#giant/tiny writing

[kittydoremi]

Commissioned some more art from the talented @smallpwbbles, this time from my Sonic and The Sol Flower fanfic/au! I love SonElise, and I wanted to make a fanfic with the giant/tiny trope with them ^^

(I need to update it, I haven't updated it in a while .-.)

I love how these sketches turned out so much! :D

[callsign-relic]

Oh to be a little plastic figurine living in a tiny model city…

Imagine the day you realize there’s a much bigger world out there, filled with much bigger beings. Looking just like you, but… wrong. Soft, almost like the grass you walked upon, but also not. Not made of the same hard material you were. Gazing down at you in awe.

It’s only after a while of staring that you realize it’s not staring at you. At least not directly. No, it hardly noticed you in the vast expanse of your city. The “vast expanse” that’s completely overshadowed by just their torso looking over your home.

Can you return to your plastic, artificial life as normal? Or do you do the unthinkable, and try to communicate with these vast beings?

[gtwritingprompts]

g/t dialogue prompts for angst

╔════════☆♡☆════════╗

1. “I can’t. I’m sorry, I’m just… too big/small.”

2. “You could have killed me!”

3. “Please don’t run away…”

4. “Don’t you dare touch them!”

5. “Oh. Oh. You’re crying.”

6. “Is that really what people are saying about me?”

7. “I’m not a human. I’m nothing like you.”

8. “You’re pretty stupid, you know that?”

9. “What do you want from me?”

10. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry—”

11. “Don’t you recognize me?”

12. “Everyone is terrified of me.”

13. “You’re a monster.”

14. “I just feel so useless around you.”

15. “Please, I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t hurt them.”

16. “Stop it! Please!”

17. “What makes you think I would trust a giant?”

18. “I could hear you crying… are you okay?”

19. “Stay away from me.”

20. “I didn’t mean to get in your way. I’m so sorry.”

╚════════☆♡☆════════╝

[justme315]

New family 1/?

Next part:

! Warning !

swearing, angst, fear, step-family, g/t family, abuse, mention of abusive giants, gigantophobia, mention of the character being religious, sickness

------------------------------------------

I was fucked.

I'm sorry for using that kinda language but I really was. You see, my whole life has been destroyed by thoese damn giants.

Sorry, I don't think I introduced myself yet, I'm Zack.

Me and my mom were always a team. After my dad has passed away when i was 6 she was the only person important to me. It was basically us two against the whole world.

Something that might also be important for you to understand my story is the fact that we live in a world full of humans (like my and my mom) and giants. Giants are.. humanoid 60-ish feet tall creatures. Easily to say - their dangerous. The government rightfully understood the danger and the fear of us humans and created 'human-only' zones, cities, countries even. There were also a few 'giant-only' zones, but I'm not really sure why. It's not like the giants would fear us. Most of the places thoese enourmous beasts live are simply 'mixed-zones', places where both humans and giants can live. Thank God that me and my mom always lived in a 'human-only' zone. I was always skeptical and yeah, terrified of giants.

My mom was different though. Maybe she was just dumb (sorry for saying that mama) but she just couldn't sense danger. She worked in a company that required her to sometimes travel to 'mixed-zones' or 'mixed-cities'. I was always opposed to that but she.. enjoyed it. She even said that she made some giant "friends". I never believed in their honesty though.

But what changed my life once and for all, had happened when I was just 16. Well, going on 17 already, but yeah, still 16.

I never ever once questioned my mom's romantic life after my dad has passed away. She just.. never acted like she wanted to start a new relationship. And I was very okay with that.

But one unfortunate day, just after she came home from one of her business trips she told me that she has got a boyfriend.

That was weried to know, I mean c'mon, picturing your mom having a crush, dating, falling in love etc. is just.. weried and kinda disgusting if you ask me.

Of course, I questioned her and soon I reaveled her secret.

"Zack, I have been dating him for a little over a year. I was just scared of how you might react. But now, I must tell you since.. he proposed."

That felt like I was stabbed straight into the heart. How could she have kept having a boyfriend a secret from me for so long? Why would she? Being lied to by her felt horrible. I thought we were a team - we always told echother everything. But I guess I was wrong.

Really soon I found out that my mom's boyfriends (and now fiances) name is Andrew, that he was just slightly older than her and had two sons about my age, he was also a widower, and according to my mom, we had much in common.

I really couldn't understand why my mom would keep her boyfriend a secret. Untill she revealed she wanted for us to move in with him and his sons. I mean, she had a lot of planing to do, as she was soon to get married again, so that was kinda understandable. I wasn't opposed to moving into a new home, but changed my mind really quickly when my mom reaveled that our new home would be in a mixed-city. I mean, I was never even in that kind of a city, never even seen a giant in real life and was hella terrified of them! She should've understood me. Before she 'fell in love' she always has.

I asked her a milion times if Andrew and his sons can't just move in with us but she always found some excuse. Once, our house was too small, then his older son didn't want to switch universities, another time Andrew was scared of loosing the job. It was always a stupid excuse. Untill she finally reaveled the truth.

You see, Andrew, my mom's husband-to-be was a giant. And so were his sons.

To say that I was mad and scared was an understatement. I felt lied to. I felt like I was being dragged into something I didn't want to be a part of. I, understandably, questioned the honesty of my moms relationship, which angered her the most. I was angry with my mom for over two weeks after finding out about the size of my soon to be step-family and barely spoke with her. I couldn't be away from her for long though and forgave her, but in my heart I still had plenty of doubts.

My friends didn't help ease my fear. I told my best buddies at school and the stories they have told me only made me more afraid and suspicious of the said Andrew and all giants at that point.

"Don't y'all remember Joseph from middle school? He moved to a mixed-city with his parents. He was stepped on by a giant and died!"

"That's nothing compered to what happened to Amy. A quick death is better than being tortured. She is my cousin. She moved to a mixed-zone because she wanted to go to a better collage. One of her giant male classmates kidnaped her and done horrifying things to her. Once she was found she had missing limbs, many scars.. She was mentally, physically and sexually abused by him for months, untill they found the giant. And he barely got any jail time for that! She's still in mental health hospital!"

"My dads best friend Thomas was freaking eaten alive!"

Yeah, I think 3 stories is enough to give you the idea of how freaking terrified I was of the said 'step-family'. Some might say I am a specist (a person that discriminates based on the species (giant and human)) but I wouldn't agree. I don't really think that a human can be a specist becouse we are in the more vaunurable position. Also, I don't hate giants becouse of their size. I hate and fear them because of how brutal and cruel they are towards humans. Maybe a giantophobe would be a more appropriate term for me.

That day was the worst day in my entire life. And it's really hard to beat the day my dad had passed away.

We sold the house. We were at the airport. All ready to go to a mixed-city, over the wall that the government made.

Mom was all smiley and happy, her nose never leaving her phone.

"Andrew texted me that he and his boys are at their side of the barrier already, waiting for us. They can't wait to meet you!"

Right, didn't I mention that they all knew echother, but me?

"I just can't wait to show you the city and our new home!"

I was standing there quiet. No matter how many times I told my mom that i don't agree with her choice of dating a giant or for the fact that I didn't want to move away into a mixed-city she would always say that I will change my mind once I overcome my fear. Hell, I would.

I held my bag closely, trying to hold onto whatever I have not to lose my composure. I was terrified and angry, sure, but showing thoese giants from the start that they have some power over me, even though it was obvious, wasn't something I would do. At last, if I could hide my emotions.

Just a few minutes before our flight, a flight in the opposite direction landed. I saw all those humans, coming back from the mixed-city, most of them seem okay. That made me confused and curious. Would it really be all that bad?

Untill I saw a girl, probably my age, on a wheelchair. I mean, there is nothing wrong with disabled people, don't get me wrong, but she was crying so she easily got everyone's attention. A woman run up to her.

"Mom!" The girl sobbed, opening her arms to hug her mother. The woman tried calming the girl down but she just kept crying and screaming "It was just supposed to be a student exchange program!! This scary giant crushed my legs!"

The girls voice echoed in my head. It was different to hear stories of distant people, but to see someone hurt by thoese monsters in front of my own eyes was completely different.

Even my mom lowered her phone and looked at the girl with pity in her eyes. I prayed to the Lord to open her eyes and return home safely with me.

"Poor girl" she signed "That must have been a.. horrible accident".

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Accident?" I looked at my mom angrily, finally letting my emotions out "A giant crushed her legs".

"Honey, I'm sure they didn't mean to.." she looked at me, somewhat shocked at my defensiveness. I shouldn't have expected her to understand. She just simply couldn't sense danger. And that could get both of us killed.

"Her legs were crushed by a giant, mom!" I raised my voice, even so slightly as I couldn't believe how blinded she was by her feelings.

"Zack, calm yourself down" she looked at me more strictly now, as I was getting other peoples attention. I couldn't bare the thought of how stupid this all was. I just wanted to be home. Or anywhere at that point. Anywhere but in a spece where giants were allowed.

"You-" I began to speak.

"The flight 16-399Bhc** is preparing to take off. We ask all the passengers to board the plane within 5 minutes. Thank you and have a good flight" said a voice from the speaker.

"That's our flight!" My mom cheered up and grabbed my arm, pulling me as she ran to the plane.

She was so excited it made me feel like I was gonna puke.

Don't get me wrong, I always loved planes but this time I felt uneasy. My whole body was shaking ever so slightly, I felt like I was about to puke, I swear I heard my heart pumping blood, my head was spinning..

That can easily be called my worst ever flight.

After we landed I needed a good 15 minutes in the bathroom to regain my composure.

"Honey, are you alright?" I heard my mom knocking "Are you sick?"

