Out of their Element

[Nropyub]

Aiden is getting very sloppy, and Evie is going to suffer for it.

1. Don’t bring your drunk friend home.
2. Control who is around Evie at all times.
3. Flirty huggy girl with a clear lack of boundaries (shows up expecting car keys without asking ahead of time) is obviously going to hug you again and you knew that which is why you went for a half-assed side hug.

I honestly cannot imagine what he could have reasonably been thinking. He gets in his head and beats himself up a lot but…this time he should. There was only one very obvious move here and it was to leave immediately. Something was accounted for, something changed the circumstances, this is no longer safe for the little lady, so get your ass out of there.

This girl obviously likes Aiden, does not respect boundaries, and is very used to getting what she wants in more way than one. Shes made her feelings towards a three inch tall woman she just terrified moments before completely known without regards to that persons feelings. She’s going to be a real problem and if a certain cop shows up and says anything about Evie being a person of interest or operating under an assumed name she won’t hesitate to rationalize telling exactly where she can be found and under what circumstances. I think she’s also capable of just outing her anyway.

Aiden you poor, dumb fool. You just can’t help yourself when it comes to keeping Evie safe.

[DocRick]

Aiden is getting very sloppy, and Evie is going to suffer for it.

Correct on all counts, though the exbf/cop isn't too much of a worry. She's at the collage under an assumed name and the experiment that shrunk her was not a sanctioned procedure, so there's no record of it. But, if her condition is made public...........not only could she be taken from Aiden, but the story would obviously be put on the news along with a picture of her. I'd be more concerned with her sucking up to Camilla, getting accepted into the "group" and somehow getting access to Evie without anyone else around to protect her.

[littlest-lily]

She certainly is a bit of a wrench thrown in to the story! I'll leave it at that heh. Thanks for being invested though guys~


Chapter 58
Aiden

I scroll through my long line of text messages on my phone, hoping I haven't said anything that might have screwed something up. Camila has grown more reasonable since a few days ago, thankfully. But I still feel like I'm walking on eggshells. We have one last quick exchange right now.

C: Sry, roommate's bro keeping me busy. He's leaving tonight, maybe we can do something this weekend?

A: Ok that works for me. I'm busy tomorrow but Saturday or Sunday should work. Group thing?

C: Sure

I sigh inwardly. There are a few reasons that I haven't been close with Camila over the years, I don't particularly want to hang out this weekend. But it feels like a precarious position now that she knows of Evie's existence, like I have no choice but to include her in my life now. It's not that I think she's a horrible person or anything, but she's nowhere near the top of the list of people I would have normally introduced my shrunken girlfriend to. She can be a little immature, a little self centered. I only hope she's able to keep a secret. In any case, I'm feeling the need to keep an eye on her.

I think about the dinner party. The disaster of an introduction. The conversation that I had with Camila afterwards that was fraught with tension. I rethink about every detail and fret about every word.

We'd sat down at the dinner table once the girls had gone upstairs, and even Diego backed off and left the room to let us talk. The others had already told her the very basics, but I went ahead and recounted the shorthand version of all that happened to Evie, from the deception at the lab to the way she's been living at my apartment ever since. Camila was generally quiet, her hands clenched in her lap, her frown never leaving her face. She occasionally asked a clarifying question, which I took as a good sign - gradually she was coming to terms with the impossible reality.

“No wonder you were so busy this semester,” she muttered, “So much happened…”

“Yes. It’s not that I particularly wanted to deceive you or anyone else. It’s been a weird situation.”

"I… I didn't know you were seeing someone," she said, her gaze falling to the floor.

"Oh. Yeah, it's a recent thing," I explained.

"Recent?" Camila looked back up at me, frown deepening with confusion. "You mean… Were you two not dating before she…?"

I shook my head. "No, I hardly knew her before she got shrunk."

I didn't really like the detour this conversation was taking and carefully tried to redirect it. I summoned every last scrap of empathy that I could and poured it into making my tone as gentle as possible.

"I know this is a lot. I hope you understand how important it is to keep quiet about this? The guy who did this to her had really bad intentions. If people find out–"

Camila tsk'd her tongue and sat back in her chair. "No, no, I get that. You guys can stop harping on it, I'm not going to tell anyone. As if anyone would believe me… I don't want people to think I'm crazy for no good reason."

"Thank you.” I reached my hand out to touch her shoulder, making eye contact as if to seal the deal. “That means a lot. Thank you so much."

I retracted my arm and wished I felt better about the look on her face. She still seemed very preoccupied and finally mumbled, "It's just… it's weird, isn't it? I mean, it’s like… she looks just like us but–"

"She is just like us," I interrupted, a bit more firm than I meant to be. I couldn't help it.

For the first time Camila looked sheepish, surprised at my tone. "No, I know, but I mean… The two of you…"

She trailed off and after a moment I shrugged. "Maybe it’s because I saw the before and after," I said, "but I’ve never been that weirded out by it. We get by just fine."

She let out a frustrated huff. "I just don't understand how it would even work. Don't you have to do everything for her? How can anything even get romantic? I don't get how you two can physically do anything that counts as–"

"Camila, that’s… honestly none of your business," I cut in with a frown. I felt shocked that she was so hung up on this. I can understand the confusion and curiosity around a multi-sized couple, but it's moments like this that remind me of the age gap between me and her. That hint of immaturity in asking such inappropriate questions at a time like this.

She flinched in response to my scolding, catching herself. "I… I'm sorry, I'm just… worried about you, that's all. It sounds like a lot for… the both of you to deal with."

"I appreciate that," I said, forcing a smile. "And I get that this must be overwhelming to find out about all at once. It'll feel less weird over time, I promise."

Now that I can think about this conversation in retrospect I'm seeing things a bit more clearly. I'm not a complete idiot - Camila was being incredibly obvious with her flirty looks in those first ten minutes that she had been with us. It was honestly rather frustrating to deal with. I thought I'd made my feelings clear years ago. This might make things a bit more complicated.

I drop my phone onto my stomach and lean my head back onto the couch's armrest with a subdued groan. I just want to keep my beloved little girlfriend safe. Is that too much to ask?

"You okay?" Evie's voice calls from behind me, on the desk. "You've been sighing a lot."

I don't want to worry her with more talks about Camila. I’ve already been drowning in guilt for how bad I fucked up the other night by letting this whole things happen in the first place. But I'd also rather not lie outright. "I keep reliving moments from the dinner party drama," I lament, "I need to snap out of it."

"Oh… Glad I'm not the only one who was kinda traumatized by all that…" she says sympathetically. "Actually no, I'm not glad. I'm sorry, babe."

I let my eyes close, lulled into a more relaxed state by her voice alone. "All good, love. I wouldn't call it trauma. Not compared to what you went through."

"At least it all turned out sort of alright in the end, thanks to you." After a pause she eagerly adds, "Need a distraction? I could actually use your help, if you're free!"

I immediately feel energized by the request - I still get excited every time she openly asks me for aid like this. "Sure! What do you nee–"

As soon as I've turned and tilted my head in Evie's direction, I trail off and then bolt upright. I wasn't sure what exactly she was working on since this morning, making some sort of vertical structure out of balsa wood with her staple-nails and clay at the base for stability. But apparently since I've been laying on the couch for a couple of hours, reading a book and texting Camila, the structure has doubled in height and looks more like miniature scaffolding now. And of course, Evie's perched right at the very top.

I get to my feet and try not to startle her as I quickly step to the desk, even though she seems preoccupied with whatever she's working on. She's a good ten inches up, straddling a strip of wood as if she were sitting on a two or three story tall jungle gym.

"Y-you need help down?" I assume, my hand already outstretched.

"No, I was just hoping you could grab the package that should be outside the door, according to my notifications." She points her foot towards her phone down on the desk, without looking up at me since she’s currently hammering a nail into wood.

"Oh. Um…" It feels agonizing to pull my fingers away from her tiny form sitting in such a precarious spot. I find myself unable to move my legs as I stare anxiously. My nerves are already shot from the text messages and I ultimately decide to say what's on my mind. "It just makes me so nervous when you get up high like that…"

Evie looks up from her work then, big brown doe eyes searching my face. She seems hesitant to respond, but musters the courage to say what's on her mind too. "You realize I'm way higher off the ground when you're walking around with me on your shoulder, right? We do that all the time."

I frown. "True, but I always have a hand at the ready to catch you if you fall."

Her reassuring smile is quickly becoming a smug smirk. "So you trust yourself to catch me more than you trust me not to fall?"

I blink and stutter, "That's… I… Well…"

Evie laughs. "I'm just giving you a hard time, Aiden. I appreciate you worrying about me. Look."

She holds up a piece of string that's fastened to the beam that she's sitting on, tugging it taught. I notice that the other side of it is tied snugly around her waist. Like a rock climber, she's knotted the rope off at multiple places throughout her ascent, only once she was confident in the stability of the next part of the structure. My shoulders droop slightly with relief at the realization that she's being perfectly mindful of her own safety. I really do need to be better about trusting her more. We've been through enough scary situations now that I've gotten so paranoid, but the only time she's ever truly gotten hurt was a freak accident that I don't think we could have avoided.

"If it makes you feel better,” she adds, “I actually have fallen before, when I was dusting off the mini fridge. I slipped when I was climbing down."

My eyes widen. I glance over at the fridge in question, seven or eight inches tall, over twice her height. "Really?! When did that happen?"

"A while ago, back when you were studying for finals. I didn't say anything because it ended up not being a big deal, I just had a couple of bruises is all. I think it makes a difference that I'm a lot lighter now that I'm small, I think I'm less susceptible to injury from falling. I don't exactly want to test the theory, I'm sure I'd really feel it if I fell off the desk or something. But I just wanted to reassure you."

Well, her reassurances are working. Huh. I guess that actually makes sense from a physics perspective, since gravity accelerates at the same rate for everything, regardless of its mass. I had long abandoned trying to figure out exactly how physics applies to her shrunken state, but this at least works in her favor.

"Thanks, that does make me feel better," I say with a nod, "Okay, I'll go grab that package."

I turn and walk to the apartment entrance, and sure enough, there’s a small box right outside my door. With a foot in the hallway, I suddenly hear the buzz of an incoming text message and check my phone. It’s from Diego. Seeing what it’s about, I frown and linger in the doorway to have this quick written conversation in private.

D: I think you know but Camila wants to hang out Sunday. Were you going to bring Evie?

A: I wasn’t planning on it.

D: Maybe you should

A: You really think that’s a good idea?

D: They’ve gotta talk at some point right? Camila sounded open to it, I think she’s coming around

D: It's up to you guys though. Check with the lil shrimp and see what she thinks?

A: Ok I’ll ask. I’ll probably wait until tomorrow though. She’s planning an outing for us, I don’t want to stress her out beforehand.

D: Np! What are yall up to??

A: No idea, she wanted to surprise me

D: OOO SOMEONE HAS A CRUSH

A: …Yeah no shit

D: YOU KIDS HAVE FUN Y'HEAR

An amused exhale escapes my nostrils and I just send a thumbs up emoji before I click my phone off. Regardless of what happens when I talk to Evie about this, Sunday should be interesting… But I don’t want to think about it right now. I finally bend down to pick up the package and head back inside.

“So what are you making right now, exactly?” I ask as I come sit at the desk and carefully set the cardboard box down on its surface. In the time I've been gone, my little partner has already set up another cross beam.

"This is that packing station upgrade I've been talking about!" she says brightly, "I've always just used ramps and stuff to slide the minis around, but with this I'll be able to lift them up vertically. It'll make it easier to put things in boxes and bags in the right order."

She starts making her way back down the scaffolding, down some tiny ladder rungs built into the side. She's gradually unknotting her safety rope at a couple of key places on the way and I watch from a respectful distance. Until the words she just said sinks in.

"Lift them up?..." I mutter, and my eyes wander back over the length of the structure. There's a lot of wood and string, with globs of stabilizing silicone clay at the bottom, but then at the top I now notice several tiny wheels of some kind. I lean in, eyes widening. "Holy crap, are those pulleys?"

"Yep! I ordered them along with the last batch of unpainted minis. They're supposed to be wheels for model trains, but they've been working great for these pulley systems."

Evie's still climbing her way down, but she pauses to look up the way she came with a swell of pride. She points one hand up towards one of the pulleys I'm examining.

"See how there are divots where they're supposed to be sitting on the railroad tracks? Perfect for threading string along."

I continue to marvel, tracing the ups and downs of the system of ropes her little engineering brain came up with. It's truly surreal, all at once resembling a miniature version of a factory under construction, while also clearly made of little everyday items instead of lumber and steel.

“And you put all this together in a day? Amazing,” I marvel.

“Don’t say that yet, I still need to test it,” Evie giggles as she finally reaches the desk surface. “I’ve been planning and making the pieces for a while, today was just putting it together. Alright, here goes nothing.”

She reaches a dangling bit of string and grabs it with both hands, wiggling it slightly as she looks up to gauge the way it catches on the pulleys. I try to figure out where the other end of the rope is, and it’s attached to a playing card-sized platform that’s resting on the desk, in the middle of the scaffolding. The tiny woman yanks down on the rope and sure enough, the platform rises up by half an inch. Evie continues pulling, hand over hand, and the target rises up and up and up and my jaw drops at how smoothly everything’s working.

“Yayayayyy!” she squeals, letting the rope zip through her fingers so that the platform gently descends back to where it started. “It actually works! I’ve never made anything quite like this. I’m so happy!”

“Congrats!” I exclaim, beaming as I celebrate alongside her. “That’s so cool, Eve. Seriously, that is so badass!”

She drops the rope to stretch her arms out, clearly sore after so much manual labor, and she sighs. “What a relief. Things will be a whole lot easier this way. And I made sure to put in enough pulleys to lift a decent amount of weight - I plan on painting some larger monsters next. The bigger I can go, the more I can charge per figure. Some of the dragons can go for hundreds of dollars on the current market.”

I glance over at the box I’d gone to fetch and point at it curiously. “So what’s in here then?”

Evie glances over and suddenly she looks a little nervous. “Um, most of that is just more plain figures but… I also got some tokens in there. Just very small pieces of plastic, really.”

