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I found this really great SDV doll maker and of course had to make Emma (or Elfie for those of you reading Buttercup Baby) and Léo! You can make one for yourself too right here!
The images of Léo are how he looks when he first arrives to Pelican Town! His hair ends up getting much longer the further the story goes on. And Emma (Elfie) will be below the cut!
So here's my best boy:
I gotta draw her but
This is her! Its basically just my persona, Emma sksksk
Planning on making an actual cowgirl oc for this sksk
Buttercup Baby Ch 7
Pairings: Sam/Male Farmer OC, Sebastian/Female OC
Rating: T for Teen
Word Count: 5,008
I hope you enjoy! You can find it on ao3 below:
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
“Are you sure he’ll be okay with me dropping in with like…zero warning?”
Léo and Elfie descended the steps leading to Sebastian’s lair. The night before last, Elfie had called Léo up, complaining that Sebastian hadn’t been responding to any of her texts, and seemed to be actively avoiding her each time she visited Pelican Town. She wasn’t wrong about him avoiding her. Léo had tried talking to Sebastian about it after his friend had been “busy” every time Elfie came to town, but Sebastian was adament that he was well and truly busy that day. After the 30 min mark passed of her complaining about how Sebastian hated her now, Léo decided they needed to take matters into their own hands.
“I’m pretty sure he’ll be pissed,” Léo said with a shake of his head. “But that’s the point of this. Forcing him to talk to you.”
“Right,” Elfie said. “Is it bad that I’m regretting this?”
The opening notes of what sounded like a techno song filled the air as Léo opened the door to Sebastian’s room. The sight before them was one that had the two of them raising their eyebrows in shock. Instead of staring blankly at his computer, he was actually singing along to the music.
“Don’t look away 新たな始まり もう誰も止められやしない 過去の栄光が何? そんな事なら 興味ない 今が全てだろ? 見て Pumped gonna be crazy for me! 変わりゆく風を浴びよう Here we g—ahh!
Sebastian let out a high pitched shriek when he realized he was being watched, and immediately turned his music down.
“Have you EVER heard of knocking?” Sebastian hissed.
“Heard of it, yes. Implemented it? Not in this town,” Léo said with a shrug.
“What are you listening to?” Elfie asked.
“Gonna make fun of it?” Sebastian snapped, staring moodily at his computer screen.
“I was going to say I like it.”
There was an awkward pause and Sebastian looked up at her and bit his lip.
“Oh.”
“You know what? Fuck this,” Elfie said, spinning around on her heel. “From ignoring me in person to ignoring me over text, to whatever that was…I think it’s clear how Sebastian feels about me. I don’t need any questions answered.”
“Elfie!” Léo said, grabbing her wrist. “He’s just annoyed that we barged in on him. It makes sense.” Elfie ripped her wrist out of Léo’s grasp, her eyes flashing dangerously.
“What do you mean it’s clear how I feel about you?” Sebastian asked.
“It’s clear you’re not interested in being friends,” Elfie said, rounding on him.
Léo slowly took a few steps back and quietly sat down on Sebastian’s couch. He was ready to mediate if need be. Elfie was firey, impulsive, and liable to say things she would regret later at any moment.
He hoped to god that this would go well.
“What?” Sebastian spluttered. “Of course I—! Why wouldn’t I want to be friends with you?”
“I don’t know! You tell me!” Elfie said, throwing her hands up into the air. “You’re the one vanishing from our hangouts when I come to visit, you’re the one who hasn’t responded to any of my texts for the past two weeks!”
“It’s not that I don’t want to be friends I’m just…I’m bad at this!” Sebastian stood up and began to pace. “I’m not good at this whole…being friends thing. Sam, Abby, and Léo are the only ones who tolerate me in this town. Everyone else avoids me because I don’t know how to...how to person. I’m not good at talking or responding to messages or--”
“Why didn’t you say that sooner?” Elfie said, voice suddenly softer. Sebastian looked up at her tone shift, and cocked his head to the side.
“What do you mean?”
“I was expecting you to be like Léo! Texting back as soon as possible, hanging out whenever we can. If I had known this kind of thing was hard for you, I wouldn’t have assumed you hated me.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been around,” Sebastian said, scuffing his shoe on the floor. Elfie gave him a small smile.
“It’s fine. I was being dramatic,” she said. “I just missed you that’s all. I should be the one apologizing.”
“You missed me?” Sebastian asked, eyes wide.
“Of course I did,” Elfie said. Léo did his best to pretend he wasn’t listening in, not wanting to disturb this semi private moment.
“Seb,” Elfie said, taking a deep breath. “You’re an amazing guy and--”
“Doy’wannacomeflowerdancewi’me?” Sebastian said in one breath. Elfie blinked, and it took Léo a second to figure out what his friend had even said.
“Sorry, what?” Elfie asked. “Didn’t quite catch that.” Sebastian blushed, and tried again.
“There’s a dance coming up called the Flower Dance,” he said. “Do you…would you like to come? And like...maybe we could hang out and dance and stuff?”
“Would it be a date?” Elfie asked, and reached her hand out, gently taking Sebastian’s in her own. He stared down at their clasped hands and made a slightly strangled sound.
“Um, do you uh…would you want it to be?” Sebastian asked, voice cracking slightly.
“Only if that’s okay with you,” Elfie said, a soft look in her eye. Sebastian swallowed thickly, Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.
“I mean…sure,” he said, face burning.
“Sure?” Elfie said, raising her eyebrows. “Do you want it to be one or not?”
“I…yes, I do,” Sebastian said, and Elfie grinned broadly.
“It’s a date then,” she said. The two gave each other matching sappy smiles, and Léo cleared his throat, reminding them that he was there. A lighter pop song suddenly came from Sebastian’s speakers.
“What playlist is this?” Léo asked, and the two jumped, looking over at him.
“Oh uh, just a bunch of Japanese music,” Sebastian said. “They’re songs that I used to listen to when I was a teen.”
“And now,” Elfie pointed out.
“Not as much,” Sebastian said. “I’ve kind of…avoided all things Japanese since my dad died. The only reason I play piano still is because Sam wants me to. My dad taught me how to play and I almost dropped that too.”
Elfie nodded. “I get it. There were things I liked before José died that I just…abandoned,” she said. Léo looked up, shocked. Had she talked about José with Sebastian before? That was surprising. Sam had filled in Abigail and Sebastian about his brother the day of their Solarian Chronicles party, but he hadn’t mentioned Elfie at all. So they only way Sebastian would know is if she had told him. He would have to make a mental note to ask her about this.
“Like what?” Sebastian asked.
“Certain foods, certain places, even certain people,” Elfie said, and joined Léo on the couch. Sebastian joined them, making it a bit of a tight fit, but none of them seemed to mind. “I used to love this sushi bar called Blue Fin. That’s where we had our first date. I haven’t been back since 2015. I want to, but something about it makes me nervous and I’m never able to walk in the door.”
