arc852 - Tumblr blog

arc852 · 16 days ago

Text

Third to Double

Summary: Jimmy has just woken up tiny with no idea where he is. Also, why is Tango here?!

Word Count: 3319

Warnings: Slight fear and panic

AO3 Link

This was commissioned by the lovely @thegayfay! Thank you so much and I hope the rest of you guys enjoy it!

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

Jimmy stirred a little in his bed, pressing himself further into the mattress. He didn’t want to get up quite yet, because getting up meant facing the day as a red life and he wasn’t quite ready for all of that again. But his brain was already starting to wake up and he groaned at the realization. Besides, if he didn’t get up soon, then Scott would surely come to get him and that would just be embarrassing.

He’s had quite enough of being embarrassed already, thank you very much.

With that thought in mind, he stretched his limbs and reached out to pull the covers off of himself. For some strange reason though, no matter how hard he pulled, the blanket stayed where it was. He…also couldn’t find the end of it, reaching far to his right and then his left and still finding more and more blanket. Jimmy groaned and finally opened his eyes to see what the heck was going on, only to be met with the dark.

Jimmy blinked and tried to make out what was happening. Was that…his blanket? Was he under the covers in bed? That would explain why the air was so stiff, something he had just noticed now that he was more awake.

But something was still wrong. Despite realizing he was under his covers, the space around him seemed to go on forever in every direction. It was weird and not at all something that should be possible. He racked his still half-asleep brain for an answer. Maybe…his perception was just off?

Yeah, that had to be it. Waking up underneath his covers, which already was pretty unusual for him, was probably just throwing him off. He reached up to try and pull the covers down and off but he was met with the same problem as before. No matter how far he stretched, he could only feel more blanket.

Grumbling, Jimmy decided to scoot himself up instead. He felt like he was scooting up forever though, clinging to the blanket above him and waiting for the end of it to come. The longer it took, the more confused Jimmy became. Surely he should have reached the end by now. Was Grian playing some sort of trick on him?

Jimmy huffed when he realized that’s what must have been happening. Grian had, somehow, turned the space underneath his blanket into some sort of pocket dimension and he was probably watching Jimmy scrambling around trying to find an exit that didn’t actually exist. He wasn’t even sure if that was something Grian could do, but his brother was full of surprises. Jimmy was just about to call out to Grian, demanding that he be let go, when he finally saw light. Jimmy began moving quicker, scooting his body and finally reaching the edge of the blanket. He pushed it off his head, exposing his body to the outside.

Jimmy froze, the grin that had made its way onto his face at the victory dropping as soon as he noticed the rest of his surroundings.

Everything…everything was huge.

Jimmy couldn’t help but stare off into the distance, at the blanket that seemed to go on for miles. It was no wonder it took him forever to get out of there…It was no wonder it had been too heavy for him to push up. What was happening? Why was everything so big?

A loud, low moo caught him off guard, causing a noise of surprise to escape him. He whipped his head over to his right, his eyes wide as he took in the pen of cows not too far off. Though it seemed like miles away in Jimmy’s diminutive state, he was at least aware enough to know that wasn’t actually the case.

But the cows in question made Jimmy realize something very important. Not only was he small but this wasn’t his base. Jimmy didn’t have a pen of cows attached to his house like that, nor was his base shaped like this. Jimmy’s eyes darted around, trying to make sense of it all. Was this really a prank from Grian? Could Grian even do all of this?

The sinking pit in Jimmy’s stomach that was telling him no only made his brain scramble more.

A loud noise cut him out of his thoughts, along with the bed he was still sitting up in moving almost violently. Jimmy gripped the sheets of the bed, the movement feeling like an earthquake. The noise happened again, the movement continuing, and Jimmy finally turned his head in the direction of it.

Jimmy froze as he took in the giant sleeping next to him.

Jimmy scrambled back, fully uncovering himself from the blanket. His breathing increased and his heart raced as he could only compare how tiny he was to the massive being. He had to get out of here, had to get away before the giant-

The giant stirred again, the source of the earthquake, and let out some more muffled noises. Jimmy couldn’t help but look back again, taking in the striking features. Hair that wisped with flames, fangs that were visible when the giant yawned, pointed ears…

He recognized this giant.

The realization hit him suddenly but he couldn’t deny it. He may have just met the guy, and barely at that, within the third life server, but even he would remember the guy who had fire for hair.

The giant sleeping next to him was Tango.

Now Jimmy had new questions rolling around in his head, like how he had gotten to be here with Tango in the first place? He had certainly not been here when he had gone to sleep last night, that much he had already known. But how had he moved? Had someone moved him? Jimmy shivered at just the thought of being moved without his knowledge, especially like this.

The giant, Tango, moved again and this time the movement was paired with Tango’s eyes peeling themselves open. Jimmy watched, frozen in fear, as one of Tango’s hands reached up and rubbed at his eyes. He yawned and the glint of those fangs again made a shiver run down Jimmy’s spine.

