Out of their Element

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Aww I looove Minami kun Particularly the 2004 version~

You’re spot on with Evie being super avoidant here. She’s not even addressing his statement because she doesn’t believe him for a second. Not in a “he’s lying to me” way but in a “he’s doesn’t mean that, he’s just not thinking it through” way. But she doesn’t want him to think things through since she’s so dependent and doesn’t feel like she has options outside of him. Honestly, she’s not even thinking about romantic ambitions at this point

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 18
Aiden

“Doing okay in there?” I ask, brushing a finger against my shirt pocket. I feel what I think are Evie’s little shoulders through the fabric.

There’s a shifting against my chest as she readjusts herself restlessly. “Y-yup! All good.”

I’m a bit nervous too. We haven’t gotten back into a car together since the first time. Every once in a while that image of her rolling over the edge of the dashboard still haunts me. I have no idea what would have happened if I hadn’t caught her. Thankfully sudden movements should no longer make her fall off a precipice.

I return my hand to join the other on the steering wheel. “We’re almost home. I’d say this was a successful test drive!”

“W-wait until we park to say that. Don’t jinx it…” Poor thing. She really sounds like she’s ready to be done.

A few minutes later we’re pulling into the parking garage and I can feel shuffling against me again as my tiny passenger stands up to stick her head out of my pocket. I stop the car, put it in park, and we both let out a sigh.

“Aiden,” says Evie nervously, and I pull my neck back so I can look down at her. “I didn’t want to freak you out so I kept quiet, but I had a thought during the drive back. If there was a crash bad enough for the airbag to pop out… do you think I’d get flattened in here?”

My blood goes cold. I feel pins and needles run over my skin like a wave and my heart rate picks up. I hadn’t even thought of that. The idea of her getting crushed, against me no less, is so horrifying that my hand moves reflexively up to my pocket to cover it protectively. No wonder she was so anxious during the drive with that swirling around in her head.

“That’s… a very good point,” I say shakily, “I-I’ll come up with something else.”

“I’m probably overthinking things.” She’s noticed the proximity of my hand and reaches out of the pocket to give it a reassuring pat, the lightest of sensations against my skin. “Or maybe I just don’t need to do car rides. As much as I like the thought of going out with you.”

Going out?! My heart’s racing all over again.

Wait. She means, like, going outside. Right. Of course she did.

“We’ll find a solution,” I say with a bit more strength. “I’d like to take you out too.” Take you… outside. Right…

After that rather stressful couple of minutes, I start to get a hold of myself again as I carry the takeout bag through the winding hallways and back to the apartment. Before I can even turn the key to the door, a small voice squeaks out of my pocket.

“Uggghhh, I can’t waaaait, I can smell it from here and it smells amazing.”

“Almost, almost!” I tell her with a laugh, stepping inside and setting the stuff down on the counter. “Hang tight for just a second.”

I pull out all the takeout boxes as Evie watches me avidly from her perch near my heart. We essentially just got a slew of appetizers, so I make sure to get her a tiny piece of everything onto one of her larger miniature plates. I get my fill as well and bring it all to the living room so that we can watch the anime while we eat. On a dish I’ve already set up a candle that’ll sit right next to the laptop so that it feels like a tiny campfire, to match the theme of the show. I have the kitchen light on too so we’re not just sitting in the dark, but the small flame is already creating a rather cozy atmosphere.

Once I’ve settled the plates directly onto the couch, I finally reach for my eager little friend, pushing down on the lip of my shirt pocket with one hand so that I can more easily slip my fingers around her torso with the other.

I’ve set her food on the edge of my own plate so that it’s at about the right height when she sits next to it. I take a seat on the floor and smile with amusement at Evie sitting there, her hands clapped in front of her mouth, as if she’s having a religious experience.

“Spanakopita, my love,” she finally gushes, taking the bit of pastry in her hands and raising it up reverently.

“Umm.” I was in the process of pulling up the show on my laptop, but I pause and raise an eyebrow at her. “Should I give you two some privacy?”

“Nope, you have to deal with this,” she says, taking a bite and then letting her head fall back for a second with pleasure before aiming her attention at me. “Someone has to press play. Let’s do this!”

If I knew a bit of spinach pastry is all it would take to make her so happy I would have done this much earlier. After everything she’s been through it warms my heart to see her full of joy like this. I start the show and we enjoy it as we feast. I like Greek food just fine, but Evie’s enthusiasm makes it taste even better to me.

