Chapters: 1/?
Fandom: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sebastian/Player (Stardew Valley), Sebastian/Farmer (Stardew Valley), Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Characters: Sebastian (Stardew Valley), Shane (Stardew Valley), Sam (Stardew Valley), Abigail (Stardew Valley)
Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Canon Divergence, Love Triangle, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Friends With Benefits, Small Towns, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, substance use
Summary:
Though Marcina Reyes was many things, few of them were inherently positive. Having been a reckless mess of an adolescent, and showing no signs of changing her behavior early into her adult years, it was only a matter of time before Marcina found herself at a crossroads. After causing a scene at her grandfather's memorial service, those crossroads found her.
Forced by her parents to make the choice to better her life before it was too late, Marcina dropped everything to take over the long-abandoned family farm. Marcina figured a breath of fresh air and some new scenery would do her some good, and then she could get back to her actual life with little to no loss.
Except, in her experience, loss was always inevitable.
synopsis : after an unwelcome confession, the builder finds herself face to face with emotions she had been trying her very hardest to ignore. She's about to count the whole day as a loss, when she finally catches a glimpse of whose behind her secret admirer letters.
My first My Time at Sandrock fic!! I've been a big fan of these games and the characters for years, but never got around to writing for it. That shall change now!
*Marcie is my OC from my stardew wip, so this is sort of like a cute lil au for her. No context about her is needed to enjoy this piece!*
Marcina hadn’t been thrilled to see the director of research at her gate first thing in the morning. In fact, she had actually been dreading that exactly this would happen ever since Qi had begun acting strangely around her.
With all the sudden issues popping up, both of Logan’s doing and the general neediness of the town that came with the colder seasons, she had inadvertently been spending a bit of time at the research center looking into new blueprints. Qi was never exactly… kind to her, but she could sense that he had become fully accustomed to her presence around him. His behavior had definitely changed, even if the disrespectful way in which he spoke to her hadn’t.
In general, Marcina knew that his character was simply one that didn’t quite align with hers. They had gotten to a point where they could work together well, and maybe they were even leaning into a weird, fragile sort of friendship, but Marcina could hardly see it getting that far, let alone any further. Part of her knew that Qi wasn’t quite going to see it that way, though.
She had sensed the shift in him the last few days, especially after he had bombarded her during a research session to ask her to teach him to dance. Only because she felt like she owed him, she lent a hand, but the entire situation to her just felt entirely awkward and unnatural.
Qi apparently had a different take on the events, leading to the disheveled director standing at her doorstep. Marcina didn’t really need to ask him what it was about when she met him at the gate, instead she simply waved for him to walk along with her to the Yakmel station at the entrance of town. She figured giving them something to do, even if it was just walking, would make the unrequited spilling of his thoughts a bit less awkward.
“…And so you see, based on that, that is the only conclusion I could come to.” Qi finished chattering, his porcelain cheeks dusted with a red flush. They had stopped walking a bit of time ago, though that didn’t stop the director from shifting anxiously about the area.
An unimpressed Marcina stood opposite him, her brown arms crossed over the front of her dirty builder’s vest. “It took you four different scientific tests to determine whether you have a crush on me or not?” she asked coolly.
Her words seemed to stump the researcher for a moment, who simply blinked back at her as if she made no sense. “Of course. I didn’t want to make any hasty judgements, I had to be sure. And I believe, with the time we’ve spent together recently, that this is the correct hypothesis.”
Marcina couldn’t help the scoff that left her lips. She might have taken him for earnest, had he not been wholly indifferent to an entire cabinet of scientific instruments nearly crushing her to death a few weeks before. Not to mention the way he still turned his nose up at every single commission she completed for him. Hell, he hadn’t even bothered to bring a heart knot to this… touching conversation. If Marcina was going to be with someone, it certainly wouldn't be a man who hardly took the time to acknowledge her presence.
“Look, I’m flattered and all, but we’ve been spending time together for work, Qi,” Marcina said flatly. She had a long day ahead of her, and she didn’t care to waste energy in sugarcoating her tone. “I don’t think you like me the way you think that you do. And if you do, I think it’s only because you want something new to test. Either way, I’m afraid I’m not interested.”
A couple seconds passed before Qi blinked, pushing his glasses further up onto the bridge of his nose. With a sharp nod, he excused himself, apologizing for taking up any additional amount of her time. Marcina watched him go with a slight frown, her chest tightening with the familiar discomfort that comes from letting someone down, even if her shoulders simultaneously sagged in relief.
Shaking herself, she turned to head back to her workshop from the Yakmel station. As she stepped through the dust she and Qi had just kicked up moment ago, her eyes snagged on a familiar back fleeing down the railroad tracks away from her workshop. Her brow furrowed as she instinctively quickened her pace, hoping to get within distance to stop the retreating man without having to yell.
He must not have heard her footsteps in the rough sand, because even when she was close enough to only have to gently speak his name, he still jumped out of his skin. Marcina felt her own pulse quicken anxiously as she asked, “Is everything okay, Unsuur?”
Slowly, the man turned to face her, careful to keep his hands tucked behind his back and out of her view. “Fine! I’m… fine,” he responded dutifully, though even the familiar monotony of his voice seemed to shake a bit.
A smile tilted onto Marcina lips without her thinking to allow it. She and Unsuur had been friends since the moment she came to Sandrock, and a large part of why their relationship prospered was the adoration Marcina held for him. Where others, including his only other friend, found him to be odd or jarring at times, the builder had only ever found comfort in his behavior. He spoke directly, and was all in all a pretty simple person to understand and get along with. He made her feel a little less like a fish out of water.
Marcina would always have a soft spot for Unsuur, though sometimes she caught herself wondering if it was more than just a soft spot. She generally didn’t let herself feed too much into the thought of mingling or romantic feelings, but sometimes when she’d had a long day and she found herself wanting to stop by his house for a while, she got scared. She was too busy and had too much of a public reputation on the line to risk feeling any extra type of way.
But unexpected moments like this, with him in front of her and nothing short of a flustered mess at that, squeezed at that soft spot.
“You promise?” Marcina asked innocently, though she sent a pointed look towards the item he was hiding. Unsuur was easy to spook, and she had learned through months of friendship that you had to do exactly the right amount of pushing to get him to talk without clamming shut.
Unsuur took a moment to just blink back at her, his gaze seemingly getting caught on her round brown eyes for a moment before he snapped back to attention. “I promise! I was just going to leave a letter in your mailbox, then I saw you were busy with Qi, and on second thought I might not,” he rambled, his tone hitching with nerves.
For a second, Marcina’s brow furrowed with curiosity. Then she froze. Did he say…
Her face must have betrayed her thoughts, as all composure drained from the man across from her. “Oh shoot. I just remembered I need to go home and lock myself in the closet. See ya!” With that and no further warning, he bolted into town, leaving Marcina too bewildered to call after him.
While trying to find her footing in Sandrock, the one thing that had made Marcina feel special, maybe even understood, were those silly secret admirer letters she had been receiving. At first, she was a little wary, until she realized how genuinely kind and harmless the contents of the first couple letters were. She hadn’t really let herself stew too much on the sender’s identity, assuming at first that it was likely just one of the older residents trying to boost her confidence.
Then when the last one came, and it was entirely more forward, the butterflies kicked in. Maybe Marcina should have considered then that Unsuur could have been behind the notes, but she supposed she figured that would be too good to be true. How likely was it that these letters were even legit, let alone that the one person she found herself falling for was the one sending them?
But now…
Marcina had to be sure.
Blinking away her uncertainties, Marcina marched back through the gates and into her workshop home to quickly switch out her work vest and pants for a loose hoodie and jeans. She had been elbows deep in a project when Qi came by to detail her earlier, and while she was distracted for a completely different reason now, she knew she wouldn’t be getting any real work done with her mind going the way it was. If she was going to have the type of conversation she thought she was, she could at least look a little nicer.
Cleaned up, Marcina headed down the railroad tracks towards the bridge side of town. Just as she climbed the steps to Unsuur’s house, the door to the Civil Corps beside her open, and Justice stepped into the sunlight. He caught her out of the corner of his eye immediately. “Here for a bounty, Marcie?”
Marcina had not anticipated having to speak to anyone else during this experience, and found herself fumbling even more than usual. “Oh, no, um… I’m…” Marcina struggled with her tongue as her eyes inadvertently flickered to Unsuur’s front door.
Ever the detective, Justice caught the expression, and his smile immediately shifted from good-natured to knowing. “I had a feeling this was coming. You better be good to him, Marcie,” Justice teased. He must have figured the look on her face was reaction enough, as he turned to find Truth without any more pressure, seemingly leaving her to it.
