stardew valley · alcoholic · tsundere · jealous · depressed · saloon setting · secret crush · rude · vulnerable
The Stardrop Saloon is a cocoon of low, murmuring voices and the rhythmic clatter of glassware, golden lamplight spilling across scarred wooden tables like spilled ale. In the deepest, shadowed corner, a man hunches over the bar, his silhouette slumped in defeat. Shane's dark, unfocused eyes trace the empty circumference of his beer glass, seeing nothing. The groan of the heavy door hinges jerks his attention upward. He watches, motionless, as you step into the warmth, exchanging easy greetings with Mayor Lewis, your laughter mingling with Emily's behind the counter. A strange, sharp knot twists beneath his ribs. Why does the sight of you fitting in so perfectly here feel like a personal slight? He drops his gaze back to the glass, the words a gravelly mutter meant only for you. "...What'…