Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If someone ever asked how it all happened, you wouldn’t know how to reply. 

Sure, explaining the very beginning of the story would be as simple as it could get. You just needed a change, you couldn’t handle the monotony that your life had slowly become. The village you used to live in was tiny beyond belief, placed in the middle of nowhere with nothing to make up for it—totally fair to yearn for something different after all these years that merged into a singular, foggy memory consisting of the same chores occasionally interrupted by a decent night of sleep.  

It was expected for you to sooner or later choose your own path and move out. Though a heads-up would be greatly appreciated, you didn’t owe anyone a warning. 

But explaining the presence of the so-called Herobrine— the minecraft legend—living under the same roof as you? That would be tricky, to put it mildly. 

Perhaps, you’d say that it happened way too fast for you to properly register and remember, even if that would be a little dishonest. Though your memory was never something you could brag about, it was hard to forget those glowy, snow-white eyes constantly on you, observing you from the shadows akin to a lurking monster. 

And it was even harder to forget the flowery scent that started lingering in your house after you once accepted red roses from the secret admirer, just to later be buried in an abundance of all kinds of beautiful bouquets that blinded with their vibrant, almost otherworldly hues. 

…

You’d be lying if you said you weren’t captivated by such a gesture of kindness. Despite them being not only from a stranger, but from an unknown entity—it was sweet, it warmed your heart. 

And with each passing day in his presence, you were only more confused as to why he was described as a monster, painted in nothing but cold, grim colours. He was mysterious, that couldn’t be denied, but that wasn’t a negative trait. If anything, it just made you more eager to learn all the secrets that remained untold.

You paused these thoughts, trying to focus on work. But these attempts were nothing but pathetic with this heavy baggage of countless questions that you knew wouldn’t be replied to anytime soon. 

Either way, it was another day spent in nothing but overwhelming silence from the unexpected guest. Tending the freshly-built farm in front of your terrace, you couldn’t help but sigh at the lone weight of the mystery thrown onto your back by no one other than yourself. A solid week had just passed since you invited the stranger to live in your house, and though you had no regrets, you still couldn’t comprehend the situation you pushed yourself into. 

Back in the village you grew up in, you were known for your incredibly stupid decisions. You'd venture to dangerous areas on a whim, adopt a pet magma-cube in hopes of it being harmless and later get chewed on by your roommates for it. And despite it being years ago, it turned out that you really didn’t mature. Not at all. Though this time, there was nobody to lecture you about it. You were on your own. 

However, Herobrine was much different from a magma-cube. You’d dare to say you would choose him over that being. First of all, despite his terrible reputation, he did no harm; second of all, he respected you more than you would expect from a legendary minecraft entity.  

And while all that could be a deceiving illusion that would sooner or later shatter, leaving only the truth to look at, you felt weirdly calm about it—peaceful even. A major fragment of you just didn’t allow these predictions to be taken seriously. It wasn’t a prophecy after all, only your guesses that could have nothing to do with reality. 

He really did seem like a nice person. 

He’d hide from the merciless daylight in your basement and disappear akin to an enderman once the moonlight would start peeking in through the windows. All without ever whispering a single word. At times, you wondered if he even had the ability to speak, but that seemed like another secret that you could only hope about getting revealed sometime in the future. 

Despite never seeing him once the sun would hide behind the horizon, you could swear he was always nearby. Strangely enough, creepers and zombies stopped trying to sneak inside of your house, and your windows were no longer being broken from countless skeleton’s arrows. You could only wonder how he managed to protect you to this extent without you ever spotting him, but well, that was just another piece of the puzzle that seemed to grow only bigger. 

You would get entirely lost in these thoughts if not for something abruptly interrupting you. A harsh crackle as you lost half a heart from accidentally hurting yourself while trying to sow the crops faster. Perhaps, efficiency wasn’t something you could achieve. 

Not thinking much of it, you continued. But the sudden, overwhelming feeling of being observed quickly crawled onto your back. You weren’t certain who it was, yet you surely had some predictions. 

