Out of their Element

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littlest-lily
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Wed Mar 15, 2023 2:00 am

I was doodling these two and decided to slap this together, as a promo pic I guess? :D


Image
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Sat Apr 01, 2023 2:02 pm

Part 2: Down to Earth

Chapter 19
Aiden

It’s an absolutely gorgeous day out today. The sun is just cloud covered enough to not be too warm, the breeze is light and pleasant. I’ve yet to be bothered by a single fly or gnat and the sound of distant birdsong fills the air. The garden is in full bloom around me, carpets of peony and iris encircling the patch of soft green grass where I’ve laid out a blanket. The park is completely empty of any other people on this Saturday morning, just a beautiful, quiet, peaceful spot.

I hardly take notice of any of it. At the moment, my attention is entirely on the little creature before me who's taking tentative steps over the surface of our picnic blanket. Her three-inch frame is just heavy enough to make the cloth bend under her bare feet as she absently meanders back and forth in circuitous patterns, her hands making wide gestures as she tells me a story. I’m currently laying on my stomach, propping myself up on my elbows, a long-abandoned book tucked under one forearm. A perpetual smile tugs up the corner of my mouth as I can’t keep my eyes off of this tiny woman who unknowingly has my heart under lock and chain.

“So what was I supposed to do then?!” Evie exclaims, throwing her arms out emphatically as she looks up at me.

“Did you think the basement was haunted?” I ask, biting back laughter as I wonder what direction this tale will go.

“Of course I did! Why would the freaking chief of staff lie to me about what he saw?!”

She pivots on her heel to resume her pacing, causing her hair to whip and her dress to twirl just above her knees. God, she’s so cute.

“But of course, he had already left because he thought it would be hilarious to let the youngest team member close up shop alone on Halloween night. I never imagined he’d be hiding down there to jump out at me. Worst prank ever.” She pauses dramatically before a sly smirk forms onto her tiny face. “But what he didn’t know was that I was carrying a crowbar I found just behind the basement door.”

“Oh, damn!” I say, my eyebrows shooting up. “Is this about to take a really dark turn?”

“Nah. I did swing when he popped up, but the light was so dim that I completely missed. Scared the crap out of him though… Served him right. Anyway, that’s another reason why I don’t like going underground.” Evie lets herself collapse onto the picnic blanket so that she’s lying on her back. “Much prefer the sunlight anyway. I wish the weather could be this nice all year round...”

As much as she seems to be enjoying the sun, the beam that’s shining down on us at the moment appears to be blinding her - she’s squinting and putting a hand up to her face. I scoot forward a little bit, looming over her so that my head casts a shadow onto her body. She gives me an appreciative smile.

“Yeah, I can definitely tell the fresh air’s doing you some good,” I murmur.

“It is!” she exclaims, stretching her arms over her head contentedly, “I’m totally high on it.”

“I should open the windows more often at home then. It would be good to air out the place anyway.”

“Sounds great. And thanks for bringing me out here so often, Aiden! I always thought this was such a dinky little park and never came here in the before times. Such a fool I was…” She flips over onto her stomach and gazes out past the edge of the picnic blanket. “Think it would be a bad idea to go exploring? I’ve never really done that.”

“Mmm, I don’t see why not. Let’s just watch out for things like broken glass. And bugs.”

“You mean like that giant scorpion?” she says, pointing out ahead.

“What?!” I yelp, head snapping up to look wildly at where she’s gesturing, and without thinking I’ve already darted my hand forward to form a wall in front of my vulnerable friend. I scan the grass and barely register my own confusion before I hear the melodic sound of her laughter.

“Kidding,” she says, sitting up so she can tap my wrist reassuringly, “April Fools.”

“Jesus, Evie.” I grin weakly as I look back down at her, feeling pretty dumb for having fallen for that. Surely she would have sounded at least a little concerned if it had been for real. “Who’s the prankster now?”

“Yeah, I don’t know if I’m cut out for it. I didn’t mean to scare you, I feel bad now.”

"Don't. You got me good. I'll just need to come up with some form of revenge," I tease, extending my index finger to poke at her stomach and making her giggle as she skitters backwards.

In the back of my mind I'm processing what she just alluded to. It’s already April 1st. In just another week it will have been two months since the incident that dramatically changed both of our lives. We’ve settled into such a comfortable routine that I almost wonder if we’re doing something wrong, that it shouldn’t have been so easy to figure this out.

Well… okay, not everything has been easy. Especially at night when I go to bed and all I see are images of her when I close my eyes. But I've kept my promise to myself. And despite how much I’ve been struggling with these problematic feelings, I know she still has it way harder. She spends most of her life alone on a desk.

I’ve actually been feeling a bit worried about her lately. Evie’s been incredibly resilient throughout this whole thing - she hardly ever seems intimidated anymore by how much bigger I am, or the size of the rest of the world for that matter. She has all sorts of projects for herself now, having made a whole new wardrobe and crafting tools, and recently voicing interest in building furniture too. We’ve even started discussing maybe opening an Etsy store for her to sell miniatures once she gets the hang of it. Considering how recently the shrinking happened and the fact that we have no idea if or when we'll ever be able to fix her, she really has been amazing in making the most of her situation.

But something’s a little off. Over the past week or two, I can’t help but feel like she’s been trying to keep particularly busy in an effort to stay distracted from something. There are a million things that could be bothering her. Boredom. Loneliness. Frustration over her limits. Missing things about the past, worrying about the future. Whenever I try to ask about how she feels, she always tries to reassure me that she’s doing fine.

As much as I care about Evie, that’s one thing I don’t love - the way she closes in on herself sometimes. I wish she would open up to me more about whatever's troubling her… She’s always there for me when I’m feeling down, but it tends to be a one-way street. I’ve found myself wondering time and time again if I’ve done something wrong or if there’s more I should be doing for her.

At least the outdoors seem to be putting her in a genuinely good mood. She gets back up to her feet now as she asks me, “Are final exams coming up soon?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” I sigh, “I’ve still got a while, they start mid-May. But it’ll be here before I know it…”

"You've already started on that Hydrology paper though, right? I'm sure you're way ahead of schedule."

"Yeah, I'm trying not to procrastinate… Especially because work will get really busy just before exams too. But I'll still have so much studying to do."

Evie's slowly making her way towards the edge of the picnic blanket, but she turns around now to give me a sympathetic look. “Not gonna lie… I don’t envy you. As much as I wish I could go back to class.”

I shift my weight so that I can lean my chin on my hand, smiling down at her as I take on a lighter tone. “Oh yeah, about that. I’ve been meaning to tell you, I’m planning to sneak you in with me on Monday. I thought it might help with your studies.”

"Wait, what?” Evie freezes in place and looks at me wide-eyed, going a shade paler and beginning to stutter. “Are you s-serious? How would we even… why would we–”

“Ha.” I poke her right on the forehead this time as I give her a smirk. “April Fools.”

A wave of relief washes over her before she smiles up at me, crossing her arms and wrinkling her nose. “Touché… Alright. Now we’re even. I’m gonna go explore." And with that she turns and marches towards the grass.

I watch her for a moment, marveling at the ease with which she traverses what must be an unsteady, bumpy terrain. She looks so much more confident now than she used to be... As if she was made to be this little. Though in reality, no human this small belongs in the world, and I straighten up a bit to scan the patch of grass ahead, feeling paranoid about any potential dangers. Evie looks a lot more cautious once she gets to the edge of the blanket, reaching out to feel a nearby blade of grass.

"In all seriousness, I do wish there was a way I could come with you," she says, keeping half of her focus on our conversation.

"I mean, we could try," I say, also only half paying attention, "More than anything else, it just seems like that would be incredibly boring for you. Just stuck in my pocket for however many hours."

"What I'd be worried about is other people. Those chairs are really close together. All it would take is someone walking by while you're sitting down and there's a good chance they'd see me."

"That's if they're looking... I wouldn't expect anyone to try and look. Plus, there would be a million other conclusions to draw first before someone would assume I'm actually carrying a tiny person. Much less confront me about it."

"Still…" Evie's fidgeting with the blade of grass that she's holding. She sounds very nervous, but in that trying-to-hide-it kind of way. "I guess I'd rather not take that chance."

I take a moment to focus in on her again. Such a little thing… Yes, in some ways she's gotten more comfortable with her stature. But in other ways she's still appropriately scared of the outside world.

I lean over sideways, lowering my head to try and get her attention. "You know I'd never let anything happen to you, right?"

She lets go of the grass and it bounces back up, though it's thoroughly rumpled now. She looks me in the eye and her cheeks are notably more pink. "I-I know," she says and she gives me a sweet smile that makes my heart melt.

It's another one of those moments. One where I so desperately wonder how she feels about me. Where the hopeful part of my mind thinks that just maybe… there's a chance that she's interested in me too. But I know it's too risky to ask. I feel like such a hypocrite, wishing she'd open up to me more when there's this monumental secret that I'm keeping from her. But this is different. It could ruin everything.

Evie looks away again, breaking the spell she had me under. She stares at the dirt just ahead of her and then slowly extends her leg, taking one tentative step. She touches down, feels the earth for a second, and the other leg is quicker to join the first. The grass reaches up almost to her chest, so she has to push it aside as she walks into it, traversing about an inch or two forward before she stops.

"I need to figure out how to make shoes," she comments, lifting one leg to look back at her already-dirtied foot. "I wasn't exactly wearing hiking boots when I got shrunk, my old flats won't help me here."

I scoot forward again, hovering behind her fretfully. “Seriously, let's look out for bugs.”

“Will do. Though I’m not particularly afraid of them…”

I chuckle softly, keeping my eyes just ahead of her for anything that looks alive. “Yeah you say that, until you see the spider the size of a–”

“Aiden!”

I stop short. Evie and I stare at each other, frozen, our eyes slowly widening. The voice came from behind me. We're not alone.
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Mon Apr 03, 2023 3:55 pm

Chapter 20
Evie

Sometimes it's hard to even remember there's a whole other world outside of Aiden and me. I've been stuck with only one other person for so many days now that I consistently lose count. I like him, thankfully. I like him a lot. He's my anchor, my comfort blanket. But it's not until this moment that I realize he's been my everything.

I reflexively cower at the sound of another voice. Somehow every time we've gone outside, we've been lucky and not run into anyone - at least, not when I was out in the open like this. The only other person I've physically seen since shrinking was someone who might have killed or tortured me if he had his way. The memory floods my system and I start trembling.

I can't see her yet, but I'm starting to sense vibrations through the ground, the rhythmic thumping of approaching footsteps. This is clearly someone who knows Aiden since she called out his name, but right now he's not reacting with recognition. He's just staring at me, having gone very still with shock.

I need to hide.

If we had responded right away, maybe I could have made a dash for his pocket - he's lying down so he probably could have scooped me right in without it looking suspicious. But we've been hesitating too long. So instead I finally leap into action and do the only thing I can think of. I dart right under the edge of the picnic blanket.

"Aiden?" The girl says again, and she's closer now. This time he reacts. I'd ducked under where the fabric had buckled, a little cavern half held up by grass. The blanket roof quakes as the giant above me sits up.

"Oh, hey Taylor! How's it going?"

"Not bad! I work nearby and was headed home. It's been a while, how've you been?"

They're so loud. I find myself holding my hands against my ears, trembling as I try to process what's happening. He's just chatting casually with a friend... Everything's fine... I slowly get used to the volume as they talk, eventually pulling my hands away again. I didn't realize how much Aiden has been tempering the intensity of his voice when he's with me. It's probably similar to how it's become second nature for me to project my own voice more than I used to.

Gradually I calm back down as I listen to the nearby titans talk. This is an old classmate of his - I find out that they used to have an evening class together last semester. She must be a PhD student since she mentions the thesis she's working on. I start feeling a little awkward about listening in on their conversation like this… I stare at the ground and begin idly messing with bits of dead grass and dirt, some of the grains more like pebbles to me.

I can tell Aiden's trying to evade this and keep the conversation as short as possible. This makes me feel even more uncomfortable, and I wish I could tell him to take his time, I can wait. I haven't caught a glimpse of her, but she certainly sounds really nice and easy to talk to… I wish…

I wish I wasn't down here. I wish I was normal. I want to jump in, say hi, have him introduce us. Chat for a while in the sunshine. Instead I'm sitting here in the dark. In the dirt.

A couple of minutes into the conversation, I let out a quiet sigh as I reposition myself, going from crouching to sitting. I glance up as I do so and almost let out a yelp of surprise. There's movement in the grass. A second later I see the outline of some kind of animal. It's about the size of a small dog… but it has too many legs. I catch the shape of its head and realize it's an ant.

I hold very still, distracted from the booming conversation in the sky by this creature that's even smaller than I am. It meanders vaguely in my direction, like a lobster looking for algae at the bottom of the sea. I'm fascinated by the way it behaves, the erratic movements as it circumvents blades of grass. It looks completely unbothered by its place in the world, not even capable of lamenting how tiny it is. I find myself smiling at it.

"So what's your thesis about?" I say softly, chuckling to myself. For a moment I think the ant might be reacting to the sound I made as it pivots towards me, antennae wiggling furiously. Can ants even hear? Maybe I shouldn't find out. I keep my mouth shut.

Eventually it wanders off to the side, but with a growing sense of unease I notice it's not alone. Two more appear, moving closer to me this time, and then there's a fourth one. These aren't fire ants, I think they're carpenter ants but… can they still bite? I start carefully backing away, and they don't quite give chase but still fill in the gap that I'd left behind. Nervously I turn and crawl deeper under the blanket, trying to find a safer spot. The fabric shifts as I push against it, creating a longer cave, until finally it collapses behind me and I'm left in a little pocket of space. At least this blocks off the ants. But now I'm really in the dark. Blades of grass press in on me from every direction, poking at my face. I'm feeling increasingly claustrophobic.

Oh, thank god. Aiden's conversation is wrapping up.

"Well, it was good to see you! Take care."

"You too, Taylor, have a good one."

I feel the thudding vibrations, now growing fainter over time as she walks away, and then I hear a sigh before a fervent plea, little more than a whisper that's further muffled by the blanket.

"Evie? Where are you? I'm so scared of crushing you right now…"

Pushing upward on the heavy fabric, I get to my feet, loudly calling, "Here! I'm right here!"

I feel movement in the ceiling. For a second I desperately pray that I'm really not about to get crushed, but then suddenly I'm blinded by light and the blanket lifts right off of me as Aiden folds it back. When my vision clears, I realize with a panic that there are at least a dozen ants that are now gathered near me, moving in every direction.

"Pick me up, pick me up!" I yell, hopping and pressing into the wall of fabric that the giant's still holding. His other hand comes down quickly, grabbing me between his fingers a bit less delicately than usual in his haste, and I catapult upwards.

"What's wrong, are you okay?" Aiden asks breathlessly as he rights his hand out, letting me slide onto his palm.

I try to catch my breath, peering over the side of his hand, but the ants are now harder to make out in the grass. I look out past his shoulder, catching the shadow of the other giant, at this point much further away. Then I look up at the face of my friend, who looks tense and confused.

"Y-yes," I finally stutter, "Thank you, I'm good. You were right about bugs being scarier now… But nothing bit me, everything's fine."

Aiden nods, glancing to the ground. He might not even be able to make out the ants in the grass from here. "Sorry that took so long," he says, looking at me again, and then he winces at the state I'm in. "Next time we'll have a better plan… so that you don't have to crawl around on the ground."

I look down at myself and realize I'm covered in dirt. "Oh wow, yeah, I need a bath!" I exclaim with a laugh, now able to see the humor in the situation. "And I barely got any exploring in first. I suck at this."

As if he's gotten permission from the fact that I'm making light of it, Aiden cracks a smile too. "Nah, this is how it's supposed to happen. You're becoming one with nature. We'll be able to go camping together in no time."

We decide to go home then, and I'm relieved to retreat into the comfort of his shirt pocket as we traverse back across campus. Once I got used to it, I've been finding the swaying of his gait weirdly relaxing. And we can still talk when I'm in here, quiet conversations that occasionally get interrupted by him clearing his throat, signaling we're about to pass by other people.

At one point we run into another acquaintance of his, a guy this time, although they don't say much outside of "Oh, hey!" before they move on. I don't even catch the dude's name. I just hold as still as I can through the encounter and find myself wishing again that I could meet this person too.

My thoughts drift back to when I was younger and had a fuller social life. I think of my old best friend Lynne and her oversized smile - she was the best baker and gave the best hugs. I haven't deeply thought about her, or any of my former friends, in quite a while. The list of close friends I had was short, and most of them were from before I graduated high school. Before my mom was… no longer in the picture. Things were pretty different after that. Still, even just acquaintances like my classmates and coworkers, I miss being able to talk to them.

I start standing up within the pocket the way I always do once I hear the keys go into the lock, popping my head out as Aiden steps into the apartment. The air inside is actually a little cooler than the air outside, highlighting the changing of the seasons.

“Home sweet home,” I sigh as I hop from hand to desk.

I feel so tempted to go flop onto my bed after all of that excitement, but I thankfully remember how filthy I am first. I had tried to refrain from picking bits of dried grass out of my hair while I was still in the pocket, so that I didn’t leave too much of a mess. I instinctively grab my dress around the waist, desperate to clean it and myself, before I stop myself. Yikes, I’ve gotten so used to having a giant around that I almost just stripped naked while he’s still standing right here. I know we’re pretty comfortable around each other, but that would be wildly inappropriate.

“I’ll start making lunch while you wash up,” Aiden says brightly, and I’m not sure if he could tell what I was itching to do. “Paninis alright?”

“Yesss, paninis sound amazing,” I respond, grinning up at him and trying to casually let my arms hang loose again until he eventually leaves.

I start getting a bath ready, finally able to rip my clothes off now that I'm in the bathroom. I'm still having intrusive thoughts about how Aiden might have reacted if I'd suddenly started undressing, and it makes me blush furiously with embarrassment. It's not like he'd be able to see much detail unless he got real close. But still…

After waiting for the water to warm I slip into the ceramic tub, and then shortly after I jump at the sound of Aiden’s voice nearby.

“Just a warning - I’m about to open the window, okay? Cover your ears.”

“Okay!” I yell back and follow his advice, though I still flinch at the thunderous crack of the window opening a second later. Sounds of the outdoors drift in - cars driving by, the ebb and flow of a warm breeze, distant voices of passerby a story below.

The heavy footsteps retreat and I sink deeper into the tub, feeling an intense warmth in my cheeks that has nothing to do with the bath. He’s built this bathroom with privacy in mind, and I trust that he’s not trying to peek in here anyway. But usually he doesn’t even come close to the desk when I’m bathing. Maybe he’s also getting a little too comfortable...

Armed with clean skin and a fresh new outfit, I happily come out to eat once the food’s ready. Aiden’s cut me a tiny triangle of grilled sandwich that he’s pressed as flat as he can - I can smell the fresh herbs, the shredded chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella… I feel really proud of him actually, and maybe a little proud of myself too. His cooking game has been on point lately and I’d like to think I had something to do with it. I still wish I could cook something for him, though. I don’t think I’ll ever not feel embarrassed about the fact that he needs to feed me like I’m his pet mouse.

We chat about his classes for a little bit as we eat, and as the conversation stalls my mind wanders to something I’ve had tucked away since this morning. “Hey, um…” I start hesitantly, “I don’t mean to pry. The girl at the park today… Taylor? Were the two of you close?"

I notice a narrowing of Aiden’s hazel eyes that he does when he looks a little perplexed. I suppose this feels out of left field. “You’re not prying. But nah, we weren’t that close. Super nice girl, she got along with everyone in that class. But we never really hung out outside of school.”

I feel a bit deflated. I try again.

“What about… um, I’m trying to remember where you’d sit in Biochem. It was always with this burlier guy, right?"

“Yes, you’re talking about Diego... Okay, that guy is one of my friends. We’ve known each other since we were kids.”

Feeling a bit more successful, I perk up and continue questioning, “What’s he like? Wait – how have you been friends for that long if you moved around so much?”

Aiden had taken another bite so he takes a second to swallow before he explains. “Our parents were friends, so I’d see him every summer when I’d visit my aunt in Arizona. We kept in touch pretty well and ended up coming to the same college. And then somehow this semester we figured out how to be in a class together despite us going for completely different careers - he goes to the nursing school here. He’s um… quite the character. I’ve known him forever so we butt heads a lot, but he’s a good guy.”

“Do you see him much outside of class?"

I’m starting to push this a little far. My giant friend tilts his head but still answers me, “A little bit, we get lunch pretty often. And he drags me to the gym every chance he gets.” His eyes narrow again as he adds, “I’m trying to figure out what you’re getting at… it looks like you have something on your mind?”

Right, okay, my barrage of questions isn’t very subtle.

“This morning, um…” I say and then sigh, “I think it just kinda hit me that you probably don’t see your friends as much as you used to.” The confession is heavy with remorse that I’m sure isn’t lost on him.

Aiden’s silent for a little bit, pausing in his eating and observing me intently with a small frown. “Please don’t worry about that,” he finally says gently, “I still see my friends. You remember, I’ve gone out to dinner with them before?”

“Yeah, like, twice…” I say, sounding more guilty by the second. “Just… please feel free to go out more than you do. I’ve got the fridge, I’ve got entertainment, I’d be fine staying on my own more often. I don’t want you to abandon your social life for my sake.”

“I… I appreciate it, Evie.” The corner of his mouth ticks up and he does that thing where he lowers his head just a bit to better meet my gaze. “But you’re my friend too, you know. I never mind spending time here with you, okay?”

Damn. His kind words never fail to make me blush.