"I'm fine mama, I'll be okay" I mumbled, though I didn't feel like I was going to be okay for at last next few hours. I was also convinced my life was about to end so why bother worrying my mom. But before I cross the barrier of the airport, I didn't have to see or interact with any giants. Maybe me feeling sick was actually a gift from God to give me more time to get ready for what was about to come? As I was almost ready to go I hear my mom speaking:

"Honey, are you sure? I texted Andrew and he and Ethan are worried sick. They can drive us to a hospital"

And then I got sick again at the mention of the giants.

Oh, you might not know who is who. Andrew is my moms 45 year old husband-to-be, but I'm sure I have spoke about him already. Ethan is his older son, he was 21 back then. His younger son - Ryan - was 17.

After, what appeared to me as a minute and to my mom as an hour I finally could exit the bathroom.

My mom rushed me, saying that the boys have been waiting for us long enough. I was feeling less and less okay. I couldn't keep my emotionless demeanor. My eyes felt heavy, my heartbeat fasten as well as my breathing, my legs were shaky and I was not able to say even one word.

As I saw the enourmous glass wall behind which were a ton of giants, I felt like I was going to faint.

Or simply turn around and run.

My mom stopped in her trucks and looked at her phone. After maybe three seconds of reading what I supposed was a message form Andrew she looked into the direction of 3 giant men waiting and her eyes started to freaking sparkle and her smile grew.

She then looked at me and pointed in the direction of thoese giants, who weren't looking at us, thank God.

"That's Andrew! And Ethan and Ryan!" She said with an excited expression.

Andrew was surprisingly the shortest of the group. He had brown hair that were turning grey, a short beard, thick glasses, a blue sweater and more elegant pants. He was overall a handsome middle-aged dude, if it wasn't for the fact he was freaking enormous.

Ethan was talking with him. He had fluffy brown hair and was slightly taller than his dad. He had a few freckles and dimples on his cheeks, his smile was truthfully welcoming. His white hoodie also looked very comfy.

The tallest one was the youngest - Ryan. He had black, short hair, a pierced ear and stylist clothes. If he would have been a human, he looked like one of the popular kids that you always look up to. I really liked the belt he had, same with the rings on his fingers.

All three giants had the same eye color - hazel.

My mom grabbed me again and pulled me into the direction of the glass wall that was the last thing keeping me outside of the reach of giants. She looked so happy to see them that it was hard to recognize her. She only ever smiled at me like that before.

Soon enough, we were close to the exit of my comfort zone. My fear only grew as we were closer to the giants. It was still probably about 20 feet between us and the door when Andrews eyes rested on us. I felt the enourmous gaze and felt like I was stung. Soon both his sons eyes locked on me and my mom. She realized quickly and slowed down with the running. She then waved at them. Andrew and Ethan waved back. Ryan stood there, looking maybe a little conflicted but surely also kinda annoyed.

At that point I could feel the blood boiling in my veins. My heart ached. As well did my head. My legs were shaky. I felt like I couldn't catch my breath correctly.

If you think you're not socially awkward, three giants looking down at you with their enourmous eyes, almost scanning you as if you were an insect would change your mind right away. And if you are socially awkward like me? Well, you would feel as if you were just about to die.

My mom rushed me again, ready to exit the safe space, that only allowed humans. I walked behind her, but I wasn't as excited or as fast. Partly, becouse I wanted to be out of the giants reach for as long as I could and partly becouse I was feeling worse and worse.

To be honest, I don't know what was making me feel bad. Maybe it was all the emotion, fear, anger and all, maybe it was my mental health killing me and shouting at me that danger was close, maybe it was the horrible flight, maybe it was my body being sick. I don't know.

What I do know is, each step I took, the more powerless I felt. My legs felt to weak to hold my bodyweight.

My mom was already by the exit door when she turned around to rush me again. I was maybe 7 feet behind her, still surrounded by the enourmous gazes of those three giants, two of which were smiling. Their smiles made me sick in my stomache, but Ryan who was the only one not smiling made me feel ever worse somehow.

I totally expected my mom to yell at me to hurry up, based on how excited she seem but she just stared at me for a secound with wide worried eyes and then returned to me.

"Are you okay honey? You don't seem too good"

I wanted to answer her but it came out as a soft yelp. I thought I was going to puke again.

Faces of the giants became more serious and worried. I didn't like that expression either, to be honest.

I looked back at mom as she reached out to me and raised her hand to my shoulder for comfort probably.

"Are you scared Zack? Is that it? Because if it is, I assure you, they won't hurt us. Ever." She spoke in a soft, quiet voice. Her expression didn't show anger but she looked more understanding than any other moment of the past few weeks. She spoke with such confidence I could have believed her.

Well, I maybe even would have if I didn't faint.

Because just a moment after she spoke my vision went black and my body felt weak. The last think I remember before fainting were thoese scary gazes and my mom yelling:

"Zack!"

------------------------------

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the 1st part!

[elizaditton]

Here's a rough (and I mean rough) storyboard for a scene from Too Small To Be Afraid!!

Too Small To Be Afraid is a book (in progress as of this writing) about a human girl learning to overcome her fear of pertheans-- beings who measure twenty times taller than humans-- when she's forced to share a desk with one at school. You can read it here on Tumblr or on my Wattpad!

[tinyundercover]

pepper & felix

part five

Pepper doesn't know how to handle his emotions.

MASTERPOST word count: 4.4k

Pepper stood behind the toaster, peeking around to examine the kitchen. It was late morning, and the sun was beginning to shine in through the window. Felix wasn’t up yet. Good.

He stepped out and craned his neck to examine the cabinet above him. One of the doors was cracked open by an inch, as usual, and he vaguely wondered if Felix had been leaving it open on purpose. It left a strange feeling in his chest as he tossed his hook up.

It had been four days since he had accepted the salad from Felix, but Pepper hadn’t felt comfortable enough to approach Felix again. He wasn’t sure if he even wanted to. He was still a borrower, after all, and even if Felix seemed kind, it was hard for Pepper to entirely trust him. Besides, what would he even say to him? Hey, Felix, I think you might actually be my soulmate. Yeah, I know I’m the size of your pinky and you could kill me with the flick of a wrist. Wanna hang out?

He huffed as he clambered up into the cabinet, scooping up his hook and thread with him. Containers and jars loomed over him, and he began to ease his way between them.

When his soulmate had contacted him a week ago to tell him that he had found a tiny man living in his walls, Pepper had panicked. There was no way his human soulmate had actually caught a borrower at the same moment Pepper had been caught… unless…?

That realization is what led him down a path of watching Felix from the walls, anxiety nibbling at his chest. It had to be a coincidence that Felix liked to sing, too… or that his soulmate had caught a borrower the same night Felix had caught Pepper… or that his voice had sounded so familiar.

He hadn’t left the walls for three days straight. Even if Felix had been nice enough to let him go, it didn’t mean that Pepper wasn’t slightly traumatized from the whole ordeal. And he just couldn’t face the fact that Felix might actually be his soulmate.

When he had realized that he was running short on food and he just needed to run out and grab something, he finally decided to reveal himself to Felix. Running entirely on adrenaline, he had lingered by the bookshelf, ready to bolt just in case Felix decided to change his mind and grab him up anyways.

But… Felix had apologized. He had offered Pepper fresh vegetables, which was very hard to come by for a borrower. And he didn’t even try to touch him once.

Pepper held his breath as he wrangled with an open packet of crackers, hoping he wasn’t making too much noise to wake Felix up yet. He paused briefly to listen for footsteps before yanking out a round salted cracker, twice the length of his arm.

It only took a minute to break it into four pieces and cram it into his bag. He still had a bit of space left inside, so he began to search around for something else he could fill his bag with.

Just as he was examining the label on a box of tea, he was alerted to the sound of footsteps entering the room. Felix usually didn’t open this cabinet before he left, but Pepper ducked behind a jar of peanut butter, just in case.

He listened cautiously to the sound of Felix moving around the kitchen, and his shoulders tensed. It was astounding just how big one person could be. Pepper wasn’t going to forget soon just how easily Felix had trapped him in a fist.

Pepper shifted uncomfortably. If Felix really was his soulmate (and what more evidence did he need, really?) then what was he supposed to do about it? He had lived his entire life as a borrower, avoiding humans. He couldn’t imagine trying to… to date a human. Or even befriend one, for that matter. It wasn’t his fault that the universe had forced him to have this telepathic connection with a human.

And Felix wasn’t even supposed to know that borrowers existed! Pepper didn’t want a human to even talk to him again, let alone touch him. Soulmate or not, Felix was a human, and Pepper could not trust him.

He caught his face turning red and he shook his head, running his hands through his black hair. The last week had been filled with nothing but confusion and stress. All he wanted to do was sink into his hammock and sleep for five days, but no, he had to go on his stupid borrowing trip so he didn’t starve.

Pepper rolled his eyes and, listening carefully to the sound of Felix’s footsteps, he snuck through the cabinet once more. He approached an open box of green tea, thankful that the sound of the kettle outside would cover up the small noises he made as he pried open the box and tugged out a packet.

As if the universe was against him, he was alerted too late to the sound of the cabinet door swinging open. Shit. Cursing under his breath, he ducked behind the peanut butter jar again, but not before the light from outside caught on his small form.

There was a distinct pause in Felix’s movements, and Pepper’s heart pounded. Then—

“Is that you?”

Pepper’s eyes darted around the cabinet, as if Felix could possibly be talking to someone else. 

Would it be impolite to ignore Felix, especially after all the human has done for him so far?

Stomach twisting with anxiety, he peeked around the jar, stiffening under the curious gaze of blue eyes outside the cabinet. “…Sorry. Didn’t think you’d notice me.”

Pepper had almost forgotten just how massive Felix really was. The human took up the entirety of his vision outside the cabinet, and from this close, Pepper could see all of the little details on his face. Being at his eye level did help to calm the borrower’s nerves, because at least he didn’t feel completely helpless from up here.

Felix’s hand was still lingering on the cupboard handle, as if he was afraid to move it. His lips twitched into a soft smile, and Pepper’s gaze lingered on them for a moment. “You’re okay. Um— what are you doing up there?”

