SHANE MY BELOVED anyways gonna request based on an oc that i made/an ai chatbot chat that i did recently. selectively mute reader with shane, and how their relationship evolves? strangers to lovers probs. hcs or oneshot/drabble :3 -galaxy
WAHOOO
I got 5 hearts with him as we speak so this is perfect timing <3
......
Settling into Stardew Valley was certainly going to be a challenge, especially with the new life you wanted to build here..and of course that entails meeting new people.
For most of your life, you've been selectively mute, only ever using your voice if you absolutely have to.
You never used it much at your previous office job, but it was still quite soulless and didn't make you feel good.
Even so, Lewis doesn't think you should stay a stranger and insists you introduce yourself to folks in Pelican Town.
You couldn't ignore the letters stuffed into your mailbox forever..so you finally headed into town.
While some villagers regarded you as "quiet", many of them chalked it up to you being new and welcomed you anyways.
Although Shane is indifferent and annoyed--as he is to most strangers.
You accidentally bumped into him, and he thinks you're rude for not saying "sorry".
Your brain sorta panics as you sign the words...but from the way he stares at you, you realize he doesn't understand what you're saying.
By the time you get out your notepad, he's long gone, mumbling about being late to his shift.
Since then, you try being polite and wave to him anytime you see him in the street or at the saloon..but he just wonders why you're bothering him.
One thing he kept noticing at the bar was that you always gave your order to Gus on your notepad, and he starts thinking there is a reason you can't talk and you weren't just being a dick specifically to him that day.
Still, he doesn't ask you. You're probably gonna stop trying to befriend him sooner or later. So why should he care?
One day, you approach Shane while he's working at JojaMart and asked him where a certain food ingredient was, pointing to your shopping list..and you see that irritable look in his eye again.
He had customers mixing up things on the shelves and snapping at him for things outside his control--and you caught him on a rather bad day.
He says nothing and just points further down the isle, but you just smile and mouth "thank you", signing the words before continuing on.
Poor guy goes red, convinced you blew a kiss at him just now...and it's all he could think about for the rest of his shift.
The very next day, you show up at Marnie's place with a fresh pizza, asking if Shane was home.
He gets flustered as HELL when he realizes you were at the mart buying ingredients to make one of his favorite foods...and he acted like a total jackass.
You left a note inside the container, which basically tells him you're selectively mute and realized your farm was just down the road from his aunt's ranch.
After reading it, he awkwardly apologizes and asks for a fresh start, to which you just smile and nod.
Jas, at this point, can see he's got a crush on you.
After that was cleared up, you two become friends and hangout together at the saloon often or share a beer on the dock.
You don't talk, but tbh Shane appreciates the silence between you two. He didn't have to force conversation, and neither did you.
Although that also enables him to vent to you about how downtrodden and repetitive his life feels, with you simply listening and accompanying him home.
It doesn't change the fact he felt like a burden to everyone, and one night you found him on the cliffside, his face covered in mud and tears, ready to give up on the world.
In his drunken haze, he forgot you were mute and wants you to tell him why he shouldn't do it..
"No wait..I..forgot you can't-"
"Shane..I'm here for you." Your voice comes out low, hoarse, and a little shaky, but he stopped sobbing the moment he heard it..and he stares up at you in shock.
"S-So..you do speak.." He mumbles. "You sound....like--like an angel...fuck..maybe they do exist. So you'll...be here for me no matter what? Even if I did something stupid...?"
You simply nod, and that makes him change his mind.
He just can't believe that out of all the people in this town, you chose to open up to him--some sad sack of shit who was about to jump off the cliff--and decide he should be the one to hear your voice first.
You actually wanted him around. And you never hated him despite all the times he was rude to you..
After he nearly vomits all over your shoes, you take him to the hospital, knowing he needed Harvey's intervention, and since then you've been supportive of his recovery journey.
He only remembers bits and pieces from that night..although the one thing he couldn't forget was hearing your voice.
It was probably so difficult for you to find it again, and he appreciates you talking him down, even if you had to close up and go totally silent for the next few days or so.
If you ever go into why you became selectively mute, Shane will do his absolute best to understand (and maybe get a little overprotective in the process if someone makes fun of you for it).
But if not, he'll still defend you regardless.
You teach him a few general phrases in sign language, which he tries to grasp and eventually gets the hang of.
At some point down the line..he asks you out on a festival date after much pressure from Jas and Marnie, and you were so excited you nearly yelled out "YES"-
But instead managed to nod happily, taking his hand and dragging him towards the celebration without a second thought.
Soon that little date turns into a genuine relationship, with Shane eventually moving onto your farm to help you care for the crops and animals, switching to alternatives to beer and promising to cut back on the hours he spends at the saloon.
Some days you'll be away mining, fishing, slaying monsters, or helping the Junimos rebuild the community center, but other times you'll stay inside and just cuddle with him, your pet, and the chickens.
He was muddling over why you chose him (a lot of self doubt still festers inside of him), and you spoke to him again--this time to his sober-self.
That was "because I love you".
And yes...he did cry.
AMAZINNG 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
