Sanctuary

by definitelyxmaybe

Summary:

Super cute and fluffy vignettes about Shane and the farmer’s life together. There’s no set timeline, but I’ll date each chapter so you know when it takes place. There are mature themes, but nothing explicit (yet.)

Notes:

Yes I love Joji no I’m not sorry

Chapter 1: If you’ve been waiting for falling in love

Fall, Year 1

 

Shane could get used to waking up like this.

He’s in the farmer’s bed in nothing but his boxers, and in his arms is the farmer in nothing but his ratty Joja hoodie. Her soft legs are tangled in his, and when he stirs slightly, so does she. Unwittingly, she presses herself more firmly against him and he realizes that he’s hard.

Fuck.

As gently as he can, he untangles himself from the farmer and starts to get up. His mouth is dry from drinking all night, but he’s somehow blessedly avoided a headache... For now, at least. As he crosses the room to get a glass of water, he sees the front door and he thinks about running. He thinks about running away from here, away from Marnie, away from Pelican Town. He thinks of jumping on the next train and starting over in another state where one would know him or all his failures.

But he doesn’t. He can’t.

“Shane?” Her voice calls from the bedroom, thick with sleep. He always smiles like an idiot when she says his name.

“In the kitchen! You want anything?”

“For you to come back to bed, please.”

He can’t miss the sultry tone of her voice and he certainly can’t deny her anything— not when she asks him like that, anyway. Shane is across the kitchen and crossing the threshold to the bedroom in four quick steps. The sight he’s greeted with nearly takes his breath away. The cute little farm girl, nude and sprawled over the top of the bed like a work of art, beckons him into her arms. Again, he complies because he’s unable to deny her anything.

Chapter 2: Babe, you don’t have to wait on me

Fall, Year 2

 

“Haley and I were having a conversation about random things men do that are sexy,” the farmer says, stroking his arm that’s wrapped around her waist.

“Don’t know why you even talk to her,” he grumbles into her shoulder. “Bitch.”

“Oh, be nice! You know, you two are a lot more alike than you think.”

“Doubt it,” Shane replies grumpily.

“Just proves my point,” she says with a dramatic sigh.

“What point?” He raises his head to look at her smug smile. He thinks about how easily he could bite her exposed neck right now and make her regret that statement.

“That you two are more alike than you think,” she says and rolls on her side so she’s facing him. Her eyes are twinkling with mischief.

“And how’s that, Farmer Brown?” He grins at her exasperated expression to the nickname he’d given her when they first met. Admittedly, when he started calling her that it wasn’t because he was being nice. It had been a petty jab at her.

She doesn’t respond, just kisses him very softly. She doesn’t need to say anything because he already knows the answer. He has trust issues and is rude to strangers so he doesn’t have to open up, among other things. A defense mechanism, his therapist had called it. He suspects Haley is the same, but he still can’t bring himself to think of her as anything other than a spoiled brat who thinks her shit doesn’t stink.

“I can’t remember what I wanted to tell you now,” she says and buries her face in his chest.

“Your conversation with Haley,” Shane reminds her and rubs the small of her back.

“Oh yeah! Random things men do that are sexy.” She giggles.

“Is that what girls talk about?” He teases her and she laughs again.

“Sometimes, yeah.”

“Okay, what random thing do I do that’s sexy?” He asks.

“Remember when we went to go see the Tunnelers for the second time and there was that creepy homeless man? You grabbed my hand the second he started wandering over and told me to stay by your side.”

He pauses to think for a moment. Shane did remember that, but only just. He also didn’t remember anything particularly sexy happening at that moment, which he was absolutely sure he would remember.

“Girls are weird,” he says finally. She scoffs in indignation.

“Yeah, well, girls go to Mars to be superstars and boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider.”

“Whatever, Jupiter is cooler than Mars,” Shane grumbles.

“Mhm, you keep telling yourself that. Now, you remember the other day when you asked me about preparing the house for winter?” She asks.

Shane hums a response and continues tracing patterns on her back. Truthfully, he doesn’t want to talk about the coming winter because there’s so much that needs to be done to the house. He just wants to hold his wife for a little bit, even if she's insulting him with her playground taunts.

