Pêche Farm

A Blog for my indulgent self insert farmer and her best bud!

[pechefarm]

Hello all and welcome to Pêche Farm!

This is the home of my self insert farmer Emma, and her fellow farmer Léo!

Currently, this blog is focusing on Léo, as I'm going to be writing a long form fic with him as the star! But don't worry, my self insert will be getting some love as well.

This is a purely self indulgent blog, and will contain art of my OCs, the ships I make with them, and potentially fics involving them. If you're not into that sort of thing, no worries! There are plenty of SDV blogs for you! All I ask is that you don't leave hate.

Thank you for checking this blog out! Hope you enjoy!

If you'd like to check out my fic involving my OCs and their respective love interests, you can find it here:

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[pechefarm]

somehow, some way...i WILL finish this fic. life keeps throwing curve balls at me and it's been very stressful. but i'm going to try and start writing again.

i can't make any promises about when the next chapter will be out. could be next week, could be next month. but i'm so thankful to everyone who is sticking around and supporting me anyway!

[pechefarm]

Buttercup Baby: Ch 10

Pairings: Sam/Male Farmer OC, Sebastian/Female OC, Shane/Female OC

Rating: T for Teen

Word count: 4,497 words

Content Warnings: Alcohol use

Authors Notes: Been having a lot of health issues lately, that's why updates have been so slow!

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Morning light streamed in from Sam’s window, landing on the two men cuddled up together on the soft bed shoved up against the wall. Léo was half awake, but completely aware that he was tangled up with Sam. He sighed happily, wanting this moment to last forever.

Of course, it couldn’t. He knew that when Sam woke up, his friend would be incredibly embarrassed. Léo found himself wanting to see that blush, wanting to hear Sam’s flustered voice. It was incredibly cute.

Cute.

Léo was finally allowing himself to admit that he had feelings for the blond man beside him. But it was so goddamn confusing. Yes, Sam was incredible. He was an amazing friend, and an amazing person in general. But he couldn’t ignore his feelings for Henri.

Buzz buzz

Buzz buzz

Buzz buzz

What was that? Léo untangled himself from Sam who promptly rolled over, still deep asleep. It took a few seconds before Léo realized that it was his phone. Annoyed, Léo reached over and peeked at who it was.

Holy shit.

He quickly swiped up to answer the phone, and crept out of the room.

"Henri?" Léo said quietly, mouth dry. 

"Léo, oh my God!" Henri said, sounding relieved. "I didn't even know if you'd answer! It's 6am and well…it's me."

"It is you," Léo said softly. He could hardly believe it. He clutched his phone tight as he made his way to the bathroom, tears pricking at his eyes. He closed and locked the door and closed his eyes. Léo hadn’t realized just how much he'd missed Henri's slight accent. How much he'd missed how light and airy his voice was, always sounding happy. Always putting Léo at ease.

"Is it okay that I'm calling?" Henri asked. "If I woke you up…"

"No, it's fine, really!" Léo said quickly. He couldn't let Henri hang up, not now. Yeah it was crazy early, and yeah Léo would love to be in bed right now but this was more important.

"That's great," Henri said, and Léo could almost see the gentle smile that was surely on the other man's face.

"How are you doing?" Léo asked.

"Pretty good. I've landed a role in an upcoming film, but I have to keep the details on the down low," Henri said. "And you? Have you been eating? I know you forget to eat sometimes."

Léo's heart felt warm as he assured Henri he was eating well and doing just fine. The fact that Henri cared enough to ask…wow. A smile plastered itself onto Léo's face. Henri wasn't all that bad, was he? Sure they'd had arguments…but all couples are like that. Right? Sure some of them were big. And sure, the way they’d ended things wasn’t the best but that didn’t make Henri a bad guy. Léo tried to convince himself of this, trying to come up with reasons why talking to his ex at his crush’s house was an okay thing to do.

"Do you have friends? Seeing anyone?" Henri asked casually.

"Seeing anyone? That's none of your business," Léo said, swallowing thickly. 

"I want it to be," Henri said. "I want–oh shit I have to go," he said quickly. Léo could hear a man talking in the background, but couldn't quite make out what was being said 

"Henri?" Léo asked, but the line went dead, leaving him sad and confused. He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bathtub, staring at his phone. Should he send a text and make sure Henri was okay? Ending the call like that was really strange.

As if his ex had read his mind, a text from Henri came through.

Hey, sorry about that. Rico was wondering who I was talking to.

Didn’t really want to talk about it with him

He can be sooooo possessive. 

Léo felt sick upon reading the words about Rico. God, did Henri really have to bring him up? Rico was everything Léo wasn’t. Rico was tall and built like a super model, with a face that looked like it was carved from marble. Léo was on the shorter side, stocky, and built more like a linebacker than anything. Sure he often got compliments on his figure, but there was something about Rico that was entrancing. And that something had reeled Henri in, had made him fall in love. Léo couldn’t bring himself to answer the message. He left the bathroom and walked back to Sam’s room. His friend was still out, and Léo sighed. What the hell was he doing? Cuddling with Sam one second and mooning over his ex the next. This was ridiculous. He slid back into bed but didn’t go back to sleep. Instead, he pulled up his messages with Elfie and began to type.

Hey emmyelf, I gotta talk to you about something

It’s not about Seb I stg

EMMA ANSWER YOUR PHONE

Léo stared at his phone in annoyance before realizing that it was still extremely early in the morning and suddenly felt bad. But Elfie was an early riser, she should be up by now. He kept looking at his phone, as though willing it to answer. Finally, he received a reply.

Christ on a cracker you’re clingy. And you better not be lying, cause if this is about that emo fucker I’m never speaking to you again

Léo snorted and rolled his eyes.

It’s NOT. Look, I think I like Sam.

He closed his eyes, and to his great surprise, Elfie responded right away.

GOD FINALLY YOU FIGURED IT OUT 

Proud of you boo

When you gonna ask him out?

Léo skipped pink entirely and his face went straight to fire engine red. He couldn’t believe what Elfie had just said.

What do you mean finally??? Also, I’m not asking him out It’s complicated.

If Léo was at home he would’ve thrown his phone across the bed, but he didn’t want to accidently smack Sam in the head with a flying phone.

How is it complicated?

Léo bit his lower lip as he read her response. He was going to have to explain. And she was not going to like the answer.

I’m not over Henri 

We’ve been talking a bit

I just

I dunno Elfie, not sure I’m ready.

As expected, Elfie sent two paragraphs lecturing Léo on why he shouldn’t be talking to Henri, why Henri was bad for him, and why he needed to move on to someone better. He understood where she was coming from, but she didn’t seem to understand how hard it was. He and Henri had been together for years. Completely cutting off a connection like that was like cutting off a limb. 

Oh also! Something important! Shane invited me to Pelican Town tonight for karaoke night. So I’ll be there tonight.

