Best posts made by littlest-lily

@foreverlurk WOW what an incredibly motivating compliment! I thankfully have a very active imagination that is very dedicated to this stuff so I’m not stopping anytime soon

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.”

@Olo Ohh my bad! I saw the two interact but after I posted that I realized that tiny-taker was referring to it as their survey so I got very confused lol. With all the recent reblogs bringing it back up I’m hoping lilegite’s survey data crops up soon~

@i-am-insane Surface tension of water is easily breakable though, it gathers water together but doesn’t affect the flow. Like lookit this ant goooo! https://youtube.com/shorts/wNJSQwYp2y0?si=Q-m69FgO7TuwPZSv

But I agree that food feels like it would be more of a challenge. I started working on a micro story and tried to brainstorm some food options at the time. Things like chicken broth and pudding and applesauce yuuunmmm

@Olo Oh, sorry to Evie, but Pepper’s totally got her beat on that front

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.

Yeah, according to gravity falling three feet is falling three feet, no matter how big or small you are. So tinies should actually be okay with proportionally big falls (but since their biology would have to be different on some level, I know I certainly take liberties with this - I like the danger aspect from the perceived greater heights).

And as far as I understand it, surface tension is super fragile, a person should be able to literally stick their head in if they wanted. If the drop of water were bigger than they are, there is some risk in them getting trapped in there I suppose, but even then the simple fact that they go in would break the surface tension enough that it might just crumble.

Dontcha love all the science talk over something that’s not scientifically possible hahaha. I’ve had so many conversations with my partner over this stuff since he’s more the science expert than I am - it’s fun! (But has also led to him telling me that he wouldn’t be worried if I was small and fell off a table. Rude. lol)

@protect-tinies @Olo You guys, your pun game is too strong, you gotta stop making my day like 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.

@tiny-ivy YES I absolutely was into Horton Hears a Who as a kid. One of those formative moments for my love of micro.

I think in the Jim Carrey version of the Grinch the movie implies that the whole thing takes place on a snowflake

I love his unamused expression I would also be an annoyingly clingy tiny

@Olo Oof, there’s so much that I want to say that I won’t because ~spoilers~ but I really enjoy hearing your thoughts, as usual!

And yes, I think you’re right on how OoTE has been a gentle story so far, and so any kind of truly antagonistic presence really breaks the status quo. I wonder if part of the intense reaction to her comes from the fact that oftentimes the villains in these size stories tend to follow certain beats. A few of the folks I’ve heard from have made some very confident predictions on what Camila is going to do next. Meanwhile I just hope I don’t disappoint anyone with what happens, one way or another… But it’s all decided already (and I know that there’s never pleasing everyone when you make a thing) so I’ll just keep plowing on!

Thanks for indulging me in some of these more behind-the-scenes thoughts.

@Olo Swiper no swiping!

Yesssss I love this whole lil series so much 🥰

@Olo 100%. Sometimes it feels weirdly selfish to say this, but my creative outlets are for me - I just wouldn’t feel motivated to do them otherwise. At least for now… we’ll see if I ever run out of ideas or want a change of pace I suppose!