Pepper clutched the tea bag closer to his chest, and Felix’s gaze danced to it. “Oh,” the human said. “You—”

“I can put it back,” Pepper said hurriedly, his heart racing. He had totally forgotten that what he did was typically considered stealing by human standards. 

Felix’s eyebrows shot up, and he glanced at the open box of tea. There were four boxes in total, with dozens of tea bags inside. “Oh— it’s okay, I don’t care at all. Take as many as you want, honestly.” His features softened, and he reached in to pick out a teabag between his forefinger and thumb. “And— listen— you don’t have to hide. From me. I don’t mind if you hang around here.”

Pepper’s stomach had dropped at the sight of Felix pinching up a teabag; he had instinctively thought the human had been reaching for him. Once the human’s hand had retreated, and Pepper’s heart rate went back to normal, he actually processed what Felix had said.

“Oh.” He peered closer at those wide blue eyes. “That’s… good to know.”

Felix suddenly seemed unsure about something, chewing his lip. His large hand lifted to the cupboard handle, and Pepper secretly hoped he would just close it and walk away. “Are you gonna stick around up there?” Felix asked, a bit awkwardly. “I need to leave for class in a second, but if you need a hand, I could— um, I could help you down.”

The borrower immediately stiffened, alarm bells filling his mind. He briefly remembered the feeling of being held tight in a fist, and he found himself backing away into the wooden cabinet wall behind him. “I’m— I’m gonna stay up here, yeah. No help necessary.” His voice wobbled.

Felix wasn’t blind, and he immediately understood that he had overstepped a boundary with Pepper. He flushed, taking a step back. “Right, no worries.”

The human left the cabinet door open as he finished preparing for class, brewing his teabag in his thermos and answering a few quick texts. Once his bag was on his shoulder, ready to go, he approached the cabinet again, where Pepper had barely moved aside from shoving his tea packet into his bag.

“Okay, I’m heading out.” Felix’s large hand rested on the cabinet door. “Do you want me to leave this cracked open?”

“…Yeah. Thanks.” It was strange, to have a human openly consider Pepper’s needs.

Felix bid him a quick farewell and closed the cabinet door, leaving it hanging open with more than enough space for a borrower to get out of. Only once Pepper was alerted to the sound of the front door shutting did he feel comfortable enough to approach the cabinet door and latch his hook onto the edge.

His mind was still racing, an hour later, as he entered his room under the floorboards with a bag packed full of crackers and tea. What would have happened if he had accepted Felix’s proposal of picking him up? He’s sure the human would have just safely deposited him on the counter in a matter of seconds, but a darker part of his mind whispered thoughts of being shoved in a pocket or dangled in the air. 

Felix would never do that, Pepper scolded himself… but twenty-two years of human horror stories were difficult for the borrower to forget.

As Pepper made a beeline for his pantry (a small divot in the wall covered by a handmade curtain), he froze, ears pricking towards the sound of soft breathing. His stomach chilled, and he spun to his left, staring at his hammock.

A tan arm dangled from the side of the hammock, and a bushy head of black hair could barely be seen amongst the pillows and blankets. Pepper’s heart immediately swelled, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Basil!”

“Wha…” A pair of brown eyes appeared, blinking sleepily down at him. It only took a second for Basil to process what she was seeing.

“Oh! Pepper!”

By the time she swung herself over the edge, Pepper had already raced forward, throwing his arms around his older sister in a tight hug the moment her feet hit the floor. 

She was a bit shorter than him, but just barely. Her arms were strong as she held him tight, and Pepper was comforted by the thought that she must be eating well.

“What are you— what are you doing here?” Pepper grabbed her shoulders to look at her, eyes shining. “God, it’s been so long.”

With no way to communicate with other borrowers, Pepper hadn’t been able to talk to Basil in almost a year. 

“I wanted to visit!” Basil explained excitedly. “I just got here an hour ago, and man, when I saw that your place was empty I got so scared that you died— but I realized your pantry had fresh food in it so you must still be around.” Her eyebrows raised approvingly. “Where the hell did you get all those vegetables? You must have improved your borrowing skills since I last saw you!”

Pepper laughed as she gently punched his shoulder. He suddenly felt the need to change the subject. “So, you just decided to take a nap in my bed?”

“Hey, it took me four days to get here, I deserve a nap.” She sent him a grin before peering at the bag on his shoulder. “What’d you get?”

When Pepper showed her the contents of his bag, she laughed. “Dude, you drink tea now?”

“It’s good for you,” he said defensively, although he was smiling. “And it’s got caffeine. Here, let me make you some.”

As Pepper expertly cut open the tea bag, Basil rambled to him about how the last ten months had been for her. She, coincidentally, had also picked up sewing clothes as a hobby. Her dark green pants, reminiscent of human cargo pants, were apparently her “greatest accomplishment” so far.

A family of borrowers had also moved into the house she was living in, after having been kicked out of their old home due to pest control. Basil had some sweet stories about how she had helped to babysit the kids from time to time. Pepper smiled as she talked, his heart warm at the thought that his sister had been happy and thriving.

He handed her a small cup, made out of aluminum foil. The tea inside was cold, obviously, but that was something that didn’t bother most borrowers.

Basil sent Pepper a suspicious but playful look as she took a long sip of her tea. She pondered for a moment. “Meh.”

“You don’t like it?” Pepper laughed after taking a sip of his own tea.

“It’s fine, but I wouldn’t waste space in my bag for it,” Basil said thoughtfully. “I’d rather grab some chocolate or something. That has caffeine, too, I think, and it tastes a thousand times better.”

Pepper blinked as a fond memory resurfaced in his mind. “Aw— remember when we were kids, and we still lived by the bakery? And you nabbed that brownie? I miss that.”

Basil lit up instantly. “Oh my god, yeah! I was, what— thirteen? I was so proud of myself.” She grinned. “Does the human here have any chocolate?”

Pepper hesitated. “Oh, uh— he actually eats super healthy, honestly. I’m not sure if… he’d have that.”

“Ohhh. Is that why you have cucumber in your pantry?” Basil teased. Pepper rolled his eyes in amusement.

“Yeah, actually.”

Basil had already stood up, tossing her aluminum cup aside. (Pepper noticed fondly that she had drank all of her tea.) “Anyways, let’s go borrowing. I’m sure we’ll find something cool. And if we don’t, I can just make fun of your lame climbing skills.”

“Wha—! I’m a great climber!”

“Let’s test that,” Basil snickered. 

—

After a long trek through the walls with lots of complaints from Pepper (“I literally just got back from a borrowing trip!”) and interjections from Basil (“Womp, womp.”) the pair of them finally emerged onto the counter, peeking around the toaster.

“He’s definitely not here, right?” Basil prompted. Pepper nodded.

“Yeah, he has class until four, and then he’s got some friend thing. He won’t be home all day.”

Basil side-eyed him. “How do you know that?

Her brother blinked rapidly. “I overheard him on the phone yesterday,” he lied, knowing full well that Felix had told him all of that telepathically. Basil nodded in understanding, although her brown eyes remained curious.

Pepper allowed her to take the lead as they trekked across the counter, approaching a fruit bowl. He hadn’t mentioned his soulmate situation to her yet. He wouldn’t even be sure how to begin, honestly.

Would she think of him differently, if she knew? 

He watched her warily, as if she might start shouting at him. Basil, like every other borrower, was not very fond of humans. If she knew that Pepper had such a strong connection to a human, would she be upset with him? Scared, even, that he might put her in danger?

His stomach squirmed as Basil tossed her hook up to the edge of the fruit bowl. “Have you heard of soulmates?” He asked suddenly, trying to sound casual. Basil climbed up into the bowl first, and Pepper followed. 

Basil shot him a glance from where she was examining a grape. “What, like, the hands-clasped-over-your-chest thing? The mind connection?”

Pepper blinked in surprise. “Yeah, actually.”

She nodded, yanking a round green grape off of its stem. “Yeah, I actually used to talk to my soulmate, when I was twenty-one. It didn’t last long, though.”

Pepper stared, dumbfounded. “Wha— seriously? Wait— what happened? You never told me this!”

“It just wasn’t a big deal,” Basil said offhandedly, shoving the grape into her bag. “I mean, we talked for a few weeks, and it was nice. But she lives halfway across the country, and… I don’t know, once we realized we would never actually see each other, we kind of just… moved on.”

Pepper’s heart sunk. “I’m so sorry.”

Basil shrugged. “Like I said, it’s no biggie. That’s just how life works. Soulmates aren’t for everyone.” She suddenly straightened up, brown eyes wide. “Wait— don’t tell me— are you talking to your soulmate?”

Pepper flushed, busying himself by picking up a grape as well. “Yeah, actually. For two or three weeks now.”

“Holy shit.” Basil grinned, punching his shoulder. “That’s awesome, man. Don’t get too attached though— do you know where they live?”

Pepper’s mouth opened, then closed. Basil was still staring at him expectantly, but before he could answer, the front door opened.

Shit. On instinct, the two of them lunged over the edge of the fruit bowl, scrambling to hide behind it. Basil sucked in a quick breath at the sound of human footsteps, leaning closer to Pepper, and he held her arm protectively.

“I thought you said he wasn’t gonna be home all day,” Basil hissed under her breath, brown eyes peeking around the fruit bowl. Pepper’s stomach turned.

“He was supposed to,” Pepper explained anxiously, peeking around the bowl as well. He craned his neck to observe Felix as the human hung his coat up on the opposite wall. “He must have come home early.”

“You think?”

Pepper’s stomach was doing cartwheels. He wasn’t particularly afraid of Felix— at least, not in the same way Basil was— but he did not want Felix finding him right now.

The human hummed quietly as he set his thermos down, only a few feet away from the fruit bowl. Basil’s grip on Pepper’s arm tightened.

