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Summer in Stardew Valley was like the ninth circle of Hell. It was nearing 35 degrees celsius, but with the humidity it felt like almost 40 degrees. You were officially regretting moving to this rural town.
Spring hadn’t been that bad. You had a good first harvest; strawberries, cauliflower, green beans, potatoes.
Summer surely would be even better. You almost felt like you could do this.
You’d made some friends in town. Elliot who was a writer, Emily from the bar, Sam who worked at JojaMart. If only the other male employee at JojaMart was equally as friendly.
But friendly wasn’t a characteristic you’d assign to Shane.
Sarcastic. Reserved. Gruff.
Those all fit Shane.
Deadpan stares. A bit rude. Surprisingly dry humor. Watchful dark eyes. Large, capable hands.
Wry smirks sent your way when Shane thought you weren’t looking. Conversations that were awkward and stilted, sometimes developing into an argument. That then would get a bit too heated, somewhat teetering on the edge of flirting before one or both parties pulled back.
You shook your head. The heat was definitely getting to you now.
Summer was a lot rougher in the country than the city.
You felt sweat drip down your forehead, rolling down your nose and landing on your chest. You were wearing a plain white tank top that stuck uncomfortably to your sweaty skin, and the shortest, loosest fitting pair of shorts you could find.
You seriously considered just walking around stark naked.
God, and Grandpa’s farm didn’t even have AC. Just one measly little standing fan. Which was now dying a slow, tragic death.
Mourning your one source of relief from the relentless heat, you debated catching the next bus back to Zuzu City. At least the ride there would have air conditioning.
Suddenly an idea popped into your head. JojaMart, despite having terrible worker-regulations, multiple health and safety code violations, and a truly despicable political agenda, also had AC.
And a freezer section. Grinning to yourself, you quickly pulled on a pair of sandals and practically ran out the door.
The oppressive heat of mid-July stopped you in your tracks. Right. Maybe no running right now.
Making your way towards town, you shielded your eyes from the full glare of the afternoon sun. Shit, did you put on sunscreen?
No. No you did not. Oh well. You didn’t tend to burn easily. It should be fine.
Heading across the bridge, the shining blue Joja sign was like an oasis in the desert. It beckoned you forwards, promising cool circulating air and a strawberry popsicle. Even if it was just a mirage, you’d follow it gladly.
The second you stepped into the store, you felt relief wash over you. Sweet, sweet AC. Pure bliss.
You sighed contently, then eyed your surroundings. The redheaded cashier was sitting at the front till, her expression perfectly blank. You had the urge to wave a hand in front of her face, just to see if she’d react.
You spotted Sam mopping near the front entrance, and gave him a cheery wave, which he returned enthusiastically.
He was talking to Sebastian, or really, at Sebastian, who was wearing a black tank top and dark grey sweat pants. You resisted the urge to laugh. Even in 40 degree heat, Sebastian was dedicated to the emo cause. You had to respect it.
In the snack aisle, you saw Elliot standing in front of the chip display, his long auburn hair piled into a bun to keep it off his neck. You immediately wished you had put your own hair up, as you felt it cling to the nape of your neck.
Elliot stood debating between regular, and salt n vinegar chips. He seemed to be seriously thinking it over.
That’s when you noticed the camera mounted to the far ceiling, its red light watching the aisles. Seems like Morris was keeping an eye out for people lingering at the store for free AC.
Looks like you weren’t the only one with the same idea.
Wandering further down the aisle, you spotted Penny shopping for drinks with her mom. Well, Pam was buying drinks—wine coolers to be exact, and Penny kept trying to discreetly put them back on the shelf.
Penny didn’t seem to notice you, and neither did Pam, so you kept walking towards the back, one destination in mind. The freezer aisle.
It was even colder back here. Paradise. You almost wanted to lie down on the freshly-mopped tile floors.
You almost gave in to this urge, when you noticed Shane. He was wearing his dark blue work polo and Joja corporation hat. He was carrying a heavy-looking box, his arms flexed as he stocked the freezer. And effectively blocking your way to the popsicles.
Annoyed, you waited for Shane to notice you and kindly move.
He did not.
Frowning, you cleared your throat. Shane did not even look your way, or move to take off his oversized headphones.
So that’s how it was, huh.
Well, bring it on.
You tried moving the cart slightly over. It didn’t budge. Jeez, what was Shane stocking—boulders?
