Chapter Text
"I'm going out, alright? I'll see you later."
The words he tend to tell his wife before she went out, most likely to explore the mines. That was her favorite thing to do, for some reason that he didn't understand. While Shane no longer worked at JojoMart, that he didn't mean he didn't keep himself busy. He tend to help out on the farm to make her wife's work easier. His favorite thing to do was when he was not helping his wife was to stand under the tree nearby the lake. He just stood under the tree, taking in the beautiful and fresh air with the scenery to match. Drinking from the water bottle, he truly felt as if he was at peace if only for a moment.
Shane had missed out on a lot before. He had refused to take part in much because he didn't feel as if he deserved to. Shane had honestly thought that the only thing he deserved was beer and death. It was then when he had became sober, and found other means of dealing with his demons that he truly saw what he almost missed out.
The first thing he almost missed out on was Jas. He had always thought that his niece was the prettiest girl he had ever seen, but it wasn't until after he stopped drinking that he truly realized how beautiful she was. He had almost missed out on her growing up and realizing what she became. She had her mother's smile and her father's eyes. Her laugh was angelic, and she was so smart. She was truly a perfect product of her mother and father, and they'd certainly be proud of her. The second thing he almost missed out on was Pelician Town and the world around him. He didn't have to live in sadness and anxiety anymore. He could smell the beautiful fauna, and enjoy doing the things that he used to. Shane had the choice to enjoy the world that cared for him with the people that cared for him more. He went to the beach to smell the seawater, he actually interacted with the others. He walked around the Cindersnap Forest to forage for any fruit or plants that he could sell for the farm. He even had a nice conversation with the other locals. People didn't want to be near him at first, but now everything was different.
The last thing he almost missed out on was Nora.
A smile slowly appeared on Shane's face as he thought about his beloved wife. Eleanora was her full name, but she had always preferred to be called Nora for short. He didn't understand why. He had always thought that name was as beautiful as her. Nora was the new girl from the city who came to take over the old man's farm. Only Mayor Lewis knew anything about her. He only told the town that she had quit her job in the Joja Corporation to take over his farm as she was tired of the city life. From the first moment she had tried to introduce herself, Shane knew that she'd be hard to get rid of. Everyday, she had received his rude and aggressive attitude whenever she had tried to make small talk. He wasn't sure what she had heard about him from the others, but she had never seem fazed into not speaking to him. Instead she even offered him a gift of all things.
"Your name's Eleanora, right?" Shane asked as she stood face to face with him for the umpteenth time. If she was going to continue making an effort with trying to befriend him, then he should at least know her name.
"You can call me Nora for short. All my friends do." Nora confirmed as he stared down at the present she held in her hands. She was offering it to him as a gift from her.
"Alright...Nora. You've decided to come here to give me...a salad." Shane repeated skeptically as the farmer nodded with a smile on her face. Seeing Shane's surprised face made her giggle.
"Well you can't just survive on beer alone. Besides, Gus made it, and I hear he has a reputation of making some delicious food." Nora responded, causing him to sigh. She did have a point after all. He'd be a fool to not accept free food, especially cooked by Gus.
"Fine, but this doesn't mean anything. I just can't say no to free food." Shane stated as he took a bite of the salad, instantly pleased by the flavors.
"This is great." He muttered before taking another bite. "Thanks."
It seemed like a weird relationship from the outside looking in, with Nora supplying him salads while he slowly but surely accepted her kindness. That in turn led to more of a conversation between the two of them about their lives, likes, and dislikes. His aunt Marnie and Jas suggested that he'd give her things too when he brought it up one day at dinner, for it wasn't fair for Nora to be supplying everything. At first it was small things through the mail, but as their relationship progressed he even risked losing his job by giving her pizza or pepper poppers from JojaMart. He hadn't realized just how thankful he was for her sticking by him, even more so when she brought him to Harvey's clinic after being on the edge literally.
Shane wasn't sure how long he had stood in front of the door. He wasn't sure how he managed to gather the courage to walk to the farm. They didn't live far from one another (that explained why she was always around). Going up to her house wasn't what he had planned, but she had saved him from the brink and even brought him to Harvey's clinic to get treatment. He had to say something to her after all that. He sighed heavily. He couldn't even gather the courage to knock on her door. What was he even doing here? What if she was sleeping? Sure farmers tend to wake up early, but what if she decided to sleep in today? What if she didn't even want to see him? What if-
"Shane?" Nora asked softly, causing the man to jump out of his thoughts.
"Shit!" Shane exclaimed, his face turning a bit pink at the embarrassment of being startled. "Nora! Hey! You kinda scared me there."
"Sorry about that." Nora responded, chuckling softly. "How are you feeling?"
"Oh fine. Thanks for asking." He mumbled, incredibly embarrassed before he began to speak again.
"Nora-"
"Shane-"
The young adults stopped in their tracks when they spoke each other's name at the same time, causing them to chuckle awkwardly.