We finish an episode and I make sure she’s done eating before tidying up the leftovers to clear some space off the couch. My shrunken friend is looking off in the distance longingly, seemingly deep in thought.

“This really does make me want to try camping,” she remarks, gesturing towards the laptop. “Though I have no idea how we’d even do it. It’s not like they make tents in my size. Or any other supplies really…”

She actually sounds pretty forlorn. It’s true that she doesn’t really get out much. I need to change that, bring her out into nature more often than I currently do. But in the meantime I try to lighten things up.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got a built-in tent right here,” I say, holding my hand up and bending it inwards to form an upside-down V. Then I plop the whole thing down on top of her, and she’s already giggling as I carefully knock her over backward from her seated position. I settle my domed hand onto the couch cushion, trapping her underneath. “See?” I add, biting back a laugh.

I never would have done something like this at the beginning. Hell, maybe I’m going overboard right now, physically pushing her down like this, even if I’m doing it gently. But her muffled laughter sounds so genuine. I really just think it’s a testament to how comfortable we’ve gotten with each other.

"You know,” she calls out, and I lean in so that I can hear her better, “this might actually be cozy if it wasn’t so dark in here!”

For a second I think she’s pushing upwards with her hands against mine, but then I quickly realize I’m actually feeling tiny bare feet kicking my fingers as she lays on her back.

I continue teasing her, grinning as I respond, “Huh? What’s that? You’ll have to speak up.”

She must have gotten up onto her knees because when I feel her next I can tell those really are her hands this time pushing against me. I let her shove my fingers aside as she pops her head out between the third and fourth digit, taking a dramatic deep breath before trying to wriggle her body out. The sight is both silly and absolutely precious.

But then, as much as I’ve gotten accustomed to her shrunken state, there are still moments where it really hits me just how little Evie is. Seeing only her head, no bigger than a marble, makes me feel a wave of dizziness. I spread my fingers out from around her and lift my hand away, suddenly afraid of hurting her… It wouldn’t have taken much more than a twitch to snap her neck. She hardly seems bothered, though. What a gift that she trusts me like this.

I regain myself and try to actually respond to her earlier wish. “We could rent a cabin. That way there’s less chance of having to deal with bugs or bad weather. It’s not quite the same but it could be fun?”

“Maybe,” she responds, getting to her feet. “Or I can just live vicariously through cute anime girls. Come sit up here, we’ve still got the last episode!”

I smile, nod, and get up off the floor, repositioning myself so that I can sit next to her. Lately we’ve started perching her up on my shoulder or my knee when we watch stuff, so by the time I’m on the couch she’s already walking up to my leg. She tries something new though, grabbing onto the fabric of my pants. I just watch her and let her try to pull herself up, but there clearly aren’t any good handholds.

“Nope, not happening,” she gasps, falling back to her feet and taking a couple of steps backwards.

“I got you,” I say, carefully lifting her up like she’s a chess piece and setting her on top of my leg. We start the episode.

There’s something… different happening today. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I just… I feel like I can’t keep my eyes off of her. I’d kept the habit at bay when I was sitting on the floor and my head was more level with hers, but now my eye line is much higher, making it easier for me to look without her noticing.

I watch as she settles onto me. She’s cross-legged for a bit, contentedly escaping into the colorful world on the screen. And then about ten minutes later she shifts her position and ends up laying on her stomach, propped onto her elbows with chin resting on her hands, legs bent with her feet up in the air.

I can’t stop staring. I don’t even try to hold off this time, as creepy as that sounds. I just observe her little form there in my lap for the entire rest of the episode, until my face is feeling warm and my heart starts beating harder.

Evie has no idea how good she looks. She’s got some homemade black shorts on that still manage to outline the shape of her rear, and her slender legs slowly drift through the air like flower petals in the breeze, her ankles occasionally crossing and uncrossing. The way her dainty little feet arch is almost ethereal, her toes so small that I have a hard time making them out in the candlelight. She’s wearing her usual gray strip of fabric looped around her top half, tied in a bow just above her tailbone, like a present begging to be unwrapped. The way the garment hangs on her frame accentuates the dip in her back, and I notice there’s the smallest gap that has formed within it that shows a sliver of bare skin at her waist.

Hold on. I’m getting… really excited. To the point that it’s starting to physically show. I can feel a lump forming between my legs, and it’s way too close to where she’s currently resting.

