Work Text:
The rain poured in torrents from the sky, soaking Dickon and the clothes that he wore. It was in the summer, so Dickon forgone his usual T-shirt and overalls get up and instead wore a tank top and a comfortable pair of pants. Though, the rainfall had made the top Dickon wore stick to his skin, and the pants he wore felt uncomfortably heavy with how much water it had absorbed. But Dickon hardly thought about that, even as his orange hair stuck to his face, even with how undeniably ridiculous he looked walking through the town basically soaked. Dickon was on a mission, a mission to find someone. This someone had something that he wanted, this someone was the key to Dickon’s life changing forever.
The Old Mariner.
Even from when Dickon first moved into the valley, he had heard the stories of the Old Mariner. He heard it from the some of the villagers, who talked of the ghost of a sailor, who stood alone in the beach on a rainy day. From books he read the tales of a sailor who died at sea, forever cursed to roam the earth alone forever, holding a pendant that he planned to give to his lover before his tragic end. Now with nobody to go to and nobody to love, the Mariner stayed by the beach, giving a chance for others to love, an opportunity that he wasn’t given, all with a single pendant.
This very pendant was the pendant that Dickon had been searching for. This was the very same pendant that Dickon was walking out in the pouring rain for, the pendant that Dickon would happily eat void mayonnaise for, just to get it. It was all worth it, even as his clothes stuck to his skin and his shoes squeaked from how wet they were. It wasn’t about the pendant really, but what it meant. The pendant was a sign of love, a sign of requited and mutual devotion.
A sign of marriage.
Everyone in Pelican Town knew the meaning of the Mermaid’s Pendant. They knew the significance of the pendant, they knew what it represented. They knew of the stories about the pendant, and the undying devoted love that the pendant represented. If one wanted to ask for another’s hand in marriage, they would give their lover a Mermaid’s Pendant. It was practically a tradition in Stardew Valley, a tradition that Dickon had learnt while reading one of the recently found books in the library. It was funny really, the tradition of the Mermaid’s Pendant was not unlike the ornate wedding rings when Dickon still lived in Zuzu City.
Dickon knew of the stories of the Old Mariner and his Mermaid Pendant. With each passing day he learnt more and more about the culture and traditions of Stardew Valley. The stories of the Old Mariner fascinated him, so he approached the ghost, asking about the pendant that he held. Every time he asked approached the Mariner, he had told Dickon the same thing over and over again.
"I've got this old amulet to sell…but somethin' tells me yer not ready for it, lad.”
It was true, at the times Dickon had talked to the Mariner, he wasn’t ready yet. He wasn’t ready to settle down with someone each and every time he had encountered the Mariner. But now, six years after living in the valley, Dickon was ready. He had someone he intended to marry, someone he loved with all his heart.
Sebastian.
Sebastian was one of the villagers that Dickon had to introduce himself to when he first moved into his grandfather’s farm. He had met Sebastian from when he had first introduced himself to everyone in the valley. Dickon still remembered standing outside of Sebastian’s door, waiting impatiently for him to go outside, all because Dickon was too shy to barge into Sebastian’s room. When he had fully met Sebastian, he continued the tradition of waiting outside his door. Sometimes Dickon would wait hours, just to hand Sebastian a plate of sashimi or a frozen tear. It was annoying at first, but all that annoyance went away every time he saw Sebastian and the smile on his face as he was handed his favorite gifts. Eventually, Dickon was comfortable enough to barge into Sebastian’s room, and boy did he barge into his room often.
Sebastian intrigued Dickon, every part of Sebastian was interesting to him. The things he liked, his abrasive but secretly soft personality, the work that he did, it was all so intriguing to Dickon that he couldn’t help but come to Sebastian every chance he got. He would spend hours with Sebastian, listening to him ramble about nothing in particular, and he never grew bored of that. Even as Sebastian would apologize for talking so much, Dickon would urge him to continue, because he really did find what he had to say interesting. Soon, that intrigue became a blossoming friendship between the two, and not soon after that friendship…grew into something more. Dickon still remembered the motorcycle ride to the cliff, the conversation that they had for hours that only seemed to last for minutes, and the kiss that they shared.
