Elliott x Reader One Shots - Stardew Valley

6. Somber

  I stood in the kitchen, humming to myself as I made my way through the stack of dishes I left to sit on the counter for a little too long. The seasons were still slowly making their transition, and the days were getting shorter and shorter. While I was sad to see my fall crops go, I was at least a little relieved that I had more freetime to adjust to my always-shifting sleeping schedule. I groggily stood at the sink, wiping away the crummy remains of my previous meals from each plate, when I heard a knock at the door. 

  I hadn't been expecting anyone, and my stomach twisted with nervousness. Had I forgotten something? I quickly wiped my hands and glanced at my reflection in the entryway mirror before answering the door. I wasn't exactly looking my best; the skin beneath my eyes had turned a pale purple from my lack of sleep. My hair was visibly messy – not quite tangled, but the myriad of flyaway strands was definitely noticeable. I did what I could to quickly tame the frizz, took a deep breath, and reluctantly opened the door.

Leah stood in the doorway before me, looking bright and cheerful as ever. "Hey" she greeted me. "I was just coming to check on you. We were supposed to do some gardening today, remember?"

"Right, of course," I scrambled for a response. "I'm sorry, I've just been a little forgetful lately."

"Is this a bad time?" she asked.

"No, not at all. I was just doing some cleaning," I assured her. "Let me get my coat, I'll be right out." 

~

  Leah's small garden patch was surprisingly impressive. Like me, she grew most of her own food. It baffled me that she had managed to keep her crops alive through the first frost. But winter was steadily closing in, and she knew they wouldn't last much longer where they were. 

"Thanks for all of your help, _____," she said as we carried the newly re-potted plants inside. "This would have taken me ages to do alone." 

"No problem," I replied. "Sorry again for being so late though." 

"Don't worry about it, sometimes the day just gets away from you. Happens to the best of us." 

I glanced at the clock. It was 4:45. "Oh no," I gasped. "I totally forgot I needed to head to Willy's to buy some bait for my crab pots today."

"You could probably still make it there in time," Leah reassured me. I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed for the door. 

"Hey, _____," she called after me. "Have you heard from Elliott lately? He usually goes for walks in the forest, but I haven't seen him around in a couple days." Truth be told, I had been so absent-minded, I hadn't given the matter much thought.

"Now that you mentioned it, I don't think I have," I answered honestly.

"Well, since you're headed that way, would you mind checking on him? I'm starting to get worried." 

"Of course," I said. "See you later." 

"Thanks again."

~

  On my way to the beach, I couldn't help but worry. Sure, Elliott had a tendancy to keep to himself, but even then he didn't stray too far from his typical pattern. It wasn't at all unusual to see him wondering around the town, lost in thought. He wasn't the most social person, but he still made appearances here and there. I tried to bury the concern, reasoning it away. He was probably just hard at work on his novel. I wouldn't want to risk interrupting a good writing session, but I had promised Leah...

  Clouds hung low in the sky, dark and looming. Thunder roared as a few droplets of rain began to sprinkle down. As I rounded the corner to Willy's shop entrance, already closed for the day, I noticed Elliott, stood unmoving in his place on the docks, gazing out at the vast horizon. I felt a small surge of worry. It wasn't like him to be outside on a day like this; he was usually too concerned about the state of his coat and his hair to let the rain anywhere near him. Though that apparently wasn't the case today. I approached him slowly, and my stomach turned. I could feel that something was off, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was.