#oc:laura

You were just a normal human, with a tiny best friend. You had met them awhile back, and at first, they were suspicious of you but slowly over time they started to trust you. You and your small friend were the closest of friends. Hanging out late at night, watching movies, playing games, and more.

It’s been a full two years since you made friends with the borrower. Occasionally they’d come with you to school or if you went somewhere relatively interesting, like the museum or movie theater. Today however they were going to join you as you went to visit your old babysitter from when you were younger. They weren’t going to babysit you, but rather you wanted to visit them for old times sake. That and you needed to write a report over someone you knew personally. Your small friend wanted to join you saying they were curious about the lady. You begrudgingly agreed to let your friend join you.

As you made your way towards her house, your friend popped their head out of your pocket, “Hey! What’s this lady’s name anyway?” they questioned.

“Her name is Laura, she’s pretty eccentric. To say the least.” You replied giving them a glance.

As you walked, the two of you continued to chat. Talking about how you were excited for the new episode coming out later today, people who were interesting to you two, and other things.

After a while, you reached the Laura’s house. It certainly was an interesting house, considering it was the only purple house on the street. You made your way up to the door and rang the doorbell.

“I’LL BE THERE IN A MINUTE!” shouted Laura from within. Some shuffling could be heard from behind the door. You looked down at your pocket to double check that your friend was hidden away, no need to have them be seen by more people. You looked up just as the door opened, and you were greeted by Laura, who was smiling a bright smile.

“Oh hello, sweetheart! I haven’t seen you for a long time, like a few months really. Come in, come in. How have you been? Do you need something?” She said while waving you inside. Laura had long wavy brown hair, that was all frazzled. She had dark brown eyes, that sometimes you swear they were secretly just black. Those eyes hid behind a pair of glasses, that were just as purple as her house. Laura was wearing a tank top, which revealed her shoulder which were covered in scars, much like her neck. You were curious about them, perhaps maybe she’ll tell you how she got those. She was in her late forties and lived alone, although that didn’t seem to bother her all too much.

You smiled, “I’ve been good, and yes I need some help. I’m writing a report and I’m doing it on you.” Laura smiled as she led you to her living room.

“Well, that’s certainly exciting!” She then paused and looked over your outfit. You saw her eyes look at your pocket, the same one that held your friend. You tried your best to not seem suspicious, “Oh would you like some tea?” she asked, and you nodded. She smiled and walked away. Once she was out of the room, you released a breath of relief. Your small friend waited a few seconds before peaking their head out of your pocket to take a look around.

“Wow, her house has a lot of decorations” they muttered. You nodded and hummed a response. Both of you looked around at all the shelves and books on those shelves. Most of the books seemed to be old sketchbooks and old notebooks. The walls were painted with at least three different colors in interesting spirals and patterns.

“Hey, do you see that?” you asked in a hushed whisper, and pointed towards one of the many bookshelves.

Your pal looked over and let out a small gasp, “Wait…is that a string?” You slowly stood up and walked over to get a closer look. You gently reached for the string, pulling it closer to your eyes. You noticed it was hooked to one of the upper shelves. “Yup, definitely a hook and string. Maybe there is borrower living here!” Your small friend beamed up at you.

“Perhaps, do you think they are nearby? I mean, why would they leave this out? Wouldn’t that get them caught?” You glanced back down at your friend, who had furrowed their brow in thought.

“Maybe, I mean we shouldn’t take it since they probably still need it, but what if Laura sees it?” Your friend’s comment made you start questioning what to do.

“Mmh, perhaps we should just leave it. I mean it blends in with the wood. You have to really look for it, in order to actually see it. Also, she won’t be facing that way.”

“But you will.”

You hummed, “Hopefully they see that you and I are friends. That way they know they can be seen by me and I won’t expose them. You know what I mean?”

Your small friend nodded. You backed away from the bookshelf and started to scan the many books. There were some science, fantasy, and sci-fi books. Also on this bookshelf were random items like a weirdly shaped vase, a pencil holder, a trophy, a model doll, and many other oddities.

You and your pal were looking over these items and books and agreed they were pretty interesting. Then you heard Laura’s footsteps, and you quickly shuffled back to your seat on the couch. Your friend ducked down into the pocket and quickly made themselves comfortable. Laura walked in carrying a plate with a teapot, two cups, a container of sugar, a cream pitcher, and a little box.

