#OC:Felix | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

awkwardgtace · 1 year

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Ice Cube Prank Gone Wrong... or Right?

hey @da3dm here's the next request. This might have changed a little bit from the original idea.

Rhys is a young borrower that likes to play tricks on mostly one of the two humans he lives with. One day it goes a little wrong.

Ice Cube Prank Gone Wrong... or Right?

Rhys glared at the dark blue thread currently wrapped around his ankle. It mocked him as he hung limply from the vent with that as his only life line. Stupid vent just had to shift under his weight and make him fall. He knew he was lucky he was caught by the thread, but he was more annoyed that his prank wouldn’t work out now. How could he drop one of those weird cold plastic cubes on the grumpy human when he was stuck like this?

It would be easy to free himself. It wasn’t like this was the first time he was caught by his ankle, but the humans were loudly talking in the other room. He had time to glare at the thread and vent for betraying him. At least he was supposed to have time. The humans were supposed to stay in the kitchen together. This was the day they always did that, but one voice started to come closer. From where he hung in the sky Rhys saw the grumpy human in the doorway starting to walk away from the room the other was in.

“I’ll just eat later, I have to meet this deadline,” the grumpy one shouted. Rhys started to try and climb up enough to free his ankle. He had to work quickly. Heavy steps rocked through him making it hard to grab the string.

Rhys froze when he felt himself drop. Staring up he saw the thread fraying. The sharper edge of the vent had caused the thread to weaken. Another step from the human had him drop again. He managed to grab the thread and start to pull it apart enough to free his ankle. He paused as he dropped again to stare down at the floor that would kill him if he landed on it. Another heavy step, another drop, and he went back to work.

Biting back a cheer he pulled his ankle free, holding himself up with the thread. Unfortunately it wasn’t fast enough, the human took another set of quick steps that had him falling. Rhys had no time to scream as his body registered the free fall. He was going to hit the hard ground and turn into nothing. His mouth kept moving as he tried to make some noise to maybe land on a human’s hand rather than the floor.

His body collided with something soft and warm, but firm too. The thing shifted forcing Rhys to slide down the soft surface. He felt more than heard the human make a noise that would usually make him laugh. He tried to grab onto something, but found only a surface that felt like skin against his palms. Ice filled his veins as the realization of where he landed hit him. The human, the grumpy human and he was still sliding down towards the floor. The reality didn’t get to set in long before he’d fallen between the human’s shirt and skin.

“Ryder! An ice cube really?” the human shouted. The voice was too loud. Covering his ears would have been a blessing. It took a steeper fall for him to remember to grab the cloth and avoid reaching the hard floor. “I told you to knock it off with these dumb-” A hand reached in too quickly to dodge. Rhys had the air squeezed out of him as fingers pinched him. “-pranks.”

Rhys was pulled out from the human’s shirt and rushed up to see a giant face. He felt sick as the golden eyes studied him. It had been terrifying to consider being caught by either of the humans. The one holding him always looked angry and put his full weight into each step. The yelling would bring the one with silver eyes, meticulous in everything he did down to the bits of plastic he left out a lot. The one holding him narrowed his golden eyes.

“...You’re not an ice cube,” the golden eyed human said.

Rhys had quips and responses flit through his mind. No I’m not, put me down. I’m just one you’ve never seen. Correct now if you’d let me go. I’m a new ice they’re testing out. None of them sounded quite right. He didn’t really know what an ice cube even was. His best guess would be that plastic square filled with water he was planning to drop on the grumpy human.

Either way he couldn’t bring himself to make a sound. Even if he did speak and miraculously got let go, there was no way for him to get home. He never set up the ladders and steps he needed after he moved here. The humans were too fun to mess with. Along with how hard it was to steal the materials from them. A stolen pin had grumpy searching for hours until Rhys put it back. A stolen plastic sword from the other one had the guy almost digging into the vent that Rhys liked to store things in. No reason to bring it all the way home when the humans might go crazy enough he gives it back.

“Felix I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the meticulous one said. He was coming closer now. The steps reached him even through the grumpy one. The fingers holding him actually tensed which forced a pained gasp to escape. It was followed with almost too much pressure removed. Rhys had to hold the fingers to make sure he wouldn’t fall.

Horrified, he stared at the entryway the grumpy human had come from. The other human appeared, his long black hair tied back and out of his face. He always knew the grumpy one was shorter, but held up this high made it more obvious. It was also more terrifying as the taller one came closer. His silver eyes lit up once they found Rhys. The approach of the tall one grew worse once he smiled.

Fingers thinner than the ones currently trapping him wrapped around him. Rhys could feel the strength in the digits as they forced him from Grumpy’s hold. He was moved quickly, fast enough to make him feel sick. The light around him disappeared. The fingers pressed him to something firm and warm. Not as soft as before, but that wasn’t important. The fingers slid until he was pressed against that firm surface by a human palm.

“Ryder, what exactly are you doing?” Grumpy asked. Rhys was doing everything he could to forget about those eyes. The way they looked at him made him want to die.

“You mistook them for an ice cube, they have to warm up,” the meticulous one announced. He always spoke like he was issuing orders to someone.

“You don’t even know if it’s supposed to be that cold. Warming it up could kill it.”

Rhys shivered at the tone used. He was going to be just some bug or animal to these two. He shouldn’t have been so focused on messing with them. They just kept blaming each other, but never did anything else. It was funny and almost made him feel like he belonged here. It was a lot nicer after the way he was sent away from his last few homes.

It seemed like the one holding him now at least wanted to help him live. That could give him the chance to escape. Then he’d leave and find another new home. The fourth one this year…

“Please, nothing alive should be this cold. Probably came in from outside due to the weather,” the meticulous one said. Rhys almost nodded along to that. A perfect excuse that he could use. A clicking sound came from above. It made his blood run cold. The things he left in the vent weren’t likely to stay where he left them now.

“Ryder, you have no idea what that is, if it belongs-” the grumpy one stopped. Silence followed for a horrible span of seconds.

Rhys held his breath, unable to see what was happening. The fingers that slid away wrapped around him. He grabbed the cloth shirt as tight as he could, desperate for something to keep him safe. His attempts to stay were completely ignored as the meticulous one pulled him free. He was forced to face the humans, wrapped in a tight fist. The grumpy one held a purple plastic cube between his fingers. The traitorous frozen thing had become slick in the warm air of the vent.

