I decided to write this after a few lengthy sessions of playing Animal Crossing: Wild World. Enjoy!

Warning: this is one LONG-ASS one-shot.

Star Shirt

He watched as the plastic container spun around in a mundane fashion within the microwave. Amidst the drone of the machinery, firing photons of energy at the parcel of food, he focused on the slow rise of the plastic casing on top, filling with air and pressure. He had cut a tiny dot in the side: there was no risk of explosion.

It was Christmas Eve. Business had been rather booming at Nookington's during the early hours of the day, but as the night started to draw over, he had no customers. News of different events had been flowing around; there had been posters hung up haphazardly on some of his walls detailing K.K. Slider's 'Christmas Eve Beach Gig', which was due to take place in a short time. He wished he could go, but he couldn't. He had a shop to run.

Such was the life of Tom Nook. A man devoted to his job, even if it cost him his happiness. Happiness he had yet to regain for days.

The microwave stopped spinning and the light inside extinguished. Tom Nook quickly reached his hand out, rolled up the sleeved on his shirt with his suit hung up on his chair, and opened the microwave. Delicately, he fumbled for the package inside, recoiling from the heat. He ceased his attempts to remove the food from the microwave; he'd wait for it to cool down. Sighing, he sat back in his chair and twirled slightly.

He gazed towards the hairdressers, which was closed for the holidays. It seemed that while everybody was gearing up for the holidays, they were too busy spending time with their families instead of going out to shop. It was depressing for Tom Nook; he knew that every minute he spent sat inside his lush and lavish mall; he could be outside attempting to socialize. But he didn't. The security of the four walls that boxed him in prevented his courage from flourishing. He noticed, every day for the last few weeks as he closed up the mall, that he found himself hurrying back to his house, almost in fear of running into somebody.

He attempted to grab the food again. Still too hot; he blew on his fingers to cool down the scolding he received from the plastic casing. He decided that he was no longer hungry and closed the microwave door, shutting the machine off.

"Am I depressed?" he thought, slumping his head back to start at the intricate patterns on his ceiling. "Is it because…"

His head rolled, forcing his eyesight towards the clock. 7:30 pm. Another two and a half hours of loneliness to go before he would shut up shop and spend Christmas Eve alone…again.

Something had happened to him a few days ago, which had triggered his depressed state. He was running the store, as usual, taking care of arrangements for his nephews' Christmas holidays. It was at that point that Mable, from the Able Sisters clothing store, had walked in.

Both Mable and Tom Nook had bad history between them. They had been acquaintance in the past through Sable, Mable's older sister by ten years. When Tom Nook returned from the city at the turn of the previous year and established Nook's Cranny, the effect of Tom's absence in her and Sable's lives had left their relationship sour. It was the first time they had talked since his return, and she had come in asking for materials. Mable usually got her materials via city delivery, and when Tom explained that he had no materials to give, she walked away, leaving a harsh sentence behind.

"You're nothing but a uncaring, selfish cad"

The word 'cad' had run inside Tom Nook's head ever since, almost on repeat. His relationship wasn't with Mable, but rather with Sable, the older sister. Both she and Tom Nook had been strong friends since they were children, and when Tom left for the city, their friendship slowly dissolved. Since his return, neither had spoken a word to each other.

Tom hadn't thought much of it, but upon seeing Mable walking into the store, he was reminded of just how much he missed his old life. And with that, his depression set in. Every day leading up to Christmas Eve dragged its heels and Tom's energy and enthusiasm towards his way of life had mysteriously vanished. Plus with no nephews to help him, he was at a low point.

