#stardew valley fanfiction writers guild

[whatdoidosatoru]

just like old times

sebastian/fem!reader | ao3 you come back to the place that holds your dearest memories to take over the farm once your grandpa died, now everything feels different. your friends feel different. five years away have done their damage, now's the time to fix it. wc: 12.5k cw: eventual smut, grief/mourning, a fuck ton of flashbacks, unprotected sex, semi-public sex, oral (f receiving), praise, creampie, fluff, slight hurt/comfort, slight angst 18+ MDNI

you stand on the pelican town ground once again. it looks like the old times, but the feeling of dread reminds you that it isn't, and it will never be as exciting as before.

for one, the bus ride seems longer. the hills and plains interchange outside of the scratched and dirty windows as the vehicle’s stiff suspension makes sure you feel every bump in the road. second, there's no more of that excitement you felt as the bored bus driver announces pelican town when the bus lurches to a stop and the door opens with a squeak. no more carefree holidays at your grandparents’ farm, no more staying out until the sun comes up and sleeping until lunch time. now it's time to gather all that knowledge of farming collected over the years, of which there is none, and take matters into your own hands, making sure the family farm is well looked-after.

you step off of the bus with a heavy sigh and even heavier bags. 

the air is cooler than usual, this might be the first time you’re witnessing pelican town spring, cherry blossom leaves filling the air with their soft pink color. 

you look around, already emotional with the realization that there will be no help in the form of the old man shouting an over-excited welcome as he makes his way shuffling across the bus stop to embrace you tightly, smelling of earth and herbs. no, there will be no help from him. time has decided so. 

swallowing your sadness, you pick up the heavy bags and start towards the farm. 

“you’re back!” a breathless shout sounds from the direction of the town square and you see the usual sight. a tall figure with a blond mop of hair on his head, a shorter one with a tidy ginger bob, accompanied by two even smaller figures. the surprise at their company stops you wallowing in sadness, breaking you out of the already set frown on your face and instead making the corners of your lips curl up slightly. 

“how did you–?” your gaze drops down to the kids following penny’s steps. the few years you haven’t been here didn’t seem that harsh, not until you notice their heights. “oh yoba’s tears, what are they feeding you two? hey guys!”

vincent sprints over and nearly knocks you over as he wraps his little arms around your waist, giving you his usual enthusiastic greeting. seeing the happiness in his action, you start feeling that growing sense of guilt for not visiting lately. jas walks over, staying closer to penny as they all approach. she shyly looks down at the ground before murmuring a hello, still as shy as ever before warming up to such a rare presence in her town. 

“gotta say, it feels like summer now that you’re here, almost makes me forget about my a-a-aller–” sam sneezes, making you lean back in surprise. funny how a few years can make you forget such mundane things like how loud sam’s sneezes are. wiping his nose with a tissue, he rambles on about some shit or other, it’s difficult to understand him when he’s mumbling. penny smacks his arm, looking at you apologetically. 

“i’m so sorry for your loss, truly.” her words make your smile drop again. you nod, taking a heavy breath as you thank her for the condolences.

“oh… yeah i’m so sorry. i didn’t wanna bring you down, but if you need anything…” sam awkwardly scratches the back of his head before noticing the heavy bags on the ground, the dye on handles already rubbed off from straining with the weight. “well, let me carry these at least.” he picks up the bags with a little less effort than you used, and starts walking towards the farm, vincent following after his brother with a happy bounce in his step. 

penny offers a small smile as you both follow after the boys, jas trailing after penny with her smaller steps.

you arrive at the creaky gates, your heart nearly rips out of your chest once the familiar green roof peeks through the treetops. it’s worse than you expected, the steps to the porch seem like they’ve seen better days, the scarecrows are barely hanging on, threadbare and spilling hay from their bodies like gutted corpses. it’s a horrific sight, tugging on the fond memories you have of the place. of the colorful fields of fairy roses you played in when you were little, of the sunflowers you ran through with your friend until grandma chased you out of them with a stern tone but a gentle smile, making you seek a way to pass the time on the beach. the beach . you wonder if she still likes the sea and sunflowers. 

shaking those memories from your mind and pushing the gate open, you follow sam’s path through the overgrown grass to the porch. 

“robin already said she’d be here today to fix these steps and the door.” sam kicks a loose plank with the toe of his shoe, waiting for you to unlock the front door. 

once the jingling of the keys stops, he takes your bags inside, leaving footprints through the thick dust settled on every surface inside. penny remains outside, keeping the kids from running in and touching what they shouldn’t, but sam walks into the old kitchen, testing out the tap and lights, making sure they’re functional before he can leave you to your devices. 

once alone, you busy yourself with dusting the place, lifting the old shutters to let some natural light in. dust particles dance in the air around the bedroom, looking magical as they sparkle in the spring sun spilling through the open window. you sneeze once, twice, wiping your nose with a tissue before tying up your hair and deciding to save the weeping for later. there’s work to be done. 

you  manage to sweep the floors with an old broom and dust most of the surfaces when robin’s gentle face pokes through the front door, knocking on the old wood when she spots you sweating as you try to make the place look decent again. 

“hey, cherry,” she calls you by that silly nickname that reminds you of your granny, smiling as she slowly steps inside with a toolbox in her veiny hand, “i’m just gonna fix your step, okay? sorry in advance about the noise…” voice dying as you approach her and sink into the comforting hug you took for granted so many times before. 

she always gave them out so freely, showing her affections with a gentle pat on the head and a tray of freshly cut apples when you were over at sebastian’s for the day. it was a given, on the days when the summer heat made being outside impossible, that you would spend most of the time in his bedroom, lying on the floor under the ceiling fan or playing games on his computer. robin would always make sure you forgetful kids didn’t die of dehydration or hunger. she would call you up into her husband’s lab to watch him make sparks fly by mixing different liquids or laugh when he made something expand and overflow, leaving a horrible smell in the air. 

you would then leave the house to sit at the edge of the lake while sebastian sneaked out a couple of cigarettes smuggled from abby’s dad’s secret stash. those first few tries were nearly the end of his rebellious attempts, but then demetrius had to comment on the smell of smoke on his clothes and how you would regret even lighting a single cigarette. that was the day when sebastian finally mastered the art of holding the smoke in his lungs and not coughing it out immediately, all he had needed was spite. 

now, robin’s hug is a little tighter, like she’s trying to pull pieces of you back together and slot them into place with her hold. she lets go with a little huff and a sniffle, but you smile at her through the sadness, silently thanking her for not repeating those words everyone keeps saying. sorry for your loss, my condolences, he was a great man, what a shame… yeah, it’s true, but there are only so many thank yous and yeah he was amazing you have left in you. robin pats you on the head like she did when you were younger, turning on her heel to start on that stupid broken step. 

wiping the corners of your eyes, you continue cleaning, checking every light bulb and power outlet before stepping out onto the porch again, just in time to see robin get up and wipe the sweat off her forehead.

“there we go, it should be good as new. even better than new, really.” she pats you on the shoulder before taking her stuff to leave. just as you’re about to go back inside to try unpacking, she calls out to you. “oh, cherry? i’m sure sebby would like to see you, too.”

with that, she walks off, wincing as the gate creaks and making a note of it to fix later. 

alone again, you walk back inside, noticing from the corner of your eye that robin left her best hammer on the floor. cheeky woman, she knows what she’s doing. you consider for a moment if you should feign ignorance, leave the hammer there until she needs to get it back, but some part of you is buzzing with excitement at the idea of seeing sebastian again. it’s been years . the friendship is surely still there, he’s never been high-maintenance, never insisted you stay in touch after the summers, always content with hanging out for the summer and saying goodbye until the first day of the next one. he wouldn’t hold a grudge, not when that was how you functioned for more than a decade.

groaning, you bend down to grab the hammer and begin the well-known hike up into the mountains, watching the sky get warmer in tone. the muscles in your legs haven’t forgotten the path, taking over as your mind wanders to reminisce on the simpler times. starting tomorrow, you have to take matters into your own hands, clear the farm, and start planting crops – something you’ve done with grandpa countless times over the years, mouth full of questions you would list out, not letting a single moment go without a why or a how . all while your granny took care of the greenhouse, her pride and joy, walking out with a heavy basket full of ripe fruits on her hip every morning. 

the cherry picking days were the best, for they meant that granny would set a big bowl of those dark red fruits next to an empty one, and the two of you would spend the afternoon removing pits from them, eating too many in the process and painting your lips, fingers, and clothes red. the sticky stains stayed until granny rubbed them off with a rough towel, making one of those mornings’ adventures result in a sweet new nickname - cherry. 

hardly anyone uses your real name anymore, at least here in pelican town. it’s been cherry ever since. little cherry, like the blossoms floating through the air every spring.

seeing smoke coming out of robin’s chimney shakes the longing thoughts from your head. you check the watch, she would be closing at this time, that is if she didn’t change anything in the past five years. 

a quick rap on the heavy wooden door and she is already on the other side, pulling the door open to let you in with a wide, innocent smile. unsure if she knew that you saw through her little stunt or not, you give in, walking inside to place her hammer on the counter while she apologizes profusely, her mind must’ve been all over the place to forget something so vital. with a quiet chuckle you dismiss her apologies. after all, you would’ve walked over to say hello to everyone anyway. 

demetrius is murmuring as he paces the lab, writing something down on a clipboard while maru holds two seemingly identical rocks, listing off differences as she notices them. you lean on the door frame, knocking slowly on the white wood of the door to the lab. maru stops mid-sentence, nearly dropping the rocks she was holding.

“sweet sodium thiosulphate, is it monday already?” the curly girl rushes over to embrace you, squealing in excitement despite her father’s less than excited face. he doesn’t approve of her abandoning experiments and research for something as frivolous as greeting an old friend. regardless, he finishes writing down what maru said earlier and puts the clipboard down, taking off safety gloves and goggles. you smile over her shoulder, her curly hair tickles your nose as she sways left and right embracing you. “ohhhh it’s been so long, mom kept going on and on about you coming back. we were so excited!” she pulls away to look at you better.

demetrius walks over to shake your hand, as is tradition. “ah, cherry, good to have you back. terrible circumstances, certainly, we would all rather have you here of your own accord. naturally, there is no way one could stop the ruthless nature of life and d–”

“fucking hell, man, give her a moment.” like an arrow straight into your soul, that familiar bored tone breaks demetrius’ rambling. you turn your head to the side, meeting eyes with him. sebastian. with the same hair and the same crease between his eyebrows. the ring on his nostril is new, though. and so is the one on his eyebrow, his ear, yoba, he was busy since you last saw each other.

“hey.” a weak greeting leaves your lips, too busy playing spot the difference on him to even employ a single brain cell for rational thinking.

he seems to be a little taller than before, but his posture is still as bad as ever. there are traces of black on his fingernails, so he must have painted them again and picked the polish off in the meantime. you watch as he takes a pack of cigarettes from his hoodie pocket, his sleeve uncovers a little bit of his wrist, enough to see a black, now very faded, bracelet tied around it. your heart clenches at the memory, at the thought that he has kept that silly little accessory all this time. not even a bracelet, but a strap you ripped off your favorite top when it got ruined by one of maru’s experiments. it was the last time you spent your summer here, unburdened by the real life , and sebastian insisted you save at least a part of that beloved shirt. so you did the only logical thing, you ripped both straps, tied one around sebastian’s wrist and the other around yours. the one from your wrist ended up in the trash somewhere since it didn’t fit with the dress code of your stupid fancy job at joja corporate. now you regret it, seeing its pair right here in front of your eyes.

“you coming?” his murmured half-invitation sounds just like old times, bringing the last time you heard those words to mind.

you nod and wave good bye to the rest as sebastian walks out the front door, expecting you to trail behind him as always, leading you to the lake. it holds many secrets, the clear surface of the lake in the mountains with its ever clear water and rich life. it’s been witness to every late-night adventure all those summers, it holds the memories of happy times and the promises you made under the night sky. the promises you broke by not being here. sebastian stops and lights the cigarette that dangles from his lips, taking in a few drags before turning to you.

he says nothing, but it would be easier if he just shouted, you know he wants to, he has that look in his eyes. that i’m fucking pissed off but i don’t want to waste energy yelling look he so often had when he was a teenager and only just discovered rebellion against parental figures. 

you say nothing, but it would be easier if you did, you really want to, your face certainly betrays the need to explain. to explain why you weren’t here, to ask if he’s mad at you, to reach out and make everything okay, make it better, make it easy like before. the silence between you is no longer light like it was years ago, it feels like a thread tugged completely taut and all it takes is one word to make it snap. 

“so…” you start, trying to sort your thoughts out as you speak, trying to put all the concern and emotions into the tone of your voice. but sebastian has never been a very patient man.

“five years.”

he looks away again, still standing in that same spot that he picked for smoking all those years ago when he was still sneaking out of the house with you and abby to cough out every painful drag, making for a lot of laughs bouncing off the lake. yet another memory that the water holds.

“i know.” you sit down, take your shoes and socks off, and roll up your jeans. it’s been a while since you could rest your feet in the cold water and not feel the overwhelming hurt of missing pelican town. sebastian stands there for a few long moments before joining you, though not dipping his feet into the lake.

“five years without a word.” he’s bitter. sure, your grandpa had some news of your well-being, though not much more. that corporate job sucked out all joy from life, made taking vacations impossible, made you into a husk of who you once were, not the person who went skinny dipping with her friends almost every night in the summer right here in this lake. not the person who sneaked out of the farm house to smoke joint after joint with her best friends and make out with all of them, exploring the possibilities of human bodies. “and then you show up all smiley and try to pretend nothing’s changed.” sebastian spits the words, holding the cigarette in shaking fingers as he relights the end of it. “i didn’t think you’d show up even now that your grandpa–” “i get it.” you cut him off, stopping his angry tirade before it spirals into something else. “i get it, i wasn’t here. i feel guilty enough already, your negativity is… noted.” with a heavy breath you sigh and slide a little closer to the edge of the lake, getting the legs of your jeans damp, but it doesn’t matter. you deserve the shouting, you deserve the anger and frustration. but you’ve been putting yourself through it already, sebastian’s words only add to the burden already on your shoulders.

