Hannah – POV
The bell above the door jingled as I stepped into the Carpenter's shop. The familiar scent of sawdust and varnish hit me, warm and grounding. Robin looked up from her workbench, adjusting the pencil tucked behind her ear.
"Well hey there, stranger," she greeted with a friendly smile. "You've been quiet lately. Everything okay?"
I nodded, brushing wind-tousled hair from my face. "Yeah... just keeping busy."
Robin gave me a look—one of those intuitive, mother-knows-something-happened looks. "Busy, huh? I'd say so. The whole town's been buzzing since a certain night at the saloon." She leaned her elbow on the counter. "Alex sure has a flair for the dramatic."
I blinked. "He... what exactly did he say?"
Robin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, nothing too terrible, just loud enough for half the saloon to hear that you confessed your love to Sebastian ten minutes before he stormed out like a bat out of hell." She smirked, but it wasn't mocking. More... amused. Warm.
I winced, heat rising to my cheeks. "Of course he did."
She waved it off. "Don't let it get to you. Everyone in town's rooting for you two—well, except maybe Alex. Poor kid's got a bruised ego, but he'll bounce back."
I smiled sheepishly, shifting the topic. "Actually, I came to request a new build."
"Ooo, what'll it be this time? Another barn? A shed? A—wait—don't tell me you're finally building a hot tub."
"Slime hutch," I replied, grinning.
Robin paused, blinking. "Huh. You really are the adventurous type."
I pulled the slime egg from my bag, wrapped in a layer of cloth. Its faint glow pulsed like a heartbeat.
"Marlon says it's for research. If I keep the hutch out of sight, I'll get paid to harvest slime eggs."
She leaned in, studying the egg with a hint of curiosity. "Interesting. Not every day someone casually asks to raise monsters in their backyard." She scribbled some notes on a clipboard. "I'll start the build tomorrow—got a good spot picked out?"
"Behind the greenhouse. It'll be secluded."
Robin nodded. "Perfect. You're really doing this whole 'mysterious heroine' thing justice, you know."
I laughed softly. "I guess I'm trying."
She glanced toward the stairs behind her. "Speaking of mysterious... your boyfriend and his usual crew are downstairs. I think they're playing Junimo Kart or sulking artistically, or whatever it is they do."
My heart did that stupid flutter again. "He's here?"
"Mhm." Robin smiled knowingly. "Want me to call him up?"
"No," I said quickly, then softer, "No... I'll go down."
I moved toward the staircase, each step creaking slightly beneath my boots. The deeper I went, the louder the sounds became—laughter, the faint clatter of game controllers, and Abigail's unmistakable battle cry of frustration.
"I swear if one more Junimo throws a banana at me, I'm selling my console."
"You can't sell something you didn't pay for," Sam said.
I reached the bottom of the stairs just as Sebastian looked up.
Our eyes locked.
He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, a controller resting in his lap, his expression unreadable for half a second—then it softened. Not a smile. Not a smirk. Just that quiet shift in his eyes, like something settled in him the moment he saw me.
"Hannah?" Abigail grinned from the couch. "Come to play or just here for the vibes?"
"Mostly vibes," I murmured, my eyes still on Sebastian.
He stood slowly, brushing off his pants, like he wasn't quite sure if he should come closer or give me space. It was subtle, but I felt the hesitation.
"I was talking to your mom," I offered, filling the quiet. "Ordered the slime hutch."
His brows lifted slightly. "You're really doing it then."
I nodded. "Yeah."
We stood there for a beat longer than anyone else in the room could ignore.
"Oh my god," Abigail whispered, nudging Sam. "You two are so awkward."
Sebastian finally walked over, not too fast, but not avoiding me either. There was something softer about him now, something unspoken—but present. A part of me wanted to reach out and take his hand just to feel how real he was.
"You want to stay for a while?" he asked, voice low so only I could hear it.
"Only if Abigail keeps her thoughts to herself." I whisper back smiling.
"Deal." He actually had a smirk.
He stepped aside, letting me sit beside him on the floor, and even though we weren't touching, I could feel the shift in the air—the way his presence felt different now, like I was sitting beside someone who had let something go. better yet, let someone in.
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Sebastian – POV
When Hannah stepped into my room, my heart did something unexpected—it fluttered. I wasn't even aware it could do that. I'd been so focused on keeping my emotions in check, on maintaining my usual detached demeanor, that I hadn't noticed how much I'd been holding back.
The past two days had been a whirlwind. After our night together, I'd retreated into my usual shell, unsure of what to make of the new dynamic between us. We hadn't defined what "we" were yet, but I knew one thing for certain: I wanted her in my life, more than just as a friend.
Looking back, I realized I'd been falling for her all along. The way she'd looked at me that first time, the quiet moments we shared, her choice to sit with me on the beach instead of worrying about Alex—it all added up. I'd been blind to it, but now it was clear: I was in love with her.
Abigail's voice broke my reverie. "I was starting to get worried about you two. You've both been radio-silent the last two days."
I shot her a look. "Nobody could ever go radio-silent with a friend like you."
She responded with a mock glare and a raised middle finger.
Sam chimed in from the couch, "We haven't had this much drama in Stardew since..." He paused, looking up as if searching for the right words. "We've never had this much drama in Stardew."
Hannah sighed, clearly uncomfortable with the attention. "I don't like being the talk of the town."
"Literally why? This is awesome. We're popular now!" Sam exclaimed, grinning.
"You've always been popular, Sam. The only reason you're not playing beer-pong in the Saloon right now is because you somehow got a soul tie with the town's emos," Abigail teased.
Hannah looked at her, genuinely puzzled. "Is 'emo' supposed to be an insult?"
I glanced at her, noting the slight offense on her face. I could feel the protective instinct rising within me.
Abigail softened. "I don't take it that way. Let me guess, Alex said something about you-know-who."
I rolled my eyes. "You-know-who? I'm sitting right here."
"I mean, yeah, and it made me really mad," Hannah said, her gaze meeting Abigail's. Mentally, I smiled. I liked that she wanted to defend me.
"Alex doesn't know what he's saying. He'll get over it," I reassured her. "And he definitely didn't hurt my feelings."
"If you had feelings," Sam sighed dramatically.
"That has changed," I said, my eyes meeting Hannah's. She looked back at me, her cheeks flushing slightly. The freckles on her nose became fainter as her face warmed. She looked down, unable to hold eye contact.
She smiled shyly, and in that moment, I knew we were on the same page. Whatever this was between us, it was real.
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