"Forget it" he thought, standing up and throwing his suit jacket on before wrapping himself in his trench coat. "I'll close up early today"

Securing his store under key and lock, he turned to the silent, snow-caked outdoors, tucking his hands deeply into his pockets to stay warm. The first thing he could hear as he walked out into the still air was the sound of a guitar playing. His eyes shot down to the beach nearby: fires and a stage had lighted up an area of the sandy beach. K.K. Slider's Christmas Beach Gig. The sound resembled no song; it must have been a sound check. Everybody looked small and undistinguishable from a distance; Tom Nook felt the initial urge to walk down and attend the performance, but remembering how poorly received he was by most of the townspeople, he sighed and turned away, trudging towards the direction of his secluded home.

He was five minutes into his walk, his head already brewing with thoughts about his encounter with Mable. He thought the conversation through in his head, administering every word.

"Tom"

"Mable…how may I help you?"

"I need materials"

"You get your materials by city, don't you?"

"My shipment hasn't arrived, and I'm desperate. We need materials, or otherwise business is gonna stop"

"That's…not my problem"

"Just give me some materials, Tom! Don't be so difficult!"

"I haven't got any"

"You what?"

"I said I haven't got any materials for you! I don't sell that kind of thing"

"But I thought this was a supermarket; I thought you could get anything here!"

"Evidently not"

"Well, fine. Tom, you're nothing but an uncaring, selfish cad!"

The words burned, his heart dropped in sadness as he replayed the scenario in his head. If only he had been nicer, he wouldn't be feeling so bad. He could just imagine it now: Mable would go back to the store and tell Sable about how crude and nasty Tom Nook is.

Sable…

It was at that point he stopped and looked up. His eyes settled on a small hill to his side, quite a few meters high, with a single cherry blossom tree sprouting on the top. It was amazing, Tom thought, that the tree had survived the snow and cold with its leaves still intact. Almost like an evergreen, he thought. The hill, however, held some significance to Tom, remembering how he used to go up there before. Sighing, considering that he did close up shop early, he altered his path and started to trudge up the beaten path to the top of the hill.

Reaching the top, he moved towards the tree, turning around and resting against it. Another sigh escaped his lips: the place was so tranquil. His body soothed, his back was turned away from the path and he allowed himself to fall down to a sitting position. The stars were looking down on him and he returned their gaze. They were so beautiful; they twinkled in the sky, with no clouds to hinder their splendor. Each rested in a perfect spot on the blank dark canvas of the night sky; it was a cosmic light show, for free every night.

He closed his eyes, allowing his trench coat to create a warm field around him. He missed the tranquility of the old days before he left for the city. The city had taken away a lot from him, including his youth. Before he went, he was fiery and full of energy, yet composed enough to appear gentlemanly. Now, he was a lot more haggard and tired. Not even his expensive suit, paid for by his housing tenants, could hide his dulling looks. And he wasn't even middle aged. Just disgruntled.

"…It all went so wrong, didn't it?" Tom said quietly to himself. "The city ruined me. I thought I could chase dreams…'dreams before money'…but now, look at me. I'm lying here, semi-successful and tired of it all…" He clenched his fists, taking in a sharp breath of cold air. "Before I went to the city, I had friends…I had a little business and my life was cozy and carefree. But I was too ambitious and bit off more than I could chew. I failed…I'm a failure"

"Tom…is that you?"

Tom Nook was taken by complete surprise at the voice from behind him. Jumping in fright, he scrambled into his hands and knees in the snow, looking up. His heart pulsed sickeningly as he identified the person standing in front of him.

It was Sable, dressed in a thick shabby coat and a long skirt, just hiding her shoes. She appeared slightly surprised, but not without her trademark tired look. Tom quickly scrambled to his feet, slightly astonished to find Sable standing in front of him.

"What are you doing out here?" Tom asked.

"I could ask you the same" Sable replied shyly, looking down to the snow tracks Tom Nook had left. Tom quickly turned to look at the stars, devising his excuse.

"I was just looking at the stars" he replied.

"I thought your shop closed at ten" Sable asked, shuffling her feet in the snow. Tom Nook started to feel nervous: he didn't like inquiries.

