I'm big and greedy when it comes to g/t angst pleeaaaassuhhh I love it when giants get angry at tinies and instill (or reignite) a deep rooted fear in them. it's still gooduhhhh.
i like it when giants hurt tinies to the point the GIANT is permanently scarred and refuses to be intimate with or even touch them again even though the tiny (seemingly) doesn't care. they do. it's just that they hate to see their friend/partner this way and put their own feelings to the side. they can't ignore it forever.
I like it when tinies can't get over the weirddd primal fear that makes the hair on the back of their neck stand up and raises goosebumps all along their arms when around the giant they've grown close with. it's not on purpose, and they know they'd never be put in harms way. I like when that fear is brought to light and it strains their relationship.
I like tinies feeling left behind and scared that they can't keep up. I like it when giants feel so disgusting and unwelcome in any space they're in.
I like the awkward silence when one of them brings up how they can never be normal together, how their relationship is unconventional and they need to hide it from the world. or maybe they choose not to, and they're both shunned from their respective communities. how they can never be intimate together, how they yearn to have a normal hug and feel one another equally.
I like it when they get into fights and storm off for days. the giant can't find tinies after said fight, and eventually thinks they're gone for good. they could be anywhere. and while that tiny hides away, quiet and shivering, maybe even hearing creatures or bugs wherever they may have hid. they've grown so used to the comfortable warmth and safety that they forgot just how cruel the outside world could be.
I like codependent, mentally ill g/t pairings.
for all the fluff in this trope, at some point we gotta delve into the hurtful stuff .. then maybe some fluff after it #imweak
ugh. gentle giants manhandling a tiny for leisurely purposes. massive eyes dilated and locked onto them, maybe the giant has their chin rested on folded arms on the ground or a table, while they carefully poke and prod and drag and squeeze and it’s INSANELY overwhelming for the tiny but they know they aren’t in any danger.
They can see the giant’s eyes crinkle at the corners, soft chuckle vibrating through the ground. Thumb and forefinger squeezing their torso, pinching their cheeks, dangling them upside down, pressing into their spine. Holding the tiny’s hand between their massive digits and squeezing just enough that their little fingers are splayed apart so the giant can feel each of them individually. Cooing, pressing the pad of their finger to the tiny’s face to feel their lashes and nose. Stroking their hair and tickling under their chin, muttering sweet nothings and repeatedly emphasizing how little and cute they are. Shoving at their limbs and tucking them into a little curled up ball to see just how small they can get. Pinching the back of their clothes to dangle them up to their eyes, drop them back into their palm and roll them around a little more.
They push just enough to reach the tiny’s limits, if they squeeze too hard or lift too rough and the tiny yelps or expresses any pain then the giant immediately starts fawning and cooing and being extra gentle but by no means are they putting this tiny down.
and the best part is it can either be fluff, or the most terrifying fearplay experience, all depending on the tiny’s perspective on it. The nausea either way. sedative sedative sedative oh my gosh I need to be sedated I can’t get this out of my head
So, I have reread the Verso comic that belongs to @cathianemelian about a gazillion times now. And I realized that there were many instances of the reader getting Verso's inner thoughts on the situation and thought, "I wonder what Gustave is thinking at this moment?"
I may have spiraled after that. Good news is, I had a fun afternoon and have something cool to share to the Arietty!AU. Hope it gives a good idea on what Gustave may have been feeling :)
XXXXXXXXX
Gustave stared down the hall. The dog was on the other side of the manor with the eldest Dessendre daughter, which meant that the path was clear for once.
He should go to the atelier. That was where the ring was found, so that was where it would make the most sense to the humans when they discovered it. He should keep moving. He should return the wedding ring like he had originally planned.
But... he thought while glancing down towards the workshop... It’s so far.
He looked back at Verso's door. The human already knew about him. Hell, he had saved Gustave's life a month earlier. If he suddenly found a wedding ring on his desk, would it be so strange to him?
‘...mister “any excuse is valid to spy on that Verso”...’
