Good day wonderful people! How are you? Welcome to my brand new fanfiction!

I've been a huge fan of the Harvest Moon series for the majority of my life, and it's honestly a travesty that I haven't contributed to the fandom as of yet. Shocking, I know.

(With the exception of a one-shot I wrote for A New Beginning focusing on Neil. It's called Luck in the Storm and you should totally check it out.)

After finding and playing the fuck out of Story of Seasons, I fell in LOVE with Klaus. He's easily my favourite bachelor of all time, despite his fixation on his age which at times does get a little annoying. This is my take on Annie/Minori (name changed to Maya in this story because I wasn't particularly fond of either of those names) and Klaus's relationship as it develops throughout the game!

I'll fall into some fandom tropes (Klaus's reluctance to pursue the girl, LOTS of sexual tension, all that jazz) but I hope my ideas are different and interesting enough to earn your love! : )

Chapter One: Another Ordinary Day

Everything was set to be a normal day in Oak Tree Town.

Klaus stretched his sore muscles, reaching his arms high above his head and intertwining his fingers until his spine crackled deliciously. He'd been bent over his desk all morning- working on a new scent had completely engulfed his mind and he'd forgotten to take a break; four hours had passed since he'd sat down. His old bones would make him pay for that later.

Realizing the time, Klaus stood and made his way to the door. Iris would be stopping by soon for her afternoon gossip, a practise he did not relish in, but he humoured her. At the very least it kept him up to date on the goings on of other villagers while he was swamped with his work.

Yes, quite the normal day indeed.

In truth, he was looking forward to Iris's gossip on this particular morning. The entire town was abuzz with talk of a new resident, and if he knew Iris in any capacity, he knew she had all of the details.

Only a few minutes passed ten, as he predicted, Iris waltzed into Klaus's small house. She flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder and flitted into his sitting room with a look on her pale face that said 'do I have a story for you!'

"Good morning, Iris!" Klaus greeted with a polite smile, standing from his chair as she stepped into the room. Iris was two years his minor at the age of 32, but she didn't look a minute over 25 leaning against his wall in her floor length lavender and black gown. Being close in age, Klaus and Iris had grown quite close when he moved to Oak Tree Town. Rumours of a relationship had spread quickly, but were squandered by Iris herself early on.

"A good morning it is, darling!" Iris winked, visibly excited about whatever morsels she'd collected to share. Klaus chuckled, making his way into the living room where they normally held their chats.

"I can tell." His dishes from breakfast were still sitting on the table. He set to the task of clearing them while Iris followed along behind him. "What's all the fuss about?"

Iris perched on one of the two light green couches Klaus had arranged in his living room, elegantly folding one leg over the other and lacing her fingers. Klaus's house wasn't overly large, consisting of only a living room, kitchen area, work bench, and his bed, but it served him well. The space was comfortable and elegantly decorated, reflecting his sophisticated personality.

The other residents of Oak Tree Town referred to Klaus as the 'local gentleman', a title he didn't dislike. It was certainly an improvement to names he'd held in the past.

"Oh it's really nothing important," Iris dismissed with a flick of her hand. "I got my nails done last night, Corona helped me with them. They're really quite lovely, I must say. Oh, Mistel sold a rather expensive vase yesterday. It's been an incredibly eventful week, you know."

Klaus waited with a knowing smile as Iris attempted to bait him. She continued to list the mundane things she'd done or witnessed in the last 24 hours, noting her brother's new ad that he'd posted in the Trade Depot, and a particularly stubborn hang nail she'd relieved herself of. Klaus nodded all the while, making light comments to assure her of his attention.

"And one last thing, before I forget," Iris's tone lit up, her eyes nearly sparkling, indicating to Klaus that she'd finally reached the highlight of her findings. "A new farmer moved to town today."

"I heard, I heard," Klaus, finished with his cleaning, took a seat beside Iris. She was nearly bouncing in place by the time he was settled and comfortable. "Have you met him?"