Before Dickon knew it, he and Sebastian were officially dating.
They had started dating only a year after Dickon moved into the valley. It was delightful dating Sebastian, truly it was. Sebastian, though antisocial and at times aloof, was a very sweet and thoughtful partner. Sebastian always asked about Dickon’s day, always offered him his favorite foods whenever he came over, and never seemed to get bored whenever Dickon rambled to Sebastian about what he had done that day. Sebastian wasn’t perfect, he had his moody days where even getting out of bed was tough for him, but Dickon loved him all the same. In fact, Dickon would get in bed with Sebastian and cuddle him, hoping that it would cheer him up even just a little bit.
At some point, the thought of marrying Sebastian entered Dickon’s mind.
It was a silly thing that made that thought first pop into his head. Sebastian had offhandedly mentioned that he sometimes dreamed about living in a farm, and ever since that thought was living in Dickon’s head rent free. Sebastian wasn’t exactly subtle about it either, not with the wide goofy grin on his face as he said that, with Sam and Abigail with them! Dickon had to admit though, something about that thought was appealing, something that made Dickon unreasonably happy.
Dickon didn’t know why the thought of it made him so happy, why his heart jumped for joy whenever Sebastian would again mention dreaming of living in a farm. Though one night, as he laid in bed, looking at the empty space next to him, a space that could have been filled by someone…Dickon had realized something.
He wanted to marry Sebastian.
That was the same thought that brought Dickon to where he was now, trudging through the rain just to get some pendant.
The things people do for love.
As Dickon stepped into the beach, the sand immediately stuck to his wet boots. Dickon made a mental note to clean his boots when he got home. He walked through the beach as fast as he could, not even bothering to say a quick hello to Elliot as he passed through Elliot’s cabin. Carefully, he stepped on the bridge that led to the tide pools, trying his best to not fall into the river that led to the ocean. Thankfully he didn’t, and he let out a small sigh of relief as he stepped on the stable ground again. From where he stood, he could already see the Old Mariner, standing under one of the trees. Dickon walked over to the Mariner, making sure to avoid stepping on the tide pools.
The Old Mariner watched as Dickon walked up to him, and he smiled at him. “Hello again, lad.”
“…You know why I’m here, don’t you?”
“That I do, lad. I can see that sparkle in your eyes, ye must be head over heels in love.” The Mariner said.
Dickon reddened, embarrassed. He scratched the back of his neck. “Um…yeah. There’s someone I love, someone I want to marry, but…”
The Mariner said nothing. Instead, he took out something from his pocket, offering it up to Dickon.
Dickon was sure his voice had died out when he saw what the Mariner held in his hand.
The Mermaid’s Pendant.
It was a light blue shell, polished and glimmering, even in the rain. It was beautiful, not as beautiful as a rainbow shell or a prismatic shard, but it was beautiful in its own way. The pendant had a light silver chain tied to the shell, for what Dickon assumed to be tied to a necklace. This was what Dickon had woken up early in the morning for, this very pendant was the thing that he would use to marry the love of his life.
“…How much is it?” Dickon asked, when he had finally found his voice.
“5,000 gold.” The mariner answered.
That was a lot of gold, truly…but it was worth it.
Dickon took gold coins out of his pocket, taking the pendant and then handing the coins to the Mariner. Once he finally had the Mermaid’s Pendant, he stared down at the pendant in his hand, in awe. It was even more beautiful in his hands, as though it shone brighter when in his hands. This was it, Dickon could marry Sebastian now.
Now all he had to do was give it to him.
He looked up at the Mariner, almost hesitant.
“Um…”
"Don't be shy, now. Show that amulet to the one you intend to marry."