“Oh? What for?” My question is tentative as I try to get a read on why she’s acting a bit dodgy.

“So… This might not work at all, I’m not going to push it…” She fidgets and gives me a rather pitiful look. “Plus I finally finished those work gloves, I’ll be careful…”

“Careful with what?” I’m frowning now.

“I just… I really want a saw. I use sandpaper for everything, even for trimming or ‘cutting’ these bits of wood. It takes forever, this whole station was weeks in the making. And the result is never quite right.”

Oh. I can see why she’s so hesitant now. That conversation we had about the full-sized scissors she used once feels like such a long time ago. And yet the idea of her wielding any kind of blade, especially after her leg injury, does set me on edge.

“Okay…” I say slowly, “So what do tiny bits of plastic have to do with that?”

“Well, I completely understand why sharp metal is a bad idea at this point. Trust me, I especially realize that now, I don’t want to cut myself again. But then I thought… what if I had a saw made of plastic? I was going to try using the tokens and see if I can heat them up with the hotplate for my bath, just enough to thin out the edge and make little dents. It shouldn’t be all that sharp, but I think it would still be more helpful than just the sandpaper.”

I ponder this for a moment before asking, “And what’s wrong with you just asking me to cut pieces of wood for you? I can get a saw. Hell, some of these pieces of balsa I could probably snap with some scissors.”

Evie’s staring down at her feet and goes very still. I bite my lip. The sight is making me worry that she’s starting to shut down the way she has in the past. I open my mouth to say something else, but then she raises her chin to meet my gaze.

“Sure, I can be better about asking you, for some of the bigger pieces. But… I’d rather not have to turn to you every time I want to trim a toothpick. If that’s okay.”

I mentally take a step back. If we were having this conversation a month or two ago things would be going very differently. I don’t want to take the progress she’s made for granted - I’m thankful she’s telling me her thoughts instead of pushing her desires aside. And we’ve come so, so far since that day with the scissors.

“I hear you,” I finally say, “You can do what you want, I won’t stop you. Just do me a favor and maybe save the sharp stuff for when you're not home alone? And careful with the hot plate. I’d rather you not get burned either.”

My little partner breaks into a relieved grin. “I won't. Honestly it’ll probably either not melt at all or I’ll have just made a lumpy mess by the end. But I promise I’ll be careful.”

This is hard for me. Again… I just want my beloved to be safe. And yet, I was so determined to empower her, and I know that I can’t - shouldn’t - control her every action. It’s not easy for me to just trust things will be okay. But I have to do my best to let go, just a little.

Having said that, I’ll allow myself a bit of affectionate clinginess in exchange. I reach my hand up and pinch my forefinger and thumb around Evie’s ribs. Her eyes widen a little as she reflexively takes a step back and I don’t let her, holding her in place. She tilts her head to the side in confusion.

“You better untie that string,” I demand with a budding smile, using my pinkie to flick at the safety rope that’s still tied around her waist.

Her shoulders immediately relax at my tone. “I need to clean all this up!” she laughs,
motioning to the bits of clay and wood shavings scattered all over the desk.

“Not now you don't,” I say, my grin solidifying. “You spent all day working hard and building something awesome. And now you're coming with me to the couch, and I'm going to destroy you with snuggles. Whether you like it or not. Hop to it.”

She stands firm, looking at me with an almost defiant smirk. But while maintaining her stare, her hand finds the end of the safety rope, and she gives it one firm tug. It smoothly unravels and falls to her feet in a heap.

Damn. Something about that was incredibly sexy. I waste no time in whisking her away.

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 59
Evie

I use two hands to expand the map that I'm looking at on my phone. I'm trying to move quickly. It’s Friday morning and Aiden only has to work an hour of lab credit before he’s done with his job for the day, so he should be back by 10am.

I’ve been staying particularly busy this week. It's in part to keep my mind distracted after what happened at the dinner party this past weekend, but then I started truly enjoying myself once I got the idea to plan this little outing today. I know where we’re going and what we’re doing there for the most part… but I still haven’t fully decided on where we should go for lunch. I’m running out of time.

Out of desperation, I open up my messaging app and tap on Diego’s name. He and I have been texting quite a bit, actually. It started out with him becoming my virtual physical therapist to help my leg heal, but eventually we started discussing nutrition and exercise in general, and he’s now well on his way to becoming a personal trainer instead. I’m sure if I was my old size he would have already dragged me to the gym by now.

I type a message to him with the hope of getting his help.

E: Hey hey hey Kong

D: Heyheyheyhey Shrimp

E: Do you know if Aiden likes poutine?

D: No clue

D: Wtf is poutine

E: Don't worry about it

D: Oh I just googled it, that looks amazing

D: Omg are you planning your date right now???

E: Ah he told you about that?

D: Shit

D: NO I don’t know what you’re talking about

D: But okay, if you're looking at the poutine truck that's about 10 miles north of you, I will mention that he's shown interest in checking out that entire food truck area… for what it's worth ;)

E: Ok thanks!

E: Also I don't care that you know, Diego. Wish me luck

D: Good luck!!!

Alright. That settles it. Everything’s fully planned now. I just need to wait for my boyfriend to get home.

I go sit down against my stuffed lion with a sigh, eyes glazing over as I run my fingers through its fur. I haven’t really paused to breathe much at all these days. It’s not in a bad way… Well, hopefully. I’m still not always fully in touch with my feelings, my learned tendency being to push away anything that's painful. I force myself to close my eyes and take a few quiet breaths, seeing if anything comes up.

Sure enough, there's anxiety simmering at the base of my stomach. Part of it might just be the nerves of having planned this date today and hoping it all goes well. But I also see a flash in my mind, the image of a person... The latest of my too-many acquaintances. Obviously I’m not over the frightening first encounter I had with Camila, almost a week ago now. I’ve thought about it a lot, and Aiden and I have discussed it on multiple occasions. He’s helped me process the fear of that night and has reassured me that she’s not a threat.

But that’s not quite where the anxiety’s coming from right now. The flash in my mind was not of Camila’s face glaring at me, but specifically her hand. The view that I had from within Aiden’s pocket, the feminine fingertips gently tugging at his collar. The memory feels like an icy claw around my heart.

I’m snapped out of my thoughts by the door opening and I hop to my feet, happy to take a break from the ruminating. My giant partner slips inside and looks particularly cheerful as he sends me a wave. He sets his bag on the counter and then hesitates before settling in any further.

“Should I keep my shoes on?” he calls, “Were you ready to head out right now?”

I know he can’t hear me from across the room, but this wouldn’t be the first time - I hold one hand high with a thumbs-up so that he can see my tiny figure lengthen out, our go-to nonverbal signal for “yes.” With that he makes a beeline to where I am, all smiles as he leans down and scoops me up.

"So what's the plan then?” Aiden asks with anticipation, pausing only to plant a kiss on my neck and shoulder. His warmth has completely thawed away my anxieties, and I giggle as I give him a brief peck in return.

“Real quick,” I say, pointing towards the desk below, “Can you bring my phone and that little box with you? And then I’ll be your pocket GPS.”

“Oh, so we’re driving somewhere?”

“Yup. I wonder if you’ll figure it out on the way.”

“Let’s find out!"

And with that we’re off on our adventure. He does catch on that we're probably going to do some sort of nature hike based on the roads I lead him to, but he has no idea where we are once we pull into the parking lot twenty minutes later. He steps out of the car and I stay in his pocket, taking furtive looks around so that I can direct him further. There's a clearing ahead of us - a massive field to me - with a children's playground and a wooded area in the distance. There’s a bit of a crowd since it’s so nice out, so I point out the general direction for him to go and then duck out of sight.

Aiden manages to cross the clearing and move past the many families without issue. Once we’re beyond the playground, the herd of titans begins to thin as voices gradually recede into the distance. I figure the coast is a bit more clear when I hear a whisper above me, “So what is this place? A park I guess?”

“Yeah, I think there’s some walking trails if you want to check those out too,” I respond, taking a quick glance over the lip of the pocket. “But just past those trees, can you hear that?”

The giant pauses from walking so that he can listen. “A stream?”

“Uh huh. And it runs right next to an old rock quarry.”

“Whoa, seriously?” he says, immediately lighting up at the mention of anything geological. He starts making his way down an unmarked path that winds through the grove, heading towards the sounds of rushing water. “How do I not know about this place?”

I grin to myself. I’d mostly expected that he had heard about it through school or work, but I’m really glad that he hasn’t. “It just opened to the public last week,” I explain, “But I honestly wasn’t sure if you’d already been here somehow…”

“Nope! What a great surpri– oh.”

Aiden steps out into an open area only to stop abruptly and lose track of his words. Now that he’s crossed through the patch of trees, the din of other voices has all but vanished. There’s only the gurgling sound of the nearby brook, so I tentatively poke my head out and sure enough, no one’s around this area. Instead I see a wide clearing, framed by the trees on one side, and by the stream running alongside a tall cliff on the other side - the quarry in question. But that’s not quite what I brought him here for.

Scattered throughout the clearing are a wide variety of bulky rock structures. It looks almost like a little outdoor museum, with some areas dedicated to carved statues, others displaying various cross sections of geological formations. There are signs everywhere that explain what the different mini-exhibits are, and occasional larger placards contain mounted sets of much smaller samples of crystals and minerals. The website called this an “educational rock garden.” Even to me it looks really cool.

“Oh no…” Aiden mutters.

“What?” I say, looking up at him with concern.

“You’re going to be so bored. I have to look at all this stuff.”

I grin again as I feel the underlying excitement in his voice. His whole body’s practically buzzing with anticipation and it fills me with joy.

“Babe, that’s exactly what I brought you here to do!” I gush, “Let’s go explore! Tell me what I’m looking at, I’m excited to learn about it all.”

“Ahhh, okay… Man, where to start… Oh, you see this sample right here? This is columnar jointing. It’s the coolest thing, this was formed by a lava flow. See how the cross section is a hexagon? That happened because of the way the lava cracked when it cooled…”

We start winding our way throughout the clearing, and even though I’m only half following what Aiden is saying most of the time, I’m thoroughly enjoying listening to him talk about his passions. For whatever reason there aren’t any other rock connoisseurs out here at all, so eventually we take the risk of me coming out of his pocket so that he can hold me and give me a better look at this stuff. For the next hour and a half I’m either sitting in his hands or on his shoulder as we examine everything from agatized coral to limestone extractions from this very quarry to a miniature solar system carved out of marble.

Once we’ve made our way through everything, we find a spot near the stream to sit and relax for a bit. I want to be careful about not falling into what is more like a raging river to me, but there’s a quiet nook where the water forms a shallow enough pool that I can walk around in without issue. Aiden’s rambling to me about a time he visited a cavern, and I make him promise to take me with him the next time he goes spelunking.

“You definitely picked the right major,” I laugh, kicking some water his way. I only manage to splash the edge of his wrist, and he doesn’t flinch, smiling down at me as he leans overhead. He flicks some water in my direction and I giggle as the droplets rain down right in front of me.

“I can talk about this stuff forever," he says, "You sick of it yet?”

“Nope.”

I wander to the edge of the pool and start looking around at my surroundings. We’ve been looking at all sorts of fancy geological samples, but I’m now taking greater notice of all the pebbles and boulders that litter my immediate vicinity. I start wondering about these more mundane specimens.

“So can you identify any rock just by looking at it?” I ask.

“Not any rock. But probably quite a few.”

“Alright… what’s that one?” I point to a thin, jagged stone that’s sticking out of the dirt several inches away.

Aiden glances over and his answer is immediate. “That’s a type of shale. Makes sense for the area we’re in. This probably used to be a bigger river once upon a time and sediments got deposited down here.”

I nod and then look for the next rock, eyes scanning the ground. I see something glinting on the shore and hurry over to hoist it up. It’s heavy and about the size of a football to me. “What about this?” I ask, marveling at the yellow-orange sheen. “Whoa, this looks like some kind of crystal!”

“Yeah, this… I don’t think it’s meant to be here.” Giant fingers approach to gently pinch the shard out of my hands, and he lifts it to his face so he can squint at it. “Yeah, it’s not amber… I think it might be citrine? My guess is that it probably ended up here with the rest of the imported stuff from the rock garden.”

Enjoying this game, I skitter over to the other side of the pool. “What about this one?” I chirp, pointing to a veritable hill of gray from my perspective.

Aiden snort-laughs. “That’s a chunk of concrete.”

I do a double take, looking back at the hulking rock. Oh. Yeah, I probably could have identified that one too.

Once we’ve hung out and enjoyed the stream for a little bit, we decide to check out one of the walking trails since it’s still too early for lunch.
My partner plucks me right out of the water and brings me to the hem of his shirt to help dry my legs off against the cloth. Before he gets to his feet I ask him to take out my phone so that I can reveal the next thing I had planned. I perch on his wrist as he holds the device and lets me navigate the menus on the screen.

“So I had Moira’s help on this part, I hope I got the right thing…” I say as I click, “You know the latest Brandon Sanderson book?”

“…Yes?”

“You haven’t read it yet, right?”

“No, I didn’t preorder this time.”

“Want to listen to the audiobook with me?” I pull up the book that I bought ahead of time on the phone and turn to grin up at my boyfriend excitedly.

He laughs, and the subtle shake of it makes him bring a hand up to ensure I stay stable on his arm. “What is this?” he asks, “Aiden’s-favorite-things day?”

"That’s absolutely what this is! I know I’m not the biggest reader, and I can’t promise I’ll get into it. But I'd love to try, and I think I'd have an easier time with the audio format. We can listen on the hike! Sound okay?"

With a grin he lifts me up to his face to nuzzle into me before depositing me by his neck. "Sounds perfect."

Soon I’m laying down on Aiden’s shoulder, having slipped under the collar of his shirt so that I’m mostly hidden from view. He’s put in headphones and I’m holding on to one earbud like it’s a teddy bear, the sound of the narration more than loud enough for me even though it’s not right up to my ear. We stay among the trees, opting for the shaded walking paths, and despite me having to duck my head out of sight from time to time as we run into passerby, it’s such a nice time.