No, Jerome was wrong. Gustave wasn’t making an excuse just to see the man. Gustave was being... strategic. The bedroom was closer than the atelier, and with the ring being heavier than he had thought, taking a shorter, more direct route made sense.
He’d leave a note. It would be fine.
Decision made, Gustave scurried across the hallway and popped under the door, not allowing himself a chance to second guess his hasty choice.
Not hasty... strategic.
The room was emptier than he thought it would be. Gigantic, even for humans, with only the basic furniture and a couple of rugs. He was surprised to see the lamp on the bedside table was lit, yet the human seemed peacefully asleep.
Did Verso sleep with the light on? The thought made Gustave smile a little. Cute.
Gustave pulled out his hook and threw it towards the table, smiling at the satisfying tink as it caught on the edge. Then he started on the arduous task of climbing up the rope while weighed down by a band of gold bigger than his waist.
As much as he appreciated being alive, trying to get around with only one arm was… tedious, at best. He looked forward for his new prosthetic to be complete.
Once at the top, Gustave took a moment to catch his breath and look upon the slumbering human. He slowly wound up his rope, head cocked as he considered the last time he had been this close to the human. Verso truly looked so soft and peaceful while asleep, just like before. It was hard to connect such a kind face to the stereotypical human behavior from the stories he had grown up with. Humans are vicious, they warned.
And yet…
'Verso…' He muttered, head tilted. Why was this man such an enigma?
Gustave crept closer to the human, pulling off his bag and letting the ring down. He sat down, opening up the ring before pulling out a stick of graphite and paper. He was quick, writing out a short, but concise message. Now, Verso could return the ring when he woke up.
Gustave paused as he finished, brows furrowing as he heard a noise. Something soft, like fabric sliding. He glanced up to find the cause of the sound. The blanket around the human had changed. Dread began to pool in his stomach as he followed the movement, up the colossal arm, and finally the face.
The human was awake.
His eyes were blue, Gustave idly noted. A steely kind, something that could very easily be cold and cruel, if not for the warmth that lit them from within.
Unfortunately, Gustave didn't see that warmth. Light eyes became dark. A small smile twisted into a cruel sneer. He wasn't in the open, but boxed in, both by walls and fleeing Lumerian borrowers. His hands shook, the forgotten graphite slipping through his fingers as he stared up, and up, and up. Losing his hold on Sophie as people screamed, as his home was found, as people died around him, screaming, begging, dragging him to run, run, RUN-
'Bonjour.'
Gustave gasped, blinking away the dual shadows that didn't quite dissipate from the broad face above. Closer now, turning towards him. Easier to reach that way. Why am I still here, he thought desperately as spikes of electricity ran through his extremities, willing him to move, to get away.
'I was wondering where you were.'
The words were innocent enough, but for the panicking borrower, they were twisted into something malicious. Something cruelly playful, like the giant being was toying with him. Memories bled into his vision and, finally, Gustave listened to the panicked voice in his head.
RUN!!
Eight steps to the edge of the table. Gustave twisted where he was, vaulting in the opposite direction of the shadowy human, stumbling slightly as he went. If he was quick, he could make it. It's not like the relatively short distance kept stretching out in his vision, like a nightmare of desperately running towards something, only for the goal to stretch away while the runner stayed rooted in place, no matter how hard they tried to move. This may have been a living nightmare, but it was no dream! He was not stuck! He could run!
Six steps. The very air seemed to vibrate in time to the human's voice, but the words were drowned out by the blood rushing through Gustave's ears. He glanced back, his ragged breath's hitching at the sight of a ginormous hand reaching for him at high speeds. He barely managed to slip under the fingers, avoiding the grab. He grabbed at his beating heart, willing the organ to stay where it was, to keep pumping blood, pumping the adrenaline that allowed his aching body to sprint like this. He blinked away the tears blurring his vision. Focus! Get away!