I nod appreciatively and then swiftly find a way to change the subject. For today I forget about it all, and I manage not to think about old friends from a previous life. I have him… At least I have him.
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Wed Apr 05, 2023 3:42 pm

Chapter 21
Aiden

It’s been a few days since our eventful visit to the park, and while the adventure seemed to give Evie a little pep in her step at first, I can tell the pain behind her eyes is getting worse. It’s so subtle but it’s there. I see it in the way she blankly gazes out of the window, or how she’s losing interest in her studies, or her sluggishness when she’s cleaning her space. It’s getting to the point where I wonder if I need to sit her down to have a conversation about it. I’m hesitating because I’m not even sure she’s conscious of any issues herself, and every once in a while I wonder if I’m making the entire thing up. I don’t want to make her uncomfortable if I’m wrong, so I keep putting off talking to her.

School’s getting pretty busy anyways. Work’s increasingly hectic too as more and more students start showing up to my office hours, to the point that I feel like I’m teaching mini lessons for large groups outside of my usual teaching days. I try to stay ahead of my workload, knowing it’s going to get especially crazy in a few weeks as we approach final exam season.

After a particularly rough Wednesday where I finish my day way later than usual, I see a text from one of my friends as I'm about to head home, inviting me to dinner plans with a few other guys. I remember what Evie had told me about spending more time with my social circle… I wouldn’t have time to swing by the apartment first, but she should have enough lunch leftovers in the mini fridge to cover for tonight. Although that would mean her eating the same thing for lunch and dinner… I wonder if going out would be too selfish of me.

But then, the more I think about it, I don’t want to go out. Apparently when I’m feeling stressed, the selfish desire is to go home and see her… So that’s exactly what I do.

I can already feel the tension in my shoulders begin to evaporate the moment I step through the doorway and see Evie’s small figure over on the desk. She gets up from sitting in front of her phone, adorable smile at the ready.

“Did the presentation go okay?” she calls out once I’m close enough to hear.

I just want to scoop her up and bring her to the couch so I can hold her while we chat. But I keep myself in check - I only just got back, I should give her a second to transition from whatever she was doing.

“It went alright, I think,” I respond, stepping up to the table. “I’m just exhausted. Are you hungry?”

“I’m actually fine for now, I had a pretty big lunch,” she asserts. “Do you have a lot of studying to do tonight?”

I’m in the middle of pulling my wallet out of my pocket to retrieve my usual daily note. I still found a way to write a quick response between classes.

“I have a little bit to do but it can wait, I desperately need a break," I sigh. With my free hand I slowly use two fingers to walk my way across the surface of the desk towards my tiny friend. “I was kinda wanting to watch an episode of something…?” I say hopefully.

Evie laughs at my approach, matching the gait of my fingers to meet me halfway, then she playfully shoves at my hand to try and get it to flip over, which I immediately let her do. "You know I'm always down. Lead on!" she chirps, and then smoothly climbs aboard.

Yessss, I think to myself, another layer of stress melting away at the feeling of her body on my palm. I love how easily I can lift her right up… There's just nothing like having a finger-sized friend to relax with.

Having been distracted by my precious little prize, I'd almost forgotten that I'm still holding the note with my other hand. I go to set it down into our paper mailbox, when I realize it's already occupied.

"What's this?" I ask, leaning in to take a closer look. Sitting in the box is a teeny tiny paper crane, only about half an inch in length.

"Oh yeah, I forgot!" Evie exclaims, holding tightly to my hand as I bend over and she goes along for the ride. "I tried origami today, I found a how-to video. I thought it could be fun to write notes inside."

I put down my letter to delicately pick up this new creation. It's so small… As I cup my hand, the paper bird tumbles down the length of my fingers before it comes to a stop. I hold it up to my face to try and make out the details. It's a little on the bulky side just due to the thickness of the paper, but the folds are incredibly precise.

"That's so cool, Evie," I mutter, imagining her folding up this thing, in awe of the fact that to her the starting piece of paper must have still been sizable. "The only problem is I don't think I could open this up without destroying it. I wouldn't want to undo it anyway…"

I sense her eyes on me as I hold her at chest level and she lets out a chuckle. "I thought you'd say that. Don't worry, I didn't write anything in that one. I can make them bigger, that's just the only square bit of paper I had."

"Can I keep it?"

"Sure, knock yourself out."

I carefully put this new adorable prize back down, letting it roll off my palm to the desk. I make a mental note to find a safe spot on my nightstand later to display it.

"Okay, let's go veg out," I say, straightening back up and smiling at my miniature passenger, and she eagerly nods in agreement.

Ever since a certain event I'd rather forget, I usually try to avoid putting Evie anywhere near my lap. Instead I deposit her right up on my shoulder, and she walks along the top of it with nimble, confident footsteps. I open up my laptop to power it on, making conversation with her as the computer boots up.

"So what have you been up to today? Other than learning a new origami talent?"

"I'm still trying to figure out the best way to make work gloves. I think I might need to re-learn how to crochet."

"Hmm, not a bad idea. Need any more toothpicks or anything?"

"No, I've still got a few. I might need more sandpaper soon though?"

"Sure, I have some left. I'll cut out more pieces for you after this."

"Thanks, Aiden."

The computer's on now and I start navigating to the latest anime we've been tackling from our list, a lighthearted comedy where the main character's trapped in a fantasy world. I feel Evie pad over to my neck and sit down right beside it, and I fight back the urge to shiver with pleasure. She keeps talking as I click.

"That woodworking forum has been inspiring though. I think I made a friend on it." Her tone shifts a little lower. "Well, sort of. We talk most days in any case."

I go very still. There was something about the way she said that, it's setting off all sorts of alarm bells in my head. Something is slowly dawning on me.

"That's great," I say gently, "But… it's not quite the same, is it? As seeing a friend in person?"

She leans her weight against my neck. She's too close for me to see her but I can feel a subtle trembling, and she speaks so quietly that I wouldn't be able to hear her if she wasn't right below my ear.

"No."

I close my eyes. Finally. This is it, I know it. I can tell by the strain in her voice. At long last I'm figuring out what's been weighing on her so heavily. As soon as I have the thought it all seems so obvious.

I want to look her in the eye. I offer Evie my hand again, holding it right in front of where she's sitting on my shoulder. "Can we talk about this?" I ask softly.

She doesn't move right away, her whole body tensing up. I hear her take a deep, shuddering breath and I'm trying to be patient and let her climb on voluntarily. Finally, she slides forward, silently stepping onto my palm.

I bring her out in front of me and she avoids my gaze, her face a mask of calm. "It's fine," she says tightly, forcing a smile but still not quite looking at me. My jaw clenches at the sight. She's closing right back up again.

"Hey, there's no shame in admitting that you're lonely," I tell her, "It's beyond understandable."

She's completely silent now, gazing off to the side. For whatever reason, she obviously has a lot of practice when it comes to hiding her true feelings. But she's still not very good at it. It's so clear to me that she was born with her heart on her sleeve, and she’s the most in her element when she isn’t weighed down by whatever pressure she's putting on herself.

The quiet drags on and I'm beginning to feel frustrated. "C'mon, Evie, talk to me."

"What's the point of admitting it?" she says sharply, finally looking at me. "I can't do anything about it anyway."

I'm a little taken aback by the snappy tone that's very out of character. But I keep my tongue in check and don't miss a beat, not wanting to squander this opportunity. "Sure you can. We've got options. I know you didn't have time to make friends here, but what about friends from before? Maybe we can at least set up a phone call?"

"I haven't kept in touch with any of them. I haven't been that close with anyone." There's a pain in her voice that's unlike anything I've heard from her, and it hurts me to see it.

"What about that girl from when you were younger - the one who got you into anime? It sounded like you were really close with her, right?"

"I… God, I don't even know if she's a her anymore."

I do a double take, not having expected this response. "Come again? You mean she's trans?"

"Maybe? I don't know, at one point she started talking to me about being confused about her gender. But I never really found out what came of that. My mom overheard us talking about it and… I haven't seen her since. I had to change schools and everything."

Yikes. I've gotten the impression that her mom was neglectful when Evie was a kid, but this is something else. "That's… pretty extreme," I say, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It was always like that. I've learned to deal with it. I'll be fine, Aiden. You've had a long day, let's just start the episode and forget about this. Please don't worry about me."

It’s true that this hasn’t started out as the relaxing evening I was hoping for. But I’m glad I decided to come home. I cup both hands around her, and with a new, very careful gesture, I brush my thumb against the side of her face.

"Of course I'm worried about you,” I insist earnestly, “Listen, I can't be the only person you talk to for the rest of your life. Right?"

A tear spills down her cheek then, abruptly. She pulls away from my thumb and wipes at her face angrily, her movements stiff and jerky, before she lets out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know what to do. I've tried looking Lynne up on social media before with no luck, I'm not even sure that's her… their name now. I haven't seen them in ten years."

My heart rate's picking up. She seriously hasn't had a friend in ten years? It's not like she's unapproachable. It's not making any sense.

"No… no coworkers?" I attempt weakly.

"Aiden, I've got no one. Please. I don't want to get into it. Please, t-trust that I'm okay. I'm still happy here. It's fine."

I can feel her shaking and now there's fear in her eyes along with the pain. I don't understand. But I finally decide to back off.

I'm silent for a few moments, desperately trying to think of a different way to help. And then an idea presents itself out of the gloom like someone trying to get my attention from behind. I consider it, turning it around in my mind, until I think it might actually be the right answer. I can only pray that Evie will be open to it.

"Okay…” I finally say. “Hear me out."
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:28 pm

Chapter 22
Evie

God. How did he talk me into this?

I'm pacing along the edge of the ottoman, mechanically breathing as slow as I can. It's not keeping my heart from practically vibrating from how fast it’s beating.

I hadn't realized just how fragile my world feels. One misstep and everything could shatter…

I pace back and forth and back and forth, until there's a sound coming from outside of the apartment that makes me stop in my tracks. Distant voices are echoing in the hallway, getting closer. One of them I recognize. The other one I don't.

My stomach is twisting itself into a knot and my heart might very well explode. The jingle of keys, a sound that usually fills me with joy, might as well be a death knell. I'm all the more disoriented by the fact that I'm on the ottoman right now and not the desk as usual. The door clicks and starts opening and I hold my breath.

There she is. My new would-be friend.

And the most unexpected thought hits me. She's so small.

Okay, that's really dumb. Obviously she's still massive, easily the size of a building to me. But as the two giants walk inside, I can't help noticing that the top of the stranger's head doesn't even reach Aiden's shoulder. She must be under five feet tall, quite petite to the average person. A couple of months ago I would have had to look down at her instead.

I catch sight of her face and it completely matches her delicate frame. She has deep green eyes that look so big, perhaps in part due to her smaller facial features. Freckles dust the space across her nose and below her eyes, faint yet still visible against her pale skin. Her strawberry-blonde hair is tied into a loose side braid that hangs over her shoulder with a ribbon tying it off. Despite her relatively nonthreatening appearance, the only other time I’ve seen a second person in the room since shrinking was Dr. Little, and I’m trembling–

“Evie?”

For a moment my attention is pulled away by Aiden’s voice when he steps towards me, smiling warmly as he takes the lead.

“I’d like you to meet my friend Moira,” he says, just a formality since he had already told me her name beforehand, and he slowly lowers himself to the floor by the ottoman. Even though he’s not touching me or anything, his proximity is helping my nerves to settle somewhat.

Moira follows and her eyes meet mine. If she feels any sort of shock at the sight of me, she hides it well, giving me a wide, friendly smile. She’s wearing a really cute spring floral dress, which she smoothes out before she descends onto her knees before me.

Even her voice is delicate, and she seems to intrinsically understand the need to not speak too loudly. “It’s so nice to meet you, Evie. Thanks for having me over.”

I swallow, hoping my own voice doesn’t fail me. It’s still tripping me out seeing another person like this. “It’s nice to meet you too.” Okay, good, I got it out. I might have sounded a little shaky, but I think I’m starting to calm down.

My new acquaintance seems to hesitate then, and with a quiet breath in I try to step up to the plate this time. I reach a hand out as if wanting to shake hers. She straightens up a bit but otherwise hardly flinches before her smile softens and she extends her hand to me, instinctively reaching out her index finger. I take it with a shy smile.

Holy crap... I’m actually taller than her finger. I’m so used to Aiden’s hands, and it’s strange to see one that’s quite a bit smaller - not to mention her skin’s a little softer and paler, and her nails are painted. I linger on this last part, tilting my head to take a look.

“That’s a nice color,” I remark, letting go of her finger and gesturing at the pearly dark blue, almost black hue of her fingernails.

“Oh, thanks!” she says, stretching her fingers out to look at her own hand for a second. “I know it doesn’t really match the season, but I was feeling a darker shade.”

“Aaaand it sounds like girl talk has already started,” Aiden says with a laugh. “I’ll let you two chat while I get dinner going.”

“See now, I’ve always thought Aiden would look good with a nice pastel color,” Moira says with a little smirk at the giant who’s now standing up. “What do you think, Evie, maybe a lavender?”

“Nope, nope, I’m outta here.” He’s still chuckling and I tentatively join in on the laughter, although I feel a new wave of anxiousness as I watch his figure retreat. This was part of the plan, I know he wanted to give us some time to talk, but being alone with a gigantic stranger is nerve-wracking all the same.

Moira’s gentle attention is back on me now. Her big green eyes with mile long lashes might have been unnerving if it wasn’t for the fact that this girl seems to have a resting happy face. “So Aiden tells me you’re getting him to watch Fruits Basket soon?”

Oh, good, she’s into anime too. I’ve always found a shared nerdy interest to be a great conversation starter. “Yeah, I’ve only ever watched the original when I was younger… I’ve never seen the full story so I've been wanting to check it out.”

“Ooo, I’ll make sure not to spoil the ending then! Which of the two guys are you rooting for?”

“Um… You know, I don’t usually like the angry types, but I remember the guy with the orange hair was growing on me…”

It’s a little awkward that we’re just kind of ignoring the fact that I’m three inches tall. But I’m honestly thankful for it. I wouldn't have thought I could ever experience this again, simply discussing common interests with someone and seeing how our personalities mesh, nothing more. It's nice to be momentarily unburdened by the size difference. I'm still uncomfortable with the whole thing, but the more I talk with this easygoing and charming girl, the more I loosen up.

I find out that Moira works at a local ceramic studio teaching pottery classes for kids and adults alike. She met Aiden through a Magic tournament three years ago, they bonded over some fantasy author I’ve never heard of, and then they started their own mini book club for a time. She loves animals, practices Tai Chi and plays guitar as a hobby. I feel like such a boring person in comparison, but she never acts that way, eagerly asking me questions about my interests in turn.

I'll admit it. She's so nice. If I was my normal size I would have already asked for her contact information and promised to take one of her pottery classes. But… can I really trust her the way I am now?

Distant sounds and smells drift over from the kitchen as we talk, but I haven’t realized how much time has passed until I notice the sound of approaching footsteps coming from behind me. An arm reaches out far over my head, holding a gigantic plate of food.

“Here you go,” says Aiden as he hands our guest her portion. “Sorry guys, that took a little longer than I thought it would.”

“No worries, this looks great,” Moira says, gratefully accepting the food from him, and then he makes another round trip to the kitchen to fetch the rest.

“‘Scuse me, Evie…” is my warning before large fingers appear from behind, slipping around my body to gently relocate me a few inches to the side. Aiden sets his own plate down on the ottoman then as we use it as a makeshift dining table.

For the first time, Moira seems to openly react to my stature. Her eyes go wide the moment I get picked up, and she’s blinking in shock even after the fact. At first I have no idea why and nervously shy backwards in confusion.

“I can’t believe how casually you just did that,” she finally says to Aiden, before bringing her attention back down to me, “Y-you’re okay being… manhandled like that?”

I guess I hadn’t really thought of it that way. “I’m fine!” I say quickly, “We kinda had to get used to that sort of thing. Just makes life a little easier.” I crane my neck back to look up at my friend sitting by my side, shooting him a smile. He looks a little embarrassed at having been called out for the spontaneous gesture, but he returns the smile anyway.

Moira looks from me to him and back again as she mutters, “No kidding…”

I walk up to Aiden's plate, having noticed that my miniature dish and toothpick utensils are resting on the edge of it, and I take a seat to settle into the meal. It’s the homemade gnocchi I taught him how to make, along with his signature pesto sauce that I’ve had a couple of times now. I would have expected him to just cut up a few pieces for me, but it looks like he actually rolled out some tiny balls of dough before cooking them, as small as the peas that are also in the dish. They’re still bigger than softballs to me, but I appreciate the effort all the same.

“Damn, Aiden,” says Moira after she takes a bite, “I didn’t know you could cook like this.”

“I couldn’t,” he replies nonchalantly, then points down to the top of my head, “You’ve got this one to thank.” My ears go warm but I proudly sit a little taller.

Our guest covers her mouth to suppress a giggle. "Have you seen Ratatouille?"

"That’s what I said!" I exclaim.

Aiden laughs and hangs his head in mock defeat. "Alright, I get the message, I guess I need to see this movie."

"Maybe Evie can finally get you to fill in the gaps on all the kids movies you missed out on during your sad, sad childhood."

"It's not that I don't want to watch them!" he says with the feigned exasperation of a running joke. "But no one else ever wants to watch them with me."

"I will absolutely watch them with you!" I pipe up, surprised at my own confidence as I hold my own in this conversation between titans, “Be careful what you wish for. I could marathon Disney movies all day long.”

Aiden lets out a breath of laughter and tells Moira, “Evie’s really big into animation too - clearly.” He taps me lightly on the shoulder, now directing his attention to me. “You should ask her what her hobby is.”

“Other than guitar?” I say, getting excited at the lead up.

“Yeah, I guess I have a lot of little side projects,” Moira admits, “I’m actually an animator too. If I can manage it, that's my true long term goal, I’d love to do it for a living.”

“Whoa, seriously?” My eyes widen and I’m almost feeling a bit starstruck. “Do you do 2D or 3D?”

“Both. I’ve only started learning 3D modeling in the past year or so, but I’ve been definitely preferring working in three dimensions so it’s really become my focus. Sort of ties in with the pottery thing and the Etsy shop.”

“I didn’t know you had an online shop,” Aiden says with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah that’s a pretty recent thing too. I’ve been busy!”

I’m glad Moira and I had the chance to talk one-on-one since I otherwise would have probably been too timid to say much of anything as we eat, but instead the conversation is lively. It feels like fresh water for a withered section of my soul, slowly restoring a part of me that I didn't realize was dying. We talk about her side hustles, then deviate into stories from past jobs, and Aiden and I pop in with tales of our own from when we were younger.

As is the norm, I don’t even manage to get through half of my plate before calling it quits. I used to feel bad about this, as if I was wasting massive amounts of food. But in reality the amounts that are left would barely register as a few crumbs to the average person.

The evening starts winding down and soon enough it’s time to draw this social event to a close. As our guest politely alludes to the fact that she should be headed home soon, I feel a warm pressure from behind. Aiden’s gently leaning the back of a finger against me, a surreptitious movement that’s actually a signal we had planned out ahead of time. I clench my hands into fists and take a quiet, steadying breath. Then, without quite looking at him, I nod.

“Before you head out, Mo…” he says slowly, “Would you want to try holding her?”

Moira starts, surprised at the suggestion. I knew I never could have made that request on my own, so I’m relying on the big guy to break the ice. Although now as I sit here with nothing more than a shy smile to offer, I feel a little ashamed for not having the courage to handle this myself.

“S-sure,” she says nervously and then she pointedly meets my gaze, appropriately bringing me into the discussion. “Is that alright with you, Evie?”

“Yeah!” I say with a slightly too-high tone of voice, getting to my feet. “It’s… I know it’s weird. But sometimes it’s, you know, unavoidable, so…”

“No, it makes sense,” she says with a half smile. “I’m just a little scared."

Scared? Of me? I take a step forward, tilting my head up at her, and joke, “I won’t bite, promise."

“No, it's not that. Just…" She shifts uncomfortably as she keeps her eyes on me. "I don't know… How can I not be worried about carrying a human life in my hands?”

I feel a warmth in my chest that's melting away the fears and doubts. This right here is all it takes to realize that… yes. I can absolutely trust this girl.

After a brief pause Moira quickly adds, “I’ll be really careful. But you might need to walk me through it?"

I'm at a loss for words now, not at all prepared to give any kind of instruction. My initial experiences with getting picked up were completely at the whims of the titans who had shrunk me.

Aiden comes to rescue. “Just lay your hand flat right here," he says, clearing off Moira's empty plate from the ottoman to give us some space.

She dutifully does so, palm side up, the tip of her fingers just an inch or two away from me. Her hand really is so much smaller than what I'm used to. The entire thing is only about as long as a hammock. For a moment I feel worried about climbing on, afraid of hurting her somehow, like trodding on someone's foot. Until I remember how little I weigh.

I'm still nervous, but I remind myself that I'm way more used to this kind of thing than she is. In an effort to rip the bandaid off, I stroll forward as nonchalantly as I can, stepping onto her fingers and walking down the length of them. Her skin feels soft against my feet, and there's a very subtle smell of almonds from whatever moisturizer she uses to combat the drying effect of working with clay every day.

“See?" I say, feeling a little self conscious as I stop at the center of her palm and smile up at her. "No big deal, right?"

