Chapter Text
The first event of the year is always the Egg Festival. Sebastian hates it. All festivals really. Too many people, too much noise, just a big commotion for an egg hunt and some gross salad. He would much rather be on his computer, his latest work project boring its way into his brain until he could only see numbers and symbols.
Abigail and Sam are each with their respective families, finishing up lunch. Sebastian never eats at this festival. Eggs gross him out too much to even be near the tables. So he's leaning against a tree, watching the people mingle. He lights a cigarette, wishing for the day to be over soon.
"This is my son, Sebastian." Robin suddenly appears next to him with two people in tow. One is the artist who lives in the woods. Sebastian doesn't really know her, and will occasionally see her at the Stardrop or by the ocean, but he can't recall a single time they've spoken.
The other person is probably the most handsome man Sebastian has ever seen. Deep green eyes, a strong jaw, and dimples when he smiles. He has long auburn hair tucked behind an ear and flowing over the other shoulder.
"You know Leah," Robin reminds him of the artist's name. "Her friend Elliott is moving to the Valley."
Elliott holds out his hand for Sebastian to shake. He does. The man's hand is large, but softer than he assumed.
"A pleasure." Elliott's voice is warm with an accent, one from somewhere overseas.
"Mhm." Sebastian drops the cigarette and stomps it out, not wanting to make an even shittier first impression. There are enough people in town who don’t like him.
From across the plaza, Mayor Lewis calls the kids to attention for the egg hunt. And the kids of course include Sam, Abigail, and Maru. Sebastian hasn't joined for years.
"Oh, Robin!" Leah perks up. "I need some work done on the cabin door. It's been closing weird. Maybe you can look at it during the hunt?"
"For sure, let's head over." She looks at Sebastian. "You'll be okay?"
Sebastian suppresses an eye roll and nods. "Whatever. I’ll be fine."
She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek, despite his protests. “And be nice to Elliott.”
“I’m always nice.” He grumbles as she walks off.
Sebastian sits down against the tree, settling in the grass. It takes him a second to realize that Elliott is still there, and getting comfortable next to him.
“Tell me about this festival.” Elliott asks, leaning back on his hands, his long legs out in front of him. His hair is hanging over one shoulder, and he’s looking at Sebastian.
“It’s the first spring festival. Egg themed. I don’t know if there’s much else to say.” Sebastian shrugs.
“You said it’s the first in spring? Does Pelican Town have a lot of festivals?”
Sebastian hums affirmatively. “A couple each season. Your, uh, Leah will probably let you know when one’s coming up.”
“I’m sure she will. What’s your favourite?”
“Festival?” Elliott nods, his green eyes sparkling. “Probably Spirits Eve.”
“Oh, why’s that?”
Elliott is watching him, smiling and waiting. Sebastian suddenly feels his mouth go dry. “Dunno, it’s fun I guess.”
The other man nods, then closes his eyes and turns his face to the warm sky. “I’m excited to experience it.”
After a moment, Sebastian pulls out his phone and starts up one of his mobile games, hoping Elliott gets bored and leaves him alone.
He doesn’t, but starts making commentary about the egg hunt. Sebastian hums a few times but it doesn’t seem like Elliott expects him to respond.
“Oh dear, I really thought she would find that one.” He says, nodding towards Jas who just completely passed by a bright pink egg in a bush.
“Good job!” He exclaims when Vincent holds up a green and yellow egg.
“The girl with the purple hair seems to be really motivated, is she always like this?”
Sebastian looks up at this comment, watching Abigail vault over a fence into the cemetery. “That’s Abigail. She’s really competitive, hasn’t lost an egg hunt in five years.”
Elliott’s brows furrow. “She seems a little old for this, shouldn’t it just be the kids?”
Sebastian huffs out a laugh. “With only the two of them? There would be no point. Welcome to the boonies.” And he turns back to his game.
Eventually Lewis blows a whistle, bringing the hunt to an end. Each participant comes up with their basket, setting it in front of the Mayor and stepping back so he could count.
