2His Spot
The air was unusually cool for a summer night and by Yoba were there so many stars.
Awe all but erased Shane's faded presence beside her at the pond in Cindersap Forest. Water lapped gently against the dock they were standing on, harmonizing with breezes bringing leaves dancing over the surface of the lake. Crickets chirped, remnants of birds in the trees belted out their last songs of the day. The smell of grass and flowers was light, sweet, intoxicating. In the distance, the wizard tower rose out of the woods like a stone mushroom jutting into the horizon. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of how beautiful it is out here," breathed the farmer staring wistfully over the swaying treetops at the sky.
Shane's dark, heavy lidded eyes settled on her shadowy form housed in a dirty over-sized hoodie and acid washed jeans. It had been a few months since she'd moved into the farm down south of his aunt Marnie's and so far he hadn't been able to interact with her much, only if he'd happen to pass her on his early morning walks to work. Or maybe if he caught eyes with her at the Saloon. No matter how busy she seemed, no matter who she was with, she always made sure to throw him a cheerful smile. She turned back to him flashing another, sending his stomach all aflutter. "It's probably old news to you by now, huh?"
He took a long sip from the can of beer in his hand. "Not yet," he replied gruffly. Why did she have to come out here? This was his spot.
Her attention again went to the wonders above. "It's so...different from the city. I never imagined exactly how much it would be."
Shane was quiet. Work was hell today, his back, head, joints, everything ached. It was taking awhile for his crutch to kick in tonight.
"It's Shane, right?" He nodded after a moment, taking another gulp. Why was she talking to him? Couldn't she go home and call Emily or Abigail? He'd seen her hang out with them a lot. Or Sebastian. "I feel like you're the only one in town I haven't really talked to yet."
So? He didn't talk to most people. With a grunt, he chucked his empty can into a trash bin near him and pulled another from his cooler. Maybe he'd occupy her annoying mouth with a drink. She caught the one he tossed her with a surprised little jolt. "Here. Have a cold one." She cracked it open and he watched with interest her down the whole thing in almost one swallow. A ghost of a smirk played on his lips. "Watch out there, girl after my own heart drinkin' like that," he said exhaling from his nose.
"Today sucked," she said throwing her can away. It clanked noisily against all of his.
"Heh. You're tellin' me."
She looked like she needed another. So did he. The farmer took her time with this one, nursing it with lips he knew he shouldn't be staring at like he was. Fireflies flitted about, gracefully illuminating bits and pieces of the world around them. "I'm not sure what I'm doing here," she sighed after awhile, taking a seat at the edge of the dock.
Shane took a huge gulp, angled his head to the sky. Emotions stirred by too much beer and loneliness started him before he could catch himself. "Do you ever feel like...no matter what you do you're going to fail? ...Like you're stuck in some miserable abyss and you're so deep you can't see the light of day?" Frogs croaked near his sneakers, hopping over one another to get into the water. "I just feel like no matter how hard I try...I'm not strong enough to climb out of that hole." Breezes ruffled his already perpetual bedhead of hair. He immediately bit his lip. Shit, why did he have to say all that? What was she, his therapist? Wasn't she the one talking first? Why didn't he just shut up and listen? Gods he'd been without company for too long. Those eyes of hers on him evoked unsavory thoughts the alcohol wasn't helping with.
"I think, as humans, we all have times we feel hopeless," she said dipping her hand down into the cool water to play with a lily pad. "You know, Marnie told me you were really good with chickens. I've never raised any before and I'd love to learn from an expert. Would you be willing to help sometime? Maybe with you I can actually make something work for once."
Shane snorted. "Expert?" Look at her, changing the subject so he wouldn't feel awkward. What a fuckin sweetheart.
Her gaze locked back with his. Yoba, what the hell was going on with his stomach? "Well that's what she said to me at the Luau. Sounds like you don't fail as much as you think."
Hmm. Girl after his own heart for sure. She better watch out.
The rugged young man, realizing his unshaven cheeks were getting numb and his thoughts about her were bordering dangerous territory, picked up his cooler and laughed sharply into the night. "I work at Joja Hell almost twenty-four hours a day. If I can find the time, I'll come help."
"With all the time you spend at the Saloon, you'd lead me to believe there were much more hours to the day."
That contemptuous stare he'd already grown to crave peered at him through her thick mane of hair. "So talk to me there. Whatever." He turned and flicked a wave at her. "See ya, farm girl."
She returned it. "Later, chicken boy."
A/N: I've always wanted to write a quick little one shot. For some reason even though I am a die hard Sebastian fan and have married him like 5 times, this play through got me thinking about sad, kinda endearing Shane. Maybe one day I'll seriously flesh an event out, I absolutely love writing fluff :)
