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Chapter Text

Winter, Year 6

Mayor Lewis must’ve been playing a joke on him. Shane opened up his mailbox and was greeted by an unexpected letter containing information on who his "Secret Friend" was. His greasy fingers stained the parchment. He carelessly scratched off the wax seal, not caring much if he accidentally tore the letter inside.

Dear Shane, I would like to give you some information about an upcoming event: the Feast of the Winter Star. It's a time for the community to come together and think back on all the good fortune we've had this year. A favorite tradition is the "secret gift exchange", where everyone in town is randomly assigned to someone else. On the day of the festival, everyone brings a gift for their secret friend and surprises them with something special!

This year, your secret friend is: The Farmer

Don't tell anyone! The feast will take place on the 25th from 9AM to 2PM at the town square. See you then!
-Mayor Lewis

What a joke. Was he expected to participate in something like this? Shane couldn’t help but feel a lingering ire for Mayor Lewis after reading the letter. The farmer was supposed to be his secret friend. What a joke.

Shane didn’t dwell on it. He would simply refuse to show up. He didn’t care much anymore and he was certain that the farmer wouldn’t want to see him anyways, especially after those papers they so graciously gifted him and asked him to sign just a few days ago.

Did Mayor Lewis even proofread these letters? Shane knew those letters were all the same after seeing Marnie’s and Jas’. The only difference being the names written down. He crumpled up the piece of paper and tossed it into Charlie’s coop. Charlie’s feathers were ruffled and he jumped back when it landed near him. He gave Shane a loud cluck before inspecting the crushed up piece of trash. “There,” Shane mumbled “Nesting material, or something…” He made his way back into the house and sat in his deflated bean bag chair. He could feel the stiff wooden floor underneath as the stuffing inside the chair parted for his heavy body. His bloodshot eyes were glued onto the TV. He kicked his boots off—a mix of mud and snow on them. The snow melted into water while the mud would soon dry into dirt on the floor. His eyes were fixed on the TV, watching the Zuzu City Tunnelers’ gridball match. The game felt boring and uneventful.

His life, on the other hand, was anything but. It seemed as if fate was also playing a cruel joke on him when he saw the farmer step into the house, just in time when he decided to grab a snack from the kitchen. He felt bile rise up in his throat at the sight of them. He silently cursed himself and the farmer at the same time. He marched over to the fridge to pull out a half filled bag of frozen pizza rolls. The farmer approached Marnie’s desk, giving no attention to him other than a passing glance. Not a smile or a sneer could be seen from their expression towards him. They told Marnie all about that new barn that Robin just finished building. Shane still lived on that farm when Robin started working on it. He wasn’t going to let himself be sad over a barn he never got to see finished. The Farmer went about their business. He slammed the microwave door a little harder than he intended to when he slid the frozen pizza rolls inside. The buttons beeped with each press. He turned away to pretend as if he hadn’t noticed the farmer’s presence but they didn’t take the easy out he gave them. 

Instead, the farmer went up to them to tap their shoulder. “Shane…?” They spoke. Yoba knows why they were talking to him. Shane kept staring at the pizza rolls as it spun around on that microwave dish. “Shane.” They repeated. If they didn’t want to leave, Shane was just going to have to do it himself. He took out the pizza rolls from the microwave despite them not being done. They looked more defrosted than they did cooked. The pastry was pale and the filling was still solid inside. Still, he’d take this over confrontation. 

There was a tense silence as Shane stared at the undercooked pizza rolls while the farmer looked at him. “…Leave me alone,” Shane spoke with a bit of anger he didn’t know he was harboring. He refused to turn his head to avoid seeing the frown that he knew was on the farmer’s face right now. Thankfully, this time, they took the hint and left. Shane just took one of the pizza rolls and stuffed it in his mouth. The undercooked dough combined with the slightly cold tomato filling didn't exactly help his mood. He swallowed forcibly before setting the plate down on the counter. 

He hated how easily they had moved on from it. He also wondered what the last straw was. Perhaps he said something, did something, didn't do something. It could've been anything for all he knew. Was it his latest late-night trip to the saloon or was it the beer bottle he left in the nursery? He picked up another pizza roll. It felt like holding someone's sweaty palm. The outside was room temperature, sticky yet also slippery. Even the marinara sauce couldn't save it at this point. The sauce was watery and it somehow split between the tomato bits and the oil in it. He dipped it in the sauce despite his hand feeling heavy and limp. He let go of it and let it slowly sink into the sauce, stopping only when it hit the bottom of the dish. He groaned and made his way over to the pigs out in the yard and dumped the pizza rolls in the feed. He hoped Marnie wouldn't notice. He put a hand over his chest to stop his mermaid's pendant from dipping into the pig feed, only to find that spot around his chest empty with nothing hanging around his neck—force of habit. 

