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[i-am-beckyu]

it wouldn't let me @ you :/

I'm so glad you enjoyed! I've actually got a part two for this I've been writing because lots of people requested it continued, so it's in the works! Just not had much time with life and work to finish it but it's not far off so keep your eyes peeled :3

One Small Gift

HELLO! I TOLD YOU I'D POST ONE MORE FIC THIS YEAR! And I am very proud of myself for making it a Christmas centered fic! I can't believe it's actually been a year since I last posted a Christmas fic. Like where did the time go and how did this thing spawn?

I'm gonna ramble a bit more at the bottom of this fic about me and the community but lets not hold you up any longer so I give you: The Christmas Fic- One Small Gift :3

cw: fear, death mention (but no actual death), lying, panic and anxiety, fluff- Like, ALOT of Fluff, hidden identity and of course happy endings. You know, the usual angst/fluffy Beckyu fic :3 word count: 8351

Disclaimer! This story is based on the characters of the Dream SMP and not the real life content creators. Anything that occurs in this story is purely fiction and should be treated as such. Thank you.

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Cold

Why did the walls always have to be so damn cold? 

Tommy’s mind couldn’t help but linger on the thought, as the Borrower shivered making his way through the maze that was the inside the house walls.

Human Beans invented heaters AGES ago for the insides of their houses to keep warm, so how was it that the inside of the walls were still always so flippen freezing? 

Would it kill them to think of the little guy freezing their butt off just once?

Well no, maybe not. But it certainly would Tommy. 

As much as the young blonde would love to cuss at the home owner for not giving him a proper source of heat, the Borrowers code quite literally FORBID them from ever telling a Human of their existence. Not to forget the fact that it would mean doom for a borrower if they ever did. All the horror stories of Borrowers being squished or experimented on from the elders to go off being proof enough.

Death by Human Beans?

HA! Absolutely NOT!

That’s exactly the reason why he is trying to get supplies for the Winter to warm himself up, before it gets even colder! 

Tommy grumbled to himself as he ducked and weaved past forgotten cobwebs about how it was such a pain to be in this position in the first place. He’d had a perfectly fine home in a tree nook in the forest that had always remained nice and cosy warm during the colder months. 

Even if that meant he’d been living on his own, Tommy had been happy living as an Outie borrower for as long as he could remember. Well at least he had, before some tall, pretentious brunette freak decided his home would be the perfect tree to cut down and drag all the way back to his stupid freezing cold house. 

But it gets better, because even though the main part of his home was actually still intact under the now stump, the Bean still took the top half of the tree- 

With Tommy still inside it! 

They flippen took HIS house and wrapped it in a net; effectively trapping the poor borrower and then strapped it to the top of their car and drove hours and hours to a Human Town with him hanging on for dear life.

And that’s not even the worst part because not only did the flippen Bean steal part of his house, but then they had the audacity to cover the tree's dying corpse in fancy decorations and shining lights. 

Like seriously WTF?!

A Bean kidnaps him from the only place he’s ever really known and covers his once thriving residence all merrily in ornaments, while he’s forced to flee his only real known place of safety with nothing but the clothes on his back, and the few supplies he did have stored in the upper levels of his now dying home. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but it was the only choice he really had. 

Stay in the tree and get caught, or try and survive in the Beans' walls until Winter passes.

He chose the latter of course- (It’s not like staying would have helped him anyways) 

Getting down from the top of the tree had been, well- less than a fun time for the Borrower. The big purple bruises across his back were a throbbing reminder from his impact on the floor at times, but he managed. 

Instead, Tommy had started to navigate his temporary ‘soon to be home’ in the walls getting an idea of the layout and where the best places were to borrow from. He just had to make it through the Winter and then he could go home. Trying to get back to his nook now would be impossible with all the snow cover on the ground, but he’d get back to the forest even if it killed him.

Which might be the case soon if he doesn’t get some new clothes and heat source quick.

That was the main issue with being kidnapped after all. You only have what’s on your back and well, Tommy hadn’t exactly been expecting to get yoinked away in his scrappy T-Shirt and shorts. He had proudly made them himself with the few scraps of fabric he’d managed to find from some Beans that had been passing through years ago on a camping trip, but the fabric was light, and not made to be worn in such cold conditions. 

He’d only meant to go up and check what the heck the loud thumping outside his tree was like any normal person. He was expecting a deer or maybe a bear using it as a scratching post, not a Bean cutting their house down and taking him along with it. You don’t exactly have time to think about putting on proper clothing when your everything is at stake.

So that was step one: Find some material and make some clothes- a jacket the top priority.

Tommy is very thankful that he had his borrowing bag on him, that he still has his self made needle and some old thread so he at least didn’t have to start from nothing. Finding the material hadn’t been too difficult to locate either. When he first scouted the place, he discovered pretty quickly that the Bean had a habit of leaving stuff all over the place, so borrowing supplies hadn’t been difficult to do without being noticed. It’s how he found the most perfect fluffy woollen red sock to make a coat and blanket from. He would already have it now though if the Bean hadn’t come back before he could swipe it.

The Borrower had tried to come back for it later, but the Bean had decided it was time to clean their room up because he had some guests coming for this thing called ‘Chris-mass’- whatever that was- and the sock was gone.

So instead he grabbed what he could and made his way back to the walls with just enough fabric to make a new pair of pants and some crackers for dinner.

But it still didn’t fix the whole freezing situation.

What Tommy really needed was a candle. 

To a Human Bean it may seem to be an insignificant source of light, but to a Borrower it could literally be the difference between a warm nights sleep and becoming a Borrower popsicle! But that was easier said then done because all the usual spots Beans would normally keep candles, were replaced with flippen electric ones!!!! 

What’s wrong with fire on candles!? Why would you want a fake candle that just flickers and produces less light than a real one?

That or something for a bed. At least that way he’d have a comfortable place to sleep and trap his own body heat.

He really wishes he could have taken those socks…

As if this Bean wasn’t bad enough, not only did they lack the materials Tommy so desperately needed, but they wouldn’t shut up talking into the black box (a fone he thinks it’s called from memory) to other Beans with how excited they were about them coming to stay for the Hole-lid-days and spend time huddled together by the fire or something dumb. 

“Come on Dad! Let me host. If you let me host, I’ve got the coolest surprise planned for you and Techno I swear!! Plus don’t you want to come and see me?” 

Lucky prick. Got a Dad and a brother…

Now don’t get him wrong, Tommy is a big man, if not the biggest man to ever exist and he doesn’t need anyone. But he also couldn’t help but long for someone to share the cold season with like the Beans did. It had been so long since he’d seen another Borrower like himself and though he’d never admit it, living alone did get a little bit lonely sometimes. It would be nice if just once he could share a night cuddled up close to a loved one, and just bask in each other’s company. 

But Tommy didn’t have time to be sentimental about things he’d likely never have.

He needed to find a way to stay warm and get warm now.

But the universe decidedly hated Tommy because, tonight was apparently December 24th-

Chrisymiss Eve.

Tommy had been here about a week or so and in his short stay still wasn’t 100% sure what this whole Khrislermas was, but it appeared to be a BIG deal to the Beans. 

Apparently, all the Beans get together whether it’s family or friends to spend time together and exchange gifts. It’s about being thankful for what you have or whatever and something about showing how much you love someone by giving and receiving presents. 

Tommy thought it was actually quite a nice thing the Beans did and wished that Borrowers had something similar themselves in their culture. However, there was one thing he still didn’t quite understand about this whole holiday thing.

Who the heck is Santa Claus?

He’d been taking some more crackers the Bean had left out from the kitchen while this ‘tv show’ played on the Bean's big Black box that was talking about this Santa guy. Apparently, he was some elusive, big fat man, dressed all in red with a big white bushy beard, who climbed down the Beans chimneys, and left gifts for all the little boys and girls of the world. He had this list too that knew if you’d been naughty or nice and would leave the good children gifts and the bad children coal in their stockings. 

Children could write letters to Santa or he’d visit and children could sit on his knee and ask him for a gift they would like and he would deliver the toys to children all over the world on Christmas eve when everyone was sleeping, only to have disappeared by daybreak.

Tommy hadn’t thought much of this Santa at first- not when it was just another Bean to avoid. That was until he learned two very important details.

1- Santa delivered presents to ALL children of the world. 

And 2- Santa wasn’t meant to be seen by Humans either.

So not only did this Santa guy literally just give out free gifts, but Tommy literally had a way to get exactly what he needed for the winter!

All he needed to do was talk to Santa and he’d be saved! 

Now you might be thinking: But Tommy, you said it yourself. Santa isn’t meant to be seen by anyone so what makes you the exception? 

Simple.

Borrowers aren’t meant to be seen by Beans and neither is Santa.

Which means just like Borrowers, Santa must not want to be caught (which if he thinks too hard about it makes sense since he literally breaks into houses but anyways) and unlike with Beans, there is no rule that says Borrowers can’t see Santa!

All he has to do is wait for Santa to visit Crystamas eve, and then he can ask for his gift! Santa probably even knows what he wants, being made of magic and all! He just never knew Santa existed so he’s never asked for his gift before! 

If he were a more greedy Borrower, he could ask for so much more to make up for all the years he never got a gift, but that would probably put him on Santa’s naughty list. And while coal would be good, Tommy doesn’t exactly want to burn the house down with him inside it. So this was his best shot to get exactly what he needed. 

The hard bit though, was waiting for Santa to arrive. That meant not only having to be out in the living room where the fireplace was, but also meant he had to wait for the Bean to fall asleep. Which really meant that it would be AGES before Santa would come because the Bean of the house was terrible at sleeping at night. 

The man literally had no sleep schedule and would stay up till terrible times in the morning before drifting off. Normally that wasn’t much of an issue for the Borrower having observed this early on, but right now it was very much a hindrance because it could be hours before they went to bed. 

It also seemed that they wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon, because the amount of energy and excitement the Bean had displayed the whole day about his family coming home was overwhelming. He’d come home at one stage with this big bag of stuff talking on the black box about how his super cool surprise was coming along and how it would be awesome since they let him host Chrimpmas- whatever that meant. 

Tommy had hoped with the excitement of the holiday they’d have been ready to pass out by now, but he couldn’t be more wrong with the amount of commotion he could hear from down the hall- and that’s through the walls. 

At least he could observe everything going on from his place on the bookshelf. It was right next to a small crack in the wall he could just squeeze through, but it gave him a good view of the living room but also enough cover from prying eyes unless he made his presence known. However, being out of the walls had one difference the blonde hadn’t accounted for.

Heat.

The fire had been lit and was keeping the whole room nice and toasty warm compared to the harsh bite the walls somehow managed to keep. The whole atmosphere made him almost want to curl up and fall asleep. It had been so long since he’d been able to just enjoy the warmth in the air and not be shivering to keep alive.

Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt if he had a nap before Santa arrived.

Just a quick one….

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Tommy was awoken to a rather loud THUNK as the Borrower shot up from where he had fallen asleep atop the shelf. 

It took the blonde a moment to realise where he was and not panic about being out in the open before his eyes settled upon a figure. 

Sprawled out across the floor in a heap of red and white was the jolly big man himself.

Santa Claus.

The one and only.

“Santa!” Tommy yelled excitedly as he hurriedly manoeuvred to stand. “Santa you came!”

Santa’s head snapped up from the floor alarmed, as they pushed themselves to stand and take a defensive stance.

“Who said that?!” they shouted, looking around wildly panicked. “Show yourself!”

Tommy giggled to himself. Santa was so silly. 

“Up here Santa! I’ve been waiting for you.” The blonde waved as the man's head turned and their eyes fell onto his small form. 

Tommy grinned at the magical man taking him all in. 

