Chapter Text
You weren’t supposed to be here.
You hadn’t meant to cause trouble for your aunt. She had to drive all the way to the small city you’d been living in for the past couple years to come pick you up. She insisted. You waited, bouncing your foot while staring at the concrete sidewalk outside your former apartment. Fortunately for you, your lease was up at the end of the month, so you didn’t have to worry about paying rent on it while you were in Pelican Town. It sounded like it was going to be a semi-permanent stay. You weren’t even sure where else you’d go.
“Sam is so excited to see you. It’s been too long.” Jodi smiles sweetly as she keeps her eyes on the road ahead. You stared out the window to watch rolling green hills and distant mountains flew past. “Vincent is also eager to meet you.” This brings you out of your daydream.
“Vincent?”
“Your younger cousin. He’s only six.” Jodi beams. “He’s a sweet boy, I think you’ll get along with him very well. Him and Sam are very close.”
“Right.” You return to staring out the window, leaning your cheek in your hand propped up on the door. The drive back is nearly silent save for the sound of the car and the radio. It’s about a two and a half hour drive, and you even pass Zuzu City. You sigh at the towering skyscrapers and various buildings in the skyline, and shut your eyes to tune out all the memories flooding back to your mind.
Time flies, and soon you are pulling into Pelican Town. It had been nearly a decade since you’d last visited. Now it was going to be your new home for an indefinite amount of time. The instant that Jodi shuts off the engine, the back door of her home flies open. “Mama!” A small young boy with messy ginger hair bursts out the door, followed by a young blonde man you recognize as your cousin, Sam. Jodi sees you trying to unload some of your belongings, and she gently tugs your arm to lead you to the house where the boys are standing.
“Hello, sweetie. Vincent, this is your older cousin, Y/N.” She introduces, and you kneel down to his level, holding out a hand for a high five.
“Hi, Vincent.” The boy stares at you with wide curious eyes as he ponders your sudden appearance. After a little too long of staring, he suddenly smiles and accepts your high five and tackles you in a hug.
“Sam told me how you used to play with him when he was a kid. Will you play with me too?”
A smile tugs at the corners of your lips. “Of course, buddy.” He jumps excitedly and takes your hand to go show off his bedroom. His older brother has to stop him so he can get his hugs in. Little Vince lets go of your hand, begrudgingly, and Sam wraps you in a big bear hug; just like he used to when you were kids. He doesn’t let go until you gently push him back. “Hey, Sammy.” You smile weakly, trying your hardest to hold back any tears that are starting to build up into your eyes.
“It’s really good to see you again, Y/N. We missed you.” Vincent grabs your hand again, impatiently waiting for you to stop talking to his brother. Sam notices and ruffles his hair. “Alright, buddy. Let’s go show Y/N your room. You know that used to be her room when she’d visit?”
“I hope you’ve been taking care of it for me.” You let the young boy lead the way.
After Vincent shows off all his favorite toys, your Aunt walks into the room, alerting you to her presence with a soft knock on the opened door. “Vincent, why don’t you help your brother and cousin unload her things from the car?” Vincent jumps at the opportunity to help you and darts out the room, leaving you behind with Sam.
He has a warm smile spread across his face and you raise a brow. “I’m glad you’re here, Y/N.” His words tug at your gut, and you stare down at your lap. He most likely meant that he was happy that you were literally here, back in Pelican Town, though you can’t help but sense he means more by these words. “Seb and Abby will be stoked to see you again.”
“They still live here?”
Sam lets out a little chuckle. “Yeah, they never left.” He stands up and offers a hand to help you to your feet. The two of you head out to the car to start unpacking what little belongings you have
Aunt Jodi says that your kitchenware and other miscellaneous items can stay in the totes and go to the attic. “You’re going to stay in Sam’s room for now. We have an air mattress that you can use until we figure out a better living situation for you. Who knows? Maybe we can ask Robin about converting the attic into a bedroom.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind sleeping on the couch. I don’t want to take up your space, Sammy.”
He waves you off. “Don’t worry about it! Just need to move some stuff around and you can make yourself at home.”
