I don't own Stardew Valley, but please enjoy my OC and plot.
Sebastian was anxious about the dinner Mariah was going to have with his family. He spent a lot of time pacing, smoking, overthinking and imagining the worst case scenarios. He was practically vibrating by the time Mariah got there, carrying a blueberry tart.
"Oh thank you Mariah!" Robin had said, a little too loudly, taking the tart from her, "You didn't have to do that."
"Least I could do," Mariah said, "Besides I had too many blueberries left from last season."
"Now Mariah, blueberries are a fruit correct?" Demetrius asked coming out of the lab. Oh Yoba no.
"Uh, yes," Mariah responded with confusion, "To my knowledge all berries are considered fruits."
"So you are familiar with what is botanically considered a fruit, yes?" Demetrius continued.
"Oh don't you start this again," Robin said.
"What? I just want Mariah's professional opinion as a farmer," Demetrius said.
"You do not have to answer his question," Sebastian said.
"I do kinda feel like I'm about to walk into a trap," Mariah said.
"Nonsense," Demetrius said, "Now what I really want to know is are tomatoes classified as a fruit?"
"Technically speaking yes," Mariah said thinking through each word before she answered, "Though they are not used in the same way most fruit traditionally are."
"See?" Robin and Demetrius both said at the same time.
Mariah gave Sebastian a 'What the fuck is happening right now?' glance.
Maru came around the corner, "What is going on? Aren't we having dinner?"
"Yes," Sebastian said, taking Mariah's hand, guiding her down the hallway "Yes let's just go eat dinner. Please."
"Something about tomatoes," Mariah said to Maru as she got closer.
"Seriously?" Maru said, "Why is this still a fight? Please Mariah, ignore them."
"But now I want to know what I'm missing," Mariah said.
Robin sighed as they sat down at the table, "To spare my poor children, the short version of it is that Demetrius had a lesson on improving our communication. I asked him to get some fruit, he brought home a bunch of tomatoes, and I learned that I need to be more specific in my requests."
"Then I am feeling much more confident in my answer," Mariah laughed.
"How are things on the farm?" Demetrius asked.
"Things are going well," Mariah said, "It's still early in the season, so it's mostly making sure all my crops are properly watered, and ensuring I have enough hay to last the next couple of seasons for all my animals. I'm really looking forward to when my pumpkins come in. I adore pumpkins. Fall is my favorite season actually."
"Oh you should talk with Emily," Maru suggested, "She carves pumpkins for the Spirit's Eve celebration."
"Does Abby still help with that too Seb?" Robin asked.
Sebastian shrugged, "I'm not sure. Maybe. She might think she's too cool for it now."
"Thank could be," Robin said.
"She did get pretty into the whole costume thing you said you did in Zuzu," Sebastian added, "So maybe she'll start a new tradition."
"Oh really?" Mariah said excitedly.
"Costumes?" Demetrius asked.
"Yeah, I grew up with Spirit's Eve being a day to dress up. Children go around gathering candy in their costumes. There's a big parade and costume contests where people vote on who made the best one, or most creative, or the most accurate. That type of thing. It's a lot of fun to pretend to be someone else for the day."
"That does sound like fun," Robin agreed.
"Sounds like a waste of time and resources to me, but I suppose I'm a bit too traditional," Demetrius said.
"Oh it's quite traditional, I'm actually surprised someone so invested in history isn't familiar with it," Mariah said.
Demetrius stuttered, and Sebastian quickly took a very large bite of eggplant parm to hide his amusement.
"Spirit's Eve itself is rooted in the belief that once a year the spirits of the departed are able to come back to the mortal plane for the evening, hence the name of the holiday itself. It was thought that many of the spirits were departed family members coming to visit their loved ones, but not all. The other spirits were considered evil and were said to be filled with ill intent due to their jealousy of the living. This came in varying degrees of harm to the living, including vandalizing their homes or crops, setting fires, curses, or worst of all human sacrifice. Some people even believed that these spirits would try to take over the bodies of the living by forcing their souls out. Which is why Spirit's Eve is filled with pranks, deception, and 'scaring people to death'," Mariah explained.
"I don't see what this has to do with costumes, "Demetrius grumbled.
"Well to fight back against the evil spirits, the living would dress up, frequently as the dead themselves, or as animals or trees, other living beings, anything really to confuse the spirits. It was believed that the spirits of their loved ones would be able to distinguish them from their disguises and still be able to enjoy their visit, while the evil spirits were easily distracted because they were blinded by their jealousy and their limited time," Mariah continued.
"Wow!" said Maru, "That's amazing. I didn't know any of that."
"Well that's all based on myth and old world thinking that's not based in fact," Demetrius said.
"It has to be based in some kind of fact," Mariah argued, "Something was obviously going on that couldn't be explained so some people came up with an explanation that made sense to them at the time. They came up with a solution that also worked, supporting their original hypothesis. Why would there be any further query about it? Isn't that what scientists do? I also find it awfully hypocritical of you that are such a proponent of the Flower Dance but you're struggling with this when their so similarly based."