Four steps. Both hands were coming for him now. The fingers caged around him, aiming for his legs in order to trip him. He let out a yelp as he jumped, barely managing to slip though the threading fingers. His foot caught against a digit, and he stumbled forward, but free of the encroaching hold.
One step. Gustave planting his foot against the side of the table and leaped. If I manage to get down, I will be able to hide somewhere. He was already scanning, looking for a suitable space to scurry under. The end table was out of the question, a feeble defence against the might of a human. But if he managed to get behind the curtain, he could break the human’s line of sight long enough to get under the dresser on the other side. Surely, the human wouldn't be able to reach under there, and if he was lucky, he would find a loose board he could use to slip back into the walls, to safety.
The planning was for naught. He had barely started his descent when a shadow covered his minuscule form. He glanced up to see a hand having gone over him, swinging down in order to snatch him out of the air.
There was no way to change his trajectory now that Gustave was in freefall. But that hand could manoeuvre in any way it needed to in order to complete a quick grab. Gustave couldn't avoid this. All he could do was suck in a startled breath as he watched, almost in slow motion, as the fingers closed around him, sealing him away from the world that unfairly outsized him.
For a moment, the world was still.
Then the human moved.
Gustave began to struggle and squirm, his only hand pushing at the fingers that held him inexorably against a broad palm. No! It was odd, struggling against an unmoveable force that had a squishy quality to it. No, no! His head spun as his prison soared though the air, his stomach doing flips at the rapid movement. Nonononono! The human was talking again, muffled through the flesh that held him down. Gustave was flipped to the side, the fingers around him loosening slightly as a new hand cupped under him. It created a small chamber between the fingers, though it did little to alleviate Gustave's growing sense of claustrophobia.
He stared around the fleshy prison, scrambling back as he looked for any weaknesses he could exploit. He couldn't just give up, right? There had to be a way out of this! But it was hard to notice anything in a dark confine, pitch black other than the faint glow of pink and gold slipping through the edges of the fingers. He kicked at a finger, scrambling against any crevice he might be able to tear at, as if he could claw his way out.
'-op kicking.' The human said, and Gustave blinked at the words. Angry? Desperate? He couldn't tell. With a grunt, he kicked once, twice more, in defiance, before trying to dig his hand into a gap between the fingers, praying manically that he could miraculously slip through.
Perhaps it was a bad idea to defy a human's "request" while they literally held your life in their hand. As if in retaliation of his kicks, the hands moved again, tossing Gustave into one palm. As he tried to regain his bearings - which way was up, again? - the space inside the hands rapidly shrunk. Gustave yelped as he was pressed down against the palm, as the human gained an even stronger hold on him. It didn't hurt, per say - it barely even held him down, really - but the casual, almost facile show of strength made his struggles cease.
Gustave laid in the palm, his arm shaking uncontrollably in front of his eyes. He could feel a thrumming under that thick skin, cords of muscles miles long flexing at the slightest movement. Every twitch held enough force to potentially crush the caught borrower. Gustave could even feel the faint thumping of the human’s heartbeat, racing as fast as his own. He blinked away the flowing tears he hadn’t realised he was shedding. He wasn’t getting out of this, was he? He was never going to return to New Lumiere. He would never see his apprentices again, or Sciel, or Lune, or…
Maelle. His poor little sister was going to wake up alone. Never knowing what had become of her foolish brother. His breathing quickened, short and raspy, eyes watering, limbs shaking and-
Oh. A panic attack. It was surprising it took so long for it to start shutting him out from the world. With a wet sob, Gustave curled into a ball, his one hand running through his hair and holding on as the outside world fell away. With no way of fighting back against such unimaginable force, all Gustave could do was wait for the human to make their decision on his fate.
The hands around him were moving again. Slow and deliberate. Gustave was nudged and prodded, sliding down. He curled into a tighter ball, nerves wound to an unbearable tension, waiting for the pain to begin.
'-re safe.'
… What? Why was Gustave laying on sheets?
'-sorry. I didn't mean to scare you-'
Gustave recognised that voice.