Sam had always been such a carefree guy, even when you were kids. Sebastian used to let his teasing and picking on you go a little too far (though he didn’t mean to) and Sam had to reel him in. He was always on your side. He always looked out for you. If there was anyone you needed during this tough time, it was him. You only regret not keeping in touch with your family here in town. The only contact you had was the yearly birthday card, and you had kept every single one they had sent over the years. They were tucked away in your memento box, which didn’t have much, as you didn’t have a lot of memories you wanted to keep.
Maybe it was good that you’d returned to Pelican Town.
You helped Sam move around some small pieces of furniture in his room to make room for your air mattress. You look over to a corner of the room that still has the wood flooring and notice a drum set and an electric keyboard. Even when you were young you knew how much Sam loved music.
“One day, I’m going to be a famous rockstar!” He puffed his chest out while you chowed down on your supper. Aunt Jodi and Uncle Kent chuckle at this display but nod approvingly.
“Oh? Sounds like we might need to look into music lessons.” Jodi glances over to Kent who nods.
“If that’s what Samson wants, we’ll make it happen.” Your uncle looks up from his food to flash you a smile. “What about you, Y/N? Do you want to try out an instrument?”
They were the reason you had gotten into music as a kid. Well, Sam was, really. He dragged you into it, and though you weren’t as gung-ho about it as he was, you did enjoy playing. Sam notices you eyeing the instruments and perks up. “Oh yeah, Seb, Abby, and I jam sometimes. You should come listen to us some time. Do you still play bass?”
You shake your head. “I haven’t played since I was in high school.”
“Aw, that’s okay. Maybe you can pick it back up with us! We could use a bass player.”
The two of you take turns for the next several minutes manually pumping up the air mattress (the electric pump was broken). You take a much needed break in the living room when you’re finished, and Jodi walks out with a tray in her hands. “You kids hungry for lunch? I made some sandwiches. Vincent!” She calls for the boy who comes running from his bedroom. Your aunt sets the tray on the table by the front door. “Sam, why don’t you take Y/N out to walk around town? It’s been years since she’s been here and I’m sure it will be nice to reminisce.”
And you do.
You wanted to stay back and nap, your body already exhausted from all the talking and moving things around, but Vincent insisted. He tags along, begging you for a piggyback ride, and Sam walks you around town. Nothing much has changed; it’s like you never left. There were a couple newcomers, like Sam’s neighbors, Emily and Haley. He said he wasn’t too close to either of the sisters, so he left it at that. Granny Evelyn and George (you always called him Grumpy George) still lived in that house by the saloon, and you noticed an unfamiliar face absentmindedly tossing a gridball up in the air. “That’s Alex.” Sam mutters into your ear. Your eyes widen. He’d grown up so much from the last time you saw him; literally. He was always pretty fit in high school, but now he looked totally different. His baby face totally gone and features more sharp and angled. Alex noticed the three of you and looks like he’s about to let you all walk by, but then double takes to you with a smirk that could only be described as devious on his face.
“Who’s your friend, Sam?”
You can just hear him roll his eyes, and before he can respond Vincent speaks up from your back. “This is our cousin, Y/N!”
The gears in his mind start to turn and his face perks when he seems to remember you. “Oh! You look totally different now.” He wasn’t wrong; the last time you were in the Valley you had dressed as a pretty average teenage girl with various colors as a part of your wardrobe. After you graduated high school and moved out on your own you dressed in all black with different articles of clothing that usually rewarded you with strange stares. Emo. Goth. Whatever label they used, you knew you had a specific look you wanted to maintain that you were unable to do while living with your mother. It was one of the first things you did to help feel liberated from her hold on you. Lately, however, you had just resorted to simple t-shirts and jeans for your wardrobe selections. Dressing up felt like too much work.
“Okay, Alex. See ya.” Sam smiles politely, tugs your arm to keep walking, and you can feel Alex’s eyes bore into the back of your head. “Let’s see what Abby’s up to. She’ll be shocked to see you.” The bell above the door to Pierre’s shop rings, alerting the man behind the counter to your presence.
