Out of their Element

[Olo]

@littlest-lily I presume Aiden’s relationship status remains: “It’s complicated.”

If Evie likes swimming pools, she’s gonna love bathtubs.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo If we’re talking about his public relationship status, it is very complicated hahaha

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 54
Evie

I’m not sure what feels better right now… The warmth on my back from the sun, or the warmth on my front from my giant partner…

Alright, fine, that’s a complete lie. Of course it’s the warmth of the guy I’m head over heels for. It’s no contest.

Still, the sunbathing part is pretty nice. We’ve been spending a good chunk of the afternoon at the pool and I’ve enjoyed the fun of playing in the water, the catharsis of telling Moira about Brock, and now the relaxation of laying on Aiden’s back. He picked out a spot just by the pool that’s under a tree to put down a couple of towels so that we’re not in direct sunlight, but the branches above us are patchy enough that the rays still partly reach us. I think he’s reading a book - or at least he was at first, but from how low his head is to the ground he might just be resting at this point.

Moira’s doing her own relaxing in the water, laying in the inner tube with her head hanging back. I’m practically falling asleep from my spot near my boyfriend’s spine, but when I see movement coming from my other giant friend I’m roused into being slightly more alert. She’s anchored the heel of her foot onto the edge of the pool to keep from drifting away so that she can chat with me.

“Evie, while I’m thinking about it - I have that silicone clay in the car for you, the kind that doesn’t dry out. Don’t let me forget before we leave.”

I sit up so that I have an easier time projecting my voice her way. “Oh awesome! Thanks, Moira, that’s a huge help.”

“No problem. Hey, I was looking at your reviews yesterday, by the way. You really need to start charging a little more. Everyone’s in love with your stuff! And your price points are way below the standard."

“Yeah, I know, I plan on upping the prices a bit with the next wave. I got those metallic paints so it felt justifiable since the armor and stuff should look better… I don’t know, I feel weird making it more expensive for no reason. I kinda have an unfair advantage that lets me make all of those little details that people are praising me over.”

“I completely disagree. I’m sure overall you’re spending just as much if not more time and effort than the average person on these since they’re so much bigger to you. Know your worth, girl! Your work is beautiful so don’t sell yourself short.”

“She’s right,” Aiden mumbles from below.

I smile widely. “Thanks. I’m still new at this owning-my-own-business thing, but it’s been really great so far. I’ll get the hang of it.”

Moira loses her grip at that point and her heel slips off the stone. She giggles and waves helplessly as she starts drifting away again towards the other end of the pool. I return the wave then slide back down onto the warm, expansive mattress underneath me.

Several minutes pass, and then Aiden tugs at my attention when out of nowhere he chuckles a little. It’s quiet, subdued, but it still shakes me and so my eyes flutter open.

“What’s up?” I call out curiously.

“Nothing.”

I lift my head up. “Tell me!"

“I’m just picturing how you’d react if I tried to scratch the itch you’re causing. It’s funny in my head.”

“Oh shoot, I’m causing an itch?”

“Barely. I think it’s more of a mental thing. I’m just hyper aware of your little body up there…” Like a wave passing under my paddle boat, I float up and down as he sighs deeply. “Don’t worry. I love it.”

But despite that I get up into a kneeling position with a blossoming smile. I start crawling up the length of his back, passing between his shoulder blades, until I reach the side of his neck. Still on my hands and knees, I playfully arch my back and rub up against him like a cat requesting attention, and when I actually start kissing his neck he shudders and I have to actively keep my balance.

“Y’know…” Aiden mutters, words slurring with how relaxed he is, “If this whole painting minis thing doesn’t work out, you could always open your own massage place. Just walk all over peoples’ backs, easy money.”

“I’m not sure any of this counts as an actual ‘massage’ though,” I counter. I take a seat so that I can start running my fingertips along his skin instead, satisfied at the way little bumps start rising up.

“Semantics,” he sighs, “Whatever it is, I never want you to stop.”

I won’t lie, it’s pretty nice for me too. It’s just so gratifying to feel like I can give him any sort of pleasure like this. It’s actually kinda… stirring something inside of me. I lean in to kiss him again, and the simple sensation of his warmth against my lips creates a wave of my own goosebumps all up my back. My breath hitches and I close my eyes as I trail my nose along his neck.

“I don’t want to stop either,” I murmur.

But I guess the universe had different plans. Just then we hear the sound of voices in the distance, claps of laughter from an approaching family. In one smooth motion, Aiden reaches a hand up to encircle my frame between his fingers while lifting up onto his elbows. We’re not in the water so I can’t hide in the innertube, but his back is facing the gate that’s currently squeaking open, so I’m pretty easy to hide. He sets me down onto the towel, just underneath him, and he casually scoots his book a little closer to look like he’d always been reading it.

For the next half a minute, my partner’s having a silent conversation with Moira who’s at the other end of the pool, presumably exchanging looks with her to gauge if now is a good time to head out. But I’m… very distracted. Aiden’s naked chest is just above me, looming overhead like the ceiling of a gymnasium. His pecs are smooth and mostly bare, just very lightly brushed with dark hairs here and there, but leaving nothing to cover up the tone of his muscle. His shoulders are so broad, his neck long and towering as it trails up to his jaw. I let myself lay back on the towel and take it all in as if I was stargazing, my eyes darting from the faint shadow going up his middle to the lines of his collarbone to the curve of his Adam’s apple.

And then he suddenly looks down right at me, a smile softening his hazel gaze as he briefly takes me in too. “Ready?” he mouths, eyebrows lifting with the question. I’m sure I’m blushing fervently as I silently nod.

My mind’s all over the place. We’ve been at the pool for a while now, it’s an appropriate time to leave, but in reality I wish I could lay here a little longer. I briefly wonder how he’s going to sneak me out of here, which leads to me asking myself, Do his swim trunks have pockets? That would be quite the new experience - I’ve never been in his pants pockets before. The space would be tighter, the location more… awkward. Yeah okay, this line of thinking is dumb, and in any case, no, I’m pretty positive his swimsuit doesn’t have pockets.

And then to my own shock, my mind goes all the way into the gutter as I imagine myself hiding in it anyway. All it would take is him pulling back the waistband and–

Whoa, whoa, whoa! The hell am I thinking? I flip over, burying my face into the towel, mortified. Thankfully the giant above me doesn’t really seem to notice as he’s busy getting to a sitting position while also casually bunching up the sides of the towel to keep me hidden from sight. He doesn’t see how beet red I must be when he reaches over for his bag nearby to retrieve a shirt.

I more or less get a hold of myself by the time he puts the garment on. Moira has now joined too, a towel wrapped around her, and between the two of them and their bags and the fact that Aiden is turned away from the occupied strangers, it’s a pretty simple transfer for me to get into his shirt pocket unnoticed. The next few minutes are a little hazy as I’m taken along for a ride, back out to the parking lot. I pop out briefly to say goodbye to Mo, and before I know it we’ve started the drive towards home.

It’s not uncommon for me to sit in silence when in his pocket, even during car rides like this where we’re alone, and I take advantage of that now as I lay back against the wall of my partner’s chest. My head feels heavy with the buzz of the intrusive feelings I was having earlier, and as I let my eyes close all I can see in my mind’s eye is Aiden, his massive form hovering over me, unknowingly presenting himself to my lustful stare. Even now his presence is overwhelming, so expansive and all-encompassing as I sit here contained against him. I lean into the corner of the pocket so that I can turn the front of my body towards the giant’s chest. I focus deeply on the sound of his heartbeat.

Ba-bump

I sigh softly, lightly hugging my arms against the wall. I’m so attracted to this man, inside and out. I both love him so purely while also lusting after him like a depraved hormonal teenager. What I’d give to be able to be in his world again, just for one night. To have uninhibited, uncomplicated sex with the person I adore most.

I picture him in front of me, imagining what he would look like if I was my old size again. I could touch so much more of him at once - I could press my mouth against his while my hands grip at his back and my leg hooks over his waist. We could wrestle and writhe together without having to be so cautious, until that deepest of intimacies as he slides inside me. How I took it for granted, the simple ability to become one with my partner.

Ba-bump

But then again, even in my fantasies Aiden’s at least a little taller than I am. I suppose I actually enjoy a certain amount of height difference. In the picture I’ve formed in my head, the difference between us slowly starts to increase. I wonder how much shorter than him I could be before he wouldn’t fit inside me anymore. Three feet tall maybe? Shorter than Moira, shorter than any adult I’ve ever met. But perhaps just tall enough?