“Hey, you don’t need to worry, honey. I said I’d take care of it.” He says and presses a sweet kiss into her neck.

“I know, that was the other random sexy thing.” She says with a chuckle.

“Oh,” is all Shane can say. He nods as if he understands, but he honestly doesn’t. This girl is strange- and maybe all girls are- but he loves this girl and he’s glad she can find something about him even remotely sexy.

“So... What random thing about me is sexy?” She asks him with a coy smile.

Shane is unprepared for that, but he considers her question. What about her isn’t sexy to him? He thinks about how hot she looks in his shirt, how quick her wit is, her cute she looks when she bites her lip while deep in thought, all their deep conversations, and the immense amount of love and caring she holds in her heart for every living thing. But he doesn't know how to say any of that, so instead, he says, "The way your tits bounce when you ride me.”

“Oh, Yoba, Shane! You’re so gross.” She scolds him between peals of laughter.

He pulls her closer so she’s pressed flush against him and kisses her deeply.

Chapter 3: Cause I’ve been aiming for heaven above

Summer, Year 3

 

The Farmer is flitting around the house, dusting and sweeping and mopping every surface. Today is deep cleaning day, she tells him that morning after breakfast. She shoves a broom in his hands and tells him to sweep everything, so he does. She’s busy dusting and making more mess for him to sweep up, but he doesn’t mind. She says she’ll do all the mopping. It’s a fair trade.

He finishes the sweeping and settles in on the couch, watching her mop. It’s then that he notices something.

“You’re glowing,” he says, a small smile on his lips.

“Huh?” She stops and looks at him, her face radiant even though she’s sweating from the effort of mopping the wood floors.

“Your skin— it’s pretty. It’s glowing.”

“Well, thank you,” she smiles brightly at him and does a little twirl with the mop. As she comes out of the twirl, she stumbles and almost drops the mop.

“She’s beauty, she’s grace, she’s falling on her face.”

“Shut up, Shane! I’m holding the mop and I will hit you with it.” She threatens him.

“Can you get over here without busting your ass first?” Shane taunts her, smirking.

“That’s it, I’ve had it with your sassy mouth. I’m coming over there an— uh oh!” She drops the mop and bolts for the bathroom, both hands clamped over her mouth.

Shane jumps up and follows her but doesn’t enter the bathroom. He winces as she vomits up the scrambled eggs he made for breakfast.

“Oh Yoba, what’s wrong with me?” When she’s finally through, she leans back against the tub and wipes her mouth. “This is, like, the third time this has happened.”

Shane offers his hand to help her up.

“Sweetheart, I think you might be pregnant.”

Chapter 4: But an angel ain’t what I need

Summer, Year 3

When Harvey confirms that the farmer is indeed pregnant, Shane can’t really say he’s surprised. They’ve fucked on every available surface in the house multiple times, as well as outside. What can he say? She just brings it out of him.

When she finally stops crying, Shane asks her if she wants to go get ice cream. She nods eagerly and takes his hand in hers, practically dragging him to the ice cream stand. It won’t be around much longer since Summer is nearly over.

At the ice cream stand, Shane tries his hardest to be civil to Alex but the kid is so goddamn annoying. On top of his stupid stories and irrelevant comments, he’s seen the way Alex looks at his wife when he doesn’t think anyone’s looking. He knows why, he was once a hormonal teen himself, but that's my fucking wife, dude. He prays to Yoba or whoever might be listening that his own child isn’t as annoying as Alex. He wants to be a good dad but he doesn’t know if he could be to a son like that.

“So, yeah, I’m definitely gonna go pro,” Alex says. He’s wrapping up a long-winded story about playing gridball and Shane realizes that this is the first time he’s never paid attention to a story about gridball, his favorite sport.

“Well, that’s just great, kid!” He responds in a hurried manner and throws the money down. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks, bro,” Alex says.

Shane is already too far gone to tell Alex to never call him bro again.

They sit together on the banks of the river, watching it roll by peacefully. It’s a hot day, but soon the weather will be breaking. Around them, birds chirp and cicadas drone. The farmer lays her head on his shoulder and he feels his heart swell.