Léo blinked at his phone. What the hell? How long had she known about this? But before he could respond, he felt the sheets rustling beside him.

“You up?” Sam said blearily. Léo looked over and felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at Sam’s ruffled hair and partially closed eyes. He looked absolutely adorable, and Léo had to work hard not to giggle and beam at him.

“Yeah, I get up early. Used to a farmer’s schedule,” Léo said. “I hope I wasn’t why you woke up.”

“I don’t think you were,” Sam said, sitting up and stretching. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Slept like a baby,” Léo said.

“So you kept waking up at night crying? That sucks,” Sam said and laughed as Léo punched him lightly on the shoulder.

“I slept great, how’s that?” Léo said.

“Better,” Sam said. “I didn’t bother you at all, did I?”

“No, but you did cling to me like a koala,” Léo said, and Sam choked on air.

“I’m sorry!” Sam squeaked out.

“I wasn’t saying that it was a problem,” Léo said. “It was cute.”

“O-oh,” Sam stuttered, looking bashful. “Well, that’s good.”

“Yeah, 10 out of 10 would sleep with you again,” Léo said. There was a small pause and suddenly Léo looked horrified.

“Sleep NEXT to you!” he said hurriedly, and Sam burst out laughing. “I meant sleep NEXT to you!”

“Well now I know how you really feel,” Sam teased.

“Shut up,” Léo said, and Sam giggled. “I’m tired, okay? Haven’t had my coffee.”

“Well let’s get you some!” Sam said. The two got out of bed and walked to the kitchen. Sam needed a bit of help with the coffee machine, which made Léo roll his eyes.

“Your mom really does do everything, doesn’t she?”

“It’s kind of a problem,” Sam said with a sigh. “I got so used to it that I don’t have any kitchen skills at all. I don’t even know how to boil an egg properly.”

“Well, I could teach you to cook if you wanted,” Léo said. “I could come over, or you could come over to my house. I’ll give you an apron and everything.”

“An apron, eh? Do you have a ‘kiss the cook’ one?”

A vision of Sam caging Léo in against his counter while kissing him deeply popped into Léo’s mind, and he quickly brushed it away. He was pretty sure he’d be revisiting that thought later, perhaps tonight. But now was not the time for this!

“Um, uh, no,” Léo said, the traitorous fantasy attempting to come back.

“Well you should get one,” Sam said as the coffee began to drip into the carafe. “I like silly shit like that, and I think you’d look good in an apron with something dumb on it.”

They continued chatting for a bit. Jodi came out of her room as soon as she smelled coffee, and began bustling around the kitchen making breakfast. After a bit of whispered encouragement from Léo, Sam asked if she could teach him how to scramble the eggs she was about to make. She was shocked, but agreed. It felt good to watch this bonding moment between Sam and his mom. Cora came out of bed at the scent of sausages, and Jodi smiled at her.

“Vincent! You got up all by yourself!”

“It smells good,” Cora said simply.

After breakfast, Sam mentioned that there was duct tape somewhere that they could use to fix up the blowup bed.

“Oh shit, that’s a good idea,” Léo said, eyes wide. “I need to go check on my crops, but I can help you fix it later.”

“Sure!” Sam said with a grin. Léo left the house, a spring in his step. Being around Sam always had that effect on him. Sam was truly a ray of sunshine. This happiness lasted as he watered his crops and weeded the garden. He casually talked with Robin when she took breaks from working on his renovation. She was very excited about the finished product, and couldn’t wait to show him everything she was doing.

“I could show you now!” she said, eyes bright. “Unless you want it to be a surprise.”

“I’ll keep it a surprise,” Léo said, pulling off his gloves and tucking them into his pocket. “I’m excited to see what you do with the place! You’ve done a lot already! I can’t believe you’ll be done in just a few days!”

“I’m good at what I do,” Robin said proudly, chest puffing out. “And I guarantee you’re going to love it.”

Léo walked back to Sam’s house and took a long shower, getting all the grime off of him. Sam had left for the mountain where he was going to hang out with Sebastian and Abigail. Once he was cleaned up, Léo threw on his favorite orange button-down, and some gray jeans that he always got compliments on. He was going to go to the Saloon tonight to make sure that everything went fine with Elfie. She was known for being a lightweight, and he didn’t want her to do anything she would regret.

Léo spent the rest of his afternoon on the pier, dipping his toes into the water. It was nice to bask in the sun, enjoying the rays of the late spring sun. Soon it would be getting even warmer. He’d probably be spending a lot more time down at the beach once summer was in full swing. He couldn’t believe how long he’d been in Pelican Town already. He hadn’t been sure originally that this would be a long-term situation, but now? Léo felt like this was home, and he knew he’d be staying here for the long run.

As these pleasant thoughts went through his head, he felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out and saw that Sam had sent him a message.

Hey did my mom tell you I’m at the lake with Abbers and Seb?

Léo blinked. That was kind of a weird question.

Yeah, she did, so I’ve been doing my own thing while you hang out. I’m at the beach rn

Léo didn't even have time to put his phone back into his pocket before he felt his phone buzz again.

I wanted you to come hang out too!!! Well, we’re going to hang out at the saloon tonight if you want to join us then?

Oh no.

They were going to the saloon tonight? When Elfie was going to be there? This wasn’t going to go well. Léo swallowed thickly. He needed to let Sam know the situation so that the three of them wouldn’t be caught by surprise.

I was going to go anyway, so sure! Elfie let me know today that Shane invited her for    karaoke night tonight, so she’ll be there too, just FYI

He and Sam sent a few texts back and forth about how Sebastian would react to this, and Sam promised to make sure that Sebastian was ready before seeing her at the saloon. Somehow Léo didn’t think he’d be ready no matter how primed he was for the situation. When the time came, Léo walked down to the saloon and found that Elfie was already there, hand in hand with Shane. Léo waved at the two of them and Elfie rushed over, excited.

“Léo! I’m glad you’re here! This is going to be awesome! We totally have to sing something together!”

“Yeah, sure!” Léo said. He noticed that Elfie was looking past him. He turned his head slightly and saw that Sebastian had entered the saloon.

“Who’re you looking at?” Léo asked, and Elfie glared at him.

“Nobody,” she said.

“Well, it looks like ‘nobody’ is sitting down with two of my friends who I’m supposed to be here with. I’m going to go say hi, okay?” Elfie crossed her arms, and turned around, heading for the stage to look at the list of songs.

“Hey, guys!” Léo said, approaching the table.

“God I’m glad my mom isn’t here,” Abigail said, “You’re wearing your whore outfit again.”

“Excuse me?” Léo said, mock offended. He knew what she meant though, he had unbuttoned his shirt to the navel again. “Are you telling me to cover up?”

“I’m telling you that my dad will eventually notice that my mom is shamelessly flirting with you and will stop selling you stuff,” Abigail said, rolling her eyes.

