Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Gravel crunched beneath thick rubber tires as Sebastian’s motorcycle came to a stop beside a building. Rain poured down from above, the storming clouds blocking out the moon and stars of the night sky. A clap of thunder in the distance rattled the young man as he parked and got off, wiped droplets of rain from his helmet as she jogged onto the concrete.

Zuzu City, Sebastian’s personal escape. Did his family know he was here right now? No, and it’d be staying that way. He’d just finished a major coding project and had gotten paid a hefty commission for it, so he decided to go out for a joyride and spend some gold in the city, hopefully returning in the morning before anyone in Pelican Town noticed his absence.

Ahead of him was a small bar, not too close to the heart of the city so it was never too crowded. He’d passed by a couple of times, but only just recently had he turned old enough to be of legal drinking age in the Republic. Twenty-one. It was one of the few things young people could be jealous of the Gotoro Empire for, over there you could drink as soon as you turned eighteen.

A bright neon sign in the window momentarily blinded him as he walked up to the door, and as soon as he walked inside he tugged his helmet off, brushing his long hair away from his face as he looked around. Music played from a jukebox in the corner as handful of patrons scattered around the room drank and chatted. In the corner was a billiards table, similar to the one at Gus’ saloon back home, but cleaner and presumably newer. The walls were covered in punk rock memorabilia, some bands which he recognized, and multiple he’d never seen in his life. Behind the bar was a gruff-looking, older woman with arms covered in tattoos, grey-streaked hair bouncing around as she wiped down the counter.

Wandering up, Sebastian tucks his helmet beneath his arm and clears his throat, causing the bartender to glance up at him with fierce blue eyes.

“You’re not from ‘round here,” she says, standing up straight and setting her washcloth aside.

“Just visiting, won’t be here long,” Sebastian shrugs, “how much for a beer?”

“Five hundred,” the lady replies, “and I’ll need to see some ID.”

After forking over the gold and flashing his driver’s license, the bartender pours some beer from a tap behind the table and slides the mug over to Sebastian. He thanks her and finds a seat near a television, not at all caring for the replay of a gridball match that’s currently being played, but enjoying the background noise, and sets down his helmet.

He glances down at the mug, picture-perfect foam topping smooth honey-colored liquid. He lifts it to his lips and takes a sip, before pulling a face of disgust and setting it back down. He hated beer.

The only reason he drove all the way out here was to get away from his family. He didn’t care for the drinks or the bar, or even the city which he normally admired. He just needed space from his overbearing mother and his close-minded stepfather. Early that same day he’d gotten into a fight with Demetrius, it started out as something small, his stepdad commenting on the amount of time he spent in his room in the basement. It quickly spiraled into a fight over his career choices, and when he sought out his own mom to back up his side, she agreed with her husband instead. He was fuming and stormed out of the house, and a couple of hours later here he was. Brooding.

“Well… I paid for this thing… might as well finish it,” he mutters to himself, lifting the mug once more.

He’s interrupted by the door to the bar being slammed open. Wide-eyed, he turns around to see a woman storm in, her leather boots thumping against the weathered wooden floors as she trudges up to the bar. She mutters something to the bartender, who nods and walks into the backroom. Once she turns around, however, his breath hitches in his throat.

She has a pair of piercing green eyes that flicker around the room, and he can’t help but stare as she lifts a hand to wave at the two men who were playing a round of billiards before she goes and shoves some of her curly hair beneath her beanie. When those green eyes move and meet his own, however, he quickly averts his gaze and stares down at his mug, suddenly much more interested in the foam at the rim of the cup.

He hears a bout of conversation again, and in the corner of his eye can see the woman at the bar handing some gold over to the bartender before being handed a glass of what he assumes is ale or mead. Then, much to his shock, she begins to walk in his direction.

His shoulders tense when another glass is placed in front of him, and someone slides into the seat next to him.

“You’re not from around here are you?” she asks.