Ba-bump

I know that sex is far more than one person inserting themselves into the other. What else could we do together? I mentally shrink myself from that three foot height, down to the size of a Barbie doll. Surely I would be able to accomplish something then and it would still feel good to him? I could use my hands, my mouth, something.

Ba-bump

But I’m not three feet tall, or even twelve inches tall. I’m so much smaller than that. I don’t really know what he looks like down there, but his manhood is probably bigger than I am. What could I possibly do to pleasure him at this three inch height? My touch is nothing more than a tickle. Enough to give him goosebumps, sure, but never enough to fully satisfy him, right? But there’s so much he could do to me. And it’s so easy for him to touch my entire body all at once. He’s just so incredibly powerful, it’s intoxicating.

Ba-bump

My breath has grown more and more shallow as I sit there and subtly squirm in Aiden’s pocket. God, I’m so sensitive right now that I can feel the vibrations of his heartbeat, the rhythm strong and steady. It tickles my chest, my stomach, and then I tilt my pelvis ever so slightly and feel small shocks of pleasure with every resonating thump.

Ba-bump

I can’t think straight anymore. My subconscious has just enough wherewithal to keep me quiet and relatively still, but I’m completely entranced with the giant’s presence as he unconsciously dominates my mind. As if moving of its own accord, my hand slips in between my legs.

Ba-bump

I haven’t even acknowledged my own arousal that I’m clearly caught up in, even though at this point my breathing has tripled in speed. Aiden suddenly makes a quiet noise, a small “hmm” in the back of his throat in reaction to something on the road. But to me it’s an intense vibration that bursts through my body. It rattles me and pushes me over the edge as I fill with heat and adrenaline and an overwhelming affection.

I gasp in shock at my own release. It wasn’t particularly amazing, it almost felt like tripping at the finish line, but still… did that seriously just happen?

My boyfriend seems to have noticed my gasping and responds, “You alright? Sorry, that car was making me nervous so I moved over, but I didn’t mean to swerve like that."

I hadn’t even noticed any weird movements on the car’s part. I was in a whole different world for a few minutes there. I shake my head, flustered. I can’t believe I just did that right under his nose. Ugh, I’m such a creep.

“Oh, okay! No worries," I say, doing a surprisingly good job at playing it cool. Great, now I feel ashamed for hiding this from him. But I’m just too embarrassed right now to come clean.

This does make me realize something very clearly. I want to take my relationship with Aiden to the next level. I don’t know if that’s exactly what he would want or what possibilities are open to us. I’m also aware that he’s going to be busy tonight grading his students’ reports and I should probably hold off… But I need to bring this up with him soon. Very soon.

[Im Warden]

@littlest-lily as always, I love your style of writing! More more more please

[Olo]

@littlest-lily

[miss-lillipants]

@littlest-lily said:

Whoa, whoa, whoa! The hell am I thinking?

I DUNNO EVIE, YOU DIDN’T FINISH.

But you finished in other ways, so all is well.

[littlest-lily]

@miss-lillipants hehehehe this made me laugh out loud

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 55
Aiden

I’m in heaven right now.

The day didn’t start out so great. I almost got hit by a car this morning while crossing the street, and then I had a really rough day at work, so I was a bundle of nerves when I got home. But Evie has helped all of those layers of stress just melt away. She gave me a particularly sweet love note that she’d folded up into a heart-shaped origami, we’ve had a simple oven-baked meal, I’ve showered and freshened up, we talked for a good long while and… now we’re making out on the couch. Like I said, heaven.

I’m splayed out on my front, elbows propping me up and feet hanging over one side of the couch, while my girlfriend’s sitting on the armrest on the other side. I can’t imagine what it’s like for her, but the feeling of her warm, delicate little body against my mouth is like nothing else. I’ve been mostly focusing on kissing her torso as I tilt my head to the side, so that her face is still in my line of vision just past my cheek. But she’s determined to lean in, out of sight, and press her tiny lips against mine time and time again, so I frequently let my eyes close and just focus on the physical sensations. There’s the dip of her waist… that’s her entire forearm gently pushing against my upper lip… oh, yup, those are her boobs… Fuuuuuck yes.

At one point Evie lays back on the armrest to catch her breath, and we share a quiet laugh as I relent and force my mouth to give it a rest. She sighs happily and says, “If anyone had told me how much I would enjoy being kissed by a giant man, there’s no way I would’ve believed it.”

I chuckle and nudge her leg with my nose. “It’s less of a surprise to me, that I enjoy this, but still… I guess we lucked out.”

She sits up high enough to kiss the tip of my nose, and then I pull back far enough to get a good look at her. Really take her in. She had been absently braiding a few strands of her hair while we were chatting earlier, and now they’ve mostly unraveled but add a few waves to the chestnut brown locks. She’s wearing a dark blue dress that looks cozy in the way it drapes over her body, and for the first time I notice some kind of tiny gold embroidery that lines the hem. Her miniscule cheeks are flush with a soft pink. She’s biting the very edge of her smile. So many beautiful details.

I also notice the look in her eyes. I melt at the sight of my adoration reflected back at me through her own lens. But there’s also something else there… a sadness? A pain of some kind? I’m not sure.

“You okay?” I ask softly.

She blinks and perks up. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

I arch an eyebrow at her. “You know that response has become a bit of a red flag for me, yeah? It’s like… the opposite of the boy who cried wolf.”

She laughs, and it sounds genuine enough that I feel a modicum of relief. “I get that,” she says with a nod, “I know I’m still working on expressing everything… But I promise there’s no wolf. I really am fine - great, even. I just…” She pauses for several seconds, deliberating before she simply says, “I just want you.”

Aww. I give her a wide, loving smile. “Well, you’re in luck. I’m all yours.”

“Aiden…” Evie bites her lip again, and that look in her eyes returns. A yearning, I realize. Her voice comes out with a sigh, “I really. Really. Want you.”

It takes me a second to get the true implication here. I suddenly see the blush on her face in a new light. I had already started feeling a tightness in my pants a long time ago, but this is the first time that I’m seeing clear signs of a similar level of desire on her part. My pulse quickens and causes a short circuit in my brain.

My girlfriend’s vulnerability catches up with her and her skin flushes a shade pinker. “I’ve honestly been really distracted lately, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. B-but I’m not sure exactly what it would… entail,” she stutters. “I don’t… suppose… you have any ideas?”

I start pushing myself up into a sitting position, trying to stay as calm as possible. “Sorta,” I mumble, “Um. How about we just…” I make sure my hands aren’t shaking before I reach up to her. “…meander to the bedroom and…” I maneuver my fingers under her body. “…see where things lead?”

Despite both of us clearly being flustered, I still manage a gentle smile and a tender kiss on her forehead once I’ve lifted her up. This gesture is so easy for me now, I don’t even have to think at all about aiming when I kiss her. She might as well be an extension of my hand.

Okay. I need to be really careful here. I can’t let myself get too excited. I don’t want to pressure her and, depending on where things go, I especially don’t want to hurt her. Honestly, the thought of my wild fantasies coming true in any capacity is freaking me out a lot more than I thought it would. I’m still haunted by some of the trials we’ve been through - like my unconscious assault, or that night on Diego’s birthday when she was forcing herself into a sexual situation just to please me. That’s probably why I haven’t made any moves myself yet. She might look eager now, but I want to be particularly careful about not pushing her past her comfort level. I set my expectations very low as I walk over to my bed.

Holding Evie aloft, I carefully climb onto the mattress and lower my head to the pillow. Then I set her down on it too, a few inches in front of my face. She turns towards me onto her side, propping her head up with an arm and attempting a playful smile. We’re not any closer than we were a minute ago, but the fact that we’re in bed together like this is creating a whole different atmosphere.

“Obviously you can’t… um… fit,” she says nervously, fiddling with a fold in the fabric. “I’m just really worried that there’s not much I can do for you.”

I take a deep breath in. “Trust me, there’s plenty you can do for me,” I respond quietly, “But let’s take things slow. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

Evie searches my face, her eyes roaming what must be a vast distance from the top of my head to the base of my neck. Her voice is a little weak but still determined. “I just want to know, even if we don’t do it now. How? How can I make you feel good? I can try and like… massage it? But it would hardly be anything to you…”

My stomach is doing somersaults at this point. “Trust me,” I repeat, “That would feel amazing to me. This is part of my kink, remember? I’m… I’m excited just thinking about it.” My mouth feels dry so I close it and swallow before I try to speak again. “But there are plenty of other sensitive spots. Plus, touching you already does so much for me.”

