Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

October 15th. It had been one full year since the death of Sebastian. It has been a major event in Pelican Town, having a little less than 30 people. Sam’s family had moved in recently when Sebastian had died, only living in the town a little over a week by the time of his death.

October would forever be a hard month for the town now. Sure, other people have died before, Sam was sure. There was a graveyard. But it was something about Sebastian passing so young that sent the town into a spiral of depression, and unfortunately, gossip. 

‘You know, he did himself in’ the townsfolk would mutter beneath their breath at the remembrances.

Sebastian’s mother, Robin, didn’t seem quite right after her son’s passing. Sam often collected some furniture from the talented carpenter for his own mother, Jodi. Her house had always seemed a mess, and Robin herself seemed very forgetful and skittish.

Every Friday night, the townsfolk often met in the Stardrop Saloon, ran by the kindhearted bartender, Gus. On the off chance Sebastian’s family would show up, his younger sister, known for taking after her father Demetrius in intelligence, would always have this faraway look in her eyes, like there was a memory she wanted to find.

It was confusing for Sam, for his entire community to miss someone he had never met.

He wondered if he and Sebastian would have been friends if he had stayed alive.

Currently, Sam sat by the river, kicking stones. The pearlescent moon glimmered on the water, shaking with an unease that could be felt throughout the town. 

Sam kicked a final stone into the river, making a loud plop as it splashed into the water. It was dark out, so he didn’t realise the stone was coloured a deep purple, unlike all the others, until it had sparkled under the moonlight. 

He turned away from the river and walked to the graveyard. He wanted to visit Sebastian’s grave on his own to pay his respects. Maybe it was becuase they would have been so close in age, or maybe it was the little knowledge Sam had on Sebastian’s situation before he committed suicide.

The grave was a polished stone, with golden calligraphy. Sam noticed something strange upon the top of it.

It was the stone he had just kicked into the river, expect broken in half.

Sam shook. How did it get there? He thought frantically. 

‘How did this happen?’

And there he was. A figure glimmered around the broken purple rock, sitting cross legged on top of the grave. He appeared to be holding the two pieces in his hands. His hands were lean, his fingernails painted black, and a silver ring shaped like a snake rested on his right ring finger. He wore a baggy hoodie and his lips had two silver snake bites on them. His skin was pale and his dark hair was swept over to the side. He had another piercing on his eyebrow, and many others on his ears. His appearance seemed almost slightly transparent.

‘How did you know amethyst was one of my favourite things?’ He said with a smirk, cocking his head to the side.

‘Are you a bloody ghost?’ Sam said, unable to steady the shaking in his voice.

The ghost chuckled. ‘Sure I am’ he replied. ‘Thanks for breaking me out of the amethyst, by the way’. He lifted a broken piece to the light of the moon to get a better look at it. ‘When I offed myself, my soul got stuck in the damned thing’.

It was Sebastian.

It had to be. Sam had seen his face so much over the past year he knew every crack and crevice. Was he dreaming? Sam wasn’t sure. He felt if he had been dreaming, something awful would have happened by now.

‘I repeat, are you a ghost?’ Sam demanded.

‘Sure I am, Sam’.

Sam’s eyes widened. ‘How do you know my name?’ 

Sebastian smiled again. ‘You can tell a lot about a person when you’re dead.’

Sam was still in shock. Ghosts were real? He reached out to touch Sebastian’s hand, but all he felt was a cooling in the air as his hand phased through his own.

‘No, you cannot touch me’ Sebastian told him. ‘Let’s go for a walk, shall we?’

The beach wasn’t far away from the graveyard, so the two sat on the sand and watched the tide pull in and out of the shore.

‘God I used to love this place when I was alive. It hasn’t changed much, has it? I suppose I’ve only been dead a little  while’

Sam looked at Sebastian strangely. ‘Sure…’

It was quiet for a while between the two.

‘Your mother… she’s going mad without you’ Sam decided to tell him. He couldn’t think of anything else to say.

‘No she’s not’ he replied. ‘It probably hasn’t even hit her yet that I’m gone. My funeral hasn’t even happened yet.’ He looked up.‘I’ve always wanted to attend my own funeral’.