He saved one piece for Charlie and threw it to him again. Charlie clucked, a little more irritated this time. He wasn't very pleased with Shane’s attitude, this being the second time that Shane was dumping things on him. He slowly walked over to the pizza roll and pecked at it. He hesitated for a second before going back for more. Shane let out a breath of a laugh and pocketed his empty hands. "See? You like it. No need to complain." Shane said as he closed the gate to the yard. 

He made his way back inside and this time locked himself in the room. If all else failed him, he had his six-pack of beer to rely on.  "Buh..." He burped. The TV was on but his mind turned blank before he noticed it. The announcements of the game became background noise to him. Shane was a shell of himself, maybe even worse than when he started. Low hanging bags under his eyes, greasy hair, thinner arms but a saggy belly. His stubble almost grew into a beard. He scratched at it. The rash under that hair worsened with every scratch his fingernails made on it. 

Chapter Text

Fall 2, Year 2

The farmer was struggling to drag all the hardwood they had gathered from the secret woods. At least the sun had passed by and they didn’t have to deal with the afternoon heat. The only light that they had left was the light that their glow ring emitted but that was challenged when they saw the brilliance of a lit lantern by the lake docks, accompanied by the silhouette of a man sitting next to it. They dragged themselves over and took a peek at what was going on. They saw Shane, kicking their feet below them and sitting at the edge of the docks with the usual beer in hand. 

The farmer didn’t know much about Shane. If anything, they felt as if he was the most unlikeable person in Pelican town. Everyone else seemed at least a little bit welcoming or open but Shane seemed so shut out from the rest. The only interaction they ever had that the farmer could remember was when they gave him that pizza for their birthday. It’s not as if they went out of their way to do it. They saw Shane in the saloon and Gus just happened to be selling pizza. Gus was also selling beer but the farmer had a feeling that Shane had already had enough of it for one person’s lifetime. 

Another interaction they could remember with Shane was the first time they had met. It was doubtful that Shane would remember it but the farmer did. It stood out from the rest of the townsfolk but not in a good way. They distinctly remembered stepping into Pelican Town one morning to find him walking in the town square. No one was usually out that early so they decided to give the stranger a friendly greeting, only to be shunned away. “I don't know you. Why are you talking to me?” 

It sent the farmer into quite a shock. No one else in Pelican town spoke so harshly. They were used to the warm greetings that the townsfolk gave them. They blinked twice before shaking themself out of their shock. “Uhh- Excuse me?” The two of them stood in front of each other. The farmer looking confused, and Shane looking unamused. Shane decided he didn’t have enough time for this so he went on and walked away without another word. 

The farmer thought about just leaving him be with his thoughts while he drank his sorrows away on that dock but they were here to start a new life. How were they meant to do so without being open to new opportunities? They quietly approached him and hesitantly sat down with him. Shane didn’t look up from the dark water of the lake when he spoke. “Up late, huh?” he said while taking a sip of his drink. He grabbed another can from the six-pack next to him and handed it to the farmer. “Here, have a cold one.” 

This was the first act of kindness they could remember from Shane. 

The farmer has never had a chance to take a good look at him until now. His jacket didn’t quite fit him right. It was fine around the arms but it struggled over his torso. A J patch for Joja, tattered fabric, and a hole above the armpit area, perhaps from a previous struggle to wear it. The way he spoke also reflected his appearance. There was this slight mumble when he spoke like he didn’t put much effort into getting his words out. He looked, sounded, and acted lazy. 

Shane burped and grumbled about life. “Buh… Life” It was quite an odd thing to say but the farmer seemed willing to hear him out, after all, they were already here so what was the point in going back? Shane kept still for a second. He gave the farmer a glance before deciding to just say it.  “I just feel like no matter how hard I try... I'm not strong enough to climb out of that hole.” They had a feeling that this was going to be a long night. Matching his state of mind would be the smart thing to do. The beer can clicked as they cracked it open. They curiously looked at the yellow-tinted beer inside with a slight hint of disgust on their face. Bottoms up. They drank that beer faster than he had expected. 

Shane couldn’t help but let out a chuckle when they saw the look on their face after chugging the whole can in one go. “Heh,” he scoffed. “Fast drinker, huh? One after my own heart.” The farmer saw the slightest tug on the corner of his lips as he smiled. Maybe it was the beer but they felt a warmth in their stomach seeing him smile for the first time. It was fleeting, gone before they could properly react to it. He smiled as if he didn’t want to let himself do it. She found herself staring and was only broken out of that slight trance when he spoke again. “Just don’t make it a habit… you got a future ahead of you, still.” 

“What about you?” the farmer asked. Shane stuck his tongue in his cheek after turning his head to look down at his feet over the water. “Welp… my liver’s beggin’ me to stop.” That wasn’t an answer, farthest from it actually. The farmer looked at him slightly concerned. It was the same look everyone gave him and he knew it all too well. It didn’t bother him. He’d grown too accustomed to be hurt by mere frowns. He stood up and looked at the farmer. His eyes seemed cold as if he didn’t just drop everything on the farmer. “Better call it a night. See ya around, farmer.”