Chapter Text
“Oh! And when Elowyn gave Aeris a piece of her mind, I couldn’t stop laughing. He was so shocked! He clearly didn’t think she was going to stand up for herself.” Penny recounted the scene of the book she and Maru were currently reading together, sitting at the latters kitchen table with a mug of tea.
“Ugh I know!” Maru laughed, then raised her own tea to her lips, smirking over the rim of the mug. “Have you gotten to chapter 53 yet?”
Penny blushed at the memory, hiding slightly behind her own mug of tea, looking into the tan liquid. That chapter of the book was pure porn. “I did..”
“And? What did you think?”
Penny fanned herself lightly as she recalled the chapter in question, attempting cool the blush on her cheeks. “Honestly, I thought ‘finally, an erotic scene that actually made me feel something’! The smut in the first book was pretty bland. It was giving young adult fiction. But this book?” She looked up and smirked slightly at her best friend. “Ten out of ten spice. Send me to horny jail.” The two women laughed at the comment, their giggles interrupted by a voice entering the kitchen.
“Do I even want to know?” The redheaded woman nearly yelped at the deep voice, her emerald eyes wide as she turned to where the sound came from.
Sebastian was leaning against the doorway, a small smirk on his face as he looked between the two girls at the table. Penny felt her cheeks flare with color once again, though she could thankfully blame it on actual embarrassment instead of just the crush she was harboring for the man. Her heart pounded in her chest at the casual way he entered the room, not even giving her a second glance as he made his way to the fridge.
“Oh! Sebastian! I thought you were at the saloon tonight. It’s Friday. Even mom and dad are out.” Maru raised a brow at her half-brother. That was a huge reason why they were in the kitchen instead of hiding away in Maru’s room. They thought they had the house to themselves.
The man stood, closing the door with his foot as he cracked open a Joja Cola. “I was supposed to. But Abigail went into the mines with the farmer, and Sam wasn’t feeling too good. I think he caught that stomach bug that’s been going around. So, I decided to stay in.” He gave a small shrug before taking a sip of his soda.
“Aw poor Sam! Heard that this bug is awful. At least it seems to only be a 24 hour one. I’m sure Jodi is making him some amazing soup.” Maru said with a small smile, looking at her friend. Penny had thankfully gotten her act together by the time they locked eyes, and nodded in agreement.
“Soup is always so much better when you’re sick. I really hope I don’t catch it. I can’t cook to save my life. The soup might take me out before the sickness does!” The two women giggled to themselves a bit before Maru stood suddenly.
“Oh! This actually reminds me of a book I’ve been meaning to show you. Hang on, let me grab it!” Before Penny could protest, her mouth opening and closing like a fish, the other woman fled the kitchen towards her room. She was now left alone in the kitchen with Sebastian. The man was looking at Penny, dark blue eyes sparkling with a mischievous look in them as he leaned against the counter top.
“So,” the man began with a growing smirk. “Horny jail? What is that?” He gave a slight tilt of his head, the longer parts of his hair shifting with the motion. Penny immediately felt her face heat up at the question.
“I.. well. I-It’s uh..” Yoba, Penny had never been this flustered in her life. She looked anywhere but Sebastian as she tried to explain. “It’s slang I guess. A joke to uh, ‘detain’ or ‘arrest’ someone for um.. thinking inappropriate th-thoughts about something.” Her face burned now at the simple answer she gave, looking down at her tea.
“Ah,” the dark haired man nodded at the answer before continuing, “was the book that good? I’ve been looking for something new to read, though I tend to only read science fiction or fantasy that tends to lack romance, but maybe a switch up would be good.”
Penny looked up at the man, blinking in surprise. She didn’t know Sebastian read, and was also surpried he was talking to her, her of all people so much, knowing he was usually a man of few words. She really only knew he was a programmer, played tabletop games, and was in a band with Sam and Abigail. Now that she knew this, and that he was paying so much attention to he right how, her little crush grew more.
“Y-Yeah it’s a good book. It’s a series though, and the first one was hard to get through.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and glanced away shyly. “Maybe I can lend you my copy. If you want?..” she trailed off at the end before looking back up at the man in front of her. No, no, NO. Why did I offer to do that?! What’s wrong with me?!
