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tea-potato-gt · 2 months

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The Biggest Heart Story: Stør’s Job (Part 1)

Summary: A story of blossoming young love between a Giant and a Water Nymph. Mizu can’t explain it, but she feels like she needs to see her giant friend, Stør. Little does she know of the surprise that awaits her on the farm the giant teenager works on. (Very early stages of their relationship.)

Kæmpe Stør Giant (17yrs - 36ft) & Mizu Rivers Water Nymph (18yrs - 5’6)

More on The Biggest Heart story here

Part 2 here

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3k words

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"Is Stør home?" Mizu asked nervously, clutching her blue hands to her chest.

"No I'm sorry, Mizu, he's at work right now." Stør's human father, Joseph, said.

"Work?" Mizu repeated. She didn't know Stør had a job. Or more accurately, she didn't know he COULD have a job. She couldn't imagine many grocery stores were looking to hire a 36 foot high schooler to man the check out lines.

"Yeah, Kæmpe works odd jobs for the local farmers. Right now he’s at Old Briar’s place down the road." Joseph read the confusion on the Water Nymph's face. "He should be done soon if you want to wait here---"

"I'll go to him!" Mizu interrupted. She realized how rude she must have sounded, her already blue face became a darker shade and she couldn't make eye contact with the human before her. "S-sorry... I don't want to intrude on you and your family... I-I just need to talk to Stør about our class project really quick."

Joseph smiled at the young girl's flustered face, "no worries, Mizu." He took out a pen and paper from a nearby drawer and wrote the address of Old Briar’s farm and handed it to a very stiff Mizu. "I'm sure he'll be very happy to see you." Joseph gave her a wink and closed the door.

Mizu stood on the doorstep for a few moments, holding the piece of paper, face turning a dark shade of blue.

***

Walking down the dirt road became increasingly nerve wracking with every shaky step Mizu took.

Mizu felt ridiculous. Why was she there? Appearing unannounced at Stør’s house no less! She had been there a few times before, but never alone. Strega (Stør and Mizu’s mutual friend) always dragged her along to hang out. When Strega's friend got together, there were very few places they could all go if Stør was involved. This usually meant they just watched movies in his room or swam in the sea by his house.

But Mizu had never invited herself over before. Why was she doing this to herself?? Maybe she should just go home. The questions she has about their project could be easily answered with an email. She'd worked with Stør before on projects using email and video chats as their main form of communicating. Why did it feel like she needed to see and talk to him in person right now?

“That’s it! This is stupid. I’m going home.” Mizu huffed out loud to herself. The anxiety was becoming too much for her to handle. “I’m so stupid!” She repeated as she turned around.

Little did she realize, she had already arrived at Old Briar’s farm.

She felt the ground tremble slightly. Mizu's eyes widened as the treeline started to shake. She heard a low strained grunt.

Curiosity got the best of her. Mizu walked further down the road, following the sound, attempting to figure out what it was.

Old Briar’s farm was quite large, and surrounded by trees of various kinds, sizes, and thicknesses. There was a stretching field of crops that bordered the trees and went up and over the hills nearby. The property was surrounded by a wooden fence that came about shoulder height on Mizu.

She walked parallel to the fence till she made it to the edge of the woods where she finally spotted it--- him.

About 50 feet away from Mizu, there on the edge of the woods, stood Stør.

He was hunched over and gripping a large tree. It was tall enough to reach his mid torso. His large hands barely grasp fully around the trunk. It looked like the branches were scratching up his inner arms as he tried to get a better grip on the tree.

He wore a white tank top, covered in sweat from the hot afternoon sun, blue jeans, and thick work boots. (Once again, Mizu was amazed by the magic created to let a giant wear human clothes on a grand scale.)

Mizu could almost forget how tall Stør really was. From this far away, she could imagine her classmate as a normal sized teenager weeding in his backyard.

But the illusion quickly dissipated with a horrible wrenching sound coming from the tree as Stør used all his strength to uproot the plant and free its hold in the ground. Twigs and roots snapped and leaves scattered.

