Can I just hang out here all day? 'kay thanks

So I’m big on romanticizing my life and using my imagination to be more in the present and things like that, and lately I’ve been trying to think of ways that I could do that and also help myself feel tiny. Here are my ideas so far…

Having a blanket that looks like a giant leaf

And a giant cherry that can work as both a decoration AND actually be practical too

I’d love to dress like a borrower

And make paper flowers and berries to make my room look like Arietty’s

@SmolChlo already shared my new dream stuffed animal hehe

Other activities… Maybe I’m folding towels and pretend they’re napkins. I cut open a melon and pretend it’s some kind of berry. Imagining my clothesline is made of dental floss I got on my last borrowing mission.

Let me know if you guys have any thoughts on how to feel tiny IRL!

Hello! This is my first time posting on these boards since I’ve discovered the site ️ I figured I’d add it here in case someone might enjoy it. Thanks for reading!

Part 1: Trial by Fire

Chapter 1
Evie

I feel like I’m sitting at the bottom of the ocean. My head is swimming. There’s a buzzing in my ears and a warmth filling up my body. My eyelids are heavy. Everything is so heavy. I just want to sleep… Maybe if I just…

No. No no no. Something’s wrong. I can’t let myself fall asleep. Come on. I have to force my eyelids open. Come on…

With monumental effort I manage to lift up my chin by just an inch or two. All I can muster is the barest of squints. I see light and shadows dancing in my vision until something solid comes into view. There’s someone in front of me… I make out a face. It’s familiar.

There had been a white room, a waiting room I think. A doctor’s office? And he was there. He was standing just behind the counter.

“Hi there! Are you Evie?” He had such a friendly smile. I remember it setting me at ease.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Cool, I’m Aiden. It’s nice to meet you.”

I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. A shock of dark hair, broad shoulders and strong posture, and yet fine, almost delicate facial features. I wasn’t even sure what his eye color was - light brown? Green? I finally decided on hazel.

His attractiveness started to set off all sorts of alarm bells in my mind. But he seemed so nice too, so warm and relaxed, and he looked about my age. That helped me calm back down.

“Hold on a sec,” he’d said, “Are you in Professor Hickory’s class? Biochem?”

“Oh. Yeah! I thought you looked familiar. You doing this for lab credit then?”

“Yup. The extra cash doesn’t hurt either.”

“I hear ya. So are you participating in the experiment, or…?”

“Kind of - I’m here as a technician. Well, first I’m here to get you checked in. Could you fill this out?”

How long has it been since I was in that white room? It feels like so long ago. But I don’t think it was. I remember completing some forms, chatting with the handsome boy behind the counter. What happened after that?

There’s an aching in my shoulders, I’m being held upright by straps that are digging into my skin. I have to keep my eyelids open. I try looking at something else, shift my gaze to the left. There’s a desk not too far from where I am. I focus on a red mug on its surface. I see flashes of broken red ceramic on a kitchen floor, hear the grating sounds of a woman yelling. I quickly push that memory away. It’s not helpful right now.

Wait… There’s someone else there, next to the desk. He’s standing further away, he’s harder to make out in my dizzied state. But then he glances up at me, his dark eyes meeting mine. Suddenly it’s like a bucket of ice fills my stomach. I feel inexplicable terror grip my throat at the odd, calm expression on his face.

I’m not sure why, though. He had been friendly too. Not quite as warm as Aiden, and a little distracted. Older, maybe in his late thirties or early forties. What was his name again? I think he’d introduced himself as I stepped into the lab, but I can’t fully remember…

“Evie, I take it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Step right through here, please. Aiden will help you set up.”

When was this? I think this just happened recently. It was after the white waiting room… Yes, I think it was only minutes ago. I was led into a small chamber of sorts that was bolted to the floor in a corner of the room. Three metal walls like a narrow closet around me, a bench for me to sit on. Aiden helped buckle me into supportive straps attached to the wall as I tried not to blush from his close proximity. Then he closed the door on me, the fourth wall of the chamber, made entirely of glass. There was an odd, medicinal odor in the air. I can still smell it now…

My head slumps forward, too heavy to hold up. I try again, my neck straining at the effort of raising my chin. I can’t lift it high enough to see Aiden’s face anymore. I stare at his torso, at the white lab coat that’s covering it. I catch a glimpse of black fabric peeking through from underneath, where he’d missed doing up one of the buttons. Back in the waiting room the coat hadn’t been buttoned up at all…

“I like your shirt,” I had said as I gave him back his clipboard.

“Oh hey, thanks! Do you play?”

“I used to. I’m more into board games, but I like card games too.”

This scene in my head is interrupted as the fabric in front of me shifts. I’m seeing Aiden’s face again, he’s crouching down in front of the glass so that he can meet my wobbly gaze. I’m suddenly realizing his mouth is moving and I’m hearing his voice, and it’s not in my head this time from the fragments of memory, it’s here in the present, coming out of some kind of speaker in here as the glass is sealing him off from me.

“Evie? Can you hear me?” There’s a gentle look on his face, a wrinkle of concern in his brow.

I try to move my mouth. I have to let him know something’s wrong. But my body can only do so much at once. I manage to whisper something incomprehensible, but as a result I can’t keep my head up and slump forward again. I catch movement in my periphery as the figure in front of me stands back up.

“Sir, she’s still not responding.”

“That’s alright. She may be a little dizzy for the next few minutes, perfectly normal. That’s why we have her on those supports.”

No, these aren’t supports. They’re restraints. I try again and I find more success now, pushing my head up and letting out a quiet, desperate groan. I still can’t form words, though, and everything goes blurry for a second from the effort.

“But… are you sure we shouldn’t–”

The older man’s voice is a little sharper this time. “She’s fine. I have all her vitals pulled up here, everything’s in order. Pay attention to your own screen, Aiden, it should be almost ready.”

The fuzzy figure before me pauses for an extra beat before it shifts to the side, to my dismay. Every muscle in my neck and shoulders is trembling at this point, and I manage to lean back this time instead of forwards, my upper back resting against the metal wall of the chamber. I stare out through the glass, taking in the rest of the room, the mundane furniture littered with foreign machinery.

I can’t see him in front of me but I do hear Aiden’s voice. “We’re fully calibrated. Ready when you are.”

“Good. Solution’s nearly loaded. Remember to monitor that gauge until the sensor lights up. Then just keep an eye on her for me… Alright, let’s begin.”

Panic rises in me - I have no idea what they’re talking about, but somehow I know intrinsically, without a doubt, that something terrible is about to happen. My focus is on my arms and legs now as I try to push against the bindings, but it’s like my muscles are made of molasses. I might as well be trying to lift an eighteen wheeler.

I’m more and more alert as whatever drug was impairing my brain function has been slowly dissipating. Despite barely being able to move, I am all too aware of what happens next.

The odor in the room turns nauseatingly sweet and the air feels thick and warm. I’m hit with a wave of vertigo and I see it happening around me… I’m falling. I’m sitting firmly on the metal bench and yet I’m slowly falling anyway, the ceiling pulling up and my back sliding against the metal wall. My eyes widen in awe as the scene just beyond the glass wall begins transforming. It’s as if the glass has become a movie screen and I watch everything shift on it… slowly growing. Impossibly, my entire environment is increasing in size.

Surely I’m seeing things, a hallucination from whatever crazy drugs they’ve put me on. I can’t make sense of it. But even as I stare and try to tell myself that this isn’t real, the most convincing piece of evidence comes into view - Aiden’s stepping back in front of the glass. Only now he’s twice as tall as I am and getting bigger by the second. Something about seeing him makes me realize that it’s not my surroundings that are growing. I’m getting smaller.

His eyes are wide too, his look of awe mirroring mine. But while I’m looking at him with terror, he’s looking at me with a growing exhilaration.

“Whoa," he says, leaning in. He’s smiling widely. "Look at her go!”

No, no, this isn’t anything to smile about. I stare at him desperately, screaming at him with my eyes. Distractingly, I hear the more distant voice - I can’t see him now but the other man at his desk laughs lightly.