"Well, there was no business, so I closed it early" he explained. "It is Christmas Eve, after all…"

"Yes…it is, isn't it?" Sable replied quietly, looking up towards Tom. As Tom looked back, he could feel old emotions flooding back into his heart. The same old feelings of suppressed happiness, joy, excitement. The two hadn't spoken a word to each other since Tom's return from the city, and suddenly here they were, talking. Tom Nook had been deliberately avoiding Sable for the fear of digging up the past, but it appeared it was inescapable now. Sighing, he turned around and slumped back onto the tree, sliding into his sitting position.

"Tom…can we talk?" Sable asked. She didn't look much different from when Tom had left, except that her maturity was far more evident now than it was before. Before, she seemed to be a budding lady. Now, however, in Tom's eyes, she was a fully-grown woman. He didn't let his emotions appear on his face, but he thought her transition had been stunning. The sounds of her delicate footsteps maneuvering through the snow rustled behind Tom, and before long, Sable was sat beside him.

"What do you want to talk about?" Tom asked, trying to avert his gaze, shuffling across a little.

"Why you came back…" Sable answered quietly. Tom knew this conversation wasn't going to be comfortable. After all, he was talking to the woman who had been his best friend since childhood, the woman he abandoned for his dreams.

"I've kept my silence for almost a year now" Tom sighed, his head drooping slightly. "I've managed to avoid any confrontations with people I've known from the past. I guess there's nothing to hide now; can anyone see us up here?"

Sable quickly darted her head around, looking for any signs of life.

"…No" she replied. "We're alone"

"I went bankrupt" Tom said quickly. A short silence followed his revelation.

"That's it?" she asked. Tom started to feel bitter; the topic was not a nice one to discuss.

"That's it" he replied quickly, averting his gaze from Sable. "I ran out of money and I came back here"

"But…how?" Sable asked. "You're such a good businessman, and you had the passion for it…"

"Sable" Tom said suddenly, turning his body around to look at Sable. He readjusted his sitting position, his face held in a serious manner. "You should know just as well as I do that not everything in life works out"

Sable leant forward slightly, realizing the point. "Then why has all this happened then?" she asked. "Why haven't we spoken to each other in so long?"

"Because I was embarrassed, okay?" Tom uttered, clenching his fists, wrenching the fabric of his suit trousers. He shook his head to ward his emotions away. "Don't you remember the day I left? As I got on the train, I told you that I'd come back a rich man and that I'd swear to make everyone in this town happy! And what have I done since coming back?"

"What about your store?" Sable protested. "If you mean to say you've had little success in coming back, then how does that explain the large size of your supermarket?"

"It's not about that" Tom interrupted, looking up, eyes reddening. "I may have found some success in coming back here…but I've never felt so empty in all my life. Everybody resents me to some extent, be it because I try to make a living, or the fact that I left them for the city"

"…I don't resent you" Sable said quietly.

"Don't be stupid" Tom spat. "You, of all people, should hate me most of all. I…I sold our friendship away for my dreams…and my dreams didn't even come true. I wasted everything"

Sable felt a sense of pity creeping up on her as she looked at her old friend, beaten down and crushed by his wasted efforts. She was unsure of her own feelings: ever since Tom Nook had left for the city, Sable had felt her own life sink into a monotonous chain of events. She didn't consider herself to be worse than Tom Nook in her quality of life, but she knew that Tom's absence had left a similar absence in her heart. She too, felt somewhat empty, and when Tom Nook returned, a quiet, faux-happy person, she knew something was amiss. Finally, she could put her curiosity and doubts to rest.

