Honey!! man I'm so late and this is now somehow funny that i've been so determined to complete these prompts lol
Corus wants a special nickname for Mira, but he's struggling to think of one.
Something Special
Corus watched Mira from his spot on the floor. She sat outside the house Zeke had made. Fabric in her hands as she worked on something. He was curious about it, but she swore she’d work in the walls if he got any closer. Which made it easier for him to focus on his current problem. A nickname for her.
Couples always used nicknames. Babe, dear, love, etc. Nothing had come naturally between the two of them. The closest was when he called her pipsqueak as a joke, but the next day he had to replace all of his socks. He would not make that mistake again.
Mira was technically a nickname already. Although she’d told him she abandoned her full name when she left. He didn’t push it, but it made him want something else to call her all the more. Something that only he called her.
“Lovebug,” he said. Mira shook her head.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right. Did you ask me to ruin your socks again?” she said. Corus shook his head quickly which at least made her laugh. “Glad I checked then.”
She went back to working on the cloth. Minutes passed where all he did was watch her. It felt like every time they were together she worked on something. Braiding thread into rope, fixing up her clothes, sharpening the fishing hook she used to get around. It never ended.
In a way she reminded him of a bee. The tunnels in his walls and the old log she grew up in of a hive. That could be her nickname. His little bee. Corus grimaced when he considered her reaction. She might ruin more than his socks.
“You thought of another name, didn’t you?” she said. Didn’t even look at him. She always knew how he felt, what he was thinking. There wasn’t a single name that he could pick she wouldn’t already know. He couldn’t decide if that mattered. “Why are you so focused on coming up with something to call me anyway?”
“I just wanna,” he mumbled. Mira shook her head and said nothing.
Corus sat with his mind empty for a while. Watching her. The way the fabric moved from her hands. Something she used as a needle that he couldn’t see. At least he assumed it was a needle. It was possible she used her fingers. They were slender and delicate enough for that.
All of her was slender and delicate. Sometimes she seemed more like a butterfly. At the same time he knew she could kill him if she wanted. Mira didn’t see that strength of hers. If he told her what he thought she’d call him crazy. Her size only made her more dangerous. Maybe she wasn’t a butterfly, but a wasp. Maybe the type of bees that were hostile.
The comfortable silence continued. Long enough that Mira moved the fabric she was working with. Part of it unfolded to reveal the design she’d added. One that made Corus’s jaw drop.
“Honey, is that me?” he whispered. All of Mira’s skin turned bright red. It made her more adorable than usual.
Corus slid closer to her. Saw how that small movement caused her to bounce a little. Smiled a bit when it seemed to make the red on her get stronger. He brought one of his hands close enough to tug the cloth. It fit just over three of his fingers. On it was a lifelike version of himself.
He had to squint in order to see the details. His hair was tied back and something was in his hand. He pulled it closer, thread followed it as he lifted his hand to his face. The strand came from under the door to her house. There were questions in his head about it, but those were put on hold as the image cleared up. He was holding a salt shaker.
“Honey, is this from the day we met?” he asked
“Give it back!” Mira squeaked. The fabric slid off his fingers as she tugged the strand of thread. “B-besides wh-what did you call me?”
Corus had to pause and think. Words slipped from his mouth when he saw the fabric. When he saw his image made by her small delicate hands. He called her…
“Honey?” he whispered. He didn’t think it was possible, but she turned an even deeper shade of crimson. Mira gathered the small bit of fabric up in her arms and covered her face with it.
“Why? What made you-? I mean-” Mira climbed to her feet and ran into the house. “Forget it. Go away!”
Corus shimmied closer to the house. Tried to look into the window in order to see Mira. The fabric sat barely in his sight. It was one of two things she could be embarrassed by and he honestly hoped it would be the name.
“Honey?” he purred. The fabric moved again. “Honey, come out please?”
“Forget it!” she screamed. Her voice was high enough he struggled to tell the words.
“Is something wrong, honey? What are you using the fabric for? Won’t you tell me, honey?”
“No!”
Corus knocked on the house door a few times. Then he heaved himself up to tower over it. He found the nickname for her. Honey was perfect. Sweet and dangerous. At least when you considered where it came from. Plus it was natural.
—
Mira tried to force herself to calm down. Honey didn’t mean the same to humans. It couldn’t. There was no way Corus could have known that was saved for life partners where she grew up. Of course he said it while she was following the tradition of making something to show their story. Something that could be given to those in her home or passed to new generations.
“Honey, please?” Corus’s voice reverberated through her little house. It was followed by his gentle knocks on the door behind her. They vibrated her spine.
“I’ll go out after he calls me it a few more times,” she whispered to herself.
Mira studies Corus's body while he's helping Zeke with some work.
Mira's Musing
Mira didn’t quite know why she decided to go with Corus today. He agreed to help Zeke work on something for another human. Kaya hated watching things like this. It reminded them how small they were. How strong the two humans were compared to anyone their size. The ease for the humans to hurt them.
She didn’t feel that way. An odd curiosity filled Mira as she watched the two humans. Even a safe distance from the two she could see how their muscles tensed. The way they bulged when something was lifted. Panels of wood, chunks of metal, even the light pillows. Things that she couldn’t dream of moving.
A part of her wanted to be closer. Study the differences between her kind and humans. She still didn’t quite know what she was. Not human, definitely not human. Not just an animal or tiny thing that looked like humans. Humans had stories with people like her. Nothing that cleared anything up. It made watching humans even more interesting. Studying anything different.
