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S+P 9 - Back From Work

Chapter 55
Aiden

I’m in heaven right now.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You okay?” I ask softly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That’s… classified,” I mumble.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Got it. No problem.”

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

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

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

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

“Ditto,” I mutter with a matching sigh.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Can I ask you something?”

"Anything.”

"What are your other sensitive spots?”

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

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

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

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

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

She laughs. “While you’re driving?”

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

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

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

I’m telling you. I’m in heaven.

Thanks for the kind words guys!

Those who follow me on DA will have already seen the sketches in this one, but I figured I’d collect them into an official “comic” for Webtoons~ Except unfortunately the file sizes for these are too big for me to also post them all here, so I’m just going to post a link today and hope it works…

S+P 10 - Autumn Memories: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/salt-pepper/autumn-memories/viewer?title_no=896513&episode_no=10&serviceZone=GLOBAL

Rock bottom. I think I’ve finally reached it.

I can already hear my mother’s voice in my head, desperate to counter my pessimism. “Cameron, honey, I know it’s hard, but it’s not the end of the world.” “Cameron, sweetheart, this is just a setback, you’ll get through it.” “Cameron, baby, it’s really not as bad as it seems.”

No. I actually mean it this time. Rock bottom. I give up.

All of my muscles ache as I attempt to readjust myself in the hospital bed. It is literally impossible to get comfortable, so I’m not sure why I’m bothering, but I guess my body is on autopilot at this point, searching for any kind of relief. Pins and needles shoot down my leg in protest after being compressed in one position for too long, and I wince at the painful tug of the IV at my arm. But it’s only once I’ve finally finished turning over that I come out of my brain fog just enough to suddenly notice the sandpaper dryness in my mouth. The room is empty so I allow myself one lengthy, dramatic groan before I course correct, painstakingly flipping back to the other side. Without bothering to open my eyes, I reach to the bed’s side rail until my fingers find the controls that will tilt the bed upright.

I don’t bother to open my eyes because they’re practically useless. They have been for months now. And no, I don’t want to talk about it.

Once I’m lifted high enough to sit upright a bit more easily, I tentatively reach out to where I know I last left my cup of water. I make contact with the table and begin the familiar process of sliding my hand around to feel my way. My fingertips slither over a notepad and pen, a box of granola bars, a pair of earbuds…

With a heavy sigh I finally squint my eyes open, letting them adjust to the little amount of light they’re still able to capture. The visual static isn’t too bad today, at least. I still can’t make out the majority of the room, but I do have a small circle of vision remaining. My depth perception is shot, my sense of color is off, but from this angle I should be able to make out the–

I startle at the sound of a knock from a dozen feet away, abruptly piercing the silence of the room. The noise isn’t a request but a warning, a rather pointless one as I have no time to react before the door immediately opens. I slouch back into my bed in defeat, letting my arm slump lifelessly onto the bedside table.

“Hello,” the nurse calls out as her footsteps steadily approach, “I’m here to check your vitals.”

Not that I needed that introduction. This is nothing new. Someone comes to check on me every couple of hours, day and night, to check my blood pressure, monitor my IV, get the occasional blood sample. I’ve only been here a few days and already it feels monotonous. I turn my head in the direction of the nurse’s presence, forcing a curt smile onto my face as I catch the movement of the blue cloth of her scrubs but little else.

Without saying anything she takes my wrist, making me tense up from the lack of advance notice, and a moment later I sense the cool plastic of my water cup being gently thrust into my hand. I mutter a thank you and gulp greedily as the nurse sets up the blood pressure machine beside me.

“How are you feeling?” she asks me, and I catch the weary tone in her voice. I feel a bit guilty that my cordial smile has already slipped back into my usual vacant scowl. I can’t remember her name, but I can tell by the sound of her voice that this is the same daytime nurse that I’ve had for the past two days. I know I’m just another item on her to-do list, but she’s honestly been really nice, and with all the pain I’ve been dealing with I can’t say I’ve been particularly nice in return. I should make an effort.

“Better,” I lie, employing as convincing of a lighthearted tone as I can. “How’s it going out there?”

