Out of their Element

[Olo]

@littlest-lily I was waffling between “Evie gets the flash drive out unscathed and makes it back to Aiden without incident” and “Rats.”

[Olo]

@littlest-lily I had a poorer reaction to the cop’s appearance than Evie did. Cops are worse than vermin.

Bravo to Aiden for keeping his composure. Time to fabricate some interior cuffs for his pant legs. And shoes for Evie.

It’s probably too soon for Aiden and Evie to share a bath to get all that grime off.

Potential anti-climax: the flash drive only contains Dr. Little’s SW porn stash.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo I find that particularly interesting seeing as the story of yours that I’m in the middle of prominently features some law enforcement characters! (or, er, do detectives count? maybe not lol)

Also, you are the second person who has wondered if it’s just Dr L’s porn stash and I am wildly entertained by this

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 42
Evie

Of course it was password protected.

I splash water on my face, even though I think I’ve gotten almost all of the dirt off at this point. The ash was a little more difficult to scrub away, but after working at it for twenty minutes in the bath, slowly turning the water a soapy gray, I think I’m as clean as I’m going to get. I rinse myself off with the water bucket I’d set aside and grab a towel to dry off.

As I start getting dressed again, I look upwards to the vented ceiling, trying to make out what I can of Aiden through the criss-crossing plastic strips. He had brought his laptop over for us to investigate the flash drive, and once we discovered the impasse and futilely made a few attempts at breaching it, I figured I’d clean myself up while he kept trying. I took a little longer than I meant to, partly from the scrubbing but also just from the sheer exhaustion after I’d exerted myself so much at the lab. Compared to my aching muscles, I barely even notice the soreness in my ribs now.

Once I’m clothed, I come back out, noticing my friend has also taken the opportunity to clean the dirt off his face. I clear my throat and ask with very little hope in my voice, “Any luck?”

With one defeated shake of his house-sized head, he sighs, “Sorry. I’ve been trying to Google ways around it, but nothing’s working. I’m no hacker…” Finally giving up, he slips the flash drive out of the USB port and holds it up. “Maybe someone else could do it, though, if we reported this.”

“Oh, right, let’s go tell the cops we stole evidence from a crime scene,” I say sarcastically.

“I can easily tell them it was in the bag I grabbed on the way out,” Aiden insists, “I’m just saying.”

With a small, sad smile I lower my gaze. What he doesn’t realize is that I’ve already accepted my reality. This was my last ditch attempt. One final, desperate push to get myself out of this situation, just so that I can know I did everything I could without resorting to the impossible. It may not have amounted to anything. But it’s the closure that I needed.

“Thank you for trying, Aiden. Let’s… let’s talk logistics,” I say, and I start feeling an increasing fear as I try to face this dreaded topic head on. “H-how much longer are you willing to let me stay?”

He frowns at the intensity in my voice and pivots his chair to face me, giving me his full attention. “There’s no time limit,” he says evenly, “I’m just concerned for you. I’m not sure what will happen if we wait for so long.”

I shake my head. “Don’t worry about that for a minute. Remind me, how much school do you have left?”

He raises his eyebrows, finally realizing just how long term I’m insinuating here. “Uh, if all goes well… another three semesters. About a year and a half.”

“And you’d truly be okay with me staying that entire time?”

Aiden hesitates this time, and I wait with bated breath. I don’t blame him for faltering, but finally he answers plainly and confidently. “Yes.”

I mentally try to do some math to figure out how long I’ve been living here so far. It started in early February, we’re mostly through May… We’re coming up on four months. Maybe another few months of me avoiding everything wouldn’t be too much to ask?

“Give me until the end of the year?” I say tentatively, “And then we can have this conversation again?”

The giant’s intensity matches mine as he stares me down. “You’re absolutely sure? You’re okay staying small for that long?”

“Y-yes. As long as it’s okay with you. I just… still don’t feel ready for the world to find out about me. Especially with no guarantees that this can even be fixed.”

He doesn’t understand that I don’t have much of a choice in this. It’s not that I want to stay little. It’s that some things are worse. But I can’t go too far in that direction, so I choose a different one, one that I hope might lighten the mood.

