Welcome to SEB'S!

⋯ HARPER WALKED INSIDE OF THE B&B, hoping to see a good friend of hers. it didn’t take long for his head to stick out from around the corner, and her smile grew instantly. ❛ hey, ❜ she said and smiled as she moved her hands to her face, pushing it back and out of the way. ❛ i think i’ll stick around for a bit. maybe we could catch up? i feel like it’s been, i don’t know, forever since i talked to you last, ❜ harper said and smiled as she watched him toss the hand towel over his shoulder. ❛ i’m… i’m doing alright, though, thank you. just, you know, working my ass off, ❜ she said and rolled her eyes a little. ❛ what about you? and how is gracie? is she doing well? ❜ harper questioned the male, genuinely interested.

“yeah, i’d love to catch up, harps.” the male grinned a bit, shaking his head. “did you want something to drink?” he pulled over a chair, gesturing for the girl to sit as he took a seat. “oh yeah? i’m sure you are. just, hey, if you ever need to take a break, you know you’re always more than welcome here... it’s good to work hard, but not if you’re overworking yourself.” seb glanced over and a small chuckle slipped from his lips as gracie was mentioned. “she’s great. she’s starting school again and she’s got a bit of nerves, but she’ll do great. she always does... and i’m good. just working and helping out as best as i can.”

⋯ ❛ OH COME ON, you’re not that old, you’re just slow, ❜ she said and stuck her tongue out at sebastian with a teasing smile on her lips as she looked at gracie who was smiling brightly at her. go pick out your books, bug. ❛ go on, ❜ josephine spoke and nodded, biting her bottom lip as she watched the little girl run off and over to where the bookshelves were. turning around, she looked at sebastian and smiled. ❛ i’m good, thank you. much better now that your little munchkin is here, ❜ she said and giggled softly, moving her hand to her face and brushing her hair away from her face. ❛ what about you two? how are you guys? ❜

“oh, like that makes it any better.” seb teased, laughing softly with a soft shake of the head. “well, she loves to come here. i think it’s one of her favorite places.” he chuckled, smiling a bit. “we’re really good. she’s just starting school again and i’m working on keeping the b&b up and running. pretty much the same old thing.” he nodded, glancing over to where his daughter was skimming over the books, eyes bright. “you need any help with anything while im here?”

the male peeked his head out around the corner as he heard the small bell ding out front. he chuckled, smile on his lips as he stepped out. “harps, hey! welcome in! you come to grab something to eat or were you just wanting to chill here for a bit?” he finished wiping his hands off with a hand towel before slinging it over his shoulder. “you doing okay?”

the little one meant that naomi had all the excuse in the world to bake as much as she wanted. gracie was the only one that would never say no, honestly. that was all the reason she needed. naomi was moving around the kitchen until she called out to her, making her stop momentarily and look up at him. “seb,” she replied with a smile after he called her name. naomi wasn’t expecting what came next, that much was evident by the way her features softened immediately. her hands stopped what she was doing and she nodded a little. “you have — and if you don’t stop i’m going to get tears in the batter.” she warned playfully, a laugh following shortly after. she shook her head, though, her eyes not straying from him. “thank you for saying it, though. that really does mean a lot because you deserve it. you both do.”

seb chuckled softly, shaking his head. “i know. you know things like that just kinda pop in my head at any given time.” the male shrugged his shoulders, grabbing one of the kitchen towels and throwing it over his own shoulder. “anyway, what can i help with? you need a hand with any of this? don’t let me mess it up though. i don’t think chris or gracie would ever forgive me for ruining the cookies that one time.” he teased, smile slipping across his features once again.

leo relaxed as soon as he realized it was only seb. it was a relief because he knew he didn’t have to have his guard up around him. thank god. “thank you,” leo let out sincerely as ever, genuinely appreciative of his help. the younger sighed softly as the question arose and nodded his head a little. “yeah, it’s been a long week.” he murmured out. long week, long month, long year, he figured it was all the same, really.