“why weren’t you?” he asks a question you pose to yourself every day. why didn’t i quit and come here? why didn’t i help grandpa after granny died? why didn’t i take a chance on a better life? you don’t know, it felt easier to follow some expected path. desk job, awful manager, boring dress code, decent pay, but declining motivation. in the end, you would’ve ended up completely dead inside, a shell of the girl you used to be, the girl who used to pack her bags as soon as school ended so she could be on the first bus to pelican town to spend her days helping out on the farm and the nights hand in hand with her favorite people in the world. 

that girl would daydream every day about her friends, about the loud laughter and water splashing around her. purple hair swaying as abby ran to get the ball from the other end of the beach, alex throwing his gridball a little too close to pierre’s shop and running away together to avoid the punishment, haley’s annoyed voice when you messed up yet another carefully directed candid photo by laughing at just the wrong moment. emily draping you in silly fabrics to play dress-up when it was too hot to spend time outside, penny’s look of utter horror when you would crack the spine of your own book, running to maru’s secret lab to avoid her father’s chores when she couldn’t be bothered to do them. late-night bonfires with sam’s guitar as his mellow voice chased away the silence, sebastian’s eyes peeking over the top of his comic book as you sat across from each other on his bed and read together in peace. 

now those eyes almost avoid yours, instead focusing on the tree in the middle of the lake. yet another piece of your summer lore, the memory of swinging from that tree to throw yourselves into the lake screaming and laughing. you wonder if sebastian thinks about those times as well, or if he’s so bitter that he can’t push past the abandonment. 

“why wasn’t i here? i had a job , sebastian, i couldn’t just up and leave for the summer like i used to.” pushing the guilt away, you narrow your eyes, ready to put him in his place.

he doesn’t know what it feels like, being a slave to a big company, chained to your desk in an uncomfortable chair and a perpetually cold office. he’ll never be a part of that life, he said so himself, all those years ago as he decided to chase his own dreams, even if it meant struggling. you agreed with him then, promising to be an outcast with him, another promise this lake witnessed, now broken.

the comment stings, practically throwing your old agreement in his face, but you can’t care about that right now. it’s not easy, living in the city. he’s romanticized it all his life, always saying how lucky you are that you live somewhere so interesting, but it’s hardly that glamorous. it’s too busy, loud, demanding. there’s none of the energy you filled up on in those summers.

even the unbearable heat was somehow made less so when you were running from shade to shade, playing hide-and-seek with penny and sam before being called back to the farm to help granny in the greenhouse. gone were your favorite days, seeing drops of sweat on sam’s shoulders as he practiced his skateboard tricks in front of his house. abby and you sat on the step with ice cream melting down your hands, making everything sticky with liquid sugary vanilla in between your fingers. sometimes jodi would bring out freshly squeezed lemonade in a pitcher full of the cold beverage with huge ice cubes. you’d down the drink before sucking on the ice cubes until they also disappeared. it was easy, it was comfortable. 

those memories kept you sane in the summer weeks in the office. the air conditioning didn’t work as it should and the company was too cheap to replace it, so the only solution was to fan yourself with thick notebooks that had photos of your friends stuck to the covers. photos taken with haley’s old polaroid camera, a little scuffed on the edges from being shoved into an old diary during packing. photos starring those sweet smiles that came to your friends’ lips so easily whenever you were around, smiles that lit up your nights and chased even the darkest nightmares away. 

“oh okay so you became little miss very important and immediately forgot about the rest of us? you couldn’t have come to see us once ?” sebastian’s words hurt, but nobody can put you down quite like you yourself. you’ve been doing it for over twenty years, the experience is irreplaceable. 

“that’s not fair, you could’ve called. the phone works both ways,” you reply, furrowing your brows further, “and besides, you think it was my idea to not have any fucking time off when i could actually come here?”

sebastian scoffs. of course he doesn’t think that, but it’s easier being angry with you than accepting the fact that he felt rejected, abandoned… 

confused, especially after that last summer five years ago. 

granny had passed away early that spring so you were needed on the farm then more than ever. grandpa’s hands didn’t work as well as they used to, his fingers were weaker and shakier, his knees gave out more often, and his back never truly straightened anymore. he worked harder than ever attempting to escape the overwhelming loneliness with the love of his life gone without any warning. your parents never got into the whole farming business. they came over for the funeral and kept asking if he would move with them to the city so they could keep an eye on him . he would’ve rather died alone in the middle of his parsnip field, he said. you had to admire the stubborn old man, the unwavering sense of loyalty to his land was something else. so he wiped his tears and kissed the framed photo of granny smiling with a large sunflower on her head every morning before he left the house to work. you focused on the farm more, finally having reached the age when he could trust you with more tasks, and you loved every second of it. 

it was therapeutic, the cold earth between your fingers helped you become more connected with the land, and the animals seemed to look forward to your entering the barn and coop every morning. it was a life you thought you could get used to, even if it brought tears to your eyes whenever the greenhouse demanded attention. it was hers . it had granny’s heart and soul embedded in the glass panes and the fruit trees and those precious flowers. once you finally got over the anxiety of entering the warm structure, you could hardly leave again. sebastian found you in there often, remembering it as a place you were most likely to get stuck in if you hadn't shown up to the lake or to his house. 

it was his gentle hands that picked you up off the ground and walked out with you to greet the moon and the stars. it was him who helped you talk about her and how much you missed her. it was him who kissed your cherry flavored lips when he saw them quiver. and it was you who leaned into the kisses every time, who lay down to feel his body on yours and his hands ridding you of your clothes. it was you who sought it out almost every day that summer, it didn’t matter when or where. 

you had him in his bed, against the wall of his bedroom, on the beach, and behind a tree in the secret woods. he had you by the tide pools, on his desk, and in the lake by his house, making it another secret that the water kept. 

both of you did your best to keep those bite marks hidden, not being able to keep your teeth to yourselves when the sex felt so good. 

that summer could have very well been dubbed the best summer of your lives. if only it didn’t end with that cursed job offer.

“i know it wasn’t your idea, dumbass, but you could’ve let m– us know that we won’t see you again.” 

“i’m here now.” it’s a piss poor response to his words full of hurt. he puts the cigarette out into the ground and doesn’t reach for another, instead turning to face you again, making you look into his eyes and see the state that he got himself into, spending five years wondering…

“yeah but are you? is it you or is it some… piece of shit corporate pawn that you swore you’d never be!” his hands shoot out to gesture as he raises his voice, finally showing the repressed emotions that have been bubbling up inside his chest for years, pushed down because he didn’t want to show that he cared, that he was hurt, that he felt discarded. was i really only good for that? good to fuck the grief out of you and have years of our friendship erased? he wondered that at night when he tried to sleep but all he could do was think about your body moving on top of his, he could still feel the dips in the mattress where your knees were when you threw your head back and moaned out his name. you looked like a goddess then, under the dimmed lights of his bedroom as his cock disappeared into you and elicited cute little curses from your red lips. “i thought we were on the same page.”

“i hardly had a choice, you know? a job is a job, and the money was good. i didn’t have the option to stay with my parents forever–”

“oh yeah, ‘cause i’m so thrilled with staying in my mom’s basement at this point!”

“you know what i mean and don’t put words in my mouth!” you sigh, it wasn’t supposed to turn into a fight. 

all you wanted to do when you got to the lake was ask him how he’s been, not have a shouting match out in the open. he keeps quiet for a while, deciding to slide off his shoes and socks to cool off in the water. he doesn’t stop there, for the rest of his clothes also find themselves on the ground and he pushes himself into the lake. you can hardly believe what’s happening, it’s been so long since you saw his body only in boxers. sebastian swims away, not caring that he’s leaving the conversation or that there are words still stick in your throat. 

exasperated, devastated that this is how your first meeting after five years is going, you lie on your back in the grass, keeping your feet in the water. fuck . of course it has to be terrible. of course, your expectation of sebastian always being such a low-maintenance friend should’ve ended the minute you let him go down on you the first time. but how were you supposed to know he really meant it? that it wasn’t just a thing friends did with each other when they got to the point of being too horny to function. you were so tired that summer, so worn out with sadness and exhaustion from taking on more farm work, it was easy deciding to cross a line with him. you’d thought about it extensively years prior, imagining what it would be like, but never really assumed it would happen outside of your head. and now you’ve fucked it up. destroyed nearly everything you’ve built since the first time you came to the farm.

“cherry…” sebastian’s voice startles you, making you flinch and immediately sit up. he swims closer, nearly to your knees with his hair swooping up as he pushes it back with one hand. he wipes his face with it, looking up with those familiar eyes. he’s missed you, despite being furious and crushed by your abandonment, he’s missed you more. “why didn’t you call?” his voice is nearly pleading, but you know he knows why. he knew what you were like, he’s spent many of your crises helping you breathe, rubbing your back, and whispering sweet hopeful words into your ear. 

“i…” you swallow your tears and anguish, the guilt that devours you from the inside. “i couldn’t handle it anymore. i love it here but i was too fucking sad.” biting your lip for a second, trying not to burst into tears, you shake your head. this is not the time to lose your composure. so with another deep breath you continue. “i was so fucking sad because I felt that my life didn't lead anywhere if I didn't make something of myself in the city. stupid, I know. but once i was successfully made a cog in the machine I just got tired . I couldn't get away for long enough to recover, it was draining everything that made me me. and you would've hated me.” the tied strap around his wrist catches your eye again, sebastian places his palms on the edge where you sit, on either side of you as he looks up from the lake, wet hair pushed up and water droplets glistening on his pale face. 

okay, so he hasn't changed that much, despite the images that your anxiety put into your head during those years away. he still has those deep eyes and unfairly thick eyelashes. he has a few healing scratches, most likely from the mines, on his cheek, the one that usually gets covered with his long fringe. 

“how could I hate you, cherry?” his voice is still pleading, for a moment almost making you forget that he has every right to be angry. “sure, I was pissed off, I wanted to hate you. but you know the deepest parts of my heart, I could never feel that way about anyone else. even when you’re acting like a dick…” his hand reaches for yours, bringing it to his chest, right where his heart beats, “even when you're an insufferable, selfish, annoying brat that pushes all my buttons… even then I  cannot hate you.” there is a hint of a smile on his cheeky lips, but you know you owe him more than what you gave.

“i’m really sorry. i missed you every day i was away.” you confess, eyes meeting his in an intense stare. his hand tightens around yours, like your apology is the last piece of the puzzle he has been trying to solve for years. “i missed everyone here, but I thought about you most of all.” you swallow, feeling your throat become drier than ever. 

it's the most open you've been with someone since grandpa died, having responded to everyone's condolences with a sad smile and a weak thank you . but with sebastian it was never like that, you never felt like you had to hide what you were feeling, even if it was pain. both of you have been there for each other, and a bond like that doesn't snap so easily. 

“missed me the most, huh?” his face shifts into a mischievous smile as he holds your hand against his heart. 

the grip of his fingers tightens for a second, reminding you of all those times you ran with sebastian to escape the mayor’s stern look when you were sneaking around town, planting rotten vegetables under his door mat to piss him off after he shouted at sam for skateboarding in town. sebastian took your hand then, much like now, and he ran, dragging you after him to his house where you could finally stop and catch your breath. 

you want to say more, reveal the depth of your feelings and how he infiltrated your poor heart, how you cried your heart out nearly every night since you got that job, how you became what you had promised him you never would, thinking he would hate you, call you a sell-out, see you for the weak conformist that you sold yourself to be. you want to tell him he has the central role in your dreams. that he matters most, and you need him now more than ever, already having felt his care and support when granny died. 

everyone tiptoed around you and avoided mentioning her name that summer, but sebastian made sure to keep her memory alive by getting you to talk about her, joining you in the greenhouse to pick cherries with you, eating more than you'd put in the large basket. his fingertips were as red as yours, and you chased each other around the flowerbeds trying to wipe the fruit stains on one another’s face and clothes. 

and now his cheeky smile reminds you of the one he wore then, hell-bent on keeping you, making sure you're not closing off from him and disappearing into your thoughts. it means trouble. 

it distracts you long enough so you don't realise he's tugging you by that hand into the lake. with a quick, cut off yelp, you end up underwater. clothes and all. luckily, you have nothing in your pockets, your shoes have already been off, and all that's ruined in any way is the tiny sliver of dignity you had left. gasping for air you come up above the surface, hair stuck to your face, sebastian’s laughter in your ear. he holds your hand still, keeping you oriented as you cough out some water that entered your nose. 

“you dick!” you cough out more, holding onto his chest and wiping your eyes with the other hand “oh i hate you so much!” a few more awful sounding coughs and you are fine, glaring at sebastian as he nearly drowns himself laughing at your angry face.

“no you don't, you can't !” he wraps one arm around your waist, using the other to swim and bring you both closer to the edge of the lake, letting you hold onto the firm ground as you push the hair out of your face.

“I could !” you protest, reaching out only to attempt to punch him in the chest, the water making your attempt laughable. 

you both know it's a damn filthy lie. as you keep moving your feet to stay afloat, sebastian pulls you closer, turning you to face him. there is no escaping his attention now.

“don't disappear on me again,” his tone is serious, a contrast with his earlier laughter and mischief, “or i’ll have no choice but to glue myself to you. got it?”

“okay. promise.” 

he nods, quickly pushing himself up and out of the water, offering you a hand to help you out. you can do it yourself, with only a little bit of wiggling before bringing a knee up to push yourself up as well and sit next to him, completely drenched as your clothes stick to your body.

“you look like a wet rat.” sebastian comments, nearly starting laughing again, but your glare in his direction stops him.

“i’m gonna get you back for this,” you promise, but you can’t stay angry for long, something about his wet body next to yours mellows you out and requires attention of your eyes on the pale glow of his skin and the way droplets race down his lean frame to reach the ground. memories of that same body flood your mind, how good it looked when he moved on top of you on this very grass, how well it fit against yours when you were pushed up against the shed door at the farm. 

“gonna have to stick around for that, you know?” it’s like he’s testing out what you said earlier, trying to figure out if you really meant it, that you’re not going to disappear. 

“i’m staying, g-gonna restore the farm. i owe it to them.” your hands gather all the wet strands of your hair and wring it out, you’re already on your feet and picking up your socks and shoes by the time that sebastian makes a move to gather his clothes and starts walking towards his house. 