Undeterred, you tried again. Still not moving.
You let out an annoyed huff. You wanted a firecracker popsicle, and by god, you were gonna get it.
You then decided to try a different approach. You started to squeeze past the loading cart, making your way inch by inch towards your promised land.
Unfortunately, you underestimated just how much wiggle room there was between the cart and the shelf.
You got stuck halfway through.
Attempting to go back the way you came, you ended up knocking over a box of freezies. Red, blue, orange, and purple ice pops scattered across the linoleum floor. This got Shane’s attention.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” He swore, pulling off his headphones.
He turned and glared at you, exhaustion plain on his face.
“Oh, it’s you.” He said, as if he should have expected that you would be at the source of a huge mess.
You felt mildly embarrassed.
“What do you want?” He grumbled, as if it wasn’t obvious. You crossed your arms with an annoyed sigh.
“I was trying to get by.” You explained, making Shane narrow his eyes at you.
“Clearly.” He deadpanned.
“Well, you didn’t move the cart!” You pointed out indignantly.
Shane stared at you, disbelieving.
“So you thought the next logical step was to push everything over?” He demanded. You winced.
“I didn’t mean to knock them over! I just wanted a popsicle!” You defended yourself.
Shane raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes boring into yours.
“You couldn’t wait five minutes?” He asked, and you huffed.
“Well… I didn’t know how long you’d take.” You crossed your arms petulantly. Shane seemed almost amused.
“What a brat.” He muttered, almost to himself. You caught it regardless. You glared at him.
Shane sighed and bent down to pick up the fallen popsicles, which were all rapidly melting onto the floor. Now you felt kinda bad.
“I’ll help.” You offered, kneeling down to gather the frozen treats before they became even less frozen.
Shane just grunted.
You quickly tried grabbing the popsicles that had rolled under the nearby shelf. Damn, it had gone further in than you’d thought.
Sticking your hand under the shelf, you grimaced at the feeling of dirt and grime. Guess Sam didn’t mop under there.
You were almost halfway underneath the aisle now.
Finally your hand closed around the wayward popsicle.
Got it!
Triumphant, you turned around with your prize, to find Shane’s dark eyes on you.
Oh.
You hadn’t considered what sticking the front half of your body under the aisle would look like from the other side. You also remembered that you were wearing very short shorts.
Chuckling awkwardly, you handed over the freezie. Shane took it with a bemused grin.
“Thanks.” He said wryly. You cleared your throat. Ugh. Your fingers were all sticky from the melting popsicle.
“Is there a bathroom around here I can use to quickly wash my hands?” You asked.
Shane raised an eyebrow.
“Washrooms are for customers only. Company policy.” He said dryly.
You sighed forlornly.
“I mean… I’m gonna buy something. My hands are all gross though.” You grimaced, feeling the stickiness on your skin.
Shane looked at you, then subtly eyed the security camera on the ceiling. Oh. Morris. Shane then leaned in to you, close enough you could see the shadows under his eyes.
“The employee bathroom is around the back.” He murmured under his breath. His voice was low, and you glanced up at him.
This close, you could smell his cologne; something rich and spicy. Animalic.
You had to stop yourself from breathing it in.
“Follow me.” Shane said, already walking away. You paused briefly before following him.
Shane led you to the back room. You turned a corner, then another, and then went down a flight of stairs. What was this, Pan’s Labyrinth?
“You taking me to a backstage show?” You joked.
“Nah, you’re not a VIP.” Shane replied, “Maybe next time.”
You rolled your eyes at his joke.
Finally Shane brought you to a nondescript beige door, that was completely indistinguishable from all the other doors you’d passed. It didn’t even have the universal bathroom sign on it.
You watched as Shane fished a set of keys out of his front pant’s pocket. They looked heavy.
“Here.” He said, unlocking the employee bathroom.
“Thanks.” You muttered, quickly ducking in.
The bathroom was lowly lit, with a couple of storage boxes and cleaning supplies stacked in the corner. The room was otherwise sparse except for the toilet and sink. Guess Joja didn’t see the need to make their employees feel comfortable.
After washing your hands with the foaming lemon-scented soap, you splashed some cold water on your face. Just to cool off from the summer heat.
As you exited the employee washroom, you realized Shane was nowhere to be found. And the Joja backrooms were kind of a maze.