“Oh, you know,” she sighs as she slips a fabric cuff over my arm. “At least a dozen new cases every day so it’s always a bit nuts… But we’ve been doing better at this hospital than most. And I heard on the news that nationwide things are finally starting to slow down.”

“That’s good,” I respond with a slight bob of the head.

The blood pressure monitor whirs to life, and despite my good intentions, I’m planning to just fall into silence for the rest of this visit the way I usually do. Small talk isn’t really my thing. But then I remember something I’m genuinely curious about, and that makes continuing the conversation a little easier.

“My mom said she saw someone on this floor who has bird wings growing out of their back?” I venture.

In the narrow tunnel of my vision I make out a pair of lips smiling wider. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the details of other patient’s conditions. But we do get all sorts here.”

“I mean… are there any anomaly patients on this floor? Can you tell me that?”

“Well, you’re in the Anomaly Recovery Unit. So yes.”

“Wait, I am?” I say with a frown, perking up with surprise.

“Yes. They moved you here from the ICU since that’s where we have space right now.”

I didn’t realize that detail when I got wheeled over here yesterday morning. I didn’t know that an “Anomaly Recovery Unit” even existed, though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Last I heard there were over 300 cases in our county alone. Most of them are completely benign - people whose skin had turned pink or their hair doubled in length or they suddenly grew an extra toe or whatever. You know. Definitely things that require immediate medical attention. Definitely things that should put them first in line…

Still, I guess there are enough requiring hospitalization to justify a dedicated unit for them. I suddenly attribute this new piece of intel to the strange noise I had heard last night - someone was walking around in the hallway outside, but I could have sworn that each step caused a slight musical sound, like a wheezing accordion. Whoa. I wonder how many anomaly patients are in my immediate vicinity.

A couple of minutes later, the nurse is wishing me goodbye, leaving me in silence again once the door shuts behind her. I slide a little lower in bed until I’m almost flat, and I stare up at the blank, colorless space of the ceiling above me. I fixate the one dark stain that I’m able to make out in my own pathetic version of cloud gazing. For a few minutes I debate on whether it’s more interesting to stare at this mystery stain or the back of my eyelids. That’s when I hear it.

“Pssst! Hi there!”

I flinch and turn my head, reflexively trying to look towards the faraway voice. It’s not one I recognize, and I hadn’t realized anyone else had entered the room, so it makes me feel very uneasy. I don’t say anything at first, and it’s so quiet in the ensuing pause that I wonder if I imagined it.

“Is someone there?” I call out, looking around pointlessly.

“Whoa, not so loud! Over here, to your left. Helloooo.”

I frown as my eyes fervently try to hone in on the source of the voice. For some reason she seems to be keeping her distance. I’m about to try and push myself up into a sitting position when my small circle of clearer vision passes over the outline of a human figure, and then I find her smiling face. She appears to be further away than the door that I thought was closed, even if she’s in the right direction - something about this moment is incredibly disorienting.

The mystery person stops waving so dramatically, her toothy grin widening before she speaks again. “I snuck in here. Heard we had a normie neighbor!”

“Um, what does… who…?” I question, struggling not to stutter. I’m still flat on my back and feel a bit like a cornered animal in my current state of confusion. I move my arms to my sides to brace them against the mattress and add, “Wait, what do you mean you snuck in?”

“Like, I slipped in right before she closed the door…” The girl falters for a moment and tilts her head to the side. “Huh. You are not asking the questions I thought you’d ask. Though that’s kinda refreshing I guess.”

She’s still a good distance from me, just standing there on the other side of the room. I push into my forearms so that I can sit upright, and then reach out to my side table for better leverage as I ask, “Why are you so far aw–”

Right as I sit up there’s a small sound, like a soft gasp, and I freeze in place. My hand just whacked against something unexpectedly warm, and it causes me to yank my arm back off the table. But before I can figure that out, I’ve realized that I’ve lost sight of the person in the room. I’m scanning wildly, my confusion coming to a head. Where did she go? Clearly that wasn’t a doctor or something, right? Am I losing my mind right now?