“Jimmy…?” Tango called out, turning his head and furrowing his brows. Jimmy, for a brief moment, thought he had been seen already but no, Tango was looking too far up and now out into the rest of the room. “Jimmy?” He called out again, sounding less groggy this time.

Why was Tango calling out his name like he had expected to see him first thing in the morning? Had Tango done this to him? But no, that made no sense. If Tango had, then he would have known to look down a bit more. Jimmy was so confused…

Tango moved to sit up, stretching his arms as he did so and Jimmy couldn’t help the small squeak of fear escape his lips at the sight. Jimmy slammed a hand over his mouth, but it was too late. Tango paused, looked around again, and then slowly glanced down toward the bed and right where Jimmy was sitting.

Tango’s eyes widened and Jimmy felt himself stop breathing as they both stared at each other for a good minute.

“Jimmy?” Tango asked again, but this time his voice was low. “What…?” Tango trailed off, as if not knowing how to finish the question. But Jimmy wasn’t focused on the barely started sentence. No, Jimmy was all too focused on the way Tango lifted his hand up and started to hesitantly reach out toward him.

That was enough to get Jimmy moving again, his mind screaming at him to get away from the incoming hand. The hand that was far bigger than his entire body. Jimmy’s breathing became rapid and he started to scramble backwards, putting as much distance away from the giant as he could, even as Tango’s hand had halted in mid-air.

“Whoa, Jimmy, it’s okay. It’s just me. I-” Tango cut himself off, his eyes going wide as he stared at Jimmy, who hadn’t stopped moving. “Watch out!” Tango suddenly called out but it hadn’t been soon enough as Jimmy barely processed the warning before he scrambled right off the edge of the bed.

Jimmy screamed, shutting his eyes tight as he entered a freefall. He barely had time to process himself falling more than that though because he found himself hitting the ground a lot sooner than he would have thought, slamming against the surface that only mildly stole the air out of his lungs. It took Jimmy a second to realize he hadn’t actually reached the floor and he opened his eyes wide as he realized what that had to mean.

Sure enough, looking down showed that he was pressed into skin.

“I-I gotcha. I gotcha.” Tango said and along with his words, his fingers curled in a little. Jimmy’s heart jumped into his throat at the sight and he cowered. As he was curled up into a ball in the center of the giant palm, Jimmy felt himself being moved. Peeking out between his fingers told him that he was now closer to Tango’s chest. “Are you okay?” Tango asked and a curled finger gently prodded him.

Jimmy gasped and flinched away, almost falling off Tango’s hand in the process. “Whoa!” Tango brought his other hand up, catching onto Jimmy as he fell backwards. He was now spread across both of Tango’s palms and looking up at his face upside down. Despite the position, Jimmy could still make out his expression and was almost surprised to see how worried Tango was. “Jimmy? Come on, are you alright?”

The concern emanating off the blaze hybrid finally broke Jimmy out of his fearful haze and he took in slow and deep breaths to try and calm himself down. Tango simply let him and once Jimmy felt his heart return to a normal speed, he sat up and turned around to face Tango properly. “...Tango?” Jimmy asked without really knowing why. Perhaps he just wanted to make sure it was really him but whatever the case, his questioning tone was answered with a nod.

“Yeah, of course. It’s me.” Tango looked a bit relieved now that Jimmy wasn’t flinging himself off of high places in fear but he still looked concerned with the overall situation. Jimmy couldn’t blame him, he was too. “What happened? How did you…shrink?”

Jimmy gave a small shrug. “I…I have no idea. I don’t know how I got here either!” Jimmy exclaimed, glancing around the room once again and confirming that yes, this was definitely not the place he had gone to sleep in the previous night.

But Tango only looked confused by this. “What do you mean? Here? As in the ranch?”

“The ranch?” Jimmy asked. He hadn’t heard that name before. And he was pretty sure that wasn’t the name of Tango’s base. Or how it looked. Wasn’t Tango’s base in a swamp?

Tango was looking more concerned, and confused, by the second. “Yeah, the ranch. Our ranch. Don’t you remember? It makes sense you woke up here considering you fell asleep here last night. The only weird thing is this new size of yours.”

Jimmy blinked. “What? No, no, I definitely fell asleep in my own base. The one right across from Scott’s!”

“What? From Scott…?” Tango trailed off, his brows furrowing. He was suddenly looking at Jimmy a lot more intensely. “And why are you wearing…?” Again, he trailed off, bringing Jimmy up a bit closer to his face. Jimmy squirmed under the blaze hybrid’s gaze but tried to keep himself from scrambling backwards and away from it. Tango’s fingers came upon him and Jimmy couldn’t hold back the flinch as they tugged down on his hoodie. “...Why are you wearing your Captain America hoodie?”

Jimmy was momentarily startled out of his fear by the question. “My hoodie?” He looked down at it. “I always have this hoodie on?” Jimmy said and it was true. This was the main thing he tended to wear, especially when he was out with friends.

“No, you did but you told me you got rid of it. You usually wear a blue jacket with a white top nowadays.” Tango tried to explain to him.