You peered around the corner. No sign of Shane, or the exit. You tried another corner, and found yourself in what appeared to be the employee break room. There you spotted a familiar Joja-clad figure.
Shane was leaning against the counter in the break room, drinking a bottle of soda. Not Joja Cola, you noticed. Something with a bright lemon cartoon sticker on it.
He’d taken his hat off, leaving his brown hair sticking up in all different directions. Cute.
Shane ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up even more. Once, twice, then he seemed to give up.
Not yet noticing you, Shane rolled his neck backwards, stretching the muscles. He let out a contented sigh. Like it felt damn good.
You blinked.
Cleared your throat.
Shane peeked open a dark eye at you.
“All good?” He asked. You nodded. Shane just looked at you.
“Can you uh… show me the way back?” You asked sheepishly. Shane just grunted.
“What’s the rush?” He asked, surprising you. “It’s nice and cool down here. Morris won’t care if I’m gone for a bit.” Shane took another sip of his soda. You watched as his throat moved up and down. You swallowed.
“I mean… is it okay for me to be back here? Since I’m not an employee?” You asked. Shane raised an eyebrow at you.
“Does it matter?” He asked. You blinked.
“Or are you worried about getting into trouble?” His voice was pitched in a teasing manner, but you could swear you heard a darker tone to it. You brushed it aside.
“I’m fine with being in trouble. Trouble is my middle name!” You declared, with more bravado than you felt.
Shane chuckled.
“Whatever you say, Trouble.” He said, then took another long drink. You suddenly felt parched.
Shane eyed you.
“You want some?” He asked. You found yourself nodding.
Holding out his soda, it took you a minute to register what exactly he was offering.
You took the bottle. The condensation on the cool glass was nice. You raised the opening to your mouth and took a long, slow sip.
You were met with a biting tartness that startled you, which then slowly eased its way to sweetness, but not overly sweet. You could still taste the bitter notes underneath.
You hummed to yourself, licking your lips to catch a runway drop.
It was good.
Handing the bottle back to him, you noticed Shane watching you.
“Good?” He asked, voice a bit gruff. You smiled at him, sincere.
“Yah, thanks.” You said.
Shane didn’t say anything.
“Slow day?” You asked him. Shane just grunted.
“Every day is slow here.” He said finally. You considered this.
“That can be nice though, right. Maybe sometimes?” You asked, and Shane seemed to consider this, rubbing at his chin briefly.
He had a 5 o’clock shadow and his lips were slightly chapped. You had the sudden urge to know what they felt like against yours.
“Maybe.” He finally conceded.
You sighed, letting yourself take in the cool air of the break room.
On the far wall, a small clock ticked by, the hum of the AC almost drowning it out.
“It’s nice down here.” You said casually. Shane just rolled his head to the side, massaging at the muscles.
“I guess.” He relented. Then he eyed you.
“You want a popsicle?” He asked. You looked up at him, surprised.
“For free?” You asked suspiciously. Shane let out a small chuckle.
“Sure. On the house.” He said, and you smiled at him.
“Well, if you’re offering…” You teased, and Shane snorted. Turning towards the small fridge, Shane pulled out a red, a blue, and an orange popsicle from the freezer.
“Flavour?” He asked, holding them out. You considered it for a moment.
“Orange, please.” You said. Shane handed it to you.
Taking off the wrapper, you started eating the frozen treat with enthusiasm.
Now this is what you’d wanted all along.
The popsicle was sweet, a burst of citrus flavour, and an underlying sour note that had you wanting more. You licked up the side, your tongue darting out as the popsicle had already started melting.
You heard a snicker. Glancing up, you saw Shane watching you. His eyes glittered with amusement.
“Does it taste good?” He asked again. You flushed. Then nodded.
“It’s just what I needed.” You told him seriously. Shane let out another laugh. A full laugh. A real one.
“Glad to be of service.” He said wryly. You went back to your popsicle, trying to ignore Shane’s dark gaze.
Because he was watching you. He would look away momentarily, pretending to be occupied elsewhere, before his eyes drifted back to watching your tongue dart out to lick the melting popsicle. You watched as his grip tightened ever so slightly on the neck of the soda bottle.
You started licking up the side of the popsicle again, but this time slower. With more purpose. Teasing.
Because Shane was watching. Because Shane was interested.
He wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. This made you feel braver, somehow.
You heard Shane take in a slight inhale.
You opened your mouth and swallowed the popsicle down, letting your throat bob as you took it in.