Felix briefly glanced in their direction, and it was that moment in which all three of them realized a fishhook was still dangling innocently on the edge of the fruit bowl.

“Motherfucker,” Pepper said under his breath.

Basil was also mumbling a string of curse words, inching closer to Pepper as Felix squinted, leaning closer to the bowl. His next words made both borrowers freeze.

“Pepper? Are you around?”

Slowly, ever so slowly, Basil turned her head to stare at Pepper.

Pepper’s throat went tight, panic suddenly seeping into his veins. He watched as Basil pulled her hand away from him, taking a step back, intense brown eyes flickering around the room as if she was searching for an explanation, or perhaps an escape route. He swallowed hard, sucking in a sharp breath.

“Please, don’t panic,” he said quickly. Overhead, Felix spoke again, voice gentle but curious.

“You forgot your hook.”

Basil was frozen, speechless. Pepper’s heart was sinking into the floor below. “Basil, please, just… stay here. Please.”

Hands shaking, Pepper sent Basil one last miserable look before stepping out from behind the fruit bowl. He vaguely heard Basil’s small, shocked gasp as Felix’s gaze landed on Pepper.

“Oh, there you are.” Felix relaxed microscopically now that he knew where Pepper was. He had been a bit anxious that Pepper had gotten hurt or lost somehow, indicated by his abandoned hook. 

“…Hey,” Pepper said stiffly, reaching towards the thread of Basil’s hook. It took a moment for his shaky hands to unlatch the hook and tuck it under his arm. “Sorry, I… I forgot this.”

“It’s fine,” Felix assured, blinking at Pepper’s uncomfortable behavior. He hoped Pepper still wasn’t uneasy about his offer to pick him up this morning. “It seems important to you, so I just… wanted to make sure you didn’t lose it.” 

“Ah,” Pepper said hollowly. It was difficult not to turn and look at Basil, as he felt her intense gaze bearing into him. He would never reveal another borrower to a human, no matter the circumstances. “Well. Thanks.”

Felix hesitated, fighting the urge to peer closer at the shaking small man. “Are you… alright?” 

Pepper was trying to figure out what to do, heart racing. “I, um… yeah, I…” Pepper spared a glance to the side, and his stomach turned to ice.

Basil was gone.

Fuck. “Sorry, I— I have to go.” Spinning on his heel, Pepper rushed towards the toaster. He sensed Felix’s surprise as the human spoke.

“Oh— ah, okay, then—?”

Pepper had already squeezed his way through the crack in the wall and was now staring around, heart pounding. Where did Basil go? How did she just sneak off like that? How was he supposed to explain this to her?

“Basil!” He called out helplessly, hoping Felix wouldn’t be able to hear him through the walls. “Basil, I can explain! Where are you?”

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and there— hidden in the shadows of the walls, was Basil.

A needle was gripped firmly in her hand, pointed at Pepper. Brown eyes narrowed, dark and fiery. “What the fuck was that.”

“Listen, it’s okay,” Pepper said hurriedly, stepping towards her. Her grip on her needle tightened.

“You’re— friends with that human?!” Basil demanded, aghast. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“We’re not friends, exactly, he–”

“He’s probably looking for us right now!”

“No–!”

“What, are you his pet, or something–?”

“He’s my soulmate.”

Basil stilled, her needle wobbling. “He…” Her gaze flicked to the wall, as if she could see Felix through the wood. “He’s your soulmate?”

Pepper’s heart pounded against his chest. His throat was tight as he miserably said, “Yeah. But… but he doesn’t know.”

At Basil’s bewildered expression, Pepper hurriedly began to explain everything; how his rocky relationship with Felix began by being caught and trapped, only to be released with an apology. How he realized quickly that Felix and his soulmate were actually the same person, and had since then struggled with his own feelings, terrified of Felix but subconsciously being drawn to him as well.

Basil didn’t speak throughout his entire story. Her eyes remained dark and focused, her grip on her needle unrelenting. Once Pepper finished with the reassurance that he hadn’t told Felix anything about her, she spoke up, voice cautious.

“Why don’t you leave?” Her brow furrowed. “He knows you live here.”

“I know those are the rules, but–”

“This isn’t about the rules,” Basil interjected, making Pepper jump. “You need to leave so you can't talk to him again. This… this isn’t normal.” Her features hardened even further, brown eyes narrow, glistening slits. “I’m not mad at you, Pepper, I understand that this is fucked up, and it’s not your fault. But– just because he’s your soulmate doesn’t mean you have to put yourself in danger just to talk to him.”

Pepper hesitated, stomach doing backflips. “Felix isn’t dangerous.”

Basil choked on her breath. “Pepper. Are you even hearing yourself right now?”

Silence stretched between them for a moment. Pepper hesitated, trembling, while Basil stared. Finally, his older sister muttered, “I’m sorry, Pepper, but I can’t stay here.”

He blinked, alarmed. “What– you can’t go back home now! It’s too far, you just got here–”

“I’m not going home,” Basil corrected. “I don’t know where I’m gonna go, yet. But I can’t stay in this apartment with… him.” She held her other hand out expectantly, although it shook. “Give me my hook.”

Pepper couldn’t speak. Silently, numbly, he stepped forward, setting the hook gently into his older sister’s hand. She relaxed microscopically, sending one last glance at the wall before backing up. “I just… I just need time to think about this. I’m sorry.”

He nodded mutely, standing rigid. 

“Please stay safe. I care about you.” Her lips tightened. “I’ll– I’ll see you around.”

She backed away, sending him one last hollow stare before spinning on her heel and vanishing into the darkness after a matter of seconds. Her light footsteps faded quickly. Pepper swayed on his feet, mouth dry, mind racing. 

Misery sank into his bones, cold and heavy. Thoughts of his frightened sister floated around his mind, followed by memories of Felix’s kind demeanor, a terrifying human that had all the power over Pepper and chose not to use it. 

Basil was wrong.

His feet moved before he could think about, making a beeline for the crack in the wall, stumbling out past the toaster. “Felix!”

The human jumped, his mug clattering in surprise. He had just dropped a tea packet into the hot water. “Pepper– you scared me–!”

Pepper barely processed the fact that the human was towering over him, as he craned his neck to meet those startled blue eyes. “I trust you,” he insisted suddenly, eyes wide. 

Felix stiffened, blinking down at him. “Wha–”

“I can’t believe I’m actually telling this to a human but— you’ve been so kind, and considerate, and— and you don’t treat me like a pet, and you— you—“ Pepper’s words came out in a rush, heart pounding. Felix was frozen. “This is hard for me, talking with you— but I know that you’re trying to make it easier for me, and— and I appreciate that.”

Pepper suddenly found himself walking towards Felix’s hand, which was still resting on the handle of his mug. Pepper’s stomach twisted unexpectedly, but he fought through it, approaching the massive fingers that outmatched him in size. “Pepper,” Felix said in a hush. “What—”

Fueled by adrenaline, Pepper placed his tiny hand onto Felix’s finger, meeting the human’s gaze. 

Felix’s eyes were wide, shocked. His shoulders were rigid, as if he was scared to even move a muscle. 

The skin underneath Pepper’s hand was warm. The borrower sucked in a breath, but kept his hand still. This was the closest proximity he had shared with Felix’s hand since he had been snatched up a week ago.

“I just need you to know that,” Pepper confessed, the realization of what he had just impulsively done creeping up onto his face as a blush. His heart pounded. 

Felix blinked rapidly, unable to tear his gaze away from the tiny palm resting delicately on his finger. Pepper was visibly nervous, willingly touching Felix for the first time since the human had held him against his will.

“I…” Felix was terrified to even breathe wrong, lest he frighten the borrower and ruin the moment. “I don’t know what to say.” Appreciation filled his hesitant voice, laced by surprise and worry. 

Pepper was still blushing, hard. He tentatively pulled his hand back, acutely aware that he had just touched a giant and survived. “It’s okay. I’ve just had a weird fucking day.” He dragged his hand down his face, shoulders shuddering. After a moment, he asked quietly, “Is it alright if I… hang out with you, for a bit? I don’t want to be alone right now.”

Felix’s blue eyes were soft, kind. “Yeah. Of course.”

----

EEEEEEEEEEEE I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS CHAPTER!! Pepper is finally starting to feel comfortable with Felix, but poor Basil is terrified that her brother is so close to a human </3

TAGLIST: @smallsday @compact-katrina

[woodenplank-gt]

A Not So Average Night

CW: Minor character death

Next: Definitely Not A Mouse

————-

Tiny feet padded quietly through the dark tunnels. Particles of dust swirled through the paths as the sudden movement disturbed them. The air was stale and musty after being blocked from the outside world for so long, but that never bothered its resident.

The almost silent sound of tiny footsteps stopped and a minuscule brown hand pushed a kitchen tile out of the way. The 3.7-inch borrower poked his head out of the walls and surveyed his surroundings before cautiously stepping onto the open counter. The resident humans had called it a night, giving Tucker plenty of time to scavenge what he can.

He walked across the counter as his eyes scanned the area for any packages of food left out. His food stores have depleted immensely over the last few weeks. For some reason, the humans have been out of the house more often which meant less food in the home. Tucker had been forced to eat the tiniest amounts so he at least had a little bit of energy. His stomach rumbled loudly at the reminder.

Frowning, he squinted through the darkness towards the table in the middle of the kitchen. His brown eyes lit up at the most incredible sight in the world: an open bag full of chips left on the table.

Without missing a beat, the borrower unlatched his fishhook from his satchel and jammed it into the edge of the counter. He let the clear fishing line fall from his fingers all the way to the floor before scaling down himself. Leather boots landed silently on the tiled floor, and with a flick of his wrist, the hook detached from the counter high above him. Tucker caught the hook in midair with practiced ease after so many years of the same repetitive motions.

The small man wasted no time running across the open floor to the table as fast as his legs would carry him. The instincts ingrained in Tucker's mind screamed at him to find cover and stick by the walls, but he stubbornly continued through the quicker route through the middle of the room. There was no point in wasting valuable time when there were no signs of the human couple.

