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Waking up at 5 AM really wasn't something Sebastian was used to. He was more used to going to bed at such a time, especially when he used to live in his parent’s basement. He'd spend the entire night either finishing a module for a client, playing video games for hours upon hours or just scrolling on his phone, bed rotting as he considered escaping to the city day by day.
But after getting married to his beloved, finally getting to move away from his toxic family, and settling down on this peaceful farm with her, waking up at this time was one of the things he was starting to get used to, along with the sounds of barn animals calling out for food at such ungodly hours. But it wasn't all bad, living here. Especially when he probably has had more freedom, privacy and appreciation here than he had back at home. It made him feel a little giddy thinking to himself that this is his home now. He even gets to wake up everyday next to his lover, what more could he ever ask for? Life on the farm was much better for him.
He stared at the sight of his wife softly snoring against their pillow. Sebastian smiled to himself, reaching out to their bedside table for his phone in the hopes of snapping a shot of his wife. Trying his best not to wake her up, he quietly takes a few pictures of her sleeping face and chuckles to himself, satisfied at the photos he'd taken. He loves seeing his lover asleep, looking ever so peaceful. It also gives him a piece of mind seeing her getting the rest she deserves, after recently getting treated by their local doctor, Harvey, for getting injured in the mines. His smile drops at the memory. Sebastian could still recall the feeling of his heart sinking to his stomach the moment his mom called him that day, telling him that Demetrius had found his wife dragging herself out of the mines with an injured leg and was taken to the clinic.
Back then, he felt like nothing else mattered. All he wanted was to leave Pelican Town and move to Zuzu City. He constantly fantasized over the thought of living in the city, and being surrounded by people who had no idea who he was or where he came from. But now, it was so different. Ever since she stepped foot in this town. Sebastian a year ago wouldn't have been sprinting to the town’s clinic immediately after that phone call. Because Sebastian a year ago was still a shut-in, a nobody who lived in his parent's basement, typing away on his computer with no will to live life fully.
His wandering thoughts were interrupted when his wife started mumbling in her sleep and turned to the other side, taking up all of the blanket with her, even the one still covering Sebastian. He chuckled softly and took that as a sign to get out of bed. His wife was in a much better state now, but ever since that incident, he started to appreciate the work she does more and more, especially how she's single handedly boosting the entire town's economy. It was impressive, really. Sebastian couldn’t be any more proud to call her his wife.
He carefully got out of bed, making sure to lean down and kiss his wife's forehead before actually doing so. He made his way to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, where he had the chance to look at himself in the mirror. Compared to when he was living with his family, he admits he definitely looked a lot healthier now. His eye bags were less noticeable, probably due to a better sleep schedule. He might be gaining weight, but probably because his wife keeps feeding him all the recipes she learns from The Queen of Sauce. And on top of getting better sleep and eating healthier food, he had quit smoking entirely. Although it was hard for him, it was definitely proving its worth now. And it made his wife happy, so it was a win-win.
He got out of the bathroom and made his way to what he considers his little corner of the house, to check on the frog he and his wife had rescued. Or their son, as she'd call him. It made Sebastian think about actually having kids, although they've already discussed not wanting any long before getting married. And it’s not like he wants kids, but he wouldn't exactly mind if his wife changed her mind somewhere down the line. The thought of having mini versions of her running around the house made him consider it, but admittedly, he believes he’s not in a good enough mental state to be taking care of a child.
After checking on their son and his son's little friend, another frog that he and his wife also rescued, making sure they're all well-fed, he made his way outside, where he was greeted by the serenading sound of barn animals and bees buzzing in the summer air. Summer was definitely not his favorite season due to how humid it gets. But, hey, if his wife can handle it, so can he. And he is doing this to make her job a little easier for the day, since Yoba knows how busy she gets.
He checked on the crops in front of their house first, making sure that the sprinklers had already set off. So far, the farm was still pretty small, with only a large coop set down and a small barn, but guessing how there’s suddenly a stone walkway set down leading to them, it was clear that his wife was already planning its expansion. As he walked around to further check the crops, he noticed that she even made a walkway leading to his motorcycle. This woman will be the death of me, I swear, he thought to himself, flustered but appreciative that his wife had considered him. It honestly made him want to do more farm work to make her life easier.
So he followed the newly set walkways and made his way inside the coop, where he was greeted by the usual ducks, chickens. And… a lizard? Notably confused, he tries to think if this was a wild lizard who got lost. Do lizards wander off into farms? After digging through his memories for any clues, it suddenly clicked. Could this be what hatched from the mysterious egg he saw in the incubator before? I guess she really wasn't lying when she said it was a dinosaur egg, he thought to himself. Although it looks more like a lizard right now…
Sebastian got on his knees to take a closer look at the small creature, reaching out to scratch its chin to see how it'd react. When it made a small sound of satisfaction, he smiled. “Hey, little guy. You must be new here, hm?” After getting acquainted with it, he stood up and grabbed some hay, laughing when the animals all started following him, clearly aware that it's feeding time.
As they ate, Sebastian took the time to carefully pick the eggs laid on the wooden floor, carefully storing them in the chest outside the coop, one with a sign above it that has an image of an egg. His wife had talked about wanting an auto grabber once, he remembers it each time he does farm work and honestly, he couldn't blame her. With the amount of animals she had to take care of, it would certainly make her job easier, although it would leave him with even less to help with. Which should be a good thing, but somehow Sebastian doesn't want to get replaced by it just yet.