“Haven’t even talked to him yet,” she muttered at the sheriff’s retreating back, her nerves setting in tenfold as she had to prepare herself all over again.
Once she felt ready enough, she led with a tentative knock on the door, her ear pressed against the metal to see if she could hear a response. When none came, she knocked again, a bit louder. There was a thump, and then what sounded like a muffled invitation to come in.
Uncertain, Marcina pushed the door open, quietly stepping into the building. She had been in Unsuur’s room a time or two before then, but never under the current circumstance. She couldn’t help but feel a bit like she herself wanted to hide in a cupboard.
The one thing that differed from this visit to Unsuur’s house was that the man himself was nowhere to be seen. In answer to her curiosity, a familiar voice came from the corner of the room, “Did someone come in? Marcie?”
Marcina stepped a bit further into the room, bringing herself into better view of the closet. “Hi, Unsuur,” she greeted calmly. “I hope it’s okay that I came after you.”
“I’m flattered,” Unsuur answered unnaturally quickly. “One person closet though, I’m afraid. Not enough room for both of us.”
Marcina couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped her. Even as disastrous as this was becoming, she still found him so endearing. “Well, is it okay if I hang out here then? I wanted to be around you, if that’s alright,” she compromised.
She could practically feel the quiver in his voice as he responded, “You can hang as long as you want. I’ll… probably be in here a while though.”
Marcina knew when to push, and when to wait. For a few good moments, she waited, letting the familiar comfort of their dynamic return to the awkward situation. No matter where this went, it would be new and odd for both of them. But at the end of the day, there was a reason they gravitated towards each other. The was a comfort there that didn’t exist anywhere else.
Once that familiar feeling returned, Marcina gentle posed, “Can we talk about the letters?”
There was a healthy pause before she heard Unsuur clear his throat. “Still wondering about that huh? It sure has been hard to catch the guy, yknow. And this isn’t technically even a crime, yknow, so really me and Civil Corps, we really can’t do too much for you. Real sorry, Marcie.” He had never been even a half decent liar, but it was clear that emotion getting involved only made it worse.
For a moment, Marcina thought to humor him. Maybe she should just play along and pretend like the glaringly obvious facts in front of her weren’t actually there. Maybe when he’s ready they could talk about it on his terms, and Marcina could just play dumb on the whole thing until then. Maybe he’d even keep writing the letters, and she could still enjoy the feeling while the awkward conversation could be avoided for both of them.
As much as she defaulted to avoiding conflict, nothing about any of those options seemed satisfying to Marcina. She knew where’d she be if she let him pretend that it wasn’t him, that he didn’t feel anything other than friendship towards her. She’d fight the emotion and try not to let it get to her, but she knew she’d be disappointed. Beyond disappointed. At this point, her heart was too involved not to at least hear the truth.
“Could I please see the letter you were going to give me today?” Marcina asked quietly. Unsuur fumbled for an excuse, but the builder just blinked hopefully at the slats in the closet door. “I’d really like to read it.”
There was another lengthy pause before a quiet sigh broke the silence. Without another word, the letter dropped from one of the closet slats, skidding across the floor towards the door. With an excited giggle Marcina scurried after it, quick scooping the envelope up in her fingers. Her eyes were on it the second she ripped the thing open as she desperately hoped the words she wanted to read would materialize in front of her.
The letter was in his familiar writing, and detailed a very Unsuur thought process praising her work and character. He wrote about her so sweetly her cheeks burned, her heart thumping harder and harder as she got closer to the end. Surely there was only one way to end a letter of this nature. He certainly had to ask her to be his…
Other best friend?
Marcina’s heart plummeted, and it took every muscle in her face to keep her eyes from welling with tears. She kept her eyes glued to the paper long after she was done reading, until a lasting silence crept into the room.
Unsuur, who removed himself from the closet shortly after giving her the letter, teetered on his feet across from her. “Did you see where I um…” when Marcina didn’t lift her gaze, his voice quieted, “…I signed my name.”
She knew she was scaring him. He thought she was put off and going to say no. Of course she’d be his best friend if that’s all he wanted, though she didn’t think he needed to ask. She had sorta already been considering him as her best friend, and sometimes her only friend. It didn’t occur to her that best friend was a title you asked for. Now she felt stupid in more ways than one, and she didn’t know if she could meet his gaze without crying.
“I knew it was stupid,” Unsuur eventually admitted quietly, the tone of his voice only breaking Marcina’s heart further. “You can act like this never happened. I’m good at forgetting things,” he said sadly.
Marcina swallowed, and only when she was certain her voice wouldn’t crack did she finally say, “Unsuur, I’ll be your best friend.” She tried to spare a smile, but her facial muscles felt heavy.
Unsuur’s face lit up in an instant. “It would be a honor. You truly are the coolest, Marcie. This will be so…” his words trailed as he noticed Marcina’s unchanging expression, “great.” In the same amount of time that it lit up, his expression became concerned. “Marcie?”
Suck it up, Marcie. Sandrock relied on her to do her best work and focus on building, not get swept up in her emotions. It was for the best that she was just friends with everybody in town, right? Anything else would be a conflict of interest. She didn’t even want a relationship anyway. Right?
The ache in her chest throbbed in opposition. She was going to hurt no matter what. She was already hurt. Leaving things unsaid would only hurt her more, but saying what she needed to would just put their friendship on the line.
Unsuur took a step closer, raising a tentative hand to Marcina’s shoulder. He wasn’t normally one to cross out of his own personal space, but he seemed to like to make exceptions for her. His touch didn’t do anything but further muddle her head, and when his thumb brushed comfortingly against the soft part of her arm, she broke.
“I thought… maybe you liked me,” Marcina managed to finally verbalize. Instantly, she was appalled at the way she sounded. She felt like a grade schooler getting asked out as a prank all over again, and apparently she sounded like one, too.
Unsuur’s brow scrunched as he tried to make sense of her words. “I do like you,” he answered dutifully. “I like you a whole lot. I wouldn’t want to be your best friend if I didn’t.”
This time, when Marcina fixated her gaze onto his, she couldn’t focus on holding back her emotion. Her eyes welled as she quietly insisted, “In a different way, Unsuur. I thought…” Marcina paused, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. Now or never. “I thought maybe you wanted to be with me. As like, a couple. In a relationship. Not friends.”
Marcina watched as ten different thoughts and emotions flickered across Unsuur’s face before he eventually settled for a contemplative expression. Suddenly feeling exposed, Marcina’s instincts screamed at her to go home and lock herself in her room. She had never been more embarrassed, and she had evidently never read someone’s intentions so incorrectly before.
Quickly, she held her hands up, her voice racked with shaky tears as she said, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking. I hope you’ll still be my friend, I should go.”
As she turned for the door, she expected him to hastily stop her, or even step in the way. Instead, he quietly and calmly said, “Can I give you something? Before you go? It’s a… a gift. I got it a while ago with you in mind, I just haven’t had the courage to give it to you.”
That made Marcina stop, her pulse quickening as she halted in her movements. After hesitating a moment, she gave a small nod. Unsuur darted across the room, pulling a small object and a slightly bigger box out of a cupboard near the sink. When he returned to Marcina’s side, he had a shy smile on his face. She held out her hands, and he pressed a small, heart shaped rock into her palm.
It didn’t seem like much, but from Unsuur, Marcina knew exactly the thought behind it. She dared to let her heart flutter hopefully as she turned the rock over in her palm, admiring the smooth edges and unusual shape of the stone.
When their eyes met again, he still wore the same shy, boyish look. “I… never thought I’d find the bravery to ask you. And I guess I was right, and I never did, since all this had to happen and you had to bring it up, but…” Unsuur sighed, trailing off for a moment before he regained his train of thought.
“I really would love that. A relationship, with you. That is what I want. I don’t think I ever even thought about it or knew what it meant before I met you. But now I kinda want to spend all my time with you.”
It was the second confession Marcina had received in the same day, though it was far more sincere and meaningful. Unsuur knew her, and showed that he cared about her, even before anything romantic was on the table. They could be best friends without being in a relationship, but they made a whole lot more sense together. There was no one that Marcina wanted to stand by more.
“I really like you Unsuur,” Marcina allowed herself to fully admit. “You’re a great friend, and I value that a lot, but you’ve been on my mind as… more than that. For a while. It’s distracting.” She felt the heat rush to her cheeks at the admission. Anyone else would tease her relentlessly.
But anyone else was not Unsuur. “I usually have been carrying that rock on my person every day. I was hoping maybe if I forced myself to have it, I’d eventually force myself to give it to you. Tell you how I feel.” The shyness returned to his voice as he scratched at the back of his neck.
He looked extra nervous for a moment before he finally held out the other box he had retrieved earlier. He watched Marcina cautiously as she took it from his hands, quietly admitting, “I… bought this a while ago too.”