Mizu stared. She couldn't believe her eyes. As he exerted himself, she saw the muscles on his arms bulge. She never noticed how toned Stør was. In the three years Mizu had known him, she had only seen him wear baggy long sleeved shirts, even on the hottest summer days.

Rationally she knew Stør had to be strong. He was a 36 foot tall giant, of course he has to be strong compared to an average human. But watching him rip a massive tree out of the ground like it was nothing really cemented something Mizu had been thinking about since she met him…

Stør is holding himself back.

Mizu had heard Stør briefly mention his status of living on Noma. Being the only giant on the small Island nation led to a lot of red tape and trepidation when it came to his presence. Any mistake he makes could result in dire consequences for himself or others.

Stør’s life is constantly dictated by rules and harsh punishments.

After closely observing Stør for months, Mizu slowly realized he never lashed out. Even when faced with hatred or bullying or fear, he never retaliated or fought back. No negative words of others ever passed his lips. Stør kept a constant air of calm and control about his actions, features, and body. His movements were always slow and purposeful. He never raised his voice and he definitely never showed his full strength.

But here in this moment, uprooting a tree, when he thought he was alone… For once, Stør didn't need to hold back his strength. He didn't try to make himself smaller for other people's comfort. He didn't need to worry about hurting anyone. No one was running away screaming at the very sight of him.

In this brief moment, Stør was free.

After watching how the world treated Stør, this realization broke Mizu’s heart. Could Stør truly only be his true self in the absence of others? In the absence of his family, friends, or even Mizu herself?

Mizu thought she had experienced every curveball becoming friends with a giant could offer, from learning how to ride on his shoulder to how a giant navigated a world literally too small for his stature. But once again, Stør unknowingly turned her whole understanding of his life upside down.

In the past, Mizu has overheard other students call Stør a freak or a monster. Comments like these always made her see red. How could anyone think less of him? So what if he’s a LITTLE taller than most people? He’s still the sweetest guy Mizu has ever met. It infuriated her to no end.

But then she regrettably remembers the emotions she felt when she first laid eyes on the teenager (in the English class they shared three years ago). She felt nothing short of pure frozen terror. Worried he could at any moment decide to reach his hand through the classroom window and snatch her up from her desk, carrying her off to the gods mnow where, and hurt her.

She (unfortunately) can’t blame people for being afraid of her friend. And it seems Stør doesn’t blame them either.

Mizu watched as Stør regarded the large tree in his grasp. Something she could never hope to lift in her wildest dreams. He turned it from side to side as if admiring the poor tree he just forcefully evicted from the earth.

Then he turned and gently set the tree down in a large pile of other trees that too had been uprooted. A dozen massive trees lay on their sides, roots out for the world to see.

Stør wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked back to the tree line. He grabbed a hold of another tree with both hands. A slightly smaller one, but no less impressive. He looked like he was about to pull when suddenly, Stør looked up and locked eyes with Mizu.

Her body froze. Stør did the same. They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.

Mizu was the first to find her voice, “Hi.” She called across the feild to him and waved.

This finally broke the spell, Stør quickly let go of the tree in his grasp. He curled in on himself in an attempt to look smaller.

Finally, his brain processed her presence in front of him to and allowed words to form.

“M-Mizu!?” Stør stuttered her name, he blinked rapidly as if hoping she wasn’t standing right there. “I didn’t see you,” Stør quickly grabbed his crumpled up plaid shirt from the ground, threw his arms into it, and immediately began buttoning up his baggy shirt.

Once again, here he was trying to hide himself. Hide his muscular arms in favor of a more round and soft outward appearance. Something more palpable to the average onlooker.

Mizu watched his personality change in real time, from a confident young giant to a scared timid child wishing to be anything other than what he was. Her heart ached at the fact he felt he needed to do this for someone he considered a friend.

“Don’t let me get in the way,” Mizu said as she climbed over the top of the wooden fence and sat on top. “You can keep on working.”

