Stardew Valley |This Modern Love | F!Female Farmer x Sebastian

Grass

Robin's truck bounces over the mountain road, stirring up clouds of dirt. She'd asked Sebastian to come with her to Sage's and help with the heavier pieces of wood for her new barn. He didn't need much convincing, which made his stomach twist, and Robin smirk.

When they arrive, she's in the middle of her potato field, babying her plants. They look healthy and strong, with thick stalks and large leaves. As she inspects the field, bent over and brushing her fingers through the dirt, her expression's peaceful. Content.

His mom's chatting with Sage through the window, talking about her blueprints. An easy smile melts onto his face as she catches his eye and waves. She smiles too, and his day's already better.

Beside the chicken coop lays a plot of land Sage marked for the barn. Robin parks the truck next to it, and together, they unload the beams. Sebastian moves the wood into place with practiced ease. His mother's carpentry is well-known across the Valley, and this is far from the first barn he's helped her build.

After they'd laid the foundation, Robin shoos him away. "Why don't you go see what Sage is up to? See if she needs help." He doesn't need any convincing. Her humming is audible from the coop twenty feet away.

Sage squats on the ground, hair tucked behind her ears. Through the window, the sun bathes the space in light and a sleepy, comfortable warmth. Several pale yellow chicks peep and stumble around her. Knocking on the doorframe, Sebastian waves. "Hey. You got more chickens."

She glances up and grins. "Hey, Seb. I did. Or, rather, the hens made them. Meet Maggie, Moe, Ralph, and Krusty." Sebastian snorts and she laughs along with him. "Hush, I'm sticking to a naming scheme. Makes it easier to tell them apart. Come see."

Crouching next to her, he has to admit that the tiny chicks are, without a doubt, adorable. One careens into his open palm, chirping, and it's one of the softest things he's ever felt. "You're really into the Simpsons, huh?"

Nodding, Sage gathers a hen in her arms. "Mhm. It's a comfort show. I wanna save up for a TV so I can actually watch it."

Before Sebastian's brain can catch up he's talking. "They usually play it around 6:00 pm on the local stations, i f you ever wanted to come to my place and watch." His mouth feels dry. Friends watch TV together, right? Yeah, they definitely do.

"I'll have to take you up on that sometime." Balancing on her haunches, she wiggles over to him, cradling the chicken with care. "Wanna hold one?"

Sebastian freezes. "Uh...I won't hurt her, will I?" Shaking her head, she laughs, and passes the bird into his arms. It clucks, sleepy and calm, and nestles against him. His eyes round in wonder as a tender feeling pours through him. Looking back at Sage, she's beaming. His chest flutters. She's a ray of fucking sunshine.

"Hey, you're a natural. Maybe you have a way with animals." Her tone is casual, teasing, but there's a sincerity in the way she looks at him. As if she believes he really does.

And he wonders when it happened, this easiness he feels with her. An unspoken understanding hovers between them, flitting between the motes of dust in the air. Like there's an invisible tattoo only people who have been through the ringer can see. An automatic inclusion to some secret, fucked-up club.

Sage pokes his shoulder. "Seb?"

He snaps to attention. "Sorry, what?"

"I said I was going to go inside. I picked a shit ton of salmonberries and I'm gonna try making jam with them. You don't have to help, but you're welcome to join, if you want?" There's something hopeful in they way she's looking at him. And Sebastian decides he doesn't care if he's reading too far into it. He wants to come.