“There’s a cougar on the prowl!” Sam said, and Léo laughed.

“Well, he’s in luck, the ladies just don’t do it for me,” he said. “So he should be mad at her, not at me.”

“Oh my God!” somebody shouted excitedly. Léo looked over his shoulder and saw Elfie looking at the list of songs with a sparkle in her eye. “Look what they have!” she said, walking over to their and waving the list in his face. Léo noticed Sebastian freeze, the poor guy looking like a deer caught in the headlights as she approached. Honestly, Léo wasn’t surprised. Elfie looked good tonight, clearly dolled up for her date.

“Uhh…Barbie Girl?” Léo said, looking at the list. Elfie sighed dramatically and shook her head.

“Danza Kuduro!” she said. 

“Oh shit!” Léo said with a grin. “I didn’t think they’d have songs in other languages!”

“What’s that song?” Abigail asked, cocking her head.

“It’s a really fun song in both Spanish and Portuguese! Léo we have to sing it!”

“Wait, are you both trilingual?” Sam asked, eyes wide. Sebastian looked up at Elfie, clearly listening but trying to pretend like he wasn’t. She was pointedly not looking at him, and Léo was sure that she was more than aware that Sebastian had taken notice of her.

“No,” Léo said, “We’re both bilingual. Elfie’s mom is from Portugal, so she grew up speaking English and Portuguese. And you guys already know I speak Spanish.”

“Yeah, he’ll sing the Spanish parts, and I’ll sing the Portuguese ones! Oh my gosh yes!”

The two put their names in to sing and waited their turn. Maru went first, nervously singing Suddenly I See, eyes flickering over to Penny every now and then. Clint went after, belting out an incredibly dramatic rendition of I Am A Rock with surprising confidence. And then finally…

“Next up we have Elfie and Léo singing Danza Kuduro!” Mayor Lewis said, and the crowd clapped politely as they took the stage. 

“They don’t know what they’re in for,” Elfie said, with a grin, winking at Léo.

“Well they don’t know I used to be lead singer in a band and that you were the best in your college’s choir,” Léo said.

The upbeat music began to pump from the speakers, and Léo began to sing in his rich voice.

“La mano arriba, cintura sola, da media vuella, danza Kuduro,” Léo began, and the two of them began to move to the beat. The crowd began to cheer as he continued, everyone looking surprised.

“Balançar qué uma loucura, morena vem o meu lado, ninguem vai ficar parado, quero ver mexa Kuduro,” Elfie belted out. Everyone looked shocked at her perfect accent and beautiful voice. The two friends laughed as they sang, and everyone began dancing, truly feeling the beat. Even Demetrius was dancing better than usual, dipping a very surprised yet pleased Robin.

When the song finished, the whole pub burst out into wild cheers and applause.

“You guys were great!” Abigail said, pulling them both into hugs as they returned to the group. Sebastian stood up, looking at Elfie with awe in his eyes. He looked like he was on the verge of speaking when a loud voice came from next to them.

“That’s my girl!” Shane said, clearly tipsy and on the verge of being fully drunk. “You were amazing! And the way you move…damn girl!”

Elfie giggled, stars in her eyes as she looked at Shane. Léo peeked over at Sebastian who had gone rigid. Sam slowly made his way over to his friend, gently rubbing his arm before the two sat down. Sebastian stared at a spot on the table while Sam said something in a quiet tone, eyes soft. Abigail slipped away to join them, but Léo had to stand with Elfie and Shane as he was engaged in conversation with them.

“You can move pretty well too,” Shane said. “Guess that Shakira song was right—let me see you move like you come from Colombia!”

“I guess,” Léo said, glancing over at his friends. “But I practiced a lot too,” he said. “Took dance lessons in school, and was in a band. Gotta have moves to make people want to watch you, you know?”

“You were in a band?” Shane asked, eyes wide. “Dude that’s fuckin’ awesome!”

“Uh yeah, it was a lot of fun. Hey, I’ll be right back, okay?” Léo said, noticing Abigail rubbing circles on Sebastian’s back as the black haired man watched Shane pull Elfie in by the waist. 

“We’ll be at the bar,” Shane said. “This babe deserves a drink after that amazing performance. I’m buying,” he said, looking at Elfie.

“Ooo, what a gentleman,” Elfie purred.

“Gotta buy my gorgeous Amazon something tasty to match her, don’t I?” Shane said. Elfie blushed but looked pleased. Elfie was tall, and was a head taller than the much shorter man before her. She was typically very self-conscious about her height, but clearly, Shane didn’t mind. Léo controlled himself from rolling his eyes and walked over to the table. Sebastian looked up at his approach and sighed.

“I know what you’re going to say,” Sebastian said softly. “I deserve it.”

“Actually, I was going to ask if you were okay,” Léo said with a frown. Sebastian looked surprised, and Léo sighed.

“I know I’ve been hard on you,” he said, “But you’re still my friend and I don’t want you to be upset.” He slid into a chair next to Sebastian, and looked him in the eye. “I need you to know something, okay? This isn’t Elfie at all. I don’t know what the hell she thinks she’s doing, but if I had to guess, she’s putting on a show. Honestly? They both are. Did you see how friendly Shane was to me just now?”

“So?” Sebastian said. “He’s probably just being nice ‘cause you’re Elfie’s friend.”

“That’s not like Shane at all,” Léo said shaking his head. “There’s more to it.”

“Wait…” Abigail said, a look of understanding crossing her face. “Are you saying they’re doing this to piss Seb off?”

I think there’s a very high chance that they’re doing that, at least partially. Elfie is attracted to him, and he seems to like the look of her too, so I think some of it is legit. But the rest? They’re pissed at you Seb, and I think they’re trying to upset you.”

“What the fuck?” Sam said angrily. “That’s awful! What the hell is wrong with them?”

“My feelings exactly,” Léo said with a grimace. “She thinks she can lecture me and then pull this shit? I’m having a long talk with her tomorrow. Maybe tonight if she doesn’t get shit faced on cocktails,” he said, nodding towards the bar. Elfie was pink in the face, two empty shot glasses next to her and some sort of blue drink in her hand that was already halfway gone.

“What do you mean ‘lecture you?’” Abigail asked.

Shit.

Shit!

“Oh um. Just…past mistakes,” Léo said, trying to keep his voice even. “She always tells me when she thinks I’m not doing the right thing, when she thinks I’m not being mature or whatever.”

“What a hypocrite,” Abigail said with a hollow laugh.

“Yep,” Léo said. “But I mean…she hasn’t dated anyone in like, eight or nine years. She probably forgot how.”

The table fell into silence. With Sam’s help, Léo had spoken to both Abigail and Sebastian about his twin, and how Elfie had stopped dating after his death.