“No, no I was j-just about done anyway,” Stør rubbed the back of his neck, refusing to look at her. “I just need to take these– these to the other side of the property.” He vaguely gestured at the pile of large trees at his feet.

She usually found it cute when Stør stuttered with nerves, but in this moment, it felt like a knife slowly cut through her heart. He wouldn’t even look at her anymore. Stealing herself, she said, “Okay, I’ll go with you.”

Stør did a double take, “Wha— Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Mizu climbed down the rest of the fence and confidently walked across the field towards him.

“Y-you really don’t have to.” Stør sunk further into himself as he kneeled down. “It might-might take a while.”

Mizu shrugged, “I don’t have any plans.” She was now within reaching distance of the giant teenager. She had to look up at him to catch his eye. Mizu had to admit, his slouching and lowering of his body did help with neck pain when it came to keeping eye contact with a giant.

“But still… A-Are you sure, Mizu?”

Mizu rolled her eyes, “Yes I’m sure, Stør.” She was getting impatient.

“Okay…” his voice was unsteady.

Quickly changing topics before he could change his mind, Mizu clapped her hands together excitedly, “So how are we gonna transport these big-ass trees?”

Stør snorted at her abrasive language, he often forgets how foul mouthed this Water Nymph could be. “WE aren’t going to do anything. I just have to– to walk them over the hill to the other side of the farm house.”

“Fine then, since I can’t help you do all the heavy lifting, how about I keep you cool?” Mizu giggled. She held out her hand, and using her hydrokinesis, she pulled water from the surrounding air, “Can’t have you passing out from heat stroke while you do all the heavy lifting.”

Once the sphere of water was about the size of a bowling ball, she flung it straight at Stør’s face. It splashed harmlessly on his cheek, but he still reeled back expecting it to hurt. He slammed his eyes closed, but immediately felt the coolness of the water on his face, it was wonderful. He opened his eyes to find Mizu laughing, “You should have seen your face!”

Stør wiped the (to him) drop of water from his cheek, “Yeah, Yeah.” He rolled his eyes, but as he looked back down at Mizu he became serious. “I’m going to stand now. Is that alright?” He watched her closely for her reaction.

Mizu gave a quick nod. That was all he needed. Placing a hand on his knee as he slowly stood to his full height. He looked down to make sure Mizu hadn’t moved. She did not. Then he went to work.

He reached past the pile of uprooted trees and grabbed a long silver wire. It was huge and thick, she watched as he wrapped the trees in steel rope, which is usually used by giant cranes. He carefully tried the rope around the trees and fastened them in place. Then he lifted the pile of trees up, and using another long steel rope, attached them to his back.

Stør looked back down at his friend with trepidation at her reaction. Would she be frightened? But the look in her eye dispelled that worry. Her eyes were wide, sure, but not from fear. Awe and admiration danced on her face.

Slowly bending down, Stør lowered his free hand in front of Mizu, silently asking for her to climb aboard. Something she has done plenty of times in the past, and had said yes every time, but he made it a point to never grab anyone no matter how well they knew each other.

With his right hand entering her space, Mizu finally blinked and realized she had been staring for too long. She quickly looked away, blushing harder, and got to work.

Concentrating, she conjured up the moisture out of the ground and air. It was relatively easy with the high humidity and it had rained earlier that day. By the time she was done, Mizu had collected about as much water as a jacuzzi could hold. Hoping this would be enough, Mizu stepped onto his hand and began her ascent to Stør’s shoulder.

Now it was Stør’s turn to stare. The water danced alongside Mizu as she marched her way up his arm with a practice stride. Her steps tickled as she made the last stretch and slumped down on his shoulder with a huff. He tried to look at her, but she was too close to his neck that he could only see the top of her head. “Ready?” Stør said in a quiet voice due to her being so close.

Stør felt her grab his earlobe for balance. “Always.” Mizu said. The sphere of water flowed and changed at her whim beside his head, he could hear it splashing and gurgling by his ear like a stream.

