Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A rainy day. Freaking finally.

Haley hadn't been out of the house in, like, at least four days. Four straight days of pure summer sunshine and beautiful ocean breezes coming up from the beach, and she couldn't enjoy a second of it.

And as much as Haley hated the rain (it made her hair so Yoba-damn frizzy), she was sick of sitting in the house all the time, sick of those pitying looks Emily kept giving her, even though Emily knew she couldn't go out in the sun and knew she hated pity, especially from her own sister. So Haley tied her already-frizzing hair into a high ponytail, grabbed her camera, and headed to the park.

Last year, Haley had started selling some of her photography to save up for an apartment in Zuzu City. She'd entered contests, but she'd also done some commissions for local guidebooks and even some marketing shots for a company out in Grampleton. Usually, she liked to go down to the forest on sunny days, but since that was out of the question now, she figured a change of scenery might help her forget the mounting humidity and overcast skies.

The park benches were absolutely drenched by the time Haley got there, but the fountain ledge was surprisingly only a little wet, so she brushed what she could back into the fountain and sat down on the ledge.

Haley closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and centered herself. She could hear the sound of rain in the treetops, sense the smell of wet dirt, feel the squish of ground underneath her feet. And, of course, even though she tried to ignore it, she could hear the heartbeats.

Rapid, frenetic heartbeats of birds and squirrels, faster than any human's, even when they were resting in the treetops. Fainter, slower heartbeats of the people in town, cozied up in the shops and saloon and as far away as the library. Even the cows and sheep on Marnie's farm, their hearts beating gently as they huddled in the barn. Haley could hear all of it, from the pounding of muscle to the gush of blood as it traveled up and down each creature's body. It was so gross, but it was still music to her ears. It made her mouth water.

Ugh. She'd probably have to go out tonight.

Haley took another deep breath, trying (for now) to push all the heartbeats out of her head and the emptiness out of her stomach. She wasn't going to waste the first rainy day all week just sitting and listening.

A loud croak startled her, and her hands flew to cover her mouth to keep from screaming. 

Oh. It was just a frog.

The frog had jumped onto the fountain's ledge and sat next to her and she hadn't even noticed. Too focused on the heartbeats, she guessed. But now that her own heart rate was settling, she noticed how perfectly green the frog looked against the fountain's gray concrete. The raindrops that had settled on its back almost looked like emeralds in the gloomy afternoon light.

I guess that's one good thing about going out in the rain, Haley thought, raising her camera. I wouldn't have seen this on a sunny day.

Snapping a few more photos of the frog, Haley noticed Sebastian walking towards her well before he got close. She could hear his heartbeat, obviously, but she could also smell the motor oil and fresh-shaved wood with a hint of cigarette smoke. Still, she hadn't been expecting him to stop.

"He's handsome, yeah?" Sebastian said. "That's one of the more common species around here, but it's still one of my favorites."

Haley gasped and fumbled, almost dropping her camera in the water. Yoba, for someone with an ultra-powerful sense of smell and hearing, she sure was easy to sneak up on.

Sebastian was standing a few feet away, dressed in black from his combat boots all the way up to the umbrella he was carrying. He looked a little surprised himself, slouching under her gaze and biting the piercing in his lower lip. Which, you know, fair enough. They'd never talked back in school. Sebastian had spent all his time in the band room casting wizard spells in that stupid game with his loser friends while Haley had been busy cheering and flirting--actual fun stuff. Haley wondered why he'd stopped to talk with her now. She had always been better than him and they both knew it.

But he'd still caught her off guard. "Who's handsome?" she asked. "Do you mean the frog?"

"I, uh...yeah," he said. "I saw you taking pictures and figured you thought he was cool."

Haley shrugged. "I guess. The lighting just kind of worked."

She didn't know why she felt like she owed him an explanation. A few years ago, she would have just told him to shut up and leave her alone. But a lot had changed in the past few years. The last few months, really. Maybe she was just that desperate for basic human contact after so much time stuck inside.

"There are a ton more frogs up in the mountains," Sebastian said. "I was gonna grab lunch from Gus's, but then I could show you. I'm heading back up there anyway."

"Sure," she said. "Why not."

Yoba, Haley really must have been desperate. She hadn’t even hesitated to take Sebastian up on his offer, even if she would have accepted either way. What was happening to her?

To be fair, Sebastian looked as surprised at her response as she felt. But he’d been the one to ask in the first place; he had to have known there was a chance she’d say yes.

He shifted his umbrella from his left hand to his right, also trying to shift his expression from shock to disaffected neutrality. “Cool,” he said. “Let me grab something to go and I’ll meet you back here in ten. Oh, um, do you want anything?”

Haley shook her head. “I’m good.”

That was a lie. The more Haley thought about it, the more she realized how hungry she really was. Thirsty, technically. But who cared about technicalities when that empty, rolling-squeezing-shrinking feeling in her stomach was getting stronger, taking up more and more of her focus?

Sebastian was walking away, towards the center of town, but he was still close enough for her to easily catch up to him--nobody else was around--just a few minutes alone and that pain would go away as she reveled in the taste of his bl--

NO.

Don’t go there, Haley , she thought. If you go there, there’s no turning back.

Sebastian, of course, had no idea what kind of inner turmoil Haley was going through, and he had already disappeared into the Saloon by the time she’d finished taking some deep breaths and talked herself back to reality. Hopefully out of sight would mean out of mind.

It didn't. Haley could hear the distinct rhythm of his heartbeat even from this distance, dancing between the clatter of silverware and the beep of arcade machines in the Saloon. He’d just walked inside.

Okay. That gave her less than ten minutes to grab a quick snack before he came back. Just something small to tide her over so she could get some more photos without worrying whether she’d kill Sebastian when he took her to the mountain. She could work with that.

A family of rabbits had made a nest behind the abandoned Community Center last spring. When the new farmer had discovered them--a mama, daddy, and four newborn babies--they’d been the talk of the town. Despite that, it was kind of an unspoken rule that nobody would bother the rabbits. They were so cute, after all, and everyone knew it was sometimes better to leave Mother Nature alone, so people rarely went back there.

Six rabbits hiding in an out-of-the-way place. Basically guaranteed privacy. No one would notice anything had happened to them until it was way too late. Haley felt bad; she’d been just as invested in the little family as anyone else when they’d been discovered. But that was before.

If Haley had to choose between a handful of cute, innocent little rabbits and a person, she’d choose the rabbits. She had to be practical.

They were all snuggled together behind the Community Center when Haley--quieter than anything had the right to be--crept up next to them. She paused for a moment, looking to the sky and thinking, Really, Yoba? You’re really gonna make me do this?

Yoba didn’t answer. Haley took that as a yes.

Rabbits were fast, but Haley was much, much faster. She scooped up all six in her arms in the space of one breath, pinned them against her stomach just hard enough so they couldn’t escape, pulled one out of the bundle, and bit into its neck.

Warmth poured over every inch of her skin, cozy and safe as she snuggled against her mate and their babies in the next, the spring chill kept at bay for the night.

The first rabbit was drained in an instant. She grabbed the next one and bit down.

The sweet taste of flowers overwhelmed her as she and her siblings munched their way through the valley on a warm summer afternoon. Their home was so full of bounty; their parents watched over them; they had nothing to fear.

On and on, each rabbit providing a unique memory until all six were lying in a pile at her feet.

Haley had started crying at some point. She wasn’t sure exactly when.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Tenderly, she picked up the rabbits and cradled them in her arms. As carefully as possible, she placed them back in their nest, snuggled them together like they’d been that first spring night when the litter had come into the world, and covered them with some tree branches that had fallen nearby. 

Haley stood. She wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and walked back to the fountain.

Sebastian had just passed the clinic.

Good. The sooner she got those photos, the sooner she could sell them. She’d be that much closer to leaving Stardew Valley forever.

Shit like this wouldn’t happen in Zuzu City.

Chapter Text

“You ready?"

Sebastian was making his way back to the fountain, holding a cardboard takeout container in his left hand and the umbrella in his right. One whiff told Haley that the container was full of sushi. The overwhelming fish stench didn’t used to be this bad; sushi was one of the only fish-based dishes she used to tolerate, since it didn’t smell or taste too much like rotting corpses. But now, even if she had been interested in eating normal food, the smell was just way too strong for her.

At least it wasn’t garlic.

Haley brushed a few stray drops of rain off her camera and nodded. “Lead the way.”

The walk up the mountain was horrible--awkward and stiff and deadly silent. What had Haley expected? This was Sebastian we were talking about here--even if he had been a more talkative person, he certainly wouldn’t have had anything interesting to say. Like, seriously, what did Haley think was going to happen?

“How long have you been into photography?” he asked.

Okay, then. Maybe Haley’s expectations were a little too low, actually. Chatting about her interests wasn’t the most compelling approach he could have taken, but it sure beat the possibilities of complete silence or an endless barrage of nerd shit. Yoba, her expectations really were at the bottom of the barrel, weren’t they?

Basic as it may be, it was a start, and Haley would rather do the standard get-to-know-you stuff than nothing at all. It would at least kill some time. Plus it was about one of her favorite topics.

“Since middle school,” she said. “I had a phase where I wanted to be an influencer and I begged my parents to get me a camera for the Feast of the Winter Star. The influencer thing panned out, obvi, but picture-taking never really went away.”

Sebastian raised his eyebrows, a little derisive. “You had a ‘phase’ where you wanted to be an influencer? As in, that’s not the current goal?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Haley demanded.

“Your JojaGram profile. It’s, like, all pictures of your lunches and sunrises on the beach. It’s pretty obvious you’re trying to get famous.”

Maybe Haley would have preferred it if he had kept his mouth shut, after all. Had he been stalking her socials? Well, not recently, she guessed. She hadn’t had any new meals or beach sunrises to take pictures of in a little while. Most of her latest posts were get-ready-with-me’s, to make it look like she was at least leaving the house on a regular basis. Still, it was a pretty shitty assumption for Sebastian to make.

“I can like photography outside of JojaGram, you know,” she said. “In fact, I’ve been doing freelance work recently. Nature stuff, like your precious frogs. Give me a little credit.”

Sebastian tried to raise his hands in surrender, but they were full. “Hey, ease up,” he said. “Don’t bring the frogs into this. I don’t even have a JojaGram account; I’m just repeating what I heard.”

“Who’s gossiping about my profile?” Haley asked. “It’s not your witchy little girlfriend, is it?”

“Abigail’s not my girlfriend,” Sebastian said, very neutrally. “And don’t call her that. What’d she ever do to you?”

Nothing, really, at least as far as Haley could remember. She wasn’t sure if they’d even spoken to each other since kindergarten. But--first of all--who else would Sebastian be talking about her socials with? It’s not like Sam would be the type to gossip about girls’ Finsta profiles. Second, Abigail really seemed like the judgey type: one of those unpopular girls who shit on girls much cooler than her to make her feel better about herself. If there was any real possible culprit out there, it would probably be Abigail.

“Come on, Sebastian. Abigail’s never liked me. I’m not surprised she’s talking about me behind my back, honestly. Figured she’s been doing it for years now.”

Sebastian was silent. Haley assumed her guess was right on the money if he wasn’t even attempting to defend his friend.

Ugh, but now it was awkward again. This was torture.

Haley supposed it was her turn to step to the plate, though. Even though the last topic of conversation had gone sour, Sebastian had still made an attempt to break the silence between them. And Haley would be damned if she let anyone show her up in socializing.

“Will there be more frogs in the mountains like that green one?” she asked. “Or does, like, completely different stuff live there?”

Luckily, Sebastian took the bait. “Hm,” he said after a moment. “Probably a little of both. I wouldn’t be surprised if that little guy--he was actually a Pseudacris regilla, a Pacific tree frog--actually came down from the mountain in the first place. It’s not that far, and if you’re a frog going south, that fountain is one of the first aquatic areas between the lake in the mountains and the beach. It would make sense to make a pit stop there. But the mountains actually have a ton of diversity, so Pacific tree frogs definitely aren’t the only frogs living up there.”

Well, damn. Haley didn’t even know Sebastian was capable of saying that many words in one go. She was so used to him being spooky-silent all the time, sulking in a corner whenever his family dragged him to one of the festivals and probably just counting down the minutes until he could go back to his video games. It didn’t even seem like he talked to his friends that much. Emily had mentioned that she usually saw them in the Saloon on Friday nights, but Abigail and Sam were both so loud and energetic that, even with them, Sebastian seemed to fade into the background.

“I, un, never knew you liked frogs so much,” she said, after the shock had worn off.

Sebastian shrugged. “Demetrius is studying the mountains for a research paper or some shit. It’s hard not to pick up on some of it when it’s all he ever talks about.”

“Yoba, Emily’s like that, too,” Haley groaned. “She just gets hooked on something sometimes and won’t shut up about it. Right now, it’s this parrot she rescued. She says its wing is broken. She just goes on and on about how she’ll never give it a name because ‘no one can truly own nature’ or whatever.”

To her surprise, Sebastian smirked, a wry, dry twinge in his cheeks that almost looked like he was holding back a bigger smile. “You think that’s bad? Just let Maru get started on one of her robots. She will not stop, and--worse than Demetrius--she won’t let you escape, either.”

“I totally get that everyone likes different things and all that, but it’s gotta be give and take, you know?” Haley said. “Like, you get to talk about what you like sometimes–”

“But then you should get a turn, too,” Sebastian said.

“Exactly! How is that so hard?”

“It’s not,” Sebastian said. His voice was getting a little louder now, a little more animated. “People just lie to themselves, tell themselves they’re good listeners to boost their ego, but it’s all fake. They just like to think they’re good people without putting any real effort into it. Abigail pulls that shit all the time. Even Sam does it, but I think he just doesn’t know how else to be sometimes. Like he hopes that if he just does something the way it’s ‘supposed’ to be done, it’ll all work out in the end.”

Yoba, Haley had known too many people like that. Especially back in high school. There was a reason Alex was one of the few people she’d kept close after graduation. He knew how to be fake, sure, but he never was with her. Alex thought that if he just kept trying to be what everyone thought he was supposed to be, that someday he would get there, and everything would be okay. He put on a front because he didn’t know what else there was.

And Haley was absolutely like that, too, when she needed to be. But it seemed like so many other people didn’t know how to stop sometimes, or they didn’t know that they could. Even if it was just around Haley, Alex knew how to just be himself.

It seemed like Sebastian didn’t know a ton of people like Alex, either.

Suddenly, Haley realized they were standing by the lake and had been for a while now. They’d both been so caught up in the conversation that they hadn’t noticed where they were.

Haley turned towards the lake, brushing her frizzy bangs away from her forehead. How long had she been looking in Sebastian’s eyes?

Then another awful thought hit her:

“Oh Yoba, don’t tell me we have to go digging through the mud.”

Sebastian chuckled. “Are you afraid of a little dirt, Haley?”

“Yes. Absolutely. Especially in these shoes--they’re brand new.”

Sebastian folded his umbrella, pulling the hood of his worn, black sweatshirt over his head.

“I guess I won’t give you too much crap, just this once. Since you didn’t know you’d be out in the rain this long. Next time, though, it’s no holds barred.”

Haley rolled her eyes, but she was definitely smiling. She shouldn’t be smiling this much.

“What a gentleman,” she said. “Now show me the frogs. I’ve got a deadline for Flora and Fauna Weekly.”

Chapter Text

A few days later, Haley woke up to a gentle knock on her bedroom door.

She groaned.

It was Emily. "Hey, sis, I'm sorry to bug you, but it's pretty overcast today. You should be able to go outside."

Haley rolled onto her back and threw an arm across her face.

"Why should I care?" she said. "It's not like there's anything interesting to do."

Emily took this as an invitation to open the door and sit on the edge of Haley's bed. "Well, actually," she said, "Gus just asked me to come in early. I was going to go out to Robin's to see if she could fix the bookshelf, but now I don't have time. Think maybe you could go?"

The bookshelf had collapsed in on itself a week or so after Haley's accident. The two events were not related. But she and her sister hadn't been able to make it up to Robin's to schedule a repair.

Haley groaned again. "Ugh, my life is so sad that the only thing there is to do is run errands?"

"It'll be good for you to get outside. And hey, you don't have to just go to Robin's! Make a day of it--stop at the spa, swing by Alex's house. You know, make your own fun."

Haley had to admit that, even before the accident, she liked to spend gloomy days soaking in the baths north of town. The main room had massive windows, and something about the way the gloom seeped through them while she was snuggled in the warm spring water gave an almost romantic vibe to the place. Besides, anything was better than feeling sorry for herself in bed all day.

Haley rolled her eyes, even though she knew Emily saw right through it. "I guess," she sighed. "If you really can't do it yourself."

Emily kissed her on the forehead, like their mom used to do when she was little. She was really laying it on thick just to get Haley out of the house.

"You're the best, sis!" she said. "I'll leave you to it, then. See you tonight!"

After her sister was gone, Haley checked her phone. Ten am. Robin usually closed up shop around, like, five, so she had tons of time to get ready.

Haley had, obviously, always put a lot of effort into her appearance, but she'd been taking extra time ever since the accident. She already felt like crap putting up with all the new lifestyle changes she'd had to make. Hair and makeup were there only thing going for her at this point. Even on days when she was just going to soak in the baths.

Haley twisted her hair into a perfectly messy bun at the top of her head and threw her favorite cherry-patterned bikini on under a snug pair of pink leggings and an oversized, off-the-shoulder blue t-shirt. Then she put on a video tutorial for a light, summer makeup look and got to work.

There was something almost affirming about doing makeup. You have to be so gentle with your face, knowing exactly how and where to put all the creams and move the brushes. It was gratifying, too, to see flaws smooth out and disappear, almost like she was removing everything that got in the way of her true beauty and revealing who she really was underneath.

She would never stoop to seeing makeup like a mask, even if in her weaker moments it sometimes felt like that.

When Haley was done, she beamed in the mirror. In spite of everything that had happened to her in the past few months, the Haley she knew was still there.

Haley was surprised, when she got to Robin's house, to find the large garage door wide open. Angry metal music blasted through the opening, along with the stink of grease and motor oil. A motorcycle sat just inside, with a pair of long, black jeans and marker-covered sneakers sticking out from under it.

"You have a motorcycle?" Haley blurted out.

The legs tensed for a moment before bending at the knees, and Sebastian came sliding out from underneath the bike. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt streaked with grease and a cigarette was tucked behind his ear.

"Oh, hey, Haley," he said. "Guess I never showed you my bike. Could you pass me that wrench real quick?"

Haley turned to where he was pointing and grabbed the wrench from the workbench nearby.

"Thanks," Sebastian said. He hit a button on his phone and the music stopped. Then he slid back underneath his motorcycle.

Just when Haley was about to give up on any hope of conversation and go inside, Sebastian said, "It was my dad's, you know."

"What?"

"The bike. It used to be my dad's."

Haley snorted. "Demetrius used to ride a motorcycle?"

Sebastian stopped working. "Demetrius is my stepdad," he said, almost a whisper. "My real dad died when I was four."

Sebastian and his family had moved to Pelican Town right before high school, and it had always been the four of them. Like any shitty small town, there had been a bit of a stir after the move, not only because they were the first new neighbors in years, but also the fact that Robin and Demetrius weren't the...typical couple Pelican Town was used to. That had caused enough buzz to drown out any other information about the family's history for a long time. It wasn't until Robin's carpentry business got off the ground and Demetrius began working with the local farms to improve their yields that the gossip began to die down, and by that time Sebastian and Maru had established themselves as "too weird" and "too young," respectively, for Haley to pay them any attention.

"I'm sorry about your dad," Haley said. "I really didn't know."

She could see him shrug under the motorcycle. "It's okay. I'm used to it, at this point. My mom met Demetrius about a year after my dad...you know. They hit it off super fast. I was six when Maru was born. But he makes her happy, so I can't really complain."

The garage floor was a little dirty, but that didn't stop Haley from sitting down next to Sebastian, crossing her legs.

"What was he like?" she asked.

"Yoba, he was the coolest." Sebastian kept working while he talked. "He used to take me on joy rides on the bike--he called it a hog--just little ones around the block 'cause Mom always had a heart attack when I got near the thing. He owned a board game store in Zuzu City. It was falling apart when he bought it, but my mom completely renovated it for him. Sold comic books, too. He used to let me bring the comics home sometimes, even though I couldn't read yet."

A warm breeze passed through the garage.

"I'm actually saving up so I can move back to the city," Sebastian said softly. "I want to buy back his store and run it myself. Keep his memory alive, I guess."

Yoba, that was so sweet. And sad. And super dorky.

