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You really messed up this time. Out of all the unhealthy and unsafe choices you've made since coming to the sleepy town of Stardew, this one took the cake. After half a day of farming and a fair bit of energy left, you thought it would be useful to spend the rest of the day at the mine before packing in for the day. Rushing from the farm to the mines, you only packed the bare minimum; sword, pickaxe, a torch, and what forigables you collected that day. For the most part, your light packing was sufficient for the quick trip, but it soon became your biggest downfall. While clearing a level you determined to be your last for the day, a slime cornered you within a group of rocks, limiting your mobility greatly. The slime dashed towards you, catching you off guard and made you stumble back in surprise. Slashing your sword randomly, you managed to kill the slime, but couldn't stop yourself from falling back. The second you hit the floor, the once illuminated cave became pick black. Feeling around in the darkness, you managed to locate the source of this predicament. Beside you lay the still warm remains of the torch you placed, thoroughly destroyed by your landing. Coming back to your senses, you brought yourself back to your feet and scanned the area. Nothing. You couldn't see a thing in the darkness. The light by the ladder was nowhere in sight and no other torch could be seen. Looking to your digital watch, the numbers were visible but did nothing for the lack of light on your path. 11:00 PM. Great. Walking cautiously with your arms extended, you felt around in the darkness to try and find your way back to the ladder. The many rocks and confusing lay out of the level made traversing difficult. Meanwhile the squishing and buzzing of nearby monsters sent shivers down your spine. With your snacks all used up and no way to defend yourself in the dark, a single run in with a monster would mean the end for you. After a few moments of walking into rocks, you finally managed to take a couple paces forward. Whether it was the right direction, you has no idea, but I was better than nothing. Carefully you started to walk at a slow pace, praying to god that some light would show itself at some point. All of a sudden, the texture beneath your feet changed from dense soil to soft sand. Stopping in your tracks you tried to recall if you passed a sand patch on you way in. Unfortunately no memory came to mind. Nonetheless you decided to move on. Slowly you stepped onto the sand bed, going one step at a time and listening carefully for any duggy. After several safe steps forward, a deep rumble could be heard below your feet, signaling that you life was in danger. Without thinking you broke into a sprint, desperate to find the end of the sand bed. The sound of duggy emerging from the ground could be heard at your heels, erging you to run faster. Eventually the soles your shoes hit solid ground, but the adrenaline in your veins ordered you to keep running. Your heart rate quickened as the sound of monsters and blinding darkness started to make you disoriented. All you wanted to do was get home to your peaceful farm, but instead you were running around in a dark mine like a mad man. Suddenly you crashed into something. You fell back, out of breath and reached for your sword in a desperate attempt to protect yourself. You heard a small yelp and the sound of sneakers on dirt as the being struggled to keep balance after your impact. "(Y/n)?" the voice called towards you. The echoes of the cave walls made it difficult to identify whose voice it was, but with its low tone you guessed it was a man's. You could heard the shuffling of clothing, followed by the scratching sound of a lighter. The small lighter flame brought light to the cave and you could now see who you bumped into. It was Sebastian. We both stayed silent for a few moment as we calmed down from the shock of our collision. You tried to catch your breath from your sprint and the near panic attack you experienced. Meanwhile Sebastian was just surprised, probably not expecting anyone to be in the mines at this time of day. Eventually his mind registered what he was looking at and his features turned to concern. You must have looked horrible after your state of panic, and you were still on the floor didn't help. "Are you okay (y/n)?" he finally asked as he moved closer to you. "Yeah I'm okay, I just- I'm so sorry" you apologized, putting your sword away embarrassed. He offered you his hand and he helped you back to your feet. “It's no big deal, I should be the one apologizing. I wasn't watching were I was going" he answered "what are you doing here so late anyway?" "It's kinda a funny story…" you started as you explained your incident. Meanwhile Sebastian listened quietly, before letting out a chuckle as you ended your tale. “That explains why you nearly ran me over” he giggled. After he