But no - she’s still here, somewhere, because I hear her voice pipe up again, now breathless and frustrated. “What the hell, man? Are you blind?!”

She still sounds strangely far away. And she also sounds like she’s somehow below me now. My eyes drift downwards as my mouth answers her question automatically. “Yes.”

There. I’ve found her face again. But now things really aren’t making sense. It’s impossible for her to still be so far away at this lower angle.

Her entire demeanor has changed, her bright smile gone and her eyes a little wider. “Oh,” she says, faltering, “Uh… Damn. Sorry.”

“Hold on…” I mutter, leaning forwards. Towards my side table.

I’m finally putting it together. She’s not far away at all. She’s right next to me. She’s standing on the table.

My brain is short circuiting. In this moment I don’t pay attention to her increasingly nervous expression or the way she seems to be shying backwards. I have to make sense of this. Without thinking I raise a hand up, hovering it over the table for a second before it descends again, the side of it thumping softly against the wood. I’m lowering my head to get a more level view, ignoring the pain in my abdomen as I do so, and my brow furrows in shock. She’s in front of my hand. I run my eyes up and down her figure, observing the contrasting outline of her frame against my palm. Her skin is a little darker than mine and the sight is as obvious as a cup of water splashing against my face.

She’s tiny. Like, unbelievably so. She’s sitting down at the moment, but even if this girl were standing, I’m not sure she’d be as tall as my palm is wide. It feels impossible. She doesn’t look real.

“Ummmm?” I’m snapped out of my stupor by her voice, no longer sounding distant to me anymore, just sounding appropriately small to match her stature. My attention is naturally drawn back to her face, and she’s smiling weakly. “I thought you just said you were blind?”

I’m a little distracted by something new at this point. A strange… exhilaration. For too many months now I’ve had to deal with not being able to see a single thing clearly. And this is especially true with people - when I’m having a conversation with someone, the most I can make out at one time is an eye or a mouth or something. My tunnel of clear vision is so incredibly narrow. But right now… I can make out this person’s face. Her entire face. Everything from the dark brown of her eyes to the way her long black hair rests on her shoulders, to the tiniest speck of a mole on her left cheekbone. She’s right here, she’s right in front of me, and I can see her!

I let out a tight exhale, trying to bring myself back to the task at hand. “Blindness is a spectrum,” I answer - it’s something I’ve had to explain countless times so it’s the only words I can easily summon at the moment. “I can see some stuff… But… I don’t…” I pause, my breathing shaky and my words equally so. “Am I awake right now?”

To my surprise, the miniature girl breaks into a big grin again, her nerves seeming to settle all at once. “Now that’s the kind of reaction I’m used to,” she chirps, and her arms start moving, her hands gesturing as she speaks. “You see, some of the anomalies allow people to breathe underwater. Some of them make their skin glow in the dark. And some of them make us three and a half inches tall.” She shrugs nonchalantly. “Although I think that’s just me.”

Of course. She’s an anomaly patient. I should have figured, since I did just find out that I’m in a part of the hospital that has dozens of them. And yet I never imagined I’d witness something like this. She looks like she belongs on the screen of my phone, not wandering around a hospital. I wonder about a million things at once - how long has she been like this? What must her experience of the world be like? It’s so easy for her to pass unnoticed - hence her being able to sneak into my room. But at the same time, I can’t even imagine how scary things must be for someone so small. She just looks incredibly fragile…

I tense up as this thought makes me remember something. Earlier, I’d reached out to the table to help pull myself up to sitting, and my hand had hit something foreign in the process. I suddenly realize why my little visitor is sitting down.

I force myself to hold very, very still as I fight back panic. “Oh my god… Did I knock you over? I’m so sorry, I just realized– um… Can I, uh…” My hand is still just behind her and my fingers twitch as I wonder if I should offer her help in getting back to her feet. The thought of touching her is strangely intimidating.

She waves me off though, quite literally with a flick of the wrist. “It’s okay! Just give me some room?”

