Chapter Text
spring showers were always a good way for you to get out of watering your crops for the day. as you woke up and looked outside of your little cabin window, you couldn't help but feel as content as you first did when you overtook your grandfather's farm. you couldn't believe how far it had come in the last two years, and how well you've gotten to know everyone in pelican town.
well, almost everyone.
Sebastian was sort of an enigma. you knew he was friends with sam, that he smoked, and he was probably the only true loner in this little town. you could understand that. moving from a city to a town of fewer than 30 people was quite an adjustment, and you took the first couple of weeks to yourself. not to mention that before you moved here, it's not like you were the biggest social butterfly, but you came out of your shell a lot more since then.
normally on rainy days like these, you would do one of two things. you'd either gather your pickaxe, some food, and a sword to head to the mines. or set yourself up on the dock with some extra bait and fish for a few hours. but today, you decided to do something you felt was necessary: finally, hunker down and learn how to sew, even if only the basics you can get down. to other people this probably seems like a skill that is mostly unnecessary in this day and age, but lately, you've been realizing that it was probably the best thing you could do to yourself. you're only a beginning farmer, with very little time (or money most seasons, if you're going, to be honest with yourself) to spend on the hour and a half bus ride to and from the city to get to the mall. aside from that, as much as Emily was kind enough to fix up holes in your clothes or tailor them, you were starting to feel bad. you were old enough to learn how to fix holes or make clothes.
your morning was spent sitting at your dining room table with a beginner's sewing set, tons of scrap fabric that Emily so graciously donated to you, and books from the library scattered all around as you learned what you could for the day. you were just getting the hang of a somewhat complicated stitch when you heard a knock at the cabin door. you hesitated for a moment, wondering who could be coming by while it was raining. you pushed yourself up with a "coming!" called to the door, grabbing your rain hat and shoving it down onto your head. you opened the door, only to be met with surprise. there Sebastian was, in all his soaked glory, a deep plastic bin in his hands. it was filled halfway with water, with a lily pad resting on top and some extra greenery being held down with pebbles towards the bottom, and a piece of driftwood jutting out of the tank. you almost missed the small frog sitting on top of the driftwood, with its leg bent at an awkward angle.
"um... y/n, I don't know if you can help but I figured it was better than going to Harvey since he's a people doctor and you work with animals and have a good-sized pond here. I found this little dude in a bush freaking out. I think he hurt his leg...."
Sebastian talked fast and almost stumbled over his words a little. though it was coming down hard at this point, the rain couldn't hide the furrowed brow of worry. "oh, yeah. ah, bring the little guy in here, just set him by the front of the tv. I'll see if I can help." you moved away from the door, leaving it open for Sebastian to walk in after you as you went to your bookshelf. not too long after you started donating to the museum with all the gems and items you had found.
Gunther slid you a few books one day after a sizable donation of minerals.
"what's this?" you asked after you placed all your items in the display area. you were just packing up what was left in your bag by the front desk when Gunther came to the front, a small stack of dusty books in his gloved hands.
Gunther replied, "stuff about almost all the wildlife around here in town and the valley. I know you got a fine understanding of plants, livestock, and fish but knowing about some insects and smaller critters couldn't hurt."
Sebastian followed behind you, shutting the door with his foot as he placed the makeshift tank down where you told him to. he sat on the floor with it instead of sitting himself on the couch, carefully watching the frog as you approached with a book already opened, scanning it for information. you glanced up and noticed him sitting on the floor with the frog, and decided that was the best way to get a good look at it to match it up with the images in your book. you sat cross-legged next to the lanky boy, and he started to explain the tank itself.
"Before I did all... this, I brought him down to my room in a little Tupperware and googled what would be best for like, a frog enclosure type thing. I wasn't gonna bother you at first but I realized down in the basement probably wasn't the best place for him, plus he needed help and I don't even know what kind of frog he is."
you smiled a little, still scanning the book's pages as you responded to him. "you're pretty smart for doing all that, honestly."
he blinked a little at that statement, about to respond before you spoke again. "ah, here it is. northern leopard frog.... you did well on its tank here, or at least with what you had on you. it says here they need half water and half land enclosures, the driftwood was smart. but we're more worried about his little leg."
you tossed the book onto the couch, and went to the cabinets under the sink, where you pulled out regular plastic gloves and snapped one onto your hand. "frogs can't be handled with bare hands, now. our hands are usually too oily for them." Sebastian looked down at the frog as you mentioned that, looking a little more worried than before. "I picked it up with my bare hands, held it for a while too when I hauled ass back home with him."