Not thinking about it twice, you turned around and saw a familiar face. Even in the sun, his eyes almost blinded with their glow, they were like a flashlight pointed straight at you, burning into your vision. 

“It’s you! I thought you… hated the sun,” you said, surprised to witness him in the broad daylight. Were you stupid for expecting a reply? You wanted to finally hear his voice, the lone curiosity was eating you alive from the inside out. 

But before the awkward silence had even the chance to set in, as soon as he made sure you were okay, he was gone. He disappeared as fast as he appeared with nothing but the echo of his presence to keep you company now. His stare lingered on you even after there was no trace of him, as if he was still watching from afar, just not wishing to be seen. 

At least he cares, you thought.

Chapter Text

Sometimes, you wondered how he entertained himself in your basement.

You weren’t heartless, you didn’t want to let him die of boredom there. So, when the twilight would wrap itself around the world and he would mysteriously disappear, you’d sneak a few books that you thought might entertain him. Despite not having a clue what genres he enjoyed (if any at all), you thought that it was a nice gesture of kindness to at least show him that you wished to make him comfortable. You only hoped that he would interpret it that way. 

And this night was no different. Sacrificing your sleep for the sake of turning your basement into something slightly more cosy turned out to be more than a one-time occurrence. 

Rummaging through bookshelves next to your enchanting table, you found yourself hesitating once again—what would Herobrine be interested in? You had an abundance of all kinds of literature, the amount of possible choices seemed to paralyse you. From redstone guides you could never understand, through little poems you took from the village, all the way to romance novels you were a little hesitant about sharing. You sighed, giving up and grabbing one of each.

You strolled towards the basement, trying not to trip over the steep stairs. You really needed to rebuild that. Not only was each step a death wish, but the ceiling was too low. And as much as you didn’t care previously, since you rarely ever needed to actually go there, you cared now. Making Herobrine’s experience at your house terrible was the last thing you wanted. 

Gently pushing the door handle, you went inside, only hoping that Herobrine was actually gone and you wouldn’t disrupt him. Fortunately, the night was like any other—no sign of him anywhere. 

Your basement wasn’t the prettiest yet. You just recently got rid of all the cobwebs and dust, which was a great step forward. But your work was still nowhere to be finished, quite the opposite. 

The old furniture begged to be replaced or at the very least repainted, the stone floor wasn’t comfortable to stand on in the slightest despite the white rug covering most of it, and the walls were only partially wooden. The explanation was simple—you built a basement just for the sake of it and neglected it for months, not batting an eye at the terrible state it was in. You simply ignored its existence until Herobrine unexpectedly moved in and forced the caring part of you to tidy up the very much abandoned room. If he only gave you a choice, you’d build him a much better place to stay at, but the entity seemed to have already chosen his favourite spot inside your house. And unfortunately, it had to be the basement. 

Usually, you’d take a few minutes to clean the room. Though most of the time there was hardly anything to take care of—Herobrine always made sure to not leave a mess—it wasn’t generally hard to find something that needed improvement. 

You threw the books onto the red-dyed bed—a classic colour you thought he might appreciate—and after getting rid of some of the dust slowly gathering over the paintings, flower vases, and anything that managed to catch it, you left. Though a part of you was nervous, what if he wouldn’t like your little book recommendations? You sighed. Perhaps, there was no point in overthinking it. 

You were planning on going to sleep for the rest of the night, but tiredness never sneaked towards you. Hating to waste any time you possibly had, you thought that it would be a nice idea to do something nice for yourself for once. The idea of baking—or more accurately crafting —a cake was at the back of your mind for some time now. But it wasn’t at the top of your priorities, and so, it just stayed as nothing more than a lingering thought. 

Back when you used to live in the village, your roommate would often go out of their way to cook and later spare you a generous serving. With your skills being dim, you never repaid them. But now that you lived almost alone, you were forced to learn how to take care of your hunger.

Most of the time, you’d eat cooked potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You never bothered with making anything fancy. Yet from time to time, you craved something different—a delicious treat to reward yourself for all the hard work you did. And so, this idea sparked like a diamond. 

