Fright from the Past
Fic Masterpost | Ao3 Link
Fandom / Genre: Stardew Valley / Hurt/Comfort
Pairing: Leah/Elliott, Leah & Elliott (can be read as platonic or romantic)
Warnings/Content: Ambiguous relationships, Implied/Referenced past abusive relationship
Summary:
After her ex shows up on her doorstep with the admission that they are the "Mr. K" who bought most of her sculptures online, Leah goes to meet Elliott at the Stardrop Saloon as normal even when the world feels like it's trying to suffocate her.
"Leah, darling, what's wrong? You look paler than a ghost," is Elliott's greeting when Leah makes her way into the Stardrop Saloon. He meets her at the door and takes her arm. "Come, sit—I'll go retrieve you some water." He guides her to their usual table, brushing away the odd looks from the other patrons on a typical Friday night as he settles her in a seat. And just as he promised, Elliott dashes away to the bar and while Leah's struggling to keep track of time, nevermind keep herself from spiraling from stress, he's back with a glass of ice-cold water.
The chill is a shock to her system, and a welcome one—both in her hands as she cradles the glass and through her body once she finally musters up the strength to take a sip. She shudders as the cold courses through her, but she continues to take small sips, feeling less disoriented the more she drinks.
Elliott waits patiently, hovering closer than usual, and his frown is practically burning into her with his concern. But he doesn't ask anything more until she puts the glass back down on the table and holds out her hand for him.
He takes it without question, the warmth in the slightly calloused fingers—not nearly as rough as her own from woodwork, but still worn from hours of scribbling into pages—just as grounding as the water. "My dear, what happened that's shaken you so?"
Leah takes a deep breath, squeezing his fingers. "I—You know how I told you about the person online?"
Elliott tilts his head. "The one that inquired about many of your sculptures?" She hums in affirmation. "Of course. Someone that interested in your work is sure to catch your attention. Did the orders fall through?"
"Worse." She focuses on the way Elliott's thumb strokes the back of her hand instead of the anxiety pooling in her gut. "I—I found out who it was."
When she doesn't immediately continue, Elliott gives her hand a gentle squeeze of his own as a quiet encouragement. She takes another shuddering breath. "It… It was Kel."
Leah doesn't look at Elliott, but she feels him stiffen where they're connected. Hears the subtle shift in his suit, and the air seems more tense almost immediately. The warmth in Elliott's hand disappears, even if Leah knows that's not actually probable.
The longer Elliott's quiet, the more Leah's unable to ignore her own anxiety over the situation, and she glances at him through her peripheral. She's not sure if it says something about her that the thunderous look she finds on Elliott's face brings a comfort to her nerves. She releases a breath and feels her shoulders droop with relief.
"That neanderthal of an ex of yours was the 'Mr. K'?" Elliott clarifies eventually, his voice dropping to a low timbre.
"The very one."
A brief pause where Elliott considers the information, and then he sighs. "I suppose that alias does make sense, then. How did you uncover this, though? Did they message you about it after purchasing your art?"
"No." And now comes the real reason for her worries. "They were on my doorstep."
Elliott's eyes go wide and a stream of curses that would make even Willy blush falls from his lips, and Elliott looks away with a harsh inhale to collect himself. "They were at your cabin?" Leah nods. "What could they have even wanted?"
She tightens her fingers around Elliott's and leans forward, resting her head on her arm and looks up at Elliott. "… They wanted me to go back to the city with them. Said they 'missed me' and that they 'want to try again'." She huffs and turns so her face is tucked behind her arm. "And I don't know why I'm so freaked out. It's not like I didn't know they knew where I was living now. But I just—I didn't—at my cabin? And—And all that, after all this time? They just want to try making things go back to the way they were?" Her last words are strangled, and her eyes sting with angry tears.
"Oh, love, you're right to be concerned," Elliott assures, scooting his chair closer and with his free arm wrapping her up in a hug. Leah feels him curl around her and basks in the momentary relief it brings to be sheltered from the world like this. "Even just with the little that you've spoken of that… that cretin, it's understandable you'd respond with such stress." He shifts so he can stroke her hair, and when she looks up at him he brushes the bangs from her face. "You're still healing from what they did to you."
She sniffles and scrubs at her eyes. "I know. But it—I hate feeling like this. It's been a year and I don't… I thought I was over them. I didn't think… I didn't think they'd go out of their way to find me again. The phone calls were bad enough."
"No one likes feeling this way," Elliott murmurs, pulling her into a proper hug. Leah closes her eyes and melts into the embrace, letting pomegranate fragrance surround her. "They are not still in the valley, are they?"
Leah shakes her head. "Marnie overheard our argument and escorted them to the bus."
"Good. Then how about we leave our regular meeting here, and go for a walk on the pier? Enjoy the fresh air."
"That sounds perfect," Leah agrees, wiping at her face one last time before pulling herself out of Elliott's arms.
Elliott smiles down at her then calls over to Gus. "Good sir, some spaghetti to go, please?"