Just like the figure on the big black box, Santa wore a big red coat with white fluff lining the ends of his sleeves. A big black belt was strapped around their waist, fastened with a fancy golden buckle and sturdy black boots on their feet to keep out the snow. Their head was adorned with an oversized big red hat, with a giant white fluffy pom pom on the end, and they had a long white beard that travelled down their chest. And last but not least was a pair of gold rimmed glasses perched on the tip of their rosy red nose which accentuated their big brown eyes that were staring at him in wonder. 

Huh. 

He could have sworn that Santa's eyes were blue.

“I can’t believe you came! I wasn’t sure if you would since I never sent a letter but you must have known anyway cause here you are!” The little borrower stated excitedly as Santa removed his glasses, and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. 

“I’m so glad you’re here! I really need my Crimpmess present.” 

“I’m sorry you’re what?” the man’s eyes furrowed in confusion as they processed what the younger had said.

“My present!.” Tommy rolled his eyes. “You know, the whole reason why you’re here.”

Santa didn’t exactly seem like he knew what was going on. Right now all he was doing was staring and Tommy was getting a bit annoyed. 

Was that not why Santa was here? To deliver his present like the show had said?

Tommy huffed annoyed he had to explain all this. Wasn’t this like his job? He should know!

“I’m sorry,” Santa began slowly as if trying to process. “I didn’t actually know you were here.”

“Why else would you have come then?” Tommy crossed his arms unimpressed. “I’m the only kid here, but don’t tell anyone else I said that. I’m a big man! The biggest ever!”

This finally seemed to warrant a different reaction from the older, as they looked the boy up and down unimpressed by this so-called ‘fact’.

“A big man huh? You look more like a child. What are you- 12?”

Tommy feigned a gasp, grasping his chest offendedly. “I’ll have you know I’m 14 and the biggest man alive! I’m only a child for the purpose of getting my gift tonight and tonight only!”

Santa couldn’t stifle a laugh as he watched as the small child stomped his foot in a mini tantrum at being called 12. It was endearing in a way but he still wasn’t sure how to proceed with a tiny child standing on their bookshelf.

“Well whatever you say I guess, but I still I didn’t know you were here.”

The blonde shrugged before moving closer to the shelfs edge. “Ah well it doesn’t matter. You’re here now so I’d like my gift please! You have it right?” 

“If I didn’t know you were here, then how would I have your present with me?” Santa asked.

Well he did make a good point. It’s not like he sent Santa a letter and he hadn't met him to tell him like other human bean children had until now. 

“Oh right. Guess I better come sit on your knee and tell you what I’d like than.” Tommy stated matter of factly, as the small Borrower moved to the edge of the shelf and stabbed his hook into the wood, quickly jumping off to descend on his rope to the ground.

“Wait, DON’T DO THAT!” 

The blonde yelped in surprise, moving instinctually to protect his ears at the sheer volume the man shouted, in turn losing his grip on his rope, quickly plummeting down to the ground below. Santa lunged forward with an outstretched hand as the boy slipped down the rope at a rapid speed, catching him before any real harm could be done. He semi slammed into the wall, clutching his hand to his chest as they did so before quickly unfurling their hand.

“Oh my prime! Kid- kid are you alright?” Santa said frantically checking over the boy he now held in his palm. 

Tommy shook his head, dizzy from the sudden force that had rammed into him only moments ago. He tried to steady himself grabbing, onto the nearest thing his hand could find as he begun to regain his bearings.

Oh he was going to ache tomorrow…

“As soon as the world stops spinning, yeah.”

Santa sighed in relief as Tommy allowed himself to regain focus. It was then that he really took note of where he was. 

Normally, if a Borrower was sitting in the hand of someone almost 100x his size, he would be kicking and screeching to get away. But this was Santa Claus’s hand and Tommy felt only wonder. 

It was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. The thing he had grabbed onto was apparently Santa’s thumb and it was almost as big as his head! Even if it was a bit weird sitting on the leathery texture of their skin, the warmth radiating beneath him was heavenly, and the way the man’s fingers curled slightly over him protectively felt nothing but comforting. 

Santa hadn’t moved since he caught Tommy mid air, and was staring at Tommy as if they would disappear. They seemed stuck on what to do next, but also amazed he was sitting there at all.

“You alright there big man?” Tommy raised a brow confused at why the man would act this way. Santa was literally made of magic and had flying reindeer for goodness sake! A borrower existing surely was no cause for such amazement? There were surely way more interesting magical things to see than a lowly Borrower like him. 

(But then again, he was a pretty poggers Borrower if he did so say that himself, so staring could be justified for that reason)

This finally snapped the old man out of their wondrous stupor, as they squinted their eyes open and shut with a quick shake of their head. 

“Uh yep. All good um. Let's- go sit down. Yeah- yeah, let's do that.” Santa said, confirming more to themself than Tommy.

Santa brought the boy protectively to their chest to brace them before they moved away from the book shelf, smoothly walking over to the couch where the old man sat down ever so slowly to not jostle their small passenger. The second they were bending down to sit though, Tommy was launching himself off Santa’s palm for his knee as the bearded man frantically tried to stop them in their escapade.

“Kid, would you stop doing that? You’re going to hurt yourself!”

“Pfft please. This is nothing compared to how I got down from that tree over there.” The boy grinned as they pointed to the far corner of the living room.

The man's head followed to where the boy was pointing, the Christmas tree displayed proudly in a large pot tied with a red bow, small lights flickering on and off in changing patterns.

“Tree? You mean the Christmas tree?”

“Yep!” Tommy stood proudly popping the p. “I had to get down somehow and my hook would have gotten stuck in amongst the branches if I had tried to abseil down. So I did what any logical Borrower would do and jumped.”

“You jumped?!” Santa’s eyes widened, as he looked back and forth between the boy and the top of the brightly decorated tree. He grimaced, imagining the boy throwing themselves from the upper branches like they had done only moments before onto his knee. 

What was with this kid and being so reckless?!

“You jumped from the top of the Christmas tree!? Why were you even there in the first place?”

Tommy rolled his eyes, crossing their arms in front of their chest. 

“It’s all that stupid Beans fault.”He huffed annoyed. “He just came waltzing into MY forest, decided to be very rude and put their grubby hands all over MY house wrapping it up in some ugly net, only to cut it down with me still in it!”

Tommy didn’t notice the way Santa’s brows furrowed and their expression changed to one of horror as he continued to ramble on.

“They literally kidnapped me, Santa! They’re so lucky that the main part of my house is under the tree’s trunk and not the higher branches because I swear I would have murdered that Bean in their sleep by now if they had!”

Tommy was very pleased to have finally gotten to vent some of his frustrations to someone other than his internal self, but now he was finished he had a good chance to register the other’s reaction.

Santa looked horrified.

His eyes seemed glossed over as if he was holding back tears, and one hand slapped over their mouth, the other gripping their wrist tightly in an attempt to ground themselves. 

Uh shit. He hadn’t meant for that to happen…

“Uh but don’t worry Santa!” Tommy was quick to add. “ I wouldn’t actually do that. That would be a bad thing to do and put me on the Naughty list! I promise I won’t actually murder anyone!” 

Phew, that was a close one. He couldn’t jeopardise his only hope with a silly joke!

Santas’ face had yet to change and Tommy subconsciously started to fidget feeling nervous to how the older was reacting. Maybe he had blown it and now he was on the naughty list. Another glance at the old man's face seemed to confirm those fears.

He’d blown it.

His one shot at survival and he practically threw it all away with a vent. No wonder he ended up all alone.

“Please don’t put me on the Naughty list Santa. I need my gift.” Tommy spoke timidly. “I didn’t mean it.”

“I- no. No you’re not on the Naughty list.” Santa dragged his hands over his eyes a few times strained. “I'm just trying to process. It’s more of the whole kidnapping thing. ” 

If Tommy had been paying better attention, he may have noticed the few stray brown curls poking out from under the man's hat, but he was more thrown by their following question as the magical man continued on.

“If you were in the tree, why didn’t you say anything?”

Tommy drew a deep breath, before sighing as the boy shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Because Santa, Beans aren’t supposed to know that Borrowers like me even exist.”

“Beans?”

“Human Beans Santa. You know, big people like you, but not magical and stuff.” The Borrower explained. “There’s no way I could tell the dumb Bean he was cutting my house down! Do you know what Beans do to Borrowers like me?” 

“Um no?” Santa fiddled with his hands as he looked away, eyes downcast to avoid the youngers gaze as they continued.

“They get rid of us. To them we’re just pests or things to be used.”

Tommy hugged himself tightly, anxiety pooling in his chest for the first time that night. He wished it wasn’t true, but Beans just held far too much power for their own good. Their greed often outweighing their need to do good without reward. 

“I’d rather risk jumping out of a tree than ever fall into the clutches of a Bean.” 

“But how do you know that?” Santa suddenly said, muscles tensing as they clenched their hand into fists. 

Tommy flinched at the sight of hands so close. Closed so tightly that he couldn’t help let slip the thought of himself in the mercy of their grasp, begging to be freed like all the stories had said of the Borrowers trapped in agonising pain. The man noticed his discomfort, and immediately loosened their fists, moving their hands away and under their thighs so as to not startle the boy any further than they already had.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Santa said with a sense of guilt.  “But I just- How do you know that though? Who says that they would have hurt you if you had just made your presence known? You wouldn’t have had to jump or gotten hurt.”

Santa turned away sheepishly, whispering sadly. “They could have helped you.” 

Tommy swallowed hard, his shoulders sagging as he observed the sad look Santa had as they stared at the Christmas tree. It was obvious they were blaming themself for what had happened. He was far too kind for that.

“Santa, it’s not your fault.” the boy sighed, “Every borrower is taught this from birth. It’s a known fact that Beans are all cruel, power hungry beings. They always want more and just take, take, take.”  

“But what if this ‘Bean’ didn’t know.” Santa shot back, causing the Borrower to falter. “What if you had said something? They would have stopped and left you and your house alone? How do you know they wouldn’t have helped you?”

“Because Santa,” Tommy turned and faced the man head on. “That’s just how Beans are. To them, we're just another thing to take and control.” 

Tommy wanted to believe Santa, he really did, but it was hard to just ignore years of being brought up to beware Human Beans and their cruelty. He’d seen it even from when Beans had once come into the forest with their fire sticks, and took down a friendly deer. It was unnecessarily cruel and was all the convincing Tommy needed to deem all Humans bad.

Santa nodded sadly in some kind of understanding, but Tommy couldn’t understand why Santa looked so hurt. It wasn’t his fault the Bean took him and his home, but he seemed so convinced that hiding and not asking for help had been the wrong thing to do. 

He thought they were the same, that if Beans caught him on Christmas Eve, then something bad would happen to him like it would for Borrowers. That’s why they had to stay a secret. Why no one could know they were here. 

But Santa wasn’t a Borrower who lived in hiding unknown. The Beans knew about the jolly, present giving man that only appeared in December. 

He could live among the Beans and it would be fine if he asked for help. Everyone liked Santa. He didn’t take things just to survive. He gave toys and gifts so he would have no worries about the repercussions of taking a paperclip just to get around. He wouldn’t have to worry about Beans hurting him if something went wrong. He would just use his magic and be fine.

It was Santa’s choice to stay hidden as an extra precaution to protect that same magic. 

“But you’re different from the Beans Santa.” The boy perked up instantly remembering why he was doing this in the first place. “You only come out of hiding at Christmas and everyone knows who you are! You only hide to keep your magic safe from Beans so they can’t have that too!” 

The man gave a small smile as the boy continued to ramble, pacing back and forth on his thigh as he did so.

“But I don’t understand why you give children presents when they already have so much!” Tommy stopped, his lips pursed together as his voice dropped to a whisper.

“Unlike me.” He confessed quietly, lifting his head to meet Santa’s sympathetic gaze. 

Santa was staring at the young boy again, leaned forward in concern listening as the blonde  continued to share his story.

“It's why I need my gift Santa.” Tommy wringed his hands together with a nervous glance to see Santa’s reaction who nodded in approval, gesturing for him to continue. 