“What if we go together?” Sebastian asked. “It’s something that will make us both nervous. We should do it together.”
Léo smiled, and Elfie let out a happy hum.
“Sure,” she said. “I think it would be easier if I knew I wasn’t the only one freaking out.”
As the two kept talking, Léo felt his phone buzz. There were two messages. One from Sam, and one from Henri. Léo paused. Which one should he open first?
Hey Léo just wanted to say I’m so happy we’re talking again. <3 you’re such a cool guy, you know?
Léo smiled, and felt Elfie kick the side of his shoe.
“Who’s got you grinning?” she asked.
“Nobody!” Léo said quickly, flipping his phone over. Elfie’s eyebrows shot up. “Look, it’s…don’t worry about it.”
“Bet it’s Sam,” Sebastian said with a grin.
“Why would it be Sam?” Léo asked, typing out a response to Henri.
“Because I’ve seen you do this before,” Sebastian said, rolling his eyes. “You acting like a fuckin’ school girl over Sam.”
“What does that mean?” Léo asked, voice sharp.
“Nothing, nothing,” Sebastian said, putting his hands up in surrender. Elfie snickered, and Léo glared at her.
“What are you laughing about?” he asked.
“Oh Léo,” she said, shaking her head. “You’ll figure it out someday.”
“What?”
“You’re an idiot,” she said, flicking his forehead. “You always have been. But you’ll figure it out.”
Léo was about to respond when his phone buzzed again. This time it was Sam. Léo felt a pang of guilt at not having read his previous message and going straight to Henri’s.
Laylay why aren’t you distracting me from work??? D:
“It is Sam!” Elfie said, looking over his shoulder.
“Elfie!” Léo yelped, twisting his phone away from view. “Stop it!”
“Wait, that fucker’s at work!” Sebastian said, eyes wide. “What’s he doing texting you?”
“I dunno, he does that a lot. That’s pretty normal for—stop looking at me like that!” Léo said, frustrated with the knowing look Sebastian was giving him.
Sebastian rolled his eyes and Elfie giggled. Suddenly, her whole face lit up.
“Maybe we should go interrupt him at work!” she said with a soft gasp.
“That’s a terrible idea,” Sebastian said with a frown. “We could get him fired.”
“If he gets fired Léo will take care of him,” Elfie said matter of factly. Léo raised his eyebrows.
“Do I get any say in this?” he asked.
“You make the most money out of all of us,” Elfie said. “Though I’m getting there. My fashion empire will soon rival your farm!”
“Most of his money is from when he worked at Joja,” Sebastian pointed out.
“The farm is actually doing surprisingly well,” Léo said. “I mean, I’m making half of what I made before, but that’s not bad money.”
“Alright, you can be Sam’s caretaker then,” Sebastian said, and stood up. “Let’s go bother Billy Ray and try not to get him fired.”
Léo was about to protest, but Sebastian interrupted him before he could get a single word out.
“Last time I checked in on Sam at work, he scored me a free pizza. Maybe he’ll be able to do that again.”
Well, Léo couldn’t argue with free pizza. He stood up, and Elfie cheered.
“I haven’t seen this Joja Mart before,” Elfie said as the three of them made their way down the mountain trail. “They don’t have them in Zuzu.”
“Really?” Sebastian asked, surprised. “What do they have then?”
“They have Whole Paycheck,” Léo said, and Elfie snorted.
“He means Whole Foods,” she said at Sebastian’s confused look. “But everyone calls it Whole Paycheck because of how damn expensive it is.”
“Can’t be more expensive than Pierre’s,” Sebastian said. Léo laughed bitterly.
“There are a few other places that aren’t so bad,” Léo said. “But Whole Foods is the main one. It’s catered to the hipster crowd, but also towards the crunchy granola hippies as well. And it seems like both those groups are fine shelling out the cash for overpriced food.”
They crossed the bridge, and Elfie wrinkled her nose at the sight of the blue and white building.
“Doesn’t look very inviting,” she said.
“The inside is worse,” Sebastian said, and they entered the building.
As expected, the store was full of townsfolk, most of them shooting guilty looks Léo’s way. Everyone knew that Pierre had been buying his vegetables from Léo, so getting produce from Joja was an obvious blow to his ego.
“This place is so depressing,” Elfie said, looking around. “I feel like I’m in some sort of prison the way it looks.”
“Yeah so do I,” said a gruff voice from nearby. Léo looked over and saw Shane standing there, decked out in his Joja Mart uniform. He looked Elfie up and down, and Sebastian bristled slightly.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Elfie said. “But you look familiar.”
“Yeah,” Shane said, “I live in town. Don’t like talking to people.”
“You’re talking to me,” Elfie said.
Shane smirked, and Léo glanced over at Sebastian who looked like he was about to start swinging.
“I guess I am,” he said easily. He turned back to his cart of food that needed to be stocked, and continued working.
“Do you know where Sam is?” Léo asked.
“No,” Shane said.
“Do you know where he usually is at this time?” Elfie asked, putting on her sweetest smile and batting her eyelashes. Shane looked up and visibly gulped.
“Oh uh, usually he’s cleaning by the frozen foods. He’s probably there now.”
“Thanks,” Elfie said, and began to walk away.
“I’m Shane!” he suddenly shouted out. Elfie paused, and looked over.
“Pleasure,” she said. “I’m Elfie.”
“Hope to see you around,” Shane said.
“Okay we should find Sam now,” Sebastian said, shooting a glare at Shane, steering his friends away.
“You okay?” Léo asked, slowing down slightly to talk to Sebastian as they walked to the frozen foods section.
“Yeah, why?” Sebastian said, voice hard.
“Shane was being friendlier than normal with Elfie. Who you just asked out.”
Sebastian’s jaw tightened. “It’s fine,” he said. “I just…Shane’s never done that with girls around here before so…look I’m not jealous if that’s what you’re saying. I’m fine.”
“Just checking in,” Léo said, and sped up to walk with Elfie.
“I think I see him!” Elfie said excitedly, pointing up ahead. Sure enough, Sam was standing by the frozen pizzas, mopping the floors. He had his headphones on and was and was dancing as he worked, singing along to a Katy Perry song. He did a dramatic twirl and then looked up. His face split into a wide grin as he saw who was in front of him.
“When I said I needed a distraction from work, I wasn’t expecting you to actually come over!” Sam said jovially.
“It was Elfie’s idea,” Léo said. Sam looked over and smiled.
“Hey Elfie!” Sam said.
“Do I not get a greeting?” Sebastian grumbled.
“Would you like a hello and a kiss on the cheek too?” Sam asked, and Sebastian stuck his tongue out at him.
