#I’m not really truly sad that seb is leaving I AM sad that it signals the end of f1 as we’ve known so far

[comradejoanmir]

I don’t even care about seb leaving as much as I do that an era of formula one is over

[daydreaming-away-reality]

Nightscape

Sebastian x Reader | ☁️ | 1.8k

A chime from your phone jolted your attention off your screen. 

It was that time of the day already. Even though you heard this notification every single day, you were always startled by it. 

The sound of your freedom. 

Turning back to your desktop screen, you skimmed over the information once more. Hopefully it was error free - you managed to keep up your zero-tolerance policy for mistakes to get this far, no messing up now. Hitting save, your mouse flew across the screen to shut down your computer.

Grabbing your favourite travel mug and shoving it into your bag, you stood up, feeling the stretch in, well, everything. Your eyes drifted over the walls of your cubical, spying the dull grey walls of the office you worked in. Nothing but the sounds of typing and quiet murmurs filled the efficiency focused workspace. 

Just another typical day for you.

You wondered if the sun had already set - the lack of windows made the place feel like a prison. If the building was a prison, you were their captive. Locked up in the daily grind lifestyle.

At least the pay was decent.

Tossing on your jacket and picking up your bag, you checked over your phone notifications as your feet moved on autopilot towards the exit.

“Done for the day, (Y/N)?”

Your co-worker’s voice made you pause right before the door. 

“Yup,” you responded with a plastered on smile. What was their name again? “Are you?”

“Got to work overtime today.”

“Ahh, good luck. Keep up the good work.”

“Thanks. Have a good night.”

You immediately picked up your pace and your fake smile disappeared. One awkward encounter was more than enough. Your exhausted brain still had no idea what their name was. It probably started with a... G? Maybe? 

As sad as it was, they didn’t really matter. Not to you anyways.

Popping into the elevator, you pressed the ground floor. Whatever energy that had been sapped out of you all day was being restored with every step you took leaving the building.

You could see the glow of the streetlights outside. Looks like the sun had set for a while now. It wouldn’t be long before the stars would come out.

Spying the company logo as you walked out, you let out a big sigh. 

Joja Corporation.

Being able to find a job that gave you a living salary as a young adult should have made you happy. You lived on your own and had a growing savings account. Not much else going on though. 

Ever since starting your life at Joja, your life had become monotonous.

Wake up. Work. Sleep. Repeat. 

Super exciting.

Work life balance? More like work was your life.

Just as you sat down in your car, your phone pinged. Pulling your phone out, you saw a cheerful notification from your mom.

‘Look what I found cleaning! You looked so happy whenever you went to visit your grandpa. Hope things are going well with work!’

Attached was a picture of you and your late grandpa on his farm - he passed away a few years ago. You admired him when you were young, he was a man who stuck to his beliefs and had the kindest heart. Time with him in Stardew Valley always felt like it moved more slowly than the city life you knew but flew by regardless.

“I wonder if things have changed,” you murmured. “It’s been years...”

Starting up your car, you started to drive home. Nights like tonight were busy, Fridays brought out the nightlife more than any other night. The lane you were in crawled forward at a turtle’s pace even at a green light.

Letting out a puff of air, you decided to do something different. Signaling and switching to right lane, you drove without braking for a while. Gliding on the quiet roads heading out of the city, the serene darkness welcomed you with open arms. Letting the city disappear behind you along with all the uncertainties. 

You finally started to slow down when you approached the familiar outlook point that let you see the city from afar.

Even from where you were, you could see the Joja Corporation company you worked at.

What did it take to make the company disappear?

Parking, you turned off your engine and stepped out of your car. Nature’s silence greeted your ears as the crickets’ quiet chirped and the breezes tickled the grass. Sitting on the hood of your car, you leaned back to rest on your elbows as you stared at the night sky with the moon and stars watching from above.

“Something needs to change,” you declared to yourself.

Saying the words out loud made it feel more real. Confirmed. 

You were young and could have a bright future ahead of you. Why were you letting Joja take your excitement for living away?

You weren’t sure how long it had been, but the sound of a motorcycle approaching caught your attention. Keeping your eyes on the sky, you listened as the motorcycle stopped nearby. As their engine cut off, the sound of footsteps crunching on gravel filled the air instead. 

Everything fell back silent for a few minutes. Both knowing that each other were there but not saying anything to each other. 

After a while, the footsteps started to approach you. The person had moved so that they were right next to you, leaning against your car as well.