When she strained her muscles, she couldn’t see the flex how a human’s muscle did. For her kind, there was something else. A system of nearly invisible lines that covered them. A subtle glow that not everyone had. That had been growing stronger in her own body as she lived with humans. As she learned about them.
“Mira, is something wrong?” Corus asked.
She stared up at his eyes. Something that felt different from her own. She noticed it on Kaya lately, a small nearly imperceptible ring of color. Her own pink eyes had a subtle ring of black at the edges. Sometimes the hue changed, replaced with almost any color she could imagine. Most often a blue that matched Corus’s eyes.
“I’m fine,” she said.
Corus walked over to her. Heavy steps. Heavy on purpose. She never minded it. In fact it made her smile. He would always grin once she did. He saw so much more of her than he should. Another thing she couldn’t explain. Other humans, Zeke even, didn’t notice the changes on her like Corus did. He did for Kaya though. As if something her kind did made human partners see so much more.
He stopped in front of her. Tight shirt slick with sweat. The only time he looked muscular, usually he dressed in clothes that hid his physique. Baggier, loose, anything to avoid showing his form. She didn’t fully understand it. Her kind preferred tight clothing usually. Easier to avoid getting caught on anything.
She watched as he raised his arms above his head. Stretching. Cracking noises echoed across his body. Another difference, her kind didn’t have that. Nothing popped, cracked, or anything remotely similar. The already tight shirt pressed against him. Firm, toned abs visible. In a way it made her curious. How would he survive at her size? Built so heavily, she couldn’t imagine him climbing a string or squeezing through cracks in the wall. Let alone avoiding the predators in nature.
Palms slammed down next to her and made her jump. A quick glare at Corus only for a smirk to show on his face. He knew what she was thinking, somehow he always knew. Slowly he leaned closer, brought his face less than a breath away. The smell of spearmint made her smirk. He never forgot how angry she got the only time he had bad breath.
“Maybe I should start working out at home again,” he whispered. “You always stare so much. If I didn’t know better I’d think there was something else you wanted with the way you stare at me.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. He often made comments like that. An implication of something she didn’t get. This one wasn’t a difference between her kind and humans. This was a difference between her and the world. A difference Corus never seemed to mind.
“I mean, you’re looking at me like you’re after something. That’s all.”
“I’m after… understanding the differences between us.”
Corus’s hands moved. Slid across the table until fingers pressed against her legs. They turned slowly until palms surrounded her. His fingers curled in, closing off all her escape routes. Things she used to need at all times. Things she didn’t need when it was Corus, not now. Not while he learned control and she learned to trust.
“You know,” he breathed. The pause lasted as he leaned closer. Blue eyes taking up her entire world. “One day you’ll have to tell me all those differences you see. We always seem pretty similar to me.”
“One day I might. Once I know more about it,” she said. Mira placed a hand on Corus’s skin. Dug her nails into his skin. “Maybe when I finally know what you think I might be wanting when I’m studying you.”
“That’s something for a different time. One when we’re alone.”
Mira’s eyes went wide. There was a lot more she could understand with that addition. It never crossed her mind usually. His fingers tightened, she leaned into them. They were different people. Different beings. That didn’t ever matter to him.
“Cor, let’s get back to work. You and Mira can flirt later,” Zeke called.
A sigh filled with spearmint coated her. Immediately massive lips crashed into her. Pressed her into skin. Into fingers. Into the hands of the person she was in love with. Too quickly the hands and warmth were gone. She sat down, her knees pulled to her chest.
She knew a lot about what he could think about when alone with her. Things that she didn’t necessarily care about. That was something to worry about another time. For now, she would continue studying the differences between herself and humans. Until the day she understood what she was next to them.
back in the universe where borrowers meet their perfect partner in a dream. I need to update my master list, but this is a little follow up to Mira and Corus meeting each other.
Corus wants to dance with Mira.
Dancing Hug
Mira and Corus stood close together in a ballroom. The spotlight on them as Corus led them in a waltz. Music crescendoed in time with each step. The light of the chandelier hanging over them changed colors as they moved. Red, blue, purple, and more. A scene that he’d created just for her. Where the dance lessons he’d taken as a child could finally be used. A thing Mira could-
“Ow!” Corus lost his thoughts as he winced. They’d been at this for hours, maybe hours. He hadn’t gotten a good idea of how time passed in the dreams yet. Mira always seemed to know.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“It’s ok, you’re getting better.” He smiled down at her. Continuing to try and lead her steps to the music that played from nothing. “Just follow my lead, we’ll get this.”
“You’ve said that every time we do this.” Mira’s hold on his hands tightened. A glint in her eyes followed by a huff only solidified her annoyance. “I don’t get this. Dancing is just weird. How are you leading me when I can’t even look down at your feet? All of this is just too…”
The silence hung heavy. Corus leaned his forehead against hers. “Too human?”
The pink of her eyes disappeared behind pale eyelids. She didn’t speak, merely let her tight hold on his hands ebb. Eventually her arms fell to her sides and Corus stood with his arms kept up in their poor attempt to waltz. Mira pulled away, creating the distance refused to close. Everything he tried to show her failed. Each time she wound up confused… The worst times she didn’t talk to him, barely slept, for days.