Panic floods my system. Shit. Shit. I can’t let her see. I have to step away. But I can’t exactly do that while she’s sprawled on top of me. The ending song of the episode is playing now and I attempt to position one of my arms so that my hand blocks the view of my crotch. I take a deep breath, and then with my other hand I reach out to gently stroke her back.

“Hey, Evie?” I say softly, trying to sound as sleepy as possible, “Sorry, I know we talked about maybe starting the second season tonight, but I think I need to call it here. I had to stay up late last night and I’m feeling super tired.”

She rolls over onto her back to look up at me and I’m really trying to keep my cool while also desperately hoping her gaze doesn’t drift too low. My finger’s still right there and she lifts her legs up to prop her feet up against it, shooting me a little smirk. God, she needs to stop being so adorable.

“Quitter,” she taunts, kicking at the digit.

I catch one of her tiny feet between finger and thumb and gently lower it back down. “Sorry… But I think we can agree that me falling asleep with you on me would be very bad.”

“Yeah, okay, that’s fair.” With that she stretches her arms up above her head as she yawns, her mid back arching and lifting off my leg. The strip of cloth hanging off of her slips, exposing more of her torso. Stop. Stop…

“We’ll start it on Friday, okay?” I say, lining my open hand up alongside her. I’m struggling to sound casual. I need to get out of here.

She nods and rolls back over so she can sit up, languidly stretching again before finally climbing onto my palm. I quickly lean forward to blow out the candle, and then I lift her up a little higher than I normally might, so terrified especially as I get up that she’s going to notice something. I try to surreptitiously tuck away the evidence as I stand.

“Good night, Evie.” I manage a smile as I put her back on the desk, crouching to make sure my waist is well out of sight.

“You too. Thanks for making the one-monthiversary special.” Her grateful smile in this moment is enough to break my heart into a thousand pieces.

I turn and try not to be too obvious about hurrying out of the room. And then I do something that I don’t normally do when I get into my own bedroom - I close the door.

I let my facade crumble then as I let out a shaky breath and collapse onto the bed. I need to calm down and get a hold of myself.

But as I stare up at the ceiling it’s like I can see images dancing across it, shadows of Evie’s tiny form. I can’t stop thinking about her, laying on my leg with her feet kicked up, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

I close my eyes. How amazing is it that I get to hold her the way I do, every day, her tiny body easily fitting on my palm or wrapped up in my fingers? And how wonderful is it that she’s so comfortable with me handling her now, that I can touch her so casually, pretty much whenever I want?

And yet there are so many other things I wish I could do.

I want to feel every bit of her between my fingers. Every bit of her. I want to roll her around in my palm like it’s nothing, push her into whatever position I’m feeling like. To touch every beautiful curve.

I want to bring her up to my face, closer than I ever have. To see her in greater detail. To gently snuggle her against my cheek. What would she feel like against the sensitive surface of my lips? What could it possibly be like to press such a small person against my mouth, covering her with gentle kisses as she writhes against me?

I’m sure something like that would terrify her. But what if I could actually make her feel good… What if I could figure out the ways to elicit moans of pleasure from the way I touch her… The smallest of sighs as she closes her eyes and rolls her head back and gives in to me…

What if that fabric had completely slipped off of her and I could see what was underneath. To feel her tiny, naked form against my own skin…

It’s too much. I’m drowning in my thoughts, the images in my head swirling as my breath comes in shallow.

My hand is down my pants now as I imagine what she would feel like down there. There’s so much her little body is capable of, so many ways she could make me feel amazing, and she has no idea. She’s just so small… so tiny… so—

I release right then with a tight, stifled groan. The bliss lasts for all of half a second… before it’s replaced by an intense, stomach-curdling, heart-wrenching shame. My eyes snap open and I’m breathing hard.

Oh god. What am I doing?

I drape an arm over my face, covering my eyes as I grit my teeth. And I curse under my breath.

What is wrong with me? What am I thinking? I feel incredibly dirty. I just got so caught up… How could I let myself do this? Evie’s my friend – my precious, precious friend…

And then I finally acknowledge it. I have feelings for this girl.

Our chemistry was obvious from the moment we met. We have just enough in common that we bonded quickly but enough differences to be able to share and learn from each other too. Every day has been a new joy as I discover the parts that make her her. The way she organizes things so meticulously, how eager and excitable she gets, and especially her sweet and caring side in my regard. We’ve gotten so close so quickly over the past few weeks - I’ve spent more time with her than anybody else this last month.

But it’s never enough. If I could have my way I’d be spending every waking moment with her. I love our friendship, so much. But it’s gone beyond that. I’ve begun caring about her on a much deeper level.

