#oc layla

[psin314]

young murat and some text memes.

a lil explanation of his "no bc im straight" under the cut.

young murat was struggling with accepting his bisexuality. for some reason he suppressed his interest in men. he would talk about that hot sexy guy he met yesterday but it's not gay to say he's hot and sexy everyone can see other people's beauty. he would even flirt with men sometimes but he's a crow he flirts with everyone. and his before sleep fantasies? it's just in his mind it doesn't count. he started accepting himself in his late 20s. but at that time he was already dating a girl (layla), so he didn't try anything with guys. so lucanis was his first male crush after 10 years without having any romantic or sexual relationships. (he was very busy drinking and hating his life) in a way, they're each other's firsts. although murat knows the whole theory of having gay sex. it's another story maybe next time. 🗿🚬

[tea-potato-gt]

Part 4 where Bruno holds the borrowers for the first time ? 🤫

Anon were you looking at my drafts?😯😏

Thank you to @guaxinimraccoon for this art! You did a wonderful job! (I commissioned them! Just look at my babies!)

Species Swap AU: What if Briar was a human (named Bruno) and the kids were borrowers (named Lilac and Juniper)? Read other parts here: (part 1) / (part 2) / (part 3) / (bonus AU comic here)

Main story “A Borrower at the end of the World” can be found here!

Word count: 4,600ish

***

The early morning sun shined through the windshield and woke Juniper up. It was cheerfully bright, he groaned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stretched. When he sat up and let his vision finally come into focus, his heart stopped. 

A massive lump of flesh sat just out of reach. He had never been so close to a bean’s hand. He could feel the heat radiating from the skin. Juniper was shaking like it was freezing. 

A gigantic hand lay beside him, connected to an arm as thick as a treetrunk, which extended up and over the plastic armrest which concealed most of the bean’s body.

Too close! Too close! I have to get away! Juniper shakily tried scooting away from the large hand. Juniper was just about to start screaming and running when he remembered Lilac.

He looked around desperately, where was his sister? In his panicked mind he almost missed her. 

Then he spotted two little arms wrapped around one of the titanic fingers.

Ice ran through the boy’s veins as he crawled his way to Lilac. Every cell in his body told him to run away, but his need to protect his sister took over any rational thought. “Let go of her, you gigantic oaf! You monster!” Juniper shouted as he pulled his sister out from under the giant’s hand. 

Lilac whined as her brother forced her to let go of the warm finger and yelped when Juniper pulled her into his arms. She was fully awake now, and thoroughly confused. 

Bruno was so startled by the sudden noises beside him and feeling tickling sensations on his hand. He reflexively pulled back his arm and sat up. The giant unfortunately sat up so quickly that he smacked his head on the car roof. He emphasized the impact with a quick shout, which made Juniper jump at the sheer volume of the exclamation. 

The air around the giant hand was sucked along with it as it was pulled away. Juniper wavered in his stance, almost tripping in the process. Still the boy backed up, holding the squirming five year old in his arms. He fervently looked for a way out. They were trapped in a car with a bean and there was no escape.

Lilac looked around, startled and unsure of what was happening as her brother backed away from the giant staring at them, trying to recover from his own rude awakening. Juniper didn’t realize he was getting too close to the edge of the seat and was about to fall off. 

“Woah, woah, careful–” Bruno reached out at the edge of the passenger’s seat, blocking them from falling. If they did get closer to the edge, he would have caught them. 

Juniper panicked as another gigantic form loomed behind him and over corrected, running forward and immediately tripping on the uneven soft surface. Juniper fell onto his shoulder with a shout. Lilac screeched as she tumbled out of her brother’s arms, landing on her butt. Her head spun as she looked up at the towering giant above them, who had his hands up like he was just as surprised as they were and didn’t know what to do next. 

“What was that?” Bruno asked, wide eyed. 

“What do you mean ‘what was that?’ Do you have rocks for brains? You tried to grab us!” Juniper was on his feet immediately, shouting at the giant and pointing an accusatory finger towards Bruno’s titanic face. 

“You were both about to fall off the seat–”

“— Because you grabbed her–”

“—I did not–”

“Did so! You were holding my sister in your giant, monster hands!”

Bruno froze. Memories of the previous night crashed into his mind. “I didn’t– No…well, I did, but I-I was just— She– your sister, was about to have another night terror and I was trying to calm her down– and then she grabbed my…” Bruno looked at the fuming boy, red in the face, ready to hurl more insults the bean’s way. Then he looked down at Lilac, she stared back at him with wide, innocent eyes. She had no fear in them, just confusion, like she didn’t know what he was talking about. That shut the giant up before he dug his own grave any further. Bruno pulled himself as far away from the children as possible in the tight car,  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have– I shouldn’t have touched you, Lilac, I won’t do it again.”

“You better not,” Juniper snapped. 

Bruno ran a hand down his tired face, “I-I’m gonna go outside for a bit…” He grabbed his glasses that were resting on the dashboard and used the hand crank to roll down the window a few inches. “If you need me, you can always–”

“We won’t,” Juniper muttered, but Bruno still heard it. The giant’s face turned into a frown for a split second, before becoming neutral again. But it was long enough to startle the borrower boy into shutting up. 

Bruno sighed and turned his back to the kids. He grasped the car door handle and sat there for a moment. The subtlest shiver came to his shoulders, like the tension was building in his monumental back. The giant man opened the door, his shifting weight rocked the car as he left, and closed it as softly as possible. He tried his best not to scare the kids, but it seemed much too late for that.

When the bean’s thumping footsteps faded away, Juniper finally found the ability to breathe again. The tension in his small body lessened and his heart was almost a normal rhythm. 

“Junie?” Lilac’s soft voice cut through the fearful haze in the boy’s mind. 

Juniper was instantly brought back to reality and rushed towards his baby sister, almost tripping in his hurry.  

