Okay...re-re-uploading due to some peculiar formatting :3 hope this works.
Stay With Me
Friday, Fall 12th
"Why can't you just accept me for who I am?!" Abigail shouts at Pierre, her father. The shopkeeper's face darkens at her words and a flicker of fear flashes across Abigail's eyes.
"You're a teenager, a rebellious, snotty, useless teenager who doesn't help around the family shop at all, you don't help your mother, or anyone, you just sit and play games all day!" Pierre snaps.
Abigail is instantly silent. The hurt is evident on her face and Pierre softens slightly. Before he can say anything to remedy the situation, Abigail has hurtled out of the room and flung the shop doors open, disappearing into the night.
"That was a little harsh don't you think?" Caroline asks Pierre, who winces.
It is raining heavily outside and darkness has already set in. Abigail furiously fights back tears as she stomps towards the Saloon. She bursts through the door, and plasters a smile on her face as she greets Gus, who waves back. Abigail sits in the corner where she usually does, acknowledging Sam and Sebastian with a smile and a nod. She observes the hustle and bustle of the inn for a while, smiling at anyone who looks at her, and trying to be her cheery self. Inside, however, she just wants to break down and cry, surrender herself to the overflow of emotion she is holding back.
A particularly loud bout of laughter catches her attention and she looks up from staring at the floor. She sees Leah attempt to get up from where she'd fallen to the floor. She's obviously very drunk and the surrounding crowd are laughing at her pitiful state. Abigail grimaces at the laughter, which, in her dark mood, just sounds cruel. She gets to her feet and walks over to Leah, announcing to everyone that she will take the artist home. Hoisting the red-haired girl onto her shoulders, she grunts slightly as Leah's weight bears down on her. She manages to walk to the door and Willy holds the door open, asking if Abigail wants any help. Abigail smiles and shakes her head and walks silently from the Saloon.
Walking in the dark, in the pouring rain is hard enough when you're in an emotional mood, Abigail thinks to herself, without having to drag someone else home. Leah's incoherent state causes the girl to babble nonsense, although Abigail does faintly catch her name being said a few times. Trying to see through the torrential downfall is almost impossible at this time of night, with the sky being near pitch black. The rain blocks out most of the light from the street lamps high above her, so she is mostly walking from memory towards Emily and Hayley's house on Willow Lane, which she knows will lead to Leah's cottage if she follows the path.
Abigail stubs her toe on something in the dark and moans in pain. She steels herself and continues on carrying Leah. Her toe throbs now however, and the pain brings a fresh wave of tears to Abigail's eyes. She stops momentarily to shift Leah's dead weight and give her toe a rest, but she accidentally drops Leah, who falls to the ground with a thump. Panic sets into Abigail and she hyperventilates at the thought of seriously harming Leah, who is now unconscious. Drenched, cold, alone and in a sorrowful mood, Abigail drops to her knees and fights harder to push the tears back.
She only notices the warm light as it grows from behind her, illuminating the path ahead. She frowns to herself momentarily, then jumps as a voice behind her speaks.
"Abigail? Are you okay?"
Abigail turns and sees Kyron. The young man is relatively new to the town, having inherited the old farm on the edge of Stardew Valley from his grandfather. Standing slightly taller than her, with a slim but powerful body, wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair is dark brown, worn in long messy spikes jutting upwards from his head. Emerald green eyes shine at Abigail, the same eyes that had caught her heart when she first saw him. Her heart leaps at seeing him, illuminated by the faintly glowing golden ring on his left hand. The light from the ring spreads around him in a wide circle, allowing him to see around him even on the darkest night. He'd found it in the Mines, and had worn it ever since.
"Kyron." Abigail gasps. She turns away, cheeks flushing with embarrassment and emotion. Of all people, of course, it had to be him who found her in this state.
"What are you doing out here in the rain?" Kyron asks. He looks behind her and a touch of amusement lights up his features, "Is that Leah?"
Abigail nods, "She's passed out - got too drunk at the Saloon. I offered to take her home, but I stubbed my toe and dropped her." She grasps her sore foot gently, as if to emphasise her pain. The farmer smiles at her.