“Besides,” I say with a teasing smile, “You like me better this way anyway, right?”

Aiden doesn’t laugh. His intensity doesn’t diminish. He just keeps staring at me with a creased brow and his staggering hazel gaze. I wonder if he even registered what I said.

“I mean… right?” I repeat, a bit more meekly this time, trying to maintain my smile to show him I’m just poking fun.

He breaks eye contact and turns his head to stare out the window. There are clearly a thousand thoughts passing through his brain and my anxiety builds at the sight. He clenches his jaw and his voice comes out a little tight. “If we’re talking that long, then I… I don’t know if I can keep…”

My fear goes into a crescendo at those words. Is he about to take back what he said about letting me stay? Is he actually thinking things through now? Did I just shoot myself in the foot by bringing it up?

His voice is still strained as he finally says something else. “Listen… I’m only saying this because of the potentially non-zero chance that the feeling’s mutual, but…” Aiden turns towards me again and I’m taken by surprise at the way his expression has changed. He’s not quite frowning anymore, if anything he looks… scared? “Evie, in case it wasn’t incredibly obvious by now, I’m… I’m interested… in you. I care about you… a lot.”

Oh.

A different kind of nervousness settles in instead. The kind that feels like butterflies.

He continues talking as I stand there in stunned silence. “I kept wondering if I should say something, I’ve had so many ideas on how I could make a move, but I decided to hold back and hide this because I didn’t want to make it weird or put you in a shitty position. But whether I wanted it or not, a lot has changed recently, and then yesterday happened, and I don’t think I can try to hide it anymore…” He pauses and swallows as if combatting dry mouth. “If the answer’s no, that’s completely fine and I won’t bring it up again. I’m totally happy just being friends and you still living here, unless you want somewhere else. No pressure, really, I–”

“Aiden?” My small voice is enough to stop him in his tracks. Fully aware of how much I’m blushing right now, I stutter, “Th-the feeling’s mutual. The interest is… mutual.”

After a moment of processing, his expression shifts again. Like clouds clearing out to let the sun shine, he inhales into a wide, uninhibited smile. I can see the explosion of relief and joy bursting behind his eyes. “Are you sure?” he asks, trying to rein himself in, “You’re not feeling pressured or anything?”

“N-no.”

This part’s a lie. But it’s just a white lie, since the rest of it is so, so honest. I don’t care what happened 24 hours ago. I don’t care what happened six years ago. All I care about right now is this man towering before me. I care about him so incredibly much.

“I’m sure,” I add with a nod, “Well, I’m not really sure exactly how I feel, I don’t want to rush into anything but… um… how about…”

I trail off, biting my lip as I stare at the ground for a second. Then I sheepishly look up at him again, keeping my head level as my eyes aim up.

“W-what ideas did you have in mind, exactly? On making a… a move?”

There’s a moment of silence as Aiden regards me in a new light. His smile is gentle and his pupils are expanding as he lets himself show whatever tender emotions he had been too afraid of revealing in the past. The look in his eyes is making me melt.

Slowly, he begins lowering his head in front of me, pushing his chair back and bending down so that he can get closer. I feel my insides squirm at the sight of something so massive coming my way, but I make sure not to take a step back, staying rooted to the spot.

His face is twenty feet away now, which in reality is only a few inches. I’m just below his eye level, struggling to take all of him in. The giant’s hand approaches me from the side, makes contact, ring finger pushing a strand of hair behind my shoulder.

“Can I try something?” he murmurs as he looks me in the eye, “You can stop me at any point.”

I keep my mouth firmly shut, though my breath is shallow through my nose and my pulse quickens. Feeling flush, all I can do is nod.

Aiden moves even closer. His hand tilts to rest just behind me, the side of it leaning on the table, and he puts one finger against my shoulder blades. “Hold still,” he whispers.

I don’t think I can quite do that - there’s a subtle, uncontrollable trembling in my body. But I do stay as motionless as possible, and as he comes ever closer he raises his face and now it’s his mouth that’s approaching and I squeeze my eyes shut.