Sebastian gave a small nod at the offer. “Sure. The next time you swing by, if I’m not home, leave it with Maru. Or just come downstairs if I am.” He stood and made his way to the entrance of the kitchen, glancing over his shoulder with a smirk. “I’ll let you know if I too need to go to ‘horny jail’ once I catch up to, what was it, chapter 53 of the next book?” With that, the man disappeared down the hall, leaving a very flustered Penny in the kitchen.
What. The hell. Was that?! The red headed woman thought with a groan, covering her burning face with her hands. Was.. was Sebastian flirting with her? No. No there was no way. He was obviously just messing with her in a friendly way! There was no possible way he was flirting with her.
Maru returned with the book she left to grab, laughing softly at the state of her friend. “Still embarrassed Sebastian scared you? Don’t worry. He’s so shy he probably feel bad that he interrupted us.” She said, sitting back down at the table.
Shy?! Whatever that interaction was with the emo boy was not shy, and Maru was oblivious to the whole thing. Penny didn’t say anything though, and instead just gave a silent nod. Maru didn’t know about the crush her friend had on her half-brother, and she was going to keep it that way. It felt so taboo. So wrong to have feelings for someone in her best friends family. So she would take this crush to the grave. Or, at least until she got over it.
A few days had passed since her visit to Maru, and Penny did her best to try and forget that her crush asked what ‘horny jail’ was, and that he overheard her say she needed to be sent there over chapter 53. She didn’t forget, however, that she offered to let him borrow the first book in the series. She didn’t know when she was going to get it to him, but she was going to try and do it soon. Because it was a good book. Totally not because she wanted a reason to see him again. Not at all.
Today was the day of the flower dance. Everyone in town seemed to have different opinions on the tradition, but Penny adored this day. She always felt so pretty in her white gown, enjoyed the flowers, the food, and loved to dance. Penny used to blush and feel her heart race as she spun in Sam’s arms, but now she just smiled and enjoyed the dance with him as a friend. Although, she thinks he may have a small crush on her now. Not ideal timing, she thinks to herself, trying to ignore that fact that it is now one sided on this day in particular.
As she made her way to the clearing, she saw her mom at the buffet, already filling her plate as if it was the last meal she would ever have. She decided to keep her distance from her today, and waved at Maru who was talking to Dr. Harvey.
“Hey, Pen!” Maru greeted her with a bright smile, hugging her as if they hadn’t just seen each other a few days ago.
“Hi, Maru.” The redhead returned the embrace with a small smile, giving a nod to the man beside them.
“Good morning Dr. Harvey.”
“Oh Penny, just Harvey is fine,” The tall man said with a smile. Penny gave him a soft laugh and nodded, glancing around the field. She saw almost everyone from town here, minus the farmer. It seemed that they didn’t really show up to the flower dance, which was a shame in her opinion. She knew there were a few folks here who would love to dance with them. Then, her eyes landed on Sebastian.
The blue suit that the men all wore didn’t suit him at all. The color was too much against his pale skin, but Penny still thought he looked very handsome. She must have been staring a little too long, their eyes meeting from across the field. Sebastian gave her a small smile, the expression so slight she almost missed it. Somehow, she didn’t miss the quick wink he gave her before turning back to his friends. Warmth spread up her neck and to her cheeks at the.. flirting? Yoba she needed to get a grip.
“Penny? You look a little flushed. Do you need some water?” She turned to Maru, who asked the question, and shook her head.
“No, no. I’m okay.” Penny reassured her with a smile.
“Oh I see. Excited for the dance?” Maru wiggled her eyebrows a bit, assuming she was blushing over Sam. The redhead fought the urge to shake her head and tell her no. She didn’t like lying to her friend, but she felt worse at the idea of her finding out the truth. That she liked the scientist’s brother.
“Something like that.. I guess..” was all she said in response. Maru nodded, and Penny was glad her friend didn’t pry. She was good about that sort of thing.
When Mayor Lewis called for the dance to begin, everyone wandered off to grab their dance partners. Penny looked over at Sam, and they walked towards each other with small smiles. The blonde man took a dramatic bow, putting his hand out for Penny to take.