Tommy steadied himself.

Now or never.

“I was brought here with basically nothing. Forced to move into the Beans walls or risk being seen. I’ve barely been able to get anything for basic survival and the walls are freezing!” 

Tommy shivered remembering the way the air had nipped at his nose as he struggled to keep warm. Clutching himself tightly in a poor attempt to retain any kind of body heat. The one time he went up stairs without his coat and of course he gets kidnapped.

He needed this. 

More than anything.

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Wilbur had just wanted to have the perfect Christmas.

It was his first time hosting and had decided he HAD to go all out.

More decorations than his little house needed both inside and out, homemade hot chocolate from scratch and had promised his Father and brother a very special Christmas surprise if they let him host.

Their first ever living Christmas tree and a surprise visit from the Big man himself- Santa Claus.

He’d done a bunch or research into the best spots to go where he could get a tree and quickly had been recommended from several sites about the fir trees in Logstedshire, and quickly made the trip out to find a tree.

What the websites failed to mention, was that said fir trees might be inhabited and the home of tiny people that are terrified of Human Beings. 

So if you asked: No, Wilbur was not having a good night realising he had kidnapped a child that was deathly afraid of him and only okay right now because he thought he was the real Santa Claus. 

In a way, it was a good thing the kid hadn’t realised yet, because if Wilbur had never dressed up in this silly costume, he probably would have never known about the child freezing to death in his walls.

The child was so cold despite their lively spirit when he’d caught them after they launched themself off the top of the shelf. The fact it wasn’t the first time they’d thrown themself from such a height made Wilbur sick knowing had they not been lucky, could very well not have made the long fall. But the fact the kid had been struggling, terrified and afraid in his walls when he could have helped had the guilt eating him away as the boy rambled on.

They were so sure of themselves with the cruelty of humanity too that they had him so on edge. If the blonde knew he was really the guy that had cut his tree down, he very much doubted they would be this enthusiastic. He was talking about how much he needed his gift- the gift he still had no clue what it was, but just hearing the little blondes tale, and seeing how thin his clothes were had Wilbur making a very long list of things he needed to get to help the kid out. 

A kid which he still doesn’t know the name of.

The boy's eyes had brightened, as he bounded up and down on the balls of his feet eagerly, talking about what this gift would mean for him. He was actually quite endearing despite their seemingly dire situation.

“If I tell you my gift, then you can give it to me now and I’ll actually have a chance to survive the Winter!” He explained excitedly, grining.

Wilbur pushed down his anxiousness for the boys well-being. They had already suffered enough from his mistakes. He didn’t want them to suffer any longer than they had by them accidentally discovering the truth.

“What’s your name kid?” Wilbur mentally slapped himself  that he hadn’t asked sooner.

The tiny boy chuckled to himself as they crossed their arms. “Oh come on Santa, you know my name don’t you? You have a list with every child's name on it.”

Ah- right. Santa did have that Naughty and Nice list didn’t he? Curse Santa for having to live up to magical standards.

“Uh- I came here in such a rush, I um- ah must have left my list back at the North Pole.”

“So?” The boy argued, raising a brow. “You’re magic. Don’t you just know?”

Did he say endearing earlier? How about difficult for making him use his brain at 9pm at night. (Shut up. Don’t judge him for it)

“Well you know there’s like 2 Billion kids in this world and I see them all in one night. You don’t expect me to remember every name without my list do you?”

The kid hadn’t seemed to account for this, and thought it over before shrugging in agreement. 

Oh thank goodness for kids being young and naive. 

“I guess that’s fair. But you’ve got a s*** memory in that case Big Man. Getting old.” 

Actually, make that an annoying gremlin.

“I think if someone wants their present, they should be more careful about insulting their elders.” Wilbur teased with a chuckle. The boy rolled his eyes with a groan. 

Okay, an endearing gremlin then.

“Fiiiiiiiiine.” they drawled letting their arms drop to their sides before extending their hand up in greeting. “The name’s Tommy.”

Wilbur carefully lifted his arm up and slowly extended his pinky finger out for the boy to take in an oversized handshake. 

“Nice to meet you Tommy.” His finger dwarfed the boy entirely, his pinky finger only slightly shorter than the boy's total height, but nevertheless, Tommy took the tip and shook it lightly.

“Now, why don’t you sit down and tell me what it is you’d like for Christmas?”

Wilbur couldn’t help but smile at the little boy excitedly sharing in exact detail what he wanted. What the Borrower wanted wasn’t even that difficult to get, and he knew exactly where to find it. Tommy continued to ramble on for a bit longer about what he had been doing since coming here and Wilbur made mental notes of the few places where Tommy talked about entrances in out of the walls for future reference.

He was going to have to look out for Tommy from now on and if he wanted a shred of hope in getting him to trust him as Wilbur, he was going to need a plan.

“So could I have my gift now? I would really love it now and you still have a lot of other houses to visit tonight right?” Tommy asked innocently.

Wilbur really didn’t want to stop talking to Tommy. Tommy trusted the magical Santa Claus; not regular Human Being Wilbur Soot. He knew that if he let Tommy go now, it was unlikely he would see the kid again, but if he didn’t leave as Santa now, they would most likely get suspicious, realising he was a fake and panic. 

Wilbur sighed as he brushed a stray hair of fake beard from under his cheek.

“I- yeah I guess so. Best get you to bed then too.” 

“Awwww but I’m not sleepy yet!” The blonde pouted. “This is normally when I’m awake so it would be a crime to make me sleep now.”

“Well good little girls and boys go to bed when they’re told if they want to stay on the nice list.”

“You’re not the boss of me!” Tommy stuck his tongue out in defiance and Wilbur had to bite his to stop himself from bursting out loud laughing. 

This kid was going to be the death of him he swears.

Wilbur extended his hand to the Borrower, keeping it steady as he waited for Tommy to climb on. He’s still a little huffy at first realising there was no room for argument, but climbs on anyway, sitting down in the middle of Wilbur’s palm bracing themself before he moves.

The brunette curls his fingers over the boy slightly, bringing his hand to his chest protectively. He tries not to linger too long at how it felt to hold an entire person in one hand for the second time tonight before moving to stand. 

Steadily, Wilbur makes his way over to the book shelf and cautiously raises his hand up for Tommy to climb off of. He sets his hand down on the wooden surface and Tommy takes no time in hoping off to stand, waiting expectantly for his promised present.  

“Okay I need you to close your eyes just for a second.” Wilbur asks the boy who quickly covers his eyes with his hands, only to peak out from behind his fingers seconds later.

“I mean it Tommy. Keep them closed.”

“Ugggghhhhh Fineee!” the boy said huffing, but relented nevertheless. 

Wilbur quickly whirled around and crouched down beneath the Christmas tree, snagging a gift from the floor and hastily tearing the gift tag labelled- Technoblade; from the gift before setting it next to the small borrower child. 

“Okay, you can open your eyes now.” 

Tommy removed his hands and squealed in delight, quickly reaching down to hug the gift. 

“Oh thank you Santa! You really are the most poggers man ever!!!” Tommy spoke rapidly, smiling so much his cheeks hurt. “Well after me of course, but only by a little bit!” 

Wilbur chuckled as he gazed affectionately at the blonde hunched over the brightly wrapped gift. “You’re welcome Tommy. I’m glad you like it.”

The boy quickly stood, and started hauling the gift to the crack in the wall, as they tried to shove the gift through. Unfortunately while the crack had been enough for Tommy to squeeze through, it wasn’t quite wide enough to let the present go in without getting a tad scrunched up and paper torn. 

“Um, Tommy? Is there perhaps a bigger entrance I could take this too?” Wilbur suggested, cringing slightly as the boy gave another hard shove on the gift, intent on getting it through no matter what.

“It’ll fit. Just gotta keep pushing it in.” 

After a few more attempts, the boy did in fact give up and relented their efforts allowing Wilbur to pull the now crumpled present back out from the crack, instructing him to take it to the kitchen and place it behind the toaster, assuring him he would get it before the Bean woke up explaining how the electrical socket actually came off as a secret entrance.

He offered to take Tommy over to it too, but the stubborn boy refused, insisting that he had done enough and needed to hurry up and deliver presents to the other children before the night was over.

Taking one more long look at the boy, Wilbur watched as Tommy disappeared through the crack into the walls, the sound of tiny footsteps pitter pattering away before Wilbur himself quietly crept back to his room before he removed the Santa costume and flopped down onto his bed. 

He’d just met a tiny child.

A tiny child trying to survive in his walls.

That was deathly afraid of him.

Quickly Wilbur shot up from his bed snatching his phone from the night stand; a plan forming in his mind. The screen read 9:31 pm before he hastily unlocked it and dove into his contacts, quickly stopping on a profile of a girl with light pink hair, dialling their number shortly after.

The phone rang twice before a woman answered on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Niki? Hey! How’s the holidays going?” Wilbur asked as he grabbed his coat and gloves from the wardrobe.

“So I need a favour…”

.｡❅*⋆⍋*∞*｡*∞*⍋⋆*❅｡.

Tommy awoke warm for the first time that week.

He opened his eyes blearily, almost willing himself to fall back into dream land before his eyes snapped fully open. Tommy rubbed his eyes a few times, eyes going wide trying to comprehend that this was real and not just a dream as the thoughts of the previous night played through his head.

He was in his Christmas present: A brand new pair of bright red, fluffy woollen socks- the most perfect bed ever and exactly what Tommy had asked for. He had basically run to get his gift as fast as possible, before hauling it back through the walls to a space close by the bookshelf; the space seemingly much more homely after last night's introductions. 

He hugged the woollen fabric tightly, smiling as he remembered the soft smile Santa had as he watched him go and how kind and gentle he had been with him the entire time.

The Borrower was so pleased and grateful that he had been able to meet the Santa Claus, and would cherish the magical night forever.

He stayed snuggled in his new bed for a little while longer before his stomach grumbled in protest that he should go and have something to eat. Albeit a little grumbly, his hunger eventually won out and Tommy made his way through the walls back to the kitchen so he could gather some food before the Bean woke up.

Stealthily, he removed the electrical socket, expecting to make it a quick supply run; stepping out into the open before freezing in surprise.

Laid out in a neat pile behind the toaster was a small stack of brightly wrapped gifts all wrapped in different coloured and patterned paper, and right in the middle, an envelope with his name written in gold cursive. Tommy smiled brightly, as he eagerly ran forward to the awaiting stack of gifts, quickly grabbing a gift reading the label. 

To: Tommy From: Santa

Tommy denies that he cried that day. 

That he took each gift home and opened each one oh so delicately, afraid if he didn’t they might just disappear, happy tears trailing down his cheek as he opened a gift revealing a beautiful, blue knitted sweater- and in just his size. 

His tears didn’t cease as he opened the other gifts revealing several new pairs of warm winter clothes, new rope and hooks for climbing, some tea candles with a tiny piece of flint and steel to light them, and the tiniest iced cookies he had ever seen. He could actually hold this in one hand like humans did and he had a whole bag of them!!! His prayers had been answered and he couldn’t be more thankful.

Soon, the only thing that remained was the envelope.

He dried his face as best he could, doing his best to not smear any tears or snot onto the pristine surface as he opened the envelope, revealing a card with a picture of glitter candy canes decorating the front. 

Settled back into his new bed, Tommy opened the card and read the message inside.

Dear Tommy, It was lovely meeting you and getting to know your story. I figured you might  like some extra gifts as well to help you be more comfortable in Wilbur’s walls. I think you should try talking to him.  You might be surprised. Sincerely, Santa Claus

P.S- He’s not as scary as you think.

Tommy’s smile became puzzled as he reread the last few lines.

Who the heck was Wilbur?

Was that the name of the Bean that lived here?

Oh come on, that's not fair! How come Santa knew Wilbur’s name but not his!

He grumbled a little bit at the thought, but his mind kept drawing back to the last line of the card.