"I'm glad we can talk about this" Sable said quietly. "I was worried for so long, especially when you came back. There was that point when you were in the city…when you stopped sending me letters…"

"It was when my business started to fail" Tom Nook explained, turning his head to look to Sable. As he gazed upon her, he started to notice again the little things about her that made her special to him. Her freckles, the organized chaos of her quills, these small details that would deter normal people just seemed to draw Tom closer to her. Taking a deep breath, recounting his fall from grace, he continued. "I remember when I left this place…"

He turned his head to the direction of the train station. "I can remember the farewell I had from the few townspeople here. It was so heart warming, but you were the only one who came up to personally wish me goodbye"

"I felt happy that you were setting off the chase your dreams, but deep down inside…I felt like crying" Sable sighed as Tom turned back to her. "We were so close then, before the city took you away"

"I wanted to keep in touch with you as much as I could" Tom explained, smiling as he reveled the memories of his past success. "I made quite a bit of money when I set up my housing business in the city"

"You bought me a pair of orange scissors…" Sable sighed, a wistful smile appearing on her lips, her eyes closing in reminiscence.

"And you sent me a few of your own home-made shirts" Tom added, also sighing. "Whenever I had time to myself, I always enjoyed throwing my suit off to wear your shirts. It felt like taking off armor; serious downtime went on in the time I wore those shirts, ho ho!"

Sable started to laugh as well, finally, Tom was laughing about something. She also noticed that his laugh wasn't the fake, conversational laugh that he usually bellowed when he was tending to customers. This laugh was genuine, low in tone, husky, warming. But the moment didn't last long, within seconds the laughing died.

"Ah…but it all went wrong for me after a while…" Tom said sadly.

"How did you go into bankruptcy?" Sable asked comfortingly, tempted to put a hand on his back.

Tom looked up to the pink leaves of the tree, closing his eyes. It clearly pained him to talk about it, but tom knew talking about it would make it better in the end.

"A few years into my city living…I was living a dream" he said. "I always had plans to return here, but I wanted to come back wealthy. I wanted to use the money to benefit everyone here; I wanted to give to charities"

"I don't understand" Sable cut in. "Surely you could do that now with the money you have?"

"I could…but before now, I wasn't really inclined to" Tom explained. "Like I said earlier, sometimes life just doesn't go where you want it to. And after five years of success with my business, I was forced to post my first loss to the city's business column"

"How much did you lose?" Sable asked, shuffling closer.

"It wasn't much" Tom said quietly. "It was poignant, though. I hadn't lost money until then. And it was an omen: every turn of the quarterly year brought more and more losses. Before long…"

[Fifteen months ago]

"Ah, Mr. Nook, come on in. Please take a seat"

"I've brought in this week's expenditures and revenue sheets as they stand so far, I think if we keep going we can pull this around"

"Let me take a look at them then…"

"So, what do you think?"

"…Tom, I'm going to speak to you as a person now, man to man. I have bad news for you"

"What could be so bad about a profit?"

"Tom, I know that these sheets currently show you're making a profit. You've sold three apartments and are close to closing a deal on a 500,000 Bell house, am I correct?"

"Yes, that's right!"

"…I'm sorry, Tom, I had a call from those potential house tenants earlier today"

"What? What did they say?"

"They've pulled out of the agreement"

"No!"

"They said that your skills as a salesman were lacking. You seemed, and this is in their words, 'desperate, not genuine, and looking to make a quick Bell'. Tom, please don't look so dourly at me, these are their words"

"They…they seemed to happy when I was showing them the house…"

"Evidently not. Tom, the way this is going, when the full report of the fourth quarter's sales figures are published in the news, you'll be posting in your fourth consecutive loss in a row. Tom, that's a whole year you've spent losing money!"

"I'm sorry…I just need a little more time to make things right"

"No, Tom, stop. Don't leave, sit back down"

"…Please…y-you can't do this to me"

"Tom, when I employed you as a business partner, the first few years were golden. You made so much money, for you and me. I was glad to have you as a business partner, and even more glad to have as a reliable investment. But now…you're just losing money. My money"

"Give me one last chance, I promise!"

"Tom, stop begging! It's too late…"

"Too…late?"