“She had a really rough few years after my brother died,” Léo said. “Nobody ever stacked up. Elfie didn’t even consider other guys as options. She had her fair share of dudes flirting with her and giving her their numbers. But she would just throw the numbers away, and wouldn’t even acknowledge the flirting. And now she’s opening up and--”

“And I completely smashed her to bits,” Sebastian said, putting his forehead in his hands.

“Sebastian look at me. Look at me,” he said firmly, and Sebastian looked up, a devastated expression on his face.

“You crushed her, I’m not gonna lie to you. But that’s an explanation, not an excuse. Remember how I told you that you can’t treat people like shit and expect them to be okay with it? Well that applies to her too.”

“An’ this one…this one is for that Italian bastard back there!” Elfie shouted out. Léo turned his head and saw Elfie wobbling across the stage, clearly having just snatched the microphone from Mayor Lewis. He sighed as he watched her try and figure out the karaoke machine.

“God she needs to sober up,” Léo grumbled. “Before she ends up doing something she’ll regret.”

“HIS NAME IS TONY! HE’S FROM MILANO! HE WHISPERS SOFTLY IN MY EARS IN ITALIANO!” Elfie drunkenly belted out. 

“Jesus Christ,” Léo said closing his eyes.

“Oh Mama Mia! He says I love you girl, let me touch you! But mama told me that Italian is a macho!” Elfie sang, pointing at Shane who raised his glass at her.

“Is Shane Italian?” Sam asked looking at the two who were caught up in each other, Elfie singing this ridiculous song while Shane laughed.

“Well, his last name is Giudice, so I think he has family from Italy?”Abigail said, looking thoughtful. 

“After this song, I’m dragging her back to your house,” Léo said with a sigh, looking over at Sam. “She’s smashed, she can’t go back to Zuzu by herself like this.”

“I think Mom will be okay with that,” Sam said. “I mean, she’ll be annoyed for sure, but she’s not going to make her ride the bus by herself like this.”

After the song ended, Léo tried to make his way to the stage, but the saloon had gotten a lot more crowded than earlier. He found himself struggling to get by everyone. When Léo finally got the stage, Elfie was no longer there. 

Fuck.

He peered around but didn’t see her anywhere. And the saloon was strangely a lot quieter than it had been. Shane seemed to have quieted down, and wasn’t saying anything at all. Maybe he’d passed out. Léo’s eyes flickered over to the bar, and weirdly enough, Shane wasn’t there. And Marnie wasn’t at her usual table either.

Wait.

Wait hold up.

Had Elfie gone home with Shane and Marnie?

“Goddamnit,” Léo growled, heading back over to the table. Sam looked confused at Elfie’s absence.

“Where’s—?”

“I think she went home with Shane,” Léo said. Sebastian choked on his drink, and Léo ignored him in favor of dialing Elfie’s number. He called her twice, leaving a voicemail asking her to call as soon as she could.

“She’s getting the talking to of her life when she calls me back,” Léo grumbled.

“Well, Shane was the one who invited her, so it’s not that weird that she’s going to his place,” Abigail said slowly.

“She could’ve at least said bye,” Léo said. Sebastian’s expression was impossible to read, but Léo had a feeling that there was a storm brewing inside of him.

“We should probably be going,” Sam said. “I promised we’d be back early tonight.”

“Yeah okay,” Léo said with a sigh. They bade Abigail and Sebastian goodbye and began making their way to Sam’s house.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Sam murmured, and Léo nodded slowly. They made their way into the bedroom and fell into bed, the duct tape that was meant to fix the blowup bed forgotten on Sam’s desk. The two passed out almost instantly, curling up against each other in their sleep.

[pechefarm]

My health has been ALL OVER THE PLACE so I'm doing my best to get chapters out, but the time between chapters will be longer, potentially a lot longer, than usual.

The fic is still going strong, I just need to prioritize my well being.

[pechefarm]

Hopefully chapter 9 will be out next week! Was unable to work on it at all due to a massive seizure that severely injured my face, and wore me the fuck out.

Please stand by while I heal

[pechefarm]

The next chapter has lots of lore drops! Next week you can look forward to:

Elfie speaking in her first language

Where Elfie’s family is from

How Léo and Henri met

More info on Elfie and José's relationship!

Some Shane HCs of mine!

I hope you all are as excited as I am that Buttercup Baby is back!

[pechefarm]

I got a BEAUTIFUL piece of Léo and Sam done by miifu_666 on twitter! You can find it here! 18+ only thanks!

[pechefarm]

Buttercup Baby Ch 9

Pairing: Sam/Male OC

CW: N/A

Author's note: Hey everyone! Buttercup Baby is OFFICIALLY BACK! YAY!

You can also read this chapter or start from the beginning on my ao3:

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

"Why is this my problem again?"

Léo cast his fishing rod once more into the lake, Sebastian hovering over his shoulder. In all honesty, Léo didn't want to talk to Sebastian at all. But as soon as Sebastian spotted him at the lake, he had snuffed out his cigarette and rushed over.

"I need help with Elfie and…well I know I don't deserve it," Sebastian said in a small voice, "But I don't know where to begin."

"You're right, you don't deserve it," Léo said bitterly. “Not only did you abandon her at the dance, you insulted her both to her face and behind her back. And I haven’t even touched on how you treated Shane.”

“I was an ass and I deserve whatever comes my way. But I really care about her and I want to make things right,” Sebastian said, and Léo looked over at him with raised brows. Sebastian wasn’t usually one to lay his feelings on the line like this. 

“Look,” Léo said, “You really messed it up this time. You really hurt her feelings. And she…” He trailed off slightly and shook his head.

“What?” Sebastian asked, sounding worried. “And she what?”

“It’s not for me to tell,” Léo said, and Sebastian made a sound of exasperation.

“But I told you, she’s not talking to me!”

This was true. Sebastian had frantically explained that she had sent him a message saying “delete my number” after he had tried to get into contact with her. Undeterred, he had tried to talk to her again, but she had threatened to block his number if he dared message her one more time.

“I can try and get her to talk to you,” Léo said after a few moments, “But I can’t promise she’ll want to give you another shot.”

“I don’t think she will,” Sebastian said mournfully. “You already said it, I really messed it up. But I can’t leave it like this.”

Léo sighed deeply. “Fine, I’ll--”

There was a sudden tug on the line, and Léo stopped talking, focusing on the fish instead. Sebastian watched him with interest, which was extremely distracting. He only just managed to catch the Smallmouth Bass, annoyed that Sebastian was watching his technique the whole time.

“You’ll call her then?” Sebastian said the moment Léo put the fish away in his bucket. Léo closed his eyes and breathed out harshly through his nose.

“Yeah, I will,” Léo said. Sebastian looked at Léo with a hopeful expression on his face.

“What, you mean now?” Léo said, nose wrinkling. Sebastian kicked at the ground, and Léo pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Fine,” he grumbled and pulled out his phone. “But I’m not putting it on speaker, you got it?”