"I'm trying to get out of here, too," Haley said. "But rent in Zuzu is so expensive."

Sebastian slid out from under the motorcycle. "Any particular reason why you want to leave?" he asked.

Haley shrugged. "Not really." She couldn’t talk about the accident. She’d started saving up before the accident, anyway, even if it was the main reason now. "Just, you know...."

"Pelican Town?"

"Pelican Town."

Sebastian nodded solemnly. "I hear that. The new farmer stopped by the other day, and that's what I told him, too. Like, of all the places you could live, you chose Pelican Town?"

Haley leaned forward, slapping her hands on her knees. "Exactly! There's, like, nothing here! Even Grampleton doesn't have a decent mall, and that's, like, a thirty-minute train ride. It's so boring out here."

"And small," Sebastian said.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, only the sounds of metal clinking against metal filling the air as Sebastian tightened a particularly stubborn screw on the bike.

"Have you been to Zuzu before?" he asked after a while.

"Not since graduation," Haley said. "We went out to a nice restaurant to celebrate. I don't have a car, and the train takes, like, forever to get there. Plus it's so expensive."

Maybe I can take you on my bike sometime," Sebastian said. "You know, if you're cool with riding a motorcycle. I take a ride out there every once in a while. There's a really nice rest stop on a hill that has a great view of the skyline."

Haley felt a little blush rise on her cheeks. "I can handle a motorcycle," she said.

Chapter Text

It was a little after midnight. Surely most people would be in bed by now. And Haley was getting sick of waiting.

Figuring Emily was probably asleep, too, Haley shot her a quick text to let her sister know where she was going and locked the front door behind her. Like on that rainy day in the park, Haley closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and centered herself. But this time, instead of tuning out the heartbeats, she honed in on them.

Pelican Town was full of beating hearts, obviously, but that was an incredibly stupid option. So stupid it shouldn't even be considered an option. Farther north, there were squirrels and birds and frogs. A quick snack, if she was desperate, but Haley would need to hunt down at least 100 of the tiny things before she'd be full, and it really wasn't worth the effort. No, she needed something that could give her the most bang for her buck--one quick kill that could get her needs met without letting her get caught.

Then she heard it. A lone cougar, tucked high up in a tree in the mountains just north of the train station. Big enough to get her through the next week, but only one target. She'd have to climb a tree, which sounded freaking awful for her manicure, but beggars can't be choosers. Besides, it was supposed to be another sunny summer day tomorrow, so she'd have plenty of time to fix her nails while she moped indoors.

Haley sighed. If only she could get what she needed without rolling around in the woods every few nights. She never thought she'd miss grocery shopping. But the alternative...no, even for her the alternative was going way too far.

Haley focused in again on the cougar's heartbeat, trying to catch its scent on the wind. When she felt she had a good enough idea where to go, she broke into a light jog and headed north. 

For a normal person, it would have taken at least an hour to walk from her house to the train station, not to mention the mountainous woods looming above. It took Haley about 20 minutes. Just another reminder that she was no longer normal. Or a person, really.

The cougar had moved a bit since Haley had first found it, jumping down from its tree to lazily stalk a deer, but it hadn't gotten very far before Haley found it again. But, of course, right as she was getting close enough to pounce, she tripped over a massive tree root, and what should've been an easy takedown turned into a full-out brawl. 

The cougar must have known somehow that she was a threat, so when it heard her fall, it abandoned its prey and charged, tackling her in total offense mode, teeth bared. One paw sliced her shoulder, tearing her brand new quarter-zip down the entire arm.

Haley's skin was practically steel, so she didn't even flinch. But that new quarter-zip was, like, 1,000 gold! She'd cut into her apartment savings to buy it, a little pick-me-up after the accident. The cougar was going to pay for that one.

Haley snarled and easily found the strength to push the cougar off her, but they were dangerously close to a ledge overlooking the train tracks. She managed to pin the cougar down, but loose dirt gave way underneath it and they both fell, rolling together like a massive, hairy snowball. Rocks stabbed and scraped at her, twigs caught in her hair. She couldn't see through all the dust. But she sure as hell heard the thunk when the cougar landed--hard--on solid ground and she followed. The cat's heart stopped instantly.

Damnit. As much as she hated killing wild animals--even if it was much better than killing a person--the blood was a lot fresher when she did it herself. She could practically smell it turning cold in the few seconds it took just to stand up and shake off her dizziness. When the world went right side-up again, she desperately launched herself at the cougar and sank her teeth into its neck, hoping to get what she could before she had to settle for sour, old blood. Or worse, spend even more time hunting in this Yoba-forsaken forest. 

She had just made it. The blood was still warm, just enough, thick like a heavy coat of fur on a cold winter's night and sweet as the thrill of the chase. And when she was full, she could go home and take a long, hot bath and pretend this never happened and how lovely would that be--

"Holy shit."

Haley's head snapped up. It was Sebastian. He was wrapped up in his usual hoodie, his long bangs tied into a stubby ponytail at the back of his head, holding--was that a potato?

His heart was racing. She was amazed he hadn't passed out. He took a shallow breath and tried to speak, but it barely came out as a whisper.

"H-Haley, is that you?"

Haley nodded.

Sebastian screamed. He scrambled backwards, the potato falling to the ground with a nasty squish.

Someone was going to hear him. Maybe that homeless old guy, shit maybe even someone in the Adventurer's Guild. Wasn't that nearby? Oh, Yoba, they were going to figure out what she was and put a stake through her heart and Emily would be all alone--Haley was so screwed--

"Shut up!" she shouted, eyes locking with Sebastian's. "Stop screaming before someone hears you!

And to her surprise, he did. His mouth clamped shut, expression going oddly blank for a moment, and then he just stood there. Haley couldn't believe that worked. They both stared at each other for a long time, unmoving, before Haley finally stopped shaking (when had she started shaking?) long enough to stand up. Sebastian, still dead silent, flinched when she reached up to wipe the blood off her chin.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she said, as gently as she could. "I promise."

He nodded. Obviously he was still terrified, but he nodded.

Haley listened. She couldn't hear anyone else's voice or footsteps. Thank Yoba, it seemed like nobody had heard them.

"Okay, you can talk," she said. "As long as you keep your voice down."

"Is...is that a mountain lion?" he asked.

Cougar, mountain lion, same difference. Haley nodded.

"Were you...eating it?"

"Just its blood," Haley said. As if that was somehow better. Yoba, he probably thought she was insane. A literal mental case. But was the truth really that much worse? She didn't want him calling the Adventurer's Guild, but she didn't want him calling the psych ward, either.

"You can't tell anyone about this," she said. "Please, I'll explain everything, but you can't tell anyone."

There was that weird blank look again. Haley really thought he was going to keel over from shock. But then Sebastian shook his head slightly, almost more like a shiver, and said, "Okay."

Chimes sounded out in the distance: the clock above the Community Center. It had been fixed, almost by magic, a few weeks ago, even though the building itself still looked condemned. It was one-thirty in the morning.

"We can't stay here," Haley said, remembering the crumpled and bloody cougar at her feet. "Come over to my house tomorrow, whenever you want. I'll tell you anything you want to know, okay?"

Sebastian groaned, pressing one hand against his forehead. "Yoba, this is so messed up," he said. "Fine. I'll be there."

Haley thought she might faint from relief. "Thank you thank you thank you. I swear, I'll do whatever you want if it means you won't tell anybody. You have no idea how bad it would be if I got caught, seriously. And I promise I'm not going to hurt you. Or anyone else."

"Just mountain lions," Sebastian said in a daze. 

"Uh, yeah. Just mountain lions," Haley said. "Now get out of here before somebody finds us."

Still stunned, Sebastian ran a hand over the top of his head, turned around, and began walking back down the mountain. In a matter of minutes, he was gone.

Thank Yoba.

Haley dragged the nasty cougar corpse to some bushes nearby, covering it with as many fallen tree branches as she could find. She wasn't about to drag that stinking thing back up the mountain, even if it was a better hiding place. Hopefully, it would take a few days or weeks for anyone to find it, which would also make it harder to figure out how the thing had died. Besides, Haley really couldn't be bothered. She clearly had a much bigger problem on her hands.

Chapter Text

The next morning, a knock on the front door startled Haley awake.

After the unexpected incident the night before, Haley had stumbled home a little after 2 am, scratched up, covered in mud and leaves, and nearly as shaken up as she'd been after the accident. She couldn't sleep, so she took that long bath she'd promised herself earlier in the evening, dressed in her favorite outfit, and spent extra time on her hair and makeup. Then she plonked herself down on the couch to watch reruns of The Widower and try not to worry about what she was going to say to Sebastian.

She must have fallen asleep eventually, because when the world's most timid knock tapped on the front door, she was lying on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, and the TV was off.

"Long night, sis?" Emily asked as she crossed from the kitchen to the door.

Haley groaned. "Who the hell is visiting at...," she checked her phone. "Oh, noon. Never mind."

Emily shrugged. "It's probably Caroline. She told me she grew some new herbs in her garden and offered to share--oh, hi, Sebastian! How are you on this lovely summer day?"

Sebastian had his arms wrapped around himself, and he looked like he hadn't slept much last night, either. But he always kind of looked like that. He cleared his throat, obviously a little surprised to see Haley's sister.

"Oh, uh, hi, Emily. I'm, um, here to see Haley. Is she busy?"

"Let me check." Emily turned away from the door and stage-whispered, eyebrows raised, "Sebastian's here to see you."

"Yeah, I can see that, Em," Haley said. "The front door's right there. Let him in."

Still clearly confused, Emily stepped back from the door and did a broad sweeping motion with one arm. "Come on in, Sebastian. And, uh, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

"He knows, Emily," Haley said. "He's here because he knows. He saw me last night."

Emily was the gentlest person Haley knew. In fact, Haley couldn't remember the last time her sister had gotten angry, or even defensive. She couldn't bring herself to kill spiders that got into the house. But Emily cared about her family--as much as Haley didn't want to admit it--and Haley could see the quick, protective shift in her sister's posture. She glared at Sebastian.

"I didn't tell anyone!" Sebastian said. "Your secret's safe."

Haley didn't realize she'd been holding her breath until it whooshed out of her. "Thank you," she said. Then she turned to Emily. "I told Sebastian he could come over today so I could explain what happened last night. Can you give us some time to, um, talk?"

Emily nodded, still a little tense. "Of course, sis. I'll be in the kitchen. If there's anything you need, just holler."

When she was gone, Sebastian took a deep breath, and said, voice low, "What did you do to me, Haley? I want to hear you say it."

"What are you talking about?" Haley asked. "I didn't do anything to you."

Anger flashed in Sebastian's eyes, something Haley had never seen before. "Well, you did something. I said I didn't tell anyone about you, but that's not because I didn't try. I literally can't get the words out. Not that anyone would believe me, but still. And last night, when you told me to shut up? I tried to say something, anything at all, and I just...couldn't. So what did you do?"

"Nothing!" Haley said, jumping up from the couch. "It's not my fault you did what I asked."

"Oh, come on, you think I'm really going to believe that?" Sebastian's eyes darted to the kitchen door. "Oh Yoba, are you doing it to Emily, too?"

"Doing what?" Haley demanded.

"You compelled me not to tell anyone about you last night. And you're compelling your own sister to keep quiet, too!"

Haley laughed. "You're making shit up. That's not even a real word!"

Sebastian glared at her. "Don't play stupid with me, Haley. I'm not interested. You were using mind control on me last night. Vampire mind control."

"That's ridiculous. Vampires don't have mind control."

He had the decency to look surprised. "You're not denying you're a vampire?"

Haley tossed some hair over her shoulder. "Well, duh. What else can I say? You saw what I was doing. I can't go back in time to fix that. Unless you're gonna tell me that's another vampire power I don't know about."

Sebastian huffed. "Quit the act. I'm no expert, especially since I didn't know vampires were even freaking real until last night, but compelling is a thing. I was up all night researching it. It's in movies and stuff. And there's no other explanation for what happened last night. You made me do those things. I know it."

Haley crossed her arms and popped her hip. "Can we just focus on the facts, instead of making shit up? I think we've got enough to cover as it is."

"I'm not making it up. And I'm not going to let you brush this under the rug. Remove the mind control. Now."

"I told you, I don't have mind control powers!"

Sebastian covered his face with his hands and groaned. "Why is this the hill you want to die on? Why deny that you can compel people if you're just going to admit you're a vampire anyway? Unless...." He froze. "You really don't know?"

Yoba, he wasn't giving up on this one. Sure, Haley didn't know everything there was to know about being a vampire. The accident had only been a few months ago. And the person who'd turned her--Haley had heard her use the word sire before, so she guessed it was her sire--lived out in the desert, so they didn't have a lot of opportunities to chat. Haley had been a little more preoccupied with the whole blood-drinking thing, anyway. She hadn't had time to focus on much else.

She hadn't wanted to focus on much else, to be honest. Really, she was still hoping this whole thing was just a nightmare she hadn't woken up from yet.

Apparently, it was time for a wake-up call. Haley couldn't deny it anymore, especially now that Sebastian was getting mixed up in it. Even if Haley wanted to leave the whole thing alone, he wasn't going to let her.

"Okay, I still don't totally believe you, but there's someone I know who can sort it out," Haley said. "Let me give her a call."

Chapter Text

One cool spring evening, about three months ago, a monster had escaped the Skull Cavern. With the return of warmer weather, the desert was much busier than it had been in weeks, especially since bus service had just returned to Stardew Valley. The monster hid in the scraggly brush nearby, biding its time, waiting for the people to go away. And when only one was left, it had struck.

Haley hated thinking about the accident for a lot of reasons. Namely, it had been scary. She had been scared. She had been hurt, too, worse than she'd ever experienced before that moment.

She had been dying.

Her dying moments were nothing like she'd ever expected. Haley had never been the toughest person around, but she prided herself on being stronger than she looked. Just because she'd been popular in school didn't mean she never struggled. She'd been through her ups and downs like anybody else. So the few times she bothered to think about how she would act in the face of danger, she assumed she'd be able to tough it out, to be a survivor.

Wrong. When that monster had tackled her to the ground, claws and teeth and scaly skin tearing into her flesh, Haley had frozen. She didn't try to fight back, didn't try to run away. She hadn't even screamed for help.

If Sandy hadn't been nearby, Haley would have died that day. And it was, just, embarrassing to think about.

Haley didn't want to think about how quickly she'd bled out, with barely enough time to even realize she was dying. She didn't want to think about how pathetic she was, how she'd been completely unable to save herself. She didn't want to think about waking up in the Oasis days later, lost and confused and thirsty. 

The only good thing that came out of any of it had been Sandy, one of her sister's best friends, who treated the whole thing like it was normal, boring even, while still being so gentle as Haley adjusted to her new reality. Sandy had called Emily to the desert right away. They'd spent days at Haley's bedside, waiting anxiously for her to wake up. Sandy had never tried to hide anything from Haley or her sister; she'd been up front with them both about exactly what she was and what Haley had become.

But since it was all so normal to her at this point, and Haley tried to avoid the subject as much as possible, there was a lot about being a vampire that Sandy hadn't been able to teach Haley yet. It made sense that there were things Haley still didn't know. After all, it's not like there were self-help guides for this sort of thing.

Thus, with promises to Sebastian that she'd sort it all out if he just waited patiently and let her make a quick call in private, Haley slipped into her bedroom and dialed the Oasis.

"Oh, yeah," Sandy said, after they'd gone through the standard formalities. "Compelling is totally a thing. I never mentioned that before?"

"Definitely not," Haley mumbled. "And now Sebastian's practically foaming at the mouth because I can't undo it!"

"Why don't you just compel him to forget about the whole thing?" Sandy almost sounded bored. "Just look him in the eyes and say, 'Sebastian, I'm not a vampire and I can't control people's minds. Go home and forget this ever happened.'"

"That's...all I have to do?" Haley asked.

"I mean, it helps if you're extra confident when you're saying it, but yeah. Just gotta look 'em in the eyes and humans will do whatever you want them to do."

Sebastian knocked on her bedroom door, and Haley nearly jumped out of her skin. "Haley, you better have an answer soon, or...just hurry it up, okay?"

"Okay, thanks for your help, Sandy," Haley said, almost forgetting to hang up in her rush to get Sebastian off her case before...she didn't want to think about it.

But right as she was about to turn the doorknob, a heavy flash of nausea slid across her. Sandy had said it all so casually, like Sebastian was a dog she could distract with a few treats and never bother with again. But, like, weren't they friends, kind of? As much as she hated to admit it, she enjoyed spending time with him. And he trusted her, at least a little bit. Enough to tell her about his dad.

Haley knew she wasn't human anymore and never would be again. She tried not to think about it, sure, but it was still the truth. Still, she couldn't bring herself to think about her friends and family like they weren't human, like they didn't deserve to be treated like people. Even Sebastian--who she'd never paid a second thought to before that rainy day in the park--he'd come to talk to her about this. Like, yeah, he couldn't tell anyone about her no matter how much he wanted to, but he could have just as easily dragged her out into broad daylight and let everyone watch her burn. Hell, the fact that he trusted her not to drain him dry right now was coconuts.

Didn't he deserve a little of that trust in return?

Haley sighed and opened the door. Hopefully she wouldn't regret this later.

Sebastian was standing on the other side, immediately too close, worrying at his lip piercing so hard Haley was surprised he hadn't ripped it out. He jumped back when she nearly crashed into him, letting out a tiny yelp as he scrambled to give her space.

"What did she say?" he asked.

Haley looked him in the eyes before she could change her mind. "Sebastian, you can tell anyone you want that I'm a vampire. It's your choice."

He blinked slowly, then ran a hand down his face. "That's...it?"

Haley shrugged. "Should be. I've never done it on purpose before." She made sure to look away from him before she spoke again. "You can go tell Emily, if you want. Just to test it out."

He didn't move. "And you're...okay with me knowing?"

Haley nodded. "I mean, please don't--it would be really nice if you didn't tell anybody. I swear to Yoba I'm not going to hurt anyone."

"Just mountain lions," he said.

"Just mountain lions."

Sebastian stared at her, brows furrowed, studying every possible angle of her face like she was a puzzle in one of his video games. Haley let him, trying to make her expression as open as possible, trying to say without opening her mouth: Please, you can trust me. I want you to trust me.

After a few moments, he seemed to give up. "I, uh...thanks," he said.

Haley shrugged, trying desperately to play it cool. "No biggie."

"I guess I should, um, go now," he said. "See you around."

It wasn't until later that Haley realized he'd never tried to test if it worked.

Chapter Text

Summer was officially over: the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies was tonight.

Haley has always felt that the Moonlight Jellies was one of the sadder festivals. It marked the end of her favorite season, after all. And it was such a quiet festival, too. Of course, the jellies were always breathtaking, no matter how many times Haley had seen them, but everyone was so thoughtful, almost a little sad, as they watched the last beautiful sight of summer come and go. You’d think they could end the best season of the year with a bang--a big party, dancing, lots of ice cream and popcorn and themed cocktails.

This year, though, Haley didn’t mind as much that there wasn’t a big party to end the summer season. What was there to celebrate, really, when she'd spent most of the summer cooped up indoors? Plus, the end of summer meant cooler weather and cloudier days, which in turn meant Haley could leave the house more. And, since the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies was at night, Haley could actually attend. She’d had to fake sick for the Luau, an excuse that would only work a handful of times before people started to talk. No one in Pelican Town skipped the festivals unless they had a really good excuse.

And so, the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies felt a lot less bitter and a lot more sweet when Haley and Emily stepped onto the still-warm sands of the Pelican Town Beach. Giggling over something silly one of them had said on the walk over, the sisters stepped out of their sandals and sank their toes into the sand for the last time of the year. Then they started to make their rounds.

Pelican Town was small. Like, super small. Everyone knew everyone else and every relationship and every secret. Many families, including Haley’s, had lived in the town for decades and had built up specific histories and reputations over time, rock-solid narratives that were nearly impossible to rewrite. With Haley’s parents traveling the world, she and Emily were now the family representatives. And they had to keep up appearances.

They started with Mayor Lewis, naturally. Haley let Emily take the reins on that one; the mayor was pretty set in his ways and prone to long tirades on whatever was wrong in the community this week. Then they cycled through Jodi and Kent (their closest neighbors), Gus, Pierre and his wife, and Harvey. When they got to Alex and his grandparents, Haley figured she’d done enough social calls for the night and hung back with them, leaving Emily to chat with Shane and his niece.

“Can’t believe summer’s already over,” Alex said. After getting George and Granny Evelyn settled near the shore, they’d found a separate spot on the dock to sit down and stick their toes in the surf.