Juniper landed on his knees in front of her and cupped her face in his hands, “are you alright? D-did he hurt you?!” He pulled at her arms and legs, checking for broken bones, scratches, bruises, anything, but found nothing. “This was all a mistake,” Juniper was suddenly on his feet and began pacing and pulling at the roots of his hair, “A very bad, bad mistake. We shouldn’t have come. I shouldn’t have let you or that behemoth convince me to let us come. We don’t even know where the hell he is taking us!” He was spiraling now, thinking of every possible horrible thing the bean could do to them. “This must be his master plan, to trap us and keep us like pets or eat us—“

“Junie!” Lilac pulled at her brother’s sleeve, forcing him to stop, “it’s okay! I’m fine!”

“How can you say you’re fine?! He was holding you in his gigantic hand! He could have crushed you!”

“He was?”

“You don’t remember?” Juniper couldn’t believe it.

Lilac shook her head, “not really.” She paused for a long time concentrating, “I don’t know, but I remember feeling… warm. Warmer than I have in a long time.”

Juniper huffed, exasperated, “Of course you felt ‘warm,’ that giant freak practically radiates heat all the time!”

Lilac scoffed, “You are so mean to Mr. Runo.”

“Wha— I am not—“

“Are so! You call him mean names all the time.”

“I do not--”

“You called him stupid.”

“Well—“

“You said his feet could destroy a whole borrower house yesterday.”

“So–”

“You called him a monster today. A few times.”

“Why are you keeping track?”

“And I heard you say that he has an awful voice that shakes the earth.”

“Well, it’s not like I don’t say things that aren’t true.”

“But it’s not true!” Tears filled the child’s eyes. “He’s nice, Junie. He’s so nice.” She shook her head adamantly, “all he’s done is help us.” She began to cry. 

Juniper paused, “Hey,” he bent down to her level and wiped away her tears, “Lilac, d-don’t cry–”

“You are so mean to him.”

“But–” 

“No, butts!” Lilac huffed, “Mommy always said, ‘if you got nothing nice to say…”

“…Don’t say anything at all,” Juniper finished lamely. He sighed and scratched his neck. Maybe he had been too harsh on the bean— Bruno. Lilac wasn’t hurt and that’s all that really mattered. 

“You have to tell Mr. Runo you’re sorry.”

“What?! No way—“

She pulled at her brother close by the shirt, he could feel her hot breath as she whispered into his ear, gritting her teeth, “You will apologize to him when he comes back or else.”

Juniper got a chill up his spine as he pulled away, she spoke with the same cadence and irritation as their mother once used when threatening punishment for the kid’s misbehaving. (Though her voice was much higher.) 

“O-okay…” When Juniper pulled away, he half expected to see their mother sitting there, but instead Lilac was doing her best attempt at a glare. He let out a hesitant laugh as he looked at his little sister, “when did you become so bossy?”

“When you decided to be a big butt-head,” Lilac countered with a giggle and a quick shove in the chest. 

“Oh yeah?” A devilish smirk grew on his face as poked her in the stomach, eliciting a series of giggles until she breathlessly begged for him to stop. Juniper looked up towards the window Bruno left open. “Where is that bean anyway?” he asked, “The guy’s been gone a while.”

“Do you think he’s lost?” Lilac worried. 

“No,” Juniper rolled his eyes, “how can you lose a guy that big anyway?”

***

Bruno never wandered far from the car. No matter how angry the children were. No matter how much they hated him, he made a promise to keep them safe. 

He locked the car door behind him, not to keep them trapped, but as a cautionary move. There probably weren’t other beans out there, but he didn’t want to risk someone hijacking his (stolen) car and finding two tiny, defenseless children in the passenger's seat. 

The windows were left slightly open for three reasons. One, so they could call out for him. Two, if they really needed to get out of the car, they could use their hooks and climb out. Juniper had tested that out the day before they officially left because he didn’t like the thought of being fully trapped in a confined space with a bean. The third reason was just to give them much needed fresh air, since the air conditioning was broken in the truck. 

Bruno sat in the dirt beside the car, leaning up against the tire. His head down and his arms resting on his knees. His body refused to move from the spot, unsure if he should take a walk into the woods to relieve some of the tension in his body or just get back in the car, get back on the road. He just froze and wallowed in his misery.

The man felt like shit. He probably looked like it too, if the constant smell of BO (from lack of bathing) had anything to do with it. His clothes were tattered and torn. His shoes and socks had holes. His long, curly hair was twisted in matted knots. He slid a calloused hand down his jaw and felt his stubby patches of beard. He hadn’t shaved in a while either.

He definitely looked like the shell of the man he once was. He felt like it too. Bruno used to have everything, money, fame, now look at him. A man long past his prime, just trying desperately to get home. Praying that his family would survive long enough for him to see them again. There was so much uncertainty in the world now. Who knows how long it will take for him to get there, they were going to run out of gas soon and would have to abandon their (“borrowed”) truck, find a new one. Or have to walk the rest of the way there, Bruno’s legs ached at the very thought. 

Then a thought occurred to him: I’d have to carry the kids. Bruno gulped. 

Juniper’s terrified eyes and shouts echoed in his mind. Over the past few weeks the boy’s insults were really getting to Bruno. The almost constant accusations of being a monster. Juniper’s worries that Bruno might suddenly turn on the children or hurt them accidentally, was really getting to the bean.

How can I help or even protect them if they don’t even want to trust me? He lamented to himself.

He knew on some level, this was a bad idea. Traveling with beings smaller than his hands could be dangerous to them. Not just him posing a threat, but the entire outside world too. Bruno wanted nothing more than to help them, his intentions were pure, but it seemed that every action he took was wrong. It was one screw up after another. 

Bruno grasped at his arms, digging into the skin with his nails. He took two children away from their home. He forced them to trust a man 40 times their size to keep his promise of protecting them. He was taking them to a place they had never even heard of. No wonder they were terrified. 