“Aha,” the shout made him jump, the meticulous one was too loud. “It appears we discovered a little prankster!”

Rhys started shaking. The humans definitely would hurt him now. He felt the golden eyes assessing him the whole time. The softer hand was held out near him. Rhys looked at the one holding him, there was something in the way he looked that answered any questions Rhys could ask. The grumpy one was going to get his way, it didn’t matter what happened.

The fist holding him moved until he was dropped on the palm. Fingers curled over him. He was brought close to those eyes, he genuinely considered poking one to try and escape. That would just kill him, Grumpy was wearing a shirt that just had thin bits of fabric on his shoulders to hold it up. Grumpy let out a hum while staring at him.

“Ryder, finish cooking breakfast. We’ll come eat in about…” Grumpy mumbled as he tilted his head, “thirty minutes.”

“Yes sir!” the other said.

The hand holding Rhys wrapped the fingers around him blocking most of his view. He was pulled close to the human, unable to see anything around him anymore. The steps jolted through his spine. This human wasn’t thinking about anything he did as he walked. Rhys didn’t want to see what Grumpy was planning. He tried to run through what he’d been taught before being sent off on his own. He was following one rule at least, never refer to a human by their name. Being too familiar could get him killed, although familiar wasn’t the issue now that he was caught.

Felix sighed as he kicked the door shut to his work room. He should have warmer fabrics than the creature currently wore in here. He just needed an idea of how big it really was. He walked to the desk he used to test designs, none of the dolls were quite small enough. They’d work at least.

He sat down, grabbing a few things before bringing his hand close to the table. Folding back his fingers, the thing was still shaking. It was hard to believe this was actually planning to drop an ice cube on anyone. Probably just liked the color and tried to steal it. He tilted his hand until the creature slid off. He hesitated for only a second before curling his other hand around it.

Felix grabbed a few of the heavier sewing kits he owned and placed them around the creature. Each side blocked off except the one open to where he’d be working on something. He considered something to keep it occupied. If it liked purple he could give it some purple fabric. Maybe it would make a nest on his desk… that would be interesting at least. He pulled his hand back, resting his elbow next to the sewing kit near the edge of the table.

“Stay put,” he mumbled. He didn’t really expect the thing to listen. Looking human doesn’t make it human. “I have a feeling you’ll run off if I don’t stop you.”

Felix grabbed the smallest doll he had. It was still at least twice as big as the creature. He found himself wondering if there were any other extremities he should worry about. Wings, a tail, anything. He’d just have to assume there weren’t. He wasn’t going to risk injuring it to find out, plus he’d need more than thirty minutes to go that detailed. He snapped the doll apart to get to work.

Felix jumped as the small creature shrieked. He stared at the thing, the small hands held over its head in fear. He didn’t see how it could have hurt itself. There weren’t any loose pins around. The idea that this had been the cause of the string of pranks he’d suffered only grew more impossible. Although the shaking was making him struggle to believe it wasn’t as human as it looked.

He noticed the creature looking at the doll in his hands. His own eyes went wide as he made the connection. Ryder’s theory that it came in to avoid the cold may not be wrong. If it had been in the house for any time it would know the dolls come apart. He put the doll back together, holding it out to the little creature. He used his empty hand to tap the creature’s head, guilt consuming him as the little thing scrambled away. The eyes locked on his fingers.

“Hey,” he whispered. He spared a glance at the doll he held. This creature was smaller than it and the doll was already so small in his hands. “They’re designed to come apart. I’m not gonna hurt you, I just use them to make small designs easier. Here, try pulling it apart, it’s easy.”

Felix held the doll’s head close to the little thing. He didn’t expect it to listen, he wasn’t ready to accept tiny people existed. It was a strange creature that used fabric to cover some shell or something… probably. Regardless he’d make something to keep it warm. After that they’d have to wait and see. The small form slowly stood and reached past the doll head to the shoulders. He smiled a bit when pink eyes stared up at him. Weird eyes just like he and Ryder had.

The small person tugged on the doll’s body. Felix didn’t even need to help, the doll popped apart. He smiled when a look of awe took over the creature’s face. There was a chance it hadn’t spoken because it was mute. It looked so much like a person, it was getting harder to deny that. It was possible that their voice was too quiet for them to hear too. The face was staring straight at where the doll had separated.

“Wow…” they whispered. Felix thought his heart stopped. That was definitely not meant for him to hear. It would be easy to pass off as the wind. At least if he hadn’t been sure the small mouth moved when he heard it. He sat back, pulling a slightly bigger doll closer to work with. He couldn’t deny it anymore, they’d found a tiny person. He’d wait until they’d eaten to ask about getting measurements for better clothes.

It was hard to guess the right size for someone so small while working on a doll four times their size. It didn’t have to be perfect though, an oversized sweater was enough. He kept looking at the small person while he worked. They were studying the part where the doll broke apart. It was clear they’d never seen something like it up close. He smiled when he saw the way they acted when they found another part that could disconnect.

Felix finished the sweater, but left the small person investigating the doll longer. At one point he reached closer to show more of how it worked. They backed away, but moved closer as soon as his hands were gone. It sort of reminded him of when he and Ryder were younger. The constant questions from the younger one about what he worked on. The look of awe felt more like their sister though.

“We’ve probably made Ryder wait long enough,” he said. The little person jumped and stumbled away from the doll. Felix grabbed the pieces, locking them back in place. He offered the sweater to the person, hoping it would work to get some response. He wanted proof he hadn’t imagined their voice. It would make everything a lot easier moving forward.

Small hands grabbed the sweater. The little face stared up at him with wonder and something he couldn’t name. The purple sweater was pulled over the small head. Felix had estimated poorly, it looked like it hung down past their thighs. It would be something he could fix once they started communicating. It had only just occurred to him they might speak different languages.

Felix reached for the small being. Hesitating when they started to shake again. He bit his lip, they couldn’t just wander freely. They would probably disappear, or worse a careless action could hurt them. He wasn’t about to let them die from his own ignorance. He pulled his hand back and set it in front of the person instead.

