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Yesssss I love this whole lil series so much 🥰

@Olo Swiper no swiping!

Chapter 59
Evie

I use two hands to expand the map that I’m looking at on my phone. I’m trying to move quickly. It’s Friday morning and Aiden only has to work an hour of lab credit before he’s done with his job for the day, so he should be back by 10am.

I’ve been staying particularly busy this week. It’s in part to keep my mind distracted after what happened at the dinner party this past weekend, but then I started truly enjoying myself once I got the idea to plan this little outing today. I know where we’re going and what we’re doing there for the most part… but I still haven’t fully decided on where we should go for lunch. I’m running out of time.

Out of desperation, I open up my messaging app and tap on Diego’s name. He and I have been texting quite a bit, actually. It started out with him becoming my virtual physical therapist to help my leg heal, but eventually we started discussing nutrition and exercise in general, and he’s now well on his way to becoming a personal trainer instead. I’m sure if I was my old size he would have already dragged me to the gym by now.

I type a message to him with the hope of getting his help.

E : Hey hey hey Kong

D : Heyheyheyhey Shrimp

E : Do you know if Aiden likes poutine?

D : No clue

D : Wtf is poutine

E : Don’t worry about it

D : Oh I just googled it, that looks amazing

D : Omg are you planning your date right now???

E : Ah he told you about that?

D : Shit

D : NO I don’t know what you’re talking about

D : But okay, if you’re looking at the poutine truck that’s about 10 miles north of you, I will mention that he’s shown interest in checking out that entire food truck area… for what it’s worth ; )

E : Ok thanks!

E : Also I don’t care that you know, Diego. Wish me luck

D : Good luck!!!

Alright. That settles it. Everything’s fully planned now. I just need to wait for my boyfriend to get home.

I go sit down against my stuffed lion with a sigh, eyes glazing over as I run my fingers through its fur. I haven’t really paused to breathe much at all these days. It’s not in a bad way… Well, hopefully. I’m still not always fully in touch with my feelings, my learned tendency being to push away anything that’s painful. I force myself to close my eyes and take a few quiet breaths, seeing if anything comes up.

Sure enough, there’s anxiety simmering at the base of my stomach. Part of it might just be the nerves of having planned this date today and hoping it all goes well. But I also see a flash in my mind, the image of a person… The latest of my too-many acquaintances. Obviously I’m not over the frightening first encounter I had with Camila, almost a week ago now. I’ve thought about it a lot, and Aiden and I have discussed it on multiple occasions. He’s helped me process the fear of that night and has reassured me that she’s not a threat.

But that’s not quite where the anxiety’s coming from right now. The flash in my mind was not of Camila’s face glaring at me, but specifically her hand. The view that I had from within Aiden’s pocket, the feminine fingertips gently tugging at his collar. The memory feels like an icy claw around my heart.

I’m snapped out of my thoughts by the door opening and I hop to my feet, happy to take a break from the ruminating. My giant partner slips inside and looks particularly cheerful as he sends me a wave. He sets his bag on the counter and then hesitates before settling in any further.

“Should I keep my shoes on?” he calls, “Were you ready to head out right now?”

I know he can’t hear me from across the room, but this wouldn’t be the first time - I hold one hand high with a thumbs-up so that he can see my tiny figure lengthen out, our go-to nonverbal signal for “yes.” With that he makes a beeline to where I am, all smiles as he leans down and scoops me up.

"So what’s the plan then?” Aiden asks with anticipation, pausing only to plant a kiss on my neck and shoulder. His warmth has completely thawed away my anxieties, and I giggle as I give him a brief peck in return.

“Real quick,” I say, pointing towards the desk below, “Can you bring my phone and that little box with you? And then I’ll be your pocket GPS.”

“Oh, so we’re driving somewhere?”

“Yup. I wonder if you’ll figure it out on the way.”

“Let’s find out!"

And with that we’re off on our adventure. He does catch on that we’re probably going to do some sort of nature hike based on the roads I lead him to, but he has no idea where we are once we pull into the parking lot twenty minutes later. He steps out of the car and I stay in his pocket, taking furtive looks around so that I can direct him further. There’s a clearing ahead of us - a massive field to me - with a children’s playground and a wooded area in the distance. There’s a bit of a crowd since it’s so nice out, so I point out the general direction for him to go and then duck out of sight.

Aiden manages to cross the clearing and move past the many families without issue. Once we’re beyond the playground, the herd of titans begins to thin as voices gradually recede into the distance. I figure the coast is a bit more clear when I hear a whisper above me, “So what is this place? A park I guess?”

“Yeah, I think there’s some walking trails if you want to check those out too,” I respond, taking a quick glance over the lip of the pocket. “But just past those trees, can you hear that?”

The giant pauses from walking so that he can listen. “A stream?”

“Uh huh. And it runs right next to an old rock quarry.”

“Whoa, seriously?” he says, immediately lighting up at the mention of anything geological. He starts making his way down an unmarked path that winds through the grove, heading towards the sounds of rushing water. “How do I not know about this place?”

I grin to myself. I’d mostly expected that he had heard about it through school or work, but I’m really glad that he hasn’t. “It just opened to the public last week,” I explain, “But I honestly wasn’t sure if you’d already been here somehow…”

“Nope! What a great surpri– oh.”

Aiden steps out into an open area only to stop abruptly and lose track of his words. Now that he’s crossed through the patch of trees, the din of other voices has all but vanished. There’s only the gurgling sound of the nearby brook, so I tentatively poke my head out and sure enough, no one’s around this area. Instead I see a wide clearing, framed by the trees on one side, and by the stream running alongside a tall cliff on the other side - the quarry in question. But that’s not quite what I brought him here for.

Scattered throughout the clearing are a wide variety of bulky rock structures. It looks almost like a little outdoor museum, with some areas dedicated to carved statues, others displaying various cross sections of geological formations. There are signs everywhere that explain what the different mini-exhibits are, and occasional larger placards contain mounted sets of much smaller samples of crystals and minerals. The website called this an “educational rock garden.” Even to me it looks really cool.

“Oh no…” Aiden mutters.

“What?” I say, looking up at him with concern.

“You’re going to be so bored. I have to look at all this stuff.”

I grin again as I feel the underlying excitement in his voice. His whole body’s practically buzzing with anticipation and it fills me with joy.

“Babe, that’s exactly what I brought you here to do!” I gush, “Let’s go explore! Tell me what I’m looking at, I’m excited to learn about it all.”

“Ahhh, okay… Man, where to start… Oh, you see this sample right here? This is columnar jointing. It’s the coolest thing, this was formed by a lava flow. See how the cross section is a hexagon? That happened because of the way the lava cracked when it cooled…”

We start winding our way throughout the clearing, and even though I’m only half following what Aiden is saying most of the time, I’m thoroughly enjoying listening to him talk about his passions. For whatever reason there aren’t any other rock connoisseurs out here at all, so eventually we take the risk of me coming out of his pocket so that he can hold me and give me a better look at this stuff. For the next hour and a half I’m either sitting in his hands or on his shoulder as we examine everything from agatized coral to limestone extractions from this very quarry to a miniature solar system carved out of marble.

Once we’ve made our way through everything, we find a spot near the stream to sit and relax for a bit. I want to be careful about not falling into what is more like a raging river to me, but there’s a quiet nook where the water forms a shallow enough pool that I can walk around in without issue. Aiden’s rambling to me about a time he visited a cavern, and I make him promise to take me with him the next time he goes spelunking.

“You definitely picked the right major,” I laugh, kicking some water his way. I only manage to splash the edge of his wrist, and he doesn’t flinch, smiling down at me as he leans overhead. He flicks some water in my direction and I giggle as the droplets rain down right in front of me.

“I can talk about this stuff forever," he says, "You sick of it yet?”

“Nope.”

I wander to the edge of the pool and start looking around at my surroundings. We’ve been looking at all sorts of fancy geological samples, but I’m now taking greater notice of all the pebbles and boulders that litter my immediate vicinity. I start wondering about these more mundane specimens.

