Chapter Text
The sharp, agonizing sound of his alarm shot Zion from sleep. He pulled his pillow out from underneath his head and covered his face with it, whining like a child waking up for school. With one arm on his pillow, he reached over with the other and hit the alarm on the bedside table to shut it up. In doing so, he accidently knocked it over onto the floor. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he knew his boss at Joja would kill him if he showed up late, or not shown up at all-which is what Zion would prefer. He hated working at Joja more than anything in the world. No matter how much work he had done, his boss always found more for him to do. The pay was shitty, too, so it wasn't even worth the stress in Zion's eyes. If he was better off, he'd quit without a second thought, but he was stuck in a broken down apartment that he was barely able to pay the rent and bills for. The lighting bill due date was around the corner, and he hardly had half of the amount he needed. He had already been threatened to be evicted by his landlord for the past 2 out of the 5 years he had been in that apartment building.
While working for Joja, his mental health had tumbled down hill rapidly. He used to be outgoing, the most sociable out of his family, and was able to find joy in the simple things. Now, he'd rather die than go to the grocery story in person; he orders all of his groceries online on his shitty computer. Nothing made him happy anymore. Waking up in the morning was never worth it to him, because there was nothing to look forward to. Every day was the same, boring routine. Wake up, go to work, go home, and sleep. Recently, he's been having a difficult time sleeping, though. No matter how hard he tries to keep them away, the thoughts of past mistakes, the meaning to life, and other life existential crisis's run through his head. His mind was never quiet now a days. He can't sit in silence without his mind racing.
He wanted his old life back. He wanted to be who he was before Joja. But that seemed impossible.
He drug himself off his bed, stumbling sleepily as he made his way to his small bathroom he didn't bother to clean, tripping over piles of clothes he tossed on the floor on the way there. He started a shower for himself, and got out a towel and began to undress. The bathroom mirror above the sink caught his eye as he stared at his reflection. His eyes looked dead, completely different from his previous dancing, happy-go-lucky green eyes. Dark bags sunk into his face under his eyes, and his face was formed into a permanent frown. Cuts covered his arms, and cigarette burns covered his chest and arms. He looked completely different than he used to. He hardly recognized himself. The only recognizable feature was his messy, redish-brown hair. It puffed out in different areas, the bangs falling just above his eyebrows. If there was anything he took pride in, it was his hair. It was the only thing he had left, really.
He dried himself off after he finished his shower, and wrapped a towel around his waist. Even though he lived alone, he felt self-conscious without the safety of the towel wrapped around his waist. He brushed his teeth, and tried not to look at his reflection too much. He had been crying in the shower, so his face was all red and puffy, and he honestly hated looking at himself in the mirror. It made him feel...off.
Zion rummaged through his closet, looking for his Joja uniform, only to find out he hadn't washed it. He had to find it in the pile of clothes on his bedroom floor. He hated how forgetful and unorganized he was. Luckily, though, he found it with no problem. He picked up a paper for work that was due today off of his desk, but as he did that, he noticed something else. It was an envelope with his name on it. He remembered it being the note that his grandpa had given him when he was on his death bed, 20 years ago.
Out of pure curiosity and desperation, he opened up the letter.
Dear Zion,
If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change.
The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life... real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong.
I've enclosed the deed to that place... my pride and joy: Land of Ooo Farm. It's located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It's the perfect place to start your new life.
This was my most precious gift of all, and now it's yours. I know you'll honor the family name, my boy. Good luck.
Love, Grandpa
Pelican Town. He'd visited his grandpa there occasionally when he was a kid, but he hardly remembered any of it. He played with the idea of going, unsure if he'd be welcomed there. His grandpa used to tell him how nice everyone was, but that was 20+ years ago. Especially since he was gay, there wasn't any possible way for him to know if a place would accept him. People in Zuzu City hardly accepted him, so how would the people in Pelican Town think? He always dreamed of living in the country, though. Being in a peaceful area, raising livestock and growing his own crops, seemed like heaven to him. Maybe this was his chance. His chance to start anew, living carefree and finding himself again. The real him.
-
He didn't show up to work that day. When he left his house, the only thing on his mind was getting to Pelican Town. He couldn't stay in Zuzu City anymore. He needed a fresh start.
Spring 1, Year 1
When he arrived, there were two people waiting for him. He stepped off the bus, and was immediately greeted by the older guy, probably in his 60s, reaching out to shake Zion's hand.
"Why, hello, Zion! It's good to finally have you here. Your grandfather told me you'd come here one of these days. I'm Lewis, the mayor of this town." He shook Zion's hand, grinning ear to ear as he spoke. It kind of freaked Zion out. He wasn't used to people greeting him like this.
"Uhh, hello. Nice to uh... Nice to meet you."
Mayor Lewis nodded his head in response, letting go of Zion's hand. Not long after, the woman (possibly in her 40s) rushed to him, shaking his hand way more enthusiastically than Lewis had.
"Hi, Zion! My name is Robin! I'm the local carpenter. If you need anything built (we all know that old cabin needs some renovations..), come to me and I got you! For a price, of course." She giggled happily, letting go of Zion's hand.
Zion nodded in response, already overwhelmed.
"Let's head on over to your new home on Land of Ooo Farm, shall we?" Mayor Lewis said, leading him to the house, with Robin following suit.