“Is this better?” he asked. The small face stared at him again, Ryder wasn’t going to be happy to let them leave anytime soon. Their frame looked thin. They felt it when he held them too. It was likely the little person hadn’t had a good meal for a long time. They nodded, Felix felt like an idiot. They listened when he offered the doll, of course they spoke the same language. He would have to make it up to them for doubting their personhood later. “I’m Felix.”

“...grumpy,” the small person said. He could hear a bit clearer. The voice was much more masculine than he first thought. The little man looked up with wide eyes. A deep breath made the sweater hanging loosely on his frame move. Felix opted to let Ryder deal with trying to make the man talk.

“Ryder’s waiting, let’s go.”

Ryder had focused his time since meeting the little prankster on trying to make small pancakes. He didn’t have the best judge of the small person’s size, but that wouldn’t stop him. Of course it didn’t help that he burned a lot of attempts. The delay Felix ran into wound up being something he appreciated. By the time he heard his elder brother returning he had the prankster’s portion ready. He set the plates with the pancakes he’d made for the two of them down.

Ryder stared at the small pile of tiny pancakes. He needed something for the little prankster to eat from. He searched around the kitchen before settling on a small dish they had from a tea set someone gave Felix a long time ago. He knocked the pile of food onto the dish, setting it centered between the two normal plates. He opened a bottle of water, using the cap to hold syrup for the small person.

As Ryder set the bottle cap down Felix walked in. His brother carried the small person in a flattened palm held near his chest. The small person didn’t appear to love the arrangement, but it might be better than a fist. He’d take that into consideration the next time he held them. Felix took his seat and set his palm down on the table. It made him smile to see the little prankster in something his brother had put together.

Ryder took his seat, leaning his elbows on the table. He put his hands up to rest his head on as he stared at the small person. It was clear they were young, probably close to his sister’s age. It made him worried that someone else was around they hadn’t seen. Felix hit his arm distracting him from his thoughts. The little person was staring up at him.

“I hope you haven’t found my brother poor company,” he said. Felix sighed, he never did like how Ryder phrased things. “I hope the pancakes are something you’ll enjoy, little prankster.”

The small person tensed. It made him worried. He moved his hand to check, but they scrambled away. The reaction spurred him on, reaching closer to them. Felix cleared his throat, getting Ryder to look at him. A single shake of his brother’s head made Ryder pull his hand back immediately. He looked to Felix for a sign of what to do next, a shrug was not the answer he wanted.

“...gonna…me…” the small person said. Ryder leaned closer to try and hear them better. The following stumble made it worse again. Especially when they tripped on the too long sleeve of the sweater Felix gave them. He and Felix shot out a hand to catch them, but failed. The small person fell onto the bottle cap of syrup spilling it on the table and themself.

Felix stood up quickly, shaking the table as he did. Ryder frowned as the prankster wound up covered in more of the sticky syrup. He reached forward with every intent to help the person. They started trying to force their way out of the purple sweater on their own. Looking at the mess, the best option seemed to be pulling them by their legs. It would get them out of the sticky substance, mostly clean.

Ryder moved carefully to pinch the small legs between two of his fingers. He pulled the prankster free from the predicament. The amount of squirming made him frown. The attempt was successful as he pulled them up and away from the puddle of syrup. The sink was running as Felix got things to clean the mess, he was almost tempted to just bring them over to it.

All his thoughts stopped when he met the face of the being he held. Nothing could make the tears on their face any clearer. The sniffling he heard was louder than a concert speaker to him. Slowly and carefully he set the little prankster down on the table. It was the first time Ryder took a good look at them.

The little person was young, younger than his sister. Salmon hair that needed to be taken care of and bits of dirt stuck to his tan skin. They didn’t find a small adult or a child without a parent. They found a young boy who was on his own in a world that definitely wasn’t made for him. Felix came back with a few wet paper towels, but Ryder knew the damage was done. They’d made things awful for a child.

Rhys wanted to die. He’d been able to handle it with Grumpy. Completely dumbfounded when he learned the human hadn’t just been finding the same doll a million times. Of course with both of them staring at him he’d started to lose his confidence. It didn’t help that he was almost positive Grumpy heard him mumble that in response to his offered name. Trying to speak was a mistake, he should just stay a dumb quiet animal so these monsters let him go.

He didn’t expect to be put down gently after Meticulous held him by his legs. A quick motion had him curled in a ball the second he was free of those fingers. Honestly, he thought that was going to be when he died. Whatever curiosity kept him safe so far would be gone now that he made a mess. No reason for humans to be any nicer than other borrowers.

“Hey,” Meticulous said. Rhys just tried to curl up smaller. Maybe he could disappear if he got small enough. “No one is going to hurt you.”

“As if I can trust humans,” he mumbled. Something cold touched him, making him jump. Grumpy’s face was close.

“So you can talk little guy,” he smirked. Rhys was even more mad at himself. He should know better by now. Talking to himself is what got him sent off on his own in the first place. He hugged his knees as tightly as he could. Desperately hoping the humans would think he died or something. A finger poked him, he tried not to move. “You need to clean the syrup off of yourself. Can you do that?”

Rhys refused to move. He felt one sigh and heard the other’s. Mumbled voices that he couldn’t make himself understand. Humans plotting was bad. He was expecting those huge fingers to lift him up and start wiping off the syrup stuff. Instead he was left alone. The humans moved other things, but not him. Slowly he chanced looking at them again. Grumpy had the clothes he made and turned away with them. Meticulous was holding a plate of something up high with his arm stretched over Rhys to do something.

Grumpy took a seat in front of one of the giant plates again. Meticulous set the one he held down in front of Rhys before sitting down himself. The two humans shared a look before nodding at each other. Rhys just hugged his knees tighter. A part of him thought if he didn’t act then they’d forget about him. Once he was forgotten about he could try to do something.

“You should eat the pancakes before they get too cold,” Meticulous said.

“He’s right. The syrup incident just joins our list. There’s also the butter event and the jelly fiasco,” Grumpy said.

“Jelly…?” Rhys mumbled. He didn’t know what jelly was. Grumpy got a smile on his face that actually made him look nice. Meticulous groaned which made him jump.