You already had all the ingredients ready, maybe except for an egg, but with the chicken coop you built just recently, it generally wasn’t going to be a huge issue.

And so, you went outside, not bothered by the sound of growling zombies coming from afar. You knew they wouldn’t dare to even approach your house, not with the enigmatic energy that seemed to scare them away. Quickly collecting the eggs, you returned inside and began baking. 

It was a good idea to take more than one egg. Two of them you accidently cracked, making a mess—at least there weren’t any witnesses, that would be embarrassing. You only hoped that Herobrine wasn’t observing you at all times. Sure, he didn’t seem like the type of guy who would judge you for your clumsiness, but even thinking about creating such a pathetic memory in his mind was… not ideal. 

When you were finally finished, a sudden thought struck you. Did Herobrine eat? Would he be disappointed if you wouldn’t leave him a slice? You wondered. The mysteries about him were buried so deep that even such simple questions remained without answers. But you didn’t want to risk it, no, that would be unlike you. You would rather waste a single slice rather than make Herobrine assume you didn’t think about him enough. 

Before the dawn would come, you grabbed a plate, a serving, and marched towards the basement, leaving it on the nightstand. 

…

— — — — — 

You didn’t even know when exactly you fell asleep. All you knew was that it was way too late, and you were still in your pyjamas, wasting the day oversleeping. Though it felt good to finally rest for a while longer, a sense of guilt managed to crawl towards you anyway. Those hours you could have spent doing something productive, anything, but you spent it curled up under your soft coverlet, without a care in the world. 

But despite those nagging thoughts that scolded you for it, you had trouble getting out of bed. At least until your eyes catched a glimpse of something on the table. A bouquet of red roses along with one of the books you vividly remembered leaving in the basement. And it wasn’t just a book. Those were the lovely poems that you thought he might appreciate. And though returning it would normally signal he didn’t find any enjoyment in reading those—the beautiful flowers and a bookmark left in-between the pages were a negation of that theory. 

Opening the small hardcover book, you took a look at the poem he wanted to share with you. And though you generally weren’t a big fan of that kind of literature, when you knew it held value to someone you cared about, it instantly changed your perspective. A sweet love poem—that wasn’t something you’d expect a legendary entity would like, but it really did seem like the rumours about the Herobrine were never true. And each day only convinced you further about it. 

You smiled, gazing once more at the roses. Would it be weird to say that you enjoyed that kind of attention from him?

Chapter Text

Deciding to get some fresh air and maybe inspiration for making some upgrades to your house, you determined that it’d be a good idea to visit your garden and listen to the birds singing their melodies as you carried on with your daily tasks. You ran out of wood, and you needed it to replace the stone floor in the basement. 

Fortunately, you had a lot of trees right next to your doorstep. You always felt bad about destroying the forests, and so, you thought it’d be a good idea to plant a small one yourself.

The sun was high in the sky, burning you akin to a laser. But you weren’t going to melt—and your work wouldn’t wait for it to set either. Despite the conditions that could be better, you grabbed a diamond axe and left. 

Your mind was crowded with countless thoughts that just wouldn’t stop popping up. In a big shortcut, the day was no different than the past few. Except for your knowledge about Herobrine slowly expanding—which was great, if not for the fact that in place of one solved question, tens of others appeared. 

At the very least, you learnt something new yesterday. He didn’t mind cake, and liked the poems you left in his room. And surprisingly, he seemed to like you. At least you hoped you weren't misinterpreting anything—but it seemed very straightforward that he was thankful for your care. 

A subtle smile curved your lips as you thought about the love poem once again. It was sweet of him, really, but was there any true intent behind it? You pondered about it. But how much did it really matter?

…

A lot, actually.

At times, it felt a little weird—perhaps, that wasn't quite the right word. But how else were you supposed to explain the unique bond you were forming with Herobrine? It was very subtle for now, sure, but it did undeniably slowly progress. And you weren't complaining at all. To be honest, you were hoping for more. 

