Laurier| Rimmer X OC story

Prologue

Rimmer POV

I was sitting alone when it happened, reading through a book on astro-navigation to prepare for the first of many exams on the subject, and when I say many, I mean many. I was in the lunch room sitting alone in a table but surrounded by people but giving them none of my attention in the slightest, no doubt they ever gave me any of theres, nose buried in a book. I was focused I didn't even notice the sound of footsteps approaching until the source of said footsteps alerted me.

"Hello!"

My head snapped up to acknowledge the voice. And that's when I saw her, she stood in front of me with a large grin on her face, looking at me with excitement in her eyes, specks of grass green spotted around her pupils and slightly messy mousy hair resting just hove her shoulders. I was confused at first, no one really acknowledged me let alone talk to me, so surprise really but still "Hi...?" I spoke with so much unease and to myself I almost sounded frightened "Do you mind if ask? Why are sitting alone? Like...you good?" She tilted her head at me and her eyes grew wide waiting for an answer, which I was unsure I would even be able to give, I couldn't just tell her that everyone on the ship thought I was a Smeg head, no doubt she already knew that as we had been on the ship for around a month, but still.

"It's better to work without the distraction of people" I said looking back at my book. I wanted her to leave, I wanted to leave me alone so badly I would have done anything "hm" suddenly she sat herself in the seat in front of me and caught my attention again "you know...I get the impression you don't want me here" she smirked at me and looked as if she was trying to hold back a laugh at her attempt at a joke, sort of "You're right. I don't, so please leave me be" I kept my eyes on her, waiting for her to leave but she didn't, she stayed exactly where she was smiling at me with that ridiculous little grin "yeah that isn't gonna happen mate"

My expression shifted from annoyed to confused, while she kept the same happy expression she had when she first came up to me "excuse me?" I scoffed at her "yup" she made a 'pop' sound at the end of that word "It isn't happening" she sighed "listen mate, I've heard things about you, a lot actually and I don't think it's fair, from what I've seen you're not that bad, so I'm sticking around and there's nothing you can do about it" "so you're pitying me?" "Yeah" she laughed a bit but then she looked at me and face kind of relaxed and softened "No mate, I just think you deserve to have friend And someone who doesn't think you're a twat" For years I denied that this happened, but I felt myself smirk at the notion, which I could see that she noticed by the sly smile she gave back.

"God sorry, I just realised I've been sitting here for like...2 minutes and I haven't even told you my name" she offered her hand to me, gesturing for me to shake it "my name's Laurier, Cornelia Laurier but if you're going to call me by my first name, call me Connie because like no one but my mother has called me Cornelia in about a decade and it's easier, but you might not have to as I've seen everyone around here call each other by last names and stuff, and I am also sorry because I have a tendency to ramble on and it can get very annoying very quickly so" she took a deep breath in "Laurier" she still held out her hand to me, and it took me a while but eventually I shook it "Hi, I'm Arnold Rimmer, but by what you said, just Rimmer would be easier" she widened her eyes as smiled even more brightly "well 'Just Rimmer', looks like you just got yourself a friend" she let go of my hand and rested her arms on the table "congratulations"

She sat with me for the entirety of that lunch break, laughing and making jokes, sometimes she even got a slight snicker out of me too. I kept looking past her and seeing people at the other tables give us weird looks, whisper things between themselves and look away again, but she just click at me and say something along the lines of 'screw them ok? Friend' and point at herself or gesture vaguely around her. At the end of the lunch break we talked as left and joked as we walked back to my dorm, I was actually kind of glad that I had a friend, I needed someone on Red Dwarf who could be there for me, and I'm glad that she spotted me and decided to talk.

Once we reached my bunk, we said our goodbyes and she gave a light punch in the shoulder "see ya around Rimmer, and I mean it ok? You aren't getting rid of me that easily, you're stuck me now ok?" She smiled at me again and...I smiled back "ok...see you Laurie" I said before turning to face my door "Laurie? I like that" I gave her one last look before she retreated down the corridor.

'I'm really gonna be stuck with her aren't I" I thought before going into my bunk, and I was. Cornelia Laurier was going to stick around for a long, long time.