“My dear brother never tires of telling this story.” Rhys tilted his head, but Grumpy’s smile got bigger.

“He’s right I don’t. The kiddo here asked about it, no reason not to tell him.” Meticulous buried his head in his hands. “When Ryder here was a kid he wanted to make everyone breakfast. He was determined and succeeded in burnt toast. He slathered peanut butter on some pieces and decided he needed jelly to add to it.”

Rhys found himself nodding along. It wasn’t like Grumpy was a good story teller, but Meticulous reacting by hiding made him curious.

“Well the jar was stuck closed. Ryder wasn’t going to let that stop him, but his master plan was to hold it up above him to open it,” Grumpy mimed the action, holding an imaginary something above him and twisting his other hand a bit lower. “Our parents walked in just in time to try and stop him. He was pulled off the chair he stood on only to manage to open the jar as our dad held him close.”

Grumpy was laughing and Meticulous moaned. Rhys found himself grinning.

“The jar popped open and jelly spilled all over Ryder, our dad, the chair and the floor. Somehow it missed the burnt toast completely despite the splash all over.” Grumpy leaned closer holding up a finger with a big grin. Rhys actually leaned forward too. “The best part was back then every time he made a mistake it was some heroic deed. So he valiantly announced he’d defeated the monster trapped in the jelly.”

Grumpy started to laugh more and Meticulous hit his head on the table. Rhys wound up laughing too. It sounded funny even if he didn’t know what all the words were. Especially with Meticulous getting so upset. Grumpy kept a big grin on his face as Meticulous sat up straight again. They both were smiling still, it made him feel a lot safer.

With that safe feeling he decided to try the food they put near him. He reached out to one, it was almost as big as his head so he ripped a part off. Carefully he took a bite and his mind went blank. He couldn’t remember having warm food really ever, but it was more than that. He never had something that tasted like this. He started to eat quickly, completely ignoring the humans. He didn’t want them to take it away.

“Hey,” Meticulous whispered while tapping Rhys’s head. Rhys froze, looking up at the human. “Take it slow, if you eat that whole pile I can make more. Or you can take from one of our plates. Going too fast can get you sick.”

Rhys nodded and forced himself to go slower. He almost wondered if they’d let him take some home. If they let him go. Although getting let go still wouldn’t do much. He didn’t get to focus on his situation for long. The two humans started to talk again. Telling more stories that wound up with him laughing. He had no idea how long he sat between them listening, how long he felt like this was normal.

After a while he realized he couldn’t eat anymore of the food. He frowned at the pile that was still mostly his height. He didn’t want it to go to waste. The two humans ate everything they had. He felt almost out of place, but the casual way the two talked had him lose that thought. He liked how they acted. Every once in a while they’d say something directly at him, but neither made him answer.

“Well, it’s almost time I get back to work on my designs,” Grumpy said as he stretched.

“I do need to finish painting those figures,” Meticulous nodded. Rhys felt a little sad that this couldn’t keep going.

“What about you, kiddo?” He jumped when Grumpy spoke to him, but got excited too. He never got to talk about the things he was planning. “What are your plans for the day?”

“After I dropped the cold purple thing on the grumpy human I was gonna try and take some warmer fabric from him. Then I wanted to see if the meticulous one dropped one of those swords so I could take… it…” Rhys trailed off. He realized too late that he excitedly told both humans his plans to first play a trick on one and then take from the other. He stared up in fear, but both humans had a look that almost made him feel safe.

“Grumpy… I wouldn’t think I look grumpy. Although Ryder does fit meticulous.” Rhys shrank away from the humans staring at him. Slowly Meticulous started to shake. Rhys started to slide back, he only moved a little before the human burst out laughing.

“I’m sorry, but Felix, that is one of the nicer things someone has said when they see your neutral expression.” Rhys backed up more. He didn’t want to be near angry humans. Grumpy sighed.

“That is true…” Grumpy’s eyes locked on Rhys again. “So, what else were you planning today? I don’t think you’ll get one of the swords you wanted. All of the meticulous human’s statues are being sent out soon. They need those weapons. I’d be happy to get you some warmer fabric, even make the clothes once I’m done with my designs.”

“Felix, he'd be bored watching you work. Why don’t you come help me paint, little prankster?”

Two hands were set down in front of him. He backed away, the warmth from them terrifying. He started to feel safe, like he belonged. That was dangerous. All he found out was these humans wanted to keep him and he wouldn’t get to find a new home. He didn’t want to be a pet… He wanted to keep exploring and playing his tricks.

“Y-you’re keeping me?” he managed to ask. The humans shared wide eyed looks with each other. Both hands were pulled back. He didn’t know what was worse.

“No, we’re giving you a choice to spend the day with one of us,” Grumpy whispered.

“A-aren’t you mad?” A finger ruffled his hair and made him duck down to hug his knees.

“When I thought my brother, the adult, was playing tricks? Yes. A kid having fun, not so much.” Rhys stared at the humans with his own eyes wide. He pouted almost immediately after.

“I’m not a kid.” Meticulous leaned closer.

“How old are you?”

“Fourteen.” Meticulous gasped and leaned back, the hint of a smile on his face.

“Felix he’s right it’s worse he’s a teenager. Soon we’ll have to deal with loud music that the neighbors complain about.” Grumpy nodded as Meticulous spoke.

“It might even be rock music.”

“Oh no, little prankster, do you listen to rock music?” Rhys climbed up to his feet and shook his head. He didn’t understand what the humans were even talking about.

“I don’t know what rock music is…” Grumpy shot him a smile that made him start feeling safe again… It was tempting to use their names. They kept saying them. He already broke so many rules, would it be bad to break another?

“That’s a relief, maybe we can skip the punk phase.”

“What’s going on?” Rhys had to voice his confusion. He didn’t understand anything anymore. The humans weren’t grabbing him or punishing him. They were just… making jokes. He stomped his foot as he stared up at them. “Are you treating me like a joke? I’m a person!”

“No, we’re making you smile.” The meticulous human’s voice was soft and kind. Rhys jumped from the voice. The grumpy human just gave him a look.

“Of course you’re a person… I apologize for doubting that at first. It is hard to believe people so small exist.” The grumpy human looked away. He saw a bit of red on his cheeks. That meant the human was embarrassed.