“So can you identify any rock just by looking at it?” I ask.

“Not any rock. But probably quite a few.”

“Alright… what’s that one?” I point to a thin, jagged stone that’s sticking out of the dirt several inches away.

Aiden glances over and his answer is immediate. “That’s a type of shale. Makes sense for the area we’re in. This probably used to be a bigger river once upon a time and sediments got deposited down here.”

I nod and then look for the next rock, eyes scanning the ground. I see something glinting on the shore and hurry over to hoist it up. It’s heavy and about the size of a football to me. “What about this?” I ask, marveling at the yellow-orange sheen. “Whoa, this looks like some kind of crystal!”

“Yeah, this… I don’t think it’s meant to be here.” Giant fingers approach to gently pinch the shard out of my hands, and he lifts it to his face so he can squint at it. “Yeah, it’s not amber… I think it might be citrine? My guess is that it probably ended up here with the rest of the imported stuff from the rock garden.”

Enjoying this game, I skitter over to the other side of the pool. “What about this one?” I chirp, pointing to a veritable hill of gray from my perspective.

Aiden snort-laughs. “That’s a chunk of concrete.”

I do a double take, looking back at the hulking rock. Oh. Yeah, I probably could have identified that one too.

Once we’ve hung out and enjoyed the stream for a little bit, we decide to check out one of the walking trails since it’s still too early for lunch.
My partner plucks me right out of the water and brings me to the hem of his shirt to help dry my legs off against the cloth. Before he gets to his feet I ask him to take out my phone so that I can reveal the next thing I had planned. I perch on his wrist as he holds the device and lets me navigate the menus on the screen.

“So I had Moira’s help on this part, I hope I got the right thing…” I say as I click, “You know the latest Brandon Sanderson book?”

“…Yes?”

“You haven’t read it yet, right?”

“No, I didn’t preorder this time.”

“Want to listen to the audiobook with me?” I pull up the book that I bought ahead of time on the phone and turn to grin up at my boyfriend excitedly.

He laughs, and the subtle shake of it makes him bring a hand up to ensure I stay stable on his arm. “What is this?” he asks, “Aiden’s-favorite-things day?”

“That’s absolutely what this is! I know I’m not the biggest reader, and I can’t promise I’ll get into it. But I’d love to try, and I think I’d have an easier time with the audio format. We can listen on the hike! Sound okay?”

With a grin he lifts me up to his face to nuzzle into me before depositing me by his neck. “Sounds perfect.”

Soon I’m laying down on Aiden’s shoulder, having slipped under the collar of his shirt so that I’m mostly hidden from view. He’s put in headphones and I’m holding on to one earbud like it’s a teddy bear, the sound of the narration more than loud enough for me even though it’s not right up to my ear. We stay among the trees, opting for the shaded walking paths, and despite me having to duck my head out of sight from time to time as we run into passerby, it’s such a nice time.

The book itself was definitely something that I picked out for his sake, but I’m finding myself getting sucked into the story more than I thought I would. It’s not that I think we need to have everything in common, but I’m finding it fun to take an interest in the stuff he likes. I’m so warm and comfortable from being bundled up against my giant’s skin that I start feeling a little sleepy, but the way his body shifts as he walks keeps me on alert since I constantly need to maintain my balance.

After about half an hour or so, I’m roused into a sitting position when Aiden silently runs a finger along my side to get my attention. He points at a nearby bench and table that’s alongside a patch of wildflowers, and it’s just tucked enough into the treeline that it seems like the perfect spot to take a break. I nod in agreement before he heads in that direction.

“Are you getting hungry or anything?” he asks as he softly sets me down onto the table. “I could go either way.”

“I’m still okay,” I respond, stretching my arms over my head and taking a few steps across the wood. “I do have lunch options planned, though, if you want to start heading back soon? Oh! In the meantime… How does dessert first sound?”

“What do you mean?” Aiden asks, crossing his arms on the table as he watches me. He’s clearly getting such a kick out of all the little things I’ve planned out today.

“You still have that box I told you to bring?”

He produces the little container from his shorts pocket and opens it up curiously. Inside is a small, lumpy ball, not much bigger than a grape to him. Over the past week, every time I was on the kitchen counter I began smuggling over some ingredients to store in my own mini fridge bit by bit, focusing on a flavor combo that I’ve noticed is one of Aiden’s favorites - peanut butter and chocolate. This morning I mixed the nut butter, oats, and chocolate chips together with some honey to make a truffle-like treat. The giant stares into the box for a few seconds before setting it down on the table.

“How did I get so lucky?” he mutters, and he takes a quick look around to check that the coast is clear. Then he slides his arms onto the table to circle around me and brings his head all the way down to where I’m standing. He kisses the side of my body, his lips moving against me as he whispers, “Thanks for all of this, sweet girl. I’ve been having such a good time with you today.”

We kiss in earnest then, and I happily drown in my boyfriend’s body as he simulates a tight hug by coiling his arms in closer. A couple of minutes pass as we cuddle, and it’s only when he pulls his mouth away that I realize I’ve been pushed snugly into the crook of his elbow. Being tiny can be really disorienting.

I use the narrow space between forearm and bicep to shimmy my way up until I’m sitting on the elbow itself. “Planning this stuff was fun for me!” I finally respond, a bit out of breath, “It’s the least I can do as your girlfriend.”

Aiden lays the side of his head on the table and moves his free hand behind me, carefully rubbing at the back of my head with his fingertips. “I don’t think you realize how special you are,” he says, holding my gaze adoringly. “You’re so thoughtful - and you pay attention to my likes and dislikes more than anyone I’ve known. More than any other girlfriend I’ve had, that’s for sure.”

I stiffen. There’s a sudden cold feeling in my chest that takes me aback for a second. My anxiety from earlier this morning has returned in an instant, and I debate internally about how I should handle these unwelcome emotions… I don’t want to ruin the moment, but I also know that if I don’t address this it’s going to continue to weigh on me.

“Oh really?” I respond, trying to sound nonchalant. “I guess we haven’t talked much about your past relationships. You know about my exes, um… is it okay if I know about yours?”

My partner seems to clock the subtle shift in my behavior and lifts his face back up to look more alert. He stops touching me with his free hand and uses it to support his head instead.

“Yeah, sure,” he says, “There’s not all that much to tell. Let’s see… I had a couple of quote-unquote ‘girlfriends’ in grade school that honestly didn’t really mean much, none of them lasted for more than a few months. And then I had one long-term relationship during my undergrad. That one lasted a little over two years.”

I nod, absently kicking my legs that are dangling over the edge of his arm. I look skywards, summoning a relevant memory from a few days ago. “At the dinner party, Star mentioned that you had her going with the last girlfriend. Something about thinking you’d end up with someone short?”

Aiden chuckles. “Yeah, just ‘cause my ex was pretty tall. Almost as tall as me, actually.”

“Gotcha,” I say with a smirk, and I joke, “Is that why it didn’t work out? You realized you preferred a girlfriend that could only be measured in inches?”

“Ha. No. Although come to think of it, none of my exes were particularly short. You definitely take the cake.”

I squirm quietly for a second before asking, “Mind if I ask why it actually didn’t work out?”

The giant’s eyes unfocus and then stare out past me as he revisits a time from years ago. “Mmmm, to be perfectly honest… I think we both just saw each other as little more than friends. I mean, it was exciting at first. But in retrospect, once we actually became a couple, there wasn’t that deep of a connection. We just sorta stayed together because it was convenient and we got along fine. She was a year older than me so she graduated first, and when she got a job on the other side of the country we mutually decided we didn’t want to do long distance… and that was that. I’m glad it wasn’t a big, messy breakup or anything, but it is a little weird that I dated her for as long as I did.”

The cold claw squeezing my heart tightens as I finally summon the courage to come out and say it. “If she’s older than you then… I’m guessing her name wasn’t Camila?”

A look of shock passes over Aiden’s face. He lifts his head off his hand, raising back up to a normal sitting position as he frowns and says, “No. Nonononono, I never dated Camila. Oh god, have you been worrying about that?”

