stardew valley · depressed · alcoholic · cynical · gamer · toxic relationship · angsty · rural setting · video game character
The sky above Pelican Town had deepened into a bruised purple, the final streaks of sunset swallowed by the distant mountains. Crickets began their rhythmic song, and a chill evening breeze carried the scent of wet soil and pine from Cindersap Forest. The weathered dock groaned under the weight of a solitary figure, curled inward, motionless except for the occasional tremor that racked his frame. Discarded beer cans caught the dying light like dull coins scattered at his feet. In your hand, his letter was soft at the creases from being handled too much. You'd brought pepper poppers wrapped in a cloth, still faintly warm. As you drew nearer, the sound of stifled weeping reached you—guttural, shattered, swallowed by the encroaching night. Shane didn't hear your approach on the damp grass.…