Moira hasn't moved at all, just looks at me with gentle awe. “I wouldn’t say that," she murmurs and matches my smile right back. I’d like to think that this is the moment our beautiful friendship officially began.
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Sun Apr 09, 2023 5:46 pm

Chapter 23
Aiden

I feel elated at how well this is going. This entire thing has had me in a weird state of anxiety mixed with giddiness. It almost feels like I've spent so much time dreaming, only to realize that none of this is a dream at all. One of my good friends is here with me, and she sees it too – she can see and touch and talk to the impossibly tiny girl I've been sharing so much of my time with. The opportunity to finally tell someone else about this has filled me with a relief that I wasn't expecting.

Evie and Moira gaze at each other for a few seconds, to the point that I feel like I'm intruding. And then it's the shrunken one who pipes up to encourage the next step. "Want to try actually lifting me up?"

Moira looks extremely hesitant, her eyebrows curving more and more with concern. "I feel like I'm going to knock you over."

"You might," Evie laughs, "It's okay if you do. But I've gotten better at balancing."

There's further hesitation, and I'm about to suggest that maybe Evie should sit down for this first time, but before I can, it happens. Moira's summoned her courage enough to slowly raise her hand upwards, letting it hover an inch or two in the air. The take off is smooth, hardly destabilizing the smaller girl at all, and even as she lifts her hand higher and away from the ottoman Evie stays on her feet. I feel like I should be taking notes.

It's almost funny how much I can relate as I watch Moira cup her fingers around the precious cargo and reflexively clutch her second hand underneath the first for extra stability. Seeing her look so nervous and hesitant certainly helps me realize how far I've come.

"Um. Okay. Can I put you down now?" she mumbles and I notice how tightly clenched her shoulders are. She looks like she's regretting pulling Evie so far away from a stable surface.

"I've got her," I offer, and I extend my arm, touching my fingertips to the bottom of Mo’s hand, like docking a spacecraft to create a steady bridge. Our little space cadet takes it from there, stepping to the edge of one hand to hop onto the other. Once the transfer’s done I pull away again and Moira lets her arms drop down with relief.

“You did great,” Evie says, flashing a grin and double thumbs-up, and with my free hand I add a third, larger thumbs-up too, eliciting laughter from our guest. Still, we've thrown a lot her way with this initial meeting and I can tell we might be pushing her close to her limit.

"I'll walk you out," I say, slowly getting to my feet. Moira's eyes are fixed on my hand that's occupied, clearly on the verge of fretting about the casual way I'm moving around. Evie speaks up then, snapping her out of it.

"It was so nice to meet you!"

"Y-yeah, likewise!" Moira responds with a smile.

I drop Evie back off at the desk and we share a quiet grin, a secret moment of celebration over the success of this meetup. I'm overjoyed to see that she's genuinely come around, and I'm feeling more hope than I have in a long time.

I follow Moira through the door to walk her out of the building - she knows the way so she doesn't need me there, but I figure we might want a few minutes of privacy. As soon as I shut the door to the apartment her smile drops and she covers her face with her hands. I go stiff, pausing while still holding the door handle. I’d been so caught up in my own excitement that this reaction takes me off guard.

"I'm awake right now?" she whispers, "All of that really just happened?"

I relax a little. Right. Of course she’s still coming to terms with it all. "Afraid so…" I mutter and put a hand on her back. "I know, it's a little overwhelming."

I'd prepared Moira to the best of my abilities. I asked her to meet me for lunch yesterday and we found a private place to eat outside. Out of all my friends I figured she was the most likely to believe me, but I still wasn't sure how she would react. I told her the story from the beginning, and she didn't quite laugh but just seemed so confused, wondering what on earth I was getting at with my ridiculous tale. It wasn't until I showed her a video of Evie on my phone that she became very serious. She had many questions that I answered as well as I could. But nothing could have fully prepared her for seeing the impossibility in person.

Taking a tremulous breath in, she slides her hands off her face and touches the arm I’m supporting her back with, absently giving it a thankful pat before she starts walking down the hallway.

"She looked so scared of me…" Moira whimpers, "Not that I blame her."

"She was nervous," I acquiesce, keeping pace with her shorter gait. "But I could tell she likes you, she was loosening up a lot by the end of it. She looked a thousand times more scared of me in the beginning, I promise."

"I can't believe this has been going on for so long. How are you holding up?"

"Me? I'm fine. I've liked having her around. And she's been adjusting pretty well, all things considered."

"Thank you for trusting me with this…" She looks up at me with such sincerity that I want to give her a big ol’ hug right then and there. "I promise I'll keep it to myself. I want to help however I can."

I walk in silence for a couple of paces before I quietly tell her, "Honestly, Mo, she just really needs a friend right now. Someone other than me."

We've reached the door to the parking garage where she has her car waiting, and she turns to face me with a soft smile. "I'm more than happy to try. You said she has a phone, right? Give her my number, she can text me whenever she wants. Oh and Aiden…" Her expression shifts to a bit of a frown as she reaches up to give me a light, quick jab in the chest. "Watch it with the grabby hands?"

My mouth opens and closes a couple of times as I reel back for a second. Finally I stutter out, "I-I'm really careful, I swear!"

"I'm sure you are. But it's more than that… Just make sure not to disrespect her autonomy, you know? I can only imagine how helpless someone might feel that small. Maybe it doesn't help if you don't give her the chance to move a couple of inches on her own."

I can feel color flooding into my cheeks, and at first I think it's just me getting defensive about Moira jumping to conclusions the second she gets invited to the party. But the longer I stand here the more I realize the heat I’m feeling in my face is stemming from shame. I think Evie and I are on the same page when it comes to this stuff. But the thought that I might be disrespecting her in any way makes me feel sick to my stomach. Any frustration around unsolicited advice quickly deflates within me like a balloon with a leak. It might actually be a good thing to have a third party’s perspective…

"Maybe you’re right,” I finally concede. “Maybe I’ve been getting too comfortable...”

She shrugs. “And maybe I’m wrong. Probably good to double check though, yeah?” I must still look conflicted because she adds with a more gentle tone, “You’re a good guy, Aiden. I’m sure you’re handling things fine. I wouldn’t have even known where to start… Let me know if either of you need anything, alright?”

“Will do. It was good to see you.”

“You too, man. I get why you’ve been so absent now, but still, I’ve missed hanging out.”

I have to bend down low to give her a hug while she stands on her tiptoes. We wish each other goodnight and then I head back to the apartment. When I step inside I notice that Evie’s laying backwards on her bed, holding her pillow over her face, and I might have been worried if her feet weren’t fluttering excitedly.

“Did we break you?” I laugh as I sit down beside her.

She drops the pillow to reveal her eager expression, upside down from my perspective. “I think I’m in love.”

You and me both, I say silently. It feels so wonderful to see her overflowing with joy like this.

“Well then, I’ll start planning the wedding," I quip, beaming. “Yup… there's a reason I picked her to introduce you to. Everyone loves Moira."

“Dammit. That means I’ll have competition in winning her heart…”

She's clearly kidding around, but seeing her elation is starting to make me feel just a little bit jealous. I can’t help but want to check…

“You might have a chance, you know," I say, dragging the joke out a bit more, "She's single, and I’m not actually sure she’s fully straight.”

Evie lets out a theatrical sigh, resting the back of her hand against her forehead. “Tragically, though, I am. I guess I’ll have to settle for friendship."

My stomach does a flip. We've never delved into past relationships or anything like that, so it's not until now that I've gotten confirmation that she's into men. Good to know. Whether she's into men fifty times her own size is an entirely different matter.

“You didn’t tell me just how much we had in common," Evie says, getting into a seated position on her bed.

“I didn’t want to tell you everything, you’d have nothing to talk about," I counter.

"Fair." She lets out a more subtle and natural sigh this time, a sweet smile at the ready. "I'm so glad you convinced me to do this."

"Yeah… Me too."

There’s a wistful part of me that’s mourning the fact that she's no longer my little secret that I get to keep just for myself. I mean, her happiness is absolutely worth it, and I hope this is a step in the right direction. But in a way, I'm also going to miss it just being me and her all the time.

I reach out towards her to… I don't even know, touch her arm or something, make some kind of contact. But I interrupt myself, suddenly feeling self conscious, and my hand halts its journey halfway across the desk. I think about the talk I just had in the parking garage and retract my arm.

"Does it bother you?" I ask quietly, "When I pick you up and stuff without asking first?"

Evie frowns. "Is this about what Moira said with the manhandling?"

I don't pretend to hide it. "Yes. The more I think about it, the more I'm worrying that I'm not doing a good job at like… making sure you still have agency, I guess."

I expect her to minimize the issue, to just casually wave me off and tell me it's fine like she always does. I'm already preparing to insist and really make sure she's not hiding her true feelings from me. But then…

"I like it."

My next word dies in my throat, leaving emptiness in its wake. I just stare.

Evie starts fidgeting with the bedsheets and tries to clarify, "Not you removing my agency, but… I don't know, I just don't see it that way." She pulls her legs towards her chest as she leans back, in a slightly precarious balance. "We’re in a really weird situation and are having to write the rules as we go. Who knows if we’re doing it right. But I know I’m fine with how we are. Honestly, when you hold me, I just feel… safe."

My heart is thumping hard. The weight of what she’s saying is enough to pin me to the chair. Am I imagining the look in her eyes right now? The insinuation in her voice? Surely I’m not just hallucinating the blush on her cheeks or the way she’s biting her lip?

I almost cave. Almost say something I shouldn't. Or maybe I should. But instead I just say, "Oh… All good, then."

Conflicted, my hand retraces its journey across the desk, this time slinking around Evie's bed and hovering just behind her back - she really does look like she might topple backwards if she loses her balance. She smiles and leans back further, gently trust-falling against my fingers.

With a lighter tone, she says, "Don't tell Moira I have a girl crush, I was just being silly. I don't want her to think I'm weird."

I tip her back onto the bed, letting my fingertips linger against her shoulders. I’m not sure I can match her buoyant tone, but I try, and I hope my smile makes up for it. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me.”
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Tue Apr 11, 2023 3:35 pm

Chapter 24
Evie

“How aboouut…. what’s your favorite dessert? I think for me it’s tiramisu.”

That's a good question. I ponder for a minute before typing out a response:

“I don’t know if I can pick! Probably something basic, like a really good brownie or chocolate chip cookie. Ok ok here’s one. I’m super into board games - which one’s your favorite?”

I hit send and step back as I glance up at the rest of our texts with satisfaction. It's so strange seeing the many messages labeled "Evie Ondine" alongside all those marked "Moira Wynne." I haven't had a long text chat with a friend like this in a while. I’m still a pretty slow typer, but I’ve gotten way better at using the phone over time and I’m doing well at keeping up with this conversation.

It’s been another cleaning day so we’re back down on the floor for a change of pace. Aiden’s laying on his stomach next to me, in deep concentration as he works on some lesson plans for his TA job. I scamper back over to what I’ve been occupying myself with outside of chatting with Moira - I’ve got my textbook from my Construction Technology class and am doing my own studying. Well, it’s less of a book and more of a laminated spiral journal. This actually makes it easier for me to turn the pages since they’re so stiff - I’m able to lift a plastic sheet on the outside edge and push it over my head as I make my way towards the spiral binding.

Sometimes I’m not sure why I even bother studying anymore. The end of the semester is quickly approaching and I have no idea if or when I’ll ever be able to go back to school. But thinking about that means thinking about the long term, which I’ve been refusing to do. At least studying keeps me occupied.

Still… I get bored of it so quickly. I perk up excitedly every time I hear the buzz from my phone that lets me know Moira’s responded, giving me a quick distraction.

“I'm not sure if it counts but I really like Pictionary. I'm probably biased since I like to draw :p"

Before I get a chance to respond, another text soon comes in.

“FYI the first students for the night are starting to trickle in so I need to put my phone away. Have a good night!”

I hurry to text her a “Good night!” back and sigh in disappointment. So much for that distraction. I look up at Aiden, his massive form hulking just beside me. He's been at it for a while, maybe a short break wouldn't be so bad…

His laptop lies next to him and he occasionally refers to it as he works. I make my way to it, hopping onto the edge of the keyboard and padding my way along while avoiding stepping on the keys. I'm about to call out to him, but that's when he turns back to the computer again. He reaches a hand to the trackpad with his eyes fixed on the screen, until he suddenly notices me standing on the laptop. He breathes in sharply through his nose and yanks his arm back, obviously startled, and I wave my hands at him apologetically.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"All good," he says with a growing smirk and then repositions himself so that he's laying on his side, propping his head up with one hand. "You getting tired of studying?"

I look off to the side sheepishly. "So?"

"I can put you back on the desk if you want access to your stuff."

"No, I don't mind being down here, I like the change of scenery…"

He frowns sympathetically. "Sorry, I wish it wasn't raining or I'd have taken you outside today."

"It's okay, it's okay," I insist, now very much feeling like a bother. "I wanted to ask - do you have any board games here? Moira and I were just talking about them, I do miss playing."

"Yeah, I've got a couple, all stuff from when I was younger… I think I have a checkers set, Ticket to Ride, Battleship… maybe Clue?”

“Think we could do a game night sometime?” I ask hopefully. “I could probably at least play Battleship.”

He nods and leans in a little closer. “Totally! I bet you could play all of them, we should give it a shot. Uhhh maybe not tonight though, I really have to get this done. Sometime this weekend sound good?”

“Absolutely! Okay I’ll leave you alone now.”

“Okay… even though I don’t waaaant you to,” he whines, letting his head sink onto his lesson plans on the floor.

This lifts my spirits a little bit, knowing he’d rather be spending time with me instead. I jump back off the computer and edge a little closer to his face. “You can do it! You’ve already gotten so much accomplished today, you’re almost done!” I raise an arm up to him, offering him a high-five. “You got this!”

As I'm cheering him on he tilts his head to watch my approach, giving me an appreciative smile. He slides a hand over to me to touch his index finger to my outstretched palm. “Go team,” he says weakly. Not needing to be as careful as him, I give his fingertip an enthusiastic slap before I finally leave and give him his space.

I make a halfhearted attempt to go back to my textbook, but after a few minutes I still feel so restless… I decide to wander the apartment instead. I actually haven’t done much of this since it’s rare that I’m on the floor. I'm still pretty intimidated by the wide open spaces in this canyon-like room, and I’m finding myself drawn to the structures within it. I first walk the perimeter of the ottoman, which looms above me like a mansion within a stadium. Soon I find myself between the ottoman and the couch and notice that I would be able to fit underneath either one of them with ease… I’d be really good at playing hide and seek right now.

As I wander along the edge of the couch, something on the floor ahead of me catches my attention. I quicken my pace curiously and realize it’s a stain of some kind. I crouch down to carefully touch it, and it’s a little sticky. Figuring out that it’s a few drops of tomato sauce, I'm confused at first. We hardly ever eat on the couch, does this stain predate me being here? And then I remember that we did have dinner here once, that night a few weeks ago when we got Greek takeout. This is totally from that green bean dish.

Maybe it’s the fact that I feel partly responsible, but I want to clean this up. I rack my brain as I make my way to the end of the couch, determined to figure this out on my own. What kind of cleaning supplies could I use at this size?

Far ahead of me is the kitchen island, and I know that if I walk along the leftmost wall, Aiden’s room is just around the corner. Could he have anything in there that would work? Then again, I feel a little awkward just waltzing into his bedroom like that. I’ve hardly been in there outside of day one when he gave me a tour of the place. Across from his bedroom and next to the kitchen is his bathroom… Maybe there’s something there I could use.

I reach the edge of the wall and I’ll need to cross some open space to get to my destination. I look around as if I’m at a traffic light and about to cross the freeway. Aiden’s still in the same spot, back to being very concentrated. I make a run for it, dashing across the floor until it becomes tile. I huddle against the doorway for a moment, tilting my neck back to get the lay of the land.

To my right is one enormous blank wall, like a cream-colored cliff. On the left is where all the structures are, and I stroll past the looming cabinets, almost disappointed with how tidy it is in here. Soon I'm coming up to the enormous toilet, and just past that is where I catch sight of something that I think will do. There's a toilet paper holder, and at the bottom of the tower I have easy access to the heavy white rolls.

I hurry over to the hay bale-like cylinders and find the seam. The way it tears is a little messy since I can't reach the top of the roll, but I manage to acquire one large square of paper, which I fold up to make it easier to carry.

I continue looking around, turning hopefully to the shower-bath combo that's just past the toilet. There doesn't seem to be any soap or water that I can access, though. Maybe I can still make a difference with dry paper… but let's go on one last journey first.

As eager as a traveler who's just received a new quest, I exit the bathroom and line the wall to my left so that I can make the trek down the length of the kitchen island. Actually, it's more of a peninsula since it's attached to the wall, meaning I have quite the obstacle to circumvent if I want to make it into the kitchen proper.

On my walk I look towards the giant in the living room, who's appearing quite statue-like from here. I wonder if he's even noticed that I've been wandering around. If he stood up, surely he'd still be able to hear me down here, right? I don't linger too much on this line of thinking, figuring that as long as I don't just hang out in open spaces I should be just fine.

After a couple of minutes I've finally made it into the kitchen itself, and I'm starting to get a crick in my neck from having to look so far up all the time. The height of all these constructs is dizzying. This area is also pretty tidy, and the cupboard under the sink that houses the cleaning supplies is unfortunately closed. But then I spot something and run over to it excitedly.

There's a chunk of ice on the floor, already half melted, just by the fridge. I doubt Aiden even noticed that it fell down here, but to me it's like unexpected treasure I've found on my adventure. The piece of ice that's intact is pretty sizeable, as big as a beach ball, and I hoist it up with some difficulty out of its puddle. It's painfully cold to the touch, and I remind myself that I really do need to make myself some gloves.

I drop the ice off onto the toilet paper sheet I've been carrying and wrap it up in a double layer. Then I hoist it onto my back like it's a knapsack and begin the journey all the way back to the couch.

By the time I get there my back is cold and wet, the ice chunk melting quickly against the heat of my body. I waste no time in utilizing the moistened paper, rubbing away fervently at the tomato stain in little circles. Some soap would have made this a lot easier, but a bit of extra elbow grease seems to slowly be doing the trick.

After a good fifteen minutes or so I'm almost finished with my little cleaning project, when I hear and see Aiden moving in the distance, although the view is mostly blocked by the ottoman. He sits up and stretches his arms over his head before rolling his stiff neck and shoulders. From the back I see his head turn to one side and then the other.

“Evie? Where’d you go?”

“Behind you!” I yell, and when he turns his head not quite far enough I add, “By the couch!”

He follows the sound of my voice, pivoting to peer over the structure that separates us. He spots me and smiles, settling his arms onto the ottoman as he regards me with amusement.

“What are you up to?” he asks.

I hold up the toilet paper to show him the orange stain on it. “You missed a spot.”

Aiden laughs and lowers his head down to rest his chin on his arms. He then says something that takes me by surprise. “That is so sweet.”

I balk with mock outrage, thinking he's poking fun at me. “What did you just call me?” I exclaim, dropping the paper and putting my hands on my hips.

But he's not quite going along with the joke, instead softening his gaze and the tone of his voice. “I'm saying that I appreciate the help. You really could just coast by and let me take care of everything, I wouldn't blame you. But you keep wanting to pitch in whatever way you can. It's really sweet and I don't take it for granted.”

There's a fluttering in my stomach and I struggle to look him in the eye. His earnestness is too much for me right now. Seriously, since when did he start making me blush all the time? My flippant response feels dissonant as I go back to scrubbing at the stain.

"I mean, no one likes a lazy roommate… and I sure don't want to get kicked out."

A crease appears between Aiden's eyebrows. He looks like he's about to say something and then stops himself, face smoothing out again. He opts to match my lighthearted tone instead.

"Well with you around, this place is going to be extra clean, that's for sure."

"Uh huh. Not a speck of dirt on my watch." I sit back up, wiping the back of my arm on my forehead as I admire my handiwork. It's not much of an accomplishment, but I do feel rather proud of myself.

That is, until I realize I can't fully clean up. I'm still holding a wet wad of toilet paper, and I have zero ideas around how to dispose of it by myself. I stare at this one last hindrance as I hold it, a pang of frustration making my shoulders droop.

Aiden seems to pick up on what's bothering me, and he casually reaches off to the side, close to where the desk is. There's a small wicker trash can there, currently empty, and he gives it a little shove while still looking my way. It teeters before toppling onto its side, a wide tunnel crashing to the floor.

"Oops," my giant friend says with a smile, "Clumsy me."

I'll take the silliness over nothing. I drag the wet wad the short distance to the trash can and hurl it inside. Aiden quickly rights it again as if nothing had happened.

"Look at that. All on your own."

I wrinkle my nose at him, and I wonder if I should actually be annoyed with the slightly condescending gesture. But his clearly caring intention wins me over. I'll count this chore as a success.
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Thu Apr 13, 2023 2:45 pm

Chapter 25
Evie

I wince and groan as I twist in on myself. My eyelids are sealed shut and my head is swimming. This feels familiar. Like I'm back at the bottom of the ocean… Back when powerful drugs were pumping into my system, immobilizing every muscle…

Hovering above me is a face, demonic and sinister. I can smell latex as a blue hand approaches me, a single finger pinning me down with ease and with pleasure. I can't move. I can't even scream. There's nothing I can do about the titan's touch sliding along my body… slipping between my legs… his eyes alight with flames in the darkness…

"Mmmmrrughh," I utter miserably, and as I hear the sound break the air it's enough to shatter the seal on my eyelids and they suddenly flutter open. There really is a massive finger on me, but the face that's hovering above is far less threatening.

"Hey…” Aiden says softly, his hand retreating once he sees that my eyes are open. “Nightmare?"