Sam’s eyebrows furrowed. ‘How- how long do you think you have been dead for?’ 

Sebastian shrugged. ‘I don’t know, two, three days? I haven’t been in the amethyst long.’

‘Sebastian’ Sam began. ‘You’ve been dead one full year today’

Sebastian stood up, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘It’s really been that long?’ He said in a low tone.

Sam nodded slowly. ‘That means… I’ve been here a year already, and I still have no friends’

His ghostly acquaintance bent down and pretended to punch his arm. ‘Who’s a better friend than a ghost who’s lived their life?’ He exclaimed, spreading his arms.

‘Sebastian, we’re like the same age’

‘I know, it’s wonderful!’ He said, floating a few feet above the ground.

And so, a supernatural friendship was formed between the two. Sam would keep Sebastian from going insane from loneliness, and Sebastian would give Sam a friend his own age, even if he was a ghost.

Chapter Text

Sam’s life had made a 180 degrees pivot. He now just had this…ghost… following him around. He was just always… there. 

‘What are you doing now, Sam?’ he would ask like a curious cat.

‘Studying’ he’d reply. ‘What does it look like?’

Sam had wondered if this guy had ever lived. He seemed idiotic, asking the same questions all the time. 

‘What are you gonna do now?’

‘Where are you going?’

‘What’s your plan for today?’

or his favourite,

‘Whatchu doin’?’ 

He’d ask these questions all the time, sounding like a broken record. 

‘Can you stop?’ Sam asked, finally snapping at him. 

‘Stop what?’ Sebastian asked, trying his best to look innocent. 

Sam let out a frustrated sigh and continued on with his work. Was this guy just gonna follow him around from now on? Was this his life now? 

At night, Sebastian disappeared. Sam wasn’t quite sure where he went, but he was glad to be able to have peace, and did not have the paranoia of somebody watching him sleep. 

Even in Sam’s classes at school, Sebastian stood beside him. He was an annoyance to Sam, a nuisance and almost a burden. He would doodle detailed images of body parts upon Sam’s copybooks, and would go up to teachers and put his finger on their upper lip, imitating a moustache.

Sam hadn’t a clue what to make of Sebastian. Is this who he was? Is this how people remembered him? A troublemaker, or a teacher’s worst nightmare to teach?

Though, to Sam’s surprise, a quick joke wasn’t all Sebastian was good for. That night, Sam was busy with his Biology homework while Sebastian fiddled with a Rubix Cube, to no luck of solving it.

Sebastian eventually gave up on the puzzle and floated over to Sam, where he asked his famous phrase ‘Whatchu doin’?’

Sam let out an exasperated sigh. ‘Biology homework, and it’s supposed to be closed book. I want to actually try test myself, but I can’t quite remember-’

‘Oh I used to like Biology when I was alive. This is the left ventricle, one of the four chambers of the heart.’

He drew an arrow to the diagram and wrote in the answer for Sam, who looked at him with wide eyes.

‘Wow I didn’t think you liked Biology. I suppose that’s where you get your knack for drawing detailed body parts’ Sam whispered as to not be heard by his teacher.

Sebastian gave a slight laugh. 

Later on, Sam had his music class. He was a bit early to the lesson, so he was able to talk to Sebastian freely.

‘Sweet dude, I didn’t know you played music!’ He said.

The music classroom was a hidden gem in this suburban highschool. It was a comfortable, warm room, with a strange shape to it. Guitars hung on the walls along with age-old posters with tricks to remember certain music theory. A well-loved drum stood in the corner and the teacher’s desk was purely just a piano. The room was different from all the other classrooms. It was messy, with music sheets all over the floor but a passion for music hung in the air. 

Sam knew many people did not even know where their school’s music room was, but the people who did know held the room in their hearts very much. It was the one true subject nobody ever regretted taking in Sam’s school. 

‘What did  you play, Sebastian?’ Sam asked.

Sebastian smiled as he thought of his past life fondly. The slowly setting sun made him appear more ethereal as it shone through his translucent body.

‘Keyboard. Nobody could play as good as me’ he said. 

Suddenly, he zoomed over to a wall of various pictures, commemorating on past music events the school had held. 