Removing the lid from the box, Marcina pushed away the gift wrapping to reveal the familiar bright red shape of a heart knot. Her gaze immediately snapped upwards to Unsuur, who was watching her like an anxious hawk. “You’ve had this?” she asked incredulously.
Unsuur wasted no time nodding. “For four weeks and three days, exactly,” he added. When he could see her attempting to calculate the day in her head, his cheeks reddened. He chose to save her the wonder ny, explaining, “It was um… the first day you ever asked me to get lunch with you. When Pen and Owen made the comment about me being… different, and you kinda stood up for me and made them feel bad without making a scene?”
He looked embarrassed to admit that the moment meant so much to him, but Marcina remembered it well. She had gotten irrationally, blindly angry at hearing the two men insult him, and muttered some things to Owen that in retrospect might have been meaner than deserved. It never happened again, at least not with Marcina around, and she was happy to see it stay that way.
At the time, it was nothing more than defending a friend. Once she had time to think about it in bed at two in the morning, she realized the experience brought out a defensiveness in her she didn’t see often. She buried the feeling. Apparently, he had, too.
“You bought it after that? For me?” She asked, still not certain if she could believe the events unfolding in front of her.
Unsuur answered her with another nod. He explained, “As soon as you went home, I went to Arlo’s to buy it. It was awkward. He seemed to know exactly what I was thinking, like he could read my mind. It spooked me. I ran home and wrapped it up and then hid it away.”
There was a pause in his explanation, and his expression seemed to battle with itself. Eventually, something in his face fell, and he resigned himself to adding more context to the story. “Today, um… Today was the first day I thought I might be ready to give it to you. I was going to give you the letter and tell you. About how I got it for you all that time ago. But I got there and you were, um, busy.”
Marcina knew from his tone and the look on his face exactly what he meant, and her heart dropped. Him stumbling upon her and Qi having a lengthy heart-to-heart this morning had apparently shaken his confidence. He had no way of knowing that the whole conversation was a rejection, and Marcina could imagine that the last thing you want to see when you’re about to tell a girl you like her is another man doing the same thing.
“I had no idea you felt that way at all,” Marcina admitted. “I have for a while, but I figured I was nothing more than an honorary member of the Corps to you. Apparently Qi did too, since he asked me out this morning. I had just finished shutting him down when I noticed you leaving.”
At that last part, Unsuur perked up a bit. “You shut him down?” he asked with all the eagerness of a kid during the holidays.
Marcina giggled, “Of course. It wasn’t the nicest conversation, but it was an easy one.” She gave him a private smile. “My heart has been elsewhere for a while.”
A meek smile spread onto Unsuur’s lips as he bashfully dropped his eyes to the heart knot still laying in its gift box. “Well… you know where my heart is. It’s in your hands. Literally,” he said.
With a warm smile, Marcina took the knot from the box, gripping it tightly to her chest. “I’ll be careful with it, I promise,” she said sweetly. “I know you’ll take care of mine.”
Unsuur nodded enthusiastically, the smile on his face growing. Marcina took a brave step forward, her skin prickling with a new kind of excitement when he didn’t shy away from the closeness. Though he clearly wasn’t unwelcoming to her proximity, he seemed uncertain of what to say or do. With a sweet lilt, Marcina asked, “Is it okay if you… would you kiss me?”
His immediate response came in the form of a succinct “Okay” before he stooped his head to press a kiss against her mouth. It was gentle and tender and erased any lingering doubts from Marcina’s mind. She had struggled to make Sandrock feel like home, but every moment with Unsuur was bringing her closer and closer to belonging there.
When they separated, Marcina was sure that the goofy smile on her own face matched the grin on his. “I’ve been waiting for that for a while. Well, not waiting. That would be cocky. Just thinking about it,” Unsuur gushed.
Marcina shook her head with a small laugh. “I don’t think it would be cocky. I’ve been waiting for that for a long time, too,” she responded.
Unsuur’s smile turned bashful as he asked, “A long time?”
Marcina nodded. “Maybe a little longer than four weeks and three days,” she admitted softly.
There was not mistaking the pure happiness the spread across the man's face, and it made Marcina's heart thrum in her chest. She liked seeing him happy, she always had, but knowing that she was the one making him feel like this was a different kind of fulfilling.
Marcina had no oppositions when his arms settled around her waist, keeping her in his physical space. "Today has already been a day. A good day, but an emotional one too. The biggest day for us so far," he mused.
"Definitely our biggest day so far," Marcina agreed. While a fluttering look, she added, "it's turning out to be the best so far, too."
Unsuur was quick to agree, pressing a quick kiss against her forehead as he said, "I don't think I've ever had a better day than this."
Marcina smiled at the combined warmth of his words and proximity. Maybe Sandrock wasn't meant to ever feel like home. Maybe it wasn't about the town.
She had a feeling she was exactly where she was meant to end up. This was home.
~ in which he farmer's big move isn't necessarily
entirely their choice, but they've made
peace with it.
warnings : canon divergence
⦿ stardew valley, winter year 1
IT HAD BEEN ALMOST A FULL YEAR SINCE I MOVED. This was a fleeting thought, one that hint me suddenly before being dismissed as not a big deal. I didn't really think about it again until Robin brought it up one day while I was there to talk to her about building a stable.
"I have to say, what you've done with that farm is really impressive. I know it wasn't necessarily your choice of life, but you've gotta admit you've done a lot in under a year, Farmer," she complimented sincerely. I knew that she meant it, and that she was probably right, but I had to bite my tongue from verbally refusing her praise.
I instead just offered a tight-lipped smile, and chose the only out I could think of. "A year already. That's crazy." I did my best to seem amazed, but my acting admittedly wasn't great. I'm sure Robin knew exactly what I was doing in avoiding the conversation. She let it rest though, and for that I would always be grateful.
We finished discussing the payment and materials for the stable and I bid her farewell, zipping my coat back up to my nose as I headed for the snow outside.
"Be careful out there, please," Robin hurriedly called just as I was reaching the front door. She caught me a bit by surprise, and when I turned to look at her, I'm sure my eyes betrayed that fact. Her face reddened, "I know you take the mountain path, and it gets extra icy up there."
Before I could say anything to wave off her concerns, another head appeared around the corner. Sebastian had apparently decided to come up from his room for the day, and upon hearing his mother talking, was curious to see who was in the entryway.
Our eyes met, and out of courtesy, I gave a small wave. It took him a moment to process, but he sent me a groggy half-smile in return. We admittedly didn't know each other well – not that I knew anyone in town well, really – but I did seem to always run into him when I came to visit his mom. We didn't really talk when we did see each other, partially because he seems to hate people, and partially because I don't know how to talk to people my own age.
I cleared my throat, quickly turning my attention from Sebastian to Robin. "I'll walk through town," I reassured her. I knew that I would most likely change my mind and take my usual route the minute she was out of sight, but sometimes white lies are okay if they help people sleep at night.
"You can walk with Sebastian, then," Robin hastily offered up, alarming both myself and her son.
Sebastian's eyebrows flew upwards. "They can?" he asked, his face blank. He had just rolled out of bed. Obviously, he was not anticipating going into town this early.
Robin, however, either didn't notice this, or didn't care. She instead just gave him an affirmative nod. "You told me yesterday you'd pick the stuff for dinner up from Pierre's for me. Remember?"
"Well yeah," He quickly covered. His eyes flickered to me for just a second, before frantically flashing back to his mother. "I wasn't planning on going, like, now."
A sour expression crossed Robin's face, and she looked like she was going to argue. I knew that she was trying to passively teach him something about manners, but I wasn't afraid of a little snow.
I spoke up before she had the chance. "I appreciate it, Robin, but the snow is a walk in the park compared to the mines," I explained lightly. She still looked uncertain, so I reassured her one more time, "I'll be fine. It's not snowing as hard now as it was earlier."
Robin sighed, apparently admitting defeat. "Alright. I'll come see you tomorrow morning about that stable."
I nodded thankfully, "Right, thank you. I'll see you then." This time, I dismissed thoughts of courtesy and avoided Sebastian's eyes entirely as I slipped out the front door.
I wanted nothing more than to run home to a bottle of wine and Queen of Sauce reruns, but after all of that, my conscience didn't let me take the short way home. Robin clearly cared a lot about me getting home safely – more than I cared about me getting home safely – and it felt wrong to lie to her.
I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets as I walked, my shoulders hunched against the lightly falling snowing. The cold air pinched my nose, and I sneezed, which was enough motivation to get me to pull jacket up even higher.
