Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons One Shots

The Thrash Particle (Neil x Fem!Reader/MC)

(Y/n) = your name, MC name, whatever

(Y/n) pulled a small box out of her pocket, feeling the soft velvet which coated the outside of it against her callused hands. Today was the day, she thought to herself, staring up at the bright spring sky. The farmer put the box back in her pocket as she called upon her horse, riding it into town.

Neil was closing up shop when he saw (y/n) approach his stand. He let out a disgruntled sigh, seemingly annoyed that she had waited so long to conduct business with him. "(Y/n), how many times do I have to say this? You can't come to my shop as I'm packing up. If you want to buy something, come earlier."

The girl shook her head, grinning from ear to ear. Neil furrowed his eyebrow in confusion, furrowing his brow. Suddenly, he felt anger fester inside him, cringing in annoyance. "Don't tell me you came here to chat with me."

"Goddess, Neil! I'm not here for any of that!" She giggled, which made the shopkeeper's cheeks turn the slightest shade of red. He averted his gaze, staring at a spot on the ground.

She had been living in the town for about a year now, and not a day went by for him where (y/n) didn't at least stop to say hello to him. Though he found her to be quite annoying upon first interaction, something... changed. He found himself being left in good spirits every time he finished speaking to her.

"So, then, what do you want?" He muttered, balling his hands into fists as he made eye contact with her. There was something different about her demeanor, alright. Even a grump like him could tell something was odd.

"I have a question for you..." she trailed off, a nervous smile curling onto her lips as she looked away. Goddess, Neil thought to himself, she looked adorable when she was flustered. Suddenly, he came to a realization. They had gone out multiple times before, and often spent many days and nights together. Even though he only considered it to be platonic, could she, perhaps...?

No, he told himself. There was no way.

And yet, his eyes widened in shock when the girl pulled out a small box from her pocket. He remembered it distinctly— one day, he walked into Hana's store, and he saw that box there on the shelf. There was no way.

Opening the box, (y/n) revealed that a shiny silver ring was contained inside of it. The animal breeder's heart began to race, unable to cope with the anticipation. He just needed her to say the words, and he'd gladly comply-

"So, I'm going to ask Allen to make it official tonight, and I was wondering what you think of the ring I got him. I mean, you know him better than I do, right? You guys are "bros", after all... do you think it's stylish enough for him?"

Oh. The blonde's heart sunk in his chest. He didn't feel sad, just numb. Silly you, he told himself. This is what you get. You should have expected this. After all, you have always been incredibly cold to her. A girl like her needs someone more reassuring, though... Allen? What did he have that Neil didn't? Sure, Neil was pretty frumpy and cold, but...

"Uh, Neil. Did I say something wrong?"

The boy blinked a few times, surging back to reality. The ring was still extended towards him, (y/n)'s face showcasing a concerned frown. The animal breeder scoffed, turning away from her.

"How am I supposed to know?" He growled, his tone even more hostile than usual. "Allen, Huh? Well... go ask Rod or Sanjay. I don't know."

"Do you think today is a good day to ask him?" She prodded, her tone innocent and full of genuine intentions. Neil felt too much anger and disappointment to be nice, however.

"How am I supposed to know, (y/n)?!" He yelled, his voice alerting the nearby Rod. "You're asking the wrong person, you know. I don't care! I couldn't care less about your stupid ring."

The girl's eyes widened at his words, a tiny gasp passing through her lips. Neil softened upon noticing this, though it was too late. He had already done the damage. The farmer's lip quivered, not uttering another word to the blonde as she stormed away.

After Neil had finished packing up shop, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Rod staring at him with concerned eyes, a frown on his face. "Someone's upset. Want to have a drink after this?"

The animal breeder hesitantly agreed, though he only did so by giving the pet salesman a grunt and a nod. Rod smiled in response, heading up the hill with his cart and horse in tow.

After a few hours, the two boys found themselves together in the dining room of Rod's house. Neil was slumped forwards, holding a beer bottle in his hand. Rod simply held onto a glass of water, staring at the other boy in concern. "So... you were obviously hurt about (y/n), weren't you?"

"No, I wasn't!" The blonde retorted childishly, a hostile glare in his eyes as he looked up to the pet shop owner.

"I can tell you were," Rod asserted firmly, not tolerating anymore of Neil's childish antics. "So, tell me. Why haven't you done anything if you like her so much?"

"I've known her forever," Neil insisted, locking eyes with the boy. "Way before that jerk Allen moved in. It's not fair. Why does she have feelings for HIM?!"

Rod was at a loss for words, simply scratching the side of his face nervously. Neil slammed his hands on the table, pulling himself up into a standing position.

"Neil, wait!" The boy exclaimed, though it was too late. Neil was already out the door, walking until he was out of Rod's sight. The green eyed boy folded his arms, staring at a spot on the ground. "So much for being helpful, I guess..."

Meanwhile, (y/n) sat at her dining room table, blankly staring at the box. She decided to forgo proposing to Allan, figuring she needed more time to think about things. Why had Neil reacted so negatively? Suddenly, it dawned on her. He had to have been jealous. Her face grew hot with embarrassment as she let out a groan, leaning back in her chair.

It all made sense. She felt an immense guilt in her chest as she stared at the ring, finding it to be repulsive. Suddenly, she heard a knock at her door, and the girl mustered up the strength to open it, assuming it was just Dunhill coming to badger her about the gardening tour again. But, instead...

"Neil?"

The blonde stormed into her house without warning, his expression blank as he did so. "Hey, what's the matter?" The girl asked him, though he didn't respond.

Wordlessly, the animal breeder pulled out a velvet box from his pocket. The girl gasped, cupping her hands over her mouth as he opens it, revealing a slender silver ring.

Neil had purchased the ring a while ago. In fact, he could remember the exact day he did so. It was the day he met her. He had carried it with him since then, telling himself that he would find a girl to give it to one day.

"Please don't make it official with Allen," the pleaded, extending the box out in front of him. "You know, I bought this ring the day you moved in. I didn't think anything of it, but... I've been carrying it with me since. Using it as a sign that I needed to think about settling down soon. Little did I know, you're the one I wanted to settle down with. I've loved you forever, (y/n). Will you..."

"Oh, Neil," she cut him off, pulling him into an embrace. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she held him silently, not another word being exchanged between them. Once she pulled away, she let out a small laugh.

"You know, that ring was for you, after all. I was planning on testing the waters to see how you liked it, but my plan backfired," she explained. Neil turned bright red, feeling his heart race.

"Are you SERIOUS?!" He yelled, causing the girl to giggle in response.

"Yes, I am," the farmer replied, causing his anger to only heighten. "But it doesn't matter, Neil. I love you too. Ever since we met, you've always been there to help me. So... let's make it official?"

The blonde suddenly felt small, nodding meekly. He was only able to get one word out.

"Absolutely."

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