Muddy Relations (Stardew Valley Fanfiction)

Flower Dance, Year 4

     The dance was just as dull this year, as all the years previous. The music lulled in and out on the big speakers that Lewis had rolled in earlier in the day, a nice melody shifting quietly in the background as people mingled and ate their food. The grass meadow was fairly unfamiliar to me, but its flowers bloomed even more prosperous than the days before.

     I looked around at the whole town. Stardew Valley seemed so set in its ways, so solid in its community, even though Mayor Lewis barely did anything about the welfare of Stardew's tenants. They all laughed together, they all celebrated together. It really was a breath of fresh air, almost taking away the thoughts of ZuZu City– almost.

     I felt lucky that my grandfather had been an influential part of the community before I came to live in his old cottage. I felt as though the town's ties to him had transferred somewhat to me. Everyone in town had been welcoming to me, even though I lacked the eccentrism that made each individual unique. If it wasn't pure nepotism, it was a blessing from Yoba.

     After eating for a bit and mingling with the usual groups of people, I looked around the meadow, trying to find Clint. I had thought of him the past weeks for an uncomfortable amount of time; The last conversation we had still affected me. I knew it shouldn't have.

     Clint stood in the upper left corner of the field, next to Linus and Marnie. He looked distracted, picking at a tulip he had plucked from one of the decorative buckets beside him. He looked around suspiciously, as if he didn't want anyone to notice what he was actually looking at– Emily. I smirked only a little before I ran up to him, pumped up on the coffee I had earlier in the day. I would like to believe that was the reason I was doing what I was doing, but I knew that excuse wouldn't hold up. Not against Clint's iron perception.

     Walking up, I blushed thinking about all the times I had sat next to him at the pub, and how many times we had consulted together about our love lives. Every conversation we had had up to that point seemed to flood back into my memories. While it felt like I had only glanced at him, it felt like he had stared right into my soul for years.

     "You're staring, farmer–" he muttered out, his eyes off of Emily at last. "You must want to talk about business."

     I said nothing. Peering over me before, he leaned his large stature forward to get a better look at me. To say that I felt clammy, would have been an understatement.

     "You're looking a little greener than usual–" His breath stopped, and mine as a reaction to his. "Good Yoba!" he exclaimed, straightening up. He folded his arms after a moment.

     "You're thinking of upgrading your trash can, aren't you?" His loud voice boomed. My legs felt weak. Yes, I thought, Yes, I am going to upgrade my trash can. I wasn't going to, anytime soon.

     "I just thought that–" I mumbled, unsure of his dark eyes. It seemed I was worse at confessing my own feelings than he was. "I thought about what you said, and I realized you were right about Pam not deserving the house. She won't ever change. But I also thought that you should know why I was right to pay for that house. Penny still has a future, and before that house, she didn't even have her own room!"

     My voice softened after, with a sense of remorse for the things left unsaid. Clint would have no idea what I really felt. But to be fair, I didn't even know what I felt.

     "That's all?" he responded in more than a whisper. "I didn't know you cared that much about what I had said–" He paused and thought for a moment. "Don't worry about my judgment, farmer. Just enjoy yourself, today of all days, and ask one of those nice boys to dance with you. Not sure how many will say yes, though." He added the last part almost as an afterthought.