(This is a one-shot I'm just experimenting on with characters that will be in a future story. Also, this is not a pet trope story, but without knowing the characters' backstory, it will look that way in case anyone doesn't want to read)
Connor's heart ached as he continuously watched his owner come home from school every day and lay in her bed crying. He wanted nothing more than to speak to the young girl, comfort her but he was merely a pet and a tiny one at that. He was afraid if he said something it might upset her. His owner wasn't cruel or anything. In fact she never put him in a cage and while she was away she would let him watch movies on one of her electronics. She was still a child though and children were the most unpredictable out of all humans.
The young borrower would simply watch whatever movie the child put on for him, never touching or messing with the screen but today an idea came to mind. He wanted to do something to surprise her. Something that would probably take him all week to learn but for her it was worth it. On Sunday after he spent hours every day watching YouTube and reading Google articles to help the child, he had asked her to grab a few things when she went to the store with her foster family. The things he asked for were definitely out of the ordinary and made her skeptical he was sure. Hopefully she didn't figure out his plan yet.
It felt weird being so excited for this human to come back. He had never felt this way before with any of his previous owners and he wasn't exactly close with this one either. Sometimes it was still scary being around her but maybe despite the fact he was just a pet, as an adult he felt partly responsible for her. He wanted this child to have a safe and happy life. He was willing to contribute to that if he had too.
It took a couple of hours but the young child came home and as he heard her booming footsteps get closer to the door, he took a deep breath telling himself not to mess the surprise up.
“I got the stuff you asked for!” His owner, practically shouted as she held up a grocery bag and set it down besides the borrower. Her voice was often way too loud for him. Something he was still struggling to get used too.
“Thank you Marley.” He smiled, looking up at the giant girl with a smile, before looking at all the stuff in the bag. “Ribbons, conditioner, oil, toothbrush, mousse, gel. It's all in here. You did a great job.”
“Are you going to do something with your hair? Can I help you?” The child asks and the tiny borrower couldn't help his smile grow wider seeing how innocent and completely unaware this child was.
“No sweetie.” He shook his head. “All of this stuff isn't for me… I… I noticed how your foster mom struggles to do your hair and… and surely she's trying her best, but I thought maybe I could… help?” For some reason he felt nervous as he asked that question. If the child didn't want help from him then he needed to respect that. After all he was still just a pet and -
“... Really? You want to help me?” Marley's eyes started to water with tears. It was as if no one had ever offered to help her before and seeing her reaction had almost made the tiny man want to run and hug her.
“I want to try. I've never done hair before but I used your tablet to do research. I think I can do something nice… just please don't be upset with me if it doesn't turn out very well.” Before he continued with this he wanted to be sure this child wouldn't get upset or throw a tantrum and hurt him.
“I won't get upset.” The little girl assures him, making him nod his head.
“Okay. Maybe we can set a towel down on your bed just in case we spill anything and you might want to grab your tablet as well. It'll take a while to do your hair. I wouldn't want you getting bored.”
The child surprisingly listened to him with no complaint. After she grabbed all her stuff and started the show, he had her open up the containers for him. Small 8oz bottles that he might struggle to reach into but he could manage. He asked her before to look for a specific brand. It was a good thing the store she went to had them. After everything was ready, he put leave-in conditioner on her hair before sectioning off parts of it, and twisting two strands together. Putting it in small ribbons at the end to keep it in place. This was a continuous process that he had to do since the braids were quite small. According to the internet as long as the child took well care of her hair this would last a few weeks. Along with the fact it seemed to be the easiest he could find made this the perfect choice!
Hours passed after he started doing her hair. Every 30 minutes it seemed the giant child was asking him if it was done but besides that she stayed pretty patient and didn't make too much movement. Her favorite show My Little Pony played and she seemed mainly distracted by that.
“Finally, I'm done.” The borrower groans in pain, feeling exhausted. He barely had the energy to climb off of Marley's hair but it wasn't like he would get the chance to anyways because as soon as he said he was done, her massive hand reached out and plucked him up, bringing him to her large smiling face.
“Really you're done!?” She asks, as she sets him down and runs over to a small mirror in her room looking at her new hair. Connor couldn't see her face as she was looking away from him and there was a moment of silence making him worry that he messed her hair up or upset her somehow.
“I- I'm sorry if it's not how you wanted… I could redo it…” There was not enough energy in him left to redo it but he didn't want the child to cry or be more insecure than she already was.
“No one has ever done my hair before…” He half expected her to jump around or squeal like he often had to deal with when she got excited but instead she only continued to stare into the mirror.
This was the only thing that the child wanted. To feel comfortable and happy with the hair she was born with. For a moment Connor didn't feel like a pet anymore. He almost felt like a parent who just created the first important bond with his daughter. He wasn't sure whether it'd be best to continue to let her cry or say something to cheer her up. This was the only time a human had been so vulnerable with him.
“Your hair is so pretty, you know? From now on, I'll help you take care of it.” That was a promise. This child didn't deserve to have her hair neglected just because it was a bit more difficult to deal with. If no other adult was going to step up and help her, then he certainly would.