I'm still waking up and don't answer him right away. My breath is coming in shallow, I feel nauseous, and I'm really confused. On a typical day, even if I happen to still be sleeping when my giant friend gets up in the morning, at his size no amount of sneaking around is going to keep him from waking me up. The distant footsteps alone are usually enough to rouse me, much less any shuffling while getting ready. He's never been able to walk right up to the desk without me noticing before. It's very disorienting.

"Yeah," I finally respond, and I push myself up to sitting. "Yeah, that sucked."

My voice is a little hoarse and Aiden takes notice. "I'll go get you water?"

I thank him and have a few moments to myself as he makes a quick trip to the kitchen. I rub at my eyes and slap at my cheeks. It's been a minute since I've had to deal with some of those memories. I feel resentment towards my own brain. Why torture me with images of the past?

The fresh water helps, and thankfully the nausea begins to ebb after a few sips. I'm still very uneasy, though, feeling shadows clinging to me like haunting ghosts. Instead of sitting at the chair the way he normally does, Aiden's on his knees next to the desk so that he can keep his head level with me, clearly worrying over the state of his little roommate. Normally I'd be reassuring him that nothing's wrong, but I don't quite have it in me right now.

"I was dreaming about that day," I quietly lament, staring into the dish of water from my seated position on the desk. "Some of it's a bit of a blur. But some of it's still so vivid in my mind."

"Like it just happened…" Aiden murmurs, and I look up at him. He's got an empathetically pained look on his face. If anyone's going to understand what I'm feeling right now it's him.

I reach an arm out to him, and for a moment he looks hesitant at the lack of clear direction but silently takes a stab at it anyway, and as usual we’re in sync. He places his hand palm up next to me and I slide my arms around his pinkie like it’s an oversized teddy bear, leaning my chin on the tip of the finger. I hold him snug against my chest and we both stare off into space as we silently reminisce on that awful event.

"I know I don't really talk about it,” he finally says, gaze still unfocused, “but I honestly haven't gotten over the fact that I took someone's life that day.”

My chest tightens. That sentence feels too close for comfort. I squeeze him harder against me. “It was an accident,” I counter.

The shake of his head would be hardly perceptible if his face wasn’t two stories tall. “That doesn’t change the reality of it.”

Aiden hadn’t told me right away, but I did eventually find out about the horrible things Dr. Little had done to those other women. The things that could very well have happened to me. I feel a surge of energy just then, fierce and protective. I’m suddenly on my feet.

“He was a monster, Aiden,” I insist, firmly. "As far as I see it, you didn't take a life that day. You saved one."

His face isn't usually this close - I don't have to tilt my head back at all to meet his gaze right now. His eyes zero in on me, pupils dilating, and for a moment I'm overtaken by the beauty of them, the sunburst of light brown over the crystalline green of his irises. And I marvel at the size of them, humbled by the way they're entirely focused on something as small and insignificant as me.

He looks a bit taken aback by my outburst, but then the corner of his mouth pulls up into a crooked smile. I'm still holding onto his pinkie and he slips it up a little higher, carefully touching my jaw.

"Thanks, Eve," he mutters, coining a nickname on the spot. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to turn the spotlight onto me. Just know you're not alone. We might have a long journey ahead to get over this shit, but I'll be there to support you every step of the way."

Trying not to cry, I give his finger one last squeeze before releasing it. My previous burst of energy has actually lifted my mood somewhat, and the bite of the nightmare's teeth loosens its grip on me. At least enough to pretend I'm totally fine now, and so I manage a warm smile. "Thank you, I'm feeling way better."

"Okay, good," Aiden says, pulling back so that he can slowly rise to his feet. "Because I doubt you've seen the texts yet, but you're scheduled for a Moira visit this morning."

"Really?" I feel a jolt of nerves and excitement.

"Yup. I got a copy made of the key to the apartment, so that she can come over and see you when I'm not around. She's coming to pick it up this morning and asked if she could hang out for a bit before she goes to work. I hope it's okay that I said yes?"

"Yes! And wow, uh, I didn't realize you had done that with the key… you sure?"

"Yeah, it's all good. Mo's one of my best friends, I don't mind. Okay, I do want to have time to make breakfast before class so I'll go get ready now."

I aim all of my gratitude at his receding back. He's such a kind person. He's done so much for me from day one. And even now he's still trying so hard to make sure I'm happy... God, I don't deserve him.

We both wash up and get dressed in our own corners of the apartment, and then Aiden brings me to the kitchen with him so that I can help cut up some chives while he makes eggs. Actually, cutting isn't quite the right word - I use a sharpened toothpick to stab a hole in the thick green herb and then use my hands to tear off the pieces from there. I won't even get through a single stalk, and it's more of a garnish than a true ingredient, but it still helps me feel like I'm earning my keep.

We're almost done cooking when there's a knock at the door, and I'm so unaccustomed to the sound that I jump about a foot in the air. Aiden claps a hand to his mouth to keep from openly laughing at my reaction, until I make it okay by cracking up myself, the both of us still giggling as he goes to answer the door.

"Heyyy," Moira sings as she steps inside. Her hair isn't braided this time but she still has an adorable green ribbon in it, the loose curls half tied back. She gives the taller giant a quick side hug as she adds, "It smells really good in here."

"Hope you came hungry, 'cause I made way too much for the two of us," Aiden responds as he closes the door.

"Sure, I could eat."

She glances into the kitchen, and when I give her a little wave I manage to catch her attention. She looks surprised at seeing me there before catching herself, smiling and waving back. "Hi, Evie. I didn't realize just how involved you were with the cooking."

"I'm not that involved," I say, my hands fidgeting self-consciously with my toothpick tool. It's been a few days since she and I met, and we've been texting back and forth ever since, but I still feel a bit shy now that she's here in person again.

"Nonsense," Aiden tells me as he walks back up to the stove, "Those chives are going to make all the difference."

He reaches for the herbs, a silent question mark hanging in the air as he touches the edge of the dish. I answer with a nod, pushing the bowl towards him to confirm that I'm done with them.

"I'm going to plate this up and then I've gotta run. Moira, you want to try bringing Evie over to that desk?"

"Um, okay," she responds, and I see a hint of nerves creep into her expression. She steps up to the counter and this time she opts to bring both hands down to me, already cupping them in preparation. "If that's okay with you."

"Totally," I say, hopping up onto her fingers and sitting down in the middle of her offering. "It'll be a good exercise. You've got this!"

She's a bit less hesitant than the first time she picked me up, though still very slow and stiff compared to the hands that I'm used to. She also doesn't wrap her fingers around my body the way Aiden usually does, so I'm actually glad she's being extra careful since I don't have any clear handholds.

By the time Moira makes it across the room with me, the other giant is on her heels, a burrito wrapped in foil in one hand and one on a plate in the other. My miniature dish sits on the edge of the plate, the portion looking more like an open-faced quesadilla since I'm guessing it's not quite possible to wrap such a small amount of egg in a burrito.

"You ladies enjoy," Aiden says brightly, "I'll see you after school, Evie."

"Wait, don't forget!" I shout up at him, pointing to our mailbox, where an origami panda sits expectantly. He snatches it up with a grin and then turns to head out.

"Key's on the counter, Moira," he calls back before disappearing out the door.

I fidget anxiously as I take in the fact that this is the first time I'm with anyone else without Aiden here as my anchor. I'm probably not the only one who's nervous as neither one of us touches the food right away. But then Moira turns to me with a casual enough smile, one eyebrow arching with curiosity.

"What did you just give him?" she asks, nodding towards the now empty paper box.

"Oh," I say, feeling embarrassed, "We write notes back and forth, like penpals. When I have extra time I've been folding them up into origami just for fun. I know, it's silly since we already see each other every day..."

Moira giggles, "Aww, that's a fun idea. You two are so cute."

I feel the air leaving my lungs unexpectedly. Yeah, I guess it is kinda… cute…

I shift forward restlessly, picking up my tiny plate off of the giant one, and I bring it to my own miniature table to give my friend some room.

"So what's your work schedule like?" I ask, tearing off a piece of tortilla.

She seems to remember her own burrito and picks it up. "Weeell, sometimes I go in during the day, like today, to do prep stuff. But evenings are when most of the classes are. Convenient, right? I actually look forward to having a friend who's not so busy during the day!"

We chat while we eat, just a simple discussion about the details of her job, but we're quickly falling back into an ease and a rhythm. Once we're done with breakfast, Moira gets a kick out of the mini fridge when I go yank on the string of the door so I can put my leftovers away. She's curious about some of the rest of the setup that I have on the desk, and I end up giving her a little tour of my living space, from the hot plate that heats up my bath to the first aid kit with bandages pre-cut for any emergencies.

"So many things I wouldn't have even thought of…" she muses, leaning in to get a closer look at the carved splinters I use for sewing needles.

"It… took some adjusting…" I say awkwardly.

Even though we'd quickly stopped pretending there wasn't something different about me, we still haven't quite acknowledged just how screwed up my situation is. I think Moira's been trying to give me space. But in this moment it's like she's tentatively reaching out to me.

"Aiden told me what happened," she murmurs, "but if you ever need to talk through something, I'm happy to listen, okay?"

I almost can't deal with just how nice everyone's being to me today. I hate the idea of burdening Moira with my sob story. We've only just started bonding, I'm already worried that she's only even hanging out with me just because Aiden asked her to or because she feels bad for me. I want to build a good impression of myself, not have a pity party.

But the nightmare from this morning nips at my heels, not letting me forget the loose grip it still has on my mind. Before I can even register what I'm doing, the words fall out of my mouth.

"It was for school," I mutter, and seeing Moira lean in to hear me leads to my voice gaining strength. "It was just a stupid thing I'd signed up for… for class…"

I don’t know if it’s because she’s more removed from the situation, or maybe it's the fact that she’s a girl, but there’s something about her presence that unlocks a new door in me. Words begin pouring out, and I don’t think I’d be able to contain them if I tried. I tell her everything, from the moment I entered that godforsaken lab, to the experience of my size getting ripped away from me, to the terror I felt at Dr. Little’s mercy, to the death and the fire and the running and the thinking that there was no way I would be surviving the day.

At no point am I interrupted, and I’m reciting everything as if from far away, gazing out towards the edge of the desk with unfocused eyes. It’s both cathartic to let it all out but also doesn’t feel real, as if I’d lived it through someone else’s body. I talk until I’m drained of all thought. Then I finally look up at Moira and startle at the sight of her big green eyes shining and her face covered in tears.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, fighting back sobs, “I’m just so sorry this happened to you, Evie…”

She’s got one hand up in a fist pressed against her mouth, but the other one is still lying on the desk. I walk straight to it, kneeling beside her and laying my hand on hers. I’m taken aback and so deeply touched by how this girl I hardly know is actually crying for me. And now it’s not words that are flowing out of me but tears of my own, as if summoned by Moira’s empathy.

“B-but then Aiden took me home,” I say, trying to finish the story with a smile despite my crying, “He brought me here. He’s been taking such good care of me, the both of you have been so kind. I’ll be okay.”

“Yes…” Moira says shakily, wiping tears away as she tries to smile too. She lays her thumb on my grip, gently holding my hand. “You will be okay.”

I laugh, overcome with a strange giddiness as I try to get a hold of myself. “This probably wasn’t the chill girl bonding time you were hoping for."

"It's fine, I'm the one who started it with the waterworks," she says, finding the tissue box on the desk to finish wiping off her face, first tearing off a corner for me. "Th-thank you for sharing that with me."

"Thank you. That… really helped," I answer. This emotional catharsis of telling someone about my struggles and receiving support in return is virtually unprecedented for me, at least not in a very long time. I'm shocked by its effect. I feel the dream from this morning finally releasing its grip on me after Aiden and Moira's one-two punch, unleashing me from its jaws and slinking back into the darkness.
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by Rusco57 » Thu Apr 13, 2023 4:43 pm

Such a great story!!
Only thing is, I'd thought they'd become a bit more than friends by now, BF/GF and take things to the next level (not meaning the desk lol).
Eagerly looking forward to your next installment...

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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Sat Apr 15, 2023 6:37 pm

Rusco57 wrote:
Thu Apr 13, 2023 4:43 pm
Such a great story!!
Only thing is, I'd thought they'd become a bit more than friends by now, BF/GF and take things to the next level (not meaning the desk lol).
Eagerly looking forward to your next installment...
Thank you!! Yeah this is veeeery much meant to be a slow burn, and an exploration of domestic/social life once shrunken down. But on the romance front, I promise I'm building up to something it just takes a good long while~


Chapter 26
Aiden

The car door slamming shut echoes in the parking garage, masking my grunt as I hoist up multiple grocery bags all up and down my arms. I always try to bring everything in one trip if I can. As I approach the door to get into the apartment building proper, though, I’m starting to regret my decision.

But then the door swings open right as I reach it, and I have a frazzled exchange with the person on the other side as we quickly pull away from each other. "Whoa–" “Sorry!” "Oh, hey!" The awkward flurry ends in us smiling in recognition.

“Need any help with that?” Moira asks as she holds the door open for me.

“Nah, I've got it," I respond as I step into the hallway.

We begin chatting, the conversation gradually lengthening until Mo steps inside to let the door close. I set the groceries down as well so that we're unburdened as we catch up for the next ten or so minutes.

"Yeah, I'll just be glad when finals are done," I sigh, lamenting about my workload.

"I'll bet. And I should be back from my trip around then, the three of us should do something to celebrate the start of summer! A picnic or something."

"Sure, that sounds great." I smile appreciatively at how quickly Moira has started including Evie into this little sub-friend-group. She's been great at keeping things secret, too - none of our mutual friends seem any the wiser.

"How is she today?" I ask, "I was in a bit of a rush this morning."

"She seemed good! We just lazed around and watched a bunch of funny videos on her phone."

I smile and almost say something but then hesitate. I start fidgeting, debating whether or not this will be an inappropriate thing to ask… But maybe it wouldn't hurt to pry just a little bit… "Has she told you anything that, uh, you think I should know about?"

“Huh?” Moira narrows her eyes. "What am I, your spy?"

"Something like that?" I say with a nervous laugh. "No, it's just, um… It's hard to explain. I do feel like Evie and I are close. She seems comfortable talking to me for the most part. But she's always struggled a bit with like… asking for help, or asking for stuff. I'm usually the one asking her what kinds of things she might need from the store. She's gotten better compared to the beginning, but she still always seems so hesitant about it, no matter how much I tell her she's not bothering me."

Mo listens quietly, without judgment, and then ends up nodding in agreement. "I've gotten a sense of that too. I brought a couple of things I hoped might help with her crafting projects today and she seemed really embarrassed about accepting them..."

"Right!" I say, relieved to feel like I'm not crazy, "Okay, cool, you get it. It just feels like she holds back a lot, on certain things."

"Have you tried talking to her about it?"

"We did, a while ago… She said she didn't want to burden me, I tried to convince her it's not a burden, and I thought we came to an agreement? I don't know, sometimes she's hard to read, and I worry to come off too strong. I hope I'm not doing anything wrong. Sometimes I overthink things… But maybe sometimes I underthink them…"

"Well…" Moira says evenly, "From what I've gleaned, she seems to genuinely like you. So don't worry too much, okay?"

But I begin to feel anxious as I know I'm probably starting to blush. Now I'm desperately wondering what they've been saying about me.

"The only thing I can possibly think of right now…" Mo continues, deep in thought. "I think she likes blackberries? Sounded like she has good memories associated but hasn't had any in a long time, just based off a conversation we had today. It's not much, but it's something?"

I light up at this little scrap of intel. "Yeah, that's super easy to buy. Thanks, Moira."

"This doesn't mean I'm spying on her for you," she says with her arms crossed and a teasing smile.

"I know, I know!" I laugh, putting my hands up disarmingly. "I don't want to break girl code or whatever. I just care about my friend is all."

We say our goodbyes and part ways. Despite the heavy bags, I'm feeling lighter as I make my way to the apartment.

I call out a greeting when I step inside, and then I stop at the kitchen counter to unload the groceries. A moment later, once I’ve put the freezer items away, I look over towards the desk, eyes scanning the surface of the table, but from this distance at least I don’t see any signs of Evie. She could be in the bathroom, of course, but still, I can’t help feeling a tad nervous. I pause in my tidying up to get a bit closer.

A few steps later, I startle at her little voice calling out, “Any luck finding the curry?”

With the sound as a guide, my eyes dart over and finally see where she’s at. I wasn’t expecting to find her on top of the bathroom. She’s apparently dragged over her mini table and chair as a boost to get onto the white plastic box I made that contains her bath. My breath grows more shallow as I mentally measure the distance between her and the desk's surface.

“What are you doing up there?” I ask, taking another step forward and completely ignoring her question.

She glances up with a bit of surprise from my tone but answers casually enough. “I’ve never cleaned here before… Some of the dust was starting to fall through the vent.” Sure enough, she’s on hands and knees with a piece of damp tissue, and it looks like she’s wiped off the bulk of the roof. The plastic strips she’s kneeling on bend slightly whenever she moves. I just glued those together to make that box, it hardly seems secure.

I take another tentative step. “I could have done that for you…,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady and not make sudden movements.

“It’s no big deal, it wasn’t that dirty. I did most of it this morning, just wanted to finish up.” She shifts as she talks and gets so close to the edge of the miniature building.

“Please be careful, Evie,” I beg, resisting the urge to pick her up right then and there.

She looks up again and finally takes in just how tense I am, her expression shifting to a concern - not for herself but for me. “What’s wrong? I’m only a few inches up, yeah?”

“B-but what is that, like, a ten foot drop for you?” It looks like it’d be enough to break her neck depending on how she landed.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to fall,” she says with a smile. “And I’m just about done.”

Still nervous, I watch her finish wiping off the dust on the corner of the box, and then as soon as she sits up again to admire the finished task, I reach a hand out and line it up next to her. “Can I at least help you get down?” I ask meekly.

Her brown eyes meet mine. I think I might actually be getting on her nerves. This is the kind of thing I don't know how to handle - am I in the wrong here? I don’t mean to be treating her like she’s incapable, but… damnit, shouldn’t safety be our number one concern? I've heard of people injuring their backs while putting up Christmas lights on one-story houses. How is this any different?

Evie doesn’t voice annoyance. In fact, the expressions continue dancing across her face and suddenly she's starting to look strangely fearful instead. Is she seeing the risk now too? I have no idea. There’s a tension in the air as she finally says, “Yeah, sure. Thanks.”

She climbs onto my palm stiffly, and I slowly start to lower my hand down, when out of a desperate desire to lighten the mood I suddenly alter course, sweeping her towards me instead.

“Psych,” I say, forcing a playful attitude as I bring her up higher now and curl my fingers around her. “You fell right for my trap. Now I can force you to help me with dinner.”

To my immense relief, she just laughs and leans back theatrically. “Oh no, the horrooor!”

“Off to the kitchen with you!” I declare, turning around as I give her my best evil laugh. Whew. It was tenuous but I think I somehow managed to save that awkward situation.

Evie actually looks very eager to help out when I get back to the counter with her. I stay mindful of where she’s at as I continue putting things away, and she ventures into one of the plastic bags, creating little rustling sounds as she looks around. She finds the sprig of fresh thyme that I bought and struggles to drag it out, reminding me of an excited dog who found a stick that’s way too big for it.

Now on a mission, the tiny girl runs over to where we store her mini kitchen supplies and returns pushing a shallow dish to her work space. Then she settles into a seat and begins picking off the little leaves of thyme for tonight’s dinner, creating a growing pile in the small dish. That’s one thing that she’s really good at with her reduced size - thoroughly de-stemming herbs.

I come across a bottle as I unpack and finally remember to answer her earlier question. “Oh, right, so they didn’t have yellow curry, but I hope red curry is still okay?”

I hold it up for her approval, and she gives me a gracious nod. “Yeah, that should still work fine. Maybe a little bit more of a kick. Do you like spicy food?”

“I love spicy food,” I say, reaching up to put the curry paste away in the cupboard.

“Me too!” she chirps, her cheerful tone quickly thawing any lingering anxiety until I feel like I'm glowing with pleasure. I really love that we’re still able to discover new things about each other all the time.

We drift into a contented silence for a couple of minutes as we tend to our own tasks. That’s how we spend a decent amount of our time these days, actually. Staying near each other but doing our own thing in comfortable quiet, until one of us pipes up with a thought. Speaking of which…

“Do you think,” Evie says with a layer of hesitation over her voice, “that you could keep an eye out for blackberries next time? I don’t think they’re in season, but just in case…”

This makes me freeze in place, as stunned as if from an electric shock. Damn. Never would I have expected for her to bring that up on her own.

"Yeah!" I finally say enthusiastically, halting everything else that I'm doing so that I can put all of my attention on her. "That's no problem at all!"

She grins, trying to repress laughter as she asks, "Are you a fan of them too? You look like I just suggested we go to Disneyland."

I decide to be honest. "I'm just so happy that you actually asked me to buy something you like! You never do that."

"Oh. Um, yeah…” Evie bites at her lip and starts messing with her hair, twirling a strand around her finger. “I guess that’s true… I just wish I could contribute more, financially at least. And it’s just what I’m used to… The last time I had a roommate, she was very adamant about who owned what. Even my mom would nickel and dime me on stuff, the only one who didn't…” She suddenly stops her little monologue, as if recoiling into herself, and then shakes her head. “Anyway. I know this is different, I… I'm trying."

Ugh, I wish I didn’t have to be so careful sometimes. I’m so relieved and proud of her that I just want to wrap her up in a full-sized hug. Instead I bend a little lower and settle my hand in a curve behind her, bending my fingers around to gently touch her arm. She smiles but it’s feeble, I can tell that she still looks uncomfortable and didn’t share quite as much as she could have. I don’t push it, instead trying to encourage her self-advocacy by making this experience a good one. I attempt to bring up those good memories Moira had mentioned.