“So… what are you gonna do with me?” If the humans were just going to keep trying to make him smile he had to ask. He couldn’t just look for an escape when the humans weren’t making it easy. Acting different from normal would only trap him. The two shared a look.

“Nothing.” Rhys fell to his knees. This was just a weird dream and he’d wake up cold in his poorly insulated home. The humans would be loud, he’d still drop the cold thing on Felix. He’d maybe try to steal some of the stuff Ryder made… and he’d keep calling them by name in his head like he just did.

“I can’t get home… I lost my hook when I fell out of the vent.” It felt like he opened a door he shouldn’t. That now the humans would know he was helpless and stop pretending.

“What do you need for it?” He stared up at the humans in shock…

“Y-you’ll just give it to me? No deals or-or threats? Just… just like that?” One of the massive hands came close, a finger ruffled his hair again.

“Just like that. What do you need for a hook?” It felt strange that the constantly grumpy looking Felix was the one who gently ruffled his hair. It didn’t feel real.

“...thread and a… a paperclip or safety pin.” Felix left without a word. Rhys just watched while Ryder folded his arms on the table and smiled. He looked at the silver eyed human with a bit of hope. “Can I… can I have pancakes with you again?”

“We can add chocolate chips next time.”

Rhys jumped to his feet with a smile. He never got to have chocolate before. He knew humans liked it a lot. Felix came back, setting a whole spool of thread down along with a bunch of paper clips and safety pins. Rhys grabbed one of each, quickly fashioning a hook similar to what he had. He looked up at the humans, both standing at their full height again. He should leave, humans were dangerous. They weren’t mad at him or yelling or upset he had been messing with them.

“...can I still stay with one of you today?” he asked. Rhys jumped when two hands were set in front of him again. He would run away later, for today he’d embrace this feeling of belonging.

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“Rhys!” Felix shouted. The borrower ducked under a table to avoid the angry human. It was probably not the best idea to mess with the sewing machine… again. Heavy steps came towards his hiding spot. He tried to run, but a hand caught him as soon as he shot out.

“Um… hi?” he smiled. Felix glared at him, but the hold stayed soft. These humans were nothing like they looked like. The human turned and walked back to his room, setting Rhys carefully down on the sewing machine where he’d left part of it dismantled.

“What did we talk about with the sewing machine?”

“Not to take it apart when you have deadlines nearby?”

“What did I tell you and Ryder two days ago?”

“You have a deadline to meet… I still don’t know what those are though!” Felix sighed, it blew his hair back. He fixed it to sit over his shoulder again, he liked how clean it was now.

“You know exactly what a deadline is. I've explained it to you six times already.”

“I’m a fourteen year old borrower with no education. You can’t expect much from me.”

“Ryder told you to say that, didn't he?”

“...no.” Rhys looked away as Felix sighed again. The human did it on purpose, blowing his hair out of place again. He liked keeping it on his shoulder and Felix took advantage of that. The golden eyes stared down at him unflinchingly. He let out his own sigh and stepped back a bit. “I… might not know how to fix it this time…”

Another sigh and he stiffened. Despite how nice the humans were he knew they’d get angry at some point. Felix would grab him and squeeze him, or Ryder would trap him in one of those cleaners for the statues he made. Felix’s hand came close, but all he got was a light shove from one of the fingers. He pushed back at it, stumbling when it pushed him harder.

“Stay here while I fix it so you don’t leave it taken apart again. Next time I’ll start locking it up when I have a deadline to meet,” Felix whispered.

Rhys climbed to his feet and sat off to the side. He watched the huge fingers fix all the things he took apart. It felt weird to see how deft Felix actually was. The whole thing only took a few minutes. He just sat silently as it happened. Once it was done Felix sat back and smiled at him. This still didn’t feel real.

“Let me know next time you can’t fix it, I usually can ok?” the human said. Rhys nodded. He expected to be ignored, but a hand was placed in front of him. “Did you want to stay in here while I worked or go back to what you were doing?”

“I’m allowed to stay?” he asked. He thought Felix would kick him out after that.

“It’ll be boring, Ryder’s probably going to watch a video or something while the minis print.” Rhys climbed on the hand with his eyes shining.

“Let’s go to Ryder!” The human holding him laughed, but did as he instructed.

The humans were dangerous and could hurt him. They could turn on him in an instant. The hand that was holding him carefully now could squeeze hard enough to break him. The one he was dumped on before Felix walked off could just drop him somewhere to forget about. Each time they held him promised those things wouldn’t happen. Soft, gentle holds that kept him close to their hearts. He really did find a place he belonged.

#awkwardanswers #da3dm #gt #giant/tiny #giant tiny #g/t #g/t writing #gt writing #gianttiny #gt community #g/t community #gt found family #OC:Rhys #OC:Ryder #OC:Felix #i might have gone overboard #i got god squad on the mind again #ryder and felix need more love #they're getting it now lol

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awkwardgtace · 1 year

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Alessia's New Fear

Well now I feel like I cheated in my answer to the ask game. Anon feel free to send it again for another wip lol.

More Mafia AU. A look at just why Alessia is so afraid to be near humans

TW: for blood, mentions of giants eating humans, uhh mafia au warnings. I'm so bad at this I'm sorry

Alessia's New Fear

Alessia kept turning to make sure no one was following her. Rhys would only cause the others trouble. Felix would tell mom and dad. She was the only one who could help and she was going to. She knew exactly what to do. Even if the others caught her she’d just lie until they left her alone.

She gripped the bag she carried tighter. Another pause to check around her, holding still when she saw some of the adults nearby. She wasn’t supposed to be playing in this part of the property. Mom and dad always said it was too close to the city. She didn’t think it would matter, she was going to be a hero like them when she was older. She could handle anything on her own.

The bush she had to crawl under finally came into sight. She grinned when her last search around her came up clear. She fell to her knees and made her way through the little tunnel she made. As soon as her head cleared the leaves the old toy castle came into view. It was one of the bigger ones that mom said she had to be careful with. That had been harder to sneak out here, but she managed it. Piece by piece.

