Minecraft Oneshots

fluff for the sake of fluff

there really isn't much context for this? I just wanted to write fluff and this plot was suggested to me

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And then there was a baby.

The child tugged at his pant leg, catching his attention from the merchant he stood bartering with. The man looked down, and frowned, taking in the child's fiery-blond curls and big blue eyes.

"Hold on." Lowering himself to the ground, he knelt on one knee, looking the toddler in the eyes. "Where are your parents?"

"Not yours, then?" The merchant laughed, leaning over the edge of the stall to take in the sight. "The lil'un has been following you around all morning."

"And you didn't feel the need to point it out?" Scooping the child up, Herobrine stood, cradling her against his side as she cooed into his ear. "I'll be back in a minute. I'm going to try and find this one's parents."

"Good luck." The merchant was still chuckling when he walked away, and the demigod heaved a sigh. Why me? His only response was a giggle from the child as she started to pull at his hood.

"No, don't touch that." He batted her hand away - gently, of course. She grabbed at his nose instead. He sighed.

The little girl appeared to be under two years old, dressed in a little, green dress with white ribbon that matched her white shoes. Fairly exquisite for a trip to the market. She seemed completely at ease nestled into his side, giggling as she pulled his cloak over her body. He found himself scowling at the thought of her parents letting her slip away.

"SANDY!!" A panicked voice split through the hubbub of the market, and Herobrine followed the source across the town square.

"Sandra!!" A second voice followed. A man and a woman stood, hands clasped together, as they scanned the market for any sign of - presumably - their daughter. The child perked up at the sound of the name, and Herobrine began to make his way towards them.

It took a moment for him to make his way through the crowd, but soon enough he made it to the stall behind the couple. As they were still focused on the crowd, they didn't notice him until he reached out to tap the man's shoulder.

"Dada!" The little girl crowed, tossing Herobrine's cloak off of her as her father spun around. Immediately, his face split in a grin of relief, and he snatched his daughter into his own arms.

"What was that??" The woman scolded, fiery red hair coming free of the neat braid it had been trapped in. "I should think you'd've learned your lesson by now!" Sandy just giggled.

"Thank you so much." The man handed his daughter to the woman before turning back to Herobrine, relief painted over his face. "I swear we didn't see her run off. She's a slippery one."

"She came up to me. Apparently she had been following me." Herobrine offered him a small smile, not meeting his eyes.

"Maybe she liked your cloak?" As he tried to examine his face under his hood, however, the man's face changed. "Wait... you look... familiar?" Immediately, Herobrine turned away. Being recognized was never a good thing. Tugging his hood over his head, he started to retreat, leaving the couple and their daughter behind.

"Hero!" The nickname stopped him in his tracks, and he let out a startled noise as a body slammed into him from behind, arms wrapping around him tight. His first instinct was to shove him off, but the familiar tone stopped him, giving a wary glance over his shoulder instead. It wasn't until he finally looked at the man's face that he realized who he was speaking with.

"Stephan??" His brother gave him an ecstatic grin, and Herobrine managed to relax a bit under the force of his hug, turning around to examine him more closely. His younger brother now sported a thin beard, and curly hair that was trimmed close to his head. He was dressed in a simple brown tunic and trousers, and had a quiver of arrows slung over one shoulder. "You've... grown."

"What a coincidence, you look exactly the same." Grabbing him by the hand, Steve dragged him back over the woman, who looked almost as bewildered as Herobrine felt. "Alex, this is my brother, Herobrine. Hero, this is Alex, my wife."

"A pleasure." The greeting came out automatically, his eyes skimming over 'Alex' before going back down the child in her arms. "And that would make young Sandra...?"

"Oh! Yes, you're an uncle now!" The enthusiastic proclamation was far more joyful than Herobrine felt.

Oh Notch I'm not ready for responsibility.

A squeal interrupted him from his thoughts, and he blinked up to see Sandy reaching towards him with grabby hands. Without waiting for permission, Stephan took his daughter from Alex's arms and offered her to his brother, who took her with shaking hands.

"I don't want to drop her." He protested.

"You'll be fine. Toddlers are made of rubber anyway." Hesitantly, he wrapped one arm around the little girl, trying to keep her upright. She grabbed at his beard. He made a strangled noise and tugged away, much to the amusement of his brother and sister-in-law.

"Where do you live?" Stephan asked once he was finished snickering. "Around here? I've never seen you here before."

"I try to keep a low profile." Carefully, he raised one hand to his niece's face, letting her grab his index finger with both hands. "But, no, not around here. I'm more of a wanderer."

"Thank Notch that we managed to run into you here, then." There was pure joy in his younger brother's eyes. "I've missed you, Herobrine." The legend allowed himself a small smile.

"I've missed you too."