“So do you just like the berries on their own?” I ask, “Or did you have a favorite recipe in mind?”

Evie’s smile strengthens and I have to suppress a sigh as she adorably leans her head against my nearby fingers. “I do like them as a snack. But you’re right, my favorite thing to make with them is cobbler. It’s not, like, real cobbler, just the easy cake mix version. But it was actually one of the first desserts I’d ever made myself. I was so proud when I figured it out and it turned out so delicious! I think it was particularly good since that was the day I got lost in a parking garage, if you remember that story. Have I mentioned I hate being underground? Anyway, having that kind of success afterwards just made it all the better…”

I go to crouch then as I maintain contact with my hand, just so that I can be more at her eye level as we chat. Dinner can wait a few minutes. This kind of bonding is priceless. Turns out I didn’t even need a spy after all.
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by Rusco57 » Mon Apr 17, 2023 11:53 am

It's good that Evie has another friend. Is she going to have a sleep over with Moira?

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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Mon Apr 17, 2023 3:59 pm

Rusco57 wrote:
Mon Apr 17, 2023 11:53 am
It's good that Evie has another friend. Is she going to have a sleep over with Moira?
Maaaybe one day? That would be pretty cute heh


Chapter 27
Aiden

“Can you hold this part together?”

“Like this?”

“Yeah, perfect! Okay, don’t move.”

I hold very still, bracing the heel of my hand against the surface of the table as I pinch two long pieces of balsa wood together at a perpendicular angle. Evie picks up one of her makeshift nails, the short end of a staple that she's somehow broken off. She selects one of her tiny tools, one that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, a little hammer of some kind. The handle is clearly a piece of toothpick, like with most of her tools, but the head isn’t made of any material that I’ve given her.

“Is that the stuff Moira brought over?” I ask, wanting to lean in to get a closer look but afraid my hand will shift if I move.

“Yup! A rubber polymer clay, apparently,” she says, lining the staple up just so. “It works really well, watch.”

And sure enough, using what’s probably more akin to a rubber mallet, she easily hammers her “nail” into the soft wood within seconds. She does this a couple more times along the edge of the plank and then says, “Alright, you can let go now.”

I do so, carefully pulling my hand away from the wide L-shaped structure that now stands up on its own. “Eyy, look at that!” I can finally lean in to get a better look, so impressed with all the miniature tools Evie’s been able to cobble together out of the simplest of materials.

“It’s not much,” she sighs, though she’s crossing her arms with some satisfaction. “Got a long way to go before making furniture. I still wonder if I'd be better off using glue, but I'd definitely want some PPE before I go there. Oh, speaking of which!"

She hurries over to one of the dollhouse shelves she uses to store her clothes and picks up a new garment. It's made of a super fine yarn, although in her hands the blue thread looks a lot chunkier. As she walks back over she pulls it onto her head with a grin - it's some kind of beanie-looking hat. She looks like she's ready to go on a magical winter adventure.

So. Freaking. Precious.

"Did you knit that?" I marvel, and without thinking I reach out and gently touch it, giving her head a little pet.

"Crochet," she responds, leaning into my touch proudly. "Only needed to carve one hook that way, and I used to crochet stuff as a teenager so it was easier to re-learn." I pull my hand away and she readjusts the hat, tucking a strand of hair to the side. "This is just a practice project. But it's the first step to getting some work gloves!"

You're amazing, I almost say. But I know if I said it out loud it would have come out too intense.

Evie strikes a couple of poses like a fashion model and adds, "Think I look like Mrs. Peacock?"

I beam at her. "Is that the first one you want to play tonight?"

"Yeah, I love Clue!"

"Okay then - I'll be right back."

I actually need the breather I get during the quick trip to my bedroom closet. Seeing her looking so adorable in her teeny tiny hat has left my heart aching. A very different body part is starting to ache too, but as usual whenever I have to sneak off like this, I'm able to take a few deep breaths and calm back down. I reach up to the high shelf to carefully slide off the entire stack of board games I own, unsure of how many we'll get through tonight, and I bring them back to the living room.

I’m a little disappointed that Evie took the beanie off, though she's just as much of a cutie as her normal self. She’s currently on her notepad and busy writing something in the corner.

“What’s that?” I ask, setting the pile of games down on the floor.

“I’m making my own version of the notepad from the game.” She sits upright on her knees, looking down at her list and frowning. “I’m forgetting a weapon.”

I fish Clue out of the stack and bring it up onto the desk, sitting down and looking over Evie’s shoulder. I lean in and squint at the tiny lead marks on the page.

“Yeaaah, I can’t read that,” I say with a chuckle.

“Good, I won’t need to worry about hiding it then. Oh right, the candlestick!” She hunches back over to continue writing.

Even though the little camp on the desk barely takes up half of its surface, it still doesn’t leave us a ton of space for the game box and board, so I’m very careful as I start unpacking everything. “I’ve never played with only two players, is that even possible?” I wonder aloud.

“Yes, there’s a special way to do it - I’ll show you once everything’s shuffled…”

We set the game up together, and I'm grateful for her explanation of the rules since it's been a while and I need a refresher. Evie drags over the wooden tray we've just built to lean her cards against so that I won't be able to see them. The plain colored pawns are about half her height, and she shouldn't have too much issue with carrying the plastic weapons and throwing the dice. It might still be quite a workout for her to play, so I'm already prepared to help move things around for her if she looks tired.

"Lynne and I would play this as kids," Evie reminisces, "She had a really cool set that had proper minis for the pawns. I don't know if they even make them that way normally."

"That's always nice when a game company puts in that level of attention to detail," I say. I deal out the cards, placing hers face down in front of her, and she begins transferring them to the tray.

I'm suddenly struck with a thought.

"Evie." I'm trying to contain my enthusiasm, wondering if she would even go for this. "Have you ever considered painting minis? Like, to sell?"

Her eyes slowly widen. Of course she's just as familiar with this stuff as I am, probably more so. Whether it's for playing tabletop RPGs or just to display, there's a whole market for finely detailed figurines. "Aiden, you're a genius. That's so much easier than building dollhouse miniatures. And people actually spend money on that stuff."

"I know! The demand is there and you'd be so good at it right now. I know it's not quite woodworking…"

"That's okay, it can be a stretch goal! If I can start selling minis maybe that'll help fund some better tools for the rest… Oh my god, I'm so excited. I know what I'll be doing tomorrow, there's so much to plan and research. Dude, thank you!"

I feel like a straight up superhero right now. She looks so hyped that I almost suggest we put our game night on hold so that she can start planning this stuff. But if anything she seems even more keen on playing in some kind of celebratory gesture, so we finally jump into it.

Watching Evie running around all over the board is just as adorable as I thought it'd be. Even her holding the fake weapons, like a pistol that looks more like a shotgun to her, is somehow the cutest thing. We get really into it, and despite the adapted 2-player rules we have a decent sense of what the other person is figuring out about the details of the fake murder.

At the end it becomes a race to make the final accusation as we both clearly have figured out the scene of the crime. I roll too low to make it to the room so Evie gets there first.

"I accuse…" she says, a little out of breath from moving the pawn so far, "Colonel Mustard… in the ballroom… with the lead pipe."

I raise an eyebrow at her, gesturing towards the case file envelope so she can see if she's right. She pries it open, practically crawling inside so that she can drag the cards out, and peers underneath them at the answer.

"Noooooo!" she cries out dramatically, falling to her knees and hanging her head.

I grin and pick up what I now know is the correct murder weapon, placing it right next to her. "It was the knife, wasn't it?"

"My hubris!" she exclaims, continuing the theatrics by splaying herself onto her back, although we're both laughing at this point. "It was a 50-50 shot."

"It was a team effort," I suggest, leaning forward to look straight down at her from above.

"Don't patronize me," she growls, crossing her arms and smirking. "You win this one. Enjoy it before I kick your butt at checkers."

"You're on."

We start cleaning up, gathering the cards and pawns. I don't even see my mistake when it happens. My eyes are looking for where the die went as I lift up the completed card deck... and I feel one of my fingers collide against something, hitting sharply against the nail. My attention is jerked back towards Evie, who is now sprawled onto her back again, this time not of her own accord. Her eyes are wide with shock.

"Crap," I say breathlessly, my heart suddenly racing. "Are you okay?"

"I'm… um…" she says, and with some difficulty she pushes herself to sitting while raising a hand up to her ear.

"Did I just hit you in the head?" I've pushed my chair back now, kneeling onto the floor by the desk. Trying to keep from panicking.

She looks a little startled by my reaction and forces a smile. "I'm fine. It's okay. That was totally my bad, I stepped towards you without paying attention."

"I'm the one who should have been paying attention!" I say shakily, having trouble not raising my voice. "Can you see okay? Are you nauseous?"

"I don't have a concussion, Aiden," she laughs, but she pulls her hand away and I hate how red her ear looks. "It wasn't nearly hard enough for that. I'm a bit... woozy? But I've had way worse before, it's no worse than stubbing a toe or something."

I can't help it. Even though my own hands are at fault I use them now to gently gather her up between them. I sit back on my heels, bringing Evie in closer, examining every inch of her - all three of them. She lays on her back in my hand and I just pray that the sweet smile she's giving me is truly genuine.

"I'm so sorry," I whisper.

"You're fine," she insists. "I'm actually shocked this is the first time something like this has happened."

"And the last," I say firmly.

"Sounds good." She rolls onto her side now, settling into the dip of my palm and letting her eyes droop to a close. "Just give me a minute and I'll be back to normal… Or maybe I should just take a nap. You're so comfy."

I don't know what to say so I sit in silence, watching her intently. It feels like my mind is splitting as too many thoughts rush in.

How could I do this to her?
Is it a bad sign if she falls asleep?
My phone's on the couch in case this gets dire.
You piece of shit, Aiden.
What if she actually hates me?
Maybe I should get her some water.
Did she just call me comfy?

"Relax," Evie murmurs, and despite how small her voice is it makes me flinch. Her eyes are still closed. "I promise I'm alright."

"I… I know…" I say, unconvinced.

"Your hands are shaking."

"R-right…"

I should probably put her down, but I can't stand the thought of it right now. I manage to take a deep breath in and slowly turn around so that I can brace my arms against the couch as I continue sitting on the floor. I stare at the flushed color of her miniscule ear, and I'm so full of self loathing I could implode. God, and here I was just telling her to be careful when she was on her bathroom roof the other day. Turns out I’m the only menace here.

Evie's voice pipes up again. "I accuse… Aiden Jasper… in the living room… with his pinkie nail…"

She successfully drags a feeble laugh out of me. I appreciate her showing me she's still conscious despite keeping her eyes closed. She does sound okay…

Once I'm convinced that I'm not trembling so much, I cautiously slip my free hand over her delicate frame. I'm not exactly sure what my goal is here, but she immediately reacts to my touch, snuggling into my fingers like they're a blanket.

"Oh yeah, that's the stuff," she purrs.

I don't even know if this is wholesome or sinister. I'm trying to comfort her, but I'm also taking advantage of the situation, aren't I? And she's letting me take advantage. She's… encouraging it…

Evie keeps talking softly, helping me stay in the present. "Oh, I forgot to ask - is it okay if I go shopping with Moira on Thursday? It'll just be in the area, no car or anything. I should actually be back before you get home."

I frown. "Yeah, of course. You don't need to ask for permission… That's why she has a key."

"Sure. I still want to keep you in the loop."

We continue talking quietly for a while, her voice gradually regaining strength. Soon her eyes are open again, and my nerves settle, and our chat becomes truly casual. Except for the fact that my hands are still all over her. I never want it to end.
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Wed Apr 19, 2023 2:51 pm

Chapter 28
Evie

With some effort, I get up onto my tiptoes so that I can see over the edge of a slender hand. It’s a bit of a struggle to keep my footing in here. Moira has stuffed her purse with empty water bottles and topped it off with some soft cloth, so that I can hitch a ride without getting completely lost in her bag. I don’t actually verbalize this, but I think I do prefer being in a shirt pocket than this. Maybe that’s only if it was Aiden, though… In any case, I’m plenty comfortable, just a bit unsteady in this wider space.

“Maybe something cooking related?” Mo whispers down to me, pointing at a store window. “Since you guys spend time in the kitchen together?”

“Good idea! I’m not sure he really needs anything like that, but… Still, mind if we go inside?”

“Not at all!”

We’ve been at it for a good half hour now. The outing itself is nice, but I’m also on a very important mission. We’re nearing the end of April and Aiden’s birthday is on May 5th. Even though I hardly have anything left in my bank account, I want to do something for it, and with Moira’s help I can actually get him some kind of gift.

The retail strip we’re exploring is just on the west side of campus, so most of it consists of places to eat for college students to grab between classes. But there’s a little convenience store, some apparel ones, a place for office supplies, and - randomly enough - this kitchen shop.

It’s still late morning so we’re not quite dealing with the lunch rush, but there are enough people walking around that I do feel a bit nervous. With Moira being so short and with me being in a more open space, I keep getting scared that someone will see me in her bag. My friend quickly noticed my discomfort and has zipped her purse up most of the way so that I can duck down into the darkness whenever I get too worried.

The ding of the door opening startles me, and I slip out of sight as a too-eager employee greets Moira and offers her assistance. After some heavy insistence that she’s just browsing, we’re finally left to our own devices in exploring the near-empty shop. It’s actually kind of fun to look at all of the cookware and appliances, although the vast majority of it is way out of my budget. I long for the days where I could have actually used all of these pots and pans and slow cookers and ice cream makers. I miss being able to make my own food from start to finish, and it’s nice to escape a little bit into this culinary world.

Some of it feels extra intimidating, though. There are some fancy knives on display that are as long as flag poles and give me swells of anxiety. Even the blenders and food processors have blades that look absolutely deadly to me. Thankfully we don’t linger on any of this since my larger friend seems to get that these sights might make me uneasy.

Glancing around to make sure we’re alone, I pipe up when we get to the stand mixers, pointing towards one that has a bread hook installed. I could easily fit right up in the curve of it. “How long do you think I could ride that hook before throwing up?” I stage whisper, grinning up at Moira.

She suppresses a laugh, and then she carefully lifts the bag I’m in a bit higher so I can see what’s on the next shelf up. There’s an electric citrus press, the kind where you push down with the orange on top and the entire thing spins. “How about this?” she mutters, “I bet if you sat on the edge here it might be a pleasant ride.”

“Oh yeah, that sounds nice! Until my inevitable doom approaches as the juice rises higher and higher…”

And now we’re both trying not to laugh at the visuals we're conjuring up. Okay, this is fun and all, but I’m not seeing anything that could work well as a gift for Aiden. Maybe this store was a bust after all. There’s one last small display of non-perishable foods that we take a quick look through first.

“I’ve never taken him as a coffee guy…” Moira muses.

“No, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him drink any. Alas.”

“Did you want to get some for yourself?” she suggests.

“That’s alright, it would take up too much space, plus it would take me a decade to finish a bag on my own… I don't miss it that much."

My eyes scan the entire display, looking up at the novelty pasta shapes, all the way to the spices and seasonings. That’s when I finally get an idea. I remember something that my roommate mentioned to me once, a while back. I voice my musings to Moira and she loves the thought, offering to pick something up for me the next time she’s at the grocery store. And then we’re back outside, walking down the street as she talks excitedly.

“I don’t want to intrude at all on your gift,” she says, “but if you like I could make a container for you to put it in! I still needed to think of a present for him, so…”

“No, that would be perfect! I’ll need your help with the rest of the plans anyway, it can all be from the both of us.”

Our conversation is interrupted as she stops abruptly from a door opening and almost whacking into her. She rears back and I tumble, grabbing fistfuls of fabric as I slip along the side of the cloth-covered water bottle, only barely managing not to fall into the depths of the purse. Even as I’m furiously trying to climb back up to a more stable spot I’m also scuttling backwards, trying to make sure I’m out of sight.

Whoever was exiting the restaurant is apologizing profusely now, with Moira trying to reassure him that she’s fine. It’s through this exchange that I’m realizing how many other voices are passing by us. When did it get this crowded? I guess we’re getting closer to lunch time…

With her awkward conversation out of the way, I hear a whispered “Are you okay?” from above, but I’m too scared to answer. The zipper just over my head starts inching back and I can see shadows of the giants passing by like a towering herd on migration. Fearfully I just keep backing up, trying to stay under the part that’s zipped closed. In all of the commotion I’m beginning to feel panicked.

Thankfully, Moira stays much more level headed than I do. To my relief she doesn’t insist on trying to talk to me, instead reversing course with the zipper until the bag is mostly closed again and I can finally take a breath. Quick on her feet, she reaches into the outside pocket of her purse and pulls out her phone. It takes me a second, but I figure out her idea of having a pretend phone conversation so that she can speak to me openly.

“Hey, Evie! Yeah, I’m already here, it’s a lot more crowded than I thought it’d be.” She pauses briefly as the fake me silently responds. “I know, I was hoping we could eat outside or something, but I’m not sure it’ll work out. I live near campus, on the north side, would you be down for going back to my place?” Pause. “Alright, just think about it, and if you’re still okay with that sandwich place, text me your order and I’ll go grab it. See you soon!”

And then instead of putting the phone back in its usual spot, she slips it into the purse itself, slowly and carefully so as to not blindly knock into me. I notice she has a note-taking app open and ready for me to type in.

I smile and begin crawling over to the dim light of the phone so that I can write a message in response. I tell her that I'm happy to go back to her place instead, and that I’m fine with any kind of sandwich except for tuna salad. A minute later, Moira's hand cautiously returns to retrieve the phone and our new plan goes into motion.

It takes another thirty minutes or so to go get the food and then make our way to my giant friend's place. Once we exit the more crowded streets, she briefly ducks into an alley just to make sure I'm still alright with all this and to assure me that none of her roommates should be home. I've never been to her apartment, but I know she lives with three other girls, so I'm glad for the head's up.

"Okay… we're here… Sorry about all that," Moira sighs as we get into her room. She sets the purse on her bed and reaches in for me, gently gathering me up so she can put me on her bedside table. She's still a little hesitant and overly careful, but she's gotten way better at handling me over the past couple of weeks.

"No worries!" I say as I climb off her fingers, "I used to go eat in that area all the time so I should have known better. Thank you for handling it so well, Mo. Sorry, I was kinda freaking out."

I take a look around the room, marveling at the new location. Even from my perspective I can tell the area is a lot more limited than Aiden's - there are two beds in this room and hardly enough space for a small desk that houses Mo's computer and nothing else.

It's cozy, though. There's a boho vibe and so much stuff everywhere- paintings of flowers, an acoustic guitar hanging on the wall, a potted plant hanging in the corner in a macrame basket. I bet she did the macrame herself, I wouldn't be surprised if that was yet another hobby of hers. Her roommate's side of the room is so plain compared to this half that's full of color.

"I love your space!" I exclaim eagerly.

"Thanks! Pardon the mess," she laughs, and she reaches over to scoot aside a glass bottle containing a single flower that's next to me, in order to give me some more room.

We enjoy lunch from our spots on the bed and the nightstand as we keep discussing our mutual friend's upcoming birthday. I've already started prepping something for the day of, and it's been a challenge to keep things a secret from Aiden with my life on full display. I'm really going to need Moira's help to pull it all together.

"I just hope that gift will be enough…" I fret, picking at my sandwich like a squirrel.

"I'm sure he'll love it! Especially since he's probably not expecting anything from you. Even his other friends, we don't usually do much to celebrate his birthday since the timing's always awkward with their final exams."

"All the more reason for me to do something nice," I say with a sigh, hanging my head. "He's just done so much for me… I know I can never repay him, but I wish I could better show how much I appreciate it. What gifts have you gotten him in the past?" I lift my head again hopefully.

Mo sets her sandwich down on the plate in her lap. She gazes down at the bedsheets for a second as she thinks. "Since we both read the same kinds of stuff, I'd usually get him a new book…"

It's a little late for me to get into the fantasy novels that they both enjoy. That would probably feel a little forced anyway. After a long pause I ask, "Do you know about any past girlfriends of his?"

That came out a bit more awkwardly than I'd meant it to. Moira doesn't answer right away but her big green eyes are fixed on me, a growing smile appearing on her face.

"What?" I ask self consciously.

"Nothing. Just wondering why you’re asking."

"Because I’m curious what types of things they might have gotten for his birthday," I insist, kicking myself for having gone down this path.

"Right, right. Um, I don’t think he’s dated since he was in undergrad. He hasn’t had a girlfriend since I’ve known him at least."

"Gotcha…"

I stare at the floor of the nightstand, deep in thought. Seconds pass and when I look up again, Moira's still watching me with a smile.

"What?" I ask with a nervous laugh.

"Nothing!"

"Clearly it’s not nothing?"

The smile grows wider. "I’m trying not to call you out on how red your face is right now."

Crap. I hike my knees up as if to hide behind my legs, curling in on myself instinctively. My natural response is to immediately go on the defensive. "I-I… I don’t… We’re not like that."

My friend's voice is gentle, like she's trying to lure a cat out of hiding. "I figured you weren’t. Not yet at least..?" She cocks her head to the side, trying to get a read on me. "Sorry, if I actually am completely off base, I’ll stop."

"It…" I struggle to speak. But she's been nothing but supportive and trustworthy, and it coaxes a response out of me that I wasn't quite expecting. "It can’t be like that. You know?"

Moira frowns at my tone. "No. I don’t. Why can’t it be?"

I can feel my cheeks flushing further. I only barely manage to not bury my face into my knees. "Really? I mean… Be serious, Moira. Look at me."