Aaaand now I’m feeling like an idiot. My palm is at her back like a wall, as if I was trying to corral her towards me. I didn’t mean to block her way or anything, but I can only guess how imposing I might look to her in these first few minutes of us meeting. A wave of shame washes over me, making my ears burn.

Slowly I slide my hand away, making sure to have plenty of clearance before lifting it off the table and back onto my lap. It’s slightly trickier for me to maintain my gaze on things without my hand as a target, and yet I have no problem keeping my eyes fixed on the incredible creature before me. She gets onto her knees before pushing herself back up to standing, and the way her leg seems to buckle ever so slightly when she first puts weight on it makes me wince.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” I mumble, internally kicking myself.

“Yup!” she says brightly, and she puts her hands on her hips. “Serves me right, the nurses all keep telling me I need to stop wandering around… I just couldn’t resist checking out who’s the new guy on floor seven.” She holds one open hand up in a static wave. “Let’s start over. It’s nice to meet you, neighbor! I’m Naomi. What’s your name?”

I offer her a hesitant smile and respond. “Cameron.”

With that Naomi takes a couple of steps towards me and finds a more natural seat on the nearby box of granola bars, crossing one leg over the other. I’m rather relieved that she still seems comfortable enough to settle in for a chat despite that rollercoaster of an introduction.

“So…” she says as she lets her head tilt up at me with curiosity in her eyes, “Are you in here because you’re blind?”

Well, she’s certainly blunt. I don’t really want to go into details about my own situation, but her candor brings an amused smirk out of me. “No, that’s not why. Well, actually… kinda? I guess it’s because I’m blind that I didn’t see that a car was coming.” I shrug one shoulder and indicate my own abdomen that I know looks like a mosaic of blacks and blues under my hospital gown. “Internal bleeding.”

She grimaces. “Ouch.”

“Yeah.” I swiftly try to change the subject. “What about you? How long have you been like that?”

“About seven… no, eight months now. I’ve been living at the hospital ever since. It’s been wild.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet… I’m honestly struggling to wrap my mind around this.” I gesture vaguely in her direction. “How did you even like… get up there?”

She giggles. “How do you think? I climbed up.”

I frown, trying and failing to get a good look at the table she’s on. I know the whole thing is on wheels, and I think there’s only one center table leg, which is much too thick for her to have wrapped her arms around.

“How??” I insist, a bit bemused.

She laughs again and points towards something outside my field of vision. “I’ve gotten good at spotting invisible routes. Maybe you don’t know, there’s a couch on the other side of you that’s by the window. The curtain has this mesh trim that I can grab at, so - up the curtain to the couch, up the cushions to the armrest, used the IV tube to reach the bed, and it was an easy jump from bed to table. I do this a lot.”

I mentally map out the obstacle course that Naomi put herself through just so she could come say hello. Holy crap, she was scurrying around the perimeter of my own bed while I was busy staring at the ceiling… Either I must have been very distracted by that mystery stain, or she was just that quiet.

“So, uh, this is a regular passtime of yours then?” I ask, “Sneaking into people’s rooms?”

She crosses her arms defensively. “Dude, you have no idea how bored I get. Going on visits is the best part of my day! I would go crazy if I didn’t socialize.”

“And people are okay with this?”

“Are you not okay with it?”

My expression softens despite myself. Since I’ve been at this hospital I’ve preferred it when I’m left alone, but I can’t deny that this has been the most interesting part of my stay here. “No… You’re fine,” I say reassuringly, “I just meant the staff.”

“Oh. No, of course they’re not okay with it, I get scolded all the time! That’s why I’m sneaking. Some of the nurses bring me with them to go see the more long-term patients that I’ve gotten to know. But usually everyone’s so busy… I can’t expect them to entertain me all the time.” Naomi leans back on her hands and uncrosses her legs, stretching them out in front of her. She taps her heels rhythmically on the table, creating the tiniest pitter-pattering sound, and adds, “Sometimes people come visit me! That’s always exciting.”

“You mean from outside the hospital?”

“Yeah! Some of my friends, the ones who have stuck around since I shrunk. Every once in a while it’s someone from my extended family.”