“I…But I’ve never-” Jimmy shook his head, pressing his palms to his forehead. What was going on?

Tango was silent for a minute and looking up at him showed he was in deep thought. Suddenly, his eyes focused on Jimmy once again, a look of something in them that Jimmy couldn’t identify. But it had him nervous all over again. “Jimmy…what server are we on?”

Jimmy bit his lip. He knew the answer of course, but the way Tango asked…Jimmy had a sinking feeling deep in his stomach. “W-Well, it’s Third Life…right?”

The look on Tango’s face alone was enough for Jimmy to realize that, somehow, the answer was wrong.

“No, Jimmy, this is…we’re in Double Life.” Tango gently tried to correct. Jimmy blinked, the name not ringing any bells.

“We’re…in the second game already?” Jimmy asked, though he hadn’t even known there would be a second game. They were all still getting used to the first, playing it out to see how it would go.

Tango winced. “Uh, actually, it’s the third game. Last Life was…was the second game.” Tango finished lamely, seemingly realizing how confusing the names of the games and their placements could be. And he was right, because Jimmy was very confused.

“Wait, Double Life is the third game…but Last Life was the second…I guess it makes sense if Third Life was the first one…” Jimmy kept starting and stopping half made thoughts, trying to make sense of it all. His only conclusion was that Grian needed a better naming system.

Well, that wasn’t his only conclusion. His other take away from all this was, somehow, someway, he had not only been shrunk down in size but he had someone been sent…to the future? Into yet another life game, one called Double Life.

“So…this is the future then?” Jimmy asked, looking up at Tango with big eyes. Tango could only nod.

“I mean, to you, yeah. It, uh, kind of seems that way at least.” Technically, it could also have been a case of amnesia but that didn’t make a lot of sense when you took into account the change in clothes and the tiny size.

“How!? How has this happened?” Jimmy cried out, planting his face into his palms.

“I have no idea but…maybe we can go ask Grian? He might know, being the admin and all, right?” Tango suggested and Jimmy thought for a moment. If this really wasn’t Grian, which he was starting to suspect less and less, then at the very least he might know what to do. Might even be able to get him back to his normal size and his correct time. He didn’t really want Grian seeing him like this but he didn’t really see another option at this point.

“Yeah, he might be our best bet.” Jimmy agreed and Tango nodded.

“Alright, let me just get ready then really quick.” Tango said and then suddenly there was a thumb snaking over Jimmy’s lap. He jumped as the huge appendage invaded his space, his shaking picking back up again at just how big it was in comparison. Tango seemed to notice Jimmy’s sudden fear and quickly lifted his thumb off.

“Sorry! I just, uh, I didn’t want you falling or anything. I thought it would be more secure for you, I’m sorry.” Tango apologized profusely but as Jimmy calmed down, he realized Tango was probably right in that regard.

“No! No, it’s okay. You can…do that.” Jimmy winced at his own words but Tango paused in his apologies.

“...Are you sure?” Tango asked and when Jimmy nodded, Tango carefully settled his thumb back over Jimmy’s lap.

Now that he knew it had been coming, it was a lot less fear inducing. It was still unnerving seeing just how much of his lap the appendage overtook but Jimmy reminded himself it was for his safety. With Jimmy secure, Tango finally got up and out of bed, stretching his back slightly as he did so. He carefully set Jimmy down on the nearby crafting table they were using as a nightstand and then gathered some new clothes for himself to change into.

Jimmy turned around for Tango’s privacy and picked at his hoodie strings as more questions started coming to mind now that he wasn’t completely terrified out of his mind. “Hey, um, Tango?” He called out.

“Yeah?” Tango said, the sounds of fabric rusling accompanying him.

“So, if I woke up here, and I, or my future self, went to bed here, then…are we a team this season?” The question might have had an obvious answer, but Jimmy was still curious to hear it from Tango himself.

Tango was silent for a moment and Jimmy almost turned around to see what was going on, but then Tango spoke. “Well, yeah, but, we’re…kind of a bit more than that?” Tango said with a slight laugh. “You can turn around now, by the way.”

Jimmy did so, a look of confusion clear on his face. “More than that? What does that mean?” His first thought was toward Scott, and how they had become ‘husbands’ as well as teammates for the game. Is that what Tango meant?

“Well, Double Life has a slightly different mechanic than third life. It’s still the same amount of lives but…everyone is soulbound to one other person.” Tango explained and it took Jimmy a second to process exactly what Tango was implying.

“Wait…Tango, are you saying we’re soulmates?” Jimmy flushed slightly at the word itself and even more so when Tango nodded, a small smile on his face.

“Yeah, we share health and damage but it’s been…really fun.” The way Tango was so utterly genuine with that statement made something in Jimmy’s heart soar. Even Scott, who was supposed to be his teammate and husband, didn’t really talk about him like that. Sometimes, he even felt more like a burden with Scott, especially since he had been brought down to being a red life so early on in the game.