“Sorry for taking a while. I got distracted and forgot what I was doing” Laura laughed as she placed the plate onto the table. She poured some tea into the cups, “You’re welcome to as much sugar and cream as you need.” You smiled and fixed your preferred tea to sugar and cream ratio.

Laura sipped her tea, and you saw her eyes once again glance at your pocket. She smiled and said, “Before we begin, I have a question for you.”

“Um, what would that be?” you asked hesitantly.

“Who is in your pocket?” You froze, how did she know? You were freaking out, and you could feel your face drain.

“What are you talking about?” You tried your best to act normal, however Laura’s raised eyebrow told you she wasn’t buying it.

“Honey, listen. I know you probably don’t want to show them. But I know you have a borrower in your pocket. You talked to them, while I was making the tea.” Your mouth opened to protest or give an excuse, but Laura raised her hand to stop you, “My friend told me. I know you are wondering how I knew. Either way,” she let out a sigh, “I’m just making sure, that they are choosing to be with you.”

“They’re my best friend!” you shouted. Your hand then slapped a hand over your mouth.

“Is that true, little one?” Laura asked, eyeing your pocket.

Slowly your small friend peaked over the edge of your pocket. They were a bit scared but with a quick look of reassurance from you, made them stand a bit taller.

“They are my best friend, technically my only friend.” They shouted; their voice was firm but had a small waver within it.

Laura relaxed, “Okay, I believe you. Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone, I’ve kept that same secret longer than you’ve been alive,” She laughed.

You and your friend were confused, “What do you mean?” you asked.

Laura chuckled and reached over to the plate with the tea set. She grabbed the small box and lifted it up to reveal a small woman with long black hair. The small woman stood up and smiled, she was holding two small cups and had two chair-like objects were next to her. “This is Lily, she is one of the many borrowers I know. I believe I can trust you to keep this secret.” Laura looked at you and waited for a response. You simply nodded.

“Hello, if you would like, I have a teacup for your friend. You can place them down here with me.” Lily smiled and Laura moved the box and chairs to resemble a table with chairs. You looked at your friend and they nodded. You scooped them out of your pocket and gently moved them to the plate. You stopped your hand near the small set up, allowing your small friend to hop off and walk over to Lily. They took a cup and sat down in one of the chairs, and Lily joined them.

“How do you know about borrowers?” You asked after picking up your cup of tea, watching as Laura carefully had a small drop of tea hang from the pot, which Lily collected into the small teacups.

“I should be asking how you two met,” Laura chuckled, “However you did come here for a story, guess I can give you one. Although, I hope you don’t use my first meeting with a borrower in your report.” You quickly shook your head no.

Laura leaned back and smile, “Alright, get comfy. This is the story about how I met two small borrowers; Lily,” she then gestured to Lily who nodded, “And her brother, David.”

----------------Flash Back ---------------

It was an autumn day of her freshmen year in High School, and Laura was hiding in her closet working on homework and listening to music. The closet was a sanctuary, where she could hide away from family and the outside world. It felt safe because if her parents were to burst into the room, she could hear them open the first door and head to the closet that she was hidden in, that way Laura had time to hide things she was doing, usually drawings but still. When you get yelled at for not working on homework or just relaxing and having bad grades, despite the lowest being only a C, you tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to hide things that might be considered “wrong.” Laura couldn’t help but develop these reactions.

She sighed and looked back down at her Geometry homework; all the while Techno music played in the background. Man, I hate math. She thought, as she tapped her pencil on her head. Laura’s mind was getting overwhelmed by all the different numbers, and the drama within her friend group. The only thing holding her steady was the beat of the music, but it was slowly losing its grip on her.

Eventually all the math was too much, “UGHHHHH.” Laura let out hitting her head onto the box she used as a makeshift table. Laura ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. You could ask for help. No, no. Last time you asked for help, you didn’t get any. In fact, you got more confused. They’d also question why you can’t get it done. Or complain that its your music that’s distracting you. Laura let out a long sigh and let her thoughts just ramble off. There was no point in trying to stop all the voices in her head. They won’t shut up. She turned off the music to get rid of external noise that might cause her to freak out. Laura needed to calm down, but her mind was racing.