And she does. She sets her plate to the side of her cross-legged seat and leans in closer, settling her forearms into her lap as she lowers her head. "Let's see here… I see someone who’s really sweet. Really fun to hang out with. Who’s as much of a nerd as the rest of us, which is bonus points. Super pretty. What’s not to like?"

I squirm at both the compliments and the refusal to acknowledge the obvious. "Just… I mean, logistically there’s just so much that couldn’t work…"

"I’d say you’ve figured logistics out pretty well so far."

"That’s different. Moira, there’s no way he could see me as remotely attractive. It makes no sense."

She frowns again. "You really don’t think he might find you cute?"

I let out an exasperated exhale. "I mean, he might think I’m cute the way he thinks a puppy’s cute. Seriously. How is anyone this small supposed to… to satisfy a man? It’s impossible." This time I do bury my face into my knees, muffling my voice. "God, I’m embarrassed just thinking about it."

After a moment I feel a soft pressure from Moira's fingertips against my back. "I'm sorry, Evie. I didn’t mean to stress you out. I just don’t want you to sabotage yourself when you’re not even sure where his mind’s at…" She pulls her hand away and delicately continues. "But I guess the more important question is, how do you feel about him?"

I lift my head just enough to look at her. I trust her to keep this conversation private, but still… what a monumental question. I'm not sure I'm ready to answer it.

"I don’t know…" I finally say, "I do like him a lot, but I don’t know if it’s in that way. Maybe." I slowly uncurl myself again, matching Moira's cross-legged stance instead. "But none of it matters anyway. I swore off of dating a long time ago. Not to mention, can you imagine how complicated things would get if this went poorly? I’m too… dependent on him. I really can’t afford for this to go badly."

That last bit slipped out. As much as I hate to admit it, there's a part of me that still sees my relationship with Aiden as transactional. That if I'm on my best behavior and do my utmost in helping out where I can, maybe I can somehow earn the shelter and care that I so desperately need from him. I don't want that to take away from the friendship that has also formed, but that's just my reality.

I feel a little dizzy as the what-ifs flood my brain, and I continue to confide in the gigantic girl before me. "I'm aware that my relationship with him is weird and it can’t go on forever like this. It’s just so overwhelming to think too far ahead…"

Moira's sigh is sympathetic and she straightens back up. "Then don’t. Just enjoy what you have right now, see what comes. And listen… the both of you are good people, I’m sure you’ll work things out no matter what happens. But if anything were to go south, you’ve got me now too." She glances towards the other bed that's just a few feet away as she adds, "It might be a bit complicated with my roommates, but if you ever need some time away, even for a little bit, just say the word and we’ll figure something out."

I manage a smile. To willingly reveal my existence to three more people doesn't feel like an option. But the offer means more to me than she could ever know. “Thanks, girl. And I'm sorry to put you in the middle and make you keep secrets from him…”

"Oh, it's fine. Hell, I was the one getting nosey."

From that point I swiftly change the subject as I remember my exciting new business prospect of painting minis. Mo shares in the enthusiasm, eagerly offering to show me the ins and outs of online shopfronts and share tips from her own small business. We spend a lovely afternoon together. And all of my confusing feelings remain firmly out of mind.
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by DocRick » Thu Apr 20, 2023 3:38 am

I've been thoroughly enjoying your story. It sort of runs along the line of my "Borrower" storyline in Art. Kind of leading the reader in one direction when it suddenly takes a possible turn and we're wondering what, or should I say WHO, is going to happen next. ;)

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Re: Out of their Element

Post by Rusco57 » Thu Apr 20, 2023 1:25 pm

Another great chapter!! Keep 'em coming...

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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Fri Apr 21, 2023 3:45 pm

DocRick wrote:
Thu Apr 20, 2023 3:38 am
I've been thoroughly enjoying your story. It sort of runs along the line of my "Borrower" storyline in Art. Kind of leading the reader in one direction when it suddenly takes a possible turn and we're wondering what, or should I say WHO, is going to happen next. ;)
I appreciate it!! Sounds like I need to go check out the Art section :)
Rusco57 wrote:
Thu Apr 20, 2023 1:25 pm
Another great chapter!! Keep 'em coming...
Thank you so much!



Chapter 29
Evie

I look down at my list on a tiny square of paper, written for my size since it's for my eyes only. I don't want to lose track of what I'm doing so I've mapped out a plan and refer to it often. Feeling reoriented, I go back to the other sheet of paper I'm working on, writing with much larger letters. I'm getting close to done with my project, which is good because my little metal bathroom is getting very crowded with all of the hidden sheets of paper I've stuffed inside.

Every once in a while throughout the days, I hear a set of footsteps approaching and retreating from outside the door of the apartment - other tenants who live on this floor. I think the sound outside is just that... until I hear a key that enters the lock. I jolt up to my feet wildly. Aiden's back way earlier than anticipated.

I'm rolling the paper up as the distant door swings open, then I dash behind the desk lamp with the scroll over my shoulder. I don't want to be seen crossing the gap to the bathroom, so instead I turn towards my stuffed lion that's perched on the windowsill. It's leaning up against the desk just beside me and I don't have very many options - footsteps are already heading my way. I slide the scroll of paper down so that it's pinned between the desk and the lion's chest, hidden out of sight in the fur.

Thankfully my acrylic paints are close by too so I just start walking along the tubes, trying to make it look like I was in the middle of picking out the next color.

"Hey, roomie!" I call out to the approaching giant who's looking at me with a wide smile. Whew, I think he's none the wiser. "Is everything okay? Today's Wednesday, right?"

"Yup. My Geodata professor's sick so class was canceled at the last minute. I still have work this afternoon, but I figured I'd swing by and have lunch here since I have extra time."

I may have been anxious to get my secret project done, considering his birthday is the day after tomorrow. But I savor any extra time I can have with him, especially with the knowledge of how busy he's about to be with finals in the next couple of weeks. He's always a welcome sight.

Aiden sits and turns his attention to the mini that I've thankfully made some progress on since he saw it this morning. He leans forward, lowering his head and resting his elbows on his knees.

"Damn, Eve." He squints at the elven ranger I've got propped onto a DIY work table. The unpainted figurines I ordered are about a third of my height, and all I currently have for paintbrushes are a couple of plastic kids' brushes, cue tips and kitchen sponges in various sizes that were part of the items that Dr. Little had shrunken down. I think I'll be able to upgrade and make my own brushes eventually, but this has been working well enough for now.

"Damn good or damn bad?" I ask facetiously as I approach to be level with the mini.

"Seriously, the detail on this is insane. Which makes sense, I guess, but actually seeing it is so cool… And for someone who claims to not be able to draw, you sure can paint!"

"Thank you, I'm glad it's alright,” I say with relief, “since from my perspective it's not quite where I want it to be. This is a lot easier than drawing, though, it's more like coloring an existing drawing."

"Maybe, but some of these details are all you! Did you give her dimples?"

"Hey, you noticed! I gave her freckles too."

"Oh shit, you did! I can barely make them out, but there they are. Amazing…"

"Well, I'm glad my puny hands are good for something."

Aiden sits up again, attention back on me. "They're good for lots of things!" he exclaims. There's a slightly awkward pause as I'm not sure how to respond, and finally he laughs and says, "Yeah, I don't know what I mean by that either."

Man, I really love that smile of his. The kind where it starts out a little self conscious but grows in confidence when our eyes meet. And with a thought as simple as that, I can feel my heart climbing up into my throat.

Ever since Moira and I had that conversation about him last week, I've begun taking notice of more things… They're rather shallow observations. Like how his shoulders aren't just nice to sit on, but the shape of them is also nice to admire from afar. I've started enjoying the way his jaw tapers up, the way his hair frames his face, the way his lips rest when he's content. I love how long his fingers are when I go to sit on them, and how there's a smooth curve where his arm meets his wrist, transitioning into his thumb that feels like a loyal friend at my side. And god, the gorgeous hazel of his eyes still knocks me off-kilter sometimes.

I've learned to be very wary of handsome men, but with Aiden it's different - the way he looks was at the bottom of my priority list for so long. My focus just used to be the scale of him, along with how generous and kind he was. But the simple ways in which I've found him alluring have slowly been sneaking up on me in the background. It doesn't make any sense to me, the fact that I can be so… physically attracted to someone who's more of a landscape to me than a person, but that's exactly what's happening. It's only recently that I've really been made aware. It… might become a bit of a problem.

"I think I'd like to have at least a dozen ready before I officially try to launch anything," I say, turning to look away from the giant for a second so that I can catch my breath. "The next thing I'll need to figure out is how to pack them. I have some ideas on that though. Maybe come summer I'll start making actual money. And soon enough, I'll finally be able to pay rent!"

I'm half joking, but a quiet sigh from my larger friend tells me the joke didn't land. Perhaps I've made this kind of comment one too many times. He doesn’t quite look annoyed, just a little pained.

"Evie, we've been through this. You being here makes no difference in rent. Please stop getting hung up on that, it should be the very last thing you worry about. I'm not going to kick you out."

"I know, I know." My voice is a cross between soothing and sad. "I'm just talking longer term. You know that I wish I could contribute more…"

"You contribute plenty. I've never had such a clean kitchen counter in my life! And I've also never felt so organized with the groceries and cooking. I always end up grabbing junk food during finals, but with all your meal planning I won't have to."

He's humoring me, I know these little favors aren’t actually making that much of a difference. But he makes it sound so convincing. They're not lies, just an acute ability to find things to compliment. Yet another one of his qualities.

“Speaking of that,” I say, cautiously trying to redirect the conversation, “Did you see the spreadsheet I emailed you?”

The corners of Aiden’s mouth suddenly drop. "Uhhhh… Yeeeah… I totally checked it out…”

I laugh, knowing he’s not nearly as much of a nerd about this stuff as I am. “It's okay, I only made it last night. It was just to put everything we talked about in one place, and that way you have a grocery list ready to go for tomorrow. It's already off track, though, I wasn't expecting you to be here right now… I was planning on you getting takeout for lunch and leftovers for dinner.”

“How about the reverse?” the giant suggests, offering me his hand. “I’ll go get some leftovers now. Want to join me?”

I’ve already stepped on before he finished his sentence, a clear answer that makes him chuckle. The usual vertigo of being lifted up feels more like butterflies in my stomach as I gaze up along his body, not worrying about our destination but instead just… looking at him.

I'm feeling a sense of curiosity as I stare. He could have simply brought his food back to the desk. There’s no reason for me to come along. But he’s always offering to carry me around everywhere. Why is that, I wonder? Is it always just a favor, to give me a change of scenery?

I move my attention to his fingers. They’ve folded inwards for me to hold onto as usual, but I take notice of the way part of his middle finger presses up on one side of my waist while his thumb is braced against the other side. He’s gingerly moving the digits against me, ever so gently rubbing me between them, a gesture that I doubt he’s even conscious of. Maybe that's why he likes carrying me around, maybe I’m just something to fiddle with as he goes about his business. I’m such a small point of contact to him.

But to me it feels very different. He can easily touch so much of me at once. The pressure, the warmth, the delicate intention of it all… it’s pretty addicting. Intoxicating, even. And as I sit here, so little in the palm of his hand, for the first time I feel a wave of something new. A humbling but not unpleasant awe at being held so softly by someone so incredibly powerful.

I expected Aiden to put me down on the counter, but he keeps me held aloft as he opens up the freezer to pick out his lunch. Some of the cold air drifts down and I shiver as it rolls over me, which he seems to notice. With a casual movement, his fingers curl in further to cover more of me and he holds me up against his chest.

“Does it matter which one I pick for the meal plan?” he asks.

“Nope! If it’s frozen it’s fair game,” I answer, and it’s only when I hear my own masked nervousness that I realize he had a similar tone. Come to think of it, his nearby heart is starting to beat a little faster. But why would he be nervous right now?

To my surprise, he still holds onto me as he goes to put the food in the microwave, despite the fact that it'll take a while for it to defrost. This is definitely out of the norm, and I’m starting to wonder if something’s wrong. I lean back against his thumb, away from his chest as I try to look up at his face. He notices me out of the corner of his eye and looks down to meet my gaze.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, “Do you need space? I can put you down.”

“No,” I say quickly, then I realize how overeager I sounded and add, “Just, uh… you alright?”

Aiden doesn’t answer at first as he slowly breathes in and out, his eyes looking past me. Then they come back to join mine and finally he says, “I’m just conscious of the fact that I’m about to be so busy. Next week is going to be absolute hell, and the week after will be even worse. I don’t think I’ll really have much time to hang out and I… I guess I'm already sad about it.”

Those butterflies in my stomach are feeling more like hornets now. I suppose I wasn't the only one who had thought about us having less time for each other soon. I slide back across his hand to push myself up against his chest in a hug, and he closes the distance with his fingertips, resting them against my back. “It’s just two weeks,” I say to try and comfort him, “And I’ll still be right here the whole time to cheer you on.”

“Yeah, I know, I’m being dramatic.”

“Well, you're the one who has to actually deal with school stress… I don't mind you being a little clingy."

What am I saying? What are we doing? My mind goes to where it normally does in similar situations. We're so intertwined into each other's lives that it's only natural that we really care about each other. And it makes sense that we would touch more than average roommates, because I'd never leave the desk otherwise. He's the type of person who likes helping others, so I think he enjoys looking after me, almost like he would a pet. That's all this is. I mostly convince myself of it, but instead of feeling the usual reassurances from this mental exercise… I feel a little sad. Why am I so out of sorts today?

I look up at how much time is left on the microwave and I speak without thinking, throwing out a stupid idea. "We've got ten minutes. Can you go lie down on your stomach on the couch?"

Aiden stiffens. "...What?"

This is so stupid. "Or on the floor. I just want to try something.”

The giant continues to balk, staring down at me still leaned up against his chest. "R-right now?”

“Uh huh. Bring me with.”

With a hesitant “okay…” we’re headed back into the living room. Aiden’s a bit too tall to fully stretch out on the couch, so he opts for the floor instead, cupping me carefully as he kneels down and then lowers all the way onto his front.

From his position propped on his elbows, he looks straight down at me still sitting in his hands, which are currently resting on the floor. “Now what?” he asks, bemused.

I give him a playful smile. “Can you put me on your shoulder?”

Silently he obliges, bringing one hand up to lift me close to his neck. Grabbing onto his shirt, I pull myself higher, climbing further than I normally would until I’m hoisting myself over his shoulder blade now, reaching his upper back. Once the slope of his body is level enough, I get to my feet and start stepping towards his spine with intentionally slow and weighted footsteps.

His dark hair has grown a little bit since I’ve moved in, but the nape of his neck is still plenty exposed. I notice it’s lighting up with goosebumps as I walk on him, as if I’m just causing a slight tickle. Not quite what I was going for…

“Are you gonna fill me in?” Aiden asks, and I can only see the back of his head and not his expression, but he clearly still sounds very confused.

So, so stupid. “I’m not sure this is working how I’d hoped,” I call back. “I was wanting to give you a little massage, to maybe help with the stress. But I think I’m too light.”

There’s a pause. “Oh. I see. I mean, it… it does feel nice…”

I can’t help laughing at how tense he sounds and I start heading back the way I’d come. “Don’t force yourself, I’ll get off of you.”

The massive back quakes and I almost lose my balance from the sudden yet slow descent as Aiden gets all the way down and buries his face into his arms. His words are muffled by his posture, but from where I’m standing I can feel them vibrating up through me. “I’m serious. That feels really good.”

My mouth quickly goes dry. “Oh, well, um… good! Just relax then.” I go back to ambling across his back and cross over the bump of his backbone. “I could even do this while you’re studying! Who says we can’t still hang out?”

The giant’s head tilts down as he further curls in on himself, ears turning red from the awkwardness of the situation. “Thank you," he rumbles, "You’re totally spoiling me.”

He’s wrong. I stabilize myself against his protruding shoulder blade and glance back towards his head, observing the line of his neck and the edge of his jaw. I look the other way, along the length of his back that subtly slopes downward to a slight dip above his tailbone. His body is so vast, stretching out on all sides. I feel his muscles below me, the warmth of his skin through his shirt. I do care about his stress levels, I do want to do something nice for him, but… my little expedition is truly, mostly, very selfish.
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by ROGU3_20 » Sat Apr 22, 2023 1:09 am

Evie? what do you have in mind? and also i dont think its more than school that aiden is so nervous about. maybe it has something to do with you maybe???

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Re: Out of their Element

Post by Rusco57 » Sat Apr 22, 2023 2:18 pm

mmm...Evie's getting game. They both are attracted to each other. Will Evie prove to be too much of a distraction??

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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Sun Apr 23, 2023 6:14 pm

ROGU3_20 wrote:
Sat Apr 22, 2023 1:09 am
Evie? what do you have in mind? and also i dont think its more than school that aiden is so nervous about. maybe it has something to do with you maybe???
She has her reasons, but poor girl is so in denial haha
Rusco57 wrote:
Sat Apr 22, 2023 2:18 pm
mmm...Evie's getting game. They both are attracted to each other. Will Evie prove to be too much of a distraction??
Let's find out!


Chapter 30
Aiden

I had a weird dream last night. I was at one of the labs from school I think, though everything felt off, in that dream-like way. There was an odd tension in the air, but then I wake up and I'm actually a little calmer than usual, feeling especially comfortable against my pillow, and the dream is quickly forgotten. It's like the quiet before the tumultuous storm of the coming weeks, but it’s quiet nonetheless, and I take a moment to enjoy it.

I turn 26 today. The only plan I have is bulk cooking with Evie tonight, one last push to prep for final exam hell. But I look forward to it. I roll over in bed and turn to my nightstand, to the ridiculously tiny paper crane - the first of her origami creations - that I ended up displaying right next to the table lamp. Like it has on so many mornings, it gives me the strength to smile and get out of bed. I was up late studying last night and don't have much time at all this morning as a result, so I have to grab breakfast and eat on the go. I make sure my mini roommate is fed and watered and then with a quick goodbye I'm out.

The stresses of the day are certainly there, most of it coming from my TA job, but all the other students are buzzing with excitement over it being Friday and so close to the end of the semester. It’s the last day of classes before a full week off to allow us to focus on studying for finals. Thankfully all of my exams are within the first few days… so in two weeks from right now I'll be finished with them.

And then, freedom. Freedom to do whatever I want. With whoever I want. The anticipation is enough to help me coast through the day. By the time I get back home it's almost 4:30, and I’m tired but so relieved to be coming back to a no-study evening.

I step inside and proceed to jump at a loud sound coming from the desk. What the hell?

I don’t bother taking off my backpack or shoes, I'm just hurrying over, operating on pure instinct. It was a weird sound, like a trumpet or something… or like one of those paper party horns?

And within a second I've put it together. Evie herself doesn't have a party horn - she would be too small to operate one - but she's playing a sound effect on her phone. She keeps pushing the replay button as I make my way to her, beaming up at me as she lets the obnoxious sound loose. When I'm close enough she steps away from the phone and hops closer to me, throwing her arms up above her.

"Happy birthday!" she yells, and the sight of her jumping up and down so eagerly is one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

"Thank you!" I laugh, unable to contain a goofy grin. "I didn't expect you to remember."

"Of course I did! You didn't think I'd immediately take note of that when you told me what day it was?"

"Okay, yeah, that tracks. Thanks, Evie. I'm so glad that it's Friday too."

"Let's celebrate!" she chirps, knowing full well I’m not studying today, "Sorry if I freaked you out when you came in, go unpack and settle or whatever."

I do so, walking back to the front door so I can slip off my shoes and backpack. Once I return to the desk, my tiny friend is dragging something out from behind her bathroom. It's an origami crane, a larger version than the one currently sitting on my nightstand. I frown in confusion. It was my turn to respond to the notes, not her.

“Open it,” says Evie, a little out of breath from pushing a paper bird that’s bigger than she is.

I pick it up and find a seam so that I can carefully unfold the origami. I’m even more perplexed by the note that’s written within it.

You've been working so hard, now it's time for a game
If we didn't celebrate it would be such a shame!
So first take a look at a place we hang out
To watch shows or play Magic or just laze about

“What’s this?” I ask, looking back to the shrunken girl who’s smirking up at me.

"What does it look like?" she quips back.

"You want me to actually…?" I trail off and turn my head towards the location the note is clearly referring to. We only ever watch shows while sitting on the couch. My eyes scan the cushions before dipping down to the floor. And then I see it, on the side of the couch, tucked mostly under it... a corner of white paper. I crouch down and see that there's another crane.

“Whoa. You got this all the way over here?" I pick up the bird before getting back to my feet. "Good throw…"

"You have to keep opening them!" Evie insists. My smile is growing as I do so, unfolding the paper to see its message. Did she really do what I think she did?

Next is the home for all of your friends
Be them crystals or fossils, minerals or gems

My eyes immediately move towards the shelf at the opposite wall, my rock collection sitting on top of it. Sure enough, a thin white beak is peeking out from behind one of the agates.

“Hold on now," I say, walking over to pluck up the paper bird, "How did you get it up here?" I pause for a second, weighing the origami in my hand before I look back to the little woman on the table. "Did Moira come over today?"

"Maaaybe." Evie's grinning, looking like she can hardly contain herself.

How many of these are there? I open up the note and read it avidly.

For this next one, let me give you a tour
Because it's sitting with all my leftovers, not yours

At the mention of leftovers, I briefly start pivoting towards the kitchen until I remember the next part. I walk back to the desk and take a seat.

"May I?" I ask, motioning over to the mini fridge on the table.

"Be my guest," Evie responds, backing up to give me space.