“you’re doing what ?” his tone is surprised like he didn’t even think that something could be done about the once-thriving farm that’s now overgrown and abandoned. 

he must’ve ventured there occasionally, checking in on the state of it while it was occupied only by a weakening old man that enjoyed sebastian’s visits because he’d get to talk about his granddaughter. the man would tell him how proud he was of her success even if he wished she would make decisions that would bring her more happiness. they both knew she was happier in pelican town than anywhere else. 

you shiver with the cold that attaches itself to your wet clothes, seeping into your bones quicker than you expect. sebastian notices and pulls you closer with an arm thrown over your shoulders. despite the fact that he is also wet, not providing much warmth at all, you’re grateful for the gesture. it reminds you of all the times you went skinny dipping with sam and abby. shy at first, but within what felt like only minutes, you stopped giving a shit about nudity, instead just having the time of your life with the best friends you could’ve asked for. if anything, it made all of you develop more appreciation for each other, seeing what you looked like under shimmering moonlight as water droplets reflected it off your skin.

“restoring it. i n-n-need to, grandpa l-l-left it t-to me– f-f-fuck i’m too c-cold.” your teeth chatter and it makes sebastian shift into gear, dragging you along to rush you into the house. robin’s barely covering a snicker while maru looks at you two with a raised eyebrow.

“what happened to you ?” maru chuckles, covering her mouth with one hand while the other holds a clipboard with way too many sheets of paper attached.

“decided to jump into the lake. she’s so silly, isn’t she?” sebastian quickly lies, dragging you down the stairs to the basement before you can tell him off and snitch on him.

“y-you little…” his laugh stops you from cursing him, it's a sound you've been dreaming of for five years. as he helps you out of your soaked clothes, not minding the puddle of lake water appearing around both of you while his bare feet left marks on the floor, you recall the first time you heard him laugh. 

you must have been five at that point, and the memory is still clear as day in your mind. he'd always been suspicious of new people, so when you first saw him on the beach - him accompanied by robin and a very tiny maru in demetrius’ arms, you by your granny - he squinted at you as if to warn you not to come closer to his sand castle. you'd never made one yourself before, so the very idea of creating something so fun out of the thing you walk on was interesting. he waited for you to approach, and as soon as you did he told you he'd push you into the water if you ruined it. it was a simple, small construction, and you crouched to take a closer look, careful not to provoke the boy’s already present disdain. sebastian gave you a few moments to observe with wide eyes until he started explaining the purpose of each of the towers. this is where the prisoners are and the knights sleep in this one. this tall one is the wizard's tower. he can turn people into furniture. have you met the wizard? my mom says he doesn't like people that much. but he doesn't turn them into tables. I didn't ask about the frogs. do you think he turns people into frogs? his questions were neverending. he finally found a person who didn't seem to get annoyed with him for asking, who didn't look down at him for his fantasies of knights and wizards and castles. he made up adventures, led by groups of valiant warriors, fierce mages, and comforting healers, and laid them out so vividly, painting the world before you while all you could do was sit in your damp bathing suit on the wet sand and adoringly listen to him talk and gesture and raise his voice as the story came to an end. 

in the end, with his little smile showing off a few missing teeth, he looked at you like he finally found his match. both sporting ice cream smudges on your faces, you spent the entire day talking over the sandcastle until your respective guardians decided it was dinner time and you were dragged away to get cleaned up before the meal. sebastian turned around and giggled over his shoulder why do you have red on your shirt? you hadn't even noticed it before, so looking down you remembered that granny asked you to remove cherry pits with her on the porch. it's from cherries! robin put her son's beach towel in a bag while her husband carried the baby, everyone waved goodbye but sebastian still took a few moments to look at you one last time that day, laughing again before waving with his small hand. okay, bye cherry!   granny kept chuckling to herself as she wiped your cheeks clean of any ice cream you had smudged on yourself and she brought you a clean shirt. such a sweet boy, she chuckled at the nickname he had given you, don't usually hear sebastian talk to people much. she kept humming an old tune as she took your hand and walked back to the farm, the two of you catching the last orange rays of sun before the moon came out. she started calling you cherry that evening, and the idea spread throughout the town. sebastian. you repeated in your head. I wanna know more about the wizards. 

twenty years later that same boy walks back into his bedroom only wearing his soaked boxers, but holding two large towels, passing one to you as he wraps the other around his waist and slides off his boxers from under it. you are still shivering like a leaf, peeling off your underwear to wrap yourself in the soft towel, leaving the clothes on the floor of his room before sitting on the edge of his bed. 

“you okay?” his voice is as low as it usually was in this room, it’s his sanctuary, free from any loud noises that could ruin his peace.

“just thinking.” you offer a smile, this room brought back so many memories, including the ones of your first ever exchanged words and ideas.

“oh, careful, don’t want you to hurt yours– ouch!” he laughs when you punch his shoulder, holding onto the towel with one hand as the other withdraws from him.

you’re slowly getting back into the usual routine, the usual state of things that has always been so natural between you. with a sigh of relief you look around the room. it hasn’t changed much. almost at all, actually, though the keyboard on his desk is different and there are a few more books and comics on his shelves. 

other than that, it’s how you remember it – posters covering most of the walls, along with a few photos stuck to the brick with messily torn tape. photos of his friends, of beach shenanigans, of sam’s birthday trips to zuzu city, and sleepovers in this very room. they coax a smile from your heart, tugging on the corners of your lips until sebastian notices and reaches out to poke your cheek gently.

“are you staying?” his voice is hopeful, so different now from the way he spoke to you when you just showed up at the door. 

shaking your head, you force yourself to stand up. the movement reluctantly kicks him into gear, he nods and turns to his wardrobe to pull out a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. you stop him bending down to grab a pair of soft boxers from the drawer.

“there’s no need, i’ll just put mine on when i get back.”

“right. you still got a big ass that barely fits into my boxers, eh?” his slight disappointment at your not staying over is masked by a cheeky teasing line. 

“you little shit, that was one time! ” you try to swat at him again, but he laughs and throws the hoodie and sweatpants your way, making you reach out and catch them, dropping your towel onto the floor in the process. 

it distracts him, the clear view of your damp body. the few seconds he has to catalogue every glowing inch of you soon end and he clears his throat, awkwardly unwrapping his own towel and turning to put on a dry pair of underwear.

“the one pair i will never be able to wear again, all because of your ass.” he chuckles and throws the comment over his shoulder, facing you again as he grabs the towel off the floor and starts drying his dark hair. you pull the string of the sweatpants tight, securing them around your waist, and cover the waistband with the hoodie. 

“you keep complaining, but…” your cheeks heat up, visibly flustered you chuckle, “you and i both know you like it just the way it is.”

sebastian laughs, taken by surprise as you bring it up. yeah, he’s smacked it many times, grabbed it in his hands, kneaded it with those long fingers countless times. he’s left bite marks after bite marks on it, enjoyed the feeling of the soft flesh under his teeth. 

“alright, alright. fine.” once he’s dressed and you’ve put your shoes back on, he throws one arm around your shoulder again, slipping back into the familiar flow of walking by your side. “let’s get you home then.”

it’s already dark by the time you’re out of the house, making the air a little colder as you walk down the path off the mountains. sebastian doesn’t ask you much, and you’re thankful for it. his hand is warm on your arm, holding you close to him like the old times. he always walked you home, no matter where you hung out, no matter how tired or stoned he was. it was the thing he never missed out on, waiting at the farm entrance until you’re inside, safe and sound. 

he'd message you once he was home as well, partly because he didn't want you to worry, and partly because he wasn't ready to end the day. 

and you loved those texts, pressing a pillow over your face so you don't wake up your grandparents with giggles as the sun came up. this time there is nobody to wake up as you two walk up the now-fixed steps of the porch and reach the hardwood door to the house.

your gaze settles on the bench by the door where granny used to sit. in an attempt to stop yourself getting emotional, you walk over to the railing and lean against it, postponing the inevitable moment when sebastian will have to leave you. the moment when you’ll be left alone in the farm house for the first night in your life. sebastian follows, his elbows rest on the smooth wood while he looks at the land ahead… and then at you. your skin tickles under the weight of his gaze, but you don’t sink under it. you return it. there’s that tension again, crackling in the air, electrifying the distance between your lips. if only you could… 

“you can ask me to stay, you know?” sebastian’s voice is low, you can barely hear him as your eyes flit between his lips and his eyes. 

“stay… here?”

“yeah, you don’t have to be alone. at least tonight.” his offer sounds like a plea, like it’s for his benefit just as much as it is for yours. 

“just say you want to stay then,” you challenge him, feeling a smirk curl your lips, “say it and i’ll give in.”

you remember how he always had a way to make you agree to things, he always knew when you were just holding back for whatever stupid reason. it was always a stupid reason, and when you gave in you were glad you did. nights were infinitely better when sebastian was involved.

he rolls his lips together, hesitating only for a moment before leaning in and pressing a tender kiss to your temple. it’s the kind of softness you haven’t felt in a while, there was no time while you worked for joja corp. left to your own devices, you rarely ventured out to find a vent for the pent up frustration. and even when you did, it was never as good as it could’ve been, never as good as when it was with him .

“i want to stay.” sebastian murmurs, the shapes of the words traced on your cheek before he presses a kiss there. and another, slowly inching closer to your lips, challenging you to stop him. but he knows you won’t. you know it, too. all it takes is one move to end this tumultuous day with a bang. you tilt your head to the side, speeding up his lazy kisses until they reach the corner of your lips and stop. it takes enormous effort not to huff like a brat, not to furrow your brows and stomp your foot, crossing your arms just like when you were little and granny wouldn’t let you eat ice cream before lunch. 

“cherry, don’t be like that…” sebastian shifts and pushes off the railing, moving to stand behind you and press himself against your back. those familiar palms of his glide up your arms, chasing away the slight bite of cold in the night air. “can’t go from not seeing you in five years to giving you everything right away.” 

he drags his hands up to your shoulders and then down your torso, gripping and grabbing along the way, reacquainting himself with every part of you. fingers trailing your skin under his hoodie, yoba he loved seeing you wear his clothes , lips dragging along the nape of your neck, sebastian is indulging in all the fantasies he has had for years. your mind is racing, recalling every instance when you’d lie in bed struggling to sleep and resort to getting yourself off to an old memory of sebastian’s head between your thighs. it never felt the same, his tongue just knew your body too well, it felt better gripping his soft hair than closing your fists around cold sheets of your uncomfortable bed back in zuzu. 

a little sigh escapes you once his lips reach your ear. with a gentle tug of his teeth on your lobe he drags a startled moan out of you. you can feel his self-satisfied giggle better than you can hear it as he trails those smirking lips down to the corner of your mouth once again, before capturing it in a devouring kiss.

head tilted to the side, your lips move together like a well-oiled machine, familiar in the way they taste, of coffee and a little bit of smoke. his one hand rests on the softness of your stomach while the other kneads your breast gently. the hoodie rides up and the cold air sends shivers through you, but sebastian keeps rolling his hips against you, grinding against your ass. despite how long it’s been, his hands seem to still know your body, despite how many people he’s been with since – a thought you don’t want to dwell on – his touch on your skin feels like home. 

sebastian sounds more and more desperate, the little groans as your tongues glide together betray him. as you open your eyes, he keeps moving, pulling away from the kiss to hungrily suck on the skin of your neck, all the while his hands quickly tug the waistband of his sweatpants you’re wearing down, once again baring your plump ass to his eyes. one bruise blooming on your neck, another is already in the making as he thanks yoba you didn’t take his boxers when you changed in his room. it’s a quick exchange, a breathy do you wanna answered with an instant yes please ‘cause you have always been polite, even when bratty. 

the usual, grabby, movements of his hands knead and savor the flesh of your body, as if mapping it out to make sure it’s still the same body that left him five years ago. it’s a little different, but so was his, you have a little more meat on your bones, something that sebastian cannot seem to get enough of. with a fluid movement he tugs his own sweatpants down, freeing his erection as it springs out and immediately ends up pressed against you again. 

“sweet yoba on a treetop, cherry… i missed you more than you know.” breath glides from his mouth along your neck, it’s warmer than the memories it brings up. 

you murmur something sappy back at him, making him chuckle through the heavy breathing as he slides the sweatpants lower on your legs, letting them pool around your feet. your movements are almost as smooth as that last summer you were here, only a little rusty as you lift one leg up, stepping out of the sweatpants and resting the knee on the railing and leaning forward. immediately it’s a familiar feeling, the tip of his already leaking cock pressing so gently against your soft cunt, almost being sucked in with how much you’ve missed him. even when you found the time and will to go out, none of the encounters felt good like this, none of them left you feeling anything other than disappointment and regret. you try not to think about them, or about him fucking anyone other than you, and those creeping thoughts are swiftly chased away by the intense feeling of him fitting his entire length inside you. sebastian groans, shifting his hips to feel the softness of your ass against him, to feel your wetness gather at the base of his cock while he adjusts to the feeling of being inside you once again. 

“five years…” he shakily breathes out, repeating the same words he said at the lake, but in a tone of relief, his anticipation finally coming to an end. “i’ve imagined it a lot, but nothing comes close to the real you.” 

and so it starts. with a gentle groan against your skin, with a slow moan slipping from your lips, he pulls away only to thrust back into you. this is it , you think, what i’ve been chasing . this intimate feeling even though you’re outside, not the riskiest thing you two have done, but enough to check the adventurous box on your shared checklist. with a tilt of your head to the side you catch his blissed out face, his soft lip caught between his teeth and eyes closed as he thrusts again, colliding his hip bones with your flesh, his balls gently smacking against your clit. it’s difficult trying to keep your eyes open, but the expression on his face is too beautiful to miss out on. your juicy lips part, letting out sweet honeyed moans that you almost try to stop, instincts telling you to be quiet around the farm house. instead, you grip the handrail as hard as you can, feeling it dig into you with every lurch forward.

sebastian holds you by the hips, digging his fingertips into your supple skin to hold you steady while fucking into you, fitting his cock head against all your sweet spots, hitting right where you need him to, where you’ve needed him for years. hearing those raspy moans coming from his throat brings up so much warmth in your belly, already building up the orgasm even though you have just started, and you suspect it’s the same for him. maybe it’s because of the fact that you haven’t had sex in a while, maybe it’s the roller-coaster of emotions you’ve gone through in the past twenty-four hours, or maybe it’s a secret third thing, but you can already feel your orgasm approaching as you near the brink. sebastian’s hand creeping around your body to rub your clit in circles doesn’t help hold it off either. 