“Do you think we’ll be good parents?” She asks.

“No,” he laughs and bites into the cone.

“What?! Really?!” She exclaims.

“Nah, I think we’ll be alright, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous as hell.” Shane says and finishes the rest of his ice cream off.

“Yeah, me too,” she says and lies back in the grass. Shane thinks he’s never seen her look so beautiful as she does now, laying in the grass and the afternoon summer sun.

He lays back with her and looks up at the clouds.

“What will we name it?” He asks after a period of comfortable silence.

“It?”

“They,” he corrects himself.

“What will we name they? Hmm, I wonder?” She pokes him. Shane is only slightly amused by her teasing his choice of words.

“Okay, what’s your name again?” He asks, a mischievous smile on his face. “Yeah, we’ll call They whatever your name is if They is a girl and Shane if They is a boy.”

Her jaw drops and she scoffs loudly at his suggestions.

“Can’t ask you anything,” she grumbles. “Also, the most offensive thing about that sentence was your grammar.”

Shane laughs heartily and squeezes her hand affectionately.

“My parents were called Natalie and David,” he says softly.

“I like the name Natalie but I hate the name David. I knew this guy named David and he was an idiot. What about Rory?”

“No, I knew a Rory and he was a dick,” Shane says with a wrinkled nose.

“Aw, I like that name,” she pouts. “What about Toby?”

“Absolutely not. Toby’s are the worst. They suck the fun out of everything. What do you think of Matthew?”

She scrunches her face up as if to say, Maaaaybe?

“Meh, we’ll figure it out. We’ve got time.” Shane squeezes her hand again. “It’s funny when you try to name a kid... You realize how many people have ruined names for you.”

He hears her hum in response and he returns his attention to the passing clouds overhead. “Hey, look at that one! It looks like the new duckling that hatched.”

“Yeah,” she says and her voice cracks. She rolls over and then she’s crying silently into his shoulder.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Shane asks, rubbing her shoulder soothingly.

“I’m just really happy,” she says between hiccups. “I know it doesn’t sound like it cause I’m crying but I am.”

“Yeah, me too,” he says as gently as he can. He’s baffled that someone could be so happy they start crying, so all he can figure to do is to keep rubbing her shoulder soothingly.

Chapter 5: Not anyone

Fall, Year 3

It‘s not long after that a beautiful handmade crib arrives, courtesy of Robin. Both Shane and the farmer are taken aback by the exceptional craftsmanship of the crib. It’s made of a beautiful, smooth wood that had been carefully sanded and coated to remove all chance splintering. Inside the crib there‘s a mattress wrapped in soft yellow sheets. There‘s even a flowery design carved into the bottom of the crib.

It’s perfect, truly. If they had bought something even half this nice from the city, it would have cost a pretty penny, but this crib is free.

“Wow... I can’t believe Robin made this.” The farmer runs her finger tip along the rail of the crib. She’s just as awestruck as he is.

“Yeah... Me too.”

“How the fuck does she know?” The farmer turns to Shane suddenly as if he knows the answer and is keeping it from her.

“Well, I didn’t tell anyone and I know you and Harvey wouldn’t... She must have figured it out on her own.” His eyes wander to the soft swell of her belly. It‘s barely detectable when she wears the baggy clothes she’d been favoring lately, mainly as an attempt to hide her pregnancy from the rest of Pelican Town. They don’t feel the time is right to let everyone know they're expecting a baby.

“Well, I guess everyone else knows, too?” She wonders aloud.

“Probably,” Shane responds glumly. “You know, I kinda liked it when it was just our little secret.”

“Me too,” she pouts and rested her hands on her growing bump.

Shane hugs her from behind and kisses her cheek, his hands resting over hers on her belly.

“I guess the silver lining is that now we can get a bunch of free stuff!” She laughs and Shane hums in agreement.

“I don't wanna think about all the fucking questions we're going to get asked,” he says with a sigh, chin resting on her shoulder.

They both groan.