“Fascinating, isn’t it? Enjoy the show.”

This is a nightmare. How can I make them understand I’m not okay? I make another attempt to yank against my constraints and I’m surprised this time that my arms slip right out. I quickly realize this wasn’t because I’ve suddenly regained my strength, but it was bound to happen at any moment as I’m shrinking right out of the bindings. I slump forward and manage to catch myself, my hands hitting against the metal bench hard. It’s taking everything in me to hold myself up.

I notice my legs are starting to straighten out with the bench continuing to grow beneath me. My breathing is coming out shorter as panic builds. I look at Aiden again, who’s easily towering over me now, his frame dominating my own as I can’t be much bigger than his forearm at this point. Tears well up in my eyes from the fear and I push my vocal chords to grate out whatever I can.

“Stop,” I whimper, pathetically.

There’s no way that he heard that, even if the communication system is two-way - I could barely hear myself. But he can certainly tell from my expression that I’m not sharing in his enthusiasm. Aiden crouches down, leaning one knee on the floor, so that his head can still be level with mine. Except he still isn’t low enough - despite him kneeling on the ground I’m forced to look up at him. And he’s still growing, growing…

“Aww poor thing, she looks so freaked out," he says, like he’s observing a squirrel in a cage. He puts a hand up, gently tapping the glass with his fingertips as he addresses me, “Hey, it’s okay. Everything’s looking good, Evie, just hang in there. Should be done in just a minute.”

His reassurances are nothing short of infuriating. Why are they doing this? It wasn’t supposed to go this way. I can remember it now, this was just supposed to be some stupid extra credit for school. Something about testing oxygen levels in the air in response to different methods of respiration. It specifically stated in the brief that none of this should result in me passing out, that I would be attached to supports merely as an extra precaution. This should have been quick and simple as I hold my breath or purposely hyperventilate for the experiment. That’s all this was supposed to be.

Instead, I’m now surely no taller than the gargantuan hand that’s leaning up against the glass door. I glance down, catching sight of the floor of the chamber despite the edge of the bench stretching further away, and I’m dizzy at the realization of how high up I am. Reflexively I try to scoot backwards, away from the sheer drop of the cliff. I manage to shift a hair. Very slowly some of the strength in my muscles is returning. It does me no good, though.

Bringing my sights back to the giant beyond the glass, I can feel my heart trying to break out of my ribcage. He’s still growing. How small are they planning to make me? Is this going to go on indefinitely? Am I about to–

“Aaaand…” Aiden’s voice makes me jump, the speaker booming from somewhere above me. “There. All done.”

I yelp at the sudden sound of whooshing coming from every direction and my hair whips into my face. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying not to fall over from the sudden wind storm, leaning forward to brace myself on my hands.

And then everything goes very, very still. I don’t sense any more strange smells, in fact the air seems bizarrely sterile now. As is quickly becoming routine, I forcefully tense the muscles in my neck so that I can look upwards. Please, let this be some insane form of virtual reality. A hallucination. A dream. Something. There’s no way the world could have actually gotten this big. There’s no way I’m only a couple of inches tall to the man that’s smiling from beyond the glass. It’s not possible.

The speaker crackles to life with the far-off voice of the other, older person. “Vitals are normal, solution levels are stable. I’m unlocking the hatch.” A large, metallic thunk breaks the air. Every new sound makes me almost leap out of my skin, although in reality I’m doing little more than twitching.

“I think the halothane’s wearing off,” says Aiden, his too-large hazel eyes looking straight at my face. I stare at his mouth as he talks. Each subtle movement of his is unreal.

“That’s fine. The neuroblockers should also fully wear off in the next ten to fifteen minutes. It’ll be easier to get the measurements done within that time, go ahead and put her on the scale now while I finish the records.”

Every bit of me is trembling. The whole shrinking process took several minutes but at the same time, it all happened so quickly and my change in perspective is completely overwhelming. There’s no time to compose myself, though. My chest tightens as I watch the nearby giant rise up ever higher, impossibly so, reaching his full standing height within a second. He reaches outside of my line of sight for something, but I don’t even process what that is as I fixate on his hand that then extends in my direction.

“I’m coming in, Evie,” he says gently. As if a soothing tone is enough to compensate for the intensity of his presence.

He opens the door.

@rand Oh yup I also thought this topic would be about something very different hahaha. This is so wholesome, I love it!

I actually recently wrote a scene that’s semi similar where it was a small group of guys bringing their SW companions over for a playdate. There is something to the idea of everyone hanging out together, but the biggos are chatting on their end while the tiny ladies are having their own conversation.

This is getting me to think about my own reality - I think about being tiny all the time, but now I’m entertained by the idea that all my girl friends could be tiny with me while all of our husbands are still normal sized. How fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StrBoWeV-Fo

Just found this channel and I am obsessing!!

Chapter 10
Aiden

“You sure this isn’t too awkward?”

“I’m sure. It’s just an arm, Evie.”

“Yeah, to you…”

I don’t let her know just how much I’m getting a kick out of this… This is probably the most intimate interaction we’ve had thus far. It was entirely her idea too.

Over breakfast Evie was going on about how she’s getting used to her new space on the desk and thanking me for my help. Meanwhile I’m just glad that she’s still here and settling in so well no less. Maybe it’s wrong, but I can’t help enjoying this fantasy-come-to-life situation.

And then she admitted to not feeling used to me. For a moment I was worried that I’d done something bad, until she clarified that she just still feels a bit intimidated by our size difference. Well… that’s understandable. I must still look like a monster to her. No amount of joking around about it is going to erase that.

She asked me if I wouldn’t mind just putting my hand up on the desk so that she could spend some time taking it in. My heart rate started picking up, but I was still more than happy to oblige…

And here we are. I’ve propped my entire forearm onto the table’s surface, my hand relaxing palm side up, and at first Evie’s just assessing, walking along the length of it, like a curious little mouse eyeing a potential hiding place. So cute. She’s halfway between wrist and elbow before she finally reaches out to touch me.

It’s probably just the anticipation of it that’s making my nerves oversensitive, but it feels like electricity where her skin meets mine. The hairs stand up on the back of my neck and I just try to hold really still. Her back’s to me so I don’t see her expression, but I imagine it’s one of fascination from the way she’s fixating the spot that she’s touching. She starts making her way up towards my hand, her tiny fingers trailing along my arm.

She’s getting close to the inside of my wrist when she pauses and puts both hands out now. “Whoa,” she says, and now I do get to see her face as she glances over her shoulder at me, “I can feel your pulse.”

If that’s the case, I hope she can’t tell how fast my heart is beating. Trying to play it cool, I quip back, "Well that’s handy. You can be my at-home nurse then– ahhh–” I try not to flinch as my whole arm lights up with goosebumps. She just brushed her fingers along the base of my palm. “Okay that tickles,” I say tightly.

“Sorry,” she laughs, pulling her hand away and continuing along.

Don’t be, I say only in my own mind, That felt really good…

I kinda wish I could explore her too. To maybe wrap my hand around her frame or carefully grasp a limb between my fingertips. To try and brush her hair back in order to gently touch her tiny face. But all of that seems way, way more invasive than what she’s doing to me. I don’t want to treat her like an actual doll. I thought I was having success at keeping these kinds of thoughts in check, but with Evie interacting with me like this it’s becoming very difficult to do so.

She reaches the ends of my fingers now and pushes against the third and fourth one while I let them hang loose, so that they curl in from the pressure of her minute muscles.

“What’s it like from your perspective?” she asks after she’s pulled the digits back out, and then she cautiously crawls right onto them.

Hoo boy. I want to be careful about how I answer this.

“It really is weird just how light you are,” I say, consciously flattening out my hand to give her an easier time clambering across the length of it. “At first I was so nervous about hurting you, you just seem so… fragile? No offense.”

“None taken,” she says, reaching my thumb now and using it to hoist herself back to the desk.

“My aunt has pet birds, though,” I continue, “and I got really used to handling them growing up when I’d go stay with her during the summer. If I can trim a finch’s nails I think we should be okay… At least your bones aren’t hollow. Mind if I try something?”