Iris's eyes twinkled. "I have, as a matter of fact. Although I think you'll be interested to know that it's not a him, but a her!"

Klaus blinked in mild surprise. A young woman farmer? Perhaps that was why the town was so excited. The only farmers around were Fritz, a hapless but innocent young redheaded boy, Giorgio, an eccentric man with a skilled green thumb, Eda, an experienced, kindly old woman, and finally Elise, an extravagant young lady with a lot of disposable income. The addition of any farmer was enough to generate intrigue, considering the state of the economy, but a young woman? Klaus was shocked he had heard so little about her.

"Her name is Maya," Iris continued, examining her freshly manicured nails, "She's such a sweetheart. Moved here from the city for a change of pace. Can you believe she's never farmed before? Eda's teaching her the ropes."

"She's never farmed before?" Klaus repeated, his interest growing. What kind of young person uprooted their life to pursue a career they had no experience in? Maya, as Iris informed him was her name, must be a fascinating woman. "What sends her to Oak Tree Town?"

"Veronica's plea for new residents seems to be working in some respects," Iris shrugged, offering no further explanation on the matter. "She's taking the farm next to Eda's. It's a lot of land to work with, I wonder what she'll do there."

"Wonderful things, I'm sure." Klaus mused. A new farmer would certainly add some much needed life to the town. He looked forward to meeting her. "I hope to make her acquaintance sooner rather than later."

Iris eyed him wickedly then, her mouth twisting in a knowing smirk.

"You and every other available bachelor in town," She giggled, "You should've seen Mistel when he met her. He was positively smitten!"

Klaus laughed aloud, not only at the image of a flustered Mistel stammering through pleasantries.

"Come now Iris," He scolded, "I'm far too old to be chasing after anything, let alone a young thing like her. Let the others clamour for her affections, I'm quite happy on the sidelines of this fight."

And he was. Klaus hadn't been with a woman in many years, pushing four in fact. He simply had no interest in relationships; he had his reasons, unbeknownst to Iris and the rest of Oak Tree, but they were his and they were quite valid. Not only that, but there were many young, eligible bachelors in Oak Tree Town, he highly doubted a young woman would be interested in him over someone her own age.

"You may change your mind when you meet her," Iris sang, pulling herself up from the couch. The clock had just chimed, signalling the close of their visit. "She's a pretty little thing."

"I'm sure she is," Klaus stood as well, walking Iris to the door. After she left, he would finish his morning chores and head out for a daily walk through the mountains. "However, it's been a long time since a beautiful woman has turned me into a bumbling lad, and I don't expect that to change any time soon."

"Hmm, too bad." Iris grinned, "I was looking forward to seeing you make a fool of yourself like a lovesick schoolboy."

"Sorry to disappoint," Klaus smiled apologetically. "You'll have to amuse yourself with Mistel's discomfort instead."

Iris's laughter filled the porch.

"Oh don't worry, I'll be doing plenty of that. Take care, Klaus!"

Klaus waved her out, smiling all the while. "Until next time, Iris!"

.

Klaus's days were structured; in the morning he had breakfast, worked for a few hours, chatted with Iris, and by lunch time he was making his way towards the mountain for a brisk stroll.

Having a repetitive schedule filled Klaus with a sense of stability- life was quiet in Oak Tree Town, and he was perfectly happy to keep it that way. Klaus was 34, and while he was younger than some of the other locals, he had passed his youth many years ago. The time for rebellion and excitement was long gone.

Klaus had made some mistakes in his past, but he tried not to think of them now as he made his way through the center of the town, passed by the General Store, and took in the sight of the bridge ahead of him. He knew Fritz's and Giorgio's farms were just beyond the bridge, but he rarely visited them. Klaus, while pleasant and friendly with all of the townsfolk, rarely ventured outside of his circle of friends. He occasionally saw the two farmers as they were coming and going, but today all was quiet.