“Real mature,” Elfie teased.
“So what’s new?” Sam asked, leaning on his mop.
“Not much, except I got invited by a certain emo biker boy to the Flower Dance,” Elfie said, eyes sparkling. Sam’s jaw dropped, and he stared at a now blushign Sebastian.
“You asked her?” he asked. “Damn Seb, I never thought you had it in you!”
“What the hell?” Sebastian said, glaring at his friend. Léo and Elfie laughed, and Sam couldn’t help but chuckle as well.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Elfie said happily, looking at Sebastian with stars in her eyes. “A dance sounds really great!”
“Seb hates dancing,” Sam said.
“Well you better dance with me!” Elfie said. “I will never forgive you if you make me sit in a chair the whole time.”
“I’ll dance with you,” Sebastian promised. “But I’m gonna suck at it.”
“As long as you try,” Elfie said. “Are either of you asking anyone to the dance?”
“Nah,” Léo said, not noticing Sam deflate before him. “Elliot is the only guy who’s been obvious about liking other dudes, but he’s a little too Fabio for me.”
“I like guys,” Sam said. “I mean, I’m not obvious, but you know that I’m bi.”
Léo looked at Sam. “Is this your way of asking me?” he joked.
“No!” Sam said, nearly falling over as his mop clattered to the floor. “If I was going to ask…someone, I would be more romantic about it.”
“Oh do tell,” Léo said. Elfie and Sebastian wore matching grins, and Léo did his best to ignore them.
“Well it wouldn’t be in the Joja Mart, that’s for sure,” Sam said. “I’d make a sign, all high school prom style. And I’d stand outside their window with a boombox and--”
“Your idea of being romantic is an 80s romance movie trope?” Elfie asked.
“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” Sam said.
“Pretty sure that idea is broke,” Sebastian said.
“You suck,” Sam said. “But you aren’t exactly Casanova so I’m not taking advice from you.”
“Are you going to ask anyone?” Léo asked. Sam looked very nervous for some reason.
“I’m not sure yet,” he said. “I always go by myself and dance with Penny when it’s time. Probably just gonna do that again,” he said, and looked strangely disappointed.
“Samson Rutherford!” a booming voice shouted out. The group turned and saw a portly man in a suit and bow tie striding over to them with an angry look on his face.
“Yes sir?” Sam asked nervously.
“Are you socializing while on the clock?” the man said, eyes narrowing.
“Sorry sir,” Sam said, looking slightly scared. “I won’t do it again.”
“You are constantly texting while on the job, listening to music, and now you’re standing around not doing your job? I ought to fire you for this!”
Sam’s face went pale, and Léo immediately rounded on the man that he now recognized as Morris, the owner of this particular branch.
“You can’t afford to do that,” Léo snapped. Morris looked at him, eyebrows raised.
“You’re that new farmer, aren’t you?” Morris asked, eyes narrowed.
“I am,” Léo said. “And I have news for you. If you fire Sam, you’ll have to either take over his job or give the extra work to one of your other employees. And I guarantee that if you do that, the employee will quit on the spot. You’re known for overworking them. So who’s gonna do all that work? Do you really think you can get people to come to Pelican Town to work a minimum wage job?” Everyone was staring at him with a slack jawed look on their face. Morris opened and closed his mouth, looking a bit like a trout.
“The floors look immaculate to me,” Léo continued. “He’s doing his job perfectly. You’ll have a completely filthy store and nobody will want to--”
“Alright, alright, I won’t fire him!” Morris said, flapping his arms. “But these floors better sparkle by the end of your shift,” he said, glaring at Sam. He walked away in a huff and Sam stared at Léo.
“Damn,” he said. “Just…damn.”
“Yeah Léo’s hot when he gets angry,” Elfie said.
“That’s not what I meant!” Sam said, but didn’t deny her statement. “I just…you saved my job. And gave me the best job security ever. Holy shit.”
“What are friends for?” Léo said with a grin. “Gotta make sure you can keep your job, you know?”
“We told him you’d have to depend on him for money if you got fired,” Sebastian said. “He’s just trying to make sure he doesn’t have to do that.”
“I could work on your farm,” Sam said. “I bet I could do that!”
“You could barely plant a bed of tulips, I don’t think doing the majority of the work on the farm is something you could do,” Léo said.
“Excuse me!” Sam said, annoyed.
“You’re excused,” Léo said. “But you can come learn about farming anytime you want. I’m hoping to get some animals after I renovate my place.”
“You’re doing a renovation?” Elfie asked as Sam began to start mopping again. “Since when?”
“Since about a week ago,” Léo said. “I’ve almost got enough stone and lumber collected. I have the cash, I just need the materials.”
“Your mom doesn’t keep extra wood and stone around?” Elfie asked Sebastian.
“She used to,” Sebastian said. “But people kept asking for more and more renovations or buildings to be built, and it was too much for her to gather all the materials on her own. She asks people to bring in their own materials now. It’s much easier on her.”
“Where are you staying while the renovation is being done?” Elfie asked curiously.
“I was actually going to ask if I could come to Zuzu until--”
“He’s staying with us!” Sam suddenly said.
“Since when?” Léo asked.
“Since right now,” Sam said. “I think it would be better if you stayed in Pelican Town, you know? My mom won’t mind and Vincent loves you so you can stay with us.”
“Alright, I guess I’m doing that then,” Léo said with a small laugh. As Sam started to respond, Léo felt his phone vibrate. He took it out and looked down at it.
It was Henri.
Elfie looked at him curiously as he typed away, and Léo gulped when he caught her gaze.
“Just my mom,” he lied, and Elfie frowned. Léo was not good at lying to Elfie, and he was positive he wouldn’t hear the end of it later that night.
“I think we’d better go,” Elfie said slowly. “It was good to see you Sam!”
“Good to see you too!” Sam said, waving goodbye to his friends. Sebastian walked Elfie and Léo back to the farmhouse, and even gave her a hug before he left.
“That was big for him,” Léo said as the entered the farm house. “I’ve never seen him willingly hug--”
“Who were you texting in the store?” Elfie interrupted.
“My mom, I told you,” Léo said, trying not to sound nervous.
“Why are you lying to me?” Elfie said angrily. “What are you hiding? Or should I say who?”
Léo collapsed onto his couch and squeezed his eyes shut. “You have to promise not to be mad at me, okay?” he said.
“I can’t promise that,” Elfie said, “But I can do my best.”
“I’m talking to Henri again,” Léo said. Elfie made a sound like an angry cat and he winced.
“Are you serious Léo? You’re talking to that asshole again?” Elfie said angrily. “Why?”
“I dunno, I just felt like it. And it’s been going great. It’s nice to be friends again,” Léo said.
“It’s not going to stay that way Léo,” Elfie said, sitting down next to him. “I know you. You’re going to get attached again, and things are going to get real shitty real fast.”