Sebastian nearly choked on his food.
"Hmmm," Demetrius said, his mouth in a tight line, "I suppose you provide a good point. Perhaps I have been a bit closed minded."
There was stunned silence across the table, until Sebastian finally lost it, cracking up. Which in turn made Maru start laughing, and then Robin. That left Mariah and Demetrius were sitting there, staring at each other, Mariah with a triumphant grin.
"What?" Demetrius said, looking around the table, "I know I can be unreasonable at times, but she very clearly laid out her arguments in a logical fashion, citing facts to support her."
"Thank you Mariah," Robin said wiping at her eyes, "We get plenty of arguments at this table, but usually not so much laughter. I guess Demetrius just needed someone else to argue with."
"I don't intentionally try to argue with people you know," Demetrius grumbled.
"Your stubbornness gets in your way dear," Robin said patting his arm, "Anyway. Mariah when your pumpkins do come in, would you mind bringing a couple here? Sebby's favorite is pumpkin soup."
"Of course," Mariah said, turning to smile at Sebastian, "Happy to."
When dinner wound down, Robin began collecting the dishes.
"Oh let me help," Mariah offered.
"Oh no dear, you're our guest. You just relax," Robin said, dismissing her with a wave, "Who's ready for blueberry tart?"
"Oh I couldn't possibly," Mariah said, "I'm stuffed. Dinner was so delicious."
"Yeah mom I think Mariah and I are just going to go hang out," Sebastian said, "Maybe later for the tart."
"Okay," Robin said, smiling at them, "You two have fun. And thank you for joining us Mariah. That was a wonderful dinner."
They made their way down the stairs, Sebastian shutting the door behind them.
"That was amazing," Sebastian said, causing Mariah to smile.
"Thanks. But I don't know I'm kind of concerned that I apparently speak Demetrius's language," she laughed, "I mean, I'll admit, it was pretty good, but still."
"Even if it hadn't worked out as well as it did, just the fact that you were calling him on his shit was great," Sebastian said.
"Thanks," Mariah said again, blushing, sitting down on his couch.
"And that stuff was really cool. I didn't know about any of it," Sebastian said, sitting next to her.
"Spirit's Eve is my favorite," she explained, "I wanted to learn more about it since I love it so much. Some of the illustrations of the original disguises people used are pretty incredible too. Other cultures also celebrate something similar to Spirit's Eve, but it's more of a celebration of the dead than the fear of your body being taken over by someone else's spirit like we do. Of course they also provide offerings for the spirits. All based in the same kind of beliefs though. I wonder if that's where giving candy to the kids came from?"
Sebastian just stared at her in awe, her joyful facial expressions as she was talking keeping him hanging on every word.
"What?" she said, looking at him, "I'm talking too much aren't I?"
"Not at all," he shook his head, "I just love seeing your excitement."
"Yeah well I talk too much when I get excited," Mariah said.
"I told you, I like it when you talk," Sebastian said, "Where did you get the idea that you talk too much anyway?"
"People have made comments before," Mariah said, "I also tend to ramble when I'm nervous. Not that I'm nervous now, it just goes along with the whole talking too much thing."
"Well those people are idiots," Sebastian said.
"Yeah, probably," Mariah agreed.
"You are so confusing sometimes," Sebastian said.
"What?"
"You're usually so sure of yourself. Or at least it seems like you are. Like you're not afraid of anything. And then like now I see this other side of you that seems like you're uncomfortable in your own skin. I mean trust me I understand anxiety completely. I just am always taken by surprise when I see it on you, I can't usually figure out where it's coming from. When I'm anxious I feel like the reason why is the most obvious thing in the world," He explained.
"Well no shit Bash," Mariah said, "You're in your own head. Of course it's clear to you. That doesn't mean it's obvious to everyone else."
"But you get it," he said.
"Sometimes yeah, but not all the time," she said, "And sometimes I get anxious about making you anxious. I mean not like bad or anything, but I know how awful it is and I don't want to be the reason you feel that way. And then I talk too much and apologize too much."
"I get anxious that my anxiety is going to scare you away," he admitted, "Pushing people away is sort of my MO so that's just kind of my default so when I do actually want people to stick around I don't know what to do. So then I get anxious about being an idiot who can't talk to people and get all moody because fuck people and then I get wrapped in my negative thoughts. It's not pretty."
"What a pair we are," Mariah said with a bitter laugh, "Everyone has their own fucked up shit. Some people have more, some people have less. I don't know what you've got, but I know what I've got, and yours looks bigger than mine from out here. So for the record, I don't care about pretty or uncomplicated."
"Good, because I don't have any of that to offer," Sebastian said.
"And I'm not scared of that," Mariah said, "So don't worry about scaring me away."
