Chapter Text
A jingling doorbell announces your presence as you walk into Marnie’s shop. You take a moment to stamp your boots on the ground to rid them of any mud, not wanting to track dirt into the home. It was a hot summer’s day, and as you wipe off some sweat with the back of your hand you’re grateful to be indoors once more. As you let the door fall shut behind you, though, you realize that you seem to be alone in the entryway.
“Hello, Marnie?” you call out, walking toward the counter. Slightly annoyed, you let out a sputter of breath as you tap your fingers against the wood. As sweet as the local rancher was, it felt as if she was never manning her own store when you needed her help. You’re about to turn tail and leave when a quiet voice pipes up.
“She’s not home right now.”
Your peer to your left and see a little girl standing in the doorway: Jas, Marnie’s niece. In one hand she holds a doll while the other rubs her eye, seemingly having woken up from a nap. You feel a tad bad for having yelled just moments before. The little green bow on her head is lopsided and you feel the urge to help her fix it. “It’s Tuesday,” she continued, yawning between her words, “auntie’s at Caroline’s today.”
“Ohhh, right,” you sigh. The weekly aerobics workout session, it always seems to slip your mind. Then you quirk your head to the side as you kneel down to meet her at eye-level, “but wait, if it’s Tuesday doesn’t that mean you have class at the museum today?”
She shakes her head, “nuh uh, not today. Miss Penny called earlier saying she felt sick, so she’s not teaching us today.”
“Awh that’s no good,” you reply with a frown. You make a mental note of that, thinking that maybe you could visit the local teacher with a get-well-soon gift. Perhaps some slices of melon, you felt as though you recalled Penny saying that was a favorite of hers. “So are you home alone today, then?”
Once more she shakes her head no, “technically not. Shane’s in his room, but I think he’s sleeping still.”
That, too, you should have assumed. You were partially responsible for him being home rather than at work like he typically was during the week, after all. It was you who had found him inebriated and teetering near the cliffs in the southern forest. It was you who had talked him away from the edge, desperately reaching out to him in spite of the wind and rain. It was you who had carried him all the way to Harvey’s office so the doctor could help him. All of this had led to him taking a short break from work as he adjusted to his new normal: weekly therapy sessions and medication as he tried to wean himself off of alcohol.
You tried not to show the emotion on your face as you recalled these events- one of the only things Shane had asked of you was that you keep the severity of his condition hidden from Jas. He didn’t want his goddaughter to see what a mess he was- at least, that was how he had phrased it. It certainly wasn’t how you saw him. But you respected his wishes nonetheless.
Jas speaking up once more pulls you out of your thoughts. “I was thinking of having a tea party,” she says earnestly, “do you wanna join, farmer?”
She gives you big puppy-dog eyes as she pouts her lips, a face that’s near impossible to say no to. Thus, you quickly find yourself sequestered in her room, sitting in a chair that’s far too small for you, surrounded by stuffed animals at a tiny table. Before you is a set of mismatched plates and cutlery, little teacups, and a dainty little pot that Jas uses to serve you. She makes a very concerted effort to hold out her pinky as she drinks her ‘tea’ (water). You also share some cookies, which she refers to as crumpets.
“How do you know what a crumpet is?” you ask with a laugh as you snack on one of the sweets.
She shrugs her shoulders, “I read about it in a book and asked Miss Penny. So we’re having tea and crumpets.”
As you sit and have ‘tea’ she happily fills you in on plenty of details and gossip about the lives of her toys. Dolls that are no longer talking to each other after having fights, a stuffed animal that wants to be a teacher when it grows up, and her favorite teddy bear that guards her bed when she sleeps at night. The entire time she speaks you can’t help but smile, remembering just how shy she was when you’d first moved to the town more than a year ago.
“Jas, are you having a party and didn’t invite me?”
Your head immediately whips around to look at the doorway. Shane leans against the wall, hands shoved into the pockets of his Joja-branded hoodie. The scruffy stubble on his face hadn’t been shaved in a few days, his hair was messy and hung over his forehead, and the bags beneath his eyes were undeniable as he looked down at you. And in your mind, he looked just as handsome as the first day you had met him.
