shane x reader one shots

the future is a mystery

gender neutral reader - no pronouns or name used :) based around his 2 heart event. 

cw: alcohol mentions

"The future is a mystery." My grandfather always used to tell me that when I was young. He tried to get me excited about growing up, getting older... but I never had the same joy in life that he did.

It's my first full day on his old farm, down in Pelican Town, and I've quickly realized that I have bitten off way more than I can chew. While Mayor Lewis was kind enough to get me started with some seeds, I barely knew where to go from there. My corporate background is definitely not doing me any favors on this side of town.

After messing around with the tools for a while, I finally am able to get the parsnip seeds under the dirt. Good enough start, I guess? I'm exhausted, and it's barely 10 AM. Yoba, days here feel so much longer.

I decided to head out and meet some of the townspeople that day. I met Harvey, who was nervous, but kind, and Evelyn, who seemed like the sweetest person in this entire place. Pierre was okay, and seemed nice enough but... I don't think I want to be having any more than small talk with that man.

Eventually, evening rolls around, and I ponder over heading to the saloon. It seems like a great way to meet the rest of the people I didn't meet, and I would kill for a hot meal right now.

Swinging open the doors to Gus' saloon, my eyes land on a woman with bright blue hair, and then immediately next to her, a worn looking man. Before I could do anything, everyone inside turned to look at me. Given, there weren't that many people inside, as it was only a Monday.

"You must be the new farmer! Come in, come in. It's great to finally meet you!" Gus exclaimed, seemingly happy to finally see a new face in this place. "How about this... I'll give you a plate of spaghetti, my treat." He leaned slightly closer, "You look like you need it."

"Oh, are you sure?" He nodded, clearly not willing to shift his position. "Well, thank you very much. It means a lot! I truly am exhausted already." I nervously giggled, not wanting to put too much of a damper on his mood. When he went back to prepare the food, I found myself drifting towards the man isolating himself in the corner of the bar.

"Hey! I'm sure you know who I am already, but I thought I would-" I immediately got cut off.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up. Go away." He stated coldly, not even making eye contact.

"Oh. Alright. Sorry to bother you." I walked back to my seat at the bar, but this time with a bit less pep in my step.

The blue haired woman came over to me, clearly having known exactly what was going to happen the whole time. "Hey, I'm Emily! Sorry about him, by the way. Shane isn't exactly the friendliest person..."

"Oh, it's no worries. Just wasn't expecting that, you know?" She nodded in response, with a slight frown on her face. With almost perfect timing, Gus came back with my beautiful plate of spaghetti. Wow, I see why everyone recommends his cooking so much. It was the most delicious spaghetti I'd ever had.

As I walked home, there was something in the back of my mind, still bothering me. Why did this 'Shane' just brush me off like that? Was he really just that much of an asshole? Yoba, I can't stand people like him.

***

Well, I'll admit I tried. For 3 months, I've tried to talk to Shane, to no avail. No matter what I say, or what I do, or even if I give him a gift that Marnie told me he loves, he gives nothing in response. Just another "Go away," or "Stop talking to me."

I thought that maybe, just maybe, there was more to him underneath. That maybe, he was more than just a wet bag of tortilla chips. But, as I trekked down to the forest, I finally accepted that I can't be friends with everybody in town. Not everyone will like me, and that's totally okay with me.

As I got to where the traveling cart should be, I realized that I totally fucked up. It was actually a Saturday night, and I made this walk down here for no damn reason. Ugh! I already had an exhausting enough day, I didn't need more making me mad.

When I turned to go back, I did a double-take as I noticed someone sitting on the dock. Who even comes down here?

"Uh, hello?" I call out, somewhat quietly. I don't want to disturb them too much... but I gotta make sure that it's not some crazy axe murderer or something. As I slowly approached, I quickly am able to make out the features... Shane.

"What are you doing out here so late?" He asked, clearly quite drunk. I don't say a word, too tired to respond. I simply walk down the dock, and take a seat next to him.His eyes widened, expecting me to do approximately anything other than that. It quickly faltered, though, him accepting this fate. Shane grabbed the last two beers from his six pack, and handed me one.

"Buh... life," He sighed. "You ever feel like... no matter what you do, you're gonna fail?" I nodded. Boy, do I ever. I was so far in over my head with this farm... I tried to remember my grandfather's words, how he used to inspire me, but right now, it was getting too much. Despite how much I could relate, I didn't say a word. He didn't sound finished.

"...Like you're stuck in some miserable abyss and you're so deep you can't even see the light of day?" Yeah. He gets it.

"Every day," I whispered. "Every single day." He looked over at me, wearing an expression I couldn't quite read. He took a big swig of his beer, and then continued.

"I just feel like no matter how hard I try... I'm not strong enough to climb out of that hole." Me neither. I looked over at him, melancholic expressions clear on both our faces.

"Yeah, I'm in the same place right now," I started. "The farm is taking so much work, and I'm barely making any profits still. Some nights I don't even know if I'll be able to eat, you know? I've just been thinking, like, did I make a mistake, moving here?" I dumped my thoughts onto him, without even really thinking about it. I guess we got a fair trade here.

"Oh, no. You'll be fine. You're strong, I can tell." He replied, taking another drink from his drink.

"I'm sure you will, too. You know, this might sound cheesy, but whenever I feel like I'm in too deep, I try to remember what my grandpa used to tell me. He would always say, 'The future is a mystery.' To be honest, I don't know how that was supposed to help me, but sometimes it reminds me that anything can happen, y'know?" I impulsively chugged the last of my beer, and stood up. "I can tell you're having a hard time right now. I'm here, if you need me. Just so you know."

I could feel his eyes on me as I walked away, leaving the relationship between us almost as mysterious as when we started. The walk back to the farmhouse was grueling with the combination of exhaustion and alcohol, but I made it back alright. As I jumped into my bed, I had only one thought on my mind.

Maybe there is more to him than I thought.