Nodding, he forces himself to turn and face her. Now that she’s closer he can see multiple piercings, at least one nose ring and eyebrow piercings.

“You’re not the first one to say that. What gave it away?” he replies as smooth as possible, lifting the mug to his lips to take a sip and attempting not to visibly cringe at the taste.

She shrugs her shoulders, “I’d like to think I’m a regular at this place before, I’ve never seen you around before, and judging by the helmet I’m assuming you were driving by or something. Needed a place to escape the rain from?”

“Something like that,” he mutters, “I’m just passing through. Won’t be around long.”

“A traveler, very mysterious,” she laughs, lifting the glass to her lips to take a long swig.

He chuckles with her, easing into the conversation, “if that’s how you’d like to put it. Um… not to be nosy or anything, but you seemed pretty angry when you walked in.”

He nods his head in the direction of the door that she’d previously slammed.

“Oh. That,” she sighs, “just the usual, my roommate being a bitch and taking my car without permission, totally ruining my plans for the night, and on top of that, I’ve been snubbed for a promotion for the fourth time at my dead beat job in an office. City life… it’s a joy.”

Her words are laced with thick sarcasm.

“Sorry, you’re a complete stranger, you probably don’t give a shit about my problems,” she apologizes preemptively, downing more of her drink.

Sebastian takes another swig of beer and shakes his head, “no, I get it, I’m here for similar reasons.”

“Shitty home life?” the stranger asks with a giggle, “cheers, I can drink to that.”

The pair clink their glasses in a mock toast before both taking long gulps, Sebastian slowly getting over the strong taste.

“I like your mellow vibes, lemme buy you another drink,” she suggests, nudging her hand towards his mug.

When he looks down he sees that he had, indeed, already drank up most of the beer he’d bought before. He thinks about it for a moment, and against his better judgment he agrees. 

After all, why not? What’s the worst that could happen.

Three beers and some ales later, and Sebastian is leaning against the bar laughing alongside this stranger as they tell stories.

“Wait wait- so, he got mad at you for being in your room where you do work, while also getting mad at you about your career? But… but the reason you stay in your room is because you’re making money? What a bitch ass,” she laughs, her words slightly slurred after all the alcohol she’d drank.

“I know right? Yoba, he’s the worst,” he nods, taking another sip of ale, “ever since he married my mom he thinks he can make me do whatever he wants.”

“Ugh, stepdad hmm? My stepmother is awful, I totally get it,” she sighs, setting her glass down and unzipping her hoodie to reveal a very tight tank top. 

His gaze flickers over her body. She definitely notices his stare.

Behind her, the bartender taps the bar, “alright you two, it’s closing time. Get out of here before you’re both shitfaced.”

The stranger chuckles, “of course, I’ll see you again next week Sarah.”

The bartender huffs, shooing the two young adults out of the building once the tab has been paid. Sebastian manages to grab his helmet before walking back out onto the pavement, swaying from side to on his feet with all the beer in his system.

“Well,” the woman beside him hums, shouldering her hoodie, “you’re in no state to drive back to wherever you came from mister. You need directions to a hotel or something? Or if you want, my apartment is closer, you can crash on the couch.”

“Couch sounds good,” Sebastian mutters, stumbling over his words slightly.

The stranger giggles, “c’mon then, it’s just around the block.”

She grabs his hand and tugs him down the street, and Sebastian's face feels warm but he can’t tell if it’s from the alcohol or if he’s blushing. The rain had lessened to a drizzle, and the pair stumble down the street until they arrive at the entrance of an apartment complex.

The lobby is empty, save for an employee behind the reception desk who was fast asleep in his chair, snoring away. He’s guided to an elevator, they take a ride up, and next thing he knows he’s at the door to apartment number two-oh-five as the woman who’d guided him here is fumbling with a set of keys to let them in. 

She pushes the door open, and he walks in, wandering in the darkness until he finally lands on a couch loaded with pillows and blankets.

