori was confused and embarrassed, she figured she would let her friends have some fun. In any case, she was interested to see how Agate and Lillie planned to confess to Mistel and Kamil.

…

Eight days later, just as the girls had planned, Minori stood outside Raeger's restaurant, ready to go in. She just got back from Iris's house where she bathed and received some last-minute tips. She (hopefully) looked great and smelled great to match, but the fact that she hadn't seen or talked to Raeger all day lingered in her mind.

All throughout the past week she'd had to put up with her friends' silly antics, occasionally finding herself practicing lines in front of a mirror or trying her best seductive look. She'd even had to act out the whole scene verbally with Iris, though it didn't get too far because of her embarrassment. In any case, she didn't particularly want to remember that awkward, failed attempt.

She sighed. She enjoyed spending time with the girls and knowing first-hand how much they cared about her (and learning how popular Angela was in high school), but she thought she would've been better off worrying about it by herself. At least then she would be fumbling about because of her own mistakes, not because she was trying to prevent some of her friends'.

Minori shook her head. They meant well, she knew that much. They were endearing and very thoughtful, and she would have to remember to properly thank them if everything went well tonight.

She blushed, gripping the handle of the picnic basket more tightly. What did that mean, if everything went well? Did it mean that she and Raeger would –

The door to the restaurant opened and Raeger stepped out, nearly colliding with Minori. He dropped the bag he was carrying when he saw her, clutching his chest.

"Jeez!" he exclaimed exasperatedly. He leaned over and sighed, trying to catch his breath. "You scared me half to death, Minori."

She stood there dumbfounded, wondering what to do or say. All the knowledge and advice she'd accumulated throughout the week left her immediately; every time they would think of a scenario, she would've already been inside, surprising him.

"Um… uh…"

"Minori, are you all right?" Raeger stuck a hand out to place on her forehead. "You're a little warm, even though it's a pretty cool night… Come on, we'll go up to my room where you can rest."

He grabbed her hand and led her through the restaurant and up the stairs, making sure she was fine walking. He sat her down on his bed.

"Sorry, there's, uh… not really any other place to sit," he told her a bit bashfully. He studied her face briefly and sighed. "I have to go take out the trash but I'll be right back, all right? Don't move."

Raeger all but sprinted out of the room and down the steps. Minori heard when he finally got to the last step and then to the door, and only then did she let out a sigh of her own.

She put a hand to her forehead, remembering his touch. Of course she was warm – she was practically found loitering outside of his restaurant. If he hadn't been so simple and thought she was just sick, he surely would have wondered what she was doing there.

But, she realized, since he didn't, she still had a chance to make this work! All she had to do now was remember what the girls told her…

She heard the door slam shut and his footsteps coming up the stairs. She gulped, anticipating his arrival.

"I'm back, Minori," he told her from the other side of the room, making his way towards her. "How are you feeling now?"

She felt her face heat up from his proximity but smiled. "I'm better, thanks. I guess I just needed to sit down. Sorry for – "

"No, no, sit back down," he said, gently pushing her back down to the bed when she tried to get up. "I know you overwork yourself a lot, so you probably won't know if you're coming down with a fever until it's full-blown."

Minori stared up at him wide-eyed. He was so kind… No wonder she was fine moving forward with him.

The sudden thoughts made her face heat up again and she shoved the picnic basket into his torso.

"H-here," she said, looking away. "It's for you…"

He grabbed it reluctantly. "Is this – "

"A birthday present," she finished softly. She met his eye but immediately looked away again. "Happy birthday, Raeger."

She couldn't see but the color of his cheeks visibly matched hers as he looked inside the basket. He breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you forgot, like everybody else in town seemed to."

She bit her lip nervously, a guilty feeling suddenly plaguing her thoughts. They didn't forget… they were just in on the secret of her gift to him so they had a hard time keeping a straight face around him. She didn't remember how word had gotten around town (especially to everybody but him) but she remembered getting flak from the older folk and some cheers from her other male friends.