Tucker reached the looming table and hurriedly started swinging his hook to latch onto the table. With a quick tug to ensure the hook wouldn't pop out on him, Tucker confidently scaled the cliff-like height with expert speed.

The yellow bag sat nearby and Tucker's mouth watered. It was like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert. He crouched down to peer inside the bag which was completely full of the greasy chips. Very carefully, Tucker crawled into the bag. Each movement slow and precise as he entered the aluminum cave and made his way to the chips. He shifted ever so slightly to his knees and cautiously pulled a chip closer to him. Tucker grimaced as the bag crinkled loudly around him. To Tucker, It might as well had been an alarm announcing the borrower's presence.

His heart rate spiked and he froze like a deer in headlights. His little hands clutching the chip to his chest like it was a life raft as Tucker anxiously listened for any human noises coming from the bedroom.

Tucker waited with bated breath for what felt like an eternity before deeming himself safe. He hung his head and willed his body to stop shaking for a moment. Glaring at the chip that nearly got him caught, he dragged the chip into the open air using more care than ever before.

The borrower eventually made it out with his prize in hand and backed a good couple inches away from the crinkly bag. There, he began breaking the yellow chip into smaller pieces and stuffed them into his satchel. Grease coated his hands and clothes, but the satchel heavy with food was more than worth it.

Tucker uncoiled his string from around his shoulder as he jogged towards the edge of the table. He smiled to himself as he neared the edge. This was going to be his most efficient borrowing trip yet.

Until he heard a loud squeak of a door across the small home.

Frantic brown eyes shot towards the door to the bedroom as the woman quietly tiptoed out of the room. She quickly, but carefully, made her way to the kitchen, the occasional floorboard creaking under her weight.

Tucker wasted no time breaking into a mad dash towards the closest cover and all but dove into the bag of chips. The plastic crinkled loudly around him and he grimaced. He desperately hoped her mind was tired enough to drown out whatever noise he made. Tucker inched further into the bag with ragged breaths, curling into a small ball. His eyes watered and his throat stung from the greasy salt coating him and his surroundings.

The overhead light flicked on and the ground shook slightly from her footsteps. The sound of her rummaging through the fridge was drowned out by the blood roaring in Tucker's ears. His heart couldn't keep up with the panic coursing through his entire body. He was in the absolute worst hiding spot ever! All she had to do was peer inside and she'll spot him, then he would either end up dead or a pet. Tucker couldn't decide which fate was worse.

Just calm down. She hasn't found you yet. You've gotten out of tough situations before. He reminded himself. Tucker focused on his frantic breaths and managed to slow them down to a more manageable level. His watery eyes watched the bag's opening with trepidation. His fingers curled around the nail strapped to his satchel as he mentally prepared himself to use the weapon against the giant. Of course, he knew it wouldn't really do much against her but he'd rather go down swinging than begging.

He remained crouched and silently listened as she continued searching for something. The seconds seemed to tick by excruciatingly slow when she finally whispered "a-ha!" And something clunked onto the counter. It took a few minutes for her to finish whatever she was doing before turning back to tiptoe to her room.

Tucker let his head hang down in relief as he waited for the click of the bedroom door signaling she was gone. He needed to go back into the walls as soon as possible. It was a miracle he made it out of this situation unscathed and Tucker was in no hurry to test his luck. He heard a click in the distance and began creeping out of the bag.

"Huh? What are y-" The shock was clear in the human woman's voice.

Tucker froze, half of his body out of the bag. His muscles tensed and his heart slammed against his rib cage. His eyes frantically searched for the human that undoubtedly found him while he mentally prepared for death.

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

Her voice came from a different room and Tucker sighed in relief. He held a hand over his heart. At this rate he'll die from a heart attack rather than a human or rat. It was tempting to try and run to one of his many entrances in the walls, but he knew the risk was too high. As his parents explained to him time and time again; one wrong move could be the end of every single borrower. Tucker begrudgingly ducked back into the greasy, crinkly bag to wait out whatever was happening. Hopefully it will be quick.

"Go away!" The human yelled, her voice becoming louder and louder. Floorboards creaked as she hurriedly moved around the house.

"You know why I'm here." Said a new voice. It was a man's, but it was too deep to belong to the resident male.

Tucker's hand tightened on his weapon at the realization there was an unknown human in the house. His breaths became shorter and shorter as the ever-present fear seeped into his body. He backed further into the bag as the ground beneath him shook violently. The woman appeared in front of the table, her lower half being the only thing visible from Tucker's limited line of sight. Her hands were curled into fists and her chest heaved with panicked breaths.

"J, Don't do this!" She pleaded.

The shaking ground signaled the arrival of the stranger. "I love you," he stated quietly.

Shivers ran down Tucker's spine from the way the stranger said it. The words weren't filled with love and warmth and adoration, they were cold and desperate. And from the way the woman shook, she recognized the stranger's alarming behavior as well. Tucker found himself feeling bad for the resident human. Fear was an everyday thing for a borrower, it's what kept them alive, but she didn't deserve to feel the same way. The stranger was obviously dangerous and Tucker could only hope the resident male will wake up and help before it was too late.

She quickly raised her fist in preparation to punch him, but the stranger's hand closed around her wrist before she could do anything. Tucker winced as the hand squeezed harder and harder to the point where the woman's tan skin was turning white. She struggled against the grip but he never let up.

"Stev-" she began to desperately scream for her mate. The stranger swiftly grabbed her hair with his other hand and slammed her head onto the table. Then again. And again.

Tucker gasped and toppled over from the force. He heard a crunch, but he wasn't sure if it was the chips around him or the woman's head. A shadow covered the opening of the bag and he fearfully glanced up. Instead of a hand coming for him, he met the eyes of the woman whose head laid on the table not even a foot away from Tucker. Blood pooled around her and her cheeks were stained with tears as a gloved hand held her in place. Her hazel eyes were pleading as she weakly stared at the tiny man inside the bag.

The borrower didn't know what to do. He was just spotted by a human, an extremely powerful being compared to him. But she was hurt. Her large eyes were losing focus as more and more blood settled around her head. There was a strange temptation inside Tucker to help her. He had to stop the bleeding or get help or something! But that would be impossible. He was just a borrower living a life unnoticed.

All he could do was stare into her teary eyes and hope the sympathetic look on his face told her he was sorry.

Her lips parted, and if Tucker didn't have excellent hearing, he would have never heard her last words: "Josh," she said weakly as her eyes closed.

A door slammed in the distance followed by rapid footsteps. "Kirstie!" The resident human male shouted.

The stranger let go of her head and she collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud. As the man's frantic footsteps grew closer the stranger fled the scene, leaving just as quietly as he came in. The only sign of him ever being there was the bloody scene the husband walked in on.

—————

Time passed slowly. Red and blue lights flashed through the window blinds as humans wearing identical uniforms searched the kitchen. There were loud clicks followed by bright white flashes that occasionally blinded him.

Tucker remained curled up in the bag of chips. He had managed to move a large chip in front of him for cover if anyone decided to check the bag. He also tugged the hood of his black poncho over his short afro to hopefully blend in better with the shadows. Tucker's muscles were tense and primed to run at any moments notice.

This was supposed to be a quick and easy borrowing trip, he groused to himself. His stomach rumbled and he held a hand over it as if it could muffle the noise. Even though he was surrounded by food, he hadn't eaten anything yet. With all the excitement and humans hustling around he couldn't risk making more noise than necessary. Tucker was used to being hungry anyways, a few more hours couldn't hurt.

A deep voice knocked Tucker out of his thoughts. The room growing quiet as the human spoke, "What do we got?" The man demanded, his voice was confident and authoritative.

He crouched in front of the table where the body presumably laid, putting him in Tucker's line of sight. Tucker noticed he wore different clothes and less gear than the others. His skin was pale and his black hair was cut short. And his eyes made Tucker forget how to breathe. They were icy blue, their intense stare seemed to pierce through everything they looked at.

A woman cleared her throat, "Her name is Kirstin Blum, 32 years old."

The scary man scanned the crime scene, his icy gaze briefly passing over Tucker's hiding place. The borrower curled into a smaller ball behind the chip. He could have sworn he felt a chill go up his spine as the eyes passed over him. It was getting harder and harder to breathe, the salt and grease covering him definitely wasn't doing him any favors.

"Alright," the man rumbled after a few moments. He rose back up to a stand, putting his face high above Tucker and out of sight. The small man's shoulders slumped slightly when those eyes disappeared. "We got any suspects?" He asked.

"Yes detective Lassiter, the husband. His name is Steven Blum, he was the one who called 911. He's in the backyard." The woman replied.

"Perfect," Lassiter murmured quietly to himself as he walked away. The woman followed behind him, leaving the borrower alone in the kitchen.

Tucker desperately wished no one else would come in. He was tired and scared and hungry and he just wanted to be back in his home in the walls. He could practically hear his comfortable nest calling his name and couldn't wait to curl up inside and sleep for days. Tucker rolled his shoulders and stretched out his legs. They were becoming stiff from staying in the same place for so damn long. He wondered if he'd be able to stand after this ordeal.

Tucker couldn't help a quiet groan when a new human voice cut through the empty room. He reluctantly curled up behind the chip again to wait out the newcomer.

"I could really use some coffee right about now." The voice of a man complained.

"I tried to pick some up! You told me to keep goin'." Another man retorted.

They both walked into Tucker's view, although he could only see two pairs of pants. He could immediately tell they weren't like everyone else who'd come by. They didn't wear any belts full of tools or hold any equipment. He curiously peered through a crack in the chip in front of him to watch the new humans.

The man wearing jeans crouched down, his green eyes carefully scanning the body. "We couldn't just stop, I need to see everything before the cops start moving things around." It was the voice of the first human. He ran a hand through the spike in his short brown hair, "Hey Gus, check the cabinets for coffee pods or something." He whispered up to his friend.

