The Stardew Valley Fair had gotten real awkward, real quick, and it hadn't even started yet.
Shane had to do a walk of shame past Lucie's dad - who was not only the tallest man he'd ever seen, but also possibly the most muscular man he'd ever seen.
Then, to make things even worse, Marnie lay into him about not warning her that he'd be out all night, and then for being back so late that they now had to rush to the Fair. And Jas asked where he'd been and Shane didn't have an answer he'd be happy for Jas to share with Vincent, and, therefore, Penny. Honestly, saying passed on drunk on a clifftop was preferable.

But he didn't give any answer, and merely asked after Admiral Fluffball's trial. Thank Yoba that distracted Jas enough to forget about where he had been.


Lucie and her dad were slow to arrive at the Fair. Shane watched as Lucie took the potatoes from her dad's arms and arranged them neatly in a small stack. She tinkered with the display with a deftness that reminded him of a pianist he'd seen once on TV, talking all the while with her father in a low voice. Her usual smile wasn't plastered on her face, but the joy was obvious in the way her eyes crinkled and danced. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, talking to the potatoes more than to her father, who would reach down on to the display and move whichever potato Lucie had just arranged neatly.
It felt strange to watch.
It was the kind of family interactions that Shane had never really experienced. It wasn't that his own parents had been cold, just, they held their distance. Marnie was the most affectionate person he'd known, and technically she wasn't a blood relation, being the wife of a long-dead uncle.


Lucie smacked her father's hand away for the last time.

"Would you stop it?" She tried to hold the amusement from her voice, but failed. Her dad finally grinned at her, the crinkling of his cheeks a mirror of Lucie's own dimples. "You're more work than a toddler."

"Ah, you've missed me really," her dad teased. "Speaking of people who've undoubtably missed me - is Lewis still around and kicking? I want to say hello to the old coot."

Lucie rolled her eyes for the fifth time in as many minutes.

"Play nice, dad, I've spent a lot of time getting these people to like me, don't ruin it." She nodded over to the small stall to their left. "Lewis is over there. Please - please don't call him an old coot to his face."

"What about old bastard?"

"That's… that's worse. You do see how that's worse, don't you?" Lucie groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. When she glanced back towards her dad, he'd already moved away. His greeting to Lewis was booming, filling the whole square.

"Lewis! You're still alive!"

"Jacques." Lewis' voice fell slightly flat as he turned to look at the bear-like man that approached him. Lucie mouthed an apology to Lewis when he caught her eye. "I can't say how much we've missed you."

"Liar." Jacques enveloped the mayor in a suitably bear-like hug, lifting the older man off the ground.


The judging of the granges passed with Pierre winning, to the surprise of no one. His pumpkins were frankly enormous. Lucie had to elbow her dad hard in the ribs when he sucked in a breath to object. Shane choked on his laugh at seeing her ram her elbow into his torso, and his utter lack of a reaction. She'd put so much effort into her dig and he hadn't even let a flicker of a wince drift across his face.
Unfortunately, the snort of laughter from Shane drew Jacques' attention and as soon as Lewis was done talking, the man strode over to Shane.

He was going to die. Just as he was starting to want to live - oh hey. That was the inverse of his usual joke, that was a good sign right? Yoba, Lucie's dad was tall.

"Marnie!" Jacques grinned, turning at the last minute to look at the woman next to Shane. He let out a small breath of relief as Lucie followed after her father, shaking her head incredulously. She smiled at Shane as her father filled Marnie in on every detail of his life to date.

"Hey." It was a smile full of warmth and happiness, and it had such a horrible consequence.

"And you must be Shane," Jacques said, turning to look at him.

"Must I?"

"Witty."

"I try. According to your daughter I normally fail." Shane's words might have been coming out calm and evenly, but his heartbeat was not. It faltered and skipped and forgot to beat altogether before rapidly punching itself into a senseless rhythm.
Jacques raised an eyebrow at Lucie.

"He does try," she said. "He's not as trying as you - would you stop looking at him like that?"

"Like what?" Jacques faux innocence was apparently hilarious to Jas who burst into giggles. "Can't I ask your boyfriend some simple questions?"

"Not my boyfriend," Lucie corrected. Marnie choked on her ale. Both Lucie and Shane shot her a look, with Lucie repeating her denial emphatically. Jacques glanced between the three adults, then turned to Jas.

"What do you think, oh wise Princess?" He asked. Jas's head snapped up. "Are Shane and Lucie dating?" Jas grinned widely, and looked up at Shane who shook his head almost imperceptibly. She glanced at Lucie who merely shrugged at her.

"Yep!" She chirped. Lucie gasped dramatically at her.

"Traitor! And after all I did for you with Admiral Fluffball!" She sighed dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest and turning away. Jas giggled and darted off, sending Lucie running after her.

Shane tried very hard not to yell after her, begging her not to leave him alone with Jacques.


A hand clamped down on his shoulder, and Shane turned ever-so-slowly to look up at Jacques.

"Fancy a burger? It's on me," Jacques offered, his voice less booming than before. Shane swallowed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I get the feeling that I don't have much of a choice," he answered. Jacques laughed loudly, throwing his head back. So that was where Lucie got that from.

"You have a choice about the burger," Jacques lightly moved Shane around by the shoulder. "Less of a choice about the chat we're going to have."


Said chat was a lot less terrifying that Shane expected. He wasn't berated about 'his intentions', threatened if he ever hurt Lucie, or any of that. Turns out, Jacques just liked to fuck with people, and simply cared about getting to know the person Lucie had mentioned in her letters home.

"Lucienne cares about you a great deal," Jacques had said as they sat down on the bench.

"The feeling is mutual, sir."

Jacques had scrunched up his nose - Yoba, Lucie really had inherited all of his mannerisms. It was freaky.

"Don't call me sir. Makes me feel like I should behave like an adult." Jacques shuddered. His eyes followed Lucie around the square, where she caught Jas and lifted her up, swinging her around. "This is the happiest I've seen her in a long time, and I believe I have you to thank for that."

"Me?" Now, that was a surprise. As far as Shane could remember, Lucie had always been smiling at people, giving small gifts. Talking to him even when he was being particularly unpleasant. "I think you must be mistaken, s-" He caught himself. Jacques turned to him and shook his head.

"She's a good actor, my daughter. But she wrote an awful lot more before she met you," he explained. "She doesn't like to worry me, but she's my little girl. I always know when she's down - she gives people gifts when she's upset." Jacques gave a wry smile at that, a memory floating in the back of his mind.

Shane didn't really know what he was supposed to say to that. Luckily, Jacques shook himself out of his reminiscing haze quickly.

"So, Shane, what brought you to the Valley?"

Oh fuck.