The panicked borrower took a long moment to calm the racing heart that had settled in his throat. Was that why he was struggling to breath so much? He slowly pushed himself up, sneaking a glance to the side. The human had scooted back, and he could feel their gaze on him. Gustave kept his movements slow and careful, as if any sudden movement would cause the human to pounce. He'd seen cats do something similar when they were hunting. But the human stayed calm, still, simply waiting and watching.
Gustave didn't dare try to bolt, through part of that was due to the adrenaline having finally left him. His whole body ached, not only from lack of sleep and the initial trek through the manor, but from the over exertion from trying to run. There was no more energy for him to dip into for even an attempt. Slowly, he looked up at the oddly patient human.
Instinctual panic gripped his soul at being the sole focus of such a large, dangerous creature. But as he looked, old memories began to fade. Dark eyes lightened. Smug superiority morphed into something cautious, maybe even wistful. This wasn't the human host of Gustave's old home. It was Verso. The very man who had saved his life.
'See? Everything is fine.'
And Gustave had just… panicked at the sight of him.
'I won't hurt you,' Verso said, head tilting slightly, 'You know that, don't you?'
Oh, this was mortifying! Cringing, Gustave lowered his gaze, hoping the man didn't see the embarrassed blush that lit his cheeks.
'Y-yes… I shouldn't have…' Shouldn't have what? Made a bloody fool of himself? Too late for that. 'Please, excuse me.'
Maelle could never find out about this interaction. Not only was she liable to kill him for pulling such a stupid stunt, but because she would never let him live down the fact that he took one look at arguably the kindest human in the manor - his own guardian angel, even - and panicked like a child. I'd never hear the end of it.
‘No, no, it’s okay. I scared you. I must seem so tall to you,’ Verso insisted, then smirked playfully, hand moving to his heart in an almost grand gesture, ‘But unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about it.’
Oh merde, is he teasing me?! Gustave could just imagine how devious Maelle and Verso could be if they were ever to team up.
‘It wasn’t about you...’ Gustave insisted. Even if it was in jest, he didn’t want the man to feel that his mere existence was worthy of such fear. But how to explain such trauma without implicating that Verso’s very species was synonymous to catastrophe? ‘I... It’s complicated...’
‘You don’t know how glad I am to see you alive and well.’ Gustave paused, eyebrows raising at the quiet confession. Verso’s gaze had moved slightly, not quite meeting the bewildered borrower. He could practically see the shroud of melancholy that had entered those soft eyes.
‘Without any news, I sometimes thought... Well... I happened to think about the worst,’ Verso closed his eyes, head shaking slightly as if to rid himself of distressing thoughts, ‘I’m truly relieved.’
In all the time Gustave had thought about the strange man, he had never quite considered how strange a thing his rescue must have been. How would that have looked to the man? To have found such a tiny being, injured and bleeding out? To have rushed to administer aid, to someone the size of your own fingers? Any way to check for life would have been limited and difficult. It would have been incredibly easy to have misjudged and used too much pressure, to have snapped bones, or crush limbs without meaning to. With an unconscious patient, there would have been no way to confirm if the actions being taken to assist were actually causing more damage until it was too late. The very thought frightened Gustave.
Was that why Verso had watched over Gustave that day? Had he feared his own ministrations could have caused harm?
And Gustave had disappeared immediately. With no knowledge of the other borrowers, Verso would have been left to wonder if Gustave had survived the treatment on his own. If he had been able to heal properly. If he was able to keep himself fed while injured. If he could defend against other dangerous beasts that may try to make a snack out of a defenceless man trying to heal.
‘Forgive me about your arm. Monoco is my dog. Had I trained him better, this tragedy would never have happened,’ Verso continued, fingers digging into his arm in what must have been a painful grip. Gustave glanced at the stump, gently holding it as phantom aches began to run along the edge. ‘It must have been hard for you.’
Gustave frowned. Verso had done admirably well, all things considered. If their roles were reversed, Gustave didn’t know if he would have done half as well, treating a man as big as his finger with such a potentially fatal injury. And yet, he blamed himself for it?