“You don’t know that,” Léo grumbled, looking away from her.
“I do though,” Elfie said. “I know it’s been really hard on you, but you need to stop. I bet your other friends have said the same thing.” There was a small pause, and Léo looked at her guiltily.
“They don’t know,” he said in a small voice.
“For real Léo?” Elfie said, sounding exhausted. “You need to tell them! They’ll be able to support you through this! Give you ideas of what to do! You’re closest with Sam, right? Talk to him.”
“He’d just get mad,” Léo said. “He saw the promise ring and got furious. Elfie, he stormed out of my house and ignored me for the whole day. He’d be pissed if he knew I was talking to Henri. I can’t do that.”
“The truth eventually comes out, every time,” Elfie said, shaking her head. “I really think hiding this is a bad idea. He’ll be angrier about you hiding it from him if you wait too long. Just let him know, he can help. I promise.”
“I’ll think about it,” Léo said, knowing full well that he wasn’t going to approach Sam about it. Elfie gave him a look and shook her head. It was clear that she was well aware that Léo wasn’t going to listen to her.
“Can we just move on and talk about something else?” Léo asked. “Something that doesn’t involve me being yelled at?”
Elfie laughed lightly. “I’m not yelling at you,” she said. “I just want what’s best for you, okay? I want to see you happy again. Moving here has been so good for you. I think you’d be happier leaving certain parts of your old life behind.”
“And by old parts you mean Henri?” Léo asked.
“Got it in one,” Elfie said with a chuckle.
“Well you’ll be pleased to know that I’m not inviting him to the Flower Dance,” Léo said.
“Good,” Elfie said. “What exactly is the Flower Dance?”
“Some sort of traditional dance that Pelican Town does,” Léo said. “But there’s a portion at the end where people get to dance like normal people I guess.”
“There’s a traditional portion?” Elfie asked, sounding nervous. “Are there steps that I need to know about?”
“I’m sure Sebastian will fill you in when it’s time,” Léo said. “You guys are going to have a blast.”
“I hope so,” Elfie said. “Honestly, I can’t believe that I said yes.”
“Why?” Léo said with a frown. “It’s been pretty obvious that you have a thing for him. You haven’t hidden it from me.”
“I’ve been interested in plenty of people over the years,” Elfie said, picking at her sleeve. “But I’ve never felt comfortable enough to actually…to agree to go on a date with someone. Every time I think I’m ready, I just…I fall apart.”
“You know,” Léo said after a moment, “I think José would be really happy for you. He’d want you to be happy, and Seb really seems to make you happy.”
Elfie wiped at her eyes, and looked at Léo with a watery smile. “You think so?” she said.
“I know so,” Léo said softly. “You were his beautiful angel, and he’d want you to be the happiest you can be. You’d want him to move on if the roles were reversed, right? You’d want him to find happiness again.”
“You’re right,” she said softly. “I would want him to be happy. And I know deep down that he’d want me to move on, but it’s so hard. We were together for five years. We were planning our wedding.”
“You guys were so young,” Léo said. “I can’t believe you were going to get married at 21.”
“Honestly, we probably wouldn’t have been ready,” Elfie said. “But it was nice to plan, to think about. Our whole lives…we had it laid out. And then…”
“Yeah,” Léo said, and took her hand. She squeezed his hand and closed her eyes, clearly on the verge of tears.
“I’m ready now Léo. Only took me eight years,” she said with a small laugh.
“Hey, everyone takes things at their own pace,” Léo said, pulling her into a one armed hug. “There’s nothing wrong with taking a while. You’re going to have so much fun at the dance Elfie, I know you will.”
“Yeah you’re right,” Elfie said leaning into the hug. “It’s going to be awesome. If I keep saying that over and over, that’ll make it true, right?”
“Sure will!” Léo said happily. “What do you think you’ll wear?”
“Oh I’ll have to whip something spring time-y up,” Elfie said. “I’m sure I’ll be able to make something perfect in time for the dance. Is there anything you think Sebastian would like to see me wear?”
“Probably some see through lingerie,” Léo said, and Elfie punched him in the shoulder.
“Something I can show off at the dance,” Elfie said. “I’m not going to roll up to this dance wearing nothing but a bra and panties.”
“Yeah, probably all the men in town would combust from how hot you’d look,” Léo said. “I dunno, just go with your heart. He loves your designs, I’m sure he’d love anything you choose to wear.”
“Well, I’ll figure something out,” she said. “I definitely want to turn heads.”
“You already turn heads,” Léo said. “Shane for example seemed into you.”
“Yeah, that was weird,” Elfie said frowning. “Never met the guy before and he was already giving me the eyes.”
“He never does anything like that, so it was especially odd,” Léo said.
“I hope he doesn’t try anything at the dance,” Elfie said frowning.
“Once he sees you on Seb’s arm, he’ll leave you alone,” Léo said with a smile. “Sebastian seemed pretty protective of you at the store, I’m sure he’ll be doubly so at the dance.”
“You’re probably right,” Elfie said. “It was kind of cute to see him get so jealous,” she said. “I know that probably sounds terrible, but it’s true. Kind of a turn on.”
“Jealousy is a turn on for you?” Léo said, raising his eyebrows.
“Not true jealousy,” Elfie said. “But him steering me away and glaring at Shane was nice.”
“You’re weird,” Léo said, shaking his head.
“My weirdness had gotten me this far in life,” Elfie said, “I’m sure it’ll take me further.”
The two friends spent the rest of the night talking about what the dance would be like, and imagining what Elfie’s date would entail. When it was finally time for lights out, both of them went to bed with full hearts and a happy mind.
“Don’t text your ex before bed!” Elfie shouted from the living room, watching Léo pull out his phone.
“I won’t, I won’t,” Léo promised. He went to bed and flopped down. He wouldn’t text Henri. He wouldn’t! Elfie was right, he needed to forget that blonde jerk. Henri had seriously hurt him. Léo just needed to forget him. Delete his number and move the hell on. It was really that simple.
Buzz buzz
Buzz buzz
Buzz Buzz
Léo grabbed his phone, wondering who was calling him. He gulped as he saw who it was. Henri was trying to call him? He let the call go to voice mail and quickly shot him a text.
Can’t call right now. I’ll call you sometime tomorrow, okay? I need to sleep. Sorry!
Okay, he was breaking his promise to Elfie, but it was fine! At least he had the self control not to talk to him on the phone right this second. That he would save for tomorrow when there was nobody to listen in, nobody to judge, nobody to tell him that what he was doing was wrong. This was his life, and he was going to live it how he wanted.
Buttercup Baby Ch 3
Here is the third chapter! Finally! Get ready for Sam's two heart event, and the fitting for Ferngill Fashion week.
