Work Text:
Autumn was always a busy time of the year for the farmer, their usually packed up schedule got even busier as the season arrived with so many crops and foraging to find. Their friends would sometimes pay them a visit if they were not out mining or fishing, just like that same day.
Abigail walked excitedly towards the farmer's home, Sam and Sebastian right behind her. Sebastian carried with him some pumpkin soup his mother had made, remembering how she so excitedly packed some when he said they were going to visit the farmer. As they arrived, the farmer's cat began to meow in alert, taking their owner's attention away from the corn they were harvesting. They smiled, gesturing for the other three to come closer. The farm was looking as pretty as always, the land thriving from the farmer's care, with so many animals and produce to come.
A while later the farmer was placing the corn on their shipping bin. Abigail was petting their cat and Sam volunteered to water some crops, even though it seemed more like he was playing with the water. Sebastian was still standing with the little container of soup in hand, so he cleared his throat to call the farmer's attention.
"Um... Where can I put this?"
The farmer looked at the container, then back at him.
"My mom made this for you, she sent a letter too with the recipe."
The farmer smiled and pointed towards their home, the door was unlocked so Sebastian entered. The wooden floor creacked slightly under his feet as he searched for the kitchen and observed the interior, realizing he'd never been inside the house before. It was very cozy and the wooden stove kept it pretty warm, looking at the decor was like looking into the farmer, their space filled with personality. He placed the container in the fridge, a little surprised as there was almost no food in there. He just shruged it off and closed the door, placing his hands on his hoodie pocket and scanning the room.
Something didn't seem quite right even if he'd never been there, like something was out of place. His eyes ran to each corner of the room, searching on every surface untill he saw it. There was a little gift on the table.
He stepped closer to it, not even noticing the frown forming in his face. The gift wasn't big but not small either, covered and white wrapping with a red bow on top. It sat on an envelope and for a fraction of a second he considered reading it to find out who had sent it. Shaking his thoughts away he stepped outside, trying to think about anything but the gift and what it meant.
A gift could only mean courting and courting could only mean someone was into the farmer. Now, why did that left a bitter taste on his tongue was a question he couldn't answer. He should be happy, really, there's no reason not to be. The farmer is a great person, at least in his eyes. They're caring and hardworking and--
"Are you coming or not?" Abigail suddenly screamed at the doorstep. Sebastian groaned, pressing his palm against his cheek, feeling hot all of a sudden. He gave the gift one last look before heading out.
"Oh, letting me win today?" Sam teased after Sebastian made a terrible move in their pool match. The black haired man scoffed before mumbling something about needing to use the bathroom, leaving the game room to wash his face and put himself togheter.
He'd been inside his head the whole evening, ocasionally glancing at the farmer as if that would make him suddenly capable of reading their thoughts. "Why do I even care?" He asked is reflection in the tiny bathroom, hunched over the sink and with water droplets falling of his face. It didn't make sense to think this much about it, didn't make sense how heavy his chest felt too. He was probably just worried, what if the person is not good enough for them? Did the farmer even know who it was? Was it mutual?
He blinked at the sound of knocking on the door, quickly drying his face before opening it and there they were. The farmer stood there, staring at him and if Sebastian didn't know the farmer well enough, he would not have recognized the concern on their expression. The farmer fidgeted with their fingers before reaching out to hold Sebastian's hand.
"Are you okay?" They asked, their voice soft as always almost like a whisper. Sebastian tried to ignore the loud thumping in his ears when the farmer held his hand, focusing instead on their eyes and on the task of coming up with an answer. He couldn't just ask if the farmer was into anyone, their love life was none of his business, it didn't even bother him he was just concerned. He held their hand back and gave them a smille that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm good. Just a bit tired, I haven't got much sleep tonight," which wasn't a lie, but it usually took two all-nighters to get him tired.
The farmer kept looking at his eyes, his face... Like they were searching for something but said nothing, pulling Sebastian by the hand back into the game room.
Sebastian didn't really like to go out, the idea of facing people was very unpleasant for some reason. On the days he actually got out for some fresh air, he tried his best to avoid conversation with the townsfolk. Some would take him as rude but he was a big overthinker, always wondering if he said the right thing, if he was acting normally, if his voice sounded right. He knew he looked different from most of the townsfolk and felt like there were enough eyes on him everytime he went out. That's why he liked rainy days so much, the streets were usually empty and he could even sit by the docks and breathe the sea air. No eyes on him, just the sound of the waves and of the raindrops falling on his umbrella.
He was only slightly surprised to see the farmer at the beach on that day. He was more surprised to see them taking a fish to Elliot's house.