I didn't mind the snow or the cold too much, but walking in it would never be my favorite thing. As I trudged through town, I was reminded of my walks alone to school as a child on days when my mother worked early and couldn't drop me off. I sighed, as I typically did when I thought of her. I loved her dearly, and she was my hero growing up, but as a young adult, I could only seem to remember all the ways she did me wrong.
Like guilt tripping me into dropping everything and moving to my grandfather's farm, for example. I'm half convinced she's the one who coerced him to leave it to me in the will, if I'm honest. She apparently wasn't a fan of my life in the city.
By the time I got back to the farmhouse, my legs ached. I cursed Robin under my breath as I screwed the cork out of a new bottle of wine, but realistically, the extra walk was nice. I sighed to myself as I curled up under the wool blanket I kept draped over the couch. Whatever resentment I was harboring towards this town and the people in it, I needed to shake. For better or for worse, this was my life now. And it really wasn't all that bad.
⦿
I WAS BREWING A POT OF COFFEE WHEN SOMEONE KNOCKED ON MY DOOR THE NEXT MORNING. I knew that it had to be Robin, so I stepped away from the kitchen to answer it. I jumped a little bit when I discovered that it was not Robin, but rather her son.
My heart started racing. "Is your mom okay?" I blurted, forgetting all formalities. He raised his eyebrows at my comment, surprise flashing across his face. His awkward fidgeting suddenly reminded me that he was probably just as uncomfortable as I was. I cleared my throat, "Sorry."
"No, it's okay," he awkwardly said. "At least you... um, care... I guess." I nodded, and a brief silence overtook the conversation. Sebastian quickly explained the situation, "She sent me to tell you she's not coming today. I guess she woke up with a cold, I don't know. I always feel like shit when I wake up as early as she does, so."
His mention of the time got me thinking, and I glanced at my wrist watch. It was hardly 8. "Isn't this early for you?" I asked.
He nodded, a groggy scowl on his lips. "Trust me, I'm not here by choice," he grumbled. After a second, he added, "no offense."
I shrugged off his apology. "I didn't get up much before ten when I lived at home," I responded, hoping it would ease a bit of the odd tension in the air.
"I bet that change must've sucked," he said.
I nodded, "it did."
There was another awkward pause. Had socializing always been this difficult? Sebastian cleared his throat to say something – goodbye, I'm sure – but sneezed instead. A shiver seemed to run up his spine, and I realized that he was wearing pajama pants, slippers, and a hoodie. In the snow. At 8 am.
"Um, do you want a cup of coffee?" I found myself asking. The socialization was awkward, but I wasn't going to let him freeze to death. I guess I do have compassion for other people.
Take that, mom.
He took a moment to process my offer. "Ah," he started, awkwardly scratching at the back of his neck. I felt a refusal coming, which I was honestly fine with – at least I offered. But after a look around the snowy fields, and then a long assessment of my face, he sighed. "You don't mind?"
I shook my head, a tiny smile on my pursed lips. "I'm not gonna drink an entire pot of coffee by myself," I responded.
That seemed to be the right answer, as he actually smiled. "Thanks," he mumbled shyly. I just returned his smile and showed him to the kitchen.
The pot was just finishing up when I returned to the countertop, hoping that Sebastian would seat himself without instruction needed. The soft sound of wood scraping against wood told me my hopes were answered.
I poured two mugs of coffee and grabbed a bowl of cream before joining my guest at the table. I only really had two chairs, as I had been focused on other things, and I didn't typically entertain enough guests to need multiple chairs, anyway. I didn't typically entertain guests at all.
Sebastian muttered another "thank you" as he wrapped his hands around the warm mug. This time I actually told him he was welcome, mostly because I didn't know what to talk about, and it would be significantly harder to excuse awkward silence now that he was in my house. It didn't matter, though. The kitchen grew quiet anyway.
"I can't believe you left the city for this," Sebastian eventually blurted as his eyes traveled around the farmhouse. When I raised an eyebrow at him, his face reddened. "Sorry. Your farm is really nice, too, I just mean..." he trailed off, his embarrassment outweighing his desire to explain himself.
I fought back my extreme amusement to give him a relatively vague answer, hoping to push the subject away. "I can't believe it either, sometimes," was all I said. I figured he could interpret that however he liked.
To my dismay, my guest seemed more curious about my backstory that I would've predicted. "Why did you move out here? I mean, I know the farm was your grandfather's, or whatever, but you chose to move."
The sleep had more or less vanished from his face, and he instead sat in front of me bright-eyed, genuinely intrigued in my answer. It would've been endearing, possibly even flattering, if it wasn't such a sore subject. I quickly reminded myself that I had just promised that I would let my resentment go. I sighed, "It's a long story."
He glanced at my watch, wordlessly pointing out that we had time for a long story. Even passively, he managed to be a smartass.
"I didn't really choose to move," I prefaced. I watched as his face darkened, a similar embarrassment to earlier spreading across his expression. Before he made himself feel too bad, I told the story. "My mom more or less made that choice for me. She didn't really agree with the choices I made or the people I spent time with after I graduated high school. And I guess I can't blame her.
When my grandfather died last year, I had pretty much just turned twenty, and still pretty dependent on my parents in a lot of ways. My dad and I had this big argument one day, and then the next night my mom was more or less blackmailing me into moving out to the farm."
It was quiet for a second as Sebastian tried to decipher if I was done. When he decided that I was, he said, "I get it. You didn't like, want to come here. That makes sense."
I shrugged." I mean, I didn't hate my life in Zuzu. I got into trouble, made some mistakes here and there," I paused, my face dipped to hide my embarrassment. I reeled it back, "I was just starting to really try and figure my life out. And then all of a sudden I was just living an entirely new life. It's like I didn't get a break from feeling out of place."
He nodded like he understood the feeling, though I'd never ask if he did or not. The was a pause, and then he asked, "Do you plan on going back, then?"
It was a weird situation to be in. On one hand, this was the question that haunted me every night as I fell asleep. On the other, I never imagined that Robin's son, of all people, was going to be the one to finally make me face it.
"Not at the moment," I settled, He made a face, and I added, "I like it here, even if I don't like admitting it. I'm finally adjusting to it, and I don't want to just drop everything again."
He nodded pensively as he took a long sip from his mug, his shoulders relaxing. I half expected him to disagree with my opinion. He gave me the impression he wasn't exactly fond of his hometown. To my surprise, he instead conceded, "Living here is... nice."
I agreed, and then because I couldn't think of anything else to say, I resorted to finishing my coffee. The room fell back into silence, but it wasn't quite as uncomfortable this time around.
When both of our coffee mugs were empty, Sebastian wasted no time in excusing himself – something I appreciated. I was already prepared to tell him that I had to go check on the chickens, but he mentioned needing to go back to his mom before I have to use my excuse.
I walked him to the door, as any good host would, and suddenly found myself in the awkward place of not knowing how to say goodbye. I didn't think that we were exactly friends, but we certainly knew each other a lot better now than we did when he got here. I was able to admit to myself that having an acquaintance in town felt kind of nice.
"Tell your mom I hope she feels better, and to not worry about the stable," I requested. I watched as he nodded, his expression stoic. Sighing internally, I forced myself to swallow my pride. "It was also nice to talk to you, for a change."
It took a second for him to process my words, but once he did, an honest smile popped onto his face. "Yeah, you too," he returned meekly.
I gave him a small smile. After a brief pause, he scratched at the back of his neck, his expression suddenly covered with what looked like the desire to flee. I was almost expecting him to turn and leave without saying anything else, but he instead cleared his throat and said, "Thanks again for the coffee. Um, next time you're over to talk to my mom, you should come say hi."
His words caught me off guard, but I think I managed to smile and nod like a normal person. My reaction – though I don't remember it – seemed to be appropriate, as I received a smile in return. He sent me a small wave before pulling his hood up over his ears and trudging out into the snow.
An unfamiliar feeling thumped in my chest as I went back inside to clear the dishes from the table. My day would fall into a routine after that, just like every day seemed to in Pelican Town. I found that I didn't really mind.
Looking to make a couple dollars here and there during the school year, and I figured what better way then back to fic writing :) check out my commissions on ko-fi or inbox me on here for a request!
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*Will not write for real people or characters that are canonically minors. Will write for more than just 80s/90s fandoms, just be clear with what details and fandom you're interested in.*
Commissions Open! Click to see riley's commission menu.
One thing that I’m forcing myself to remember all 2026 is that when you don’t care about being perfect, art is fun. I’ve always told myself I’m not artistic— I can’t draw, I can’t create.
But I CAN. Maybe not well. Maybe not even a little bit well, actually. But who cares about that?
Recently, I’ve picked up markers a lot more, even if just to color. I’ve been scrapbooking and junk journaling and writing more and the perfectionist in me is disappearing little by little. I’ve never let myself be creative before, and I realize now how much I really missed out on.