You swung your axe, chopping down the oak tree. You really needed to craft a new one. Though its durability was great, sooner or later it would break—and that could be any moment now. The number of blocks it could break was slowly running out. The only problem? You had barely any diamonds left. You weren't the kind of person to frequently visit the caves, and digging your own extensive tunnels in the basement was out of the question. You would invade Herobrine’s personal space. 

Your thoughts once again returned to the topic of the enigmatic entity—though it felt rude to call him that. He wasn't just an entity or a being, he was a person. Just severely misunderstood by nearly everyone. Perhaps, you were the only one that ever saw him for who he really was. Though it felt like an overstatement, your knowledge about him was still dim. But what you were already certain about was that the legends really needed to be rewritten and retold—they were straight up lies crafted out of ignorance and false assumptions. 

You managed to cut down a few of the trees, their leaves still lingering in the air despite no blocks to support it. And as your steps led you towards another oak, you noticed something odd. 

One of your trees… was bald? 

…

Still holding your axe firmly, you stared in disbelief—you never encountered anything similar before. Perhaps, the leave blocks had withered away  on their own, but how would it even be possible? A much more probable scenario was that someone else had a hand in it. But you had no idea who and most importantly—why?

You shrugged it off. Most likely, it wasn’t anything worth your time. So what if one tree was a little different from the others? You thought as you continued your work, at least until your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of your tool breaking into shards. You hoped it would last just a while longer, let you chop down at least one tree more. And so, you were disappointed—not surprised, just let down.

Now, you undeniably needed to search for some new caves, and pray for an abundance of diamonds—or anything at all, really. Your chests with materials were mostly empty, except for some friendly spiders building their webs there. It was so empty that there wasn’t much else to expect. 

Not wishing to waste any time, you quickly geared up. A barely holding on armour, a blade blessed with the fire enchantment, and the last diamond pickaxe you could dig up from the very bottom of a dust-covered chest. You were ready, at least as ready as you could be. 

As much as you were thankful and enjoyed Herobrine’s care, at times you knew that it put your guard off way too much. You were no longer subconsciously thinking about the monster that could creep towards you any second—especially creepers—you felt safe, maybe even a little too much. You weren’t afraid of the zombies that growled the moment they saw you (because they never did, some enigmatic energy kept them away), nor the skeletons that usually left you pierced by countless arrows that then you’d have to pull out of your skin and flesh one by one. Spiders became just another passive creature, while Endermans avoided you like fire, teleporting far away the moment your gaze lingered on them for a moment too long. 

But that was only in and around your house. In the caves, it’d surely be another story. And that’s what kept you unsure and scared of what could be waiting for you there. 

This was a challenge—a test to check your abilities and how well you handled dangerous situations (if even at all) without anyone’s help. And you were only hoping that you’d pass it.

Back in your old village, way before all of this had happened—you weren’t a great warrior either, but you couldn’t be called a complete disaster as well. You were decent, but decent was better than nothing. 

You had a little too much trust towards mobs that seemed friendly at first, only to later stab you in the back. That pet magma cube you once adopted could be a great example. Perhaps, adopting a regular slime that actually was harmless warped your critical thinking enough for you to continue making bad decisions. 

Even before Herobrine’s presence let itself be known by you, you didn’t mind endermans. Though you wouldn’t call them entirely harmless, they were neutral. As long as your eyes didn’t linger on them for too long, you were fine. Spiders in the daylight were a similar case. 

You wouldn’t say you trusted zombies, skeletons or creepers. But you also wouldn’t say you viewed them as an actual danger. So, this could be a little tricky, to put it mildly. 

Looking for a cave, you wandered through the forest next to your house. You loved nature. Beautiful vibrant flowers adorned the uneven terrain, the warm sunlight tinted the scenery in golden shades and the sound of wildlife filled in the silence—it was a serene landscape. You passed by the river, taking a moment to glance and admire the world in its truest form. 

Most of the time you didn’t go far away from home. Not necessarily because you disliked the idea, there were just way too many things to take care of. So, when that inevitable moment finally came and you were forced to actually travel, apprehension found its way to crawl towards you. 