“It couldn’t have ended fast enough this year, TBH,” Haley admitted.

Alex’s eyebrows furrowed, thinking hard. “Really? You usually love summer. Oh, but I guess this has been a pretty rough one for you, huh, what with you getting sick all the time."

“I still think it’s that stupid bird Emily took in,” Haley said. “Who knows what kind of diseases that thing’s carrying.”

“I didn’t even know you could get a bird, like, from the woods or whatever,” Alex said. “I thought you had to go to the pet store.”

Haley hadn’t told Alex about the accident yet. Not because she didn’t trust him! She really, truly did. As much as Alex claimed “girl stuff” was boring, he was a huge gossip and a loyal friend. Haley had confided in him hundreds of times over the years, from everything as forgettable as an embarrassing zit to big stuff, like fights with Emily or her parents leaving. She’d been his shoulder to cry on, too, whether he was dealing with his mom’s death or--more recently--his sexuality crisis. And not once had either of them spilled the other’s secrets, no matter what.

But, really, how the hell are you supposed to tell anyone that you’re a vampire? She could trust Alex to keep a secret, especially for her, but if she couldn’t even explain it in a way that made any sense, why bother?

She would tell him eventually. Probably. When she had more of it figured out for herself.

“Has the farmer been by the ice cream stand recently?” Haley asked, quiet enough to be discreet.

Alex blushed and bumped his shoulder against hers. “He has a name.”

“I’ll learn his name when he stops running around covered in mud and sweat,” Haley said, giggling. “What do you see in him, anyway?”

“I don’t know. He’s just so dedicated. He’s worked so hard to fix that old farm, and it’s paying off, too. Did you know he used to be an accountant before he moved here? He never touched a turnip in his life before last year. And here I am, just sitting around with no idea what I’m supposed to do with my life.”

Haley leaned into Alex’s shoulder. “Hey, you’ll figure it out. Besides, you’re not alone there. I have no idea what I’m doing, either. Sometimes I think the farmer’s the only one who really does.”

“It’s not fair,” Alex groaned. “Nobody should be allowed to be cute and responsible. And funny. And smart. And buff--did you see the gains he’s getting from working on the farm?”

“You need to ask him out already,” Haley said. She was trying not to laugh at him, honest. It had taken Alex so long to be comfortable with his sexuality; the fact that he was talking about his crush so casually was big for him. But he couldn’t pine forever. “You’re down so bad, Alex.”

“You’re one to talk, Hales,” Alex said. “How many times have you bothered me during practice to gush about guys that weren’t even that cute--”

“How dare you!” Haley gasped. “I have excellent taste in men. Better than the farmer, anyway.”

Alex was just about to give Haley a noogie in revenge when he paused and looked past her.

“Is Sebastian coming over here?” he asked.

Sebastian was, in fact, walking directly towards them, trying to act like he was just casually crossing the boardwalk. He was wearing a long-sleeve black t-shirt, the sleeves tugged about a quarter of the way up his forearms, black swim trunks, and slip-on sandals. Most of his piercings were out, too, except for the ring in his lip. Which, of course, he was biting within an inch of its life.

“Uh, hey,” he said.

Alex wore his heart on his sleeve and his feelings on his face, so he was obviously confused when he asked, “Need something, bro?”

Sebastian looked like he’d just smelled something gross. “Emily. Uh, Emily asked me to get you, Haley. She has a question for you. Or something.”

Sebastian had been hanging out with his friends on the longest section of the dock before this point, nowhere near Emily, who was chatting with Marnie near the shoreline. But Haley stood up anyway and followed Sebastian to the beach. Right as they were approaching Haley’s sister and out of Alex’s line of sight, Sebastian turned suddenly and started heading towards that weird little bear statue at the edge of the woods.

“I lied,” Sebastian said when they were out of earshot. “Emily didn’t want to talk to you.”

“Yeah, I figured that out already,” Haley said. “What’s up?”

He wouldn’t look at her, but she wasn’t sure if that was because he was afraid of her or just generally nervous. “I was just, uh, wondering how you’re doing. The last time I saw you was just kind of rough, you know? And I haven’t seen you around since then. Thought you might have been avoiding me or something.”

He was worried about Haley avoiding him? The last time they’d talked, she’d just finished mauling a wild animal in cold blood and accidentally tricked him into hiding it. How was he not avoiding her like the plague?

Haley said as much, expecting him to snap back to reality and run away screaming, but he stayed put.

“I think, if you were going to hurt me, you would have done it already,” Sebastian said. “You already had the perfect opportunity. A few times, actually. But you haven’t. Actually, I wanted to thank you.”

“For what?” Haley exclaimed.

Sebastian cleared his throat. A few people had heard Haley shout and were staring at them. He waited until they looked away before he continued.

“You trusted me to keep your secret. And you let me go and all that. But mostly the trust thing. I don’t know if anyone’s ever trusted me with something big like that before. Even Sam and Abby. I kind of…keep them at a distance sometimes.”

“Why?” Haley asked. “Aren’t they your friends?”

Sebastian shrugged. “Yeah. I don’t know, you probably wouldn’t get it. You’re way more of a people person than I am.”

Haley crossed her arms. “I am, in fact, capable of basic human empathy, Sebastian. Try me.”

He was quiet for a moment, a thousand tiny emotions flickering across his face. But Haley had been here with Alex, more than a few times. She knew people sometimes needed time to get their thoughts together.

“I just never know the right things to say to people,” Sebastian said. “Even people I spend a lot of time with. I spend so much time trying to figure out what to say, and by the time I do come up with something it’s too late. So people just assume I’m quiet and cryptic, I guess. But then they think I don’t care about them, either.

“It’s not like that with you, though. You get it. That I’m not being quiet because I’m not interested in what you’re saying. And you’re interested in what I have to say, too. So, thanks…for listening and for trusting me to listen to you.”

Haley was floored. Sebastian, Sam, and Abigail had always seemed so close. It was wild to think that Sebastian kept them at arm’s length after all this time, especially with how readily he’d confided in Haley a few weeks back.

Why her, of all people? There was no way she was just that special, especially considering their history and the way Abigail talked about her with him behind her back.

Then again, Sebastian knew something about Haley that even Alex didn’t know yet. And Haley trusted Alex. Maybe there were just some people who were easier to be vulnerable with, no matter how different you were.

“You’re, uh, not as boring as I thought you’d be,” Haley said finally.

Oh Yoba, that had to be the worst possible response in the history of tone-deaf responses. Sebastian had just been so open with her; it really merited something just as open in return. And even if Haley had wanted to brush it off, pretend she wasn’t moved, that was just about the least clever thing she could have possibly said.

To her surprise, Sebastian chuckled. “You sure know how to make a guy feel special, Haley. But I can’t judge; you’re not what I expected, either. You’re way more honest, for one.”

Teasing, Haley could handle. She smirked and put her hand on her hip. “Oh, is Abigail running around saying I’m a liar, too? I’m gonna have to have a chat with her.”

Sebastian waved his hands in front of him, but he was still smiling. “Yoba, no. I do not want to see that; it’d be too ugly. I just meant…I think I’ve made a lot of assumptions about you that I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”

“Meh,” Haley said. “You know I do it, too.”

They were quiet again. Wind rustled through the trees. The waves lapped gently against the shore, almost drowning out the whispered chatter coming from the dock.

“I’m sorry, too,” Haley said.

Sebastian smiled.

“Okay, everyone!” Mayor Lewis called from the dock. “It’s time to launch the boat.”

Haley turned to Sebastian. “Shall we?”

His eyes widened. “You want to watch the jellies…together?”

“You’re assuming again,” Haley said.

“You know what? You’re right. Let’s go.”

The jellies were gorgeous, like always. But all Haley could look at was the way their glow illuminated Sebastian’s face, his awe-filled smile even more dazzling in the moonlight.

Chapter Text

Haley stepped off the bus and onto the wet, mushy sand of Calico Desert. Even in the rain, the desert air was insanely hot, and Haley cringed when she realized how quickly she would fry on a sunny day here. How the hell did Sandy manage it?

Emily had known Sandy for years, but she'd always been on the margins of Haley's life before the accident. Since the accident, of course, a lot had changed. Sandy was now one of the most important people in Haley's life--not quite as important as her sister, but probably a close second. After all, she'd helped Haley make sense of everything, pick herself back up a little, after the accident.

When Sandy told Haley she was a vampire, four days after Haley had nearly died and then woke up gasping for air she didn't really need anymore, she had said it so casually. Like it was a stamp-collecting hobby. Maybe it was that mundane for her after all this time. Sandy had been alive for nearly 400 years, after all. She'd lived in multiple countries--some of which didn't exist anymore--and had an extensive network of equally-ancient vampire friends all over the world.

After Haley had been turned, the weather had been oppressively sunny for springtime and it was too dangerous for Emily to take her sister back home until the rain came back. Besides, Haley had needed time to heal, mentally and physically, and Sandy was happy to have a captive audience. 

Even though it had marked the end of life as she knew it, Haley was already a bit nostalgic for those long spring days she'd spent in the Oasis with Emily and Sandy. The curtains were drawn tight with just some twinkling lights on overhead, creating an atmosphere that reminded Haley of late-night sleepovers. Large, lazy fans with blades shaped like palm leaves provided a gentle breeze. Sandy had even mixed her and Haley's drinks with lemonade and put tiny paper umbrellas in them, to match the regular glasses of lemonade she offered to Emily. Sandy's stories had been the perfect escape. She'd been glad to regale the sisters with stories of her adventures in faraway countries, past romances, and what she'd been doing during major historical events.

Everyday stuff like how to get blood, avoid sunlight, and just generally survive hadn't really crossed her mind.

When Haley had finally been able to go home, she realized all too quickly that she had no idea how any of this worked, and she found herself calling Sandy at all hours of the day with every little question that came into her head. The big stuff, though, she saved for in-person visits.

Cue today's trip to the desert.

Sandy was rearranging a display of small potted cacti when Haley walked into the Oasis.

"Why, Haley," she said, abandoning her work to scoop Haley in a big bear hug. "What brings you to my neck of the woods on such a gloomy day?"

Haley turned to the side to reveal the tote bag slung across her shoulder. "Emily made some new candles she'd like to sell in the shop, if that's okay with you."

"Aw, sweetie, of course! But you didn't have to come all this way in such nasty weather. I could've picked them up on my next run to town."

She took the bag from Haley and began sorting through the candles, occasionally sniffing one without bothering to open the lid.

"So, why are you really here?" she asked after a few minutes.

Haley had the decency to feel a little embarrassed. "I, um, had a question about, you know...."

Sandy chuckled in a bless-your-heart kind of way. "I'm just giving you a hard time, sugar. I'm happy to talk about anything you want."

Haley was about to launch into her carefully-prepared speech when she remembered the man in a black suit and sunglasses standing guard in the back of the store. Sandy had sent him on some sort of mission after the accident, so Haley really wasn't familiar with him yet.

"Can we talk somewhere more private?" she asked.

Sandy followed her gaze, eyebrows raising a little when she saw what Haley was looking at. "Oh, you have nothing to worry about with Horus over there. He knows all about my situation. But if you'd be more comfortable in private, I can certainly send him away."

Haley nodded. Sandy clapped twice and the man went into the back room without a word. Once he was gone, Sandy guided Haley behind the counter and offered her one of the mismatched stools sitting there.

"Is he a vampire, too?" Haley gestured to where the guard had been standing.

Sandy chuckled. "No, sugar, he's my thrall."

"Thrall?"

"Yes. You've never heard of thralls?" Sandy was looking at Haley like she'd just said she never had ice cream before.

Haley shook her head.

"Yoba, I'm surprised it ever came up. But, then again, there's so much to cover and only so many hours in a day! Makes me wish that old story about us not needing sleep was true. I would get so much done!"

Haley cleared her throat to try to get Sandy back on track.

"Well, let me give you the basics before I bore you to tears," Sandy said. "Thralls are humans who make deals with vampires. They let us drink their blood in exchange for something they're struggling to get themselves."

"Like what?" Haley asked. "What would you have to be so desperate for that you'd be willing to let a monster drink your blood?"

"Hey now, sugar," Sandy said, her voice growing darker than the pet name would have normally implied. "I don't take kindly to being called a monster. And neither should you. We are in a difficult situation and we are making the best of it, do you understand me? No one's going around calling humans monsters because they're going around eating meat."

"Well, maybe some vegetarians are," Haley said.

"But there are plenty of other vegetarians who just live and let live," Sandy said.

Haley nodded. "Still, though, what could you want so badly that you'd be willing to die for it?"

"Die?" Sandy's eyes widened. "Oh, no, sugar, the aim isn't to kill your thrall. Humans have so much blood, and they need most of it, sure, but they don't need all of it. You can take just enough to meet your needs, give the thrall a week or two to recover, and--ta da--they've replenished the missing blood and you can do it all over again safely. Rinse and repeat until you meet the terms of your agreement. And trust me, humans want all sorts of things. I've heard of vampires offering protection, money, video game cheat codes, you name it. Plus there are so many benefits for us. It's more filling, you can go out in the sunlight, and it just feels better, you know, like the way humans feel on a balanced diet...."

Haley nearly fell off her stool.

"Say that again," she said.

"Say what again?" asked Sandy.

"The benefits. What were the benefits?"

Sandy smiled and shrugged. "Getting hungry less, immunity to sunlight--"

"Stop!" Haley said. "Vampires who drink human blood can go out in the sun?"

"Yeah, sugar," Sandy said, like it was nothing.

"Are you serious?" Haley exclaimed. "For months, I've been wrestling bears in the woods so I wouldn't have to kill any people, and not only are you telling me that there's a much easier way to get blood, but that I can go out in the sun? Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Sandy shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Well, it's not like thralls are a dime a dozen. You'd have to find a human who's pretty desperate to resort to trading away their blood. Besides, it's not like you can put up a Help Wanted ad for something like this."

"So what?" Haley said. "I don't care how hard it is or how long it would take. I could have at least tried. And you didn't even give me a chance. I've been sitting around for months feeling sorry for myself when I could have been doing something. Maybe I wouldn't have had to skip the Luau. Hell, I could've gone to the beach."

Haley stood up and headed for the door.

"Sugar, wait!" Sandy said, shooting out of her chair. "I wasn't trying to keep anything from you on purpose."

"Whatever," Haley said. "I have to go."

Sandy didn't look happy, but she didn't try to stop Haley, either. "Just...don't do anything rash, okay?" she said. "I know I'm not particularly shy about what I am, but that doesn't mean there aren't people out there who want to hurt us. You've gotta handle the whole thing with at least some discretion, if you don't want to end up on the wrong side of a wooden stake. Be careful, all right? I'd hate to see you get hurt."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Like you care. You just don't want me to get caught 'cause it means they'll be after you next. Well, don't worry about that. I'll be discreet. Thanks for nothing, Sandy."

Haley slammed the door behind her and stomped her way to the bus stop, not even bothering to get out her umbrella. Her hair was pretty much ruined in the humidity anyway.

Screw Sandy. She would find someone. Even if she had to wait until she moved to Zuzu City, she would find someone. Hell, there might be more vampires in Zuzu, who had connections and networks and stuff like that. A whole vampire-thrall speed dating service, maybe.

Wait.

Zuzu City.

Sebastian.

Holy shit, Sebastian might do it.

Her two biggest problems with getting a thrall required Haley to find someone who would 1) believe vampires were real and 2) trust that Haley wasn't going to kill them. Sebastian already met both criteria. It was almost like Yoba was giving her a freebie.

To make the whole deal even sweeter, Sebastian wanted something badly enough that he might be willing to offer his literal blood for it. And what did he want more than anything else in the world?

I'm actually saving up so I can move back to the city. I want to buy back my dad's store and run it myself. Keep his memory alive, I guess.

They already had a common goal: saving up for an apartment and moving the hell out of Stardew Valley. Haley had learned the hard way that it was a much slower process than she'd originally hoped, especially since she couldn't leave the house most days. But if they combined their savings, and Haley could go out to take pictures more, maybe pick up some odd jobs along the way, it could work.

It just might work.

She needed to talk to Sebastian.

Chapter Text

After years of not paying attention in school, Haley had unwittingly skipped out on the most important lesson of all: knowledge is power. Today, for the first time, she finally understood what that stupid saying meant. She finally had a way to get her normal life back. She just had to reach out and grab it.

Haley had seen Sebastian a handful of times since the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies. Nothing crazy, just a few brief conversations when they happened to cross paths, but it was nice to know that there was another person out there who knew her secret and wasn't completely terrified of her. Someone who accepted her for what she was, not because he was family and was obligated to or because he had the same secret, but just because. And, hopefully, if he had been willing to give her the benefit of the doubt on the whole blood-sucking thing, he'd hear her out on this new plan, as well.

The perfect moment came about a week into fall, the first rainy day since Haley's (tense) trip to the desert. Haley was out in Cindersap Forest, taking some moody rain shots for a moody blog that had absolutely eaten up the frog pictures she'd taken earlier in the summer. Apparently, Sebastian wasn't the only emo out there with a thing for the green and slimy. Who knew?

Anyway, Haley had been taking pictures by the river south of Marnie's ranch for maybe thirty minutes when she noticed that familiar scent of cigarette smoke and motor oil cutting through the smell of wet leaves. Sebastian usually didn't come out to the forest. In fact, his list of typical haunts was pretty short, even shorter than Haley's had become since the accident. Had he come here on purpose, looking for her?

Haley scoffed. Even she knew she was just flattering herself, thinking like that.

But, said a small part of her that hoped, he had to have come here for a reason.

"I bet the frogs are loving this rain," he said when he got close. He didn't have an umbrella with him today, but he was bundled in a light waterproof jacket, and his head was mostly protected by a battered beanie held together with a few safety pins.

Haley pouted, but on the inside she was practically glowing. "Actually," she said, "I've been having really shit luck today. Could you help me look?"

Sebastian smiled, just the tiniest bit, and nodded.

"I think the pond up by the farmer's place has some coastal tail frogs. We might be able to find a northern red-legged frog if we're really lucky. I'll show you where their favorite hiding spots are."

Haley cared a normal amount about the frogs. The one with red legs might make for some interesting pictures, sure, but really she was glad Sebastian was willing to spend the time with her. And hey, she'd let him talk her ear off about the slimy things if it meant he was still treating her like a person.

They managed to find a few bug-eyed bullfrogs (Sebastian called them Lithobates catesbeianus), and Haley even got a good action shot of one leaping off the dock. But the rain was pretty relentless, and Sebastian's teeth had started to chatter, so, when Haley felt like she'd probably gotten enough decent pictures for one day, she stood and tapped her shoes against the dock to shake off some of the mud.

"I give up," she said. "It's way too cold to crawl around in the mud."

Sebastian shrugged. "All right. If you're sure."

"Very sure," Haley said. "But...I was going to check in on Emily at the Saloon real quick. If you're heading back that way, maybe I could buy you a cup of coffee? Just, you know, to say thanks for helping me with the pictures."

Sebastian looked surprised, but he nodded.

"Great!" Haley said, turning to walk back up the dock before he could see her blush.

It was, in fact, the first time she'd ever asked a guy on anything even remotely resembling a date. She usually liked to let them take the lead, or at least let them think they were taking the lead. She liked a man who was going to work for her. But this wasn't really a date. It was more like a business proposal. Besides, Sebastian didn't seem like the type to fall for her usual tactics. Haley had a good feeling Sebastian would never want to be in a position where he had to make the decisions. Assuming he wasn't so oblivious that he would pick up on her hints in the first place.

At the Saloon, Haley ordered coffee for each of them (even though hers was just for show) and herded Sebastian to the booth in the corner, as far away from Gus and her sister as they could possibly get. They were the only customers at the moment. Sebastian shed his coat and hat, which were soaked through, and slid into the seat across from her.

"I didn't know vampires had telepathy," he said after they were settled.

"What?" Haley asked.

"You said you wanted to check in on Emily, but you haven't said a word to her. I have to assume, since there's obviously no other reason you would ask me out to coffee, that you sent her a telepathic message instead of using your words."

For a second, Haley assumed Sebastian was trying to suss out another vampire power, that he'd been up "researching" on some nerd forums or something. But then she saw that self-satisfied smirk on his face.

Her eyes widened. How was it that Sebastian, of all people, was the one to throw her off at every freaking turn? She wondered for a moment if she should even bother telling him about her plan in the first place. If this was how it was going to be all the time, she'd never make it to move-out day.

Then again, it's not like she was spoiled for choice.

Haley sighed and raised her hands. "I surrender. There's no hiding from you, is there?"

Sebastian crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. That freaking smirk.

"You're damn right there's not," he said.