She finished crawling through the bush and climbed to her feet. Carefully brushing off the leaves and dirt as she walked closer to the toy castle. It helped that mom and dad hadn’t been to her room lately. They might have asked where it was. She knocked on the drawbridge, waiting patiently for it to come down. Waiting was always the worst part.

As the bridge opened she smiled. It took everything in her not to bounce on her feet. A human with graying black hair poked his head out. She grinned, gasping and covering her mouth when she realized her teeth were in sight. It was hard to remember everything the man told her was scary, but she was getting there. She even managed to keep her voice softer most of the time.

The man stepped out and smiled up at her. She waited a bit impatiently for him to wave. Once he did she nearly fell to her stomach to see him better. He laughed at her excitement. When she first met him he would get upset about it. She was glad it changed. She tried to see inside the castle, to the others she knew were there. He said some were her age.

“Miss Kamia,” the man said. It pulled her from looking into the castle. She pulled the bag she’d brought in front of her.

“Alex!” she said. He shook his head, but the smile on his face stayed. “I brought bread this time. And I managed to grab some pieces of fruit at breakfast.”

Alessia started to empty the bag she’d brought. He told her she usually brings too much, but it was better than too little. She saw the way he brightened at the wrapped napkins. He went to them first, pulling them apart to see the bits of strawberries and melon she grabbed. The second he started to pull it back she picked it up. It would be heavy for him so she set it near the entrance and pushed it into the darkness. Where other humans were still hiding from her.

“Thank you, this is a great help,” he said. She had to force herself not to smile. She didn’t want to scare him this close. “You can smile, it’s clear you won’t hurt us.”

Alessia listened immediately. A big grin showing off her teeth graced her face. Unfortunately a shout from inside the castle made it fall. Alex was the only one who even trusted her. She’d seen faces a few times. No clear features. She wanted to know them though. She wanted to help these humans.

“You should head back before anyone notices where you’ve gone,” Alex said. She knew he didn’t want her there long, but she still had something to ask.

“Are you sure I can’t tell my parents about you? They’ll give you a real place to stay, not a toy. And make sure the others are healthy…” she whispered.

That first day she found them had been awful. A game she made up brought her out here where she found Alex trying desperately to save someone. Alessia managed to bring bandages and medicine, but she still had no idea how much it helped. She hadn’t even seen the face of who he was trying to save.

Despite the faith Alex had he backed away from her. She asked every time and he got nervous every time. He stepped back until he was almost in the castle. She frowned, but accepted the result. She pushed herself to her knees. This time though he came forward again instead of immediately hiding.

“I know you want to help us. I know you say your parents will, but not all giants will be kind. Maybe once everyone is back to full strength I’ll go with you to talk to them,” he offered. She smiled and brought her hands close to him, remembering not to grab just before she made the mistake. She pulled away quickly, noticing the breath of relief he let out.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. She didn’t let it keep her down and focused back on what he said. “You’ll really talk to them? At least think about it?”

“I promise to think about it.”

“Pinky promise?” She held her pinky out to him. She was smaller than most giants her age. Even Rhys looked like he’d be taller than her. Times like this she liked it. He used both hands to grab her pinky. She moved it up and down slowly, smiling when they pulled apart.

Alessia went home after. Days like this continued, her sneaking food out for the humans. Rhys tried to follow her a few times, but she managed to get him to leave. Felix was a lot harder. He started to notice she kept grabbing fruits she didn’t usually eat and hiding them. If their parents didn’t keep him busy with lessons he would have found the humans. She was going to start having those lessons in a few years. Learning how to get humans out safely if they were given one.

Alessia shook her head as she made her way to the bush. Everyone was busy today, some important person was coming over. No one would notice her sneaking out to the bushes this time. She got on her stomach and started to crawl through, but something felt wrong. The tunnel in the bush wasn’t as clean as usual. Something smelled off too, less fresh than she’d grown used to. She didn’t smell the ones she’d noticed the most often either. One earthy and the other like apples. Alex said the others were getting adventurous now.

She swore her heart stopped once she saw the castle smashed to pieces. She didn’t smell blood and hoped that meant something good for the humans she’d been helping. Slowly she crept out the rest of the way. At first she thought they were all gone, but a shout caught her attention. At the edge of the small area was another giant holding a human up above their face.

Acting without thinking she tackled the other giant. It made the human fall, but she grabbed them in her hand before they hit the ground. The other giant had only stumbled, she hated being smaller than the others right now. She wanted to be older, bigger, stronger. She wanted to protect humans like the one she had in her hand. She tightened her grip a bit to make sure they didn’t fall.

“What the hell? I found it first, what's wrong with you?” the giant shouted. She heard that voice before, it was one of the kids of another family. She pulled her hands close to her chest, she’d keep them safe. She didn’t know which one had survived what happened, but she’d save them.

“This is my family’s property, the humans here were mine,” she said. She tried to sound scary and intimidating. She tried to think of her parents and be just like them. “Mom and dad let me keep them here. They won’t be glad that you’ve taken them from me.”

“Why don’t you try to stop me from taking that human back?” The giant finally came to tower over her. She was a full head shorter than them. It wouldn’t be easy to fight them while holding the human. She hadn’t even looked at them yet. She held just a bit tighter, she would keep them safe. “Can you shorty? You’re almost short enough to be a human yourself…”

Alessia backed away prepared for the worst. She would get out of this. The human would get out of this. She’d tell her parents and they’d find the family that took all the others. Her parents would save the humans. She tripped over the bush she’d climbed through so many times letting out a yelp and tightening her hold on the human more. She couldn’t let them get hurt. Her nails were digging into the skin of her palm with her tight grip.

“Alessia?” Felix’s voice was a lot more of a relief than she expected. He ran up to her just as the other giant climbed over the bush. Felix’s hands were on her shoulders as the other giant registered who he was meeting. “What’s going on?”

The cold voice was one she knew. He was mad. He was mad and willing to fight. He spared a glance down at her hands before looking at the giant she ran from. He pulled her to her feet, so much taller and only two years older. Her parents were huge too, she wanted to be like that someday.

“The shrimp stole a human I was given, just have her give it back and nothing happens. I won’t even tell my dad about this. You know your dad’s been trying to meet with him, wouldn’t want to ruin things,” she shivered from the giant’s voice. She pulled her hands closer to her chest. This human would be saved. Felix squeezed her shoulder before stepping forward.