“May I have this dance, Miss Penny?” He grinned up at the woman with that boyish charm she used to swoon over. Now, she just thought it was sweet, but a little silly. Still, she gave Sam a small giggle and took his hand.
“Of course, Sam.” He smiled as he stood up straight, guiding them to their spot in the meadow. Penny released her dance partner once they reached it, and happened to glance over at Sebastian who was a few steps behind Sam. Her eyes widened slightly at the way he glared at the back of his best friends head, before looking towards Penny, the expression morphing into something.. difficult to read. Her brows knit together ever so slightly in a silent question, more to herself than anything. But to her surprise, Sebastian’s eyes softened and he just gave a subtle shake of his head, then turned towards Abigail to dance with her. Penny felt a small twinge of jealousy at the sight, but quickly brushed it off. She had no reason to be jealous. As far as she knew, he and the purple haired woman he called a friend weren’t an item. Even of they were, she and Sebastian weren’t either. Though she wished they were, and wished it was her dancing in the man’s arms.
The dance had ended some time ago, and now the afternoon was winding down as well. Folks ate and chatted, even danced some more without the fanfare of the traditional line dance, but Penny felt exhausted. She had socialized more than enough for the day, and just wanted to curl up in bed with a book. The sun was beginning to set, and she said goodbye to folks she passed, making sure to check on her mother as well. She knew the woman was going to be there for a while longer, and trusted that someone would make sure she made it to their trailer okay.
Penny made it to the makeshift bridge, careful as she crossed and entered the woods. She shivered slightly at the thought of walking through the trees alone so late, but pushed on. Usually, she would have gone home by now, but she wanted to stay to try and get a glimpse of Sebastian. Sadly, she failed this task having, been pulled into conversations with Leah and Elliot, Maru and Harvey, even Jas and Vincent. The children wanted to dance with their teacher before the night came to an end. Sam somehow managed to get her into another dance as well, so she didn’t see the dark haired man for the rest of the evening.
As the woman passed a large group of trees, she heard shuffling in the dark to her left. She froze in fear, not knowing what was making the sound. She didn’t dare call out to whatever it was, despite knowing that monsters didn’t tend to stray this far from the mines. But something like a bear? Definitely possible. She felt herself beginning to shake as the sound came closer, wanting to run but paralyzed by fear. Yoba.. this is why I try to leave before the sun sets..-
“Penny?” She heard a soft, deep voice call from behind her, pulling her from her terrified thoughts, and whipped around to see none other than Sebastian making his way over to her. The rustling stopped, but the redhead was still terrified.
“Oh. S-Sebastian. Hi. I was j-just..,” she turned away to wipe at her eyes, trying to fight the tears that threatened to spill. “..just walking home.”
The man frowned as he looked towards the woods, then at the woman holding in her sobs. “Let me walk you home. It will be safer that way.” Sebastian’s voice was gentle as he walked towards Penny, putting his hand out for her to take. With a small sniffle, she tenderly set her small hand into his, and allowed him to lead her away, towards Marnie’s ranch.
After a short while of silence, Penny spoke, her voice cutting through the quiet despite it coming out in a whisper. “Thank you. F-For walking me home. U-Usually I’m home by now b-but I stayed l-late today.” Her words came out shaky, her small frame rattling in the cold night air. Her flower dance dress really didn’t protect her from the chill.
“Yeah, I noticed you hadn’t left at the time you usually do.” Sebastian gently pulled his hand away, shrugging off the blue suit jacket he still wore. “You’re shaking like a leaf..” As the pair stopped walking, he draped the article of clothing over Penny’s shoulders, then took her hand once more so they could continue walking. She never knew the usually dark, reserved man could be so.. soft.
“Thank you, Sebastian. I’m.. much warmer now.” The woman’s cheeks flared with heat at what was happening. It’s like a scene from one of my novels. The hero and love interest walks the main protagonist home, ensuring she returns safely, and the night ends with a kiss- She shook her head at the thoughts, eyes focused on the ground in front of her. The silence was surprisingly comfortable. Not awkward at all. She could only focus on the feeling of Sebastian’s long fingers wrapped around hers, perfect for playing his keyboard, keeping her safe and comfortable on their walk. When they reached her trailer, she reluctantly took her hand away from his.