With Mizu secured, Stør slowly stood up with a little more trouble than usual. He had to get up from a crouched position with heavy trees on his back weighing him down.

Sitting on Stør’s shoulder gave a view Mizu could never grow tired of. She was astonished to think Stør saw the world like this every day. What would be large rocks to step over, became unnoticeable pebbles in their path. She could see over the treeline and even a little bit of the ocean in the distance.

Stør was about to take his first step towards the farm house, when his breath hitched. A sudden cold sensation wrapped around his neck. Whatever it was it constantly moved like a soft stream around him.

Mizu had held up her end of the deal and created a water based neck wrap to help with the heat. It felt so wonderful on this hot day, that Stør briefly considered asking Mizu to join him every time he was out working. Her company and powers would definitely make the hours he spent in the sun much more enjoyable.

“Damn that feels good, thanks.” Was all Stør said as he started walking. Mizu just hummed pleasantly as she tried to focus on balancing on an ever moving giant shoulder and keeping her water powers stable.

“You can drink some if you want. It’s clean.” She raised a ball of water to his lips. To him it was just a sip, but to her the sphere of water was about the size of her head.

“Not— not right now.” Stør stammered. “Maybe later?” He always felt too awkward drinking her magic, it felt like taking a bite out of her. When he had tasted her enchanted water in the past, it continued to move as if it were alive in his mouth. He knew from his magical species class, any water she touches gets imbued with her essence as long as her magic is linked. To drink water while still activated by her hydrokinesis made him feel icky.

There was a long stint of silence between them. Neither knew what to say, as they passed over the hill. Mizu could tell Stør felt off. “What’s wrong?” Mizu glanced at his worried expression. He continued to stare at the ground, watching his step.

“I-it’s nothing.” Stør said not looking at her.

“Stør, please?” Mizu’s voice was soft in his ear.

He hesitated, several things were wrong right now, but he settled on one. “It’s just… I-I’m sorry if I smell,” Stør dreaded her being so close to him normally, but now the anxiety was unbearable. He had been working in the hot sun for hours resulting in him certainly smelling like body odor and sweat.

Once again she giggled in his ear, a sound that set his soul aflame. “Stør, did you forget what I am?” She splashed his cheek once again with a ball of water to remind him. Water Nymphs’s bodies were made entirely out of water. They have no need to breathe or smell like normal creatures, because they take in oxygen through their skin. They live in dark underground caves filled with water. Their senses are dedicated to their large eyes and ears or to their hydrokinetic powers. “You could jump in raw sewage and I wouldn’t know the difference.”

Stør chuckled to himself, relieved at her reminder of her species. He liked that Mizu was a Water Nymph. He liked a lot of things about Mizu. Her passion and kindness. Her blue hair was made of water and it flowed like a stream through a single drop would never fall to the floor. Her laugh was contagious and sweet as honey. And her smile… Oh Gods, it was a rare treat indeed, if only he could find ways to make that smile never fade… A-And he guessed her being unable to smell his body odor was a bonus too…

The rest of the trip didn’t last more than a few minutes. The pair chatted about nothing in particular, but neither minded, comforted by the other’s presence.

***

Part 2 here! 🫣

This is my first (published) short story. I usually don’t write stories, I like drawing comics, so any critiques and suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

Find out more about Stør & Mizu in The Biggest Heart master post 😉

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windupnamazu · 1 year

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i bet you play soccer 'cause you're a keeper!

ffxivwrite2023 #17: tease (free day) make fun of or attempt to provoke in a playful way.

Some pre-relationship Lunya/G'raha and @fistsoflightning's Zaya/Thancred. Random high school AU????????? Don't ask me. 782wc. ⮞ Two sets of teenagers, both alike in teenage cringefaility, On fair soccer field, where we lay our scene,

"Soooooo, Lu," Nyneve drawled, elbows on her knees and chin in her hands as she leaned forward to see Lunya past Majj's giant GO, GO, VARLIN-OH! poster. "Are you really just interested in Zaya's games or are you gonna admit you've been eyeing Raha like he's a prime cut of Hingan wagyu since he hit the field?"

