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kendsleyauthor · 3 months

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GODLIKE

Godlike Universe (Brielle, Cameron, Nikolas)

~2000 words

New characters?? 👀 Nikolas is a size-shifting deity--the Lord of Autumn (AKA Lord Taranis but he prefers his chosen human-like name). Brielle is an ex-princess, and Cameron is an ex-knight. How did these humans earn the favor and protection of the literal personification of autumn?? It's complicated.

But they're all in love teehee 😘

@marydublinauthor 🌸

Brielle hopped from root to root delicately while Cameron muscled down the urge to stay within catching distance, imagining her cry of pain if she slipped. Old habits died hard.

Flashes of the grand Autumn manor were visible in the distance as they trekked back toward the property. Although the Rite had occurred just that day, signs of spring were swiftly taking hold. The snow had melted a couple of weeks ago, and the harsh sting in the air had all but dissipated. Before long, the forest would be saturated with fresh color.

“Could we start dinner when we get back?” Brielle asked.

“Don’t be coy. You mean to ask if I will start dinner when we get back,” Cameron said.

“I’m starving!”

“You poor thing,” he crooned.

A dramatic exaggeration if there ever was one. Nikolas ensured they never went hungry. But although they were living in a far grander place than ever, they were dressed more simply. Cameron had little need for armor, choosing light tunics instead. Brielle’s boots were already worn from months of exploring the woods. The hem of her dress was speckled with dirt. Her leggings were comfortable for climbing places she ought not to.

Nerve-wracking as her decisions could be, Cameron had to admire how flushed with life she was these days.

“Wait.” He hurried to Briell’s side and put an arm out to stop her from striding to the next thick root. “Do you hear that?”

He swore he could hear wind, but the pine needles weren’t rustling. Squinting through the sparse foliage, Cameron caught a glimpse of fabric that lay across their path like a wall. All at once, he realized it wasn’t the wind he was hearing.

“Nikolas?” Brielle whispered. “Could he be hurt?”

“Doubtful.” Cameron seized Brielle’s hand and hurried her forward nonetheless.

The Lord of Autumn lay on his back, head turned to face them. His eyes were shut. One hand rested on his chest, while the other sat palm-up on the ground by his face. Late afternoon sunlight dappled through the branches overhead, spilling across his skin. His breathing was steady, chest rising and falling peacefully. The ground, though thawed, shouldn’t have been a comfortable place to nap, but he made it seem so.

Cameron relaxed when all appeared to be well. “I didn’t expect he’d be back already.”

“He must’ve fallen asleep waiting for us,” Brielle said, utterly endeared. “Do you think the ceremony went well?”

“As well as a gathering of childish deities can go, I suppose.”

“Shh!” Brielle glanced up at the branches. “You never know what could be listening.”

“It’s the day of the Rite,” Cameron said back in a mocking stage whisper. “They have more important things to do than listen in on us lowly mortals.” Nonetheless, his gaze briefly wandered in search of the odd snowy owl or rabbit.

Then his attention was inevitably drawn to Nikolas’ relaxed expression. Although Nikolas had nothing to do with the shift of winter to spring, he had still attended the Rite to hold council with his siblings. He had been glum the past few weeks, claiming that he was at his weakest during the spring, given that he was as far from his autumnal power as he could be.

And yet, he was still intimidating. At his full size, there was hardly anything else he could be.

Brielle almost shared the same sentiment. “He looks breathtaking in his sleep, doesn’t he?” she asked, still hushed like she couldn’t bear to wake something so precious.

“Godlike, one might say.” Cameron hummed thoughtfully. “Menacing, another might say. Alarming—”

She elbowed Cameron’s ribs. “Look at him! He’s so sweet.”

“If I recall,” Cameron said sourly, “you would fling acorns at my head and call me lazy when you caught me napping in the Queenswoods.”

Brielle grabbed an acorn from the ground and raised it threateningly. “You had barely lifted a sword on those days. Nikolas has every right to be exhausted after spending the day with his… charming relatives.”

She tossed the acorn, which Cameron nimbly plucked out of the air. He thought she might grab another, but she lost interest in landing a hit. Instead, she turned back to Nikolas and began to approach his sleeping form. Cameron hurried to catch up, taking her arm.

“You were just going on about how sweet he looks—why would you want to wake him?” Cameron asked.

Brielle gave him an impish smile that typically accompanied her worse ideas. “I don’t mean to wake him, silly. How often will this opportunity come around?”

“Opportunity?”

“To simply… admire him. Besides, even if he wakes, it’s not as though he’d be opposed to the attention.” She slipped her hand into Cameron’s and tugged him with her.

Protests bubbled up, but they never reached his lips. She was going to do what she wanted, so he may as well stay by her side to keep her from doing anything too foolish. Besides, he had to admit there was something enticing about exploring Nikolas up close without that intense stare following their every move.

Naturally, they were drawn to his face first. His gentle breathing stirred the air like a faint autumn wind. Brielle reached out first, gingerly brushing a hand over the stubble along his cheek. Her fingers traced the edge of his top lip. She looked at Cameron, eyes sparkling.

“So soft,” she whispered to him. “Feel.”

Cameron was perfectly familiar with Nikolas’ lips, but he reached out anyway. His heart stammered. Gods, it was just like Nikolas to be irresistible even in his sleep.

There was a slight shudder in Nikolas’ breath, and the two of them pulled away swiftly to rid him of the disturbance. Brielle sidestepped and leaned up to push the hair out of his eyes. She pressed a kiss to his forehead, soothing him back into his deep slumber. To Cameron’s surprise, his breathing evened out again.

“He may not sleep for much longer,” Brielle said, stepping away from his face and toward the open-palmed hand behind her.

Cameron bit back a groan. “Meaning?”

She served him another grin. “I want to feel his heartbeat before he wakes. Come on.”

He dragged a hand down his face. “You’ll be the—”

“The death of you. I’m well aware.” She climbed onto Nikolas’ palm, throwing her arms out for balance. “Now, help a lady up?”

He had half a mind to leave her to it—to use a giant deity as her personal playground, and see where that got her. But he trudged toward her, grumbling. The moment he stepped aboard Nikolas’ hand, his heart gave another lurch. There was something to this little adventure, and he couldn’t keep it off his face. Brielle beamed at him like she could read his mind.

Before proceeding, Cameron couldn’t help but kneel down to briefly run his hand over the palm that held them. How many times had he been held in this hand? And yet it felt like the first time all over again. He traced one of the lines, eliciting a small twitch in the fingers curled loosely beside him and Brielle. They needed to move on.

“I swear I can already feel his pulse,” Brielle said in wonderment as Cameron helped her onto Nikolas’ shoulder.

Together, they made their careful way to his chest. His shirt was soft, practically begging for them to curl up in its folds. The warm surface beneath them rose and fell at a steady pace as Nikolas continued to snooze, peacefully oblivious to their presence. When the two of them finally came to a stop, there was something almost meditative about his breathing. Cameron could feel his eyelids growing heavy.

“How beautiful,” Brielle said quietly, dropping down slowly to place a hand over Nikolas’ chest. “To think that someone like him has a heart beating right here. Just like we do.”

Cameron wasn’t sure whether to tease her or agree with her. He didn’t get a chance to decide—at that moment, Nikolas decided he had napped long enough.

The world shifted, and Cameron found himself plunging downward. A cry caught in his throat, while Brielle, who was situated farther above him, screamed for help. Cameron, trying fruitlessly to take hold of the fabric of the shirt, looked up in time to see a massive hand swoop up and catch Brielle.

Cameron’s descent came to a sudden pause when he landed on Nikolas’ lap—too close to the edge. He slipped, briefly catching hold of the inseam of his trousers before falling to the ground between his legs.

“Should I ask what you two were doing?” Nikolas spoke around a yawn, sounding faintly amused.

Before Cameron could orient himself, a hand descended and plucked him from the ground. He found himself reunited with Brielle, who was catching her breath in Nikolas’ other hand. His stare, though groggy, was quickly sharpening with alertness as he regarded the two mortals in his cupped hands.

“Her idea,” Cameron said at once, sitting back against Nikolas’ fingers with a huff.

“No, really?” Nikolas raised his eyebrows, feigning shock.

Brielle scoffed as though she had any right to be offended. But her expression quickly sweetened. “We wanted to be right here with you when you awoke,” she said. “How was the Rite?”

The brightness in Nikolas’ face dimmed somewhat. “Well, Aldwin is certainly pleased to be back in power. He created a whole field of wildflowers outside the sanctum. The show-off.”

Brielle swooned. “I remember I would peek out the window when Lord Aldwin passed by the castle on the first day of spring,” she said. “The trees and flowers flourished along his path—it was all very magical. I was so taken with him as a girl.”

Cameron laughed. “As a girl? You were doing this last year.”

She shrugged. “He’s dashing.”

“You wound me,” Nikolas said, looking thoroughly disappointed. The glint in his eye was unmistakable, though. “That settles it… Cam is my favorite now.”

Cameron wasted no time in beaming smugly at Brielle while she stammered indignantly. She moved to hands and knees, crawling closer to Nikolas’ face. “You said you didn’t have a favorite!” she exclaimed.

“Well.” Nikolas leaned closer, those perfect lips pulling into a smirk. “If you’re allowed to have a favorite season…”

“I didn’t say spring was my favorite!” She threw her arms around Cameron suddenly and snuggled against him. “And besides, Cam can’t be your favorite because he was mine first!”

“Oh, Bri…” Cameron gave her an innocent look and leaned his forehead against hers. He tipped forward as if to kiss her, then stopped short. “But what if Nikolas is my favorite?”

Brielle shoved him back. “You two are insufferable!” She crossed her arms, pointedly turning away from them both as they chortled.

“Come now, you can’t stay mad,” Nikolas said. He brought his hands closer to his face. “If I forgive you for fawning over my brother, can we agree there are no favorites?” He nudged her back with the tip of his nose.

She turned to face him, still pretending to pout. Nikolas moved swiftly, brushing his lips against her cheek with tender grace. She clearly couldn’t continue her dramatics any longer; a smile spread across her face, which only grew wider as Cameron kissed her other cheek. Before long, she was squirming and giggling, telling them that’s enough.

