Shane Oneshots (Stardew Valley)

II. Bright and Early (Shane)

"What the hell?" The farmer huffed, throwing her pack down on the porch. Her land was covered in a thick layer of ice, topped off by snow. Winter had come.

She picked up her scythe and headed for the garden. The brown withered leaves of her former crops stuck out against the ice, and she shook her head as she cut them down. The farmer knew that she was going to struggle all winter; she was already scraping the bottom of the barrel to pay her bills, and she was counting on the harvest to bring in some gold.

"Stupid plants," she mumbled, swinging the scythe with more force than before, "Stupid ice. Stupid money. Stupid farmer..."

"And I thought I hated my job," a voice said, startling the farmer out of her thoughts. "What's got you all worked up, farmgirl?"

The farmer looked up at him, tossing her scythe to the side. Shane was leaning against the fence bordering the edge of her property, his elbow resting on top of one of the posts.

"I'm not a big fan of winter."

"I can tell. What did the snow ever do to you?"

"Killed my plants," she sighed, brushing the snow off the top of a stump so she could sit on it. Shane nodded as he took a sip of his beer. "Now I'm gonna have to go fishing or mining just to pay the bills."

"That sucks... You ever think of applying for Joja-Mart?" The farmer's eyes wandered down to his jacket, branded with the store's name. She'd seen him there on a few occasions, mostly wandering into the store to waste time whenever she didn't have much else to do.

She laughed, "Why, so I can suffer right along with you?"

"Misery loves company." Shrugging his shoulders, Shane gave her a crooked smile, a rarity around the valley.

"I'll think about it."

Kicking her heel against the root of the stump, the farmer weighed her options. Working at Joja-Mart would make enough gold to pay the bills and fill her pockets, but the horror stories she'd heard about the company and its manager made her hesitate. Although, she wouldn't mind seeing Shane every day.

"...Morris isn't too unbearable," Shane finished, and she realized he'd been talking the whole time she was lost in her mind. Oops. "You'd look cute in a Joja hat."

"Thanks."

Shane gave her another grin and made his way around to the other side of the fence, picking up her abandoned scythe and swinging it around absentmindedly.

"Would you maybe finish cutting down the rest of my failed garden while I go grab an application?" The farmer asked, batting her eyelashes up at the man.

"Absolutely not, does this look like my farm?"

"Please?"

"No way in hell!"

"Shane-"

"I'm obviously gonna do it for you," Shane huffed, rolling his eyes despite the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips. "Now go, before I change my mind."

The farmer hopped off the stump, pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, and sprinted down the dirt path leading into town, leaving a dumbfounded Shane in her wake.

Acquiring the application was easy, but as she made her way back to the farm, hesitation started to fill her mind. Nobody in the town liked Joja-Mart; it was Pierre's competition. Would she be criticized for working there? Despite the fact that she'd still buy from Pierre, she feared the social repercussions. Kicking rocks as she continued to walk, she sighed.

Finally reaching the farm, her eyes settled on a shirtless Shane, hoisting a bundle of logs over his shoulder. The woman nearly dropped her stack of paperwork at the sight.

"Finished tearing your plants out," he said, "Then I realized you had a million stumps in your yard, and thought you might be too scrawny to chop them up yourself." Playfully nudging her arm, he laughed as he stacked the wood neatly in the pile.

"Thank you... Aren't you cold?"

"It's no problem, really. I needed the exercise. And nah, doll, I've been workin' hard."

The farmer forced herself to snap out of her dreamy daze and gave him a smile, "Come inside for a bit?"

Shane nodded, bending to scoop up his hoodie and shirt off the ground before following her up the steps into her home.

"This is a lot to fill out," Shane said, sitting at the table and sifting through the stack of papers, "They must've redone the forms since I applied."

"Probably, considering you've worked there for a million years."

Shane rolled his eyes, yet laughed at the comment. The farmer ruffled through a few cabinets before handing him a mug full of peppermint tea- his favorite. 

"Memorizing my favorite things now, you creep?"

"Maybe just a bit." Her voice was teasing as she sat across from him, "What are you gonna do about it?"

Shane's eyes widened and he sputtered a bit, quickly setting the mug back on the table to avoid spilling it. The farmer laughed, a belly laugh that made his heart swell. 

"I'll show you what I'm gonna do about it," Shane said as he stood from the table and lunged towards her side- yet she was swift in jumping from her own chair and sprinting down the hall, Shane hot on her trail. He finally caught up to her in her bedroom, scooping her up and tossing her on the bed. They collapsed into a fit of laughter as they laid there, both breathless from the chase. Shane propped himself up on his elbow in order to look her in the face, and taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he leaned in--

"Shane?" a voice called, startling the pair and sending them scrambling away from each other. Jas stood at the open window, her eyes barely peeking over the windowsill. Shane cleared his throat and straightened out his shirt as the farmer quickly fixed her hair. "If I knew you were coming to play with the farmer, I would've come with you!"

"Do you always peek in her windows, Jas?" Shane asked, annoyance lacing his voice yet flying over her head. 

"No! Vincent threw the ball over the fence and I had to come get it, and I could hear you guys laughing so I came to see if I was missing all the fun."

"You're not missin' out on anything fun, I promise," Shane said as he reached out the window to ruffle her hair. "Why don't you go see what Marnie's makin' for dinner? I'll be home in a bit, and we can play video games."

The farmer's heart swelled at the sight of him being so gentle with Jas, and she found herself smiling. He waved her off before closing the blinds and turning around, "Sorry about that-"

Taking a few long strides toward him, the farmer grabbed two handfuls of his shirt and yanked him down to press her lips to his. His hands found her waist, and she rejoiced in the warmth they left on her skin. Her nimble fingers tangled in his hair to bring him in closer before they finally parted to breathe. 

"All I had to do to get you to kiss me was tear some plants up and chop some wood?"

"Pretty much." 

"See you tomorrow morning, then," he grinned, "I think there might be a few more stumps on the south side of the farm, and I wouldn't want you to have to chop them yourself..."

"Sure, tough guy. Now, you'd better be gettin' home before Marnie breaks down my door."

She pulled him in for a hug, and Shane realized how long it had been since he'd had a real, tight hug. The farmer noticed how he held her against him, her head pressed against his chest- he really was tall. When they pulled away, she led him out to the living room where she opened the door and gave him a smile. 

"Bright and early," she called as he jogged down the steps and began to head towards the ranch. 

"Bright and early."