I feel it on my cheek first, the soft skin of his lower lip. Then the pressure takes up more and more space, pressing up against the side of my head, my neck, the top of my shoulder. Aiden’s too close to see what he’s doing, and that must be why he has his hand on me, to help himself aim as he gives the side of my tiny face a gentle kiss. I’m so small that to him it must be like kissing the tip of a finger. He’s holding his breath and manages not to knock me over, keeping it brief and tender and warm.

I had no idea I could still feel anything so wonderful at this size.

He pulls away again and my eyes blink back open, immediately looking for his in the aftermath. He’s blushing, clearly reeling as well from the intimacy, sporting a nervous smile. I almost giggle, then almost tear up, then I just look down and try to take a deep breath.

Feeling like I’m the one who needs to say something, I manage a weak, “Okay, w-well, um…” I suddenly reach up to my face and push a few strands of hair back behind my other shoulder, exposing the untouched side of my neck. “You have to even it out now, right?” I say shyly.

Aiden beams and his breath of laughter is close enough that it tickles my skin. His hand shifts against my back to the other side now so that he can lean in once more.

I keep my eyes open this time. I see the flash of white of his teeth from his smile before the lips close and come to meet me. I can make sense of it now, the way the lower lip presses against my neck and shoulder and the upper lip brushes against the top and side of my head. I make out the way he uses his hand to touch both me and his own face to get a better sense of where I’m standing. I take in the soft pink of the skin that’s up against my cheek.

There’s still so much of his mouth that doesn’t make contact with me, and I just want to run a hand down the length of his lips, or along the tiny bumps of stubble on his chin, or against the tip of his nose just above me. I want to press myself against him in return. Maybe even turn my face towards his mouth and try to make this an actual kiss. But I’m too taken aback to do anything but soak in this amazing new sensation of a warm embrace with a person many, many times my size.

Even though I’ve just been standing in one spot on the desk, I feel out of breath when he pulls back a second time. I swear my entire body is blushing from the intensity of what just happened. And this time I’m the one beaming up at him.

"Th-thank you,” I say awkwardly with a laugh.

Aiden laughs too, and he slides his whole arm onto the table now, surrounding me with it until I’m corralled near the crook of his elbow.

"You’re so adorable,” he mumbles, and he still stays incredibly close to me, leaning further down to rest forehead against forearm, dimming the lights as he creates a half cave all around me. He lets his eyes shut, so close that the breath coming out of his nose warms my feet and his eyelashes brush against my stomach. “And so, so welcome,” he whispers.

Struggling against my overwhelm, I finally do a little something of my own. I put a hand up to his forehead, and then I lean in to kiss the space between his eyebrows. I try to channel all of my gratitude and joy and affection for him as I press my lips to his skin. It’s not much. But I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time.

It’s happening. We’re doing this. I didn’t know how on earth we’d ever be able to figure it out, how we might physically be together, but he’s gently guiding me through the possibilities in a way that leaves me desperate for more. It might be a lot for me to handle, especially after what happened just yesterday. There’s just so much of him. But right now… that doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.

I guess his enjoyment of my size is a double edged sword. It’s made my predicament less of an obstacle and more of a bonus, at least for him. I mean, I’m sure my stature is not all there is to this. I’ve been able to develop feelings for him without any kind of size-related kink. Our friendship’s been real. I’m sure it has been.

At least… I hope it has been.

As I stand there, now pressing my forehead against the giant that I’ve undoubtedly fallen for, the worries start flooding back in.

What if this doesn’t work out? What if he realizes how hard it is to be with someone like me? Realizes that the fantasy works out much better in his mind than it does in reality? What if he loses interest and I’m ultimately left heartbroken and homeless?

Or what if it goes the other way… What if leaning into this makes it so that he really does only end up seeing me as an object of his lust? What if the only reason I have a place to stay is because he likes having a tiny girl as a pet? What if me being with him is no longer a choice I’m making because I’m interested in him… but a choice I’m making to survive?