The book itself was definitely something that I picked out for his sake, but I’m finding myself getting sucked into the story more than I thought I would. It's not that I think we need to have everything in common, but I'm finding it fun to take an interest in the stuff he likes. I'm so warm and comfortable from being bundled up against my giant's skin that I start feeling a little sleepy, but the way his body shifts as he walks keeps me on alert since I constantly need to maintain my balance.

After about half an hour or so, I'm roused into a sitting position when Aiden silently runs a finger along my side to get my attention. He points at a nearby bench and table that’s alongside a patch of wildflowers, and it’s just tucked enough into the treeline that it seems like the perfect spot to take a break. I nod in agreement before he heads in that direction.

“Are you getting hungry or anything?” he asks as he softly sets me down onto the table. "I could go either way."

“I’m still okay,” I respond, stretching my arms over my head and taking a few steps across the wood. “I do have lunch options planned, though, if you want to start heading back soon? Oh! In the meantime… How does dessert first sound?”

“What do you mean?” Aiden asks, crossing his arms on the table as he watches me. He’s clearly getting such a kick out of all the little things I’ve planned out today.

“You still have that box I told you to bring?”

He produces the little container from his shorts pocket and opens it up curiously. Inside is a small, lumpy ball, not much bigger than a grape to him. Over the past week, every time I was on the kitchen counter I began smuggling over some ingredients to store in my own mini fridge bit by bit, focusing on a flavor combo that I've noticed is one of Aiden's favorites - peanut butter and chocolate. This morning I mixed the nut butter, oats, and chocolate chips together with some honey to make a truffle-like treat. The giant stares into the box for a few seconds before setting it down on the table.

"How did I get so lucky?" he mutters, and he takes a quick look around to check that the coast is clear. Then he slides his arms onto the table to circle around me and brings his head all the way down to where I'm standing. He kisses the side of my body, his lips moving against me as he whispers, "Thanks for all of this, sweet girl. I’ve been having such a good time with you today."

We kiss in earnest then, and I happily drown in my boyfriend's body as he simulates a tight hug by coiling his arms in closer. A couple of minutes pass as we cuddle, and it's only when he pulls his mouth away that I realize I've been pushed snugly into the crook of his elbow. Being tiny can be really disorienting.

I use the narrow space between forearm and bicep to shimmy my way up until I'm sitting on the elbow itself. "Planning this stuff was fun for me!" I finally respond, a bit out of breath, "It's the least I can do as your girlfriend."

Aiden lays the side of his head on the table and moves his free hand behind me, carefully rubbing at the back of my head with his fingertips. "I don’t think you realize how special you are," he says, holding my gaze adoringly. "You’re so thoughtful - and you pay attention to my likes and dislikes more than anyone I’ve known. More than any other girlfriend I've had, that’s for sure."

I stiffen. There's a sudden cold feeling in my chest that takes me aback for a second. My anxiety from earlier this morning has returned in an instant, and I debate internally about how I should handle these unwelcome emotions… I don't want to ruin the moment, but I also know that if I don't address this it's going to continue to weigh on me.

"Oh really?" I respond, trying to sound nonchalant. "I guess we haven’t talked much about your past relationships. You know about my exes, um... is it okay if I know about yours?"

My partner seems to clock the subtle shift in my behavior and lifts his face back up to look more alert. He stops touching me with his free hand and uses it to support his head instead.

“Yeah, sure,” he says, “There’s not all that much to tell. Let’s see… I had a couple of quote-unquote ‘girlfriends’ in grade school that honestly didn’t really mean much, none of them lasted for more than a few months. And then I had one long-term relationship during my undergrad. That one lasted a little over two years.”

I nod, absently kicking my legs that are dangling over the edge of his arm. I look skywards, summoning a relevant memory from a few days ago. “At the dinner party, Star mentioned that you had her going with the last girlfriend. Something about thinking you'd end up with someone short?”

Aiden chuckles. “Yeah, just ‘cause my ex was pretty tall. Almost as tall as me, actually.”

“Gotcha,” I say with a smirk, and I joke, “Is that why it didn’t work out? You realized you preferred a girlfriend that could only be measured in inches?”

“Ha. No. Although come to think of it, none of my exes were particularly short. You definitely take the cake.”

I squirm quietly for a second before asking, “Mind if I ask why it actually didn’t work out?”

The giant’s eyes unfocus and then stare out past me as he revisits a time from years ago. “Mmmm, to be perfectly honest… I think we both just saw each other as little more than friends. I mean, it was exciting at first. But in retrospect, once we actually became a couple, there wasn’t that deep of a connection. We just sorta stayed together because it was convenient and we got along fine. She was a year older than me so she graduated first, and when she got a job on the other side of the country we mutually decided we didn’t want to do long distance… and that was that. I’m glad it wasn’t a big, messy breakup or anything, but it is a little weird that I dated her for as long as I did.”

The cold claw squeezing my heart tightens as I finally summon the courage to come out and say it. “If she’s older than you then… I’m guessing her name wasn’t Camila?”

A look of shock passes over Aiden’s face. He lifts his head off his hand, raising back up to a normal sitting position as he frowns and says, “No. Nonononono, I never dated Camila. Oh god, have you been worrying about that?”

“Not… excessively,” I assure him, although despite myself I’m feeling something unclench inside of me. “Just from what I was hearing from inside your pocket that night, I had a bit of a weird feeling about it. Maybe I’m wrong, but it really felt like she was coming on to you.”

“Um, no, you’re… spot on, actually.” Aiden sighs. “So, uh… sorry, I probably should have mentioned this before, but… Camila did tell me she had feelings for me, a couple of years ago. It was really weird, we were never that close and she had only just moved out here, so it felt like it came out of nowhere. I told her that sorry, but I don’t see her that way, and she backed off after that. We’ve just stayed casual friends since then, if that - before the dinner party I hadn’t seen her in, like, half a year. But I agree, she… uh… wasn’t exactly being subtle the other night.”

I nod thoughtfully. I can’t deny that I feel relieved about the fact that he never shared a deep connection with her. But regardless of how he feels, I don't think I’m out of the woods quite yet. Unrequited feelings can get really messy. And the situation was already pretty messy to start with. I shakily get to my feet and start padding my way down the length of his forearm, deep in thought.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have introduced me as your girlfriend right off the bat,” I finally say.

Aiden’s gaze drops to the ground. “Yeah, I think you’re right. I was trying to… humanize you, I guess. To really emphasize the fact that you’re just like the rest of us. But that was probably the wrong move in the moment.” He lets out a frustrated groan. “It doesn’t make any sense, I seriously have no idea why she’s at all interested. I’ve known her for forever, we’ve always gotten along fine, but I’ve only ever seen her as a family friend. She was just ‘Diego’s cousin’ to me. We have nothing in common.”

I look up at him with a helpless shrug. “You’re really good looking. And you're literally the kindest man I’ve ever met. It could be that she looked up to you as a kid and then those feelings eventually matured.” I pivot and start walking in the other direction on his arm. “Though maybe I’m not the right person to ask. I don’t understand how anyone could not fall for you.”

The universe finds it very funny for me to lose my balance right as I say that. I throw my arms out in an effort to regain myself, and I would have jumped right off his arm, but his reflexes are quick and his hand darts just behind my body to catch me. The instant I realize that, I let myself fall into his cupped palm. Aiden takes the opportunity to lift me right up to his face.

"Don't worry,” he murmurs, snuggling into me, “There's zero interest there on my part.”

From this proximity I can let my voice be soft. "Thanks. I think I needed to hear that…” I lean into the space where his nose meets his cheek, closing my eyes. My voice hitches and I press myself further against him as I add, “Sorry, I don't mean to get jealous. That's not a very attractive quality.”

"No, you’re fine! It's okay to feel insecure, I appreciate you telling me. Whenever you need it, I'm always happy to reassure you that I only have eyes for you.”

We hear voices just then, my partner growing quiet and still as he keeps me out of view, and so we hold the embrace for several long moments. Having to hide all the time is usually annoying and nerve-wracking, but sometimes the forced extended proximity can be really nice. Once the two passerby have come and gone, I straighten back up and Aiden gives us some space, holding me out in front of him.

“Since we’re on the subject of Camila…” he says slowly, “Maybe now’s as good a time as any to bring this up…”

He tells me about the fact that he’s planning to meet up with Camila and Diego in two days, and that there’s an open invitation for me to join. To my own surprise, I’m not immediately freaked out by this and hear him out without protest. He doesn’t pressure me in any way, and after we discuss it for a little bit and go through the pros and cons, I finally come to a conclusion.

"I think Diego's right,” I say, “I should probably meet with her at some point, if she's okay talking to me this time… I'd like to give it another chance.” I set my jaw, summoning my own determination. “I've spent so much of my life running away from things. I want to try and face this head on. Who knows, now that she knows what to expect, maybe we'll hit it off… I’d at least like to be on her good side if I’m able."

Neither one of us is completely convinced that this is right. Especially if Camila sees me as the one who took her crush off the dating market. But Aiden nods in agreement, smiling at how resolute I am. “Alright. You've got my full support, and I know Diego will have your back too. I'll let them know that we're in.”

And with that he finally picks up the peanut butter ball from its tiny box, and he extends it towards me so that I can take a crumb of it off for myself. Then he pops it into his mouth and sighs with pleasure.

“Hey…” he says as I nibble at my own portion, “Can we do an Evie's-favorite-things day soon?”

I grin, overflowing with affection, and chirp, “Deal!”

[DocRick]

For some reason, I have an unexplainable feeling of impending doom.............

[Rusco57]

For some reason, I have an unexplainable feeling of impending doom.............

Yep, if I was Aiden, I'd be checking her for concealed weapons, a fly swatter or something...
Although we haven't heard from her so we don't know if her attitude has changed but the first impression of her was not a good one...

[DocRick]

For some reason, I have an unexplainable feeling of impending doom.............

Yep, if I was Aiden, I'd be checking her for concealed weapons, a fly swatter or something...
Although we haven't heard from her so we don't know if her attitude has changed but the first impression of her was not a good one...

And DO NOT leave Evie alone with her, even for a second.

[littlest-lily]

For some reason, I have an unexplainable feeling of impending doom............. :?

Yep, if I was Aiden, I'd be checking her for concealed weapons, a fly swatter or something...
Although we haven't heard from her so we don't know if her attitude has changed but the first impression of her was not a good one...

And DO NOT leave Evie alone with her, even for a second.

Is it bad that I'm entertained by the paranoia that I've very intentionally created here? ehehehehehe


Chapter 60
Evie

Now that we’re here… why does this feel like such a bad idea?

The four of us opted to meet up at Kleine Blume, the same beer garden that I think of as the place Aiden and I had our first kiss. I’m hidden away in a pocket, though I know we must have arrived at the right table when I hear Diego’s booming greeting quickly approaching.

“Whoa whoa whoa, precious cargo, precious cargo—!” Aiden hisses as he suddenly rears back and I get jostled. From the little that I can see as I look upwards, he seems to be fending off a hug from his larger friend.

“Oh whoops,” Diego mutters, and he pulls the pocket open to grin down at me, “Sorry, Evie.”

I figure there’s no one around from the way he’s openly talking to me, so I get to my feet with a weak smile to say hi. Aiden waits until he’s sitting down to fish me out, and he does it slower than he usually might. Clearly he’s trying to ease me into this, and as I catch a glimpse through a gap in his fingers at the dark haired beauty sitting across from us, I’m glad I have a few extra seconds to steady my nerves.

At least she finally smiles at me this time, a little bit. I was worried this girl was incapable of any kind of warmth, but the second I’m set onto the table, she gives me a gracious nod. I don’t care if it’s a little forced, or that I can see the flicker of discomfort in her eyes as she takes in my impossibly small frame. I’m just glad she’s not looking at me in open horror.

“Thanks for joining,” Camila says, glancing down at me but mostly addressing Aiden.

He hesitates for half a beat, and when I realize he’s giving me the opportunity to speak up, I take it immediately. “Thanks for having us!” I say with the friendliest demeanor I can summon. Her eyes meet mine for just a split second as she nods politely again.

We settle into casual conversation. Well… sort of. Despite having started things out as well as I could have hoped for, the more I sit here, trying to look like I belong amongst these three towering titans, the more awkward I feel. Unlike the time we had dinner at the Ignacios’ house, I don’t dare step too far from my boyfriend’s arms since we’re in public. And even though we're behind the main building and no one else is around, there are enough people on the other side that there’s a steady stream of noise in the air. My voice isn’t so quiet that I can’t make myself heard in this setting, but… I’m still struggling to do just that.

At first I silently let the giants catch up about the mundane details of their week. Then Diego kindly asks me what I've been up to, and I try to join in and talk about my building projects. But I can’t help noticing that every time I open my mouth, Camila seems to disconnect. She’s suddenly busy looking at the menu, or is distracted by a bird at a different table. Sometimes she at least acts like she’s listening, but her smile is clearly plastered on her face as she never quite looks at me. Instead of trying to get to the bottom of it in any capacity, I just start talking less and less, letting the others converse as I gradually close in on myself.

This could be going way worse, I tell myself. I remember how hostile Camila acted towards me a week ago. I don’t want to write her off too quickly now, it's not unreasonable that she'd still be uncomfortable around a shrunken person… Plus, unlike the last time, she doesn’t seem to be openly trying to flirt with Aiden. I should be thankful that she changed her tune so quickly once she found out he has a girlfriend.

Since we’re the only ones occupying a table back here, no one else approaches us, including servers. Once a good twenty minutes have passed since Aiden and I arrived, Camila finally looks around and lets out a subdued huff of irritation.

“I’m going to go find someone so we can order drinks,” she says, interrupting her cousin in the middle of a story. “Be right back.”

At this point I’m sitting on the back of Aiden’s hand, and I feel him tense up beneath me. “Hold on, I’ll come with you,” he says, and I look up at him in surprise. He meets my gaze to check in with me, wearing a smile but silently communicating acute concern for me through the look in his eyes. There seems to be intent behind him leaving the table, so I try to reassure him with a "go-ahead" nod and slide off his hand.