Sebastian nodded, and Léo dialed Elfie’s number. Surprisingly, she answered on the second ring.

“Hey, Léo what’s up?” Elfie said, sounding chipper.

“You sound good,” Léo said, and Elfie laughed lightly.

“Well, I’ve been talking with a new friend, and it’s been going extremely well,” she said, and Léo could practically see the pleased smirk on her face.

“Is it who I think it is?” Léo asked, ignoring Sebastian’s confused look.

“It’s Shane,” Elfie said happily.

“Of course it is,” Léo said with a light laugh. 

“So what’s up?” Elfie said. “Did you just want to chat?”

“Uh actually…you’re gonna hate me,” Léo said, “But I have a favor to ask.”

“What do you need?” Elfie asked. “And why the hell would I hate you for asking?”

“Because I’m asking for you to talk to Sebastian.”

The line went silent, and Léo actually had to check his phone to make sure she hadn’t hung up on him.

“Why?” she finally asked, voice devoid of all emotion. 

“Because he’s annoying the shit out of me, and is practically begging me to get you to talk to him,” Léo said, causing Sebastian to look down at the ground in shame.

“I don’t want to talk to him,” Elfie said.

“Okay, well, I’m not going to make you,” Léo said, “But if you’re not going to talk to him, can I tell him what happened at the bus stop? You can’t hide this forever.”

“You can tell him, but I’m not talking to him. Got it?”

“Got it,” Léo said.

“Well if that’s it, I’m going to go now,” Elfie said. The two said goodbye, and Léo looked over at Sebastian.

“She said no,” Léo said, and Sebastian made the most pathetic sound Léo had ever heard.

“You didn’t even try!” Sebastian whined.

“I’m not going to force her to do something she doesn’t want to do!” Léo snapped. “She’s a grown ass woman and can make her own choices. And speaking of her own choices…look. She’s not going to come back to you,” Léo said.

“I know,” Sebastian said with a glare, “I’m not trying to get her to come back to me.”

“You kind of are though,” Léo said, “And don’t you dare pretend otherwise.”

“Well…I dunno, maybe after she forgave me,” Sebastian said, “But I would be friends with her again first.”

“Well it won’t happen,” Léo said.

“Why not?” Sebastian asked, looking annoyed.

“Because she’s interested in someone else.”

Sebastian blinked at him, clearly not having expected that to be the response.

“She…what?” he asked. Léo sighed and picked up his fish bucket.

“She likes someone else.”

“Who?” Sebastian asked, sounding shocked.

“Look, I need to deliver this fish. If you want to hear more, you’re gonna have to come with me.”

The two men began walking down the mountain trail toward town, and Léo noticed how panicked Sebastian seemed. This wasn’t going to go well. 

“She likes Shane,” Léo said. Sebastian made a choking sound from next to him, and Léo looked over. His friend looked like he was speed running the five stages of grief, eyes wide and mouth closed in a tight line.

“After the flower dance, he took her to the bus stop and they kissed,” Léo said, stopping in front of the Mullner household and knocking on the door.

“What the fuck?” Sebastian practically shouted.

“Oh goodness!” a small feminine voice said. Sebastian turned towards the door and saw Granny Evelyn standing there, a look of shock on her face.

“Oh, uh, sorry,” Sebastian said, cheeks pink. “I…I’m sorry.”

“It’s quite alright,” Granny Evelyn said, and looked up at Léo. “It’s good to see you Léo! Are you here with the fish?”

“I am!” Léo said cheerily. He handed over the fish, and Granny Evelyn counted out the precise amount of change she needed, handing it to him with a bright smile.

“This will go nicely in the leek soup I’m making. It’s one of George’s favorites.”

After she closed the door, Sebastian shoved his hands into his pockets and glowered at the ground.

“Did they really kiss?” he said in a surprisingly soft voice.

“Yeah,” Léo said. “Guess I could’ve been a bit gentler about it,” he said, “But I thought getting it over with it as quick as possible would be better.”

“I guess,” Sebastian said as they walked down the street.

“Actions have consequences,” Léo said. “You can’t just be a jerk and expect people to be okay with that. Think of this as a learning experience.”

Sebastian was quiet for a moment, mulling it over. “You’re right,” he finally said. “I think I’m gonna go home now.”

“Okay,” Léo said. “Things will turn out just fine, you know that right?”

Sebastian stopped walking and sighed. “I don’t,” he said, and picked up the pace. Léo watched him go, heart heavy. Hopefully he’d open up to Abigail and Sam about this. 

And speaking of Sam…shit! Léo realized that he had completely forgotten to bring his bag of necessities over to Sam’s house. After a quick triple check with Jodi, it had been decided that he would stay with them while he got his house renovated. He rushed back to the farm and began tossing clothes and other things he would need into his duffel bag. Jeez, how had this slipped his mind? 

He rushed down the street and was grateful that Jodi had also allowed him to bring Gordito with him. Léo had bought a cat back pack with a nice window on it that his precious little boy could look out of. Gordito was calm as Léo hurried to Sam’s, settling down into a perfect loaf.

When he arrived at Sam’s, he found the door unlocked. Without thinking about it, he waltzed right in, bumping into a very surprised Sam.

“Léo!” Sam said, eyes bright. “I was wondering when you would come over!”

“Nice shirt,” Léo said with a raised eyebrow. Sam looked down at his shirt which had the phrase “Pussy Wagon” written on it in bright red letters.

“Oh shit,” Sam said. “Vince was at Jas’ for a sleepover last night, so Mom let me wear whatever I wanted to bed last night. I gotta change before he gets back!”

“Did you just wake up?” Léo said, taking in Sam’s full appearance. Aside from the shirt, he was wearing joggers with a plaid print on them, and his hair didn’t have it’s signature all day hold gel in it.

“Uh…no?” Sam said tentatively as Léo put down the backpack and let Gordito out. Sam’s face brightened and he bent down to pet the orange cat.

“Change your shirt and then you can pet him,” Léo said. Sam stuck his lip out in a pout, frowning.

Cute.

Wait what?

Léo shook the thought out of his mind as Sam walked back to his room. He emerged a few moments later with a new shirt on. It had a d20 on it, and said “Chaotic Stupid” on it.

“Accurate,” Léo said, and Sam stuck his tongue out. Gordito walked over to Sam and bumped his head against his leg, purring loudly.

“Aw, he likes me!” Sam said happily and bent down to pet him.

“He’s got good taste,” Léo said. Sam looked up at Léo, head cocked to the side.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re an awesome guy, and he can tell,” Léo said.

“Oh!” Sam said, cheeks slightly pink. “You’re pretty awesome too.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, showering Gordito in affection. After a few minutes, Sam stood up.

“Are you hungry at all?” he asked. “I haven’t eaten yet.”

“A little,” Léo said. “We should make brunch.”