‘Yes.’ It had been hard, even with Maelle and the others helping him. But Verso was not to blame for that!
‘But… I’d rather lose an arm than be dead,’ Gustave continued, carefully moving to stand so he didn’t stumble on the odd surface, smiling up at the human, ‘I was very lucky you found me.’ Truly, he was. If Verso hadn’t found him, Gustave would have been left to bleed out inside the dog’s slobbery maw.
‘I don’t really know how it went, but, I’m here today thanks to you.’ Verso was staring now, jaw slack at Gustave’s firm statement. He seemed truly stunned that Gustave didn’t harbor any resentment towards him due to his dog’s actions.
Gustave would not stand by and let the man who saved his life think he had failed him. He held his hand against his heart, imploring for understanding and acceptance of his words.
‘I owe you my life. Thank you.’
For a moment, neither moved, simply regarding the other. Then Verso reached out. Gustave squeaked, stumbling back at the quick movement. Verso froze at the sound.
‘Oh, sorry,’ Verso peeped, wincing as he realised his thoughtless movement had, once again, scared the smaller man, ‘I just wanted to introduce myself.’
The hand moved again, but didn’t approach the borrower. Verso simply turned it, keeping his movements slow and steady so not to spook Gustave again. He smiled, the simple action making his eyes shine with excitement and curiosity. It was endearing, like his very soul was on display.
‘My name is Verso.’
Gustave looked back at the offered hand. He hesitated, considering. Those hands were so large. The same hands that had effortlessly held Gustave down earlier. The same hands that had kept him alive a month earlier.
‘..."-deep down, you know you'll be the first to flee before one"…' Gustave had already proven Jerome right once. Not again.
Get a grip, Gustave scolded himself, taking a short, steadying breath. Hadn’t Gustave been preaching about creating connections with humans? Verso had already done the impossible by proving he meant no harm. After their earlier mutual blunder, didn’t Verso deserve the benefit of the doubt? After all, if Gustave wanted to prove that not all humans were evil, that borrowers could befriend them, shouldn't he be willing to offer his trust?
If Gustave couldn't even offer trust to the man who had saved his life, then there was no way that dream would come to fruition. He reached out and placed his hand upon the offered finger. The digit was so large, he could slot his fingers into the groves of Verso’s fingertips. He smiled up at the beaming human, ignoring how his stomach seemed to flutter at the sight.
Must be the excitement for all the possibilities creating a friendship with a human could bring. After all, why else would he feel so giddy at such simple contact?
Nia gets tangled up in her climbing rope and has no choice but to get help from Mariana.
—————————-
Going out on a borrowing trip for some quick food didn’t seem like anything more than a burden. The human, Mariana, had discovered my existence. And although all of my core beliefs were screaming by at me to move out- something was holding me back. I mean I had settled down here, moving seemed like losing a part of me. Also, she didn’t seem that…malicious. After all she had let me go and apologized when she could’ve easily trapped and killed me. Nonetheless, I was still cautious.
A sharp breath managed to escaped me as I stepped out onto a bookshelf from a crack in the wall- the books looming over threatening to crush me.
I imagined Marina grabbing the books with her slim fingers, easily carrying them with one hand. Part of me wanted to gag, a shiver ran down my spine at that terrifying sensation of power she held over me- but the other part couldn’t help but feel a bit…warm inside.
Her touch had been so gentle with me, as if I’d break with the wrong breath. I almost felt bad for being so scared of her, almost. I mean she had done nothing but be sweet and care for me ever since I was discovered by her.
I couldn’t let guilt lower my guard though- one wrong move and she could easily snap me in half like a twig. That’s how naive borrowers get killed.
Preparing to descend I fastened my climbing rope, a fishing line, around my waist.
Although, right when I was about to climb down the string…the ground began to gently rumble.
Hitching my breath and accidentally losing my footing, I desperately grabbed at my climbing rope- my arms and legs getting tangled in the process.