He then turns to Diego and the two exchange a significant look before Aiden gets to his feet. As he makes his way around the table and I look back towards Camila, I can’t help but notice her enthusiastic beaming at his approach.

The two head off and, even though I’m feeling a little naked out in the open now, I let out a sigh of relief at the break from all the awkward conversation. I stay mindful of my positioning by stepping up to a candle, hiding myself from view if anyone were to head in our direction.

Diego seems to catch on to my intention and slides along the bench to better block me from any prying eyes. Then he startles me when his elbows land on the table's surface just ahead of where I'm standing, and he crosses his arms. I take a quick step back, craning my neck to look up at his looming form. He didn't quite slam his arms down, but his bulk still made the table shudder.

"Alright. It's just you and me, Shrimp," the giant rumbles with a playful smirk on his face, and then he leans in closer, casting a shadow over me. "So tell me… What are your intentions with Aiden?"

My quickened pulse starts calming down again as I can now clearly tell that he's messing around. But I still blink in silence for a few seconds, not knowing how to respond.

"He's my oldest friend, y'know," Diego adds, "I gotta watch his back, make sure you're not about to break his heart."

Jeez. He really doesn't understand just how huge and intimidating he can be. He's lucky I've gotten used to being small and that I can take it in stride. But I'll be honest, I can't help being endeared to this guy. Even if he's joking around and clearly not actually threatening me, I think this protective gesture in Aiden's regard is kinda sweet.

I slip on a sly smile as I lean into the joke. "I'm afraid I only have the most devious of intentions... Stealing every left sock. Misplacing his keys. Tying his shoelaces together. I mean, the man only showers me with love and care, it's up to me to bring the chaos."

Diego laughs, "Fine, you pass the test. I approve of chaos." He straightens back up and shoots a quick glance over his shoulder. When he speaks again it's with a much more subdued tone. "Real talk, though… I'm so glad he's with someone like you. I really don’t get the vibe that you’re manipulating him, which I can’t say about some of the other women throughout his life. I’m not sure if you can tell, but Aiden's the kind of guy who people tend to take advantage of."

For a moment I'm stunned. I almost get emotional, I'm just so incredibly touched by his candid words of support. Diego doesn’t even know me all that well yet, and I’m about the most unconventional girlfriend that he could have been introduced to. He might not always be the most considerate when it comes to addressing my stature, but he's brought me into the fold so quickly and enthusiastically, and I don't take this kind of open acceptance from Aiden's friends for granted.

But I couldn't even begin to figure out how to properly put my appreciation into words right now, so I just stutter out a simple “thanks, man” and quickly turn my focus to what he said at the end there about people taking advantage of my partner's good nature.

"That’s interesting," I say, my tone becoming more serious to match his. "It makes sense when I think about it. I guess just based on how we’ve always had to be, I’ve only ever seen him as this, like… all-powerful person. He's always been my protector."

"Heh. Yeah that’s funny because meanwhile, I’ve always felt like I’ve had to protect him. He’s technically a month older than me but I’ve always seen him as a lil’ brother. He was a real soft boy as a kid… And sure, he's grown up and has tougher skin now or whatever, but sometimes he’s still too damn nice for his own good."

I look off to the side, towards the empty space that Aiden left behind. My voice wavers with sincerity when I say, "I want to give him the world. I don’t know if I’m able to make him as happy as he deserves. But I really, really want to try."

"And that’s exactly why I’m glad he has you," Diego says brightly. He shifts towards me by an inch and then suddenly stops, and a look of intense concentration settles onto his face.

"What's up?" I ask at the abrupt shift in demeanor.

"I’m thinking."

"Don’t hurt yourself, Kong."

"It's just... I’m a hugger. We’re having a tender moment. I don’t know how to hug you." He leans further back, as if having given up on this line of thinking and ultimately deciding to give me space. Maybe he has some understanding of how intimidating he might appear to me after all.

I smile and step towards him, reaching an arm out. "Here, give me your hand."

With an amusing level of unprecedented shyness, the titan follows my lead, setting the side of his hand on the table beside me. I spend a second steadying myself as I take in the size of his palm alone, bigger than a king sized mattress. Then I guide him from there, so that I end up standing just on the inside of his enormous thumb, hugging the digit to my front as I feel a couple of other fingers curl in against my back. This is just as much a trust exercise for me as a lesson in interaction for him.

"Then I hold here, and you just, um… make a very gentle squeeze."

His fingers draw in, and I hold my breath. But there's nothing to worry about. He already proved to have great hand control when he had examined my leg, and that hasn't changed at all. There's a good amount of warm pressure closing in, but it doesn't hurt, and I catch myself grinning at the fact that I'm getting a taste of one of his signature bear hugs. Diego is just as excited, practically giggling with childlike glee.

"You’re really fucking cute, you know that?" he laughs as he loosens his grip again.

"Hey, you hitting on my girl?"

Aiden's hand is suddenly on the side of Diego's head, giving the giant a playful shove as he rounds the table to regain his seat. I reflexively make my way back to him as he sets down two tall, colorful glasses, while our larger friend feigns fear with an "Uhhhh, you're back early!"

The relief of my boyfriend's return is mildly overshadowed by the fact that Camila's back too. But I can already tell something's a little different about her as she sits down with her own drink. There's a more concentrated look on her face, and once everyone's settled back into a rhythm and we've all partaken in some alcohol, she seems to gather her resolve.

"So, Evie…"

I flinch as for the first time Camila addresses me directly. She's still not quite looking at me, but I make sure to stand at attention anyway. She fiddles with the straw of her drink, swirling it in circles as she continues.

“Aiden’s mentioned you guys used to have a class together. Were you a geology major too?”

I now see why my partner went with her to order the drinks. He must have privately encouraged her to be a little more sociable with me. Hopefully he didn’t annoy her too much in the process… Okay, now it’s up to me to do my part. I can do this.

“Oh, no, that class was kinda peripheral to our majors. Although, I guess I never ended up officially picking a major, but uh… I knew I wanted to do some kind of engineering.” I laugh self consciously, “Not that it matters now! Studying wasn’t really my thing anyway.”

Camila nods and then frowns a little. “So what do you, like… do all day?”

“Uhh… lots of stuff! I do a lot of sewing and crafting, and there’s always things to clean. And I actually started my own business not too long ago where I paint miniatures, stuff that’s typically for tabletop roleplaying games. So that keeps me pretty busy.”

“Oh, okay. So you’re into that nerdy stuff too?” She smirks towards Aiden as she says that and then addresses him directly, “Did you convert her?”

He’s in the middle of bringing a Mai Tai-filled straw down to where I’m standing to offer me a sip, and I gratefully reach for it. But he glances up once addressed. “Nope. In fact, she was the one who started talking to me about card games at first. I never really played TTRPGs, though, just Magic. Well, I guess I have played Pathfinder once…”

I pull back from the straw and wince internally. Stop, I think in his direction, Clearly she’s not into the ‘nerdy stuff,’ stop talking about it…

Diego pipes up just then. “OH, speaking of Magic! Bro, I wanted to show you - I won a booster during a draft the other day and you won’t believe the Foil I got.” He retrieves his card deck from a pocket, and he’s sitting across from us so Aiden leans forward on the table to take a look.

I take the opportunity to focus on Camila and let the men branch off into their own conversation. Truth be told, I would rather talk about Magic cards. But this is my chance to make some kind of significant contact with this girl. I walk a little closer to her across the table.

“So what’s your major, Camila?” I ask with a curious smile.

I’m not sure she’s jazzed about her cousin abandoning her like this, but she responds anyway. “International Business.”

“Ohhh that’s so cool! And it’s perfect, since you’re bilingual,” I say, remembering how she and Diego were speaking Spanish at his house.

“Trilingual, actually. I’ve been studying French since high school, I’ve gotten pretty fluent. Working on Mandarin now.” She’s gone from messing with her straw to examining her nails as she speaks.

I press on with maybe a hint too much enthusiasm. “That’s amazing. I took a German class in high school but I was hopeless. I’m terrible at languages.”

Camila lets out a breath of mirthless laughter through her nose. “I don’t think anyone’s ‘terrible’ at languages. We all managed to learn to talk when we were young. It just takes a lot of time and energy to learn a new one is all.”

I stiffen, forcing myself to continue smiling. Stay steady.

“So what got you interested in it?” I ask, moving a little closer still.

Her eyes have now settled on my boyfriend and stay there as she talks, making my muscles clench. “I’m just really into learning about other cultures,” she explains, “I think it’s interesting to see how different people live. Languages have always been my thing.”

I take another step towards her as I nod with interest, opening my mouth to respond. But Camila seems to suddenly notice how close I’ve gotten as her gaze lands on me and she visibly recoils. As if she'd seen a bug.

“S-sorry!” I yelp, backpedaling by a few steps. I’m breathing a little faster, taking in the full sight of her, from how her jaw is clenched to the way her fingers are fidgeting with her necklace. Her dark eyes are definitely looking at me now, the subtlest of glares towards my feet. I’m deeply uncomfortable but try making an attempt at sounding considerate. “I guess… Am I still freaking you out?”

“No,” she mumbles, “It’s just…”

The tension in the air is palpable. Even though Aiden is still leaning over the table and at least pretending to look at what Diego is showing him, I can tell that he’s on edge and listening in.

Finally Camila says, “Maybe I’m just self conscious. You’re not exactly looking at me from the most flattering angle.”

I blink, genuinely surprised at this confession. “Oh. Please, don’t worry about that at all,” I say, waving it off with a smile, “I’ve gotten so used to looking up at people. I think you’re gorgeous.”

There it is. Finally she’s looking me in the eye. Her gaze softens a little, the tension dissipating, just a tiny bit. She gives me a sheepish half smile. “Thanks.”

Well, all it took was a bit of old fashioned flattery, apparently… Alright, I’ve come this far, I might as well keep shoving this olive branch at her.

“Oh, so, I’m remembering - you guys have all been on vacation together when you were kids, right?” I ask, “Have you ever been camping together?”

Pivoting to this new subject gently brings the two guys back into the conversation again, and this time I’ve firmly set myself as an active participant. I’m not going to lie and say that Camila and I are becoming best friends in this moment. But I do think some progress is being made today. If she and I can just be polite acquaintances, I’ll be happy with that.

Fingers crossed.

[DocRick]

Is it bad that I'm entertained by the paranoia that I've very intentionally created here? ehehehehehe

Isn't that your intention?

[littlest-lily]

Is it bad that I'm entertained by the paranoia that I've very intentionally created here? ehehehehehe

Isn't that your intention? :twisted:

Maaaaaybe :P

Chapter 61
Aiden

I’m standing in the Hispanic section of the grocery aisle, staring down a variety of mole sauces. I reach a hand out to point my forefinger at one of them.

“No no, next row up.”

My hand drifts higher. Why are there so many varieties?

“Two to the left… Yes! That one, perfect. This stuff is so good.”

I smile at the little voice near my ear as I pick the jar off the shelf and put it in the shopping cart. Evie and I have never gone grocery shopping together, but we felt like giving it a shot today. And we’re attempting something different so that we don’t have to try and communicate with each other while she’s in my pocket. Instead, I’m wearing a slouchy black beanie and she’s held snugly against the side of my head, half perched on my left ear. Not only is she completely hidden from sight, just barely peeking her face out, but this should also keep her protected from the absurd amount of AC they pump in here.

“What should we make with this, though?” I mutter, acting as if I’m pondering to myself.

“I was thinking enchiladas! We have that leftover chicken to use up.”

“Mmkay, sounds great. Tortillas are in the bread aisle–”

“Aiden!”

I flinch and my stomach does a flip, though I’m careful not to jerk my head too sharply towards the voice. At first I’m frustrated that the second we try something new like this I just had to run into someone I know, until I process whose voice that is.

“Hey, man!” Star exclaims as she hurries down the aisle towards me. “Fancy seeing you here. Are you uh… alone?” She glances towards my pocket before looking around as if searching for another full-sized person.

I give her a secretive smile and reach up to pretend I’m tugging the edge of my hat. In reality I’m just pointing out my little passenger. I can feel her stick her head out a bit further as she peers over my ear and gives our friend a tiny wave. Star's eyes widen and she suppresses what would otherwise be a very enthusiastic greeting. She's having to press a fist against her mouth to keep from squeeing, clearly finding the setup adorable.

“Yeah, just picking up a couple of things,” is what I say out loud. “Are you here alone?”

“No, Diego’s around here somewhere…” she says, glancing over her shoulder. “He really wants to make tamales so he’s probably meticulously picking out peppers right now.”

There’s a family coming down the aisle at this point so we just make small talk for a bit. I ask about some of her colleagues from work, old coworkers of mine from when I worked at the vet clinic’s front desk. She asks about the classes I’m planning to take in the fall and what my schedule will look like. A couple of minutes later we wrap it up.

“Oh hey, when you get home, can you tell Evie…” Star’s clearly directing her eyeline just a tad to my left. “Moira and I were wanting to start getting brunch on a regular basis, just some girl time every other week or so. She's totally invited if she’d like.”

“Okay, I’ll let her know,” I respond, trying not to laugh as I feel an excited wriggle against my head.

“Eyyy, party in aisle three!”

A few strangers startle at the imposing figure that suddenly swerves around the corner. Diego’s not one to really worry about what people around him think, and he’s really exemplifying that now with the volume of his voice.

“Hey bro! What’s on the menu for you guys?” he asks, drawing his cart up just behind mine.

“Enchiladas.”

“Ohhhh shit that sounds so good right now…”

“But you wanted to do tamales for dinner!” Star protests, “Now I’m craving them.”

“Mmmm, I know what I really want for dinner,” Diego retorts, cocking an eyebrow at her suggestively. He gently takes his wife’s hand to ease her towards him, and then suddenly scoops her up in his arms to dump her into the grocery cart. She’s laughing hard as he whisks her away.

“See ya later, dude!” my shameless friend calls over his shoulder.

“Bye,” I laugh with an eye roll.

“I love them,” Evie giggles.