Maybe instead of taking them with him, he should have helped them search for other borrowers. Who knows, if he found borrowers once, maybe he could do it again? Or at the very least he could have stayed in that abandoned house with them until another borrower came along. 

The bean looked to the sky for the right answer. He should just turn around, use what’s left of the fuel to bring them back to the house where they first met and search for someone else their size who could take care of them. 

Bruno absentmindedly rubbed his pinkie finger. The ghost of Lilac’s two inch figure lingered there, wrapping her little arms around the digit. 

The man was selfish. He knew it was selfish, to want something that just wasn’t possible. He wanted to be trusted. He wanted to be helpful. He wanted the kids to want to be with him, to maybe even stay with him. He wanted to be a hero. 

He should have made Lilac let go of his finger when he had the chance, even if that meant she would cry, at least her brother would have woken up and taken care of it. Then they wouldn’t be in this mess of a situation. Their alliance was precarious enough as it was. Now he was sure he broke all the trust either kid had left in him. He broke one of the first rules given to him: don’t touch the borrowers.

His stomach hollowed out and he curled in on himself, leaving a big pit in his chest. 

Those kids will probably never want to see me again. Bruno buried his face in his moon-sized hands, and I can’t blame them… I could never blame them.  

Bruno was used to being seen as a villain. But never a monster. 

***

“Mr. Runo!” Lilac cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her small voice, “We need you!”

“Don’t shout,” Juniper tried to shut her up, “He’ll come back eventually! Stop!”

She twisted out of his grasp and yelled louder, “Mr. RUNO!

It sounded like a barely audible whisper, but the second Bruno heard Lilac’s call, his spine instantly straightened. The hair on the back of his neck was standing on end as he shot to his feet. Moving faster than he had in years. 

The kids could see his large frame casting a shadow on the window. They could hear as he fumbled for the car keys at his hip, cursing in Spanish when he nearly dropped them in his urgency. 

He finally unlocked the door, but he pulled it open so quickly the air in the car moved with such force that the children almost fell over.

Juniper worried the door might get pulled off its hinges. A terrible reminder of the power this creature— bean held over them. Yet they chose to trust and spend their time with him.

“What is it, what’s wrong?!” Bruno’s wild eyes scanned each child for injury or distress. Juniper had the same nervous features as usual and Lilac was more wide eyed, but unharmed. 

“We’re fine,” Lilac squeaked. 

Bruno released a hefty sigh and sat down. The car rocked at the entrance of the 6’7 man and the suspensions creaked. Both kids tried to stay steady on the chair as the whole world around them jostled. 

Juniper started sweating, this was just another reminder of the weight under Bruno’s giant shoes. One wrong step and the kids would be nothing but a stain on the floor. Juniper tried to shake that horrible thought out of his mind.

Bruno rested his head on the steering wheel, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart. He couldn’t take much more of this stress so early in the morning. 

“Are you alright, Mr. Runo?”

“Yes, yes I’m fine. I just need to catch my breath.” Bruno sat up a bit and waved them off, “you just scared me is all.”

“Sorry,” Lilac looked down guiltily.

Bruno turned to face the children, shaking his head, “there’s nothing for you to apologize for. In fact…” he licked his lips and looked towards Juniper, who stiffened under the scrutiny. “Listen, Juniper, I’m–”

“I’m sorry,” Juniper shouted. 

Bruno’s jaw went slack, that was the last thing he ever expected to hear.

The boy waited a moment for any response back. But upon seeing their giant’s dumbfounded face, he continued, “I-I shouldn’t have shouted at you earlier.” Lilac elbowed her brother. He grunted, but continued, “And I didn’t mean it when I called you a monster. Or an oaf. Or said you were stupid. Or that you could squish us under your fat boots. Or that you smell worse than a horse’s as–”

“It’s okay!” Bruno stopped the boy before he dug himself into a deeper hole, “I understand. You were just trying to protect your sister, I’d be pretty scared too if I were you.”

“Really?” Juniper was sceptical. 

“Of course,” Bruno said seriously, “I’d freak out too if I woke up next to “moon sized hand.” Bruno smirked as he repeated Juniper’s words from two nights ago. 

The boy grimaced and looked down in shame, “I’m sorry about saying that too.”

“No. No, I should be the one apologizing." Bruno took a deep breath and looked at each of the borrower children in earnest, “I’m sorry, Juniper. I’m sorry Lilac. I overstepped your boundaries. I won't do it again.” 

“It’s okay,” Lilac said.

“It isn’t really,” Bruno muttered. “If this is too much for you, either of you, just say the word and I will drive you back to that house. I’ll help you find other borrowers or a permanent living situation. You’ll never have to see me again.”

Juniper looked down and shrugged, “There’s nowhere else for us to go.”

Lilac nodded. “Mommy said we might be the last borrowers out there… before she died.”

“And our father has been missing for three years now. He’s probably dead too.”

The kids weren’t normally so open about their lives before the bean came into the picture or about other borrowers, so Bruno hung onto every word.

Bruno sighed out all the stress and worry in his body. It looked like the kids were going to stick around a bit longer. “Can we start over?” He asked. The man really wished he could rewrite how they met. No terrifying the kids. No pissing off Juniper or his name calling anymore. Start off right and not deal with the consequences of their fear for no reason other than his stature. But time machines were not readily available to them, so he settled for this. 

“Huh?” Juniper looked at the bean like he had sprouted a second head.

“You know, pretend like nothing happened this morning that was scary or awful. Say that we woke up right now and are starting the day just right. How’s that sound?”

“I guess we can try,” Juniper rubbed the back of his head. He thought this was a dumb idea, but figured he’d at least play along to appease the bean and for Lilac’s sake. No matter how much they pretend all the shit didn’t happen, it sure as hell did. The terror of it all was still fresh in his mind.

“Okay!” The young girl smiled, “Mr. Runo, you gotta put your hand here, just like this morning!” Lilac pointed at the spot where his hand was the previous night. A large indent still permeated the blanket that once held the hand’s weight.