"You go first." Shane suggested. "It is your house after all."
"No, you. You made the long trip here just to talk to me. I insist." Nora assured him, causing him to nod.
"Um listen, I just wanted to apologize for happened the night before. You shouldn't have seen me like that." Shane admitted. "So what were you going to say?"
"I was just going to say that I'm glad you're still here." Nora responded with a smile on her face, causing his cheeks to heat up more.
"Wow. It was that serious? I hardly remember." Shane muttered before clearing his throat. "Listen, Harvey got me in touch with this therapist so I'm gonna talk to him about my problems. I'm gonna make a better life for me and those around me."
Shane was true to his word. He greatly curved down his alcohol intake by replacing it with water, spoke about his feelings instead of keeping it bottled up. He helped around the house especially with the chickens. He was even able to buy his niece the very shoes she wanted for so long. People were definitely starting to notice the change in him. He looked healthier and happier they've noticed, especially when Nora was around.In a small town like Pelican Town, people loved to gossip. Even more so when a new person moved in. Shane was never the type to care much about gossip, but whenever it was about Nora he found himself listening in. That was how he found out that she was single among other things. After fighting with his feelings (in more ways than one), he decided to take her out on a date.
"So what do you think about your first gridball game?" Shane asked Nora as they watched the game together at the stadium. She had never been to a grid ball game in person before, and he had an extra ticket. Since they were going steady officially, he figured he could treat his girlfriend with her first gridball game with the Zuzu City Tunnelers.
"It's quite noisy. It makes me appreciate how peaceful it is back home." Nora admitted as she turned toward him. Shane blinked a few times before chuckling.
"Oh yeah? I guess that makes sense. Me? I get bored with Pelican Town sometimes. But... I like that you're different. We balance each other out." Shane admitted, his cheeks turning red. Nora chuckled as she moved a little closer to his chair. Soon enough the home team hasn't scored, causing the whole crowd to cheer. Getting carried away with the excitement, Shane suddenly turned and kissed Nora on the lips. Realizing what he had done, Shane pulled almost several moments later. How could
"Shit. I'm so sorry! I ended up getting a bit carried away and-" His apology was silenced with another kiss, this time from Nora. The cheers of the goal still ringing in their ears before she pulled away from him.
"The Tunnelers aren't the only ones that scored."
Shane sighed softly at the memory of their first kiss. He and his wife went through so much together since they met, and he hadn't regretted a single moment with her. Being around her made him the happiest man in Pelican Town. It seemed like yesterday that they had just gotten married. It was one of the happiest days of his life, and he knew he would have many more happy days. Shane made his way from under the tree and back to the farm. He didn't think his wife would be home just yet, so he could make her some dinner. It was the least he could do for her since she had taken it upon herself to deal with the monsters in the mine. He had just finished making some dinner when he heard the door opened.
"You're home. I thought you'd be out for a while longer." Nora stated, walking into the house after taking a quick second to smell. "And you cooked dinner. It smells absolutely delicious." She said, approaching her husband. Shane could never get tired of looking at her wife. Her long brown hair that she put in pigtails with brown skin and brown eyes to match. She was wearing a simple teal colored shirt with blue jeans and a pair of purple boots. 'Space boots' were what she called them when she found them in the mine. She gently walked over to him, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "How was your trip out?" She asked curiously.
"It was fine. I got a lot done. What about you? How were the mines?" He responded, turning around to face her. Just looking at her made his heart skip a beat, and he loved that feeling.
"The usual. I got ambushed by a bunch of monsters, but they weren't a real challenge. I did find a lot of minerals though, so we'll have a decent amount of profit today." Nora said, assuring her husband. She knew how dangerous the mines were, and he didn't like to worry him. "I'm gonna take a shower, and then do the dishes when you're done." She informed her husband.
"Hey." Shane gently grabbed his wife's arm, gently pulling her close to him. Nora raised an eyebrow at her husband's actions, waiting for him to finish. "I may keep to myself a lot, which I'm working on. And I may seem unhappy sometimes...but I do appreciate all the work you do. I really am a lucky guy. I love you so very much." He admitted, his cheeks turning a deep red as he looked into his wife's eyes. Nora's smile slowly appeared as she gave her husband a passionate kiss on the lips. Shane was taken aback by the move, passionately kissing her back for several moments. He gently pulled away as he moved her hair from her face.
"I love you too, and I really do appreciate everything you've done on the farm." Nora responded, gently laid her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for putting up with me and the farm. I really am the luckiest woman in Pelican Town." She told him before quickly adding. "Have I told how attractive you look when you're cooking?" Shane chuckled at her response, kissing her lips once more.
"Let's get through dinner first, and we'll see what dessert brings." He whispered in her ear. Nora laughed as she pulled herself away to take her shower. Shane sighed softly as he continued making dinner. There was definitely a lot of things he had missed out on, but Shane was so glad that he didn't miss out on her.