The rest of the grocery trip is uneventful and we successfully get through it with tonight’s dinner ingredients in tow. I’m glad to take the beanie off once we get back to the car since summer’s in full swing and I can tell I'm about to start sweating. But still, my girlfriend assures me she was comfortable in there, and it’s good to know we have another hiding option in our toolkit.

Later we’re both in the kitchen as Evie helps direct me through the cooking steps. We get about halfway through, and then she seems very eager to help fill the tortillas once I’ve laid them out, so I go ahead and take a shower while I leave her on the counter to work at that.

It’s as I dry myself off in the bathroom that I check my phone and notice I have a few new texts from Diego. I read them with a frown, feeling a little conflicted about the proposition that I’ve just received. He's given me an invite to something and I'm not sure if it’s a good idea or not… I’ll need to talk to Evie about it.

I’m surprised at how much she’s gotten done when I come back from the kitchen. I’d already laid out the shredded chicken on the open tortillas, but she’s gone through and covered each one with cheese. She’s also cobbled together a platform from an old pasta box that I’d left lying around, so now she’s standing at the edge of the baking pan with a miniature spoon the size of a tennis racket in her hands. She’s been scooping out mole sauce from its jar and turns to me excitedly once I step back into the kitchen.

“I just talked to Moira!” she chirps, nodding towards her phone that's nearby. “First brunch session is next Saturday - we'll do it picnic style as long as the weather's nice. I should be back by two or three.”

I smile at her enthusiasm. “Take your time, spend all day with them if you want.” I then pause as I notice that her eyes are shining. I crouch down by the counter, leaning in closer to get a better look at her face. “Everything okay?” I ask.

“Uh huh.” She props the spoon onto the edge of the jar so that her hands are free to wipe away the gathered tears. “It's just that it means so much to me that I was invited to something like this… I'm so happy I have a friend group again.”

It’s so strange how used to her I’ve gotten. It’s not like I ever actually forget about Evie’s size, but I do sometimes forget the extreme level to which it impacts her life. Seeing this amount of gratitude over just having a couple of friends is enough to get me choked up for a second. I clear my throat to keep my voice from wavering.

“I'm glad you do too… Um, I think I’ve noticed something, actually. Just from hanging out in a couple of group settings now. Are you an extrovert, Evie?”

She abandons her oversized spoon to come sit on the edge of the pasta box so we can be face to face. “That’s actually a very good question. I think I might be. I'm comfortable being alone, or rather I'm used to it, but when I was younger I would always surround myself with people at school. Over the years I ended up isolating myself a lot more… But I’d still be happiest and most energized when I was working and interacting with my coworkers.”

Damn. It’s taken me way too long to realize how much of a people person she is. We both spend so much time shut away at home that I just kind of assumed that she’s more of an introvert like I am. But that’s not right. She’s just having to suppress her natural tendencies.

“If there’s anything I could do to help you have a fuller social life…” I say tentatively.

“No, it’s okay babe, you've done enough. I already so appreciate what I have, I don’t need any more - even if it felt safe to do so. In fact… I don’t know if this makes any sense, but I think the fact that I’m extroverted might be what makes me able to handle having even just a couple of friends who are so much bigger than me. I know I don’t have a lot of them but they’re still… a lot. Know what I mean?”

“I can only imagine. I guess it would be rough trying to hang out with, like, a dozen people."

"Exactly. Secrecy aside, it'd be so overwhelming."

"Well... this actually kinda segues into something I need to talk to you about… Here, do you mind if I keep working at that?" I motion to the pan with the thin puddle of sauce.

"Go for it, I've had my fun. I was getting to the point where I couldn't reach deep enough in the jar."

It feels considerate, somehow, to continue the task by reaching in with my own spoon instead of dumping the sauce straight from the jar. This gives me the time to explain the texts that I've gotten.

"So… Every year, the Ignacios' extended family all get together for Thanksgiving. They're spread out across the country, so it's become tradition for the family to rent a big cabin in the woods and everyone travels there. Well, for various reasons this year, it's not happening with the family. Diego just texted me – they decided they still wanted to rent a cabin, but do it more locally and invite a couple of friends instead. Aka us."

"Ohhhhhh my god! Aiden, that sounds fantastic! We can finally go camping, or glamping or whatever."

"Hold on, there's a catch. You and I are invited, and Moira. But Camila was the one who came up with the idea. Meaning she'll be there too."

"Oh…" Her energy level drops notably. "Well… that makes sense. She's an Ignacio too."

At this point I'm done with the sauce and I shift my attention to Evie standing near my waist, trying to get a read on her. But her face is downcast.

"Thoughts?" I ask as I start to transfer the filled tortillas to the pan. "How are you feeling about that whole… thing?"

She sighs. "I don't know. I'm still a little uncomfortable around her, I guess. But the second meeting went infinitely better than the first one… How do you feel?"

"Hrrmmm, I still think she was being kinda rude to you last time. But it was definitely better. Also, on the plus side, I’m starting to wonder if I might be wrong about her still being interested in me."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I was relieved that she seemed to back off. And I mean, it’s still only been two meetings, and it’s not like she’s been downright horrible to me or anything…"

Evie continues to mull it over in silence, and I give her the space to think as I pack the tortillas into the pan and pour the rest of the sauce on top. I’m crouched down and opening up the oven when I hear her pipe up again.

“I think, ultimately… I don’t want to miss out on this opportunity. I’d still like to go.”

I close the oven and pop my head up over the counter to smile at her. “Awesome. We’ll make it really fun, babe. And I’ll have your back.”

“I know you will. We’ll be sticking together even more anyway, right? For safety, since we’ll be spending a lot of time outside.”

I stand back up so that I can set a timer on the microwave. “Right. Plus it’s not like we’ll be in one giant tent or anything, this’ll be a cabin with multiple rooms.” I start putting a couple of things away with one hand while laying the other one on the counter to offer my girlfriend a ride. “If things ever get too awkward we can always excuse ourselves from the group."

She doesn’t miss a beat and has already hopped right onto my palm. Since I’m still tidying, I wasn’t even looking her way when I felt her little feet against my skin, but I’m instinctively closing my hand around her body. I hold her up to my heart as I finish up.

“I can’t wait to finally spend that weekend in the woods with you,” Evie croons before burying her face in my shirt.

Now that the prospects of this trip actually seem like a potential reality, I'm starting to feel really hyped about it. Camping is like a meditation retreat for me, and it’s been almost two years since I last spent a night under the stars. I’m all the more looking forward to spending it with my little love.

I turn around towards the kitchen island, still operating with just one hand, to put a few dishes in the sink, all the while rubbing Evie's back with my thumb and dreaming aloud about what’s to come. “You’ll get to try out the classics! We’ll sit around a campfire and eat s'mores and go on hikes. And because it's a cabin instead of a tent, we can bring board games and other stuff too!”

"Do we know exactly where we're going yet?"

"Nope. I'm sure they'll appreciate help researching that, actually. Want to join me while the enchiladas bake?"

She agrees emphatically, and I head to the other side of the living room, grabbing my laptop from the couch along the way. I carefully set my tiny companion down on the desk before taking a seat myself. Now that there's miniature scaffolding in the way, I have to move a couple of office supplies aside to make room for the computer. Evie watches me thoughtfully, waiting until I've turned on the laptop before revealing her thoughts.

"So, umm… the desk is getting a little crowded," she says as she glances around, "It's not that bad yet, but a lot of the pieces I'll be ordering in the future are going to be bigger."

The laptop's still booting up so I turn my full attention to her by my arm. "Well that's exciting, your business is growing! Hmmm. Maybe we get a second table? A smaller one alongside the desk?"

"Yeah, that works. I can look into table options and order one. But I did have another idea…"

She's looking way off to the side, and I notice she's taken a couple of steps closer to me so that she can gaze over the edge of the desk. I bite my lip as I realize where her mind is going.

"Ladders?" I ask.

"Yeah. I mean, there's plenty of room on the floor, you know? I've already looked up some wooden ladders meant for parakeets that I think might work. I'd set up a safety rope system and we can put a cushion for me to land on at the bottom just in case I fall."

I can see that she's thought about it and that this is the option she'd prefer. The image of her miniscule figure scaling a comparative cliff makes me nervous as hell. But she just went through all the precautions she plans to take, I don't think this is unreasonable. I decide not to make a fuss about it.

I smile and place my hand just behind her on the desk, fingers cupping in an arc around her body. "Then let's do that," I say, "I think it's about time you had better access to the rest of the apartment anyway."

I think she was expecting for me to put up more of a fight. Her tiny brown eyes are intense with affection as she steps away from my fingers, instead walking towards my face with clear intention. I still get butterflies in my stomach around this girl, and I move automatically, my hand quickly catching back up to assist her forward movement, scooping her towards me. Not needing any more words, we fall into a passionate kiss.

In the back of my mind I'm reflecting on our journey. I feel so comfortable around her. I partly mean physically comfortable - the casual way we've been interacting all evening exemplifies that. But we're at the point now where I feel like we can talk about anything, where we know we won't judge each other or assume the worst or be anything other than patient and supportive. I feel like I can be myself around her, more than anyone else in my life. And we've finally reached a point where I deeply trust that she feels the same.


*~*~*~*

There's still a good chunk of Part 3 left, but I'm going to take a little break! Which is perfect because we're about to enter a time skip~ See you in about a week or so. Thank you so much for reading. I don't know if I say it enough, but the comments and messages mean a whole lot to me, I really appreciate you guys.

[DocRick]

Lovin' it. Can't wait for the next chapter. And I still don't trust Camila.

[ROGU3_20]

Sweet a timeskip soon, but in how many years/months?

Also really great chapter today, can't wait for the next one.

[Rusco57]

This is such a great story, I'm looking forward to your continuation when you return...

[littlest-lily]

Lovin' it. Can't wait for the next chapter. And I still don't trust Camila.

This is such a great story, I'm looking forward to your continuation when you return...

Thank you thank youuuu

Sweet a timeskip soon, but in how many years/months?

Also really great chapter today, can't wait for the next one.

Oh, not that much time is passing! Just a few weeks or so~



Chapter 62

D: HEY FOLKS I’m starting this text thread so we can talk camping trip!!
D: I sent an email out to everyone with cabin options, just reply to me directly and let me know your top pick by next Friday so I can make a reservation
D: Also also also don’t forget, we’re going early October now! Weekend of the 13th if that works for errbody
E: Isn’t that Friday the 13th?
D: SPooOOoOOkyyy
S: We should watch Cabin in the Woods at the cabin in the woods, just really lean into the horror vibes
A: I’ll bring the popcorn
C: I’ll bring the booze
M: We’re all gonna die :)
C: Everyone better vote for options 2 or 3. We have to have a hot tub
E: Oooo option 3 has that gorgeous screened porch area!
M: omg yeah I love that one!
A: Plus it has that fancy fire pit
D: STOP STOP it’s supposed to be a secret vote!!
S: Diego doesn't like fire lol
A: There’s no way we’re not making a campfire on at least one of the nights dude
D: SHUT UP ITS FINE

***

We’re reaching the peak of summer and it's a hot July day. My friend Tyler and I stick to the shade as best we can as we make our way across campus. We had discovered pretty quickly that the psychology class he’s taking this summer lines up with the lab days that I run for my TA job. We occasionally get lunch, and since he lives a few blocks past my apartment building, we usually walk home in tandem.

“I’m in trouble, dude,” he sighs, “She’s so cool. And so fucking hot. And her dream is to own five golden retrievers. She's perfect.”

I smile widely and clap a hand to his shoulder. “I’m happy for you, man. You’ll have to introduce me sometime!”

“Yeah, maybe I could get her to come with us to lunch or something…” He pauses and smirks sidelong at me. “What about you, huh? I can see if she has any cute single friends?”

I wave him off easily. “I’m good. Thanks for the offer.”

“Suit yourself.”

I don’t even think twice about this kind of suggestion anymore, it’s become so easy to pretend I have no romantic aspirations. I honestly don’t care if the bulk of my friends think I just prefer being single indefinitely.

We linger on the subject of his new sweetheart for a little longer before he starts complaining about his psych class. I catch sight of my apartment down the street as we turn a corner, and I haven’t realized that I’ve picked up the pace until I notice Tyler is struggling to keep up.

“You in a hurry, Aiden?” he pants.

I glance up to the apartment building - second floor, three to the right… I smile towards the window, not able to see anything but knowing full well what’s just on the other side. Every day I look forward to coming home and seeing her smile.

Absently I respond, “Something like that.”

***

Hey, you! I hope you’re fine with pot roast for lunch tomorrow, we really need to finish those leftovers. We’ll make breakfast for dinner this weekend though, promise! And maybe we can try out that new strategy game?

Also, no I’m not writing this note from across the room because I ran out of time to write it at work. I have no idea what you’re talking about.

PS ok fine I’m being a creep and watching you right now… You’re really cute whenever you’re balancing up on that stapler. Just so you know.

***

Yikes, I need to do more cardio. I’m huffing and puffing as I finally reach the top of the sixty foot ladder. I’ve only used it a couple of times now, but if this is going to become my daily commute, I really need to get used to it. I’m pretty proud of its construction - we utilized some bird ladders from a pet store, but I upgraded them with a couple of flat platforms along the way in case I need to sit and take a rest for any reason. Between that, the pillow at the bottom, and my safety rope, I think it’s a decent setup.

I hoist myself up onto the desk, and that’s about when I notice Aiden in the distance, standing just past the couch. His eyes are fixed on me and he’s as still as a statue. Once I reach the table’s surface, he seems to be able to breathe again and starts walking towards me.

I beam at him and lift my hands up above my head in triumph. “Made it!”

“Impressive!” Aiden smiles back and takes a seat in front of me. "It looks so intense, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it."

“You’re allowed to walk around when I’m climbing,” I assure him, hurrying over so that I can latch onto his hand in a hug.

“I know… I was just so afraid of distracting you and making you fall.”

“Diego was right. You really are such a mom.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment?”