Giving them both a look of overwhelming affection, Nikolas brushed his lips one last time over the pair of them before settling back down on the ground.

“I could use five more minutes,” he said with a yawn, depositing them back onto his chest.

“Not a minute more,” Cameron said, pulling Brielle into his arms and lying down with her. “She says she’s starving. If we don’t have dinner soon, she may resort to devouring me.”

A chuckle rumbled beneath them. “Lucky you.”

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beuhakkaka · 8 months

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Ok but what if fairy Annora and Diluc?

Where did this come from? Idk dont ask me.

She is wearing a dandelion bc I wanted her to

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sm0lprism · 5 months

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Bite-Sized (1) - A G/t BG3 Fanfic

This contains g/t (giant/tiny content) so if that isn't your thing, then I suggest you stop reading. Thank you!

Read on AO3

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Summary: Taken place during Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3. Meet Ria, a 10 centimetre tall (4 inches) borrower who is trying her best to survive out in the wilderness of Faerûn without being crushed underfoot, squashed, or eaten. Astarion, weak with hunger, manages to catch a whiff of Ria's scent, and driven by his bloodlust he tracks her down with the intention of eating her. Of course, things get a little complicated when Gale becomes involved.

[Picture does not belong to me, found on @/dailyastarionpictures]

Pairing: Astarion x borrower!oc (Tav) (slow-burn, Astarion is a complete ass but eventually comes round in future chapters)

Warnings: V*re mention, mouthplay, fearplay, blood, swearing/course language, blood drinking, Astarion is a real asshole to little people/borrowers and doesn't see them as people so be prepared for him being awful.

Word count: 2.5k

Foreboding shadows of ancient trees casted over the small borrower as she fumbled through the foliage on the forest floor. Gnarly roots protruding from the earthy ground threatened to trip her with each hasty step that she took as her breathing quickened. Ria knew for a fact that something – or someone – was stalking her.

She had become so used to the sensation of being watched by hungry predators throughout her young life that she could almost sense when she was being followed. Every single hair on the back of her neck stood up as she swallowed thickly. Being only a mere 10 centimetres tall made her very easy prey to just about everything that dwelled in the dark forest, and there wasn’t a single doubt in her mind that if she didn’t act swiftly, she was going to end up as a midnight snack very soon. Pressing forward, she soon felt small tremors rattle the earth below her feet like tiny earthquakes. Her heart leaping into her throat, she knew that this only meant one thing: whoever was following her was very close. She forced her legs to run faster, adrenaline now spiking her blood as she let her flight or fight response take over. Panic flared in her chest with each approaching tremor, each one getting stronger and more violent than the last.

Her gaze darted around the forest floor feverishly looking for anywhere that she may be able to quickly hide in to prevent her grim demise. She immediately spotted a thicket of thorns – prickly and painful, yes, but that might deter the hungry predator that was gaining on her rapidly. Without second thought, Ria dived into the thorn bush headfirst and immediately felt stabbing pain at her sides. The thorns tore through her clothing and sliced open her skin, her blood now dripping on the ground, but she pushed through it. She was determined not to die as a late-night snack. Grimacing in pain, she pulled herself as deep into the thorn bush as she could muster. Blood now stained her clothing as she glanced down at her wounds, feeling the wetness of her blood on her fingertips. Forcing herself not to cry, she held her breath, anxiously waiting to see if she would in fact live to see another day. The rattling tremors grew ever closer, causing her entire body to vibrate with each footfall.

Wait a minute – footfall? As in, bipedal? Human?

She shook her head. No, humans didn’t eat borrowers. It had to be something else. Something more carnivorous. Something that was intent on following her through the bush just to track her down and eat her. It made her stomach churn. Peering through the twisting thorny stems of the bush, she was just able to see what was outside thanks to the glowing full moon that shone from above.

A pair of dark leather boots appeared in her vision just outside from her spot in the thorn bush. Of course, she couldn’t see the owner of the boots, but just seeing the giant footwear made her heart almost stop right then and there.

“Come now, little one, this would be so much easier if you just surrendered right now.” A loud, masculine voice blared through her eardrums. The voice, however, was not what she was expecting. It had this sort of flair to it that she couldn’t quite describe. But either way, it didn’t deter from her impending fate. She sucked in a sharp breath and hoped that whoever it was would turn away.

“I can smell your blood, darling.” The voice rumbled from above like thunder. “My gods, it smells positively divine. Getting all bloodied up for a vampire is truly flattering, it’s almost as if you want me to bite you in half!”

Vampire!?

Of all the creatures that had to be hunting her down, of course it had to be a vampire. Vampires were known to eat borrowers in a multitude of different ways – biting their heads off to drain the remaining blood, biting them in half, or just simply straight up eating them. An icy chill snaked down her spine as she realised just exactly what she was dealing with. And she had made it even easier for him to find her by smearing her blood everywhere. This couldn’t get any worse.

A tsk tsk tsk noise resonated from above. “I suppose we’re doing this hard way, aren’t we?”

The hard way?!

A piercing scream filled her lungs as the protective thorn bush was practically torn open revealing the vampire in question. Before Ria had a moment to react, a giant hand came crashing down from above and immediately enclosed around her body into a tight fist, yanking her out of her protective thorn casing as if it were nothing. The vampire held her tightly in his grasp, slowly bringing her close to his watchful gaze. Thrashing in his tight vice-like grip, she cried out in protest but to no avail. The icy coldness from the vampire’s skin soon seeped through her clothing and she forcefully supressed a shiver. There was not a single chance that she would be able to escape now. Steadying her rapid breathing, she finally met the gaze of her captor. Piercing giant red orbs met hers and she shuddered out a breath. The man that held her had strikingly pale skin that had an almost ethereal quality to it. His face was sharp and angular, with a cheeky smirk that revealed elongated canine teeth that glimmered white in the moonlight. Long, silvery-white curls framed his perfectly chiselled facial features, contrasting evidently with his crimson blood eyes.

Ria almost forgot to breathe. If the circumstances were different, and she wasn’t going to be his dinner, she would outrightly admit that the man was gorgeous.

“Oh, a little starstruck are we?” The vampire chimed playfully, his smirk growing ever wider, noticing her demeanour. “I can’t say I blame you. I do have that effect on people.”

Ria opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t muster anything that resembled a single sentence. Blood was still leaking out from her multiple cuts making her feel a little light-headed at the blood-loss.

“I must say, I have never actually seen a borrower in person before,” the vampire continued, his loud voice rattling her tiny ribcage with each word he uttered. “I can’t believe just how small you are, I mean, you’re literally bite-sized. How perfect is that?”

The word ‘bite-sized’ shot an arrow of panic straight through her chest. Coming to her senses, her words finally found her.

“Leave me the fuck alone!” A mixture of anger and fear swelled in her chest as the words literally spat out of her mouth.

The vampire’s eyebrows shot up at hearing her outcry, but it only made his grin grow wider. Her outburst, for whatever reason, seemed to please him deeply. “Wow, such a venomous bark for such a small thing. Perhaps if you use some manners I may reconsider,” he chuckled darkly. “I believe I haven’t properly introduced myself. My name is Astarion, and you are?”

Baffled at the vampire’s question, her brain attempted to process what was going on. Was he seriously threatening to eat her and exchange names at the same time? This was hardly the time to be formal and polite, but perhaps if it extended her lifespan just a little, she would play along.

“My name is R-Ria,” she managed to splutter out. “Astarion is a very pretty name.”

“Changing your tone now, are we?” Astarion replied with a devilish smile. “But flattery isn’t going to get you anywhere in this situation, I’m afraid. Please don’t take this personally, I'm too weak to hunt right now and you’re the easiest snack I could find. All I need is a drop, then that will give me just enough energy to find something more filling.” He paused, licking his tongue over his upper lip. “However, I can’t deny that your scent alone has me salivating already.”

Ria could feel the remaining colour that was left in her face drain away. She attempted to squirm out of his enclosed fist but he only gripped onto her even tighter, threatening to crush her ribcage in his cold grasp.

“Oh, come now, it won’t be so bad,” he said playfully. “It’ll be over before you know it. But before I do, I cannot ignore the blood you already spilled for me. It’d be a shame for that to go to waste.” His gaze raked over her bloodied arms and legs from the thornbush, the blood still oozing from her open wounds.

He suddenly brought her closer towards his face, now filling her entire vision. Hungry crimson eyes stared at her open wounds and he parted his mouth. Stifling back a scream, she could only watch in horror as the tip of his tongue licked the entirety of her wounded arm, lapping up every morsel of her blood that was stained on her skin.

A low moan escaped past his lips and vibrated through the still air as he licked the blood from the multiple cuts across her arm. It didn’t take him long to start lapping at her other wounds along her legs and other arm with the tip of his tongue, savouring every drop that he could find across her skin.

Fortunately, his tongue stopped once all the blood has been licked clean from her exposed skin. At this point, her heart was on the verge of exploding as she realised that she had just been taste tested by a vampire. Hyperventilating rapidly, she glanced down at the parts of her body that she could see in his enclosed fist – noticeably, she could feel that he had only licked her wounds on the lower part of her arms and legs, and very thankfully, not on the middle or near her chest.

“My, my, darling, you taste absolutely delicious,” he hummed with delight, his tongue running across his upper lip with satisfaction. “It is true what they say about borrower blood being so tasty. I can’t believe I’ve been deprived of something like this for so long.”

“Just wait!” Ria finally managed to cry out, tears pricking her eyes. She expected Astarion to ignore her plea, but he remained silent, save for the still ever hungry gaze that lingered in his red eyes.

“Are you sure you want to eat me right now?” she continued, her heart spasming in her chest. “I-I mean, once you eat me, then there’ll be no more left. Shouldn’t something as tasty as me be savoured?”

Astarion remained silent for a few more seconds. She could see the conflicting thoughts dancing across his expression as he mulled the situation over.

“Hmm, I know this is you clearly trying to delay your untimely death, but you do have a point.” His gaze flickered back to Ria’s bloody wounds along her limbs. “But I am in desperate need for a midnight snack, I’m afraid. I would say better luck next time, but I suppose there won’t be a next time for you, will there?”