Ugh.

"Fine, you got me," she said. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"I'm listening," Sebastian said.

It was now or never. "Well," Haley said, "it's been taking me forever to save enough money to move to Zuzu City. I can't get enough for a moving van, let alone rent or furniture or anything. I figured you were in the same boat."

Sebastian nodded.

"So, what if we agreed to be, like, roommates? If we pool our money together, we'll be able to afford an apartment much faster. Plus, with splitting the cost of everything else, it'll be a lot cheaper to live in the city, too. You'll have more money to put aside for your dad's store."

Sebastian stared at her for a moment.

"You remembered that?" he asked. "About my dad?"

Now it was Haley's turn to stare. "Why wouldn't I? It was kind of an important story."

Sebastian sighed a little, pulling one arm across his chest.

"No one else I know really seems to care," he said. "I put in long hours at my job, but my friends barely seem to remember I even have a job sometimes. And my mom keeps hounding me about getting out more, but she knows why I'm working so much. I guess it's just nice to know somebody's paying attention."

Yoba, that was depressing. Haley couldn't believe that she understood Sebastian better than his other emo loser friends. She didn't feel like she understood him at all. He'd go from stoic and cool to vulnerable and so, so open with her in the blink of an eye. Was the disaffected distancing just an act, a wall he put up but was willing to break down the instant someone bothered to be nice to him for more than three seconds? If so, how was she one of the first people to be able to do it, especially when she wasn't really trying?

Darn it, now she really couldn't dance around the other part of this arrangement, not after he told her all that.

"Before you make a decision, though," Haley said, "there's something else you should know."

"Go ahead," Sebastian said.

"You know how I can't go out in the sun, right?"

He nodded. "I figured. I only really see you when it's raining these days."

These days? How long had he been paying attention?

Focus, Haley, focus.

"Well," Haley said, "the good news is that I found a way around it. If I could go out in the sun again, then I could spend more time working on photography and earn more money for the apartment. Which we'd get together, since we'd be roommates. But I would need your help to do it."

"Okay, how am I supposed to help with that?" Sebastian asked. Haley could tell he was putting the pieces together, but he probably wanted her to be the one to say it.

"I need blood. Human blood."

Sebastian stood up and grabbed his coat.

"Wait, let me explain!" Haley cried. Gus and Emily shot them a look, the Saloon suddenly more quiet than it had already been. "I promise it's not as bad as it sounds. And, let's face it, you're never going to get out of here by yourself. Not with that dinky freelance job."

Sebastian glared at her, arms crossed.

"What makes you think I can't do it?" he demanded.

Haley knew she was being harsh, but she couldn't let him leave. He was her only chance to be normal again.

"Because if you could," she said, "you'd be out of here by now. I know you've wanted to leave Pelican Town for years, and you've been working since we graduated. I only started saving up last year. So what's your excuse?"

Sebastian sighed, running a hand through his hair. But he knew she was right. He sat down again.

"Thank you," Haley said. She'd been saying that to him a lot lately.

For the next ten minutes, Sebastian sat patiently while Haley explained her plan--the deal, how much blood she needed and how often, and how much money she'd be able to bring to the table. Then she waited.

"Wouldn't it hurt?" he asked after a while. "And, like, leave an obvious mark?"

"There's actually a way around that, too," Haley said.

Sebastian looked up at the ceiling. "Of course there is. All right, tell me what it is before I have a chance to change my mind."

Haley was so close. "Right, so, my friend...the lady who turned me into a vampire said I could compel you not to feel pain. Kind of like laughing gas at the dentist's office? And with the marks--this is so gross, I'm sorry--but there's something in my spit that, like, makes injuries heal faster. The marks would go away crazy fast."

Sebastian sat quietly for what felt like an eternity, playing with his lip piercing, a distant look in his expression as he stared at the empty coffee cup in front of him. Then he looked up and met her eyes.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but can I have a few days to think about it?"

Haley had to try really hard not to break out into a big smile.

"Of course," she said.

"Cool. I'll text you." Sebastian stood. "By the way, um, thanks. For the coffee."

Haley waved him away. "Don't mention it. It's the least I could do, with everything you've done for me lately."

Sebastian was looking at her weird, but it wasn't the zoned-out expression that meant she'd compelled him by accident again. It was more like he was studying her, like he wasn't sure what to make of her. Then he smiled, just a little, and left the Saloon without another word.

The next day, Haley's phone chimed.

I'm in.

Chapter Text

They agreed to meet three days later, at Sebastian's house. Sebastian had assured Haley that his entire family would be asleep by 10 pm, since he'd been cursed to live in a house of morning people, so it would be easy for Haley to come over without attracting any unwanted attention.

Their first priority was guarding Haley's secret, obviously, but even if that hadn't been an issue, Pelican Town was small. People would talk. Robin, especially. Haley remembered her as the ultimate tiger mom, head of the PTA and the robotics club when Haley and Sebastian were in high school. Sebastian always seemed embarrassed of her, and Haley didn't blame him. If Haley came by Sebastian's house to spend vague, non-specified "alone time" with him--in his bedroom, with the door closed, no less--Robin would be the first to hear about it and the last to let it go. So they agreed to meet late at night, where only a few people could notice them, even fewer would care, and those most likely to talk would be removed from the equation entirely.

That's how Haley ended up on Sebastian's doorstep that cool autumn night, texting him to let her in instead of knocking on the door.

Sebastian opened the door slowly, silently, and ushered her in with a finger pressed to his lips. Despite the late hour, he was still dressed in his usual hoodie and ripped skinny jeans. The only difference from any other time she had seen him before was the lack of marker-covered sneakers. Somehow, this small change was enough to make Haley feel like she was stepping into a private space, and they hadn't even made it past the front door yet.

Sebastian pointed to his left before leading her down the basement stairs and into his room.

If you had asked Haley an hour ago, she would have guessed Sebastian's basement man cave would be the last place she'd ever willingly want to spend time. But when they reached the landing, she was surprised to discover how cozy the room was. It was a decent size, but it was absolutely jam-packed with books, board games, and collectables, making it seem like the snug little cottages out of that one fantasy movie she'd watched back when she was a kid. Posters covered every inch of the walls, featuring every last one of Sebastian's interests from heavy metal band logos to flashy video game and comic book characters. Next to the door stood a worn, lumpy couch in front of a mismatched coffee table and an ancient TV. The entertainment center was filled with dozens of video game consoles. His desk sat in the corner, facing the door. There were so many different computer parts on it that Haley couldn't believe he was able to work there at all. Last but not least, a low table was set up towards the back of the room, surrounded by an assortment of cushions to sit on. Figurines, dice, and complicated worksheets for that game he liked were scattered on the table, set up almost like a battlefield.

It was obvious he'd tried to clean up a little before she'd arrived. Even with all his stuff scattered around randomly, there was no dust on any of the furniture and the bed was neatly made. There were no Joja Cola cans in sight, either.

Once in the room, Haley and Sebastian didn't really know what to do with themselves, so they just kind of stood in the middle of it all and waited for each other to say something. After a minute, Sebastian pointed to the black panels of foam stuck to the walls, filling in the gaps between all the posters.

"Those are for soundproofing," he said. "For band practice and stuff like that. No one should be able to hear us unless we're, like, shouting."

Haley wondered if that was partially a warning. They had agreed it was better for the both of them if these meetings stayed secret, but if things went south, agreements could be broken. Sebastian wasn't stupid enough to put himself in a situation like this without some sort of backup plan. That was probably why he had suggested meeting up at his house instead of hers--at Haley's, Emily was the only human in his corner, assuming she wasn't at work. Or that she wouldn't be motivated to protect her sister over him.

Haley nodded, but couldn't think of anything to say.

"So, uh, how do you want to do this?" Sebastian asked.

"You should probably sit down," Haley said. "Doesn't giving blood make people dizzy sometimes?"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "'Giving blood'? That's a nice way to put it."

Haley huffed, crossing her arms. "Well, what else would you call it? You're giving me your blood. It's close enough."

"Okay, that's fair," Sebastian said. He sat down on the couch. "Oh, um, you can sit, too, if you'd like."

Haley perched on the couch next to him. It was really old, the design a woolly, itchy plaid, and it sank underneath her, making her lose her balance and fall backwards with a little squeak. Sebastian rushed to steady her.

His hands were warm against her back and shoulder. His fingers were long and skinny, but still stronger and rougher than hers, the kind of masculine ruggedness that always showed itself in the most unexpected ways whenever Haley got close to a guy. The little things that reminded her that even someone wimpy like Sebastian was still taller, stronger, and bigger than her.

Haley's heart fluttered a little at the contact, so much closer than they'd been before, and she realized how intimate this all was. Especially when Sebastian pulled his shirt collar away from his neck, tilted his head to the side.

Their eyes met.

"Wait," Sebastian said. "Isn't this going to hurt?"

Shit. Haley hadn't thought of that.

Then she had an idea.

During their senior year homecoming game, Alex had broken his foot. He had needed surgery, but since it wasn't a super serious injury, they hadn't knocked him out completely like they do for the bigger surgeries. She remembered him telling her about it after he came home from the hospital.

"It was kinda like being drunk," he said, "but, like, legally. It was so weird. I knew what they were doing, but I didn't really care. I was just kind of sleepy. And it didn't hurt at all."

"What if," Haley said, focusing back on Sebastian, "I did the mind control thing? I could tell you it won't hurt, and then it shouldn't, right?"

Sebastian shrugged. "You're the vampire here, not me. But it makes sense."

He let out a shaky breath.

"Are you okay?" Haley asked.

"Think I'm just nervous," he said, running his fingers through his hair. "Like, I know what I signed up for, and I don't think you want to hurt me or anything, but it's still just...."

"It's okay, I'm nervous, too," Haley said. "I've never done this before, TBH."

Sebastian looked at her, eyebrows raised. "You mean you've never had human blood before? Not even when you first...?"

Haley shook her head.

"Isn't it really hard, in the beginning?" he asked. "I mean, that's what it's like in movies and stuff. Can't you, like, smell blood?"

"Oh, for sure," Haley said. "It's, like, impossible to drown out the sound of everyone's heartbeats. I can hear everything, like, all the time. I could tell you exactly how many birds are in the tree next to your house right now."

Sebastian was quiet, waiting for her to say more.

"I don't want to hurt anyone," Haley said, feeling more vulnerable than she had in a while. "I feel bad enough about the animals. So I started treating it like a diet. I've done tons of diets in the past. You just have to keep your goal in mind and remember how much better it's going to be in the long run than it would be to, like, eat a piece of cake now. Cake is fleeting, but a summer of perfect beach photos lasts forever, you know?"

Sebastian's jaw was on the floor. "Damn. I didn't know you were so...disciplined."

"Is it that hard?"

Sebastian's shoulders curled in a little and he crossed his arms. He wouldn't look at her. "Of course it is. And even if it's not super hard for you, it's still a risk, right? Weren't you ever afraid it was too dangerous? That it wouldn't be worth the risk?"

Sebastian didn't say it outright, but Haley knew he wasn't really talking about being a vampire anymore. They'd been out of school for, what, five years now? Sebastian had never been the valedictorian or anything, but he was definitely smart enough to go to college. He could have easily moved out then, even if it was just to Grampleton or something. But he hadn't. In fact, he'd holed himself up in his room as much as possible, since he could work without leaving the safety of his parents' basement. Thinking about it now, Haley was surprised he'd even bothered to leave the house the day he met her in the park in the first place. Maybe he was starting to get sick of being alone all the time.

"I don't accept failure," Haley said. "That's what makes the risk worth it. If I screw up, I just have to try harder next time." She smiled a little, gently shoving him with her shoulder like she did with Alex. "And you better get used to that. Your failure is my failure now. I'm not giving up, so neither are you."

"Right," Sebastian said. Was he blushing? "Okay. I'm ready when you are."

Again, they locked eyes.

Haley took a deep breath and tapped into her usually-overflowing reserve of confidence. She didn't want to hurt Sebastian, and not just because she didn't want him backing out of their deal. If she believed what she was saying, she could compel him to do the same. He wouldn't get hurt.

"Okay, Sebastian," Haley said. "I want you to relax. You're not nervous. There's nothing to be worried about. I'm going to drink your blood, but it's not going to hurt. You're safe."

The effect was instantaneous. Sebastian fell back against the couch with a soft sigh, eyes drifting closed before sliding--heavily--partway open again. All the tension that Haley hadn't even realized was there before--the constant pinch of his eyebrows, the tightness in his shoulders, the fidgeting as he picked at his fingernails or twirled one of his rings--was completely gone now. If Haley hadn't known better, she would think he was lying on a hammock on Ginger Island. It was kind of cute.

Oh.

Oh, Yoba.

It was hot.

Sebastian was the most guarded person Haley had ever met, even after all the time they'd spent together in the past few weeks. Sure, he'd told her some stuff about his past, but it was always when there was a barrier to protect him. He could say whatever he wanted while he was hiding behind his motorcycle, pretending he was just making small talk while he worked. Even when he'd been more open with her, he'd still been hiding.

To see him now, so calm, so peaceful, was like seeing an entirely different person. Even his heartbeat was steady, so gentle as he took slow, deep breaths and let the world flow around him. It made Haley wonder what Sebastian was like when he wasn't hiding behind all the walls he'd built around himself, the physical ones and the emotional ones. It made her want to find out.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Good," Sebastian said, a small smile floating on his lips. "A little sleepy."

"Is it okay if I...?"

"Whatever you want," he said, sighing again. He slumped into the couch even more, tilting his head to the side to show her his neck.

Haley fought the blush building on her cheeks, tried to focus on the task at hand. She took a moment to scope out the veins in his neck until she found the perfect spot.

Then she bit down.

Sebastian gasped a little, tensing for a moment before settling back into the couch again. Haley barely noticed. She knew, from talking to Sandy and from her past experiences hunting wild animals, that feeding on blood was almost like feeding on memory; each creature's experiences flavored their blood in a unique way. But it was still so much better with a human, so much more visceral than she'd expected. Haley tasted warm, home-cooked meals on a cold winter evening, aching arms and sweat after a day working on the motorcycle, the crisp mountain air on a late-night walk back from the Saloon. She drank in the dizzying spread of endless lines of code, the satisfaction of solving a puzzle in a game without looking up the answer. And right at the end, almost as an aftertaste, she experienced the lonely weight of another late night by the pond, cigarette in hand, wondering when it was all going to get better. If it ever would.

"Haley, stop," Sebastian said. "I'm gonna...."

Haley pulled away in a panic. Shit, she probably needed a bandage or something. Why hadn't she thought of that before? He was going to bleed out if she didn't do something soon.

She grabbed a worn blanket that was sitting on the arm of the couch, ripped off a piece, and turned back to Sebastian to stop the bleeding. But when she got a good look at his neck again, she didn't see any blood. There were two tooth marks in his neck, but they were fading fast, like they were weeks old. And then they were gone.

Wild.

Sebastian wasn't actively bleeding out, but he still looked like shit. His face was pale, his eyes were closed, and he was slumped on the couch in an uncomfortable-looking position.

Had he fainted?

Fuck, what were you supposed to do if someone fainted? Haley wasn't a doctor; she had no freaking clue. Should she just take him straight to Harvey's? Should she call 911?

Emily would know what to do.

Haley ripped her phone out of her back pocket, dialing her sister from muscle memory before the thing was even in front of her face.

"Hey, sis, what's up?"

"Sebastian passed out," Haley said. "I don't know what happened, he seemed fine and I don't think I took too much blood but he's unconscious and I don't know what to do Emily help."

"Okay, slow down for a second. Is he breathing?"

Haley had known to check that much, but she checked again just to be sure. He was.

"Good," Emily said. "Is he lying down?"

"No."

"Move him so he's lying down and prop his feet up so they're above his heart, okay?"

Haley complied.

"You're doing great, sis," Emily said when she was done. "How long has he been unconscious?"

"Only a few minutes," Haley said.

"Did he hit his head?"

"No," Haley said.

"Okay, great!" Emily said. "Last thing, do you know how much blood he lost?"

Haley hesitated. She wasn't super sure, but she didn't think she'd taken too much. "Maybe like the size of a small smoothie from the mall?"

Haley could practically hear her sister smiling through the phone. "Okay, so that's like 16 ounces, right? The internet says that's about as much as a regular blood donation. Lots of people faint when they give blood. If he doesn't wake up soon, you might want to call Harvey, but otherwise I think he should be fine."

"Thank Yoba," Haley said. "And thank you, Em. How do you even know all this stuff?"

"I took a first aid class with Harvey about a year ago," Emily said. "Thought it might come in handy at work. People get a little wild on Friday nights, you know?"

"I didn't know you took a first aid class," Haley said.

"Yeah, you must have been busy with something at the time."

Yoba, Haley was such a crappy sister sometimes. She was very sure she hadn't been doing anything important a year ago. And Emily was trying to cover for her, on top of it.

"Thanks, Em," Haley said. "I'm glad at least one of us is responsible."

"It's what big sisters are for," Emily said. "Now, one final question."

"What is it? Did I miss something? Should he have woken up by now?"

Emily chuckled. "No, silly. Are you okay?"

Haley's forehead wrinkled as her eyebrows pinched together. "Uh, yeah? Sebastian's the one who got hurt, not me. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"You just dealt with a first aid emergency, Haley," Emily said. "That can be scary."

Haley rolled her eyes. Leave it to Emily to focus on her mental health at a time like this, you know, when someone's physical health was at risk. But it was still nice. "I'm okay, Em. Thanks."

Sebastian's eyes fluttered.

"He's waking up!" Haley said.

"Great! Don't let him sit up for a few minutes, okay?" Emily said.

"Lemmie put you on speaker."

Haley knelt next to the couch. Sebastian was starting to sit up, but she squeezed his shoulder.

"You need to lie down," she said.

His expression went blank, the way it did when she compelled him on accident, and he lay back down without a fight. Whoops.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You fainted," Haley said. "Does that normally happen when you give blood?"

"No," Sebastian said. "Never."

"Hey, Sebastian. Emily here." Emily's voice echoed through the phone's speakers. "When was the last time you had anything to eat?"

"Uh...I had some potato chips around noon," he said.

"Just as I suspected," Emily said. "You really shouldn't give blood on an empty stomach, Sebastian. That's probably why you fainted. Haley, can you get him something to eat?"

"Sure," Haley said.

"I'll be fine," Sebastian said. Even though he was lying down, he was practically swooning.

"That's it," Haley said. "I'm raiding the fridge. Em, what do you recommend?"

"The internet says to start with juice and saltines. If he can keep that down, move on to regular food. Nothing greasy. Oh, and lots of water."

"Can you stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Sebastian demanded.

"No," Haley and Emily said.

Haley rolled her eyes and, before she realized what she was doing, ran her hand through his hair. "If you're not going to take care of yourself, I'll have to do it for you, dumbass."

"Says the girl who's using me as an actual food source."

"It sounds like you've got things under control," Emily said, a little too quickly. "I'll leave you to it. But if either of you need anything, I'm just a phone call away, okay?"

"Yes, Mom," Haley said.

"Thanks for your help, Emily. Sorry about all the trouble," Sebastian said.

"No worries. I'm just glad you're both safe. Have a good night!"

When the line went dead, Haley stood up and made her way to the door. "All right, you heard her. I'll be back in a few with some snacks."

"No, Haley, wait," Sebastian called, but Haley was already halfway up the stairs.

The first floor of Sebastian's house was pitch black, not that it really mattered for Haley, and it was absolutely dead quiet. Only when she made it to the top of the stairs did she remember that she didn't know where the kitchen was. Oh, well. She'd just have to find it on her own.

She passed the entranceway, where Robin's desk and cash register sat waiting for tomorrow's customers. A little further down was a massive laboratory, with a few machines beeping and whirring even though it was the middle of the night. Then Haley heard the hum of the refrigerator in the back of the house and decided to follow that. Finally, her enhanced hearing was good for something.

And boy, was it enhanced. Haley's hearing and sight had been superhuman ever since the accident, but this was on another level. Every detail was clearer than an HD television, even in complete darkness. And she felt better, too--lighter, faster, stronger--than she had just drinking animal blood. For the first time in months, Haley was hoping for a sunny day in tomorrow's forecast. Sandy had not been exaggerating about the benefits, not one bit.

Ugh, Sandy. Haley hadn't spoken to her since their fight a few weeks back, and, frankly, she was still pretty pissed about it.

Haley could deal with that later. Sebastian was the number one priority at the moment, he needed to eat, and Haley had just found the kitchen. As quietly as possible, Haley raided the cabinets until she turned up a box of crackers. Then she rooted through the fridge, grabbing juice, water, and a sealed container of root vegetables and chicken, probably leftovers. She also snagged a few cookies from the jar on the kitchen counter before sneaking back downstairs.

