Summary: Aspyn and Jack are exploring outside the human’s home when they meet a new friend.
Pairing: Aspyn (my borrower s/i) x Borrower!Jack (f/o’s s/i)
Genre: fluff, fluffy comfort, self-indulgent, self-insert
Warnings: None? (It’s sooo fluffy❤️) Occasional light swearing
Notes: This is my very first piece here since I started writing again. This is 100000% self-indulgent and I just wanted to write some adorable fluff.
"Ash! Ash! Where are you?" Jack yells. He can't find Aspyn anywhere.
“Jack! Psst. Jack!” Aspyn whispers and gestures for Jack to come over. She’s hiding behind a brick.
“Shhh, look, Jack. Don’t scare it away.” Jack watches carefully as Aspyn’s mouse-like ears perk up. He turns to see what she’s looking at.
“Is that a…a squirrel? Oh, Ash.” Jack can’t help but roll his eyes and chuckle to himself.
“But, Jack, just look at it!”
She points to the squirrel sitting comfortably in the grass. It looks content and unbothered by their presence.
“At what? That bushy-ass tail?” Jack laughs a little before earning himself a tiny arm smack and an eye roll from Aspyn.
Jack smiles at Aspyn and takes her hand in his, making her blush.
“But I’d rather look at you, sweetness.”
Aspyn blushes again. Jack has this way with words that always makes her heart flutter and a tiny smile creep up on her lips.
“Okay, let’s both look at it then.” They both watch with intrigue as the squirrel nibbles away at the nut it has in its little paws.
Aspyn smiles. “Jack, I wanna go pet it.”
Jack raises an eyebrow at her. “Pet it? Ash, that thing is bigger than you.”
“But it’s so fluffy looking, Jacky.”
Jack shakes his head and groans dramatically. “Please don’t call me Jacky. It’s embarrassing, love.”
Aspyn giggles. “Aww, but it’s cute. Like that squirrel over there.”
“Okay, I won’t.” Aspyn relents. But the way Jack says ‘darling’ always makes her heart flutter.
Jack smiles at her too. “Come on, let’s go see if we can get it to come over.”
Jack looks around. “Maybe if we find an acorn or something else, we can get it to come over and you can pet it.” At that, Aspyn’s ears perk up with happiness.
“I’m so excited! The little animals are so different from the human beans.”
“True…except the human’s cat. That thing is huge. And those fangs too. I think we both have enough scars.” Jack gently cups Aspyn’s right cheek and strokes his thumb on her scar.
“Jack, that was years ago. And it was an accident. Another borrower got excited after finding an old sewing needle and I was too little to realize that playing with their sewing needle was a bad idea and I scratched my right eye and cheek. I’m lucky it wasn’t worse.”
Jack nods in agreement. Her scar doesn’t look anything like his Glasgow smile, but they both still experience pain from the memories. They both bring comfort to each other. He brings his lips to her forehead and kisses it gently.
“Now… about that squirrel. I say we find some acorns and lure it out.”
Jack grabs Aspyn’s hand and pulls her through the yard in front of the human’s house. “Grab as many acorns as you can, Penny.”
Aspyn starts grabbing acorns. Two, three, four. They spill out of her arms. She goes to pick them up.
“Um, Jack.” Aspyn’s voice sounds frightened.
“Asp- oh my gosh.” Jack turns around and sees the squirrel very close to Aspyn, who’s still crouching on the ground in an acorn pile.
“Jack, its teeth are bigger than I thought,” Aspyn whispers nervously.
Jack smiles and squeezes her hand, “It’s alright, I won’t let it hurt ya.”
Aspyn takes a deep breath and slowly reaches her hand out toward the squirrel.
“Easy, easy, Ash. Nice n’ slow, just like that. I got you.” Jack whispers from behind her.
The squirrel steps towards Aspyn and rubs its head against her palm. Aspyn smiles so brightly and laughs in excitement.
“Jack, look! It’s friendly. Aww, you’re so cute, Mr. Squirrel! What should I call him? Any ideas, Jack? The squirrel needs a name.”
Jack laughs, “How’s about Acorn since he just spent some time rolling around in that acorn pile over there.”