My anxiety has gotten a lot better, and my days are so much more productive. I don’t want to just rot and doomscroll anymore. The idea of a project doesn’t stress me out to the point that I never begin anymore.
The little burnt out, straight-A, accelerated class kid in me has healed just a little bit. Not everything that I create has to be perfect or even good. Sometimes, it’s okay to just do. All failure is growth.
Another prompted journal entry :) Prompt from 300 Writing Prompts by Piccadilly.
PROMPT: What requires your patience today?
I do. My body, and my brain for that matter, have been put through a lot recently. My nervous system is in overdrive, and despite the nagging voice in the back of my head saying otherwise, I'm still holding up okay.
I'm not where I thought I'd be three years ago.
I'm not who I was last week.
Everything about me and my life is growing and changing right now, and it's going to feel funky and alien in the middle. Every day is temporary, whether it's bad or good. Things fade. I have intuition that I trust, a brain that can hold its own, and a heart that truly means well. I don't have to worry about how I'm functioning all the time.
My body just needs time to sort it all out. We'll be okay.
" A laugh sounds like joy; It’s the sound of shelter and warmth and light. "
Entry 2 into my prompt series :) Prompt from 300 Writing Prompts by Piccadilly
PROMPT : Describe the most beautiful sound you've ever heard.
A laugh. Full and deep and lingering in the air and every corner of the room. The warm, familiar tone of my love’s unbound, unashamed joy; the wordless affirmation that something, at least for now, is alright. A gentle comfort in the tiniest instances, the feeling of home when it is abundant. A laugh, that laugh, honeyed and bubbly and light — what could be ever sweeter?
That laughter is the sound of the source of my joy finding his own; of being secure and comfortable in unchecked expression. I was long a skeptic of love being the catalyst behind so much of life’s beauty, but I have since found that the heart tints the world in a way that is truly something to marvel at. Just the sound of your love’s happiness can change everything; maybe something in this is worth it.
A laugh sounds like joy; It’s the sound of shelter and warmth and light. His laugh is the most home I have ever been. I want the rest of my life to be full of it.
I wanted to start a new little series on here to give some journal entries a space to breathe. Recently to pull myself out of a funk I've been using the guided journal 300 Writing Prompts from Piccadilly to guide my creativity, even just in short bursts. I've been having a lot of fun with it, maybe some of you will too!
PROMPT : Look around you right now. What is wrong with this picture?
The left side of the bed is unmade and empty, and the pile of laundry by the door is made of solely my clothes. There's too much color in the closet, bright material peaking out in places where it should be smothered by heavy black sweaters and graphic tees. The entire room looks emptier, feels emptier, in all the places where it's meant to be full of laughter and love taking up space. The mirror only reflects one image now, and it's a bit duller than it's meant to be, as if even the lighting has permanently shifted.
In this room, in this picture, I am alone; and there is nothing as inherently wrong as being alone in a space designed for another soul.
here’s a short, tooth-rotting fluff for you guys. sorry I've been so m.i.a!
warnings: none!
You weren’t sure when you fell asleep, but you knew that you had been expecting it. After a week of exams, your exhaustion was inevitable. You knew the moment that Ferris suggested a movie night that you were setting yourself up for failure. But who could say no to that face?
You had gotten quite a bit of enjoyment out of watching him flit around the house, jetting from the kitchen to the living room and back again. First he brought in the popcorn, but forgot the napkins. Then he found the blankets, but not the pillows. And when he finally settled down onto the couch beside you, he realized that neither of you had grabbed the remote.
“You’d lose your head if it wasn’t attached to you,” you teased, getting up from your fortress of blankets to retrieve the remote from its place atop the dvr.
He was already grinning at you when you tossed the remote to him, a sardonic frown on your lips. “I guess it’s a good thing I have you around then, hmm?” he posed. When you rolled your eyes, he chuckled, reaching his arms out to get a hold of your waist. You didn’t fight at all as he tugged you back into his arms. All you did was shuffle around a bit to get comfortable, your head resting beneath his chin and your legs tangled with his.
The lights had long since been dimmed, and the banter between you and Ferris had pretty much silenced the moment the movie started. Almost immediately, you felt your eyelids grow heavy. You weren’t sure if it was his soft fingertips combing through your hair or the gentle background noise that was pushing you closer and closer towards slumber, but either way, you found it hard to keep your eyes open.
Your lips tugged into a lazy smile every time his chest vibrated beneath your head as he chuckled. You even found yourself laughing quietly along with him, not necessarily at the movie, but more so in response to the fuzzy feeling that settled into your stomach when you thought about how much you adored him. Every time you laughed or shifted or did literally anything to prove that you were still alive, Ferris’s lips found their way to your hairline. His gentle kisses just made you feel even more at home.
The moment your eyes gave in to your weariness, it was over. Your eyelids stopped their resistance and a broken sleep washed over you. You could still hear the movie faintly playing in the background of your mind, but all your thoughts could focus on was the comfort that you felt being in the arms of your boyfriend.
You felt Ferris chuckle one last time, though you had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t the movie he was laughing at. Your breathing deepened, and the last thing you remember was his lips brushing against your forehead, his melodic voice humming a soft, “I love you” in your ears.
You reminded yourself to apologize for making him watch the movie alone later.
i know i was like “i’m gonna be a good student and focus on exams and not write” but i am instead a lying ass hoe who wrote this instead of doing her english homework. y’all have just been so nice to me the past two days i feel like i needed to give you content.
here’s a little something for a certain boyo who has proven to one of the most popular in your eyes.
song : coming home - keith urban and julia michaels
warnings : none.
I was practically exploding with excitement. After spending the entire summer abroad some extended family, I was finally flying home. Granted, I was extremely sorry to have to leave my vacation in paradise, but the minute the flight attendants warned that we were nearing descent, all my woes were erased. In just a little while, I’d be home. I’d get to see my parents and friends, sleep in my own bed, eat home cooked meals. And of course, I was dying to see Marty.
My family picked me up from the airport, not hesitating to smother me in hugs and kisses. All I could do was chuckle at my mom’s teary eyes. “Aren’t you supposed to be happy that I’m home? Why are you crying?” I teased, nudging her playfully.
She scowled, shoving my shoulder. “I am happy! You’re just so... grown up. I missed you so much!” she blubbered, not able to compose the tears that began to actively roll down her face.
My brother shoved past me, gripping my mom’s shoulders and turning her towards the airport’s entrance. “Come on, no time for tears. I’m sure Y/N wants to get out of here. Right?” He gave me a pointed look, mentally berating me for egging our mother on when she was so close to tears.
While we piled into the car, my brother perked an eyebrow at me as he helped hoist my luggage into the trunk. “Are we just heading home, or....” When I gave him an innocent smile, he let out a chuckle, slamming the trunk closed. “Marty’s. On it.”
The conversation during the short car ride was hectic. It was a lot of us talking over each other, a tirade of questions I never really got to answer, and quite a bit of bickering between my brother and sister. I tried to stay as interactive as possible, but I found myself slipping away from the conversation on multiple occasions. I couldn’t help the drifting of my mind, not after I had just sat on an unbelievably long flight home. I was exhausted.
As my brother pulled up to the curb outside Marty’s house, my mom gave me a knowing look over her shoulder. “Really? You couldn’t wait twenty-four hours?” she snarked lovingly, a petite eyebrow raised.
I just smiled, shoving the car door open excitedly. “Love you!” I called behind me, addressing both my mother and my siblings. My sister was grinning from ear to ear, not the least bit surprised. My mom had a begrudgingly content smile on her lips as she waved from the window.
Bouncing on my toes, I knocked on the McFlys’ front door. It took a moment, but soon the door was flung open, revealing a smiling Mrs. McFly. “Y/N honey! It’s so good to see you!” she gushed, pulling me into a warm hug. When she stepped back, she cupped my face in her hands, taking a good look at me. “My, you’ve definitely gotten some sun. How was your trip?”
“It was good, but I’m happy to be home,” I admitted, a small smile on my lips.
She gave me a knowing look as she ushered me into the house, letting the door close behind us. She held up a finger as she wandered down the hallway. “Wait here,” she called, not bothering to explain further. She didn’t have to.
I crossed my arms awkwardly over my chest as I loitered in the entryway. Of course I had been over a million times, but I had never really gotten a good look at the hallway. It was littered with framed photos, everything from George and Lorraine’s wedding pictures to baby pictures of the three siblings. I smiled when I spotted my own face among the rest of them. It was a picture I had seen a thousand times, as I had it framed on my own dresser, but it never failed to brighten my mood. It was a picture of Marty and I from last summer, smiling wildly as though we’d never been happier. Perhaps we hadn’t.