"Yes Tom…I want you to fill this form in for me"

"A-ah…b-bankruptcy…"

"I'm ending this working relationship, Tom. I'm so sorry"

"I-I….c-can't sign it"

"You have to. If you don't, then I'll have to do it the hard way. At least if you sign this, we can sweep up the remains of your business cleanly. You'll have three months' job seeking allowance to find new fields of pasture. Do you understand?"

Tom felt tears stinging in his eyes as he recalled the harsh interview. As he tried his best to suppress his tears, he felt something slip onto his hand. It was warm. He looked down to see Sable's hand resting on top of his, clenching it with reassurance.

"That was the worst day of my life…" he whimpered, his eyes fixed on her hand. She was sat right beside him, close enough to lean on him if she chose.

"What did you do?" Sable asked.

"I…I sold my apartment and all my belongings" he said. "I knew I was living on borrowed time. I downgraded to a dank flat that cost 15,000 Bells a month, and my job seeking allowance gave me 20,000 a month. The walls weren't insulated, I spent nights either sleepless from the heat, or uncomfortably from the cold. And worst of all…I sold the shirts you gave me"

"Oh, you poor thing…" Sable murmured, leaning against him, trying her best to comfort him. It felt as if he had never left for the city, just like when they were friends.

"I was so poor…I had to, I'm sorry!" Tom groaned, allowing his tears to momentarily escape. Sable felt her heart dip slightly, but she fully understood the severity of Tom's situation at that time. She pulled out a handkerchief from her coat and started to wipe away at Tom Nook's eyes. His head turned towards her, his expression full of anguish.

"Forget about them, Tom" she said reassuringly. "What's more important to me is that you could feed yourself back then" Tom administered each word carefully in his head, considering them intently, before nodding and regaining his composure.

"Eventually…I knew I had a choice" Tom said after the short silence. "Beg in the streets…or swallow my pride and return here. The day I sold your shirts…I knew what the choice was"

"You came back…now I know why you were a completely different person when you returned" Sable whispered, clutching Tom's hand tightly, her fingers intertwining with his. "I didn't even notice the day you came back. You just seemed to slip back to the closed down Nook's Cranny overnight, and to everyone's surprise, it was open the next day. I was excited, but…it was like you spent every waking hour in there, not letting anybody see you outside of it. I was afraid of even going in, and we never spoke because of it"

"Sable, if I ever caused you any discomfort, then I'm sorry" Tom said, looking to Sable. Their faces were close, but he felt strangely comfortable. The feeling of the old days of his youth was coming back to him. He felt closer to Sable than he had for so long; it felt like feeding on a long deprived life source. He could already feel his usual tiredness vanishing slowly.

"I accept your apology…" she said quietly. "…Still, I'm struggling to understand why, ever since January 14th when you came back, that we haven't spoken a word to each other?"

"I was so bitter of my defeat when I came back" Tom said quietly. "It almost felt like I wanted to start a new life, with new slates for everyone. But my city nightmares just kept chasing me, and I just stopped feeling the need to talk to anyone. I guess it went on for longer than I thought…"

"Tom…why didn't you speak to me about it?" Sable asked. "If only I'd known how bad things had been for you…"

"Sable, I'm sorry" Tom uttered, trying to hold back his tears. He came to realize how much of a fool he had been. He had tried to make it on his own, and even as his dreams were denied, he still stayed by himself, taking the world on, being defeated by the world, on his own. "I should have…"

"I'm here now…" Sable whispered, pressing her forehead against Tom's. She felt willed to move in even closer, but, Tom slowly turned his head to the skies.