Dickon smiled. “…Thank you.”
“Yer welcome, lad.”
Dickon hadn’t been paying attention, already leaving the east side of the beach and making his way back to the farm. The easy part was done, and now Dickon had to deal with the hard part, the part that he didn’t exactly have a plan for.
Dickon had to find the perfect moment to propose to Sebastian.
Though, he couldn’t worry about that now. He had a lot of chores, specifically opening his concerningly big geode collection.
Dickon tried to set aside any thoughts of proposals and marriage from his mind. Though, as he walked back to the farm, he couldn’t forget the pendant that was in his pocket.
━━━━ ❰ ･ ❉ ･ ❱ ━━━━
Dickon almost always woke up at 6 AM sharp every morning, it seemed that today wasn’t one of those days. He had woken up at 3:30 in the morning, and it was odd to see how dark the sky from his bedroom window was. After watering all of his crops, feeding his dog Frank some food, and tending to his animals, Dickon decided to spend the rest of the day fishing at the beach. Ever since he had moved here, Dickon had told himself that he’d ship out a diverse range of produce, and he hadn’t sold any fish that week. And so, he made his way to the beach, greeting his fellow villagers who were somehow awake at this ungodly hour.
Though as Dickon made his way to the beach, all he could think about was Sebastian.
Over the past week, Dickon had been trying the find the best moment to propose. He never could find the right time to propose. Either one or both of them were busy, or when they were together Sam and Abigail were with them, and Dickon knew that it wasn’t wise to propose in front of his friends. Dickon also knew better than to think up of a garish over the top proposal for Sebastian, since Sebastian was a simple man who did not like over the top things, though his love for cheesy fantasy and sci-fi books and comics were an exception.
This proposal was proving to be harder than Dickon had anticipated.
Dickon let out a deep, satisfied sigh as he made it to the beach. No matter where he was or when it was, Dickon found the beach always relaxed him. He made his way to the docks, fishing rod in his hand. Though as he stepped on the wooden floorboards, he spotted a familiar blur of dark hair. Dickon only knew one person who had hair that dark. As Dickon walked up the docks, his suspicions were confirmed.
There was Sebastian, sat on the docks in front of Willy’s shop.
Speak of the emo devil.
Dickon smiled at the sight of Sebastian, though he was a little confused on why Sebastian was here, but he wasn’t exactly complaining. He walked over to Sebastian, speaking up to get the attention of his boyfriend.
“Seb?”
Sebastian turned to him, and Dickon’s heart almost flew out of his chest when he saw Sebastian’s small smile. “Oh, hey Konnie.”
“What brings you here, Sebby?” Dickon asked. “It’s pretty early, you know.”
“I dunno.” Sebastian answered with a shrug. “I guess I just wanted to…think.”
“I see…”
“Actually, why are you here?” Sebastian asked.
“I came here to fish.” Dickon replied.
“I swear Konnie, you’re addicted to fishing.”
“Hey! It’s fun, and I get money from it!” Dickon protested.
“Sure.” Sebastian said sarcastically.
Dickon glared at him. “Sebastian.”
Sebastian snickered. “We’re on full first name basis now, huh Konnie?”
“It’ll be full full name if you don’t quit it, Sebastian Mercer.”
Sebastian full on laughed.
“Ugh, I’m leaving.” Dickon said turning to leave.
“Wait a sec! Konnie!”
Dickon turned to Sebastian, though he frowned when he saw Sebastian’s face. “Dammit, Sebby! Stop laughing! This is a serious matter!”
Sebastian tried his hardest not to laugh, or even smile, though it was evident that he was struggling. “I’m not laughing.”
“You’re literally smiling.”
“Am I not allowed to smile at my boyfriend?”
“Tell me what you want, or I’m going to the tide pools to fish.”
“And maybe fall face first into one of the tide pools?” Sebastian teased.
“Sebastian!”