He could already smell the familiar tantalizing scent, but just to make sure, he peeked under the towel covering the bowl. "It's – "

"It's your favorite," she said for him, not really wanting to hear the name at the moment. She'd practiced making it all day, and she failed so many times she was sure she'd be eating burnt sea urchin rice for a week.

"You've only made this for me one other time."

That other time, when she practiced even more, was when she'd finally mustered up the courage to confess to him; she thought if she made a dish he liked he'd be less likely to reject her.

Minori nodded, blushing as she recalled last year's events. "Because it was your birthday last year, too."

He laughed at her attempt at apathy and smiled. "That was the best birthday present I ever got."

She looked down awkwardly, cheeks ablaze. Did he mean the dish or the confession? Either way…

"How about this year's?"

He smiled again. "I admit, not seeing you all day was pretty bad, but having you here all to myself now, and with my favorite food, too… It sort of makes it worth waiting for." He chuckled nervously and rubbed at the back of his neck.

"I-it's about to get even better…"

Minori raised her head bashfully to look at him. It was the first time she'd seen him today, yes, but it also felt like the first time in a long time she was truly looking at him.

"Huh? Minori?"

As she inched closer and closer, Raeger's confused words of protest slowly died down and he placed the basket on the floor. He leaned down ever-so-slightly to match her height, his heart beating just as rapidly and loudly as hers.

When their lips connected, Minori swore it was different from any other time. Even late at night when they would meet up like this, their kisses were sweet and chaste. This time it was full of passion and fervor, and she had to pull away to catch her breath.

"Happy… one year," she said, panting. She didn't even notice her hands were on his chest until he grabbed one and kissed it swiftly.

"Happy anniversary, Minori. I'm so glad I get to spend my life with you."

Any other time she would have been horribly flustered, thinking he'd more or less just proposed to her, but she had many other things to be embarrassed about at the moment.

He moved himself to the bed with her, pulling her into his embrace. "You know I love you, Minori, right?"

Minori whimpered shyly into his chest and nodded, causing him to chuckle; the vibrations sent shudders throughout her body.

"…too."

He pulled away, looking down at her. "What?"

She glanced up at him and bit her lip. "I love you too."

Raeger claimed her lips once more, gently pushing her down on the bed. "You look so adorable," he told her in between kisses, "when you blush."

He bit down on the same lip she did just moments ago, and suddenly she let out a moan.

Pulling back abruptly, he stared down at her. "Minori?" he called out. "I didn't hurt you, did I? I'm sor – "

"No, no, it didn't hurt at all!" she protested, waving her hands. "It just… kind of surprised me, that's all."

"…Oh." He cleared his throat nervously, looking away to try and hide the red tint on his face. "We… can stop if you want – rather, if you don't want."

She reached up and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. This was what she prepared for, what her friends had helped her get ready for. There was no way she was backing out now. "It's all right, Raeger."

The gentle way in which she said his name gave him permission to continue, though he was all too aware of how innocent and naïve she was.

He started by kissing her mouth again, massaging her lips with his own, and then moved down to her neck. Minori would let out a mewl and a moan every so often, and now that he was sure she didn't dislike it, he kept going.

The trail of kisses led down to her collarbone, where he had to push the collar of her dress out of the way for better access. She gladly accommodated him, tilting her neck so he could nip and bite from every angle.

"R-Raeger," she cried out as his hand found her bare leg. Her insides were positively on fire, but what he was doing felt so great she didn't want him to ever stop.

He continued moving his hand up further and further until Minori's moans of pleasure filled his small room.

"Ah, Raeger… please…"

She never knew something like this could feel so good. No wonder her friends tried so hard to coax her into doing this – not that she wanted to think about them at a time like this. She couldn't believe she'd been missing out on something that seemed so simple to initiate, though, and Raeger was certainly enjoying it, too, given his eagerness to keep going.

His lips found hers again, silencing her pleas for mercy. She obviously knew what she was getting into, he reasoned, especially dressed how she was and with the scent of that new perfume… He didn't think even she was naïve enough to be unaware of the implications –

"Shoot, shoot, oh, for goddess' sake."