‘I’m in one of these pictures…here!’ he exclaimed.

Sam looked at the picture, which showed a young, pimply teenager at his first Talent Show. It wasn’t the first time he had seen his living face, but it was unlike any of the many memorial pictures dotted around the town. The picture had raw emotion, pure joy. Sebastian did look a little younger in it, around the ages 13 or 14. In the many remembrance ones, he seemed… sadder.

‘Can you still play?’ Sam asked.

Sebastian smirked. ‘Hell yeah I can.’

He switched on a keyboard in the corner and started bursting out the ‘I’m Still Standing’ intro. His hand manoeuvred with expertise around the keys, playing as if he had known these keys very long. He had his eyes closed- truly feeling the music, in the zone. 

‘You would have been a great musician’ Sam said, in awe.

He smiled. ‘I suppose up until the very end, music was my outlet-‘

Suddenly, Sam’s music teacher walked in. The class begun, but unlike other classes Sam had experienced since ‘ discovering’ Sebastian however, was the fact Sebastian remained silent in the corner, staring out the window, watching the sun set in the early October nights.

Maybe there was something more to Sebastian than what Sam originally thought. He was a ghost after all. He was dead. 

Everyone else knew him as the town’s troublemaker, the tabooed topic. 

Sebastian having passions, and hobbies? It’s easy to forget that the villains of the story are human too. 

Chapter Text

‘Sebastian?’

He looked to Sam. ‘Yeah?’

‘Why are you always by my side?’

Sebastian stared thoughtfully into the wispy clouds tainted by the dusky pink sunset. The two sat beneath a tree beside a waterfall, a little northeast from Sebastian’s old house. There was also a smaller tree beside it, which had been planted as one of many of Sebastian’s memorials. 

Sam noticed he didn’t like to talk about his death. He asked why the townsfolk had so many memorials of him, and he scowled.

‘They feel guilty. About me.’

Even after living in the town for a year, Sam still didn’t know exactly how Sebastian died. He knew he killed himself, although the wasn’t quite sure how. People had told him different things.

‘It was the drugs that did it to him’ Pam had told Sam drunkenly one day.

‘They found his body just like he was asleep, apparently’ Sam’s own mother, Jodi had told him.

Of course, Sam hadn’t asked anyone since he released Sebastian from the amethyst. That would be awkward.

As these thoughts raced through Sam’s mind, Sebastian rolled his eyes at his question. 

‘Believe me, I’ve tried’ he answered. ‘I can’t be more than 30 feet away from you at all times.’ He smirked. ‘We’re connected now. Probably forever, until you die.’

‘Forever’ Sam echoed.

Forever is a long time. The rest of Sam’s life, Sebastian will be by his side. It hadn’t quite hit him yet. From the moment he graduates, gets married, to the birth of his first child. Sebastian will be maximum, 30 feet away.

Sebastian didn’t seem like a bad person. He’d only known him for a little less than a week, but in Sam’s opinion, he was quite captivating. It was a unique experience to see how a ghost interacts with the world. But the idea that he would always be by his side made Sam really hope they’d get along in the long run.

‘Hey, Sebastian?’ Sam asked after a few minutes of silence, only interrupted with the rustling of falling leaves.

‘That’s me, for sure’ Sebastian replied.

‘Do you think…’  Sam began, unsure how to ask the question. ‘Do you think we were meant to meet each other?’

Sebastian’s trademark smirk faded from his face. ‘We already have met each other, Sam. You don’t remember?’

Sam’s eyes widened. ‘What do you mean?’

…………

Once there was a time where Sam and Sebastian had existed in each other’s lives. It wasn’t a question of ‘If we met before’, it was more of a ‘Have we met before?’ 

The answer to the second question is indeed, yes, they have met before. A long time ago, before Sam had ever moved out of Stardew Valley. Before Sam had the concept of death.

There was a new generation in the Stardew Valley. A new youth. They were a community, a friend group that would have to last. 

Between the oldest and the youngest of them, there was only about 4 or 5 years. They all attended a preschool ran by Evelyn, who the entire town considered to be their grandmother. She was a kind soul, and the most stereotypical grandmother you could think of, the smell of cookies baking always pouring out of her windows.