Chapter 6: You're the one

Spring, Year 1

He’s at the bar, like he always is, drowning his day with mugs of beer. Everyone is talking about the new farmer that’s moved into that old shithole north of Marnie’s. He sincerely hopes whoever they are has fun cleaning that dump up.

Today, like every other day, has been spent at JojaMart stocking the shelves. Shane’s worn out. The stress from Morris breathing down his neck all day has given him the worst headache, but it’s starting to go away with every sip. He‘s also not looking forward to going home and facing Marnie again. She won’t say anything to him about his drinking, but he can always see the disappointment on her face.

He lets out a sigh and lifts his hand to signal Gus for another one. Shane’s sore arm muscles protest, worn out from lifting crates all day. His dead eyes are locked on the wall in front of him, looking but not actually seeing anything.

“This one’s from the new girl over there. Happy Birthday, by the way.”

Shane is startled from his zoned out state and looks first at Gus and then to the beer.

“Huh?” He swears he hasn’t heard him right.

“Take it. She seems really sweet, and pretty cute, too.”

He looks to where Gus had pointed and sees that Gus is right. She is really cute. Well, cute or not, he doesn’t have any interest in her or anyone else. He’s still gonna drink that beer, though. Free beer is free beer, right?

He’s just taken his first sip when she comes over. Great. She slides onto the barstool beside him, her shapely bare legs catching his eye.

“Someone said it was your birthday,” she says.

He hates the way he wants her to talk more.

“I guess it is. Thanks. This is nice.” He raises his mug to her before taking a big swig.

“You’re welcome,” she says. “Well, it’s nearly bedtime for me. I’ll see you around, Shane.” She drums her fingers on the counter and looks at him curiously, a small smile on her pretty mouth. She leaves without another word and Shane wants to shoot all the butterflies in his stomach.

As he watches her go, he wonders how she knows his name.

Notes:

long time no see

Chapter 7: More than fun

Summer, Year 1

It’s late, hot and sticky out. Jas and Marnie are probably fast asleep in their beds, windows open to let the breeze in.

But not Shane.

Shane is shuffling home from the saloon, his head swimming from all the alcohol. He’s almost made it to the door when he hears splashing coming from the lake. It sounds like a big animal splashing around. His curiosity is piqued because he knows there’s no bears or wolves in Stardew Valley, and he can’t think of anyone who would be out swimming. He drops his keys at the doorstep and ambles over to the lake.

The pier is old but it’s sturdy. It creaks just a bit as he walks down it, his eyes straining to see what’s out in the dark. The splashing stops when he gets close.

“Who’s there?” A girl’s voice asks.

He’s shocked to find the farmer in the water at the end of the pier. He notices a pile of clothes lying in a pile and he realizes she’s skinny-dipping. Oh fuck no, he thinks. His little crush just got way bigger.

“It’s Shane,” he says a bit awkwardly.

“Hi, Shane. What are you doing sneaking up on me?” Her voice is coy as she bobs up and down in the gentle waves of the lake.

“I was walking home and I heard splashing. What are you doing?” He glances down at the pile of clothes next to him again. He can see a pair of cute pink panties and a matching bra laying on top of what looks like overalls.

“Swimming. Care to join me?”

Shane’s breath catches in his throat. There’s only one reason why she would want him in there with her. He briefly wonders if she’s drunk, too. He doesn’t want to get in the water, but he doesn’t want to leave her, either.

“Aren’t you scared, Farmer Brown?”

Shane uses his cruel little nickname for her, but there isn’t a hint of animosity in his voice this time. He came up with it to mock her when she first came to the valley. It was supposed to remind her that she was just some stupid little city girl who didn’t belong on a farm and was in way over her head. So far, she seemed to be proving him wrong.

“... Scared of what?” Her eyes are big now and she swims closer to the dock. A sick part of him likes the fear in her eyes.

“I dunno, slimes, monsters, the boogeyman? Who knows what’s in these woods...” He trails off as he looks across the water. He knows damn well there’s nothing dangerous lurking in this part of the valley.

“You’re just trying to scare me,” she says with a smile.

