Stardew Valley Fanfiction:

'The Farmer Witch'

Chapter 20:

Alice knew he was waiting for her to say something in return, but she was too dumbstruck to move or say anything. She looked back at him stupidly, her lips parted in a blank stare.

Sebastian's fingers drummed against the side of his coffee mug, awkwardly waiting for some form of response from Alice. He looked nervous now, unsure if he should have said what he had. It was painful to see him start to shift uncomfortably and Alice's first reaction was to comfort him.

"I want you to stay in the valley too." She affirmed. And it was true. She would hate it if Sebastian really did move to the city. She would hate it more than if anyone else left…. Sebastian was important to her… She really cared about him…. Oh. She really cared about him…

She reached a hand across the table, placing it over Sebastian's own as he held his mug. This earned a small, timid smile from the man. "Thanks…." It was an odd thing to thank her for, but clearly, he was at a loss for words too.

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze before retrieving it. "It sucks to see you so unhappy all of the time." It was something she had wanted to say for a while now.

He sighed. "It sucks being unhappy all of the time." He looked up at her again. "But you make it a lot better. Better than anyone else has before."

The witch blushed, trying not to get flustered. "Promise me you'll start thinking of a way to move out?" Even if he wouldn't accept her invite to spend his time here on the farm, she didn't want him stuck in a bad situation at home.

He nodded. "Yeah… I'll talk to my mom about it. I want to make it a priority to save up and maybe get my mom to help pitch in so I can build up a place of my own out here. God, even if it's just a tiny shack, anything is better than living with them." He took a deep breath before sipping his coffee.

She smiled at him. "You'll tell me if I can help, right?"

He chuckled, setting down the mug and standing up. "Yeah, sure. But don't worry so much about me. I can handle it myself. Just gotta work myself up to talking to mom and Demetrius about it." He didn't sound too enthusiastic about it. "That'll be fun…"

She stood as well, following Sebastian as he walked to the door to go. "Thanks for walking me home."

He turned towards her to smile. Out of character, he moved closer to gently wrap his arms around her. The embrace was warm and comforting. Alice reflexively returned the gesture. When he retreated has gave another half-smile and departed from the farmhouse.

…

…

Alice stood by the front door in her empty farmhouse for what felt like an eternity. It was only a couple of minutes, but she needed the time to get her heart rate to slow down and stop fluttering so much. She needed the time so she could think about what just happened. What he had said, what she had felt. She had spent so much time worrying about Sebastian's feelings for her that she hadn't really taken a moment to consider if she returned them. So now she was taking the time.

And she decided that she did.

Every time that they had grown closer over the past few weeks, Alice had only gotten happier and happier. Every time she saw him, she would try to make him laugh or take his mind off the bad things, just to see him smile. Every time they hung out with Sam and Abigail, it was really Sebastian that she looked forward to seeing the most, and it was Sebastian who she would seek out even outside of group interactions. She never really visited Abigail or Sam one-on-one. Occasionally, but not on a daily basis like she did with Sebastian.

When she did finally move, the farm girl returned to her tiny kitchen table. She finished her coffee as she cleaned out Sebastian's mug and set it aside. She dragged the table into a different spot, trying to focus her mind on layout planning for furniture instead of on the dark-haired man currently walking back to his house.

She felt a little giddy. She wondered if Sebastian considered her more than a friend after tonight? She certainly felt like they had gotten another step closer to that, anyway. She had once heard from someone in town that it was traditional around these parts for a guy or gal to give flowers to someone they fancied. Was it Lewis who had told her that? Maybe Pierre? No doubt it would have been Pierre's subtle way of trying to sell something to her.

Would Sebastian buy her flowers?

Should she buy him flowers?

She found herself laying in bed thinking of these things before realizing she had forgotten to call back her Master. She jolted up to get her phone, spending the rest of the evening talking with Damon like old times.

Two love birds in the valley. But I promised angst and the angst is coming. There is so much more of the story in my head that I want to get down in writing. Bear with me! - Mystical Jelly