Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Prologue

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              The soft rumbling of the train on its track, the sun beating down through its glass windows, and the whirr of people chatting was both relaxing yet almost overwhelming. You were sitting in one of the booths with your head against a window, watching the trees race by. While it wasn’t the first time you were out of Zuzu city, this time was different.

              Grandpa had passed on and left you with his deed to the piece of land he owned in a place called “Pelican Town.” He was right, you needed a change from the monotonous life you had grown accustomed to. Every day was the same. Get up, get changed, brush your hair and teeth, maybe even eat some breakfast, go to work, come home, get changed, go to bed. This happened in a loop, over and over again. You didn’t even talk to anyone outside of the occasional “hellos” at the office.

              “Your sales are drastically down this month; you know that is unacceptable. If you do not make at least twice the amount by the end of the month, I am going to have to write you up again.”

              Your mind thought back to last day as an employee of Joja corp. Your boss is laying into you about something as stupid as sales. You had already sold more than what was expected of your other coworkers but since you had a track record of going above and beyond, more was expected of you, not that you even got paid more than cohorts.

              “I quit.” This shot out of your mouth before you could even think about it. The moment you realized that you had done that while staring into the dead eyes of your superior. Your heart began to beat hard against your chest, so hard that if you were to look down and see it on the floor you wouldn’t be shocked.

              Your boss, on the other hand, stood there dumbfounded. “What?” His tone taking a complete 180, There is no going back now. “I quit as in I am leaving this shit job and going somewhere else for employment. I am throwing in the towel, tapping out, taking a forever vacation, whatever you want to call it. I am leaving.” While you spoke confidently, you were nervous. Normally you just did whatever this tyrant of a boss said and kept your head down, but getting grandpa's letter you knew you just had to change.

              “You can’t leave us, what if we gave you a few extra vacation days and a two-gold raise?” He all but got on his knees to beg. What happened to the man who was scolding you over being below expectations? While a part of you felt bad for leaving your coworkers to pick up your slack, you didn’t even know any of their names. Not your problem anymore. You turned around, went to your cubicle, grabbed your bag and left. Joja didn’t allow its workers to have any pictures or any personal items, so it’s not like you were leaving anything of value behind anyway.

              The trains breaks started to squeal as it pulled into the station, effectively pulling you out of your well-timed flash back.

              “Current Stop: Pelican Town; Stardew Valley” The train conductors voice rang over the intercom.

              “This is it; this is my stop.” You thought to yourself. After taking a deep breath you stood up, grabbing your small suitcase from the overhead rack and heading to the closest door. You were the only person getting off at this stop, which you expected but you still felt as if everyone’s eyes were on you.

              The sun was much brighter now that you were off the train, squinting your eyes you noticed a grey-haired man before you, a huge smile hung on his mustached face.

              “Welcome to Pelican Town (Y/N)!” He exclaimed rather cheerily, taking you back. Back in Zuzu city, people weren’t nice. They wouldn’t even look at you half the time so this alone was quite a culture shock. “I understand this is quite the change of scenery, but I wholeheartedly believe that you will soon find yourself loving our little town here. The folks are nice, the nature is beautiful and it all relaxing.”

              You offered a small smile; you could get used to this. The air here was so fresh, the grass was actually green!

              “Here, let me show you to your grandfathers- I'm sorry, I mean YOUR farm” He laughed at his mistake before starting to lead you to the farm. “The name’s Lewis and I am the mayor of Pelican Town; I have been for about twenty years now! Your grandfather was a dear friend and companion of mine. I am excited to see what you do with that old farm; it has been years since anyone has done anything with it! Hopefully, it will bring some agriculture back to our little town.”

You nod along, taking in the scenery and nature as you followed behind him. Everything was so bright and colorful. There was no smoke or building jam-packed together. Just this beautiful open air. It was so refreshing, both physically and mentally.

              Once you made it to the farm, it was almost as if the sun was waiting for you to get there because when you did, the clouds parted, and the sun’s rays washed over the vast farmland. Its golden morning light bathing over the treetops and an old greenhouse in the distance.

              “Your home should have everything you need in it, as well as a few parsnip seeds to get you started, courtesy of what was left of our agricultural fund. Robin will be by tomorrow to give you a tour.” You nod, thanking him for the starter parsnip seeds before he turned tail and left you alone. Setting your suitcase on the rickety old porch, you sat down on the steps, staring at all the nature that surrounded you.