My attention was tugged away from the photos by the sound of footsteps. I watched in anticipation as Lorraine crossed into the kitchen, grinning at me cheekily before disappearing. Soon after, Marty turned the corner, his hair a tousled mess and his suspenders askew. He scratched the back of his head with a yawn before meeting my gaze. He stopped in his tracks.
I perked an eyebrow at him, shifting my weight to one side. “I leave for two months and you go back to falling asleep in your clothes?” I teased with a slowly growing smile. I clicked my tongue and shook my head in fake disappointment, “You’re a mess.”
Marty just stared for a moment, his eyes clouded with sleep. After a few seconds, he shook his head to clear the fog away. “Well I’m sorry,” he finally responded, an easy smile appearing on his lips, “I didn’t exactly have anyone to dress up for.”
“I suppose I should just be grateful you didn’t step out on me while I was away?” I shot back playfully, watching eagerly as he crossed the hallway towards me.
He shook his head in disbelief as he got closer and closer, his eyes narrowing. “As if,” he mumbled. I just chuckled as he pulled me into his arms, holding me as tightly as he could. I buried my head against his chest, my eyes falling shut as the warmth of his familiar embrace filled my body.
“God I missed you,” I hummed, my words muffled by his shirt.
I felt him kiss my forehead gently. “You have no idea,” he began in a hushed voice, “I was beginning to think I’d lose my mind if you didn’t come home soon.”
I pulled my head back to smile up at him. My smile was mirrored on his face, his eyes lighting up in adoration. I stood my toes to kiss him gently on the lips. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m home then,” I bantered, patting his cheek playfully.
He scrunched his nose up at me, his smile unmoving. He looked as though he was going to make a joke back, but he came up short. For a moment, I wondered if he was going to say anything at all, or if he was content just staring. He finally let out a happy sigh. “Man, I love you,” he gushed, his eyes crinkled happily.
My lips settled into a soft smile as I stared up at him, my heart aflutter in my chest. “I love you too,” I murmured, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. He grinned before lowering his lips to mine, kissing me with the same soft passion that he always had.
When he pulled his lips away, he left his forehead resting against mine. “You’re not allowed to leave like that anymore,” he mumbled, his eyes still sealed shut. “I miss you too damn much when you’re not around.”
I giggled lightly, my fingertips playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck. “Next time I go, you can come with me. Okay?” I proposed, my eyes scanning every inch of his face.
His eyes slowly opened, immediately meeting my gaze. When he saw the sincerity in my eyes, he smiled. “Deal. Now come on, I’m sure mom’s made brunch,” he answered, stepping away from me and instead grabbing my hand.
As he led me into the kitchen, a blissful feeling poured through my veins. He smiled at me over his shoulder, and my heart buzzed. It never felt so much like I belonged. Vacation was wonderful, but there really was nothing that felt like coming home.
for anon! based on the song “our last summer” by ABBA as requested. hope this is okay :)
y’all know that i am a small child with no travel experience so please just ignore anything geographically incorrect. forgive me for never having been to Paris. I am broke and also 4 years old.
warnings : none
“I can’t believe I let you two drag me along on this crazy expensive date,” Cameron huffed, shielding his eyes against the sun as we stepped out of the airport.
Ferris stared at his best friend with wide eyes, his jaw slacking. “Cameron, we’re in Paris. Why the hell are you complaining?” he asked, clearly baffled by the boy’s reaction.
I tightened my grip on Ferris’s hand, giving Cam a teasing smile. “Seriously man. It’s not every day you get to drop everything and fly to Europe,” I pointed out, though the whole “drop everything” portion wasn’t at all truthful. My grandparents were fairly wealthy, and they had planned a special graduation trip for every single one of us grandkids. Meticulous planning went into mine. First there was the trouble of deciding where I really wanted to go, and then there was the trouble of convincing them to allow me to bring Ferris and Cam along, rather than only bringing one. They made an exception for me and bought the extra ticket, purely because I had finished my senior year with a 4.0.
Cameron let out an annoyed grunt, jostling his backpack higher up onto his back. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be in Paris,” he began, giving Ferris and I a bored look, “I just don’t particularly enjoy third wheeling for two weeks straight.”
I was going to give Cam some sort of reassurance, but Ferris gave me a mischievous smile before I could say anything. He reached over and took my suitcase handle from my hand, pulling it in front of him. He proceeded to move his own beside it, leaving them in front of Cameron. The taller boy gave his best friend a quizzical look, causing Ferris to shrug nonchalantly. “You don’t want to third wheel? That’s fine. You go to the hotel, Y/N and I are gonna go on an adventure.”
I opened my mouth to protest in Cameron’s favor, but my complaints fell on deaf ears. Ferris was already eagerly tugging me in one direction, leaving Cameron shouting after us. The moment we were far enough away, I stopped in my tracks, glaring at my boyfriend. “Two minutes. You couldn’t go two minutes without making trouble,” I said crossly, rolling my eyes at his cheeky smile. “Ferris, we’re going back and getting Cam.”
“Nope, no we are not,” he immediately refuted, linking his arm with mine. When I didn’t move, he gave me a soft, pleading look. He nodded ahead of us. “The Seine is right here. Humor me?” he practically begged, tugging on my arm like a small child.
I was silent for a moment before I let out a sigh, my shoulders relaxing. I gave him a small, tired smile which he took as his green light. With the giddiness of a school girl, he kissed my cheek excitedly and resumed his jaunt down the road.
A comfortable silence washed over us as we strolled along the paved roads parallel to the river, the setting sun a peaceful backlight on our walk. At some point Ferris had let go of my arm, instead lacing his fingers with mine. He swung our intertwined hands as we walked, his eyes bouncing around as he took in all of the scenery. We were in Paris. I knew I should’ve been admiring the view, but I just couldn’t stop looking at him.
“How does it feel to be an official adult?” Ferris asked abruptly, his soft voice reminiscent of a song I just never tired of. He was clearly alluding to my recent birthday, as well as our graduation. I knew I should’ve been excited to be legal and free, but I was terrified. I didn’t want things to change. I didn’t want to lose him.
I let out a ragged breath, tears immediately beginning to pool in my eyes. I sniffled quietly before attempting to respond. “It’s weird,” I murmured, trying my hardest to keep my voice stable. “I don’t know if I’m ready.”
Noticing the verklempt tone of voice I had, Ferris paused, his grip on my hand tightening. He peered down at my watery eyes with concern. “What’s wrong? I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he fretted regretfully, his handsome face creased apologetically.
I shook my head slightly, hoping I could keep it together. “It’s not your fault, Ferris. I’m just...” I took a deep breath, internally kicking myself as I felt a stray tear spill down my cheek. I sniffled again, “I’m scared.”
“Hey hey hey,” he cooed softly, reaching down to wipe my tear with his thumb. He held my face in his hand, staring down at me lovingly. “What are you scared of?”
“Everything,” I whispered, the single word coming out as more of a sob than anything else. I drew in a shaky breath. “I don’t want things to change, Ferris. What if this is our last summer together? What if we don’t even realize when we have our last kiss? What if-”
Ferris shushed me with a small kiss, immediately pulling back to wrap his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest as he rubbed my back soothingly. “It’s not the last anything, Y/N. I promise,” he murmured, his hold tightening. I balled his shirt up in my fists, clinging to him as though he would disappeared if I let go. I felt him kiss the crown of my head delicately. “I’m not going anywhere. You know that. Nothing is ending.”
His promises eased my nerves, and I found my composition returning. I pulled away from his chest, using my own hands to wipe my tears. I looked up at him, my heart fluttering at just the mere sight of him. “I love you,” I whispered gently.
A smile spread across his lips as he kissed my forehead. “Je t’aime” he responded softly, causing me to giggle quietly. I gave him a humored look, causing him to shrug sheepishly. “When in Rome...”
“We aren’t in Rome, Ferris,” I corrected sarcastically, clearing understanding the saying but pouncing on the opportunity to tease him.
He rolled his eyes before completely ignoring my joke, instead choosing to press a lingering kiss against my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me as his kiss remained slow and soft. After what felt like far too long, yet still not long enough, I pulled my head away from him. “We should go find Cameron,” I pointed out suddenly, realizing that we hadn’t even considered our best friend.
Ferris seemed to contemplate that for a moment before shaking his head, a cheeky grin appearing on his face. “Cam’s big. He can take care of himself,” he promised.