The second human -Gus- hit the man in the shoulder,"There's a dead person here Shawn!" He snapped back.

"I think she'll want me to be awake if I'm gonna solve her murder." Shawn retorted without missing a beat.

Gus stepped away from the body and leaned on the counter further back. He crossed his arms as he looked around the kitchen for clues, but not as intently as Shawn. The man had dark skin that contrasted with his bright blue button up. He seemed slightly shorter than the other human, but that didn't make a difference to Tucker.

"You're just trying to get this girl's ghost to haunt me," he accused. "If you wanna steal coffee from a dead person then be my guest."

Shawn simply huffed and shook his head in resignation. He stopped looking at the body and began examining the pool of blood nearby on the table much to Tucker's dismay. Hopefully the bag of chips he was hiding in didn't spark any interest. Tucker watched with bated breath as the green eyes squinted at all the little details, then finally widening.

He gestured wildly with his hand, "Dude! Get over here!" Shawn exclaimed excitedly.

Gus hurried over and Shawn pointed to a spot on the table. Both humans leaned in, their faces right in front of Tucker's hiding place. All they had to do was look up and they could make the discovery of a lifetime. He hunkered down lower to remain out of sight. The borrower put his hand on his nail and squeezed his eyes shut as he listened to the loud breaths coming from the humans so close by.

Gus' brows furrowed. "What am I looking at?" He asked.

Shawn's large finger came into view as he pointed at more spots, "Right here and here and here. Don't these look like little-"

"What the hell are you two doing here?" A deep voice demanded. Tucker recognized it as the scary man's voice from earlier: Detective Lassiter.

Both humans stood straight up, giving Tucker the confidence to breathe again without alerting the giants.

"Hey Lassie," Shawn drawled with a smile in his voice. "We didn't know you were here too. What a coincidence." He said innocently.

Gus smiled beside him, "If we had known I would have picked you up something to eat." He added.

The ground shook as the scary man stepped into the kitchen. "This is my crime scene. I don't need two idiot consultants contaminating everything." He growled.

"Since when have we ever done such a thing?" Shawn sounded absolutely offended. If he was scared of the icy blue eyes piercing through him, he definitely didn't show it. He then leaned over to peer behind the taller detective, "Is Juliet here?" He asked eagerly.

"Out." Lassiter stated with no room to argue. He grabbed Shawn's arm and tugged at the flannel shirt he was wearing to usher him out the room.

Shawn loudly complained and resisted being dragged away. "But you need our help!" He protested as he dug his feet into the floor.

"No I don't. We already caught the killer."

Tucker perked up at that. The bag crinkled softly around him and he winced. Luckily no one seemed to notice over the commotion Shawn was causing. He knew this meant the humans will leave and Tucker will soon be the only one in the house.

"Really? Who was it?" Gus asked from the side as he casually watched Lassiter and Shawn struggle. It was clear he also wanted to leave, probably because of the corpse still in the room.

Lassiter finally gave up and let Shawn free his wrist from his grip. He pointedly straightened his black suit jacket before answering, "Steven, the husband. I'm going to take him back to the station and get a confession."

The borrower balked at that conclusion. How in the world did they think the husband did it? Wasn't it their whole job to find the right person? Humans were dumber than he initially thought.

Something in the back of his mind urged him to come out and tell them the truth. How else are they supposed to figure it out if their best hope is in cuffs. But it was a human issue that had nothing to do with him. It's not Tucker's fault humans are destructive beings that hurt everyone and everything they come across. With that in mind, the last thing he was about to do was reveal the existence of borrowers to the world just to get justice for one human.

Shawn briefly seemed to consider what the detective said before his hands suddenly shot up to the sides of his head. He rested his pointer fingers against his temple and closed his eyes. "I'm having a vision!" He declared.

Lassiter started shaking his head and resumed his efforts to drag Shawn out of the room. "No! No psychic bullshit in my crime scene!" He protested angrily.

The man promptly ignored the detective. His left hand hovering over the victim lying on the ground. Tucker leaned slightly forwards and watched in complete bewilderment as the man waved his hand in circular motions in the air.

"I sense..... ow!" He suddenly held his left hand to the side of his head, stumbling out of the detective’s grip. "I sense the killer hit her head against the table over and over again, until she was dead." Shawn slowly walked closer to the table, his eyes scanning the surface once more. Once he seemed to find what he was looking for, he closed his eyes again with his hand still on his temple. "I'm getting something else.... Steven is not the killer." Shawn concluded confidently, opening his eyes.

Tucker was left speechless. How did the human do that? He just waved his hand around and knew the correct answer. A pit of worry grew inside of him. What if the strange human found him by doing the same thing. Tucker swallowed nervously and resisted the urge to make more noise by adding more chips in front of him for cover.

Gus glanced at Shawn with a quirked brow. At this point he knew better than to question his friend, but it's always the husband in the shows. He was definitely looking forward to hearing what Shawn found. It had to be something good.

However, the detective was less than pleased with that theory. "Really?" Lassiter's lips formed a tight smile. "Do you have any evidence someone else was in the house? 'Cause I can tell you right now there was no forced entry and nothing was stolen."

Shawn didn't flinch under the man's menacing tone, instead he gave him a cocky grin. "Not right now, but I will prove it wasn't Steven. The spirits never lie." He turned towards his friend still standing near the counter. "Right Gus!" He said and gave Gus a hard pat on the back.

Gus, who was completely unprepared for the force of the action, stumbled forward and ran right into the detective. While Lassiter was busying keeping both him and Gus from falling to the floor, Shawn snatched the bag of chips off the table. He hid it behind his back as he strode out the door before Lassiter can give him a piece of his mind.

Gus hurriedly apologized and ran after him, barely avoiding the string of curses coming from the detective's mouth.

[pipinpali]

Unlike pt. 3

—--

3/?? — Reluctant Refuge

<- First - <- previous - Next ->

TW!: language, mild mentions of death

Word count ~ 1200 words

—--

He needed to get the fuck out of here.

How? Randall didn't know.

Why? Who fucking knows. But why else would he be here if it weren't for something bad?

His leg hurt like hell. There's no way he could climb down for the desk.

But he had to leave.

The man had left into the next room, he was patched up.

If there was anytime to escape, it'd be now.

Randall's watery eyes traveled around the room. It was vast, fit for a giant. The room was mostly dark, save for the dim lights in what he had assumed was the kitchen where the man had left and the overly bright, antique-looking lamp above him. The place vaguely reminded him of the human café down the street. There was a fancy electric chandelier above the cozy looking dark, oak, furniture. Papers and notebooks were scattered around on the desk he sat at with various pens and pencils.

He shuffled closer to the edge, biting back a strangled cry as he tried to get a good look at the nauseating height below. If he'd jump now he'd definitely break something else... Randall glared back at the desk, wondering briefly if the man had gotten his hands on his knife, only to look in the distance to see the figure of the human walking towards him.

He scrambled back, his arms fumbling to pull him backwards.

He was holding something. What was he holding?

Randall was too afraid to get a better look.

It wasn't long until the man was looming over the desk he sat on with his towering form, sitting down and placing a plate onto the table with a small 'clink!'

"Sorry," he apologized, his brown face gentle as if he hadn't tried to pull off his leg, "I don't usually eat at my desk... or this late. I made you something, too. I thought you needed it." He laughed a little — a breathy one that tustled through his hair. Was he a joke to this man?

Randall scowled, his sharp gaze widening as he caught the human's hand moving. He flinched as he was slowly slid a bottle cap full of scraps of the man's dinner, "Tell me if you like it, if you don't I could make something else," he said carefully.

He hessitantly glanced down at the makeshift plate before him. The meal was made up of morsels of some type of vegetable, red sauce, a single noodle, and a piece of chicken...

The most unbelievable meal ever.

'No way this guy was giving it out without a catch. Hell— he probably poisoned it!'

Randall nervously swallowed, his mouth salivating at the thought of getting his hands on something like that. He refused to give in, defiantly turning his head.

The human ignored him, simply stabbing a piece of chicken with his fork and taking a bite, covering his mouth with his hand before he spoke, "To be honest, I'm not really sure you understand me or not," he mused, his gaze flicking back down at Randall as he swallowed and put aside his hand. "...Can you?"

His brows furrowed. What did he think he was? Stupid? He shouldn't have expected more from a human. "...Of course I can," he practically croaked, his voice sounding much more pathetic than the snarky response he was planning to give.

"Do you have a name?"

"...Maybe."

"Alright, Maybe, I'm Jone."

Randall gritted his teeth. He thinks he's funny. "It's Randall," he muttered back.

Jone gave a content smile, humming at the sound of the name.

The smallfolk grumbled and glanced back down at the bottle cap full of food, finally unable to ignore it. He waited until Jone looked away, hessitantly bringing his hand closer before swiping a small piece of chicken. It was warm with a faint tangy scent, things that his food never usually had. He hunched over it, bringing it close, carefully smelling it for some type of poison or odd chemical. He was good at that sort of thing — one of the biggest reasons he's still kicking around at his old age of 24 whole years.

After he couldn't smell anything particularly odd, he nibbled at the edge of it and—

There's only been a few other times in his life where tasted something like this, far too long ago. It reminded him of what his mother made...

Randall didn't dare waste a second to see if the human was watching, scarfing down the miniature meal faster than anything he had before. When he was done, he mild-manneredly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, glancing up to see the man with a soft grin that — for a moment — he almost thought it that the food really was poisoned.

"Was it okay?" The man asked, tilting his head as he set the fork onto his empty plate, "I wasn't really sure myself... I haven't really cooked this recipe much." Randall, protecting his dignity in the worst way he can, replied with a blunt, "It was shit."