“i’m n-not gonna last–” you stutter out, still keeping your eyes on his perfect, blushing face.

“me neither, c-come on cherry…” he groans, circling your sensitive clit with gentle fingers, always working perfectly with what your body needs. 

the pace of his hips changes as soon as your warm cunt tightens around him, squeezing him and keeping him in while your legs shake, threatening to give out. he stutters in those slow movements, speeding up to carry you over, and leans down to press tender kisses to your bruised neck, whimpering as he pulls you by the hips a little harder, moving you against him until he gasps and spills all he has inside you, sticky white liquid covering your soft walls. sebastian slowly comes to a stop, taking a few long moments to kiss you, holding your head turned towards him as he pulls out with a sigh. now soft, he groans at the sight of his release starting to drip out of you and onto the deck. it’s almost enough to make him take you again, but he’s spent, having finally experienced you again, pure pleasure that was just out of reach until today, perfection incarnate. 

“think it’s dripping on your sweats,” you chuckle, finally catching your breath, “sorry.”

sebastian shakes his head, pulling up his boxers and sweatpants before helping you lower your leg and picking up the crumpled (and stained) sweats off the floor. one day you’ll stop apologizing for things that aren’t really your fault, but today is not that day. jiggling the doorknob you stumble inside, carried by wobbly legs as sebastian trails after you. 

it’s odd going through your usual nightly routine in a nearly empty house. the radio is off, and so are most of the lights. the bathroom light takes a few seconds to turn on, you make a mental note to fix it in the morning, but for the time being it’s enough just to exist in this space, familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. it feels different when it’s only yours, when it will be only yours for a long while. despite the heaviness of that realization, sebastian’s footsteps ease the pain, his satisfied humming disperses the bad thoughts looming in the corners of your mind, silencing them as he comes up behind you while you brush your teeth. 

his arms wrap around your waist, your shoulder is the perfect spot for his chin to rest on while he presses little kisses to the bruises he sucked into your neck earlier. 

“i put the sheets on your bed, that okay?” his gentle voice fills your chest with relief. you didn’t tell him that you wanted to sleep in your own bed, not yet ready to take over the main bedroom as your own. he just knew. you nod before leaning over the sink to spit out the foam and rinse your mouth. kissing him feels like the safest way to say thank you, not triggering the tears again. 

the two of you drag yourselves to your old room, undressing slowly until you’re naked before reaching into your suitcase to put on a pair of panties. deciding to forgo a pyjama top, you slip under the fresh sheets smelling of sebastian’s fabric softener – robin must have taken them for a wash before you got here. pulling the string on the bedside table lamp immerses the room into darkness once more. dark and silent, it would be enough to push you into a pit of despair were it not for sebastian’s warm arms wrapping around your waist, pulling you so close that you entwine your legs with his. nearly face to face now, you close your eyes to inhale his scent, thanking the universe for giving him enough initiative to stay with you tonight. gently, he hums, presses a few delicate kisses to your forehead, and starts rubbing gentle circles on your lower back. 

“thank you,” you murmur against the base of his neck, feeling your minty breath against your lips, “i wouldn’t have made it to bed if you weren’t here.”

“hmmm,” pursing his lips before pressing another kiss to your forehead, he sighs, “but thank fuck one of us has common sense, huh?”

a gentle chuckle shakes his chest, words leaving his mouth causing you to attempt a smack on his shoulder, but you give up, instead giggling along. you fall asleep to the sound of his voice, slipping into the sweetest sleep you’ve had in a while as he tells you about all the random things that have happened in the valley since you left, now with no bitterness in his voice. 

waking up to the chirping of birds was the norm in the summer, but the sound wasn’t quite right this time. it is an owl, the low hoot snaps you out of your peaceful dream making you lift your head to get you bearings, take a moment to remember where you are and why you can smell sebastian’s presence.

it’s okay, we’re okay, you comfort yourself, once again settling into his embrace, smiling as his arms instinctively tighten around you. 

then he moves, taking a deeper breath and shifting to roll over on top of you. only once you feel his lips trail along your neck do you realize he is also awake, alert, and not interested in simply falling back to sleep.

it starts with gentle kisses, lips savoring the taste of your skin, along with some light touches, his hands roaming your sides and settling on your hips. his lips connecting with your skin are the only source of noise in the room, finally being joined by moving bodies against the sheets once you arch your body into sebastian and let his hands travel around your back, squeezing every piece of flesh he can reach. he doesn’t start grinding against you immediately, instead he kisses down to your chest, taking a nipple between his lips while one of his hands sacrifices its warm place on your hip to hold the other breast, kneading it to make some tasty moans spill from your lips.

like he’s getting drunk off the sounds from your mouth, he gently presses his teeth against your nipple, tugging on it how he remembers you liking it. moving downwards, he lifts his gaze up to see you jutting your chin up, pressing the back of your head on the pillow as your hips lift, seeking for more, for what only he can give you. warm kisses make a winding path down your bare stomach, peppered with gentle bites of his impatient teeth as your thighs spread, letting him slot himself in between them like the good old times. 

sebastian’s clever fingers hook under your panties, but he doesn’t remove them, the cheeky fuck. instead, he presses them tighter against your soft pussy, slowly getting wetter with his attention and creating a sweet little damp patch on the fabric. he cannot help but press a delicate kiss to it. the tiniest whimper leaves you, spurring him on to press another kiss, and then another, making your underwear wet with his saliva as well as your arousal. his voice vibrates over your sensitive clit as he hums, praising you quietly as he slides his wet tongue along the material of your panties, pushing it in between your squishy folds before he finally slides them off, once he’s had enough of teasing you. once more he kisses your bare pussy, showing his affection through murmured praises and compliments. look how pretty, sebastian hooks his arms under your knees, bringing your legs over his shoulders before he dives in. so sweet f’ me , your breath gets shorter quickly, his tongue glides around your clit slowly, pretty and wet how i like her, he parts you with practiced ease, making you remember how it felt back then. how it felt when he was just starting, getting better with each night that he spent between your pretty thighs, i’ve missed it so much, making you scream out into his pillow and thanking yoba his walls were thick enough for his whole family not to hear you. could do this all fucking night, gentle slurping noises mixed with the hums coming from his mouth fill the air, coaxing moan after moan from you. it’s the first time you’re doing anything like this in the farm house, a christening in a way. 

very soon, your moans get higher in pitch, they give way to whines as your hands find purchase in sebastian’s hair, tugging it only a little closer, cum for me, cherry, come on baby. and then your toes curl. shuddering, you cry out a desperate plea, lifting your hips up once more for sebastian to feel your slick cover his lips and chin. feasting on you, he licks his lips, not letting a single drop of you go to waste. he’d rather drown in you, rather give you his all than give up a molecule of your release, because it’s his. it’s all for him and it’s all because of him. he slowly helps you ride it out, licking gently between those slick folds as you relax, as your breath gets slower, and your legs stop shaking. one last kiss, he tells himself, pressing a single tender kiss to your clit as he pulls away slowly, wiping his face with his hand and licking it off, almost moaning and savoring the taste of you. 

finally you open your eyes, the fuzziness around the edges of your vision persists, but the goal has never been clearer. sebastian leans in for a kiss on your lips and you snake your arms around his neck, bringing him in to wrap your legs around him, a move you would always pull in an attempt to wordlessly say thank you for treating you so well, for giving you what you needed without asking for anything in return. but you always gave him something in return, always made time for him, especially that summer. much like then, but with a little more desperation and need, he rubs his clothed cock against you, making you wince as it teases your overstimulated clit.

“shit i’m sorry.” he starts apologizing, stuttering over his words. you’re quick to shut him up, kissing him and poking at his tongue with yours, moaning as you taste your release on his lips. it’s the sexiest thing, the undeniable proof of his devotion to you. and when he pulls away for a moment to slide his boxers off, you use it to look over his body, sighing with satisfaction at seeing him in the sliver of moonlight dripping through the window of your room, bouncing off his lean torso and the lines of his beautiful face. your breath hitches in the second before he leans back down, this time grinding against your pussy with no barriers, no cursed clothes between you. leaning on his elbow, he reaches down with the other hand to lift your leg up, hooking it around his hips as he gently prods your entrance, hissing once his tip pokes into you. 

“ h-aah please, seb… need you again.” your syrupy plea has him groaning as he dips his head to bury it into your neck, trying to hold on and keep his breath steady.

“cherry… fuck i’ve missed you, missed you so damn much i couldn’t breathe…” sebastian’s raspy voice glides over your skin as he sucks on your neck once more.

“i- i missed you too, so much, so much.” you gasp when he pushes his tip into you again, settling nicely inside as he keeps pushing, keeps making you take him again, “ so fucking much .” he hears you whine, ears perking up once he’s fully in. feeling your wetness on the base of his cock, feeling you contract around him, it’s almost enough to make him give up on the niceties and use you like a fuck toy, like his own hand that was getting the sticky end of things for five long years. 

“whine for me again, p-please, cherry.” he swallows hard, staying buried in you until you gather your thoughts, take a few short breaths, and whine like your throat was begging for it.

only once you let it out does he pull back and thrust into you again, setting a slow pace to make you feel every vein on his aching cock, every inch that was waiting for you while you were away. and he gives them to you, so readily he feeds your cunt all his passion and all his love, stuffing it full of him as he speeds up a little, aiming to hear more of those saccharine moans you willingly let out of your throat. they fuel him, make him snap his hips harder, reminding you what’s been waiting for you all this time, what you can have with him. almost like feeling you for the first time, like you didn't fuck on the porch mere hours ago, he ruts into you desperately, needily pulling noises from your throat and his own. 

heavy breaths roll off his tongue, groans and whimpers and curses mixed with your name. your eyes teeter between opening and closing, catching glimpses of his parted lips, his focused eyes, even looking down to see that old strap of your shirt tied securely around his wrist. you sniffle, taking a moment between lewd moans to take in the fact that he really waited for you, that he’s been sure of your connection and you never left his mind. you didn’t just belong to the summers, salt drying on your bodies as the sun burned memories into your skin. you belonged to eternity. 

when you cry out his name, coated in that pretty, desperate tone, you know he feels you getting close. his thrusts speed up, bringing you both to the edge of an orgasm while your breaths quicken, mixing together until he hungrily dives in to kiss you again, to steal the whimper from your lips. grabbing for him, gripping his back with one hand and his arm with the other, you hold yourself steady, moaning into his mouth until you break. colors spark behind your eyes, electricity zips from your fingertips to your toes. you finish with a whine that sebastian immediately takes for himself, stuttering in his movements once your tight cunt contracts and squeezes him, keeping his cock inside while he spills his release inside you, slowing down to moan and breathe against your plush lips. the whole world stops when you’re done, sebastian’s weight covering you like a blanket of solace, his breath dancing on your cheek as he gathers strength to pull out and slump onto the mattress. 

once again you find yourself in a comfortable position, sebastian’s arms wrapped around you, your face buried in his chest, legs entwined together under the warm covers. he’s softly talking into your hair, peppering you in gentle kisses in between sentences while you both try to drift off to sleep.

“and after coffee we can take a shower, we can drag out the morning, you’ll see, nothing important happens on spring mornings. then i’ll help you unpack,” his voice slows down, and so does your mind, “and… then we can… we can clear the farm together and…” he yawns, a small sigh escapes you as you snuggle a little closer, completely spend and happy. “and then we’ll get to work on th… the land and–” 

you don’t get to hear the end of his train of thought, already dozing off, already dreaming again, tired and safe in his embrace.

[glazedsnail]

With 10 minutes before midnight here let me submit to you Day 6 of the SDV Fanfic writer's guild's Feast of Winter Star Week!

Day 6: Winter Star Dinner

@stardewfanficwriters

Ao3 Version here:

NSFW, mind the tags!

Shane is being given an extra duty by Mayor Lewis to save his newly invented Winter Star Wonderland hosting Pelican Town Winter Star Dinner now open to a whole bunch of tourist. Shane's new role sparks innocent thoughts into Fern's mind...

I have been inspired by the lovely people in the discord, apparently there are no age to learn that you have a thing for Santa. Especially if Shane from Stardew Valley is in the costume.

The small version of a chickeny Santa Baby is thanks to @usernamemybeloathed

And I have to thank my husband for the funny snap ending. He's my number One fan. Get you a partner who reads, proofreads, and anotates your smut. Thank you!

[orangemochafrapp]

Breaking a Fever

Fandom: Stardew Valley

Pairing: Sebastian x F!Farmer (Rosie)

Rating: T

WC: 2524

Summary: Written for the Stardew Valley Fanfiction Writer’s Guild Winter Star week Day 2: Hot Chocolate (@stardewfanficwriters), Sebastian becomes ill and Rosie finds herself on a round-the-world hunt for ingredients to make him feel better.

If this man coughs one more time…

“Ugh, can you get the thermometer again?”

Of course, he followed it up with another cough…

“I think my fever’s getting up again.”

With a click of her tongue and a few stomps across the living room, Rosie wandered into her bedroom, or rather, her quarantine station, and eyed her patient carefully.

He coughed once more, just to really sell the point.

“You know,” Rosie said, wandering to the edge of the bed and pressing the back of her hand to Sebastian’s forehead, “I’ve never known someone to be so dramatic over a cold.”

Read more on AO3:

[whumperofworlds]

Also! If you're a Stardew fan, join prev's Discord server, the Stardew Valley Fanfiction Writers Guild!! It's super fun and accepting, and I enjoy being there ❤️

POV: you're a whump writer and someone pitches an idea that even you're horrified of

And promptly encourages it

[whatdoidosatoru]

meddle about

sebastian/fem!farmer | ao3 you can't stare at him while he's on stage without expecting him to offer to take you back to his house and meddle about, right?

wc: 4224 cw: smut, cunnìlingus, unprotected sex, mean sebastian, bratty reader, creampìe inspired by: pajamakidz on tiktok | 18+ | minors do not interact |

the music was vibrating in my chest.

i repeatedly cursed myself for forgetting the damn earplugs, but they had said it would just be a little, quickly put-together gig. sam was so sweet, inviting me in person instead of relying on the posters he had put up around pelican town, making sure i knew when to get to the bus stop. 