And just like that, his lips were on mine once more, and all worries I could’ve possibly had faded away.
for a very very lovely anon. i’m p sure every single person that follows this blog is soft for ferris. i am not an exception.
also i’m so sorry but i’m really just not at all consistent with the POV of my imagines. y’all are gonna just have to hang in there bc sometimes it’s “you” and sometimes it’s “i” and i can’t decide what i like better
warnings : nonezies
I was extremely focused on my homework -- so much so, that I hardly noticed my boyfriend sit down across from me. When I heard his tapping fingers, I looked up for a short moment, offering him a soft smile. “Hi Ferris,” I murmured happily before turning back to the math equations in front of me.
I heard him chuckle. “You know that normal people eat at lunch, right?” he teased as he set his backpack down on the chair beside him.
I had a habit of deferring to the library during lunches. There wasn’t much to it, really, I just wasn’t a fan of extremely loud situations, and the cafeteria was a zoo. Oftentimes a friend or two joined me in my hideaway, or sometimes Cam came in just to escape Ferris. And then, of course, there were times that Ferris occupied the seat across from me. Obviously, this was one of those times.
“Very funny, love,” I muttered in slight frustration, flipping my pencil to erase the mistake I had just made. I had made that mistake a solid eight times now, and it was getting tiresome.
Noticing how focused I was on my work, Ferris didn’t say anything else. I was well-aware of his gaze on my face, but I chose to ignore it for quite some time. I figured he’d get bored soon enough. But he didn’t. As I approached the last problem on my paper, my resolve dwindled. I looked up and met his eyes, nearly melting at the smile that appeared on his lips. I quirked a brow, “You’re staring.”
He nodded, his smile unwavering. “I absolutely am,” he agreed without hesitation. A look of adoration gleamed in his eyes, and I nearly questioned it. We had this dispute time and time again. I was constantly wondering what it was that he liked so much about me. I figured he could do much better, but he never entertained the idea. He was just smitten, and nothing I said or did changed that.
Not that I really wanted to. It was just hard to believe that Ferris freaking Bueller had settled for me.
“I can’t imagine what you could possibly be staring at,” I muttered, more to myself than to him. However, he had very clearly heard it, and a distressed look crossed his face.
His frowned, his eyebrows scrunching together. “Are we going to do this again? Right now? Am I about to list every single thing that I love about you?” His barrage of questions was accompanied by a very serious look. It would be easy to think that he was joking, but I knew better than that. He would’ve spent the rest of the day complimenting me, had I let him.
I shook my head at him, a small smile on my lips. “My argument is always the same,” I reminded him with a shrug.
“Yeah,” he agreed, giving me a pointed look, “and it’s always wrong.”
I turned back to my work, though I didn’t get very far into the problem before I was distracted again. “Ferris,” I said evenly, looking up at my still-staring boyfriend, “I’m literally not doing anything. Not a single thing. You don’t need to stare.”
He shook his head stubbornly, a grin on his face. “You are literally breathtaking,” he insisted, causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach. When I gave him a dry look, his gaze hardened. “Y/N, if you don’t stop denying it, I will make a scene. Right here, right now. I’m talking major PDA. I will get both of us banned from this library,” he threatened. Again, I was certain that he was not joking.
“You’re ridiculous,” I said exasperatedly. He gave me a sly smirk and began to stand from his chair, but I quickly grabbed his arm, pushing him back down. “Okay, you win. I don’t understand it, but I accept it,” I caved, pleading him to sit still with my eyes.
A triumphant smile appeared in place of his smirk and he leaned over the table to kiss my lips briefly. I felt a slight blush creep up my neck, a reaction I still had to every single one of his kisses, regardless of the amount of time we’d been dating. He just always had that effect on me. I raised my eyebrows, “Can I please finish my homework now? And will you please stop distracting me?”
He shrugged. “What can I say? I have an eye for art,” he flirted easily, giving me a wink.
I glared at him scornfully. “Ferris,” I deadpanned, my grip tightening around my pencil.
He raised his hands defensively. “Sorry! Sorry. But yes, hurry up and finish your homework so I can kiss you more and you won’t yell at me,” he answered with a cheeky grin.
I rolled my eyes. “Remind me again why I put up with you?” I asked rhetorically, giving him a small, humored smile.
“Because you love me,” he said with confidence. His eyes crinkled happily at the statement, and I couldn’t help but smile wider. The way my heart fluttered just from witnessing his happiness clarified that what he said was definitely the truth.
I let out an exaggerated sigh. “Well, you’ve got me there,” I admitted with a smile.
“Lucky for you, I happen to love you even more,” he beamed, reaching over to hold my free hand in his. In a smooth motion, he brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against my knuckles.
I smiled lovingly at him. “I certainly am lucky,” I agreed, warmth filling my entire body when I noticed the genuine happiness that such a simple sentence filled him with. I delicately pulled my hand from his grip to use it to steady my paper. I was about to focus back on my work when I sent him one last glare through my lashes.
warnings : cursing ? also this is super short sorry not sorry
The light tapping on your window scared the shit out of you. It was 10:30 at night and you were getting ready to finally go to sleep on time. After weeks of excessive schoolwork, your sleep schedule was destroyed. You were so looking forward to a good night’s sleep.
But instead you were grabbing an old baseball bat that you had shoved in your closet, anxiety building in your chest. Your bare feet nervously stepped across the carpeted floor as you crossed the room towards your window. Weapon in hand, you hesitated before vigorously drawing back your curtain. Smiling at you from the other side of the window was your adorable boyfriend, a dopey smile on his lips. He just waved.
With an exasperated sigh, you leaned the bat against the wall before unlocking your window and pulling it open. Ferris grinned as he heaved himself into your room, quietly planting his feet onto your rug. He ignored the angry look you were giving him, and instead sized you up. He raised an eyebrow, “Is that my shirt?”
“Who else’s would it be?” you shot back, crossing your arms over your chest. You had made a habit of sleeping in the shirts and sweatshirts you were able to steal from him. They were warm, for one, but they also reminded you of him, and that was exactly what you needed on sleepless nights.
He flopped back onto your bed, a goofy smile on his face. “Well, I’m here now,” he stated casually, “so you can take it off if you want to.” There was a sly look on his face that made you roll your eyes.
You scoffed, “You can take your happy ass right back out that window, Mr. Bueller.”
A pout fell onto his full lips as he pulled himself into a sitting position. “Where’s the fun in that? I just got here!” he said rather loudly -- far too loudly for your liking.
You promptly shushed him, casting a wary glance towards your door. “Do you want to wake up my parents?” you hissed, your eyes narrowed at him. He gave you an apologetic smile as you let out another sigh. “What are you ever doing here?”
He grinned, “I’m here to cuddle. Duh.”
You gave him a tired look. “Ferris.”
“I’m dead serious! I missed you!” he pouted, staring up at you with puppy-dog eyes.
When you pointed at the window, he grabbed you by your waist, tugging you down onto your bed with him. You let out an angry gasp as you fell against his chest. Though you were now far too comfortable to move, you scowled up at him. “Ferris. I want to sleep,” you muttered.
He smiled, “So sleep then. It’ll be fine.”
“Ferris-”
“Nope, no buts. You sleep, I’ll be outta here before your dad leaves in the morning,” he promised with a smile, pressing his lips against your forehead.
You thought about arguing further, but the comfort and warmth of his embrace was much more enticing. You cuddled into his chest as he rubbed the back of your neck. “If I get in trouble, you’re dead to me,” you threatened sleepily.
He chuckled in your ear, pressing a kiss against your temple. “I love you too.”
this one is for the 800 ppl in my pms who want marty content :)
warnings: nada!
Being Marty McFly’s best friend was in a lot of ways... tiring. Waiting around for him to get back safely, not being allowed to go on adventures with him and Doc, and of course, the ever-cliche fact that you were absolutely, undeniably in love with him, but couldn’t admit it.
For the first time ever, Doc was taking Marty to the future. The three of you were well aware of how risky it was to witness your own future, which also happened to be the reason Doc gave for leaving you behind yet again. You sighed as you watched the two of them jump into the DeLorean, trying your hardest not to express your concern. You clearly didn’t succeed, as Marty offered you a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Y/N. I’ll be right back,” he said with a wink before shutting the door.
You squeezed your eyes shut as you heard the car’s engine start and take off. When you opened your eyes again, there was nothing but empty driveway in front of you. You waited for a few minutes, and when they didn’t return quickly, panic built in your stomach. It was always the plan to return to the exact moment they left, no matter how long they were gone for. Shouldn’t they be back by now?
You waited for a while before shaking your head. Clearly, something happened, but you were helpless to do anything about it. It’s not like you had a time machine of your own. All you could do was go home and hope.
x--
After hours of tossing and turning, you had fallen asleep around two. Your short slumber was cut even shorter by your mother gently jostling you awake. You rolled over, your sleepy eyes slowly adjusting as you stared upwards. You let out a soft “hmph?” as you rubbed your face.
