Not The Way I Used To Be [Pure Vanilla Cookie x Reader]

?? Chapter 9 - A City to Behold ??

The nearest drug store looked kind of sketchy, but I wasn't going to drag him to the next possibly sketchy drug store for no reason. Through the glass, I could see the shelves lined with products.

"Stay here, I'll be right back," I say, leaving him out near a bench, figuring he'd take a seat and wait. The doors rang a small bell as I enter, and I look around at the number of people in the store. A small effort was put towards fluffing up my hair in front of my face, and not looking directly at anyone.

It's not like I stole from people all the time, right? Just this once, and I promised myself I'd never do it again.

I scanned the shelf in front of me for allergy medication, before finding one of the syrups. With a slight hesitation, I grabbed it and walked towards the back of the store. There, I made a scene of reaching into my backpack, and crying out, "Aw man, I left my wallet at home." The medication was slipped in without anyone seeing it. Or as I hoped.

On my way out, I took a gander at the selection of stuffed animals. It was small and kinda crappy, but one caught my eye. It was a bright bluebird, with a heart stitched into its stomach. He said he likes blue, right?

It was soft and small enough to just slip out of the store, but I wasn't entirely sure why. I only need the medicine, but this was calling my name. I scooped it up, and with haste, I rushed out the door.

Outside, Healer sat on the bench, staring out into the road, with people walking past him picking up speed to avoid him.

With a simple movement, I grabbed his hand and immediately began to usher him and myself away from the store.

"C'mon, I did some things I'm not necessarily proud of, and the sooner we just walk away, the better." The explanation was enough for him and he followed, not like he really had a choice. I lead him around a few buildings, out of sight of the drug store I just stole from.

I slipped the backpack off and handed him the medicine, which he drank without measuring. For a moment I stared in disbelief, before grabbing the bottle away from him and recapping it.

"Will that help any?" He asked, reaching back out for the bottle I held. I pulled it back away from him, before putting it back in the bag.

"Well yeah, it should, if you don't drink ×20 the recommended dosage. Let's get moving." We both got up from the corner and started back towards the larger city ahead. It should only take an hour or two of walking from here, then, if memory serves me right, I had to head to a certain apartment complex, and we'll have concluded this portion of the trip.

After traveling a good few feet, I realized I still had the bird in my hands. I turned back to look at Healer, who looked unenthused and dragged himself along.

"I uhm, got this for you. I didn't really get it since, well I didn't pay but... Here" I handed him the bird, which he carefully inspected. His face melted into a smile as he looked back up at me.

"Why Thank you Y/n, this means a lot to me." To which he opened his arms and made a motion, offering a hug. It would be rude to decline and stuff I guess...

I gave him a hug, one that felt almost too personal to be directed toward me. Even after I let go, he was still holding on. Now it felt a little awkward, clearing my throat to clear the air. He seemed to get the hint, because he backed away, flustered.

"Sorry sorry, I'm just grateful, it reminds me of someone." He looked away, not maintaining eye contact. I just gave him a small nod. "No worries, but we really should get going now."

Entering the city gave me some relief, we were 1 step closer to getting some answers, and for me to get home. Maybe my mom reported me as missing by now, and my uncle would be more than willing to send me back.