“M-m-m-m-make yourself comfy,” she slurs with a laugh, walking through the small living room, and in the dim lighting he can see as she shrugs her hoodie off entirely, and his eyes are just barely able to make out the shape of her figure.

When a light is suddenly flicked on, he needs to squint to adjust to the sudden brightness.

“You were staring,” the stranger points out, a smirk on her face.

Before Sebastian even gets the chance to stammer out a reply, she laughs and shrugs him off.

“No worries, if I were you I’d stare too. Anyways, my roommate’s gonna be gone all night, probably off fucking one of her boy toys, so no need to worry about her showing up randomly,” she explains, tugging her boots off, “um, bathroom’s over there, kitchen’s over there if you get hungry, and my bedroom is over here if you… uh… need me for anything.”

She whispered that last part.

“If I need you for anything?” Sebastian repeats.

She clears her throat as she pulls her beanie off, revealing a wealth of curly brunette hair with streaks of faded dye. “Well, y’know, you’re cute, and… well we’re both drunk so a random fling doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.”

If Sebastian hadn’t been flushed red before he certainly was now.

“Ah just forget I said anything,” she sighs, turning to walk towards her room, “but… I’ll leave the door open if you want to take me up on that offer.”

She throws a smile over her shoulder, her green eyes glinting before she walks through the doorway.

Sebastian is in shock. The last thing he’d expected when leaving Pelican Town for the night was to be offered a one night stand by a complete (but admittedly attractive) stranger. He knew that he shouldn’t, it’d be very stupid of him to do so… but he’d be lying if he said the offer wasn’t tempting.

He looks over to the ajar doorway. He can just barely, in the darkness, see her silhouette getting undressed.

‘I’m going to regret this. But fuck it.’

Unzipping his jacket he walks towards her bedroom. She turns slightly to look back at him, and he’s able to see a grin forming on her lips.

‘Damn if it won’t be worth the regret.’

Sebastian groans as he wakes up. He’d been dreaming about that night again.

‘That was more than half a year ago and she didn’t even say goodbye to you the morning after. Get over it,’ he chastises himself.

Momentarily, his mind wanders. He remembers her touch trailing across his body, the feeling of her lips pressed against his neck, the way she sat on his lap and teased him-

He stops himself before his body decides to get too excited.

Pushing himself up, he shrugs off the thick covers, shivering when cool basement air touches his shirtless form. “What time is it,” he grumbles, feeling around for his phone.

He squints, reading the digital numbers on the black screen once it’s turned on. 10:48.

Shuffling out of bed, his feet pad across the cold floor as he finds a black shirt and tugs it on over his torso, going over a mental checklist of what he needs to do for the day.

‘I’ve got to chat with a client about their commission, something about a website design that has to be coded in. I want to work on a new advertisement for myself to post to my socials too…’

His grumbling stomach interrupts his thoughts.

‘Hmm… breakfast first.’

Pulling open his bedroom door, he trudges up the steps and wanders through the house. Demetrius is busy in his lab, too preoccupied to berate Sebastian on something new for the day. His mom is behind her desk in the shop side of the house, working on some kind of flute block. And it was a Thursday, meaning Maru was working at the town clinic.

Once in the kitchen, he looks through the fridge and pantry, putting together a makeshift sandwich and warming up some coffee from a brew his mother must’ve made earlier that day. While he roots around for food, he hears a ringing sound- someone must’ve come into the shop.

He can hear someone speaking to his mom at the front of the house. A woman.

‘Must be that new farmer,’ he thinks, shrugging his shoulders as he takes a bite of his food.

He’d heard bits are pieces about the farmer that’d moved in earlier this spring. His mom said she seemed sweet and she had a pretty name; Avira. Maru said something about her being from the city, apparently, they’d chatted for a bit at some point. Abigail said she’d been coming into the shop pretty often, buying stuff for the farm, her dad was happy to have the business. And Sam, ever the idiot, said something about her having a nice ass.

Sebastian was yet to meet her, though.