Stop it, I think to myself. Please, brain. For once in my goddamn life… just let me enjoy this. Let me be happy.

Soon enough Aiden and I pull apart, all smiles and giggles, and from there we swiftly decide we should relax for the evening and start watching our next show. He offers to make the popcorn, I ask if I can join him in the kitchen, and he lays his hand flat beside me with the biggest, happiest smile I’ve ever seen him wear.

As I step onto the palm of the most important person in the world to me, I don’t look back. I gather all of my worries, and I shove them deep, deep underground.

~ End of Part 2: Down to Earth~

[littlest-lily]

And there we have it, part 2 in the books!! I am currently working on part 3, but it is turning out to be a BEAST so it might take me a few months before I finish it. I have a couple of much smaller writing projects that I’ve started in the meantime, so perhaps at some point I’ll pause and finish a short story or two before I get back to this one. Thank you so so much for joining me thus far!!

[Olo]

@littlest-lily 🤩 Jesus, Lily, I have to go to work now.

I’ve been able to develop feelings for him without any kind of size-related kink.

I’ve been waiting for her to figure this out, but I couldn’t say anything. A crucial aspect of their relationship is that for almost the entirety of the time that they’ve known each other they’ve been at different sizes. That conversation would have gone much differently had they already known each other and checked each other out before Evie got shrunk.

I just hope Aiden doesn’t turn into a size geek and dump a bunch of new jargon and scenarios on her.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily Many thanks for sharing this story with us and leaving us at a nice place for the chapter break!

[Olo]

@littlest-lily It would be a lie to say that my opinions about police hasn’t evolved in the ten years since I wrote Little Trouble in Big Sky. Nevertheless, I think I was rather cynical in my depiction of society in general and cops in particular as corrupt and craven. There are very few “good cops” IRL and even fewer in Big Sky.

If the flash drive is Dr. L’s size porn stash, it might be somewhat educational for Evie.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Hehe, have fun at work! Just imagine a bunch of teensy women skittering all over your workspace, that’s not distracting at all…

And yeaaah Aiden is still going to be super self conscious of his kink after what happened haha. But it’s so true that their relationship has kinda been thrown off with this pesky shrinking business. I can’t even imagine (but I sure do try!)

[Olo]

@littlest-lily Wanted: Stress Tinies

[miss-lillipants]

Big men, big kisses, big feelings. The real holy trinity.

[littlest-lily]

@miss-lillipants I couldn’t agree more!

[littlest-lily]

[Olo]

@littlest-lily

[littlest-lily]

Part 3: Something in the Air

Chapter 43
Evie

There’s a breeze coming in through the open window. It’s gentle, rolling across the surface of the desk like incoming tide. It ruffles the fur of my plush lion nearby and makes a notepad flutter. The warmth it carries presses against my skin like a blanket, a pleasant pressure on the side of my body. Except I’m in just enough of a precarious balance that it almost knocks me over. I overcompensate, not wanting to slip to the side and tumble eight feet down to a hard surface, and so I fall forward instead and immediately crash against the bridge of my friend’s nose. A nose that’s over half as big as I am.

“You good?”

The soft, deep voice rumbles through me, and the vibration feels intimate enough to make me blush. I push back against skin and try to regain balance on the massive arm that serves as my perch at the moment. “I’m good,” I confirm, putting a hand up to gratefully pat the space between the giant’s eyebrows.

I smile at him, even though he can’t see me right now, as his eyes are firmly shut. Aiden’s currently sitting at his desk chair and is leaned forward so that his chin is resting on top of the table, arms folded in front of his face. I’ve climbed up onto his forearm and am now sitting mere millimeters away from eyes. Any awkwardness around me getting all up in his face like this has largely disappeared - we’ve gotten pretty used to it now.

I have what serves as a large painter’s palette next to me, with a single dark brown color filling the container. One of the many miniatures that came home with me and has sat around uselessly for months is a makeup applicator, and I’m wielding it in my hand right now. As I rub the sponge-like applicator into the makeup, I notice that the huge eye that I’m sitting next to isn’t just gently closed anymore. It’s forcefully squeezing shut.

