I realized that I haven’t updated this story here in forever so time to post several chapters 
Chapter 2
Cate didn’t believe that she’d be able to tear her gaze away from the windows and the massive sunglasses, but somehow, she did. If Desmond noticed Cate’s discomfort, he didn’t acknowledge it. He continued talking as if they were having a discussion about something mundane, like tax law.
“Communication between the giants and ourselves proved to be difficult at first,” he said, reaching into his desk drawer and taking out what appeared to be an odd ear piece. Desmond fiddled with it until a green light flashed; then he placed it on his desk. “They can’t really hear us well, and with vocal cords that size, it’s difficult for us to understand them. So we have communication equipment like this to help us. I can show you how to use it.”
She only gave the ear piece a cursory glance before her eyes darted back to Desmond.
“You can’t be serious,” Cate managed to say at last.
Desmond tried a warm smile. “I know that this is a lot to process all at once.”
“That’s an understatement! How can you expect me to be okay with this?” She chanced another glance out the window. The giant was still watching her intently, his dark eyebrows drawn slightly together. Instinctual terror tightened her chest, made it hard to breathe. Some primal part of her brain recognized that she was in the presence of a monstrously huge and threatening being, and it was panicking.
“No one told me that you were going to assign me a bodyguard like him,” Cate continued, her voice strained. “How do you know that he’s not dangerous? What if he eats me?”
“They don’t eat people, Ms. Fasano, and I can assure you that he’s not dangerous,” Desmond explained patiently.
“I’m not going near that thing,” she choked out, and the director tapped the strange device on his desk.
“This is on,” he whispered.
“What?”
Desmond leaned closer, still talking softly. “He can hear you.”
“Oh. Oh! Oh, Jesus,” Cate stuttered, looking at the sprawling face staring through the windows. “I’m so sorry!”
A booming rumble like a freight train assaulted her ears; an instant later, the little device on Desmond’s desk translated the giant’s voice into something recognizable: “No apologies needed, ma’am.”
She couldn’t see enough of his face to read his expression, and she had no idea if her words had bothered him. Under the giant’s enigmatic gaze, Cate felt her cheeks burn unbearably hot. She purposely looked away and focused on Desmond instead.
“How long will this be for?” She asked, hoping that his answer would indicate that it’d only be a few days.
“It depends on the investigation,” Desmond said. “Believe me, you’re in good hands. Literally.”
Cate didn’t grin at the joke.
The director handed the ear piece to her. “Here, put this on. We’ll go outside and meet your new bodyguard.”
^^^^^
“His resume is quite impressive,” Desmond said as they strode across the lobby toward the doors, flanked by more men in black. “Ex-military, their version of special ops. He’s a language expert and trained in several martial arts, including some Earth-based ones.”
Cate wondered how martial arts skills would benefit a two hundred foot tall colossus. Who would he even be fighting? The Empire State Building? But she didn’t mention any of this to the director, just followed him through the doors.
She had been expecting more of a crowd outside, gawkers who wanted to catch a glimpse of the giant, but the agents had most likely shooed away onlookers. There was only Lhyr, and it was fortunate that there weren’t more people around because he was taking up most of the street. One column-like leg stretched up near the entrance to the federal building; the other leg was halfway down the block. Cate looked up and up, trying to see more of the giant.
And then he knelt down.
For a heart-pounding second, Cate was convinced that he was falling over and that he was going to land on top of them. She made a small, frightened cry, but Desmond and the agents didn’t react. It took awhile for the adrenaline to leave her system, and as Cate drew a few breaths, she studied the titan kneeling before her.
He certainly looked professional: crisply-pressed white shirt, dark suit, a bright blue tie. Now that Cate could actually see his entire face, she spotted the freckles dotting his cheeks and the fullness of his lips. He would have been good-looking if he wasn’t so damn big. On his right ear he wore a device that matched Cate’s, except his ear piece was the size of a mini-fridge.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Lhyr said, his voice reverberating through her entire body. She got the impression that he was trying to be quiet, but he still sounded like a fireworks show. Cate was attempting to adjust to this when he moved his hand toward her. Gasping, she backed up toward the doors, not prepared for a colossal hand grasping for her.
“I think he just wants to shake your hand,” Desmond explained.