“make sure you're there by 4,” he had said with an excited smile on his face, “or we'll leave without you.”

now, several hours after we'd all bumped along the long stretch of road to zuzu city (all of us apart from sebastian, who apparently insisted on taking his motorcycle), i stood in a crowd bigger than i’d expected, shoulders bare as i tied my shirt around my waist.

it got stuffier as the evening went on, band after band filled the stage with their energy and music, the goblin destroyer already having finished their set. sam found me in the crowd, already pumped with adrenaline after strumming the guitar and singing their first ever set. 

he excitedly shouted into my ear, something about the band currently playing on the stage, gesturing wildly with his hands, but i couldn’t follow. not fully, anyway. sebastian stood next to him with a somewhat bored expression on his face, taking the finished cigarette and dropping it to the ground where he stepped on it with the heel of his shoe. 

“...do you want one?” sam poked my bare shoulder, expecting me to answer, but i hadn’t even heard the question. 

“what?” i shouted back, getting on my tiptoes to reach his ear.

“getting a beer, you want one?”

i shook my head, waving as he did a thumbs-up with both his hands before turning and starting towards the bar. sebastian stayed. i looked around to locate abigail, but she was excitedly talking to some people from the neighbouring village. i got on my tiptoes again, getting closer to sebastian so i didn’t have to shout too much.

“your set was really good.” i was so close i could smell his cologne mixed with sweat. his head dipped lower, reaching my shoulder with his warm breath as he spoke.

“thanks, hope it wasn’t our last.”

just as i was about to chuckle and respond saying it was just the beginning, that the goblin destroyer were just beginning their ride to glory, i felt his hand snake around my waist. he held me, a little taken aback, but mostly just blushing with how forward it was for his usual self. different. kind of like the way he swayed me with him, kind of to the rhythm of the current song. 

“seb…” i didn’t say it loud enough for him to hear, too caught by surprise to be louder as my hips moved with his, slightly shifting so he stood behind me. his fingers were splayed over my hips and i swear i could feel the warmth of his hand even through my jeans.

sebastian’s chin rested against my temple and his other hand found its way to my other hip, now holding me against him a little firmer, with a little more confidence.

i cursed when the song ended, expecting him to release me, but his hands stayed put.

as the applause roared around us and the band on stage prepared to do another song, sebastian’s breath tickled my ear and i could hear him better.

“wanna come over later?”

“o-over?” i cursed at myself, realising what he had meant only after i’d already asked.

“yeah, to my place.”

my heart was beating through my throat, thumping relentlessly as i swallowed.“oh come on,” sebastian let out a chuckle against the side of my head, “did i imagine you eye-fucking me while i was on the stage?”

my heart sped up, i didn’t think i’d been that obvious, though i could hardly remember anything from their set that wasn’t the way sebastian had flicked his hair out of the way, the shape of his focused brows…

and the movement of his hands on the keyboard, the slender, deft digits caressing the keys with skill and passion–

“well?” his hands tightened on my hips, pulling me against him a liiittle tighter, it was almost embarrassing how much i enjoyed feeling him harden against my ass.

“when later?” my breath caught in my throat and i felt his chest move as he laughed.

“impatient?”

“let’s go now” i turned around, spinning out of his hold and facing him, my blushing face be damned.

i must have caught him off guard, being so eager, but damn it he was right. i had been staring at him the entire night. the entire season, actually. ever since i had first spoken to him.

without another word he pulled me towards the exit, where he’d parked the motorbike. before i’d thought it was a little pretentious of him to forgo taking the bus with the rest of us, but now i was grateful for it. i just hoped sam wouldn’t freak out when he discovered us gone…

the ride was quick and refreshing, after the stupid heat at the venue i welcomed the whipping wind with a grin on my face. i could hardly control my movements as sebastian parked and brought the bike into his garage, fumbling with the keys as he let us in. soon enough we were dashing down the stairs to his bedroom.

i wasn’t unfamiliar with his bedroom, having visited quite a few times now. I’d brought him random minerals i had found at the mines, i’d come over to play solarion chronicles, or just to hang out on the couch and read his comics while he worked. but now i saw it in a different light, or lack thereof.

in full, promising darkness, i could hardly make out the shape of his bed when he spun me around and pressed me against the door. his lips parted mine and i let him press me between the hardwood door and his warm body, the heat pulsing between us was made nearly unbearable.

so it was no surprise that sebastian reached down to the hem of my top, quickly sliding it up and off my body over my raised arms, barely breaking that searing kiss.

i’d have been perfectly happy staying against the door, had he not spun me around and dragged me to the bed. as i sat down on the edge, searching for a safe path blindly, he reached to the side and turned on the bedside lamp. it cast a gentle glow onto both our faces, helping me in the mission of getting him out of that hoodie. now topless, he crawled over me and i lay on my back on top of the slightly crumpled sheets. 

the pillow my head rested on smelled of him and i briefly imagined what it would be like waking up on that same pillow to the sight of his sleeping face. the face whose gaze was currently hungrily devouring my entire form, wondering where he was going to start unwrapping what was left of my clothes.

suddenly, those same deft fingers i had watched dance along the keys on stage were on my jeans, unbuttoning them and untying the flannel shirt that was tied around my waist. lifting my hips, i helped out by shimmying out of the offending clothes before i undid his jeans, tugging on them so he would hurry up.

i didn’t want to wait anymore, but his pace was teasing. it was building tension so high i could hardly fit more of it into my throat before having to let out an impatient huff. he caught the sound of it and smirked, yoba it was a sinful curve that made me tug on his jeans harder.

sebastian’s hand knocked my fingers off his jeans paired with a click of his tongue. he was dead set on doing it himself, torturing me with his slow movements. finally, he was left only in his boxers, having slid off his jeans along with his shoes and mine. there was a little wet patch on his boxers, right where his leaking tip pressed against them, achingly hard, constricted, and begging for air. 

he caught me looking down his chest, stomach, that little patch of dark hair trailing underneath the waistband of his boxers, and finally settling my gaze on the perfect outline of his cock. i smirked ever so slightly, entertained by the show of neediness in his boxers. sebastian only scoffed, grabbing my knee and moving it to the side to spread my legs wider.

“you’re no better, you know?” he teased, lowering his head to ghost his lips over mine while the hand not holding my leg trailed up my inner thigh, settling on the wet patch of my own. right on the sweet little panties i had innocently picked out after stepping out of the shower today, ready to go see my friends’ first ever gig.

poor past me had no idea those same panties would be rubbed in this way hours later, that they’d be pushed between my already wet folds by sebastian’s slender finger as he got them wetter, gliding up and down to collect my slick on them.

the way sebastian trailed that finger up and down my wet slit made for gently stimulation, coaxing slow, drawn out moans from my lips only to be caught in his mouth as he brought them down to kiss me again. he swallowed every single needy sound, fueling them more and more as he pressed a little firmer against my clothed clit.

i reached up into his hair, tangling my fingers into those strands that he had always flicked away from his eyes, always fussed with despite the fact that they were obviously covering his face on purpose. 

his hand tightened its grip on my leg when i tugged on his hair, his breath vibrated in my mouth. this is it, i thought, this is how i break you.

almost as if he sensed my feeling of victory over his composure, he pulled away from the kiss and stopped rubbing my pussy to wipe the string of saliva that connected our lips. his self-control didn’t last long, for he immediately continued kissing, only not my lips, leaving them to let out small gasps and huffs of pleasure while i was still holding onto his hair and making myself believe i was guiding him at all.

sebastian’s lips grazed my skin as he trailed them down to my breasts, slowly taking my bra off by sliding his hands under my back to unbuckle it surprisingly skillfully. one nipple soon found its way into his mouth, being warmed by his breath and toyed with his tongue, while the other was under gentle care of his thumb and index finger. 

the way he played my body like his damn instrument had me lifting my hips up, searching for any kind of friction, anything to help me relieve some of the pressure building in my abdomen. it was thrumming, loud and violent in my body, but he took his damn time. this is it, i thought, this is how you break me.

it seemed to amuse him greatly, my blatant want and inability to get satisfied quickly. he let out deep chuckles against my nipple, popping it out of his lips with a wet sound before he could continue down my body over the tingling skin, leaving fiery patches as he kissed and bit my flesh.

both his hands were finally on my body, holding my hips down and preventing me from bucking them upwards, though not for lack of trying. i struggled against his grip, desperate for more while he seemingly found immense enjoyment in watching me unravel on his bed.

i kept tugging on his hair, kept making him gasp against my warming skin while he made his way to where he would inevitably stop just to piss me off. those eyes lifted and stared right into my soul, looked at my pitiful expression, lips parted, eyes glossy, skin so flushed. leaving one last kiss right under my navel, he had some mercy on me.

his lips parted and pressed against my clothed pussy, his tongue ran up and down my already wet garment, slicking it with his saliva more, sucking against it and humming to vibrate my needy skin. still, he wouldn’t let me lift my hips, still he held me down against the bed, prolonging my efforts at grinding my cunt on his face.

“s-so meaaaan” i whined out, tugging on his hair to try and pull him closer against me, curling my toes in frustration.

“you haven’t seen mean yet,” he vibrated the air between his wet lips and my unfortunately clothed pussy, “i can be worse.”

the smirk he wore got me groaning in frustration, but it clearly wouldn’t help me get what i wanted. he wanted to play dirty, to have me on edge until i pleaded for him, to reduce me to a puddle that he could lap up with that warm tongue.

“but you’re right, it’s not fair.” sebastian’s fingers hooked under my panties and he slid them down. i was so damn relieved that my breathing got faster, i moaned at the very feeling of air on my wet folds that he dove right into.

parting them with his tongue, he pressed it flat against my clit, gently licking up and down and releasing my hips. as soon as his hands left my body i lifted myself off the bed, grinding up into his face, tugging his hair, whining, moaning, cursing. it was the sweet release that i’d been waiting for.

somehow, he let me use his mouth, he willingly went along with my movements, at the same time taking his boxers off. now he was matching the pace of my hips against his face with the movement of his own hips against the bed.

suddenly, just as my whimpers got louder, as my fingers pulled on his hair tighter, he closed his mouth around my pulsating clit and sucked harder. that simple action coaxed a pretty whine from my pouty lips as i came, thighs shaking around his head, pressing together dangerously as he let me squeeze his face with them. using his tongue, sebastian led me through the orgasm, lapping up all my juices carefully, making sure not to spill anything.

fuck, the wet noises of his mouth mixed with the moans from my mouth caused my head to spin. i could just lie there like that for the next few hours, had i not wanted to feel him inside of me. he was the same, for with another, almost gentle, kiss to my pussy he crawled over to kiss me on the mouth, slipping his tongue to glide against mine, letting me taste myself on his lips.

i pulled him closer, drinking in the mix of his saliva and my juices, pulling his entire body against mine and wrapping a leg around his waist, grinding up to feel his hardened cock grind against my sopping cunt.

“i’m feelin’ mean again” he whispered against my lips, breathing into them before once again kissing hungrily, “wasn’t done making you beg.”

in response i whined and pulled his body closer, desperately trying to grab onto him to not let him pull away and torture me again. sebastian chuckled, lifting his torso up despite the nails that i dragged down his back, and settled between my thighs once again. instead of keeping the distance from me, he spread my legs again, holding them apart as he got closer, resting his cock between my folds.

he started to move, grazing my clit with the underside of his shaft, making me lift my hips with every thrust, but in vain, as i got no friction from it. this time it wasn’t just my noises that filled the room.

despite his own initiative to keep the teasing up, to not actually give me any relief, he was moaning as well. he let out a little whimper, instantly scrunching his face in embarrassment, probably hoping i hadn’t heard it. oh, but i heard it.

and it spurred me on to lift my hips higher.

“fuck, this wasn’t supposed t–”

“wha– what, your little p-plan not working, hm?” i teased him, finally donning a smirk on my face as he looked like it was getting harder keeping himself from just fucking me like he meant it.

“brat” he huffed out, releasing one of my legs to lead his hard cock to my entrance, gently poking into it.

sebastian hissed as his tip entered me, drawing a higher pitched moan out of me. instantly, the bastard pulled out, leaving me empty and wanting.

“looks like i’ve got a few more tricks, huh?” he was way too happy with himself, teasing my dripping cunt by only putting his damn pretty tip in and taking it out, smearing it with my wetness, spreading it down to his shaft.

“you’re sooo–”

“say please.” he interrupted me. cutting off my attempt at insulting him.

i closed my mouth, furrowing my brow as he pressed his tip against me again.

“say please and i’ll stop pulling out.”

it was a no-brainer, but my proud mind could hardly just accept the defeat. i wanted to make him fold, but here i was, spread out, teased, desperate for him to stuff me full and fuck me like i’d never felt it before.

“h-huh?” playing dumb only made him roll his eyes and bring his hand down onto my clit, gently tapping it as if making sure i was aware of my naked state.

“don’t you huh me, say please,” he rubbed my clit so slowly it was almost painful, “or the tip is all you get.”

i gritted my teeth and took a deep breath before swallowing my defiance and in my best, sweetest voice pleaded with him.

“pleeease?”

“please what?” damn bastard wanted me to beg and grovel, his smirk kept growing, kept getting more annoying, yet so damn attractive.

“please, sebastian, fuck me… properly, ‘wanna feel you all inside me, wanna… wanna cum on your dick, please.”

my pouting must have worked, because he leaned down to kiss my pout before spreading my thighs again, looking down at the needy blushed cunt spread open before him, and pushed inside me again.

he groaned and it was the most magnificent sound i’d heard. his hips bucked ever so slightly against me, but he didn’t go much further inside. barely more than the blasted tip again. once i started whining, he brought his hand down on my clit again.

