When the Stars Fall (Stardew Valley Fanfic)

Beyond Awkward

Emotionally he was drowning.

The feeling honestly wasn't new, but the roadblock which rose in the back of his head only added to the feeling of emotionally drowning. After all, Sebastian found himself frustrated with the fact his feelings never seemed to function like a normal person's feelings did, but then nothing about himself seemed to function the way things functioned for other people.

In the past, it just was, but then came the hope of something more with Maru's letter, only for the police to take away the letter.

Thinking about it, Demetrius was likely right about his fixation on the letter not being healthy, but Sebastian didn't want to focus on the fact the family dynamics were drastically changing because of Maru's disappearance instead of as a result of the promises in that letter that Sebastian looked forward to.

Emotionally he was drowning.

This felt ironic given the drought happening outside and the lack of water coming down from the sky, feeling as tearless as he felt. Yet, there was that inkling of a storm waiting to break, one Sebastian wasn't looking forward to, having become used to the numbness of his external emotions, hating how he'd react emotionally to outside stimulus.

It's why he'd avoided Maru, which...

... Sebastian wasn't sure what to think of it beyond the fact he knew beyond a doubt that he'd wanted to try at being an older brother even though it would be hard. He knew he'd wanted to tell Maru as much, as he waited that day, the day she disappeared. He didn't care that all of that came out, not in front of Sam, not in front of Demetrius, not in front of his mother.

The words needed to come out. He needed to say those words out loud, to know that the letter was real now that the letter was in police hands. He needed to say those words because he felt so empty, but more importantly, Sebastian felt so tired of feeling empty, let alone not in control of his feelings and practically everything that went on around him.

Except, Sam wasn't alone, nor was it Demetrius or his mother who was there with him, though thankfully it wasn't Abigail as he didn't even want to think what she'd make of the things he'd just blurted out. His eyes blinked as the light he more often than not kept off suddenly came on, but he heard Sam say in his usual jovial manner. "Ardyce, meet DrowningWizard."

In the back of his mind, Sebastian knew he recognized the name, knew there was a definite reason why Sam was acting like he'd done something quite mischievous, putting him into a super chipper mood that more often than not flabbergasted him, yet he chalked these things up to Sam being Sam.

A young woman he'd not met yet stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring at him, but the first words out of his mouth were, "You're pretty." On top of the fact, Sebastian didn't know why his mind decided to be dump and say such a thing, he also remembered who Ardyce was; she the high school friend of his younger sister, the one he'd gotten in contact with when he was trying to find out where Maru had disappeared to. His eyes blinked, rather taken aback by what he'd just done, swallowing. "Crap."

He bolted up, heading for the stairs, brushing past the two as heat spread through his cheeks at having done something so embarrassing while Sam simply started laughing. Sebastian imagined that Ardyce was mortified by his sudden outburst, which only made the meat spread to the tips of his ears. He also knew he wanted out of his room, away from the embarrassing situation Sebastian found himself in.

Upon arriving upstairs, Sebastian heard his mother's voice, yet he didn't pay her much mind. Instead, he stepped into the nearby bathroom, closing the door shut behind him before turning on the faucet so he might splash water onto his face, his fingers trying to scrub away the embarrassment he felt, his mind suddenly feeling even more guilty, knowing Maru was gone, yet life seemed to be going on despite her no longer being around.

"Sebby?" his mother called out from the other side of the door, making his throat tighten. Sebastian continued scrubbing at the back of his neck, unsure of how to respond to his mother hovering at the door, let alone whether he wanted to do so. He didn't know how he should react to his current situation, except to scrub at the back of his neck, his hands, and face trying to relieve the level of embarrassment. "You're out of your room."

Except, there wasn't anything new about that given the fact Sebastian found the need to leave his room to use the restroom and to sometimes shower since Maru disappeared. For some reason, Robin that Sebastian couldn't fathom thought this particular moment different than all the other times, other than the fact there was a girl in his room who wasn't his sister or Abigail.

Sebastian wasn't that dense and started scrubbing even harder, frustrated at the thought his mother's mind was going in that particular direction, let alone how she hovered outside. Again, he felt guilty for life going forward as if Maru not being there meant nothing. He took a deep breath, not wanting to say anything, yet not wanting to hear what she might say either; Sebastian worried whatever she might say might make his current situation even more embarrassing.

"Robin, why don't we head to the saloon." He heard Demetrius speak up, catching him off guard.

"It's not Friday."

"Let's go. Let Sam handle this."

"I..."

"He's out of his room. A lot quicker than we expected, given what happened yesterday. Still, let's give him some space."

The water continued flowing, while Sebastian's teeth gritted together. He found himself frustrated, almost feeling as if he were being talked down to by his step-father even though another voice in his head kept telling him that Demetrius was only trying to help. He took a deep breath, unsure how he should react let alone deal with all of his feelings. He didn't say anything. After a pause, Demetrius spoke again, catching him off guard.

"Hey. Don't forget to make sure your guests eat something."

"I..." Sebastian wasn't sure what to think of what Demetrius just said, let alone how they acted as if this was just normal. "Yes."