              It was about time for a new beginning.

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Chapter One: Through the Mountains and onto the Beach

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             “Ugh…”

              You sit up in bed, the suns morning rays shining in through the windows of the cabin promptly waking you up at about six in the morning. It was rather cold in the cabin and the thought of getting out of this warm and oh so cozy cocoon was absolutely dreadful. BUT with a new path in life, unfortunately that means a new routine and a new sleep pattern. Farmers wake up early for a reason and lucky for you, a new farmer, you now have to wake up in the early morning.

              After getting yourself dressed into some decent work clothes, you set out onto your farm. You made good headway yesterday in clearing out a lot of the debris in front of the cottage you now call your home, even finding time to plant the fifteen parsnip seeds that were gifted to you by the mayor. While you were watering your crops, a tall woman with long ginger hair that was pulled into a ponytail approached you, its honestly a surprise you didn’t notice her approach sooner.

              “Good morning, (Y/N)!” she called out, a smile on her face as she finally got within earshot and close enough to talk.

              “I’m Robin, the local carpenter and for today, your tour guide!” Robin looked over your hard work, while there was no fruit, or rather Vegetables, of your labors yet, it seemed that she was already proud of just having someone return some life to the valley.

              You introduce yourself to her despite the other already knowing your name, but this was just to be nice. You dusted yourself off and cleaned up a little before following Robin on the tour.

              Walking past the dilapidated bus stop and into town, you take in the sights and listen to the woman talk about a brief rundown of some of the town’s history. Robin would walk you into every building and introduce you to their respective tenants, there were a lot of names to remember and a lot of faces, but at least it's not like in your old life where you had no human interaction so at least that’s something.

              You walked through town and started to head to the mountains where Robin had said that she and her own family lived, when you finally saw it.

              A big, ugly, and horrendously blue building with a neon sign that read “JOJA MART.” You felt your skin crawl, heart feeling as if it has sunk so deep that it was in the center of the earth, leaving your chest feeling like a hollow cavity.

              “No no no nonono-” you thought to yourself. “This can’t be happening” but it was. Rationally, you knew that there was no way that Joja followed you here on purpose because you had JUST quit not too long ago, it wasn’t enough time for them to build a fully functional building and hire the staff to run the store in that short amount of time…Right?

              You can’t help but feel an absolute feeling of dread, looking at the haunting ghost of your past looming over you, tainting your new life and freedom, ruining the safe feeling you had started to acquire.

              Before you could spiral even more, Robin placed a comforting hand on your shoulder, massaging the back of it with her thumb for a second. “What an ugly sight for sore eyes.” she said, echoing your earlier thoughts, her own face contorting into a look of disgust. “It was just built up recently and they are trying to run Pierre out of business, and they aren’t even trying to hide it. Honestly, it’s just flat out pathetic if you ask me. Don’t give them the satisfaction of ruining your life here, hon. It's just not worth it.”

              The carpenters pep talk did make you feel better, a bright smile retuned to your face as you stood up straight again. “You’re right, Robin. I am not going to let something like this get me down. I have much better things to attend to and that corporation is NOT my life anymore!” you exclaimed, placing your hands on your hips, looking down at the blue building.

              Robin mirrored your smile with one of her own before giving you a hefty pat on the back and continuing to walk up the path to the mountain, you could tell in your heart she was a good mom.

              After taking the mountain tour and taking in the beautiful views, it was more around midday and the sun was shining brightly down on the valley, washing it in a luminous glow. The copper haired carpenter took you back through town, unlike earlier there were more people out and about, Robin said hello to everyone, and you waved. It wasn’t long until you arrived on the beach.

              The sand grains were a warm orange, and the water was a clear blue, the sun reflecting off its rushing waves as the pair approached the wooden docks that sat over the ocean’s translucent surface. Each step they made caused the wood to squeak out a little whine, which was only mildly concerning.

              As Robin rambled on about the docks structure and wood as well as general information about this area, your eyes fixate on the figure at the end of the dock. Long amber waves trail down a stark red jacket, waving ever so gently in the seas breeze. Was this… a man or a woman...? It was honestly hard to tell from far back, especially since the jacket hid any type of figure they could have had. But as you drew closer to the edge of the dock, the figure turned about face toward them.