“Alright! Alright! Sorry!” Sebastian said, laughing. After he was done laughing, he patted the space on the dock next to him. “Why don’t you sit here with me, Konnie?”
Dickon’s expression softened. “I don’t know…”
Sebastian smiled. “C’mon, Konnie. You’re loaded, you don’t need more money.”
“I haven’t sold any fish this week…”
“C’mon, Konnie.”
Dickon sighed, though he was smiling. “Alright, I will. Just for a few hours, though.” He sat on the docks next to Sebastian. He let the tip of his boots dip into the water as he stared at Sebastian. “Besides, I only ever seem to get red snappers when I fish here in the summer.”
Sebastian smiled. “Lutjanus campechanus.”
“…Huh?”
“That’s red snappers’ scientific name, Lutjanus campechanus.” Sebastian clarified.
“Ohh.” Dickon said, now getting it. He then asked. “How do you know that?”
“Well, when I was a kid, I wanted to be a biologist. Specifically, a marine biologist.” Sebastian said.
“You did?”
Sebastian nodded. “Yeah, I did. I was obsessed with biology when I was young. Every year Mom would get me those kids biology books and I’d be so happy, but…”
“…But?” Dickon said, urging Sebastian to continue.
“I dunno, I just fell out of love with it I guess. It just…happens, you know? You fall out of love with something you used to love. You used to love doing something, but it stops being interesting to you, you don’t feel passionate about it anymore. It’s almost like…” Sebastian trailed off.
“…It’s like it stopped being magical.” Dickon finished for him.
“Exactly.”
“…Will you ever feel that way with me, Sebby?”
“Dear Yoba, no. You’ll never stop being magical to me.” Sebastian said, then adding with a grin. “Besides, you’re far from boring.”
Dickon chuckled. “Thanks, that’s comforting.”
The two stared out at the sea, Dickon resting his head on Sebastian’s shoulder as they both watched as the sun slowly rose from the horizon. The water was clear, slow and delicate waves on the water’s surfaces. The water was blue and clear, as though it was made from a bright blue crystal, and the reflections on the water only added to that effect. The sky was no less beautiful, a beautiful symphony of blues, yellows and oranges blending into each other in the morning sky. It was almost like it was from a painting, almost. It was beautiful, truly. Dickon closed his eyes, letting the relaxing sound of the waves crashing into each other lull him into a feeling of peace and serenity.
“You know…I didn’t only fall out of love with things.” Sebastian spoke up.
Dickon opened his eyes, looking at Sebastian. “What do you mean, Seb?”
“I’ve fallen in love with many things, too. You mostly, but there are other things I learnt to love.” Sebastian turned to Dickon, and the way the morning sunlight hit his face and hair made him look ethereal. “You know, I lied when I said that I didn’t know why I came here. I knew why.”
“Why did you lie?”
Sebastian shrugged. “I was embarrassed, I guess.”
Dickon nodded, then asking. “Why did you come here then, Sebby?”
“I…I wanted to see the sun rise.” Sebastian admitted.
Dickon was confused. “What? Seriously? Don’t you hate sunrises?”
“Yeah, I used to hate sunrises. I thought they were overrated as fuck too, but…” Sebastian slowly trailed off, smiling. “…Someone taught me to love sunrises, someone very special.”
“Who taught you that, Sebby?”
“…Who else in Pelican Town has bright orange hair?”
Dickon scrunched up his nose, confused. “…Leah? Your mom? Or maybe Penny?”
Sebastian laughed at that. “Yoba, no Konnie. I meant you, obviously.”
“Oh…Now that you mention it, it’s obvious.”
“Dummy.” Sebastian said with a chuckle. He then gave Dickon a smile, placing his hand over Dickon’s. “You mean a lot to me, Konnie. You really do.”
“…You mean a lot to me too, Sebby.”
As Sebastian gazed at Dickon, and Dickon gazed back, he realized something.
This was the perfect moment.
“…Sebby?”
“Yeah?”