Evie looks up at me curiously and nods as a go-ahead. I tilt my hand upright and snake it around behind her, and then I very gently use my middle finger and thumb to pinch around the sides of her waist. I make sure to be careful about where I aim… All of her body parts are really close together and I don’t want to touch her anywhere inappropriate. I put on just enough pressure around her torso to lift her up, until her feet barely leave the floor. She lets out a little gasp, suddenly leaning forward to catch herself on the fingertips protruding from either side of her, but she doesn’t protest.

“Not too uncomfortable?” I ask before setting her back down.

“N-no…” she says, despite looking a little nervous. She takes a step back as I slowly slide my hand away again, and she’s looking from my fingers to my face, as if trying to put it together that I’m all one being. “In fact,” she adds, and her cheeks are reddening, “that might actually be better for when you have to carry me. Just something that feels more secure I guess? I’m always worried about falling.”

As if there was any universe where that would be an issue for me. “Okay, yeah. No problem.”

Her entire face is flushing now and she suddenly covers her eyes with her hands. “This is so weird!” she exclaims fervently.

I laugh and figure she might need a break from this exercise so I pull my arm back off the table. “It is very weird. You think this is helping you get used to it though?”

She pulls her hands off her face as she takes a deep breath, quickly regaining her composure. “It is. Thank you.”

“Any time.” God do I mean that.

I leave to run more errands after that, intent on finishing up Evie’s setup today. I’m out all morning, visiting a few different stores, being quite selective about the things on our list. I don’t find a mini fridge that’s even remotely the right size, unfortunately. And I’m realizing that most dolls are quite a bit bigger than three inches tall. But I otherwise do find success. At one point I get a spontaneous idea for something we hadn’t discussed that I might try to build this afternoon, so I stop at a craft store too.

Being at the pet shop is particularly strange. I’m just here to get her a water tank, though I figure I might as well look through the small animals section in case there’s anything useful. I briefly imagine her running around in a hamster ball, which makes me laugh to myself.

There’s a harness here with a leash - it’s clearly meant for rabbits or ferrets so it would be way too big for her anyway, but… something about it makes me shudder uncomfortably. I remember Dr. Little’s recounting of how he trained his victims to act a certain way. And I take a moment, right there in aisle 4, to firmly tell myself that I will never, ever treat her like an animal. No matter how small and cute and dependent she is. I can’t ever lose sight of the fact that she’s a person.

I come home to the bright, adorable smile of my little roommate, and the afternoon is spent unpacking and setting up everything that I bought. I’ve upgraded her measuring spoon to a small bowl for me to put fresh drinking water in, and Evie’s very excited about some of the miniature shelves and furniture I’ve found - I even came across a bed frame that fits her makeshift mattress.

She assures me she’ll pay me back for this stuff as soon as we get her debit card tomorrow amongst her other things. I secretly hope she forgets. She’s got enough on her plate as is, paying for this stuff is the least I can do.

I go fill up the water tank, which is just the right height for her to easily scoop out of with her toothpaste-cap-buckets, perfect for filling a bathtub. Speaking of which - I bring over a longer charging cable to set up the mug warmer and a small dish that she can use to bathe in. It’s a USB-powered warmer that’s just meant for office use, so it doesn’t get excessively warm, and the dish completely covers the hot plate, so it should all be quite safe. Plus she’s able to operate it independently… It’s all coming together.

She has a section on the corner of the desk that is quickly becoming the bathroom area, and I take some quick measurements of it with a ruler. Then I set to work, using the ottoman as a table and pulling out the white plastic sheets I got at the craft store.

“What are you working on?” Evie calls out from the desk, tilting her head to the side as she watches me.

“You’ll see,” I say with a smile, “I don’t want to promise anything in case it doesn’t work out.”

We spend a little while in comfortable silence as I measure, cut and glue the plastic while she starts putting things on shelves, her industrious nature manifesting again as she organizes everything meticulously. Early evening is approaching when I finally finish my project.

It just looks like a box, about five inches tall and over twice that in length. The roof is a series of many very thin criss-crossing plastic strips, meant to obscure view but still be able to vent. One of the walls has a wide doorway, and another one has a hole just big enough to string a power cable through.

“Let’s see if this works…” I say, softly interrupting Evie’s endeavors.

She glances up as I approach the desk, and her brow furrows with a mix of confusion and interest. I take the mug warmer with its ceramic dish and put it inside the box, orienting it so that the doorway is facing the side wall of the apartment and is out of sight, and then I place the entire structure right next to the water tank and metal toilet box for easy access.

“Thought you could use some privacy,” I say, standing back up to admire my handiwork. “At first I thought about using a shoebox, but then not only would it be dark in there but I figured all of the evaporation from the bath would make the cardboard soggy. What do you think?”

Evie enters her new bathroom excitedly, and while I can see a little bit of movement through the roof vent, I can’t tell what she’s doing.

“Can you see me?” I hear her voice yell.

“No, not really. That’s kind of the point,” I say with a laugh.

“Thank you so much, Aiden,” she looks almost emotional as she comes back out to meet me, “This is so thoughtful.”

“I’m glad you like it! I won’t ever go in there unless it’s to dump out the water bowl, so just let me know whenever it’s okay to do that."

“Sounds good.”

“Maybe at some point we’ll figure out how to make you a kitchen. Hell, I wish we could get you your own mini grocery store. It’d probably fit in the living room.”

She laughs, and I can’t get enough of its near musical sound. “I think I have more than enough up here.”

“Yeah, unfortunately you’re still stuck with my cooking. Any requests for your celebratory welcome dinner?”

“Hmm. What are the other meals you said you’re good at?”

“Well it’s pretty hard to screw up fried rice. And I learned to make homemade pesto sauce once, so I’m not bad at pasta. That takes a while, though.”

“Fried rice it is then!”

This works out since I have a lot of vegetables I need to use up. I make a large batch of it and I’m excited to get to use Evie’s new dollhouse plates. Like almost everything else, they’ll be a little big for her, but it’s better than her having to crouch over a giant spoon. I carefully place her portion on her shrunken table and we’re both able to sit in a chair this time as we eat.

Since at this point we’re done with any work we can think of, I suggest watching a movie to relax for the evening. I actually don’t own a TV, just watch everything on my laptop, but I think that’s better suited for my little friend anyway.

“So what kind of stuff do you normally like to watch?” I ask, offering her my hand to climb onto.

“Umm… I watch a lot of nature documentaries…” she says, settling onto me, “It’s a bit embarrassing, but a lot of cartoons too. I’m really into animation.”

I remember to loosely close my fingers around her this time, giving her something to hold onto, and I’m trying not to look too excited about having another excuse to hold her in my hand like this. Still, I offer her a smile as I lift her up. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’ve just gotten into anime pretty recently, so if that counts then I’m right there with you.”

Evie clings to my ring finger and looks up at me eagerly. “Yeah, it counts! Gosh, I haven’t watched anime in years. My best friend growing up showed me so much of it, that was her big obsession. What’s your favorite show so far?”

“So, one thing you have to know about me…" I say, sitting down on the couch as I continue holding her aloft, "is that I really love camping. I usually try to get out in nature for a couple of days once or twice a year. Last year was particularly busy for me school-wise, and I didn’t get to go. Sooo, what’s the next best thing? Watching cutesy anime girls camping instead, apparently. There’s my long-winded explanation for why I love Laid Back Camp. Even though I’m probably not the target demographic… It’s just so relaxing and a really nice escape for when I have a lot going on.”

“I’ve never heard of it. But a relaxing escape sounds really nice right now… Um, if you’re okay watching something you’ve already seen.”

“I don’t mind at all, I’d love to introduce you to it!” I set Evie down next to me on the couch and reach out to the laptop to pull up the show.

Our setup is rather comical. Like a kid who’s pretending to watch TV with his favorite action figure. I have to be mindful not to shift around too much - it’s not like she’s right up against me, but I still don’t want to jostle her.