Pairing: Sam/Male Farmer, Sebastian/Female Farmer
Rating: T for Teen
Word count: 5,174 words
Warnings/content: Mention of parental death
You can read it on ao3 here:
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Usually, Léo was awoken by the sound of his alarm, beeping loudly at him from across the room. Today, however, the sound of someone pounding at his door and calling his name was what got him up. Thoroughly confused, Léo stumbled out of his bedroom and shuffled over to the door. He opened it and looked at the person standing before him. To his great surprise, it was Marnie, the owner of the local ranch. And for some reason, she was blushing furiously, averting her gaze.
Oh shit.
Léo had not bothered to change, and was wearing what he wore to bed every night. That just so happened to be his boxers and nothing else. Here he was, standing nearly naked in front of a woman who he’d only ever had a professional relationship with.
“Hey Marnie,” Léo said, suddenly very much awake. “Um, I was asleep until like, two seconds ago. Mind if I grab a robe real quick?” he asked.
“Please do!” Marnie squeaked.
Once Léo was wrapped up in his fluffy red bathrobe, he opened the door back up and gave a strained smile.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “Is everything okay? It’s…early,” he said, not really sure what time it was. He knew for a fact it was before 6 am though because his alarm hadn’t gone off yet.
“Oh, yes, everything is fine,” Marnie said, a blush still on her cheeks. “It’s just…well, I’m usually the one who gathers your things from the shipping bin. Every single day I’ve noticed a little kitty on your property. I was wondering if you’ve seen it too?”
What.
“Um, no?” Léo said, wondering why on Earth Marnie had decided to come over to his farmhouse at the crack of dawn to talk about a cat. Did she have something else to say to him? Something worth waking him up this early for?
“Oh. Well if you do see the little guy, I was thinking—oh!”
Marnie was looking to the side, an excited look on her face. Léo followed her gaze and his eyes landed on a fat cat sitting on his porch. When did it get there?
“You should keep him!” Marnie said, scooping up the cat who was surprisingly calm in her arms.
“How do you know it’s a boy?” Léo asked.
“Orange cats are typically male, just like calico cats are typically female,” Marnie said, her animal knowledge shining through.
“Oh okay,” Léo said, looking at the cat. He was very cute. Léo reached out and gave the cat an experimental chin rub, and he started purring right away.
“He likes you!” Marnie said happily and thrust the cat towards Léo. Instinctively, Léo took him from her. The beautiful orange cat practically melted in his arms, and he couldn’t help but smile down at the adorable creature.
“I like him too,” Léo said, gently petting the cat’s head.
“You should give him a name,” Marnie said. “What do you think you’ll call him?”
“Gordito,” Léo said without a second thought.
“What does that mean?” Marnie asked, interested.
“Fat,” Léo said. “But in an affectionate way! It’s usually used with kids!” he said hastily at the stricken look on Marnie’s face. “Also he’s a chubby little guy.”
“I could get you some cat food for kitties that need to be on a diet,” Marnie said with a smile.
“Thanks but no thanks,” Léo said. “I need this little guy to be a chunk.”
Marnie laughed good naturedly. “Oh, I also had one other thing to say!”
Ah, here it was.
“I’ve decided to start selling chicks! I’m sure Robin could build you a nice coop and, if you wanted, you could buy a few!”
A sales pitch. Great.
“Yeah, I’ll definitely think about that,” Léo said with a smile. “I do want to get some animals at some point. Chickens would probably be a great place to start.”
“Yes they would!” Marnie said. “Well, I’ll let you get back to it! And make sure to take good care of Gordito! I have plenty of pet supplies if you need them!”
“I’ll swing by later today,” Léo promised. “See you then!”
Léo brought Gordito into the house, kissing his furry little head before setting him down. Then something dawned on him. He didn’t have a litter box. Or food. Or a collar. Or anything at all. He sighed dramatically and looked down at his new cat.
“I guess I’m going to have to swing by Marnie’s sooner than I thought,” he said. Gordito let out a tiny meow and walked over to Léo’s bed. He jumped up and curled up into a ball, immediately going to sleep. Quickly, Léo grabbed his phone and snapped a picture. He needed to put Gorditio on all of his social media pages ASAP.
After taking a few more cat pictures and plastering them all over the internet, Léo pulled some work clothes on and got ready to tackle the day. As he worked in the fields, Léo made a mental note to set up a sprinkler system. Watering his crops by hand was getting exhausting. Maybe Robin would help him out.
As he thought that, the memory of Sam pulling weeds with his tongue poking out of the side of his mouth flashed through Léo’s mind. Maybe Sam could help instead. Sam might not be burly, but he was still helpful and fun to be around. Léo smiled, remembering how fun that day had been. How they had sat under the oak tree, and Sam had said all those nice things.
You act like you’re nothing special. But you’re really amazing. Rico is nothing compared to you. Your ex is missing out.
Léo blushed as he remembered Sam’s compliment. Sam had seemed like he really meant it, like he really thought that he was amazing. It was exactly what Léo had needed to hear in the moment, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt like Sam had been speaking from the heart.
Rico is nothing compared to you.
His brow furrowed as he thought of that smirking jerk. Léo’s grip on the watering can handle grew tighter as the events of yesterday morning popped into his head. He had been chatting with Abigail when a pretty blonde woman passed by. Abigail’s gaze was fixed on her, and Léo raised an eyebrow. But Abigail didn’t notice, she was too busy staring at the bombshell beauty before them.
The woman eventually noticed them and nodded in their direction, a forced smile on her face.
Abigail awkwardly waved at her, the apples of her cheeks slightly pink. Suddenly it clicked for him. He grinned and strutted over to the woman, grabbing Abigail by the arm. The woman looked slightly alarmed at being approached and gripped the magazine in her hand tighter than normal.
“Hey I’m Léo,” he said easily. “I don’t think I’ve really talked to you before. You’re…?”
“Haley,” the woman said, eyes narrowed. “We’ve met. I’m surprised you forgot my name. Most guys don’t forget me.”
“And I don’t forget most guys,” Léo said with a wink. “Women on the other hand…they rarely occupy my thoughts.”
A look of understanding crossed Haley’s face and her demeanor completely changed. The smile on her face was real this time as she let out a tinkling laugh.
“Well, that’s a relief!” she said. “No offense. You’re super handsome, but just like girls are forgettable to you, guys are forgettable to me.” She gave him a meaningful look, and Léo nodded, a tiny smile on his face. Abigail made a strangled sound that she turned into a hacking cough.
“Good to know,” Léo said, grinning at Abigail. There was a comfortable pause, and Léo looked down, something attracting his attention to the magazine Haley was holding. Suddenly, his eyes went wide.
“Who’s that?” he said sharply. Surprised, Haley looked down at the magazine cover.