Grabbing his plate and mug of coffee, he walks back towards the basement, moving as quickly as possible without arousing suspicion so his mother doesn’t drag him into the conversation-

“Oh! Seb, come over here, you haven’t met Avira yet have you? She’s the new farmer.”

Internally, he groans, freezing in place.

“Is this your son? I’ve been around for nearly two weeks, how haven’t I met you yet?” another voice, the farmer, asks with a laugh.

A strangely familiar laugh.

One Sebastian keeps remembering in his dreams.

Slowly, he turns around, looking into the front of the house. He sees his mother leaning against the til, and on the other side a young woman. Roughly his age, with curly hair that had faded streaks shoves into a beanie, piercings on her face and ears, and bright green eyes.

He stares, his eyes wide. And he drops the plate.

“Sebastian!” his mother gasps, “what’s gotten into you?”

He grumbles out a quick ‘nothing’ before picking up the mess and hurrying away to his bedroom.

“Wa-wait a minute, can we talk-” he hears her say.

Avira? Is that what her name way? She hadn’t even bothered to introduce herself that night, all those months ago, and he’d been too stupid and drunk and horny to care.

He bounds down the steps into the basement, and when he gets to the door he sees her stood at the top of the stairs. Same beanie as the last time he saw her. Same boots. 

He opens the door, walks in, and shut it promptly behind him, locking it for good measure.

“I’m so sorry, I don’t know why he’s acting like this,” he hears his mother apologize, muffled by the door.

“No no, it’s fine, I get it,” Avira replies, “I can sort it out later.”

“Well, alright. Now then, back to that coop you were asking about.”

Sebastian’s heart is pounding. 

‘Hey? Why her? After all these months she’s HERE? In Pelican Town? Yoba, this must be some sick twisted joke.’

He’s already regretting not introducing himself. He’s already regretting making a fool of himself and running away. He almost regrets that night… almost.

Almost regrets running his fingers through her curled hair as they made out. Almost regrets hearing the way she gasped and moaned. Almost regrets the feeling of her mouth on his-

He stops himself again.

“... I need to talk to Sam about this.”

Chapter Text

Sweat dripped down Avira’s forehead as she tilled yet another plot of land, planning to use this field for rows of cauliflower. With a huff, she stands up straight and sets her hoe aside, looking out over the land she’s inherited. 

The farm was a mess of overgrown weeds and wild foliage, the forest had seemingly attempted to take back control ever since her grandfather passed all those years ago. A winding river ran through the middle of her land, cutting the farm in half effectively. She planned on using this to her advantage though, she already had a grand plan envisioned; the north of the farm would be used for agriculture, the south of the farm would be used for ranching.

It was honestly a blur the way she’d acquired this land. One minute she’s storming out of her cubicle, berating and publicly shaming her boss for passing her up on yet ANOTHER promotion and then promptly getting fired, the next minute she’s uncovering an old letter left to her many years ago including the deed to Magnolia Farm. She didn’t even have to think twice before taking the letter, packing her life into about a dozen boxes and wishing her roommate a goodbye before taking a one-way bus ride to Pelican Town.

The day she arrived she realized she’d inherited overgrown lands and an old, decrepit farmhouse. But the minute she walked through the front door and set down her bag of clothes, it was the happiest she’d been in quite some time.

The last few weeks had been a joy, she’d read some books at the town’s museum on the basics of farming and put that knowledge to good use, properly maintaining tilled plots of land and caring for all the crops she’d grown. She built a scarecrow by hand and the first thing she did each morning was lug a pail of water around to make sure all her plants were hydrated. 

She felt about as proud as a new mother when her first harvest of parsnips was ripe and ready to be sold.

She was enjoying her life in the valley. But there was a new complication.

That boy… Sebastian. Is that what Robin had called him? Yes, Sebastian.

She’d had a one night stand with him back in the city.

