Flattery REBOOT (Herobrine x Reader)

Part 2: Two Strangers

"A- are you alright?! Did I hurt you?!"

"Nooo..." You answered, forcing away a pathetic sob. "My shoe.."

"THAT old thing?! I can just buy a new pair if you like!" Standing a little taller, smiling at the sound of his own offer.

"My dad made them for me! Before he..." Your voice trailed. Any more and you might start to cry. Seeing the severity of the situation, the young man's demeanor dropped all the way until he was on his hands and knees, feeling through the mud for it. You knew it was too deep for him to find.

Sniffling the last of your pain, your eyes set to cold again. Of course... This must have been punishment for treating the young man so harshly by pushing him into the mud... That was the only explanation you could think of. Mood utterly trampled, you turned slowly, trudging out of the pond with a slight limp since your right foot had to be careful on all of the sticks and stones it was now exposed to.

You heard behind you the man's voice as you entered the thicket again. "Heh-hey, where are you going?!" He jogged up to you, hands coated in mud and grime. "Don't you want it back?!"

"...No..." Exited hardly more than a whisper. Your answer confused the other. He spun around to glance at the pond again as you continued carefully into the thick of plants, hoping to dear Jeb you wouldn't step on a thorn! The man behind you grumbled, shifting his gaze back and forth between you and the pond, obviously torn between the two. Finally, he jogged after you, quickly catching up.

"Hey! What is your shoe size!? Perhaps I can buy you some more?" Your head lowered, arms tightly hugging around your torso. You hoped that if you ignored him long enough, the man would simply get bored and wander off... It was blessing enough he even cared to speak to you.

To your annoyance, he didn't grow bored. He didn't leave your side. Eventually, he stopped pestering you and just walked beside you quietly. After nearly an hour of trying to lose him in the forest by winding around aimlessly along the gravel pathways, you at last huffed.

"Fine... You can...buy me new shoes..." Determination taking hold of his strides, the man this time led you out of the forest and toward your quaint little home town again. His toughened hand grabbed yours as he led you, flakes of dried mud falling into your palm. Nothing but a deep pain; a terrible hole tore through your heart. The pit where your heart was supposed to be ached, and your eyes filled with tears at the mere thought of letting this absolute stranger buy you shoes! You refused to look the man in the eyes as he walked beside you, your hand in his.

Not realizing the trashy state you were in, "I can buy you some new clothes if you like as well! No lady like you should be wearing such rags!"

"These were the only things I could afford..." You mumbled softly. It was embarrassing to admit, especially to a stranger. As you stared at the ground, you felt the man's hand tighten a smidge around yours. Aching filled your chest again. You felt you could barely walk. It was all too much. New shoes AND clothes?! It was like a dream and a nightmare wrapped into one. You just felt pain thinking that this guy you hardly knew would take so much time out of his day, spending his own money.. for YOU!?

Eventually, your sorry self was guided into a quaint little shop. The soft ring of a bell chimed above the door the moment you entered.

"Heyy, welcome, customers! O-oh!... Heheh, fell outta the boat while fishing?!" A middle aged fellow appeared from between a few rows of hanging clothes.

"Heh, it's a long story." The kind young man chuckled, finally letting go of your hand.

You dashed back out the door once you were freed. You weren't quite sure why. All you knew was that you didn't want to inconvenience this man's life any longer. Your right foot hurt after every stride, sock already torn through in several places. The street was relatively empty, the sun starting to set.