Out of their Element

[littlest-lily]

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 he lets 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.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily I would be so proud of Evie if she managed to (affectionately) accuse Moira of being a cockblock.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo hahahaha I love that I also imagine her getting angry with her cockblocking stomach

[littlest-lily]

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.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily I like how Evie functions as a walking, talking adrenal gland for Aiden.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo TRUTH. Every time his heart rate goes up it’s because of her lol

[Olo]

@littlest-lily Whenever I read about a handheld tiny flailing their legs, I think of the mechanical props on Land of the Giants that they used as stand-ins for handheld “Little People” being carried off by giants:

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Ha, I’ve never seen Land of the Giants, I apparently need to change that!

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 34
Evie

I can hardly focus on anything other than the clock today. I do try and get some more painting done, but I’m so distracted. We’re finally at the finish line. For all I know, he’s already done with his last exam. I won’t know for sure until–

I perk up at the sound of distant footsteps coming down the outside hallway. I don’t need to wait for the key going into the lock to recognize the cadence of his walking. I run towards the edge of the desk, brimming with excited energy as Aiden comes in.

“Freedom!” he calls out to me as he slides his shoes off, and I can tell he’s having to really hold back from being too loud and hurting my ears. “God, that test sucked, but it’s over. Sweet, delicious freedom at last!”

He comes over to me already holding my arms up in his direction, and he wastes no time in scooping me up and bringing me right to his face. The speed at which I travel is a little jarring, especially after so much time of rarely getting handled at all. But I’m just happy to be back up here again. As he closes his eyes to gently press up against me, I arc my hand between his eyebrows, like I’m petting the side of a horse. My instinct is to kiss the space between his eyes, but I hold back.

“Congrats! I’m so proud of you,” I gush before I hug my whole body against him in return, kneeling on his hand as I lean heavily against the bridge of his nose. Aiden just sighs happily in response. We don’t have an audience this time. Nothing to keep us from embracing each other forever. And we do stay like this for well over a minute. It’s both comforting and relaxing, while also creating butterflies in my stomach.

I really… really like him, don’t I? And… and somehow, he likes me too, doesn’t he? Is this really happening? Can I really allow this to keep happening? Am I ready? It just all seems so ridiculous when I’m only the size of one of his fingers. But maybe Moira’s right, I shouldn’t keep trying to sabotage myself. I did decide to see where things would lead. But I hadn’t honestly thought the path I was on might lead to this.

“Thanks for being the best little cheerleader ever,” the giant finally mumbles, his words tickling pleasantly against my skin.

I open my eyes and shift in place, turning to face one of his much larger eyes as I continue lounging against his nose. It’s still closed, and I can see the signs of fatigue by how dark his skin is underneath. But the muscles mostly seem relaxed right now, outside of a crinkling at the edge that signals to me that he’s smiling. I marvel at the proximity, reaching a hand out as if to touch one of his eyelashes. I don’t quite make contact, but hover a finger alongside one as I trace the curve of it, and it’s half as long as my arm.

“Anytime,” I answer him softly. I didn’t really do much, especially since he was gone so often. But I would have been happy to do much more if I could have.

As if sensing the proximity of my fingertips, the giant eye gradually blinks open, remaining at a half gaze for a moment before it widens and he tries to lay his sights on me. I’m mesmerized, being this up close. It’s like looking at a stained glass window into his soul.

He’s probably having trouble focusing in on me, though, since I’m millimeters away from his eyeball, and so his hand slowly makes some space between us. I can see more of his face as I kneel there in the dip of his palm, and I just can’t stop smiling.

“I’ve thought so much about fun things we can do this summer,” Aiden says, “But I hadn’t really thought about…” He trails off and I notice his pupils dilate. I wait for him to finish his sentence, but instead he seems to change course with a quick clear of the throat. “Um, so, before anything else, tell me. What do I need to catch up on? What do you need from me?” Holding me a little lower, his eyes suddenly start scanning the surface of my camp on the desk.

I don’t call him out on the sudden change of subject, feeling a little flustered myself. “Oh, nothing yet! You should relax right now, you deserve it.”

“I will, I will,” he says, setting his hand down so I can slide off, “But I want to make sure you’re all set first. I’ll at least go top off your water tank, and I might as well refill the sanitation tank too… Anything else?” He’s already picking up the metal toilet stall as he raises his eyebrows at me in a query.