Latching on to one particular detail, my little partner smirks as her eyes light up. “Sensitive spots? Like what?”

“That’s… classified,” I mumble.

“You’re really nervous too, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. Just because I’ve imagined this kind of thing doesn’t mean I have all the answers. I don’t want to hurt you by accident… Honestly, the idea of you going anywhere down there kinda stresses me out right now.”

She ponders this for a moment and then reaches both arms out towards me. Knowing what she wants from the way she aims lower than my face, I slide a hand into the space between us and offer her my index finger. She takes it in her arms, kissing it a couple of times before holding it against her. She tucks her knees around each side of the digit too and I vaguely wonder if this makes me the little spoon.

“At the risk of sounding selfish…” she says, “Would you rather we just focus on me then? For this time at least?”

I immediately nod with relief. “Yes. I would. If that’s okay with you? I want to make sure you’re not forcing yourself this time, are you sure you’re ready to explore this?”

“A thousand percent. My past relationship with sex is complicated, it was super unhealthy with my first ex, but I did a whole lot of healing with my second one. I promise you, I want this. I’ll let you know if anything’s wrong.”

“Alright… Maybe we should use a safe word, just in case? Of course I’ll stop if you tell me to stop, but if for any reason that’s too hard to say, maybe we could…”

“Yeah okay, that’s a good idea. I’ve used the traffic light method before. Green light meaning all good, yellow is slow down and evaluate, red is stop everything.”

“Got it. No problem.”

“I’ll be surprised if we need it though… We both know you can touch me anywhere and it’ll feel great.” The longer we talk like this, the more we’re starting to loosen up, just a bit. Evie’s smirk is veering more towards seductive. “Noticed where any of my sensitive spots are?”

“Mmmm… right here?” I suggest. I keep my forefinger in place and use my middle finger to brush against a spot near her waist. “I’ve noticed that when I pass over your ribs you tend to…”

She shudders, and it’s the exact reaction I was looking for. I’m laying so close to her that I can actually make out the near microscopic goosebumps on her arms. Her pleasure is entrancing.

“Uh-huh. You’d guess right,” she sighs, “The entire sides of my torso are actually pretty sensitive.” The next sound she makes is a frustrated groan. “God, Aidennn… I’m so attracted to you…”

“Ditto,” I mutter with a matching sigh.

“You’re attracted to you too?” she giggles. I smile but I figure she’s just being silly and nervous and she doesn’t actually expect a response. Evie slowly unravels herself from my finger and flops onto her back, her face still in my direction. “I can’t stop thinking about when we went swimming yesterday… When I got to see a little… more of you.”

Well then, she’s just taking all of the steps forward, isn’t she? I grin at the implied request and lift my head up from the pillow, cautious about not destabilizing her. Then I sit up sharply and promptly take my shirt off.

“You mean like this?” I say, tossing the garment off the side of the bed. Evie’s blinking up at me wide-eyed, looking a little overwhelmed by how quickly I’ve moved, and then she takes me in hungrily. I go for a playful looming, propping my hands by either side of the pillow so that I can look straight down at my little one from above. This slightly dominant gesture is making me ache longingly from the inside out.

She’s laying on her back and I can’t help but notice that one of her hands is drifting over a spot just below her stomach. In fact… it looks like she might be thumbing the waistband of her shorts through her dress…

She’s trying to give me a frisky smile in return, though she’s a bit too overcome to manage it. Her voice is a little weak but I still catch it when she says, “Man… I need to remember to thank Diego for dragging you to the gym so often."

I laugh. “Please don’t. He already mocks me relentlessly for not being able to put on nearly as much muscle as he does.”

“Well, lucky for me, I prefer your tone to his bulk,” Evie chirps, and I swear she’s started pressing her legs together under that dress… subtly moving them this way and that… The fact that I’m intentionally towering over her like this is definitely enough to feed my own arousal, but apparently I’m not the only one affected. Damn, she just looks so adorable down there.

A few moments later, the tiny woman reaches an arm out to pat the space that’s next to her. “Okay, okay, I’ve done enough staring… Can you come back?”

I close back in, swooping down to lay my face alongside her again, and the weight of my head causes her body to rise as the pillow buckles. It was such a small gesture for me and yet enough to make her lose her balance… She’s just so little. So delicate and enticing. As she lays on her side, the ups and downs of the hills of her body call out to me. I just want to touch her again, so my hand sneaks in from behind and I explore the miniscule bumps of her neck and shoulders as we gaze into each other’s eyes.

“I can’t stop staring either,” I say wistfully.

Evie’s muscles stiffen a little bit and she mumbles, “I guess it’s only fair if I…” Her hands drift down and gather up the hem of her dress, which started just over her knees. It’s now slowly crawling up higher as she tugs at it.

She freezes then, hesitating. Her jaw tightens and her gaze droops lower as the seconds drag. I get it - this is a big step. I lift my head up just enough to slide my face towards her, pressing my lips against her forehead.

“No pressure, sweet girl," I say soothingly, “Only whatever you’re comfortable with.” I shift back but am still only inches away, and it suddenly strikes me just how big and prying my eyes might look to her. “Am I too close?"

“No," she says quickly. “I want you to be close… I really want to do this.”

I’ve seen her naked before. It was just for a split second, an accident, and it was immediately followed by her distress as she tried to cover up. I now experience the exact opposite end of the spectrum. Evie’s movements are slow and deliberate as she pulls her dress up higher and reveals more and more thigh. She’s wearing shorts underneath, black and form fitting, accentuating the length of her graceful, slender legs. Her hips transition into her waist as she uncovers her abdomen. And then with one smooth, lightly undulating motion she pulls the dress right over the top of her head. For a second my eyes dart straight to her breasts, spectacularly bare, modest in size and perfect in shape. Then as she slips off the garment I see her face again, flush, her hair tumbling over her shoulders, framing the dainty shape of her body with the slightest unkempt flair.

She’s so close to me. I’m suddenly seeing that much more of her skin and it’s all right in front of my face. It hardly seems fair that I can take in so much of her from such close proximity. My shrunken partner lets her dress fall to the side and for a second she just looks up at me as if awaiting judgment with bated breath. But then she sees my expression and reacts with a heart-melting little giggle. She puts her hands out in front of her like she’s warming herself by a campfire.

“I think I can feel the heat coming off your face from here,” she remarks teasingly.

I open my mouth a couple of times, trying to think with my brain for a second. Finally I manage to whisper, “You’re just so gorgeous, Eve… I just… You’re… I mean…” I pause with a slight shake of the head. “Words are hard.”

She smiles and sits up a little straighter on the pillow, pivoting her lower half so that her legs are folded beside her. Between her posture and the way her hair spills over the curves of her body, she looks like a tiny mermaid.

“I used to feel a bit more confident in how I look," she says with a waver to her voice, "I just can’t shake the feeling that I don’t have much to offer. Like, literally.”

“It is… so much. Seriously. I feel like I’m falling in love all over again.”

We’ve gone back to simply gazing at each other. My hand is still close by, hovering just behind her back. But I can’t get myself to make contact this time. It just seems too risky, somehow. She’s just so exposed, and combined with her nervous expression it makes her look oddly helpless. It’s like I’m afraid of breaking her, as if she was made of glass.

I notice a shivering in Evie’s body. In response, I open my mouth to gently breathe on her. The warm air is enough to cause a flutter in her hair and a relaxing of her muscles. She lets out a quiet, wistful moan.

“Don’t you want to touch me?" she asks, eyes widening into a slight pout.

“Absolutely," I say, “I just, um… you sure? You… have this look on your face, I want to make sure you’re still okay…”

Her expression shifts, eyebrows curving and smile widening. “Thanks… I appreciate you being so considerate with all this. Yeah, I guess I’m a little scared, it’s kind of a vulnerable moment for me. But that doesn’t make you any less desirable. I still absolutely want this.”

Evie slides out an arm so that she can gracefully lower herself back onto her side, her eyes never leaving mine. She’s started pressing her legs together again, twisting them against each other.

“Even though you’re lying down like this, you’re just… towering over me, it’s… it’s honestly…”

And now her hand is slipping right under the waistband of her shorts, almost as if she doesn’t realize it. My heart is hammering away as I recognize every last indication of lust in her expression and in her stance. And I’m surprised that she’s emphasizing the difference in scale, just enticing me all the more. My hormones and her size are calling out the primal part of my brain that wants to claim this beautiful little creature as my own. Which doesn’t seem so wrong… since she wants me too.

“S-sorry,” she suddenly says, as if now realizing where her hand has gone to, “I guess I really am just focusing on me.”