We’re about halfway through the episode when I notice her small figure out of the corner of my eye, shifting closer to me. I think she’s trying to be sneaky about it… which might objectively not be the smartest thing if it could lead to me accidentally knocking into her. But I also feel touched that she trusts me to be careful. I wonder what she’s up to…

Evie comes very close to my leg, and I abruptly realize what she’s looking for - body warmth. She’s shivering.

Any normal person would have offered her a blanket. Or I should have at least gone and updated the thermostat. But instead, my gut reaction is to lay my hand down next to her on the couch. She jumps at the sudden movement and looks straight up at me.

“You cold?” I ask quietly, and I gently nudge her with my pinkie. For a second I think she’s going to decline and feel incredibly stupid for not offering her something other than myself to stay warm. But then she silently crawls onto my hand, huddling against my fingers as I curl them around her. And bit by bit her muscles relax as her shivering goes away.

“Thanks,” she finally says, giving my thumb a grateful pat as she readjusts herself on my palm for the long haul. “This helps.”

I have a really hard time paying attention to the show after that.

Chapter 29
Evie

I look down at my list on a tiny square of paper, written for my size since it’s for my eyes only. I don’t want to lose track of what I’m doing so I’ve mapped out a plan and refer to it often. Feeling reoriented, I go back to the other sheet of paper I’m working on, writing with much larger letters. I’m getting close to done with my project, which is good because my little metal bathroom is getting very crowded with all of the hidden sheets of paper I’ve stuffed inside.

Every once in a while throughout the days, I hear a set of footsteps approaching and retreating from outside the door of the apartment - other tenants who live on this floor. I think the sound outside is just that… until I hear a key that enters the lock. I jolt up to my feet wildly. Aiden’s back way earlier than anticipated.

I’m rolling the paper up as the distant door swings open, then I dash behind the desk lamp with the scroll over my shoulder. I don’t want to be seen crossing the gap to the bathroom, so instead I turn towards my stuffed lion that’s perched on the windowsill. It’s leaning up against the desk just beside me and I don’t have very many options - footsteps are already heading my way. I slide the scroll of paper down so that it’s pinned between the desk and the lion’s chest, hidden out of sight in the fur.

Thankfully my acrylic paints are close by too so I just start walking along the tubes, trying to make it look like I was in the middle of picking out the next color.

“Hey, roomie!” I call out to the approaching giant who’s looking at me with a wide smile. Whew, I think he’s none the wiser. “Is everything okay? Today’s Wednesday, right?”

“Yup. My Geodata professor’s sick so class was canceled at the last minute. I still have work this afternoon, but I figured I’d swing by and have lunch here since I have extra time.”

I may have been anxious to get my secret project done, considering his birthday is the day after tomorrow. But I savor any extra time I can have with him, especially with the knowledge of how busy he’s about to be with finals in the next couple of weeks. He’s always a welcome sight.

Aiden sits and turns his attention to the mini that I’ve thankfully made some progress on since he saw it this morning. He leans forward, lowering his head and resting his elbows on his knees.

“Damn, Eve.” He squints at the elven ranger I’ve got propped onto a DIY work table. The unpainted figurines I ordered are about a third of my height, and all I currently have for paintbrushes are a couple of plastic kids’ brushes, cue tips and kitchen sponges in various sizes that were part of the items that Dr. Little had shrunken down. I think I’ll be able to upgrade and make my own brushes eventually, but this has been working well enough for now.

“Damn good or damn bad?” I ask facetiously as I approach to be level with the mini.

“Seriously, the detail on this is insane. Which makes sense, I guess, but actually seeing it is so cool… And for someone who claims to not be able to draw, you sure can paint!”

“Thank you, I’m glad it’s alright,” I say with relief, “since from my perspective it’s not quite where I want it to be. This is a lot easier than drawing, though, it’s more like coloring an existing drawing.”

“Maybe, but some of these details are all you! Did you give her dimples?”

“Hey, you noticed! I gave her freckles too.”

“Oh shit, you did! I can barely make them out, but there they are. Amazing…”

“Well, I’m glad my puny hands are good for something.”

Aiden sits up again, attention back on me. “They’re good for lots of things!” he exclaims. There’s a slightly awkward pause as I’m not sure how to respond, and finally he laughs and says, “Yeah, I don’t know what I mean by that either.”

Man, I really love that smile of his. The kind where it starts out a little self conscious but grows in confidence when our eyes meet. And with a thought as simple as that, I can feel my heart climbing up into my throat.

Ever since Moira and I had that conversation about him last week, I’ve begun taking notice of more things… They’re rather shallow observations. Like how his shoulders aren’t just nice to sit on, but the shape of them is also nice to admire from afar. I’ve started enjoying the way his jaw tapers up, the way his hair frames his face, the way his lips rest when he’s content. I love how long his fingers are when I go to sit on them, and how there’s a smooth curve where his arm meets his wrist, transitioning into his thumb that feels like a loyal friend at my side. And god, the gorgeous hazel of his eyes still knocks me off-kilter sometimes.

I’ve learned to be very wary of handsome men, but with Aiden it’s different - the way he looks was at the bottom of my priority list for so long. My focus just used to be the scale of him, along with how generous and kind he was. But the simple ways in which I’ve found him alluring have slowly been sneaking up on me in the background. It doesn’t make any sense to me, the fact that I can be so… physically attracted to someone who’s more of a landscape to me than a person, but that’s exactly what’s happening. It’s only recently that I’ve really been made aware. It… might become a bit of a problem.

“I think I’d like to have at least a dozen ready before I officially try to launch anything,” I say, turning to look away from the giant for a second so that I can catch my breath. “The next thing I’ll need to figure out is how to pack them. I have some ideas on that though. Maybe come summer I’ll start making actual money. And soon enough, I’ll finally be able to pay rent!”

I’m half joking, but a quiet sigh from my larger friend tells me the joke didn’t land. Perhaps I’ve made this kind of comment one too many times. He doesn’t quite look annoyed, just a little pained.

“Evie, we’ve been through this. You being here makes no difference in rent. Please stop getting hung up on that, it should be the very last thing you worry about. I’m not going to kick you out.”

“I know, I know.” My voice is a cross between soothing and sad. “I’m just talking longer term. You know that I wish I could contribute more…”

“You contribute plenty. I’ve never had such a clean kitchen counter in my life! And I’ve also never felt so organized with the groceries and cooking. I always end up grabbing junk food during finals, but with all your meal planning I won’t have to.”

He’s humoring me, I know these little favors aren’t actually making that much of a difference. But he makes it sound so convincing. They’re not lies, just an acute ability to find things to compliment. Yet another one of his qualities.

“Speaking of that,” I say, cautiously trying to redirect the conversation, “Did you see the spreadsheet I emailed you?”

The corners of Aiden’s mouth suddenly drop. "Uhhhh… Yeeeah… I totally checked it out…”

I laugh, knowing he’s not nearly as much of a nerd about this stuff as I am. “It’s okay, I only made it last night. It was just to put everything we talked about in one place, and that way you have a grocery list ready to go for tomorrow. It’s already off track, though, I wasn’t expecting you to be here right now… I was planning on you getting takeout for lunch and leftovers for dinner.”

“How about the reverse?” the giant suggests, offering me his hand. “I’ll go get some leftovers now. Want to join me?”

I’ve already stepped on before he finished his sentence, a clear answer that makes him chuckle. The usual vertigo of being lifted up feels more like butterflies in my stomach as I gaze up along his body, not worrying about our destination but instead just… looking at him.

I’m feeling a sense of curiosity as I stare. He could have simply brought his food back to the desk. There’s no reason for me to come along. But he’s always offering to carry me around everywhere. Why is that, I wonder? Is it always just a favor, to give me a change of scenery?

I move my attention to his fingers. They’ve folded inwards for me to hold onto as usual, but I take notice of the way part of his middle finger presses up on one side of my waist while his thumb is braced against the other side. He’s gingerly moving the digits against me, ever so gently rubbing me between them, a gesture that I doubt he’s even conscious of. Maybe that’s why he likes carrying me around, maybe I’m just something to fiddle with as he goes about his business. I’m such a small point of contact to him.