“Not… excessively,” I assure him, although despite myself I’m feeling something unclench inside of me. “Just from what I was hearing from inside your pocket that night, I had a bit of a weird feeling about it. Maybe I’m wrong, but it really felt like she was coming on to you.”

“Um, no, you’re… spot on, actually.” Aiden sighs. “So, uh… sorry, I probably should have mentioned this before, but… Camila did tell me she had feelings for me, a couple of years ago. It was really weird, we were never that close and she had only just moved out here, so it felt like it came out of nowhere. I told her that sorry, but I don’t see her that way, and she backed off after that. We’ve just stayed casual friends since then, if that - before the dinner party I hadn’t seen her in, like, half a year. But I agree, she… uh… wasn’t exactly being subtle the other night.”

I nod thoughtfully. I can’t deny that I feel relieved about the fact that he never shared a deep connection with her. But regardless of how he feels, I don’t think I’m out of the woods quite yet. Unrequited feelings can get really messy. And the situation was already pretty messy to start with. I shakily get to my feet and start padding my way down the length of his forearm, deep in thought.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have introduced me as your girlfriend right off the bat,” I finally say.

Aiden’s gaze drops to the ground. “Yeah, I think you’re right. I was trying to… humanize you, I guess. To really emphasize the fact that you’re just like the rest of us. But that was probably the wrong move in the moment.” He lets out a frustrated groan. “It doesn’t make any sense, I seriously have no idea why she’s at all interested. I’ve known her for forever, we’ve always gotten along fine, but I’ve only ever seen her as a family friend. She was just ‘Diego’s cousin’ to me. We have nothing in common.”

I look up at him with a helpless shrug. “You’re really good looking. And you’re literally the kindest man I’ve ever met. It could be that she looked up to you as a kid and then those feelings eventually matured.” I pivot and start walking in the other direction on his arm. “Though maybe I’m not the right person to ask. I don’t understand how anyone could not fall for you.”

The universe finds it very funny for me to lose my balance right as I say that. I throw my arms out in an effort to regain myself, and I would have jumped right off his arm, but his reflexes are quick and his hand darts just behind my body to catch me. The instant I realize that, I let myself fall into his cupped palm. Aiden takes the opportunity to lift me right up to his face.

"Don’t worry,” he murmurs, snuggling into me, “There’s zero interest there on my part.”

From this proximity I can let my voice be soft. "Thanks. I think I needed to hear that…” I lean into the space where his nose meets his cheek, closing my eyes. My voice hitches and I press myself further against him as I add, “Sorry, I don’t mean to get jealous. That’s not a very attractive quality.”

"No, you’re fine! It’s okay to feel insecure, I appreciate you telling me. Whenever you need it, I’m always happy to reassure you that I only have eyes for you.”

We hear voices just then, my partner growing quiet and still as he keeps me out of view, and so we hold the embrace for several long moments. Having to hide all the time is usually annoying and nerve-wracking, but sometimes the forced extended proximity can be really nice. Once the two passerby have come and gone, I straighten back up and Aiden gives us some space, holding me out in front of him.

“Since we’re on the subject of Camila…” he says slowly, “Maybe now’s as good a time as any to bring this up…”

He tells me about the fact that he’s planning to meet up with Camila and Diego in two days, and that there’s an open invitation for me to join. To my own surprise, I’m not immediately freaked out by this and hear him out without protest. He doesn’t pressure me in any way, and after we discuss it for a little bit and go through the pros and cons, I finally come to a conclusion.

“I think Diego’s right,” I say, “I should probably meet with her at some point, if she’s okay talking to me this time… I’d like to give it another chance.” I set my jaw, summoning my own determination. “I’ve spent so much of my life running away from things. I want to try and face this head on. Who knows, now that she knows what to expect, maybe we’ll hit it off… I’d at least like to be on her good side if I’m able.”

Neither one of us is completely convinced that this is right. Especially if Camila sees me as the one who took her crush off the dating market. But Aiden nods in agreement, smiling at how resolute I am. “Alright. You’ve got my full support, and I know Diego will have your back too. I’ll let them know that we’re in.”

And with that he finally picks up the peanut butter ball from its tiny box, and he extends it towards me so that I can take a crumb of it off for myself. Then he pops it into his mouth and sighs with pleasure.

“Hey…” he says as I nibble at my own portion, “Can we do an Evie’s-favorite-things day soon?”

I grin, overflowing with affection, and chirp, “Deal!”

@Olo @foreverlurk This is actually really nice for me to hear. I was a bit nervous about sharing my stuff at first since I figured my sensibilities didn’t quite match up with the men’s (who do still seem to be quite in the majority). But I’ve been very pleasantly surprised

@maladaptivetiny Since the Quest 3 came out, the Quest 2 is now relatively affordable… Just saying hehehe

Chapter 60
Evie

Now that we’re here… why does this feel like such a bad idea?

The four of us opted to meet up at Kleine Blume, the same beer garden that I think of as the place Aiden and I had our first kiss. I’m hidden away in a pocket, though I know we must have arrived at the right table when I hear Diego’s booming greeting quickly approaching.

“Whoa whoa whoa, precious cargo, precious cargo—!” Aiden hisses as he suddenly rears back and I get jostled. From the little that I can see as I look upwards, he seems to be fending off a hug from his larger friend.

“Oh whoops,” Diego mutters, and he pulls the pocket open to grin down at me, “Sorry, Evie.”

I figure there’s no one around from the way he’s openly talking to me, so I get to my feet with a weak smile to say hi. Aiden waits until he’s sitting down to fish me out, and he does it slower than he usually might. Clearly he’s trying to ease me into this, and as I catch a glimpse through a gap in his fingers at the dark haired beauty sitting across from us, I’m glad I have a few extra seconds to steady my nerves.

At least she finally smiles at me this time, a little bit. I was worried this girl was incapable of any kind of warmth, but the second I’m set onto the table, she gives me a gracious nod. I don’t care if it’s a little forced, or that I can see the flicker of discomfort in her eyes as she takes in my impossibly small frame. I’m just glad she’s not looking at me in open horror.

“Thanks for joining,” Camila says, glancing down at me but mostly addressing Aiden.

He hesitates for half a beat, and when I realize he’s giving me the opportunity to speak up, I take it immediately. “Thanks for having us!” I say with the friendliest demeanor I can summon. Her eyes meet mine for just a split second as she nods politely again.

We settle into casual conversation. Well… sort of. Despite having started things out as well as I could have hoped for, the more I sit here, trying to look like I belong amongst these three towering titans, the more awkward I feel. Unlike the time we had dinner at the Ignacios’ house, I don’t dare step too far from my boyfriend’s arms since we’re in public. And even though we’re behind the main building and no one else is around, there are enough people on the other side that there’s a steady stream of noise in the air. My voice isn’t so quiet that I can’t make myself heard in this setting, but… I’m still struggling to do just that.

At first I silently let the giants catch up about the mundane details of their week. Then Diego kindly asks me what I’ve been up to, and I try to join in and talk about my building projects. But I can’t help noticing that every time I open my mouth, Camila seems to disconnect. She’s suddenly busy looking at the menu, or is distracted by a bird at a different table. Sometimes she at least acts like she’s listening, but her smile is clearly plastered on her face as she never quite looks at me. Instead of trying to get to the bottom of it in any capacity, I just start talking less and less, letting the others converse as I gradually close in on myself.

This could be going way worse, I tell myself. I remember how hostile Camila acted towards me a week ago. I don’t want to write her off too quickly now, it’s not unreasonable that she’d still be uncomfortable around a shrunken person… Plus, unlike the last time, she doesn’t seem to be openly trying to flirt with Aiden. I should be thankful that she changed her tune so quickly once she found out he has a girlfriend.

Since we’re the only ones occupying a table back here, no one else approaches us, including servers. Once a good twenty minutes have passed since Aiden and I arrived, Camila finally looks around and lets out a subdued huff of irritation.