Come to think of it, since she’s mentioning family… I wonder why she’s been staying here at the hospital. Is it purely for medical reasons? Or does she not have anyone from her inner circle to look after her? It seems like a pretty personal question so I opt not to ask, but then of her own volition she starts peeling back the layers.

“Most of the time, though, it’s someone who just wants to check on my dad. He’s also a long-term resident.”

“Ah…” I hesitate again, but not only does she seem like such an open book, it’s like she’s pointed out a bookmark. I let my curiosity get the best of me. “Did your dad get shrunk too?”

Naomi goes quiet for a second, and at first I think I’ve screwed up. I know I probably wouldn’t want to talk about it either if that’s what happened. But the more I nervously search her little face, the more it just looks like she’s deep in thought.

“You know, that would have actually been pretty great if that’s what had happened. Then I wouldn’t feel so alone all the time. But no…” She brings her attention back up to me. “You could say he’s in a coma. We got hit by the same anomaly. But while I started drowning in my own clothing, he sorta just… went to sleep. The doctors said it was some kind of temporal effect? As if time has just paused for him. Physically he’s fine, they’re not even having to do anything to keep him alive, they’re just keeping him here to try to find a way to fix him. I miss him so much, though.”

Yikes. This talk got real intense, real fast. My fingers fidget anxiously at my own hospital gown as I search for the right words.

“I’m really sorry to hear that,” I finally say lamely.

“Yeah, it sucks! I’m hanging in there, though. The doctors don’t think there’s a way to fix me, but they seem to think he still has a chance. Here’s hoping.”

I let out a breath in a tight, subdued sigh. “I just… I had no idea the effects of an anomaly could be so… severe.”

Naomi throws both hands up with an exaggerated shrug. “They’re usually not! Though I guess I’ve met a lot of extreme cases at this point. They recently put me in a room with someone whose bones literally turned into glass. She’s had a couple of surgeries now, to replace some of it with metal implants, but she can still hardly move at all.”

“Shit. That’s horrible.”

“Yep, I feel really bad for her. But I agree, most of the anomalies are much more minor… I mean, sure, I guess I’d be freaked out too if my eyes went from brown to blue overnight. But in the grand scheme of things it’s so silly.” She seems to catch herself then, and she looks off to the side in embarrassment. “Sorry, that probably sounds awful. I’m sure those things feel like a big deal to the people going through them.”

I really can’t get over how well I can see her, how effortlessly I’m able to read her expressions since her entire head fits in my small field of clear vision. I recognize the look in her eyes. And I feel an unexpected moment of kinship despite how different our conditions are.

“It’s okay…” I say quietly, “I get it.”

She meets my gaze again, her grin quickly returning, and a warmth blossoms in my chest. Damn. That smile is infectious.

“Alright, enough with my sob story,” Naomi exclaims, now folding her legs up in front of her in a cross-legged position. “Tell me more about you! I can’t tell you how good it feels to meet someone around my age here. Are you a student?”

“Uh, used to be. At Southwest University, next town over.”

“Oh really?! That’s where I went too! Back when I could, at least. I was a computer science major - you?”

“Kinesiology.”

“Right on!”

S+P 13 - A Sprinkle of Sugar

S+P 16 - Holiday Decorating

Settled by sassytiny

Hey guys!

With the comics getting longer (aka file sizes being too large), and with the fact that I also post these on Tumblr now, it’s gotten a bit too cumbersome to regularly post these to DD I’m afraid! If you’re interested in seeing more (I may be working on a bit more narrative-heavy origin story in the background…), I’ll still be posting them on these 3 sites:

Webtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/salt-pepper/list?title_no=896513

DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/littlest-lily

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/the-littlest-lily

I just posted a Halloween one today, and I may still swing by here from time to time for special events Thank you so much for all the support~ Have a good one!