I squirm. When am I going to get over this whole dependency thing? I try to push myself to be honest. “No rush, but… feel free to dump out the bath water maybe? And, um… I don’t suppose you have any lightbulbs?”

Aiden frowns, for a moment wondering what I’m referring to. But then he suddenly realizes what it must be and his hand drifts over to the desk lamp. He turns the dial on and off, confirming it to himself. “Shoot, I’m sorry. How long has this been out?”

“I don’t know, a couple of days?” I say sheepishly, very much stretching the definition of “a couple.”

“I’ll see what I’ve got handy. This will all just take a few minutes, so no worries, okay? If you think of anything else, let me know.”

“Thank you…” I say, forcing myself not to hide my face in embarrassment.

“And after this,” he says, gathering up the various water-filled receptacles, “I can go grab dinner. Still down for celebratory pizza?”

“So down.”

“Okay, cool. I think I’ll take a shower first and then I’ll head out.”

Actually, taking a hot bath sounds really, really nice right now. I’ve gotten pretty tired of using nothing but cold water everyday to clean myself. As soon as I have my tub full of fresh water back, I happily turn on the hot plate and begin undressing. I hear Aiden’s shuffling outside of my bathroom as he takes care of the rest, including changing out the bulb on the desk lamp. The relief I feel at everything being set back to normal is staggering. I don’t even think about my roommate’s proximity while I’m completely naked in my plastic box. Still just as comfortable with each other as ever… if not more so.

But I guess I finally take that comfort level too far. I’m so in love with the bath that I stay in there a little longer than usual and almost completely submerge myself. I hear the occasional noise in the background but my ears are mostly under the water level. So the assumption I end up making is wildly wrong. But I don’t realize that until I stroll right out onto the desk to grab a quick change of clothes that I had forgotten. Armed with nothing but a towel that’s just draped over one shoulder.

I make eye contact with Aiden sitting on the couch, and for a split second I’m too shocked to do anything, but then I make an audible yelp as I grab at my towel to cover my front and quickly backpedal, back around the corner of the bathroom. Meanwhile the giant immediately turns to look the other way, blocking his gaze with his hand.

"I-I’m sorry!” I hear him say as I duck out of sight.

“I’m sorry!” I echo, struggling to project so he can hear me from back here, "I thought you had left already!” I’m still fumbling with my towel, and between my agitated state and the fact that I’m still a little wet, my feet slip on the desk and I hit the ground with another yell.

"Are you okay?” I’m half expecting him to stand up in reaction to that but thankfully he seems to stay put.

“I’m fine!” I roll over, cursing under my breath at the pain in my knee. “Just really… really embarrassed…” Dragging my towel behind me, I crawl back into the bathroom and then bury my face into my hands.

Aiden chuckles awkwardly and makes an attempt at reassuring me. "I hardly saw anything, okay?”

Well, it’s true that my features might be too small to easily make out. But still, I was completely exposed, I’ve just crossed so many lines…

The shuffling outside signals to me that he’s cautiously getting to his feet. "I was just waiting to see what you wanted on the pizza. Uh, is sausage alright? Some kind of veggie too?”

God, don’t talk to me about sausage right now, dude. "Yeah, um… maybe peppers and olives?” I call out, trying to remember what toppings we both like. Though it’s kinda hard to think at the moment.

"You got it. Take your time, I’ll be back with dinner later.”

I continue pressing my hands up against my eyes until I hear the front door open and shut. Ughhh, I feel like such an idiot. I was not ready to reveal so much of myself like that.

And it also makes me wonder… if we’re heading in any kind of romantic direction… how is this kind of thing even going to work? Sex is certainly not something we’d ever be able to do. But does that mean we don’t do… anything? Is there anything I can accomplish like this? Can I even handle such large eyes looking at my embarrassingly small naked form?

Whoa. I’m getting way, way ahead of myself. I don’t even know for certain that he’d want that kind of relationship. Honestly, I don’t know if that’s what I want either. One step at a time. Let’s at least take tonight to relax, ease into summer break. Maybe one of us will have the courage to say something in the next few days. And then we’ll take it from there.