"And I usually don't feel anxious around you," Sebastian said, "And when I do, it mostly has to do with me and not you."
"I'm still going to worry about making you uncomfortable," Mariah admitted, "Not all the time. But the second guessing is going to be there sometimes. I haven't figured out how to get rid of that one yet. And it's not just you, I get this way around people that I care about."
"But it's easier with them," he filled in, "I'm just already anxious so you're hyper aware of it."
She nodded her head, "Pretty much yeah."
"Well fuck," he said sighing.
"It's worth it Bash," she said, taking his hand, "That I'm positive of. You're worth a little second guessing every now and then."
"I'm not sure about that," he said to himself.
"No, fuck that," she said, "Those negative thoughts can fuck right off, I am not having it."
"Uggg," Sebastian groaned, "This is exactly what I was talking about. I get so in my own fucking head."
"I wish you could just be in my head for a minute then. So you could see the you I see."
"But you don't know all my fucked up shit," Sebastian said, "So how can you see me?"
"You're right, I don't. Maybe someday I will, and maybe I won't, but it doesn't matter," Mariah said, "Literally none of that matters. That's the past and your fucked up shit is not who you are. It may have shaped you, but it doesn't define you. I see you because I can separate you from your shit and you're just not able to do that right now. My shit is there, but my shit is not me, and you see me perfectly fine. Trust that I can see you too."
"Okay," Sebastian said stroking her hand with his thumb, "I trust you."
"Good. Now that we've gotten that fucking mess out of the way, I believe we're supposed to be having fun."
Sebastian laughed, "Yeah this is not fun. We suck at following the plan."
"Sucked," Mariah said, "We're fixing it now. Let's get high and plan your tattoo."
"Oh that's what we're doing?" he said with a raised eyebrow.
"Might have to do with my urge to get another once myself since we talked about it," she shrugged, "No shame, let's do it!"
"One thing first," Sebastian said, "I've wanted to kiss you since dinner and it just never seemed like a good time."
"Now's a perfect time," Mariah said moving closer to him. He closed the gap between them pressing his lips firmly against hers. She leaned in closer, responding in kind to press back against him.
Mariah opened her mouth slightly, inviting him in, and Sebastian hungrily accepted. He cupped her face with one hand, the other, holding her waist. She moaned softly hands tangling in his hair. They continued kissing, moving with each other. Mariah pulled at him as if she need him closer than he already was. Her left hand slipped down to cup the back of his neck, but her right hand went lower, and she started to snake her way under his hoodie, in an attempt to have greater contact with his flesh. He quickly adjusted, double tapping her wrist.
Mariah immediately removed her hand, and broke the kiss, "Sorry," she said leaning her forehead against his, "I got carried away."
"That's okay," he said, "Hey it worked see?" He pressed soft kisses across her face, kissing her lips with the same tenderness before pulling away.
"Yeah," she agreed, "It did work. Anything I shouldn't do next time?"
"Um, it's just the skin to skin contact I'm not ready for yet. Unless the skin is already exposed, then that's fine. And it's fine if you want to touch me with a shirt or hoodie in between," he tried to explain.
"Okay," she nodded, "Like this?" she asked pressing her hand against where it was before, just on top of his hoodie, "This is okay?"
"Totally fine," he nodded.
"And what I was doing with you hair and neck, that was okay too?"
"Mmhmm," he nodded again, "And yesterday when you touched my face, that was fine too."
"I can deal with that," Mariah said, surprising him with a soft kiss, "For the record, I have no such boundaries. Unless I'm particularly ticklish that day. You can touch as much as you want and if I don't like it I'll just move your hand to somewhere I do like it. But don't feel like you have to if you're not into it."
"I'm definitely into it," Sebastian said softly, "Just might not be a great idea."
"Well when you're ready I'm up for it," Mariah said, "Oh Yoba that makes me sound so slutty."
"I don't think you're slutty," he said.
"You sure? After everything I was saying at the Saloon the other night, I sort of realized that I have more experience than all of you guys do. Felt a little slutty then too," Mariah confessed, "Or maybe not slutty. Maybe just easy? Do people even still say that?"
"I still don't think you're slutty," Sebastian affirmed.
"You don't even know how many people I've slept with," she said.
"You could have slept with a hundred people, and I still wouldn't think you're slutty. I'd be intimidated as fuck, but I wouldn't think you were slutty," Sebastian said.
Mariah snorted, "Well it hasn't been a hundred. So no worries there. I am slightly concerned about your judgement however if you think sleeping with a hundred people wouldn't make me slutty."
"Maybe you have a secret history as a sex worker," Sebastian said, "Who am I to judge?"
"I don't even know why I'm using the word slutty to begin with. I kind of hate the word. Everyone should get to choose what they do with their bodies and who they do things with."
"So why are we even talking about it?"