But here Tango was, saying that being soulmates with Jimmy was fun and wearing that smile…if this was his future, Jimmy couldn’t wait to actually experience it.

“Oh. That’s…cool.” Jimmy said and winced at how lame he sounded. Tango just laughed though, and not in the way that meant he was making fun of Jimmy. But a genuine, innocent laugh.

“It is. I promise.” Tango said and winked, causing Jimmy to flush even more. Yeah, he was very much looking forward to this future.

“Are you ready to go? People will be waking up soon and then it’ll be even harder to get Grian’s help.” Tango said and Jimmy nodded, standing up and only flinching slightly this time as Tango put his hand down in front of Jimmy. At least he wasn’t being grabbed. He really did appreciate that.

He carefully climbed onto Tango’s hand and Tango lifted him up, holding him close to his chest. So close, in fact, that Jimmy could feel Tango’s heartbeat. Surprisingly, Jimmy couldn’t help but notice how it aligned with his own.

“Hopefully Grian can help.” Tango muttered one last time before heading out and towards what looked like a base in the shape of a cake. Jimmy couldn’t help but hope too, that Grian would be able to get him back to normal and where he belonged.

But as he settled against Tango’s chest, listening to both of their synced heartbeats, he found that he didn’t mind if he had to wait a bit longer to do so. Not if it meant staying with Tango just a little bit longer.

#g/t #giant/tiny #life series g/t #life series #fic #shrinking #tiny jimmy #commission

43 notes · View notes

arc852 · 28 days ago

Text

Rescue Humans

Summary: Grian has had Jimmy for almost a year now and things have been great. So great, in fact, that Grian finds himself wanting another human.

On a related note, Joel, having found himself in the clutches of giant aliens, has just been informed that he's been adopted.

Word Count: 5065

Warnings: Treating someone like a pet, dehumanization, and fear

AO3 Link

This was commissioned by the wonderful @tiny-minecraft-rabbit! Thank you again for commissioning me and if anyone else is interested in doing so, you can find more info about it here! I hope you guys enjoy!

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

Grian scrolled through the web pages on his holo-screen, scanning the words quickly before moving on when he didn’t find anything interesting enough. He had been doing this for a while already, not realizing just how many pages there would be when he started. There were, currently, 167 pages. One for every human the resource center had on hand.

He had been here for an hour already simply clicking through the pages. And glancing at the address bar at the top of his holo told him that he was only on number 54. Grian sighed and continued clicking through the pages, being even more lenient with his scanning of the words. If nothing immediately jumped out at him, he clicked to the next page.

He rested a hand on his cheek, leaning against it with his elbow on the table. His thumb started ruffling a small feather poking out of his face as he continued to try and focus on the mountain of text he was greeted with on every new page he clicked through. There was a small noise, a sigh, coming from in front of him and Grian allowed his eyes a break as he glanced away from the screen and onto the human.

Jimmy was sitting cross-legged between him and the screen, fiddling around with a small toy Grian had gotten for him a while ago. He’s pretty sure Jimmy had called it a rubix cube. The human had admitted it was one of his favorite things Grian had bought for him, since it kept both his mind and hands busy. Grian was only glad he liked the gift so much.

The avian couldn’t help but smile as he watched Jimmy try to solve the mixed up rubix cube. He was deeply focused, his tongue even sticking out a bit as he continued sliding the colors around. He was so cute and Grian was reminded that this was the reason he was putting himself through all of this reading and clicking through pages.

He wanted another human.

Which was kind of crazy, considering Grian hadn’t even been all too sure about getting a human in the first place. Jimmy hadn’t been planned, nor had he planned on getting any human for that matter. But he had been reached out to specifically from the Human Resource Facility and asked to take on a human.

Though he hadn’t been sure about owning a human at first, he had found humans interesting enough to study them while he had been in school. He even had a minor in Human Resources, though he had never really planned on using it much. But it was that reason that Grian was picked out and asked to take on a human. And while Grian hadn’t been sure, he really couldn’t say no. After all, less and less people were qualified to take care of them. And even some of the qualified ones didn’t want to. Something about humans being too difficult and annoying to take care of.

Grian had no idea what they were talking about, taking care of Jimmy was so easy.

Sure, there had been some rough patches in the beginning, but nothing that Grian hadn’t been prepared for. He knew Jimmy would be scared in the beginning and unwilling to listen but over time, Grian had won him over and now Jimmy was relaxed in his presence and more than willing to do what Grian said. After those initial hurdles, taking care of the human had been not only easy, but fun.

It made him want another one, not only for himself but as someone who had studied human behavior, Grian knew that humans were very social creatures. And while Jimmy had him, and had gotten to know some of Grian’s friends, Grian thought it would do Jimmy some good to have another human around.

And thus, he found himself putting an application in. It had only taken a day before he received the acceptance email and a separate, non-automated email about how happy they were that Grian had decided to take on another human.