But to me it feels very different. He can easily touch so much of me at once. The pressure, the warmth, the delicate intention of it all… it’s pretty addicting. Intoxicating, even. And as I sit here, so little in the palm of his hand, for the first time I feel a wave of something new. A humbling but not unpleasant awe at being held so softly by someone so incredibly powerful.

I expected Aiden to put me down on the counter, but he keeps me held aloft as he opens up the freezer to pick out his lunch. Some of the cold air drifts down and I shiver as it rolls over me, which he seems to notice. With a casual movement, his fingers curl in further to cover more of me and he holds me up against his chest.

“Does it matter which one I pick for the meal plan?” he asks.

“Nope! If it’s frozen it’s fair game,” I answer, and it’s only when I hear my own masked nervousness that I realize he had a similar tone. Come to think of it, his nearby heart is starting to beat a little faster. But why would he be nervous right now?

To my surprise, he still holds onto me as he goes to put the food in the microwave, despite the fact that it’ll take a while for it to defrost. This is definitely out of the norm, and I’m starting to wonder if something’s wrong. I lean back against his thumb, away from his chest as I try to look up at his face. He notices me out of the corner of his eye and looks down to meet my gaze.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, “Do you need space? I can put you down.”

“No,” I say quickly, then I realize how overeager I sounded and add, “Just, uh… you alright?”

Aiden doesn’t answer at first as he slowly breathes in and out, his eyes looking past me. Then they come back to join mine and finally he says, “I’m just conscious of the fact that I’m about to be so busy. Next week is going to be absolute hell, and the week after will be even worse. I don’t think I’ll really have much time to hang out and I… I guess I’m already sad about it.”

Those butterflies in my stomach are feeling more like hornets now. I suppose I wasn’t the only one who had thought about us having less time for each other soon. I slide back across his hand to push myself up against his chest in a hug, and he closes the distance with his fingertips, resting them against my back. “It’s just two weeks,” I say to try and comfort him, “And I’ll still be right here the whole time to cheer you on.”

“Yeah, I know, I’m being dramatic.”

“Well, you’re the one who has to actually deal with school stress… I don’t mind you being a little clingy."

What am I saying? What are we doing? My mind goes to where it normally does in similar situations. We’re so intertwined into each other’s lives that it’s only natural that we really care about each other. And it makes sense that we would touch more than average roommates, because I’d never leave the desk otherwise. He’s the type of person who likes helping others, so I think he enjoys looking after me, almost like he would a pet. That’s all this is. I mostly convince myself of it, but instead of feeling the usual reassurances from this mental exercise… I feel a little sad. Why am I so out of sorts today?

I look up at how much time is left on the microwave and I speak without thinking, throwing out a stupid idea. “We’ve got ten minutes. Can you go lie down on your stomach on the couch?”

Aiden stiffens. “…What?”

This is so stupid. "Or on the floor. I just want to try something.”

The giant continues to balk, staring down at me still leaned up against his chest. "R-right now?”

“Uh huh. Bring me with.”

With a hesitant “okay…” we’re headed back into the living room. Aiden’s a bit too tall to fully stretch out on the couch, so he opts for the floor instead, cupping me carefully as he kneels down and then lowers all the way onto his front.

From his position propped on his elbows, he looks straight down at me still sitting in his hands, which are currently resting on the floor. “Now what?” he asks, bemused.

I give him a playful smile. “Can you put me on your shoulder?”

Silently he obliges, bringing one hand up to lift me close to his neck. Grabbing onto his shirt, I pull myself higher, climbing further than I normally would until I’m hoisting myself over his shoulder blade now, reaching his upper back. Once the slope of his body is level enough, I get to my feet and start stepping towards his spine with intentionally slow and weighted footsteps.

His dark hair has grown a little bit since I’ve moved in, but the nape of his neck is still plenty exposed. I notice it’s lighting up with goosebumps as I walk on him, as if I’m just causing a slight tickle. Not quite what I was going for…

“Are you gonna fill me in?” Aiden asks, and I can only see the back of his head and not his expression, but he clearly still sounds very confused.

So, so stupid. “I’m not sure this is working how I’d hoped,” I call back. “I was wanting to give you a little massage, to maybe help with the stress. But I think I’m too light.”

There’s a pause. “Oh. I see. I mean, it… it does feel nice…”

I can’t help laughing at how tense he sounds and I start heading back the way I’d come. “Don’t force yourself, I’ll get off of you.”

The massive back quakes and I almost lose my balance from the sudden yet slow descent as Aiden gets all the way down and buries his face into his arms. His words are muffled by his posture, but from where I’m standing I can feel them vibrating up through me. “I’m serious. That feels really good.”

My mouth quickly goes dry. “Oh, well, um… good! Just relax then.” I go back to ambling across his back and cross over the bump of his backbone. “I could even do this while you’re studying! Who says we can’t still hang out?”

The giant’s head tilts down as he further curls in on himself, ears turning red from the awkwardness of the situation. “Thank you," he rumbles, "You’re totally spoiling me.”

He’s wrong. I stabilize myself against his protruding shoulder blade and glance back towards his head, observing the line of his neck and the edge of his jaw. I look the other way, along the length of his back that subtly slopes downward to a slight dip above his tailbone. His body is so vast, stretching out on all sides. I feel his muscles below me, the warmth of his skin through his shirt. I do care about his stress levels, I do want to do something nice for him, but… my little expedition is truly, mostly, very selfish.

Riding around in a shirt pocket sounds like the most lovely thing in the world. Taking a nap in the hood of a jacket sounds pretty good to. And it’s not clothing, but if we’re just talking about containment, I really love the idea of just being carried around in a hand all the time, trapped in a loose fist and ready to be fiddled with at a moment’s notice…

But if I’m feeling a non-con scenario then part of the fun is not having any choice on where I end up!

Chapter 2
Evie

The click of the doorknob echoes menacingly. Each sound is magnified to an astounding degree, bouncing off the metal walls of the now tower-like chamber. I make a terrified, weak whining noise as the glass door swings open, and I’m trying again to scooch backwards, bending my legs up but making very little progress. Aiden is a veritable monster now, all thoughts of his handsomeness completely vanished as I take in the hulking form of this colossus approaching me like some gargantuan predator.

He crouches before me again, the movement causing me to feel like everything’s closing in, and although it’s helpful to not have to take in the entire looming form of his body, having his face come so close to my perch is entirely unnerving. His head alone looks as big as a house.

My breath is coming in shallow as every instinct is hating how exposed I am and wanting me to flee. I’m having to remind myself that I’m staring at another person, not some unthinking beast. I need to communicate with him.

Aiden doesn’t look like he’s used to whatever experiment he’s helped run, completely fascinated by the sight of a shrunken girl. He just watches me for a moment, holding himself still as he observes my miniaturized body, his eyes darting over the length of my tiny frame. I try to form words, to call out to him, but even if there weren’t drugs impairing me I think I’d be frozen right now as I observe him in turn. Finally, Aiden seems to catch himself, his expression changing with a blink.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to stare,” he says quietly, though the vibrations of his speech are practically palpable. There’s something weirdly intimate about the rumbling of his voice being so close as I’m now hearing him actually talk, without the use of a speaker. “This is nuts… Although I’m sure it’s even more intense for you, especially since you can’t really move right now.”

A small whimper sounds at the back of my throat and I feel a tickle on my cheek as the tears that had been welling up finally overflow. Aiden’s brow furrows and he bites the edge of his lip. He thankfully is attempting to stay quiet as he continues to try and reassure me.

“Yeah, this is probably really scary, huh? Even if you know it’s coming… I’ll be careful, okay? We’ll take things nice and slow and then we’ll have you back to your normal self before you know it. Just think about all the lab credit you’re getting out of this.”

I’m momentarily distracted. He… he thinks I knew this was going to happen? I’m starting to put some things together. He might have known what this experiment was all about, but meanwhile I had no idea. Is this some horrible misunderstanding? Or have I been deceived? The older man’s voice rings out just then, catching my attention as if the universe is trying to answer my question.