At this point I’m tugging on his finger insistently and he gets the message, finally bending down to kiss me. I actually struggle kissing him back, still very out of breath from my climb. I wish I could have an elevator instead. Actually… That gets me thinking… Since I’ve been figuring out all those pulley systems…

Never mind, my brain’s not working right now. Engineering thoughts later, giant kisses first.

***

E: Hey girls! I wanted to organize a little relaxing afternoon where we have tea and do artsy stuff
E: Camila, Star mentioned that you’re a fan of watercolors so I thought you might want to join :)
C: Yeah, I’m down. I haven’t painted anything in a while.
M: Can we make it a spa day too?? I have a bunch of sheet masks that I need to use up. I can try cutting pieces off for you Evie!
E: Hell yeah! Tea + spa + painting day
S: We can do it at my place! Any weekend this month is fine. When were you thinking?
E: If you guys are free next Sunday, I think the guys had their own plans and Aiden would be able to give me a ride
S: Perfect
C: Works for me
M: Let’s do it!

***

I smile at the two girls giggling over at the couch. Moira’s come by a little early, so there’s an overlap before I have to head out for work, and I have just enough time to make everyone some lunch. My back was turned for a while as I worked at the stove, but now I’m cleaning up the dishes at the kitchen island, and so I can see into the living room.

It’s actually really cool to watch them from afar. Moira’s brought over some kind of art book that they’re looking at, and it sounds like they’re chatting away about interior design. Evie’s trying to get a better view by climbing up her friend’s arm to her shoulder, and without missing a beat Mo is reflexively assisting by raising her elbow higher to create less of an incline.

It's officially been six months since Evie shrunk. Half a year of this insane new life. It’s amazing how much we’ve evolved in that amount of time. I remember how terrified she was of everything at first, how hesitant Moira was, how insecure I was. And now the three of us don’t even think twice about how we need to interact. It’s a strangely beautiful thing.

***

I don’t see the big deal! I don’t judge your kink and I want to know more about it, what’s wrong with that?? If you don’t send me links I can always use Google you know :P (jkjk I won't)

For real, let’s talk about it sometime? I won’t pressure you into showing me anything, and I can totally wait until you’re ready. But if it can help me understand you better then I’d really like to check it out sometime. I promise I won’t make fun of you. And who knows, it might spark some… ideas ;)

Love you!! Hope you’re having a good day at work

***

I can't breathe. I'm so dizzy and can hardly make sense of what's what. I don't even remember how I got here.

It had been a string of seemingly innocuous things today. I almost fell off my packing station when I was fixing one of the pulleys, saved by my safety rope but leaving my heart racing. I had looked forward to Aiden being home for lunch only to get an apology text from him getting pulled into a last minute meeting. Worst of all, there was a confused stranger who tried to get into the apartment while I was home alone, succeeding in scaring me shitless before they realized they were on the wrong floor and stopped trying to break in.

Between those and a hundred other little annoyances, by the end of the day I was overstimulated and anxious. All it took was the sound of a police siren outside to shoot me right back into six years ago, to a clear image of Brock coming home, stressed out about work and ready to take it out on me by pinning me to the wall by the throat.

"You're safe." Aiden's kissing the top of my head, holding me softly in his hands. He's been nothing but attentive when he saw this panic attack coming on. Like he is every time.

I'm crying so hard, desperately wondering when the pain will just go away forever. I'm so full of self hate for still falling into these pits of despair, full of fear that my partner will get sick of me for it. Everything just feels so hopeless. I'm always going to feel like the world is out to get me.

"I don't know how you deal with me," I choke out, vision blurry from the tears.

I hear some of my pain reflected back, but with much more calm and strength. "I love you. Maybe you can't see it right now, but my life's better with you in it."

He holds me close by putting his face in his hands. The lights dim and I'm engulfed by his caring presence. He somehow knows exactly what I need to hear right now.

"I'm not going anywhere, Evie."

****

Hey sweet girl!

I know I keep saying it, but I had such a good time yesterday. I feel like I'm about to fall into a board game obsession myself if I'm not careful, especially with that co-op one, it was so fun! I think I'll be looking forward to Evie's favorite things days just as much as my own favorite things days.

Oh yeah I forgot to tell you, my parents decided to go on that cruise for Thanksgiving, so there's no expectation of them seeing me. Buys us a little more time to figure all that out.

***

I finish stuffing wet laundry into the dryer, and a few button presses later I turn to swing by the desk. I don't immediately spot Evie, but nowadays there's a second location that I need to check. My gaze trails to the floor, and although I don't see her working away near the miniature scaffolding, tiny movements catch my eye not too far off.

I tread lightly and slowly to take a closer look, still from a distance. My bookshelf is up against the wall near the desk, and my miniature girlfriend has climbed up onto the bottom shelf. She's on her hands and knees with her back to me, and she has her hair tied back as she runs some tissue paper along the wooden surface. She looks very concentrated, diligently working at the slight indents between the books.

“You can’t sneak up on me, babe,” Evie suddenly calls out, making me flinch. She sits up to smile at me over her shoulder. “I can feel your footsteps even more from down here.”

I give up on tiptoeing and take the last couple of steps to the shelf so that I can crouch down and not make her strain her voice.

“Whatcha doing there?" I ask, "That doesn’t look like work. Er, not Bitty Forge work, at least."

“Just a little bit of dusting." She stands up and faces me, her ponytail whipping adorably. She must catch the "you don't have to do that" look on my face because she crosses her arms defiantly. "What? I just want to be your tiny housewife!"

I can't even think about her using the word "wife" right now and opt for a playful teasing. "Maybe I can get you a little maid outfit," I suggest with a smirk.

She giggles. "Over my dead body. Now go away, I've gotta clean."

But her words have no bite when her eyes are telling me a different story. She takes a step while flashing me a suggestive smile, arching her lower back and lifting her hip much more sensually than necessary. Then she folds forward, keeping legs straight with her fingers barely touching the ground to continue her "cleaning," so that her little butt juts up into the air.

Despite her being silly, it immediately gets my heart racing. I get down on my stomach to bring my face closer to her, grinning as I extend a finger her way.

"Hmmm, but who's going to clean you up, dirty girl?" I murmur, fingertip trailing from her feet up the length of her legs and then softly tapping the presented rear.

She actually loses her balance from this, laughing as she catches herself on her hands before crumbling dramatically to the floor, twisting around so that she's laying on her back. I join in on the laughter from our antics, loving how relaxed I feel around her, but also getting very excited about the knowledge that her clothes probably won't be staying on for much longer.

***

Hey big guy~

I'm so excited that you're almost done with work! Hang in there, your two weeks of freedom are almost here!! Man, I can't believe the fall semester is so close though. Can I still be your study buddy even if I'm not in your class?

Also also, I keep forgetting to mention this so I'll write it now - I had a rush order come in that I really need to ship out tomorrow. I should finish painting it tonight if you don't mind dropping it off at the post office in the morning. Thank you as always! I'm working on getting more organized so you don't have to go so often, bear with me.

***

I'm not used to seeing both Moira and Diego at the apartment. The four of us have hung out at the Ignacios' house quite a few times now, but it's a bit of a different experience with everyone sitting on the floor, crowded around our ottoman instead of sitting around a dining table. It's slightly more intimidating, having three titans so close, but kinda cozy too.

We've been playing Magic and are currently doing the Two-Headed Giant format - naturally - which means we're playing in teams of two. Diego’s sitting on the floor right next to me as I'm up on the couch, while our opponents are on the opposite side of the ottoman.

"Alright, Shrimp, whaddya think? I just drew this one," Diego mutters, showing me his hand as he fans out his cards. He points out one of them, Fiery Confluence. “I know that last mode might be useless right now, but the other two could still help.”

I frown and point to the text on the card. “You don’t have to use that last mode. It says you can choose the same mode more than once. We can just target all of our damage to them directly.”

“...Oh. Shit, you’re right.”

“Pays to read the fine print,” I say with a wink.

“Ehh, shaddup. You’re better suited for that job,” he responds with a grin.

I absolutely rub it in his face when my attention to detail wins us the match.

***

A: Ok new thread, I'm leaving Evie off. Please make sure you're responding to the right thread!
A: Her birthday's in September but the idea I have will be a bit of an undertaking. I'd love some help keeping her distracted the morning of
S: Consider it done! We can lure her with board games all day long
M: I actually had a gift idea that could involve anyone who wants to draw or paint something really really small :)
S: We should all do that, just tell us what you need Moira!
D: Can I make cake?
A: That'd be great! Like that black forest cake you made around Christmas last year?
D: It's the only fancy cake I can make lol

***

It's a quiet, mundane Thursday evening. I've been slacking on the dishes so we're taking some time now to go through them all. I'm the one using soap and water while Evie's next to the sink with some hand towels to dry things off as we go. Currently she's working on a plate, and she's making sure not to touch the ceramic with her feet by sitting on the towel like it's a magic carpet, stretching one end out with her arms and then bringing the other end in with her legs. She's essentially inch worming her way across the plate, and it's too freaking cute.

I naturally make my way through the dish pile faster than she does. I dry my hands off so that I can at least help her out with the pots and pans, but when I watch her finish up polishing off a fork, I'm struck with a mischievous impulse.

Evie wipes at her brow as she gets to her feet and hurries over to the next utensil. But she hardly makes it a couple of steps before I snatch her up around the torso. I always make sure she can at least see me coming when I pick her up without permission like this, but even then I catch her off guard and make her gasp.

"Mine," I chirp, and I lift her up to dangle her right in front of my smirking face.

She giggles and reaches her hands out to me so that she can latch on and give me a tiny kiss on the nose. "Yours," she says tenderly.

With renewed vigor she readjusts herself in my hand, wrestling my thumb into a tight hug. "Mine," she asserts.

I sigh happily and lean in to kiss the top of her head. "Yours."

[DocRick]

"C: Everyone better vote for options 2 or 3. We have to have a hot tub"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[littlest-lily]

"C: Everyone better vote for options 2 or 3. We have to have a hot tub"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh dear, it seems I'm creating some paranoia maybe (mwahahahaha)


Chapter 63
Evie

"Okay… how many?"

"Ummm. Three?"

"Damn!" I sit back on the couch cushion in shock. "How are you so good at this?"

Aiden grins with pride. "I have a lot of experience touching you, you know."

"Still," I say, a little befuddled. "Alright, try again?"

"Sure! As many times as you want, this is fun."

I reach my hand out again and put it against his outstretched fingertip. Even fully splayed, my hand doesn't even come close to covering the pad of his finger. We've been playing a game where I put up a certain number of fingers against his skin and he guesses how many by sense of touch alone. I can't process how my ridiculously small digits must feel to him, but he's been guessing right every time.

"Can you close your eyes this time?" I suggest.

"I can't see through my finger…"

"Close 'em!"

He obliges, shutting his eyelids. I form a peace sign on his fingerprint.

"Two," he says confidently.

“Wow. Okay, one more…”

He keeps his eyes closed and I attempt to throw him off. I lean forward and peck my lips against his skin instead.

Aiden laughs. "You didn't think I could tell the difference between your hand and your mouth?"

He opens his eyes and I lean deeper into the kiss on his finger. At this point I’m foregoing the game and just getting a little frisky. Which I probably shouldn't be - it's nearing final exams for the class he's working for, and he's got a lot on his plate. But it's been well over a week since we've done anything sensual and I've been finding myself missing his touch. I can see the longing in his eyes too, and I start feeling guilty for tempting him. I sit upright with a sheepish smile.

"Should you get back to work?" I ask.

"I probably should…" he mumbles.

"Will I be too much of a distraction on your shoulder?"

"Umm… I think I'm willing to take that chance."

Jumping at the opportunity before he can change his mind, I scurry over the top of his hand and across his forearm. He chuckles at my enthusiasm, and he gently lifts and straightens out his arm to help me climb up to his neck. We settle into silence, with him on his laptop and me attempting to massage the muscles in his shoulders.

But even though we’re not talking or even looking at each other, I swear the sexual tension is arcing between us like static electricity. I take the occasional pause just laying against his neck and watching him answering emails. He seems pretty restless, his fingers tapping and fidgeting idly whenever they're not actively typing. I glare every time I see a new message come in. How dare these students bother him with so many questions right before their final. Who do they think they are??

My arm muscles are getting sore after half an hour or so. I gravitate back towards his head, thinking I'll shimmy down to sit on his collarbone and relax for a bit. But as I approach, Aiden takes a second to stretch. He's very careful not to dislodge me from my perch, but I immediately notice an opening. Normally his ears are too high up for me to reach them, so even though I know they're a sensitive spot for him, I don't usually get the chance to touch them. But as he tilts his head to stretch out his neck, the side of his face comes really close to where I'm standing, and I just can't resist - I reach up and brush my fingers against his earlobe.

"Ahhhh," he quietly exclaims, shivering so hard from the tickle that I fall to my knees. His fingers are suddenly around me, not to pick me up but to make sure I don't topple off of him.

"Sorry," I giggle.

"Nope. Don't apologize," he sighs longingly.

I notice his head is still tilted my way, and if anything he seems to be bending it a little further in hopeful request. I reach up from my sitting position and with one finger I start caressing the side of his ear. His grip on me tightens slightly and goosebumps form on his shoulder right below me. After a few moments of me fondling and tickling, he lets out a sound that's between a groan and a whine.

"Well, I did just get caught up on emails…" he grumbles.

"Sorry," I say again with a wince.

"Stop," he responds with a smile in his voice. "I can afford a little break."

"Okay… Well in that case…"

I stand back up so that I can reach him with my mouth and begin gently pecking and nibbling at the edge of his earlobe. I can’t see his expression, but I can feel the subtle change in his pulse where his hand is touching me, I get jostled by the occasional shuddering, and his breathing is getting choppy. He'd be able to hear me whispering from this proximity, so as I start getting riled up myself from the effect I have on him, my quiet moans do not pass unnoticed. His fingers begin favoring me in turn, running lightly across my limbs and up my back.

“I want to see you,” Aiden murmurs as a head's up before I'm encircled in his grasp. A part of me was enjoying how much pleasure I was able to give him from my spot on his shoulder, but mostly I’m brimming with anticipation for what comes next, so I don't protest.