It was impossible for you to ignore the budding crush that you’d earned for him during your time in Pelican Town. The first time you’d spoken to him it was your first week in town, and as soon as the word ‘hi’ had left your mouth the man had essentially told you to fuck off. If you recall correctly, actually, you were fairly certain his first words to you were, “I don’t know you, why are you talking to me?”
But you were a stubborn person, and you had taken that as a challenge.
The young girl pouts, crossing her arms, “you were sleeping! I didn’t wanna bother you, Aunt Marnie says that you need your rest…”
You see a look of regret flash across his face momentarily before he presses his lips into a smile. “Well I’m up now,” he replies, “did you save a seat for me?”
Jas quickly perks up and nods with a grin, “yeah, of course I did!” She points to the other tiny plastic chair beside you.
You get to watch the struggle as Shane manages to sit on the far-too-small seat. His knees are forced up as he hunches over, towering over the little tea table setup. You cover your mouth to stifle your laughter as you glance over at him. He narrows his eyes at you to glare, but it’s hardly intimidating when he’s sitting in such an awkward position. At this, you snort, before trying to cover up your giggles with some fake coughs. Once he’s completely settled, the tea party continues.
Shane is served a cup of ‘tea’ and a cookie. He nibbles on the treat as Jas runs around the table, adjusting the various dolls and animals as your little gathering commences. Having sat in the tiny chair for a while is causing your back to begin to ache, but when you attempt to stretch out your legs it makes your knees bump against the man beside you. You fluster a little, quickly pulling your legs back in. The small seats had forced you into awkward proximity with him, but you didn’t want to move away lest you interrupt Jas’ ‘party’.
And secretly you enjoyed having the chance to be so close, but you’d never admit that out loud.
“How’re things going on the farm?” he asks, pulling you out of your thoughts.
“Oh, pretty well,” you reply with a nod of your head, turning to look at him, “summer’s been pretty good for me this year. Ever since I got the sprinkler system setup it’s been so much easier to manage. I remember last summer I’d spend all morning watering my crops, I’d waste half the day.”
Shane nods, mindlessly tracing his fingers along the saucer his teacup was sitting in, “you growing peppers, again?”
The question brings a smile to your face. It took you back to a year ago, when you had finally had a positive encounter with him. After your first harvest of the season you’d gone to the saloon to hand out gifts to people, having had plenty of fresh produce to give away. When you’d handed Shane a hot pepper you’d seen the way his eyes lit up as he accepted the present, muttering something about how it was a favorite of his. The next morning, you'd checked your mailbox and found a letter from him with the recipe for a dish called pepper poppers.
“Oh yeah,” you nod with a grin, “I planted quite a bit this time around. Based on how they looked this morning, they should be ready to pick come this Friday. Would you like a pick of the first batch?”
A lopsided smile tugs on his lips as he tips the teacup back and drinks the rest of his water. “I wouldn’t say no to that, farmer,” he says, a slight rasp in his voice.
“How ‘bout your chickens?” you ask him in turn.
“Oh, they’re all good,” he nods, casting his eyes down to the ground. You’d only recently learned about his passion for taking care of Marnie’s hens, it seemed as though he was still a tad embarrassed when discussing it aloud. “I’ve been spending a lot of time in the coop this week… but you probably could’ve guessed that. Charlie seems happy about all my time in there, though.”
Before you get a chance to reply, Jas hops out of her chair with such quickness that it startles you. “Teapot’s empty,” she explains, seeing the look on your face, “I’ll be right back! I need to get more water- er, tea!” She dashes out of the room, green bow bouncing atop her head as her footsteps echo down the hallway.
That leaves you and Shane alone in the room, still side by side. Though you hadn’t moved, it felt as if the space between you had shrunk. Your thighs were nearly touching, and though you tried to ignore it you were fairly certain there was some heat rising to your face. You didn’t get a chance to be alone with him often, save for a handful of occasions- when you’d bump into him on the way to the saloon or an evening you had spent drinking by the lake. That had felt oddly intimate at the time, even though you had hardly known him. You chalked it up to the both of you being drunk.
“So, have you done much else this week?” you ask after a moment of tense silence, “y’know, other than taking care of the chickens.”