"You're my best friend, Sable" Tom said quietly. "After all this time, through all the highs and lows, you're the one person who means something to me"

"Tom…when you left for the city, you were another casualty to my life that the city had inflicted" Sable revealed, stroking Tom Nook's face softly with her thumb. "I had already lost my sister, Labelle, to the temptations of the city. When it took you as well, I didn't know what to say. I hate the city…
"I hate it too…" Tom added. "The only thing it gave me was misery. Worse, it enticed me with the promises of riches, with free previews, before dropping the bomb of my life on me"

"It doesn't have to be like that anymore, Tom" Sable said, lifting her head from Tom's shoulder and looking to his eyes. "From this day forward, lets live like the old days"

Tom wiped his eyes dry and looked at Sable again.

"Agreed" he said. His voice then became huskier: "You know, I miss the old days. I remember when we first met in kindergarten"

"Yeah, I remember that too" Sable added, taking Tom Nook's other hand. "A few days after I first met you, you opened up a stall on the school grounds, selling sticks, stones and leaves for 1 Bell apiece"

Tom Nook started to laugh. "Yeah, I remember that! I was trying to make enough money so I could buy some sweets on the way back home!"

"Your stall was a hit for the first few days…" Sable chuckled, leaning her head back on Tom's shoulder. "…But I think it lost its appeal when you didn't renew your stock, hee hee!"

"I know, it was so strange…" Tom said, chuckling. "I thought the kids would just keep coming, but I guess the rocks and sticks only kept their value for a few days, heh heh. Despite that, though, you always came back, day after day, to buy a rock or a twig…"

"And as thanks, you'd buy candy for the both of us when you'd saved enough money" Sable sighed. "It's funny, isn't it? How the foundations of our friendship were built since we were just kids. You had a flair for business acumen from the very start"

"Hey, don't give me so much credit!" Tom playfully protested. "You remember the time you drew me that picture of my dream house?"

Sable's eyes lit up in excitement as the old memory was rekindled in her head.

"Yes, I do remember!" she said, beaming.

"You had your own talents in you the same age as me!" Tom explained. "I thought you were a true artist when you gave me that picture"

"It's probably very badly drawn in today's standards…" Sable chuckled. "Still, I thought it was pretty good"

"Hey, do you remember high school?" Tom asked.

"I remember parts of it…I wasn't always there, though" Sable said quietly. Tom Nook suddenly remembered that Sable had dropped out of school to keep the family business afloat after the death of her parents. He decided not to inquire further.

"…The sky's really clear tonight" Sable whispered, fidgeting her hands to gain some extra warmth from Tom Nook's palms. "Do you remember the constellation we made?"

"You mean Star Shirt?" Tom asked, turning to look at Sable again. The moonlight illuminated her face in a mystical way; Tom felt his heart flutter as he looked at her.

"Star Shirt…it was our special constellation" she mused quietly.

"Wait a minute…do you think we can see it now?" Tom asked. He watched as Sable's eyes opened up in glee, before the two of them started to search the starry skies for their constellation. Within seconds, Sable had spotted it.

"I found it!" she exclaimed.

"Where?" Tom asked, straining his eyes to try and recognize the pattern.

"Do you see that bow of stars there?"

"…Yeah"

"Just under that. Do you remember that pattern?"

"Oh yeah…I do! That's it; that's Star Shirt!"

"Wow…"

"It's so bright…the sky is just perfect for it to shine"

"Brilliant"

They both looked at the constellation, hand in hand, relishing their old memories. The feeling was truly euphoric: both their hearts were beating quickly, filled to the brim with a sated happiness.

"I remember us creating that constellation together…" Sable sighed, shuffling close to Tom Nook, pressing against his side. She wrapped her arm around him; his responded in similar fashion. Tom Nook could feel Sable's soft quills against his right ear; she smelt divine.

"Weren't we sat here when me made it?" Tom asked.

