femslashficlets | Challenge #243 - Open (Stardew Valley)

Title: Private
Fandom: Stardew Valley
Pairing: Haley/Leah
Rating: G
Prompt: Open
Word Count: 680
Summary: In the Cindersap Forest, Haley captures Leah in a private moment with her camera.

Haley crouched down in front of the river, watching through the lens of her camera as it calmly rippled under the ray of the sun. She waited for the perfect moment, steady and breathless, her teeth biting softly on her bottom lip. Then her anticipation broke, her finger pressing down on the button to cause the camera to flash and create her new photograph. Sighing in satisfaction, she pulled away from her camera and slowly stood up, knowing that she had gotten a great shot there. It was time to move onto the next one.

She surveyed her surroundings, pondering what she should try to capture on her camera next, when she noticed another person not too far from where she was. She squinted at the intruder to her artistic space, but began to relax when she recognized who it was. There next to the riverbank closer to the cottage sat the woman who owned the living space, Leah. She was newer to the town, but had made a name for herself as a sculptor. Haley had been to her art gallery a few months back and had been reluctantly impressed by what she was capable of.

Neither women had previously noticed the other before, too preoccupied by what they had been doing. It meant Haley was now free to observe Leah, to take in her smooth and gentle movements as she sketched in the grass, a strand of orange hair slipping in front of her face to be distractedly pushed behind an ear with an impatient hand. Her gaze was focused and controlled, her expression tranquil and serious. She had a beauty to her Haley hadn’t bothered to ever notice. It took her entirely by surprise.

Swallowing down uncertain emotions, Haley moved to get Leah into focus through her camera lens. There was no denying that Leah looked so open and unguarded, all defences and inhibitions forgone to tell a simple story of the artistic lady who lived alone in the forest cabin. To Leah she was all alone, surrounded only by the vastness of the clearing. Haley wondered what she was thinking of, what little moment in the world had caught her eye enough to draw it. Selfishly, a part of her wished to be that thing instead, although she could ignore that desire for now.

Leah looked up toward the sky, a sudden gust of wind causing her hair and clothes to ruffle pleasantly, a small pleased smile tilting her lips and her eyes lighting up with newfound life. Haley snapped the picture quickly, her hands shaking a small amount as she exhaled. She scolded herself internally at her behaviour and told herself to settle down. One photo was fine, a photographer had plenty of inspirations that they could indulge, but it was time to move onto the next one.

Then Leah shook her head and laughed, the brightness and openness of the expression leaving Haley no choice but to take another photo. She also needed one of Leah furrowing her brow and gnawing on her lip in concentration. Another of her readjusting her braid, her deft fingers pulling the hair together effortlessly. The ecstatic grin that pulled at her face when she had a new idea and the quickness of how she would begin to sketch it, her free hand gesturing in her new mania. Before Haley knew it she had quite more than she needed, embarrassment at her foolishness settling warm in her belly and on her cheeks.

She was swift in retreating then, afraid that Leah would finally look her way and realize she’d been watched. Haley wouldn’t be able to explain away what she was doing, too confused and unwilling to look any deeper into it. All she was able to think about was getting to her darkroom and developing the photos she had taken, then to carefully hide the one’s of Leah from the rest of the world’s eyes.

Maybe one day she could open up to herself on what was going on inside her, but that time would not be today.