“Please, oh gods, I don’t want to die!” Ria shrieked at the top of her tiny lungs, tears now flooding down her face like a torrential river. “Please, I’ll do anything you want, but just don’t eat me!”

“Hush now, my dear, it’ll be all over soon. I’ll be gentle, I promise.”

All Ria could do was watch in utter terror as Astarion opened his mouth wide as his enormous fangs inched closer towards her trembling body. He had her now pinched in between his index finger and thumb, bringing her inside his mouth like she was some kind of tiny finger sandwich.

“Oh fuck, no, please, no!” Ria screamed at the top of her lungs as the front half of her body entered the vampire’s mouth. She thrashed in the vampire’s grip, but it was utterly useless – she had no strength over the giant man. Closing her eyes, her lip trembled, as she slowly began to accept her fate. There was nothing more that she could do. This was the end for her.

“ASTARION!”

A loud, unfamiliar voice pierced the still night air, and Astarion quickly removed Ria from inside his mouth. She immediately felt Astarion tighten his grip around her body as a man emerged into the moonlight. The man had shoulder length brown hair, with purple robes and his jawline was brushed with stubble.

Astarion immediately made a face of pure disgust. “Hello, Gale.”

“What in the gods name are you doing?” The man, Gale, stepped forward. He quickly noticed the tiny borrower that was enclosed in Astarion’s fist. His gaze flickered back to the pale elf with anger.

“Astarion, is that a borrower in your hand?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Astarion said, hiding Ria behind his back so that she was out of Gale’s sight. “A borrower? Can’t say I’ve heard of them before.”

Gale exhaled a frustrated sigh. “Astarion, stop with the bullshit. I saw one in your hand. What were you going to do to them?”

“H-HELP-!“ Ria managed to choke out before she was smothered by Astarion’s cold fingers closing around her tiny form.

“Hand the borrower over, Astarion, or do I have to use magic to get you to cooperate?” Gale persisted, his anger quickly rising.

Astarion pouted like a child handing over stolen candy. “Fine, take her. I wasn’t going to eat her, if that’s what you’re so worried about.” He brought Ria out from behind his back and opened his palm, revealing the tiny borrower.

“He absolutely was going to eat me!” Ria retorted.

“You were going to eat her?” The wizard gaped, quickly moving Ria from Astarion’s hand onto his. “For fuck’s sake, Astarion, we told you that you aren’t allowed to feed from people, only animals!”

“Fine, so what if I was?” Astarion exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air dramatically. “Besides, borrowers hardly count as people! They’re no different from halflings or gnomes, they’re just smaller.”

“We’re going to have a chat once we’re back at camp,” Gale pinched the bridge in between his nose with his free hand. “I’m so sorry about him. Did he harm you?”

Ria was almost at a loss for words. She was still shaking from everything that had happened. Swallowing back her chattering nerves, she craned her neck to look up at the wizard. “T-thank you, he didn’t hurt me, well, he almost did, but…” Her gaze drifted over to the cuts across her limbs from the thornbush. “I do have these cuts, but they weren’t from him.”

Gale noticed her wounds and glared daggers at Astarion. “I hardly believe that it wasn’t him that did this to you, but I’ll take your word for it. I can take you back to our camp, our cleric, Shadowheart, will have those wounds healed in no time.” He smiled warmly at her. “I’m Gale, but I suppose you already know that. What’s your name?”

“I’m Ria,” she answered thickly, her body still trembling. “A-and thank you, I appreciate all your help.”

“Oh no, it’s the least I can do after the trauma my friend most likely put you through. Let’s get going.” Gale’s fingers enclosed around her frame protectively, and she could almost hear Astarion’s eyes roll into the back of his head as they walked through the forest. Whatever happened next, she prayed that the rest of Gale’s friends were nothing like Astarion.

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narrans · 2 months

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My Borrowed Son | 7 | Tempest and Taxonomy

Chapter Seven | Tempest and Taxonomy

Time had truly flown. It was hard to believe, but a month had gone by and Amanda could hardly fathom she had been taking care of the little boy for all of this time. While he still hadn’t uttered a word during the entire month, it was getting easier to decipher his requests through his body language and simple signs.

Hands up meant he wanted to be held.

Pinched fingers pressed to his mouth meant hungry.

Open hand to his mouth meant thirsty.

Rubbing eyes meant tired.

Wanting to play was spinning either clockwise or counterclockwise.

Bathroom was relatively obvious, but still something Amanda learned to read from the boy.

Every day, Amanda learned to read the boy a little more. The smallest facial expressions were signals he understood or was processing the world around him. Amanda could tell he understood quite a bit, especially when she brought him back to the park bench where she found him.

The little boy would fall very silent, and his shoulders would slouch. He would look around the base of the pole and, after a minute, would try and rejoin Amanda. When she stepped farther away, he would hunker down by the base and patiently wait for her to return.

That was something else Amanda had worked on with him – separation.

Amanda didn’t want the little boy to become completely dependent on seeing her every second to feel secure and would step away a little for longer periods of time before returning. The most she was gone was for two minutes, but it seemed to be conditioning the boy to expect her to come back. He was still clingy and would ask in his own way to be picked up and held for comfort, and each time Amanda would make sure he understood she would always come back for him.

After three consecutive weeks of her returning him to the park bench, Amanda solemnly concluded that the parents of the little boy were not coming back.

What else could she assume?

A month had passed with no signs that anything or anyone had been back to that place under the bench.

The timing worked out well too.

Amanda’s friend, Mel, had managed to secure the paperwork for the delayed birth certificate. One of Mel’s midwife friends who was sworn to absolute secrecy agreed to help her out for a fee. Times were hard and filing a little paperwork that had “slipped her mind” didn’t seem to weigh on her conscious. She managed to be convincing enough that she thought the paperwork had been filed by her trainee at the time and that she had forgotten to check up on them.

In all reality, Mel’s friend didn’t go into specifics of how she was able to get the proper documents to register the child’s birth, just as Mel’s friend didn’t know the specifics about the boy and his size. What all parties understood, however, was that discretion and secrecy were paramount. Everything was meant to be kept under wraps about the boy. Amanda managed to get the necessary paperwork in the end and, all of a sudden, she was a single mother of one with no declared father. Her ex-husband would never have to know since he wasn’t named on the certificate.

There was one last thing that needed to happen before everything was official, however, and that was the name of the child.

Despite every attempt Amanda made, she couldn’t get the boy’s name out of him. His unintentional vigil of silence was hindering the process, and it was getting close to when Mel’s friend needed to finalize the paperwork.

“Mandy, do you think he even has a name?” asked Mel as she carefully handed the child a piece of cracker which he took timidly. His brow furrowed as he looked at the cracker piece, which Amanda learned that the boy did when he was confused or concentrating on something he couldn’t remember.

“I… I think so. He has to have a name, but… maybe he just doesn’t remember? Maybe whatever happened affected his memory and he can’t recall it?” suggested Amanda. “It’s the only explanation I can think of.”

Amanda leaned against the edge of her kitchen countertop and gazed at the little boy, but he didn’t meet her gaze. He was still sitting there contemplatively. Mel sighed and glanced back at her friend, words escaping her.

“Well,” she said as she stood up and looked around the apartment. “The sooner you get his name, the better. My friend is starting to get antsy about the whole thing. Not a threat or to put pressure on you. Just a reminder. Anyway, I have to go. Your place looks nice by the way. Last of the boxes unpacked?”

Amanda glanced at her apartment and saw what Mel was talking about. It was hard to believe she had finally managed to unpack the last box. The furniture was finally out and arranged. The dishes were in the cabinets. The blankets were folded and put away.

The place finally felt like a home.

“Um… yeah,” said Amanda after a moment of being lost in her thoughts. “I kept a few of the boxes since he likes playing with them, but they’re all empty.”

Mel glanced over her shoulder and smiled at her friend. “That’s really cute,” she said. “And, on that note, we’ll have a proper house-warming party next time I come over. Just you and me and probably some Chinese takeout and a bottle of box wine. You know – the classy stuff.”

Amanda rolled her eyes and stepped up to her friend. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Are you sure you have to go so soon?”

Mel nodded and hugged her friend, muttering, “Yeah. There’s supposed to be some kind of big storm tonight and I’m not getting caught in it. Hunker down and enjoy your night. I’ll text you when I get home.”

The two of them exchanged their goodbyes and, with that, Mel set off into the night. The little boy waved a sweet little goodbye as Mel left before lifting his hands into the air, signaling Amanda to pick him up. This made Amanda chuckle.

“You little tyke. Always so affectionate when it’s just you and me,” Amanda teased as she laid her hand down on the counter and the little boy clambered onto her palm. “Mel is a friend,” sighed Amanda. “And she’s right. I need to figure out your name.”

The boy, neck craning upward to look at her, made the same confused face before averting his eyes. His little brow was furrowed again, pinched as he was obviously trying to remember.

Amanda sighed and walked over to the bathroom to begin their nightly routine.

“Do you remember your name, sweetheart? Something your momma or daddy would have called you?” asked Amanda. The boy drew his legs closer to his chest as he kept his eyes averted. “It’s okay if you don’t remember. I’m not mad or upset. I just want to know your name. My name is Amanda. Can you say Amanda?”

It was no use. He said nothing and merely drew further in on himself, confusion and confliction in his features. The question was something he understood, but something kept him silent. Amanda could only guess the trauma was what kept him quiet since he seemed comfortable enough around her.

So, deciding to not pressure the boy any further, she rubbed his back and began running a warm bath, humming thoughtfully some of the songs she knew from her favorite kids’ shows growing up.