As the door opened, I widened my eyes- it was the human. Luckily, she didn’t seem to have noticed me yet- the feeling of being even more vulnerable to her when trapped like this was not only humiliating but terrifying.
Squirming and struggling, the rope seemed to just get tighter and tighter- burning my skin from the roughness.
“Oh! Nia! I’m surprised you’re out here so early…” fuck. She saw me.
I froze up, looking up at her briefly before nearly throwing up at the sheer sight of her. God she was so tall.
I found myself unable to even speak, just pathetically struggling against my string- the physical stinging and towering view made the corners of my eyes blur from tears.
I hope she didn’t see my tears.
As Mariana approached, I felt my stomach drop- shaking me to my core.
She knelt down- finally noticing how scared I must’ve looked. I was able to glance up and catch her expression- pity.
I mean, at least I suppose it wasn’t malicious…but being seen as nothing but pathetic was somehow almost as bad.
She softly sighed, running a breeze against my skin as she spoke. “Shit…looks like you’ve got yourself all tangled up, huh?” She softly chuckled, a sweet empathetic look on her face. It was humiliating.
“I-I’m fine.” My voice cracked. As if this couldn’t get any worse.
“Here, just let me-“ she reached out her hand, the large digits moving as a nauseatingly fast speed- slowly beginning to engulf me.
“N-No!” I cried out, desperately leaning away from her hand.
Mariana paused- no longer smiling…a look of slight realization flashing across her face.
“Oh- fuck, Im sorry. I forgot you’re…not all that fond of contact! Didn’t mean to spook ya there.” Mariana attempted to lighten the mood, briefly withdrawing her hand. Although, her eyes widened as she must’ve caught a glimpse of my tears. “Oh- Oh no…” she reached out before quickly coming to her senses and pausing. “Hey, Hey-…It’s alright little dude- I’m not gonna hurt you.”
I curled up, my face burning up in humiliation and shame. The annoying hiccup sound escaping my lips as I attempted to stop crying.
“I-I’ll be okay- I can get out of-“ I winced, the string slicing a bit of my skin “this myself…” this wasn’t making my case any better.
“Are….you sure? I can help you, that looks pretty painful…” Mariana perked up a brow, slightly grimacing.
Just as I was about to respond- I cried out in pain, being cut with the string once more…this time much deeper.
Mariana gasped, “woah- hey, take it easy.” She winced, as if she was even feeling any remote pain. “Seriously dude, I feel like you could use a hand-“ I grunted, baring my teeth.
“I said I’m fine. I don’t need your pity!” I shouted- letting my emotions get the better of me.
Quickly realizing the extent of what I had just done, my heart dropped- the cuts seeming much less painful as I saw the offended look on her face.
I panicked. Now desperately thrashing and trembling not only from the fear, but now also the pain. Each jolt making a spike of agony course through my body.
I felt a radiating warmth as soft walls closed around me- Mariana was grabbing me.
Crying out, I bit down as hard as I could, the grip on me seeming to tighten instinctively as a small wince came from her. But she didn’t let go. Instead, she unhooked the string, walking to her desk and slowly loosening her grip, silently beginning to gently pull the string in various directions. My tremors growing with each breath.
I yelled at a human. I YELLED AT A HUMAN!
Surely she was mad. I saw the brief look on her face- this was a trick, a false sense of comfort to make me lower my guard and-
“There you go…” a soft rumbling voice coursed through the desk and into my body. I was…free. Scrambling backwards, she lifted her hands up in a non threatening gesture. “I…I’m really sorry for making you feel that way. I promise I don’t pity you or see you as lesser- I’m honestly still just trying to wrap my head around the fact that I have…a secret roommate in my walls.”
I blinked. There it was. That sickening kindness.
From the surface I wanted to believe that it was all fake- a facade. But the distinct sense of genuine compassion plagued my fear, as silly as it sounds I was scared of my beliefs crumbling. The things I had believed all my life being proven wrong felt…scary.