Sebastian hadn't moved, and he was still conscious, thank Yoba. Haley helped him sit up, very slowly, then handed him the juice so she could arrange everything else on the coffee table.

"You can't pull shit like that if you want this to work," she said after he'd finished the juice and some of the color had returned to his face. "You really scared me."

"It's not a big deal," Sebastian said. "People faint giving blood all the time."

"But this isn't giving blood. Not really," Haley said. "We don't know what could happen if we screw anything up. And I don't have anyone to talk to about this anymore, so we're totally on our own here. I don't want to screw this up."

Sebastian's eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, I thought you had a vampire friend who was helping you with everything."

"We're not really talking right now," Haley admitted. She told Sebastian about the fight and her dramatic exit from the Oasis, leaving herself high and dry when it came to vampire advice.

"That sucks," he said when she was done. 

Haley buried her head in her hands. "I just wish she spent more than two seconds thinking about where I'm coming from. I'm nowhere near as old as her, and this is all new to me anyways. You'd think she would at least try to understand and be, like, a little helpful."

"Guess even four hundred year-old vampires aren't immune to the Pelican Town Egotism Disease," Sebastian said.

Haley shrugged. Talking about the fight had been more helpful than she'd anticipated; she was a little more willing to give Sandy the benefit of the doubt now. "I don't know if I'd call it egotistical," she said. "I think she really does care about me, it's just that she doesn't remember how hard it was when she first turned. So much has happened to her since then, you know?" Haley thought about the days after she'd been turned, all those wonderful and heartbreaking stories Sandy had told in the shade of the Oasis. She was still pissed, but she knew deep down that Sandy hadn't been trying to hide things from her on purpose.

"Has she tried to talk to you since then?" Sebastian asked.

"No," Haley said.

"Maybe she's giving you some space," Sebastian said. "If she hasn't reached out yet and she's not a colossal asshole, she's probably just waiting for you to cool down. Sam and I are like that. Maybe you could try talking to her in a few days, if you're feeling up to it. See if she's ready to see your side of things now."

Haley groaned. "You're probably right. I just don't want to; it sounds hard."

Sebastian set down the now-empty leftover container. He'd polished off all the food Haley had brought him and looked a lot less like he was going to die. "Well, if she really hasn't been poisoned by this shithole town yet, then the sooner you're back on speaking terms with her the better. Decent people are really hard to come by around here. You can't afford to lose them."

"You really hate everybody in Pelican Town that much?" Haley asked.

"I thought you did, too," Sebastian said, fiddling with a silver ring on his left pinky. "Isn't that why you want to get out of here?"

"I mean, sort of?" Haley said. "Don't get me wrong, the small town politics are absolutely awful. I hate that Emily and I have to go down a freaking receiving line every time we go to a festival, for one. But mostly I just hate that we're in the middle of nowhere. Some people aren't bad, though."

Sebastian blushed. "Yeah, I guess I could think of a couple people who aren't terrible."

Did he mean her? Haley hoped it did. And judging by the look on his face, her hopes didn't seem entirely unfounded.

"How're you feeling?" she asked after a minute or so of back-and-forth blushing.

"A lot better," Sebastian admitted. "I'm still a little tired, but nothing worth calling an ambulance for. I'm sorry I scared you earlier, by the way."

Haley leaned against his shoulder, for a few seconds longer than a playful bump but not long enough to be considered a hug. "Just promise me you won't do it again and I think I'll find a way to forgive you."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Haley stood up slowly. "I guess I should go, then. I don't want to keep you up all night."

"Wait, I didn't say that," Sebastian said. "You can stay. I mean, if you want. Thought maybe we could watch a movie or something."

A movie? Sebastian was inviting her to snuggle up on his couch late at night and watch a movie together? Haley had forgotten to check her horoscope this morning; were the spirits in a particularly good mood today? How else could she explain such good luck?

"If you insist," she said, sitting back down as casually as she could possibly force herself to sit.

Sebastian smirked and turned on the TV. "Oh, I insist...on choosing what we're gonna watch."

He was going to be the death of her.

Chapter Text

The next day, Haley flung open her closet doors and began to flip through hanger after hanger of neutral fall tones. It was the Stardew Valley Fair, and people from all over the valley would be coming to check out Pelican Town's grange displays, carnival games, and local talent. Even though Haley wasn't directly involved in any of the festival's events, she still had to dress her best. Someone had to show the stuck-up city tourists that there were people in Pelican Town with good fashion sense. Besides, today was her first date with Sebastian.

Okay, Haley was maybe getting ahead of herself just a teeny, tiny bit. Sebastian had invited her to hang out at the fair with him--and Sam and Abigail. But Haley wasn't good at hiding her feelings, at least not from herself, and she had grudgingly come to accept that she was maybe kinda sorta developing a crush on Sebastian. She just couldn't stop thinking about the night before: how cozy she'd felt in his bedroom, how cute he'd looked relaxing on the couch, the electricity of his fingers on her back when he'd caught her. There was something so flattering, too, about the way he'd trusted her with so many secrets he'd kept from even his long-time friends.

Of all the people she had to fall for, fast and slow and easy and challenging in a way that sent butterflies on a whirlwind through her stomach, she'd never ever guessed it would be Sebastian. But she couldn't lie to herself. Which meant she probably couldn't lie to Sebastian for much longer, either, but she had to be patient. They were still getting to know each other, after all. Plus there was the whole blood-drinking thing they were still getting used to. Given all the extra circumstances, Haley didn't want to rush in too strongly and risk scaring Sebastian off.

Hence the pseudo-date at the fair. This was Haley's chance for a little more quality time with Sebastian and a great opportunity to test the waters and figure out where he seemed to be leaning, all under the pretense that they were just hanging out as friends.

Haley settled on an oversized cream-colored turtleneck with thin black stripes, a pair of black pleather shorts, dark tights, and knee-high boots--the perfect blend of cozy autumn cottagecore and big-city chic--and topped the ensemble off with a white beret Emily had made her last year, something made locally to match the theme of the day. With her outfit settled, she took a long, warm, get-everything-done shower and spent a little extra time coaxing her hair into effortless-looking waves. She was putting the finishing touches on her eyeliner when Emily knocked on the door.

A tear came to her sister's eye when she noticed the beret.

"Don't say it," Haley warned.

"Too late!" Emily cried. "I'm just so honored that you like the beret. I put a lot of work into it."

"Yeah, yeah, you're the greatest and I love you and all that," Haley said, but she still gave her sister a hug before they headed out.

At the front door, Haley paused. Emily was already on the front step, the door open between them. Crisp autumn sunshine drifted into the house easily, stopping just before the toes of Haley's boots. After nearly half a year hiding in the dark, Haley was finally able to go out into the light.

She took a deep breath and shot a quick prayer to Yoba, hoping this would work and she wouldn't end up with first degree burns. Then she steeled herself and stepped across the threshold.

The light felt warm and welcome on her face, a gentle fall breeze brushing across her like a smile as she basked in the morning glow. She was unharmed, intact, safe. Haley looked up at the bright blue sky and smiled.

"How do you feel?" Emily asked.

Haley looked at her sister and blinked back tears. "Happy."

And it was all because of Sebastian.

Emily's face broke out in a grin that could rival the morning sun. "I'm so happy for you, sis. Wanna walk with me to Gus's? I would just love to share your first walk in the light."

Not even Emily's new age cheese could sour this moment. Haley knew it was just her sister's way of saying she cared, so she couldn't be too upset. She offered Emily her arm.

It was only 9:30 am, but Pelican Town was already swarming with tourists. Even arm-in-arm, Haley and Emily were almost separated several times as they pushed through the crowd. Luckily, the area by the park had been roped off to give Gus enough space to grill, so the girls found some much-needed breathing room when they made it up there. Haley helped Emily and Gus set up drink dispensers filled with warm apple cider, coffee, and hot chocolate while she waited for Sebastian to arrive.

She caught him walking down the path from the mountains a few minutes later. Not even Sebastian was immune to the festive cheer in the air during one of Pelican Town's holiday parties, and he'd dressed accordingly in a warm, black-and-gray flannel, jeans, and black hiking boots. It was giving emo and cozy hayride at the same time. What was failing to give emo, however, was the unapologetic smile on Sebastian's face when he spotted Haley.

To be completely transparent, though, Haley's smile was just as big.

"It looks like it worked," he said when he approached the cooking area. "How does it feel?"

"Free," Haley said. "I...I don't know how I can thank you."

He shrugged. "Don't mention it."

"I can start with this," she said, offering him a cup of cider. "Don't tell Gus I'm sneaking you free samples before he opens for lunch."

Sebastian took the cup with one hand and crossed his heart with the other. "Oh, that's going with me to my grave," he said. "I don't fuck with the guy who cooks my food."

The heavy warmth of cinnamon floated in a cloud around him as he took a sip, and Haley wondered off-hand if his blood would taste of cider the next time she came over for a drink. If Sebastian had some pumpkin pie today, could she expect a vampire version of a PSL later that week? Yoba, she missed a good PSL.

"Earth to Haley," Sebastian said. "You in there?"

Haley shook her head. "Sorry," she said. "The cider smells good. I guess I got a little distracted."

Sebastian's eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, shit. Do you need to eat? I don't know about right now, but maybe tonight...."

It was sweet of him to offer, but she didn't want to push him. He needed more time to recover than just a day, and she wasn't hungry at all after the feast she'd had the night before.

"I'm fine," she said. "How are you feeling, by the way?"

Sebastian took another sip of the cider, relaxing just a little. "Pretty good," he said. "I got, like, eight hours of sleep, which is a lot for me. And I had breakfast for once, so you don't need to call Emily over for another lecture."

"She was worried about you," Haley said.

"I know," Sebastian said. "We'll be more careful next time. Oh, that reminds me: I was doing some research this morning, and I saw that iron-rich food helps you build up red blood cells after you donate. I was thinking about eating more of that stuff. Spinach and whole grains and all that."

"It can't hurt," Haley said. Then she decided to take a chance. "I'm a pretty good cook. Maybe next time we hang out, we could make something together."

Sebastian blushed a little. "Sounds like a date," he said.

"Hey yo, Seb!" someone called from the outskirts of the park. Haley turned to see Sam and Abigail pressed against the southern fence, Sam waving and hollering while Abigail crossed her arms and tried to hide a smile. "Come on down here! They just opened the carnival."

Sebastian winced, but he waved back.

"I probably should've warned you earlier, but Sam can be a bit much sometimes," he said. "Feel free to ignore him. Ready?"

Haley nodded and walked back towards town with Sebastian. The two paused for a moment when they came to a gate so Haley could join Sebastian on the path.

Confusion was written all over Sam's face, getting worse the closer Haley and Sebastian got to him and Abigail.

"Uh, hi, Haley," he said. "How's it hanging?"

"Can't complain," Haley said. "You?"

Sebastian stepped in. "You guys remember I told Haley she could hang out with us today, right?"

Abigail's eyes narrowed. "We thought you were joking," she said.

"No offense, Haley," Sam added.

Oof. Haley knew, obviously, that all of this was weird. She wasn't totally over the weirdness herself. She knew, too, that it was going to be awkward. She stuck out like a sore thumb in their group, and even though she didn't care about fitting in with Sebastian's friends, it still made for an uncomfortable dynamic. But how could she say no to a little more time with Sebastian, especially now that her life was starting to go back to normal? For the first time in months, Haley could enjoy the sunshine on her face and interact with people who weren't Emily at a normal time of day. She thought she'd be willing to put up with anything for a chance to feel normal again.

Maybe she should just go hang out with Alex like she usually did. Just to spare Sebastian the awkwardness of going between her and his friends. She wanted to spend time with Alex today, anyway, so it wouldn't be a complete change in plans.

"Are you any good with a slingshot?" Sam asked her.

"What?" Haley said.

"There's a carnival game where you hit targets with a slingshot," he explained. "We've spent the last few years figuring out how to min-max the other games for maximum tokens: I'm good at the strength test, Abby can smoke everyone at the fishing contest, and Seb figured out a way to hack the spinning wheel--"

"I didn't hack the spinning wheel," Sebastian cut in. "I wrote an algorithm that predicts the probability of it landing on each color. It's different."

"Whatever," Sam said. "I just meant you figured out a way to win all the time. The point is, we all suck at the slingshot game. It's the missing piece. I know it is. If we can figure that one out, I think we'll be able to win enough tokens to get the Stardrop this year. And maybe you can help us, Haley."

"You do have really good eyesight," Sebastian said. His eyes widened. "Because you're a photographer."

"Is that what she's calling it these days?" Abigail asked.

Haley frowned. Sam was nice enough to give her the benefit of the doubt, it seemed, and was trying to find her a way to be included in the group. Apparently Abigail didn't want to do the same. Well, Haley would show her.

"Where's the slingshot game?" she asked. "I want to give it a try."

Sebastian was right; Haley did have really good eyesight. It took her a few tries to figure out how to hold the slingshot properly, and a few more tries to pull it just hard enough to hit the targets without shooting holes clean through them, but once she had that down she was nearly unstoppable. It wasn't all vampire powers, either; years of photography kept her hands steady as she took aim. So Abigail could suck on that.

Unfortunately, Abigail wasn't around to suck on that, since the group had split up to each tackle their preferred game not long after Haley had gotten settled into hers. When Haley hit 500 tokens, her assigned responsibility, she decided she'd proved her point and could go check on Sebastian. Hopefully, they could spend a little time alone.

As she was making her way to the spinning wheel game, however, Haley noticed an unexpected face in the crowd: Sandy's. Sandy never attended the festivals. What was she doing here?

Haley was so caught up in her surprise that she found herself walking up to Sandy before she realized what she was doing.

"Hi," she said.

"Oh, hi, sugar," Sandy said. "You doing okay?"

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Haley said. "I was mad. But I shouldn't have yelled. You've done a lot for me, and I know you weren't keeping stuff from me on purpose."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there, sugar," Sandy said. "It's okay. You were right; I could have been more empathetic. I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"Maybe we can just say we were both wrong and call it a day?"

"Works for me. Life's too short to get caught up in petty fights, wouldn't you say?"

Haley rolled her eyes. "You're one to talk." She reached out and gave Sandy a hug. "I won't say I didn't miss you."

"Likewise, darling. Now, what's been going on in your neck of the woods?"

Haley leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "I found a thrall."

Sandy's eyes widened. "So fast? That's incredible! Come sit; I want to hear all the juicy details.

Sandy guided Haley to the benches south of the Stardrop Saloon, away from most of the activity at the fair, and listened quietly to Haley's whole story.

"Believe it or not," she said when Haley got to the part about Sebastian fainting, "I have some insider resources I can point you to in order to help with that. There are a handful of doctors I know who should still be alive. I'll dig up their phone numbers when I get home. Thank Yoba Emily was able to help you, though. I'm sure Sebastian wasn't in grave danger, but that had to have been scary."

Haley nodded. "Yeah, it was." She closed her eyes for a moment, scanning the crowd until she could pick out Sebastian's low baritone among the bustle of the fair. Just to triple check that he was okay.

When she opened her eyes, Sandy was smiling mischievously. "You like him, don't you."

"I plead the fifth," Haley said. "But yes."

Sandy squealed. "Oh, I could see it in your face, sugar! Good for you. You'll have to tell me more about him the next time you come visit." She stood and dusted her skirt off. "But I'm afraid I have to go. I'm expecting a shipment from the Fern Islands in an hour."

Haley stood, too. "I'll come visit soon. And I'll bring Emily. She's been dying to catch up."

"You'll have to tell her I said hi," Sandy said, eyes getting a little sad. "I wish I had time to chat with her now, but I really don't."

"It's okay, I know she'll understand," Haley said. "Oh, and Sandy? Thanks."

Sandy pulled Haley into a hug, bringing the scent of coconut and pineapple with her. "Of course, shug. We ladies have to stick together, after all."

Haley remembered what Sebastian had said the other day about good friends being hard to come by in Pelican Town. She still didn't fully agree with him. There were a lot of good people in her support system, after all. But it was nice to keep them close, all the same.

After Sandy left, Haley tracked down Sebastian. She found him and his friends at one of the picnic tables near Gus's grill, surrounded by a pile of used paper plates and solemnly counting up their Star Tokens. She stopped at their table and, without a word, tossed the pouch with her earnings into the center of the pile.

"That was fun!" she said, flashing her biggest smile. "You said 500 tokens, right?"

Sam's jaw hit the floor. Haley took a moment just to drink in the glorious feeling of victory as Sebastian counted her tokens.

"That's 500, all right," he said. "We finally have enough to get the Stardrop."

Abigail glowered at her. Not that Haley really cared.

"I guess we're splitting the Stardrop four ways, then," Sam said. "Way to go, Haley! You earned it, man."

Stardrops were incredibly rare. Most people only had the opportunity to eat one or two in their lifetime if they were lucky, and it was an old wives' tale that anyone who ate them became stronger. Emily insisted they were evidence of the other world, some mystical force she said brought magic to Stardew Valley. Haley had never really believed her. She always figured those myths about the Stardrops or Junimos maybe had a grain of truth to them, but weren't necessarily caused by magic. Like, maybe the Stardrops just had a really high nutritional value, and people a long time ago thought they were magic because they had more energy after eating them. Haley didn't really know and she hadn't really cared.

When the four of them exchanged their tokens for the Stardrop, though, Haley realized she could never eat it. When the token clerk pulled the Stardrop out from under the counter, Haley almost threw up on the spot. It smelled awful. Literally the worst thing she had ever smelled combined with something even smellier and multiplied by ten. Even if she had been willing to try something that wasn't blood, to take the risk for such a rare opportunity, it was too disgusting.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Sebastian asked.

Haley nodded. "I was just thinking, you guys have been working for years to get this thing. I barely helped. You can have my piece."

Sam's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, it's whatever," Haley said, fanning her hand in front of her face to make it look like she was brushing them off. "I'm, uh, not feeling so good. I think I might head home early."

Sebastian put his hand on her shoulder. He was biting his lip ring. "Want me to walk you home?" he asked.

"Sure," Haley said.

He turned back to his friends. "Save a piece for me, guys. I'll be right back."

Haley said her good-byes to the group (well, mostly Sam. Abigail had committed to saying as little as possible) and the two started in the direction of her house.

"I can't believe you're really turning down the chance to have a Stardrop," he said once they were out of earshot. "You must really be feeling like shit."

Haley explained her issue with the rare fruit. The second they'd turned away from it, she'd already started feeling much better. How had she never noticed such a horrible smell before? Didn't the others smell it, too?"

Sebastian shook his head. "It smelled fine to me," he said. "Maybe your magic and the Stardrop's magic are too different and they react negatively to each other."

"My what?" Haley demanded.

"I mean, what else would you call it? You're...," he looked around carefully, "you know. I'm sorry, but that is just straight-up proof of magic. So if you're in the situation you're in now, and there's a guy living out in the forest who says he's a wizard and supposedly there are monsters in the mines, the Stardrops are probably magic, too."

Haley paused. "I guess you're right," she said. "You'll have to tell me if you get any weird powers after eating your piece."

Sebastian snorted. Damn it, it was cute.

"You'll be the first to know," he said.

They reached her house all too fast, and Haley's first day in the sunshine was over. She hesitated at the door.

"I had fun today," she said.

"Me too," Sebastian said. "I'm sorry about Abigail. I'll talk to her."

"It's okay," Haley said. "I wasn't about to let her ruin our day."

Sebastian sighed in relief. "Good," he said.

He looked down, picked at the cuff of his flannel.

"I...was wondering," he said softly. "Our band is playing at the Grampleton Music Festival this Saturday. Pam offered to drive, so we have lots of room on the bus. Would you maybe want to come with? We usually all grab dinner after, too, since we'll be out of Pelican Town for once."

Haley's eyes widened. "That sounds great," she said.

Sebastian smiled. "Really? Awesome! Okay, we're meeting at the bus stop at 9 am. I'll, uh, see you then?"

Haley nodded. "Absolutely."

Chapter Text

"Goblin Destroyer, you're on deck," one of the stage techs said, poking her head in their trailer.

Haley put the finishing touches on Sebastian's eyeliner and surveyed her handiwork, as satisfied as she would ever be with a guyliner job.

"I've done my best," she said. "Everything else is up to you."