              To your surprise, it was a man! He stood before you with sun-kissed skin and a very strong jawline. He was the very definition of a handsome man and that took you by surprise a little. Sure, there was a lot of attractive people here, but this man had the potential to be a supermodel! Before you could think on this too long, the mysterious man spoke.

              “Ah, Robin. Good afternoon, it is quite the surprise to see you so far from the mountain, I would inquire why you are in my neck of the woods today, but I believe I already know why that is.” He turns to lock his emerald green eyes with your own, his smile only deepened as he held his tanned hand out to you. “You must be the new farmer that was rumored to be moving into our lovely valley! I am Elliott, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

              The sun was hitting his long sunset waves at just the right angle to make it look as if he was glowing before you as you took his hand to shake. Robin excitedly cut in to tell him your name, resulting in him raising your hand to his lips, barely grazing your knuckles before he lowered it again, placing his other hand on top of it now. “Ah, (Y/N). What a glorious name indeed. Truth be told I find this rather amusing as it was on my list of names to use for the novel, I have devoted my time to writing. Perhaps this is a sign~” Elliott joked, now letting go of your hands.

              After a long while of you three talking, the sun started to fall into the hours of evening but before sunset. Robin laughed upon seeing the time, saying she should probably head home to cook dinner for her family.

              “My my, is it supper time already? Time truly does fly, does it not? Well, do find yourself home safely, both of you.” Elliott mused as you guys start to head off after saying your goodbyes, until-

            “(Y/N)!” Elliott called, raising his hand to wave, at this point you were off the docks. You turn back to look at him. “I look forward to getting to know you, please, do not be stranger!” He chuckled, his voice almost sounding distant as you return it back with your own laugh “I won’t! I promise!”

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Chapter Two: Friday Nights at the Saloon 

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             Days had passed since Robin showed you around the valley, every morning you woke up and tended to your crops. After selling off your parsnips you were able to afford some more crops like potatoes and green beans, which Pierre assured you would be worth their investment.

              You often went on walks around the valley since you still didn’t have enough chores yet to take up so much of your day, each day you visited a different part of the valley. Yesterday you fished on the docks, the day before you foraged in the forest, and now you have spent today in the mines. This was a good method of getting gold a little faster thanks to finding gemstones, but since it was physically taxing you didn’t mine that often but today the fortune teller on the television Lewis had provided you said that the odds were in your favor today.

              By the time you got out of the mines, the sun was setting on the horizon, basking you in its golden glow. “Sheesh, I must have been in there for longer than I thought” you thought to yourself before heading back to your farm. Once arriving you empty your pockets into the shipping bin, as you took each item out, examined and tossed it in, your mind began to wander. It was a Friday night, and you weren’t doing anything fun, “Didn’t Lewis say something about how every Friday most of the townsfolk were at the saloon?” you asked yourself. After a few moments you were able to recall that he did say something about that a few days ago. Seeing as you got all your chores and goals done for the day, you decided to go, but not before getting changed into some proper “going out” clothes, which were nicer than your work clothes that everyone typically saw you in. After cleaning yourself off, you set off towards the Stardrop Saloon!

              Upon entering, you were greeted with a jaunty tune playing off the old jukebox in the room as well as the sound of clattering dishes and the bustle of people chattering. People were paired off and sitting in spots that you would assume would be the same spots that they would always sit in. It was a lot to take in and you felt like an outsider until Emily spotted you “Hey! Welcome in, come take a seat at the bar!” The blue hair woman shouted, a huge smile plastered on her face, who were you to say no? You sauntered up to the wooden bar and took a seat on one of the red cushioned barstools, praying you weren’t taking someone’s unassigned-assigned spot. Everyone greeted you as you had walked by, making you feel rather welcomed. Once you were seated, the tailor walked over and leaned on the top of the bar. “What are ya havin’? Your first drink is on the house thanks to it bein’ your first time in here.” She smiled; you looked around at what everyone else seemed to be having. There didn’t seem to be a menu here so you assumed they wouldn’t have the same thing as the fancy bars you seemed to have wound up in while in Zuzu city.