I wanted to share this video by Contrapoints I just finished! It’s not sizey but I promise that it’s barely about Twilight either lol. It really delves into the psychology/culture around sexual fantasies (particularly women’s fantasies) including BDSM, being “ravaged” by monster men, and she even touches on vore at one point. I found it absolutely fascinating (but then again I could listen to Natalie talk about anything and everything haha)

https://youtu.be/bqloPw5wp48?si=472EFI3LASzOmTpt

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

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

Chapter 3
Aiden

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

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

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

And then… and then everything got weird.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“He’s lying–!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Fuck.”

S+P 8 - Scary Movies

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

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

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

Chapter 4
Evie

I’m back at the bottom of the ocean. Head swimming. Maybe it’s better like this, in the dark and the calm… but despite myself I’m fighting to get my head above water. Fighting to get back to the surface.

I come to consciousness suddenly, violently. My eyes fly open and my body’s shaking, my teeth rattling together. I realize it’s because I’m freezing.

With a surge of adrenaline I bolt upright. The anesthetics have worn off, but I’m still so disoriented and I can’t remember what happened last. It had all been so horrifying. Not fully in control of myself, I’m scrambling backwards, my back quickly hitting a wall, and I frantically look around. I’m in some kind of transparent room with a domed ceiling, and it only takes me a second to know that everything beyond it, though I’ve never seen it before, is much bigger than it’s supposed to be.

The scream that has been desperate to get out of me is rushing to the surface, but even now it can’t quite escape as my throat sears with pain and I start coughing again instead. I startle as I see movement in the distance in response to the noise I’m making.

I hadn’t even noticed him there, he’d been standing so still, his back facing me. But as he turns around I take in the size of him and my body remembers all too well what it was like to be picked up by one of these titans, whipped around, pinned down, threatened—

The scream comes out in bouts, more like a shrill gasping noise that racks my body as I push back uselessly against the plastic wall, going into a panic.

“Whoa, whoa, it’s okay!” To my surprise, the giant’s not moving towards me but is retreating, stepping back while holding his hands up in as non-threatening a gesture as he can. I watch him, still taking in gasping breaths, though I manage to stop shouting. A part of my brain is trying to remind myself that Aiden hadn’t been the threat. Not intentionally at least. Aside from him being over a hundred feet tall, I could have woken up to far worse things.

We have a bit of an awkward stare off in the ensuing quiet. I’m still shivering profusely. He notices and finally takes a mindful breath in before speaking.

“You’re probably really cold. I’m going to take the mask off, alright? I’m not going to touch you.”

I don’t say anything and he responds by slowly stepping forward, causing me to tilt my head back as his towering form approaches. He reaches a hand out, and I absently note that it’s no longer in its blue glove, making it look not quite so alien. Still just as monstrously large, though. His arm crosses a vast distance and his fingertips touch down on the top of the plastic dome with a soft but reverberating thump. I cower nervously under the vaguely spider-like shape of his hand above me.

“Please don’t fall off the counter,” he says softly, lifting the dome away.

This helps. Warmer air envelops me and my violent shaking begins to abate, helping me calm down. I can see better without the plastic walls. The sight is sobering, to say the least… The sheer cliff of a refrigerator to my left. The plateaus of a stovetop to my right. A chasm in front of me, with the appropriately titled kitchen island across the gap. The skyscraper of a person.

“Where… is this?” I ask in an effort to make contact with the nearby giant.

Aiden frowns and leans his head forward. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

I clear my sore throat and try to up the volume. “Where are we?”

“Oh. We’re in my apartment. I wasn’t sure what to do, so… I brought you home. Um…” He looks tense and hesitant. “How much do you remember?”

I’m feeling pretty tense myself. Trying to have a conversation with someone a couple dozen times my height is really disorienting. As if I’m watching a movie in IMAX and the character on the screen suddenly starts addressing me.

“Uhh,” I say, trying to focus on what he’s asking me and thinking back. “The last thing I can think of is being outside and hearing some sort of siren? It was so loud…”

“Oh okay,” Aiden says as he nods, “You didn’t miss much then. I think you had taken in smoke and passed out so I tried to give you oxygen. Sorry, for whatever reason the air that comes out of that thing is really cold. How do you feel?”