“i said i wouldn’t pull out, didn’t i? damn impatient brat.” he clicked his tongue, though under all that bravado he was still trying to keep it together, his eyes betrayed it. “keep those legs open for me.”

i obeyed him, keeping my thighs comfortably open so he could keep moving between them.

once he stopped breathing so deeply, his hips moved slightly forward, giving me a little more, but not quite what i wanted. before i could let out a whine, he let a drop of saliva roll off his tongue and land on my clit. it made me hiss, but he ignored me, instead rolling my pulsating clit under his thumb.

he played me like his damn keyboard, making me sing exactly how he wanted, whimpering under his touch while he kept his tip inside me.

gently, slowly, he slid in a little deeper, making me curse and in turn getting my clit played with a little harder. sebastian let out a slow hum, as if savouring the feeling of my cunt contracting around him, squeezing him in to keep his cock inside, sucking it in, needing it.

“so damn…” he shook his head, finally meeting my eyes as he held my hips with those elegant fingers, “tight, fuck how…” with another hum he slightly pulled away, but still keeping his tip inside, as he promised.

doesn’t mean i was happy with it. my hand sought out his, so i gripped his wrist, keeping myself grounded in the moment. after a few moments he slid deeper inside again. yoba, i felt every damn vein on him, i felt it drag inside me, teasing me with that gorgeous texture. my back arched into the air. the sight excited him so much he had to slide in deeper and give me more. more, once again.

the bastard then pulled back, waited until i gave him a dissatisfied whine, and then slid fully into me.

i threw my head back on his pillow, moaning out into the dimly lit room, trying to get used to having all of him inside me. sebastian’s head dipped down low, he held me in shaky hands for a few moments until he could get enough of a grip to start moving. it was something almost sacred, the way his cock hit all my sweet spots so well. his balls slapped against my ass with light taps until he decided to speed up, his teasing be damned.

“a-ah l-like tha-at” i held onto his wrist with one hand, tightening the grip, and onto the headboard above me with the other. i sure hoped it was sturdy enough, because he kept going faster, harder. thrusting into me with heavy grunts and an occasional whimper as my body arched, getting the angle just right, getting it to make stars dance behind my closed eyelids. his voice behind my eyes looked like bright fireworks, moaning, grunting, whispering fuuck, so pretty, so sweet, filling the air with lewd noises.

“yoba, ‘m not gonna… not gonna last that lon– oh fuck…” with a voice like he was on the edge of an orgasm already, sebastian slipped nonsense between those parted lips.

only fuelling my moans further, he grabbed me tightly, wrapped his arms around my waist, and lifted my hips off the bed. oh, that was sending me into another dimension. he kept sliding in and out, so freely now as he let himself stop being so damn mean and stuffed me full, gliding in and out of my slippery cunt.

as sebastian’s thrusts lost their constant rhythm, the moans from his lips increased, now reducing him to a mess as he held me up, using me like his personal toy to ruin, using me to extinguish the fire in his abdomen and mine. i felt my thighs shake. the whines and curses from my mouth grew higher in pitch, so fucking needy for him, tightening around him, sucking him into myself.

“a-are you gonna…” i tried to enunciate, tried to speak in a normal tone, but it was pathetic.

“y-yeah i’m… are you?”

“m-mhmmmm”

feeling my lip quiver, i grabbed the sheets under me. sebastian lifted me a little higher, speeding up once again, building up a pace he could hold as he thrust inside me. but out of the blue, i cried out, gripping the sheets tightly to hold onto something solid as i tightened around him and came, shivering while he kept pumping in and out of me.

now he was cursing louder. whimpers came in between grunts, a few more rough thrusts before he groaned loudly, throwing his head back as he slowed down while emptying himself inside me. he rode out that high with his bottom lip between his teeth, slowly moving my body that was nearly limp in his hands, filling me up with his cum as it shot into me.

gently, sebastian lowered my hips back onto the bed, slowly pulling out of me. he looked at the spot where we had been connected just a minute ago, his release now slowly trickling out of it. the view must have been hypnotic, he kept looking for a few long minutes, catching his breath while my limp body lay there exhausted.

warmth was spreading into me again, from my core to my fingertips. i closed my eyes for a second. the second lasted longer than planned, since as i opened my eyes, sebastian was standing next to the bed with a wet cloth, reaching down to clean me up with gentle touches. i looked into his focused face, seeing none of that mean smirk he had worn before he let himself enjoy me. i guess in a way we broke each other.

i groaned as he moved my legs, feeling gummy under his touch. chuckling, he dropped the used cloth next to the bed and crawled carefully over me. his warm arm brought me closer, rolling me into his chest as he dragged the covers from under me and over both of us. my cheek gently rested against his chest as he turned the lamp off, once again sinking us into darkness. this time the dark felt softer, all tension from it seemed to have disappeared while his hand rubbed my back in slow circles.

“so…” i started, feeling a sly grin curling my lips, “round two?”

he snorted in laughter, coughing before sighing in disbelief.

“you’re outta your damn mind.” he paused before pressing an uncharacteristically tender kiss to the top of my head. “at least give me five minutes…”

[whatdoidosatoru]

sunny's first flower dance blues

sebastian/female oc | ao3 a companion series to stardewnatural: sincerely, sunny - part 1 the stupid tradition that is the annual flower dance throws sunny into a pit of overthinking, once again being pushed aside and feeling like an outsider to where she is supposed to build a new life. wc: 1549 cw: fluff, a little bit of insecurity

24th spring, year 1

so… nobody tells you it would feel like this, being the center of attention, and yet feeling so alone.

sunny sat on the edge of the pier once again, staring out into the horizon, only this time it wasn’t raining. in fact, there had been only one rainy day this spring, only one day when she didn’t have to worry about watering the crops and instead sleep for an extra fifteen minutes. sunny was exhausted .

it wasn’t even the fact that she had wanted to have a partner for the flower dance, being turned down hurt nonetheless. she had asked sam, it was a safe bet, right? it wasn’t like she had proposed, or asked him to make out in the bushes. they had bonded at the egg festival, balancing eggs on their heads and laughing when they dropped them while everyone else was frantically looking for the little colorful treasures. he was all smiles and accidental touches then, holding her when she tried to stand on his skateboard, getting so close to her she could smell the shampoo in his hair.

and then…

sam had his eye on penny the entire time, they had always danced together. tradition , he had said. there had been a really apologetic look in his eyes as well, sunny could tell. he felt bad for turning her down but telling penny he wouldn’t dance with her would have hurt more.

so why the hell did her eyes hurt so much trying to keep in tears. if it really didn’t matter, like she kept telling herself, if she didn’t even want to dance, didn’t even know the steps since nobody fucking showed her… why did it feel like being on the outside of the clique again.

“there you are, my mom was worried you got lost or something.” sebastian’s voice came from behind, followed by the light huff as he sat down on the pier. by now, it was a familiar scene, be it at the lake or the ocean, sunny sat on the edge and sebastian joined her. as always, he took out a pack of cigarettes and offered her one, which she politely refused, and he would smoke while they sat. usually in silence.

sometimes they would talk, one time he even shared his headphones with her, scrolling through his music library to show her what he’d been hyper fixating on recently. sunny could appreciate his darker taste despite her cheerful name. that was how she got the nickname gloomy back home in the city.

she quickly blinked away any potential tears before looking towards sebastian, noticing he was once again out of that stupid jumpsuit mayor lewis made them wear. he was scratching his back, annoyed at the traditional dance outfit.

“i swear lewis actually wants us dead, that shitty material always rides up my ass during the dance.” apparently, it was his goal to make sunny smile, because he sure looked pleased with himself, smirk and all, when she snorted in laughter and smiled at her feet that just dangled a few inches above the surface of the ocean.  “it’s usually you pulling words out of me, what’s going on?” sebastian leaned over a tiny bit, nudging her shoulder lightly.

“nothin’s going on” sunny shifted towards the edge and pointed her toe a little lower, grazing the water surface with the shoe before sliding back again.

“i can smell you’re lyin’, you know?” sebastian didn’t let it go, perhaps he could sense that she didn’t really want to drop it. perhaps he felt that she needed to be reassured.

sunny sighed, glad to see him in his usual clothes, not that shitty outfit that would’ve only reminded her of all the ways she didn’t belong there.

“seriously, there’s nothing–”

“you rub your thumb on your index finger when you lie, you know that?”

wait… sunny opened and closed her mouth, trying to figure out how he could’ve noticed that, but it eluded her. she looked down at her hand and saw that he was right. quickly, she formed a fist, pressing it against the side of her thigh.

“how did you–”

“what’s. going. on. come on, sunny, for fuck’s sake, you’ve made me open up before and made me feel better after talking to you, let me… let me return the fucking favor.”

sunny took a deep breath before pulling her feet up onto the pier and sitting criss cross, trying to find a way not to sound so damn childish in her troubles.

“you’re all paired up for the flower dance.”

sebastian scoffed in disbelief.

“is that the issue? the fact that we’ve been dancing with the same people for years?”

“no, but–”

“for most of us it’s no big deal”

“yeah, but–”

“maru’s been wanting to dance with penny for ages, but lewis is a dick”

“i asked sam, okay!”

it came out louder than she wanted and she turned around to see if anyone was there, if anyone could hear her embarrassing outburst.

“sam?” sebastian asked softly, as if unsure if he had heard her correctly.

“yeah… i thought he might say yes since,” sunny shook her head, closing her eyes for a second, “since we had a good time at the egg festival together. i dunno…”

“and he said no?”

“he said he would have, but he dances with penny every year.”

sebastian finally took another drag of his cigarette, stubbing it out before slotting it into a small tin in his pocket and taking out another one, repeating the process of offering one to sunny before lighting it.

“yeah, like i said. lewis is a dick. he won’t let us actually pick who we wanna dance with, or if we wanna dance at all,” he scoffed and leaned back on his palms, “because i sure as hell wouldn’t want to dance if i had that option.”

the breeze carried sunny’s hair over her shoulder and she shivered a little. it was enough for sebastian to pick up on it, so he slid a little closer to her, internally cursing the fact that he didn’t take a hoodie, instead rushing out in just a t-shirt and jeans.

“does it really hurt that much that he turned you down for a stupid dance that’s definitely fetishizing fertility and… youth and… whatever else?” he made sure to blow the smoke away from sunny, not wanting her to get more grossed out by the smell.

“not–” she started, leaning a little closer to him once she realized he intended to share body heat with her due to her shivering, “not really, i just feel… excluded. i know i’ve only been here for three weeks, but i’ve always been a second choice, always last to get picked, always, always forgotten and pushed aside.”

sebastian nodded along as she spoke, baring her insecurity to him, and he had been right - it did feel better once she opened up.

“why didn’t you ask me ?” his words surprised her a little, especially after he himself proclaimed that the partners had been decided years ago and he didn’t even want to dance in the first place.

“ask you ?”

“okay, don’t make it sound sooo repulsive…”

“no, no i mean… you said you didn’t want to dance? and besides, isn’t abigail your dance partner until… what, until one of you dies?”

he chuckled lightly at the thought.

“yes and no. i’m pretty sure lewis would make an exception if it was just switching you and abby. and besides,” he stubbed out the cigarette and discarded it into the tin again, not taking another one, “i know i said i hated dancing but… for you i’d make an exception.”

sunny couldn’t help but look at him with a raised eyebrow and an incredulous smirk.

“i’m sure you didn’t just say–”

“yeah yeah, don’t spread that shit around okay? yeah, i’d have said yes. i still would’ve complained the whole time, though. so you’d hate every second along with me.”

he nudged her shoulder, this time in a co-conspiratorial manner, making her giggle.

“those outfits do look absolutely horrendous, though…”

“oh, don’t even start , they itch sooo badly”

“you looked like you were going to kill someone”

“or we could skip it…”

sunny stopped chuckling along with him, instead just looking at him through the curtain of her reddish brown hair.

“skip? you mean…”

“skip. the whole thing. we could hang out by the lake, we could go into those abandoned mines, we could go for a ride on my motorbike…” the offer sounded better than the alternative. apparently the town didn’t have an extra dress for her so she would have stuck out even more than usual, wearing something similar but not quite there .

“yeah… that would be nice”

“yeah? we can do that then. getting some food and riding away for a picnic sound good to you?”

very quickly, sunny forgot about not belonging, about being on the outside looking in, instead getting a little excited over the possibility of skipping next year’s dance and going away for a while. and sebastian had to admit that the sky was a little clearer when sunny smiled.

see how they like it when she throws a wrench in their circus of a tradition.

[glazedsnail]

This work is part of the Week of the Winter Star Feast 2024 organised by the Stardew Valley Fanfiction Writers Guild

@stardewfanficwriters

Going a little personnal for this prompt.

Who said Fern was ever a self insert? PFFT. No.

Day 3: Family

Mind the tags 🫡

Ao3 Link there

Shane and Fern enjoy a glimpse of what people would call a traditional family day, sparking an upsetting but necessary conversation.

This takes place between chapter 11 and the Epilogue of the fic Fern is from. Misery Loved Company.

Bright sun explodes in crystals on the fallen snow. The only sound in all of the valley is the sloshing of Shane’s feet in the melting ground, as he walks back from his morning shift. 

Tomorrow is the feast of the Winter Star, and he’s grateful the event gives him a long weekend. This would be mainly the case last year. But this year, he is grateful for so much more. Sobriety, for one, as he succeeded in finding a perfect balance between enjoying a rare treat, and seeking a forever numbness that was slowly killing him. His most glorious achievement, however, lies at the end of the dirt path he is now leaving his footsteps on.

 

He reaches the wool farm, slowly making a name for itself, and knows to head for the barn. He can hear her, them, as he walks around the wooden walls. The chatter, and the laugh, bounce in his heart, stretching his lips into a dazzling smile. Oh how much more often he was smiling now.

Arriving at the half closed barn door, he sees her, the winter light from the window reaches her focused eyes. 

On her lap, a sheep is surprisingly serene as she inspects its teeth, taking her time, showing its gums to her two students. Jas and Vincent are also surprisingly calm, sitting on the dirty floor, listening to Fern’s singing voice explaining the importance of healthy teeth for sheep, and children. 