I open it up and am greeted by the next bird, though I also make a mental note in the back of my head that my roommate is apparently out of food. I definitely want to address that before prepping for finals. I almost laugh out loud as even the note seems to be calling me out.

Oh no, look at that! It's empty in here
Maybe if we restock the next clue will appear

"Okay, that's the kitchen," I confirm to myself out loud, and before I can even look down at her Evie's trying to climb onto my free hand that's laying on the desk. I affectionately help pull her aboard with my fingers, giving her body a little hand hug before I loosen my grip and stand up.

I carry her to the kitchen, scanning the counters, checking the pantry, and finally opening the full-sized fridge. Sitting on top of the egg carton like an undersized mother hen is another origami crane.

This next location will depend on the weather
It's a lovely place where we would study together

This one actually stumps me for a minute. I glance over the kitchen island towards the couch, which is where most of my studying happens these days, but she’s already used that location. Holding Evie close, I amble back into the living room and scan the surface of the desk. “Umm… There aren't too many places that I study…” I mutter, now looking around near my feet on the floor.

“Really?” her little voice pipes up from near my chest, prompting me. “Can't think of aaany other places we’ve gone to together?”

I briefly think of my bedroom, where I’ve normally been working late at night. But I don’t go there with her. I look back at the message and focus on how it mentions the weather. Suddenly I’m thinking about the metal table we’ve visited several times in the courtyard downstairs…

“Wait. Are we about to go outside?

Evie sits up straighter in my hand, a little twitch against my skin, all but confirming my guess with her big smile. “If that's where you think we should go…” she says, trying and failing to sound cryptic.

I grin right back at her and am glad that I’m already wearing a shirt that has a pocket. I lift her up and help her slide right in. Before I leave I pause to take a quick look around the apartment, briefly reminiscing on all the little spots she just had me revisit. Mundane spaces made special.

It feels really nice outside as the days are getting warmer, the promise of summer on the horizon. Between that and this adorable game we're in the middle of, my spirits are soaring high.

“We should still come out here once school’s done,” I whisper to my passenger, “We could bring your tray and play Magic…”

“Maybe,” she responds with a laugh, “Might be harder to hide me if we’re openly playing like that.”

I've looked around where we normally sit and don’t immediately see anything, so now I'm crouching down, keeping a mindful hand near my pocket. I find the next clue taped up to the bottom of the table.

“How many times have we ever seen another person pass through here, though?” I point out, carefully extricating the paper from its sticky bindings, “And I don’t care if some stranger thinks I’m crazy playing by myself.” Evie hums in agreement and shifts against me to peer out of the pocket as I read the next message.

A great metal beast is what this looks like to me
But to you it’s a way to get where you want to be

The parking garage is just a quick walk from here, so I take another moment to linger again, picturing my tiny friend strolling across the metal table before me. A vision of the past, or perhaps the future. And then when I do get to my car, I go through a similar exercise, remembering the rather stressful experiences of driving with her, but also looking forward to trying it again. I've recently thought of a way to reinforce my pocket to keep her safer for next time, just need to find a way to make it. I love the idea of visiting new places with her.

It takes me a little while to find the note this time. I look around the perimeter of the car, squatting down to glance underneath and even peering in through the windows. Evie eventually helps me out by suggesting to look closer at the tires, and I find the clue sitting on top of one of them.

A place full of flowers and picnics and fun
If you get to this one, you’ll be almost done

“I guess we’re going on a walk,” I say with a wide smile. I'm enjoying this so much.

“If that’s okay!” the little one at my chest responds, leaning almost a bit too far out as she looks up at me.

“Absolutely.” I put my fingers up against the exterior of the pocket, sensing her tiny body from the outside. Keeping her stable is an excuse, when in reality I just can’t stay away.

It’s another moment where I wish I could give her a real, full-sized hug. Maybe a quick kiss on the forehead while I’m at it. I can’t remember the last time someone’s done anything this elaborate for my birthday, and if I stop too long to really think about it I honestly might get emotional.

As we walk, Evie and I discuss summer plans. Since it’s still a weekday, there are a lot of people around and our conversation gets frequently interrupted, until she mentions to me a trick that apparently Moira has used before. From then on I pretend to be on the phone, able to chat with her more openly, a technique I now plan to employ often. She still seems a bit hesitant to respond too loudly, but I’m confident that if anyone walked by and heard her, they’d sooner think the faint voice was coming from my phone rather than my pocket.

It’s a wonderful preview of times to come. I’ll still have to work during the summer, but there will be no classes, no homework, no studying. We could go on walks like this every day if we wanted to. We discuss what shows we want to watch and board games we want to play, where we might want to go for hikes and for picnics. I can’t wait. Just gotta get through these next two weeks, and then nothing will be in our way.

We get to the park and I almost need Evie’s help again to find the clue, until I notice a small black box among the flowers that I know wasn’t there before. Sure enough, the origami bird’s inside, the receptacle simply a way to keep the paper from blowing away or get too easily noticed by a passerby.

I hope you liked memory lane as much as I do
Now off to Mo’s place! She’s made a breakthrough!

Saying that I’ve liked memory lane would be an understatement. God, I can’t believe I’ve only known this girl for a couple of months. What a meaningful gift that she’s set up for me. So meaningful that I can’t help but wonder. Can’t help but hope….

I haven’t been to Moira’s apartment very often since she’s so rarely home alone and I don't want to intrude on her roommates. I know the general direction of the building, and then Evie helps point out which door to aim for when I get close. No one's around so I go ahead and gently pull my friend out of my pocket as I knock on the door. Thankfully the occupant notices the tiny person I’m holding, so that when she answers excitedly she’s very careful about the way she hugs me just below the ribs.

“You made it! Oh my god, I’ve been so weirdly nervous while waiting and wondering when you guys would show up… Come here, come see!”

She pulls on my free arm and the door shuts behind me as I stumble in. Without really giving me a chance to get my bearings, Moira waves her hand over to her dining table. My eyes settle onto the lone item on its surface, adorned with a big red bow.

"It's not much…" Evie says, her voice a little weak. "I just remembered you mentioning an interest in gardening, and then Mo worked her magic… Now you can make pesto whenever you want!"

It's a basil plant. Tall and green, sitting in a flower pot that looks simple and gray except for a large fake crack of color down the center, where the ceramic is textured and painted to resemble emeralds. It looks beautiful, like a tree growing out of a geode.

Wide-eyed, I look between my two diminutive friends. “You guys…" I manage to choke out.

My eyes have met Moira's and she waves me away. “Don't look at me. All of it was Evie’s idea, I just made the pot.”

I gaze down at the tiny, gorgeous, thoughtful girl cradled in my hands. She beams back up at me, brimming with infectious excitement. And in response I lift her right up to my face, closer than ever, so close that I get double vision for a second. I close my eyes and gently press her up against the space between them. I can tell by the way her body moves that she's startled by this unprecedented showing of affection, but she recovers as quickly as ever. I feel her little hands hug around the bridge of my nose and she leans her forehead against mine, giggling softly. I'm so caught up in the moment that if I didn't have an audience I would have surely confessed my feelings to her right then and there.

And would that be so wrong? I can't just be imagining how strong our connection is, can I? We’ve come so far. Maybe we could make it work. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe if I was honest we could be happier than ever…

But the fear of ruining everything is still lurking below the surface. I can't. Especially not now - I don’t want to jeopardize everything Evie’s done for me today. So instead I just whisper, "You're the best." Her response is a tighter embrace and a quiet "So are you."

The rest of the world might as well have disappeared.
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by Rusco57 » Mon Apr 24, 2023 2:09 pm

Awww...how sweet is that?

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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Tue Apr 25, 2023 1:56 pm

Rusco57 wrote:
Mon Apr 24, 2023 2:09 pm
Awww...how sweet is that?
I love treasure hunts IRL, I couldn't help myself hehe


Chapter 31
Evie

Being right up against Aiden’s face is an intimacy that I never expected. His eyes already dazzle me from afar, but from so close it's almost like looking into the sun, to the point that I’m a little relieved that he’s closed them so that I can catch my breath. And there’s a surprising comfort in touching our foreheads together. Something about it just helps me feel more human. As if being this high up makes me more of an equal. As if it wouldn’t be all that different if we did this at my old size.

I don’t want it to end. But all in all, the moment is pretty short lived, just a couple of seconds, as any longer would have probably been really awkward for Moira who’s standing right there. I sit back against Aiden’s hand as he lowers me down to a more reasonable distance.

I’m still practically vibrating with excited energy after the last few hours. It was almost three weeks ago that I had the treasure hunt idea and I’ve been working on physically building the clues for the past few days. I spent the entire morning folding them up as fast as I could, something I had to do last minute since I didn't have a place to hide them once they became the bulkier cranes. I was so anxious about getting everything ready, and it’s such a relief that the plan ended up going off without a hitch. I hope my little creative project helps make up for how little money I spent on the birthday gift. I certainly had fun at least, and I think he did too.

“I don’t mean to rush you,” Moira says timidly, “But you’ve got about twenty minutes before your dinner reservation... Diego’s on his way here to pick you up.”

Aiden does a double take. “Excuse me?”

“Oh. Right, that’s the other part of the surprise,” I explain, a little flustered post face-hug, “You’re going out with friends for dinner and karaoke tonight!”

He lets out an incredulous laugh. “Are you serious?”

“It’s been a while since you’ve gone out with everyone. I think they’re all looking forward to seeing you,” Mo says encouragingly. "Hopefully it's okay that we took that initiative."

“Yeah, of course it is! But…” His eyes gravitate to me and it’s like I can see various thoughts beginning to flood his mind.

“All the cooking will still get done,” I assure him, “That’s why I planned out stuff that Moira can help with.”

“If you don’t mind me using your kitchen,” Moira chimes in. “And that way we’re not leaving Evie by herself. You know karaoke's not my thing anyway."

Aiden’s laughing in earnest now, shaking his head in disbelief. “You two are going to make me cry. This is too much.” He holds me closer to his chest and pulls our other friend in too, playfully encircling her into a headlock to simulate a group hug.

“Happy birthday, man,” Mo says with a giggle, squirming out of his grasp. "Now you go meet up with the guys downstairs. I’ll take it from here." She holds a hand out, ready to receive me.

“O-okay." The giant hesitates, cupping his hands around me as he gives me a significant look. His thumb trails along my arm and he says softly, "I just wish you could come too."

"Someday," I tell him reassuringly. I don’t really know what I mean by that, but I press on, "Please, go enjoy your other friends, you deserve a break from everything. I'll see you at home!"

Aiden smiles and shifts his hand to be above Moira's before carefully sliding me off. "Seriously, guys," he says, his glance encircling us both as he starts to turn towards the door, "Thank you so much for this."

When he leaves I'm left feeling a little dizzy after so much excitement. It's a good thing being handled is second nature to me now so that I'm not worried about falling from my high-up perch.

"It went well, then?" Mo asks, bringing me over to her dining table so that we can sit and relax for a minute.

"Yes!" I say jovially as I hop onto the wooden surface, although my buzz is slowly deflating like a punctured tire now that everything is over. "Sorry, I severely underestimated how long it would take. I'm glad we still made it back in time."

I catch her up on the past two or so hours, recounting it from my own perspective of revisiting all of those significant locations. Admittedly, our world is pretty small to the average person. But it’s been chock full of happy moments and is plenty large enough for me.

Moira’s big green eyes soften by the time I get to the end of my recap. "Sounds like it turned out to be a fun afternoon. I think you made him so happy, Evie.”

"Yeah, he's never quite… hugged me like that before," I say, and I look down at the ground as I mess with the hem of my shirt.

"I wasn't gonna say anything," Moira responds with a grin, "but that was really, really cute."

I shouldn’t have said anything either. I waver on the spot and my knees feel weak. Suddenly I plop down, parking myself into a seat. I wrap my arms around myself and lower my head.

"I'm in deep, aren't I?” I finally admit.

There’s a pause before my friend lets out a sigh. "Yeaaah… I really think you might be…”

I clutch myself a little tighter, feeling a nervous flame light up at the base of my stomach. After a moment of squirming I just say, "I don't know what to do.”

From the shuffling sound nearby I can tell she’s leaning in closer. "Would you like me to talk to him?” she asks softly.

"No!” I yelp, snapping my head back up, the anxious fire flaring up inside. “Please, please don't tell him about this.”

"Okay, okay.” Moira pulls back again, arms sliding off the table, clearly taken aback by my sharp tone. “I won't.”

Shit, my reaction was too much. I’m probably freaking her out, I didn't mean to slip into this state all of a sudden. I need to try and reel myself back in.

"I'm sorry, I just…” My voice is a little shaky. Hell, my whole body is shaky. “Honestly, the idea of dating… anybody freaks me out. Much less trying to be with someone at this size.”

"Yeah, you've mentioned that you swore off dating,” she says gently, “Do you mind if I ask why?”

"I… um…"

The sense of disquiet continues to smolder in my chest. Old memories start to reach out to me, threatening to grab me and whisk me away. I stare off into space as it feels like the colors are getting sucked out of my environment.

I see so much of it at once, like scattered pieces of a puzzle. An old, dingy diner. Broken red ceramic. Police car lights. Three flights of stairs, an embrace waiting at the top. A deep, lush forest. Hands encircling my wrists. A male voice crying. “I’m begging you… Please, don’t do this…” A kitchen floor covered in blood.

My stomach lurches, and it's lucky that I’m already sitting down. Desperately I try to come back up to the surface and chase away the visions I wish would just vanish forever. Somehow I keep my voice relatively calm despite how broken I feel inside. "I've had some… bad experiences. Sorry, I'd rather not get into it.”

Moira nods, her eyes still fixed on me as if at any second I might combust on the spot. "That's alright. I'm sorry to hear it.”

Get a hold of yourself, I admonish. I have to put the lid back on, choke out the fire. I swallow all of it down, force a smile onto my face. And try to alter course. Aiden… Just focus on Aiden…

"I don't know, what do you think of him?” I manage to ask with a more casual tone, raising my eyes up shyly. Actually, come to think of it, she’s known him for way longer. I should have been wondering about this a long time ago. “Have you ever… considered…?”

“What, me and Aiden?” Unexpectedly, Moira suddenly looks like she just drank sour milk. “Oh, god no.”

The sudden change in her demeanor brings out a quiet but genuine laugh out of me. “That bad, huh?” I comment, loosening up my posture.

“Right, okay, that was rude. He’s great, he just reminds me sooo much of my brother. They even look really similar. That might be why we became good friends, but it's only ever been platonic… I’m sure he’d be a great partner, just not for me.” Her smile is a bit suggestive, though she seems hesitant to be any more blatant after my previous outburst.

I can't help feeling relieved. If Moira took an interest in him then I'd definitely have no chance. Not that I have a chance now. Nor do I want one. Or rather… I shouldn't want one…

This little detour does help lighten the mood, and we're able to move on to simpler subjects. Soon enough, I'm packed aboard the giant purse and together we head back to where I live. The entire time we're debating which Disney movie we should put on in the background while cooking, and by the time we make it home it's as if my moment of panic had never happened.

We set up the basil plant on my side of the desk, so that it can get sunlight and so that I can be the one to water it. I definitely don't want to give Aiden more responsibilities, especially in the next couple of weeks. Plus the fake green geode looks rather nice beside my real purple one.

Moira's just as good of a cook as I am, so she doesn't need any direction from me in the kitchen, though I do what I can to help - checking cracked eggs for any tiny bits of shell and the like. Mostly I assist with drying the dishes that Mo's cleaning as we go, and we bounce between chatting and snacking and enjoying the movie.

I hope the birthday boy is having fun. He's rarely ever out in the evenings, and although I initially had tried to find a way for Moira to at least join the group for dinner, I'm grateful for the company now. Despite her being so accustomed to me, she's always so considerate - she made sure I had access to food and water right away, she ensures her phone isn't too loud or too far, and she's the one who asked if I could help dry the dishes when she saw me looking restless with nothing to do. I truly couldn't be happier to have her as a friend.

It's almost 11pm when we hear the front door unlock. At this point, the meals have been made and packed away, the kitchen is clean, and we've been hanging out at the desk. I'd just been consoling her about some work frustrations, and the conversation had come to a natural stop when Aiden comes in. Even from across the room I can tell he’s all smiles. He offers to drive Mo home as she gets up to leave, but she declines since she had thought ahead and parked her car here this morning, back when she helped me plant the treasure hunt clues.

"Besides," she says as she gives him a goodbye hug and then pulls away to shoot him a pointed look, "Should you even be driving right now?"

"Wha? I'm not drunk," he responds with a laugh. “Diego’s the one who got plastered, we ended up having Tyler drive his car.”

"Yeah okay, I can believe that. Alright, you have a good night!" The door shuts behind her.

Aiden's brilliant smile as he comes over to the desk makes me feel weak. I was too far away from the giants to be able to take part in their brief conversation, but I pipe up now that he's closer.

"A little tipsy, maybe?" I tease, seeing the slight shift from his usual demeanor.

"I don't think so?" he chuckles as he sits down, "I had exactly two drinks, and I don't think they were very strong. I'm probably just riding off the high, it was a great night." His voice does sound a little fried from all the singing, but he doesn't seem to pay that any mind. He regards me with what I can only describe as a gentle intensity, his smile never quite leaving his face even when his tone gets a little sadder. "I really just wish you could've been there. Without it blowing your ears out of course."

I step towards him, closer to the edge of the desk. "Yeah, that would have been nice. But I'm just so happy you had fun! You should probably get some sleep now, though, it's getting late."

"Right, I don't want to sleep in too long… Gotta hit the books in the morning. I do feel really refreshed, at least."

Aiden continues to study me, and he slowly brings a hand up to his mouth. For a second he runs the side of his forefinger against his bottom lip, as if hesitating about something. I'm about to playfully chide him and tell him to get moving, when I notice something I find odd. He's moved the end of his finger directly in front of his mouth. Is he shushing me?

No. He's kissing the tip of his finger. And then the hand travels down to where I stand frozen. And he touches me on the cheek.

"Thank you so much for today," he murmurs softly, pulling his hand away again. "Thanks for… for everything."

Too shocked to react otherwise, I smile as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "Sure thing. Happy birthday."

He goes to bed after that. But I lay awake for hours on end.
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by Rusco57 » Wed Apr 26, 2023 4:51 pm

It's nice that the birthday went well. Would have been fun watching Evie folding those cranes...

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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Thu Apr 27, 2023 3:37 pm

Rusco57 wrote:
Wed Apr 26, 2023 4:51 pm
It's nice that the birthday went well. Would have been fun watching Evie folding those cranes...
It's a full-body workout for her to get them all folded! haha


Chapter 32
Evie

Things are getting a little rough.

I can’t complain too much. At this point, I feel like between Aiden and me, I’m the one who has more freedom. I don’t have to stay up late working on papers or poring over textbooks. I could watch movies all day if I really wanted to, never having to worry about grades. I have plenty of opportunities to be productive in my own way, and my collection of painted figurines has been growing rapidly. But the loneliness feels sharper than ever.

I miss him even more than I thought I would. I had just been reaching a point where I knew I couldn’t ignore my feelings anymore. He hadn’t even actually kissed me - I don’t think that’s physically possible - but that simple gesture on his birthday night had been enough to give me a sense of hope. It gave me the strength to pull my head out of the sand just enough to wonder… if he might truly feel something for me after all. Is he somehow able to see past my size? As if it was some kind of disability that he’s maybe willing to work through? I don’t know what it could mean. But I’m starting to open up to the possibility of it.

My troubled memories of a different life feel more and more distant. I start thinking that there’s a chance I could move past them… Maybe I can let go… Especially here, especially with me small and removed from everything that was a problem… Especially with someone as kind and gentle and wonderful as Aiden.

But we don’t have time to think about it right now. He's fully jumped into preparing for finals and has had no time for anything else. Even though he doesn’t have classes anymore, he still needs to go to work, which has been even more demanding than anticipated, consistently running over schedule and making it that much harder to get everything else done. He's also frequently out at the library with study groups for long stretches of time. Keeping to myself is hard, but I’ve already intruded enough on his life, I don’t want to get in the way of his education. I can wait. I’m not even sure what I’m waiting for, but maybe in two weeks things will start making sense again.

In the meantime, though, I’m struggling. Curse this stupid three inch stature. It makes everything that much harder.

I quickly realize that I need to avoid taking actual baths using the hot plate. I don’t want to make Aiden dump out the dirty water all the time, so I’ve just been using my bathtub as a place to rinse myself off after washing up at the water tank. This means using cold water everyday. But certainly not the end of the world.

The lightbulb for the desk lamp burns out at one point. It happens in the evening while my roommate is out, and he thinks I’ve already gone to bed by the time he gets home. I don’t correct him and have resorted to sitting in the dark anytime that he’s not around at night.

At one point my phone begins having a strange issue where the battery drains despite it being plugged in. I want to try unplugging and replugging it, but when I yank out the charger cable, I lose my balance and drop it, and it slides right off the back of the desk. I dejectedly resign myself to not being able to use my phone for much longer, and then when Aiden notices the fallen charger on his own the next day and helps me out, I feel mortified. It only takes him a few seconds to rethread the cable back up to the desk’s surface, but any extra effort spent on me when he’s this stressed out is too much.

Food becomes a bit of a problem too. My giant keeper is out or busy the majority of the time, and he’s been losing track of how stocked my mini fridge is. The rare times that he eats at home he gives me part of his meal, and since my portions are always too much for me I’ve been able to make do. But he’s gone so often that at one point I completely run out of fresh food. Evening hits and the only things I have available for dinner are the non-perishable options we had set up months ago.

