Stardew Valley Shane x Reader

Happy Birthday

Shane's birthday was coming up and you wanted to get him something he would like. Asking about him was a little more intimidating than you originally thought though. You kept thinking about all the possibilities. What if they thought you were weird? Some kind of stalker? What if Emily liked Shane? What if they decided to lie to you? I'm overthinking again...I can do this. I just have to ask them. One afternoon, you decided to stop by the saloon when it was still fairly empty. You rushed in with a serious face and wide eyes.

"Good afternoon!" you said a little louder than usual.

"Hey, Y/N," Emily said giving you a smile, "What are you doing here so early?"

"I have a question!" you were coming off a little strange, but didn't back down.

"Um, okay. What is it?" Emily and Gus looked at each other then back at you.

"Could you please tell me what Shane likes besides beer?" you continued trying to be confident.

"Is there anything else?" Gus chuckled as he continued to dry off a glass.

"Gus!" Emily gave him a slight tap on the arm, "Well, I'm friends with Shane so I can tell you. I know he likes spicy things and pizza. That's honestly about all I see him eat and maybe eggs.

"Sounds like that boy should fix up his diet." Gus shook his head.

"Maybe, but I think everyone could learn to be accepting of others." Emily smiled at you again.

"Yea! And maybe he'll grow to like other things later. He probably just doesn't have much time to cook since he's always working." you said defensively.

"Alright, alright," Gus chuckled again, "No need to get mad. I'm not complaining. The kid comes here about everyday so it helps my business."

"I wasn't getting mad...I was just saying." You blushed as Emily laughed.

Even though it was his birthday, Shane still ended up working that day. No one seemed to say anything to him or give him any presents. You went over to the saloon that evening. Shane was already in his usual corner, drinking beer.

"Hey, Gus. Could I have a pizza?" you asked.

"Sure thing!"

"And could you make it extra special?"

"What's the occasion?" he asked as he put your money in the register.

"Well...It's Shane's birthday and I wanted to get him something he liked." you said fiddling with your fingers.

"Ahh, got ya," he winked.

"It's not like that!" you yelled, but Gus was already walking away.

When he finally handed you the pizza, you realized it had red pepper flakes sprinkled all over the cheese. You thanked Gus and he gave you a thumbs up. You began to walk over to Shane, but before you reached him, someone else caught his attention. Emily had come out from behind the bar and was handing Shane some pepper poppers. She even gave him a hug. And he smiled. My gift isn't as good as hers. I barely even know him. Maybe I'll just be getting in the way. You put the special pizza back on the bar and promptly left the saloon. You got home quickly and tried hard to sleep. It was a complete failure. A mixture of jealousy and sadness was coursing through every part of you. You decided to go for a walk through the forest. Maybe it would help clear your head.

Emily is a friendly, cheery girl. She seems so quirky and nice and so pretty. Red lipstick looks great on her. I could never pull that off. There is no way I could compete with her. I'm just the new farmer. You walked over to the lake in the forest. Maybe you would do a little night fishing or just look at the stars. As you got closer, you noticed a faint light at the end of the dock. A figure was sitting at the edge. You quietly walked closer and realized it was Shane. It was a sad image. To see him drinking alone in the dark on his birthday. You decided to sit next to him.

"Up late, huh?"

"I wanted to say...Happy birthday, Shane."

"Gus gave me the pepper pizza you ordered for me. Thanks."

"It was no problem at all. I hope you liked it."

"Here, have a cold one." he said as he handed a beer to you.

"Oh, thank you." you both watched the black lake and a few minutes of silence passed.

"Buh...Life. You ever feel like...no matter what you do, you're gonna fail?" you looked at him with sad eyes. He continued, "...Like you're stuck in some miserable abyss and you're so deep you can't even see the light of day? I just feel like no matter how hard I try...I'm not strong enough to climb out of that hole."

"Yes, I know that feeling," you looked down at the beer, "If you're not strong enough, I'd like to help you climb out." and you chugged it.

"Heh...fast drinker, huh? (Wo)man after my own heart." he responded, disregarding what you said. You began to blush, but he didn't seem to notice. "Just don't make it a habit...you got a future ahead of you still."

"You do too."

"Right. Welp, my liver's beggin' me to stop. Better call it a night. See you around, Y/N."

"Hope you have a goodnight." and he was gone.

I know better than you think...Shane...You shouldn't have to go through it. Your tears fell like light rain on the quiet darkness of the lake that night. The moonlight's gentle rays comforting you. Hopefully they were comforting him too.

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