“Brunch?” Sam said. “What time is it?”

“A little past 1,” Léo said.

“Whoops,” Sam said. “Guess I shouldn’t’ve stayed up so late last night.”

“What were you doing?” Léo asked as they made their way to the kitchen.

“I was writing a song,” Sam said. “I’m kinda stuck though. I kept writing and rewriting and…ugh. I hate everything I’ve written.”

“What’s the song about?” Léo asked. Sam cleared his throat as he opened the fridge.

“It’s uh, it’s a love song,” he said, staring into the fridge as though the food were the most interesting things he’d ever seen in his life. “Just having some trouble making it sound how I want it to.”

Léo considered him as Sam grabbed an egg from the fridge. 

“Want me to help you out with it?” he asked as Sam went to hand him the egg. At his words, Sam fumbled the egg and it fell to ground with a loud splat, breaking on the tile floor.

“Fuck!” Sam said loudly.

“Samson!”

The two men turned and saw an irritated looking Jodi behind them.

“Your brother just got home, and I don’t want him to hear you saying—is that egg on the floor?”

“Oh, um…” Sam said, looking flustered.

“I have told you so many times to pay attention to what you’re doing!” Jodi scolded. “Plates, mugs, and now eggs…I need you to be more careful!”

Sam stared at the floor, and Léo suddenly felt a strange urge to protect his friend.

“He didn’t break it,” Léo found himself saying. “It was me. He handed me the egg and I dropped it. I’m sorry, I’ll clean it up right now.”

“Oh!” Jodi said, looking surprised. “Well, thank you for being honest.”

“I’ll clean it!” Sam said, clearly trying to keep the surprise out of his voice. “Léo you shouldn’t have to clean it up.”

“I dropped it,” Léo said, and Sam frowned.

“You’re the guest. I’ll clean it up.”

“Well look at you being responsible!” Jodi said happily. “As long as it gets cleaned up it’s fine. And Léo, it’s great to see you. When Vincent saw your beautiful cat and your bag in the living room, he got so excited! He’s dying to see you.”

Léo smiled. It would be good to see Vincent again. And maybe they could talk more about the discovery the kid had made at the flower dance.

“Go talk to him,” Sam said firmly. “I’ll be there in two seconds.”

“Okay,” Léo said, and followed Jodi into the living room. 

“Vincent, Léo’s here!” Jodi said cheerily.

The small boy—

No.

Girl. Léo’s heart broke as Jodi began to talk to her daughter, still under the impression that this was Vincent, that this was her son. Léo honestly couldn’t believe that Cora had put so much faith in Léo, had told him something so personal, and was positive that Léo would keep it to himself. She had put so much trust in Léo, and he couldn’t help but feel honored.

Léo smiled at her and gave a tiny wave.

“Hey Vince,” he said, remembering the promise he had made with her. Nobody except Léo and Jas could know Cora’s new name.

“Léo!” she said happily, looking up from where she sat, Gordito curled up in her lap.

“It’s good to see you,” Léo said, sitting on the armchair closest to her. “How are you doing?”

“Great!” she said. “I was at Jas’ house. We talked a lot about some things,” Cora said, giving Léo a meaningful look. Léo gave her a tiny smile.

“I hope you had a good time,” he said, and she beamed at him.

“I had a great time!” Cora said. “And I’m really glad you’re here!”

“Sam has been talking about your arrival ever since you asked to stay,” Jodi said, taking a seat on the couch. 

“Has he?” Léo said, surprised.

“Oh yes,” Jodi said and laughed lightly. “You would think we were inviting Beyoncé over from how nervous and excited he’s been.”

“Sam never cleans,” Cora said, getting a loud laugh from Jodi, “But he’s been cleaning like crazy!”

“It’s true,” Jodi said, “I haven’t had to lift a finger! It’s been very nice.”

“That’s hilarious,” Léo said, shaking his head with a smile. “Why would he do that?”

Cora and Jodi exchanged a look with matching smiles. Léo frowned.

“What?” he asked, feeling out of the loop. There seemed to be an inside joke that he wasn’t privy to.

“You’re a very good…friend of Sam’s,” Jodi said, and Cora giggled. “He wants to make a good impression on you.”

“We’ve been friends for a while,” Léo said, confused. “He knows I think he’s great. Does he really think I wouldn’t be friends with him if there were some dishes out?”

“Not exactly,” Jodi said. “He--”

“It’s cleaned up!”

Jodi jumped slightly and turned to see Sam walking into the living room.

“As I was saying,” Jodi said, “I’m so glad that you’re here Léo. Sam dear, you two should set up Léo’s spot in your room.”

Léo blinked. That wasn’t what they had been talking about just now. 

“Yeah, good idea,” Sam said. Léo stood up and reached for his bag, but Sam was faster.

“I’ll carry it!” he said.

“You don’t need to carry my bag,” Léo said. “It’s not like it’s heavy.”

“You’re the guest,” Sam said. “I’m carrying it.”

Cora put her hand over her mouth, stifling a giggle, and Sam glared at her. What the hell was going on?

“Um. Okay. Thanks,” Léo said, and followed Sam to his room. The first thing he noticed was how nice it smelled. Then he noticed that his room was cleaner than he’d ever seen it before. It looked like his friend had vacuumed and dusted and—hold up, was his bed made?

“Wow you really went all out,” Léo said. 

“What do you mean?” Sam said, putting Léo’s bag down.

“It looks like a hotel room in here,” Léo said. 

“Oh, well, I didn’t want you to stay in a pigsty,” Sam said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m gonna go get the blow up mattress and we can set that up.”

Léo sat on Sam’s bed, and felt slightly bad that he was wrinkling the carefully smoothed out comforter. Why was Sam going through all this effort? It didn’t make any sense!

“You’re a very good…friend of Sam’s…”

“Sam has been talking about your arrival ever since you asked to stay…”

“He wants to make a good impression on you…”

Wait.

Wait hold on.

Was Jodi saying what Léo thought she was saying? Did she mean that Sam had feelings for him? But that couldn’t be right. Sam couldn’t possibly have a crush on him! They were just friends, good friends. Sam was just a friend…a friend who blushed when Léo took his shirt off when they were in the same room, a friend who casually brushed up against him, a friend who was going to ask him to dance at the flower dance…

Holy shit.

“I found it!” Sam said, entering the room. “Are you okay?”

Léo stared at Sam for a second, his brain having completely blue screened for a moment.

“Yeah!” he said loudly, clapping his hands together. “Let’s set this mattress up!”

“Sounds good,” Sam said. “Luckily we have a pump, so that’ll make things easier.”

“I think I would cry if I had to blow this thing up without a pump,” Léo said, and Sam nodded in agreement.

They attached the pump, but for some reason, the mattress wasn’t inflating.