“Mira, I just wanted to show you something I had been taught,” he whispered. That didn’t change the distance. Mira’s hesitance reflected in the world. The music stuttered, constant stops and starts. The nice ballroom filled with cracks. Plaster fell to the ground, even the chandelier shattered into a glittering dust.
“It’s just a human thing. It wouldn’t matter in the real world,” she said while wrapping her arms around herself. A tight hug that closed off the progress the two were making. The life Corus wouldn’t stop trying to build. Times like this she looked as small as her true height.
“It’s not a human thing, it’s a me thing. I have another idea.”
Corus stepped forward and offered his hand. Mira stared at him, but the ballroom continued to fall apart. Eventually it even grew. Shadows came to tower over them. Turning their private dance into a spectacle. The spotlight on them burned his skin.
“Corus I don’t… I’m not going to get it. There’s just too much and I don’t-”
He closed the distance, wrapping his arms around her and placing his lips against her ear. “Wake up with me.”
Corus blinked, happy to see the real world again. The world where Mira slept on the pillow next to him. The precious seconds he could watch her sleep had no match. He’d never give them up. At these times, the stern look on her face disappeared. A soft smile, her brow relaxed, her posture calm. No hint of the nerves she held inside constantly.
Those same signs told him when she started to wake up. Slowly her posture tensed, making her look smaller. A crease he doubted made sense for him to see appeared on her brow. The smile changed into a thin line. Finally the pink eyes blinked open, adjusting to the world before landing on him. Corus used a finger to pet the hair splayed out around her. It caused a spark of fear until she realized it was just him, just the human she trusted… The one who loved her.
“So what’s the plan?” she croaked. The tiny voice always had an edge to it. A warning that she couldn’t be taken advantage of. Corus loved that edge, loved everything about her.
“Give me a second,” he whispered.
He reached over the pillow Mira laid upon to his desk. A few taps woke up the screen of his phone. He purposely left it leaning against the wall so he could do this, just in case. A swipe of his password and the music app appeared. One quick tap to hit play and the same waltz music from the dream started. The small noise from Mira made him smile.
Next he sat up. A few movements to bounce Mira, each made her glare at him. Each made him smirk at her. He climbed to his feet then placed his hand down next to her. If she couldn’t make dancing work in the dream world, he’d make it work in reality.
“May I have this dance?” he asked. Mira shook her head, he knew all the objections racing through her mind. “Trust me, give this dance a try.”
Mira huffed before climbing to her feet. Slow, stiff steps forward until she reached his fingers. A nervous glance followed by, “You may.” Then her miniscule weight landed on his palm.
Corus wasted no time in bringing her up from the bed. He placed her tiny body against his neck, hugging her tightly to himself. His other arm spread wide as though he had a partner. Then he danced, a simple one two movement. Mira stayed frozen for a short period, not long enough for the song to end.
“Corus, what are you doing?” she squirmed as she spoke.
“I’m dancing with you,” he hummed. The song stayed as the only noise for a minute. As it faded to a new one she squirmed more.
“This is ridiculous, you’re just dancing with yourself.”
“No, you’re my partner. Leaning against my neck. It’s the same as when I tried to slow dance with you and held you close.”
“It’s not the same!”
“Is it different because you can’t try to break my toes anymore?”
“No! Just…” The squirming stopped. Corus slowed his own steps. Carefully, he wrapped his fingers around Mira and pulled her into his view. The damp spots on her face were almost too painful. “If anyone saw you they’d say you’re crazy. This… Maybe we shouldn’t be pushing this. We can both walk away still, a borrower will enter my dreams and you can forget about me. Meet someone the human way.”
“Mira, I don’t care what others see, what someone might say. The second we met I knew you were the only person I could love. I don’t plan to walk away from you.”
“I don’t… I’m not-”
“Don’t say it.” He brought his hand up to his eyes. A quick tilt of his palm left her sitting in the open. Just his fingers beneath her prone form. “Whatever it is, I know you’re wrong. You’re the only one I care about. I want to dance with you, the same dances I had been taught. The ones we will share in the dreams as I take you to all the things I want us to experience together.”
“I don’t understand you.”
Corus smiled. The smile turned to a smirk as he pulled his hand close. Mira’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t stop him. She had about one second to object before he made his decision. The hand holding her pressed against his cheek. As much pressure as she could handle. The strongest hug he could give her.
“What are you doing!?” she shouted. No squirms, no fighting, she wasn’t trying to get away.
“Hugging the best woman I’ve ever met,” he laughed. They stayed quietly like that. Corus knew if anyone walked in they’d see him holding his hand against his face. A strange sight for an outsider. That would never matter to him. Mira was more than he could have ever hoped to find.
She knew him. Knew the things he could do. Saw the darkest parts of humans. Even then she gave him a chance. She trusted his words about his anger. Slept next to him without fear. Blushed when he let his own steps grow heavier than they had to be. Worried about his own view of their relationship.
“...do you still want to dance?” she mumbled. Corus moved her away and smiled at her.
“If you’ll be my partner.”
“...I will.”
This time Corus moved slower. Carefully cupping his hand against his heart. Leaving her space to move a bit more, but still hugging her to him. Mira was perfect. That was the only thought in his head as he started to waltz once more with his tiny girlfriend hugged against his heart.