Sebastian only looks up as he hears his mom and Leah approaching.
“I’ll come down tomorrow and get that fixed.” Robin says. “How was the egg hunt?”
“Very exciting!” Elliott stands up, dusting the dirt off his pants. Sebastian can't help but smirk, seeing this posh as fuck man try to subtly get grass and leaves off his butt. “They’re just counting the baskets now.”
“Abigail’s gonna win.” Sebastian says. "She always does."
Leah grins and elbows her friend. “Think you’ll join next year?”
“Can’t say I will.” He seems to hold back a grimace. “I’ll leave that to the children, don’t know if my knees can take all that.”
He turns to Sebastian now and smiles. "Thank you for letting me sit with you, Sebastian, and listening to my rambling. It was lovely to meet you and I hope to see you again soon."
"Yeah, same." Sebastian nods, not sure what else to say. He watches as the pair walk across the plaza to hear Mayor Lewis' final verdict.
Sebastian stands, moving next to his mom. He hopes the gesture gets across his want to leave.
"Well he seems nice." Robin nudges him with her elbow. "It's good to see more people coming to the town."
"Sure." Sebastian doesn’t agree. Sometimes he wishes everyone would move away, leaving Pelican Town to the ghosts. "Can I leave now, or will it still be considered rude?"
Robin sighs, but still smiles. "Go home, ignore your family."
Sebastian knows she's kidding, but it still hurts. "Promise no eggs at dinner?"
"I'll see what I can do. I don't think Demitrius brought any Tupperware, but Gus can be pushy."
"Thanks." And he leaves the town behind, ready to work on his latest project.
~~~
Elliott’s move in day goes by with only a little fanfare. It seems most people met him at the festival, but that doesn't stop everyone from talking about this new handsome man that lives on the beach and dresses like he walked out of an Austen novel.
It calms down after a month, and Sebastian rarely sees the man, just a glimpse at the saloon on Fridays. He's too busy beating Sam's ass at pool to socialize.
The Flower Dance arrives too fast for Sebastian. He hasn't left the house much this season, honestly. If he can just keep working, save up money from his freelance jobs, maybe he can move to Zuzu City by next year. That's his hope, at least.
So when his mom is knocking on his door, telling him to try on the horrid blue suit in the back of his closet before the dance tomorrow, it feels like the biggest inconvenience in the world.
“What if I don’t go this year?” Sebastian crosses his arms, knowing he sounds like a child.
“Then Abigail will have no one to dance with.” Robin says simply. She opens his closet doors and pulls out the drycleaning bag containing the suit, right where she put it after last year's dance.
“Abby doesn’t like to dance either, we’ll skip it together.”
“And leave Sam there by himself?” Robin lays the bag on Sebastian's bed, unzipping it enough to show the powder blue suit in all its horrendous glory.
Sebastian sighs. “Fine. What time are we leaving the house?”
“8:30, same as always.”
The only thing saving the day was the black button up he got to wear underneath his jacket. All the men were supposed to wear a white shirt, but after a fight a few years back, Sebastian could modify the outfit more to his tastes.
He allows Robin to pin a purple carnation to his jacket lapel, just as Demitrius pins a pink one to Maru’s pale blue dress. The family loads into Robin's truck for the bumpy drive down to Cindersap Forest.
Sebastian almost falls asleep on the way down. He’d been up far too late, banging out the last bit of code needed for his current job. He would already lose a day of work to the Flower Dance, his brain supplied around midnight, may as well power through and get it in early.
And he had. Just at the expense of a decent sleep before a full day.
The clearing is decorated with a level of familiarity that makes Sebastian's skin crawl. It looks the same as last year. And the year before. And before. And et cetera. None of the festivals ever change, not the setting or the weather or the people. Except for…
Elliott stands next to Leah, his hair tied into a simple ponytail, a daisy tucked behind his ear. They’re beside the river, both looking out at the water. Leah says something and elbows Elliott, who throws his head back and laughs.
“Alright kids, go play with your friends.” Demitrius jokes, saying the same thing he does at every festival when Sebastian and Maru start separating from their parents. Sebastian rolls his eyes, but walks over to Sam and Abigail.
Abby is pulling the fabric of her green dress away from her ribs and making a face. "I swear it's gotten itchier since last year."
"Maybe you've just gotten more sensitive." Sam says, poking her in the arm. He jumps out of her reach as she tries to retaliate.
Sam is wearing an almost identical blue suit to Sebastian. His shirt is off white, leaning pink, with the top few buttons undone.
The three of them chat for a while, picking at various salads on paper plates. Sebastian watches Jas and Vincent try their best at dancing, copying the moves Haley is practising. Not that she needs it, the dance is so simple Sebastian does it half asleep each year.
And just like every year, the dance happens with no problems. Even Elliott, who probably only learned the dance last week, gets through it just fine. He’s smirking at Leah, who curtsied so low she almost fell over. She winked at Sebatian after, so he knows it was on purpose.
Once the music ends and the audience claps, the dancers disperse. Sebastian slinks over to the treeline, pulling a folding plastic chair with him and willing the shade to cool him. It’s only spring, but the sun's warmth fills the clearing as it makes its way to the peak of the sky. Sebastian removes his jacket, sweat forming around his shirt collar.
After a while, Elliotts tall form appears next to him, a small plate of food in his hands, carrying his own folded chair.
“You’ve picked quite a lovely spot,” Elliott says, his posture perfect. His ponytail came loose at some point, and a few pieces of hair float around his face. He holds the plate out to Sebastian. “I noticed you hadn’t eaten yet. I grabbed an extra bun, though I’m afraid most of the rest requires a fork.”
Sebastian eyes the plate. Sure enough, there are two white buns. Gus probably made them fresh this morning. He slowly reaches out, watching Elliotts face as he does. The man just smiles, holding the plate still.
“...Thanks.” Sebastian finally says, taking the bun closest to him. “I had some salad before the dance though.”
“Oh.” Elliott’s smile drops a bit.
“I still appreciate it though.” Sebastian supplies quickly, then cringes. “I…I didn’t really have breakfast.”
That seems to satisfy the other man. He tries to awkwardly unfold his chair one handed before Sebastian stands up and does it for him.
They’re silent for a moment before Elliott speaks again. “Do you think I did well with the dance? I was nervous when Leah told me I should participate. Thought I would trip over my own feet at one point.”
“You did great, man.” Sebastian picks some of the crust off the bun and puts it in his mouth. “It’s really just three steps, and you seemed to have those down.”
Elliott’s smile grows. “Thank you, Sebastian. You seemed very confident during the dance.”
Sebastian's face flushes. He ducks his head to hide his red cheeks. “I have seven years experience with it, but thanks.”
“Seven years? When do they make you start?”
“Sixteen.” Sebastian sighs. “I don’t mind birthdays too much, but the day I turned sixteen and realised I would have to actually participate at the next Flower Dance was the worst day of my life.”
Elliott chuckles, a quick bubble. “I highly doubt that. It may not be your favourite activity, but there must be worse things.”
He shrugs. “Maybe not the worst, but it’s up there. Not much happens out here.”
Movement across the field draws both mens eyes. Leah is waving at them. Well, she’s waving at Elliott. Sebastian just happens to be next to him.
“My Lady calls.” Elliott stands and takes a step towards her, then stops. “It’s always lovely chatting with you, Sebastian. I hope we can do this again soon.”
“Y-yeah, man. Come say hi at the saloon some time.” Sebastian doesn’t know why he says it, but keeps going. “I’m usually at the pool table on Fridays.”
“I’ve noticed.” Elliott meets Sebastian's eyes. “And I’ll be sure to stop by.”
And he walks away, leaving the cool shade of the trees. The sun makes his hair shine, standing out against the pale blue suit. Sebastian watches him greet Leah, nod politely to the Mulners, and continue eating off his plate. He can’t seem to look away.
Why would this man want to talk to Sebastian of all people?