Like clockwork, the boy fell asleep as Amanda dried him off and slipped on his pajamas. She carried him to bed and settled in for the evening, mind still preoccupied with the thoughts of what the boy’s name could be.

~~~^*^*^~~~

It was hours later; that much she knew for certain. A deafening crack of thunder sounding like the end of a whip right in her ear had her sitting bolt upright in bed, eyes wide and heart racing. Amanda glanced around and saw her room was plunged into a pitch black abyss.

The power was out.

She knew it the moment she looked around.

The nightlight was off and the electric clock beside her bed had no numbers glowing in red indicating the time of night.

Amanda would have simply calmed herself and turned back over to go back to bed if not for the terrified cry she heard from the boy’s box. It was obvious he was terrified, but that’s not what caught Amanda’s attention.

It was what she heard.

She heard him. The little boy spoke for the first time.

It was undeniable, clear as a bell – and it was heart wrenching.

“Momma! Mommmmaaa!”

The sound alone brought tears to Amanda’s eyes. He was calling out for his mother – a mother who was probably no longer out there and who wouldn’t hear his cries for help. That maternal instinct kicked into high gear and, though unable to see, Amanda carefully leaned over toward the box and laid her hand inside of the box.

“Sweetie? Sweetheart, it’s okay. Amanda’s here. I’m here. Come to me, sweetie. I’ll protect you. It’s just a little rain,” coaxed Amanda. The wind whirled outside, making an odd haunting sound as it pelted the rain relentlessly against the windows. Amanda wondered if the boy might be dreaming and crying out in his sleep. Another streak of lightening illuminated the room just enough for Amanda to see the boy was huddled in the far corner of his box with his hands over his ears.

No. He was clearly awake.

She couldn’t see well, but she could have sworn his cheeks were glossy with tears, face twisted in terror.

Was his mother taken in a storm? There was a storm right as I moved in. Is that what has him frightened so much? Or is it just the storm in general?

Amanda inched her fingers closer to the boy as she called to him again. “Come on, sweetie. I’m here. It’s okay. It’s just the rain. We’ll be okay. I’ll protect you.” The last thing she wanted to do was grab him. Holding him was supposed to be a positive thing. She wanted it to be a source of comfort and let that be a bonding experience for herself and the boy. Grabbing him felt invasive and might shatter her limited trust with him.

Another flash of lightening followed by a crack of thunder revealed little boy once more, but this time he was looking up at Amanda, eyes wide with primal fear. The power flicked on and off, making the night light and the clock flash ominously in the dark room.

Then, as Amanda was about to call to him again, he held up his hands and made that familiar grabbing motion as he, for the first time, intentionally spoke to her.

“Momma!” he sobbed. Amanda was taken aback. She had been taking care of him, yes; but could she dare call herself that? “Mommmaa!” His tears and his cries compelled her to act without correcting him.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m here. Come to me,” encouraged Amanda as she moved her hand closer to the boy. In a heartbeat, the boy stood and flung himself onto her fingers, once again covering his ears and cowering in her hand.

Amanda waisted no time in bringing the boy close and under the blankets with her, pressing her hand to her chest and slowly rocking back and forth. She couldn’t imagine what he was experiencing. His senses seemed heightened, at least more than a human’s senses. Did that mean the sound of the thunder was amplified? Could he hear her heartbeat over the overwhelming storm outside?

“Sshhh… it’s okay. I’ve got you,” soothed Amanda.

Again, she heard the boy’s cries. “Mommaa!” They were muffled because of her hand, but they were still clear. The boy had quite the clear voice for someone so small. It was gentle and sweet but overridden with distress. Thinking quickly, Amanda decided she had no choice. It felt disrespectful in one weird way or another to his real parents, but perhaps it would help calm him down.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Momma’s here. Mom’s got you. I won’t let anything hurt you,” soothed Amanda. “Please, sweetie. It’s okay. Just take a deep breath for me. The storm will be over soon.”

The sobs and sniffles eased ever so slightly but continued for nearly ten minutes as the storm continued to rage outside. It wasn’t until Amanda heard his cries soften while his body trembled against her that she dared to pull her hand away from her chest and look at him. To see better, she turned on her phone flashlight and pointed it at the ceiling to illuminate the space ever so slightly.

The boy’s eyes were red and puffy, but his soft brown gaze conveyed understanding as he looked up at Amanda. His face was dripping in snot and tears, which Amanda wiped away with a piece of pinched tissue.

“It’s okay, sweetie. Let’s get you cleaned up, yeah? Wipe away those tears?” Amanda smiled. Perhaps it was simply the magic of the moment or maybe they were in the eye of the storm, but something about the way the child looked up at Amanda felt different. It was like the last barrier had broken down and a new relationship between them was born.

With some kind of newfound affection, Amanda asked, “Is that better?” To this, the boy nodded and smiled, leaning into Amanda’s touch.

She wasn’t sure how much time had truly passed. After switching off her phone light and laying there with the boy on her chest, the two of them stayed up and listened to the storm. Amanda continued to hum different tunes to help soothe the child when the storm began to kick up again, but alas he wouldn’t go back to sleep.

It was a pointless endeavor to go back to bed at this point, so Amanda sat up and, instead, began reading one of her eBooks from her phone; one of her personal favorites called “The Hobbit.” It felt fitting with how she was now on this unexpected journey with this child, and it was something she always wanted to share with her own children if and when she had them.

Now seemed as good of a time as any to begin reading.

Amanda started the first chapter and, before she knew it, was reading segments of the fourth chapter before she remembered to glance down at the boy to check and see if he was awake.

He was, with eyes wide open as he absorbed her words.

Now that she had heard him speak, it felt like now was as good of a time as any to talk to him and try and find out some answers. Keeping her phone light on and pointed at the ceiling so she could faintly see him, Amanda readjusted herself and him so she could rest her hand on the bed rather than hold it up.

The rain still pattered against the windows, but the intensity had subsided a little while ago. The little boy repositioned himself on her hand and laid down when Amanda began speaking to him.

“That storm was a little scary, huh?” she asked. The boy’s eyes glossed immediately as he nodded while he leaned into her hand, little arm draping over her thumb as he rested his chin on the knuckle of her thumb. “Is… do you remember another big storm? One when you were outside?”

Amanda didn’t need to look to know he was shivering. She took the answer for a yes.

“Is… that when you were left outside? Where I found you? Did something happen there?” asked Amanda. Again, the boy merely shivered. It was a heart wrenching feeling, and the questions weren’t making it any easier.

She decided to try and switch topics. Perhaps he felt more comfortable now or, in some weird way, perhaps the storm had helped trigger his memories.

“Don’t worry sweetheart. I won’t let the storms hurt you. You’re safe here,” Amanda encouraged. “Do… you remember anything else about that day? Do you remember your name?”

He shivered again and held Amanda’s thumb tighter.

Alas.

No luck.

Whatever he had gone through obviously was either keeping his memories locked up tight or he truly didn’t remember his name.

“Well, that’s okay, but I would like to call you something other than sweetie,” sighed Amanda. She glanced over and saw those thoughtful, soft-brown eyes of the little boy once again. He was looking at her earnestly, as if he wanted to help but couldn’t, and understanding.

Amanda then thought of something. She knew the paperwork was coming in soon and that she needed to come up with something to put on them.

Perhaps he would be willing to compromise? Be called something now and change it when he remembered?

It was worth a shot.

“Would… it be okay if I called you something other than sweetie? Just until you remember your name? Maybe you can help me pick it out?” Amanda asked. There was a look of mild comprehension on the boy’s face, but also reluctance. Maybe he didn’t want to be called something else. Amanda was about to give up on the idea when, to her surprise, the boy nodded.

He actually agreed? He was fine with it?

Maybe he didn’t like being called “sweetie” so many times.

She wasn’t about to question it now.

“Okay? Yes? You’ll help me pick out a name for now?” Amanda confirmed. The boy nodded. Every little boy name flooded her mind and yet vanished at the same time. She wanted something that would fit him, and she didn’t want something that would be too on the nose. Calling the boy Tom in honor of Tom Thumb felt belittling, no pun intended.

“Okay, okay. Um…. How about… Jon?” asked Amanda. The child wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “Not Jon. Um… Gabriel? Levi? James? Gale? Adam? Peter?”

Each name Amanda thought of didn’t quite fit the boy and, more importantly, he shook his head in disagreement. The only one he seemed to perk up at was Peter, but even then he shook his head no. She made her way through a few dozen names, accidentally repeating a few of them, when one came to mind.

It was a name she had always liked, and, in all honesty, she wanted to name her own child this if she had a son. The name also felt a bit on the nose, seeing the place where she found him, but Amanda thought she’d suggest the name all the same.

“What about Parker?”

The child’s eyes narrowed for a moment and his brow furrowed contemplatively. For a long while, he was quiet and made no indication that he liked or disliked the name. As Amanda was about to move on, he nodded.

It was a complete shock to Amanda.

“Yes? You said yes to Parker? That’s what you want to be called?” asked Amanda. Again, the boy seemed to think long and hard before nodding.

That was it.

He had a name; at least, one she could call him by.

“Okay then, Parker. Why don’t we close our eyes and try to get some sleep? The storm is gone, and I’ll protect you if it comes back,” Amanda said, keeping her tone light and pleasant. He smiled and nodded, curling into her hand. Amanda fished out his blanket and laid it over him as he stayed curled in her palm.

Her own lids were growing heavy by the second, and Amanda felt herself drifting off to sleep.

“Goodnight, Parker,” she whispered. Sleep would have taken her if not for the thing she heard next.

“Night… momma.”

Three words. In one day, he had said three whole new words to her after a month of silence. She could only hope they would continue to make progress, but she would think about that later. Instead, Amanda thought about how good it sounded for Parker to call her mom. She felt a twinge of guilt and sadness, but it also meant he was trusting her more and more.

She drifted off to sleep, his nearly imperceptible weight in her hand, as the dream she thought would never be became her reality.

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Beginning

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snowsiamese · 8 months

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ATTENTION ALL GIANT/TINY ARTISTS AND WRITERS!!!

I found the perfect website to see height differences!! We can now see an accurate height comparison between 2 characters in feet and centimeters!

I hope this comes in handy for everyone!