She lifts her head and sees him, Shane, leaning against the half door, outside of the barn, smiling, looking at them with intense softness in his gaze, the winter sun exploding behind him. As a deep smile creases her cheeks, the two children turn their heads. Not only is Uncle Shane back from work, but it also means it’s lunch time. 

They all walk to the farm, the younger ones rushing, racing each other, leaving behind Fern and Shane. 

‘How was your morning?’ Fern asks, grabbing his gloved hand, knowing the man’s shyness had not disappeared, yet. He squeezes her hand, inviting her in his pocket to warm her cold fingers.

‘Horrendous.’ He laughs. ‘What about yours? I see the fitness club dropped the kids before their retreat.’

‘Marnie was quite excited, so was Jas. She loves the farm.’ Fern trails. ‘Vincent had quite a hard time leaving Jodi. She had to explain multiple times she was coming back tomorrow.’

‘Can’t really blame the kid.’

‘I know. But I’m glad we can also let Sam have an evening of peace.’ She chuckles. 

Lunch was simple, the only oddity being the table seeing four guests instead of its usual two, sometimes three. All messy eaters anyway. The kids had helped with the setting, while Shane and Fern were in the kitchen, working on a simple pot of mac and cheese needing constant attention. Jas and Vincent excitedly recounted the morning to Shane who was assiduously listening, slowly forgetting his own painfully crawling shift at work. How they had helped Fern refill the troughs and clean the water. How she had taught them how to handle a sheep, and how Vincent was “just a bit” scared of them at first. 

Fern was glad Shane had a half day. In no universe would she be able to deal with two kids for a whole day on her own. He had been the one to offer his help to Marnie once their Tuesday fitness club were invited in the city, and Fern was more than happy to help, especially as it meant Shane would be spending the night on the farm too. When Jodi heard about it she quickly made sure she could drop her own son. As long as they didn’t have to take Sam in the bargain. 

Despite Fern’s concerns, she managed to keep them entertained all through her morning chores. And with Shane’s help, the afternoon was a breeze. They went on a walk to Cindersap forest to play with the immaculate snow before hurrying back to the farm to warm up with hot cocoa. At dinner, Vincent and Jas could barely keep their eyes open, exhausted by the farmer’s schedule and snow war. Drifting off to sleep was an easy task.

Leaning against the wall, Shane watches as Fern slowly leaves the door ajar to keep the comforting light in the dark guest’s room. She happily sighs, the day is over.

‘Doing ok?’ He asks, walking her to the couch.

‘Didn’t imagine kids could be that draining.’ She laughs. ‘Had a good day though.’ She nestles into Shane’s arms, letting her weary head rest in the crook of his neck. ‘Don’t let me fall asleep, I need to finish a couple of Winter Star gifts.’ She yawns, stretching out, quite ready to doze off. Shane laughs, kissing the top of her head, tightening his embrace. The fire is dancing in front of them, the soft orange light kissing their tired faces. Tired, and content. 

‘It was a good day.’ Shane repeats softly, the hardship of this morning completely out of his mind. The feeling of a stable homestead, a warm meal shared with family, Jas and Vincent calling them Aunt and Uncle so naturally. An afternoon of laughs, painless exercises. No craving, no yearning. Plain, unadulterated, feelings. And her laugh. Her smile. Her happy hazel eyes falling on him, on the kids, on the day ahead. 

‘T’s a shame we only have ‘em for one night, m’gonna miss’em’ Fern mumbles from her half slumber, nuzzling into Shane’s chest. 

‘You’re welcome to house Jas anytime she wants.’ Shane grins. ‘And me anytime you want.’

‘You know you can stay here forever, if you want.’ She extends her arm, softly wrapping it around Shane who tries to suck his gut as she chuckles. ‘I love you.’ 

‘I love you too, so much.’ He replies, lifting her head to kiss her forehead, her nose, and finally her lips. ‘What else do you need to make for Winter Star?’

‘Finishing a scarf for Gus, and weaving the ends on the jumper I made for Jas.’ Fern attempts to sit back up, leaving Shane’s arms and warmth. She rubs her eyes, and tries to find the strength to grab her wool work. ‘I’m quite happy with the result.’ 

‘She’ll love it!’ Shane exclaims, excitingly grabbing the small thick woolly jumper. The yarn had been dyed a deep pink hue, and within the intricate stockinette stitches, Fern had managed to weave in color block the image of a blue chicken. He caresses the design with a sheepish smile. ‘It’s like…It’s like she’ll wear a mix of both of us.’ He says, blushing. ‘Your yarn, craft, and my chickens!’ 

Fern softly laughs, seeing such raw happiness in her partner’s deep green eyes. She lets him look closely at the jumper while she grabs the long yellow and blue work resting on her knitting basket. Just a few more rows, and Gus’ Winter Star present will be ready. She feels a bit sneaky, gifting them all a woolen product from her own farm. But it will be the one and only year, she promises. After all, she only just started getting her skeins of wool out in the city, she needs to advertise in her own town. 

Fern sighs, content, the crackling of the fire a soothing background to the regular tik-tik-tik of her knitting needles. Leaning against Shane who watches the snow silently falling against the window, absentmindedly caressing her shoulders and humming, stopping every now and then to plant a kiss on Fern’s skull. 

‘You ever think about that?’ Asks Shane, breaking the comfortable silence.

‘About what, my love?’ 

‘Y’know…’ Fern feels him shuffle, embarrassed. ‘Like, a mix, of both of us.’ He ends in a whisper. Fern almost drops her needles, failing to save a few fallen stitches. She lifts her head to the fire, suddenly feeling much too strong, too bright. The couch itself now feels too rough, hard, and prickly. Air is hardly reaching her lungs as the walls seem to be closing in. Was the room always this small? As she closes her eyes, she feels carried away and hears the front door opening. The cold air slaps her face, and suddenly a burst of ice penetrates her lungs, like insufflated with new life. ‘Are you ok?!’ Shane’s voice reaches her buzzing ears. ‘I thought you were going to be sick there.’ He adds in a laugh. ‘Didn’t think the idea would disgust you that much.’ He chortles, but Fern can definitely hear he’s hurt.

‘No, no, oh Yoba, no.’ She pants, leaning against the doorframe. ‘No Shane, absolutely not. It’s…’ She takes a deep breath, exhaling painfully, slowly reaching for her chest. The moment had to come. It had to be discovered, somehow. It’s not something that could be kept hidden. Especially when she desperately wants to spend her whole life with Shane. Knowing fully well this could sign their relationship away, being considered a “deal-breaker”. 

As if Winter Star wasn’t already hard on Fern. Happy complete families. Children laughing. Parents beaming. Her own family repeating the eternal question. Every year. Every damn year. Until they were cut off, and she was seemingly free. 

With a last deep breath, she closes the door, and invites Shane into the kitchen. She feels his worried gaze on her back as she boils some water and prepares cups for a late night herbal tea. The silence is heavy with unsaid words. The comfort is gone without leaving a crumb. Fern hands the steaming cup to Shane with a smile she wants reassuring, but he can’t miss the mist in her eyes. 

‘Is…Is everything ok?’ He attempts, sitting at the table. He watches her slowly make her way to another chair, her eyes fixed on the filled cup. She looks defeated, exhausted, and scared. 

‘Have you…ever thought of that before?’ She finally asks, her voice low but certain. She doesn’t lift her head, but her eyes slowly rise to him. The pain emanating from her hazel pearls shoot arrows at Shane who struggles to find the words.

‘I mean, I guess. Not, like, for real, or anythin’.’ He grabs the back of his neck, softly blushing. ‘Just today…When I was watching you with Jas and Vincent… You were making them laugh and you were laughing and…’

Fern chuckles, shaking her head slowly.

‘Yoba, I love you so much, Shane.’ She sighs. ‘I hope you know that.’

‘I do… What’s wrong, baby?’ He extends his arm across the table, reaching for her hand she grabs quickly. 

‘I suppose it’s better if it’s out early in our…relationship’ She starts, looking at the still water in her cup. With a deep inhale, she finally looks at Shane, straight at his dark green eyes overflowing with worry. ‘I would understand if it’s, you know…’ She lowers her voice, her throat tightening at the mere idea of letting those words out in the air. ‘A deal-breaker or something…’ Shane swiftly stands up, rushing to Fern who started trembling, her hands shaking around the warm cup. She restarts. ‘You know, when I saw all of us round the table today, and this afternoon… You carrying Jas, holding Vincent’s hand…And your smile. I too thought a bit about, well, us.’ She smiles, the corner of her lips meeting with the slow tears falling down her cheeks. ‘I know you would be a fantastic…dad.’ She softly laughs, pressing her finger on Shane’s mouth to forbid him from even scoffing at the notion. ‘And I did think that… I would love to give you a child but, well. I can’t.’ 

Shane crouches to Fern, softly grabbing her hand warmed by the cup. He looks at her teary eyes with a painful heart. Him? A dad? The idea itself is laughable in every way imaginable. Still, with Fern, the time they spend with Jas, and the events of the day, it did cross his mind. Why, Fern definitely had those….”motherly” ways with the sheep, so it wasn’t very far fetched to imagine her being a good mother. To his kids. Their kids. 

He never thought of the possibility that the concept of parenthood could be so painful. And seeing Fern’s distress, fear, even shame, in her eyes as she recounts the tale of how her body is simply broken, he curses at himself for daring to bring it up in such a light hearted way. The struggle of accepting part of life will never truly be hers to choose. Grieving the loss of what was never hers. And what could have been. 

On top of it, she adds the ridiculous idea that he would leave her because of it?? 

By the time she finishes explaining, they’re back on the couch, Shane holding her tightly, wiping her tears and pink nose as she cradles herself in his arms. The fire is dying down, but would fail to compete against his warmth anyway.

‘I’m sorry, Fern.’ He finally says. ‘I didn’t know, but I…I shouldn’t have just dropped it on you like that.’ He grabs her chin to lift her head to him, softly kissing her brow. ‘It’s not a…Damn, hon, it’d never be a “deal-breaker” or anythin’ like that.’ 

‘Don’t you want a… A family?’

‘Ya dork, what do you think we are?’ He laughs, making Fern bounce on his chest. ‘Y’know perfectly I never had much of a family ‘nyway growing up. Never even dared to hope I’d end up with...Y’know…’ He clears his throat, cuddling Fern in his arms. ‘And I love you.’ He punctuates with a kiss. 

‘It’s just… It’s my grief, and I don’t want to impose it on you.’

‘What are you talking about? D’you have any idea how many kids are in foster care?’ He scoffs. ‘Once we’re married we can just…’

‘Once we’re what?’ Fern sits up, a giant grin on her face, looking at Shane’s crimson face trying to disappear in his shirt. ‘Is that my Winter Star gift?’ She teases. 

Shane softly pushes her, looking away, red falling down his neck. 

‘No.’ He grunts. ‘When I… IF I ever ask I’d do it nice n’all with fancy shit, not like that.’ He adds groaning, grabbing the back of his neck, still refusing to look at Fern. 

‘I’ll act surprised then.’ She laughs, falling back on his chest. ‘All this is also hard cause of tomorrow. I’m excited but… Dreading it.’

‘Why that?’ Shane wraps himself around Fern again, squeezing her in his strong arms. 

‘It used to be the time my family would gather. The whole shabam. And it’d never miss. You could be sure each and every one of them was going to ask me about kids. “When are you going to give your mother a grandchild?!”’ Fern mocks. ‘“The biological clock is ticking”. Or my favorite, “You’re never truly a woman until you’ve given birth, you’ll see.”’ Shane just groans, stopping himself from being insulting. But what a bunch of morons. Fern resumes. ‘And now that, obviously, the whole town knows we’re a couple, I’m scared they’ll ask me when I intend to give you a child, a “proper” family.’ Her voice breaks. ‘And I do want to. Yoba, I do!’

‘Hey’ Shane starts in the softest voice he can. ‘First off, I’m sure everyone in town is still wondering why you spend your time with me.’ He laughs, receiving Fern gentle slap on his shoulder. ‘Second, we’re a proper family. I’d personally fight anyone who’d deny that.’ He ends in a tight squeeze of his arms around Fern.

‘We’re a strange little family.’ She says, amused.

‘Oh babe, we definitely are.’ Shane exclaims, slowly nuzzling against Fern’s cheek, his prickly stubble making her giggle. ‘And I wouldn’t want it any other way.'

[glazedsnail]

This work is part of the Week of the Winter Star Feast 2024 organised by the Stardew Valley Fanfiction Writers Guild

@stardewfanficwriters

Day 2: Hot Chocolate.

Ao3 link there.

Work under the cut.

A small retrospective of our chicken man's life through the simple gift of hot chocolate, family, and the humble marshmallow. 💙

The snow falls in a cacophony of silence, chaos of a hushed night, and in the warm house, sitting by the window, a little boy looks at the sky. He wishes for the silence to reach his home, at last, for his abode to know peace, for his mind to learn safety. Safety as the word approaches the teary eyed little boy. ‘Happy Winter Star’ She says, handing a warm cup of homemade hot chocolate. ‘Don’t forget the extra special.’ She adds, crouching to the sniffling little boy, her singing voice covering the screams from the other room. And she hums, softly, wiping the sadness off his cheeks, before adding the long awaited marshmallow.

And he smiles.

There is no snow, but a vulgar slush on the busy road. Honks, swears, and loud boomboxes invite you to spend for loved ones. Standing by the lone window, the young man observes the hustle and bustle of a celebration stinging as a bruise in his veins. Despite all, his mind wishes for the silence to reach his brain and for his body to know peace. And when safety as the word comes on the phone, he smiles. ‘Happy Winter Star.’ She says. ‘Are you having hot chocolate?’. Of course. It’s powdery, and didn’t settle well with the long shelf life milk he has to use. But he hears her hum, and everything tastes better. ‘Did you forget the extra special?’ She giggles. He did.

The voice is sweet enough, so he smiles.