Hello!! I just started reading all of these stories you've done with Mira and Corus, and I absolutely had to draw them <3 I hope that's alright!! I used the commission linked in the master post as a reference :] I'd like to draw them again, too, if that's okay!!
i don't think you know how absolutely overwhelmed I am to get this! It is 100% ok to draw them i'm dying so much right now like irl near tears this is so sweet <3
Out of all of your bigs, who had the hardest time adjusting to interacting/living with tinies?
ok so I saw this, thought about it. Then got distracted and finally can sit down to answer again
So I think it depends on the setting they're in, but focusing on a world where they're "normal/giant" and find out "tinies/humans" exist:
so Vitus when he's just suddenly around smalls. Like he's usually good when he knows about tinies, but suddenly thrown in he'd be a mess. Heavy steps, too loud, lots of stern gazes that are more him thinking and accidentally scaring smalls.
Ash can have a rough time too. They'd be waaaaay too careful. Constantly hesitating and probably annoying the tinies who trust them. Some would certainly love how Ash is.
Felix for sure. He's not a super open person and it's kind of shown with the ice cube short. He's more likely to kind of disconnect at first. Like he'd be more likely to sort of ignore them when there's no immediate connection for him. A random tiny would have a Felix that only really starts to show he cares when they've lost it around him.
Ryder would need a lot of adjusting. He's loud and a bit dramatic. Would get excited to learn about them. He'd also do a lot that he doesn't realize is terrifying for someone so small. When he learns he'd be one of the best giants/bigs to be around.
Mira's not a great giant at first. She's incredibly curious about things and would wind up either observing to figure out how human they really are or just straight up trap them. Once she realizes they're basically human would let them go, but her habits would lead to a lot of unintentional fear for the smalls
Corus has the issue of his anger. When he's gotten better control of it he's pretty good at adjusting to smalls.
Sola and Luna have the whole being kids thing going so almost always rough for tinies to get used to them. Luna is a lot better and kind of gets Sola controlled since she's excitable and impulsive.
Kyrie in a case where he's comfortable in his own skin can be bad at first. He'd be intimidating since he's taller than is pretty average for folks when I write him. He'd have heavy steps, loud voice, and his own curiosity would get the best of him. He'd be quick to annoy smalls partly cause he'd be overprotective. Easily the kind of big who will try to do everything for the small until there's some argument about it. I should probably write something with this can't really use the dreaming soul mates thing since he has a solid understanding. hmm maybe it would make him worse though. He wasn't perfect at the end of that story
day 22 Garden! Got a weird idea and ran with it wooo
Mira was walking through the garden when something shrunk her, now she's terrified
TW: Blood, mentions of death, mentions of torture
Garden Mishaps
Walking through a garden wasn’t supposed to be risky. There wasn’t supposed to be anyone dangerous around, it was supposed to be a relaxing morning. Of course that didn’t happen. Mira was hit by some spell that left her a few inches tall. Fixing that was unfortunately the less pressing issue. She barely avoided the hands that continued to try to grab her.
“Where are you?” the masculine voice mumbled. She hadn’t gotten a good look, but the rough way he grabbed at everything worried her. She didn’t want to be found by this person. Whatever he did to her wasn’t going to be good. “Shit, people are gonna be out here soon.”
Mira jumped as a bit of a bush was pulled away. Unfortunately it let her get a good look at the man searching for her. Black hair tied back and blue eyes that were locked right on her. She couldn’t move, he was huge. It was obvious she’d have trouble escaping him even at her normal size. The softened look on his face when he realized she hadn’t moved didn’t make her feel any better.
“I’m so sorry about this,” he said.
That reminded her what he was trying to do seconds ago. She begged her legs to move, but they wouldn’t answer as the man stared down at her. He looked away for a second, her chance to run. Her feet wouldn’t move. Her terror rose as she noticed his fingers closing in around her. She hadn’t even registered him coming close. No matter how hard she tried the second she’d seen his eyes she couldn’t move. Her body refused.
There was something familiar about his eyes. A look in them that she never wanted to see again. This stupid college was supposed to be safe for her. All the dangers she and Kaya escaped weren’t supposed to find them. This kind of thing shouldn’t happen anymore. His fingers closed against her skin. A disgustingly familiar feeling. One she was promised she’d never feel again.
Mira’s body tensed as the fingers pressed her into his gigantic palm. It could turn out worse than her past. Her mind was filled with what might happen. Torture her until he gets what he wants. At least if he didn’t want just her. Her stomach stayed behind as she was lifted off the ground. She never should have chosen to go to the garden alone. Alone left some kind of shadow hanging over her for weeks. Kaya had even said maybe she shouldn’t spend any time alone anymore. Ignoring that was a mistake, being here was a mistake.
She was brought all the way up to face the man who was chasing her. His eyes studied her, something familiar, something awful. The man moved her quickly again. The fingers were gone in seconds. Mira was falling. Her voice wouldn’t work, her back slammed into something soft. It was swaying constantly, a loud beat following. She was in a pocket. She never wanted to be in a pocket again.
“Hey man, what are you doing out here?” someone said. The voice was too loud. Far too loud.
“Just taking a walk,” the man who captured her said. The racing beat of a giant heart mixed with her own made this whole thing worse. Coming to this other world was supposed to ensure nothing like this ever happened again.
Mira curled in on herself. Doing her best to hide from the rocking that was all too familiar. That pulled her from a life that would have been normal so long ago. This world, this school, was supposed to give it back to her. Now she was trapped and this time Kaya wasn’t there to help her stay strong. It took everything in her not to fall apart as she swayed back and forth, back and forth.
