Undercover

The next day, it was hot before it reached 7am. Andy climbed out of bed, feeling uncomfortably warm - noticing an ache in his hip where he'd lied on it for many hours on the hard mattress - and went outside for fresh air. The door was open, and Austin was already finishing his breakfast.
"You're an early riser."

"Have to be, living here. Right, I got a call from a guy in town - wants logs ASAP cause they're stocking up early for winter. I'm gonna go and deliver them. Then I'll come back and help you with the barn." Andy nodded and made himself a very strong coffee. He was eating toast when Austin started loading the heavy logs in bundles onto his pickup. Andy wanted to help but wondered vaguely if it would hurt Austin's pride. He ignored the possibility that he could aggravate him very easily, and jogged over to help. Austin stayed on the bed of the pickup while Andy handed him the bundles. They were heavier than he imagined, and he tried not to show any signs of duress under Austin's constant scrutiny. A large part of him was determined to prove Austin wrong. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to be who Austin thought he was. He knew he wasn't. And he was going to prove it.

Austin left, accepting Andy's help but not thanking him for it. Andy sighed as he realised he was left with the younger two dogs. Rocky snarled at him when he turned around, determined to scare him now that his master was gone. Andy sighed and fetched a handful of dog biscuits from a cupboard - after searching for too long. He threw some to Rocky in a bid to sweeten him up before heading back to the barn. Andy hadn't realised that he'd blistered his hands slightly the day before in the heat. The friction and sweat against the hammer handle had given him a blister which was aggravated by each knock against the metal panels. Andy ignored it and continued to work. When the rumble of Austin's truck returned - along with the barking of the dogs - Andy ignored it.

"You're not wearing gloves?"

"In this heat, are you kidding?"

"No. Show me your hands." Andy was reluctant, but gave in and Austin frowned.

"Blisters already. You gotta pop that. Put tape on it and then wear gloves."

"Thought you weren't meant to pop blisters." Austin just rolled his eyes and gestured for Andy to follow. He felt very sheepish as Austin boiled the kettle and fetched various things before sitting down opposite Andy and taking his hand. Andy swallowed and bit his lip, convincing himself that the sweat covering his palms was a result of the heat, and his rapid heartbeat was due to anticipating the upcoming pain, and not because of the rough hands that held his. When he pushed the sterilised needle into the blister, Andy gritted his teeth. Austin silently and methodically cleaned it up and bandaged it before throwing powder and gloves at Andy.

"Put those on. You can't expect to do work like this with your hands without getting blisters."

"What do you mean with my hands?"

"Don't get defensive. You've got baby's skin." Andy glared at the taunt but did as he was told and rejoined Austin out in the barn.

"You're not wearing gloves." He mumbled, resembling a slightly indignant child.

"Because I've been here for years. My hands are rough now." Andy picked up his working pace to try and match Austin's - begrudging the fact that his hands felt much better, and that he knew Austin was right, because he'd felt those hands against his skin.

"So you really think we'll get this done in a couple of weeks?" Andy asked, after over an hour of working in silence that was growing awkward. Especially as he had nothing to distract himself from the tingly feeling in his palms.

"I was gonna get it done in a couple of weeks by myself - with your help, definitely. I don't have any other choice - I need these horses to come here."

"How come you're getting them?" Austin sighed, it was barely audible, but Andy just caught it. Again, it waved up a flag of irritation, but Andy pushed it away, determined to make some kind of conversation.

"I'm going to train them for riding."

"Do you have the time to do that?"

"Gonna have to make time. I've gotta try to get the best out of this land...and- can you pass me that wrench?...and anyway, training them pays well and I only have to do it until they're trained. Then I sell them on." Andy nodded.

"Sounds good." Austin sighed and looked at Andy intently until he could feel his temperature rising under his scrutiny.

"What?"

"Do you always talk so much?"

"It's been over an hour since either of us last said anything! I don't think that's being too sociable." Austin shook his head and chuckled, Andy glared at him, determined not to take the bait and get defensive again.

"So...why'd they give me you?"

"What?" Andy grunted as they lifted a particularly heavy metal panel off the floor.

"Why you?"

"I've been asking myself the same thing." Andy snapped at him. Austin sighed and looked at him.

"I didn't mean that. I literally just meant, how come you got this job?"

"Because...I have the most experience going undercover out of anyone in our team. And this is a big case." Austin nodded.

"What other undercover things have you done, then?"

"Umm...I'm not really supposed to say but...what the hell. I worked as an undercover teacher in Nevada to expose a ring of paedophiles, I did some work in several weapons manufacturing companies to discover terrorists...I've handled a few cases."

"Do you like going undercover?"

"Now who's talking too much." Andy chuckled at him, he saw Austin shaking his head, but a small smile was hinted at from the corners of his mouth.

"I do and I don't....it's kind of exciting and dangerous..and I get to do things I'd never normally do, it's like acting but for real..." Austin nodded.

"But it's hard not to romanticise I guess, I've gotten attached to things and people before and..it's painful when it's over and you have to leave. But it's really difficult to remain objective." Austin nodded again, actually looking at him for a moment.

"What?"

"Nothing." Andy sighed inwardly and helped him lift another panel.

They worked for the rest of the day, and by the time dinner rolled around, Andy was shaking slightly with fatigue, Austin looked tired but in an annoyingly comfortable way and so Andy offered to cook while he continued to work.

"I could get used to this, been a long time since I had someone cook for me." Austin's words were meant uncharacteristically lightheartedly, but they left a sad aftertaste in the air.

"You never have anyone out here?"

"Just me and the dogs...it's simpler."

"You don't get lonely?" Andy's pulse jumped as Austin's intense gaze met his and he wondered - for what seemed like the hundredth time - if he'd pushed too far, stepped too close to the barrier Austin had built to distance himself from the rest of the world.

"Sometimes......how about you?" Andy cocked his head to the side slightly.

"Do you have someone waiting for you back home? Wife or girlfriend just sitting at home worrying about you?"

"Yeah, right." Austin leant back in his chair and looked at Andy thoughtfully.

"I can see you married to a...high-flying, driven career woman...who bosses you around all day and doesn't cook or clean or iron your shirts, but she's hot so you let her get away with it." Andy laughed loudly at that.

"No chance. Sounds like my worst nightmare."

"Ok...so you're a bachelor down there in California, you're a real ladies man and have no meaningful relationships."

"Wrong again, I'm afraid."

"Damn." They laughed at one another quietly.

"Ok...thanks for that...I'll clean up you go carry on." Andy nodded and left, assuring himself that his smile was because Luna stuck by his side as he returned to the barn, and not because of their increasingly good rapport.