Nothing really changes around here, because Pierre looks just the same as well. He just looks slightly older is all. He smiles at the three of you. “Good afternoon! Welcome to Pierre’s. This is a new face.” He refers to you and Sam introduces you.
“You remember my cousin Y/N, don’t you?” Pierre squints his eyes, but recognizes you much quicker than Alex did.
“Of course! You and Abigail were so close when you were kids. It’s good to see you again.” You give an awkward tight-lipped smile, not quite sure what else to say, but Pierre continues, saving you from awkward small talk. “Speaking of: Abby’s not here right now. Yoba knows where she is right now.” He rolls his eyes and you can sense a bit of animosity in his tone.
“Darn, we’ll have to catch her another time then. Need anything while we’re here?” He turns to you and you shrug. Toothpaste might be nice, you were picky on what flavor you used. You walk out of the store with a small paper bag with your toothpaste and new toothbrush inside, and Vincent chomping away at a candy bar you purchased for him. “What do you say to the best cousin ever?” Sam gently nudges Vincent, who sways side to side with joy.
“Thank you!”
“Let’s go bother Seb. He’s probably not doing anything right now, he works from home.” Sam leads the way out and up some stairs, towards the Community Center. You are shocked to see its current state. The last time you were here it was bustling with citizens of Pelican Town. Your emotions must’ve been showing on your face, because Sam speaks up. “Sad, right?” Vines had overtaken the exterior, and some were even popping out of holes in the roof. There were some holes in the wood walls, and as you passed by you even caught glimpses of the inside, though you couldn’t see much.
“Jas says there’s ghosts in there. She tried to dare me to go inside by myself but I didn’t want to.” Vincent pipes up and Sam takes the candy bar wrapper from him.
“That’s okay. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, Vincent.” You adjust your grip on him as you feel him slipping more and more as your arms get a little weaker.
“Hey, buddy, why don’t we give Y/N a break from carrying you?”
Vincent frowns with a shake of his head. “I want her to carry me!”
“Vincent…” Sam gives him “the look;” the one that parents give to their kids when they talk back.
“How about I put you down for now, but I’ll carry you all the way back home? How does that sound?” You start to set him down as he thinks hard about your compromise.
“Okay!” He stand between you and his brother and grabs both your hands. This kid makes it so easy to forget why you came to Pelican Town in the first place.
You’re glad that you were able to put Vincent down, because the walk up the mountain path is all uphill. After a couple minutes you see a beautiful house with wood paneling, blue roof, and a light trim in the distance. Above the front door hangs a wooden sign with an image of a saw carved and painted onto it. That must be new. You vaguely remember coming here a few times to hang out with Sam, Sebastian, and Abby when you were kids. You didn’t come here often, though; Sebastian preferred to hang out or play literally anywhere else but his own house. Sam lets himself in, leaving you a little uncomfortable since you’re not used to living in a small town such as this. Little Vincent gently tugs on your arm since he’s getting pulled in two directions.
“Hey Mrs. Carlson. Is Seb home?” Robin looks up from her counter and smiles big at your small adventuring party. She looks just as pretty and young as she did eight years ago. It’s almost like she didn’t age. What was her secret?
“Sam! Vincent! Hello!” She pauses as she gets a good look at you, her eyebrows furrowed and eyes squinting. Her face lights up in recognition after a moment. “Y/N? Oh my goodness sweetie, I almost didn’t recognize you!” She gets up from her stool and walks around the counter to greet you with a hug, which you accept. “You’ve grown up so much since the last time I saw you! I hope you’ve been doing well.”
“Oh, you know…” You shrug with an awkward smile, glancing at Sam who gives you a knowing look followed by an encouraging smile. Before you can say any more, you all hear footsteps coming up the set of stairs that lead to the basement, and a tall and slender young man appears. You know right away it’s Sebastian; even if part of his face was covered by some of his raven hair, you could recognize his face anywhere. He freezes at the top of the stairs at the sight of so many people in the entryway of his home.