“Aiden? Today, please.”

The closer giant’s expression shifts again as he frowns with annoyance. With a slow breath he regains himself, brow smoothing out as he turns his head to the side to respond, “I’m just… giving her a second.” When he turns back towards me, it’s with a smile and a lighter tone. “Giving myself a second too. This is incredible.”

The other person doesn’t respond. What was his name again? Some things are still fuzzy, but I know it’s with this older man that I was originally in contact with. Is he also just following orders, under the impression that this is an experiment I’ve consented to? Or could it be that he…?

There’s a strange sound, like an elastic stretching, coming from near Aiden, and as I focus on him I put together what he had reached for before entering the chamber - he’s putting on gloves. I realize immediately what this must mean. He’s about to touch me. I almost fall over as I shove against the metal floor, trying to push myself more upright. Even if I appear to be facing a gentle giant, the sheer scale of him is dangerous in and of itself. But I’m reminded yet again by the sluggishness of my body that there’s nothing I can do to stop any of this.

A massive blue hand comes into view, making me flinch as it rises up over the edge of the cliff. It’s over twice as long as I am, a monster in its own right. Aiden lays his hand flat in front of me, leaning it onto the surface of the bench. I stare at the latex covering his palm, trembling at the sudden proximity of this moving mountain of a man.

“I’ll be carrying you over to the scale. Are you able to climb on?”

I’m not sure how he thinks I might be able to get onto his hand if I can barely hold myself upright. Instinctively, I want to get away, but this time when I push back with my arms I really do fall over. For a second I make it to my hands and knees, legs twisted out awkwardly on either side, but then my elbow buckles and I slip forwards, my face crashing right into the side of Aiden’s hand. There’s a pain in my neck as it bends uncomfortably from the way I’ve landed.

The giant winces sympathetically and I watch in horror as his other hand appears, coming in from above. It hovers for a moment, unsure, until his thumb and forefinger open like a mammoth claw machine. “I’m just going to help you on, okay?”

The blue fingers move down to encircle my frame, and my entire body tenses up as they pinch around my torso. I’m half expecting the vice of his fingertips to crush me, bracing myself for the snap of a rib. But to his credit he’s staying true to his word and being very careful. I’m dragged forward onto his palm, as big as a rubbery queen-sized mattress, until he sets me down again onto my side. As I struggle to move I only manage to wriggle feebly. Like a worm.

I’m pressed into the floor by the g-force as Aiden then lifts me up. I can’t see over the edge of his hand from my sprawled position, but I can only imagine the height as the blue platform brings me into the sky. I shut my eyes, trying to block out the dizzying visuals zooming by. Though there’s so much I can’t ignore… The echoing sounds of machines whirring and footsteps booming. The smell of the latex pressed against my face. The feeling of my heart racing. The nauseating movements as I’m propelled through the air, swaying with the giant’s gait, followed by the vertigo reminiscent of being on a descending airplane that’s coming in for a landing.

“You still with me, Evie?”

I think Aiden’s trying to be gentle with his voice, but he startles me nonetheless. My eyes fly open again and I can see that the surrounding scenery is no longer whooshing by. I manage to lift my head a tad, just enough to take in the structure that I’m about to be set on. A wide stage, a counter of some kind. There’s a variety of oversized instruments - I clock a beaker, a microscope, tongs, and… the afore-mentioned digital scale. This is where the hand platform comes to a halt.

I try once again to see how much mobility I can muster and manage to get up onto one elbow. Progress. Before I can try anything else, Aiden gives me the head’s up of, “Setting you down now… Easy does it…” just as his gloved hand begins tilting. I slowly slide along the surface of his palm, stretching out one foot to try and stand it against the slick black floor below me. My leg can’t quite hold my weight and I crumble to the ground in a clumsy dismount, back onto my hands and knees.

I try to push air out of my lungs in an attempt to produce sound, frustrated by the fact that my limbs are recovering faster than my mouth. The faint squeak that comes out is just enough to catch the giant’s attention - he was about to straighten back up but instead he leans down a little more, his eyes alight with interest.

I try to speak again and it comes out in a hiss. “Stop… this…”

Aiden is noticing again how panicked I’m looking, and he frowns as he strains to hear me, leaning in even closer. “Sorry, what was that?”

I fight against how scared I am of his gigantic face moving too close for comfort. “Didn’t… agree…” My voice finally comes out stronger this time but it’s at the expense of my throat going numb and I’m suddenly caught in a coughing fit.

The giant’s frown deepens and he’s opening his mouth to respond when the sound of approaching footsteps interrupts.

“Have you taken her weight?” The older scientist passes by behind Aiden, a massive blur of color and movement. He stops at another counter, his question hanging in the air.

I could scream in frustration as the giant face in front of me quickly moves away again. “Working on it right now,” he responds, looking a little nervous about how stern his superior has started acting with him. He looks back in my direction, but it’s not for an attempt to talk - instead he’s focusing on the buttons at the bottom of the scale I’m sitting on. “Make sure to hold still for me, Evie? Umm… wow. Less than 6 grams. Can that be right?"

“Sounds appropriate,” the other man responds absently.

I can’t process that number right now. It’s too insane. Aiden sure seems to get a kick out of it, though, as he shoots me a little grin. “No wonder you felt like nothing in my hand.”

I jump at a sudden loud sound, almost losing my balance. Looking around wildly, I realize it was the snapping of a glove as the other giant is donning his own pair. I feel goosebumps on the back of my neck. I’ve had a bad feeling about this mystery man from the moment I came to, and now it seems like it’ll be his turn to interact with me. Sure enough, his figure looms larger as he begins to approach.

Aiden has turned his attention to a nearby tablet now to record his notes, and I finally get a good look at the older man. His hair is darker, shorter. His eyes are dark too. Humorless. Hungry.

That’s when I remember his name. We’d exchanged several emails and the signature that was always at the bottom flashes in my mind’s eye. Dr. Charles Little. The irony is almost laughable. Almost.

I hardly have any time to take in this new titan as he’s already reaching for me, acting much less hesitant than Aiden did. I shy away, a yell getting caught in my burning throat. These new monstrous blue fingers crash right into me and knock me over - I feel my back hit the floor and I’m suddenly pinned under the heavy weight of his hand.

More terrified tears are forming as I struggle to take in a breath. I’m now entirely convinced that I’m not going to survive this nightmare. Dr. Little’s being so much less careful than the previous giant. He’s not even looking at me right now as he picks something up from a nearby shelf… a caliper. Which at this point just looks like a massive torture instrument.

The measuring tool hurtles towards me, and the scientist shifts his fingers, keeping his index pressing down on my upper chest while using his thumb to straighten out my legs. With his other hand he adjusts the jaws on the caliper, lowering it into position around me. I struggle desperately in my panic, though I can hardly budge.

“Please…” This time I manage to actually shout as I feel hard metal against the top of my head. “I didn’t… consent…” The pressure increases against my chest and now I can’t get anything more than a garbled cry out.

Aiden’s still standing nearby, and his eyes flick up from the tablet he’s holding. There’s momentary silence before he decides to say, “Did you catch that, sir?"

"Yes,” Dr. Little responds with an irritated but almost bored tone, “Interesting. She shouldn’t be able to speak at all quite yet. Take note of that, I’ll need to revisit the neuroblocker concentration.”

"Shouldn’t we be trying to listen to–”

“Take note of the height too. Almost exactly three inches, I’m seeing 7.617 centimeters. At least the accuracy was quite good this time… Still need to make sure everything’s in proportion - can you go get the micrometer, Aiden? I think we left it by the heat lamps.”

The younger giant seems to hesitate but ultimately obeys, vanishing from my view. As soon as he’s gone, Dr. Little begins leaning in, doubling over so he can bring his face closer and closer to me. My stomach jumps up to my throat at the sight of his head lowering enough that I can feel the breeze of his breath as he whispers.

"Keep your mouth shut. Alright? Be a good girl and maybe I’ll take it easy on you tonight.”