"Well it's no use to you sitting out in the rain. You'll catch cold, and what do you think Harvey will say? Come with me, we'll get Leah home."
Abigail goes to get to her feet, but the pain intensifies and she cries out, falling back to the ground.
"My toe hurts too much, I can't walk." she says. Kyron chuckles.
"Alright, one sec."
He walks passed Abigail and examines Leah.
"You are passed out" the farmer chuckles to himself. Then, with one arm, he scoops Leah up and swings her over his shoulder. Without pause, he turns to Abigail, wraps his free arm around her and gently grips her under her right arm. With an impressive display of strength, Kyron lifts Abigail up and rests her back against his right arm, supporting her legs and Leah's body with his left. Abigail wraps her left around his back for further support and right arm across his chest, hugging his neck for support and affection. Without losing speed, Kyron carries both women towards Leah's cottage.
They reach the door, and Kyron briefly lowers Abigail to the ground while he fumbles with Leah's keys. He opens the door and lets himself in, Abigail crawling through the doorway to see Kyron lay Leah into her bed. Kyron smiles at the artist, and writes a quick note on her coffee table. He and Abigail leave the cottage, with Kyron locking the door and pushing the keys through the letterbox in her door. With another smile at Abigail, he lifts her up again, supporting her fully this time and walks towards Marnie's ranch. Abigail frowns.
"My house is the other way you know." she tells Kyron. The farmer smiles, his ring illuminating his face. The smile then fades however into a serious, concerned expression.
"I know. But you're not going home. You're staying with me tonight." he says. Abigail blinks in surprise, then blushes as half a dozen different scenarios play through her mind. She buries herself briefly into Kyron's chest to hide the heat in her cheeks, but his scent of dirt, sweat and plants only increases her emotions. She emerges and asks,
"Why?"
"Because with a stubbed toe your father will kill you for getting into this state and me for not doing anything about it. And because I want to talk to you about a few things."
"But you weren't there when I stubbed my toe?" Abigail laughs, glad to talk about something that would hopefully hide her blush, "So how could you have helped? You're already helping more than I expected." The blush returns stronger than ever and Abigail fights back a strong urge to kiss the farmer. The intimacy of the moment has all her feelings for Kyron rushing up to show themselves and she is trying hard to restrain herself.
"I know, but you know Pierre. He won't listen. You are his 'little girl' as he says."
Abigail frowns and Kyron must have noticed the anger building in her, for he says, "I know you're not a little girl." he smiles, "You're a beautiful grown woman perfectly capable of making her own decisions."
Abigail blushes again at the word 'beautiful' and quickly changes topic, "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"A couple of things. One of which is related to your father actually."
They had reached Kyron's farmhouse while they'd been talking. Abigail hadn't noticed them walking through the fields and only now realises they're at Kyron's front door. Supporting Abigail with a single arm, Kyron uses the other to open his door. His cat mews at his return home and Kyron smiles. He takes Abigail to his bedroom and sits her in a chair against the wall opposite his bed.
"First thing's first." Kyron says, "Clothes off, so I can dry them, and then straight into bed. Pile the clothes over by the fire and I'll hang them up to dry when you're in bed. Tell me when you're done."
He leaves the room, closing the door behind him while flashing a smile of utmost kindness at Abigail. With the door closed, Abigail looks at Kyron's bed. It's big enough for two people, and with Abigail sleeping in her underwear, the hot flush returns so strongly she gasps softly to herself. She stands up, ignoring the pain in her toe, and strips off, piling the clothes in front of the fire. Almost everything comes off, including her bra, leaving her only in her underwear. She stays next to the fire for a moment, trying to dry her hair and embrace the cosy warmth of the flames, then jumps into the bed and snuggles up. The warmth of the bed against her bare skin makes her sigh in relief and comfort. She feels slightly bad for keeping Kyron waiting, but surrenders herself to the soft comfort enveloping her. She huddles into herself and smiles happily.