“Uh…” Bruno didn’t anticipate this request, he was so caught off guard that his brain seemed to stutter. Before he fully registered what he was doing, he quietly guided his large hand to lay beside the children. He gave them a wide birth of space between them and the appendage, waiting for what came next. He eyed Juniper to see if he’d protest, but the boy didn’t move.

When Bruno fully rested his hand where it had been that morning, Lilac squealed and bounded towards the huge appendage.

Juniper tried to grab her, “Lilac! Get back here.” He wasn’t quick enough. 

She stood beside his thumb and placed both hands on the joint. Lilac began shoving and pushing on his thick skin, “Flip your hand, Mr. Runo! Flip it!”

Just like the night before, it seemed Bruno couldn’t help but adhere to the whim of this two inch child. He carefully turned his hand so the palm was up. 

Lilac then did something neither Juniper nor Bruno would have ever expected, she climbed up onto the massive hand. She had a bit of trouble doing so, but as soon as she put her full weight on his palm, Bruno was completely frozen. Too scared to move or risk accidently hurting her. 

It didn’t help that she began exploring his hand. Tracing his life lines with her minuscule fingers and testing the squishiness of his palm. It tickled, but not in an unpleasant way. 

Bruno was frozen, he looked between the two kids for what to do next. Juniper felt like he was going to be sick. Lilac laid out on the wide palm, she was attempting to make little snow angels in his skin. Even with her arms and legs stretched out as far as she could reach, she didn’t make it to either end of the palm. 

“Come on Junie!” Lilac waved her brother over and patted an empty spot on Bruno’s skin next to her, “Come up here!”

“N-no, I’m okay.” Juniper shook his head.

“Please?” She used her best attempt at puppy eyes.

"You don't have to if you do want to," Bruno finally spoke up in his defense.

"He's not gonna do it ‘cause he's scared."

"I am not!"

"Are so!"

"Shut up," Juniper shouted at his sister as he marched over to the giant hand. Before he could really think about what he was doing, he jumped onto Bruno's palm. He almost tripped on the unexpectedly squishy surface. His arms swung round to keep balance. Lilac giggled at her brother’s struggle till he glared at her, immediately shutting her up.

Bruno stared in amazement, he currently held two lives in his hand. They (on some level) trusted him enough to hold them. His heart almost leapt for joy out of his chest. 

They had only been on his palm for a few minutes before…

“Up!” Lilac said as she raised her short arms, grasping by motions, “pick us up Mr. Runo!”

Bruno looked at Juniper, “is that okay with you?”

Juniper numbly nodded.

“Okay,” Bruno seemed skeptical that Juniper was really okay with this. “You can stop me at any time and I’ll put you down immediately, I promise.”

Juniper nodded again. He just wanted to get it over with.

Vertigo gripped Juniper's stomach as the passenger's seat dropped away. He let out the softest of gasps as they rose higher. The world spun slowly as the giant carried them up and over the arm rest. Then they stopped in front of his titanic frame. Bruno held them at chest level, and raised his other hand just below their platform as extra protection in case one of them fell.

“Closer,” Lilac commanded. Bruno did as he was told, guiding his palm to just below his chin. The bean had to cross his eyes to see them properly. 

Juniper might have laughed at Bruno’s ridiculous face behind his glasses if the boy wasn’t so nervous. He had never been picked up by a giant before and he had never been so close to a bean before, he wasn’t sure how to feel. He fidgeted with his hands and tried to think of anything other than the fact they were being held so close to the giant’s mouth. The bean could eat them right then and there. 

Bruno noticed the boy’s weary glances at his mouth, now that they were so close he could properly read his worried expression, he raised them a little higher and closed his mouth. 

Juniper felt a little better when they couldn’t see the bean’s mouth. He focused on the large eyes staring back at them. Juniper never realized how startlingly beautiful eyes could be, it was especially apparent when they were on this scale. He could see the golden flakes scattered in Bruno’s green eyes and watched the pupils dilate. The long lashes that could be used like rope, moving with every blink. 

On Bruno’s part, he had never gotten the chance to see the kids this close before. He saw that both of their eyes were brown and they had splashes of freckles along their cheeks and arms. He noted the way their boots just barely left little indents in his skin and the bulky stitching on their clothes that could have only come from them “borrowing” bean made thread and cloth. 

Lilac smiled from ear to ear. She stood on the squishy surface and attempted to walk towards Bruno’s face. 

Juniper stayed where he was standing, fidgeting with his hands. He was still nervous to be held by a bean, but it wasn’t as bad as he originally feared it to be. 

Bruno’s eyes widened and every muscle in his body froze completely. He even refused to breathe or risk accidently pushing Lilac down. 

Then two tiny hands grasped at his crooked nose, she patted it for a moment before extending her arms and giving her best attempt at a hug. 

Suddenly, the spell the giant had been under broke. Bruno let out a sigh he had been holding, the breeze from his nose rustled the kids' hair and clothes.

Lilac laughed with her sweet musical giggle as she wavered a bit in her stance, but she held fast to his nose. She was exactly where she wanted to be. She nuzzled the bridge of his nose with her own nose, a common gesture among borrowers to those they cared about. 

All the worry and sadness Bruno had felt over these past weeks washed away. To think these children, only a few inches tall, would trust him enough to hold them after everything they had been through told him everything he needed to know.

If Bruno could bottle up the sound of Lilac’s laughter, the joy he felt, or the trust Juniper was giving him, he would. He would do anything to keep this feeling. For these little moments. 

He would do anything for these kids. 

***

I'm alive! I finally had a bit of time to finish this chapter that had been rotting in draft hell for too long.

