A Cold Wind (Sebastian, Stardew Valley - Part 1 of 2)

[hiddentalents3237]

Just setup here, I'm afraid. No sneezing just yet. Sorry!

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   The end of Fall brought with it a chill in the air. Although it was busy for the Farmer, his husband had to find things to do around the house or in the great outdoors of Stardew Valley. Preparations for the next season were a one man job, and nobody knew that better than him, so rather than being in the wrong place and interrupting all the hard work, he simply went out for a walk. Perhaps he'd look for frogs or visit someone.

   It became obvious however that the task of just walking around wouldn't be easy that day, as a light drizzle began to fall. Weird, he thought, we saw the weather forecast yesterday and it didn't say anything about rain. Oh well, it doesn't matter. Sebastian was used to the rain; he'd go out to the lake back when he lived with his mom and have a calm smoke by the water. He rarely got sick or cold from it. In fact, it was one of the few things that brought him special joy back before he met the love of his life.

   Today was no exception. He enjoyed the cold breeze and brisk water as he sat on a rock by the sea. In the distance he could see Willy wearing a bright yellow raincoat, battling some form of large eel into submission. Elliott's house looked warm and cozy through the window, the man sat at his desk writing as usual. It was a normal scene in the Valley. Sebastian let the rain soak him to the bone as he struggled to light a cigarette. "Stupid thing-"

   The lighter clicked and clicked but no flame would come on. He let out a deep sigh. He wondered if Willy had matches, he'd seen him smoke an old wooden pipe sometimes at the Saloon. Mumbling, he got up to walk towards him. As he got closer, the fisherman turned away peering into a bucket full of eels, he prepared himself for the question. Althought he'd lived there his whole life, he still wan't great at starting conversations. He turned his gaze toward the slimy wood, he was so focused on what to say, that he didn't see Willy grab the bucket, preparing to throw the rest of the fish on the dock. Except, instead of finding a wooden floor, the water found Sebastian.

   "Oh! Sorry lad, didn't see ye there!" the fisherman laughed. He gave the younger man a stiff pat on the back. "What're ya up to out here in the rain? Shouldn't ye be helping yer lover on the farm?"

   He was so shocked by the small fish caught in his hair that it took him a few seconds to respond. "I, uh..." he carefully grabbed it as best as he could and pulled it off of him. The fish slipped its way out of his hands and back into the water. He stared at it as it swam away, too embarrassed to look at Willy. "Uh... I went out for a walk."

   "In this weather? Yer braver than I thought, I'll give ye that," he was already back at work with the fishing pole. Sebastian cleared his throat.

   "Do uh, do you have a light?" the older man turned towards him for a moment before getting distracted by a fishbite.

   "Aye, though I don't think that cigarette of yers is gonna be much use now," he gestured with his chin.

   He was right; the cigarette caught between his lips was soaked as well. Damn, that was my last one. "Oh, right, um..." he stood there awkwardly. He cleared his throat. "Right. Guess I'll see you later, then?"

   But Willy wasn't listening. He'd caught something big, and was fighting to get it to shore, so Sebastian just turned away and made a beeline towards Pierre's to pick up a pack.

   And as he got there, he found the store was closed. Past five already? He took a quick glance at this watch: it wasn't just past five in the afternoon, it was closing in on ten thirty at night. He panicked. The sky had been so dark all day that he didn't even notice how long he'd been at the beach. Crap! Crap, crap, crap, he thought as he ran home. Except once he got there, the door was jammed shut. 

   "Fuck!" his key wasn't working. "Stupid door, stupid lock, stupid stupid stupid! I had to pick up a new one how could I forget how was I so dumb, FUCK," he rambled, but the door refused to open. After several minutes of trying, he knocked on the door. He looked through the bedwroom window and could faintly see the Farmer sleeping. He tried knocking on the glass but the other man was deep in sleep. It was no use. "Fuck!" he muttered one last time before resigning himself to saying outside. He tried calling his mom to see if he could come over, but she went to sleep very early as well. Demetrius and Maru didn't pick up, either. So the best he could do was go into one of the barns and sit on a haybale.

   It was late. He was soaked. The chill of the day gave way to the unrelenting cold of the night. He shivered as he sat there, looking at the cows sleeping peacefully, dry and warm. He sighed. He tried his best to warm up by rubbing his arms and pulling the sleeves of his hoodie over his hands, but it was no use. As Sebastian tried his best to lie on the hay and get comfortable, his last thought before falling asleep was how nice it would feel to be in bed next to his husband right now.

[MeForever]

Curious to see where this will go! Seb is one of my favorite Stardew characters so yeah!