Hello! So, after playing Stardew Valley for a few months, I've really grown attached to the game. It's a lot of fun to play and the characters are amusing and interesting.

After snooping around at the (very few) fanfictions and fanart for Stardew Valley, I discovered I was not alone in my like for Shane! In fact, he's very popular, surprisingly. Perhaps my character would have married Shane, but as of now he is not a marriage candidate. So instead I maxed out the friendship bar with Shane, making him my farmer's best friend, and she became romantically involved with Alex.

To clear things up, this will NOT be a Shane X Farmer story. Their relationship is platonic. It will be funny at some parts, serious at some parts - sort of a "slice of life" kind of story. Anywho, I hope you enjoy my little take on this wonderful game.

Disclaimer: I do not own Stardew Valley.

...

She didn't look anything like he expected.

Wedged between the fireplace and the counter, Shane leaned against the wall on his stool and observed the girl across the room quietly. She had just moved down to the small village of Pelican Town a few days ago from the city to inherit her grandfather's farm. When he thought of city girls, he thought of things like pencil skirts and scarves. The very idea of a city girl coming here and expecting to run a farm was laughable at best. City girls went to parties and clubs, city girls were fashionable and delicate. A city girl's fragile frame would be crushed under the immense workout farming required. He expected her to last a week at most.

But looking at her now, he was a little surprised. She was not a glam-girl by any standards. All she wore was a leather jacket, a black shirt and a pair of jeans he suspected were sold in the men's section. Her frame was in no way delicate and she had a hardened jaw line. She wasn't extravagantly beautiful or elegant. She looked like someone who belonged in a car shop.

Maybe she could survive two weeks.

His attention was torn away from the new resident when the bar owner, Gus, came ambling over to him, polishing a glass with a cloth and sending him discreet looks. The man had a big gut that he was forced to maneuver about as he moved around behind the counter, but it never seemed to bother him.

"So, how are things for you Shane?" Gus asked, leaning against the counter. Shane frowned and took a deep draught from his cup. Why was he talking to him? Gus knew that Shane hated to be talked to. Especially small talked to. Waste of time and energy in his opinion.

"No better than usual," he replied in a clipped tone after swallowing his drink.

"That new farmer's already fitting in pretty well," Gus commented offhandedly. Wrong choice of words. Shane's already cold attitude stiffened even more.

"Course she is," Shane snorted in disdain. He then took another drink from his glass and shifted away from Gus, signaling the end of their short exchange. Gus sighed, then turned around to meet the customer waiting at the register. No doubt Marnie had told the bumbling bartender to keep an eye on him...she had been constantly bothering him about his frequent visits to the tavern. He understood that she was only worried, but still, couldn't the woman buzz off? She knew more than anyone his reasons for coming here. He just needed to be left alone. Was that too much to ask?

The quiet chitter chatter began to dull as Shane finished his fourth drink. He frowned a little - usually it only took two or three. No matter though. A warm feeling, like he was curled next to a fireplace, filled him from his head to his toes. Oh wait. That's because he was curled next to a fireplace. Something had been weighing on Shane's mind today. He couldn't remember what it was, and that gave him unprecedented pleasure.

He turned his gaze towards the new farmer. She was sitting at the counter speaking with the blue-haired bartender, Emily. The bartender was gesturing about wildly and going on about what kinds of things let off 'positive energy' and how you could maximize your 'good karma'. To Shane's immense amusement, the farmer looked like she wanted to leave as soon as Emily gave her a chance. A broad, fake smile spread across her face and Shane caught her roll her eyes once when she thought nobody was looking. Shane tipped back his glass to swallow down more of the beer. It slid down his throat, warm and burning, all too familiar.

When he came back up for air, feeling slightly dizzy, suddenly there was somebody in front of him. He started in surprise and his chair tipped, sending him stumbling off of the stool ungracefully.

"What the-" the person in front of him ran off a few unrepeatable words. Their voice wasn't familiar. Shane fumbled around for a moment, trying to find the chair. Within a few long seconds his hand found it and he set it back up, then turned to the person still staring at him. Shane squinted until their face came into better focus. Slightly tanned skin, deep dyed red hair pulled back into a bun - oh, it was the new farmer. That was just great.

"Oh, so you're drunk," she stated. "That's wonderful." Shane studied her for a moment, his eyes turning hard and angry.

"I don't know you. Why are you talking to me?" Shane said bluntly. The question, meant to drive her off, left her totally unphased. She brushed it off like he had simply commented on the weather and continued talking.