Evelyn loved taking care of children, and when she opened this preschool, a number of young parents wanted to take up her offer. 

One of these parents was Robin, a young woman in her mid-twenties who had grown up in Stardew Valley. She was a burnt out carpenter, and mother of her two year old son, Sebastian, or Sebby for short. Her hands were rough, like sandpaper, and she had the darkest of circles beneath her eyes. Her clothes were always quiet dishevelled looking, and there were rumours of her wearing a sawdust perfume, that’s how hard she worked in her job

She never liked to call her son Sebastian anymore. Robin had recently broken up with the father of her son, and Sebastian had been his middle name. 

Her child had lushous auburn hair, lacking a proper haircut because simply, Robin did not have the time. She promised herself she’d do it herself and buy some hair cutting scissors, but that had not happened yet. 

Along with Robin, came Jodi, a slightly older woman in her early thirties. She had tried since her early twenties to have a baby with her husband, Kent, and now was bringing her pride and joy, Sam to this preschool. It was just a temporary thing though. She’d soon be moving to the city with her family. Maybe someday they’d return to her hometown of Stardew Valley, but that day wouldn’t have been for a while yet. 

‘Don’t worry Sam,’ she said to him before sending him inside. This would be his first time going for more than 30 minutes without his mother by his side. ‘Evelyn’s a lovely woman. Anyway, we’ll be leaving here soon’.

Evelyn smiled at Jodi. ‘Don’t worry, he’ll be just fine’.

The preschool was held in a spare room in Evelyn’s house, which had a water play basin in the corner and various other toys scattered around the room. Evelyn wasn’t a professional or anything, she was just a service to give these overworked parents a break. 

Sam walked in, wide-eyed. The place was a bit overwhelming for a young child.

The ginger boy, Sebastian came in along side him. He had a cheeky grin spread across his face. 

‘Play?’ He asked Sam.

‘O-okay’ Sam replied.

Sam waddled after Sebastian as he made a beeline for the Lego Duplo by the window. 

The two didn’t talk much, they didn’t have the vocabulary to. They seemed to enjoy each other’s presence a lot. 

At the end of the day, when Sam was going home, Evelyn was smiling from ear to ear. 

‘He’s made great friends with Sebastian’ she told Jodi.

‘I’m sure the two of them won’t be troublesome at all!’ she continued jokingly. 

About a year later, it was move-out day for Jodi’s family. Sam had made some progress in learning how to speak, and asked, ‘No play Sebby?’

Jodi gave a small, sad laugh. ‘No, Sam. You’ll be going somewhere else now. We’re moving.’ 

She knelt down, becoming eye level with her son. ‘Tell you what, we can go and  say one final goodbye to Sebastian.’

Sam’s eyes lit up. ‘Yippee!’ he squealed.

There are many solutions to becoming long distance with a friend, but there are less and less the younger the person is. Jodi and Robin were good friends, but not good enough to visit often, or ever.

Sam said goodbye to Sebastian. It was strange that they had such a strong connection, but the last time Sam saw Sebastian alive was when he was three years old.

…………………..………………………………………

‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk for that long’ Sam said to Sebastian after he finished recalling their childhood

. ‘I shouldn’t be surprised you don’t remember,’ he began in an unusually low tone. ‘Even I can barely remember it.’ 

After some moments of silence, Sebastian began to talk again. 

It was now Sebastian’s turn to ask a question. 

‘If you—‘ he stopped himself. ‘If we had grown up…together, do you think we’d still be friends?’ he asked.

Sam looked towards him. Sebastian was sitting atop a small rock protruding out of the riverside. He was looking up to the now dusky rose coloured sky, He glowed slightly, that was just how ghosts worked, and had an ethereal structure to his mannerisms. 

Sebastian gave an unfamiliar smile to Sam. He wasn’t his usual self, always joking, always getting into some kind of trouble. He seemed even less disconnected to him than Sam ever was. They were worlds apart in their experiences.

Sebastian has had some dark secrets that would come out sooner or later. They would be much too close. They would be together until the day Sam dies, after all.

‘I wonder if I had been around’ Sam started. ‘That things would have turned out… differently’.

Laughing quietly, Sebastian replied ‘I’m sure they would have.’