“Why didn’t I get an invite to this party?” He mutters and Sam chuckles. Sebastian kneels down to greet Vincent, who’s still holding yours and Sam’s hands. “Hey there, big guy.” He nearly whispers with how gentle he speaks. When he stands back up you’re reminded on just how tall he’s gotten. He flicks his chin upwards at Sam as a greeting who returns it. “Hey.”
“Hey Seb, you remember—”
“Y/N.” You smile awkwardly and feel your hand slightly tighten around Vincent’s. “I’d never forget about you.” He was the first one to recognize you right away; besides your family members. You’d thought for sure that your existence would’ve slipped from his memory. During your high school years you weren’t that close to Sebastian. He had started to keep to himself more, and didn’t even see Sam, his closest and best friend, as often. You could probably count on your hands how many times you’d hung out or even seen him during your final summer in the Valley. “I was about to go outside to—” he glances down at Vincent and chooses his words carefully, “take a very normal break from work. Want to… join me?”
Sam agrees and Sebastian leads the way out to the lake by his house. The leaves from the trees crunched under your feet, indicative of the fall season that was upon the Valley. You’re about to walk off with Vincent to let the two boys talk, but Sam hooks his arm around yours, trapping you in the awkward conversation that you know is about to ensue. I’m just going to make this conversation insufferable… You think to yourself and let go of Vincent’s hand so he can go play on the shore of the lake. “Don’t walk too far, okay, Vince?” Sam calls out and Vince nods while kneeling down on the shore to look into the murky water.
“So…” Seb leans his back against a tree while crossing his arms. You glance down at the floor and see a tin can full of cigarette butts. Well, at least he won’t smoke around a kid. You avoid his expectant gaze. “It’s been forever since I’ve seen you.”
“Since we graduated high school.” You nod slowly.
“What did you end up doing after that summer?” He bites at his lip and taps his foot rapidly, no doubt feeling the effects of his nicotine addiction.
Well, you made the obviously intelligent financial decision any 17 year-old would make; you went to college. It was also the year that you left your mother. You were old enough, legally an adult by the end of your freshman year, so when you returned home after your first year you packed up everything you could and found a cheap apartment to live in near your college. It wasn’t easy. You had to work your ass off to make sure you could support yourself. Fortunately, your college was fully paid for, being a military dependent and all. You only had to keep a roof over your head and get food on the table. Eventually it wasn’t feasible to live alone so you lived with some roommates until you graduated. It was hard, but you did end up graduating with that art degree. Yeah, your mom tried to tell you that it was useless, and not just the degree either.
“I moved out. Went to college for art. Got my degree.” You were hating every second of this conversation. You wanted nothing more than to go home and hide under the covers for the rest of the day.
“Well, that’s better than the two of us; neither of us went to college!” Sam claps Sebastian on his shoulder and he rolls his eyes with a smirk.
“I guess…” You rub your arm and look out to the lake to see what Vincent is up to. While your attention is elsewhere, Seb glances at Sam from the corner of his eyes, raising a brow. Sam slightly widens his eyes as if to say I’ll tell you later. The two boys spend the next couple minutes catching up, and Sam calls Vincent back to you so you can walk back to his house. The small boy bounces back to you all to show you some snails he found by the lake.
“That’s pretty sick, dude.” Sebastian smiles down at him and you give the boy a weak and only half-forced smile.
“Y/N, you said you’d carry me back home!”
“I did, didn’t I?” Your notice the mud all over his hands as well as the snails he still holds carefully. “I won’t carry you unless you’re all clean.” At these words he rushes back to the shore of the lake to wash off all the mud as well as release the snails he captured. Sam takes off after him to help him clean up.
“Y/N?” Sebastian’s still leaned up against his tree and you slowly turn to face him. He takes a deep breath and stuffs his hands in the pocket of his black hoodie. “I-It’s nice to see you again. Really.” You give an awkward nod and as if on cue, Vincent sprints up and tries to clamber on your back before you’re ready.
“Hey!” You let out a yelp and find yourself genuinely laughing for the first time in a very long time.