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Rabble gasped softly as he saw Anomaly lean down to slip a thin sharp blade through the back of his heel, nestling along the sole of his shoe. Anomaly smiled as he looked back at Rabble, “You like?”
Rabble nodded “They’re
incredible
. I wish I could walk in heels so I could wear those.”
Anomaly stood up and walked over to him, “Have you ever tried?”
“No. I.. I never really had the chance.” Rabble ducked his head as he shrugged a shoulder. “I tend to be most comfortable barefoot, really.” He didn’t usually even
have
shoes when he was living on the street as a kid, and just got used to it.
Anomaly lifted Rabble’s chin with a gentle touch, “Would you like to?”
Rabble couldn’t hold back a smile, “Really? You’d teach me?”
Anomaly smiled back as he rested his hand on Rabble’s back to guide him to his not inconsiderable shoe collection. Rabble leaned into his touch, he always loved the way his metal arm felt against him, strong and steady. Anomaly sat him down and went digging, eventually pulling out a set of what were likely the most practical heels that Anomaly even owned. Even so, they were a couple inches high, but with a solid heel and strap, with a closed toe.
“Oh! Those are cute!”
Anomaly smiled softly as he got down on the floor to help strap them on. “Thank you. I think these should fit you well, they are a bit wide on me.”
After he finished, he helped Rabble stand up. “Okay. First things first, you want you to stand up straight, almost leaning back.” Anomaly touched a spot on his lower back and upper chest, adjusting his posture, “There perfect.”
“Now there are a few other things I want you to know before you take your first step. The most important, is to walk heel to toe. The next related to that, which is taking smaller steps, not baby steps, but not like you are trying to keep up with Loudmouth’s long stride.” Anomaly winked at that, Rabble wasn’t
that
short, but when Loudmouth got going, it could be difficult to keep up. “And last, you want to imagine yourself walking along an invisible line.” Anomaly started to walk towards the other side of the room, doing everything he explained. Head up, heel to toe, with small but confident steps. It looked so easy as he turned sharply and walked back towards Rabble.
“Whaddya think? Want a go?”
Rabble had gotten the hang of standing still, and was even mostly comfortable, if he could feel the muscles in his calves that were usually only used while dancing. Nevertheless, he didn’t particularly want to fall or twist an ankle, “Will you stay next to me?”
Anomaly smiled reassuringly, “Of course, I’ll be next to you the entire way.”
Rabble was hesitant in his first few steps, but quickly got the hang of it. He only had one slip when he tried to turn too quick and almost lost his balance. Anomaly was right there at his elbow to steady him, and they were off again.
After a few turns around the room Rabble was feeling mostly confident walking in them, but his calves were starting to ache. Anomaly saw the look on Rabble’s face and laughed, “Come, sit back down, you’ve done beautifully for your first time. The heels will strengthen your calf muscles even more than dancing.”
“How long ‘til I can wear ones like yours?” Rabble asked as Anomaly helped him out of the shoes.
“You should probably practice in ones with the thicker heel for a while yet, but we can find you some taller ones that fit even better to get you used to the height.” Anomaly rubbed his calves briefly before setting the shoes aside.
Rabble leaned forward and gave Anomaly a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, An’ika.”
Anomaly briefly touched his cheek, like it surprised him to feel something so genuinely and freely given. He quickly put his usual smile back on, but it was a little softer, “You’re welcome, Rab’ika. Anytime.”