"Because this goes back to my second guessing thing," Mariah said, with a sigh, "Weed and tattoos man. We do suck at following the plan. Although the making out was a welcome addition to the plan."
"Alright, bong, joint, or bowl?"
"Whatever," she shrugged, "Although you should be warned that should you choose the bong route, we'll need a cloth to keep it clean. I can get a little sloppy."
"Follow up question, do you want to stay in here or go outside?"
"I'll be cold if we go outside," she said.
"I have plenty of hoodies to share if you want to go outside," Sebastian offered.
"But you don't know which one is the fish hoodie," She teased, "Yeah alright, let's go outside. Last thing I want is Robin coming to check if we're using protection and then ruining our hotbox."
"Hot boxing my room would take a hell of a lot more weed than what I planned on smoking tonight. Also please stop talking about my mom and using protection. She does enough of that on her own," Sebastian said pulling a joint out of a baggie.
"Pre-rolled huh? I guess you knew what you wanted already," Mariah commented.
"Nah, I just decided they'd get used eventually so I just got a few ready at once. Little more work in the moment to make it easier later."
"Alright, find me a hoodie," Mariah said, "And I'll pretend it's the fish hoodie."
Sebastian rolled his eyes, opening his closet and pulling one off a hanger for her, "Here's your fish hoodie you weirdo."
"That wasn't nearly convincing enough, but I'll take it," she said, "And you know I'm adorable."
She slipped the hoodie on, rolling the sleeves up so her hands weren't lost inside. He followed her up the stairs and linked hands with her at the top. None of his family members were anywhere to be seen.
"Let's go up by the train station," Sebastian suggested, and Mariah nodded, following his lead.
She said hello to Linus as they passed by, and he told them to enjoy their night. They walked to the back of the spa, and sat down, resting against the building. Sebastian passed Mariah the blunt and lighter, ready to insist the first hit as she usually deflected it to him. This time she did not hesitate. He watched her with fascination, realizing he'd never really watched her smoke before. There was something sexy about it, maybe it was the way her lips moved, or how her fingers looked holding the joint, how her face relaxed, eyes fluttering shut as her chest rose with the inhale. It was probably just the whole fluid movement. Her eyes remained shut until she turned to pass him the joint.
"What?" she asked on her exhale, the smoke swirling between them, clouding his view.
"I just like looking at you," Sebastian said, taking his own hit.
"You are terrible at flirting," Mariah said, "Not sure if anyone has ever shared that with you before."
Sebastian rolled his eyes, coughing a bit, "I guess it's a good thing you already like me then."
"I guess so," she said with a smirk.
"Hey Riah?" Sebastian asked, passing the joint.
"Hmmm?" she asked taking her turn.
"Can we shotgun sometime? I've, uh, always wanted to try it, but never had anyone to try with. We don't have to if you don't want, and it doesn't have to be today," Sebastian rambled.
"Sure," Mariah coughed out, "I'm up for whatever. But if you want to do it now, you're going to want to do it sooner rather than later. You know the first few hits are the best, don't want your first time to be with a mediocre hit."
"So we should do it now?"
"If you want," she nodded, "We'll have to move so we're in an easier position. I mean we could do it like this, but it might be a little awkward, since you've never done it before."
"Don't make fun of me if I mess up."
"I would never."
"Okay. What's going to be easiest?"
"Erm, I could just get on top and straddle you," she suggested, "If you're okay with that. Then all you're have to do is lean forward. And then it's just sort of like hitting a bong but the opposite."
"Hmm," he considered it, it might to too close contact.
"If that's too much for you, we could just stand up," she offered, "Or sort of kneel facing each other."
"No, I'll try you on top," he said.
"Okay. You ready now?" She asked.
"Yeah," he nodded his head, and Mariah shifted her position, swinging a leg over him. He sat there for a moment, getting used to having her in this position.
"You good Bash?" she asked softly, studying his face.
"Yeah, just taking a minute," he said.
"We don't have to do this…"she began.
"No, no, I want to," he cut her off, he caressed her face for a moment, she leaned into his touch.
He took the joint, inhaling, the cherry lighting up between them. She nimbly took the joint from his hand, freeing him up to cup her face with both of his hands, tilting her head for a better angle. She opened her mouth as he leaned in, ready to accept the smoke from him. He sealed his mouth over hers as best as he could, and the feeling of her inhaling the smoke being pushed out of him was strange. It wasn't unpleasant, but unlike anything he had experienced before. She'd been the one to pull away, closing her mouth. She slowly leaned back, pressing more into his legs rather than on his lap as he had been, and turned her head to exhale.
"Hmmm," she hummed, "That was nice. It tasted like you."
"Oh?" he arched an eyebrow.
She nodded, "Yup. Faint hint of cigarettes and bitterness, but not in a bad way, like coffee, and just you. I don't know how to describe it. You've got your own flavor. Well and weed of course, but that's obvious."
"I didn't realize I had a flavor."