I look over the edge of his hand for a second so that I can take in his mammoth body, and I do notice that far below there’s a lump forming inside the loose fabric of his basketball shorts. I’ve still never seen him completely naked. There’s already so much to adjust to with sex at this size that we’ve been content to discover it very gradually, so he’s only ever used his hands and lips - the thought of getting his junk involved intimidates us both. But my glance down is still a longing one… someday we’ll get there.

My giant partner holds me out in front of him and casually but carefully uses a finger to force me onto my back in his palm. We take each other in for a moment and then he starts kissing me, starting at the side of my head and slowly making his way down my body. I’m making all sorts of sounds as I squirm and happily give in to him.

When he gets to the bottom, I’m surprised by a nipping at my ankle. I glance down just in time to see him delicately close his teeth around my foot as he sports a wide, playful smile. I push myself up on my elbows, so close to his face that I just stare at his eye and give him a quizzical look. Suddenly I feel something warm and wet against the sole of my foot and I jerk my leg back with a squeal, yanking it out of the giant mouth. I realize he just pushed his tongue up against me.

“What the hell?!” I laugh, wiping my foot off on his palm.

“Just being silly,” he chuckles. His free hand appears at my side and starts caressing my leg. “Although… I kinda wanted to try something new, if you're open to it? It just might get a little… messy.” He takes my still-damp foot to gently rub between finger and thumb, accentuating his point.

I stare at him for a couple of beats, trying to decipher what’s going on in his mind. Suddenly, I recall a term that I've seen around the Internet before and wonder. “Wait a sec. Is it one of your fantasies to eat me?"

This sobers him right up. His eyes widen as he looks horrified. "No… no no no, not at all."

I try to temper what I’m now realizing sounds like an accusation with, “It’s okay! Sorry, I totally jumped to conclusions, and I don’t mean to sound like I’m judging you. I mean, it's all just fantasy, right?”

“No, well… yes, that is a thing that some people are into, but no, I just, um… I just like the idea of using my tongue a little bit.” He pauses, turning things over in his mind now that he’s gone more serious and adds, “But I can see how that might be… scary. We don't have to. Forget I said anything.”

I feel guilty for how embarrassed he looks right now. I try to give him my most reassuring smile and then I shoot up to my feet, standing in the middle of his palm. Without a word I proceed to strip completely naked by pulling my shirt up and my shorts down. Aiden watches in stunned silence as I kick my pile of clothing off the side of his hand for us to find on the couch later.

I beam up at him enthusiastically. “It's just like kissing, yeah? Except a little more wet. I'm down to try.”

He just stares for a few seconds before nodding weakly. Then, as if overcome with a sudden passion, he cups a hand around my back and leans in to start kissing me, harder than before. Instead of just passively taking it in this time, I kiss him back avidly, relaxing into him. I take in the warmth of his skin, the pressure of his lips, the smell of citrus on his breath from the orange he was snacking on earlier. We make out like we normally might for a little bit, and my bare skin is feeling more and more sensitive as the muscles between my legs get tighter.

Eventually we slow down while I'm somehow still standing upright, and Aiden softly breathes warm air on my lower body. He lightly runs his nose along the side of my frame, making me shiver with pleasure. With unhurried, deliberate movements, he puts slight pressure against my back with his fingertips as he starts kissing my legs. I hug myself against his cheek, closing my eyes as I breathe deeply, feeling ready to discover whatever it is he wants to explore.

Soon I feel something different against my thighs. His jaw has opened just a tad, and he’s carefully prodding with the tip of his tongue. It leaves a thin film of saliva where it touches my skin, and at first I worry it's just going to make me cold. But the pressure begins to grow as the bumpy muscle covers more of my legs at once, its heat pleasant despite the moisture. It's such an odd thing compared to what I'm used to. His tongue is so lithe and can form itself into flexible shapes against my body.

I gasp as the warm mass pushes my thighs apart, and he slowly licks the spot between them. My second ex only went down on me once, and it was pretty great, but I remember feeling so self conscious about it. And yet, even though I'm dripping wet at this point, I'm very aware that the space between my legs is so small, and that somehow helps ease my embarrassment. When the giant's wetness finally meets mine in earnest, I moan without holding back.

I want to lay down now, so I lean into the folds of his hand that's just behind me, and Aiden follows hungrily, becoming more confident in the way his mouth is moving. He's definitely focused on my womanhood now, but his tongue is so big that it's covering my legs in the process. The hot, wet pressure is so new and… exciting. The texture of his taste buds is most surprising of all, very distinct from the ridges of his fingers but feeling just as amazing against my sex. I writhe and wince uncontrollably.

There's a brief pause as my boyfriend checks in, his tongue pulling away for a moment. "Doing okay?" he whispers.

"Yeah," I gasp, "Don't stop, I'm gonna get cold."

He grins, more than happy to continue. He uses his free hand to briefly reach down to me and roll me over in his palm, so that I'm on my stomach instead of my back.

"C-Can I bring you in… inside?" he stutters.

I turn to look at him over my shoulder. "Inside your mouth?!"

He’s blushing fervently but nods. "Not completely, just to… surround your lower half a little more."

I'm not sure how to feel about this, but I can't say I'm not intrigued. "Okay… Just be careful not to swallow me or anything."

Aiden kisses my back, helping me to relax back into his palm. "For the record," he murmurs, "You're not so small that that could happen by accident. I'll go slow and you can stop me the second you're uncomfortable. My goal here is to make you feel good, okay?"

His face is currently floating just above, so I turn my head again to make eye contact. I soak in the beautiful hazel of his irises, reminding myself of how deeply I love and have faith in my gigantic partner. I smile. And incline my head in agreement.

His tongue swoops back in. My nerves are mollified by the feeling of its weight sliding against my thighs again, snaking in between them so that he can maneuver the muscle underneath my legs. It prods and nudges and rubs against my entire crotch area, and I’m going right back into the throes of pleasure. Finally the tip of his tongue reaches my stomach, and he gets enough purchase against my body that I can feel myself starting to get dragged as he slowly pulls me into his mouth.

It's probably a good thing that I'm on my stomach and looking in the opposite direction. I can only imagine how intimidating it would be to see the entrance of the cave I'm about to enter. Especially when some of his teeth are as big as my head. It's… quite the trust exercise.

Once I’m halfway in and my ribs are resting just over his lower lip, the giant closes his mouth around me. He’s careful not to touch me with his teeth, but my legs are completely encased in the hot, humid space as I stare just past Aiden’s chin, at the fingers that are now encircling my torso, and also down and down and down the cliff that is the rest of his body. I watch his faraway hand disappear under the waistband of his shorts, just as I feel his tongue form its way over and around my body, completely enveloping my lower half.

This is absolutely wild.

His tongue slides against me effortlessly, and the entire package feels surprisingly fantastic. It’s reminiscent of a warm bath with water jets, like a very wet massage. At this point my own lubrication gets lost in the cave, but he has plenty to share. And I can feel the vibrations of his voice more than ever before, each small moan making me shiver. Aiden curls his tongue around my frame and I feel a sudden lift, a rolling motion, a pressure against my skin… as he starts sucking on me like a lollipop.

“Ohh,” I gasp with sudden realization of what’s happening. “Ohhhh…”

I grip the thumb that’s supporting me, my legs writhing feebly under the force of the suction. It feels like I’m getting swept up into some kind of piece of machinery, like a terrible accident waiting to happen, except the cogs aren’t actually crushing me, just coming dangerously close. It’s so intense that it's almost painful, but the adrenaline heightens the pleasure beyond what I thought was possible. It’s so incredibly intimate to know that this insane sensation is being caused by something as mundane as my lover’s mouth.

God, I want… more.

To the surprise of us both, I start shoving against his hand, pushing myself deeper inside. Aiden flinches, as if slightly panicked that I was slipping in unintentionally, until he realizes what I’m doing and his fingers let go. I grab hold of his lower lip and press my face into it, my entire body fitting into the hot space as if I was one end of a spoon.

His tongue undulates and thankfully he's using his lips to protect me from his teeth as my lower half is pushed into the roof of his mouth. He sucks and licks and massages every bit of me, until he finds a sweet spot with the edge of his tongue between my legs. I yelp as I feel individual taste buds against my clit, and he reacts to my sounds by thrusting, again, again, finding a rhythm that makes me breathless.

I grip his lip so tightly that I’m probably leaving a mark, and the orgasm hits me hard, making my body spasm as I cry out. I think Aiden’s right there with me, his voice echoing in the cavern at my back as his breath whooshes past me in a sigh. His tongue relaxes, and in the aftermath I’m suddenly rather anxious to get out of here, abruptly noticing the proximity of his enormous teeth. I wrench myself forward and his hand is ready to catch me, his tongue nudging me out as I collapse clumsily into his palm.

It feels good to see his face again. I vaguely catch on to the fact that he took off his shirt at some point, but I’m too busy looking him in the eyes as I lay there in his hand, covered in saliva and dizzy from the afterglow.

“You alright?” Aiden whispers with a hesitant smile, trying to catch his breath.

I’m struggling even more to catch mine. “That… was… intense…” I gasp, and with an overwhelmed laugh I add, “In a good way!”

My partner's wasting no time in making sure I don’t start shivering now that I’m soaked. He brings up a tent-like blue cloth - oh, that’s where his shirt went - so that he can start wrapping me in it.

"You sure? It wasn't too–” He stops himself short, freezing in place, just as he’s rolled me to the side to start maneuvering the fabric underneath my body. I glance up and he looks very alarmed as he stares at my torso. “Oh my god. Evie, I'm so sorry.”

I frown, confused, and look down at myself as I ask, “What? What's wrong?”

“There's… there's bite marks… I didn't think I bit down but I guess…” I twist a little further on myself and now I see it too - big red blotches right around my lower back.

“You didn't,” I say quickly, “Don't worry, Aiden, you didn't hurt me. I think that was just from the sucking.” I giggle. “Like a giant hickey… Wow, that's crazy. I don't think it's bad though, I'm sure it'll fade quickly.”

He still looks very concerned, trying to both cover the rest of me up with the makeshift towel while gingerly running a thumb over the mark that he’d accidentally left. I gaze at him with a deep sigh, so endeared by the way he’s fretting over my wellbeing. I roll onto my back so that the mark is out of sight and take his thumb, hugging it against me as I snuggle into the loose fabric of his shirt.

“Relax, it doesn’t hurt. Don't ruin my buzz, 'kay?” I murmur, “Because that seriously felt incredible. I want to do it again in the future.”

Aiden’s forlorn expression softens. “Really?”

“Yes! I completely get it now, I actually thought that was really hot. Maybe it’s not for every time, I love you touching me with your hands just as much. Less cleanup that way too.”

“Yeah, and I honestly kinda missed looking at you. But…” He lets out his own wistful sigh, leaning back against the couch as his shoulders relax. “I still really, really enjoyed that. You felt amazing in there, babe.”

I grin. “Variety is good! We've got more options now.”

It’s getting harder to hold my head up and I let it slump to the side, forehead resting against the pad of the thumb that I’m currently using as a teddy bear. The palm of his hand feels like a heated mattress, the heavy fabric of his shirt like a cozy blanket. I could lay here for hours, although I know this was meant to be a relatively short break.

“Mmkay, you can go back to work…” I say, slurring my words. “Could I just, like, chill in your pocket for a while? I want to stay close.”

My eyes have shut but I feel gentle air displacement on my face before huge, soft lips touch my cheek. “Cuddles first,” Aiden murmurs.

He readjusts himself to lay sideways on the couch, resting his hand with me in it on a cushion so that he can hold me within kissing distance as we relax for a bit. His nose nudges the back of my head, breathing me in and ruffling my hair on the exhale. When he speaks his voice is full of emotion.

“Thank you for being so open. You're just making all my tiny dreams come true, one after another."

"Thank you for being my guide." I open one eye to glance towards something far away and out of sight, my mind visiting the forbidden location between his legs. I don’t specifically call out what I'm thinking about as it feels like a conversation for a different time. But my response is genuine when I say, “I can’t wait to discover what all of those tiny dreams are.”

[DocRick]

Is it hot in here, or is it just me?

[waffs]

I realize it's a pretty minor detail, but I'm popping down here from Chapter 59 (having fallen behind) to wonder which latest Brandon Sanderson book that would be, because the odds are against it being a best entry point. (Of the ~35 on my bookshelves, only 14 aren't sequels.) So if Evie's getting sucked into something that probably expects her to know other books, it may be more to her taste than she thinks.

[littlest-lily]

Is it hot in here, or is it just me?

It's always good to hear when something has its intended effect!

I realize it's a pretty minor detail, but I'm popping down here from Chapter 59 (having fallen behind) to wonder which latest Brandon Sanderson book that would be, because the odds are against it being a best entry point. (Of the ~35 on my bookshelves, only 14 aren't sequels.) So if Evie's getting sucked into something that probably expects her to know other books, it may be more to her taste than she thinks.

Oh nooooo you found a plot hole! haha, I have sorta been imagining that these events happen roughly in "real time" (ie in 2023), but with this little detail I've now ruined it for myself lol. I just picked a fantasy author I'm familiar with, even though I haven't read his stuff - if I ever publish this (I won't) I'll just change the author name and no one will be the wiser shhhhhh



Chapter 64
Aiden

"Evie?"

I abruptly sit up straight as my eyes search the ground and my head whips from side to side. There are a whole lot of plants obstructing my view and my anxiety flares. I hold my phone up to my ear as my subconscious remembers that other people aren't too far away.

"Hello?" I insist furtively.

"Here!"

I sigh with relief as I finally make out her voice, and then a familiar figure pops her head out from under a leaf. Evie looks out of breath as she waves up at me. "Sorry, I guess you couldn't hear me. Didn't mean to disappear!"

“All good. You covered a lot of ground, I put you down way over there."

“It's a whole other world under here!" She pushes the leaf up above her head now, gesturing with her chin as if inviting me inside. "Come see what I found. Can you push this up?"