Avira remembered that night so clearly. She’d had plans to meet up with some friends on the other side of the city to see a band playing at some club, they’d roped her into it because the bassist was a mutual friend. Her plans got wrecked when her roommate had taken her car without permission to go hook up with her newest fuck buddy- and normally Avira wouldn’t have minded if she’d simply asked in advance, but she hadn’t, and none of her friends would’ve been able to drive across Zuzu City to pick her up in time for the show.

In a fit of anger, she stormed out of the apartment, in the rain, and went straight to Dewdrop bar for a drink. She knew the owner of the bar, Sarah, well, and knew the old gal would be willing to accommodate her for the night. But when she arrived she laid eyes on a man she’d never seen before, roughly around her age from what she could tell, sulking in a corner with a mug of beer. She’d been able to see him stealing glances at her behind his long black hair, so she took the initiative of chatting him up first since he seemed a bit shy.

And it was fun. They talked and drank together for hours, and eventually wound up going back to her apartment. He’d clearly drank too much to be able to safely drive back to… wherever his home was, at the time she had no clue, now she knew it was Pelican Town. However, he wasn’t the only one drunk, she’d had quite a bit to drink as well, and she’d made the decision of inviting him to her room to… get to know one another better.

She was honestly shocked when he accepted. She thought that perhaps she’d been too forward, and she nearly immediately regretted the suggestion- until he joined her in her bedroom.

What followed after that were memories that kept recurring in her dreams. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t think back on that night fondly. Despite his quiet demeanor earlier in the night, he hadn’t been half bad in bed. By the end of it all, they were passed out in a heap, satisfied and exhausted.

She also remembered being so disappointed to wake up to a call from her boss in the morning, calling her into work despite it being her day off. Begrudgingly, she accepted, she could make good use of the money from these extra hours. 

Avira had been oh so careful getting out of bed that day, not wanting to disturb the young man in her bed. She noted that he looked so peaceful when he slept, his long black hair in a cute, tousled mess as he snoozed away. After getting dressed she’d scrawled a note that she left for him on the bedside table, explaining that she had to go and leaving her number just in case he wanted to call her.

He never did. She’d been hoping he would’ve, even months later. But she never got a call.

It’d made her a bit sad. They’d had so much fun that night, even disregarding the sex, they’d been friendly. She tried not to let it hurt her feelings too much, but it still stung.

When she got back after work that day he was gone, the only traces of him ever being there were her crumpled sheets that smelled faintly of cologne. Her note from the morning was right where she’d left it, he hadn’t even taken it with him.

She never even learned his name before he left. Never got a proper goodbye. All she had to remember him by were the memories and the ghost of his touch on her body.

Yet here she was half a year later, and they’d stumbled into one another yet again; the only catch this time is that they lived in the same town now, and he seemed to refuse to speak to her. Not only was he the son of the carpenter, one of the people she’d be working with most during the oncoming years, but she could only assume she’d be seeing him at every single event the small town held.

They were back to being total strangers. Yet they knew each other in intimate ways that so many others didn’t.

With a sigh, she lifts her hoe back up and looks down at the plot of land she’d just tilled. “I can mope about this later when I’m in bed, I’m wasting precious daylight by doing it here in the field,” she chastised herself, “I should be heading to Pierre’s to pick up some seeds anyways.”

Depositing her tools back at the farmhouse, she then makes herself look moderately presentable before grabbing her bag of gold coins and heading into the center of town.

“Bro… so you’re telling me you hooked up with someone and didn’t even tell me about it ?”

Sebastian can barely hold back his groan at Sam’s observation and hangs his head backward, banging it against the wall.

“Yes… yes, I did, Sam,” he sighs, tugging his jacket hood over his face.

“And now… this chick that you banged in the city, she’s the new farmer that just moved in,” Sam continues with a laugh, “dude, that’s insane!”

Sebastian was now regretting his decision to come over to Sam’s house for help in dealing with his situation. Clearly, he’d overestimated how much help his friend would have to offer.

Suddenly there’s a knock at the door. Both boys turn to look as it opens up, and a young woman with purple hair walks through, quickly shutting the door behind her.