And I lust after her. Even before she got shrunk I thought she was gorgeous, with those big, brown doe eyes, her smile that even now can light up the entire room, her incredible body that curves in all the right places. And my brain is wired to enjoy her stature right now. I can’t help finding her even more beautiful when tiny. Her size is just… absolutely intoxicating. And there’s a sick part of me that likes the fact that it makes her helpless, keeps her stuck here, keeps her dependent. Dependent on me.

I can’t push my feelings onto her. A part of me wonders if she might care for me in that way too, size difference be damned, but I can’t risk finding out. It can’t come from me. Our situation is just too complicated - what kind of position would I be putting her in? She has no one else to turn to right now. I wouldn’t dare compromise our current relationship. I care about her too much, I don’t want to ruin what we have.

Don’t screw this up. Don’t you fucking dare screw this up, Aiden.

“Never again,” I whisper to myself, “This ends now.” I repeat it into the air again and again and again and again.

This.

Ends.

Now.

~ End of Part 1 ~

[littlest-lily]

And there’s that! Thank you so so much for reading thus far~ Lots more adventures still to come for these two. I’m currently working on the second part so it might be another couple of months or so before I start posting it, but I do have other little projects that I plan on posting in the meantime.

Take care and happy holidays!

[Olo]

@littlest-lily

I’d like to take you out too.” Take you… outside. Right…
After that rather stressful couple of minutes, I start to get a hold of myself again as I carry the takeout bag

“One Evie to go, extra curiosity, hold the self-doubt.”

She’s wearing her usual gray strip of fabric looped around her top half, tied in a bow just above her tailbone, like a present begging to be unwrapped.

Has Aiden been Naughty or Nice?

On Tumblr I once participated in a rather heated exchange about whether tinies could give meaningful consent. As usual, it came down to full and frank communication, which both Aiden and Evie are struggling with, but I have faith in them.

I wonder how much prior romantic/sexual experience each of them has. Might be time for Aiden’s former high-school sweetheart to show up…

[Olo]

@littlest-lily

A Gift For You by @Shardro

[littlest-lily]

@Olo

“One Evie to go, extra curiosity, hold the self-doubt.”

HA! I love that so much

Yes, communication in this type of situation is so incredibly important. In certain ways they’ve been pretty good about that, but in other ways completely failing… Consent, previous experience, all of it to be addressed

And oh my goodness that artwork is so freaking cute!

[littlest-lily]

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

(Also, I’m still new to this whole posting images thing, here’s hoping this turns out okay!)

[littlest-lily]

Part 2: Down to Earth

Chapter 19
Aiden

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Aiden!”

I stop short. Evie and I stare at each other, frozen, our eyes slowly widening. The voice came from behind me. We’re not alone.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily Yup, it’s time to meet more of Aiden’s social circle (since Evie’s has quite literally shrunk out of sight).

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Right after she was like “I’m scared of other people” lol

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 20
Evie

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

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

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

I need to hide.

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

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

“Oh, hey Taylor! How’s it going?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You too, Taylor, have a good one.”

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

“Evie? Where are you? I’m so scared of crushing you right now…”

Pushing upward on the heavy fabric, I get to my feet, loudly calling, “Here! I’m right here!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I feel a bit deflated. I try again.

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

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

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

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

“Do you see him much outside of class?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Olo]

@littlest-lily Trust me Evie, Aiden saw what you were doing with your dress and it nearly gave him a heart attack.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo At least he managed to stay cool

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 21
Aiden

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Can I keep it?”

“Sure, knock yourself out.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No, I’ve still got a few. I might need more sandpaper soon though?”

“Sure, I have some left. I’ll cut out more pieces for you after this.”

“Thanks, Aiden.”

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

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

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

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

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

“No.”

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

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

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

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

“Hey, there’s no shame in admitting that you’re lonely,” I tell her, “It’s beyond understandable.”

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

The quiet drags on and I’m beginning to feel frustrated. “C’mon, Evie, talk to me.”

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

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

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

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

“I… God, I don’t even know if she’s a her anymore.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No… no coworkers?” I attempt weakly.

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

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

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

“Okay…” I finally say. “Hear me out.”

[Olo]

Whatever idea Aiden has, I’m glad he seems to understand that he’s earned Evie’s trust and that even if she rejects his proposal she won’t think worse of him for it.

@littlest-lily said:

she playfully shoves at my hand to try and get it to flip over, which I immediately let her do.

Like training a dog to roll over.