Out of their Element

[littlest-lily]

@Olo You mean while they were doing dishes?

[Olo]

@littlest-lily “Fork” is a trigger word.

[nephilim]

This post is deleted!

[nephilim]

This post is deleted!

[littlest-lily]

@nephilim Haha, no worries! I’m afraid I am not one though.

Having said that, you guys are coming a little too close to predicting what the next chapter’s about (but she doesn’t get eaten lol)

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 63
Evie

“Okay… how many?”

“Ummm. Three?”

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

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

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

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

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

“Can you close your eyes this time?” I suggest.

“I can’t see through my finger…”

“Close 'em!”

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

“Two,” he says confidently.

“Wow. Okay, one more…”

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

Aiden laughs. “You didn’t think I could tell the difference between your hand and your mouth?”

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

“Should you get back to work?” I ask.

“I probably should…” he mumbles.

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

“Umm… I think I’m willing to take that chance.”

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

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

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

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

“Sorry,” I giggle.

“Nope. Don’t apologize,” he sighs longingly.

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

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

“Sorry,” I say again with a wince.

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

“Okay… Well in that case…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yeah,” I gasp, “Don’t stop, I’m gonna get cold.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is absolutely wild.

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

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

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

God, I want… more.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aiden’s forlorn expression softens. “Really?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Olo]

@littlest-lily

[Olo]

@littlest-lily If I am ever asked to describe the attraction of being a microphile, I’d put “receiving a tiny lover’s trust” right at the top.

[nephilim]

This post is deleted!

[nephilim]

This post is deleted!

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Ahhhh, I love that. I have a similar feeling but from the other side - putting all of my trust into someone

[littlest-lily]

@nephilim Aw I really really appreciate that!!

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 64
Aiden

“Evie?”

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

“Hello?” I insist furtively.

“Here!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yeah, I’m fine with that. We’ll be nice and cozy.”

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

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

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

“I don’t love not being there when she’s around…” I admit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“There!” she yelps again excitedly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Aren’t they hard to catch?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Olo]

@littlest-lily Aiden and Evie have been in a good place for a while now, but nonetheless I’m fortified by his confidence in his ability to read her mood and calibrate the precise degree of teasing she can tolerate.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Yeah he was definitely mindful about the teasing and wouldn’t do it unless he was sure he was okay with it. (Unlike a certain other male giant in this story lolol)