I took a deep breath, curling up slightly.
“…I’m sorry for yelling…and biting you.” I hesitantly spoke- the words making my chest tighten. Here I was- apologizing to a human.
“Oh- that’s alright…Don’t worry about it. It’s understandable, you were scared…I would be too. Plus, I barely felt it.” She warmly smiled, trying to dismiss my apology. There was a small furrowing of my brows when I heard that she barely felt it…if it was true…I mean I’m glad she wasn’t hurt- but it was an intense reality check of how vulnerable I really am.
I shook my head, sighing.
“…no. It’s not alright. You’ve been nothing but respectful and kind to me…I haven’t matched that. Or given you much credit.” I left out the part of this whole thing being so scary and foreign- considering she probably already knew that and I didn’t want to make excuses.
I was in the wrong, no matter how much trauma I have, that’s not her fault. And even through my trauma isn’t my fault either, it’s still my responsibility to heal.
Mariana softly sighed- a curl at the edges of her lips forming a soft smile.
A felt a brief rush of heat course through me- but I quickly dismissed it.
“…I appreciate it, Nia. But I’m willing to be patient…it’s understandable to be scared. Thanks for the apology though.” She lowered her head, leaning closer to eye level with me but making sure her hands were set gently in her lap- probably as to silently communicate to me that she wasn’t going to pick me up.
Staring into the details of her eyes we both stayed silent- the blooms of tan dancing in the dark brown seemed so warm and welcoming.
After a few moments, without really thinking much, I ran up to her face and hugged her nose. The blood from my fresh accidental cuts rubbing onto her skin a little bit.
I felt the air around me get briefly sucked in as she widened her eyes- staring down at me, the warmth of her skin radiating through me.
As scary as being this close to her was, I knew something needed to change. And I wanted to prove that I’d try.
“…Thanks, Nia.” She whispered softly, the breeze of her exhales enveloping my body before I backed up again, my face a bit red.
“…Thanks for helping me.” I spoke back, my voice a bit shaken.
“…No problem. I…assume you probably don’t want me touching you anymore today though- so, you can take some of my bandages and wrap your wounds yourself…if you’d like.”
I paused- before nodding.
“…yes please.”
Mariana flashed me another brief warm smile before slowly raising one hand, grabbing a first aid kit from her desk drawer and opening it gently, making her movements very slow and predictable.
Taking out some bandages, she shut the kit and placed it down onto the desk.
I took them, putting the materials in my messenger bag and letting out a soft huff of exhaustion.
“…I guess I’ll cya later then” She spoke.
“…I-I guess- cya.”
And with that I slipped away back into the walls, journeying back home.
Poor little borrower Sai comes to realize that his giant friend Luka really isn't the same when he's downed a few drinks too many.
Funny what being drunk can do to a human's conscientiousness.
~~~~~~~
Sai jerked upright at the sound of the front door slamming closed, his heart feeling like it'd collided with his chest at his shock over the sudden, booming sound. He placed his hand over his sternum, letting out a quick breath to calm himself, scoffing internally.
Geez, it was obviously just going to be Luka, who Sai had thought had learned better than to make such loud noises now that he knew the tiny was around.
Sai rolled his eyes, falling back onto the huge, feather-stuffed pillow beneath him with his arms splayed out wide. In the couple months since he'd first truly met Luka and began to slowly, tentatively expose himself fully to the giant, things had been... pretty great, in all honesty.
Sure, Luka could be a little oblivious at times over how his size difference made some of his actions seem from Sai's perspective, but the tiny had soon learned that his giant friend was more than willing to correct his unwitting mistakes as long as Sai let him know about them.
For the past week, they'd been getting even closer still. It started because a mouse had found its way into the walls - a very unfriendly mouse, to specify - so Luka had proposed that Sai stay with him full time until one of the humane traps the giant bought successfully captured the mouse to be released somewhere suitably far away.
Sai had agreed, albeit reluctantly, but the thought of waking up in his little nest to a feral mouse trying to chew off his arm had more than sealed the deal.