“Don’t apologize,” I respond softly, “If it makes you feel any better, I’m doing the exact same thing as you right now.”

She raises her eyebrows and looks down, along the length of my body. My own waistline is quite a distance away, but she must have seen it for herself as she looks back up at me and seems enlivened. She lets out a small gasp and her voice is tight. “That’s… actually really hot.”

“Okay, good. Because honestly, watching you do that is, um…”

I trail off as Evie closes her eyes for a few seconds, and at first I just think she’s overcome with arousal, but then I notice her little brow is furrowing with actual discomfort. Her whole body tenses, her eyes fly open and she says urgently, “Wait. Before we go any further I want to tell you something. I-I have a confession…”

This gets me halfway to sober in an instant. I lean in just a tad with worry, giving her my full attention, and she plows right on.

“Yesterday, on the way home from the pool, I couldn’t stop thinking about you and how much I wanted you and I…” Her mouth quivers and she looks down in shame as she squeaks out, “I started diddling myself in your pocket!”

I lay there for a moment, just blinking. But then I can’t help but smile. “Did you just use the word ‘diddle’?”

Evie covers her face with the back of an arm. “I’m sorry. I’m so embarrassed.”

“Why?” I ask gently, already starting to feel warm and fuzzy again, “I mean, yeah, I wish I had known I guess, but it’s all good. In fact…”

I start really processing what she just told me. This happened yesterday? While she was on me? If I had simply glanced down at my pocket instead of keeping my eyes safely on the road, I would have caught her in the act? I can’t believe I couldn’t tell, the movements and the sounds must have been too subtle. Fuck. That’s how small she is. So incredibly tiny, to the point that I didn’t even notice her touching herself when she was so close to me. My breath catches, I feel a pang of pleasure between my legs and I have to voice it to her–

“Evie, that is insanely hot,” I say breathlessly.

Now she’s the one to take a moment to blink in the silence. “Oh. Really? Wow, that’s… that’s a huge relief.”

God, and she was touching herself thinking about me? Not to mention the fact that she felt safe and relaxed enough around me to even go there. As if I wasn’t already overwhelmed with affection for this girl… If this confession isn’t proof that she wants me as much as I want her, I don’t know what is.

I now finally have the courage to move the hand that’s next to her ever closer. My fingers hover just above her body, a hair away.

“This okay?” I whisper. She perks up and nods encouragingly.

I touch her bare skin. It makes me sigh with a strange relief as my muscles unclench. She’s here, she’s with me, she’s real. And she’s so lovely. My fear over breaking her fades away. This is just like touching her normally - my hands are well practiced and already know just how gentle to be. But now I can enjoy how warm and soft and smooth she feels.

Evie shivers all over as my fingertips run along the side of her frame. I briefly remember that night just a few days ago when she was forcing herself to make things sexual, just before we had our fight. It was clear then that she was pushing herself too far, that she had some kind of underlying fear. It’s so different this time. This feels infinitely more genuine and passionate. And her arousal is so addicting. I just want to help it build and build.

I’m still hesitant on touching her naked breasts, but she solves that problem for me as she rolls onto her back, into my touch, taking my finger and pressing it against her. It’s not like she’s never hugged me before, how does it feel this much better when her chest is naked? The round, perfect little pillows make me twitch, and I almost squeeze her a bit too tight as my fingers close around her.

For a couple of minutes we’re just feeling each other, me massaging her entire body within my hand as she writhes and wriggles against me. We make frequent eye contact, silently checking in with each other as our breathing gets more and more shallow. I have to hold back so much, forcing half of my mind to stay incredibly aware of how much force I’m using as I fondle and caress and squeeze.

At one point my thumb passes over her thigh, and Evie lets out a louder moan in response. This makes me pause, like a scientist who just made an unexpected discovery. I focus in on her legs, gently touching them again, gradually teasing them open. Her eyes snap up to meet mine, and for a second I’m worried I’ve screwed up. She’s pulling away from the prying digit, and that’s all I need to completely let go of her, lifting my hand off to hover above her body on the pillow.

“No, no,” Evie tries to explain breathlessly, “Don’t stop, it’s still green light, I just need a second–”

I realize she’s pulling at her shorts, slipping them off as quickly as she can and kicking them away. And just like that, she’s fully nude. Leaving nothing to the imagination anymore, from the generous curve of her rear to that sacred spot between her legs.

Frozen in time for a moment, I’m too busy staring at the full picture, but my little partner is desperate to get back to it. My hand is still floating above her head and she sits up to reach for it. I immediately follow her lead, more than willing to bring my fingers around her again as she lays back onto her side. I use my index to give her backside a cheeky caress and my thumb slips between her legs from behind, almost as if I was about to pinch the base of her torso. Evie lifts her knee up and takes the tip of my thumb in her hands, looking at me as if she’s asking for permission. Carefully I massage the inside of her thigh, nudging tentatively higher, requesting permission right back. We meet in the middle and I feel gentle moisture, like a little dewdrop against my skin.

The tiny woman exhales heavily upon contact and closes her eyes for a second. She grips my thumb with her legs, one hand on the digit and the other clutching at her own breast. I squeeze ever so slightly, and she gasps in surprised pleasure. She starts writhing her hips, grinding against me.

“This is…" she gasps, "I thought this would be rougher, but…” I don’t even quite mean to move, I’m just having such a hard time staying still, but I twitch and it elicits a high-pitched moan. “Oh my god, babe, I… Yeah. Keep going.”

“Evie…” I breathe out her name in rapturous pleasure. I’m already so close.

Her eyes glisten with sudden tears when they meet mine again, filled to the brim with gratitude and with care. “Aiden,” she finally sighs, “Kiss me…”

Without needing to be told twice, I keep my thumb in place and cup the rest of my fingers behind her back, and I drag her to my mouth. My lips envelop her abdomen and from there I start completely covering her with kisses. She wriggles and writhes and gasps, and even the smallest of my moans seem to vibrate through her and cause euphoric sighs in return.

It doesn’t take me long at this point. About a minute later I have to brace myself, trying to disguise my groan of pure ecstasy as just a regular sound of pleasure. I’m still breathing hard as I keep kissing her, keep angling my touch in whatever way she seems to enjoy most. And it’s just a couple more minutes before she shudders and clenches her knees against my thumb as she lets out a high-pitched, quiet, shuddering wince and I feel a new level of wetness against my skin. She shivers and looks at me with a spark of concern in her lust-drunk gaze.

“Are you…?” she gasps, nodding in the general direction of my body.

“I’m good,” I assure her, smiling and still short of breath. “I’m so good.”

We devolve into breathless giggles and discover that apparently our only vocabulary in the aftermath of post-coital giddiness is just variations on the words “I love you.” I’m kicking myself for not having brought a towel or something to have at the ready for her to clean up with - I eventually opt for the nearby tissue box that I’ve thankfully left on the floor within reach. I grab a few so I have some for myself too, and then I make sure to leave my hand on her to keep her warm as she presses the giant tissue between her legs. She’s still shivering a little bit, but I think it’s just with excitement. She’s got the biggest grin on her face, and I’m sure I have the exact same expression.

"Thank you, Aiden,” Evie gushes. “That was amazing. You’re amazing.”

I chuckle and nuzzle into her with a sigh, practically laying my face on top of her as I go into full relaxed mode. "The pleasure’s all mine. Let’s do it again sometime.”

"Can I ask you something?”

"Anything.”

"What are your other sensitive spots?”

I laugh again, and groan with pretend exasperation. But I go ahead and answer. "My ears. I’ve got sensitive earlobes, apparently.”

"Ooooo. Yeah that’s dangerous information for someone like me.”

"Hence why I hesitated telling you in the first place. A bit on the sides of my neck too, but you’ve probably figured those out already.”

Evie wiggles out from under my cheek to sit up and lean her arms onto the bridge of my nose, beaming as she looks me in the eye. "I promise I won’t abuse the power,” she says with an obviously mischievous tone.

She’s so close that her figure’s a little blurry, so I close one eye to help me focus in on her face. “Uh huh,” I respond simply, clearly unconvinced. “Hey, do me a favor. The next time you want to diddle in my pocket… invite me to the party?”

She laughs. “While you’re driving?”

“Hey, it’s my pocket, it’s only fair. I can make it work.”

She leans in and gives me a long kiss in the space between my eyes. “Deal.”