Chapter Text

As the autumn breeze turned chillier as Halloween approached, excited whispers of the Spirit’s Eve Ball began to fill the hallways of Sam’s high school. It was Sam’s final year, and he wanted to make it count. 

There was a girl he had his eye on. She lived in Stardew Valley with him. Her soft ginger hair and hazel eyes made him nervous any time she was within ten feet of him. 

Sam had begun to go to the library just to see her. She was so intelligent, always reading and indulging in a factual book that wasn’t even on their school syllabus. She could flick through the selection of books on the shelves with a captivating grace. Every day when Sam returned from the library, he’d stare up at his ceiling lying on his bed, praying she would talk to him sometime.

‘She’s so gorgeous Sebastian, I don’t know how you wouldn’t like her’ 

Sebastian scowled. ‘Penny? She’s the town goody two-shoes.’

Sam ignored his comment. ‘She’s amazing at everything, Sebastian.’ Like a snap of his fingers, he sat upright. ‘Tomorrow, I’m going to talk to her at the library.’ 

Sebastian groaned. ‘You’re going to embarrass yourself. You need my help desperately.’

He looked at Sam, and gave him his signature smirk as he tossed his head back. ‘All the ladies loved me’.

Sam rolled his eyes. He didn’t need Sebastian’s help. Not one bit. That night, he spent ages meticulously practicing how he would talk to Penny in the mirror. He even went so far as to steal his mother’s face mask to ensure his face was clean and glowing. An hour in the morning was spent styling his hair perfectly and choosing the best outfit to wear.

‘You’re putting way too much thought into this.’ Sebastian sighed. ‘Unless you’re planning on proposing to her.’ 

Sam gave him the look. The look was this expression Sam had developed whenever Sebastian says something idiotic. The look is only used on Sebastian, because he is the most idiotic person in his life. 

Sebastian has gotten to understand whenever Sam was giving him the look.

‘Fine. But this is going to be a prime example of your social ineptitude.’

The next day, Sam walked into the library. It was a Saturday, and just as usual, Penny was there, sifting through a bookshelf.

‘Oh, good mo-orning’ Sam said as he opened the door, his voice cracking. 

Penny cocked her head to one side. ‘You’ve never spoken to me before when you were here. Why now?’

Sam let out an involuntary laugh that reflected the dryness of his throat. ‘Ah-ha, I just don’t want to be rude’, he said.

‘So uhm, what are you studying today?’

Penny sighed and pulled a stack of books off the shelf. ‘I’m not. On Saturdays I volunteer to reorganise the bookshelf.’

Suddenly, a pile of books came flying off the shelf, covering the two of them. They both collapsed to the ground.

Sam had a feeling this was no freak accident, and sure enough, looked up to see Sebastian smiling to himself like he had just won a grand prize. 

‘Ugh! I’ll kill you, S-‘

It wasn’t often that Sam let his temper get the best of him, but he suddenly remembered that he and Sebastian weren’t alone. 

‘I- sorry’ he stuttered.. 

Penny’s eyes were wide with fear and confusion. ‘Maybe it’s best if you…leave’ she murmured.

In an attempt to salvage the conversation, Sam shook his head.

‘No!’ he said exasperated. ‘I can help you-‘

He knelt down to help her pick up a book, but the two bumped heads before he could fully make it.

‘Ah! Sorry…’ he ran his hand through his hair. ‘Are you okay?’

Penny’s face was clenched, but her face softened when she opened her eyes.

‘Look, I don’t think the library is big enough for the both of us’ she said as she let out an exasperated sigh. Then she smiled. ‘But you are kinda cute, in a shy, nerdy way’ she muttered under her breath, as if reciting facts to herself.

A crooked grin spread across Sam’s face. ‘I’ve admired you at school for a while now’ he said. ‘You have an insane worth ethic. Can I ask if you can help me with my Biology homework?’

Sam came out of the library successful.

‘Sebastian, you’re a genius. Your meddling worked!’ He threw his arm around his shoulder. ‘God, I love what ever’s wrong with you’

‘Sure but… if you needed help with Biology homework, you could have just asked me.’