He remembers when his wife first installed the sprinklers for the garden in front of their house, and how proud she looked when she showed it to him. And don't get him wrong, he too was very much proud of his wife, of course, but now all the work he could do was check on it every morning instead of his usual job before, which included watering them.
Sebastian lets his mind wander off, and before he realizes it, he'd already been sweeping the floors with the broom he bought before. It really was the least he could do. Once he was done, he left to move on to the barn, making sure to close the door before any mischievous ducks could get the chance to leave. He'd keep the small opening open and let them wander around inside the fences but he didn't want to make a decision without letting his wife know first, even with insignificant things like these.
The barn was much smaller than the coop, only housing three cows but it was clear one of them was a new addition. Perhaps it was their kid? The calf was clearly curious when he entered, but immediately hid in a corner out of fear. Sebastian wasn't an animal expert like his wife was, but he could tell it was afraid of him so he didn't try to get too close. “Hey, little guy. You're new here too, huh? Don't worry. I won't hurt you.”
He takes the pail out of the chest and gets to work, making sure to give pets before milking the two older cows. This wasn't his first time doing it, but he still remembered his wife guiding him to it during his first time. He'd certainly come a long way with his abilities to do farm work.
Sebastian wastes no time and immediately lays down hay for them to eat after milking them, kneeling down to check on the calf sheepishly gobbling the hay. He casually pets it on its head, its ears twitching curiously at the contact. He smiles at it, glad that it let him touch it. He watched them eat for a moment, before standing up to sweep the floors again, making sure it was tidy before leaving the barn. He stretches his arms and checks his mental to-do list on what else he should do.
As he was thinking, he came to realize this was exactly how his wife goes on with her day, filled with mental to-do lists and doing one task after the next, moving from one location to the next. He wondered if her mind ever stops thinking, perhaps it only does when she's asleep. Sebastian steps back inside the house, checking the time on the clock.
5:40 AM. It’s almost time for her to wake up soon. He considered taking a bath first but he knew his wife would be busy throughout the whole day so he decided to make breakfast for her instead. Heading to the kitchen, he checks whatever they have in the refrigerator. Wheat flour, oil, egg, milk… He considered what he could make with his abilities and landed on pancakes. There's no way he could mess those up. Right?
So he wastes no time, mixing up a simple pancake batter in a bowl. Should I add something? Fruits, maybe? He considered, returning to the refrigerator to check on whatever else they had laying around. He decided on adding some blueberries, especially since they were on season. He grabbed the ones from the refrigerator, rinsing them in the sink before adding them to the batter. As he mixed it languidly, he popped one of the blueberries in his own mouth to chew on while mixing, and soon enough he was grabbing a handful.
Sebastian didn't realize just how hungry he was. His stomach rumbled even more as he turned the stove on, waiting for the pan on top to get hot enough to melt the butter. He idly swirled the butter around to coat the entire pan, before pouring a sizable amount of pancake batter once it was hot enough. As the smell of freshly cooked pancakes hit the air, Sebastian heard the rustling of sheets in their bedroom, telltale signs that told him his wife must be awake by now. And sure enough, she showed up in his peripheral vision with messy hair and even messier clothes as she rubbed her eyes sleepily.
“G’mornin’, Sebby.”
“Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?”
As if on cue, she lazily hugs him from behind, seemingly wanting to get more sleep. To that, Sebastian's heart skips a beat, his mind focusing on anything but the pancake. “Mhm.” His wife hummed softly against his back, perhaps a simple answer to his question. He was surprised she wasn't up and ready already. When they were newlyweds, she'd already left the house every 6 AM sharp. Perhaps she'd been wanting to spend more time with him? Or maybe his tendency to stay in bed longer has rubbed off on her?
He unconsciously grips the spatula on his hand with the thoughts running through his head as he sets down the final pancake on the plate. He adds the finishing touches like a small spread of blueberry jam on the side, a small spread of butter on top along with maple syrup. He'd planned on drawing something cute on top of the pancakes to surprise her but maybe he'll do it some other day. Maybe he'll dedicate a few days every week where he spoils her rotten every morning. The idea swirls in his mind as he reaches for cutlery to add on the plates.
“Pancakes are done. Let's go eat, yeah, sleepyhead?” Sebastian chuckles, two plates of stacked pancakes on both hands as his wife sleepily followed him to the dining area, wasting no time to sit. He sets the plates down, grabbing two mugs filled with coffee along with a carton of milk from the refrigerator before sitting down beside her. All signs of sleepiness must've left her system by the time Sebastian sat down, as she seems to be eagerly assessing the pancakes in front of her. He can't help but smile at her expression, soft and charming with her eyes sparkling. I must be the luckiest man alive to have someone like her. It didn’t even matter to him that she still had eye boogers, or that her hair was sprawled and sticking out. She was still as cute as ever. He thought to himself as he reached for his own cup to take a sip of coffee.
“Did you add blueberries? She asked when he sat down. “Yeah, I figured I should add some since they were in season anyway.” Sebastian replies as he sets the coffee down, glancing at his lover as she slices through the stack with a fork and knife. He watches her reaction, searching for any sign of disapproval only to be met with a delighted face enough to fill his own stomach. Perhaps he doesn't even need to eat. Just seeing her smile was enough for him.