We transition into the most wonderful, relaxing time just resting together, without putting our clothes back on. For the rest of the evening we cuddle on the bed, skin to skin, as we drift in and out of conversation. Sometimes she’s laying in my hand, sometimes she’s up against my throat, tucked below my chin on the pillow. At one point she’s sprawled out on my forehead as we stare at the ceiling. At another point she’s curled up on my bare chest with my palm against her back.

I’m telling you. I’m in heaven.

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 56
Evie

It’s been a rather quiet drive today. I can tell by the sound of Aiden’s heartbeat that he’s a little anxious, and I’ve been leaning against his chest from within his pocket, rhythmically moving my hand over the fabric of his shirt in what I hope is a somewhat comforting pet.

The nerves are starting to get to me too. I even tried to dress up a bit, not only picking out one of my nicer dresses, but also wearing my first attempt at shoes - although since they’re made of fine yarn they’re closer to thick socks. I’ve even followed Moira’s example and tied half my hair back into something a little more elegant, using a bit of thread in lieu of a ribbon. I don’t think this is supposed to be a very formal dinner party, but it’s the closest thing I’ve been to one in several years.

“Pulling up now…” Aiden mumbles, and sure enough I slip forward a little as the car gradually slows to a stop.

“Everything will be fine, babe,” I soothe as I get to my feet, eyes aimed up.

“I know,” he says with a glance down at his chest. “I’m mostly excited. It’s just, you know… several people who are much bigger than you. I can’t help but worry about how you’ll feel. Pinkie squeeze if it gets too overwhelming, okay? I can make an excuse to leave.” As he’s talking he pulls the plastic shield out of his pocket and then reaches in for me.

“Okay. Thank you,” I say with a nod, gripping at the fingers that are currently pinching around my torso, “I’m not planning on that, though…" I feel antsy getting extracted from my warm and reassuring little cave, so I quickly add, "Kiss for good luck?”

He grins and I’m rewarded with a pair of enormous lips heading my way. I pucker up and then push my entire face into his upper lip, arms spread wide to hug as much of his face as I can. Aiden starts laughing at my overenthusiastic embrace and doubles down by knocking me onto my back in his palm.

“Gotta get the PDA out of our system,” I giggle, and when he starts twisting around to my neck I yelp, “Wait, wait, don’t mess up my hair!”

“Oops, sorry,” the giant relents, though he barely pulls away. He hovers above me, his large eyes captivating me for a moment as they look me up and down. “Don’t worry, you still look lovely.”

“Thanks. You too!” I chirp before playfully shoving at his cheek with my foot. “God, we’re disgusting… Let’s go, I don’t want to be late.”

And before the nerves have time to reclaim either one of us, Aiden gets out of the car. He holds me near his chest as he heads down the walkway to the Ignacios’ house, hiding me just in case any neighbors look in our direction. Then his palm flattens out as he reaches the door, and once he knocks I sit on my heels and smooth out my dress.

I hear some quick footsteps from the other side and brace myself as the door opens. An unfamiliar face greets us, bright eyed and breathless, sporting a big smile with its own touch of nerves. This must be Star.

She’s actually a little more… normal looking than I imagined? It’s just that the way Diego had described her beauty, I thought I was about to meet a supermodel. She’s not unattractive though, her gray-green eyes rather striking against her olive skin tone. There’s just the slightest edge of a punk rock feel to her appearance, her dark hair in a long and layered bob with a streak of bright blue near the front of it.

“Hiii!” she gushes softly but enthusiastically, and she’s zeroing in on me immediately, covering her mouth with one hand. “Oh my goodness, aren’t you just the cutest thing! It’s so nice to finally meet you, Evie – come on in, guys, make yourselves at home!”

“N-nice to meet you!” I manage to stammer out, blinking as if I’d just been blinded by a flash of light.

I’m abruptly reminded of something. Back when I used to be a nanny, I once had to take one of the kids I was caring for to the pediatrician. I’m sure they’re not all like this, but not only did the doctor employ an ultra-sweet, doting tone with the child, but for some reason she also talked the same way with me, the adult. That’s exactly the way Star talks. Like a kind and overly eager schoolteacher, and maybe this makes some amount of sense since she’s almost like a pediatrician, but for animals instead. Perhaps the borderline infantilizing tone should be bothering me, I guess, but… she just seems so genuine that I kinda get swept up in it. To my own surprise I find myself smiling right away.

She steps aside, revealing the cavernous interior of the house. This place looks gigantic, even compared to our apartment - the entryway opens straight out to the back of the house like one wide hallway, and it’s on the opposite end that I make out a dining table and chairs. It’s so colorful inside, the sunny yellow walls covered in photos and vibrant decorations. There are live plants everywhere, adding refreshing splashes of green to the warm interior. And the ceiling might as well be the sky… The area opens up into its full two-story space, with stairs off to the left leading to an upper landing that looks like the top of a canyon.

The giant who’s carrying me steps into the house, and Star puts a hand on his shoulder as she closes the door. “Aiden, it’s been too long - good to see you, man.”

“It really has! Thanks for inviting us over." Even he seems to be absorbing her energy, though I can tell he’s being careful to still lead by example in keeping the speaking volume from climbing too high up.

Speaking of which. There’s an echoing boom that makes me jump, and I immediately recognize this voice.

“Yoooo! Perfect timing, I just pulled the fish out of the oven!” Diego calls as he sweeps in from the other room, the scale and intensity of his presence making my heartrate tick up a few beats.

Either he noticed me flinching or Aiden shot him a look, because he quickly tones it down when he steps up to us. Even though his attention is on Aiden and I, his hand absently slips around his wife’s waist as he stands alongside her. I’m realizing she must actually be on the tall side, but she still doesn’t come up to his shoulder.

Diego’s eyes light up as he focuses on me and lowers his head with a wide smile. “Hey, Shrimp! How’s that leg doing?”

Star’s the one who reacts to the nickname this time, her eyes going wide as she smacks the back of her hand against his arm. “Diego!” she hisses with disapproval.

He straightens back to standing, holding his hands up disarmingly as he looks at her. “No, no, we’re cool! I’ve said it to her face before, she’s fine with it. Right, Evie?”

He glances at me hopefully, and I couple a quick eye roll with a genuine smile. “It’s good to see you, Kong. Leg’s been feeling better every day.”

“See?” Diego grins at Star, who maintains her scowl.

“Don’t let him push you around, okay?” she tells me and then nods to the dining table deeper into the house, “Come sit, we’ll grab you guys some drinks.”

Aiden and I manage to make quick eye contact as he carries me over to the table, checking in with each other. He runs a thumb over my leg and raises his eyebrows quizzically, and I reassure him with a nod. All of this is a lot, but I felt prepared and I’m doing alright. He takes a seat as the other two giants recede to the kitchen, their quiet conversation briefly reaching our ears.

“But it’d be soooo easy to push her around,” the taller of them jokes.

“Diego, I swear to all that is holy–” is the chiding response before the mumbles become undecipherable.

Aiden sighs but seems amused, and he gives me an apologetic look as he sets his hand with me in it onto the dining table. “They’re harmless, I promise,” he says.

“I know,” I laugh, trying not to slip with my new footwear as I step onto the slick wood. “I really like your friends, Aiden.”

He smiles, and since we’re not in the privacy of our apartment, he goes for the more subtle gesture of kissing his fingertip and touching it to the top of my head.

I take a quick look around to get my bearings. The table’s as big as a tennis court, and the plates and cutlery that are already laid out are just as colorful as the rest of the house. A large vase of fresh flowers sits in the middle of the table - the sweet scent is probably too subtle for anyone else but it feels like a special treat just for me. There’s a stack of napkins just ahead of us that would be at the perfect height for me to sit at and use as a table, which actually might not be a coincidence since I notice there’s a second stack a little further away that’s more central to everyone else.

The Ignacios make a couple of trips to bring out cups of water and bottles of wine, and they mention that the food needs to cool down so we can just chat while we wait for Moira to wrap up her shift at work. I had packed all of my eating and drinking supplies into a pouch that Aiden fishes out so that I can retrieve them now. I hand him a lid that used to belong to a soy sauce bottle, and he uses a pipette to transfer a couple of drops of wine from his glass to mine. I think I’m slowly getting more accustomed to alcohol and enjoy having some on special occasions.

Star takes a seat across from us and props her elbows onto the table, looking positively enchanted with the way Aiden and I interact. “Forgive me for staring,” she says gently, “I’m so fascinated. You just don’t even look real, Evie. I straight up didn’t believe Diego at all when he told me about you. It’s not until I talked to Aiden on the phone that I realized my husband hadn’t gone off the deep end.”