A sharp laugh escapes him, shaking his head as he chuckles. “Jack shit,” he answers shortly, able to swear while Jas was out of earshot, “everyone keeps telling me to take it easy. Marnie’s even letting me skip out on rent this month. Thinks it’ll help me… ‘adjust’ if I’m not stressing about money. If I’m not here, I’m at the clinic talking to Harvey about my new meds. And this weekend is gunna be my second trip to the city to talk to the therapist.”
You slowly nod along as he speaks, watching the expressions on his face. He seems to be a mix of both annoyed and relieved- clearly his usual schedule had been thrown off course, and this was a nuisance. But at the same time he seemed happy- happier than he usually let himself seem, at least. You were grateful for that. “How does it feel?” you probe further, “like… do you feel better? Or is it too soon to ask?”
“It’s… okay. I’m okay. I think,” he mutters, finally turning to look at you again. Forest green eyes meet your own and you feel pinned in place, unable to look away. “Which is weird for me, I don’t remember the last time I felt ‘okay’. But it’s good… this is good. Thanks for that, by the way.”
“You don’t have to thank me-” you attempt to reply, but he swiftly cuts you off.
“No, I’m serious,” he retorts in a nearly stern tone of voice, “and I’m not saying that to make you feel… I dunno, responsible, or anything. Just. Thank you. For everything. At least let me say thanks for helping with Jas.”
The sentiment makes emotion swell in your chest, but you don’t let it show on your face. The last thing you wanted was to make it seem like you were pitying him. There’s a tension in the air as you look at one another, but you can’t quite decipher it. You don’t get a chance to dwell on it further, as a pitter-patter of feet outside the door signifies Jas’ return. Quickly you tear your eyes away from him, unable to deny how warm your face feels.
After this, the rest of the afternoon flies by. With the tea party successfully done, Jas then decides she’d like to go play outside. Neither you nor Shane is particularly thrilled about the heat, but you comply with her wishes. You help her skip her jump rope, you take turns pushing her on the swing, and while sitting beneath the shade of the cherry tree you keep an eye on her as she walks along the lake edge looking at the fish. Shane sits beside you. His fingers brush against your hand in the grass. Neither of you says anything about it aloud, but neither of you pulls away either.
An hour of play leaves the young girl sufficiently tuckered out and ready for a nap before Marnie gets home. You offer to take her back to the ranch, easily able to carry her in your arms. Shane walks by your side and you give him a grin as Jas rests her head on your shoulder, already beginning to doze off. Once inside you bring her back to her room and tuck her into bed, making sure to put her faithful teddy bear at her side as you do so. Then, as quietly as you can, you tiptoe out of the room, avoiding tripping over any toys before softly shutting her bedroom door. When you turn around you find Shane leaning against the wall, a smile tugging on his lips.
“Thanks,” he says, “... again.”
“Any time,” you reply, though you have a feeling he’s thanking you for more than just your help with his goddaughter. He walks with you back to the entrance of the house, and with Marnie still gone there didn’t seem to be much of a reason for you to stick around. You had other errands you could run, or things to tend to at the farm. But you hesitated, lingering at the door as you attempted to find a way to say goodbye.
“I’ll, um…” you trail off, “I’ll see you around, yeah? Keep me updated on how things are going.”
He shoves his hands into his pockets, nodding as he looks away from you, “yeah, of course… of course.”
Your hand starts to reach for the doorknob, but you quickly retract it. Acting on complete impulse you take a step forward and lean close, pressing a kiss to his cheek. His eyes widen, and for just a moment you worry that you made the wrong move. Did you completely misread the situation? But in the midst of your spiral he turns and kisses you back- right on the lips. It’s quick and gentle and ends as soon as it starts.
“Stop thinking so hard,” he mutters, blush rising to his face, “I can almost hear your thoughts.”
A giggle rises in your throat before you can shut yourself up. “Totally, totally,” you whisper, unable to wipe the grin off of your face, “I’ll see you later- or, uh, around- or…. y’know what I mean.”
He chuckles, rolling his eyes at you.
Your face is hot with blush during the entirety of your walk back to the farm. Whatever it was you needed from Marnie was forgotten; something new was occupying your mind. Besides, you were sure you’d be visiting her ranch a lot more often now- you’d see her again soon.
And perhaps it was time for you to buy a bouquet from Pierre as well.