“I’m going to go find someone so we can order drinks,” she says, interrupting her cousin in the middle of a story. “Be right back.”

At this point I’m sitting on the back of Aiden’s hand, and I feel him tense up beneath me. “Hold on, I’ll come with you,” he says, and I look up at him in surprise. He meets my gaze to check in with me, wearing a smile but silently communicating acute concern for me through the look in his eyes. There seems to be intent behind him leaving the table, so I try to reassure him with a “go-ahead” nod and slide off his hand.

He then turns to Diego and the two exchange a significant look before Aiden gets to his feet. As he makes his way around the table and I look back towards Camila, I can’t help but notice her enthusiastic beaming at his approach.

The two head off and, even though I’m feeling a little naked out in the open now, I let out a sigh of relief at the break from all the awkward conversation. I stay mindful of my positioning by stepping up to a candle, hiding myself from view if anyone were to head in our direction.

Diego seems to catch on to my intention and slides along the bench to better block me from any prying eyes. Then he startles me when his elbows land on the table’s surface just ahead of where I’m standing, and he crosses his arms. I take a quick step back, craning my neck to look up at his looming form. He didn’t quite slam his arms down, but his bulk still made the table shudder.

“Alright. It’s just you and me, Shrimp,” the giant rumbles with a playful smirk on his face, and then he leans in closer, casting a shadow over me. “So tell me… What are your intentions with Aiden?”

My quickened pulse starts calming down again as I can now clearly tell that he’s messing around. But I still blink in silence for a few seconds, not knowing how to respond.

“He’s my oldest friend, y’know,” Diego adds, “I gotta watch his back, make sure you’re not about to break his heart.”

Jeez. He really doesn’t understand just how huge and intimidating he can be. He’s lucky I’ve gotten used to being small and that I can take it in stride. But I’ll be honest, I can’t help being endeared to this guy. Even if he’s joking around and clearly not actually threatening me, I think this protective gesture in Aiden’s regard is kinda sweet.

I slip on a sly smile as I lean into the joke. “I’m afraid I only have the most devious of intentions… Stealing every left sock. Misplacing his keys. Tying his shoelaces together. I mean, the man only showers me with love and care, it’s up to me to bring the chaos.”

Diego laughs, “Fine, you pass the test. I approve of chaos.” He straightens back up and shoots a quick glance over his shoulder. When he speaks again it’s with a much more subdued tone. “Real talk, though… I’m so glad he’s with someone like you. I really don’t get the vibe that you’re manipulating him, which I can’t say about some of the other women throughout his life. I’m not sure if you can tell, but Aiden’s the kind of guy who people tend to take advantage of.”

For a moment I’m stunned. I almost get emotional, I’m just so incredibly touched by his candid words of support. Diego doesn’t even know me all that well yet, and I’m about the most unconventional girlfriend that he could have been introduced to. He might not always be the most considerate when it comes to my situation, but he’s brought me into the fold so quickly and enthusiastically, and I don’t take this kind of open acceptance from Aiden’s friends for granted.

But I couldn’t even begin to figure out how to properly put my appreciation into words right now, so I just stutter out a simple “thanks, man” and quickly turn my focus to what he said at the end there about people taking advantage of my partner’s good nature.

“That’s interesting,” I say, my tone becoming more serious to match his. “It makes sense when I think about it. I guess just based on how we’ve always had to be, I’ve only ever seen him as this, like… all-powerful person. He’s always been my protector.”

“Heh. Yeah that’s funny because meanwhile, I’ve always felt like I’ve had to protect him. He’s technically a month older than me but I’ve always seen him as a lil’ brother. He was a real soft boy as a kid… And sure, he’s grown up and has tougher skin now or whatever, but sometimes he’s still too damn nice for his own good.”

I look off to the side, towards the empty space that Aiden left behind. My voice wavers with sincerity when I say, “I want to give him the world. I don’t know if I’m able to make him as happy as he deserves. But I really, really want to try.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m glad he has you,” Diego says brightly. He shifts towards me by an inch and then suddenly stops, and a look of intense concentration settles onto his face.

“What’s up?” I ask at the abrupt shift in demeanor.

“I’m thinking.”

“Don’t hurt yourself, Kong.”

“It’s just… I’m a hugger. We’re having a tender moment. I don’t know how to hug you.” He leans further back, as if having given up on this line of thinking and ultimately deciding to give me space. Maybe he has some understanding of how intimidating he might appear to me after all.

I smile and step towards him, reaching an arm out. “Here, give me your hand.”

With an amusing level of unprecedented shyness, the titan follows my lead, setting the side of his hand on the table beside me. I spend a second steadying myself as I take in the size of his palm alone, bigger than a king sized mattress. Then I guide him from there, so that I end up standing just on the inside of his enormous thumb, hugging the digit to my front as I feel a couple of other fingers curl in against my back. This is just as much a trust exercise for me as a lesson in interaction for him.

“Then I hold here, and you just, um… make a very gentle squeeze.”

His fingers draw in, and I hold my breath. But there’s nothing to worry about. He already proved to have great hand control when he had examined my leg, and that hasn’t changed at all. There’s a good amount of warm pressure closing in, but it doesn’t hurt, and I catch myself grinning at the fact that I’m getting a taste of one of his signature bear hugs. Diego is just as excited, practically giggling with childlike glee.

“You’re really fucking cute, you know that?” he laughs as he loosens his grip again.

“Hey, you hitting on my girl?”

Aiden’s hand is suddenly on the side of Diego’s head, giving the giant a playful shove as he rounds the table to regain his seat. I reflexively make my way back to him as he sets down two tall, colorful glasses, while our larger friend feigns fear with an “Uhhhh, you’re back early!”

The relief of my boyfriend’s return is mildly overshadowed by the fact that Camila’s back too. But I can already tell something’s a little different about her as she sits down with her own drink. There’s a more concentrated look on her face, and once everyone’s settled back into a rhythm and we’ve all partaken in some alcohol, she seems to gather her resolve.

“So, Evie…”

I flinch as for the first time Camila addresses me directly. She’s still not quite looking at me, but I make sure to stand at attention anyway. She fiddles with the straw of her drink, swirling it in circles as she continues.

“Aiden’s mentioned you guys used to have a class together. Were you a geology major too?”

I now see why my partner went with her to order the drinks. He must have privately encouraged her to be a little more sociable with me. Hopefully he didn’t annoy her too much in the process… Okay, now it’s up to me to do my part. I can do this.

“Oh, no, that class was kinda peripheral to our majors. Although, I guess I never ended up officially picking a major, but uh… I knew I wanted to do some kind of engineering.” I laugh self consciously, “Not that it matters now! Studying wasn’t really my thing anyway.”

Camila nods and then frowns a little. “So what do you, like… do all day?”

“Uhh… lots of stuff! I do a lot of sewing and crafting, and there’s always things to clean. And I actually started my own business not too long ago where I paint miniatures, stuff that’s typically for tabletop roleplaying games. So that keeps me pretty busy.”

“Oh, okay. So you’re into that nerdy stuff too?” She smirks towards Aiden as she says that and then addresses him directly, “Did you convert her?”

He’s in the middle of bringing a Mai Tai-filled straw down to where I’m standing to offer me a sip, and I gratefully reach for it. But he glances up once addressed. “Nope. In fact, she was the one who started talking to me about card games at first. I never really played TTRPGs, though, just Magic. Well, I guess I have played Pathfinder once…”

I pull back from the straw and wince internally. Stop, I think in his direction, Clearly she’s not into the ‘nerdy stuff,’ stop talking about it…

Diego pipes up just then. “OH, speaking of Magic! Bro, I wanted to show you - I won a booster during a draft the other day and you won’t believe the Foil I got.” He retrieves his card deck from a pocket, and he’s sitting across from us so Aiden leans forward on the table to take a look.

I take the opportunity to focus on Camila and let the men branch off into their own conversation. Truth be told, I would rather talk about Magic cards. But this is my chance to make some kind of significant contact with this girl. I walk a little closer to her across the table.