Finally finding a cave—though it didn’t look especially inviting—you were lured by the coal and iron being just a little below the surface, as if inviting you to descend deeper. You caved in, only hoping that this would go as smoothly as you were imagining. 

The sound of monsters lurking in the darkness sent shivers down your spine. It had been so long since you last had to face a zombie—or any other mob for that matter. Herobrine protected you a little too well. Perhaps, you needed to relearn how to use your sword. 

You were a little scared at the idea of fighting creepers. They were destructive, and though you weren’t worried about any of your builds blowing up, you were worried about yourself. 

And so, descending into the darkness with nothing more but the subtle light of a torch guiding you forward, you could feel a shiver running down your spine. For some reason, the sound and the heavy footsteps of monsters nearby was way more upsetting than you expected—you almost forgot what it was like to feel in danger. 

You marched forward, trying not to pay too much attention to either the cave sounds or the countless worries plaguing your mind that slowly started to overlap. You had a job to fulfill, that was if you wanted to give Herobrine a better room to reside in, obviously. And that was a great motivator to push yourself towards what seemed so frightening now. 

***

Despite all the help you got from Herobrine in your house, you were far from helpless or powerless. You knew how to swing your blade. You just hoped it wouldn’t have to come to that—foolish thoughts. Barely a few minutes in the caves, you already had to cut through some rotten flesh. And while one or two zombies were not a problem, you were trying to prepare yourself for what awaited you deeper. 

As much as you wanted to say you weren’t going to go that deep, you knew just how far below surface diamonds spawned. But it wasn’t that big of an issue, no, you did that countless times already. It was just the way too peaceful break you took that warped your perception of danger. 

You made sure to make use of the abundance of coal and iron that you found on your way. Three stacks of coal? That was good. Iron in every possible nook and corner? Even better. You even mined gold that to be honest wasn’t that useful to you anymore—there were never too many resources to take, only too small of a backpack. 

Yet you still lacked diamonds. Not a single one in sight. 

You took many risky paths near lava, going as far as to build a wooden bridge through one of the bigger pools. It burnt to ashes sooner later, but the only thing that mattered was following the path that you imagined perfectly.

And finally, you found them. 

A small ore consisting of maybe two or three pieces. But you weren’t going to complain. Maybe, that’d be enough for a new axe—and if not then you’d just say ‘screw it’ and craft a diamond hoe. Just for fun.  Who’d be there to stop you from your own stupidity? 

Being a little greedy, you came to a conclusion that since you are already here it wouldn’t hurt to look for some more. The only thing that tried to cross out these plans was the fact that the whole cave was already fully walked through—you had to improvise, turn it into a mine that couldn’t find its place anymore and anywhere in your basement. 

As you started mining out a narrow corridor hoping you’d stumble upon something great, you suddenly felt this weird sense of something being wrong. That nagging weight of a gut feeling when a part of you knows there’s something wrong but it’s not entirely dragged out of the shadows yet. You tried to brush it off, but the feeling quickly turned out to be a prophecy for something terrible to happen. 

A silent but already violently engraved into your mind hiss coming from behind you. And you already knew you were screwed. Total surprise, barely any armor and a place with nowhere to run. A creeper found you in the best possible spot to explode in. 

But just after you braced yourself for the incoming damage and closed your eyes, waiting, you noticed that seconds passed by and nothing happened. Did you hallucinate that creeper? You thought, questioning reality. You were too scared of the sudden blasting noise to check. Up until the moment when you were genuinely confused. 

You slowly opened them again, expecting the creeper to wait until it had your full attention to explode. But suddenly… you were back in your room. Your inventory stayed intact.

Chapter Text

It took you a solid while to process what happened, and even longer to feel the presence of a familiar figure, leaning against the wall as if relieved to see you in one piece. The moment your eyes catched the glimpse of Herobrine, his gaze softened a little. A subtle, barely-noticeable yet sincere smile curved his lips. 

In the dimly-lit room his eyes glowed akin to stars scattered on the night sky. Though the fact he was tense couldn’t be overshadowed by anything else. Yet he tried to camouflage it, give the impression of no troubles crowding his mind. 