“Relax,” I say with a laugh, giving the giant another pat, “This’ll be fine.”

Aiden lets out a long, deep sigh that’s muffled by his arms. “How did we even get here?” he laments.

Well, I guess we originally got here almost four months ago, when I first got tricked by a literal mad scientist into becoming three inches tall, and was then rescued by the man who would become my closest friend… and perhaps something more. But as for the makeup, that’s just because Moira gave me some eyeshadow to use. The other day I mentioned to her in passing that I hadn’t put on any makeup since I became tiny, and she immediately found the smallest palette she had for me to play with at home. It was fun, finger painting my eyelids, pretending to be back in a world where that kind of thing mattered to me. But as soon as Aiden came over to see my progress, I was struck by a most devilish idea.

“Okay, hold still,” I say, getting onto my knees as I lean closer to one of the giant’s eyelids, sponge in hand. He goes very stiff and his brow is furrowed with concern. “Seriously, relax!” I laugh and I finally touch the makeup to his skin.

“Nnngh…” I almost fall over again as my friend tries and fails to keep from writhing. “I haaaate it.”

I pull my hand back and ask, “Does it hurt?” The tool I’m using is intended for foundation and isn’t exactly meant for eyelids.

“No…” Aiden grumbles, “It just feels so weird!”

I giggle and return back to my work, sliding the applicator and spreading the brown color just over the lashes. “Aww, poor baby,” I coo sarcastically, “Such torture that I’m putting you through…"

“I may never recover,” he responds dramatically.

I chuckle again, although I’m also trying to get this done quickly so that I can leave him alone. He’s making it very difficult. “You’re so twitchy!”

“What do you–” he scoffs, “You’re literally poking my eye!” But I can hear the amusement in his voice now as he tries to keep from laughing and shaking me again.

I finish thickening the line, opting to just make it look more like eyeliner than anything else, and pull away. “I’m almost done,” I assure him, “Just gotta do the other side.”

He’s quieter this time, sensing the end approaching, and I finish my masterpiece. I climb off of his arms and start taking some steps back to admire my handiwork with a big grin on my face. Sensing that I’m off of him now, Aiden blinks open his large hazel eyes and lifts his head off the desk, looking down at me skeptically.

“You look like a rockstar!” I chirp excitedly.

We had set up one of my old hand mirrors onto the desk so that I could see myself, and the giant bends down now so that he can assess the damage. “Oh okay… that’s not so bad,” he mutters.

“I didn’t put on much,” I say, walking over to look at him through the mirror as well. “And I didn’t touch your waterline. No way you’d be able to handle that if this was already too much for you.”

“I have no idea what a waterline is. But thank you for sparing me.”

I look back up at him and can feel all of the butterflies waking up inside me. They sure like to come out these days and flutter around my chest. “Yeah, you look great. It really helps bring out the green of your eyes.”

I notice the slightest bit of color blooming into his cheeks, and as he sits up to his full height he gives me the warmest smile. “Thanks, Eve. Yours looks really good too!”

"Thank you! I never owned much makeup so I’m no expert. We should get Moira to do a better job on you next time.”

“Uhhh yeah we’ll see about that,” he chuckles, “Okay, can I go wash this off now?”

“What, you don’t want to go out on the town like that?” I laugh. “Wait, before you go, can we take a picture of it? Please? You have no idea how good you look.”

He shakes his head in defeat, but he’s beaming nevertheless. “Only if you’re in the picture too.”

“Deal!”

I run closer to him excitedly as he fetches his phone from his pocket and turns on the front facing camera. He leans his head forward, all the way down so that I can stand just beside it. Well, a little bit in front of it too. I could use all the extra size I can get, even if it’s just from perspective.

“Is this our first selfie?” Aiden wonders after snapping a couple of shots.

“I think so!”

“Could we take some more later, without the makeup? Don’t get me wrong, I love what you did on yourself, but you look so pretty without it too.”

Whatever picture he took just then would be featuring me with widened eyes and a redder face. Lovely. Not embarrassing at all. Even though it’s been a week since we both admitted that we were interested in each other, not all that much has actually changed in most of our interactions. I’m still not quite used to this type of compliment.