Unlike last time, however, Grian had a choice on who he wanted to take home. Jimmy had been given to him specifically, so he hadn’t seen all these pages last time. But this time, in the email, they were sure to include that Grian could choose whichever human he wanted from their database. Grian had, at first, been excited to take a look and choose. That excitement had quickly turned to despair and boredom though, as he sat here reading long texts and clicking through so many pages he was starting to get a headache.

It was a nice break to just simply stare at Jimmy for a while, watching him play around with the rubix cube. He must have been staring a little too long though, because Jimmy paused in what he was doing and looked up at Grian. “Can I help you?” Jimmy asked, huffing slightly. Grian laughed at the haughty remark and reached down to ruffle Jimmy’s hair. Jimmy squeaked and dropped the cube in order to fix his hair as soon as Grian had taken his hand back.

“No, just letting my eyes take a small break.” Grian answered. Jimmy hummed as he picked back up his rubix cube, glancing at Grian’s holo screen with confused eyes. Grian chuckled to himself. Though Jimmy had a chip in his head that allowed them to communicate verbally, there was still no way for Jimmy to read the words on the screen in front of him. Which was great in this moment, because Grian hadn’t yet told Jimmy what he was up to.

“...That’s a lot of words.” Jimmy commented and Grian snorted at the attempt.

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Grian said and continued with clicking through. He wanted to make this decision sometime today, after all.

He wanted an interesting human but he also wanted one he thought would get along with Jimmy. That was a harder combo than Grian would have first thought. Jimmy was quiet but over time he had opened up to show that he also had a bit of a snarky side, as he had just demonstrated. So he needed one that wouldn’t be too bothered by it and, if possible, maybe even give some snark back…

Of course, a lot of these descriptions didn’t go into that much detail, but based on the observed behaviors listed, Grian was pretty sure he could make a good guess on how they would be. And a lot of these humans were quiet and meek and kept to themselves as far as the caregivers stationed at the facility had observed. Of course, Jimmy had started out much like that, so maybe he shouldn’t be taking those observations into too much account…

He stopped, hand hovering over the next page button. His eyes had caught something interesting and so he went back to the start and read the description properly.

Name: Joel Beans

Pronouns: He/Him

Appearance: He has brown hair and eyes, though he has a few strands of green in his hair where it lays on his forehead. He is 5 foot 8 inches tall and is a fully grown adult male.

Observed Behavior: Joel has exhibited signs of hostile behavior towards his caregivers. The hostile behaviors exhibited are both verbal and physical, though not much damage has been done. This behavior does not seem to extend to the other humans. He keeps to himself for the most part but has been seen interacting with some of the other humans in a positive way.

Grian paused in his reading, his lips turning up into a smirk. Now that sounded interesting. Sure, he would be a challenge but Grian was confident in his own abilities. Besides, it was pretty clear that the human was acting this way because of his fear. Perhaps, in a calmer environment with limited alien interaction and another human by his side, Joel would be able to open up more and let go of this hostility.

Grian clicked on another tab within Joel’s page and a photo of the human popped up. It was a face photo, only showing from his chest up. Grian studied it, a bit surprised to find just how green that streak in his hair was. He looked angry, even in the photo, and it was only solidifying Grian’s decision to pick him.

“Is…is that another human? Why are you looking at another human’s photo?” Jimmy’s quiet voice suddenly spoke up and Grian blinked out of his thoughts, looking down at the human who was looking at the screen. Whoops, Grian had forgotten why he hadn’t been looking at pictures until now. Oh well, he had been going to tell Jimmy eventually anyway.

“Because I’ve decided to take him in.” Grian said, making the decision right then and there that Joel was the one he wanted. In fact, he switched to his email and wrote just that, making sure to put in Joel’s database numbers along with his name, just in case.

“Wait, what?!” Jimmy exclaimed, moving to stand up, and Grian paused. He knew Jimmy would be surprised. After all, he had never talked about wanting to get another human before. At least, not to Jimmy. But he wasn’t expecting Jimmy to be so utterly flabbergasted from this reveal.

“What? What’s wrong with that?” Grian asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. He watched as Jimmy bit his lip, fidgeting again with the cube in his hands. Though this time he was simply sliding it back and forth, not trying to solve it.

“I mean, n-nothing really, I guess, but…” Jimmy trailed off, looking off to the side and avoiding Grian’s gaze.

Grian hummed, trying to figure out why Jimmy was reacting like this. And then, it hit him. “Oh. I get it.”

Jimmy’s head snapped back to his face, his eyes wide. “Y-You do?” He asked, almost too quietly. Grian nodded.

“Of course. Jimmy, you have nothing to worry about. You aren’t being replaced.” Grian reassured and watched as Jimmy’s tense shoulders fell.

“O-Oh?” Jimmy let out after a small moment of silence. Grian nodded, grinning.

“Yeah, come on Jim, I wouldn’t just replace you like that. No, Joel will be as much for you as he is for me.” Grian said but that only seemed to get him another confused look. Grian let out a small laugh at his face. He had gotten used to that look of confusion over the year Jimmy had been with him but he never got over how cute it was. “I know humans are social creatures and sure, you have me, but I figured it would do you some good to have another human around as well.”