“I want to ask you something, and it’s gonna be insane…so I don’t want you to freak out.”
Sebastian raised one of his brows. “Okay…?”
Somehow…staring into Sebatian’s eyes made everything alright, made the words tumble out of his lips easier than before. “Sebastian, we’ve been dating for five years, and I’ve loved every single second being with you. I know you don’t like bold over the top gestures, so I’ll just do this and get it over with.”
Sebastian’s eyes widened, seeming to know where this was going. He watched as Dickon took out the Mermaid’s Pendant from his pocket, eyes wide in awe as his boyfriend offered the pendant to him. The pendant’sn shiny blue surface glinted in the early morning sun, it was just as beautiful as they had said it’d be, arguably even more beautiful as it laid in Dickon’s hands. He knew what the pendant meant, what Dickon meant when giving it to him. In an instant, many emotions flooded through Sebastian, so many emotions that all he could do was stare at Dickon.
“Sebastian Mercer, will you marry me?”
Sebastian stayed silent, dumbfounded.
“…Sebby?” Dickon spoke up, and Sebastian could see the worry that crossed his face, the seeds of doubt forming in his mind.
Oh yeah, Sebastian had to respond.
“Konnie…of course I’ll marry you.” Sebastian said, taking the pendant from Dickon. He examined it carefully, taken aback by the craftsmanship of it. He then looked at Dickon, and he added jokingly. “Yoba, Konnie. I wasn’t exactly subtle about wanting to marry you.”
Dickon snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, true that. You kept asking me about living on a farm.”
“Very far from subtle.”
“Dear Yoba, you weren’t.”
Dickon and Sebastian both laughed with each other. At some point they had stopped laughing, though they never stopped smiling at each other.
“So…we’re engaged now.” Sebastian said, still in awe.
“Yeah…” Dickon trailed off, and then he burst out. “We’re engaged now!”
“Who’s engaged now?”
Sebastian and Dickon both turned to the source of the voice, seeing that it was Willy. Willy was carrying his fishing rod and a bucket, smiling at the two.
“Oh, Mr. Cutler! Um…how long have you been there?” Dickon asked.
Sebastian reddened, obviously embarrassed.
“Right about…the entire time ye were talking.”
Dickon laughed, and Sebastian looked mortified.
Willy laughed, too. “I’m just kiddin’, son! I mean, I was out here the whole time, but I didn’t catch most of yer conversation. I heard ye shouting, though.”
“To be fair, it was a loud shout.” Sebastian said.
“Very loud.” Willy agreed.
Dickon huffed out in annoyance.
“So ye two are engaged now, eh?” Willy asked.
Just hearing it was surreal, the fact that they were now engaged, though it was just as delightful.
Dickon nodded, beaming. “Yup! We’re getting married!”
“Congratulations, son! It’s been a long while since I’ve been to a wedding, I’d love to see one again, it’s been too long.” Willy said.
“True. The last people that had gotten married here is Mr. and Mrs. Chandler.” Sebastian said.
Dickon looked confused.
“Caroline and Pierre.” Sebastian clarified,
“Ohhh.”
“You really need to learn everyone’s surnames, Konnie.”
“I will! Someday.”
Sebastian gave Dickon a skeptical look.
When Willy spoke, the two turned to him. “So, what kind of wedding do ye plan to have?”
“Huge and grand!” Dickon exclaimed.
“Small and simple.” Sebastian said, at the same time.
“…Ye two haven’t exactly planned it yet, have ya?”
“Yeah…we haven’t.” Dickon said, sheepish.
“To be honest, any wedding with Konnie is the perfect wedding.” Sebastian said.
Dickon put his hands over his heart, grinning. “Aw! Sebby!”
“Buuuuut, the money you have does help.” Sebastian added.
As they all laughed together, and as Dickon saw the way Sebastian snort laughed, he knew that life was going to be different from now on. Though, despite how different life would get, he knew that their future together would be bright.