"Of course. Everyone has a flavor. And a scent. Like even though this hoodie has been washed, I can still smell you on it. I bet you know what I taste like, you just don't think about it," she shrugged "Anyway, did you like it?"
"It was different," he said, "But good. Can we try the other way?"
"Absolutely," she nodded, "You ready now? Or you need a minute?"
"I'm good," he said.
She wasted no time, taking her hit, and then passing the blunt to him. She mimicked his movements, so he supposed he had done it right as he opened his mouth for her. He realized what she had meant, noticing tones of her sweetness in the smoke. When she pulled her mouth away, she didn't fully pull away from him, instead busied herself with pressing kisses on his jawline, and then his neck before nuzzling her head into his chest. With one arm, he pulled her body against him, blowing the smoke straight away behind her back. She was looking up at him, watching his movements, biting the corner of her lip. He caught her gaze, and she stole a soft kissing, pulling away all too soon and moving back into her position seated beside him.
"What are you thinking?" he asked.
"I'm thinking about how you'd look with Cobra tattooed across your knuckles."
"No you're not," he snorted.
"No, no I'm not," she confirmed, "But I'm not thinking anything good."
"You can tell me," he said.
"Everybody deserves their secrets," Mariah said.
Sebastian wanted to argue, to push, to get an answer, but instead said, "Okay," and took another hit from the dwindling joint in his hand.
"So not Cobra. What are you thinking?" she asked, taking the joint from him, taking her hit while waiting for his answer.
"I have no idea," Sebastian said.
"Well where are you thinking?" she asked, smoke swirling all around her.
"I don't know. I can only think of stupid places. What about your tattoos?" he asked, taking the joint from her.
"You can ask me all the questions you want about my tattoos when you can see them," she said, "It's not that I'm unwilling to talk about them, it's just that it's kind of hard when you can't see them and I'm not about to strip now."
"Well what about this one?" he asked, gently rubbing his thumb against the moon and star behind her ear.
"Well you already know I got that one with my mom in mind," she said, "I wanted to feel like I had part of her with me all the time when I got it. Kind of silly thinking about it now, since I already did, but I needed it at the moment. Was my first tattoo actually. I was sixteen when I got it. I still love it though."
"Mmmm," Sebastian said.
"At the time I wanted to make sure any tattoos I got would be subtle, and not fuck over my chances for work in the future. That professional appearance bullshit that still exists despite people talented no matter what the fuck they look like."
"Fuck that shit," Sebastian said, offering her the joint. She shook her head, putting her hand up. He'd had enough as well, and stubbed it out on the ground next to him. Not worth saving the rest of it, it only had a hit or two left.
"So I guess how subtle do you want yours to be? Personally I'm forgoing that entirely but I know my path is not taking me back into the corporate world so I don't need to stress about that," Mariah said.
"I'm not sure. I don't think I care that much, I'm not really into the idea of getting myself into the corporate world either, but I don't really know what my future is going to look like, other than eventually stopping renting the basement from my mother, talk about embarrassing," Sebastian sighed, "I like what I do, and I get decent enough money, but not enough for Zuzu."
"I didn't know Robin charged your rent," Mariah said, "But yeah, Zuzu is crazy expensive. You'd have to have roommates. Multiple."
"She doesn't exactly. It was kind of a fight actually. I insisted, and eventually she just gave in. Pretty sure it's the only reason Demetrius hasn't tried to kicked me out yet, not that she would let him. He literally does not understand what I do at all and thinks I'm just fucking around a lot of the time. He was so pissed when I dropped out of college, only shut up when I showed him how much I made in a week doing the freelance work. Somehow though since I never finished my work isn't legitimate or some shit."
"Well he's got his head up his ass, so he's just waiting for you to congratulate him on his anatomically impossible feat. Then he'll start taking you seriously. He just wants his work recognized first," Mariah deadpanned.
Sebastian cackled, "Oh thanks for that advice. I never realized it was that simple."
"Maybe you should just get 'Fuck You Demetrius' tattooed on your forehead," She suggested.
"You didn't mention the bad ideas part of the tattoo planning," Sebastian grunted.
"That's half the fun," she said, "Maybe we should get back to the where, because in this case, size does matter. Anywhere you don't want to get one?"
"Most places probably. Not on my face. Or neck. Or anywhere a tee-shirt would cover. So I guess anywhere on my lower arms or lower legs," Sebastian said.
If Mariah thought any of what he'd just said was strange, she made no indication of this, "That actually leaves more space than you think it does, although you don't particularly strike me as a calf tattoo kind of guy."
"No, probably not," he agreed.
"So I'm thinking your best bets are, ankle, foot, forearm, or wrist. Much easier to manage list of options," Mariah said, "Foot is probably going to hurt the most, followed by ankle, if that matters at all to you."
"Yeah what do tattoos feel like?"