Eventually a door slamming brought her back to the present. The swaying slowed to a stop. She took a few deep breaths to prepare herself, just in time as the bit of light she had was darkened by shadows. Fingers that felt as big as trees barged into her prison. At first she wanted to bite them, but she had too many memories about that. The punishments when she did that, the way Kaya cried.
The fingers wrapped around her. She waited for the grip to tighten, the pain she knew would cause bruises. Instead they were gentle, soft as she was firmly grabbed. Lifted with what she almost wanted to think of as care. The room moved too fast for her to take in as she was deposited on a desk. She tried to stay strong. A promise to herself she’d survive. Then she looked up at the tall man. He felt too big for a human. He was human though… he had to be.
“Ok, ok,” the man said.
He ran his fingers through his hair as he started to pace. Each step rumbled up to her. It made standing with crossed arms hard. She had to pretend to be ok. To be strong. The man fell into the chair she didn’t notice in front of her. This time she stumbled back, the heavy impact was too much. At least she stayed on her feet. Mira tried to keep a strong glare on the man.
“Ok, I just need to fix this and we’ll be good. No one has to know, right?” he asked. The gaze on her finally filled her with a rage she recognized. Something she hadn’t felt since coming to this place. The man groaned high above her. “That’s not happening, is it?”
With another groan his massive head slammed onto the desk. This time Mira fell off her feet. She was too scared to stand. Sitting and staring at a head that was most of her world left her nearly shaking. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. With that barely helping she decided to look around the room, maybe find an escape. Unfortunately, it was a place she recognized. One of the dorm rooms. Somehow this situation just kept getting worse. This was a new student at the school. He had every reason to keep her hidden or do something worse in order to stay out of trouble.
Slowly his head turned to face her. Bright eyes that continued to freeze her blood. A strange color of blue that she found almost enthralling. It took all her strength to climb back to her feet. To cross her arms and try to be stern. There had to be a way out, something she could claim to scare him. Anything she could do to survive, even if it meant keeping this whole incident a secret.
“I messed up so bad,” he sighed. His breath pushed her hair from her face. “Could we maybe start over? I’m Corus. I’m so sorry about this. ”
“What the hell did you do!?” Mira managed to keep her fear out of her voice. The eyes in front of her closed. He turned his head away so his forehead was pressed to the desk.
“A spell misfired,” his voice was muffled, “I got distracted and it shot at you. I'm so sorry.”
“What spell were you doing!? How does a misfire cause this?” If she stayed mad she could probably survive.
“I was trying to carry something heavy back, but it didn’t fit in my bag. I’m so sorry.”
Mira turned her back on him. She could think clearly when that massive face wasn’t right there. The door was too far, all her things were too small. Even if they weren’t all she had were the keys to her room. She was trapped. Absolutely trapped. Fingers pinched her arm and made her turn. She bit her tongue to keep the scream down.
“Wait, don’t run. I know how to fix it,” Mira shook her head, she wanted to get away. “No really… I’ve maybe done this before…”
“You shrank and kidnapped someone else!?” Mira’s eyes went wide. She had to run as far as possible. Fast. She didn’t want the fate someone else suffered.
“Well… kind of. A friend was trying to help me out since I’m not great with magic. It was less of a misfire more of a miscast back then…” The hand holding her disappeared as Corus sat up rubbing his neck. “I just have to find it, just-just wait here ok?”
Mira watched him get up and move around the room. She wasn’t used to actually watching someone when she was this small. She was always running for her life. His steps continued to rumble through her bones, but there was a difference. Each time he looked back at her there was a solid moment of concern before he continued his search. It was starting to be possible to think she wasn’t in danger.
Corus was throwing things all over the room. Each one carefully aimed away from where she waited. It was kind of funny. The panic he moved with and yet a lot of care. She noticed a few times where something broke as he grabbed it. That reminded her of the danger she was in. It kept her inching back on the desk, nearing the things he had scattered about. Especially getting close to the lamp with a wire hanging off the desk.
“There!” His shout made Mira cover her ears. Corus stomped over to her, although maybe it just felt like stomps. The grin on his face was almost cute despite their current situation. She really didn’t want to risk being on the receiving end of his rough grabs though. “Found it.”
Mira watched the bright face he offered fall. He stared at the spell long enough she grew nervous. This place had everything. The most prestigious school in existence. Every ingredient and catalyst was available. The garden alone had everything you could need for an average spell. Mira didn’t even have her own components, most of her spells needed them. The downside to humanity. Magic pulsed in every inch of her skin, but only enough in her for one type. Kaya had more…
“Ok so… I don’t have the ingredients, but it’s all in the garden. I can go get it,” he backed away from the desk. Almost like he thought she’d hurt him. Mira just shifted her stance. “I-I’ll be right back!”
Corus ran out. It made her laugh a bit. She was feeling calmer just seeing how normal he acted. There wasn’t any hint that he would do something to hurt her. This place might actually still be safe. Kaya trusted people here… Maybe she could too. Maybe Corus was the first one she’d try to trust on her own. The only other person she spoke to here was Zeke and that was because of Kaya.
Mira’s musing was stopped when the door made a noise. She watched it with wide eyes, it hadn’t been shut all the way. Anyone could walk in… and it wasn’t just anyone who did.