And then I realize I’m too small to open the granola bar. Too weak to access the bag of crackers. The plastic film is just too thick and unwieldy. I probably would have waited things out if I had any idea when Aiden would get home, but my hunger pushes me forward. Finally, after well over two hours of hacking and sawing away at the cracker packet with my plastic letter opener, I finally manage to pierce through the packaging. Hands blistered, arms shaking, exhausted tears rolling down my face, I reach inside to pull out the bland, meager meal.

I’m so frustrated by my weakness I could scream.

Honestly, it’s a pretty humbling experience. The slightest inconvenience is magnified tenfold for me. What would I do without Aiden in my life? Without Moira? What if I didn’t even have access to this apartment right now? If I was on my own, trying to survive on the streets, it would be infinitely worse. I wouldn't make it past nightfall. As the days slowly crawl by I become fully aware, more than ever, of just how desperately helpless I am.

It’s Sunday night, the day just before exams begin. My giant friend is thankfully at home now, but we’ve hardly exchanged any words at all today. He’s sitting on the floor while facing the ottoman, leaning over a textbook alongside handwritten notes. He looks like a zombie, eyes glazed over, having sat in silence for hours. In some kind of solidarity, I’m actually studying as well right now, sort of. I’m looking through my Construction Technology spiral book for ideas on how to make packaging for the figures I’m painting. Might as well be productive when I can.

My stomach complains loudly… The mini fridge is empty again. I could go have some more of the crackers, but it’s been a couple of days since I’d opened them so they’re quite stale at this point. I figure that it’s almost dinner time - I can wait a little longer for the big guy to initiate the next meal.

My phone buzzes and I hop off of the textbook to hurry over to it. Moira’s been having a rough go too. She’s flying out tomorrow so that she can host a panel at this animation convention in Florida. She’d been prepping diligently for weeks and then received a slew of last-minute changes from the convention organizers a few days ago that threw some wrenches in her plans. I miss her so much too. I haven’t seen her in over a week, and I don’t think we’ve gone this long without hanging out since we’ve met. I open her latest text avidly.

Yep, I think it's finally finished. Thanks for all the support Evie!! Having you to vent to has been a lifesaver.

I let out a sigh. All I’ve had to offer are words. I wish I could do more to help my two unattainably large friends. I can't even take care of myself.

I gaze at Aiden past the edge of the phone. As exhausted and stressed as he is, as disheveled and borderline depressed as he looks… I still enjoy the sight of him. I see right past the dark shadows under his eyes, noticing instead the flicker of determined focus he still manages to muster. The tone of the muscles in his arm are just the same as they've always been, and I admire their slight flexing from his grip on his pencil. His posture is worse than usual, but the shape of his back is still so nice.

I exhale wistfully. He hardly talks to me anymore. Hardly touches me. I haven’t even left this desk since his birthday. It was all expected and part of the plan, I know it’s not his choice. The brief moments we have been able to share have felt like gasps of oxygen. Every morning that he’s able to spend a couple of minutes talking to me, I always wrap my arms around as many of his fingers as I can to give him an encouraging hug and wish him luck with his work for the day. It’s not enough. It’s never enough, for either of us.

I even miss our letters to each other. It doesn’t feel like that should be making such a big difference, but it really does. Sometimes those little messages were what really helped me get through the day. The ball is still in his court. But I can wait.

I've been zoning out while just staring at him, so I jump a little when the giant sits up higher to lean back and stretch with a grunt. He stares at the ceiling for a few seconds until he swings his face towards the desk. I bristle as he looks right at me.

"How are you doing?" he asks with an attempt at a smile.

He's asked me this on occasion during his too-short study breaks, but my answer is always the same. "All good here!"

Suddenly Aiden straightens up, so abruptly and intensely that I take an intimidated step back. Before I can ask him what's wrong, he makes it clear. "I didn't get you water this morning, did I?"

No, he didn't. This is actually the second time it's happened, he didn't realize at all the first time. "It's okay, I still have some," I say, but he's already standing up to walk over, reaching a hand out towards the small dish. I continue to fret as his fingers pass overhead, "And there's still a ton in the water tank, I'm fine!"

"It'll just take a second," he says, picking the bowl up, "The tank water is for cleaning, right? You should have something fresh for drinking."

I fiddle with my hands anxiously as I watch him go to the kitchen. I feel caught between two paths right now. I want to stop burdening him. But I want to be with him. I want to help. But I don't want to bother.

When Aiden goes to put the dish of fresh water back down, my body decides for me, moving of its own accord. I suddenly grab onto his index finger right as he's pulling away, and he's dragged me forward an inch before going very still. When I look up, his expression is a mixture of startled, confused, and longing.

"Uhh." I try to scramble for a reason why I stopped him. "Would… would you like a massage? While you study?" We blink at each other until I add, "You know, like that one time…"

The giant's brow furrows and embarrassment lurches inside me. No matter how he feels about me, this is a distraction that I shouldn't be causing.

"I don't want to end up falling asleep if I lay down, especially with you on me…" Aiden finally says, looking off to the side as I continue to cling to his hand.

My grip tightens. "J-just the shoulders, maybe? You can sit upright then."

He looks at me for a few moments longer, pensive and bleary eyed. Finally the corner of his mouth ticks up. He flips his hand over to give me the space to climb onto it. "You're really hard to resist, you know that?"

I don't respond, sheepishly stepping on and letting myself crumble to my knees in his palm. It feels like far longer than the nine days it's been since he's picked me up like this. The all-encompassing warmth of his hand as he brings his fingers in around me is enough to make tears well up in my eyes. He carries me with him to the couch and, having lost none of his confidence in handling a shrunken person, gently sets me onto his shoulder.

I want to just lay against his neck and feel as much of him as I can at once, but I have a job to do. Aiden picks up his notes to lean them on his knees and I start walking along the length of his shoulder. I'm sure it's just a light touch at first but when I reverse course to the other side, able to carefully shimmy around the back of his neck since he's leaned forward just enough, I come across a particularly firm spot in the muscle.

I crouch down so that I can start massaging in earnest at the knot, the pressure of my movements surely doing more than my weight alone. I'm so small that I worry using my hands might feel a little stabby, so I get down lower to work my entire forearm against his skin. Slowly, bit my bit, I can feel the muscle fibers begin to relax, and I'm rewarded when the giant lets out a quiet sigh through his nose, and the entire shoulder seems to unclench.

I'm determined to find any other little tight spots that I can reach. I'm too tiny to properly help something that's severe, but my goal is to nip some of the tension in the bud to keep the larger knots from forming in the first place. I'm starting to feel a little woozy from hunger but not enough that I worry I'll pass out, so I stay silent as I press on. This level of intimacy still feels better than anything else I've done this week.

At one point I'm very close to his head again and Aiden sets down his pencil to creep his hand up to where I am. He takes me a little by surprise when his fingers reach me and slip over my frame, pulling me in to tenderly press me against his neck. He tilts his head so that his jaw softly brushes the top of my head.

"I miss you," he whispers.

My heart aches. I close my eyes and bury my face into his neck. Then I pull back and look up at his ear that's very close by. I wonder if he'd hear me if I whispered too.

I try it, my hushed tone full of emotion. "I miss you too." His grip tightens ever so slightly, signaling that he did in fact hear me. Though the next sentence I keep so low under my breath that there's no way he can catch it. "Please don't let go…"

My stomach growls loudly just then, and I can feel it vibrate against the skin of his fingers.

"Was that…" There's a pause before the hand starts loosening its grip and pulling away, to my dismay. "Shoot, what time is it?"

But just then there's a knock at the door and we both flinch. Not only is this a rare occurrence, it's particularly odd for someone to show up this late in the evening. Silently Aiden gets up with me still on his shoulder, protective hovering hand nearby. I clench up my limbs, ready for him to hide me if need be, as he walks over to the front door and peers through the peephole.

"Oh hey," the giant mutters with a smile in his voice, and to my shock he starts opening the door with me in plain sight. On the other side, quite far down from my current perspective, is Moira. She's got a big grin on her face, green eyes shining with excitement, and she's carrying a takeout bag that looks more like a sack of potatoes in her hands.

She quickly sees me on my perch and comments, "Huh. I don't usually have to look up at you, Evie." Then she takes in the looks on our faces and adds, "You guys didn't see my text, did you?"

"What text?" Aiden and I ask in unison, followed by a joint chuckle. Guess we're still in sync.

"I won't keep you, I don't have a whole lot of time anyway," Moira says, "But I wanted to say a quick goodbye before I leave tomorrow! And I also had a hankering for Chinese food. Hopefully I'm not ruining the meal plan."

"Extra food isn't a problem," I chirp as the giant I'm sitting on steps aside to let our friend in. "But you didn't need to do that!"

"Yeah, that's too nice of you, Mo…” Aiden adds as helets the door close.

“But I wanted to!” she says brightly, hoisting the food up onto the countertop. My ride almost reaches out to help, and I think he only pauses to avoid risking me tumbling off of him. Moira gives him a sad smile as she examines his face. “Plus it looks like you could use a breather, man.”

I can feel the deep sigh whoosh out of the massive pillar of a throat that I’m leaning against. “Yeah. I should probably fuel up. I’ll still need to work while I eat, but stay as long as you want.”

“You sure? I don’t want to intrude if you need to get right back to it.”

“Not at all. This one really needs to eat…” Aiden turns towards me - we’re too close together to make eye contact but his chin swings my way. “And I’m guessing you wouldn’t mind some company, yeah?”

“I’d love some,” I admit, trying to subdue the desperation in my voice.

Gingerly he encircles my torso between his fingers and begins lowering me along the length of his body. I crane my neck back and manage to catch his gaze, allowing us to share a smile, before he sets me down on the counter. I hurry towards Moira so that I can give her thumb a big hug, and she affectionately touches my shoulders with a giggle. I’m so happy I get to spend some time with her before her trip, especially after the past long week. Still, I can’t help glancing over my shoulder at the giant who’s gathered up his food and school supplies to take to his room, and I feel a rippling sadness as he closes the door.
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DocRick
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by DocRick » Fri Apr 28, 2023 11:37 am

Since I've been reading your story, I've been imagining Evie at my preferred size of 6 inches. I always thought anything under 5-6 inches would just be too small for any type of interactions. This latest chapter reminded me of your size of Evie so I decided to try a little experiment. The USD is 6 inches wide. Folded over, of course, would be 3 inches. I did a quick manipulation comparison of a six inch SW and a three inch SW and frankly, now I'm a little confused. While I still feel three inches would be too small, six inches may be a bit too big. Things that make you go "Hmmmmmmmmm".

Keep up the story. I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
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Re: Out of their Element

Post by littlest-lily » Fri Apr 28, 2023 1:55 pm

DocRick wrote:
Fri Apr 28, 2023 11:37 am
Since I've been reading your story, I've been imagining Evie at my preferred size of 6 inches. I always thought anything under 5-6 inches would just be too small for any type of interactions. This latest chapter reminded me of your size of Evie so I decided to try a little experiment. The USD is 6 inches wide. Folded over, of course, would be 3 inches. I did a quick manipulation comparison of a six inch SW and a three inch SW and frankly, now I'm a little confused. While I still feel three inches would be too small, six inches may be a bit too big. Things that make you go "Hmmmmmmmmm".

Keep up the story. I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
You're talking to someone who's into micro sizes heh - I see interaction as a very enticing challenge when I think about being less than an inch tall. (swoon) But I love all sorts of sizes, 6 inches has its own fun place, and 3 inches just happens to be one of my all-time favorites. Sounds like you might most enjoy around the 4-5 inch mark maybe!
(And thank you! I love writing this story so much)



Chapter 33
Aiden

I've been visiting this lab a lot lately - the one that's similar to what I see at school except something's off. This time there's something new, though. At the center of the room is… a birdcage. A giant one, one I could easily fit inside of. That’s weird. It’s just sitting there, open and empty. Something about it feels incredibly ominous. But still, I can’t help but feel curious, and I slowly start stepping towards it.

I stop in my tracks as something hits me on the top of the head. Just a small tickle of a feeling, it didn’t hurt at all. I briefly glance around but don’t figure out what it was. I look back towards the cage and put one foot in front of the other…

There it is again. It hits me in the face this time, right against the temple. “Mrrghh,” I groan, slowly lifting my head up from my arms. I squint at the light from my laptop and wince at a pain in my lower back. I raise my head further, disoriented at the sight of my living room. I notice a wide array of tiny paper balls near me, the size of BB gun pellets, all over the floor and the ottoman I'm slouched over.

My eyes gravitate towards the desk, and Evie is standing near the edge, looking very out of breath. "Sorry!" she calls out, "You fell asleep and couldn't hear me yelling from here."

Oh, that's what I felt hit me. A wad of paper. I rub my eyes and sit up straighter, slowly coming back to the world. "Thanks for waking me up," I finally respond groggily, "I'm impressed you could throw that far…"

"It was not my first attempt," she says with a breathless laugh, "Sorry, I kinda made a mess."

"No worries."

I start sweeping up the dozens of bits of paper into my hands, surprised at the sheer number of them. I feel touched by the effort. How long had she been trying to wake me?

"You could have used the timer, you know,” I tell her, “That would've been way easier for you."

"Oh." She looks behind her at the visual timer on the back end of the desk that I gave her on day one in case she ever needed to get my attention from a different room. She’s never once used it. "I didn't think about that. In my mind that's just for emergencies… Plus it doesn't sound like a pleasant thing to wake up to."

Well, having the cutest, tiniest girl in the world working so hard to get my attention is certainly not the worst thing to wake up to. Especially when I've been so starved for her attention myself.

Staying low to the ground as I pick up stray paper, I crawl my way towards the trash can that's right next to the desk. Once I've dumped my handful in, I straighten up to a kneeled position, so that Evie's right at my eye level, and for a second I don't even process what she says to me next, I'm too entranced by the sight of her.

Will I ever truly get used to this? She looks like some kind of animated figurine, like she shouldn't be able to move and it's a miracle that she does. As much as I was complimenting her about the amount of detail she was able to paint on the minis, that pales in comparison to the intricate detail that I'm looking at right now. That beautiful little face, her brown eyes shining with life, her tiny mouth shifting so fluidly to form words…

“Huh?” I say, shaking my head as I try to focus on her voice instead.

“See, that’s what I mean,” she says fretfully, “Are you sure you shouldn’t just call it and go to bed?”

“Oh… I’m okay. Tomorrow’s exam isn’t until afternoon. I actually feel pretty ready for it, so I’ll sleep in a little bit. This paper’s due today though, by midnight…” I try again to rub the sleep out of my eyes, pretending that the breath I’m taking is an invigorating one. “I’m getting there. The big thing now is just listing all the sources and stuff at the end.”

Evie tilts her head, concern still painted all over her face. “Is it bad for me to ask you to bring me over there? I don’t want to get in your way, but… it would be easier to help wake you up again if I was closer.”

Between her tone and her posture, she's so self effacing in this moment that I feel a pang of guilt. I don't mean to make her feel like she can't talk to me because I'm so busy… even though that's frustratingly close to the truth. Not that I don't want to spend time with her. God no. This is just a brief amount of time where I have to put everything on pause. Even something as wonderful as whatever has been developing between the two of us. I'm well aware of just how distracting she can be, through no fault of her own.

I hate knowing that she must be having such a hard time these days, though. It was really bad timing that both Moira and I were so busy at the same time. And despite my best efforts, from some of the details that I've noticed, like the open packet of crackers and the charging cord I found on the floor, I'm sure I'm neglecting her even more than I realize. Since she hasn't been advocating for herself, I have no idea the extent to which it's a problem. With all the stress and sleep deprivation on my plate - I think I've gotten less than ten hours of sleep in the entire past three days - I can't even think straight half the time.

I keep telling myself it'll all get better by the end of this week. But right now I can't help reaching out, quite literally. I place a hand just behind her, ready to pluck her up.

"Okay, yeah. Sure. Will you be okay with just your phone for entertainment?"

Evie says yes, so I take her in one hand and her phone in the other. She wraps her arms around my fingers as I pinch the sides of her torso from behind, and then I carefully shuffle back over to the ottoman while still on my knees.

Whenever I carry her like this, with nothing to support her legs, I've noticed that she tends to kick her feet a little once I lower her down again, in anticipation of reaching the floor. This time is no different - there she goes, bicycling her legs as I bring her closer and closer to the ottoman. I'm so entertained by it in the moment that I sort of… stop. Let her hover there as she continues to kick the air. After a couple of seconds she curiously looks up, takes in my amused expression, and then lets her legs dangle limply as she gives me a look.

"What, did you fall asleep again with your eyes open?" she quips.

"Sorry. You’re just too cute when you do that,” I say with a grin as I finally relent and put her down.

I notice her face goes a shade pinker as she turns to look away from me. I guess I'm not usually so vocal about how adorable I think she is. But I'm too deliriously tired to care.

I've set up her phone close enough to me that, once I go back to working on my laptop, she occasionally makes gentle contact with my arm. In moments of stillness she'll lean her back against me, or reach behind her to stroke my skin with her hand. Presumably it's just to help keep me awake, but I appreciate the caring touches all the same.

It really is helping me to stay alert. At this rate I should be done within the next hour or two. I'm so close to the end I can taste it… Hydrology paper due tonight… Geodata exam tomorrow afternoon… Biochem exam the next day… and then I'm done. I have work the entire following day but at least that’ll be Friday and I’ll have nothing I need to get done over the weekend…

We do run into one moment where I start nodding off again. I don’t even crumble towards the ottoman this time, my head’s apparently just hanging from my neck and the next thing I know, I'm jolted to consciousness by Evie who’s climbed up onto the laptop so that she can yank on my fingertips as she calls my name.

“Okay, good,” she says with a relieved smile as I come to, “I was going to start pulling arm hairs next. I guess you are a light sleeper after all.”

I return the smile and then rub at my face with a groan. “Thank you,” I say, “I’m so close to being done with this… but let me know if you want to get to bed, I don’t want to keep you up.”

My tiny friend hops back off the laptop and gives me a determined nod. “I’m staying right here.”

I hook my index finger around her head so I can rub the back of it appreciatively. I’m being particularly careful about touching her, seeing as I’m so out of it. But thankfully my hands are very accustomed to her presence, even if they’re a little out of practice during all of this studying hell.

“Thanks. This is helpful,” I tell her softly. “Would it be okay if we did this again tomorrow night? It’s Biochem so I’d love it if you could help quiz me.”

“Sure!” Evie says, and to my delight she's fully leaning into my touch on her head, like a bird requesting scritches. “I can be your study buddy, one last time.”

That’s right… The only class we were ever in together is coming to a close. I didn’t really know her at all when she was still able to go to school, just admired her from afar. I wonder what would have happened if I’d said hi to her back then. Would everything else have played out the same? Could I have somehow helped her avoid this shrunken fate? But would it mean we’d be nowhere near as close as we are now?

"Last time for this class at least," I confirm, "but who knows what the future holds!"

I want to keep chatting. This is part of why I’ve kinda been avoiding her during this critical time. I just never want to stop hanging out.

I yawn and wipe away the tired tears that are stinging in my eyes. I remember that I’d brought over my reading glasses, and I reach behind the laptop to where I’d left them so that I can slip them onto my face. My vision’s not bad enough that I regularly need corrective lenses, but when I’m this tired they do help a little.

“I’ve never noticed you wearing glasses before,” Evie says, taking a couple of steps back to get a better view of me.

“Yeah, these help with the eye strain. I guess I’ve been doing it more at night, in my room.”

“They look really good on you.”

I hope I’m imagining the speed at which blood rushes to my cheeks. “Why, thank you,” I say with a stuffy tone as I readjust my glasses with an over-exaggerated nerdiness. We both chuckle.

Come on, Aiden, I tell myself. Focus.

Another solid hour or so passes in forced silence. My increasingly clear approach to the finish line spurs me on, and I stay alert and determined the entire rest of the time. My small helper continues to prod me from time to time just to be sure, and every once in a while it's in a way that gives me goosebumps. But I keep pushing forward. And then, about half an hour before midnight, I finally have uploaded my paper and can hit the “Submit” button.

I feel a massive weight lift off of me, and with amazing timing Evie has pulled music up on her phone, ringing out in a victorious fanfare as she celebrates right alongside me. I get caught in a fit of laughter from the way she runs and jumps around excitedly, and I almost feel inebriated right now, overcome with the relief of finishing one more class.

The music slows down, transitioning into a more whimsical, gently lilting melody. And yet as the tiny woman before me slows her own movements, breathing hard as she looks up at me with glee, my heartbeat jumps up a time signature instead. In a moment that surprises us both, I softly touch my finger to her shoulder and run it down along her arm until I reach her hand. It's so tiny and delicate, her dainty fingers the length of strawberry seeds, and it's just the slightest sensation on the pad of my much larger finger. Ever so cautiously, I lay my thumb on top, her hand disappearing in my grasp, though I can still feel it gripping me back.

I gently pull Evie forward, her first stumbling steps becoming more measured as she follows my lead. The music continues to weave its harmonies into the air and I follow the tempo, raising her arm above her head and carefully spinning it, making her twirl. Her giggle is even more melodic than the music is as we awkwardly find a way to dance.

Since the ottoman’s surface is soft, despite her staying light on her feet she almost falls over multiple times, and I either catch her or dip her backwards or she lands on her knees and poses as if she meant to do that. We’re both laughing the entire time. After a minute or so the music crescendos again into a less easygoing beat and we break apart as we try to catch our breath. All in all, it’s just a moment of silliness. But with the slightest touch of something more.

The last dozen days have been a challenge, for sure. And yet, seeing the effortless synergy that we’re still able to find… It makes me feel like we can get through anything together.
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