“So what’s your major, Camila?” I ask with a curious smile.

I’m not sure she’s jazzed about her cousin abandoning her like this, but she responds anyway. “International Business.”

“Ohhh that’s so cool! And it’s perfect, since you’re bilingual,” I say, remembering how she and Diego were speaking Spanish at his house.

“Trilingual, actually. I’ve been studying French since high school, I’ve gotten pretty fluent. Working on Mandarin now.” She’s gone from messing with her straw to examining her nails as she speaks.

I press on with maybe a hint too much enthusiasm. “That’s amazing. I took a German class in high school but I was hopeless. I’m terrible at languages.”

Camila lets out a breath of mirthless laughter through her nose. “I don’t think anyone’s ‘terrible’ at languages. We all managed to learn to talk when we were young. It just takes a lot of time and energy to learn a new one is all.”

I stiffen, forcing myself to continue smiling. Stay steady.

“So what got you interested in it?” I ask, moving a little closer still.

Her eyes have now settled on my boyfriend and stay there as she talks, making my muscles clench. “I’m just really into learning about other cultures,” she explains, “I think it’s interesting to see how different people live. Languages have always been my thing.”

I take another step towards her as I nod with interest, opening my mouth to respond. But Camila seems to suddenly notice how close I’ve gotten as her gaze lands on me and she visibly recoils. As if she’d seen a bug.

“S-sorry!” I yelp, backpedaling by a few steps. I’m breathing a little faster, taking in the full sight of her, from how her jaw is clenched to the way her fingers are fidgeting with her necklace. Her dark eyes are definitely looking at me now, the subtlest of glares towards my feet. I’m deeply uncomfortable but try making an attempt at sounding considerate. “I guess… Am I still freaking you out?”

“No,” she mumbles, “It’s just…”

The tension in the air is palpable. Even though Aiden is still leaning over the table and at least pretending to look at what Diego is showing him, I can tell that he’s on edge and listening in.

Finally Camila says, “Maybe I’m just self conscious. You’re not exactly looking at me from the most flattering angle.”

I blink, genuinely surprised at this confession. “Oh. Please, don’t worry about that at all,” I say, waving it off with a smile, “I’ve gotten so used to looking up at people. I think you’re gorgeous.”

There it is. Finally she’s looking me in the eye. Her gaze softens a little, the tension dissipating, just a tiny bit. She gives me a sheepish half smile. “Thanks.”

Well, all it took was a bit of old fashioned flattery, apparently… Alright, I’ve come this far, I might as well keep shoving this olive branch at her.

“Oh, so, I’m remembering - you guys have all been on vacation together when you were kids, right?” I ask, “Have you ever been camping together?”

Pivoting to this new subject gently brings the two guys back into the conversation again, and this time I’ve firmly set myself as an active participant. I’m not going to lie and say that Camila and I are becoming best friends in this moment. But I do think some progress is being made today. If she and I can just be polite acquaintances, I’ll be happy with that.

Fingers crossed.

@Olo The way he gazes at her

Something that helps me at times with this kinda of idea generating is to come up with a theme. So basing kaijus off of, say, the seven deadly sins. Or the circles of hell, or the stages of grief. There are so many options - the elements, the seasons, Western astrology zodiac, Chinese animal zodiac, colors of the rainbow, um… stages in the water cycle? Musical instruments? Breakfast cereals?? You get the picture. The theme could tie into the main plot and serve as some cool subtext for the themes of the story, or it can be just be an Easter egg, or the designs don’t even have to be recognizable to the theme at all but might just be a fun creative challenge for you to get some ideas flowing.

Chapter 62

D : HEY FOLKS I’m starting this text thread so we can talk camping trip!!
D : I sent an email out to everyone with cabin options, just reply to me directly and let me know your top pick by next Friday so I can make a reservation
D : Also also also don’t forget, we’re going early October now! Weekend of the 13th if that works for errbody
E : Isn’t that Friday the 13th?
D : SPooOOoOOkyyy
S : We should watch Cabin in the Woods at the cabin in the woods, just really lean into the horror vibes
A : I’ll bring the popcorn
C : I’ll bring the booze
M : We’re all gonna die : )
C : Everyone better vote for options 2 or 3. We have to have a hot tub
E : Oooo option 3 has that gorgeous screened porch area!
M : omg yeah I love that one!
A : Plus it has that fancy fire pit
D : STOP STOP it’s supposed to be a secret vote!!
S : Diego doesn’t like fire lol
A : There’s no way we’re not making a campfire on at least one of the nights dude
D : SHUT UP ITS FINE

~~

We’re reaching the peak of summer and it’s a hot July day. My friend Tyler and I stick to the shade as best we can as we make our way across campus. We had discovered pretty quickly that the psychology class he’s taking this summer lines up with the lab days that I run for my TA job. We occasionally get lunch, and since he lives a few blocks past my apartment building, we usually walk home in tandem.

“I’m in trouble, dude,” he sighs, “She’s so cool. And so fucking hot. And her dream is to own five golden retrievers. She’s perfect.”

I smile widely and clap a hand to his shoulder. “I’m happy for you, man. You’ll have to introduce me sometime!”

“Yeah, maybe I could get her to come with us to lunch or something…” He pauses and smirks sidelong at me. “What about you, huh? I can see if she has any cute single friends?”

I wave him off easily. “I’m good. Thanks for the offer.”

“Suit yourself.”

I don’t even think twice about this kind of suggestion anymore, it’s become so easy to pretend I have no romantic aspirations. I honestly don’t care if the bulk of my friends think I just prefer being single indefinitely.

We linger on the subject of his new sweetheart for a little longer before he starts complaining about his psych class. I catch sight of my apartment down the street as we turn a corner, and I haven’t realized that I’ve picked up the pace until I notice Tyler is struggling to keep up.

“You in a hurry, Aiden?” he pants.

I glance up to the apartment building - second floor, three to the right… I smile towards the window, not able to see anything but knowing full well what’s just on the other side. Every day I look forward to coming home and seeing her smile.

Absently I respond, “Something like that.”

~~

Hey, you! I hope you’re fine with pot roast for lunch tomorrow, we really need to finish those leftovers. We’ll make breakfast for dinner this weekend though, promise! And maybe we can try out that new strategy game?

Also, no I’m not writing this note from across the room because I ran out of time to write it at work. I have no idea what you’re talking about.

PS ok fine I’m being a creep and watching you right now… You’re really cute whenever you’re balancing up on that stapler. Just so you know.

~~

Yikes, I need to do more cardio. I’m huffing and puffing as I finally reach the top of the sixty foot ladder. I’ve only used it a couple of times now, but if this is going to become my daily commute, I really need to get used to it. I’m pretty proud of its construction - we utilized some bird ladders from a pet store, but I upgraded them with a couple of flat platforms along the way in case I need to sit and take a rest for any reason. Between that, the pillow at the bottom, and my safety rope, I think it’s a decent setup.

I hoist myself up onto the desk, and that’s about when I notice Aiden in the distance, standing just past the couch. His eyes are fixed on me and he’s as still as a statue. Once I reach the table’s surface, he seems to be able to breathe again and starts walking towards me.

I beam at him and lift my hands up above my head in triumph. “Made it!”

“Impressive!” Aiden smiles back and takes a seat in front of me. “It looks so intense, I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it.”

“You’re allowed to walk around when I’m climbing,” I assure him, hurrying over so that I can latch onto his hand in a hug.

“I know… I was just so afraid of distracting you and making you fall.”

“Diego was right. You really are such a mom.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment?”

At this point I’m tugging on his finger insistently and he gets the message, finally bending down to kiss me. I actually struggle kissing him back, still very out of breath from my climb. I wish I could have an elevator instead. Actually… That gets me thinking… Since I’ve been figuring out all those pulley systems…

Never mind, my brain’s not working right now. Engineering thoughts later, giant kisses first.

