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eleven years later - part i

This is a bit of a little fanficiton I'm writing about my farmer and Shane (very headcannon heavy oopsy). Gives him a tragic backstory and explains how the farmer is related to it and how they navigate their relationship when she moves to Pelican Town.

Settling in was easy for AJ. Being used to change, she simply moved her stuff and got to work. Books on how to grow crops were strewn about her one-room house, and the results of those books were growing outside. She hoped to the stars above that her first crop would turn out okay- not for lack of funds, but to show everyone in town that she truly was a farmer- definitely not a Hollywood wash-up who grew tired of the industry. Her third day in the valley was spent at the beach fishing with the rod she'd been given by Willy. She wasn't a huge fan, but hey, it was money. After reduntantly rinsing her hands in the ocean, she took the path over the bridge back to her farm. Rain had been falling in buckets all day, which had kept most people inside. AJ's home was so small and dank that she'd take an umbrella over her roof. She had been hearing rolling thunder in the distance all day, but nothing too major.

Her boots made a gross squish sound as they trudged through the grassy forest near the cliffs. She'd been humming a tune to herself when she heard a low groan from across the woods. She paused, her brows furrowing to a glare, searching for the source of the sound. She stood silent, alert, as she heard yet another. Following the sound of it, she came across a lump of a human on the ground beside the cliff. He was surrounded by beer cans and a bottle of scotch. He was lying on his back, hopelessly sputtering in the heavy rain.

"Hello?" AJ sort of yelled, clutching her umbrella nervously.

"Ungh," was the only response.

She nealt beside the man, placing her umbrella in the dirt to cover his face from the rain. Taking a better look at his face, she found herself frozen with fear. His blue eyes met hers and went from cloudy and hopeless to confused.

"AJ?" he slurred, "what..."

"What happened?" she asked softly, "are you-"

"I'm sorry," he said, "you wouldn't be... proud..."

AJ was suddenly aware of the mere foot between Shane and the cliff, so she positioned herself on the other side of his body to act as a barrier.

"Get away from there," Shane protested weakly.

"You're too close," she replied, trying to push him away.

"Maybe that was on purpose."

She paused, her eyes on his, feeling tears falling from her eyes and mixing with the raindrops on her cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"Do I fucking... do I look okay?" he burped, "I'm a mess... I'm too small and stupid to take control of my life..."

"Shane," she protested, "I- I don't know-"

"Tell me why I shouldn't roll off this stupid cliff right now?" he seemed to speak to an invisible force, his eyes up towards the dark sky.

"Shane," she said again, her hand moving towards his cheek. She stopped herself.

"Tell me, AJ," he sputtered, "there's no way you're real, anyway. I'm probably just talking to my own drunk delusions."

"I'm here," she began to panic, "Shane, it's m-"

"Why shouldn't I end it right... right now..."

AJ let out a cry of frustration, followed by a few shallow sobs. "I don't want you to," she said softly after a moment of cool rain running down her face, "please. I want you here."

He looked at her with an expression she couldn't read. Was this recognition? Regret? Guilt?

"I still..." he let out a soft sob and a sniffle, "I still love you AJ."

Her lip trembled, her hand on his shoulder. A wave of determination overtook her.

"I'm taking you to the hospital," she said, her tone letting Shane know that it was not optional.

She took his hands to help him up, and he drunkenly obliged. She hoisted his left arm over her shoulder and helped him to walk, forgetting her umbrella by the cliff.

"AJ," he said softly, pointlessly, as if to just hear himself say her name.

"I can't believe you're here," she managed, her voice trembling, "I thought I'd never see you again."

Shane didn't reply. He simply let her lead him to the hospital.

---

The next morning, AJ was at Marnie's door. She'd saved enough to purchase another chicken, and after reading up on how to raise chicks, she had a little more confidence.

"Hi, AJ," Marnie smiled, "what brings you in today?"

She smiled softly, fishing gold out of her pocket. "Just looking for another chicken." She placed it on the counter before following Marnie to the coop.

"I wanted to say thank you," Marnie began, sort of hesitantly, picking up a baby chick. She held it gently in her hands as she spoke. "For helping Shane last night."

