***(Y/N) POV***

"So, four thousand for the coop...and what about a kitchen? I kinda desperately need a kitchen..."

Things were going better than expected. A week in, and I had already cleared the area surrounding the farmhouse. I still had to move onto the three other sections of the property, but I was only one person. A small one, at that.

Parsnips were planted, along with cauliflower, green bean, potato and kale. All I had to do was tend to them and wait so I could sell them off. I was lucky I had my inheritence to keep me going in the meantime. Now, I was up by the mountain, speaking to Robyn, the local carpenter.

"Oh, a kitchen? That'd be about ten thousand gold, even. Expensive, I know." Robyn replied, quickly commenting on my flinch.
"Yeah, you're not wrong. Guess I'll be using Sam's mum as a refridgerator for a while, then." Sam hadn't given me much of a choice, either way. I was cool with getting takeout, but no, he had insisted, as had Jodi. It was nice, though, not being alone.

Perking up, Robyn leaned over the counter a little, making me notice the freckles dappling her nose.
"Jodi mentioned you and Sam were really close. Band camp, was it? He's like a second son to me, and I remember him ranting and raving to us about you whenever he came home."

Chuckling, I nodded my head, drumming my fingers on the wooden bench I leaned on.
"Yeah, that sounds like Sammy, alright. We're tarred with the same brush. Water and more water, y'know? Campers who didn't know us thought we were siblings."

I kinda miss those days...

Rounding the counter, Robyn motioned for me to follow her.
"If you're that close to Sam, he's probably mentioned my son a few times." She hummed, stopping at a steep staircase at the start of the hallway. "Hey, Sebby! Come say hi to our new neighbour!"

Recognising the nickname, I turned to study the woman closely. She was Sebastian's mother? They looked nothing alike at all.
"Sebastian? He was with Sammy when he picked me up at the station last week. Used to get a yearly Seb-athon rundown at camp." I giggled, turning my attention back to the door when it opened.

Sebastian didn't look at all enthused, and he took one look at me before deflating.
"We've met. Look, I'm working, so..." I wasn't going to take it to heart. I was well aware that forging a friendship with the basement dweller would take time.
"Seb, don't be rude!" Robyn scolded, but I quickly jumped in.

"No, it's not rude at all! If he's working, I don't wanna bother him." Glancing to the ravonet, I smiled playfully, shooting him a quick wink. "I'll wait till he's done to be annoying." He blinked back at me for a moment before rolling his eyes, retreating back down the steps.
"At least it's more respectful than what everyone else does..."

The door swung shut in our faces, and I heard Robyn heave a defeated sigh.
"Sorry about him, hun. He never grew out of the whole teen angst phase, and it shows..." I tailed after her as she moved back into the workshop, shrugging my shoulders.
"I think he has his own charm. Kinda has a Spicy Subject vibe, but I think it suits him."

Robyn laughed behind her hand, grabbing a notebook out from where she had originally been standing at the counter.
"Oh goodness, whenever we went to Zuzu city I couldn't drag him out of that damn store!" Tapping her pen to paper, she smiled at me. "So, I'll put you down for one chicken coop, and how about we make a payment plan for that kitchen? In the meantime, you're more than welcome to have dinner here tonight if you're needing a change of scenery?"

I liked her. Even though we had only just met, she was treating me like an old friend. It made me feel welcome.
"I mean, I'd love to, but only if it isn't any trouble. Thanks!" Sam was working tonight, down at Joja Mart, and I had insisted that I could just have takeout instead of eating at his place without him. It wasn't that I didn't feel comfortable at Jodi's, but I felt bad for always being there to eat.

"No trouble at all! You already know the whole family, and I make a mean stirfry!" I had met Maru upon a quick trip to the clinic a few days prior. Not knowing my way around a pickaxe, I had cut my leg a little, and she had been the one to patch me up. Demetrius, on the other hand, had sought me out himself, wanting to use the small cave on my property to study some of the local bats. I hadn't even known I had a cave there.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something dark move, and both of us turned to watch Sebastian as he slunk towards the door, freezing once he realised he had been spotted. Clearing his throat, he lifted a packet of cigarettes.
"Uh, smoke break..."

Approaching him, I turned a little to wave to Robyn, smiling cheerfully.
"I'll take my leave, too. I'll come back later for dinner! Thanks, Robyn!" Again, Sebastian didn't seem too happy that I was following him, and I waited until we were a little ways down from the house before I nudged him. "I'll be your best friend if you let me borrow one."

Taken aback by my request, his eyes slowly narrowed.
"Already got one of those..." He muttered, contradicting his tone and response by pulling another cigarette out and handing it to me. Beaming, I placed it between my lips, following as he veered off towards the lake.

"Thanks! I was trying to quit, but I've just been a little too stressed lately to see it through!" I chuckled, waiting for him to light his before murmuring a thanks for the lighter to do the same.
"Yeah, Sam mentioned you freak out on your own. Plus farming sounds like too much work."

Of course he said that...

Groaning, I took a deep drag, nearly choking as I hadn't expected the hoodie-clad man to smoke such strong tobacco.
"I don't freak out...Well, not anymore. You've got the farming part right, though. Man, it's killer. It's like, every time I smash all the rocks I can see, they grow back the next day! I didn't think they did that! Oh, I ended up with a dog, though. Marnie found him wandering around, so I kept him and named him Bean, because he tried to eat all of my beans. He-"

"You talk a lot, don't you..?" Sebastian cut me off, and I paused, tilting my head and letting my cigarette roll a little between my lips.
"Well, you don't talk much, so one of us has to make up for it, right? I was told you're usually more of a listener. Sorry if that's not the case!"