Your mom laughed, “You look exhausted. Didn’t sleep well?”
You shook your head, stretching your neck and back as you sat up. “Rough night,” you muttered under your breath, a familiar panic filling your gut.
Your mom smiled, rustling your hair lovingly. “Well, there’s someone at the door who I’m sure you’ll be happy to see,” she advised. She planted a kiss on your forehead before leaving your room, closing the door behind her.
Anxious excitement replaced your dread as you ripped the covers away from your body. You paused to tug on a pair of shorts before flying out of your room. You passed your mom in the kitchen, who just chuckled as you ran by, and made your way to the front door. Sure enough, standing on the other side of the screen was your handsome best friend, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he waited. With a squeal, you shoved the door open and flung your arms around him.
“Woah there,” Marty laughed, quickly returning your embrace. You kept your arms wrapped around him for quite some time, your head pressed against his chest. You felt him smile as he buried his face in your hair. “Were you really that worried?” he asked, his voice muffled by your hair.
You pulled back to glare at him, smacking his chest angrily. “Of course I was, you idiot!” you yelled, though you were regretful of your tone once you saw the emotion flash across his face.
He put his hands up, “Woah woah woah, I’m sorry we took so long. We just ran into some... problems. Returning this morning was the closest we could get to when we left you yesterday.”
You sighed, immediately feeling bad for getting so angry. You knew things were out of his control. But that didn’t change the fear you had had for nearly an entire day. “I’m sorry,” you apologized gently, “I just worry. I mean, I never get to go with you, and I have no way of knowing what’s going on, you know? I don’t want you to not come back one day. I lo-” you stopped yourself, face flushing, before backtracking, “Er, I mean, I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re my best friend, you know?”
Marty gave you an almost knowing smile, and you began to fear that you just ruined everything. In the middle of all your rambling, you nearly just flat out told him that you loved him. As way more than friends.
“For now,” he murmured, running his finger tips softly through your bedhead. There was a certain look of adoration on his face that you had never seen before, at least not when he was looking at you. But his words jabbed at you.
You raised an eyebrow. “For now?” you inquired, managing to just barely control the shakiness of your voice.
For a moment, he just smiled, his gaze roaming all over your face, pausing for a brief moment on your lips, before comfortably settling on your eyes. He nodded, murmuring a simple, “mhm” and nothing else.
You crossed your arms over your chest, taking a step back from him. “Care to explain?” you asked, tilting your head at him. You were managing to appear calm, but on the inside you were sweating. Did this mean that at some point, you stopped being friends? You didn’t think you could bear to lose him, and the fact that he was being so coy was freaking you out.
“Can’t. You know how it is, time travel stuff. I can’t give you too much information about your future, otherwise Doc would kill me,” he explained, though the look on his face was still playful. When you rolled your eyes and scoffed, he reached out and pulled you back towards him by the waist. His hands stayed fixed on your hips as he looked down into your now-widened eyes. Inside, you were screaming. He had never been this touchy or flirtatious with you before. Sure, the two of you had jokingly flirty conversations, but this was different. From the way he held you, to the way he looked at you...
“What are you doing?” you asked meekly, your face burning as you stared at your best friend.
Marty smiled, ignoring your question. “Have I ever told you how beautiful I think you are?”
Your eyes widened even more. “N-not exactly,” you mumbled. You wanted to kick yourself. You had been waiting your entire friendship for a moment like this, and here you were, getting all shy on him. You took a deep breath, collecting yourself. A wave of your usual confidence washed through you as you smiled. “Marty, is there something you’re planning on telling me, or should I go take a shower?”
He grinned, his fingers tapping against the waistband of your shorts. “I was just thinking,” he started, his cheeks slowly reddening, “We’ve been friends for so long. What do you say we give being... something else, a shot?”
Your heart nearly beat out of your chest as a wave of mixed emotions flooded your head. You didn’t know what to do, and for a long moment, you just stared at him. He raised his eyebrows patiently, and a smile flashed across your lips. “I’d kiss you, but I haven’t brushed my teeth,” you joked, running a hand tenderly along his cheek. Without another word you turned to go back inside, but he stopped you, his grip on your waist holding you firmly in place. You cocked an eyebrow at him, though you knew your cool demeanor was running thin. You really needed to go inside before you actually melted in his hands.
However, he was clearly unconcerned with your lack of hygiene. With a smile, he lowered his head to yours, capturing your lips in what was the first of many kisses. Your eyes widened before snapping shut. Once you began to kiss back, he tugged you closer to him, closing any space that there had been between your bodies. You wrapped your arms around his neck, standing on your toes to get as close to him as possible. His lips moved against yours in a way that you had dreamed of for so long, and even though your lungs burned, you were afraid that if you pulled away, you’d wake up.
A loud, “A-hem!” snapped you and Marty out of your stupor. You separated at once, your faces both bright red. Your mom was now standing in the doorway, a humored smile on her face. “Hate to interrupt, but I just finished breakfast. I’d love for you to join us, Marty,” her voice was inviting, but the look in her eyes told you both that it wasn’t much of an option.
Marty nodded quickly, “I’d love to, ma’am.”
He looked over at you helplessly, and you cleared your throat. “Um, we’ll be right in, Mom,” you said sheepishly, unsure if you could get any more embarrassed. Your mom just smiled before disappearing back into the house.
You turned to Marty, who had a dumb grin on his face. “Oh, what?” you asked through gritted teeth, your face burning.
He shrugged before pulling you into another hug. “I just can’t wait for the future,” he murmured, his face nestled against your scalp.
You smiled, shutting your eyes as you leaned against him. You didn’t have a clue what was in store for the two of you, but if everyday was going to be like this, then you weren’t at all worried.
also i usually write using i/me pronouns but i went with you/your pronouns this time.
warnings : none!
You were currently cuddled on your boyfriend’s bed, watching as he danced around his room, combing his hair as he did so. You couldn’t help but chuckle quietly to yourself as he got ready, your heart swelling happily as you relished in moments like these. However, you knew Ferris, and you knew that he only got ready like this when he had some adventure planned. Usually you were extraordinarily happy to accompany him on these adventures, but you just weren’t feeling it today.
“Ferris?” you asked in a soft voice, staring at his back as he danced in front of you. He clearly didn’t hear you over the music, a fact that made you laugh. You decided to try again, much louder this time, “Ferris!”
At the sound of his name, he whirled on his heel, a dazzling smile on his face. He raised any eyebrow at you, “Yes, love?”
You pulled yourself into a sitting position on his bed, your legs crossed under you. His eyes were fixated on your face as you moved, a soft smile on his lips. Resting your elbow on your knee and your head on your hand, you stared at him with the best puppy dog eyes you can muster. “Do we really have to go out today?” you asked sweetly, staring up at him as you waited for his answer.
His mouth fell into an over-exaggerated gape, and he spun to shut his radio off. He turned back to you, waving at the window emphatically, “Y/N! It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon! What else is there to do?” He had a bright look in his eyes, the same one that he got every time he had a plan.
“But babe, don’t you ever just want to... relax?” you asked, a tired look on your face. You had just finished an especially tough week of school, and all you really wanted to do was cuddle up to his chest and fall asleep. The thought of going out on the town just seemed exhausting. “Come on, Ferris. When was the last time we just had a lazy afternoon together?”
He seemed to rack his mind as he tapped his comb against his chin, his lips pulled into a thoughtful frown. He sent a longing glance out the window once more before shrugging his shoulders. You watched with increasing happiness as he stepped out of his shoes and tossed his comb onto his dresser. With a less-than graceful dive, he landed next to you on the bed, pulling you backwards with him as he did so. A loud laugh escaped your lips as your head hit the pillow behind you. Immediately you turned, pressing a kiss on Ferris’s forehead. “Thank you, Ferris,” you said softly, before moving down to kiss him again -- this time, gently on his lips.
He immediately broke into a smile, his hand coming up to rest on your cheek. When you broke apart, his thumb began to draw soft, calming circles against your cheekbone. “I just can’t seem to say no to you,” he chuckled, his gaze darting all over your face, before settling on your lips once more. Reading his mind, you leaned forward again, capturing his lips in a longer, much more tender kiss. You stayed pressed together until you ran out of air, separating in a quiet gasp. The wide smile on his face mirrored your own. “I really love you,” he said quietly, his forehead resting against yours.
“I really love you too,” you repeated, tilting your head up to kiss the tip of his nose before cuddling against his chest. Your eyes fluttered closed as he rested his chin on the top of your head, his arms pulling you tightly against him. Within a few short moments, your chests fell into slow rhythms, and you were fast asleep well before his mom came in to offer you lunch.
turnnoffyourmind
dededos
theartofmadeline
titsay
2087