"Mine are pretty small, and I think the longer it takes to get it done the more it hurts because your skin gets more sensitive after a while. Some people say that color hurts more than black, because the needles are different, but I didn't notice a difference. Mine didn't really hurt. It felt kind of like someone was drawing on me really hard with a vibrating ball point pen. Everyone's pain tolerance is different. The artist I go to told me once that someone she was doing a back tattoo for fell asleep while she was working on it," Mariah explained, "I imagine a more traditional tattooing approach, or like prison tattoos, are way worse."
"Well I'm not planning either of those, so I think I'll be okay."
"Bash you're not really planning anything yet," Mariah laughed, "We're like in the pre-planning stage. We're planning on getting to planning the actual plan."
"I'm not entirely sure that sentence actually made sense, but I got it anyway," Sebastian said.
"So what about like a frog?" Mariah ignored him.
"I definitely had that thought when I was a teenager," Sebastian admitted, "But I'm not sure it's still what I'd want."
"What's the first image that pops into your head when you picture yourself having a tattoo?" Mariah asked.
"Something black, on my arm," Sebastian said.
"Well that's a perfect starting point," Mariah said, "Probably should have started there. Which arm?"
"My right arm," he said.
"M'kay, pull up your sleeve."
"Bossy," Sebastian commented but did so.
"We're moving onto the planning the actual plan stage. We moved super quickly, congratulations," Mariah said.
She leaned her head on his shoulder, and pulled his arm closer to her, tracing non-existent lines on his pale flesh with her finger tips. The touch sent bolts of lightning across Sebastian's entire body.
"So is it an object or like words or something?" she asked, "Or maybe a symbol of something?"
"I don't know. It's not huge though," Sebastian said.
"So like this?" she asked, circling an area on his forearm with her finger tips, "Or smaller? Or did I go too small already?"
"No that's about good," Sebastian said.
"What about a quote?" she asked, "Anything that's ever particularly stuck with you?"
"Into the depths we shall return"
"Hmm you were way more prepared to answer that than I was expecting," Mariah said.
"Me too," he admitted.
"Maybe that's your answer then," she said, "And who doesn't love a good 'Grimoire Memories' reference?"
"You picked up on that?"
"Don't sound so surprised. That's like one of the best parts of the book. It's so epic, I get why you like it," Mariah said sitting up again to look at him, "Only going to strengthen those goth vibes you've got going on though. Without any other point of reference it just sounds edgy. The whole part of it being a point of hope and the sacrifice and just utter loyalty in that moment will be completely lost on anyone who doesn't get it. Not that you should give a shit about what anyone else things, the whole point is that you like it. Just want to make sure that you're aware of that side of it."
"Since when do I care about what other people think?"
"All the time. That's why you're so anxious right?"
"You are vastly over simplifying things," Sebastian grumbled.
"I know. And I know ultimately you don't really care about what some narrow minded people think. I know that truly only a small handful of people's opinions matter to you, but I know it's hard to get those negative thoughts to fuck off anyway. But back to the tattoo idea since I am over this part of the conversation already- do you like the idea?"
Sebastian hesitated, part of him wanted to argue, to fight back both against and for his anxiety, but knew that she was right, this was not the time, "Yes."
"Cool. Now we wait to see if you still like the idea when you're sober. And then for several days after that," Mariah said.
"Did we plan the plan?"
"We planned the plan," she nodded.
"I fucking hate anxiety," Sebastian said.
"And other people," Mariah added.
"Yes. That too," he agreed, "But not you."
"Not me."
"Never you. Even when you try to tell me I give a shit about what people think."
"You might want to reconsider that, I'm the worst," Mariah said.
"Nah."
"We should write this down or something," Mariah said, "The tattoo idea that is. Otherwise we're going to remember it poorly."
"Where are we going to get paper?" Sebastian asked.
"Maybe you should just text me or something. That should work," Mariah suggested.
"Mmm," He agreed, getting his phone out. He heard Mariah's phone chirp in her pocket.
"I think I need to go home," Mariah said, "This is hitting me pretty hard and I'm feeling kind of heavy. Like physically heavy. Not sure I'll be able to move properly soon."
"Okay," Sebastian said, "Let's go."
"You're coming with me?" she asked.
"I'm at least going to walk you there," Sebastian said.
"You sure? What if you get heavy too?"
"Then we can be heavy together."
After a moment, Mariah agreed, "Okay. Let's go." She stood up with a little sway, gathering her balance.
Sebastian stood up as well, and Mariah linked her hand in his. Sebastian moved slowly making sure that Mariah was fully balanced before they went down the stairs towards his house.
"Hey Bash, what do you think the junimos do all the time?" she asked, breaking their silence.
"Well they're forest spirits right? Maybe they're like tree architects, and they make designs of trees and then put those designs into seeds like code. And then during the night when everyone is sleeping they go around leaving the seeds all over to make the forests grow."
"That's an important job," Mariah said, "And they make some really beautiful trees. But now I feel bad about chopping them down. I hate to ruin the junimos hard work."
