Shane X Female Reader - Stardew Valley

Chapter 7: A Spring Picnic

    "Oh my Yoba, I would love to!" You squealed, then immediately tried to tone yourself down. "Uh, what time?"

    "Well, I get off at noon, so maybe one? I'll bring the food and everything." He said. His voice was still gruff but he was starting to smile.

    "That sounds perfect, I'll meet you there."

You smiled and waved as he ventured to town on this sunny Sunday. You closed your door and allowed yourself to realize something you had been trying to suppress. You were starting to like Shane. You were starting to like him as more than friends.

You quickly set about to get all of your morning chores and gardening done. You harvested your potatoes and set them on your kitchen table, not caring to count them right now. You hurried to get ready for the picnic. You hadn't been this excited for something in such a long time. You had no clue what to wear, but you knew that your dirty farm clothes wouldn't cut it. You scoured your closest and finally decided on a short, pink spring dress that complimented your skin tone beautifully. You pulled out a pair of white sandals you kept for special occasions and your only lipgloss, which happened to be in a light pink shade to match your dress.

You went to the mirror and began to apply the gloss. You started thinking about the imminent picnic. You looked at yourself in the mirror and realized that you might be slightly too dressy for a date. Was it even a date? Or were you just two friends hanging out? You were beginning to hope that it was a date. You grabbed your pack as you ran out the door and hurried towards town when you realized that you didn't know where the fountain was.

You remembered Shane saying that the fountain was north of town, but you didn't know how far north. You assumed it wouldn't be all the way in the mountains, but you didn't know and you didn't want to be late. As you entered Pelican Town, you began to notice dark clouds pooling to the south, over the ocean. I hope it doesn't storm. You were looking forward to the picnic so much. As you entered the square, you saw Jodi walking towards Pierre's. You waved her down.

"Hello, (Y/N). What do you need?" She asked, looking slightly puzzled.

"Uh, I was wondering where the fountain was...the one north of town."

She pointed to a staircase near where you had just been. "Well, if you go up those stairs, you should be able to see it." She smiled.

You thanked her and walked over to the stairs. You checked your watch to see it was nearly time for the picnic. You woke up the short staircase to see a large and beautiful fountain sitting a few yards away. Standing directly in front of it was Shane. He stood next to a large white blanket spread over the grass with a small picnic basket on top. He was wearing his JojaMart uniform complete with the jacket, and wringing his Joja Co hat anxiously in his hands. As soon as he saw you crest the stairs, his face lit up in a huge grin. He excitedly waved you over.

"Hey, (Y/N)." He said as you walked over to him. "I'm really glad you came."

"Of course!" You said. "I'm so excited for this."

Shane smiled. "It's good to hear that. I'm just hoping it doesn't storm on us." He gestured to the dark clouds that were hovering closer and closer to town by the second. "You look really nice." He said nervously. "Sorry that I'm not dressed up more." He looked around before continuing to speak. "Well, let's sit down and eat!" He laughed nervously.

You were still a little full from breakfast, but the delicious smells that wafted around as Shane opened the picnic basket quickly induced your hunger. Shane pulled out a small bowl with a lid that read, "Stardrop Saloon."

Shane must have noticed you reading the top of the container because he responded, "I got carry-out from the Saloon. I don't really know how to cook." He pulled out a matching container. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry." You laughed. "It smells delicious."

"Good." He smiled. "Do you like salmon?" You nodded. He opened up one of the containers. "I got us both Salmon Dinners. I hope that's okay."

"That sounds really good." You took the bowl he handed you and looked inside. There was a large, perfectly cooked salmon filet sitting on a bed of cooked amaranth grains (similar to grits) with some gorgeous stir-fried kale piled next to it. The smell was nothing short of mouthwatering as you looked at the meal in front of you.

"I also got a little bit of Gus's famous Stardrop hot sauce," Shane said as he opened a tiny cup filled to the brim with a purplish-red sauce. It sounded great with the salmon.

"That has real Stardrop in it?" You asked, astonished. Shane nodded. You were amazing given the rarity of the vibrant purple fruit.

"I think he uses powdered Stardrop, but still, it's the same delicious fruit." Shane explained.

"I had a Stardrop once when I was really young. I probably wasn't even seven years old. I mean, it's been at least 15 years. Even to this day, It's the best thing I have ever tasted." You told him, looking longingly at the sauce.

"Ah." He said, suddenly looking away. "So, you're like 21 now, I guess?" He looked back carefully at you while you responded.

"22 actually," You said, suddenly curious of his age as well. "How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, uh," He chuckled to himself and toed the ground. His voice dropped in pitch as he quietly spoke the next few words. "I'll be 30 in...uh...a couple of weeks." You were a little surprised, you expected him to be older than you, but you honestly weren't sure how much older. You had guessed more along the lines of two to three years, not eight. However, it really didn't matter to you.

"When's your birthday?" You asked him.

"The twentieth." He responded, looking into your eyes. Spring 20. I'll have to remember that. "Oh, here." He pulled out a small bottle and two little glasses from the picnic basket, changing the subject of the conversation. "I got some more of that strawberry wine you had a few nights ago. You liked it, right?" He said as he uncorked the bottle. At the time you hadn't recognized the drink to be strawberry, but it definitely made sense when you thought about it.

"Yeah!" You laughed. "I'll just have to practice some more self-control this time."

"It's okay," Shane said, a slightly bitter tone creeping into his voice. "Sometimes I struggle with it too." You didn't ask him anything else about his comment, but he handed you a cup of the sweet drink. You took it gratefully and began to sip on it as you ate your meal.

✏️ A/N: Ah! We're starting to get somewhere, aren't we? I love a nervous Shane. Thank you so much for reading this! I'm sorry that it's being posted late at night, I ended up working today. How were the holidays for everyone? Next week's edit, Chapter 8: A Date to Remember, will be posted on January 2, 2022. 2022! Is that crazy? Well, I hope you all are safe this New Years' Eve and enjoy the chapter. Thanks! xoxo Kira