(Btw I’m tagging as many G/T related tags so as many people see this post and website so some tags are completely inaccurate)

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hiya-im-mary · 7 months

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Random question for the g/t fandom!!

Has anyone ever tried doing fearplay,but…reversed?? I’ll explain!!

Usually the giant is making the tiny scared,be it on purpose or by accident!! Which makes sense,Cuz the giant has so much more power,physically speaking!! And the tiny is much better at hiding in places,given that fearplay usually takes place in an enviorment too big for them!!

But what if the opposite was put to use? The tiny is the threat!! They’re looking for the giant!! And the giant is trying to get away from them!!

The fact that the tiny would be so hard to spot might be fun!! The giant would have to be on guard,looking around everywhere, for where the tiny is!! Double checking,triple checking…they’re so small that they may not even be seen until they find them!! And the tiny,whether they’re scaring the giant intentionally or not,gets to have a bigger target!! Bigger targets are always easier!!

I know it may not make sense usually,but it can work!! Say if the tiny is this super powerful giant hunter or something!! It would be a very fun inverse on the trope!!

I’m not even that into fearplay…BUT I NEED TO SEE THIS!!!!!!!!

#g/t #giant/tiny #gt #giant tiny #g/t fearplay #fearplay #g/t Community #g/t fandom #g/t thoughts

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seagull-michael · 4 months

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Me: Why does the g/t fandom not know how to tag stuff properly??

My brother: Google translate has a fandom?

#g/t #giant/tiny #sfw g/t #g/t fandom #google translate

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radicaliousbrahh · 7 months

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Happy G/tTober everyone! Starting off strong with Prismo🗣

Isn't he just the guy?

#fiona and cake #prismo #prismo the wishmaster #adventure time #fiona and cake g/t #g/t fandom #G/ttober #Giant/tiny #silly #gt art

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paracosmic-gt · 6 months

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G/Tober [Day 29]

Monster

Don't stop, Little Red. Lest the monster find you.

(blurry ver. under the cut)

#giant/tiny #gt inktober #g/t community #inktober #setober2023 #gt art #gt community #traditional art #g/t #gt #giant tiny #g/t art #male giant #monster #g/t fandom #gt fandom #perspective #size difference

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gtbutterfly · 2 months

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Quincy and the forest giant (formally known as unnamed gt story part three)

I should really come up with a name for this story, huh (I did) Anyways, let me know your thoughts on it, criticism is appreciated, as usual.

CW: threats,

Here's the previous part

--------------------------------------------------------------

Everything except my head, my shoulders, and my arms were held tightly in Ella's grasp. It felt like being squeezed, I could hardly move my legs while they were wrapped in the giant's grip. I looked up at her face. She was staring forward while walking, looking annoyed. My stomach dropped with each footstep she took, her arm bringing me up and down as she walked. I could just barely feel the vibrations of her heartbeat from her veins while in her fist. Soon, she took me to a massive kitchen and roughly plopped me down onto a counter. I had to catch myself with my arms as I landed.

“Ow,” I muttered to myself, standing up and holding my hands after they hit the top of the counter. Ella ignored me and turned to some large cabinets attached to the wall. She opened them and pulled out a large metal tray with a massive loaf of bread on it, the size of a house. She placed it next to me on the counter, nearly crushing me, and pulled off a piece of bread before flicking it at me nonchalantly. The bread hit me in the face and fell on the counter.

“You were supposed to catch that,” Ella said, tapping her fingers against the countertop.

“Uh…..thanks…?” I said, picking up the piece of bread. To not be rude, I took a bite out of it. It was stale, dry, and crummy. The crust was hard to bite into. Ella kept staring down at me with her giant eyes. She looked stern and annoyed, it was hard not to be intimidated by her gaze. I looked down while eating. I started to ask her something, “Um…so…how long until….”

“A couple of hours, they should be here to get you by mid-day.” the giant said. “You have somewhere to be?”

“Uh….yeah….school….” I said, “they um……probrobly aren’t missing me, though,”

“Huh, that's good,” Ella said, emotionless. “How about your orphanage, or foster carers, or whatever you said you have?”

“Uh, they’re probably worried….since I” 'm missing…..” I said,

“Don’t worry about it, I’m sure they will deal with them by the time you get back.” the giant said, ripping off a piece and biting part of the bread herself.

“...um…..whos….” I gulped before continuing my question, “Who's them?”

“The people I work for.” the giant said.

“...who are they?” I ask.

“I’m not supposed to tell you,” Ella said.

“Are they…human?” I asked,

“Yeah, for the most part,” she said.

“Why do you work for them?” I ask,

“It's less like a job and more like paying a debt,” Ella said, before sighing, “look kid, I’m not answering all of your questions. You already know enough to the point where I had to take you here. Don’t make things worse by being nosy.”

“Um…what can I ask about?” I asked.

“The bread.” the giant said, rolling her eyes.

“Um… where you get the bread?”

“They gave it to me to eat,” Ella answered.

“Who they?” I asked. The giant eyes looked down, more annoyed and angry at me than before.

“Do you want me to put you in a jar, or something? I can do that,” Ella threatened, her voice still stern and vibrating. She leaned down towards me. “I can just put you in a cage, or a box, or tape you to a wall and leave you there until it's time for you to go. Or I can knock you back out and make you unconscious for the rest of the day or longer. Do you want that kid?”

I backed away from her in fear, as she leaned over the counter staring daggers down at me.

I couldn’t say anything again. I was just gaping upwards again like I did before. I think they noticed how scared I was.

“Are uh…are you okay, kid?” The giant asked. I blinked twice, before nodding. “Ok. good. Just remember what I said earlier. Listen to me and you’ll be fine.” Ella said, standing up and giving me some space. “Just do me a favor, don’t ask about who I work for, or why you here, or why I’m…y’know, m’kay?”

“um……ok…Ella…” I said.

“Good. just don’t bother me for the next few hours and you’ll be fine.”

After we finished eating, she took me back to the same room as before. It was a sort of living area, with a couch, though it was more like a cusishined bench, and a coffee table, both of course made for her size. She had placed me on the coffee table and was watching me from the couch. We weren’t doing anything, just sitting there. There wasn’t much technology in the giants house, just the lights above us. There wasn’t a tv or any screen I could see in this room. There was a stack of massive books in the corner of the room, and a box of playing cards on the coffee table, the oversized ones you’d find at a gag store, about two feet long, though they still weren’t the right size to be considered normal for Ella. I was too nervios to ask if we could do somethig to pass the time. So we just boredly sat there for a couple minutes. Eventuary, there was low thunder outside. Ella looked behind her at the window. She looked concerned about something. She got up, standing at her full height over me. I nearly fell over looking up at her. She walked towards the window and looked outside. I was too far to see what she was actually looking at. Then she looked at her wrist, before turing back down towards me.

“I have to do something.” Ella said, “stay on the table. Don’t try to escape or hide somewhere, and don’t touch anything,” she said sternly, in the same tone as the threat from before. I nodded as she left the room, leaving me alone. She was gone for a good couple minutes, minutes I spent not doing anything, fearing what she said she’ll do to me back in the kitchen. I just stayed on the coffee table the entire time. The lights on the ceiling dimed and flickered at the sound of thunder outside. I couldn’t see the window very well, being on the lower coffee table across the room. There were gray rainclouds in the sky, and water on the window. Other than that, there waas nothing outside I could see. Soon I felt Ellas footsteps vibrating the ground as she walkd back into the room. She sat down infront of me, sighing. The giant looked disappointed, almost frustrated about something, but I didn’t want to ask. Then they spoke,

“So, Quincey, that was your name, right?” they said, “you don’t have any plans tomorrow in your town, right?”

“...wh….why do you ask?” I said. Ella sighed again.

“They can’t get here due to the weather.” the giant said. “Your spending the night here, kid.”

#g/t #gt community #g/t community #giant/tiny #sfw g/t #g/t writing #giant tiny #constructive critism welcome #gt writing #giant/tiny community #gianttiny #giant #gt angst #gt fearplay #g/t fearplay #g/t fandom

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welcometomylittlelife · 5 days

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Quick Question

Hey there friends!

Sorry for the late night post. Just curious if anyone knows anything about carpentry or electrical outlets. I was messing around with the electrical cover that goes into the wall since my electricity was acting weird and found this weird symbol.

Anyone know what this means? Thanks in advanced!

So long! Parker

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kendsleyauthor · 3 months

Note

I really like your new ocs- 5 for Godlike?

RELUCTANT GIANT

Godlike Universe (Brielle, Cameron, Nikolas)

~1200 words

G/t dialogue prompt list

Thank you for the prompt!! This is a continuation of DEITY OF IDIOTS 🍂

Brielle struggles to calm down a newly-giant Cameron. Their predicament escalates when Nikolas crosses their path.

@marydublinauthor 🌸

Brielle tried to give Cameron some grace and not compare his handling skills to those of Nikolas. After all, Nikolas had hundreds—if not thousands—of years to be accustomed to his towering height. Cameron had less than ten minutes of experience being a giant, and the fact that he hadn’t dropped her was success enough.

How can this not be a dream? she wondered.

Whenever she peeked up, she fully expected to find that she was actually in Nikolas’ hands, and that she had dozed off on his palm with Cameron by her side. But alas, it was Cameron’s face that hung overhead each time she looked. Not that she particularly minded the view.

“Are you in pain at all?” she asked, noticing that the pinch in his brow hadn’t eased. “From the transformation?”

“Not at all.” And she believed him. The anxiety of the situation was more than enough to keep a frown in place.

“I’m sure it’ll be alright,” she said, though her own thudding heart hadn’t relaxed.

“What if this is permanent? What’ll I do, Bri? I don’t…”

His steps in the direction of the Autumn Manor slowed to a stop, which was a relief seeing as his hurried pace made her stomach churn. He lifted her a bit higher, his impossibly large gaze rife with worry. His rapid pulse pounded against her legs, and she wanted nothing more than to draw him close and comfort him.

There was no time to coax him into bringing her closer.

Nikolas’ stunned voice came somewhere from behind them. “Who—”

Cameron turned abruptly to the side, making Brielle squeal in terror as she was tossed onto her side in his palm, half-falling. As she kicked her legs to heave herself back to safety, Nikolas’ eyes landed on her—presumably not getting a good look at Cameron, given his reaction. She spotted the precise moment that a fire entered Nikolas’ gaze.

“Bri!” Nikolas lunged toward them with horrific speed, and the world became dark and cramped before Brielle could see him close the distance.