“Damn it, what’s going on?” Sam said with a frown. Léo looked at the side of the mattress and immediately spotted the problem.

“Looks like there’s a hole in it,” he said, and Sam swore under his breath.

“I’ll take the couch,” Sam said, “And you can have my bed.”

“What?” Léo said with wide eyes. He frowned and shook his head. “It’s your bed, I’m not letting you sleep on the couch. I’ll take it.”

“No way!” Sam argued, crossing his arms. “My bed is way more comfortable than that damn couch. You deserve the best, so you’re taking my bed.”

“You take the bed,” Léo said firmly.

“I’ll take the bed for half the night and then we switch,” Sam countered.

“You’re not sleeping on the couch!”

“Hmm…I’ll take the bed for two hours and then I’ll take the couch.”

“What?” Léo said incredulously. “You can’t negotiate backward!”

“And yet here I am doing it. Is it working?” Sam said, eyes twinkling.

“Well,” Léo said, heart hammering in his chest, “There’s…there’s another choice.”

“I guess so,” Sam said thoughtfully. “I could take the floor.”

“What? No!” Léo said looking at Sam as though he had suggested sleeping on a pile of rocks. “We could share the bed.”

There was a long pause, and Sam’s mouth dropped open, gaping at Léo like a fish. 

Shit.

He’d overstepped, hadn’t he? Sam would think he was weird and creepy. But if Léo was right and Sam liked him, maybe he’d agree? And wait…why was that idea making Léo’s insides flutter?

Oh.

Oh.

Could it be possible that…

But before Léo could finish his thought, Sam responded.

“I…well. I guess we could do that,” he said slowly. “If you’re sure. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine with it if you are,” Léo said casually. “Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, you know?”

“Yeah, right,” Sam said, clearing his throat loudly. “Just. Doin’ what we have to do.” He plopped down on his bed with a worried expression and Léo gave him a small smile.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” he said, sitting down next to his friend. 

“I’m not nervous,” Sam said. “I’m just…God this is embarrassing…” He ran his hand through his hair, fluffing it up a little bit. Léo watched, transfixed as his friend’s bangs fell back into his face. Sam let out a loud breath and looked over at Léo.

“What’s up?” Léo asked. His heart was beating a mile a minute. Was Sam going to admit that…that…God, he couldn’t even let himself finish that thought. But what if…

“I’m a sleep cuddler,” Sam mumbled.

Oh.

“That’s…that’s it?” Léo asked, frowning. “Why is that embarrassing?”

“Because everyone I know has said I fucking cling to them when I fall asleep and that it’s annoying. I don’t want to annoy you,” Sam said, and bit his bottom lip. 

Léo looked into Sam’s eyes, intentionally not looking at his mouth. “If you cuddle me or whatever at night, I’ll survive, I promise,” he said with a chuckle.

“Well if you say so,” Sam said. “You can’t take that back though! You’re not allowed to complain in the morning, got it?” he said, jabbing a finger in Léo’s direction.

“Cross my heart and hope--”

“—For pie! Stick a cupcake in my eye!” Sam finished. Léo blinked, and his golden haired friend laughed.

“Vince said you said ‘hope for pie’ at the flower dance, and he added on the second part,” Sam explained. “He’s always hated the ‘hope to die’ thing.”

“That’s cute,” Léo said. “You’re a really great brother.”

“You think?” Sam said. “I try, I really do. I wanna be there for him no matter what. I want him to feel safe with me.”

“I won’t tell anyone. Cross my heart and hope for pie.”

“ Even Sam?” 

“ Even Sam. Just us.”

Léo gulped. Cora would let Sam know when she was ready. And he knew that Sam would be supportive. Sam would be there for her. But how was he going to feel when he learned that she hadn’t gone to him right away? That he wasn’t even her second choice of who to tell?

“I’m sure he feels totally safe with you,” Léo said with a strained smile. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks Buttercup,” Sam said.

“No problem Samico.”

The two gazed at each other for a moment, eyes locked with matching smiles on their faces. The trance was broken however when there was a knock on Sam’s door.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything!” Jodi said, and the two men looked over to see the fiery red head in the doorway.

“No it’s cool,” Sam said. “What’s up? Need help with something?”

“I was going to ask what you two are getting up to today,” Jodi said, leaning against the door frame, “I’m trying to decide what to make for dinner and want to make sure you’re home in time to eat while the food is still warm!”

“I still have a bit of work on the farm that I need to get done,” Léo said thoughtfully, “So I’ll probably finish that up and then I’ll head back here.”

“Need any help?” Sam asked cheerfully.

“If you really want to,” Léo said. “I need to set up my new beehives and then weed the flower garden.”

“Beehives?” Sam said, eyes lighting up. “You’re going to make your own honey?”

“Yep!” Léo said happily and then looked over at Jodi. “You guys can have as many jars as you want for free. You can have anything I have actually free of charge.”

“That’s sweet of you, but I couldn’t possibly allow that,” Jodi said, shaking her head. “You work so hard on that farm. It’d feel like stealing!”

“You guys have been so kind to me,” Léo said standing up. “Your family has really made me feel accepted here. Especially Sam,” he said, beaming at his friend. Sam looked to the side, a slight smile on his face.

“I want you to feel like you belong,” Sam said. “Because you do. You’re perfect here.”

“NOW KISS!” a small voice shouted out. Sam bypassed pink altogether and went a violent shade of red.

“Vincent what the heck?!” Sam said. Jodi laughed loudly as Cora held up two action figures, smashing their faces together and making loud kissing noises. Léo looked over at his frustrated friend, eyes moving down to his plush lips. What would it be like to kiss them? Léo felt his cheeks grow hot as this thought entered his mind.

“Alright Vince, leave the boys alone,” Jodi finally said. “You two make sure to be back by five, alright?”

“Are you going off to kiss?” Cora asked, and Sam smacked her upside the head as they exited the room.

“We’re building beehives you menace,” Sam said.

“Samson! Be nice to your brother!” Jodi said with a frown.

“Whatever,” Sam mumbled. “Let’s go Léo.”

The two made their way to the farm, chatting casually as they walked. Léo kept sneaking private looks at Sam as they walked, the gears turning in his head. Sam looked so good today. In fact, he looked amazing every day. So beautiful, so radiant. 

Fuck.

He couldn’t hide it anymore. Léo appreciated how Sam’s muscles looked as he lifted up pieces of wood to hammer in. How his tongue poked out of his mouth as he focused. Léo had it bad for this man, and he couldn’t pretend otherwise. His beautiful brown eyes with gorgeous flecks of gold, his blond hair that fell into his eyes without the gel, and the mullet that somehow worked on him.

As Léo thought about this, a sudden realization came crashing down onto him. He was still in love with Henri. Sure he liked Sam, but the love he still felt for Henri was different. Logically, Léo knew that getting back together with Henri would be a terrible idea. That French bastard had never treated him well, and their breakup had been so painful. But remembering the way Henri would look at him when he whispered that he loved him. The way he gasped out Léo’s name during their most private of moments…the memories hit him hard, and he wasn’t sure he could just throw all that way. 