“S-sure!” I try to say casually, and then in an effort to change the subject I add between snapshots, “Uhh, are these stored on the cloud or anything?”

“No, I never got around to setting that up… Oh, but I guess that’s a good thing, isn’t it? Don’t worry, I’ll be really careful about keeping pictures of you private.”

I thank him and go back to smiling for the camera. We’ve probably taken almost a dozen photos by now, just to make sure there’s a nice one in the batch. I shift my gaze to look at the display instead of the camera lens, and seeing myself on the phone screen… I can’t help feeling a little sad. I look so ridiculous next to him. Like a tiny action figure. Or just a smudge on his cheek.

After another moment I start stepping forward, wondering if getting even closer to the lens would help. Sure enough, the closer I get to the phone, the less puny I look. In fact… maybe I could…

I see Aiden frown from behind me, his expression reflected on the screen, as he tries to figure out what I’m doing. I’m walking right up to the device, until I stop juuuust in the right position. There we go. My head’s about the same size as his now.

The sight is striking, somehow. Or it would be, if the camera wasn’t currently struggling to figure out what to focus on. I’m so close that it can’t get a clear picture of the both of us - either I’m a blurry shape in the foreground, or then I move and become clear while he fades into obscurity. Even on a screen it’s like we don’t quite belong side by side.

“There.” His booming voice makes me flinch as his thumb suddenly presses the digital shutter button. He pulls up the picture he just took, right as the camera was refocusing, so that we both look equally blurry. He chuckles, “Perfect!”

I laugh too - it’s a little hollow, but not forced. I appreciate him so much.

I get a warning in the form of Aiden’s reflection suddenly growing larger on the phone screen, along with the sense of his sheer mass approaching me from behind, as quiet as a hot air balloon drifting in for a landing. He gently kisses my upper back, a gesture that happens from time to time now - it’s the one significant thing that has changed between us. Since I’m on my feet he hardly puts any pressure at all to avoid knocking me over, relying on me to push back against his lips instead. And I do, leaning into him with a more genuine giggle. He’s definitely succeeding in making me feel better.

We’ve been easing into this connection the two of us share. Not rushing it, letting the relationship bud at its own pace, especially since in retrospect it was a bit of weird timing to admit our feelings the day after he accidentally assaulted me. We haven’t really talked about that night since. For now we just enjoy the occasional lingering touch or extended eye contact, an affectionate comment here and there, and sometimes his lips find my back or the side of my head. I wouldn’t say that we’ve “properly” kissed yet as I’m still not sure exactly how to do that, and I don’t quite see ourselves as a “couple.” But whatever we are, I wouldn’t change a thing right now.

“Thanks for being a good sport,” I say as Aiden sits up again. “You can go clean it up. You might want to use makeup remover, I still have some in my bag.”

I briefly give him instructions on how to take off the eyeliner and he nods before responding, “Roger that. While I’m at it I should probably go put away some laundry, I’ve been putting that off… Need anything from me?”

“I’m good! I think I might study for a little bit, actually.” I motion to the Construction Technology spiral textbook that’s already sitting nearby on the desk. I’ve been getting a lot of interesting information from it, surprisingly, and I’m determined to finish reading it.

“You have fun with that,” Aiden says as he makes a face. Classes and studying are clearly the last thing he wants to think about now that he’s on summer break. And with that I’m left to my own devices for a little bit.

I’m glad this is the one textbook I have where I can easily turn the pages on my own, the laminated sheets both stiff and light enough for me to lift and push against. Before getting started, I pause to gaze at the cover for a moment. There in the corner, written in marker, is the name “Evie Ondine” - a relic from a time when I had much larger hands. It trips me out every single time I look at it.

I’m currently working my way through a chapter about prefabrication, and some of the examples are giving me ideas for how to independently package the minis I’m painting for my future business. I now have over twenty of the figurines ready to go and have some more blank ones on the docket - all that’s left is taking product photos and setting up a little packing station and I’ll be ready to launch in hopefully the next couple of weeks.

