Guess who married Haley in Stardew? I loved her Heart Events, and got inspired to write this. Not enough Haley/MC fics around here, which makes me sad. I hope any Haley fans out there enjoy this.
2019 Edit: Some changes here and there, mostly for clarity.
Haley didn't care about the new farmer who moved in. As a side effect of having parents who couldn't stay home for more than a month, she tried not to wear her emotions on her sleeve. It helped her feign apathy when people who promised to call never did, when friends became acquaintances until they stopped being even that, turning into strangers she once knew.
Her gaggle of high school friends had whittled down to just one. She and Alex, by some ridiculous stroke of luck, had moved to Pelican town. He was a good friend and could hold decent conversations despite his obsession with sports. It helped that he was a looker. Haley liked guys with strong jaws, shapely biceps, and great hair. Great hair was a must.
The what's-her-name farmer was plain. Almost ridiculously so. From her hair colour to her way of dress, an average Jane you could find anywhere in the world. A far cry from the old man who passed on seasons ago, retiring painlessly to the other side.
Haley had met the kindly grandfather twice. Once when her family moved in, another when she'd bumped into him at Pierre's. He had been charismatic, funny, and smelled of truffle oil and flowers.
His granddaughter however… Haley didn't want to be mean. But god, the woman was dull.
"Her lack of presence is scary. I could walk into a store and not even notice her," she told Alex as they lounged in the summer sun. Haley sighed in contentment. Pelican town might have been an utter bore, but the beach was amazing. Quiet and tranquil, no bawling babies or annoying ruffians trying to hit on her. It almost made up for the lack of a mall.
Alex shrugged. "She seems pretty cool to me."
"God, seriously? You bitched about how she smelled like grass last week."
"That was you, not me." He scratched his chin, almost thoughtfully. "Maybe you just haven't gotten to know her yet. I'm sure you guys have something in common."
Haley shot him a dubious look.
"Hear me out. You like flowers, right?"
"Yeah, except dandelions. Those are gross." Haley scrunched her nose, playing with the sunglasses in her lap. "Why? Does she like flowers, too?"
"What girl doesn't like flowers?" She rolled her eyes. Boys. "Anyway, when I talked to her the other day, she told me she was growing sunflowers. Since that's one of your favourite things of all time, you guys could talk about it, right?" Alex finished, absurdly pleased with himself.
"I can't just go up to her and start talking about sunflowers. She'd think I'm crazy."
"Or you could just wait till she talks to you. Casually bring up the flowers and," He snapped his fingers, "The two of you will be talking in no time."
Haley considered it for a second. "No," she said, and went back to soaking up the sun.
She ignored Alex's whining and relaxed into the beach towel. That sounded like way too much work. Besides, the other woman hardly talked to her after the first meet n' greet.
The only occasion Haley remembered exchanging words was the time they bumped into each other outside the Saloon. The woman had given her a horseradish. Haley guessed her reaction of "Gross!" did little to endear her to the farmer.
Could you blame her? Horse radishes were disgusting.
Being stuck Pelican town was a frustrating, miserable experience. The first year here had been hell. Thinking back on it, Haley laughed at her younger self who bubbled with excitement about graduating. The moment she received her high school diploma, the shining college life of bar-hopping, shopping, and dating she'd envisioned had been destroyed by one sentence.
"Girls… we're moving. Surprise!"
All her previous college choices went from being 'in the vicinity' to 'only reachable by a six hour bus ride.' Haley considered staying at a dorm, but when she'd heard horror stories of psychotic roommates and haunted rooms, she quickly scrapped the idea. It wasn't like she'd been particularly set on a degree, anyway. Maybe if she'd waited, her parents would find Pelican town an utter bore and haul ass back to Zuzu City.
And then her parents decided to sail around the world, leaving her and Emily to rot in the town they insisted on moving to in the first place.
As far as sisters went, Emily was alright. Outside of being weird, dyeing her hair blue – why blue? – Haley wouldn't exchange her for anyone else. She knew she wasn't the easiest person to live with, either. Emily hated it when she didn't clear the bathroom drain, or left the dishes in the sink after eating.
But in her defence, Emily drove her up the wall when she blasted hippie music like it was going out of fashion and insisted on adding mushrooms in every conceivable dish she cooked. One person could only eat so much mushrooms before they went mad, stewed, fried, or otherwise.
"Haley! You didn't clean the cushions, again!"
"Who are you, Mom?" Haley shot back, rolling her eyes. "I already cleaned under the couch. Would it kill you to do the cushions for once?"