I glance back towards the other groups of people who have also decided to go strawberry picking on this late summer day. As usual, no one seems to care about what I’m doing, and the one family who was close by is heading further out now. Eh, what’s a little dirt on my shirt. I get all the way down to the ground, tilting my head to the side and slipping my hand under the canopy of leaves. We’re on the very edge of the field near a grove of trees, so there’s actually a variety of plants here, and I’m feeling quite curious as I peer underneath the foliage and lift it up.

My girlfriend’s right there waiting for me. She gives me a playful peck on the forehead before turning and weaving her way through the sapling-like stems of the strawberry plants. Argh, how is she so goshdarn cute? This is a new dress that she’s wearing, and between her improved sewing skills and having picked out better materials over time, the garment almost looks like just a normal dress that was shrunken down to fit her. The greens and earthy browns of the fabric help her camouflage and look like a little forest fairy.

“See?” she chirps, hoisting something up from the ground. “They’re my size!”

Even though we’re visiting a farm that just has regular strawberries, she’s managed to discover some unexpected wild strawberries that are much smaller. The pale red fruit must be less than half an inch in length.

“Almost your size,” I chuckle at the fact that the tiny berry still looks as big as a football in her hands.

Evie rolls her eyes and with a grin she takes a big bite out of her prize. She then proceeds to do a comedic spit take, hacking it back up in disgust.

“Aggghhh that is so sour,” she groans. She tosses the fruit down and wipes the back of her hand on her mouth.

I try very hard to wince sympathetically instead of laugh. Laying the side of my head flat on the earth, I reach my arm a little deeper into the foliage and say, “There are some more over here, I’m sure we’ll find a tastier one for ya.”

I pluck up a few extra berries and Evie adds a couple of her own to the pile in my palm before she climbs aboard herself. I close my fingers around the lot and drag my hand out of the brush as I sit upright in the grass. Now's as good a time as any to pause for a snack, so we settle in. I lean against a nearby tree, tug our much bigger basket of regular strawberries towards us, and gently set my little partner on my knee as I sit cross legged.

“Try this one,” I say, rolling a ruby red berry to the edge of my palm so that Evie can reach it. “It looks more ripe.”

Her nibble is tentative this time, but her smile quickly returns. “Oh wow! They’re not as juicy as the farm kind, but I think I actually like these better. Here, you have some too.”

She gives my hand an encouraging push, and I go ahead and pop a couple of the wild berries in my mouth. They’ve got some nice floral notes that feel incredibly nostalgic to me.

“What’s good about these is that they’re so easy to identify,” I tell her, “They’re a nice little snack if you come across them while camping.”

“Oooo, do you know how to forage for food in the woods?”

“I’m no expert, but I’ve picked up a couple of things. They actually have a class about wild mushrooms the weekend we’re going to the cabin, I kinda want to check it out.”

“Cool! Can I join you? I could hide in your hat. That way you can bend over without worrying about me falling out of your pocket.”

“Yeah, totally! Squeeze it into the itinerary.”

Evie laughs self-consciously, knowing that she’s been a little extra with the amount of time she’s already spent planning for this camping trip. “I’m excited,” she says defensively.

“I’m just teasing you. I’m really excited too. It’s something to look forward to at least.”

I don’t do a good job of hiding how forlorn I feel as I say that last bit. Today is rather bittersweet in that it’s the last day of summer vacation. My classes start tomorrow, and I’m really not looking forward to it.

Evie’s expression softens and she scoots towards my hand to take my thumb, leaning her cheek against the tip of it sympathetically. She’s been having to deal with me being a little grumpy about this for days, but it hasn’t affected how supportive she’s been. I silently show appreciation by smiling and very gently rubbing the side of her face.

She pauses and then suggests, “Would it help to make some more fall plans? Things like visiting a pumpkin patch? Or maybe we could do apple picking next time? Although, uh… it'll be harder for me to help you with apples.”

“Heh. Yeah, all of that sounds fun. But it’s alright - I’m sure I’ll feel better once I just rip the bandaid off and get in the swing of things with school.”

“You’ve got this, babe." She gives me a squeeze and then lets go of my thumb. She looks upwards, squinting and shielding her face. "Hey, the sun’s really beating down… Do you think we could go lie down in the shade there?”

Evie’s pointing a little bit deeper into the grove, at a patch of shade just a couple of feet to the side of where we are. She already starts walking the length of my leg, towards my hip, and even though I’m careful as I scoot back, I still knock her down to her knees. I chuckle out an apology and then recline backwards, laying onto the ground with a sigh.

My little partner continues her journey up my body, making my breath grow a bit more shallow as she reaches the top of my leg. The way she circumvents the awkward space near my crotch is an unintentional tease that I sheepishly enjoy, but soon enough she's made it to my shirt. I close my eyes as I focus on her tiny feet traversing my abdomen. I get so much comfort out of her warm little weight.

"Do we know who's taking the loft bed?" Evie asks, casually circling the conversation back to the camping trip.

"Moira was insisting that she'll take it," I mumble, so relaxed that I'm having trouble moving my lips. "I think you and I are getting that side room downstairs. Let's just let Camila have the bigger room."

"Yeah, I'm fine with that. We'll be nice and cozy."

I feel her lay down on my chest and my fingers easily find her without me needing to look. I stroke her back and quietly ask, "Speaking of Camila… How did that hangout go with her at the Ignacios' place?"

For a split second I think I feel her tense up, but she regains her composure so quickly that I'm not even sure. "It was fine. We're still not best buds or anything, but she was nice enough, and Moira and Star handle her well."

I open my eyes to glance down at her curled up form on my chest. She's restlessly drawing small circles on my shirt even though her eyes look contentedly shut. I exhale slowly as I lay my head back again and frown up at the canopy of branches. I think about when we properly introduced Camila and Evie several weeks ago, back at the beer garden. I’ve come around somewhat since then, but I was honestly still annoyed at how rude I thought Camila was being at the time. I’ve let Evie do her thing, but I wasn’t exactly comfortable with her spending time on her own with all of the girls.

"I don't love not being there when she's around…" I admit.

"Why?" Evie shifts as she lifts her head up. Ack, I'm realizing I sounded a bit ominous. I should watch what I say, I don't mean to scare her.

“I trust that you’re safe, but… I don’t know, this is just the protective side of me that wants to stand up for you if someone’s not being the nicest.”

"Oh. Don't worry too much. The others are good at making me feel included. Thanks, though." Out of the corner of my eye I catch a flash of her teeth in a grin. She starts emphatically rubbing my chest as she croons, "Aww, does my big, stwong man want to be a big, stwong pwotector?"

"Shut up, you," I chuckle, squeezing my fingers around her a little tighter as she wriggles and giggles.

We don't get much more strawberry picking done after that. Which is fine - our basket has more than enough fruit already, and the point of this outing was just to spend some quality time together anyway. We hang out in the grove until I notice the sun is starting to set. Eventually I remark that we should probably go pay for what we’ve picked before the farm closes, and all too soon Evie’s in my pocket as I trudge back to the car.

What a fantastic summer it’s been overall. I got a girlfriend out of it, for one. And we’ve shared so many wonderful memories. It’s not like the start of the school semester is going to drastically alter all that much about our lives, but I’m still so bummed out about it feeling like this current chapter is coming to a close.

“Wait!” Evie pipes up suddenly. I’ve just opened the car door and freeze mid-crouch to look down at her. She’s hooked her arms over the lip of the pocket and has one hand pointing to something in the distance. “Did you see that?”

“Hmm?” I ask, glancing up in the direction she’s pointing. It’s another little patch of trees at the end of the parking lot, but I don’t see anything remarkable.

“There!” she yelps again excitedly.

I saw it this time. In the dimming dusk was a brief pinprick of light passing by a bush, followed by a second one a couple of yards away.

“Fireflies,” I say, looking back down at her with a growing smile. “Have you never seen any before?”

“No, never in person. Can we go check it out? Oh, there’s another one! Please, please, I want to see!”

“Okay, okay,” I laugh, shutting the car door and redirecting towards the little lights.

Soon enough we're surrounded by them, flickering amongst the trees in the growing evening darkness. Evie perks up adorably every time she spots one, her head whipping around, until I suggest we have her sit on my shoulder instead of my pocket so that she has a better 360-degree view. I actually feel like I've entered her world for once, as if we've stumbled into a magical fairy circle.

"They're so cool! Ever caught one in a jar?" she asks me from her perch by my neck.

"Yup. On many a family camping trip we’d make temporary lanterns with these little guys."

“Aren’t they hard to catch?”

“Nah, they don't tend to be that evasive actually. The trick is to pick one and follow it…”

I stay particularly mindful of my tiny passenger as I set my sights on a passing light. Its bioluminescence fades, but I don’t get distracted by the other glowing insects and continue focusing on the same buzzing target as it meanders over the top of a bush. I take slow, careful steps towards it, reach my arm out, and manage to palm the little bug on my first try. It lands on me as soon as my skin makes contact, and I gently cup both hands around it.

“Like that! They’re pretty chill,” I say with a glance down at Evie, who’s now clinging tightly to my shirt as she leans forward with interest. I bring my hands up closer to where she’s sitting, so that she can see the light pouring out from the gap between my fingers when the firefly starts to glow again.

“I’m impressed!” she giggles. “Careful though, don’t squish him.”

To reassure her I open my hands to let the lightning bug go on its way, but I remark, “Don’t worry… I have plenty of practice snatching up little critters.”

She sighs dramatically in response as she knows exactly where I’m going with this - I scoop her right off my shoulder so that I can softly clap my hands around her instead. She scrambles around against my palm, and I beam with joy as I hear her laughter. I bring her right up to my eye and lift my thumb slightly so that I can peer through the gap. I can just make out her tiny form in the dark hand cave that I’ve trapped her in.

“Hmmm, what a weird little bug,” I comment loftily.

“You are asking for an eye poke, mister,” she playfully growls back.

I’m the one laughing now as I open my hands and avidly give her body a big smooch, reveling in her squeals of delight. She grabs at my nose to try and pull me in closer and cuddle up against me, and I let her jerk me around without resisting in the slightest.

This small detour before heading back home has done wonders for my mood. Just when I thought that the fun was all over, my best friend was there to help me realize that there’s still plenty of fun to still be had. I'm finding it that much easier to look forward to the next chapter.

[DocRick]

Been saving this one for this chapter. (Sorry, didn't know you were putting her in a dress)

[waffs]

I realize it's a pretty minor detail, but I'm popping down here from Chapter 59 (having fallen behind) to wonder which latest Brandon Sanderson book that would be, because the odds are against it being a best entry point. (Of the ~35 on my bookshelves, only 14 aren't sequels.) So if Evie's getting sucked into something that probably expects her to know other books, it may be more to her taste than she thinks.

Oh nooooo you found a plot hole! haha, I have sorta been imagining that these events happen roughly in "real time" (ie in 2023), but with this little detail I've now ruined it for myself lol. I just picked a fantasy author I'm familiar with, even though I haven't read his stuff - if I ever publish this (I won't) I'll just change the author name and no one will be the wiser shhhhhh

Actually, 2023 makes that somewhat easier: he's released four books this year, all of them standalone. Depending on whether Aiden usually goes for physical books or ebooks, an October-November timeframe would mean either Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (a strong contender for my favorite he's written so far) or The Sunlit Man, respectively.

Or, you know, this could be an AU Brandon Sanderson who writes with less expectation of continuity. Your story, your rules.

[DocRick]

I realize it's a pretty minor detail, but I'm popping down here from Chapter 59 (having fallen behind) to wonder which latest Brandon Sanderson book that would be, because the odds are against it being a best entry point. (Of the ~35 on my bookshelves, only 14 aren't sequels.) So if Evie's getting sucked into something that probably expects her to know other books, it may be more to her taste than she thinks.

Oh nooooo you found a plot hole! haha, I have sorta been imagining that these events happen roughly in "real time" (ie in 2023), but with this little detail I've now ruined it for myself lol. I just picked a fantasy author I'm familiar with, even though I haven't read his stuff - if I ever publish this (I won't) I'll just change the author name and no one will be the wiser shhhhhh

Actually, 2023 makes that somewhat easier: he's released four books this year, all of them standalone. Depending on whether Aiden usually goes for physical books or ebooks, an October-November timeframe would mean either Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (a strong contender for my favorite he's written so far) or The Sunlit Man, respectively.

Or, you know, this could be an AU Brandon Sanderson who writes with less expectation of continuity. Your story, your rules.

Had you read chapter 63 before making this comment, you would have forgotten about Brandon Sanderson's books.

[waffs]

Oh nooooo you found a plot hole! haha, I have sorta been imagining that these events happen roughly in "real time" (ie in 2023), but with this little detail I've now ruined it for myself lol. I just picked a fantasy author I'm familiar with, even though I haven't read his stuff - if I ever publish this (I won't) I'll just change the author name and no one will be the wiser shhhhhh

Actually, 2023 makes that somewhat easier: he's released four books this year, all of them standalone. Depending on whether Aiden usually goes for physical books or ebooks, an October-November timeframe would mean either Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (a strong contender for my favorite he's written so far) or The Sunlit Man, respectively.

Or, you know, this could be an AU Brandon Sanderson who writes with less expectation of continuity. Your story, your rules.

Had you read chapter 63 before making this comment, you would have forgotten about Brandon Sanderson's books.

Possible! Very, very possible.

But it seemed rude to leave the conversation hanging until I caught up, especially when I'd left the author in an "I need to" feeling.

[DocRick]

Possible! Very, very possible.

But it seemed rude to leave the conversation hanging until I caught up, especially when I'd left the author in an "I need to" feeling.

I've never heard of the author, so I just thought it was mentioned in passing. Is there some correlation to the storyline that I didn't catch?

[waffs]

Possible! Very, very possible.

But it seemed rude to leave the conversation hanging until I caught up, especially when I'd left the author in an "I need to" feeling.

I've never heard of the author, so I just thought it was mentioned in passing. Is there some correlation to the storyline that I didn't catch?

I meant the author of this story, littlest-lily. I don't like to cause feelings of "with this little detail I've now ruined it for myself" etc., particularly on a first interaction.