You pulled off. Shane was watching you with an intense gaze, head tilted to the side again.
Like he was calculating you.
You blushed. Right. Maybe you should reel it back in.
Finishing your popsicle with less show this time, you went and threw the stick into the nearby garbage bin.
When you turned back around, Shane was rubbing at his neck again. It must be really hurting.
“Sore?” You asked him. Shane opened his eyes. Shrugged.
“Comes with age.” He said nonchalantly. You snickered.
“Whatever you say, old man.” This earned you a playful glare.
“I’m like, three years older than you.” He said, almost defensively. You just laughed lightly.
Shane went back to absently massaging his shoulder.
“Do you want me to help?” You offered before you could stop yourself.
Shane opened his eyes, surprise written across his face. And something else too. Want, maybe.
“You really are trouble, aren’t you?” He said. You grinned.
“Is that a yes?” You prodded. Shane eyed you down. Hesitant. Like he couldn’t tell if you were joking or not.
“Think of it as a ‘thanks.’” You offered, “for letting me back here.”
Shane still looked unsure.
“Or it could be an apology, for knocking over all the freezies earlier.” You added.
Shane considered this.
“I don’t really need a ‘thanks.’” He said.
He paused. Looked at you.
“But I guess you do owe me an apology.” He teased.
“Yah. And it’s either this or I get on my knees to beg for forgiveness.” You blurted out jokingly. You were obviously joking. You let out an awkward laugh.
Shane looked at you, and paused.
Rubbed the back of his neck. Then he smiled dryly.
“How about just the massage for now.” He teased back. You blushed slightly.
Heading over to where Shane was leaning against the wall, you realized that he was a bit taller than you had anticipated.
“Can you uh… bend down?” You asked him softly. Shane chuckled, and nodded towards the plastic chairs that were sitting near the table in the middle of the room.
Shane sat down with a heavy sigh, and you stood behind him. You hadn’t realized how vulnerable the back of someone’s neck could look. This close, you could see a small mole at the nape of Shane’s neck. It was cute. You had the sudden urge to see where else he might have moles.
Oh no. You really had not thought this through.
You slowly placed your hands on Shane’s shoulders. You felt him tense, his body going rigid. You paused, unsure if you should continue. Then Shane relaxed minusculely, and made no move to push you away.
You begin gently pressing your fingers into the knot on Shane’s shoulder blade. Jeez, the guy was tense as fuck.
“Okay?” You asked, just to check in. You felt Shane take a breath.
“Y-yeah. Good. It’s good.” He said, slowly loosening his shoulders, letting his arms relax by his side.
You continue massaging Shane’s neck, keeping your touch light but with enough pressure to start working through the knots. You slowly began undoing the tension in Shane’s neck, and you felt him relax bit by bit under your touch.
Your fingers brush the nape of his neck, and you feel Shane tense again. You pulled your hand away quickly.
“Sorry.” You said hastily.
Shane shook his head.
“No—I—It feels good.” A pause. “Keep going?” He asked, almost cautiously, as if you’d say no. You go back to working on the same spot, keeping the similar rhythm.
Shane slowly relaxed again under your careful touch. The minutes ticked by. You found yourself almost going into a zoned out state, like Emily always said meditating was supposed to be like.
Shane’s skin was warm. You could smell his cologne again, and you let yourself enjoy the woody spice. You could have kept massaging Shane for hours in the JojaMart employee breakroom. But then Shane suddenly pulled away.
His face was flushed.
“I uh.. I think that’s good.” He said, and you obediently pulled your hands away from his skin. You almost mourned the feeling.
“Feel better?” You asked him, almost shy. Shane smiled at you. It was warm.
“Heh. Yeah. Thanks.” He said, then paused. Looked at you.
“I’ll have to return the favour some time.” He added, and you felt your breath catch. Before you could respond, Morris’ annoyed voice sounded over the PA system.
“Could JojaMart employee #3159 please report back to the floor.”
Shane rolled his eyes.
“Duty calls.” He said. He stood up, rubbing at his neck. Gently this time, like he was savoring the feeling.
“See you around, Trouble.” He said, then headed towards the door.
You stood in the break room for a moment, waiting for your heart to stop racing.
What the fuck.
It took a moment for your brain to catch up to your body.
“Hey, wait! Shane! I still need you to show me the way out!” You called out.
Down the hall, you heard Shane laugh.