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

Blue Light

Sebastian doesn't worry after Sage is less present for a few days. She's having a rough time, he figures, and Yoba knows he'd cope in a similar way.

He does worry once he doesn't hear from her for two entire days. That hasn't happened since...since he buried himself in work for a couple weeks, all those months ago. So when he texts her asking if she's okay, and she only says "I'm alive", he's already rushing to the garage, feet pounding into the grass.

As he rides down the mountain path he makes a valiant effort not to catastrophize, to keep his heart from beating out of his chest. Sebastian has faith in Robin's work - there's no way her dad broke in. She must be busy with the livestock, or the tax documents ended up being a huge thing she had to sort out, or -

The blood drains from his face as her farm comes into view. In the fields, the plants she brought up with so much care are browning, withered, and infested with weeds. Rotten overripe tomatoes litter the ground, surrounded by buzzing flies. Dashing to the barns, Sebastian wrinkles his nose at the stench of manure. The animals step gingerly around mounting piles of soiled straw.

He marches to her front door and knocks. "Sage? Sage, let me in." No response. He continues, his voice cracking. "Sage?" Silence. Dread pools in his stomach. Intruding any further might border on creep behavior, but the panic and dizziness rising like bile in his throat won't disappear until he knows she's okay. Please be okay.

Sebastian rounds the corner of her house, fingers brushing against the rough wood, and peeks into her window. Squinting, he can barely see a Sage-shaped lump on the bed, buried in covers, the top of her hair visible. He sags in relief.

"Sage! I'm begging you, please let me in."

Rich of you to be the one asking that.

Shaking his head, he watches as she turns and meets his eye. Her mask crumples, and her sobs are audible even through the thick glass. He clutches his chest. "Please..."

She stumbles to her feet and inches her way to the entrance. Sebastian dashes to meet her, letting himself in as soon as the deadbolts click. He gathers Sage into his arms and holds her, bewildered, as she cries.

"My whole life was for nothing, Seb."

He blinks, rubbing her back. Her wrinkled shirt is soft beneath his fingers, her shoulder blades palpable underneath. "What? Sage, what do you mean? I have no idea what's happening."

Sniffling, she motions toward the box they found in the attic. "See for yourself." She follows him as he sinks to the floor and removes the lid. "Not tax documents. Letters. All from Grandpa. He offered to take me in when I was eight, Seb. Fucking eight."

A fresh sob bubbles from her. "And my parents returned them as soon as they arrived. I never saw them. They never gave me the choice. I never knew!" Her voice breaks on the last word. With shaking shoulders, she gathers her knees to her torso and shoves an aged envelope into his hands.

His body tenses the more he reads. A fire rages in his core, realizing the opportunities Sage's parents took from her. And for what? So she'd waste the remainder of her childhood working to support their drug habit? The papers shake in his grasp. Charlie loved her, it's palpable even though his written word. She had a chance at a nice home, a good life, a solid foundation. And they ripped it from her.

Tears pool, clouding his vision as he realizes they'd have met earlier. He - they - wouldn't have felt so lonely. Fuck, maybe they could have been childhood sweethearts. Would he have wanted to move to Zuzu if Sage lived in the Valley before he did?

With effort, Sebastian reigns in his fury, forcing his breaths to slow. As much as he's dying to scream at her parents, to the world, she's sobbing beside him now, in need of a friend. "Come here." He gathers her into his arms, pulling her flush against him. "I'm so sorry, Sage. I can't even imagine. Shit."