“I’m sorry to do this near you, but I haven’t had one all day...” Sebastian apologized, pulling a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket.
“Oh! No, please. Go right ahead.” Penny watched as the man pulled a cigarette from the box, put the end between his lips, and inhaled as he lit the end. He set two fingers around the sides of it, pulling it away as he exhaled he smoke from his lungs. She appreciated that he looked up and away from her as he did, her stomach doing a funny flip at the sight. Such a bad habit should not look so good… she thought to herself as dark blue eyes locked with hers.
“Sam is.. a good dancer I take it?” Sebastian glanced towards the river as he asked the question, causing the redheaded woman to blink in surprise.
“Yes. He’s quite talented. Why.. do you ask?”
“… Curious I guess. You seem.. really happy dancing with him. Being with him.” His eyes darted towards her face for a brief moment before flicking back to the water. He took another drag from his cigarette, and Penny couldn’t hold back her quiet laughter.
“I love dancing, but it has nothing to do with Sam. He’s a kind man, but I am not with him.” She giggled some, and Sebastian looked down at the redhead with a soft smile.
“I did notice you tend to smile so much more when you’re dancing. Even with the kids.” Sebastian noted, flicking the ash of his cigarette away from them. Penny watched as he took another drag, then blurted out a question before thinking.
“Can I try that?” She raised a hand to cover her mouth, as if doing that would shove the words back inside. Sebastian raised a brow at the question before smirking a bit, and handing the cigarette over.
“You might not like it. Don’t take a huge inhale either, it will hurt for your first time.” Penny nodded at the instructions, her hand shaking with adrenaline from doing something so… bad. Maybe it was tame for some other people, but Penny had always been a good girl. And this wasn’t something a good girl does.
She pinched the cigarette between her thumb and index finger, wrapping her lips around the filter. She looked up at Sebastian, his expression almost.. hungry as he watched her mouth. Penny felt a shiver run down her spine, desire flow from her core, and she clenched around nothing. After a brief moment of intense eye contact, Penny inhaled the smoke into her lungs. Unfortunately, she took a bigger breath than she meant to, and immediately turned her head to exhale the toxic smoke from her lungs and cough. Her eyes watered as she hacked, hearing Sebastian chuckle and feeling him take the cancer stick from her hand.
“I warned you.. but not bad for a first hit.” He teased the woman with a smirk, grinning as she turned to glare at him with piercing green eyes, still coughing up a lung. “You’ll feel pretty relaxed once the nicotine hits.”
“Not sure that’s a habit I’ll pick up.” Penny stated once she caught her breath, clearing her throat and placing a hand on her chest.
Sebastian laughed softly. Not at her, but amused by her comment. “Keep it that way. It’s a filthy habit and you’re too pretty to be doing something like this.” He raised the cigarette to his lips again, taking a final drag before dropping the butt to the ground, stomping it out, and picking the trash up to put into his pocket. Penny blushed again at the compliment, looking down at her shoes.
“I should be getting to bed. Thank you again for walking me home. I don’t know why I was so scared back there. I just…”
“It’s okay, Penny. I was happy to walk you home.” Sebastian smiled as he put a hand out, and the redhead placed her hand in his again. Her cheeks burned as he raised her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it softly. It was so soft and gentle, it was more of a brush of his lips rather than a kiss, but it made Penny’s heart soar. “Goodnight. Sleep well.”
All Penny could do was wave as she watched the dark haired man walk away. She didn’t know if it was because of what just transpired, the nicotine now in her system, or a mix of both, but she felt like she was floating on the clouds as she made her way inside the trailer and to her room. The redhead closed the door behind her, sliding down it with a dreamy sigh. She then realized she was still wearing his suit jacket, and pulled it around her more. It smelled nice. His cologne clung to the fabric, something that was sure to have the word “midnight” in it. Fitting, she thought with a giggle, then got herself ready for bed, sure to have dreams of piercing, dark blue eyes and the brush of soft lips against her skin.