Which was why Sai was where he was now.
Luka had gone out to celebrate something with some of his human friends, and he would be coming back pretty late. Neither of them wanted to risk Sai having to walk across the floors while the mouse was still on the loose, so Luka had helped Sai over to where they both usually slept: the giant's bed.
Which wasn't as terrible of an idea as it sounded like!
Sai had balked the first night when Luka had suggested it, but he'd eventually calmed down after the giant had explained things. The bed itself was king-sized, which meant that there was plenty of room for a borrower next to a human, and Luka pretty much slept like the dead. As in, once he fell asleep, he was more or less as still as a corpse except for the slow and steady rise and fall of his chest.
This all meant that it was perfectly safe for Sai to commandeer the pillow on the other side of the bed, and, along with a soft handkerchief Luka had donated to him for the cause, Sai had been having some of the best sleeps of his whole life.
Now however, Sai couldn't help but feel a shiver of unease go down his spine as he watched Luka finally stumble into the room, the giant's cheeks flushed a dark red and his eyes hazy and half-lidded.
Sai swallowed. He'd... he'd never actually seen Luka drunk before. Not even tipsy - not since the the giant had become aware of Sai's presence in their shared home.
The tiny carefully sat up fully on his pillow, watching with a slow yet undeniably growing sense of leeriness as Luka leaned heavily against the door-frame and peered unsteadily around the room, the giant letting out a hiccuping exhale as he did so. Sai could smell the alcohol on his breath from across the room, and it made his nose wrinkle and his burgeoning trepidation exponentially rise.
Luka's gaze lazily drifted over to the bed, and Sai stiffened when the giant's eyes finally landed on him, the resulting stare feeling like it was pressing down on him with all the weight of a cement brick.
It was too much. As he watched Luka's eyes light up with a disproportional amount of drunken glee upon having spotted him, Sai was consumed by a feeling so damnably chilling and so bitterly, achingly close to having become unfamiliar to him now welling up inside his chest. He flinched as the giant began to stumble towards him, each step loud and reverberating and so unlike what Sai had let himself become used to - let himself believe would never change.
He shakily got to his feet, taking a hesitant step back, then another as the giant's uneven gait failed to falter at his retreat, the familiar feeling of his own feet sinking into the soft pillow below him now menacing. Just another reminder of how impossible unlikely an escape would be.
"C'mere lil' guyyy," Luka slurred, his arms jerking up in front of himself, his thick fingers - each of which was nearly as wide as Sai's torso and as long as Sai was tall - curling inwards towards his palms in a grabby motion that made a bubbling sort of sick feeling clench in Sai's stomach.
A quiet noise of distress leaked past his lips without him even realizing, but he doubted the giant heard it anyways.
And it was too soon (far too soon) when a large, foreboding shadow loomed over the tiny's form (his shaking form, and when had he begun to tremble?), and he could no longer repress the urge to cower, crouching down and curling in on himself as if making himself any smaller than he already was would somehow make everything go away. It wouldn't. But it wasn't like he had any true options left. His throat had closed up with the thick lump that had formed in it; he wouldn't be able to get a single word out to the giant. No protest. No defense. And he knew with a cold sense of certainty that the edge of the mattress was too far away for him to reach before he would be caught.
(And privately, in the far recesses of his mind that he ruthlessly suppressed, Sai was terrified of the thought of Luka lunging at him if he tried to escape, the giant's gentle-turned-monstrous now uncoordinated hands unwittingly - so easily - crushing the life out of the tiny in his careless, thoughtless grip.)
So it was now, for the first time since the tiny had met his giant, that Sai felt completely and utterly afraid of the other being.
An immortal emperor who cant tell days apart and feels nothing, might be because its easy to fall into depression when everything dies before you and any activity needed for mortals like sleeping and eating are unnecessary for him, giving him little to no routine.
And a human that took refugee after witnessing the horrors the emperor doesnt know happen in his kingdom.