Raeger sprung up as fast as humanly possible, an ashamed and guilty look plaguing his face. He slapped his forehead. "Minori… I'm so sorry."

She stared up at him through half-lidded eyes, confused. "What? No, don't apologize. It felt r-really good – "

"That's not what I mean," he said, looking down at her. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't… I don't have… any condoms."

His confession was so adorably bashful that she couldn't resist the urge to giggle. It felt like their roles were reversed, and for once he was just as flustered as she always was.

"I'm sorry," she said after getting a glare for laughing. "It, um… it'll be fine if it's just once, right?"

He blushed, covering his face. "You really were enjoying it, weren't you…"

It didn't sound like a question so she didn't answer it; her face was just as red as his anyway, so it would've been hard to talk without stuttering.

Raeger sighed. "Goddess, if I knew this was going to happen, I would've stocked up…"

She felt her face heat up. So if she'd have just talked to him about it, maybe they really would've gone through with it? "S-sorry," she offered lamely. "Iris… and the others said it should be a surprise."

His head snapped back to her, and he hid his face in his hands once more. "Well, it certainly was a surprise… not that I particularly minded. I just would have liked some time to prepare, I guess."

"Sorry," she said again, softer this time. He wasn't mad, was he?

"No, don't apologize, Minori," he told her, pulling her into another hug. "Don't ever apologize for doing something like that… especially when you look so cute."

She nervously returned the embrace, though when they got closer she could feel something attempting to protrude through his pants and she yanked herself away immediately. Her cheeks flushed and she grabbed his pillow, hiding her face in it.

"Rae…ger… your…"

Everything clicked in an instant for him, and he was suddenly very grateful that she was hiding her face so she wouldn't be able to see his. "You've got to be kidding…"

She whimpered into the pillow, clutching it tighter, making Raeger laugh a little.

"Judging by your reaction… we're probably not ready yet, anyway." He rubbed his neck with both hands, trying to relieve the tension and relax himself a bit. He sighed. "That's fine. I don't want to rush into anything with you. I'd rather us take our time getting to know each other better than do everything at once and start getting bored." He realized his mistake and quickly tried to correct it. "Er, that's not to say I'd get bored of you – more like you'd get bored of me. Anyway…"

Minori laughed and though it was muffled, Raeger blushed hearing it.

"I'm… going to hop in the bath and see if I can calm myself down a bit," he told her nervously. "If you want to head on home that's fine. You've already given me the best birthday I've ever had."

She raised her head up from the pillow and smiled at him, her rosy cheeks matching one of the colors on her dress. "Can I stay?"

Her question took him by surprise and he backed away from the bed a little. "If you want to, I suppose… But there's only one bed so I would have to pull up a few chairs to make a sofa or just pile up some blankets, and that would be a hassle – "

"Raeger, are you nervous?"

She didn't know where this newfound confidence came from, but she suddenly felt like she was in control of the situation, and she rather enjoyed it. Besides, it was always a bonus seeing him embarrassed.

"N-no!" he shouted a little too loudly. "I mean… maybe a little." He moved closer to the bathroom door. "Stay or don't, whatever is fine! Goodnight, Minori!" He opened the door and shut it just as quickly, leaving Minori alone in the bedroom.

She hid her face in the pillow once more, now feeling the embarrassment of the situation sink in. It felt like their relationship had just entered a new phase, though, that was for sure.

Her face finally began to cool down and she could feel herself grow calmer as the minutes dragged on, but she didn't feel like going home. She heard the water running from the bathroom and various sounds – stepping, grabbing soap bottles – letting her know Raeger was, indeed, in the bath.

She bit her lip. Would he mind too much if she stayed over for the night? She could go home, but it was a long walk, and it was already pretty late, and besides, maybe now that their relationship was on a new level, stuff like this could start happening…?

Minori's thoughts wandered to everything and beyond before she realized the water had been shut off. She inhaled a deep breath. If she still wanted to leave, now would be the only time left she had, because as soon as he opened that door –

For the second time that night, Raeger opened a door without warning, but this time he was only about a third of the way dressed. Minori allowed herself a few brief glances before he noticed her still sitting on the bed, and afterwards she grabbed the pillow again, hiding her face.