“...That makes sense, I guess.” Jimmy said quietly, almost more to himself than to Grian.

Grian hummed as he finished up the email. “I think another human in the house will do you some good.”

“And what about you? Another human…that’s a lot of work, isn’t it?” Jimmy asked and Grian felt a little touched that he was thinking about stuff like that.

“Nah, not at all. You’re so easy, Jimmy. And fun. I figured another human would be as well. Even if this one will be a bit more of a challenge.” Grian said as he clicked the final button to send off the email. Now all he had to do was sit back and wait. He leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms high.

“A challenge?” Jimmy questioned and Grian nodded, having forgotten for a moment that Jimmy would have had no way of knowing that.

“Yeah, his description claims he’s a bit hostile. But not really to other humans, so you should be fine.” Grian said before pushing his chair back and standing up. He scooped Jimmy up into his hand and poked at his chest, grinning. “Don’t worry, I’m sure the two of you will get along great.”

“Y-Yeah…” Jimmy said, trailing off again. Grian hummed questionally but decided not to ask. Everything would be fine. He knew Jimmy was probably just nervous about another human coming into their space. With time, Jimmy would get used to having the new human around, just like he got used to living with Grian.

He heard a ding coming from his holo later that night and as he checked over the email, he grinned. His choice had been accepted, of course. And within the next few days, someone would be over to drop Joel off, just as they had done with Jimmy close to a year ago now.

Grian couldn’t wait.

***

Joel glared at the new alien through the mesh of the carrier. As he did so, he quickly took in the alien’s features. Feathers peppered his skin almost like freckles across his arms and face with some of those feathers forming into wings that came out of his back and the sides of his head. Looking a bit further down showed Joel that this alien’s lower half looked like that of a bird’s, completing the look alongside the feathers and wings. And, of course, he was a giant, just like every other stupid alien Joel had met so far.

Joel hadn’t expected any of this when he had crossed the border into the Forbidden. Giant aliens with various different features that treated humans like pets? It sounded like a bad sci-fi movie. And yet, it was now Joel’s very real life.

The only good thing was that they hadn’t hurt him. He supposed being seen like some sort of pet gave him that privilege. Instead, he had been kept in a facility and observed while they had taken care of him. Joel hadn’t been a huge fan of any of it, not the condescending tones the aliens would use when speaking to him or the way they ignored him whenever he yelled about not wanting to be treated like a pet.

And Joel knew very well that they understood him, knew that they had done something to him while he had been asleep that allowed them to communicate with each other. Though Joel really did wonder what the point of making it go both ways was, if they planned on not listening to anything he had to say.

He’d been in the facility for around a month and hated every moment of it. But compared to a lot of the other humans in the place, he hadn’t been there very long. So it was certainly a surprise, a very unwanted one, when one of the aliens came up to him and told him he was getting adopted.

The female alien had had a huge grin on her face, as if this was the best news Joel had ever received. But Joel had felt his stomach drop and the pitied looks he had received from the other humans around had only made it worse. He seemed to have been told at the very last minute too, because it was the very next morning that Joel found himself being placed into some sort of carrier and taken out of the facility for the first time since he had arrived a month ago.

And now he was here, staring at this new alien that came across as some mix between a human and bird, who was supposed to be his new ‘owner’.

Joel wanted to scream.

“Here he is, Grian. And once again, thank you for taking in another human. The applications we receive seem to be dwindling with every passing year, so it’s honestly kind of a relief you were willing to take in another one.” The alien holding him said, though they weren’t holding him for much longer as he was passed over to the bird alien, Grian, apparently.

Joel paused as the words caught up with him. Another human? Joel wasn’t his first one?

He didn’t know how to feel about that.

“Of course! I love these little guys, they’re so fun.” Grian spoke and Joel winced at his words. That didn’t sound foreboding at all. Grian continued, moving the carrier a bit to get a better handle on it, though Joel remained steady throughout the movement. “And I’m excited to get to know Joel here.”

“Just be careful. I’m sure you’ve read his file, but he can be a bit…difficult.” The other alien said and Joel snorted. Was that what they were calling it? So voicing the fact he didn’t want to be a pet and fighting back whenever they grabbed him was considered being difficult? Alright then, he saw how it was.

“I know, but I’m not too worried.” The casual air of smug confidence coming from Grian was really starting to grate on Joel’s nerves. Oh, he was going to make this guy regret ever choosing him.

“Well, that’s good to hear. I’ll leave you to it then, have a nice day.” The alien said, nodding his head slightly and then turning to leave.

“You too!” Grian exclaimed back and then closed the door, leaving Joel alone with this new, unfamiliar alien. Though, maybe not completely alone, if the other alien’s words were to be believed. There might just be another human in here somewhere.

Unless the other human was dead and that’s why Grian felt the need to get another one. But even Joel knew that was probably not likely. Again, despite how dehumanizing it was being treated like pets, they at least seemed to be very protective of them.

Like a dog. Or, well, given the size difference, a very well loved hamster.