‘He’s not as scary as you think.’

“Hmpf, you keep saying that.” Tommy grumbled. 

What was with Santa’s insistence on this?

As much as he wanted to be annoyed at Santa for putting forward such a ridiculous idea, Tommy decided to drag himself out of bed and to the book shelf crack. The Bean had gotten up not long after Tommy had made it back to his new home, but he’d been a tad too distracted to really care about how slow and heavy they had been trudging about this morning unlike their usually poised self.

Currently, said Bean was sitting on the couch, the exact same spot he and Santa had been last night, absentmindedly staring at his hand.

How could Santa think this guy was any good? They had kidnapped him unknowingly, almost let him die from hypothermia unknowingly, destroyed the top of his home unknowingly and Santa still thinks they won’t hurt him?

Okay so maybe it wasn’t their fault all those things happened just because they didn’t know he was there, but that doesn’t mean they’re not still very capable of hurting him for having to do all those things. But then again, Santa knew who was naughty or nice. And he wouldn’t ask him to do something that would endanger his safety if this ‘Wilbur’ guy wasn’t a good person right?

Tommy observed the Bean a little longer, as they ran their thumb over their palm. Their normally neat curly hair was all over the place and he could have sworn there were black bags under their eyes from lack of sleep. They suddenly turned their head and were staring straight at his crack by the book shelf. The Borrower was certain they couldn’t see him from the couch, but ducked back just slightly in case.

The Bean simply sighed as a small smile graced their features. Tommy was right about the black bags. Bean did not look like they had slept at all. 

He thought back to what Santa had said. 

I think you should try talking to him.

They certainly didn’t seem dangerous. Maybe they really weren’t bad like the Jolly man said?

But was it really worth taking the risk and talking to this guy?

Before he could dwell on it for much longer, the door bell sounded and Wilbur snapped his head to the sound before standing and stretching; their limbs popping and cracking slightly from their limited use. Before he left the living room, the man stopped and stared at his crack once more. Tommy didn’t dare breathe as they simply smiled and shook their head, before exiting and headed towards the front door.

Tommy allowed himself to exhale as the sound of footsteps got further away.

“Weirdo.” Tommy muttered to himself as he pushed himself back from the crack and began to head back to his bed for a well deserved rest.

He’d think about what Santa said, and just maybe he’d talk to this- Wilbur. If not, he hoped he'd meet Santa again so he could thank them in person.

Once he was back in his bed, Tommy quickly slipped in snuggling down, allowing himself to drift off to the chatter of beings much larger than himself from beyond the walls.

“Wil! So good to see you! It’s been ages!”

“Hi Dad, thanks for letting me host. I’m so glad you and Techno could make it!

“So are we, but you look like shit mate. Up late again? Wouldn't be related to that surprise you were telling us about?”

“You could say that…” 

.｡❅*⋆⍋*∞*｡*∞*⍋⋆*❅｡.

Tommy never did meet Santa Claus again.

The card proudly on display in his new home, a secret hope he would one day and a constant reminder of what Santa had asked him to try.

And maybe one day, Tommy would finally take up the old man's advice and go and speak to Wilbur, and discover perhaps they may have been right.

Maybe then he’d finally have a friend to keep him warm during the holiday seasons and to rely on like he had wished. 

One that seemed to always know just what he needed despite never telling them, and was very insistent about never wearing Santa costumes.

No matter how many times a little boy begged….

 ˗ ˏ ˋ ★ˎˊ ˗   ༺𝓜𝓮𝓻𝓻𝔂༻༺𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓶𝓪𝓼༻  ˗ ˏ ˋ ★ˎˊ ˗  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That was a lot of words....

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING TO THE END! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it and it means a lot you read all the way through <3

Tag List: @local-squishmallow @brick-a-doodle-do @justarandomsloth @veryfunkycheesecake @munchkin1156 @kayla-crazy-stuffs @da3dm @eiscreme135 @orchid-harmony @the-tiny-lurker @colossal-red @nobodywritingao3 @nata2343 @bad-author777 @crazyfoxgirl10

And cue rant: Honestly you guys have no idea just how much you all mean to me an in this community and the impact you've had on me in the last year alone. I could not be more thankful for being apart of this and getting to know you guys. Getting so back into writing has been really good for me and rekindled something I love so I can't thank you enough.

And even though I know I've been a little quieter online, I'm still here lurking about and working on projects. A lot has happened in the last few months alone and I'm quite happy that I'm limiting myself to be a bit more healthier with my online habits.

Anyways thanks so much if you read this far!

Thanks to my Beta readers @a-xyz-s squishy and munchkin for reading this for me, and I wish you all a very safe and wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

-Beckyu ❤️

[i-am-beckyu]

G/t story's with kitchen setting be like:

Oh god the giant saw me! Where do I hide?! There are so many options! I'll go with the easily movable toaster! *A few seconds later* Oh fuck I've been found!

It's always the toaster! I'm not complaining I just find it funny.

[i-am-beckyu]

Tumblr Code.

[i-am-beckyu]

I was thinking about chat personification the other day like this and thought about how funny it would be if someone had like a whale themed channel and called chat the krill swarm because krill are tiny and there's billions of them. But occasionally with people who are jerks, the whale themed streamer will just eat them- because whale lol (AKA Ban them lol)

I thought that was funny

Love the Personification of the Chat

[i-am-beckyu]

WAKE UP BABES!!!! IT'S C!BECKYU AND CABBAGE DOG!!!!!!!!!

SHE'S SO FLIPPEN PRETTY LIKE AHHHHHHH I LOVE I LOVE I LOVEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! DRAGOON YOU'RE AMAZING!!!!!!!!! THANK YOUU!!!!!!!!!!!<3

This is a drawing of @i-am-beckyu's character (HER's, not mine!) and inspired by her cabbage dog post (here).

So...

You do need a cabbage dog.

No matter what size :).

[i-am-beckyu]

No other options bc no

[i-am-beckyu]

Okay so I’m genuinely curious about this but feel free to skip.

I’d really like to gauge why people followed me to know where my audience sits.

[i-am-beckyu]

And the boops are gone

o7

Best day ever qwp

[i-am-beckyu]

If booping costs our friendship,

THEN SO BE IT!!!!!

Yes,

We are friends @i-am-beckyu

But at what cost

[i-am-beckyu]

Not being able to boop all my mutuals because some aren't apart of it feels like a crime

[i-am-beckyu]

AHHHHHHH LOOK AT THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS AMAZING

Happy April Fools 2024

[i-am-beckyu]

SQUISHY SQUISHY SQUISHY PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LEMME HAVE EM!!!!!!!

@local-squishmallow

idk if Tumblr will keep the boops going after today, but through the power of discord emoji, you can boop your friends in a server. or idk, paste them in someone's askbox.

[i-am-beckyu]

Hehehe infinity booping :3

[i-am-beckyu]

[i-am-beckyu]

Beanstalk Chapter 11

prev. Chapter 1, Chapter 10,

A/N: We're 102 pages and 40,092 words into this 'short story' that is turning into a full length novel but I #cantstopwontstop because these two have me by the throat thanks for staying on this ride with me!

This chapter is a just a little longer than the last at 15 pages and is filled to the brim with Dave and Rory bonding time, so grab a drink (maybe a hot tea?) and get comfy! I hope you enjoy it as much as I loved writing it!

Chapter 11

         Releasing the captive humans had involved a lot of… Screaming. Dave wouldn’t ever admit it, but this reaction was starting to wear on him. He already considered himself to be more introverted and prone to avoiding interactions on his own world, but he was starting to feel even more ostracized by the reactions and utterly embarrassed by the attention.

He’d been grateful it had been night when he and Rory let them out of the shed-like building next to the house, so he’d been able to hide a little bit. But they still, understandably, were a little freaked out. This group of humans hadn’t gotten to the point of meeting Richard first, thankfully, but that meant they weren’t even prepared for the idea of a giant not only existing but being right there.

            Luckily, Rory had been there to calm them down and explain everything. She sent them with a letter to the queen requesting her aid in getting those three disgusting men taken into custody for a trial. Rory also requested the queen not to make any rash decisions about the giant circumstance until she came back to explain everything more thoroughly later.

            With that done, and with Dave hardly believing it, Rory came with him up the beanstalk back to his cottage. The night sky started to slowly lighten into the early rays of morning as they finally reached his front door. His head pounded again now that the adrenaline of Rory’s near-death experience (again) was starting to fade, and his arms and legs ached from climbing the beanstalk. He reveled at the concept that Rory made it up the beanstalk all on her own the first time; her small size would have made the climb even longer.

            The creak of his front door never sounded so welcoming as he swung it open, the soothing scent of lavender meeting him the moment he walked in. Exhaustion rested heavily on his shoulders. He wanted to lay down and sink into sleep, but the silence of his pocket worried him, and he worked quickly to gather some supplies in the kitchen. Maybe Rory had fallen asleep this time? He filled his kettle, started a fire in the living room, and hung it over the flames to warm. Then he found the softest blanket he owned – a small blue throw his mother had made for him – and set that up on the little side table by his chair in the living room.

            By the time he finished, he felt the smallest movements against his chest that set his heart aflutter. Rory must be waking up. He slowly brought his hand up and delicately brushed his fingers against the little lump in his pocket. “…Rory?” he said softly, sinking to a sit in his worn but comfortable chair in front of the fire.

            The lump stirred again, and then he felt her sit upright quite suddenly. “Oh! Dave. I’m sorry, I must have… fallen right to sleep.”

            “No need to apologize,” Dave assured her, taking his fingers away from the pocket. “Saying this has been a long day would be an understatement. Would you like out now?”

            The small figure in his pocket thrashed around until she came to a stand. “I’d really appreciate it, thank you.”

            Holding his breath unconsciously, Dave reached in blindly and felt Rory shuffle onto his fingers. Once he was sure she was securely on his hand, he raised it out, and felt that jolt through his heart the moment he set eyes on her. He had no idea how or when this jolt started, but he was going to ignore what it meant right now.

            Rory shuffled a little better onto his hand to look him over but didn’t attempt to stand up. His eyes went to her injured leg and noticed the stiff way she held it. “I thought you might want to doctor yourself up a bit before getting some rest. I, um, have some stuff you might like to use if you want.”

            Rory raised an eyebrow at him. “Only if you promise to doctor yourself up, too,” she said wryly. Then her smile faded into a frown. “You really need to get some rest after the blows you took today. How are you feeling?”

She rested her hand on top of his, and he felt himself freeze up at the small but caring gesture. Her hand looked so incredibly small compared to his, especially when she was sitting right in the palm of it. His breath caught again at the realization of how trusting she was of him, and that somehow along the line, all he wanted was to grow that trust.

            He blinked, trying to focus on her question, and he gave her a tired smile. “Right, yes, my headache has come back a bit. I have some tea that helps soothe pain and normally helps with my headaches, would you like some as well?” He gestured toward the pot hanging by the fire. “I’ll be warm enough soon.”

            “Oh, that sounds perfect right now, thanks…”

 Her eyes wandered from the fireplace to the windows by the back door where more plants in clay pots sat happily, and vines grew across the ceiling to dangle down in places. A soft mahogany rug enveloped the floor beneath them, and his bookshelf filled with various herbology and nonfiction books sprawled against the wall behind him next to his bedroom door. He supposed the space looked a little disorganized and wild, but everything had a system to him.

“I didn’t see your living room last time I was here,” Rory said a little wistfully. Then she grimaced. “Well, I did see it, but I didn’t stop to appreciate it and really look around.”

Dave grimaced too, thinking back to their first meeting when he had almost caught up to her, but the sound of his footsteps made her look back at him in fear, which caused her to trip and hit the back of her head on the floor. “I’m so sorry about that, I – “

“- No, no don’t apologize,” Rory cut in, catching his eyes earnestly before he could look away. “You have no reason to apologize. Looking back now, I realize I did most of that to myself by panicking before trying to hear you out. But I don’t mean to bring it back up to hurt you – I just, brought it up because I meant I didn’t get to fully appreciate your whole home last time. It’s really cozy in here, Dave.”