AJ's expression softened. "Oh, um, yeah."

"I don't know if you knew this already, but I'm his aunt. He's alright, by the way. Just resting."

She blinked. "Oh. That's good, then."

"I'm sorry you had to see him like that. It was probably your first meeting, I bet? I promise, he's really a sweet guy. He just-"

"I believe you," AJ nodded. "I, um..." She inhaled sharply. "Did he say anthing about last night?"

Marnie twisted her lips in thought. "Not really, he just came home, told me he was alright... that's all really. Harvey told me you'd brought him in when he phoned me."

"Okay," AJ breathed. She shook her head, her expression shifting back into a casual, unbothered one. "It was no problem, really." She reached her hands out to take the baby chick, who chirped towards the roof. "See you later."

Marnie bid her goodbye, a little confused.

---

"I have to talk to him."

It was a few days later, AJ was pacing her cabin. Boxes were the only decor in her house, some full, some empty. Her kitchen was a dining table with a coffee maker, a microwave, a kettle, and a toaster. An empty wine glass sat on her beside table, the corresponding bottle on the dining table.

"He'll be home in the early morning," she theorized, "but will he even want to talk that early? He'll be a grouch, I know him." She gestured wildly as she spoke, growing more anxious with each step around the cramped cabin. The morning sun shone through her eastfacing window, casting a golden glow on her face.

"I could catch him in the evening, after supper," she put her hands on her table, gazing into the depths of her toaster. "Yoba, what would I say?"

Her face scrunched up as she felt her nose tingle with worry. What did she want? What does this mean for both of them? What does he want?

She froze in place when she heard a soft knock at her door. It was barely audible, and she wasn't even sure if she'd mishead it until she opened the door.

Shane stood there, his hands fidgeting nervously with eachother.

"Hi," AJ murmured.

"Hey," he breathed.

For a moment, all they heard was the soft coo of a mourning dove on the other side of the farm.

She examined him, stood there in jeans and a JojaMart sweater. He'd shaved his stubble since she found him on the cliff, and his dark brown hair was combed to the right.

"I just came to say I'm sorry," Shane said softly, "you shouldn't have had to see that."

She blinked, biting her lip. Gently, she took a step towards him and closed the door behind her. "I'm just glad you're still here," she told him, her eyes meeting his.

"That bad?" he sighed, "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," she said, looking down at the old wood she stood on.

"I'm sorry about everything," he stammered, "not just that."

She met his eyes again, her brows furrowed slightly, waiting for him to continue.

"I don't know why I stopped writing," he continued, a pained expression on his face, "I don't know. That's the biggest regret in my life. And I don't even know why I did it."

"We have a lot to talk about," AJ inturrupted Shane's rambling, turbulent train of thought, to his relief.

His lip quivered. "I guess we do."

She sighed, looking out at her coop, and then back at Shane. "I, um, I have to get started for the day. Cow's won't milk themselves," she sort of giggled, uncertainty in her throat, "are you free tonight? I'll make coffee."

He looked up at her, his brows raised in pleasant surprise. "Yeah, um... yeah I'm free. I'll come by around 8?"

She smiled, for the first time in the interaction, at the light that had come over his face. "Okay."

"Okay," he stammered, "I'll, uh, see you then."

He turned and stepped lightly down from her porch. For a moment, she opened her mouth to say something, but bit her tongue and returned to her house to finish her cofffee.

---

AJ's years old coffee pot hissed unforgivingly as she brought out two mugs. With her hands on her hips, she gazed around the cabin, making sure that everyhting was in place. Shane's visit was the motivator she needed to finish unpacking those boxes she'd been trying to forget about. She found herself feeling cold with anxiety while she sat on her bed in wait. She hummed quietly to her radio, letting her mind think about anything except how nervous she was.

When she heard him knock, she flinched in surprise, and then ran her hands through her blonde hair in front of a mirror before opening the door.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi."

Shane was wearing the same jeans as this morning, but the Joja sweater was replaced by a black t-shirt. His hair appeared to have been styled with gel.

"Sorry it isn't much," she said sheepishly, opening the door to let him in.

He looked around, a small smile on his lips. "It's cozy."