~~

E : Hey girls! I wanted to organize a little relaxing afternoon where we have tea and do artsy stuff
E : Camila, Star mentioned that you’re a fan of watercolors so I thought you might want to join : )
C : Yeah, I’m down. I haven’t painted anything in a while.
M : Can we make it a spa day too?? I have a bunch of sheet masks that I need to use up. I can try cutting pieces off for you Evie!
E : Hell yeah! Tea + spa + painting day
S : We can do it at my place! Any weekend this month is fine. When were you thinking?
E : If you guys are free next Sunday, I think the guys had their own plans and Aiden would be able to give me a ride
S : Perfect
C : Works for me
M : Let’s do it!

~~

I smile at the two girls giggling over at the couch. Moira’s come by a little early, so there’s an overlap before I have to head out for work, and I have just enough time to make everyone some lunch. My back was turned for a while as I worked at the stove, but now I’m cleaning up the dishes at the kitchen island, and so I can see into the living room.

It’s actually really cool to watch them from afar. Moira’s brought over some kind of art book that they’re looking at, and it sounds like they’re chatting away about interior design. Evie’s trying to get a better view by climbing up her friend’s arm to her shoulder, and without missing a beat Mo is reflexively assisting by raising her elbow higher to create less of an incline.

It’s officially been six months since Evie shrunk. Half a year of this insane new life. It’s amazing how much we’ve evolved in that amount of time. I remember how terrified she was of everything at first, how hesitant Moira was, how insecure I was. And now the three of us don’t even think twice about how we need to interact. It’s a strangely beautiful thing.

~~

I don’t see the big deal! I don’t judge your kink and I want to know more about it, what’s wrong with that?? If you don’t send me links I can always use Google you know : P (jkjk I won’t)

For real, let’s talk about it sometime? I won’t pressure you into showing me anything, and I can totally wait until you’re ready. But if it can help me understand you better then I’d really like to check it out sometime. I promise I won’t make fun of you. And who knows, it might spark some… ideas ; )

Love you!! Hope you’re having a good day at work

~~

I can’t breathe. I’m so dizzy and can hardly make sense of what’s what. I don’t even remember how I got here.

It had been a string of seemingly innocuous things today. I almost fell off my packing station when I was fixing one of the pulleys, saved by my safety rope but leaving my heart racing. I had looked forward to Aiden being home for lunch only to get an apology text from him getting pulled into a last minute meeting. Worst of all, there was a confused stranger who tried to get into the apartment while I was home alone, succeeding in scaring me shitless before they realized they were on the wrong floor and stopped trying to break in.

Between those and a hundred other little annoyances, by the end of the day I was overstimulated and anxious. All it took was the sound of a police siren outside to shoot me right back into six years ago, to a clear image of Brock coming home, stressed out about work and ready to take it out on me by pinning me to the wall by the throat.

“You’re safe.” Aiden’s kissing the top of my head, holding me softly in his hands. He’s been nothing but attentive when he saw this panic attack coming on. Like he is every time.

I’m crying so hard, desperately wondering when the pain will just go away forever. I’m so full of self hate for still falling into these pits of despair, full of fear that my partner will get sick of me for it. Everything just feels so hopeless. I’m always going to feel like the world is out to get me.

“I don’t know how you deal with me,” I choke out, vision blurry from the tears.

I hear some of my pain reflected back, but with much more calm and strength. “I love you. Maybe you can’t see it right now, but my life’s better with you in it.”

He holds me close by putting his face in his hands. The lights dim and I’m engulfed by his caring presence. He somehow knows exactly what I need to hear right now.

“I’m not going anywhere, Evie.”

~~

Hey sweet girl!

I know I keep saying it, but I had such a good time yesterday. I feel like I’m about to fall into a board game obsession myself if I’m not careful, especially with that co-op one, it was so fun! I think I’ll be looking forward to Evie’s favorite things days just as much as my own favorite things days.

Oh yeah I forgot to tell you, my parents decided to go on that cruise for Thanksgiving, so there’s no expectation of them seeing me. Buys us a little more time to figure all that out.

~~

I finish stuffing wet laundry into the dryer, and a few button presses later I turn to swing by the desk. I don’t immediately spot Evie, but nowadays there’s a second location that I need to check. My gaze trails to the floor, and although I don’t see her working away near the miniature scaffolding, tiny movements catch my eye not too far off.

I tread lightly and slowly to take a closer look, still from a distance. My bookshelf is up against the wall near the desk, and my miniature girlfriend has climbed up onto the bottom shelf. She’s on her hands and knees with her back to me, and she has her hair tied back as she runs some tissue paper along the wooden surface. She looks very concentrated, diligently working at the slight indents between the books.

“You can’t sneak up on me, babe,” Evie suddenly calls out, making me flinch. She sits up to smile at me over her shoulder. “I can feel your footsteps even more from down here.”

I give up on tiptoeing and take the last couple of steps to the shelf so that I can crouch down and not make her strain her voice.

“Whatcha doing there?" I ask, “That doesn’t look like work. Er, not Bitty Forge work, at least.”

“Just a little bit of dusting." She stands up and faces me, her ponytail whipping adorably. She must catch the “you don’t have to do that” look on my face because she crosses her arms defiantly. “What? I just want to be your tiny housewife!”

I can’t even think about her using the word “wife” right now and opt for a playful teasing. “Maybe I can get you a little maid outfit,” I suggest with a smirk.

She giggles. “Over my dead body. Now go away, I’ve gotta clean.”

But her words have no bite when her eyes are telling me a different story. She takes a step while flashing me a suggestive smile, arching her lower back and lifting her hip much more sensually than necessary. Then she folds forward, keeping legs straight with her fingers barely touching the ground to continue her “cleaning,” so that her little butt juts up into the air.

Despite her being silly, it immediately gets my heart racing. I get down on my stomach to bring my face closer to her, grinning as I extend a finger her way.

“Hmmm, but who’s going to clean you up, dirty girl?” I murmur, fingertip trailing from her feet up the length of her legs and then softly tapping the presented rear.

She actually loses her balance from this, laughing as she catches herself on her hands before crumbling dramatically to the floor, twisting around so that she’s laying on her back. I join in on the laughter from our antics, loving how relaxed I feel around her, but also getting very excited about the knowledge that her clothes probably won’t be staying on for much longer.

~~

Hey big guy~

I’m so excited that you’re almost done with work! Hang in there, your two weeks of freedom are almost here!! Man, I can’t believe the fall semester is so close though. Can I still be your study buddy even if I’m not in your class?

Also also, I keep forgetting to mention this so I’ll write it now - I had a rush order come in that I really need to ship out tomorrow. I should finish painting it tonight if you don’t mind dropping it off at the post office in the morning. Thank you as always! I’m working on getting more organized so you don’t have to go so often, bear with me.

~~

I’m not used to seeing both Moira and Diego at the apartment. The four of us have hung out at the Ignacios’ house quite a few times now, but it’s a bit of a different experience with everyone sitting on the floor, crowded around our ottoman instead of sitting around a dining table. It’s slightly more intimidating, having three titans so close, but kinda cozy too.

We’ve been playing Magic and are currently doing the Two-Headed Giant format - naturally - which means we’re playing in teams of two. Diego’s sitting on the floor right next to me as I’m up on the couch, while our opponents are on the opposite side of the ottoman.

“Alright, Shrimp, whaddya think? I just drew this one,” Diego mutters, showing me his hand as he fans out his cards. He points out one of them, Fiery Confluence. “I know that last mode might be useless right now, but the other two could still help.”

I frown and point to the text on the card. “You don’t have to use that last mode. It says you can choose the same mode more than once. We can just target all of our damage to them directly.”

“…Oh. Shit, you’re right.”

“Pays to read the fine print,” I say with a wink.

“Ehh, shaddup. You’re better suited for that job,” he responds with a grin.

I absolutely rub it in his face when my attention to detail wins us the match.

