Work Text:
The farmer laughed at their expressions when they first saw the corner of land that they’d be calling home; a plot overrun with weeds and brush and various bits of debris.
“I was like that when I first arrived,” they recounted, a fond smile on their face. “The entire farm was like that. It was overwhelming, but bit by bit I did what I could, and I’d say I’ve got a pretty good farm going now.”
It was true; the north half of the property was gorgeous with a large plot of crops growing to the east, and a pasture for animals to the west. Even the southeast corner seemed like an organized chaos; trees planted in rows for strategic growing and chopping, leading to the quarry in the far south.
“I never got around to doing much in this corner, I’m afraid,” they said, “but all the more reason to give it to you guys. There’s a nice lake on the south end if you want to go fishing. It's got a nice view of Cindersap, and you can sometimes see the travelling merchant setting up from there. I’ve put some starter tools for you in a chest inside. Clint can upgrade them when you’re ready. Other than that, well, if you want any advice, you know where to find me. Good luck!”
And with that, the farmer left, leaving Sam, Sebastian, and Abigail to survey their plot of land, and wonder what exactly they’d gotten themselves into.
The shack was only meant for one. That much was obvious from the get-go. Still, there was room enough to get by. Sebastian's setup fit on the kitchen table, there was room for a few futons on the floor at night, and they could all cuddle around the television to play video games or spread out in the middle of the floor with books and dice at the ready when they wanted quality time together.
The instruments, however, didn't fit too well, but there wouldn’t be much time for them for the foreseeable future. It took the three of them nearly half a day to clear out a plot of land big enough for the seeds they'd procured, let alone till and fertilize it. That night, they'd collapsed into bed sore and tired, but proud of a job well done.
They’d felt much less happy the next day, to have awoken almost just as sore as tired as when they'd gone to bed, but they spent it doing light work; watering the plants and putting away odds and ends before heading to the Stardrop Saloon for pizza and zucchini fritters. That night, they laid the two futons side-by-side and fell asleep cuddling, content to have the time for themselves, even knowing that more work laid ahead of them in the morning.
There would be further struggles, they knew, but together, they’d figure it out day by day.
From there, life on the farm settled into a routine. Sam, the only early riser of the lot, would water the plants first thing in the morning and chop firewood in the evening. Abigail would clear brush for an hour first thing before heading out. And Sebastian would be in charge of collecting crops from the field and honey from the beehives, and checking for sap in their tapped trees.
Sam kept on with his part-time work at the museum, learning about the town's various artifacts and teaching their history and importance to whatever tourists stopped by after Leah's art shows. The rest of the time, he worked on their land, or helped around on the larger farm. Abigail split her time between the General Store and the mines, bringing home seeds, gems, and whatever else she could find along the way. And Sebastian mainly stayed at home, cleaning while his projects compiled, and sometimes heading south to wander Cindersap Forest.
It was hard work, running the farm and keeping up with the rest of their lives. It was harder yet to think how just one farmer had been managing to do everything in the past. But between the three of them, they were beginning to manage.
Something was wrong when Abigail came home one night in early summer. Sebastian noticed as soon as he saw her, face pale and eyes bloodshot.
"I knew that the Adventurer's Club would require killing various creatures," she said, her voice shaky, "but I didn't know what it would be like."
Sebastian nodded, hugging her close. "In books, they always say that your first one is hardest."
"Oh god, I hope so," Abigail replied, sinking into his embrace. "On one hand, I don't really want to get used to it, but on the other hand… I don't think I could live with feeling like this every time."
"I can't even imagine."
They hugged for a long moment in silence, occasional sniffs aside, before Sebastian spoke again.
"Why don't we ask Alex to bring something in for dinner, and we'll just relax and watch a movie tonight?"
Abigail nodded. "That sounds good. Thanks."
Sebastian offered her a smile. "We've got to take care of each other. Even as you protect the town… we'll take care of you."
That was part of their life together, after all. If he and Sam couldn't lift Abigail up when she needed it, then what good were they as partners? They'd do their best to make each other strong. Always.
“I’ve been thinking,” Sam said one night, over a dessert of blackberry cobbler and coffee. “I’ve been having a good time learning about things at the museum. There’s a lot of interesting history in this area, and the more I learn, the more I realize that there’s so much I don’t know.”
Sebastian smirked. “The ignorant man thinks he knows everything. The wise man realizes that he knows nothing.”
Abigail laughed. “And where is that from exactly?”
“A few dozen ancient philosophers.”
Sam, in turn, rolled his eyes. “Anyway, it got me thinking. I don’t really want to leave you guys to study, but Zuzu University offers some correspondence courses and….”
Abigail interrupted him, reaching over the table to take his hands a between her own. “I think that sounds great.”
“It’ll be a lot of work, and exam stress is real,” Sebastian warned, “but if you’re willing to deal with that, we’ll support you.”
“I’ll look into it a bit more,” Alex replied, “but if I can, maybe I’ll start in their spring term.”
“Not sooner?” Abigail wondered, but Sam shook his head.
“Too late for fall or winter admissions, and I’ll want some time for us to figure things out anyway.”
It would mean budgeting and changing the workload around, but they were all learning and growing every day, and so was the farm. Together, they would make it work.
Sam's eyes were huge as he entered their newly renovated house, taking in all that had changed in the past 48 hours.
"You did your work well," he exclaimed.
"Well, mom always did say that winter was the time to upgrade and build," Sebastian replied, blushing a bit at the complement. "I just… never thought I'd do any of it myself."
"It was fun," Abigail added, grinning and wrapping an arm around both of her boys. "And you haven't even seen the next part."
And with that, she led them both into their new, large bedroom.
"The bed's big enough for all of us now."
"Not only that," Sam replied, "there's room for our instruments."
“So, are you sad that we never moved to the city?” Sam asked, lying in their new big bed with both his partners.
“It had a mystique to it once,” Sebastian mused, “but I feel like I’m drawn to it less and less. Here, with you, both of you, is where I belong.”
Abigail smiled, snuggling closer. “I think it would be a different adventure, but I like the one we’re having here.”
Perhaps it wasn't the life that they'd imagined back when they'd first started getting together and talked about their dreams for the future. But together, on this plot of land and in this house, they were learning to thrive.