The farm was... a mess. It was more of a forest than a farm, honestly. It was completely overgrown. Zion already dreaded having to clear it all. Robin was right about the house needing renovations. It was run down, but surprisingly put together for how old it was. Stepping inside, it gave him a sense of comfort. He couldn't explain why, but he was strangely happy. There was an old, boxy TV sitting on the floor against the far wall, a brick fireplace next to it, a small coffee table in the middle of the room, and a single-sized bed in the bottom right corner. The bed still had his grandpa's old quilt laid across it. He remembered helping his grandma make it for him for Christmas one year. It made him smile, something he wasn't familiar with any more. It was nice.
Robin and Lewis had left him to get some rest. However, like always, he couldn't seem to fall asleep. His mind was racing, thinking about his grandpa's letter. "I know you'll honor the family name." Could he? What if he let his grandpa down? He could hardly keep his own tiny one bedroom apartment clean in the city, how was he going to manage a huge piece of land? He didn't want to disappoint his grandpa, but he couldn't help but think that he inevitably would. His parents seemed to make it very clear they wanted nothing to do with him, and that he'd let them down. His mom didn't even care to invite him to his dad's funeral. He couldn't help but blame this all on Joja. His life was great-perfect, even-before Joja. It made him isolate himself from people around him, with no free time whatsoever. If it hadn't been for Joja, he'd be happy. He wouldn't have turned into this person he is now if Joja never existed. Joja ruined his life. He will make sure Joja goes down, even if it's the last thing he did.
After hours of laying in bed, he finally drifted off into sleep.
Spring 2, Year 1
Zion woke up at 6am to the sound of knocking at his door. He had only 2 hours of sleep last night, and the last thing he wanted to do was leave the comfort of the heavy quilt protecting him from the outside world. The knocking only got louder, though, so he forced himself out of bed despite his own protests. He opened the door, revealing Mayor Lewis holding a nicely wrapped box with orange wrapping paper with a green bow on top.
"Good morning, Zion! Forgive me for my unannounced showing, but I wanted to give you something." He handed the box over to Zion. "I will be leaving you to your own devices, now. I look forward to seeing your progress on this farm!"
As Mayor Lewis walked off, Zion stared down at the box before bringing it into his house, closing the door behind him. He sat down on the side of his bed, placing the box in his lap. The soft, green bow fell off easily, and he ripped the orange wrapping paper off, revealing a cardboard box. He slid the lid off the box, and there was 15 yellow packets labeled "Parsnip Seeds." As he was thinking about how he'd plant and water these, he heard a tiny squeaking noise. But when he looked into the direction of the sound, he was met with a watering can and a hoe.
"What the..." He mumbled under his breath, rubbing his forehead. As he walked over to examine them, he saw that they were in perfect condition. The metal watering can was shiny, and despite being made out of stone and wood, the hoe was pretty sturdy. Without putting much more thought on how they got there, he went out onto his porch, seeds in his pocket, and the watering can in his hand and the hoe in the other. He looked out into the overgrown fields with dread, knowing he'd have to clear it by himself. Instead of worrying about that right now, he decided to just clear a little bit in front of his house to plant the seeds. There were a bunch of weeds, but he didn't have any trouble with removing them with his hands.
After planting and watering the parsnips, he turned around to his house to be met with a small, green fruit shaped creature. It held up a scythe, way too big for the little guy, but it didn't seem to have any trouble holding it up. Zion took the scythe from it, and it responded by squeaking-the same squeaking sound he heard in his house-and scurrying away before disappearing into thin air. He merely stood there, unsure on what to do. What was that thing? It looked like a fruit but it was moving...it had a face and arms and legs...
What the hell is up with this town?
Whatever it was, he was going to ignore it for now. He needed a farm to take care of, after all. So, using the scythe given to him by the creature, he began cutting down weeds. It wasn't until he got close to the trees and rocks that he heard another squeak. He looked down by his feet, where the sound came from, but he didn't see one of those creatures again. He instead was met with an axe and pickaxe.
As he began cutting down his first tree, he heard someone walking behind him. He turned around quickly, startled, holding his axe in front of him.
"Woah, woah, sorry man, didn't mean to scare ya." A tall, muscular guy, around his age, with perfectly gelled, brunette hair and a perfect jawline, stood with his hands in the air as a surrender. He was clearly the jock-type, with a gridball shirt on and shorts.
Zion lowered his axe down to his side, smiling awkwardly. "It's uh... it's okay."
"Yeah, uh.." He seemed nervous as well. Not as nervous as Zion, though. "I wanted to say hi, since everyone in town was talkin' about ya. My grandparents were good friends with your grandpa." He smiled, running a hand through his hair, it falling back into place perfectly. He was so... perfect. "My name's Alex. Zion, right?"
"Yeah. Well, uh... hi, Alex." Zion stumbled over his words. He didn't know what to do, so he awkwardly held out his hand for a hand shake. Alex seemed confused, but reached out and shook his hand anyway. Yoba, Zion was fumbling so hard already.
"Hey, maybe we can hang out at the beach sometime. I can teach you some gridball, yeah?"
Alex spoke up after a beat of silence.
"Oh, uh... yeah! That-that sounds great."
"Cool, cool." Alex paused for a second, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Well, I guess uh... I guess I'll see you soon?"
"Yeah! Uh, yeah." Zion attempted to smile in a non awkward way, but he knew his attempts were futile.
Alex nodded, returning Zion's smile, before turning away and leaving. He watched Alex leave, and didn't move his gaze from him until he was out of sight.
He started clearing the land again, trying to get his mind off of Alex. But, he couldn't stop thinking about him...