Disclaimer - I don't own Stardew Valley. This is written for ONC 2020, the prompt I am using is the first one. "You plan to go rock climbing, so you head to the local sporting goods store to buy some new equipment. While on the mountain, you run into some problems." This one has seventeen chapters.

Rock Between Us
Hard Place

The sound of a relatively heavy cardboard box from somewhere outside of the kitchen was accompanied by a string of curses, and there was only one of the members of the family who used such language. Maru winced, pushing herself away from the kitchen table to see what caused Sebastian to let out a string of curses.

She headed down the long hallway leading away from the kitchen. Family photos lined the hallway, showing their family—herself being a blend of her parents having inherited her mother's red hair and skin tone just a shade lighter than her father's. At the same time, her older half-brother stood out with his pale skin, dark hair, and distinct eye shape.

At the junction, she turned left, heading away from the bedrooms of her parents and herself towards her father's lab and the stairs which led down into Sebastian's basement room which was at the very end of the hallway. And there was her father and Sebastian attempting to clean up the mess in front of the closet just outside of her father's lab.

"Careful!" Demetrius snapped at Sebastian, grabbing his hand.

Maru sucked in her breath, watching as her older brother—her half-brother, jerked his head up from where he was attempting to pick up the items which had fallen out of the cardboard box. Yet, if anybody's look could kill, Maru would argue the look Sebastian gave her father was just that. "You're stupid experiment's already ruined, so there's nothing…."

"Broken glass!" Demetrius said, his voice straining. "Just, don't move. Not when you're not wearing shoes."

"I…" Sebastian started to retort, making Maru grimace, not remembering a time when the two got along with each other.

"Do you want your mother to kill us both?"

Of course, there was one person nobody in the family wanted to get on the wrong side of, although Sebastian came close whenever he gave their mother a gag gift of rocks. Certain things went on in her brother's head that left her not wanting to know, even wishing she had a typical brother who acted like an older brother instead.

And this was one of those days as her father muttered something, including a few choice words, which were the closest her father ever got to cursing. Demetrius looked up at her. "Oh. Could you make sure he doesn't move?"

"Oh. Nice," Sebastian snapped back. "I don't need a babysitter."

"Just let me get this swept up," Demetrius said. "And don't touch the chemicals either!"

Maru decided to lean up against the wall, dressed in her usual jean overalls while her brother was in his typical head to toe black clothing. "So…"

"What?" He snapped, glaring at her.

"How'd you end up on the floor on one knee like that?"

"I was trying to pick up the stuff in the box," Sebastian snapped.

Which was the most confusing thing to do with broken glass and chemicals spread on the floor. Maru's lips pushed together. "I worry about you."

"Do you really?" His tone of voice was sarcastic, but the look on his face said he didn't believe her.

"Sometimes. Honestly, I don't understand what goes on in that head of yours."

"That…" Sebastian's eyes suddenly widened, but Maru knew from that particular look her words stung. His eyes quickly relaxed and his normal emotionless expression returned. He then said in a rather childlike manner, almost as if pleading with her, "I'm normal."

Maru pondered over what he said, wondering why anybody would want to be normal let alone why Sebastian would say he was normal, given one of the biggest arguments between her father and her half-brother was how he wasn 't using his brains. " Of course, that 's not how dad puts it, but even I know Sebastian's also a genius. Which, I don't get how he can also be such a moron like this, nearly getting hurt. "

"Really. I am." And there he was trying to convince her that he was normal, but then—there weren't many times when Sebastian couldn't escape from having a conversation with the rest of the family and now he just seemed—

Maru wasn't sure as she leaned against the fall, beyond the fact he looked extremely uncomfortable, nor did she understand why he kept insisting he was normal, all the while his tone of voice indicated he was in fact lying about being normal.

Any train of thoughts regarding the matter were brushed aside as her father hurried back with the items needed to clean up the broken glass and chemicals and Maru's attention turned to the spilled contents from the box, but not before Sebastian said, "Hurry up."

There was what appeared to be gear for doing outdoor stuff, although Maru wasn't at all sure why any of that would be in the hall closet next to her father's lap. She watched Sebastian absentmindedly reach for the gear, or perhaps it was one of the pictures on the floor. Demetrius snapped his head up. "Not done yet."

This made Sebastian completely tense up, a scowl spreading across his face as he glared at his step father. Maru let out a sigh, not knowing why she said what she did. "You know, the two of you not getting along isn't amusing."

Sebastian's normally emotionless face contorted as he choked on whatever words might have been wanting to come out—Maru hoped he was nicely chastised, but then—her father gave her a rather pointed glare, as if to say she wasn't to be butting in where she wasn't wanted.

"What? This is my family, isn't it?"

Sebastian moved, shifted the one knee that was up so it lowered to the floor and Demetrius almost yelled at him. Maru knew her father restrained himself as did Sebastian, who looked up, finally having that look of being chastised, by her father none-the-less.

Demetrius took a deep breath. "No. It's okay. You're okay. You're definitely okay."

"Wouldn't mom blame me for not listening to you?" Sebastian said, his eyes on the mountain climbing equipment before reaching out to push one of the pictures aside. He was obviously lost in thought.

"I'm the one who dropped the glass."

"I…" Sebastian looked away. "I shouldn't have been digging through the closet."

"Why? Why shouldn't you have been? You know as well as I that some of your things are stored in there."

Her brother continued looking away from them both. "Things I tried throwing out. I only got into them because Yuichiro wanted to know whether I—never mind."

"You two are talking again?"

"Not really. He contacted me," Sebastian muttered. "And I definitely wouldn't say we're talking. Not at all."

Sebastian turned his head, looking at the mountain climbing equipment. Demetrius saw, and frowned. "Don't. That equipment is old, so don't think about it. You and I both know better."

It was then that Maru realized the conversation between her older brother—half-brother and her father was in fact lost on her. Sebastian started getting antsy, looking for a way to escape.

Demetrius took a deep breath. "Done. I can handle the rest. And…"

Sebastian was off like a rocket, hurrying down the stairs away from them. Maru moved a little closer and looked down at the pictures. She was surprised to see Sebastian looking glum as ever standing next to a smiling man—a man her half-brother looked very much like and also in the picture was…

"Who's Yuichiro?"

Demetrius stiffened, looking at her, before turning back to the spilled pictures and quickly gathering them up so they were out of her sight. "Nothing for you to worry about. And don't pester your brother about it."

"Half-brother," Maru replied.

The way her father froze at her saying this—Demetrius looked up at her, firmly saying, "Brother. Don't call Sebastian your half-brother unless you find yourself in the need to explain to someone."

"Don't I always need to explain?"

"No, Maru. You don't."

"And Sebastian…"

"Forget what Sebastian says and does. This is about what you say and do," Demetrius said, hurrying to gather the items into the box so he could carry them into his lab, possibly so she couldn't pry.