As Laura’s thoughts rambled, she heard something fall. It was a weird thud, like a hand slapping a counter limply. It snapped her out of her thoughts in an instant. The world fell silent, except for a passing car outside. She felt like she shouldn’t move, but her mind was curious as to what fell. What could make that kind of noise? It was just too weird. Go and investigate. This curiosity of yours will kill you one day.

Laura slowly got up and opened the closet door. She peaked out and scanned the messy floor. She didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, until she heard a very quiet and muffled sharp inhale. She turned her head towards her dresser, only for her eyes to widen in surprise and horror. There on her dresser was a small dude, and he wasn’t looking to good. She slowly made her way in front of the dresser to get a better look. Laura couldn't believe her eyes. The small being seemed to be a young man, perhaps around her age. He had black hair that curled and twirled in random directions, and if she focused, she could see his bright green eyes. He was gripping his leg, and Laura may not be a doctor, but she knew that legs typically don’t bend more than twice. The little guy looked up and noticed Laura. She stepped back a bit in surprise, and he reacted by grabbing a small knife.

He pointed the knife at her and hissed, “DON’T GET CLOSE!” Laura froze, she wanted to help. She also didn’t want to be stabbed. He then tried to get up only to fall. Once he fell, he bit into his arm to muffle a scream. That’s when she noticed that his outfit had long sleeves, and some kind of shawl over his shoulders. He wore pants with several pockets and wore no shoes. There was a small bag with scattered contents a few inches away from him. As she analyzed his outfit, he had tried once again to stand only to fall. He let out another hiss of pain.

“What happened?” Laura said without thinking. The small being glared up at her.

“NONE OF YOUR BUSSINESS!” he shouted at her. He looked at his leg and then at his bag. It was pretty obvious he needed it but couldn’t exactly move towards it. So, Laura gently raised her hand and placed it near the bag. She pushed it and its contents towards the small person. He thanked her, by digging his knife into her hand.

Laura yelped and pulled her hand back, realizing that the knife was still inside. It had a blue ball as a handle and seemed to have been made from a pin. She pulled it out, placing it far from him, and sent a glare back at the glaring boy.

“Hey! I was just trying to help!” She half shouted. She couldn’t actually yell because then her parents would burst in and ask her why, that and she figured his ears weren’t accustom to loud noises.

“Yeah? I warned you not to get close!” he spat back.

Laura huffed, and watched as the small guy collect his things. She glanced up and saw a tangled string hanging from her shelf. She reached for it and pulled it off, seeing a hook was holding it to the shelf. She lowered it down and placed it near the man, who proceeded to pull out another knife, this one with a yellow tip. This guy has a lot of knives.

The tiny dude looked through his items before letting out an agitated sigh. He then looked deep in thought, it seemed he was at a lost. Perhaps he didn’t have something to set his leg? Or something to lean against.

That’s when Laura let out an annoyed huff, before turning to the tiny being. His attention had been drawn to her, since the air from her huff had ruffled his hair. He then gave her a inquisitive look.

“You need help, don’t you?” she asked.

“Pft. NO, especially not from ya, bean!” He shouted. Laura snorted, bean.

“Well, obliviously you’re lying, so I’m helping you.” Her conscious wouldn’t let her just leave him.

“DON’T YA TOUCH ME!”

“Too bad! I’ll be back.” She left the bedroom and walked to the bathroom. She looked through the cabinets and drawers, until she found some bandages. She then snuck into her mom’s office and rummaged through the art supplies. Eventually she found the wooden sticks and pulled two out. She would need scissors too, but those were somewhere in her room.

Laura quickly went back to her room, she opened the door and entered. Gently, she closed it behind her and turned towards the dresser. She let out a sigh of relief, he was still there. Although he looked pissed that he couldn’t get away in time. Laura walked over and placed the items down and grabbed her scissors from one of the drawers.

She looked over at the small guy, “Alright, I’m just going to set your leg. So please don’t stab me.” He continued his death stare as her hands slowly moved towards him. Her hand got close and he immediately stabbed it. She yelped and pulled her hand back. I should have known. She pulled the knife out and placed it next to the other one at the other end of the dresser. Laura looked back and waited to see if he would pull out another knife. However, it seemed he was out of knives.