"I'm pretty sure we were…"

"…Sable…I-I have something to tell you"

Sable turned her head to look at Tom Nook's face. She could see that he was visibly nervous; his hand was shaking in hers.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes…" Tom muttered. "Sable…I've been thinking…of everything we've done in the past as friends. We've…done a lot"

"I know…" Sable added, nervously averting her gaze from his eyes. "It's almost like we've been...more…than friends…"

Her eyes, despite her shy attempt to avoid a romantic scene, eventually fell on Tom Nook's eyes. Her heartbeat was rising, the anticipation in the air was thick. Their eyes darted around, scanning each other's facial expressions, almost looking for confirmation; it was like an intense negotiation. Her mouth opened, almost in shock, was this really about to happen? Tom Nook leant his face in, and Sable got all the confirmation she needed. Nervously, she closed the gap and kissed him.

It was a relationship that had been years in the making. The setting couldn't have been more romantic and Tom had seen it coming. The stars in the clear sky, their footprints in the snow, the touch-and-go conversation, the revisiting of memories. He knew it was bound to end like this, but as he felt her lips press against his, he was still in disbelief. Why hadn't this happened sooner between them?

The same question rang through Sable's head; so loudly that she forgot that she was even kissing her childhood friend. The scale of the moment got to her, and she pulled away. A stunned smile forced itself upon her lips; her world seemed to be spinning ever so slightly. Tom Nook started to chuckle quietly; he touched his lips as if an angel had just graced them.

"S-Sable!" he gasped, his face a picture of joy, like an archeologist on his new finds. "We…w-we just kissed!"

"Tom…" Sable breathed. "…Wow!"

They were in disbelief. Neither had foreseen this courage to come from the other. There was the doubt that no such development would blossom between them, but it had. Their hands were holding tightly for stability, they seemed to be reeling.

Overwhelmed by happiness, Sable opened her arms and threw herself onto Tom Nook, who took her into his own arms, surprised. The momentum threw Tom onto his back, and they were piled on top of each other like discarded clothes. They started giggling; their giddiness was euphoric, drug-like. Tom quickly pecked Sable on her mouth again; she responded in similar fashion. Suddenly, Tom's excitement vanished as a powerful sincerity flushed across his face. Sable noticed the change, feeling the same sincerity building inside of her. They helped each other back to upright positions, before holding each other. Tom kissed Sable's cheek and put his head on her shoulder, sighing as he felt her soft quills rub against his face.

"This has been wonderful" he muttered.

"I know" Sable agreed. "Tom…did you ever think it would be like this?"

"I always had the inkling…" Tom answered. "When I left to the city, you were the only person I cared about. I became so bitter when I returned…I almost forgot about how wonderful you are. Sable…thanks for this"

Sable sighed onto Tom's bare neck, kissing it nervously. "I've always had some confidence issues; your departure made things worse for me. I thought you would end up like Labelle; every night I prayed for your safety and the letters we sent kept my hopes alive. I'm so glad that we can be like this now…it feels as if the lingering gap in my life has finally been filled"

"I feel the same way too…" Tom whispered, his heart full of joy, suppressed by his tenderness. He pulled from the hug, just so he could look at Sable's face again. He felt lucky to be in her arms. Sable giggled quietly and rubbed his nose with her own.

"Well, now that's out of the way…" she hummed, unable to hide her smile. "I think K.K Slider's finishing his notoriously long tuning session. Do you want to come to the gig with me?"

Tom leaned back, rolling his eyes.

"Well…" he said in a dramatic voice. "I was gonna go to my house and eat a microwaved meal by myself…"

Sable giggled, punching his arm softly.

"Stop teasing!" she scolded playfully. Tom started to laugh before kissing her tenderly. Standing to his feet, he took Sable's hand and helped her back onto her feet, adjusting her coat so the ruffled edges were smoothed out. She then took his arm, kissing his cheek and resting her head on his shoulder. They turned their back to the Star Shirt, walking arm in arm, heart to heart, down towards the beach, ready to spend their Christmas Eve they way it was meant to be.

Together.

I had fun writing this. I never knew that there was a backstory between Tom Nook and Sable, so when I did find out about them, I just had to write a story about them. I hope you enjoyed it, go check out my other stuff if you like my writing!