I also got my first adult paycheck and you know what I did instead of buying myself a nice dinner? I commissioned the lovely @guaxinimraccoon to draw art for this chapter! 😍🤩🤩🤩🤩 I love it so much I literally can’t stop staring at it! 🥹🥹🥹

Post by @guaxinimraccoon · 1 image

💬 0  🔁 10  ❤️ 149 · Commission for @tea-potato-gt!! Had a blast with this one, I'm a sucker for drawing comfort and fluffy g/t 😭😭 You can c

[nata2343]

Happy 1st anniversary for #ABATEOW (g/t), part №2

If you're familiar with this story, you might remember how @tea-potato-gt responded to the ask. That the children and Briar probably wouldn't have become friends if the apocalypse hadn't happened. And I respect the author's opinion. But I thought. Hey, what if we put them in a different circumstance? So I wrote an alternate universe or something. I hope I didn't go too far beyond the character's personality...

I was interested in making the Monroe family different. What if they all moved from place to place together because their father/husband was in the military? I did a little research to understand the differences between 'regular' families and military families. And I realized it depends more on the individual than the profession. Of course, when you work in a specific job, you inevitably bring some things home (like discipline).

Children of military personnel, who often relocate, can be very sociable and become 'social chameleons,' or they might be very withdrawn due to anxiety (a lack of long-term and stable social connections). I also like the idea that Briar might have been more daring when he was younger, so I've allowed myself to make him a bit more so. He's still as cautious and thoughtful as ever, though.

I wanted to write this story much longer, but I didn't. So it might seem to you that they become friends in a short period of time... But I just decided to focus more on comfort.

So, I'll leave most of my reasoning at the end of the post!

...

No apocalypse au

Word count: ~3,7k

TW: swearing, sick mother (just in case)

Now…

Layla softly knocked on the wall and called out, "Briar."

The echo was supposed to spread the sound within the walls. A few minutes passed, but nothing happened. So she knocked a little harder, "Briar. Come out, please."

She waited for a little longer, lying on the floor of her room. And finally the old socket faceplate shifted, revealing a hole in the wall. Panting, the older borrower clambered out, leaving his escape route open.

He put his bag down and rested his hands on his hips. It wasn't out of anger. It was just that he already missed her, even though they had talked this morning, before she and Jace went to school. But he was too embarrassed to admit it openly, so he didn't want to touch her right away.

“What’s happened? I was busy with the tunnel in the living room, so I didn't hear you calling me at first.”

It's not that he wanted to tell any Bean such information, but Layla usually forgot half of what Briar told her because it was 'boring'.

“Could you help me?” the girl asked, shifting herself up to sit on the floor. Even so, she was still much above Briar's level. His neck wouldn't thank him for it, but he wasn't about to make a kid lie on the floor just for his comfort.

Layla placed one of her old but thankfully washed socks in front of him.

"Did it tear?” the borrower asked, sounding confused, “Do you want me to teach you how to sew?"”

"No. I-" She began to whisper, as if about to confess something in secret, "Mom's birthday is coming soon."

Briar hummed and scratched his chin, “Sorry, but I don’t see how your sock is related.”

“You know what theatre is?”

“Yeah. I even saw a rehearsal of one of the plays.”

He thinks it was called ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, but he can’t be sure, it was so long ago.

“But the next day was the premiere, so I got out of there. My ears couldn't have taken it.”

Layla tilted her head to the side, “What was that about?”

He didn’t want to talk about a human deceitful nature. The borrower thought about what he could say to the 8-year-old child, “It was about… love.”

“Ew, gross," the girl grimaced. “Do you like that?”

Briar chuckled, “No, not at all. But most of it was fun, so I didn’t regret being stuck there.”

And before Layla could ask him about this story, he said, "So why did you mention the theater?"

“Oh, right! We're going to make a puppet theater! Jace changed mom's bedtime story. She'll like it! I'm super-duper sure!”

"I see. But what do you need my help for? You know I can't show myself to a Bean."

“But you still show up to me and Jace,” the girl pouted.

“That’s true, but I should have left a long time ago,” he said, pretending to turn toward the hole in the wall.

“No! Don't go, Briar!” Layla said, almost whining, putting her hands in his way. But not touching.

He reached for her thumb and stroked it soothingly. “I was just kidding, sweet girl," the older borrower admitted with a chuckle.

“Really?” she carefully placed the rest of her fingers on his back, giving some kind of a hug.

“Really, really.”

He was the first to step back and then walk towards their current victim, the sock.

“So, what are we doing?”

“I'm not very good with glue..."

"Hmm, I can do that. But," he looked inside the box of materials for making puppets, "I'll take the rest. Maybe I could make something useful out of this."

“Yes! The ‘pretty’ duo is back!” the girl parodied some line from the cartoon, but the borrowers didn’t watch TV, because it’s just a waste of time.

Layla began to arrange all the necessary materials in a way that was convenient for both of them.

The borrower found a piece of cloth and wrapped it around the lower part of his face. This would help him avoid passing out due to the smell of the glue.

He would have to speak much louder to be heard, but he didn't worry about attracting unwanted attention.

The mother of the family was ill and bedridden. Her room was located in the opposite part of the house, and she spent most of her time sleeping.

Huh… It seems like almost 2 years ago.

How quickly time passes.

…

2 years ago…

Briar heard a noise, as if a bunch of beans suddenly broke into the house. Although he had been living here for about 3 weeks, he was certain that this wasn't normal. Something was happening.

As he moved through the only safe tunnel, he could hear loud voices getting farther away. Someone was hurt? It wasn't that he cared, but there were children in this house.

“Jason, look after your sister! Close the door and don’t let anyone in!”, the head of the family said.

The borrower vaguely remembered the boy complaining that his father was spending less time at home. It seems that he arrived this morning while Briar was exploring a new route within the walls.

After a while, the older borrower looked out of a hole above a kitchen cabinet. He didn't see any beans nearby, but he could hear the children talking somewhere in the house.

“Okay, stupid-head!”

Someone slammed the door loudly. Briar startled.

He climbed to the top of the kitchen cabinet and looked far down.