A pained cry flew past her lips as the confines of Cameron’s grasp tightened—any further, and he would surely break something. Raised voices rumbled outside of her prison, but she couldn’t focus on the words as she struggled to move, struggled to breathe. She could so much as open her mouth or thrash a single limb to get Cameron’s attention.

Nikolas’ voice became clearer. “—hurting her!”

Relief flooded through her when Cameron’s fingers sprang open. She gasped for breath in his palm. The light seemed harsh compared to the darkness of his hands, but as her vision adjusted, she was greeted by two massive faces staring down at her in alarm. Camer looked beside himself.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he breathed. “I-I was startled, and I was trying to…” He lifted her higher, staring hard in search of injury. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not hurt,” she assured, though she doubted her breathless voice was convincing. She suspected she’d awaken with soreness tomorrow morning, but she certainly wasn’t going to inform him of that. She frowned at Nikolas, smoothing her skirt. “Well, it’s enlightening to see that your penchant for slightly overreacting hasn’t abandoned us.”

Nikolas looked thoroughly offended. “You were in distress in the hands of a person I had never seen before. I reacted appropriately, thank you very much.” His eyes slid up from her to regard Cameron, a little smirk lifting the corner of his mouth. “You ate the fruit. Are mortals ever not predictable.”

Cameron’s fingers twitched closer to Brielle in frustration. “You knew there were such things out there? And you didn’t think to warn us—”

“Cam!” Brielle pushed at his index fingertip. “You’re shaking again.”

Remorse swiftly replaced Cameron’s annoyance. “I’m sorry. I’ll try—”

“Here, I’ll take her.” Nikolas raised a hand and offered it beside Cameron’s.

She worried for a second that Cameron might flinch at the approach or try to hide her again, but clearly he was willing to say goodbye to the stress of holding her life in his hands. Nonetheless, the conflict on his face was plain to see—her knight, handing her off willingly. Her heart melted slightly at the realization of how much he had come to trust Nikolas, exasperated with him as he was at the moment.

Carefully, Brielle moved from one palm to the other. The difference was immediate—the steadiness, the surety. She tried not to make her relief too obvious, lest Cameron see it. Falling to a seat, she willed her heart to stop fluttering as she looked up between the two giant men.

“The fruit?” she prompted.

“Ah, yes. You see, I didn’t think there were any more left in the forest. They take hundreds of years to grow, and I stopped cultivating them long ago. The fruit is produced from plant life that has absorbed my blood.”

Cameron pulled a face, as though this information added a new flavor to the fruit he’d readily eaten. “How delightful,” he deadpanned.

“I try not to bleed in the forest these days,” Nikolas said with a shrug. “But for the fruit to exist now, it must have occurred centuries ago.”

“And you say you used to cultivate them,” Brielle asked. “Whyever would you do that?”

“A different era,” he said with a dismissive wave of his free hand. “Mortals who gained favor with my siblings or myself would occasionally be gifted such a fruit. We eventually agreed it was far more trouble than it was worth.”

Brielle’s blood ran cold with the thought of what a person would want with the gift of being deity-sized. At least Cameron was a reluctant giant rather than an arrogant or vengeful one—even if he did decide that snatching her up was the wisest course of action upon waking up at this size.

“So, it must be temporary,” Cameron said a little desperately. “A temporary gift?”

“Of course.” Nikolas seemed to latch to Cameron’s tone, stepping closer with intrigue. Brielle found herself having to crane her neck more to keep either of them in view. Nikolas brushed a curious hand against Cameron’s cheek. “By morning, you’ll be back to your adorably petite self.”

Though he scowled, he didn’t push away Nikolas’ touch. “You realize I am taller than you?” They already knew that from all the time Nikolas spent at human height, but Brielle was certain they could all agree that this situation was… different.

Nikolas’ fingers trailed lower to take Cameron’s chin and turn his face this way and that at his leisure. “You can pout all you want,” Nikolas said, his voice dropping lower. “Deep down, part of you must be enjoying this.” With that, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to Cameron’s lips, holding Brielle in perfect view.

The tension in Cameron’s face eased immediately as he kissed Nikolas back. Brielle found her perch wobbling dangerously as Cameron leaned in with more fervor. She clutched Nikolas’ thumb, but didn’t speak a word of protest.

When they stopped and pulled away, faces still a breath from each other, Brielle let out a pent-up shudder of a breath. Both giants turned to her—Nikolas enthralled and Cameron flushing. She stared, slack-jawed and almost lightheaded with giddiness. “Might you do that again?” she all but whispered.

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beuhakkaka · 1 year

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🌊A Sirens Song🌊 Pt 8

"I will see you next time, then." She shouted down, making an extra effort to hide her proud smile.

Annora's heart was pounding, pumping wildly like a rapid rabbit caught in a cage.

It was finally over.

He had eaten the fish, all of them, and had even complimented the taste. He was completely unaware of the unbelievable amounts of poison he had consumed.

Not even he could survive a dose that big; she was sure of it.

Annora's mission had been complete, and now she was free from the heavy mantle she had taken up. She may have laughed if she hadn't decided to be cautious. Especially when she mentioned "next time.", because there would never be a next time with her or anyone else.

His final meal had been had.

Annora looked down at the beast one final time, eyes cold as she stared at his smile.

He wouldn't be smiling for long.

She turned on her heel and swiftly limped away.

Annora grunted softly as she slid the tray back into the wagon, tying down the object while ignoring the throb of her lame leg. She dusted her hands off with a slight smile. She didn't even mind the fish scent anymore. Far too relieved to have this massive weight taken off her shoulders. She quickly glanced at the sky, taking in the sun's angle.

Sunset would be soon, which means she should also be leaving soon.

Although she would have liked to stay a little longer to see if the poison was taking effect, she didn't want to get caught in the night.

Annora walked over to her rented helper, gently patting the horse's neck before hopping onto his back. The horse trotted away with a clip-clop, wagon in tow.

-------------------------------------------------------

Venti yawned, tail flicking lazily against the ocean floor. He picked at his dagger-like teeth with his pointed nails, removing any leftover fishy bits. The fish had been shockingly good; he had been unable to prevent himself from finishing the entire tray. Even when knowing it was poisoned, he couldn't stop himself. It didn't matter, though, since the poison would never affect him. Not fatally, at least. What really bothered him was her smug attitude. Venti grunted bitterly, prying out a fish head from between his teeth.

What a stupid human she was.

Didn't she see how powerful he was? How all-encompassing his body was? What moron would think he could be taken down by a bit of poison?

A yawn interrupted Venti's frustrated stewing. He blinked sleepily, tilting his head to the side. He reached up towards the surface of the water and stretched. He grunted a little as his limbs stretched, drowsiness beginning to weigh heavily on him.

The poison could never kill him, but it took a lot of energy for his body to process.

"Perhaps a nap would help speed up the process ..."

Venti muttered to himself.

He sighed softly, deciding a nap sounded terrific.

Venti lay down slowly, his massive torso cutting through the waters like a falling mountain. He slumped against the sand, bubbles flying out from below him. His tail curled slightly as he got comfortable, twisting and turning to find the optimal position.

Fish were flung away by the crashing waves the giant made from the simple movement, and once he was done, the sea around him was still. Using his arms as his pillow, he nestled his face into his folded forearms. His heavy-lidded eyes fluttered, lashes slowly closing.

When Venti opened his eyes, he was not at the bottom of the ocean.

The sand was warm against his torso, and the waves lapped excitedly at the beach's edge. The sun was pleasant and comforting, offering a calming warmth.

But beating it all, glowing brighter than even the blazing sun, and muting out the loud squabbles of the seagulls was a gentle strumming. Kind and soothing, the song carried through the beach, passion pouring through every note. The sweet lyre strings rang through the beach, reaching Venti's ears and comforting him far more than any sun could.

He looked at where the music came from, his lips spread into a loving smile.

The little bard looked back up at the siren, the simple humans smile bright as ever.

"Would you like to join in?"

Venti's smile broadened, pearly white shark-like teeth making themselves known.

"But of course, I do little bard~ don't you know I love to sing?"

The bard laughed, his laughter ringing like the sweetest of bells.

"Right right, sorry."

The bard plucked his lyre, smiling sweetly.

"Join in then~"

Venti woke up.

He gasped loudly, shoving himself up from the sandy ground in one thundering motion. He knelt over the floor, chest heaving breath after breath. Venti's fingers curled into the sand, his hands shaking like he had been thrown into a frozen lake.

How long had it been since he had thought of the bard? He couldn't even remember the last time.

So why, why now?

"Why now do I dream of you-"

Venti choked, tears beading at the corners of his eyes.

"I had hoped to have forgotten you."

-------------------------------------------------------

Annora scrubbed viciously at the counter, her teeth grit tightly together. This particular wine stain wasn't coming out of the wood, and it was driving her insane. That wasn't all that was plaguing her mind, though.

Despite the siren having been given a ridiculous amount of poison, she had a bad feeling she just couldn't shake. No matter how many times she reminded herself of the impossibility of survival.

'It would have been nice if he showed symptoms immediately...I bet he was hiding them or something.

She thought in annoyance as she continued to scrub.

At this point, she was just gonna peel off the wood rather than eliminate the stain, but it was bothering her so much she didn't even realize it.

She didn't realize a person was standing behind her either.

A large hand settled on her shoulder, gently alerting her to their presence. But, gentle as it was, Annora was still on edge. So she reacted quite explosively to the sudden touch.

She yelped loudly, jumping up and launching the wet rag into the ceiling. It smacked the bar's roof with a wet squelch before plopping back and splatting right onto her boss's head.

Annora stared in horror as the rag slowly sagged off the edge of the intimidating mans head. Eventually slipping and falling onto his nice fancy shoes instead. A double kill.

"Mas-Master Diluc-! Oh my archons I am so sorry-!"

She was nearly shrieking as she apologized, absolutely mortified. Diluc remained silent as Annora panicked.

His hair- and his nice shoes-! What had she done-?!?!

Diluc, however, took her reaction and the situation in stride.

"No need to panic; accidents happen,"

He dusted his hair off with one gloved hand before bending down to grab the wet rag. Plucking it up with two fingers, he tossed it back onto the counter.

"I apologize for scaring you. You just weren't responding to your name." Diluc continued on calmly, adjusting his coats collar.