Sebastian nodded. "Thanks, Haley." He stood and moved to the filthy trailer window--the closest thing they had to a mirror in what was supposed to be their dressing room. Not that Sebastian and his friends seemed to mind. They'd been impressed that any terms of their rider had been fulfilled in the first place, from the fridge filled with Joja Cola and bottled water to the cheap-ass bags of tea next to the rusting electric kettle. This wasn't the first time Sebastian's band had performed live, but it was early enough in their music career for all three members of Goblin Destroyer to still have stars in their eyes, that was for sure.

Sebastian brushed his bangs with one hand and fiddled with his lip piercing with the other. Just for the concert, he'd connected a silver chain to the piercing, the other end secured to an earring in his ear. Even though it was a pretty chilly fall day and they were performing outside, Sebastian had told Haley that the stage lights got pretty hot, and he'd learned quickly not to dress too warm. He wore a pretty simple outfit, all things considered--an oversized white graphic tee over a long-sleeved black shirt, black jeans with massive rips in the knees, and his marker-covered sneakers. Aside from the choice in jewelry, Sebastian's outfit wasn't out of the norm--for him, at least.

That was to say nothing for Sebastian's bandmates. Sam's hair was so full of hairspray it was more like a helmet than actual hair. He didn't have any piercings, but he was pretty much covered in every other type of jewelry there was--a ring on nearly every finger and an entire layer of rubber bands and woven bracelets on his forearms. He had traded his usual denim jacket for a loud cheetah-print one, as well. Yoba only knows where he'd found something like that in Pelican Town.

Abigail had tied her hair up in a high ponytail with a massive black bow. She was wearing fingerless fishnet gloves and tights, a studded leather jacket, and knee-high combat boots. Her ears were filled with more piercings than Haley had previously thought possible for one human being.

"Showtime!" Sam hollered, and the group left the trailer to head backstage.

In the Grampleton Family Park Amphitheater, one of the bands was wrapping up their set, a fast-paced pop song that had everyone on their feet. Suddenly, everything seemed so much more real to Haley. She was surprised to realize she was nervous for Sebastian--for the whole band, actually.

Haley had never heard them play before. She had no idea what to expect, not even a little. Oh Yoba, what if they were super cringey? Would she have to spend the rest of her life pretending she liked Sebastian's shitty band to preserve his feelings? Would she even be capable of keeping something like that to herself?

"Are you nervous?" she blurted out.

Sebastian blushed and worried at his lip piercing with his tongue.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked.

Haley shook her head. "Obvious? What are you talking about? You seem so calm."

"You think I'm calm?" Sebastian chuckled. "Haley, I'm terrified. The only reason I'm not running for the hills right now is because I promised Sam. Well, and I know that once we start playing I'll be too focused on the music to freak out."

Haley turned her focus to the sound of his heartbeat. Damn, he wasn't kidding. She'd heard hummingbirds with a slower pulse. But his expression was still cooler than stone.

"Impressive," she said. "You have, like, the best poker face I've ever seen. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do great."

Haley wasn't sure, but it's not like she was going to say that.

Sebastian let out a shaky breath. "We're almost up. You should go find a spot in the crowd. And, uh, if we suck, try not to judge me too hard."

The uncertainty in his voice broke her heart. He wanted to impress her so bad, and he didn't realize that she'd stopped judging him a while ago.

Maybe she could do something to take his mind off his stage fright. At least if he felt more confident, it wouldn't matter as much to him how good the band was.

Haley leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that," she said. "There's no judgement from me. Your blood will taste the same either way."

Sebastian snorted, covering his mouth to quiet a too-loud laugh. "Ouch, Haley," he said. "Is that all I am to you?"

Haley tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Ask me again after the concert, Piano Boy."

"All right, I think I've had enough," Sebastian said, still laughing. He put his hands on her shoulders, spun her around, and gently pushed her towards the exit. "See you on the other side."

His heart was still racing. Maybe her Piano Boy comment just put extra pressure on him. They were steps away from the door now; she only had a few seconds to try again.

Haley whirled around and pecked Sebastian on the cheek. His eyes went wide with surprise.

"For luck," she said. "Break a leg!"

She ran out the door before he could say another word.

On the other side of the stage, Haley leaned against the door, blushing furiously. Yoba, what the actual hell had possessed her? She'd just been trying to help him relax before the show.

Well, she'd certainly achieved that goal.

Since it was in the middle of a park, the Grampleton Music Festival didn't offer stands or even seats for the audience, just a grassy field. Most people had brought picnic blankets or folding chairs from home. Haley hadn't come prepared, but when she surveyed the crowd for a good place to stand, she happened to spot Penny and Maru on a blanket a few rows back from the stage. The two girls had been on the bus with Haley, Sebastian, and the band, but Haley hadn't bothered to chat with them on the drive up. She'd been too focused on sharing a seat with Sebastian. To Haley's surprise, though, when they saw her, they waved her over.

"You're welcome to join us, if you'd like," Penny said when she got closer.

"Are you sure?" Haley asked. She was pretty sure this was the first time she'd ever spoken to Penny in her life.

"Of course!" Maru said. "We Valley girls have to stick together, after all." She scooted over to make room for Haley. "Have a seat while you can. Knowing Sam, we'll be on our feet for their entire set."

Haley's eyebrows shot up. "Is he really that good?"

"Oh, yes, Sam's a natural," Penny said. Haley could swear she heard her sigh.

"Yeah, a natural ham," Maru said, gently elbowing Penny. "He's good with a crowd, but take Penny here with a grain of salt. She gets a little starstruck."

"Maru!"

Haley was about to ask Penny for more details--she loved some good romance gossip, even if it featured dorks like Sam--but just then the band took the stage. Maru and Penny weren't exaggerating. Sam's grin was practically splitting his face in half as soon as he saw the crowd. He jogged out of the wings, Abigail and Sebastian trailing after him, and waved in a big arc as he crossed to grab his guitar. Penny and Maru immediately jumped up, whooping and hollering, and they weren't the only ones. It seemed the band already had a small following.

"Hellooooooo, Grampleton!" Sam called. "We are Goblin Destroyer! Are you ready to rock?!'

There was more hollering from the crowd, and Haley stood up when she realized she was one of the few people still sitting. Sam played a little riff on his guitar, just for the hell of it. The crowd cheered. He turned to Sebastian, who nodded from his spot at the piano, then Abigail, who also nodded. Then she tapped out a beat with her drumsticks and the music blared to life.

The band launched into a cover of some rock song Haley had forgotten the name of, and it was immediately clear that they were good. Maybe not superstar levels of good, but they definitely knew their stuff. Plus, Sam's energy was infectious. He couldn't move too far from the mic since he was the lead singer, but the bright tone of his voice and the little flourishes he tacked onto the guitar line make it hard to look away. Or stand still. Haley found herself shouting the chorus right along with Maru and Penny as they all danced to the beat.

After the first song, Haley managed to tear her eyes away from Sam to see how Sebastian was doing, and she kicked herself for not doing it sooner. Sebastian had been right: he was way less nervous now that he was onstage. He definitely wasn't as comfortable in the spotlight as Sam, but he looked like he belonged up there. He was even smiling--not a massive grin, but certainly much more than his usual smirk. His gaze drifted between the piano, his bandmates, and the crowd, occasionally dropping into a more focused expression as he played through a particularly complicated phrase. But even that look had an air of confidence to it.

Then Haley realized he was singing. It wasn't much, just backup under Sam's melody, but Haley could definitely make it out. Even on higher harmonies, his voice held the deep rumble of a bass singer that set him apart from Sam. By the time the third song started, Haley was longing to hear it solo. She knew she probably shouldn't get her hopes up, though. Sebastian was way too much of an introvert to suggest singing on stage by himself.

Then the fifth song faded, and Sam and Sebastian continued playing, gently transitioning from the energy of the last number into something more sedate.

"Are you having a good time, Grampleton?" Sam asked.

The audience roared.

"Hell yeah," Sam said. "Can I get a round of applause for my girl Abby on the drums?"

Abigail played a complicated riff to match the cheers from the crowd. When the crash of cymbals faded, Sam turned to Sebastian.

"And how about my bro Sebastian on the synth?"

As the audience cheered again, Sebastian did his own little riff on the piano, showing off just a little before dialing it back to match Sam and Abigail's quieter playing. He locked eyes with Sam and nodded. The music shifted once more, flowing naturally into a haunting, piano-heavy ballad.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and those that lieth betwixt, I give you the dulcet tones of the one and only Sebastian!"

The piano picked up even more, building in volume to meet the growing ripple of the drums, and suddenly Sebastian was singing.

What would it take

For things to be quiet?

Quiet, like the snow.

I know this isn't much, but

I know

I could

I could be better.

He was looking right at her, his eyes hopeful despite the melancholy lyrics. It was almost like he was yearning for something, asking her to hope with him, to dare for something neither of them could do alone. Haley couldn't look away. The memory of their brief kiss flushed back to the surface. She felt like she was trapped in a wildfire.

The song was over too fast, shattering at the end like a broken spell. Haley was cheering before she even knew what was happening.

"Your brother's amazing," she said to Maru.

Maru looked as surprised as Haley felt. "I didn't know he was going to sing today," she said.

"I feel like Goblin Destroyer has a new trick up their sleeve every time," Penny chimed in. "They really know how to keep the crowd on their toes."

Abigail was driving the music forward again, going faster and faster until they were back to high-octane rock.

"Okay, folks," Sam said. "We've got one more epic number to end the night. I want everybody out there on their feet. Show me how you party in Grampleton!"

Sam was back on lead vocals for this one, but both Sebastian and Abigail were on backup. The stage was electric as all three musicians put their all into the last number, moving with equal energy from Sam's vocals to a rap interlude before Abigail took the lead:

Why am I a sucker for all your lies?

Strung out like laundry on every line.

Why do I come back to you

Like I don't mind if you fuck up my life?

Just like in the last song, Haley knew the singer was looking directly at her, but this time it was Abigail and she was glaring daggers with the intent to kill. Haley thought that was a little weird; she knew she and Abigail had clashed at the Stardew Valley Fair the week before, but this was more like rage than cattiness.

But then Sebastian was back on harmony, and Haley's attention was quickly drawn to him, eager to pick out his voice in the midst of all the other instruments.

Dead, thinking about you, you're in my head

Even without you, I still feel dead

Why do I run back to you

Like I don't mind if you fuck up my life?

It was pretty much the same lyrics, but Sebastian's hopeful smile made them more romantic, like he was begging her to turn his life on its head in the best way possible. Haley couldn't help herself. She could practically see her own face, her smile shy but just as hopeful, like she was saying back: Yes, never stop running back to me.

Chapter Text

"Thank you, Grampleton!" Sam hollered. "We're done for the night, but we'll be selling our mixtape after the show. You rock! Good night, everybody!"

Maru and Penny grabbed Haley in a whirlwind of picnic blankets and water bottles and the three were off to meet the band backstage. Haley was still in shock. Who knew dinky little Pelican Town was hiding serious talent? Haley wondered if Sebastian realized how amazing he was. Knowing him, he probably thought people were just exaggerating when they complimented him on anything. When she saw him, she'd have to--

Oh, Yoba. Haley had forgotten the kiss. She had kissed Sebastian. He'd probably want to talk about that.

Judging from the way he'd looked at her during the show, he probably wasn't upset about it, so Haley had that going for her. In a normal situation, she would handle this kind of thing easily: go in with a plan, tell the boy what she wanted him to hear, and adjust accordingly based on his reactions. If she wanted, she could have him wrapped around her little finger before they even got back on the bus. But she hadn't had a plan to start with, and she certainly didn't have one now. When she'd kissed Sebastian before the show, she hadn't been thinking at all. She'd just been trying to distract him from his stage fright. Of course, she had naturally jumped right to kissing. What normal friend/vampire-with-benefits wouldn't go for a kiss in that situation?

Somewhere, in the depths of Haley's heart, she knew she couldn't treat Sebastian like the other boys she'd flirted with back in school. Like, technically, she was physically capable of doing that, but something was preventing her from giving the idea any serious thought. She didn't want this to end up like all the other flings she'd had before. She wanted it to be different.

She was so screwed.

"Seb!" Maru shouted, throwing the dressing room door open and launching herself at her brother. "Sam! Abby! You guys were incredible!"

Sebastian looked too stunned to move, only belatedly wrapping an arm around his half-sister and patting her on the shoulder. "Uh, thanks, Maru. I'm sure we weren't that good."

Haley rolled her eyes. She'd literally predicted it. Maybe she should look into fortune-telling as a side job.

"Oh, Sebastian," Penny said, "surely you know by now that Maru can't lie to save her life. Your shows really do get better every time." Her gaze shifted to Sam. "All three of you are really talented."

Sam's face turned bright red.

Maru had released Sebastian at this point, pushing him ever-so-slightly in Haley's direction. They met halfway.

"If you guys can get someone as cool as Haley to sing along," she said, "you must be doing something right. We all had a great time, right, ladies?"

Normally, Haley would have tossed her hair over her shoulder and said something like, "Whatever. I guess you didn't completely suck," but Sebastian was standing right there. His heart was racing, breath shallow, even though the rush of performing should have worn off by now. And he was looking at her with those beautiful, hopeful, Yoba-damn puppy dog eyes.

Try not to judge me too hard, he'd said. He really did care about what she thought. And then she'd kissed him. She couldn't cover up the truth this time. To hell with her ego.

"You were amazing," she said. She couldn't look away from him. "I didn't know you could sing like that."

Then she remembered herself. "Any of you. I didn't know any of you could sing like that."

It wasn't a lie. Sam and Abigail were also really good singers. But Haley didn't care as much if they believed her.

Abigail cleared her throat, snapping Haley back to reality. "All right," she said. "Now that the mushy stuff's out of the way, I say we pack up. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can eat, and I'm starving."

Penny looked to Sam. "Are we going to Lou's?"

He shot some finger guns her way. "You know it! First round of root beer's on me."

"What's Lou's?" Haley asked Sebastian a few moments later. She was helping him carry his keyboard back to the bus.

"Just a small diner a few blocks from here, right near the highway," Sebastian said. "We go there after every show we do in Grampleton. Sam insists. He says we need to have a post-show tradition for good luck, but I think he just really likes their pancakes. You don't mind if we all go eat there, do you?"

Haley shook her head. "Nah. It's not like I have anywhere important to be, anyway."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "More like we're your only ride home."

Slowly, gently, they turned the keyboard case on its side and slid it into the storage area under the bus. Sebastian checked the locks one last time and made sure the case was flat against the floor. He stood up and looked around. Then he bent over again and pretended to check some of the other boxes under the bus. He wouldn't look at Haley.

"Um, about earlier," he said, so softly that Haley wouldn't have heard it if she'd been human. "Was that...do you normally...kiss all your friends for good luck before their concerts?"

Haley shook her head. "Not usually, no."

His heart was beating so fast. It would be cute, if hers wasn't going at the exact same pace. He turned back towards her, that same glimmer of hope from before dancing in his eyes. This was it. She knew it was coming, but she'd never been this nervous before, never felt this sense of lightness and wonder and doubt and anticipation.

Sebastian's breath caught in his throat and her stomach burst into butterflies.

Sweaty, shaking fingers brushed her cheek with all the tenderness and reverence reserved for a Fairy Rose. And then he kissed her.

What a rush. The butterflies swooped up and around and sunshine beamed from every pore in her body as she kissed him back. Sebastian smelled like leather instrument cases and electrical tape, his lips still warm from the powerful stage lights, his hand carding into her hair like it belonged there. Haley leaned in to meet him, taking gentle-but-probably-too-strong fistfuls of his shirt as she deepened the kiss. Yoba, it was perfect.

The bus's horn exploded behind them, an ear-shattering HONK that had both Haley and Sebastian jumping out of their skin and scrambling to separate.

"Sebarino! Haley! Get on the bus!" Sam called through the window. "It's pancake time!"

Sebastian was smiling--a real, big, unguarded smile.

"Wow," he said.

"Wow," Haley responded.

"Would you...would you maybe...like to go out sometime?" he asked.

Haley heard the blood rush to his cheeks before she saw it, heard the sigh of nervous energy as he finally got the words out. He smiled down at her with a warmth that brightened every part of her frigid body and soul.

She reached for his hand. He met her halfway.

"I would love to," she said.

Chapter Text

Lou's catered to two very specific types of clientele: drunk college students and brunchgoing senior citizens. It was much too early for the former group to be out yet and too late for the latter, but traces of them were everywhere: from the vast menu of fruit juices and the faded, flowery wallpaper to the discounts on breakfast skillets. Without either demographic present, the diner had an empty but still cozy feel that almost a little bit reminded Haley of the Stardrop Saloon. If it had been built next door to a nursing home.

A woman in her thirties was leaning sleepily over the dessert case, wrapping aged silverware in crisp paper napkins. The only other patrons in the restaurant were a pair of middle-aged men nursing coffee over a checkerboard.

Goblin Destroyer and their groupies stampeded in like a hurricane, Sam leading the charge as he slammed one hand on the front counter and said, "Table for six, please!"

Haley felt a little bad when the waitress jumped at Sam's loud voice, but she was quickly swept away into the bustle of settling in as the group was led to a long, semi-circular booth in the corner and debates broke out over who was sitting next to who. Eventually, Sam slid in first, followed by Abigail, Sebastian, Haley, and Maru. Poor Penny, gone a bit shy in all the chaos, wasn't able to claim a seat, but Sam immediately noticed and made everyone scoot over so she could take a place at the end--next to him, of course.

Massive menus were shuffled around, Sebastian and Sam reaching across the table to whack each other with them. Abigail was caught in the crosshairs.

"Enough!" she hollered, elbowing them both in the ribs. "Yoba, I can't take you two idiots anywhere."

"Maybe you guys can focus on actually reading the menu," Maru said. "I believe we were promised some free root beer, Sam?"

Sam chuckled, ducking his head down a bit. "Damn," he said. "I was hoping no one would remember I said that."

Maru adjusted her glasses. "My mind is a steel trap, Samson. Nothing escapes me."

When the waitress came by, Sam made good on his promise (under Maru's watchful eye). Conversation then fell to a lull as everyone began studying the menu more seriously.

"Mind if we share?" Sebastian asked Haley, folding his menu and sliding it between the ketchup and hot sauce bottles on the table. "It's a little cramped."

Haley's eyes widened. "Oh, uh, sure. I wasn't planning to eat much, TBH."

"I'm not super hungry, either," Sebastian said. "Maybe we could split something." He met her eyes, lifting her menu high enough to block the others from view. Then he leaned a little closer and whispered, "I know you can't really eat anything here. If you want, you can kind of poke around on my plate to make it look like we're sharing. Makes it less likely someone will notice you're not eating."

Haley hadn't thought of that. She hadn't been out to eat since the accident, so it hadn't occurred to her that it would look kind of weird if she didn't get anything. They'd left Pelican Town after lunch and had basically skipped dinner; everyone else was probably starving by this point. Even though Haley was known for her fad dieting stunts, it would still be kind of weird if she didn't eat anything at all. Plus, coming up with some elaborate diet would probably be more trouble than it was worth. At worst, everyone would be even more focused on Haley's eating habits than before. Sebastian's plan was simple--a normal-enough occurrence to be easily passed over.

That was...really thoughtful of him.

"Thanks," she said softly. "I'm, um, not picky. Order whatever you want."

Sebastian smiled--just a little, almost to himself--and turned his attention to the menu. Now left unoccupied, Haley's gaze wandered back to the rest of the table.

Abigail was staring daggers at her. Again.

What was her deal? Obviously they'd never really gotten along, but they'd never been at each other's throats, either. Haley had always made it pretty clear she hadn't wanted anything to do with weird goth girls, but that had always taken the form of keeping her distance, of ignoring Abigail and her friends, never resorting to outright bullying. Sure, it wasn't very nice, but it wasn't necessarily mean, either.

Haley could absolutely understand Abigail--and Sam--being wary of her spending more time with Sebastian. Confused, surprised, uncomfortable even--that all made sense. After so much time basically pretending Sebastian didn't exist, it was pretty weird how quickly Haley had fallen in with him. And even though it wasn't her main motive now, Haley knew she would never have willingly sought Sebastian out to begin with if it wasn't for the whole vampire thing. So, sure, Haley didn't expect Abigail to be tripping over herself trying to welcome Haley into the group, but this anger, this almost-hatred Haley had caught on the other girl's face (twice in one day, now) seemed a little much.

Maybe Haley could try to send up a peace offering?

"So, how long have you been playing the drums, Abigail?"

Abigail's frown turned even frown-ier. "Look, Haley, I know you're stuck with us until we get back home, but you can save the fake BS. We all know you don't really care."

Penny gasped. Everybody was staring at them.