You treasured this rare moment when you had the chance to freely look at him. And though you wanted to say something, your heart was still beating fast inside of your chest. Fear hadn’t managed to crawl its way out of you yet. Just a few seconds ago, you were someplace else, fighting monsters that only wished to stand in your way; now, you were suddenly back in your room, face to face with Herobrine. 

Expecting him to disappear whenever you’d finally have to blink, you just stared blankly, memorising his features. Just how many times were you this close to him before? How many times did he stay right next to you for this long?

Time seemed to slow down significantly. You expected him to vanish any second now, yet he didn’t. Instead, he took a hesitant step forward, almost as if he was worried he’d startle you otherwise. With no sudden movements, he slowly walked towards you, scanning you, trying to see if you were certainly not injured. And the single thought that he cared left you with something warm blooming inside of your heart. 

And it all made sense. 

Surely, it was pretty obvious what his intent was from the very beginning. In exchange for a place to live, he protected you in any way he could. But to realise that this unspoken agreement reached even further than you could ever predict flooded you with something you couldn’t quite describe. 

“I am okay,” you said in a voice barely above a whisper. But Herobrine seemed doubtful, unsure if he could take your word for that. Really, it was sweet to think there was a soul that cared for you and tried to keep you safe, and you couldn’t care less he was an enigmatic entity you only knew about from severely inaccurate legends—honestly, he was better than any human you ever met before. 

Though there was no sound, it looked as if he had sighed. Rather heavily. He didn’t want to push too much. Though concern was clearly painted upon his face, he really had no choice but to believe you—and make sure he’d react to another creeper way sooner next time. He felt the blame was on his side, he should have put more effort into making sure no monster would even go as far as to approach you unnoticed. 

He looked away as if seeking refuge from the thoughts that haunted his mind. And you couldn’t help but feel your heart aching at the sight of who you wanted to hold close overthinking such unimportant things. Though you didn’t have a shield, you had some experience with these walking bombs—you wouldn’t die from one creeper. If you survived up until this point with your level of recklessness, you’d surely somehow manage. 

Shock had finally faded away, you calmed down. You were safe, no longer in these dark caves—you even had some diamonds for a new axe, though you hoped you’d have the time to find just a few more. It seemed luck wasn’t on your side this time. 

“Thank you… for looking after me.” 

And Herobrine just nodded slowly. 

He never spoke, and despite wishing to hear his voice at least one time you never tried or even wanted to pressure him into that. Did he even have a voice? You wondered, but knew these thoughts would probably lead you nowhere. It didn’t matter, it shouldn’t matter—his actions were enough for you to communicate. But you did try to imagine what it possibly sounded like nonetheless. Was it a deep voice? Or was it more soft and delicate? You didn’t know. You wouldn’t know. 

You wanted to say something more, tell him just how much you appreciated his help. But the moment your gaze tried to stray towards him again, you realised he was gone once more. Why did he always teleport away so suddenly? 

… 

Perhaps, he wasn’t the best with words… at all; maybe they barely meant anything to him. 

A sudden idea struck you like lightning. What if you used his ways of speaking—bringing him a gift next time would be a sweet gesture. It seemed like he’d appreciate you using his language more. 

But what could you even get him?

Chapter Text

You were gazing at the night sky from the opened window, doing nothing but wondering over and over again—what would Herobrine appreciate? Was there really anything you could surprise him with? You weren’t certain if it was the gesture that mattered to him the most, or if you should get him something actually useful. If you only knew what could be useful for an otherworldly entity it’d surely be an easier choice. 

… 

You remembered the wood you gathered to replace the cold, stone floor in the basement; now was surely the time to do this. Herobrine deserved some comfort in what became his room, at least the most you could provide him with. And changing some of the blocks wasn’t a generally difficult task—you’d be done with it in no time. 

Knocking on the wooden door, you made sure he was gone. Invading his privacy was the last thing you wished for. You didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable in his own room. Even if it was your house. 