She shouts to Kyron that she's done and ensures she's completely covered under the thick duvet as the farmer enters. He smiles at her, and in her state of undress she blushes furiously and smile bashfully back, and Kyron gathers up her clothes. She smiles to herself as she notices the colour rise in Kyron's own cheeks as he observes her large black bra, then hangs everything on a wooden rack next to the fire to dry off. He turns, smiles at Abigail, and leaves the room briefly again, returning with a cup of hot chocolate. Abigail sits up, ensuring she is covered.
"You're always saying in winter how you wish we had one of these to share." Kyron says, holding the cup out to her, "Why don't you have some and warm up. Are you hungry?"
Abigail takes a sip of the hot drink and closes her eyes as the sweetness travels through her body, making her warm inside. She smiles gratefully and says, "I guess I could go for something little." He immediately leaves the room again and she hears him cluttering around in the kitchen. She snuggles further into bed, enjoying how Kyron is treating her. A warm bed, a cosy fire, a hot drink and the kindest host in the world. She couldn't be happier right now.
Kyron returns with two plates of something. Abigail smells the air as he approaches, and her eyes widen at the familiar scent.
"Kyron, that's never Blackberry Cobbler?" she asks, breathless. The farmer smiles and hands her the plate.
"I made it especially for you." he admits, causing Abigail to blush. She tucks into her own plate to hide the heat of her cheeks. Kyron has a slice for himself as well. They eat in silence, Kyron waiting for Abigail to say something and Abigail just enjoying the moment.
They both finish at the same time and stack their plates on each other. A moment of silence, digesting the dessert, and then Kyron pulls of his black shirt and boots, jeans coming off afterwards. Abigail scoots back to allow him room in the bed, and he joins her a moment later. Without thinking, Abigail wraps her arms around him and presses her body against his in the tightest, warmest hug she'd ever given.
"Thank you." she whispers, burying her face into his neck, fighting back tears again.
"You're very welcome." Kyron says, hugging her back. They both enjoy the intimacy for a long while. Abigail is feeling very sleepy, but knows Kyron wants to talk to her. She is just so comfortable, in the warm bed with amazing company. Abigail's affection for Kyron has risen tenfold this evening and the urge to kiss him is stronger than ever.
"Now." he says, pulling back from the hug. Abigail releases him, and has to remind herself to breath - they are face to face, looking into each other's eyes. She is so overwhelmed by the intimacy of the moment, she chokes and giggles as she tries to breathe.
"About what I wanted to talk to you about." Kyron says, with a smile at Abigail. The purple haired girl nods, indicating he can continue. Kyron's smile fades.
"What happened tonight? I heard shouting as I walked passed your shop. I was running back to the house quickly, so didn't have time to stop and check if everything was okay. I got back as soon as I could though and found out you'd gone. That's why I went looking for you. So, what happened?"
Kyron had shown her such kindness in her hour of need that she didn't even think about hiding it. She slowly blurted out the whole story of the argument, started by Pierre making a passing comment on how he feels Abigail should help more. Kyron listens carefully as Abigail spoke, asking no questions or otherwise interrupting her. As she explained how the evening as a whole had been horrible, she could see him processing the information analytically in order to think of a solution.
By the time she finished, tears were finally rolling down her cheeks as she silently weeps.
Kyron looks at her a moment and pulls her into a cuddle, one arm under her body and wrapped around the top of her back, hand massaging her head as she rested on his chest, the other hand resting gently on her waist. She snuggles in closer, enjoying the company and the warmth, and satisfied with the heat rushing to Kyron's cheeks as her chest presses into his own.
With a teary smile, Abigail looks Kyron in the eyes.
"What was the other thing you wanted to talk to me about?" she asks. Just as she stops speaking, Kyron's clock strikes midnight and Kyron smiles knowingly. He reaches under his bed and pulls something out from under it. Abigail's eyes widen in stunned disbelief as Kyron offers her the bouquet and whispers to her,
"Happy Birthday, Abigail."
Abigail's heart pounds and her body tingles with happiness as she leans in and kisses Kyron full on the lips. She floods over with emotion and affection which she pours onto Kyron and Abigail drifts into a peaceful sleep undisturbed by dreams.