I let out an incredulous huff. “How do I feel? I… Look at me! What did you do to me?”

I catch his subtle wince in response to this. I had meant a collective “you”, I wasn’t aiming to accuse Aiden directly. But he looks guilt-ridden nonetheless, staring at the floor for a second before his eyes meet mine again.

“Listen, I’m… I’m so sorry. I had no idea, I– I didn’t know…”

“You didn’t know?!”

“I thought that you were fully on board. I had no idea you were being tricked into this. It’s just… it’s all so messed up…”

I believe him, I don’t have any reason not to. But an apology isn’t very useful to me right now as I stand here at three inches tall. “Well now what?” I implore, “What do we do?”

Aiden’s voice is soft. Dejected. “I don’t know, Evie.”

Meanwhile I’m on the verge of screaming at him. “What do you mean? You were part of it, right? Is this going to wear off? How were you going to undo this?”

“He never showed me that part. He said he didn’t need help with it… conveniently.” Aiden leans against the kitchen island, bringing a hand up to his brow as he closes his eyes for a second. “Now I’m starting to see the red flags. I did think it was weird he wasn’t using the on-campus labs. Paying in cash instead of going through the school’s credit system. Insisting I don’t discuss anything involving the experiment with you beforehand. There was so much secrecy in general… I just don’t know why he would…”

He trails off, the unspoken question filling the space between us. I think back to my brief but vivid memory of my time in Dr. Little’s grasp. I remember the implication that he had plans for me tonight.

“I don’t think it was all just for the sake of science,” I say, breaking the quiet. I shudder at the memory of the violating touch. “I… I don’t think he was planning on restoring me.”

There’s another moment of silence as we both process this realization.

“Oh my god…” My voice is breaking. “Am I stuck like this?”

Maybe it’s because I’m on the verge of tears but Aiden’s sounding a little desperate as he tries to reassure me, taking a small step towards me. “I’m sure there’s a way. We’re going to figure this out.”

“How?? All that stuff burned down right? Dr. Little’s gone?” Suddenly I’m on my feet, still staring upwards at the giant and gesturing manically. “I’m screwed. Because of this stupid science experiment I’m royally fucked. How the hell are you planning to fix this?”

No answer comes. Aiden’s demeanor shifts, his eyes unfocusing as they drift to the floor and he starts to shut down. I’m having trouble reading his expression and suddenly feel a spark of anxiety.

What am I doing? Why am I antagonizing the one guy who’s on my side right now?

I have a desperate realization. I’m completely helpless. This smaller size has an infinite amount of implications. Everything I need to survive is so inaccessible. The world is full of dangers - I’ve already experienced that firsthand. Hell, if it wasn’t for this gigantic yet gracious man before me I would have been kidnapped or crushed or suffocated or burned to death.

I need him.

My heart is racing as I feel horrified with how I’ve just been yelling at him. Does that blank look on his face mean that he’s getting tired of my shit? I need to put myself in check. Now.

“Aiden…” I call out to him with a tremulous voice. "I’m sorry. I know it’s not your fault.’

With a blink his eyes flick back up to focus on me, and he frowns with confusion. “What? No, you have every right to be upset right now.”

He moves closer and slowly crouches down to be eye level with me. I shy away, taking a timid step back. My nerves feel raw, every little thing overwhelming me. But some of my growing fears are assuaged by his expression - he looks so concerned and sympathetic as he continues to speak softly.

“I can’t even imagine what you’re going through. I really am sorry, Evie.” He pauses as he contemplates. “I guess… the next step is to take you to a hospital. Or to the police. I’ll tell them what I know. We’ll find a way to help.”

The anxiety comes right back. “Wait,” I say reflexively, “I don’t… know about that.” Aiden all but cocks his head to the side, puzzled with my immediate reaction. I scramble to find an explanation, stumbling over my words. “Sorry, I just, I’m scared… Just like, the idea of this going public or anything… Maybe I… need a little… time.”

