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

Kruezberg

The house's silence swallows the quiet click of the door when Sebastian steps in. Blinking, he stands in the front room, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark. He inhales the familiar scent of sawdust and varnish.

Part of him hopes he didn't wake anyone with his motorcycle. Part of him hopes he did, hopes to see Robin or Maru emerge from the shadows to greet him.

They don't.

It's lonely, coming home to nothing. Lonely, being an outcast in his own family. And Sebastian's starting to wonder how much is his fault, and how much is Demetrius'.

His stepfather, without a doubt, contributes to his feelings of isolation. He's never been there for him, and has gone out of his way to antagonize him countless times. But Sebastian wonders, is there more he could be doing? Should he let Demetrius' words affect him that much?

He rubs the back of his neck. Something's gotten into him lately. Something that has him questioning the very bricks that lay the foundation of his perception. Abby pseudo-dumping you for being a stubborn idiot may have started it. As usual, the quiet yet honest voice in his head has a point.

And Sage, Linus, and Maru. Sebastian feels himself changing, a little every day. Taking the steps two at a time toward his bedroom, he resolves to apologize to Robin and Maru tomorrow, and even Demetrius. He may have started it, but Sebastian escalated. He can at least apologize for that. He thinks it might be time to try being the bigger man.

Mom and Maru deserve better. Robin, so upset, her dinner ruined, and Maru, caught in the crossfire. Neither of them deserved what happened earlier.

He feels a bit foreign in his body, like a hermit crab setting into a new shell, but maybe that's not such a bad thing.

Underneath his covers, his thoughts return to Sage. He can almost feel her arms around his middle, the way her chin rested near his face. Sebastian sighs. There's not much use in denying it anymore.

Regardless of whether it's one-sided or not, the lines between platonic and non-platonic are blurring, leaving his mind a mess.

And the way Sage seems to see right through him...he squirms. What the fuck was up with her asking him if Demetrius hits him? Is the shit he's been through that transparent?

"Like recognizes like," she'd told him, not long ago. Sebastian grunts. Did her parents pull the same shit his father did? Linus could be right.

His fingers twitch over his phone, already wanting to text her. But the thought of appearing clingy or desperate makes him cringe. Instead, he reads through their messages. It's a collection of bad jokes, pictures of spiders and chickens, and song recommendations. His eyelids grow heavy, and he falls asleep with the phone in his hand.

Maru's in the kitchen when he enters the next morning, in search of his caffeine fix. He hesitates, watching her, fingers drumming on his thigh as he wonders how to approach.

Catching his eye, she motions him in, pouring a cup of coffee. As he sits, she hands him a strawberry. The fruit's both sour and sweet on his tongue as the seeds crunch between his teeth.

Put your money where your mouth is, Sebastian. It's now or never. Taking a deep breath, he steadies his hands. "Maru, I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have escalated things."

Her eyes round for a moment as she clutches her mug. "I meant to apologize, too, actually. Dad started it. I...don't think he means to be so stubborn, but regardless, it was way out of line."

Sebastian remains quiet, head down, nursing his coffee. It's shitty, he thinks, how Demetrius' awkward parenting forced a rift between him and Maru. But he's played his part in it, too. Allowed himself to view his sister as merely a favored child, instead of humanizing her. Recognizing her place in the family and their dynamic. He's rarely taken the time to realize how difficult it must be, caught in the middle of the petty arguments Sebastian and Demetrius have.