His eyebrows furrowed and he shifted a little in his chair the best he could without disturbing her. “Really? You don’t find it a little… hobbled together?”

She shook her head, that wistfulness showing in her eyes again. “It’s absolutely perfect, and it’s absolutely you. I have a place I stay, on the castle grounds, but since I travel a lot for my job, I’m never really there to make it mine. I don’t have any place I can actually call home. So this…” she looked around again, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “This is really refreshing to see. Thank you again for inviting me to stay.”

Warmth blossomed in Dave’s chest at her remark at the same time something sad tugged at him at the thought of Rory not having any place to call home. “Do you, have any family? If you don’t mind my asking,” he added quickly when he saw the little smile fall off her face.

“It’s alright… I left home when I was young to train so I could try to become one of the Jacks. It was hard where I grew up, our village was very poor, and I was raised by my aunt when my parents passed away when I was a child. The Jacks always looked so impressive and important when they came through our local tavern. They would talk about their adventures and shared comradery, and I wanted that for myself, since my aunt and I never had the best relationship. It was really hard on her to lose her brother, and she never wanted to have children of her own, so taking care of me was an added burden in a poor town. I send her some money every month but rarely visit anymore. It’s easier that way.”

Dave fought the urge to hold her close again. He’d grown up in a loving household as the only child of his two mums, and he had a grandmum to spoil him. He couldn’t imagine the loneliness Rory grew up feeling, what she felt now. “I’m sorry to hear that… It sounds like joining the Jacks worked out well for you, at least.”

“It’s keeps me busy,” she said with a nod, a little lost in thoughts as she shifted on his hand. Then, pain shot across her face as she bumped her leg the wrong way, and a muttered curse escaped her lips just as the kettle started to whistle.

Kicking himself for not getting right to the doctoring up bit when she obviously needed it, he lowered his hand onto the little wooden table before him. “Let’s get a look at that leg. I’ll get the tea.”

He offered support with his other hand, and she took it, wrapping her arms around his pointer finger in a tight hug as she limped off his hand to sit on the table’s surface, leaning against the soft blanket he’d laid out. Once he felt certain she was comfortable, he stood and crossed the room to remove the teapot from the heat. The whistling slowly died down. He set it far enough away from her that she couldn’t accidentally burn herself but still offer some warmth. Then he poured himself a cup of the ache-soothing tea. Its sweet aroma filled the air, tantalizing and relaxing.

 Biting his lip, Dave cast around for something she could use as a cup, but she waved her arms at him to get his attention. “I have a travel cup,” she said, unsheathing her sword to lay it beside her so she could get her bag off her shoulders. He couldn’t believe she walked around carrying those things all the time. She dug through before giving a cry of success as she pulled out her little mug. “Never know when you might need a drink from a stream or something,” she explained with a smile.

She rose to her feet despite his gasp of protest and limped over to his tea. “Do you mind if I scoop it out of yours?”

“Not at all,” Dave said a little hurriedly, dropping down to sit on the rug and lean against his chair so he wouldn’t hover over her as much. “As long as it’s not too hot.”

He watched as she stood on her tip toes to lean over the top, and scoop some of the fragrant liquid into her own cup. “Ohh, this is so warm,” she said appreciatively, pausing to hug the sides of his teacup and soak in its warmth. “If I wasn’t so exhausted, I’d be tempted to sink right into this teacup. It’d be the hottest bath I’ve ever taken.”

Dave felt his face flush as he tried not to picture that. It was difficult.

He cleared his throat. “Sounds like it’d be better than lugging warm water over to fill a tub,” he agreed. Then, to quickly change the subject, he gestured toward the bandage supplies he’d brought over. “If you need to use any of that, let me know.”

“Thanks.” Rory gave his teacup one last longing look, then limped back over to sit up against the blanket again. She took a sip of her tea, her face brightening as she looked back up at him. “This tea is absolutely delicious! It feels soothing already.”

Dave smiled, reaching for his own cup to take a sip. He tried again not to think of how perfectly Rory would fit inside it, as delicate as the teacup herself. “Um, yes – thanks – it’s from a shop in the village. He always makes great tea. He’s got one to help with anything. This one is great for anti-inflammation and aches.”

“Mm, perfect. Well, I guess I better finally take a look at this thing.” She set her cup to the side and started rolling up her pant leg.

Two dark, deep bruises engulfed her lower leg. Dave gasped involuntarily, setting his own cup down to lean closer, worry churning in his stomach. He narrowed his eyes, pushing up his glasses to get a clearer look, and the worry changed into anger as he realized the deep bruising looked a lot like in the shape of two giant fingers.

“What happened when I was out?” he breathed, trying to control his anger so Rory wouldn’t pick up on it or feel uncomfortable. “I came to just as you were running up his arm at the end.” He longed to comfort her but felt so lumbering and large next to her when she was injured, so he leaned back to give her space instead.

Rory winced, shifting it so she could examine the bruising on her calf. “He backhanded me against the wall,” she said nonchalantly, but a little bit of that past fear crept into her voice. “I tried to get up to fight but he got a hold of me by this leg and dragged me back. He was going to snap it, but I got a lucky hit in after Maeve distracted him.”

Dave thought back to himself pulling her, but he had made sure to be very careful, even in the beginning. Richard must have been raging angry, putting pressure on her delicate leg on purpose to scare and hurt her. He could have snapped it. Dave felt a rush of gratitude that the little girl had been there to help Rory.

“I’d call that more than luck,” he said, pride coloring his words. She was a force to be reckoned with.

His eyes caught on the bruising on her face from the fight, the wraps on her forearms he hadn’t asked her about yet, and the trickles of dried blood down her neck. That must have been when that horrible man had gotten his hands on her. Dave wished he’d been a little rougher with the man after he attempted to hurt Rory, the man deserved it. But even in his fury, the grabbing and the smacking felt horrible to do to such small creatures, so he’d reigned in the desperation he’d felt when he wanted to protect her.

“You have a lot of wounds to clean up.”

“You look a little roughed up yourself,” Rory said with a grin, but her own worry shone through the smile. “Your lip is still split, but the swelling has gone down some. You still have a bruise across your temple. How are you feeling?”

Dave took a moment to check in, taking a couple more sips of the tea while it remained hot. “Very achy. Very tired.”

Rory laughed – a loud, cheerful laugh – that warmed him better than the tea ever could. She raised an eyebrow. “I feel exactly the same. But Dave, I’ve gotta say, for someone who’s a pacifist and self-declared ‘terrible at fighting,’ you were such a badass today.” She grinned, leaning back into the blanket to look up at him better, her eyes sparkling. “But seeing you on the human world made you seem even more ginormous for some reason. The way you tore the entire roof off that house without any effort?!” Her eyes widened. “That was incredible! You should’ve seen the look on their faces!”

“Oh, trust me, it was just as terrifying for me, too,” he replied jokingly with a grimace. “Nothing should be that breakable. I see why we have separate worlds. Everything down there is just so… Fragile.” Moving around the outskirts of the villages had been scary enough for him as he tried to navigate without causing too much damage. He couldn’t imagine going into a human village. He’d stick out like a sore thumb; it’d be so embarrassing.

Rory looked at him fondly. “That’s one of the reasons you’re so incredible, Dave. You are such a thoughtful person, and so careful and kind. I’m sorry everyone has been afraid of you, but once they get over the shock, they’re realize just how grateful they are to you for helping them escape Richard and those men. You’re as much of a hero as me. You deserve recognition and praise for your help.” She leaned forward, gesturing for him to lay his hand down in front of her so she could rest her own atop his finger. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Dave didn’t think he could go so far as to call himself a hero, but it did help to hear that Rory noticed his discomfort growing after being around the other frightened humans. He’d been starting to feel like an awful person or a horrible monster, but the way Rory kept her hand on his washed all that fear away. She trusted him, and that was all that mattered.

“Do you need help wrapping your leg?” He winced with a sudden thought, “Do you think it’s broken?”

She shook her head, still keeping her hand on his. “Not broken – I’ve broken enough bones to know what that feels like. The bone and muscles are just bruised, maybe a little fractured. Nothing a wrap and rest won’t fix.” She eyed his teacup, and a look of embarrassment crossed her face. “Actually… Dave… My entire body feels like one giant bruise. I was joking about that bath at first but – would it be alright if I did? Take a tea bath? Maybe it’d help with the swelling and bruising.”

Dave blinked, a flush of his own warming his cheeks. “Oh – of course, uhm, yes – that makes sense to me. These herbs are great medicinally as tea or baths, I suppose…” His words trailed off as she watched him with a soft smile as he fumbled over himself. “I’ll just, er, fetch you a new cup!”

She took her hand back and Dave all but shot up, then kicked himself for the fast movement. Rory didn’t seem to mind though; she just started to dig through her bag to find more wrap material she must’ve packed just in case.

 He left for the kitchen, looking through the cupboards until he found the delicate China cup with roses and leaves painted across it, and gold bordering its edges. He had a whole set gifted to him from his other mum. She told him everyone should have a nice set of China for guests, and it made tea drinking more enjoyable. Dave never had a reason to share his cups before, as he was never one to invite guests over, but Rory’s visit more than warranted the good China.

As an afterthought, Dave grabbed one of his soft washcloths for her to use as a towel, and slivered off a piece of the goat’s milk and honey soap he had on the counter. His heart thudded heavily in his chest for some reason by the time he came back with all his gathered supplies.

“Here you go,” he said, setting everything down beside her on the little table. The fire crackled welcoming in front of them and the candles flittered their low light even as the sunrise began to color the sky pink in the darkness. “I brought you some of my soap, and this washcloth to dry off with. If you had an extra pair of clothes, I could wash the dirty ones for you…”

She smiled up at him, a little softness coming over her that Dave could only guess came from feeling shy. He’d never seen Rory be shy about anything. “I do have an extra pair, but there’s no need to wash these for me, I’ll get to them later today, but thank you.” She stood up, keeping her right leg stiff as she walked toward the cup. Her eyebrows rose as she took in the designs. “This is beautiful… I never really drank out of China before. Or bathed in it either, I guess,” she added with a grin.

Dave brought the teapot back over and carefully filled her cup, steam rising. It had cooled down to be perfectly hot enough for melting muscle knots and aches. He added more tea, and the water turned a warm auburn color, some of the herbs and blue and purple flower petals escaping to float at the top. Dave had to admit that it looked really relaxing, and wished he could sink into his own cup like her.

She stepped closer, giving it an appreciative look over as well. “It smells and looks so good, thank you very much Dave!” Rory said, already tugging her hair loose from the ponytail to shake it out and run her fingers through it. She caught his gaze on her, and her smile grew. “This is perfect.”

Dave stood again, taking a step back to give her space again. “No problem at all, Rory. I hope it helps you feel better. I’ll just – um – I’ll be outside to give you some privacy. There’s a separate restroom outside my bedroom for washing up and the like. I’ll just… Take this with me and do some freshening up.” He leaned over her to get his tea. “Just, give me a shout when you’re finished – if you’d like.”

With as much grace as he could manage, and with one last look just as Rory started to unlace her overshirt, Dave all but ran out of the room. What was wrong with him?

It was some time later, after he washed up and put on his bedclothes, that he heard her small voice rise up from the living room. “…Dave?”

“Is it safe to enter?” he asked from inside his bedroom.

A small laugh, then, “Yes, no worries, I’m all decent.”

He opened his bedroom door slowly before padding into the room to find Rory sitting beside the teacup. She wore a new outfit, but without the overclothes on top, with just a white undershirt and a new pair of brown britches to sleep in, and no stockings on her bare feet. Her dark blonde hair hung far past her shoulders, damp and long. As he came closer, she pulled the washcloth up to rub at her head one more time to attempt to dry her hair more.