I finish my sip of wine and set my cup down on the nearby stack of napkins. “I don’t blame you at all," I say, “I wouldn’t have believed it either if I hadn’t… you know, lived it.”

“Gosh, that must have been horrible. And yet look at you, you’re so, like… confident! Like you’ve always been that size. You’re one strong chick.”

I blush and find myself walking towards her across the table. Star’s the first person who’s been quite this blunt and curious about my situation, but everything about her tone and demeanor is so authentic and disarming. Since this isn’t my first rodeo, putting it all out in the open like this is kind of refreshing.

“It took a while to get to this point,” I say with a shrug. “You’d be surprised what a person can get used to.”

“Ain’t that the truth. I guess it helped that you got rescued by this one,” she says, nodding towards my partner behind me. “Mr. I-Live-To-Help-Others. Ever seen him work a charity event?”

“I haven’t!” I respond, glancing over my shoulder at Aiden, who’s already starting to look self conscious.

Diego chimes in from his spot next to Star, “Then you’ve never seen him in his element! Always running around, making sure everyone’s drinking water or whatever. Like a fucking soccer mom.”

“Staying hydrated’s important,” Aiden mumbles, holding his water cup up pointedly before taking a sip.

I’m not particularly surprised to hear this, but the mental image is entertaining nevertheless. “What kind of events have you all done together?” I ask, now standing closer to Diego and Star’s side of the table.

“The pet clinic I work at partners with local shelters a few times a year," Star explains. “So for the most part it’s adoption events.”

“Oh yeah, you know the blanket I gave you on that first night, Eve?” Aiden interjects, “With the dog logo on it? It was from a shirt I got at one of those events.”

“Yes! I still use it all the time.”

“Aww, you cut up a tiny blanket for her?” Star gushes, leaning her chin against the heel of her hand as she gazes down at me. “That’s so adorable.”

“You should see the setup they have,” Diego chuckles at her, “It’s like a family of mice moved in and set up camp on his desk.”

“Heh, makes sense I guess. So how long have you two been living together?”

Aiden and I make eye contact as we do some mental math. “Almost five months now?” I suggest and he nods.

Diego shakes his head. “Man. And all that time you were keepin’ your girlfriend a secret from your best friend. Even when when I called you out on it. Never knew you could be such a liar.”

A massive wave of guilt washes over me as I watch a shadow pass over Aiden’s expression. I didn’t know he’d ever been “called out” for anything. Just how much has he had to deceive his friends for my sake?

“I wasn’t completely lying,” he grumbles, “I mean, we weren’t actually together yet when you said that…”

Diego lets out a hearty, booming laugh that brings both Aiden and I back down to earth. “I’m just fucking with you, bro. If I was in either one of your positions I’m sure I would’ve done the exact same thing. That’s why I left you alone about it - I could tell you were hiding shit this semester but figured it was for a good reason.”

Aiden smiles weakly, clearly relieved. My gaze lingers on him, guilt giving way to gratitude as for the millionth time I think about all that he’s done for me. I don’t know just how much of an effect I’ve had on his social life, but I’m glad that he no longer has to lie in this particular friendship, at least.

“Wait, wait, hold up,” Star interrupts, “Are you two dating?!”

Color floods my cheeks and I find myself at a loss for words, but Aiden sits up a little straighter, his expression brightening. “Yeah, we are,” he says proudly.

Star knocks her head back, putting a hand on her chest as if she’d been shot. “Be still, my heart! I can’t take the cuteness. I love that so much.”

“Yeah, congrats,” Diego adds, beaming, “You both look really happy together.”

“It’s been great,” I manage to say sheepishly, and I start making my way back across the table to my boyfriend.

“I have so many questions, though…” Diego muses, his mind very clearly inching its way towards the gutter.

“And we’re not answering any of them,” Aiden shoots back.

His abruptness creates a ripple of laughter across the table. I reach my giant’s arm and hop up into a comfortable seat near his wrist. Star watches me with that same enchanted expression before she looks up at Aiden.

“I always did think you’d end up with a little thing,” she says pensively. “You had me going with the last one. This isn’t quite what I had in mind, but still - totally called it.”

My ears prick up at this. I’m vaguely aware of the fact that Aiden has some amount of dating experience, but I still don’t really know of any details. Before anyone can say anything else though, there’s a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it!” Diego exclaims, jumping to his feet and hurrying to the entryway.

I put a mental pin in that conversation topic - I can be curious about past girlfriends a different day. I just want to enjoy the evening now, and having a familiar face join us can only improve things all the more. In the distance the door opens, and there she is, looking adorable as usual in her bright summer dress with ribbons in her hair. Jesus Christ, she looks like a little kid next to Diego.

“Moiraaaa!" the taller of them bellows, and he scoops her right up to spin her in a circle, “How you been, chiquita?”

Moira’s both laughing and actively trying to wriggle out of Diego’s bear hug, teetering a little when he sets her down again. “Dizzy,” she giggles, “But I’m good! It smells great, hopefully you guys haven’t been waiting too long?”

“Nah, not at all. I’ll start bringing in the food – no, you stay there, Star, I got it!”

Moira walks over to the rest of us in eager greeting, and Aiden stands up so he can meet her in a quick hug before Star joins in too. It’s almost comedic just how much the taller ones have to bend down to accommodate their friend. At least they’re able to, though…

Despite the happy voices filling the air, I feel a twinge of sadness as I watch everyone embrace from my perch on the dining table. I’m glad that I’m here. I really am. I’m so happy that I’m able to have a potential friend group again, to feel like I’m a part of something greater. And it’s better for Aiden too this way - he doesn’t have to lie to these people anymore, and he doesn’t have to keep from seeing them as often as he did before. I’m glad things turned out the way they did.

And yet… It’s like there’s still this invisible barrier, keeping me in a separate world from all of them. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to break through it.

I begin staring at my boyfriend in particular. Will I ever get the chance to put my arms around his neck? To feel what it’s like for him to hug me tightly against his chest? What I would give to truly be in his world again, just for a moment. Just so I can know what it’s like.

Moira smoothly steps over to me at the table, reaching her hand to cup around my back with a grin and just as enthusiastic of a hand-hug as she’s able to give me. I smile, grateful for her doing her part in making sure I don’t feel left out, and I cling to her for a beat longer than I normally might.

“This is tripping me out,” she says as she goes to take a seat next to Aiden. “How cool is it that we can all hang out like this?”

"Eeee, I’m so happy that we’re part of the secret club now,” Star chirps, sitting back down in her own chair.

Diego’s brought out the salmon and the sides at this point, and as the plates are passed around, Aiden and I take a little extra time so I can pick out tiny portions to put on my own dish. I notice that there are at least five full-sized servings of everything, and maybe that’s just what the Ignacios would always do to make sure there’s plenty of food, but the thought that they planned for me as if I was one of them warms my heart nevertheless.

We fall back into conversation and spend what turns out to be a lovely evening together. Moira catches the others up on her Florida trip and the animation panel she hosted. I ask Star and Diego how they met and get to hear all about the time they ran a 5k together, and how they were so engrossed in their conversation that they took a wrong turn and got lost in the middle of the race. They also tell us about the headaches they’ve been dealing with during some bathroom renovations happening upstairs. Aiden and I talk at length about our adventures since I’ve been shrunk. Two hours pass and we never run out of conversation.

Despite everyone’s best intentions, there are enough of us that it gets a little loud. On more than one occasion I get talked over by accident. On the other hand, unlike anyone else I’m also able to easily walk around on the table and can catch someone’s attention by my movements alone. The dynamics may not always be flawless, but they’re decidedly good.

Once we’ve all finished the tasty meal and the dishes are put away, I wander to Aiden’s hand that’s resting in a half-fist, palm down on the table. I settle onto him like he’s a chair, sitting on his thumb and leaning back against the side of his hand as his forefinger absently begins stroking my leg. He launches into a story from work, going on about one of his students that he’s particularly proud of, and I find myself staring up at him adoringly. I really am obsessed with this guy.

I don’t realize that I was daydreaming until I’m knocked out of my reverie by something that almost makes me fall over onto the table. Everyone else suddenly goes quiet, exchanging confused glances over the unexpected sound. The doorbell just rang.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily said:

What I would give to truly be in his world again, just for a moment. [Emphasis added]

Whoa.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo I couldn’t help myself, I have to make it just a little tragic sometimes

[Olo]

@littlest-lily “Poignant” is how they describe it in literary criticism.

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 57
Evie

Diego’s the one who moves first, frowning as he stands up.

