Stardew Valley x Reader

Relax (Maru)

(Fluff) (Male Reader)

24 Mountain Road. The home of a creative and interesting family. (M/N) was visiting to ask Robin about a house renovation and had just finished up the paperwork when he heard an aggravated cry coming from down the hall. He recognized the voice as belonging to Maru and looked to Robin with a questioning glance. "May I ask what that was about?"

Robin sighed with a pitying expression. "Maru has been trying to fix one of her inventions and hasn't been having much luck. Poor thing." She shook her head. "She's been like this for a few days now and neither Demetrius or I can seem to cheer her up." They both looked towards the hallway where they heard a thump coming from Maru's room. "Want to give it a shot?" Robin asked, looking at (M/N) with hopeful eyes.

(M/N) sighed and ran a hand through his (H/C) hair. "I mean... I can try at least." Robin smiled and directed him down the hall. Glancing behind him to make sure he wasn't tracking mud down the hallway, he turned to the leftmost door and knocked gently. "Hey Maru? It's (M/N) from the old farm. Can I come in?" He got a groan in response along with a muffled 'yes'. Pushing open the door, he was met with starry wallpaper and a floor littered with tools. Maru was lying face down on her bed, her glasses on the floor clearly having fallen off the edge of the mattress and had not yet been retrieved.

Maru's body shifted under the comforter as her head turned to face the newcomer to her room. "Hey (M/N)..." She mumbled. (M/N) immediately felt pity in his heart, the girl looked like a disaster. Her maroon hair was a tousled mess, she had dark bags under her amethyst eyes and it looked as if she had been crying recently.

"Maru..." (M/N) began walking towards the girl, carefully stepping around and over the parts and tools scattered on the floor. "What in the name of Yoba happened to you?" He sat on the bed next to her and placed a calloused hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles through the blanket.

"I'm stuck, (M/N). Completely stumped." She sighed. "No matter what I do, I can't fix this stupid machine. I feel like an idiot!" Frustrated tears began filling her eyes and (M/N) could feel his heart break. He wanted to help her, he really did, however gadgets weren't really his forte. But seeing her stressed to the max like this was painful.

Coming up with an idea on the spot, he moved from his seat on the bed to crouching down beside it. He picked up the red-framed glasses from the floor and held them out to Maru with a smile. "I think you need to take a break. You're going to drive yourself insane like this." She took the glasses and put them on, sitting up to see what the boy was going to do. (M/N) turned so that his back was facing Maru. "Hop on, I'm going to take you to get some fresh air." He said, glancing over his shoulder at her.

She mulled the idea over in her head for a moment. Maybe (M/N) was right, maybe she needed a break. It might do her some good, and it wouldn't hurt to get some air. "Okay." She nodded, her voice cracking slightly. After clearing her throat, she asked, "Are you sure you'll be able to carry me?" While she was by no means insecure about it, Maru was fully aware that she wasn't the lightest of people. She didn't want (M/N) to strain himself.

All he did was laugh. "Now don't start underestimating me, darlin'. Now c'mon, let's get going." Maru flushed lightly at the pet name but didn't question it and instead carefully climbed onto (M/N)'s back. Hooking his arms underneath her legs and making sure she was holding onto him, (M/N) stood, lifting Maru with no effort at all. Working on the farm for quite some time now had left him incredibly strong. Carefully stepping over the minefield of tools, he carried Maru down the hall and out the front door, calling out to Robin that he was borrowing her daughter for the afternoon. (M/N) took a deep breath and exhaled with a smile on his face. "Smell that fresh spring air! Nothing better than some time outdoors to get your mind off things."

He felt and heard Maru sigh. She's thinking about that gadget again... I need to distract her... "Hold on tight!" He said, coming up with another on the spot idea. A look of confusion crossed the girl's face before (M/N) took off at a sprint down the mountain road. Maru squealed in surprise and gripped on tightly to the man's shoulders. Those squeals soon bubbled into laughter as the wind whipped through her hair and the world blurred into passing colors around her. (M/N) began laughing along with her while being sure not to trip over anything in their path.

Coming down the road from the mountain, the two wove through Pelican Town trying to avoid running into things, laughing and cheering the whole way. Sprinting past the bus stop, they reached the gates of (F/N) Farm. (M/N) lowered Maru to the ground, she stumbled for a moment before steadying her feet and looking around. "What are we doing here?" She asked, looking up at her male companion.

"Well ya see, when I said I was going to take you to get some fresh air, I didn't actually think of anything beyond that." He said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "And I do still have a few chores to get done, but I thought this place might be a nice distraction. To try and help you relax a bit." He grinned at her, proud of his last minute plan.

Maru's eyes trailed form the farmer's grin to the landscape surrounding her. She saw the trees, the flowers, and the crops. There was a greenhouse and a big barn in the distance surrounded by fencing. She could hear the singing of birds, the buzzing of insects, and the calls of the various animals that lived there on the farm. An orange tabby cat trotted over to the two of them and began rubbing up against Maru's legs, meowing incessantly. "Aww, what a cutie!" She cooed, crouching down to pet the feline.

"That's (C/N). He catches all the mice around here so they don't destroy the crops or steal the chicken's food." (M/N) told her, also kneeling down to pet the cat. "I enjoy his company too. It'd be kinda lonely here without him." He sighed before standing up. "Anyway, I actually do need to get a few things done. Care to tag along? Or you can just wander and relax, I don't mind."

Maru stood as well after giving (C/N) one more chin scratch. "I'll come with you, I'm curious as to what you do out here all day." She said, following the farmer down the path to the farmhouse. She spent the day watching him and helping when she could. He taught her the proper way to milk a goat and how to use a cheese press. He let her hold one of the baby chicks that had hatched recently and gave her some bread crumbs to feed to the ducks. She helped with harvesting the crops and picking ripe strawberries, although she ended up eating most of them. And as the day drew to a close, the two of them sat on the farmhouse porch eating a hearty meal that (M/N) had whipped up.

"So, did you have a good day?" He asked, glancing over at her.

"Today was the best! Full of fun new experiences, I loved every minute of it." Maru was grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you, (M/N). You really helped me a lot today."

"Of course," He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her palm. "I'm always happy to help."

A bright blush made itself apparent on Maru's cheeks and she smiled. She finally felt relaxed.