The washcloth had been the smallest he could find, but next to her it was less towel-size and more blanket-size. He tried not to think of what she’d looked like wrapped in it after getting out of the teacup. He mentally scolded himself – why did he feel so strongly about her, and what did it mean? When did it happen?

“Could you help me wrap my leg?” Her question came innocent enough, but his nerves shot through him, and his heart started to race again. So much for the relaxing tea. She gestured to the wrap material laid out beside her. “I’m having a hard time wrapping the whole thing.”

He paused behind his chair, then moved around it to sink back onto the soft rug again. “How does it feel now? Did the tea bath help?” he asked softly, adjusting his glasses to get a better look at her leg.

A smile lit up her face, and the freckles that speckled her face looked like little constellations. “Actually, it really did help! My body doesn’t ache as bad, and I think the bruising has gone down as well.”

Her leg indeed looked a less angry purple, and when she tilted her chin up, he saw the cut on her throat looked clean and a healthy pink. “That’s fantastic,” he breathed, some of that worry fading away to see her on the mend.

“How about you?” she asked, tilting her head up at him. “Does your head feel better?”

“Oh – yes, it does.” He sank down a little lower to avoid towering. The tea really helped, his temples no longer throbbed, and his aches had lessened now to only leave him tired from the day’s events.

“That’s good,” Rory said with a smile as she leaned back against her teacup. “Sorry to ask for your help. I’m normally good at wrapping, it’s basic field training. But it hurts to bend over my leg to get to it.”

Dave shook his head to chase away her concerns. “No problem at all. I’d be happy to… Just… Let me know if I’m not being gentle enough – please.” He looked at the bandage supplies and her fragile leg and suddenly the simple task seemed daunting.

She raised her leg up in the air so he could more easily get to it, and he carefully unwrapped her white bandage material until he was ready. Holding his breath, Dave leaned in even closer, a slight jolt passing through him as he just barely brushed the soft skin on her leg with a finger before he started the wrap.

With how large the bruising was, he had to wrap down her entire lower leg, from beneath her knee to her ankle. Then, as carefully as possible, he ripped the bandage, using a small piece of his own bandage tape he’d left on the table. No matter how small he tried to tear it, the piece of his tape stuck out large and bulky on her leg, but it would hold. Then, he grabbed her grey top wrap and went over it again to keep the bandage material safe.

With that done, he raised his pointer finger to delicately under her leg so she could rest it as he looked over his handiwork. It would have to do – at least the wrap would keep her leg protected while also prevent swelling. He brushed a finger down it without thinking, then froze, risking a glance down at Rory.

She didn’t seem to mind, just watched with a tired smile on her lips. Her arms held slightly pink scratches down them, and he frowned in thought as he slowly lowered her leg back down. “What are those scratches from?” he asked, keeping his voice low due to how close he still was to her.

“Ugh,” she bemoaned, glaring at her arms. “Grass! Evil, weedy, sharp, giant grass.”

His eyebrows rose. “Yikes. Sorry your visit to the giant world hasn’t been the most welcoming.”

“Well, some of it has,” she remarked. “And that makes it worth it.” Before Dave could even register what that meant, she leaned forward, frowning at his lower face. “Your lip still looks angry. Did you put any medicine on it?”

“Oh,” Dave said sheepishly, “I’d forgotten.” It still hurt, but in light of everything else that happened today, a cut lip was the least of his concerns.

Ignoring his protest, Rory got up and hobbled over to the medical supplies he’d gathered earlier. She perused the salves and creams until she spotted a small container of pain and healing salve. Then she pushed it toward Dave, waving off his help until she got it close enough. “Could you get this open for me?” she finally asked, brushing her hair back from her face.

Giving her a confused look, Dave reached down and undid the lid. “What are you - ?”

“Lean down,” she said gently, cutting off his question. “I’ll put this on for you.”

Dave’s eyebrows rose. “Oh… You don’ have to do that.”

“Lean down, Dave,” she repeated, her smile growing as she crossed her arms. “Or I’ll have to climb you, and you wouldn’t want me to hurt my leg again, now, would you?”

That made him react quicker. He didn’t doubt for a moment that her statement was just a bluff; she absolutely would try to climb him if he didn’t listen.

Crossing his arms to lay them on the coffee table, Dave rested his chin atop them to get comfortable and to be more at eyelevel with her. “Is this alright?” he asked, resigned, letting some joking grievance color his tone.

“Perfect.” She stepped closer, coming right up to his face, and tilted her head in thought as she looked him over. Then she turned back and sunk her hand into the ivory cream, scooping some out before facing him again. “Geesh, having a big tub of antibacterial and pain cream would be helpful,” she remarked as she came a little closer, laughter dancing in her eyes. “I think I’ll come over for a visit and roll around in it every time I finish an adventure. I always need a bucket of the stuff after.”

A part of Dave panged at the thought of Rory all beat up after each journey. ‘She’s always there to help everyone and save the day, but who’s there to help her at the end of it?’ But he knew she wanted to keep the conversation light right now, so he cracked a small grin. “You’re welcome to it anytime.”

Then their jokes faded to concentration as Rory carefully rose her hand up and smeared the cream onto the middle of his split, swollen bottom lip. He’d cleaned it up in his washroom, but it still stung. Now the cream worked immediately to soothe the pain. Dave held his breath, every sense focused on the small touch as Rory gently rubbed it in until the cream melted into his skin. She smelled like honey and roses. Her undershirt showed off the gold necklace she wore, resting just between her collar bones.

Her hazel eyes flickered up to meet his as she dropped her hand, a slight pink blushing her cheeks. “Feel better?”

Dave blinked a few times, trying to focus on her question and not her proximity. “…Yes,” he breathed, afraid of talking any louder. “Much. Thank you.”

Her gaze rose to the bruise across his face and temple, and she frowned. “I wish I could do something for your bruise. You said the tea helped with your pain, at least?”

He nodded slightly. “Yes, but I feel even better because of you.”

Rory took in a breath, holding his gaze a second longer, then stepped back. “I wanted to do what I could to repay you for your help,” she said with a shrug. “But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you for everything you’ve done.”

“There’s no need for any repayment.” Dave watched her hold a hand over her mouth with a sudden yawn, and felt one come on himself. “Would you like to get some rest? I know it’s early morning by now, but I figure we should still sleep while we can.”

“Gods yes!” Rory said. “I am utterly exhausted.” She stumbled a little on her leg, and Dave sat back up and reached out to offer her some support. “You need some rest, too. I told the queen in my letter that I will be back to explain things tomorrow. I figured that would buy us a day to actually rest.”

Dave thought back to Richard’s abandoned cabin and his horses in the field. He probably should still make it to the councilmembers later today while Rory still rested. He didn’t want to chance an alarm being raised. But he could take some time now to get some sleep before worrying about all of that.

“That sounds like a good plan,” he agreed. “You’re welcome to sleep in this blanket if you’d like. It’s next to the fireplace and should stay warm for a while.”

Dave started to take his hand away, but Rory kept her grip around his finger. He looked back down in surprise, and she suddenly looked a little sheepish again.

“Actually… Dave…” she leaned more weight on him to keep it off her leg with a wince. “Would it be alright if I… slept with you…?” She looked up to meet his gaze, that shyness settling on her features once more. Then she shook her head, sputtering out, “I’m being ridiculous. We just met a few days ago and here I am, encroaching on your space and dragging you in on adventures you never wanted to go on that get you hurt. And now I’m not even leaving you alone so you can sleep.”

Dave’s mouth fell open a little bit through her words before he snapped it shut again in surprise. “No, it’s okay – It’s just that, I figured even though you’ve been more than tolerable around me, I might still be a bit much after everything that’s happened. Y’know, Richard’s was traumatic for everyone, but you took the brunt of it. And I’m sure even though you know I’d never hurt you, there was a moment you believed I could… At that house.”

He grimaced at the memory of the look of betrayal on her face. She’d forgiven him already, but he still felt awful about it, and suspected the fear still lingered for her. The whole event was going to take time to recover from, especially for her. He didn’t want to rush her into anything that might make her feel uncomfortable, so he figured it would be best to give her some space.

“How do you do that?” Rory asked, her eyebrows pinching together in a frown as a soft touch of wonder crossed her face.

“…Do what?” his voice came out even lower to match her almost whisper.

“See right through me?” She brought her other hand up to squeeze the finger she leaned against. “I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone care enough to get to know me. I’ve always felt like an actress playing the right part to everyone, but you see right through it to how I really feel. It’s true, I am still a little jumpy after the event, and I thought it would make things difficult to be around you… But… I see now it’s just the opposite. I realize you make me feel safe. I can’t explain it.”

Without overthinking it, Dave cupped his hand around her, and when she didn’t protest, he carefully scooped her up, so she no longer had to put any weight on her leg at all. She gripped his thumb as he brought her closer.

“I can’t explain it either,” he all but whispered, letting some truth finally come out. “I feel like my life has brightened since you’ve arrived. Well, it’s certainly gotten more chaotic,” he chuckled. “But so much brighter. I don’t know what that means. I’m a little frightened by it.”

“Me too,” Rory admitted as she held his gaze. This is the magic of late-night talks fueled by exhaustion. Truths are easier to admit. “I’ve never felt like this with anyone else. And I’m not quick to feel feelings like this. I don’t even think I should say what I’m feeling because it doesn’t make sense.”

It couldn’t make sense. Not for them. They were literally from two different worlds. But Dave longed to make it make sense. “I’ve never felt this way before either,” he breathed.

Rory held his gaze. Then shook her head. “We don’t have to think about it right now or try to make sense of it. Let’s get some rest and deal with everything tomorrow.”

Dave felt a pang go through him at the thought of the morning rays exposing their secrets to reality’s critical eye. He didn’t want to think about that. Right now, he could only stay in the moment and enjoy what time he had with her.

Tucking her close and grabbing the blue blanket, Dave carried her with him into his bedroom to get the sleep they both craved. “Would you like to sleep on the side table, then?” Dave asked Rory as he took of his glasses and placed them next to the blanket for the night.

Much to his surprise, Rory piped up, “…I thought, maybe, if it was okay with you – that I…” she kneaded her hands nervously, making Dave pause to wait carefully for her response. “…Sleep on you?” She grimaced, “Gods, that sounds needy. I only mean because riding in your pocket made me realize that listening to your heartbeat calms my worried thoughts, and I was hoping it’d do the same to help me fall asleep tonight.”

 Dave knew how difficult it was for her to ask since she was used to never showing her emotions or asking for help. He didn’t want her to feel embarrassed in the slightest. “Oh, thank goodness, that would help me sleep better, too,” he said, holding her carefully as he sunk onto the bed.

She watched him warily, eyebrow raising, still holding his thumb for stability as she sat in his palm. “Really?” she said, her tone laced with suspicion. “It would?”

He nodded. “Truthfully, I was afraid I was going to lose you two times today. I know I’ll sleep better knowing you’re safe.”

She smiled thankfully at him, and Dave was grateful he avoided her feeling any sense of insecurity. Rory deserved a chance to let her guard down. As gracefully as he could, Dave laid down on his back and settled his hand on his chest for Rory to step off onto. He froze as her bare feet pressed delicately against the fabric of his green cotton sleep shirt, not wanting to knock her off-balance. She made it over to the left side of his chest, trying to hide another yawn as she laid down.

It felt like his whole heart was there, outside of his chest. “Is that… comfortable enough? I can grab the blanket for you to lay on instead – for more padding.” He kept his voice low but could still feel the rumbling undertone in his chest.

“Hm? Mm.” She waved him off, curling up into a small ball. Dave took that as a no thanks about the blanket and decided not to bother her anymore. “Thanks, Dave,” she murmured sleepily.