“Oh, that’s the star of that new action movie…the one based on that video game. Journey of the Prairie King or something. I like his romantic comedies more. He’s just not cut out for action,” she said.
“Is everything okay?” Abigail asked, looking at Léo’s stricken face.
Journey of the Prairie King. That had been the movie Henri was an extra in, the one where he had met Rico. And now that he was looking at the magazine cover carefully, he saw that there was a handsome man hanging off of Rico’s arm. A man with white blonde hair, twinkling blue eyes, and a thousand watt smile. Henri.
Léo kept watering his plants, willing the memory of seeing Henri and Rico on the cover of Haley’s magazine to leave his mind. Stupid Rico. Stupid Henri. He had left Zuzu City to escape memories of his ex. But he supposed that when your former lover was dating a famous actor, you couldn’t avoid them forever. Their image would be on the internet, in magazines, and on television.
He paused his work, eyes squeezing shut as a memory hit him like a truck.
Léo had just gotten back from a stressful day at work, and was pleased to see Henri had made dinner.
“Hey ocean eyes,” Léo said with a smile. “That smells great!”
“Aww, thanks babe!” Henri said. Léo turned and took his coat off, and made a sound of surprise when Henri’s arms circled around his waist.
“I have something for you,” Henri whispered into Léo’s ear.
“Oh yeah?” Léo asked, turning around to look at his boyfriend.
“Yeah,” Henri said. “Close your eyes.”
Léo did as asked, and Henri let go of him. After a few moments, Henri spoke, his voice shy.“
Okay, open your eyes.”
Léo opened his eyes, and looked into Henri’s hand that had been thrust in his direction. In the middle of his palm was a silver ring that had a small sapphire in the center.
“I want to get my career off the ground before we get married,” Henri said softly, “But I need you to know that I love you and want to always be by your side. So…think of this as my promise to you,” he said, sliding the band onto Léo’s ring finger. “I promise that one day, I will properly propose to you, and we’ll get married somewhere beautiful. It’s you and me forever, okay babe?”
Léo softly kissed Henri and held him close. “You and me forever,” he repeated.
Angry tears burned at the corner of Léo’s eyes. To this day, he couldn’t figure out what the hell had happened. They were totally fine when Henri had left to go shoot his film. There was nothing to suggest that a break up was in the near future. In fact, when he left Henri had been wearing the promise ring that Léo had bought him. A single day passed and then Léo got the call that ruined everything.
Léo wiped his face with the back of his hand and set the watering can down. He couldn’t do this right now. He needed a break. Head full of Henri, Léo went back into his farmhouse and flopped on the bed. He was aware that he didn’t have all the time in the world though. Elfie was coming over at noon for the fitting, and he had promised he would show up. Léo was having second thoughts however, and picked up his phone. Maybe he should just text her and say he wasn’t coming.
But before he could navigate to her contact, a text from Sam came through. Curious, Léo opened it up. Sam usually didn’t get up until 1o, and it was currently 8:30.
Hey buttercup!
Léo smiled at the affectionate name. He hadn’t expected Sam to actually call him buttercup, but he did so regularly. It made Léo feel warm and fuzzy inside, and he could feel his anger and sadness slowly melting away. Sam always had that effect on him. No matter how down Léo was, Sam was always able to bring him back up.
Hey Mullet!
Léo laughed when Sam sent a frowny face emoji back.
Sorry Samico, I couldn’t resist. How are you?
Almost instantly, Léo got a response. Honestly, he had no idea how Sam managed to text so fast.
Pretty gucci how about you?
Léo snorted. Sam always said the most ridiculous things. But there was something about it that was so endearing. The other day when saying goodbye, Sam had shouted “Catch you on the flipside homeskillet!” He was the biggest doofus that Léo had ever met, but he wouldn’t change a thing about him.
Forget gucci I’m barely walmart güero
Léo smirked at Sam’s response, a small laugh escaping him.
Why the ass do you keep calling me different versions of “blonde white boy” I don’t refer to you as brunette latino man because that would be RUDE. You’re being RUDE.
Léo tapped out his response of “well you are one,” getting an angry face emoji in return. A few moments later Sam sent another message.
You’re doing okay, right? If you’re feeling shitty you should come over. Seb and I are having a jam sesh, you should chill with us!!! We had to change the time because Elfie is coming today.
Léo considered the message. Hanging out with friends would help, he knew it would. It would distract him for the time being.
Sesh? Wow look at you, so hip and cool.
Léo stood up, deciding that he was going to go. Lying down on his bed crying about Henri wasn’t productive or good for his mental health. He grabbed his phone and quickly shot off another message.
I’ll be there in 15
Léo received a smiley face in return, and he quickly threw some clothes on. For some strange reason, he felt the need to make sure he looked good. Léo dug through his clothes and finally settled on an orange button up that had small white flowers on it. He undid three of the buttons, and then pulled on one of his nicer pairs of jeans. He double checked his ponytail in the mirror before heading out.
He wanted to look nice for Elfie, he told himself. He wanted her to know he was doing okay and feeling good. No other reason for dressing a little better than normal. And it was warm out so he’d be forgiven for wanting to unbutton his shirt, right?
Feeling better about his outfit choice, he made his way to town. As he was walking through the town square, he noticed Abigail’s mother Caroline looking at him. He lifted his hand in greeting and she let out a girlish giggle.
Okay maybe he should’ve left the shirt buttoned.
Sam’s mother Jodi was there, and lightly slapped Caroline’s shoulder, shaking her head. Caroline wiggled her fingers at Léo.
“Hello!” she called out. Somehow this worse than being catcalled, probably because this was the mother of one of his friends. He sped up, practically running down the road before reaching Sam’s place.
Léo knocked on the door, and didn’t have to wait long until it opened just a crack, Vincent’s head poking out.
“Hey there Vincent!” Léo said cheerfully. The small red haired boy gave him a gap toothed grin and opened the door all the way.
“Léo!” Vincent said happily. “You’re here! Sam didn’t say you were coming over!”
“Well here I am,” Léo said with a chuckle. “That okay?”
“Yeah!” Vincent said, and Léo walked into the house. Sam’s house was very cozy, plenty of family pictures hanging on the walls. Vincent hummed happily as they walked into the living room. The little
boy plopped down on the floor and began playing with his little cars that he had clearly abandoned to answer the door.
“Sam is in his room playing music with ‘Bastian,” Vincent said.
“I can hear that,” Léo said, and it was true. The sounds of someone playing electric guitar filled the entire house. “I’m gonna go say hi to your brother, okay?”
“’Kay,” Vincent said, and Léo followed the music until he got to a door that had a small hand written sign on it.
If you think my music is too loud, you’re too old!
Léo snorted, and knocked on the door. When he didn’t get a response, he figured that the men inside hadn’t heard. That wouldn’t surprise him honestly, the music was pretty loud. Hoping that this didn’t count as an intrusion of privacy, Léo opened the door.