“A lil’ late for solicitors,” he mutters, “I’ll go check.”

Not taking any chances, I hop to my feet, and Aiden’s on the same wavelength - he quickly plucks me up and guides me into his pocket. I catch both Star and Moira’s worried glances in my direction before I slip down inside the fabric shelter.

The only sound is Diego’s footsteps growing more distant as I settle into a seat and hug my knees to my chest. The door opens and his voice carries his surprised exclamation.

“Camila? Wha–”

“You weren’t answering your phone! What the hell,” a female voice responds, sounding flustered and frustrated. I curl further in on myself in reaction to the new voice.

"I’ve been busy, it’s in the other room… Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just stressed out. I need your car."

“Huh? What for?”

“My roommate’s dumb brother’s coming into town. It’s a long drive to the airport so he doesn’t want to pay for a ride.”

“And you’re telling me this now? I could’ve been out tonight!”

“I tried to tell you half an hour ago but you didn’t check your phone. And you’re not out, so it’s fine. Right?”

Diego sighs heavily and the door creaks open further. "Alright, whatever. Come in for a sec. We just got our house keys replaced so they’re not in the usual spot, uhhh… Wait right here, I’ll go find them.”

My breath has grown shallow and I try to stay steady as I hear the door close again, this time with the girl now clearly inside the house. Diego hurries away to find his keys, and Star pipes up to make conversation.

“Hi Camila! How’s school going?”

“It’s going alright. Sorry to interrupt dinner… Oh my god, Aiden! You’re here too?”

I tense up. Hold still, I tell myself, attempting a steadying breath through my nose, You’ve done this a million times. Hold still and she won’t notice anything.

My nerves aren’t exactly settling as I notice the thumping of Aiden’s heartbeat growing faster. “Hey, Camila,” he says with a smile in his voice despite sounding a little tense, “Nice to see you.”

I hate that I can’t see anything, but I definitely hear footsteps, and then I have to keep from yelping as my giant partner suddenly stands up. For a moment I’m confused, and then I figure out that he doesn’t want to be sitting as she approaches, since she’s on her feet and might be able to look straight down at me in his pocket.

“It’s soo good to see you!” Camila’s voice rings emphatically, and it’s close. Too close. Aiden makes a small, strained sound in the back of his throat and I can feel all of his muscles tense as he shifts backwards. A second later I realize why - half the pocket suddenly buckles inward. There’s the sweet, floral scent of perfume and a warm weight of a second giant, pressing up right beside me, sandwiching one of my feet, but I don’t dare try yanking it away. I don’t know how tall this girl is so I don’t even know what exactly is pushing against me right now, but she’s clearly gone in for a hug.

Don’t move, I think desperately, holding my breath, Just hold still…!

“I haven’t seen you all semester,” the stranger says softly, having no idea this intimate moment involves a third party. “I missed you.”

Thankfully the pressure withdraws as Aiden carefully maneuvers his way out of her grip. “Yeah, last semester was rough… Eighteen credits on top of the TA gig. Never doing that again.”

With the slightest hint of urgency, Star interjects, “Come sit and chat while we wait. You know Moira, right?”

“We’ve met a couple of times,” Mo says warmly, “It’s nice to see you again."

“Yeah, you too.”

Camila’s voice recedes - it sounds like she’s going to park herself where Diego had been sitting - and I finally feel like I can breathe again. That was a really close call. A more direct hit and I could have been crushed, or more likely, Aiden wouldn’t have let her and I would have risked being discovered. I continue to hold as still as I can as the titans make small talk with the unwitting intruder.

The minutes pass and I gather that she goes to the business school, she’s younger than the rest of us as she recently turned 21, and apparently she’s known Aiden since childhood since she makes reference to some vacation their families had been on when they were kids. I remember that Aiden’s also known Diego since he was young and that their parents were friends. Maybe Camila and Diego are siblings or something?

It’s an agonizingly long ten minutes before I hear the triumphant jingle of keys as footsteps enter the dining area. The small talk wraps up and goodbyes are exchanged. My partner’s a bit more prepared this time as he stands up less abruptly, and he’s more deliberate in the way he gives Camila a side hug so that my hiding space is spared. I’m so tense and stiff that my muscles ache, but at no point do I budge in any way. My eyes do trail upwards, up towards the thin sliver of the pocket’s opening.

I glimpse the edge of Aiden’s face - an ear, some dark locks of hair, one end of his jaw. And as he pulls away from the farewell hug, an unfamiliar hand comes into view. It has a slender shape, honey tan skin, white and gold acrylic nails. It rests above me, on his shoulder, fingertips lightly tugging at the collar of his shirt.

“Let’s hang out sometime, yeah?” Camila says quietly, her voice once again far too close for comfort.

“Sure, just shoot me a text,” Aiden mumbles, tense and rigid.

She hums in agreement. And then her hand descends. Straight to me.

A lot happens all at once. Realizing what’s happening half a second too late, Aiden tries to back away. But Camila’s already pulling on the lip of the pocket. Like a prowling lion discovering its prey, I see the edge of her fingernail curl dangerously close to me, finding purchase against fabric right above my head. Light pours in and suddenly I’m looking at her face. It’s just for a split second, but I see dark brown eyes peering inside, an expression of curiosity mixed with amusement.

My stiff muscles are trembling like an overwound spring, and I react on instinct at the unexpected sight of this gigantic stranger. I gasp and scurry backwards in a panic, having nowhere to go, cornering myself into the side of the pocket. Camila’s countenance shifts in an instant, a look of horror passing over her. My eardrums burst into pain as she screams.

And now Aiden’s hurrying backwards in earnest, the face I’d seen for a brief moment is ripped away, everything breaks into chaos. I’m breathing hard in fear and in pain, ears ringing, head spinning. All sounds are fuzzy and distant as I hold my head in my hands and curl into a ball while the world shakes. There are multiple voices, all talking at once, and at first I can’t parse out any of it, still reeling from the explosive sound of a giant’s unreserved shriek at such close proximity. I vaguely realize that we’re moving, we’re going somewhere, I’m bouncing with each hurried step, the voices are fading away. The ringing starts to abate just enough for me to catch a few words.

"No – seriously, what the hell was that?”

“Camila, just hold on–”

“That was real, wasn’t it? What in the actual fuck is–”

A door closes, shutting the voices away, and things grow still. All I can hear is their faint drone in the distance, and the much closer sound of Aiden’s labored breathing. Gently he touches me through his pocket.

“You okay?” he asks softly, “That was so loud.”

I realize how bad I’m shaking when my teeth clatter the moment I try to speak. I choke out, “I-I’ll be fine. I can s-still hear.”

He sighs heavily, the soft pressure encompassing my entire frame. “Shit, Eve. I’m sorry… Let me think…”

After everything that happened, I’m starting to feel more trapped in here than safe. I get to my feet and poke my head out of the pocket, finally able to get my bearings. I think we’re in a bathroom, from the relatively cramped quarters and the fact that I’m looking out at a mirror right now. I take in the sight of my boyfriend, looking a little shell-shocked and pale as he leans over a sink, his gaze downcast and one hand laying over me against his chest. My motions make him look my way, our eyes meeting through the mirror.

“Was it because I moved?" I ask, whimpering breathlessly, “I tried to hold still, I… I didn’t think I…”

Aiden looks pained in reaction to my pitiful state. “No, no, you did nothing wrong. Aww, babe, come here…"

He looks straight down at the actual me now, reaching in to gingerly lift me out. He holds me in front of him, wrapping his fingers around me like a security blanket. “Everything’s going to be okay," he soothes.

I’m still trembling like a leaf, and I cling to one of his fingers as if it’s a buoy. My breath is coming in very shallow. “Sh-should we be here right now? If she’s freaking out, shouldn’t w-we be…"

Aiden’s face swoops down to meet me, and soon I’m surrounded by him. Everything becomes a little more still and the light grows dimmer as he touches his forehead to mine.

“It can wait," he rumbles, “Deep breaths, honey. I’ve got you, you’re safe.”

I sigh and let myself go limp in his hand. For the next few moments I try to focus on the air going in and out of my lungs and the feel of his skin. It’s difficult to ignore the din of the faraway voices, but I’m starting to calm back down.

“So who… who is that?" I finally ask.

Aiden takes a second to tenderly kiss my stomach before he raises his head again to answer me. “Diego’s cousin. I’m not nearly as close with her as with him, but I’ve known her for as long."

I nod and continue to fret, “Is this bad? She sounded so upset."