“You should be scared,” he says, turning on his heel. “Well, g’night, Farmer Brown. Take care of yourself.”

“Wait!” She calls. He stops immediately, his heart jumping. He’s tried everything to keep himself from feeling things for this girl.

“Yes?” He asks. Keep walking, you idiot. No, actually, jump in there with her!

“You sure there’s really nothing out here?” Her voice sounds so innocent and sweet.

“Well, I can’t say for certain… But probably nothing.”

“‘Probably nothing’ isn’t good enough!” She says. He can’t help but notice that she’s propelled herself up slightly in the water so that the tops of her breasts are just visible. He wonders if she’s done that on purpose.

“Lewis used to talk about a bear that lived in the woods, but I’m sure it’s long gone by now.” He’s making things up now because he likes riling her up.

“A what lived where?” Her eyes are giant now.

“Mhm, but like I said, I’m sure it’s long gone now. Lewis is so old he’s practically a fossil.”

She bites her lip (how cute! he thinks) in an attempt to stifle her laugh at his lame joke.

“I’m gonna tell Lewis you said he’s a fossil.”

“Go ahead,” he says and sits down on the pier with a sigh. His head isn’t swimming as much anymore. “Although what I actually said was he’s practically a fossil and not actually a fossil. You’re not such a good listener, are you?”

“I should splash you!” She says with faux indignation.

“Do it. I’ll throw your clothes in the lake and leave your ass here for the bears.”

She scoffs at him and calls him a jerk under her breath.

“You’re just now figuring out I’m not a nice guy?” He can’t make the smile go away.

“Oh, I’ve known for a while, Shane.”

“Then why do you talk to me?” Gone is the teasing tone from his voice. He genuinely wants to know. He also wants to confront the elephant in the room which is the fact that she’s naked just mere feet from him, but he leaves that alone for now.

She doesn’t answer immediately. She seems stumped. He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, looking at her expectantly.

“I don’t know,” she says finally. She sounds as mystified as he is, and while it isn’t the answer he’s looking for, he takes it anyways.

“That’s fair. I don’t know why I talk to you, either, since you don’t listen.”

“I listen plenty!” She retorts and for a second he thinks he is actually about to get splashed.

“Well, since you listen so much, tell me if you’ve heard about Marnie and Lewis sneaking around?”

“Is that all you people do in small towns? Talk about each other?” She gives him a wry look.

“What else is there to do?” Shane says.

“Ok, good point. I wonder what someone would say about this.”

He can see a slight blush forming on her cheeks and chest. His mouth goes dry. He has an idea of what people might say and none of it is good. He can practically hear Haley and Alex talking about how the new farmer is such a slut and how they can’t believe she would hang out with Shane. He knows the farmer’s comment was suggestive and meant to turn him on, and ordinarily, it would’ve, but now all he can think about is dragging her reputation down with his own piss poor one.

“What does it matter? People say and hear what they want to.” He says with a shrug. “At the end of the day, nothing really matters.”

“That’s sad,” she says. Her eyes are filled with pitiful concern and she swims closer to him at the base of the dock. He tries to ignore the way her sexy back looks peeking out of the water and tries not to think about her cute butt beneath the surface.

“Hm.”

“I’m going to change that. I want to show you that some things do matter.”

“Like what?” He challenges, one eyebrow raised.

“Lots of things! Like my chicks that just hatched. They definitely matter. Ooh, do you wanna come see them?”

He nods and tries not to look too eager. It’s getting late, but he feels he can’t turn down the opportunity to spend time with her.

“Okay, let’s go! Turn around, I’m gonna get out— and no peeking!”

“Well, the gentlemanly thing for me to do is to help you out of the water,” Shane says it before he realizes what he’s said. He turns around quickly, and not just because she asked him to. He doesn’t want her to see the blush on his face.

“I can do it myself, thank you.” He can hear her splashing around as she hoists herself onto the pier.

“I know you can. I was just trying to be helpful.” He snickers.

“Mhm, I’m sure,” she says. He can hear her rustling around behind him as she gets dressed.

“Okay, let’s go,” the farmer says, suddenly right beside him. She slips her little hand into his and leads him forward.