It seems that the girl was hungry and decided to find food on her own, but the fridge door was stuck too tightly, and she couldn't open it. She whimpered in frustration and started scanning the surroundings.

In the middle of the table was an open package of sliced bread, and behind it was a knife. It looked like the girl didn't notice it from her angle and started pulling the tablecloth towards her.

The borrower's heart sank.

“Stop!” he shouted, but immediately hid back.

Layla stopped and looked behind her.

There was no one there.

So she reached for the tablecloth again.

“Stop it right now, child!” the voice rang out again.

This time she looked up and gasped to see the tiny man.

“Why are you so short? Are you magical?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m short. And no, I’m not.”

“But you’re small!”

“I can say the same about you, girl,” the man chuckled. He needed to distract her from himself, “Are you hungry?”

The girl nodded and looked back at the table, “Can I have some bread?”

Briar blinked. She was asking his permission?

 “Why isn’t your brother with you?” The borrower began to climb down onto the countertop, as it was safe enough.

As expected, Layla came closer, and only by standing on tiptoe could she see where Briar was standing. In another situation, he might have been amused, but right now he was focused on making sure those ‘little’ hands didn’t grab him.

“It was noisy. I didn't understand what it was. Jace told me to leave him!”

A tired sigh. “Then I’ll help you, but you have to do what I say. Okay?” he tried to sound authoritative and serious, but his growing smile made it a little difficult.

“Okay!” the girl replied, stepping back because she was tired of standing on tiptoe.

“I think you have a step stool in the bathroom. Can you bring it here?”

Layla nodded, even though she couldn’t see the borrower from here.

That way she could climb onto the chair safely. Which is what he suggested when she returned.

The borrower remembers her whining to Jace about how she didn't like climbing on the high chairs in the kitchen. Or maybe she liked being lifted. Briar didn't share her enthusiasm for the matter.

“I can literally see what you’re thinking, girl,” the borrower said more sternly, “Don’t try to get to me, or I’ll leave.”

“No, don’t go! I just wanted to see…” pouting a little, she leaned the step stool against the chair and climbed on top of it.

“Oh, I shouldn’t touch that.”

"Right, can you move it to the middle of the table? Don't touch the sharp part."

So, the knife was no longer a problem. Now he had to figure out how to feed the giant kid. Maybe just bread wasn't enough.

They needed to find something that could act as a lever.

There was an unfinished cup of coffee on the table, which the father had left in a hurry.

Oh, he noticed the spoon. Perfect.

Thanks to Briar's instructions, the girl managed to open the fridge and reach the jam jar.

She turned to look at Briar and he gave her a thumbs up.

After a while, Jace came into the kitchen rubbing his red eyes and exclaimed, “Layla! What a mess!”

The tablecloth was stained with strawberry jam in places where his little sister had been able to reach. He sighed wearily, “It looks like a crime scene.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have left her alone, boy.”

“Who said that?!” Jace asked, shielding Layla with his back. He wasn’t sure where the unfamiliar male voice was coming from.

“We made jam sandwiches!”

Jace ignored his sister's words and tried to figure out where the voice was coming from.

What he definitely didn't expect was for the voice to address him.

“Are you all right, boy?”

…

Jace was annoyed that the borrower trusted his little sister more than he did. She even knew his real name! He tried to find out, but Layla got angry and tattled on him to the borrower. The man wasn't thrilled either and refused to talk to him. It could also be because Jace was trying to track his voice to find their mysterious friend within the walls.

Jace was used to getting information in every possible way, but it seemed to be working against him this time. Usually, asking directly caused a negative reaction, and he didn't want to irritate or anger anyone. He was tired of guessing the reaction of the faceless voice from the walls. He needed clues to increase his chances of not messing up. But it seemed like he had already...

Recently, Layla told him they just needed to talk. Could it really be that simple?

His hand hovered over the doorknob. Why did he feel like his father was about to scold him?

He specifically asked his sister what time the borrower came to chat with her.

Jace finally opened the door and caught a glimpse of something dark slipping towards the socket where Layla was lying, drawing on the floor.

“Wait!” The boy came closer and also lay down on the floor, “I just wanted to say I’m sorry!”

Layla sighed in annoyance, “Did you forget to knock first?”

But her brother just stared at the same place.

“Meet me in the kitchen,” the voice finally said, “And no funny business, boy.”

Jace wanted to follow the order respond to the request immediately, but the socket’s faceplate suddenly shifted and returned to its place.

They remained in the kitchen in silence for a while. The boy leaned against the counter, with a cabinet above him, from which the voice usually came.

“It seems that an apology isn’t the only thing you had to say to me.”

Jace straightened, looking straight ahead, but not up, “Yes, sir.”

“Don’t call me that,” the voice grumbled.

“But you didn’t tell me your name,” Jace complained quietly.

The borrower changed the subject, “I’m listening, boy.”

“Yes. Again, I'm sorry for my actions,” he paused to carefully consider what he was about to say next, “I would never hurt you and… I just wanted to know what you look like.”

“Why?”

He should have just made a joke and not brought it up again. With each passing second, Jace began to regret starting this conversation. What if he said something wrong? Should he say what the borrower wanted to hear or tell the truth?

“I like you.”

Silence.

Apparently, this confused the borrower. So the boy took this as a sign that he could continue speaking.

“I like the way you tell stories to Layla, since our mom can’t. You’re smart, honest, funny, and…I respect you.”

Jace really did, although he hadn’t said much out loud.

The man snorted, “You’re a flatterer, kid.”

“That’s not flattery!”, Jace’s voice rose slightly, but he cut himself off by covering his mouth with his hands.

He lowered himself to the floor, saying, “I’m sorry.” No one liked being yelled at or shouted at, Jace knew that from experience.

And the borrower was the last person who deserved to be treated this way. He really helped Jace out a lot. Despite all the sarcasm, this voice always spoke honestly and without judgment. Even when the young man's thoughts were confused or the attitudes instilled by his father were preventing him from making the right decisions.