“Seems more like you’re picking a fight. Alessia, why don’t you go tell mom and dad about the human they gave you getting stolen by a Sulvan. Should make things easy right?” Felix said. The cold tone made her nervous, but she had to get the human in her hands to safety. She nodded before running off. There was a shout before she heard what was likely Felix punching the other giant. Someday she’d be strong enough to fight someone like that and protect a human.

As she ran she finally looked down at her hands. They were red, she didn’t know why. As she opened them she realized how tightly she’d been holding. The human in her hands looked broken, but they were looking up at her. It took her time to realize it was Alex. The one who had finally started to trust her. She pulled her flat hands close to her chest as she ran.

In the house she didn’t bother with the study where her dad would be. He was meeting someone. She ran straight to her parents’ room where her mother was sitting at the desk. Alessia pulled her hands from her chest and shoved the human at her mother. There were a few seconds where nothing happened. She was panting while her mother stared at the broken figure who had fear painting his features.

As soon as the shock wore off everything happened too fast. Alex was pulled from Alessia’s hands while her mother whispered oh no and oh god. She was ushered from the room as her mother called for her father. She didn’t leave, using what she’d seen Rhys do to overhear. She had to know if Alex would be ok. He wasn’t that bloody before, but she didn’t… it wasn’t because of her right?

“Vitus, we need a doctor now!” her mom said. She heard her dad rummaging around the room. Cabinets and drawers closing. “Vitus!”

“Can you handle the meeting today? I’ll head to a human safe city. We’ll get him treated and set up now. There’s no way we can get him treated safely here,” her dad said. His voice was more commanding than usual. She flinched at the subtle anger in his tone. It would be directed at her. “There’s a town nearby, it should be fine to go there.”

“Vitus, they'll recognize you. What if they-”

“I’ll get him safe and get out. We’re not letting someone we could save die.”

The door was ripped open as her dad started to walk out. She didn’t see where he was holding Alex, but she knew he was. He glanced at her before storming away. It was her fault, she’d hurt him. She tried to save him, but only made it worse. Her mom noticed she was there, but Alessia ran before she could say anything.

Her room was her goal. She ran upstairs ignoring the call of her name. The front door shut, her dad would probably yell at her later. She deserved it. They were supposed to be the good guys. They were the heroes, but she was worse than the giant Felix got into a fight with. As soon as she reached her room she crawled under her bed. Another privilege to being small, most of her family couldn’t fit underneath like she could.

She waited for someone to come get her. To tell her how terrible she was, maybe even tell her she’s like the other families. Instead the first steps that came into her room were light and careful. Before she could try to hide Rhys was there, his curiosity clearly driving him. He was younger than her, but always knew how to find out information people wanted hidden. Felix was good at sewing. And she… she couldn’t even protect one human without hurting them.

Rhys crawled under the bed towards her. She tried to shimmy away, but she wasn’t as small as a human. She couldn’t get away that easily. Her brother reached her and wrapped her in a hug. It took a few seconds for her to wind up crying instead. He probably knew, Felix definitely knew, her parents were going to make sure none of the humans went near her now. That was better because she couldn’t hurt them.

“Felix made the Sulvan kid cry,” Rhys whispered. Alessia tried to stop crying, but it hurt too much. “Apparently he didn’t like picking on someone bigger. Dad called, the human’s getting treated.”

“...I hurt him, Rhys,” she whispered. Her little brother curled up how he used to, making her hide him from everything else. He knew it usually helped when she was upset. This time… this time it hurt more. “His name is Alex… can you go tell mom for me?”

Rhys nodded against her and started to leave. He stared at her for a few minutes. Finally disappearing. He threw her favorite stuffed doll at her before leaving. A hero from stories her dad told from where he grew up. The hero she wanted to be. She curled up as small as she could, leaving her toy forgotten.

The next time someone came to her room she knew it was her mom. No one else had steps that sounded quite like hers. Alessia tried to slide further into the darkness. She didn’t want to be yelled at or hear her punishment. It didn’t help when her mother’s eyes appeared straight ahead. She would never be a hero like her parents.

“Your friend Alex is going to be fine,” her mom said. Alessia nodded. “Why don’t you come out here and we can talk, ok?”

Alessia wanted to fight it, but she knew better. Her mom would wait all night if she had to. With one last muffled sob Alessia climbed towards her mother and away from her shelter. She stood the second she was out, her mother grabbed her hands. There was a small noise from the adult before a warm towel was rubbed against Alessia’s hands.

“I knew you hadn’t done anything other than hide,” her mom whispered. Seeing that she stayed sitting, Alessia joined her on the floor. She stared up at her mother’s face, a warm look that she didn’t think she deserved. The red she’d left on her hands was wiped away, revealing cuts she must have given herself. “There we go, I knew you’d cut your hands too. Too much blood to be just his injuries.”

“I thought I was saving him,” Alessia whispered. She was forced to face her mother.

“You did, he asked your father to tell you that. The one you grabbed him from was going to eat him.” Two hands held Alessia’s face still so she had to stare into her mother’s red eyes. “He was hurt, but he’ll live and that means a lot more.”

“He probably tried to tell me, or he would have if I didn’t say you gave him to me. I promised not to tell you, not until everyone was all better.” She was pulled into her mother’s arms. A tight hug that she didn’t deserve.

“Alessia, there wasn’t much you could do. You did save him, even if he got hurt. He was already hurt from the one you saved him from. We’ll just start you on the lessons we’re giving Felix now so you can be better prepared next time-”

“No!” She pushed herself away from her mother’s hug. She didn’t want to go near humans anymore. She didn’t want to hurt them again. “I’m not touching a human again! I won’t hurt them again!”

Alessia didn’t wait for her mother to say anything more. She crawled back under her bed, as far back as she could. She didn’t want to put humans at risk because she wasn’t good enough to protect them. Felix, Rhys, mom and dad could be heroes. She’d just stay away and make sure she wasn’t one of the bad guys they had to stop.