“yeah, of course. where do you want all of this to go and i’ll help you put it all up.” seb glanced over, chewing on his inner cheek softly. “i understand that. you need a hand with something else? we don’t have to talk about whatever you’re dealing with if you dont want to, but just know im here if you do want to talk. if not, we can definitely just sit around in the quiet.” he joked. “you’re always welcome at the b&b if you just need to rest or get a little bit away for a while..”

right for the truth. she should have seen this coming, but perhaps that’s the reason she came here in the first place. she knew she’d be called out. “I…you know how I’m dating this guy, right. He’s nothing like Shawn, he’s…actually a decent person. Things have just been a little tense, and…” ‘ tense ’ being a moderate word; she doesn’t know where they stand at any given moment, and she can’t really believe it when she tries to assure herself that they’re actually okay. “Just, it’s a lot of stuff. I’m sorry, I don’t know where to start.” 

seb tilted his head, nodding softly as he listened to the other speak. there was a soft, concerned look that coated his features, bit only because he worried for her. “well, we can start with what you’re thinking right now? what you’re worried, concerned, or stressed about. i’m all ears. take your time, i’m here literally all day.” the male chuckled softly.

“you know what i still don’t understand?” the male started, glancing up from where he was seated. “why haven’t you gotten me a dog yet? i thought our relationship was past this point by now..” seb teased, shaking his head softly with a small chuckle. “at least slow down a little bit if you’re thinking about another dog.. gracie’s been begging for one and i’ve got to get the best dad award sometime.. uncle chris cant keep stealing the ‘best’ title. its not really fair.”

seb tapped his fingers along the counter top. a lot had been on his mind for a while now, but ever since gracie started school again, the house was quiet and he was having to deal with a lot of said thoughts. he glanced over at the other, turning around to rest his back against the counter, hands still gripping the edge. “naomi? i’ve thanked you and chris before, right? for everything you’ve done for gracie and i and the things you continue to do? i don’t think i could ever ask for better friends or better role models for gracie to look up to and strive to be.. so thank you, for everything. one day, i hope to be able to pay you back for all of this.”

sebastian chuckled softly as he slid into the booth opposite of the girl. he cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow, small grin still playing at his lips. “listen here, little missy... you keep feeding all these travel stories to gracie and you’re gonna get it once she gets all wrapped up in the idea of leaving her old man to travel the world.” he joked, shaking his head. “between you and naomi.. i swear the girl is going to end up the most powerful traveling lawyer.” he teased. “you doing okay, though? have you eaten? lunch can be on me.”

“I really think she’ll mostly be missing the pancakes over me, but we can make her some later. These should be outlawed, they’re too good.” clair leans back against the couch, her legs tucked under her and a mug of coffee balanced on her knee, delicate fingers curled through the handle. she’s feels almost as fragile as the porcelain, but she doesn’t want to dive right into that immediately. not on an empty stomach, at least. “I’ve been…okay. Things have been busy, it’s why I haven’t really stopped by lately. You know I just hit 700,000 subscribers the other day? I almost cried.” 

“oh please, she loves when you’re over.” the male smiled a bit, glancing over at the other. he ran a hand through his hair before making himself more comfortable on the couch. “oh yeah? yeah, i saw that. that’s a pretty big deal, clair.” it was almost like seb always knew when something was up. it was almost like a sixth sense. he cared and he would always be that shoulder to cry on or the person someone could vent to about anything. “what makes you okay and not great?”

“gracie’s gonna be mad that she missed ya... and the fact that she’s missing out on some chocolate chip pancakes.” seb chuckled softly as he brought the plates over to the couch, placing them down onto the coffee table. “it’s weird not having her around here during the day. school starting always gets me.” the male let out a sigh as he took a seat, smiling over at his friend. “you good?”

THE RUNAWAY – ( CHRIS EVANS, CISMALE ) has SEBASTIAN “SEB” MOORE been acting strange lately? i’m sure the incident still has the THIRTY SIX year old B&B OWNER on edge. they’re known around treeville  as CHARMING & KIND-HEARTED – but can be STUBBORN & IMPULSIVE if you get on their bad side. HE couldn’t have done it, though, because during the incident they WERE DISCREDITING THEIR EX. ( allie, 22, she/her, cst)