Joel didn’t know why he was comparing himself to a hamster.

Grian turned around and Joel only just saw the table before the carrier he was in was placed down onto it. Joel remained on guard, which is why he totally didn’t flinch when Grian’s head suddenly popped into view through the mesh of the front. Grian’s lips curled up a little and Joel glared at him.

“There you go, now you look more like your picture.” Grian teased, catching Joel off guard for a moment but only making him angrier in the long run. What right did this alien have to tease him like that? He didn’t even know the guy! They literally just met a second ago! Joel’s glare dropped only because of how incredulous he was feeling. But Grian seemed to take this as a sign of something else. “There we go, don’t worry, you’ve got nothing to worry about here. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Joel rolled his eyes. The amount of times he had heard that particular phrase in the last month alone was enough for a lifetime. It’s so far proven to be true but Joel would much rather hear ‘I’m not going to treat you like a pet.’ Not like that was going to happen though, based on how things were going already.

“I’m sure you’ve heard already, but I’m Grian.” Grian properly introduced himself though Joel could really care less. Still, despite his glare coming back, Grian continued. “You want to get out of there?” Grian asked and then before Joel could answer, not that he was going to in the first place but still, Grian unzipped the front of the carrier and opened it up. Joel tensed, thinking Grian was going to just reach in and grab him, and prepared himself to dart out of the way. But Grian’s hand remained at his side.

It took Joel a moment to realize that Grian was waiting for him to come out on his own and he huffed, staying firmly planted where he was. He wasn’t going to just take being a pet. If nothing else, he was going to be as stubborn and as difficult as he could be. If Grian wanted him out of the carrier then he’d have to reach in and get him himself.

…Not that Joel really wanted to get grabbed. But he’d rather do that than willingly listen and give into the idea of being a pet. That was never going to happen.

After a few moments of Joel not moving, Grian hummed. “That’s okay, you can stay in there as long as you like.” Grian said and stood up, his face now replaced by his torso. Now Joel was confused. He wasn’t going to force him?

“But, if you want to meet the other human I have, then you’ll have to come out eventually.” Grian said and though he could no longer see his face, Joel could just hear the smirk on his lips.

…Dang it. Joel had to admit, he was curious about this other human. He was wondering just what kind of state they were in. Though he had a sinking feeling they might have just given in and accepted all this, he still wanted to see for himself, no matter how saddened he would be by the sight.

But that meant he had to leave the carrier.

As Joel was debating with himself on what to do, Grian started walking away. “That’s alright, you can always meet Jimmy later I suppose.”

Jimmy. Joel briefly wondered if that was his actual name or if Grian had chosen it for him. Though, based on the fact that Grian hadn’t done the same to him so far, it was most likely his actual given name. Hopefully.

For some reason, Joel started to panic a bit as Grian started to walk away. He didn’t know why but he felt himself stand up because of it and move to the front of the carrier. As he poked his head all the way out though, he realized Grian hadn’t actually gone too far at all. Only moving until he had been out of Joel’s sight from within the carrier.

Joel realized he had been tricked and this was made even clearer when Grian grinned at him. That stupid, smug looking grin really made Joel’s blood boil. He thought about turning right back around out of spite but he had already made it this far…and he really was curious about the other human.

He swallowed down his anger, for now, as he stepped the rest of the way out of the carrier.

“I thought that might entice you.” Grian said with a small laugh and Joel threw another glare at him.

“Whatever.” Joel spat out, very aware those were his first words to Grian. He didn’t deserve anything more. “Now where’s this Jimmy guy you want me to meet so bad?”

Grian chuckled and seemed nothing but amused by all of Joel’s attitude. It was starting to pool together a feeling not unlike a rock in his stomach.

“I’ll go get him. He’s been excited to meet you too, you know.” Grian said and no, Joel didn’t know. But before he could get himself to say that out loud, Grian left, disappearing from Joel’s sight down the hallway.

It was almost weird, being left alone. He hadn’t been truly ‘alone’ the entire month he had been in the care of these giant aliens. He was always either being watched by one of them in the facility or around other humans. Not having any eyes on him or a presence nearby was making him feel…itchy, for some reason.

He pushed that feeling way deep down and tried his best to ignore his growing anxiety and enjoy the slight reprieve of Grian’s presence.

It didn’t last very long anyway, as Grian came into sight once again a few minutes later, his hands cupped together. Joel could only assume that was where Jimmy was currently being kept. He shivered slightly at the idea of eventually being in those cupped hands himself, helpless and fully reliant on the alien.

Joel tried not to think too much about the fact that he was already most of the way there even without being held like that.

Grian grinned as he approached and slowly lowered his hands until they were touching the table. Joel braced himself for what he was about to see as Grian spoke. “Joel, this is Jimmy.” Grian said and then finally opened his cupped hands to reveal a blond-haired, and rather lanky, human. He was sitting in the cupped hands, his own hands braced on either side of him as his palms pressed firmly into Grian’s for support.