Her mother sighed. She waited for some lecture to pull her back out. Instead she was left alone as she turned around to face her mother again. The woman stood up and left. Alessia was left alone. She folded her arms and hid her face. She’d just hide out in her room until she was old enough to leave. Then she’d move away and not be a problem for her family either. She was too small to be a hero like them anyways.

She didn’t know how long it was before she heard the heavy steps of her dad. She curled up as small as she could. She heard him groan, probably as he sat on the ground. She didn’t want to see his angry face. He never got mad at them really, but she’d seen it in meetings. She didn’t want to see it now.

“I talked to Alex,” her dad said. She flinched, he sounded tired. Not angry at least. “He said you helped him take care of a whole group who’d escaped someone else. That you brought a big toy castle outside for them to stay in. Medicine, bandages, food…”

Alessia chanced looking up from her arms. All she could see were his crossed legs. She couldn’t stop herself from crawling forward to try and see his face.

“He said that it had been going on for weeks. That you kept trying to convince him to meet us so we could help him.” She heard something in his voice. Usually she heard it when her dad talked about Felix playing the part of the future head, or Rhys and his spying. “He said you saved one of the kids he was taking care of. They would have died from the wounds the person they escaped from caused if you hadn’t found them all.”

She was close enough to the edge of her bed she could look up at her dad. His face wasn’t as angry as she expected. He looked tired, more than he normally did. His eyes were on her before she could back up again.

“He told me he wishes he believed you about us. That we’d help. He didn’t know what happened, the castle was destroyed and the others were screaming. He was given to someone else and held so tightly he could barely breathe. Next thing he knew you were holding him.”

He opened his arms to her. An invite for a hug. She was a little scared to accept it, but he didn’t look angry. Alessia finished climbing out of her hiding spot and moved straight into her father’s lap. He wrapped her tightly in a hug, resting his chin on her head.

“You did hold him too tight, but Alex would have died without you. We’ll try to find the ones who got taken away, but I told him it’s not likely we’ll find them all.” She nodded. That made sense. He pulled his head off hers and made her look at him. “I’m really proud you tried to help them. Next time, tell us even if they don’t want you to. We’d rather not force a human to let us help them, but we don’t want things like this happening again.”

Alessia just nodded. Her dad was right. She should have gone straight to her parents even though Alex begged her not to. Then all the humans would be safe. She just didn’t want to betray them. He pulled her close again and set his chin back on her head. She stayed there quietly.

“...I don’t think I could,” she whispered. Her dad hummed questioningly. “I don’t think I could tell you even if I know they might get hurt. Wouldn’t that be as bad as grabbing a human?”

“You’ll understand as you get older why it’s better to tell us, for now we’re all going to make sure this doesn’t happen again.” His hold on her got a little tighter. It made her feel safe. “We’re going to build a fence around the property. Leaving human sized entrances placed at the base.”

“What if they need things? Like bandages… or food?” If humans could be safe without any of their help she’d be happy. She had no idea how many humans had been with Alex, but if they didn’t need her they would have been safer. She liked this idea.

“Well, that’s why I’m giving you an important job.” She gasped, she didn’t want to be near humans. She’d just hurt them. She couldn’t get how broken Alex looked out of her mind. “You’ll know best what a human who ran would need. I want you to make packages to leave near all the entrances for humans to use. Anything you think they could need, gets put at those entrances. Small safe zones for any humans on the run.”

“I… Felix should do it. He can keep humans safe…” Her dad pulled away again. She looked up at him on her own. His face was soft, he only looked at her, her brothers and her mom like this. Others never saw it.

“This is a job only you can do. We’ll talk about it more once we’ve started building the fence, but this is how we need you to help Alessia. Will you try?”

“...I’ll try…”

Vitus hugged his daughter tighter. She’d been through more than enough. There was a lot he got to hear from the man she’d saved. How she’d been visiting daily and bringing anything he asked for. That she’d bring whatever she thought might help. The way she managed to make even the kids her age calm enough to leave the shelter she’d given them. Alessia was kind… So kind he wished she was being raised in his hometown.

They sat together for a long time. He just kept her held in his arms. Once she fell asleep he climbed to his feet and tucked her into bed. As he reached the door he looked back at her. He could see the marks from her tears still on her face. This wouldn’t be something she moved past easily. When he made a mistake around her age he’d been reluctant to go near humans again too. It was easier for him, he wasn’t in a city like this.

Vitus sighed as he turned off the lights and shut the door. As he walked away he checked on Rhys and Felix. Both had fallen asleep long before he came home. He didn’t think Alessia would be awake either. He was proud of Felix for defending Alessia and Alex, but the fight was going to need cleaning up. Rhys apologized for not spying well enough, he didn’t want his son thinking like that. Sometimes he did regret the choices he and Dabria made. Bringing innocent kids into this mess.

“Mr. Kamia, Sir,” someone called out to him. He stopped, staring at the shorter giant as he ran up. “There’s a call for you. In your office. They said it was important.”

Vitus nodded and made his way down the stairs. He passed his room, Dabria was curled up unable to sleep. Too worried about Alessia. He shut the door to his office as he entered. He’d probably work all night. He needed to get that fence set up. He fell heavily into his chair before picking up the receiver.

“Hello,” he said. He realized only now he didn’t ask anything about the call. There was no idea of who he was talking to. The reason they could be calling could be too many to name.

“Is this Vitus?” a muted voice asked. He couldn’t recognize it. “I’m sorry sir, there was no last name on the information you left us at the hospital. This is Vitus right?”

He sat up straight. “Yes. Has there been a change?”

“We just wanted to update you. The patient has woken up and is stable. He’ll have to stay for a few weeks while he heals. It does look like he’ll make a full recovery. There will be a need for some physical therapy. I just had a few questions. You said there had been an accident, but the wounds don’t coincide-”

He ended the call before they finished. There was someone who’d arrive as the human’s family and give him a safe place. He’d make a full recovery, Alessia hadn’t done lasting damage. At least that was something he could tell her. Then… then he’d just have to hope time made her willing to get close to humans again.

#oc:alessia #oc:rhys #oc:felix #oc:vitus #oc:dabria #gt #giant/tiny #giant tiny #g/t #g/t writing #gt writing #gianttiny #gt community #g/t community #kamia family mafia au

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