Making a living as a private perfumer was a difficult task. Klaus's clients often requested exotic scents that were difficult to procure the ingredients for, or complicated scents that were nearly impossible to capture. To combat the very real threat of creative blockage, Klaus took daily walks through the mountain for inspiration as well as to keep active when he wasn't at his desk. As of late, however, he was finding it difficult to draw creativity from the beautiful green trees that graced the town's outskirts. He needed to find something new, and soon, before he began losing money.

Just as he was entering the stretch of land that Elise used for some of her excess crops, Klaus heard an unsettling splash from the river.

He turned, his curiosity piqued, and scanned the rippling surface of the water. At first he didn't see anything, attributing the noise to one of the many animals that chose to make their home in the wilderness, but just as he was about to continue on his way his eye caught something abnormal near the dock.

A splatter of colour stood in stark contrast to the crystal blue river- a mixture of orange, teal, and a hint of red. The shape bobbed along with the gentle current, ebbing farther from shore.

It was a girl. A girl floating face down in the water.

Klaus didn't think much beyond that as panic seized his chest. There was a girl drowning! He shed his jacket, abandoning it on the grass so that it wouldn't weigh him down, and dove into the river.

It didn't take him long to reach her, though his muscles groaned in protest from their misuse that morning. He made a mental note to increase the amount of exercise he got. She was still face down, her dress floating around her body and weighing her in place.

Klaus immediately flipped the young woman so that her head was no longer submerged. Right away he heard a sharp intake of breath- a good sign- followed by a fit of coughing. Relief flooded him, at least he knew she was alive. Klaus secured his arm snugly around the girl's torso, pulling her towards the shore and to safety.

"Hey!"

He heard the exclamation, but didn't stop. Rescue was taking priority in his mind, so much so that he didn't register the voice had come from the very girl he was now pulling along with him.

"Hey!" The cry came again. Klaus had no intention of stopping to investigate, but he was forced to slow when he suddenly received a quick blow to the back of his head.

He let go, stunned, and began to tread water as he watched the girl he thought he'd been rescuing flip her auburn hair away from her face and rub the river water from her eyes.

"That's not fair!" She pouted, coughing up a small amount of water. Her lips were a dark pink from being submerged in the river, and were plump and curved perfectly as she whined. Klaus felt his cheeks begin to itch with a light blush; it wasn't like him to notice these things. "You're cheating, Fritz!"

The girl finally dried her eyes enough to open them, revealing bright, greyish green irises that sparkled in the afternoon sun. She blinked a few times, freeing her eyelashes of stray droplets that landed on her cheeks, before suddenly gasping in shock.

"Oh my Gosh!" She exclaimed, bringing her hand to cover her mouth. Her dress pulled around her body in the blue water, still weighing her down so she had to kick to stay in place. "You're not Fritz!"

"What about me?"

The red haired farmer suddenly appeared on the opposite bank, his knitted scarf hanging limply around his neck. He had apparently been in the river as well, the edges of his clothing still dripping onto the grass below, but Klaus hadn't noticed him before. "Oh, hi Klaus!"

Klaus suddenly remembered himself, Fritz's interruption restoring his ability to speak. He turned his gaze back to the young woman, struggling to formally bow while suspended in the water.

"M-my apologies," He stammered, his cheeks flaming. "My name is Klaus, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, albeit in such an unusual manner."

The girl's cheeks flushed as well, giving her skin a lovely tone. "I'm Maya, the new farmer." She greeted, running a hand through her thick hair, "I'm so sorry for hitting you, I thought you were Fritz. We were trying to see who could hold their breath under water the longest and I was about to win."

"You were not!" Fritz yelled indignantly, about to defend himself when suddenly it appeared as though he processed what Maya had said. "Wait, you hit him?" Fritz burst into a hearty laugh, collapsing on the ground in a fit of guffaws while Maya's face turned a deep red.

"I thought he was you!" She repeated, seriously contemplating drowning herself to get away from the embarrassment. "I didn't mean to, honestly." Klaus was fighting back an amused smile. Although the back of his head still throbbed, there was something unbelievably charming about the whole ordeal and the way Maya squirmed guiltily in front of him.