Aspyn laughs so hard she snorts. “Jackrabbit, that’s hilarious.” She turns towards the squirrel and gently pets his head. “Do you like that? Is Acorn a good name?” The squirrel chitters in response and Aspyn smiles. “Acorn, do you want to come home with Jack and I?” Acorn chitters again as Aspyn stands up with Jack’s help. He grabs her hand and leads her away with their new family member following behind them.
Aspyn smiles sweetly as the squirrel follows her. “You’re gonna love it, Acorn. The humans have this cozy house that we live under. We live under the floorboards, and there’s lots of entrances. Like in the kitchen, and behind the old clock, and another one outside that’s by the garden. That’s where we’re going. Come on!”
Jack and Acorn follow closely behind Aspyn through the human’s front yard next to the garden. Aspyn finds the grating in the wall behind the old brick pile - the entrance to their home - and crawls inside, Jack and Acorn close behind her. Once underneath the foundation of the human house, Aspyn turns towards their tiny borrower home - made from old wood, dresser drawers, and discarded items that they borrowed from the humans.
“Well, ah… home sweet home, ain’t it, Mäuschen.” Jack sighs contentedly and gives Aspyn a sly smile.
She smiles back. “Yes, Jackrabbit. C’mere, Acorn.” The squirrel comes over and Aspyn gives him a little head scratch.
“Oh, I see. So the squirrel gets all the loving.” Jack folds his arms and laughs.
Aspyn giggles. “C’mere, Jack.” Jack - who stands at 13.462 cm, rather tall for a borrower - bends down so that Aspyn - a resounding 12.2 cm, a shorter borrower - can reach to give him some head scratches. Jack purrs like a kitten as Aspyn’s fingers work from the top of his darker blond-brown curls to further down behind his ears.
“Oh, yeah, that’s the stuff. A little ta’ the left. Yeah, go~od.” Aspyn giggles and stands on her tip-toes to kiss Jack.
“I love you, Jack.” Aspyn wraps her arms around his middle and pulls Jack into a hug. Jack hugs her tightly.
“I, uh… I love you too, Aspyn.” Acorn chitters sleepily before laying down in a pile of leaves next to their front door, earning a laugh from Aspyn.
“I’m glad Acorn is settling in already. How about we go inside, Jack?”
They both head inside, Aspyn hanging her cross-body purse on the coat rack - made from old nails and freshly borrowed toothpicks - and Jack heading towards the table.
“What did the other borrowers bring back today?” Jack asks curiously. Aspyn and Jack recently moved into this house with a few other borrowers looking for a home. The Clock family they were called. Aspyn had become good friends with a younger borrower named Arrietty Clock, although Aspyn called her ‘Ett’ sometimes. They had agreed to share the home with the Clocks, especially since this particular house had lots of rooms.
Aspyn starts looking around their tiny kitchen for something to eat.
“Umm, some sugar, I think. Some cookies and soap. I think some fresh herbs too, from the garden. A bay leaf, which Ett found. A human bean almost saw someone today. I hope Pod and Arrietty are careful. Poor Homily might panic again. And besides… This house is wonderful and I wouldn’t want us to move again so soon. We only just got settled.” The rules are that once a borrower is seen by a human, the borrowers must pack their things - only what they need to survive - and leave to find a new home. The human bean's curiosity cannot be stopped.
Just then, there was a rustling noise coming from outside the kitchen window. Jack stands up and heads toward the sound. “Wait here.”
“Oh…it’s just the human’s cat prowling around the yard. Nothing to worry about. Probably chasing a field mouse or something .”
Aspyn nervously fidgets with her thread bracelets around her wrists. She wasn’t like most borrowers. She resembles a tiny 4-inch human as all borrowers do. Except Aspyn was born with mouse ears and a tail: a hybrid borrower. None of the other borrowers knew why. Jack and the Clock family were the only ones who had taken her in and accepted her for who she is. Other, lesser borrowers had made cruel jokes that she was half-mouse or that she wasn’t a real borrower when she was younger. Aspyn smiled as she remembered who had defended her against those unkind words. Jack had always stood by her side.
Jack walks over to Aspyn and kisses her chestnut-colored hair. “You know… your braids look beautiful today, sweetheart.”