              “If you’re unsure, I suggest one of Gus’ infamous beers he has on tap. Beer is not my normal drink of choice, but I must admit, this beer is some of the best alcohol I have ever had.” Elliotts voice suddenly spoke from behind you, causing you to whip around and look at him. He stood there, his red coat was on the coat rack leaving the man in his white button-down shirt that had the collar unbuttoned, his bright green necktie loosened, both of which leaving his neck and a little of his collar bones slightly exposed. His long ginger waves cascaded around his shoulders like an amber waterfall.

              It felt as if you were staring at him for a while, then you remembered Emily was waiting for your order. You turned back to the smiling woman. “Well, I guess I'll have a glass of beer then.” You finally gave her an answer as Elliott took the stool beside you. “Make that two, dear Emily” he tacked on. She nodded and scurried off to get a few more people’s orders so she could get the whole saloon’s drinks all at once.

              A beat passed before he spoke again, “I was not expecting to see you here tonight, (Y/N).” Elliott laughed a little, “I expected that you would be busy building up your farm or doing whatever it is that farmers do during the evening hours. I guess I was incorrect in that assumption, hm?” You couldn’t help but smile weakly “Well, I did work, I just don’t have enough farm work to take up the majority of my day, so I spend the rest of it doing things around the valley.” He nodded, humming a little.

              “You know, I just moved here recently as well, only a year before you come to town.” He started; you wouldn’t have expected that thanks to how he talks to everyone it was as though he’d known them forever. “Except when I first moved in, I kept to myself for a long time, unlike yourself. I stayed in my little cabin day to night every day. It was not until Leah came to my cabin and introduced herself to me that I started to integrate into society.” Elliott chucked a little to himself before shaking his head. “I would most likely be a hermit if someone did not come to rip me out of the monotonous routine I had built for myself”

              You tilted your head a little as you turned to look at him, resting your elbow on the stool. “What were you doing in there, day in and day out?” You asked, a smile grew across his lips, seemingly excited that you even asked. “Well… you see, I moved to Pelican Town to finally work on my novel, I am an author… Or at least I hope to be someday, I suppose at the moment I am just a mere writer. I moved here to get a fresh start, new sights and hopefully some inspiration. So far, it has been much needed, and it is working, but in the early days nothing changed due to me locking myself inside to force myself to work despite not being inspired. But now, I can say with great confidence that I am making progress!”

              Elliott spoke with so much passion it was admirable. Not a lot of people can truly get fired up over their personal hobby and work. The taller turned to make eye contact with you, his emerald greens locking with yours as he asked, “So, what made you come to Pelican town? There must be more to the story than just up and deciding to take over your late grandfather’s farm.” You nodded softly, “Well, my story isn’t as interesting as yours. I got sick of my dead-end job that had unreasonably high expectations for the pay I got… so I just… quit.” You laughed weakly, looking over Elliotts sculpted face for any sign of how he felt about that situation, whether he was taken aback, disappointed or-

              “That is just splendid! If a career is not treating you with the respect you justly deserve then it only makes sense for you to resign! You say that it is not an interesting story, but I believe it is, not a lot of people have the willpower or strength to stand up for themselves!” His face had almost lit up and he gave a supportive smile that made your face heat up a little bit.

              What was this feeling, why did knowing that the man before you supported your decision make your face hot??? Were you developing feelings for Elliott? You hardly even know him, that was so silly! But you must admit, he is rather easy to talk to. He is kind and sweet, obviously he was caring and rather intelligent as well. On top of it all, he was handsome, which isn’t a necessity, but it was rather nice, so you weren’t complaining.

              Before you could say anything in return, Emily placed two tall glasses of beer in front of you guys. Its foam peeking out over the top of the glass, delicately balanced. “Here you guys go! Two Gus specials, enjoy!” You both thank the blue haired woman as she zipped away to give everyone else their respective beverages. You carefully pull the overfilled glass close to you, ready to sip some of the yellow beverage before the writer next to you lifted his glass up in your direction, “To your fresh beginning and new life!” he toasted in your honor, in response you carefully lifted your drink as well, “And to your novel!” Elliott smiled in response to your toast, his tanned face now dusted with a soft red hue, “To us!” he cheered, as you echoed it back before clanking your glasses off each other’s and taking a long sip.