It wasn’t during such a calm afternoon that I expected disaster to strike.

It happens as I decide to go take a quick note about something I read - I’m keeping some paper nearby for just that purpose. I walk along the binding of the book, and as I step off of the laminated page, I slip on the slick plastic surface. My feet slide forward and the rest of me falls back, and I discover something I’d never noticed before. The wire that coils into a spiral and forms the binding of the textbook curls in on itself at the end. But the little loop extends slightly further than it should into a near imperceptible defect, even to me. And the tip of the metal spiral is very, very sharp.

I feel a sudden hot pain in my left calf. Disoriented, I look around myself, realizing I’m flat on my back now. My leg has passed right over the small knife-like point that was apparently protruding, leaving a long gash in my skin, from just above my ankle to just below my knee. Blood immediately begins pouring out, and I stop breathing at the sight of red quickly spreading onto the desk.

“Shit,” I curse under my breath. For a second the pain disappears as the adrenaline hits. What do I do?

The first aid kit. It’s on the opposite side of the desk from where my living space is, about a foot away from me now, though to me that means over twenty feet. I have to reach it. The pain is quickly returning but I flip onto my stomach anyway, fighting against the growing agony as I crawl forward. I glance over to the side as I drag myself, and I briefly notice the visual timer is actually a much closer target. A spin of that dial is apparently enough to make the thing beep loudly. I’ve still never used it… No, it’s fine, I just need to get to the bandages. All I need to do is stop the blood, I’ve got this. And I keep lurching forward, not thinking straight, just desperately pulling myself across the table.

I’m halfway there when Aiden walks by, a looming figure in the distance, casually strolling from his bedroom to the kitchen. I honestly hardly take notice of him, so incredibly intent on getting to the medical supplies first and foremost. For a split second he shoots me a passing smile, just a quick glance in my direction in the midst of his chores. But then he does a double take, looking back towards me again and freezing in place. For a second he’s very still, eyes widening as he processes my small figure that’s leaving behind a trail of red. And before I know it he’s rushing over to the desk without a word, flying into action.

Not a moment too soon. I’m in so much pain now that I’m struggling to breathe. I have to stop moving, and I crumble to my side as I reflexively clutch at my leg, which is completely covered in blood. There’s a flurry of movement above and around me - Aiden’s reached the first aid kit and he’s extracting a disinfecting wipe from its pouch as quickly as possible.

“Let me help, okay?” he says softly, tightly, and without waiting for an answer I feel his fingers pinch my ankle. I give in to his sudden authority over the situation, and I shield my face with my hands as the injured limb is lifted up. This is apparently the wrong move, though. The metallic smell of the blood that’s now all over my hands almost makes me vomit in my dizzied state. For a second I’m blasted back to a distant memory. The last day I spent in my house as a family of two. I remember the birthday cake on the floor, red ceramic and a red dress and red liquid spilling over my hands…

I’m snapped back to the present as I’m rolled onto my stomach so that Aiden can reach the back of my leg. And then I feel something cold and I can’t help it - I scream. The stinging of the disinfectant is excruciating. I curl in on myself, pressing my face into the ground, trying to muffle my own cries.

“Sorry, sorry…” Aiden whispers, and just a moment later the wet wipe is replaced by a dry gauze, “Are you able to hold this here? Tightly?”

I roll back onto my side and do as I’m told, clutching the tiny scrap of gauze that had thankfully been cut ahead of time for just this kind of emergency. I realize that putting pressure against the wound is important. Meanwhile my giant friend is moving quickly, smearing antibiotic ointment onto a fresh piece of gauze and prepping the already thinly sliced bandage.

“I’ve got it,” he says, taking over again and lifting my leg up high. I’m flipped back onto my stomach, and I bury my face in my arms as I try not to hyperventilate. He’s able to put on much more pressure than I am, though he’s careful not to crush the limb, and then he slowly begins wrapping the calf up. It’s surely a delicate process for him, my leg not much thicker than a matchstick.