"M-Minori?! You're still here?!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she cried, burying her face in the pillow. It didn't help her embarrassment at all that it smelled like him; it also didn't help that, now that she couldn't see anything, her mind kept relaying the image of the nearly-naked Raeger, only a towel wrapped around his waist. She'd only seen his bare chest one other time, when he spilled some sauce on his vest and had to take it off when he was cleaning up to close, but even then he was just unbuttoning his dress shirt…

He looked like he took extremely good care of himself, judging by the few abs she saw; she thought only men in romance novels looked that great, but knowing that her own boyfriend did…

"Y-you're really attractive."

Her voice was muffled but he heard enough to have to blush again. "Jeez… What am I going to do with you?"

He sighed and she could hear his footsteps coming closer to where she was, but then she heard a dresser drawer open and close. "I'm going to get changed in the bathroom, I guess, since you're out here. I'll be right back." His voice was shaky but Minori didn't seem to notice.

"I-it's fine, you can stay out here… I won't look."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that so my heart can keep functioning smoothly," he retorted, his voice sounding more far away as his footsteps receded. The bathroom door shut again but she waited a few moments to pull her face out of the pillow.

Was this just raging hormones making her act silly tonight? She was a bumbling idiot around him right now! Well, a bumbling idiot mixed in with some sort of horndog character…

He changed relatively fast and came back out looking good as new. He was probably still wondering what was wrong with her as well, though. Once he saw her on the bed, looking at him expectantly, he released a sigh.

"So… where do you want to sleep? Since you're obviously not going home tonight."

She knew he only said that because she made no move to leave, but it almost sounded like he made the choice to keep her here, so the heat rushed up to her cheeks again. Could she press her luck…?

"Um… can we… sleep together?"

He closed his eyes and lightly slapped a hand to his forehead. "How did I know you were going to ask that?" His hand slid down and he looked at her, smiling. "But sure… as long as you're okay with it."

Minori quickly nodded her head, eliciting another light chuckle from him. She loosened her death grip on the pillow, even putting it back, and moved over to the edge of the bed. She lay down on her side, facing him.

"Oh, I didn't bring pajamas or anything, though," she said, realizing it as the words escaped her mouth. She guessed the dress would just have to work as a nightgown tonight, and her hair was already messed up and frizzy from their previous affairs, so she didn't have to pretend too much.

His lips curved upwards and he shook his head at her lightly. "You're so cute." He walked over to where she was, stopping in front of the bed to turn off the light on the nightstand.

It was completely dark in the room now, but she could feel the bed sink a little bit when he added his weight to it. It didn't take long for her to realize how small of a bed it was, though.

His body nestled as close to hers as possible and he let out a warm breath of air, tickling her air and making her flinch. He pulled the covers up over them both and wrapped his arm around her tiny frame, pulling her even closer.

"R-Raeger…" She was already warm because of the blankets, but now her face was adding to her overall warmth with its deep blush.

"You said you wanted to sleep together," he whispered. Even though he didn't speak with his voice she could still hear the grogginess. Did the bath really tire him out that much? She supposed that wasn't a bad thing, though; they certainly didn't need that sort of excitement this late at night, anyway.

His body felt so warm and comfortable, making her wish they had thought of this ages ago. It already felt so natural being with him, especially since she was nervous and embarrassed with him all the time anyway. As the minutes passed on though she gradually felt less and less nervous and more comfortable. She snuggled into his embrace, loving the warmth and his freshly-bathed scent.

"Hey, Minori," he called out gently, brushing his hand up against her face.

She'd almost fallen asleep so she flinched a little. "Hmm?"

He took a while to respond, probably because he was nearing unconsciousness as well. "If this is how it's going to be… I can't wait until I ask you to marry me."

Minori offered a simple sleepy grunt in response, not awake enough to realize the weight of his words. Maybe in the morning she'd remember what he said.

~CGA