Shane x Reader - A Stardew Valley Story

Chapter 2: Chipping Away

(Notes: I decided to redo chapters 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)

~Shane's POV~

Shane woke up in a cold sweat after another nightmare. He'd been having similar nightmares for months now. Ever since the accident, really. He still dreamed about that night, the night his life had gone to shit. He got out of bed and waded through the piles of clothes, trash and beer cans to the bathroom. He tried - and failed - not to look at himself in the mirror as he washed his hands. He was definitely gaining weight and, to his disgust, he seemed to be developing a beer belly. His face looked haggard and unkempt.

After scrutinizing his appearance for way too long, he dressed in the same clothes he wore everyday and went into the kitchen to microwave whatever was in the fridge for breakfast. He joined Jas at the kitchen table, where she was playing with her dolls.

"Hey, Shane," she smiled.

"Hey Jas," he grumbled. Though it was always good to see her smiling, the caring part of him seemed buried beneath a sea of despair and apathy most of the time.

"Barbie says hello, too" Jas said, waving her Barbie's arm at him.

"Hello Barbie," he gave a little wave back.

After he finished breakfast, he headed off to work. It was a lovely spring morning, bees buzzing, butterflies fluttering, flowers blooming. But Shane couldn't bring himself to care about that sort of thing anymore. Like the world had been sapped of colour, everything a miserable grey-scale.

He trudged through the almost empty town on his way to the Joja mart where he worked. He liked the quiet, lonely mornings. And they had been until a week ago, when the new farmer moved in. She'd been bothering him everyday on his way to work but nothing he said to her made her go away. Why did she bother him so? Could she not take the hint?

There she was, stood outside Pierre's as usual. She had broad, strong shoulders and she wore a pair of blue denim dungarees over a plain white t-shirt. Complete with big brown boots, she really fit the description of farmer.

"Hey Shane," she said. He didn't know where she'd learned his name, or who'd told her.

"What do you want from me? Money? I'd give you a pot of gold to leave me alone!" He seethed but again, it was a muted anger, dulled by his own self-hatred.

"Pay up then," she smirked, holding her hand out. When he didn't offer her anything she said, satisfied: "That's what I thought."

He made to walk away from her, but she followed him, walking with him to work.

"Why do you talk to me? Out of all the people who live in this town, you talk to me?" He asked, still mad.

"Because you need a friend and I like you. Why don't you talk to anyone?" She fired back

"Because I'm fucked up and I just want to be left alone."

"And is that helping you?"

"Is annoying me helping you?"

"Yes," she grinned innocently.

Ugh, there was no winning with this woman. He hadn't met someone who'd gotten under his skin as quickly as she did.

"Well, I'm sure I'll see you later," Shane groused as he entered the Joja mart. Luckily, the farmer seemed allergic to this place, though he couldn't blame her. He had to deal with Sam during the work day, with his non-stop jabbering, he didn't need another annoying person in his life.

~Farmer's POV~

You watched as Shane disappeared inside the cage that was Joja mart, unwilling to even go near it. You'd finally got a reaction out of him today. You weren't being annoying without purpose. You knew the numbing of a sick mind well. How easy it was to fall into that pit of despair and stop feeling anything at all. Like you were drowning in a tsunami of depression and all your other feelings were buried so far beneath the surface, you didn't know if they existed anymore. So you were very happy that he'd finally gotten angry at you today. Anger was better than apathy.

~

Later that night, you decided to check out the Saloon for the first time. You weren't the most sociable person by any means, you preferred your own company most of the time but you were curious.

Entering the Saloon, you were greeted with lovely music and chatter and the smells of cooked food. Willy and Clint sat at a table together, as did Marnie and Lewis. Leah sat by herself on the left and Pam was sat at the left of the bar, drunk as hell. You could see Sam and Sebastian playing billiards in the room to your right, Abigail watching intently. And then there was Shane. Shane sat at the bar, sipping away at a pint of beer. Probably his 3rd already tonight, you thought. You took a seat at the right of the bar, right next to Shane.

"What can I get ya, love?" Gus approached you.

"I'll have a pizza and a beer please," you ordered.

"Of course, coming right up!"

You felt Shane's attention on you. But you ignored him. You loved pizza anyway, but you'd learned from Marnie that it was Shane's favourite, too. Marnie had seemed so eager that you'd shown an interest in Shane.

"Thanks Emily," you said as she placed a heavenly looking pizza in front of you and a mug of beer.

"No problem," She smiled "Enjoy your meal!" Then she rushed off to serve Pam another beer.

"Cheers!" You clinked your glass against Shane's. He just ignored you, content to mope alone. But that just wouldn't do.

"So how was your day, Shane?" You said merrily, tucking into your pizza.

"Seriously, what do you want from me? Why can't a guy just enjoy his beer alone?"

"I told you already: I just want to be your friend. And you're not enjoying your beer, you're moping."

Shane just grunted.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Ugh, my day was fine. Same as always."

"And that is? Walk me through a day in the life of Shane."

"Well, I wake up after a terrible night's sleep, I microwave leftover pizza for breakfast, I walk to work and am annoyed by the local farmer-" he shot a pointed glare at you, you just smiled angelically "I work a mind-numbingly dull job dealing with the dumbest of the population, who somehow seem to make up a worryingly large portion of it. Then, I go to the Saloon to enjoy my beer. Alone."

"You know, I used to work for Joja. I worked in the offices, in a cubicle, all day. It was miserable. I can't stand Joja." You'd finished your pizza and were now sipping away at your beer.

"That's why you won't go near the Joja mart, huh? Yeah, I don't blame you. I hate it there. I can't stand the manager, Morris. Capitalist piece of shit. Can you believe they sell shit like 'Take home churro kits' and 'dehydrated shrimp snacks'?"

"Ugh, it's despicable." You shook your head.

"You know, you're not quite as annoying as I thought,"

"Wow, that's almost a compliment. I'll take that," you laughed. "You know, you're not as mean as I thought,"

He grunted again but a ghost of a smile crept onto his face.

"Well, I better be heading home. I've got plenty of work to do as always. It was nice talking to you, Shane." You smiled sincerely at him.

"Sure, see ya around." He muttered.

You paid your bill and left the saloon. You weren't lying: it was nice to talk to Shane, to see him open up. You knew what it was like, secluding yourself and forcibly blocking everyone, keeping that wall around you up. And, to your delight, he wasn't all that different to you.