Aspyn chuckles softly. “Thanks, Jack.”
Jack affectionately presses his forehead to hers and closes his eyes. Aspyn smiles and closes her eyes after kissing him. They stay like this for about a minute or two, alone in the kitchen. It feels as though nothing can ruin their tender moment together.
Until they hear a crashing noise. Jack and Aspyn both turn to see Homily - Mrs. Clock - standing in the doorway looking panicked.
“Oh my, there’s- the beans cat. Outside. Running wild in the front yard. Oh, I hope Pod and Arrietty are alright out there. Pod promised me he wouldn’t let our daughter get eaten, or squashed like a bug. Arrietty’s great uncle was eaten by a frog. Oh, and her cousin Eggletina got eaten by a cat. Why is my first thought always that they got eaten by the cat? What’s wrong with me?”
Aspyn walks over to Homily and hugs her gently to reassure her. “I’m sure they’re alright, Mrs. Clock.”
“Oh Aspyn, dear. You can call me Homily.” She smiles softly.
Aspyn’s ears drop behind her mimicking her sad expression. “I’m sorry, I forgot.”
“Oh, it’s perfectly alright, dear. How was your day today? You and Jack find anything?”
Jack gently rubs Aspyn’s shoulder. “We found a squirrel. Penny insisted we bring it home. It’s beside the house sleeping in a leaf pile.”
“A squirrel? With that cat rampaging around outside? How on earth-“
Aspyn practically squeaks. “It shouldn’t bother us, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Homily smiles softly. “Oh, I’m not worried about that. I’m just wondering how it didn’t get hurt. The squirrel can stay around our house, I don’t mind that. I know you have a soft spot for those animals, Aspyn. Although I’ll never understand why you tried to bring in a bird that one time. Those birds can be so vicious.”
“The crows can, but not that sweet sparrow. She wouldn’t hurt a fly! Besides, I borrowed lots of birdseed that time. I don’t go near the crows.”
“Just make sure you stay away from owls at night, alright? Owls eat mice.”
“Um… I-I’m not…” Aspyn trails off and frowns.
Homily attempts to explain, “Oh, I know! Sweetie, I’m sorry. I just meant that, well… it’s very dark at night and difficult to see, and… owls might see you and think, well… you know.”
Aspyn sighs, ” I understand.”
Aspyn sits on her shared bed with Jack, hugging her knees and trying not to cry.
“Hey… Aspyn, darling, c’mere.” Jack gently pulls her towards him and hugs her tightly. “You know Mrs. Clock had no intention of hurting you, right?”
Aspyn hugs him back just as tightly. Her ears lower slightly as she tries to hold back a sniffle. “I know. It’s just… when others say that I look like a mouse - not in that cute, sweet, comfortable, endearing, perfect way that you do - but in that insulting way, it really hurts. It doesn’t make me blush like it does with you because I know that you are being kind. It makes me feel like crying when they do it. It’s like I’m little again, right back with those awful borrowers who used to treat me badly. I hear them calling me a rat, which made me cry since rats are very dangerous to borrowers and very scary too. Or I hear them telling me that I’d never be able to go borrowing with the adults. And as a child, I was always so excited thinking about what my first borrowing would be like.” Aspyn sighs and snuggles closer to Jack.
“I know, sweetheart. But you know that this family is different. And that she meant nothing like that towards you. Mrs. Clock was merely concerned for your safety. She knows you’re a borrower, and I know you’re a borrower. But a cat or an owl might not realize that at first. And if anything happened to you…” Jack always feels very protective of Aspyn, especially since she’s a little on the smaller side.
Aspyn smiles and kisses him. “You’re right. Thank you, Jackrabbit.”
Jack smiles and chuckles softly to himself. In his opinion, Aspyn always had the most adorable yawn. “Tired, Penny?”
Aspyn nods, “Mhm. What about you, Jackrabbit?”
“Uh-huh. It’s getting late anyway. How’s about we get some sleep? Hm?” Jack kisses Aspyn and cuddles her close. Aspyn nuzzles her face into the crook of his neck and hums contentedly. Even in sleep, they each provide the other with comfort. And with that, the two borrowers doze off together peacefully.