And just like that, it’s like my world has flipped upside down once again. I stop breathing and my blood runs cold. At this point it’s beyond clear that this isn’t some kind of misunderstanding. I stare wide-eyed at the titan who might actually be a nightmarish monster. Our eyes meet and he’s completely immune to the pleading desperation in my gaze. A whisper of a smile crosses his face and he slides his latex-covered finger down the length of my body salaciously.

Then he straightens back up to standing, getting back to business. I can tell my arm and leg muscles are regaining strength by how violently they’re shaking with fear. I squirm as Dr. Little readjusts his grip on me, enveloping me into his grasp… and lifting me into the air.

Chapter 3
Aiden

I’m not usually one to panic about things. In fact I tend to pride myself on being able to stay calm in stressful situations. But the way this day is going, that’s starting to be put to the test.

I’ve worked with Dr. Little before, just once, a few days ago. He gave me the rundown of the machinery I’d be operating and let me assist in a couple of trial runs. It was amazing, getting to see the shrinking technology in person. At this point I’ve watched a chair, an apple, and even a rat become miniaturized, and quickly I was realizing that this wouldn’t just be me getting simple credits for a college class. I was getting to witness history in the making.

I’d found it pretty insane that I would not only get to be his assistant for some of the human trials, this one apparently being the fourth, but that it would literally just be me and him running the show today. Could something this monumental really be happening on my own university campus? Well, technically across the street from campus, but still. I’m just a grad student. A Geology major at that, I’m not even a physicist or biologist or engineer. I’m not sure how I qualified for this. But I was just excited to be a part of it.

And then… and then everything got weird.

Dr. Little hadn’t come across as a particularly easy-going person on the first day, but he was nice enough and seemed to enjoy my excitement as he showed me how everything worked. But ever since Evie stepped into this room he’s been a little more tense. More concentrated. That makes sense to a certain extent - this is a huge deal. Pun very much intended. But the more time is passing the more my superior is starting to come off as… sketchy.

Up until now, I’ve been distracted from it. Watching a person shrinking down in front of me was nothing short of mind-blowing. I tend to keep it to myself, but I’ve always been fascinated by this kind of thing, and now I got to watch this young woman - this cute classmate of mine, no less - dwindling down like an ice cube melting in a time-lapse.

The only thing dampening my enthusiasm was how scared Evie looked when I approached her. Her long chestnut hair was completely disheveled, her tiny limbs trembling, her shining brown doe-like eyes giving me an almost pleading look as tears ran down her face. Like I was telling her, it would make sense that she’d be so freaked out, no matter how much preparation she went through. I’m sure it really didn’t help that she was still affected by all the anesthetics that were necessary for the shrinking process.

But… I’m starting to realize that there may be more to her fear. Her little voice was hard to make out, but I know what I heard. The suspicions swirling inside of me are becoming impossible to ignore. I scan the counter to my left, finding the micrometer that Dr. Little requested, and as I cross the lab again to hand it to him, I muster the determination to pose the rather horrifying question.

“I have to ask,” I begin hesitantly, gesturing towards the frightened shrunken girl that my boss is currently holding aloft. “Was she not… informed of what was going to happen?”

Dr. Little, who’s been clearing off the counter with his free hand, pauses, giving me a hard look. “Of course she was. What gave you that idea?”

I shift uncomfortably but push forward. “Did you not hear what she said earlier?”

“I think you’re the one who might have misheard.” He’s not looking at me anymore, setting things up for the next phase of testing. “Her voice doesn’t exactly carry very well. I can assure you she’s well aware of what the experiment entails.”

Evie lets out a tiny whimper. Her voice is weak but she manages to push out a scream as she throws her head back, and to me what she says is as clear as day.

“He’s lying–!”

She’s cut off as Dr. Little shifts his thumb just then, pushing it up against her face and covering her mouth. She looks so small in his fingers, so fragile, and I wince at how casually he just did that. My temper flares.

“Hey,” I snap, dropping any pretense of being deferential, “Come on, don’t you think you’re being a little rough?”

Noticing my shift in tone, Dr. Little turns towards me with a haughty air. My heart rate speeds up as my eyes are still fixed on my classmate that he’s handling so carelessly. From the way he jerks her around I worry her neck might snap from the whiplash alone.

“I’m starting to think I made a mistake with you,” he snarls. “You know, the only reason I’m even needing an assistant is because I can’t operate the machinery on my own. I’m not paying you to share your opinions on how I conduct my work. She’s fine.”

“I… Sir, listen, clearly there’s been a mistake here,” I growl back, feigning diplomacy to try to give him an out, “Some kind of miscommunication. I’m sure it was an accident, but we shouldn’t keep going until it’s cleared up.”

“I can assure you, there’s no mistake. The girl’s still recovering from the drugs and isn’t thinking straight. That’s all.” His eyes narrow and there’s a heaviness to his tone, almost like he’s trying to give me an out this time. “And here I thought we were kindred spirits. I thought you might have appreciated this… particular study.”

He’s gotten agitated. I want to reach for Evie, to try and take her away from this man who’s one step away from actually injuring her, but any struggle that might follow could result in disaster. Even now his grip on her looks too tight. I pause, feeling tense and helpless, and put my open hands up in an attempt to pacify him.

“Okay… okay, just… Take it easy," I say, as calmly as I can.

Dr. Little gives me one last, long glare before returning his attention to his work space. I can tell he’s keeping an eye on me, though. My mind’s racing. How do I stop this?

And… did he just say kindred spirits? I suddenly feel exposed, wondering if he’s somehow gotten access to my internet search history. I’m starting to think that maybe there really was a reason I was selected to be his assistant. I’ve always been interested in things like fairies and shrink rays as far back as I can remember, and I’d fantasized about having my own tiny friend more times than I can count. As I got older, my interests matured right along with me. But regardless of what my personal… tastes may be, this is different. This is real life. This is a real girl who’s in real trouble right now. If he truly thought I’d be okay with him shrinking someone and running tests on them without consent, then he has me read completely wrong.

I try to mentally run through my options. My phone’s in a different room, with most of the rest of my stuff in a locker. There’s a landline here for emergencies, but it’s on the other side of the counter and very visible. Is there some kind of panic button or something in this room that can call security? Probably not. What about the tablet I’ve been working on, can I use it to contact someone? Might be worth a shot. But even if I call for help, if this guy literally has a hostage in the palm of his hand, how the hell can anyone do anything without risking her getting hurt?

And then suddenly he makes a mistake. He needs both hands to adjust the micrometer and puts Evie down on the counter for a second, dumping her unceremoniously into a heap. I can see her little body shaking as she valiantly tries to get up again, and it gives me the courage I need to surge forward, to take action, to throw my hands around the threat–

“What are you doing?” Dr. Little yells angrily as I grab him around the chest from behind, pinning his arms against his torso. I wrench him sideways, just trying to pull him away from the counter, away from Evie, and I’m attempting to twist myself around and put my body between him and her.

I don’t answer him, not having had time to really come up with a plan, and just try to hold my own as my boss is fighting back now. I’m only slightly taller than he is and it doesn’t really offer an advantage, nor do I actually know how to fight. But the struggle doesn’t last more than a few seconds… and then a lot more happens in a very short period of time.

He wrenches an arm free and grabs at me - there’s the sound of ripping fabric as buttons pop off my lab coat and he gets a good grip on my clothes, breaking my hold as he throws me off him. I stagger back, and he loses balance from his own shove, tripping and falling and his back rams into a counter. The counter that happens to be housing the power generator for the shrinking machine.

The power generator he had told me to stay far away from.

There’s a loud crash of metal and plastic, a flash of a spark, and just like that, without so much as a yell, Dr. Little’s body convulses, goes stiff, and crumples to the floor. I feel like I watch it in slow motion, my breath getting caught in my chest. The slow motion continues as the power generator, as big as a suitcase and knocked askew, teeters on the edge of the counter before crashing to the ground as well. Then, on the edge of the fallen scientist’s lab coat, a flame begins to bloom.