“So you’re here tonight too,” he said, greeting you. “Didn’t think I’d see you.”

You tilted your head to the side to look at him. “Nice to see you too, Seb.”

The corner of his lip moved upward, as a smile grew on his face. The moon captured his gentle features, not letting the darkness hide any of his surreal charm.

Meeting Sebastian was like a lucky opportunity with fate - the two of you had been complete strangers who happened to be overlooking the city nightscape when your car decided to play matchmaking by revealing a flat tire. Ever since then, Sebastian and you would meet completely by coincidence when the feeling of needing to get away from life happened.

Sitting up, you moved you head so it was resting on Sebastian’s shoulder as you let out a sigh.

“Rough day?” he asked softly. 

“Kind of. I... don’t know how to keep living life this way,” you explained. 

“You don’t mean anything... extreme, do you?”

“No, no, no... Nothing like that.”

“Ah... Good,” Sebastian responded, sounding reassured by your response as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders. You could feel his warmth seeping into you. Could he hear how loud your heart was around him? Hopefully not. “Office life in Zuzu City not as great as you hoped?”

You nodded. He knew you pretty well for someone you barely saw and communicated with. 

“Do you think I should quit?” you asked.

“That’s completely up to you. Don’t let yourself suffer too much.”

You laughed. What a Sebastian thing to say. The way he expressed that he cared wasn’t always through the traditional means and phrases.

“What about you then, Seb? Did you come here as a result of suffering too?”

Sebastian responded with a half shrug. “I usually hang out with my friends on a Friday night at the local pub, but something came up this week. Thought I’d take the chance to get away. I guess I am suffering from seeing you though.”

“Hey!” you exclaimed indignantly as you sat up straight.

Seb laughed. “That’s not what I meant. I’m suffering from seeing you looking so troubled.”

You offered him a smile. “How sweet of you.”

“I mean what I say, (Y/N).”

“I know.”

Staring at the distant lights, you thought about the photo your mom sent you. Stardew Valley. Your grandpa had left you his farm. A few years back when you first started working at Joja Corporation, you had opened the letter your grandpa addressed to you. Back then, you thought giving the office job a try would be an okay alternative. The farm now felt like a good alternative. 

This was a big decision though. You didn’t want to make a decision on the spot.

“Sebastian?”

The boy hummed in response.

“Have you ever been somewhere with someone and everything just feels... right?”

Sebastian stiffened as he turned to look at you. “Yeah... I have.” 

Your (E/C) eyes looked at him curiously. Then your brain finally finished processing what you just said out loud - that sounded like a confession. Your cheeks immediately heated up.

“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it that way - although, I do actually really like you, Seb.”

Your flustered response brought a rosy hue to the dark haired male’s face as well. Honestly, he thought you were absolutely adorable. Even in your most uncertain moments, he appreciated how honest you were. Interweaving your fingers together, he gently bumped his shoulder with yours.

“Go on,” he encouraged.

Heart racing from the unexpected confession you expressed, you tried to reorganize your thoughts within your scrambled brain. Unable to look at Sebastian, you turned your gaze up to the night sky and gave his hand a little squeeze.

“I used to visit my grandpa a lot over summer break when I was young,” you began. “He passed away years ago, but I inherited his old farm. I’m just thinking, I move away from Zuzu City to live in the countryside. Have you ever heard of Pelican Town in Stardew Valley?”

Sebastian seemed to have frozen up when you mentioned Stardew Valley. 

“Yeah... I’m actually from Stardew.”

Wait - what?

You quickly turned to look at him. “Really?!”

He nodded. “Guess I never mentioned that to you. But if you think you really need a change of scenery from Zuzu City, Pelican Town is feels like a different world entirely.”

You thought back to the idyllic days you had spent with your grandpa in the past. Seb was right, it was so different from the world you were living in Zuzu City.

“I’m sure not everything is different,” you said, thinking out loud. A bright smile appeared on your face. “You’ll be there, won’t you?”

Getting to see how beautiful you were when you were truly happy made Sebastian want to see that stunning smile of your more often. He never would have thought this unexpected friendship to blossom into something more, but he truly cherished what he had with you. 

“I’ll be there,” he affirmed. He held up your joined hands. “I’d like to be here for you whenever you need it as well.”

 “I’d appreciate that,” you softly responded. 

Sitting with Sebastian with the night sky above you and the distance city lights twinkling in the distance, you finally felt a sense of hope for the future. Perhaps the change you were waiting for had been here all along.