Joel took him in and immediately noticed the nervous expression on his face. Now was that expression because of Joel? Or was that a normal expression he wore around Grian? It was honestly hard to tell.

“Jimmy, this is Joel.” Grian said and Joel could tell Jimmy was taking him in too. He gave a small smile and waved a little but then yelped as Grian suddenly nudged him forward with a finger. “Come on Jimmy, go say hi properly.” The alien teased and Joel just watched as Jimmy winced but listened. Scooting the rest of the way off the hand and moving to stand on the table.

Grian took his hand away and Jimmy stepped forward until he was close enough for Joel to reach out and touch him. Jimmy cleared his throat and stuck out a hand, an attempt at a smile on his face. “It’s nice to meet you, Joel. Like Grian said, my name is Jimmy.” Jimmy introduced himself. Joel looked at his face and then at his hand and decided to give the guy a break and take the offered hand into his own.

“There you go! You two are already getting along!” Grian exclaimed with a grin. Joel glared up at the alien but Grian’s stupid smile didn’t falter for even a moment. Joel let go of their hands first, his arm coming to rest at his side again. Jimmy’s also returned to his side, his eyes still taking in all of Joel.

“We’ve literally just said hi to each other.” Joel bit out and Jimmy’s eyes widened a bit.

“Well-“ Grian started but was interrupted, surprisingly, by Jimmy.

“He’s right, Grian. There’s still a chance we become sworn enemies.” Jimmy said, his voice light and joking, which surprised Joel more than anything else had so far. He couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh.

“I’d say it’s a solid fifty-fifty at this point.” Joel said with a small smirk, crossing his arms. His smile grew as Jimmy laughed, his hand coming up to try and muffle it with little success.

Grian gave them both a deadpan look. “Maybe this was a bad idea.” He said but the small smile still tugging at his lips showed he wasn’t serious. At least, Joel hoped he wasn’t. Though based on Jimmy’s reaction, which hadn’t changed much, he figured he was right. “I’m hoping Jimmy can be a good influence on you. Not the other way around.”

Joel’s smirk grew, determination set in his gaze. “We’ll see about that.” Joel said as ominously as he could and Grian let out a small laugh.

“Alright, well, I’m sure you both are hungry. I’ll start on something for breakfast while you two get to know each other a bit more. Let me know if you need anything, I’ll just be right here.” Grian pointed over to the kitchen that was literally just right behind them before walking over and started pulling some stuff out of the fridge and pantry.

Joel simply watched him for a moment, weirded out by the familiar movements on such an unfamiliar being.

“I’m sorry.” A quiet voice spoke up and Joel turned back toward Jimmy, who suddenly looked a lot sadder than just a moment ago. Joel could figure out what Jimmy meant, but he still tilted his head a bit and frowned.

“You don’t have to apologize.” Joel said, matching Jimmy’s volume. A quick glance toward Grian showed that he couldn’t hear them like this. “It’s not your fault.”

Jimmy looked down. “I know. I’m just…I’m sorry you’re in this mess too.”

Joel glanced back at Grian, the giant’s movement keeping him alert to his presence at all times. “Is Grian really that bad?” Joel tried to say it in more of a joking tone, though he truly was asking.

Jimmy bit his lip but ultimately shook his head. “He’s really not. He can be a bit much sometimes and he obviously sees us as pets but…he’s not…bad.” Jimmy said, fidgeting with his own hands as he spoke.

Joel let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and nodded. At least he didn’t have to worry about some things. “Okay, that’s…good.” Joel winced at his own words. Nothing about this situation was good but he knew they were both trying to find the silver lining in all of this. Grian not being as bad as he could have been just happened to be one of them.

“He cares about me.” Jimmy admitted, even quieter this time. But Joel was, once again, surprised to see that Jimmy really did seem to believe it. “And it seems like he’s starting to care about you too.”

Joel didn’t say anything, wasn’t really sure what to say. Because Grian could care about them all he wanted, but that didn’t change how he saw them.

“Breakfast is almost ready!” Grian announced, cutting into the silence that had taken over the two of them. “Jimmy, go ahead and show Joel how we set up for meals, okay?”

“Okay!” Jimmy answered back, his voice loud. He glanced back toward Joel, lowering his voice again. “We can talk more later. I better show you what to do, before Grian decides I’m taking too long or doing it wrong and takes over.” Jimmy was joking at that last bit but something in Joel’s gut twisted anyway.

Jimmy started to walk along the table, more toward Grian, and Joel was helpless to do anything but follow.

Maybe Grian wasn’t as bad as he could be, maybe he even truly cared for them, but Joel still refused to give in. He’ll follow Jimmy along for now, listen as he explained where they kept the human sized plates and silverware to grab for themselves, but he wouldn’t be listening to Grian anytime soon.

He’d find a way out of here. He’d find the both of them a way out of here. No matter how long it took.

#g/t #giant/tiny #fic #hermitcraft #hermitcraft g/t #aliens #alien au #pet au #tiny jimmy #tiny joel #giant grian #commission

57 notes · View notes