"oh, hey." you sat down next to him, lightly patting him on the shoulder. "you didn't know any better. plus you were helping him out. now, let me check his leg." you gently used your pinky to poke the frog's leg. it merely moved away from you, flinching away from the poke. as you turned to talk to Sebastian, his eyes were fixated on the frog, more worried than ever.
"Hey." you gently nudged Sebastian, making him look at you. "all he did was pull away from me and flinch a little. which can be a good thing since it proves all we can see wrong with him is his leg and the rest of him is all good. why don't I keep him here in the cabin, order him a real tank, and you can come over whenever you want to take care of him or see him. if he doesn't start to get better in the next three days, ill go into the city with him to see the vet. deal?"
you outstretched your ungloved hand, and you watched him start to visibly relax at your offer. slowly he took it, shaking your hand. "you have a deal, y/n. also, ah, can I get a towel or something? the rain made me cold."
"oh, jeez, yeah! sorry dude, I didn't even think about that. I would've offered that first thing if I wasn't worried about our little dude here." you nodded your head towards the frog, before getting up and walking to the bathroom linen closet. you grabbed the biggest and fluffiest towel you had to offer and stepped out only to find your guest gone.
"Seb?" you called, walking around the living room. you made your way to the kitchen before catching a glimpse of him passing by the kitchen window that looked out into your backyard, where he stood with a cigarette in hand, staying much as he could under the little awning. you shoved your rain hat back on, along with a jacket and some shitty work boots before trekking out into the back, towel shoved into the jacket with you to prevent it from getting wet.
"there you are," you said as you rounded the corner, getting under the awning as much as you could with him and pulling the towel out from your jacket before handing it to him. wordlessly he draped it around himself, pulling it close around him with one hand while the other held his cigarette, which was already halfway gone.
"thank you, by the way," he said quietly. after the cigarette and the deal you too made he seemed a lot more like his normal self. quiet, with not too much to say.
"you're welcome." you both stood there in silence, watching the rainfall while he finished his cigarette and lit a new one. it would be a while before either of you spoke.
"I can go into the city later, get some stuff from the pet store for him. did it say what he eats?" he asked as he stared out into the rain.
"earthworms, crickets, and fly larvae. if you want I can go with you."
"Nah, y/n. I'd prefer to go alone if you don't mind. I'll be back before it gets to be too late."
"ah... well. can I at least walk you to the bus stop? I'll bring the umbrella."
"if you want to."
"in that case, I'll meet you inside." you walked yourself back the inside of the cabin, setting yourself back down at the table and reading over what you could about the stitch you were attempting before you heard the front door open, and Sebastian stood in the doorway, towel in hand.
"here you go." wordlessly you grabbed it from him, hanging it on the bathroom rack to dry for now. Sebastian stepped in one last time to give the smallest of waves in the frog's direction before you came back out of the bathroom and grabbed your umbrella from the hall closet.
"ready?" you asked.
"ready."
the walk to the bus stop was a little bit longer than usual due to the rain but it was just as quiet as it would be if you were alone. you did the umbrella holding, while Sebastian lit another cigarette and smoked it during your walk. you stood there while he paid for his ticket and watched it print with him, and even walked him to the bus itself. you were about to say bye before you remembered something.
"ah, wait, one more thing before you get on." you fished for your wallet, pulling it out of your jeans pocket and pulling out a 100 dollar bill.
"here, you should just buy the tank while you're out. no sense in me ordering it now. the book said they do well in a 10-20 gallon tank."
Sebastian nodded at you, taking the 100 and putting it in his back pocket. "alright. well... I'll be off." he walked onto the bus, and you watched him hand the driver his ticket and walk to the back, taking a window seat. you started on your way back home once the bus left, and after a bit, you made your way back to the cabin. you sat back at the table you started your main project today and looked at it with a lot less enthusiasm than before. with a sigh, you pulled yourself up and instead sat in front of the little tank with the frog, watching it closely.
"I think I'll call you lucky."