Stardew Valley - Dark Blue: When The Chickens Came Home To Roost (Shane)

Chapter 8: For What It's Worth

Shane gladly skipped out on most events and holidays — but the luau was not one of them. He didn't give a shit about the festivities, but the food was a whole different story. He'd actually been fasting for a full day in preparation once Summer 11 finally came around, despite the fact that he'd helped Odd Jobs set up the beach the day before, and his stomach had complained the whole time. Worth it.

He rolled out of bed extra early, and for the first time in months, he felt fucking great. A full night's sleep without any toxins coursing through his bloodstream had done his body good — who would have guessed it? He brushed his teeth, rinsed water over his face, and shaved three days worth of stubble off his chin. He shrugged on a fresh blue button down shirt and some clean black shorts. Against his better judgement, he looked himself over in the mirror once he'd finished dressing, and he couldn't fucking believe it — his stomach actually wasn't bloated. Despite the fact that his hair definitely needed a good cut, Shane almost looked like his old self. He shrugged at his reflection and turned for the door.

Jas and Marnie sat at the table, eating eggs and toast. Marnie glanced up at him from her newspaper in passing, but when she cast her eyes back down, she quickly did a double take.

"My, my, look at you!" She simpered. "What's the occasion, my dear boy?"

Shane felt his cheeks heat up. "Soup party at the beach — duh." He picked up Jas, who squealed as he hugged her against him. "Are you ready to eat so much food that you can't move, kiddo?"

"Yes!" Jas cried, throwing her arms around his neck. "I hope they have pink cake!"

"They'll have it just for you," he promised, kissing her cheek as he placed her back in her seat.

"Go on and get dressed now, Jas," Marnie said, giving the girl a pointed look. "We don't want to be late."

Jas beamed at them, climbing out of her seat and skipping down the hall.

Marnie turned her attention to Shane. "This is a good look for you," she whispered. "Jas likes you happy — and so do I."

Suddenly, he felt shy. There was no polite way to tell his aunt, who had been more of a mother to him than his own, that he still wanted to die. Well, maybe not that he wanted to die, but just that he wished he'd never been alive to begin with. Shane was fairly certain that, if he had to look death in the face, he'd still be a fucking coward. It was one of the only things that had ever kept him from ending it all — he was scared.

So he kept on. He lived every day, and he lived them miserably — no amount of sober days or kind remarks would ever fix that. So instead of disclosing any of it at all, he only smiled at her.

Within minutes, Jas returned, and her puffy dress was the same color as Shane's shirt. "We match, Shae!"

"Two peas in a pod," he assured her, high-fiving her little hand as she jumped up and down. "Let's get going — I could eat a horse."

************

The three of them took the back way to the beach, through the forest and out by Blue Moon. Shane assured them it was faster, but realistically, he just enjoyed the scenery. The screaming birds, chirping frogs, buzzing insects — he savored it like a last meal. Good days had become so few and far between, he'd learned to take what he could get. So when Marnie pointed out a wildflower and named its genus, Shane encouraged her to pluck it. And when Jas showed him her very best bird impersonation, he squawked right back. He was doing his best to no longer take them for granted.

A short time later, the trio made it to the beach, and just as Shane had feared, the whole fucking valley had turned out for the event. It wasn't every day that the smug, grape shaped mayor made his way to their neck of the woods, after all.