You knew what it was like to not have personal space, that was partially the reason you abandoned your old life. Though you wouldn’t say living in a village was bad, you much preferred peace. On top of sharing a room, someone was constantly trying to get your attention. Either it being the farmer trying to sell you his crops, the librarian who thought you’d be interested in some new enchants or just an ordinary villager looking for company. At first, it was hardly a problem, but as years passed by—it got tiring. And you didn’t want Herobrine to feel that way.

You started destroying the stone blocks, putting wooden planks in their place. But the moment you were done… you thought it still looked bland. Perhaps a carpet would not only make the place slightly more cosy, but decorate it a little. And so, you ran upstairs, crafted it out of red wool—so it’d match with the bed—and strolled to the basement again.

Finally, this place looked slightly more acceptable. But you still didn’t know what to get him. 

As time passed by, you were getting progressively more nervous. A minute after a minute, an hour after an hour—you were constantly bumping into a dead end in the labyrinth of your never-ending thoughts.

You couldn’t just ask him what he wanted. Not only because he simply didn’t use words, but because that would ruin the whole thing. And so, you just suffocated inside of your mind. Until a sudden idea struck you, sparkling like a diamond.

Diamonds.

You walked towards your unorganised storage room, opening one of the chests as it creaked loudly, almost startling you while you were stuck in another reality. You hesitated for a moment, would it hold any value to an entity? For a human like you, surely it did; it was the most treasured resource you had, but to expect Herobrine to see it the same would be an uncertain assumption. At least if you gifted him diamonds by itself, which probably wouldn’t be enough to make his day. 

And so, you wondered for a while longer as you sat next to a small, wooden table made from a single fence block and a pressure plate (and stairs as the chair, obviously). You had some strings left from your short-lived venture into the darkened caves, though it wasn’t a lot, maybe, you could craft something from that. Improvise—create a new recipe. There was nobody to stop you anymore from breaking the unsaid rules of minecraft. 

A diamond necklace—that was the best thing you could come up with, and actually, it didn’t seem like a bad plan. 

You closed your eyes for a few seconds, trying to imagine his reaction—have each part of your mind agree that in fact, this was an appropriate gift. Your thoughts began sailing away into visions of Herobrine wearing it—of the diamond reflecting the moonlight as he wandered through the dense moon-lit forests at night… at least that’s what you imagined he did when he was gone. And thinking about that seemed to spark something inside of you—it made your heart feel warmer, it made you hope he’d like it. 

And the choice had been made. 

You rushed to the crafting table in an instant, the night was still young—maybe you’d make it on time, before dawn. 

— — — — — 

It took you a few pathetic attempts. You wasted one diamond, but it didn’t matter to you—what was important was that it was done. A small necklace with a perfectly carved, round diamond hanging from the silky spider string. You took a moment to appreciate your creation, you could only hope he’d do the same (or at the very least, wouldn’t dislike it). 

You knew hoping you’d soon have a chance to give it to him in person would be wishful thinking, if that wasn’t an understatement. Your last meeting was a blessing, and as much as you wanted it to happen again, you had to remain realistic about this. 

Rummaging through each of your chests, you finally found a piece of paper and ink. God, you really needed to rearrange all those items. It was a disaster to look for anything there. You began writing a short, sweet note. 

‘Thank you for protecting me.” 

And then, you blankly stared at the paper, overthinking if you wrote the message correctly, if there weren’t any misspells, or if the message was appropriate at all. The more seconds passed, the harder it was for your mind to approve this, even if there were no clear errors. You just really didn’t want Herobrine to change his mind about you. It was hard to admit it to yourself, but you grew attached to his presence. 

You took a deep breath and walked down the stairs. You were shaking, you weren’t sure why. Gently opening the door, you left the gift with a note on the nightstand, hoping he’d accept it.

Chapter Text

You nervously awaited dawn, laying in your bed and staring at the ceiling as you foolishly hoped you’d be able to close your eyes even if only for an hour or so. Anxiety was tearing you apart from the inside out, you weren’t certain if the gift was a great idea. At the very least, you hoped it wasn’t a bad one. But the hopes were so fragile that the slightest doubt would shatter them to pieces. 