The boy was used to keeping his true thoughts to himself, but now he could say what was on his mind. Jace had some information that he had managed to get which the borrower had allowed him to know.

“The life you were talking about is similar to what happened to us not long ago. Well, before mom got sick.”

He wasn’t sure if the borrower was still there, but he continued speaking anyway.

“Although it’s not the same, I understand what it’s like to move to a new place over and over again. And it was difficult for me to part with my friends due to the relocation. That’s why my father advised me not to get attached to people and not to make real friends…”

“Bullshit,” the voice interrupted, sounding a little closer, but still somewhere above, “Is that a reason not to make friends? The memories of them will stay with you, even if you never see them again.”

“I…I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Jace admitted. “But I guess every time we moved, I was just…” he couldn’t say the word out loud. His father always said it was not appropriate for a man to be-

“Scared?”

“Yes,” the boy said with relief, but still feeling those phantom anxieties.

“Hmm, I thought you said that you moved to different countries. Was it harder to get used to and make friends there?

“Well, yes and no. We lived in a military town where we had everything we needed. I went to a special school with the children of the military just like me, where everyone spoke the same language, although some of my friends knew several languages. The boy smiled as he remembered, “They taught me a few things.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“Swearing.”

Laughter rang out above his head, but he still remained in place. No need to raise his head unless ordered to.

“Makes sense, boy.”

Jace paused for a moment, reminiscing about all the mischief he had done with his old friends, and then his smile fell.

“The place we lived in changed, but the rules and routines didn’t. The people around me changed, but the ‘home’…”

He clutched the fabric of his pants and pulled his knees closer to his chest. “At least it was better with mom, she insisted that we needed to go out and explore the local culture. I still don't understand how she managed to convince him every time."

"Well, it seems that even your asshole father knows how to love," the borrower paused for a second, realizing what he had just said. He quickly added, "Sorry, I didn't mean to say-"

But Jace laughed.

The boy rubbed his eyes a bit, "No, it's okay. He really acts like an asshole sometimes,” he mumbled, “Maybe even more than sometimes.”

“Don’t get me wrong, but it’s better if you think about what’s bothering you yourself. I think you’d come up with better ideas than he would.”

“And you called me a flatterer?”

“You still have room to grow.”

Briar is confident that nothing is lost for this young man, but…

“By the way, I saw your experiment with the toaster.”

Jace shrugged automatically, "Nothing burned, so it's a win-win situation.”

“Seriously, boy! That’s a waste of food!”

“Whatever you say, boss.”

“What did you just call me?”

Jace sighed, “I don’t know how to address you.”

He was already getting used to the slight pauses that occurred while the borrower considered his words.

“Okay. Sit down near the table and don’t move until I tell you to. Please.”

It's strange how just one word can turn an order into a request.

He heard some quiet rustling, and all he had to do was get up and...

But no, he waited patiently, not trying to peek.

“Try to guess my name. The first letter is B.”

“Bruno?”

“Mmm, nice try,” the man said with amusement. Then his voice trembled slightly, “Y-you can look up.”

Jace slowly raised his gaze.

A quiet pause.

He looked at the older borrower, who was sitting almost on the edge of the counter, with one leg dangling over the side.

Jace smiled mischievously, “You look tougher than I imagined, boss.”

The man snorted, but then said quietly, “It’s Briar. You can call me by name.”

“Thank you, Briar.”

…

Now…

They decided to set up a puppet show in front of their mother's bed so she wouldn't have to get up. Jace helped set up the wide cardboard walls so that the ‘actors’ could hide halfway while they controlled the puppets in the center. Layla arranged the most beautiful towels to mimic a curtain on the sides of the walls. Briar was hiding nearby. Only the children could see him, and he silently supported them by raising his thumbs up.

They giggled, then glanced at their mom.

She waved at them, smiling softly.

Jace and Layla nodded to each other. It was time to start.

The original story was about a spirit who looked after the house and secretly helped the family. He usually didn't show himself to humans, but when the family moved, they would invite him to go with them to their new home. So no matter where the family moved, they would feel at home.

But in this version, the children accidentally caught the spirit and became friends with it. He continued to help the family, giving them advice and making sarcastic jokes, but it was mostly a kind spirit, even if it was mischievous.

And when it was time to take a bow, the kids realized they only had 4 arms, and there were 5 puppets. Briar slapped his forehead and quickly ran under the set to avoid being seen. He ducked into the last sock puppet and prayed to anyone listening that their mother didn’t notice. Now all the dolls were holding hands and taking a bow.

Amanda started clapping, though not as much as she wanted to. She cleared her throat a bit before speaking, “I like it! I like this version even more than the original.” She opened her arms for a hug, “Come here, my star lights.”

At that moment, the borrower slipped back to the walls, but he didn't leave.

He saw Jace reach for a gift that he had hidden nearby.

“Here! I thought this would be more useful than some trinket.”

Firstly, he had doubts about the idea, and he was genuinely surprised when Briar suggested it. However, based on his mom's reaction, he realized that the borrower was right.

Amanda looked at the high-quality sports water bottle, then at her son, “Where did you get the money?”

Ernest was strict about pocket money, so she wasn’t sure about it...That he would have been able to save up the amount.

“I earned most of it at school.” He realized that sounded ambiguous, so he clarified, “I sold test answers to my classmates.”

“Oh, Jace. You shouldn’t have-”

“Mom.”

She fell silent, and her son took her hands in his. Had they grown so much in the last two years?

“You can’t overexert yourself, and it's a useful thing. Lays has tested how easy it's to lift and open this bottle with just one hand.”

“Yeah!”

The woman sniffed and pulled them into another hug, “I have such good kids. You're the best kids in the world.”

Jace and Layla giggled, hugging their mom back.

Amanda pulled back a little to look at her son’s face, “But how did you know?”