Annora blushed a little, realizing she may have been a bit too much in her own head.

"O-oh-! Please, I should be the one apologizing-! I was so lost in thought I didn't even know you were there- and then I got your hair and shoes all messy-"

Annora bowed deeply in apology.

"I-I am deeply sorry, sir-!"

"Annora, there's no need to bow- please stand up,"

Diluc spoke softly, trying to calm the frantic girl down.

Annora immediately stood straight again, quickly shoving her messy red bangs out of her eyes. She met Dilucs gaze for a second, and then panicked all over again. She swiftly looked downs nervously stared down at her feet. Her fingers began fidgeting with the skirt of her dress.

Diluc spoke as coolly as ever.

"Right then, back to my original intention. When I was taking a stroll by, I noticed the light was still lit in the bar. I had assumed someone had broken in, so you can guess how surprised I was to find you working after hours. Why are you here?"

Annora pursed her lips.

"A-ah- well- I called out quite suddenly earlier today to handle some...personal business. So, since I have the keys, I thought I minus well contribute some today-"

The siren had taken an enormous amount of her time and energy. Leaving her unable to attend a lot of her usual shifts. She felt horribly guilty over it since her having the job at all was such a gift. It was uncommon for people to trust and hire a refugee from Khaenri'ah.

She looked up at Diluc, noting the concern in his eyes.

"I-I just- I don't want to slack off the job I'm so grateful for...sir,"

Diluc's eyes softened, concern stirring in his heart. He was glad she didn't take the job for granted, but this was too much.

"Taking a few extra days off after the record you have isn't slacking off, miss Annora, and although I appreciate your attitude,"

His gaze flicked to the heavy bags resting beneath Annora's eyes.

"Rest is to be appreciated as well...its very late, go home. You can take your usual shift tomorrow,"

Her eyes grew wide as she stared at her boots, shocked by his care. More often than not, people didn't bother thinking of her, and they had every right to do so. She was a Khaenri'ahn, a decadent of a cursed race...

But despite his right to, Master Diluc was so kind to her.

She smiled warmly, touched by Dilucs words and finally able to meet Dilucs gaze.

"Thank you,"

Annora nodded curtly at Diluc, bidding him farewell as she walked away.

Diluc stood silently, staring at Annora's petite form as she exited.

"A limp...when did she get that?"

He muttered worriedly.

-------------------------------------------------------

The next day, just before sunset, Annora returned to the mountainside.

Annora left her stargazing gear beside the safety forest's edge, just in case. She was relatively confident about Venti's deceased status, but...she needed to be sure.

Her heart thrummed along, hastening the closer she got to the cliff's edge. She knew she wouldn't see him, it would be impossible...yet she couldn't stop herself from shaking.

Brown boots met the stoney edge of the cliff, thumping as she took her final few steps.

She sucked in a deep breath, holding the air as she leaned over.

Clawed, massive fingers shot up from the ocean below, claws outstretched and ready to capture.

"There you are~!!"

The beast greeted her joyously.

Annora shrieked.

She launched herself back, tumbling into the ground with a thud. She yelped as giant nails crashed into the floor beside her, puncturing the loose soil and scattering dirt everywhere.

She scrambled frantically to her knees and feet, dashing forward with a stumbling gait.

The massive fingers chased after her, digits curled to claim her the moment she faltered.

She jumped, just narrowly missing another skewering attempt as she flew towards the forest line. She crashed straight past the trees, smashing her face into the dirt as she fell into safety.

Annora didn't care about her new bloody nose as she scrambled up, pushing herself farther into the trees with panicky shoves.

His face rose up from below the cliff, once again resting on the edge.

The siren settled his chin on the rock, sighing dramatically.

"Darn...that was a close one too,"

He hummed.

"You know, I thought you had said you'll only come out during the day~ don't tell me you've finally decided to give up?"

A toothy grin splayed over his lips, razor-sharp teeth shining against the moonlight.

Annora's breaths were sporadic and panicked, little tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

"I'm back for our scheduled meeting, as agreed upon, yet you look so surprised~"

Venti chuckled darkly.

"Y-you-" Annora stuttered, horror in her eyes.

Venti cooed, tilting his head to the side as he smirked.

"What's with that reaction? You look like you've seen a ghost~"

-------------------------------------------------------

IM BACK. HAHAHHA. Anyways, today is just the usual angst train- also Diluc appearance???! Omg, crazy. Who knows, maybe there will be more genshin ppl appearances 💖

Hope u enjoyedddd

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sm0lprism · 3 months

Text

Bite-Sized (4) - A BG3 G/t fanfic

This contains g/t (giant/tiny content) so if that isn't your thing, then I suggest you stop reading. Thank you!

Read on ao3

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Summary: Astarion, still persistently hungry, stalks off into the forest after feeling his control slip around Ria and the rest of his companions. Now, alone with his thoughts, he can't seem to shake the little borrower out of his brain.

Pairing: Astarion x borrower!oc (Tav) (slow-burn, Astarion is a complete ass but eventually comes round in future chapters)

Warnings: V*re mention, gore, mouthplay, fearplay, blood, swearing/course language, blood drinking, Astarion is a real asshole to little people/borrowers and doesn’t see them as people so be prepared for him being awful. Word count: 3.2k

The only feeling that was present in Astarion’s mind was the constant gnawing emptiness of his stomach. Hissing out a growl of frustration, he trudged through the undergrowth of the forest until he could no longer smell the others at the camp. He had used every shred of his willpower not to turn the camp into a bloody massacre right then and there. But he knew for a fact that if he wanted to rid himself of the mind flayer parasite in his brain, eating everyone at the camp was not the smartest move, as tempting as it was, it wouldn’t do him any favours. He glanced down at his hands and noticed that his left hand was shaking uncontrollably – a strong sign that he was in a desperate need of blood, if that wasn’t obvious enough already. He gripped his shaking hand with his right one to stop the jagged movement, but it didn’t do much to help.

The only other time when he had been this close to starvation was his time serving under his old master, Cazador. Granted, it wasn’t that bad yet, but it wouldn’t take much longer for him to reach that same state if he didn’t feed on something soon. He grimaced as he remembered how he felt back then, so hungry that he had lost control of every rational thought, adamant on biting anything with a pulse. Any trace of the elf that he used to be was gone, replaced with the uncontrollable thirst for blood. The only thing his vampire master had allowed him to feed on were rats and bugs – just enough to keep him alive and nothing more. He clenched his teeth in frustration. Now, after finally becoming free from the clutches of his vampiric master, he had free reign to bite whoever he wanted. He wasn’t shackled by Cazador’s rules and punishments anymore. But his newfound companions weren’t all that happy about him snacking on sentient creatures – which he couldn’t exactly fault them to, of course, especially when it came to humans and elves.

Except for him not being able to feed on lesser creatures – that made him upset.

Halflings, goblins, dwarves, gnomes, and now even borrowers were off the menu for him. His mind flickered back to the previous night when he had briefly tasted Ria’s blood. It had only been a mere few drops, but it had been enough to give him a taste – and she had tasted divine. His stomach clenched at the mere thought. It had only been a small taste, but it had just been enough to make him crave more. If Gale hadn’t interrupted, she would’ve been the perfect snack to give him just enough energy to hunt down a proper meal. He had never eaten a borrower before – in fact, he wasn’t sure if Cazador would’ve even permitted him to eat them if he was still under his master’s control.

Most likely not, Cazador would never allow me to eat something so delicious.

His mind darted back to Ria and how she had stood up to him that morning. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips at how she had pulled the middle finger at him and yelled right in his face. He couldn’t help but to admire her bravery, as stupid as it was, it was impressive that she even had the guts to do it to begin with given their obvious size differences. Admittedly, he had been very rude to her this morning – but being severely hungry often made him extra snappy. Not that he was particularly worried about whether he hurt the feelings of a borrower, though. They were lesser than gnomes, for gods’ sake.

Shaking his head, he attempted to distract his mind from the persistent hunger growling in his gut. It wasn’t doing him any good dwelling on Ria when he was starving. He hoped that it wouldn’t be too long until Gale and the others returned. Nostrils flared, he immediately picked up the scent of a nearby squirrel. Maybe, if he was lucky, he might just be able to catch it. It wasn’t as easy as catching a borrower, but he was so starved he was willing to try hunt something for the time being. Honing in on the scent of the squirrel, he kept low to the ground, his footsteps light as a feather as he followed the scent of the animal. His throat burned at the anticipation of tasting red hot blood on his tongue once more. He had hunted since the crash, and as a result the rest of his companions had then discovered his true vampiric nature one eventful night. But over the past few days, the group had barely slowed down enough to give him a proper chance to hunt again. Gale was mostly preoccupied in helping every stranger they came across, much to his annoyance, Lae’zel was adamant on reaching the gith creche, Karlach was desperate to find some infernal iron to fix her infernal engine (although he couldn’t fault her for that), and Wyll was just as bad as Gale – if not worse – when it came to helping random strangers. Shadowheart, on the other hand, was fixated on her Shar worship and the mysterious artifact that she had in her grasp.

Astarion didn’t expect any of his companions to understand his vampiric ailments, but he had at least hoped that they would provide him the opportunity to acquire some sustenance for himself every now and again. After all, he was far more useful to them when he had a full stomach, and clearly less of a threat to them. The sound of tiny paws scurrying across foliage returned his attention back to the squirrel and he paused in his tracks. Dappled in the morning sun as it filtered through the trees, a red squirrel sat next to a tree, completely unaware of the vampire stalking it. Licking his lips, Astarion slowly inched closer towards the squirrel, his stomach rumbling loudly with each careful footstep that he took.

Yes, that’s it, just a little closer.

The piercing pain in his abdomen increased, and very foolishly, Astarion lunged towards the squirrel with his teeth bared. The squirrel immediately heard Astarion’s clumsy footwork and hastily darted up the nearby tree before the vampire spawn could come any closer, much to his dismay. Growling loudly in frustration, Astarion watched as the potential morsel of food disappeared into the canopy of the vibrant tree. He had stupidly allowed his hunger to get the better of him and pounced far too soon – he was getting incredibly sloppy. If he couldn’t even catch a mere squirrel, he really must be losing it. Grinding his teeth, he kicked a nearby pinecone and slumped against the tree and exhaled loudly. Not like he needed to breathe, being undead he technically didn’t require oxygen, but his fatigue and frustration warranted it in that moment.