The cherry on the end of Sebastian's cigarette burned bright as he took a slow drag, looking at me like I was some kind of alien lifeform.
"Just how much has Sam told you about me..?" He asked skeptically, and I snickered, looking off to the side.
"Oh, I don't know if you'd like the answer to that, buddy..."

I was only teasing, but still, Sebastian muttered a slew of curses directed towards his absent friend.
"He talked about you a lot. Had to ban your name in my house for a whole autumn once. Wouldn't shut the hell up about the camp girl..." Perking up, I turned back to him, swelling with curiosity.
"What kind of things did he say?"

Still seeming irritated, Sebastian thought for a moment, motioning for me to follow him as he started down the path towards town.
"I dunno, just stuff. Like the pranks you guys pulled, and that you were his, ugh, super bestest most amazing bff ever..."

Ah, so that's all he said, huh?

Still smiling, I nodded in acceptance, having to walk a lot quicker to keep up with the man's longer legs.
"This one time, at band camp, he overdid it at taco tuesday, and when he sneezed during rehearsal, he shat himself." I recalled fondly, smirking when Sebastian choked back a snort, smoke puffing from his nose.

"I'm gonna hold that one over him until the day I die." He snickered, finally easing up a little. I was glad. I wanted to be friends with the guy, after having had a pretty accurate picture of him painted in my head.
"Oh, believe me, I have plenty of wild tales to tell about our dear Sammy. You shall unlock them as you progress."

Cocking a brow, Sebastian butted out his cigarette and stuffed the remains into his back pocket.
"Progress with what?" I copied him, though I threw my butt into the trashcan outside of the Stardrop Saloon instead.
"Our friendship! Duh! Or any, really. Every time you socialise, I'll share a story."

The man cringed at the thought, but didn't say a word against it, just rolling his eyes and entering the building. (Y/N) tottered after him, picking up a menu as they both greeted Gus in vastly different manners.
"I'll get a small steak fries and ginger ale, thanks." Sebastian ordered, taking a seat at the bar as Gus called out to Emily to toss them in the frier.

"Bas, I thought you were a gentleman. Not going to pay for your girlfriend?" Gus motioned to me, and I couldn't help but double over in hystetics when Sebastian choked on the air.
"Sh..she isn't my g..girlfriend! We're seperate!" Wiping tears from my eyes, I scooted up beside him and placed the menu back onto the counter.

"Aw, even after we walked all the way here together, Sebby? Rude. Anyway, could I please get two of your schnitzel burgers and two raspberry sodas?" Gus laughed at the pair of us and nodded with a smile, leaving us at the bar.
"Fucking hell, are you sure you're not Sam's long lost twin or something..?" The poor guy was embarrassed, and I found it adorable.

"I'd be majorly concerned if that were the case..." Ignoring his questioning look, I began to look around at the rustic decor. "Speaking of that rapscallion, he said he was gonna meet me up by the mines on his lunch break so I can play delivery girl. Care to join? It's like, basically next door."

The only response I got was a shrug, but it was better than nothing. He really seemed hot and cold today. Well, cold and colder. After collecting our orders, we set back off towards the mountain, barely speaking. I had decided to dial it back a few notches, hoping I hadn't legitimately upset him earlier after what Gus had said.

Just as we were rounding the corner near the bridge to the mine, I held out my arm to stop the ravonet, pointing out towards the bank of the lake. There crouched a scrappy elder man, fuzzy and dirty, all by himself.
"Oh, that's just Linus. He camps on the ridge just behind our place. Keeps to himself, mostly." My companion explained, starting to walk again, but I continued to watch Linus.

"Is he homeless?" I asked softly, not wanting anyone else to hear my question. Sebastian made a noise to confirm that he didn't know, and I thought to myself. Nodding once, I broke away from Sebastian and approached the elder man. "Excuse me? Linus, right?"

I felt terrible when Linus flinched, seeming to shrink into himself when he noticed my presence.
"Y..yes..? Have you come to ridicule me? I'm just minding my own business." Faltering slightly, I crouched down beside him and tried to put on my softest expression.

"I'd never do a horrible thing like that. I just thought that maybe you'd like this spare burger I have here? I thought I was hungry enough for two, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach." Pulling out the wrapped burger, I held it out to him, watching closely as he eyed me, then the fresh food before him.

Slowly, cautiously, he accepted my offering, a faint smile growing beneath his bushy beard.
"Thank you, young lady. You're very kind." Beaming back at him, I also took out Sam's soda, handing it over without a care.
"You're very welcome! I'm (Y/N), by the way! I gotta get going, but I hope we can be friends, Linus!"

Waving cheerfully, I returned to Sebastian, who was borderline glaring at me as though I had grown two heads.
"Uh, cool that you're doing good deeds and stuff, but wasn't that your lunch..?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I passed by him, bumping him with my elbow and looking to him, winking mischievously.

"Pfff, no? That was Sam's!"

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***RIP Sam's tumtum

Illustration for the last chapter by my queen, my saviour, light of my life, pseudo_eternity 💖

Next Time: Hennifer Lopez***