“Alright, listen. I’m gonna do this. I’ll make it as quick as possible ok?” He glared and she approached again, her hand was hovering over him and he started to attack it. He punched and fought back; Laura didn’t react but noticed something was off. She gently placed her hand to hold the boy down, so she could focus. That’s when she truly realized what was happening, he definitely didn’t like being touched. Not only did he not like it, but she could see true fear in his face. Laura felt her heart sink a bit; He was terrified. He scratched and bit at the hand that held his torso, but she didn’t flinch. Instead, she focused solely on his broken leg. I’ll make this quick, I promise.

Maneuvering her fingers and her other hand, she lifted the broken leg and got started. She placed the sticks onto the sides of his leg and gently pushed them to straighten the leg out a bit. As Laura did this, she felt a muffled scream vibrate against her hand, and the bite that accompanied it bit down harder. Let him do this, he needs this. She continued her work and eventually started wrapping the leg up. Once it was wrapped up, she gently lowered his leg back down and looked back at him. He had tears running down his face, and there was blood around his mouth and on his fingers. Laura knew it was her blood, and that he was just trying to protect himself. The little guy looked exhausted, and as she lifted her hand that held him down, he flinched.

“You’re all done, I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Laura looked off, and from the corner of her eye she watched him sit up.

“What are ya doing?” He asked, Laura looked back over surprised.

“What do you mean?”

He sighed, “Why help me? Just to torture me. To make me suffer. To capture me and heal me up so you can break me yourself? I know your kind, and no bean has ever helped a…” he paused and quickly looked away.

Laura tilted her head, “Helped a what?”

“Nothing…” he looked away.

“Last time I checked; you aren’t nothing. You’re something, someone even. So, what and who are you?” she leaned down and rested her head on the dresser, a decent distance away from him. She figured he already went through a lot today. I won’t touch you again. Your eyes tell me that you were waiting to die. I won’t let you. Laura didn’t know why, but she wanted to help and protect him. Although based on her bleeding hand, he probably could take care of himself. It was obvious that he was stubborn, and so was she. Laura just had the upper hand, literally.

“I’m not telling you that.” He spoke. Yup he’s definitely stubborn. But so am I.

“What? Come on, at least give me your name” he shook his head, “ugh, come on. How about I start, my name is Laura, what’s yours?”

“Fuck off.” So that’s how it’s going to be.

“Well Fuck off, it’s nice to meet you.” She grinned; he then whipped his head towards her.

“My name ain’t fuck! You’re the FUCK!”

“Nope your name is Fuck now. Sorry I don’t make the rules.” Laura grinned and watched as he cursed under his breath.

“FINE! Name’s David…” he looked away.

“Well, David. I just want to let you know that…I’m sorry..” He curiously looked up at the Bean before him. He watched her eyes sadden before, “I’m sorry I held you down like that. I’m sorry I scared you. I’m not sorry for helping you though, but I am sorry that…” she paused, letting out a shaky breath, “It must’ve been terrifying for you. Having my hand hold you down, and I’m sorry about that.” David sat there in silence and Laura watched as the gears in his head turned. “Also, I’m not going to hurt you, I promise I won’t touch you unless you want me to. That sounds weird, sorry. It’s just…you looked so scared.”

“Shut up,” David said, he turned away, “I don’t exactly believe you…but if what you are saying is true. Prove it.”

“How?” Laura raised an eyebrow.

“Give me my knives back and give me that” he pointed at a small tube of super glue that sat on the dresser. Laura picked up the knives and slid them over to him. She then picked up the tube and placed it nearby. She watched as David grabbed the tube and used it as a crutch, after putting his knives away.

David stood up and looked around, once checking that he had all his belongings he looked up at Laura and shuddered, “Alright,” he said, “I need one more thing from ya, but ya can’t…touch me. I get to touch ya, alright?” Laura nodded her head and he continued, “Alright…lay your hand flat and let me climb on. Then carefully, put me on the ground near your dresser.”

Laura nodded and carefully placed her hand near David. Not to close, since she didn’t want to spook him and get stabbed, again. He walked over, using his makeshift crutch to steady himself and got to her hand and froze. Laura could see the color drain from his face, He doesn’t want to get on, he’s scared to.