I get fully dried and dressed with time to spare before Aiden gets back, and we both completely ignore the fact that anything had happened at all as we tuck into the pizza. Instead he tells me about his finals until he no longer wants to think about them, and I catch him up on what I’ve been working on in the past two weeks. One of my projects has been the search for our next show to tackle, and since I had watched the first episode of several options, I meticulously go through all of them now and we debate on which one we should pick up next. I don’t think we’ll watch anything tonight, though. Although it’s mixed with a lightness and relief, the intense fatigue in his body is incredibly apparent - I’m sure he plans to turn in early. Poor guy hasn’t had a full night’s sleep in weeks, and it’s been particularly bad these last few days.

After we finish eating, the giant leaves to take care of a few of the dishes that have piled up before giving up on that and coming back to collapse on the couch with a sigh. The back of his neck is leaned against the armrest that’s closest to me, so that I just see a shock of dark hair peeking out. I gravitate in his direction, coming a bit closer to the cliff edge of the desk than I normally would.

“Can I join you?” I call out hopefully.

“Aw man, I just sat down…” Aiden responds with a teasing tone. He turns his head to the side without getting up. “Aren’t you pixies supposed to have wings or something?”

“Oh, right, I store them under the bed. Let me just flutter right over,” I say with a laugh before waving it off. “Don’t worry about it. Maybe later.”

His head shifts again as he sits up higher and tilts his neck back to look towards me with a smile. Then he shimmies up further still so that he can hook an arm over the side of the couch, and he extends his hand towards me. I knew the couch was fairly close to the desk, but sometimes I don’t have a very clear sense of distances. I wouldn’t have expected it, but his fingertips just manage to reach one corner of the table.

“Whoa! I didn’t realize you could reach that far,” I exclaim, staring at the newly made bridge.

“Neither did I,” he says with a grin, “C’mere.”

And I do, making my way across and carefully stepping up onto his hand. It’s quite a view, the long road of his arm sloping towards his distant face. I won’t have to traverse it myself though, because as soon as I reach his palm he closes his hand around me. It’s a slightly precarious maneuver so he doesn’t take any chances, enveloping me into a loose fist and then swinging his arm around so that I’m in front of him. He slides back down to lean his neck against the armrest again and, to my surprise, he brings his hand right to his lower chest, unfurling his fingers and letting me off.

I try to catch my balance and feel forced to sit down. It’s a bizarre sensation with the floor moving so distinctly like this, the rhythmic thumping of his heartbeat combining with the up and down of his breathing.

"Well this is new,” I say, smiling as I settle into a cross-legged seat.

"Good or bad?” Aiden asks with a crooked smile of his own. I can feel the vibrations of his voice so distinctly too, but that part is less weird to me. It’s not unlike when I’m sitting in his shirt pocket or alongside his neck.

“It’d probably be kinda hard to walk around,” I say pensively, “But I guess I don’t really need to do that, so… I’d say it’s good.” I don’t mention that he feels like a gigantic, comfy bed. Or that he smells particularly nice from his recent shower.

His hand lingers just behind me, one finger tentatively reaching my back and pushing my hair aside with a gentle touch, so that it tumbles over my shoulder to my front. I take in the dazed contented look on his face and notice the slight flush of his cheeks. This is a little intimate. And with that realization I suddenly feel anxious, remembering my post-bath embarrassment and intimidated by how physically close we are. I start blabbering in my flustered state.

“So what’s your work schedule gonna look like now?” I ask.

Unperturbed, Aiden carefully trails the fingertip down my back before making his way up again. The light touch makes my skin flush with goosebumps. His voice remains far more calm and even than mine.

“I’m working all through next week, until everyone else finishes their finals,” he says. “Then I get a week off until orientation for the summer class…” He pauses as his finger reaches the back of my neck. “Is this okay?”

“Y-yes,” I say and his reaction is swift as he goes back to stroking me. “Um… You’re not actually taking any summer classes, right?”

“No, I’m not. I’ve been debating on getting an extra summer job, actually. Past couple of years I’ve worked at a pet clinic. I do still have some savings, though, so maybe I don’t need to…”

“A pet clinic? I didn’t know that, what did you do there?”

“Just front desk stuff. I have a friend who’s an actual vet, though, so I’ve been able to help with the animals sometimes. She knows I can handle small birds, which can be tricky, so on occasion she’d call me in to help hold them still.”

“Huh. That’s cool!” Damn, no wonder he’s so good at handling me, he’s even more experienced with birds than I thought. And no wonder he seemed like a natural when checking me in at the lab, all those many weeks ago…

The longer we chat, the more I realize how nice it is to be touched so casually like this. Gradually, I transition from sitting to lying on my stomach, arms crossed in front of me with my chin resting on them. Meanwhile he’s started using his thumb to pet me instead, with the rest of his hand forming a shallow cave over my lower half. I run out of things to ask, and then the next rub against my back adds a tiny bit more pressure, making me sigh with pleasure.

