#oc: clair

[neroexecutioner]

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[rare-cats]

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[smolgloves]

Engulfed

"Are you okay?"

The booming voice above Stella caused the sharp pain in her head to throb with intensity. She looked up to see Clair's gaze had fallen onto her, concern had filled her blue eyes. The past few days, Stella had been getting migraines; normally, she was able to power through the day without anyone else noticing, but today was just too much to deal with. Whether it was Jason clanging pots around as he cooked dinner, or James and Charlie getting too excited about how their day in school went, or the chair scraping at the floor as everyone came for dinner. There was nothing Stella could do to hide herself from cringing at each sound that decided to instigate her migraines.

"I'm… fine." She squeaked, but Clair pursed her lips and raised a brow. It was a look that Stella had seen her do a thousand times on her sons when they tried to fib their way out of trouble, now the motherly expression was being pressed down upon Stella. Her eyes shifted away from Clair but it was too late, the guilt was already setting in and Stella could not stay tight lipped for much longer. "I think I'm getting a migraine."

The realization immediately clicked in as Clair glanced around the kitchen and living room to hear dishes being washed and the boys cheering on as they progressed through their video games. Suddenly, the environment looked a lot more chaotic for a human with a migraine. A gentle hand inched towards Stella and laid flat on the table, Clair gave a soft smile. "Let's get you out of here."

Stella crawled onto Clair's palm and buried her face into her arm to block the light from her eyes. Fingers curled around her small body and engulfed the human in a warm darkness that muffled out the racket of the world. Each step was soft and made Stella sway like she was on a boat in gentle waters. The moment didn't last long as Clair's fingers uncurled around her and deposited her on a plush surface. The tiny woman sat up to view her new surroundings, she was resting on a pillow that sat on Clair and Jason's bed. The noises felt distant as the door to their room was shut, although it still was loud enough to continue the dull pain in Stella's head.

Clair grabbed a bottle of pills that was on the nightstand. The sound of them clattering inside the container caused Stella to grimace. "Sorry." Clair whispered as she fished out a pill out as quietly as she could. Breaking off a small piece that would be suitable for a human, then she grabbed the half empty water bottle from the same nightstand and opened it to use the bottle cap as a make-shift cup for Stella. Once she had the supplies together, she offered it to her tiny friend and let her take her medicine.

"Thanks." The human breathed out.

"Of course." Clair whispered. "You're always welcome to ask for help from us."

"I know," Stella wrapped her arms around herself. "It's just… still not easy to do that."

"I get it," Clair brought a fingertip out and stroked the tiny woman's arm. "Just know that you're a part of our family now, and you're not going to burden us by asking for some Advil."

Stella smiled as she leaned into the touch, and she began to relax enough to sink back down into the pillow. Clair withdrew her hand and began to shuffle away from the bed to give Stella some time to rest.

"W…wait." Stella chirped up just before Clair could reach for the doorknob. "Can I… ask you a favor?"

"Of course."

"Could you… maybe stay and keep your hand over me again? Just until my migraine goes away." Stella stammered as she shifted her eyes away from Clair's gaze. "I think being engulfed in a hand kind of… soothes my headache."

"Absolutely." A smile reached up to Clair as she strolled back to the bed to lay down on the open spot beside Stella. Her hand snaked its way up to the girl who was curled up on the pillow and covered her like a blanket. "I'll stay here as long as you want."

A sigh escaped Stella's lips as the world around her grew dark and the chaotic world outside sounded like it was miles away from the small woman. No longer could it agitate the migraine that was already fading away from Stella, along with her consciousness.

[lyriumsings]

Behold, my children without context. They’re names are Clair and Moony I put the sketch version of Moony under the cut because I just really like it

[neroexecutioner]

heart breaker, heart taker so, 1 or 2?

[smolgloves]

22. Startle

Healing Process

Starting over with Stella was something Clair was looking forward to since she returned home. At first, it was a miracle that she came back, but after learning what Stella had gone through during her month of absence, Clair realized there was still a lot of work that had to be done. 

It didn't matter how softly Clair spoke, or how gentle she was, Stella couldn't help but flinch. Clair understood why, but she'd be lying if she said it didn't hurt. Her mother had told her that it's completely natural for humans to still be hesitant around giants even when they know they're in a safe environment, sometimes it took years to heal from abuse. Unfortunately, Clair wasn't as patient as her mom, she just there was a quick way to help Stella heal from her traumas. 

Clair walked up to her parents bedroom and softly knocked on the door. "Stella, do you mind if I come in?" 

"Uh… sure." The human said quietly. 