“Hey, Abby,” Sebastian mumbles.

“Abby! Sebastian had a one night stand in Zuzu Cit-”

He practically tackles Sam, clapping his hand over the blonde’s mouth and glaring at him. “Are you crazy? I don’t need your mom hearing you screaming about my sex life,” he grumbles, “you know how your mom gossips, if she hears she’ll be telling my mom in no time.”

Abigail laughs, “what’s the issue? You’re an adult.”

Sebastian removes his hand from the blonde’s face and deadpans at both of them, “how would your guys’ parents react to learning that you went to Zuzu City behind their backs and had a drunk fling with a total stranger?”

Sam looks to the ground awkwardly and Abigail nods her head in understanding.

“Exactly. So this has to stay between us,” Sebastian continues.

“I’m still not understanding what the issue is,” Sam replies, “like… you boned a hot chick. Now she’s your neighbor. She seems relatively chill, you can become her friend or like… y’know, keep boning her.”

Sebastian groans and rolls his eyes, “I don’t- ugh, I don’t even know what I want, I’ve been thinking about that trip to the city every night for months and now that she’s here I don’t even know what to do with myself.”

“You could always, like… talk to her,” Abigail suggests, “that seems like the thing most people would do.”

“What, just walk up to the person I had a one night stand with 6 months ago and try and hold a normal conversation?” the dark-haired man shoots back.

Abigail shrugs, “I mean… yeah. Unless you wanna become even more of a hermit and avoid her by just never leaving your basement.”

“I gotta side with Abby on this one, you’ve got some crazy internal horny struggles going on that I bet can be solved by talking to Avira,” Sam concurs.

“Ughhhh…” Sebastian sighs, putting his head in his hands, “I hate it when you guys make sense. I don’t want to just show up at her farm though, that would be awkward.”

“Knowing you you’ll make it awkward no matter how you try and talk to her,” Abigail laughs.

He rolls his eyes, “whatever. Let’s just get to the saloon, I want to play pool.”

“You mean you want to take your sexual frustration out on a game of pool,” Sam interjects.

The blonde then has to quickly dodge an attempted jab in the side from Sebastian.

As per the trio’s weekly tradition, they spent their evening in the Stardrop Saloon ran by Gus. Friday was easily the saloon’s busiest night, and while most of the older people in town would spend their time in the actual bar portion, sharing drinks and food prepared by the owner, Sam, Sebastian, and Abigail tended to keep to themselves in the side room, playing games of pool or playing rounds on the arcade cabinets and drinking colas until they called it a night.

Currently, Sebastian was dominating this game of pool, scoring yet another point much to a swearing Sam’s dismay. Nearby Abigail watched with a smirk, taking a break from attempting to beat her Journey of the Prairie King high score to eat some spaghetti made by Gus.

“How are you so good at this game?” Sam groans, polishing the end of his pool stick, “it’s not like you practice, you just sit on your computer all day.”

“I don’t let my ego get in the way when I play,” Sebastian chuckles, leaning over the table to line up another shot.

In the background, he can hear the saloon’s doorbell jingle and a round of greetings from some of the townsfolk. Assuming it was just another one of the regulars, he shrugs his shoulders and knocks the cue ball, striking the 6-ball and causing it to roll into a pocket, earning him yet another point.

With a slight smirk, he turns and grabs some chalk and walks over to an old blackboard on the saloon wall, marking another tally beneath his name. When he turns back around, however, he feels his breath catch in his breath.

In the next room over he sees a woman leaning against the bar casually talking to Emily.

Avira. The farmer.

She’s let her hair down and wears a simple tank top and a pair of ripped skinny jeans that make Sebastian’s heart stop when he stares for too long. He watches as she laughs at something said by the other woman, brushing a strand of faded dyed hair behind her ear.