The seconds drag by until finally the twelve minutes of terror are over. Aiden’s finished wrapping the wound and just lets my leg rest on top of his finger that’s sitting on the desk, keeping my foot elevated. I hear him exhale tremulously, and if anything the shaking in his hands is actually getting worse. Whatever forced calm he’d been able to summon in the thick of the crisis is crumbling away now. I’m breathing hard, still lying face down, gritting my teeth. The pain isn’t quite as bad as it was a few minutes ago, but god does this still hurt.

Finally there’s a slight tremor - one large elbow coming to rest on the desk as the giant leans back in. “You still with me?” he asks weakly.

I flash him one tiny thumbs up just to show him I haven’t in fact passed out. And then I slowly flip myself over, ankle rotating against the enormous finger as I keep it propped up. I lay on my back and raise my chin to gaze at him. He looks as pale and breathless as I feel.

“Yes,” I finally answer.

Aiden’s jaw clenches as his eyes pass over the length of me before meeting mine again. “We should get you to a hospital, Evie,” he says quietly.

“What?!” I gasp, my emotions heightened by the pain. “No, no, it’s fine! It’s not as bad as it looks… See? I can still move my leg fine. It hurts like a bitch, but it didn’t hit muscle or an artery or anything like that.”

“But what if you still need stitches or something?”

“I don’t. I got really scraped up from how I fell but it wasn’t that deep a cut. Look, the bandage isn’t overflowing. Maybe the bleeding’s already stopped.”

Aiden still looks doubtful. But I’m not just speaking out of fear - although that’s certainly part of it - I really do think this isn’t as serious as it might have appeared. Time will tell. If the bleeding doesn’t stop then we’ll reevaluate.

“I got my tetanus shot right before starting school,” I insist, “Let’s just… let’s just give it a minute before we rush into anything. Okay?”

I think I’ve convinced him, at least for the moment. He takes a deep breath in through his nose and now his gaze starts wandering over the surface of the desk. “What happened?” he asks.

With an unsteady hand I point vaguely towards the textbook. Yikes, there’s so much blood on the way. No wonder I feel so dizzy. “I fell on the tip of the… the spiral…” I say.

Aiden looks to where I’m motioning and reaches for the bottom of the book’s spine, thumbing the metallic end in question. Without a word he closes the pages and slides the entire thing off the desk, dropping it to the floor below. He takes in just how long the streak of red is that stretches across the desk.

Then he speaks again, and there’s a new edge to his voice now. “Why didn’t you call for me? I was just over there, you were right next to the timer. Why go all the way across the desk instead?”

I look away in shame. I hadn’t realized how ingrained my habits were. “I don’t know…”

There’s a long pause. A heavy sigh. “You have got to learn to ask for help, Eve.”

His frustration is all too clear. I haven’t stopped trembling since I cut myself, but the anxiety gets worse at his harsh tone. I grasp at words, trying to come up with an explanation. “I thought I had it, I… I just… I didn’t want to bothe–” I stop myself, knowing how stupid I was about to sound.

He fills in the blank anyway and raises his voice sharply, “Alright well it bothers me that you lost so much blood just now!”

“I’m sorry,” I whimper. My leg slips off of his finger and I fearfully curl into the fetal position, facing away from him. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Aiden sighs, this time not out of frustration but out of guilt. His hand comes closer, not quite touching me but cupping to align with the curve of my spine. His ring finger softly makes contact with the top of my head.

“No, I’m sorry,” he says with a much more gentle tone, “I know this isn’t helping. Now’s not the time.”

He leans all the way down, resting his forehead on his hand so that he can be right above me, his face becoming my ceiling. His eyes are closed next to my head and I feel his exhale pass over my feet.

“That just really scared me,” he whispers.

I’m completely silent, still shaking, covered in a thin sheen of sweat, my new makeup smudged and mixing with the blood I’ve smeared on my face. My leg is throbbing. My mind is heavy with the reminder of how fragile my entire existence is. One wrong move is all it takes. We’re always just one small step away from all of this falling apart.

Another breeze rolls in through the window, mussing our hair, and this time it’s anything but pleasant. Right now it just feels cold.