She opened the door and looked over to the nightstand by the bed. Stella was laying on the human sized bed mom had bought for her. It must have been a really comfy bed because all Stella did was sleep in till noon; in fact, Clair was pretty sure Stella had worn those same pajamas for three days straight now. Rest was important, but was being cooped up in a room was really good for her mental state? 

"Hey Stella, I was just checking in on you." Clair took a seat on the bed. "Do you need anything?"

Stella's gaze drew downward like always. "I'm fine, thank you." 

"How's your leg doing?" 

"Good, the infection is gone now." 

"That's great." Clair smiled. 

Stella just nodded, leaving an awkward silence between the both of them. 

"So…. It's getting close to lunchtime. Are you hungry at all?" 

Stella shrugged. "I guess so." 

"Anything in particular?" 

"Maybe a sandwich." 

"Sure thing, we'll go to the kitchen." Clair stood up and laid her palm out for Stella to come along, but when she noticed the girl hesitate, she slowly pulled her hand away. 

Stella shook her head. "Sorry, but can I just stay in here for now?" 

"Oh…. Of course." 

~~~~~

Clair had never been good with conversations, and it really showed. She was totally blowing this chance to bond with Stella! She glanced over at the tiny human who was trying to eat the pb&j sandwich, but it was falling apart in her hands.

"Sorry, for the way the sandwich came out, I'm not as good at making human sized foods like mom or Jason." 

"I don't mind." Stella reassured. "It's not like it tastes bad." 

"Well, I'm glad I didn't fuck up a pb&j." Clair awkwardly laughed. 

Stella just gave her a pitiful smile. 

Damn, Clair was really bad at this. There had to be something she could talk to Stella about! She racked her brain for literally anything that could keep a conversation going for more than a minute! 

"Clair, do you mind if I ask you something personal?" 

"Not at all." Her attention drew towards the human.

Stella cleared her throat."Your ex-husband…. Did he ever… hit you?" 

Well, Clair didn't expect to be asked that. "No…"

"Oh…" Stella looked away. 

Clair couldn't help but be concerned. She knelt down to be more eye level with Stella. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering." She said meekly. 

"Is there something on your mind?" 

Stella bit her lip, hesitant to answer. 

By this point everyone in this house knew what Stella had gone through, but she had kept the details tight-lipped since coming back, and no one really pressed her on that. If she didn't want to talk about it then she didn't have to, but at the same time, keeping issues to herself would have the opposite effect of healing. 

"You know you can tell me anything." Clair said. 

Stella nodded and took a deep breath. "I was just wondering if someone here went through something similar to me…" 

"I don't need to experience your pain, to sympathize with you." She reassured. 

"Yeah, I know you don't." Stella snapped. "But it's hard to talk about something with people who have never dealt with this pain!" 

"Can you try?" 

Stella shot Clair a glare. "What do you think, I've been doing since I got back?! Every day, I've thought about telling everyone my issues, but I just can't look at any giant in the face without freezing up!" 

"Well, I'm sorry my size scares you so much even though I've tried everything to not scare you!" Clair threw her hands up in frustration, she can't even have a normal conversation without Stella flinching. It was probably best if Clair just left her alone. 

Clair quickly shot up to her full height. But before she turned to leave, she heard a yell. Clair glanced down and saw Stella crouched down with her arms covering her head, she had her eyes squeezed shut. Did she get startled from Clair just standing up? Guilt washed over her, of course it did! She couldn't believe she was so careless, Stella has probably dealt with an angry giant looming over her for years! 

"Oh god, I'm so sorry, Stella!" Clair was about to reach for her but stopped realizing that would only make things worse. "I didn't mean to! Don't worry, I'll leave." 

"Hold on…" Stella hissed out. She began muttering something under her breath, Clair couldn't make out the words at first, but after listening closely, she could hear her saying: "Ed is not here, Mike is not here." Over and over. After a couple of minutes, Stella had calmed down enough to look at Clair. 

"Are you okay?" 

Stella took a shaky breath. "Yeah, Glenda taught me to do a reality check whenever I have a panic attack." 

"I'm sorry to make you go through that, I really should have been careful." 

"It's okay, I know you weren't trying to scare me." 

To think that months ago this girl would have a mental breakdown if a giant even walked past her. But to see her keep herself in check and even somewhat control her panic attacks shows how much she changed. 

"Do you need some space?" 

"Actually, can we watch TV?" Stella asked. "I'm getting tired of being cooped up in here." 

Clair gave Stella a warm smile and laid her palm out. "Of course." 

She let the human take her time getting on her hand, but once she was secured, Clair carefully lifted her up. It could take some time before Stella can get over her past, but Clair just hopes that one day, her friend will never flinch at the hand of a giant again.

[aspiringpixelartist]

For @color-palettes 's March 2026 palette challenge

[geckobone]

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