“Um, okay. Sure. Okay.” Cate approached the hand cautiously. The fingers were the circumference of telephone poles and curled inward toward the giant’s palm; only his index finger was extended. Did he want her to shake that? Trembling, Cate grabbed onto the fingertip with both hands, amazed at how warm and alive it was.
I’m actually touching a giant, she thought, astonished.
He was exceedingly gentle as he wiggled the finger, but nevertheless, he nearly lifted him from the ground. There was a lot of raw power in those hands, and Cate swallowed hard.
“See, he’s not going to eat you,” Desmond said, and Cate’s face flushed redder. “The plan is to move you to a safer location. Lhyr will take you to your apartment and you can get your things.”
The gargantuan hand moved again, this time lowering down to the ground.
“Wait, is he going to carry me?” Cate stared at the hand, then the director.
“It’s a lot faster and safer than traveling by car,” Desmond replied.
“Has…has he ever held a person before?”
“It’s part of his training, yes.”
Cate didn’t want to step into the outstretched hand, but she was beginning to accept the fact that her life was careening out of control. Gazing upwards, she looked into the enormous sunglasses, the eyes hidden behind them. This is a bad idea, Cate thought before she clambered onto the hand. It was more difficult than she would have thought, and her sneakers sank down into the yielding flesh.
The fingers wrapped around her, firmly but carefully. Cate was marveling at the feeling when he stood, picking her up in one fluid motion.
She almost passed out.
Desmond had probably been telling the truth, that the giant had some training in handling people her size. But despite Lhyr’s best efforts, her innards turned to water and the world spun. Recovering, Cate looked around and saw that she was high above the city, high enough that she could spot tiny people and cars. A flock of pigeons soared past the giant’s waist, seemingly unaware that they were flying so close to such a titanic being.
Cate wasn’t afraid of heights, but fear seized her violently.
“Don’t drop me! Don’t drop me!” She shrieked, and the giant brought her closer to his face.
“Are you alright, ma’am?” He looked concerned. Unable to think of anything other than colliding against the sidewalk far below, Cate screamed again. The hand holding her swung around, her ponytail whipping wildly in the wind, and she came even closer to fainting. Then Lhyr deposited her into his breast pocket. Cate found herself wedged between thick cloth and a wall of flesh; behind the wall, she heard the steady thunder of the giant’s heart.
“Is this any better, ma’am?” Lhyr asked, and she clung onto the edge of the pocket, gripping it with sweaty palms.
“I-I guess,” Cate squeaked, trying not to look down again.
^^^^^
The other residents at her apartment building were shocked when the giant showed up. As he lowered Cate down so that she could go inside, her neighbors peeked through their windows and took photos and videos. To his credit, Lhyr didn’t seem particularly concerned about the people staring at him; he seemed more interested in surveying the area for potential trouble.
As soon as she was back inside of her apartment, Cate collapsed onto the couch and buried her face into her hands. What an unbelievable morning it had been. She took a moment to regain her composure. She would have taken longer, but the apartment shook once or twice, the photos on her wall rattling and almost crashing to the floor. Lhyr was moving around outside, no doubt. Through the living room window, she only saw cloudless sky; then massive, dark pillars appeared as the giant walked by the building.
Reluctantly, Cate got up and began to pack. She had been wondering how she’d transport everything that she wanted; she wasn’t worried about that anymore. The giant could probably fit most of her furniture into a single pocket. When she had packed as much as she could, she dragged her suitcases out into the hallway. One of the doors opened, and her neighbor Marshall poked his head out.
“Holy shit, there’s a giant out there!” He exclaimed, and Cate nodded wearily.
“Yeah, I know. He’s with me.” She lugged the suitcases toward the exit.
Outside, a crowd had gathered, although everyone was keeping a respectful distance from the giant. Which was wise, considering that his feet were vehicle-sized, and any sort of accident would most likely be fatal for the normal-sized person. Lhyr had crouched down, one hand already resting on the ground. Cate felt weirdly exposed as the crowd parted to let her through, her suitcases clattering over the pavement.
“Ready to go?” The giant asked, and even though she wasn’t, she stepped into his waiting hand.
️
Even in gentle scenarios, I still love overwhelming size and power. The giant person can choose to use that power for good or bad purposes, and I really like exploring that tension.