And so, with Rory curled on his chest, gently rising and falling with his every breath, and his blankets tucked up around them both, Dave brought his hand up to cover and hold her as she drifted off. It was in the last moments when Rory reached out in her sleep to hug his thumb that Dave finally fell asleep at last.

[i-am-beckyu]

Beanstalk Chapter Ten

Thank you so much for waiting for this chapter! I'm so excited and I really hope you enjoy it! <3 It's a little longer to make up for the time in-between the last chapter post!

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

The entire ride back to Dave’s cottage toward the beanstalk, Rory’s every senses were hyper-aware of every single breath, heartbeat, and shift Dave made. She thought she would fall asleep as soon as she had flopped down inside the pocket’s soft depths but found being this close to Dave’s chest was too intimate to ignore. Her first time in his pocket she’d been too freaked out and stressed to really focus on much else.

 But now… His heart beat quickly and heavily in his chest, as if he too, found it difficult to focus on anything other than her in his pocket.

Hopefully that wasn’t affecting his ability to direct the horses, she mused to herself.

Though she wouldn’t admit it to anyone other than Dave, the inside of his vest pocket was cozy and warm. A nap seemed tempting, but she worried that once she fell asleep, it would be almost impossible to wake back up again from how exhausted she felt. So, she stayed sitting up lengthwise with her legs stretched out in front of her and her back pressing against the side fabric of the pocket. Her left side pressed against the fabric across his chest. Hence the way she could not only hear his heartbeat, but also feel every rhythmic pulse.

The warmth emitting from his body worked quickly to warm her back up. Though her cheeks heated at the close contact, she was thankful for it. Since being exposed and kept in that jar for hours, coldness seemed to have soaked into her bones.

The entirety of the events that had unfolded at that giant monster’s house still hadn’t caught up to her, but it edged a little closer, waiting for her to take a breath and rest for it to fully consume her. That was why she didn’t want to take a nap. She could still feel the giant’s hand crush around her, tightening. The way he pressed her head between his two fingers without so much as a thought or any exertion. He had been a formidable opponent. One Rory didn’t think she could’ve stood a chance against if Dave hadn’t showed up to cause a distraction. She was so, so glad that he had been on her side, after her fear made her think the worst.

Another reason why she didn’t want to ride in the basket with everyone else was because she was so exhausted and still trying to process everything. She didn’t have the energy to keep up a hero’s bravado in order to make them all feel safe. They were doing really well around Dave though, for all that they went through.

Dave – that was her other reason why she wanted to go in the pocket – she didn’t think she could be out there talking with him just yet. Being held in his hands, or sitting beside his ginormous figure, having to look up and up and up at him… It would just be too much right now. She didn’t want him to know that. He’d been so worried that she was afraid of him.

She wasn’t but… she just had to let the rest of her catch up to that acknowledgement. She hadn’t known how she was going to react to talking to him after she’d killed Richard, but when she realized he was having a panic attack, she shoved all her trauma aside to talk him through it. She was afraid it would come back, though. And she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

Rory didn’t know how to admit it, but she felt a kindred friendship with him that was getting deeper into a territory she didn’t know how to handle or explain.

The steady pace of the carriage slowed to a stop as the horses pulled up short; she could feel them sidestepping in place and rocking them all a little.

“We’re here,” Dave’s voice rumpled above and all around her, the sound vibrating deep in his chest. “Do you think they’d be okay with me latching the basket? I don’t want to take any chances once I start climbing down.”

His logic was reasonable.

“I can talk to them,” she called up. With a groan, Rory grabbed onto the fabric around her and pulled herself to a stand, still making sure to keep weight off her injured leg. She looked up at the opening of the pocket and winced. There was no way she was going to be climbing out anytime soon.

There was a pause, and Dave’s body shifted almost imperceptibly. “Do you… Want some assistance?”

Rory froze, biting her lip, but then chastised herself for her hesitance. “That would be great, thanks!”

Another pause, and then the opening of the pocket above her was pushed open by huge fingers. Dave cleared his throat, and then slowly lowered his fingers further into the pocket, encroaching on her space. For a second Rory was afraid he was going to blindly grapple for her and fish her out, but his fingers stopped and stayed curved, as if offering a casual ride out of the pocket depths.

‘It’s just Dave, it’s just Dave, it’s just Dave,’ Rory thought over and over as she climbed up onto the familiar fingers, trying to tamp any panic down.

The evening seemed cold compared to the inside of the pocket as she was slowly pulled out of its safety and into the open air. She slid further down his fingers into the palm of his hand, so she didn’t feel so unbalanced as his hand came to a stop in front of his face.

Dave’s brown eyes met hers, and a hesitant smile curved at the corner of his mouth. Shoot, he could tell she was still a stressed from the Richard encounter. She thought she’d been hiding it well. He was too good at reading her, even with how small she was compared to him.

“How are you feeling?” his voice came out low and filled with concern. She could feel his gaze looking her over, checking her bruises and injuries. “The pocket wasn’t too cramped on your leg, was it?”

“No,” Rory assured him, her hesitancy melting away under his care. “It’s starting to hurt like hell, but that isn’t something a quick stop to the apothecary shop back on my world can’t fix.” Hopefully she’ll get time to find one.

She winced a little as she tried to put weight on it, losing her balance, and suddenly there was a weight there to steady her and keep her upright. Rory blinked, looking down at Dave’s finger from his other hand pressing gently against her side.

“Sorry- I, er – didn’t want you to fall.” Dave’s apologetic stammer brought her attention back to his face.

She smiled reassuringly up at him. “Thank you, you’re my hero.”

Pink flushed his cheeks, and he looked away, slowly starting to drop the finger propping her up. But something made her lean against it more, so that her extra weight surprised him into stopping his momentum. She rested her arm on top of his finger, further showing both him and herself that she felt comfortable and safe around him.

His fingers twitched, and the skin beneath her feet moved slightly as well, as if he had a sudden urge to engulf her in his hand and hold her close, but his hand remained open, and his finger remained steady against her. Rory had a sudden thought that maybe she wouldn’t mind it much if he did give her a hug. She hadn’t had a proper hug in a long time, not wanting to show any signs of weakness around the other Jacks.

“Are you alright?” his voice rumbled low around her as he stayed mindful of the basketful of people beside him, keeping their conversation to themselves. “Maybe we should get them to their homes tonight but let you sleep after, so you can get some time to rest. You have to be exhausted.”

Rory mustered up her energy, hoping to ease his worries. “No need,” she assured him, plastering on her hero smile. “I’ll be fine. Besides, we have things to do tonight. Who knows what will happen if we’re not there to stop it.”

His eyes implored her. But she saw his eyes catch on the basket, and then he lowered her toward it, obviously deciding not to argue against her.

After explaining everything to the people inside the basket, they agreed it would be safer to have it latched. Dave would unlatch it immediately when they touched down onto the human world.

And so, after Dave let the horses loose in his side pasture and Rory found herself back inside his pocket for safety, Dave made the journey down the beanstalk.

Night had fallen here as well, and Rory was thankful this beanstalk had grown close to the village and tavern she visited before her journey. The journey that felt like it had started a long time ago, but it’d only been a few days.

Dave gently lowered her out of his pocket again as he kneeled down in the grass behind her. The basket lay on its side, and everyone shuffled out as if in a daze, trying to avoid looking up at Dave looming in the darkness above them. Rory wished them all good luck and bent down to embrace Maeve one more time.

“Go with Serene,” Rory said, looking up at the young woman next to them. As much as Rory wanted to stick with the little girl to make sure she got home safely, there was something else she had to do before the night was up. “She’ll get you some food at the tavern and then get you home.”

 The little girl’s eyes brimmed with tears as she squeezed her hand. “But will I see you again?”

Touched at her emotion, Rory hugged her again, then pulled back to ruffle her hair. “Of course. I’ll be by to visit your parents and check in on you. Besides, you’re an honorary Jack now, remember? I know you’ll keep being brave and strong and help everyone else get to the tavern for a good, hearty meal and a rest before the next leg of the journey.”

A smile grew broadly across Maeve’s face, and she stepped back with her shoulders held back and head held high. “I will!” she promised.

Giving her hand another squeeze, Rory straightened to survey everyone else in case there were anymore questions. She met Serene’s eyes, and the woman nodded her acceptance of the important task Rory entrusted her with. She would get Maeve home safely.

Everyone went past Rory on their way to the trail into the village, giving her a handshake or gracious but exhausted words of gratitude. A few even had the courage to call up their thanks to Dave, but stumbled back quickly enough the moment his words rumbled all around them in response. Rory knew they understood he’d helped them, but they were still understandably in shock and afraid of any giant, no matter how kind.

And then Rory and Dave were left in the darkness as the rest of their party headed toward the warmth of the tavern’s hearth. Rory wished she could join them, but her and Dave’s night had only begun.

********

Warmth from a fire in one of the far rooms greeted her as Rory stepped through the door of an old shack for the second time that day, but this time, everything in the house was her size.

She paused just inside the doorway to let her eyes adjust to the dim light after being in the darkness of the night, and used this time to listen for any sounds of life further inside.

Muttering, low voices filtered toward her from deeper inside the house.

Male voices, at least three, Rory figured. Making sure her sword could be easily grabbed if needed, Rory padded almost silently forward, creeping toward the soft sound of those voices.

“…It’s way past the pickup time…” one gruff voice was saying. “What are we supposed to do with them if he never shows up?”

“I can tell you a thing or two I could do to one to that pretty one,” another voice pipped up, dark humor coloring his words.

“Oh, shut up Stevens,” the third shot back. “No one wants to hear about your fantasies.”

“Well, they’ve already seen us anyway,” the Stevens’ voice answered back somewhat sullenly. “Can’t just turn them loose. We’d have to just cut our loses and dispose of them or sumin’.”

 Rory did not like where this conversation was going, but at least she now knew she was at the right place. The wooden floor creaked a little beneath her as she crept forward more, reaching the end of the hall and approaching a doorframe that led to a small sitting room.

There was a pause. Then the third voice spoke back up, “He’s got a point.”

“One more day – alright?” The second voice bit out. “We’ll hold them for another day. Maybe he got delayed. I don’t want to see how mad he’d get if we don’t have the order he asked for. Do either of you?”

More silence. Then the other two muttered their agreement.

Rory took this as the best time as any to make her entrance.

“Boys,” she said cheerfully as she rounded the doorframe and strolled into the room. “It’s a little late for discussing nefarious plans, isn’t it?”

Her surprise appearance gave Rory a moment to take in her surroundings before the men had a chance to react so fast. She quickly scanned the little room. Three men, just as she thought, sitting in the chairs around the crumbling fireplace. No one else appeared to be inside this room – maybe if she –

“Who the bloody hell are you?!” The youngest looking one jumped to his feet first, his malicious voice matching the one labeled as Stevens. A dagger gleamed in his hand at the ready.

The other two jumped up, exclaiming their own disdain and surprise, but she halted their jumbled voices with a raised hand. “I am a Jack, sent from the queen herself. You are all three arrested for your crimes and involvement with the scheme created by the giant Richard. Put down your weapons and get down on the ground.”

If only it could be that easy.

The men, unsurprisingly, did not quake in their boots by the proclamation. In fact, they all three exchanged looks before creeping toward her as they talked.

“A Jack, eh?” The bald one in the middle said with a scoffing laugh, finding his own dagger to raise. “I heard those Jacks are nothing more than ceremonial fluffs with no real skill.”

“And then they send a girl Jack on top of that,” the red-haired Stevens spat, his eyes sparkling with amusement and excitement as he gleefully tossed his knife from hand to hand on her left side. “I’ve never even heard of such a thing. At least we can have a little fun this evening, yeah?”

“Don’t be an idiot and underestimate her,” the third man with the beard said, his eyes staying locked on Rory with all his attention. He too, had his own dagger, and flanked her right side. “You can make jokes after we get her detained.”

How did they all have their own daggers? Rory wished she had one of her own. She only brought a sword to a knife fight, and in these cramped quarters, it was basically useless.