The sight of smoke snaps me to my senses and I dart for the nearest fire extinguisher. But while my instincts were correct, I’ve never used one of these before. It takes me a second to find the pin, giving the fire an opportunity to flare up and envelop the generator, and as I squeeze the handle, I realize too late that I’ve aimed for the flames and not for the source. The extinguisher empties and I’ve failed to take care of the problem.

I hesitate for a second longer, wondering if I should continue to fight the fire. But the flames are moving fast and have already jumped to two other pieces of machinery, causing them to spark and pop. The blaze is growing as smoke quickly fills the room.

I have to get out of here. And, I realize, I have to get Evie out of here too.

Hurrying over to the counter, I make eye contact with the tiny, terrified girl who’s just watched all of this unfold in massive proportions. She’s frozen in place, paralyzed by the cocktail of fear and anesthetics. Without saying anything I gather her into my hands, trying to be as careful as I can in my haste, and instinctively I hold her up to my chest, cupping her body against me with one hand so that I can keep the other one free. As I look back up towards the exit, Dr. Little’s briefcase somehow catches my attention, right next to us on the counter. I grab it. And bolt towards the door.

The blaze has spread so quickly in the room and I hear yells and alarm bells as I run through the building and smoke fills the air. People are rushing out, some of them panicking - a chemical lab is a terrible place for a fire to break out. I’m starting to cough before I reach the front door, breaching it and joining the group of people that has gathered just outside. I take a deep breath of clear air. My head is spinning as I remember my little passenger, and even as I try to put space between me and the burning building, I take a moment to look down, to tilt my hand back just a bit so that I can check on Evie.

Her miniscule fingers are clutching at the fabric of my half-torn lab coat, her eyes momentarily squinting against the sudden influx of light before they widen again. She looks like she’s wheezing and when she tries to say something she’s instead overtaken by a fit of coughs.

“Are you–” I start to say before someone bumps into me, a large crowd continuing to form. My voice would have been drowned out anyway as the sound of sirens fills the street from an approaching fire truck.

I can’t think straight. I can’t process what just happened. There’s too much chaos. I make a desperate decision in my panic. I live just off campus, a few minutes’ walk from here, and mechanically my legs start taking me in that direction. In just a couple of blocks things are quieter, and soon I’m hurrying into my apartment building and running up half a flight of stairs. Thankfully my keys are in my pocket, unlike my wallet and phone which are probably already burnt to a crisp in the lab’s locker.

Letting out a shaky exhale, my throat still itching from the smoke, I shut the door to my place and lean against it for a second. I hear the siren of a police car zooming by outside, and I just stand there, breathing hard.

But the trials aren’t over. I pull my hand away from my chest and my stomach sinks at the sight of Evie’s body lying limp in my palm. She’s unconscious.

“No no no no no no,” I mutter, dropping Dr. Little’s briefcase to the floor and hurrying over to the closest surface, the kitchen counter. I gently set the shrunken girl down on it as I try to take in the state of her. She’s still breathing, her little chest rising and sinking, but clearly the smoke must have affected her more than it did me as her breath comes out hoarse. And her face is too tiny for me to be completely sure… but I swear her lips have started to turn blue.

I hover over her for a moment, tenderly pushing against her shoulder and repeating her name, trying to get her to wake up. I want to call for an ambulance, but I don’t have a phone. I curse myself then for having headed back to my apartment instead of staying with the emergency vehicles. Despite her size, surely they’d be better equipped to help her than I am. Do I go back? Is there time? Would carrying her around just make things worse?

I almost decide to run out into the hall and start yelling for help in the hopes of finding a phone when I suddenly remember something. I leave my classmate on the counter, darting into my bedroom and beelining for the closet. In the back corner I find what I’m looking for. My dad has a lung condition and he keeps a ventilator kit here for whenever he comes to visit. It’s bulky and rather annoying to hold onto, but it may be the stroke of dumb luck that I need.

Fully aware that the clock is ticking, I hurry back to the kitchen, untangling the tubes coming out of the machine. Unlike the fire extinguisher, I’ve used this thing before - never in an emergency situation like this, but I know how to get oxygen flowing. I place the device next to Evie and set the transparent cup of the face mask over her entire body. A few button presses later the machine whirrs to life and I crouch down next to the counter, observing the tiny girl with bated breath.

Her chest continues to rise and fall weakly. As oxygen is pumped onto her, slowly – agonizingly slowly – her breathing starts to smooth out again and her skin gradually regains a healthier color. She’s still out cold but, from what I can tell, she’s stabilizing. I slouch against the counter with relief.

Minutes pass. Once I’m convinced that she’s alright, I have to step away for a second. Give myself a moment to breathe. I stumble over to the sink, running a hand over my forehead. Feeling the rubbery surface of latex against my face, I frown as I remember I’m still wearing gloves. I rip them off and toss them down forcefully before I lean over the sink, arms taught and letting my head hang loose. Desperately trying not to vomit as the magnitude of everything settles onto me. I take a tremulous breath in and let it out with a tense whisper.

“Fuck.”

@Olo You think Evie would only offer one?

@Mrgoblinging7 um how did this become the most adorable wholesome thing ever 🥲

@TakoAlice8 Oh he doesn’t actually have the kink! That would be an insane coincidence. He’s just really supportive and gets into it for my sake (which I know I’m still very very lucky to have that). It can be kinda fun to get a normie’s take on sizey stuff though, it’s helped with my writing and stuff too!

@Olo That’s a good point. It’s funny though, from my time in Japan I still felt like everyone was tall, even though I’m sure that on average they weren’t taller by as much… it can be kinda hard to tell from down here lol. I guess when you’re above or below a certain height you get a little stuck on that side

@TakoAlice8 Such an interesting thing to think about. I’m 5’2" so I’m ready pretty small irl - I don’t particularly want to actually be shorter, so the fantasy of being super tiny is very much just a fantasy for me. My husband meanwhile is 6’2", on the tall side. I do really love the height difference, I’ll admit. And although he doesn’t quite have the SW kink himself, he enjoys how much shorter I am too and is super supportive about my own kink, he finds it cute and fun.

But I have absolutely felt insecure before about our height difference. I suppose I do generally like tall guys because I like feeling small, but it’s never been a prerequisite for dating. The other men I’d been interested in previously were either average height or shorter. And yet I still ended up with a tall dude. We did the online dating thing and got to know each other really well before I met him in person, so I had no idea he was so tall when I was already very interested. But I still feel uncomfortable about accidentally fitting into the stereotype you were mentioning.

I’ve actually told a couple of friends about my interests, and I usually feel compelled at some to say something like “I promise I didn’t just fall for my husband because he’s tall!!” Even though when I say that, the thought never seems to have crossed their mind and no one’s ever gotten judgy… Maybe sometimes we really just overthink things. But you are definitely not alone!

@Olo Love it!! I’m glad I’m not the only one. I know we’re a big group of weirdos compared to the normies… but sometimes I feel like I’m a weirdo amongst weirdos

@TakoAlice8 I am aaaaall over the board with this! Since I write, sometimes I’m thinking through more complicated word building, plot points, character development and conversations, etc. Sometimes if I’m just daydreaming without actually working on a story, things are a little bit simpler. I’ll usually self insert and have some kind of encounter with a fictional character or my husband or something, and I make things up as I go along. And then sometimes it gets even more simple than that, just a quick feeling in the moment. Like I’ll sit down after an exhausting day and imagine a giant finger petting my head like “good job,” or maybe I’ll be doing dishes or some other unwanted chore, and I’ll imagine a finger and thumb pinching me around the torso and pulling me away from the task lol. I don’t even have a proper “character” in mind playing the giant necessarily, it’s just brief imaginings.

@Olo “You’ll understand one day, we’re meant to be!”

@TakoAlice8 I’ve literally written a pretty long story that starts out exactly like that hehe, so yes I’m interested! I actually much prefer the yandere thing over pure domination/cruelty. For him to find the little one precious while still taking away her freedom and autonomy. It’s a great premise!

@maladaptivetiny This looks great! I wish I had advice for you, I just export my art at a smaller scale if I need to, but I don’t quite know what I’m doing.