“Well, I have my sources,” the boy said mysteriously but proudly.

Mom gently ran her hand through his red hair, “Since when are you so business-like?”

"Everyone has their own little secret," he winked at his younger sister, and she giggled.

They removed their 'props' and left their mom's room because she needed to rest. Briar was still peeking out from his hiding place.

He knew what it was like to lose strength in his arms and legs due to illness. He had even had to take care of his younger siblings when they were unable to hold small objects or even get out of bed.

It was unusual to see that even Beans could be weak and helpless when they were ill. So he felt a little sorry for her when Amanda spilled the glass of water that had been left for. The children were at school, and the husband was at work. There was no one around to help her.

His observational skills helped the children choose a small gift, although it was insignificant. But it was still nice thing.

Now she could put the bottle next to her so she didn't have to reach for the nightstand. Lately, even that took all her energy. The sports bottle was designed to prevent spilling even when opened, and the latch could be easily opened with a single finger.

When Briar was about to leave, he heard the woman's quiet voice, “I think we also have a spirit that protects our family.”

The borrower tensed, but it looked like she was just muttering to herself, “Thank you, whoever you are.”

Amanda settled back and placed the water bottle not far from her.

Briar just stood there for a while. His smile slowly grew and he nodded, even though no one would see it.

He returned to his tunnels in high spirits.

…

That's it, the end!

You can see the obvious hints that this story was meant to be much sadder. But then I wouldn't be able to fit everything in one post.

Briar stayed close to beans in this story because he didn't want to lose sight of how much danger they posed. Especially since there has been a breakthrough in technology. Now borrowers should pay attention to devices that can take pictures, record videos, and broadcast live. Well, that's not the only reason. He just prefers to keep his friends close and his enemies even closer. It wasn't that he hated them, but he still despised people for all the bad things they could do just at will.

I don't know if you noticed the coincidence, but... I accidentally chose the title of a play that Briar saw a rehearsal of in his youth. I watched the film (2002). It was funny and suited the story. The borrower could still condemn humans in his mind, but at the same time, explain the main idea to the child. And for the last part, I needed to remember the parents' names. Oh, I laughed so hard! Their father's name is Ernest! It's very ironic. But Briar didn't get it, because he, like me, didn't care about the name of this bean."

In the beginning, Jace tried to be like his father, copying his model of behavior. But obviously nothing good came of it. Briar made that clear. The boy was meant to be more manipulative, which is why he couldn't gain the borrower's trust for a long time. But after realizing it, their friendship should have gradually improved.…I also like that Briar trusted Lays first.

After their mother got sick, he had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, because they wouldn't be moving anytime soon. And their father couldn't be at home all the time. It didn't help that their father had high expectations for his son. You know how a disappointed father can be worse than a belt? Similar situation.

Layla, on the other hand, was starving for the attention of an adult figure. Her mother couldn't give her the attention she needed, and her father was difficult to impress. All he could say after work in the evening was, “Good job”. Possibly without even looking at what his daughter was showing him. So she desperately needed Briar, who praised her for everything. (And he's just such a girl dad that he can't deny her xD)

Amanda was bedridden and felt like a burden to her family. Surprisingly, her husband showed unconditional love for her despite his bad temper. She couldn't know about her children's problems because they didn't tell her anything. They didn't want to bother her, or she was so ill that she was unconscious most of the time. Now, her son was taking on the household responsibilities.

[Since they moved around a lot, I figured that the grandmother wouldn't be able to handle it because of her age. So, she stayed in her own house and doesn't have the opportunity to see her family often. I didn't want to kill her, so that's her fate!]

The children were practically left on their own. It was supposed to be Jace lashing out at Briar because of the accumulated stress. But the borrower still stayed around, he couldn't leave them alone in such a difficult situation...

Although I didn't add any new characters, there's something special about the bedtime story. Yep, it's from my people's mythology, but Jace made very strong references/hints to Briar.

I like the idea that Jace knows swear words in multiple languages and accidentally says one in front of his little sister. I just imagined him hitting something and shouting, “Blyat'!” Layla just tried to repeat it, but she said a shorter and softer version, “Blya?” xD

So my headcanon is that he knows Russian, Spanish, and Japanese swearing.

I think I said everything I was going to say, but I feel like I forgot something…

Anyway.

Thanks for reading this!

[pirate-of-the-southern-isles]

Two sketches. First, I think Hans doesn't appreciate the fact of Olaf being... decomposable.

Second - Layla. Layla may be looking either at Elsa or at an unguarded East India Company's ship.

[dovahdogg]

A little something I've been working on for the Layla lovers ✨

Bbygirl without her muzzle and goggles, who helped her take it off?! Coyle's gonna flip—

Edit: I'm doing a portrait like this for all three of my beebs. Mouse is next, then Alessio 🫀

[peytowin]

magical girl tea party! Did this a month ago, forgot to post lol

[charliesimss]

🏄🏼‍♀️🌴🥥

[deadgirlwalking91]

Did Layla have a secret crush on Adam or was it just a friends with benefits (booty call) kind of relationship they had?

Was Layla ever once jealous of Lute for being the lieutenant of the Exorcists and not herself? Or was she jealous that Lute had Adam full attention and she only had his attention in bed.

Hey Anon!

Thank you for asking about Layla <3 I love that readers are interested in her!

So, Layla very much had a friends with benefits situation going on with Adam. There was no feelings involved, no attachment—sexually, she used him just as much as he used her. Outside of that, they're just good friends. If anything, she's a little bit of a shit stirrer and wants to see Adam and Lute get together. She sees through his bravado and recognises that he's lonely. All she wants is to see him happy, because he's her friend. She genuinely is just...nice.

I wouldn't say that Layla is or was jealous of Lute. Layla is very competent and skilled, but at the time of TYFTV is content with being that and nothing more. She would be good lieutenant material though, for sure.

She's making an appearance in the next chapter of TYFTV, so I hope you're excited to see her again!