A white blanket chokes the valley into secrecy, confining it to silence and a sickening sense of peace, alien to the real world. The big house is dark. In the cradle under the sole lamp a baby girl is lulled to sleep. In the warmth of the crib and the soft words of safety thrust upon her by ill-fate. She is safety as the word. Scared, but overflowing with love and care. ‘Happy Winter Star.’ She whispers to the man at the table, exhausted by tears and life. ‘She is asleep. She is safe.’ She shivers, drowning her lament. ‘You did good, and I’m proud of you. This will be the best for her.’ Now unable to disguise her sobs. ‘I made hot chocolate.’ He doesn’t want hot chocolate, he scoffs at her mention of an extra special. But he hears her hum, through the tears, her voice like a drill in his exhausted brain. A bilious fabrication of a celebration.

He does not want to smile.

All the lights are on as they watch the snow fall from the window. It slowly covers the forest, dusting the trees with the purity of white. Little girl on his lap, he tells her it is now time for her wish. She got her wish, she tells him, and as safety as the word joins them at the windowsill, she concurs. The three of them alive and well under the same roof is a blessing for this chaotic year. But he is with them, and thankful. ‘Happy Winter Star!’ She exclaims, pouring hot chocolate in three distinct mugs used for the occasion. ‘Do you know what is missing?’ She asks the little girl. In a gasp, she leaves her godfather’s lap and reaches for the extra special. She tries to hum with her. The notes are clumsy, and can’t reach as high, but she smiles. She giggles, watching her finally add the traditional marshmallow.

And they smile.

The LEDs blink from the living room to the dark kitchen, at the door, a man is looking at the snow slowly descending on his land. He sighs, watching his own breath disappear in the cold. His eyes up to the dark sky, he catches a glimpse of light. Safety as the word is in his heart, and his heart only, but he is grateful. ‘Happy Winter Star.’ A warm voice reaches his ear, as their hand clasps his. ‘The kids are opening their presents.’ He gives his answer in a groan, and shivers. ‘Close the door. They’re waiting for their hot chocolate. And you know what it means.’ They smile, squeezing their husband’s hand. ‘Dad, Jas is already humming Granny Marnie’s song!’ The warmth and the noise from the other room reach him, enveloping him in that safety she was known for. He grabs the bag of marshmallows from the counter, and smiles.

Aunt Marnie always knew how to make hot chocolate extra special.

[glazedsnail]

Ok I'm so excited to share this!!

This work is part of the Week of the Winter Star Feast 2024 organised by the Stardew Valley Fanfiction Writers Guild

@stardewfanficwriters

Day 1: Snowed In

The Ao3 Link right there:

The work under the cut. A conversation between Shane and Evelyn while snowed in, stuck in the old farm.

I want to thank @annetastic1981a SO MUCH for letting me bring her idea to life. Thank you thank you thank you ♥

It happened so fast, I am still trying to gather myself.

I wanted some holly, to make a Winterfest Wreath. Strangely, the forest was bare, and as I walked up through the farm to reach the backwoods, the storm hit.

Thankfully, the new ranch addition was there, apparently trying to find a lost chicken. It is still a little blurry, but he quickly grabbed me, a chicken in his other arm, and shoved me in the old abandoned farm. Just in time before the snow started falling in heavy layers.

The wind is howling through the decrepit wooden walls and down the chimney. He wanted to start a fire, but complained that the fireplace surely hadn't been swept in so many years it would just suffocate us.

I'm grateful, I would have lit that fire.

He is breaking kindle into a rusty metal drum that was resting in the kitchen, softly speaking to the chicken, explaining to it how he needs newspaper or alike. But has not said a single word to me.

I remember when he moved to Marnie's ranch. She introduced this gruff looking frowning man as her nephew, and the little girl's godfather. Jas. Jas' godfather.

He had nothing of the two ever smiling ranch residents, and he soon earned the reputation of being, well, rather unfriendly.

I know frowning. My husband being stuck in his forever scrunched and sour face. And it always hides much more than what is shown.

I'm glad I'm all wrapped up in my shawl, but to say I'm impatient for the wood to finally burn would be an understatement.

'Ah shit.'

He groans, fighting with his matches to get torn up pages off a book to burn, the chicken clucking away at him as if to encourage him.

The snow is really falling. Easily reaching the windows now. I hope George won't be too worried.

'Can I be of any help, dear?'

'Nah, gettin' there. Fucking matches.' He lifts his head to me, at last. 'Oh f… I mean, sorry. Didn't mean to swear.'

'Ha, don't worry. This is barely the moment for uptightness.'

I walk up to them, him and the chicken. Finally, some flames perk up the tumbler. He shouts victory and grabs the chicken in his arms, smiling.

I believe this is the first time I see him smiling. I chuckle, placing my hands over the soothing fire.

'Thank you…hum?'

'Shane.' He answers, letting the chicken settle nicely in his hoodie. It blushes, lets out a rather content "bock" and closes its eyes. Now that's one warm and happy chicken.

'Thank you, Shane.' I repeat. 'That chicken seems to like you a lot.'

He blushes in turn, slowly petting the sleepy animal.

'Yeah I…I guess so.'

'What's her name?'

'Oh, it's Charlie.' He smiles again 'Say "Hi" Charlie…' But the hen is fast asleep.

'It must have been a hard day for her. Lost on this abandonned farm. She is probably very grateful that you found her.' He blushes again, looking away. I have a hard time recognising the ever frowning man we have seen those past few weeks. 'I am grateful you found me too.' I chuckle, and look at the window. The light of the day is gone along with the view.

I don't know how long it's been now. Shane brought a chair to the fire to let me sit down. Charlie still asleep in his hoodie. We've not exchanged much, apart from a few pleasantry. I was surprised he knew my name, as well as that I am Alex's grandmother. It seems the two of them got to talk gridball at some point.

'Alex would probably like to have someone he could play with.'

'Mmh, I don't do this stuff 'nymore… Can barely stand on my knees at it is. Constantly crouching at Jojamart too.'

His expression rebecome sombre.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to assume'

'Nah you're fine. I'm just…falling to pieces here.' He chuckles, awkwardly. The shadows cast by the fire on his face show more sadness than the contempt everyone thought at first. And still think, actually. But it's no mere disdain. He sighs, in the flick of the flames I could swear I saw tears gathering, disappearing in a blink.

'I can't hear the wind down the chimney anymore, maybe the snow has stopped too.' I venture.

'I hope so.'

'Once it's safe to do so, I'm sure they will find us soon. We don't want to make Jas worried now do we?' I laugh. He gives me a heartless half-smile. 'How is she doing, anyway?'

Shane tenses up, enough to wake Charlie up who jumps down his chest and lands clumsily on the dirty floor. We both look at her walk around the drum, and plops down with a satisfied smile.

'She's fine.' He eventually says. He opens his mouth, but closes it immediately.

'Is there something wrong?'

He groans, looking down to the slowly receding flames. His eyes lit up by the fire dart left and right, quivering. I recognize fear, and doubt. I've seen them before. The terror of inadequacy befalling on one's spirit like an unstoppable landslide. Knowing that you cannot let it engulf you. You have to stand, tall, and strong, until it comes to a standstill and surrounds you with rocks, mud, and debris.

Survive a landslide. On his own.

We survived, but we had each other.

'Shane? Dear, I'm afraid the fire is dying down.' He lifts his head in a "ho", and grabs a chair he instantly breaks on his thigh in a grunt. 'Oh, don't go hurting yourself!' He only laughs, chucking the broken wood in the drum.

'Glad there's spare stuff 'round there. Ah shit.' He grabs his hand and his fingers. 'Splinters.' He only says, trying to prick it out with his teeth.

'Oh, be careful, you will get that infected!' I reach for my purse. 'Come here. I won't bite you!' Puzzled, he slowly walks toward me, holding his hand. 'Don't squirm, you're worse than my husband.' I grab his hand and pour some whiskey from my flask.

'The hell is that?!'

'Simply disinfecting, dear. Now, this might hurt.' I warn, getting my old faithful tweezers ready. He scoffs, probably about to say something about how he won't feel a thing. I laugh as he conceals a grunt. But the splinter is out. 'That was quite the big one!'

'Good whiskey though.' He laughs, sucking on his "injured" finger. 'D'you just walk around with it?'

'Why, yes. Especially in winter.' I'm about to put the flask back in my purse. 'We can share a nip, to keep us warm.' I laugh.

'Heh, I'm sure you know it's all bollocks.' Shane smiles, still accepting the flask, hovering it above his lips. 'Yeah, damn good whiskey.' He laughs with a wince, handing it back to me.

Hopefully, that'll get him to relax a bit. In a very selfish way, I just can't bear another hour in silence and idle chitchat. But it also seems he could use the Dutch courage and loosen up a little.

'How are you finding the ranch life?' I try again.

He sits down to Charlie who is cosy close to the burning drum. As he starts slowly petting her I can hear the hen softly humming? Purring? I don't really know what sounds chicken make. But it certainly is a happy noise.

'It's…Well it's better than the city.' He sighs, his hands reaching his face to get through his hair. 'I'm…'

'Yes?'

'I'm happy to be with Jas, again. But she deserves better.'

'Better than living on a dairy farm?' I laugh. 'She is a very bright little girl. She was quite excited to tell us her godfather was coming to live with her.'

He scoffs, loudly, his face falling in his open hands.

'What a fuckin' godfather I make.' He mumbles, looking down his bent legs. 'Sure the excitement wore off the second she actually saw me.'

Shane isn't exactly the most gentle looking person ever, that's for sure. Very gruff. But the way I saw him take care of that hen just now can't be a polite act. Seems to me like it's the other way around entirely.

I never probed Marnie on Jas' "provenance". It was clear the little baby she ended up with all those years ago wasn't a present from a random stork. Shane stayed for a while at the time if I recall correctly, but mostly kept to the ranch. When he left again for the city we were all none the wiser. And Jas stayed, and grew up. I do not wish to intrude either, I know the cultural impact and duties of a godfather.

Shane must have been very close to Jas' parents. And to lose them when she was so young. It never occured to me that something this…wounding was what actually had happened. Shane dealt with losing two tremendously close friends, a heartbreaking decision, and whatever happened in the city.

I'm starting to understand his gruff act. Why would anyone want to risk going through losing people again.

'You know, George and I had to take care of Alex when he was still a young boy.' I say, wanting my voice to be comforting. 'Our daughter, Clara, sadly passed.'

'I'm sorry.'

'I had George. We had each other.' I recall the loss we weren't allowed to grieve. The denial thrust upon ourselves, for the sake of Alex, and having to wear a parent's hat all over again after all these years.

We've been parents from the second Clara was born, of course. But close to doing it all over again, at our age? After losing our only daughter?

It was daunting. Seemed unfeasible. We allowed ourselves to grieve, taking turn, looking after each other.

I cannot fathom how it would have been like on my own.

'It was still…Very hard. It sometimes continues to be. The worries never cease. And, well, the pain has never left us.' I hear Shane groans, shuffling on himself. Looking down but listening to my every word. 'I will always ask myself if what we did, are doing, is good enough for Alex. Moreover, I will forever seek approval from Clara, wonder if I'm raising him like she wants us to. If I am worthy of her son.' This time it is not a shadow illusion, I can clearly see tears slowly running down Shane's cheeks as he plops his forehead in his hand. 'I'm not trying to upset you.' My voice breaks. I do wish I could ask my daughter if we are doing a great job. If she would be proud of her son. 'I'm merely…Well.' I stand up, the chair creaks under my effort and my joints are stiff from the cold, but I manage to reach Shane whose back now slightly tremble. 'I just want to say that I understand.'

My hand on Shane's shoulder shakes with his quiet sobs. Sadly, I do not have any comforting words. But I understand, painfully so.

Charlie stands up too, slowly bobbing her head to Shane. I never knew chickens could have a worried look but… There it is. She lifts her small head, and Shane welcomes her in his arms, softly whispering to her that he's ok.

I silently chuckle watching the tender scene unfold.

The rescue party reaches the door and I thank Yoba, seeing Alex reaching the threshold first, coming to me in a hurry.

Quite quickly, the little girl, covered in tears, rush to her godfather who receives her in an audible 'oof'. I look at them both, and smile. Shane is crouching down to Jas, showing her how Charlie was keeping warm, repeating, again, how he is ok, asking her to stop crying, he is ok. And he will be fine.

Shane looks up at me, as Alex walks me through the freed door, and I see his smile.

He will be fine.

[orangemochafrapp]

Last updated: 5th January, 2025

Hi! Welcome to my masterlist of all my Stardew Valley related works. (All Sebastian x F!Farmer so far)

They do vary in ratings, so please take care and enjoy :)

my ao3 account for convenience if you'd prefer to simply browse there

Series

The Love You Want

Pairing: Sebastian x F!Farmer (Rosie) Rating: E "Sebastian doesn't understand the big fucking deal with the new farmer. Until he does." AO3

One Shots

Breaking a Fever

Written for Stardew Valley Fanfiction Writers Guild's Feast of the Winter Star Collection 2024

Pairing: Sebastian x F!Farmer (Rosie) Rating: T

"Sebastian has taken ill and Rosie (somewhat begridgingly) goes to the ends of the Earth to make him feel a little better."

AO3

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Written for Stardew Valley Fanfiction Writers Guild's Feast of the Winter Star Collection 2024

Pairing: Sebastian x F!Farmer (Rosie) Rating: G

"Sebastian and Rosie exchange a series of holiday letters throughout the years, until they don't."

AO3

Domestic Bliss

Written for Stardew Valley Fanfiction Writers Guild's Sebastian's Slutty Frog PJs Collection

Pairing: Sebastian x F!Farmer (Rosie) Rating: E

"Sebastian and Rosie have just moved in together, but an old artefact Sebastian finds in his bedroom sends Rosie into a spin."

AO3

[orangemochafrapp]

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Fandom: Stardew Valley

Pairing: Sebastian x F!Farmer (Rosie)

Rating: G

WC: 1094

Summary: Written for the Stardew Valley Fanfiction Writer’s Guild Winter Star week Day 4: Rituals (@stardewfanficwriters), Sebastian and Rosie exchange letters every Christmas, until one year they stop.

"Rosie groaned and let herself fall back onto the cold, hardwood floor below, staring up at the ceiling. The smart thing would be to put the letters back in the box, shove them into a closet, and move on. Maybe burn them. 

But perhaps it was the way Christmas made her feel, maybe it was loneliness, or even nostalgia, but before she could talk herself out of it, Rosie grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and sat down at her dining table."

Read more on AO3: