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Chapter Text

"This is my aunt, Lilianne!"

The blonde said as he shows the gorgeous woman standing behind him.

The woman, once revealed, was waving at the people her nephew introduced her to; one of them was Sebastian, who was completely uninterested. He thought she was too... overrated. Sebastian didn't think that anyone would be that good of a person that almost everyone in town became friends with her in just 2 days; Sebastian was baffled by the popularity this woman gained in just those two days. If he were to guess, he would've thought she would be like her older brother, Sam's father, Kent, who was always so serious even outside the battlefield. But, no, this goofball sunshine was different from Kent. She was too much of an extrovert and Sebastian thought of her as burdensome.

--

Sebastian snuck out of the saloon once again during one of Sam's dramatic cries about losing to him. Sam could cry and whine about losing so many times, but Sebastian would never let him win. It wasn't fun whenever the blonde teenager wasn't struggling or flustered. The recluse teenager liked seeing people red and frantic under pressure. He knew Sam's cries would last about 30 minutes; it would give him time to sneak a little cig session from time to time without his parents knowing. His family always told him not to smoke ever since his mom caught a box under his bedframe. He knew how mad his parents would get, especially Demetrius. He knew his stepdad was always watching over him since he was his only son. Still, he needed to breathe. Ironically, breathing meant having a smoke every once in a while.

Sebastian took a stick out from his box, he placed it on his mouth and began to look for his lighter.
"Ah, damn, where is it?..." He muttered impatiently as his hands ran over his pants, feeling for a lighter to burn away his sorrows. 5 minutes pass, and Sebastian began grumbling and grunting in irritation at his lack of a lighter. Just then, his cigarette was lit by a stranger. He looks up to see who it was, only to see the silhouette of a woman, blocked by the lights. Only when she moved to lean against the wall beside him did he notice that it was Lilianne. "...Thanks.." The teenager murmured to the older woman. It irritated him again that she only chuckled in response. He didn't like it when people were too giddy.

"...Why do you try so hard?" He suddenly blurted out, bringing an abrupt stop to Lilianne's giggles. He could see her turn her head to look at him, though her expression was unreadable. Normally, Sebastian's blunt and judgemental behaviour pissed people off, even Abigail at first, but Lilianne simply let out a small chortle. "Why do you try so hard?" She replied on a playful note. Sebastian was shocked. What the hell was this lady saying? Did she have a shot too many? Her giggles were getting on his nerves and her answer to his question only served to confuse and irritate him further. "What do you mean, lady?" He asked gruffly, blowing the smoke away as he stares at her, his brows furrowing as he awaited her answer,

"I mean... like... Why are you trying so hard to be like a grown up? C'mon, kid, you look like you're still wet behind the ears. You're too young to be having that much nicotine intake in your system." Lilianne suddenly spoke, grabbing the cigarette from him, now resting in between her fingers. "I always hated the smell of nicotine. It reminded me of when my older brother used to sneak smoking sessions when I was younger." She suddenly revealed to him, flicking the cigarette away and stomping on it. "Does the smell remind you of anyone?" Lilianne followed up, looking at him again.

"What?" Once again, Sebastian was surprised. How did she know? He was reminded of the past he so desperately tried to bury and forget. The smell of nicotine... It reminded him so much of his dad. His dad may not have been perfect, and he may have left Sebastian and his mother, but Sebastian felt as if his dad was the only person that understood him. He would always listen to the music Sebastian made and watch the programs Sebastian would code whilst he smoked in the room. Even as a boy, Sebastian knew his dad was always proud of him no matter what he did. These cigarettes and their smell are one of the only things that Sebastian has left of his dad. "How did you-" He couldn't even continue his sentence anymore. For years, everyone would always just be telling him to quit smoking and scold him for it; Lilianne was the only one to ask him why he does it.

Tears priced his eyes and he sighs, looking down at the ground. "...Maybe.." He mumbled.

Maybe Sam's aunt wasn't that bad after all...

Chapter Text

Sebastian cried on her shoulder at being reminded of his childhood and father. Lilianne held him close and stroked his back, providing comfort as she gently crooned and hummed. "There, there..." She cooed as if he were a baby in her arms. At any other moment, Sebastian would've complained to her about treating him like he was a baby, but at this moment, he was more than willing to receive this treatment. He gripped tightly on the back of her shirt as he sobbed, the nicotine from his breath stayed on the fabric. Years' worth of this recluse bad boy facade was lifted off him like a sheet. He felt lighter; Lilianne was there to help him. He started to understand why everyone liked her.

"I miss my dad..." He cried, burying his face in the crook of her neck, receiving more strokes on his back. The teenager never cried in front of anyone, not even when he fell off a cliff during one of his drives. Sebastian had never shed a tear before this. His heart was hard and cold, but it easily melted with the simplest sign of care and affection for him. No wonder he fell for Abigail before. She was always so friendly with him, but she never liked him that way. His heart grew colder and hardened further at everyone's judgment and criticism. Now, it rested softly in his chest, enveloped by Lilianne's warmth. "I know, buddy... I'm sorry... I'm here to listen if you want." Lilianne offered politely, now leading him to sit on the bench.

--

After a while, Sebastian settled down and didn't dare to look her in the eye. He couldn't believe he just bawled over a simple question. It was unlike him to do so. Everyone always thought he was ruthless and rude and that nothing could break him. In a way, he appreciated that Lilianne didn't see him as such. "You wanna talk about why you cried, buddy?" Lilianne asked kindly. She places a hand on his back, rubbing it. He almost cried again, but he shot back his tears and mumbled "I'm fine" in the least convincing way possible. Not surprisingly, Lilianne didn't buy it. She grabbed him by the shoulders and made him look at her. "I just want you to know that it's alright to cry, ok? You don't always have to fit into your mold. It's what makes people beautiful." She assured him. Sebastian started to see the charm through her looks. It wasn't her model face, her big chest, her plump butt, or anything that made people like her. It was because of her heart, so big and full of love. Her bright yellow eyes brightened by the minute as he stared at her. Did he smoke marijuana? He felt like he was on a high. He looked at the discarded cigarette of his and confirmed it was just a normal cigarette. Then why did he feel so happy? He couldn't answer that either. Sebastian felt dazed, he looked up at her, then at the street light. He sighed and rested his head on her shoulder.

--

Sebastian got up early in the morning the next day.

Last night, Lilianne sent him back to his room in the basement. She stayed with him, offered him water to relieve his tears, and listened to him before he went to sleep. He couldn't help but start to think of her as his favorite person at the moment.

He looked at the alarm and noticed that it was only 5 in the morning. It would be 3 more hours before he would have to go to school. Sebastian shut it off and groggily sat up on his bed. The basement's cold atmosphere always brought him a sense of comfort. After a few minutes of staring blankly, Sebastian got up and stretched a little to at least say he had some exercise.

He went to the bathroom and started brushing his teeth to rid his breath of any hint of nicotine. God knows Demetrius will lecture him about this again and how he should do it every once in a while only if he can't stop.

He looked into the mirror, its surface reflecting his pale and tired face. He sighed and washed his face before heading to the kitchen for breakfast.

--
"Morning, Sebby!" Maru exclaimed to him as she read a book in the living room.

Sebastian flinched, not expecting his younger sister to be awake at this time. "U-uhuh... Mornin', Mars..." *He ruffled her head and went to the kitchen to get some cereal.

Even for the emo boy, his sister gave him the creeps and the occasional shock whenever she acted like she had eyes on the back of her head; acknowledging his presence even when he was behind her.

Sebastian shuddered at the thought as he poured milk on his cereal.

--
After going through with his usual routine, Sebastian quickly took a bath and changed into his usual get-up: the school uniform, some punk bracelets, and his black jacket paired with boots.

He got out of the house to see his usual gang: Abigail, Victor, and Sam, all in their uniforms, waiting for him.

Usually, they walked a far distance to go to school since the buses and other vehicles would either be unavailable or too busy at this time of day.
--

"Hey, let's go! My aunt Lilianne is driving us today!"

Sam exclaimed.

With Lilianne's name mentioned, Sebastian immediately shot up and looked at Sam.

"Really? She'd be willing to drive us?"

He asked skeptically, but Sam immediately nodded and started leading his friends downtown. They were greeted by the sight of Lilianne wearing a tank top and some denim shorts which made her body stick out even more. He could see Victor and Abigail staring; both for different reasons; one was admiring, and one was envious.

"Hey, kiddos! Let's go or else you'll be late!" Lilianne says energetically before opening her car doors and getting in the driver's seat. Sam immediately called shotgun. The others groaned as they reluctantly sat in the back.

--

Lilianne dropped them off at their school. After they all thanked her and went inside, Sebastian stayed behind to talk to her.

"Hey..."

He mumbled shyly, kicking a small pebble with his shoe.

"Hey, Seb!" Lilianne replied with a smile. "Feeling better?"

"Mm..." He nodded vaguely, looking away from her.

"Have a great day at school, Seb." She added as she pats his head.

"U-uh..." He nodded again, heading towards the building.

"Go get 'em!" She exclaims happily, even if the boy didn't respond.
--

"Dude, took you long enough!"

"Why are your cheeks so red?..."

"Yeah, are you sick?"
--
"Uh... I think it's just because it's winter..." Sebastian mumbled back to the three.

Chapter Text

It has been months since Lilianne first stayed here. Sebastian had slowly but surely become her friend. Every day, when he'd come over to Sam's house, it wasn't just for band practice or to play video games; he also looked forward to seeing Lilianne now. He admired her even though Sam sometimes called his aunt a slacker since she had only moved in here because she didn't have a job in the city. It was a general fact that Sam's aunt had the worst luck with men; her exes were always perverts, cheaters, brutes, ex-convicts, divorcees, gold-diggers, and beaters. It was unorthodox when the fact that she was a fashion model in the city and was quite popular was taken into thought.

--

Today, he came over in hopes of running into his best friend's aunt again. He was greeted by Sam, eating toast while watching TV with his younger brother, Vincent.

"Hi, Seb!" The ginger-haired boy exclaimed, running to hug the recluse's leg. He giggled loudly and tried to climb up.

"Hey, Vin.." Sebastian said, his voice unusually soft as he picked the kid up. The sight was foreign to the blonde eating toast; seeing that he dropped the said toast on the ground.

Sebastian sat next to his best friend and decided to watch the film with him as Vincent sat on his lap.

"I didn't know you were a fan of children," Sam comments skeptically, squinting and eyeing his friend. Sebastian scoffs and rolls his eyes playfully before landing a soft punch to his friend's arm.

"I wasn't... My preferences changed recently." He reasoned sheepishly, still playing with Vincent.

"Why?"

"I don't know... I just did.." Sebastian replied, which was a lie.

He started to be fond of children ever since that one day;

--

He found Lilianne with the kids one day, sitting on the grass, playing with them and making them laugh. Wanting to spend time with his favorite person, he joined in and started to see a different side of playing and spending time with kids. He didn't know why he felt like his heart was going to explode every time he was in proximity to her. He found out about a new side of her; she was 22, 4 years older than him, and she was the type of woman who wanted to start a family. She was a family woman. That was why she was so close to kids.

--

"So... where's Lilianne?" Sebastian asked, noticing the absence of that loveable ball of sunshine.'

"She's taking a bath," Sam replied nonchalantly as he watched the film, unaware that It placed an ugly thought in his friend's head. Sebastian flushed a shade of red darker than Vincent's shirt. His reaction was so prominent it didn't escape Sam's gaze. The blonde raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you blushing or are you sick?"

"I'm not..." He mumbled, turning his face away.

Vincent immediately got off Sebastian's lap and ran to the bathroom door. He knocked and began to cry, "Auntie Lili, I have tuh pee!"

The knocking and the pleas to open the door bugged Sebastian. He walked to Vincent and went to knock for him. His hand went up to knock on the door, but it opened before he got the chance to do so. He was greeted by the sight of Lilianne, wet and towel-clad. "Oh, hey, Sebby!" The older woman giggled, not minding their situation right now. "Go take pee-pee, Vinny." She told her nephew kindly as he ran inside to relieve himself.
.
"U-uh...Uhm..." The emo turned into a fumbling mess once more, his eyes darting all over her body before he decided to set his gaze on the floor.

"I'm just gonna go change, okay?" Lilianne announced. Once he nodded sheepishly, she went to her room.

--

While Sebastian, Abigail, and Victor were busy playing games in the living room, Sam was in the kitchen, grabbing snacks while Lilianne went out for a bit.

Sebastian, noticing Lilianne's absence once more, followed her outside in an excuse for fresh air. "Hey, where are y-"

He paused, his heart dropping to his stomach as he took in the scene before him. There was a man who looked like he came from the city, kissing Lilianne and wrapping his arms around her waist. She seemed so smitten that it broke Sebastian's heart. He started to feel scared, scared that this man would take his favorite person away like how his dad was taken away.

Lilianne, feeling another presence behind her, pulled out of the kiss and turned to look behind her. Surprisingly, there was no one there. Sebastian had rushed inside.

She's taken?...

Sebastian thought as he leaned against the wall, panting and sweating.

She's taken....

Chapter Text

"I'm moving back to the city!" Lilianne announced happily as they all hung out at the saloon.

Sebastian's heart dropped to his stomach. He wanted the world to swallow him whole.

"Are you sure, auntie? I have a bad feeling about this guy... He's the reason you moved here." Sam grumbled, crossing his arms as he gestured towards the guy ordering drinks at the bar.

"Oh, he's fine! He made the effort to apologize to me in person!" Lilianne defends, to which Abigail immediately replied, "For cheating."

Lilianne's smile shrunk sheepishly. She scratches her head and grinned. "I'm sure he's changed!"

No one agreed with her.

--

It's been 5 months since Lilianne moved back to the city with her boyfriend. She truly cared for them since she always checked up on them through calls or messages. Sebastian could admit that he appreciated her efforts, but he was still sad that she left. Her boyfriend wasn't even that good of a person. She didn't belong with a guy like that! She deserved Sebastian instead, he could only think.

--

One afternoon, Sebastian went to Sam's house to hang out.

"Hey, dude, got the things you asked for-" Sebastian greeted, grocery bags in hand as he took his shoes off.

He was startled by loud sniffling and some shushing noises in the living room. His head snapped towards the source to find his favorite person, back in town, where she's meant to be.

His eyes brightened, and his heart started to beat once again. "L-lilianne.." He uttered. Before he could notice, his feet started moving on its own, treading lightly as he approached the crying woman, being comforted by his friends.

He wraps his arms around her, offering her comfort like the others did.

"He- He got another woman pregnant...!" Lilianne cried, hugging Sebastian back as they all tried to console her.

Sebastian sighed, rubbing her back. "Fooled, once again..."

Chapter Text

"Come... Follow me... Take my hand and be careful.." He says softly as he offers his hand.

"Oof!- why do we have to go through so much for just a picnic, Seb?" Lilianne asks as she struggles to climb up the hill.

"Just wait! It's a beautiful scenery." Sebastian told her as he pulls her up with all the strength he had in his upper body. Mind you, he was very lanky.

--

"Oh, wow! It really is beautiful here! How did you find it?" Lilianne asked as she sat down on the sheet he laid down on the grass. She looks around, her gaze full of wonder and admiration.

There came two birds on their blanket while they sat together. One was a pink lovebird, like Lilianne, and one was a raven, reminding Sebastian of himself.

"Oh, how lovely..." Lilianne crooned as she watches the birds fly up to a branch. To their surprise, the two of them spot the raven and the lovebird with their hybrid chicks.

"Oh? Such a cute little one!" Lilianne exclaimed, taking a picture of the family with her camera. Sebastian watched in awe. He loved seeing her so happy; even if it was because of birds.

As he watched, he heard a whisper, "Make your move... You're all alone..." He turned around and saw no one else. It was just the two of them. Did he smoke marijuana? No, it couldn't be. He's been clean ever since she came back.

He started to feel nauseated. He looks at the older woman and got behind her, leaning on her back "Mm... I don't feel well..." He mumbled, wrapping his arms around her waist. Lilianne, of course, was surprised by his sudden intimacy.

"Sebby, what happened? Are you..." Lilianne started feeling nauseated too, hearing the same whisper the recluse did.

"I-I love you, Lilianne.." Sebastian blurted out, grabbing her face and placing a big kiss on her lips.

Her eyes widened and she pulls away. "Hey... You're just a kid. I can't do this... Not with you... Not right now..." She says, distancing herself from him.

"Please, Lilianne, I can handle it." Sebastian pleaded, grabbing ahold of her hand. "I-I wanna do it. With you. Please. Even if it's just this once. No one has to know." Sebastian teared up, looking down at his lap. "Don't leave me.." he mumbled, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

"A-are you sure?..." She asks hesitantly, gripping the hem of her dress with a look of conflict on her face.

"M-mhm.." Sebastian nodded, grabbing ahold of her skirt too and pulling it up.

--

Lilianne woke up. She was still in the forest, but she was only wearing Sebastian's jacket. She looks around and saw the 19 year old, shirtless and staring off into the distance while sitting on the cliff.

"S-seb... What are you doing?..." Lilianne asked, attempting to stand up, but failing. She instead crawls to sit beside him. The teenager turned to look at her. His expression softened at her condition. Sebastian wouldn't admit it straight to her face, but he loved seeing her wearing nothing but his jacket.

He wraps an arm around her and pulls her closer to himself. "Just thinkin'," he answered after a short few seconds.

"About what?" Lilianne looks up at him.

"You and I. And those damn birds from earlier." He sighed, which effectively made Lilianne chuckle, kissing his cheek. "Why are you thinking about the birds from earlier?"

"Because... It reminded me of you and I..." He mumbled shyly, looking away. "What? I didn't hear you." Lilianne said, getting closer to hear him better. Sebastian took this as a chance to grab her and kiss her again, pulling her down with him on the grass. After a few minutes, she pulls away again and giggles. "You're such a bad kisser."

"Then I guess I need more practice with you, huh?" He retorted playfully, kissing her again.

--