“Tell me what feels nice,” Aiden says softly.

"Whatever you’re doing sure does,” I answer, turning my head to rest my cheek onto my forearms instead. I let my eyes shut.

We lay in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying each other’s company, until the tender caresses eventually slow to a stop. The rest of his hand makes contact with my body too, putting pressure on my legs. It doesn’t feel bad, but I glance up curiously. The giant’s head has tilted to the side and his eyes have drifted to a close. The cadence of his chest rising and falling slows down as I hear his breath deepening just below me.

I stiffen and prop myself up onto my elbows, wondering if I should wake him up. But he looks incredibly peaceful… He’s been so stressed and exhausted lately that it’s a wonder he hasn’t started hallucinating a whole slew of tiny people. I just want to let him rest for a bit. Besides, even though he’s been so paranoid about falling asleep with me around, is it truly that risky? He’s proven to be a light sleeper - the other night when I was close to him I was able to wake him up really easily. Even if he started rolling over or something, I’m sure I could cling to his shirt and yell loud enough to wake him.

Like a total creep, I just watch him sleep for a little while. Each micro expression is magnified tenfold to me, and I almost laugh as I watch the emotions quickly pass over his face, small frowns getting immediately smoothed out into subtle smiles instead. His hand twitches, tickling the inside of my knee and making me giggle outright. I could do this all day. In fact, I could do this all night. The way his chest moves up and down could surely rock me to sleep, and his warmth is just so comforting. I’m certain he’d never agree to something like that, but as far as I can tell this is harmless.

There, see? He’s already starting to wake up. No problems at all.

His eyes look glazed over as they blink open, and he has a bit of an odd expression on his face. Then he closes his eyes again, though they’re clearly active underneath their lids. They reopen at a half gaze and before I know what’s happening, his hand closes around me.

My breath gets caught in my throat. He’s not being painfully rough, but there’s suddenly an alarming confidence in his fingers. Zero inhibitions. They press against me and lift me off right off his chest, surrounding me from all sides.

“Aid–” I barely get a sound out before the wind is knocked out of me, his thumb pressing hard against my diaphragm. It’s at this point that I start struggling. And I start panicking.

One of his fingers snakes around to my front and pushes up against my breasts, rubbing at them deftly, intrusively. I’m gasping for air as I’m flipped around and his thumb runs down my back, lining the curves of my body as I thrash to no avail. Then he’s pushing one of my legs, shoving it up higher than the rest of me. I lurch to the side, twisting around as I try to look up at him and find my voice again. Our eyes meet briefly, but there’s no acknowledgement - it’s like he’s looking right through me, sending chills down my spine. A finger shoves right up between my legs and I wince, kicking furiously and opening my mouth to attempt to yell his name.

But he’s the one who says something instead. His eyes are closed again and he lets out the slightest moan. And then, his voice dripping with unmistakable arousal, he whispers, “So fucking small…”

Time freezes for a moment. In the split second before I manage to scream, my eyes widen as I’m thrown into terrified confusion.

…What?!

[Olo]

@littlest-lily

I’m older and more experienced than Aiden, and I’d be mortified when I found out I had done this. A hundred bucks says he calls up Moira and begs her to take care of Evie until he can face up to this. It could set them both back months.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily said:

I’ve never seen Land of the Giants, I apparently need to change that!

It had some nice moments, but it had far more missed opportunities. Everything’s getting rebooted, why not LOTG?

[littlest-lily]

@Olo And they were having such a good time too… I obviously won’t speak to Aiden’s reaction yet (I mean hell, he’s still not really conscious of what he just did), but I really felt for the both of them when I wrote this Sleep deprivation is no joke.

[miss-lillipants]

@littlest-lily said in Out of their Element:

Time freezes for a moment. In the split second before I manage to scream, my eyes widen as I’m thrown into terrified confusion.

I come for the giants, I stay for the trauma.

But also I hope Evie gets some love and care after this. Poor thing ️

[SmolChlo]

@littlest-lily this was hot ️ Aiden can’t deny his subconscious desires

[littlest-lily]

@miss-lillipants She deserves a full on beach vacation after this one!