An odd emotion bubbles inside of Sebastian as he stares into the other room, eyes locked onto the farmer. It wasn’t anger, he was sure of it, but it felt similar. All the negative feelings he’d pent up over the last half a year came rushing to the forefront of his mind, the betrayal he’d felt at being left alone that morning, the pang in his heart he felt every night thinking back to that day in the city, the regrets he’d tried to desperately to bundle up and ignore when he threw himself into his work. 

“Dude what’re you looking at-” Sam starts, but when he turns to see the farmer at the bar his eyes go wide, “oh. That.”

“You two are ridiculous, she’s literally just standing there, stop staring,” Abigail chastises them both, “and Seb, if you needed a chance to talk to Avira this is a golden opportunity.”

Sebastian sets the chalk and pool stick aside with more force than needed, nodding his head as he shoves his hands in his jacket pockets. “You’re right. I can do this. Just go straight up to her, yeah?”

“Totally buddy, you got this,” Sam grins, clapping him on the shoulder, “go get ‘em, tiger.”

He takes in a deep breath, steeling his courage before marching out of the side room. This was it. He was going to set the record straight, finally say all the things he’d been holding back for months. He walks past the fire pit, past the bear statue, up to the bar- and mere feet away from Avira he stops in his tracks.

‘I can’t do this what the fuck am I thinking.’

Before the farmer can turn to look at him he spins on his heels and starts to walk towards the door. Just when he gets his hand on the handle he hears his name called out.

“Sebastian?”

He glances over his shoulder, his eyes meeting a pair of green ones.

All too quickly he yanks the door open and walks out into the night, walking quickly across the cobblestone plaza and towards the north path that’ll take him into the mountains. Behind him he can hear the door open again but he doesn’t dare look back.

“W-wait! Sebastian!”

It’s Avira.

“Can we talk? Please?”

‘You’re such a coward, why can’t you just turn around and face her.’

“Sebastian- please just let me talk to you-”

His feet carry him up past the flight of stairs near Pierre’s shop, onto the path that runs beside the abandoned community center.

“Please, Sebastian- did I do something wrong?”

That’s when he stops. He stops dead in his tracks, shivering as a cool wind blows past. Slowly he turns around, finally facing her.

Avira stands on the path just a few feet from him, panting slightly after chasing him from the saloon. She takes a deep breath and brushes her hair from her face. 

“I know the last time we were together it wasn’t the most… normal of circumstances. But, but that doesn’t mean you need to avoid me… did I do something wrong that night? I thought… I thought we could’ve still been friends afterward,” she explains, a waver in her voice.

All the anguish and anger that had built up inside of him shatters. All that’s left are pangs of guilt that make Sebastian’s chest ache the more she spoke.

“I- I mean, if you don’t want to see me anymore, I get that, it’s- hah,” she laughs out of nervousness, “it’s probably super awkward for your new neighbor to be someone you’ve… y’know, had sex with and all that, so, if you want me to leave you alone just tell me-”

“No,” he says, stopping her mid-sentence.

His eyes meet hers and he swallows nervously, fidgeting with the sleeves of his jacket. A cold wind blows and he shivers, struggling to find the words for all the things he desperately wants to say. “I…” he starts, attempting to gather his courage, “I don’t want to… I mean I… ugh , why is this so fucking hard to do. I do want to keep seeing you, I don’t want you to leave me alone, I just…”

He sighs before continuing, “you left. You were gone that morning, and I… was scared, I’d never done anything like that before, and when I woke up I was just alone so… I left.”

“I got called into work,” Avira replies, “I- I wanted to stay. So badly, you have no idea, but I had to go. I… I left you a note though.”

Sebastian freezes, his brow furrowing. “You… what?”

The farmer laughs, a genuine laugh, “yeah, I left you a note! With my number! Not- not cause I wanted to fuck again, I mean I wouldn’t mind doing it again, but that’s not the point.”

Sebastian can’t stop his cheeks from burning red at that.

“I left my number cause, y’know, I wanted to stay friends maybe?”

“I… I never saw your note,” he mumbles, scratching the back of his neck.

“So… this whole thing is a big misunderstanding then,” Avira mumbles, dropping her arms to the side.