"Hmph," Lunya sniffed with a haughty flip of her hair to hide the slightest flush of red to her cheeks. "I can do both. Multitasking is the key to success, Nyneve."

And boy, could Lunya multitask. Just because Zaya invited her out specifically to watch the coed soccer matches and relay race didn't mean Lunya couldn't enjoy everything else Sports Day had to offer. Especially not if 'everything else' included that cute Miqo'te boy from her history classes with Professor Rurusha. She overheard him infodumping to his friends about Allagan waterways at the beginning of the school year and she was doomed. Doomed.

"Y'know I could just introduce you, right? You don't have to wait for Rurusha to maybe assign you as project partners one day," Nyneve reminded her, only for Athanasia to sock her shoulder on her other side.

"Stop interfering in your friends' love lives," the other Midlander teen scolded. It might have been out of genuine concern or a desperate attempt to keep yet another man out of her best-friend-slash-crush's field of view. Nyneve turned around to whine and with a roll of her eyes, Lunya tuned them out to look for Zaya.

Their sibling was hard to miss even in the sea of blue jerseys scattered across the field; their azure face paint—(their "war paint", they eagerly signed to Lunya that morning on their way to school, which Lunya thought was ridiculous but adorable)—was stark against their skin and dark scales and they were talking to Thancred Waters, whose fanclub was hovering at the edge of the field as close as they could without Coach Hagane yelling at them to back off.

Thancred, who was leaning towards Zaya to—

Lunya reached over and gripped Majj's arm.

"Did he just—" Majj wolf whistled in confirmation, drawing every head on the field to their direction, and then Lunya was on her feet, shouting: "YEAAAAAAH, QESTIR!"

Zaya sprung back from Thancred, eyes wide like she had caught them swiping up the last khuushuur. Both of them had very distinct splotches of red on their faces despite his kiss on their forehead being rather innocent.

"TOUCH HIS BUTT," Zaya's horrible, terrible little sister hollered anyway, shaking the whole set of bleachers as she bounced up and down in some twisted imitation of a hyperactive circus monkey.

Mentally, Zaya debated if it would be faster to run up the bleachers to pick Lunya up and carry her to the river to drop her in it or to simply kill everyone staring at them.

As some of the teachers wandered over to figure out what in Thaliak's name the kids in the stands were yelling about, G'raha Tia came up from behind Zaya and Thancred with a nervous clearing of his throat.

"You guys know her?" the sophomore asked, tilting his head in the direction of Lunya and Majj doing an excited little dance. Lunya's dyed-white hair was practically glowing in the late-spring sun and Thancred decided to remind her later that she needed to touch up her roots.

"Lunya? Yeah," Thancred confirmed. "She's my neighbour; known her since she was, uh, smaller than she is now."

G'raha couldn't quite make eye contact with either of them. "We've never talked before but she's in some of my classes..." Oh, no. Thancred knew what that nervous, yearning edge to G'raha's voice meant. The boy was halfway in love with her already. Between them, Zaya was furiously gesturing. "Um. Sorry, Zaya, but I still don't know most of those signs."

"They more or less said that if you so much as look at their sister like you do your history books they'll turn you into shorlog," Thancred translated.

G'raha gulped but didn't deny any of the looking. "Got it."

It didn't stop him from casting another gaze of the longing kind back at the bleachers, which he only managed to get away with because Coach Hagane called everyone back over and Thancred drew Zaya under his arm before they could swing around and sock their goalie in the jaw, pulling them close and determinedly not looking back at the little party being thrown in the stands. That wasn't a real move anyway, so they were celebrating for nothing, but Thancred made a private note to rub Zaya's impulsiveness off him before something like this could happen again.

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2023 #oc: lunya #g'raha tia #thancred waters #zaya #tales from the warriors of light #does this belong in the luha tag. why not #s: let me find you #also zaya wunya sibbies tag #g: the line where the sky meets the sea #an excerpt of this was in my drafts for idk a few years. so heres. Something.

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