Shane x Self-Conscious Reader (Gender Neutral)

139 4 1
                                    

Word count: 696

"Alright you guys, get inside."

Just along the edges of the horizon, the sun was beginning to sink slowly into the ground. After a long, gruelling day of hard work, it was time to put the animals into the barn for the night, then call it a night for yourself.

You closed the large, wooden door once you helped usher the last two cows in into the barn. You stood inside, looking at your animals as they slowly walked around, pondering where to sleep tonight. One sheep, in particular, had already found a spot and nestled in. It must have been fast asleep.

"Yeah, I feel you there, buddy."

You sat down next to the resting sheep, gently running your hand along the top of its wool coat as you did so. Your husband, Shane, must have been back in the house by now. Every night since he moved in, he took the liberty of herding the chickens and ducks into the coop before nightfall. You breathed out heavily as you stopped moving your hand, which caused the sheep to curiously look up at you.

"You think I'm doing ok, right? I'm not being a bad parent?"

It simply blinked in response.

"Don't give me sass." You paused, becoming lost in thought, until the lamb next to you bleated loudly, snapping your attention back to it. "Sorry, sorry," you said. "I've just been feeling like I'm not good enough or something lately. I have no idea what it is. I think it might be Shane. I just mean in the sense that.. y'know, I'm actually in a serious relationship now, and I can't afford to mess it up."

You looked down toward the sheep, who was now completely knocked out. "You didn't even understand a word I was saying, did you?"

"Don't be silly, I understood you perfectly."

You jumped up from the floor, shooting your gaze directly to the smaller barn door. "Yoba, Shane, you scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry, sorry. Guess that was funnier in my head."

You both stared at each other in silence. Not a single word or sound from each other for what felt like forever.

"So... how long exactly were you standing there?" you asked.

"Not long. I mean, I heard what you said, but not long."

"Shane, I think I'd consider that to be long."

"Look, I'm not that good with words. There isn't much that I can say in this scenario that can just magically make everything better, no matter how much I wanted to. But I can tell you this." He walked towards you, pulling you around your waist into a tight hug. You nuzzled your head into the crook of his neck. "You don't have to be perfect all of the time to be my partner. Just the fact that you are my partner, and the fact that you genuinely care and do your best to show that, is ok for me."

A warm smile spread across your face as you squeezed him tighter. One of his hands hovered up towards your head, gently stroking your hair downward. "I just wanna thank you for everything you've done for me," he sighed. "I would be in a much different place now if it weren't for you."

You mildly pulled backwards to look at him. It was easy to tell that he was trying so hard not to smile. "There was never a time that I didn't care, Shane." A smile broke across his face as he squeezed your hand into his. "I turned you into a softy, didn't I?" you playfully teased. "Shut up," he chuckled in reply, just before glancing over to the door. "It'd probably be a good time to head back to the house now. Gotta let these guys sleep."

"Yeah. Let's go home." You both turned to face toward the door, you resting your head against his shoulder as you both walked out. The sky was now obscured by twilight, the sun having been completely disappeared. Maybe today hadn't been so bad, after all. You had your husband and he had you, and neither of you could ever ask for anything more.

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