She poured his coffee into a mug after gesturing for him to sit down at her only chair. She sat on her bed, across from him.

"You still have that mug?" he asked. She looked down at the mug in her hand- a white mug decorated with a city skyline and purple text that read "New York City." It was the mug Shane always used when he and AJ would make hot chocolate at her childhood home.

"Yeah," she smiled, "miss it?"

"Defintiely." Shane's tone was maybe a little more genuine-sounding than it should have been.

"I don't have any milk or sugar," she told him regretfully, "and I've got no fridge for the milk anyway. I know you prefer it that way." She looked at him, and then before he could reply: "At least, you used to."

"Black coffee's fine," he said, "I kinda outgrew cream and sugar."

She sat down with her own mug. "Me too."

There was an awkward silence, though the soft melody on the radio kept the air between them light.

"It's ABBA," Shane noticed, "do you still like them?"

"'Course I do," she smiled.

He nodded, taking a sip of his coffee.

"So," she started, shakily, "have you been living here this whole time?"

Shane set his mug on her table with a nod. "Yeah."

"What do you do?"

He sort of scoffed. "I work at JojaMart. But, I also help at Marnie's ranch. I don't get paid for it, but it's much better than Joja."

She nodded. "I can imagine."

"What about you?"

"I'm a farmer," she chuckled.

"I guess, I mean, before that. How, um, how were the past eleven years?"

She let out a puff of air. "That's a loaded question."

"I've got time." Shane leaned back in his chair, taking a long sip of his coffee.

She twisted her lips in thought. "Okay. I finished high school and went to acting school. After that I started booking small roles, just commercials and stuff." She paused, gauging his interest.

He nodded intently, his eyes on hers, so she went on.

"Booked pretty minor roles for a while, and a lead in a small indie horror film. Eventually got what some might call a 'big break' role." She looked down at the floor, her eyebrows furrowed. "It, ah... didn't work out."

"What happened?"

She shook her head. "I don't really want to talk about that. Not yet."

"That's okay," he sipped his coffee.

"Uhh... anyway, after that, I didn't really want to stay in the industry. So I looked for farmland. This was the cheapest place I could find, and the soil is apperantly really good. I actually tried to put in an offer for a differnet piece of land, but it didn't work out. So I ended up here."

Shane nodded, his eyes on the floor. He was quiet for a moment, and then cleared his throat before speaking. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"Me neither," she looked at him intently, their eyes locking. "I... I don't know how to feel. I'm..." she clutched her chest, looking down at the ground. Her lip trembled against her will. "my mind is everywhere."

"I know," Shane murmured, looking down at the wooden ground.

"I just didn't expect things to be this way. I... I guess I thought you'd be okay by now."

He let out a frustrated breath, accompanied by an eyeroll. "You and me both."

The silence between them seemed loud as AJ tried and failed to put her thoughts into words. Shane was staring out the window, a scowl on his face.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm going to a rehab center. I leave next week."

She looked up at him again. "Okay."

There was another long silence. The evening sunshine casted an auburn glow on Shane's face, illuminating his green eyes. AJ stared at him a moment, deep in thought.

---

It was an evening in spring, not unlike the one AJ found herself in now. The sky was clear, and the Cougars had just won their 3rd homegame of the season. Shane celebrated with his team as AJ and the other cheerleaders discussed their next practice, and more importantly, their dates to the spring formal. AJ hadn't thought much about it, but there was a certain football player she wouldn't refuse. All of a sudden, the girl she was chatting to shifted her gaze to just behind her- a small, knowing smile growing on her lips. AJ raised an eyebrow and turned around to see Shane jogging up to her, something in his hand. When she turned around, he quickly put his hands behind his back.

"Hi," AJ greeted, when his eyes settled on hers.

"Hey, AJ," he managed, a little out of breath. "Uh, you did great today. You guys always do, but you had so much energy today."

She eyed him suspiciously but playfully. She hadn't talked to Shane much outside of the odd party. "Thanks, Shane! You know, I think it was the sun," she explained, "the reason for the energy, I mean. We're all really excited it's spring, I think." She found herself talking with her hands, gesturing wildly about the sun.