His jaw tightens. He glances towards the door before looking back at me and saying, “Don’t forget, for the other introductions we were able to prepare them ahead of time. Well, other than Diego I guess, but he was drunk and half conscious. Camila’s not as chill of a person and I’m sure seeing you was a bit of a shock. But she’s not a bad person or anything, she’ll come around. I’ll talk to her, okay?" A beat later, he adds, “Listen, see? It sounds like the others have already started to calm her down. I don’t think she’ll be unreasonable once we explain.”

He’s right, the noise level has lowered to a low hum. I take a couple more deep breaths to steady myself. The hand I’m in levels out, tilting to cup me in his palm. Aiden brings his other hand up to touch my arm, stroking it softly with the back of a finger.

“I know this wasn’t on your terms," he says. “I’m really, really sorry Evie.”

I shake my head. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault."

“I don’t know, there’s a reason she wanted to look in my pocket. I was trying not to be obvious, but maybe she noticed me glancing down at you. All of us kept looking over, she probably got curious as to why we were acting weird…"

Something about seeing Aiden’s intense guilt and concern brings me a strange calm. I manage a smile and place my hand on his finger. “It’s okay. Like you said, we’ll just… we’ll just explain."

“I can leave you here," he says with a knitted brow. “I’ll send Moira to be with you, you don’t have to come.”

“No, that’s alright. I should at least, um… say hi."

We spend another minute or so gathering our composure. I don’t want to go out there. But we really need to do damage control. And I have to be on my best behavior. I have four other giants on my side, it’s going to be okay. It has to be.

Once he’s sure I’m ready, Aiden opens the door and retraces his steps through the parts of the house that I hadn’t seen. I breathe deeply as the world passes by - out of the bathroom, through the living room, across the kitchen… He pauses just before the threshold to the dining area and readjusts his grip on me so that he’s holding me to his chest, hiding me from view for now. Let’s go.

“Hey, Camila?" he says, stepping into the room, and all the other voices go completely silent. “Sorry I ran off.”

I understand the need to ease this new acquaintance into things, but never being able to see what’s going on is so nerve-wracking. I look out the side of the hand that’s holding me, and Moira’s in my line of vision. Her big green eyes quickly find mine and she tries to reassure me with an encouraging smile. I weakly smile back.

I flinch at the sound of Camila’s voice saying, “Is that…?"

“Yeah, I have her right here,” Aiden responds, “I’d like to introduce you. Is that alright?"

The question lingers in the air. The implication he’s layered on with his tone is a clear “you’re not going to scream this time?” There’s no answer, but I’m assuming she nodded because a gap begins forming between me and my boyfriend’s chest. He holds me just far enough so that we can exchange a look before he tilts his hand to reveal my tiny form.

“This is my girlfriend. Evie."

Finally I get a good look at her. I’d only caught the briefest glimpse amidst all the chaos, but her full figure now stands before me. Turns out I really was destined to meet a supermodel today… Camila’s beauty is staggering. She knows how to dress herself and apply makeup to expertly flatter all of her features. Her dark hair is long, lighter at the ends in a subtle ombre effect, perfect waves that rest gently on her shoulders. Her lips are full, her cheekbones high, her eyelashes dark. She has this innocent, youthful look about her, despite the fake nails and dyed hair and layers of makeup. She’s wearing a subtle frown and keeps her mouth shut as she fixates my revealed form.

I don’t waste time staring - I have an impression to make. I put on my best friendly smile and give her a little wave. Camila doesn’t wave back and she doesn’t return the smile. She’s not quite glowering but is still regarding me with a hard stare that creates sparks of anxiety at the pit of my stomach.

“I know it’s a lot to accept," Aiden continues, “but there’s nothing to be afraid of. We used to be classmates, actually, before an accident made her like this. She’s just like you and me.”

She looks up at him, then back down at his hand, still watching silently. She glances off to the side, towards her cousin, before her eyes briefly meet mine.

“I’m sorry I yelled," she says in a low tone.

I jump at the opportunity to speak. “Th-that’s alright! I get why you’d be freaked out. I was pretty freaked out too, when this all started." I don’t mention how freaked out I am this very second.

Camila’s frown deepens into more of a scowl. “Yeah, this… this is fucking insane…"

“Mila," Diego growls from off to the side, a warning in his tone.

I shy away, taken aback by the hostility in her voice. She’s mostly holding it at bay, but there’s an anger there. Or maybe a disgust.

My smile falters and there’s a tension growing in the air. Maybe Aiden was right. I shouldn’t have come here. I should have just let him talk to her first and make sure she was in an approachable state. I have no idea how to save the situation. Not when everyone’s towering over me like this. There’s too many gigantic people in the room and they’re all looking at me right now as I’m just sitting out in the open to cower under the glare of a massive stranger…

I’m snapped out of the moment by movement to my left. Moira’s approaching, her gentle presence a welcome interruption. She reaches a hand up to hover next to Aiden’s in an invitation to me.

“How about Evie and I go check out those house renovations?” she says calmly, “We’ll give you guys some time. Star, can you show us the way?”

Trembling, I slink onto her open palm, thankful for the opportunity to escape. Moira doesn’t wait for an answer, simply marching away to the nearby staircase with me in tow. Star trails along behind us as we go upstairs, and then she quietly leads the way through their main bedroom and into the newly refurbished bathroom. I didn’t even look at Aiden when we got out of there. I have to trust in his ability to take it from here.

As she closes the door behind us, Star lets out a sigh. “Damn… the night was going so well, too…”

Moira’s entirely focused on me. She walks across the room to sit on the edge of the bathtub, setting her hands down on the nearby counter. I don’t get off of her quite yet, it’s like my legs are refusing to work in the aftermath. I look up at my friend with tears welling up in my eyes, barely able to stop myself from breaking down.

“Th-thank you,” I whimper, “Thanks for r-realizing how s-scared I…” The sentence doesn’t finish as I struggle to keep it together, but she gets the gist of it.

“Evie,” Moira says intently, “She had already agreed not to tell anyone else about this before you guys came in. Okay?”

She knows full well about the things I’m afraid of and why. I nod slowly, taking shaky breaths and wiping away tears, and I finally crawl onto the counter. Her hand flips over so that her finger can touch my shoulder as she gives me a comforting smile, and I attempt to smile back gratefully. Star observes us and pulls up a stool as she comes to realize how much I need the reassurances right now.

“Yeah, it’s alright,” she says sweetly, “You don’t need to worry about her spreading the word. I’ve only really gotten to know Camila for a couple of years now since she moved up here, but I know she’s not a blabbermouth. She’ll understand. Just give her some time.”

I nod again and silently put my face in my hands, forcing one deep breath after another. I’m dizzy. In less than a week I’ve met three new giants unexpectedly. It’s too much. It feels as if everything’s started spinning out of control.

“Poor thing,” Star says softly, and for the first time she touches me, softly putting a finger to my other shoulder. “Hang in there, girl.”

“Do you need some space, Eve?” Moira asks quietly.

I take my hands off my face and shake my head, this time able to give them a more genuine smile. “No, I appreciate the support. Thank you. Um… I really was interested in seeing the renovations, actually…”

The change in subject helps distract me for a while. I truly am grateful to these two women and their kindness - all the more so now that I’ve seen what a less-than-friendly new acquaintance can be like. The freshly crafted details of the bathroom really are beautiful, and I marvel at all of the plants that they have set up in here. I even spend some time in Star’s hands for a change, to her absolute delight. She’s very gentle with me but has much more confidence picking me up than Moira did at the beginning. One of the perks of her job as a vet, I guess. I’m not as wriggly as most of the small animals she probably has to deal with.

Eventually we hear the front door opening and figure it might be okay to come back out now. I look over the edge of Star’s fingers, able to make out three figures past the dizzying height of the balcony, all standing in the entryway below. Aiden is off to the side while Camila and Diego are at the door, the two of them quietly conversing in Spanish. He puts one arm around his cousin’s neck and kisses the top of her head before opening the door wider for her to leave. Having noticed our presence, Camila briefly glances up to the second story as she steps a foot out the door. She gives me one last dark look and then vanishes into the night.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily said:

“This is my girlfriend. Evie."

Not:

“This is my accidentally shrunken friend. Evie.”

Not:

“This is my roommate. Evie.”

“This is my girlfriend. Evie.”

I get that Evie was shaken up, but if I were her I’d take the first opportunity to interrogate Moira and Star about Aiden’s history with Camila.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo YUP, that was a very deliberate choice on my end to make him say it like that lol. It actually gets brought up in a couple of chapters, but I’m getting ahead of myself~