"Hey, Abs, don'--"

"Can it, Sebastian," Abigail said. "She doesn't need you to defend her." She turned back to Haley. "Seriously, what are you really doing here? Because I just don't buy that you've been a closet alt-rock fan all this time. Did you lose a bet with that meathead boyfriend of yours?"

Anger flared red-hot in Haley's chest. Literally, what the hell had Haley ever done to Abigail to deserve to be treated like this? Not to mention dragging Alex into it. He may not be her boyfriend, but he was her best friend. Haley wouldn't let Abigail get away with insulting him.

But she wouldn't lose her cool. At least, not yet.

"Honestly, Abigail," she said, running her thumb under a ruby-red fingernail. "I came all the way out here to support you and your little band, and this is how you thank me? Can we maybe grow up a little bit? I know it must be really hard, especially since you skipped naptime, but you still have to try."

Abigail turned red. "You're calling me immature? That's rich, Haley. Especially when you're so clearly hiding something. So fess up--why did you come to the concert? Were you just looking for another reason to make fun of us? Or are you planning some sort of smear campaign to make everyone think we're demon worshippers or some shit because we're in a band? Either way, you're wasting your time. Nobody here cares about your opinion or what anyone else in Pelican Town thinks of us. So, whatever you're planning, you can just drop it, okay?"

The entire diner was silent.

Haley was seething. Abigail certainly didn't beat around the bush. But where had it all come from? Why did Abigail think Haley would even be interested in doing any of that?

"You think I'm that petty?" Haley asked.

"If the shoe fits," Abigail said.

Haley saw fucking red. Who the hell did Abigail think she was? Sure, Haley was no saint, but she was getting dragged under the bus for stuff Abigail thought she might want to do, not stuff she'd even done. This nobody from the middle of nowhere who was doing nothing interesting with her life had no idea what kind of hell Haley had been through in the past few months. Befriending Sebastian, coming to this concert, trying to get along with people she'd barely spoken to before, it was all so new to her, and Haley was trying, damn it. Haley was trying, and Abigail couldn't even give her the benefit of the doubt. Be for fucking real. Where did this insignificant human, this pathetic little piece of meat--

Sebastian's hand was on her shoulder. Light and warm and smelling of motor oil and pine trees. He was saying something.

"...Haley? Why don't we go outside for a minute?"

She nodded. Let him guide her out of the booth, past the bakery case, and out the front door.

The diner was right by the highway, so there was nothing particularly interesting outside aside from all the dusty, bug-splattered cars in the parking lot and the tumbleweed-roll of discarded plastic cups. But the drone of cars speeding by was loud enough to cover the sound of pounding heartbeats and Haley's own rage to the point where she could take a few deep breaths.

"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked.

Haley pressed her fingertips into her temples. "Not perfect, but better."

"You looked like you were ready to bite Abigail's head off," he said.

"I think I was," Haley admitted. That last train of thought before Sebastian had stopped her...it wasn't human. It wasn't Haley.

Well, maybe it was now.

"Thanks for getting me out of there," she said.

He shrugged. "I can't believe she said all that. Well, to your face, at least. Pretty much ruined the whole night."

Haley wrapped her arms around herself, more out of comfort than cold. "You...the concert was so good. You deserve to celebrate. If I had known that was going to happen, I would've stayed home."

Sebastian's eyes shot to hers, worry shattering across his face. "It wasn't your fault, Haley. I invited you. I...I wanted you to be here."

Haley huffed a dry laugh. "Oh, I know it wasn't my fault. It just sucks. This was supposed to be about you and the band. And now it's not. It's not right."

But Haley would make it right. She straightened her shoulders and pulled out her phone.

"Tell you what," she said. "You go back in there. Have fun. You've earned it, Sebastian. I'll take the train home, and I'll throw you a little party of our own later."

Sebastian raised one hand to his mouth, his thumb playing with the ring on his middle finger.

"No way," he said. "You shouldn't have to go back by yourself. That would suck even worse."

"I can handle one train ride alone, Sebastian."

"I know, but you shouldn't have to. Besides, I'm not going back in there. Abby's going to be in a bad mood all night now, even if you leave. I don't want to deal with that." He paused for a moment, worrying his lip ring between two fingers.

"What if we both take the train home now? My place isn't far from Pelican Town Station; if you want, we could watch a movie or something. I'll grab something to eat on the way back, too. Are you hungry at all?"

"I'm good," Haley said. "But I like the rest of your plan. Let's go grab our stuff."

On the walk back to the diner, Sebastian's hand brushed hers. She took it. His fingers were long, thin, calloused form hours working on his bike and practicing piano. They were much warmer than hers, but that was a low bar, so they probably weren't actually very warm compared to other people. She was surprised he didn't pull away as they approached their table, really surprised that he'd been the one to make the first move. Maybe he was still too caught up in the craziness of the fight. His heart was going a mile a minute.

When Maru saw them, her eyes sparkled, her smile so wide she tried to cover it up with her menu. But she looked at Haley, and they both knew.

Who would have guessed that Maru liked to play matchmaker?

"Abby's cooling down in the bathroom," Sam said as they approached. "Are you okay, Haley?"

Haley nodded. "Thanks, Sam."

"We're gonna head out, if that's cool with you guys," Sebastian said. "Take the train home. I'll see you tomorrow, Sam?"

"Course, man. Text us when you get back."

Sebastian turned to Penny and Maru. "Thanks for coming out to see us, you two," he said.

"Sorry about all the drama," Haley added.

"What's a rock concert without a little craziness?" Maru said. "It was fun hanging out with you."

Penny nodded so quickly Haley thought her head was going to fall off.

"Same!" Haley said. At least one good thing had come out of all this. Besides the kiss, and the hand-holding, and the date, and the other kiss.... Anyway. "Are you going to the next one? Maybe I can bring glowsticks or something."

"Sounds lovely," Penny said. "We'll be in touch."

Sebastian grabbed their stuff and, with one final good-bye, they left.

But just as they were passing through the door, Haley heard Penny whisper to Maru, "You're right, they do look good together. It's like they've been dating for years."

Chapter Text

Haley and Sebastian stood on platform 3-A at the Grampleton train station, waiting for the Stardew Valley Express to take them back to Pelican Town. The train had one route through the entire valley, stopping at all of the cities between Zuzu and the Gem Sea only to immediately turn around and go back again. Haley wondered if the conductor was sick of taking the same trip over and over again. It seemed as monotonous and awful as everything else outside Zuzu City, to say the least.

Once the 7:42 pm train arrived, Haley’s boyfriend (!!!) took her by the hand and led her across the platform, through the door, and into the emptiest car he could find. The train was old, but not so old that it could be described as rustic or charming. It was definitely more of a huge, silver tube-type of train, designed forty or fifty years ago for commuters–-function only. The seats were spartan in design, just soft enough not to be excruciating to sit on, but still pretty hard and covered in that plasticky faux leather that sticks to your thighs in the summer. Besides the seats and the windows, pretty much every other part of the cabin was made of metal, from the crinkle-cut aluminum walls to the overhead luggage racks to the industrial freezer-style doors separating each car. Sebastian and Haley’s shoes squeaked as they walked down the aisle, sticking to the mixture of dirt, mud, and spilled beverages that coated the floor.

It was no romantic journey on a charming steam engine, but Haley felt her company more than made up for that.

Sebastian gave Haley the window seat before sitting down gingerly next to her. Haley was no stranger to the awkwardness of a new relationship, of wanting to push the boundaries of closeness without moving too fast, but the guys she’d dated before had been pretty straightforward people. Even if they weren’t the most talkative types, they were very easy to read, so Haley had no trouble taking most of her cues from them.

But, as it had occurred to her many times before this moment, Sebastian wasn’t like the other people she’d dated before. He had walls upon walls to hide behind, even in moments where he was actively choosing to be vulnerable. So of course he would never plop down into the seat next to her and assume he had access to any level of intimacy, even after multiple occasions where Haley had been sucking on his neck.

“We should probably talk about this, right?” he asked after the ticket-taker had moved on to the next car.

Haley’s brow furrowed. Wasn’t it pretty clear what was happening at this point? They’d kissed. They’d held hands. He asked her on a date. It should be obvious. 

Haley decided to play dumb. She turned towards him with wide eyes and a shy smile and asked, “What do you want to talk about?”

That was absolutely, 100% the wrong approach. Sebastian looked away from her, focused intently on picking at some skin around his fingernail.

“Never mind, it’s not important,” he said. “Forget I said anything.”

Damn it. Haley hated when Sebastian would close himself off to her. It always felt like such a privilege to see the real him, to witness a side of Sebastian he wouldn’t show anyone else because he just trusted her that much , even if it was just for a moment. But he knew when she was putting on an act, and that just pushed him farther away.

Her normal playbook wasn’t going to work here. Instead…well, Haley wasn’t sure what to do instead. Haley could read people really well; normally, she depended on that to figure out what other people wanted to hear and just say that. Sebastian, however, wanted people to take him seriously. Treating him like a puzzle to figure out, a series of right and wrong answers Haley just had to choose from, wasn’t taking him seriously at all. Hell, it barely qualified as listening.

Maybe it was time for Haley to pull down some walls of her own.

“If you want to talk about it, it’s important,” she said, taking his hand. 

Sebastian gave her hand a little squeeze. “I just wasn’t sure how fast you wanted to go,” he said. “Or, like, how public you want to be. I mean, we had maybe an hour of alone time at the fair and people are already talking.”

Ah, right. Sebastian’s mom was one of the queens of local gossip, sharing her crown with Sam and Abigail’s moms (which only made it 1,000 times more likely that Haley and Sebastian would be swept up in the rumor mill). But also, like, what they were doing wasn’t wrong , by any stretch of the word. Robin, Caroline, and Jodi would be speculating on any relationship Sebastian found himself in, whether it was with the most perfect little housewife on Yoba’s green earth or a robot bounty hunter from Planet Weirdo.

“I thought you didn’t care what other people thought about you,” she said. “I mean, isn’t that the point of the whole emo thing anyway?”

Sebastian still wouldn’t look at her. “I just don’t want you to be embarrassed to be seen with me,” he said.

That was when it clicked. It was all an act, yet another wall to hide behind. Sebastian had been labeled a shy, lonely dork in high school and he’d accepted his role because it made for an easy safety mechanism. Wasn’t Haley doing the same thing? Even though it was more respected among her peers, Haley had identified the role of popular girl as an easy spot to fill, and, even now, she had been relying on the scripts provided by a world of teen dramas to play that role perfectly. If she was the quintessential Popular Girl and he the Emo Nerd, their relationship would certainly turn some heads.

But Sebastian was way more than just the Emo Nerd! He was shy, definitely, easily becoming nervous and awkward when pushed even a little bit, but he could also be surprisingly witty when he felt comfortable enough. He loved frogs, waiting hours in the rain for even a glimpse of one. He missed his dad and wanted to continue his legacy to keep a small part of him close. There was so much more to him than Haley had ever assumed before. He was unique.

Then again, maybe Sebastian wasn’t Just That Special. Maybe he was just a guy, a guy who loved and hated and understood himself about as well as anybody else, and he was playing on the assumptions about him in a desperate attempt to get through the day.

And maybe Haley was just a girl who was doing the same thing.

Haley ran her hand through Sebastian’s hair, coaxing him to look at her.

“I don’t know what other people will say,” she said, “but I know how I feel. I like you. I like spending time with you. I don’t want to maintain some image if it doesn’t give me the freedom to be with people I care about. If someone tries to say something stupid, I think we can figure it out. I’d want to try, at least. Because it would be for you.

“So no,” Haley concluded, settling back into her seat and squeezing Sebastian’s hand back, “I don’t think I’d be embarrassed. And even if I was, I’d get over it. You’re worth that much.”

Sebastian’s eyes were wide. “I…wow,” he said. “Are you sure you can’t read my mind?”

“Very sure,” Haley said. “Why?”

“It’s just…what you said just now, that’s how I’ve been feeling about you . Like, if everything falls to shit, I think we could get through it together. Nothing else really matters.”

The train jostled, sending Sebastian and Haley flying towards each other before they could stop it. Sebastian put his arm around her to steady her, but when the train settled down again he didn’t pull away.

Now this was a cue Haley could pick up on from a mile away. She leaned in, placing her head on his shoulder.

“Exactly,” she said. “Nothing else really matters.”

The next day, Haley got a text.

Sebastian: I just had a dream that a witch cursed us for 1,000 years because we never had our first date

Haley: *Just*? It’s the middle of the afternoon

Sebastian: It…took me a while to fall asleep last night

Haley: That explains the nightmares lol

Sebastian: Shut up XP

Haley: You’re right, tho. We should probably come up with something

Haley: Let me call you real quick

Sebastian picked up on the first ring.

“This could’ve been an email,” he grumbled.

Haley rolled her eyes. “Maybe this’ll teach you to go to bed at a normal time. I was not about to spend a sunny afternoon texting. So, what do you wanna do?”

“Well, between the Saloon and the Library, we’re really spoiled for choice,” Sebastian said. “I’d suggest we go back to Grampleton, but—”

“Don’t worry,” Haley said. “Those tickets were more expensive than I remembered. We’re supposed to be saving money, not spending it, so I’m fine with doing something small.

“Ooh, we could cook together! We probably won’t need to buy a ton of groceries, and groceries are cheaper than eating out anyway. We could get all dressed up, too, like we’re going out.”

“Wait,” Sebastian said. “You’re going to do half of the cooking, but you won’t be able to eat anything we make. I don’t want to leave you out on our first date.”

Haley felt that gnawing in her stomach. “I like to cook. I actually kind of miss it. Besides," she lowered her voice, "I’m sure we could find something I'll enjoy.”

Sebastian stopped breathing for a second; she could hear it crystal-clear through the phone. “Isn’t that, um, what we do all the time?”

Haley’s eyes wandered across her room, stopping suddenly when she saw her reflection in the mirror. She was smiling like the cat who got the canary, and there was this awful, predatory look in her eyes. All too fast, Sebastian had gone from her boyfriend to her next meal.

Haley closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she looked at her reflection again, that horrifying gleam in her eyes was gone.

“We’ll make it different,” she said. “Special. I’ve got a cute cocktail dress I haven’t had the chance to wear anywhere yet. And we can do, like, mood lighting and stuff.”

“...Sure,” Sebastian said. “Come over to my place on Wednesday? My mom and Demetrius are going out of town for a wedding or something, and Maru’s helping Penny do a sleepover at the library for the kids she’s tutoring. Is four okay?”

“That’s perfect,” Haley said. “It’s a date.”

Chapter Text

The next day, Haley got a text.

Sebastian: I just had a dream that a witch cursed us for 1,000 years because we never had our first date

Haley: *Just*? It's the middle of the afternoon

Sebastian: It took me a while to fall asleep last night

Haley: That explains the nightmares lol

Sebastian: Shut up XP

Haley: You're right tho. We should probably come up with something

Haley: Let me call you

Sebastian picked up on the first ring.

"This could've been an email," he grumbled.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Maybe this'll teach you to go to bed at a normal time. I am not about to spend a sunny afternoon texting. So, what do you wanna do?"

"Well, between the Saloon and the Library, we're really spoiled for choice," Sebastian said. "I'd suggest we go back to Grampleton, but--"

"Don't worry," Haley said. "Those tickets were more expensive than I remembered. We're supposed to be saving money, not spending it, so I'm fine with doing something small."

She had moved from her bedroom to the kitchen at this point, where a small pile of dishes were waiting on the counter. It was Emily's job to handle the dishes now, since Haley didn't use them anymore, but she put her phone on speaker and grabbed the scrub brush anyway.

Haley hadn't spent much time at all in the kitchen lately. She'd kind of missed it; the routine of using a particular space at specific intervals throughout the day, the satisfaction of absolutely destroying the kitchen in the effort to create a new recipe. She really missed baking. The last time she'd made a cake was for her own birthday, since it was before the accident, and she'd been too busy recovering to volunteer to make one for Emily's birthday at the end of spring. It would be nice to make something again, even if she couldn't eat it when it was done.

That gave her an idea.

"We could cook together," she suggested as she scrubbed a particularly stubborn splotch of tomato sauce off a plate. "We shouldn't need to buy a ton of groceries. And we could get all dressed up, like we're going out."

"Wait," Sebastian said. "You're going to do half of the cooking, but you won't be able to eat anything we make? Shouldn't our first date be something we can both do?"

Haley felt that gnawing in her stomach. She ignored it.

"It's okay," she said. "I like to cook. I actually kind of miss it. Besides," she lowered her voice, "I'm sure we could find something for me to eat."

Sebastian stopped breathing for a second; she could hear it crystal-clear through the phone. "Isn't that, um, what we do all the time?"

Haley looked up just then and froze when she saw her reflection in the window. She was smiling like the cat who got the canary, and there was this awful, predatory look in her eyes. All too fast, Sebastian had gone from her boyfriend to her next meal.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she looked at her reflection again, that horrifying gleam in her eyes was gone.

"We'll make it different," she said. "Special. I've got a cute cocktail dress I haven't had the chance to wear anywhere yet. And we can do, like, mood lighting and stuff."

"If you're sure," Sebastian said. "Come over to my place on Wednesday, maybe around four? My mom and Demetrius are going out of town for a wedding or something, and Maru's helping Penny do a sleepover at the library for the kids she's tutoring."

"It's a date," Haley said.

On Wednesday afternoon, Haley found herself lugging her overstuffed backpack and the dessert she'd promised Sebastian through the entirety of Pelican Town and into the mountains. It looked more like she was going to a sleepover than a date, but Haley was not about to show up dressed to the nines and then ruin her clothes in the kitchen. Therefore, the backpack filled with makeup, her curling iron, and that gorgeous navy blue bodycon dress with the high collar and the slit was a necessity.

She was a little nervous when she stepped on the welcome mat at Sebastian's house, just enough that she hesitated to knock. This was her first, real, actual date with Sebastian. They were dating. He took her breath away and made her heart do backflips when he smiled at her. She wanted so, so badly for this to go well.

Well, Haley hadn't been lying when she told Sebastian that she didn't accept failure. If she screwed something up along the way, she would find a way to fix it. She had to; she wouldn't let him get away that easily.

Just as she had finally gathered up the resolve to knock, the front door swung open.

Sebastian was wearing a large, faded, black t-shirt with an anatomically-correct bear skeleton on it and black skinny jeans with some chains hanging from the belt loops. His bangs were pulled back into a stubby ponytail, the shortest strands hanging down to frame his face.

"The security system sends alerts to my computer," he said, pointing to a camera aimed right where Haley was standing. "Sorry. The alerts are a little delayed, so I assumed you'd been standing here for a few minutes and I hadn't heard you knock. Hi, by the way."

"Hi, yourself," Haley said. "I just got here. Can I come in?"

Sebastian's eyes widened and he practically jumped away from the door to give her space to walk inside.

"Shit, I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have made you stand out there for so long. Come on in."

Sebastian guided her down the hall to the family kitchen. It was nice to see the house in the daytime, when she wasn't worried about someone passing out from blood loss or getting caught raiding the fridge. Robin and Demetrius really had a cozy home. The rooms dedicated to their work were clearly lived in, sawdust and test tubes lying around as though the two had only stepped out for a minute and not the rest of the day. Beyond the workspaces was a wide hallway, the walls covered completely with bookshelves. The whole family was represented here, from Demetrius's biology textbooks to Maru's astronomy guides. Haley even noticed a few thick sci-fi novels that could only have come from Sebastian.

Haley and her boyfriend turned right and made their way down a narrower hallway, made snug by the wood-paneled walls filled with years of family photos. There were decades-old Feast of the Winter Star cards, snapshots from various summers at the beach, Sebastian and Maru's graduation photos.

Towards the end of the hall, almost buried under a handful of Maru's honors certificates from school, was a water-damaged image of a couple in their mid-twenties and a small child, maybe two or three years old. The woman in the photo was obviously Robin. Her shock of orange hair was way longer than it was now, parted down the middle and braided partway down her back. She was wearing a pair of denim overalls and a white t-shirt with a hammer looped through one of the belt loops; the uniform of a stereotypical carpenter. Her wrinkle-free face was mildly sunburned, but she smiled wide. The man next to her had an equally big smile on his face. He was balancing the child on his hip, partially covering a Mysterium t-shirt. He had dark hair that was parted down the middle, long strands flowing just to the tips of his ears, and he was wearing big, nerdy glasses.

The little boy in the picture was obviously Sebastian. He was the spitting image of his father, from the dark hair to the dimpled cheeks as they smiled. He looked happy.