~~

A : Ok new thread, I’m leaving Evie off. Please make sure you’re responding to the right thread!
A : Her birthday’s in September but the idea I have will be a bit of an undertaking. I’d love some help keeping her distracted the morning of
S : Consider it done! We can lure her with board games all day long
M : I actually had a gift idea that could involve anyone who wants to draw or paint something really really small : )
S : We should all do that, just tell us what you need Moira!
D : Can I make cake?
A : That’d be great! Like that black forest cake you made around Christmas last year?
D : It’s the only fancy cake I can make lol

~~

It’s a quiet, mundane Thursday evening. I’ve been slacking on the dishes so we’re taking some time now to go through them all. I’m the one using soap and water while Evie’s next to the sink with some hand towels to dry things off as we go. Currently she’s working on a plate, and she’s making sure not to touch the ceramic with her feet by sitting on the towel like it’s a magic carpet, stretching one end out with her arms and then bringing the other end in with her legs. She’s essentially inch worming her way across the plate, and it’s too freaking cute.

I naturally make my way through the dish pile faster than she does. I dry my hands off so that I can at least help her out with the pots and pans, but when I watch her finish up polishing off a fork, I’m struck with a mischievous impulse.

Evie wipes at her brow as she gets to her feet and hurries over to the next utensil. But she hardly makes it a couple of steps before I snatch her up around the torso. I always make sure she can at least see me coming when I pick her up without permission like this, but even then I catch her off guard and make her gasp.

“Mine,” I chirp, and I lift her up to dangle her right in front of my smirking face.

She giggles and reaches her hands out to me so that she can latch on and give me a tiny kiss on the nose. “Yours,” she says tenderly.

With renewed vigor she readjusts herself in my hand, wrestling my thumb into a tight hug. “Mine,” she asserts.

I sigh happily and lean in to kiss the top of her head. “Yours.”

@foreverlurk Ohhh this looks so cute! I want to read the rest now…

@Olo I want to read the chaotic ones

Chapter 64
Aiden

“Evie?”

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

“Hello?” I insist furtively.

“Here!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“There!” she yelps again excitedly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Aren’t they hard to catch?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@foreverlurk Figured I’d drop a lil somethin in there!

@SmolChlo welp, don’t mind me, it seems I’ve melted into a puddle at the thought of this

Chapter 67
Evie

Finally, finally, finally! I may have been overhyping this cabin trip a wee bit at this point, but… it’s finally here!

I thought I was going to lose my mind during the over-three-hour-long drive it took to get here - there’s only so much entertainment that Aiden and Moira can offer me when I’m trapped in a pocket for that long. But then we exit the car and I pop my head outside. I take in the expansive oranges and browns of the trees, the sound of squirrels chattering, the smell of wet leaves, the refreshing crisp fall air in my lungs… Yup. This is exactly what I was looking forward to.

The cabin itself looks positively picturesque. It’s two stories tall with red cedar walls and a deep green roof. It’s well surrounded by trees and is even bigger than I imagined from the photos I’ve seen, and yet it still looks so quaint and cozy. As much as I hated having to move all the time in my adult life, I’ve spent so much time in one spot since I’ve been shrunk, and the change of scenery is so appreciated.

The three of us have gotten here slightly before the Ignacios, so we’re able to settle in for a little bit, taking a brief tour of the bottom floor together. The living room is cavernous, even to my giant friends I’m sure, taking up the entire two stories and sporting massive windows. In comparison the kitchen and bedrooms feel almost cramped, but of course that’s speaking relatively since to me everything’s still very vast. Once we’ve taken a look at all the rooms, Moira brings me with her so that we can check out the upstairs while Aiden unloads luggage from the car. Up here there’s an open loft area that contains a bed and looks out over the living room, along with one more side bedroom and bathroom.

Moira sets me down on the bed so that we can chat while she starts unpacking her backpack. I’m doing a whole lot of staring at my surroundings, my head twisting this way and that to take in the rest of the loft. There are a couple of couches up against the window and opposite banister, a pool table, a mini fridge. This palace of a cabin is a lot to take in.

“Sooo. What do you want to do first?” Moira asks me, looking entertained by all of my wide-eyed wonder.

“I don’t know!” I say, a little breathless. “Umm, since it’s too windy for a campfire, maybe we chill inside and play Magic tonight?”

“Hell yeah. Oh, and I brought some spa stuff! I’ve got face masks, a body scrub, nail polish…” She’s pulling the items out as she lists them, separating them into a smaller bag for later.

“Sounds great.” I grin and let myself collapse back onto the covers so that I can stretch my limbs. “I don’t know why the car ride felt that exhausting, my legs are all sore. I’d love to have some spa time soon.”

“Especially with the hiking we’ll be doing tomorrow,” Moira points out, “We’ll be nice and primed.”

I laugh. “You mean the hiking you’ll be doing. I get to hitch a ride.”

She pauses in her unpacking to join me, resting her arms nearby on the bed as she smiles my way. “Hey, you have to go on long hikes on the daily. You probably deserve to relax more than any of us.”

“Says the workaholic,” I scoff, sitting up so that I can scoot closer and touch her forearm. “I’m glad you’re finally getting a vacation, Mo.”

“Me too… I mean, I do need to get a little bit of work done… I’ve been slacking on making social posts lately…”

“Moiraaaa,” I sigh.

“Well, this sure feels cozy!”

We’re interrupted before I can further scold my friend for bringing her work to the woods. I thought I’d heard creaking come from the stairs and sure enough - Aiden’s made his way up to the loft as well, taking his first look around at the furnishings.

Moira flinches, not having noticed what I’m sure were much more subtle sounds to her. She pulls away from me to turn towards him, sitting back on her heels as she quickly recovers and says, “Isn’t it? This’ll be the perfect spot for me.”

Aiden takes another minute or so to poke around at the nearby rooms while Moira and I wrap up our conversation. Then he comes back to where we are and offers his hand to me, laying it onto the bed cover.

“You want to come set up your space, Eve? The others should be here soon.”

“Sure!” I get to my feet and hop aboard. It actually feels particularly nice in the warmth of his palm right now. I can sense the fact that we’ve traveled further north, the air is chillier here. I’ll need to unpack my jackets and socks first and foremost.

We knew that we picked the smallest of the bedrooms, and it’s even more cramped than we had anticipated. I’m fine of course, but my poor boyfriend has trouble maneuvering around the bed. He focuses on taking everything out of my bag first - we’ve brought my bed, toilet, phone, one of the shelves to store clothing, and a ladder in case I need to reach the ground. I unpack my garments onto the shelf, and then raise an eyebrow at Aiden when I notice he’s not unpacking much of his stuff at all.

“Can’t find a spot to put your clothes?” I ask.

“Eh, it’s only three nights. I’ll live out of the suitcase.”

“Fair enough. I guess when you’re camping in a tent you probably have even less space.”

“Mm-hmm. I don’t mind this at all.” He plops down onto the bed and smirks as he brings his face closer to the nightstand. “And I especially don’t mind being in a tight space if I’m crammed into it with you…”

We’ve barely had time to start making out before we’re interrupted by a car door slam outside letting us know that the second half of our group has arrived. I catch a glimpse through the nearby window at the Ignacios exiting the car. Star is looking cute in her cable knit sweater, Diego seems comfortable in shorts and a T-shirt despite the chill… and there’s Camila, looking like a movie star as usual. Her perfect waves are pulled back into a ponytail, she’s wearing a fashionable skort and crop-top, wedged knee-high boots with a fur lining, and designer sunglasses perched on top of her head.

I find myself rolling my eyes at how out of place she looks, and then I berate myself. Be nice, I think. I’ll be seeing her from today - Thursday - until Sunday morning. Plenty of time to, um… bond. Maybe this weekend we’ll finally hit it off.

The six of us gather at the entrance and I’m able to greet the others from my partner’s shoulder - even Camila shoots me a smile, which I gratefully return. Everyone trickles in their luggage bit by bit as they find their home bases for the weekend. Diego and Star will be sharing the main bedroom downstairs, just next door to Aiden and me, and Camila will be staying in the side bedroom upstairs by the loft.