An awkward laugh escapes Sebastian’s mouth before he can stop it. “Yeah… yeah, apparently.”

Avira pinches the bridge of her nose before giving him an exasperated smile. “Look, why don’t we… put this all behind us. Okay? Just, clean slate, forget it all, fresh start.”

“Forget it all… why?” he frowns in response. A strange feeling tugs at his heart… fear?

“I’m not saying to forget any of it because I regret it. I don’t, not one second, that night was phenomenal. You were phenomenal,” Avira chuckles, “maybe forget it wasn’t the right way to word it. But I do want to forget the, what, six months of longing I’ve had to endure, that was a fucking pain.”

The two come to a misunderstanding. Their eyes meet once more, and this time the farmer offers Sebastian a smile before walking forward and closing the gap between the pair.

For just a moment, there’s a tinge of hope in the back of Sebastian’s mind. That small ember is smothered when Avira simply holds her hand out to him, palm open.

He stares, confused.

“Are you gonna shake it or not, silly,” she laughs, jutting her arm out towards him even more.

“O-oh,” he stammers, quickly reciprocating the handshake by lacing his fingers with hers.

Her hands are warm, and he feels his skin rub against the calluses that are beginning to form on her own, no doubt due to all the work on her farm. He can’t help but feel slightly disappointed when she pulls away afterward.

“So, fresh start,” she repeats, “why don’t you… come over to my farm for a visit? We can hang out for a bit, catch up, get to know each other as more than just two strangers that were helplessly attracted to one another.”

“A visit?” Sebastian replies. He thinks momentarily about his work schedule for the week, all his programming projects and commission sites he needed to work on. 

‘It won’t hurt if I push those all back by a day…’

“There’s a path through the mountains near your mom’s shop… which, I guess is also your house,” she laughs, “um… it’s to the west of your place I think, about a ten minute walk and it’ll lead you to the northern part of my farm. It’s still a bit of a forest up there, I’ve still got plenty of trees to chop down, but there’s a path I’ve cleared out and some torches that’ll lead you straight to my farmhouse. Maybe you could come over tomorrow afternoon? I could buy some food from the saloon for us, though, I don’t have much spare gold to spend after paying your mother for my new coop…”

She trails off towards the end, frowning as she stuffs her hands in her jean pockets.

He clears his throat and catches her attention, “how about I pick up the food from the saloon?”

“Ah, you don’t have to do that-”

“Avira. Please.”

He cuts her off, and at the same time realizes that this is the first time he’d called her by her name.

She laughs softly, turning to look away, “that uh… that sounds nice, coming from you. Fine, you can bring the food.”

They arrange a time, four o’clock. When the farmer pulls out her phone she realizes, with a panic, it was already past ten.

“Oh shit, I’ve gotta head back if I want to get enough sleep tonight. I’ve got a massive crop of cauliflower that’ll need watering in the morning. See ya tomorrow, Seb,” she tosses over her shoulder as she begins to walk away.

“Seb?” he repeats with a confused laugh.

“Eh, I heard Robin say, think I’m gonna steal it,” she replies in a teasing manner.

“Please don’t ,” he says, though his laughter lets her know he isn’t too serious.

“Too late!” she shouts.

He stands there, watching as she walks back to the staircase besides Pierre’s. He has to force his eyes to not stare at the sway in her hips. Once she’s out of his line of sight he lets out a deep breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding, tugging his jacket closer to him as he finally turns on his heel and begins to walk up the path towards the mountains.

‘So… I’m really doing this, huh? We’re gonna find a way to make this work?’ he wonders to himself, gazing up at the star-studded sky as he ponders.

Suddenly all the negative emotions he’d harbored all these months had dissipated. Gone in an instant, all after one conversation. 

‘Abigail and Sam were right, all I had to do was talk to her… ugh, that’s a scary thought, the two of them being right.’

It isn’t until he gets to the front door of his home that a realization hits him.

‘Shit… I still don’t have her number.’