"Cool, that's cool," he stammered, "me too." He noticed AJ, glancing at his arms which went behind his back. He wasn't exactly subtle. "This is, um, for you." From behind his back he revealed a bouquet that consisted of daisies and another tiny blue flower.

AJ's eyes lit up. She looked at the bouquet, and then back at Shane. "Oh!"

"I was just wondering... I mean, I wasn't sure if you had a date to the dance already," he shifted nervously from foot to foot.

"I don't," she said slyly, taking the bouquet gently in her hands.

"Would you, uh, want to be my date to the dance?"

AJ grinned, her brown eyes twinkling in the evening sun. "I'd really like that," she laughed, before gently planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Cool," he smiled, his face red. "I'll... I'll see you then!"

"See you!"

And then he ran back to his team, who AJ now realized was watching their interaction. She smiled to herself, seeing his team cheer him on.

---

When she returned to the present, she bit her lip, looking away from Shane.

"Why did you stop writing?" she said suddenly.

This seemed to catch him off guard. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped.

"I don't know," he said, "I... I didn't feel like I should."

"Why?" she asked, sort of desperately.

He huffed. "I don't know," he told her, "I- I guess it was just hard, with everything that happened."

"You could have talked to me about it," she insisted, her lip quivering, "I could have helped! I could-"

"No you couldn't have!" He snapped.

She blinked, a tear falling down her cheek as she tried desperately not to sob. Shane met her eyes, and then his face softened.

"I'm sorry," he said, eyes to the floor. "I... I guess it was mostly... I didn't want to bring you down. I didn't think you should have to stay with a guy like me. I didn't deserve you."

She furrowed her brows, eyes set softly on him. "I loved you more than anything," she breathed, "how could you just assume something like that?"

His eyes watered, a weak expression on his face. "I put you through so much," his voice broke and he turned away.

"You didn't 'put me through' anything. I stayed with you through everything because I loved you and I... I wanted to marry you," she admitted through her tears, her voice wobbly.

Shane buried his face in his hands. He said nothing.

"I never moved on," she continued, "I tried, Shane, I tried so hard beacuse I thought you wanted nothing to do with me. I thought you'd found someone else, that you'd be married with kids by now." She sniffed, wiping tears off her cheeks. "I loved you."

The air between them felt thick with regret. They were both silent until Shane spoke again, holding his head in his hands, between his own sobs.

"I never deserved you."

AJ was about to shout something at him, tell him how wrong he was. How stupid he was for believing that. And then she softened, hearing his soft weeps. She stood up, then lowered to her knees in front of him, cautious of his personal space. He looked out at her over his hands, his eyes red with tears.

"Shane," she said softly.

He blinked, shaking his head and wiping his cheek.

"People don't deserve other people," she spoke intently into his eyes, "they just fall in love. That's it."

Shane bit his lip, still looking at the ground.

AJ offered her hand. He glanced at it, and hesitantly, he took it.

She stood up, leading him to his feet too. Cautiously, she wrapped her arms around his waist. He didn't hesitate to hold her in return.

"I'm sorry," he wept, "I'm so stupid."

"You're not stupid. You're hurting." She tried not to let her voice waver, tried to hold strong for him.

She rubbed his back silently for as long as he needed. She had been taught to never be the first to pull away from a hug, in case the person she's hugging needed it more than they were willing to say. She knew this was one of those moments. She began to wonder when Shane was last hugged.

"Thank you," Shane said after a while, pulling away from the hug and wiping his face.

"I'm always here," she told him, "you can talk to me anytime. I don't care if it's 2AM, just wake me up."

He nodded. "Sure." and then after a breath, "I should go."

AJ tried to hide her disappointment. "Oh. Okay."

"Um... I'll talk to you later."

"Sure," she nodded, taking his half-empty mug from the table. She placed it in her designated dish bucket.

He offered a small "bye" before shutting the door behind him.

AJ let out a massive breath collapsing onto her bed. She cried for a while before eventually falling asleep.