All of a sudden that weight on his chest was there again. He wasn't bothered by that, it was probably just a delivery... Though he did see Elliot waving at the farmer a couple of times at the saloon but that didn't mean anything. The farmer was lovely, he knew that, it made sense why someone like Elliot would feel atracted to them romanticaly or not. Sebastian shook his thoughts away, staring into the horizon and allowing himself to space out, the sound of the ocean waves and the raindrops on his umbrella feeling rather soothing.
As he left the beach, he didn't notice the farmer waving at him. And the farmer didn't call him because of the words stuck on their throat that never seemed to come out at the right time.
Sebastian didn't think too much about that day at the beach, and didn't pay much attention to the farmer after that. He definetly doesn't notice when Leah gifts them a flower at the city center. Doesn't notice when Alex compliments their body on his way to the gym. Doesn't notice the farmer and Maru laughing at something in the carpenter's shop and definetly doesn't give her a glare when leaving his room for dinner, or at least that's what he tells himself.
It's only at the Stardew Valley Fair when he was staring at the farmer, who was preparing their grange display, that his friends decide to do something about it.
"What are you doing?" Abigail peeked over his shoulder while Sam stood at his side.
"Nothing, I'm just looking at the display." Sebastian replied, averting his gaze from the farmer.
Abigail squinted her eyes at him. "You've been eyeing the farmer a lot these past couple days," Sam noded in agreement and Sebastian rolled his eyes. "What's up with you two?"
"Everything is fine, okay? I'm just spacing out a lot these days," Sebastian replies, feeling his face getting hot. His friends exchange a knowing look but don't say anything. "I'm just going to somewhere quieter, there's too many people here."
As he ocasionally glances at his friends' direction, he can't help but chuckle when the farmer cheers and smiles after winning a game. He considers congratulating them for the win at the display, but with so many people around them it felt like he wasn't needed there. He leaves the fair earlier, not noticing the farmer's eyes on his back.
It's cold outside so Abigail invites Sam and Sebastian to her house just to "do some nothing" together, besides Seb's protests of wanting to stay at his house.
Sebastian sat on the bed, writing down some ideas for their next Solarian Chronicles session, while Sam and Abigail sat on the ground and played Journey of the Prairie King. Until they heard a knock at the door and the farmer entered the room with a plate of cookies on their hands. Abigail ran to hug them while Sam grabbed at the plate and tasted a cookie.
"Holy shit, this is really good," he passed the plate to Abby, who sighed contently when she ate.
"This is amazing, is that the new recipe you were going to try?" She asked, leading the farmer to come inside and sit on the bed. They sat at the very end of it, averting their gaze to their hands and noding. They didn't even look at Sebastian, which was weird but he tried not to think about it. He reached for a cookie, it crumbled in his mouth, the inside chewy and warm, crunchy on the outside. The flavor was very familiar somehow, but he couldn't point exactly why.
"Where'd you learn it?" Sam asked. The farmer fidgeted with their hands and seemed to struggle with forming words, Sebastian could swear they were shaking slightly. He turned the page on his notepad and gave it to the farmer, who grinned in relief before writting down.
"Grandma Evelyn sent me a gift with some and the recipe. She's so nice!"
Sebastian almost chocked on his cookie, coughing and with tears forming on his eyes as Sam ran to pat his back, Abigail laughed and the farmer stared, wide-eyed.
Between coughs he managed to say "it's really good," making the farmer giggle.
For a moment, Sam and Abby left the room to go to the kitchen, leaving the two alone in her room. The farmer's eyes were on the notepad, but they didn't seem to be really looking at it.
"Is everything okay?" Sebastian asked, pulling them out of their trance. They nodded and smiled, but it didn't quite reach their eyes. He wasn't convinced, so he scooted closer to them and offered a hand which the farmer hesitantly held. "You don't need to tell me what's going on if you don't want to."
They took a deep breath before writing and showing it to him.
"Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?"
Sebastian was really confused, reading it two or three more times to check if his eyes didn't stop working all of a sudden.
"No, I'm not. Why would you even think that?" He asked.
"Because you've been sort of distant. You didn't even talk to me at the fair." They avoided looking at Sebastian's face as he read. He felt like someone poured a cold bucket of water on his head. By trying not to think about the farmer for the past weeks he was totaly avoiding them and didn't even considered their feelings, and it was all for nothing in the end.
He put the notepad down and kept silent for a few seconds, thinking of what to say.
"Sometimes, I have a lot of stuff going on in my head and everything around me just turns into a blur." The farmer looked back up at him, "sorry for not saying hi at the fair or congratulating you, but crowded places make me uncomfortable and I wasn't in the best mood on that day. You didn't do anything, I've just been in my own head the past couple days. You can always come talk to me when you want to, I care about you."
"Okay," the farmer whispered and squeezed his hand a little.
If Abigail ans Sam noticed them holding hands when they got back, they don't comment on it.
And if the farmer noticed the quick glance Sebastian gave to their lips, they don't comment on that either.