If only I could sink my teeth into that borrower…gods, it would be so easy.

His mind quickly returned to Ria, her miniature figure soon swirling persistently throughout his thoughts. He was grateful that he was away from the camp, thanks to the tadpole, it wouldn’t take much for his companions to pry into his thoughts and see that he was still intent on devouring their little guest. Wetting his lips, he imagined what it would be like to taste all of her, her blood running hot on his tongue, her tiny body snapping like a twig in between his formidable teeth. It wouldn’t be a lot of blood, given how small she was, but the moment of pleasure her taste would bring on his tongue still made the action worth it in his mind. Technically, Ria had been the first sentient creature that he had tasted during his entire vampiric life so far. He wondered if he could even settle for the taste of beasts again after he had been given a little taste test over what he could be eating instead.

I need to stop thinking about her…gods!

Shaking his head, he attempted to push the thoughts of the borrower out of his brain, but he wasn’t very successful. Just when exactly were Gale and the others coming back? They would need at least a bear to satiate him at this rate. Groaning softly, he sat cross legged against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes.

The crunching of leaves against leather boots stirred his senses as he inhaled the familiar scent of the wizard. Too weak to bother standing up, Astarion remained in his spot against the tree, and opened his weary eyes. Gale was nowhere in sight, but thanks to his heightened senses, he could hear and smell the wizard well before he could see him.

“Astarion? Are you there?” Gale’s voice rang clearly throughout the forest.

“I’m over here,” Astarion responded, projecting his voice as loudly as he could in his weakened state. Attempting to hunt the squirrel earlier had been a very foolish move on his part as his body was becoming too weak to move or even stand.

“Alright, I’m coming.”

Several moments passed before Gale appeared in front of Astarion. A squealing boar was being held by a levitating blue hand beside the wizard, the remnants of magic sparking at his fingertips from most likely casting the spell, Mage Hand.

“You look like shit,” Gale said rather matter-of-factly.

“Thanks,” Astarion grumbled, his mouth salivating as he stared at the boar floating beside the wizard. “Are you here just to poke fun at me or can I actually eat the snack you’ve brought me?”

The glowing blue hand deposited the boar onto Astarion’s lap rather swiftly, and before the boar could even process what was even happening, he immediately sunk his fangs into the neck of the animal and it’s squealing ceased in a matter of seconds.

“Goodness gracious, you were hungry,” Gale remarked as he watched the vampire spawn drain the enormous boar in less than a minute.

Energy coursed through his veins as the blood from the boar quickly replenished his starved body. He licked the blood off his lips and staggered to his feet, now eye level with Gale. The stabbing sensation in his stomach had dissipated for the most part, and he felt significantly better than he had moments prior. The blood from the boar had eased his hunger, but it paled in comparison to the delicious taste of Ria’s blood. At least for now he had the strength to hunt again and to think clearly at last.

“Astarion,” Gale said, his gaze firm as he stared at the vampire spawn standing before him. “We need to have a talk before we go back to the camp.”

Astarion pressed his lips together thinly. “Please, Gale, stop talking to me like I’m a child that did something naughty. It’s quite insulting, really.”

“Sorry, it’s just – I’m dead serious, Astarion,” Gale replied, folding his arms over his chest. “I like to think of myself as an open-minded fellow, and I’m perfectly fine with your condition. You can’t help your nature, after all, and you are a true asset to our team.”

Astarion furrowed his brows at the wizard. “Where are you going with this, exactly?”

Gale heaved a sigh. “I was thinking about Ria and her situation.”

Astarion squinted his eyes at the wizard. He wasn’t sure he liked where this was going.

“I’d feel awful if we just left her to fend for herself out in the wilderness, after all, a borrower without a roof over their head might as well be dead given how small they are,” Gale continued, ignoring Astarion’s unhappy expression. “Not that I doubt Ria’s resilience, she’s done amazingly to survive this far, but it would be wrong if we didn’t at least offer to bring her along with us.”

“You want to bring the borrower with us?” Astarion clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Hm. That hardly seems like a good idea. She’s not exactly…helpful, with her size. Besides, I hardly doubt she’d want to stay with us anyway.”

“We don’t know that for certain,” Gale responded, waving his finger at Astarion. “Providing you promise to behave yourself; I think she would warm up to the idea at least. And she could be useful – borrowers can climb into tiny spaces that we cannot and easily get past areas unseen if they wish. I think she would fit in well with our group.”

The notion of Ria staying with them didn’t exactly fill Astarion with glee, if anything, having to look out for someone so tiny in the camp seemed like a hinderance more than anything. That’s if Ria even agreed to Gale’s proposition, after last night, he doubted she would even want to breathe the same air as him let alone traveling together.

“I suppose I can be on my best behaviour if there’s a little borrower around the camp,” Astarion answered rather dully. “Have you spoken to the others about this?”

“Karlach and Shadowheart are on board with the idea,” Gale said. “I haven’t asked Lae’zel or Wyll yet, but I’m sure they will be alright with it. And of course, if Ria isn’t open to it, then she’s free to go her own separate ways whenever she is ready.”

Astarion failed to understand why Gale was so intent on bringing the borrower along in their quest to free themselves of the tadpole. But he didn’t care enough to protest the idea, besides, it was highly unlikely that Ria would even accept to begin with.

“Do you have a little crush on the borrower, Gale?” Astarion said in a very teasing tone, cocking an eyebrow at the wizard. “Emphasis on little, hah! I didn’t take you to have a size kink-“

“Of course, you of all people would suggest that,” Gale interrupted, rolling his eyes at the pale elf. “I am simply extending some generosity to someone who may appreciate it, nothing more. Being kind to others is something that you could benefit to learn from.”

“Perish the thought,” Astarion snapped, a scowl painted across his angular features. “Being kind is only worth doing if there is some benefit to doing it.”

No one was ever kind to me, he thought silently to himself, hoping that Gale wasn’t utilising the tadpole’s abilities to peer into his mind at that very moment. Fortunately for him, Gale was none the wiser and just shook his head at the vampire spawn in a very disappointing manner.

“Perhaps in time you’ll understand, Astarion. I suppose for now we best get back to camp.” Gale quickly glanced at the drained boar resting beside Astarion’s feet. “It would be a shame to let all that meat go to waste. This will make for a fine dinner tonight.” Uttering an enchantment, the blue hand materialised itself once more and picked up the deceased boar with ease. The wizard began to turn away towards the camp before quickly glancing back at Astarion.

“Are you coming or shall I leave you to brood some more?” A hint of mockery laced through the wizard’s tone, and Astarion couldn’t help but to smirk at Gale’s attempt at teasing him.

“I’d rather brood than listen to your incessant ramblings of every book you’ve ever read,” Astarion snapped. “Besides, the boar was just a mere appetizer. I should really fill myself up before returning to camp. You go on ahead.”

Without another word, Gale gave Astarion a small nod and vanished into the thick of the forest with the boar levitating beside him, his purple robes flicking out behind him somewhat dramatically in the cool breeze as he turned away.

Alone once more, Astarion returned his attention to finding food – he needed to sink his teeth into something large and filling if he was going to face the others at camp.

***

“You want me to join your group?”

Astarion waltzed into the camp, his belly now full after the six deer and adult bear that he had eaten, and gazed over at Gale and the others who were gathered around the dwindling embers of the morning’s campfire. Ria was situated on a log on top of a pile of Gale’s books to help elevate her somewhat. Not that it did much, considering how small she was, but it was something.

“Only if you want to, of course,” Gale said, his gaze softened as he stared at the little borrower beside him on the log. “We could assist you in finding somewhere more permanent to live along the way, if you find somewhere to your liking. It’s up to you.”

Ria opened and closed her mouth, attempting to form words, but she was too stunned to speak.

“I-I don’t know what to say,” Ria stammered after a moment of silence. “That is very generous of you to offer, truly, I…” Her voice trailed off and Astarion watched as her gaze fell onto his.

A small smirk spread across his features as he watched her expression change and her lips pull together thinly. A mixture of emotions danced across her face and Astarion could only imagine the internal debate she must’ve been going through at that moment.

She won’t say yes. There’s no way-

“Alright, I’ll stay.”

Astarion staggered back from his spot and almost choked on thin air at hearing Ria’s response. His eyes widened as his eyebrows shot up in utter shock. Was the borrower serious? No, this couldn’t be happening…surely?

“Fuck yes!” Karlach exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air with excitement. She immediately paused, noticing that everyone now had their eyes on her, and she quickly cleared her throat as her gaze trailed down to the floor in embarrassment.

“I mean, it’s great that you’re coming along with us,” Karlach said, her voice noticeably quieter than before. “It’ll be nice to have another person in the camp.”

“I agree with Karlach,” Gale added, a warm smile painted across his features. “It’s wonderful that you’ve decided to join us.”

“The little istik could be useful, even in battle.” Lae’zel kneeled beside where Ria was sitting on the log, her piercing yellow eyes brushed over the borrower’s tiny frame with a surprising gentleness which was most unlike the githyanki warrior. Astarion wondered if Lae’zel was starting to develop a little soft spot for the borrower.

“I will train you, istik. If you are willing.”

Ria’s eyes nearly popped right out of her head at the githyanki’s suggestion.

“Y-you will?” Ria stammered in disbelief.

Lae’zel nodded. “I will train you in the ways of K'liir, and when I am done, even creatures larger than you will think twice before crossing your path. If you accept my offer, that is.”

Ria blinked, bewilderment and perplexation strongly present across her tiny face as she stared at Lae’zel.

“I would like that,” she replied after a moment of silence. “That is very kind of you to offer, thank you.” As the rest of his companions rejoiced and generally seemed happy that Ria was going to be a part of the group, Astarion himself was baffled that the little borrower had even agreed to Gale’s offer in the first place. Not only that, but Lae’zel had suggested to train her in the art of githyanki combat, which was the most surprising of all. He had no idea how Lae’zel thought that a borrower of all creatures could even be remotely beneficial in battle – if anything, it would be a death sentence for Ria. But he knew better than to question the githyanki, especially if her mind was set on something. At least it would provide for some amusing entertainment.

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