“Oh please,” Stevens said with a roll of his eyes. “There are three of us, and one of her. I bet this takes three minutes, tops.”

Without so much as a warning, Stevens rushed forward with his dagger raised. Rory swept her arm up and blocked it by hitting his knife arm and knocking it to the side. Hand to hand combat was another area she excelled in. But the addition of their knives would certainly make things more interesting.

His eyes narrowed and the humor hardened into anger as he brought his other hand up to punch at her throat, but she brought her other hand up in a flash to block that, too. She hissed in pain as she swooped his legs out from under him with the foot on her injured leg while he fumed as she threw him onto his backside.

Not staying to watch his decent, Rory whirled just in time to block the next knife being lunged at her by the bald man. His large frame lent to the power at which he strained against her, the point of his knife trying to slowly ease its way toward her face.

Panting, Rory slipped her other hand out and jabbed him in the ribs and then kicked him in his nether region before getting punched in the face by the bearded man.

Stars shocked across her vision, her head pounding instantly and mind whirling. They outmatched her in number and size. If she hadn’t been so terribly beat up from the long day of jars and marketplaces, humongous slicing grass, and murderous giants, this would be over quickly with all three of them unconscious before the hearth. If she had just taken a break before trying to go after them. Just a rest to recover. Then she wouldn’t be here with a dizzying, pounding head.

The three of them lunged toward her –

Then stopped as a rumble shook the house around them.

They shared a look, then flinched as cracks appeared in the wall beneath the roof, as if it was being torn apart.

It was being torn apart.

The entire night sky suddenly became exposed to them as the roof ripped away from above them all. Plaster and wood and roof-bits rained down, making Rory flinch back with the men to avoid being conked on the head again. It was as if the world opened up and was being eaten all at once in a hungry earthquake. With the fire lighting up the room from the inside, the darkness above seemed even darker.

“Did you think I came alone?” Rory asked them, trying to keep her voice nonchalant despite her having to raise it over the noise. The house felt like it would collapse around them. Her own fear spiked at what lurked out of view in the darkness even though she knew who it was. “I think it’s time you three had a taste of what you’ve given others.”

“What the - ?!” Stevens exclaimed, the other two hurtling out their own freaked out words as they all raised their faces to the heavens with daggers raised shakily.

The bald one lurched forward to hurtle past her toward the door, but as quick as a flash, a giant hand erupted down out of the darkness and into the room, its fist closing quickly around the running man. His entire body disappeared into the fleshy prison in a blink of an eye, and then the giant fist retreated back into the darkness as quickly as it appeared, with only the fading screams of terror from the man marking it ever appeared at all.

The other two men met Rory’s eyes, their faces changed to that of wild animals, frantic to escape. But before the bearded man could even say anything, the hand swooped in again, swallowing him up in its tight grasp before hurtling back up into the gaping darkness above.

Silence descended.

Rory’s heart beat wildly in her chest. It’s just Dave, it’s just Dave, it’s just Dave, she tried to remind herself. But the roof had been ripped off so easily and those men had been whipped away as if they were simply dolls in a playhouse. The terror those men felt echoed in her own chest and clawed at her throat.

This distracted way of thinking threw Rory off-guard, something she realized too late just as the third man used this to his advantage and crashed into her.

His strong grip forced her arms to her sides. She tried to struggle, but then the cold press of something sharp against her throat made her still. His hot breath curled around the shell of her ear, smelling of meat and beer.

“Don’t move, or I’ll slit your pretty. Little. Throat.” His words came out low and calculated. His body and arms pressed tightly against her, like a viper about to suffocate its prey. “Did you hear that?!” Stevens yelled to the dark abyss above. “One wrong move AND SHE DIES!”

A trickle of hot blood welled and dripped down her throat from where his blade pressed eagerly against her tender flesh. He really meant it. Rory had no doubt he would use it.

            The darkness above suddenly fell silent, the air heavy and tense.

            Stevens whooped out a cry of success, his ego flaming as he realized he’d made the right choice – Rory was collateral that could be used against the giant. “So, you have a thing for her, then?” he called. “Can’t say I blame you. Richard was right – you giants do like their playthings, don’t they? I’d see the appeal to having my own tiny woman if the roles were reversed. Now, let’s make a deal.”

            Rory cringed at the man’s crude words, but the darkness above stayed silent.

            Stevens tugged at her, and Rory found herself shuffling backwards with him, the knife still pressed against her throat.

            “… You let me leave, and I’ll let her live. Simple as that.”

            But Rory knew this man had no intention of leaving her alive. She already announced herself as a Jack, and that meant he knew she’d go to the queen to bring back even more Jacks to track him down. He couldn’t have them all on his tail. She would have to die.

            And Rory could tell from the stillness that the darkness above knew that, too.

            Dave’s face came into view out of the darkness as he lowered closer to the ruined house, the size of him in comparison dwarfing everything. Yes, Rory knew he was a giant, and was very aware of how large he was on the giant world among all the giant things. But here, on the human world, everything was scaled to her size, and the juxtaposition made him to look even more impossibly and frightening large. Like one of their gods come to smite them.

            “LET RORY GO,” Dave’s voice cracked through the air like thunder.  “And I’ll let you live.”

            Rory went cold as she saw the look on Dave’s face. Back at Richard’s house when he pretended to play along, his eyes and face had remained blank and impassive. But now, utter fury raged within his eyes. It was a deadly look on something that size. Rory’s knees grew weak, and she felt so grateful that the look wasn’t directed at her.

            The man behind her stiffened, but before he got a chance to barter again – a earth-shattering crack erupted against the wall across the room, causing the entire house to shake.

Stevens stumbled, and in the brief moment his knife lifted from Rory’s throat, the giant hand swooped in, flicking him away from Rory. She dove in the opposite direction, looking back just in time to see Stevens crack against the wall just from Dave’s relatively small action. Her body ached and her heart raced. She crawled back against the wall, unable to tear her eyes from the scene happening before her.

            Stevens crumpled to the floor, then scrambled to get up, now weaponless as his knife skittered across the floor away from him. He made a run for the crumbling doorway, but Dave’s hand dove for him, backhanding him hard enough to send him flying again. He slid across the floor as haphazardly as his knife had, but the man still stumbled to his feet to try to make a run for it.

            This time Dave’s fingers pinched around the man’s shirt and yanked him up, where he dangled him mercilessly in the air. Stevens’ legs kicked wildly as he yelped out in terror at the giant and the height at which he was now held. Then, he too, went hurtling out into the darkness, his screams fading in the distance.

            Rory quivered against the wall, her body shaking, before she realized the shaking didn’t all come from her shock. The house was starting to crumble.

            The house was starting to crumble!

            Despite his intention, the old house couldn’t stand against the ripping and cracking of a giant. It was going to collapse. Rory stumbled to her feet, crying out as she accidentally put weight on her injured leg. Stars flared across her vision from the pain. She had to get out of here.

            “RORY!” an impossibly loud and thunderous voice cracked around her, panic edging the tone. She caught sight of him looming above for a brief second as the walls continued to crumble around her. Bits hurtled toward her head and face. She blindly limped toward any form of an exit.

Then a giant hand fell from the heavens and rushed toward her, fingers reaching. Despite herself, Rory yelped out and flinched back, afraid of being snatched or thrown against the wall. She was going to be grabbed, she was going to be grabbed - But instead, the hand closed softly around her, closing her in darkness and shielding her from the debris. Her stomach lurched as the momentum of being lifted so quickly.

“Rory, Rory – Oh Rory,” the thunder continued to rumble, worry and pain and every which emotion heavy and reverently in those words. She lay cramped within the fleshy darkness. “Rory please tell me you’re alright.”

Then the world opened up to her, the cold air nipping at her nose and the stars dotting the sky above her. It took a moment to get her bearings, but she could tell Dave’s hand had opened and she sat held right in front of his colossal face. The face that didn’t hold even a slight trace of the fury she’d seen before – only pinched into concern and panic.

“I thought making him stumble would be the best way to get him away from you. I didn’t expect the entire house to come crashing down like that. Are you hurt? Did you get hurt? Did they hurt you? Did I hurt you?!”

“No!” Rory broke in, hoping to end his worried ramblings even as her own head spun. “No, I’m okay. You saved me. I’m okay.”

And then, as if the primal urge couldn’t be contained any longer, Dave’s hand cupped around her and the world whirled as he rushed her against his chest, his head curving down to tuck his chin against the top of her head. Soft fabric from his shirt engulfed her as she became smooshed into his chest. A sense of panic tried to erupt at being contained before the warmth and safety of the gesture overtook her. Despite herself, Rory relaxed into his embrace, throwing out her arms to try to give him a hug back as best she could.

“Thank the gods,” his voice rumbled above her and vibrated deep in his chest. “He wanted to kill you. I thought I was going to lose you.”

Rory’s face flushed a little at that, then quickly pushed away from his chest. He must’ve felt her movements, because she shifted to stay upright as he scooped her back onto his palm and gave her some space, his hand coming up to his face so she was eyelevel with him again. “Well, normally I’d be able to handle all three of them at once with no problem. But they caught me on an off day.”

That made a smile grow across his face, chasing away the worry lines. “I don’t doubt that one bit,” he remarked, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses. “You truly are a wonder.”

Rory’s face flushed again, and she looked off the edge of his hand into the darkness. “Where did those men go?” she asked, mostly because she wanted to know, but partly to change the subject.

“I made a makeshift bag out of my handkerchief,” he said, voice hardening at the mention of the hired men. “I plopped them in there before tying it tightly at the top. I doubt any of them will be able to escape.”

            Rory shuddered at the idea of being tossed into a giant bag, but decided they definitely deserved it. “I heard them talking before I came into the room,” she said, shifting to sit on his palm in order to relieve some of the pain from putting weight on her leg. The warm skin twitched beneath her a little at the motion. “They have the rest of the humans here somewhere.” She winced, “Hopefully not in the house.”

            “No one else was inside the house,” Dave said assuredly. “There’s another building next to it that looks promising.”

            “Good,” Rory said with a nod. “Hopefully we can get everyone back to safety before dropping these men off at the castle.”

            “But… Rory,” Dave said slowly, worry back in his voice and pinching between his eyebrows. “You need to rest.”

            Right. As if waiting to be acknowledged, a heavy blanket of exhaustion fell over her. Her eyelids felt heavy – from sleep and from being decked in the head. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate, either.

            “We can get them back to their homes, and leave the men locked up here for the other Jacks to come and collect. Then you can… Rest back at my cottage, uh, if you – if you’d like.” Dave suddenly couldn’t meet her eyes. It was funny that a person as large as him could be so bashful. “Unless of course you’d rather I drop you off at the tavern we were just by, and I could go back home. I feel like I’d be more frightening to meet in the darkness, so I’d rather address your queen in the light of morning. Maybe that’d make me less intimidating…”

            Rory doubted anything could make him seem less intimidating when first meeting him. But he had a point. She needed to get some sleep first. And though the tavern had looked inviting, Dave’s cottage would feel safer for her to let her guard down. At the tavern, she’d have to be a hero and tell her tale before anyone would let her get any sleep.

            “I think the cottage would be lovely,” she finally said decidedly.

            “… Of course you would rather stay on your world, how impertinent of me,” Dave started, not registering her response as his gaze lowered sheepishly. “I wouldn’t want you to feel obligated. And you could go to your healer in the morning, get you some, well, you-sized medications.”

            “Dave!” Rory cut in, raising her voice. She looked up at him as he blinked down at her. “I said I would love to go back to the cottage with you.”

            He stared at her for a second. Then blinked again. “Oh. Oh…” His hand twitched again, and Rory looked up, half expecting to find his fingers closing around her to give her a hug again, but he refrained. “Well, in that case, let’s get this heroic saving the day stuff out of the way so you can finally get some sleep.”