A man with long crimson hair strutted into the room. A sneer on his face as he scanned the floor… Almost like he knew where she’d be or rather how small she would be. His black eyes landed on her and her blood turned to ice. Now she knew why Corus had made her freeze when he looked at her. He had the same gaze, the same marks in his eyes that showed he wasn’t human. That he was a monster just like the man staring down at her now.
“Mira, Mira, Mira,” Crimson crooned. It made her shiver, they promised she’d never hear his voice again if she came here. That he would never be able to hurt her or Kaya again. The reason they were here was to get away from this man. “Here I thought I could have a fun time out in a garden with you only for you to disappear. Next thing I know someone’s running over to where you were and running off while your scent wafted from his hands…”
Crimson came to stand right above her. She craned her neck straight up, ignoring the horribly familiar pain. There were so many times he did this same thing to her. Trapping her in a tight fist until she screamed. Shrinking Kaya instead so she’d listen. He had some twisted focus on her, because he hated her hair…
“You know, I was planning to just kill you and use that to take your little friend back. This is so much better. Now I can show them how dangerous this place always was to two little humans.”
Mira moved just as Crimson’s hand slammed down where she’d been standing. She hopped off the table, sliding down the plug of the lamp. His laugh was loud enough to make her head pound. He would enjoy this. She had to find a way out. Into the walls, the same way she’d run in the past. It never lasted then, but here she knew someone would help.
“I hope you aren’t planning to run,” his words prompted tears to slip from her eyes, “you know I’ve learned more tricks too. Wouldn’t it be fun to see what this electricity does to you at such a small size? I think you might be smaller than I usually made you, must have been a witch who cast this then…”
Mira barely held in a scream as she felt a shock enter her skin. She pushed herself off the plug and landed on the carpeted floor with a grunt. She was close enough. Mira climbed to her feet, her ankle hurt. There wasn’t time for that. Looking around she saw a way out. Crimson left the door open. She needed to dash out and she’d be safe.
One step was all she got before Crimson moved too. “I almost forgot,” The door slammed and a red glow surrounded the edges. “I wouldn't want anyone to interrupt us. A mistake like this could only come from someone as weak as a human. A little stronger just in case. After all there’s only two humans in this school.”
“What?” The words slipped out against her will. Crimson’s laugh filled the air again. She started searching for an escape. Any escape. There was a dresser across from her, she started running before those black eyes could find her again. The adrenaline made it easy to forget her ankle.
“Didn’t they tell you? Oh they wouldn’t would they? They just wanted to study you like I did. Humans with magic and something that made monsters like me desperate to devour them,” Crimson’s fist crashed down just behind Mira as she dove under the dresser. “No one would pass up the chance. Claiming you’d be with others like you when everyone has a human disguise because it’s needed in the real world… You never should have left me Mira. I would have kept you alive for a full human life. Maybe let your little friend go once you learned to be obedient. After all, they didn’t have the same allure you did for the monsters. You made them curious just by sight. That damned hair drawing every single one of us in.”
“You were gonna kill me when they found us!” She shouted. He knew where she was there wasn’t a reason to be cautious. She was already running to another spot. A set of shelves nearby, ones that he couldn’t reach under. Close enough to the bed she’d be able to duck under there next. From the sky she heard the click of Crimson’s tongue. She hit a nerve.
“Now, now, I was only going to make you wish you were dead. I wouldn’t kill my important subject.” A step closer to her. “But now they want me dead. These foolish ancient monsters hoping for peace with humans think they can kill me. You’ve seen my strength… do you think they could manage it?”
Mira ran as a stomp landed near her. Bangs started from the door. She just barely heard Corus’s voice. There wasn’t any hope. Even if he wasn’t human, there was no possible chance of the man getting in here. If he did Crimson would just kill him. She dove from the dresser to the shelf, just as Crimson pressed the dresser down to crush her. Mira’s heart was pounding in her ears.
She ran and ran and ran. There was no chance of her surviving this if she didn’t get out of this room. Outlets couldn’t help. There weren’t any openings in the walls because she had never been there to make them. Plus the dorms were magically reset each time someone moved out. There wasn’t going to be a spot here to hide.
“Hey! D-did you lock me out? I have what we need! I promise I can fix it!” Corus’s muffled voice made her somehow hopeful. Crimson’s steps were heading towards the shelves. It wasn’t hard to figure out her path. Just as Mira left the shade of the shelves they crashed down, throwing her forward.
Everything in her told her to stay quiet and try to survive, but something about Corus gave her hope. She pushed herself up and shouted, “Corus help!”
Mira thought her life would be snuffed out once those words left her. Crimson’s black eyes appeared to stare at her. She couldn’t get away. He didn’t reach for her though, the crashing from behind him took his attention. When he stood up she saw between his legs that the door was destroyed and Corus was standing there. He looked different.
“Who are you?” Corus’s voice sounded wrong. Monstrous. It made her shiver.
“Your death,” Crimson’s voice shifted too.
She saw the shadow he cast change. The reason he was able to do these things. The monster with wings dyed crimson with the blood of his enemies. Her mind filled with the times she was used to lure monsters to their deaths. When he would drip the blood on her, hoping her hair would take it like his own. That she’d be some twisted protégé.
She screamed when one of them took a step. It wasn’t Crimson, his feet were still too close for comfort. Corus had entered the room and he looked like he got even bigger. He already looked too big. Each step made her bounce. They even caused blood coated feathers to fall off Crimson’s wings.