Sam shook his head. ‘Dude, I don’t need help with Biology. I just want to get closer to her. You know, stare at her while she figures out the right answer to the questions…’ 

He demonstrated on Sebastian, staring into his eyes. Sebastian shook his head, his pale cheeks grew a slight red tint.

‘Whoa. Maybe you-‘

‘Let’s go home, Sebastian. I have an outfit to pick out!’

*****

It was a few days later until Sam returned to the library. He put on his pair of glasses with a thin, square rim, paired with an A-ha oversized tee and a pair of dark blue jeans. A satchel was slung over his shoulder, holding all of his homework and he wore black doc martens to match.

Sebastian had chosen the outfit. It was kind of similar to what he used to wear when he was alive, but more… watered down. Sam looked really good in it though. 

‘Good evening!’ he said cheerily as he entered the library. Penny was already sitting down. She was so effortlessly pretty, her hair braided and tied up into a messy bun. 

‘Oh hello’ she said distantly. ‘It’s…good to see you again’ 

She cleared her throat. ‘Get your things out. We’ve work to do’

Sam did as she said, swiftly taking out his Biology homework and placing it on the table, along with a pen.

As Penny explained the homework, Sam stared at her intently, as he had practiced on Sebastian. After a while, she stopped talking.

‘Uhm…can you concentrate?’

Sam put on a facade of confidence. ‘Not when you’re here.’

Penny laughed nervously. ‘Do you…need help with your homework at all?’

His facade broke. ‘Oh I have to be honest– no. I just needed an excuse to ask you to The Spirit’s Eve Ball.’

A genuine, honest smile flickered across her lips. ‘You could have just asked, you idiot.’ She said, ‘I’ve kinda been watching you from afar for a while now too.’

‘I can’t wait to accompany you’ Sam replied.

                                       *****

The night of the Spirit’s Eve Ball was ‘a vibe’ as some of the kids in the place would describe it. It was a casual dance, just jeans and a nice top or shirt for most. The music was deafening and shook the ground and the food and drink was fruity and sweet.

On the way home, Penny and Sam walked tiresomely back to their home, as the venue of the ball was a little way’s out. There was no alcohol or drugs there, since it was a school event, but the fatigue still impeded their ability to think straight, accompanied by their lack of vision at night.

‘I had a really good night tonight!’ Penny said breathlessly.

‘Really?’ Sam exclaimed. ‘Well then’ he stopped in his tracks. 

‘May I kiss you before the night comes to an end?’

The kiss was kind of awkward in the middle of the path, and especially so because Sam knew Sebastian was watching. It would have been better just before Sam would drop Penny off back at her home or something similar. That would have definitely been better to wrap up the night.

After the day was over, Sam collapsed onto his bed. 

‘I wish I was still alive’ Sebastian whined. ‘I miss talking up the women, you know?’

Sam groaned at his cockiness. ‘How many girls have you even dated?’

‘Five or six, I didn’t  wanna get called a player.’ His ears turned a deep shade of maroon. ‘Okay maybe was more like two or three. Okay fine! I’ve only ever had one girlfriend.’

Sam gave a nervous laugh. ‘I wasn’t calling you a liar at all.’

Sebastian folded his arms and turned away. ‘Well, maybe I just don’t want secrets between the two of us. We are stuck together.’

Every so often, Sam forgets that Sebastian is human too. Or at least was human. It’s a nice reminder. 

It was just that sometimes, he seemed inhumanely distant to Sam.

‘Wait!’ Sam exclaimed. ‘Who have you dated?’ he interrogated.

‘My old best friend, Abigail. She lives here in Stardew. We were only official for about 6 months before she broke up with me, and that was when we were 13. We still remained good friends.’ Sebastian looked quite thoughtful, his facial features softer than usual. 

‘Abigail was the closest anyone ever came to understanding me. Until we drifted apart. I had…issues…’

Sam’s face fell. ‘I’m sorry for asking, Sebastian.’

He inhaled deeply. ‘I can’t wait to get out of here. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this Sam. I want to leave this world. Please, I need your help’

The sorrowful ghost boy in Sam’s room didn’t seem to be the same person who he freed from the amethyst.

‘I promise I will devote everything in my power to helping you’.