Despite this, Jone kept a barely hidden, knowing smile on his face. He carefully pushed his own plate aside, leaning onto the table and making Randall flinch and shift backwards. He felt more than uneasy now that the man had his focus solely on him.

It was silent for a few moments before the smallfolk spoke up. "Why did you take me here...?" Randall carefully asked, testing the boundaries of what he could say. Jone’s brows furrowed a little in concern, "I couldn't leave you out in the street... I'm sorry that I sort've... kidnapped you... I can take you to your home next morning if you'd like—"

"—Next morning?!" Randall exclaimed, sitting up and sucking in the pain as he continued to yell, scrambling to find reason, "Y-You can't just— just keep me here—!"

Jone was taken aback, gently trying to reassure him with that stupid, condescending voice, "Well, it's too late to take you out tonight, and you seem pretty weak... On my way to work tomorrow you

can tell me where you live, and—"

"—I'm not telling you where I live, and- and I'm not letting you touch me!"

"It's not like you can just walk there, though,"

"I—!.." Randall stopped himself before he said, 'I'll crawl then,' not quite stupid enough to even attempt something like that if Jone somehow agreed. He glanced down thoughtfully, wracking his mind for an answer for his problem, right before he caught a glance at the empty bottle cap once more, and a light bulb went off in his head.

Maybe he didn't have to leave.

Randall searched the man's face. If he wasn't some sort of phyco that will kill him in his sleep, maybe he could stay— leech off of his stupidity while he heals in the luxury of a warm house with a full stomach.

The smallfolk leaned back a little, playing a disappointed look, "I guess I'll stay until I go my own way," he sighed. He watched with slight disgust as the human's face lit up slightly. "Alright then," Jone said, "I'll... let you rest I suppose— you need it. I'll be over in the living room." He gestured over to a big, brown, leather chair in the other room. "Call for me if you need me."

The human pushed himself to stand, Randall flinching as his massive form moved so suddenly, looming over him. He gave a slight wave before he turned to the living room and bundled up on the chair with what looked like a notebook and a pencil in hand, placing a pair of square glasses on his face.

Randall let out a sigh of relief as his nerves cooled.

This'll be fine.

—--

So uh... .hi

This took a minute...or a month or 3 .

BUT YAY LOOK I DID IT!! Wow!!!!

I hope you enjoyed reading..

[sizebrained]

Hey there tols, smols, and in between!

After lurking for years in the g/t community -- doing role plays here and there, consuming art and stories, and generally having that oomph feeling in the pit of my stomach with anything size related -- I figured it was time to contribute.

Art by @guaxinimraccoon

I’ve really enjoyed, and been inspired, by so many amazing artists and writers on here over the years (and elsewhere in the small corners of web g/t culture).

@tinyundercover (whose art and writing I’m a big fan of, har har chuckle chuckle) was nice enough to encourage me to try (along with a few others).

Table of Contents

I want to explore what an emotionally realistic, modern, "adult" love story would look like with humans and liliputians/borrowers without it going straight to kink/fetish. It's logistically easier to do this than giants in a human world for story purposes. If it has a link I've written it. If it hasn't been linked it's a WIP.

The story is chronologically from the top down. Parts may be added at random. Be warned all together I'm in hundreds of pages territory now.

***

Character Stats & Backstories (can skip, some spoilers)

Humans Borrowers Borrower Lore (WIP) Character Playlist

***

It's So Hot, Can We Go To The Pool? (Intro)

In media res intro of the unsimilarly sized siblings Ben/Sam and Hazel/Cob.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Bonus: Sam & Cob Go Shopping

Unstuck Together, Ben Meets Hazel: Ben's Perspective

Meet the main characters as they meet each other.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Unstuck Together, Hazel Meets Ben: Hazel's Perspective

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 (Picks Up from Ben's Pt 3 to conclusion of their 1st meet) Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 The Morning After for Hazel The Morning After for Ben Part 1 Part 2

Cob's First Pool Trip, A Bird, and Meeting Sam

We meet the main character's siblings who have their own story.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Extra: New horizons

Sam Takes Cob to Their First College Party

The older human and younger tiny get some one on one time.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 (Serendipitously G/T July 2024 themed) Part 5

Hazel’s Second Night with Ben

Hazel gets a better first-hand experience of Ben's mental health struggles.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Extra: Settling In

Ben Realizes He's Actually in College to Learn

Attractions begin to grow between the sibling pairs.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Halloween Party

The siblings have some Halloween shenanigans for #GTober2024

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Extra: First November Morning

Christmas Shopping Surprise

Part 1 Part 2

Movie Night of Big Feelings

Ben and Hazel's feelings are hard to ignore anymore.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

New Year, New You, New York

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

The Reason for the Glue Traps...The Rat

Hazel meets a mortal foe and may not live to tell the tale.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

A Revealing Pact

Part 1 Part 2

***

One Shots + Scenes

Fun scenes or ideas I play with that don't necessarily play into the main plot.

Bad Hangover (G/T July 2024 - Distortion) ***

A Titanic Typhoon - Alternate Universe (Mermay)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

***

[narianders-gt-hell]

Untitled Space G/t Whatever

A.N.: I have some old writing on my phone that’s got The Sauce™️ but I know I’m not gonna do anything with it, so!!!! putting this snippet here pls enjoy !

-

March furrowed his brows and looked away. “Have I been that obvious?” he asked quietly.

Well, quietly for a human. The question still rattled Varka’s bones even in the lower gravity of his habsuite. The translator attached to her ear spat his rumbling language out as something she could understand. She nodded, tucking a few bioluminescent frills out of her face. Human faces were expressive, even when they weren’t the size of a billboard. “Painfully so. Now get over here so we can practice.”

He stood up slowly, continually asking if she was okay with each or his movements. She nodded and ignored the survival instincts screaming at her that an absolutely massive predator was coming her way. She ignored them as he set his hands down on either side of her. She ignored them as one of those massive hands slid towards her until it eclipsed her view of the room.

She rooted herself to the spot, repeatedly reminding herself that this was March. He’d been under her command for years now, she’d laughed with him, cried with him, they’d swapped stories of their families, she knew him.

Breathe in. He takes another step towards her.

It’s been fifteen years.

Breathe out. Another step.

He wasn’t a monster.

Breathe in. Another step.

He’s not a monster.

Breathe out. Final step.

He sure as shit didn’t need her to flinch right now. She sucked in a deep breath and looked up, gulping nervously when she realized he wasn’t looking at her. His upper body towered over her, a wide expanse of fabric covering a muscled torso larger than most megastructures back home. It reminded her of the first time she made contact with humans.

———

There were five of them touring the utterly massive server complex where she used to dataweave subspace networks. She knew they were coming, it was all anyone could talk about, but she didn’t ever sort out when. Thinking it wouldn’t affect her work, she kept plugging away at algorithmic data categorizations within one of the crystal storage silos that ran along the walls of the temperature controlled, man-made cavern.

Every once in a while a transport vehicle would thunder past her, tossing her hair around her facd and blasting her with the roar of its engine. She was so used to this phenomenon that she barely noticed anything amiss until the house-sized crystal she’d been making adjustments to began to move. Two massive, fleshy…things were grabbing it on either side, gently wiggling the whole crystal out of its socket. Normally it’d take a team of workers hours to maneuver these crystals onto huge transport buses, but whatever held it now was doing the job in less than a minute.

The crystal was pulled away entirely, and in its stead was the largest eye she’d ever seen. Varka screamed and prayed to the gods that whatever it was would make her death quick and painless. The skin around the eye creased, making an expression caught between bemused and sheepish. Everything around her shook with the weight of the alien’s nervous laughter. A few moments later the eye pulled away, and the crystals that surrounded her silhouetted what she recognized as the face of a human woman with dark brown hair tied in braids and bright, ochre eyes. The huge being smiled apologetically, holding up the datacrystal as if asking for permission to put it back.

She was gorgeous. Why had no one told her that humans were pretty? All anyone talked about was how terrifyingly huge they were, no one prepared her for the prettiest alien monster she’d ever seen in her life. She mentally kicked herself for not looking it up beforehand. Varka slapped her cheeks a few times to snap herself out of it. She a deep breath and looked up at her, pointing to the now-empty port and then the crystal. “Put it back, please!” she shouted, unsure of whether or not the human could even hear her. She seemed to get the message, though, getting closer until the only thing Varka could see was the crystal and the appendages holding it. The crystal locked itself in place with a loud click and it flushed blue to indicate a successful reconnection to the network. Through the small window of space between crystals, she caught the human woman waving to her, followed by her four colleagues. Each one of them turned to look at her, and every time she met their gaze she froze up.

That was possibly the most intense experience of her life. She would be perfectly content if she never had to do that again.

Unfortunately, the gods had a pretty sick sense of humor.

Later that night, her supervisor informed her she was invited to the human ship, and that she should be grateful for the opportunity. “Humans open a lot of doors, Ms. Careti, you should accept their offer.” What was she supposed to do? Refuse the terrifying giants and incur their terrible wrath? So here she was, pacing back and forth outside an airlock built for smaller species. It still managed to dwarf her. She fidgeted with the buttons on the only work jumpsuit she had that wasn’t stained with coolant, messed with her fronds in the reflective dark screen of the unlit terminal, and dithered back and forth on whether or not to push the electric blue call button. She hissed and let out a small “Fuck it.” under her breath, slamming the button before she could think twice about it.

The screen flickered to life in an instant. The human onscreen looked shockingly…normal. His features were still alien, but he looked similar to a number of other bipedal mammalians she’d see walking around the station. The only difference they shared now was their skin tone and his distinct lack of fronds. “Hey!” the human grinned, waving excitedly, “Jada’s really sorry about scaring you, by the way.”

