Muddy Relations (Stardew Valley Fanfiction)

Spring 26, Year 4

    I jolted up from my bed in a cold sweat. A stale rag dropped from my head, and a terrible taste seemed to emanate from my mouth. A cat dashed from underneath my bed, running out from my room into the living room. A snore followed.

    I stayed silent long enough to hear it again.
    Bursting into my living room, I was surprised to find Shane, stomach down on my couch across from the lit fireplace. His head hung down underneath the rest of his body, his arm swaying slightly each time he took a breath in, and another each time he exhaled.

A bag of peas was littered on the floor underneath him.

"Get up," I shoved Shane, a plate of eggs teetering in my hands. He hadn't moved an inch since I first saw him.

"Move," I pushed, my hands rocking him back and forth, watching as he stiffened.

"Ouch," he cried, and tried to stand from his intentionally uncomfortable position. I breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't dead, afterall.

"Um," I gargled, my voice not yet awake. Shane sat up finally, his hand covering his right eye. "I made you some food," I handed him the plate, but he refused it.

I lowered my head, looking at the plate and understanding why he would reject it. Eggs were what he ate all day long. I moved quickly to place the plate on the table.

"So," I spoke, unsure of what was happening. My mind flashed to last night and how it had ended in exaggerated tears. I didn't remember much, like going home, so Shane must have been here because of that. I could only assume.

"How bad was I?" I asked, sitting on the armchair adjacent to him. He moved his left arm and grabbed his jacket that was strewn across the arm of the couch, the lint dusting out from his pockets, all without moving his hand from his eye. I frowned, worried about what might have happened.

I kneeled in front of him as fast as I possibly could, grabbing the peas from below. They were warmer and water dripped down my fingers and to my elbow, causing me to pull each sleeve of my heavy sweater up. Shane's eyes stayed locked on his jeans, his hair messy and undone, wavy from dried sweat.

"Why didn't you go home last night? I'm sure you would have been more comfortable in your own bed." I asked. His eye fluttered.

"I was worried about you," he whispered.

"I would have been fine," I reassured.
His eyes glanced up toward me. "Why did you call out Morris' name?"

I was struck with silence. The clock ticked on the wall, and the freezer reset itself with a click. I couldn't say anything. Not after what I had dreamed of. I asked myself the same question Shane had pointedly asked me. I couldn't come up with an answer.

"I was dreaming about the community center," I sighed, my chest seizing up. "He must have come up at some point." Shane looked back at the floor, considering his next words.

"It was a little weird hearing my boss's name," he stated. I could imagine why. "I mean, after a night like last night, it was almost devastating." I put the peas up to his hand while he spoke. He accepted them with his left hand wearily, and weighed them for a second.

"I'll get a new pack," I said as I stood, taking the old one with me. As I shuffled through the freezer, I heard Shane groan again. I brought back a bag of carrots and a kitchen towel.

"What happened, Shane?" I asked as I wrapped the towel around the bag. As I kneeled, he tried to take the pack. I pulled it away. It was clear that I wasn't going to cooperate unless he was.

"Don't worry, I deserved it." he gruffly spoke. I tilted his head back, forcing him to move how I wanted him to move. His hand stayed over his eye, and I pulled his elbow down.