He frowns and I fidget nervously at the way he’s examining my face, but he doesn’t press the matter. “Okay. Sure, that’s fine.” He goes quite still, looking rather anxious himself. “To be perfectly honest, the idea of contacting the cops kinda freaks me out. Dr. Little, he… he’s dead… because of me…”

I’d almost forgotten about that. It hadn’t really seemed real, not to mention I’ve been so focused on my own problems. I feel a twinge of guilt. Aiden’s been so supportive when in reality he’s been having a rough day too. “It wasn’t your fault,” I say, “It was an accident… And you were just trying to help me.”

He lets out a sarcastic laugh. “Right. I’ve done such a great job at that…” Then he sighs and shakes his head. “All of that should be the least of your worries, though. How about we contact your family at least?”

“I um… I don’t really have any, to speak of.” I’m starting to feel very self-conscious as I continue shutting down his suggestions.

He looks perplexed again but continues to not pry. “A friend then?”

And now I’m the one gazing towards the floor - or in my case, the counter. “This is my first semester… I just moved here a few weeks ago, I don’t really know anyone yet…”

Realization hits me like a lightning bolt.

“That’s why.” I stare at my feet a moment longer. Then I look up at Aiden, my eyes wide as I meet his gaze. “That’s why he picked me. He picked someone that… that no one would miss if they disappeared.”

We stare at each other, neither one of us knowing what to say. Eventually the giant’s figure goes blurry from my own tears and I wipe them away, covering my face, trying to suppress the sobs that are threatening to break out. It’s all too much to handle. I’d finally been able to set out on my own for a better life, for a new beginning. But the universe had other plans for me… This change in perspective isn’t exactly the fresh start that I had in mind.

“Would you be okay staying with me then?”

I need to stop startling so easily every time he talks. His suggestion takes me by surprise too. I lower my arms as I look back up at him and dare to hope.

“Just for a little bit,” he adds, looking rather embarrassed.

“I-Is that alright?” I ask breathlessly.

Aiden smiles. “I warn you, I have no idea what I’m doing. But you’re more than welcome to stay here while we figure this out.”

I nod, taking a deep breath in. I don’t have a choice. “Yes. I’ll take you up on that… Thank you so much.”

“It’s the least I can do.” He starts standing back up again and I manage not to jump at the movement this time - I’m beginning to notice subtle cues from the way his oversized body moves. I have a long, long way to go to getting accustomed to my stature, but it seems I’m slowly making progress.

Aiden looks out towards the rest of his apartment, scanning the area while he contemplates. Meanwhile I continue to observe him, becoming more fascinated as the fear begins to recede. He looks like he should be made of stone and metal, not flesh and blood. It feels so humbling, staring up the length of him like this.

“First things first,” he says, turning back my way, “I don’t know if the kitchen counter’s the safest place for you to hang out. If you’re okay with it, let’s find a better base of operations… Can I, uh, offer you a ride?”

It’s just like before, his hand appearing from over the horizon to lay on the counter in front of me. Except I’m in control of my own body this time. I spend a moment taking in the sight of it and letting my nerves settle while Aiden waits patiently. To the point that I start feeling awkward about how long I stand there staring.

“Sorry,” I say, “I just need a second.”

“I understand, take your time. I can find a different way maybe… Like get a tray or something and carry you on that?”

“No, it’s okay, I can do this,” I say, conscious of the warmth in my cheeks as I’m embarrassed to be struggling with something so simple. If I’m going to be stuck like this for any length of time I will probably need to get used to being carried. I force myself to reach out and just touch the damn thing, settling my hands onto his skin.

I’m still feeling really cold from my time under the mask, and the giant’s warmth is unexpectedly pleasant. I suddenly feel the urge to huddle against the side of his hand and use it as a space heater. There’s also something about touching him like this that just really hammers in the fact that this building of a man is actually alive. So weird.

Having taken this first step I find it easier to follow the momentum, leaning forward to put one knee up on his palm and then the other. All of my limbs are a little shaky as I can’t help but feel nervous about the upcoming ride with no harness or safety rails. I’m not particularly afraid of heights, but I think anyone would be afraid of this.

Aiden’s been nothing but kind to me, but… God, please don’t let him be clumsy.