Shane X Female Reader - Stardew Valley

Chapter 31: No Good Words

It was still dark outside, the sun had yet to rise but the same could not be said for your temper as Shane's alarm clock blared in your right ear. "Ugh, turn it off!" You whined sleepily, covering your ears with your pillow and burying your face in your boyfriend's chest.

"Hey, hey..." Came Shane's calm, quiet voice as he reached across you to turn off the alarm. "I got it." He gently wrapped his arm around you and held you close to his chest as you started to drift back into sleep...

You felt a strong, calloused, yet gentle hand running down your side, rubbing you slowly awake. "I have to get up now." Shane breathed quietly as he kissed the top of your head. His hand continued to move up and down your body, slowly letting your skin adjust to the morning. His hand traveled down to your thigh, then over your ass, then back up your side until he gently caressed your face. He pulled your body in for a tight hug. "I have to go to work, chickpea."

"Nooooo..." Was all you could manage to grumble as you felt the weight of your boyfriend leave the bed. "Stay and cuddle me!"

Generally, Shane would try to get out of bed before you could wake up, merely whispering "goodbye" and "I love you" before heading out for work. However, some mornings you could really tell it was just as hard for him to leave as it was for you to be left, and he would wake you up slightly to really see you before he left.

You absolutely hated that he had to work at Joja. The pain of watching him disappear to that hellhole every morning only motivated you to work harder on the farm so he could eventually quit and work with you full-time.

Today you were actually able to fall back to sleep after he left, a rarity but surely an indicator that you needed sleep. When you finally did wake back up, you realized that it was almost ten in the morning and you had overslept.

You figured that the stress of the interaction with Elliott the last night had worn on you more than you had realized. It was raining today, which meant all you had to do was feed the chickens, so you quickly did that before returning inside for a warm cup of coffee.

You were wearing comfy clothes, just a basic set of sweats with your hair styled in a comfortable and slightly disheveled manner. Setting the coffee pot back into its spot in the coffeemaker, you took your mug and went to sit on your couch and turn on some television.

Seconds before you were able to even grab the TV remote, a loud knock sounded from the door. In hindsight, you didn't think to check and see who was there. It was raining hard enough at this point you just wanted to help get your imposing guest into the dry house. You never made this mistake again.

"Hello, (Y/N)." Elliott stood on your front porch, closing a green and gold pinstriped parasol. "May I step in for merely a moment?"

Before you could respond, the author had welcomed himself into your home and was propping his small umbrella against the doorframe where Shane's was supposed to go. You tried not to let it bother you, the main focus was getting Elliott out as fast as possible. Shane would be so worried to find out that he was alone with you again. "What can I do for you today?" You asked, folding your arms together as you watched him walk around your kitchen.

"Break up with your boyfriend." He said quickly before looking to see your reaction. Your eyes grew wide. "Just kidding!" He laughed, but you could tell that wasn't the case. You tapped your foot impatiently as you waited for him to speak again. "I just wanted to come to see how you are doing, my delight."

You rolled your eyes at the pet name. Every time you met with him you realized his unwanted flowy and flattering comments were more creepy than anything else. "I'm good." You smiled cheesily. "Thanks for stopping by." You started to show him the door, but he was strolling into your living room now. You sighed and returned to the unpleasant conversation. "Anything else?"

"Yes." He mused, looking intensely at a photo of you with Shane that you had asked your boyfriend to hang on the wall for you. "I want to know what you see in him." He pointed at Shane in the photo.

"Excuse me?" This was starting to get really weird.

He shook his head as he turned to look at you. "What attracts you to this, this man?" He sat down in your armchair as you realized this conversation was about to last a lot longer than you had hoped.

You gulped as you sat down nervously on the edge of your couch. "I don't know, he's smart? Funny and kind?" You knew that you could say something better than that, but you were trying to get this man out of your house as politely and quickly as possible.

"Hmm." Elliott paused, looking out your front windows to your expanding farm. "Can I not do that for you, darling? Am I not smarter, funnier, and kinder than the drunk you let court you?"

"What?" You asked, confused at what he was insinuating. "Of course not!"

"Why?" He stood up aggressively and sat down right in front of you on the couch. "Look me in my eyes, (Y/N), and tell me you could not imagine a better life with me than that alcoholic you sleep with!" He grabbed your wrists, causing you to gasp.

"He's not an alcoholic!" You yelled at him.

Elliott, somehow, was remaining to stay calm. "He might not be acting like it right now, mon cheri, but I knew him long before you." He tightened his grip on your wrists. "Men don't change like that, you know." He shook his head, and you swore you saw a smile appear on his lips. "Even if they did, with his liver? He probably has a year left at best. Why not come to someone more reliable?"

That was it, the final straw. You had your fill of the pompous bachelor. "Elliott, you could never do for me what Shane does." You spat harshly. "He just...makes me understand what it is to be happy!" You started to smile as you thought about some of your favorite memories with Shane. Your first kiss, when he asked you to be his girlfriend, your first time together, going on your evening walks, etc. Thinking about these moments managed to calm you enough to keep talking. "He's so funny and kind to me." You looked over at the door where Elliott had placed his umbrella in Shane's spot. "I can be such a perfectionist, but he makes me realize that it's okay to not always be perfect. At the end of the day, there's no one I would rather see than him." You smiled, thinking about how much it would make Shane blush to know you had said those things about him.

You broke free from where Elliott was holding your wrists and stood up quickly running over to the door and opening it. "Now please, for the love of Yoba, leave!"

He looked shocked as he quickly grabbed his parasol and walked onto your porch. He started speaking again before you could slam the door behind him. "You should be aware that my love for you will not falter, and when this 'relationship' of yours fails, I will be at my cabin, awaiting your apology."

You slammed the door in his face and ran into your bedroom, where you instantly began to cry. You fell face first onto your bed and let the warmth of the sheets calm you as you wished for nothing more than Shane to be there comforting and protecting you. Only more reason for him to come work on the farm with you. You were too kind and forgiving, Shane wouldn't have let him into the house if you had said so. If only he had been here to put the over-assertive author in his place sooner.

You reached down to the floor and grabbed the shirt he had slept in last night. You cuddled it close to you as you smelled Shane's scent on it, a perfect mix of grass, vanilla, musk, and the tiniest tinge of hot pepper. You started bawling into his shirt, convulsing with every breath. Why wouldn't Elliott just leave you alone?

✏️ A/N: It seems like Elliott cannot learn his place. What do you all think? Next Sunday, June 12, 2022, I will release Chapter 32: How Do You Solve A Problem. Thank you all so much for reading! xoxo Kira