noticed you glaring at him, he tried his best to put on a straight face. “Well what are you doing down here? You barely leave your room, and out of all the places to go you decide to go mining?” you questioned, trying to bring the attention off on you. At this Sebastian awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “Well you see… I actually come down here every now and again for some exercise. Almost no one comes down here, so I can stretch my legs without running into people” he explained, but quickly realized what he just said and corrected himself, “I’m not saying that didn’t want to see you, it’s just that I usually like to be alone after working all day.” You nodded in understanding and an awkward silence filled the room. Suddenly, your wrist watch vibrated, breaking the silence. Looking at the face, it read 12:00 AM. Sebastian noticed this and motioned for you to follow him. “We’ve got to go now if we want to make it back in time for curfew. We’ll use my lighter to light our way” he said, turning back the way he came. Walking beside him, you followed Sebastian's lead as he made his way through the darkness. Being with someone in the dark mines, especially someone you somewhat knew calmed your nerves, yet your heart began to race for a different reason. Sebastian caught your eye the second you met him, only days after moving into Stardew. Despite having very little after starting your farm, you tried to save best items of your harvest to give to Sebastian. Knowing how long he spent working indoors, you wanted to give him gifts to brighten his mood. Now you were walking in close proximity to the boy you had a crush on. Even though the lighter didn’t provide enough light to make out little details, you prayed that your blush stayed hidden. “So did you find what you were looking for down here?” Sebastian finally asked, trying to make conversation. “Well I picked up some ore, but I didn’t find what I was hoping for” you answered, rustling your bag filled with copper ore. “What were you looking for? Maybe I’ll run into it on one of my walks” he offered. You were hoping he wouldn’t ask that question. The blush on your cheeks grew warmer with embarrassment. “Well actually… I was looking to find a frozen tear” you said hesitantly. Sebastian stopped in his tracks and turned to face you, surprise clear on his face. “Wh-why were you looking for a frozen tear?” he asked, stuttering slightly. “Well you see… Sam told me they were you favourite, so I was hoping I could find one today to give to you” you answered quietly, too embarrassed to talk any louder. Sebastian processed this for a moment before turning away, trying to hide his own blush. “You know… I’m more than happy with the gifts you already give me. Just knowing that your thinking of me makes my day better, so you don’t have to go risking your life to get some frozen tear. Any gift you give me means a lot” he said, still facing away from you. You gasped at his words, hearing him say how much he liked you gifts made your heart flutter. After a few seconds of pure silence, Sebastian grabbed your hand and continued to lead you out of the mine. “C-come on, were going to be late if we keep standing here” he exclaimed, but you could tell he just didn’t want continue this mortifying discussion. Speed walking across the cave, the warm light of the ladder could be seen in the distance. However terrifying this experience was, you were sad to see it end. This was the closest you have been to Sebastian and you didn’t want it too stop. After a speedy climb up the ladder, you made it back to ground level, no longer suffocated by the stale air down in the mines. You turned to Sebastian, who was still flustered from exposing his feeling. “Thank you so much for your help Sebastian. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I didn’t run into you, literally” you said. “No problem” he mumbled, his gaze locked on the floor. You turned to leave the cave, when you were interrupted by Sebastian. “Hey… if you ever have some spare time, I can show you how to get around the mines easier. You know, so you don’t get in this situation again” he offered, finally meeting your eyes. He had a full blush on his face, clearly showing he was more embarrassed than you. You flashed him a warm smile, “that would be great, I’ll make sure to finish up this seasons harvest quick so that day comes soon. Good night Sebastian.” “Good night (y/n)” he replied, returning your smile “now you better hurry is you want to make it home in time.” You glanced at your watch, the bright numbers reading 1:30 AM. You yelped in surprise before breaking off into a sprint towards your farm. Behind you, you could hear the soft chuckle of Sebastian as you ran off into the night. You made it to your farmhouse, jumping into bed before the time ran out. As you began to drift off to sleep, the last thing that came to mind was hanging out with the boy you loved. Sebastian.