But Henri had thrown him away like an empty coffee cup that had served a purpose and now was done. He didn’t need Léo anymore. But God did Léo need him. He could practically hear Elfie lecturing him about Henri being a no good jerk and how he needed to move on. And as he watched Sam laugh when he fell backwards trying to pull a particularly stubborn weed, he wondered if maybe she was right.

They quickly cleaned up and walked back to Sam’s house, talking about what they were hoping would be made for dinner. As usual, Sam was hoping for fish casserole. 

“I’m sure whatever she makes will be great,” Léo said. “She’s a really great cook.”

“She is, isn’t she?” Sam said happily. “Sometimes I wonder if I should ask her for lessons. Someday I’m going to move out and I’ll need to make food for myself,” Sam said. “And she’s always saying that food is the way to anyone’s heart, so I should learn to cook for others as well.”

“Well she’s right about that,” Léo said as they approached the door. “The best date I ever went on was just cooking with a guy in his kitchen.”

“The best eh?” Sam said. “So it went well?”

“Got the best head of my life that night, so I’d say it went well yeah,” Léo said as Sam choked on air. Léo shook his head. “You’re a prude, you know that?”

“I’m not!” Sam said. “You just made you imagine it and it was strange!”

“Hey you’re the one thinking about it,” Léo said as Sam unlocked the door. “Hope I look good in your mind.”

“Shut up,” Sam said, but there was no bite in his tone.

Dinner turned out to be Sam’s favorite, and Léo found himself enjoying it immensely. Anything she made, no matter how strange it sounded, was always incredible. After finishing up, he and Sam bade Cora and Jodi goodnight and went to Sam’s room.

“I’ll change in the bathroom,” Sam said quickly, and rushed off with his pajamas. Léo found himself both grateful for this and slightly disappointed. The two changed quickly, and soon found themselves staring at the bed in awkward silence.

“So…” Sam said slowly. “What side do you want?”

“Where do you usually sleep?” Léo asked.

“Well, usually right next to the wall,” Sam said. “But if you want to sleep there that’s fine.”

“No you go for it,” Léo said. “I don’t really care honestly.”

Sam nodded, and the two slipped into bed. 

“Should I put a pillow in between us?” Sam asked, turning over on his side.

“Why?” Léo asked confused.

“The cuddling thing,” Sam said. Even though it was dark in the room, Léo was positive his friend was blushing.

“Don’t worry about it. If you cuddle me it’s not a big deal, okay?” Léo said, even though he felt otherwise. It would be a big deal, but in the best way possible. Imagining Sam with an arm draped around him, pressed up against his back…fuck was that a good thought.

“If you say so,” Sam said nervously. 

Léo found it hard to sleep, but Sam drifted off quickly. The sound of Sam’s slow deep breathing was calming, and Léo found his eyes slowly shutting. But just as he found himself slipping into sleep, he felt an arm and a leg around him.

Suddenly wide awake, Léo gulped. Sam hadn’t lied about being a cuddler. His friend was pressed up against him, head in the crook of Léo’s neck.

Not even thinking about it, Léo slowly turned onto his side so that he was facing his friend. Sam’s eyes fluttered slightly and Léo froze. Sam didn’t wake and Léo let out a sigh of relief. He was going to do something that he hoped to God Sam wouldn’t find out about. He scooted closer to Sam until the two were practically chest to chest. Léo wrapped an arm around his friend.

“Good night Sam,” Léo murmured, closing his eyes. Sam let out a sleepy hum, and the two fell asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms.

[pechefarm]

Solid proof that I am in fact writing Ch 9!!! This is the first draft lmao so yes there are some weird grammatical things going on. But Buttercup Baby is back y'all!

[pechefarm]

This comment almost made me cry. I've been in a bad mental state which is why I haven't updated. But this comment has filled me with desire to write!

Your comments DO matter!

[pechefarm]

Hi! I had 4 seizures in a row, fucked up my face and uh...

Mentally came back wrong?

I don't know how to explain it other than that I'm working properly yet. I had planned on starting Buttercup Baby back up again but I can barely do my job, much less work on a multi chapter fic.

It's coming back, I promise. Just...give me a second to heal. Thank you!

[marmorafarms]

**not working properly

can't even type smh

[pechefarm]

Hi! I had 4 seizures in a row, fucked up my face and uh...

Mentally came back wrong?

I don't know how to explain it other than that I'm working properly yet. I had planned on starting Buttercup Baby back up again but I can barely do my job, much less work on a multi chapter fic.

It's coming back, I promise. Just...give me a second to heal. Thank you!

[pechefarm]

I'm having a really hard time making myself write anything more than 1k words right now.

I feel really guilty and I'm sorry I've let you guys down by making you wait so long for the next chapter, especially since short non sdv pieces probably will be on my ao3

sorry

[mymelodyisme]

Okay farmer friends! I’ve been meaning to ask but if your farmer was an actual character in the game what would they do and who would they be to everyone else? Do they offer any gameplay benefits? Could a player romance them?

[pechefarm]

i'm going to include both Léo and Elfie in this. They wouldn't be romanceable for one reason and one reason only...

They're your rivals in love!

Léo is your rival once you get to 6 hearts with Sam. If you choose incorrect dialog choices with Sam, Léo has the potential to win him over! This is the same with Elfie and Sebastian. So choose your options wisely!

Elfie and Emily have a boutique together. In Buttercup Baby, Elfie's shop is called Sewciopath, but I think in this it would be called Sew It Goes.

Léo works as a guitar teacher, and has his own music shop! Sam has dialog about wishing he could work there instead of Joja Mart, but Léo can't afford to hire anyone at the moment.

If you manage to win Sam's heart, Léo does NOT marry. However, if you marry Sebastian, Elfie marries Shane and you LOSE Shane as an option if you divorce Sebastian. So choose carefully!

Although, you CAN erase Elfie and Shane's memories of ever being together, but you have to have unlocked the ability to erase memories of divorce first. If you do this route, she marries Sebastian and, again, he is no longer an option unless you erase AGAIN. Which would be weird ngl

[stammiviktor]

emails with “[AO3] Comment on _____” in the subject line give me a better dopamine rush than hard drugs ever will

[pechefarm]

Feeling slightly better, so hopefully ch 9 will be out this week!!! Really hoping that will be the case.

[marmorafarms]

What the fuck???

I'm genuinely upset rn, but thankful it was brought to my attention. I asked if they could tell me who it was. I don't know if it's SDV or for a different fandom and tweaked accordingly.

Theft is not flattery, theft is not okay. Absolutely devastated someone would do that.

[pechefarm]

Putting this here too since this is where I post it first.