He was greeted by the sight of Sam in a tight t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up. It hada picture of a guitar on it with the words “Lord of the Strings” in fancy script. The blonde man was truly rocking out, hips swaying to the music.
Léo didn’t even register Sebastian at the nearby keyboard. All he could focus on was Sam. He felt an odd fluttering in his stomach, and tried to ignore it while he watched Sam dance. Finally Sam looked up and saw Léo. His mouth dropped open a bit as he looked at Léo. The expression was soon replaced with one of excitement.
“Léo!” he said happily. Sebastian nodded at him.
“Hey man,” Sebastian said. “Nice to see you.”
“Someone’s in a good mood,” Léo teased. “Good to see you too. You ready for the fitting today?”
“Hell yeah!” Sam said. “Just got a text from Abbers a few minutes ago that she’s gonna bring Elfie here.”
“Oh okay,” Léo said. “Nice to know I was the last person told.”
“Aw don’t be like that,” Sam said. “Abby is super excited! And she’s pretty happy that Seb decided not to come to the bus stop with her.”
The agreement had been that Elfie would take the bus, and Abigail and Sebastian would pick her up. At the last minute however, Sebastian backed out with the excuse that he had something else to do. Léo figured he must’ve meant band practice.
“I didn’t know you played keyboard Sebastian,” Léo said, getting a shrug in response.
“I used to take classical piano lessons,” he said. “I wanted to learn how to play because…” Sebastian trailed off for a moment, and Léo waited expectantly. “Because my dad used to play,” he finally said.
“It’s my way to connect to him.”
Léo was shocked at how open and vulnerable Sebastian had just been. He was aware that Sebastian’s dad had died in a car accident. Robin had told him that the only time Sebastian had been to Japan was for his father’s memorial there.
“Ryotaro always wanted to take Seb back home to visit,” she had said sadly. “We had plans to visit Sebby’s grandparents there, but when his dad died he didn’t want to go for any reason.”
Sebastian looked a bit nervous after his admission, so Léo decided that the best way to help out would be to admit something as well.
“I’m glad you have that,” Léo said. “I almost stopped playing guitar when my grandpa died. He was the one to teach me how to play, and I was so sad every time I played. But I knew he wouldn’t want me to stop. So I kind of know what you mean.”
Sebastian smiled at him and looked as though he was about to say something when he was interrupted.
“You play guitar?” Sam blurted out, eyes bigger than dinner plates.
“Yeah!” Léo said. “I was the singer and lead guitar in a local band back in Zuzu City,” he said. “We were mostly a cover band, but I wrote a few original songs here and there.”
“You can sing too?” Sam said, sounding shocked. He looked a bit flustered, and Léo missed the tiny sigh and eye roll from Sebastian.
“Not to sound arrogant or anything but I’m pretty good at it,” Léo said. “I started out as the lead singer, but when our lead guitarist quit I stepped into that role too.”
“You should sing us something!” Sam said, looking extremely excited. “And show us your guitar skills!”
“Sam,” Sebastian said firmly, “Don’t demand that he do tricks for you like a friggin’ dog.”
Léo laughed, and Sam flushed.
“He can’t just say he’s an amazing singer and then hide that from us,” Sam pouted.
“I’ll sing for you later, I promise,” Léo said, which seemed to cheer his friend up.
“So…you were in a band?” Sebastian asked, and Léo nodded.
“Yeah, we called ourselves The Blackhearts. Me and a few other guys would get together every weekend and just screw around on our instruments, and then one day we said “why not be a band?” We played some gigs here and there, but nothing serious.”
“Seb and I want to start a band,” Sam said. “What kind of music did you play? We still can’t decide what we want to do.”
“Well when we performed we mostly did hard rock with the occasional heavy metal song,” Léo said. “But when it was just us, we did whatever.”
“You were in a metal band?” Sebastian asked, looking shocked.
“Kinda,” Léo said. “We did a bunch of Metallica and Iron Maiden covers.”
“Sweet,” Sebastian said, a look of newfound respect on his face. “I want to do something like that, but Sam wasn’t sure.”’
“What do you think we should play Léo?” Sam asked. Léo was surprised that he was being put on the spot like this. Was he really expected to pick the type of music their band would play?
“Maybe experimental noise rock?” Léo said after thinking about it. “That could be a lot of fun.”
“Yeah I was thinking about that too,” Sam said.
“Since when?” Sebastian muttered. Sam glared at him.
“Since…since…look, it was a private thought!” he said, annoyed. “But I’m thinking that should be our genre! What do you think?”
Sebastian let out a long suffering sigh and then nodded. “Sounds great Sam.”
“Cool!” Sam said, sounding thrilled. “Is that the kind of stuff you listen to?” he asked, turning to Léo.
“I listen to a bit of everything,” Léo said. “I feel like as a musician it’s important to expose myself to all kinds of genres. I don’t want to limit myself, you know?”
“That makes sense,” Sam says. “You should see if you can get Sebastian to listen to stuff other than Black Sabbath and Def Leppard.”
“You’re into the old stuff, yeah?” Léo asked, and Sebastian nodded. “Well, sorry Sam, I’m gonna end up just being an enabler. I have a passion for 80s music. I could get you into some hard rock though. Unchained by Van Halen is a personal favorite.”
“I’ll check it out for sure,” Sebastian said. Just as he was going to start playing his keyboard again, Sam’s phone buzzed.
“Oh! They’re walking over now!” Sam said. “This is going to be so much fun!”
Sebastian was quiet as Sam began to talk about the fitting and what it would be like. Léo could feel anxiety coming off of him in waves, and he frowned.
“You good Sebastian?” Léo asked gently.
“Oh, uh…yeah,” Sebastian said. “I just didn’t really think this through. I don’t like strangers touching me.”
“If you get uncomfortable at any point, I’m sure she’ll understand,” Léo said. “Just make sure she knows, okay?”
Sebastian nodded, but the words didn’t seem to have the effect that Léo had hoped. It wasn’t long before Sam’s door was flung open. Abigail was standing there, a huge smile on her face. Standing
behind her was Elfie who was looking absolutely radiant.
“You could’ve knocked,” Sam said, pretending to be annoyed.
“Nah,” Abigail said, “That would take up a few seconds of time that we don’t have!”
She walked into the room, Elfie following behind. Léo could tell she had worked on her appearance. She was wearing a sparkly black crop top, a black blazer, and black jeans. Her hair and make up looked like she had spent hours on it.
But that Sebastian guy though? Léo, I want to mount him like a stallion and ride him like a Harley all night long.