"I'm escaping from that blue-haired bartender." she said, glancing over her shoulder at said girl. "Can I sit here?"

"No," Shane said firmly, sipping on the beer again. Shane wasn't exactly sure why she asked, because she disregarded him completely and sat down anyways. He bristled slightly at how she comfortably sat down beside him, completely at ease. As if she knew him.

"So what's up with this place?" she asked, leaning against the wall beside him. "Everyone's so friendly! And chatty! It's like everyone's cheerfulness is on hyperdrive. You're the first rude person I've met! Back in the city everyone was rude!" As she began to rant, and Shane could see that she was on a slight buzz from something she ordered. Her eyes were wider than they should have been and her talking was quick and snappy, but she did a pretty good job of covering it up.

"Hey wait a minute," she leaned forward a bit, and Shane leaned a bit backwards in response. Suddenly Shane felt very uncomfortable in her presence - she was too close. He could smell the sour, earthy smell of beer on her breath. "That's a Joja sweatshirt. You work there?"

"It's hell," Shane said. Wait, he didn't want to talk to this girl, he shouldn't be starting conversation. The thought came too late, as the alcohol let the words fly out of his mouth before his mind could stop them. The girl let out a roaring laugh that made him jump a little.

"Amen to that!" she grinned. "That's why I quit and moved here. I had no idea that countryfolk were so weird though! Why does everyone want to talk to me?"

"Not quite everyone," Shane stated tensely, focusing hard on not letting himself become too loose-lipped. "Now go bother someone else."

"I'm sitting right here as long as I like," she proclaimed. "So get used to it." Get used to it? Who did she think she was? A feeling of hot fury engulfed him at this girl's overconfidence and blatant disrespect. There was a certain look of cockiness on her face that only served to make Shane's frown deepen.

"Leave me alone," Shane growled. The girl ignored him and instead turned to the counter.

"Hey uh…" the girl tried to flag down the bartender, struggling to remember the girl's name. "Emma?" Emily turned around with a excited smile.

"Close! Emily," she laughed.

"Right," the farmgirl forced a smile. "How about a bottle of red wine?" Emily nodded eagerly and went to the drinks station to fetch the wine. A short minute later, farmgirl was sipping on her drink. Shane sulked next to her while she wore a satisfied expression. The sight of the two, sitting side by side, was enough to intrigue any onlooker.

"We're going to be quick friends, I can tell," she said with a smirk. "You remind me a lot of the city people."

"I don't care," Shane said through clenched teeth. "So beat it." Her very presence was making him more and more perturbed by the minute. Why couldn't a nice, shy farmer move into town - someone who wouldn't talk to him? Someone who would just leave him be. That's what this town needed. Not this pompous airhead who couldn't take a hint when it was thrown into her face. He was sick of this girl. If being rude wouldn't make her leave, then he'd go somewhere else where she couldn't bother him. Shane made a move to leave, standing up and turning away.

"Wait-" the girl grabbed his wrist to stop him, and Shane immediately turned around to jerk out her grasp. There was a long, tense moment where they regarded each other. Shane glared, as if daring her to try and stop him again, and the girl met his gaze evenly.

"Here-" the girl broke their standoff and rummaged through her bag for a moment before pulling out a few coins and holding them out to Shane. "Have another round. It's on me." Shane took the coins and regarded them with mild intrigue. Some of his anger dissipated at the small peace offering. Perhaps she had felt his aggression and hoped to quell it. Begrudgingly, Shane had to admit that if that was the case, it had worked to a small degree.

"My name's Tammy by the way. I'll see you next Tuesday, same place?" she asked pleasantly, still looking much too satisfied with herself. It was really, really rubbing Shane the wrong way. Immediately, his slight forgiveness was pushed aside and replaced with an emotion he knew much better - anger, bitter and scathing.

"I hope not," Shane muttered, his words slightly slurring. Tammy's smile only widened and she picked up her bag with a flair before strutting out of the tavern, her hips swaying and her stride confident and reassured. She pushed open the door and disappeared into the cool spring night.

Shane ordered another beer and considered her. Tammy, huh? He swirled the ugly yellow liquid in his cup and narrowed his eyes in contemplation. He hoped he never saw that girl's face again. The very thought of it made him feel angry. The bar buzzed with life and energy that sharply contrasted Shane's sour mood.

There was only one explanation for her erratic and unfazeable behavior. She was insane. Which, in that case, she'd fit right in this town.