Sebastian must miss his dad more than he lets on, Haley thought. It had to have been hard to lose him so young, only to have a completely new family a few years later. Haley's parents had only been gone for a few years at this point--she had been twenty-two when they decided to retire early and travel the world--but it had still been hard to be left behind. Their decision had only made her feel more trapped in Pelican Town than she already had been, locked into the promise she and her sister had made to take care of the family house and essentially abandoned.

"I'm guessing you're not that interested in Maru's mathlete pictures," Sebastian said.

Oh. Haley hadn't even realized that she'd stopped to look at the picture, and she had no idea how long she'd been standing there.

"Sorry," she said. "It just kind of caught my eye. The, uh, lighting's really interesting."

"The lighting." Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

Haley huffed. "Okay, fine, you caught me. I was looking at you and your dad."

Sebastian seemed to shrink in on himself a little, but he still pointed at the building behind him and his family and said, "That's his store. I think they were having a five-year anniversary party that day. I kind of remember a cake in the shape of a d20, but that's it."

"What's a d20?" Haley asked.

"It's one of the dice you use in tabletop games like Solarion Chronicles. It has 20 sides to it, so you can roll it to determine the strength of an attack or how successful you are at doing things in the game, like convincing someone to do something or reading a foreign language."

"Wait, the whole game is just rolling dice?" Haley asked.

"Not always," Sebastian said. "A lot of it is role playing--that's acting stuff out--strategizing, and teamwork. The dice is more like a way to incorporate human error and keep you on your toes. For example, say one of my character's skills is archery. You could be the world's best archer and still have an off day. Or maybe you trip over a rock and it screws up your aim. Dice rolls account for stuff like that to make the game more realistic."

"Yoba forbid the wizard game isn't realistic," Haley said, nudging Sebastian towards the kitchen. "You'll have to give me more details later. I'm sick of holding this thing."

She hefted the large plastic cake carrier containing her homemade dessert, grunting as though it weighed several hundred pounds.

Sebastian held the kitchen door open for her and directed her towards the fridge.

"What's in there, by the way?" he asked. "When you said you'd bring dessert, I was expecting a box of cookies from Pierre's or something. You didn't have to make something from scratch just for me."

"I take dessert very seriously," Haley said. "I was not about to show up with something as low-effort as a box of room temperature, premade cookies. And no peeking! I want it to be a surprise."

"If you insist, I guess I can stop myself from sneaking a bite before dinner," Sebastian said.

"You'd better. I worked too hard on this to be denied the look on your face when you try it," Haley said.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Fine. Let's get to work, then. The sooner dinner is ready, the sooner we can get to the mystery dessert."

There was a bit of awkward fumbling around the kitchen as Sebastian and Haley began divvying up the tasks and searching for all the ingredients they needed. Sebastian had selected bean hotpot for the evening.

"I told Demetrius my bloodwork from my last checkup was low on iron," he said. "He gave me a long-ass lecture on the importance of a balanced diet, but it was pretty good information, all things considered. Plus my mom hasn't made bean hotpot in ages."

After they settled into their respective tasks, Haley pouring various cans of beans into the Dutch oven and Sebastian slicing potatoes, Sebastian took out his phone and put on music, some old-timey swing that belonged in a romcom.

"I didn't know you liked this kind of music," Haley said.

Sebastian shrugged. "I don't, usually. This is from a video game. Well, the songs weren't written for the game originally. They just used them in the game to add to the atmosphere. I thought they would be better for a dinner date than the stuff I usually listen to."

Haley drained and rinsed a can of kidney beans before twirling across the kitchen to add them to the Dutch oven bubbling on the stove. "You thought right," she said. "It's good cooking music."

The next song was a bombastic number, but the singer had the smoothest voice Haley had ever heard. It was the perfect song for dancing in the kitchen with your boyfriend. Sebastian was adding the green beans now, which was Haley's cue to turn off the stove before they put the dish in the oven. She pulled him into a hug from behind, coaxing the wooden spoon out of his hand before she spun him around and wrapped herself in his arms.

Sebastian's face was bright red. "Oh, uh, I don't dance," he said.

"You do now," Haley said back.

They swayed around the kitchen, taking turns twirling until they got so dizzy they had to lean against each other to keep from falling. Even though he rolled his eyes every time Haley tried to introduce a new move, Sebastian was smiling.

"See?" Haley said. "Dancing is fun!"

Sebastian pulled her the tiniest bit closer. "It's fun when you have the right partner," he admitted.

And then they were kissing, Sebastian's body pleasantly warm against hers as the sunset peeked through the window. Haley draped her arms over Sebastian's shoulders, deepening the kiss by opening her mouth and tracing her tongue against his lips. He responded in kind, slowly, cautiously, following her lead as his hands slid down to her hips. She started to guide him to the kitchen door, interested to see how far he'd let her push, but then Sebastian's stomach growled so loudly it echoed through the room.

Sebastian pulled away, his face pink for an entirely different reason now.

"We should probably put the food in the oven before we get too distracted," Haley said.

Sebastian nodded. They poured the hotpot into a handful of ramekins, topped each one with a layer of sliced potatoes, and placed them all in the oven.

When he finished setting the timer, Sebastian pulled Haley close and pressed another kiss against her lips. He was still tentative, made a little shy by the sudden shift in mood, but he soldiered on with a little encouragement from Haley. After a few minutes of not-quite-as-passionate-but-still-exquisite kissing, he pulled away again with a small peck on Haley's nose.

"I can clean up in here, if you want to go get changed," he said.

Haley squeezed his hips. "My knight in shining armor," she said. "I hate cleaning. Be back soon."

Sebastian pointed her in the direction of the hall bathroom and Haley got to work. She set up her makeup, washed her face, and got dressed while she waited for the curling iron to warm up. She braided the hair framing her face on both sides, leaving a few wisps loose to curl later. Then she gathered the braids into the rest of her hair and pulled everything into a bun at the back of her head. For her makeup, Haley went with a defined brow, minimal blush, and tan lipstick. Her eyes were the main attraction here, so they got the most focus: a sparkly eyeshadow so navy it was almost black, the standard black winged eyeliner with a line of silver just above it, and false eyelashes curled to perfection. To finish the look, Haley stepped into a pair of strappy silver heels and slid her great-grandmother's silver bracelet onto her wrist.

It was probably a bit much, but hey, she'd bought all this stuff, so she was going to wear it.

Sebastian was leaving his bedroom just as Haley stepped out of the bathroom, and they both froze when they first saw each other. Damn, did he clean up nice.

He was wearing black slacks and a waist coat, the sleeves of his white collared shirt rolled up just past his elbows. He had left the top third of the shirt unbuttoned, revealing a handful of silver necklaces, including a dragon pendant on a long chain. His hair was in the usual style, perfectly messy without a strand out of place. There were two silver rings in his bottom lip, almost like fangs poking out of his mouth. Haley could only stare, her tongue slowly sliding across her own, all-too-real fangs, as she imagined what Sebastian might look like with the real thing. It scared her how much she liked the idea.

"Yoba, you look incredible," he said.

Haley swallowed as best she could, her mouth gone dry for some unknown reason. "You're not half bad yourself," she said finally.

He blushed, looking down at the floor. "It's the only suit I own," he said, then shuddered. "Besides that Yoba-awful Flower Dance one."

Yeah, if there was one thing Haley didn't like about the Flower Dance, it was those dorky pale blue suits all the guys were forced to wear. None of them could pull it off. She thanked her lucky stars for the millionth time that the girls' poofy tulle dresses were actually nice-looking.

Sebastian offered her his arm like a prince from a fairy tale. "Shall we?" he asked.

She smiled and placed her hand near his elbow. "Lead the way."

The kitchen was dark when they entered, illuminated only by two tall candles placed evenly apart on the table and a handful of tea lights arranged on the counters. Sebastian had set the table with his mom's china, a small arrangement of red roses separating the two place settings. Gentle violin music drifted down from a small Bluetooth speaker on top of the fridge.

Haley froze, her hand falling from around Sebastian's arm.

"You...you did all this while I was in the bathroom?" she asked.

His hand flew to his mouth to fiddle with the lip rings. "It's too much, isn't it," he said.

Haley had been on nice dates before, sometimes pretty elaborate ones out in Zuzu City. It was easy to snag a reservation at a nice restaurant with your parents' money, sit back, and let other people basically run the date for you, and a lot of guys she'd dated before had been happy to leave it at that. To see the effort Sebastian had put into making his mom's kitchen so nice for her--how much he wanted to give her the kind of romantic date they just couldn't afford right now--and knowing they'd actually enjoy each other's company on top of all that....

"It's absolutely perfect," she said.

Sebastian practically deflated in relief. "Good, great, that's...cool," he said. "It was just some stuff we had lying around. It didn't take too long."

Haley knew he was trying to play it cool, slipping into the role of the disaffected tough guy he was desperately trying to be seen as, but she let it slide this time. Besides, it was cute that he was so nervous.

He pulled out a chair for her. "Is there, um, anything I can get you? Like, even just some water or coffee or something?"

Haley shook her head. "I really can't have normal stuff. It makes me sick. But thanks anyway."

Sebastian settled into his own seat and pressed his fork through the layer of potatoes. Then he reached his free hand across the table, silently inviting her to take it.

"On the plus side," he said, "it's a lot easier to do this."

Heat bloomed across Haley's cheeks.

"How is it?" she asked after Sebastian took a few bites.

"So good," he said. "Bean hotpot used to be a staple in our house after we moved here--I think Clint shared the recipe with my mom at some point--but we haven't had it in ages. Thanks for making it with me."

"I just dumped canned beans in a pot," Haley said. "But I'm glad it turned out okay."

"I know it's not super romantic," Sebastian said after a few more bites, "but we haven't talked finances in a while. Or maybe ever?"

"Shit, you're right," Haley said. It was only, like, their whole plan, after all. Yoba, had they really forgotten the main reason they'd started spending so much time together in the first place?

Sebastian pulled out his phone. "I was researching apartments in the city, just to get a ballpark of what we should be aiming for. Let me pull up the spreadsheet I made."

A spreadsheet? That...actually didn't sound like a bad idea. Haley hadn't even thought to set a goal for herself. She figured she'd just know when she had enough money someday and go from there. Having a plan might make the whole thing seem more doable.

Sebastian propped his phone up against a candlestick so the could both see, zooming in and out on a colorful chart as he explained how they could plug in different costs to make an estimate on how much they needed to save. Haley had never liked math, and she wasn't big on computers outside of her socials, but Sebastian had set the whole sheet up in a very easy-to-use way. So yeah, maybe it was a low bar, but she was impressed that he could make the topic engaging enough to actually hold her attention.

They debated back and forth on how much stuff they would be bringing with them, whether or not it was worth hiring a mover, and what they were reasonably willing to spend on rent. Whenever they agreed on something, it felt so natural, so easy, that Haley's soul wanted to jump for joy. They weren't just two separate people anymore; they were a united front working to achieve a shared goal, and Haley had never before felt like she was on the same wavelength with another person in this way. Before she knew it, Sebastian had finished eating.

"So," he said, "with moving costs, the security deposit, and about three months' rent saved ahead of time, our target should be somewhere around 15,000g. That's not so bad."

Haley slumped in her seat. "Not so bad?" she said. "That seems so far away from where we're at now!"

"How much do you have saved up so far?" Sebastian asked.

"About 4,000g," she replied, trying her hardest not to have the words come out as a whine.

Sebastian checked his phone again. "Well, my last paycheck puts me at around 6,000g in savings, so we have 10,000g altogether. That means we only have 5,000g left. We can do 5,000g."

Haley thought for a minute. She supposed she could take an extra hour or two every day to work on her commissions. Maybe there was something else she could do on the side?

"Yeah," she said. "We can do 5,000g."

Sebastian reached across the table and took her hand again, but this time he raised it to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand. His eyes met hers and he blushed. Haley could hear the rush of blood as his pulse quickened.

"Now that that's out of the way," he said, "are you hungry?"

Chapter Text

After the fact, Haley wasn't sure who stood first, who moved to the other side of the table, who pressed their lips together, but suddenly they were kissing, all too slow and all too fast at the same time. Sebastian's heart pounded, a siren's call that wrapped around her and pulled her even closer as she deepened the kiss and began guiding them, slowly but firmly, towards his bedroom. Yoba, he smelled so fucking good, she almost bit him right then and there, but the ever-shrinking part of her that was still coherent reminded her to wait until they were at least sitting down.

They almost fell down the stairs in their rush, barely catching themselves at the bottom, slamming the door shut behind them. Then Haley pulled away, one hand still cupping Sebastian's cheek. She looked him in the eyes.

"Relax for me, babe," she said.

Sebastian melted, leaning into her hand and sighing as she guided him to the couch. The look in his eyes...Yoba, she could get addicted to him looking at her like that, hanging on her every word, trusting her so easily. He would let her do anything she wanted to him, let her drain him within an inch of his life with that unquestioning smile on his face. She could make him do whatever she wanted.

Haley pulled back suddenly, navy-and-silver fingernails cutting sharply into her own arm to snap her back to herself. Sebastian was her boyfriend. She refused to think of him like...like....

"Haley?" Sebastian murmured, soft and sleepy.

"Don't worry about it," she said, partially to herself and partially to him. "Are you ready?"

"Always, for you."

He fumbled at his shirt collar, trying to grab it and the necklaces at the same time. As gently as she could manage, Haley tilted his head to the side. The veins stood out against his pale skin, pulsing with life.

She bit down.

Warm blood rushed into her mouth, sweeter than any dessert and better than the most perfect day at the beach. She could feel the adrenaline buzz that followed a concert, hear the warmth of Sam and Abby's laughter, smell the weight of rain-soaked earth on the mountains.

There was also something new there. A cool, gentle hand wrapped around his. The dizzy, giddy joy bubbling through his chest as they spun around the kitchen. The press of their lips, tentative and careful and aching for more. Intrigue and contentment and challenge and warmth and lust and love.

It was still a new feeling, trying to find its footing amidst all the other new sensations swirling around his heart, but it was definitely there, faint and growing steadily, already stronger than anything he'd ever felt before.

Sebastian was falling in love with her.

Coincidentally, it was time to stop. Sebastian was paler than usual, his breath coming in shorter bursts. She couldn't push him much further.

Haley pressed a gentle kiss against the bite mark on his neck and it started scabbing over immediately. She pulled away, relishing that sweet, contented look on his face for one more minute before releasing her hold on him.

Sebastian frowned, eyebrows pinching together as he slowly came back to himself. He was too disoriented to notice Haley leave the room, and when she came back and placed a bottle of apple juice in his hands, he looked at it like it was magic.

"Dessert is still on the menu," Haley said, "but you need to start small."

Sebastian took a sip of juice before responding. "Did you already...?"

Haley nodded, taking a seat next to him and gently brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Didn't even notice," he said. "I was having such a nice dream."

Haley snorted (in a cute way, not a dorky way). "You weren't sleeping, silly."

"I wasn't?" he asked, leaning into her touch. "Felt like it. We were, uh, making out," he blushed, "and then you looked at me and you said...something. I think. That's all I remember."

"I just told you to relax, not fall asleep," Haley said. Yoba, how powerful was this compelling thing? "I mean, I probably could compel you to fall asleep, if you want. I could compel you to do a lot of things."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow and smirked, that same damn smirk that always slapped a blush across her face.

"Like what?" he asked, leaning so close their noses were almost touching.

When did he get so damn smooth? He was not like this in high school. Maybe he was just delirious from the blood loss.

"Like eat something before you pass out," Haley said, practically jumping off the couch. She couldn't look at him for another second, not with him staring at her like that. "I'll go get the dessert."

It was all Haley could do not to run to the kitchen. She closed Sebastian's door behind her--calmly--and leaned against it with a heaving sigh. This was getting away from her fast. One minute she was in control--and normally she liked being in control, but this was way more intense than she was used to. It scared her, the way she went from seeing Sebastian as her adorkable boyfriend to wanting to rip him apart like literal, actual prey. Would it keep getting worse, until one day she just wouldn't stop herself?

But just as suddenly as those horrifying thoughts appeared, everything would shift, and Sebastian would flirt with her like it was nothing and turn her insides to goo. They would almost slide back into their self-determined personas, him the loner bad boy and her the pretty damsel. Except somehow it wasn't just playing a role, because it actually worked on her. If they had just been doing what they thought was expected of them, Haley would be able to play the game the way she usually did, pretending to let him lead when she was really pulling all the strings. So how was he able to catch her off guard so easily?

Haley would have to worry about all this later. A glance at the hall clock told her she'd already been gone for five minutes; Sebastian was probably wondering where she went. She took a deep breath and fanned her face, hoping to cool the blush that was still freaking there, and moved to the kitchen.

The Pink Cake sat perfectly preserved in the fridge, not even one drop of frosting out of place. Haley grabbed a small plate, a fork, and a knife, finagled them all into one hand, and carefully slid the cake carrier into the other. It would be easier to just cut Sebastian a slice, but she wanted him to see the whole thing, pristine and perfect, before they started carving into it.

Sebastian had drained the bottle of apple juice, but he was still settled against the couch when Haley entered his bedroom, eyes closed and almost asleep. He jumped a little when she tapped his shoulder, but even in the haze of low blood sugar he looked thrilled to see the cake.

His eyes widened when she pulled off the cover with a flourish.

"I'd say it almost looks too good to eat, but I'm worried I might lose my chance to actually try some," he said.

Haley giggled as she passed him a slice. She tried not to stare as he took a bite.

The second the fork passed his lips, he closed his eyes.

"Wow, that's really good," he said. "It's a Queen of Sauce recipe, right?"

Finally, it was Haley's turn for a smug smirk.

"Actually, it's mine," she said. "I submitted it to a fan contest and she put it in one of her cookbooks."

Sebastian's eyes widened. "No way," he said around another mouthful. "I mean, you deserved it, but that's amazing that you got the Queen of Sauce's attention. Why are you wasting your time on photography?"

He froze.

"Shit, Haley, that's not what I meant. Your pictures are really, really good. I just, I mean, this cake is amazing, it's...now you see why I never talk to people. I always say something stupid that I don't really mean. I'm sorry."

Haley didn't know how to respond. On one hand, she'd been hoping for a big reaction from her cake, and she'd certainly gotten that. On the other, she put a lot of effort into her photography, too. And this wasn't the first time Sebastian had said something rude about her pictures.

Before she could fully process her reaction, Sebastian was handing her his phone.

"Your pictures are really good, I swear." He pointed to the screen, to his profile picture on some texting app. It was the Pacific tree frog she'd photographed in the mountains a few weeks back.

"It's my profile picture on, like, everything now," Sebastian said. "You captured it so perfectly. Those pictures show off everything that's amazing about the little guys. Not everyone can do that. Seriously, you're a great photographer. And a great baker. I was just so excited about the cake that I said the wrong thing."

Leave it to a man to have a one-track mind where food was involved, even an emo doofus like Sebastian. Haley's heart soared with the praise. 

Not that she'd ever admit that. She put a hand on Sebastian's shoulder, feigning seriousness.

"It's okay, Piano Boy," she said. "I'll forgive you...eventually."

He was obviously trying not to look as relieved as he felt, and completely failing.

"As long as you don't compel me to, like, clean your whole house in revenge," he said, "I think I'll survive."

Haley clapped her hands. "Ooh, that's a great idea! Maybe tomorrow...."

"Very funny."

When Sebastian had finished eating, he helped her carry the rest of the cake back upstairs, and together they began tidying up the kitchen.

"Have you ever thought about doing a bake sale or something?" he asked as they were washing dishes.

Haley shook her head. "Was the cake really that good?"

Sebastian turned to face her, the soapy Dutch oven still in his hands. "Um, absolutely," he said. "I meant what I said earlier; you're a great baker. It sucks that the Stardew Valley Fair is over. That would have been a great time to set up a booth."

"Spirit's Eve is coming up," Haley said, thinking out loud more than anything.

Sebastian latched onto the idea anyway. "You could make cupcakes that look like monsters," he said. "Or spiders, bats, maybe skeletons...."

"You're just trying to get me to make spooky cupcakes for you, aren't you?" Haley asked, gently nudging Sebastian in the shoulder.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course not. What am I, seven?"

Haley giggled. "I'll talk to Pierre."

When the dishes were done, Haley packed up her belongings and headed to the door, Sebastian trailing behind her.

"This was really fun," she said. "I think it's the nicest first date I've ever been on."

"It, um, doesn't have to be over," Sebastian said, suddenly very interested in his dragon pendant. "If you want. I have the house to myself until tomorrow afternoon."

"I can stay," she said.

His eyes widened. "Really?"

Haley put her backpack down. She closed the already-small distance between them, raising herself on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'd love to," she said.