Léo had to force himself not to smirk as he realized why Elfie had dressed up. She was trying to impress Sebastian. And from the way Sebastian was openly staring at her, she had done a perfect job. He noticed Sam’s raised eyebrow as he looked at Sebastian, and Léo knew he wasn’t the only noticing Sebastian’s gaze.
“Hey Elfie!” Léo said. She turned towards him, and looked him up and down.
“Damn Léo, you’re looking hot!” she said. “Unbuttoning your shirt to the navel? Good god you’re going to get the whole town wanting to climb you like a tree.”
Abigail and Léo laughed, and Sam shuffled his feet a bit. Léo caught Sam’s eye, and his friend looked surprised at being caught looking.
“She’s right,” he said, and turned pink as everyone looked at him. “I-I mean, he’s showing off washboard abs! That’s…he’s…who wouldn’t like that?”
“Do you?” Abigail teased.
“He’s objectively hot okay?” Sam said, flustered. “Anyone with eyes can see that.”
“You’re not bad yourself,” Léo said before he could stop himself. Where had that come from?
Sam was tomato red, and Abigail had a huge grin.
“As much as I’d love to watch you two swap compliments all day,” Elfie said, “I really need these measurements. Who wants to start out?”
Abigail immediately volunteered, and seemed completely comfortable with being measured, even in more intimate places. Sam was equally comfortable, and Elfie explained that she didn’t need Léo’s measurements as he wasn’t going to be in the show.
“Then why are you here?” Sebastian asked.
“Moral support?” Léo said. “Glad to see I’m wanted.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Sebastian said defensively. “I was just wondering.”
“Okay you’re up,” Elfie said to Sebastian, who suddenly tensed up. He stood frozen in spot, and Elfie raised an eyebrow.
“Do I need to come over there?” she asked.
“N-no, I can come. Over to you!” Sebastian added, clearly not happy with his first choice of words. He walked over and stood as stiff and still as a statue.
Elfie had just measured his inseam, which had made Sebastian stare at the ceiling with his eyes closed, and was getting ready to measure his hips
“Hey Sebastian?” Elfie asked. “You good if I measure a bit lower than your hips?” she asked.
“What?” Sebastian asked, frowning at her. “Where do you mean?”
“I gotta measure how big your ass is,” she said easily, and Sebastian choked on air.
“Why?” he squeaked out. “You didn’t do that with anyone else!”
“I know,” Elfie said. “But you’ve got an ass that don’t quit, if you catch my drift. I need to make sure there’s enough room in the back.”
Sebastian was the color of a fire truck, staring at her with wide eyes.
“You don’t need to do that!” he said, voice high pitched. “I’m sure it’ll fit!”
“Not necessarily,” Elfie said. “You’ve got a snatched waist and skinny legs. That would make me assume your ass is tiny, but it’s not. Your ass might even be bigger than Léo’s which I didn’t think was possible.”
“You could use my measurements,” Léo suggested, seeing Sebastian’s panic. “That might work.”
“I need them to be precise,” Elfie said. “I make all my clothes by hand, I can’t just make him pants and pray they fit. If they don’t it’ll be a big problem.”
“Alright fine!” Sebastian practically shouted. “Just…make it quick.”
Elfie put the measuring tape around him. “Damn,” she said, looking at the number. Then she grinned at Sebastian.
“I need to put on Ms. New Booty,” she said.
“What’s that song?” Abigail asked.
“It’s Sebastian’s theme song,” Elfie said. She cleared her throat. “I found you, Ms. New Booty! Get it together and bring it back to me!”
Sam laughed. “BOOTY BOOTY BOOTY ROCK IT EVERYWHERE!” he shouted out, joining in.
“Stop talking about my ass!” Sebastian said angrily. “You guys are being dicks!”
“I’m sorry,” Elfie said softly. “I was trying to lighten the mood.”
“Well you didn’t,” Sebastian said. “You got your measurements, and I need a smoke. See you later.”
Sebastian stormed out, and the whole room was quiet.
“Wow,” Abigail said, breaking the tense silence. “I’ve never seen him get that pissed off over a joke. This isn’t the first time he’s had someone say something about it.”
Elfie sighed. “I hope he doesn’t hate me now,” she said, sounding a little sad.
“He doesn’t,” Sam said. “He’s just uncomfortable with strangers. He just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all. He’s like a cat—he holds a grudge for 16 hours and then forgets about it.”
“Well…okay,” Elfie said, but didn’t sound comforted. “I was planning on hanging out with you guys but maybe it would be better if I stayed in town with just Léo.” Abigail looked distressed, but they all agreed that was probably for the best. They left the house, and as they walked away Elfie sighed deeply.
“I fucked up,” she said. “I wanted to make friends with him so bad. I thought a joke would help.”
“I really think it’s okay,” Léo said. “Maybe he’s mad now but Sam is right, he’ll get over it.”
“But when?” Elfie said, frustrated. “I was going to give him my number!”
“Oh really?” Léo said with a grin. “So that’s why you’re wearing that.”
“Obviously,” Elfie said without a hint of shame. “But that’s not happening now.”
“What if I give him your number?” Léo said after a moment. “He’d have it, and then if he wants to text you when he cools off he can.” Léo thought back to the look Sebastian had given her when she walked in. “I’m pretty sure he will.”
Elfie smiled at him. “I hope so. Now show me where you live! I have to see this,” she said. “I want to see what you left your pent house apartment for.”
“I left it for essentially a shack,” Léo said. “But I love it, and I love it here. The people are great.”
“Anyone in particular?” Elfie asked. The memory of Sam dancing while playing guitar popped into Léo’s mind.
“I’ve got a lot of good friends here,” he said slowly.
“That’s not what I meant,” Elfie said, and gave him a knowing look. “You didn’t wear this outfit for fun.”
“I’m not ready yet,” Léo said firmly. “It doesn’t matter if there’s someone nice looking here. I’m not going to date them because it’s not the right time.”
“If you’re sure,” Elfie said, looking concerned.
“I am,” Léo said, but for some strange reason he felt sad saying these words. Sam’s face flashed in his mind. He quickly shook the thought away. This wasn’t the time to be thinking stupid thoughts. He needed to focus on the farm and on healing…right?
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!
Elfie and Léo texting
Some big things involving Elfie and Seb are in the works! I'm super excited, because I think the direction I take it will leave you all VERY surprised!
La La La by Namie Amuro is such an Elfie/Seb bop, and I'm not just saying that because it's J-Pop
In this world
Where we act so strong
And it seems like we don't care
In this world
What are all these things
If there's no one there to share?
Hello, haven't I seen your face before?
Did an angel just walk through the door?
Got me thinking 'bout la-la-la-la
Nothing better than la-la
It's the way you walk it's the way you talk
It's the way you carry yourself (Yeah)
Got me thinking 'bout la-la-la-la
You know I need that la-la-la-la
It could be from either of their perspectives honestly, but this is SO THEM.