Before David could even take action, she slowly slid her hand away. Causing David to jump a bit and reach for his knife, but he didn’t pull it out.

“Listen I can tell you don’t want to be on my hand so can I offer a different solution?” Laura said quietly, with a soft smile. David nodded and Laura walked over to grab a small pillow. It was just a pillow that most people put on couches. It was soft and was a bit flat from being older and used for years. Laura brought the pillow over a lowered it to the edge of the dresser. She smiled up to David.

“Don’t worry, I have a good hold on the pillow. So, I won’t drop you. Just take your time and climb on when you are ready.” Laura smiled, and watched as David made his way to the edge. The pillow was pressed up against the dresser so that there was a crack to fall through. David paused before taking a deep breath and crawled on. He made his way to the center of the pillow where he gently sank into it. He then gave Laura a thumbs up and she nodded. As slowly as she could, she pulled the pillow away from the dresser and carefully lowered herself and the pillow onto the ground. Once the pillow was touching the ground, she removed her hands from the pillow and scooted back as to give David some space.

David slid off, landing on his good leg and using the pillow to keep himself up. He looked over at Laura and then mumbled a quick thanks. He started to walk away when Laura suddenly spoke up.

“Will I ever see you again?” David looked back and at Laura’s face. She had a hint of sadness and regret, as if she knew the answer was probably no and that it was a stupid question to ask.

David sighed, “I don’t think so, but there’s always a chance.” In all honesty, he knew he had to leave this house because he had been seen. But…with his leg broken, it would be a while. Which meant his sister Lily would have to borrow for a bit, while he recovered.

Laura let out a sigh, “I understand…but I hope you stay here…in this house…I’m assuming you live here. Which I’m fine with. Just…be safe…please.”

“Why do you care?” David asked, with a hint of venom in his voice.

“I don’t know, I just do. I care about people…it’s a weakness of mine, I guess. I just worry about anyone I meet…” She looked off to the side.

“Caring doesn’t make you weak…” He said and walked away. With that David disappeared under the dresser. Leaving Laura sitting in her room in front of her dresser. As she sat there, she just worried about David. She hoped and prayed that he made it back home safely, and that he took needed rest. She also hoped he forgave her for her actions.

Eventually Laura’s mother called her down for dinner, and Laura would put the pillow back and head downstairs. During dinner she thought about David and his reactions, as well as what he said. These thoughts continued as she finished her homework and even as she went to bed.

As she lay in her bed wondering about David, heard some shuffling. Laura opened her eyes and turned towards her nightstand. There on her nightstand was a little girl. She looked nervous, and hid part of her face with her long black hair. There's another one...she seems younger than David though.

"Thank you..." said the girl, Laura was surprised and raised an eyebrow, "...for helping my brother..." They were siblings?

"No problem, I just did what was right." Laura said.

The little girl lifted her head revealing her face, Oh my gosh, I want to protect this small child, she had a smile that was infectious. Her eyes were like dark honey, although perhaps that was just because of how dark it was.

"You're a good bean!" said the little girl. Laura froze at that statement, as it warmed her heart. The little girl then dashed away from her sight, disappearing behind the stack of books. Perhaps this is the start of something interesting? Well I sure hope so. With that, Laura laid back down and had her mind fill with thoughts of borrowers as she drifted off to sleep.

------------Back to the present-------------

You sat there in stunned silence as Laura wrapped up her story.

“Wow, that’s crazy! I mean…you did see him again, right?” you asked, which cause Lily to chuckle a bit.

Laura smiled, “That’s a story for another time. You should come visit again, both of you, and I’ll tell you that story and more.” You and your friend got excited, “Anyway, you are here for a report correct? Well let’s get that report done and then you can head home.”

You nodded and took out your phone to write notes and record the conversation. Both Lily and your friend stayed quiet as Laura talked about her college years. Once her stories were finished, you gathered your things and friend, and Laura led you out of the house.

“Thank you so much for the stories…also…thanks for revealing that you knew about them. I thought I was alone. It’s nice to know that there are people you can trust.” You said with a small smile trying to make its way onto your face.

Laura nodded, “It’s nice to know there are people befriending them, and that they can make friends too. Anyway, you better be off before it gets dark. Come around anytime to here more stories!”