Maya.

So this was the new farmer that Iris had told him about. She was nothing like he'd been picturing based on the little information Iris had provided him- she was small, much smaller than he'd expected, with flowing chestnut hair and greyish green irises that he'd noted earlier, and porcelain skin that glowed in the sun. She'd secured her hair with a muted red kerchief, but it had come loose in the water and was now gripped in her petite hands. And, he admitted begrudgingly, she was just as pretty as Iris promised him she'd be.

"It's my fault, really," Klaus insisted, pulling himself out of the water at last and offering a hand to Maya. "I saw you floating there and jumped to conclusions. If anyone should be apologizing it's me."

Maya accepted his hand and gathered her skirts around her as she stepped onto the dock. Her dress was clinging to her body, her hair falling limply to her neck, and yet she was radiant. Iris had been wrong before; Maya wasn't pretty, she was downright beautiful. The sight of her took Klaus off guard, and he fought another blush.

"Here," He turned from her to prevent himself from staring and picked his jacket off the ground. He brushed the dark green fabric free of dirt and offered it to a shivering, blushing Maya. "Please, take it."

Maya began to decline, but Klaus had already wrapped the garment around her shoulders. It dwarfed her, but it would keep her warm until she was able to find some dry clothes. She smiled in gratitude, again unsettling him with how wonderful a smile it was.

"Thank you," She bit her lip shyly, tugging at Klaus's heart.

How can one person be so incredibly adorable?

"Think nothing of it," He assured her, finally settling into himself once again. "So you're the new farmer, you said?" Maya nodded, her cheeks fading to a normal pink. "That's wonderful, how are you liking the town?"

"It's great!" Maya exclaimed, smoothing her hair. "I haven't gotten the chance to explore much, Madam Eda has been keeping me pretty busy, but from what I've seen I think I'm really going to like it here!"

Klaus could only imagine the likes of what Eda was shoving onto poor Maya; the woman, while kindly and sweet, had a tendency to be unaware of how much information she was piling onto a person. Maya had herself a knowledgeable teacher, but one that could talk for far longer than was tolerable.

"Well, if you haven't toured the town just yet I'd be happy to escort you," Klaus offered, slipping into a slight bow, "And if you have any questions please feel free to ask me anytime."

"I'd like that, thank you," Maya smiled, pulling Klaus's jacket tighter around her body as she began to shiver. "Right now though I really should head home; Eda will be wondering where I am. It was nice meeting you, Klaus!"

"Likewise, Maya. I hope to see you again soon."

Maya shed Klaus's jacket despite his protests and handed the damp garment to him. Klaus maintained his pleasant smile until Maya had reached Fritz, shared some banter that he couldn't quite make out, and the two had disappeared on the road to Eda's. Only then did he relax his posture, his eyebrows coming together in a harsh line.

Iris had been understating when she described Maya as 'pretty'. The young farmer was easily one of the most attractive women Klaus had had the pleasure of meeting, and her staggering beauty affected him far more than he expected. The rest of Iris's minimal description seemed accurate at least; Maya was a very sweet and pleasant girl, and Klaus found himself genuinely looking forward to speaking to her again.

Perhaps I will fall foolishly in love with her, he thought with a chuckle, continuing his walk. He was feeling more himself now, attributing his fascination with Maya to the unusual circumstances of their meeting. Goddess knows I was acting the part for a moment there.

Klaus tucked his hands into the pockets of his trousers, whistling a cheerful tune as he picked his way along his normal route, the one that would take him just outside of Maya's new farm, oddly enough.

Yes, it certainly was just another normal day in Oak Tree Town.

And there's chapter one! Please follow, favourite, and tell me what you think in a review! I love hearing your feedback, good or bad!

If you want to check out any of my other stories, head over to my profile! I also have a blog (link in my profile because for some reason it won't let me upload it in chapters) that I would appreciate you checking out if you like my writing. I post all of my fanfictions over there, as well as a few other projects I'm working on.

Cheers!