Just a Cough (Harvey x Farmer)

Chapter 1: What a strange day

     

     Sunrise had just begun to rise over a small town. A town- that happens to have one currently sleeping farmer. They were at least, until they heard their rooster rudely scream, alerting everyone that could hear him that a new day had started. The farmer groans, attempting to block out the noise, rolls over and slams their pillow over their exposed ear. But alas, the ungodly noise continued to ring out across their farm. After another moment buried under their white colored comforter, the farmer finally emerges. Shifting the covers off of them, they sit up, wincing as they did so. Why did their joints ache so much? Perhaps it was because I went to bed at 2 AM last night? The farmer thought. They had so much to do yesterday that they nearly ended up passing out on their feet from exhaustion. Fortunately, they made it to their bed. Swinging their legs over their bed, the farmer prepared to stand.

     Now standing, the farmer feels odd. They wondered why their body felt so heavy. Maybe it's because I just woke up. The farmer thought, trying to believe the excuse. They yawn, running their fingers through their untamed bedhead, trying to smooth it down somewhat. Giving up halfway, the farmer shuffles to the kitchen, petting their cat who was sitting on the table. Pouring themselves a cup of coffee, they run a mental checklist on what they needed to do today. Ok. I need to feed the cows and chickens. Get their eggs and milk them. I need to feed Riley. Look for Linus' blackberry basket. And meet Mayor Lewis to help set up the fall festival. They take a sip of their coffee. Oh, and I need to go mining later today. Setting their empty mug in the sink, they go to feed their grey and white tabby cat, Maximus. Said cat begins to head to his food bowl, excitement easily seen through his strides. The farmer laughs, pouring the cat food into the bowl. While Max eats, they set the bag of food in the cabinet under the sink. Heading towards the front door, the young farmer bends over to grab their boots. They gasp, not quite expecting their head to hurt that much from the change in pressure. They straighten up making sure to shuffle over to the kitchen chair to put their shoes on.

     That was odd. They thought, tying the laces to their old brown farming boots. The farmer debated on going to the doctor. But the idea was quickly dismissed. They had way too much work to do! They couldn't afford to waste their time stuffed in the small waiting room of the only clinic in town. It was probably just allergies anyway. With their stubborn mind made up, the farmer marches to the front door. Grabbing their grandfather's old brown coat, they sling it on quickly. They then open the door, bracing for the change in temperature.

     The farmer steps outside, instantly regretting it. The crisp morning air slaps them in the face, a stark contrast to their nice, warm house. They wrap their coat tighter around themselves, trying to keep what little heat is still with them. The twenty-six-year-old marches toward the coop first, determined to get their chores done. Stumbling into the coop's fenced area, they grab the medium sized basket and bag of feed that was residing in a milk crate. Shuffling into the coop itself, the farmer sighs, enjoying the warmer temperature. They were very glad that they decided to buy some heaters off of Marnie. It definitely makes the chickens and cows happier. Greeting their chickens, they fill the feeders up and while they feast, the farmer snatches the eggs and places them carefully into their basket.

     Stepping back outside, the farmer feels their throat start to tickle. A lot. Seemingly against their will, they somewhat hunch over, suddenly letting out a series of hacking and painful sounding coughs. The coughing lets off after a couple of moments, however, the farmer's face and cheeks are flushed red, due to the lack of air from coughing and the cold wind that keeps hitting them in the face. The farmer takes in a shaky breath, worried that they'll start up again. They relax as they realize that it won't happen. For now, at least.

     A few hours have passed, and they have almost everything done! The stubborn farmer managed to feed their cows (Today, they seemed to stand very still while the farmer milked them, not making them put in nearly as much effort as usual. How strange.), feed their horse Riley (The farmer could see a look (worry?) in Riley's eyes, that horse could be very expressive.), found Linus' basket and returned it to him (To which the hobo-by-choice seemed very concerned. His question- "Are you ok?"- still stuck in the farmer's head.), and they met with Mayor Lewis to discuss fall fest and to lay out how everything was going to go ("Really Lewis, I'm fine. It's just a cough!"). All that was left to do was go to the mine. The farmer strides across the cobblestone path of Pelican Town, heading towards the direction of the mine.

     For some reason, the farmer was struggling. They almost let out a curse but was cut off as they stumbled over a rock. Their ankle throbbed with each step they made towards the elevator, attempting to escape. At first, things were going well- they were! But a swarm of cave flies swooped towards the poor farmer, and they had little to no warning. They started feeling weak due to the onslaught of attacks. They managed to make it to the elevator, slamming the close door button as many times as they could. Luckily, the door shut before the flies could follow them. As the elevator begins its descent to the top floor, the farmer slides down the wall, being overcome with the fifth bout of horrible coughs today. As they attempt to stand, their legs shake like a newborn fawn. The young farmer shudders, feeling colder than they did this morning. The elevator makes a complete stop before throwing its doors open. The farmer, still coughing, makes their way out of the cave. As they step outside, the sunlight hits them in the face and they wince, their eyes screaming at the change in light difference. They start to head back to their farm, hoping to patch themselves up. The farmer's journey is painstakingly slow, their ankle slowing them down to where they're slightly limping. They almost make it past Robin's house before their legs give out. Hitting the grass with a thud, the farmer's air is knocked out of them. The coughing fit they were trying to suppress while walking home rushes out. Their lungs burn as they continue coughing. Gasping for air, black spots fill their vision. Due to a combination of their injuries and oxygen deprivation, they quickly lose consciousness.