"Nah, don't be. Gives them a chance to design new trees to take their place. You're helping them keep busy."
"You're so smart," Mariah giggled, "I'll be sad when they leave. I like those little guys."
"Maybe some of them will stay. They like you too," Sebastian offered.
"I planted yams just for them you know," she said, "I fucking hate yams. I know most people like them but bleh. It's like they're trying to be potatoes but they're not as good. But I guess it just gives me more stuff to sell."
"Imposter veggies," Sebastian laughed, and Mariah giggled.
"And then there's sweet potatoes. Don't get me started on those things, I don't know why people love sweet potatoes."
"Aren't yams and sweet potatoes like the same thing?" Sebastian asked confused.
"Nope," Mariah shook her head, "A lot of people think that though. They're in the same family. I think. But it's kind of like how you and Maru are part of the same family but totally different. They're both gross though. I'd rather eat cave carrots. Those things are monsters. Like they say fuck you to science and grow without sunlight or proper water or anything. Totally badass. And they're like fuck your beauty standards, we're all going to be scraggly and ugly and we're not ashamed."
Sebastian laughed, "Riah I think you're spending too much time with produce."
"Kinda my life dude," she laughed, "But if I start giving them names or making them talk or shit you need to intervene. That's a level of crazy I'm not willing to accept in my life."
"Guess I'll cancel the pumpkin tea party I was planning for you then," Sebastian teased.
Mariah giggled, "Do you think anyone's ever tried to fuck a pumpkin?"
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Sebastian laughed.
"That wasn't a no," Mariah said in a sing-song voice.
"I mean probably? People do fucked up shit all the time. It's probably some weird fetish, like the whole cucumber dildo thing" Sebastian said.
"I dare you to look it up," Mariah said grinning.
"Absolutely not. I do not need that in my search history," Sebastian said.
Mariah let out a peel of laughter, "Yeah if anyone saw it they'd probably make some assumptions about why you're dating me."
"Oh Yoba," Sebastian groaned.
"You know we've kissed like four days in a row now," Mariah pointed out, "We better take a break before you start thinking I'm clingy."
"Yeah don't want you ruining my reputation," Sebastian added, "Don't need my good loner name tarnished like that."
"You'll lose all your street cred," Mariah giggled, "Oh look a hazelnut!"
She let go of Sebastian's hand and bent over to pick it up, putting it in the pocket of the hoodie.
"Bleh," Sebastian said.
"Hey I can get 90g for this. More for better quality ones. Not bad for something I just picked up off the ground," Mariah said.
"That's a thing? Like you make money that way?"
"Totally," Mariah said nodding her head, "I mean I'm not like getting rich from it or anything, but it helps. For all I know my foraging skills is what paid for all that weed."
"What about rocks? Can you sell rocks?"
"Mmmhmm," Mariah said, "I can sell stone. Doesn't sell for shit though, I really just save it for building material."
"I literally cannot fathom your life," Sebastian shook his head.
"Listen I don't know shit about coding, you don't know shit about farming and foraging, and mining, and fishing, and whatever other bullshit I do with my time to make money. But does it really matter? I mean if we're both happy."
"I didn't say it was a bad thing, I just can't wrap my head around it," Sebastian said a bit defensively.
"I can wrap my head around you," Mariah said laughing again.
"You're high," Sebastian commented.
"This is definitely a giggly high. You should totally get to my level, it's fun," Mariah said, still laughing.
"What about the heavy?"
"Mmm it's still there. But it's not stopping the giggles. At least I don't want to fuck a pumpkin," Mariah laughed.
"You're ridiculous," Sebastian laughed too, shaking his head.
"If anyone in town was going to fuck a pumpkin, who do you think it would be?"
"You fucking serious right now?"
"Just think about it. I'm not saying anyone actually would, but just who would be the most likely?"
"I don't know, who do you think?"
"Morris," Mariah answered after a beat, "I considered Pierre for a minute, but definitely Morris."
"That Joja guy?"
"Mmmhmmm," Mariah nodded, "He's too deep into being a Joja employee he's got no people skills, no life, and he just gives me weird vibes. Nobody should like working for Joja as much as he does. He'd fuck a pumpkin for sure. He probably tests all the products they sell by fucking them."
"Well that's a disgusting thought, but yeah out of everybody you're probably right. He'd be the most likely to fuck a pumpkin on his own. I bet there's some people that would fuck a pumpkin for money."
"Porn has to get made somehow," Mariah laughed.
"Are you going to be thinking about that now when you sell your pumpkins?"
"Aw fuck I didn't think about that. That's nasty. Don't talk about my pumpkins that way," Mariah shuddered.
"Hey you brought it up," Sebastian said.
"Doesn't mean I hate it any less," she shuddered again, "Blurgh."
"I'm pretty sure no one is going to fuck your pumpkins," Sebastian assured her.