I hang out with Moira in the living room as my boyfriend gets roped into helping Camila get her three suitcases up the stairs. I try not to think about how the two of them are alone upstairs as I make plans with Moira to join her in her yoga practice tomorrow morning. Eventually we’re all gathered again in the living room, and I’m reassured when Aiden gently yoinks me from behind so that I can sit with him on one of the couches.

“So!” Star exclaims once we’ve all caught up on how our drives went and have shared in our excitement for the weekend. “Since it’s so windy tonight, I’m guessing that’s not great for the campfire?”

“Probably not,” Aiden says apologetically, “I can try to make it work, but it’s probably not the safest. Forecast is showing that tomorrow night should be way calmer, mind if we switch my dinner plans with yours?”

“That’s fine! We’ll go start working on the stew then, yeah? So that we don’t eat too late.” Star turns to her husband for confirmation.

“Aye aye, cap’n!” Diego says as he stands.

I wave as the couple leaves for the kitchen, and I find myself sighing as I drop my arm again. I’m actually starting to feel a bit overstimulated at this point, if I’m being honest… I’ve gotten more used to hanging out with multiple giants at once, but rarely are we all in the same room at the same time, especially in such a new and exciting environment. It’s going to be a long night of festivities, so I eventually decide that I might need a little break before the food’s ready.

“Can you set me down?” I call up to Aiden from my spot at the crook of his elbow. “I just want to grab something in our room real quick.”

“I can go get it for you,” he says, brow furrowing as he looks down at me.

“Nah, I’ve been doing a lot of sitting today, I should stretch my legs. I’ll be right back.”

He hesitates for a beat longer. It hasn’t been that long since our close call back at the apartment. We’ve gotten into better habits since then - I’m much more careful about lining the walls now if I’m ever on the ground, and we’ve had zero issues since. Everyone else here has been briefed about how to watch out for me too. But still, I’m sure that moment where he thought he had almost stepped on his girlfriend still has him rattled.

“Alright, yell if you need anything,” he says, scooping me off his arm and extending his hand to the floor. I’m sure I don’t need to point out that as soon as I’m no longer in the living room he probably wouldn’t be able to hear me. It’s the thought that counts, I guess.

Camila, who has been discussing one of her classes with Moira, trails off as she notices what’s going on opposite to her. I step onto the ground, grateful for my heavier duty socks as I can feel a layer of cold radiating from the hardwood floor. She locks eyes onto me and raises one eyebrow.

“Aren’t you worried about running into a spider or something?” she asks with a small smile on her face.

I glance up at her and feel a little dizzy. Even at home, looking up at Aiden from down at his feet, as if he truly was a skyscraper, is enough to make my insides squirm. And now the unfamiliar hulking furniture, the towering group of titans, particularly the dark-eyed beauty who already makes me feel rather uncomfortable… Yeah, I’m starting to rethink this plan. Oh well. I can push through.

“I’ll be fine,” I say, feigning confidence best I can.

“There shouldn’t be as many bugs around this time of year anyway, not in this area,” Aiden adds reassuringly.

Not wanting to extend this exchange, I quickly make my way towards the nearest wall as they resume their conversation. It takes me almost ten minutes to get to our room and climb up the ladder to my little camp on the nightstand. I change into a slightly warmer jacket to justify why I came here, and then I take a few minutes in the quiet to steady myself. I knew that a lot about this trip was going to be a bit intense. But I’ve got this. I’m going to have a fun evening and a fun weekend. I’ve been looking forward to this trip so much, and I know it’s going to be worth it.

I slip back out into the hallway when I start feeling mild tremors that are growing in strength. And then I notice a shadow up ahead before seeing a colossal figure turn the corner. Oh jeez, it’s Diego. He must be taking a break from cooking to go grab something from his room. Just a 150 foot giant heading towards me, no big deal…

He quickly notices me walking alongside the wall, his smile growing in acknowledgement. He slows down as he gets closer and asks me, “Need a boost? Or you’re good?”

He’s honestly so tall that I’m not sure he’ll be able to hear me very well from the floor, so I just flash him a double thumbs-up and he seems to get it. He keeps moving, and so do I. That’s pretty cool, this ability to coexist so seamlessly. I don’t plan to wander around on my own all that often - hell, in a place like this, I’m sure bugs really are more of a concern than they are back at the apartment. But it’s nice to know that I have the option of keeping some independence if I need to grab a snack or something.

By the time I get back to the living room, I can tell Aiden’s been casting frequent glances towards the hallway. He notices my movements and straightens up with a smile, and I wave before hurrying to him. He plucks me back off the floor, and once he’s set me onto his knee, I sit with a tall back full of pride. I know my little trip was so minor, but I kinda feel badass from it.

Things really pick up soon after that, and we end up having a blast this first night. We gather around the dining room table for the hearty stew that the Ignacios made in the cabin’s cast iron Dutch oven. We discuss the hiking trails that we plan on checking out tomorrow. We play a lighthearted party game all together, and then we eventually meander to the living room. Aiden gets a fire going in the hearth while Moira fetches apple cider for everyone, and soon we’re sprawled around in a circle, half of us on chairs and the other half on the floor as we chat.

I do bristle a little as Camila sits on the ground particularly close to Aiden and I, leaning against the couch right next to his legs. I think I saw a couple of subtle frowns from the rest of the group in her direction, but everyone regains their composure so fast that I question whether it even happened. I get over it very quickly.

“So does anyone have Halloween plans?” Diego suddenly asks.

“No” is the general consensus, and Star immediately follows that up with, “We should dress up and go somewhere! Like, as a group. It’d be fun.”

“Hmm… What should we dress up as?” Moira wonders.

Diego points his finger in my direction. “Well, what should Evie be? Let’s start there.”

I startle, pulling my legs into my chest self consciously as I shift back on the couch armrest. “Oh, I don’t have to be part of this,” I say, feeling embarrassed.

Star leans forward as she urges, “No, you have to be! Think about it. Halloween might be the only time of year you can be out in public and people won’t question it.”

This thought makes me pause. I’ve gotten so accustomed to hiding. The thought of being out in the open in any capacity, pretending to be a toy as part of someone else’s costume, is a little scary at first. But the more I consider it, the more I think it might be freeing too. Finally I relent, “I guess that’s true… Uhhh… Maybe I could be a fairy or something?”

“You could be Tinkerbell?” Aiden suggests with a smile. I’ve been gradually having him watch all of my favorite childhood movies since he missed out on a lot of the classics as a kid. Due to his particular interests, he was quite familiar with Peter Pan, but recently we decided to watch it anyway.

Moira seems excited by the idea. “Oooo, yeah, we could be a Peter Pan group! That’d be so cute.” She nods in our direction. “Aiden, I guess that makes you Peter?”

“Hmm…” he muses, and I shiver with pleasure as he runs a finger along my back while he thinks. A playful smirk lights up his features. “I kinda want to be Hook, actually. Then I could pretend I’ve captured you in a lantern… you know, if you ever need a break from any crowds.”

I laugh. “Uh huh, pretend, sure. I just won’t read too deep into the fact that you want to be the villain.”

The others chuckle, but meanwhile I’m already daydreaming about this potential opportunity for my boyfriend to dress up as a sexy pirate. Camila jumps in with uncharacteristic eagerness as she beams over towards her cousin. “I think Diego should be Pan. Green tights and everything.”

We all laugh even more at this casting choice. But Diego’s completely unphased and agrees heartily, “I have noooo problems being the main character!” He swoops his arm around his wife to pull her in closer. “I guess that makes you my Wendy, darling.”

Moira turns to Camila with a giggle. “You want to be a lost boy with me?”

Everyone seems eager enough that this plan might actually happen, and I start feeling more and more excited about the prospects. We end up discussing a group trip to Disney World too while we’re on the subject, which would be so expensive and logistically complicated that it probably won’t happen, but it’s fun to dream. It’s so nice that everyone’s in this good of a mood, and the number of times that I get interrupted due to simply not being heard is at an all-time low. We don’t stay up very late since we’re all tired from the drive, but man what a wonderful first evening this was.