Work Text:
He wasn't paying attention when his mother had to leave, zoning out when she mentioned why. All he knew is she'd be gone for a couple hours. Probably for a job. He had his own work to do, even if it could get rather boring.
At the same time every evening, he stepped away from his computer and went outside for a smoke. Maru gave him a disappointed look. "That's not good for you, you know." She scolded. Sebastian looked at her for barely a second. He knew. He doesn't care.
"Have you met the new farmer yet?" That sentence nearly made him choke on the smoke, and he coughed for a minute before replying. "What?"
"Didn't Mom tell you? A new kid moved onto that old farm. She said it was covered with weeds and stones and stuff. Think they'll stay for long?" Maru smirked, as if she was challenging them.
"...Nah. I wouldn't." He took another puff of his cigarette.
"But they're not you. They just moved out of the city, apparently. Wonder why."
Sebastian put out his cigarette and went inside. He'd had enough socialization for the day.
----
The first time he saw him was in his own home.
He'd been working on a project when he heard a knock on the door. Figuring it was his mom, he reluctantly got up to open it.
Instead he was met with a stranger, one wearing a green hoodie and with messy brown hair. "Sorry, didn't mean to bother you." He apologized.
"It's no big deal." Sebastian lied.
"Robin said you'd be in here. I wanted to... get to know everyone, I guess. The mayor suggested it." The stranger's face suggested that they'd met some of the more unpleasant people in the town before they'd arrived at the carpenter's house.
"Yeah." He stared at a nearby spot on the wall, not caring enough to force eye contact. The farmer seemed to relax, for some reason.
"Ah shit, forgot to introduce myself." The farmer gave an awkward laugh, offering a hand to shake as he said his name. "He/they."
The pronouns threw Sebastian off. The town was generally accepting, but not that many actual queer people lived there besides him. "Sebastian. He/him." He shook their hand quickly. Something about them seemed... comforting.
But he'd had enough of talking to people for the day, and his door was shut a few seconds later.
----
The farmer seemed to be everywhere at once.
Every day they'd stop by and visit, waiting for him at his door until he came outside. Sometimes Sebastian would see him running around town, talking to everyone they saw. He'd stopped by their farm once, only for a minute. He was chopping down trees the entire time. Maru was right, the farm would need a lot of work, but the farmer was already showing signs of being up to the challenge.
One day he came to his house covered in scratches, but holding a shiny yellow rock. Topaz, he said it was. A gift for Sebastian. He took it with a quiet "Thanks", putting it gently inside a desk drawer.
----
They'd made friends with the other townsfolk too.
Sam and Abigail seemed delighted to have them around. He almost beat Abigail at the egg hunt that first spring he showed up. Even though she did gloat a bit at her undefeated status as champion of egg hunting, she did pause her bragging to congratulate him on his "eggcellent work". (Sebastian rolled his eyes at that one, but it made the farmer laugh.)
Soon, Sebastian trusted him enough to let him in his room.
While Abigail or Sam would try and convince Sebastian to pause his "computer stuff" to do things with them, the farmer was content to simply sit near him and relax.
"Are you not bored?" Sebastian questioned one day.
"Why would I be?" They looked up from where they were resting their head on the desk next to him, using their elbows as a makeshift pillow.
"Dunno. I'm busy with work. Figured you'd rather be out there doing your own thing."
"I like your company. And the sound of the keys." He smiled. "The clicky clacky sound pleases me."
A small smile emerged on his face as he kept working.
----
It was a distant memory, the time he'd begun to realize things about himself.
The time that he realized he liked boys and girls.
The time he realized he was a boy.
His mom was always accepting of him. Her love was almost suffocating at times. His stepdad didn't seem to mind, although he never specifically supported Sebastian anyways. He didn't need his approval.
Sam and Abigail always had his back. They didn't care who he was, or who he liked. They were his only friends in this whole town, until that farmer arrived.
He should have been worried about if they'd accept him too, but for some reason, he wasn't.
One time he walked by the farm on a hot summer day. The farmer had his shirt off. Sebastian got a good look at him, even if he claimed he didn't mean to.
The scars told him everything he needed to know.
----
He stood at the edge of the dock, feeling the rain fall on him. He never minded the rain, it felt nice, actually. No one else would dare come outside, leaving him alone to stare at the ocean.
"Figured I'd find you out here." A familiar voice startled him.
"...I like the rain. Less people outside." He explained awkwardly.
"I get that. People stress me out." The farmer agreed with a small shake of his head as he stepped closer.
"...Yeah. ...Not you though, you're... different." Sebastian admitted, the words freeing themselves from his mouth before he could stop them. The farmer didn't reply, just standing there next to him.
"...Here." He pulled out an umbrella, covering them both. The farmer looked up at him for a moment, before resting his head on his shoulder. Sebastian didn't dare move until they eventually did.
----
It was tradition, bringing a bouquet to the person you loved. Sebastian hadn't planned to at first, he hardly knew if he actually loved the farmer.
Sam and Abigail pressured him into it though. Slowly. As always.
"So, what are you?" Sam asked one day as they were hanging out in his room.
"What do you mean?" The farmer asked.
"Y'know. I'm pan, Abby and Seb are bi, what about you?" He seemed fairly nonchalant about it all.
"That's a bit of an invasive question, don't you think?" Sebastian coughed out, his face tinted red.
"It's fine, I'm pretty open about it." The farmer shrugged. "I'm bi too. And trans."
"Aww, you're just like Sebby!" Abby made little kissing motions with her hands, and Sebastian responded with a hard-enough punch to the arm to shut her up.
"Nice." If the farmer noticed her gestures, they didn't comment. Instead they opted to give Sebastian a fist-bump.
He accepted, of course.
----
"Wanna go for a ride?"
The farmer seemed a little scared by his motorcycle, but the idea of being with Sebastian must have calmed them enough to say yes.
It was fairly late out already, with the moon rising and stars appearing. The farmer sat behind him, arms around his waist. He stared at the starry sky, watching the scenery around them blur with how fast they were going.
Eventually they arrived at the right place. A glorious view of the city and the stars above. The farmer was silent, but seemed impressed.
"I've... never really felt like this about other guys, but you're different." Sebastian admitted.
"Like what?" The farmer whispered, as if he knew already.
With shaking hands, he pulled out the bouquet. "It's a tradition here, you know? To give flowers to someone you love, to ask them out."
He didn't even have to hand them the flowers before they kissed him.
"I like you too."
They took the flowers anyway.