"They better fucking not, or I'll take them down."
"As like probably the strongest person in town, and the second best with a sword I'm assuming, that's a pretty scary threat."
"Spread the word Bash. Tell 'em not to fuck my pumpkins unless they want me to fuck them up," Mariah nodded solemnly.
"I'll get right on that," Sebastian snorted, "Hey! We never planned your tattoo."
"That's cause I've got ideas already," Mariah said smirking.
"Like?" he prodded.
"It's a secret," she whispered giggling.
"You've got a lot of secrets tonight," he commented.
"I've always got secrets. So do you," she said, "Maybe someday I'll tell you some of the good ones."
"Maybe I only want to hear the bad ones," he teased.
"I'll tell you a bad one right now if you want," she offered as they got to the door of the farm house, "But you have to keep it a secret too. And Abby will be jealous."
"Abby does love to know secrets," he nodded, following her inside.
"Remember at the luau when I told you guys that I did Lewis a favor and that's why I didn't get in trouble when I took the blame for the soup?" She said sitting on the couch, patting the seat next to her.
Sebastian sat down and nodded his head.
"Well earlier in the summer, Lewis sent me a letter, asking for my help. I don't know why the fuck people in this town right me letters to ask my help for shit, it's so weird, but it happens all the time. I don't get it. Or why people send letters at all? I mean Elliot makes sense he writes with a quill for fuck's sake, but I'm in town like every day. Just come tell me in person."
"Focus, Lewis asked you for help," Sebastian interrupted.
"Right. So Lewis writes me this letter early in the summer asking for help finding his purple shorts. I assume that he's looking for like swim trunks or something, and how the fuck would I know where he leaves his laundry. So I check in the spa, I poke through his house, I check around the beach and shit. Then one day I got to Marine's right before she was opened, and she comes out of her bedroom which is right in front of me, and leaves the door open. Sure as shit on the floor of her bedroom like twenty feet away from me is a pair of purple old man boxers."
"No shit! Lewis is fucking Marnie?"
"Oh it gets worse," Mariah said, "So later I sneak into Marnie's house after she's gone and use a paper bag to pick up what I'm assuming are Lewis' dirty boxers cause fuck if I'm touching them. And why the fuck he didn't ask her if they were there in the first place is beyond me, like obviously he knows he's been naked in there so maybe just check yourself next time? Anyway, I bring him the bag, and then this mother fucker thanks me and then asks where I found them. When I told him he turned beet fucking red and thanks me for my discretion about it and gives me some extra on top of what he'd already promised to pay me for my help. Then a few nights later, after some late night fishing on the pier, I heard noises in that big bush down by the bridge, you know like across from the cemetery?"
"No, no, no, nope, please don't tell me they were fucking in the bush," Sebastian grimaced.
"I saw fucking ever-y-thing," Mariah shuddered, "And why the fuck two home owning adults were fucking in a bush is beyond me. They ran away too like teenagers, like that would make a fucking difference."
"Fuck I can't stop picturing it. Why did you have to tell me that," Sebastian groaned.
"I told you it was a bad secret," Mariah said, "At least you didn't have to witness it. I still have nightmares about it. Kinda feel bad for Marnie. She deserves better."
"Yeah, but it's still gross," Sebastian said.
"Super gross," Mariah agreed, "But now we get to share this gross secret together. Isn't it romantic?" she laughed.
"Yeah I'm good on the romantic gestures if that's your idea of romance," Sebastian snorted.
"You don't seem like someone who's big into romantic gestures anyway Bash," Mariah said leaning her head on his shoulder.
"I'm not against them or anything," he said, leaning his head on hers, "I'm just not into that over the top sappy stuff. Not my thing. Plus it's like a lot of pressure."
"It doesn't have to be like all that," Mariah said, "But everybody's different. What I'm into and what Haley is into are very different things."
"I'm into you," Sebastian said softly, lifting up his head.
"I'm into you too," Mariah said, looking at him.
Her eyes fluttered, and he pressed a slow soft kiss to her lips. When he broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed.
"Bash," she said quietly, "I think I need to go to bed."
He pulled away, opening his eyes, and nodded, "Okay"
He stood up, offering her his hand, which she accepted to stand up herself.
"Are you good to get home?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Do you need any help before I go?"
She shook her head no, "I'll be alright."
"Riah, thank you," he said.
"For what?" she asked with confusion.
"I dunno," he shrugged, "Just felt like I needed to say it. For tonight maybe. For respecting my space. For being you. For the whole Demetrius thing. And having my back. Everything I guess."
"I don't know how to be anybody besides me, but you're welcome," she said with a soft smile, "Thank you for being you. And for not making me feel bad about my anxiety. And for being comfortable enough to tell me when I'm doing too much."
"Of course. Get some good rest," He said, as he opened the farm house door.
"You too," she said with a sloppy smile. And then he was gone.