              The night carries on in this cheery manner, you chat with Elliott throughout the night. Both of you having beer after beer, it's hard to stop when you are caught up in a lively conversation and having a good time. After so long, you start to feel a little drunk, tipsy even. Your body was warm, and you were just having a good time listening to Elliott talk.

              The jukebox clicks as the song changes into an upbeat tune, the amber haired man stood from his stool and held his hand to you. “Dear (Y/N), might I have this dance?” he asked, a goofy smile plastered on his face, “Why of course Elliott, I am delighted you asked,” you laughed a little as you also stood up. He took your hand gently in his, leading you away from the wooden bar and more towards a cleared area. The taller guided your hand to his shoulder before placing his own hand on your hip, your other hand stayed intertwined with his. “Just follow my lead, alright?” He said, squeezing your hand a little. 

              You nod and with that, Elliott leads you in a semi-complex dance. You could see Robin and her husband also dancing on the other side of the bar, but they were just doing the basic couples dance of swaying back and forth. You didn’t know what Elliott was having you do, you just hoped you weren’t making a fool of yourself even though you occasionally stepped on his toes. After a few moments you understood that there were just three steps to it. Now getting the hang of it, Elliott chuckled. “Now you are getting it, I knew you could~” he praised, causing you to once again blush.

             This whole understanding didn’t last long when Elliott would throw in the occasional move of twirling you around, each time he giggled which could be why he kept doing it. It was fun and your smile was so bright each time! As the song drew to a close, the man asked, “Are you ready?” And you knew EXACTLY what he was about to do, you gave a firm nod as a look of pure determination painted your face. In the final moment of the song, Elliott twirled you away from him, still holding your hand and using it to twirl you back in, just to lead you into a deep dip! His forearm pressed against the small of your back and its hand holding your side as his other hand caught your ankle. The writer's face was just mere inches from yours, both of you were panting and your face was now a very dark red either from his close proximity or the copious amount of beer you consumed.

             Before you could do or say anything you could hear a few people in the saloon clapping and a supported “Woo!” You are assuming that came from Robin. Elliott gently put your leg down and stood you back up and you couldn’t stop giggling, “That was fun!” You exclaimed, perhaps a little too loudly. It was hard to tell, with all the movement it was like all the alcohol was finally catching up to you. “It was rather delightful, perhaps next week we should dance again, but maybe before we partake in the beers as much as we did tonight.” He chuckled and you nodded eagerly.

             The sun-kissed man left you for a moment and headed up to the bar for a moment before returning back to you. “If you would allow me, I would like to walk you home. It is a lengthy walk from here to your own cabin and it's rather late.” His emerald eyes were filled with care and concern at the idea of you walking yourself home. While you have been more intoxicated before and still gotten yourself home, you couldn’t turn down Elliott, not when he looked so worried.

             When you said he could, Elliott guided your hand, so that it sat in the crook of his elbow. How classy and on brand for him. As you left the bar, the two of you said your goodbyes to everyone. The air was crisp and rather chilly, causing you to shiver a little as an initial reaction. Elliott noticed and pulled out of your linked arms, now draping his red jacket over your shoulders, he had grabbed it on the way out. You blushed and looked up at him. “It gets rather chilling at night-time here and I would you rather not catch a fever tomorrow,” he said as you guided your arms through the sleeves, once finished you linked your arm with his once again.

             The jacket smelled just as you thought Elliotts cologne would smell like, warm and comforting and had a slight smell of sea breeze. You hadn’t noticed that you were silent the whole walk home, you were just enjoying the walk and his jacket. Once you had gotten to the farm, the taller walked you up onto the porch, a soft smile still hung on his lips. When you attempted to give him back his jacket, he chuckled and shook his head. “Please, keep the jacket for now, I insist. You may give it back to me at a later date.” You thanked him and cuddled up inside it more.

             Elliott stared warmly at you for just another beat before taking a deep breath, “I shall be heading back to my own cabin now. Please do sleep well tonight (Y/N).” You nodded and assured him you were going right to bed. He hugged you for a second before backing away, saying one last goodnight, and turning around to head back to the beach.

             Once he was out of sight, you went inside your house and promptly got ready for bed. Hanging up the man’s jacket so that it wouldn't get wrinkles before all but diving under your comforters and falling asleep.