Mira managed to crawl forward, Corus towered over Crimson. It felt like miles to her, but was most likely a few feet. Crimson moved away from her. She was given a clear view of the slowly growing man. Sharp teeth and claws filled in as he seemed to grow.
“Mutt,” Crimson growled.
“Crow,” Corus’s voice was mixed with an awful growl. She heard it once, one of the things Crimson killed. Corus was a wolf. She was damned.
Mira screamed again when Corus stepped. For just a second she would swear their eyes met. The same feeling that always froze her blood shivered down her spine. His gaze focused back on Crimson before she could do anything. Another step that threw her in the air. She was in more danger than ever before.
Mira couldn’t take her eyes off the fighting giant’s. Corus’s face turned into a wolf’s snout. She saw him bite into Crimson’s neck. The bird monster barely managed to free himself. He was hovering off the ground, but she knew that wouldn’t be for long. Crimson’s full weight slammed into the angry wolf. With his back on the ground Corus looked at her again, his eyes filling her with a feeling of relief more than fear.
“Here’s a thought,” Crimson whispered. His soft voice was saccharine, tears fell from her eyes. She knew that voice, the one he always used to tempt her away from freedom. “I’ll let you do what you want with the tiny human girl you have as long as no one sees her again.”
Corus tried to bite Crimson, the snout of sharp teeth grabbed nothing. The snap made Mira scramble away, she didn’t want to be on the receiving end.
“I saw you… The careful aim you took at her before you sent out the spell. The rush to grab her before anyone saw. You claimed her for your own. The lies you told to convince her to trust you were wonderful. You don’t plan to fix this. You just wanted this human and now you-”
Corus slammed his head into Crimson’s. The bird monster squawked, slashing at the snout that had bitten him moments ago. Blood flew towards her, just barely missing her tiny form. She scrambled further back. Corus’s snapping bites terrified her. She gave up watching. Squeezing her eyes closed with all her strength and covering her ears.
The fighting continued, at some point blood did manage to land on her. She didn’t bother trying to wipe it free. A deafening crack sounded despite all that she did to miss it. Slowly she pulled the inside of her shirt up to wipe off her eyes. When she opened them, Crimson was being dragged away. The man who tormented her and Kaya for so much of their lives was gone… Gone after facing someone who now had her trapped.
The crimson feathers left a sickening trail as they both disappeared. She had to find a way to reach Kaya. They could get her out, get her back to normal. This would all be fine and things would work out. She just had to move her body. Unfortunately it failed to happen. Her body wouldn’t listen. The heavy steps that threw her in the air returned to the room.
Each one came closer and closer to her. It was the first time she realized he’d gone more wolf than human. Impossibly huge paws came to a stop in front of her. The body of a wolf dropped to the floor. Then a snout with blood dripping from it was shoved under the bed. She scrambled away in fear. The snout opened a bit, giving her a front row seat to the set of horribly sharp teeth.
A deep warm breath washed over her. She took in a shuddering breath of her own. Tensing to prepare for the snout to reach forward and grab her. Instead it started getting smaller. Slowly, but surely the teeth bigger than she currently stood became smaller than her. They dulled back to looking human. The snout pulled back to a face bloodied and scratched. Blue eyes stared at her with worry.
“Are you hurt?” he whispered. Mira shook her head. It was all she could manage. “Good, that’s good. You don’t have to be scared. Will you come out from under there?”
Mira wanted to say no, but it wouldn’t matter. If she refused his hand would reach in to grab her. She slowly managed to force herself up. Taking horribly stiff steps forward. Corus pulled himself up from the ground. It made her shake, but she kept moving. His hands came to her right away, but there was nothing she could think of to stop it. In an almost insultingly kind way he pushed her onto his palm.
This time her stomach came along for the ride as he climbed up to stand. She could see the mess all around. Wings and blood painted the room. It reminded her of the life she and Kaya left behind. Not a single promise of safety was kept. She was smaller than a human’s fingers again. A wolf had her and no one knew anything about it. A wolf who killed Crimson.
The hand she was on moved. It tilted to let her off on the desk again. Somehow this spot was kept clean. No blood, no feathers, no destruction like the rest of the room. She was left facing the man back to a human disguise. She turned to look out the destroyed door, Crimson was out of sight. It didn’t matter.
“What happens now?” she said. Her voice sounded wrong. Too dead.
“Well I undo the spell and you go home and maybe don’t tell anyone what I did?” Corus smiled at her. It felt wrong. She tilted her head, waiting for the truth. “Ok, so you tell everyone what I did and I go to another school again or just go back to the real world.”
“It doesn’t matter. Don’t play games. He was right… I’m human and now I’m here.”
“So… does that mean you won’t tell if I keep your secret?”
“What?!” Mira forgot her fear storming towards him. “Are you dumb? Everyone here knows what I am. D-did you not until he showed up?! Everyone knows just by my scent!”
Blue eyes went wide. Her fear came back twice as strong. “Oh… There was an accident a long time ago. My nose didn’t heal right. Can’t catch anyone’s scents. I could sort of taste your fear though. Just thought it was the normal fear I deal with.”
“Why did you aim your spell at me? Why did you say you didn’t? That it was a misfire?”
“Well… it kind of was a misfire. When you walked by me I sort of got stuck watching you… I wanted to talk to you, but I saw something weird hanging over your head. I was trying to hit that, but I hit you instead. I guess it was probably that guy who was trying to hurt you…”
“So you killed him…” Corus actually looked hurt when she said that.