It wasn’t that you thought Herobrine wouldn’t be thankful, you were just overthinking everything more than you should. Perhaps, it was just a trait of yours to never be sure of anything and allow your thoughts to feast on your hesitation. 

You wondered what his reaction would be, even if you knew you’d certainly wouldn’t be there to witness it. You could only assume that the next time you’d see him, he’d wish to say a word or two—in whatever language he wished to speak. 

Why were you even waiting? It wasn’t like he’d just open the front door and march towards the basement while you watched. He was way too mysterious and cryptic for that. In fact, you never even knew when exactly he made his way into his room. You had to assume that he teleported there whenever the night was over for him, which could be anytime. There wasn’t an unsaid rule that dawn meant immediate teleportation, it could as well be 3AM when he got tired of whatever it was that he did outside. And that uncertainty wasn’t doing the best for you, to put it mildly. 

You constantly wondered if he had already received the gift, or if he hadn’t returned yet. You knew it didn’t matter for now, but you were way too anxious and paranoid about his reaction to come to that conclusion by yourself. 

Time was ticking unmercifully. If you refused to allow yourself to sleep, you'd surely be feeling miserable tomorrow morning. Forcing yourself to lay still, you tried to silence your thoughts as much as you could. 

And even if it would be an overstatement to say that you slept well after that, at least you managed to close your eyes (though every hour or so, you woke up and had to repeat the tiring process of shutting your mind by force.) 

— — — — — 

Surprisingly, you didn’t dream that night. Far too focused on things that barely mattered, you couldn’t even allow yourself to enter that stage of sleep. And the moment you finally woke up, you felt its effects. 

The sun had barely just risen, peeking in from the windows. And the only thing you could think about was Herobrine. Your thought immediately returned to the topic, flooding your mind once again.

Despite living under the same roof for quite some time already, you still hardly knew what to expect from him. Would he seek you to voice out his thoughts about the gift? Or would he simply say nothing? No, that seemed unlike him. You were nearly certain there would be some kind of reply from him, you just didn’t know where to look. 

Sighing, you realised you had to stop tormenting yourself. There was no magical solution to your constantly racing thoughts. And you weren’t about to force anything out of Herobrine. You just had to accept waiting and occupy yourself with any task available. And there were plenty. 

You still needed diamonds—but a venture into the caves would be too much for you today. On the other hand, you had to somehow gather more wood, there was nothing in your storage room. Your only solution for the lack of an axe was to craft one from iron just this once. It wasn’t a bad idea, you had a lot of iron lingering at the bottom of your chests, you just grew used to the luxury of the highest quality of equipment. That was on you. 

You reluctantly stood up from the bed, approaching the window for a second to admire the peace (if gazing at burning monsters way behind the fence surrounding your house could be called peace, at least the creepers seemed to be in a good mood today—not that you’d have to deal with them, obviously).

It was amusing in its own way to know that these mobs had no way of tearing through the invisible barrier between your house and the rest of the vast world, really. But it wasn’t a complaint, just an observation—it was amazing. 

Slowly walking towards the storage room, you felt exhausted. You were definitely letting yourself rest for an hour longer after this—because if you allowed yourself to drift away to sleep now, you knew you wouldn’t be as willing to complete the task  you already started a while ago. 

Suddenly, you noticed something. And it immediately made your mind go blank, stopping all those tiring thoughts. 

A response. 

Despite the miserable state you were in, you couldn’t help but be surprised and stare at the little bouquet of pink and red roses, laying on top of one of the chests—the one you were just about to open to find iron. As shock faded away, you jumped towards the flowers. Was this the reply you were waiting for? Yes, indeed it was. 

The roses—just as always—seemed almost overworldly with their vibrant hues. And for whatever reason, this time you found it even harder to tear your gaze away from them. So much that it took your eyes a solid few seconds to stray towards a little note, covering a few diamonds underneath it. 

On the small piece of paper, there was nothing other than a hand-drawn heart. 

…

He just kept finding other ways of surprising you each time.