"You know how tired I am after night shifts. And I still have to make breakfast."
"I don't see why I have to clean them today. I just did that last week," She grouched, pointing at the underside of the cushion Emily was holding. "It doesn't even look dirty."
Emily glared. "Stop being so childish. I'm the one who does most of the chores and– oh."
Haley watched as her sister's stern expression faded, replaced by embarrassment. She turned to see her least favourite person in all of Pelican Town standing by the door. Great. Now she was going to have two people nagging at her to do a job she obviously didn't want to. She so wasn't in the mood.
Haley let her mind drift as the farmer woman and her sister started talking over her. She examined her nails. Gosh, she needed to get them done soon.
"Haley doesn't want to clean the cushions. It's dirty, and it's really bothering me." Emily said, folding her arms. The farmer swept her bangs to the side. Haley found herself startled when chocolate brown eyes bored into her. She quickly looked away and covered her surprise with a muttered, "Like I said. I already cleaned them last week."
Emily waved her off and asked, "So, what do you think?"
Haley almost scoffed. Sure, ask a total stranger to butt in on a family problem. It was just a goddamn cushion, they were arguing like there was a treasure map hidden under the covers. At this point, she was contemplating on throwing them out to stop this stupid conversation.
"Haley," The farmer finally said, after several seconds of silent contemplation, "Why not have this be your one weekly job?" She smiled. Haley thought her dimples were absurdly adorable. She hadn't noticed them before.
"I guess I could live with that," Haley conceded. That sounded reasonable. And it gave her an out from cleaning the rest of the house.
"Then it's settled," Emily clapped her hands gleefully, "Get to it, Haley. I'll have breakfast ready as soon as you're done."
Scratch that. Emily was a terrible sister. Haley groaned and swept the cushions into her arms, ignoring the amused grins directed at her, and trudged to the closet.
The remaining days of Summer dwindled until there was only three left. Haley had a counter in her room, it was hard not to when it was the only season she looked forward to every year. The beginning of Fall always saw her mourning the absence of sunlight caressing her skin, peals of thunder and rainy nights where the sky was split by a spectacular burst of forked lightning.
Haley's feet had carried her here. It was twelve in the afternoon, a prime time for lounging at the beach and sipping at her imported coconut juice. But here she was, standing awkwardly in front of the house where the woman who helped opened her jar of pickles, lived. She blamed Alex for his incessant talks of flowers and budding friendships.
"Is that you, Haley?"
She jumped when someone tapped her shoulder. She whirled around with a glare, annoyance sparking in her chest when the farmer quirked a grin at her reaction.
"Sorry," the other woman said, sounding anything but. "So, what can I do for you? Do you have another jar that needs opening?"
Haley shook her head. "I wish, but no." The next batch of pickles wouldn't be here till next month. Her remaining half a jar would tide her over till then. "I'm…I came to visit?"
"You sure?"
"I came to see the flowers," Haley said firmly. "Alex told me you were growing a bunch. I wanted to see them."
The farmer perked up, nodding in what Haley guessed was excitement. "Oh, right! He told me you love sunflowers, so I haven't sold those yet. Here, I'll take you to see them."
Haley felt a little flattered. Only a little. She made a mental note to thank Alex, and smack his head for being a loud mouth. They walked down the wooden path to the most glorious patch of flowers Haley had ever laid eyes on.
The summer spangles and poppies were practically smothered by sunflowers. The multitude of brightly colored heads looked like blots of paint on a sun-colored canvas. Haley lurched forward, her hand reaching out to caress the petal of her favorite flower. She ran the pad of her fingers on the yellow silk with agonizing slowness.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" There was a proud inflection in the farmer's words. Haley thought it was warranted. She wished she had a camera to create a permanent reminder of the beauty seeds, dirt, and water could create.
"It's amazing," Haley said in awe. The woman fell in step beside her, and Haley felt a thoughtful gaze pinning her where she stood.
"Would you like one?"
"Please." Haley said breathlessly. She caught herself and blushed. God, she was being offered a flower, not a million dollars. "If it's alright with you, I mean."
"I wouldn't be offering if I wasn't." The farmer laughed, "Wait here. I'll get my cutters."
The sunlight felt warmer than usual. Birds took to the sky, soaring across the field as they sang a pitched hymn. Their songs split the air, voices strong and hypnotizing. Haley caught herself staring at the house the woman had disappeared into, and wondered why her face burned.