“No! I just broke his wings. I dropped him by one of the teacher’s rooms nearby before coming back.”
She didn’t want to believe him. The room was covered in the aftermath of the fight. With another long look up at Corus, she gave in. If he was going to kill her or wanted to keep her like a pet, she couldn’t get away. The least she could do was offer some kind of thank you for getting Crimson away, for saving her life and Kaya’s from a man worse than a monster. She closed her eyes, summoning up the magic she had in her. Reconstruction, healing. Kaya could do so much more than her, but healing is where she excelled.
“Come closer, with your snout out.”
A tilted head that faintly reminded her of another life. A puppy looking curiously at what she did. While Kaya cowered behind her. It made it easier when Corus started to grow. As the snout extended from his face and came to rest in front of her, she grew mad at herself. She was supposed to be the capable one. Good at escaping from any danger. Yet here she was waiting for the wolf to decide to gobble her like a treat. It took all her strength to push the thoughts away.
She put her hands on the shockingly soft fur. Another thing that reminded her of the puppy. How soft and sweet it was when she convinced Kaya to pet it. A tingling filled her body, from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. A lavender glow glimmered off her skin. She focused on healing, fixing, reconstruction, and restoration. She focused on her ankle first, she’d need it to run later. Then, slowly, the glow shifted from her to the snout in front of her.
As the glow died down. A huff came from the nose above her. It was followed by a rough tug as he sucked in a breath. The snout pressed into her and, as much as she hated it, caused her to laugh. Slowly the fur and wolf nose were pulled back. She was left staring up at a human looking wolf that knew just how human she was.
“Lavenders…” he said softly. The words rocked her spine, but in a way she sort of liked. “Now I know why Zeke tried so hard to get me here after the fight at my last school…”
“Zeke… as in the Zeke I know who’s always hanging around Kaya?” she asked. A soft smile from Corus warmed her heart. A thing she didn’t expect to feel from the face that nearly killed Crimson.
“Probably,” a painfully nonchalant shrug, “he said I’d find something important here. Convinced this school to give me a chance after my old school kicked me out.”
“...why did they kick you out?”
“They didn’t like how hard I fought to get someone to stop asking about the human smell on a tiny Zeke. He is… sort of the friend I did this too before. They had him in a fist and I kind of saw red.”
“What do you mean the smell on him? It wasn’t his own?”
Another puppy-like head tilt that made her feel safe, “We’re from the same pack. Well pretty much the only ones of our pack anymore.”
A wolf… a wolf was with Kaya. A wolf was dating Kaya. The fear she expected in her heart never came. Zeke wasn’t someone terrifying, he’d stood up for them. Done everything to make sure she trusted him. Even when she tried to avoid being around the two together he pulled her towards them. He… he wasn’t bad and if this was someone close to him maybe she could at least trust Corus.
“My name is Mira,” she said. The blue eyes beamed with sparks of joy she didn’t expect. “Maybe you could fix me already?”
“Right!”
Corus jumped up, setting things around her that made her feel a lot smaller. The circle had her trapped and she tried not to wonder how far this trick might go. Everything started to glow a deep blue as Corus hummed. The items shifted and grew smaller before shooting into her. It hit harder than the one that made her small, but it worked just as fast. In a blink she was standing on the desk, towering over Corus.
He reached up and grabbed her waist. It seemed too easy for him to pull her down. When he pulled her into a hug she was tempted to fight against him, but all he did was take a deep breath with his head in her hair. It felt weirdly intimate. Zeke held Kaya like this a lot.
“Can I tell you something?” he said. His voice sounded almost like when he was fighting. A gruff, growling noise that, at this size, was a bit nice.
“If it’s how you want to shrink me again I’ll take away your sense of smell,” she said. His arms tightened around her. A blush painted her cheeks, it wasn’t how it should be.
“Wolves get told a kind of cryptic clue to their mate. Mine seemed impossible after I lost my sense of smell.” He pulled back, staring down at her. He was tall as a human, she wondered if he was tall out of the disguise or normal height for a wolf. He cupped her cheek with one hand, wiping blood from her face. “An unexpected meeting in a garden followed by the pain of crimson wings ending with the strongest scent of lavenders.”
Mira could stop herself from laughing, “The first two parts weren’t enough for you? Crimson the bird monster with crimson hair and wings, we met because you shrunk me in a garden, the scent is what proved it?”
“Well,” the blush growing on his own cheeks made her laughter start to die down, “I kind of hoped it would be you. As soon as I saw you I wanted it to be you. Something about you is special. I know that with or without your scent… The smell just promises no one else can take you from me.”
Mira buried her face in his chest. That wasn’t something she expected. Maybe she didn’t make a mistake taking a walk in the garden after all. “...They won’t kick you out if I tell them you stopped Crimson. Would be pretty hard to punish you for that.”
“I’d just have to wait for you in the real world if they do. I’ll wait as long as I have to.”
“Maybe I’ll be ok going back if you’re there. I guess even a magic college shouldn’t last forever.”
Corus forced her to face him. A hand holding her chin. Slowly he came closer, a silent question. She hesitated for a moment before nodding and closing her eyes. In a movement that felt too fast his lips had captured hers. Mira didn’t mind though. Her first kiss was filled with a love she didn’t think she’d ever experience.