#stardew valley #sdv #stardew #stardew valley fandom #sdv shane #stardew shane #stardew farmer #stardew fanfic

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stardewvalleyfrog · 6 months

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Eden x Sebastian

A little scene I wrote during my music history class :)))

With a loud cry, Eden was knocked off her feet by the persistent, scaly serpent that hovered around her in the air. She cursed underneath her breath, scrambling for her crimson sword as the serpent raced steadily towards her. It crashed into her forehead, knocking her head back against the wall. She gasped, the cave spinning around her. She breathed quickly, her heart panicked as she took hold of her sword and held it like a shield over her head, blocking the serpent as it continued. As she tried to level her consciousness, a mummy appeared in her blurred vision. With a rush of adrenaline, she swiped her sword across the serpent and the mummy, knocking them back a little bit. She attempted to stand while she had the time, but her vision became clouded with a sort of static and she flopped back down to the ground, her sword still ready. At that moment, she heard a cry from Sebastian.

“Hey!” he shouted, with a swing at the serpent. She could see his wounds- his black shirt was ripped at his chest and blood stained the fabric. His neck had a gash dangerously close to what Eden knew was an important vein, and he limped along as he slashed at the serpent, the mummy, and the serpent that had just arrived to the party. Her heart pounded and her mind filled with worry for Sebastian. He was hurt. Eden attempted to stand now that the monsters were off her ass and helped Sebastian. With newfound energy, she swung at the monsters. But her head was dizzy and her strikes were not as accurate as they usually were.

“Sit down, Eden,” Sebastian told her through strained grunts. To her right a bat approached and she attempted to swing at it, but missed and it swiped its claws at her neck.

“No,” she grunted in reply, landing a strike at the bat. She fought with the thing for a while, her head pounding.

“Please Eden, I can handle this!” His voice cracked as he yelled in desperation.

“I’m okay!” she protested, blocking the bat with the flat side of her sword. Eventually Sebastian swung his sword of obsidian at the bat, ending the battle. Eden looked behind her to survey the cave when suddenly Sebastian’s arms were around her waist, picking her up and bringing her in the opposite direction. A loud bang echoed through the cave and the smell of a smoking bomb filled her nose as Sebastian set her back down onto the ground.

She let out a grunt of frustration, stabbing the dirt of the cave with her sword.

“You don’t need to do that,” she told him.

He narrowed his eyes. “Do what, save you?”

“I don’t need saving,” she growled, focusing her eyes on his face. He was covered in dust and blood scattered across his cheek.

“You were on the ground, you could barely hit that bat. You’re hurt, Eden.”

“You are too!” She pointed her sword at him accusingly, “I’m not some damsel in distress. You can’t just swoop in and save my life or whatever. I would have been fine. I always am.”

“Yeah, always, because you always explore skull fucking cavern on your own. Come on.”

“I’m just saying, you don't need to be like that.”

He threw up his arms in exasperation. “Like what? Okay Eden, I’m sorry I care about you.”

“Stop that,” she said, her fiery gaze holding his.

He went on. “I’m sorry I don’t want to take any chances with your life. I’m sorry I want you in my future, okay? I’m sorry for wanting to protect you because I love you.”

Her scowl softened, but only slightly. With fiery passion. She stepped towards him.

“Do you mean that?” she asked with a glare.

He inhaled sharply and then nonchalantly replied: “yeah, of course I do.”

Eden’s sword fell from her hand and clattered against the floor of the cave. Her hand touched his cheek and his arms wrapped around her waist. Before either of them could wait any longer their lips met in a fiery, passionate kiss. Eden’s arm held him closely, protectively. Eventually when their lips parted, she met his eyes and whispered.

“I’m sorry.”

He blinked. “Why?”

“For acting like that. I didn’t think about your… your fears and stuff.”

He nodded, his forehead against hers. “It’s ok.”

“Just… my whole life I’ve been made out to be someone weak who needs help. I hated it, and you never made me feel like that before today. I guess that’s why I was so mad.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t realise you felt like that.”

She shook her head, taking his hand. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” She glanced at his watch, which read 10:10. “We should go back.”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

(How do i end a scene!!!???)

#stardew valley #sdv #stardew #stardew valley fandom #sdv sebastian #sebastian stardew valley #stardew fanfiction

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