“IS SHE HERE?” someone shouted from offscreen. The woman from before came careening into view, shoving the other human out of the way. Varka was again struck stupid by how stunning she was. Her braids floated around her face, and her excited smile made Varka’s stomach do backflips. If they were the same size when they met the first time, she was sure she’d have flirted a little. She brushed her hair out of her face and smiled at Varka. “Hi! Hi, hello, how are you? I am so sorry about the thing with the data crystal!” she said nervously, “And, uh, sorry for scaring you! I wasn’t thinking when I took that crystal, I just saw that it needed to be replaced and I hadn’t even considered that someone would be there doing maintenance already. If you want to stay out there it’s totally fine, but um, feel free to come inside!”

Another human off camera groaned. “I thought we weren’t—“

“We’re being polite!” she hissed, cutting them off, “A-Anyway, I’m Jada! The human you were talking to before is Alex, and the one currently being rude is Gamma. Reese and Carlin are…somewhere on the ship, probably doing maintenance. They were nervous, y’know?”

Varka couldn’t stop herself from laughing. A human? Nervous about her? Insane.

[kittydoremi]

Sonic and The Sol Flower in a nutshell:

Sonic: "Man... I wish I was taller."

Sol Flower: "... how tall?"

[st4rryyynight]

★ Okay so, concept ★:

— |★| A giant/human is walking home with a tiny being held as a captive in their pocket. Though once they arrive home and check to see how their new little 'friend' is doing— they are quite baffled to find out that there is nothing in the pocket but a large tear, meaning that the little bugger has somehow managed to claw or bite through the cloth in order to escape their prison of fabric. You can decide wether the giant/human will be on the hunt for the tiny for the xyz reason, or if they just forget about the whole ordeal— only being annoyed at the fact that they have to patch up their pocket or something.

[gtwritingprompts]

g/t prompts

how a borrower might be caught

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫

1. tangled in their climbing rope

2. their home sniffed out by a dog/cat

3. sneezing too loud

4. falling into a sink, unable to climb out

5. sticky mousetrap

6. falling asleep in a human’s shirt pocket

7. lost their hook, left stranded on a counter

8. trying to watch a movie with the human

9. accidentally breaking a glass in the middle of the night

10. spilling flour/sugar all over the kitchen counter

11. singing along to the human’s music

12. setting off the fire alarm

13. choosing to reveal themselves because they need help (medicine, heat, etc.)

[a-conspicuous-leaf]

The Diver

Summary: Upon visiting an open house for an upcoming exhibit at the museum, you find one of the displays to be more lively than expected. This story is based on a dream I had and has been written as a self-insert, first person POV.

Words: 1.4k

TW: None

The large museum rose above the street with an impressive presence of marbled architecture, illuminated by tastefully placed lights in the spring twilight. I held the invitation in my hands, reading it over again and again to make sure I didn't miss anything. Today, in a yet unveiled exhibit, the museum had chosen to host a limited open house to gain public opinion before opening it officially. The pictures promised a collection of lovingly crafted models and dioramas displaying humanity's advancement in technologies throughout the decades. Being invited to such an event felt glamorous and exclusive, so I made sure to pick out a nice outfit for the occasion.

The doors opened and the guide checked our invitations before leading us inside, down the massive halls toward the exhibit. Sure enough, the displays were delightful and well made. I enjoyed looking over each one, but found myself most enamored by the Ocean Exploration section, presenting intricate ships, newspaper clippings, and a tank of water with a miniature diver. I held back here as my eyes lingered on the small figure in the tank. It donned standard diving dress from the early 20th century and seemed to move much more fluidly than the robotic motions of the other dioramas. With a prickling sensation in my sternum, it turned to look right at me for a moment before walking across the tank floor towardme. I held my breath, stunned as two tiny hands pressed against the glass. I brought my fingertips up in amazement. It gestured, pointing to me, then itself, then up. I tilted my head and it dawned on me: could there be a person in there? 

Blinking in surprise, I asked quietly, "You want me to… pull you out?"

Small hands tapped against the sides of a large bell helmet before they shook their head. They couldn't hear me. I pointed to myself, made a grabbing motion, pointed at them, then moved as if I were lifting them from the tank. They met me with an enthusiastic nod, which came out as an awkward set of bows with the rigidity of the helmet's bonnet against the breastplate. I looked around, finding the group had moved on ahead, then pulled off my jacket. The tank lid thankfully lifted easily and I was able to reach down inside without trouble. The sensation of wrapping my fingers around a humanoid shape dressed in waterproof canvas felt wildly strange, and they made no protest as I brought them up out of the water. For a few heartbeats, we stared at eachother while they lay in the palm of my hand, and I watched as their chest rose and fell with breath. 

A call from further down the room asked me to keep up and remain with the group, and I hastily disconnected the breathing tube from the bonnet before throwing my jacket back on and placing them in my pocket. I speed walked to catch back up with the group, and kept my hand around the form of a person I'd stolen from the exhibit. 

Back home, I threw my keys on the shelf by the door and pulled out the diver. I gently placed them on the counter and watched in fascination as he removed the copper bonnet from his head. A stunningly handsome young man looked up at me with dark brown hair and grey eyes. My fingers itched to touch him again. To feel his body and know this wasn't a dream. 

"How did you get into the museum?" I asked softly, marveling at each motion. 

He pulled the breastplate and diving weights off. "Museum?" he repeated. "I thought I died in this suit… You're telling me this isn't the in between?" The oversized boots were removed next, which were followed by the canvas suit itself. 

I'd never heard of anything like the in between before, but if he were from a different world then perhaps that's what his people called this world? "I'm not sure what you mean by that, but maybe we call it different things. Can you tell me about the inbetween?"

Suit fully shed, he stretched with arms clasped high above his head. He wore a button down shirt with slacks and suspenders, and I imagined he'd look delightful in a newsboy's cap. 

"Well," he placed his hands on his hips in thought. "It's where you go after you die. When you're there, you're met by your patron god who either accepts you into the afterlife or casts your soul into damnation." He leaned over and reached into a pocket on the inside of the suit. With unbridled delight, I watched as he placed one newsboy's cap onto his head.

"And you believe you've died..?"

He looked around, a bit confused. "Yes?" He tilted his head. "I put the suit on for a dare and assumed something went wrong when I was underwater when I ended up here." With a slight discomfort, he gazed into my eyes. "Is that not what happened? Did I not drown? Are you not my patron?"

"I don't think so," I stated. I didn't want to overwhelm him just yet. Before figuring out how to navigate all this, I needed to know if I was dealing with some "magic portal" deal or an isekai. My thoughts lingered on his attire. "What year is it for you?"

"It's 1922," he replied, shifting his weight between feet. "But, where am I if not in the in between? How am I supposed to join the afterlife if you don't swallow my soul? Am– am I being rejected into damnation?"

The awareness of his rising panic completely vanished from my mind at the implications of his last question. "Your gods eat you?"

"No!" he objected. "It's nothing like that!" Silence hung heavily in the air before he continued. "You're… not a god, are you?" he asked quietly, eyes fixed firmly to the countertop. 

"No, I'm not. I'm just human."

With a wobble, he fell to his knees. "Trapped in a land of giants," he mused quietly to himself. He looked up again, fear now lacing every fiber of his expression. I was not his god, but a towering stranger. With wide eyes, he started scrambling backwards. "I–" His breathing staggered. "Please don't– please don't hurt me." His back hit the wall and he cowered. "I'll give you whatever you want."

I reached forward slowly, but that only seemed to terrify him even more. Pulling back slightly, I spoke in as soft a tone I could manage, "I'm not going to hurt you." Obviously, he'd been alright with being handled when he thought I was his god, but now he had no reason to trust me so faithfully. "If I wanted to do so, I would've already. I only brought you out of the tank because you asked me to."

He carefully considered this, eyeing me with understandable suspicion. Swallowing hard after a shaky breath, he relaxed only a little. "I suppose that's true." He leaned forward, planted his elbows on his knees, and let his face fall into his hands. 

His body immediate stiffened when I brushed a knuckle against his side gently, and I could feel his heartbeat increase at the contact. "I understand this is a lot to take in, but it's late. Would you like to sleep?" 

The rigidity within him relaxed almost immediately at the mention of rest and he lifted his head slightly. "Please…" he exhaled. 

I opened my hand and wrapped my fingers around his body, marveling once again at the feeling of a tiny human man within my grasp. He didn't fight, but his heart rate and breathing told me every fiber of his being screamed at him to do so. I repositioned so he lay in my cupped hands and walked into the bedroom, then set him on the nightstand and brought over the softest blanket I had. 

"I'm sorry," I said. "I don't have pajamas in your size." He eyed the bed with a nervous glance. "Ah." My cheeks flushed slightly. "It– it's silly, but I'd like you close by in case you need anything. If there's something else you'd prefer, I'm more than happy to–"

"No, it's alright," he interrupted quietly. "This will work."

I watched as he pulled off his hat and shoes and climbed into the blanket as if it were an oversized nest. "Do you need anything? Pre-bed snack? Water?" He shoot his head. "I'll go change into my pajamas, then. I'll be back."

After retreating to the bathroom to get changed and brush my teeth, I returned to find him snoring softly where I'd left him. It didn't come as a surprise. After all, he'd been through so much today. I climbed into bed and pulled the covers over me, wondering if he'd still be there when I awoke.

[elizaditton]

Viola! An update! ...that's still not a new chapter! 😅

This piece of artwork is based on chapter 17 of my book, Too Small To Be Afraid, where Derrick lowers himself to be closer to eye-level with Kaylin.

Noticing my struggle, Derrick crouches down in front of the table. Now he’s the one looking up at me, but his size is still so overwhelming to me. He’s just so… big. His face nearly fills my entire field of vision! I back up a bit, clutching at my skirt as anxiety floods my nervous system. He’s so close.

Too Small To Be Afraid is about a girl learning to overcome her fear of the pertheans who tower over her after being enrolled in a school where she's forced to share her desk with one! You can read it here!

New chapter coming soon! :D

[tinyundercover]

recommend me some good gt stories please 🙏🙏 preferably hurt/comfort hehehe